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emmafrostdefender · 3 months ago

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a fine line between god and animal | logan howlett x fem reader

prologue - that which cannot be held in your hand | masterlist

your mother was a god-fearing woman. but she feared you much more. some part of you was wrong, at least in the eyes of god, but you answered to something much bigger. and so did he.

hi friends, this was written when i was struck with inspiration by the one and only ethel cain. of course, the inspiration was paired with my recent renewed interest in wolverine and x-men. some of the characters are more like how they are in the comics because the movie writers did them dirty! like jean slays in the comics okay! anyways, i wanted to write about wolverine and it be sexy in an ethel cain way. do we get the vibe? i hope so. also, i, in fact, do not have religious trauma but if you do this might be the story for you. enjoy.

warnings: cursing, religion, religious trauma (will pick up), lowkey a lot of blasphemy, people be bad sometimes, reader's mother was not chill, a ton of exposition (sorry!), i’m writing this mainly for practice (especially regarding dialogue, so that’s why some of it might be kinda choppy), definitely won't be canon compliant, 4k words

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By the grace of some unholy god were you created.

The priest with silver hair expelled the demons from you; those crawling, crushing, wriggling, squirming demons that lived within you. Those demons that whispered in your ears, caressing your skull with a language lost to time. They pushed to be revealed. Today, your mother shoved you to your knees before the altar of your true Mother, the Mother of all. “Holy Mother, bless this rotten soul,” she whispered by your side, eyes clenched shut. You watched her. There were no tears, not for your lost soul. Your rotten soul. As if your morality was like an apple. Something that could shrivel up and die if left too long in the scorching sun.

Your skin crawled under the light that beat down on you through the skylights of the church. The air was thick with incense and smoke from the ever-burning candles. The stench filled your nose. Your mother grasped your hand in hers, forcing you to focus on her words. She spoke so quietly, so quickly, you’d think she was chanting some spell. Something to save you from your fate.

“Heavenly Father, take the Devil’s spirit from her body; take this ugly, horrid wickedness from her.”

You closed your eyes, not in prayer, but to lend your ears elsewhere. To the birds chirping outside. The wind whistling through the trees.

You were connected to nature. In some primal, peaceful way.

Before your father died, he would take you into the woods and you would wander together. Sometimes you would pack supplies for overnight trips, sometimes you would bring nothing but your spirit with you. Now, you thought he knew that something was different about you before you did. When you were a stumbling child, he knew. There were days he would force you to lead the both of you back to safety after getting you lost in the middle of the woods. Force you to reveal yourself to him. The part of you that God shunned.

And you did.

Your spirit became one with the natural world around you. You could hear and smell and see. For what felt like the first time. It was a beautiful thing that came over you.

The trees spoke to you, in their ancient language lost to humanity. And you spoke back. Using sounds that had never before emerged from your lips.

And they led you home.

Never once did your father ostracize you for your gift. That’s what he called it. A gift.

When you turned sixteen, your gift shifted. You fought back as it reared its ugly head at you. It pushed and pulled at your insides, begging to be released fully. The day your father died, lying still in a sterile hospital bed, it burst out of you. The monotonous tone that rang out death filled your ears as you lay beside him on the thin sheets. He wasn’t supposed to die like this. Not here. The thought blared in your brain. He should’ve been somewhere he could see the sky, the trees, the clouds, not the plastered ceiling of a hospital room.

In your memory, nothing changed. But your mother, eyes blurry with tears, watched as something inside you morphed. You became still, grasping your father’s hand, and whispered something that sounded to her like sin. The tongue of some animal, some demon. She watched as her daughter became something unholy. Your eyes went pitch black, your skin glowing with a soft light. And suddenly, vines were creeping into the room from all around.

Through the window, the door, from the cracks in the ceiling. Crawling to the thrumming in your veins. The winds answered your call, blasting open the window, broken glass scattering across the linoleum floor. Your mother screamed at the sound.

As vines wrapped around your ankles, around your father’s bed, your mother watched as you continued your senseless muttering. She couldn’t move to stop you. She began to chant a prayer of protection. For herself, for her husband’s lifeless body, for your soul.

Anger filled your spirit, the anger of a thousand year old mother. Tar filled your veins, smoke filled your lungs, oil in your eyes. The drilling, the pounding, the burning, the slaughtering. It all pushed into your brain as the vines choked your soul. And you screamed.

Your mother grabbed the metal tray from your father’s final meal and slammed it against your head.

And she continued to pray. Gripping your hand until it hurt. And you let her. Let her expel the demon from you.

Your bare skin bathes in the moonlight shining through the early autumn foliage as you sit on your knees before a different altar.

You cringe at the memory of your bruised knees and that crushing hold on your hand. Begging God to turn you into a flower, while your mother begged for your mortal soul.

You shake your head to clear the memory. That was ten years ago now. Seventeen and terrified of who you were, what you were. She was wrong about you and you were wrong about you.

The day the priest came to perform another exorcism of sorts, something that had no effect on you whatsoever, a new man had entered your bedroom. A man in a wheelchair. Professor Charles Xavier. He saved you.

Made your mother forget who you were.

And you came to live on a beautiful estate in upstate New York with people like you. Mutants. A word used in such a way you had never heard before in extremely rural Oklahoma. “What do you mean, mutant?” You asked, not sure if you should feel insulted.

Professor X looked at you from across the plasticky diner table, studying your features. You studied his right back. Soft eyes and a kind smile. Such a stark contrast from your mother’s severe gaze and thin-lipped grimace. “Mutants are like regular people, only with a mutated gene that gives them special abilities. I’ve been studying mutants and their mutations for decades. Each mutant I meet is unique and you are no exception.”

Your eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly as you sipped on a strawberry milkshake. “How many are there?”

And so began your relationship with Charles Xavier. He became your mentor, someone to go to for guidance. He assisted you in harnessing your abilities, treating them like a muscle to train rather than a burden to bear. And yet, every night you prayed to God that you could be rid of it. That you could go back home and live a normal life.

In your years at the mansion, friendships blossomed all around you. You never made friends easily back home, but here they came quickly and firmly.

And you felt complete. You are complete. You remind yourself.

Something deep inside of you grumbles in response.

You ignore it and stretch your arms to the sky, cupping the moon in your hands. The moon is slightly out of your jurisdiction, but she controls the tide, which controls the winds. It all works in harmony, you’ve learned. When another girl with similar mutant abilities arrived at the mansion a few years after yourself, you became close partners. Storm, Ororo by birth, was your closest companion. She had striking white hair and a piercing gaze and a personality to match. In combat, she is your most trusted partner.

You spin your arms in a practiced circle, beginning to feel the thrumming of power in your veins. Every full moon, Charles would send you out into the woods of the estate to become one with your abilities. He says the most dangerous mutant is a mutant that severs all connection to their powers. One that has no real idea what they are capable of. “They could destroy a whole city and not understand why,” he replied when you first asked him the meaning of these exercises. “You must be in tune with yourself if you ever want to feel some semblance of control.”

Control. The word forced a shiver down your spine. Mother Nature revolts at it.

And yet, you managed to tame the primal part of yourself. The part that screamed to be let loose.

The world pulses around you as your eyes flutter shut. This is your favorite part of the night. When you merge with the natural world. When you feel and hear and see everything around you. The flapping of an owl’s wings. The beat of a young doe’s heart. The smell of the moss and the dirt and the stream miles away. You feel another heartbeat. This one is firmer. More distinct. It reminds you of the steady thumping of your father’s heart when you would lay on his chest as a small child. You can’t pinpoint its location. It seems to come from everywhere at once. A sense of serenity washes over you.

And you simply listen.

You spread your fingers on the plush grass below you, feeling that heartbeat skitter along your skin and wash itself in the blood that pulses through your veins. You hear the sound of drifting snow, feel its cold sting before it melts against warm skin. Your eyes scrunch up as you focus. The thought of even wondering what you’re tuning into never crosses your mind. You just want to keep feeling and hearing. Your gluttony for the senses takes over and you taste the sheen of melted snow on this stranger’s skin as if you licked it yourself. Salt and something man. You hum. And then you smell something so distinctly like smoke that you are thrown from your reverie. Your body repulses against itself and you cough. Being connected to Earth has its disadvantages.

Desire to return to that state of complete contentment fills your mind, but you stand. Your nude form basks in the moonlight for not a minute longer. You shrug a pretty little silk robe on and make your way back to the mansion. Although it is early October and New York has not yet succumbed to the winter weather, you still feel the keen chill of snow.

As you slowly walk back to the mansion, the new thrum of energy courses through you. It spreads down your legs to the pads of your feet, which leave trails of newborn flowers. As quickly as they are born, they die. The circle of life and death. Darkness and light.

The exact breadth of your powers is still unknown to you and your fellow mutants. Before being taken in by Professor X, you thought they were limited to simply being one with nature. The memory of your father’s death and the events that quickly followed were hazy, but being far away from your mother and her religious zeal allowed you to connect to that piece of your past. To your chagrin, Charles refused to go into your mind to help you remember. It took you two months to fully remember the events. Memories came in dreams, waves of disconnected images all straining in your mind. The first night Charles sent you into the woods to “figure it out,” the pieces fell into place.

And you finally knew yourself again.

Now, you’ve chalked your abilities up to being a reincarnation of Mother Nature, a realization that pulls at the small cross that rests in the hollow of your neck. Despite the trauma incurred by your mother in the name of the righteous God, that part of yourself hasn’t been severed. You remember your father knelt in the church, clasping the chain around your neck, thereby forever bonding you to your faith. You’ve never feared any man you’ve gone against in combat, but you fear the one waiting to judge you.

If He’d even bestow that luxury upon you.

You look up at the sky as you step through the woods, drawing lines between the stars like the ancients. Stringing stories and myths and legends. You wonder if the monsters of olde were simply mutants, like you. Misunderstood and begging to be believed.

The soft glow of the mansion enters your vision. The weight of sleep hits you in the shoulders and you slouch to the back entrance. All the young mutants are asleep at this time, but you hear the skittering of a few rebels in the halls. The mansion never fails to awe you, with its tall wooden walls and bright windows. A far cry from your small rancher of a childhood home. You pass the main entrance and make your way up the stairs that lead to your bedroom on the third floor. This floor is for the older mutants, the X-Men.

Originally, you declined Charles’ offer to be a part of the mutant bad-guy-fighting team. A lack of confidence in yourself, you realized later on. The belief that something was still too wrong with you to even have the ability to help anyone. That belief changed rather quickly.

When you realized there wasn’t much of a place for mutants in this world, you accepted his offer. You took on the name Proserpina, the Roman goddess of spring, at the behest of your teammates. Despite your initial disdain towards the alias, you soon grew fond of the name.

Your ears perk up at the sound of whispering voices down the hall.

Coming from Jean’s room.

Jean Grey is another member of the X-Men and another close friend of yours. You were one of the first people she met when she arrived at the mansion a few years ago. You were the first to confront her about her obvious feelings for Scott Summers, who is something of a brother to you, before she even recognized them herself. You are the first person she goes to whenever she feels out of control, which seems to be more frequently as of late. “He wants you and Storm to track them down,” she says in a soft voice.

“Just the two of us?” Scott asks.

You assume she nods.

You raise your eyebrow. Track who down?

Deciding to enter the conversation, you continue to her room and open the cracked door fully. “What, so Charles doesn’t want me tracking anymore?” You question with a hand on your hip.

They both stand in the center of the room and turn their heads to look at you. Jean rubs at the space between her eyebrows. “Not necessarily. He just isn’t sure you should go on this one.”

“Why? Is it because we’d be fighting Captain Capitalism or something?”

Scott quirks a smile. “He’s found another prospect for the X-Men.”

“And how does that impact my ability to find them?”

Jean approaches you slowly. “Don’t be offended, honey, but sometimes you come off a bit…”

“Bitchy,” Scott finishes with his arms folded across his chest.

Your mouth drops open and you move to slap him or punch him or kick him, but Jean puts her hand on your sternum. “I meant to say, you can come off a bit guarded. And that isn’t always helpful with new recruits.”

“But no one is better at tracking than me,” you say with a pout. “Besides the obvious.”

“Sorry, babe, Charles isn't letting you come on this one,” Scott says with a grin. “Too bad.”

You flick him in the forehead and he flinches. “Asshole.”

“You can stay here and help me with my exercises. Charles is trying to get me to move a car,” Jean suggests. “I know,” she says in response to your eyebrow raise.

“You can barely move a book without it flying at your face. Or, in most cases, my face.”

She shrugs. “Out of the frying pan and into the fryer, I guess.”

“Fine. I’ll be nice.” You turn to leave and toss a dismissive hand up behind you at Scott. “Good luck tracking without me, bitch.”

He hums. “Goodnight.”

As you shut the door he throws out, “Can’t wait to bring them back in record time tomorrow!”

Them. So it’s multiple. Interesting.

That night, your dreams are filled with images of your old church. The windows stain everything around you a blood red.

You are on your knees before the altar of Mary. But today, her hands are folded away from you. She scorns you with a downwards glance of repulsion. You know this isn’t real. It’s not real.

Yet, your body burns in her gaze. Your skin is on fire and no one is there to quell it. You are chained to the floor by your hands, you feel your chest being cracked open to onlookers. Your heart is yanked from your ribs, your impure blood oozing from gray hands. Roaming hands belonging to a wisp of smoke pull at your bones, branding them in silver. Bugs crawl out of the cavity in your chest, maggots and cockroaches. You scream and the onlookers laugh. Your body vibrates with fear and disgust. And you scream.

You wake with hands pinned to the bed by your own force, your necklace set between your teeth.

Your nightgown is soaked in sweat, sticking to your skin. Your heartbeat pumps hard and fast in your ears, an almost unbearable sensation. Not the way you hoped the night would go.

Despite appearances, you are used to the nightmares that plague you whenever there is a full moon. With the resurgence of your power, comes a resurgence of memories.

You spit the cross out of your mouth and slam your head against your pillow.

Dawn has skipped across the sky, bringing streaks of hazy light into the darkness. You stare at the ceiling, allowing your heart to return to its usual rate.

It seems like the dreams are only getting worse with time. You thought they would subdue after a few years, but they’ve been building steadily. And you would never tell Charles that, lest he pry into your brain and see for himself. You couldn’t let him, or anyone, see that part of you. The part you worked so hard to tamp down. It would only make things harder.

Therapy for one?

You laugh in self-pity and sit up, your muscles tense. You stretch out your arms, moving them in circular motions as you control your breathing. The last thing the team needs is something else to worry about. Magneto, your main opposition, has been pushing harder and harder toward his goal of world-domination and mutant-superiority. Charles doesn’t need another burden. You crack your neck and stand.

Your room has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the gardens and the woods. A special request you made the first time you moved in. You can just barely see the sun beginning to peak over the horizon, glimmering off the dewy leaves.

Someone knocks on your door. “Yes?” you ask, turning to face the entrant.

The only other person ever up this early is Storm. She stands before you in her leather suit, stark white hair hanging by her shoulders. “Put some clothes on, Charles wants to speak with you.”

“You don’t think he’d appreciate this?” You gesture to your sweat-stained dress.

��Bad dream?”

You shrug. “I was actually having very passionate sex with Christian Bale.”

“Slut!” She smiles, but her eyes see right through your lie.

You wink. “Always.”

Ororo is the only person you’ve let see the terrified side of you. The side that you keep locked away. And it makes your skin crawl when she sees straight through you. As if she’s the one that can read minds.

When you’ve changed into a sweater and jeans, you follow Ororo downstairs to the professor’s study. The sun has fully risen by now, along with many of the students. You dodge sleepy children and annoyed teenagers as you make your way to the study.

“I’ll wait out here for you,” Ororo says softly as you open the study door.

“I feel like I’m about to be scolded for something.”

She laughs.

You shut the door behind you and see Charles sitting at his desk. “Good morning, Professor.”

“Take a seat.”

You grin as you make your way to the plush seats in front of his desk. “Am I in trouble?”

He smiles back. “No, you’re not in trouble. But I did need to speak with you.”

You nod, allowing him to continue.

“I understand that you already know about the retrieval mission Scott and Ororo are to be sent on today?”

“Yes, I overheard Jean mention it to Scott last night.”

He hums. “How was your night besides?”

He’s referring to your monthly ritual. You smile. “It went well.”

“Anything interesting occur?” he asks with a quirk of his brow.

You narrow your eyes slightly. Is he asking about the dreams? You pivot. “Not really. I seemed to connect to someone far away, though. That hasn’t really happened before.”

He nods, a glint in his eye. He knows you’re omitting something. But he lets you get away with it by switching the topic. “I suppose you might be wondering why I’m not sending you on this particular retrieval?”

You shrug, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. “I mean, it crossed my mind. But it’s your decision.”

“I’m not sending you not because you aren’t useful, you must understand. Or because of you’re 'attitude,' which I must admit, I disagree with. You are truly the best tracker we have. And you are fairly good at calming new people down. However, I have recently been made aware of a plot by Lehnsherr to somehow use you to further his plans,” he says with a straight look on his face.

Before you register the second part of his statement, you feel smug pride at the fact that you were right and Scott was wrong. “Wait, he wants me?”

Charles nods. “Yes, it seems he believes your mutation would be useful to him. But I am not aware of how exactly.”

“How were you able to read his mind?”

“We were both at a speech given by Senator Robert Kelly a few days ago. I found his mind in my scan of the room. His is much different from everyone else.”

The unspoken part: We are connected.

The professor never seems to fully admit the strong connection he has to Erik Lehnsherr, but you sensed it the same way you sensed Jean and Scott. It might be different, it might be the same, but the history they share has never fully dissolved.

You wonder if a part of your mutation is sensing innate connections between people. That invisible force that pulls some together, while pulling others apart. That which cannot be held in your hand. You suppose it is something only nature could define.

He continues. “He believes that your connection to nature could be used in conjunction with his control over metal. How? I’m not sure. I’m not sure even he knows.”

You consider this, bringing your hands together. “So you’re nervous I wouldn’t be able to hold my own against his goons?”

“Not necessarily. But if you were abducted, we might not be able to reach you. It’s safer if you stay here with all the protections this mansion affords.”

You fight the urge to roll your eyes. “Are you sure that’s the only reason?”

“It’s the only reason I need.” He looks at you with such care that your annoyance pauses. “If not sending you on a monotonous tracking mission means keeping you from uneccessary harm, then I will do it. Even if it upsets you.”

You break his gaze and sigh. “Fine. I’ll stay.”

He leans back in his chair and smiles.

“I just hate seeing Scott’s ‘I-did-better-than-you’ face. He’s so smug,” you whine.

“You two have that in common, I see.”

The grin that spreads across your lips is impossible to fight.

Scott and Ororo board the jet after an hour of briefing from the professor about where the mutants are most likely located. Somewhere in Canada. Far, far north.

Before they head off, Scott ruffles your hair. “Hey, don’t look so disappointed. You can stay here and grow some flowers or something.”

You shove his hand away from you. “Shut up.”

“Save that fire for when we get back. You never know what these mutants are going to be like. They could be gearing up for a fight.”

“I think I’ll just let you handle that, since you’re so confident you’ll even be able to find them properly without me.”

“It’s not just confidence. It’s a guarantee,” he says with a grin.

“Whatever. Be safe.”

“Always am. Keep Jean company.”

“Mhm. ‘Bye now!” You say with a wave of your hand.

Jean exits the jet where she was speaking to Ororo and comes to stand next to you. Ororo gives you a thumbs up and she and Scott exit your line of sight. Although you would never admit it, you like going on these missions to keep your teammates safe. And not being able to protect them itches at your skin. Before you go crazy pacing in the hangar of the jet after it takes off, just waiting for them to get back, Jean reminds you of her own practice.

“Time to move that car!” You say with gusto, hooking your arm with hers.

You fight the urge to glance behind you. Your other hand comes up to worry the cross at your neck. They’ll be fine.

ugh i know i know she didn't meet him this chapter aw man....

#wolverine x reader #logan howlett x reader #wolverine x you #xmen #x men #xmen fanfiction #xmen x reader

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queer-fag · 4 months ago

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Deadpool vs Wolverine thoughts

- lots of Easter eggs like too many to count honestly definitely requires a well rounded media knowledge even outside of marvel

- fucking incredible soundtrack. Great nostalgic choices that really made the film imo

- Chris Evan’s cameo as Johnny flame? Hilarious

- overall plot very fast and loose and really more there just to have a reason to put the two together

- is definitely crack

- like this absolutely could just be considered a crack universe because the one choice that ruined any type of canon was having Laura? The kid from Logan there in the void because Logan was sooo serious and talking about it was fine and bringing a different version (primed for “funnier”) is a great choice but wtf was she just there for other than a lil tear jerk moment idk unnecessary

- all serious moments lowkey unnecessary felt very off in comparison to the rest bc the rest was crack lol

- only part of the multiple Deadpool thing I liked was its uzi time baby

- fuck that gross dog forever but Logan just holding it to walk across truly hilarious

- love blade ? And the elektra call back but still those movies were so.. like serious (tho very camp) that it’s kind of weird to place these characters

- but the one liner to blade about animal king made it ok for me lol

- Stanley steamer cameo Stan Lee check very creative

- Cassandra… idk how to feel just a plug in villain but she had the opportunity to be so so so good I think I felt like she was underutilized

- as usual the worst part of marvel movies is their admittance that they know what’s wrong and don’t care but hey I literally saw it in theaters so it’s cyclical and 50% pass for being written and produced by Ryan

- I wish they put spawn in it. Idk man no reason at all I have no idea how the comics interact if at all but w the other cameos I think that’s probably the most overlooked marvel movie

- mad max mention check check check

- the tva as a continued narrative I dislike which is ironic bcccc —->

- Loki mention! Meta but whatever

- it was really funny I will give it props yes one liners but good ones !

- bloopers from all versions of X-men etc as ending reel solid!!! Very good

- fight scenes.. the opening was the best and the others were fine…

- they should have kisses there was the PERFECT moment and they didn’t

- I think this was a fun Wolverine actually I like how much he swore and was as nasty as Deadpool

- 7/10 final rating which is a b if you’re in Canada (reference Ryan reynolds)

#deadpool vs wolverine #Deadpool #Wolverine #prophet speaks

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childofthevault · 10 months ago

Note

Sir Hammerlock + all the numbers. Sorry

oh my god

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I like him, hes not one of my top favorite Borderlands characters but he's fun and honestly I think one of the better written characters

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

that hes openly gay and hes old, you don't really get a lot of elder gay rep and it's cool to see

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

this is a personal thing but I don't like his british explorer thing somethings, especially when he starts calling people savages its incredibly minor but it bothers me a bit

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

okay so I've mentioned this with friends but, I want him to have a comic mini-series and sure I say this with Borderlands a lot but I think Hammerlock having a one-off mini series comic about him doing something would be cool

I think gbx and dark horse should invest in mini-series or one shots for the bl side characters like Hammerlock

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

I had to think on this since he isn't a character I listen to playlists for or make them for but after listening to my spotify for a bit Twin Soul- Rico Del Oro

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

complicated relationships with their family ig?

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

How everyone depicts his relationship with Wainwright, I am so happy that people don't ignore them being together and that they're both gay men its nice to see people love him so much and love the relationship he has

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

PEOPLE NOT REALIZING HE'S BLACK OH MY GOD ITS SO WERID HE IS SO VISIBLY NOT WHITE

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

yes :)

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

yes :D

11. Would you date this character?

no, im a lesbian and he is a gay man who is more than twice my age

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

he is the type of old guy to use emojis wrong, ie use 😂 for crying in a sad context

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

🐾he adds it if he's tracking something

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Dark Academia

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

HIM AND WAINWRIGHT THOSE TWO ARE MY GAY DADS

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Hammerlock x women ig?

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

I don't think I have one? I think I saw him shipped with Zane a few times but eh

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

him and wainwright have such a healthy relationship, and it's so well written like you get they're in love and why they love each other from the breif time they have togehter, I do like how in the dlc handled their relationship and how both of them felt like maybe they might not work out but realizing these anxieties are wrong we're great together

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

I wish his relationship with Aurelia got more time to devlope, in the pre-sequel Aurelia has death lines where she calls for him and says "I'm sorry Alistor." this leans more towards Aurelia but I wish they got a chance to really mend their relationship in bl3 but Aurelia was...written like that in bl3 which sucks

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Clay and or Zane

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I do not write fics

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

I do not read a lot of fics :(

23. Favorite picture of this character?

he's happy :)

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

none come to mind but probably will after I post this haha

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

first impression: ah he's cool

current: thats my dad, he adopted me, I love you gay dad

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brw · 3 years ago

Note

Tony Stark and Reed Richards for the character ask thing

TONY STARK

how i feel about this character: 😬 ngl i... don't care for him. at all. i don't vehemently hate him, there's definitely times where i appreciate him & his personality but it's few and far between and i... genuinely do not get the hype. i think its mostly mcu fans' fault for my dislike, its just he's fucking EVERYWHERE now, it's impossible to miss him? like he plays a big role in EVERY avengers comic now, he gets ongoing titles all the time, and it's just so frustrating especially when you consider characters who used to be more or less on the same level on them (like hank pym! who, by the way, has been dead for 6 consecutive years! that would never happen with tony!) or even more popular than him now get streamlined because of the mcu's popularity. by himself, i don't really mind him that much, but with how famous he is now and how large and frankly annoying his fan base is i just... now really do not like the character.

all the people i ship romantically with this character: short list here; reed, because i find their dymanic of reed as someone who does everything for his family and will do everything and anything he can to protect their interests above everyone else but also wants to keep his hands clean and believes, genuinely, in the good of the world, and tony as someone who will do horrendous things in the name of the greater good who always has the bigger picture in mind interesting. i also don't know a lot about it but he seems cute with rhodey? even if i think rhodey deserves a bigger chance to be his own character away from tony as is sometimes denied i can always appreciate a good best friends to lovers dymanic :)

my non romantic otp for this character: um? i honestly don't know 😭 i don't like him enough to say, i guess him n reed again? him n rhodey again? help 😭😭😭

my unpopular opinion of this character: he does not deserve the fame he has. like, i dont mean to sound jealous or whatever but pre 2007 movie he was not the most well liked character or even that popular. like obviously he had fans because he had solo series on and off for a very long time but it just feels SO ridiculous that tony stark has a bigger fandom than the fucking fantastic four. THE FANTASTIC FOUR. marvel's first superhero team, and yet??? like okay. he might have things to offer i don't see. he obviously does, i mean, he got three movies and multiple solo series. but he has most certainly not got enough as a character to overshadow the fantastic four, the x-men, etc and i will never forgive the mcu & mcu fans (and mark miller, he deserves blame too) for making it so. again, by himself he's fine but it is ridiculous to me that a one note white character that appeared in his third film (harley keener or... whatever) has 2000s more fics than THE PROTAGONIST OF INTO THE SPIDERVERSE, MILES MORALES. it is just... so vile and frustrating to me.

one thing i wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: he didn't exist <3 jk jk um i'm not sure? i guess it would be funny if he was like... stick thin underneath the armour. like idk. he's in the armour 24/7 it makes sense to me for him to be a skinny little nerd under there. like completely fucking small. like you can't be a superhero AND be a billionaire and avoid all those taxes AND run the avengers AND run multiple massive corporations and still work out... even if you take away eating and sleeping there's just not enough time... it would be funny if he was just a tiny little boy underneath all that djndndbf

my otp: gonna say him and rhodey again. like i say, can never resist a good best friends to lovers dymanic.

my cross over ship: jdjshdhdh literally none i don't think about him enough to consider it <3

headcanon fact: 100% think he was the one to offer reed that money to star in a p*rno it's just so funny to me to imagine dhsnndnd

REED RICHARDS

how i feel about this character: HE'S MY BOY! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! like i guess it's paradoxical considering how similar he is to tony in some ways but man i just love reed so much. i so genuinely think reed richards is what tony stark fans want him to be. like they (mcu fans) make up elaborate headcanons of him being a good dad and an ethical billionaire and its like no that's reed richards? canonically he's gone broke bc he refuses to get money off his inventions... u have the wrong man... anyway he's also an asexual LEGEND i do not take criticism and ofc. autistic icon. literally he's so autistic it makes me <3 i love him dearly.

all the people i ship romantically with this character: it would be easier to list the people i DON'T ship with him lol. sue, obviously, victor ofc, and ben are the big ones, but i just LOVE his dymanic with t'challa and i think they would rlly work it... i also love the idea of him with namor, idk with victor it's just so funny to imagine reed as like. bizarrely attractive to rulers of foreign countries. blackagar faces the same problem <3 i also do believe him n hank pym dated in college for a bit... all their weird little microaggressions towards each other just makes me feel that way... again i do like him w/ tony and i made this weird au where he and emma frost got together which if prompted i WILL talk about. probably. more but yeah <3

my non romantic otp for this character: while i do LOVE them together as lovers i just love. benreed generally <3 like they're LITERALLY besties they love each other sm and i'm tired of pretending they don't????? so many people ignore this relationship and it makes me so sad!!! they're best friends they love each other fight for each other fight with each other theyre literally besties... smh put some respect on the benreed name 😤

my unpopular opinion of this character: i don't think this is that unpopular but it is in certain circles so! i genuinely think reed is the best marvel dad! like you can talk abt others all u want but the fact is that reed is the only character i can think of who has always been there in his kid's lives and has consistently put their needs first. like not saying other characters are bad but even at his worst writing he's always done his best for his kids and certainly has been full of love for them. other characters at their worse have. murdered their own kids <3 genuinely he's the best marvel dad and sure there's not a lot of competition but. yeah <3

one thing i wish would happen/had happened with this character: I WANT A CANONICAL AUTISM DIAGNOSIS NOW. literally he is SO autistic & there are... no big autistic marvel characters! at all! literally none! the closest we have is legion (who was written in an incredible ableist way and autism hasnt been used to describe him in a solid 30 years) and monet (and it turned out it wasn't monet but one of her twin sisters impersonating her :/) so it would just mean so much to see a canonically autistic character like reed who is older & has a wife and kids who he loves and who they love in return on panel. like so much of the rep we DO have is like, young kids or teens and idk an autistic adult would just mean so much to me. especially one like reed who is as selfless & loving as he is.

my otp: tie between doomreed and reedsue! any option that gets this noodle nerd lots of love i'm good for tbh

my cross over ship: him and ralph dibney from dc should date... they have so much in common... stretchy autistic man who's very smart and kind of silly who loves his wife sue who pegs him 🥴 they'd have so much to talk about sjbdhdhd also imagining the look on ben's face realising there's TWO of them is. so funny.

headcanon fact: he's aromantic he's asexual and neither of these stop him from his very meaningful & passionate relationship with his wife :)

assorted character ask game!

#oh boy i do not shut up.#long post #thank you for asking!#esteicy-blog #tony stark #anti tony stark #i guess?? idk dhdjdh #ch: i believe we endure #ask games} answers

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amagicdoctor · 3 years ago

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I'm reading the old Iron Man stories for the first time ("Tales of Suspense") and in one tale, Tony saves (almost killing himself) Angel, one of the original X-Men and seems to part in very good terms with them. He didn't seem to show any anti-mutant prejudices. I wonder when he starts having anti-mutants leanings (if it's true he has them). To what extent? I was also under the impression that his and Wanda's animosity only existed (mainly at least) in the MCU and that in the comics they were friends most of the time? Could be wrong about that last one. Allegiance and friendships shift a lot in comics.

Hello! This is a really good ask, thanks for sending this in.

So in reference to all those comics you’ve read, these are all good things for me to know and add to my reading list. There’s a lot of old golden age stuff that I haven’t read yet but I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get to them anytime soon. There’s still a lot that I’m thinking about in terms of the dynamic Dr. Strange has with the X-Men, and how that relationship extends to other characters such as Iron Man and the Avengers.

I’ll have to say that when I go into building these relationship dynamics I kinda have to be a little biased. I love the X-Men, they’re my second favorite Marvel team/family, so I want to treat them well in whatever I do. At the same time, I don’t like the Avengers. So I want to bring that clear contrast between these groups in my story.

Asks like these are extremely important to me because I know there are people out there who would like some canon proof that dynamics like these exist somewhere. For reference, I have found that within the X-Men comics fandom there are some blogs where people believe (whether its a joke or not) that the Avengers are pretty bigoted. (I don’t know if anyone would like me to create a post of screenshots/memes of stuff I’ve seen but it’s really good stuff.) I was inspired by those blogs to wrap their canon around mine.

Like I said, I don’t know too much about what comics did back in the day and how they handled the Avengers reacting to the growing mutant community, but I started actively reading comics during the Civil War 2 (2016) event. I know that primarily had to do with inhuman issues (inhumans and mutants are both targeted groups, so this goes hand in hand), but if you saw the way the Avengers fought within their team over what was right/wrong, controlling people, controlling kids, making everything about them, it pretty much showed what they could have done if it was a mutant-related issue.

When did all of this prejudice stuff start? According to some comic timelines (like Avengers Origins: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver [2011]), before Wanda joined the Avengers she was literally helping her terrorist father harass the X-Men and other humans. So it’s not entirely Tony’s fault for being extremely wary of her abilities. I think there are a lot of people that are still afraid of Wanda, and some of those people are Avengers. They might not want to kill her or anything but her reality breaking powers are definitely something to fear. It’s just that with all this bottled up fear/aggression toward the potential what if? is directed to Wanda and Wanda only because she’s the only high-powered mutant in arms reach. People like Jean Grey are all the way on the other side of the state in a school. So those mutants are in a more controlled environment with Prof. X watching them, but not Wanda.

You also mentioned the MCU- I also don’t like watching any Avengers film media, but I have only watched the first Avengers movie and Endgame/Infinity War so I can’t even speculate what Tony’s dynamic with Wanda was. I know less about Wanda in the MCU than I do in the comics (I get a lot of secondhand information from my friends/fandom). So I definitely haven’t been translating my MCU canon for them into this comics canon.

You also asked “to what extent?” Tony Stark is a businessman. I feel like despite whatever persona I create for him I also believe he has this courtesy to be a professional. In the Illuminati, a secret group made out of Marvel’s top superheroes, he had to work alongside Professor X, the greatest modern mutant activist ever. I think these two characters can definitely be petty between each other (and those scenarios will be explored later) but at the end of the day, they both know that mutants and humans have to come together to save the world. We only have one Earth and it takes all sides to find peace.

I think Tony knows he has to live and share a planet with mutants, and he’s ok with that, but he definitely would get agitated/skeptical at times when all hell breaks loose because a mutant caused it.

✨

I’m really excited to continue receiving follow-up asks like these. If there’s anything I need to add I’ll update/reblog this post with the new additions. Otherwise, please send in another question if anything here was unclear, or you can just DM me.

#doctor strange #iron man #tony stark #xmen #marvel comics #earth 616 #ask for admin #text response

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rpmemesbyarat · 4 years ago

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As someone in the Marvel RPC, I see a lot of “my character was kidnapped/created in a lab and turned into the perfect weapon” or “my character was captured by scientists because she was an alien/supernatural creature/etc and they wanted to study her” and inevitably, both involve a lot of gratutitous torture. The key word being “gratuitous”. Either due to wanting drama or being misinformed by popular media depictions of such things (Bucky Barnes, Laura Kinney, etc) the general assumption of fandom seems to be that scientists are basically sadists and that “experiments” are little more than exercises in how to cause their character the most pain possible. The thing is though, a lot of the reasoning for all this is. . . bad. And while canon ---be it Marvel or something else-- may do that, I would also like to discuss more realistic options and point out a few general mistaken assumptions or things people don’t tend to think of. - If a bunch of scientists are trying to create an augmented supersoldier, “perfect life form”, or whatever, that’s not an experiment, that’s a PROJECT. There is a big difference between the two. - Who/what is your character being created or augmented to fight? No one is gonna spend the time/money/effort to make a supersoldier just to have one around for fun. The enemy they are supposed to face or job they are supposed to do is going to influence EVERYTHING about the abilities they’re given and how they are “designed” not to mention how much independent thinking it’s practical to give them. For instance, for some jobs, being able to think and make decisions on their own will be a must, and that’s a risk. For others, there’s really no need to leave their free will intact if you can avoid it. Someone being “built” for espionage will be much different than someone being designed as a living tank. Likewise if someone is going to be sent into a desert environment versus expected to go for long periods underwater, and so on. Knowing what they’re designed to be going up against is CRUCIAL. - Why are living weapons the best option to fight this thing? Because generally speaking, there can be a lot more disadvantages to those than to guns and guided missiles and androids and shit. What about this enemy required a lving sentient supersoldier instead? - If a specimen is rare or valuable, it’s unlikely that it’s going to be dissected or otherwise treated in a way that will deliberately damage it. Your characters might FEAR that if they’re found the men in white coats might “cut them up” but this is actually unlikely. If scientists are trying to learn about something and it’s not a thing they can easily replace, they’re going to try to do so WITHOUT destroying or damaging it. The reason that real-life lab animals are treated so callously is because there’s lots of them, and we already know a lot about how they all work. When a scientist dissects a lab mouse, they’re not losing anything when it dies. If the first alien on Earth dies, or some super-soldier they worked really hard to create dies, they’re losing either a lot of potential information that can’t be gained anywhere else, or something they worked really hard to create and won’t be able to do again without a lot of time or effort. They are going to want to avoid that, and in this age of ultrasounds, X-Rays, and other non-invasive technology, that’s very easily done, especially in a setting where they probably have higher level tech than the real world if they’re creating super-soldiers and such in the first place. And they definitely have NO REASON to want to cut a specimen up ALIVE. - If their goal is to study a person or creature, such as the aforementioned alien, or a mermaid, or whatever else, they actually will probably want to avoid causing it stress. Stress causes behavioral changes as well as physiological ones, and if this is a never-before-seen or rarely-examined species/person, scientists will want to examine them in their default state first. Once they’ve learned everything they can about them in their “normal” state, then, yes, they may begin to deliberately induce stress to study what changes. However, they’re still likely to try to avoid damaging the specimen or inducing ill-health in it (which prolonged and/or serious stress can do) Again, the reason that regular lab animals get treated like their lives don’t matter is because THEY DON’T. Lab mice, dogs, etc., are just models for which to study humans most of the time and have well-documented behavior and physiology, they’re not rare or unknown creatures. So the approach is completely different. A literal or figurative unicorn would not be treated like that. - Likewise, if this specimen is something that was created (or augmented from an existing animal/person) it’s unlikely that the scientists are going to torture them, either for fun or through painful “tests”. Again, they don’t want to damage their hard work, either through physically wrecking them or through reducing them to a useless traumatized heap. It doesn’t matter if the scientists are mean cruel people without a bit of kindness or empathy, it’s impractical. If this being was created for a purpose, fucking it up (or turning it against you) defeats that purpose. And whoever is funding them isn’t going to be happy about that. And if whoever is funding them is the one who wanted to torture this creature/person. . . why do they need it to be specially modified or whatever? That really doesn’t make much sense, especially considering it’s virtually guaranteeing that this thing you have GIVEN SUPER POWERS TO is going to want to murder you. - Sure, it’s possible that one person on the staff might just personally be a sadistic bully or have a grudge against the character/creation even when none of the others do, like Kimura with Laura Kinney, but in all likelihood they’d be found out and fired. “But they take pains to hide it and erase security footage and--” Okay, if you really really want that, you can find a way to do it. Just know it’s not at all going to be acceptable procedure even in the most illegal of operations, not because it’s morally wrong but because it fucks with the product. And I would also ask yourself---if your character is already a lab rat, do they need to be tortured as well? Why? What does that add? Does it not feel “traumatic” or “dark” enough that they, a presumably sentient being, is already owned and imprisoned and kept from anything approaching a normal life? Why is that not “bad enough” to you that their story needs over-the-top torture as well? I’m not saying you can’t do it. I’m saying to think about why you’re doing it. Because a lot of times, in my experience, it basically comes down to cheap angst and sympathy points, often at the expense of, as discussed, logic. - “But they want to make them loyal out of fear!” Okay. That works only up until they get an opportunity to escape. Because if they’re afraid, they’ll take that chance. It’s true they might be too afraid to even try---that’s the case for many abuse victims---but I’m not sure that an organization wants to gamble that will be the case and risk losing their valuable asset the moment send asset is put in the field. And, again, risk the damage to them. This one is doable, you just have to be logical about it and think from the perspective of the people running things, not from the perspective of “what’s the most dramatic?” - “But it’s to brainwash them!” Brainwashing does not mean constant egregious torture that just somehow magically produces sudden loyalty one day. I know that tons of movies and comics have showed you this, but torture does NOT brainwash people. It actually makes people MORE resistant and hateful towards the people and group doing it. People under torture may confess to anything to make it stop, but that’s a short-term compliance and far from actually altering their minds in any way. It most certainly does not render them into obedient loyal sheep; typically the reverse, in fact. If you want to read more about this misconception and what the reality is, I’d check out these posts HERE and HERE and HERE which go much more in-depth and cite real-life sources. If you would like to read more about actual brainwashing, HERE and HERE . - “The torture is necessary for their training!” Again, this works to a point, but most people take it absurdly far in their depictions. Training is to build a person up; if it grievously injures or mentally traumatizes them, that’s counter-productive, as it decreases their usefulness. Being pointlessly cruel to your “living weapon” is just counter-productive. Training can certainly still be intense, and even un-ethically or dangerously so, but if it crosses into just coming up with ridiculously over-the-top ways to make the character suffer, it’s too OTT and clearly for angst-fuel, and most readers will probably roll their eyes because it’s just ridiculous after a certain point. Here are some good articles from SPRINGHOLE.NET relevant to this topic: Things To Know If Your Character Will Be Augmented Or Experimented Upon Things About Training & Teaching Writers Need To Know Tips For Writing Dark Stories, Settings, & Characters Pointlessly Edgy Tropes To Reconsider Using Basic Tips To Create Better Characters With Tragic & Traumatic Backstories Note that this is not to say that your lab rat character cannot have been mistreated, abused, or otherwise traumatized by their situation. Indeed, it would be unrealistic if they were NOT, since treating a sentient being as a tool under the control of others and having them commit violence, even if they do so “willingly” because they don’t know any better, is an inherently traumatic thing. But because it’s inherently traumatic, the unrealistic torture porn is just that much more unnecessary and frankly kind of silly. It’s also lazy, and the ways that many writers go about make no actual sense, as has been discussed. Going back to examples from Marvel, a favorite little-known X-Men character of mine is Darkstar, aka Laynia Petrovna. Laynia and her twin brother Nicolai were mutants born in the USSR. They were taken away by the state at birth, and raised by government scientist Professor Phobos in a “school” (read: facility) for super-soldiers. They were trained in combat and taught to be loyal to the USSR above all else. They were also told that their parents had abandoned them (when in fact their mother died in childbirth, and their father was told they had died too) and were NOT told that they were siblings, instead being given different surnames so that their familial loyalty would not supersede their loyalty to the Soviet Union. It wasn’t until they were adults and discovered their bio-father during a mission that they ever found out they were related. Yet, despite this, and despite occasionally joining superhero teams in the USA (Champions) or aiding the X-Men (X-Corps), Laynia has remained loyal to her country first, though she has often turned her back on its government (though she has returned to serving it now that the USSR is no more) What I really like about Laynia’s backstory is how different it is from most “I was raised as a weapon” stories in that it lacks overt abuse or trauma. She seems to have been treated just fine, she was never tortured, there was never shown to be any needlessly brutal training or treatment of her and the others, etc. She was raised to be a loyal servant to the state, and she was treated in a way that would actually facilitate that, and IT WORKED. So many scientists/trainers/etc in fiction seem to think it’s a great idea to treat your living weapon in ridiculously over-the-top violent, abusive ways for no real reason (except, of course, THE DRAMAZ) and will often be portrayed as insanely sadistic towards their pet projects…even though that’s obviously the LAST thing you would want to do with a valuable asset that you wanted to be loyal to you and have no desire to escape or turn sides. And as I said, it WORKS with Laynia. One of her biggest and most constant struggles FROM THE START is her loyalty to her country, versus her own conscience when she’s asked to do things she finds questionable. She also finds out again and again that she’s been lied to or manipulated by the people in charge of her, and sometimes she’ll defect, but she always ends up back again. And while she’s angry at the things that government asks her to do to others, or has done to others, she never really questions what was done to her. We never see her actually being like “holy shit, I was kidnapped and brainwashed and exploited and I’m really fucking angry about this!” like so many characters in similar situations realize (and often very quickly despite supposed brainwashing; even when still “loyal” they’re usually portrayed as hating their captors) And you know why? Because, again, what was done to her WORKED. Like she has a MOMENT in the issue where she finds out her real history and vows she won’t blindly follow a government ever again, but…she still sticks with the USSR, then Russian, government. She may not be “blindly” following, but she doesn’t seem ever able to leave them for long either. And her brother Nicolai/Vanguard strays even less than she does. And the writers never focus much on this. There’s never been a story that focuses on Laynia’s mindset or giving her a journey that helps her grow in any way or even just examines all this. Partly I think that’s because she’s so minor and has never had a story IN GENERAL that focuses on her. Partly I think it’s because writers just aren’t INTERESTED in a story like hers UNLESS it involves all the dramatic grimdark “tortured test subject” cliches, and they assume readers aren’t either. But I think this does a disservice to readers. One of my pet peeves, perhaps my MAJOR and BIGGEST one, about abuse in fiction is that it is ALWAYS portrayed as BLATANT and EXTREME, committed by people who are OBVIOUSLY monsters and who act like said monsters 24/7. They might get a shallow charming veneer to fool people, but the victim and audience both know that under that they’re un-nuanced, two-dimensional demons. And some abusers are like that. Some abuse is super extreme. But lots of abusers are much more nuanced, and lots of abuse is far for subtle. If only the most extreme types of abuse and abuser are portrayed, that’s all people learn to recognize “real abuse” as being. And real-life victims of abuse already have enough problems feeling that they weren’t “really abused” or “abused enough” to qualify. So I think stories like Laynia’s are important, and they’re worth exploring. They don’t treat abuse as torture porn, something to lingeringly emphasize to the audience in every gory detail for sheer shock value even when it makes NO SENSE for what the abuser is trying to accomplish. Instead, her story makes sense for what the government and its scientists employees were trying to do, and it has an accordingly realistic effect on her that manifests in a far less subtle but no less meaningful way than dramatic “media portrayals of PTSD” cliches. And it’s a story I’d be interested in seeing more of and finally unpacking fully, if any writer ever steps up to the plate ready to treat it with the sensitivity it deserves. Not every story of this sort needs to be like Laynia’s. But not every story of this type needs to be like Logan’s either. Figure out what works best for your character, question why you want it and what purpose it serves, and just make it make sense.

#rp advice #writeblr #OC tips #writing tips #writing tip #backstory tips

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duhragonball · 4 years ago

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Bulma

Give me a character and I will answer:

Why I like them: Somewhere around 1998, Kurt Busiek took over as the writer for the Iron Man comic. This was back when Iron Man wasn’t particularly popular and the last two attempts to reboot the guy had failed. I read an interview in Wizard Magazine where Kurt promoted his upcoming run, and he explained the character this way: Tony Stark is a superhero, an inventor, a ladies’ man, and a billionaire. You could have a blast writing a comic book about any one of those four things, but he’s all four. I may have gotten those four items wrong, partly because it’s been 22 years, and partly because it was more famous when Robert Downey Junior echoed that pitch in 2012. Take away the armor, and what is he? A billionaire genius philanthropist.

My point is that this is the appeal to Bulma as well. When we first meet her, she’s an adventurer, but then we find out she invented the device that lets her locate the Dragon Balls. And her mission is a romantic quest, so she’s like the heroine in a romance story. Then we meet her parents, and it turns out she’s a wealthy heiress. Well, I’m assuming Dr. Brief doesn’t plan on leaving his fortune to all of his pets, but you get the idea.

There’s a lot of versatility to the character. Some arcs barely make use of her, but others take full advantage. You can plop her in almost any scenario and it works. You want to write her at a fancy charity dinner? She’d fit right in. You want her teaching shop class in your high school AU? No problem at all. You want her to seduce a bad guy? You want her to shoot a bad guy? You want her to be the bad guy? It all works.

The main thing people dislike about Bulma is the way she treated Yamcha when they were together, and she’s kind of a jerk a lot of the time. Fair point, but I think this adds to the character. If she were sweet as could be and a rich, attractive polymath, she’d be downright insufferable. Also, her attitude plays off of the compassion she shows through the series. I can’t explain her behavior around Yamcha, but she did offer free room and board to the entire population of Namek, so I feel like that needs to be taken into consideration.

Why I don’t: In the first... hundred or so episodes of DBZ, Bulma doesn’t get a lot of chances to shine, despite all the screentime they gave her. Early into my DBZ-watching experience, I found her to be something like a shriller version of TMNT’s April O’Neil, a sidekick whose job was to look cute and get into danger so the good guys could save her. She really doesn’t get back into her groove until she returns to Earth, and once I saw those episodes, and her time in the original Dragon Ball, the character began to make a lot more sense. Really, the Bulma in DBZ #1 through 108 was probably intended to demonstrate how out-of-hand the situation was. She fixed the scouter and then it exploded. She fixed Nappa’s spaceship and it exploded. She fixed Kami’s spaceship and then Namek exploded. She just couldn’t keep up with the crisis.

Favorite episode (scene if movie):

Not exactly any one episode, but one of my favorite bits in the Red Ribbon Army Sagas is that the RRA has their own Dragon Radar, but it’s not portable, or anywhere near as precise as the one Bulma invented. It’s Goku’s biggest advantage during that conflict, and when it breaks, there’s literally no one else who can fix it. Those magic babies from Arale could make a new one, but I’m pretty sure they only did that by copying the design or something. And the RRA assumes that Goku must have an entire team of scientists providing him with logistical support, and that Master Roshi must be their leader, since he’s so old.

Also, near the end of the arc, Bulma needs to call Yamcha on the phone, but Roshi doesn’t have one, and then Turtle suggests that Bulma should just build one from scratch, since she had just finished building a robot drone a few episodes earlier. And she’s like “Oh, yeah, I forgot I knew how to do that.”

Favorite season/movie: The Androids/Cell arc is a big deal because it has two Bulmas, and her son is in it too.

And this is what I mean when I talk about versatility. That Super Dragon Ball Heroes series has two Gokus and two Vegetas, and I have no idea why, because they’re exactly the same, except one pair does SSJ4 and the other does Super Saiyan Blue. Bulma’s got more layers, so in a story like this, you can have 30-something Bulma care for an infant son and tackle logistical problems while she figures out her relationship with Vegeta, while the 50-something Bulma in the future can be this strong-yet-gentle post-apocalyptic survivalist, who hopes for a better tomorrow as she longs for her fallen friends.

Favorite line: I’m gonna stray from the canon for a minute, because I’m having trouble coming up with something, but in DBZ Abridged, when she’s arguing with Vegeta during his training session, they just start shouting “Fuck you!” at each other. Then she stops and says: “My room. Ten minutes.”

And holy shit, the delivery on that line was incredible. I knew they’d try to do something to set up their relationship, but there’s no footage to do that with, so they did it all with one line and some killer VA work.

Favorite outfit: This is a big, big wardrobe to choose from, but I’m partial to the one she wore in the Imperfect Cell Saga.

I can’t really explain the appeal, but I like this hairstyle and the clothing looks like authentic stuff you could actually buy at a store, which just makes it feel more real, even though it’s not any more detailed than her other outfits. I’m not sure that makes any sense. The trucker hat looks cute on her, let’s leave it there.

OTP: You know, there’s a lot of chemistry between Bulma and Yajirobe, and even though it’s kind of a rarepair, I can’t help but-- Okay, it’s her and Vegeta. I’ll stop messing around.

Brotp: Definitely her and Goku. I’m imagining the set up to the DBS Broly movie going like this.

“Hey, I’m gonna invite Goku along on our trip. That way you can fight him when you get bored.”

“Why do you keep asking him to tag along I can’t stand him.”

“Yeah, but I like him and I paid for the resort, so I guess you gotta deal with it.”

“...”

Then he shows up and she sends him on some ridiculous mission to search the ocean floor for sunken treasure or something.

Head Canon: Future Bulma does tech support in Toki Toki/Conton City, because Xenoverse is canon and the Goku Black Saga can just bugger right off because it never happened.

She shows up from time to time to check on all the Capsule Corp tech in the city, and she drops by just to say hi to her boy, and also she has coffee with my Mary Sue OC, because Future Bulma appreciates how tough and cool my writing is.

Unpopular opinion: The Vegebul ship probably gets way too much attention. Not that it’s a bad ship or that it doesn’t deserve the attention, but it feels like a buffet where all anyone gets is ranch dressing. They just ignore the rest of the spread and fill an entire bowl with ranch and head back to the table to drink it. Then they come right back and line up for another helping.

I’m not knocking it. I have a Vegebul calendar in my kitchen. But it reminds me of how the “comics fandom” in the late 90′s was really just an X-Men fandom that acknowledged that other comic books hypothetically existed.

They’re gonna come after me now, aren’t they?

A wish: A lifetime supply of strawberries does sound kind of nice...

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: I hope we’re done with Bulma’s Resurrection F outfit for good. The cowboy boots, no, we’re done with that.

5 words to best describe them: Five would never be enough.

My nickname for them: Don’t have one. Vegeta calls her “woman”, but I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t go over well if I started doing that.

#ask duhragonball #dragon ball #bulma #2d3dlover

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inheritorofmemories-archive · 4 years ago

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Nile x Booker and the age gap

Okay so uncomfortable post incoming but I feel that we need to have a discussion about Book of Nile and age (and more precisely the age gap between Nile and Booker).

Putting it under cut.

Because 2 centuries is not nothing.

And yes, Nile is an adult, at least 25 in canon, who had a career (many jobs even in comic canon) and a life and felt grief and many more things. But it doesn’t compare to a man that had a family, a wife and 3 sons, watched all of them die, and then lived about 150 more years through wars and conflicts and I presume had even more jobs than Nile. And I’ve seen too many pieces of media that justify relationships with a big age gap (counted in decades or centuries) by saying it’s magic/they stop growing/they have their mental age locked at x years/whatever excuse they have for pedophilia and creepy fetishes and power fantasies (often with much younger women and not younger men).

But obviously the old guard don’t buy in those concepts. The immortals feel the passage of time like us (they don’t go in hibernation between mission), and maybe a decade doesn’t feel the same for them but they still mature and change and grow and evolve. Two centuries are enough for Booker to have gained insight and knowledge than Nile simply cannot have as a mortal 25yo who just discovered she’ll live forever. Because in two century you make more mistakes, learn more, meet more people, etc. Going to college changed a lot of my perspectives because I got to talk with a lot of different people from many background, and I assume for someone who travel around the world (and for decades) he would have felt something like that too only on a much bigger scale.

And I do like Book of Nile, it’s a ship that has possibility and a lot of attractive aspects (the main one being: Nile in a happy and healthy relationship with an immortal like her, as per the Manifesto). But we need to have some critical thinking and deal with it appropriately. The racism and treatment of Nile, not making Booker the poor sad white man (both subjects that others have talked about already!), but that also means the age gap.

I personally do not want to think about any romantic feelings between them before something like a century. (And obviously Booker’s therapy and redemption arc —that he works for himself and doesn’t have other people do for him, own to your mistakes etc.— and proving he’s worthy of trust again and good enough for Nile.) Because I think that for canon compliant fics we need to give Nile some experiences too, to give her a more equal place and have her experiences the immortal’s pain: going back to her hometown to see it changed completely, finding her brother’s granddaughter has a career now, having pieces of her culture refereed as ancient and old, fighting in war she shouldn’t be a part of much less be alive for, questioning the morality of their actions, that kind of things. We don’t know if she had any relationships before in canon so maybe let her have some too. Just, anything to make her more of an equal to the other guards experiences. It feels really wrong to me to have her be romantically involved with Booker only a few years after meeting him, I’d rather see them being friends then later growing feelings for each other. (Also, the thought of Booker pinning for her immediately when he calls her a “kid” many time in the movie, that’s huh, kinda uncomfortable to me?)

As for the various modern AUs, I think we need to keep this in mind too, to not make Booker 40 and Nile 20 because once again, that is an age gap with lots of implication in media and no matter how carefully you thread with that there will always be some power play between them. Make Booker older but not over a decade (or something like that, I’m not counting the months) and make him decent and not creeping or preying on her or controlling or any of the usual tropes. Write Nile as an adult that already had relationships, that has a stable career and a stable income, friends/healthy support system around her to rely on and get help from and basically anything to prevent the power play that comes with age gap in relationships.

As I said, this is more of a discussion post than me trying to put rules down because that’s clearly not my place to do that. These are just my ideas and how I feel about them, so I really want to see what others might have to say about it. Maybe I’m taking this too seriously (tho I believe that media should be handled carefully because of the repercussion they have irl, so I’d rather be safe than sorry with subjects like that), maybe I’m going at this wrong or have a skewed perspective on it, idk. Just putting my thoughts out there.

#age gap in relationship is huh a subject that's kinda personal for me so i may be harsh but it's important to think about it #book of nile #booker x nile #nile x booker #tog #nile freeman #sebastien le livre #i mentioned it in the comments of one of my fic but i feel that we really need to have a talk about it in the fandom and those who ship it #em speaks

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thehollowprince · 5 years ago

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It will never cease to amaze me the amount of hoops that people who claim to love Steve jump through to justify their utter contempt for anyone who is in any way unhappy with that bullshit ending. And also the sheer number of hoops they demand we jump through to justify not liking Steve's ending.

I mean, let's be real here; a lot of us have been very critical of the MCU from CIVIL WAR and on, because they took what was supposed to be the last Captain America movie and turned it into, at best, another Avengers film, and at worse, another Iron Man tribute. If we've done nothing else in the subsequent years, we've criticized Feige and the Russos and Markus and Mcfeely and their choices for these movies, especially because those last four had almost sole control over Phase 3 of the MCU and which direction it took. But suddenly I'm just supposed to put all that on hold because a character I liked got an OOC happy ending from those same people? Since CW, there have been countless metas on who Steve is as an Avenger, as a soldier, as a friend and as a man, and suddenly we're just supposed to discount all of that, all of his character growth, because he got the laziest written happy ending in the MCU? All just to get Evans out of the MCU so they could "move on" with the next batch of superheroes?

I don't think so!

And the thing is, you can't just say "I didn't like Steve's ending" without a group of people descending on you and demanding to know Why. "Why are you so disappointed in his ending?" "Were you ever a fan of Steve to begin with?" You point out your reasons why, but if there's even a hint of another character in that reason, you're decried as a fake fan and so on and so forth. Why isn't "I didn't like Steve's ending" a valid enough excuse as that? Why do I have to explain in minute detail why I thought it was bad only to be told that my argument is invalid because it doesn't meet a set of criteria that I don't know about? Its extremely counterproductive and a real disservice to the fandom that built up around Steve since THE WINTER SOLDIER. We've spent countless hours discussing Steve's relationships with those around him, particularly his friends and teammates and how they help define who he is as a person, but now they're not valid because it just says that "you only like Steve because of X character."

I've said this before and I honestly shouldn't have to say it again, but a large part of the blame goes to the Russos and M&M for their numerous interviews post CW where they downplay the importance of Peggy in Steve's life and continously hyped up Sharon and Steve's other relationships in the present over his "what might have been" with Peggy. These four men have had sole control of Steve's character from TWS and onward (with the sole exception of AoU) and they backtrack on everything they've said at the last minute and try to act like that was their plan all along. It's bullshit! Its insulting to fans of not just Steve, but every other character that he had any kind of meaningful connection with.

Peggy in particular.

I've seen so many hot takes defending that ending against any kind of criticism specifically by using Peggy (and yes, the irony of that isn't lost on me). Die hard defenders of Endgame love to point out that there is no canon proof that Peggy married Sousa, but I always feel the need to counter with the fact that there is no canon proof that she didn't. And that's the biggest thing with the St*ggy relationship at the end of the day, it was never flushed out or explained, at least not at the same level as his friendships with Bucky, Sam and Nat. These people cry out that just because THE FIRST AVENGER didn't show Steve and Peggy interacting over the course of the war doesn't mean they didn't. "Just because you want it to be true doesn't make it canon", which works both ways, but no one wants to hear that.

I made a joke once about these diehard Endgame Steve supporters being the new T*ny stans, but the more I look at it, the more I think that's the case. This blind adherence to making sure that Steve's ending is unblemished is remarkably similar to T*ny stans throwing a fit anytime anyone points out the various horrible things he's done.

At the end of the day, I find myself asking whether or not I ever actually liked Steve or if I just liked the version of him built up by the fandom post TWS. Was it just Evans acting that made me like a character that I never really liked in the comics? I wanna say no, because out of the Big Three, he was pretty consistent, with a few obvious exceptions, the biggest being CW and Steve just sitting there and letting himself get berated by Ross, of all people. I mean, Steve fighting Bucky even though it caused him great pain, consistent. Steve refusing to kill Bucky, consistent. Steve willing to burn down everything he believed in the moment he found out it was wrong, consistent. Steve sticking up for Wanda, and then Bucky, consistent. Steve willingly becoming a fugitive just to rescue his friends from an illegal prison, consistent. Steve willing to risk everything on a throw of the dice in the hopes that they can fix what Thanos did, consistent. Everything about Steve up until he went to take the stones back was consistent with who he was as a character, with how he was written. That whole "Man Out of Time" schtick felt more like something Whedon wrote then what the Russos had given us over their movies.

Bottom Line: I hated Steve's ending and that isn't going to change.

#sorry #i thought i was over all of this but appatently not #just saw one post come across my dash and it brought all of this up again #anti endgame steve #anti endgame steggy #anti endgame #not my steve rogers #not my steve #anti russo brothers #anti markus and mcfeely #long post

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breadknight-likes-things · 4 years ago

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Bread’s Skate (?!) Journal 09/05/20: The Top 5 Best And Or Weirdest Tony Hawk Skaters.

Tony Hawk has always had secret skaters, and from Tony Hawk 2 and on, it's always had hyper bizarre secret characters. The first game had it's marquee character of Officer Dick who was....a cop. The second game? Spider-Man. With no further spoilers I think it's time to move down the list of the 5 best/weirdest secret characters that have ever been in Tony Hawk, because people, there have been some odd ones!

5. Shrek

Okay so the Shrek meme is a little played out at this point right? It's a weird movie, All-Star, Shrek is Love, we all know the memes. It's stuff like Shrek's inclusion in Tony Hawk's Undeground 2 that really makes the propagation of those memes possible though, because it makes zero sense to this day. Okay, so it actually makes a lot of sense, Shrek 2 was a huge hit and Activision was putting out the Shrek video games at the time, why wouldn't this seem like a natural idea to the marketing people? Throw Shrek into your skateboarding game! Why not?! Let me tell you though, even among all the other characters i'm about to get to on this list, Shrek looks wrong on a skateboard. He's simply too big, he looks like too much of a cartoon, it's too obvious his model is just ported in from another video game....he's just bizarre, and frankly he needs to get out of my swam-uh, Tony Hawk's Underground 2.

4. Wolverine

Not the only time a Marvel (or Disney Owned) character is going to appear on this list, let me assure you, but what the hell is Wolverine doing in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 anyway? Like, I know Activision published X-Men stuff around the time but this is downright weird, hell you know what? Tony Hawk 3 has easily the weirdest guest cast of the entire franchise, I feel like this list will make that very clear. Wolverine is just the tip of the iceberg on this one! Needless to say though, Wolverine is cool as hell, and getting to skate around as him, especially him in his classic comic costume and not the leather jump suits of the movies at the time. Famously, Marvel and Tony Hawk had a little bit of a run there....damn I miss that. Wolverine may not have been the weirdest or most unexpected character from their roster in Tony Hawk, but he sure was a fun one!

3. Doom Guy

Yeah, Doom Guy. People don't often know about Doom Guy's inclusion Tony Hawk 3, because he was a PC exclusive character and who the hell played THPS3 on PC? In terms of character he's.....just Doom Guy. The Doom Marine, DOOM Slayer, whatever you want to call him, he's here. I used to not think of his inclusion as all that remarkable until one thing happened earlier this year. I found his damn skateboard in Doom Eternal. I've since come to the conclusion that Tony Hawk Pro Skater is in fact canon to the DOOM Slayer's journey through space and time battling demons and death at every turn. There was just a little break there where instead of chainsawing a baron of hell in half, he learned how to do a kick flip and took part in a skate competition in Rio De Janerio, Brazil. We all need some time off every once and awhile, I'm glad the DOOM Slayer got his.

2. Darth Maul

I did mention we weren't done with Disney characters right? Sure, Darth Maul wasn't a Disney character at the time of this games release, hell he wasn't a Disney character until after the Tony Hawk franchise was put on ice, but just think about these characters being used so freely in a Tony Hawk game compared to how they're treated now. Disney is so precious with their IP that even in their big celebration of Star Wars, Battlefront 2, they half ass all their celebrations to closely protect how their characters are portrayed, in a game that's supposed to be convincing you they're cool! Compare this to Darth Maul just being in a skateboarding game in 2001 and you couldn't have more different ways of doing things. Phantom Menace was two years old by the time of THPS3 but I know for a fact people still thought Darth Maul was cool as hell at that point in time. Hell, people still think he's cool. If there's one character safe from the cynical Star Wars group think, it's Maul. I happen to believe his sick ass ability to incorporate his double bladed lightsaber in his special move is the key to his continued popularity, but nobody will back me up on this!

1. Spider-Man

Who else was it gonna be? I challenge you, name one better guest character in any game ever. You've already failed, because there isn't one. Spider-Man in THPS2 blew 8 year old me's mind at the time. How could these two things possibly intermingle? The guy I watched scream at Shocker on Saturday mornings was in a video game that wasn't the official Spider-Man one? Was this allowed?! Looking back it's pretty easy to see how this one came about, considering Neversoft quite literally also developed that aforementioned Spider-Man game. Still though, it was huge to kid me! I got to skate around one of the most fun games ever made, as one of the best characters I had ever known?! He had a special move where he swung the board around with webs called "Does Whatever A Spider-Can" and I can remember it was the only special move I ever really cared to memorize how to do, because it was just so cool to me at the time! Though there's no confirmation as to if he isn't in the recent remakes somehow, I think we all know deep down those chances were zero from day one. The legacy lives on though, there's not a single person out there with fond memories of THPS2 that don't also have fond memories of skating around as Spider-Man, and that's the kind of memory that endures.

Honorable Mention: Kelly Slater

He's a pro surfer, his skateboard is a surfboard with wheels on the bottom.....he's maybe the actual weirdest character in the series, but he's not as fun to write about!

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southern-belle-outcasts · 4 years ago

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4, 5, and 20 mun views

Mun Views

4. On your fandom.

Which one lmao....um, well X-Men? Cool, a lot of the fandom to some degree is drawn cuz they can relate be they part of some type of minority group. Don’t see too many assholes, I think most of the jerks that were on here fell off during nippocalypse. There is a divide with the comic elitists vs xmcu and it’s dumb. I used to be an xmcu blog cuz I WANTED to read the comics but I was a broke ass college student who had literally no access to that, but I’d seen Wolverine and the X-Men, plus the movies that were out at the time. If I’d let those asses run me off, well, wouldn’t have continued to build my comic book collection (I’d already read Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, I’m talking specifically X-Men comics).

Arrowverse? I don’t follow many of the blogs, I have a select few I follow. My fandom experience is pretty much my friends with fairly similar views so I can’t speak on the fandom outside of the fact there’s a loooot of veiled hating on women of color under the guise of griping with the crappy writing. I try to avoid it. I don’t hold with Iris and Cecile hate, they’re good characters subjected to the writing of white men, what do you want.

Star Wars? NOPE. Hell naw. No thank you. Bye. I have no interest. I make it very clear this is a “the prequels are the shit, TCW is a fucking joke and trashes the characters, not!Star Wars mouse sequels are non-existent, the og EU is not legends it’s the only recognized canon” blog, and I’m this unapologetically. I have extremely strong opinions, I’ve literally been in the fandom since I was 6, I’ve spent hours reading EU content, visual dictionaries and encyclopedias, concept art of the movies books, comics, novelizations, etc. If you’re a stan of the other...stuff, I’ll probably say shit that will offend you and it’s probably for the best you don’t follow me cuz I’m not censoring these opinions, ever, at all. And for the love of all things holy, if you want to call R*ylo okay, or Anidala toxic, we meeting up behind Denny’s, yo.

Supernatural? Kinda sorta, considering I don’t link Nil and Farrar to any of the show canon besides using some of the monster lore. Like we don’t do the appropriation of native spirituality on this blog, so there’s no use of W*nd*g* cuz you’re not supposed to write or say that, like no. I have major problems with the show, that’s a mile and a half long, past season 5 it went downhill, they really should have left Swan Song as the finale. The queer baiting and bury the gays, the trash trash trash finale, the way any poc and female characters are handled, there’s so much oof. I stay away from it. Honestly kind of nice to see the SPN crowd was mostly quiet, it was RAMPANT when I first got on here, and there was a looot of drama. The way the extreme crowd of the fandom conducts themselves with the actors and stuff tells you a lot. Another nope. I prefer to stick to fandomless urban fantasy.

5. On exclusivity.

If that’s someone’s jam, that’s cool. Doesn’t bother me. At one point I was exclusive to a few versions of characters. Not anymore, but I can understand how sometimes someone just clicks for you to the extent it rubs you wrong seeing a different version. It doesn’t stop me from writing with other people so I literally give no fucks and don’t see why anyone else should either.

20. On 'popular' blogs.

Here’s where I piss a lot of people off, and I don’t really fucking care, as having at one point been an even more actively sought out blog back when the MCU was taking off in 2012-2014 and having tons of asks and thread requests, I can more than speak on what it’s like being a popular blog.Technically still am, you don’t have to take my word for it, just look in my thread tracker, and that’s not even all the threads cuz some are in drafts cuz they’re starters and I can’t add yet.

There’s nothing wrong with people enjoying your writing and following you. Awesome, good for you. It often proves to be a lot for people and I don’t like when I see people biting off more than they can chew but still pushing for more followers and asks and threads. Frankly, it’s really, really rude. I get wanting to make people happy, or wanting to try new threads and stuff, but you should also be reasonable with how much you can manage. If I see someone complaining about having too many drafts and asks and then not being able to write because of the pressure, but then daily pushing their promo or their wire or memes...and nothings coming of it...and they’re admitting they can’t get their muse to reply...then STOP. “You don’t owe anyone anything” means you don’t owe anyone respect and obligations that aren’t due.

When you decide to join a collaborative writing hobby, you’re still committing to your partners to write to some degree. Now if that means you’re going to be slow, and super minimal with which followers you actually interact with THAT IS FINE...as long as you have that communicated and make it very clear to the people who follow you they’re probably just following to be lurkers. But I can’t get with constantly pulling for interaction then within the same day the whole inbox is being dumped, drafts are being dumped, the same three people are the only ones ever getting a reply for the past three months, etc.

There’s been times I’ve said I can’t plot right now, there’s been weeks I bump all the memes in my queue further down so that they don’t post so I can catch up. I’m so secure with partners I don’t follow back unless I get my rules code sent in (newsflash: 9/10 I never see it). I never post a promo. I really don’t need to, if I see someone I really want to interact with on my dash, I’ll follow first, but I can’t in good conscious promote myself when I’m at a decent spot keeping up with a LOT. Sometimes I’m really glad I’m a multi with OCS and mostly female muses, it helps avoid ever reaching the point where I’m just getting too many followers to keep up with, but giving yourself a cut-off isn’t a bad thing people. Trying to do too much is.

There, I have successfully pissed off a ton of people, but I’m not taking it back. There’s way too much immaturity on this matter on here, and it’s really a litmus test of the people who HAVE been in group hobbies that are interdependent of cooperation of all members offline, and those who haven’t. “It’s my hobby” isn’t this get of of jail free card you get to wave everywhere when you want to ignore people. You can’t pull that in most hobbies that involve more than one person, whatever it may be, if it’s a DND group, rec sports, chess, whatever. This is my hobby too. I just probably take hobbies and commitment to other people to a more...respectful level. If I have real life, or physical issues, of course that takes priority, but here’s a little secret...we ALL, like 99% of the community, have some degree of mental health, nuerodivergence, jobs, home life, chronic physical issues. I want you to single me out the mun that doesn’t have any of that impacting their writing capabilities to some degree. Please, find them for me. You having those things doesn’t make you special and if you can’t communicate that it’s too much, you need the “flood of follows” from your promo circulating but can’t ever write...I’m just sighing over here.

If any of these opinions rub you wrong, I don’t mind you just unfollowing,that’s fine. No one is forcing you to remain. I strongly believe the people that don’t want to remotely take it seriously, and the people that do take it more seriously, should just keep to themselves, that way no one is getting offended by the other for how they choose to enjoy their hobby. You should enjoy it, goddamnit!!! But NOT at the expense of stringing other people along. Communication is kind of essential here, as much as people want to go “I’m too shy, BLOCK”, but y’all I have ADHD, RSD, social anxiety (I used to live in an anxiety attack it was so bad), and I still do my best to communicate with people even on uncomfortable topics. If I can manage, so can you. And if you CAN’T be mature...and communicate...then mayhaps stick to fanfic until you learn how.

#;out of the south #;munday #DUMPTRUCK OF SALT ALERT #watch my follower count go off the cliff i really don't care #hey nonny nonny #;little asks are made of gunpowder and lead

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walkwithheroes84 · 4 years ago

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The New Mutants Film: Thoughts

I haven’t seen this film, and I do not plan to pay to see it. I’ll stream it when it appears online. I have a long history with this film, and I feel the need to discuss it - even if it is just me pouring my thoughts into a soon to be forgotten Tumblr post.

I spent my childhood being in love with Marvel comics. They were one of the ways I learned how to read. The 90s X-Men cartoon? It will always be a favorite. The New Mutants hold a special place in my heart, as my dad had a couple of their comics. I remember thinking they were really cool characters. When I got into reading comics on my own (around 2000), I ended up reading The New Mutants, volume 2 and searching for the original run.

Now,here are my thoughts on the film (and what went wrong). Broken up into parts.

A History of a Troubled Production:

When The New Mutants film was announced - I think in 2016 - I was excited. I remember reading about the casting and being disappointed that Blu Hunt (who is a descendant of the Lakota tribe) and Henry Zaga (who is a Brazilian actor) were not to the liking of hardcore fans. Many fans believed the characters were whitewashed as Hunt and Zaga were deemed too light skinned for the roles. (Zaga’s character is meant to be of Afro-Brazilian descent and some considered Hunt to be “white passing” when Dani is darker in the comics.) But, I was encouraged by the casting of Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, and even Charlie Heaton - as I thought they could fit their roles. (Though I understand the whole cast caused backlash in one way or another)

I also remembering reading about the filming. The original idea seemed to be focused on a “horror” feel. Josh Boone, the director, wanted an “80s horror vibe meets coming of age story”. However, he was restricted by FOX, who were looking for a more a Breakfast Club meets Cuckoo's Nest vibe - "a haunted-house movie with a bunch of hormonal teenagers. We haven't seen a superhero movie whose genre is more like The Shining than 'we're teenagers let's save the world.'"

I remember reading about the first test screenings, which took place in late 2017/early 2018. And they were positive. People liked the film. The studio liked the film. It was compared to Deadpool. It was described as a “dark YA horror film” and reshoots were scheduled. Then the film's release date got pushed back from May of 2018 to February 22, 2019,to avoid Deadpool 2. This also allowed time for things to be reshot (again) and visuals to be added. They were adding post-credit scenes - first with Jon Hamm as Mister Sinister. And later with a post-credits scene introducing Antonio Banderas as Sunspot's father Emmanuel da Costa. The studio and Boone wanted a trilogy, with each film having its own horror feel and each being based on a classic New Mutants comic arc.

Then Disney bought them. Disney was unimpressed with the film, believing it had “limited” potential and that it would fall into a weird section of comic film lovers/horror film lovers/YA lovers. They weren’t sure how to market it. Did they market it to adult comic fans? Horror fans? Teenagers? They just didn’t know what to do - they just knew they didn’t like it and they were worried that the film could confuse fans of the MCU, who might think The New Mutants was apart of the universe.

So, the original cut of the film had to be edited down and fixed. In March of 2020, Boone was brought back again to finish/rework the film. He stated that no reshoots ever took place and that even standard pickups had never been done. Only 75% of the film was edited and most of the visuals were not complete. Boone also stated he couldn’t do reshoots, as the cast were now all too old (having last filmed nearly four years ago) and people were spread out around the world during a pandemic. He had to work with what he had and edit out what wasn’t going to work - especially now that mentions of X-Men films had to be taken out/edited down, and any hints of a second film had to be removed.

Critics and Cast Thoughts:

When the film was screened in New York, the cast stated they loved it and they were all excited. They have been promoting it on their social medias and Josh Boone has stated he is happy with the film. But, Bob McLeod (co-creator of the original comic) has voiced his distaste for the film. He feels his characters have been ruined and he does not care for the casting and story. The movie currently has low reviews on most review sites. It’s being called “cliched” “shallow” and “generic”. It has been praised for having its three female leads take on the more “male” roles within the group and for being “pretty coherent”, despite a lot of meddling and reworking.

Viewer Thoughts:

I haven’t seen this movie. I wanted to see it back in 2017/2018. I was excited. Now...I’ll stream it. I still honestly think that Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams were solid casting choices based on small clips and gifs. But, I can’t give any solid opinions. I can just list what people who have viewed the final cut, which clocks in at 98 minutes, have to say:

- There is a love story between Dani and Rahne. It’s not a “blink and miss it” or “queer baiting”. They are WLW. However, some fans are angry because Rahne is the comics is a canonically straight and homophobic woman. Some have stated that would have liked to have seen Rahne deal with her own homophobic feelings as she deals with her newfound feelings for Dani.

- People are still disappointed in the white-washing of Dani, Roberto, and Cecilia Reyes. Many are refusing to watch the film based on the casting.

- People are disappointed/angry with some lines that throw around casual racism. Notable seems to be Illyana Rasputin calling Dani Moonstar names regarding Dani’s heritage.

- People are reporting that the visual effects are, at times, fairly poor or cheesy.

- People have also said they do like the connections that some of the characters make throughout the film.

Overall Thoughts:

- It sounds like people are really upset with the white-washing and racism. Which is all understandable.

- I have to say that I feel bad for the cast. When this was filmed, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga were newcomers - they were probably hoping this would be a big break for them. (Henry Zaga will be in the upcoming The Stand mini series and Blu Hunt is a main cast member on Netflix’s Another Life.) Anya Taylor-Joy was also fairly new when this was first filmed, but she’s gone on to a lot of good roles. She’s fine. Maisie Williams may have been hoping this would release her from her Game of Thrones fame and allow her to branch out. Charlie Heaton probably felt the same, only regarding his Stranger Things fame. They are both talented young people, they’ll break away from the shows that made them famous. Honestly, the whole “younger” cast will be fine, even if this bombs (which it is likely to). They all seem to get on, so I do hope they stay friendly.

- From what I’ve been able to figure out, Disney has NO plans to use these (or really any mutant characters) in any future MCU film or television series. But, they should consider it. The New Mutants - with some major reworks - could make a really good and dark-ish teen-horror series on Disney+. They’d have to rework a lot and recast a few roles, but I think it would work much better as a series. Even Boone’s original pitches read more like a Netflix series than a film.

- In the end, The New Mutants was a great idea to bring to screen, but due to A LOT of meddling, bad script writing, edits, etc - it just didn’t work out. It’s honestly really sad, especially for long time fans of the team/characters.

#the new mutants

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xavierfiles-blog · 6 years ago

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When Will Marvel Stop Being Cowards And Let Nightcrawler Be Amazing?

In AGE OF X-MAN: THE AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER #1 by, Seanan McGuire and Juan Frigeri everyone’s favorite blue and fuzzy mutant is the most popular and famous figure in the world. This is the best indication we have that this alternate reality is actually the utopia it is claimed to be. Over forty years past his introduction and it still shocks me the Kurt Wagner isn’t the biggest name, not just in comics, but in media as a whole. Nightcrawler possesses the winning combination of an incredible and visually exciting design alongside a charming and likable personality. He has been beloved by X-Men fans for generations but has not been able to teleport himself out of that bubble and into solo success.

It isn’t that Kurt has been ignored, writers pretty much immediately got the appeal. Nightcrawler was a pet character for his creator, Dave Cockrum. While Dave was drawing UNCANNY X-MEN and Chris Claremont was writing, Nightcrawler seemed to be the break-out character, pulling a lot of focus. This lessened after John Byrne began drawing the title and wanted to focus on the Canadian Wolverine. Still, Nightcrawler remained a popular mutant. He was the second X-Man to get a solo mini-series and briefly led the X-Men in the mid-80s. During the mutant madness of the early 90s, Nightcrawler was positioned as the lead character in Excalibur. But as time went on it became clear that no one was able to figure out what to do with the character.

Credit to Marvel, it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Nightcrawler just started his 5th solo series, but none of them have lasted past issue #12. While the jury is still out on THE AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER (it had an enjoyable but imperfect first issue), only one of his solo series actually got to the core of what works about the character. Dave Cockrum’s 1985 NIGHTCRAWLER limited series sees Kurt on a swashbuckling adventure where he gets to become a pirate, save a princess, and live out his Errol Flynn fantasies. It isn’t a self-serious character piece or an examination on the human condition, it is just a beautiful drawn romp by way of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is the sweet spot for Nightcrawler.

Other attempts to kick off a story about the character fell on their face by looking at the wrong aspects of Nightcrawler. Chris Kipiniak and Matthew Dow Smith’s 2002 NIGHTCRAWLER for the Marvel Icons line examined a relatively recent (at the time) development for the character, his ordination into the Catholic priesthood. Ignoring the fact that no one involved in this story knew how priest work, it is an interesting angle, but one that fundamentally changes the character and his appeal. Up until around 2000, Nightcrawler’s faith was an aspect of the character, but not the defining one. He was religious in the way most religious people are. It was part of his life sure, but it didn’t define every action he made. Kurt wasn’t one to go on moody diatribes about the existential nature of faith. This series focused on that at the expense of the joy and energy that normally comes when Nightcrawler is on the page.

I’m curious why external media choses to play up this aspect of the character. In both his appearance on X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and X2: X-MEN UNITED, Kurt’s defining characteristic is his piousness. Perhaps the creators see the appeal of exploring the duality of a demon on the side of angels, but in execution it never goes deeper than that. I wouldn’t advocate for eliminating his faith, it is an interesting dimension to the character, only to balance it with other aspects of his personality.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Darick Robertson tried again in 2004 with a book that leaned really hard into the supernatural. This is post-Draco, a horrible story when Kurt was revealed to be the son of a satan. It mixed those ideas with the well-established concept that his adopted mother, Margali Szardos, and his sister/lover were both powerful sorceresses. Again, this could be a fun concept if it was just Nightcrawler plus magic. Instead it became an overly dark and serious story about exorcism, abuse, and the destruction of relationships.

The crux of this twelve issue series deals with Nightcrawler’s brother Stefan Szardos. Kurt was forced to kill a demon possessed Stefan to prevent his brother from murdering children. This led to the formation of the mob the chased Kurt in GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1. It’s a dark origin for the character, and one most writers tend to leave in the past. It doesn’t play to any of the swashbuckling strengths that Nightcrawler has and doubles down on some of the worst tendencies of mid-00s comics. The last issue is Nightcrawler having an existential crisis while talking to Mephisto. It isn’t what anyone wanted from the character and that tone is a big reason why it didn’t resonate with readers.

The closest we have gotten to a Nightcrawler ongoing that actually worked was Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck’s 2014 series. It came in the aftermath of Nightcrawler fighting his way out of heaven and hell to come back to life in Jason Aaron’s AMAZING X-MEN. Tonally, the book hit a sweet spot, while probably leaning into the X-Men elements of the character too much to make it stand out. The first arc dealt with magic thanks to the return of Margali Szardos, but it was done in a whimsical, Excaliburesque way. Claremont smartly built up a unique supporting cast around Kurt, including the students Ziggy and Scorpion Boy, and an antagonistic love interest in the form of The Crimson Pirates’ Bloody Bess. Nauck’s artwork elevated the series by providing a joy that is essential to the character.

Unfortunately, the series had several roadblocks to success. Claremont’s tone and character voices were as good as his plots were bad. It was a mishmash of canon that was better left forgotten with a writing style that never evolved out of the 80s. The market dynamics at the time did little to help the book last. AMAZING X-MEN had just recently begun, and it was already marketed as the “Nightcrawler book”. Many customers weren’t going to double dip on the character. At the same time, Marvel was starting solo series for MAGNETO, CYCLOPS, STORM, and DOOP. Those existed in tandem with five other X-Men team books, two Wolverine books, and two books featuring secondary X-Teams. The market was flooded with X-Men and Nightcrawler didn’t stand a chance.

Even with these failures, Kurt Wagner remains beloved and his current mini speaks to that. In the Age of X-Man, the only intelligent thing Nate Grey did was make Nightcrawler the biggest star in the world. He is a celebrity in every sense of the word. He is beloved and iconic as a movie star and the premier superhero. It is no coincidence that the book is titled THE AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER, or that the logo is a riff on Spider-Man’s. In the Age of X-Man, Kurt is as loved and well known as Spider-Man is our world. The trick is replicating that adoration.

Nightcrawler should be a slam dunk as a solo hero outside of the X-Men. If writers can lean into the swashbuckling adventure and away from existential questions of religion, they have a shot at making Nightcrawler a world-wide phenomenon. Let Kurt fight The Spot or Kraven The Hunter to get him out of the bubble of the X-Men. Let him join the Avengers and prove his mettle against the biggest threats. Let my dude be what Spider-Man is, the iconic character of the Marvel Universe. He deserves it.

PS: Give him his damn beard back!

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twobitmulder · 5 years ago

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On Spider-Man, Reboots, and the Future of the X-Men

A while ago I made a post called “Thoughts on MCU Peter Parker and Reboots” which ended up being mostly an examination (or rant) on why MCU Peter doesn’t work for me and was kind of soft on the analysis of reboots. Now, with the announcement that Sony and Marvel’s Spidey deal has fallen through, I thought I’d take another crack as examining why reboots lead to less than stellar versions of characters, and why it’s got me scarred for the X-Men to join the MCU.

Now, right off the bat I feel I should say that I’m not against reboots and re-imaginings. I think The Incredible Hulk is broadly better than the Ang Lee Hulk. I think the 1999 Mummy is better than the 1932 classic. Reboots can be a radical re-imagining, a second draft, or even an examination of different facets of the character (like how Lettier’s Hulk focused more on the lonely wanderer in search of a cure, while Lee’s focused on the father issues). This works especially for long running characters who have a lot of material to work with.

I think my problem with MCU Spidey starts with the way that Sony and Marvel approached the idea of the reboot. The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield felt the need to be radically different from the Rami films. The Rami films played all the silver age comic book tropes gleefully straight. An old fashioned news room, his start in wrestling, and the campy villains. It exists in a sort of anachronism stew to borrow the TVTropes term, much like Burton’s Batman.

Webb’s films tried to find their own voice by pushing Peter back into high school and making them a little more deliberately modern. They used a more modern incarnation of Peter as opposed to the good natured Silver Age doofus that Tobey Maguire played. Garfield’s Peter is probably my favorite, and the one who feels closest to my ideal comics Peter, but that’s not really the point here. The point is, he HAD to be different otherwise people would accuse it of being the same thing over again.

So there we were with (in my opinion) someone who acted a little more like the Peter I knew growing up, who occupied a more familiar world, but we also had to gloss over his rivalry with Osborne because it had already been done. This was a criminal waste of Chris Cooper and Dane Dehaan, who were fantastic choices for those characters, but more to the point, it shows how this could not just be a second draft. It had to be different, which meant that even if it fixed some things that Raimi might not have hit the mark on, it also got rid of things that he had done right. The Osborne’s, the Bugle, and Mary Jane (well, he didn’t quite to MJ right, but the fact that she had already been used probably spurred the switch to Gwen).

Then when those flopped Peter joined the MCU. I remember reading that in my dorm room my first year of undergrad and whooping with joy. I thought about his relationship with Daredevil, who we knew was coming, and Captain America. Having Osborne be an Avengers level threat who battles Peter on the lawn of the White House while the Sinister SIx hold the Avengers at bay (Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man was the saving grace of the Ultimate Universe). Feige promised Peter would have a “non-stop wit.” It was all coming together.

Civil War came out and he seemed a little tacked on but it didn’t matter because he was there. Sure Stark gave him his suit, but he had designed the prototype and there was no way they’d make Peter the science genius dependent on Tony Stark.

“Weary sigh.”

I want to like the MCU Spider-Man so bad, Everyone else likes him. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. I already went over why I don’t care for him, so I’ll skip that*. Once again, the point is, this one HAD to be different. Because he was back with Marvel we had been given the implicit promise of a fully realized comic accurate Spider-Man, fixing everything Webb and Raimi (read Sony) had gotten wrong.

The problem was that Webb and Raimi had gotten a lot right. So MCU Spidey glossed over Uncle Ben “because it had been done before.” He never clashed with Oscorpe or the Goblins “because it had already been done before.” There was no selling pictures to the Bugle “because it had already been done before”*.

He didn’t make quips because everyone else was funny and he had to be the wide eyed kid, played younger and less mature than Garfield or Maguire. And (okay a little bit of whining from me) he had to rely on Tony Stark because we had to be reminded that now he was part of the MCU.

The MCU Spidey got a lot right and some of their updates worked for the better. I love that Peter and May live in a small apartment instead of a house because they’re poor and New York is expensive. I like that his school feels like a real high school, with kids who basically act like kids. I like that he has a confidant (Ned Leeds was a weird choice, I’d have gone with Hobie Brown, Deb Whitman, or Kenny Kong, but I like the character anyway). I love love love their takes on Vulture and my favorite Spidey Rogue Mysterio. But, in their drive to be different from the past iterations they changed the character a little too drastically. It wasn’t a third draft to get Spider-Man right, it was a bottom up reimagining that (my opinion only) jettisoned a lot of what makes the character compelling.

Now he’s apparently gone from the future of the MCU and honestly, personally, I’m kind of relieved. I’m glad he’s indelibly a full fledged part of the MCU narrative, and he got to see the Infinity Saga through to the end, but I don’t think I could have taken another movie of Peter becoming Stark’s Robin just to be different from what came before.

This all brings us to the X-Men. I love the X-Men. I love Gambit, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, Cyclops and all the rest (but them first and foremost). I love the place Mutants have in the Marvel Universe and the potential for clashes with other heroes and compelling stories to be told about the nature of marginalization and identity. The problem is, the previous X-Men movies covered those bases from a lot of different angles and my fear is that when they join the MCU they’ll be so concerned with being different that they’ll forget what makes them the X-Men*.

In the end, we still have years of comics and alternate universes, cartoons and canon that we can pick and choose from. It’s just so frustrating because we were so close to a perfect unified cinematic universe like we’d only ever dreamed of. We all have different bits of it that we wish had been done better, but I suppose the mere fact that it exists in any form is pretty damn cool.

*Except to say that, as Gail Simone so eloquently put it in an otherwise positive review of Far From Home, Holland’s Spider-Man isn’t the everyman who mocks the rich and powerful, he worships them and wants to be their friend.

*While I was happy to see the Jameson, Simmons, and the Daily Bugle return, and while I can’t deny that turning him into a lunatic pundit makes sense for the character as he’s portrayed in Spider-Man, I think that modern superhero stories have a problem with the old school journalist characters. Yes in real life print journalism isn’t what it used to be, but if we can accept superpowers, alien warlords, and good hearted billionaires surely we can accept the fantasy of a newspaper that still functions like they used to.

*I don’t have this worry for Fantastic Four (my first favorite superheroes) because while the Tim Story movies were close (and Trank’s reboot is emblematic of this whole issue on a massive scale) they haven’t been in the public consciousness and had a continued presence like Spidey and the X-Men so there’s less need to “be different” and more opportunity to actually get to the core of the FF the way they did with Captain America and Thor.

#spider-man #mcu #reboots #x-men #peter parker #marvel studios #sony #this ended up really long but given that im used to writing academic papers i think i showed restraint

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