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midethefangirl · 3 years

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Captain America: Civil War - My Thoughts

I know this is like 5 years late but for this, I’d like to resurrect a barely dead discourse that succeeded in not just dividing the Avengers but also dividing the fandom. Before we start, content warning for spoilers and let’s dive into this mess.

So, basically, the entire conflict of civil war stemmed from General Thaddeus Ross (who is a hypocritical dick, btw) coming to lecture the Avengers on being destructive despite conducting destructive experiments (ahem, the Abomination and the Hulk) but I digress. Then, Ross presents the Sokovian Accords which is really lengthy and we see Steve reading like a few chapters(?). Now, let us note that the Accords were presented to the Avengers after a mission-gone-wrong killed about 11 people in Lagos (lay-gos, not lah-gos that pronunciation gave me headaches as a Nigerian).

So, the Sokovian Accords were written by 117 countries and vetted by the UN asking for the Avengers to be under oversight (which SHIELD would have done if HYDRA hadn’t infiltrated it in the first place but it is what it is). Somehow, Steve made it about “our right to choose” (how?! Cause I’m not understanding) and decided to not sign*.

*he later got back to sign, then backed out when he learnt that Tony had placed Wanda under house arrest (even though it was for her protection. I do believe Tony should have fully informed Wanda about keeping her in the Avengers’ Tower)

My issues with the plot of Civil War are:

1. The Sokovian Accords were not read out loud or placed on some kind of PowerPoint slide for the audience to understand why Team Cap is against the Accords. No, the fandom wiki is not a source because that one is from Agents of SHIELD and not a lot of MCU fans are familiar with that show (yours sincerely included). Assuming the contents were read out loud or discussed by the Avengers, I’d have understood why Team Cap refused to sign the accords but since none of that was given, I’d remain Team Iron Man for this one.

2. The Sokovian Accords is not the American Constitution. Then again, the MCU fandom tends to be American-centric and most Americans seem to have this belief that the world revolves around them (and it manifests itself in Civil War discourse).

3. Contrary to popular opinion, the Sokovian Accords were about 117 (mostly third-world) countries asserting their sovereignty and boundaries, not taking away rights from the Avengers. If we go by what the MCU wiki claims about the accords, yes, some parts are absurd (like asking for blood samples and using trackers, why are those necessary?). However, when 117 countries state that they want you to respect their boundaries, I think it is best to comply. Unfortunately, respecting boundaries is one thing the USA has a problem complying with and guess who happens to represent America?

4. The Accords affected only their hero lives, not their lives as a civilian. I doubt the UN would limit the Avengers’ movements as civilians

5. Let us not forget how Steve and Clint protect Wanda from accountability and responsibility. Wanda in the MCU is like y/n in many fanfics where everyone (except for the “big bad villain” who in this case is Tony and 117 countries) seems to love her and want to protect her from facing the consequences of her actions. Anyone *ahem Tony* who has a bit of problem with her is suddenly the enemy. Not to mention how Wanda seems to have a knack for causing destruction in African countries (Johannesburg, Lagos, Wakanda)

6. And fandom behaviour from the Team Cap stans

7. Also, why is Civil War not an Avengers part 3? It’s better than making it a Captain America trilogy and then trying to frame Steve as being right.

8. I do believe that the accords were sped up which left little time for the Avengers to discuss and compromise on certain issues. If they were given more time to discuss, compromise and negotiate, I think the movie would have ended better than it had.

9. In addition, I also agree with Team Cap stans on how the UN arbitrarily deciding to shoot Bucky on sight is a human right violation.

10. “The safest hands are our own” why does this sound like a white saviour talk point from Steve? The accords is about 117 countries wanting you to respect their boundaries and the best you can come up with to refute that is saying something a white saviour would say?

11. “Even if the whole world is telling you to move...” just shut the fuck up, this is no way comparable to 117 countries trying to assert their sovereignty.

12. Look if I have to choose between surrendering a few rights as a hero and just dismissing that of civilians as potential damage, I’d go with the former because the people whom I’m suppose to protect come first. For me to dismiss their deaths as “we can’t save em all” is just not it.

13. “She’s just a kid”, a few years later and I still hate that term. One, it’s infantilizing an adult white woman (something white men have historically done and we all know how that went) . Two, while Tony was obviously wrong for not informing Wanda about her house arrest, he was right to keep her in the Tower when they were people who would harm her with every chance they could find. **

** after watching WandaVision, some people might find every reason to want to harm her.

14. Let us also discuss the motivation of those in Team Iron Man vs Team Cap

Team Iron Man

Tony: feels guilty for the events of Age of Ultron, believes that he’s stepped out of line and the Avengers need oversight.

Natasha: believes that the Avengers should listen to the public and the UN after all, if they had one hand on the wheel, they can still steer.

Vision: believes that the Avengers as a whole bring challenge which brings conflict and then catastrophe.

Rhodey: a soldier; believes in following orders especially when it is from the UN and 117 countries.

T’Challa: dude is just there to kill Bucky. I’m sure if Bucky was on team Ironman, my guy would have joined team cap, lmao 😂.

Spider-Man: not really there for a reason except to bring in Steve to Ross. I do agree that Tony shouldn’t have dragged him to the fight without Peter making an informed decision.

Team Cap

Steve: didn’t want to sign because it takes away his “right to choose”. Idk what that means or how it is relevant to the Sokovian Accords but okay. However, I understand his mistrust considering a few movies ago, we found out HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD and as much as I believe governments are corrupt and the UN is shit, you cannot just enter a country anyhow without warning ahead of time.

Bucky: was his motivation given? I mean, I believe he joined Steve’s side to stop Zeno from unleashing the other winter soldiers. Not that that’s a bad reason, it isn’t.

Sam: again, I don’t think the movie gave us a reason for him being against the Accords. Did he also believe it was taking away his “right to choose”?

Wanda: undecided as of moment of discussion. Joined team cap because Tony placed her on house arrest. While I agree that Tony should have informed her that he was putting her under house arrest and stated the reasons why, I believe it was for good reasons especially when some people might decide to carry out witch hunts (you get it, witch hunts? 😅)

Clint: only joined because Wanda was placed under house arrest. We aren’t given any reason why he would oppose the Accords.

Scott: fan boy of Captain America, need I say more?

15. Also, to Team Cap stans blaming Tony Stark for Team Cap being imprisoned, grow the fuck up. The people in Team Cap are all adults who made their own decisions yet Tony is to blame for them breaking the law (because they did break the law), wtf.

16. “Are you capable of letting go of your ego for one damn second?” Like Steve’s ego didn’t play a part in all this too, lmao.

17. Okay, the final battle was intense and while I believe Bucky was also a victim, I can understand why Tony lashed out at him. The one to blame here is Steve because even if he had no clue Bucky was responsible for the Starks’ death, he still lied to Tony by not telling him who was responsible. It is more appalling to learn that Steve, in an attempt to “protect Tony and Bucky”, was actually covering for HYDRA!

Also, the way Steve stood emotionless while Tony watched a footage of his parents being killed. Yet, he could shield Wanda from watching the news because of how it affected her, okay.

“I can do this all day”, fuck you, Steve

18. Clint exploding at Tony is so fucking hilarious. Tony is right, Clint has a family yet he decided to fight in a war that didn’t concern him. Also, his comments about breaking backs is so tone deaf after Rhodey just broke his back!

19. If Sam was Captain America, I think Civil War wouldn’t have happened at all, from the dialogue in the Raft.

20. Overall, this movie is a fucking mess and I hate it for dividing both the Avengers and MCU fans.

Before I close with this, I want to add that I am not anti-Steve but Civil War really made me hate him. I get, Steve is supposed to be a Boy Scout and shit like that, but he’s a Gary Stu in the MCU, let’s be honest about it. Civil War should have been an Avengers movie, rather than a part of the Captain America trilogy. The Avengers should have been given more time than three days to discuss the Accords and make necessary amendments; after all that went down in Lagos, Wanda should have been made to sit out missions and maybe we could have had someone like Doctor Strange help in training her; Crossbones would have made a great villain but it is what it is; Peter’s introduction to the MCU could have been as him actually interning for the Stark Industries and forming a kind of acquaintance with Tony Stark before Tony finds out that he’s Spider-Man; Steve should have told Tony about HYDRA‘s hands in his parents’ deaths. Anyway, I’ll go read Civil War fix-it fanfics and fanfics where the Avengers are more like family. Fuck Civil War and I’m outta here.

Edit: okay this was a thought I had when I was trying to sleep but it was too good to ignore. Rhodey has a point about Steve arrogance (if that’s the correct term) in saying “the safest hands are our own” and here’s why:

Like he stated “this is not the World Security Council...neither is this SHIELD nor HYDRA” (paraphrased). This is the UN as well as 117 countries. Look, I am as anti-government as one can go and I don’t believe that the UN are reliable (plus, if we really want to go by the AoS version of the Accords, the Accords are flawed and they need amendments), however, given the US records on disrespecting boundaries in many third world countries, I can understand why 117 countries are wary about a bunch of superpowered Americans entering their country.

To us, the Avengers are saving the world. To these 117 countries and the people who have families who were killed in the crossfire (Zemo is a good example), the Avengers are a bunch of nuisances who leave destruction wherever they tread.

I am still neutral on the whole Accords as I don’t know exactly what it entails but for Steve to go “we are surrendering our rights to choose” (again, how is the Accords threatening the Avengers’ right to choose?) when asked to be under oversight is tone deaf.

#marvel cinematic universe #captain america civil war #team cap critical #mcu critical #not anti steve rogers btw #wanted to clarify #steve rogers critical

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grigori77 · 3 years

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2020 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 3)

10. WOLFWALKERS – eleven years ago, Irish director Tomm Moore exploded onto the animated cinema scene with The Secret of Kells, a spellbinding feature debut which captivated audiences the world over and even garnered an Oscar nomination. Admittedly I didn’t actually even know about it until I discovered his work through his astonishing follow-up, Song of the Sea (another Academy Award nominee), in 2015, so when I finally caught it I was already a fan of Moore’s work. It’s been a similarly long wait for his third feature, but he’s genuinely pulled off a hat-trick, delivering a third flawless film in a row which OF COURSE means that his latest feature is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, my top animated feature of 2020. I could even be tempted to say it’s his best work to date … this is an ASTONISHING film, a work of such breath-taking, spell-binding beauty that I spent its entire hour and three-quarters glued to the screen, simple mesmerised by the wonder and majesty of this latest iteration of the characteristically stylised “Cartoon Saloon” look. It’s also liberally steeped in Moore’s trademark Celtic vibe and atmosphere, once again delving deep into his homeland’s rich and evocative cultural history and mythology while also bringing us something far more original and personal – this time the titular supernatural beings are magical near-human beings whose own subconscious can assume the form of very real wolves. Set in a particularly dark time in Irish history – namely 1650, when Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector – the story follows Robyn (Honor Kneafsey, probably best known for the Christmas Prince films), the impetuous and spirited young daughter of English hunter Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean), brought in by the Protectorate to rid the city of Kilkenny of the wolves plaguing the area. One day fate intervenes and Robyn meets Mebh Og MacTire (The Girl at the End of the Garden‘s Eve Whittaker), a wild girl living in the woods, whose accidental bite gives her strange dreams in which she becomes a wolf – turns out Mebh is a wolfwalker, and now so is Robyn … every aspect of this film is an utter triumph for Moore and co, who have crafted a work of living, breathing cinematic art that’s easily the equal to (if not even better than) the best that Disney, Dreamworks or any of the other animation studios could create. Then there’s the excellent voice cast – Bean brings fatherly warmth and compassion to the role that belies his character’s intimidating size, while Kneafsey and Whittaker make for a sweet and sassy pair as they bond in spite of powerful cultural differences, and the masterful Simon McBurney (Harry Potter, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) brings cool, understated menace to the role of Cromwell himself. This is a film with plenty of emotional heft to go with its marvels, and once again displays the welcome dark side which added particular spice to Moore’s previous films, but ultimately this is still a gentle and heartfelt work of wonder that makes for equally suitable viewing for children as for those who are still kids at heart – ultimately, then, this is another triumph for one of the most singularly original filmmakers working in animation today, and if Wolfwalkers doesn’t make it third time lucky come Oscars-time then there’s no justice in the world …

9. WONDER WOMAN 1984 – probably the biggest change for 2020 compared to pretty much all of the past decade is how different the fortunes of superhero cinema turned out to be. A year earlier the Marvel Cinematic Universe had dominated all, but the DC Extended Universe still got a good hit in with big surprise hit Shazam! Fast-forward to now and things are VERY different – DC suddenly came out in the lead, but only because Marvel’s intended heavy-hitters (two MCU movies, the first Venom sequel and potential hot-shit new franchise starter Morbius: the Living Vampire) found themselves continuously pushed back thanks to (back then) unforeseen circumstances which continue to shit all over our theatre-going slate for the immediate future. In the end DC’s only SERIOUS competition turned out to be NETFLIX … never mind, at least we got ONE big established superhero blockbuster into the cinemas before the end of the year that the whole family could enjoy, and who better to headline it than DC’s “newest” big screen megastar, Diana Prince? Back in 2017 Monster’s Ball director Patty Jenkins’ monumental DCEU standalone spectacularly realigned the trajectory of a cinematic franchise that was visibly flagging, redesigning the template for the series’ future which has since led to some (mostly) consistently impressive subsequent offerings. Needless to say it was a damn tough act to follow, but Jenkins and co-writers Geoff Johns (Arrow and The Flash) and David Callaham (The Expendables, Zombieland: Double Tap, future MCU entry Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings) have risen to the challenge in fine style, delivering something which pretty much equals that spectacular franchise debut … as has Gal Gadot, who’s now OFFICIALLY made the role her own thanks to yet another showstopping and definitive performance as the unstoppable Amazonian goddess living amongst us. She’s older and wiser than in the first film, but still hasn’t lost that forthright honesty and wonderfully pure heart we’ve come to love ever since her introduction in Zack Snyder’s troublesome but ultimately underrated Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (yes, that’s right, I said it!), and Gadot’s clear, overwhelming commitment to the role continues to pay off magnificently as she once again proves that Diana is THE VERY BEST superhero in the DCEU cinematic pantheon. Although it takes place several decades after its predecessor, WW84 is, obviously, still very much a period piece, Jenkins and co this time perfectly capturing the sheer opulent and over-the-top tastelessness of the 1980s in all its big-haired, bad-suited, oversized shoulder-padded glory while telling a story that encapsulates the greedy excessiveness of the Reagan era, perfectly embodied in the film’s nominal villain, Max Lord (The Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal), a wishy-washy wannabe oil tycoon conman who chances upon a supercharged wish-rock and unleashes a devastating supernatural “monkey’s paw” upon the world. To say any more would give away a whole raft of spectacular twists and turns that deserve to be enjoyed good and cold, although they did spoil one major surprise in the trailer when they teased the return of Diana’s first love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) … needless to say this is another big blockbuster bursting with big characters, big action and BIG IDEAS, just what we’ve come to expect after Wonder Woman’s first triumphant big screen adventure. Interestingly, the film starts out feeling like it’s going to be a bubbly, light, frothy affair – after a particularly stunning all-action opening flashback to Diana’s childhood on Themyscira, the film proper kicks off with a bright and breezy atmosphere that feels a bit like the kind of Saturday morning cartoon action the consistently impressive set-pieces take such unfettered joy in parodying, but as the stakes are raised the tone grows darker and more emotionally potent, the storm clouds gathering for a spectacularly epic climax that, for once, doesn’t feel too overblown or weighed down by its visual effects, while the intelligent script has unfathomable hidden depths to it, making us think far more than these kinds of blockbusters usually do. It’s really great to see Chris Pine return since he was one of the best things about the first movie, and his lovably childlike wide-eyed wonder at this brave new world perfectly echoes Diana’s own last time round; Kristen Wiig, meanwhile, is pretty phenomenal throughout as Dr Barbara Minerva, the initially geeky and timid nerd who discovers an impressive inner strength but ultimately turns into a superpowered apex predator as she becomes one of Wonder Woman’s most infamous foes, the Cheetah; Pascal, of course, is clearly having the time of his life hamming it up to the hilt as Lord, playing gloriously against his effortlessly cool, charismatic action hero image to deliver a compellingly troubling examination of the monstrous corrupting influence of absolute power. Once again, though, the film truly belongs to Gadot – she looks amazing, acts her socks off magnificently, and totally rules the movie. After this, a second sequel is a no-brainer, because Wonder Woman remains the one DC superhero who’s truly capable of bearing the weight of this particular cinematic franchise on her powerful shoulders – needless to say, it’s already been greenlit, and with both Jenkins and Gadot onboard, I’m happy to sign up for more too …

8. LOVE & MONSTERS – with the cinemas continuing their frustrating habit of opening for a little while and then closing while the pandemic ebbed and flowed in the months after the summer season, it was starting to look like there might not have been ANY big budget blockbusters to enjoy before year’s end as heavyweights like Black Widow, No Time To Die and Dune pulled back to potentially more certain release slots into 2021 (with only WW84 remaining stubbornly in place for Christmas). Then Paramount decided to throw us a bone, opting to release this post-apocalyptic horror comedy on-demand in October instead, thus giving me the perfect little present to tie me over during the darkening days of autumn. The end result was a stone-cold gem that came out of nowhere to completely blow critics away, a spectacular sleeper hit that ultimately proved one of the year’s biggest and most brilliant surprises. Director Michael Matthews may only have had South African indie thriller Five Fingers for Marseilles under his belt prior to this, but he proves he’s definitely a solid talent to watch in the future, crafting a fun and effective thrill-ride that, like all the best horror comedies, is consistently as funny as it is scary, sharing much of the same DNA as this particular mash-up genre’s classics like Tremors and Zombieland and standing up impressively well to such comparisons. The story, penned by rising star Brian Duffield (who has TWO other entries on this list, Underwater and Spontaneous) and Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying, Dora & the Lost City of Gold), is also pretty ingenious and surprisingly original – a meteorite strike has unleashed weird mutagenic pathogens that warp various creepy crawly critters into gigantic monstrosities that have slaughter most of the world’s human population, leaving only a beleaguered, dwindling few to eke out a precarious living in underground colonies. Living in one such makeshift community is Joel Dawson (The Maze Runner’s Dylan O’Brien), a smart and likeable geek who really isn’t very adventurous, is extremely awkward and uncoordinated, and has a problem with freezing if threatened … which makes it all the more inexplicable when he decides, entirely against the advice of everyone he knows, to venture onto the surface so he can make the incredibly dangerous week-long trek to the neighbouring colony where his girlfriend Aimee (Iron Fist’s Jessica Henwick) has ended up. Joel is, without a doubt, the best role that O’Brien has EVER had, a total dork who’s completely unsuited to this kind of adventure and, in the real world, sure to be eaten alive in the first five minutes, but he’s also such a fantastically believable, fallible everyman that every one of us desperate, pathetic omega-males and females can instantly put ourselves in his place, making it elementarily easy to root for him. He’s also hilariously funny, his winningly self-deprecating sass and pitch perfect talent for physical comedy making it all the more rewarding watching each gloriously anarchic life-and-death encounter mould him into the year’s most unlikely action hero. Henwick, meanwhile, once again impresses in a well-written role where she’s able to make a big impression despite her decidedly short screen time, as do the legendary Michael Rooker and brilliant newcomer Ariana Greenblatt as Clyde and Minnow, the adorably jaded, seen-it-all-before pair of “professional survivors” Joel meets en-route, who teach him to survive on the surface. The action is fast, frenetic and potently visceral, the impressively realistic digital creature effects bringing a motley crew of bloodthirsty beasties to suitably blood-curdling life for the film’s consistently terrifying set-pieces, while the world-building is intricately thought-out and skilfully executed. Altogether, this was an absolute joy from start to finish, and a film I enthusiastically endorsed to everyone I knew was looking for something fun to enjoy during the frustrating lockdown nights-in. One of the cinematic year’s best kept secrets then, and a compelling sign of things to come for its up-and-coming director.

7. PARASITE – I’ve been a fan of master Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho ever since I stumbled across his deeply weird but also thoroughly brilliant breakthrough feature The Host, and it’s a love that’s deepened since thanks to truly magnificent sci-fi actioner Snowpiercer, so I was looking forward to his latest feature as much as any movie geek, but even I wasn’t prepared for just what a runaway juggernaut of a hit this one turned out to be, from the insane box office to all that award-season glory (especially that undeniable clean-sweep at the Oscars). I’ll just come out and say it, this film deserves it all. It’s EASILY Bong’s best film to date (which is really saying something), a masterful social satire and jet black comedy that raises some genuinely intriguing questions before delivering deeply troubling answers. Straddling the ever-widening gulf between a disaffected idle rich upper class and impoverished, struggling lower class in modern-day Seoul, it tells the story of the Kim family – father Ki-taek (Bong’s good luck charm, Song Kang-ho), mother Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin), son Ki-woo (Train to Busan’s Choi Woo-shik) and daughter Ki-jung (The Silenced’s Park So-dam) – a poor family living in a run-down basement apartment who live hand-to-mouth in minimum wage jobs and can barely rub two pennies together, until they’re presented with an intriguing opportunity. Through happy chance, Ki-woon is hired as an English tutor for Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so), the daughter of a wealthy family, which offers him the chance to recommend Ki-jung as an art tutor to the Parks’ troubled young son, Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun). Soon the rest of the Kims are getting in on the act, the kids contriving opportunities for their father to replace Mr Park’s chauffeur and their mother to oust the family’s long-serving housekeeper, Gook Moon-gwang (Lee Jung-eun), and before long their situation has improved dramatically. But as they two families become more deeply entwined, cracks begin to show in their supposed blissful harmony as the natural prejudices of their respective classes start to take hold, and as events spiral out of control a terrible confrontation looms on the horizon. This is social commentary at its most scathing, Bong drawing on personal experiences from his youth to inform the razor-sharp script (co-written by his production assistant Han Jin-won), while he weaves a palpable atmosphere of knife-edged tension throughout to add spice to the perfectly observed dark humour of the situation, all the while throwing intriguing twists and turns at us before suddenly dropping such a massive jaw-dropper of a gear-change that the film completely turns on its head to stunning effect. The cast are all thoroughly astounding, Song once again dominating the film with a turn at once sloppy and dishevelled but also poignant and heartfelt, while there are particularly noteworthy turns from Lee Sun-kyun as the Parks’ self-absorbed patriarch Dong-ik and Choi Yeo-jeong (The Concubine) as his flighty, easily-led wife Choi Yeon-gyo, as well as a fantastically weird appearance in the latter half from Park Myung-hoon. This is heady stuff, dangerously seductive even as it becomes increasingly uncomfortable viewing, so that even as the screws tighten and everything goes to hell it’s simply impossible to look away. Bong Joon-ho really has surpassed himself this time, delivering an existential mind-scrambler that lingers long after the credits have rolled and might even have you questioning your place in society once you’ve thought about it some. It deserves every single award and every ounce of praise it’s been lavished with, and looks set to go down as one of the true cinematic greats of this new decade. Trust me, if this was a purely critical best-of list it’d be RIGHT AT THE TOP …

6. THE OLD GUARD – Netflix’ undisputable TOP OFFERING of the summer came damn close to bagging the whole season, and I can’t help thinking that even if some of the stiffer competition had still been present it may well have still finished this high. Gina Prince-Blythewood (Love & Basketball, the Secret Life of Bees) directs comics legend Greg Rucka’s adaptation of his own popular series with uncanny skill and laser-focused visual flair considering there’s nothing on her previous CV to suggest she’d be THIS good at mounting a stomping great ultraviolent action thriller, ushering in a thoroughly engrossing tale of four ancient, invulnerable immortal warriors – Andy AKA Andromache of Scythia (Charlize Theron), Booker AKA Sebastian de Livre (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe AKA Yusuf Al-Kaysani (Wolf’s Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky AKA Niccolo di Ginova (Trust’s Luca Marinelli) – who’ve been around forever, hiring out their services as mercenaries for righteous causes while jealously guarding their identities for fear of horrific experimentation and exploitation should their true natures ever be discovered. Their anonymity is threatened, however, when they’re uncovered by former CIA operative James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who’s working for the decidedly dodgy pharmaceutical conglomerate run by sociopathic billionaire Steven Merrick (Harry Melling, formerly Dudley in the Harry Potter movies), who want to capture these immortals so they can patent whatever it is that makes them keep on ticking … just as a fifth immortal, US Marine Nile Freeman (If Beale Street Could Talk’s KiKi Layne), awakens after being “killed” on deployment in Afghanistan. The supporting players are excellent, particularly Ejiofor, smart and driven but ultimately principled and deeply conflicted about what he’s doing, even if he does have the best of intentions, and Melling, the kind of loathsome, reptilian scumbag you just love to hate, but the film REALLY DOES belong to the Old Guard themselves – Schoenaerts is a master brooder, spot-on casting as the group’s relative newcomer, only immortal since the Napoleonic Wars but clearly one seriously old soul who’s already VERY tired of the lifestyle, while Joe and Nicky (who met on opposing sides of the Crusades) are simply ADORABLE, an unapologetically matter-of-fact gay couple who are sweet, sassy and incredibly kind, the absolute emotional heart of the film; it’s the ladies, however, that are most memorable here. Layne is exceptional, investing Nile with a steely intensity that puts her in good stead as her new existence threatens to overwhelm her and MORE THAN qualified to bust heads alongside her elders … but it’s ancient Greek warrior Andy who steals the film, Theron building on the astounding work she did in Atomic Blonde to prove, once and for all, that there’s no woman on Earth who looks better kicking arse than her (as Booker puts it, “that woman has forgotten more ways to kill than entire armies will ever learn”); in her hands, Andy truly is a goddess of death, tough as tungsten alloy and unflappable even in the face of hell itself, but underneath it all she hides a heart as big as any of her friends’. They’re an impossibly lovable bunch and you feel you could follow them on another TEN adventures like this one, which is just as well, because Prince-Blythewood and Rucka certainly put them through their paces here – the drama is high (but frequently laced with a gentle, knowing sense of humour, particularly whenever Joe and Nicky are onscreen), as are the stakes, and the frequent action sequences are top-notch, executed with rare skill and bone-crunching zest, but also ALWAYS in service to the story. Altogether this is an astounding film, a genuine victory for its makers and, it seems, for Netflix themselves – it’s become one of the platform’s biggest hits to date, earning well-deserved critical acclaim and great respect and genuine geek love from the fanbase at large. After this, a sequel is not only inevitable, it’s ESSENTIAL …

5. MANK – it’s always nice when David Fincher, one of my TOP FIVE ALL TIME FAVOURITE DIRECTORS, drops a new movie, because it can be GUARANTEED to place good and high in my rundown for that year. The man is a frickin’ GENIUS, a true master of the craft, genuinely one of the auteur’s auteurs. I’ve NEVER seen him deliver a bad film – even a misfiring Fincher (see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Alien 3) is still capable of creating GREAT CINEMA. How? Why? It’s because he genuinely LOVES the art form, it’s been his obsession all his life, and he’s spent every day of it becoming the best possible filmmaker he can be. Who better to tell the story of the creation of one of the ULTIMATE cinematic masterpieces, then? Benjamin Ross’ acclaimed biopic RKO 281 covered similar ground, presenting a compelling look into the making Citizen Kane, the timeless masterpiece of Hollywood’s ULTIMATE auteur, Orson Welles, but Fincher’s film is more interested in the original inspiration for the story, how it was written and, most importantly, the man who wrote it – Herman J. Mankiewicz, known to his friends as Mank. One of my favourite actors of all time, Gary Oldman, delivers yet another of his career best performances in the lead role, once a man of vision and incredible storytelling skill whose talents have largely been squandered through professional difficulties and personal vices, a burned out one-time great fallen on hard times whom Welles picks up out of the trash, dusts off and offers a chance to create something truly great again. The only catch? The subject of their film (albeit dressed up in the guise of fictional newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane) is to be real-life publisher, politico and tycoon William Randolph Hurst (Charles Dance), once Mank’s friend and patron before they had a very public and messy falling out which partly led to his current circumstances. As he toils away in seclusion on what is destined to become his true masterwork, flashbacks reveal to us the fascinating, moving and ultimately tragic tale of his rise and fall from grace in the movie business, set against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. Shooting a script that his own journalist and screenwriter father, Jack, crafted and then failed to bring to the screen himself before his death in 2003, Fincher has been working for almost a quarter century to make this film, and all that passion and drive is writ large on the screen – this is a glorious film ABOUT film, the art of it, the creation of it, and all the dirty little secrets of what the industry itself has always really been like, especially in that most glamorous and illusory of times. The fact that Fincher shot in black and white and intentionally made it look like it was made in the early 1940s (the “golden age of the Silver Screen”, if you will) may seem like a gimmick, but instead it’s a very shrewd choice that expertly captures the gloss and moodiness of the age, almost looking like a contemporary companion piece to Kane itself, and it’s the perfect way to frame all the sharp-witted observation, subtly subversive character development and murky behind-the-scenes machinations that tell the story. Oldman is in every way the star here, holding the screen with all the consummate skill and flair we’ve come to expect from him, but there’s no denying the uniformly excellent supporting cast are equal to the task here – Dance is at his regal, charismatic best as Hearst, while Amanda Seyfried is icily classy on the surface but mischievous and lovably grounded underneath as Hearst’s mistress, Marion Davies, who formed the basis for Kane’s most controversial character, Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Moneyball) brings nuance and complexity to the role of MGM founder Louis B. Mayer, Tom Pelphrey (Banshee, Ozark) is understated but compelling as Mank’s younger screenwriter brother Joseph, and Lily Collins and Tuppence Middleton exude class and long-suffering stubbornness as the two main women in Mank’s life (his secretary and platonic muse, Rita Alexander, and his wife, Sara), while The Musketeers’ Tom Burke’s periodic but potent appearances as Orson Welles help to drive the story in the “present”. Another Netflix release which I was (thankfully) able to catch on the big screen during one of the brief lulls between British lockdowns, this was a decidedly meta cinematic experience that perfectly encapsulated not only what is truly required for the creation of a screen epic, but also the latest pinnacle in the career of one of the greatest filmmakers working in the business today, powerful, stirring, intriguing and surprising in equal measure. Certainly it’s one of the most important films ABOUT so far film this century, but is it as good as Citizen Kane? Boy, that’s a tough one …

4. ENOLA HOLMES – ultimately, my top film for the autumn/winter movie season was also the film which finally topped my Netflix Original features list, as well as beating all other streaming offerings for the entire year (which is saying something, as you should know by now). Had things been different, this would have been one of Warner Bros’ BIGGEST releases for the year in the cinema, of that I have no doubt, a surprise sleeper hit which would have taken the world by storm – as it is it’s STILL become a sensation, albeit in a much more mid-pandemic, lockdown home-viewing kind of way. Before you start crying oh God no, not another Sherlock Holmes adaptation, this is a very different beast from either the Guy Ritchie take or the modernized BBC show, instead side-lining the great literary sleuth in favour of a delicious new AU version, based on The Case of the Missing Marquess, the first novel in the Enola Holmes Mysteries literary series from American YA author Nancy Springer. Positing that Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) and his elder brother Mycroft (Sam Claflin) had an equally ingenious and precocious baby sister, the film introduces us to Enola (Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown), who’s been raised at home by their strong-willed mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter) to be just as intelligent, well-read and intellectually skilled as her far more advantageously masculine elder siblings. Then, on the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Enola awakens to find her mother has vanished, putting her in a pretty pickle since this leaves her a ward of Mycroft, a self-absorbed social peacock who finds her to be wilfully free-spirited and completely ill equipped to face the world, concluding that the only solution is sending her to boarding school where she’ll learn to become a proper lady. Needless to say she’s horrified by the prospect, deciding to run away and search for her mother instead … this is about as perfect a family adventure film as you could wish for, following a vital, capable and compelling teen detective-in-the-making as she embarks on her very first investigation, as well as winding up tangled in a second to boot involving a young runaway noble, Viscount Tewkesbury, the Marquess of Basilwether (Medici’s Louis Partridge), and the film is a breezy, swift-paced and rewardingly entertaining romp that feels like a welcome breath of fresh air for a literary property which, beloved as it may be, has been adapted to death over the years. Enola Holmes a brilliant young hero who’s perfectly crafted to carry the franchise forward in fresh new directions, and Brown brings her to life with effervescent charm, boisterous energy and mischievous irreverence that are entirely irresistible; Cavill and Claflin, meanwhile, are perfectly cast as the two very different brothers – this Sherlock is much less louche and world-weary than most previous versions, still razor sharp and intellectually restless but with a comfortable ease and a youthful spring in his step that perfectly suits the actor, while Mycroft is as superior and arrogant as ever, a preening arse we derive huge enjoyment watching Enola consistently get the best of; Bonham Carter doesn’t get a lot of screen-time but as we’d expect she does a lot with what she has to make the practical, eccentric and unapologetically modern Eudoria thoroughly memorable, while Partridge is carefree and likeable as the naïve but irresistible Tewkesbury, and there are strong supporting turns from Frances de la Tour as his stately grandmother, the Dowager, Susie Wokoma (Crazyhead, Truth Seekers) as Emily, a feisty suffragette who runs a jujitsu studio, Burn Gorman as dastardly thug-for-hire Linthorn, and Four Lions’ Adeel Akhtar as a particularly scuzzy Inspector Lestrade. Seasoned TV director Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) makes his feature debut with an impressive splash, unfolding the action at a brisk pace while keeping the narrative firmly focused on an intricate mystery plot that throws in plenty of ingenious twists and turns before a suitably atmospheric climax and pleasing denouement which nonetheless artfully sets up more to come in the future, while screenwriter Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, The Scouting Book for Boys, Wonder) delivers strong character work and liberally peppers the dialogue with a veritable cavalcade of witty zingers. Boisterous, compelling, amusing, affecting and exciting in equal measure, this is a spirited and appealing slice of cinematic escapism that flatters its viewers and never talks down to them, a perfect little period adventure for a cosy Sunday afternoon. Obviously there’s plenty of potential for more, and with further books to adapt there’s more than enough material for a pile of sequels – Neflix would be barmy indeed to turn their nose up at this opportunity …

3. 1917 – it’s a rare thing for a film to leave me truly shell-shocked by its sheer awesomeness, for me to walk out of a cinema in a genuine daze, unable to talk or even really think about much of anything for a few hours because I’m simply marvelling at what I’ve just witnessed. Needless to say, when I do find a film like that (Fight Club, Inception, Mad Max: Fury Road) it usually earns a place very close to my heart indeed. The latest tour-de-force from Sam Mendes is one of those films – an epic World War I thriller that plays out ENTIRELY in one shot, which doesn’t simply feel like a glorified gimmick or stunt but instead is a genuine MASTERPIECE of film, a mesmerising journey of emotion and imagination in a shockingly real environment that’s impossible to tear your eyes away from. Sure, Mendes has impressed us before – his first film, American Beauty, is a GREAT movie, one of the most impressive feature debuts of the 2000s, while Skyfall is, in my opinion, quite simply THE BEST BOND FILM EVER MADE – but this is in a whole other league. It’s an astounding achievement, made all the more impressive when you realise that there’s very little trickery at play here, no clever digital magic (just some augmentation here and there), it’s all real locations and sets, filmed in long, elaborately choreographed takes blended together with clever edits to make it as seamless as possible – it’s not the first film to try to do this (remember Birdman? Bushwick?), but I’ve never seen it done better, or with greater skill. But it’s not just a clever cinematic exercise, there’s a genuine story here, told with guts and urgency, and populated by real flesh and blood characters – the heart of the film is True History of the Kelly Gang’s George MacKay and Dean Chapman (probably best known as Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones) as Lance Corporals Will Schofield and Tom Blake, the two young tommies sent out across enemy territory on a desperate mission to stop a British regiment from rushing headlong into a German trap (Tom himself has a personal stake in this because his brother is an officer in the attack). They’re a likeable pair, very human and relatable throughout, brave and true but never so overtly heroic that they stretch credibility, so when tragedy strikes along the way it’s particularly devastating; both deliver exceptional performances that effortlessly carry us through the film, and they’re given sterling support from a selection of top-drawer British talent, from Sherlock stars Andrew Scott and Benedict Cumberbatch to Mark Strong and Colin Firth, each delivering magnificently in small but potent cameos. That said, the cinematography and art department are the BIGGEST stars here, masterful veteran DOP Roger Deakins (The Shawshank Redemption, Blade Runner 2049 and pretty much the Coen Brothers’ entire back catalogue among MANY others) making every frame sing with beauty, horror, tension or tragedy as the need arises, and the environments are SO REAL it feels less like production design than that someone simply sent the cast and crew back in time to film in the real Northern France circa 1917 – from a nightmarish trek across No Man’s Land to a desperate chase through a ruined French village lit only by dancing flare-light in the darkness before dawn, every scene is utterly immersive and simply STUNNING. I don’t think it’s possible for Mendes to make a film better than this, but I sure hope he gives it a go all the same. Either way, this was the most incredible, exhausting, truly AWESOME experience I had at the cinema all year – it’s a film that DESERVES to be seen on the big screen, and I feel truly sorry for those who missed the chance …

2. BIRDS OF PREY & THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN – the only reason 1917 isn’t at number two is because Warner Bros.’ cinematic DC Extended Universe project FINALLY got round to bringing my favourite DC Comics title to the big screen. It was been the biggest pleasure of my cinematic year getting to see my top DC superheroines brought to life on the big screen, and it was done in high style, in my opinion THE BEST of the DCEU films to date (yup, I loved it EVEN MORE than the Wonder Woman movies). It was also great seeing Harley Quinn return after her show-stealing turn in David Ayer’s clunky but ultimately still hugely enjoyable Suicide Squad, better still that they got her SPOT ON this time – this is the Harley I’ve always loved in the comics, unpredictable, irreverent and entirely without regard for what anyone else thinks of her, as well as one talented psychiatrist. Margot Robbie once more excels in the role she was basically BORN to play, clearly relishing the chance to finally do Harley TRUE justice, and she’s a total riot from start to finish, infectiously lovable no matter what crazy, sometimes downright REPRIHENSIBLE antics she gets up to. Needless to say she’s the nominal star here, her latest ill-advised adventure driving the story – finally done with the Joker and itching to make her emancipation official, Harley publicly announces their breakup by blowing up Ace Chemicals (their love spot, basically), inadvertently painting a target on her back in the process since she’s no longer under the assumed protection of Gotham’s feared Clown Prince of Crime – but that doesn’t mean she eclipses the other main players the movie’s REALLY supposed to be about. Each member of the Birds of Prey is beautifully written and brought to vivid, arse-kicking life by what had to be 2020’s most exciting cast – Helena Bertinelli, the Huntress, is the perfect character for Mary Elizabeth Winstead to finally pay off on that action hero potential she showed in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, but this is a MUCH more enjoyable role outside of the fight choreography because while Helena may be a world-class dark avenger, socially she’s a total dork, which just makes her thoroughly adorable; Rosie Perez is similarly perfect casting as Renee Montoya, the uncompromising pint-sized Gotham PD detective who kicks against the corrupt system no matter what kind of trouble it gets her into, and just gets angrier all the time, paradoxically making us like her even more; and then there’s the film’s major controversy, at least as far as the fans are concerned, namely one Cassandra Cain. Sure, this take is VERY different from the comics’ version (a nearly mute master assassin who went on to become the second woman to wear the mask of Batgirl before assuming her own crime-fighting mantle as Black Bat and now Orphan), but personally I like to think this is simply Cass at THE VERY START of her origin story, leaving plenty of time for her to discover her warrior origins when the DCEU finally gets around to introducing her mum, Lady Shiva (personally I want Michelle Yeoh to play her, but that’s just me) – anyways, here she’s a skilled child pickpocket whose latest theft inadvertently sets off the larger central plot, and newcomer Ella Jay Basco brings a fantastic pre-teen irreverence and spiky charm to the role, beautifully playing against Robbie’s mercurial energy. My favourite here BY FAR, however, is Dinah Lance, aka the Black Canary (not only my favourite Bird of Prey but my very favourite DC superheroine PERIOD), the choice of up-and-comer Jurnee Smollet-Bell (Friday Night Lights, Underground) proving to be the film’s most inspired casting – a club singer with the metahuman ability to emit piercing supersonic screams, she’s also a ferocious martial artist (in the comics she’s one of the very best fighters IN THE WORLD), as well as a wonderfully pure soul you just can’t help loving, and it made me SO UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY that they got my Canary EXACTLY RIGHT. Altogether they’re a fantastic bunch of badass ladies, basically my perfect superhero team, and the way they’re all brought together (along with Harley, of course) is beautifully thought out and perfectly executed … they’ve also got one hell of a threat to overcome, namely Gotham crime boss Roman Sionis, the Black Mask, one of the Joker’s chief rivals – Ewan McGregor brings his A-game in a frustratingly rare villainous turn (my number one bad guy for the movie year), a monstrously narcissistic, woman-hating control freak with a penchant for peeling off the faces of those who displease him, sharing some exquisitely creepy chemistry with Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) as Sionis’ nihilistic lieutenant Victor Zsasz. This is about as good as superhero cinema gets, a perfect example of the sheer brilliance you get when you switch up the formula to create something new, an ultra-violent, unapologetically R-rated middle finger to the classic tropes, a fantastic black comedy thrill ride that’s got to be the most full-on feminist blockbuster ever made – it’s helmed by a woman (Dead Pigs director Cathy Yan), written by a woman (Bumblebee’s Christina Hodson), produced by more women and ABOUT a bunch of badass women magnificently triumphing over toxic masculinity in all its forms. It’s also simply BRILLIANT – the cast are all clearly having a blast, the action sequences are first rate (the spectacular GCPD evidence room fight in which Harley gets to REALLY cut loose is the undisputable highlight), it has a gleefully anarchic sense of humour and is simply BURSTING with phenomenal homages, references and in-jokes for the fans (Bruce the hyena! Stuffed beaver! Roller derby!). It’s also got a killer soundtrack, populated almost exclusively by numbers from female artists. Altogether, then, this is the VERY BEST the DCEU has to offer to date, and VERY NEARLY my absolute FAVOURITE film of 2020. Give it all the love you can, it sure as hell deserves it.

1. TENET – granted, the streaming platforms (particularly Netflix and Amazon) certainly saved our cinematic summer, but I’m still IMMEASURABLY glad that my ultimate top-spot winner FOR THE WHOLE YEAR was one I got to experience on THE BIG SCREEN. You gotta hand it to Christopher Nolan, he sure hung in there, stubbornly determined that his latest cinematic masterpiece WOULD be released in cinemas in the summer (albeit ultimately landing JUST inside the line in the final week of August and ultimately taking the bite at the box office because of the still shaky atmosphere), and it was worth all the fuss because, for me, this was THE PERFECT MOVIE for me to get return to cinemas with. I mean, okay, in the end it WASN’T the FIRST new movie I saw after the first reopening, that honour went to Unhinged, but THIS was my first real Saturday night-out big screen EXPERIENCE since March. Needless to say, Nolan didn’t disappoint this time any more than he has on any of his consistently spectacular previous releases, delivering another twisted, mind-boggling headfuck of a full-blooded experiential sensory overload that comes perilously close to toppling his long-standing auteur-peak, Inception (itself second only by fractions to The Dark Knight as far as I’m concerned). To say much at all about the plot would give away major spoilers – personally I’d recommend just going in as cold as possible, indeed you really should just stop reading this right now and just GO SEE IT. Still with us? Okay … the VERY abridged version is that it’s about a secret war being waged between the present and the future by people capable of “inverting” time in substances, objects, people, whatever, into which the Protagonist (BlacKkKlansman’s John David Washington), an unnamed CIA agent, has been dispatched in order to prevent a potential coming apocalypse. Washington is once again on top form, crafting a robust and compelling morally complex heroic lead who’s just as comfortable negotiating the minefields of black market intrigue as he is breaking into places or dispatching heavies, Kenneth Branagh delivers one of his most interesting and memorable performances in years as brutal Russian oligarch Andrei Sator, a genuinely nasty piece of work who was ALMOST the year’s very best screen villain, Elizabeth Debicki (The Night Manager, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Widows) brings strength, poise and wounded integrity to the role of Sator’s estranged wife, Kat, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson gets to use his own accent for once as tough-as-nails British Intelligence officer Ives, while there are brief but consistently notable supporting turns and cameos from Martin Donovan, Yesterday’s Himesh Patel, Dirk Gently’s Fiona Dourif and, of course, Nolan’s good luck charm, Michael Caine. The cast’s biggest surprise, however, is Robert Pattinson, truly a revelation in what has to be, HANDS DOWN, his best role to date, Neil, the Protagonist’s mysterious handler – he’s by turns cheeky, slick, duplicitous and thoroughly badass, delivering an enjoyably multi-layered, chameleonic performance which proves what I’ve long maintained, that the former Twilight star is actually a fucking amazing actor, and on the basis of this, even if that amazing new teaser trailer wasn’t making the rounds, I think the debate about whether or not he’s the right choice for the new Batman is now academic. As we’ve come to expect from Nolan, this is a TRUE tour-de-force experience, a visual triumph and an endlessly engrossing head-scratcher, Nolan’s screenplay bringing in seriously big ideas and throwing us some major narrative knots and loopholes, constantly wrong-footing the viewer while also setting up truly revelatory payoffs from seemingly low-key, unimportant beginnings – this is a film you need to be awake and attentive for or you could miss something pretty vital. The action sequences are, as ever, second to none, some of the year’s very best set-pieces coming thick and fast and executed with some of the most accomplished skill in the business, while Nolan-regular cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar and Dunkirk, as well as the heady likes of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, SPECTRE and Ad Astra) once again shows he’s one of the best camera-wizards in the business today by delivering some absolutely mesmerising visuals. Notably, Nolan’s other regular collaborator, composer Hans Zimmer, is absent here (although he had good reason, since he was working on his dream project at the time, the fast-approaching screen adaptation of Dune), but Ludwig Göransson (best known for his collaborations with Ryan Coogler Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther, as well as career-best work on The Mandalorian) is a fine replacement, crafting an intriguingly internalised, post-modern musical landscape that thrums and pulses in time with the story and emotions of the characters rather than the action itself. Interestingly it’s on the subject of sound that some of the film’s rare detractions have been levelled, and I can see some of the points – the soundtrack mix is an all-encompassing thing, and there are times when the dialogue can be overwhelmed, but in Nolan’s defence this film is a heady, immersive experience, something you really need to concentrate on, so these potential flaws are easily forgiven. As a work of filmmaking art, this is another flawless wonder from one of the true masters of the craft working in cinema today, but it’s art with palpable substance, a rewarding whole that proved truly unbeatable in 2020 …

#wolfwalkers #wonder woman 1984 #ww84 #love and monsters #parasite #parasite movie #the old guard #mank #enola holmes #1917 #1917 movie #Birds of Prey #birds of prey the fantabulous emancipation of one harley quinn #tenet #tenet movie #2020 in movies

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cartwrights-old · 4 years

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thank you for tagging me @matthewfaichild !! really, this was super fun!

1. nicknames: peasant, from my beloved friends, foof, falafel, feef, fafa, falafanator, and other assorted nonsense by my sister, from an old joke she made when i was a toddler

2. zodiac sign: ive never bothered to learn and im not gonna start now

3. height: 5.4 but still growing!

4. hogwarts house: slytherin, 8 year old me developed her entire personality around that, and then i realized harry potter is painfully mediocre and now i couldnt care less

5. last thing i googled: “mcu chronological order” because im doing a rewatch :)

6. song stuck in my head: “its been a long, long, time” that old song from the fourties, because like i said, im doing a mcu rewatch and i watched the first avenger a few hours ago sndfjsdgg. also the avengers theme. ive got marvel on my mind :)

7. number of followers: 244!

8. hours of sleep: like, a healthy amount? im on summer vacation and quarantined so I literally dont have anything to do

9. lucky number: is that something people have?? i dont really know tbh

10: dream job: something to do with classics and history, some pretentious academic job. that or architect, but im shit at math so I probably wont be able to

11. wearing: dark green sweatpants and a t shirt with a bookshelf graphic on it

12. favourite song: either burn, cause im back in my hamilton phase, or world burn from mean girls the musical

13. favourite instrument: i dont play any and i dont really have a favourite, but i do sing sometimes if that counts!

14. favorite author: rick riordan and cassandra clare, ive barely started shadow and bone but leigh bardugo is quickly joining that list because WOW

15: favorite animal noises: my cats purrs, meows, whatever the hell dolphins do, and my dogs weird begging noises, just cause they are really cute

16. aesthetic: i try to shoot for dark academia, but its usually more lazy/chaotic academia, i also have an addiction to flannel, ripped jeans, and muted, ashy colours, so theres a bit of grunge in my fashion sense

17: random: one time last year i waged war on some bastard who destroyed a snow fort my friends and i made during recess (yes we had recess, i just started middle school) as in, we made allies, built camps, and held a seige against his own “base” where we absolutely pelted him with snowballs. peak childhood.

tagging: @ace-in-love-with-space @the-ghost-king - @science-and-chex-mix @tartarusfals @thanatosangels @her-boy-from-the-forest @simon-lewis-is-a-skinny-legend and whoever wants to of course!

#yea this is a repost i didnt want to subject my lovely followers to that endless void of reblogs

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crimsonbluemoon · 5 years

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Working for Love: A Terrormoo Story, 1/17

Okay, soooo...surprise? For some reason, the first week of November I wrote this entire story. It’ll be broken down into 17 parts, about 4-5 pages each.

Yes, this means I wrote over 26k words in one week. I don’t know either.

This is a story that I’m dedicating to @personfullofplotholes because of all the work she’s helped me with for my BBS, MCU, and personal writing. Without her, Libahunt wouldn’t be a thing, and I’d probably be out of the fandom completely.

So this story will be posted every Saturday! I hope that you enjoy! ^.^

Main pairing: Terrormoo There will be other pairings mentioned through it, though not in detail and no real moments or focus. But they’ll be dabbled in there, so fair warning.

Drabble One

Brock was not lazy.

Really, he wasn’t. Sure, he lacked the active schedule he’d had when he was in high school. College had been a hard transition, and though he managed to get through it with a 4.0 GPA, his health took a hit. Making ramen noodles at three in the morning was simply easier than trying to prepare a balanced meal and study for his economics final. His friends hadn’t mentioned any changes in his waistline or that his cheeks had plumped up through the college exams and parties. The pants he’d shimmied into after high school were stuffed in the deepest corner of his closet by the last year of college, but he was genuinely happy with his life. He had a positive group of friends and a financially stable job as a teacher. Brock even got an apartment that had come with a gym membership to ‘Wildcat Athletics’ (the landlord, Nogla, said that he was ‘best buddies’ with the owner of the gym, and worked there on weekends) for as long as he was a tenant and paid his bills on time.

The only thing that even reminded him about his weight hangups, if he was being honest, was his boyfriend. Or, well, his ex-boyfriend. That factor was the exact reason that Brock stood outside of the aforementioned gym, lower lip dragged between his teeth on the chilly Monday night. Valentine’s day had been over a month ago, but still held more heartbreak than love for Brock. He’d been left stunned and insecure by the cruel words his lover had used to end their relationship.

“I can’t be with a guy who doesn’t want to fix what’s wrong with his body. You’re just too heavy for me to keep pretending to be attracted to.”

Two years spent fostering a welcoming and loving relationship had meant nothing because Brock now had love handles? His ex was in better shape than Brock from day one, but he’d assumed their relationship was built on more than looks. Brock had always been a little heavier, yet he balanced the slight physical shortcomings with his endearing personality. Never once had his ex complained about his body when Brock let him borrow his car or covered some of his bills during his ‘career transition’ between jobs. When Brock’s raise meant a vacation to Iceland, there were no complaints of thicker thighs and missing abs in the natural hot springs. He’d never made comments about the weight gain when the two were between the sheets, though recalling their love life over the past six months, Brock could remember several times his shirt remained untouched through their sex. The touches lacked the romantic charge they’d held at the start of their relationship, when Brock’s hips fit better under his hands and his shoulders weren’t rounded by stress and long study sessions.

But now all of these ‘burdens’ were too much for his ex to handle, and after his scathing comments, the man left Brock broken and crying in his apartment without a second glance.

“You’re not doing this for him,” Brock reminded himself, hand gripped tightly onto his phone to keep from turning around and heading back to his car. He’d already visited the gym a couple times over the past week, but always felt the impulsive desire to leave as soon as he stepped out of his car. His shirt was the baggiest he could find in his collection, hoping that it’d cover the lacking muscles and stretch marks he’d been staring at for weeks.

His break-up had been the catalyst for coming to the gym, but it wasn’t the only reason. Brock had several other contributing factors. Nogla’s face looked so hopeful when Brock mentioned he’d checked out the gym, and exercising gave him something to do to get him out of the house. He did get a small burst of pride each time he finished his walk on the treadmill, though he hadn’t been able to use it to take on the weights. For the most part, the gym wasn’t saturated with muscle-heads or judgemental members, and people who were in the same shape as him looked content going there. He’d only met the owner, Tyler, once, but he didn’t give a judgemental stare or rude comment when Brock mentioned Nogla’s offer. He did look grumpy while having Brock fill out paperwork and take his photo, but Nogla reassured him that it was just ‘his normal mood’.

Night workouts were always met with less clutter, as most didn’t want to work out after a 9-5 job. Brock’s guilty pleasure of sleeping through three alarms kept him from being a morning warrior, and he enjoyed the quieter time.

“Hey, welcome back.” He gave a small smile to the man who greeted him at the front counter before showing him his scan card.

“Hello.” He didn’t muster up the courage to exchange any more words than the polite greeting. ‘Evan’ (as the nametag offered) was handsome and kind, his smile disarming and real each time Brock came in. But his ex’s grin had been charming, too, and Brock wasn’t good enough for him. Brock was reminded of how the frumpy college t-shirt had a hole in the right shoulder and a stain under the logo that would be impossible to find attractive. Plus, Evan was far too attractive to be single like him. He tried to make his own smile hide his negative thoughts when he dropped his gaze and took the card back, scampering to the safety of the treadmills.

There were only a few people in the gym, and the station he liked to use was free. The tv in front of it played Animal Planet, which helped him through the harder parts of his routine. Plus, it was furthest in the corner of the gym, meaning that most members didn’t see him. The less people that caught sight of his flushed face, sweat stains and pathetic gasps, the better. His water and keys were tossed into the holders before he fumbled through the buttons of the machine, feeling confident enough to push his level to ‘4’ instead of the 3 he’d been hovering over for the past week. In seconds the belt was moving under his feet, and with Maroon 5’s ‘Give a little more’ playing in his headphones, Brock threw himself into his workout.

It wasn’t long until the higher leveled routine took its effect; Brock’s legs tingled with protest at the higher incline as each minute passed, but he tried to keep his mind focused on the music pounding in his ears. His chest expanded with greater desperation after minute seven, and Brock had to close his eyes after the ten minute mark to keep himself from shutting down the machine. The pads of his fingers were clammy, making it hard to change the song on his phone to something with a heavier beat. Another change in the treadmill’s incline had brown eyes looking to the TV, though dismay flooded him at the breaking news that was interrupting normal programming. The boring story didn’t have subtitles big enough for Brock to read, meaning looking at the screen was pointless. His eyes pulled away from the speech to find something else to distract him. It only took a few seconds to find the stairmaster, though the intimidating machine was not what caught his interest.

There, practically jogging from the speed he was using, was a man that rivalled the treadmill’s ability to leave Brock breathless. The sweat that made Brock’s skin fluster and smell looked much different on the other member. The muscle tank top was cut open wide under the armpits, leaving an easy window to peek at the fit torso and stomach hidden under the cloth. If the thirteen minutes of torture hadn’t already turned him into a persperating tomato, Brock was sure he’d be blushing. He winced at the realization he’d been staring before he forced his eyes back down to his hands, watching chubby fingers clutch the pulse monitors like a lifeline.

“Don’t stare, that’s creepy,” he huffed to himself. If he didn’t need his hands stable to keep from falling off the machine, he would have smacked himself. People were not at the gym to be objectified. Even if the man was beautiful, he had the same rights to a peaceful work-out. It didn’t matter how clear his skin looked, the cute way the front of his hair curled over his forehead from his work-out, or how bright his eyes were in the fluorescent light of the-Brock visibly jerked at the realization that his eyes had betrayed him, looking at the gym member again.

It’s not your fault, his conscience (in Mini’s voice, which made it so much worse) tossed out, Brock already rejecting the excuse as it formulated. He has really nice legs, and those pants are definitely spandex from how tight they are painted onto his ass-

The fact that his unconscious had picked up on something he didn’t even know he’d evaluated had him pulling away from the thought. Again, his eyes were following the sleek movements of the man, and he wanted to cry when he realized they were settled on the spandex-covered posterior. Embarrassment rearing up, a weird noise of protest bubbled out of Brock’s mouth. His feet stumbled for a moment, and he was sure that his sneakers made an unpleasant noise against the treadmill’s belt that echoed from how empty the gym was.

Horror rushed through his bloodstream as the blue eyes from before glanced his way, Brock ducking his head as low as he could during the worst part of his workout. He could barely keep himself walking up the high incline, but the lowered head made it so much harder. The sticky feeling of sweat clung to the collar of his t-shirt and the fabric against his back. He must have looked like a disaster, and the hottest guy he’d ever seen in the gym was looking at him. For a moment, he wished he could melt into the floor. Two grueling minutes went by before Brock finally raised his head again, breath shaky from both the work-out and his embarrassment. The blue gaze was still focused on him, and then a wave was paired with a beaming smile. He didn’t need to look to know his face was the reddest it’d ever been.

Thankfully for Brock, the timer on his treadmill hit twenty, and the belt slowed to a stop. He didn’t hesitate to jump off the treadmill, eyes dropped to the floor when scampering from the embarrassing situation. He barely remembered to wave goodbye to Evan, escaping into the cold of the night. The gasp of breath was chilling through his lungs, but with how hot his face was, Brock wished he could dunk his head into a bucket of ice. Why had that guy waved at him? Was he trying to show that he knew Brock was staring? What if he was just being passive aggressive? The entire ordeal was mortifying, and Brock could already hear how loud Mini’s laugh would be when retelling the terrible experience.

One thing was for sure; Brock was never coming back on a Monday night again.

And there’s part one. This is a very silly and fun story, and it will jump between Brock and Brian’s POV. So if you wanna know what Brian’s thinking, you’ll have to wait until next week and see! So, what did you think? Likes and reblogs will always be a good way to show me some love. Until next Saturday!

#Terrormoo #Soft boys #Terroriser #Moo Snuckle #<3 #Crimson drabblez #Gym AU

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ice-connoisseur · 4 years

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ten faves

Rules: name ten favorite characters from ten different things (tv, movies, books, etc.)

This came from @thegirlwholied nearly...3 weeks...ago now, but I am slow, and indecisive, and time basically has no meaning at the moment anyway, so.

1. Sally Lockhart (the Sally Lockhart quartet)

First name I wrote down. I met Sally in my early teens and I’ve never quite given up on wanting to grow up to be her. I love each and every member of Garland and Lockhart a ridiculous amount (and my love of the found family trope can probably be traced back to their door), but Sally, with her grit and her stubbornness and her fierce indepenance, captured me in something special from that moment in the first paragraph of the first book when all I knew was her name and that she was about to kill a man.

2. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

I considered shying away from the stereotypical here, but that would just be lying to myself as well as anyone else. I relate more to Jane, or Charlotte Lucas, or even Mr Darcy – at least in terms of social awkwardness, not finances, sadly – but, like him, I can’t remember the first time I fell in love with Lizzy Bennet, I was in the middle of it before I even knew I had begun.

(Jennifer Ehle probably had something to do with it though.)

3. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Look, I was an introverted, bookish, rule-abiding adolescent, and Hermione was suddenly someone I could recognise myself in. I wanted to be Ginny (and Sally, and Lizzy, and several others on this list); I already was Hermione, in a lot of ways, and she made that a bit more ok.

4. Carrot Ironfoundersson (Discworld)

I wanted to put a Discworld character in here, and I’m a little bit sad at myself for not picking a woman – especially since this is inadvertently turning out to be a very female-heavy list. I even started the process of trying to choose between Sybil Ramkin, Tiffany Aching, Adora Belle Dearheart, and Angua, to name but a few.

But the thing is, I made the fatel error of first trying to read the Discworld in publication order, and it took me years to venture any further than the first 50 pages of Colour of Magic. Even in later books the Wizards just. Aren’t my thing.

And then, at some point – and I’m a bit hazy on the when, to be honest – I picked up Guards Guards and spent the entire book blinking at Carrot, reading and re-reading; I kept wanting to turn to someone else and nudge and point, because is this guy for real?! And then, again, a page later, for completely different reasons and in completely different tones, is this guy for real AGAIN?! Terry Pratchett’s books are richly populated with wonderfully rounded, flawed, individual characters, and at first glance Carrot is comparatively straightforward. I hope I never lose that quiet moment of glee I feel at realising that, of course, he really, really isn’t.

5. Titty Walker (Swallows and Amazons)

Consider Titty a bit of a catch-all for the tomboy girls who filled my childhood reading – George Kirrin, Maia Fielding, Kit Russell and the rest – but she’s the one I thought of first. I was not an adventurous child - I am not an adventurous adult, for that matter – but these were the books that meant I could be. I think Titty’s adventures always felt the most tangible, somehow, and the image of her tacking up the field home to read her father’s telegram cemented something in me at an impressionable age that I don’t think I’ve ever quite shaken off.

6. Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation)

Again, I love each and every character on this show, but Leslie Knope; annoying, overbearing, forthright Leslie Knope, who cares so damn much about everything that she makes everyone else care more too, who never once considers being anyone other than who she is, who makes mistakes and faces up to fixing them, who will always, always use a favour to help other people…Leslie Knope, folks. I love her and I like her.

7. Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

It’s a pretty close call between Rose and Donna Noble, to be honest, but Rose got there first. Unapologetically, unashamedly working class Rose, from the council estate, with no A-levels and no prospects and no expectations that anyone will ever give a damn about her, who saves the world in so many different ways, who grows up and laughs and loves and changes but never in the fundamentals of who she is – brilliant, compassionate, brave. Her life is fantastic because she marches through it punching literal holes in the universe to make it so.

8. Lyra Silvertongue (His Dark Materials)

Lyra, who loved her world of Oxford rooftops, and ran from it. Lyra who loved Roger, and killed him. Lyra who loved Pan, and left him. Lyra who loved Will, and lost him. Lyra who lies. Lyra who left home and came back different, and that was only just the start of her growing up. I’ve been reading Lyra for 20 years and I read her a little bit different every time, but I never love her any less.

9. Phil Coulson (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

I’m probably stretching things a bit here, because when I say I love Phil Coulson, I’m referring to Phil Coulson of the MCU up to and including 2012, and the subsequent fanon interpretations of him. I tried Agents of Shield early on and it didn’t stick. But I saw Avengers Assemble in the cinema with no prior Marvel knowledge (comic or film) and spent the next three days watching the rest of Phase One (hilariously, at the time, five films felt like a lot). I was in my very early days on Tumblr when #Coulsonlives was a thing, and I still remember the absolute explosion of joy that was. Every now and again (like right now, actually) I go through a phase of re-reading an unhealthy volume of Clint/Coulson fic – and I do love Clint, and I love Gamora, I love Sam Wilson and Natasha Romanoff and Pepper Potts - and it’s dry, snarky, utterly unflappable who Coulson hooks me every time.

10. Georgiana Lestrade (The Least of All Possible Mistakes)

Look, I have a lot of feelings about every person on this list and quite a few who aren’t, but if I had to pick the one who felt the most…real, I suppose…then Georgiana Lestrade is my easy answer. She’s the person I would always want fighting my corner. George has no false ideals, no delusions about either herself or her world; she is completely grounded in herself and her London – which is almost a character in its own right, one of my very favourite things about Pru’s writing.

Competent, practical, fiercely unphased George, who carries a taser and throws stationary at her underlings; who is gloriously, unashamedly pragmatic; nearing forty and glad of it; as honest and self-aware of her own nature as I think a person can be; and above all else who is damn good at her job. She might give one hoot about what other people think of her, but she’s certainly not going to waste a second. That she is surrounded by wild, dangerously intelligent men is almost incidental, but she is, and that is a part of her story – though far from the whole of it - and she takes no more shit from them, never doubts her own right or ability to stand beside them, than she does any other person.

One of the saddest truths of my fandom life is that Pru will never finish the Regency spy AU of this AU, and I mourn this far more often than is healthy XD

***

This was fun and hard in equal measure, and there are so many more I could have listed - Jack Robinson, Violet Baudelaire, Brienne of Tarth, Leia Organa, Theo Hart, to name but a few - but I’m as happy with it as I’ll ever be.

Tagging @firesign23, @kiraziwrites, @angel-deux-writes and @ajoblotofjunk, and also anyone else who wants to give this a go, because I would love to read more of them.

#turned out I had a LOT of feelings about this #good meta is good #ask memes

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sagebaileyspeaks · 5 years

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SPOILERS FOR FAR FROM HOME *** SPOILERS FOR FAR FROM HOME *** Well. They finally did it. Just when I thought I'd never learn to love again they brought along this precious baby.

I have forever been a Tobey fan and I will die on the "Tobey was the best Spiderman" hill HOWEVER watching this poor kid get kicked and punched and run over by a f*cking train brought out motherly instincts usually reserved for my child. And for context: I did not see Homecoming. The first time I saw this version of Spiderman was Civil War (the 1st MCU movie I'd seen since Iron Man) and the next time I saw him he was dying and the last time I saw him was a few months ago swinging back from the dead. This has been a hell of a ride. And I have to bring up Tobey's Spiderman because it is the lens through which I view Tom's. Now I rewatch the original Spiderman trilogy at least once a month and while I believed Peter could be killed as a kid, Tobey's portrayal is SpiderMAN, Tom's is SpiderBOY. I'm not going to say I care more when new Spidey gets hit, but there are moments in Far From Home where my anxiety about this fictional character went through the roof.

A huge reason for this is obviously Endgame. Because he just died you know they're not gonna kill him, but it seemed like they were gratuitously brutal to this young child. At one point, Mysterio actually says, "Well know I have to kill a kid," and proceeds to psychologically torture Peter through a series of illusions and push him back until he's hit by a TRAIN. Multiple times after getting hit/punched/knocked down you see him grabbing his ribs and coughing and I'm just in my seat going,"LEAVE THE BABY ALONE." Like seriously. When the train hit him I knew he wasn't dead but it damn sure fucked him up.

The train scene, in particular, reminded me of the first Spiderman when they're in that abandoned building and Goblin is beating the shit out of Peter and tries to MURDER HIM with blades. Except...look as a kid, I believed Tobey Maguire was a teenager but as an adult who has a small child, I see Tobey as an adult who can take punches. I see Tom as a kid who is being mercilessly beaten. And the fact that Nick Fury is in the background encouraging him to put his life on the line....like...he just did. Did you miss it?

Spiderman just saved the UNIVERSE after being dead for five years. I get it, he's a superhero but strangely enough the entire movie I just wanted to see Spiderman BE a teenager. Obviously, his entire character is "with great power comes great responsibility," but...he just...died. He just came back from the dead. Why are they putting the small child through this?

Brutality aside, this was a cool movie. It's nowhere near the highs of Spiderman 2 or Into the Spiderverse but out of the original trilogy and the Miles Morales film (haven't seen Homecoming, REFUSE to see The Amazing Spiderman) I rank it fourth.

1. Into the Spiderverse/Spiderman 2

2. Spiderman 2/Into the Spiderverse (I'm cheating I know)

3. Spiderman

4. Spiderman: Far From Home

5. Spiderman 3

But more ramblings: I've never been the biggest fan of Tony Stark and this movie is a prime example of why. Don't get me wrong, I respect his actions in Endgame but it seemed very odd to me that there were no murals of the rest of the Avengers. Of course, we also see that normal people don't actually know what the Avengers do. They call the snap the "blip," there's no mention of Thanos and they only comment on events secondhand. Which means no one - outside of the Avengers - knows about that giant battle at the former Avengers headquarters, but not one set up for Cap? Not one?

The opening scene of the tribute video made by high schoolers set to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"? Hilarious. Peter asking about Captain Marvel and Fury saying, "Don't invoke her name"? Great. That awkward quick kiss between Peter and MJ followed by two more kisses? Perfect. Peter's apparent love for Black women? Love it. J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson? I jumped out of my seat.

Like I said this was a really cool movie and a nice breather after Endgame. 9/10 Completely recommend....just see Toy Story 4 first.

#spiderman #spiderman far from home #spiderman far from home spoilers #far from home #far from home spoilers #tobey maguire #tom holland #marvel #movie review

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therealchrisclem · 4 years

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Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker thoughts

I have seen Star Wars: Episode 9 - Rise of Skywalker. I wasn’t going to share my opinion, but it’s not everyday I get to go to a press screening for one of the most anticipated films ever made (of course, hype being what it is, doesn’t mean as much as it did in 1999), so why not try to get some of my thoughts across?

A few things first - I’m not a critic. I was told a long time ago you can either be someone that does things or someone that criticizes them, but in order to treat either with the respect it deserves, you need to delineate that line clearly. I still work on my scripts and writing packet, I don’t see my self becoming an actual cultural critic of any kind in the future. This is just my views on this film as a guy who loves movies and really, really loves Star Wars. Secondly, Lucasfilm and Disney asked us not to spoil any of the movie, and while I don’t think that’s possible in a macro sense (do you honestly think the good guys lose?), I will try to respect their marketing wishes. There are some things in this movie that were incredibly shocking. Not enough of them for my taste though.

Finally, I liked The Last Jedi. Was it flawed? Yes. Did the humor in it fit with the rest of the series? No. The humor coming from actual jokes is about as far away from George Lucas comedy like Jar Jar and farting space camels as you can get. It’s actually one of the biggest reasons why I think some fans didn’t think it was really “star wars-y.” Despite it’s issues, that movie introduced new concepts and themes and pushed the series forward in a way that The Force Awakens (which I liked better overall) didn’t, and the spin-offs Rogue One (which I thought was great but unnecessary) and Solo (which I hated more than any other Star Wars movie I saw in theaters, even Attack of the Clones) didn’t. I waited my whole life for new Star Wars because I wanted new Star Wars, not retreads playing in the OT’s bathwater.

A side-note for a second: I used to always leave my takes on the big blockbuster movies I saw on Facebook. I realized, while ruminating on this movie during the afternoon that I stopped doing that a few years ago. Looking back, it was The Last Jedi that caused that break. I argued so much with friends and family over that movie that I must have decided at some point it wasn’t even worth sharing my opinions on social media. In terms of big budget cinema (I said it) I can’t think of anything as divisive. At least when it came to Batman V Superman, it was so overwhelmingly negative that I don’t remember the lovers of that movie feeling the need to justify it. Or maybe it’s just that social media is overwhelmingly toxic or that our culture in general is sick. I dunno, I’m not writing a Sociology thesis paper here. Back to Rise of Skywalker:

My sister Abby informed me last week that I was going to get to go to this press screening as my brother-in-law Leo’s plus one (he works in the industry) as an early Christmas gift. I was so excited and happy, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get to see the conclusion of my favorite movie series of all time over two days before paying audiences got to! I was pretty much buzzing on a tibana gas high all week. This is why I moved to LA! (Yes, I know that Tibana gas doesn’t get you high. Spice does. Let me mangle these EU references like Solo.)

The El Capitan Theater in Hollywood is a historical building I’ve always wanted to see a movie at, and what could be better to see than the END OF THE SKY-WALKER SAGA? (Well, Avengers: Endgame*, for starters.) Despite how small and cramped the seats were (humans my size did not exist in the 1930s), my anticipation couldn’t have been higher. I even had my complimentary bucket of popcorn and my free Coke Zero Sugar like the paid off Disney shill I am. The theater darkened, the Lucasfilm logo shone, and we were taken back to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

I’m just gonna get blunt here. It’s impossible for me to say Rise of Skywalker is anything other than a disappointment. I have felt upset and angry after seeing a Star Wars movie (Solo). I have tried to convince myself I loved what I just watched after seeing a Star Wars movie (The Phantom Menace). I have never felt as indifferent about what I’ve seen after I left a Star Wars movie as I did today. And this was something I was really, really, looking forward to.

I promised no spoilers, so here’s my best attempt: The movie is at least 2 movies in one, crammed together at a breakneck pace that is basically held together by the charisma of the actors and the beauty of the special effects shots. The movie looks and feels like a proper Star Wars. I just can’t think of a time where I left a two and a half hour movie and thought it could have used 15 minutes more of exposition. It’s not like it doesn’t make sense, but nothing’s explained and you’re either on board or not. There’s an important character moment that gets brought up repeatedly and never resolved or mentioned after the climax starts. Things happen and exist and this movie doesn’t have the time to tell you why. The pacing is a mess. It is a ton of movie. Hope your eyes are able to keep up. There are also lots of groan-inducing moments and scenes that aren’t enough to ruin the movie but definitely pushed my goodwill to the breaking point.

If you hated The Last Jedi, I have a feeling you’ll be much happier with this. It turns that entire movie into a steaming pile of bantha poo-doo. There are still some things from that movie that resurface, but this movie does a better job honoring the prequels than it does it’s direct fore-bearer. (Seriously, this movie does some heavy lifting to make sure the prequels are connected to the rest of the series in a way George Lucas himself never bothered to do. Despite hating a lot of the prequels, it’s pretty cool.)

And that’s not to say it’s all bad! The action is so, so great, the effects are on another level, the stuff that is good is really good! There are iconic shots throughout that I could have seen on a poster hanging on my ten-year-old bedroom wall. The classic iconography is exalted in Rise of Skywalker. Once it switches from the “first movie” to a Force Awakens-style redux of Return of the Jedi, it’s pretty awesome. I love BB-8, and more that will have to wait for spoiler talk.

It’s never boring or hard to watch either. Plus, having John Williams finish out this series ensures it always sounds like Star Wars. What a gem.

So that’s it.

A mixed bag.

After all the hype, after all this time, after all the money Disney spent devouring our childhoods and pop culture, that’s all this movie is. Honestly, I was hoping for a lot more. And maybe that will reveal itself when I see it again Thursday night. Even if it doesn’t, I’m still happy it exists. This sequel trilogy (for all its faults) is more than I could have ever hoped for as a child.

I can’t wait until everyone sees it and we can talk about the plot and argue about the movie online until we all hate each other again.

*This movie’s pacing made me appreciate the work the Russo brothers did on Infinity war and Endgame so much. It was a harder task than this movie, and they did it so easily I forgot what a near impossible task that must have been. Honestly, the MCU is really the Star Wars of our time. Don’t shoot me.

#StarWars RiseOfSkywalker

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anotheruserwithnoname · 5 years

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A Jenna Coleman DVD/Blu-ray library

About a year or so ago, I did a quick survey of Jenna’s film and TV work and its availability on home video. With the recent UK release of Victoria S3 and questions over whether there might be a DVD release of this week’s National Theatre Live broadcast of All My Sons, I thought I’d do an updated version. (I’m generally focusing on physical releases - I’m aware some shows unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray may well be available on streaming - though if I know about legal online availability I’ll mention it.)

A text break first as this will be a bit lengthy. (And corrections are always welcome if I goof anything here.)

Summer Holiday: As I was compiling this list I noticed that this has been added to her IMDb listing. This is dated 1998 and is the title of a play Jenna appeared in when she was about 10. An IMDb listing implies that a video has been released, but I know nothing of this. IMDb is also notorious for including dubious listings. I’ve looked around and general consensus is this video does not exist or maybe there’s a snippet someone shot from the audience and somebody decided to make an IMDb listing for it.

Emmerdale: There’s been no DVD release of Jenna’s era on Emmerdale. With about 140 episodes featuring her, it would need to be a very big box set. ITV Hub streams the show, but only recent episodes it seems. I’ve also seen a reference to BritBox but I don’t know if the 2005-2009 era is included.

Waterloo Road: Jenna was featured in Series 5, which has been released to DVD in the UK. For the rest of the world (and those who didn’t get the DVDs), the production company behind the series has made the entire series - including Jenna’s arc - officially available for free on YouTube. (Episodes are edited to remove opening and closing credits, however.) Her first episode can be found here.

Maria’s Story: Around the time she was on Waterloo, Jenna made a PSA for a an organization dedicated to addressing cruelty to children. She performed a dramatic reading of a survivor’s letter and it’s heart-wrenching. The IMDb lists her as the executive producer but I don’t know if that’s accurate. Being just a PSA it’s not on DVD anywhere, but you can view it on Youtube here. This one slipped by many fans because some of the posts don’t mention Jenna (who is uncredited in the video) and the one place she was mentioned, they misspelled her name.

Imaginary Forces: During her year in America, Jenna filmed a role in a Jacobs Ladder-esque horror short that has, as of 2019, never been released. All we have is the trailer which was posted to YouTube in I think 2010. That original post appears to no longer exist (or it didn’t show up on a search anyway), but the trailer was reposted by a fan account for one of the actors about 6 years ago. You can hear Jenna’s early attempt at an American accent and she appears on screen for about one second.

Unknown pilot episode: Jenna auditioned for a large number of TV shows during her time in America. Some of these auditions have circulated on YouTube. According to an interview she did film a pilot for a sitcom in which she played an Australian character. I’ve looked around for a few years and have not found any indication as to the title of the production or anything else. It has never been broadcast, at any rate. But it’s always possible it might turn up somewhere. Maybe in a box set alongside Imaginary Forces. LOL

Captain America: The First Avenger: The Marvel Cinematic Universe classic is obviously widely available and is undoubtedly the biggest-seller of anything on this list. I believe that, for a while, Jenna technically had the biggest box office take of any former companion because of her cameo in this movie, until Karen Gillan joined the MCU as Nebula. Natalie Dormer also has a cameo.

Titanic: The 2012 miniseries has been released to both DVD and Blu-ray worldwide. In Canada it also seems to get rebroadcast quite a lot on cable. There were several Titanic productions in 2012; this is the 4-episode one with Jenna and Perdita Weeks (and Jenna’s picture is on the DVD cover too!)

Room at the Top: The original broadcast of this two-part adaptation of the novel (previously filmed in the 1950s), originally scheduled for 2011, was delayed a year due to rights issues (ending up with it airing around the time Jenna debuted as Oswin Oswald). These same rights issues are presumably the reason behind the fact there has never been a home video release anywhere. Amazon’s streaming service apparently has it available in the UK only. The BBC website once had it available for streaming (again only in the UK) but it’s not available. No idea of its Britbox status.

Dancing on the Edge: This five-episode minseries has been released worldwide on DVD and Blu-ray, though it might be a bit hard to find now. I assume it’s on streaming somewhere. This is the one that also features Tom Hughes, though he shares no scenes with Jenna.

Doctor Who: Obviously, Jenna’s era in the series is available widely both in physical and streaming formats, though some of the spin-off work she did for the 50th such as the Five(ish) Doctors Reboot and The Ultimate Guide might be a bit harder to track down. In Canada, for example, the only way to see these was on a bonus disc in a Matt Smith Era box set. I don’t know if they’ve been put on streaming. Likewise I’ve never bothered to look to see if any of the minisodes she made (especially Clara and the TARDIS), available on the DVDs and Blu-rays, are on streaming.

Death Comes to Pemberley: Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray. However the North American release put out by PBS stresses that it’s the UK version. That implies that (much like Victoria) the US broadcast was different in some way. I’ve never seen the PBS edit so I don’t know if there is actually a difference.

Me Before You: Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray, which also feature a rare appearance of Jenna in a gag reel.

Victoria: All 3 seasons are out on DVD and Blu-ray in Europe and North America. The North American release features the ITV edit, and thus does not include the additional scenes featured in the longer PBS broadcasts (it also often omits some of the special features like commentaries in the UK release). I’m hoping that, when Victoria finishes its run, somebody will release a box set that includes the extra footage for the benefit of UK fans and for those who watched the PBS version. There are some very nice sequences featuring Jenna that are technically missing. I hear mixed messages as to whether the PBS streaming service features the Masterpiece edits or ITV.

Thunderbirds Are Go: Jenna did a guest voice in the second season premiere of the CGI remake of the Gerry Anderson classic, again doing an American accent. The season has been released on DVD in the UK and elsewhere but not in North America. As far as streaming goes, it appears to belong to Amazon.

The Cry: The miniseries has been released on DVD in the UK and Australia, but at present is not available in North America due to Sundance Now holding the streaming rights. There’s no indication as to if or when we’ll get a physical release here. My guess is probably not until Sundance Now has exclusivity for at least a year.

National Theatre Live: All My Sons: During his recent radio interview with Jenna, Graham Norton brought up the idea of All My Sons getting a DVD release. Jenna couldn’t answer, however National Theatre Live’s website states that they don’t do DVD releases and there are no NTL releases other than a documentary marking an anniversary listed on Amazon.co.uk. All My Sons would have been recorded because NTL’s website is already listing encore broadcasts for next February in the United States so it’ll probably get filed in some archive.

Inside No. 9: Jenna has a guest role in the upcoming 5th series of this comedy show. The series does get a DVD release in the UK, but not in North America where once again we’ll be restricted to seeing it on streaming (via Britbox, apparently).

#jenna coleman #our queen

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daddysfangirls-marvel · 6 years

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Black, White, and Gray (10)

Pairing: Loki x reader

Warning:

Word: 1155

Summary: reader is a prisoner in a high-security prison in the Stark Tower, and she is incredibly dangerous, and Loki is being brought in by the Avengers and he wonders why she is in there, They escape together and travel the Galaxy and then just stop on a planet and like start a new life but then Thor finds them and calls them to help on Earth and everyone sees how good they are afterward and just lets them start a secret family Europe or something

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10- The End

Instantly a white light blinded everybody before everything returned to her. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!?" Thor shouted rushing (y/n) Loki pushed her back taking a fighting stance in front of her. Before their fight could start Wanda let out a cry that got everyone's attention. They looked to see her clenching and crying and smiling… Vision? "I fixed it"

- Turn out when (y/n) snapped her she saved a lot of people. Her wish when she snapped her fingers was to bring back anyone who died that day or die by Thanos wrath with the Infinity Stones. If you died that day or by Thanos willing an Infinity Stones you were given a second life but if you died by the bare hands of Thanos on another day you were gone for good. So Drax's first family was not returned. After the battle and explaining her wish the Avengers and all the other warriors return to the palace to heal wounded and rest. The Avengers, the ones on earth, were laying around in a large room T'Challa had provided them with a few nurses were checking their wounds. everything was calm not at peace outside the rest of the world was in chaotic but now in that room, everything was calm. (y/n) was sitting on the far side of the floor curled up in Loki's said as he held her tightly. "we save the world" she whispered "no darling we saved the Universe" he kissed her forehead. Everything was calm and safe. "A spaceship was spotted coming fast from the east" T'challa came in and announced then quickly left everyone following after him ready for another battle. So much for calm, There were two air crafts following on very familiar spaceship "Oh God" (y/n) said coming outside recognizing her and Loki's spaceship the one they left their children on. "STOP, STOP" (Y/N) screamed running up to T'challa " That's our ship please stop please don't that's our that's our" "ceasefire" he called but it was too late they were now turning around. "NO COMEBACK. LOKI DO SOMETHING. BRING THEM BACK, BRING THEM BACK" She begged. Loki pulled a small black button from his pocket and started calling them back. (y/n) cheered when they turned around. Everyone was on high alert as the ship landed. As the door fell open there was a group of people holding up weapons and ready in a fighting stance. (y/n) only recognized a few faces but they still brought joy to her heart. She recognized Nebula who stood next to a green woman both held twin guns, Juuzou with his scythe, Todoroki his left hand on fire and right side with ice, and Tony Stark with guns on his hands the rest of his suit gone. The others were unfamiliar to her. "Todoroki, Juuzou" "Nebula?" Loki slowly walked up to her giving her a gentle but caring hug. (y/n), on the other, rushed the boys and squeezed them tightly to show her love and worry. Dropping their weapons they returned the hug with the same strength if not more. The Guardians rushed to Groot and Rocket screaming their heads off and the Avengers engulfed Tony and the kid in a group hug without a word. "Excuse me, are these little soldiers yours?" Dr. Strange said as he walked down the ramp holding Natalia in his arms. "Oh my god... My babies, my babies. Mommy missed you oh mommy loves you and she missed you" (y/n) dropped to her knees and began crying as her children came running to her crying. " Thank you, Thank you," Loki said as he held both Gon and Killua to his chest, they were as much his children as any other. They weren't crying like the other children but they held Loki tight as their lives depended on it. As Brave, as they were they still had feared. "We thought we lost you" Killua whispered "please don't go" Gon whimpered - *A year later and 3 months later * "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU THREE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU THREE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU THREE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHANIEL AND NATALIA HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU THREE" Who would have thought, Nathaniel Barton, Natalia Odinson, and William Odinson were all born on the same day. And on this day all the galaxies heroes gathered at the home of Loki and (y/n) for a grand birthday Party to celebrates the lives which they had saved long ago. The Guardians of the galaxy were here, as well as the Avengers new and retired, The king of Wakanda with his general, sister, mother, and friend M' Baku, members of S.H.I.E.L.D (Fury, Mary, Coulson), and many more their house was pack with family and friends. Loki stood next to Clint as their wives held their children and helped them open presents. Loki nudged him. "Did you everything we would be sitting together as friends at a kids birthday party... OUr kids birthday party?" Loki said "going, to be honest, I never thought we'd be friends. I never thought about you having kids but thing obviously change." "Yeah they do" "Loki, Clint look" Lauran and (y/n) held up three matching outfits that Tony had gifted to them. (y/n) had made amends with Tony about her family. They weren't the best of friends or super close but she could tolerate him enough to sit in the same room and hold small conversations. All the Avengers were now on good terms with Loki. "honey comes here" Lauran waved Clint over as (y/n) came up to Loki. "look baby look at our family" (y/n) said as she hugged his waist then looked back at everyone. Pepper was holding William as Tony held their 6-month-old son Arno Stark. Todoroki was drinking with Bucky and Steve. Juuzou was talking with Natasha, Gamora, and Nebula showing off and comparing their daggers and switchblades. Killua was talking to Thor about lighting, thunder, and Mjolnir. Gon was cluelessly listening to Shuri and Peter talk sciences. Steve and Bucky were having a strong debt about Disney movies with Anastasia. And Bruce held a sleeping Natalia softly rocking her as Valkyrie sang a soft song over his shoulder. "I never thought I'd come back to earth and be this happy. I never thought they'd see my home or live on an actual plan for that matter." "I never thought I would get you. I never thought I would be allowed back on earth. I never imagined a beautiful family like this We were criminals to the entire galaxy... We never thought or imagined a lot of things we saw everything in Black, White, and Gray." Loki said "But damn look at this rainbow we made" she giggled and gave him a kiss " I love you" "I love you more" "That's impossible" she laughed. This wasn't the end but their very happy beginning.

“Anastasia, what do you have there?” (y/n) asked as she watched her daughter run around with the same mischievous smile as her father. Something wasn’t right and both Loki and (y/n) fell into distress when They heard her say

“A knife” and at the top of their lungs they both shouted

“NO”

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#bwg #black white gray #black white and gray series #series #loki fanfiction #loki of asgard #loki x reader #Loki Laufeyson #loki #Avengers #avengers fanfiction #Avengers infinity war #infinity war #infinity war fanfiction #fanfiction #10

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artemisegeria · 5 years

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Endgame Predictions/Wishlist Round-Up (Spoilers)

I made a number of posts discussing what I thought might happen, what I wanted to happen, and what I didn’t want to happen. Here’s how all my speculation and hoping stacked up against the real movie. Massive spoilers below the cut.

In summary, I was really wrong about a lot of stuff. The whole movie was very different from what I expected.

Predictions

Speculative Timeline (as of April 2, 2019)

- We open on the remaining Avengers either in Wakanda or already back at the compound. It is only days or weeks after the Snap. They are struggling to pick up the pieces. They track the missing population and try to figure out what happened to all their allies that we didn’t see at the end of Infinity War. Eh, not really. It was kind of like that, but they didn’t really focus on it.

- They find Nick’s pager and begin messing around with it to continue sending the signal. Captain Marvel arrives. Straight up was not in the movie.

- They cut to some of the other people who will play a role. Probably Tony. Maybe the dusted people. Or Scott Lang in the Quantum Realm. Eh, kind of. They did cut to Tony early on.

- We return to the Avengers. They decide to go fight Thanos. A while ago, I saw a synopsis from footage that was shown to some Disney investors. It said that the Avengers track the energy signature of the space stone, so maybe Captain Marvel’s arrival helps with that, since that is the stone her powers come from. This is still very soon after the Snap as shown by Nat’s hair in the new special look footage. This was a trick again. I think this happened after the time jump.

- They get soundly defeated. But they either manage to escape or Thanos shows “mercy” and decides to send them back to Earth or something. Wrong. They actually defeat him, which I liked. It really made me wonder what would happen next.

- Maybe some time passes of them still struggling to get through the wreckage of their world. Some other remaining allies, like Pepper, coalesce around them. Kind of. There was the scene with the hologram chat.

- Tony arrives with Nebula. Reunions and tough conversations. This pretty much happened, but it was more shouting than an actual conversation.

- Big time jump (like 3-5 years). I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but for some reason, the more I re-watch the trailers, the more I think that sometime during this period, if it really falls out this way, they will be able to restore Vision. First part was right. Sadly, very wrong about the second part.

- We open on Nat in Japan. She talks to Clint and tries to get him to come back to New York with her. He refuses; he says he’s not done avenging his family. Wrong about the second part and it happens early in the movie.

- Cut to Tony, Steve, et al. working together on new weapons, getting SHIELD back together, trying to make the best of the situation. So wrong.

- Scott Lang arrives from a Time Vortex in the Quantum Realm. He finds the Avengers. He has new information that unlocks a solution that they haven’t tried yet. Everyone starts to work on that. Kind of, but happened much earlier than I expected.

- Clint comes back, hence Nat’s smile in the new footage.

- Maybe they cut again to the dusted people working on their own solution. And/or Thanos.

- We see the Avengers working more/testing whatever time travel/quantum technology they’re developing. There are some emotional beats between different characters. They didn’t really pause long enough to have emotional beats in my opinion.

- They’re finally ready to use it. I still don’t have a clear idea on what could happen during this part of the plot. But they use their new allies and new technology to get what ever they need to face Thanos again. Yes, the infinity stones, but I didn’t really predict anything specific here.

- The final showdown. Everyone fights together, last chance, throw every power at the wall and see what sticks. They’re on the brink of defeat. Thanos is still too powerful. When things look very bleak for our heroes, all the dusted people come back. They rally and defeat Thanos. The rest of universe’s population that was dusted comes back. Mostly this is what happened, definitely the best part of the movie.

- Celebration, mourning, weddings, funerals, a taste of what the characters will be doing going forward. Kind of yes, kind of no.

- End Credits Scene(s)

- Cue black screen with white text, saying something to the effect of: The Avengers have done their jobs. Or the new Avengers will return.

General Predictions (as of March 25, 2019)

1. There is no time travel, aside from maybe whatever Scott does to get out of the quantum realm. The early leaked set photos that looked like they were from the Battle of New York were all BARF technology, dream sequences, illusions, alternate universes, etc.

2. They do explore multiple realities/universes.

3. The dusted people are not in the Soul Stone. I think I got this one right. I’m still a little unclear on what happened.

4. Tony survives and gets to marry Pepper and have a kid and a farm.

5. Steve survives, too. With everyone debating whether Steve or Tony or both will die, I think they might go for a surprise and kill off neither of them, making the death(s) someone(s) more unexpected. I guess he’s technically still alive at the end, but close to dying of natural causes.

6. I think at least one major or semi-major character will die and stay dead. At this point, I have no idea who. Yes, so far.

7. The MCU going forward is in a totally new universe/continuity. The more I think about the possibility of the multiverse, the more I think they might pull a Star Trek (2009) and have the fix involve creating a new timeline, therefore making permanent changes and definitively forging a fresh trail.

8. I hate to say it, but I think we will get some variation of White Vision. Prove me wrong, Marvel. I do not want to be right about this, but I just have a feeling. This would not be the absolute worst outcome because it could still be fixed, but I really, really hope I am wrong. I’m not sure, but I think I might have preferred White Vision to the complete nothing that we got.

9. They will fight Thanos more than once. Yes.

10. Shuri is fine. The picture of her on the missing people board in the first trailer was either a misleading shot or at that point in the movie, the Avengers genuinely thought she was dusted. She will help them defeat Thanos.

11. There will be a time jump. Despite the admission that misleading footage was used in the trailers, I think certain appearance changes in the characters point in only one direction. Individual shots may be misleading, but I think the general sense that a lot of time passes at one point will remain.

12. The Snap will still be reversed, but the fix will not involve undoing it entirely. Instead, people will be brought back to after the time jump has occurred. I just cannot fathom Marvel not bringing back half the universe’s population. But if the time jump remains intact, that will provide some permanent changes and losses.

Wishlist Items (as of December 11, 2018)

1. Vision comes back with his emotions/memories fully or mostly intact

2. Wanda et al. come back

3. Everybody lives

4. Alternatively, if anyone dies, have it be very important to the final victory and a grand send-off

5. Have all the Avengers be integral to winning, not simply rely on the awesome powers of a few of them

6. If time travel is involved, still have everyone remember the events of Infinity War

7. Emotional reunion between Vision and Wanda

8. Have Tony and Steve reconcile I don’t know, kind of, but not really.

9. Emotional reunions for everyone Most people got them.

10. A Pepper/Tony wedding at the end/show everyone celebrating

11. Showing the aftermath of IW for the general population Kind of, the bare minimum of showing that.

12. Full-on Return of the King style ending with 10 scenes showing little vignettes between various characters where everyone is happy or on their way to being happy Also kind of, a little bit

13. Happy or reflective post-credit scenes (no indication of a new threat on the horizon; let there be a moment of peace) No post credits scene?

14. At least 20 minutes-half an hour of wrap-up/celebration and/or mourning/preparation for moving forward after the final battle. Hell, I’d probably even take an hour. They have 10 years of movies to wrap up. I think it was more like 5 or 10 minutes.

15. Thanos gets the justice that is coming to him

16. Have Nebula kill Thanos (if that’s the resolution, which makes the most sense to me), and not Tony or Carol or someone else

17. Have Thanos be the main villain (I keep hearing rumors that this is not the case, but I think that it would be a bad idea)

18. A final battle scene that Sebastian Stan (I think) mentioned filming with every Marvel character making a grand last stand Almost everyone, except Vision. I’m still mad about that.

19. A (final?) pre-battle pep talk from Steve

20. Everyone meeting Carol kind of, also bare minimum

21. “Avengers, assemble!”

22. Ideally, I’d like Vision to come back as early in the movie as possible, but the more I think about it, the more that seems kind of unlikely. But if it doesn’t happen until the end, I’d love Tony to have a line something like, “I need to have all my sons at my wedding.”

23. Shuri and Peter Parker to interact

24. Thor (and Loki?) and Doctor Strange to meet again and have a callback to Ragnarok

25. Wanda and Doctor Strange to interact Not really, I think they were sort of next to each other at one point.

26. Wanda and Carol to interact same as above

27. Vision and Groot to interact

28. An explanation of Doctor Strange’s plan didn’t really get one

29. People interacting in the Soul World

Things I Didn’t Want to See (as of March 14, 2019)

1. White Vision

2. Wanda to somehow be pregnant/have the twins by the end of the movie. It seems probable that some variation of that is the eventual plan, which is fine, but I’d prefer them to wait a while to implement that. Let Wanda be happy and let her and Vision just be a happy/recovering couple for a while, let them more fully explore themselves and their powers first.

3. Redemption for Thanos. I know there is some precedent for him working with the Avengers in the comics, but it would make me angry if they just worked together in the face of a bigger threat despite everything that happened.

4. Captain Marvel or anyone else to save the day (almost) single-handedly. Most of the talk from the filmmakers and the marketing indicates that they are focusing on everyone being a team and working together, but I would be tremendously disappointed if that turns out not to be the case. It’s only proper that, as the apparent swan song for many of the original six, that much of the focus should be on them and the whole ensemble of all the Marvel heroes. I want everyone to be integral to the victory.

5. Lack of closure in general. I don’t want Thanos or any of the Infinity Stones hanging around. I guess the Infinity Stones are still around.

6. No Vision

7. No happy reunion for Wanda and Vision. There are definitely ways they could both come back, but still not get a happy reunion, which is why this is a separate item.

8. Anyone dying. Probably the most unrealistic, but I will hold on to hope until proven wrong.

9. More trauma for Wanda and Vision. What with the show still apparently happening, I have fewer and fewer doubts about the fact that both Wanda and Vision will come back (pretty much at 100% certainty for Wanda and maybe like 70-80% for Vision), but I am far less certain about what the movies/show will do to them once they come back.

10. Vision to be wiped out from ever having existed. I don’t think this one is too likely, but I do see some room for it to happen.

Things I Liked That I Didn’t Expect or Ask For

- America’s ass

- Wanda’s badass one-on-one confrontation against Thanos

- All the MCU women teaming up

Things I Didn’t Like That I Didn’t Expect or Ask For

- Virtually zero mention of Vision. Not even saying his name once. Honestly, the writers always seemed to like him. Did they suddenly get mind controlled by a Vision or Scarlet Vision anti?

- Fat jokes about Thor

- A cameo by one of the Russos (I always get them mixed up)—it was very stupid and self-indulgent, considering what they left out

#avengers: endgame #spoilers #endgame spoilers

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doux-amer · 5 years

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Thoughts on the different boroughs of nyc? Thoughts on christmas movies? Thoughts on into the spiderverse??

Oops. I rambled on in my response to the first question so I put that under a cut, and I’ll answer the next two here:

Christmas movies - I don’t have a strong feeling about them either way? I don’t hate them, but I don’t love them either although I guess around Christmastime, I do want to put on a Christmas movie and get in the mood. I have some favorites. Also, you need to include one or two movies at the very least that take place during or mention Christmas but don’t actually have anything to do with the holiday in your top Christmas movies list or else it’s invalid. Like…Die Hard (which I haven’t watched to this day. SORRY. I’m lazy)? Iron Man 3? KKBB? Something?

Into the Spider-verse - SO GOOD. I’ve been waiting for it to come out ever since they released the trailer because I’ve never seen animation so fresh, innovative, and fun before. I love how much they pushed the boundaries and went to new places animation-wise, I loveeee the character designs, I love the colors, I love everything. I’m so happy we got a Miles movie because I wanted Miles to be in a movie and well, I wanted him to be in the MCU because did we need another white Peter Parker? NO. We literally had 3 in the past 15 years. At least make him not white. He’s not representative of a nerd from Queens anymore. Anyway. Miles. MY SON(SHINE). HE CAN BE FULL-OUT AFROLATINO? Not just black? Like????? AFROLATINOS EXIST. LOVE THAT REP. LOVE HIS PARENTS. His dad is a big goof and embarrasses his son, but I love that he can show feelings and cry. And I was ambivalent about Gwen showing up, but I loved her!! She felt like a real girl (ugh sorry, I have :/ feelings about Spider Gwen as a concept and I was afraid she’d be written in a “what a man thinks is a cool but relatable girl” way). I love the other spiders. I can’t believe I finally care about Peter Parker, but I got emo over blondie (did you know he was nicknamed RIPeter by the art team lol?) dying and I was so fond of Peanut Butter Parker. I mean, Peter B. Parker. But uh….I have a hugeee soft spot for reluctant mentor/dad/older brother figures who take young kids under their wing especially if they’re hot messes so this was a very unsurprising turn of events. REALLY enjoyed Doc Ock and Kingpin which is not…something I expected. I liked Spider Ham too which…same thing. I never cared for him before. I didn’t care for Peni Parker the way she was depicted in the movie. :////// Yay, Asian/anime stereotypes. Yikes. :/// She’s not even like that in the comics so it’s a puzzling decision. I’m looking forward to the trailer. OH, UNCLE AARON. :( Um. The music! SO GODDAMN GOOD OH MY GOD. The post-credits scene which made me laugh out loud, but this entire movie made me laugh out loud which is rare. Cute, heartfelt, and just. THE ANIMATION IS SO GODDAMN GOOD. I’M LOSING MY MIND.

Boroughs under the cut:

Bronx - no one goes to the Bronx if they’re not from the Bronx unless they’re going to the zoo or Yankee Stadium, they work in the food/produce business, or want seafood in the boroughs. Also, the Bronx has gotten safer over the past few decades, but to be honest, one of the first things that’ll come to a native’s mind when they think of the Bronx aside from the zoo and the Yankees is crime/safety lol. :x Like…all us kids who grew up in the boroughs, especially before the 2000s/2010s (idk what Gen Z kids think of the Bronx? But this is 100% the case with older generations) think of it as the dangerous/shady borough if we had to pick one. But idk, mainly you think of it as that borough that’s far away that you don’t go to except for the reasons stated above and I’m like, “Oh yeah, I know a bunch of people who live/grew up/work there.”

Brooklyn - Damn, I don’t remember what my thoughts on Brooklyn were as a kid because now it’s like “GENTRIFICATION!!!! GENTRIFICATION!!! HIPSTERS! WHITE PEOPLE DISPLACING EVERYONE!” The place where everyone in their 20s live when they move here or move out of their parents’ house. Where the parties are at, I guess, except I don’t go. That or “the place where all my friends who are POC are from if they’re not from Queens” lol. I get too lazy to go deep into Brooklyn, but there are some good places to go to! I just haven’t explored it much. Oh, Steve Rogers now. That’s been a thing for years because I’m Steve trash. :))))

Manhattan - Dirty, stinky, nasty, and rat- and pigeon-infested, but it’s home. So much stuff to do, see, and go to! So many great restaurants! So many museums! If you’re a cinephile and bookworm, you’re happy. Whatever you’re in the mood for, there’ll always be a place that’ll fit your mood. Peaceful, airy areas? Busy, lively ones? Historic places? Skyscrapers everywhere? Every neighborhood has its own personality. I lovelovelove all the architecture. It tells the history of the city, and there are just all these different styles from different eras next to each other. Every time I leave, I’m wowed by how quiet and chill it is and don’t miss it and then I come back, as soon as I see a glimpse of the city or I set foot in it, I’m like “OH MY GOD???? I MISSED YOU.” There are a few things that I think of when I think of what the city means to me, and this is one of them; it captures the essence of what it means and feels like to be a New Yorker (and I’m not afraid to admit that I cried reading it, but that might also have been because I read it on 9/11 a few years back and yesyesyes, it explains everything).

Queens - Home! Birthplace. HM OKAY, I’M REVEALING TOO MUCH. But yes, this is absolutely unsurprising considering I’m Asian lmao. Where the Asians are at. Where the best Asian food is at because eh lol Manhattan’s food ranges from whatever to good with some stellar restaurants, but there’s a plethora of cheap authentic eats in Queens. White Peter Parker makes me mad as a Queens native even if it makes sense for Forest Hills fdofidhfioshf. I ranted about it a few years ago on here along with some facts about Queens’s diversity because fun fact: it’s the most diverse place in the world per capita!!! You have no idea how many non-English speakers Queens has and the sheer number of foreign languages represented here. The number of immigrants!!!! “UGLY” BUT I LOVE IT BECAUSE THAT MEANS TRANSPLANTS FORGET QUEENS EXISTS AND I’D LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY (also, transplants have weird thoughts about Queens unless they’re Asian themselves and sometimes even if they are). GET AWAY. I’m mad about Amazon. GTFO.

Staten Island - dumpster of NY. That’s legit the first thing that pops into any New Yorker’s mind both in a literal and figurative sense because that’s literally where the world’s largest landfill was located until several years ago. Figurative because uh…sorry, but who goes to Staten Island? I try not to go there and I don’t even remember the times I’ve been there. People who live there know Staten Island is trash lmao. Also, this is the whitest borough and I mean that literally too. Also the borough that votes Republican all the goddamn time and voted for Trump although we switched it to blue during the midterms (wow????). FEHIFHWOHFIWEA everyone from the other boroughs looks down on Staten Island a lot and that’s nevah gonna change!

#this is so long and i word vomited #i didn't bother looking through this to make sure i didn't make any typos #or leave out words when i reworded things #so if something doesn't make sense #that's why lol #emiliricart

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creideamhgradochas · 6 years

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Thanks to the lovely @green-eyeddragonfanfiction for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about her, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

Around 20, I think.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

Reader inserts, definitely. I don’t mind throwing OC’s in there if I need to, though. I really like reading reader inserts. I think it’s really fun and engaging to imagine yourself in a story.

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

Super Heroes! Although I really adore fantasy. If I were to write a book, it would be fantasy.

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

I’m… not sure. I s'pose it’d have to be One Mistake, simply because I think it’s worst piece.

5) When is your preferred time to write?

Whenever I actually find the motivation to write, which usually ends up being around 1-4 am. Aka I’m a Mess: Part 1

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Have you seen this man?

I suppose I also draw inspiration from comics, movies, TV shows, and video games where applicable.

7) In your Winter’s War Series, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

Out of the entire trilogy? Dang, that’s tough. Maybe in Ghosts of War when Bucky, Reader, and Nat are sitting together, sort of like some messed up little family? If not that, then it’s probably in Winter’s War when Reader, Steve, and Bucky reunite after the Azzano goes up in flames.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

I don’t think I’ve ever received “criticism.” I’ve received very polite corrections of some of the German in WW from some native speakers, but that’s about it (I haven’t corrected any of it yet because I’m a lazy pos).

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Bucky Barnes. Because he’s Bucky Barnes.

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

I don’t really write characters that I don’t like. Even villains are fun to write, even if I hate them. If I had to choose, I guess it’d be Ashley Williams, from the Mass Effect series. I’ve only written her once, but she’s a damned space racist and I hate her, even if I didn’t hate writing her.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Winter’s War Series?

Winter’s War was named with the final scene of the first book in mind, as well as what reader and Bucky would be turned into for the second book; Winter Soldier(s), and the war that led them to being created. And because they “die” in the snow and ice. Ghosts of War because that’s what Reader and Bucky are in the second book. Ghosts. Shells of themselves. War torn and weary. Weapons. War of Attrition because, in the third book, they fight tooth and nail for every scrap of memory, personality, humanity, and they don’t always win. They’re going to hit a lot of roadblocks, mostly in the form of other humans, their past and their guilt, and sometimes each other.

12) How did you come up with the idea for Winter’s War Series?

I always liked the thought of a Bucky x Reader series where they both ended up as Winter Soldiers. Everything kind of grew from that. It follows very closely to the canon, so everything was trying to figure out the most believable way to weave a reader character into the existing story.

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

“Abandoned” is a strong word…. *stares guiltily at The Way I Do and Two of a Kind.* I just haven’t found the inspiration to write them recently, but I do plan on finishing them… eventually.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I plan on doing a second part for A Night to Remember when October rolls around. I also plan on adding more monster!Bucky’s to The Monster Series. My other series are complete or in progress and I don’t plan to add more to them (except to finish them in the case of the WIPs).

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

I don’t think so, no.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

@angryschnauzer writes absolutely divine smut. I absolutely hate writing smut, so I wish I had her skills. There are others, but she’s the first one that came to mind. If I listed out every single author on here that I admire and why I admire them, we’d be here for another ten paragraphs!

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

I only started writing back in August. Anything written before that’s been lost to the Great Laptop Death of 2017. So, luckily, most of my writing is relatively recent and cringe-free.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

I prefer listening to music (I love loud music and hate silence), but it’s distracting. My brain sometimes can’t process correctly so it tries to write the words I’m hearing instead of what I actually want to write. RIP me and my stupid brain. Aka I’m a Hot Mess: Part 2.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Haha. No. I’m dead inside. I very rarely (if ever) cry when reading, too.

20) Which part of your Winter’s War Series was the hardest to write?

Oh god the entire Agents of SHIELD part of War of Attrition. That show is so dense and woven so intricately into the MCU that it was difficult as hell to figure out where to put the reader so that it’d be relevant and set up for the next parts of the story. I love that show, but it was so hard *sobbing*.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I almost never make outlines. WoA has been the exception because, as stated above, the content was way denser and I needed a clear path to be able to write them from point A to point B. That being said, I’ve only gotten as far as just after AoU. I haven’t decided what to do with Civil War or Infinity War yet.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

A) How Tumblr worked and B) that it’s a terrible, terrible site with horrible coding that, if it were a person, I would shoot as a mercy. Other than that, I read a lot of fics on here before I started posting some myself, which meant I had a pretty good idea of how to format it to be reader-friendly. Still had to google a lot of stuff, though.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Hmmm. I’m lucky in that I think I have a lot of readers/followers who leave lots of likes/comments/reblogs, but if I had to choose one? I think it’d be my recent Steve x Reader fic, Promise.

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Oh god. Again, I’m grateful for every like, comment, and reblog I get, but By Chance. It’s by far my most popular one shot at a staggering 1,925 notes. I like the a/b/o verse, but I posted it pretty early on in my writing career and it skyrocketed which completely blindsided me. The same thing kinda happened with Dumped, Drunk, and Angry. I wrote a one shot in a day or two because inspiration hit me like a freight train, and somehow they’re both over a thousand notes now.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

I s'pose Reader is always based off of me, just a little bit? Every other character (except the rare OC) has an established personality, but if I made reader a completely faceless, bland being it wouldn’t be that fun to read, would it? So even though I’m always careful to never describe reader too much physically, s/he always ends up with at least some of my personality.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Oh goodness, I don’t know. My readers are amazingly kind people. I get a lot of asks and comments saying very, very nice things all the time. I don’t think I could choose just one if I tried..

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I was told very politely I spelled some German words wrong/used the wrong German words.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I word vomit on my real life friend sometimes if I’m really stuck. It’s not always super useful because she doesn’t follow/watch any MCU stuff. Mostly, ideas just bounce around in my head until one sticks.

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

Yeah, most of my real life friends know. The friend I mentioned above writes fanfic, just not for the MCU. The rest are big nerds, too, so they don’t judge me.

30) What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

I loved writing Ran Shen and Mila Hitzvig for The Bitter March arc in Ghosts of War. As far as OC’s go, Dean from my series Time is probably my favorite.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

Interest in the source material has a lot to do with it. For example, I was writing easily 4k+ words a day when I was writing about the events of Captain America: the Winter Soldier. Other than that, I wait for the urge to hit me… which sometimes means I don’t write for a few days and sometimes a week depending on what’s happening in real life.

32) What’s your favorite trope to write?

So far? Soulmate. A/B/O was also fun and I’ll probably write it again at some point.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

Oh jesus, no. I have the worst memory ever. I’m lucky if I can remember things a week ago, much less years ago.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Uhh… Not smut, I know that much. But I have this bad habit where I can’t write fluff without some angst and vice versa? I don’t think I could deal with writing cotton candy fluff for the rest of my life, though. So…. angst, I guess? But I wouldn’t be happy about it.

#milestone celebration #ask the author #green-eyeddragonfanfiction

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