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blindtaleteller · 1 year ago

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MCU Asgard Canon Observation Research [Part 1]

Firstly and before I even start in on the subject, keep in mind that this is what it says: a collection of research into actual Canon Lore from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: not the comics, or the Nordic lore twice removed from it.

Secondly and alongside that, also keep in mind that even back at the start of the MCU as a long term project, while the MCU is based on the Marvel comics universe: the creators made a point of making it a completely different universe: for many varying reasons, including the spaces lacking continuity in the comics over the years that the MCU as a project wanted to pursue from it's first conception.

This is a large part of why there are phases and why they were numbered from it's creation. (And yes also why my tags recently mentioning counting phases are what they are elsewhere, but that's a whole other post.. or set of them.)

These are important to remember because, I would like to avoid previous iterations of people wasting their time trying to insert comics-universe lore and more excessively into or onto this requested post purely for the sake of, well; being argumentative or just trolling:as much as possible. I do try to take some time to respond to comments and reblogs as much as possible, but I can and will ignore or yes, at times point out people unable to manage these things.. and respond as necessary.

I normally wouldn't bother to mention this except yes, that has happened before so: consider this your disclaimer.. I ain't dealin' with you if you're gonna be a trolly shit disrespectful enough of the time effort and willingness to share what research and observations I have, by shitting on it or me in your pursuit of whatever flimsy excuses might be given for any inhuman reactions posted passive aggressive or worse.

More frankly: be respectful on my posts or get lost. I don't tolerate harassment on my blog whether it's aimed at me or others. Passive aggressive or otherwise. I'll discuss stuff, am happy to have any valid references I might miss added to and pointed out. Just don't be an asshat about it, and you'll get the same from me. That's how basic-bitch Karma, and I; both work: you'll get what you give along those lines, while in my space.

The necessary now out of the way... Next!

More as a side note with that mentioned; while I may mention some meta/theory in the form of the most probable (as that's how my meta in particular is formed) it is again: based on the facts of the canon lore and contexts confirmed presented in it; visually, in dialogue, and out of the mouths of the very people who made all that themselves, at the time that lore was given to us on screen: and will be mentioned as the theory and supposition that is 'meta' rather than 'canon'. I have gone out of my way as a fan of world, universe, and character building as a part of the creative process in particular: to watch, rewatch, rewatch again and again, and hunt down all this stuff (often lol purely out of my own curiosity.) All in all Meta is theory, Canon is story/film-established fact; and I do try to keep a clear line between the two of them. The early world and character building in the MCU has always been interesting enough to me alone, to do all that with my free time.

And that's especially true with Asgard in particular, as a main story driving force in one form or another as far back as 2010 when both Thor and CA: tFA's scripts were being filmed and their sets/settings picked out and created.

Final few bits before we get into it..? As Asgard lore (and even a lack of it's presence at times) is directly and appropriately attached and or in relation to the lore of several races, species, and massive events in the entirety of the MCU's first three phases.. I will be touching some of those cultures and places too, where important. Probably not in this particular part, but yeah. It's gonna happen.

As with the research post into Loki and his year of absence prior to Avengers 2012: (yes that's a link to an ask that contains a good chunk of info and years of interviews on that particular subject) this might not be an entirely complete compilation: for the same reasons. As I said, i didn't just watch, I rewatched repeatedly from differing personal mental angles: not just three or four times, but and as I wrote my own fanfiction.. I would also re-watch once or twice just prior to fleshing out an outlined story of my own to refresh my memory, seek out interviews official and otherwise from the creators and actors who made that lore and put it on screen for us to enjoy as part of the stories we enjoyed (or not, depending lol) and well.. the resulting organization of the whole outside of this post is less than comprehensive for anyone else. You can see the explanation for how that happens in the foreword of that thread if you're curious.

As a result, I may or may not exclude the actual interviews if this gets too long. Much of the visual in this first part especially are pretty self explanatory, as I did find some of my dissection pics too.

All said (I think? Gods I hope so that was a lot wasn't it? XD) and as suggested/requested recently in discord?

This one is gonna be expansive.. and hellaciously so: so grab your drinks and your snacks and still be prepared for this series of posts to be going for while (not kidding, may be compiling this properly between jobs for weeks) so yeah..

Here we go again!

The major forgotten fact of Asgard's depiction in the MCU is this:

We the audience are only shown a very tiny fragment of Asgard as another separate planet in space, and: they do show us we're missing as much, from the very first film.

That gif directly from the movie I used at the top? I'm using it again, because...

..look at that.

With topography, perspective and size in mind.

That tiny golden triangle in the middle is the Palace at the center. The little golden bar along that tiny portion to either side? Is the city attached to it proper, with the Bifrost, and as far as we've seen the 'Heroes Road' (as soem are calling it) and city walls cupping the Bifrost Bay directly facing the camera.

This is a space shot (of course,) and that tiny itty bitty moving spec that is still shrinking as it gets further from our perspective and closer to Asgard at the bottom, is the Bifrost in use.

And, they do give us a few views of that as early as five to six minutes into the first movie in 2011, as seen in the first clip below. I've set it to share at the first view of Asgard itself.

Hopefully that works. If not, the timestamp you're looking for is 2:04.

I recommend shutting off the audio, as it's a bit distracting. Trust me, we will get back to the very interesting audio from a world builder's perspective, when we get to the History and Relations section of Asgard's break down.. there are several tons, of that and in that opener alone, to examine later.

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IMPORTANT!! When looking at any of these images or videos, keep in mind and look at the scale. Not just in the scene on screen at that moment, but also in reference to previous shots. Distance is a thing. The size of trees and people are a thing. This place in the MCU is much more massive than where it's very cloistered story parts take place.

This is not a city-planet like and for comparison: Coruscant, from Star Wars... though I am very aware that some people will throw out Asgard's concept art to try and 'debunk' that (yes its' been done and proven pointless in other threads).. that does also bring us to another couple of facts that slip by in their context.

In fact, you know what? I'll throw it in here right now myself:

This concept art: does still apply, if slightly adjusted with the topography and likely under ground portions taken into account.. because Asgard is the name of both the planet AND the city as separate entities of the same locale.

In other words, the concept art is VERY valid as a map of the city itself: but not the outlying locations outside of Asgard as a Capital City Proper, of Asgard as a disk planet.

And again.. they do show us this, and not just in the first film: although that first shot going into the city says as much too, being that..

A. Asgard is established as a society greatly more advanced than Earth and most others, and;

B. there are whole swaths of land (and especially mountain they like to build into) without structure between the edge panned through and the City itself. (see still image below: not the best quality but it's also in the video.)

Which.. we'll touch again a little more in a bit (and probably the biggest lol) part of this breakdown set; digging at History, Culture, and Relations.. as the fact they do prefer to build INTO their environment much more than on top of it is also shown in the shot of the canyons and canals on which not only that city is built, but even what buildings are shown outside of it on that panning-in shot.

We can see in the one above though: that while they did redirect some of the water through canals in the lower shot; they also kept and built into the natural(?*) lay of the river canyons below.

This theme is kept even before we get into the city though with the first part of the shot above the water.

Want a more visual view of the breakdowns as I do them?

Here you go, here's one example from out of my crazy folders and docs, that I made in paint back in 2013 (LOL yes I know. XD) while once again re-watching that same scene.

I would highly suggest clicking on it, as tumblr does downsize images making text on them hard to read otherwise. Crappy in-motion quality screen cap but, it was made more for breaking down the visual elements on screen for what it told us about the land, and more; on it.

----[?*] As a set of side/foot notes to that last bit and the image..

A. the top left corner yes: does reference some of where I use certain observations of canon in my own fics; and how they would have grown or evolved depending on that story. In this case, and at the time: the pink text is making note to utilize those observations in outlining Hvedrungr (Loki from Uni 0) and Flykra's (Loki from Vesti1 Uni 14) universes in particular: both of which return to Asgard at VERY different times and in different situations: while the history and culture I've been able to glean and expand on in some cases is still part of their and the location's background. As I don't have the patience to remove the text from an old paint shop cut.. I thought I would at least explain it's presence left there. These things are, ultimately connected by the culture that originated on and created them on that planet after all.. and why there's an entire section dedicated to the varied aspects of Asgard's presented Cultural, Relations, and History lore. B. The '?' at the 'natural' mention in parenthesis above, also takes into account that Asgard is much older than Earth's culture and has to be: if only because as only three generations have come and gone over the passage of what to us is five thousand years! (see the next installment Thor the Dark World: Bor and Darkalfheim, or just watch the movie with info gathering in mind.) In other words, between Bor's War, and Odin's Asgardian Great Wars: we cannot be certain whether or not 1. those canyons are actually natural or the now aged result of one of many previous interplanetary wars, or 2. whether Asgard at this stage of it's showing timed at 2011 more than a millennia later, has even always been this size, given their advancement in technology and study of magic as presented OR left in question, either. For my part, as there's no conclusive dialogue from that era to state otherwise in the MCU or it's interviews that I know of, and knowing the context of Malekith and Darkalfheim's familiarity with Asgard itself during their raid to reclaim the infinity stone: I tend to veer towards a mixture of the two. While it's very likely at least some of the canyons are indeed natural; the great age of the culture and planet both, along with the nature of Bor and Odin's rules alone as we've seen them: leaves a HUGE and LONG period of time and opportunities for some of those nasty fights to come directly to them... or even their predecessors. Which would also explain why they had that shield for the palace too. You don't build and more importantly upkeep something like that without a very good set of reasons or examples experienced, to do so after all. Much of that is meta though, however based on canon fact it may be: and as many of the creators were not asked publicly during that era, and have been dismissed or moved on to other projects since.. it's hard to know if we'll ever see a *genuine* answer from the people who actually made it all starting sixteen years ago.

Anyway, let's look at a few more shots of Asgard with that breakdown going. Some of these are all old, from as far back as about ten years ago when I first started writing outlines for the varied universes in my Lokiverse Project: but they do still hold up. theer are some from TDW in this bunch too. I heavily dissected these scenes knowing I was going to do whole chapters in multiple differing universes, and wanted to have the presented layout and feel laid out in my head, before I started adding in locations on the planet not yet shown on film. And given my first Book was already going to be DREAMS.. where Asgard has been blown to bits post Endgame? I really wanted to get it right so I could deconstruct it as many times as I and the muses wanted to. Laufeyson (Universe 10 Loki) was pretty insistent too with the opening chapters on his end focusing partially on that chase with Abell through Asgard's blown apart ruin

Sorry for the ramble of an explanation, but that's how it is and how it works over here...? XD

..uhmmmm. Yeah lol! When I said I watch and re-watch from differing mental perspectives..? That's what I mean. I don't usually share those at all... only the unedited pics. Genrally I will take caps or take existing raw caps and pick out piece that catch my eye. I've been told they do help put your brain in the right mode for those who have difficulty processing them in that way, like I do when in that mode. Also yes, trees and fish ...bruh. lol!

It's there, has been for years in some cases; and I'm not messing with it now.

That basic bit out of the way (doesn't sound so basic does it.) Let's backtrack a bit, specifically to Asgard's shape and the placement of it's location and the locations on it.

As I first write this, I don't have the talks I had with a few wild meteorologists and geologists back then directly on hand (as this is a part I still don't focus on too much; but:) shaped as it is, those I did talk to theorized that between the shape and placement of planets as well as the nebula they're partially inside, that Asgard may be shaped and in rotation as it is because of its' placement in it's system: or because of late interference by Asgard's inhabitants to keep it stable.

^ That one scene in particular from Thor 2011 really made my eyes pop. Not because of what's going on in it so much as trying to answer the whys and hows and what the actual fricks man: because..

Can you imagine, the conversation: trying to pitch that spinning death ball to the King there OR anywhere else on the planet before Bor or even his great grandfather?

Or, trying to talk the royalty down from the idea of putting it anywhere NEAR the palace, or other people's homes?

How about testing that house sized death-by-velocity-alone gilded mess? (Yes I still laugh thinking about that. Some poor scholar/engineer type trying to dissuade Bor's grand-daddy from building what would definitely become a giant pinball of death in the canyons and canals, if that thing ever came off it's anchors even once in the city. Good gods! lol!) Who knows; maybe that was when people started moving to Vanaheim... XD! Just (mostly) kidding.

Cray-cray thoughts of high velocity gilded pinball hell that was probably somewhere way back in the Bifrost's likely development and evolution as tech/normie science boosted by magic, and or vice versa, aside:

You probably notice I've mentioned the nebulae and the planets in their rotation more than once. And with good reason.

Backing up a bit; Asgard is interesting well before you hit her shores.

Not only is she a top-shaped disk-planet: but with the way the sky is shown: Asgard has a very interesting rotation if she has any left at all. There's very little we know, but what we do know is she is not alone in her systematic rotation either way.

(Asgard's sky from Thor's personal Hall in Thor: the Dark World)

In fact and as seen in the screen caps above: Asgard has an incredibly close relation to at least three planets in her nebulous solar system. At least one of which is absolutely massive: massive enough that it's close proximity is theorized as being pretty likely to be the only way Asgard experiences night cycles as seen in Thor: the Dark World... mainly through eclipsing the nebulous sun by passing between it and Asgard as a planet.

Which is both cool -and- scary when you take things like degrading orbits, space debris and projectiles like comets and other space science into account.. but also very, very interesting.

It also begs the question either way: why didn't Asgard at their earlier establishment of a greater technological level, colonize or move to those planets sooner? Of course.. the first obvious answer is.. they probably couldn't, at first. And even more probably were past trying by the time the Bifrost was built, prior to Bor's time (I say prior because we have seen Bor use it in Thor the Dark World: and on a massive scale moving whole armies, the same as his son Odin. See some of the scenes from Bor's seizure of the Aether below.)

But yeah, Asgard is a pretty unique place even before you get to the water fall's edge: or questioning what kind of condensed mass it has to retain gravity at it's very small size.

Or, whether that gravity and the shape is in fact generated in some form or another after millennia upon millennia of just the Wars we do know about in their history.

(At current we know about Darkalfheim and the series of Wars including Jotunheim and Muspelheim that they call the Great Wars. While they are definitely aware of the extensive millennia of intergalactic war between the Xandarian based Nova Corps and the Kree Empire put front and center in GotG.. there hasn't been any actual confirmation as to whether Asgardians fought in that war on either side: only that they are at that stage at least loosely allied with Asgard.. if not a more separated protectorate being considered among the nine realms in the MCU.)

Why do I keep pointing out trees, and perspective; or teh size of the city in that first little gif again?

Because.. that is our repeated visual evidence of just how much of Asgard as a planet; the story did not take place in.. huge parts of the place we haven't seen. And that makes sense.

Power plants or generators, smithys, and even schools can be easily placed in the city proper, at this stage.

But what about BEFORE, they got to this stage.. because that is a thing in the MCU in regards to Asgard: and a major plot point for three movies of script running, from 2010 all the way to 2015 when Taika Waititi was hired (unfortunately, for those of us who know the root of what happened there.)

What about food, for thousands of 5000 year lifespans and their kids. And their grandkids. And.. the food for the livestock, or the wild game

Or the bilgesnipes and dragons--well we can guess what happened to the dragons of Asgard in particular actually. If they were anything like Muspelheim's; and on a planet that size..? It doesn't take much to figure out Odin, Bor and their predecessors probably couldn't excuse not hunting a predator big enough to swallow people to extinction: not for much longer than they absolutely had to anyway.

What about fibers and leather for clothes.

How about waste management, for both the city and suburban areas? Sewers? Water filtration? Factories or slaughterhouses to process it all, and the means to support those things. Everything man made, is grown, processed or made somewhere.

We know they have these things, because we know they have and make their own alcohol (fermentation of grains, fruits, and more); as well as other things to eat: displayed in both T1 and TDW.

(The top image is from Thor's table flip scene in Thor 2011; while the one below it is from the tavern scene in the beginning of Thor: the Dark World.)

Meat, vegetables, fruit, grain, herbs, and seasonings are all represented on the tables above. While some might be imported (I really do wonder about the platters of golden apples myself:) it's not very likely all of them are. And it wouldn't make sense for them to have been imported from off world throughout their species development either. After all and again: they would have had to have survived and developed enough to GET TO, that stage in the first place.

You're also looking at Varnish in the shine of that table; smithing and metal working and ceramics in their table ware. Weaving either plant or animal fibers in their clothes, as well as the likely production of tannin (or it's equivalent) and leather working in every leather piece on screen. Candles can be made from varied sources, whether that's actual wax of some form, or condensed animal fat.

Oh, and if you find the enlarged version of those images: you'll also notice things like fine engraving and metal sculpture to the goblets and platters on the Thor 2011 table in particular.

Either way, the images above show us directly that unsurprisingly, they have come to understand whole other sub-levels of production: before you even get to the high-tech and magic ends of any of that to be able to reproduce it in that modern era.

As another side note related to that: the booze alone is pretty telling as to how far off the "Loki" series is on this mark, as well. Creators of current content 'conveniently forgot' that this is supposed to be a space faring, technologically advanced society (even if they're the social equivalent of medieval imperialist thugs .. lol sorry not sorry! That's literally how they're depicted... and honestly that really weird twist IS some of Asgard's most interesting and strange development) whose friends, allies and other examples of places visited DO and HAVE included Earth, Xandar, and six other 'realms' as their etymology names them: for literal millennia. Even taking the other, long established cultural influences and visitations aside? For a society who 5000 years ago was still porting whole armies to other planets to kick peoples asses? The idea they never discovered honey; or sugar especially even on the inside of a fermentation barrel for wine; OR how to process it into something like candy? Is more than just a -little- dumb in the stretch. Sugar often naturally starts to separate and crystallize during the fermentation process. Ask a vintner, or look it up if you don't believe me. Just sayin'.. just on Earth alone, we know sweets were discovered more than 8000 years ago. Eight thousand. And the only reason we haven't been able to confirm people older than that finding things like bee's hives?? Is because well.. that kind of thing rarely survives even that length of time at all, to be found in archeology in order to tell us more. I'll touch that and how it's pretty damned near impossible that 'Loki doesn't know wtf candy is' being 1k+ years himself, and a guy raised as an Asgardian prince & spymaster to boot later into the culture section I think, but mmm.. that whole bit still reeks of stupid, to me And more so after their own DB Cooper scene. Gonna say candy wasn't a snack in that era either? Cause if so; I got big shocking news, for those who think so... XD

In closing.. for this part?

As far as the world of Asgard goes, we have only been allowed to see a very small part of it: and even then? It is still undoubtedly massively larger than even what's implied: and definitely capable of supporting it's comparatively small base population of less than 10k people.

(Odin's subterranean vault reference: exterior)

The only reason we don't see even more of it; is the fact that films have a limited time to give you everything, and the story focuses on the royal family from the get go. And they live, in the heart of Asgard's capital city... so we largely don't see as much of that as weirdo world building fans like me would absolutely love to see in the process... and frankly; they gave plenty enough to start us off with.

The films would have suffered for having too much more of that, rather than the stories they were trying to tell.

The same.. I would love to know more: and I do wish the current teams paid the previous ones more respect by using what was already there and expanding on it: instead of making mismatched new things up, as they went.

The early creative teams really knew what they were doing back then.

(Asgard's defensive cannons defending against the Darkalfheim air raid in Thor the Dark World.)

And no, this isn't all they showed us, in the show and tell they did manage to give us over the course of years of work... far from it.

Hope you enjoyed part one! Maybe you learned or saw something you missed.. or have been inspired to watch the older films again..?

I know I often am.

#MCU #Asgard #MCU Asgard #Lore drops #research #scene dissection #location and culture dissection #world building #universe building #Lokiverse references #writing references #writing research #Youtube #MCU Lore #part one:#about the land more than the people on it #don't worry: we'll get to that #:3

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daakjenaar · 1 year ago

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The greatest use of CGI in movie history (I am being unironic) (SPOILERS FOR SPEED RACER)

It’s the final five minutes of 2008’s Speed Racer. Of course the greatest CGI sequence was in a movie directed by the Wachowski sisters, that makes perfect sense.

For years, films with obscene budgets have been racing to try and reach the point with CGI where it can perfectly mimic reality, where practical effects and props are entirely done away with and replaced by some underpaid VFX artists working obscene hours. Any Disney project of the last decade is perhaps the finest example. With budgets to match a small nation’s GDP, they have repeatedly tried and failed to make the finest examples of bland hyper-realism. The trailer for the new Ahsoka series, where the titular Ahsoka fights with white lightsabers in a mostly grey environment, is just the newest case of this. In the drab, depressing Lion King remake, the last few MCU movies I bothered to watch, and seemingly every new Star Wars project, Disney has used a titanic budget to make a shoddy simulacrum of what 70’s movie prop artists could do with a box of scraps.

The real reason for this is that, at the time of writing, VFX artists lack the same union backing as those who work in practical effects. It is cheaper to make people slave away in front of a computer for months on end to render Chris Evans in his newest low-contrast, boring American flag outfit. The fault lies with the executives, who decided that this was the best way to both spend money and treat their fellow human beings, and that this is the direction high-budget cinema should go in. So many high-profile films are just messes of shitty CGI that seems to get worse every year. And I don't want this to be some annoying "RETURN TO TRADITION" post, this is specifically calling out the really big-budget stuff. I've gotten really into low-budget indie horror movies again, and the last few years have been an incredible time for those.

Now, back to that scene in Speed Racer. What does it do right? First of all, I think it justifies itself. The idea of making something so vivid and fluid with mostly practical effects just doesn’t seem feasible. This is a bizarre, cartoony neon-coloured nightmare of a racetrack that refuses to make sense. Bright colours pour out of every single place they feasibly could, and then a few others. It’s absolutely sensory overload, but it’s beautiful sensory overload. Every scene in the movie is high-contrast and visually appealing, even the dark and gritty moments.

On another level, I think it also knows how to hide the weaknesses of CGI. You mostly view objects from a distance and behind a layer of effects, and that makes it hard to see how bad some things might look in a clear close-up. Even when it really zooms in on a car, it’s in a moment where it feels so weighty and is still moving around too much to pick out flaws. Even managing to get across the vibe that these are heavy machines with momentum behind them is impressive, and more than I can say for a lot of CGI-heavy scenes. Nothing feels like it moves in an unnatural way, and the real humans inside of these color-vomit deathtraps don’t look out of place.

I think the thing it does best, though, is context. This movie is many things. Goofy, shockingly earnest, and stylish. The final scene is the culmination of all of that. The cars are doing frankly absurd things. The Mach 6 is doing some kind of car judo flip in the end of the grand prix scene. The flashbacks that come up help set the mood and take your mind off of analyzing the visuals of the scene to the point of finding flaws. I cannot emphasize this enough, this movie is about someone who loves his family and drives cars so well that he ends up halting an attempted corporate monopoly and reveals an insider trading scandal, and the film is all-in on this. They want you to be genuinely invested in this plot, and I still am on every viewing even as an adult. The visuals, the music, the culmination of the plot, it all gives this scene what it needs to work and stand out as perhaps the greatest application of CGI ever. I am being unironic.

Again, if you wish to give pointers or kill me with hammers, please do so and/or kill me with hammers. I finished this at 3am while listening to nu-metal and installing bootleg Starsector mods.

#speed racer #movies #cgi #animation #the matrix #disney #stars war #please tell me how to do tags well #essay

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soyouareandrewdobson · 1 year ago

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Dawn of Justice: A pointless comic to a rather pointless movie

I really don’t have much of an idea for an introduction here, so let me just hand you the comic and then explain why it is rather dumb.

The comic in question came out sometime in late 2015 or early 2016, certainly BEFORE the movie “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” had come out in March of 2016.

Now let me just say this: I am not a fan of that movie really. Frankly, Warner’s approach of creating a cinematic universe/franchise for DC akin to the MCU, has in my opinion always been a bit of a tonal trainwreck, starting with Man of Steel itself. Mind you, I have nothing against the actors involved in it, but I thought for a first “outing” for Superman it was a bit too heavy on the last act level of destruction and trying to emulate overall a tone more akin to “Batman Begins”. As for “Dawn of Justice”, I hated the way Lex Luthor was portrayed in it more like a knock off ginger version of Joker and it was silly in my opinion, how they already, in their second major outing for the DCEU, made a vs crossover movie with Batman and Superman, even though not really anything was much established of the cinematic world it was set in. To me it was already just in concept the equivalent of jumping from “Iron Man” in 2008, to “Age of Ultron” without the movies inbetween narratively.

That said, I do not hate the movie and if you find enjoyment in it, fine with me. I am at best indifferent, at worst I think we should look at it, see what worked and what didn’t, and learn from it for a future take on the idea, once the superhero boom and fatigue has ceased.

Somehow, that makes me however already more stable in mind than others, who hate the movie with a passion that’s ridiculous. At least moviebob should reevaluate his life, when he thinks his greatest achievement (or one of them) is to talk for over 4 hours how much the movie sucks, believing by doing so he has shown Warner Bros how much of a smarty pants he is. Even though by doing so, he spend more time talking about it than the movie runs, even in the director's cut.

As for this comic… it is to me just reactional garbage like a lot of stuff Dobson did once he heard something “awful” in regard of entertainment he didn’t even care much for. Like how he thought the Mario movie will be a disaster, cause Illumination was animating it

Now to be fair, he wasn’t entirely wrong to react worried, as the movie was not that good. However, his very first reaction to the trailer alone (which he posted on twitter) is telling you already more about how he really feels and is just utterly dismissive of it, without outright saying it.

Yeah Dobson, Dark Knight Returns is not necessarily my favorite Batman comic of all time either, but even with Miller turning out not quite right in the last 15+ years, you have no right to really treat it like it has no value at all in the field of comics, as even your beloved Batman: The Animated Series took in part inspiration from it.

It is however his second tweet I could find about it, that kinda makes me chuckle

After all, it is essentially the very same thing/opinion he lets say the older man in the picture state about Superman and Batman, and how preposterous the idea of them fighting against each other would be, seeing how they are SUPERFRIENDS.

Which brings me back to the comic in itself and me actually wanting to explain, why it is kinda dumb in proper detail.

First, as stated before, it came out way before the movie even got released. So aside of some poster design that he could copy paste into it and some trailer material he had seen to make up his mind, Dobson had nothing to judge the product by. And I genuinely doubt he ever even bothered to look into it and judge it then based on the actual merit of quality or lack thereof. As long as he could rage about Zack Snyder and Snyderbros being neo nazis or whatever years later, why bother as a cartoonist and critic of nerd culture, to actually talk about a superhero movie. After all, he also never played a Metal Gear game, and that makes him still an expert on Kojima.

Second, the “generational gap” Dobson tries to show here is ridiculous. The “young” comic book fan -likely to be in his twenties, even though he looks older- actually being hyped for it, seemingly because he craves the violence of such a movie. As indicated by making a claw with his hand, having a facial expression that indicates less geek out and more “bloodthirst” as well as how he emphasizes the “Dawn of Justice” in a format that is normally saved for slasher movie titles like “Friday the 13: The Bloodbath at Menarche Lake”.

For fucks sake, Dobson comes off like some old geezer shouting at the clouds how the “younger” generation is craving for blood instead of a decent plot, even though many people younger than him at the time (quick reminder: Dobson was only around 33 to 34 years old when that comic came out) also had a problem with how that movie looked as well as its tone.

Also, the second person who is actually opposed of the idea of them fighting/ is confused about it, trying to portray the other age group, supposedly opposed to the concept of the movie? That character looks like he is in his late 50s. And I can tell you of actual experience, not many people in that age group would even care for superhero movies anyway. They have other things to worry about, like actually being responsible adults and getting their kids through college.

Okay, I apologize if that was rather insulting to some, but let us be real here: Most people at that age are not necessarily into comics anymore as an age group of 20-30 somethings in the 2010s would be And those that still are, would likely not act this confused at the idea, because with all the stuff that has been going on in DC comics within the last 30-40 years, this would likely just make them roll their eyes and think “aww shit, we go the vs route first” or be slightly intrigued if they can pull it off or not. After all, Superman and Batman/ Clark and Bruce may be friends, but that hasn't stopped people from writing stories where the two had to fight against each other. Just ask the people familiar with Injustice.

Really, the only reason we have that early retirement citizen look at the poster in confusion, is because Dobson needed someone to represent him and his opinion. And to be honest, the fact that Dobson, someone in his late 30s at this point identifies more with someone 15+ years his senior, is kinda weird. Like, is Dobson that old fashioned? Or did the years already have a bad effect at his looks and in real life he looked more to that, then he would ever admit?

Anyway, it just stinks of creating some sort of schism between generations, by insinuating that the younger generation is essentially bloodthirsty, while an older one would love something more positive. Which frankly, is dumb to assume, as age does not necessarily account for taste in some cases.

Honestly though, the funniest aspect of the comic for me however, is the way it is structured. Cause it reminds me of that pile of trash

And yeah, I know that Stan Kelly is meant to be a joke by the Onion about political comic artists in newspapers, but I honestly think those joke comics are to a degree so accurate to the mindset of some people on either side of the political spectrum, it hurts. And in regard of Dobson… well, Kelly is a joke. Dobson is the real deal.

Finally, like with many of his comics, Dobson likes to complain, but he does not really “offer” an alternative. Neither did he in comments or on twitter. And what alternative am I talking about?

Well, simple: If he thinks Dawn of Justice will suck cause he wants something more child friendly and comic like…

youtube

Why doesn’t he just recommend for others the animated movie “The Batman/Superman Movie: Worlds Finest” from 1997, based on the Superman and the Batman Animated Series of the 90s, on which later the JLA cartoon based its design and style?

Oh right! Because a Dobson only wants to complain but never help improve the status quo

#adobsonartwork #superman #batman #syac #so you are a cartoonist #tom preston #andrew dobson #review #dawn of justice #dceu #Youtube

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princesssarcastia · 2 years ago

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for some fucking reason i’m thinking about the mcu again, but the thing about endgame is—

the reason it sucks. the reason it rings hollow and cheap, the reason it made me feel like a balloon someone untied to let all the air out of—

it completely undermines one of the core tenants of so many of it characters, which it that it’s possible to irrevocably fuck up and still keep going. it’s possible to commit unimaginable horrors and still wake up each day committed to doing better and righting the wrongs you could. more than that: it’s worth it to try to be better even after you’ve fucked up irrevocably.

tony stark was a war profiteer whose weapons fueled not only the u.s. military industrial complex, but also terrorist cells like hyrda. there’s no erasing that. there’s no taking it back. but he woke up one day (in a cave, with a box of scraps) and decided to do better. he fucked up. he fucked up so bad. and that didn’t stop him from taking direct action to try and fix the problem; he hunted down the weapons he could, shut down weapons manufacturing, and ultimately killed the person trying to stop him from righting those wrongs.

natasha romanov—well, that needs little elaboration. she’s got red in her ledger, and there’s no washing it clean. but by god she’s trying. she’s spending every day trying to fight the good fight.

thor was a frankly racist war criminal who took his banishment better than he had any right to, using it as fuel to accept he was in the wrong and take immediate steps to improve himself; whose character arc over three movies has him learn to treat his enemies more fairly, his allies more kindly, and allows him to peel back the gold veneer on the imperialist empire his father built and see asgard for what it really is.

you have these people hitting rock bottom of their own volition. failing. complete wipeout. morally and ethically bankrupt. responsible for the deaths of hundreds (thousands, in tony’s case). you can’t go back. you can’t undo those things or bring those people back to life. but there is still value in trying to do better moving forward. that’s what all three of their character arcs are about.

except. then we get to endgame. and suddenly, there is no value in learning to move forward after unimaginable tragedy, after failure. suddenly that’s too much to ask. suddenly the only option is to re-write reality and undo your mistakes, because they’re just too terrible to live with. suddenly striving to be better becomes cheap and meaningless and there are no steps you can take to improve your current circumstances. let the guilt consume you. overwhelm you. weigh you down until you become useless. why bother with the future when you can obsess over the past?

jay gatsby-ass movie. i stg.

#mcu #meta #this came to me in the middle of the night like a bolt of lightning #does it make sense? idk #endgame

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fandom-gt · 2 months ago

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FANDOM: MCU

REQUESTED SUMMARY: ” This would be a sequel to the story where Peter is hired to serve at Pepper’s feet.

The story would begin with Pepper getting back from a stressful day at work. With Morgan staying at a friend's house, she kicks off her heels and relaxes. Peter, worn down from being her insole all day, crawls out of the shoe and makes his way to Pepper's feet. He begins to rub them, which surprises her given his visible exhaustion and she tells him he can relax for a bit. However, Peter nonetheless continues. As he does so, he thinks about how he's recently started to feel aroused by her feet at times, despite him never acting on it and trying to ignore it. Pepper, meanwhile, reflects on the past two months and how hard Peter works, even now when he's clearly exhausted. She also thinks that unlike her previous tinies, she finds herself caring about him (Which is actually a lingering feeling from her erased memories). After having him stop, she then proceeds to thank him and tell him to take a break, which shocks Peter. After she gives him a genuine smile (Different from the ones she's given him the past two months) that reminds him of the ones before she lost her memories of him, he listens to her. Sitting down, he rests his back against her sole and relaxes, thinking about how he hopes to see more glimpses of how she used to treat him.”

Previous Part

CHARACTERS: Peter Parker, Pepper Potts

WARNINGS: Feet, Femdom, Objectification/dehumanization (but slowly reversing?)

COMMISSION TYPE: Full Page +2 Add-On

——

Pepper has had a long, long, long day. It isn’t easy to do the work she does, keeping Tony’s company running after– everything. Keeping things organized, managing a dozen different departments on top of being a mother. She spends more time on her feet than anybody with her salary normally does, she’s more involved in things than most CEOs or CFOs or CTOs tend to be.

She doesn’t go golfing, she doesn’t screw around, she works, and she does it in person, face to face, meeting with every department head in the building in their wing so she can see operations first-hand. This is why she’s gone through so many sole interns, burning through them like they’re disposable, wearing them out to the point that they’re unable to continue doing the job anymore.

When that happens, they’re dismissed with an equitable severance package and a bonus based on how long they managed to serve her before becoming worn-out and useless, and she immediately hires the next one that even remotely qualifies. She doesn’t bother getting attached – not just because she doesn’t tend to pay much attention to tinies in general, but when you go through so many, so fast, they all become kind of an irrelevant blur.

As a matter of fact, she isn’t even thinking about the one she has now when she finally collapses into her favorite chair and slips her worn-out feet out of her heels, her eyes drifting closed as she lets her hair down from its clasp and absently, tenderly massages her eyelids. She doesn’t see her newest little intern wearily climb out of her heel, and frankly, she expects him to take the opportunity to recline in it and slack off for a little while, given that she’s been stepping on him down there all day.

Except that a new and pleasant sensation surprises her enough that her perfectly manicured hands drop away from her face, and she blinks down, down, down her toned legs toward her arches, where her insole intern has dragged himself to standing. He’s got both hands braced against the tight tendons of her foot even though she can see a matching weariness in his little tiny shoulders, in his slumped posture, in his face – but all the same, he dutifully tends to her foot with a surprising amount of strength and dedication.

Hmm. That is… impressive, and for some reason, it reminds her of someone she can’t quite put a name to. Somebody she used to know, somebody she used to like – but how important could they have been, if their name doesn’t even come to the tip of her tongue? These are the kind of details her sharp mind usually retains.

Peter! shouts a voice in her mind, and she puzzles over it for a second – before a flash of an image of his application runs through her mind. Ah, right, okay. That must be how she knows it. This one’s name is Peter.

At the same time as this seemingly innocuous epiphany, something unexpected stirs inside her chest, a subtle sensation, something like pride mingling with sympathy, and she finds herself calling gently down to him with something she rarely ever offers to her interns: “It’s alright. You can relax for a few minutes if you want.”

She’s surprised again as the seconds tick by, and she realizes rather abruptly that he’s not stopping. That his tiny little body continues on, pressing into her pressure points, rubbing her aching feet, putting every ounce of his exhausted strength into serving her in a manner she assumes is selfless.

This isn’t exactly the case. Down by Pepper’s feet, Peter’s been having a few revelations these past few weeks. Even though he’s tired, even though he’s worn out, even though this role would be absolutely untenable for the average person without all his biological enhancements, what he’s doing still isn’t the chore he’d thought it would be back at the beginning.

He’d been apprehensive, of course, that first day that he settled himself into her sole and watched her foot descend upon him from on high. He’d been nervous, and stressed, and extremely unsure when she stood, putting all her weight on his tiny but indestructible body, and he’d been absolutely embarrassed when he realized she intended to spend all day treading on him, sweating on him, dragging her feet over him.

But after a while… after a while, it’s like something in him started to wake up. He tries his best to ignore it, he very deliberately does not act on the way his blood sometimes redirects course and leaves him with a growing hard-on down there underneath the arches of her sole, but all the same… it’s happening. Some strange association is cementing itself in him, and as the days progress, he finds it happening more and more often.

To put it bluntly: Pepper’s feet have been turning him on. Now, standing there even after a long day of body-aching labor down there in her shoe, he doesn’t really mind standing up and continuing to prove himself to her like he’s been desperate to prove himself all along.

“Peter,” he hears, and starts for a second, because there’s a shift in her voice. He pauses, his head snapping up to her massive, beautiful face a mile away, his heart hammering in his chest, because she- does she remember his name? No, she can’t. Obviously she can’t, that’s impossible, he realizes with just a slight sinking feeling of disappointment. She learned it from his application, his paperwork. He just hadn’t expected her to retain it, because she hasn’t really used it much these last two months. “You’re exhausted. You’ve done a really good job today. Thank you. Stop for a while and take a break. I mean it.”

There’s a gentle benevolence in her, a barely-discernible fondness he thinks he can hear creeping around the corners of her mouth. If he didn’t know any better, if he hadn’t already so firmly resigned himself to the truth of it all, he might be tempted to feel optimistic. He might be tempted to try harder to remind her.

But for now, he’s satisfied just letting himself slump down and bask in the new attachment that might be growing in her. If he keeps doing his job right, if he keeps spending time with her, if he keeps earning tender and lingering looks like the one she’s giving him now, maybe… they can have something new. It might not be like it was before, but it can still be good. He can still *matter to her one day, and that’s… something.

His tiny body slowly lowers down to the ground at her heel, one aching limb at a time, and he allows himself to recline backward against her foot. The shape of it is nice, the heel supports his lumbar, the curve of her arch allows him to recline a little, and the soft and supple flesh cradles the back of his head as he settles into a familiar feeling, a familiar smell. His eyes drift closed, and he ignores the urge once again building in him.

Pepper stares down the length of her legs at the little sweetheart intern resting against her sole, voluntarily choosing to spend even his relaxation time pressing his little body against her foot, despite the fact that he’s free of her shoes, despite the fact that she hasn’t settled them on top of him.

He’s a hard worker, she observes again, and a fast learner. He’s smart, based on the way he’s adapted his techniques and his strategies to best suit her. He’s different from the others, and she feels-

She feels something again in the back of her mind. It’s like an itch, like a fishing hook has snagged on something, but no matter how hard she tugs on the line, it refuses to rise to the surface. This is an annoying sensation for Pepper Potts, who has always been sharp, and driven, and has always prided herself on her excellent recall. She’s always been able to keep up with Tony, even though she’ll never be at his genius-level technical ability, but her moment-to-moment intelligence is certainly above average.

So why, then, can’t she figure out what message her mind is trying to send her about the exhausted young man at her feet? Her toes flex over Peter’s head, an absent product of her deep thinking, but it doesn’t seem to disturb him. He’s still reclined against her, so small and trusting, so compliant, that she can’t stop the swell of feeling that begins to unfurl behind her chest.

It’s silly, she knows. Absolutely silly to feel that way about an intern, and especially about a tiny, but… stranger things have happened. And he’s lasted so long now…

Maybe she’ll keep this one. Maybe she’ll make him an offer to make the position permanent. It will, of course, require giving him a few bonuses and benefits rather than just work experience and housing, but that’s something she can mull over later.

Together, the two of them lapse into silence, into stillness. Pepper soon closes her eyes as well, her toes absently scrunching now and then, her foot gently moving behind Peter’s back. She ruminates on his future, on all her potential plans for him instead of the stress of her day. Peter, meanwhile, thinks about that smile she wore, about how nice it felt, even fleetingly, to be seen by her. To be treated so nicely, with such kindness, like she used to do before.

It’s good. For a while, for now, it’s good, and that optimism carries them both into a relaxing, companionable, very much needed nap.

#giantess #feet #peter/pepper #peter parker/pepper potts #foot intern #commission

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magnusmodig · 6 months ago

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𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 . / @unluckyuncle ! ╰┈➤ how does your muse get local news and updates on current events? are they up to date with all the latest goings-on or do they prefer to avoid it altogether?

||. Ravens. ...I say that jokingly, but it's been made very clear that Thor does not use what humans would consider typical modes of communication. Asgard and its technology is far beyond Earth's understanding of technology. (Yes. Even kingdoms like Wakanda.) So technology like radios, cellphones, tvs, etc. would all be antiquated to Thor and his people. Given what we do see of Asgardian technology, I think it would be safe to say theorize that they may get their more important, wide-spread news through holographic images and texts. The Hall of Knowledge hosts the Tree of Yggdrasil. Who is to say they can't peer into the general happenings of the Nine Realms by going through its branches? Things like magical books and papers exist too. Who is to say that those books cannot be updated remotely as their understanding changes?

They are also connected to Omnipotence City. Personally, I hate L+T/Wa*ti//ti's version of the place, so I've elected to draw from Earth-616 Omnipotence City for inspiration. NAMELY: in the comics, Omnipotence City has a giant library that is chock-full of books, scrolls, notes, etc. that are constantly updated with the lives and deaths of every god known in existence. imo: there's no reason for that part of Omnipotence City to not exist. So I'm keeping it and making it my own, thank you.

To touch on the ravens, though: In mythos, Odin's ravens could fly across the Nine Realms and report their findings back to Odin, giving him what seemed very much like omnipotence. (They'd do this during battles too!)

Huginn and Munnin do exist in the MCU even if they don't have a concrete role outside of set dressing... but I like to think that they can travel through the realms and act as Odin's eyes and ears. His scouts, as it were. So if Thor ever saw a raven flying overhead, he would know his Father is watching. He'd likely often get updates through his father's word of mouth, and any updates from the Einherjar and their travels across the realms. (And Heimdall.) Being royalty is work. A LOT of hard work. And so I'd imagine most of his news came mostly from political meetings and the like. That said: Thor doesn't purposefully avoid news. But he won't go entirely out of his way to get news either. And he won't bother to get a phone. Or a computer. He has friends who can navigate all of it perfectly fine, and he quite frankly has bigger fish to fry throughout other galaxies.

#( ooc . ) — stories that leap from the page .#( headcanon . ) — glory to the man who toils for his land . may it ever prosper .#unluckyuncle #(i should write a hc about omnipotence city at some point)#(mcu decided thor isn't allowed to have his own culture and his own place in the grand scheme of space)#(and i'm taking personal offense. if they won't do it then /I WILL./)

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evilkitten3 · 2 years ago

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the mcu is extremely lucky that tessa thompson is so freaking gorgeous bc everything else i've seen from that movie is ugly as balls

#mcu crit #seriously cgi does NOT make people sexy #most of the clips i've seen of jane have her looking like a cosplayer in plastic #and every single thing i've heard thor say is just. beyond grating #it's not even that i dislike hemsworth's voice it's just. the lines i've heard from him are bad #and quite frankly it's felt like he stopped caring for a while now #not gonna bother with this one #t3 was garbage but at least it was enjoyable and sometimes funny garbage #t4 just looks.... unpleasant #like just generally like it's a small animal in the amazon trying to ward off predators #also quite frankly? mcu thor's storyline has always involved his family #and now they're all dead #he has a grand total of zero other connections i'm interested in that i think waititi can/will handle well #thor's romance with jane was neat in part bc of jane's smarts which waititi doesn't seem interested in #and i've already seen how his relationship with bruce would be handled #so yeah. pass

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edith-hyde · 3 years ago

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Norman X Female Reader

I Forgot My Umbrella - Part 2

Word Count: 1897

Summary: Norman starts out his day in a foul mood. But thankfully you know just the thing to brighten his day and make his work week bearable.

Warnings: None really. Age Gap I guess. Rated G for everyone.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read Part 1! I really appreciate your kind words and likes. This one is a slow chapter but has a lot of insight into what Norman's life is like now that he's back from the MCU. [I am looking forward to Part 3. Fluff is on the horizon.]

Archive

-----

“You think you’re rid of me? I am YOU, Osborn! The you you’re too scared to be! And when you need me most, I’ll be there. Don’t you worry.”

Norman awoke with a start as the Goblin’s laughter echoed around his sunlit room.

“No! No…. You’re gone… Peter… he- he fixed me.”

Moving into a sitting position he did a quick look around. He expected to see the Goblin’s grinning face in the mirror but thankfully, it was just his own tired features gazing back.

With a sigh, Norman pulled his knees to his chest and ran his hands through his hair. It was just a nightmare. Nothing more.

The Goblin wasn’t back.

But, even though Norman knew that was true, his body hadn’t realized it yet. He sat there, curled in a ball, trying to get his breathing under control. His heart pounded in his ears as memories flashed behind his eyes. The Goblin’s memories. They had been coming back in broken pieces; tormenting him. He still couldn’t remember everything he had done in the other universe. And frankly… he didn’t want to.

He had been trying his best to pretend like he was fine. But the truth was- he was far from fine. He wasn’t even close to being ‘just okay’. Every day was a struggle. Some were easier than others. Like yesterday.

At the thought of yesterday, Norman felt his heart begin to calm. It had gone quite well. No mishaps in the labs. No issues with investors. There were many new hires that were doing a wonderful job. At that thought, Norman remembered his new personal assistant. What was her name? It was something pretty… that’s right, Y/N. She seemed like a sweet hardworking girl. Honest and kind, but often a bit frazzled. Norman wondered if Y/N would enjoy working for Oscorp. He hoped she would. He’d hate to lose her help.

And Heavens knew he’d need it today.

With a groan, Norman pulled himself out of the bed. Without the serum coursing through his veins, aches and pains had become a daily part of his life. The injuries he had received in the other universe were dealt with by the leftover serum, but they left his body in an almost constant state of dull pain.

Or perhaps he was actually feeling his age.

Rolling his eyes, Norman shuffled into his kitchen to find Bernard fixing breakfast.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Hardly,” Norman grouched as he reached for the coffee maker.

“I’m afraid it’s broken,” Bernard warned, “I’m sorry, sir.”

Norman’s hand was already gripping the handle of the pot. He had to resist the urge to throw the blasted thing into the wall. Taking a deep breath he slowly released it.

“I’ll buy a new one today,” Bernard promised.

Norman didn’t even bother to answer as he grabbed his plate and sat down.

“Harry called this morning,” Bernard said cautiously.

Norman brightened for a moment.

“He called? Should I call him back?”

Bernard turned to face his boss, hesitation on his features.

“He… he just wanted you to know that he’s moving out of his apartment. He didn’t say where he’s living now.”

Norman’s features fell.

“Oh…”

Despite his best efforts to make amends, Norman found himself struggling to fully earn Harry’s affections. The boy was still upset over MJ picking Peter instead of him and the whole debacle was still a festering wound. To make matters worse, Norman had made it his mission to maintain a good relationship with Peter. He owed the boy that much. He could never tell him that he knew his secret, but he did everything he could to make up for what the Goblin caused. He paid for Aunt May’s hospital bills as well as MJ’s. He had also personally apologized to her for what the Goblin made him say on Thanksgiving. While he couldn’t say sorry for the Goblin kidnapping her, this was the next best option. Norman wasn’t too sure if she had fully accepted it, but Peter had been relieved.

Harry, however, seemed angry with Norman’s attempts to make amends. It was as if he expected Norman to abandon Peter as he had. It made things very strained between them. While Norman had hopes that Harry would come around, he didn’t know how to help things along. Despite being Harry’s father for years, he felt like he was just starting out.

And it made him wonder if he was, perhaps, too late to mend what was broken.

Norman’s appetite left him, so he chose to get ready for work. Thinking about the troubles between him and Harry did NOT improve his mood in the slightest. With a grimace upon his features, Norman headed out. He wasn’t looking forward to the day at all. In fact, he would have rather stayed home and hid in his room.

But he couldn’t play hooky today. There was too much work to be done.

Though… that didn’t mean he had to enjoy it.

Norman had every intention of letting his tired gloomy mood rule his day. He had scowled at the security guard, snapped at the front desk attendant, and once in the elevator- he glared at his reflection the whole way up. The expression stayed on his face as he stalked down the hall.

But then he saw you.

You were standing by your desk, a smile on your face, and a cup of coffee in your hands. You held it out to him and gave a cheerful greeting.

“Good morning, Mr. Osborn. I have your coffee for you. No creamer with three big spoonfuls of sugar.”

He stared at you, more than a little dumbfounded. The lovely smile on your face, the sparkle in your eyes- what had he been so mad about again? Norman found it hard to remember. And when did you memorize the way he likes his coffee? Had you been paying so close attention to him yesterday that you saw how he made it? He had to admit, he was impressed.

“Thank you,” he muttered, “good morning.”

He took the cup and headed into his office. He was still tired but the coffee, and your smile, improved his mood enough for him to feel at least somewhat human.

~~~

At the start of your day, you picked up Mr. Osborn’s shirt from the dry cleaners. You had dropped it off the night before and planned on returning it as soon as you got into work. With it back in your hands, you couldn’t help but notice that the friendly smell of his cologne was gone.

What a shame.

Because you had gotten out early to pick up the shirt, you actually arrived at the office before your boss. So you decided to go ahead and brew a cup of coffee for him. You had observed the way he made his cup yesterday and committed it to memory.

Every good personal assistant should know their boss’s coffee order. Or so you believed.

And so you waited. Osborn’s shirt was hung on the back of your chair, also waiting. When you heard the ding of the elevator, you hopped up and prepared the cup. But as you waited at the corner of your desk, you saw Norman’s demeanor- he was clearly upset about something.

You entertained the idea of backing off. Don’t say anything, just let him storm into his office. But you decided to hold your ground. Perhaps all he needed was a cup of coffee?

And so you gave your greeting and offered the cup. You half expected him to shout at you. But you were pleasantly surprised when his scowl turned into an expression of confusion. That look made your smile grow even bigger. His blue eyes were twice their usual size as he looked between the coffee mug and your face. You honestly wanted to laugh but knew that might make him angry. So instead, you kept your smile on your face and held the mug out a little further. He stared for a long moment and you could feel the heat rising to your cheeks. Slowly, he accepted the cup, muttered his thanks, and disappeared into his office.

You thought it best to wait until he finished his drink before you brought him his shirt. And it was a good thing you did. It seemed like it was just enough time to let the man find a better mood. When you entered his office, he was on the phone discussing some kind of investment. His expression was deadpan as he nodded along.

That is, until he saw you.

A smile broke out on his face and he gave a little wave. The action made your heart flutter as butterflies came to life in your stomach.

This was bad.

If such a small gesture could get this reaction out of you… there was a chance that these feelings were more than just nerves.

You smiled, held up the shirt, and pointed at the closet. He gave a curt nod and then a thumbs up. Placing the shirt back in the closet where it belonged, you had to resist the overwhelming urge to smell his overcoat just to see if it smelled like his cologne as well.

Darn that curiosity. It would get you killed one of these days. Or at the very least, make you thoroughly embarrassed. Thankfully, you didn’t give in and promptly shut the doors.

However, before you could escape back to the sanctuary of your desk, Mr. Osborn hung up and addressed you.

“I see you managed to avoid any coffee mishaps on the bus this morning.”

You smirked and gestured to your pristine clothes. It was another blouse and dress pants combo, only this time the blouse had a black and pink floral print.

“Coffee free!” you laughed, “Thank God.”

“That’s good to hear,” Mr. Osborn smiled, “Speaking of coffee, thank you for the cup earlier.”

“It’s my job, sir.”

Norman’s features fell for a fraction of a second before he gave a nod, “Indeed it is. And you’ll probably need to brew more. It’s going to be a long day. In fact…. It’s going to be a long week.”

“Oh?”

Mr. Osborn rose to his feet and straightened out his suit. Coming around to the front of his desk, he sat on the edge, one leg outstretched. The action was so mundane and normal but it still sent you reeling.

Yup.

This was way more than just nerves.

“Starting today we’ll be doing a walkthrough of all the labs. We have to assess their work and if they’re earning their funding. It’s a week-long affair. I’ll need you with me to take notes.”

“Ah, that’s right.” You sighed dramatically, “Oh well. I guess I could use the cardio.”

Mr. Osborn chuckled but his expression became solemn.

“I wish it wasn’t necessary, but if a lab isn’t performing, changes must be made. Either to the staff or the research itself.”

“Makes sense. This is scheduled for the next 4 hours, yeah?”

“Yes. And that’s just one floor.”

You gave a determined nod and went to leave. Pausing in the doorway, you looked back and smirked.

“I’ll be sure to bring a thermos of coffee for the both of us.”

Osborn grinned, a look of fondness clear in his eyes as he beheld you.

“Smart girl.”

#norman osborn #norman osborn x reader #spider man: no way home #green goblin #i forgot my umbrella #sam raimi spider man

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izzyspussy · 2 years ago

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Happy Fanfic Friday!

If you could have one of your fics (completed or WIP, either way) become Official Canon™️, whether by being included as a chapter in the source novel or airing as an episode in the show or some other means, which fic would you choose? Would you pick that one because it fits pre-existing canon, because you like it that much, or some other reason?

Extremely tough question, because frankly? I don't think any of my fics really belong in canon...

But! If I have to pick, can I pick a series? (Yes, I can do what I want.)

I'd pick little cuts, which is a Thor MCU series about Loki and Thor repairing their relationship and their background and such. It's both pre-canon, within canon, and a canon divergence from Ragnarok on. Loki lives and Thanos et al take a nice long while to make it to Earth.

I think it does fit with canon pretty well (excepting the parts that it diverges from lol). And I certainly like it much fucking better than I liked the actual Loki show we got. (Since it's a series, I'm figuring if it was to go canon it would be a show. God, what I wouldn't give to have executive control over a Loki show...)

But yeah. I hated Infinity War, and Endgame, and Loki, and I haven't even bothered to see Love & Thunder yet, if I ever will. I won't claim I could do better than that one, because again I haven't seen it, and also because I know Waititi at least to generally make good work. However. I will absolutely assert that I could have done better than the other three, story and character wise. I'll say it! And I'll believe it, too. So there.

Additionally! My version has a bisexual (sans label) Thor, and a more textually queer Loki - both in sexuality and gender. And! Thor still gets fat in mine, but it's depicted as a good thing and a relief! And!! My fucking Bruce!! Is in character!!! And Loki shapeshifts on "screen". As animals, and other genders, and his Jotunn form. And uses his Silvertongue.

[And, for the love of God, if given the power I would insist on as much practical effects as possible, and actually good and well paid for CGI when absolutely necessary.]

[And!! IF I was going to have a selfcest plotline. I! Would! Make! Tom! Hiddleston! Kiss! HIMSELF!!]

Anyway, thank you for asking. If I don't stop now I never will.

#jack facts #jack chats #writing process #marvel #little cuts #gen

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scarlet--wiccan · 4 years ago

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Hi I’m sorry to bother you, and I’m sorry if you’ve already answered this before, but I was wondering if people can still somewhat enjoy parts of WandaVision if they acknowledge and don’t excuse the problematic history surrounding the show and the its characters?

Look, I’m not the thought police. I can’t stop you from enjoying a tv show, and I’m not interested in trying to moralize about consuming ‘problematic’ media. I can only really tell you the same thing I’ve already said several times over-- if you understand the problems that the MCU Maximoffs represent, you should be unable to enjoy them or frankly anything about them. It’s not just the casting. It’s the development, the adapted material, and the conversations that have been had both within and without the industry. It’s also about the fact that intentional erasure of Romani history and the false conflation of the Roma population with lower-class white Europeans are real factors of structural racism.

Olsen is fully aware of these issues, as was Joss Whedon during the development of AoU, but she and several of her colleagues nevertheless continue to exploit pejorative language and racist imagery regarding her character. Much of the material that WandaVision draws on is material which references her identity and her family’s history, so the people making WV had to have known about those elements and made a conscious decision about how they wanted to address them-- and make no mistake, they did address them.

These are not actions that I am willing to make concessions for, and I am not willing to hold space for other people to do so, either. I cannot tolerate any form of engagement with the show that does not include a conversation about this, and that’s exactly what you’re doing any time you share fanart or gifs, or put up posters, or praise it uncritically on any platform.

Maybe if the last few months had gone differently for me, I would be taking a gentler stance right now, but they didn’t. Let me tell you what I’ve been going through.

Every industry person I’ve reached out to* during WV’s run has either brushed me aside, or else paid me lip service while refusing to have a public dialogue about the show’s racism or even change their behavior in loudly endorsing it. My LCS has not removed their promotional material for the show, even after I disclosed my identity and had a conversation about it in person. I’ve been sent hate speech and suicide bait on this blog several times in response to my writing. Meanwhile, twitter threads rife with hate speech and misinformation erupted around Roma actress Mihaela Dragan’s statements on the show, and similar responses followed Roma writer Jessica Reidy’s article about Roma women and witchcraft.

I’m taking a hard stance because it’s been made pretty clear that playing nice and making concessions won’t achieve anything. It has been proven to me, time and time again, that people who would otherwise be progressive and anti-racist will avert their eyes and feign ignorance when they hear the words “Roma” or “gypsy.” You are all looking for chances to pretend we don’t exist. You are all looking for chances to ignore and enable antiromanyism, even in such an immaterial arena as Marvel fandom. I’m asking for the bare minimum, and I can’t even get that. So I say, no, sorry to ruin your fun. I'm sick of it.

I wish Teyonah Parris all the best moving forward and I hope she gets the opportunity to play Monica Rambeau in the lead role unburdened by misogynoir that she deserves. I hope that the child actors have safe and enjoyable careers moving forward and that they will be able to cleanly step away from this project, and the MCU's fandom, as they get older.

*This includes primarily fellow LGBT folks and fellow people of color. Since I’m in a bad mood, I’m going to name two people who I had one-on-one conversations with that amounted to nothing: Kevin Wada and Luciano Vecchio. If you’ve spent any time on this page, you’ll know that these are two artists who I admire deeply and have shown tremendous amounts of love and (financial) support in my time as a comics collector. This really stings, and I have had to honestly ask myself if I can continue to support either of them in good faith having been sent such a plain message that neither of them care about me or my community.

#mcu #wandavision #robintext

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battletrio · 2 years ago

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there may come a day when i will resist the urge to scream when people write about John and the whole reinforced helmet nonsense but it is not this day

firstly, people don’t have to jump on a grenade with their flesh and bones in order to really understand what it means to be captain america, or else Sam who has canonically not been said to have ever jumped on a grenade with his flesh and blood body would be excluded from understanding what it means to be captain america by this sort of a definition

secondly, this dismissive attitude as if jumping on a grenade with a reinforced helmet is something to look down on or means someone is less worthy than another person who used their flesh is ridiculous, it is STILL someone willing to risk their life to protect others, hell, in the real world, soldiers STILL DIE or are SERIOUSLY INJURED when they try to use helmets to block a grenade because guess what, you STILL have to jump on top of the helmet and grenade with your own body to keep the helmet staying on the grenade

this image is literally what a soldier’s helmet looked like in the aftermath of a young soldier in 2004 who died jumping on a grenade with his helmet while trying to protect others, he was awarded a medal of honor posthumously

so unless the MCU has now developed a reinforced helmet for the military that not only stays on the ground on its own and is 100% blast proof, then John is still risking his life on FOUR separate occasions trying to protect other people from danger and doing it for the same reasons Steve did it — and even if the helmets were blast proof, it doesn’t mean John somehow doesn’t understand sacrifice just because the military actually cared to update their equipment to better protect their soldiers, like that’s actually a good thing for soldiers to be protected, not leave them open for threats just for the sake of some “test” of noble sacrifice — we don’t look down on firefighters now having better and safer equipment when they go fight fires, we don’t say they’re less brave or less worthy or less heroic than firefighters of old who didn’t have those equipments, so why is it people keep refusing to grasp that using a reinforced helmet is not some shameful thing that makes John less worthy of the shield or not understanding what it means to be captain america??

thirdly, Steve himself literally used his vibranium shield to block a grenade once instead of his own body, does that make him somehow less worthy now? or what about T’Challa diving on a grenade to block it using his suit, is he somehow less worthy because he didn’t use his own flesh and blood body?

John already knows about nobly sacrificing yourself for others, he wouldn’t have THREE medals of honor AND jumped a grenade FOUR TIMES if he didn’t understand that, if anything, bravery and self-sacrifice are two things he didn’t need to be taught on, he already possessed those qualities

what he didn’t understand about being captain america is the correct temperament needed to be suited for the job: the level of open compassion, the ability to negotiate and understand others, the awareness of others’ struggles, and self confidence in one’s own morality

those were the things John didn’t understand or lacked, those were the reasons he is unsuited to be captain america, because sheer bravery and self sacrifice means very little if it’s not being aimed in the right direction

i need folks writing these articles to stop going on about the nonsense about the reinforced helmet, because quite frankly they (and the writers of the show as well) are only showing their ignorance and how they don’t really understand many military stuff or bother to do any research

#this reinforced helmet nonsense is driving me coo coo #imma fite people #off duty (ooc)

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autisticcassandracain · 3 years ago

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I have many thoughts on the weird phenomena in the DC fandom and the Batfam fandom specifically where probably the majority of people just straight up. haven’t interacted with the source material. and almost all of those thoughts can be summarized as ‘lmao that’s weird and mildly concerning’.

and because I’m annoying I will list them all here right now <3

1. To preface this post, I mean, obviously, comics are inaccessible as all hell, both in the disability kind of way and the ‘you need to understand the concept of hypertime to fully comprehend the DC timeline’ kind of way. Because of this, even if you don’t have a disability that prevents you from reading comics, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to look at the amount of comics you need to read to have even a base understanding of a character and go ‘no thanks <3′ and just enjoy fanart and fanfic in a vacuum. Ultimately, this is fandom, this is supposed to be fun, it doesn’t really matter.

2. That said, it’s VERY weird to me that the majority of this fandom just straight up hasn’t interacted with the source material, and moreover, that it’s considered rude to tell people that they should do so. It’s especially weird considering the amount of fanon-only fans I’ve seen who straight up have a superiority complex over canon. The idea that it’s gatekeeping to tell fans of something to actually interact with canon is just. so weird, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what ‘gatekeeping’ actually entails.

3. But honestly I’m less interested in discussing the ways in which canon and fanon fans should interact with each other (personally, I think it would be helpful to create separate tags of some kind, but that’d require quite a big overhaul of the current fandom state) than in figuring out how this actually happened in the first place. On the one hand, it’s obvious; long-running superhero comics the way DC writes them have made themselves so thoroughly inaccessible that most people are simply too daunted to even try. Most media has a cohesive beginning and end (or at least, a planned end somewhere). Comics just... don’t.

But I do think it says something that, even among people who are clearly interested in the characters (since they have, you know, entire blogs about them), the effort to get into comics just seems to be too much to even bother. This really doesn’t bode well for the future of DC Comics. Obviously, I am no expert on anything at all ever, but I’d personally be surprised if DC survives beyond the few decades, at least in its current form/without a big overhaul.

4. But on the other hand, I don’t think the confusing state of DC Comics is the only thing to blame here. Fandom has a well-known problem with reducing any character down to archetypes to more easily ship and write fic/make content with. This problem is particularly prominent in fanfic, which, if you read enough of it, you’ll eventually start seeing not just the same tropes and trends, but essentially the same fics over and over again. And not just within the same fandom; everywhere, or every large fandom, at least.

Fanon Batfam is entirely built on a bunch of those tropes; insecure/depressed sadboy Tim, team mom with optional hidden trauma/emotional problems Dick, bad boy with a heart of gold + sadboy combo Jason, abused sadboy Damian/angry easily-villified-for-fic-reasons monster Damian, good dad Bruce for found family fic and bad dad Bruce for angst fic, etc. This all culminates in a found family dynamic that’s generic and malleable to whatever fic the writer wants to write.

(This isn’t getting into the ship fic, which I avoid like the plague because the vast majority of it is incest, but I’d bet real actual money that the tropes in those fics fall under what is often preferred by the Migratory Slash Fandom.)

By having a decent excuse not to get into canon (the inaccessibility of comics) and a, by now, well-established fanon fandom, many fans feel free to use the batfam fandom as essentially an excuse to write whatever fic with reduced archetypes and tropes they personally feel the itch to write, without having to bother with even consuming a canon. This is compounded by the fact that canon itself is often contradictory and frankly bad, meaning that whatever interpretation of a character you want/need to go for your fic is at least theoretically backed up by canon (for example, you can just as easily cast Bruce as an abusive shithole dad who his kids need to get away from as a loving father figure who cares deeply for his children), which you can always use as a defense if people question your characterization.

5. This focus on fandom trends and tropes over actual creativity or care for the characters is also visible in the way bigotry manifests in this fandom; namely, in literally the exact way you’d expect. The female characters and characters of colour are shuffled to the side, non-existent, vilified, and/or reduced to harmful stereotypes.

Barbara is probably the one I saw the most often in fanfic, but usually just as ‘Dick’s girlfriend’, and even then, she was often vilified for Dick angst (especially in fics about examining Dick’s trauma from his canon sexual assault; Kori also often gets the short end of the stick in those). After that, probably Stephanie, who fanon fans don’t really seem to know what to do with, so she’s basically just there as comic relief waffle girl, most of the time, though sometimes she can be used to either further Tim angst or further vilify Tim, whatever the fic calls for. Cass has gotten included more in batfam fics as of late, likely in response to critiques of fandom racism for leaving her out, but again, it’s clear people don’t actually know what to do with her. She’s often reduced to a racist stereotype of a quite, stoic therapist for whatever guy du jour needs it. That, or she’s in Hong Kong and just not there. Duke especially gets left in the dust in fandom, usually just being non-existent, but when he’s there, he’s almost always nothing more than the straight man for the actual fun characters to play off of. Talia probably has it the worst, though, and almost universally gets vilified by fanon stans in order to write sadboy Damian.

All of this is extremely predictable behaviour and falls entirely in line with general fandom misogyny and racism; ignoring or vilifying women and characters of colour, or using them as very minor characters at best. The only two characters of colour who aren’t regularly left out of fic are Dick and Damian, who are both also conveniently the two characters most often drawn and written in a whitewashed manner. In addition, there’s a real trend of demonizing Damian in fanon fics where he isn’t written as an abused sadboy, which I’d argue is in no small part due to fandom racism, considering Damian’s behaviour is in no way as bad as Jason’s, who doesn’t get anywhere close to the same demonization and gets woobiefied instead. I also find it convenient that Damian is probably the batboy who receives the most vilification in fic, when he’s the most obviously non-white of the batboys they’re willing to acknowledge.

Fandom often cries for more diversity in canon, only to ignore the diversity already there and focus on the same generic white guys. The batfam fandom is a brilliant example of this.

Which is not to say that fandom racism and misogyny isn’t present in the canon parts of the fandom (and canon itself); it absolutely 100% is. But I’ve found that canon fans are also more likely to like and care about at least one of the characters I’ve listed as ignored/vilified, and are willing to create and consume content for them, whereas fanon fans... aren’t, really. I’ve never seen a fan of fanon Cass the way I’ve seen fans of fanon Dick, for example. Obviously, this could just be by coincidence, or I’ve just surrounded myself with people like that, but it’s been a trend I noticed. Racism and misogyny is present in every part of this fandom and should be addressed as such, but I feel like it manifests the most blatantly in the fanon parts of this fandom.

(I’d also recommend the articles Migratory Slash Fandom’s Focus and Beige Blank Slates, which expand more on the type of fandom racism I think is especially prominent in the batfam fandom, as well as literally every article in the What Fandom Racism Looks Like series.)

6. All this leads me to conclude that the majority of fanon fans don’t actually like the characters all that much; they’re convenient excuses for them to participate in fandom. Which I also think is, in no small part, a reason why so many of them react so negatively to being told to pick up a comic; they came to this fandom specifically to consume it as a fandom, because they wanted the fandom experience without having to consume a canon.

This is not a phenomena unique to the batfam fandom (again, see the Migratory Slash Fandom), but it does fascinate me. While fandom is often said to be an experience focusing on transformative art, I think it’s also safe to say that, especially as fandom has become more mainstream, an increasing amount of people are looking to it less as a way to engage with their favourite pieces of media, and more as a type of media in and of itself. I think the reasons for this are similar to the reasons mass media entertainment like the MCU are so popular; you gain a lot of enjoyment out of it with very little risk involved.

By consuming the same fics of the same characters (or the same archetypes) over and over again, you are rarely at risk of being challenged or even disappointed. It’s often very clear right from the start whether or not a fic will appeal to you, and if it isn’t, it’s easy to just look for another one. It requires less emotional investment than most other types of media, even ‘popcorn media’ like the MCU - or, yes, DC Comics. It’s safe, it’s enjoyable, it’s comforting, like McDonalds, but just like McDonalds, it’s ultimately bland and unsubstantial.

7, TL;DR. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s like, wrong to enjoy the fanon version of the batfam without wanting to engage with canon, and I certainly don’t think it’s okay to harrass people over it. But I do think it’s in large part based on a desire to interact with fandom rather than other pieces of media because people are scared of being let down by those pieces of media (or worse, just uninterested in actually thinking), which is mildly concerning.

#long post #my posts #infodumping #btw i say this as someone who also has trouble consuming much more than popcorn media/fanfic due to emotional exhaustion #but it's not a healthy habit and it's something people can and should try to break out of #also obviously this isn't about EVERY fanon fan specifically so if this doesn't apply to you specifically great then move on

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