#unofficial movie tie-in

[evilhorse]

Oh yeah! You guessed it! It’s the unofficial movie tie-in!

(X-Force Volume 7 #1)

[gunsandspaceships]

Review of Official MCU Timelines: Marvel Cinematic Universe Guidebook

My (unofficial) but logical (the right one) detailed timeline of the Phase One

Review of The Old Official Timeline

This is the review of Phase One dates from Marvel Cinematic Universe Guidebook: The Avengers Initiative.

Note: Fury's Big Week events and dates will be covered in a separate post.

Correct dates are highlighted in blue, and incorrect ones - in red.

Iron Man:

Pages: 7, 18, 24.

✔️ The guidebook starts with contradicting the time periods from the old timeline: the first timeline of the MCU told us that 6 months passed between Tony escaping the cave and "I am Iron Man". The guidebook confirms my conclusion that these events took place within less than a month (May 2 - May 25, 2008), and that "days" rather than weeks or months passed between the Charity Ball and the day Tony fought Stane.

Pages: 10, 22, 27, 66.

❌ We know that Tony was born on May 29, 1970. When his parents died, he was already 21 years old. And until May 29, 1992, he was still 21. The movie doesn't say he became CEO of SI when he turned 21. It says "at 21," so unlike the book, it's not a mistake. Tony had a few months between his parents' death and his 22nd birthday to earn two PhDs. During those months, Stane served as the company's interim CEO. Funnily enough, this stupid mistake will haunt the new official timeline book.

Page 12.

❌ That's not entirely wrong, since it says "nearly", but I did it better. They couldn't work on the armor for three months simply because Tony wasn't able to do it for most of that time. He had to spend two months recovering from his injuries and surgeries, one week creating the reactor and the plans for the armor, and only about three weeks actually building the armor.

Page 19.

✔️ This confirms my conclusion that the reactor change did not occur on Tony's first day home, or even the next day. Tony came home on May 2 and Pepper changed the reactor on May 4.

The Incredible Hulk:

Page 38.

❌ As I determined in The Incredible Hulk timeline, Hulk couldn't have run from Rio to Guatemala in one day. It would take him 3-4 days to get there. Add those days as Hulk to the 17 "without incident" days. So it can't be the same 17 days, but rather 21.

Iron Man 2:

Page 53.

❌ This is what "not thinking" looks like. No, Marvel, there are more than 6 months between May 2008 and May 2010.

Page 57.

❌ It couldn't have been "the next day" because the day after Tony's birthday party was spent with Fury and Howard's treasure chest. That was May 31st (2 days after the party).

P.S. Someday I will look at the other statements (non-date related) in this book, because some of them are truly ridiculous.

Page 58.

✔️ This confirms my timeline, which states that the events of IM2 take place over several weeks, not just one.

Captain America: The First Avenger:

Page 101.

❌ "A year later", Marvel?! From June 14 to November 3, 1943 – only 4.5 months!

Page 108.

✔️ ❌ It's a tough question how long it's been since Rogers went behind the lines to rescue the 107th prisoners. Two options: one day (at least 12 hours of marching) or two days. Clues from the movie fit each of these.

Page 115.

❌ MCU movies are inconsistent on what year this train mission took place. The same movie, CA:TWS, says it was both 1944 and 1945. Tie-in comics Fury's Big Week, say it was no later than 1943 (another reason for me not to take it seriously). This book says March 1945. What we get is that all sources contradict each other. Given the original CA:TFA movie, and both 1944/1945, I can fix this error by saying it was December 31, 1944 - January 1, 1945. Everybody's happy.

Pages 124-125.

❌ A simple typo or the writer forgot the year of the Exposition, which is written on the previous page. It was 1943.

Page 127.

❌ Seriously, Mr. Writer? The guy looks like he's been a drill sergeant for 17 years? It's not even possible to be one that long. Plus he still wears Grade 4 Sergeant insignia, which means he's never been promoted in his "17 years" as a drill sergeant. He is either very bad at his job, which raises another question - why is he still there, or the statement makes no sense. Mr O'Sullivan, or whoever wrote this, Sergeant Duffy's phrase only means that "Nobody's got that flag in 17 years" in general, and does not mean that he was a drill sergeant there all that time!

Why I point this out: This is a good example of contractors taking something from the source material (movie) without using logic. Always use logic, please.

Thor - Thor: The Dark World:

Page 181.

✔️Further confirmation that it's only been two years since the events of the first Thor movie, not three as Fury's Big Week tells us: Thor (November 2011), The Avengers (May 2012), Thor: The Dark World (Fall 2013).

[atamascolily]

Today I learned (courtesy of the Rebellion Production Note) that there were two different versions of this form of Homulilly: one with three ribbons over her mouth (left) that appeared in the DVD/Blu-ray version of Rebellion and one with a single ribbon (right) from the original theatrical release. I had not seen the latter before, as the Homulilly in the Witches Artwork booklet released concurrently with the film also has three ribbons. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it, but the original ribbon design sure looks like an hourglass tilted on its side to me....

The Production Note doesn't go into the reason for the change, but I suspect it was to tie into the ribbon symbolism elsewhere in the film by making it more consistent with the style used in Inu Curry's other drawings. It's likely that the decision to swap out designs was made after the film was made but before its release, and the booklets updated accordingly, but changing the actual film had to wait until later.

("We'll fix it in the Blu-Ray" appears to be an unofficial working mantra at SHAFT when it comes to Madoka Magica, with numerous differences between the TV and Blu-Ray editions of the original series, not to mention the recap movies, so it's not entirely surprising there would be shifts, but this is one I'd never encountered before.)

Also from this perspective, it's clear that Homulilly's "face" here is the bottom half of a lace doily--it really is circles and lace all the way down, huh?

[comicwaren]

“Deadpool, on deck! Oh yeah! You guessed it! It’s the unofficial movie tie-in!” -- Deadpool

Cover art for X-Force Vol. 7 #001, “Where Monsters Dwell”

Art by Stephen Segovia and Bryan Valenza

[wynnerichport]

So... You Wanna Hyperfixate on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As a neurodivergent person, I know what it's like to come across a piece of media and start to obsess over it. To the point where it consumes all of your thoughts and waking hours. One of my personal favorites is the M.C.U., or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, there is a lot of incomplete information out there on this franchise, so I've got you covered.

What is the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or M.C.U., is a multi-media franchise adapting characters and storylines from Marvel Comics, and is comprised of films, television series, short films, web series and even, appropriately enough, tie-in comics. Beginning in 2008 with the film "Iron Man", it has continued to flourish and produce new entries until the present day. For the purposes of this post, we will be covering only live-action and animated entries in the franchise, totaling 70 entries as of June 2024.

What is the Marvel Cinematic Universe About?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is divided into two Sagas, both of which are further divided into Phases. Phases are a grouping of projects, while Sagas are a grouping of Phases.

The two Sagas of the MCU are the Infinity Saga, comprising of Phases 1, 2 and 3, and the Multiverse Saga, comprising of Phases 4, 5, and 6.

The Infinity Saga revolves around the six building blocks of reality, known as the Infinity Stones, and how they impact the lives of the groups of superheroes known as The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as the quest of the power-hungry alien Thanos to obtain the six Infinity Stones. The Infinity Saga is comprised entirely of movies, specifically the first 23 movies in the franchise, with the 23rd, Spider-Man: Far From Home, serving as an epilogue to the entire Saga.

The Multiverse Saga, currently ongoing and roughly at its midpoint, revolves around the Multiverse, a collection of infinite alternative realities where events unfolded just slightly differently, resulting in vastly different outcomes. The villain of this saga is slated to be the time-traveling, reality-hopping Kang the Conqueror, as well as his Variants, or alternate reality counterparts. The Multiverse Saga is comprised of the 24th film (Black Widow) onwards, as well as the 13th television series (WandaVision) onwards. (See below for full film and series listings.)

There is also an unofficial Saga formally known as The Defenders Saga, comprised of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher, culminating in The Defenders. The series Echo has retroactively been added to The Defenders Saga.

What is included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

As mentioned above, we will be tackling everything except the tie-in comics, which results in 70 entries across the following formats; films, television series, short films, web series, animated series and telefilms.

MCU Films (aka Marvel Studios)

Iron Man (2008)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Thor (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The Avengers (2012)

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Ant-Man (2015)

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Doctor Strange (2016)

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Black Panther (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)

Captain Marvel (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Black Widow (2021)

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)

Eternals (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

The Marvels (2023)

MCU Short Films (aka Marvel One-Shots)

The Consultant (2011)

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer (2011)

Item 47 (2012)

Agent Carter (2013)

All Hail The King (2014)

Team Thor: Part 1 (2016)

Team Thor: Part 2 (2017)

Team Darryl (2018)

Peter's To-Do List (2019)

MCU Television Series (aka Marvel Television and Marvel Spotlight)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020)

Agent Carter (2015-2016)

Daredevil (2015-2018)

Jessica Jones (2015-2019)

Luke Cage (2016-2018)

Iron Fist (2017-2018)

The Defenders (2017)

Inhumans (2017)

The Punisher (2017-2019)

Runaways (2017-2019)

Cloak & Dagger (2018-2019)

Helstrom (2020) - [1]

WandaVision (2021)

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (2021)

Loki (2021-2023)

Hawkeye (2021)

Moon Knight (2022)

Ms. Marvel (2022)

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)

Secret Invasion (2023)

Echo (2024)

MCU Web Series

WHiH Newsfront (2015-2016)

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot (2016)

The Daily Bugle (2019-2022) - [2]

I Am Groot (2022-2023)

MCU Animated Series (aka Marvel Animation)

What If...? (2021-2023)

MCU Telefilms (aka Special Presentations)

Werewolf By Night (2022)

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

[1] While Helstrom was originally meant to tie in with a Ghost Rider tv series, itself a spin-off of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ghost Rider was scrapped and later statements from the show runner and some actors put its connectivity into question. However, the show itself slots in perfectly into the tapestry of the MCU and can be treated as equally as any other part of the franchise.

[2] The Daily Bugle is divided into three "seasons"; one marketing Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019 on YouTube, one marketing Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 and 2022 on TikTok, and one marketing the movie Morbius (which is NOT in the MCU), also in 2022 and also on TikTok. This third "season" is non-canonical to the MCU and can be disregarded.

What Are Some Storylines To Look Forward To?

Anti-Superhuman Sentiment: A huge undercurrent throughout the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, both films and television series, is an aversion to superhumans, which could eventually evolve into the anti-mutant hysteria of the comics when the X-Men arrive to the MCU.

Gods and Mythology: From the Asgardian pantheon with Thor to the Egyptian pantheon with Bast, Osiris and Khonshu, to the Vodou pantheon such as Papa Legba and Baron Samedi and the Greek pantheon with Zeus and Hercules, gods and mythology and alternate dimensions are present in several series of the MCU.

Demons and Witchcraft: I tried to avoid naming direct entries in this section in order to maximize surprises, but these themes are ones that truly ingrain Helstrom into the rest of franchise, tying into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Runaways, Cloak & Dagger, WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Where Can The Marvel Cinematic Universe Be Watched?

Disney+ has the vast majority of the MCU entries, at 62 of the 70 entries.

Hulu has two of the entries, the television series Cloak & Dagger and Helstrom.

Additionally, if you get a premium subscription to Hulu, you can also watch Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is otherwise unavailable to stream.

The CW App has one of the entries, the television series Runaways, due to being removed from Disney+ in May of 2023 as a result of cost-cutting measures. It can be streamed for free.

YouTube has all three of the web series; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, WHiH Newsfront and The Daily Bugle. Compilations of all individual episodes are searchable. Though 3 of the 10 WHiH Newsfront episodes are on Disney+ as special features for Ant-Man.

The final entry, the short film Peter's To-Do List, is only available physically on Blu-Ray copies of the Spider-Man: Far From Home film.

If you would like to request the missing entries to show up on Disney+, you can click on this link. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, look for the box labeled "Give Feedback" on the right hand side of the page, click on "Submit Feedback" in blue. A window labeled "Share Your Feedback" will appear with a drop down menu captioned "Select a feedback type". Click on "Request a movie or show" and you will be prompted to type in 3 titles. Be sure to use the official names for the missing entries, which will be listed below. Once you've entered your 3 selections, click "Submit Feedback", and you will receive a quick message that your feedback has been submitted.

WHiH Newsfront

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot

Marvel's Runaways

Marvel's Cloak & Dagger

Peter's To-Do List

The Daily Bugle

Helstrom

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Welcome to the MCU. Hope you survive the experience.

[mistynatweek]

In case you missed it, event date voting has closed and MistyNat Week will take place from October 1st to October 7th!

Additionally, theme suggestions are officially closed, and theme voting has begun! You can vote on your favorite MistyNat Week theme options by completing this poll. Theme voting will be open from now until August 23rd at 5pm ET (countdown here). Note: if we end up with a theme tie and need a run-off lightning round of voting, that will take place from August 24th to August 26th.

Below the cut is a list of the themes to choose from and descriptions, as well as additional information about this stage of the preparation process.

Voting is open to everyone. When you complete the poll, you will get the option to vote for your top three themes. This is to ensure that we choose a theme with strong interest across the board, however only one theme will win. As you choose your top choices, keep in mind that you are voting for theme, not prompt. This means we will need to break the winning theme down into 7 smaller prompts. Once our theme is chosen, we will open the ask and submission boxes for prompt suggestions, and any prompts fitting the chosen theme can be submitted.

Please note, you may not see your theme suggestion exactly as you sent it; some very similar suggestions or very specific suggestions have been combined or generalized to ensure that we will be able to create multiple prompt options in the next phase.

When voting, be sure to look at the options carefully as there are several prompts you may be thinking of that can fit multiple themes. So if there is one prompt you really, really want to see in the next phase, be strategic in your voting!

THEME OPTIONS

Alternative Universes; each prompt is a different type or genre of alternate universe (examples: role reversal AU, no crash AU, soulmate AU, fairytale AU, superhero AU, etc.)

Tropes & Cliches; each prompt is a different fandom trope or cliche (examples: bed sharing, trapped together, fake relationship, amnesia, truth serum, accidental marriage, etc.)

Supernatural; each prompt is a supernatural concept (examples: vampires, spells, curses, demons, ghosts, powers, etc.)

Halloween; each prompt relates to halloween (examples: trick-or-treat, candy, pumpkin, costume, horror movie, etc.)

Love Languages; each prompt is a different type of love language (the seven love languages are activity, appreciation, emotional, financial, intellectual, physical, and practical; alternately the five love languages are gift-giving, acts of service, physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation - in this case, we would take unofficial options in addition)

Color Emotion; each prompt is a different color with meanings attached as part of the prompt (examples: red = excitement/passion/bold, yellow = hope/friendship/joy, blue = trust/loyalty/dependability, etc. example images can be found here and here)

Horror; each prompt is a horror trope or element (examples: came back wrong, slated to die, final girl, hauntings, etc.)

Weather; each prompt is a different type of weather (examples: sunny day, storm, clear skies, rain, heat wave, etc.)

Food; each prompt relates to food (examples: breakfast, potluck, ice cream, cooking, dinner date, etc.)

Movie Genres; each prompt is a different movie genre (examples: action/adventure, romance, superhero, post-apocalyptic, horror, mystery, etc.)

Music; each prompt is a different genre of music (examples: rock, pop, grunge, showtunes, r&b, etc.)

Time; each prompt has to do with time (examples: time travel, historical setting, through-the-years, etc.)

You can vote for your favorite three themes here. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us here.

[scumgristle]

"Of course, one could argue that a Willy Wonka-inspired event that ended with angry parents and crying children is more authentic to Dahl’s novel than any of the recent Wonka movies."

[sylvarantii]

Being a fan of crossovers, this movie was pretty exciting for me to check out. Definitely didn't disappoint!

Lupin the III vs Detective Conan: The Movie is sort of one I wasn't sure how to feel about since I think I've only watched maybe one season of Lupin and it was definitely one of the more "modern" seasons.

That said, while I knew what to expect considering I do at least know the general direction the series takes, I feel it's fair to warn people who aren't familiar with the series to tread lightly.

To sum it up, it's, well, raunchy. There's sex jokes and lots of seeing women in provocative ways (especially Fujiko, my god that woman is the poster girl of extremely sexual women, even in this movie). Tons of cleavage. A bathing scene. It's very adult. Haha.

Which normally isn't a problem, but...I wasn't too fond of the fact Haibara got dragged into it. I just think when you're discussing certain things about the woman body and it's addressed toward a child (regardless of how old she is mentally) it feels a little wrong. Especially with an adult implyingly getting handsy with said child while making said comment.

So just...keep that in mind if you're like me and you're a little put off by it.

The humor of the series was a very good addition to this movie. I really do enjoy some of the gags of the Lupin series and it certainly delivered in this movie.

The characters were all really fun. I think my favorites were Jigan and Inspector Zenigatta.

I love Conan and Jigan's little playful banter of "being father and son". It was very precious.

By the way, there was a tv special before this one (Same name, just doesn't have "the movie" added on in the title). I would highly recommend watching it first as it provides a lot of context for the movie. Not to mention they do bring up some things from the tv special in the movie.

That said, you CAN watch the movie without the context. It's not like it's hard to follow otherwise.

I also want to say that Satou was an absolute delight in this movie. I love how she's willing to admit Lupin was her first childhood crush, but has no issues taking him down. She's hilarious and I just really enjoyed her in this movie. I kind of wish there could've been more of her.

It's rather funny to me as well that you can easily pick out which designer was doing which of the background and side characters. Like, I do think the Lupin series and Detective Conan mesh pretty well, but there are VERY MUCH artistic differences between the two that can be spotted at a glance.

Now before I add this to the rankings, I would like to note I'm not going to add a movie number to it since technically "Dimensional Sniper" is considered the 18th movie. But since this one came out after the last one, I figured I'd watch and write a little something up.

1.) The Raven Chaser (13th Movie)

2.) The Fourteenth Target (2nd Movie)

3.) The Lost Ship in the Sky (14th Movie)

4.) The Time Bombed Skyscraper (1st Movie)

5.) Magician of the Silver Sky (8th Movie)

6.) Captured in Her Eyes (4th Movie)

7.) Crossroad in the Ancient Capital (7th Movie)/Lupin the III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie

8.) Quarter of Silence (15th Movie)

9.) The Phantom of Baker Street (6th Movie)

10.) Countdown to Heaven (5th Movie)

11.) Strategy Above the Depths (9th Movie)

12.) The Private Eyes' Requiem (10th Movie)

13.) Full Score of Fear (12th Movie)

14.) The Eleventh Striker (16th Movie)

15.) The Wizard of the Last Century (3rd Movie)

16.) Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure (11th Movie)

17.) Private Eye in the Distant Sea (17th Movie)

Perhaps it doesn't make a lot of sense, but for some reason, it just feels best to give it tie status with another movie. It could just be laziness on my part so as not to have to fix the numbers, but I kind of feel like this is the way to go.

Especially since it feels almost like an unofficial official part of the Detective Conan Movie saga.

I don't really expect anyone to know what I'm talking about, I already know how confusing I must sound.

Either way, ending notes, great movie! Highly recommend when you just want a fun watch to give you a few laughs

[pinkeoni]

Is Will the “King” of the Upside Down?

This aligns with another theory I made awhile ago, where I proposed that the Upside Down is Will’s original hiding spot.

I wanna add onto this theory by saying that not only has Will been traveling to the Upside Down long before he was taken, but he might have even been its unofficial ruler.

A point from my previous post that I want to emphasize is the fact that Vecna takes Will from and destroys Castle Byers specifically.

The series makes many direct references to The Lord of the Rings, and one character is Aragorn. (My LOTR knowledge is loose and I'm going off of Wikipedia so forgive me and feel free to correct me if something is wrong!) Aragorn is an heir to the throne of Gondor and Arnor, and part of his story arc in the LOTR trilogy includes taking up his rightful place on the throne as king.

Ergo the title of the third installment in the trilogy, Return of the King. Many have said that Will is meant to be Frodo, but Will also shares parallels to Gandalf and Saruman, so parallels do not have to be limited to one character!

So going back to my hypothesis, let's say Will was the rightful ruler of the Upside Down. When Vecna removes him from Castle Byers in season one, it's the perfect visual metaphor for how Will was removed as the king of his castle (the UD) and it was taken over by another ruler (Vecna).

The show could also be making a parallel to the first Narnia movie, in which several kids find an alternate world, and end up becoming the kings and queens of said world.

(I could also get into the Jesus theory and talk about the idea of Jesus as King blah blah blah but that's a longer theory that would take up too much time to explain, just know that it does relate to this theory)

Thematically, this could tie in with ideas of control in regards to Will. His whole life he’s had that control taken from him, but then in the end he get’s to reclaim that but taking up the helm as the literal ruler of the Upside Down.

[biomic]

so ive been following you for a while now (honestly not sure how, cause ive never watched or interacted with tokusatsu or sentai or anything like that in my life besides power ranges when i was a kid) but your blog has me interested in it now, so i was wondering what you would recommend starting with, and where you usually watch shows at

without going into too much detail, you can really start anywhere since every season (barring certain anniversary shows or annual crossover tie-in movies) are basically standalone and tell a complete story from beginning to end. if the suits look cool and the premise sounds interesting and the first episode or two hooks you, it's hard to go too wrong

i mostly torrent all my shows from nyaa(.)si, since that's the most direct way to access fansubs and a lot of the unofficial streaming sites are either filled with sketchy ads or have really, really outdated subtitles/video quality. in terms of official releases, tubitv(.)com has a ton of officially licensed tokusatsu shows, especially ultraman, though their super sentai and kamen rider releases are more limited (sentai's only licensed seasons from 1990 to 2002, while rider only has a small handful of shows available)

if you're sticking with official releases on tubi, i recommend kamen rider zero-one, denji sentai megaranger, or ultraman orb as great jumping on points for their respective franchises

if you're not limited to just the official stuff and don't mind torrents, my universal go-to recommendations are mashin sentai kiramager or samurai sentai shinkenger for super sentai, kamen rider ooo or kamen rider fourze for kr, and ultraman x or ultraman orb for ultra!

[eveningstar1516]

The Adventures of Leviachan and the Case of the missing Ruri!`

Irritated at still not being able to find his figurine, Levi almost snapped at MC. He paused when he saw what they were holding. Blinking a few times, he blinked away his tears of frustration and wiped his eyes.

“R-right! Satan plays detective all the time when he loses things. We can do that too!”

Prompt: Detective

My written contribution to this year's unofficial Leviathan collab ^^ Thank you to the Moderators who organized it and for letting the fandom be a part of it!

Pairing: Levi and MC (Sheep-chan)

“This is not the last you will hear from me, Ruri-Hana! I will have my REVENGE!!!”

The sea monster on screen sunk into the whirlpool Ruri had created with her wand, disappearing below the water's surface before it became calm once again. Ruri floated above the waters safely, smiling triumphantly.

“No, Mr. Sea Monster. Not if I have anything to say about it! Ruri-Hana will always save the day!”

Levi had stood up with Ruri and flashed her iconic pose as she delivered her lines. Ruri-Hana and the Threat of the Seas had only been out for 3 days and within those three days, Levi’s already memorized the movie script word for word. The writing, graphics, animation, all of it drew him in and held his attention in a vice, and Levi, wouldn’t have it any other way.

The movie ended with Ruri flashing her iconic pose and the screen erupting in a burst of colourful flowers before the end credits. Levi reached over for his mouse to rewind the movie and start it again. It was a shame there was no end-credit scene, but that just meant he didn’t have to spend the next year worrying about a cliffhanger. While a second movie was teased, there wasn’t anything to back it up. Just as he was about to hit play, his DDD lit up with a text to come down for breakfast before he was late.

Levi quickly checked the time on his computer. The numbers 7:30 lit up the screen. He looked at his DDD again to double-check the time. He’d been up watching this movie all night… Groaning, Levi stretched in his gaming chair. Hearing his joints pop after spending hours in the same position was simultaneously reliving and painful. He could probably watch a regular episode from the series before- His DDD lit up with an incoming call from Satan. What could his brother want at this hour? Picking up his DDD, he answered the call. “Sa-“

“So you are still alive. Good to know. Come down for breakfast before Beel eats it all.”

“What- It’s 7:30. We still have half an hour before-“

“What “half-an-hour”. You didn’t forget about the meeting this morning, did you?”

Levi blinked a few times in confusion as he pulled up his calendar on his desktop.

“Levi…” a heavy sigh could be heard from the other end. “Get ready. I’ll save something for you. We’re leaving in 15.”

Satan hung up the call, leaving Levi dead silent on the other end. He was startled out of his shock when his DDD pinged with a message from Lucifer. Jumping off his chair, he grabbed his uniform hanging on the front of his closet and ran into the bathroom. He’d completely forgotten about the meeting for quarter-semester check-in. After struggling with his tie and buttons for a solid minute, he finally got his uniform on and grabbed his bag on the way out of his room. He texted Lucifer on his way down the stairs that he was coming and very nearly slid down the last step before catching himself.

Making it to the dining room, he avoided Lucifer’s stares and took a sandwich bag from Satan for his breakfast with a mumbled “thanks”. Grabbing his headphones, he plugged them into his DDD and put them on for the walk to RAD as he ate. Scrolling through his Impify playlists, he finally found the specific soundtrack from the Ruri movie and selected it; setting the rest of the playlist to play on shuffle.

Finally arriving at RAD, Levi didn’t bother taking off his headphones until he sat down and Diavolo began speaking. He pulled out the papers he needed for his part of the reports – progress on the afterschool curriculars for the tech department – and set them on the table. He half-tuned out the meeting, playing out scenes from the movie in his head and occasionally inserting himself into the scenes to fight alongside Ruri. He didn’t notice the meeting was over until Satan elbowed him to get his attention. Looking up, he could see the entire table looking his way. He blinked a few times before Lucifer cleared his throat, causing Levi to shrink into his seat after being put at the center of attention. “Umm… Yes? What was the question?”

Lucifer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.

“If you could pay attention now, Levi. I had asked if you had any improvements you’d like to recommend to your departments.”

Levi shook his head.

“Nothing I didn’t already bring up, no.”

“Alright then, I believe that settles all my matters. We’ll meet again next week, same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.” Diavolo grinned and settled his hands on the table, looking at the brothers as crickets chirped in the background. Varying degrees of confusion on each brother’s face.

“My Lord…?-“

Diavolo waved his hand dismissively. “It’s a human saying, Lucifer. Never mind. I’ll text Lucifer the meeting date and time for our next check-in. You’re all dismissed.”

The brothers all got up and broke off into their own smaller groups. Various conversations mixing as they left the council room. Lucifer stayed behind as he organized his papers. He glanced up at Diavolo from the corner of his eye.

“That was very… spontaneous, even for you.”

Diavolo pouted and put on his best puppy eyes. “Aww, but Lucifer, Levi’s into that stuff, isn’t he? I’ve been watching human animation to prepare myself for his party.”

Lucifer shook his head with a sigh and a slight smile. “That is the wrong genre of animation, Diavolo. He’s more into Japanese animation and their mobile Gacha games. Believe me, it’s not worth devoting too much of your time to.”

“Now now, Lucifer. Isn’t that something for me to decide?” Diavolo rested his elbows on the table and his chin atop his hands. His head was tilted slightly as his voice jumped up an octave as he questioned his friend. He smiled as Lucifer seemed to stiffen and swallow his wanted response.

“Right, it was not my intention to overstep, my Lord.”

Diavolo rested his arms and turned around in his chair to face Lucifer, one arm resting on the table, the other in his lap. He chuckled quietly and kept his aloof smile.

“I was only teasing, Lucifer. You needn’t stiffen up. Speaking of Leviathan’s birthday, what are you planning for it? I know you always try and do something special for your brothers.”

Lucifer filed away his papers and while he had every notion to cut this meeting short, he wanted to get back at Diavolo, and what better way than to tease him back? He smirked and glanced at Diavolo through his peripheral.

“There’s a little something, yes. I guess you’ll have to just wait and see, my Lord.”

Lucifer couldn’t help but chuckle at the immediate pout from his response. He stood up and adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag.

“I guess I can give you one hint. It’ll be quite, magical~ I’ll see you tomorrow, Diavolo.”

Levi shut off his alarm, groaning in annoyance to having been woken up. Snuggling into his body pillow, he mumbled about sleeping in for 5 more minutes when his door burst wide open, a shrill scream escaping him as a result. Mammon however was undisturbed by Levi’s scream and marched right over to the bathtub, effortlessly lifting his younger brother out of the bathtub.

“C’MON SLEEPY HEAD! TIME T’A-AAAHHHHH”

Levi’s tail had wound its way around to smack Mammon square in the chest, knocking both him backwards toward Levi’s door and the wind out of him.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? YOU DON’T JUST WAKE SOMEONE UP LIKE THAT YOU IDIOT! YOU STUPID MONEY-GRUBBING SCUMBAG IDIOT OF A BROTHER! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT-“

“What’s all this ye-“, Beel had popped his head through the door. He heard screaming on his way to breakfast and got curious.

“This idiot decided to break down my door and just grab me out of my peaceful sleep-“

“You were awake-“

“Shut up, Mammon!”

“He was making sure you weren’t missing your breakfast, Levi… We told him to make sure you were awake before I ate it all…” Beel tilted his head in confusion, but didn’t help Mammon off the floor. “Did you forget?”

Levi stared at Beel, blinking in confusion as he tried to remember what was so important about today that they actually arranged this. Before he could come to an answer, Beel provided it for him.

“You knew you’d sleep in since we don’t have RAD today and you knew Mammon was the most annoying out of all of us-“

“HEY-“

“So you asked him to make sure you didn’t miss your birthday breakfast. You don’t remember that?”

Birthday… Breakfast…? Levi grabbed his DDD off the charger and checked the date. His eyes widened when he realized that Beel was talking about his birthday. It was already the 9th!?

“Satan’s breakfast smells so good….” Beel drifted away from the door, quickly making his way downstairs toward the kitchen. They already made sure that Levi was awake so if he didn’t get to the food in time, well, that was Levi’s fault.

“W-WOAH! WAIT UP BEEL!” Levi in turn had rushed out of his room. Satan had told him his present would have been Ruri-inspired meals of Japanese food for breakfast and dinner. He wasn’t about to let Beel just devour it all before he could even get a taste!

Levi raced downstairs, his demon form disappearing as he made his way to the dining room. Satan was coming out of the kitchen with Beel practically towering over him, waiting for breakfast to be served. An entire spread containing everything from omelettes with Azuki-tan drawn with ketchup on them to miso soup with flower cutouts of tofu were spread around the table while the brothers filed in.

“Just sit down, Beel! This is for Levi. I have more for you in the kitchen.” Satan plated the last of the omelettes with a sigh, placing a hand on Beel’s chest and pushing him back. His other hand pointing towards the kitchen “Kitchen.” Beel quickly turned around and went back to grab his portion of breakfast while the rest of the brothers, sans Lucifer, sat down. Levi was too busy admiring the spread that he didn’t notice Asmo coming up behind him until he felt the 5th born throw his arms around him. Startled, Levi yelped and seized. Asmo only giggled and nuzzled his cheek against his older brothers.

“Happy Birthday, Levi! Oh your skin’s feeling so rough- you haven’t been staying up all night binging and gaming again, have you? I’ve told you over and over again that you need a good night’s sleep to keep it nice and clear. Your eyebags are starting to form, dear.” Asmo had grabbed Levi’s face with both his hands, squishing his cheeks and frowning over his complexion. “Come to my room after breakfast and I’ll give you the Birthday glow up~”

Levi grabbed Asmo’s wrists and slowly brought them down from his face. “My skin’s just fine, Asmo. And I don’t have eyebags. They form after a week up anyways…”

“What was that,” Asmo tilted his head as Levi mumbled the last bit.

“N-nothing!”

“Not to interrupt, but you might want to eat it while it’s still hot and before Beel finishes his own breakfast.” Satan addressed the two with his hands on his hips. Belphie was already asleep at the table and Mammon had just made his way downstairs.

“Were y’a just gonna leave me there on the floor!?”

“Where’s Lucifer?” Completely ignoring Mammon, Asmo sat down and reached for an omelette and pulled out his DDD to take a picture while Mammon continued to gush over the food. “Oh Satan, these little drawings are just adorable!”

Satan smiled proudly and took his own seat, reaching for a bowl of miso soup. “The designs were simple enough. Ruri’s design though, man that took me 10 whole minutes. Drawing cats on my omelettes make good practice though.”

“Shtiw Shweeping,” Beel joined the group while carrying an armful of various dishes and some rice in his mouth. He didn’t want to eat alone in the kitchen after all. Placing his plates down, he nudged Belphie awake and gave him some boiled buffo eggs before swallowing. ��He was up late last night. I could hear him sleeping when I passed by his room.”

Satan rolled his eyes and scooped up a spoonful. “Tch, of course he couldn’t even be up for this.”

“Easy Satan, you don’t know what he could have been doing last night-”

“I know what he was doing, Asmo. I’m just saying.”

Levi wasn’t paying much attention to the conversations around him. He was too busy with the breakfast in front of him. He took out his DDD and took a few pictures of the little customizations Satan mixed in with the breakfast. He wondered how much prep this would have taken. If breakfast was this nice, he couldn’t wait for dinner to see what Satan would come up with. “It’s even better than the official Ruri themed snacks and official meals. Thank you, Satan.”

Satan looked up at his brother and smiled. “Wait until you see dinner. Today and today only, alright, Levi?”

“Yes,” he laughed and grabbed a fork. He had taken the omelette with Ruri’s chibi face on it and with a heavy heart, cut into the design. Just as he did so, he felt something bump into his leg. Looking down, he noticed MC walking around looking seemingly half asleep. Picking them up, he set them in his lap. That immediately earned him jealous looks from the rest of his brothers. He smirked and grabbed a small bowl of rice for them to start with while he ate his eggs. It was his birthday and he intended to keep MC to himself today.

Lucifer did eventually show up near the end of breakfast looking like he’d spent all night marathoning his paperwork on the computer. Asmo immediately launched into a spiral over his appearance and invited him to join him and Levi in his room after breakfast for a spa day. Levi swallowed down his bite with some tea and blinked at Asmo. “I never agreed to that-“

“You didn’t say no either,” he waved his hand dismissively, “Ne- Lucifer, what do you say? A little one-on-one time with-“

“I’m busy, Asmodeus. Another time.” Lucifer walked by the dining room toward the kitchen to brew himself some coffee. Hearing the coffee pot going, Satan rolled his eyes.

Levi finished his breakfast and grabbed the soup MC was drinking. With MC in one arm and their soup in the other hand, he slipped out of the dining room back to his room. He knew his brothers would have some sort of party planned for him today, but that wouldn’t be until later tonight. He specifically requested not to do anything this afternoon. He wanted time to relax and prepare before socializing later with his brothers, Purgatory hall, and the royals. Everyone was invited and he was praying that someone told Solomon Satan was taking care of the food. The last thing he wanted today was food poisoning from Solomon’s cupcakes…

Sitting himself down in his gaming chair, he reached over to grab his headphones and a smaller set for MC. He gave them their soup and set the headphones atop their head. They could just listen to him game for now. He’ll pull up something 2-player later. Logging into his computer, he opened his game and wound his arms around MC on either side of them to reach his mouse and keyboard. Grinning as the game started playing.

About an hour later, he felt MC squirm in his lap a few times. “The round’s almost done MC. Just a second.” A few minutes later, the victory message played over the screen. A triumphant ‘Yes!’ could be heard as Levi pumped his fist. “Alright MC. What do you want to play? Devil Kart? Demon Crossing? There’s Demon Boy and Angel Girl? Oh! How about this new retro game I found? Immortal Combat! Apparently it used to be a big arcade game back in the human realm.”

Levi pulled up his browser to search for the website he found the game on when he felt MC tug at his sleeve. “Huh? Just a second MC, let me pull it up. Unless you had something else in mind?”

MC shook their head and pointed to Levi’s desk shelf. Several figurines, gaming controllers and accessories were organized on the shelves. Levi turned his head slightly in confusion. “You want to play with the console instead of keyboard? Sure- “

MC shook their head again and hopped out of Levi’s lap. They pointed to an empty section of the shelf. A small spot where there was no dust. A ring of a clean base could be seen, like something was removed. Levi rolled over and looked over the shelf. His eyes widened when he noticed that his special edition figurine from Ruri-Hana’s new Searise Monster Movie was missing! Bolting up from the chair, he started looking around the area in a panic.

“No no no no! It was just there yesterday! M-maybe it fell somewhere? MC, help me look for it! It’s a brand new special edition figurine- only 50 were made and the first 5 were signed copies! There’s no way I lost my signed copy of the figurine!”

He took everything off that specific shelf, looking through every single one of the shelves around the room. Around the computer. Behind it, under it, under the desk and his chair. He even took his blankets out of the bathtub to look for it! MC didn’t have any luck either, and feel Levi’s frustration and panic rise with each passing second, they padded over to the costume bin. They knew it was likely Mammon either took it or Levi just misplaced it, but they didn’t want the 3rd born running around the house in a rampage and summoning Lotan… Grabbing a hat and magnifying glass, they walked over to Levi and tugged on his pant leg. Irritated at still not being able to find his figurine, Levi almost snapped at MC. He paused when he saw what they were holding. Blinking a few times, he blinked away his tears of frustration and wiped his eyes.

“R-right! Satan plays detective all the time when he loses things. We can do that too!”

He grabbed the hat and magnifying glass from MC and went over to his cosplay trunk before pulling out a trench coat, a monocular, and a smaller magnifying glass for MC. He put the trench coat on and helped MC put on the monocular. He stood back with his hand on his chin, thinking. There was something missing… browsing through his shelves, he looked for something in particular…

“Aha! Yes!” Grabbing an Azukki-tan pin, he pushed it through the chain of the monocular and fastened it before grabbing one for himself and pinning it to the brim of his hat. “There we go. All set! The Mystery of who took the Special Signed Edition of Ruri-Hana Searise Monster Movie Figurine will be solved and the figurine returned to its rightful spot on its shelf! Let’s go MC!

Running out of his room, he looked behind him to make sure MC was following him. They were padding after him; looking through the magnifying glass. He couldn’t help but smile and blush slightly at how cute they looked like that.

“First, we’ll need a list of suspects! Now, let’s see. I was alone in my room all night yesterday. No one came to see me. I don’t remember if it was there when I woke up or not, which means someone must have stolen it between then and breakfast! No one was left alone in my room besides,” he looked down at MC for a minute, the two of them nodding their heads, “Mammon!”

Together, the two marched over to Mammon’s room, Levi taking the lead by busting down Mammon’s door much like he did with his this morning. “MAAMMMOOONNN!!! WHAT DID-“

MC cut Levi off by tugging on his trench coat and folding their arms. Shaking their head, they pointed to their magnifying glass. Levi looked down at the matching one in his hand and remembered. There were a few questions that needed to be asked first. Looking back at Mammon – who was still seated stunned on his couch – he pulled out a notepad from one of the coat pockets.

“Where were you this morning between the hours of- what time did I go to sleep last night…”

Mammon blinked at Levi for a few seconds before he realized the 3rd born was expecting an answer. “How the hell am I supposed t’a know!? I passed out after 11 last night cause I knew I had t’a be up to wake you up early today!”

“Okay so you weren’t in my room when I was sleeping. Then- What were you doing while we were all at breakfast between the time you came to wake me up and came back down?”

Mammon blinked once again at Levi, confused as to what the hell was going on and where all this came from. “Are one of yer things missin’ again-“

“Aha! I never said what was wrong! Only the guilty would kno-“

“Y’a only act like this when one of yer things are missin’, Levi. ‘Sides, why would I steal somethin’ from y’a if I’m gonna give y’a a gift anyways?” He rolled his eyes and went back to counting the Grimm on the table in front of him. “I didn’t take nothin’. I got off my ass- thank you for knockin’ it flat, by the way, then came downstairs t’a eat before Beel ate everythin’.”

“Is that so… And where did all this money come from, hmm? My Figurine is worth at least double so if-“

“I got paid yesterday, Levi”

Silence stretched throughout the room for a full minute before Mammon looked back up at Levi from the corner of his eyes. “Levi…?”

Levi was looking around Mammon’s room, stunned by his older brother’s responses. Hearing his name, he shook his head to clear his mind.

“Are y’a good?”

“You really didn’t take it?”

“I may be ‘scum’, but seriously Levi. No I didn’t take nothin’. Maybe tomorrow but- owww! The Hell!”

Levi narrowed his eyes at Mammon and struck him in the head with the bottom of his magnifying glass. Scoffing, he rolled his eyes and sighed. “Sorry… Do you know who it could have been?”

Mammon rubbed the top of his head and looked up at Levi with one eye before opening the other. “Y’a should be sorry. An’ no, I don’t. Ask someone else.”

Frowning in defeat, Levi looked at the Grimm on the table and took a small handful. Mammon jumped to his feet, tensing and trying to reach out to swipe the Grimm back from Levi. “HEY! Y’A DON’T-“

“You still owe me 300 Grimm for last week, Mammon. Don’t forget that.”

Leaving Mammon alone in his room, Levi left the room and shut the door once MC was out with him. He scratched the top of his head. “Okay but if it wasn’t Mammon… who else could it have been?”

He walked around the house with his chin in hand, thinking aloud. “I haven’t seen Asmo all morning. Satan was busy making breakfast. Belphie’s always asleep… Beel was by my room this morning! To the kitchen!”

Levi started speedwalking toward the kitchen when the sound of Beel’s stomach caught his attention from the living room. Coming to a stop, he backtracked to the living room and peeked over the sofa where Beel was sitting with Belphie asleep in his lap.

“Beel?”

“Satan won’t let me in the kitchen… can you get me something to eat, Levi? I’m hungry and Belphie fell asleep on me. I don’t want to wake him up…” Beel gave Levi his best puppy-dog eyes. He really was hungry but Satan won’t let anyone into the kitchen so they don’t eat the food he was making for dinner.

“Buddy I don’t think you’ll wake up Bel-“

Beel gasped as MC handed him a bag of popcorn. From where they got it, no one knew, but Beel now had some food. He reached down to hug MC tightly. “Thanks! Now I don’t have to wake Belphie up!”

Levi shrugged and took out his notepad. At least now he could have Beel’s attention without him focusing only on his stomach. “Where were you between last night and breakfast?”

Beel’s chewing slowed down as he thought about it. Swallowing, he tilted his head. “I was watching the New Super Devil Bro’s with Belphie last night, went for a midnight snack run, went to sleep. Woke up for more snacks because I was hungry, went back to sleep. Woke up for my morning jog, came back, tried to get a snack, but Satan had already started breakfast and wouldn’t let me in- he did give me a bowl of poisonberry’s though, so I ate those, took a shower, then found you yelling at Mammon in your room. Then we went to have breakfast.”

Levi put his notebook down about halfway through Beel’s recap of last night and this morning. There was nothing telling from any of that. “And you didn’t go into my room at all?”

Looking up at Levi with a bit of confusion, Beel shook his head. “No… is something wrong, Levi?”

Groaning, Levi sat himself down forcefully, hitting his head with the open notebook, mumbling into it. “Someone took my special edition figure and it wasn’t Mammon… Whenever Satan plays detective-“

“IT’S NOT A GAME!” Satan’s voice could be heard shouting from the kitchen. He came out with a hand towel, leaning against the doorframe. He smirked at the looks he got from the 3 in the room. “Demons have good hearing. You lost your figurine?”

Levi nodded and leaned back against the couch, turning his head to look at Satan. “How do you normally find things when you play detective?”

“Like I said earlier, I don’t play detective. I become a detective. It’s not the same. When did you lose it?”

“I don’t know… I’m pretty sure I had it last night. I didn’t even notice it was missing until MC pointed it out.”

“So it went missing between last night and this morning?”

“Yes, but Mammon didn’t take it. I checked. He and Beel were the only ones in my room…”

Satan smiled and slung the towel over his shoulder. “Are you sure?”

Levi tilted his head at the 4th born. “What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I’m sure.”

Pushing himself off the doorway, he waved as he went back to the kitchen. “Then good luck searching.”

Levi groaned and facepalmed, sinking further into the couch. “Yeah. Big help, Satan.”

“ANYTIME!”

“Why do I get the feeling he knows more than he lets on…”

“Maybe ask Asmo if he’s seen it?” Beel munched on the fistful of popcorn. He already seemed to have finished half the bag. Levi got up and slid his notebook back in his pocket. “Yeah- might as well. Detective Levi will find a clue somewhere! …It sounds better when Satan says it.”

“OF COURSE IT DOES-“

“SHUT UP SATAN! Geez, come on MC. Asmo should be in his room.”

Pulling out a granola bar, MC handed it to Beel before hurrying after Levi. Walking through the halls, they felt bad over how dejected Levi seemed to be with each dead end. Pressing themselves against his leg, they looked up at him. Levi looked down to see MC’s face. He pouted and pet the top of their head. “Don’t look at me like that… you’ll make me feel sorry for feeling sorry.” Laughing quietly, he gave MC a small smile. “We’ll find it today! Don’t worry!” Whether he was trying to cheer himself up or MC up, he didn’t know. He just wanted to find his figurine. He didn’t think he’d be able to enjoy his birthday party if he was too busy wondering where it was.

Reaching Asmo’s door, he lifted his fist to knock when the door swung open. The front of his shirt was grabbed as he was dragged inside. “W-WHOA! What the-“

“You actually came! Don’t worry about anything, I have the whole setup spread out! Oh we’re going to make you look perfect for your party! I just knew you’d come! MC darling, have a seat right there. I’ll get to you once I’m done with Levi, kay~?”

MC climbed up onto the vanity stool and kicked their legs, stifling a laugh as Asmo started doting over Levi. Pulling out their DDD, they pulled up Mononoke Land to pass the time.

It was about 2 hours later before they were finally released by Asmo’s clutches. Levi sat in the corner while he finished up with MC. “So you really have no idea where my figurine is?”

“Levi hun, I didn’t even know you had one-“

“Of course I had one! I’ve been talking about this movie a month before it came out!”

Asmo put down the brush and let MC hop off the vanity before packing everything up. “I don’t know what to tell you. I’m sure it will come up when you’re not looking for it anymore.”

“Jee… thanks… Let’s go MC.” Levi stood up and left the room with MC. Feeling his DDD buzz, he opened it up to the group chat. Everyone else began arriving for his party, but he wasn’t really feeling it. He looked down at his companion. “If I don’t show up, do you think anyone will notice?”

MC looked up at Levi, blinking twice.

“Right- of course they’d notice. I’m the Main Character for tonight.” Sighing heavily, he made his way to the living room. “We might as well see what Satan whipped up for dinner.”

Walking into the living room, he took off the coat and hat, laying them over the arm of one of the couches just as the Purgatory Hall residents came in.

“Happy Birthday Leviathan! Oh? What has you so down?” Simeon held a wrapped present but placed it on the table when he saw the look on Levi’s face.

“What’s with the costume?” Solomon held his own gift, gesturing to the coat Levi just took off.

“Hey guys, thanks. Oh, it’s nothing.” Levi shrugged and sat down. He could smell Satan’s dinner, but Diavolo and Barbatos weren’t here yet, so the food wouldn’t be coming out soon. Satan himself did pop out of the kitchen though. He looked over at Levi sitting dejectedly on the couch. “Still haven’t found it?”

“Found what? Did you lose something, Levi?” Luke perked up. He’d brought some cupcakes, carrying them over to Satan so he could store them safely in the kitchen as it seemed Beel hadn’t been allowed in there.

“My Special Edition Signed Figurine of Ruri-Hana’s Searise Monster Movie model is missing. I’ve been looking for it all day- well, MC and I have been looking all day.”

“If by lookin’ y’a mean harrassin’ us for it, then y’a, you were. Y’a still haven’t found the thing?”

Levi shook his head and glared at Mammon. He wasn’t really in the mood to celebrate as the others in the room exchanged looks on what they could do to cheer him up. In that moment, Lucifer came in with Diavolo and Barbatos behind him.

“The House of Lamentation, quiet? How often does that happen?” Diavolo’s cheerful voice carried through the room. “Happy Birthday Leviathan! Another wonderful year with the rest of your brothers and many more to come!”

Lucifer raised a brow at Levi’s lack of response. “Leviathan-“

“Right, right. Thanks Lord Diavolo. I guess…”

Lucifer sighed and shook his head. “Levi, what’s the problem.”

“He misplaced one of his figurines. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you, Lucifer?” Satan looked at his older brother and raised a brow, knowing full well but wanting Lucifer to say it instead.

“Ah, this figurine perhaps?” Lucifer smiled and revealed the signed movie figurine from his inner coat pocket. Levi looked up and sprang to his feet when he saw it. His eyes widened as he looked between the stand and his brother.

“YES! Wait- how- when- Why did you take it!?”

Lucifer chuckled and held up a hand to calm his younger brother. “Easy, Levi. I simply had to borrow it for your gift. Now she’s still fragile and only lasts for a few hours. She might not be a perfect copy, but it was the closest I could get. You can come out now.”

From behind Lucifer, a small child sporting 2 twin piglets and a bright pink and white dress stepped out. Big purple eyes looked up and around the room in curiosity before her eyes landed on Levi. “Leviachan..?” She walked over to the demon and tilted her head to the side before reaching out to touch him. “You are Leviachan, right?”

Levi stood rooted to the spot the moment he saw Ruri step out from behind Lucifer. His eyes darted between her and his brother, as if trying to figure out if this was real or not. When he felt her touch him though, he felt his face turn a bright red before his knees buckled. Simeon just barely managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

Ruri looked down at Levi with a tilted head and confused expression. “Oh… did I scare him? Hmm? Oh hi, what a peculiar companion.” Ruri looked at MC who seemed to be handing her the Azuki-tan pin Levi had attached to their monocle. Looking down at Levi, they summoned some cold water to splash onto his face to wake him up.

Mammon stared wide eyed at Ruri for a few moments before looking at her and Luke a few times and snickering. “Hey- she’s shorter than the Chihuahua. Y’a ain’t the shortest one today.”

“I’M NOT A CHIHUAHUA!”

[thewapolls]

IZAMNA was actually a pretty reasonable flub for once, because I dunno how easy it would have been in 1996 to link the Japanese phonetics i-za-mu-na[イザムナ] to a romanized version of ITZAMNA. Itzamna is the mayan sky god. He's not normally a "serpent" per say, but he is at times depicted as a caiman, so maybe there's a bit of linguistic drift that gets us to this worm thing design? I dunno.

TAILMOOZE yet another baffling product of the original WA localization team. The name in question is meant to be TAMMUZ, the Hebrew name of the Sumerian deity, Dumuzid. It joins the likes of Humbaba, Nergal and Marduk, in WA's cast of Mesopotamian mythic figures. In spite of the name though, I'm not actually familiar with any lore that would tie him to this weird bug/serpent looking design.

(ya know for a moment I thought maybe these two models were unofficially related, but the more I looked into it the more I'm certain that's not the case. So they're just here because they're both wormy guys with big flayed out wing bits up top.)

LINDWURM a european folk monster that runs a pretty wide gamut from just a snake to monstrous serpent to winged and/or legged dragon. As tends to be the case with the slurry of european cultures it eventually absorbs/gets absorbed into a variety of other ideas and so has overlaps with WYVERNs and even the GUIVRE that we saw a few polls back.

COUATL by itself is the Nahuatl word for "serpent" but given the character model having feathered wings, and the general context it's clearly a reference to Quetzalcoatl, the "feathered serpent", Aztec hero and creator god.

TYPHON monstrous giant serpent and child of titans, an adversary of the gods in Greek mythology. With his wife Echidna father to a whole brood of other legendary monsters. The WA2 model where he appears as one of a quartet of rare elemental monsters in the Ley Point dungeons representing Wind, is inexplicably the basis of the reprised ...ZEIN monsters in WA3.

SHELZAURUS super oddball for this group of otherwise very well grounded references. It's just "Shell" and "-saurus" and the only thing I can find it some obscure card from the Miracle of the Zone(MOZ) tcg from the 90s.

YURLUNGUR, originally butchered in localization as URUNGE, the Yurlungur, aka The Rainbow Serpent, is a mythic creature and deity figure from Australian aboriginal faiths. (for lack of a better image I'm just using SMT's gummyworm ass looking art for the reference down below)

URANEUS is a weird one. First instinct is to assume it's a reference to Uranus/Ouranos, the Greco-Roman sky god. But oddly the specific Japanese u-ra-e-nu-su[ウラエヌス] isn't how they'd approximate that. What it does match is the spelling of an enemy robot in Giant Robo. Despite the perfect match however, the robot and the monster appear to have nothing in common designwise.

SQUIRM So, funny enough while the name is very likely a reference to the 1976 horror movie, Squirm, the model design itself appears to be a throwback to the kaiju Battra, tied to Mothra lore in the Godzilla movies.

GRABOID I mentioned in the boss tournament trivia is the monster from the Tremors movies.

NAK given the context of big serpents I have to assume this is supposed to be Nak[นาค] as in the Thai Buddhist variation on the Hindu Naga[नाग].

[gunsandspaceships]

Review of Official MCU Timelines: Phase One Official Timeline

My (unofficial) but logical (correct) detailed timeline of Phase One

Now that we have a timeline with evidence from the movies, we can compare it to the official timelines. Yes, there's more than one, and they contradict each other.

First, I'll look at the official Phase One timeline (the "old timeline"), created by Brad Winderbaum shortly before The Avengers came out.

In this timeline, Marvel used "BIM" (Before "I am Iron Man") and "AIM" (After "I am Iron Man"). So the starting point in both directions is May 25, 2008, although this date is not defined in this timeline, but it is defined in the new official timeline, as well as in my timeline.

Correct dates are highlighted in blue, questionable or too vague - in orange, and incorrect ones - in red.

Odin fought the Frost Giants on Earth and adopted Loki - 1000 years BIM (old timeline)/965 AD ("Thor", new timeline, my timeline):

The old timeline uses a vague "1000 years BIM", which, to be precise, corresponds to 1008 AD, not 965 AD.

Odin hid the Tesseract on Earth - 600 years BIM (old timeline)/ "undetermined time" (movies, new timeline, my timeline):

Then we have a date that only appears in the old timeline - 600 BIM, which corresponds to 1408 AD. The new timeline mentions the event, but also says that it is unknown when it happened.

Hydra stole the Tesseract; Rogers became a super soldier - 67 years BIM (old timeline)/March 1942 and June 1943 (CA:TFA, new timeline, my timeline):

2008 minus 67 is 1941. According to the movie (CA:TFA), Schmidt invaded Norway in March 1942. Steve Rogers became a super soldier in June 1943.

Valkyrie crash, Rogers frozen in Arctic - 64 years BIM (old timeline)/January 1945 (my timeline):

"64 years BIM" in the old timeline is also not quite true. If we were to believe that, we would have Rogers going into suspended animation in the Arctic in 1944. We found out that was early 1945, which also corresponds the new timeline. My timeline narrows it down to January.

Creation of the Hulk - 5 years BIM (old timeline)/March 2004 (my timeline):

According to the old timeline, this would have been 2003. More detailed analysis gave me March 2004.

Tony's kidnapped in Afghanistan - 9 months BIM (old timeline)/4 months BIM (IM1, new timeline, my timeline):

Tony was kidnapped in late January or early February 2008. He spent 3 months in captivity and then almost a month at home before the famous press conference. See IM1 timeline.

Events of "Iron Man 2: Public Identity" tie-in - 3 months AIM (old timeline)/Never (movies, new timeline, my timeline):

The old timeline includes events from the Iron Man 2: Public Identity comics, which are absent from the new official timeline and the movies (it also contradicts them). As such, for now, I will not consider Public Identity canon and will not include the events in the timeline. I will review the comics in the future.

Chase after Bruce Banner in Rio; Tony is attacked by Ivan Vanko in Monaco - 6 months AIM (old timeline)/~September 4, 2009 and May 23, 2010 (my timeline):

Absolutely no way it could be 6 months AIM, just as there was no way it could be 9 months BIM before. See IM2 timeline, part 1.

Those movies even took place in different years. Thanks to Fury's Big Week, we got an abomination in the timeline.

Fury's Big Week will be reviewed in detail in another post.

Review of The MCU Guidebook timeline

[khushiambient]

How Is A Film Advertised: Things You Should Know About Advertising A Film

Marketing a movie is no simple task, but we’ve got some strategies and creative ideas to shed light on the entire process. Many film companies have successfully employed these tactics to promote their movies. In recent years, there has been a lot of buzz around movie promotion and marketing. It’s crucial for a movie to be marketed effectively to reach as many people as possible. Producers must dedicate ample time and resources to promote their films. After all, how can you expect tickets to sell if people aren’t aware of the movie? If ticket sales fall short, the movie could end up being a flop. Timing is a key factor in movie promotion, and getting it right is essential. Therefore, you need to be aware of some strategies that are mentioned in the section below going for film advertising.

What Is Film Marketing?

Film marketing is the strategic process of promoting and advertising a movie to its target audience. It involves creating awareness, generating excitement, and ultimately driving ticket sales or viewership. Film marketing encompasses various elements, including trailers, posters, social media campaigns, press releases, premieres, and partnerships with other brands or media outlets. The goal is to build anticipation, engage the audience, and ensure a successful launch for the film in theaters or on various distribution platforms. Effective film marketing is vital for a movie’s commercial success in a competitive entertainment industry. Unlock the Power of Film Marketing and Advertising in India with Khushi Ambient Media Solutions. Elevate your brand’s visibility and connect with your target audience like never before. Let’s make your cinematic dreams a reality. Get in touch with us today to start your journey to movie marketing success.

Identifying potential partners enthusiastic about collaborating on film promotion

Whether it’s a big-budget blockbuster or an independent film, establishing partnerships with various brands and celebrities is essential for an effective movie marketing strategy. To promote blockbuster movies, official collaborations or unofficial product endorsements play a vital role. When a producer has the support of a strong celebrity presence, they can leverage the celebrity’s vast social media following to boost the film’s promotion. For instance, consider Salman Khan, who commands a staggering reach of approximately 70.2 million people on Facebook alone. Associating with such influential celebrities on social media significantly broadens the film’s audience base, creating a substantial platform for movie promotion. These partnerships enable the film to rapidly connect with a massive audience in a relatively short period, amplifying its reach. Join hands with Khushi Ambient Media Solutions today and unlock the potential of your brand’s advertising success. Let’s create memorable marketing campaigns together. Contact us now and let’s make your brand shine.

Some notable brands that have proven to be effective partners in this endeavor include Nokia, known for its innovation and global reach, which can help create captivating mobile campaigns to engage audiences. 93.5 Red FM, a popular radio station, provides a platform for extensive on-air promotions, enhancing the film’s visibility through its wide listenership. Lux Soaps, with its association with glamorous stars, can add a touch of allure to movie promotions. Make My Trip offers opportunities for travel-related tie-ins, tapping into the wanderlust of potential viewers. Lastly, Close Up Toothpaste can provide a fresh and vibrant angle to promotional activities, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. Partnering with these esteemed brands can bring diverse and impactful marketing strategies to the table, contributing to the movie’s overall success.

Harnessing the power of online platforms to engage and captivate a wider audience

Marketing agencies serve as the swift and expert solution for building a fresh fan base within the film industry. Through paid marketing, a film can swiftly gain recognition among a vast audience in a short span. Leading marketing agencies effectively present the film in the market, employing advertising strategies across television, online platforms, radio, and more. These agencies represent a contemporary avenue for promoting movies, leveraging their capacity to connect with diverse audiences across multiple platforms. Elevate your brand’s success with Khushi Ambient Media Solutions which can be your Partner for Film Marketing and Advertising in India.

Establish Your Distribution Channel

Don’t overlook the potential of offline channels when promoting a film. Building offline distribution networks is a fantastic strategy to captivate fans. This approach involves the dissemination of tangible materials like stationery documents and personalized printed items to engage audiences effectively.

Organizing engaging quizzes and contests to captivate and entertain the audience

Engaging in contests and competitions online stands out as a highly effective method for boosting audience participation. These activities strike a perfect balance between offering low risk and promising high rewards. Contests consistently ignite excitement and generate buzz on social networking sites, providing a significant advantage when it comes to promoting a film. For example, ahead of the release of the movie ‘Mary Kom,’ the producers orchestrated a pre-launch contest on Twitter to promote the film. In this captivating contest, the fortunate winner had the incredible opportunity to meet Priyanka Chopra and enjoy a screening of the movie alongside her. This approach represents one of the most ingenious advertising strategies employed for blockbuster films.

Engaging actively during press conferences

Press conferences represent one of the most influential tools for generating publicity. They play a crucial role in shaping the audience’s perception of a film. During these events, the press conducts interviews with key actors and directors involved in the movie. The primary challenge lies in skillfully and effectively engaging with the press. In addition to journalists and media outlets, social media influencers and fans are also invited to attend these gatherings. Another effective marketing strategy involves organizing mini-press junkets in major cities to promote the film. This approach allows fans to interact directly with the film’s star cast, creating a more engaging and personal experience.

Showcasing Of Trailers

Movie trailers are essential in sparking excitement among the general public for an upcoming film. They are distributed through various channels, such as television, YouTube, and social media platforms. Additionally, you can catch them on the big screen during intermissions or before the main feature begins when you visit the theaters. For avid movie enthusiasts, these trailers are not only entertaining but also intriguing. They serve their purpose effectively by generating anticipation. Many people still prefer to catch a movie on its opening day, and these trailers play a vital role in spreading the word and igniting excitement throughout the masses. Elevate your brand with Khushi Ambient Media Solution today and captivate your audience like never before.

At Khushi Advertising, we specialize in creating impactful marketing partnerships with the film industry to help you achieve your desired results. Through our collaborations with leading production houses and blockbuster movies, we provide a unique opportunity to introduce your product or service to a national and global audience. Our approach is rooted in the idea of how brands can shape consumer behavior, influence their choices, and seamlessly integrate into the narrative of a story. Our primary strategy and ultimate goal revolve around presenting and promoting your brand to the audience in a way that enhances visibility, recall, and resonance.

This blog originally posted here: https://khushiadvertising.com/how-is-a-film-advertised-things-you-should-know-about-advertising-a-film/

[ooops-i-arted]

Dear oops,

Don't read this if you are still avoiding spoilers for season 3. Just perhaps reply if you can after you watch the show?

I've just listened to an interesting possible explanation of why season 3 of The Mandalorian has its take on Din and the Darksaber. ( I don't care if it's supposed to be his family name, not his personal - I'm not calling him Djarin!)

There was supposed to be a series called "Rangers of the New Republic" but Gina Carano's monkeyshines torpedoed it. This YouTube creator thinks that this show will reappear with Din and Grogu as reoccurring characters but not being the focus of the show ( it had better not be "Trapper Wolfe" Filoni!!) The last episode where Din talks to Carson Teva about getting some "unofficial work" points to this - Teva is the person who gave Cara Dune her marshall badge and now seems to be trying to ride herd on this part of the Outer Rim.

What do you think? They seem to have shunted Din and Grogu well out of The Mandalorian by giving them a happy ending and a tiny house with a pond for snacks/animal abuse depending on how hungry the kid is. So as far as I'm concerned The Mandalorian is over. Hell, I think Pascal only did voice overs this third season as we never saw him once. Happy to see they gave credit to the men who bring Din's armor to life in this season.

I respect your views on this show that I've loved for at least two seasons. So what do you think? And watch Screen Junkies "Honest Trailer" for Season 3 - it has a nice slap on Filoni forcing the Mandalorian into his cartoon world.

Be safe and be well

Jay

Do NOT get me started on the creep factor of Grogu using IG-11's skeleton as his battlebot body - ick!!!

I still haven't watched the end because my sister and I watch together and now I finished school+taking online classes this summer and her job is at her busy season so I have no idea when we're getting around to it. (Especially because I'm trying to convince her to watch at least season 1 of Rebels now. "You said Filoni ruined this show too!" "Yes but you will LOVE the Ghost crew! They have a murder droid!") But I've seen enough spoilers to know what happens. I mean, it could've been worse.

It veers a bit into conspiracy theory but I'm so behind the idea that Gina shitting the bed ruined all Favroni's plans. I'm guessing she was supposed to head Rangers of the New Republic and Din got the Mandalore plot (the show was SO CLEARLY setting up a Reluctant Ruler Turns Out To Be What His People Needs a la Movie!Aragorn in the season 2 finale). But instead of recasting Cara (maybe that wasn't a financially secure option to pin a show on a lesser name? because Katy O'Brian is RIGHT THERE as a perfect muscle lady Cara recast) Din got Cara's New Republic plotlines shoved into his show, he became the Ranger, and Bo-Katan was rebranded from compelling Anti-Hero who could make up for her mistakes to Mandalorian Barbie Princess who the narrative treats as Always Justified even when she shouldn't be (shouldn't her people turn on her for just giving the Darksaber to Gideon? or at least call her out and say she doesn't deserve it? isn't this the third time she's had it and failed to lead Mandalore?) and gets the Mandalore plotline THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIN'S. IT MAKES NO SENSE.

And I feel icky agreeing with the assholes who prop up Gina but.... Cara was an important part of the show. She was a significant secondary character with lots of interesting hooks to tie into the plot: Former Rebel who left the New Republic, the perfect lens to see the faltering New Republic through by someone who saw its flaws and wouldn't go along with them early. Potential redemption arc by trying to Do The Right Thing and fix those flaws and/or help people against the Empire like she originally wanted to. Another Alderaanian besides Leia who we could've seen the Alderaanian people's fate through - are they and Cara still in mourning? Is there anger now? Are they rebuilding a New Alderaan? How has their culture suffered, endured, or changed?

Not to mention it is was so, so refreshing to see a new body type that was thicc and strong and still feminine. I haven't looked like the Rey/Ahsoka/Bo-Katan/literally almost everyone else body type that's always shown since I was 16. Cara and Gina's portrayal were really meaningful to me and it's so disappointing that Gina is a bigoted moron and that cost us a wonderful, unique, inspiring character. I know I keep harping on this I'm sorry. I love Cara so much and I REFUSE to hand her over to the bigots.

Idk. I really hate to say it, but it's the second time Filoni's one-trick pony writing style (look at these new interesting characters! Just kidding my TCW characters! LOOK AT THEM YOU'RE FORCED TO AHAHAHA) has caused me to have significantly less interest in a show I loved with amazing, unique characters. I was mad as fuck but now I've cooled off and I'm just turning back to my Caradin fanfiction when I actually have time to write, which has been next to zilch lately.

I also do not disagree that Grogu piloting IG-11's corpse is rather weird, but also that's pretty standard "we can't decide if droids are sentient or not" Star Wars fare. Myself I'm just too happy to see him FINALLY HAVE AN ASSISTIVE TALKING DEVICE it overrides anything else lol. (I do totally agree that Din Grogu is stupid. Lastname first conventions have not been established - for example, he's Boba Fett not Jango Boba. I think it would be great and make sense to have different naming conventions among different cultures, but this is a stupid way to do it. You can't even argue that it's just a Children of the Watch thing because Paz Vizla clearly has his well-known clan name last.)

[philadelphia-hq]

EVENT ONE: CUPID’S BOW

“I LIKE LARGE PARTIES. THEY’RE SO INTIMATE. AT SMALL PARTIES THERE ISN’T ANY PRIVACY”

The City of Philadelphia is proud to announce the annual Lover’s Ball, this year hosted in connection with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Jefferson Institute. For one night, and one night only, the Institute will be opening its doors and taking a step back in time! Yes, to the glitz and glamor, where the drinks were plentiful and the dances were riotous. It can only be the Roaring ‘20s! So, grab a gown (1920′s flapper dresses are highly encouraged), grab a partner — and don’t forget the secret password! The Jefferson Institute will be transformed into a Gatsby wonderland, fit for any Jay or Daisy. And, whilst you’re sipping on mint juleps, don’t forget to bid on one of our baskets, you never know what you might win... And remember, all proceeds go to benefit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia!

LOCATION: The Franklin Institute

DATE: Saturday, February 11th, 2023

TIME: 7pm-12am

DRESS CODE: Black Tie Formal

“YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE”

But, perhaps the 1920’s aren’t quite your thing though, and you much prefer a more modern era. Fear not, for Puente have got you covered with their annual ‘Anti-Valentines’ party, this year with an 90s twist ( of lime ) taking inspiration from the iconic movie Romeo+Juliet. Choose your house — Capulet or Montague, and dress in your houses colors ( Red for you Capulets, Blue for the Montagues ). Your favorite spot for sinning will be open from 10pm till 3am, and with a whole raft of brand new, one off drinks on the menu, there’s plenty of time to track down a fish tank and find a partner on the other side. Just remember the rule, what happens at Puente, stays at Puente. Oh - and stay away from balconies.

LOCATION: Puente

DATE: Saturday, February 11th, 2023

TIME: 10pm-3am

DRESS CODE: 90′s Cool

* Puente is not associated with the City of Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia is not responsible for any of the events that take place on Puente’s premises.

As you can see from the description above, there will be two parties on the same night — the ‘official’ city run event, which will be a 1920s themed ball, complete with charity basket bids and giving everyone the chance to schmooze and dance ( the City of Philadelphia has of course, invited a top DJ for the evening. None of that megamix nonsense for this event no siree ), and the unofficial - Anti-Valentines party at Puente. The Jefferson Institute event will be hosted in one main room, but you can feel free to explore the many exhibits, which will be open to party-goers!

For further details about basket bids please click HERE. Basket bids must be in the inbox by the 11th February in order to be included. Submitted basket bids will then be posted HERE.

The Puente event will be taking place simultaneously across town, and will function as a standard nightclub, albeit a nightclub that’s taken a trip back to the 1990s.

Your muses can attend both events - The Lover’s Ball will end at midnight, and Puente will remain open for another three hours, but please feel free to be creative with this. If your character isn’t the sort of person that would go to a city ball at all, then they can spend the whole night at Puente. Or perhaps there may be a party crasher or two? Either way we want you to have fun with this event. Philadelphia’s Cupid’s Bow event will be running from Friday 10th-Sunday 21st February.

Please tag anything to do with the event with #phillycupidsbow - this can be anything from threads, self paras, outfits ( between the 1920s aesthetic and the Baz Luhrmann vibe I’m sure you can come up with something ). If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the main and I’ll attempt to answer anything I can!

Otherwise - look out for Cupid’s bow!

~ Admin Darby