#part of the issue here is that a lot of toom is about who knows what when

[neitherthehoneynorthebee]

A TOOM poll to see people's opinions (which mightn't change my decision but will be taken into account.)

In TOOM I have stuck with alternating povs of each timeline, as a way to structure the story and make it easier to follow. However this means Valkyrie is often on the periphery of some very interesting drama, and unable to get into the Dead Men's heads. As of chapter fourteen when [redacted] did [redacted], a new plot line has come up which has different central characters. So should I break my structure of Val pov then Larrikin pov, or switch it up?

[backtothefanfiction]

Okay, questions. I have questions. Some are neither here nor there, others are plot related, and none of them are in any way meant to imply that your story is anything but wonderful; truly it was a pleasure to read. I just like getting into the deets.

Beginning at the beginning. Angel, being the daughter of Wilson, mentions she doesn’t necessarily want to know (as it keeps her safe) but is ultimately aware that her father operates outside of the law. She is also aware that the ‘system’ is broken. What or who instilled this moral compass in her? Was it her late mother, with whom we discover later she had a close relationship? How much did school play a part? If one chooses to learn in school (especially later HS and university), then one can often delve much deeper into the many gray areas of governments/legal systems, people, cultures, histories, and behaviors/motivations that underpin events.

By the time readers meet Angel in the Prologue, she possesses compassion and yet a willingness to ‘bend’ the rules (if it accomplishes a necessary goal). Thoughts?

Random question: Peter comes home to the house he and Angel shared prior to her exile to Italy. What is Peter’s favorite dinner? What is Angel’s? What did she make for him on her first night back at the house before chaos erupted? Can I have their car collection?

Part of the plot incorporates other familiar characters from the Spider-man universe. Peter hired Felicia after Angel had left, but Harry and Peter had a much longer relationship, one that turns out to be central to the plot. In an early chapter when we meet Toomes, Harry plays that he doesn’t know him, but when you were building your world, how did you picture Angel and Harry from the early days until they meet again? Angel mentioned that it was Harry's funds from his inheritance that provided the initial startup costs for the organization, can you provide some backstory to how you pictured that? Where did Gwen fit in? (Apologies if I'm messing up the timeline, I didn't go back and reread the entire series, I likely will in the future). Angel and Peter's relationship started out (it seemed) as rather like a friends with benefits situation. If you have the time, will you elaborate a little more on how they met? (I may have missed that somewhere, they knew each other at college for sure it seems?).

One chapter was called 'There's No Remedy For Memory" which I thought was brilliant. I could get way deep into a discussion on that concept with several of the characters or just in general. But for brevity's sake and apart from the main plot of Peter/Angel, I'm thinking about Angel's mother and I suspect she may be somewhat central to my very first question. So tell me about her and who was responsible for the explosion that Angel dreamed about? (I assumed the nightmare was somewhat based in reality with respect to Angel's mother and not only foreshadowing.) What was running through your mind as you were picturing Angel's mother?

Speaking of mothers (and fathers), what are Peter and Angel going to name the baby.... Boy? Girl?

Didn't even get to Fisk and Angel's relationship, which I have to wonder--although she didn't seem to 'like' her father, he taught her (as did her mother) so what other things did she learn from the relationship with him? Even in less than umm ideal families, there are things children and adult children (when the blinders come off) learn. Regardless of whether it is functional or dysfunctional, family dynamics shape us. Thoughts on that? (So happy Angel and Peter got counseling; they had/have a lot of issues to work through)

Whew! That's a start right? Thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Take care and thanks for asking for questions, I love getting the opportunity to understand a writer's perspective regarding the world they've shared with us readers.

Okay *stretches and clicks fingers ready for typing*, lets do this.

Angel's issues with her Dad and greater awareness for the world comes post her Mother's death. She didn't think twice about her Father or what he did for work until it got her Mum blown up, at which point she distanced herself from her Dad (with his own encouragement too) in order to stay safe. This also coincided with her going to college and getting a higher education. That time at school gave her opportunities to meet new people, pretend to be someone she wasn't and over all develop into a much well rounded human. Her encounter with Spiderman at the time of the explosion also sent her spiralling down a rabbit whole of thought about his role in the city and why which also helped to develop her later mind set.

I think that leads us nicely onto who she still is at her core though which is Wilson Fisk' daughter meaning the rules have never really applied to her family. She has always had that first hand eye witness account of how the system and rules can be bent for the right amount of money. It's just her Dad isn't a good guy, but it doesn't mean someone can't bend the rules for good, which is something she goes on to instil in Peter when thinking about and setting up their business.

I honestly don't have answers for these collections of questions. I think it's something left intentionally vague so people can picture themselves as Angel if they so wish. As for the cars, I really was just making it up as I went along but I imagined around 6 inside that double garage (it really is a big garage).

So it's easier if we start with how Peter and Angel met. So they obviously had their initial meeting when he saved her from the building when it was blown up. He was still in his teens at this point and dating Gwen. In the couple months between, Norman Osborn took umbrage with our favourite web slinger and decided to teach him a lesson by taking his girl which resulted in Gwen's death. Harry, Peter and Gwen had a similar friendship to that of Peter, Harry and MJ in the original SR Spiderman however Gwen and Peter were always a couple but the three were inseparable. When Gwen died, she was buried at the same cemetery as Angel's mom so they would run into each other and sit with each other when they would visit and helped each other through their grief. Peter of course knew who she was and that he'd saved her, but she didn't know he was Spider-Man. It wasn't until they ended up at the same college though they actually became proper friends which eventually turned into friends with benefits. The whole he was Spider-man and saved her thing came about when they were both drinking, having their own little afterparty for 2 at 3am one night. Peter eventually also introduced Angel to Harry and they tolerated each other but never had a closer friendship like Harry had done with Gwen. It was after the discussion in the prologue that Peter planted the poisoned whisky in Norman's home office. It was his own secret plan when working out where to get the money from to set up the business.

Although integral to who Angel is I never really thought deeply about her Mother seeing as she was already dead. The dream worked at being both a memory but also some backwards kind of heads up. There's definitely an argument to be made that her mother was very spiritual, she brought whimsy to Wilson's life and that's why he married her. She also had a good business head which was why she was often in charge of the books. As for the "no remedy for memory" title, I think it also worked well with Angel and Peter's more recent past and at that point although they had slept together and wanted to move on, they had had a nice night prior etc, they still couldn't forget or outrun their recent history and separation and everything that sat in that space.

I think that's up to them and is something they are allowed to keep just for themselves.

I'm hoping the info under section one covers this a bit more but she definitely learnt to be guarded despite her need to be compassionate due to her father. I think there's also an element of if you do bad things, expect bad things kind of energy which is why she has tried to factor in so much good in her life, but also has no remorse for causing bad guys some well needed pain from time to time. Over all though, despite everything she did learn how to love from her father through the way he grieved for her mother and tried his best to protect her his whole life and she'll always be grateful for that.

And that's it. Hope I covered and answered everything. If you ever had more Q's don't hesitate to shoot them my way.

[mlobsters]

supernatural s10e6 ask jeeves (w. eric charmelo, nicole snyder)

i looked her up because she reminds me of tissea from the witcher (spoiler alert looking her up apparently, i've been [sadly] bored to tears with s3 so i haven't finished it) but she was in coyote ugly! so i did recognize her. ish

s10e6 / coyote ugly - izabella miko as cammie / the witcher - myanna buring as tissaia

we got an spn / xfiles / the magicians / the killing actor! 🎉

and he was in the tooms episode of the x-files! (along with two others). and he was the faith healer in spn s1e12 faith, didn't recognize him at all with the sunglasses

the x-files s1e3 squeeze - kevin mcnulty as agent fuller / the magicians s2e1 km as knight of crowns / the killing s1e13 km as gas station manager

saw a gifset of this recently and spent plenty of time staring and rolling my eyes then. also, toxic masculinity/machismo is very much an issue in the culture but hello cuban coffee colada which comes with the ittiest bittiest cups (think basically creamer cups) for sharing. *pining for miami*

making my 😒 face at dean/writers right now

DEAN Bobby had secrets, man. Like loving on Tori Spelling. If he only knew Dean cheated on her.

cue my brain trying to dig up an old memory of 90210 character names

but no, apparently, her actual spouse Dean McDermott (m. 2006). dean knows this? i can't predict what pop culture stuff dean might know or not. (like interweb?) and like last episode where he didn't know who calliope was, yet he's supposedly read the odyssey?

from s4e14 sex and violence (my recap)

DEAN Like Greek myth siren, The Odyssey? ...Hey, I read!

just say no to dumbing down dean winchester.

also i don't think it's necessarily just sam's haircut that's so odd in this season, but it looks like it's getting blown out too. weird. it's normalish for his look in the front but very ~done~ in the back at times

just say yes to shutting up and watching, nic

s10e6 as heddy / new girl - gillian vigman as kim (schmidt's boss)

but there's more people i recognize 🥲 this is going to take forever. feels very... Clue-like

she calls them adorable, dean engages flirt-mode, sam makes a face. however! for what it's worth! i appreciate that as he's gotten older the rando side character women he flirts with are also regularly around his age or older

BEVERLY Oh but you’re welcome to spend the night. All the rooms sleep two.

HEDDY [slaps Dean’s butt] Or three.

i... okay. mad at the insinuation that sam and dean are sleeping together (?? do they know they're brothers or assuming married?? this show.), but happy about the butt slap/threesome offer?

DEAN You stay here. Keep an eye on Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard. I’ll sniff around.

okay then. Clue it is

DASH Well Sam, I’ll let you in on a little family secret. We don’t really like each other. Then again, what family does? SAM Mine does. Uh, for the most part. It’s just my brother and me, so…

this is how the show has a chokehold on me. just when my commitment to watching every episode wavers, they're like oh but would you like to hear about how much sam and dean looove each other 🥺🥹

maybe toss sam a text before you go into the secret room

cute

is this all just an elaborate ad? lol

look at sam, sending a text to dean about the dude being dead. good job guys

HEDDY Did you see how long his fingers his fingers were? SAM There…there’s just. HEDDY First of all, did you see this? Look how long…

and then at this point in the screenshot she's saying 9 inches?? whaaat is happening

did someone get a ruler out. and measured his..... hand

this episode is a lot

HEDDY I knew those boys were trailer trash the moment they rolled up in that American-made. BEVERLY Not to mention homosexuals. HEDDY Ugh. Homosexual murderers. Like Leopold and Loeb.

guess we're just gonna ignore they're brothers now.

‘Scream’ Screenwriter Kevin Williamson Confirms Billy and Stu’s Queer-Coded Relationship Was Based on Real Gay Killers - huh, well thanks for leading me to that, wikipedia article on leopold and loeb!

DASH Then where have you been hiding all these years? OLIVIA The attic. AMBER Like in the movie.

Reference to Flowers in the Attic, which is a story about children born of an incestuous relationship, who are hidden away in the attic of a wealthy relative

i was trying to think of what it could be referring to that wasn't flowers in the attic because hello incest reference, but okay

SAM I mean….all those extra shots after the shifter was already dead. What was that? DEAN I don’t know. Target practice? SAM Come on, man. I’m serious. You sure it wasn’t….I don’t know, demon residue or something to do with the Mark, or...

demon residue made me laugh

dean getting defensive and weird, i'm sure he's fine

LOL all right (wiki)

Shortly before the episode aired, in November 2014, a Supernatural version of Clue was released.

what an odd episode.

[parknerficrecblog]

Angst fics please?

Harley worrying about Peter angst

Into the Night by Tea_For_One_Please

Harley's phone buzzes on his nightstand. He snatches it up and unlocks it. "Come on, come on," he murmurs, hoping for a message from Peter. Despite having started at Midtown High, he didn't go on the trip with Peter and the others, but unsurprisingly, America saw the reports of the chaos in Venice, and then in Prague, and finally in London. To say that he's worried about Peter is rather an understatement.

Superhero angst

Understand by PeachyKeener

Pepper looked away whenever he donned the armor and looked close to tears whenever he got in a battle. He never really understood that either. Shouldn’t she be proud and happy that her husband was a superhero and savior? So he never understood, at all. Until Peter.

Sensory overload angst

i'm yours, silently, i will surrender by enzhe, MayWilder

"I love you." “And I love you.” Harley seals the phrase with another kiss, before Peter pulls away to bite and lick at already feverish skin. Harley tastes like sweat, and Peter finds that knowing he was worked up over Peter’s safety sends a sort of thrill through him. He runs his fingers over Harley’s back, pushing at his shirt to touch bare skin. He prays that he can press close and let the world fall away. Unfortunately, he can’t. CW:  self-sacrificing, sex-related trauma.

This is a good angst fic

hit me (i wont break, even if you do) by MayWilder

“He called,” she rasps, nails digging into Peter’s skin hard enough to draw blood. Her voice is dry and hoarse from disuse, but she pushes on. “He called this morning, to try and apologize. Said he’s gotten help. Help. Says he sorry. As if—as if it changes what he did to us!” God, Abby is angry. She yells again, seemingly trying to expel every bit of negative energy from her body. Peter holds her and cries with her, in disbelief that someone could ever cause their child this kind of pain. Peter’s seen the evidence of Henry Keener’s abuse before. He’s kissed at Harley’s scars and wiped away tears after a particularly bad dream, but the other boy has never been like this. This anger, this heartbreak, is a different level of pain that Peter can only imagine. He’s lost a lot in his life, yes, but he’s never had the two people who were supposed to take care of him fail so spectacularly. He decides, right then and there, that he will not fail Abbie Keener. cw: depression

one of my favorite writers who has a habit of writing angst

I can't fix what was done to you (but I'll shield you from the rain) by yeeharley

Harley had never been inside of Peter's head, but he caught snippets of breakdowns and panic attacks. He knew his boyfriend's past, knew about the awful things that had happened to bring him to the point that he was at. He had no idea how big Peter's darkness was. All he knew was that it was growing rapidly, and no matter how hard Peter beat it back with his metaphorical baseball bat, it kept encroaching on the bright parts of his brain. The parts of his brain that made Peter the person he was. The worst thing about it was that Harley didn't know how to help. All he could do was watch as Peter slowly deteriorated, crumbling under the pressure of protecting an entire city. Watch as his under-eye bags grew bigger and darker, as he worried at his bottom lip to the point of drawing blood, as he became pale and thin and tired. He didn't know what he was going to do. And he had to figure something out before it was too late. cw: mental health issues, gun violence

If you like presumed dead aus

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again by impravidus

Life moved on, but Harley Keener did not. CW: presumed dead

Some Harley centric angst for the soul

Willow by Shaderose

He sighs, and drops his hand back down, feeling stupid, pathetic all of a sudden, ignoring the light throbbing of the side of his head. He shouldn't even be here. Why did he come here? He had known he couldn't stay in Rose Hill, but he should've gone somewhere else. Anywhere but here. Anywhere where he was wanted. CW: Abandonment issues 

In my top for not sad angst

Harley Had a Problem by michellejones_stacy

It wasn’t a big deal. Peter was gone when Harley woke up, and they didn’t talk about it. And then it happened again. So he went with it. or Harley might be in love with Peter, and he might not do all that good a job at hiding it. (And Tony loves his Idiot Children.) CW: drug addiction implied/reference

One of my favorite new writers to the parkner scene

Crescendo by The_Devils_Sunflower

Peter is still struggling with the death of Toomes. Harley doesn't know whats up with Peter. Tony decides his son needs a vacation. Here's what happened after.

Sadly can’t do angst without including someone known for angst

The Curse of the Angel and Demon by WaywardFairchild

The angel who protected the world and the demon who destroyed it. Forever fighting. Once they were lovers but slowly the curse takes hold and they die as enemies in each other's arms. / Tony Stark must stop the curse from taking his interns like it did his friends. CW: major character death sort of

[prettyboy-parker]

favorite fics of 2020 (and a goodbye)

hi all!

first, i wanted to say this is inspired by one of my closest friends my bitch @honeybunstarker . thank u for that 

secondly, i wanted to say a final goodbye. i know that i nearly left a few months ago, but i was still on the fence about writing for marvel then. now, ive lost all interest. thank you all for fueling my love for writing, and making these past two (??? i actually don’t know) years full of excitement and encouragement! from the ups (the blocklist, secret santa) to the downs (my favorite blogs and friends deactivating without a word), ive had the greatest time in this fandom. 

in case you were worried, i am NOT deactivating. my fics will be available for you to read whenever you want.

but, i will not be writing for marvel anymore, nor will i be posting on this blog.

now that the sad part is done, i didn't want to leave you guys without anything to entertain yourselves with. so, here are my favorite fics, including some non-marvel, from this year! 

(all descriptions are from the work itself)

my top fic from this year, which is also one of my favorite fics of all time, is a dog named sunshine.

“Bucky Barnes has issues. Mental health issues, and a whole lot of them, to be precise. Bucky is fucked up, and he knows that. His apartment looks like a dumping ground on most days, he can’t sleep through the night, sometimes he doesn’t shower for six days and doesn’t leave the house except to see his therapist once a week. Mostly, Bucky has no idea how the whole “talking about your problems” thing is supposed to help him, but sometimes his therapist has some really great ideas. Like getting a dog. Which is how Bucky meets Steve. Steve has blond hair and shoulders as broad as Bucky’s future if he wouldn’t suffer from depression and multiple mental disorders, and a waist as small as Bucky’s self-esteem. Steve also has a yellowish dog with floppy ears called Sunshine. And sunshine makes its way into Bucky’s life with a bounce in its step.”

a modern stucky fic which portrays depression in the best way i have seen in a fic so far. unfortunately, it has been orphaned before being finished :(

starker:

hey baby, slip between my beta-pleats and get to know my alpha-helix? By @starkerforlife6969​ and @darker-soft-starker​

“Even though Tony can't tell the difference between Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo, Peter really has no other choice.

His heat is around the corner, so even though he loathes the party-going, booze drinking, smug playboy know-it-all that is Tony Stark-

He'll just have to do.”

if you asked me what my favorite starker fic of all time is, i’d tell you it’s this one

raising hybrid puppies by jaypendragon

“A non-powered Tony/Peter coffee shop AU with billionaire Tony and working-class, teenage Peter. Also, Toomes has a bakery and somehow Last Week Tonight is a genuine plot point.”

underage, slowburn, happy ending 

even though it’s one of the most notorious fics for the ship, i never read it until the summer. 

waiting for marriage by tuesday 

“In which Tony gets married and kidnapped in that order.

—

Tony Stark went to Vegas to cause a scandal.”

just super fun!

push you out (pull you back in) by @lovelystarker​

“So basically, Peter's kind of fucked. And not in the way that he wants to be-preferably by his mother's hot new boyfriend who has beautiful brown eyes and a disposition that's more than put-together. It wouldn't be so hard to ignore the crush, really it wouldn't, but Mr. Stark has practically moved in, so Peter can't avoid him if he wants to, and unlike his mom's past boyfriends, this one actually likes to spend time with him. So yeah, Peter's kind of fucked.”

just,,, wow. important to note that it is unfinished.

stucky:

you go to my head by alby_mangroves and brideofquiet

“Why would you do that for a man you don’t know?” Bucky asks.

Steve raises one slow eyebrow at him, then the other, till his expression turns from skepticism to disbelief. His forefinger and thumb reach into his shirt’s front pocket and draw out a wrinkled dollar bill.

Steve looks him in the eye when he says, very patiently, “For money, Bucky.”

40′s stucky is my favorite stucky

that boy is a problem by 2best friends

“In which a twinky little goth punk named Bucky puts a leash around Steve's dick and he's really into it.

(The leash is a metaphor. For now.)”

just porn

all the angels and the saints by speranza 

“In which Steve Rogers loses God and finds God and loses God, and also: Bucky.”

if it makes you cry, it’s probably good!

sugar sweet by colorcoated 

“College Student Bucky finds himself immediately attracted to Steve. He knows that Steve's a bit older than him, and that Steve himself is put off by the age difference. . . But that doesn't stop Bucky from wanting to climb him like a tree.”

the only slowburn i have tolerated 

my bucky by cleo4u2 and xantissa 

“Bucky finds a feral Alpha in the woods. Rather, the Alpha finds him. Bucky is sure it’s the end of his life as an independant Omega. It turns out to be the beginning of the strangest romance Bucky’s ever known.”

stony:

(i want you to see) the darkest side of me by ann2who

“In Monte Carlo, Steve meets the wealthy widower Anthony Stark. It’s love at first sight—at least for Steve—and he can’t believe his luck when Tony asks him to live at Stark Mansion, his large estate in Malibu. Never in his life had Steve thought something like this was possible… never had he been this happy. However, soon Steve realizes that Tony is still deeply troubled by the death of his first wife and haunted by the many ghosts she left behind. The longer Steve lives in her shadow, the more he understands that… He can never be what Tony’s wife had once been for him. And Tony might never truly love him.”

total mindfuck.

ironstrange:

let it be by lucifersfavoritechild

“While dealing with his son's car accident and a rapidly-dissolving marriage, Tony is drawn to Peter's surgeon, Dr. Stephen Strange.”

where severus snape is hot, not a stalker, and somehow gets the girl by utopiste

“Or: Peter Parker is sick and wants to cut his Neuroscience class. Tony just wants to help (and maybe date his son's hot teacher). Stephen Strange just wants to give his lecture in peace.”

miscellaneous:

geraskier: who needs plans anyways by NTK

“All witchers are alphas or betas by nature, since no omega has ever survived the Trial of the Grasses. Gerald has never had any problems with satisfying his needs on the occasional rut, for the whores from Poviss to Nilfgard were eager to be of service to a sturdy hunk like him. On the other hand, a certain omega/ bard/ occasional witcher tagalong has always made certain to acquire enough suppressants from local healers before setting out on a new adventure. That is, until the travels with his favourite White Wolf led the unlike pair into uncharted territory for longer than expected… life ensues”

philtriss: bound by sapphiresmoke

“Leashing involves a pupil being bound to their master in body, mind, and magic,” Philippa explained, folding her hands on the desk in front of her. “It is not something to undertake lightly, but if you accept, I will be able to share my magic with you, and instruct you in ways that would be otherwise be impossible if I were to only rely on verbal communication. It is intimate, it is at times invasive, but if you consent to this, Triss, it will make you vastlymore powerful, and from the look in your eyes, that seems to be exactly what you are looking for.”

vandermatthews: one more night like this would put me six feet under by jukeboxgraduate

“To be alongside the same person week after week, to share honesty and trust with someone day after day, is a rare treasure in a life that hinges on dishonesty. Hosea holds it close to his heart.”

din/cobb: every wave is a tidal if you hang around by wolfhalls 

“Din comes to Mos Pelgo, and finds a lot more than he was looking for.”

and finally, rough day by @no-droids​, because we all need to be a little indulgent sometimes.

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

WhatsApp? Part 2. (Steve Rogers x reader)

Description: You've never been lucky with guys. You just wanted to catch someone's eye, to be loved. One day, that's about to turn completely - with one fake, completely imagined number a guy gave you

A/N: Tagging is opened as much as you like, babes. To ask us the only thing you should do.

Warnings: None really, just Steve and the duo being themselves. Also, other Avengers appear sort of? (I am proud of those guest appearances. Bwehehe.)

Tagging: @missdictatorme

Read other parts here: Part One

So your texting with that mysterious Steve Rogers started.

You had exactly zero ideas who the man is (you sucked history, be honest with yourself and you didn't hear about an Avenger named Steve Rogers either). All you could say that he is really well mannered and nice to you. Which was a nice change and you welcomed it as well? The only thing that didn't escape your concerns was that he never intended to make a move with you.

And that was a serious change since you knew a lot of guys who's goal was simple: get girls into their beds, on their backs, and without panties. Steve wasn't like that at all. His texts during the day were simple and light-hearted as these:

Steve: Good morning, Y/N. How was your night like? Did you sleep well? (This one came at 5 a.m. so Steve had a serious issue with being a morning bird. You couldn't decide if you liked it, because it seemed like Steve's thinking about you, or if you hated it because these ones had the tendencies to wake you up.)

Steve: Enjoy your meal, Y/N. I'm in downtown so I am about to decide what to eat. (Texts like this usually came around 11 a.m. and you thought that it's his own way to remind you of having an actual lunch.)

Steve: Goodnight, Y/N. Sleep tight. I'll text you in the morning. (A text like this always came around 10 p.m. when you were about to go to sleep; Steve picked on your daily schedule really fast. It was a formal yet light-hearted text which always made you smile.)

You tend to control your language, grammar, and spelling way more than before, not wanting to appear dumb in front of the strange man, you didn't use emojis except plain ':)' because you noticed that Steve isn't exactly emoji's man. And words like lol and rofl? Those were forbidden.

This thing lasted for two weeks at least and you always grinned when you find a text from that mysterious Steve. You just sat at your desk, wishing that man bon appetit to his lunch whatever he decided to eat.

"Okay, spill the truth." - Your boss suddenly appeared in front of your desk, freaking the living hell out of your body. She wasn't angry about using a phone at the workplace at all - but you irritated her with your constant grinning. - "What's up? Or WhatsApp is more like it? I larb those puns." - She grinned at herself.

May Parker was the sweetest woman you have ever known. She was an energetic woman, sometimes a bit too much for your liking, funny and relaxed almost 24/7. She loved those weird words which the younglings were saying. Not that you were old, but you sometimes couldn't comprehend what she was saying. You almost couldn't tell that she was really close to her fifties, because of the way she behaved and dressed.

It was really bad with her almost a half year ago. She has lost her husband Ben, such a lovely and polite man, and she was left alone to raise her nephew Peter up.

He was a lovely guy as well. He respected women at all cost, he was funny and he always brought you something to eat. You loved that kid with your whole soul - everyone was suspicious that Peter developed a huge crush on you, but you knew about his feelings for Liz Toomes, a girl from his school. He crushed on her so her much. You awed every time he rambled about Liz that and Liz this.

He maybe admitted he liked you a bit, an itsy-bitsy bit, but he was a small kid and he knew you were way out of his league. You were more like his best friend than a crush.

"Let me guess, Peter said I larb you once and you didn't let go since then, did you?" - You chuckled, trying to make her forget about Steve. But you knew that woman too well. When May started something, she will push you through living hell with her energetic attitude to the finish line.

It was always like that since the first day you two met.

You worked under May ever since you finished your studies. She was leading one department of a local charity and you just loved to help those who needed your help. Everyone always said that having too many women at one workplace can be a living hell - and they were really far away from the truth.

There were only women in your department and you loved it. You celebrated everyone's birthday, every day someone baked something or brought the coffee for everyone. You usually split to groups for lunch, taking your pause for a half an hour and then change the seats with the next group. It was just lovely. And you found your three best friends out there - May, Suzie and Deena. You, Suzie and Deena used to hang out together a lot. Sometimes you took May with you, but most of the times she stayed at home with Pete.

"Don't you dare to bring my focus on Peter. Now tell me," - She sat on your desk, supporting herself with her hand, looking you dead into your eyes. - "Is this the lucky guy you met in the club? Suzie told me by the fridge last Friday."

"Am I even surprised? No, I am not. Suzie would say anything to everyone, isn't that right?" - You yelled to Suzie's desk and earned a loud frick you. (That was another word that Peter brought to your office.) - "It is not that guy. He didn't give me his number." - You rolled your eyes at your endless dumbness. You realized what is about to come - NYPD lead by May Parker.

"So where have you met him?" - May asked with a concerned voice. - "On Tinder? It's nothing wrong. A lot of young people actually met that way. But what if he's an old pedo or a creep? Did he try to make you send some nudes? You know you can call police at him, right?" - May squirmed in a scared voice. She really loved you as her bestie (another word she used too much and which Peter had taught her.) She was genuinely scared for you.

"Does Y/N look like a small child to you, May? Don't you need to see an ophthalmologist? You really need new glasses." - Valerie, another of your mates said in a playful voice as she passed your desk with her swaying hips. She was a lesbian and a really beautiful one. You and Deena hissed and wheezed at that joke.

"Val is right. Just look at Y/N's cleavage. She couldn't look like a small child even if she tried." - Deena said and continued laughing. - "Agreed." - Val said with a sinful wink but you knew that she knows you're not into LGBT activities.

"Alright ladies, stop right there. Let's keep it PG-13." - You said with a smile. You loved these women so much. - "Steve is... A gentleman. A really nice mannered man. And he probably has a dog. We're texting for two weeks in a row and he didn't ask anything nasty at all. So calm down and keep your panties dry, okay?" - You finished and looked at May.

"Well, that thing is behind us. Now tell me, what do you need?" - You smiled at her and took the papers she put in front of you into your palms.

"You remember that charity ball for the Marina?" - She asked. Yeah, the Marina ball to support your soldiers on the sea. It was always something special. It was a fight for your place between the other charities. This event was always held by Tony Stark and it was a really extraordinary evening.

Every time it was centered around different themes and Marinas were on the program this year. (You tried to raise the funds for children with leukemia.) You, as always, attended the night where departments of charities prepared a special program - some chose to do stand up comedy (and those were usually the best), some chose a choreography and others sang a song. There was a lot of things to think about. But it was a rivalry contest after all - every charity tried to raise the biggest money for themselves, or at least for their own name and prestige. It was a fight for your clean shield and for your department's honor.

And May always went over the top with her moral motivational speeches around that time of year. She was like a ball of pure energy which always made you awe but scared as hell.

"How would I not?" - You chuckled at her.

"Stark, or his assistant, signed us up with that choreography. They will be sending some money on the costumes. You are the economic genius in our group so make it work. " - May smiled at you and left.

Then, an hour later, you stopped working for a slight sec and you caught yourself thinking about that Steve. Who was he? You were so curious about him. It was itching your consciousness. You wanted to know more about that man. What did he like to do? What did he liked to eat?

"Hey!" - A sudden yell into your ear almost shot you down from your chair. You almost smashed Peter's angelic cute face with your keyboard. But he dropped a coffee and a piece of cake in front of you, so you slowly let the keyboard down.

"Was that necessary?" - You looked him down when he innocently smiled on the empty chair next to you. He started spinning around subconsciously as he always used to do. - "You will have to give me a heard massage one day. You'll kill me."

"With those tones of caffeine and sugar, he buys you every time he comes here? He surely will. Hey, Petey boy." - Deena smiled at Peter and nudged his hair playfully because she knew how much Pete hates it. He laughed and tried to make his hair look normal again.

"You were out of your mind completely, Y/N. I was grinning at you since I came into the office and you looked through the window. So your death would be your own fault. Anyway... What's up?" - Pete spun at a fast pace, looking at you with his hazelnut eyes. Even this boy noticed? You. Were. Screwed. But it was only better if you tell him yourself - May would be interpreting it as if Steve was a creep or that you're getting married to Steve. There was nothing between that.

"I'm texting with a guy." - You said quietly.

"Okay. Like, friendly or like..." - His cheeks got rosy as he stared you down with that stare. Since Peter got his birds and bees talk, he saw sex within everything. He was a boy in puberty, after all, it was normal.

"Calm your thoughts down, you dirty pig. I can hear them." - You rolled eyes and laughed - "We're casually texting. He's just nice to me, reminding me to eat, wishing me goodnight... You know what I'm talking about. But I think about how I can get to know him better. I would love to."

"That's simple as the sun rotating around the earth, dummydumdum. Just play a question game with him. Five questions each. We played that when I got to high school, to get to know each other better." - Peter said. And he was right - that was a good and a safe idea. He was a smart kid and you knew that. But that wasn't your main concern at that moment.

"You called me dummydumdum? You know what you are? Ultra dummydumdum!" - You exclaimed and heard Val laughing in the back.

----

Y/N: Let's get to know each other. I'm kinda curious about you. :)

That freaked Steve the hell out. Has she realized? She had fourteen days after all. And she surely wasn't dumb or ignorant. Those thoughts have earned him a punch to the nose. He squealed and looked at Natasha's fist.

"Don't you try me with your puppy look, Rogers." - She pointed her finger at him with a warning in her eyes, knowing that this sparring with Steve sucked like hell. - "This punch was well deserved. It's almost afternoon and you're out of your mind. What happened? Some technology attacked you again? Should I kick its ass for you?" - Nat grinned and reminded him of his situation with the smart fridge which somehow shot a whole cube of ice onto his forehead. It was hilarious, at least for her.

"Y/N wants to know me better. I don't know what to do?" - Steve sipped his water and refused to give Nat any munition to support that fridge story.

"Oh. I see. Girl problems. I forgot that you're a boy in puberty." - Natasha rolled her eyes. - "Spill the tea. What did those two say to you and then I'll maybe give my opinion on the situation." - She demanded, braiding her own hair which reminded Steve of the fire.

"Bucky said that it's just a natural process between two people." - Steve started carefully. - "And Sam mentioned something about shagging and that she wants to see the D. I have absolutely no idea what he said. But he laughed like a lunatic so I can finish the context."

Natasha genuinely laughed at that. She didn't like Wilson that much, but he always seemed so dumb it just amused her every time. Everything he said or every advice he gave? Pure comedic pearls centered around sex. Always. It was almost unbelievable.

"Go into it. Don't hold back. Try to risk a little. Live a life, Rogers. If she knows, she knows. She didn't try to make you face the fact she knows, so let it be. And now come to the ring. I can't wait to kick your super-serum ass." - Natasha grinned, leaving him behind.

Steve: I will gladly answer your questions in the evening. I can't right now. Have a lovely day at work. :)

[thecomicsnexus]

MARVEL KNIGHTS: SPIDER-MAN #1-12 (PART TWO OF TWO) JUNE 2004 - MAY 2005 BY MARK MILLAR, TERRY DODSON, RACHEL DODSON, FRANK CHO, IAN HANNIN AND LAURA MARTIN

SYNOPSIS (FROM WIKIPEDIA)

The kidnapper turns out to be the Scorpion, who is working for Norman Osborn. They blackmail Spidey to break Norman out of jail for his Aunt's safety, and after apologizing to his Uncle Ben at his grave, he goes through with it. 

During the breakout, Spidey (along with the Black Cat) is attacked by the new Sinister 12, which includes the Scorpion as the new Venom.

The 12, with the exclusion of the Goblin and Venom, battle the two heroes until many of the Marvel heroes come to save the day. 

Spidey chases after the Goblin, but is ambushed by Venom, whom he defeats. Spidey finds the Goblin on the Brooklyn Bridge with his wife, Mary Jane Watson. The two battle, but are interrupted by Doctor Octopus, who has been brainwashed to kill the Goblin by a shadowy organization. 

Spidey defeats them both, saves MJ, and rescues his Aunt, who is buried alive and unharmed in the grave of his Uncle Ben.

REVIEW

The thing that came to mind while I was reading this twelve part story, was how close it was published to “Batman: Hush”. Close enough to be coincidence. However, while “Hush” suffers a lot from lazy writing, this story does its job correctly, without betraying its characters.

The story feels a lot like classic Spider-man stories (on which Millar was inspired). The one thing I can complain about is on how much it relies on the nostalgia of those adventures. Like throwing Mary Jane from a bridge (but not the same one!).

Like Jeph Loeb on “Hush”, Millar did ballsy moves in this story, but unlike him, he did nothing that couldn’t be reversed easily (without reversing it himself).

Another thing that I could complain about is Millar’s toxic masculinity. I am talking about moments in this story with an air of homophobia. I noticed this in other stories of his. I am sure he meant well. Comic-book writers have a very specific target audience that do not find these things offensive, especially in 2004. This is a minor detail that does not take away from the story. It’s just some dialogues that I could expect from certain villains, but not from Spidey himself.

As I said, this could be just something few people noticed, and doesn’t really take away from the story (as it is only dialogues).

As a year-long mystery is quite entertaining (and worth more of your time than “Hush”), it has funny moments and really serious moments with a twist here and there, and typical human-level spidey emotional sequences.

And it wouldn’t be a classic Spidey story without money issues and hard moral dilemmas (like having the chance of using the Daily Bugle money for paying debts, but using it to pay for Toomes’ grandson’s cancer treatment, something Toomes doesn’t even know when he is fighting Spidey during the second plot point of this story).

It’s those moral dilemmas and relatable down-to-earth problems that make Spider-man who he is. So this is a story every Spider-man fan should read.

There is a plot device that I never heard from again after this story (perhaps it was resolved in the following years), about Super-Villains being created by corporations to keep the heroes busy. This seems like a very serious retcon. How do they know they are not creating heroes?

I give this story a score of 10

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Black Panther review

I remember a while back, people were wanting Idris Elba to play James Bond. This stirred up some of the most stupid discourse I have ever seen in my life, but Elba took things in stride and denied being considered for the iconic role. But for me, I had to wonder… what would a black James Bond movie be like?  Considering my love for blaxploitation films and my strong belief in Elba’s acting talent, I could only imagine what a black James Bond film would be like (hopefully better than Live and Let Die).

Apparently someone else – Ryan Coogler, to be precise – wondered the same thing, and so decided to make Black Panther, a Marvel movie that is truly a marvel. Quite frankly, we NEEDED a film like this in the world.

The plot picks up a week after the events of Civil War. T’Challa is set to become the king of Wakanda after his father’s death; soon after he is crowned, an old nemesis of his father pops back onto the radar: Ulysses Klaue, a thieving bastard of a man who steals Wakanda’s greatest resource, vibranium. While tracking him down, things get ever more tangled when CIA agent Everett Ross appears on the scene, and THEN things get even more complicated when a mysterious man known as Erik “Killmonger” Stevens shows up. This is one twisted web of political intrigue, one that could change Wakanda forever; can T’Challa cut through this mess and push Wakanda to a brighter future?

Be warned - there’s gonna be some SPOILERS below:

This might be one of Marvel’s most impressive film in the visual and audio department; Wakanda is such a gorgeous country to look at, what with all of its advanced tech. There are some issues – some CGI rhinos that appear are just really, really bad, and some of the fight scenes overuse CGI on the Panther suits (though the latter isn’t really too bad) – but overall this is a damn good looking movie. The soundtrack is just absolutely perfect and atmospheric, and kinda reminded me of The Lion King, amusingly enough. I was more just impressed that I actually gave a shit about the score of a Marvel film, because the scores tend to be very forgettable.

Now the best part of this film is most definitely the amazing cast of characters. We have Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o, T’Challa’s former lover and a badass spy who really pushes for Wakanda to get involved more in helping others; we have Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, T’Challa’s badass tech savvy smartass sister, who gets some of the funniest lines (and DOES quote an outdated meme, though in her defense, it was timely for the movie’s time period and also she follows it up with an actual funny joke); we have Okoye, played by Danai Gurira, the badass warrior woman who is head of the Dora Milaje and takes shit from a grand total of zero people; we have Everett Ross, the CIA agent played by Martin Freeman, who is kinda the ‘outsider perspective’ on Wakanda and reacts how anyone likely would in his situation; and rounding out the major supporting cast is M’Baku, the hilarious and badass leader of the isolated Jabari tribe, who is one of the biggest trolls in the MCU as well as a truly effective combatant. Each and every one of these characters is incredibly enjoyable, fun, and likable in their own way, making this perhaps the strongest supporting cast in the entire MCU.

Then we have T’Challa himself. He is an absolutely excellent hero, building off his grand entrance to the franchise in Civil War. He’s cool, he’s honorable, he has some interesting conflict going on due to his duties as king and then later after he finds out the truth about his father… though all that being said, I DO feel a few things with him here and there were either rushed or could have been delved into a bit more. But make no mistake, this is pretty minor, and he’s easily one of my favorite leads in the MCU.

And now on to the REAL stars of the show, the villains! Let’s start with Klaue, played by the always-appreciated Andy Serkis in his second villainous role in a Disney movie as of late… and much like Snoke, Klaue gets wasted towards the midpoint of the film. HOWEVER! Unlike Snoke, who gets very little to do before he gets killed, Klaue is in several scenes showing off what an effective villain he is. That cuttlefish scene in Age of Ultron? Oh, that was just a small taste of the utter brilliance Serkis brings here. Klaue is delightfully ridiculous, giggling and laughing even as he’s blowing the shit out of his enemies. He’s hilarious, he’s enjoyable, and he is absolutely memorable; as far as side villains go, he’s like Taserface on steroids, and I LOVED Taserface, so imagine how much I love Klaue. Leave it to Andy Serkis to give such an animated performance in one of the few films where he isn’t actually animated. The fact Klaue dies stings a lot less when he’s this much fun, though I am sad because he would have made such a GREAT antagonist for future films… though if they can work out a deal with Sony, Kraven could be a suitable replacement.

And then we have Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan. Remember F4ntastic? Remember how awful he was as the Human Torch? If you weren’t convinced the man could truly pull off a comic book movie, well, he’s gonna make you eat those words. He doesn’t just make up for his less-than-stellar turn as Johnny Storm with his performance here; he makes up for that whole damn shitty movie that he was only a small part of. Killmonger is a villain you can actually understand, one where you can really see where he was coming from, one that has a plan that you can almost see yourself agreeing with. At the end of the day, Killmonger is a victim of Wakanda’s secrecy and isolationist nature; the killing of his father and abandonment by his uncle is what drives him to villainy, and he wishes to use Wakanda’s tech to arm the oppressed all across the world so they can rise up and crush their oppressors. It’s almost a noble goal, but at the same time, it’s pretty bloodthirsty and cruel, and he really couldn’t give a shit how many innocent lives are destroyed so that he can rule a Wakandan empire the sun never sets on. He’s truly an anti-villain for the ages, and I am going to give him the greatest honor I can think of by comparing him favorably to Senator Armstrong of Metal Gear Rising fame. Their goals are similar for one, as they desire to make their countries truly great at the cost of innocent lives, but most importantly… they have NANITES/NANOMACHINES, SON! THEY HARDEN IN RESPONSE TO PHYSICAL TRAUMA! Killmonger is easily top 5 villains in the whole MCU, and continues the trend that began in 2017 of giving Marvel villains excellent characterization. He can sit at the Big Bad Boys Table with Ego, Toomes, Hela, Red Skull, Loki, and Stane. Good work Killmonger.

There have been some criticisms of this film and of Wakanda that are just… really fucking stupid. One I see come up a lot is how Wakanda is such a big, bad nation for being so isolationist and not helping others. This is literally a fucking plot point in the movie. This is a big part of what the plot revolves around. Hell, Nakia pretty much demands T’Challa start helping the world with Wakanda’s tech, like this is not subtext, the isolationist nature isn’t played off as a good thing and Wakanda’s unwillingness to help others and their secretive nature is what fuel’s the villains agenda, so using this as some criticism of Wakanda to bash it is… fucking idiotic. Then there was this one post I saw floating around with a bunch of dweebs saying how T’Challa had to weaken himself to be able to beat Killmonger… no? Not at all? If they’re referring to the final fight, he weakened the both of them. They both had the same level of power, he just took their suits out of the equation, he never technically had an upper hand there. And if they were referring to the fight earlier in the film… it’s ritual combat. Seriously, I think a lot of the criticisms of this film just want to paint Wakanda and T’Challa as Mary Sues for some… fucking stupid reason. The only way you could believe that is if you didn’t actually watch the damn film. I really didn’t want to address these dumb criticisms, but frankly, I had them in mind the whole time while watching the film and rolled my eyes hard when they were blatantly disproven by text, not subtext, not subtle easy-to-miss lines, TEXT. RIGHT IN YOUR FUCKING FACE TEXT.

But let’s not end this all on a negative note. One of my absolute favorite moments was not your typical superhero moments, but a part at the end, where T’Challa has decided to open an outreach center, and he and Shuri show off a Wakandan ship to a basketball court filled with young black kids who are immediately awestruck by the ship. One of them comes up to T’Challa and looks at him like he’s the coolest thing in the world, and god, I just know there are hundreds of thousands of little black girls and boys out there watching this movie and seeing a black hero kick ass and just be goddamn cool. We all know Blade came first, but I don’t think that makes Black Panther any less important or necessary; representation is always a good thing when it’s done well, and boy is this done well. This is giving black kids heroes and heroines they can really look up to and admire and see themselves in, and frankly, that just makes me happy.

This is a damn good movie, one of Marvel’s best. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it really does give off a James Bond vibe, if James Bond was crossed with The Lion King. I definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of Marvel movies, I recommend this if you’re looking for a more serious comic book movie, I just flat out recommend this movie. It’s a damn good film, and I hope that Marvel keeps making more films like this. So many action-comedies with a white male lead… it’s nice to get a more serious action-thriller with a black lead. Variety is the spice of life, and this movie here is just the kind of spice I like.

T’Challa is the king of Wakanda, and as a great man once said: “Hail to the king, baby.”

[agentelmo]

So this epic essay/rant began as my thoughts on the scene in S10 (Home Again) where Scully calls Mulder “Fox”.  I get it, I really do that Mulder is "Mulder" and Scully is "Scully" for a lot of shippers and that’s sacred to a lot of you.  But for me it really was a gut punch to hear her call him Fox in that moment... because it suggests to me that in their most intimate, emotional moments they are comfortable with using their first names - in fact, not just comfortable, it’s a kind of language they use to communicate intimacy.  Which started in the show, but they've clearly developed that closeness further in the 10+ years since we last saw them.   

So yes, when Scully first wanted to use this language in Tooms to convey an intimate, heartfelt moment with Mulder, (she's about to tell him she wouldn't put herself on the line for anyone but him) she goes to call him Fox and he can't allow it - he tells her to call him Mulder... he lies in fact, he says he makes everyone call him Mulder, even his mother - but when we see his mother she never once calls him that.  Not to mention all of his old flames have called him Fox and he doesn't chastise them.  Even Scully’s mother, Margaret continues to call him Fox even after Scully has corrected her.

Mulder was putting up a barrier in Tooms - he didn't want to allow Scully to get too close - I mean, the guy has a history of dating female co-workers, when you think about it.  Perhaps he'd decided he didn't want that to happen again with Scully - she had become very special to him and he didn't want to lose her to a fling or short-lived romance. 

Perhaps that also goes some way to explain why he took so long to act on his feelings for her, and the one time he lets his guard down and does act on them (Fight the Future) he doesn't allow himself to revisit the moment with Scully later.  The bee sting lets him off the hook after a moment of weakness where his deeper feelings for Scully surface as a result of the intensity of the moment (and he tries to kiss her).  But once the moment is gone, the barrier is back up.

When Scully herself attempts to revisit the moment in the first episode of S6, (The Beginning) Mulder is actually quite cold towards her; he removes his hand from hers and walks away.  God, the pain of that scene, which was in no small part the result of reuniting with one Diana Fowley. 

Let me side step into talking about Diana for a moment... 

I think Mulder/Fowley relationship was a kind of pre-cursor to Mulder/Scully relationship for him.  Fowley was also a beautiful, intelligent woman that he felt attracted to but the difference here was that he acted on those feelings - he let her in; she calls him Fox from the get go, and still does right up until their last scene together.  But look where that ended up for him - she abandoned him and their work together.  Ultimately she was willing to sacrifice her relationship with him for self interest and I think he was pretty badly hurt by that.  What those interests are, we never find out.  But it clearly wasn’t a good enough reason for Mulder to accept, as in The Sixth Extinction he can hear her thoughts, knows her reasons - even as we don’t - and he doesn’t react to her at all, even as she’s telling him she loves him, he doesn’t move to return her feelings.  He pretends to be out of it, but as she leaves the room, he watches her go - letting us know that he does not trust Diana any longer.

This is backed up rather than contradicted by Amor Fati, where Mulder has his last temptation of Christ moment, where Diana ultimately is a figurehead of deception, manipulation, and stagnation.  She sleepwalks him into ruin and away from his chosen path in exchange for domesticity.  That isn’t Mulder, and no one knows that better than Scully - a woman who is able to love a man like him without making any demands of him, whereas Diana is the opposite.  One of these days I will write a mammoth essay about how incredible Scully is... but I digress...

So how does this figure into how and why Mulder would keep Scully at a distance?  Well we as humans often function on the faulty thinking that history will repeat itself; particularly in interpersonal relationships.  I suspect he fears being hurt for one, but also fears losing Scully if he goes down the same path with her that he did with Diana.  So when Scully reminds him of what he said to her in his hallway right before the bee stung, (The Beginning) he doesn’t respond - the walls are up and he refuses to go back to that place again, and quite cruelly shuts Scully down.

In my shipper heart, and apparently backed up by Chris Carter (although he changes his mind on this all the time, so whatevs) Mulder was attracted to Scully straight off the bat; which is pretty clear in the pilot and early episodes imo - he’s a young man and she’s a beautiful, extremely intelligent young woman who stands her ground with him (that - as we discover over time - is kinda his “type”).  

But pretty quickly he starts to care for her deeply; to feel he can trust her and only her - she's his human credential, as David Duchovny once poetically put it and that’s even more true in the earlier seasons where Mulder is clearly more bothered by how people view him - with Scully at his side, he stops caring - we stop hearing him reflect on this label of “Spooky” his fellow Agents have given him.  

He was isolated and alone, and she saved him from that - she accepted him.  It's completely understandable that he'd start to feel very protective of her and their friendship.  So with that in mind, he can't entertain any thoughts of attraction towards her as that would risk that friendship. So when she tries to call him Fox he’s suddenly quite uncomfortable.  He even seems embarrassed.  Then shocked and I think quite moved, when she tells him she wouldn’t put herself on the line for anyone but him.  But his response?  He plays it off with a flippant comment about iced tea!  He clearly needs to maintain that bit of professional distance to keep their relationship platonic.  Which he often achieves with humour. 

So returning to that moment in S10 (Home Again) to see her call him Fox - it’s a huge deal that he now lets her... they're at a different level of intimacy now, he's not trying to keep her at arms length or away from his heart anymore; which is made all the more interesting because they're no longer together in this scene.

That says to me the breakup wasn’t a mutual decision; it definitely wasn't what Mulder wanted - it feels like they are communicating loud and clear that it was Scully that ended their romantic relationship and I get the feeling he's still pretty heartbroken over it.  His slightly bitter remarks in My Struggle where Scully says it’s good for him to get out of “that little house” referring to their home together in IWTB and he responds with “it certainly was good for you.”  Ouch! 

Then his comment in Tad O’Malley’s car where she says they’ve both moved on with their lives now the X files are closed and she says “for better or worse” and he says “for better, for worse..” and Scully is clearly very uncomfortable with what he’s said.  There’s so many freakin’ layers here - the most obvious one being the fact these are wedding vows - what are they hinting at here?  (God I sincerely hope they didn’t get married and divorced - but I wouldn’t put that past CC)  but my interpretation is that Mulder is saying Scully was better for it, but he was worse.  The final bitter comment is when he mentions the fact that Scully had apparently once referred to his pursuit of UFOs as having a “stranglehold on her life”.  Ouch.  Again.

But for me, the most heartbreaking scene revealing the depth of Mulder’s loneliness without Scully was in episode 2 (Founder’s Mutation) There is one scene where we see him sitting in the kitchen of the “little house” they once shared together, alone, looking at a photo of William... Gods... what are you trying to do to me, CC??  His lonely figure sitting at the kitchen table in a family home, with 2 empty seats is just another gut punch.  

Yeah, he’s definitely still hurting over it.   

So just to briefly touch on the first names thing one last time, because I can clearly go off on some epic tangents here; Scully never had any issue with Mulder calling her Dana; it takes her by surprise once (Beyond the Sea) - but every other time he did it, it was again to create intimacy and closeness, it's not some awful transgression that's a betrayal of their past relationship - it's an evolution of it. Thinking here of how hung up people get about Mulder referring to Scully as “Dearest Dana” in an email in Trustno1.

I want to hear her call him Fox again - at least one more time.  Sex scene, anyone?  Ha!  FIGHT ME!

[rickrakontoys]

Spider-Man: Homecoming 8.25/10

A solid addition to the pantheon of cinematic Spider-Men. ***random spoiler talk***

-The first half of the movie feels a bit disjointed and jumps from scene to scene… why is this such a common problem with modern movies??? They try to cram so much in the first half and do it so inelegantly, making the movie feel overwhelming at times… The pacing improves from the second half on and really gets going though. -Michael Keaton’s Vulture/Adrian Toomes is one of the better MCU villains in that you can sorta get where he is coming from, and Keaton plays him menacingly but injects some real humanity in him. He’s probably my favorite part of the movie! Hell, he even gets his own leitmotif (when was the last time a marvel villain had one?). My 2nd favorite cinematic spidey villain after Alfred Molina's Doc Ock. -Tom Holland plays a very awkward, eager Peter Parker. Definitely suits a young Spidey just starting to learn about the whole superhero gig and what it means. He makes mistakes and web-slings about in a clumsy manner in the same way a teenager drives a car for the first time. He definitely suits Peter/Spidey better than Andrew Garfield (who was just a creepy jerk, due to a bad script). He’s definitely more teen-like than Tobey Maguire, but we never really got much high school Peter in the original trilogy. Holland even looks kinda like a young Tobey… -While Holland presents a very likeable young Spidey, something about him feels very manufactured and there isn’t much depth to him as I’d like… any issues with him balancing teenage problems with heroics is glossed over, hitting similar beats as the Maguire series but not following through or really using them to add much to the overall plot/themes. While it was cute seeing him deal with petty crime with mixed results, he mostly just whines about wanting to do more with the Avengers, then at the end he decides to just be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man instead even when offered a full Avengers gig. And i never really felt i was watching him actually swinging around as Spider-Man… he goes from flesh and blood kid to a cartoon character during action scenes (dodgy CGI as usual, lacking a sense of mass/weight). The final action scenes however definitely felt more realistic (when he is forced to put on his old homemade costume), and evoked the climax of the first Maguire film. -The action scenes in general were merely serviceable. You sort of sit there and watch stuff happen but it doesn’t “wow” you as much… there isn’t really anything new or creative being done here. The details of the action sort of leave your head once its over… and some scenes are shot so chaotically you can’t even see what is happening. This is especially true during part of the finale on the cargo plane. Regardless, Vulture looks really cool in every scene he’s in. And it’s neat to see all the alien tech being used in the street level crime. Lots of callbacks to past MCU films and the messes the heroes made, giving us a new perspective on the consequences of battle (like Civil War and Zemo, but smaller). -What new stuff that IS in the action though is great. You get to see spidey out of his element. Him being forced to run on the ground due to lack of tall buildings is fun, and his high-tech suit generates some nice laughs with its overload of Starkian upgrades. I find it hilarious that his suit is voiced by Jennifer Connelly, who is married to Paul Bettany who voiced Jarvis. -The supporting cast is great and gives the movie some nice laughs and character. Ned gets a bit annoying sometimes though due to his constant fanboying, but hell, who wouldn’t go crazy knowing your best friend is an Avenger? Michelle is a deadpan snarker and is also likeable but didnt amount to much (is she really THAT MJ though, or is this a misdirection?). Flash was a modern bully-type and also didn’t do much besides call Peter “Penis Parker” for whatever reason. The whole John Hughes ferris beuller breakfast club vibe sometimes feels more like window dressing, but does help establish what point in his life Peter is in at the moment. Liz was alright, but she seemed more like an object of Peter’s affection for the plot than much else… they lacked any real chemistry together since Peter mostly just gawked at her. -The plot twist….

-Kinda saw it coming, since they kept mentioning Toomes’ family but never showed them. They wouldn’t NOT show them at some point cuz that’d be sloppy storytelling (though wouldn’t put it past them due to past disappointing villains in the MCU). Odds were they were someone you already knew to give some impact, and who else could provide an “Oh Shit!” moment other than Liz? The movie at that point was in dire need of a shakeup before the climax, and a bomb like that woulda done it. And it did. The scenes from then on between Toomes and Peter were fantastic, full of tension. And it gave more personal stakes for the struggle between Peter and Toomes during the climax. I wonder how it woulda been if they revealed this earlier on though and didnt hide the familial relationship… Glad they let Toomes live. Lets Peter be the hero he needs to be. -Tony Stark/Iron Man is in the movie quite a bit, and sometimes it feels like he just pops up suddenly (fishing Peter out of the river is one moment). He has a very nice scene though when he is mad at Peter for the ferry disaster, and RDJr plays him well as a surrogate father deeply disappointed in his son. Happy Hogan is in the film more than Stark and his presence is fun, since we havent seen him since Iron Man 3. Also… surprise Pepper Potts! The three have a great, cute scene together! -Captain America (now a war criminal!) has some funny cameos wearing his goofy Avengers 1 outfit. -Marissa Tomei is a neat new Aunt May, believable as an aunt. And the last gag of the movie was hilarious (with serious consequences for the series!) -The music score is better than the Amazing series but isnt as memorable as Danny Elfman’s score from the first two. Though the orchestral classic Spidey theme over the Marvel Studios logo… bliss. -I could go on more about this movie (who the hell is even gonna read this…), but so far, despite the gripes/nitpicking, it is probably the 3rd best Spidey movie thus far, maybe even 2nd best? Spider-Man 2 is still my top spidey movie, it just felt more cohesive and had better emotional thematic pay-offs, and better action scenes. Spider-man 1 also felt more coherent and wasn’t bogged down by links to a greater cinematic universe, even if some parts of it are a little too cheesy (“Deliver us…” “FINISH IT!!!” “From eviiiiil!!!”). People may complain about Maguire’s portrayal, but in 2/3 movies he felt like a real human being you could relate to. Still, Holland is on his way to being a terrific Spider-Man if he is allowed to come out of the shadow of the MCU.

Spidey ranking: Spider-Man 2: 9.25/10 Spider-Man: 8.5/10 Spider-Man Homecoming: 8.25/10 (this may change with repeat viewings tho) … Spider-Man 3: 6.5/10 The Amazing Spider-Man: 5.5/10 The Amazing Spider-Man 2: 4/10

[imdrunkandreviewingshit-blog]

Tipsy Review of “Spider-Man: Homecoming”: Does Whatever A Student Can

Spoilers Abound

              Lemondrops. I’m not a fan of martinis in general, but you put lemon into anything and I’m probably gonna like it. Before this movie, I had myself three of these splendidly alcohol-heavy drinks and a cider. Maybe that is what contributed to the fun I had watching Spider-Man: Homecoming.

              Homecoming is the latest entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the latest reboot of Spider-Man, though the first under the MCU banner. The film follows the youngest Peter Parker yet, played by Tom Holland, this time only a sophomore in high school. I was cautious about this development for Spider-Man, as I feel that the most relatable Peter Parker is the working-class hero version, but I enjoyed the film’s depiction of Peter’s life immensely. He crushes on girls, struggles with being a nerdy guy, and tries to balance his regular life with his extracurriculars. How can you not identify with that? Everyone can find a little piece of Peter Parker inside of themselves. It’s what has made him so immensely lovable since his inception.

              Of course, life is more complicated than just school. After the final bell rings, he runs out, changes into his costume, and swings across the city, stopping whatever crimes he can. But he dreams bigger; he calls Tony’s assistant Happy Hogan every day, telling him what he did with the day and hoping he can take on bigger assignments. When he comes into conflict with Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes, he doggedly pursues him to prove that he’s worthy of being an Avenger and earn the approval of Tony Stark, his new father figure.

              The heart and soul of this movie is Tom Holland. With Tobey Macguire, we had a great Peter Parker but a rather milquetoast Spider-Man. With Andrew Garfield, we had a witty, wisecracking Spidey, but an alienating and confusing Pete. Tom Holland blends the best of both and realizes the full potential of Spider-Man: a young man becoming the person he always wanted to be. And honestly, he plays both sides of the coin better than either of his predecessors; Spider-Man isn’t always smooth, as shown when he tries to pose before alerting some thieves to his presence. And while Peter is most definitely a nerd and awkward, we can understand why people find him charming and are drawn to him. Holland brings a natural boyish charm to the role, effortlessly inspiring while also never allowing the audience to forget that this is a kid behind the mask.

              His villain this time is Adrian Toomes, the Vulture. This is a new, more sympathetic take on the villain. Toomes is driven to villainy when his role in the clean-up of New York after the first Avengers movie is cut due to government interference, headed up by no one else than Tony Stark. Toomes is a response to Tony’s wealthy-yet-disconnected take on philanthropy. He works with the government to create a secret department dedicated to cleaning up after metahuman battles called Damage Control. However, by creating this, he puts blue-collar workers out of a job. Toomes, in order to provide for his family and for the men who work for him, turns to crime, stealing alien weapons and artifacts from Damage Control with a wingsuit and some nifty tools. Now, this design is awesome. You go looking from a little bald weirdo to an angel of death born in the dump. Vulture has never had such a good upgrade. On top of that, Michael Keaton is perfect here. Ignoring even his previous casting history, he plays Toomes with an incredible amount of malice brimming under the surface of a man who is done being kicked around by those in charge. Anyone who has had to work for a living can see where this guy is coming from. However, there are a few missteps along the way that keep this villain from being a truly great antagonist.

              First of all, he’s a goddamn hypocrite. We meet Toomes working in the grease and dirt of the ruins of New York. Later, Peter disrupts one of his heists, so he decides then that he has to go for “the big one,” the heist that he has repeatedly said no to throughout the film. You’re led to believe that he really does need this heist in order to survive, provide for his guys, and provide for his family. By the time Peter encounters him with no masks, this mother fucker is living in a house that is almost all windows. Then, he has the audacity to tell Peter that people like Tony Stark, “don’t understand guys like us.” Man, Peter Parker lives in a shitty apartment in Queens, you have nothing in common with him anymore. He can’t accept that he is now a part of the 1%, much like Stark is. And that would be fine if the film addressed this at all. Characters aren’t bad if they’re hypocrites, but the film can’t then go pretending that he isn’t. It’s frustrating because there are lots of great character moments with Toomes. His chat with Peter right before the homecoming dance is wonderful, his decision to incapacitate a troublesome worker convinces us how important his work is to him, but then you realize this is the type of person that probably would ask most people to take their shoes off before they step in his home. The blue-collar status disappears completely and you realize this is a man that is just driven by greed and nothing more. Everything that made him different disappears (save a nice little mid-credits scene that shows that he does have some sort of code of honor).

              There are a few fun side characters in the film. Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan finally becomes a character after being little more than a butler in the Iron Man films. He acts as Tony’s liaison to Pete, as Tony is mostly too busy abroad to deal with the street-level hero. Jacob Batalon shines as Peter’s best friend Ned and the source of the biggest laughs in the movie. Zendaya is great as Michelle, the liberal weirdo with attitude (as a liberal weirdo, I say this with affection). But for every good addition, there is one that feels pointless or misguided. The biggest one has to be the Shocker. Now, at first, Logan Marshall-Greene seemed poised to be a great secondary villain, but as soon as his presence is felt, it is tossed aside for Bokeem Woodbine’s infinitely more stoic and boring Shocker. Other pointless characters include Donald Glover in an incredibly small role, Tony Revolori as an annoying and small Flash Thompson, and Jennifer Connolly as the AI of Pete’s suit, Karen.

              That said, I’m getting a bit too negative. This is a FUN movie. It’s got a lot of heart, the jokes all (mostly) land, and for the most part, it’s got some pretty good action. The film is at its peak when its addressing the core issue of Spider-Man: how can you balance your wants with your duties? Though this film is, much like The Amazing Spider-Man, afraid to say that with great power comes great responsibility, it more than addresses it through the actions of our hero. And though he does have his failures along the way, Peter Parker knows that he is Spider-Man and that he must sacrifice what may make him happy to better the world. What’s more heroic than that?

              God bless Peter Parker. You may have the worst luck in the world. You may never find true happiness. You may never get the normal existence that you crave deep down. But you inspire us all by teaching us that we must sacrifice for a better world and that we can do it with a smile on our face. And while this isn’t the best superhero movie of the year, this movie reinforces why Spider-Man is the best superhero there is. Not because of his powers, not because he’s funny, but because he’s not so different from us. If Spider-Man doesn’t give up hope for a better world and can keep living with a smile on his face, then why can’t we?

              Wonder Woman was still a bit better though. Just saying.

[garamonder]

The Only Road, a Spider-Man: Homecoming Story

The Only Road

A rare breather between fighting should have been a relief for the Avengers. Instead, one small comment triggers a confrontation Peter had been avoiding for months.

2878 words // General // T for Language // Peter Parker, Tony Stark, the Avengers team

AO3, Fanfiction.net, or

Maybe the problem had been boiling beneath the surface for a while, because after one small comment the argument had escalated with terrifying speed.

In a moment where he stood watching the fabric of the Avengers being tenuously knitted back together, Peter commented, almost to himself, he might not have been so enthusiastic in Germany if he'd known T'Challa really meant to kill Barnes. The fight at the Leipzig airport had actually been kind of fun, the more so because he'd been reasonably sure they were only fighting to incapacitate. He had gotten fairly good at telling when someone was genuinely trying to kill him.

He liked T'Challa, who carried a dignity that (sometimes) sobered Peter's motormouth antics. He had said it because he, too, understood grief and the knee-jerk hate born from it. Killing Barnes would have been a stain that never left the king's soul, Peter knew, and he was inwardly grateful that he didn't end up a party to it. And the death would have been ever the chasm between the Avengers, preventing their truly reconciling.

Mr. Stark's reaction was unexpected.

"And who are you to decide that?" he said sharply, taking Peter aback.

"What?"

Stark's face plate had receded along with the imminent danger, and in the day's waning light Peter clearly saw his frown. "Just because you tapped into the fight, kid, doesn't mean you know the half of it."

Defensively, Peter raised his eyebrows and said, "Well, it would have been nice to know before I got roped in as an accessory to attempted murder."

"T'Challa's father was murdered," said Stark—did he know he was clenching his fist?—"and T'Challa retaliated."

"Barnes didn't kill his father," Peter replied incredulously. What was with him? "T'Challa would have killed an innocent man." Peter so feared taking a life that he had great pity for Barnes, whose choice in the matter had been taken away for so long.

"He is so far from innocent," said Stark.

Peter didn't get it, stepping back and feeling like he'd missed a question on the pop quiz. Why was Mr. Stark wound so tight now when it came to the sergeant? Before Germany he hadn't appeared to care personally about Barnes one way or another; his main concern had been reserved for the wayward Steve Rogers. The Winter Soldier had barely factored into his lectures. Peter didn't even know about that awesome metal arm til Barnes had thrown a fist at him.

Things had changed after he'd landed back in Queens. Something had happened in Siberia and now Stark refused to even glance in Barnes's general direction. The soldier stood there now, and the new arm he bore courtesy of T'Challa—who had tried so fiercely to kill him—shone dully in the red light. Some distance away the other Avengers had begun to look over curiously, though they were out of earshot. It should have been an idyllic scene, the group of them together with a sun setting behind them, but Peter was barely aware of them.

He didn't say anything, hoping to drop it, but Stark wasn't done. "What do you know about revenge?" There was a shake in his voice Peter had never heard before.

Did the guy really think Peter was such a kid? He flushed and said, "I know what murder is—"

"You really don't."

Glancing self-consciously at his teammates, Peter edged away from them. Bewilderment was giving way to irritation. How was the other man taking this as a personal attack? Never before had he reacted in this way to something so insignificant, and Peter had the feeling he'd stepped on a landmine meant for someone else.

Vaguely he felt the instinct to back down, to make peace, yet he couldn't help but say edgily, "Why? Do I have to be eighteen or over to know? Because this sounds like something that should go on my driver's license, next to my birth date and whether I'm an organ donor—"

"The sarcasm is not helpful right now," said Stark, he who was always sarcastic.

"Is that something else you get to decide?" muttered Peter.

Stark's eyes flashed. "There are a lot of things you don't understand about the world and this is one of them. High schoolers don't get to judge; Mock Trial Club doesn't count. Put that on your driver's license."

Peter wasn't about to trot out Uncle Ben for him. But for the first time since Tony Stark showed up on Peter's couch sitting a little too close to May Parker, Peter found himself getting genuinely mad at the billionaire.

"Something bothering you, Mr. Stark?" he deadpanned.

"Yeah, something's wrong with the stereo in my suit," snapped Stark, tapping where his helmet still covered the sides of his head. "I keep hearing this high-pitched whine in my ear."

A fierce blush crept up under Peter's collar, and he was glad for the mask hiding his red ears. Sensing the heat rising in his face, his suit deployed a cooling system with a small but embarrassingly audible hiss.

"Woah, fine," he said, raising his hands and starting to back away toward the others. "Forget it." Let Stark bitch to empty air, Peter wasn't going to stick around for it.

"Extra credit for the latchkey kid," Stark said as a parting shot.

What? Peter spun. "The hell does that mean?"

Possibly Stark realized that his words could have been misinterpreted as a dig at Peter's situation as an orphan, because too late, he tried to backpedal. "I didn't mean it that way," he muttered.

"No shit," said Peter, but it was still a shot at his age, among the many already made. He was getting sick of it, and maybe he was a little touchier about it since most of the Avengers had taken up the joke, save for Rogers and Banner. Barnes didn't take up jokes.

He knew his place, okay? At best, he'd so far been the cavalry. And yeah, he was a teenager. Fine. So what? So he was expected to just go along with everything he was told to do? No doubts, no reservations about consequences? Just what, be grateful they were including him? Letting him tag along?

That's when Peter blurted out the thing he'd never intended to bring up to Stark, ever. "Okay, so, life-and-death stuff isn't a choice you get to make for other people, right?" he demanded. "That's your great wisdom here?"

"Right," said Tony testily.

"Then what was with that kill mode you put in my suit?"

Not expecting him to lobb that after dodging the issue for so long, Stark looked warier, and a little like he'd regretted losing his temper. Yet he didn't back down, and upon seeing his expression harden stubbornly Peter got even more incensed. "Yeah, I know about the kill mode," he said, flaring, "One of your training wheels fell off."

"You crashed the bike," Stark spat right back.

Their voices had raised slightly, the tone if not the exact words carrying faintly across the way. Tactfully, Captain America turned and walked in a different direction, ostensibly saying something about securing the perimeter. The perimeter was hardly in jeopardy but Wilson and the Winter Soldier followed, and then some of the others went a heartbeat later peering over their shoulders all the while. Romanov found a pile of rubble to lean back against and crossed her arms, away from the conversation but unobtrusively observant. Peter hardly noticed.

"I was preparing for the future, okay?" said Stark.

Really, like the kind he talked about 'reframing' in his half-assed speeches to the September Foundation? Gears in Stark's metal armor whined slightly as he shifted his weight to stare at the patch of ground the Avengers had vacated.

"The future?" Peter said flatly. "I thought that meant getting in a good word for me at MIT. Not killing. How exactly do you plan that for a kid you just met? Oh, my God," he said, rocking back with a flash of comprehension, "that was already in the suit in Germany, wasn't it?"

Of course it was. How had he not thought of that before? For a heartbeat he hoped it'd been a later upgrade to the suit, something added after he'd proven himself at the airport. A fractional hesitation was the only answer from Stark he needed, and Peter was too aghast to care what he said next.

"Oh, God. How long did you think it'd take for me to use that? What—how—" he spluttered, shrilly "—at what point were you going to decide, 'hey, it's time for him to go Terminator?' Is that what 'training wheels' are," he flapped his arms around, "moral hangups you were just waiting to like, fall off?"

"More like naivety," snapped Stark. When Peter shook his head insistently and turned away, Stark practically shouted at his back. "What the fuck did you think, that you could just web up someone like Loki? Like Thanos? Maybe I didn't want to leave you in the wind, you ungrateful brat. You're not going to just take down bicycle thieves forever, there are bigger fish to fry and I wanted to make sure you could actually fry them. Instead," he jabbed a metal finger toward the irate teenager, who'd wheeled around for a retort, "you take asinine risks and about get yourself killed to try and save people who just tried to take off your head when you should be aiming for theirs."

He was not only referring to Toomes, which might have been forgivable had it been a onetime thing. It hadn't been. Peter stood with taut fists, too shakingly furious to heed the horror in the back of his head at this intensifying blowup with his longtime idol, the guy who'd set Peter up as a legitimate hero in the first place. At the same time, though…just how long was Peter supposed to be cowed by gratitude?

Deep down he knew these ugly words on both sides were sparked by the incendiary factors of exhaustion, fear, and near-constant fighting over the last few days. Everyone was tired and irritable and rather than coming as a comfort, their first few hours of real peace only served to exorcise the pent-up stress. Then the wrong button had gotten pushed at the wrong time.

His angry speechlessness broke when Stark turned away.

"I'm not your son."

Stark rounded as his face went white. With shock or fury, Peter couldn't tell.

"I'm your teammate. Right?" pressed Peter. He stared at the frozen Avenger and repeated, with a pleading note that the animosity couldn't hide: "Right?"

Tony Stark said nothing.

"I know you feel responsible," said Peter, suddenly desperate, "but you can't think of me as like—like a surrogate kid and respect me as an equal. I don't need a dad. I need help, and you need me. Either I'm just a kid or…or I'm one of you guys."

There it was, in so many words. So long as Peter was just a boy to them, he'd never truly be an Avenger. It wasn't so much that he wanted to be one of them, though he did—with all his heart—but that he had to be one of them, for their sake too. The world was too small and the galaxy was too big to shut him out. They were partners, all of them. Comrades in arms.

Despite losing both parents to a plane crash at four, Peter had not lacked for a father figure. He'd had one until the year before, when that figure was cut down one average night in a shock of blood and horror. It was one of those private, life-shattering tragedies that clocked somewhere below the mass slaughter usually in the Avengers' field of vision, the kind of thing that only Peter seemed to be working daily to stop.

The Avengers had never represented the fork in Peter's road; the two paths had lain in the wild-eyed face of Ben Parker's murderer. There, Peter had chosen one road and he chose it forever. In death, Uncle Ben had imparted his most important lesson, and it would not be superseded by anything Tony Stark had to say.

Which was very little, now. The moment had stalled, Peter spiraling down from the peak of anger to a place of dawning alarm and embarrassment now that the tides had receded from the shore.

Accepting that he'd cooled down, his suit switched off the AC. For the first time he realized Karen had stayed silent throughout the argument.

He'd known from little asides that Stark had had issues with his own father, and Peter had never wanted to step in the way of whatever psychological progress the man was making. He felt guilty for doing it now. However mad he was, he really did not want to hurt Mr. Stark's feelings.

"So um," Peter sighed, wishing Stark would say something, "if I'm gonna be a partner, you guys have to trust me or it's not fair. And you have to listen when I say…I will not kill anyone."

He thought maybe he owed an explanation, because this was something that was unofficially sort of in the job description, so he hesitated before going on to say what he'd never told anyone. Forcibly ignoring the magnetic resistance he had to looking Stark in the eye, he admitted: "I'm afraid of killing. I'm afraid of it happening once, and I'm even more afraid of not being so scared of it the second time. There can't be a second time if there's not a first. And, yeah, I'm too young to be ready for that anyway, but I am never going to be ready for it."

Overhead, Wilson took flight. He soared over to the purpling sky to scout, his amazing wings sounding like a distant airplane.

Gazing after him, Peter murmured, "I used to think maybe you all would see me as a burden if I didn't do it, but I don't think that anymore. I'm not a liability. I think I'm the reminder you guys need. Because I think maybe…you've forgotten how to be afraid of the right things."

He realized as he said it that the Peter Parker who could use the kill mode to its full, terrible effect was not the Peter Parker they needed. Who they needed was the enthusiastic, optimistic, happy-go-lucky guy who loved his aunt and his friends and his neighborhood, who loved helping people find the train station and getting their bikes back. Who could say, with earnestness and complete faith, that mercy was strength. Peter needed him too.

Behind them the sun was disappearing with a last gasp of light. Now that the veneer of adventure had faded somewhat he found himself homesick in this strange place and missing Aunt May and Ned, who assumed the likeness of bright tethers in his mind that kept him close to reality, in Queens.

At last, Mr. Stark seemed to sag. It was another full minute before he spoke. When he did, the anger was gone and he sounded, for the first time, a little sad and unsure.

"Okay."

Okay? Okay as in…Peter was still an Avenger? Or okay as in, You're done, pack your suit?

With a sideways look for Natasha, who had begun to move away in truth, the older man went on slowly, "Listen, k—Peter. The only thing I said to you just now that wasn't complete bullshit…was that you don't know the whole story."

Peter waited.

"And—" here Stark rubbed his temples— "it's not because you're a kid. It's because I'm an asshole who can't let go of the past." He stared at something Peter could not see.

The teenager wasn't sure what to make of this flash of vulnerability, which happened so rarely. His hand snaked nervously behind his back to pluck at the spider emblem there.

"Don't do that, you'll pill the fabric. The truth is…well, I'm gonna keep that private. I have a problem with Barnes and it's not going away anytime soon. But—" He sighed. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry. And maybe you're right. About your right to be ah, a conscientious objector." He kind of rolled his eyes at the end, and with relief Peter felt normalcy settling back in.

"Thanks." He meant it.

They lingered awkwardly there, but Peter was secretly relieved by the confrontation he didn't think he'd ever make were he not as exhausted and banged up as the rest of them.

It felt like the first open confirmation that Peter was truly an Avenger, for better or worse. Spider-Man took the same risks they did, made greater for the identity he was determined to protect, and shared in the challenges as well as the brief moments of brevity. He may not even have to sign the Accords, which were not designed for galactic considerations and were rapidly falling apart. He felt optimistic, and smiled beneath his mask.

"Is this a bad time to admit the programming for your new suit was code-named 'Growing Pains?'"

"Oh, my God, Mr. Stark," said Peter, throwing up his hands in disgust.

Mr. Stark laughed.

.

.

This is a distant cousin to another one-shot I wrote called 'Trust Falls,' where Peter worries about his place on the Avengers.

[wbwest]

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New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/07/14/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-71417/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 7/14/17

So, I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming. Unlike most of you, I didn’t love it. I really liked it, but didn’t love it. Part of the issue stems from the legacy of Spider-Man films. I kinda hate how every star has delivered a great performance as Spider-Man, yet the minute the roll is recast, fans with short memories start saying the last guy was “shit”. People love ragging on Tobey Maguire, especially after Spider-Man 3, but he was really good in those first two movies. There’s a Spider-Man for every generation, and he was the Spider-Man we needed in 2002. Sure, he wouldn’t work so well now, but to compare his movies to Homecoming is basically apples to oranges. I also kinda hate when people say “They finally got Spider-Man right!” Um, Tobey already got him right. Andrew Garfield, in his own way, got him right. And Holland is getting him right. For now. They’ve all brought something special and unique to the table, and I think it’s unfair to discount that because there’s some new, shiny thing to take your attention.

All that’s to say that I liked Homecoming, but it didn’t really offer anything new to me. I felt the same wide-eyed wonder seeing Holland do the ferry rescue as I did when Maguire did the same thing with the train in Spider-Man 2. Some might call that an homage, but it just felt…familiar.

What did I love? I loved Tony being there. I felt like there was just enough Tony Stark without the film becoming Iron Man 3.5. It’s always good to see Happy, and this movie did more with him than most of the Iron Man films ever did. I especially love movie Happy since comic Happy is no longer with us (sad trombone). I loved sexy, younger Aunt May, but I’ve loved Marisa Tomei ever since she filled out her college application wrong and ended up at that Black college. I loved the running joke of all the guys commenting on how hot she was. It’s a new concept for May, but it works. I loved the Miles Morales Easter egg (I won’t spoil it here if you didn’t catch it). I loved Not-Ganke (For those not in the know, Ganke is the name of Miles Morales Spider-Man’s best friend, who looks EXACTLY like actor Jacob Batalon), even if I don’t know why they insisted on calling him “Ned Leeds”. I loved that Damage Control was officially revealed. Keaton was great, even if he’s not an Adrian Toomes that I recognize. The Liz Allen swerve was cool, ’cause I really didn’t see that coming.

OK, now for the things I didn’t like. They introduced a good swath of Spidey’s rogue (Mac Gargan, Shocker), all at once as Vulture’s gang, only to be relegated to ancillary characters and henchmen. I know the MCU has a “Villain Problem” of wasting their villains, but this just takes the cake.

Now, this is gonna sound stupid, but I spent a good amount of time trying to reconcile the MCU timeline in my head. The movie starts immediately after Avengers, jumps 8 years to Captain America: Civil War, and then to the present day, which is shortly after the airport battle where Spidey debuted. Now, a big part of Act 3 is the fact that Vulture wants to steal a bunch of Avengers/Stark Tech on Moving Day – when everything was being moved from Avengers Tower to the upstate facility. Now, Tony’s rich, so it’s not like he can’t own multiple properties, but why is Moving Day happening NOW? I mean, the upstate facility debuted at the end of Age of Ultron, we saw it again in Ant-Man, and everyone seemed to be pretty moved in by Civil War. So, why the delay in moving everything up there? Does Homecoming maybe not take place when we think it does? Well, we know it’s post-Civil War because Cap’s hilariously referred to as a war criminal by gym teacher Hannibal Buress. If it were just a thrown away reference, I wouldn’t care, but the whole final action piece is based on this Moving Day concept. Anyway, I think it’s fair to say I probably wasn’t in the right headspace for this movie if that’s where my brain was going.

Oh, and the thing I hated most: that effing MJ reveal! First of all, it accomplished nothing. It was corny, and it was executed just as poorly as when The Dark Knight Rises did it. Secondly, at the end of the day, her name is MICHELLE, not MARY. You can call her “MJ”, but that does not make her Mary Jane. And to be honest, the movie would’ve been fine without her character. While she was funny, it seems like she was woven into the movie solely to make that hamfisted name reveal at the end.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll watch this movie a bunch more once it hits the premium channels, but I just didn’t fall in love with it as much as a lot of you did. I’m really sorry about that, too, ’cause I really wanted to love it. Something just didn’t work for me entirely, and I can’t put my finger on it exactly.

Things were heating up in the news world this week. Back when NBC announced they had hired Megyn Kelly from Fox News, Today co-anchor Tamron Hall abruptly quit, reportedly because her contract was about to expire. Industry insiders, however, believe it was because it was rumored that Kelly would be given the third hour of Today – where Hall was currently the co-anchor of Today’s Take. Well, that’s somewhat true, as this week it was revealed that Kelly’s show will premiere September 25th, and will feature a live studio audience, like a traditional talk show. It will, in fact, occupy the third hour of Today, sandwiched between the regular Today and the Kathie Lee & Hoda hour of Today. Not to be outdone, it was also announced that Tamron Hall is developing a daytime talk show with Weinstein Television. It’s also believed that, in several major markets, this talk show will go head to head with Kelly’s daytime show. Now the race is on to see which one of them earns the coveted “Fake News” label first!

In other television news, CBS announced an upcoming animated special called Michael Jackson’s Halloween, which sounds kinda sketchy. Apparently, it’s about two Millennials (there’s THAT buzzword), which is basically to say “two shits too young to appreciate the King of Pop’s music”. Anyway, they meet at a party, end up at a weird hotel, and crazy stuff happens – all capped off by a dance number by an animated Michael. If you ask me, he already contributed his greatest gift to the Halloween industry: “Thriller”! Unless this is just a one-hour animated version of “Thriller”, I don’t think the world needs this. Somebody tell his mama to stop letting his estate make crap like this.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

John Cho joins Fox’s The Exorcist next season. While some are all, “Yay, representation!”, I’m like “Why the F is Sulu doing television?!” Well, I guess since Kumar’s already doing television…

In a move that’s somewhat baffling to me, Lucy Liu will direct the season 2 premiere of Netflix’s Luke Cage

Speaking of Netflix, Bojack Horseman season 4 will premiere on September 8th.

Fresh of the Boat dad Randall Park has been cast as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo in Ant-Man & The Wasp

Netflix has also renewed the Castlevania animated series for a second season

Jeremy Renner essentially broke both arms while filming the movie Tag, though it’s not expected to affect production on Avengers: Infinity War.

Smallville‘s Lois Lane, Erica Durance, is taking over the role of Alura from Laura Benanti on Supergirl.

Despite flopping in North America, the Baywatch film is on track to make $100 million overseas

Showtime is planning a sequel to the hit lesbian series The L Word. If it were up to me, it’d be called The K Word, and it would be about non-binary gender Millennials as they make their way through NYC, but nobody pays me for these ideas, so…

After 27 years of voicing Kermit the Frog, it was revealed that Steve Whitmire was fired back in October, and it currently lobbying to get his job back. Apparently, it’s not east being Steve.

In probably the biggest TV news this week (at least for the geek set), it was announced that AT&T Lily herself, Milana Vayntrub, has been cast as Squirrel Girl in Marvel’s New Warriors on Freeform. I cared NOTHING about this show until that announcement. It still doesn’t really inspire any confidence for me, as I don’t know if the superhero comedy genre works on television (see Powerless), but I’m definitely more inclined to check it out than I had been prior to the announcement. I mean, who doesn’t love that chick?! I love her in the commercials, I loved her in Other Space, and I even loved her as a bitchy ex-girlfriend in Love. Here’s hoping this leads to the big break she deserves. It was a slow entertainment news week so, ya know what, Milana Vayntrub had the Breas…I mean West Week Ever.

[game-refraction]

Movie Review: Spider-man - Homecoming

I remember fondly the first theatrical Spider-Man movie. I must have seen it at least a dozen times on the big screen, having gone to it four times just on opening day alone; it was one of my favorite movies for years to come. Spider-Man 2 had come along and Alfred Molina’s brilliant portrayal of Otto Octavius was fantastic, and while Spider-Man 3 wasn’t terribly impressive, It did allow me to see ol’ webhead fight a few villains that visually looked fantastic. Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel did a lot of things right and despite my issues with Jamie Foxx as Electro, they were really enjoyable flicks, that again, allowed me to see things I always wanted in a Spider-Man movie.

My favorite era of Spider-Man, in the comics, is Ultimate Spider-Man. This was a separate universe that told modern retellings of classic Marvel characters. Even though the Ultimate universe is no longer around, bits and pieces of it currently still exist, namely, Miles Morales, another of the superheroes to use the Spider-Man name. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a combination of what Captain America: Civil War gave us for the Marvel films version of Spider-Man and that of not only the Peter Parker version of Ultimate Spider-Man (and no, I’m not talking about the recent cartoon) but that of Miles Morales as well, who coincidentally is getting his own animated movie at some point in the near future. In fact, there are several components of this movie that are directly lifted from the Miles Morales arc, but I’ll get into those later.

Spider-Man: Homecoming came about when Kevin Feige, the man in charge of the Marvel films, put together a deal with Sony to reboot the character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a deal where Marvel would produce the films and Sony would sit back and collect all the profits from them. While that deal may sound somewhat bizarre, remember that Marvel will still rake in hundreds of millions from any and all toys and merchandise surrounding the film, and be able to use Spider-Man in their other MCU films. It’s really a win-win situation for everyone involved. These deals are good for Marvel because frankly, have you seen many X-Men or Fantastic Four figures around? Nope.

Director John Watts, who is really only known for the 2015 Kevin Bacon movie, Cop Car, campaigned hard to direct the movie. Watts had been wanting to create a ‘coming of age’ movie for several years before hearing that Marvel had intended to go quite young for the Peter Parker role, casting 21-year-old Tom Holland, who would be playing a 15-year-old High School Sophomore. With Watts being a fan of filmmaker John Hughes, it felt like the perfect mix of what Marvel had intended to do and his desire to make that style of a film.

Despite the inexperience that Watts has when compared to several other filmmakers that were possibly up for the job, Kevin Feige, and the team behind creating this Spider-Man MCU reboot, saw his desire to create something that was exactly what Marvel and Sony had in mind, and something that felt faithful to the character of not only Spider-Man, but of Peter Parker as well. In short, Spider-Man: Homecoming was brilliantly crafted.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a coming of age story about Peter Parker, a 15-year-old kid that recently just fought alongside Iron Man and several members of the Avengers. He’s sent back to his normal boring life, well as normal as being a super powered teenager is anyway, and wondering when his next big Avengers-sized mission will be. While stopping various small crimes around his neighborhood, or at least attempting to, Peter is constantly is looking to prove himself, to show Tony Stark that he is ready for the big time, except he very clearly is not. It’s during one of these attempts to prove himself that he stumbles across something a bit more sinister than a simple bike theft; a string of crimes that will put him face to face with the Vulture.

Michael Keaton might be the best Marvel villain since Loki, as he brings such a depth to a character that is normally not known for it. The Vulture hasn’t really been a big villain for Spider-Man for years, if not decades. Adrian Toomes, the name behind the bird costume, is written as a man who will do anything he can for his family. Keaton’s performance outside the costume is just as intimidating as the Vulture is when swooping in, or lashing out with its large metallic wings at Spider-Man. This is a villain that is not looking to take over the city or the world, he just simply wants to make a living to take care of his family, even if he does go about it a bit extreme.

Tom Holland as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man is the real highpoint of the film. Holland brings a believability to the role as a young kid wanting to do the right thing but constantly screwing up. The majority of the movie is Peter getting in way over his head, and fighting for what he believes is right. Tom has great chemistry with everyone in the film, whether it’s his best friend Ned, his Aunt May, his fellow classmates, or even Tony Stark himself. The quips he has during the bank robbery scene are fun, and the way he enters that scene trying to be all cool and confident is really enjoyable and rather hilarious.

What differs from previous movie versions of the character, is that this Peter is very inexperienced and is still getting used to being Spider-Man. While the previous versions tried tapping into that, they still had him far more successful in his attempts than not, and Holland’s Spider-Man is constantly getting batted around and losing almost every single encounter. The film also does not have Spider-Man using his Spider-Sense, and while it’s not used throughout the film, it has been said that he will eventually come to rely on it, just not in the way we’ve seen before. The film is also a lot more grounded, and this is to be taken quite literal, as there isn’t one single city-based web swinging scene like in the previous films. Much of the action takes place in small neighborhoods, far away from sky-reaching buildings, so when Spider-Man needs to get around, he’s either hoofing it, jumping from house to house or riding on the backs of other vehicles.

As I mentioned above, there are several things lifted directly from the Miles Morales version of Ultimate Spider-Man. The Ned character is essentially Miles’ best friend Ganke, in both attitude and overall look. There is also a mention that Miles exists in the movie during a scene where Spider-Man is talking with another character, that while is part of the regular Spider-Man world, this version is based upon the Ultimate Comics version of the character. And while I didn’t catch it on my first viewing of the movie, the license plate of that character’s car is UCS-M01, which translates to Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Issue #1, which is the first appearance of Miles Morales. There are several other easter eggs in the movie to watch out for, and a few names that pop up during the film that while they may not necessarily mean anything right now, they could pave the way for certain characters to make an appearance in future films.

There also isn’t the Uncle Ben origin here, which is a good thing as we’ve already seen it on screen twice before, in fact, he isn’t even referenced by name here. I like the fact that he loses his clothes and backpack almost everytime he goes out to fight crime or investigate something that may be a bit suspicious. Having Aunt May say something like that he’s lost 5 backpacks already, really shows that Peter isn’t as good as this as he could be, and another character in the movie also points out that he really isn’t nailing certain parts of being Spider-Man as well. I also like the fact of seeing Peter having to miss out on much of his social game due to being Spider-Man, and this means letting down those that he cares about, for the greater good.

John Watts does a great job at framing the action and while the movie plays very much like if John Hughes had made the movie, there still is some strong action moments throughout the film. The Ferry scene alone has some really fast paced web swinging and acrobatics on the part of Spider-Man and really showcases the filmmaker’s ability to show that he really understands the fast paced nature of the character. Long time readers of the comics know of the test of strength moment from Amazing Spider-Man #33 in 1966, where Spider-Man must free himself from being trapped under tons of metal and rock debris, a collective weight that seemed beyond his capacity to lift. The movie does a great job at not only how this scene is played out, but the fact that Peter is really out of his element with how inexperienced he really is.

The suit itself is really nice and while I wish the black lines were a bit more pronounced, it’s my favorite of the Spider-Man movie costumes so far, even if it has a few changes made to it visually. I like the web cartridge slots on his hips as it looks really impressive when he pops them in and out of the web shooters, which are more like bracelets than anything built into the suit. The suit also has a voice of its own, much like Jarvis for Iron Man, Spider-Man has Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, who is actually married to real life Jarvis, and Vision, Paul Bettany. The suit has some nice tricks, and provides much of the humor in the movie, with moments where Peter is trying to understand exactly what this suit can do. The eyes are what really set this costume apart as they move and squint with retractable lenses when the expression calls for it and this is directly lifted from the comics, at least visually.

I’ll also mention a part of the movie that many people thought was going to be an issue; Tony Stark. Many assumed that there was going to be too much of him and that he might take away from the movie. He doesn’t, in fact, he only has a small handful of moments in the film and he is here mostly as a guide and mentor for Peter and not the co-star than many assumed he would be. There were several jokes about how this was Iron Man: Homecoming, featuring Spider-Man, and that is easily not the case here.

When the supporting cast was first shown, many of the characters they were playing, who exist in the comics, were of a different race, and this lead to much-unwarranted hostility towards the cast. Tony Revolori, who plays Flash Thompson, actually received death threats. There was also wild speculation regarding Zendaya, a character simply named Michele. And while I won’t spoil if those concerns were warranted, don’t take what happens at face value as the truth behind her role has already been talked about in length by Marvel Film’s Kevin Feige.

I could see some people having issues with how much of the film is via Peter Parker and not Spider-Man, but the fact of the matter is that both of these persona’s need to exist as it is very much what Spider-Man has always been, a delicate balance of being Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Holland excels in the role and his eagerness to impress Stark is through a very believable energy that can be rather contagious. The movie is playful, energetic, and can be a bit dark when it needs to be. Spider-Man: Homecoming really nails all the fun elements of various Spider-Man iterations throughout the character’s rich history, and the fact they chose to adapt so much from Ultimate Spider-Man is just, to me, the icing on the cake.

Tom Holland is the Superior Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Homecoming was seen in ULTRA AVX 3D, where the 3D effects were ok, but not drastically impressive.

Movie Review: Spider-man – Homecoming was originally published on Game-Refraction

[njawaidofficial]

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Is a Relief From the Marvel Universe's Movie Baggage

http://styleveryday.com/2017/07/11/spider-man-homecoming-is-a-relief-from-the-marvel-universes-movie-baggage/

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Is a Relief From the Marvel Universe's Movie Baggage

Tom Holland’s first solo outing succeeds by not getting bogged down 10 year’s worth of drama.

Marvel Studios has been building their cinematic universe framework for many years now and it’s expected to hit a fever pitch when Avengers: Infinity War hits in 2018. What officially started in 2008 with a mechanical man has grown to include gods, space adventures, and magic, as well as more down-to-Earth (literally and figuratively) television tales. As much as I love canon and long-form storytelling, Spider-Man: Homecoming made it feel like I was playing hooky from school. And I loved it.

Most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films have (even if it’s only their mid or after credit scenes) pushed forward the larger story of superheroes existing in the fictional world Marvel created, which is not unlike our own. In comics, and in other mediums, I appreciate “canon” stories. World building can be very exciting, not to mention lucrative. It’s why Universal is attempting a Dark Universe filled with monsters. But a well told, one-off tale can be just as enjoyable. Homecoming sort of falls in the middle and reaps the benefits of both worlds.

We pick up post-The Avengers (2012) as Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes is working with his crew on cleaning up the massive wreckage in New York City. Through the film we see the decommissioning of Stark’s Avengers tower and move to their post-Age of Ultron facility as well as an alternate view of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker cameo in Captain America: Civil War. And of course, just like every other iteration, there’s tons of Easter Eggs not just for the MCU, but Marvel Comics. Marvel has an official timeline so they don’t get confused about what’s happening when but the timeframe of Homecoming has made many of us scratch our heads by stating it picks up eight years after Avengers. It’s not a make or break issue for me in the grand scheme of things, but it did make me think back to all that’s happened in the MCU so far and what’s still to come. It’s a giant story.

I’ve never been a big Spider-Man lover, but one thing that always stuck out to me was the character’s fun-loving nature, despite the usual superhero struggles. Homecoming captured that fun and it made me feel like a kid again. I attached myself to superhero stories at a young age so when a film can bring me back to that time and those specific feelings, it gets bonus points in my book. This isn’t to say I didn’t have fun watching The Avengers, Guardians, or Thor but, when I watched those, I was viewing adults as an adult. Homecoming has an obvious youthful energy to it, and that’s credit to the screenwriters of course but also due to the film being populated by a much younger cast than Marvel is used to for its epics. Holland, Laura Harrier, Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, and Tony Revolori all hit the right notes as high schoolers, even though the roles are filled with actors in their 20s (Harrier is their “senior” at 27). From the Academic Decathlon to the homecoming dance and being underestimated by adults, Spider-Man: Homecoming created its own well developed mini-universe around Peter Parker’s “nerd school” and made me feel like I was part of it, even though I’m far removed in my age bracket.

The film has been compared to John Hughes’ classic works many times over (it even has some great 80s songs on the soundtrack) and has two actors who came up in the 80s, Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei, as stand-in dad Tony Stark and mother figure Aunt May. Having that authority figure or mentor voice is another reason this film feels so different from other MCU films. Tony had Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) in a similar role in Iron Man but with a different dynamic. And yes, there’s been a lot of talk over “young” Aunt May. Age, as they say, is but a number and truly subjective. (Calvin Stowell pointed out on Twitter Tomei is a year older than Rue McClanahan was when Golden Girls began.) There’s obviously a larger issue of age and gender in Hollywood I won’t get into here, but this latest incarnation of Aunt May comes off very heartfelt and genuine. She’s someone we’d all want in our lives and someone most of the Avengers don’t have. They have complicated, adult relationships, something Peter hasn’t really had to deal with yet.

Homecoming left me feeling energized in an otherwise adult-skewing superhero film world and for that I’m thankful. I loved Deadpool and Logan, but sometimes it’s nice to watch something that’s truly for everyone. The Guardians of the Galaxy films feel the furthest away from the MCU continuity at this point and another “fun” spot in the MCU to be sure, but things will evolve once Infinity War rolls around. After almost ten years, the franchise is understandably bogged down in drama. Interesting drama, sure, but it’s heavy too and while some of the films are more easily digestible for kids, they’ve gone to some pretty dark places. And as an adult living in our current political landscape, I would actually prefer for everything to not be so serious all the time. I need an escape from that. As much as I’ve grown to love the characters over the years, I’ll admit to having grown a bit weary over Tony and Steve arguing about what’s right every five minutes. And sure, Spidey will have baggage of his own if Marvel continues their deal with Sony (we technically don’t know what happened to Uncle Ben, we haven’t explored all of Peter’s powers, MJ was only barely introduced) but for now I’m content with this vivacious interlude.

Jill Pantozzi is a pop culture writer, critic and host focused on geek-friendly topics.

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#Baggage #Homecoming #Marvel #Movie #Relief #SpiderMan #Universes

[ethanalter]

Your Complete Guide to the 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Easter Eggs

Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming (Photo: Sony/Marvel Studios)

Beware: This story contains several Spider-Man: Homecoming plot points. Stop reading if you want to avoid spoilers.

You don’t need to be a Spider-Man expert to enjoy the web-slinger’s latest adventure, Spider-Man: Homecoming… but it helps. The first entry in the latest reboot of the 15-year-old franchise is also the first one that’s been made under the direct creative control of Marvel, and the studio has made sure to mine their signature character’s extensive comic book history in the form of fan-friendly Easter eggs. Here’s an explainer on the many shout-outs, callbacks and in-jokes hidden in plain sight throughout Homecoming.

Michael Keaton in Spider-Man: Homecoming (Credit: Sony/Marvel Studios)

What’s Your Damage? Homecoming wastes little time establishing that this new chapter for Spider-Man is part of the ongoing graphic novel known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film opens directly in the wake of the Battle of New York that closed out the all-star 2012 team-up, The Avengers, with staunchly blue-collar salvage company owner Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) clearing away the destruction with his trusty team. That is, until a more corporate clean-up crew arrives and kicks them off the job, pink-slipping Toomes with a grievance that sets him on the road to becoming the Vulture. This group is a joint U.S. government/Stark Industries task force called the U.S. Department of Damage Control, a mainstay in Marvel’s comic book universe since the late ’80s. They’ve even scored several of their own miniseries, the first of which featured none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man on the cover of issue No. 1.

Damage Control No. 1 (Photo: Marvel)

In Homecoming, Tyne Daly plays Damage Control’s head honcho, Anne Marie Hoag, a woman whose considerable forthrightness masks a mysterious past. She’s the brainchild of Dwayne McDuffie, the celebrated comic book writer and editor who passed away in 2011. In one memorable Damage Control storyline, Hoag had to turn to Nick Fury to help her company avoid financial ruin. (Someone better tell Samuel L. Jackson to warm up his eye patch again for the next Spider-Man outing.)

Tyne Daly plays Anne Marie Hoag in Spider-Man: Homecoming (Photo: Walter McBride/Getty Images)

Interesting side note: the main events of Homecoming are indicated as taking place eight years after the Battle of New York, which may lead you to assume that the citizens of the MCU are living in the distant future of 2020 even as we’re still languishing in 2017. Not so, says Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige. “Very rarely do we ever put specific dates on our movies,” he tells Yahoo Movies. “Nowhere in The Avengers will you see it say, ‘2012.’ It more or less corresponds to the not-too-distant future. We try to keep it slightly vague as to the specific date of any single event.”

Spider-Man: Homecoming cast from left: Angourie Rice, Tony Revolori, Laura Harrier, Jacob Batalon, Zendaya, Holland (Photo: Sony)

All the Real Girls Gwen Stacy may be MIA (for now, at least), but Homecoming otherwise makes room for three of Peter Parker’s past and future flames. Laura Harrier plays Liz Allan, the popular girl that nerdy “bookworm” Parker (played here by Tom Holland) crushed hard on in the early issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. Unlike her onscreen counterpart, comic book Liz is going steady with Flash Thompson and almost certainly wouldn’t accept Peter’s invitation to the school dance. Still, her animosity towards him thaws later on, and they graduate high school on good terms. Eventually, she marries Harry Osborn and gets sucked into his Green Goblin drama.

The comic book version of Liz Allen (Photo: Marvel)

With his mind consumed by thoughts of Liz, Peter doesn’t notice the other romantic possibilities in his midst, starting with Michelle Jones (Zendaya) or “M.J.” to her friends. Those initials, of course, correspond to the (second) greatest love of Peter’s life, Mary Jane Watson. Co-screenwriter John Francis Daley confirms to Yahoo Movies that he intended Michelle to “be a reinvention” of Mary Jane. “It’s not up to us, but that’s certainly how we planted the seeds in this movie. Just to make her wholly different.” Different indeed; to put it in Breakfast Club terms, Michelle is Ally Sheedy while Mary Jane is Molly Ringwald.

The comic book version of M.J. (Photo: Marvel)

Finally, who should be anchoring the student news network at Peter’s Queens high school than newshound Betty Brant? Played by the breakout young star of The Nice Guys, Angourie Rice, Betty is the future secretary of cigar-chomping Daily Bugle editor in chief — and No. 1 Spider-Man hater — J. Jonah Jameson. (Elizabeth Banks previously played Betty in Sam Raimi’s original Spidey trilogy.) She and Peter don’t share any scenes in Homecoming, but do have a brief dalliance in the comics, which Betty breaks off when she feels that he’s acting too swoony over Liz. With Parker in her rearview, she proceeds to hook up with someone her ex knows pretty well — a guy named Ned.

The comic book version of Betty Brant (Photo: Marvel)

Is There a Goblin in the House? Even lonely bookworms need friends. And fortunately, the Homecoming version of Peter Parker has a good buddy in the form of Jacob Batalon’s Ned, an amiable guy who relishes, rather than regrets, his role as the funny sidekick. His continued happiness with his role in this duo, however, may hinge on one seemingly tiny thing: his last name. See, in the comics, the main Ned in Peter’s life is Ned Leeds, a Daily Bugle reporter who vies with Parker for Betty Brant’s affections. Leeds ultimately emerges the victor in that particular battle, and even walks down the aisle with Betty.

Ned Leeds as the Hobgoblin (Photo: Marvel)

But he comes out on the losing end when he tails Roderick Kingsley, a.k.a. the Hobgoblin, in the hopes of breaking a big story, and instead winds up brainwashed and framed as the supervillain. Leeds is later killed off in Germany — the same country where the MCU’s Spider-Man made his in-costume debut in Captain America: Civil War as part of Team Iron Man. Memo to Batalon’s Ned: if your buddy ever has to go back to Germany for a rematch of that fight… stay home!

Jennifer Connelly voices K.A.R.E.N. in Spider-Man: Homecoming (Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

K.A.R.E.N. and J.A.R.V.I.S. Sitting in a Tree As part of his initiation into Team Iron Man, Tony Stark designed a spiffy superhero suit for Peter to replace his distinctly amateur hour ensemble. As a Homecoming present, Tony updates those duds with another new Spidey costume, this one equipped with the same kind of A.I. that Stark depends on for aid and good conversation when flying around the globe. In Iron Man’s earlier, happier days, that A.I. went by the name of J.A.R.V.I.S. and spoke with lilt of British actor Paul Bettany, who entered the MCU in corporeal form in The Avengers: Age of Ultron as the Vision. Spider-Man dubs the female voice in his eye as K.A.R.E.N., and her dialogue is spoken by Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, Bettany’s real-life wife. That’s one way to keep it all in the family.

Donald Glover plays Aaron Davis in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (Photo: Monica Schipper/WireImage)

Donald Glover is on the Prowl The Atlanta star’s presence in Homecoming provides three Easter eggs in one. For starters, Glover famously ignited a Twitter flame war in 2010 when he let it be publicly known that he wanted to sling webs in the planned franchise reboot. (Sony wound up going with Andrew Garfield instead, a choice that maybe we all regret a little; however, Glover wound up voicing an animated version.) Homecoming doesn’t hand him the Spidey suit, either, instead casting Glover as Aaron Davis, an ordinary New Yorker who is seeking to buy some of the Vulture’s high-tech toys. He flees when Spider-Man catches him in the act, only to come face-to-face with the wall-crawler later when the hero is trying to play detective and track down Toomes’s gang.

Aaron Davis with his nephew Miles Morales a.k.a. Spider-Man (Image: Marvel)

In that later encounter, Davis seems a lot less like a potential troublemaker and a lot more like a concerned citizen who wants to do something about the rising level of violence in his city. He makes a point of mentioning that he’s particularly concerned about his nephew — a kid that Marvel zombies know to be Miles Morales, who shares Spider-Man duties with Peter Parker in the comic book universe. Fans have been clamoring for Miles to make his live-action debut for years now, and Glover’s appearance, plus that line of dialogue, paves the way for that to happen.

Davis in his Prowler costume (Photo: Marvel)

But that’s not all! Aaron Davis is also one of the alter egos of The Prowler, a gadget-powered criminal who, with Spider-Man’s urging, redirects his energies towards a more positive kind of vigilantism. (It’s worth noting that Davis’s version of the Prowler appeared in the now-defunct Ultimate line of comics, where he didn’t undergo that change of heart.) So it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Glover may yet put on a costume in the MCU, which would please Homecoming helmer Jon Watts to no end. “One of the first things I said was, ‘I don’t know who he’s gonna play, but Donald Glover has to be in this movie,'” the director tells Yahoo Movies. “I’ve known Donald for a long time, so the idea that there could potentially be that kind of connection and that he has somewhere where he could go as a character is something that he thought was cool.”

Amazing Spider-Man No. 33 (Photo: Marvel)

An Amazing Spidey Pull Towards the end of Homecoming comes a scene that, for Feige, has been 17 years in the making. In it, Peter is trapped underneath a mountain of rubble in the Vulture’s since-abandoned warehouse hideout as water is rushing in. Even with his enhanced strength, he’s not able to free himself of its crushing mass. Digging deep into his energy reserves, he slowly, but surely gets to his feet, like Atlas shrugging the weight of the world off his back. It’s a sequence that comes directly out of the comic book — specifically The Amazing Spider-Man No. 33, originally published in 1966. “I’ve wanted to do [that scene] since the first time I ever set foot in the Marvel offices,” Feige says. “As we were developing the movie, I called our writers, our filmmaker and our fellow Marvel producers, and said, “This story is about a kid who becomes a man. It’s about a hero who becomes a superhero, and we’re going to do it exactly the way Steve Ditko did.”

Amazing Spider-Man No. 33 panel (Photo: Marvel)

It’s one thing to give the order to recreate that famous scene; it’s quite another to be the one tasked with bringing it to life. According to Watts, shooting the tribute to ASM No. 33 was no picnic, particularly for the movie’s star. “It was absolutely the worst day Tom had,” he reveals, pointing out that Holland was underneath a hydraulic pile of junk with actual water pouring on him. “It’s scary when you’re trapped like that, and he’s wearing that cloth mask. When that gets wet, he’s essentially being waterboarded. He has to hold his breath to pull the scene off, which was really intense and horrible for him. Hopefully it makes for an intense moment in the movie!” It’s also a moment where the characteristically chatty Peter is largely silent, which is a departure from the source material where the hero narrates his struggle. “Tom was so amazing, we just played [the moment] on his face, and he sells it,” Feige says.

Mark Bagley (Photo: Wikipedia)

Artist Alley He may not receive the Steve Ditko panel-by-panel recreation treatment, but popular Marvel artist, Mark Bagley — who has sketched Spider-Man in such series as The Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man — does cameo, after a fashion, in Homecoming. His last name can be glimpsed as part of the rooftop graffiti adorns the buildings around Peter’s home base in Queens. And speaking of cameos hidden in artwork, Tony Stark’s father, Howard, is part of a mural that can be glimpsed at Peter’s high school.

Watch: ‘Spider-Man Homecoming’ Cast Offers Dramatic Reading of Classic Cartoon Theme:

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Here’s How Spider-Man: Homecoming Fits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe