#this is one of the best developed on screen relationship of all marvel's relationships

[redflagshipwriter]

Halfa Cass Chapter 6 part 2/2

Masterpost

‘Ouch,’ Tim thought gleefully as Bruce got his constipated expression. Damian was definitely pretending he thought it was admirable to frighten hapless Justice League niceguys. Damian knew better now. Damian even liked Jon Kent, who was basically like a tiny Captain Marvel.

Bruce really should know that. Tim could see the calculations whirring in his mind, weighing the odds of Damian being genuine.

He knew that Damian was a lot better now. That Damian had promised not to stab anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. That Damian had made friends and was less hostile to outsiders.

Bruce wasn’t confident enough that Damian knew better. He gave in. “I will be careful with my tone around him,” Bruce said sullenly. He stabbed at his breakfast.

‘You just got played by a ten year old.’

“Thank you Daddy,” Cass chirped.

Ah well, that’s it then. Game, set, and match. Bruce lifted his face enough to aim his watery i love my kids eyes at her.

Tim left the table without comment. He quietly thanked Alfred on his way out and gave a nod to Cass. Bruce was still glaring at his eggs. He’d be at it for a while, churning through the current state of his children’s social development and the relative healthiness of his personal relationships with Justice League coworkers.

‘I wonder why Cass cares about Marvel,’ Tim wondered idly. He didn’t have the slightest hint of doubt in her assertion. If Cass said that Bruce was too harsh for Marvel, then it was true. Marvel must be sensitive. But that didn’t mean Cass would interfere to protect a grown man from her dad’s growly temper. Maybe she had a crush? Marvel was pretty good-looking, if you were sick enough to be into hunky men with perfect teeth who were never rude to anyone and appeared to have no dark past. Sort of like crushing on that one cartoon surfer in the juice ads…

It was a minor puzzle piece that Tim tucked away for another time. 

He hung out in his room until it was time to get ready. Then Tim jogged down the stairs to the Batcave, humming under his breath.

Jason of all the people was already there, scowling at the screen. 

“Why are you up?” Tim asked. Didn’t he usually, sleep off half the day after a long patrol? Jason had been on the long shift last night.

Tim got a massively shitty expression from Jason  in return. “Patrol ended hours ago, dipstick. I’ve already slept.”

‘Those under eye circles say otherwise,’ Tim thought judgmentally. But he just shrugged. “Fair enough.” He breezed past to open up his equipment locker. 

“What are you doing?” Jason spun his chair around to watch. “Are you meeting Cass?”

Tim blinked. “No?” He unhooked his undersuit and pulled his t-shirt off over his head. He went to toss it in and then thought better of it. Tim conscientiously folded it so that there were no asshole comments from the peanut gallery. “Why do you ask?”

Jason thumbed at the cameras. “Because she’s leaving. Just got her green jacket from the living room.” He jutted his lower lip out. “I don’t know of anything on her schedule today.”

Huh. Tim stopped mid-motion. “There wasn’t anything on the master calendar,” he said slowly. He gave Jason a sideways look. “What are the odds of you following her?”

Jason looked tempted. “She’ll be mad if she notices me.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. It was just the truth. “But she’ll know you’re doing it because you’re worried about it, so she can’t get too mad. She got electrocuted yesterday. I’m not really sure she should be out unsupervised.”

Jason’s whole face twitched. “Yeah.”

‘Ah,’ Tim realized. ‘He already read her report. That’s probably why he came in.’

“You’re going to Amity.” Jason said it like it was an order, not a question. Tim nodded anyway and shucked his sweatpants. He started pulling on the sweat-wicking undersuit. “Yeah, alright.” Jason stood up with a scrape of the chair. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“You’re the best there’s ever been,” Tim lied earnestly. “I really appreciate it. I know that everyone else would say-”

“You’re a dick,” Jason said, and left the batcave quickly before Tim could say anything else nice to him.

Tim felt a lot better about leaving Gotham after that conversation. Jason was a huge angry clucking mother hen. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Cass. And Tim could be useful at the source of the problem without his attention split in worrying.

He clicked on his comms and switched to the YJ frequency. “Red Robin is on.”

The line clicked. “Wondergirl is here,” Cassie said happily. “You’re welcome, peons. I’m in the air already.”

“We’ll owe you forever, princess,” Kon snarked. “When can we kiss your boots?”

“You can kiss my a-”

“No chatter on the comms.” Tim typed up the mission start and sent it to the right file, marking that he was taking the jet. “I’ll see you in Amity.”

[clawsandthunder]

✨ What I Want in Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 – A RoLo Wish List ✨

Hello Fellow RoLo’ers,

While it looks like the premiere of X-Men ‘97 Season 2 is still quite a ways off ... I’ve heard late 2025 or even early 2026 ... I figured now’s the perfect time to start building our wish list. Because if Marvel’s going to keep us waiting? We might as well be loud about what we want. (And by we, I mean all of us who loved One Man’s Worth.)

Now don’t get me wrong - Season 1 had some moments. But if I’m being honest? I was one of the fans who felt the pacing was off, some character arcs got absolutely dragged (Rogue, my favorite Southern Belle, I’m so sorry), and too many plotlines got crammed into too little time. Logan was sidelined. I had to squint to see him during several episodes. Ororo’s arc was once again rushed and underbaked. Our goddess deserves better. And as a RoLo’er? We got absolutely nothing.

But hey, I’m not here to rehash the past - the past is the past. I’m here to manifest a better future.

So here are my Top 5 Things I Want to See in Season 2:

#1 – More RoLo, Please and Thank You. I don’t even think they interacted in Season 1. Not even a glance. Not a growl. Not a single “are you okay?” between two people who have had some of the most electric chemistry in the X-Men universe. I’m not asking for a full-blown love story in one episode (okay, maybe I am)… but give us something. A rooftop heart-to-heart. A flirtation that makes my screen blush. An emotionally loaded fight where they challenge each other to be better. RoLo isn’t just romance and kisses that make us all swoon — it's wild and feral and hot, hot, hot! Bring it on.

🖤 #2 – Let Logan Be Logan Again. I get it — Season 1 was Cyclops’s time to shine. And Scott certainly deserved it. But did Logan have to be completely wallpapered in the process? We barely got to see him in action. I want an episode where Logan is the last man standing, bloodied but unbroken, fighting for the team because that’s who he is - the best there is at what he does. Give us the Wolverine — gruff, loyal, dangerous, and deeply human underneath it all. The one we fell in love with in the original series.

🖤 #3 – One Man’s Worth: The Sequel. This episode could elevate Season 2 to new heights. Imagine Logan and Ororo haunted by echoes of that alternate timeline — flashbacks, unfinished emotions, and that oh so smoking legendary RoLo chemistry. Let them explore what they lost, what they gave up, and what it still means. This is the perfect narrative thread to weave into Season 2, and we all know it.

🖤 #4 – Slow Down the Storylines. Please. I’m begging. Stop cramming five iconic comic arcs into a single 22-minute episode. Let things breathe. Let emotions land. Let relationships develop. It’s okay to build up instead of blow up. We want payoff. Not just plot points.

🖤 #5 – No More Character Assassinations. Season 1 was brutal to some characters, but none more than Rogue. I say that as a RoLo’er and as someone who loves Rogue with my whole heart. She deserved better. Her fans deserved better. Let’s see her friendship with Ororo again. Let’s see growth. Healing. Real arcs — not shortcuts to shock. I'm still grossed out by the storyline of Rogue and Magneto. So here's my wish here - Let's be true to all of the characters - especially Logan and Ororo!

That’s my list. What’s yours?

Share your hopes, your theories, and your dream RoLo moments in the comments. Manifest it. Yell it. Make Marvel hear us.

And as always…

🖤⚡️ Unleash the RoLo Love! ⚡️🖤

[wherewisteriaends]

It really took me 24 hours to realize something. It's not that the ending is a bad ending. I mean, take us back a week ago. We all said that their kiss would be the kiss of death. We all predicted that Agatha would sacrifice herself for Teen. We also saw that the Road was it was very probable that Billy or Agatha (turned out both) could have created the road. If we all thought it, that says something and that is this ending made sense. So why are we all so angry ? Because even if it was an ending that made sense, they didn't write it in a way that it would make sense. And I'm not saying we didn't get a redemption arc when we should have. I don't think Agatha should have had a redemption arc. However we should at least have had her accepting Death as the end. And also her bonding with Teen. Because yes she has bonded with him but clearly not the point of choosing to die because he mentions Nicky. Which seriously, this sentence made no sense, gave absolute no explanations. Another major issue is the dynamic between Agatha and Rio. Them in episode 8 has nothing to do with all we saw before. It really feels like something happened that we missed or like the story was different. What they showed us of Nicky was beautiful, also doesn't explain Agatha and Rio dynamic in 8 while 8 makes the conflict all about Nicky. Apart from the grave, the whole scene in Agatha's basement was ridiculous. When Agatha is in Teen house, he doesn't act at all like he wants to kill her. And all of sudden he wants to banish her. I'm serious, they fucked up the relationship dynamics and developments. Same goes for Jennifer. She makes it out of road and she doesn't even search for Teen ? Because that would be the best reaction for someone who just said she wasn't letting anyone die under her watch again and that doesn't know Teen is behind her torture. Again, at the opposite of the development we saw of Jennifer. And Billy, which his portrayal is completely chaotic since episode 6. One time when Agatha comes out of the mud he appears like he wants to see her dead. Then in 8 he trusts her with his life all over again. And don't get me started of the nonsense of Billy in episode 9. And no I'm not a Billy hater, but they certainly write him as an inconstant character that obviously results in him being mistrusted by the viewers. Also what pisses me off is that Lilia's ending was perfect, and even Alice sour departure was beautifully handled. Which adds even more to it the sense of ruin.

And there was strong dialogue, strong acting skills in those two last episodes, beautiful scenes on screen. But it still doesn't make sense. I solemnly thank the actors for their portrayal, I thank the whole production team, makeup, costumes, light, cut, sets, everything because this was by far one of the best MCU projects - if not the best. And I doubt it's someone fault for what happened with the last episodes. SO PLEASE DON'T GO HATING ON PEOPLE. Please, think of your own humanity, and even if media make it very easy to succumb to hate, no one is responsible, no one deserves your hate for their part into the production of a show. What gives me a bit of hope is that they were so much left untold that it is possible we get a season 2 or other projects centered around Agatha or Jennifer or other witches. And because there was so much blur, we, as writer and reader, can see the opportunity to partake into a fiction we all so loved. So don't give up on Agatha All Along just yet and see a bit of the bright side. And because, the MCU ethics seriously should be questioned, wait on me, I will come with an essay down the line. And if I do and if you think it's worth readable, I'll send it to Marvel teams.

[abarbaricyalp]

Since the original post about the line has been going around, I've been thinking about the "It's hard to find someone with shared life experience" line from Steve in The Winter Soldier.

Yes it sets up parallels between Steve and Bucky, whatever. I don't know that it was actually meant to do that. The viewer should understand without being told that Steve and Bucky have shared lived experience.

That scene has always struck me much more as establishing the relationship that Steve and SAM were going to have. The movie said Steve is searching for shared life experience and then plops Sam down in front of him like, okay, here!

(Reckless) Military man part of experimental technology? ✅️

Lost your best friend during a military mission right in front of you? ✅️

"All I had to do was hold on."

"It's like I was just up there to watch."

Displaced soldiers--out of time, out of service ✅️

Anti-authority 99% of the time ✅️

"The number of people giving me orders is down to...zero 😊"

"I'm not looking for forgiveness and I'm way past asking for permission."

(I mean, I could find these quotes all day)

Heart of gold and moral compass stronger than magnetic North? ✅️

"Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

Fiercely loyal and natural born leader? ✅️

Specialized training used to protect people at great personal sacrifice? ✅️

"I do what he does, just slower."

Loss of family as affective but off-screen development? ✅️

Strong ties to one geographic location that shaped them? ✅️

"Home is home, y'know."

Sam's theme song is literally called Louisiana Hero

Ridiculous relationship with one James Bucky Barnes, who is understandably obsessed with each of them? ✅️

I mean, I just can't believe how tightly interwoven Steve and Sam's stories are. Of course Sam gets the shield. Of course he's Captain America. Of course he's Steve's best friend. THEY are each other's parallels. Sam is everything Captain America should be. He's everything Steve needed and wanted in a friend/partner/successor. I always think Sam was kind of the first breath of fresh air Steve got, the first time he felt less alone in the future. They're mirrors of each other. Someone they could reach recognize themselves in. It's such a beautiful relationship that Marvel should have done more with.

That line is always going to be a SamSteve line to me 🤷‍♀️

[holdmytesseract]

Could you please do tom x reader where they are friends to lovers? Maybe the pretend boyfriend that turns real? Smutty and fluffy?

Hide & Seek

Tom Hiddleston x fem!Reader

Summary: Tom asks you to accompany him to Ben's birthday party. On the way there, you get stuck in traffic. A misunderstanding reveals long harboured feelings and things come how they had to come...

Warnings: mutual pining, thirst, fluff, jelousy? a misunderstanding, smuttish/suggestive stuff

Word Count: 3,1k

a/n: You guys wanted it and I am a woman of my words, so... Here it is! 🫡

I hope you like what I wrote for you @huntress-artemiss . 🥰 And I hope that everybody else enjoys it of course, too!

Tags: @lady-rose-moon @muddyorbsblr @smolvenger @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @jennyggggrrr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @evelyn-kingsley @vanilla-daydreaming @loz-3 @fictive-sl0th @lovingchoices14 @lokidbadguy @icytrickster17 @lulubelle814 @mandywholock1980 @november-rayne @chantsdemarins @simping-for-marvel @lou12346789 @lokiforever @multifandom-worlds @hisredheadedgoddess28 @vbecker10 @jaidenhawke @km-ffluv @crimson25 @cakesandtom @buttercupcookies-blog @salvinaa @javagirl328 @dustychinchilla74 @frzntrx @coldnique

Masterlist °☆• Hiddles Masterlist

You heard the familiar 'ding' sound of your phone; announcing the arrival of a new message. With a hairpin pinned between your teeth and one hand in your hair, you quickly scooted over to your little make-up table, on which you had left your phone. Tapping on the screen, you immediately saw the message popping up.

'I'm here, darling. Are you ready? x'

You smiled, fixated your hair and quickly unlocked your phone; texting back.

'Almost. :) Gimme five mins, Tommy. x'

Not wasting any time, you applied some decent make-up, gave yourself a once over in the full-length mirror, grabbed the things you'd need and made your way towards the main door of your small, cosy house.

You had promised Tom - your best friend since you were teenagers, to accompany him to the birthday party of Ben. He didn't want to go alone - and you couldn't say no, of course. You never could say no when it came to Tom. Never. You'd anything for him. He was one of the most important people in your life. He was your sunshine on a rainy day. Your lighthouse in the raging storms. A safe haven to which you could always return.

A lot of people told you that this friendship wasn't going to last. After all, Tom was an actor. A famous actor. And you were just... you. But you proved them all wrong. The friendship lasted; survived every sharp turn, bump and crash on the way. A deep bond was formed; stronger than everything you ever experienced - and yet you were just best friends. Sure there had been opportunities to take this friendship to another level and turn it into something more, but neither of you took the opportunity.

You couldn't deny, though, that you had developed strong feelings for the handsome Brit over the years. Romantic feelings. How could somebody not fall for a man like Tom? He was a charming, kind, funny, talented, handsome gentleman with a heart of pure gold. You didn't dare to confess your feelings, because you didn't want to lose your best friend. Better have him as a best friend in your life than not at all, right?

So, the years flew by. Boyfriends came and boyfriends went. Just like with Tom. It was a heart wrenching pain whenever you met Tom's new girlfriend - and you hated it, but what were you supposed to do? All you wanted for him was happiness; but neither of you seemed to find happiness - at least when it came down to romantic relationships...

Another 'ding' of your mobile ripped you out of your thoughts. Shaking your head softly and trying to focus again; you opened the door and stepped out - only to almost stumble back inside.

A soft, cool breeze brushed past you; swirling your beige dress around your knees. The smell of rain hit your nose and some dark clouds hung in the sky; shielded the sun from shining down on you.

That wasn't what took your breath away, though. It was Tom, who stood not far away from you. Just a few meters; legs crossed, leaning casually against his black Jaguar with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his suit trousers.

Speaking of trousers... He was wearing a dark blue suit. Black dress shoes shone against the wet pavement; suit trousers hugging his long legs and hips snugly - held together by a black leather belt. The matching dark blue shirt wasn't any less tight; tailored perfectly for his lean yet strong upper body and forcing the small buttons to hold on for dear life. A tie and suit jacket in the exact same colour completed his look.

You swallowed a thick lump; had a hard time to control yourself and the rapidly beating heart within your chest. Luckily, Tom wasn't looking your way and didn't notice your distress. His gaze was directed to the street as he watched the cars drive by. The position showed off his ridiculously beautiful face; sharp jawline, high cheekbones - peppered with soft and fuzzy looking facial hair of his three-day beard. Tom's wild, blonde-brown curls had gotten so long; a hairsbreadth away from touching his broad shoulders. He looked like a prince, straight out of a fairytale book; combined with the perfect image of a photo shoot.

You bit your lip painfully hard; trying desperately to suppress the moan which threatened to slip past your lips.

It was insanely hot - and Tom didn't even notice the impact this had on you.

"Hey, Tommy," you finally greeted him; attracting his attention. Sure, you could've stared longer and admire the fine man he was, but you didn't want him to accidentally look and notice...

His head whipped around towards you; baby blues meeting your Y/E/C ones. "Hello, darling." A smile spread across his face, as he made his way over to you; giving you a hug. The hugs he gave his other friends didn't last quite as long as the hugs he gave you... You just didn't notice.

"Are you ready?" You nodded; smiling. "I was born ready. You should know that by now." You loved to tease him from time to time. Tom just chuckled; shaking his head. "I won't start now to recount the times you weren't ready. Let's go." You just giggled and followed your best friend to the car.

Being the gentleman the Brit was, he held the door open for you to sit inside his Jaguar. Once you were both seated, Tom started the engine and drove off towards the party.

Unfortunately, was the traffic on this fine Friday evening very bad; causing the both of you to get stuck. Like... Really stuck. Everything stood still. The little highway you were driving on was closed.

"Ugh, great... Now we'll be surely late to the party..." Tom gave you an apologetic look. "Apologies, Y/N/N... I should've taken the other route when I had the chance. Now it's too late... Can you text Ben?" He asked you, handing you his phone; gaze fixated on the cars in front of him. You shook your head, "No need to apologise, Tommy. You couldn't know. But yeah, I'm gonna text him." and unlocked Tom's phone as if it was your own. Not that you knew each other's password by heart... "Thank you, darling."

You tapped on WhatsApp, searched Ben's contact and entered the chat. Of course you tried hard to not read the last messages he received and sent to give your best friend some privacy, but when your eyes caught a glimpse of a text just above the text box you were writing your text in, you couldn't help but to look. You knew it was wrong, but before you were able to stop yourself, it was already too late and your gaze wandered...

Ben: So... You're gonna take her finally home then, right??

Tom: What, I- Ben stop that. I... I can't just do that. I don't think she'd want that... Me...

Ben: Friend... Are you kidding me? It's obvious she wants you.

Tom: You, uh, think so?

Ben: Know so. Shoot your shot, man, before it's too late...

You didn't have to read more. Swallowing hard, you stared at the messages for a moment. You knew exactly who Tom and Ben were obviously talking about... Chloe. A woman Tom had met on set a few months back. She was - well, is one of the costume designers and therefore saw Tom quite often. Someday, they started to talk during a break and well... According to Tom the sparks had been flying. He had told his best friend everything, of course - while you wished he hadn't. You tried to be happy for him - like you always did when he met a new woman, but... As much as you tried, your head never could win the battle against your heart. It was an undefeatable opponent. A invulnerable fortress.

You never met Chloe - and yet you despised her wholeheartedly. It wasn't fair, of course, but love had turned you into a monster.

"Y/N? Hey, Y/N/N."

You flinched and snapped out of your thoughts as Tom's soft velvet voice urged to your ears. "Is everything alright?" You blinked, nodded, "Yeah, sure. Sorry, I, uh, just drifted off." and sent the text. Giving him a fake smile, you exited the app and handed him his phone back. "Are you sure?" "Yep. Everything's good, Tommy."

You hated to lie to him, but you couldn't just tell him the truth now, could you?

'Hey, Tommy, I'm sorry but I spied on your texts and saw that one message, saying that you are going to obviously shag that bitch Chloe and now I'm kinda jealous, because it should be me instead!'

Nope, certainly not. But you also couldn't shake that thought of. It occupied you. A lot. Your brain thought about it non-stop; causing your heart to crack and shatter even more with every passing minute. You could not stand the thought of another woman in Tom's life. In his home. His bed. His heart.

You tried your best to put on a brave face, but your best friend wasn't blind. Neither stupid. He knew you better than you probably knew yourself...

At first the Brit didn't say anything. Given the fact that you clearly told and signalled him that you didn't wish to talk. But at some point, an undeniable, unpleasant tension started to built up between you both. Almost like an imaginary wall... It felt like every untold word, every unspoken feeling had pent up over the last weeks, months - years and were now about to culminate in the middle of an upcoming rain storm. Right here, right now; while being stuck in traffic.

Tom just couldn't take it any longer. He needed to know what had turned everything upside down all of a sudden. Why everything felt so wrong at this very moment.

"Y/N?" He asked you carefully once again. "I know you said everything is okay - and I feel that you clearly don't wish to speak to me, but-" "No, really, Tom. It's all good," you interrupted him once more; giving him another fake smile - and you could tell at the look of his face, that he had seen immediately through that fake smile. But before he was able to say something, you intervened; only digging the gaping hole in your heart deeper.

"Did you go on a date with Chloe?"

Tom frowned; was clearly confused of the sudden change of topic. "Y-Yes, but-" "Great. How did it go?" "Um, great, I-I guess, but why are you-" "Good. That's good. I'm happy for you Tom." You swallowed hard; feeling your heart scream in pain - but no matter how hard it hurt you, you just had to know what happened between them. You wanted to spare yourself the double gut punch. Might as well feel all the pain at once.

"But, Y/N... Why-" You chose not to leave him any space to question you and just get over with it. "Did you kiss her?" "W-What?" "Touch her?" "T-Touch her? Why would I-" "Sleep with her?" "I-" "Was she at least good in bed?" You kept on bombarding your best friend with questions. "Y/N-" "Was she, huh?" "Y/N, I-" "Did she made you cu-"

"Y/N!"

Tom suddenly exploded; screamed out your name and slamming his hands on the steering wheel of the Jag. He clearly had heard enough; couldn't listen to this any longer.

You went silent; didn't even dare to breathe for a second.

"I didn't sleep with her! I didn't touch her! Goddammit, I didn't even kiss her! Nothing happened between us! Nothing!" The Brit took a deep breath; trying to calm himself down again. You just stared at him; mouth closed shut.

"Yes, we met. Yes, it was great. But I wouldn't even call it a date. We talked and drank a glass of wine. Nothing more." You swallowed hard. "B-But, I-I thought you and Chloe were-" "A thing? No. We're not, Y/N." You blinked; were quite stunned at the sudden turnout of this situation - and once more was your mouth quicker to speak than your brain was able to think and so it came how it had to come...

"About who did you and Ben talk about then in your chat, if not Chloe?"

It slipped past your lips - and you immediately regretted it; afraid of Tom's reaction.

Tom's eyes widened to the size of plates; hands twitching to grip the steering wheel tight, while his cheeks turned beet red. The Brit had not thought about this conversation he had with his his friend - and now you knew.

"Shit, Tom, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to spy on your chats, I-I just saw it a-and was wondering about who-"

"You."

You blinked once more. "W-What?"

Tom turned to face you again; oceanic blue eyes meeting your Y/E/C ones.

Now or never, Tom thought.

"You, Y/N. We were talking about you."

You could've sworn that your heart skipped more than just one beat at his words. "M-Me?" You squeaked out; pointing at yourself. "Me?" "Yes. You. And the party today." Your eyes widened; jaw slacking in disbelief. "Y-You wanted to... Me?" Tom nodded; smiling nervously. "I always just wanted you, darling. No other woman on this earth is able to compare to you. My heart fell for you a long time ago. It belongs to you. Always has. Always will. I was just too afraid to tell-" Before he was able to finish his sentence, you had pulled him closer by the lapels of his stupidly sexy suit jacket and literally slammed your lips on his.

Tom was definitely shocked and overwhelmed at first, but he immediately relaxed; sighed in the kiss and pulled you as close as somehow possible with the car interior being quite a bit in the way.

All suppressed feelings and emotions finally broke free and melted into that very kiss. It felt like getting hit by an 18-wheeler truck and floating through heaven at the same time. It was a beautiful, chaotic mess, which the both of you enjoyed every second of - and tempted you to indulge into kiss after kiss after kiss.

You felt how your heartbeat quickened at the feeling of love and desire for the man beside you, as they were finally able to flood your body; veins pulsating with a dangerous mixture of endorphins and oxytocin - and Tom's musky smell, combined with the fruity blood orange and leather touch of his perfume didn't help at all. It made everything worse, without a doubt. Resisting Tom had been always difficult - but now that the chains were broken, it was impossible. And why should you stop yourself? There was no holding back anymore. The cards laid on the table.

You pushed Tom back into the driver seat; catching him by surprise. Your hand started to play with his tie; quickly undoing it. Tom's eyes watched your fingers tracing the buttons of his shirt; steadily wandering lower as he was swallowing hard. "Darling, w-what... what are you- Woah!" Tom had clearly anticipated that your hand would land at a place where he had often imagined it to be late at night, when he was all alone at home. But it didn't. You gave his belt a soft tug, but then moved your hand over his thigh and down to where the lever was, which allowed his seat to slide back; bringing even more space between him and the steering wheel.

Another thing the Brit hadn't seen coming - just like the next move you made.

Within the blink of an eye, you had slipped out of your high heels and elegantly swung yourself over; sitting on your former best friend's lap. It caused your dress to ride up your thighs - and Tom's eyes to widen. He literally froze in place; realising in which position you just brought yourself and him. You placed your hands on his shoulders, tugging at his suit jacket; trying to get him to shrug it off - what he did. "Y/N, w-what are you doing?" Tom knew of course very well what you were doing, but he needed to hear it. "What does it look like? I'm, uh, saving the car and riding you instead."

Tom's eyes almost popped out of his head at your bold words. Nevertheless, he couldn't deny that it stirred something deep inside him. And his dress pants.

"Darling, I-I don't know if we should do this here, I-" You raised a playful eyebrow at him.

"Oh, Tommy please... Don't be so shy now. You can't tell me that you never imagined doing this..." You leaned in closer; whispering into his ear: "Me. On top of you." The Brit couldn't help the moan which slipped past his lips. "I-I did, I-," he panted out; feeling one of your hands opening his belt; metal clinking. "See? Besides, the windows are tinted. Nobody's going to see this. Plus, we are stuck anyway, so... What are you waiting for?" You asked in a hushed voice; tracing your lips down his pulse point. "Touch me."

Another breathy moan escaped Tom's lips; big hands flying up to grab your bare thighs and working on slipping your dress even higher up your hips. His warm, slightly sweaty palms sent a shiver down your spine; nerve ends sizzling with desire.

"I-I've wanted this for so long, now, darling." Tom whispered; pressing his forehead against yours. "And now that I can finally have it - you... It's so surreal and- Oh fuck..." Tom's hands started to tremble; eyebrows slanting and mouth forming into a perfect 'o' as you lowered yourself on him. Only your lips messily entangling themselves with his seemed to bring him out of his haze.

"I love you, Tommy. I love you. I always have," you whimpered; body jolting with love and pleasure. His soft beard scratched the skin of your cheek, as he buried his head in the crook of your neck; lips marking you as his.

"I love you, too, darling. With all my heart. I'm yours." He lifted his head once more; glassy blue eyes gazing deeply into your soul. "Now let me love you. Let me make love to you." You smiled deliriously and raked your fingers through his long, blonde-brown curls. "I beg you to, Tommy."

And when he started to move, the world around you faded. All you could think and feel was Tom.

[physalian]

Timeskips (A Deceptively Tricky Trope)

Anyone remember when we all went to the theaters to see Endgame and the trailers actually fooled us into thinking all the action happened immediately after Infinity War? Then 15 minutes into the movie, the Thanos we grew to love/hate dies and the bomb drops: “Five…Years…Later”

It’s a shame that the movie didn’t properly explore the worldly consequences of losing half the population in favor of a Marvel victory lap through all its greatest hits. That our heroes could do absolutely nothing for five whole years, opening on a shot of a cold and dark cityscape — that was the best use and execution of a timeskip I’ve seen in recent memory, even if the rest of the movie didn’t follow through with it.

Timeskips are an effective way to age up characters or age past the end of an era of peace, or the healing after a tragedy (or the lifeless aftermath of one). Usually, your established heroes do their heroic thing, and anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months to a couple years pass before the story picks back up again. Some may have died along the way, the political climate has changed, couples have had children, or babies have grown into their own characters, relationships have grown, begun, or fallen apart.

These damnable plot devices are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the author gets to skip sometimes decades of meandering plot and development to tell almost an entirely new story in the same universe, sometimes not even with the same characters who are now too old, too dead, or retired.

However, timeskips can also cause some massive confusion, missed opportunities, and fandom wars over whether or not the jaded and grizzled and depressed heroes we see on screen are, in fact, a realistic evolution from the last time we saw them (looking at you, Star Wars).

Sometimes, they’re used in a single episode, thrusting a present character into the depressing dystopian future so they can prevent whatever causes said future before disaster strikes (Teen Titans "How Long Is Forever?"), and all returns to normal by the time the credits roll. Sometimes, the author really wanted the drama and angst of a pregnancy, then got stuck with a baby that needs constant attention from its parents who can no longer go do Plot Things until the baby can take care of themselves (The Originals).

Sometimes it’s the jump between two eras of a series, where our heroes have had a couple years of practice and now we can make the tone a little darker and the action a little more visceral. Or, it’s expected of a multi-book saga that regularly jumps a year ahead with each edition, leading up to the big prophecy (Percy Jackson, Harry Potter).

The Fundamentals of a Good Timeskip

As requested by Anonymous!

Telltale signs of a dubious skip:

Audience is expected to care more about an undeveloped newcomer than the pre-existing cast, because the current cast does without explanation

Audience is “told” to accept Catastrophic Event without being “shown” how and why it happened

Characters die, break-up, disappear, marry, change teams, or change entire personalities for ~drama~ and no other reason

The Book You Never Wrote was way more interesting than the future you brought us to

The new plot depends on Events Unwritten, but never shows or explains Events Unwritten

Timeskip only exists because the author is unable to make the leaps in logic themselves and hopes you won’t notice

The legacy of past heroes is trashed completely for More Story

Signs of a successful skip:

Characters we know and love are still themselves, just a little older and wiser

Characters that do change do so logically, within reason, and could have been extrapolated from the last publication

Radical changes and the new hellscape you threw your heroes into is given ample screen time to show “How tf we got here”

The new world doesn’t disregard or ignore the legacy and victory of past heroes

Absolutely nothing of import or unexpected happened in the interim, except time

Anyone who dies off-screen won the story by dying of old age, or some other respectful avenue (popular with aging mentors and old masters, usually when their actor also passes)

Whether your timeskip succeeds or fails depends entirely on, in my humble opinion, how much story you skip and sacrifice to make the jump, and how radical the changes are from the past to the future. And, to what degree the skip serves as a means to an end or the centerpiece of the new story.

Meaning that since you leave weeks, months, years, or decades unwritten, how interesting was the Book You Never Wrote, and how badly would audiences need to read it to understand the jump from A to B?

If I’m writing a ten-year skip and half my heroes have died, half have ended wonderful relationships, two kids have been born, a known hero has become a villain, and an entire city’s been destroyed… that is a *very* interesting story I wish I had the opportunity to read, because it sounds like every character I fell in love with is about to become unrecognizable and very frustrating to follow now that I don’t understand why they make the choices they do — *if* I’m never shown evidence to support the leaps in logic.

If I’m writing a ten-year skip and all that happens in the interim is a minor child character is now a tween with a pretty average life, or my super-powered heroes have had only mediocre rogues to battle, or a character who began in the mail room is now a middle manager at their boring job, then, yeah, we can skip all that jazz and get to the good stuff. This is usually the setup for your “next generation” skip for any genre.

Good timeskips also depend on how readily the characters accept and acknowledge the changes that have happened off-page, and how much the future story now depends on the information the audience never received. If your plot and your characters constantly reference and argue over the Book You Never Wrote, your audience won’t be pleased to not have read said book.

I’m going to use specific media here because the nature of a timeskip concerns entire plots and my usual vague examples don’t suffice. How you write and implement one is entirely up to you and each of these have their staunch defenders, I just don’t like them and I’m here to explain why. Hopefully if you’ve seen at least one of them, you can use them as a shining example of what (or what not) to do in your own work.

The fandoms in question:

The 100

Star Wars

Percy Jackson

Last Airbender/Legend of Korra

How to Train Your Dragon

The Little Mermaid

—

The 100

The timeskips in question are between seasons 2 and 3, and between seasons 4 and 5. The first timeskip is a couple months between seasons 2 and 3. After a huge conflict (and easily the best season of the show by a country mile), shifting alliances, enemy-of-my-enemy, the best couple-that-never-was, the season ends with protagonist Clark unable to let herself enjoy the spoils of war because of the crimes she committed to make it happen. She leaves behind all her friends to go be a hermit, including deuteragonist Bellamy, who is Not Happy about this decision.

The problem: In between seasons, Clark hasn’t changed much, but Bellamy sure has. He gets a girlfriend, develops an entire relationship, only for this girl to get fridged within the first 50 minutes or so of season 3. He takes her death super hard and, with Clark not there, spirals into a bit of a blind-faith fascist turning on all his friends and becoming nigh unrecognizable. Without seeing the growing relationship with the fodder girlfriend, without seeing how hard life has been for him without Clarke, all his choices, all his beliefs, all his pontificating sound completely foreign and out of character and he does not recover until it’s almost too late. As he’s the deuteragonist of the show, you can only take yelling at your TV for all his stupid and OOC decisions for so long, when it could have been done so much better.

The second damning timeskip is five whole years between seasons 4 and 5. Bellamy develops another unseen romance up in space, his sister becomes a bloodthirsty underground queen, and Clark devotes her entire life to raising a little girl she finds.

The problem: Clark cares a lot more about protecting the little girl than anything else, a choice audiences can’t empathize with because we’re still siding with the characters we’ve watched grow and suffer for four seasons, making Clarke an incredibly frustrating character to watch.

Five-year timeskips are fine. I think I’m in the minority in hating this decision by the writers. However, when your characters’ motivations change so radically without you being able to follow that development, making their new choices seem incredibly inconsistent with who they’re supposed to be, the disconnect is super strong. We’re being told at this point to care about these strangers over the existing cast without ever having been shown why.

Star Wars

Timeskip in question: Return of the Jedi to The Force Awakens. Enough time for Rey to look like a 20-something and, I believe, the exact same gap between the movies in the real world. The argument over Luke’s character has been beaten to death by now. We end Return of the Jedi with the promise of a galaxy in peace after decades of civil war between the Rebels and the Empire and the ultimate sacrifice from Anakin.

The problem: We open Force Awakens like the war never ended. There’s still stormtroopers, there’s still the Empire (though, now it’s called the First Order), there’s still Rebels rebelling. The happily ever after one would expect between Han and Leia is shattered because their kid went Dark Side. Their kid went Dark Side because… well, one side, the other side, and the unrevealed truth.

It’s less “Luke would never make these choices” and more “How do you expect audiences to believe Luke made these choices without seeing the pain and trauma inflicted on him to end up like this”. The casual fan only watches the episodic films. Luke ended one movie as a semi-optimistic war hero. He began the very next film jaded and traumatized enough to debate, and nearly go through with, murdering his nephew because of what he *might* do someday.

That anyone expected that to go over well was deluding themselves, but everyone knows these movies are a mess.

There’s also the disappointment in realizing all that Anakin lived and died for fell apart in less than 30 years. Who are these people calling themselves the First Order? Where did they get the funds, the resources, the platform to become as big a threat as they are? How did the Rebels fail so spectacularly at building a functioning government? How do they not have the funds, platform, and resources to buy better ships and equipment? How did no one realize they were hollowing out an entire planet to build another Death Star?

The Sequel Trilogy lost audiences when it refused to provide any explanations at all for *why* these changes happened. The movies don’t care about *how* Ben became Kylo, they just need you to accept that it happened. They don’t care *how* the First Order rose, just don’t look too closely or it all falls apart.

The skip between Empire Strikes Back to Return of the Jedi is also a bit sketchy, because Luke has done all his Jedi training off-screen and can just pull abilities out of nowhere, but the plot of Return of the Jedi doesn’t depend on having seen Luke grow.

Percy Jackson

I feel bad putting this here because it’s not nearly as egregious as the previous two, but because the original series was so good, these choices are that much more baffling. The timeskips in question: Sea of Monsters (2) to Titan’s Curse (3) and Last Olympian (5) to Lost Hero (6).

The books focus on a singular week or two per year, so Percy can age from 12 to 16 in time for the Great Prophecy by the end of the series. This series is filled with timeskips and unseen content, but the jump between books 2 and 3 is the most jarring. I just did a retrospective for both of them so if you happened to read that, I’m repeating myself a little.

The problem: At the end of SoM there is a huge shakeup in the realm of who will actually be the chosen one — a discarded chess piece has been revived and brought back onto the board. In the missing months, Percy has built an entire friendship and rapport with his would-be rival, and so many reunions were left unwritten between Thalia and the friends she left behind. It’s the depth of the missing content that really feels like they forgot to print a chapter in either book, particularly when she’s so important to the story.

Percy references quite a few times how good friends he and Thalia have become. Fantastic, on what page might I read that development, when the author spent quite a bit of time building up the presumption that you two would hate each other?

The other timeskip is the complete opposite. Last Olympian to Lost Hero is, I believe, only a month. Once again, we have a presumed happy ending and ultimate sacrifice completely torched for the sake of More Story. The original five-book saga culminates with the tragic death of a villain we’d watched for five whole books. His argument was the thesis of the first series.

The problem: As with Star Wars, everything that character died for is rendered mostly moot. There is evidence that his death meant something, in the positive changes seen in the lives of those that survived him, but he died preventing armageddon… and a month later Bigger Badder armageddon is on the rise.

I almost wish the timeskip here had been longer. A couple years, at the expense of aging up the heroes to their twenties. His legacy on the story is virtually nonexistent. When you look back at the horrible tragedy that was this kid’s life, all it amounted to, everything he fought for, everything he believed in and died for and lost friends for… bought only a month of peace.

The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra

Obviously, the timeskip in question is between these two series, about, what, sixty years? Last Airbender ends with, once again, the world at peace, ish, with lots of cleaning up to do, reparations to make, and governments to reshape. In the gap between series, almost everyone we knew has passed away, or aged out of being useful to the plot. Aang, of course, had to die so Korra could be born.

In the first season, because I’m reasonably confident all they planned was one season, the 60 year interim sees a lot of radical changes. Fan favorites die, the old ways are lost, the status quo is nothing like it used to be. So how do they get away with it?

Firstly, the show doesn’t begin with the main villains having already conquered Republic City and trashing everything the heroes fought for. The entire season is a crawl, then a plunge, toward disaster. They let you enjoy the fruits of the old characters’ labor, see the world that they built, before the new threat attempts to burn it down.

Secondly, because almost the entire original cast is dead or absent, there are no relationships sorely missing context, and there’s no *subversive* twists to what the audience could extrapolate from the ending of the old show.

LoK did make some radical changes to the world, but, crucially, it didn’t change the surviving core characters — we still have a known point of reference through which to view all the other changes. Katara is still Katara, she’s just older. Zuko is still Zuko, he’s just older. Katara didn’t become a persnickety, bitter bat and Zuko didn’t launch the Fire Nation Invasion II and return to his angsty ponytail-era.

It also helps that Korra is, like us, an outsider to this strange new world, a perfect vector through which the audience can ask questions and get answers on how, why, and when everything changed. LoK, unlike Star Wars, cared and thought about the *how* and the *why*.

If you’re going to write a story about the next generation without compromising the legacy of the old guard, Legend of Korra is a solid example of how to do it convincingly, respectfully, and entertainingly, even if it did drop the ball on some characters *cough*Sokka and Suki*cough*

How to Train your Dragon

But an even better example? How to Train Your Dragon to How to Train your Dragon 2. It’s been five years, a massive risk for your children’s animated fantasy series, but it’s also been almost five years of real-world time. Those who were Hiccup’s age when the first movie premiered are still Hiccup’s age when they head back to theaters. Not to mention the optional Netflix shows to help fill in the gaps.

Once again, there’s no *subversive* choices made with the relationships. Hiccup is still with Astrid and they’ve grown out of their awkward teenage phase. Their personalities haven’t radically changed either, only matured, the main group of heroes have had time to foster deeper bonds.

There’s no surprise children, no important characters who got killed off screen, and the changes to their homeland seem reasonable and logical given the time frame. A place that once feared dragons is now dedicated entirely to their preservation and conservation.

This is a timeskip that took advantage of every benefit of skipping time. The audience can very easily fill in the missing years with their imagination, because the jump from A to B makes perfect sense.

Frozen and Frozen II relied on the same mechanic of the audience growing with the characters with that one musical number. I’m not a fan of the execution of either of these movies, see this post about Frozen’s convolutions, but the execution of the skip itself is well done. All that’s happened in the interim is Elsa getting a little more comfortable being a person, and time has passed.

The Little Mermaid

The gap between Little Mermaid and Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea double-skips. First, it skips ahead to Ariel and Eric having an infant Melody, then about twelve years later to Melody being a tween and the new protagonist of the story.

Why it works: Melody is remarkably like her mother and rides the line between endearing and annoying very well and the plot depends on the skip happening at all – twelve years removed from the ocean and Melody has no idea her mother was a mermaid. Ariel and Eric (and Flounder) have grown to become wizened and worrisome parents and absolutely nothing remarkable happened unseen between the credits of the first movie and the second skip in the second movie. They get twelve years of peace, respecting the first movie’s legacy, and it’s through the actions of characters we see on screen that start jeopardizing everything.

—

Another feature I didn’t touch on earlier is that, by virtue of being a musical, the opening song to the Little Mermaid sequel efficiently catches audiences up on all the necessary exposition, all the old familiar faces, and where everyone is now in about 4 minutes. Frozen II does the same.

The Percy Jackson books also give a “previously on Percy Jackson” exposition speedrun at the start of books 2-5 and notes any important details that occurred in the missing months (save the glaring omissions detailed above).

If your time skip is just a plot device to get from A to Y, a well-handled exposition speedrun to catch everyone up won’t offend anyone, so long as you do it tastefully. If your skip is the centerpiece of the plot and the “how did we get here” is the big mystery, jarring your audience with the unexpected future on the opening pages is the point.

Do your best to avoid awkwardly having your characters state “X years have passed,” in dialogue because it’s always obvious and you can do better. Have somebody reference their upcoming birthday so audiences can do the math, or an anniversary. “X years have passed” cracks the immersion, as your characters don’t know or care that a time skip has occurred.

Or, if you’ve written a narrating style that talks directly to the audience, the narrator can just say “X months ago we did Y in the last book, reader, you remember how fun that was?” 

—

TL;DR, terrible timeskips happen, in my opinion, when the writers are disinterested with the interim and want to get to the good stuff without providing a logical jump to get there. Or, they happen when the time the story skips to jeopardizes where it came from without explanation. Whether that’s undermining the legacy of the original hero, ruining relationships and killing fan favorites for *subversion points* and *drama*, or creating a world so far removed from what audiences expected that they’re left confused watching their heroes make baffling decisions based on development they’re promised did happen, but is never shown. It’s one thing if you take your wide-eyed hero and toss him into a bleak future where everyone’s shocked by his pessimistic outlook, it’s completely different tossing your hero into a bleak future and none of his friends seem to care.

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Man's Castle

Frank Borzage’s gift for creating a magic bubble around his romantic leads is evident from the first scene of his MAN’S CASTLE (1933, TCM). Spencer Tracy is feeding pigeons on a park bench when he notices Loretta Young sitting next to him. The rest of the city (a backdrop, of course) is out of focus behind them. When he tries to speak to her, she starts to leave, and he slides over to keep her seated. Then the world intrudes when she says she was ready to throw herself to the ground to eat the popcorn he’s been throwing to the birds. Another victim of the Depression, she’s been out of work for a year and hasn’t eaten in two days. Throughout the film, Borzage keeps that tension going between the lovers’ private world and the realities of the Depression. As their relationship develops, their Hooverville shack becomes their castle, where they retreat into their dreams, only to have the space invaded by others reminding them of poverty, unemployment and the easiest way a woman can avoid starvation.

This isn’t a perfect romance, at least by modern standards. Even though Tracy, a master of subtext, makes it clear that his verbal jabs at Young are his way of hiding his deep love for her (they’re reminiscent of stories about the way he’d later talk to Katharine Hepburn on set), there’s a clear imbalance in their relationship. While she spends the day turning their shanty into a home, he only works when they absolutely have to have money, claiming not to believe in it. And whenever things get too domestic at home — when he can’t deny his feelings for Young, or she informs him she’s pregnant — he starts planning an escape, briefly hopping an outgoing freight train and even indulging in an affair with a well-off jazz singer (Glenda Farrell, who’s pretty wonderful).

For all that, however, the film is immensely satisfying. Borzage shoots gracefully, with Joseph H. August capturing the kind of shimmering black-and-white you could only get on silver nitrate. At times it resembles French Poetic Realism. Tracy is tremendously natural, but you expect that. Under Borzage’s direction, Young gives one of her best, least affected performances. Even her sappiest, most self-sacrificing lines are delivered in a rapid, matter-of-fact way (if you close your eyes, you may think you’re listening to Shelley Duvall). And if the love scenes seem particularly poignant, it may be because the stars were engaged in their own romance off-screen. Majorie Rambeau offers marvelous support as the local drunk and (it’s suggested) washed-up prostitute, while Walter Connolly is light-hearted and delicate as a former minister.

This is a pre-Code film, so beware of shorter versions Columbia cut to release the film after Production Code enforcement came in (and Tracy and Young became bigger stars). The print on YouTube is 15 minutes shorter than the restored version on TCM, cutting suggestions that Tracy and Young are living together without benefit of wedlock, implications of prostitution and a brief skinny-dipping scene (though I’m convinced the man seen running naked to jump in the East River is a body double; he’s not quite as beefy as Tracy).

[penportrayal]

Embarking on a Journey of Self-Discovery: Welcome to Pen Portrayal

Dear Readers,

Welcome to Pen Portrayal, a corner of the internet where we delve into the depths of what it means to be human, navigate life's twists and turns, and curate a lifestyle that resonates with our truest selves. As I embark on this blogging journey, I'm thrilled to have you join me in exploring the realms of personal growth, self-discovery, and crafting a life that exudes authenticity.

The name "Pen Portrayal" stems from the belief that every individual's life is like a canvas waiting to be painted. With the strokes of our experiences, emotions, and actions, we create a unique portrayal of ourselves. Just like an artist wields a pen to craft a masterpiece, we have the power to shape our lives through the choices we make.

Life – ah, what a marvelous mosaic it is, woven from the threads of all our moments, dreams, and choices. As I set off on this adventure of blogging, I'm genuinely excited to have you right by my side, as we explore the pathways of personal improvement and discover the magic within ourselves. The pursuit of self-improvement is a perpetual endeavor, much like the changing seasons, and through Pen Portrayal, I intend to share insights, stories, and ideas that inspire us all to flourish. From examining the art of introspection to embracing mindfulness in our daily routines, this blog aims to serve as a compass for those seeking meaningful connections with themselves and the world around them. We'll talk about setting intentions that align with our core values, stepping out of our comfort zones to embrace growth, and embracing the journey of self-discovery with open hearts and minds.

I've always been passionate about personal development and the art of self-growth. Through my experiences, trials, and triumphs, I've come to believe that each of us holds the potential to lead a fulfilling life. Just like you, I'm on a continuous journey of learning, adapting, and evolving. By sharing what I've learned and what I'm still discovering, I hope to create a space where we can grow and learn together. We'll explore topics that encompass the vast spectrum of human experiences: the pursuit of happiness, the art of communication, cultivating resilience, nurturing relationships, and so much more. Our discussions will draw from a diverse array of sources, including psychology, philosophy, personal anecdotes, and the wisdom gained from witnessing life's myriad facets.

Pen Portrayal isn't just about words on a screen; it's about fostering a community of individuals who believe in the power of self-awareness and continuous learning. I invite you to engage, share your thoughts, and connect with one another. Your perspectives, insights, and stories are an invaluable part of this journey. Together, let's embrace vulnerability, challenge our assumptions, and strive for a life that's not just lived but deeply experienced. With each blog post, I hope to contribute a brushstroke to the canvas of your personal growth journey, adding vibrant colors and intricate patterns that reflect the beautiful complexity of being human.

Thank you for embarking on this adventure with me. Here's to discovering the art of living. Remember, every stroke of our "pen" matters. Let's create a remarkable portrayal of our lives! 

Stay tuned for the upcoming posts, and until then, keep painting your journey with purpose.

Wishing you all the best on your journey!

[caatws]

Something about open canon interpretations that I think people miss is how Gamora's canon is the only one left open when it comes to her importance to the whole family and story. It's the only one left open when it comes to did they all grieve her death. It's not even clear if she's considered part of the family anymore and that's not good. Not when the guardians family is all the audience cares about. She's also the only character being attacked the way she is by some fans currently and that's worth thinking over. As is the lack of commentary on her role from James Gunn and the fact that when he does speak it's comments that further push the idea she's not important and doesn't matter to the other characters.

A lot of people miss this so I thought I'd share Intersectionality is important. You cannot colorblind your way through discussions of representation. You can't say Gamora's story/role worked for you on one level and then tell people they should ignore the other parts of her and how that's been handled. That's not how this works. Marvel even did a panel of a human Gamora a couple years ago where they made her look like Zoe to honor her as a woc. All aspects of who she is matters equally. It's not being mean or unfair or a bad fan to care about race, gender, sexual orientation etc. Discussing these things isn't ignoring other parts of canon that are well done. It's also not more harmful to be told your words or actions were sexist/racist/homophobic and hurt someone than it is to be on the receiving end of sexism/racism/homophobia etc.

There are good things about vol 3 and I'm grateful to people discussing them and writing about them. But it would be willfully ignorant to pretend Gamora's death was handled well. That she got as much character development as all the other guardians. That she got an equally fleshed out arc. That she was shown on screen support and love while figuring her life out during such a crazy experience of coming to the future. We didn't even get to see how she felt about Thanos finally being dead. I have seen some people say that Gamora got a good arc and people are just nitpicking or ignoring it. That would be believable if not for the fact that the majority of post movie discussions about how amazing the characters are surely haven't been about how well her character was handled. They aren't talking about how far she's come or how close she is to the other guardians. Pretending doesn't help.

real anon, i think part of what made vol 3 painful for me upon first watch is we are seeing the gotg at their very closest and best - some of these characters have known each other for 10 years now, the found family is found familying more than any previous gotg film before. and gamora missed it. we only got to see gamora found familying with the gotg during their first few months together in vol 1 and 2, and then everything in her next and final appearance was abt thanos; she gets like 1 scene with the whole team in iw before they split up. and it's just so sad to me that we even get to see nebula found familying and having these very specific dynamics with everyone that we just...never got to see our gamora have onscreen.

like, it just leaves me with so many questions abt gamora's individual relationships with everyone - questions that i likely may have had in 2014, walking out of the theater after seeing vol 1, excited for where the gotg would go from there and how all of the characters would grow together. it just sucks to know that 2014!me (2014!gamora pun a ha ha ha everybody laughed) will never get those answers in canon for gamora's character :/

before all this, i think gamora was on track to having one of the best arcs in the mcu. but once she was dead forever, from those specific circumstances, it was over. even peter killing her would've been a better conclusion to her arc, bc at least she would've still had some agency at the end, But Alas

and gamora being played by and essentially coded as a woc absolutely matters in this discussion. i've been saying it since 2017 - have been having to FIGHT ppl in this very fandom over it as well - but gamora being a woc is absolutely an important nuance to her background. like you're gonna look me in the face and tell me thanos isn't basically a space colonizer? that this storyline does not at all parallel the very real history of colonizers destroying others' homelands, killing entire populations in the name of some sort of bs theory that it's for the good of the ppl, and abducting/trafficking children from the very places and communities they destroy?? like holy hell my dudes. consider this when you wonder why some of us are upset !

[usagirotten]

Movie Review: The Wild Robot is moving, funny, entertaining and an audiovisual marvel

Animation in the film genre has been greatly devalued in recent years, the classic studio in this area has had serious problems in presenting interesting and original things that appeal to both insiders and outsiders. Over several decades, studios such as Sony Pictures, Universal, Warner Bros Animation, and some more that are independent have been in force thanks to having good adaptations of unusual stories that have innovated in the field of animation. With the arrival of CGI and the creation of Pixar, things changed radically, those artisanal frame-by-frame animation works remained as mere references of a golden age in which for months they gave life to those characters and presented them on the big screen in a masterful way.

With the arrival of platforms, the high budgets for this genre were becoming more and more moderate, reflected in their final products. Japan, for its part, has continued with its same theme and line of animation to this day, thus giving a good example that modern technological resources can be at the service of entertainment if they respect their own rules. In 2024, The Wild Robot comes again to rethink those above, based on the new series of novels written by Peter Brown and that the director and screenwriter Chris Sanders brings to the big screen to discover something completely different from what we have seen before.

What is the movie Wild Robot about?

ROZZUM unit 7134 or Roz (Lupita Nyong'o) is a robot that has been shipwrecked on a desert island and must learn to quickly adapt to the harsh environment, gradually forging relationships of friendship and protection with the local fauna and suddenly becoming the adoptive mother of an orphaned goose baby while the Universal Dynamics company is looking for her, Roz will realize that living away from everything and everyone will make her understand and value everything around her and will make her question her existence. After a period in which it seemed that there were no new things to tell, this film arrives that rethinks many things in the animation genre. Its story may seem simple and childish to us, but as its plot develops we learn and understand that this is more complicated and deeper than it might seem at first glance. Another animated film where they use moderate CGI with a friendly-looking robot that makes friends with the animals on an island uninhabited by humans and has to cope with its misfortune is not something that sounds exactly very original. However, if this cliché theme is given the right twist and meaning, things change and that is when there is a strange symmetry between a good story and good animation. A robot, a goose, and a fox, an idea that is not at all attractive at least for adults who look for something more in animated films and it is quite the opposite, what might seem like a stupid cliché is the premise of one of the best-animated films released so far in 2024, something that could well be defined as a work of audiovisual art, a plot that goes from action to being moving about adaptation, acceptance and the creation of a very unusual family that does not try to continue educating the public on current issues but only graphically presents some of the good values ​​that we as human beings can have.

The good work they have done is perceived from the beginning when we are introduced to ROZZUM 7134 (Lupita Nyong'o), later known simply as Roz, a shipwrecked robot that has been stranded on a remote island, a humanoid artifact built to be completely subservient to its programming and programmer who becomes a stranger in a strange place, the inhabitants in the environment are animals that are afraid and surprised by what they have just discovered, while Roz gets to know and learn from each one of them and in her desperation to complete a task programmed in her functions her purpose arrives unexpectedly in the form of an adorable goose named Brightbill (Kit Connor) thus assuming one more task to her programming, that of the maternal care and protection of this adorable creature. Although its narrative is slow and advances slowly, we can recreate ourselves in all that setting that has been taken care of down to the smallest details, the combination of the traditional with the digital has been a surprise, they say that this work can emulate without any problem or doubt what Hayao Miyazaki did, landscapes, forests, and environments like those we have seen in Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (2001), Howl no Ugoku Shiro (2004) and very recently with Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka (2023) are what recreate the adventures of this robot. The true beauty of The Wild Robot as a film is the exact combination of all its elements, demanding a different level of quality from itself. Its almost painterly style images are captivating, and its panoramic shots show a landscape with more texture and background in proportion to what we are seeing, which contrasts perfectly with Roz and her metallic appearance, which marks the difference between the natural and the technological. The adventure that Roz undertakes on this island takes her to meet some of the animals of this place, a fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), a possum named Pinktail (Catherine O'Hara), a brown bear named Thorn (Mark Hamill) and a beaver named Paddler (Matt Berry), she quickly learns that nature is a place full of beauty and at the same time terrifying and a completely different place where there are no humans and she has no specific task to fulfill, as an adaptation of Peter Brown's book it is risky and brave to touch very openly but with subtlety and respect the subject of death something that used to be a subject that children's fiction has handled in different ways over the years, but that now seems forbidden in animation. Roz faces death when she accidentally falls into a nest, killing a mother goose and almost all of her eggs except one. This is where things begin to change in Roz's program. When the egg breaks, a chick is born, which Roz calls Brightbill (Kit Connor), who sees this creature without fear and as her mother. If things were different and the message of the tape were very different, then Brightbill as a newborn bird would not survive and the story would be different. The studios are making robots fashionable again, nothing has been as endearing as Iron Giant (1999) by director Brad Bird until now, it is clear to us that we are facing a moving film, with a concrete and clear message full of unexpected humor, with jokes and phrase games about how easy it is for animals to die in nature, this film defines perfectly well when a big-budget film project is made for profit and when it is made out of artistic passion as in this case, this already marks a before and after in contemporary animation and the modernity of our times. It is very plausible to see that all those involved put their heart into it, you can see and feel it and that is what matters to transmit to the viewer, a completely different experience that involves us from the first moment and makes us direct participants of what is happening, that plays with our emotions and captivates us candidly and sincerely leaving aside the stupidity of messages between the lines or poorly carried out or that it is just expensive and empty entertainment, especially in an era in which childishness feels more like a cynical resource to get money at the box office and not for telling a good story as it should, it is so well done in every sense that that is what allows us to connect with what is happening. Its message is very clear from the start, it is a film about mechanical beings, technology, and wild creatures but it is also a film about parents and children and the changes that can occur if we are aware that we can be something more, Roz learns the great difficulty and responsibility of being a mother and discovers that sometimes the best way to care for and raise children is to discard the "programming" that we thought would teach us to do so and this is a great direct criticism of today's society in which these advances harm us more than they help us, a message that sincerely conveys that everything you do is right as long as you have heart and conviction, adaptation to the environment and constant changes and overcoming the obstacles that come our way. The clearest message and where all its charm lies are in seeing the simplicity of life and all its beauty, that as human beings we have filled ourselves with unnecessary things, that we can have a good quality of life with very little less, of the complexity that we have as humans to overcomplicate things, a message that does not pretend to educate but to openly show what is happening and what can happen, at last we move away from stupid speeches about feminisms and consequences and poorly carried out hero's paths that only complicate and hinder the plots and stories that are made around this. Perhaps the only flaw it has is that it plays too much with the feelings and emotions of the viewer, the excess of this may or may not be good depending on each one's perspective, the director and writer of the same Chris Sanders knows perfectly well what he has in hand and takes it to the highest and unsurpassable point of the genre it occupies, this being an adaptation of a children's novel, let's hope that if there are other installments they will be of equal or greater visual quality than this one. The stunning design is paired perfectly well with the artistic talent needed to ensure that this film stands on its own and has its personality as a classic in its genre, Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames and Mark Hamill, each of these great actors manage to deliver on their role, Nyong'o is captivating in her performance, Pascal is delightfully cynical and witty, Connor adds excitement and adventure to the character, Hamill proves once again that he can be as versatile as he wants doing what he wants and what he loves most. The music composed by Kris Bowers is without a doubt another character that has the right and necessary pieces to frame each scene, each shot, making what we see audiovisually a whole experience that can transmit feelings to us, a work that competes effortlessly with others that pretend to be without being and without transmitting absolutely anything. In conclusion, we can ask ourselves at this point a question: is this the most original story ever brought to the cinema? The answer may not necessarily be, we are faced with a very honest and sincere work in itself, which gives us the message that we must have a purpose in life to be able to appreciate it as it is, with its good and wonderful things as well as the bad and how we will overcome that, this is without a doubt one of the greatest and most pleasant surprises that DreamWorks has given us in a very long time, something that is already a classic icon in animation that enriches and perfects the genre, let's hope that the studios have already understood what their mistakes have been and we can continue to see more films like this. Wild Robot is now available in movie theaters in your country. https://youtu.be/njPNg0A9VpY Read the full article

[palashdalal]

The Swipe That Stole a Year: Karan’s Tale of Digital Love

Prologue

Karan was a charming and ambitious 28-year-old software developer living in Mumbai. Like many of his peers, he was drawn into the allure of dating apps, enchanted by the promise of endless possibilities and connections. What began as a casual exploration soon spiraled into a year-long digital odyssey that left him grappling with unforeseen consequences.

Chapter 1: The Allure of Infinite Choices

At first, Karan found the dating apps exhilarating. He marveled at the ease of connecting with people from diverse backgrounds, all at the swipe of a finger. Each match brought a surge of excitement, and the notifications became a regular source of dopamine hits. The initial dates were thrilling, filled with the potential of new beginnings and the intoxicating rush of mutual interest.

Chapter 2: The Descent into Obsession

As the months passed, Karan's casual swiping turned into a compulsive habit. He found himself spending hours each day scrolling through profiles, crafting witty opening lines, and eagerly awaiting replies. The constant quest for the next best match became an obsession. His productivity at work declined, and his social interactions outside of dating apps dwindled.

Chapter 3: The Strain of Superficiality

The nature of dating apps soon began to reveal its darker side. Karan noticed that conversations often remained superficial, with many interactions lacking depth and sincerity. The emphasis on appearance over personality led to fleeting connections that rarely progressed beyond a few dates. He started to feel disillusioned by the shallow nature of these encounters, yearning for something more meaningful.

Chapter 4: The Toll on Mental Health

The emotional rollercoaster of dating apps began to take a toll on Karan's mental health. Rejections, ghosting, and the relentless comparison to seemingly more attractive profiles eroded his self-esteem. The constant highs and lows led to increased anxiety and bouts of depression. Karan found himself trapped in a cycle of validation seeking, each swipe a desperate attempt to fill a growing void.

Chapter 5: The Isolation of Digital Connection

Ironically, despite his numerous matches and conversations, Karan felt increasingly isolated. The digital interactions lacked the warmth and authenticity of face-to-face connections. He missed the spontaneity and genuine emotions that came with real-life interactions. His reliance on dating apps had inadvertently severed him from meaningful relationships with friends and family.

Chapter 6: The Awakening

One day, after yet another disappointing date, Karan had an epiphany. He realized that the year spent on dating apps had not only failed to bring him closer to love but had also distanced him from himself. He decided to take a break from the digital dating world and focus on reconnecting with his true self.

Epilogue: The Path to Redemption

Karan embarked on a journey of self-discovery. He reconnected with old friends, pursued hobbies he had neglected, and spent more time in nature. He practiced mindfulness and self-care, gradually rebuilding his self-esteem and mental health. Karan learned to appreciate the value of real-life connections and the beauty of slow, organic relationships.

A year later, Karan found himself in a much better place. He had met someone special through a mutual friend, and their relationship was built on a foundation of genuine connection and mutual respect. Karan realized that while dating apps might offer convenience, true love and fulfillment often lie beyond the screen.

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t was, by every objective measure, one of the most devastating days of my life,” Dallas Jenkins recalls.

The Midwest-born director and son of a best-selling author of Christian novels had for years struggled to build a Hollywood career and had finally landed his big break: directing a movie for Get Out producer Jason Blum, who shared Jenkins’ belief that there was an untapped market for elevated religious fare. Their film — 2017’s rom-com The Resurrection of Gavin Stone — scored “insanely” well at a test screening and their hopes were high.

“I was at home with my wife and shell-shocked,” Jenkins recalls. Gavin Stone ranked 18th at the box office and opened to just $1.2 million. “I mean, we were crying. I thought this was my chance. I had finally got in the door. I was working with one of the most prolific and influential producers in Hollywood, who liked me. And it just completely failed. I thought, ‘Maybe this is the wrong business for me.’ ”

But within weeks, Jenkins had another idea. This one was for a TV series, which would go on to gather a flock of more than 200 million viewers worldwide who have watched at least one episode, largely driven by word-of-mouth. The show has also sold an incredible $63 million in theatrical ticket sales after becoming the first series to screen an entire season in theaters. It even has its own annual fan convention. All this, and you’ve probably barely heard of The Chosen, which tells the story of Jesus and his disciples across a planned seven seasons (the long-awaited fourth season will begin streaming June 2).

Yet to hear Jenkins tell it, the fact that The Chosen is still obscure to many is a very good thing. The 48-year-old producer is convinced his addictive, character-driven, serialized drama has the potential to reach new heights of mainstream popularity now that he’s made a global distribution deal with Lionsgate and the show is edging toward its most dramatic story beats yet (including a devastating, multi-episode crucifixion sequence).

His new studio partnership is a major step toward producing a slew of other modern takes on biblical stories that he’s developing. How about a Moses show? “Moses was like a reluctant Tony Soprano,” Jenkins pitches. “He was the head of the largest family and didn’t want to be.” Or Noah’s Ark? “The story of Noah is basically Parenthood on a boat,” he says. And, of course, he’s got plans for a Chosen sequel and prequels galore.

Get ready, the Jesus Cinematic Universe is coming.

“One of the most exciting things is that so many people tell us they’re into the show in the same way they’re into Marvel or DC,” Jenkins says. “But we didn’t do it cynically — ‘Let’s create a Marvel experience and find content that fits.’ It started with the content.”

“I WASN’T EVEN GETTING IN THE DOOR TO BE REJECTED”

As a teen growing up in Zion, Illinois, Jenkins’ interest in filmmaking was sparked by watching movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and It’s a Wonderful Life. His fascination made him a bit of a rebel in his conservative, evangelical community. “The relationship that church folks had with Hollywood was almost exclusively antagonistic,” he says. “If the church engaged with Hollywood, it was usually in the form of a boycott.”

Like some movie-geek version of Kevin Bacon’s dancing character in Footloose, Jenkins would fantasize about making his own Oscar-winning film and secretly practice acceptance speeches in his bathroom mirror. “I wish I could say that ended when I was 15,” he admits. His community’s assumption that Christianity and Hollywood are mortal enemies, he figured, didn’t make sense.

“I remember fairly early on thinking that if we believe faith is relevant in the culture, then what’s stopping us from making things like others do in Hollywood who have their own message or agenda?” he says. “The best filmmakers are personal and have a voice. I thought: ‘Well, what’s wrong with me having my voice?’ ”

At age 25, Jenkins moved to Los Angeles and tried to build a career. He had one advantage: His father, Jerry B. Jenkins, co-wrote the best-selling Left Behind franchise — those apocalyptic, Book of Revelation-inspired novels that sold more than 60 million copies and spawned several films and games from 1995 to 2007. The elder Jenkins helped bankroll his son’s early filmmaking. “Dallas was embarrassed by a lot of Christian media and was saying, ‘We have to do this better,’ ” Jerry B. Jenkins recalls. “He didn’t want to be known as a Christian filmmaker. He just wanted to be known as a good filmmaker.”

Dallas adapted of one his father’s stories, Midnight Clear, and then shot a Capra-esque fantasy called What If. Neither popped. “I didn’t face a lot of rejection,” he says. “I wasn’t even getting into the door to be rejected. My movies weren’t on-the-nose evangelical enough to get a lot of success in that world, but I also wasn’t a good enough artsy-indie filmmaker to have a Sundance hit.”

Then Jenkins scored that deal with Blum, which seemingly gave him everything he wanted: an opportunity to make a wide-release, mainstream film with Christian values. “Dallas was friendly and talented and had a profound understanding of his audience — things they would respond to, and the things that would rub them the wrong way,” Blum recalls.

But when the movie’s crushing opening weekend numbers rolled in, Blum had to make the dreaded call.

“I said the same thing to Dallas that I’ve had to say to other directors,” Blum says, “which is this: ‘I’m sorry. I wish we could have delivered a hit for you.'” It’s a line that’s devastating in its politeness and lack of blame.

“I bet on the right guy, but the wrong project!” Blum adds. “I was one too early.”

“JESUS IS A BAD MAIN CHARACTER”

Like a protagonist in one of those faith-based movies that he finds so cheesy, Jenkins did what a despairing, down-on-his-luck Christian is supposed to do: turn himself over to a higher power. “I truly surrendered,” Jenkins says. “Instead of trying to make another big movie, I figured I’m going to do what I feel is best, what is most honoring to God and to my wife and people I care about. I’ll make anything.”

Jenkins shot a humble follow-up: a short film for his Harvest Bible Chapel megachurch’s Christmas Eve service (well, not that humble — he had a $100,000 budget). The short, written with Tyler Thompson, was about the birth of Christ, but told from the perspective of a shepherd. Jenkins had played with this idea before, having made another short about Jesus on the cross that focused on the two thieves being crucified alongside him. He discovered that following the lesser-known supporting characters in a classic divinity story gave his films a grounded and relatable feel.

During filming, Jenkins was struck by The Big Idea. He was jogging on a treadmill and bingeing HBO’s The Wire when he thought: What if somebody told the story of Christ in an ensemble drama series that jumps between different sociopolitical points of view like in The Wire, while focusing mainly on supporting players? This was two decades into the Peak TV boom, when streamers and cable networks had scrubbed their vaults for every piece of familiar rebootable content they could find, yet somehow nobody had tried updating the so-called greatest story ever told. “I thought, ‘Man, this could be so cool. Whoever does this is going to look really smart.'”

Also, potentially, massively controversial: The last filmmaker who dared to upend biblical storytelling conventions on a large canvas was Martin Scorsese with his widely boycotted 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ. Jenkins didn’t want to become a pariah in his own community, yet also believed he couldn’t tell this story right for modern audiences unless he moved past Christian storytelling tropes.

“I know this sounds bad, but Jesus doesn’t actually make for a good main character,” he says. “He doesn’t learn anything. He doesn’t grow. He doesn’t struggle.”

Jenkins partnered with Angel Studios, which at the time was called VidAngel and mainly known for selling sanitized versions of popular movies for Christian home viewing. The company proposed a crowdfunding model like the Kickstarter campaign that revived Veronica Mars — why pay for something yourself if you don’t have to? Jenkins thought the crowdfunding idea was “ridiculous” and was stunned when they raised $11 million in their first round — a record for a TV or film project.

The first season of The Chosen is ultra-low-budget and uneven, yet still effective, with rural Texas doubling for Judaea and Galilee. (Jenkins’ production facility is in the tiny town of Midlothian.) The cast is full of ethnically diverse actors doing Middle Eastern accents. The story opens with Jesus as an adult, just as he’s starting to gather his disciples.

Right out of the gate, Jenkins and his co-writers made creative moves they knew were risky: Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish) is an alcoholic and sex abuse survivor. Matthew (Paras Patel) is a tax collector on the autism spectrum. Some of the oppressive Romans are rather likable. The show’s early protagonist is Simon (Shahar Isaac), who’s introduced having a fistfight in the street. “Simon has the biggest and most temperamental arc, and we thought, ‘He’s the James Kirk of the story,'” Jenkins says.

The pilot drew inspiration from The West Wing, with Jesus showing up in the last five minutes just like President Bartlet did on the NBC hit. (The show is like The West Wing in another respect, as it rivals Aaron Sorkin’s drama for its sheer amount of walking-and-talking — much of the show is likable bearded guys wandering around chatting.)

To cast his messiah, Jenkins hired Jonathan Roumie, an unknown actor who so effortlessly looks the part that he’d been teasingly called Jesus by friends for years. Roumie’s got the sad eyes down, and his Christ comes across like a warm and affable therapist with a desert-dry sense of humor. “Dallas tried to temper my expectations, like, ‘Look, this probably won’t go anywhere, but at least it’ll be a couple of episodes of work,'” recalls Roumie.

In some ways, the show’s lack of money for effects made it better. For scenes where Jesus performs a miracle, Jenkins considered several options. “Are we going to change his voice?” Jenkins recalls. “Are clouds going to come in? Are we going to have his eyes roll back in his head like Bran on Game of Thrones?” He decided to stage miracles in ways that were as non-flashy as possible. When Jesus fills Simon’s nets with fish, his boat abruptly luges to the side with a loud thud and Simon looks stunned. It’s the simplest filmmaking trick (a jump scare, actually — Jason Blum would approve), and it works.

Angel Studios debuted The Chosen on its app in 2019 in a bid to launch a new streaming service. It opened with a disclaimer warning viewers that creative changes were made to the Gospels and some character backstories and dialogue had been invented. “People just needed to know that I know that this is different and difficult,” Jenkins says. “I’m not apologizing — this is such a dangerous show that if I cared at all about what people think, it’d cripple me.”

CONTROVERSIES: BACKPACKS AND PRIDE FLAGS

The Chosen‘s viewership took off during the pandemic. Seasons have since sprung up on Netflix, Peacock, Hulu, Prime Video and The CW. The crowdfunding model has continued, with Jenkins as the face of the show, posting frequent production updates on social media.

Amid the growth, Jenkins has navigated tricky issues. Some evangelicals have slammed the show for its deviations from Scripture, its contemporary dialogue and the characters’ laid-back demeanor (Jesus dropped a wink!).

“I don’t think it’s modern at all,” Jenkins pushes back. “I think 2,000 years ago, people laughed and rolled their eyes and said casual things and had metaphors and colloquialisms. The very things that some people feel a little uncomfortable with are the things that have caused the show to be seen by millions of people. It feels modern because we have always seen these characters portrayed like they’re stained glass windows or statues.”

Some gripes can be incredibly specific, such as skepticism that Jesus ever wore a backpack. “They couldn’t have thought of a backpack back then?” Jenkins counters. “Two straps on a container is just so modern?”

There was a larger uproar over Mary Magdalene having a relapse in season two after she was saved. Yet that departure from Scripture led to one of the most affecting moments in the show, particularly among those in the recovery community, when Jesus welcomed her back (“You redeemed me and I threw it away,” Mary said, and Jesus drolly replied, “It’s not much of a redemption if it can be lost in a day, is it?).

Yet the show’s biggest controversy was sparked by behind-the-scenes footage released last year. An online video included a brief glimpse of a pride flag on a Chosen crewmember’s equipment. That might sound inconsequential, but for a significant segment of The Chosen‘s viewership, it was a scandal that incited, as Jenkins dubbed it, an “intra-Christian culture war.”

The conservative press accused the show of hypocritically endorsing “sin” and going woke (“The Chosen Can’t Serve Both God and LGBT Activists,” fumed a Federalist headline). Many threatened a boycott if Jenkins didn’t apologize and make changes to his employment practices (“Christians, just like we boycotted Target and Bud Light, we need to boycott The Chosen,” declared right-wing sports writer Jon Root).

Jenkins says he was filming an episode when the news broke, and he could see the affected crewmember staring at his phone. “People had figured out who he was and were calling for him to be fired,” Jenkins says. “He was like, ‘I didn’t want to bring this attention to the show.’ And I told him, ‘I love you. Do your job. Don’t worry about it. Let me take care of this.'”

Jenkins, who politically describes himself as a libertarian, posted a 19-minute response on YouTube. In an age of hypersensitivity to online outrage, and of studio controversies typically being addressed with brief, lawyer-approved PR statements, Jenkins’ message was refreshing in its thoughtful detail and polite-yet-firm refusal to kowtow.

“Everybody loves our cast and crew members … and they have widely different beliefs that go across the entire spectrum,” he says in the video. “We don’t have a political or religious litmus test for who we hire. We don’t police individual workspaces or social media. If this issue bothers you, that’s fine. But that’s not something for us to be concerned with or try to change. We are not a church.”

That last line, however, is a bit debatable.

“I TITHE A PORTION OF MY PAYCHECK TO HELP THE SERIES”

The Chosen is now a big deal, with some famous fans starting to emerge (“Just finished season 3 of The Chosen and I absolutely love it,” country star Blake Shelton posted on X last week, with Gwen Stefani chiming in, “Obsessed!”). Its fan convention, ChosenCon, is going into its second year in September and expected to bring in 5,000 fans. There’s an online merch business (their “Binge Jesus” T-shirt says it all). Earlier this year, Fathom Events screened the show’s upcoming fourth season in theaters. It’s a relationship that began with screening a single Chosen special coming out of the pandemic.

“That was the first time we really got confirmation that we had a tiger by the tail here,” says Fathom CEO Ray Nutt. “The audience reaction was spectacular.”

When fans approach Jesus actor Roumie, they don’t just want a photo. Couples want him to marry them, others want to touch him. They call him Jesus and suspect he might have some kind of healing power.

“It’s not the ordinary kind of celebrity encounters,” Roumie says. “It’s like people have things deep within their heart that they want to share with you, or they say the show has changed their lives — they haven’t been to church in 20 years and now they have a relationship with God. I’m a bit of an introvert, so I start to get a little anxiety.”

The show has creatively evolved, as has Jenkins’ strength as a director (he’s helmed every episode). In season two, there’s an impressive 13-minute continuous shot showing the disciples busily working a crowd that is waiting to be healed by Jesus. Jenkins’ team worked all day to get the ambitious take and nailed it during the final minutes of daylight. “You can actually see the sun going down during the shot,” Jenkins says. “At the end of the take, we ran out of light, and I burst into tears because there had been so much pressure.”

One of his proudest moments, Jenkins likes to say, was when he turned on Prime Video and saw The Chosen on the streamer’s most popular list along with Cocaine Bear. If that’s not getting Christ into the cultural mainstream, what is?

Yet as the show receives more media attention, there’s a term that makes Jenkins bristle: “faith-based.”

“I’m not ashamed that I’m an evangelical,” he says. “I’m not ashamed that it’s a show about Jesus. But we really do believe that the show can be watched by anybody, and we just don’t want people turning it off before they watch it because of a label. I’m not trying to, through the art, convert anybody or preach anything. It’s a historical drama.” The show’s internal surveys found that only about half its viewers are practicing Christians.

Religion is arguably mixed with the show’s business side, however. It’s hard to imagine a secular show being able to draw 12,000 fans to a Salvation Army camp to appear as extras over three days of filming, making their own costumes, and even paying $1,000 each for the privilege (it’s a savvy TV business model when your extras pay you).

Funds for the show’s first three seasons were raised by Angel Studios’ Pay It Forward service — the same crowdfunded method employed to make the polarizing sex trafficking movie Sound of Freedom a hit. In addition to taking a percentage cut off the top, Angel initially distributed the show exclusively on its app, which, as The Chosen LLC’s president, Brad Pelo, puts it, was “very, very confining.”

In 2022, The Chosen severed part of its Angel Studios relationship, claiming breach of contract, and replaced Pay It Forward with a nonprofit ministry called Come & See. Jenkins posts messages urging fans to make tax-deductible donations to Come & See, and there’s an implicit missionary angle to the pitch: By supporting The Chosen, you’re helping spread Jesus’ message to new audiences around the globe. The ministry also helps to arrange screenings of The Chosen in places such as prisons and churches, and has translated the show into 50 languages (toward an eventual goal of 600).

Wrote one viewer on The Chosen‘s subreddit, where fans sometimes worry that the show doesn’t have enough money to continue: “I tithe a portion of my paycheck to help fund the series. I get little thank you notes from all over the globe. It’s honestly incredible.”

One starts to wonder if Jenkins is the guy who’s not only figured out how to revive biblical epics for the streaming era, but also how to do so for televangelism in the YouTube age. When I press Jenkins as to why he still needs fan money four seasons into a production that’s being heavily consumed across so many platforms, he insists that fan support is essential to the show’s survival and that the streaming deals and merch sales haven’t come close to paying for production. Season four cost $40 million, and season five is only partly funded even as they’re currently filming. The ministry also helped pay for a $50 million production backlot, which includes two full-size soundstages.

This week, The Chosen wrapped arbitration with Angel, where it won a release from a crucial part of its original deal which gave Angel the show’s first distribution window. Once the show gained popularity, Jenkins and his team felt that debuting episodes on Angel’s app had become a hurdle towards securing more traditional backing. The show being available on so many streamers at once, Jenkins says, has been a double-edged sword.

“All of the funding for the production currently comes from Come & See; the license agreements we have with the streamers are not big,” Jenkins says. “It’s not a lot of money because they didn’t have exclusive rights to it. Until there’s an exclusive arrangement, or until somebody gets the first window, we absolutely still have to rely on donations.” The arbitration is also holding up the release of the show’s fourth season, which will get a streaming date as soon as a verdict is rendered.

Jenkins contrasts his situation to that of the other disruptive showrunner building a TV empire outside Fort Worth, Texas. “Taylor Sheridan has [MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios] financing his stuff and probably doesn’t have his own company of 65 employees,” he says. “We have to generate our own profits. We are one of the most watched shows in the world, and yet even successful TV shows aren’t profitable for the first few years. Normally, a studio will say, ‘Let’s pump money into this show that we have made from our other projects.’ We don’t have that.”

Surprisingly, Jenkins and Sheridan haven’t met, though Jenkins would love to have a chat. He has questions about how to successfully grow one show into many. In addition to those Noah and Moses ideas, Jenkins envisions a Chosen sequel about the Book of Acts and the rise of the early church, a Ruth and Boaz movie, and an animated series for kids set in the world of The Chosen.

Like Young Jesus?

“Not that,” he says. “But we’re talking about a lot of Old Testament shows and spinoffs; we’ve already laid some Easter eggs for them — no pun intended. I don’t think the Old Testament is any trickier to do than The Crown or Rome or Vikings. We think we’re close to another tipping point.”

THE MOST DEVASTATING CRUCIFIXION EVER?

The Chosen‘s entire sixth season will cover just one day, Jenkins reveals, with the crucifixion itself taking hours of screen time. The plan isn’t to indulge in Mel Gibson-style torture à la The Passion of the Christ, but rather emotional devastation, taking advantage of how viewers will have already spent dozens of hours with Roumie’s yoga-studio-friendly messiah.

“In most portrayals, Jesus is on the cross, and you just see a bunch of people weeping and he’s being tortured and mocked,” Jenkins says. “We want to stress Jesus’ desire for comfort and connection with his friends and family. And that period of time lasted several hours, which hasn’t been portrayed before. We have the time and I have more tools in my tool belt for the crucifixion than other filmmakers had.”

Jenkins likens the season’s potential impact to, of all things, The Walking Dead gorily killing off fan favorite Glenn in season seven. “That was abnormally upsetting for audiences not just because of what happened, but because by then you cared so much about the person,” he says.

A rollout in theaters for seasons five and six is certain (though not yet planned), and in the meantime The Chosen won’t be Jenkins’ only work landing on the big screen. He recently completed filming Lionsgate’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, based on Barbara Robinson’s children’s novel about a group of impoverished kids staging a holiday play. The movie will test whether Jenkins can make a believer-nonbeliever crossover hit that’s set in modern times like the other films he tried before The Chosen came along. “It’s total chaos, and then, because of their poverty and outsider, tossed-aside, disadvantaged status, then end up closer to the story of Jesus than the regular people are,” Jenkins says

Jenkins’ father, unsurprisingly, is awfully proud of all this. “Somebody asked me recently when I thought The Chosen would surpass Left Behind in its impact,” Jerry B. Jenkins says. “That ship sailed a long time ago. The funny thing is Dallas used to be known as ‘Jerry Jenkins son.’ I’m now known as ‘Dallas Jenkins father.’ May it ever be so.”

Dallas, however, has some concerns. He doesn’t want to be seen as selling out to Hollywood, even though, to some degree, that’s precisely what needs to happen for his company to grow. He worries about screwing up — specifically, getting canceled. It’s one of the reasons he posts so many candid videos. He wants to put his own failings online so nobody else does it first (and, perhaps, build an army of supporters who will stand by him).

“I’m a flawed guy and I don’t want my own flaws to get in the way,” he says. “I used to struggle with pornography. I make inappropriate jokes on the set. My wife always says, ‘Your mouth’s going to bring you down at some point.’ I don’t want to trip on a land mine.”

Especially now, when he’s getting the Hollywood success and status that eluded him for so long. “I used to dream of being in meetings with the people who work for the people I’m meeting with now,” he says. “It’s fun to sit in a room with some of the most powerful people in Hollywood, who say, ‘We’d love to work with you.’ “

Do power players actually watch The Chosen, though?

“There’s always someone else in the room and they’ll say, ‘For two years, this person has been telling us we need to meet with you because they’re obsessed with it.’ “

Yet Jenkins long ago stopped giving those awards speeches to his bathroom mirror. “This show will never get an Emmy,” he says. He likewise used to make ambitious five-year plans, and swears he doesn’t anymore.

“I was always trying to please people,” Jenkins says. “I needed affirmation. I needed to be taken seriously. Now I genuinely — and I’m not just saying this — my only goal and hope and dream is to make season five, which I’m making now, as good as it can be, and to be a good husband and father. Some of the things that are happening now are things I used to greatly care about. And I think they’re happening because I don’t care about them anymore.”

[denimbex1986]

'2 white lonely people who meet each other and take away each other's loneliness. Hardly anyone has found such haunting images for this basic narrative of human existence as the British director Andrew Haigh. In "All of Us Strangers", a story of love and self-discovery that has already been showered with film awards, the screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) moves into a newly built London high-rise, where apart from him there has only been one other man, the much younger Harry ( Paul Mescal), lives.

The almost empty block of houses, whose facade is reminiscent of prison bars, does not mark a clear class affiliation; its residents are neither poor nor rich, rather they live in a non-place whose wall-sized windows look out into the vastness of the metropolitan sky. The drama, which is loosely based on a best-selling novel by the Japanese Taichi Yamada, but turns the female character into the male character Harry, is bursting with intensity - from the evening sky's deep blue hues to Scott and Mescal's fantastic acting, most of which is glassy looks, right up to the action, which blurs two time levels and allows two traumas to collide.

While Harry is haunted by the demons of his alcoholism, Adam is still grieving thirty years later for his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), who died when he was just eleven years old. In order to finally come to terms with his loss, he visits the terraced house where he grew up - and meets his lively parents there. They are now about the same age as he is, and the reunited family eats dinner together, chats and marvels. At the same time, Adam tries to clarify open questions. Like whether his parents felt pain when they died, why his father didn't hug him when he sat in the room and cried so often. And how his parents would have reacted if they had discovered that their son was gay.

“All of Us Strangers” tells of grief and loss, of shedding the past without repressing it, and of the vulnerability that defines all of us, thrown into this world as strangers.

Aesthetically and atmospherically, “All of Us Strangers” is reminiscent of “Petite Maman ,” which works with similar overlaps between two time levels to delve into familial secrets – where a girl befriended her own mother when she was the same young age -, as well as the nostalgic holiday drama “Aftersun”, which leaves the development of the relationship between a girl and her suicidal father (also Paul Mescal) to the mysterious nuances.

However, if you're not interested in time travel experiments and are looking for a really fascinating queer relationship film, you're better off with "Passages", which opened in cinemas in August and is now available for purchase on Amazon. The ménage-à-trois with Franz Rogowski, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Ben Whishaw convinces with lightness and the courage to be malicious, instead of wallowing in self-pity, as one might accuse "All of Us Strangers" of doing.

On the one hand, Haigh creates a poetic work of art that touches and develops a quiet originality. On the other hand, given the sheer volume of tears that flow almost constantly on and off the screen, you're always a little afraid of being washed out of your cinema seat.'

[legion1227]

Echo: TV series Review.

There is hope for the future of street-level MCU shows and movies.

Released rather recently on January 9th, Echo is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet. Alaqua Cox plays Maya Lopez, or Echo as she's known in the comics, whose character was introduced first in the Hawkeye TV series. Adopted into the crime family of The Kingpin in her youth, Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, Maya is pursued by Fisk and his men as she returns to her Native American roots while returning to her hometown in Oklahoma.

Without a doubt, Cox as Maya and D'Onofrio's Kingpin are the best performances in this more grounded superhero outing. As the character herself is also deaf, it's worth praising that those at Marvel managed to find an actual Native American deaf actress to portray the character of the same background and representation who ALSO gives a stellar performance. Cox was entertaining in her small role in the Hawkeye show, but as she's given the leading role, I find that the struggle Maya harbors between her criminal life in New York with Fisk and the simplistic lifestyle with her friends and relatives in Oklahoma could not be presented any better than anyone besides Alaqua Cox. Opposite to her, D'Onofrio is an excellent foil. D'Onofrio as Kingpin is up there with RDJ as Iron Man or Tom Hiddleston as Loki, among few others, as the perfect candidate to take up the mantle of an immaculate comic book character. D'Onofrio's performance in the Daredevil series helped cement that series as one of the best Marvel series of all time, and his presence helps elevate the series here. As the Kingpin appears on screen, his gravitas and presence are felt, feeling intimidating as his hulking mass towers above Maya and others. Whether working off of one another or with other characters, these two characters are definitively the strongest in fighting ability and character depth.

Unfortunately, I wish I could say the same for the rest of the cast. Maya's friends and family round off the rest of the supporting cast, and while they're mostly likable, they're largely forgettable. There's some heart to the moments where Maya gets personal with family members, reflecting on the past or figuring out what to do with the situation with Fisk, but the archetypes of Maya's cousins, Bonnie or Biscuits, feel too generic. They provide assistance to their cousin and try to wit quirky lines, but they fail to garner real interest or depth. I feel this is in part due to its short length. With only 5 episodes to cram as much story as it can with Maya and the Kingping, pacing and character development suffer immensely. Surely another episode or 3 would help develop characters into a more engaging and memorable cast or strengthen the depth of the complex relationship between the Kingpin and his adopted niece.

Still, it's a pretty good show. As stated, Maya and Kingpin are the most fascinating characters the show has to offer, which may be enough to check out alone. The fight scenes are also decent enough, though really compelling in some episodes like the first, which feel reminiscent of the Daredevil series. If the series was longer, the pacing was better and the supporting cast was more intriguing, then the show could be even stronger, but as it is it's still definitely a really good show worth a watch. 3.5/5.

[bblfoods23]

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[sanspidy]

Into the spider verse

There’s no replacing a comic book legend like Peter Parker, but Sony Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse makes a strong case for why more “Spider-People” is a good thing. Miles Morales’ journey from zero to hero is brought to life with jaw-dropping animation, whimsical callbacks to previous Spider-Man media, and memorable side characters from the multiverse that range from fan-favorite Spider-Gwen to the outright bizarre Spider-Ham.

The unique and often brilliant 3D animation style is a fantastic aspect of the movie, though it does take some time to get used to. It’s like watching a comic book being brought to life, complete with vibrant colors, a few KAPOWS, and some actual thought bubbles sprinkled in for dramatic effect. With so many American animated films resembling Pixar nowadays, Into the Spider-Verse is a visual experience unlike anything we’ve seen before. Those one-of-a-kind visuals add an otherworldly look, which is appropriate since the story is not set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Into the Spider-Verse wisely takes its time when it comes to rolling out its story, allowing for strong character development as we learn more about Miles (Shameik Moore) and his family life before the web-swinging begins. The Morales family is genuinely engaging, especially in the complex relationship the creative Miles has with his hard-nosed police officer father Jefferson and his estranged uncle Aaron. Miles’ search for the right kind of mentor is a big part of his character arc.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hits all the marks to be an all-around moviegoing blast. Miles Morales has a memorable big-screen debut thanks to a compelling story and strong performances from its heroes and villain. Alongside Peter Parker, Miles’ journey from everyday teenager to a genuine city-saving superhero is one of the best Spider-Man movie stories ever. The addition of other multiverse characters doesn’t overshadow Miles’ story, though Kingpin does get a bit shortchanged. Taking a bold departure from the Pixar animation style we’ve come to expect from mainstream animated films, Into the Spider-Verse delivers a dynamic visual experience unlike any other.