#potential comic to this song incoming

[atoadinahole]

Franco Barbi ass song…

[marinerainbow]

Ok, listen. I know that there is so much potential for angst in the royal koopa family, and I love what people have done with them! Bowser favoring his only blood son and spurring resentment within the Koopalings. Ludwig and Junior having a rivalry- especially in regards to the throne. All the kids feel neglected because of their dad's emotional blockage and him focusing on taking over the world instead of family, etc. I truly love what people can do with all this royal drama and angst potential!! I want to write novelizations of some of your guys' adaptations of the koopalings + Junior and Bowser!!!

(Long post that's a positive rant incoming/my headcannons of the Koopa Royal Family incoming)

... but after watching the Mario movie, seeing the old Nintendo Power comics, and getting back into Mario, I caN'T HEADCANNON BOWSER BEING A BAD DAD OR THE KOOPA KIDS BEING MISERABLE WITH HIM! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THE SAME GUY WHO ANNOUNCED TO HIS WHOLE KOOPA ARMY THAT HE WAS GOING TO PROPOSE TO PEACH, THE SAME GUY WHO WROTE A WHOLE ASS LOVE SONG FOR THE PRINCESS, THE SAME GUY WHO PLAYED GOLF WITH MARIO, WOULDN'T SET HIS WHOLE KINGDOM ON FIRE FOR ALL OF HIS BABIES!?!?

Don't get me wrong, he definitely has anger issues, and I believe in MatPats Bowser's backstory theory. I'm certain there have been plenty of instances he messed up as a dad. And having a bunch of kids, sometimes some of them slip his attention- at least the first year or so when he first had them and was learning how to Dad. But I'm telling ya'll, if my Bowser ever heard any one of his kids, from his eldest Ludwig or his only darling daughter Wendy or his baby son Junior, were feeling any sort of bad, he'd be like "Oh Hell no!" And take that child out one-on-one and give them lots of love, lots of assurance, and set fire to any fool who tried to tell him that they aren't really his kid.

One time, Bowser got so mad and roared within Lemmy's presence and made the baby boy cry. To this day, after he's long made up for it, Bowser still feels so guilty and heartbroken that he did that and has vowed himself to never let himself get that angry around his kids again... Unless when it came to Mario because they know in that instance, his fury isn't directed at them.

THIS IS THE SAME GUY WHO, EVEN THOUGH BOWSER JUNIOR DISOBEYED THE SCREEN TIME ALERT IN THAT NINTENDO SWITCH PARENTAL CONTROLS VIDEO, HE HESITATED TO SHUT OFF THE CONSOLE BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT HIS SON DEVASTATED!!! And- And we see in Bowsers head, he imagined Junior to be sad and heartbroken! Junior is still a baby, and he's a little spoiled, so more than likely, he would have thrown a tantrum if Bowser had switched the console off. But BOWSER DIDN'T HESITATE NOT BECAUSE OF THE HEADACHE A TANTRUM WOULD CAUSE, BUT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO BREAK HIS SONS HEART! I CAN'T EVEN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'll take it this far; you guys wanna know what my headcannon on who is Bowsers' successor? Well, in my headcannon, when he adopted the koopalings and had Junior, he knew it was going to be an issue. And he loved ALL of his kids so much, he didn't want to have to choose between any of them! The rest would hate him and the chosen one! All of his babies would start fighting! So what is a koopa king to do? 🤔🤔🤔 well, as we see in Super Mario Wii and in Super Mario Bros 3, he lets his kids run the world's he takes over! They all have their individual world/kingdom to rule!!! He makes sure that A L L of his kids get to be kings and a queen! Until Mario ruins it all saves the day. If Bowser had his way, the whole world would really be family run instead of just Bowser run.

Again, I must emphasize how much I absolutely ADORE everyone else's depictions of the royal koopa family. One of my favorites is Tyrranux's dark Mario AU that I found on Deviantart years ago, and one of my favorite blogs for the koopalings asktehkoopz shows a much-more-wholesome-but-still-angsty depiction of the family. This post is not AT ALL intended to bring you guys down! This post is to show you guys how weak I am compared to you. I love angst and dark themes, but... I CAN'T do it with the koopa family! They are wholesome and loving while attempting to take over the world in my headcannon 🥺🥺🥺🥺

So, tldr; in my headcannon, outside of invading kingdoms and kidnapping princesses every other week, Bowser is a loving, emotional, a bit goofy, not so great at disciplining his kids unless it's really bad like when Bowser Jr. Turned him into a monster in Bowsers Fury, dad who would blow up his whole kingdom if any of his kids got hurt.

[koorinokujira]

Transformers thoughts that wouldn't leave me alone - Forgotten melodies of eld

I have a bit of a tendency to overthink my favorite media and make strange associations with other things, and Transformers is no different right now. Those robots are spinning in my head like leftover pasta in a microwave. Anyhow, last night I was thinking about Cybertronian music.

(Ramble incoming! Also I might get stuff wrong, I am still fairly new in the fandom, after all. So please, forgive my potential ignorance.)

Now, there usually isn't that much lore on it from what I've seen, which absolutely sucks and I need more. What I've also noticed is that there often seems to be more of a focus on the musical instruments (which I also definitely need more lore on), rather than vocals. And hoo boy do I have thoughts about that specificallly.

Cybertronians have voice boxes, right? And considering their mechanical anatomy, it's pretty safe to say that they can hold on for way longer than our vocal cords. After all, it's not like a computer or its speakers start breaking down after a few hours of music being played continuously. Of course, such a voice box would be more complex, and there are definitely some more unique ways for it to break or damage, but... I generally like to think they are pretty durable when they are used for speech or song. Which brings me to the concept which I decided to call "mechanical elves", or something to that effect.

Now, what does that even mean? It's simple; I was inspired by the portrayal of elven music in various fantasy media, like J. R. R. Tolkien's works. Songs that reach the deepest parts of your soul in an ancient, ellegant language, voices that sing heartwrenching ballads for hours on end about tragedies that happened millennia ago. And I thought... wouldn't that work for Cybertron? Or at least, Cybertron in its beginnings?

You have a race of giant, mechanical beings, many of which have lived for millions of years. And they do love their music, even if we often have no idea what it's like and get only snippets from their culture. You have people like Blaster, who is literally nicknamed "The Voice" in the IDW1 comics and uses his voice to inspire his fellow Autobots, among other things. Just their voice boxes alone have so much potential, and that just makes me feel stuff, honestly.

Why wouldn't they sing for incredible amounts of time without stopping, at least when the times weren't so complicated just yet?

Did the first Cybertronian who ever hummed a melody feel so much joy that he simply kept going and couldn't stop, before excitedly teaching others? When a friendship started to feel more than it already was, did the night start with a passionate serenade sung by a singular voice, which, as the hours went by, turned into a duet full of affectionate words to one another? When a Cybertronian died for the first time, did his brothers sing for his memory, and to survive the sorrow as they had no tears to weep?

Mechanical voices crying out in raw emotion to let the world know they're there, only for others to answer. Languages and dialects no longer spoken, beautifully haunting melodies long forgotten. And as the time went on, the world started to get more and more quiet, before the old compositions finally gave way to the new ones. Perhaps the Titans who yet live still remember a few notes or words once sung.

All that's left of the beginnings now is a requiem doubling as an ode to hope.

Its words?

"'Til all are one."

[nooneparticular17]

AYOO they extended the days they'll be playing venom for so at last I'm going to see the pookies on the big screen !!

oh

well now I know why it's called the last dance

=> rant incoming <=

i mean I didn't have high expectations but damn I was not happy with that ending. he died, it was sad, I was close to tears. Eddie survives ok they could have had them like die together but ok. but then instead of wrapping up all the grief and loss and how his life just got turned upside down again . theyre just all like and the memories bring back memories bring back you (first of all a song I pesonally find quite annoying and overdone) ?!? its been like a day ??? Eddie only just realised his best friend is gone and then they let him be sad for 5 seconds before they immediately throw him into the sentimental "oh what good times we had - I'll never forget you" crap. I mean- come on now- let the man grieve - let US grieve. oh and then that fucking insetive-ass outro music what the hell.

generally I didn't like the premise. it felt very forced, introducing this whole new all important key that venom has suddenly (pls let me know if the villain and/or key thing is introduced in any other marvel movies and/or comics, I've only ever seen the movies) but even if they introduced these plot points somewhere else, in this movie it felt very sudden and against everything we've known about venom and the symbiotes so far. I thought venom was the looser in his home planet . I thought he was outcast and hated and bullied. if that is true, why is he now suddenly have the most important key that decides if all life forms of this universe live or die??? when did he become that important??

anyway I'm not here to just hate on the movie. I saw so much potential in it too - so many threads that could have lead to something more. something more thoughtful , more existential. and I know that not wy the general audience is there . people like they're cool monsters fighting each other I get it. but it was just sad seeing these scenes that could have a mounted to something, just left discarded or rushed to be done with. For example: Eddie struggling with uncertainty about his situation, his actions, the future ,longing for normality, but at the same time not wanting to let go of venom and knowing he won't ever be able to return to a 'normal life' (even though the end of the movies tries to convince you that everything's great this was all good and everything's back o normal now he can lead a normal life yayyy) the sprinkle in these deeper more thought provoking scenes but then discard them. it's sad to see.

if you enjoyed the movie, good! I wish I would have too. I laughed at the jokes and some scenes actually made me emotial. the death scene was kinda brutal ngl. (once again imagine you see your best friend die like that, sacrifice themselves like that, and then you wake up from nearly dying and some military dude just confirms he's dead and will never come back and to just 'go live your life now' I would have a complete breakdown ) I liked it. they just messed up a lot of parts and overall as a movie I think it wasn't very good. it was a marvel threequal if I've ever seen one to say the least.

it could have been so much more. rip

so uhh thanks for coming to my ted talk ig

PS just let eddie have his shoes please why was this an ongoing thing poor dude just wanted shoes to wear 🙏

[madaboutmunson]

Ok because the other two little fics were so well liked my brain could stop thinking about it.

So we've got how the song in question was written, the song when Corroded Coffin make it big, so consider this one the last time that song is ever played live by Corroded Coffin.

It starts with a little shocker so I've hidden the story under a read more so people don't accidently read it, in case it upsets anyone, but trust me when I say it's not all doom and gloom 😉 I got you 💚

The day the news of music legend Eddie Munson passing breaks, it plunged the world into deep, dark despair. A shocking departure that stopped newsreaders in their tracks to announce it.

The bombshell news was plastered everywhere for weeks, billboards, posters, newspapers, magazines, murals, tv show opening monologues, and this thing slowly emerging, the internet, had its forums full of theories as to what had happened, as no announcement had come from the Corroded Coffin camp as yet.

There was no sign of illness or injury. No accident or crime details. He seemed to have just...died.

The outpourings of condolences from countless heavy metal icons, hundreds of celebrities, some of which you would never have even guessed, liked Corroded Coffin, millions of fans worldwide held candle-lit vigils and sang their songs sombrely acapella in meeting places all around the world.

A week later, the band finally released a written statement.

"It was during the hellish times of high school that Eddie found us, protected us, guided us and forged this band of brothers that would go on to conquer not just our fears but the entire world. Impossible dreams came true countless times over, but now we sit in a waking nightmare at the loss of our leader, so now our time must come to an end.

A band is a sum of its parts, and with any one of us gone, this is simply not Corroded Coffin anymore. So it is with the deepest sadness but no regrets we have to say goodnight to you one last time.

Thank you for sticking by us all these years.

Remember to look out for one another.

HFC 4 Eva

The Remains of Corroded Coffin"

With the statement is an announcement that there will be a tribute show organised by Corroded Coffin, but they declined to play all but one song, which a special guest on guitar.

A month later, the tribute show goes ahead, but no stadium can hold it due to demand, mainly because the band had to fulfil Eddie's final wishes.

One of which was causing the most problems, Eddie wanted every member of the Corroded Coffin fan club to get the first refusal on a space at the tribute show. So no matter where in the world they were from, they were invited and their travel expenses paid, or something set up so they could join the live feed.

Eddie had jokingly set up the fan club at a merch table in the early days. It got you a Corroded Coffin badge, a hand-painted d20, a poster, access to a monthly newsletter/comic and a hand-drawn membership card signed on the back by the band, all for the price of five dollars. As the band grew, the fan club pack stayed the same, except the merch was better quality, it had to be mass-produced, and the price was lowered to one dollar.

The band also often had membership cards on their person or gave them out for free to fans that wanted them through their music charity for kids living in low-income areas.

So as you can imagine, there were thousands of potential attendees, but if you didn't have the card, you weren't getting in, no matter how much money you had or how famous you were.

The crowd is a sea of Corroded Coffin fans of all ages and all walks of life.

The first people out on stage are Corroded Coffin.

All of them.

The three band members wheel out an enormous coffin encased in rusted metal sheets with haphazardly driven rivets to keep it together, standing up tall, onto a platform at the back of the stage. They do this in absolute silence. The crowd is so hushed that on the recording, you can hear the ting of someone dropping a can.

Then the chants start, "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" Hauntingly fierce like an army ready for battle, they know they can't win.

It spreads across the ocean of fans like a ripple of deafening voices.

Then the concert begins. Not only is the lineup littered with some of the most famous musical artists in the world, but also many of Eddie's favourite bands, and to introduce each of them is a celebrity pairing.

Nancy Wheeler and Robin Buckley. Prize-winning journalist and film director, respectively.

Tech Whiz Kids Dustin Henderson and Erica Sinclair.

Internet entrepreneur duo Jargyle.

Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers. Heads of a missing children's charity.

Award-winning scientists Mike and Will Byler.

Novelist Lucas Sinclair and Skateboarding legend Mad Max.

Then lastly, a fan favourite, Eddie's Uncle Wayne. He had made a cameo appearance in every video they had ever made, was on every concert video and was always thanked in the album notes.

"It is my greatest honour that the boys chose me to introduce the last performance of the evening. I know this song was his favourite, and many of yours also. So without further ado...Sadly, for the final time, Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Corroded Coffin," he shouts finally over the crowd's roar as flames shoot out of the sides of the coffin on stage, and the three remaining members walk out.

They say nothing and launch into the heaviest song Corroded Coffin ever wrote.

A lead guitar joins in but with no guitarist to be seen.

As the song draws to a close, a man walks out in a denim battle vest a little too snug for him, his hair voluminous but dishevelled. He's holding the prop guitar.

He swings it around, smashing it into the floor behind him, and with an almighty swing back in front of him, the guitar must know this is its last show because the body splits in two. The man rips the neck of the guitar out of the body and holds it above his head. The fake blood spills out of his mouth, and the tears flood down his face as he punches the air in time with the Eddie chants before he blows a kiss at the crowd and then one at the coffin.

There is a curtain call for all involved as pyros and flames fill the air around the stage until the last fan leaves the area. Then the curtain finally drops.

Everyone heads backstage or to the trailers behind it for food and drinks. 

All except one person. Steve Harrington.

He looks around to ensure the coast is clear, approaches the giant coffin structure, and puts his hand on it, still warm from the flames.

"I never did find the right time to tell you this, and it looks like I'm too late." The tears prick his eyes again, and the first one that escapes down his cheek causes the rest to follow in droves. 

His sobs are so loud he covers his mouth to quiet them for fear of anyone overhearing, "I love you, Eddie. I just didn't know how to say it, I-I d-didn't know if you felt the same, so I'd act like I didn't care and hoped you'd make the first move, but you didn't. And then you got famous, and were gone. I saw you a handful of times, and every time I wanted to tell you, something got in the way, or I chickened out, you know, because...well, because maybe you'd reject me and hate me or worse, you'd want what I did, and the press would eat you for breakfast. It would have ruined everything you built, and I couldn't handle that." 

He runs his hands through his hair, bows his head, and presses his forehead against the warm sheet metal. "I couldn't take that chance because I loved you so much, so very very much, Eddie." He plants a kiss on his fingertips and presses it against the name plaque on the coffin. He lets out a final guttural sob. "See you on the other side, Munson", he manages finally and walks away.

He takes a last look back over his shoulder as he wipes the tears from his eyes, and Steve swears he sees the thing move.

He shakes his head and takes a few more steps, he can hear Eddie cursing under his breath in his mind, and it makes him smile.

But then Steve freezes to the spot because there is a loud clang behind him. He doesn't want to turn around and fix Eddie's coffin, but who else is going to do it, right?

"Well, that was suffocating!" Eddies voice rings in Steve's head.

Steve steels himself and prepares to see the worst as he turns back towards the coffin, only to find the front of it completely off its hinges, and standing draped in his guitar, with crumbs in his hair and hat with two beer cans in with straws, is one, very alive Eddie Munson.

Steve cannot move. He mutters, "Oh god, I've finally lost it."

Eddie looks at Steve with a perplexed look on his face, "Ah, yeah, you have" he puts his hands on his hips, "Keeping a secret like that from me for like a decade. First of all, how fucking dare you wait until I end everything to tell me, and secondly, get over here, you big stud, and give me some well overdue sugar."

"What...the...fuck..." Steve fearfully whispers to himself, "I'm actually insane."

"Eddie!!" Dustin's excited voice rings out behind Steve as he charges forward, embracing him.

"Hey, watch my guitar, you little shrimp!" Eddie giggles and Ruffles Dustin's hair.

"Wait a second now," Steve says, finger pointed out in front of him, slowly stepping forward, "You can see him?"

Now it's Dustin's turn to look confused at Steve. He scoffs out a laugh, "Well, of course, I can! Are you feeling ok, Steve?"

"But...but...but he died...again...is he like... immortal, or something. Like a-a vamp.. vampire?" Steve tries gingerly, moving closer, one hand still stretched out in front of him like he's trying to ward off something evil.

Dustin and Eddie look at one another in confusion and start laughing.

"Steve, have you sampled some of the special backstage treats?" Eddie asks and turns back to Dustin, "I mean, that might explain why he also just confessed he's had a massive boner about me for over a decade!"

"Really?" Dustin says curiously, and Eddie nods as he takes off his guitar. "Wow."

Then the others start piling onto the stage, all of Eddie's nearest and dearest, and all of them are smiling and laughing and joking, except for Steve, who is watching this happen around him until he erupts.

"How can you all be so god damn normal about this??!!!!! He's just come back from the dead. Not like last time when he passed out. He's been dead for like a fucking month, and your all just-just fucking OK WITH THAT??!!" Steve is yelling at the top of his lungs, hands gesticulating wildly at them all, still keeping his distance, and the group falls silent.

"Oh, no, honey," Joyce says soothingly, walking towards Steve. "It's ok, it must be really scary to see this kind of thing, but you remember, right? It's all just for show." She turns and whispers to Hopper, "I knew all those bumps to the head needed looking at."

"FOR SHOW?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN FOR SHOW?! IT WAS EVERY-FUCKING-WHERE" Steve starts counting on his fingers, "It-it was on the news, and-and in all the papers, and-and the fans did all those vigils" He points accusingly at the band, "You were at least three of those!!"

Robin's eyes go wide "Steve, it's me, Robin. Hi!" She approaches him slowly, "I'm real. We're all real here. Everything is ok" Once Robin is within arms distance of Steve, he pokes at her and squeezes her arm to make sure she is, in fact, real, "OW!! Jesus!!!"

She bats Steve's hands away, "Ok, enough. Listen, did you open the fan club mail this month?"

"The fan cl-? What the hell are you talking about?? Is this a nightmare? Am I dead??!! Is this Hell??!!!" Steve shouts into the air.

"In this month's fanzine, it explained everything. The band wanted to stop and spend time with their families and start new projects, but the press was getting to a fever pitch with them. Gareth had his bins rifled through. Jeff couldn't even take his kid out for his birthday without getting hounded. So Eddie came up with this plan. That way, no one gets blamed for breaking up the band. It just is no more." Robin explains compassionately to Steve.

"So the whole crowd, all of you and the bands, they all knew it was fake?" Steve asks quietly whilst everyone is still staring at him and Robin.

Robin nods but then adds, "Well, not the other bands. We couldn't risk it, but we and the fans are loyal enough to keep a secret. Plus, if anyone even tries to say they've seen him, they'll be labelled like those Bigfoot-spotting people."

Steve shakes his head, "But I'm not a member of the fan club?!"

"The absolute audacity!!! What, you fucking love me, but you're not a member of my band's fan club? What kind of half-assed groupie are you?" Eddie shouts, astounded and a little insulted at Steve.

Jeff turns to Eddie, "You knew he wasn't, man. You made him that special membership card at the hideout for valentine's day, but you never gave it to him, remember?"

"Shut up!" Eddie says through gritted teeth at Jeff.

Steve stands more confidently, his hands on his hips, "Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah, that's right", Gareth laughs, "And then when we were talking about this, you said you'd call him and tell him yourself, Eddie, remember?"

Eddie bites his bottom lip and tries to look as innocent as he can from under his hair, smirking over at Steve, "Did I say that? Really? Funny thing that... I don't remember"

Steve's eyes go wide, "Why, you little shit!!" Steve runs and lunges for Eddie. Eddie is laughing and yelling as he's being chased around the stage by Steve, who eventually captures him in a bear hug when he runs the wrong way around the drum kit.

"urgh...god...let me..." Eddie struggles angrily and tries to wriggle free as Steve squeezes him.

"Oh-hoh no, you are going nowhere, you little prick!" Steve says, squeezing him tighter, making Eddie's face screw up, "What you did, was so not cool!"

"I...only...did...it...cus..." Eddie tries to talk, but it is difficult. He can hardly breathe.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Excuses. You wanted to make me look like an idiot!" Steve says with an unimpressed tone.

Eddie's face is turning pink as he frantically shakes his head in a no.

"Oh, you didn't? Then why?" Steve says, loosening his grip enough for Eddie to take a breath.

Eddie's body sags a little as he takes a deep breath, "Because... I wanted to see if you'd be sad if I died." Eddie says quickly, "I mean, I didn't expect you to agree to headline and the whole speech, you know?" Eddie says, trying to hold back an adoring smile.

Steve squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head in disbelief, "You made me go through a month of grief to see if I would be sad if you died?"

"Well...it was supposed to be just a day, but then I got genuinely distracted by everything, and then it was two weeks later, and then I thought I could surprise you by jumping out of the coffin, and you'd be overjoyed and I'd say something romantic to maybe win you over, like..." Eddie looks everywhere but at Steve as he details everything.

"Like what? What could you possibly say to make up for that, you complete shithead!" Steve says with an angry squeeze, making Eddie wince and groan.

"That I fought an army of angels and the hordes of hell for one kiss from your sinfully perfect heavenly lips because you're my muse, my love." Eddie manages to get the words out with a struggle.

"What?" Steve says, lessening his grip.

"The songs I write, the ones with my name next to them on the albums, they're all about you," Eddie says as he catches his breath.

"What?" Steve says again, wholly bewildered and fully releases Eddie.

"Our first number one, the one that got a Grammy, and was used in a bunch of movies. That's about you. The um, slow one with the choir on the unplugged album, that's about you. The one we close the shows with, the one with no words, that's about you too. And loads more," Eddie says, adjusting his clothes, looking back up at a dumbfounded Steve, "What? You had no idea? You don't remember? in the garage? You corrected the spelling of sleeve, but it was supposed to be Steve. I just forgot to cross the t" Eddie looks between Steve's eyes for a glimmer of comprehension.

"Ohhh", Steve says finally and points at himself and smiles.

Eddie smiles back at this lovable weirdo and nods.

Steve claps his hands together and looks pleased as punch, turning to the others still pointing at himself with a look of happy surprise. 

Everyone nods at him except for Mike, who throws his hands up, "Are you kidding me? The song we danced to at our wedding was about Steve??? Oh my god!" Mike has to be consoled by Will and Nancy.

Steve eventually turns back to Eddie with a massive smile on his face.

Eddie plays with his hair and looks coyly up at Steve swaying from left to right, "So I dunno, do you maybe wanna come live on a secret island with me for a few years until people forget about me, maybe? I mean, I'll have to get my hair buzzed first, and um, lose the whole rockstar get up" Eddie looks up hopefully and gives a cute little shrug.

Steve folds his arms and taps his lips thoughtfully, "Hmmm."

"OH, MY GOD! Could you grown-ass idiots just kiss already? I could be solving the mysteries of the goddamn world, ok? But instead, I'm stuck here waiting for a long-haired freak and his little ex-sailor boy bride to figure out what everyone else knew years ago!!" Erica shouts, exasperated.

"Apart from Mike", Dustin whispers.

"Yeah, except Mike, who is also on team dumbass!" Erica adds.

"Hey!!" Mike says, annoyed, and is immediately swamped by Will, Joyce and Nancy as Hopper pats Erica on the shoulder with a smile.

"Get offa me, sasquatch!" She says, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you heard the lady," Steve says with a smile walking with an over-the-top swagger towards Eddie.

Eddie grins mischievously, jumps up to grip onto Steve like a koala on a eucalyptus tree, and kisses him, once on the lips, with an audible mwah sound.

Steve looks at him with a laugh, "I hope you've got more where that came from because you've got a lot to make up for, Eddie Munson."

AO3 Link

[superman-the-secret-third-thing]

SUPERMAN AND THE HORRORS OF APPROPRIATION

Action Comics #6, by Jerome Siegel and Joe Schuster

Appropriation -- Use of a person's name, likeness or identity for trade or advertising purposes without consent.

TL;DR Clark discovers that someone has used his image as Superman for advertisement and endorsement against his will. During said adventure- Lois roofies him.

The Daily Star's editor, George Taylor brings Clark to his office with a new job and a dream- interview the man who had been using his likeness against his will. The irony is lost on him, as Clark in a flash of anger nearly has his Joker moment.

"Superman's Manager", Nick Williams. This shitheel capitalist reveals that he's been making passive income off of an immigrant, making him far less special than he really thinks- much like all CEOs. Clark audibly doubts his partnership with the big blue, and so Nick tells him that he can have an intimate, personal conversation with the barrel-chested wonder in this very office tonight! Clark sees the potential comedy in such an event, so eagerly agrees- however, unbeknownst to him- Lois is listening at the door! Her second Character Trait activates and she wants to ogle that Super-bod and kiss his sculpted jaw and blah blah blah. She devises a scheme- ask Clark out.

Clark is actually excited to go on a date with her, but says that he's gotta go to a job afterward, so they go to a nice dinner with a show where a very on-the-nose, full-royalties song is played about Superman.

Meanwhile, Nick hires an actor to play Superman in his office, as he seems to be under the impression that the government is undergoing mass psychosis and hallucinating a spandex-clad man with most of the powers of a cricket.

And then, during the last stages of their dinner date- LOIS ROOFIES CLARK

She wants that super booty at all costs, and so commits a second-degree felony. Clark, who was only pretending to Honk-Shoo Mimimi just wags his finger and goes, "heh, classic newspaperwoman trick". Which...concerns me. What have you seen clark.

She enters the room and Fauxperman clumsily climbs through the window and demonstrates his masterful skill of stage magic. Lois, however knows what Superman smells like, and his hair color, and his nipple color and his muscles and that's not him. Nick, having been caught...decides to toss her out of the f*cking window and make it look like a suicide!

Luckily, Superman, who is implied to be casually walking down the street uses his super-hearing to notice a screaming woman plummeting at terminal velocity and catches her in mid-air. He climbs through window, and Nick realizes that Bigfoot is real and gets the fuck out of dodge.

The fools try to escape through an elevator, only for Clark to yoink them out and take them to the police.

As they attempt to plead not-guilty, Superman does his bigfoot impression and stares directly into the soul of the Fauxperman, who shits himself and begs for prison.

That's what you get for unjust appropriation of my image- oh wait, no, the charge is Attempted Murder of the First-Degree.

Next time: Superman And Environmental Criminology!

[horseprophecy]

(click for better quality!)

last but not least, we have one míngzhū shimizu… plus the eleven other people they share their headspace with! @hasarjunadoneanythingwrong i remember that you seemed interested in this character when i submitted the comic featuring them to your blog, so if you’re curious about them, here they are :3

other facts include:

míngzhū is a genetic chimera, which causes parts of a person’s body to have completely separate sets of dna - in míngzhū’s case, this is because they absorbed their fraternal twin in utero. one of these sets of dna has albinism, which is why roughly half of their hair and patches of their skin are much lighter than the rest.

as alluded to by the bio and my own comments, míngzhū has dissociative identity disorder and is the host of the astrolabe system, which, aside from themself, contains eleven major alters. to clarify, they are not a spellcaster because they have did, nor do they have did because they happen to also have multiple sets of dna. the chimerism does sort of have to do with how it developed, but only in the regard that their bio-parents would assert that they actually were two people, and that any thoughts, opinions, and interests they had that didn’t line up with what was expected of them were actually not their own. this in turn has come to affect their magecraft.

míngzhū’s magecraft is based mostly around the ability to manipulate energy with the twelve gemlike orbs they conjure. for example, they’re able to shoot energy blasts from the white orbs, or use the black orbs to create barriers which can negate the kinetic energy of incoming objects. as an average one specializing in the eastern elements or “five phases” as they’re more aptly called, there’s a lot of potential to apply these effects with flexibility and creativity, but they lack the proper training to utilize their abilities to the fullest extent. in addition, finding a way to achieve a cohesive understanding of their very variable magecraft, all while navigating a condition that partitions off parts of the mind to defend itself against trauma, may be difficult.

each alter has an associated element/phase, unique abilities, and a connection with an animal in the eastern zodiac. any of them can transform into any of those twelve animals using the corresponding gem orb, but they’re most attuned to the one they match with. i may add a full list of them in a reblog, as they do all have names, but for now, the ones usually near the front are yǎoyuè (water, dog), xiǎowén (fire, rooster), língsǔn (wood, monkey), míngzhū themself (metal, dragon), and báihǔ (metal, tiger), the god of the western sky, who befriended míngzhū when they were very young, and gave a piece of himself to combine with the first alter that split from míngzhū, so that he could always protect them. ordinarily something like this would result in the god taking the human as their vessel and combining seamlessly with them (see ishtar, quetzalcoatl, parvati, etc.), but due to the nature of did, báihǔ remains entirely separate from the alters he didn’t fuse with.

after míngzhū arrived in japan and was taken in by the shimizu doctors around age 14, they began attending high school, and interestingly, found themself in the close company of the class “delinquents,” who welcomed them with open arms and much love in their hearts. and taught them how to ride a motorcycle.

they’re withdrawn around new people, especially when speaking english, but interestingly, they tend to use a casual, even somewhat slangy manner of speaking that they picked up from their friends in high school - think like mandricardo. truly it’s a mark that they’ve gained some confidence, but they still have a ways to go before they feel fully comfortable in their own skin.

the story of “the prince of lanling enters battle,” a song and dance that was lost to its home country, but flourished in another, and then was eventually able to return home struck them deeply, even more so when they got to see a performance of it in person during a ceremony. they even went as the prince of lanling for halloween once, and they still have the mask they made of papier-mâché. they actually brought it to chaldea with them, as a source of comfort :) (and if the man himself ever finds out, míngzhū will simply go supernova out of embarrassment)

“ah, ‘scuse me, sorry, i was lost in thought. you’re okay? good, good. uh, name is míngzhū, good to meet you.”

[camp-counselor-life]

"Barriers to Participation in Outdoor Recreation

Researchers and outdoor advocates have pointed to several potential barriers to minority enjoyment of public lands.

Affordability and Access. Visiting remote national parks such as Glacier or Yellowstone can be expensive and time-consuming, presenting significant obstacles to lower-income Americans, especially hourly workers with limited vacation time. Even closer-to-home sites such as state parks often have entrance fees, and some outdoor recreation activities—including camping—require expensive equipment.

Early Childhood Experiences. Some experts writing on this topic have highlighted that early childhood experiences of engaging with the natural world can shape a person’s views of self-confidence and enjoyment of nature well into adulthood. One of the organizations working to change this pattern, City Kids Wilderness Project, has been serving youth in the District of Columbia since 1996. They bring DC students to Jackson, Wyoming, for an intensive program of experiential learning through outdoor recreation. Check out this recent video about their work.

Cultural Factors. David Scott and KangJae Jerry Lee wrote in the George Wright Forum in 2018 that cultural factors provide people with a “template” about the kinds of outdoor recreation—and leisure more generally—they feel they need to conform to. Thus, cultural factors can facilitate participation in outdoor activities by some groups but inhibit it for others. Ambreen Tariq, an Indian-American Muslim woman, describes her experiences being the only woman of color in many outdoor recreation settings in an article for the REI Co-op Journal. For her, enjoying the outdoors includes overcoming feelings of not fitting in. She started the Instagram account @BrownPeopleCamping to promote diversity in the outdoors and help people like herself find a community. For a poignant but comical take on what it’s like to be “the only one” read, J. Drew Lanham’s “9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher”.

Discrimination and White Racial Frames. Prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, African Americans were banned from, or segregated at, public recreation sites, including national and state parks. This legacy lives on, and many minorities report feeling excluded at parks where interpretive exhibits and historical information often feature only white Americans. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of diversity among park rangers and other employees: 83 percent of National Park Service employees are white; 62 percent are male. The outdoor recreation industry is no better. Marinel de Jesus comments on the white- and male-dominated nature of the industry and how far it has to go to diversify both its customer base and workforce.

Historical Trauma and Concerns of Physical Safety. In a 2018 study, survey participants were asked to describe why African Americans might be fearful of visiting forests. According to the paper, 66 percent of participants did discuss thoughts and experiences which suggest that the historical trauma of slavery and lynchings in Jim Crow era is associated with the environment for many African Americans. In this paper, 19 year old Pharaoh explains: “. . . So, nature is not something for Black people, um they killed us a lot in nature. They would do a lot of wild things, like plantations . . . . Yeah they would hang us in trees, so maybe that’s why black people don’t go to the forest, don’t want to see a tree.” This can also be seen in the popular Billie Holiday song “Strange Fruit” where she poignantly sings “Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.”

All of the above suggests a very real concern exists in communities of people of color regarding not having significant community support or not feeling safe in our public lands."

[smileymoth]

venting 👍.

I desperately yearn to create a story that is in depth and has a start a culmination and an end, i have the ability to create really in depth characters, i can plan out their entire lives, but because most characters who i create are just boring people whose lives aren't interesting they don't really get those types of stories. I can write autobiographies of my ocs and one shots of them going out or something, but i lack the brain for actually worthy storylines. It makes me miserable. I just want to create something that would be worth it, that would have depth instead of being just a pretty picture to look at. I get a lot of validation and praise but because im so self critical and nothing i ever do is special enough ill never really accept any of it. I just kind of feel like a fraud with everything i do. Nothing i do is interesting enough, nothing is new enough, nothing is worth the time. I dont really see value in what i do i guess because it has no capital value. I dont know hwy ive based my worth around if i could make it into a career. I guess its because i really dont want to get a normal job, i think it would kill me. But i also know that im not enough to ever achieve what i dream. Im so worried about the ending i dont even know the plot or whatever that flatsound song title was. Literally me. I try create but then i get stuck because its not good enough, and i quit. Becuase i cant figure it out perfectly. Because theres no point in finishing somrthing that has no value. Especially when it comes to writing/comics. I shouldve gone to study estonian fr fr what am i doing in the media dep when i cant even put together a coherent story or make a compelling poster . im kind of just a fraud and a lot of wasted potential because my ego gets in the way of existing because i cant take criticism without falling apart at the seams aproximarely 4 months later because ive sown it into my brain wrinkes by thinking about it on the daily . Its all my own fault but i dont think i can change it. I just need to accept it at one point and become a regular person who works an office job. At least id have regular income. I dont know. I want to drop out but i wont because then ill have no purpose in life. Ill enjoy feeling like i have something to live for while it lasts before it becomes a blur of getting a job (if theyd even hire me ever considering i have no working experience beside freelance and being a hotel room cleaner for 2 months) going to work going home going to sleep waking up going to work etc etc etc like every normal adult . I just wish i didnt get so depressed thinking about being alive but what can you do . Im not skilled enough to become a designer, i have no networking for it, and i hate marketing.

I used to think id die before 40 and tjen that slowly left because damn 40 is sooo young but now im back where i dont think ill make it past that age. So ive probably already wasted all my potential and chances of ever becoming anything. I just dont see the point of being alive really. And i also dont understand why ive been spiralling again. Nothing is wrong. But everytime i think about creating something i just get the desperate need to hurt myself because itll never be anything up to standard. And its all my own fault. Yay. I think i deserve to be miserable st this point because im not even attempting to get better. Im just alive for no reason. Im kind of dead already to myself . I ❤️ self punishment over menial things that nobody else cares about. Worst part im aware how stupid and overdramatic i sound, but i also cant help but believe it all to be true because why wouldnt it be. It makes so much sense to me

[popculturebuffet]

Scottrospective: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together! or Days of Summer

Hello all you happy scottaholics! Welcome back to those of you who’ve read the rest of this retrospective and welcome to those of you just joining us. This is the Scottrospective, my look at all 6 volumes of Scott Pilgrim, the game and the movie. It’s all the video game refrenes, slice of life story telling and boob punches you can handle!

It’s been three months since I left off with “The Infinite Sadness” , and while I intended to cover this one for Valentine’s Day, my schedule got away from me and with March being full up, this ended taking till April

I”m not too put off by it though as the hiatus between these two reviews is fitting for this one both in story and out. In story there’s a couple month time skip between books, while out.. this book got delayed a few times.  

This is notable to me at least because this was the first volume of the series I bought when it came out. As i’ve brought up before I came into the series via the Free Comic Book Day Issue and the second and third volumes, picking one up later. I still have my original copies despite no longer really needing them thanks to having the color editions in general. Always will provided something dosne’t happen to them. So this was my first instalment that I got to read fresh and got to wait for and be hyped about and i’d saved enough money that I was able to pre-order it. So the experince of waiting and waiting for the book only to keep seeing it slide back is vivid in my mind as is the frustration I felt having the one thing I COULD NOT WAIT FOR, keep going further and further back. 

So with this long wait and the fact I bought this one when it came out, as I would for the next two which didn’t get delayed thank god, this volume naturally means a lot for me. When I wrote Scott Pilgrim fanfiction, this volume’s status quo is what I based it on. It was the coolest to me and the one I loved to reread the most. It has the most contained story, the most character growth at the time, and the best art due to Bryan’s style having finally hit it’s stride. Not that the art for volumes 1-3 is bad mind you, but it’s very clear his style was changing and shaping into what it is now with each one and while it’d change a bit more, this volume is where the style and quality everyone thinks of when they think of this series and the kind you see on various art done from it comes from. 

So as you can tell i’m excited for this one. Before we get started there WERE two shorter comics released between this one both for Free Comic Book day, the first of which, Free Scott Pilgrim, is the reason I got into the series and the second, the Wonderful World of Kim Pine .. was both delightful and sets up Kim moving in with Hollie for this volume. Originally I intended to cover these in this review.. but I realized they wouldn’t of helped the pacing and this review is going to be way longer than my standard as is.

So instead I came up with the compromise. I did review them.. but as bonus reviews on my patreon. For just one buck a month you can read them and help me reach my stretch goals which now include reviews of Lost at Sea, Seconds and SnotGirl, aka Bryan’s OTHER comics. You can find my patreon THROUGH THIS LINK HERE if your intrested in the exclusives or helping me reach my reviews. I also intend to do an exclusive of Monica Beetle, a short comic Bryan did starring Scott’s dad in the 70s at some point so keep your eyes peeled for that, as well as the three strips he did of Style, the comic that gave us the prototypes for Lisa and Kim. 

I will talk about their connections and setups for this volume briefly: FSP sets up the next ex as a ninja, with Roxy having a bunch of posters come to live and pummel our boy, while Wonderful World has Hollie tell Kim she can move in with her. It’s not much, hence why i made these exclusives but they are good stories, so check them out. And with that JOIN ME UNDER THE CUT, as we enter Scott’s world once more as he grapples with the past, employment, and saying the L-Word... which might be Lesbians. I don’t know. Find out bellow!

So we open Two Months after Volume 3 with a beach birthday party! Complete with Kim in a swim suit!

But it’s for Julie who lobs a volley ball at Scott’s head when he and Ramona try to make out. 

I also dont’ know if “Manfiesting out of all the world’s collectives sorrows” counts as a “birth” necessarily but whatever. I love a good beach story. It’s just a fun setitng for swimming, romance and battling a giant crab with the help of the bird what lives in your backpack.

So after the beach our heroes get dinner and Ramona sweetly calls Scott the nicest guy she’s ever dated. He responds with “That’s sad”. Blunt, but entirely accruate. Julie calls it pathetic and tries to counter Ramona RIGHTFULLY saying “who the hell asked you?” something that really should come after EVERYTHING Julie said with “Back off bitch i’ts my birthday”

So later that night Sex Bomb-Omb has a beach sing along, and I can’t help but notice Neil’s hairy legs. 

I mean yes it does make since for a 19 year old to have leg hair, but of all the characters besides Stephen, the ONLY other character we’ve seen it with to give it to, why the character you specifically single out as “Young” it’s just a weird choice I never noticed before. 

But anyways Julie has to whine about it because she’s Julie, she can’t stand other people being happy and complains the song...

One of my faviorite moments of the series. Knives puts a nicer spin on it, she’s here too and not over with Neil because, as we’ll find out later they broke up, but she just asks if Knives should be drinking. She shouldn’t but for fucks sake lady she was just trying to talk. I also do like that despite Julie trying to control Ramona’s love life, you know the thing the VILLIANS are doing, Ramona cannot stand her now.. and honestly probably never did. 

But Julie, SOMEHOW turns out to be right for once as Kim and Knives have disappeared later that night, and Scott elects to go look for them. Also Ramona says she wants to marry kim while drunk after Julie asks if she does. The throuple is strong with these three... serioulsy that’s my one true pairing for all three now. I mean it ballances out their collective flaws, it’s cute and Ramona is just as into her boyfriends ex as she is her actual boyfriend even when she’s not hamered. Why the fuck not?

Scott instead finds the two making out. I will confess I shipped these two when I was younger.. but I don’t. Not because their gay or anything or because I found another ship for them but because the age gap is still just as wide as it was for Scott. The game did not get this memo and made them a couple which is... ehhhhhhhhh. I mean I wouldn’t mind either being bi, but it just brings up the same problems even if their both hammered. I also question why this scene exists. No really outside of one face punchingly dickish comment from Scott later, this never comes up again and it doesn’t effect Kim’s or Knives character any. Why have this? it’s clearly not fanservice, it’s just a thing that happened. And while Scott Pilgrim as a series does have some of those, as does life and that’s fine.. this is a bit too major, i.e. Kim and Knives, two of the main cast, making out, drunkenly or not, to just.. gloss over you know? I feel Kim would feel majorly guilty for this, as she has the most active moral compass of the main group, and Knives would be massively confused but it’s just.. forgotten because I dunno. In a story that’s otherwise pretty stellar this stands out as an utter waste of potential. I’m not saying have them hook up, gay or not it’s still not better than what Scott did, but have them at least talk about it and have both grow or something from it. Sheesh. 

So we cut to.. another day. Maybe the next day I dunno but it’s August. Point is Scott and Wallace are grocery shopping and Wallace notes they can’t get fancy mayo as their barely in budget. I would’ve glossed over this scene... but @panur​ pointed out back around the Infinite Sadness review that this scene reveals something very intrestng: Scott.. is kind of a fincial burdern to Wallace. Before this while Scott mooched off him it wasn’t all that clear that Wallace was struggling. 

But here we notice that outside of some Havarti, it’s just the simplest stuff imaginable: turkey, bread, boxed mac and cheese ramen noodles... it’s nto BAD stuff, I have all of that in my house and it’s good stuff... but it’s not the kind of thing that you need to carefully budget for. Now granted part of this probably is Wallace as he likely spends a LOT on drinks, condoms and two 2 liters of diet soda a day.. but while he really needs to adress his alcohol issues, the rest is fair. He should be allowed to have as much sex and diet coke as he wants it’s his money. Same with the havarti. He earned it if he wants some really delcious cheese with herbs, seriously Havarati is the best, then that’s his bidness. But the rest of the time he’s barely managing to get  a basketfull of cheap food.. because he has to provide for Scott. It’s clearly something Scott dosen’t get and something I can relate to not getting. It took me a while to get how hard it is to budget for a full family, let alone two people on one income like Wallace has to. But Wallace is working on a nice job... but still a call center or something. He can’t pay for everything and the finccial stress is about to give as their landlord wants to meet with them. And as we’re about to learn things were even worse than we thought. 

Our heroes head home where we get a truly iconic conversation when, over margeritas (again proving my point that while Scott certainly isn’t HELPIGN wallace’s finacials, it’s not all on him)

This will be imporant later.. both the Lesbians part and Scott’s struggle saying it. he tried earlier on the beach but couldn’t get it out and Ramona clearly didn’t want to hear it as she kapt sshhhhing him.. playfully of course but still. 

So some time later it’s moving day! Kim is moving into Hollie and Josephs, and Scott, Stephen and Jason are helping. You might be wondeirng who the hell Jason is. He’s Kim’s boyfriend. I do not likes him. Not because he’s kim’s boyfriend, getting upset because a fictional character you fancy is dating is just patently stupid. I’ts like getting upset a celebrity crush is in a relationship: you had no chance anyway why. I wasn’t even bothered as a kid. I don’t really like him.. because he has no real personaliy and no real baring on the plot and I struggle to think why Bryan included him other than for a really annoying plot twist next time, which does not help my liking him knowing what’s coming. 

But while our heroes help our heroine move in, and Scott is suprised Hollie is there despite Kim having told him a minute ago she was moving in with her, something I can relate to sadly, we get something vitally plot important; Stephen passes Joseph’s room.. and notices he has a small recording setup in his room. Stephen quickly begs him to record the band’s album and Joseph agrees if only because he finds Stephen hot. Eh i’ve seen better relationships start on less, fair enough. And yes I said relationship more on that in a bit. 

So after a brief scene of Scott and Ramona having lunch where Scott fails to know her age and when Ramona says he could just ask.. hea sks and she dosen’t tell, not a bad scene character wise just not very plot important and probably should’ve bene swapped in order with the previous scene, we get to the next day. There’s a heat wave so Wallace orders Scott to go to the mall maybe find a job. He emphasises that. 

Instead Scott just sorta bums around thirst but nto having any money.. until an old face shows up. 

For those who forgot like Scott has, it’s Lisa Miller from the Volume 2 flashback, the girl who had a crush on Scott and was close friends with him and Kim. After a tackle hug  and some panic Scott eventually remembers.... if in a curiously unique and self serving way

At the time this was just hilarous. Now it’s very clear foreshadowing for the big twist in Volume 6. The two catch up while Scott is very clearly attracted to her but very clearly dosen’t want to be, with Lisa wondering where kim is, finding about Ramona, etc, before offering Scott lunch as the two catch up and Scott is very conflicted about how he feels. It’s nice visual stuff as he’s blushing, something more clear in the color version and trying to desperatley sort things out. As for why Lisa’s here she’s moving to the states soon, but is staying with her sister for now. 

So after an incdental scene with Wallace we catch up with Knives, who has broken up with Neil. And after some talk about Clash at the Demonhead, Tamra notes Knives apparently put a big x on her shrine of Scott... which baffles Knifves as she sure as hell didn’t do it and is still, sadly, obessed with Scott as ever. Granted Tamra isn’t at all helpful here claiming she did it even when she says she didn’t, is clearly confused and while yes we don’t know who else would care Tams, that just makes it all the more creepy. Stop gaslighting your bestie, she’s already got enoguh issues. She dosen’t need thinking she might have a split personality on top of the stalking, obession over a guy who has no intrest in loving her back, and attempted stabbings. Knives dosesn’t get a ton of focus in this one sadly. She kind of takes a back seat, and while sh’es not GONE from the volumle and someone close to her does impact it, she dosen’t really have any personal progression, negative or positive, like she does in every other volume, a shame since her personal jouney is one of the most intresting of the main cast. 

Anyways that night Scott hangs out with Lisa, having not gotten around to telling Ramona she exists yet and plays a game of find the Kim Pine. She goes to Neil’ and Stephen’s place for practice, but finds no one there and Neil being a dick... get used to that it’s going to get about 80 times worse soon enough. Though we do get this classic panel i’ve gotten some use out of 

He goes to Kim’s place, but she , Hollie and Satan’s Misterss have all left to Sneaky Dee’s, the local mexican place, for something to eat and Stephen is either high or doing.. something with Joseph. 

Yeah i’m not hiding that Stephen turns out to be gay in the final volume or cheating on Bitch and a Half with Joseph. And even if I hate Julie with the power of a frozen sun, I still dont’ think cheating on her is kosher. He could’ve just broken up with her and while part of it was likely confusion, and he could also be bi and not decided which one he wanted to be with, it’s still a dick move.. and later makes him a hypocrite but that’s a rant for next volume. 

So our heroes FINALLY find Kim, along with Hollie and Mouthface. And a nice thing I like is that Kim and Lisa are just.. increidbly close, happily catching up and making plans to hang before Lisa leaves, that despite Lisa having feelings for Scott the two ended up as close and She and Scott did and i’ts sweet to see. it’s also just.. rare to see Kim GENUINELY happy. I mean look at her

It’s not like she HASN’T smiled across the series but normally she’s just so miserable, likely because her best friends are a grumbly asshole who forces them to hang out with a raging typhoon of bitchiness, and an insenitive asshat who she never got closure with. This is the first decent human being whose not Ramona or Hollie, and that last one’s not going to last, in a while. It’s genuinely sweet to just see her.. enjoy the moment for once, honestly engaged with someone. Ramona shows up and finally meets Lisa, who apparently was on Degrassi.. I mean she says candaian show no one ever watched, and I watched that plenty but i’d like to think she was on there for a season or two. I liked Degrassi.. I honeslty miss it and think it could use some form of revivial and think porting it to netflix was a smart decision.. what wasn’t so smart was not having the other seasons leading into it on there. Need to watch more of it. 

So the next day Ramona stumbles into Scott’s dreams and both are annoyed, with Ramona suggesting he get a job. This finally gets him to try. He asks about Wallace’s work but understandably, he dosen’t really want scott there and asks if he even knows. So Scott sets out to ask his other friends for jobs, while Knives shows up saying she’s “totally not stalking him” but someone is following HER, a mysterious spiky haired dude in a black leather jacket, shades and with a sword on his back. Whu-oh. 

He tries Second Cup, with Julie annoyed that Stephen’s recording.. it’s hard to tell if she’s annoyed because she’s a bitch or because Stephen is both gneuinely annoying right now and clearly screwing around behind her back. My take?

But Scott realizes maybe getting a job at his Sister’s place of work who also works with his arch enemy might be stupid and backs out. He next tries Kim’s, but backs out of that too, admitting to kim it’d be stupid and Kim lists off all the reasons (His lack of resume, the fact them working together would be stresful and his ountain of late fees) why that’d be stupid, but in a jovial way. For once i’ts clear that while she’s still taking the piss out of them she isn’t mad at Scott.

In fact she genuinely helps him get a job, taking him to Stephen’s work since hers is dead right now anyway, a vegan place.  While Scott naturally compares things to a job system as he’d start as dishwasher while Stephen taught him prep, Scott agrees to genuinely take this seriously and Stephen’s boss decides “eh why not” when he asks her to employ him. Scott is gainfully employed baby! God I miss that. Seriously i’m not pimping my patreon for shits and giggles. 

But as he celebrates and Kim wishes she could punch his life in the face, they run into some trouble on the way home: Katana man who slices a motherfucking bus in half and chases them, with Scott reluctnat to fight because he has a sword and Scott does not, which is valid. He does escape though using subspace. He and Kim part awkardly and he returns home to Wallace throwing a party with two intresting charcters, a woman and a man of color, one of the few in the entire work, who are never seen again. 

The next night is practice.. or rather recording, and we start to see Neil get edged out, with him unable to come due to exams and clearly not happy about it, and Stephen just kind of ignoring anything he cares about like the dickhead he is. It dosen’t get any better as “recording” ends up just being Scott, Ramona, and Ratfaced Knacker watching bored with Joseph and Stephen work. Eventaully Scott and Ramona decide to get out of there as things are getting tensed between thing one and thing bitch, and leave.. and take Julie with them for some reason. 

So the three have dinner with Lisa, Kim, and Jason before The Mummies Curse thankfully leaves. Jason thought they were friends. 

We also get this exchange. 

I mean.. she is the better option. She his THE option. But before we can get the obvious answer of 

Stephen comes in with Knives. He smuggled her in. This leads to problems when Scott returns from the bathroom to find Queen Bitch throwing a bitch fit about him having brought her and screechs at her when she dares to talk to him “How do you even know my name?” Well Ted Cruz, you see when someone is an actually thoughtful and likes other people, they keep track of things about them and don’t constnatly tear them down or assume their partneer is automatically bonking a 17 year old instead of you know, actually forming something of a friendship and not shutting her out sensing she needs this friend group. Some people are not vacous piles of vitriol who care about nothing but themself and seem to go off at the slightest thing. 

Scott takes Ramona home but finds a drunken barely awake wallace so no sexy times. Not that he could anyway as the next day is the meeting with Peter their landlord. 

Peter reveals they’ll have to clear out by the 27th as their lease was for one year and their paid up.. as in only the first and last month. The two part melacholy knowing this sucks and isn’t a great situation. Then it’s time for Scott to work work, angelica, work work, eliza and peggy. After grueling day, can relate, he runs into  a wisp on teh wend and steels himself for a fight.. okay he bitches about it being too hot but it’s Scott. so it’s expected. He does get a hit in on his mysterious persuer.. and that’s when we meet Roxy.

Via boob punch, something Scott’s not proud of but in his defense, as Roxy keeps complaning about it, he was blindly struggling for a hit and din’t know the next Ex, or any of them, were female.. not that Ramona didn’t suggest it loudly enough by empahsising “exes” but scott’s a bit of a fuckwit. She mentions “everyone allways remmebers you”.. which is kind of ominus and tells me she tried to hook back up with ramona despite her having a boyfriend and she rejected her. Still on good terms though. But this confusing encounter ends with Roxy vowing she’ll get him next time gadget, next time. 

So we get some assorted slice of life scenes with the band, lisa and what have you as Scott tries to get in touch with Ramona but she keeps avoiding him. THat’s not worrysome at all. And Lisa brings up high school while drunk and clearly hits on Scott. He sidesteps it with her drunkness.. but this clearly isn’t over or going to stop being a problem. 

Speaking of problems Wallace makes Scott confront the truth: He either needs to find a new place to live or commit to staying, though Wallace is trying to nudge him toward asking Ramona to move into her place. Scott starts thinking it over, it being very hard especially since, as Stephen points out this was his very first place of his own.. but Stephen also points out these things are temoporary.. right before Scott ducks from katana guy. 

At work Scott wonders who it could be, though it turns out Stephen’s met him before, as he’s brought his family in here. So he’s PROBABLY not one of the exes.. but it leaves the question why he wants to cut Scott in half like Dewey Cox’s brother. But it turns out he’s nto the only enemy Scott’s casually running into as Roxy is there too.. with Ramona. 

The two talk, clearly about Scott and Lisa with Roxy trying to convince her he’s cheating and Ramona rightfully trusting Scott: while he IS attracted to her, he’s been fighting it every step of the way. Scott storms over to find out what’s going on and while Ramona is more distracted by his new job, she eventually realizes Roxy did attack him and he simply dscribed her poorly when he mentioned the incident over the phone. Scott is confused as he dosen’t get it. Is she with one of the exes what? After some hiinting from both parties, and Roxy rightfully mocking him for not getting the obvious... he finallyg ets it in the grandest way possible. 

So Roxy gets ready to fight and Scott can’t because sword, and gets fired in the background as he hides in Ramona’s bag and Ramona prepares to step in. Roxy screams at her for trusting him and defending him when Ramona.. just dosen’t her boyfriend to be bisected by her ex. A fight insues and a damn cool one at that. I honestly wish the movie had taken more from this, but simply didn’t have time leading it to instead be more like the envy fight with a bit of the Winfried Hailey fight from Free Scott Pilgrim. 

Roxy chases her and Ramona rightly points out Scott can’t run forever but takes him into Subspace.. where Roxy heads them off, having “taught you everything you know bitch” leading to a cool fight in the wintery version of subspace. Again why THIS wasn’t used instead I have no real idea. We also find out she’s a half ninja but she eventually leaves afer Ramona presses that button.. but Rammy is actually apologetic about it and Roxy’s “I hope you and your 24 children are happy together comment” is telling. 

Upon this readthrough of the volume.. I realized Roxy is the most layered and intresting of the exes next to Gideon himself. None of them are out and out terrible, but most of them have pretty simple motives: to kill Scott, ???, profit. Or in Todd’s case to kill scott, bang around and be a dick. But Roxy.. genuinely wants Ramona back. She’s the ONLY one who does: Gideon kinda does, but only in the sense that he wants her for his collection. But Roxy geninely still loves her, admitting so during this fight. And it’s not like she has no chance: out of the 7 exes she’s the ONLY one who parted with Ramona on anything resembling good terms. While intrestingly we don’t find out WHY they broke up, Ramona didn’t cheat on her like she did everyone else she was with. The two have coffee and hang out and Ramona geninely dosen’t even consider until Roxy tries to attack Scott that she’d really try killing him and tries her best to talk her out of it. But what holds Roxy back is her anger: She’s so bitter about the fact Ramona is bi or pan, so dedicated to viewing Ramona’s very orintation as a betryal (though Ramona calling it a phase dosen’t help and the movie RIGHTLY has Roxie comment on it and fly into a rage over it), and so driven to make sure the woman she loves dosen’t get hurt again that it blinds her to the fact Ramona dosen’t love her the same way anymore, and that while Scott is objectively a dick, and a cheater, and a greasy buttcrack pooflap, he is not a terrible person. A meh one sure, but he’s got good to him. She’s so biophobic she simply can’t see he’s a harmless moron.. well harmless to Ramona even with the cheating. He’s killed two people at this point and will kill again. Also she apparently has issues with only being a half ninja but this is never adressed. Point is Roxy’s really grown on me and is now probably my faviorite ex.  

Scott and Ramona talk it over on their way to Sneaky Dees and Scott finally asks to move in and gets a yes. His response is downright adorable. 

So at Sneaky Dee’s Young Neil is just a bit absolutely irate with Scott.. which isn’t fair as them not playing things is entirely on the blocky face asshole. Yell at him.. which he does, pointing out that they haven’t played shows in forever, and that the lady who owns Sneaky Dees not only runs shows, in the upstairs space, but has been asking them to play. Kim is rightly curious about this and to both Stephen just keeps saying “We’re recording right now.” And some of you may of wondered why I hate him. Well while he’s not exctly stellar in the first half in the second Stephen becomes goddman insufferable, slowly destroying the band for his affair and not giving one iota of a shit what anyone else wants. He’s a selfish, egomanical cheating prick. And yes I get it their recording an album.. but doing live shows would give them extra practice, MONEY, even if likely not a lot and exposure for said album. I get professoinal bands stop touring for a bit to do an album but you are not a professional band, and said bands still often iron out the album on the road. God you suck.

But while Scott sidesteps this argument he walks into another where Ramona confronts him about lisa about liking her.. and he rightly says if there was anything, which there was not it’s in the past. And while yes he is a cheater, she does not know this yet. This plot honestly would’ve worked better if she learned about the knives thing sooner, but instead she just comes off as paranoid for listening to Roxy about something that isn’t happening. Yes Scott’s been shown to be attracted to her.. but he’s been ashamed of it, fighting it and in denial about it, and is clealry all in with Ramona. Being attracted to someone else on a phsyical level does NOT mean your relationship is doomed. 

Things get worse as he goes home to ruminate.. and instead sees a man’s Penis. And Wallace..is at his second most unsymapthetic, not letting Scott get a shirt or a bus pass or something like a decent human being for no goddamn reason. Usually when Wallace is a dick to Scott, Scott’s earned it and badly needs a slap in the face. Here he’s just being a prick because.. the plot needs him to? I dunno it dosen’t work for me. It’s in character, I just don’t have to like it. 

So with no other options.. Scott ends up at Lisa’s. And so we get the last temptation of Scott. Lisa admits, embarassed that she’s been wearing sexy dresses and what not specifically to attract him, with Scott also mentioning how things are rough, Lisa tries to fight it herself pointing out he’s with ramona.. and when Scott points out they didn’t do anything in the past Lisa points out they should’ve.. and maybe they should now. 

We fade to black as Scott ends up in a dream and finds Roxy, who naturally has the same skill and tries to Freddy Kruger him before he wakes. He finds Lisa but they didn’t do anything: Scott pushed her away and babbled about how much he loved Ramona instead. As i’ve said.... his heart was never with LIsa... and even when he was so close to giving in he couldn’t. It’s a tangible sign of growth: He screwed around on Knives with Ramona, and given how bad things were getting with Ramona, it would be oh so easy to once again ditch a relationship the minute he found something else and oh so understandable. But... he dosen’t. He loves Ramona even if he hasn’t said it, he wants to make this work, and he’s changed. She’s changed him. He’s not quite a good man yet.. bu he’s getting to be good enough. Love turned him from a skeezy dumbass into a far more loveable dumbass. Ramona’s gotten him to stop dating a teenager (even if again he cheated), face his past with envy to finally move on and now get a job. He’s realized just hwo much she means to his life and world and so he goes to tell her. 

Riggghtttt after going to get his job back and works a shift, with steven wanting to punch his life in the balls. Stephen shut the fuck up. Just because Scott is lucky and your stuck dating satan’s scrotum does not mean you get to punch his life int he balls. Kim does, because he’s put her through more shit but not you. 

He goes to second cup to talk to Stacey.. only to end up at the wrong one where Knives also now has a job... and we finally get an answer to who the mystery katana guy is...

Yup turns out wielding giant weapons in vengance runs in the family. As for how he knows about Scott her aunt mentioned her boyfriend, everyone freaked out and obviously while her mom was mentioned as knowing in volume 1, they did not tell her dad whose brain turned into an engine of vengance and defaced the shrine. While part of it is apparnetly racisim for Scott being white the fact is he clearly saw Scott’s photograph. The guy is 5 years older. I get him being protective. Still dosen’t justify cutting off his head. His balls maybe but not his head. 

And then Scott ran, once agian finding a subspace entracne.. and this time we see inside ramona’s head and well...

Yeah.. that’s.. kind of fucked, and Ramona isn’t happy scott saw that, though she backs down once Scott explains..a nd then gets upset over him staying at Lisa’s but before SCott can tell her he loves her it turns out Roxy stayed over. So yeah, Ramona might of cheated, she tells him to alk it off and he runs around in a psycadelic haze of emtoinal confusion. And meets.. someone new...

Scott snaps out of his funk and ignores his doppleganger heading back for Ramona... whose fighting Mr. Chau. Scott left the door to Ramona’s head open and he followed him through Subspace. Scott lures him into the house and away from her only to run into Roxy. This leads to both of his attackers fighting and her wondering if Gideons ent him “Why does no one ever belivie in me?!” 

She soon realize no i’ts just unrelated and calls Scotto ut on hiding behind not having a sword and behind her being a woman, caling it a flimsy excuse. I mean she’s tring to kil lhim. It’s okay to hit an enemy combatant. Scott realizes he has to stop running... and get real with ramona leading to a truly epic, romantic and heartfelt speech and given how far he’s come and just how heartfelt it is it’s a real sign of how deep he feels. Sure we’ve seen genuine chemstiry between the two.. but htis moment is a shit.. from a simple relationship.. into true love. 

I may of only had a few but Relationships are not easy, They take work, they take time, they take patience and theyt ake love.. but if your willing to work with someone, look past some flaws and help them with the rest.. then it’s worth it. And Scott has finally realized it and for the first time in a while is running TOWARDS something difficult, actually working on this relationship and talking with his partner instead of running finding someone else or wallowing. He’s truly grown up. While he still has miles to go.. he’s taken about 50 steps forward with this. And as such given the kind of unvierse we’re in, as Ramona is genuinely touched by it he levels up a glowing sword with a heart shaped hilt coming out of his chest.. and realizing what’s happening he pulls it out....

So Scott faces off with roxy and in an awesomly short battle, their sords clash.. and he bisects her. 

Scott then honestly talks down Mr Chau who leaves after a nod, and Ramona tells Scott she loves him two. The two make out and all is well.

One make out fades into another, as we cut to Scott moving in with Kim and Blockhead’s help. Well kinda they only had one box but they owed him one. He and wallace comiserate over the end of their time as roomies. They’ll always be friend but it’s truly the end of an era. Also Wallace gets off another bit of dickery as he’’s very glad it all worked out for scott...

 Now there’s the Wallace I know and love. Dickish but just the right loveable kind of douchebag with that swagger. 

Back at Knives house she’s apparenlty into somebody though who I have no idea, Mr Chau give sher his blessing and she.. apparenlty doesen’t know chinese. I dunno. As I said her subplot this go round was her weakest overall. 

And so we end with the whole gang gathered to see Lisa off. It’s a REALLY nice shot, and one of the only times Wallace is seen with the Sex Bomb omb side of the group. Oh sure he goes to their shows and what not, but generally their never in the same vincinity so while there’s no interaction I still find this neat. Seriously the whole main cast is there, it’s a really lovely shot

Also Jason and Hollie.. who are getting awfully chummy. Whu Oh. And of course Craphole and Mouth Face are as likeable as ever. 

So we jsut get a genuinely nice sene. Except Stephen and Julie reconciling. Fuck that. Please move on. And as everyone fondly wishes Lisa adeu and wish she stuck arond the res tof the series we end on Scott and Ramona snuggling, Scott asking her her birthday and finding out she’s 24, and they both will be come september. Scott wishes this moment could last. 

They probperly snuggle as the volume ends on a high. 

Final Thoughts:

Yeah.. Gets it Together is, on rexamination, DEFINTELY my faviorite of the 6. Besides personal value i’ts hte best contained story, contaning lots of character development, great character moments, jokes, and EASILY the best art so far, with goregouness and creativty abounding. 

There is a problem here or there: Stephen and Julie’s subplot feels underbaked, and not just because I hates them, and there are several scenes that don’t further plot or character stuff. Ther’es also stuff that could’ve been expanded on.. but given this is still a pretty meaty graphic novel, it’s understandable why it wasn’t.. though it is why I’d love a streaming series since while the movie is excellent, a full series could expand on stuff from the books more Brian simply didn’t have time for. Knives also didn’t get a lot to do. 

But their drowned out by tons of great decisions: Lisa was a wonderful additoin to the cast and I genuinely wish she’d stuck around, adding in some energy, blending well with the Sex Bomb Omb crowd, and having great dynamics with everyone and her arc with Scott is heartbreaking,knowing she can’t have him but wanting him anyway having never gottne proper closure on the man she’s always wanted. She’s a heartbreaking character and its nice to see her end in a decent place and on good terms with Scott, having let him go for both thier sakes. 

And while Lisa is a highlight everyone is on their a game here for the most part apart from knives, girl hitler, and captain dumbass: Scott grows signfigantly but is funny as hell, Wallace has an intresting arc trying to nudge Scott out without being overt about it, scared to really confront him, Kim is in a happy and serene place for once and it shows. The villians are also intresting: While Mr Chau is a tad underbaked, he’s sitll a cool imposing presence. I do think he shoudl’ve had more to do with the plot.. but is still just so freaking cool it papers over that and him just.. disappearing after this like poor Lisa. 

Roxy is far more intresting, having clearly more going on than we see and while I wish we’d got her backstory, she’s easily the most engaging of the exes, being the only one to actively compete with Scott (All her and ramona end up doing is making out a little it turned out), and have bigger stakes than just “The glasses wearing douche asked me to beat up my exes boyfriend and I was like alright. 

All in all Gets it Together is really magical, the series high point, and just damn fun and it was a pleasure to go through

Next Month on Scott Pilgrim: It all falls down as we take a look into what once was my least faviorite Album, vs the unvierse. Two perfect assholes try and murder scott with Robutts, his relationship and band crumble and things get sad so very very sad. 

Next on this blog: More LIlo and Stitch! The Proud Family come to Kauai and get into a fight with our heroes. Also wizard kelly... who if nothing else is now far more tolerable now i’ve had to spend another volume with the wicked bitch of the west. Touche universe touche. See you at the next rainbow. 

[presidentrhodes]

Spider-Man Far From Home spoilers

I just finished watching it and, honestly, I’d say it was a pretty good way to bid farewell to the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Spoilers under the cut. This is pretty long and rambly. 

1. Midtown high is supposed to be a school for geniuses but these little shits use comic sans in tribute videos and steal watermarked Getty Images pictures to put in them. I loved it, particularly with the song choice and the fact that Vision’s picture was from the Civil War airport standoff in Leipzig — that means only Peter could’ve provided it and no one bothered to ask how he got it. 

2. Tom Holland really wasn’t kidding when he said the film was a love letter to RDJ/Tony Stark. He was everywhere, his sacrifice was being recognised around the world: they even had a documentary on him, which was available in the in-flight entertainment, plus, there were murals and photographs in Venice and Prague. He was very much present throughout the film. 

3. EDITH. In a nutshell, it’s an augmented reality-enabled AI that controls a tactical and defensive system Tony built to protect Earth in the aftermath of his demise. Think Ultron’s perfect self minus the winning personality — EDITH controls a bunch of massive Stark Industries satellites in orbit that are equipped with thousands of weaponised drones. It can remotely target individual threats and take them out with simple voice commands. It also is able to connect to any network in the vicinity, so, Peter was able to see what his classmates were doing on their devices. 

I’ve already seen so many angry posts comparing EDITH to Project Insight without taking into account a) intent; and b) the reality of the MCU. Tony didn’t build EDITH for the same reason Zola built Project Insight. The former was meant to be a last or first line of defence, controlled by an Avenger Tony personally trusted. The latter was a means to subjugate the world population to Hydra’s will. 

All tech in the MCU is dangerous when it falls into the wrong hands — that’s why they’re called the wrong hands and why Steve once said the safest hands are their own. The supersoldier serum gave us Steve Rogers; it also gave us the Winter Soldiers, a bunch of dangerous, invincible highly-trained assassins. Pym particles gave us Ant-Man and the Wasp as well as time travel; it also gave us Yellowjacket, who immediately wanted to weaponise the tech. The Iron Man suit gave us Iron Man; but also gave us Iron Monger, who wanted to build an army of metal soldiers. Wakanda’s highly-advanced weapon systems were able to withstand a full-scale invasion from the Outriders, but those same weapons almost started a global war in Killmonger’s hands. Project Insight and Ultron showed us the bad side of AI; JARVIS, Vision, FRIDAY, Karen and EDITH, to an extent, showed us the good side of AI.

The point is, technology in the wrong hands will always be a bad thing yet people only seem to gripe about Stark tech while ignoring every other piece of advanced technology we’ve seen weaponized or misused. I wonder why. Since the MCU canonically isn’t made up of one big Luddite colony, there’ll always be new technology being developed and bad guys finding ways to abuse them. 

Just look at the holographic tech Mysterio designed while at Stark Industries. Even before he was fired, his ambitions were grander and afterwards, he weaponized it and willingly sent people to their dooms so that he could play a hero. When 16-year-old Peter Parker, MJ and Ned — literal children — found out the truth and Mysterio risked being exposed as a fraud, he actively tried to kill them. Mysterio beat the shit out of Peter and threw him in front of an incoming high-speed train, so, no, I don’t care if Tony Stark was mean to him by firing him, he was a piece of shit who tried repeatedly to kill a kid. 

Tony, meanwhile, spent $600+ million on the holographic tech to design B.A.R.F — a technology with some really promising applications in the MedTech sector to help people overcome their PTSD and trauma. That’s the fucking difference between a superhero and a supervillain.

Sure, EDITH also has massive privacy concerns. That’s on Tony, but after the Decimation, I think people have bigger problems to worry about than whether Peter Parker is snooping on their text messages. Ultimately, EDITH offers Peter, and whoever else is going to fill up the Avengers roster in the future, a plan B to strike the bad guys from a safe distance. I

4. Tony left Peter in charge of EDITH. Not the Avengers, not SHIELD, and definitely not the US Department of Defense — a fact that actually pissed off Mysterio. Tony left it in Peter’s hands because he knew Spider-Man took the meaning of responsibility far more seriously than he ever did. All those years ago, Peter told him if one could do the things he could, and they didn’t, and then the bad things happened, they happened because of them. And, honestly, if anyone deserves to have control over such a potentially dangerous piece of tech that can help in future battles, then it’s Peter — even more so than Tony. 

5. Again, Peter is 16 in this film and still coping with loss and trauma. He willingly gave controls of EDITH to Quentin because Mysterio had everyone fooled, including Nick Fury/Talos — they’re both highly experienced soldiers. Fooling them wouldn’t have been easy and Mysterio’s plan was extremely well thought-out and perfectly executed. Peter redeem himself in the end and takes back control of EDITH. 

6. Peter and MJ were super adorable. Spider-Man is the only franchise apart from Iron Man, where the secondary lead characters are allowed to grow without it all being about the main hero. MJ is allowed to explore her feelings for Peter and measure them against Brad’s affection. Ned is allowed to also grow in his character and be more than Spider-Man’s best friend/guy in a chair. 

7. Happy and May were also adorable.

8. Happy ruined a perfectly good bed of tulips just to rescue May’s nephew and give him the TLC/pep talk he needed after, again, Beck pushed Peter in front of a high-speed train that would’ve killed an ordinary person. 

9. Peter confusing ACDC with Led Zeppelin is the most Gen Z thing ever. Happy watched Peter design his own suit and it reminded him of the times he spent watching Tony tinker in his lab. You could feel Tony’s absence pretty viscerally in that scene on the jet. 

10. Peter tingle. Lol. 

11. Happy’s words about Tony were beautiful. He said something along the lines of, “Tony was my best friend. He second-guessed everything he did. He was a mess. But the one thing he didn’t second-guess was picking you.” That really furthered the Iron Dad Spider Son narrative.

12. Iron Zombie was the w o r s t thing ever. Again, Beck emotionally manipulated 16-year-old Peter Parker and said if Peter was any good, his mentor would still be alive just as he projected an illusion of a decaying Iron Man corpse attacking him. To give you a sense of how manipulative he really is, he told his guy in the chair that Peter’s blood will be on his hands because he had failed to report a missing drone part that MJ had discovered in Prague. 

13. Peter finally understanding that he doesn’t have to be the next Tony Stark or Iron Man. He just needs to be the next Spider-Man and Peter Parker. 

14. Peter choosing to safeguard EDITH. 

15. J. Jonah Jameson and J.K. Simmons. That is all. He’s the MCU equivalent of Alex Jones and I love him so much. I wonder if this means we’ll see Doctor Strange offer Peter his help to erase everyone’s memories about the reveal of his secret identity. 

16. Every Nick Fury scene automatically becomes 2000x funnier when you realize it’s Talos posing as Fury and 90% of the time, he has no idea what the fuck is going on and he’s just winging it as he goes along. Also, he was furious that he and his wife, as members of a shapeshifting species, were unable to detect Mysterio’s ruse. 

17. Mysterio was a douchebag. Apart from trying to kill actual kids because he feared they might expose him, he did nothing worthy of a hero. He was jealous and angry about Tony, and he wanted to usurp Iron Man without doing any of the hard work. He willingly put people in danger, was prepared to sacrifice people to make his actions seem more realistic and wanted to take credit for saving the day and preventing an Avengers-level catastrophe. I’ve already seen reviewers trying to sympathise with Mysterio, and his persistent attempts to kill a 16-year-old kid because Tony was apparently mean to him. 

18. And, no, Tony did not steal B.A.R.F tech from Mysterio as some review sites are claiming. The narrative is unreliable at best because we hear only Quentin’s point of view — the same Quentin who had been using his holographic tech to deceive people and put them in harm’s way because he wanted to shake the Queen’s hands or some misguided bullshit. He deserved to fired. Plus, he was a Stark Industries employee. Tech companies almost always own the patent to whatever tech you design or invent for them when you’re on their payroll. It’s how corporations work.

19. Tony quoted Henry IV to Fury when he told him to give EDITH to Peter and said Spidey wouldn’t get the reference (Heavy is the head that wears the crown) because it’s not Star Wars. It was a nice, poignant moment — made funnier when you realize that’s Talos in disguise, which means at some point, Fury had to have a conversation with him about Shakespeare and Star Wars. Someone pls write the fic. 

20. The most important thing is that this film actually tried to address the Decimation. Endgame pretended to gloss over it to give Gay Joe Russo his 15 minutes of fame. But this film actually started with May and Peter organizing an event to help the displaced. Pepper sent a huge check and apologized for not being able to make it in person. :( 

20a. I love Jake Gyllenhaal. I had expected Quentin to be a dramatic thot but he really brought a lot of depth to the character. 

Overall, I liked the film a lot more than I had anticipated. Some people are going to scrutinize this film to death to prove Tony was the ultimate MCU villain and, hey, if that’s the hill they choose to die on, I don’t really care. After 11 years and 23 films later, if they still think that Tony was the real villain all along, then nothing we say or Marvel does, will change their mind. 

Personally, I thought this film was a good send off to Tony, now that they’ve firmly established that Peter Parker/Spider-Man is going to be the new face of the MCU and will carry with him the Iron Man legacy. He wasn’t always right and a lot of his choices tended to backfire but, in the end, his motivations were good and he still went out as the man who saved the world. He, unlike Beck, or Vulture before him, never tried to kill a child, not even when he brought him to a parking lot brawl among friends. 

Now, if only Marvel can just leave Tony’s legacy alone and let Peter, and the rest of the MCU, thrive on its own instead of retconning established Iron Man lore to fit new narratives. 

[mageicalwishes]

Ten Books I Want to Read in 2020

I was tagged by @captain-aralias :) So, in no particular order here are some books I want to read in 2020. Also, I really like reading, so I rambled A LOT. Sorry. 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - I’ve seen so many really beautiful quotes from this book on Tumblr, and I bought a copy it a few months ago. However, I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. It sounds like an incredibly moving story though, so I’m definitely looking forward to reading it soon :) 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - This has been sat in my TBR stack for at least 2 years now. Oops. I know literally nothing about this book, excpet that maybe someone gets engaged at some point? Idk. But, generally I really enjoy Rainbow’s more casual, laid-back style of writing (it makes her books incredibly easy to digest), so I’m excited to read some time soon. 

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton - One of my all time favourite books! I re-read this like 3 times a year, and I doubt 2020 will be any different. I studied this book in Year 8 and the story just captivated me. The book follows a group of “Greasers” (basically low-income working-class kids), and documents their struggle as societal outsiders. Their are some really well-written, lovable characters in the book (Namely Johnny and Sodapop). And, overall, it just has a really amazing, interesting plot. It highlights the class differences of the 1960s really well, and I particularly love the sort of “found family” element of the gang. Also, it’s only around 200 pages long, so it’s a fairly quick read. Anyway ... If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it :)

The Fever King by Victoria Lee - I found out about this book on Twitter last week, and the plot outline on GoodReads really interested me. Here’s a little snippet - “The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear. Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.” So, yeah. It sounds like a classic enemies-to-lover romance story (Which is, unarguably, one the greatest literary tropes IMO ;)), with elements of political intrigue (Sort of similar to RWARB and Captive Prince which I love). So, hopefully I can get my hands on a copy of this soon. 

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - I watched the ITV adaptation of this when it was on telly (Like 2 years ago now?), and feel in love with the wit of the main character - Becky Sharpe. Since then, I’ve wanted to read the book. But, I’m pretty sure it’s massive (we’re talking like 2000 pages). And, being a more classic book, I’m a little concerned I might find the language used a little abstruse. However, I really want to challenge myself to try and finally read it this year. 

Birthday by Meredith Russo - I saw this book on Instagram and really, really loved it’s cover/page design, and instantly really wanted to buy it (I’m an absolute sucker for a pretty book). But, looking into it more, I really like the idea of a love story told in snapshots taken over several years. It’s also multiple POV, which I love. Hopefully, I’ll get a hold of a copy soon. Just FYI - Based on my little GoodReads search, it does look like this book covers some pretty heavy topics, and has some potentially triggering content (I, myself, am not particularly sensitive to those things - But others may be, so I just wanted to throw that in here). 

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman - I saw these comics on Tumblr and fell in love with them - They’re painfully adorable. However, I much prefer having physical copies of books than trying to read things online ... So, I’m hoping to get the print books soon, so I can read the story in full at some point this year. 

The Game of Kings (The Lymond Chronicles) by Dorothy Dunnet - From GoodReads - “ Dunnett introduces her irresistible hero Francis Crawford of Lymond, a scapegrace nobleman of elastic morals and dangerous talents whose tongue is as sharp as his rapier. In 1547 Lymond is returning to his native Scotland, which is threatened by an English invasion. Accused of treason, Lymond leads a band of outlaws in a desperate race to redeem his reputation and save his land.” I really enjoyed elements of the SOIAF (GOT) books, and apparently this series is similar in many ways, so it sounds like my sort of thing. I also, just love books with a bit of political intrigue, so the synopsis of this book really interested me. I already have a copy of the first book, I just need to get around to actually reading it. :’)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling - I have a confession ... I’ve never actually read this. My parents bought me a Harry Potter book box set for my 6th birthday, so I’ve read all the other books in the series, but the Deathly Hallows hadn’t actually been published yet. And, for some reason, I never went out and bought it. But, I think 2020 is the year I finally finish reading the Harry Potter books (I’m only like ... A decade late).  

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - I read this a few years ago, but I have pretty much zero memory of it - So I think it’s probably about time for a re-read. I know a lot of people adore this book, and I remember thinking the romance plot was incredibly sweet, but that’s about it. I have no idea what actually happens in this book anymore :,) So hopefully, I’ll find the time to read it again this year. 

I legitimately suck at tagging people, because I know like literally nobody here,  and I’m too awkward to tag like strangers lol (Fun social anxiety thingssss). But, I thought it would still be fun to take part. Sooooo ... I tag anybody reading this who wants to join in! That’s a little bit of a cop-out but ... Shhhhhhh. 

[bohrapbois]

Full Marks

Description - Ben just so happens to fall head over heels for a Mysterious Man who loves baseball and cracking terrible jokes. Mysterious Man also turns out to be the father of one of Ben’s students.

Warnings - Full blown relationship Hardzello, with plenty of angst, fluff and future smut.

Word Count - 2,828

WARNING! Use of homophobic slur and physical violence described in detail. Please be careful with this chapter and feel free to avoid reading it - message me and I will give you a brief description

Parents evening took near enough an entire day of preparing, and as it was a Friday, Ben didn’t feel that bad about throwing on a DVD to distract the kids as he collected the right papers and prepared himself for his first parents evening. It was a bit different sitting the other side of the desk, and he had made Gwil practice with him a few nights of the week. Thinking about it, Gwil was way too happy to complain about Ben and a few things he said seemed a bit too specific. But practice was practice, and Ben needed as much as he could get.

The other classes had done the same thing as Ben today, and all down the corridor you could hear the chirping of excited children and dialogue from well loved movies. Headmaster May had his door propped open and hummed along to the Frozen dialogue coming from the nearest classroom. The school was very adamant of keeping the kids relaxed and letting them enjoy the day as much as they could (whilst still learning).

Ben’s class was halfway through Moana (second time today, because Tommy needed a toilet break and missed a few minutes so the entire class decided to re-watch it from the beginning, although only being ten minutes from the ending) when the bell rang. The screams of protest from the children were near enough deafening, and Ben was sure the parents waiting for their munchkins outside could hear them, but he still had to usher them out. He only had ten minutes to turn his class around before the first parents came in.

He rushed around, fluffing up the bean bags in the corner and organising the books pulled down from the shelves during the day, and with a few minutes left, Ben pulled the button up and tie he had hung up in the storage closet and shrugged them on. It was important that he made a good impression as opinions traveled far in this town, and although Ben had made a good impression on many people, it was a bit different with the parents of his students.

Nervous hands tugged at the bottom of the shirt, and after chewing on the thought, Ben tucked it into the waistband of his trousers. The only really good pair of tailored trousers he owned, the navy fabric had seen him through his graduation and job interviews, and although had been tucked far back in the unorganised mess of a wardrobe, they remained faithful to the blond. The tie was his dads, or so his mum had told him, and had seen better days. Patterned material faded due to age, it had most definitely seen better days, but although Ben didn’t really know his father, the tie offered a small bit of familiar comfort.

He glanced up from his fussing, and saw that he only had a minute before parents would be entering, wanting to hear about how glorious their child was. Ben grabbed some chairs from the storage closet and carried them over to his desk, setting them up inventingly (could chairs be inviting? Did it matter?). He spent longer than necessary setting them up, but he didn’t know what else to do with his hands. He couldn’t start chewing a pen, he’d look unprofessional, and he’s sure that he end up biting through it.

Down the corridor, Ben heard the front doors being propped open, and the welcoming voice of Headmaster May greeted the first families. Ben panicked, rushing around to his side of the desk and grabbing the list of names. He would show example work, and had small portfolios of the children's work to show the parents. His class made him proud, and although they weren’t all on the same level, he understood that children developed at different time. None of them were worryingly behind, and those who were lacking worked well with a little bit extra attention.

Footsteps filled the building, and it wasn’t long before a small family filled his doorway with kind smiles and heartfelt greetings. Clammy palms shook those of more confident parents and the first few meetings went well. A small suggestion of extra study here, funny story there. Gaining more confidence as the day went ahead, when he had a small break in flow, Ben popped into the hallway and grabbed one of the free coffees poured by the headmaster's wife. Ben and Annita chatted about a TV show they were both invested in as he sipped his refreshment, but before long, he was back in his class with another proud mother and beaming child.

In the back of his mind, Ben couldn’t help but notice the lack of Mazzello’s. Surely they’d want to come and have a talk about Beth’s work? She wasn’t the best student and had a wandering mind, but she showed excellent potential. Sure, it’d hurt to see the happy family, but Ben was a professional and could get over his little crush.

Absentmindedly, Ben found he was chewing on a pen. Quickly stopping himself, Ben was glad he had a break and didn’t do that infront of any families. It was turning into evening now, and the mad initial rush had died down. There were a few kids he hadn’t seen, a couple of which he thought that he needed to speak to the families.

Ben’s train of thought was interrupted by a knocking on his open door. Getting up from his chair as he turned to see who it was, he put on a smile. “Hello Mr and Mrs Willis!” He gestured for them to enter. Mrs Willis held onto little George’s hand and waddled over to the seat. Heavily pregnant, she sighed in relief of being able to take some pressure off of her feet. Whereas his wife smiled, Mr Willis hardly ever did anything else other than frowning. Ben had come across this family on a few other occasions, twice in school and once in the shopping centre, and Mr Willis was frowning as he ate icecream with his son, so Ben wasn’t surprised when he stalked his way to sit in the available chair, which looked comically small behind his muscular frame.

Ben directed his smile towards Mrs Willis.

The meeting was going well, or so Ben thought, until he mentioned that George would benefit from some tutoring at home. Mrs Willis nodded, looking slightly upset that her first born needed some aid, but understood where Mr Hardy was coming from. She ran a comforting hand through George’s hair, and was about to ensure the teacher that, yes, they’d make sure he did some extra work, when her husband burst from his chair.

“You saying we don’t know how to look after our boy?” Mr Willis spat, jaw tense and ready to bite. Ben blinked up at the man, holding onto the arm rests as he attempted to understand what was going on. The angered man stepped forward, leaning over the old wooden desk to get in the blonds personal space. Ben leant back in his chair, the squealing of the legs a sharp contrast to the sudden tension building in the room. In this moment, Ben hated that he insisted to have the door closed to have more privacy.

George has started crying, grabbing onto his mother to hide away from his dad. Mrs Willis was in shock, hand on her stomach seeking to comfort her unborn as she pulled George closer to her swollen side. Mr Willis was oblivious on the panic he caused to his growing family, instead fixated on the weasel in front of him who insulted his way of parenting.

(Homophobic slur and violence incoming)

“You just think ‘cause you’re from England that you know better than me, huh?” Nostrils flared, the insults kept coming, and Ben didn’t know what to do. He’d only mentioned Georges dropping grades, hadn’t even insisted that the parents had any do in it, just that some extra work will benefit him. He had mentioned it to a different father who was more than happy to help their kid, so why was this family different? “You’re just a fag who thinks he can tell me how to raise my son?”

Oh. That’s the difference.

Ben felt hot rage course through his blood that this twat thought that who he fancied or wanted to shag would make him any less of a teacher. “I hardly think,” Ben started, holding back his anger as not to scare George, “my sexuality or background make me unable to offer an opinion on how to help your son”.

It wasn’t much of a shock, in fact Ben had been expecting it, when Mr Willis pulled the desk away from Ben, just about avoiding hitting his wife with it, before grabbing Ben up from his chair by his throat and slamming him into wall.

Ben heard a scream, but couldn’t tear his eyes from the bulging ones in front of his own. Mr Willis’ entire face was a furious red, droplets of sweat gathering at his temples as he pushed Ben harder into the wall. Grabbing at the arms holding him up, Ben began pushing back.

-------------------------------------------------

Joe continued to hum the song which had been playing on the radio as he and Beth parked the car as they made their way through the entrance way. Holding his daughter's hand tightly in his own, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back, and Joe knew that she was anxious of what would be said tonight. She loved Mr Hardy and didn’t want to be a disappointment to him.

The humming continued as they both grabbed a drink (Squash for them both) and made their way down the yellow corridor to Mr Hardy’s room. Beth began to drag her feet and slow down, and Joe had to stop and kneel in front of her.

“Pumpkin,” he placed his plastic cup on the paint covered floor, giving her his full attention, “what’s wrong?”

Beth shook her head to begin with, playing with the loose button on her coat, but mumbled out; “I don’t want to make Mr Hardy sad”.

“What you mean?” Joe frowned, gently holding her hand and getting her to look up at him.

“I don’t want him to be sad because of me”. She mumbled again. Seeing his daughters dark brown eyes full of anxiety, Joe pulled her close to his chest and gave her a bone crushing hug and small arms wrapped around his neck. “I know you said he seemed sad this week,” Joe whispers so his daughter can hear him, “but I don’t think that’s because of you Pumpkin”.

“You sure?” She whispered back, sniffling into his shirt.

“100%”, he pulled back from the hug and gave her a gentle smile. She returned it, and both ignored her wet eyes and the snot dribble now on Joe’s clean shirt, which, he picked out especially for this.

Joe grabbed his cup and finished his drink, placing it on the short table behind Beth before the two started down the corridor again, and were a just about to knock on the closed door of Mr Hardy’s classroom when Joe heard shouting. He gripped Beth’s hand tighter as the little girl let out a squeal of fear as the sound of furniture scraping along the floor echoed out of the room. A rough bang made him push his daughter behind him and they backed away from the door.

“Stay here, Elizabeth,” Joe glanced down at his daughter, who nodded in agreement, before her father pushed the door open. Beth shielded her eyes with a tearful wail. Her father’s figure in the doorway didn’t manage to conceal the event in the classroom. Mr Hardy was pushed up against the back wall, standing on his toes as he desperately clawed at the hand around his throat as a fist slammed into the right side of his face, once, twice, before Joe managed to let out an irate yell, charging at the mountain of a man punching the blond.

Beth’s scream alerted those who could not hear the commotion, and teachers heads poked out of classrooms. Families and colleagues alike rushed to the little girl, offering help before realising what had caused her to cry out.

Mr Willis rushed from the room, having been pulled off of Ben by Joe. He shoved past everyone, using their shock to his advantage as he hastily made his way out of the building and driving away before anyone realised what had happened. Mrs Willis was shaking, holding young George in her arms in hopes of giving comfort. Mr Hollander stepped into the room first, rushing the mothers side to check if she was okay.

Joe was kneeling by Ben, holding the younger man up as he slumped against the wall. “In, one two three,” concentrating on getting the blond to take in steady breathes, Joe ignored the worrying crowd.

Unshed tears clouded Bens vision, but he held onto the figure in front of him, a clumsy hand attempting to undo the tie around his neck which felt tight, too tight, please help. The figure in front of him pulled and tugged at the tie until it fell loose across his shoulders, but still Ben was struggling to breath. Through the mix of panic and bruised muscle, he just couldn’t get in a strong enough gasp.

“Call an Ambulance,” someone shouted, the sound too loud. Joe didn’t care, he had to look after Ben. “Come on,” he whispered, maneuvering himself so he was the only thing Ben would be able to see, “steady breathes, come on”.

Eyes trailing Joe’s movements, Ben fixated on anything the figure was doing. Once Joe realised this, he used his hand to make the signals of his chest inflating and deflating, watching as Ben started to copy.

Ben couldn’t hear anything over the blood rushing in his head, the pressure overwhelming. He reached forward and grabbed the figures free arm, holding it in shaky hands. He breathed in, one two three, out, one two three, continuing the process until he got a good gulp of air, choking and coughing as it rushed through his damaged throat, but he managed! He tried again, and again, until it became easier to breath and concentrate. Slowly the figure came into focus, and Ben realised that it was Joe.

Joe couldn’t help the smile on his face when Ben started to breath with more easy. Yes, he was worried about the redness and the shallow cuts on the throat, but Ben was starting to get his strength back, and was sitting up a little straighter. He was still heavily leaning against the filing cabinet, but he was lifting his head and actually looking at Joe.

“Hey,” Joe smiled when Ben was breathing a bit easier, moving from squatting down to sit properly, Ben still holding onto his forearm. The corner of Bens lips turned up in a smile as he wheezed through his breaths, but he was more focused. The pressure in his head was beginning to ease into a headache, which although still annoying, was better than before and Ben blinked heavy eyes against the fluorescent lighting of the classroom.

“Ben,” Allen was by side Joe’s side, and startled them both, but meant well. “Oh my god,” the Irishman ducked down, holding Bens shoulder as he looked the blond over. He was bleeding from the nose, which was undoubtley causing more problem breathing, appeared to be getting a black eye and had a few small cuts across the right side of his face. The throat was more worrying, a hideous dark red with an obvious hand print appearing, but he was breathing unaided.

Joe, realising that someone who cared about Ben was at hand, gently pulled his arm free, nudging Allen. The teacher moved over and took Joe’s place as the red-head got up and stumbled away, legs feeling weak as the shock of what just happened took place. He didn’t know how he got that fucker off of Ben, but in his focused rage he knew that was the only thing that mattered. He wished he could’ve done more, but Ben was safe.

He made his way out of the classroom and that the Headmaster's wife holding his crying daughter. “Oh Beth,” he whined, bee-lining to the position further down the hall they had taken her. He fell to his knees by the chair Annita was sitting in, and gently coaxed his hands to his daughters. Realising her father was there, Beth burst into fresh tears but climbed down to be with him.

“Daddy,” she cried, clutching his shirt as she wailed. Joe’s own tears rolled down his cheeks as he cradled his shaking child. He brushed his lips to the crown of her head, and let the emotions of the last few minutes take over.

Tag List -  @benhardy-1 @hey-holtzy @watercolouredreams @ellie-hegeman @cyndagoaway @zaniath64 @kiraling88 @remy-d14 @deakyswhitequeen

[noisemakerreviews]

‘Joker’ Paints An Uncomfortable Picture of Today’s World

Never did I think I’d see the day where I could parallel even the darkest of Batman themes to the world we live in. 

Todd Phillips’ latest blockbuster Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix as the clown prince of crime we all know and love. Phillips’ other films include the Hangover trilogy, but this new film doesn’t have a happy go-lucky trio trying to remember their drunken stupors and find their fourth mate. 

Joker makes the audience laugh, but in a nervous, sort of uncomfortable way. 

At the Venice Film Festival, Joker received an eight-minute standing ovation. 

Reviews poured in following the Italian premiere and they backed up the hype. Mark Hughes of Forbes said, “The fact is, everyone is going to be stunned by what Phoenix accomplishes, because it’s what many thought impossible — a portrayal that matches and potentially exceeds that of The Dark Knight’s Clown Prince of Crime.”

The film opens with Phoenix touching up his makeup in front of a vanity. He hooks his fingers in the corners of his mouth and pulls them upward in a smile, downwards in a frown, then back up again; a single, mascara-stained tears roll down his cheek, and laughter ensues. 

Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, an eccentric man with a funny laugh and a horrifying past, searching for his identity. The film encapsulates Arthur’s journey with himself and his downward spiral into becoming the Joker.   

There are some prevalent themes within Joker that are worth talking about; the most prevalent being mental health and its effect on people in today’s society. There are several scenes in which Phoenix is sitting in front of his therapist, and she eventually jerks the needle off the record and informs him that the city has cut the clinic’s funding and their meetings must come to an end. The therapist goes on to claim that the higher-ups, “don’t give a shit,” about people like him or her. 

According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, in 2016, 9.8 million adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. had a serious mental illness; 2.8 million of those adults were below the poverty line. Insurance companies have also been known to skimp when it comes to mental health cases, which makes it that much harder for people relating to Arthur to seek help. According to a study published by Milliman, in 2015, behavioral care was four to six times more likely to be provided out-of-network than medical or surgical care. In President Trump’s proposed 2020 budget, his administration aims to cut $241 billion from Medicaid, an assistance program that provides healthcare to low-income Americans.

Dancing is a symbol that is heavy in Joker. According to a Harvard study, “dance helps reduce stress, increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and helps develop new neural connections, especially in regions involved in executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition.” After especially tense scenes, Arthur begins a slow, emphasized dance routine that is hauntingly beautiful.

 With mental health being such a prevalent theme, Arthur clinging onto dancing as a coping mechanism or escape from the world backs up the analysis that he’s doing it to improve his mental health — or at least attempt to. 

In any Batman rendition — comics, movies, TV shows, video games — Gotham is always on fire… literally. In Joker, we see a bright Gotham in the beginning, with normal big-city crimes happening: teenagers stealing things, muggings, etc. By the end of the film, Arthur has bred chaos in the streets, and we see the imagery of Gotham that has become so prevalent within the Batman universe. In both Arthur and Gotham’s descent into madness, there’s an arc that’s ever present: protesting the elite. 

All around the country, protests have emerged to combat the elite. Most recently, climate change has brought criticism on the world’s elite members and their inability to make a change. In the past, police brutality has created protests in riots from victim’s families and their supporters, calling for change in law enforcement procedures. Countless marches have been held in response to several pieces of legislations passed (abortion laws, Planned Parenthood budget cuts, LGBTQ+ rights). 

“Kill The Rich” is a headline that pops up time and time again throughout the film, feeding into this “protest the elite” arc. Arthur guns down three rich men in the subway following their harassment of a woman and a physical altercation between himself and the men. This sparks a movement within Gotham that empowers Arthur and makes him feel noticed, something he’d never experienced in his life before. Citizens of Gotham supporting this movement don clown masks to imitate the suspect, aka, Arthur. 

Joker has faced its fair share of backlash. Stephanie Zacharek of Time Magazine took no prisoners in her review, stating that Joker, “lionizes and glamorizes Arthur even as it shakes its head, faux-sorrowfully, over his violent behavior.” Other reviews have had similar opinions. In 2012, a mass shooting broke out at a Colorado movie theatre during The Dark Knight Rises premiere. The assailant fatally shot 12 people. Family members of the slain victims wrote a letter to Warner Bros. expressing their concerns. 

Sandy Phillips, mother to 24-year-old victim Jessica Ghawi, told The Hollywood Reporter, “I don't need to see a picture of [the gunman]; I just need to see a Joker promo and I see a picture of the killer … My worry is that one person who may be out there — and who knows if it is just one — who is on the edge, who is wanting to be a mass shooter, may be encouraged by this movie. And that terrifies me.”

In what is perhaps its most iconic scene, Arthur eccentrically dances down the stairs that we see him trudge up throughout the film. This is also the first time we see him in that iconic purple suit, green hair, and a full face of makeup. He is dancing to Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part Two,” which has earned the film more backlash. Gary Glitter is a convicted pedophile currently serving a 16-year prison sentence. According to CNBC, Glitter is allegedly slated to receive royalties from the use of his song in the movie. 

People took to Twitter to post their opinions about the film. One user tweeted, “#JokerMovie was the most brutal, uncomfortable and tense movie experience I’ve had in a long time. Joaquin Phoenix is chilling. The film was spot on and did everything it should have for a character like the Joker.”

Another user tweeted, “Outstandingly Disturbing. Prolific. Necessary Blessing to Modern Cinema.”

As much as I enjoyed the film’s premise, production, and Phoenix’s performance, I do think there are some troubling themes that need to be brought up. Arthur often justifies his heinous actions by stating “they deserved it” and using the defense that society treats “people like him” like “trash” so, they should all die. He feeds into the “Kill The Rich” movement that he involuntarily created in the subway when he committed what we presume to be his first murder(s). 

Though I know the concept behind the Joker character, I can see how this can be construed as glorifying gun violence. However, we can’t have the Gotham supervillain without violence and guns. It’s an accurate representation of the character, and it’s unfortunate that it parallels a lot of what’s going on in the world today. 

The Joker is also painted to incite pity within viewers, which a lot of times, it does --- or at least attempts to. This is classic Joker behavior. In Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s comic Mad Love, readers meet Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. She gets assigned to none other than --- you guessed it --- the Joker. Though this woman is highly educated (we won’t talk about the things she did to get that education), the Joker still manipulates her and convinces her to not only help him escape Arkham, but become his partner-in-crime as well; Harleen Quinzel is no more and Harley Quinn is born.

She pities him and his situation, and he spins his tale of woe so expertly that she has the wool pulled over her eyes. Throughout the comic --- and the general timeline for Joker and Harley --- Joker mercilessly abuses Harley, from pushing her out a window to not noticing she was gone for six months. He is a cruel, manipulative psychopath that nobody should follow in the footsteps of; however, he’s good at his job, and Joker showcases that, however controversial and uncomfortable it may be.

Joker is rated R for a reason; not only are there a few F-bombs, the violence is staggering. However, when dealing with a character that is known for inciting violence and not caring about the consequences, tough scenes are necessary. Phillips didn’t shy away from blood and intensity in his murder scenes, and Phoenix went all in when it came to brutality. Personally, (spoiler!) I never really wanted to see Robert De Niro’s brains blown out the back of his skull, but you can’t have the Joker without some blood. 

And finally, while the troubled citizens looking for a leader are terrorizing Gotham following Arthur’s murder of Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) on live television, our hero’s story starts. Thomas and Martha Wayne are gunned down in an alley outside a theatre by a rogue thug and Joker fan, and young Bruce Wayne begins his famous story. 

Joker was original in concept and plot, but had just enough callbacks to the comics to make it permissible. The atmosphere in the full theatre I was in was palpable. There were chuckles and titters here and there when Arthur would make a funny joke, or everyone was just laughing off the tension of the moment. There were also audible gasps and groans when things got especially rough (such as the aforementioned Robert De Niro scene). Joker did exactly what the real Joker would have wanted: it incited a reaction out of people.

I had low expectations going into the movie because, as someone who grew up reading Batman and loving to hate the Joker, I was afraid my favorite complex villain was going to get ruined (looking at you, Jared Leto). I was pleasantly surprised by Phoenix’s performance and Phillips’ take on Mista J, and it was a refreshing performance that was a polar opposite from the late Heath Ledger’s, but equally as convincing and chilling.

An Oscar seems to be on the horizon for both Phillips and Phoenix for Joker. The film is raunchy and tense, and I didn’t know I could hold my breath for two hours. It’s exactly what a Joker movie should be, and I’d encourage anyone to go watch it.

[quietsighsandtiptoes-blog]

Just How to Get Famous and also Make Money On YouTube

YouTube began extremely tiny; in the beginning, it was not a huge audience that checked out YouTube and also shared video clips. Today, you can locate everything on YouTube, from superstar music videos and also star chatter to videos revealing you exactly how to set up your new stereo.

Innovative individuals of all kinds-- soon to be referred to as influencers-- located YouTube to be a brand-new medium to get to an around the world audience. YouTube continues to be a flourishing media mecca where everyone, consisting of influencers, can share ideas, develop art of all kinds and, certainly, make money.

While the variety of customers changes as well as each influencer has his/her very own commonly different story, it is feasible to make serious money on YouTube. Of course, there are also larger chances, such as being an influencer of a certain brand as well as recommending its product.

To obtain his take on how you can come to be a YouTube influencer, I talked with Bart Baker: performer, web-based comic, video clip manufacturer, singer and parody artist. Best known for making apology videos of noteworthy songs for his 9.6 million clients, Baker's channel is the perfect instance of what is feasible on YouTube.

Exactly how did you become famous and build a brand name on YouTube?

I began my channel in my yard with a simple green display. I mosted likely to movie school, so I recognized just how and also what I was doing, and composed and also filmed every little thing by myself. I was wearing latex bodysuits in my yard, and also my moms and dads thought that I was crazy. Surprisingly, it began to function. I obtained sights of my video clips and figured out that apology videos are an excellent way to gather a crazy amount of views with Search Engine Optimization.

People already like music and comedy video clips-- they are both biggest points on YouTube-- and also my videos are a combination of both. Put that along with Search Engine Optimization, and also when you are searching for the new Taylor Swift video clip, you locate mine, which was the winning mix.

I started doing it differently: I spruced up 90-year-old guys in the videos because I needed something that would attract attention. Once that started to do well, I placed myself in the videos as well as developed my face as the brand, and also it truly took off. The video clips turned into virtually musicals with a beginning, center as well as end, as well as they're twisty, so individuals stay.

Just how did you turn that from amusing individuals to earning money?

Well, obviously, the No. 1 point on YouTube is that you make money from the ads; you require to have a crap load of sights to make an excellent amount of money on YouTube, particularly now, with the new ad apocalypse point still taking place. But, AdSense is the very first point you're going http://samuellozano.es/como-ser-youtuber/ to begin generating income from on YouTube. Brand name deals allow, yet that comes when you get even more well established, I would certainly state.

Additionally, there are a ton of revenue electrical outlets I make use of, like Merch by Amazon, and I sell all of the tunes on iTunes. There are numerous means you can deal with it, so it simply depends on how crazy you wish to obtain.

If a person was starting out, what pointers would you give them to get going?

First, determine specifically what you want to do and stick to it. You need to be consistent with that otherwise people will not know what the network has to do with.

After that, as soon as you have that figured out, discover every internet site and also blog that would feature your material, potentially. When you don't have any kind of clients, It is near impossible for people to find you, particularly currently. At that time it was a bit simpler, but now every single person wants to get on YouTube.

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Ryan Upchurch Movie And Songs: The hits that made him famous

Ryan Upchurch, who was born May 24, 1991, has been professionally known as Upchurch. He has been a well-known American performer who belonged to Cheatham County, Tennessee. He lives on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee. Upchurch had started gaining popularity as a comedian who has been creating videos on various platforms. In that way, he has also gained support and fans. To make an immense income, he also sells the merchandise. With his skills, he has become the “country rapper.” Here, you will get the updates regarding Ryan Upchurch Movie And Songs.

Music career

Upchurch started with uploading videos to YouTube, and with that, he had released an extended play, Cheatham County, in 2015. He did that with a full-length album, Heart of America, 2016. It happened so that both releases reached the top 30 Billboard Top Country Albums chart. In addition to that, Heart of America sold 1,300 copies in the first week of release.

The latest updates regarding the albums

Later on, Upchurch released the second full-length album, Chicken Willie, released in August 2016. With that, he had also reached No. 22 on Billboard's Top Country Albums. He secured position No. 11 on the Rap Albums charts. With that, he also went with selling 2,800 copies in the first week. In 2017, Upchurch went on to release another EP titled Summer Love. It proved to be completely country-oriented that has no elements of rap music. With that, he also went with a studio album titled Son of the South. Summer Love got its debut at No. 33 in the Top Country Albums chart. He got the support with the 3,700 copies sold. He also got recognition with Son of the South, debuted at No. 29, and got support with 48,100 copies sold.

The fifth studio album, King of Dixie by Upchurch, was released on November 10, 2017, and features 19 tracks. The first rock album, Creeker, got a release on April 20 focused on a rock with few rap elements. August 2018 release Supernatural proved to be an amazing hit as a rap-focused album with some country elements that got the position as No. 6 on Billboard's Top Country Albums. December 2018 album, River Rat, also secured the position of 22.

Upchurch has been steadily growing with his career, and he also released his next album, Creeker II, in April 2019, with which he was featuring 10 songs like Gassed Up and Hillbilly Psycho. Later on, he released Parachute on September 24. Upchurch also developed a reputation as a comedian before he started combining humor, rap, and rock. The updates by MoneyproMax suggest that the Ryan Upchurch Net Worth is around $4 million.

Special sensitivity to art and beauty proved to be one of the major reasons behind his fame. In addition to that, he also secured special popularity for his fondness for quiet living. Ryan has always shown himself as a gentle, attractive, hardworking, softhearted, considerate, and persistent personality.

Famous comics, rappers, and musicians have also gained fame with the YouTube channel. He is also famous for the blissful and generous lifestyle that he has presented.

The latest songs by Upchurch show the latest music (2021) release, including the new album Mud to Gold. Upchurch had released its next album, “Mud To Gold,” on March 9, 2021.

An established career

Ryan Upchurch has always been known by stage name Upchurch. Singer-songwriter from Cheatham County, Tennessee, has been residing in the outskirts of Nashville for a long time. The comedian gathered fame with the posting videos to different websites that gathered him both attention and followers.

Serious alter ego, based hick-hop performer Upchurch started his music career as a musician. He had pursued the career of singing songs that turned out to be warmer and more relatable than intentionally rowdy rap material. Upchurch had also purposefully built Upchurch the Redneck. It proved to be a witty character based on stereotypes of Deep South young men. He also entertains friends and himself.

Upchurch also began filming videos that include his friends. He also started full phase with the career in 2014, thus portraying the Upchurch character demonstrating rapping abilities. Upchurch began uploading videos online, and by May 1015, he released an EP Cheatham County. The EP came as the debut number 29 on the album's chart Billboard 200. Online presence dominated hick-hop comedy clips, and it started gaining potential by February 2017. Song “Where It All Went Down” proved to be the current county number. With that, the fans got a glimpse of God-given talent.

A highlight of the career journey of Ryan Upchurch

Country, southern rock, Pop rap, hip-hop, rapcore, and rock proved to be some of the best of Ryan’s musical styles. Musical debut in 2016 turned out to be the release of Heart of America. In this way, he got position #5 in America’s Heatseekers chart, United States. In 2016, Upchurch released the album Chicken Willie and debuted at #1 on the US Heatseekers chart.

The US Heatseekers chart also secured at #11, the United States on the Rap and Indie charts. Bad Mutha Fucka got the release in 2016 and also debut at #2 US Heatseekers chart.

Final words

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