About Me:

I’ve had quite a few new followers these past few weeks, so I thought I would make a little about me post, just so you all know what you’re getting into.

First off, hello! My name is Madison (she/her), I’m 19 (will be 20 in January which is. . . something I’m not thinking about at the moment), I’m bisexual, extremely liberal (racists, misogynists, homophobes, transphobes, etc. can fuck off and die), and I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. My favourite thing in the world to do is write, and I love to read as well.

Here are some of my favourite things, sorted by category:

Star Wars

Favourite characters: Leia Organa, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ben Solo, Hera Syndulla, Ahsoka Tano, Din Djarin, Captain Rex, Poe Dameron, Rey Skywalker, Satine Kryze, Luke Skywalker, Asajj Ventress, Luminara Unduli, and many, many more

I love every movie, and every TV show (I was admittedly not a fan of Andor, but I’m so happy that so many people loved it so much!), and I’m working through some of the canon novels

This is my first fandom, one of my first loves. No matter how deeply I fall in love with other things I will never love them like I love Star Wars

Marvel

Favourite Characters: Natasha Romanoff, Loki Laufeyson, Bucky Barnes, Wanda Maximoff, Kate Bishop, Jennifer Walters, Steve Rogers, Carol Danvers, Sylvie, Marc Spector, Valkyrie, Peggy Carter, Yelena Belova, and many, many more.

I love every movie and TV show (to varying degrees, but nonetheless) but my favourite movies are Endgame, Infinity War, No Way Home, Eternals, Winter Soldier, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Ragnarok (not necessarily in that order), and my favourite shows are Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Loki, Werewolf by Night, Hawkeye (not necessarily in that order)

I also very casually read Marvel comics (just a few here and there whenever I find some that pique my interest)

DC

Admittedly, not nearly as much as Marvel. There isn’t a lot of emotional attachment. Honestly it’s bordering on contempt at this point, especially after spending money to go see The Flash in theatres

But I love The Batman, Wonder Woman, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, the Dark Knight trilogy, Harley Quinn, and Batman (1989). I am cautiously excited for many of their upcoming projects under James Gunn’s leadership

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is my all-time favourite comic book and honestly just one of my favourite books of all time. It’s truly a beautiful work of art.

Lord of the Rings

I’ve seen all three movies and 2/3 Hobbit movies, and I’ve read Fellowship of the Ring (planning on getting to the other two soon). I also watched and absolutely adored The Rings of Power.

My favourite characters are Éowyn and Aragorn, but I love Merry, Pippin, Legolas, and Gimli too. And Galadriel, Elrond, Durin, Elendil, Miriel, and Halbrand in TRoP

I’m admittedly not the most well-versed in LOTR, but I do really enjoy it.

A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones:

Don’t even get me started on those goddamn shows. Seasons 7 and 8 of GoT and HoTD infuriate me on a daily basis but goddamn it I love this world so much. Westeros is so important to me

Favourite characters: Daenerys, Jaime, Cersei, Jon, Arianne, Brienne, Robb, and more

Favourite Targaryens (it’s the best house, fight me): Visenya, Aegon I, Rhaenyra, Daemon, Rhaena the Queen in the East/West, Alysanne, Daena the Defiant, Aegon V, Rhaegar, and probably more I’m forgetting

Movies:

Almost Famous (my favourite of all time)

Good Will Hunting

Memento

The Usual Suspects

Frances Ha, Mistress America, Lady Bird, Little Women, Barbie (anything with Greta Gerwig involved)

Dazed and Confused

Tombstone

Tick, Tick . . . BOOM!

Father of the Bride 1 & 2

You’ve Got Mail

When Harry Met Sally

Palm Springs

Before Sunrise

The Princess Diaries

Dogma (anything Kevin Smith, really)

Anything John Hughes

Garden State

His Girl Friday

10 Things I Hate About You

The Princess Bride

Disney movies (I grew up on those princesses and damn it, I still love ‘em)

Scooby-Doo (it’s just so dumb and comforting after a long day)

Also just 80s/90s movies, particularly comedies

TV Shows:

Lost (my favourite of all time. I could talk about it for hours on end)

Roseanne (my favourite sitcom. Roseanne Barr might be a piece of shit but Roseanne and Dan Conner raised me)

The Walking Dead (very close second favourite show)

The Sandman

Good Omens

Community

Gilmore Girls

That 70’s Show

Daisy Jones and the Six

Friends

Seinfeld

Once Upon A Time

Ted Lasso (even though they fucked it at the end)

Superstore

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The Good Place

Sons of Anarchy

Peaky Blinders

Scrubs

Bridgerton

Golden Girls

Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley

The Umbrella Academy

Schitt’s Creek

Only Murders in the Building

The Last of Us

Band of Brothers

Succession

Bojack Horseman

Grace & Frankie

Way, way more I can’t think of. I watch way too much TV. Just ask, I’ve probably seen it.

Music:

The Beatles (my all-time favourite band. I saw Paul McCartney in 2018 and almost died)

Pearl Jam

Phoebe Bridgers & boygenius

Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots

Anything from the 50’s and 60’s pretty much (i.e. The Beach Boys, Petula Clark, Jay and the Americans, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Simon & Garfunkel, Herman’s Hermits, The Zombies. Just ask, I probably love it.

Fleetwood Mac

Taylor Swift (I’m not a full Swiftie, but I’m getting there)

Olivia Rodrigo

The Chicks

Elton John

Billy Joel

Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child

ABBA

KISS

The Cranberries

Led Zeppelin

The Mountain Goats

Honestly it would probably be quicker to say who I don’t listen to in some capacity

Musicals:

Hamilton

Hadestown

Heathers

Wicked

In the Heights

Six

Grease, The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia, and other movie musicals

Books:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - never before has a book seemed like it was written just for me. And it’s so beautiful. Schwab is just my favourite author of all time, I’ll read anything of hers

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - I read these as the last few were coming out and I still have such an attachment to them

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - my favourite movie is Almost Famous so naturally, this was perfect for me. Goddamn did I love it.

A Song of Ice and Fire, of course

Classics: A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, The Handmaid’s Tale, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The entire Grishaverse series by Leigh Bardugo

That’s just off the top of my head. There are many, many more, and I’ll always take recommendations!

Basically just fantasy. I love fantasy books more than anything

All Elite Wrestling:

My most recent obsession

I’m watching it through from the beginning so I haven’t seen everything just yet

Favourite wrestlers: CM Punk, MJF, Orange Cassidy, Kris Statlander, all the Best Friends honestly, Adam Cole, Cody Rhodes, Danhausen, Thunder Rosa, Juice Robinson, Toni Storm, Sting, Christian Cage, Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Hangman Adam Page, Willow Nightingale, Hikaru Shida (not necessarily in that order other than the first 5, and there are more)

(I would love to have more women on that list but the women don’t get any good storylines or promo time or character development so I don’t form as many emotional attachments with as many of them. Book. The. Women’s. Division. Better.)

Favourite storylines/feuds: AdaMJF, Punk/MJF, Cody/MJF, Orange Cassidy/Chris Jericho, anything involving the Best Friends, everything with Hangman (from the very beginning all the way to where I am now, where he has just won the championship), probably more but that’s just off the top of my head

And that’s me, essentially. If you made it this far, I salute you. If there’s anything you want to know, feel free to ask! My asks and dms are always open, whether you’re a mutual or a complete stranger. Never be afraid to say hi!

October 19, 2022

[May 5, 2019]

hey let’s play a fun game: you dare me to go to sleep and i do it in under five minutes

[today]

That was from an old old old draft but I think it’s relevant.  Also what was I so tired for in May of my senior year?  The show was done, no marching band.. maybe it was those four APs I took?  I think AP tests happen around the first week of May?

UMM.  Paradise Killer??  The premise of that game is actually insane.  Like, insane in a way that I can’t even consider how someone would come up with it.  I do kinda wanna play it now though.  And by “play it” I of course mean “watch a lets-play” naturally.

A fairly famous comedian came to campus for a show a few days ago and he was not funny lol (and based on what I knew about him, I (and my parents) figured it was going to go that way).  Like, the warmup acts had me in tears with laughter, and I sat through his whole set waiting for him to actually, you know, not rattle off jokes I’ve heard before???  Half of the jokes were unoriginal lines I’ve seen online elsewhere, and none of them made me laugh so hard my sides hurt.  I smiled, I chuckled, I left feeling disappointed.  I’ve gotten better comedy from college students, from middle school honors students who didn’t want to do classwork.  They were all like, two sentence buildup followed by a punchline and then a non-sequitur to another joke with the same structure on a totally different topic.  Good comedy has a flow to it, it’s in conversation with itself... This guy just stood there awkwardly at points and openly admitted that he was thinking of what to say next.  Granted, I am not a comedian.  Comedy was always difficult for me to really grasp in theatre, I couldn’t do it.  But this man gets paid to be funny.  So.

Speaking of non-sequiturs, I saw a tiktok about how some girl was reading her journal from senior year and she was so filled with despair during college app season that she expressed that the process needed to be outlawed and you know what??  I’m with her on that one.  Barring the end of 2020/beginning of 2021 which was a nationally traumatic event compounded on top of some personal stuff, the college app season was probably the lowest I’ve ever been from a mental health standpoint over an extended period of time.  I’m talking months of bleakness.  Something has to change, but I sure don’t know what.

Nowadays I’m not feeling that same kind of despair, I’m just tired.

I did receive another soft rejection today (they weren’t taking another student) which I much prefer to paying an application fee and working on a personal statement and then receiving a rejection that I could not have done anything better to change.  Also I wasn’t very heavily invested in the guy anyway, so I’m guuci.  The other dude I could be interested in at that department looks too close to death tbh.

Also it’s actually really hard to try to “fill up” my schedule with classes in case I can’t TA.  Like I’ll need two more “real classes” when I register in two weeks but I simply do not have the desire to ~think~.  Maybe I’ll see if I can take a real bioanth class through the consortium.  But then I’ll still need another option.  Obviously I’m hoping my Master Plan works out, but I want a solid backup plan just in case, you know?

Last thing, I’m currently in the middle of CR C3E36 and I think it could be the best Critical Role episode I’ve seen yet out of all the campaigns.  I’ve been so smiley, so giggly, so positively joyful this whole episode, I just feel fantastic.  I’m having literally so much fun with this.  And I mean, there have, of course, been great episodes in the past, but this is sort of like a major crossover event, like Avengers: Infinity War, just an overwhelming feeling of :D and I haven’t even finished the episode yet.

Today I’m thankful that I went to the anthropology meet and greet today!!  Partly because there was food there and while I do have stuff prepared in the fridge, I also love getting free food, especially when it’s not pizza lol (not that pizza is bad, just that so many events serve pizza because it’s simple).  Partly because I got to connect with some of the people in my classes and they’re really cool!  Partly because I got to connect with a professor for whom I would like to TA next semester, and I should be able to get a good section for that (aka not the 8 am ones).  I’m also thankful for my mom, like so so so thankful and I hate the fact that I can be so neurotic but UGH I’m just so thankful that she cares for me enough to not turn me away or shut down my feelings.  I’m also thankful that my ecoanth prof and my archaeology prof canceled class tomorrow (two class day!!)!  I’m thankful that my presentation in archaeology went well (I think I might’ve almost convinced my prof that I didn’t do the readings the night before (but also he’s not the type of guy to care even if I did)).  Last but not least, I’m thankful to finally have finished twisting my hair.  As cute as the headscarf looked, it was getting a little old.  I just wish sometimes that my hair didn’t shrink up so much, but ultimately I don’t mind because a) I have hair and b) I can do a lot with it and c) it’s relatively healthy.  Lots of things to be thankful for today.

so movie tickets are discounted every tuesday and i decided to take advantage of it and go see the wasp feat. ant man again but i lowkey wish that tony stark and the terrible, horrible, ‘i don’t feel so good’, very bad day was still in theatres bc i wanna watch it again  :((

***SPOILERS FOR WANDAVISION EPISODE 6***

So I’m still processing everything but holy shite that ep was wild...

FIRST THINGS FIRST - WANDA, VISION, BILLY AND PIETRO ALL IN COMIC ACCURATE-ISH COSTUMES AND TOMMY IN A MINI QUICKSILVER COSTUME

PIETRO CALLING BILLY AND TOMMY DEMON SPAWN - GOD DAMMIT, IT’S MEPHISTO ISN’T IT? HOUSE OF M HERE WE COME

HERB ASKING WANDA IF SHE WANTED SOMETHING CHANGED

AGNES ASKING VISION ABOUT THE AVENGERS AND STUFF AND AT FIRST SHE SEEMED GENUINELY FREAKED OUT BUT THEN STARTED LAUGHING MANIACALLY AND I STILL DON’T TRUST HER AND AGNES BEING DRESSED AS A WITCH? AGATHA HARKNESS WAS A WITCH - COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT!

DARCY LOOKING OVER MONICA’S MED SCANS AND TELLING HER HOW THE HEX AFFECTS HER EACH TIME SHE GOES IN - IS SHE DEVELOPING HER POWERS?

PIETRO’S CORPSE - SCARED ME JUST AS MUCH AS VISION’S

MOVIES SHOWING IN THE THEATRE IN THE BACKGROUND - THE INCREDIBLES: A MOVIE BASED AROUND A SUPERHERO FAMILY AND THE PARENT TRAP: A MOVIE ABOUT TWINS WHO MEET AT CAMP AND TRY AND SET THEIR PARENTS UP

DON’T GO PAST ELLIS AVENUE - NOW I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS A CONNECTION OR JUST A COINCIDENCE BUT ELLIS IS THE LAST NAME OF THE PRESIDENT DURING IRON MAN 3

TOMMY HAVING HIS SPEED POWERS AND BILLY HAVING HIS REALITY WARPING/TELEKINETIC POWERS - WELCOME SPEED AND WICCAN

A CALL BACK TO INFINITY WAR WHEN VISION EXITED THE HEX? SLIGHTLY DUSTING AND HE PROBABLY WON’T SURVIVE BEING OUTSIDE OF THE HEX - HE’LL JUST DIE AGAIN 🥲

I STILL DON’T TRUST HAYWARD - HE’S VERY SUS

DARCY BEING TAKEN INTO THE HEX WITH THE OTHER S.W.O.R.D AGENTS - HOPEFULLY WE CAN SEE THE OUTFITS THAT KAT DENNING’S WAS EXCITED ABOUT

I SWEAR THEY BETTER NOT STRAIGHTWASH BILLY AND TOMMY OR I WILL RIOT 😤

***FURTHER UPDATES***

So sit-com wise, it seems they were referencing Malcolm in the Middle as the twins broke the fourth wall and talked to the audience, like Malcolm did

However, the theme song has told the viewer to stop questioning the reality of Westview - which could be a little reference to Mystery Science Theatre 3000? - When Pietro first shows up in the title sequence, along with his name title card, the lyrics say “Though there may be no way of knowing who’s come to play” - Istg, I do not trust Pietro

Vision says to Wanda that he had to wear his Halloween costume because there were no other clothes in his closet, Wanda is trying to move the plot along and forcing Vision to play along

Evan Peters’ ‘Mom’ tattoo is shown, which is a tattoo he actually has in real life ! But could this stand for ‘Multiverse of Madness’ or some other red herring?

Pietro mentions to Wanda that if he had found ‘Shangri-La’ he wouldn’t want to leave either - Shangri-La is a real place on Earth-616 that was founded by a version of Vision

Tommy refers to Pietro’s speed as ‘kickass’ and then Wanda repeats that, saying ‘kickass’ again - Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Evan Peters (both versions of QuickSilver) were in Kick-Ass together

The ad for this episode was freaky af - the character on the beach who starved and decomposed could be a little nod to Indiana Jones, where a Nazi’s face melts in - and it could also be reference to Wanda being all alone and struggling to process her grief. The shark in the ad could also be Nightmare or Mephisto or just someone more powerful than Wanda offering her a new beginning with Vision or trapped her in some way - and is feeding off her magic? The flavour of the yoghurt is strawberry flavoured and strawberry’s are red on the outside and pink-ish on the inside - much like Wanda’s og costume and her magic being red 👀

Pietro and Wanda talk about their Sokovian accents at a point in the episode and how neither have them anymore. Wanda’s, as we know, has disappeared over the course of the MCU movies and Pietro’s just doesn’t exist - another nice little nod to Peter Maximoff from the fox X-Men films? Also, Pietro states that “I’m just trying to do my part, okay? Come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the brother-in-law, stir up trouble with the Rugrats (a 90’s cartoon 👀) and ultimately give you grief.” - in reference to the grief part, could Pietro be killed off again? Stir up trouble with the rugrats, being possible shards of the demon Mephisto’s soul, could this be Mephisto trying to influence them on a deeper level? It’s also many many common sitcom clichès

Pietro talks about how “I got shot like a chump on the street for no reason at all” - nice little nod to how Pietro was killed off unnecessarily and how we as a fandom still talk about how regular bullets shouldn’t have killed him

Herb is dressed as Frankenstein’s monster - Dr. Frankenstein created his monster and soon lost control over him, and he was created using electricity or lightning - much like Vision was created and brought to life by Thor using Mjolnïr to bring lightning down to his incubator thingy majig. Could this also be a reference to either Wanda slowly losing control over Westview or someone else controlling Wanda/controlling the citizens of Westview - we saw in episode 3 that Agnes told Herb to be quiet as it seemed he was about to spill the beans 👀

Vision goes towards Ellis avenue and is at a ‘crossroads’ of sorts - in folklore, crossroads are often used to speak to or summon the devil and are also used when an important character is making a decision that could change everything. He spots some citizens repeating certain actions and/or just standing completely still, could these be npc’s (non playable characters)? And now that the barrier of the Hex has spread, will those citizens now start to move? 👀 Also I know that all stop signs look like it, but the stop sign is also a red hexagon 🛑

Darcy scrolls through Hayward’s computer files and goes past a file called “Project C4-113” - it could reference Avengers Issue #113 in which Wanda and Vision both appear on the cover and she says she’s going to make the world pay for Vision’s death. There’s also another file called “Project M5-247” which could be a nod to Avengers Issue #247, which shows the origin of the Eternals and in the same vein, Scarlet Witch and Vision trying to help Captain Marvel. And when Darcy emails Hayward’s cataract plans, you can see the names of “James Alexander and James Gadd” - James Alexander is a visual effects producer on Wandavision and James Gadd works on post production at Marvel

Also: Agnes pulls as Mrs Hart and repeats the same phrase over and over again

After Wanda blasts Pietro, you can see on a fake grave stone the name of “Janell Sammelman”, Janell is a first assistant director on Wandavision

When Wanda moves Westview to save Vision, she turns S.W.O.R.D and it’s agents into clowns + a circus - I just love that the agents turned into clowns 😂 but there is a nice little plot line in the comics where Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Hawkeye join the circus - and this COULD be stretch, but earlier in the episode there is the number #22 which could be Avengers Issue #22, which is the Issue that they join the circus

As soon as Vision was brought back into Westview, he was healed - which means if he was to exit again, he probably wouldn’t survive 😭

The episode title is ‘All-New Halloween Spooktackular!” - which “All-New” is a designation that is often used on covers for comic books. And the first issue of the second The Vision and the Scarlet Witch series takes place on Halloween night - but the events in this comics didn’t influence this episode’s plot

Pietro points out that he has the “XY chromosome” - X for X-Men? Plus there’s the X gene 😂

He mentions “Uncle Peter to the rescue” - Peter is the name of Quicksilver from the Fox X-Men Franchise

Pietro and Tommy quote the movie Top Gun (1986) by saying “I fell the need, the need for speed”

Wanda almost seems hesitant to trust this version of Pietro (rightfully so, in my opinion) and is wary of him being around Tommy and Billy

Pietro says some very Mephisto/Nightmare-like things this episode - “Unleash hell, demon spawn!”, “The kids need a father figure”, “Damnit, if Westview isn’t charming as Hell...” - And if Pietro isn’t Mephisto/Nightmare, it HAS to be Agnes or her other half Ralph and Pietro is probably Ralph tbh...or could Pietro just be a scapegoat and Hayward is Ralph? 👀

The theatre in town, which is playing the Incredibles and The Parent Trap, is called the Coronet. There’s a classic poem called “The Coronet” written by Andrew MARVELL (Marvell, is also the true name of the first incarnation of Captain Marvel in the comics) and is about a guy who knows that the sins of mankind led to the death of Christ. He attempts to create a new crown for Christ’s head in an attempt to atone, but finds that there is sin in the crown as well, as the devil is within the crown and therefore he may achieve glory and success with his new creation 👀

Hayward’s confidential project “Cataract” included experimenting on Vision’s body, as was revealed by Darcy (my wife 💙 and Monica is also my wife 💚 and so is Wanda 💛, I just love women, you know? 😂). A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision - is Hayward trying to weaponise Vision? Or maybe even trying to bring Ultron back? Or do what Tony wanted to do in the first place, and make a suit of armour that’s around the world? Either way, it’s for nefarious purposes

Who is Monica’s guy? Jimmy and Monica are off to meet him - could it be Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic)? Or could it be Victor Von Doom (Dr Doom)? Could it be Hank McCoy (Beast)? Or even Adam Brashear (Blue Marvel)? Or if it is a woman, could it be the Skrull daughter of Talos that Monica befriended at the end of Captain Marvel? Could it be Abigail Brand (A major character in recent S.W.O.R.D comics and an Alpha Flight Member)? Or even Toni Ho (Iron Patriot, and could she be introduced to help lay the ground work for my other queen, Riri Williams/Iron Heart?)? Or could it even be Sue Storm (Invisible Woman)?

In the background of the episode we see a number of children and adults dressed up as many different characters, which includes: Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, Jason Voorhees, with a sweater striped like Freddy Krueger’s and even a kid that looks dressed in an off-brand Charizard costume 😂 Pokèmon has always been popular, but saw an increase during the 90’s

Pietro and the kids are drinking “Kane Cola” which could be a reference to the 90’s drinks “Jolt Cola” or even “Surge” - it could also, with all the X-Men Easter eggs, be a reference to Garrison Kane, who was a member of Cable’s mercenary team “Six Pack” and is sometimes also known as ‘Weapon X’

The kid that Wanda mentions having a “skin thing” in the orphanage - could that be a reference to her Brotherhood of Evil Mutants co-worker Toad? Or maybe even Mystique? Maybe Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler)?

One of the houses has a sign up that says ‘Macabre Mansion’ - another possible reference to House of M?

During a flashback, it’s shown that the twins are playing Dance Dance Revolution, which came out in 1999. Also this might be a stretch, but the boys have a dog plushie in their room the right - which is coloured red and black - could this be a reference to Dogpool? 😂

I love this show 🤣💙

Jake On Weed

Pairing: Thor x OC (sort of OC, sort of Reader Insert) Loki x OC Friend of Main Character

Warnings: Fluff, Comedy, Fangirling for Middle Aged Ladies

Word Count: 3799

Summary: You are a huge fan of a-ha, you are going to their concert with your best friend and well, you never know who you’ll see.

A/N: This was written for @captain-rogers-beard​ One Hit Wonder challenge. Thank you for giving me an extension. This thought for a story has been in my head for a while now, so I had to take the opportunity to write it down. My prompt/song was Take On Me by a-ha. A-ha is my favorite band in the world! Plus I saw a comic of Thor wearing an a-ha tshirt and being that I love both, they all had to go together. Also this was inspired by my life events and by my dear friend who had some of the events in the story happen in real life. This is also my tribute to the fact that I have tickets to see them in LA this August, although with the pandemic going on, that may not happen. I kinda left Infinity War/Endgame out and obviously Loki is alive. Also tagging my Thor’s Whores as well. 

Enjoy!!

@thorfanficwriter​ @lancsnerd​ @saviorsong​ @queenoftheunderdark​ @lovesdarkness​ @fictivefrolic​ @michelehansel​

The lifelong, not quite obsession but bordering on fanatic for the band had started when you where 11 years old. It started when you had first heard ‘Take On Me’ played on the local radio station. As the song became more popular, it was played more regularly until eventually it became a #1 hit single for the band. Due to the songs resounding popularity, subsequent music video that is still one of the best ever made, and this had catapulted the band into worldwide stardom.

         The more popular they became you knew more about them. Being the first group from Norway to have this kind of international success was a big deal. You always had a special place for Norway in your heart as that’s where your maternal ancestors were from. Each band members were all extremely cute, and the lead singer could sing. I mean his voice was amazing. Within a short time they had more videos on tv, more singles on the radio, you had their posters on your walls, and so that love was cemented.

         It was so much so that when it seemed as though the band had disappeared from the airwaves in America after their amazing second album, you had to buy their music from record stores at import prices. You didn’t mind because you knew their music was worth the price and the time you waited, however that didn’t make it easy to be a fan of the band.

         Being that when they toured the US the last time, you were too young to attend their shows, so sadly you missed out on seeing them in concert.  It was something that you would always regret and that you’d hope to one day change making that dream become reality. Now that dream did come true 10 years ago when the band had decided to go their separate ways and did a final tour including many places they hadn’t toured in more than 20 years.

         That concert was a dream come true. Something that you never thought would happen and you remember it like it happened yesterday. You and your best friend, Bridgette, who also loves the band the way you do, still talk about it. In all actuality it was your mutual love of the band that brought you too each other. That bond is stronger than ever and the fact that this would be the one and only time you’d see the band perform live was a bit disheartening however sharing the experience with her made it hurt less.

         So imagine your mental state when the band announced they be touring again, in support of their first albums release, ‘Hunting High And Low’ playing the album in its entirety on the 35th anniversary of its’ release, as well as a setlist full of their hits and fan favorites, you and your bestie had already decided that if they toured here, you both would be there.

Nothing would stop it.

Nothing.

Nothing short of a global pandemic.

So, when the actual global pandemic happened and the tour was postponed, you two were devastated. What was one more year to wait when the first time you waited 25 years? You had both prayed and thanked Asgard for bringing the band back to you and keeping those that you loved safe. The time had gone fast and you two were planning another weekend that included the concert and hanging out with other friends that were fans too.

         The day of the show was a whirlwind. Meeting your friends for a late lunch prior to going to the preshow fan party. The party was fun. You got hangout and see people that you’d only meet online. A few you had met the prior show and were happy to reconnect with over your shared love of the band. One friend in particular, Elizabeth, who you talked outside of the fan boards and shared life experiences with was there and you were so happy to see her. The following day the three of you were scheduled to go to the fabric district to hang out before the next show the following night.  

         However tonight was what you were focused on. You and Bridge had found your seats. They were in the third row from the stage, just to the left of the stage. Elizabeth and a few of your other friends were in the front and second row just ahead of you. You weren’t sure how you were going to survive but you knew you would. As you two were waiting you were looking around the theatre and the two seats next you were empty. It was getting closer to show time and you were wondering something to yourself, however you said it out loud because that was your mental state at the moment. The energy of the entire place was electric! “Do you think Thor likes A-ha?” You asked Bridge.

         She looked at you and a pensive look crossed her face, a momentary change from the 15 year old fangirl smile you both had been wearing the entire day. “That’s a good question. I mean, why wouldn’t he like A-ha?” She asked you back and you thought about it. You did see that one drawing from the Loki, Agent of Asgard comic and it always had you wondering. In the drawing Thor was wearing an A-ha t-shirt. So maybe??

         “Maybe he does. I mean the band are Norwegian and the ancient Norse did worship Asgard.” You thought about it and so did she. “Wouldn’t it be funny if they sat next to us for the show?” You say and your friends face breaks into a smile before a face of utter shock passes over it. Since you were turned to look at her away from the empty seats on your left you had no idea what was making her react that way. In responding to her you scrunch your eyebrows together, you were perplexed. You mouth ‘what?’ to her and she motioned with her head behind you. Turning to see what got her in awe, you turn to look and into a nearly brick wall of a chest. Slowly turning your gaze up, you see a sight you never thought you would.

Thor. Thor, the God of Thunder. Asgardian King.

There he stood looking down at you. His smile as big as you had seen in photos and on tv. The bluest blue eyes looked at you and they held nothing but joy. You mentally say what the actual fuck, however you realized you actually hadn’t when Thor says to you, “Pardon, I didn’t quite hear you.” You look at him and then you feel a hand on your shoulder as you turn to see your friend standing up next to you holding on for support.

“I’m sorry, did I say something?” You ask him back.

He begins to answer you when from behind him immerges his brother, Loki. “You said what the actual fuck, with a question on the end. You heard her brother; we have much better hearing than the Midgardians do.”

“I know we do, but I try not to make them feel bad about Loki. It’s not their fault.” Thor had turned to his brother and made a sad face at him. Loki rolled his eyes.

“Did I make you feel bad Ms?” Loki asked you and you stood there looking at them both.

Your bestie squeezed your shoulder and you responded, “No, not at all. I mean I know I’m Midgardian and have no powers.”

“See Thor, she’s perfectly fine.” Loki says in his smooth as silk voice. He smiles at you, but you see the mischief in his eyes. “Are you alright?” He asks but you see he is looking at your bestie now. You looked back to her and she’s looking at him.  

She nods her head at him and says, “Yeah, I am.” Her eyes don’t look convinced but you’re not going to point that out. She did stop shaking or was that you? At this point it was possibly both of you.

“Are you excited for the show tonight?” You hear that big voice again and turn your attention back it from Loki and your bestie.

“Oh yeah, we’ve been anticipating it for a while now. Especially since they postponed it from last year. How about you guys?” It felt weird referring to them as just guys but in all honesty they were dressed in casual clothes. Loki in a leather blazer, black with dark jeans, hair slicked back, and this air of magic around him. It was tangible. You were positive everyone around them felt it. Thor was wearing a wine colored bomber jacket, dark blue jeans, black boots, long braided beard, and his hair was pulled back into a ponytail. It had grown out since they had founded New Asgard in Norway after Hela, their sister destroyed Asgard in a jealous fit of rage. A simplistic yet accurate description of events.

Occasionally you see them on the news and other online outlets. Thor helping the New Avengers and Loki keeping mostly quiet. Mostly. “We have been long time fans of the band. Actually, Loki brought the band to my attention within his time travels and being that Asgard is in Norway, well it’s not difficult to be a fan.” Thor answered you and smiled. You smiled back and suddenly the lights dimmed in the theater and you knew the show was about to begin. Thor turned towards the stage after you did. Someone over the sound system said hello to the crowd and you and your friend cheered, loudly. A spotlight came on and Magne stepped out into the light, walking over to his keyboard, Morten followed and stood center stage at his microphone, and Pal Walked out last standing at his mic on the left side of the stage, guitar already slung, ready to play.

“Hello LA” Magne says and the crowd cheers. Your friend Elizabeth turned around and smiled at you and Bridgette. You both smiled at her and then you turned to your left and there was Thor and Loki, Thor cheered along with the crowd, Loki applauded earnestly. You and Thor smiled at each other, you thought you’d died and gone to heaven, maybe you did but who cared? You certainly were in some sort of heaven and you’d be damned if you had to return to whatever life you lived prior.

The band began to play and started with, “Take On Me” The audience was singing along. This may have been their breakout hit but it certainly wasn’t their only one. You turned to Thor and he was singing to the song as well. When the chorus comes on and you swear he and Loki are both singing ‘Jake On Weed’ and not ‘Take On Me’. You and Bridgette both look at Thor and Loki as they sing loudly, ‘Jake On Weed’ during the chorus.

“Sing it with us, ‘Jake On Weed’.” Thor says loudly into your ear as he leans down.

You look at him and ask loudly, “Why?”

“I’ll tell you after the show over drinks, okay my lady.” Thor says and you look at him albeit a bit stunned but you start singing ‘Jake On Weed’ instead of ‘Take On Me’. Now you knew a certain story behind those lyrics, but you had no idea how Thor and Loki knew those exact same ones. You were definitely going to ask him over drinks. Hopefully, he didn’t forget or find the company of another instead. Elizabeth heard you four singing the lyrics and turned around stunned. She knew the story, it was her story after all. She knew that Bridge and you knew, the other two were a huge mystery to her as well. Before the end of the song several people around you were also singing ‘Jake On Weed’ instead of ‘Take On Me’. The band laughed at the audiences’ antics to the lyrics and continued on with the rest of the show. Bridge and you sang along to every song, dancing too, and you tried not to bump into Thor, although it was hard not too. He didn’t seem to mind though, as a matter of fact he loosened up and swayed to the music too. You wouldn’t call it dancing however if you were him, you’d be a little self-conscious too. The first set was the entire album ‘Hunting High and Low’ in the order of the tracks on the album.

You and Bridge couldn’t help but be teary eyed when the band played the title song as you did the first time you saw them live. You tried not to let Thor see but he leaned down, “Are you okay my ladies?”

You nod yes and answer him, “Yes, we just get a bit emotional at the song.” He put his hand on your shoulder and gently squeezed it. You tried not over analyze the interaction, he was just being nice. You both smiled at one another and turned your attentions back to the show.

Set List:

Take On Me

Train Of Thought

Hunting High and Low

The Blue Sky

Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale

The Sun Always Shines On TV

And You Tell Me

Love Is Reason

I Dream Myself Alive

Here I Stand and Face The Rain

The second set was a mix of their hits from their other nine albums as well as new track that hadn’t been released called ‘Digital Rain’.

Set 2

Analogue (All I Want)

Foot of The Mountain

The Swing of The Things

Crying In The Rain

Sycamore Leaves

Digital River

I’ve Been Losing You

Stay on These Roads

 Encore

Scoundrel Days

The Living Daylights

 You and Bridge got teary eyed during ‘Stay on These Roads’ however Thor didn’t say anything, but sang along with you as you put your arm around him this time. You were not sure why you did but you felt he needed the reassurance and a connection.  He understood the lyrics; if anything they spoke more to him than most. With everything he had been through over his lifetime, he knew that you had to stay on no matter how bad it got. That better things were ahead. The band closed with their Bond Theme, from the movie of the same title, and it was the perfect ending to an amazing night.

You were sad to see it end, however Thor and Loki turned to you, “So I offered to buy you a drink.” He says to you.

“You did offer but you don’t have too.” Trying to let him out of the obligation he set for himself.

“No! Now, we are not ready for the night to end just yet and besides, we promised to tell you the story of the song.” Thor smiles. “Now I know you know who we are but let me introduce myself and my brother. I’m Thor Odinson and this is Loki Odinson, my brother.” Thor extends his hand towards you and you offer yours in kind. Expecting a handshake and getting a kiss on the back of your hand instead. You tried not to blush, but Loki saw it and he made a smirk at you. You rolled your eyes at him and he laughed. Thor kissed Bridge’s hand too, ever the gentleman you thought. She blushed and the blush furthered when Loki winked at her. Again you rolled your eyes at him. He smirked at you and you turned back to Thor.

“My name is Elora and this is my dear friend Bridgette. We are heading out to an after party in Hollywood with other fans. Would you like to join us? Then you can buy us a drink and share your story about Jake On Weed.” You say trying not to sound like you just had one of the best nights of your life but you couldn’t hide your happiness. The smile on your face was too sincere to wish away.

“Loki, what do you say?” Thor asked his brother. Loki looked to you and Bridgette.

“Only if she let’s me buy her drink.” He looks as Bridgette and winks at her.

“Of course he can, right Bridge?” You answer for her because you knew that’s what she wanted. If you considered yourself a Thor’s Whore, well then she was a Loki’s Loose Lady. “I’m going to order a car for us.”

While you were ordering the car, Elizabeth walked over to your happenstance group of the evening. “Hey! The show was fantastic!” She paused and reached out to hug you. You hugged her back and then she continued with what she was saying. “You all are coming to the party, right?” She looked to Bridge, Thor, and Loki.

“We’re all going to be there. Oh, let me introduce you to out newest friends?” You say with a question. You look at Thor and he nods yes to your question. “This is Thor and Loki Odinson, Asgards biggest A-ha fans. Who knew?!”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Jane says and waves at them from where she’s standing next you. “Okay, do you have the address to the party?”

“Yes. I already ordered a car to come and pick us up. It should be here in about 10 minutes, so we should probably head out to meet it soon.”

“Good. I just ordered our car as well, so we’ll all head out together.” Elizabeth said and then continued her train of audible thought. “Can I ask you two a question?” She looked at Thor and Loki as she asked.

“Certainly. We’ve nothing to hide.” Thor says smiling at Loki who just shakes his head at him.

“Fair enough. So why were you singing ‘Jake On Weed’ instead of ‘Take On Me’?” Elizabeth asked them with a bewildered look on her face.

Thor and Loki exchange glances. Loki actually chuckles before he speaks. “Well it was record store day and upon my travels throughout the realms, I’ve come to discover the love of vinyl. I have quite a collection and I enjoy listening to it. Our mother would’ve loved it, right?”

“Oh she’d love to sit and listen to music with you. You always did have the arts in common.” Thor says with a fondness in his voice to offset Loki’s hint of sadness.

“Upon learning of record store day, I took Thor shopping with me in the DC area to look for the releases. Now we happen into a store, with a young man as the clerk. He is on his phone, managing his social media accounts or whatever it is they do. The phone rings, the store phone not his cell phone, and he answers it. Of course you know he’s trying to be helpful. I can hear her talking to the clerk on the other end of the line. Good hearing, Asgardians have good hearing.”

“We’ve already established that Loki.” Thor interjects and Loki smiles.

“Yes, we have. So She asks him for a specific Record Store Day release. “Take On Me”. Of course he can’t understand her and looks at me. I whisper to him, “Jake On Weed” So repeats it to her, “Jake On Weed?” She replies, “No, Take On Me by A-ha” He answer’s her, “Is that A H A?” She replies “Yes”. He say, “Um, no, we don’t have that one. Sorry.” So that was the end of that conversation. Now you have to understand 3 other individuals called asking about it while we were there. You got the ‘Jake On Weed’ and to the others I told them ‘Spank My Knee’, ‘Pee On Me’, and ‘She Just Teed’. Yours was my favorite.” Loki smiled his mischievously charming smile at Elizabeth who looked amazed and in awe.

“So, it was you who did that?” Elizabeth shook her head and laughed. We all did. Bridge and you had heard her talk about this and sadly you never did get your copy of ‘Jake On Weed’ that Record Store Day. Elizabeth did and she had an unknown interaction with the God of Mischief himself.

“It was and look at how it has brought us all together.” Loki added.

“We should probably head out front, our cars are probably waiting.” You say to the group who has now become a bit larger with Elizabeth’s party joining in on the story you all knew but from one point of view.

“After you.” Thor says and let’s you lead the way out of the front lobby of the theatre. He places a hand on the small of your back as he leads you through the crowd of fans waiting. Loki walks with Bridgette behind the two of you. You spot your car waiting for you.

“We’ll see you there!” You say to Elizabeth.

She’s walking the opposite way to her ride. “Okay, be safe! See you in a bit.” Elizabeth replies with a huge smile.

The four of approach the minivan and the driver roles down the passenger window. “Elora?” He asks.

“Yes, party of four to West Hollywood.” You say to him and he smiles.He opens the side door automatically and Loki grabs Bridgette’s hand.

“Trouble makers to the back of the bus, right?” He askes her and she looks at you then back to Loki.

“It’s the best seat in the van.” Bridgette says to him and helps her in first and slinks in after her. You watch in almost utter amazement as they get into the rear seat of the minivan.

Suddenly you feel the hand move from the small of your back to you right hand. It was large, calloused, and warmly electrifying. You looked over and Thor motioned for you to get it. “After you, Lady Elora.” He bows a bit and you duck inside sitting in the far captain’s chair behind the driver. Thor sits in the other captains chair and the driver closes the door.

“Are we all ready?” The driver asks.

“Yes, my good sir.” Thor answers and turns, smiling at you. “So you ready for that drink?” He asks you.

“Oh yes and you may get a dance if you’re lucky!” You tell him and wink.

“I do feel lucky.” Thor says and reaches over taking your hand. You look at your hands, fingers intertwined. You can hear Loki from the rear seat whispering in Bridgette’s ear. Your hearing wasn’t as bad you pretended. Of course, you didn’t have to hear whatever Asgardian sweet talk he was telling Bridge. Thor wasn’t the only one feeling lucky.

‘We’re talking away

I don’t know what I’m to say

I’ll say it anway

Today’s another day to find you

Shying away

I’ll be coming for your love, okay?’          

A brief summary of some ocs

Sidenote: i have a lot of ocs. like a lot. idk I just really enjoy making new characters for things, and adapting old ones into new formats, and yeah this list may have a part 2 who knows because a lot of other ocs exist as their own thing. But, since I’m more known for marvel stuff, here’s those guys under the cut ;)

(This mainly goes out to @best-slash-fic-pls, who asked to hear more about them. But, anyone, feel free to send me asks about any of these characters. If you like I’ll even try and answer them in character! Idk, it could be fun)

So, at present, I have 3 main MCU based ocs

1. Tekran Opindoor

She’s part of a specific division of the Nova Corps that does deep space rescue missions. Think like a mountain ranger or something but….space

Her aesthetic and costume is kind of space nautical, very Treasure Planet inspired. Typical nova corps uniform but also a long ass pirate coat and big ol’ pirate boots

Attitude wise Tekran’s a sweetheart, very stressed out 27 though, but she likes to act like she has her head on straight

Usually very optimistic, likes to plan things out in excruciating detail and prefers not to take risks

She’s not a fighter, she’s a rescuer. And she’ll fight you on that (well maybe not fight, possibly a sternly worded post it note)

Has a big ass spaceship called the Prime Bacon - which Quill tricked her into naming after Kevin Bacon. She was not pleased.

Pilot-wise, she’s less of a speedster and more of a ‘this ship is so god damn huge I can just crash into stuff’ style of attacking - the very few times she does need to attack. The cannons on her ship are supposed to be for blasting stray meteors, but can occasionally be used to shoot giant purple grapes in the face

Sidenote: Her ship is styled to look like a big fish. I have no idea why, it just is. I do have a drawing of it somewhere that I’d be happy to share if y’all want

Her place in the MCU is basically that she helped the Asgardians get back to earth post infinity war

Before that she was kind of just doing her own thing, occasionally bumped into the Guardians

She has a lot of complex feelings about the Guardians / Ravagers, as she’s very lawful good and feels uncomfortable breaking laws, but she knows a good person at heart when she sees one

2. ‘Baxter’

Baxter isn’t her real name. Not a lot of people know what her real name is, because she’s got so many aliases that it’s kind of hard to keep track.

She’s not exactly good with coming up with the names though. Her fake identities are always called something ridiculous

Notable examples include: Chiffon Vanderghast, Tennessee Tallahassee, Sunny Skye, and Boulevard Williams

Her deal is she was originally a freelance weapons dealer, got busted selling stuff to hydra, and then decided to give a bunch of hydras information to shield in exchange for leniency regarding her sentencing

But of course hydra was in shield, and so she got quietly killed before she could get round to it

Double but, she had previously signed up for a trial experiment to replicate the captain America serum, and the experiment was deemed a failure but had the unintended consequence of bringing her back from the dead

She’s not got regenerative powers though, there’s just something in her that keeps her walking around. Kind of like a zombie but without all the zombie….ness….idk

Personality wise she’s kind of a huckster, very used-car-salesman kinda vibes

Her heart isn’t really in….anything, she just kind of goes where the most money is

Still she’s usually quite a good humoured person, doesn’t tend to hold grudges, sort of a hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy style of nihilism where everything’s gone to hell so why not make the most of it?

Aesthetic wise, she’s kind of grungey. Maintaining dignity is difficult when you’re undead, so she kind of just takes what clothes she can get which results in lots of mismatched options.

3. Akrit Tsosie

Dropout of the magic school academy whatever that Strange went to

He got so far in the programme but wanted to go home to be closer to his family, specifically his grandma

But, he wanted to continue studying, so attempted to self teach himself the last few bits which had some….interesting results

Basically his magic is a bit more fluid and messy than Strange’s, and a lot of it relies on pre-drawn symbols that he has on various parts of his body - kind of like cheat codes for magic

Favours usage of portals, background as an actor in musical theatre so favours the dramatic (as well as this giving him some gymnastic abilities)

Doesn’t usually use his powers much, aside from the occasional bout of laziness that I think we’d all succumb to eventually

Plot wise I haven’t figured out as much, I think he’d be more involved in endgame because of his limited time travel abilities? (Something something magic)

I had a sort of idea wherein he tries to resurrect one of his dusted family members using magic, but it goes wrong and causes a bit of a disaster that prof hulk has to help stop, and that’s when he’d then get involved

Attitude wise he’s quite laid back, doesn’t have his aspirations set very high but still likes to achieve them

He’s just very easy on himself I think, big on self care and taking a step back when he needs to - but sometimes needs a push to get into potentially risky action

Turns into a bit of a pessimist after the snap, but doesn’t go down a super dark route - just kind of sticks with what he’s got and stays a bit closer to the ground

Aesthetic wise, he’s quite casual with how he looks normally, but does love a dramatic flare to his ‘battle costume’ or whatever the heck he’s got going on

And there we go! Let me know if you want to know about any more of my ocs, or if you want me to elaborate on any of the above 😊

Okay, so now that I've watched the movie,

Here's some spoiler-free review of Captain Marvel.

Carol. Carol. Carol. I'm in love with her. I would give out my heart and my left spleen for her. If she wants to kill me, I would let her and it would be an honour.

We all know Carol as this badass lady from the trailers, right? Well guess what, on top of that, she's surprisingly adorable. She's so awkward and clueless when it comes to earth culture oh my God-

You know those dudebros right, the ones who go "HeR acTing'S sO FlAt, sHe sHOuLD SMiLe mORe"? Well, this movie proved they haven't got a leg to stand on. The stark contrast between Vers, the stoic amnesiac soldier, the fierce and vibrant pilot Carol, and Captain Marvel-who's been through some shit but came out a hundred times more stronger-was so crisp, so spot-on, so flawless. Phenomenal acting on Brie Larson, really. You can really see why got that Oscar.

(Conclusion-anyone who has a problem with her acting after actually seeing the movie is a triggered incel, pass it on).

Young Nick Fury is amazing and he and Carol's banter is delicious.

There's a tendency I hate in movies with female leads and male deuteragonists, in which the male "supporting role" actually overshadows the "lead" when it comes to plot relevancy. The 'She's a Strong Independent Woman who'll introduce us to the Plot, but it's actually Average Joe over there who's going to come up with a simple plan at a critical timing to solve all the conflicts in it" trope. Or as I like to call it, the faux-female protagonist plot. Well, that wasn't the case in this movie! I was afraid because we all know Samuel L. Jackson is a household name and obviously sells tickets, but he stayed as the perfect supporting role while still remaining relevant. I am glad.

We get a scene where Fury loses his eye. It's a very dramatic and emotionally charged moment.

Goose is a good kitty and deserves all the ear scritches she gets. Or whatever it is that cats like(I'm a dog person can't you see?!)

You will fall in love with the aliens in this movie. You will. You'll see.

The action choreography is phenomenal. It doesn't only look good, they look like they actually hurt. Her punches carries a 'heavy' feeling, if that makes sense.

The answer for "What was Captain Marvel doing in the Infinity War?" was solved curtly and swiftly. No loose threads left hanging in the end.

The core message moved me. It inspired me, and it's a message that will be relatable on an instinctual level to every woman living in this day and age, especially if she's working/studying in a male-dominated field. It's also a message we as women need to hear, a message that cannot be emphasized enough.

Oh, and also:

There are two end credit scenes. The second one is CRUCIAL to understanding Avengers:Endgame so don't even think about leaving the theatre, mmkay?

" 𝐦 𝐲   𝐩 𝐚 𝐬 𝐭   𝐢 𝐬   𝐦 𝐲   𝐨 𝐰 𝐧 . " briefly, before i get into my portrayal for nat, it’s worth noting that while i’ve done a fair amount of research into her background, i am not wholly familiar with her various comic arcs. this blog will predominantly be cinematic universe based, with influences from her canon background since marvel waited a decade to make her origin movie, and have given us literally nothing. this post should clarify not only my own portrayal, but my verses for the moment, in forming connections with me. if there is anything you want to include or exclude, mention it, and i’ll likely be willing.

as a final note, you will not find the characterisation heavily prevalent in age of ultron for nat on this blog. she deserved better than an attempt at a beauty and the beast storyline, and she’s never been a damsel in distress. you won’t find any of that here.

🕷  𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐨𝐨𝟏. 🕷 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎.

most of this will be integrated forms of canon, from the comics. born natalia romanova in russia, and believed ( in rumours ) to be related to the last ruling czars of russia. various different reports surround the death of her parents - the only thing that most seem to agree on is that ivan petrovitch was involved in her upbringing, and at a young age, she was taken to the "red room" facility to be trained as a soviet spy, along with other young female orphans. there, she was given by bio-technological and psych-technological enhancements, including a varied strand of the super soldier serum used within the "winter soldier" program. this means that yes, she does have enhanced strength and speed, along with a longer life span, and extended youth. her reflexes are incredibly fast, as well as her cognitive abilities to withstand pain. she received extensive training in manipulation, coding, languages, and various different fighting styles. she has been designed as the perfect weapon, and taught to use whatever women are shamed for - sexuality, emotion - as a tool in her future assignments. she can also withstand high amounts of torture.

various training and conditioning replaced her memories - for example, she had never been trained in ballet in the bolshoi theatre, but has extensive artificial memories of doing so, allowing a deep form of psychological impact on her muscle memory, and making her fighting style much more fluid. it is through the red room, that natasha was trained under the "winter soldier", with the two forming a relationship. when they were found out, their memories were respectively wiped, and james kept in crytostatis to keep the pair of them focused on their work. it is stated on several occasions that natasha is the most memorable asset the red room has produced.

🕷  𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐨𝐨𝟐. 🕷 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆.

not much is known about the time between the red room, and her time within the avengers. what we do know is that natasha spent extensive amounts of time working as an enemy spy - she has ties to the kgb, and was apparently involved in several operations spanning across the cold war. much of this verse is up for negotiation, but it’s worth noting that through this time, she did not have a grasp on her own memories - they weren’t her own.

at a certain point in this time, she met clint barton in budapest, who convinced her to turn to the other side. this is where she joined shield. more details will come on this point in time, in a future post - this was what had the most profound change on nat. we also know during this time, she came across the winter soldier, and was shot by him - her lack of reference to who he is, specifically, implies that she still has no memory of the events.

🕷  𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐨𝐨𝟑. 🕷 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓.

this verse spans across the entirety of the marvel cinematic universe, beginning with her time joining the avengers, and continuing to her death within endgame. her time within the avengers initiative expands on her newfound abilities on the “good” side, and it’s worth noting that she is still unaware of much of her past ( for instance, though , at this point. this verse will include her presence within the following movies, and take all events of each movie as canon, though the characterisation and her personal dynamics are not set in stone :

avengers.

captain america: the winter soldier.

avengers: age of ultron.

captain america: civil war.

avengers: infinity war.

avengers: endgame.

the events of the first few movies see nat forming a leadership role alongside steve in training the newer recruits of the team, implying that she has a hand in working closely with each of them. ultimately what sways her decision to fight alongside steve, instead of tony, following the divide within the team down the line, is her knowledge that at least half the team will end up arrested or in prison - and though she loves all of the team, she would rather spend her time keeping them safe. at this time, it is again worth mentioning that she still has no memory of who exactly the winter soldier is, though she knows what he is capable of as an enemy - and muscle memory seems to take over, when physically fighting him ( for instance, she knows to target his arm with the widow’s bite, rather than any other part of his body, implying she knows there’s sensitivity there ).

following the events of infinity war, nat spends her time attempting to keep the team together, and taking over as “leader” while steve and tony are not there. her decision to sacrifice herself to get the soul stone implies several things - one, whether or not you believe nat would die for clint, we know that he is besotted with her, and that the sacrifice must be what one of them loves the most. for nat, she knows that is her - and yet, she knows if clint dies, it won’t be enough. and two, she knows that returning the stone to where it was in time might bring her back in the future. she’s placing bets on her team to win.

🕷  𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐨𝐨𝟒. 🕷 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉.

this verse can go one of two ways. either, when steve returns the stone, the sacrifice is void and nat is brought back. or, two, following the storyline present within the 616 arc of the comics. within that particular arc, the red room has been creating clones of natasha romanoff, and one of them is given the memories ( and therefore, a variation of her consciousness ) of the real nat, who forms a plan to make it seem as if she is working for the red room facility, but all the while, is “awake” and planning to bring down the red room. in either verse, being brought back means she remembers everything that the red room took from her - and she’s fixated on bringing it down, so that no other woman will ever go through what she did. that means that while natasha is technically dead and gone, her consciousness and memories are present in this new natasha, making her essentially the same as the natasha that they lost. technically, she’s a clone - but she’s nat.

Avengers: Endgame reaction

IT CONTAINS SPOILERS UNDER THE BREAK SO DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE!!!!

I don’t even know how to begin! So much happened in this movie, you don’t even feel you’ve been watching for three hours. Overall, I think it’s a great movie  with a great ending. There are things I had a little bit of difficulty understanding, so I’ll probably watch it again soon. Only one thing REALLY bothered me and I think I’ll be salty about it for next week or so, but other than that thing I just LOVED Avengers: Endgame.

I was a little bit lost with the whole time-travelling stuff and how it worked (but I always have a bit of trouble understanding time-travelling in books or movies). I don’t know if it’s just me, but some things didn’t make a lot of sense. For exemple, If Present Thor took Mjölnir from Past Thor , how did Past Thor still had it if the timelines were not really changing? How come when Present Nebula kills Past Nebula, Present Nebula didn’t die? Or at the end when Cap went back in time to return the stones, how was it possible for him to live there if his past self was still there? So it’s things like that that made the movie a bit confusing and not so coherent (again, it could just be me not understanding time-travelling), but I at the same time I didn’t really care about those details. At the end of the day, it’s a sci-fi/fantansy movie, so it has its own rules and it can do whatever it want with them. Plus, all but one of my favourite characters ended up having a happy end, so I’m pretty happy with the overall result!

I enjoyed so much when they all went back in time to retrieve the stones. It was like a series of little throwback here and there throughout the key moments. My favourite was when Tony, Steve, Bruce and Ant-Man went to 2012 New York, it was so well done! And when Steve and Tony went even further back in time and Steve got a little glimpse of Peggy...uff my broke for him!

THAT FINAL BATTLE WAS EPIC! From how it started with only the OG (minus Natasha -.-) War Machine, Ant-Man, Rocket Raccoon against Thanos and his gang to how it unfolded with all the superheroes coming back from “death” and Steve saying “Avengers Assemble”. The girls uniting their forces in order to get the gauntlet to safety was empowering and amazing ( though it pissed me off Natasha was not there)!

Other than the main characters, Nebula deserves a special mention! Oh my goodness, she was amazing! You could see she was still hurting from everything that happened to her in the past and how she was trying her best to reverse the Snap! The torture she suffered from Thanos and how accidentally she revealed (through Past Nebula) what the Avengers where planning...I mean, she is a strong character! Had Tony not been able to take the gauntlet from Thanos, not other character would’ve been worth it to do it than Nebula!

What they did to Natasha was unforgivable (see below to know overall how I feel about her)! However, for those who have seen the movie, I don’t know if you noticed the ballerina shoes on a chair after she had the call with Okoye, Carol, and Rhody. I thought i was a nice little detail about her. Also, I loved how she kept putting her feet on the table at any chance she had.

Now about the main characters:

Hawkeye: They begin the movie with Clint’s family becoming victims of the snap. There was an audible gasp in the movie theatre when that happen! I was not expecting the movie to start in that way, and I guess it just set the tone on how the movie was going to be. I really liked the scene where Natasha goes to look after him. It felt like reading a comic book, but in a video format it was well executed. 

Hulk: This new Bruce Banne/Hulk was AMAZING! He was funny, entertaining, good...It’s like he had found the perfect balance between his two self. I think Mark Ruffalo’s personality was more visible in this characterization of Bruce/Hulk, which made the character more interesting. 

Thor: He went for the the head this time, but it did not solve anything because Thanos had already destroyed the stones. Fast forward 5 years later, and he is living in New Asgard with Valkyrie and the Asgardian survivors. He is depressed and not doing well emotionally. It’s like he lost his motivation for life (which is understandable after all he went through) and feels guilty for not having killed Thanos in Wakanda. At least, when he traveled in time to retrieve the reality stone from Asgard he got to talk one last time with his mother and got back Mjölnir. When the final battle happens, his old self makes a come back and the way he fights Thanos with both Mjölnir and Stormbreaker is genius. At the end, he decides he doesn’t want to be king of Asgard anymore and gives the “crown” to Valkyrie and joins the Guardians of the Galaxy in their ships (there’s a funny moment between him and Peter Quill about who is the leader). I hope he is going to have an appearance in the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Captain America: I am so glad and relived with the happy ending they gave him. I was prepared to see him die and I hoped, if that were to happen, that they would give him the chance to see Bucky and Sam at least one more time and that he would die a hero. In fact, I was sure he was going to die and not Tony! We all knew he was worthy of Mjölnir, but to finally see him lifting it and using it in a battle was pretty epic (the whole theatre clapped and cheered when it happen). Throughout the MCU, Cap has been through so much and for him to finally have his dance with Peggy (and marrying her, and having a life with her) was just perfect. As much as  I love Bucky Barnes, I was soooooo happy when he gave the shield to Sam so he could become Captain America. Sam truly deserved it! Really, i could not ask anything more for my favourite Marvel character of all time!

Iron Man: Oh wow! Tony’s sacrifice was just...urgh I don’t even know how to describe it! The growth he’s had as a character throughout the years is amazing. I’m happy he was the one ultimately defeating Thanos; he died a hero! He showed he was selfless, literally taking one for the team and doing whatever it takes to reverse the snap. As for the beginning of the movie, I liked how he bonded with Nebula, They were 23 days stranded in space (if i’m not mistaken) and they took care of each other. I thought his anger at Steve was a little bit wrong. Blaming Steve and telling him he was not there when they needed him is bit harsh. In a way, Tony decided to go to space and fight Thanos (and I’m not judging him for that!) before he could reach Steve. We all saw in Infinity War that right after the battle with Midnight Proxima and Corvus Glaive, Steve and his team went to the Compound to plan the fight. I know it’s a bittersweet ending for Iron Man, who is one of the most beloved characters (if not the most) in the MCU, but at least I tell myself he got time with Pepper their baby girl Morgan.  His memory will always live among the Avengers and the other heroes!

Black Widow: I’m speechless and not in a good way about what happened to her. All I gotta say is: NATASHA ROMANOFF DESERVED BETTER. I’ll write a separate post about Natasha in Endgame because what happened to her was UNACCEPTABLE. I cannot be the only one feeling this way! Her ending and the little screen time she had were the only things I didn't like in the movie, I was so disappointed...

Review: All Good Things Must Come to an Endgame. (major spoilers.)

Capping off phase three of the Marvel cinematic universe was always going to be a monumental task. It had to be a film that worked both as a sequel to Infinity War, while also tying together buckets of plot and development from over twenty movies over the last decade. The Russo brothers had to juggle actors contracts being up, coming up with a believable fix to The Snap, while subtly hinting at what might come next for phase four. For the most part they managed to create a thrilling, satisfying movie that had me cheering in my seats, but definitely had me thinking about certain (mostly inconsequential) details that didn’t feel quite right.

Review under the cut.

The Time Heist.

We knew that somehow, no matter what, the remaining heroes from Infinity war would find a way to get everyone back. It’d be a crap end to the franchise if they didn’t, and also confusing considering there are movies planned that depend on certain characters, you know… existing. Time travel was the prevailing theory for a lot of people, and it makes the most sense. Still, the way that idea was used, to go back to key times in MCU that were both infinity stone locations, and places were each character could grow and reflect on the past was beautiful. And it was entertaining as an audience member seeing characters that have grown so much over the years encounter younger, stupider versions of themselves (looking at you Starlord.) The heavy emphasis on the original avengers film in 2012 was important; as that was arguably the first movie that proved a shared cinematic universe could work. As the present day Scott, Tony, Steve and Bruce scurry around the 2012 battle of New York we get a look back at the original six heroes kicking ass, as well as a sneaky view into what happened after. The way they all just took the tesseract, scepter and time stone felt very easy but was enjoyable nonetheless. In fact, the collection of all the stones, barring the soul stone guarded by Red Skull were all collected incredibly easily, so the focus was more on nostalgia than a complicated heist plot.

(A highlight was definitely Tony perving on “America’s ass”.)

Not All Hero Arcs were Created Equal.

With the destruction of half all living things the movie was able to zero in on a smaller core cast, and luckily the first six Avengers, the people who have been on the journey the longest, it was a final chance to give them a thoughtful, meaningful farewell. With the addition of Rocket, Rhodey, Nebula and to a lesser extend Carol (more on that in a bit) the original cast were able to close out their storylines. Some of these were more successful, Hawkeye getting his family back, or Bruce finding a balance between beast and man were nice. The Hulk thing was strange and could be written off as a joke, it’s hard to take Bruce or the Hulk seriously as the weird mash-up they ended up as.

Some of the storylines ended, in my opinion, kind of sourly. As soon as Hawkeye and Black Widow rocked up to the soul stone planet, you knew one of them was doomed. Scarlett Johansson rose to the occasion in a big way, as she sometimes falls flat. First as the tired warrior trying to hold down the Avengers after the snap, which was a cool evolution to a character who used to be a loner, then as the sacrificial lamb. It was a truly heartbreaking thing to watch Clint and Nat try to save each other, a final ode to their relationship, which was one of the best in the MCU. When Clint returned to the present without her it felt heavy, so I was frustrated she didn’t get as great a send-off or the same emotional response that the other major death got.

Thor’s fate is already one of the most contentious outcomes on the internet. I hate that basically any development made during Thor Ragnarok has been undone, I wish that the Russo’s had been more faithful to the ideas Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth made. But I do believe his current state, as a drunk, overweight recluse, isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility. He did lose everything and blamed himself for The Snap, so to want to spiral, to break down and lose hope, isn’t beyond possibility. The weight gain could be seen as just a punch line, (making fun of people who gain weight isn’t funny or cool) but it’s also a conscious step away from “perfect man, perfect body angel pirate” thing. He still got to play around with Meek and Korg, which was great. I do not believe for a second he would just leave New Asgard and the people he fought so hard to join the Guardians. That’s dumb, but when an actor wants to put a character to rest concessions have to be made. The big issue will be explaining his absence if he’s not in Guardians 3. (He could and should replace Chris Pratt.)

Tony and Steve, Captain America and Iron Man, were always going to be the two characters with the grandest ending narratives. They have led and been the leaders of most movies. They got, in my opinion, very suitable and bittersweet endings. Cap has fought and fought, slowly inching away from the patriot of the 1940s, to see him go back and get the ending he was robbed of when he went into the ice was really nice. The rules of fictional time-travel, not just in Back to the Future, say he shouldn’t have been able to do this. To totally change his past things would change in the future but whatever. Would he leave all the friends he’s made the last decade, to revert back to a more difficult time? That’s for the message boards to debate. He got a happy ending, which is fitting.

Tony Stark has had one of the best character arcs in movie history. From “the merchant of death,” to a hero who was still an emotionally stunted lone wolf, to a team leader who has tried to sacrifice himself at least once in every movie he’s been in. The hero that started the entire franchise in a cave with a box of scraps. He sort of got his happy ending and then didn’t. He got to spend four years happy with a family which is what a lot of people wanted for him. But in the end, it was him that made the ultimate sacrifice. There’s the idea that to have a character suffer for so long to only die at the end isn’t entertainment. But it was fitting, it was emotional and it was beautiful. He had the strength to do his own snap, and then he got to be with his wife, his best friends and his adoptive son Peter one last time. (I thought I couldn’t cry harder than when Peter turned to dust, but the sequel hurt, where the two roles were reversed, way more.) Robert Downey Jr's work, his acting in not just those final scenes but in the whole movie was a master class. Hopefully, Peter and the rest of the world will be able to move on… But I doubt it.

Thanos in Infinity War said to Strange during their first battle “You never used your greatest weapon” which back then was the time stone, but this time it was Captain Marvel. The excuse that she was in space explained why she never helped the Avengers before pretty well but to use that again to explain how little she was in Endgame was a cop-out. The first ten minutes, where they fight Thanos the first time and she put him in a chokehold was so satisfying. The second time when she took the full brunt of a head-butt and not flinch was even cooler. Imagine if she’d had the opportunity to travel to 2012 or even to go collect the power stone. I understand that she has solo sequels pretty much assured, but she definitely should have been in Endgame so much more… and her haircut made her look like Hillary Clinton.

The next generation, Valkyrie, Wanda, Carol, Sam and Bucky all have bright futures, and I think it’ll be very exciting when Disney releases television shows starring some of them.

Fight!

Finally, I wanted to mention how perfect, how epic, how breathtaking that final fight was. Starting with the big three against a no gauntlet Thanos, that almost would have been enough. We got the fan service of Captain America holding you know what, Thor fighting with long hair again. But when Thanos’ army comes over the hill, and then Doctor Strange opes up a hundred portals I screamed. Why neither of these armies showed up in Infinity War is a mystery but it was beautiful all the same. And that sequence, all the female heroes of the last decade (Including Pepper in some dope blue armor) lining up and going ham on their enemies was my favorite part of the movie hands down.

Final Verdict

So the overall feeling as I left the theatre was lots of excitement, and that the journey that the movies and the audience had been following for so, so long had come to a pretty satisfying conclusion. Any problems audiences may have so far seem to be subjective, and could be debated, about Caps goodbye, Thor’s weight, or whatever else. Endgame did an amazing job of celebrating the old movies, and was full of amazing action and fight sequences and left the door open to the possibilities for more movies with some fan favorites.

Tom‘s Spirit Week

Just one more day waiting! But first: #FavoriteTomFriday! For today I made again 3 collages. The first collage‘s theme is my favorite Tom Hiddleston moments from his 37th birthday – today. Here they come:

1. *Since I saw Early Man after the man‘s 37th birthday, I made an exception for this. In Early Man Tom does the voice of bad guy Lord Nooth. We know Tom is the king of accents! Here you can hear Tom do a French accent. There is a bath scene in which Lord Nooth gets an massage, you just got to see the Behind The Scenes footage of that! I really loved all the extra footage on the DVD.

2. The promotion he did for Avengers Infinity War even though his character only was seen in the first 5 minutes. Also for knowing Loki‘s ‘fate’ in this movie for more than 2 years..

3. Tom Hiddleston as Mary Poppins, or do I need to say: Mary Ploppins? Tom starred in the short video ‘Leading Lady Parts’ from which in the end you saw posters of Tom being the lead female role in films such as Mary Poppins & Wonder Woman. Leading Lady Parts sarcastically shows how hard the movie industry for women can be. Leading Lady Parts (produced by Rebel Park Productions) is an initiative of the Hear Her campaign in the United Kingdom, in which women who are normally not heard are given the opportunity to give their opinion on all kinds of subjects. In this short movie actresses audition do a serious role, but get the craziest requests. This becomes painfully clear when the casting agent, played by Catherine Tate, proclaims: 'It's not rocket science darling. We're just asking you to be thin and curvy, sexy and innocent. Thin, sexy, hooker, virgin with boobs and hips. " In the end because of the casting Agent pickiness, Tom Hiddleston is given the female roles instead. I appreciate it a lot that Tom is part of projects about women‘s rights. We all deserve to be treated fairly and not to be judged because of the way we look.

Tom said about this:

“I had so much admiration for everyone who's come forward and spoken up, and the movement of Time's Up and Me Too. I wanted to find a way to help but I was very conscious of it not being necessarily my story. First thing I felt that it was important to do very actively was to listen, to read, to hear so that women could tell their stories and begin to talk about how we might change the environment.” Time's Up

4. Suddenly out of the blue, there was this picture of Tom Hiddleston & Josh Wilson posted by Wilson Worldwide Productions Something about a secret project. I‘m still very curious, because we still don‘t know what it is! I think it‘s something very spectacular! We got something to look forward to! He also posted a second photo (that‘s the one in the collage) in which he tagged me & a few other Tom Hiddleston/Loki fan accounts in. That totally made my day, so thank you Josh!

5. This stands for all the Comic Cons he did. He healed a lot of fan‘s hearts (Which were still broken because of Infinity War). And even those who weren‘t there (including me) this angel reached with his wings. There were plenty of lovely pictures, lovely footage of the Panel‘s. I personally loved his face expression when a little boy asked him if Loki was truly dead. There also was this moment Tom said the words: “Know you are not alone!”, which meant a lot to me. We all have obstacles to face and unfortunately most of us had to deal with bullies (in the past). But where I‘m mostly grateful for is the fact that for every con there were fans collecting fans letters from all over the world, bonded in fan-books. Therefore I know a few of my letters, cards (Christmas card, Birthday card) are given to him! I think we can be blessed to be in such a wonderful fandom! ACE Comic Con.

6. On the 30th October Tom and Josie Rourke talked at the Alan Howard / JW3 Speaker Series. It was a lovely and inspiring interview, I was able to watch later on Youtube. He talked about how he stepped out of his comfort zone, which has inspired me to do the same. When I hear this man talk about acting; whether it‘s in film, series or theatre; it‘s so so visible I‘m listening to a man who found his passion and as I said it before: He truly has put his heart and soul it. Perhaps I do not know how to properly bring this into words, but I hope you understand what I mean. I think many people can see him as an example, given the fact for example how he has grown in +/- 20 years. From liking to do voices as a kid to this passion and talent which goes much deeper than just the word ‘acting’. He does inspire people to go take their passion to the next level as well.

7. Tom Hiddleston‘s first social media post in (what was it?) 2 years: Loki. More stories to tell. More mischief to make. More to come. That literally broke the internet! What Ralph Breaks the Internet? No, Tom Hiddleston breaks the internet! The #LokiSeries (#Disney+) confirmed by the man himself! I‘m so excited for this whole thing. Patient, patient.. But I‘m freaking out inside! Can‘t wait!

8. Tom also did a lot for charity this year. The picture that I chose is Tom visit to the Great Ormond Street Hospital and Children's Charity. He gave the children something they‘ll never forget! Online you were able to write a Christmas wish for the children, which got printed on a Christmas Stocking. On the photo he holds (I assume) his message for the Children. In general he did a lot for Children this year. Tom also donated for the Justice and Equality Fund which was all about the issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality. I remember people said Tom was late during the Avengers Infinity War screening/premiere in London, he met with children in co-operation from the Starlight Children's Foundation before. I cannot think of a better reason to be late for an official event ;).

9. This photo is taken by BBC Radio 2 during the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. It‘s truly one of my favorite pictures yet! There he spoke about ‘#Betrayal’ which will be hitting the theatre in London next month. He also spoke a little about the Loki Series & about the #Nightmanager season 2, but he wasn‘t alowed to say much about it yet. What better to start your Friday morning (it was a Friday) with then listening to Tom‘s voice on the radio! They also had some real good music in-between the talks. I heard ABBA, Journey (Don‘t stop Believing) & a live performance of a song of No Doubt. Also they spoke about the film 'Mary Queen of Scots' which premiered that week. I found it very impressive!

(The Jamie Lloyd Company Official London Theatre)

The second collage shows some random pictures of Tom I really like + my favorite roles he portrayed other than Loki! Those are Thomas Sharpe in ‘Crimson Peak’, Hank Williams in ‘I Saw The Light’ (the image shows my fave scene: the Baby scene!), Prince Hal in ‘The Hollow Crown’ (I am planning to do a Hollow Crown marathon tomorrow on his birthday!) and I just found out F. Scott Fitzgerald from ‘Midnight in Paris’ is missing. I‘ve watched that film on his birthday last year. In Midnight in Paris a writer (Owen Wilson) literally finds his inspiration in the 20s. And one of my favorite moments of Tom still is when a baby easily got him distracted during an #Avengers Interview. He turns to the baby and says: “Hello baby..”, so adorable!

Last collage is dedicated to Loki! (How else, this blog isn‘t called Goddess of Loki for nothing!) I chose some nice photo‘s I hadn‘t used for We Share What We Want Wednesday yet + a few of my fave LokiTom moments.

I wish Tom a lovely 38th birthday tomorrow! (Of course I wish you all a lovely #TomHiddleston Birthday tomorrow!)

21 Questions

Rules: Answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people who you want to get to know better.

Tagged by:@megwritesfanfiction

Nickname: Sab, Sabs, Jen

Zodiac: Gemini

Height: 5′9, sometimes closer to 5′10 if I’ve been kind to my back

Last Movie I saw: Avengers: Infinity War on blueray, in theatres....The Last Jedi?

Last Thing I googled: “my first girlfriend turned into the moon gif”, and before that was “slap slap kiss trope”

Favorite Musician: Guster

Song Stuck in my Head: Things are blessedly silent inside my head today

Other Blogs: I co-mod @snowwhite-andtheknight with @infinitelystrangemachinex (and, depending on the challenge, @superhappybubbleslove); I also have pillowfort, though i have done very little with it at the moment

Do I get Asks: in an intermittent fashion, yes

Following: 144

Followers: 544 (I just had to boot 545 for being ANOTHER GODDAMN PORN BLOG)

Amount of Sleep: I try for 8, and usually end up in that vacinity

Lucky Number: 13

What I’m Wearing: I had to actually get dressed today and go outside, so dark gray leggings, a black and white striped dress, and pink and black socks

Dream Job: published author

Dream Trip: I don’t think I have any one specific place. I don’t travel well, so I tend to take travel plans as they come, rather than dreaming about specific locale.

Favorite Food: Cheesecake. As of right now. Because I wants it.

Play Any Instruments?: Nope! I self-taught myself a little bit of piano when I was a kid, but I was never much good at reading music. I was a soprano in my middle/high school choir for a long time, if that counts.

Languages: English, and some French (I read a lot better than I speak). I have a smattering of other ones - Spanish, German, Irish Gaelic, Swedish; but not enough to hold a conversation

Favorite Songs: Nothing in particular right now!

Random Fact: My memory (when I am not pregnant) is so eerily good that I have to pretend I don’t remember specific people or events when I’m with people I don’t know well (otherwise people find it unnerving; I remember chance meetings from over five years ago, personal trivia people have told me about themselves the first time we met, have nearly perfect recall of conversations I had as far back as childhood, etc). I clearly don’t bother with people who know me; my husband is resigned to the fact that although I don’t drag dumb shit he’s done over the past twelve years into an argument, I still remember EVERY MOMENT of them in crystal clear detail.

Describe yourself as Aesthetic Things: ocean pictures, notebooks with dotted grids, stars, mugs of hot cocoa, aesthetic food pictures, otters

Tagging: @infinitelystrangemachinex, @nebluus, @vivianwisteria, @maverae, @aika-p

OKAY. well today was pretty sweet. I had my alarm set for 10:00 am but ended up waking up at 9:42 am and just said fuck it and got up. I checked my messages and as expected I had a message from Jess asking about getting brunch and then confirmed our plans for the rest of the day. I got dressed and we met up at the spot, which had more people around it than usual because the place that’s right there was doing a branding makeover and I got a free sample of pie so that was cool lol. we went to the vegetarian place for brunch, and while we were eating it started snowing which is super fucking annoying because it’s the fucking END OF APRIL we shouldn’t have to still be dealing with this lol. we had some autographs to mail out and the ups store is right next to the vegetarian place so we ended up going there once we finished eating and mailed the two domestic ones, I have the international one that I’ll mail from the post office on Monday because ups has an international surcharge that would’ve made it super fucking expensive to mail from the ups store. once that was done we walked back through the snow to where Jess had parked her car and started our journey for the day. we were heading up to the suburbs because Jess had managed to get some emissions check thing get lit up in her car because she tried to top off the gas but apparently her gas tank is very sensitive (it’s one of those that doesn’t have an actual cap to it) and according to the internet it was something about a software error that was recalled because of it so basically we had to bring it up to the dealership so they could fix that, hopefully for free, and that is what ended up happening, we brought it in and told them what was going on, they took a look and confirmed what they had to do, so we waited for like 45 minutes or so (I wasn’t actually keeping track of the time but it was around there) until it was done and we were good to go. It had overall taken less time than we’d expected, but we moved on to the next part of our plans, which was late lunch at the cheesecake factory, then we would return to actually get cheesecake after we saw the movie that evening. Since it was, you know, lunch time, we could get the lunch sized version of the pastas we always get to which I was like wow I could actually finish this! and then my acid reflux kicked into high gear for no particular reason and I was like okay I can not in fact finish this, so sadly I didn’t end up eating all that much of it. The movie showing we had tickets to wasn’t until 5 and at that point it was only a little after 2 so we checked to see if we could get tickets to any earlier showing, but they were all sold out, so we just had to kill some time. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue since there’s a whole mall there, but given that it was still snowing and it’s an outdoor mall made it a bit trickier. but we started at forever 21 as always since it was right there and had big signs for sale lol. we each ended up getting something from their buy one get one free clearance, Jess got this hideous jacket (she enjoys ugly clothing) and I got a somewhat equally hideous (as do I sometimes) cardigan along with a pair of floral pants that I saw and knew I needed in my life, then when we were going to check out there was a pair of “avo-cat-o” socks, which had an avocado with a cat peeking through where the pit would be on them so of course we had to get those, and then we picked up a bag of hi-chew at the counter. Once we checked out there we walked around a bit and went into a few stores in search of sunglasses, and ultimately ended up each getting a pair from Francesca’s. We continued to wander for a bit and got bubble tea at some point (where I could confirm I have the legit stuff they actually use, so that was validating) then waited for the movie theatre to start letting people into the theatre for our showing. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, of course we’re seeing Avengers Endgame, THIS POST FROM HERE ON WILL CONTAIN ENDGAME SPOILERS, I WILL TRY TO TAG IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY BLACKLIST BUT READ ON FROM HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK. We got some popcorn and waited in the fancy theatre for it to start. Overall reaction, I liked it a lot, I really wasn’t crazy about Infinity War so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this but I ended up liking it a lot. I thought it was a very good choice narratively to have Thanos get offed way at the beginning of the movie (to be fair to Thor, if I were him I probably would’ve chopped Thanos’ head off as soon as they got in the door, so I can’t really blame him) and then focus the movie on bringing everyone back, only to bring him back in the end, that was good storytelling IMO. THAT HAIRCUT THOUGH, I was dying, just looking at it like I. NEED. THIS. that haircut spoke to me okay lol, my hair is longer than it’s been in like three years right now but it’s not going to last very much longer. I probably can’t get that exact haircut because, you know, work shit, but I’m sure we could figure something out. I was kinda disappointed that she wasn’t in more of the movie, her presence in the beginning was perfect, I was dying when they were like “where are you going?” and she’s just like “to kill Thanos, I’ll let you know when I’m done” so nonchalantly and perfect and like, the scenes of her coming through the atmosphere and everything was so damn cool and GAH I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I had gotten spoiled, willingly though because I don’t really care about these things, as to the two major character deaths of the remaining alive characters, but that definitely did not make it any easier to see. MORGAN STARK IS SO FUCKING PRECIOUS I would die for her and also I’m so fucking glad they didn’t have Cassie Lang get dusted because I would’ve been pissed about that, Scott coming back from the quantum realm and finding her five years later was so damn emotional, it killed me. I appreciated them finding Thor in what was clearly filmed in a coastal new england town, getting fat and playing video games, lol. I know of course him looking fat was fake, but it looked so damn funny. I do take issue with several of the choices they made with how the time traveling was working because there were definitely quite a few logic jumps in there that went unexplained, but for the most part I’ll give them a pass for not wanting to get too into the nitty-gritty of it all. Their journeys into the past were interesting, the New York trip was great and everything involving Loki, I was fucking dying when Cap was just whispered “heil Hydra” and they just totally handed over this huge weapon to him 😂that was pretty funny. Then there was their trip to the 70′s, which messed with me that 1945 would only have been 25 years prior to 1970, like that kinda blows my mind lol. Tony’s whole conversation with his dad was so damn precious, I was like ready to cry at any given point really, and then there was Steve getting into Peggy’s office and watching her and not doing anything and I was like UGH you’re killing me Rogers lol but at least they got back to that at the end. Then there was Clint and Natasha on the planet with the soul stone that randomly featured red skull?? not sure where he came from. that whole sequence was so fucking heartbreaking, they really did it so well, and I definitely cried when they were literally trying to jump off the cliff before the other because they didn’t want the other person to sacrifice themselves, but in the end Nat gave her life because Clint had his family to get back to and man I had all the feels. Then of course there was our third team with Rhodey, Nebula, and Rocket, who end up tying Thanos back into the plot again, which was interesting but ultimately well done I think. When they all got back to the Avengers headquarters and Nat wasn’t there I was like 😭this is so damn sad. but then of course they’re able to have Hulk!Banner snap and you just get the first hints of it working before they immediately get launched into a huge battle. Not gonna lie, for a while there it was looking like they were really fucking screwed when they had armies upon armies ready to fight them, BUT THEN THAT SCENE where everyone comes back god I was crying, it was so fucking perfectly done I just cried at all of it, getting to see everyone back like that in such a triumphant way was too damn great. I liked that when Captain Marvel showed back up she was legit able to take on Thanos and literally had to be stopped by the full power of an infinity stone. I ultimately liked how they did it with the stones going to Tony while you didn’t realize it until Thanos snapped and you see all of them with Tony, and he then snaps and all of them turn to dust and just like, it was so great. Now of course I knew Tony was going to go, but I was glad it was ultimately the most heroic thing that really saved the day, he truly went out as a hero that saved literally everyone in our universe, which is really quite the achievement. The funeral scene killed me of course, especially with the little girl, but you know she’s gonna grow up surrounded by all these awesome people and she’s gonna end up being just fine. I was at least glad they put the stones back in where they were taking from, even if their time travel theory was flawed in a few parts. Cap coming back as an old man after having lived his life with Peggy was so damn good, I cried just because it was all so damn good and pure. And of course we had Peter meeting back up with Ned which was the cutest damn thing really. and yeah, I guess that’s it. I did like it a lot and will probably watch it again at some point once it’s available outside of theatres. Once we had confirmed there was no post credit scenes (thanks internet) we headed out and walked back through the snow (because it was still snowing like 10 hours after it started!!!) to the cheesecake factory where we ended up doing apps and dessert, except we didn’t get quite through our apps and ended up taking the cheesecake home with us. We split the fried mac and cheese balls and Jess got a salad, and I got their grilled artichoke which I’ve had before and is always really good, but takes forever to actually eat (so many layers!!) so I ended up taking some of that home too. Thankfully the snow hadn’t managed to stick to the roads much at all so the drive home was mostly safe. Jess dropped me at my place after she was convinced it wouldn’t be covered in snow (they’re bad about plowing the side streets, but none of the snow ended up sticking on the roads so it was ok), I put my stuff down and then grabbed my pajamas to get in the shower and get ready for bed and then started writing this, and now I’m here. It’s 12:34 am and I did volunteer to take a shift in the babies’ room at church tomorrow morning so I should definitely be getting to bed now. Goodnight loves. Hope you had an awesome Saturday.

Man, tomorrow is gonna be a DAY for entertainment.  I’m seeing Avengers Endgame at 11 a.m., and then in the evening the next episode of Game of Thrones is on.  Between the two of them, there is the potential of seeing so many beloved characters die lol.  Like I’m sure they’ll find a way to save the dusted people from Infinity War but I imagine others will be sacrificed in the process.  And they don’t even need a reason to kill people on Game of Thrones.

Speaking of Avengers...on Friday I opened up the Cinemark app and looked at the theatre nearby.  I was curious how full the showings were.  I couldn’t believe what i was seeing as I scrolled through the listings - there were SO MANY showings of Avengers.  I counted them up - 66 separate showings of the movie in one day.  Like every 15 or 20 minutes a new one started.  And they were all almost entirely sold out.  This movie is going to make so much money.  I kind of wish I’d driven up there just to see how full the parking lot was.

I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers the last few days.  I saw something on Tumblr earlier in the week that I’m not positive was a spoiler or just like a made up thing.  It wasn’t a huge deal if it’s real but I don’t like to be spoiled at all going into things.  Honestly I wish I could have seen only the first teaser of Endgame and nothing after that, but you just can’t avoid them all.  

Shark week showed up a few days ago, and it’s been a big one.  It’s a good thing I wear a lot of black because I kept bleeding all over my clothes.  Stupidly I didn’t take an extra tampon when we went to the gym Friday and I had to go to the bathroom and stuff toilet paper in my underwear.  I even managed to get some on my parents couch. :-(

The upside is that after the period-sponsored retaining of water, I think I’m now getting rid of it, along with some of its friends, and I’m hoping for an excellent weigh-in on Monday.  I spent two weeks at the same weight, so I’m due for a “woosh.”  It would be nice if I could drop at least 6 pounds and glimpse the 300-teens (as in 319 or less), which I haven’t seen in about 4 1/2 years.  

Next weekend I’m planning a quick trip to Austin.  Originally I was planning on taking a trip by myself on the 5th anniversary of Chip’s death, which is Monday, but I ended up deciding I didn’t want to go somewhere alone, figuring it would make me feel even more lonely.  So I decided to go stay with my brother in Austin instead, and I’d originally planned it to be a longer stay where I went off and did things alone.  But then I realized that an awful lot of the things I imagined doing were eating, and perhaps I shouldn’t set myself up for a week’s worth of eating junk food.  So now it’s been scaled back to either a Friday-Monday or Saturday-Monday thing.  I still haven’t decided how much I’m going to cheat with food.  On the one hand, vacations are for living, on the other, last weekend was very painful trying to pull myself back from the brink after one day of Coke and McDonalds.  

How I Fell in Love with Marvel

As a die-hard MCU fan today, it's hard to imagine where I would be and what I would be interested in today if it wasn't for my discovery of these fantastic movies. This is the story of how I accidentally saw my favourite movie to date, resulting in me finding one of my greatest passions today.

For context, before that day occurred, the closest I had been to anything Marvel related was having seen the original Spider-Man movies, 1 through 3, and I actually liked them (well, except for the obvious). A few years after that, I also saw Guardians of the Galaxy in theatres, which also happened to be on accident, as I was cottaging in a small county during the summer, and my sister and I were bored one night. However, Guardians wasn't enough to reel me in. If I'm being completely honest, it was never one of my favourite MCU movies (I even prefer the sequel over it). Not that it's not good, it was, but at the time, there was a lot of information thrown at me all at once that I didn't quite get because I didn't see any movies previous to it. Obviously, being young, stupid, and not that into that kind of stuff at the time, I didn't know I was supposed to. 

It's also worth noting though, that before this accident I'm about to delve into occurred, I knew I wanted to be a Marvel fan. I had seen the Spider-Man movies and enjoyed them (although I didn't know that the MCU would differ from those, but anyways), so I knew there was a fairly good chance I would enjoy the others. Just the idea of these incredible fighters had always intrigued me, and it's probably why I enjoy video games as well. But I also wanted to feel like I was part of something, something bigger than myself. I was over my book phase, Gravity Falls had just ended, and I had finished all the Harry Potter movies... I wanted to find something else to love. But at the same time, I could never really find the time or effort to catch up on however-many countless movies were out at the time.

SO, without further ado, this is how I happened upon the MCU.

First of all, it was near the end of December 2017...yes, this took place just last year, I'm aware of how new I am and I only wish it could have happened sooner.

Anyways, my sister and I were staying at my cousin's for a few days during the winter break. We decided to go downtown for the day, which included seeing a movie. We hadn't bought the tickets ahead of time, but we were planning on seeing Coco - I had only heard good things, so we were all really excited. We get to the theatre, and one of my cousins goes to buy the tickets, while I wait with her three little brothers and my sister. Eventually, she comes back, only to tell us that Coco was sold out...big bummer for me. There was nothing else to see. My sister began complaining. My cousin then informs us that she had instead, purchased us all tickets for the new Thor movie...what? Her brothers seemed happy about it, and I decided to grin and bear it, but I gave my sister one look and knew I'd be sitting through one boring boy's movie. Whatever. I'd get it over with.

So we sit down in the theatre, we sit through the previews (I saw the preview for Black Panther for the first time, and ironically thought, "huh, that looks pretty good"), and the Marvel logo comes on. First impressions? Well, it was pretty cool. It was my first time seeing the newest Marvel logo, considering Guardians never had it.

Then it pans down to Thor, and he starts monologuing in his deep Asgardian accent, and I'm expecting it to be expositional and boring but...wait, it's not? It was actually pretty funny. The Surtur scene continues, and now first impressions are really kicking in... they were able to make it expositional and funny at the same time, and it worked well. Then the fight began, and suddenly, I was like...woah. These fight scenes are really good. Like. Really good. I found the camera angles made to follow the hammer very cool. Enemies were being taken out like dominos. Even Thor using his hammer as a shield against Surtur's fiery breath was literally a battle move I had doodled all the time! And now I was seeing it in front of me! Then, of course, his escape. I fell in love with the score instantly. The Bifrost aesthetic had me captivated. And from the moment the camera panned up into birds-eye view to read "Thor: Ragnarok", I knew this movie was going to be a bit more than interesting.

Suffice it to say, first impressions were good.

I won't go into detail about every scene like I just did, but I'll highlight the important ones that really made the movie for me.

Loki's introduction. Little did I know I'd be meeting one of my favourite characters of all time. His magical capabilities were revealed instantly for a first-timer like me, something I appreciated at the time I was watching. So was his relationship with Thor; not all of it, obviously, because there are many, many layers, but it was enough for me to determine that he was someone who had the kind of relationship that allowed him to act very jokingly, as seen while also being very jealous deep down, and expressing resentment (his desires of wanting to be King, making a stage production out of his own death, exiling his own father, etc). I could also pick up his immediate character traits fairly quickly - he’s funny, he's someone who practically embodies trouble, and he will always put himself first. It was unclear how much he truly did care for others, specifically his brother, but then again, it's been like that throughout most of the MCU anyways. I, of course, did not know why he was the way he was, but his personality had me intrigued from the very beginning.

The references made to past MCU movies. Believe it or not, I wasn't completely lost, unlike with Guardians. The reason for this was because it was presented in a way that made it so simple. For example, Loki faked his death. How do I know? Because Thor comes back to a stage production about it, but surprise! He's not dead. Another example is, Hulk and Thor always fight alongside each other. How do I know? "He's a friend from work". "Work" obviously being the Avengers (I didn't live completely under a rock, at least), and "friend" being enough to tell me that they were on pretty good terms the last they saw each other. Even the line "adopted" being enough to tell me that there was some deeper story behind why Loki is the way he is. It was small things like that that really set this particular movie apart, and sure, there were some references I didn't catch until seeing the previous movies ("Yes! That's how it feels!"), but it was nice to not always be in the dark about everything. 

Valkyrie. Literally, everything about this character. I hadn't exactly been acquainted to Natasha Romanoff yet, so she was the first female badass I had ever had the pleasure of watching. From the moment she's introduced, you can tell she has a deep backstory. Her confrontation with Loki had me rolling when she beat the crap out of him, and then proceeded to throw a bottle at him shortly after. And of course, there's her entrance onto Asgard... enough said. 

The last thing I'm going to mention goes out to the film's director, Taika Waititi, as well as the perfect portrayal performed by the actors, and that is the constant humour in the movie. Perfect example: “Get help”. It had me rolling. This is why I always consider it the most wonderful, yet coincidental incident because the truth is, if it was any other MCU movie, I wouldn't have been enticed enough. The movie was so damn funny, I must've laughed through half of it. Before I had seen it, I didn't know Marvel didn't take themselves so seriously. Or at least, I didn't know they didn't have to. I know now of course that that movie specifically was purposed to completely rebrand Thor in order to make him more interesting, and damn, did they do a good job. 

So, that last point especially lingered as I left the theatre that day. I cannot express how much I thought about that movie for the rest of the night, which rarely happened to me, as it only happens when I watch something really good. The best thing I can think to compare it to was when the author of the journals was revealed in Gravity Falls (for those who have seen it). I even remember asking my cousin, "Wow, I had no idea Marvel movies were that good. Are they that funny in all the movies?". She responded, "Yeah, we should definitely watch the Avengers tonight", to which I agreed.

We watched Wonder Woman. I was highly unimpressed. Sorry, not a DC stan, never will be. 

But when I got home from my cousin's, I did end up watching it. And then I watched Ultron. Then the Thor's. Then the Iron Man's. Then the Captain America's. I loved them all. I even enjoyed Guardian's 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, as I was hesitant about both. A few months later, I went back to the theatres to see Black Panther, just like I wanted to. With each time I watched and rewatched the movies, I fell more in love with the characters, I picked apart more from the storyline, made sure I knew every after-credits scene...started crafting my own theories for Infinity War. 

And of course, little did I know, it would smash my heart to pieces not five months after I first discovered it. 

And now, here I am, still obsessing over these movies, still undecided on who I could possibly like more, Thor or Loki, just as I felt from the moment I left the theatre for the first time. It's cool to think I found my passion on a happy accident, and it's weird to think that considering how happy it's kept me, what I'd be doing without it today.

Movie Review | My Lucky Stars (Hung, 1985)

Among its other qualities, My Lucky Stars displays one truly remarkable achievement of physics. I'm not referring to the physical feats on display, which while impressive, are comparable to things in other movies. I'm talking instead about the way it demonstrates Einstein's theory of relativity. Specifically it relates to the concept of time dilation. There's a scene here that, when I glanced at the little bar on the screen that tracks the runtime, probably runs for five minutes or so. But when I sat through it, it felt like it was eight hours long. Granted, I've sat through other movies that have managed similar accomplishments (I remember stepping out of the theatre after Avengers: Infinity War to find that a week had passed), but it's still impressive. The scene in question features the titular Lucky Stars enacting an elaborate scheme wherein the pretend to be ninjas breaking into their home so that they can tie each other up with Sibelle Hu, one of the only significant female characters in the movie. While I concede audiences in 1980s Hong Kong probably found different things funny than I do today (namely, groping), the repetition here is what really did me in, protracting the brutally unfunny proceedings to an almost cruel length.

Subsequent gags involve the Lucky Stars sexually harassing Hu in other ways, and this is an area where this movie distinguishes itself from the first film in the series, Winners and Sinners. That movie has its share of crass humour, including a scene where one of the characters thinks he's invisible and tries to get a peek at Cherie Chung while she's in the bathroom. (Needless to say, it does not go as planned.) But I think the difference is that the earlier movie has real warmth for Chung's character and gives her a somewhat moving relationship with Sammo Hung (the director and ostensible star). Hu's character is regarded with no such affection here, so the jokes play as more mean-spirited than in the earlier movie. (There is an attempt late in the movie to warm us up to her character, where Sammo looks deep in her eyes and sees his reflection, and that shot is one of the funniest in the movie. The laughs were likely not intentional.) All that being said, the Lucky Stars are reasonably engaging comedic performers and have good chemistry with each other, even if some of them (notably Richard Ng) I've found much more enjoyable elsewhere. When the movie wasn't sexually harassing Hu, I did laugh with some regularity. This is my second viewing of the film, and I probably gelled a bit better to its comedic rhythms this time around, accepting it was not the action-packed extravaganza the opening leads you to expect but rather a loosely assembled gag comedy bookended by some stunning action sequences. The movie is transparently flimsy in its narrative construction, with the heroes joining forces because for some reason they're crucial to the efforts of an international secret agent, a plot which is forgotten about for most of the runtime. It also tosses out any continuity with the previous movie. In that one, the heroes all met in the lockup. Here, they're friends from their days in the orphanage.

And of course, like me, you might be lured in by the participation of Jackie Chan, whose picture is all over the posters for this movie but is really in a third of it at most. Interestingly, his comedic abilities are downplayed (likely to hand the responsibilities for the comic relief over to the main cast), and he's presented as a steely, efficient instrument of violence. You don't need me to tell you that the action here is great, largely because (on top of his strengths of shooting and cutting action for energy and clarity), Hung understands how to maximize its visual impact, often through the use of colour. The yellow sweatsuit he sports in the climax, as well as Jackie's instantly iconic red colourblock Fila tracksuit, might look silly in other hands, but gives the proceedings an added visual punch. (The effect is present in the opening scene as well, as car chase with bright red and yellow cars.) And of course there's the reveal of Michiko Nishiwaki's intimidating physique, which gets an all too relatable reaction of awe from Sibelle Hu. The climax is set in a Japanese amusement park, which gives us a great stretch where Jackie fights his way through a spooky funhouse with staccato, horror-movie-inspired rhythms. The Japan setting likely was chosen to appeal to Jackie's fanbase in the country, but also echoes the relative state of his and Sammo's careers, with his increasing international success contrasting with Sammo's arguably lower brow, domestic focus.

So yeah, fun stuff, although your tolerance for certain kinds of humour will be tested for like half the runtime.