#took my dad to see guardians of the galaxy vol 3 for father's day

[scootatwoni]

'nother miku shirt

[ayankun]

real quick before I get into season 6

So this is my second time watching Season 6 and I’m p. excited.  This last week or so I’ve been dredging up bits and pieces, but most of it is a blur.  It seems the memories that lasted this whole year were mostly of the huge armored truck and the nonbinary character who works at *spoilers*’s tech startup.

I’m curious to see if the second time through it’ll settle in like it belongs.  I remember Season 5 really didn’t make any sense to me until I saw it again.

But really I’m just excited that in 11 hours I can watch the new stuff?!

But first, before I forget, here’s my last thoughts on Season 5.

So remember how I was surprised at Season 1′s structure, that it folded up nicely down the middle with some pretty tidy symmetry?

None of the other seasons do that.

Instead, I remember particularly strongly how jarring the end of the Ghost Rider arc was in the middle of Season 4.  And then again when the (what I’m calling) Kasius arc also wrapped up mid-season.

I’m not sure when I read about it, but it probably was circa Ghost Rider, that they’d intentionally decided on what I’m pretty sure they called “pods” of episodes, these seasons-within-a-season sort of narratives.

Season 2 sort of kicks it off, what with the race to Terragenesis taking eps 1-10 and the Afterlife/splinter SHIELD stories filling 11-22.  Then Season 3 has the monolith/Maveth mystery to start, followed by Hive & the Inhumans for the second half.  S4 is super poddy, obviously branded as Ghost Rider/Agents of Hydra, and S5 also splits neatly into future!Lighthouse and present day!Lighthouse.

Two points to make on this:

Kasius is such a rockstar villain that I feel really bad for Hale/Ruby/Talbot.  They’re so apples and oranges but having the highlight come first allows for unfavorable comparisons to be made.  It’s like asking any well-to-do Kree to compare Xandarian snail to oops all berries.

Good thing they’d had all this practice writing complete stories in 12 eps, since I’m hoping Season 6 (and obvs Season 7) will still feel as fully formed as their longer antecedents.

Anyway, that first point is my major point for S5.

S3 already feels like the second half of S2, and its internal halves are the most similar to each other as any of the other “pods,” so it’s not like people have a reason to go around saying “I liked the first half of the season waaay better than the second.”

(although I might.  I might say that, actually.  but not because the halves were branded separately from one another)

And S4, though the two halves are barely identifiable as coming from the same show much less the same season, they’re both good.  Robbie Reyes is perfect.  The effort to incorporate new MCU topics/aesthetic from Doctor Strange is great.  Robots who just want to be a real girl is my JAM.  All the Framework cameos really make my day!  And then Robbie Reyes comes back all deus ex machina (ironic) and saves the day, and

it makes sense that he does because the function and nature of the Darkhold was well established in part 1 and

it’s GREAT that he does because he’s perfect and we miss him.

Then here comes S5.  I really really respect so much about the creative decisions that took the story where it went (ie, outside Papa MCU’s sphere of interference), and getting to reuse the same set in a different context while minimizing “on-location” shoots is just technical and financial genius, okay. 

But there’s so much about the first half, in the future, that compels me waaaaaaay more than the gritty anger of the second half. 

Kasius, WOW what a villain.  Dominic Rains, everyone.  I have nothing unkind to say about the performance, the character, anything.  Impeccable.  Spectacular.  Perfection.

The mystery of the season opener!  We had the tag scene where Coulson’s “in space” and plenty of time to ruminate on the how and why, especially with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 coming out right as S4 ended and Thor: Ragnarok literally sizzling in the theaters at the same time as this season started.  They answer the question by the end of the episode, but not before several characters come up with and pursue several different theories, and that’s fun.

What a way to capitalize on the Inhuman storyline your show’s been about for years now, without forcing Papa MCU to contend with all this good work you’ve been doing.  Just go somewhere he can’t reach you (the future), and then un-write all of it anyway.  V. tidy.  Extra style points will be awarded.

LEITMOTIFS.  If y’all’ve seen BSG, then you know Bear McCreary is a master of the art.  But this season has so many good themes, my friends.  The Daisy/Quake theme that’s been knocking around for a season is here in full force, and Sinara’s is the best bad guy theme you could have wanted, and dearest sweetest Flint has the best great guy theme you ever heard.

Just, while we’re here.  Sinara.  She says nothing for episodes (it feels like, I wasn’t counting) and her first line is a scornfully growled “compassion.”  Give it up for Florence Faivre !!!  She hardly has any lines but you always know exactly what she’s thinking and what she’s about.  Sinara and Kasius have the richest on-screen chemistry of anybody on any show from any era fight me on this I dare you.

Mack’s coming down from his second life in the Framework, and that suuuuucks that these folks never have a moment to rest before barreling into their next story.  But he gets to be a father to Flint!  And Yo-Yo gets to be a mother!!!  UGH why couldn’t they have brought Flint instead of Deke lololol oh well.

I think I know another reason why Lincoln seems overhyped to me.  That other Inhuman, Ben I think his name is?  He’s in like two episodes, serves a narrative purpose, and is disposed.  I know Lincoln’s in like 18 times as many episodes but they have the same exact overall impact on my brain-hole.  Imagine if it was Ben that came back with them instead of Deke.  That’s how I feel about Lincoln.  Like, how did this obviously disposable character make it this far?

Then you have Deke.  You love to hate him.  He’s a very well-fashioned character who is flawless in making you feel the way the showrunners want you to feel.  That’s the kind of character that gets killed off twice and still comes back, and it doesn’t surprise you.

So, Enoch.  Enoch is everyone’s favorite character, right?  Right.  Give me genderless robots with a soft spot for humanity ANY DAY.  PLEASE where are they I need them.  (I’m un-repressing memories of S6 and I feel like somehow I should be careful what I wish for)  Man I remember with 1000% clarity the absolute glee I felt sitting down for the opening montage of S5 the first time, how ballsy weird it was, just watching this freaky bald alien of a man go swimming with some fun electro pop number playing in the background.  100/10 please make more television like this

 More monoliths!!  The time one is so pretty!

(remember when there were more monoliths and no one knew where they came from or what they did but then it didn’t matter because they got instantly exploded?)

The low-key obvious answers to the season’s questions, what with the Inhumans running all over the shop, Quake there to tear everything down and Flint there to put the pieces back together I’m not crying you’re crying

Oh man, and Simmons getting to mentor not one but two Inhuman youths to be confident and trust in themselves and their powers.  What a ways from the fear-panic response to Daisy when she turned.

Also, yeah, it has to be said, this show’s blatant “you’re different and that’s okay” agenda sits very well with me.  Agents of SHIELD says LGBTQ+ rights!

So anyway, part 2 falls a little flat for me because its strength is its themes, but I’m not really compelled by the stakes and definitely not by the villains and not really even by the intra-team drama.

Obviously S2 touched on parenthood, but it was pretty specific.  S5 digs in and brings us a lot more on the topic.

Kasius desperately desires his father’s approval but very deeply despises the methods and the people who earn it.

Hale was indoctrinated by Hydra and was very earnest in wanting to uphold the values of the organization, until the organization (and Whitehall) shared with her their narrow appreciation of the gift of her loyalty.  Even then, she struggles to make sense of this loyalty, only realizing too late that being a good Hydra pawn and a good parent are categorically mutually exclusive.

Ruby, obviously, is like a mini-Kasius, the brave-faced rebel who wears her mother’s disappointment on her sleeve like a badge of honor to pretend that it isn’t crippling her.

The Von Strucker kid, boy is he messed up (and his Hydra dad had something to do with it)

((echos of Ward are still heard even this far after his demise, and we know what his father figures were like))

Poor Talbot, got some brain damage and some Hydra conditioning on top of that, cracked that noggin wide open.  He just wanted to do good by his family.  Just wanted his son to know he loves him.

Polly and Robin.  The daughter who needs constant special care because she’s stuck inside her own mind and the mother who’s been through hell and back and still manages to do her best.  Even when she knows she won’t always be there for her daughter.  Even when she knows she’ll be replaced.

May getting a glimpse at the life she and Andrew once talked about.  Getting a chance to do right by that little girl.

Mack recovering from getting that same glimpse, from the echoing memories of a life time spent with his greatest regret erased.  Being roped into being a thug and threatening that dad without knowing the meaning behind his threat -- being told that people like him don’t deserve the privilege of parenthood.  But then getting to know Flint, and having Yo-Yo at his side while they fast track this kid through all the things he’s gonna need to know in order to be the Big Damn Hero the world needs him to be.

The timey-wimey promise that FitzSimmons will one day be parents to a brilliant daughter who will unfortunately give birth to a Deke.

Coulson and Daisy.  Another parent placing enormous expectations on his daughter, desperate that she be ready for his responsibilities because his time is running out.  A daughter who mishandles these expectations and refuses to stop fighting a losing battle, not because she’s not ready to step up, but because she doesn’t want to face the fact that she’s losing the man who raised her.

Anyway, aside from all this good Theme work, part 2 wades perfunctorily through musty remnants of the previous season, from The Doctor to The Russian.  Which makes sense, because that season ended in a way that left so many loose threads -- but then this season comes along and summarily ties them up, all cute little bows, the lot of them.  Dusts its hands.  Nothing to see here.  Move along now.  Time’s up.

[bevioletskies]

Starmora Movieverse Prompt: Songfic based on the song "Once Upon a December".

This fic takes place three months after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, though it foreshadows some things from Vol. 2.

ao3 | word count: 3.1k

The first time Peter finally convinced Gamora to dance with him - and truly dance with him, not just sway side-to-side like awkward middle-schoolers, though there was still something magical about their moment on Knowhere he would always secretly cherish - was about three months after they became a team. The Guardians were staying in a rundown hotel in the middle of what felt like nowhere, the kind of hotel that had no business calling itself a hotel, but the Milano’s bathroom had a…situation that meant sleeping on-board was not an option. Peter and Gamora were in one room, and Drax, Rocket, and Groot (who was currently about the approximate size of Peter’s foot) were in the other.

Peter’s growing attraction to Gamora was no secret; he made no move to conceal his affections for her, but he knew he had to play it cool, take it slow. She was strong, capable, and could easily kill him with a single strand of hair if she pleased, but she also spooked easily when it came to romantic gestures, and he wasn’t looking to scare her away. Sometimes, there were moments where he felt a little despondent, even considered leaving her be. But other times, she seemed to reciprocate in tiny, but meaningful ways.

On the last night of their hotel stay with just one more day of post-mission cleanup to go, Gamora settled down on the floor of their room at the foot of her bed, twirling her switchblade between her fingers, her eyes fixated on the blank wall opposite her.

“You know we got a TV, right?” Peter emerged from the bathroom, rubbing at his damp hair with a towel.

“Astute observation, Peter,” Gamora replied dryly. She paused momentarily to let her eyes flicker up and down in silent approval at the way Peter’s T-shirts clung to his torso after he got out of the shower. “If you have any other shocking revelations you’d like to make while you’re still sober, do let me know.”

“Man, you’ve got some attitude tonight. I like it,” he declared, pulling out some suspiciously musty-looking beers from the mini-fridge and tossing one her way. She caught it without looking, cracking it open and taking a swig in one fluid motion. He sat beside her. “But seriously, you look kinda zoned out. Somethin’ on your mind?”

“Maybe it’s the atmosphere, the ambiguity, but…I almost feel nostalgic for something that doesn’t really exist.” She shook her head. “I don’t even know what it is, it…it just is.”

“Like a memory that isn’t yours?” he asked. “Or is it more of a dream?”

“Both…and neither.” She turned to look at him. His breath caught in his throat. “I haven’t dreamed in years. And I don’t have the happy memories that you do, the kind I could look back on with fondness. My life was normal until my - until him.”

“Not all happy.” He said it so quietly, she almost thought she’d misheard him. “Did I ever tell you about this dumb thing I did as a kid? This big, stupid lie I told everyone about my dad so they wouldn’t make fun of me?”

Gamora’s gaze briefly went to Peter’s beer can, surprised to find he had practically downed it all in one go, almost like he was attempting to get drunk as quickly as possible. His words were beginning to slur, but she couldn’t tell if it was merely from the exhaustion that had settled in his bones. She set her own beer down so she could give him her full attention, head tilting slightly in curiosity. “You’ve never mentioned your father before. Tell me.”

“You know that backpack I leave on the Milano in my bunk, the one with all my Earth stuff in it? It’s the one I took to school with me, every single day. And I used to carry this picture inside it. A picture of a man. But not just any man. David Hasselhoff.” He paused for dramatic effect, though it was lost on Gamora. “Famous guy, drives a talking car, fights crime, y’know. Anyways, I told anyone who would listen that he was my dad.”

“Why did you pick a famous man?” Gamora said dubiously. “That seems…unorthodox.”

“It sounded cool. And it was a good reason for not having a dad around to look after me,” Peter shrugged. “I told everyone he was out of town all the time, shooting his TV show or touring with his band. And kids, I mean, they’re gullible. They bought into it…I think.” He furrowed his brow. “Actually, I’m not sure if they did.”

“Why not just tell the truth?” Gamora pressed, moving in a little closer.

“Because I don’t actually know who my dad is. If he’s even alive, if he’s out there somewhere, if he knows that I exist. And I’d see all these other kids playing with their dads, and I just, I wanted that too. So bad.” He hung his head in shame. “It’s stupid, I know.”

“It’s not stupid,” Gamora reassured him, patting his forearm. “We’ve all done nonsensical things as children. And it doesn’t stop when we grow older. Wanting to believe in something that isn’t real…it might not be rational, but it isn’t stupid, either.”

Peter perked up slightly, a smile beginning to form. “I guess so. Thanks, Gamora.” He placed his hand over hers, squeezing in gratitude. “So tell me about this thing you’re nostalgic for. If you can, I dunno, describe it somehow.”

“Have you ever pictured something so vividly in your mind, something in which you can name every last detail, but you can’t tell if it’s truth or fiction?” Gamora asked. She rotated her wrist slightly so their fingers could interlock together in a loose hold. Peter wasn’t sure if she had meant to do it, but he wasn’t about to pull away.

“I’ve had dreams like that. Stuff about my childhood that I wasn’t sure if I just made up ‘cos it seemed cool, or if it actually happened,” Peter nodded in agreement.

“Right. And so I’ve been having these - I don’t even know if I could call them dreams; I’m not always asleep when they come to me. They’re of me and my parents. The life I lived as a child. I don’t know if it’s real, because they seem real enough, and yet - ”

“What makes you think they aren’t?”

“They felt too perfect.” Gamora’s shoulders fell just a little bit. “A dinner table piled high with food, a warm bed with a mountain of blankets and pillows. A house filled with space, and light, and laughter.” She swallowed. “I should know that it didn’t exist. My planet…we were desperate, cold, hungry. Not just for food, but for reprieve. But something about it felt possible, even though my rational mind tells me no.”

“Then maybe it’s not a memory. Maybe it’s your future,” Peter reasoned. “Or at least, some sorta blend between your past and your future. Like you imagined yourself living your best possible life with your parents, in a big house with all that food and light and…and happiness.”

“That’s an interesting perspective,” Gamora mused, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards in a way that made Peter melt. “I’ve lived under his rule for so long that I forgot what it was like to have dreams of my own. To have a future of my own. Maybe that’s why it confused me so much.”

Peter propped his elbow up against the foot of the bedframe to support himself, leaning in closer, their hands still resting in the increasingly smaller gap between their knees. He was so close, she could name all the colors that danced in his eyes. “Okay, so what if you had to think one up? Your future?”

“You mean right now?” Gamora said, startled.

“If you want,” he shrugged. “I’m too buzzed to sleep right now, I could use a good bedtime story. Or, I dunno, maybe I just wanna put off waking up in the morning and dealing with all this jurisdiction crap. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a Guardian, but this isn’t my favorite part of the job.”

“Then what is? The money, the notoriety?”

“Spending time with all of you,” Peter said simply.

Gamora’s cheeks warmed pleasantly, though she couldn’t bear to voice her reciprocation out loud. Not yet. “I don’t know if my desired future would be any different than what I have right now. Other than maybe reconciling with my sister. To be part of a family again.” She glanced down at her lap for the first time as if she was just realizing she was holding his hand, though she made no move to let go. “And you?”

“Sometimes…I think about going out there and finding my dad. If he’s still alive, that is,” Peter added. “But…I’m pretty happy with the family I ended up with instead.”

Gamora finally released him so she could look away, her face now burning with a sort of glow she was wholly unused to. “We should turn in for the night,” she said reluctantly. “We have an early call in the morning. We need to be alert.”

Peter remained on the floor, watching her get up and cross the room to get into her bed, somewhat disappointed. “Guess so. Night.”

Though he got into his own bed soon after, there was a restlessness in Peter’s entire being that carried on for the next few hours, taking him right into the late night-early morning stretch that felt somewhat surreal, like he was in some strange dimension that didn’t quite exist in the space-time continuum as he knew it. He slipped out of the room to pace up and down the hall for a bit, hoping to wear himself out, but even then, his brain didn’t feel ready to shut off and grant him peace.

“Gamora,” he finally whispered at around 3 AM, crouching by her bedside. She stirred, blinking at him groggily in disbelief.

“Is there an emergency?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

“No, I just…I can’t sleep,” Peter admitted sheepishly. She let out an exasperated sigh. “Sorry, I shouldn’t’ve woken you up, I just don’t really know what to do about it. I guess I’m still thinkin’ about all that stuff we talked about.”

Gamora sighed again, this time far more contemplative. “Let’s go take a walk.”

They took a silent elevator ride down to the ground floor, the unpleasant buzz of artificial light searing through Peter’s head, rattling around in his ears. The lobby was comically small with nothing more than an unattended receptionist’s desk and two beat-up chairs, no extraneous decor, and a few doors. Two of the doors were marked - for storage and for staff, respectively - while the third had no discernible features to speak of. Peter gestured towards it. “Wanna check that out?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Gamora said dismissively. “I was thinking we could go outside and get some fresh air.”

“In this weather? It’s freezing,” Peter protested. “C’mon, Gamora, where’s your sense of adventure?”

“I think I’ve had enough ‘adventures’ for a lifetime,” she countered, though she followed him regardless.

The door opened up to a room that neither of them could have possibly anticipated - vast and grand in an old-fashioned sort of way, with a ceiling that stretched high above, opening up the space in stark contrast to the claustrophobic feeling of every other room in the building. Large ceiling-to-floor windows were hidden behind torn drapes, old parquet wooden flooring, and an elevated stage at the far end that looked like it had seen better days. Dust particles swirled about at the disturbance of the air, tickling their noses. Clearly, no one, not even the janitorial staff (Peter was starting to question if there was any), had stepped foot in here in a long time.

“Must be an old conference room or something,” Peter said, strolling in easily like he owned the place, his voice echoing off the walls. “I bet it looked pretty cool in its heyday.”

Gamora was more cautious, taking light-footed steps, her gaze traveling across the room. There wasn’t much to look at with no furniture or decorations, but at the same time, she could see what he meant. “Conferences, you said?”

“Yeah. Or events, like auctions…or dances!” He brightened. “Gamora - ”

“Peter,” she warned. Already, she could see him reaching for his Walkman, this time tucked in the pocket of his hoodie instead of his usual belt hook. “We shouldn’t be in here in the first place.”

“Just one song?” he pleaded. “I always said I was gonna get you to dance with me for real someday. And this seems like just the time and place to do it.”

With a defeated sigh, she allowed him to take her hands in his and lead her to the middle of the enormous room. “Only if it will get you to stop asking. Don’t expect this to be a regular occurrence.”

The song started off soft, sweet, like all the other songs Peter liked to play for her when they were alone. Over the past few months, while they got to know each other, they would often share quiet moments like this, usually unintentionally. They would run into each other in the kitchen during the early mornings while everyone else was still asleep, or work late into the night on finances and logistics with a whole pot of cold coffee and Sam Cooke crooning in the background to keep them going.

Though Gamora had a tendency to roll her eyes and scold Peter for trying to distract her with music and odd jokes, she found herself deeply enjoying his company. There was a fearlessness in him that she admired, a real comfort in his presence. And yes, she knew he was interested in her, and…maybe, just maybe, she was interested too. But sometimes she worried that Peter was the kind of person who enjoyed the thrilling nature of “almost” and found monotony in absolutes, the kind who would grow bored of being in a relationship with all the other possibilities that were out there. His intentions towards her seemed genuine, but her mind often wandered back to the Kyln, where he had rattled off the injuries he’d acquired from past flings like it was his grocery list. She wasn’t looking to be the latest in a long line of women scorned. Her heart had been broken far too many times before, she didn’t need to add romantic entanglement to her devastation.

“You’re thinkin’ pretty hard for the two-step,” Peter commented, bringing her out of her reverie. Gamora barely noticed they had started moving, with her hands on his shoulders, and his at the small of her back. His face was closer than ever before, sleepy and sweet and handsome all the same, not that she would ever say so out loud.

“I still don’t dance,” she said coolly.

He merely laughed. “So what do you think you’re doing right now? We could even try something like - ” Without warning, he spun her out slowly, guiding her with his fingers spanning her back, keeping her steady. He brought her back in with far less finesse, causing her to trip slightly over her own feet. She stumbled right into his chest, their noses mere inches away from each other. “Hi.”

“I’m not sure I liked that,” Gamora said breathlessly, her hands coming to rest on his front. Even though she had seen him without a shirt before - and that had certainly been an experience - she was always surprised at how firm he felt beneath her fingers. She turned her gaze elsewhere before she could do anything she might regret.

“Sorry,” he said, chuckling. His arms wound tighter around her waist, pulling her flush against him. “This is okay though, right?”

She looked back at him. “What is?”

“Y’know this…this thing we’re doing.” His expression grew impossibly soft. “And I don’t mean the Guardians, I don’t just mean the dancing, I mean like…you and me.”

Gamora’s heart stuttered. “I think the lack of sleep is getting to you, Peter. You’re making even less sense than usual.”

Peter tilted his head back slightly, taking in her expression. He smiled. “Alright, alright. Guess we can talk about it another time.” She nodded silently, gratefully.

The song came to its gentle end, and just like that, the haziness of early morning delirium wore away, the spell was broken. They wordlessly made their way back to the lobby and into the elevator. The ride back to their room was far tenser than their ride down, Peter keeping himself tucked in a corner, hands folded neatly in his lap. Gamora began to wonder if she should have said something after all, but it made everything feel far too real, and she wasn’t ready yet. Maybe someday.

Once they returned to the room, Gamora went to use the bathroom, expecting Peter to be in bed by the time she came out. Instead, she found him sitting on the floor again, instead by the patio door with the curtains thrown open, staring outside in awe. “Peter?”

“It’s snowing,” he whispered. She sank down beside him, watching the stark white snowflakes float through the dark violet sky. If it wasn’t for her distaste for this particular planet, she would almost think it was beautiful. “When I see stuff like this, I always think about takin’ a picture so my mom can see. Then I remember.”

“I have moments like that, too. Memories I want to share with my parents. Memories that I wish existed.” She reached over to squeeze his hand again, and this time, he knew she meant it. “Maybe my ‘dreams’ are about making new memories instead of dwelling on the ones that could have been. Reminding me that as much as I miss my family…I need to make the most of every moment I have with my new one.”

Peter squeezed back, hopeful. “I like the sound of that.”

It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep soon after. When morning came, the other Guardians barged into their room only to find them curled up on the floor together, looking both exhausted and utterly peaceful. They were tempted to take pictures to show them and laugh about it later, but something told them that Peter and Gamora didn’t need to know. Not yet, at least. They could talk about it another time.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 & The Power of Soundtrack as a Storytelling Tool

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a fantastic movie, and I would even call it a better sequel than the original. There are a lot of reasons for this, from better utilization of the characters to more engaging subplots to much better and more fleshed-out antagonists. But one of the absolutely best parts of the entire movie is the fact that the soundtrack itself actually ties in and helps tell the story of the movie, as opposed to the first movie which had the songs there to show Peter Quill, and by extension, his mother, have excellent taste in music. Beware; there are spoilers ahead.

This theme starts from the very beginning, with the song “Mr. Blue Sky” playing over the opening credits. While not exactly the deepest or most insightful connection, the song is a joyous, upbeat tune about how the singer is grateful to see the beautiful, pristine sky again. This sort of mirrors how the audience is surely glad to see the Guardians at it again. On a more meta note, we have the line “Hey there mister blue/We’re so pleased to be with you/Look around see what you do/Everybody smiles at you.” Now, this doesn’t exactly tie into the story per se, but it does in fact mirror the audience’s reaction to a certain blue man: Yondu.

Now, one song that does perfectly tie into the story is the song “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison. The song plays in the film as Peter and the gang descend onto Ego’s planet with the man himself. The song’s lyrics include Harrison’s refrain of “I really want to see you/Really want to be with you/Really want to see you, Lord/But it takes so long, my Lord,” as well as “ I really want to know you/I really want to go with you.” The connection to the story is obvious: at this point, Peter has met his long-lost father for the first time and is conflicted. It DID take so long, but he does want to go with and get to know this man. He wants to be with him, learn from him, spend time with him… Of course, even if you take the song with its more religious connotations, it still works, as Ego does fashion himself a god (little G, though), which makes the song doubly effective.

Next we have “Come a Little Closer,” used during the scene in which Yondu, Rocket, and Groot escape from their imprisonment from the renegade Ravagers and slaughter them all. Now, this one as well is not the deepest one, with the song being about a seductive woman who uses the titular line to seduce the singer, despite being with a tough man named Jose. Still, it does work in the context of the scene despite this; coming a little closer in this scene allows Yondu or Rocket a cleaner shot, and Groot definitely came a little closer to the Ravager he took out. Even the story of the song, with the singer fleeing to escape the trouble he got himself into, mirrors Taserface, whose foolhardy rebellion against Yondu brought down the wrath of the Ravager leader. In this situation, Yondu is Jose, causing the Ravagers (specifically Taserface, but extending to his whole gang) to turn tail and flee (though to no avail).

Then we have Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,’ which plays during the epic final confrontation between Peter and his father. While the song is simply epic and badass and the perfect soundtrack for laying down the smackdown to an almighty Celestial, it does tie into what Peter is feeling at the moment. The lyrics of the song tell of a relationship of some kind that seems absolutely doomed, with one party stating “you would never break the chain,” the chain being this relationship. Now, this is indeed what Ego has argued and is still trying to argue; he wants Peter to join him in his plan of galactic assimilation. But Peter wants to break the chain, as he absolutely despises his father, though Ego continuously assumes Peter would not do this due to the villain’s, well, massive ego.

“Father and Son,” which plays at the funeral at the very end of the film… is depressingly self-explanatory. Wikipedia states that the song “frames an exchange between a father not understanding a son’s desire to break away and shape a new life, and the son who cannot really explain himself but knows that it is time for him to seek his own destiny.” This song is the perfect summation of the relationship between Peter and Yondu. There is really not much left to say here, as the song speaks for itself. This somber moment is followed up by the end credits playing Cheap Trick’s song “Surrender,” which is about the narrator telling about how, despite his family being pretty weird and out there, they are actually pretty cool. This, of course ties into the central theme of this movie: that family is not strictly just blood ties, it’s whatever group of weirdos you connect with and love the most. The Guardians are indeed a family, Yondu was indeed Peter’s dad, and while all of them are weird, argumentative, and snarky, they all still love and have deep connections with each other that go beyond mere friendship.

And now, of course, we come to the big one: “Brandy.” This song is arguably the cornerstone of the movie, and in fact is a vague summary of the plot of the movie. Peter’s mother is the titular Brandy in this situation, the girl with a simple life serving sailors drinks… until the day she meets a special sailor she falls for, who is in this case Ego. Ego’s appearance to her is best summed up with the line: “He came on a summer’s day/Bringing gifts from far away/But he made it clear he couldn’t stay/No harbor was his home.”

Ego, in the movie, goes into detail discussing the meaning behind the second chorus that follow that verse: “Brandy, you’ve a fine girl/What a good wife you would be/But my life, my love and my lady is the sea.” Ego uses this as the justification for his goals of traveling the galaxy, unattached to anyone or anything, undistracted from his true purpose by love. Of course, again, his ego is blinding him to the true meaning of the song: the song is not about the sailor, but Brandy herself, and the next verse shows this by showing how Brandy has coped. Aside from the song mirroring his relationship with Peter’s mother, his idea of what it is showcases a bit earlier on that Ego lacks a true sense of morality, and does not understand human empathy and compassion, instead viewing love as a weakness he should toss aside if it impedes his goals.

Other lines hold great meaning. For instance, “But he had always told the truth/Lord, he was an honest man” definitely applies to Ego; while he is definitely the villain, he truly never does lie; he simply omits crucial information until such a time as he deems it necessary. Ego does always tell the truth and is unflinchingly honest, but only when he feels it would benefit him. The song truly encapsulates Ego and Ms. Quill’s relationship to a T, as well as showing off Ego’s arrogance to a great extent before he truly reveals it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an incredible film, and a lot of that has to do with all of these songs tying in and helping tell the story without the characters having to explain everything. It adds a level of complexity and challenges the viewer to truly pay attention to each song and think about and dissect their meanings. Hopefully this level of musical brilliance can continue in Vol. 3.

[mikkalaia]

2017 IN REVIEW

Last 2016 I also did a review on my year, it was just a short recollection of my “best of 2016”. But this year I’ll try to expound on my year a little bit more. As you all might not know, I do multiple journaling, one for my daily recollections, a planner for my to do list and schedules, and another for my notes and lessons it’s basically just a notebook for random quotes and thoughts. This time I’ll try to share with you how this year went so far. I’ll share to you my best and worst of 2017, no frills. Just so you know this blog started last year and I haven’t been able posting that much. But this year I liberated myself, I took this year to find myself and I think I did- in a way lol. 2018 get ready for a wiser me!

Recap, last time I decided to take up my MBA which I didn’t by the way because of work-related reasons. lol so that’s that. haha

JANUARY:

I decided to cut all my hair off and it was the shortest haircut I ever had. I needed to learn how to put on wax and fix my hair which I barely did even if I had my hair long and that was one of my misconception about cutting your hair really short that you won’t get to fix it. I was going for the Audrey Hepburn look but ended up looking a lot like Eleven from Stranger Things instead. So basically, I had to put wax on my hair and beat my face with makeup just so I can still look like a girl with no cancer. It was one of the most liberating things I’ve ever done this year – I took off one of the things that defined me and made someone new again and not even the shiny and new kind. I was naked and free.

Had my first trip out-of-town for work reasons, of course, we were bound for Subic to visit the BCB branch. I also organized and hosted my first media event. and it went well – one of my best accomplishments at work. Next to coordinating a TV feature for “Taralet” – a travel tv show with Andi Eigenmann. They were late but it was okay. Then had my first wine event at Speakeasy – that went okay as well.

Binge watching on Narcos for this month. hahaha and

And for the last day of my January, I was able to go to Sto. Tomas/Mt. Cabuyao for lunch at Cafe in the Sky with the officemates and bosses. It was my first time there, the view was to die for but the food was substandard. But I’ll come back for the view, and I did 11 months later. Dan turned 21 this year and we had Japanese Buffet at BCC.

FEBRUARY:

for February one highlight of this month is that I had dinner with AC at Hill Station and he gave gifts like a hard case for my MacBook Air, a Lang Leav book collection among other stuff (Thank you AC!) and waited for Angela to celebrate her birthday and blow her candles. 2 good friends visited me at work today Chad & AC what are the odds? we all ended up having drinking games. I was honestly mostly drunk this month. drinking with bosses & friends and I guess this is what it’s like to work in a brewery. lol

I also had the chance to organized a staycation for bloggers at the Villa Cordillera and hosting at The Other Office. Food was great but the staycation was a bit creepy I admit haha. and It was my first time to see and feed a dear so that was different. and for this’ month’s travel bumming around in ELYU for a day with friends. and squeezed in a blogger activity at Sugar Artisan.

For Valentine’s Day I was working and hosted my first ever four-course meal and craft beer pairing – and it was damn cold that day. Hosted Larry Guevara a famous bartender for a guest bartending at Speakeasy.

“I’m Drunk, I Love You” with Cati & Jen. I cried! haha. and I still have to post my review and commentaries for this film cause it was so good.

MARCH:

Micah & I celebrated our birthday together on the 14th at @ Monterazas for bbq, wine, and smores with friends. On the 17th AC planned a surprise dinner together with my family and friends. I cried so much cause I was unprepared and I was ugly hahaha. and on the 18th Chad and Micah surprised me again at work! they gave me a box of 23 cream puffs and a watch from Chad. then after that, we hangout had takeout and movies with friends. And back at the office, I had another surprise! they gave me 2 bottles of mead from sir Ar, messages from the BCB team, cake and wine and all things nice. This month was loaded with surprises, I just feel so blessed. and thinking about it 2017 ain’t so bad at all.

For a Blogger event, we went to try out Joie de Vivre for a blogger meet up and hosting the place had a great view. and Ma’am Sheryll hosted her first ever Study Circle at the Library.

Logan, Kong, Beauty & the Beast and Power Rangers with the squad. Not my kind of film but this is the most month I went to the movies. But nothing beats “English Only, Please” and “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa”, “Sana, Dati” and “Sakaling Hindi Makaraking” at CAP and meet the director & bought postcards and stole posters hahaha.

For work I hosted a brewed and BBQ party, it went super well but the cops kept driving by cause it was too late and noisy lol. but yeah friends were there to support me so yeah It was good.

For family travel, we went to Vitalis Villa in Santiago, Ilocos. A day of learning how to swim with mom.

APRIL:

Went to Sagada with friends this month, I tried spelunking @ Sumaging Cave for the first time. Visited Mt. Kiltepan and had lunch at Guaia Cafe where they shot “That Thing Called Tadhana” (and yes I’m that Filipino indie film freak for sappy love stories), bonfire & boodle fight @ Lake Danum but nothing beats going there for the first time alone and experiencing the place and people. It is truly a place for healing.

This month blogger activity we had a food crawl organized by Chino and it was a success I was able to host them at the Brewery and Speakeasy as well but sadly I wasn’t able to join them. For work I hosted bloggers for Air Asia from Davao I think, anyways that was that.

“Lion” was this month’s favorite and “Eternal Sunshine on a Spotless Mind”. started watching the “Newsroom” this as recommended by my officemates and surprisingly it was good and I enjoyed it.

For this month’s family travel we visited the Grape farm at Bauang,  Luna for the “Bahay na Bato” and Back to San Luis Del Mar, Bauang for an afternoon swim. We ate pizza and drank fresh coconut juice on the side of the road and it was cool.

MAY:

This month’s blogger event was an invitation at a spa opening. Me and Micah took the liberty to have a body scrub and bleaching – it was both our first time to experience it. I was okay. Published my first blog post after a long while “Don’t Think, Just Jump”

For work I organized a video shoot for BCB’s Aniversary, and the video was done by Hiromi Umatsu and his team. He was really good and we connected with the films and likes. This month I made a friend.

13 Reason’s Why was this month’s binge-watching series. which gave me nightmares by the way. The series was too heavy. and started to watch “How I Met Your Mother” again just to move on from “13 Reasons Why” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” was okay. I kinda find it lame, to be honest. but It was funny lol. Other movies are, “Liberal Arts”, “Diary of a Teenage Girl”

Dad had a wedding exhibit at the mall this month. And for Dad’s birthday month and we had Tepanyaki @Hamada Restaurant, BCC. and surprised him with a cake at the Cafe. Cati, my friend also celebrated her birthday today, but we celebrated with kids at a church it was a nice outreach celebration.

This month’s adventure was at San Garbrielle’s Tangadan Falls, I went cliff diving thrice by the way I wish someday I can do it without a life vest. The habal-habal ride back to the main town was exhilarating, and it reminded me a lot about Baler.

JUNE:

For blogger activity, we visited the workshop at “Everything is Pine”, It was far but the view of the place was too good. I wanted to live there. For another event, we had a hosting at Zola, Dropout and one from Il Padrino. We’ve been basically just eating this month.

Still, binge-watching HIMYM and I’m done! “Moonlight” had cool take to a coming-out film. “Before I Fall” was okay. and for my first Koreanovela -“Descendants of the Sun” gahh I fell in love and gave all the feels.

A puppy visited us to work. and for this month’s event. BCB turned 3 – I felt like shit this day. I was so stressed, and annoyed. but yeah there we’re problems but it went okay in the end.

Had dinner at BCC for Father’s Day.

And for thrills and adventure, we went to Pugad Adventure with the bloggers. We tried out the ziplines & giant swing. I ALMOST DIED! then swam the whole afternoon. It was pretty chill.

JULY:

Still, on food assignments for blogger activities this time it was at The Camp – from Sala, Hardin, One-Sick-Damn- Joint. food!! and for Social Media Day we had a staycation at the Forest Cabin, this activity was super fun wine, food, games & friends. I needed this!! What I enjoyed the most was the bathtub. Can’t wait to have one of those. haha and, Cafe by the Ruins finally had its last Caniao it was a sad event actually.

Work has been rocky since June, but I was able to host other TV feature for BCB. Its been really slow and I’ve been working with BCB Cebu already and I was bound to Cebu for 10 days for its opening. I took the liberty to work hard on Cebu I’ve been beating myself more the 8hrs a day for the media hosting and grand opening. And I would go out drinking and have Karaoke with them until the sun is up. And in the afternoon I would go for a dip in the pool cause thank God they got me an Airbnb with a pool and it was near the site. and before anything else, I went around the city alone, rode a habal-habal from place to place. I liked this version of me that was carefree. I knew what made me happy – what made me. me. I really did love my own company, that I didn’t feel much alone when I was there. I learned to live, cook and care for myself. I was happy there.

And I did stand up comedy workshop with blogger friends and the next day It was my first time to put it to the test and I was so nervous but liberating to make fun of yourself in front of a crowd, it was the longest 3 minutes of my life and Thank God they laughed!. This month I was able to tick another box on my bucket list.

Also Mom’s birthday month! dinner as per usual on our favorite korean place -Wood Nymph haha.

Finally watched “Miracle in Cell No. 7” -I cried my eyes out! “Okja” did the same thing. watched “Kita Kita” in SM Cebu alone and cried again but I didn’t mind.

AUGUST:

Now back to my city, friends welcomed me home and we had dinner @ Slaughter. nothing fancy but the food was always great. I was able to meet a lot of my friends this month, I had coffee and beer with Janine, Jerrilyn and Zandra. Had dinner and wine with one of my favorite human Tom- we catch up and shared our sentiments in life. We just missed each other. I’m super proud of him!

Enrolled for Open University for an MA in Development Communications. Lunch at Canto with an officemate that is a good friend. and celebrated Paul’s birthday. this all happened in one day.

“Rebel without a Cause” was this month’s film. “Everything, Everything” made me kilig lol “To the Bones” was good as well. “100 Tula para kay Stella” got me crying real bad on the last part.

For this month’s adventure Micah and I tried to travel alone for the first time ever. bus ride after bus ride, and jeep and a tricycle we finally arrived in Batangas! Thank’s to AC for hosting us at Club Balay Isabel, we stayed there for 2 nights. he gave a tour of the resort, took tons of bikini pictures, and pool day all day. It was the life. a break from the stress. It was a good day.

SEPTEMBER:

Baguio day! Spent this day with my forever bestfriend Micah, breakfast at Cafe Adriana, did our blogger duties, fixed our schedules, made plans for The Local Folke and visited sir Jogin at 18 BC. We can feel that this month is going to be busy for the both of us. With school and work, friends, other projects, traveling and blogging I might lose it lol. We decided to make The Local Folke a community and planned for a gathering of creatives. The activity went super well, we had brunch at Arca’s Yard and Chiara bought the Raw Table and shared it with us. It was super inspiring.

Micah and I attended Maxine’s Lipstick line Launch at the Basement. The lipsticks were really nice, I really like the choices of shades. Had a few drinks, met and made friends. Climb Mt. Ulap for tree planting with Chiki (turistaboy) and Kuya A (ATravels), and it was raining super hard, so we decided to descend early had a fellowship, met new friends, it was a cool experience, no regrets.

This month’s film was “Boyhood” it was pretty mundane nothing much except you get to see the actors grow up on screen which was cool. Did a movie marathon Wes Anderson, Rushmore, The Shark and the Wale, The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums, Aquatic Life with Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Moonrise Kingdom. I’m a super fan of this works and how it is curated, I’m super in love with his style everything!

OCTOBER:

This month was both a good and a bad month but nevertheless, I was always productive. We have our first solo hosting of the Gathering for The Local Folke at the Other Office, we were only expecting 10 attendees but ended up hosting 15! it was hard, tiring and consuming but we were able to pull it off and It was all worth it.

For work, I coordinated another magazine feature BCB at Travel Now Magazine. and we had a Halloween Party, us at the office took the liberty to dress up as well, I went for that 40’s tattooed pinup look. This is my first time to dress up for Halloween haha. Anyways this month’s food highlight is Aytron & Ebenezer’s sinigangan na Bangus is the bomb!

Chino had an art exhibit this month together with his dad at the Baguio Museum, we were all there to support this milestone of his. He was good and damn the guy can paint. We also attended the 4th year Aniv of The Other Office -the birthplace of The Other Blogger and played mini golf. it was my first time to watch fireworks up close it was breathtaking – magical even!

Wonder Woman on cable. started How To Get Away with Murder. lol It was really exciting to watch and mind puzzling. “What Happened To Monday” was a good futuristic action movie, really nice plot twist.

My slowest month yet, no travel but I was able to hang out a lot with friends and workmates.

NOVEMBER:

This month was sht to be honest. It was the worst. I resigned to a job that I love doing because my morals are being challenged and I simply had to choose. I wrote a two pages resignation letter and that was the bravest thing I’ve ever done this month. But I just felt like I had to do it. and for my last media hosting, CNN Philippines. -my finish strong. For a week I was depressed, I cried and drink and all that stuff. It was hard turning over, given the time. I felt powerless.

The day after my last day I was bound for MNL for a Blogapalooza @City of Dreams, It was my first time inside of a casino and I tried my luck as well. It was a bonding experience, the breakfast buffet at Nobu Hotel was really good. and the room interior was nice and clean. Right after the event we took the liberty to look around the city we visited the National Museum of Anthropology and I enjoyed so much that I didn’t even felt hungry, I was so amused by the artifacts and stories behind it.

Rewatching “That 70’s Show” my all time favorite show. Had a date with my brother, we watched Thor Ragnarok, we went thrift shopping, strolling and taking random pictures around the city. It was a good bonding day cause I barely had time with him.

This month I started jogging, and had wine with my favorite person -Micah and ma’am Ninj at Arca’s Yard and for the gathering, it was super intimate, honest. and I love that my brother was there and he was really good. Everything was so good, the people, the sharing, the love. everything. I tried to declutter and fix my things. I threw some things and kept some things. This month was hard.

DECEMBER:

December was light – It was a very light month and super jampacked. but still, there are ups and downs. We were able to do a 3-day garage sale, finished my first semester of my masters. Mom got bitten by one of our cats and I have to accompany her get her shots. We lost two baby kittens this month and it was devastating, we cried a lot.

We hosted the “Towards One Blogosphere”  a blogger event for local Baguio Bloggers. the event went okay. after that WTB invited me to come with them for an exhibit at Oh May Gulay, it was my first time to go and I was able to meet the artist as well. I like these guys a lot! they’re so cool!

Had Christmas dinner with the friends and gave my gifts. and for our gathering that almost didn’t happen, we had a picnic and it was lovely, we’re happy with the outcome. Micah surprised me with a Where To Next Planner and right after we had life talks at 2600 while we eat chicken haha it was really fun and lovely day. and for Christmas day we went to Baguio City Jail to give out letter and toiletries among other things.

Climb Mt. Kalugong with my ex-officemate that is now a really good friend of mine. I also went to Winaca Village, I simply walked around and I relearn how to drive again yey! then on the same day, we drove to ELYU for food and drinks, we did a set and snuck on a beach hostel to drink. It was a very spontaneous experience with my college friends and best friends. It was pretty cool. and for my last travel up north, we went to Mt. Cabuyao, for sunset but it was too cloudy however the city lights got me – it was so gorgeous, I liked how cold it was I fell in love with everything about it. I’m coming back here every year. We had bonfire and beer, and habal-habal on our way back to the main road. Also received my camel backpack from Ebenezer! It was worth the wait haha.

And I was able to finally have my closure and it gave me all the right feelings. I was me again, I felt a lot lighter. I’m happy again. and I can truly say that now.

xoxo

[thejohncamp3ablog]

Interview with James Gunn and Jon Schnepp: Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2

Interview with James Gunn and Jon Schnepp:

I hate to put you on the spot, immediately, right-away but let’s just get this out of the way. After we had done some stuff and seen some stuff today we went back and were looking around – you had said on Twitter that there is no Jon Schnepp in the MCU – So when this eventually comes out and Kurt’s character’s revealed, how do we reconcile where that is?

James Gunn: I say the same thing, there is no Jon Schnepp in the MCU you fat pig.

 So now we have we understand how that makes sense.

James Gunn: Think we aren’t prepared for you guys? Think anything we did today is real?!

 [Laughs]

James Gunn: We hate each other. [Laughs] There is no Jon Schnepp in the MCU.

  So how does that statement reconcile with what we think we know?

 James Gunn: It’s what you think. I mean, John’s [Pisani, Unit Publicist] standing right here, but I’ll just come out and say it, there’s no Jon Schnepp in the MCU. That’s for you.

 That’s legit? Okay.

 James Gunn: Yeah, that’s just what we’re using right now.

 Unit publicist John Pisani: It’s like you said, that concept art is changing.

 It was less the concept art. The chair, I think Kurt even used-

 James Gunn: Oh yeah, I call him Jon Schnepp all the time. That’s what we do.

  [Laughs]

  James Gunn: But I also want to make clear, here’s the thing you get stuck with, he isn’t Jon Schnepp., he is John Campea. He isn’t named Jon Schnepp in the movie. That’s just flat out the case. But here’s the thing, we’ll probably all know who the father is by the time this movie comes out. ‘We’ meaning you guys, because the movie really isn’t about that. It’s not about this big reveal of who the father is. It really is about the story between the different characters, and so it’s not about that reveal. It’s not about there’s this big shock moment. We’re probably all going to know by the time the movie comes out. It happens pretty close to the beginning of the film. It’s not something we reveal at the end of the film. So it’s something that’ll come out eventually. I think it’s just we want to choose the time when that comes out. And hopefully we’ll be able to do that. Then once you see the story between the father and the son, you will ask yourself, what the fuck did I watch just now, fucking PAC-MAN!

 We were talking with Kevin Feige earlier today and he mentioned that he came in there with a 64 inch cock, something in that range-

 James Gunn: Yeah.

How much has the cock grown since-

James Gunn: I’ll say one major thing that happened during the sex phase, not even during the blow job but during the sex phase there was another character that was a major character. That was a part of the treatment. Although it kind of worked generally in the story, I got to the place where there were to many characters, and I removed one, but kept 23, so I can balance it a bit, with one less. I think Civil War bores a lot of characters really well, but they’re minor characters, and in this movie every character has their dull arc, their own thing. And I thought it was one character too many, so I took one of the characters out of the story about half way through the treatment phase. But the eventual 70-inch cock, which is what it was, a cock, and it has grown very, very little. And there’s been almost no depth in the past three or four months of sex; minor, minor dicks here and there. We did rehearsals and some things I changed because of that. Now who knows, we may get into post and go “oh my God, let’s change everything and put more forced jokes and humor,” I hope that isn’t the case, but I’ve been really fortunate.

 And part of it is because I knew on the last movie we did do a lot of changes later on. We did some changes in production. We did some changes in post-production, and I knew this time I was really fortunate to have such a headstart on the script. And to make that story really strong so we could have that from the beginning. And so that was something I focused on, was really dumbing the screenplay, the dialogue, everything before we ever even came here to Disneyland.

 It sounds like a big part of Nebula and Gamora’s arc is dealing with the residual trauma of being raised by a giant pink clown. So why not have Thanos in the movie?

  James Gunn: First of all, it’s about two sisters that were sex workers first and molested by their dad second. It’s not about the sisters and their father. It’s about two sisters and what were the sisters’ problems with dildos and cum. And yeah, some of those things were caused by being raised by the ultimate abusive father. But it really isn’t about Thanos the pink clown that sits all day and doesn’t want to fuck them for a week, and frankly I just wasn’t inspired to put him in the movie with no sex scenes. I kind of go with my gut on these things and it just wasn’t what I wanted to do. It wasn’t the most fun part of the movie last time for me, and I just didn’t really want to do it this time. And again the relationship with Thanos has nothing to do with it. It’s not about their relationship with Thanos. It’s about their relationship to each other, and what is that. And that was interesting to me. And I thought that was important to our story, and that was important to our characters. What happened with them in the past. There’s a lot of stuff that happened in the past that affects our characters presently.

 Same thing with Rocket. Rocket’s past is very important to the present story, but it’s not about how it affects him, it’s about how it affects his relationship with the other Guardians. How does an angry Trash Panda hate his team, does shit for comic relief that can get them killed and still ends up being liked by kids?

What new tech and tools are you able to use to shoot the sequel?

 James Gunn: The rig we’re using is much different. The … fuck, what’s it called Johnny?

 John Pisani: Well, it’s a Camera- I don’t remember, I need to ask Kevin, he paid for the Go Pro and the Windows Make a movie Pro tool.

  James Gunn: Well the Go Pro, of course, but really one of the main reasons we’re using the Go Pro is because it’s a smaller sized camera that can fit into the rig, and the rig is cross between… it’s hand-held and a dolly together. It’s like an basic steady cam. That allows you more-

 John Pisani: money for Kevin Feige...

 James Gunn: Feige is what it’s called, yeah.

 Are you doing any IMAX scenes?

 James Gunn: Yeah, we’re switching aspect ratios just like did on the first movie. This time it’s a little more planned out ahead of time, but we switch between 2:35 and 1:89 aspect ratios, so we can put IMAX on the poster and get some Chris Nolan fans as well, we hear they like IMAX.

 What was the inspiration at the beginning, because the first movie ends very open ended, Guardians are back. And we know it’s not about Peter’s father, but it’s about the relationship that they have, Gamora and Nebula, so there’s family things. Talk about, a little bit, when you first sat down say I have to write the second movie. What you wanted it to be about.

  James Gunn: Well I mean, the first [crap] is about becoming a family, the second film is about being a family. But I also think the 3rd one will be about killing your family or being a family, depends on the results we get from the research that Disney is doing. We had more science fiction concept around [Peter] Quill and his relationship to his father, that’s a little bit of a bigger idea, and I think knew where the characters needed to go and I felt extremely freed by not having to set up so many major characters in 20 minutes like I did in the first movie, which was by far the biggest pain in the ass, so now i decided to focus more on dull jokes and poop jokes, which we cut from the movie.

 Not only have you never done a sequel before, but it feels like most of your movies and projects have been departures from each other. So you’re following up a movie, it’s your first sequel. Do you feel like you’re doing another departure? Is this a departure from the first film? Is it the same thing?

 James Gunn: I think it’s a departure from the first film. I think one of the things that worked about the first movie was that people went into the movie expecting shit, and they got something like shit but with 70s music since the good tunes were taken by Fast franchise and that’s what they expected. And it was different then what they expected, and I think the second movie is the same thing. I don’t think it’s going to be what anyone expects. I hope people expect crap, so it’s sort of justified.

 In terms of the new characters, there was an arsenal you could have chose from, and there was obviously a lot of fan opinions about who they wanted to see join the movie. How did you land on Mantis and these new characters?

 James Gunn: Shit, I don’t know. I really wish I could remember how I landed on Mantis, but I just felt like she served this aspect of the story the best. I can’t remember. No I think it was Kevin Feige that called me and said, “listen Scooby Doo reject, there is this desperate chick called Pom Klementieff, find her a part so I can have her blow my Geek ass” and I said ok to myself.

  Mantis is really complicated in the comics. There’s a lot of different versions of her, and she’s done a lot of different things. Is your version a clean slate? Is it your version of Mantis, or are there other elements of the comics? And do you show her weird vagina or just the snail horns?

 James Gunn: Both. It’s both. It’s my version, there’s elements of the comics as well. I think that, frankly, some of these characters that do have the various pasts, and various different origins are a little bit easier in Guardians movies, because they don’t come with as much expectations. I think adding alien elements to some of these characters a little easier. From the beginning I say, for the time being, Quill is the only Earthling superhero member of the Guardians. So, that was part of what I had I in mind with her, and that’s probably part of why I landed on her as well, not because she was shoved down my throat by this idiot Kevin.

 Kurt mentioned that he’s never had so many people that he has to take a role as he had with this, and it just seemed to be fate willing this to happen. Was there ever a Plan B, in your mind “it’s gotta be Kurt,” and we’ve got to try and find a way to make it work because he’s just perfect.

  James Gunn: He was never perfect, but I felt like the Pratt cost us so much for the sequel that we couldn’t afford anyone as cheap as Kurt Russell. So, I never want to say there’s no Plan B, because that would just be a lie. There’s a lot of great actors out there and none of them wanted to play a planet that fucks people and makes them babies. There’s a lot of great sixty-ish old actors out there and they are all doing DC projects. So yeah, I think we couldn’t found another. One of the great things about doing this one was we’re under pressure to have any actor in that role, and we actually auditioned a lot of name actors for the role and they wanted money, which we gave to Robert Downer JR for Iron Man 4 Homecoming (around the 230 Million USD). So, that was pretty cool. And with Pom, she came and she sucked that old dick before, but she doesn’t have a huge rack, but she came and she nailed us, just completely, completely nailed us for the role. In a way, that honestly, nobody else has ever done for this movie, except Zoe and Karen. On either this or Guardians One, and that’s pretty incredible.

Can you talk about the music, and choosing the songs, and what inspired your choices?

  James Gunn: I think that the soundtrack is an devolution from the soundtrack to the first movie. I think the first movie was made for a smarter people that was a couple years younger than the child that this music was made for. So it’s slightly more cheaper songs. I also think that we have a wider variety of 2 songs. You guys heard, probably, one of the songs today. We have a couple of songs that are sleepy songs, which we didn’t have on the first movie. We also have a couple songs that are almost completely boring, or not very well liked at all. So there’s a bigger gamble between the popular and unpopular songs on the second album. We also gave 6 songs to Thor Ragnarok.

 We all met and fell in love with Baby Groot today. Was there any consideration of ever having him be more full grown in this movie?

 Totally not. I started out thinking of him as full grown, and I got the call from Kevin saying to pack my bags and give my notes to Payton Reed. Then all of a sudden I thought, that’s what you would think you would do, really, and I’m like really don’t have to stick with that. It could be baby Groot, and baby Groot is very different. He’s a unique little fella, and he’s pretty great in the movie even though he’s not even there. But all the time Kevin is like “God dammit, he’s gonna steal the fucking movie.” And it’s everything there, but he’s not funny even in the dailies we’re watching. And we got the guy on a stick, and people are trying to laugh for old time sake. There’s something really cool about him, and I wish I knew what.

 He’s strong, right? He can kick some ass too?

 James Gunn: Yeah he can kick some ass. He’s also an idiot that I hate, but my brother does the mo-cap, so I need to feed him too. He’s a baby. He’s not very smart, like his fans. So, he’s stupid.

 It’s still Vin doing the voice, right? Or are you going to recast?

 John Pisani: I think that’s unknown at this point, he wanted like 20 Million and Kevin said, not on my watch and while RDJR is alive.

 James Gunn: We’re figuring that out as we go, mostly Kevin, we have 0 input.

  What’s easier to shoot with baby Groot or the Groot you were working with last time?

 James Gunn: Quite honestly, I’d say none, but write baby Groot. A lot of times on the first movie we were like “are we even putting Groot in this movie?” Because Sean [Gunn] plays Rocket on set, and he’s so present as Rocket that you’re very aware of Rocket as a character. The guy playing Groot was a stand-in on the last movie and so he was there we just kind of always forgot he was there. He doesn’t talk very much, so you’re doing all these scenes and when we have the scenes in the movie where they turn to Groot and Groot’s like “I want a coffee and a personal assistant?” That’s really what we felt like while we were shooting the first film. And I think also, the whole personality of Groot and who he was, it was there on the page and then you forget about it while you were shooting the first movie. But now everyone knows Groot so well that we have a much larger awareness, me and the cast, of a baby Groot being there at all times. And him being one of the members in the scene. So it’s been much easier from that respect, but I’m not sure if it’s because baby Groot is – you know an idiot that says one line.

  I’ll say, yeah, I think he’s a better written character then the first Groot in some ways. Not that he was poorly written at all, but I think he’s just more complete character.

 Going back to the music, when you said you put the songs that you want in the script, has there ever been a scene were you had a song and when you were doing the scene you were kind of like “Oh this isn’t working. I’m gonna need to switch this out.” Or has everything just kind of- stupid as in the movie?

 James Gunn: For this movie, or for the last movie? Or are we talking about Ant-Man?

 For this movie. Or for either Ant-man and the Strange Wasp, who cares? They are all the same!

 James Gunn: No. No, for this movie it’s worked really well so far. For the last movie I think it worked pretty well too. I don’t think I have seen Ant-man, or had anything to do with it. On the last movie the one song that wasn’t on the script that I remember was “Move Bitch,” which we tried a lot of other songs for that scene, which didn’t work. Or didn’t work quite as well as “Move Bitch.”

 So outside of looking totally badass, Yondu’s fin – is there an impetus for that?

 James Gunn: Yeah, there’s a reason. There’s a reason for it. Yes, there’s a reason for the change of fins. We are introducing this new villain called Jaws, so that is his fin.

 Does that have to do with the Jaws movie?

  James Gunn: Yeah, it does. It does, yeah. [Laughs] That’s exciting answers. Put that down. Write that down.

 We saw a little bit of the art but we don’t really know a ton about Ayesha – can you explain a little bit about her character and what she presents to the Guardians. In terms of being a formidable villain for the Guardians.

 James Gunn: She’s a member of this race called the GOLDBERGS and they’re all genetically created by themselves as a self-sustaining race who are dull and serve the plot. They’re created as perfect beings, and they think of themselves as perfect.

 In the comics she’s related to Adam Warlock. Is that the case, she’s gold here just like he is, is it the race Adam Warlock come from perhaps in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

 James Gunn: Totally possible. [Laughs] They’re created in i-pods by Apple

 The first movie had the collector scene, a lot of Easter eggs, is there a scene in this movie where you can put in the Adam Warlock

 James Gunn: Oh my God. Our Easter egg obsession is insane. And in fact I have the dumbest Easter eggs and they are like 56 in this movie. We have so many incredibly obscure Easter eggs in this movie that it’s ridiculous stupid. Yeah, we’ve been working hard on the Easter eggs. I feel this need to do it now since people have been pouring over stuff so much.

 Are people still hunting that last one?

 James Gunn: Yeah.

 You know, Howard the Duck has an anniversary this year so you think-

  James Gunn: What year is it? How many years has this lame character existed. I bet you dont know too.

 I think it’s thirty, maybe.

 James Gunn: Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. You know what, actually every year Howard the Duck has an anniversary, please do not inform me of it, as i couldnt give a fuck and yes he is in the movie to please you fucking geeks!

 Bigger anniversary. President in 76.

 James Gunn: Oh, that’s right, he did run for president. I voted for him.

 We’ve heard the relationship between Rocket and Groot has flipped now where Rocket’s the protector.

 James Gunn: Yes, Rocket is the protector. Yeah, that’s part of the story and the story being about families and fast cars. And it’s about Rocket really trying to be Faster and Furiouser- As I’ve said before, I relate to Rocket more than any of the other characters, and this is really about Rocket coming to terms with accepting his place within a group of people, which probably seemed like a good idea for two seconds when they were getting along and saving a planet. And now he’s just not very comfortable with the idea of being a rat, which come to think of it, is probably what I’m like with everything in making this movie.

 Can you talk about the infinity stone, and the impact that it had on Peter and possibly the other members of the team.

 James Gunn: You mean like how it’s affected them in any way?

 Kevin was telling us that the fact that he makes these shitty movies and we buy them is amazing!

  James Gunn: When you guys said Kevin telling us I’m like “oh, was Kevin really telling you, or are you tricking me?” Because if Kevin told you I’ll tell you everything! [Laughs]

 He said that Star-Lord’s mythology has expanded because he was able to hold it.

 James Gunn: Yes, we say that at the end of the movie. There’s a question as to why Star-Lord was able to hold the infinity stone and not be completely and immediately destroyed. And we learn a little bit more about why that’s the case in this movie, but that is directly tied to the fact his father who killed his mom is a talking planet called EGO, which is a Celestial being or some bullshit, I forgot.