#spader did not mean to see them. or for them to see him.

[itissadbutitsmy-artblog]

i remembered the spirit realm. hey guys

[mispelled]

I drew the guys on brand enough times that I think I deserve a lil bit of self indulgent semi-humanization. for funsies

[alpydk]

Question first:

How hard you wanna be destroyed?

Ah shit...here it comes, if you don't like one skip it.

So be prepared to be destroyed by the HORRIBLE QUESTION GAME🔥☠️ (Friday, what could go wrong?)

3 + 13 +27+29+36 +37+54+61+63+64+70

(I have my problems to choose single ones it seems)

Me? Destroyed? I think you're confusing me with someone weaker. Like Steve Burnside. Watch me lose some followers now because of some of these answers (54 especially)

03: Do you regret anything?

Oh, tonnes of things. If I had a time machine, I'd probably be using it constantly for things. Dropping out of college, starting to s/h, getting married to my ex, resigning from my job at Blizzard, all the shit with my dad, all the times I never said no... Long fucking list.

13: Do you hate anyone at the moment?

I get too lazy to hate people. I get incredibly angry at people and hold grudges, but hate? Ehhhhh. I've always hated Andie McDowell. Never met her, no idea what she is like as a person. Just get irrationally angry when she is on the TV.

Look at her... Thinking she stands a chance with the God that is James Spader. Alpy disapproves.

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

Yes. See first marriage. Married my 'high school sweetheart' after 7 years together. We sort of became more friends than we did a couple. He was clingy, emotional, dependent on me for everything, and I was a headcase much like I am now who did not need a mummy's boy gazing at me lovingly all the time. For a long while, I believed I was simply asexual. Turns out I just wasn't attracted to him. Met someone at work, started getting emotionally involved with the guy. Ex found out, started crying. I went cold on him completely, realised saying 'I love you' was an automatic response rather than actually meaning it. He left the Friday. Come Monday, I was in bed with the new guy. We were divorced 9 months after getting married. 29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? See above. But then he cried at everything so it could have just been the sunset or something.

36: Do you give out second chances too easily?

My partner says I do, but I'm not so sure. I think it's more I'm selective about who I give those chances to. Are they someone I can actually trust who has just fucked up or at they someone who's just fucking useless and not worth the stress? (Can you see where Thomas comes from now?)

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget?

Definitely forgive. Ask forgiveness, not permission, as the old saying goes. I have forgiven so many things over the years, but you can guarantee I have logged every single one of those things for next time when I'm inevitably let down.

54: Is cheating ever okay?

Oooo.... Let me go against the grain (as usual) and say yes. Abusive relationships need an out sometimes and if fucking another person is that out, then so be it. Like yeah, we can all go on about how you just need to communicate and blah blah blah, but in reality, shit like that doesn't always work. You're not always going to find compromise and sometimes a person just isn't going to be mentally sound enough to either leave or stay in a relationship. How many people are staying with partners (in mostly good relationships) because they're afraid of hurting that person or because they have no other choice in the matter? Cheating could help both of them out.

61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby?

No. It's patronising as fuck. Stop with that shit.

63: Would you change your name?

Took me long enough to get my changed as it was. I was known by my middle name until 9 years ago. But even then, I don't think I would. I have a pretty bitching name. I think I'd rather change it to something more neutral if anything, like Max or something. Charlie was always a great name growing up. Maybe that. How is this a horrible question?

64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?

Last person was my partner so no. Who are we kissing that would suddenly make it difficult to kiss them again? 70: Is there anyone you would die for?

My kid is probably the only person I wouldn't even hesitate about. Sure I love my partner, but... it's not that simple. So yeah, my kid. And possibly Gale, if he were to exist in my life and love me and all the over caveats that would be required.

[apoptoses]

I know I’m a WHOLE week late to this but last week kicked my ass in so many ways and I’m just getting the chance to have a proper break and take in the madness that was #vckinkweek. The good people of tumblr TURNED tf up and it makes me so damn happy 🥹 I had to start wth Red, Violent Red because of course I had to 🥹

You really said “fuck it, let’s just give DA everything she’s ever wanted”. Impact play! Dirty talking! Breeding kink! Riccardo flashbacks! It was so insanely hot and intense, I’m absolutely obsessed and I know I’ll be coming back to this one whenever I’m in need of a comfort fic (because Armand begging for Daniel’s cock IS extremely comforting to me thankyouverymuch). I can’t thank you enough for taking what was only a half formed prompt in my head and turning into nothing short of biblical smut. 

Like how am I supposed to move on with my life when this line exists: “He keeps thinking of what Daniel had said, that now that he’s dead nothing belongs in this part of him. It’s just a home for Daniel’s cock. Armand lets out a desperate sound against his lips at the thought and sinks straight down until their hips meet.” I’m scandalized yet so soft!!! Armand wanting to be consumed by Daniel as much as he wants to consume him is truly one of the pillars of their relationship. He fucking loves to boss Daniel around but more than happily crawls on the floor for him whenever he has to. And that’s why they work so well together. Your vision!!! 🤌 🤌 🤌

Moving onto Lift Up the Receiver... jesus christ lmao. THEE Night Island fic we needed AND deserved. The vibes were immaculate, so cinemanic (I mean... clearly!). Decadent, delirious, hot as hell, SO 80′s. And YES that had Spader!Daniel written all over it, and boy did the mental pictures delivered. Daniel in the white suit with his exposed chest and long legs in full businessman mode, acting all snarky while obviously horny as hell lmaooo CRUELTY. I’ll never be free from this Daniel now and I need SO MUCH MORE OF HIM!! You can truly see why Armand loves riling his ass up and can never get enough of him. And I loved how palpable the shift was from your other fics with Daniel in his early/mid 20′s vs. this one here where he’s clearly in his late 20′s/early 30′s. I will literally never shut up about this. SO GOOD. That’s my man right there!!!

Just had to let all that out before properly sinking my teeth into the Riccardo/Armand oneshot now. I’m so excited!! Will be back with more as soon as I can!

You did it again fr fr xoxo DA ❤️

dungeon anon i missed you so much during kink week!! i'm so glad you're back and catching up!!!

I just loved doing a fic where Armand submits but then also dominates in the end, like he really does it ALL there. And I think about that bit, about his body only being a home for Daniel's cock all the time. All of his functions are useless! The only organ he needs is his heart and the rest of him is just for a lover's pleasure, for Daniel's pleasure in specific, and how mind blowing must that be for both of them to think about? It's intimate and obscene.

I absolutely plan on doing more with Armand willingly and happily submitting so be patient, it'll happen ♥

I'm so thrilled that out of anything, you noticed that Daniel read as slightly older in the Night Island fic. Because I wanted that! He's not just Armand's sugar baby now, he's his business partner and he's running the hell out of this island during the day while Armand sleeps. He's a little more weary, a little more serious and snarky, but still head over heels for this hot little 500 year old boyfriend who won't stop pestering him.

And he's super fucking hot in his Miami get ups. Spader in Pretty Pink- that's the wardrobe. Linen suits, salmon pink shirts half buttoned. He's very Miami Vice, upgraded from sugar baby to sugar daddy in his own right, and how could Armand NOT come into that office and jump him?

Please come back when you read the Amadeo and Riccardo, I want to hear your thoughts ♥ I loved writing it and I love your takes and the details you pick up. So I'm eagerly waiting for your commentary.

xoxo

[arctimon]

What If...? (Big Hero 6 Edition)

So the next Marvel series set to release is What If...?, a series of nine episodes that will focus on alternate events and timelines that occur within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The series, based off of the comic series of the same name, will premiere on August 11th, running straight through October 6th. The show was suppose to have ten episodes in both Season 1 and 2 (which is already being worked on), but producer Brad Winderbaum mentions in an interview that they had to push an episode back because of, you guessed it, the pandemic:

"We had to push an episode into Season 2. It was just, honestly, like everything else, that was a COVID impact," Winderbaum told Collider. "There was an episode that just wouldn't hit the completion date, but luckily we do get to see it in the second season of the show."

Judging by both the poster and the trailer, we know of a few scenarios: Peggy Carter becoming Captain America, an alternate Avengers lineup battling at New York, Black Panther as Star Lord, Marvel Zombies (of course there’s zombies), and Spider-Man as the Sorcerer Supreme.  Inverse has an article breaking all of the possibilities down.

A lot of the actors who portray their characters in live action will reprise their roles for the animated series, including the late Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther/Star Lord.  Star...Panther?  Black Lord? That last one sounds wrong. Among those not coming back are Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, and Dave Bautista as Drax.  Bautista was, according to the man himself, wasn’t even asked to come back to voice Drax.  Others include Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, James Spader as Ultron, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Elizabeth Olson as the Scarlet Witch, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and various members of the Dora Milaje.  They have all apparently been confirmed to be appearing in What If...? in some form or another, but voiced by different people.

It will certainly be an interesting show, but I hope you can see where I’m going with this.

The Big Hero 6 fanbase has a lot of burning questions for the show and movie, and it’s not all just unanswered ones about what happens after the show ended.  I think collectively there are a few common “what-ifs” that we have in our minds about the team.  I think the most obvious one involves one of the Hamada brothers, and that branches off into other what-ifs as well.

Granted, not all of these are reality-altering hypotheticals like there are in the show or comics, but they can still change the course of the movie or show in a huge way.

1.) What if...Tadashi had survived the fire?

Tadashi being a survivor of the fire that takes down the exhibition hall brings up a few interesting conundrums.  Would he be scarred for life?  Would he even be able to complete school?

And if Hiro still made the team, would he end up becoming Sunfire like a lot of fans theorize?

The thing is that Callaghan knows that Tadashi died in the fire.  If he knew that he didn’t, would that change his motivations?  Would he still be using the Microbots knowing that the person that was trying to “stop” him was still alive? Alternatively, you also have...

2.) What if...Hiro had died instead of Tadashi?

Hiro was probably about two seconds away from being fully engulfed in that giant fireball.  It’s entirely plausible that he (or possibly both Hamadas) could have perished in the fire instead of his brother, which sort of leads to the same circumstances as the first question, just with different powersets.  Tadashi would no longer be tied to fire-based powers but the magnetic equipment that that Hiro currently uses.

But one has to think about whether Tadashi would be in the right state of mind to be a hero long term.  Seeing his kid brother perish in the accident would probably cause him to go insane, and perhaps the rest of the team would have to reel him in.

3.) What if...Baymax had killed Callaghan?

It’s worth noting that if Honey Lemon had been about three seconds later on getting the healthcare chip back into Baymax, this wouldn’t have been a “What If?” question.

And sure, the team would have saved the day, but at what cost?  The permanent scarring of a fourteen-year-old?  And what would have come of the major revelations after that fight concerning Project Silent Sparrow and Abigail?

Maybe they would have been the ones to build the portal to the other dimension to try to save her.  That would similar to what happened in the original manga (where Tadashi actually helps with the construction of the original portal and got sucked in as a result). 4.) What if...Baymax had saved Obake in “Countdown to Catastrophe”?

Obake dismissed Baymax after his hideout started collapsing near the end of Part 2, and you could tell that Baymax was seriously considering rescuing him before leaving him in his chair amongst the rubble.  Ultimately, however, he did leave him behind after Obake’s insistence.

Imagine what would have happened if he had gone against his programming and saved his life.

The relieved group hug on the beach would have been replaced with a disheveled (and probably a little damp) Obake.  Hiro would have been staring hiim down in disbelief.  Perhaps there would even be another fight, or at least the makings of one.

And then Obake would give himself up for arrest.

Maybe that’s where Chief Cruz could have been introduced.  It would have given a good lead into the next season, and it would give Megan’s meeting with Hiro in Season 2 a little bit more meaning.

And finally, because I’m a shipper and we have to go there:

5.) What if...Karmi had never left SFIT at the end of “City of Monsters”?

We know from the boards that Bob Schooley posted that “City of Monsters” was originally going to end very differently than what actually made the final cut.  It seemed that Karmi, in addition to getting a nonsensical boyfriend named “Flammarion”, was not suppose to leave SFIT in the early draft.

So what if Hiro had shown up to her lab, and instead of seeing this...

He saw this?

Or...something a little less dramatic?  Maybe just her packing up stuff because she’s in the process of leaving?  And Hiro had to say something in order for her to stop what she was doing? And how exactly would you achieve that? See, if that scenario happened, I think that this particular point would be where Hiro told her about being in Big Hero 6.  And of course Karmi wouldn’t believe him, even though she’s now in love with him crushing on him.

Then, he takes her to the base.

And she turns back to him with an incredulous look.

And roll credits.  What a cliffhanger to go into Season 3 with. I vaguely remember fanart depicting that exact scene (Hiro taking Karmi to the base), but I don’t remember who did it.  I would like to give them the proper credit. Season 3 would have looked totally different if that took place.  Maybe it would have been an actual season and not a bunch of mini stories.  Also...perhaps Karmi would have joined the team proper.

And maybe we would have finally had a giant canonical Karmiro moment.

...Now that is a big “What if?”.

(Marvel’s What If...? premieres on Wednesday, August 11th on Disney+.)

[alyblacklist]

Hey, I know you are not feeling the most friendly toward Red and TBL in general right now but I can't help but wonder of Red was right. I mean Liz was killed by Van Dyke (was that his name) who worked for Townsend. Townsend wanted Liz dead because of whatever Ivan Stepanov told him. I assume that was Red's big secret. If so, wasn't Red right about not telling Liz the secret. I mean she has a history of trusting people even though she doesn't know them well. Example: she trusted Jennifer after they had just met. Jennifer could have been working for an enemy yet Liz trusted her because of a biological connection (which she had no proof of). Also, blonde Kat, need I say more. She has proved that she has no sense of loyalty whatsoever betraying Red and the task force multiple times:

1.21/ 1.22 (Though, she had just found out that Red killed her father. I think that can be excused)

Season 3- she faked her death- did she not consider what she would be doing to Red, Ressler, Cooper, Aram, Samar and Dembe or did she just not care ? using gifs to make my point

Season 6- She turned Red in, nearly getting him killed and putting the TF, including herself, in danger. What if the government had decided to disavow all of them??

Season 8- She goes on the run, betraying the people who've stood by her for years and dedicates herself to killing the man who's protected her since she was a kid and has literally traded his life for hers. All of this for a woman who claims to be her mother. She values this alleged biological connection so much she ignores all the horrible things she knows blonde Kat has don.

Liz says she values honesty above all else and hates Red for not telling her things, but she constantly lies to, uses and manipulates the people she calls her family.

Opinions?

Thanks!

im posting this on my blog too.

I've gone back and forth on whether I should even answer this ask because I'm like a week late due to life events intervening but maybe I do need to say it:

I categorically and emphatically disagree with the idea that Red was EVER right in not telling Liz his secret because Liz was somehow untrustworthy. Liz resorted to trusting virtual strangers such as Jennifer and the fake Katarina only after Red repeatedly and mercilessly withheld basic information about HER OWN LIFE from her for years, all the while killing her adoptive father, admitting he "hired" her husband, killing Mr. Kaplan, killing her "mother" as far as she knew until the very end, keeping Kirk and Tom and anyone else who ever tried to get her the truth from telling her to the point that Tom died, all the while telling her it was either none of her business but done for her "protection"....I mean, come ON. She was not a child! She was a 35+ mom of a child who deserved to know why she was in all of this nebulous, supposed "danger" her whole life. She deserved to be invested in Red's plans especially when he expected her to take over his empire. What - she was supposed to do that blind to its purpose? To figure it out from that stupid letter?

Red held all the cards from day one. He allowed Dembe, and Dom and Ivan Stepanov - the important MEN in his life to know his secret and yet he couldn't bring himself to ever tell Liz. This is probably my biggest issue with the show right now. It was like everyone BUT Liz got to know "THE TRUTH." Even in the end - even after his SWORN ENEMY Townsend learned "THE TRUTH" he had to condition LIZ learning it on that stupid letter and his requirement that she KILL HIM? Who does that? Why is that in any way acceptable? We don't know. The only reasons we (the audience) were even given were a whole bunch of none of your business and I'm not sure why I can't tell her. Nothing - NOTHING - that Liz ever did supports how Red treated her in the end. Nothing except Red's colossal ego.

If the bones were really her biological father's as we have been told, she had a right to know that and why.

If Red is her biological mother as they hinted, it's even worse. And no, I still don't accept that as canon but I can't deny that's where they've left us with the teasing. Because then there is no larger motive or purpose to protect her mother or innocent third parties. Then, it is exactly as presented in 8.21/8.22 - all of this only to keep her mother (Red) hidden and Liz "safe" (an abject failure in the end). What a whole lot of death and destruction to protect a woman who wanted nothing more than to know WHY she needed to be protected. Who desperately wanted agency over her own life and deserved to have it. Who was an ADULT with a child of her own.

Even if Red is NOT her mother and is still an unrelated third man (as I hope) it's not much better. Maybe then he's at least conflicted between protecting Katarina/others while keeping Liz in the loop but this again begs the question - why enter/re-enter her life at all? Why keep her in the dark on these nebulous threats when the biggest threat ever seemed to be chasing after the mother she wasn't even aware of until AFTER Red entered her life? She was FOUR when her mother died. She was never, ever in danger unless and until the world learned she was leverage to get to Katarina, which they never would have learned had Red not done what he did for his own selfish reasons.

From where I sit, there was never, ever a good reason not to tell her why she was in danger and what her connection was to Red and to let her be a full invested player in her own future, and Agnes's future. I think Liz could have been trusted if Red would have trusted her. Yes, I get we wouldn't have a show if they had chosen to fill her in. It's the premise. But to see any part of audience defend Liz remaining in the dark after eight seasons because they just love Red/Spader so much that he can do no wrong, nope, I'm not ok with that. As things stand now, there was never a reason for Liz not to know "THE TRUTH" beyond Red's ego. And I guess that is why I cannot look forward to S9 because if he gets to prance around and pretend like nothing happened and it wasn't all his fault, and everyone happily claps while he does his thing, I will still be seething and raging. Liz deserved better. We - the audience - deserved better than for Raymond Reddington to be the "strong female character" of the Blacklist (I can't believe I actually have to type that). What a mess.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

adventure time wizard city liveblog

 well here we go

my last adventure time liveblog, i havent actually done one of these in MANY years... probably not since 2014

this takes place at the same time as obsidian?

DID-- DID CHOOSE GOOSE JUST DIE

DID BUFO JUST KILL CHOOSE GOOSE

yeah i know that’s bufo, they only made it enormously obvious, tsk tsk

@spaceacepearl​ joked about us seeing choose goose get sent to hell but i diDNT EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN

This music is i assume by one of the many musical artists Adam Muto listed on twitter, it rocks. It’s not as hardcore as Obsidian’s intro, but it’s suitably chill for the scene. 

“get offa my bus kid”

Those wizards in the left and far right groups appear to be new! 

OH MY GOD--

HELP?????? NEW PROFILE PIC TIME

HAHAHAHAH

THE MUSICAL CON DID ME GOOD, I DID REALLY LOUD AUDIBLE LAUGHTER

i bet hanna and co had fun making these signs

my favourite is the cat with “FAMILIARS HAVE RIGHTS”

cadorka..... wow

We’re not even four minutes into the ep and peppermint butler has already killed someone in front of a large group of witnesses

“this smells of DARK MAGIC” “yall kids know thats illegal right” peps watches the other kids nod before later joining in, LOL

i cant believe pep started the great gum wars and got killed by golb

SOMEONE has been playing Overwatch... 

i-- i still cant believe choose goose is fucking dead

how long was he stuck in hell for, or was that recent to together again after new death showed up 

i have to admit im not a big fan of spader, too perfect, and not in that funny way either. i hope they give him some characteristics that make him stand out. 

im getting flashbacks to OK KO and Owl House here...

Cadebra using music is a reference to Abracadaniel’s love of interpretetive dance in Play Date. 

“they only laugh because youre different” “i know” “SO STOP BEING DIFFERENT” oh my god it’s like talking to my own parents cadebra is actually... a LOT like me, less in her hyperactivity but more in her nonchalant enthusiasm and almost acceptance of the inevitable bullying because it means more time in people’s consciousness

ahhh - it’s quietly revealed here that she is responsible and a skilled magician, she is just bored of magic! i like that she parents abracadaniel instead of being downtrodden by his ramblings. 

PEP NO--- oh i see the problem, he hasn’t got his Bug Milk... sorry Martin Olsen fans, no Hunson today. At least we get one more Phil Face for the road! 

candy people in their natural habitat

Ahhh that’s Doctor Calidoneus! The voice actor was at the recent Distant Lands panel alongside Pep and Blaine’s actors. 

“pretty sure hes just trashcandy” - i like you, sassy antler lady

the mystery of how he gets clothes

and once again spader is proving to be the most irritating distant lands character of the lot, there is no subversion here. where is the subversion?  

NANI

what is going on here? are pep and peppermint the same person or not? im sure they must be, but there is something going on here with peppermint butler’s soul being trapped in the body of his child self who hasn’t got the same memories. 

OH, HYNDEN WALCH DID A NEW LINE yes this is what im here for, special over 

peppermint butler cursed himself... of course he did - Shado was correct!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT THE FUCK

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

ROCK STUDENT, BLESSED ROCK STUDENT, WAS THAT POOR GUY WHO LOOKS LIKE A JAWBREAKER

love the reference to astral plane, of course pep cant astrally project because cursed pep is still inside of him 

wow, blaine, wow

they have a crush

LITTLE DUDE! COLE SANCHEZ!

i love the dynamic between cadebra and abracadaniel, imo so far it’s the heart of the special. im not really gripped by peppermint butler’s school troubles. i imagine someone else probably will be but i want to run past that shit as far as possible. 

TRDGFYGHJH

WE

WE MADE  A PREDICTION THAT WAS JUST LIKE THIS

PEPPERMINT BUTLER GETTING TURNED INTO THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF PEPPER MINT BUTT LURE WAS IN THE WIZARD CITY PREDICTIONS ART DRAW THAT HASNT BEEN POSTED YET

ILL SHOW YOU WHEN NICK POSTS THE VIDEO and then ill tell you who made the prediction because i... think it was nick himself, insanity 

who plagiarized finn’s signature???

turns out pep really DID take over wizard city!!!!

i love this band

i understand your pain peps

you probably have a bit too much in common with your mother, and i imagine it isn’t easy being turned into a kid and not being able to do stuff that came so easy. you’re disappointing yourself! (he’s literally disappointing himself)

I’m less than halfway through the special, what the fuck. I wasn’t wrong when I said Wizard City had a lot on its plate. It’s noit that I’ve been particularly gripped up to this point, though to be fair I didn’t pause at all during the other specials barring Obsidian. 

that... that poor kid is still a rock

and then the preview happened and bufo casually revealed to the audience that, yes, he killed choose goose

i dont know whats happening with pep but it seems he needs to be exorcised of... pep. which is a shame. i hope they learn to coexist. 

i have to say the background work in this special is really good! like, really damn good. 

WH

WHAT

DID SPADER JUST DIE

IS THIS WHY PEOPLE THINK PEPBUT KILLED HIM 

oh thats right - abracadaniel is cadebra’s uncle! this must be abracadniels sister. sorry, folks, he doesn’t fuck. 

Where are they? Is this anywhere near Wizard City? It’s an unpopulated prewar wasteland. 

THESE ARE JUST HUMANS

OF COURSE SHE WANTS TO PERFORM TO MILQUETOAST HUMANS

my child

is this an art style choice or did they get the people from that one studio to make this

HANNA FINALLY GETS TO FULFIL HER DREAM OF INSERTING KANEDA INTO ADVENTURE TIME

the red jacket he wears and his head pill shape is a big kaneda reference actually, which i suppose makes sense considering he’s a rival to our protagonist, but it’s a bit on the nose

bufo killed one of his own students? but why????

“MY UNCLE’S A COP”

“no one likes a rat”

i actually really like blaine, though im confused. did their VA change halfway through the special?

HOW NATURAL, NO WASTE, IT IS AN ENDLESS CHAIN

did doctor caledonius steal the trophy,,,? 

EVIL SNAIL EVIL SNAIL

MONMSTER HUNJTER DISCOVERY NOISE, this time it’s a tetsucabra

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I HAVE QUESTIONS

god i wish this is what this special was about, i miss adventure time

these remind me of the comics with their art style :) i wonder who designed them? the one on the right with pb and pep, in particular, very comics-y. 

fdgfhgf because he’s like 500

“pep can be kind of a jerk but he wouldn’t kill anyone”

sorry, cadebra, i have news for you

is doctor calednoius the true villain? if bufo’s out of the picture, she MUST be, 

ANTS

oh no, he might gbe stuck in wizard city :( 

HELP

the writing on the wall...

SPADER LITERALLY FUCKING DIED OH YM JESUS CHRIST

PEPPERMINT BUTLER’S OWN CULT????

THIS IS JUST OK KO NOW

okay im not surprised all the teachers at wizard city are cultists in worship of peps, maybe they killed spader and bufo because they bullied peps T_T

wait no, they thought spader had the potential, but sadly not

HE FUCKING KILLED HIMSELF

sorry, i was distracted by the pretty dope fight sequence and now the special is over????

fucking jesse, hes probably at least partly responsible for the cult nonsense

This credits art is by Maya Petersen!!!! Holy shit it’s adorable!

LRETGFDRGTFGMHGFHFG

LEAF MAN

DO YOU THINK THEY PUT HIM IN RETROSPECTIVELY

DO YOU THINK MAYA PETERSEN DREW THIS AND ADAM PUT IT IN THE EP RETROSPECTIVELY

HE LIVES

MAYBE THIS IS WHY CHOOSE GOOSE WENT TO HELL

okay, it’s over :) 

first thoughts out of the way: not a big fan of this special. it’s like watching a completely different show. it’s not got the PZSHAHH of the normal wizard city stuff and there weren’t a lot of funny jokes or even hearty moments in the thing. 

it suffers from a lack of invested character interactions, much like BMO did. there was not a single main cast member in the whole thing! and like i said before, much of peppermint butler’s character in the show is based on his very sweet relationship to his mother, princess bubblegum, so when they showed a single (hilarious) photo of them together it made me sad we didn’t get any scenes with them together. it would have STOLEN this episode. and they teased the hunson golf photo, and death!!! and jake appeared in a photo T_T last jake appearance. 

it also suffers because Peppermint Butler is clearly not himself, imo he was way more entertaining in the Together Again special, where we seem him back to his “normal” self. 

i dont think peps being a dark wizard was something to “kill off” exactly. i wonder what was going on there? was that actually peps, or was that a spirit he cursed himself with based on himself? we at least know in the future he does become a dark wizard again, and even princess :) this special didn’t answer those questions but lol. 

THE GOOD STUFF, because yes, there was a lot of good stuff! 

God, I’m with Aracle and Maya on this - I LOVE Cadebra and her relationship to Pep. I wish she was even in more of this - I would love to watch the adventures of Cadebra and Pepbut in their first year of school, like in the end credits.

That, imo, is where the heart of the special lay - Peppermint Butler’s attempts to impress himself, versus Cadebra’s self acceptance and desire to follow her dreams of being a goofy goober, no matter what other people thought of her. 

It turned out that Cadebra is a responsible student and family member. I really liked that. Her scenes with Abracadaniel were, somehow, my favourite in the entire special! 

I like that theres a lot of cool magic towards the end of this special, and a lot of HORRIFYING DEATH. It wouldn’t be adventure time if you didn’t randomly kill off child characters. Poor Spader, I hated you but damn, what a grim fate. 

I like that Bufo and Caledonius had this crush/hatred thing going on, but they were part of the same cult in the end. 

I didn’t like the giant peps scene at the end, the monster was extremely milquetoast compared to the madness we usually get in AT. Obsidian, for example, had the awesome Larvo design. Nemesis had some INSANE dark magic!!!!  I wish they drew more from that episode. 

Considering how much Steve Little appears in this special, I do feel bad for Mace (little Peps). He said he would have really benefitted from coaching, but recieved none. He had to re-record his lines 3 times! Judging from his description of events, Wizard City was a hard time for him. 

The wizard school did remind me, heavily, of both The Owl House and OK KO. Personally I was hoping AT would offer me something more insane, but I do love both of those shows, and I know Wizard City was on a really tight schedule. 

I think they should have spent less time on the school bullying plot, and skipped straight to MURDER. 

We did have a cold opening, not on par with Together Again’s at all, but damn!

I am wondering where I would put this in the watch list? I do think it should sit after Obsidian as the third special. The intro scene makes it clear this takes place at the same time as Obsidian!!!

Well, that was it, the last ep of AT for the next few years at least T_T

i think together again was the better finale, definitely. but wizard city feels pretty detached from AT for me, despite the familiar characters it tonally isn’t like the show other than the awesome brutal death scenes. I thought the last 11 minutes was easily the best in the special! Which, honestly, is how it should be, though I do wish it gripped me more. Maybe I’m just not the target audience for Wizard City? It feels like something I would find very compelling if I was a bit younger! 

[pla-teau]

WANDAVISION EPISODE EIGHT THOUGHTS

GIF NOT MINE

HOLY SHIT THIS EPISODE TORE ME TO SHREDS & IT’S VISUALLY MY FAVORITE EPISODE.

hayward fucking lied | that manipulative weasel tried to pin all this on wanda to make her look like the bad guy and at the end she did absolutely nothing wrong except maybe cost them new windows. i believe hayward knew that wanda was going to be the power source to bring vision back to life. he hinted at it and i think he tried to push her at SWORD headquarters. when the hex happened, he put the missile on the drone knowing damn well wanda would stop it. he knew that after he detected that she created a copy of vision within the hex, she was the key to completing their rebuilding of vision. overall, my hatred for the man has reached a new level and i hope he dies at the end of the series.

white vision | obviously referring to project catarract that darcy found in SWORD’s hardrive. when i said i wanted white vision to appear, i didn’t mean this way and i’ve seen some theories floating around that maybe james spader will voice this vision? and if this is the big secret actor paul has been saying he’s going to work with — i will laugh and cry because i am one of those who was thinking we’d get an x-men cameo with either professor x or magneto and i’m gonna hold out hope. if it is just vision vs. vision, i don’t doubt i’ll love it. so excited to see this vision though it’ll hurt to see vision battle wanda since this whole episode just showed us how much they loved each other.

wanda and vision’s relationship | we got to see a very sweet and deep moment between the two in the avengers compounds after age of ultron. when i tell you i damn near cried into my pillow, it made my heart ache. they really are fucking soulmates. i didn’t originally care for the couple but this show really showcased how despite being the pairing of a witch and an android, there is still so much LOVE between these two. i broke when i saw the deed to the lot and vision’s note of growing old together. excuse me marvel i didn’t ask to be emotionally obliterated, thanks.

wanda’s chaos magic | clearly, we see that wanda is responsible for the creation of the hex. i think she didn’t purposely block out her creating the hex. when she said she doesn’t know how it happened, she truly doesn’t. we’ve seen her lose control once and that was after the death of pietro but it wasn’t as strong before. i believe she just blacked out a bit since she hasn’t used that much of her power before. i think with literally no one (where tf was clint? the avengers?? literally anyone????) there to help her grieve and basically keep her grounded, the wave, referring to her powers, did drown her this time and consumed her into this escapist reality where she no longer felt that pain.

wanda & sitcoms | now we learn why the show has been in the style of various television sitcoms. she’s grown up with them since she was a little girl in sokovia - her favorite being the dick van dyke show. hello i’m soft af. even when her parents were killed and she was practically at death’s door with pietro, television was there to help her get through it. in the HYDRA base, wanda still has a television to watch and help her through the days. what this episode told us is that television is wanda’s constant. i mean this in the sense that unlike people, television has always been there for her. wanda has not had a consistent group of people around her. it’s a revolving door when it comes to the people in wanda’s life. we see her alone and almost abandoned when we see how the creation of the hex happened. television is her escape which is what television provides for everyone. that’s the purpose of television shows - give you an escape from your life because in shows like the ones that have influenced wanda’s reality, they always turn out fine by the end of the episode.

agatha’s therapy | throughout this whole thing agatha is sort of giving wanda much needed therapy even if the end goal is not in wanda’s best interest. she mentions very quick about wanda being a young witch which could coincide with the idea that wanda’s always had this sort of gene in her like pietro and other mutants (if they’re going to use her to confirm the existence of the x-gene which im dying for tbh). she has a clue from the get go as to what wanda is but until she has the full picture, she doesn’t reveal it until the end of the episode. she confirms that ‘fietro’ came from a necromancy spell sooo does that mean she’s using a dead body? he was her eyes and ears but of course, wanda didn’t give up much and that plan was foiled.

wanda resurrecting vision | we learn that wanda never stole vision and brought him back to life. because she and vision are both born from the mind stone, it’s not shocking as to her practically using the chaos magic to create a vision for herself. it also explains why vision can’t live outside the hex - he was born from it and without the chaos magic, he’ll die. also, it’s peppered throughout the episode that the two are soulmates so there’s that aspect to it as well. so she hasn’t been puppeteering a corpse - that image of dead vision stems from wanda’s trauma and mentality starting to chip away at her reality. it also proves how fucking powerful this woman is because like agatha said, she’s supposed to be a thing of myth. while she did use her magic to create/resurrect vision, he’s still his own being in a sense - she doesn’t control him completely. he has his own thoughts and perceptions. he’s aware and the fact that something of wanda’s creation can do that really just showcases the power she holds in her.

agatha’s backstory | seems that agatha’s pretty smug when she’s confronted by her coven leader. it’s pretty easy to see through (in my opinion) the pleading to her mother and the rest of her coven. also kathryn hahn is simply eating up this fucking role and i’m here for it. now we learn why she has the broach, it’s her mother’s which is sweet but seeing agatha throughout the series and in the past, seems more of a token of practically massacring her coven that day. i liked seeing that snippet of her past and it seems like she’s always been drawn to the darker and more sinister side of witchcraft.

wanda’s power | as agatha comments at the end, wanda truly doesn’t know how dangerous she can be. wanda can barely remember how the hell the westview hex happened. while yes i’m here for wanda being shown and known as the most powerful being in the mcu, it’s also worth noting that she is dangerous. at the beginning of the episode, agatha rubs her nose in about how simple a protection spell is or how she studied to get her powers to where they are today. wanda doesn’t know anything about witchcraft or spells. yes, she gained powers from the infinity stone but she was made to be a weapon and even after being brought into the avengers, she wasn’t taught magic or how to tap into her chaos magic. she didn’t even know that her power was considered magic. i also think wanda’s powers are very much rooted in her emotions. we saw what she could do in age of ultron when she felt her twin die. wanda is powerful but so dangerous in this aspect. not saying that this is a bad thing but it separates wanda from other magic users like agatha, dr. strange and even loki. agatha has had years of knowledge and training to be as powerful as she is now. what separates wanda from the others is that she doesn’t have the control and mastery like them. she didn’t know that her powers could make another vision or alter the reality of a town populated by 3,000+ people. agatha is right, wanda is dangerous because she hasn’t had years to control the power she holds at her fingertips.

[lonelyghosts-stuff]

Marvel’s What If Episode 8 Reaction

What if Ultron won? Is this gonna be a continuation off of the last episode?

I wonder if The Watcher will ever step out of his solely “watching” role. Or if he’ll show up in Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness

This episode breaks the watchers heart but not the Dr. Strange centered episode???

Ayo? Clint has the invisibility cloak???

Clint is wannabe Bucky? What??? How did he lose his arm?

Poor Russia lmao

Ah man they didn’t get James Spader for Ultron

Oof why do I have the feeling Vision is gonna die again lmao

Bruhhhh how was Thor defeated so easily by Ultron-Vision??? They should both be pretty evenly matched

Lmao wow it’s weird to see Vision talk and have it not be Paul Bettany

LMAO BRUH TONY STARK CAN’T FRIGGIN SURVIVE A SINGLE EPISODE OF THESE THINGS

OH MY GOSH POOR CLINT HE HAS A FAMILY (I mean so did everyone else but damn)

Thanos hi

THANOS BYE??? WHAT???

Wow they really just killed him like that huh? Sooooo why is this vision with the same powers more powerful than sacred timeline vision? And damn guess Thanos is made out of clay. No guts or blood. Although I’m not a fan of gore so I’m not complaining…

Soooo Thanos was a weak chump?

NOT ASGARD

LOKI WAS ON THERE THO

NO NOT THE GUARDIANS

KORG NO

hahaha bye bye grand master

Wow Ego died way too easy too

Oh damn someone knocked him down?

Ayo Captain marvel, you’re a little late. He’s already destroyed like four planets including your own.

Nice Captain marvel. Destroy the planets core. Sounds like a good idea.

Oop there she goes

And all other planets

So like… this is game over… right?

Eh I don’t feel bad for him lmao

Oh no now he’s aware of the multiverse. Nice job.

Bruh if he literally disintegrated all of the planets, why was earth left alone (albeit nuked)

Marvel tryna prove to us that these two unsuper dudes are useful lol. Don’t get me wrong, I like them, Nat is like my favorite, but it’s obvious lol.

Yo it’s the red guardian shield. It’s your dads shield nat!

Oh depressed Clint hours… can’t blame him. All of his friends beside Nat and his family are gone and there’s literally nothing he can do to bring them back…

Cmon buddy. Intervene. Who’s gonna stop ya?

Arnim Zola? I thought it was Armin Zola this whole time lol. Oopsie

I wonder how Zola is the answer?

How have the infinity stones given ultron the ability to see beyond this universe? There’s Time, Space, Power, Mind, Soul, and Reality. But from the Loki show, we know they’re not really all powerful. They only work in their timeline. That begs the question: are different timelines the different multiverses? Or does each multiverse ALSO have multiple timelines? Agh too much thinking.

Cmon buddy, interfere. DO IT.

Clint is in his feels. Cmon Watcher, the sake of the multiverse rests on you.

Oh that code. How did Nat know about it? Oh wait yes this comes after Winter Soldier

Still hope eh? Like… A New Hope? Ehhh??? Ehhh? Ok I’m sorry

AGH ULTRON

welp that does it. We’re doomed. Nice knowing yall

Cmon watcher. You gotta have some powers or something???

We gonna use an evil hydra agent to save the universe eh? Alright

Oh yay they got Toby Jones again yay!!!

Haha Zola you’re cornered into being helped

FIREEEEE

That’s a terrifying image. Why are some sentries crawling on all fours and others climbing the walls???

Headshot

Captain Black Widow-ica (sorry)

Wow Clint how the frick did you fit a metal laser net into an arrow?

Oh yay it worked! But I don’t trust Zola with the ability to move

Oh that should solve that

Sloooooooo mooooooooo

Okay wow Clint you have some OP arrows that make me question why I’ve never seen them before lol

Ah. Yep he’s fallen. I bet Clint is gonna die this episode. Marvels way of appeasing the people who thought he should die instead of Nat in end game.

Good thing their aim sucks

Oh yay Zola is helping

CLINT I KNOW YOU DONT WANT TO FIGHT ANYMORE BUT CMON. You do have at least one thing left to live for and she’s staring you in your face! Yknow, your best friend?

Damn Clint pulling a Natasha

BRUH WHY DIDNT YOU SHOOT A BOMB ARROW AND THEN THE SHIELD ARROW IN THE FIRST PLACE? You could have killed them all AND lived and not left your BEST FRIEND and possibly only other human left all alone! Really dude?

Oh crap yea I forgot ultron is in the area between the multiverses

I love the animation for this fight scene! Feels like a comic!

Cmon watcher man. You gotta have some op powers

Ahhhh there ya go

Oh nvm

Bruh where are we? What planet is this?

Oh there go the forests

Who did you swear an oath to, watcher? Who is your overseer?

ANIME FIGHT GO!

YO IS HE KANG??? (If so I totally called it the first time I saw him)

Bruh do these holes in the multiverse repair themselves or???

Yoooo how did ultron get giant? He’s pulling a friggin Dormammu or Galactus move lol. Eating the Galaxy

Damn there goes the neighborhood

Yo Steve Rogers is president in this dimension

Oh that’s a cool visual. Each punch goes through a universe

Cmon watcher fight back!

Cmon watcher bro you gotta do something

Ayo doctor strange again?

Soooo who did the watcher make the oath to tho??????? Who’s in charge of him? Why is Dark Dr. Strange allowed to leave the dimension he destroyed?

The episode is over? Soooo they must be continuing directly from this episode in the next one… right? I mean, they kinda have to right? Seeing as the watcher is involved directly now?

Also, at the beginning, the watcher said this one makes him sad… so has he seen this universe before but only on this watching ultron has broken out? Or was that the watcher from the future looking back on it?

I wonder if this show will have any impact on the upcoming films, or if they’ll be an isolated experience within the show?

Soooo I’m assuming sometime during the watchers planning with dr strange, ultron goes to party thor world? Cmon man leave my Jotun loki alone.

Oh heartbeat sounds at the end of the credits? I wonder why

Well this episode was very unexpected and tense. I can’t wait for next week’s episode!

[raymond-reddington-ruminations]

Thoughts on 9.11, no spoilers.

I'm going to have to watch this one again, was feeling ill while it was on and couldn't concentrate. I feel like I couldn't grasp several very important emotional beats here.

Case in point..... I did not realize what I was seeing in the very first scene. Not until the flashback.

Holy s***. What a gut punch. There are things that you know happen, but you really don't want to see them, you know? At least not when it isn't about a stranger. That hit me hard. I'm sure it's going to hit me harder later when I watch it again.

And the second scene... That was a bit of a punch to the head. Weecha, young lady, I do not approve of your attire. Take. That. Off. And of course I noticed it too late, and therefore couldn't take in Dembe taking it in.

I've been starting to form a few head cannons for Weecha, in the absence of any other backstory. As always, this is dangerous because you get disappointed when the show tells its own story. I do hope there will be a backstory episode for her somewhere in the season. Even with this many episodes left, it feels a bit out of place to take that kind of detour, but we really need more about her.

Aram. My god, I love you. Who else in this whole show would have said something like that? And his almost-interaction with Weecha. Cute. I do hope Aram's happy ending is to run off with Samar when the series is over, but if that's not on the cards I'd be okay with 'We-ram', not that I think the show is actually going to go there.

Reddington. Well. Thinking I need to get into some more head cannons about his emotional state. I've been complaining all this season about him not having enough emotion. I've been hoping it was a deliberate choice by the writers to explore that much later on. To make things 'very dark', as promised in the premiere episode. I've got to think that this episode was more evidence that they're going to do that. Otherwise they are wasting James Spader.

Park... Finally a storyline that made her kind of interesting? Maybe? I mean, it's better... but I'm not sure that that it isn't too little, too late? We'll have to see, it could end pretty quickly. And the choice she made at the very end... Oh. Oh girl. No. Nothing good will come of that. I've had a few instances this season of wondering if they're trying to get Park to leave the show. Still feels like they may be setting that up.

The next episode is going somewhere uncomfortable. We knew something Red is going to do will affect Ressler, now it's obvious why. Yeah, this is getting kind of dark.

[revchainsaw]

Stargate (1994)

Welcome to the Cult Film Tent Revival my freaky fanatics, prepare yourselves to take the sacrament from across the stars, as we engage in the miraculous works of one of our most beloved Cult Saints, Saint Kurt. Coming to us from the golden age of Sci-fi Adventures, when Hollywood would dump the big bucks into a film so out of this world, we are partaking this evening of 1994's Stargate!

The Message

Every child has an Egypt phase. I remember fondly flipping through my DK Eyewitness guide to ancient Egypt with my Anubis warrior action figure from the movie stargate propped up on my desk. This wasn't even school work, Egypt inspired this young freak to learn outside of the classroom, and Stargate inspired me to look to Egypt in the first place. My father was a military man, as mentioned before, and this film irked him to some degree. He hated that the film was slightly critical of firearms, but mostly he hated that it depicted the high security military installation where he worked unrealistically. You know the high security military installation in the side of Cheyenne Mountain. yeah, that one. I don't know why my father expected a bunch of nerds from Hollywood with not security clearance to have any idea what it looked like in that hyper-secure location, but he did. I suspect after they lost him on the guns he was looking for any reason to hate Stargate, and so, impressionable as I was, I thought for years that this movie was really stupid.

Thank the Gods of Cult that I had the inspiration to give this film a second chance. I have to say, it's a little stupid, but it's not REALLY stupid. Also, Disney's Atlantis is totally just animated Stargate, and that's pretty fucked up.

Stargate is the story of how a big old nerd, whos name is NOT Milo, played by James Spader was enlisted by a bunch of military bad guy types to use his crackpot pseudoscience egyptology crap to decipher a bunch of writings that every other scientist or academic was wrong about. When he does this he succesfully creates a Stargate, a bridge between our world and another.

Our other hero is Sergeant Kurt Russell. Russell is sitting around trying to take two and not call his doctor in the morning, just generally being sad about guns because his son accidentally shot himself. Like father like son I guess. Sorry if that sounds cruel, it's just so desperately reaching for pathos and drama that it kind of enters into the realm of parody parody. I may have been raised by gun nuts, but I am very pro depicting guns as dangerous. Stargate is about as subtle as a pie in the face, or a bullet in the face. Ok, I'm done. Anyway, the military has one more mission for Kurt and he decides for some reason that means that guns are good again for killing bad guys, except for later when he decides that guns are bad again.

So Disney's Atlantis and Guile from Street Fighter enter the Stargate and discover a world where illiterate humans are kept in subjugation by a ruling class of aliens who use them to mine precious minerals and demand to be worshipped as Gods. The leader of these aliens is an immortal alien being who has possessed the body of a teen boy pop sensation and goes by the name of Ra.

James Spader is gifted a wife by the locals because it's so quirky that women are property, i guess, but it's okay because they happen to be in love, and with her help he is able to learn the truth behind this worlds condition. Ra had built the Stargate to travel between worlds and was worshipped in Ancient Egypt, however the people got wise to his BS and he had to escape. He took many humans hostage and crossed the stargate and then banned reading and writing as an attempt to quell any kind of uprising, and it's worked for a long time.

Ra is pissed at the earth boys though because he knows a nuclear weapon when he sees one. Turns out Kurt Russell brought a big ol bomb with him across the stargate as a contingency plan for any aggro aliens they may have found. Hey, they found them so I guess it wasn't too bad of an idea. Ra punishes his worshippers by having them mercilessly bombed and Spader and Russell team up with the locals to revolt. They eventually gain the upper hand and Ra attempts to flee with his Pyramid space ship but our heroes teleport the nuke onto his ship and save the day. Thus launching several Sci-Fi television series that I have never watched.

The Benediction

Best Scene: Ra Footage

The Throne Room Scene where we are first introduced to Ra and his godlike warriors is pretty excellent. It's so menacing how he surrounds himself with a force field of children, and the combination of futuristic technology with an ancient Egyptian aesthetic that this film sells itself on is on it's ultimate display in this scene. I really like the villains in this movie and I savor whenever they get to be shown off.

Best effect: Mastadge Ride

The CG on Stargate is better than in Species which sought to be it's competitor a year later, but it is still dated. It's utilized in cool enough ways and sparingly enough that even though it looks cartoony at moments it is very easy to forgive. Being Easy to forgive however, would be a pretty lackluster qualification for best effect and I'm going to have to turn this honor to the practical creature effects for the Mastadge. When we are first introduced to our alien world one the first things we see is the fuzzy maw of one of these creatures, before it takes James Spader for a very harrowing trip across the desert. These alien beasts of burden do sometimes reveal that they are mounted upon horses, but in close ups they just look so good. I love them and I want one.

Worst Scene: It's just sad OK!

Kurt Russell becomes very popular with the young men from the village of Ra's worshippers. They come to see him as some kind of hero and seek to emulate him. However, these people are very peaceful and not in any way battle hardened. A group of the young men stand up to the leaders and seek to aid the Earthlings in their revolution. They are brave but in many ways out classed by Ra's elite guards. Through the sheer force of numbers they do succeed in casting off the shackles of their oppressors but not before one of the young men we've come to care about is tragically blasted all to shit in slow mo. That scene made me cry a ton when I was a kid, and I dreaded waiting for it as an adult. It is worth noting that if you aren't 5 years old a lot of the drama in Stargate is pretty hamfisted and corny. It's a pretty excellent action movie, and a pretty goofy drama.

Coolest looking Villain: Animals as Leaders

I used to think that Ra was really stupid looking, but I was a kid and was biased towards cool warriors with animal heads, but I really have a much better appreciation for the effects and costume design of all of the godly villain crew than I used to. That said, The Anubis guy in particular still holds up. It's the dope Jackal head, the teal of the armor. It's what I picture when I picture Stargate. The Horus guys are also worth a mention with their awesome hawk jets. I couldn't pick a "Best" villain, so I went with the Coolest Looking.

Worst Aspect: Lacking Character

When I have fond thoughts of Stargate, they almost never revolve around the characters, or if they do it's in a juvenile manner. Who had cool armor, who had cool weapons, or who did the coolest thing? I have a hard time caring about these meandering people. They are inconsistent. They have no flaws that they work on or grow from. They are special because the script insists that it's so, and I don't really care if they succeed or fail at any point in the film. It's a shame because we have a good set up, and good lore. If at any point any body acted like a real person I think Stargate would be better remembered as a film than as the weird older sibling of a long running television series.

Summary

I'd like to say that Stargate succeeds at everything it's trying to do, but it doesn't. Stargate fails in the tragedy and pathos it attempts to create within it's characters; but it does succeed in almost every other way. Stargate is an engaging and exciting action movie. Stargate delivers on it's science fiction concept, and provides some fun fantasy lore to round out it's world building. Stargate is also a great looking (at most times) special effects spectacle. For all of those reasons, It is not a great film, but it is pretty darn good film.

Overall Grade: B

[ultrahpfan5blog]

The Blacklist season 9 premiere

I was curious how they would continue in the post Liz Keene era. I think I will probably stick with the show till the end even though it has past its expiration date by probably 2-3 seasons. I am not quite sure what to make of the premiere. It was nice to see all the characters again but the whole idea of Dembe being an FBI agent is pretty ridiculous. I mean, I love Dembe but I couldn't help agreeing with Ressler and wondering how on earth he got into the FBI with his background and at his age. I am also not sure of the reset. Park is the only one still in the FBI out of the task force. So are we really going to get the task force being basically them acting as vigilantes in a way since they have no official authority to hunt the Blacklist criminals like they did before. I guess its just too soon to tell right now because this episode is just part 1 of a two parter. I think a fair assessment can be made after part 2. I will say that the of all the characters, the Ressler reset was probably the most effective because of Diego's performance in the ending of the episode. The others were a bit confusing. I mean, Aram really was doing his partner dirty and Cooper was a bit unfair on Aram by demanding results from him when he's not in the FBI. Park, I still don't care about too much to be honest. When it comes to Cooper, I am not sure why he would have retired. And finally with Reddington, there is one worry I have with the new reset, which is that we will have just sad and angry Reddington. James Spader is so great at displaying all the emotions, from childlike joy, to anger, to sadness etc... Reddington without his dry humor will be not fun to watch. Essentially, the premiere left me in a wait and watch type situation. I am not convinced yet that the reset will work but also not convinced that it will be a failure. But if the aftermath of Liz's death casts a big shadow over the characters, especially Ressler and Reddington, then it will be a problem.

[spaceorphan18]

Marvel Movie Nights: Avengers Age of Ultron

Okay, I’ve been meaning to get back to these for a while now.  And a review of this film feels a little tricky.  Is this film good? I don’t... know.  I think it works as a --- season 2 finale of MCU the series --- but is really lacking as a stand alone film.  Either way, I find myself having a LOT to say about it, so strap in, cause this is going to be a long review. 

When this film first came out it did get a lot of mixed reviews, and a part of the reason is that it spends so much time setting things up for future events that it doesn’t have time to develop an interesting story itself.  And I think that’s fair.  But unlike the reviews of the time, I think the individual threads they’re pulling and setting up (I suppose Marvel Studios is “the network” creating interference in this case) is much more enjoyable than what Joss Whedon was creating.  

Apparently this film broke Joss Whedon, and while I don’t really like the guy, I can see how it would.  So let’s break it down! 

First, let’s talk about Ultron and the main plot of the film -- which is essentially AI going haywire and wanting to destroy the inferior human race.  And honestly, I’m a little meh on all of it.  While I think Ultron was a little too tongue-in-cheek, I don’t think a more serious version would have worked all that better either.  Maybe I’m just tired of the trope, I don’t know.  The whole thing is so arch, and while maybe so was Loki -- Loki had quite a bit of charm about him.  I don’t think there’s much about Ultron that I find enticing.  James Spader is fine -- I don’t necessarily blame the performance.  And there are some interesting things connecting to humanity going on here.  But nothing that hasn’t been better explored in other sci-fi movies.  

Oh, all the other arcs in this film.  The MCU truly is a TV show.  

Tony Stark.  I actually love a lot of the stuff going on with Tony here.  The god complex.  The fact that why he does what he does makes sense coming out of the previous films, and of course sets up nicely Civil War and the next two Avengers movies.  I think one of my favorite aspect of this film is just how much Tony screws up attempting to save the world and almost destroying it in the process.  I could talk a lot about it - but perhaps another time.  My one minor grievance (and not just related to Tony) is all the quips.  And I love quips and the lightness of Marvel.  But a majority of the humor in this film feels very forced -- I feel like Whedon was scrapping to find something funny and just throwing it on the page.  

Steve Rogers.  Cap feels incredibly stiff in this film.  And I think I’ve figured out why -- Whedon is trying to write him like the old, grizzled stiff guy of the comics.  And this younger and less black and white version of the character just doesn’t fit with how Whedon is trying to construct him.  The bubbling conflict with Tony setting up Civil War works, but that’s about it.  I will say -- his ending in Endgame is tied to his visions in this, and it’s important and interesting.  But more so in hindsight of analyzation, and less in enjoying the film.  

Thor.  I don’t think anyone knew what to do with Thor until Taika Waititi came along.  Most of his little side quest was cut, but even the deleted scenes don’t help what is mostly a mess of a story that doesn’t make much sense.  He is very pretty, though, and that is at least nice. 

Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner.  Oh my god -- maybe it’s just because I’ve been thinking about Black Widow more lately, but I pretty much hate everything they do with Nat in this film.  She is reduced to the ‘girl’ of the group, not wanting to play with the boys, feeling like she’s a monster because she can’t have children, being locked up by Ultron.  I just cannot.  I don’t mind the idea of her and Bruce hooking up, but it’s so poorly done, and her character is so badly mishandled, I wanted to scream about everything on this rewatch.  Meanwhile, Bruce is fine, but is lacking much to do -- even in his Hulk form.  

Clint Barton. On the flip side -- I actually like what they did with Clint here? I know some people hate it -- but I love the hidden little family thing.  I think Linda Cardellini did a lot with a little, and I did buy that whole little section of the film.  I also think this film does work in its quieter moments -- the party, the regrouping at Clint’s house, the stuff at the end.  I like when these films stop and allow these characters to be actual people.  Plus -- he got to have some nice fatherly moments with Wanda and Pietro.  Speaking of which... 

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.  I think that Pietro was shortchanged  a little -- but Fox had already done a superior version, so I’m not surprised that they killed him off so easily.  Wanda is kind of fascinating.  Her character is developed much better in other places (especially her TV show), but there are a lot of elements here that lead to other things.  I do like that they start off as reluctant villains as they did in the comics.  And I find it fascinating that Wanda giving Tony the mind stone ultimately leads to Vision’s creation.  There are some unintentional fascinating things that happen on these set-up threads. 

The Vision.  I actually really like all of the Vision sequences in the film -- especially his final scene with Ultron.  There’s a lot about of this film I still don’t fully follow -- like the whys of how things happened.  But I do like Vision, and I’ll leave it simply at that.  

Nick Fury and Maria Hill.  As usual Maria Hill gets not much to do.  But I like Nick’s small role in this one.  It’s a shame that this is the last time we get to do much with them (even if we see them both again in various ways).  I wish we got some grounded follow-up on what happens with them.  Ah well.  

The production of the film is fine.  There are some good action sequences, and some even better quieter moments.  The film looks good as a whole.  I think it’s about a half hour too long -- and kind of like the first Avengers films, the overlong action sequences hurt it more than the script (imo).  But it does what it’s supposed to when concerning these large blockbuster movies, but I don’t think adds anything that new or profound.  

Final Verdict: It’s a film that has a lot of points to talk over and chew on, and while it works as a middle entry in the overarching MCU show, it’s lacking a lot as a movie.  

Next Up: A much smaller film -- Ant Man ;) 

[a-collection-of-villainous-aus]

COFFEE SHOP AU PT 4

SEGMENT THREE of four cause it turned out segment three is so long I cant put it in one post XD

After Cruentus had left to make the tea, Hat curled back up onto the bed, was he as bad as Vincent…with his inability to ever truly let Acylius go?

Nuzzling against the pillow Flug used to lay his head on , Amadeus whimpered softly…no if his Acylius did not…could not love him in this new life, he would never make him do anything he didn’t want to do, he could never do what Vincent had done to Flug, ever.

Now that he was the one with power he knew one thing, he would protect Acylius from ever being hurt or harmed again, if someone so much as tried to he would destroy them without second thought.

Pulling the pillow to his chest he cuddled it closer, knowing he was down there, in the town in that little coffee shop, so close and yet so far away was far more heart wrenching than anyone could imagine, to have those eyes look at him and not recognise him…a small part of him wondered if he should be in his life again…after all he had been the final piece to fall into place to set in motion the events that would lead to Acylius’s death…

Oh he knew Acylius would tell him it was always meant to happen, that it wasn’t his fault…idiot man, he could have lived and left the Elderichts to rot…let him rot in the gutters with them, if all his kindness only ended up with him being killed for it…

Hat curled in tighter feeling the guilt of that thought twist in his gut, to think it was dishonouring all Lulu had fought for, all he’d done only had him curl up tighter, often he’d wished he’d been able to save him, be there just in time and be his hero…the irony of those words…yet being a hero…was not all what modern day society made it out to be with brightly coloured suits and pulling in fans…it was about doing the right thing and stepping up…as much as Acylius had his darkness…

In his own right, to the Elderichts…he was their hero, who kept his name quiet out of respect because it was what his stupid tree had wanted…if he’d had his way he’d have built a statue, had books written about him, the finest artists make portrait galleries out of him, made the universe aware of his existence, a proclamation of love for everyone to hear spoken across time and space…

But no…that was not his Doctor Flug; his Acylius whispered like the spring breeze through the blossom trees he loved so much only becoming a thunderous fearful storm when called for, he was absolutely ridiculous at times, daft as anything to when he was in the safety of his own home…he could not forget that first morning….

(Wavy scene and flash back music, shrugs I’m just like that and finally using an old ramble of mine <3) and I will let you know when the flash back ends ❤️

Hat looked himself over in the mirror, he’d straightened out his tie and suit, even though his ears were hidden under his top hat even brushed the fur on them, made sure he was as presentable as he could be, after all he did not know what half of these fancy contraptions laid out on his…was it his dressing table.

That idiot Legion Demon just came out of nowhere and was all here have a place to sleep, a room of your own, even though you’re in heat I won’t take advantage of you or even touch you, honestly what was he supposed to do with that, anyone else would have taken what they wanted and left him there.

Hat huffed, why was he so upset that Acylius…no no he couldn’t call him that, he was Doctor Flug, Legion Demon, a creature highly sought after, if he wasn’t careful about how he spoke to the demon he might push his luck too far and be kicked out, that would not exactly be something new but…this time…even if they’d just met yesterday, he found himself not wanting to leave.

He would do what he needed to do, to placate him, to sooth his temper if he had one, most of his kind liked sex after all right, he did too honestly but…when it was consensual, but he was not above doing what needed to be done to keep a roof over his head within reason…though he still couldn’t deny he was somewhat miffed Acylius had not come in last night and just taken him, at least he would have been one of the more attractive…

Who was he fooling, he found the Legion demon beautiful, and what was he?

(This is my story and I will have hat all dreamy about the tree like some romance novel if I want XD)

A short little thing that had crawled out of a heap…he knew he deserved more, that his kind should not be living such poor lives, to be used as food, as toys or experiments, but too many of them had accepted their fates and he’d agreed to leave knowing his determination of better to rise up would only cause them problems…and well they already had enough of those.

Black Hat looked over the room he’d been given, that bed was so soft he thought he might have sunk into it never to be seen again, the on suite bathroom filled with so many different bottles of this, that and the other left him overwhelmed, usually he’d had to share baths with those he’d stayed with.

Hands on the dressers edge, his claws digging lightly into the wood, this was his chance, his first real big chance to make his place be more than what he was, to prove to all these rich elitist snobs that you did not need to come from riches to belong, that everyone was equal when things were made even and equal.

Yes when he had his stand, he would show them but for now he was going to go downstairs and show the Legion demon the respect he no doubt felt he deserved, there was no possible way there was not a catch in all of this somewhere.

He went first to the kitchen, it was silent and well no one was around and the bin seemed to need changing, stuffed full of scraps of food...with the word recycle carved into it, well no one was there yet he could find himself a bite to eat out of it, it was unlikely Acylius or his butler would serve him anything but what came from here anyway right.

Lifting the lid he didn’t even flinch at the smell, he’d eaten from worse places after all, Black Hat had been about to reach a hand in when he heard someone clearing their throat at the door way, he froze, was this it the thing that would get him turned out now, he was only taking food no longer wanted…his fingers stretched then curled, hand falling back by his side and waited.

“Sir, if Acylius saw you eating from the bins it would upset him greatly…”

Cruentus walked up by his side briskly and shut the lid

“Why because I was stealing something no longer wanted?”

Hat returned looking up at Cruentus, his gaze defiant and shoulders drawn back, he was not ashamed of finding food where he could when he needed it.

“No, because the thought he’d let you starve or feel you would ever go without food here would mortify him.”

Hat blinked as he listened to the hellhounds sombre tone, well that was unexpected

“Oh and why is that?”

It looked as if the butler had wanted to tell but his maw was kept shut on the matter shaking his head

“That is not my story to tell, perhaps the master will tell you eventually himself…now what do you want for breakfast.”

“I doubt you would give me anything with bacon.”

Hat replied looking away…this place was odd indeed.

“Do you want it thick cut? Smoked or not? Crispy or not?”

Cruentus inquired walking past him again and tied on his apron

“Th-there’s more than one way to have it?” Hat answered completely lost at that answer

“I see, I will make you a whole selection then, I assure you the master would want you to be able to learn what you like, though be warned he might pinch a piece of the crispy bacon.”

Cruentus laughed setting out the frying pans.

Pinch a piece of food from someone else’s plate? A Legion demon would never do such a thing, not a high class creature like Doctor Flug, no…it wasn’t possib- and then he saw the tall, long legged demon entering the room, scratching at his head, wearing grey sweat pants and a jumper to match, looking nothing like the being he’d met yesterday, adorned with a five o clock shadow, his hair not even brushed and fluffy slippers.

Hat stood there, slack jawed as Acylius yawned, fangs bared a moment and then just looking sleepy but happy

“Good morning Black Hat, I trust you slept well?”

Damn it his voice was that deep soft rumbling gravel …he could have read him the phone book and his ears would have perked up just to listen to each soothing syllable that left those scarred lips.

(I described it once as being like James Spader’s voice you might know the voice of Ultron from age of ultron or Alucard from Hellsing)

Of course the first thing to come out of Hat’s mouth was not exactly the appropriate answer as he sputtered

“Is this!? I mean is this how you usually live?!”

Cruentus bit his lip; forcing back the laugh that swelled within his chest, ohhhh apparently this little creature was in for a wakeup call if Hat thought he was living with a snobby demon indeed!

Acylius looked at him then opened the cupboard pulling out something akin to the lucky charms cereal only in this world it had little devils and demons and pentagons all pastel coloured

“Not when I have certain guests over, after all some demons will not see you unless you put on airs, a display that you are high class, boring stuff really if you ask me.”

He shrugged pulling now the milk from the fridge and was about to drink from the carton

“Boy, what have I told you about doing that? Don’t make me tap your ears young man.”

Cruentus pointed the tongs at him that he used to turn the bacon in the pan, snapping them at him.

Acylius’s ears went down as he smiled sheepishly, cheeks tinting pink

“Sorry Papa, I know it’s a bad habit.”

Did Doctor Flug’s butler just reprimand him, was Flugs Butler his father….what the huh?

Hat shook his head, what in all of hell what going on, standing up straight he looked up at them

“I am a guest here you could at least treat me as such, I have done my best to be proper like the rich are and…”

Acylius loomed over him, looking much like those silhouette pictures you see in animations when they’re going for the threatening look

“Is this what you want Amadeus for me to look down on you, I do not take kindly to my guests, they know visiting me and one wrong word can put them in poor favour with me…”

His eyes glowed white there was not colour in them and in that mass of black his smile grew and grew, showing off bright white fangs thin and needle like, another one appeared and another all of them speaking as he prodded him

“IS this what you want Amadeus, for me to be the monster they expect me to be?”

Cruentus raised a brow, oh so Hat liked what he saw before him did he, it was pretty obvious with how transfixed he was.

Amadeus pulled off his hat and played with it in his hands letting it fall below the waist, doing his best to subtly hide something that showed he enjoyed seeing this darker side of Acylius, Cruentus of course only shook his head and continued on the bacon, oh lord he could see how this was going to go eventually anyway.

Acylius froze, cat ears, fluffy black cat ears …Amadeus had, he wanted to touch them so much, to run his claws over them and nuzzle into the soft fur, his display disappeared, back into the grey sweats and dishevelled hair, cereal and milk in his hands and then the softest look that made Hat want to reach out and touch his face and let him know everything would be alright.

“I am sorry if I frightened you Amadeus…but you are not a guest you are a housemate and I want you to know you can be relaxed here in this place in your home if you so wish it to be your home.”

He turned and went to sit at the table about to pour milk into the box of cereal when Cruentus placed a bowl and spoon in front of him

“Stop that I know you’re just trying to be this extra lazy to vex me.”

Cruentus chuckled tapping the top of his head

“Perhaps I am, but you like knowing I still want you to do little things for me now and again Papa.”

“What kind of Father would I be if I were not there for my son hmm?”

Cruentus answered affectionately before going off to serve up the bacon.

Hat, was still standing shifting on his feet.

“Can I sit to?”

Cruentus came along with the plate and literally picked hat up by the back of the neck right where he knew he’d turn into a kitten and curl up completely compliant

“Dumbass he said you’re a house mate you can sit whenever you want.”

He sat him on the seat across from Acylius and set the plate down

“Bon appetit Amadeus, being welcomed to stay in the home by Acylius is honestly a rare thing…very rare.”

“Cruentus, can you please not do that again, I abhor when that is done to me.”

Hat ground out between clenched teeth, hands balled up into fists and ears laid back, his hat sitting on his lap, the problem he’d had was now gone, placing his hat back on, he expected Cruentus to snap at him or punish him…after all he was still…a…a sewer rat to everyone who wasn’t one of his kind…there was no reason for these demons to treat him like he…mattered.

“My apologies Amadeus, I should not have been so forward in my actions, I will not do that again.”

Hat only grumbled and started munching on the bacon using his fingers to pick it up

“Fork, Amadeus and knife if you want to start appearing proper in front of polite company.”

“Yes sir.”

“My name is Acylius, not sir, master or Doctor Flug behind closed doors and out of the ears of others, I suppose if it makes you comfortable you can call me Flug if you do not feel on a first name basis with me.”

“Really, that is a little too personal do you not think Doctor Flug?”

Black Hat sneered, after all was that not the way of the rich, to act better, to be Impersonal.

“Honestly at this rate I will leave as your actions have been highly disappointing and not what I expected of a Legion demon such as yourself.”

Was he doing it right, was he acting like the higher class do?

The room fell silent, a fist hitting the table making the cutlery rattle

“Amadeus Black Hat, you will not talk to him like that, what are you going to do? Return to living in motel rooms, drifting from place to place to be used like a toy, the next house you go into you will not come out of…except through the sewers as faecal matter.”

Acylius placed a hand on Cruentus’s arm; his father huffed and turned away

“The higher ups out there, most of them couldn’t give two shit’s they would sooner kill you…if I had not arrived Amadeus when I did …it would literally be a matter of moments before their assassins ascended on you and left your corpse in the street…”

The legion demon poked at his cereal, it’d gone soggy now and honestly he’d lost his appetite

“I’ve assigned you as my being, by law and the ways of a Legion this means they cannot touch you but only when I am with you or Cruentus is with you…I promised myself I would never do that, but I know what you are trying to do and I have already been trying to help the cause.”

Hat’s breath stilled, those eyes the way they changed hues of blue fleeting through emotions, assigned himself, he’d already been helping what did that mean he would ask soon it was clear the doctor was not done

“Amadeus outside of this home I now belong to you in their eyes like a pedigree dog, it’s what they see Legion demons as, they must treat us at least with respect and some kindness if they do not want their fortune to fall, but in this home. I am what I have always been, Acylius Flug the Free Legion, those who are on our side will know this, but I am going to use my ridiculously high class to teach you to be a refined villain and to be like them if you so wish to be a monster.”

Ah so that was what assigned meant, to be his …good luck charm to be the reason the dice fell in his favour so to speak, he’d given up his freedom in a sense for him…

“Amadeus’s I would tell you to take your elbows off the table as it is considered rude but in this place I am going to live my life as I wish to, as I want to, I only want to run a quiet little coffee shop , perhaps find a partner and live a quieter life…”

Acylius leaned back and placed his feet on the table and Amadeus’s looked along the length of those legs, holy …they were long.

“How did you find me?”

Amadeus asked quietly.

Acylius pulled a cigarette from nowhere, his thumb lighting up with a blue flame to light it, it was not a thing humans could inhale, despite it‘s sweet lavender scent, scratching lightly at his stubble he took a drag and let the taste settle on his tongue and the warmth of the smoke swirl within his lungs before exhaling, they were also not toxic but used as a relaxant with nothing that could cause harm.

“You were not exactly subtle about your notions, you let too many of the wrong ears hear your plans, your thoughts about inequality, there is always a high caste group who will detest such on goings and try to keep what they consider balance, to them you’re dangerous Amadeus…the thought that could get your kind to rise up if they feel there is reason and hope to.”

He paused again to take another puff

“Your kind were not always in the sewers, but I have not uncovered much of your history but I see you as a kindred spirit, both wanting better for our kind, I do not expect you to help my cause, but I ask one thing, if you do become some great overlord that over throws them…free the Legions from the contracts they are bound to, let them always have free choice to leave if they so desire to…once bound we cannot be freed unless our assigned master allows it.”

“I give you my word Flug, if you can truly help me, and mean what you are offering I will do what you ask…and I…I am sorry, I have had the idea all high people were the same even in their homes I forget that even those who reign in gold palaces have hearts…and own personal problems…do you all hide behind those marble masks of cold in public?”

Hat replied, offering out a piece of bacon, after all Cruentus had said Acylius did like pinching off other people’s plates and it’d seemed the doctor had gone off his cereal, it was a crispy piece so far his favourite of the lot but he wanted to share it with him.

Hat’s heart raced as their finger tips came in contact and Acylius actually took the piece and thanked him for it before proceeding to munch on it happily

“Thank you Black Hat, I can only hope you will stand to that promise, I have willingly pledged my life to you…and to answer your question, most of them do not wear emotional masks they are just that up their own ass and that cold…perhaps you have seen me around before…”

With a wave of his hand his face was cleaned up and hair tidied as well as scars hidden away he pulled a face one would expect a cold creature to pull.

“Oh dear lord you’re the one Vincent would not stop going on about…I remember him constantly talking about you, literally has a shrine of you in his bedroom…he let me stay one night after I fixed his coat for him.”

“Bah that daft obsessed Rabbit demon, often I have thought of putting him in a racing track and letting hounds chase after him, I wonder how he would feel about me then.”

He let the illusion fade and returned back to his dishevelled state letting a ring of smoke drift Hat’s way, the angle he was at made it circle the rough top hat perfectly, his ears perked up

“Ahh yes there it is, your organization shall be called Black Hat Organization, Evil is our business, and business is good!”

With a flick of his wrist a white card stood between two finger tips, he tossed it to Amadeus who caught it and saw the image, a silhouette of a top hat and a black ring with the business name under it.

“Now before we start any kind of business I will need to train and guide you and awaken such powers within you, not even you could imagine.”

End of Flash back

End of segment three

THIS PART ENDED UP GETTING SO LONG I'LL HAVE TO MAKE A SEGMENT FOUR BUT IT'S ALL TYPED UP SO NO WAITING TIME ❤️

[alyblacklist]

the finale was... a disappointment for longtime fans :(

I understand a lot of people feel that way, anon. However, I’m still very grateful that they took the risk and did this bold, unique episode in an effort to push the story forward into season 8. As a longtime fan myself, there were aspects that disappointed me too, but there were other aspects that I really liked. 

For me, the animation worked better for the action sequences than for the emotional scenes. It’s a real shame that with the way the filming days seemingly worked out, all the big Red/Liz scenes had to be animated instead of live. I think we really would have benefitted from getting that kitchen scene and the car scene with Katarina from the actors. And more live Spader in general! By contrast, the shootout with Ressler/Liz in the hotel worked pretty well with the music and was enjoyable. I also found myself getting a little confused at times trying to recognize the guest actors in animated form and keep track of who was who. I was happy to see Liz and Ressler build on the final scene of Brothers and continue to have honest and open conversations and I was grateful to get those scenes live.

I wasn’t really surprised at Liz’s choice in the end because I felt they were building up to that moment all season, but I do wish that her motives and rationale had been made more clear over the course of the season - the pacing really came back to bite them this year with the abrupt cut off - and I think that’s a lot of why this finale hasn’t translated well. Especially because they also refused to eliminate ambiguity once and for all whether this woman is really her mother or not or whether Liz is once more being led down the garden path by another fake relative.  For me, that was the greatest disappointment. Because as I’ve said from the beginning, the story is far more compelling if she is the real Katarina Rostova than if she isn’t and the fact we are still debating that issue a year later is ridiculous. One imposter is plenty, thank you very much. 

Most of the anger I see is directed towards Liz choosing Kat over Red, but I’m not honestly sure that is what she’s doing - I think she’s choosing to pursue the truth by all means necessary because she has reached her limit of being kept in the dark. The animated car scene attempted to convey that I think, with Liz taking Red’s hand to show she still cares about him and saying “it’s complicated,” but the scene would have been much more powerful live.  As much as I love Red, and I want him and Liz to work well as a team against an external force for once, I don’t see how that happens until he comes clean with her about why he entered her life. I think Liz means it when she says she doesn’t care who he is, but she does care why he’s there. I sympathize with Liz being unwilling at this point to sit back and accept that there is any reason why she can’t be allowed to know things that even Dembe knows that affect her life directly. Red trusts her enough to take over his empire but won’t tell her why he built it in the first place?  So her choice was less choosing Kat over Red than choosing the person who seems willing to help her find that truth.

Anyway, I overall liked the episode and I’m happy they decided to do it and I’m still really looking forward to Season 8 whenever it happens! 

[myveryownfanfiction]

AN: I know requests are closed but I just had to get this one out. Also let me know if this should be continued. I liked it but I don’t know. I feel like 80s movies don’t get enough fanfic and I really love Steff and Spader so I wanna fill that void a little. I can do a part 2 or make this into a story. Let me know what you all think.

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked into school. For once those blue eyes weren’t hidden by oversized shades. Thankful that my (E/C) eyes were hidden by mine, I glanced in his direction. There he was, Steff, leaning against his car. I bit the inside of my lip to stop the smile that was threatening to break out. Even though he was an ass, he was a cute ass. It didn’t help that once upon a time, I had known him to be kind and gentle. Not the snot nosed, uptight ass that he had become. Maybe that was why it was so hard to completely hate him now. Knowing I had his full attention, I smirked as I passed dangerously close to him. Pausing for a second, I lowered my shades and winked at him. 

“Like what you see Steff?” From the way that he froze slightly, I could tell he hadn’t been expecting to get caught. “Then take a picture. It’ll last longer.” I pushed my shades back up and continued my walk into school. I didn’t bother looking behind me to see what his reaction was. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to know. I let out the breath I was holding when I got to my locker. Opening the locker and throwing the bag lunch my mom had sent in, I leaned my head against the cool metal. 

“Boy trouble?” I let out another sigh and weakly nodded. My friend Andie let out a laugh and gently put her hand on my back. I picked up my head and looked her in the eye. “If he wasn’t such an ass, I’d tell you to go for it.” I laughed and shook my head. 

“No matter what you would tell me to go for it.” I grabbed the stuff I needed for the first period and closed the locker, not even jumping when I saw my other friend Duckie standing behind it. “Hi Duck.” 

“Hello ladies. May I admire you both this morning?” I chuckled and Andie rolled her eyes. 

“You may.” She sighed. Duckie put his arms around our shoulders and walked with us down the hall. 

“Andie, it’s never going to happen. So just drop it.” I leaned into Duckie a little for comfort from the harsh reality that nothing would ever happen between me and Steff. 

“That’s what you say.” Andie teased. 

“What’s never going to happen?” Duckie asked innocently. I shook my head.

“Forget about it Duck. Just some guy I’m crushing on.” I felt Duckie tense and raised my head from his shoulder to give him a questioning look. When Duckie had relaxed, I took a sly look over his shoulder under the guise of looking over at Andie. My eyes widened momentarily to see Steff watching us with a scowl on his face and his fists clenched. My head snapped forward and we kept walking to the first period. The day passed without incident. Before lunch, I stopped by my locker to put away my books. I sighed when I heard the distinct sound of someone leaning on metal.

“Duckie, shouldn’t you be in class right now?” I didn’t look up from the bag that I was going through. Sometimes it really sucked to have a mom who always sent you lunch. Looked like I was giving Duckie my lunch today. “Do you want this?” I looked up and froze when I saw that it wasn’t Duckie leaning next to my locker. 

“You give that twerp your lunch?” Steff scoffed. I rolled my eyes. “I mean I don’t blame you. The food here is shit. But still. This has to be better.” He reached out to grab the bag but I tossed it back in the locker before he could take it. His eyebrow raised but he didn’t say anything. 

“For your information, if I didn’t give him my lunch he wouldn’t have any. So yeah I put up with the shit so my friend can eat.” I shot back at him. “What do you care anyway Steff? Not like you eat that shit anyway.” I closed the locker door and started to walk down the hall. I hadn’t gone two steps before he was walking next to me. 

“I don’t.” I rolled my eyes at his tone. “Look. I just want to talk to you (Y/N).” I gave him a harsh look. “There’s no reason that we can’t just talk.” Stopping, I leaned against the radiator at the top of the stairs and sighed. “Like we used to.” I looked down at the floor and bit my lip.

“About what Steff?” I sighed looking back up at him. “About how you dropped me the second you could? Or about how you treat me and my friends like dirt?” Steff huffed and looked away. 

“You know I liked you four years and you treat me like shit.” He stepped closer to me. “Seemed only fair to return the favor.” I stood at my full height. I was still shorter than Steff but it didn’t make me seem as weak as I was before. 

“Liking someone and wanting to screw someone are two different things Steff.” I stood as close to his face as I could. “And the sooner you learn that, the better for you. Maybe then you’ll find a nice girl to settle down with and you won’t have to spend so much time with Benny the whore.” I started to walk away, making sure I hit his shoulder on purpose. I wanted to see that pristine suit jacket wrinkled. He grabbed my arm, making me stop. 

“I’ve been out with a lot of girls at this school. I don’t see what makes you so different.” He growled. I laughed. 

“I have some taste. Get lost, Steff.” I yanked my arm out of his grasp and started to walk to the cafeteria. Once I was sure I was out of his sight, I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. “Oh Steff.” Hanging my head, I bit my lip to stop the tears I knew would eventually spill over. “Why is it so hard to get over you?” Running my fingers through my hair, I stood up and continued my walk to the cafeteria. I saw Andie and sat down across from her. “Thanks.” I muttered when she pushed a tray over to me. I pulled the money out of my pocket and paid her back. 

“What’s with you?” She asked once she noticed I wasn’t eating. “I mean I know it’s not the best but….” I shook my head and cut her off.

“Steff talked to me in the hall.” I whispered. I slowly looked up at her. “He said he liked me for four years and I treat him like shit.” Andie’s eyes went wide and she looked behind me. I didn’t even bother turning around to know Steff had entered the cafeteria. Sighing, I looked back down at my food. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him look at me before joining his friends at their table. “I told him I had taste. But…” I trailed off, waving my hand. I looked at Andie and she smiled at me sadly. “You know.” 

“Yeah. I know.” She reached over and patted my hand. “Life sucks.” I nodded in agreement and started to eat lunch. The day went on without any more interactions with Steff. Until the end of the day. Class had just let out and Steff was already leaning next to my locker. 

“What do you want now Steff?” I sighed as I stood in front of him. “Here to make fun of me some more.” I bit my lip, already sensing the tears building up. I noticed Andie and Duckie over his shoulder and they seemed frozen to see the two of us interacting. He opened his mouth to say something. “Because if you are, you can just forget it. Hasn’t it been enough for one day?” Steff looked at me sadly and closed his mouth. He looked down before nodding. I looked away from him for a second before catching him biting his lip. 

“I wanted to apologize.” He whispered. His eyes met mine and he took a step closer to me. Most of the people in the hall had stopped to watch our interaction but it didn’t seem to bother him. “Yes you heard me right. I acted like an asshole. We used to be friends. And I treated you like shit then just like how I treat you like shit now.” His hand hovered over my arm. He started to worry his lip before letting his fingertips brush against my arm. “You have no idea how much I like you. I told you earlier four years. That’s a long time (Y/N). Long enough to know the difference between love and lust.” His eyes watched his fingers on my arm. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Sure it is Steff.” I nodded. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you treated me like shit and even though you say you’ve liked me for four years, you still went out with Benny. Hell you’re still going out with her.” I moved closer to him, causing him to grip my elbow. “That doesn’t change much.” 

“It does. Because I never actually went out with Benny.” He moved his head from side to side before nodding and correcting himself. “Sure I had sex with her. But the entire time I wished it was you. Every kiss I pretended it was you. Because she isn’t you.” Steff stepped closer to me and held onto my arm tighter. “She never was. And she never will be.” His eyes finally met mine. “Does that change anything?” I could feel his grip wavering and saw the concern in his eyes. He was almost pleading with me to tell him yes. That was the problem with his blue eyes. I always knew what he was thinking and I always got lost in them trying to figure it out. I started to worry my lip before looking down at his hand on my arm. I gulped as I felt his other hand on my chin. Tilting my head up, he met my eyes again. “Does it?” I heard the fear in his voice. Sighing, I let my head fall as far as he would let me. Which just so happened to be his shoulder. His hand moved to my waist and he just held me there as he waited for an answer. Not only did it seem like he was waiting, the whole school was waiting. This was a lot of pressure on me. Taking a deep breath, I raised my head and met his perfect blue eyes.

“Yeah.” I whispered. “Yeah. It changes everything.” Steff let out a breath and let his head fall against mine. I dropped my books to the ground and wrapped my arms around Steff’s shoulders. He pulled me even closer before pulling back suddenly. 

“Thank God.” He breathed before putting his hands on my cheeks and pulling me in for the perfect kiss. The hall was dead silent as Steff crashed his lips against mine, trying to release four years of emotion into the kiss. As my hand made its way to his hair, I could hear the cheers of various students who had seen the evolution of Steff and me. I could hear Duckie cheering the loudest and Andie trying to calm him down. Steff pulled me incredibly close as he moved his impossibly soft lips against mine. What Andie had always mentioned as a perfect kiss ran through my mind. My knees felt weak and my stomach was all a mess. Without me even knowing, I was trying to get as close to Steff as I possibly could. But somehow my brain wasn’t registering, it was almost too much. A tight squeeze to his shoulder caused him to pull away. He looked down at me with sparkling blue eyes. 

“You really are impossible.” I giggled as Steff let go of me long enough to fix his hair by running his fingers through it. He raised his eyebrows.

“Taste huh?” Nodding, he smirked down at me as he wrapped his arms around me again. He bent down so he could hug me tightly and bury his head in my neck. “But you love it.” His voice was muffled as he pulled me closer. “Go out with me.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a request. 

“You know I will.” I whispered. 

“Good.” He breathed. Nodding, I put one of my hands in his hair and purposefully messed it up. I tucked my head into his shoulder as I let out a breathy laugh. Steff let out a playful growl at the feeling of his hair being messed with. We stayed that way long enough for the rest of the student body to grow bored with our little display and continue on with the end of their day. Steff pulled away once our crowd started to move on. He smiled down at me and fixed his hair again. He let go of me only to bend down and pick up my books. Holding my books, he waited for me to open my locker before putting them away from them. I grabbed my jacket and shades before closing the locker. “Ready to go?” I looked at the hand that Steff was offering me. I took it but shook my head.

“Not quite yet.” I nodded in the direction of Andie and Duckie. Steff nodded and settled against the locker. I leaned up to kiss his cheek before either one had reached us. “Hi guys.” I smiled as Steff gently pulled me back against him. His arms settled around my waist. I looked back at him and shook my head at his antics. 

“That was some display.” Andie said. Her voice was a little harsh but her eyes sparkled in a way that said I told you so. Steff’s arms tightened around me slightly as he shrugged. “I’m not complaining. It was time something big like that happened around here. Especially with prom and graduation around the corner.” I smiled at her and nodded. 

“Yeah. Not unlike you and Blaine last year.” I giggled as she rolled her eyes. 

“Don’t remind me.” She huffed. I looked over at Duckie who was staring at me and Steff with wide eyes.

“Wait…” He trailed off.  “This is the guy you were crushing on? This is the guy you said was never going to happen?” His voice rose slightly as the puzzle pieces finally clicked into place for him. Turning slightly, I tried to hide my red cheeks in Steff’s chest before either boy saw them. “Holy shit (Y/N)!” Now I was bright red and completely embarrassed. 

“Andie.” I whined and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “Help. Please.” She nodded before glancing at Steff. 

“Come on Duck.” She said, taking his arm. “Let’s leave these two to it.” Steff chuckled as Andie literally dragged Duckie away. I stayed with my head hidden in his chest while Steff gently rubbed my back. I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head as one of his hands started to play with my hair. 

“You ready to go now?” He whispered. Lifting my head, I looked around the now empty halls. Finally looking at Steff, I nodded. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.” He left an arm around my shoulders as we made our way out to his car. He opened the door for me and waited until I was settled before making his way to the driver's side. He slid in effortlessly and started the car. It was quiet for a while with just the radio playing rock songs. “What did he mean when he said the guy you were crushing on?” Steff broke the silence. Sitting at a red light, he looked over at me. 

“Exactly that. I only ever told Andie I liked you. Duckie never knew and he never put the pieces together until you decided to make a grand spectacle of asking me out. I guess the pieces finally clicked.” I shrugged and settled into the seat a little more. Steff smiled at me and reached over to hold my hand.

“And never thought it would happen?” He chuckled. I turned to look out the window as the light turned green. Thankful he wouldn’t see my blush, I shifted again. 

“I didn’t think you would ever like me back. Especially with the way you treated me.” I shrugged and pulled the hand I was holding into my lap. Dreading Steff’s response at my next comment, I focused on playing with his fingers. “When you said you liked me for four years, I thought you were making fun of me. When I left, I turned a corner so you couldn’t see me and started to cry.” I whispered. I heard Steff sigh. 

“I saw you.” He admitted. I stopped playing with his fingers and looked over at him in shock. We pulled up in front of my house but neither of us moved. Steff turned to face me. “I felt bad for saying you treated me like shit when you really hadn’t. It was all me trying to get your attention. And keep it.” He shrugged. “I thought I would be happy as long as you noticed me. Gave me your attention. So I did anything I could to get it and keep it. And I did it in the worst possible way. I meant to apologize then and there. Not wait until school was over. But then I saw you crying and I felt like shit so I left you alone. I thought I had really messed up anything we could ever have just by having that talk.” It was his turn to focus on playing with my fingers. “But it made me feel worse. Especially to see you look so beat up at lunch. That’s when I decided to talk to you after school.” I gently stopped his hands, making him look up at me. 

“You saw that?” I breathed out. He nodded sadly. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” I could feel the tears starting to prick my eyes. Steff sighed and his head fell again. 

“I didn’t want to make things worse.” He whispered. “I had already messed it up by making you cry and saying that shit. I thought that when I apologized the last thing you would do was agree to go out. I thought you would scream and yell and hit me. Honestly I wanted you to hit me. Ruin my suit. Give me a black eye. Anything was better than what I was already doing to myself.” He looked up at me again. “What I’m still doing to myself.” I could tell he was upset and I pulled him into a hug. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t live up to your expectations.” I attempted a joke but all I got was Steff hugging me tighter. 

“I keep thinking I’m dreaming. That I fell asleep in math and the teacher is going to wake me up any second.” Steff breathed. “This can’t be real. I fucked up this time. I shouldn’t have you in my arms right now. I should be attempting to explain a black eye to my mom or explaining to my dad why my hundred dollar suit is torn.” His face found my neck again and his shaky breath made my hand go to his hair. “Not sitting in my car hugging you like my life depended on it.” I gently pushed him away and cupped his face. I moved some of his hair out of his face and smiled at him.

“Forget all that shit that happened between us okay?” I whispered. “I’m here now. I’m with you now. I’ll be with you tomorrow and the day after and the day after for as long as we need to be with each other.” His hand came up to cover mine. “Yeah you made me cry. Hell I’m just about making you cry right now. I think we’re even.” Steff closed his eyes and let out a shaky laugh.

“I guess we are.” He opened his eyes and smiled at me. Returning the smile, I pulled him close and gave him a kiss. His grip tightened on my hand and I could feel the need he had to prove to me once again that what he had said about liking me for four years was true. Pulling away, Steff kissed the back of my hand and went to open his door. “Your parents are going to be wondering where you are soon.” He paused when he saw the curtain move in the front window. With a smirk, he rounded the car and opened my door. “Or wondering why you’re sitting in a car with some boy for so long.” He chuckled as he helped me out. He walked me to my door and smiled down at me. 

“Want to come in? Show them who that some boy is?” I asked as I ran my hands over the lapels of his suit. He shook his head with a grin. 

“Nah.” He chuckled, his hands finding my waist. “Better to keep them guessing for now.” I giggled and shook my head. 

“Again, you’re impossible.” Steff nodded as he leaned down to kiss me one last time. I held onto his lapels and leaned up to kiss him better. If this kept up I’d be addicted to him. But I didn’t really care. Steff pulled away and smiled down at me again.

“So…” he trailed off. 

“So…” I mimicked him. 

“Something Andie mentioned is stuck in my head.��� He admitted. I nodded and smoothed out the material that I had wrinkled. “Would you go to prom with me?” I looked up at him with a smile. I gently shoved him off my porch and watched him walk backwards to his car. “Well?” he called out to me. 

“Get lost Steff!” I called back as I started to open my front door. 

“I’ll take that as a yes!” he called back before getting into his car. I rolled my eyes as I got the door open. 

“Sure you will!” I watched as he pulled away, a grin on his face and his hand raised in farewell. I couldn’t help but shake my head as he drove out of view. The smile on my face widened considerably as I finally entered my house. “Sure you will.”