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kitausuret · 10 months

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Know Your Venom

A handy guide to differentiating all those spider-y symbols! (Part 1 of 2)

(Venom #150 "Malled!"; Michelinie, Lim)

Hey there, true believer! Are you tired of looking at comics with your favorite black-and-white wicked webslinger and not knowing who's beneath the goo? Fortunately for you, I'm here to help! We'll take a look through the years and hopefully give you some pointers on how to tell who's who. This isn't a foolproof guide by any means, but I hope it's helpful!

So, let's start at the beginning.

(Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #7-8; Shooter, Zeck)

It's very important to me that people understand that the original black suit costume came from Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter)! That's why I often, and will for the rest of this guide, refer to it as the Carpenter Symbol. Know your roots!

For the most part though, we see this design used as a mockery of Spider-Man by the first Venom, Eddie Brock.

(Amazing Spider-Man #299, #331, and #362, by Michelinie and McFarlane, Larsen, and Bagley respectively)

The earliest artists for Venom all drew the Carpenter Symbol very close to how it originally was designed. You see this continued pretty much to this day, and so if you see a stocky guy in this look with biceps the size of his head - that's probably Eddie.

Early comics are easy, because the only other person to bear this symbol is Anne Weying, and her She-Venom look is. Well. Distinctive.

(Venom: Sinner Takes All #3; Hama, Luzniak & Palmiotti - Venom: Along Came a Spider #3; Hama, St. Pierre)

A few artists will draw the legs of the spider-symbol either much, much closer together (sometimes if the shot is tiny enough they'll just look like a solid mass), but others like Ron Lim will at times draw them further apart. For the most part it's pretty consistent though.

(Venom: Lethal Protector [1993] #5; Michelinie, Lim)

And then... we get into the 00s.

(Venom [2003] #16-17; Way, Skottie Young)

The above looks are pretty unique to how Skottie Young does Venom. And even then, Young's Venom nowadays looks less... like that. I'm not going to share a lot from this series, but we start to get a beefier-looking Venom. This would continue into Spectacular Spider-Man (2003) by Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos.

(Spectacular Spider-Man (2003) #3, #5; Jenkins, Ramos)

In some ways, you can kind of explain the inconsistency in the symbol by the fact that Eddie and the Symbiote's symbiosis was crumbling - but it's also just. Not that well-written as a Venom story.

And then we get into other hosts.

I feel obligated to point out that Trish Robertson was the first host of the Venom clone that would eventually become Mania - she literally only appears in Venom (2003) but she's almost indistinguishable from Venom.

(Venom [2003] #16; #18. I'm not going to describe what's happening in these panels, I took too much psychic damage just gathering them.)

Best I can give you is; Trish!clone!Venom is slightly more grey-purple and that's all I'm gonna give you on this topic.

Angelo Forunato was only alive for 2 issues, and he has one look:

(Marvel Knights: Spider-Man [2004] #7-8; Millar, Dodson)

He's the first Venom we see fully deviate from the Carpenter Symbol. He also has really distinctive eyespots and the first instance of seeing an actual eyeball in the spot. The legs of the spider-symbol are fully separated from each other, and even extend down to the thighs.

The symbiote, displeased with Angelo (and having thrown him off a roof), next went to Mac Gargan, arguably the third or fourth most important Venom to carry the name.

(Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #10-11; Millar, Dodson)

Beyond! is an interesting case in that it's the first time we see Mac!Venom with the Scorpion tail, which we don't really see again. It's an odd duck of a series overall, but it is kinda fun to see Mac utilizing some of the shapeshifting abilities. But, more to the point of this guide, you can always tell him apart by the white spider-legs going over the shoulders and up the arms.

(Beyond! #5; McDuffie, Kolins)

Thunderbolts is when you really start to see deviations from the original Mac look. This series especially leans into a very grotesque-looking Venom, but usually there's still some semblance of the original symbol. That's what to look for. But if you see a chonky boy and it's in that mid-2000s art style? You're probably looking at Mac.

You also get variations on the way the spider-legs are drawn. Some artists make them a little skinnier.

(Thunderbolts #114; Ellis, Deodato Jr. - Thunderbolts #122; Gage, Blanco - Amazing Spider-Man #570; Slott, Romita Jr.)

Here's where it gets tricky.

During Dark Avengers, Mac adopts the Carpenter Symbol (and a slimmer look) at Osborn's behest, and immediately starts looking anywhere between your classic Black Suit Spider-Man and Eddie's look as Venom. Your best bet during this era is to use context clues. Based on the art style for this era, if you're thinking "that's probably not Eddie", you're right. Eddie's running around as Anti-Venom.

(Dark Avengers [2009] #1; Bendis, Deodato)

And, yes, that means that this scene... is Mac Gargan. No other Venom would let Norman Osborn boss them around. Please, for the love of God, get this one right.

(New Avengers Annual #3; Bendis, Mayhew)

Mac keeps this look all the way up until he and the symbiote are separated, which leads us to...

Flash Thompson, AKA Agent Venom.

(Coming in Part 2!)

#venom #eddie brock #mac gargan #angelo fortunato #peter parker #marvel comics #trish robertson #kita talks comics

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spiderpussinc · 10 months

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I don’t think it’s very fair for you to try and knock others from reading Miguel’s OG run because truthfully that’s the only place you’re going to get his full character since every run after that is just “Let’s place him in different time scenarios to fix other people’s problems”. I’ve read ur reasonings and some of the issues I just don’t see and that’s coming from someone who’s ALSO half Hispanic and had similar family experiences. Idk I guess comic Miguel is rlly important and relatable to me and you shouldn’t turn others away from having that potential connection too. :/

NAH LOL it is *not* the only place to get his character truthfully -- his character is not consistent between runs, or between comic and movie! Not even Pdavid's runs have an unified version of Miguel since he just becomes an author self-insert after one point. The way Pdavid writes '92 Miguel - Gabriel is also shamelessly almost the same as he wrote Bruce Banner - Rick Jones. (another series where he ended up being pushed off the book after he started making really weird decisions; and notice these last two are white guys, which is how pdavid depicts Miguel all the time.)

I haven't even told people to not read them. In multiple posts i say 'read the first ones to see how it is, stop when you get annoyed, look up summaries, don't feel obligated to treat it as canon because it isn't.' If anyone feels threatened by this they should examine where that defensiveness is coming from.

I'm gonna be real with you that's like saying "the only way to REALLY understand Miles Morales is to read his ultimates run." You know, the one where his mother gets eaten alive by Venom, his dad thinks he's at fault for killing her and nearly beats him with a cane, where the closest thing he has to peter is a clone named jessica drew, and that eventually gets completely retconned in a universe explosion so main universe Miles can be rewritten. Do you remember seeing any of the things above in ITSV? Would you call them *the only real way to fundamentally understand Miles as a character?*

I keep seeing the rhetoric that 'real fans' have to subscribe to the very first script of these characters and that somehow enjoying their ATSV versions is fake-stanning and that is just... not true. That's not how comics work. Our most iconic, definitive, memorable traits for MANY of these superheroes have come from subsequent comic runs, rewrites, feats of adaptation and the interaction between fanwork-becoming-canon. Even uncle Ben's 'power and responsibility' schtick is NOT an original part of Peter's first draft. That came from re-imaginings and rewrites.

I'm really, truly not a fan of the argument that 'relating to parts of a character' completely absolves the text from criticism. It's not a good comic. It barely tries to be latino rep and frankly, I'm not going to praise it for just placing a label on him and doing nothing with it. I don't care for this white man's truth. It's racist and creepy and I should be paid reparations for having to read a storyline where the same girl gets paired up with two different brothers and then their father just to end up getting killed for a sexier token love interest. I am constantly frustrated by the argument that new fans should be forced to read it and potentially get turned away from comics forever; it's one of the worst offerings you could give them. 90's Marvel and DC are a public fandom joke and nearly led the market into bankruptcy!!!!! (Marvel filled for loss in 1996. IT WAS BAD. That's part of why the whole 2099 line went up in flames! The money was going down the drain.)

I've been a comic reader for a long time and I just can't give them blissful innocence passes like that. The current editor-in-chief at Marvel did yellowface and pretended to be a japanese man for years to write some shitty superhero weeb comics with no accountability whatsoever. He still has a job. RUNNING the company!

And here's the thing: I like Miguel too. I have a shitty family and I empathize with that but I KNOW he deserves much better than to be confined by white people's scripts and fetishes. I *want* him to have a chance, multiple chances even, to be completely rewritten and remolded by latine voices without the need for them to constantly refer or tie back into that white man's work; It is our right just as any other.

ATSV throws away most of Miguel's baggage, and straight up refuses to refer to the weird indepth sludge pdavid had going on; the artbook doesn't mention these first comics or most of his runs, they actually talk about other groundbreaking sci-fi concept work and the idea of basically rebuilding the landscape from scratch, and I am deeply thankful they do that. One of the biggest themes of the movie *is* that the idea of comic canon is fraught and full of holes, and that we should subvert it into joyful and honest expressions of these characters' cultures. These are movies that begin with the Comics Code Authority stamp, a censorship marker that among other things explicitly prohibited the positive depiction of pro-civil rights narratives and homosexual relationships, and actively turned their nose at protagonist black characters — & proceed to rip it to shreds. That's what we should be doing!

#miguel ohara #miguel o'hara #spiderman 2099 #atsv #spider man: across the spider verse #spiderverse #marvel comics #spiderman #meta tag #miles morales

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maul-antics · 1 year

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So after following you for quite a while and interaction over your love for Maul. I checked a few tags and did some "research" and I can see why y'all think he's such a precious baby who could do no wrong. But like, I also want to know what drew you to Maul?

The year is 2020, I’ve trapped at home for the first few months of that year due to the pandemic and I’m digging deeper into SW content bc my brain is focused on it after having seeing the first season of the Mandalorian and wanted to know more. This is including a rewatch of The Clone Wars show bc I wanted context for when the 7th season was put out and during this rewatch, I discovered my love for Maul.

I knew who he was before this point, but that was in the context of the Phantom Menace and what vague memories I had of TCW show when I was watching a few years prior. But this time when watching his batch of episodes is season four, I was curious about him. Bc he was not like other Sith characters i had seen up to that point with SW and I did love his design in TCW show. Just enough to see if there was any content besides TCW show that I could dig into. And me being me, I found comics, books and even other appearances including the Rebels show where he’s featured prominently that I could consume and examine his character through all of it.

That’s basically where it started and the further I dug, the more I began to love his character bc it was such a fascinating study of how conditioning and effects of abuse follows a person even after they escape their abuser. That Maul was stuck in this cycle of failure to do/be anything beyond what he knew to be safe even if it caused him more misery to the point he seeked out Obi-Wan to end him in his last appearance of Rebels bc he genuinely couldn’t exist in any other way after so long. Which resonated with me for personal reasons related to my trauma that I have.

Maul is a terrible person, absolutely, but also he just has this incredible sadness and tragedy to him bc he could have been better, should have been better after getting away from Palpatine. But he couldn’t and it never leaves my mind when I’m thinking about him.

#also he’s just entertaining bc he’s so dramatic and back stabbing #genuinely the man is sad but funny as hell and I love it #darth maul #ask.#dukeoftheblackstar

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crowkacola · 6 months

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Character post: Wydlin Styx

You know those characters you make that start as a joke but you end up getting attached? Yeah. Thats Wydlin

His design started as most of my Dy clones do, just making a new fandom version of my character Dylan. Gave him those tired eyes, elven/reptilian features, and made him an absolute delinquent.

Ended up coming up with the idea that he was undead, and rather than scales- it is actually moss that decorates his face. This made his final design as a h*rny yet oblivious zombie who honestly is just trying his best to survive in the constant- not realizing that he is actually already dead.

Wydlin's backstory

Wydlins origin was the first comic I drew with access to my new drawing tablet/program.

Wydlin is a Don't Starve oc. But I honestly dont take him seriously most of the time. His whole gimmick in his backstory and bringing him into Dream Riders is that he has bad luck, but with a silver lining. He is relentlessly attacked/hunted by the monsters of the constant, but he also has the ability to basically romance any monster from this world. It does not work on any humans, and it has a diluted effect on monsters from other dimensions. He just has such a way with words- even if he sounds like a broken saxaphone to folks from outside his world.

#dont starve #dont starve oc #fantasy #occult #zombie #crowes infodumps

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leam1983 · 2 years

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On Character Design

I sort of feel like the general "Boardroom Lizard" visual concept that's given us everything from Wilson Fisk to Mammoth Mogul or Lawrence Limburger has a bit of a limiting influence on pencilers, colorists and inkers.

In most cases, what you get is dark, flat colors with a few warm accents. A single-breasted suit for more casual sorts, double-breasted for fans of the eighties' Corporate Chic and for silhouettes in need of a more square frame, and the usual panoply of masculine accessories most suit-wearers wouldn't so much as consider, nowadays. It's hard not to shake the impression that some designers just hit up YouTube channels like Alpha M. or The Gentleman's Gazette and try and unrealistically cram everything into a single rendition of the Legtimate Businessman.

Then, there's 1986's Daredevil: Love & War. The story as penned by Frank Miller tries to underline both Murdock and Fisk's obsessive tendencies - one for justice rendered at nearly any cost, and the other for control also obtained through whatever means necessary. Both men are grasping for a certain illusion of safety and are coming at it from opposite ends of the same moral spectrum. As the title suggests, love interests also figure as propelling instances.

The thing is, what drew me to the story wasn't Miller's honestly occasionally po-faced Noir diatribes, so much as Bill Sienkiewicz's penmanship. Murdock looks more or less like he usually does, both in and out of costume - but Sienkiewicz's design for Fisk was later pulled out of the mothballs for Liev Schreiber's own rendition of Fisk, as seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This is an almost Beast-like design (in reference to The Beauty and the Beast), contrasted by Vanessa's frail and diaphanous presence throughout the book. While she's basically a ghost ensconced in bedsheets, basically a reminder of her husband's precious few remaining shards of innocence, the Kingpin barely looks human.

When I think of similar concepts, names like Lex Luthor come to mind. Most modern renditions of Luthor never explicitly depict him as musclebound. Then there's other stylistic cousins of Fisk's, like the slightly more grounded design of Biker Mice from Mars' Lawrence Limburger, or others that depend entirely on the acting choices of those depicting them, like Ronny Cox's Dick Jones, in the original RoboCop. Cox, if found wearing anything other than his set of three-pieces, wouldn't have come across anywhere close as menacing. It's a bit of an interesting note to make, seeing as Kurtwood Smith desperately wanted out of his squeaky-clean typecasting. All he needed was Low-Grade Cyberpunk Slackwear and a set of Dad specs - and Clarence Boddicker was born.

Back to Sienkiewicz's concept. The era was one of, as I mentioned, flat colors. Back in 1986, layering in patterns in a page layout was a time-consuming process and a bit of a nightmare for your average bulk printing contractor. I still adore the watercolor finish of Love & War, and I have a hard time not imagining this particular Fisk as someone who looks at the era's army of Patrick Bateman clones and says something to the tone of "Screw them, I'm wearing so much paisley and herringbone over my unrealistic 500-plus-pounds of granite-slab comic-book flesh they'll either barf or wolf-whistle before drawing a gun in front of me."

The only thing missing to the portrait is a constant Dry Martini glass, or the revelation that Willie's not just a beast at Hapkido but that he also could lead Vanessa into a few Bossa Nova rounds, back when her health was steadier.

I mean, seriously. Look at this gorgeousness:

This big, sad man has absolutely zero self-esteem issues and probably push-kicks doors open with a hungry snarl, whenever he's not looming over his wife like an overprotective silverback gorilla with a pronounced thing for male haberdashery. Also, the mid-eighties' first few cell phone models probably looked ridiculously small in his hands. Dude was toting around something that felt like your average Nokia 3310 in his hand back when what you could expect out of mobile tech was 1987's massive Nokia Cityman!

I'd hug him, tell him to make sure Wifey gets plenty of fluids and sunshine, and maybe comment on him not necessarily needing to take all that latent grief and anxiety out on poor, superpowered blind people...

It's a bit amusing, considering how today's idea of the Unpredictable Boardroom Titan would probably have to go back to three-pieces and flat colors, to stand out amidst my last two workplaces' worth of loose blazers, graphic tees, skinny jeans and bright colors. Maybe 2022's idea of the Corporate Loose Cannon in Pop Culture should just mark a return to Italian graybeards pulling out designs from the Annie Lennox school and casually pushing for the legalization of cocaine...

#comic books #daredevil #daredevil:love and war #kingpin #wilson fisk #dick jones #robocop #clarence boddicker #character design #characters #bill sienkiewicz #frank miller #marvel #graphic novel

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maxmagi · 3 years

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A List of My OTPs

because it's 11 and I can't sleep.

Enjolras x Grantaire a.k.a. Enjoltaire a.k.a. ExR- Les Mis

How I fell into this I don't remember now. I vaguely remember reading a crackfic of this and then everything just went sideways.

This was also the fandom that helped me realize that I wasn't exactly straight and that it's okay to not be loud about my sexuality, that I can just be.

I think that explains my attachment to this ship, not to mention just the movie's Grantaire (played by George Blagden) also shipped the characters and played his character like how he thought it should be, Grantaire loving and pining after Enjolras without the revolutionary knowing it.

Except in the fan fics, Enjolras returns his feelings and they work it out, even though it's not easy because they're both stubborn as mules. Ah, ultimate fantasy I guess. And the number of great fics here, *whistle*

Also, the Les Amis? Is amazing? Especially in the modern AUs? Like they're great friends? I love this fandom so much! Permets-tu!

Shen Wei x Zhao Yunlan - Guardian / Zhen Hun

C'mon, Zhu Yilong & Bai Yu's performance and emotions? Plus just the fact the fanfic writers of this ship are absolutely amazing? Please, escape from this pairing is impossible!

Best opposites attract trope for me. An academic by day, superhero by night in love with a roguish police chief who has no powers but whose charisma, wit, and heart can get him to toe to toe with the legends.

Also, Professor Shen Wei constantly acting like an innocent civilian and lying badly? Gold!

Loki x Tony Stark a.k.a. FrostIron - Avengers

How did I honestly get to this ship? I really can't remember what started it all. I think it must have been a Loki redemption fic where Tony Stark and Pepper broke up and something something happened. Let me tell you, the writers of this ship have written sagas and ballads of epic and sometimes confusing proportions, and that is why I fell deeper into the pit. I mean, they gotta give justice to two brilliant but chaotic characters, right? Angst. This ship has sooooooooo much angst.

Eiji x Ash - Banana Fish

My god, if you want to keep your heart intact and not be reminded of all that's ugly in the world, DON'T WATCH OR READ BANANA FISH. YOUR HEART WILL NEVER HEAL!

If you're gonna watch/read it anyway, make sure to watch something fluffy and sweet after. There's a reason that people from this fandom go, "If you've seen Banana Fish's ending, then you can handle whatever angsty show you're watching now." ~ or something to that effect. Another thing we like to say in this fandom is, "Other fandoms: Let's write a Mafia AU! Banana Fish fandom: We are the Mafia AU." Yes, all of us in this fandom is dramatic af.

Yuuri x Viktor - Yuuri!!! on Ice

Uh, does this really need an explanation? Aside from the fact that you will surprisingly find a lot of Mafia AUs here because we all know that hiding behind that beautiful face of Viktor Nikiforov is a devil capable of... tearing down your self-confidence, like WTF Viktor, don't make Yuuri cry! Also, their dance together at the end, such beautiful love.

Magnus Bane x Alec Lightwood aka Malec - Shadowhunters

I never read the books and have no plans to in the near future. I just saw a video on Youtube about why Malec is life and now here I am, still reading some Malec fics from time to time.

Some stuff on the show were WTF but overall they were a really good couple who supported each other. Plus, they're a Power Couple.

Erwin x Levi aka Eruri - Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin

Not to be confused with Ereri, which is Eren x Levi, which I don't generally ship except for that one time when a writer wrote an epic fanfic series with Eren in his mid 20s and Levi in his late 20s/early 30s, reincarnation AU. Boy was that one a surprise. I did not expect that.

Anyway, I'm an Eruri fan through and through. Especially with that promise that Levi made to Erwin. And the reason he gave the serum to Armin. HE DIDN'T DO IT FOR THE KIDS YKNOW. HE DID IT FOR ERWIN. Plus, Levi, Erwin, and Hange are my special trio. Erwin's batch was really amazing.

Also, I really like the fact that the shorter and slighter person is the more badass fighter while the taller, bigger one is the more calculating and strategic one. Rocks the boat of stereotypes and all that. Bonus: how these two met. My god, what a meet-cute! 😂

Dani x Jamie aka The Au Pair and the Gardener - The Haunting of Bly Manor

It really is more of a love story than a ghost story. I dunno how to feel about this. I loved these two characters so much and I wished they had a better ending but I wasn't SO surprised because it was a horror series (Like, I was still hoping at the end that they'd be together forever but yknow...). In any case, Jamie was just awesome. And her nickname for Dani? Poppins?! God, what a lover and fighter. She was not afraid to cock a gun in a ghost's face.

... and now for my flexible BROTPs

Merlin x Arthur aka Merthur - BBC Merlin

Yeah, my brain is so chaotic multiple OTPs and BROTPs of the same pairing exist at the same time without clashing with one another or having major identity crises.

I actually really like BROTP Merlin and Arthur and also like reading OTP Merthur.

And when Merlin is paired with Morgana or Freya or sometimes even Gwaine, that's fine with me too. As long as his bromance with Arthur stays intact, because that's what drew me to the show in the first place. Personal preference. I see them as platonic soulmates.

*Shout-out to the Merthur writers though, you kept me sane during my "Post-Merlin Depression," which is actually a term thrown around in the fandom because of that horrid final season (not saying it's a good term but it's what it was called). A lot of amazing fics here, too, both Magic Reveal and Modern AU ones. Full of action and adventure too! I mean, there are boy-band-looking Knights and magic-wielding badasses!

Tim Drake x Conner Kent/Kon-El aka Red Robin x Super Boy - DC Comics

More like flexible otp. I dig Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake BUT I really really also dig Tim Drake and Conner Kent. When they're TimKon, it's like an entirely different entity from TimSteph. Ugh, hard to explain.

I mean, Kon telling Tim, "You'll always be my Robin" and Tim telling Kon, "And you'll always be my clone boy" is the shit. Also when Kon could pick out/recognize Tim's heartbeat. And when Tim nearly went mad scientist trying to bring his bestie back. Like, dudes, wtf. And at the same time, hell yeah.

Liu Kang x Kung Lao aka LiuLao - Mortal Kombat

- I see these two as more like ride or die best friends connected by fate/platonic soulmates. But also like their dynamic is so awesome, cute, sweet, badass, can't-live-without-you vibes.

Basically the same way I feel about Merthur. I like reading both romantic and platonic relationships between these two characters. Like, the LiuLao fan creators peeling off the layers of this relationship and exposing every raw nerve is beautiful.

They love diving into the characters' psyche, emotions, motivations, fears, and doubts and you get really amazed because... Aren't they just characters from a video game, you ask? Well yeah, but MK video game has several interesting storylines and the Mortal Kombat 2021 movie was just the perfect jumpstarter to this beautiful blaze.

I mean, "We swore that if we were to die, it would be together"? Hell no, you're not dropping that on us and not expecting us to create our very own spin-offs and 12-page essays on that shit. That's what we fans do, baby. And also, really, we need a shaolin monks/white lotus spin-off/prequel. We're starving here.

As this ship is the newest one on my list, it's the one I'm looking forward to the most. Not enough fan content, I tell you. Not enough. One of these days, I just might add my own.

But right now, it's past 1 and so I shall attempt to sleep.

***No images for TimKon and LiuLao coz apparently I've gone past my 10-images allowance 😤

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bluecloudious · 3 years

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Here's a little rant about Kits and Zanaz canon, cause I have quite a few thoughts that I dunno what else to do with and my head was aching really bad (and I wanted to get smth done), so I decided to share some of the ones that I've been debating for a while (It's pretty long, be warned):

The TL;DR is just the thought names, I guess.

Thought nr 1: They are 100 percent a couple, even in the first comic I posted of them.

I've been thinking about this a lot, whether they were just best friends who had crushes on one another, or if they were just straight up a thing and, yeah. They're just a couple and have been for a while. The written story is now the AU where Zani chickened out of confessing his feelings for so long that he finally was given a deadline. Comics are the canon and in that canon, they got together shortly after becoming agents. Zani occasionally flirts with other people, but that's just kinda a part of his personality and Kits has grown used to it. Their shipname is Kitzan.

Thought nr 2: Kits has no self-confidence.

In the meeting comic I tried to make it a bit noticeable how unhappy he is with himself, but even after transitioning, that fact has only slightly changed. He is his preferred gender now, but he still isn't confident at all about his looks, his voice or what he says, despite how much Zanaz tries to convince him that he's fine. The only thing Zanaz has managed to stop Kits from doing is actually being self-destructive aka Kits starved himself for a while (also hinted at in the comic). That's why he's way chunkier now- cause his body stopped trusting him and gained fat afterwards. All of this isn't really visible or audible in any of the comics, because Kits isn't vocal about it at all. Zanaz is the only person who really even knows it/cares about it. It's also the base for his mostly detail-less design compared to Zani- he's trying not to stick out.

Thought nr 3: They both have a body count

Yeah, they've both killed before, which, for the world they live in, isn't really surprising. It was all in self-defence, don't worry. The amount of rogue agents and grunts that decide to deviate in a violent way is a pretty big percent, so they've had to encounter quite a few of them. Zanaz' preferred weapon is of course the handgun/glock and is the more experienced/lethal of the two. Kits on the other hand is more proficient with knives, his main weapon being a shaving knife he got from Zani. He hasn't had to use it much, but the few times he has, we're pretty desperate. Zanaz also has a body count in the other sense too, but you could probably tell that much already.

Thought nr 4: I still do not think they'll have a happy ending

Sorry, but the happy ending Kits and Zanaz I drew are just a part of an AU as well. There is no malicious reason for why I think they'll die. They just happen to get the short end of the stick, just like most members of the A.A.H.W. We are talking about an agency that has at least three(four if you count that one incident with 2bdamned) very proficient people constantly killing staff. There are so many deaths that they have to use clones, for pete's sake! The amount of time they've already managed to be alive for is quite impressive (I imagine about 3 years).

Thought nr 5: Zanaz is even more protective of his inner feelings than Kits is

Even though Zanaz is very blunt and honest about most things, even some considered private info to most, he is not actually open about how he feels. He hides his negative emotions as much as he possibly can, even from Kits. (This was briefly explored in the written story, also.) The only reason Kits knows this, is because he's caught Zani crying to himself in less visited areas of their main facility, once or twice. Even then he wouldn't say what's wrong, that's how stubborn he is. All Kits could really do when this happened, was hug him and pat his head.

Fun facts that I didn't know how to categorize:

Zanaz is a dog person and Kits is a cat person. They combine to become bird people. (Yes, this is my excuse to draw dog boy Zani at some point.)

Zanaz' and Kits' personalities are based off myself. Of course in an amplified way, but yeah, I relate to them a lot. (Others have claimed to relate as well, which is most pleasant.)

They get their shade colors from RGB. Regular agents have red, Zanaz has green and Kits has blue.

I occasionally draw them during my free time! Most of those pictures I will not be posting to Tumblr, however. Some cause they're just kinda sketches that I don't really see a point in posting and others are just straight up not Tumblr appropriate.

Kits and Zanaz had not dated anyone before each other. Kits cause of insecurity and Zanaz because he didn't want any commitment. They are still very loyal to each other, tho.

The main song I listen to whenever I draw Zanaz is Left Boy- Security Check. Kits doesn't have a song that I listen to and get his vibe, but I am still looking.

Bit of a bonus tangent too:

I'm sorry that most of these are negative. The funni bois are, ya know, funny, and I tend not to make media about them that isn't funny, but I wanted to blabber about how I think they are when not performing a punchline.

When I design characters, I never only think about the positive personality traits. I tend to instead think about what the negatives are, so I can figure out, how they handle it. How they cope and how they've grown from their negative experiences/emotions enchants me.

I've said this before, Kits and Zanaz got created on a whim, basically unintentionally. But, I grew attached to the two idiot agents with different color shades. Thus, I wanted to know more about them.

I think, by now, I've figured them out for the most part. (Thankfully I don't have to give them any family or nothing, cause they're both clones.)

Also, their color scheme is final. If you've noticed, they're shades have changed shade over time. Zanaz' got brighter, while Kits' got darker. The suit color is a random shade every time, cause I just choose a dark shade of gray via slider. Hair color hasn't changed at all, as far as I know. Only Good Ending Zani has darker hair, cause he had it colored.

And, speaking of the Good Ending AU, I don't think I know what to do with the concept. I try to think more into it, but my brain blanks. If anyone wants to draw or write about it, I would be completely fine with it. Might even consider it canon, if none of it conflicts with the established canon. Good Ending AU takes place in the far future, after all.

But, yeah, I think that's it. I'm kinda honestly surprised if anyone actually reads all of this, lol. I hope you found my long-ass tangent about my two silly gay MadCom OCs interesting :)))

#Madness Combat #OC #Info #IT IS VERY LONG #most of it isn't funny haha #KitZan

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honeybunhalo · 4 years

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Day 22: Isolation (A late submission for DannyMay) (also sad clone hours time)

Y’all remember DannyMay2020. Well seeing as last month was really bad for me in general, I have only managed to post this now. Just trying to keep my brain occupied by something else.

This page is Dani captured by the GIW. This is just a one off one comic page based on this story idea I had below. Look i know that this is different from the spunky Dani we all know but that's what kidnapping does to yah oops.

Story explanation: I (obviously) recently dove head first back into Danny Phantom stuff and I found a really unfinished script for a fan comic I wanted to make like two years ago tentatively titled The Facility. The premise was generally: the Guys in White find out Danny is Phantom and take him into custody (loosely based on this post). He is left in their care while his friends and family on the outside fight to get him out. The GIW is interested in other half ghosts and how they work. They are able to find Danielle and capture her as well. Both are in isolation but because Danny has people on the outside rallying for his human rights he is granted the regular visits of a psychologist (jazz’s insistence of course). He is also granted limited phone calls and letters. Jazz helped come up with a plan to insist one of their parents should be present at the facility at all times as a parent and scientist while they sort this mess out because damn human testing be fucked up even if they kinda dead tho. Maddie is the one who they choose to send.

Danny is told there is another half ghost in the facility and after finding out it’s Dani he insists on seeing her. They also have to work to prove Dani should be released which is difficult with lack of paperwork for her proving she’s a real person. Other characters that are at least background characters in this: Sam, Tucker, Jack, Jazz, Valerie

The mood of it would be kind of serious given they are kidnapped children held against their will by a shady government agency. There would be hurt and comfort and some angst with a happy ending. Danny and Dani having a wholesome sibling relationship. Also an excuse for me to draw some angst and wholesome stuff. (remembering how to draw digital art is hard)

I have no idea if Vlad would show up in this or what his purpose to the story would be. I didn’t have much planned past that tho. Just some half cooked concept art. If anyone has any suggestions to boost the story I’m open to listening.

TL:DR; Danny is kidnapped/taken into custody by the GIW after they discover he's a halfa. It’s a reveal and subsequent coping story for those close to him who don’t know (ie his parents and Valerie). Dani is also in custody of GIW. Maddie Fenton plays a large part in trying to get her son and her new daughter out of the holding facility and coping with the revelation. Some angst with a lot hurt comfort and a good ending. Focus on family theme (pseudo found family theme for my clone girl) and trying for an equal amount of character analysis for both Danny and Danielle.

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Also this is separate from my other comic idea just FYI even if this also takes place post D-Stablized and without Phantom Planet.

My shading be off AF because I couldn’t decide how to shade ghosts but I might as well post this. I’m still going through my choices of the visual nature of this anyway.

Also I couldn't decide whether I wanted them in human form or ghost form but here I decided ghost form because why not. Also in human form they wear something like GIW issued prison-scrubs uniforms in the facility. Even if I did draw them in ghost form below. Yah so enjoy this unfinished concept art i drew a while ago (thus the style difference):

#dannymay2020 #Danny Phantom #danny fenton #dani phantom #danielle phantom #dani fenton #danny phantom comic #danny phantom au #youll start to see a pattern with me #danielle fenton #guys in white #op art #my children

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mwolf0epsilon · 4 years

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First off, before everyone comes after my butt with their "No Fun Allowed" and "Cringe" signs, this is in no way something to be taken as gospel or insightful. It's not a prophetic enforcement of canon. It's literally a theory done for fun, and to try to piece the Bendy Crack up Comics into the general and messy lore of the BatIM franchise.

Most of you get this and don't need a big wordy warning about fanon interpretation, but a lot of peculiar people tend to show up in my ask box hoping to start a fuss over my headcanons and AU ideas, so I thought to be nice and leave a polite and diplomatic "Kindly Fuck Off" sign at the door for them.

With that said, there will be mild spoilers, carry on of your own volition, down below under the cut that will definitely show up because Tumblr mobile is a functional app that's never given me trouble!!!

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[[MORE]]

The Bendy Franchise has an established issue with cohesion in its lore. We all know what I'm talking about, we all have reservations about canonical character discrepancies (game vs novel vs guidebook) and we all have been racking our brains with a few holes in the timeline, as well as how BatDR (which is neither prequel nor sequel) will fit into this, since it's connected to BatDS and that's an established prequel to BatIM.

Granted I myself am missing a lot of pieces, having to scrounge around for info since I can't really get any of the reading material myself and rely heavily on @british-hero (who owns the novel plus got her copy of the comics yesterday), a very incomplete wikie, and analysis and theories from SuperHorrorBro's Bendy videos.

Heck, I also rely on a lot of gameplay footage, because BatIM has a bit of subtle storytelling through visual design of its levels, and hints of how certain characters work through a few game mechanics.

Through this mishmash of collecting puzzle pieces for the greater picture I even have a few notes on my phone to piece together certain events in established dates, something which comes very in handy for this theory since it talks about two particular characters, the Projectionist and Brute Boris (and I guess Twisted Alice to some extent but it's more of a note on some interesting thoughts I have of her).

Without further ado, here's what this theory is all about: Why did Norman become the Projectionist, and why did Twisted Alice turn Buddy Boris into Brute Boris?

If you think about it, there's only two creatures in the studio that really seem out of place in the world of BatIM, and that's Prophet Sammy and the Projectionist. Neither are inherently similar to any of the cartoon characters, nor are they considered to be Lost Ones. They're certainly not Searchers, but while we know Sammy is unique because his method of transformation was different, we never got an explanation for Norman's. It could be that it's a process similar to BatDR's new enemy type that's larger and seems to have bits and bobs stuck to it, but then those big guys seem like the equivalent to Swollen Searchers for the Lost Ones. The Projectionist doesn't really fit the puzzle.

Or at least he didn't.

With the introduction of the Crack up Comics collection, we get three new characters that were definitely designed in the same manner that the Butcher Gang was. Beginning with a corrupt monster forms and then giving way to perfect and pristine rubberhose toon forms.

I'm talking about Miss Twisted, the Brute, and Cameraman.

The villainous trio from the Souper Boris comic strip.

To us it's obvious the artists created them in parallel to Twisted Alice, Brute Boris and the Projectionist, but to the actual canon this actually has a bit of an impact on the Projectionist's existence.

Why, you ask? Because those characters were introduced between 1936 and 1940.

Bendy Crack up Comics table of contents, showcasing the publishing dates of the strips.

For anyone who doesn't know (either from not paying attention to the Joey Drew Studios channel audio logs, or from not owning the books) the Ink Machine wasn't conceptualized or installed until 1942/1943. Putting that into perspective, the only other thing that happened in Joey Drew Studios in 1940, was the conceptualization of Bendyland (which is likely the origin of the idea for the Ink Machine itself).

This means that Cameraman existed well before the Projectionist ever came to be, and that made me think about another thing: The Ink's apparent sentience.

I'll be frank, the Ink is very hard nut to crack. I consider it a form of alchemized entity, others consider it pure black magic, and I'm pretty sure Joey Drew himself had no idea what he was dealing with when he began using it. The fact of the matter is that the Ink is alive and that it has its own agenda. One that coincides with Joey's, out of mutual interest.

In the novels it seems to want to be free, but it can't exactly do that as a formless liquid, so it tries to body-snatch people (ex: Sammy and Buddy's grandpa).

When Joey tries to use it to give life to Bendy through nothing more than using the Ink and a template (likely a character model sheet) the Ink tries to follow the model but immediately becomes a distorted humanoid version of it (which honestly rings so many fucking alarm bells on its own). Things… Escalate there on out, with Joey trying to perfect the method and only managing to succeed through Daniel Lewek (and many other nameless Boris Clones), Allison Pendle and Thomas Connor.

An important thing to take from this, however, is that by trying to perfect this method Joey not only taught the Ink to reshape things into viable referenced material, but that he had to have lost control of just how many souls were being pumped through the Ink Machine for him to monitor and keep up.

Sammy started killing people when he completely turned, and it didn't seem to take long for him to cut down people in likely both the music and art departments. At this point he had no self-restraint and was completely wrapped around inky fingers and Joey's lies.

Norman is one such potential victim, and Dot and Buddy even passed by his ink-wrapped body while fleeing.

Now, the thing about trying to follow a specific guide and not having the actual means to make it exactly the same thing, is an easy enough notion to get (as shows like "Nailed It", and years of trying to perfect visual style mimicry, have taught me).

The Ink likely had the template it needed (maybe a printed copy of Souper Boris that got thrown around in the chaos), the insight of what Norman's role in the studio was, the amount of mass it needed to consume and transform his dead body, but not exactly the right sort of… Centerpiece for it...

Cameraman using his lens to light up his path.

But what's a projector besides a bigger fancier camera? Both blink, both take film, same thing right? The ink doesn't see the difference and just stitches together this humanoid bootleg cameraman with the pieces it finds that are similar enough.

Mechanical blinky head? Check.

Strange round disc near the belly? There's a speaker. That's round! Check.

Film? There we go, a nice big round reel full of film in it, let's put it near the head, that's how it works right? Check.

Lastly, no Joey to actually direct this artistic recreation of a one-off character. The Ink did it all by itself while he was off getting his hand broken by a rightfully upset Buddy Boris.

If you look at it objectively it makes sense that being the projectionist tasked with not only recording and maintaining the projectors themselves, that the entity in the Ink would pick Cameraman as a template for Norman's transformed self.

It also makes sense that the Projectionist is so off-putting in the studio. He's almost perfect, but not quite because there just weren't the right materials. He's stuck in between Twisted Alice and the Butcher Gang clones as another failed recreation.

Moving on to the next question on why Twisted Alice turn Buddy Boris into Brute Boris, when she hadn't done the same to any of the other Boris Clones.

It's hard to say really, but I think it all comes down to who Twisted Alice really is. It's very likely that, as Susie Campbell, she would have knowledge of the comic strips. A few were most likely made into cartoon shorts even (which isn't an unusual assumption to make), and maybe Susie voiced a few background characters for said shorts.

Susie may have lost her role as Alice, but before Joey came to her with his proposition for the "special project" it's very likely that she remained in the studio, forced to do the voices of characters that weren't noteworthy or that she felt completely disconnected from (talking chairs and singing hens really don't become beloved fan-favourites) . Maybe if the Souper Boris story was made into a short, she might have voiced Miss Twisted (which honestly would be personally insulting considering she once had the role of the main heroine).

Point is, Susie knows her lore, and that translates to Twisted Alice's repertoire of insightful knowledge on the abominations lurking around the studio.

She never did turn other Boris clones into brutish lackeys because at the time she didn't need to. But it doesn't mean she hadn't considered it. Henry's disruptive behaviour is just what she needed to put that plan into motion.

There was already a "Cameraman" walking about, one that could easily rip apart anything it came across, so acquiring the means to recreate the "Brute" would have been benefiting from her point of view. The Projectionist doesn't take orders and can't be reasoned with, so if she could make something just as strong that took her orders she could, theoretically, be safe from most terrors in the studio. If that didn't work, she would still likely send others to their death by simply sending them down to Level 14, or maybe lure the Projectionist to them herself (just because he doesn't take orders doesn't mean she can't use him to achieve her end goals).

Miss Twisted, the Brute and Cameraman in their evil swamp lair.

But why Buddy Boris specifically? Why couldn't she have used any of the bodies laying around? Freshness most likely. Rigor mortis is probably still a thing, even for living cartoons. Easier to work a fresh dead body than a bunch of stiff wolves.

That's at least why I think Brute Boris is a thing. Susie's knowledge of most Bendy cartoon/comic strip characters, taking inspiration from the Projectionist's presence, and honestly a very twisted sense of humor and irony. In her quest to become a Perfect Alice, the heroine of the show, she ended up becoming just as antagonistic (although more sadistic) as Miss Twisted, a Bendy comic strip villainess.

#bendy and the ink machine #batim #bendy crack up comics #bendy spoilers #spoilers #theory #headcanons #speculation #twisted alice #the projectionist #brute boris #long post

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 4 years

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Were I to have an insane and unrealistic amount of power over at Marvel I’d re-organize the Spider-Man relevant trades. I share the belief that the hurdle to new readers isn’t so much that there is a long history so much as a history spread all over the place. Wanting to read Spider-Man isn’t simple even if you do have the time and patience to read 50 years worth of comics. You need to know WHICH comics and WHAT ORDER to read them in. And the latter has a multiple choice answer!

This is part of why USM was so strong in it’s early days. 1 title, no satellites, no spin-offs. All you needed to do was pick up issue #1 or trade volume 1 and read sequentially from there. Not just easy to follow but easy to catch up and thus allow readership to grow.

Thus I propose that we simply organize the Spider-Man brand into a series of sequential trades. Functionally these will be like the Deadpool Classic trades, but with multiple trades following the various characters of the Spider-Verse. Want to read just about Peter Parker, you pick up his trades. But want to read just about Miles or Venom? The trades will have you covered going across their respective histories in the in-universe reading order.

In other words you need not worry about whether story arc A in ASM happens before story arc B in Spec and where Guest appearance C fits in. The trades would sort it all out for you. You’d just pick up any volume and read cover to cover, with tiny subplot pages and text inserted where relevant to clarify things. E.g. if there were 2 three part stories happening at the same time, you don’t want to interrupt that, so you’d just print one then have some text saying ‘the following three issues take place during the events of the ASM #X-Z’.

Additionally, in order to not make things unnecessarily confusing I’d omit retroactive stories like Untold Tales of Spider-Man, Symbiote Spider-Man, etc from these trades. My rationale is that not only would these spoil certain things but more significantly as time goes by people will inevitably write more retroactive stories meaning the trades would need to be constantly amended.

Instead I’d simply make a ‘Companion’ trade series reprinting such stories in publication order with a few notes explaining where they take place relative to the original issues. E.g. you’d pick up ‘Peter Parker: Spider-Man Classic Companion Volume 1’ and before you read Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1 a note would inform you it happens after ASM #3 or whatever.

So what would these trade series be exactly?

Something like this:

1. Peter Parker: Spider-Man Classic: Simply every Peter Parker appearance or relevant comic book. ASM, Spec, New Avengers, Secret Wars, guest appearances, everything!

2. Mary Jane Classic: Same thing for Mary Jane, albeit to save some time we could simply reprint the MJ relevant pages from various comics as there would be little need to reprint a whole Spidey adventure she just cameos in. The info text could simply give you context for each appearance before we got to meatier stories. I’d employ this method for all of the following whenever relevant.

3. Black Cat Classic: Obviously this would include her solo minis but also and team appearances like in Heroes for Hire.

4. Daily Bugle Classic: It occurred to me there were several stories focussing upon a lot of the supporting cast that didn’t feature Spider-Man himself. That aside people love the supporting cast so I figured some trades chronicling their exploits would make sense. For this trade series it’d focus upon J. Jonah Jameson first and foremost but also Betty Brant, Joe Robertson, Ben Urich, etc

5. The Many Loves of Spider-Man Classic: Same idea but with the Spidey girlfriends who don’t have that many appearances to their name. The main focus would be Gwen Stacy because for good or ill she’s a character who people are interested in. But you could also throw in appearances from Deb Whitman, Carlie, etc.

6. Spider-Man’s Tangled Web: TBH I couldn’t figure out a good name for this one, but essentially this would be about Peter’s friends who aren’t superheroes, Bugle employees or girlfriends of his. This would include Flash Thompson (pre-Venom), Liz Allan, Randy Robertson, possibly Glory Grant although she’d also fit in with the Bugle trades I guess. Throw in the Tangled web issues and your good to go!

7. Clone Classic: As you might expect this would chronicles Ben Reilly and Kaine’s exploits, but also for good measure ALL the clearly clone related stories. So we’re talking appearances involving Miles Warren and Gwen’s clone too. Although I guess the latter could fit in ‘the Many Loves of Spider-Man’ trades.

8. Spider-Man’s Amazing Friends Classic: All of the superhero friends Spider-Man has who are closely associated with him and have had off and on titles over the years. Prowler, Silver Sable, Rocket Racer, Sandman (when he reformed), Jackpot, Alpha, Will O’ Wisp, etc

9. Goblins Classic: I thought of doing a trade purely about the Osborns but this seemed more logical. It’d cover every appearance of the Goblin related characters. We’re talking Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Bart Hamilton, Roderick Kingsley, Ned Leeds, Jason Macendale, Phil Urich, Green Goblin V, Hobgoblin from Bendis’ Secret War, Gabriel+Sarah Stacy, Lily Hollister and whoever else will become a Goblin

10. Doctor Octopus Classic: Speaks for itself, and yeah it’d include his clones from Superior onwards too.

11. Symbiotes Classic: I thought of having this be about all the symbiotes OTHER than Venom and Carnage but having 3 sets of trades for symbiotes seemed ridiculous. This would cover every symbiote (Venom, Carnage, Hybrid, Scream, Toxin, Mania, Sleeper, etc) along with major hosts of theirs. Eddie Brock, Cletus Kasady, Mac Gargan, Flash Thompson, Andi Benton, etc

12. Sinister Six Classic. Maybe you couldn’t call these guys A-listers strictly speaking but these would be the real famous Spider-Man villains who haen’t already been mentioned. We’re talking the Vultures, Electros, Kravens, Mysterios, Chameleon, all the really classic costumed Spidey bad guys you could think of with the exception of some of the folks I’m gonna name below

13. The Many Foes of Spider-Man Classic: This would chiefly chronicle the stories about the characters from Deadly/Lethal/Superior Foes of Spider-Man, most importantly Boomerang, Beetle and Shocker

14. Spider Women Classic: All the 616 centric Spider Ladies. Jessica Drew, Julia Carpenter, Mattie Franklin, Cindy Moon, Anya Corazon, maybe even throw Madame Web in there for good measure. I think it makes sense to consolidate them together into a trade series as their publication histories meant they were usually passing the baton onto one another.

15. Miles Morales: Spider-Man Classic: Guess who this is about. Obviously this would include his appearances in Champions, Avengers, etc

16. Gwen Stacy: Ghost Spider Classic: Every Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider/Earh-65 Gwen appearanceD

17. Spider-Ham Classic: You get the picture. Although I’d also add in versions of Spider-Ham that are from different Earths as well

18. Spider-Man 2099 Classic: We’re actually already doing these in real life, but I’d want them to include every version of Miguel too and brief appearances across other titles

19. Ultimate Spider-Man Classic: Obviously the same deal for Ultimate Peter Parker, but I’d also include Ultimate Jessica Drew as well

20. Web of Spider-Verse: A trade series that reprints in publication order every other AU Spider-People out there. All the What Ifs, the Earth X stuff, House of M, X-Men: Forever, 1602, Noir, India, Peni Parker, Fairy Tales and of course Web Warriors

21. Spider-Girl Classic: We’re already doing this one too. Just wish it’d come out faster!

22. Spider-Man: Japan Classic: ALL the Japanese Spider-Man stories. Every appearance of Supaidaman from Spider-Verse and beyond. Every appearance of Spider-Man J, Mangaverse Spider-Man, Spidey Fake Red and most controversially Spider-Man: The Manga (deffo gonna have to put a mature readers disclaimer on those ones.

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mattzerella-sticks · 5 years

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I’mma be real here for a sec - when I heard YJ: Outsiders was announced I was super excited. Without being tethered to a network, in control of its own storylines and whatnot I thought that so much good could happen. And when the first few episodes came out I was so excited, it seemed to be paying off...

But then every week I became less and less excited to binge the three episodes, because it felt like no matter what I was going to be force fed a het relationship or bloody, gory violence - or BOTH!

Now the second half of the third season is out and I could barely sit through the 14th episode. The only reason I did was because I saw they had Guy Gardner and I love him (in fact I skipped all the scenes that weren’t the League in space). Here’s why I’m so over this third season and I want it to be over with:

- Not keeping promises: The showrunner/one of the big creators on the team promised LGBT+ rep; now I would understand if they drew it out and wanted to do it right (I mean 1st season had the perfect drawn out relationship of Artemis Crock and Wally West THAT’S WHAT I WANT). But since we’ve gotten probably 10+ het relationships, a lot of them rushed and thrown together (I mean, Jefferson Pierce and the doctor?!?!) I highly doubt any LGBT rep will be well done. It feels like they see characters who stand side by side of different gender expressions and go “Wow, I can picture their wedding already”. I mean, even a bug and a SHIP have a flirtationship.

- Rushed Storyline & Bad Animation: They’ve had all this time to come up with a pretty good story, especially since it involves the biggest bad of the DCU Darkseid, and this is what we’re getting? The concept of metahuman trafficking and federal oversight into superheroes is a good one to build a plot from, but it feels too disjointed because the writers are cramming in so many different heroes it’s hard to focus; what they should have done was pulled the narrative closer to the Outsiders team and cut the dead weight (like the Vandal Savage episode seriously); Also the animation is stilted and, again, you have all this time and this is what we get? The characters react too slow and it feels sloppy, IMO.

- Unoriginal Characters: With all these new characters maybe they’d be a little different, or at least draw inspiration from but not outright be clones of other characters? Because the three newbies (Geo-Force, Halo, and Forager) are just Superboy, M’gann 1 and M’gann 2. Minor new additions are bleh (Helga Jace looking at you again, I know Terra is the obvious betrayer but I read the comics, I know what you’re planning) And even the characters we’ve grown to know and love are acting somewhat stale, like there’s nothing special to them? It seems like all the heroes are doing the same thing? It’s not that it’s bad but it makes for an uninteresting story. Like what about Dinah and Ollie, you see them break up in the first episode (or at least have a fight) but then NOTHING ELSE from it!

- Pushing Things On Us We Don’t Want: Simple. WILL AND ARTEMIS. No one wants this? Why did you think it was a good idea? Why can’t we just have Will and Aunt Artemis be the best of friends? Is it a crime for two single people to be friends with each other? If you’re of differing gender expressions then apparently, at least for this show.

- Gore and Violence: We get it, Violet can heal herself from anything. SO WHY DID IT SEEM LIKE EVERY OTHER EPISODE THEY WANTED US TO REMEMBER IN THE MOST BRUTAL WAY?!?! And then when it seemed like we were getting a break, they bring in Victor and were like “Wanna see us animate intestines hanging out of a body?” And before we could say no - BOOM!

I will end with something positive - I loved Guy Gardner in this? Maybe because he was a one-shot character only for this episode but all the same. His antics, his voice actor, his singing, the fact that he was the beautiful pan disaster I know and love (”somebody kiss my ring” “flirts with both Superman & Wonder Woman” “sings a song about his ass to Hawkman & Wonder Woman”) But if you expect me to watch the other two episodes that came out today - especially the septuple date and Static seventh wheeling - then you are highly mistaken. I’ll get my info from all of you here.

#Young Justice #YJ #YJ Outsiders #Young Justice Outsiders #Guy Gardner

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nemirutami · 5 years

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DUDE HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO THINK THINGS THROUGH SO WELL??? Whenever i come up with a story thing i can never sort things out or how i want them to go or organize things just how do you go about this junk because i live for the set ups you have

Since you seemed to like those AUS, I’ll share a few more that I’ve never talked about! Most will be pegokita bc i’m… predictable.

Pegokita Ice Skating AU) Akira pairs up with Haru in the couple’s ice skating world cup, and they’ve been a pair for ages now, but once Haru gets injured, Okumura decides to force her to keep participating…. unless, Akira can find someone just as competent to replace her. So… Akira has to go find a skater to take Haru’s place. But since their routine is so… strict? He has to find someone that matches Haru’s height, weight, and stamina. Otherwise, they’d have to change the routine, since Akira has to be able to lift, spin, and skate next to them in that same routine. He’s about to give up when he sees Minato skate on the ice, practicing for the singles tournament. Long story short, Akira mistakes Minato for a girl because of his physique, and Minato is obviously bothered and will now refuse to entertain anything Akira says lol. The only thing that convinces Minato to lend Akira a hand is seeing just how bad off Haru is, and knowing what type of man Okumura is, Minato knows he will force Haru to skate in her condition if they don’t have a replacement. So, Minato agrees. However… there’s a catch. It’s not like Okumura would be ok supporting two dudes on the ice. Which means… that’s right… Minato has to crossdress. Incredible. Cue the frustration of having to dress up like a girl and suddenly developing feelings for your partner with worrying whether or not those feelings would ever be reciprocated because Akira keeps mentioning what a convincing girl he looks like. Minato just assumes Akira sees him as a girl or wishes he was one, which is why he never pursues anything, and Akira assumes something along the same lines. “I forced him into this, kinda. Why would he not hate me?”. Miscommunication…on ice!

RRAU King Akechi) I haven’t talked about this variation of RRAU, but I mentioned a long while back on twitter something like… “What if Akira and Minato were both retainers for a corrupt King”. Now, what if that king was Akechi? It seems like an interesting dynamic between the 3 of them, since both Akechi and Minato would be more law aligned (Messiah, Robin Hood), and Akira would be the rebellious outlier (Satanael). It also means Akira would be the first to raise his gun against Akechi if Akechi actually decided to do something that would put people in danger. Ally with an enemy, kill off prisoners for kicks/to prove a point, anything really. Or, perhaps, even execute Minato for a crime he supposedly committed just because Akechi had to do so in the name of the law. I wholly believe that Minato and Akira would become the closest in this AU, which means Akira would betray Akechi for Minato, but Minato’s alignment would mean Minato would ultimately side with Akechi if they were about to throw down. I don’t think Akechi would have a preference between Akira or Minato, but I do think Akira’s more unpredictable nature (that rebellious side) would pique Akechi’s interest more, and so, he’d favor siding with Akira, perhaps because he knows Minato will ultimately side with him if he says the word. Minato’s predictability would be why Akechi would favor Akira. Siding with Akira wouldn’t ever leave Minato opposed to his choice. So long as the order comes from Akechi, Minato will do it. At least, that’s their dynamic for this setting. I have no real plot, only a stand-off where all 3 of these idiots point guns between each other, and one of them bites a bullet. I have different scenarios for this too, just because it’s fun to think about who would ally with who and who would betray who depending on the context.

Pegokita Minato’s Palace AU) This one is different from the one I drew ages ago (this drawing, Minato’s phantom thief outfit). I have a lot of notes for this one (the whole plot actually, start to finish) but I’ll be…. brief. YES THIS IS BRIEF, I HAVE LIKE 7 PAGES LMFAO.

Essentially, a palace forms in Minato’s heart from a distorted desire to date Akira. THIS SOUNDS OOC BUT HEAR ME OUT… In his palace, there’s multiple Akiras. They serve different purposes, and they all look completely infatuated with Minato, but Minato is never shown to be affectionate with them. You know how the shadows mistook Ann for her clone in Kamoshida’s palace? The different looking Akiras wouldn’t know Akira was an intruder because he looks just like them. They’d assume he was just walking around doing his job, but Minato (just like Kamoshida) would be able to tell who the real Akira is just by a glance (even if he’s not in his PT’s uniform. Minato wouldn’t consider Akira a threat, so he would never actually look like a target to anyone, kinda like Ann before her awakening). In Kamoshida’s case, the “real” Ann was the one in his cognition, but for Minato, the real Akira is the real Akira that enters the palace. Minato doesn’t actually consider the “clones” Akira. They’re merely… replicas. He explains as much later. However, for the time being, Akira has a crush on Minato, and upon entering Minato’s palace, it’s clear Minato also has an obsession with him. But… you can see where this is going, right? Minato’s feelings aren’t healthy if they’re this distorted. Which means, Akira has to get rid of the distortion. Which means… Minato won’t have feelings for him anymore if he actually follows through, leaving Akira with unrequited love.

So, what does Akira do?

Attempt to change Minato’s heart by giving in to his desires. He figures, maybe, just maybe, if he can convince Minato’s shadow/cognitive self that Akira (the real Akira) actually loves him, then maybe the distortion will go away on its own. This leads to Akira staying in his palace for… much longer. Hours. Days, even. All the while, he’s only making Minato more distorted. More clones begin to show up in the palace, and it infuriates Akira because “What am I supposed to do, nothing works, is the only option really to steal his heart?“ but Akira’s the one who’s causing all the clones to appear. You know how in P5 you can OPEN a person’s message, arrive for your date/plans, but still refuse to hang out with them? I assume Akira did this a number of times to Minato, enough for Minato to stop messaging him completely, convinced Akira had gotten bored of him. It also means Akira isn’t able to actually get in touch with Minato in the real world now, since Minato has “shut him off” for his own sake. Any message Akira sends to him like “let’s hang out” will be ignored, since he burned Minato too many times (lmao the arcana reversed). It’s funny how Akira is the reason this palace exists in the first place. Since Akira pretty much maxed Minato’s link and then… prioritized everyone else. Minato’s cognitive self pretty much asks Akira to stay “forever” which… Akira can’t do, of course… can he? He actually considers it. Though, this can’t be allowed. When Akira finally decides he wants to steal Minato’s heart (for the both of them), his PT’s uniform actually starts to show, and he sticks out like a sore thumb among all the other Akira, making him ridiculously easy to spot and capture by ALL THE OTHER CLONES. I guess i’ll leave this au off on the note that once Akira is captured, Minato plans to fuck him to death. Yes, you heard right. Wham, bam, thank you mA’AM.

As for how i come up with aus or ideas, IT’S REALLY HARD TO DESCRIBE, I usually go with “what do i want these two characters to feel in regards to one another with this scene and how will it tie into the plot”, I just write what I find interesting. My own comic works the same way. I’m very simple, if I want to see Akechi stab Minato with a sword I will create a whole scenario around it to make stabby look more fun. I don’t really care about actions as much as I care about the feelings the people behind the actions are experiencing. That’s the real fun part.

I think I have more aus… but here u go. A taste of AUS I haven’t rlly mentioned before.

#tnt answers asks #mushy-lin #long post

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dalekofchaos · 5 years

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The Best and worst changes for the Original Trilogy

Been wanting to do this for a while, so here are what I think are the best and worst changes that George made to the Original Trilogy

The Good

The special effects enhancement. This is an obvious choice, but the re-releases do improve most of the effects in the film, with just a few exceptions. One might argue that the film’s original effects were part of what made it so good – after all, at the time of release the visuals were one of the major selling points of Star Wars. But most fans agree that there’s nothing wrong with bringing the original films up-to-date with modern special effects, and that certainly shows when you compare scenes like the Battle of Yavin where the older effects do somewhat break immersion, particularly if you are used to the newer releases. The improved laser blasts and lightsaber effects make the action scenes appear less scratchy, and improve continuity between this trilogy and the ones that come before and after it in the timeline. It would certainly be

Aurebesh replacing english. The Star Wars universe is vast, containing hundreds of aliens from different worlds speaking a variety of languages. However, in the original trilogy, just about everyone on screen spoke English - or as it's referred to in canon, Galactic Basic Standard. The Basic language is just that, the most basic language that most residents of a galaxy far, far away (and us, the audience) can understand, and for the most part it's indistinguishable from English. Except when written. Basic does not use the Latin alphabet of English and countless other Earth languages, instead Basic is written using Aurebesh. But Aurebesh didn't appear on screen until Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and even then, the Aurebesh symbols used were completely random. It wasn't until Stephen Crane of West End Games chose to add meaning to the random symbols when working on several Star Wars miniature and role-playing games that Aurebesh was officially "born." And in the 2004 DVD release, Aurebesh finally replaced any and all English writing that still appeared in Episode IV: A New Hope, most notably on consoles within the Death Star. The change is minor, to be sure, but it's one that gives a cohesiveness to the Star Wars universe and adds to its otherworldly vibe.

Biggs Darklighter added scenes. In an earlier cut of Star Wars, Luke was introduced much earlier in the film, with scenes of his life on Tatooine spliced with the capture of Princess Leia and C-3PO and R2-D2's escape. These scenes primarily showed Luke hanging out with friends, giving us a sense there was at least a little more to his social life than power converters and Tosche's Station. But these scenes also introduced us to a minor though pivotal character: Luke's best friend, Biggs Darklighter. However, I wouldn't be surprised if you do recognize the name (or hear Mark Hamill in your head saying, "Blast it Biggs! Where are you?") and that's because though these earlier scenes on Tatooine were cut, Biggs still appears in the theatrical release of Episode IV - albeit very briefly. During the attack on the Death Star, it's Biggs flying alongside Luke and Wedge Antilles when they make the final and successful trench run to destroy it. Biggs doesn't survive that trench run and we see the effect his death has on Luke, but we aren't told why Biggs was important to Luke (as opposed to the countless other Rebel pilots who died). Without any earlier scenes setting up the childhood friendship between Luke and Biggs, the impact of his death is lost. That was until the Special Edition release when at least one of Biggs scenes was added back in. It's a scene that now comes right before the assault on the Death Star, inside the Rebel Base, and it features Luke and Biggs reuniting and reminiscing like old friends. It's a short scene, but it practically doubles Biggs' screen time and gives us a least some idea that he and Luke go way back, making his death yet another in a long string of tragedies Luke suffers throughout the trilogy.

Ian McDiarmid's Palpatine, but using the original dialogue would've been better as Vader was already hunting Luke for destroying the Death Star

Cloud City’s enhanced scenery. The Empire Strikes Back has the least major changes of any of the original trilogy in the Special Edition. The Special Edition added enhancements and additional aerial shots. Expanded scenes and new backgrounds in Cloud City made the location lovelier and added depth. I can't picture Cloud City as it used to be.

Enhanced Lightsabers. For the original films the lightsaber effects were done with the actors holding white spinning three-sided rods covered with reflective material. Korean animator Nelson Shin drew saber effects onto the film. They also added the glowing effect and the colors were put onto the film by hand. It was a complex feat of engineering for its time but it left many problems behind. There are many scenes where you can see the white rods or the colors were wrong. Lucas went through and corrected the mistakes with the lightsaber using CGI.

Boba Fett's voice change. Boba Fett was a fan-favorite for decades before he was revealed to actually be a clone. So when it came time for the original trilogy’s 2004 DVD release, it made sense for actor Temuera Morrison — who played Jango Fett and various clones in the prequels — to return to the franchise as the new voice of Boba Fett, the cloned version of his original character. Luckily, Morrison has a fitting voice, allowing the continuity fix to help rather than hinder the classic films.

Oola’s Death. It’s strange to consider when you watch it now, but in the original cut of Return of the Jedi Oola’s death scene was much more brief – she simply falls down the trap door into the Rancor pit in Jabba’s Palace, and the Rancor reveal is saved for later. Amazingly, the actress who played Oola filmed the extended death scene over a decade after first appearing in Jedi, with no difference to the visuals whatsoever. The Rancor isn’t revealed completely, meaning that the impact of its later appearance isn’t spoiled, but it does create a menacing scene showing more of the mercilessness of Jabba The Hutt

Battle Of Yavin. Star Wars revolutionized film making and ushered in a new era of special effects. But some effects get outdated. And even though there is a magical charm to the practical in-camera effects that the original Star Wars trilogy were made with, digital and CGI effects would be become the modern norm. And when its used correctly, CGI can look amazing. Hence, the climactic ending space battle in A New Hope. Tossing away the bluescreen, matte film and super imposed ships and replacing them with digital X-Wings and Tie Fighters. This recreation of the attack on the Death Star and galactic dogfight finale is a thrilling piece of cinema. Seeing spacecraft flying and zooming in and out of impossible camera angles is just as dazzling as the original scene. Lucasfilm actually did the impossible, they took one of the most classic epic battles in movie history and actually made it better.

The Death Star Explosions. The explosions of the Death Star and Alderaan were one of the most striking changes in the Special Edition movies, enhanced with brighter colors and expanding rings of matter. But one of the most exciting things about the original Star Wars films is that the groundbreaking special effects were being invented as the films were made. The newly-formed Industrial Light and Magic spent years building models, inventing cameras to shoot them, and occasionally blowing them up. So when the Death Star is destroyed (both times), the explosions look and feel real, because they were created using footage from actual explosions.

The victory celebration The change to the music at the end of Return of the Jedi is, in my opinion, one of the best decisions George Lucas ever made. The original song that played during the celebrations on Endor was ‘Yub Nub’, a nonsensical and comically puerile ditty that doesn’t do the finale justice, but the replacement, John Williams’ aptly-titled ‘Victory Celebration’, seems a much more fitting tune to end the original trilogy. For comparison, one needs only to look at the ending of A New Hope – the tune used there fits the tone and gravitas of the scene, and ‘Yub Nub’ simply does not.

The Worst

Darth Vader saying No in ROTJ. There was absolutely no need to have Darth Vader say “No” in this moment. We were looking at a still mask. Yet we could still sense his feelings and thoughts. He was clearly conflicted and you could tell he was about to do something. This is good film making. You can tell he is making the hardest decision of his life, choosing between his master and his son, the conflict was visible on his face. There was no need for Vader to say anything. Vader saying “No” lacks any sort of nuance and has him verbally stating those feelings. "NOOOOOOO". This scene was shot so perfectly that you could see Vader's internal struggle to do the right thing despite being unable to show any facial expressions. There was no need for a "nooooooo" to indicate what he's going to do, we know what he's going to do because of how the scene is shot. This takes away from the scene and it makes it so obvious that it takes the viewer out of the moment. The silence was a powerful moment.

Jabba’s appearance in A New Hope. I feel like the scene takes away the menace from Jabba The Hutt. The horrible CGI did not help either. The appearance is a complete downgrade from his appearance in ROTJ. And it really did not help that it’s a shot for shot of the same dialogue with the Han and Greedo scene. The added scene with Jabba was completely unnecessary. Han and Greedo’s scene ALREADY showed us Han’s debt to Jabba. And really, Jabba is a powerful and influential figure in the galaxy. He is the boss. He uses Bounty Hunters as play things to do his bidding. He was capable of ensuring that Han could not be in a civilized star system without being hunted. Jabba is someone who feeds slave girls to his pet monster if they screw up a dance routine, but he's apparently okay with a deadbeat lowlife smuggler who owes him money stepping on his tail in front of all his men. Hell, Jabba would not care if Han fried Greedo, Tatooine is a hive of scum and villainy, Jabba can easily replace Greedo. It took away the menace from Jabba. Not to mention, this change takes away some of the suspense people originally had about Jabba the Hutt. It just takes away some of the mystery of Jabba as a character. Jabba is the boss, he should not be doing grunt work and it just takes away the impact of seeing Jabba in ROTJ.

Greedo shoots first. Here’s why Han shooting first matters. Greedo was hunting Han Solo and found him in Mos Eisley Cantina who wanted what Han owed Jabba, which Han didn’t have it with him just then, so Greedo ready to shoot Han, is then killed by Han. In the original theatrical version, Han shoots Greedo dead, but in all the film alterations, Greedo shoots first. Lucas wanted Han to be a good role model so he editied out but that was pointless because at that point already Han was still a smuggler out for himself. Lucas wanted kids to think he was a hero Except he’s SUPPOSED to be a cold blooded killer in the beginning. That was the whole POINT of his story arc. A selfish smuggler who is COMPLETELY fine with letting other people die if it meant his own survival and goes through an internal and external journey to not only give a damn about his fellow person but also grow as an individual to be a hero that is willing to risk his own safety for a much larger cause than himself. Him shooting last takes away the beginning part of a GREAT story arc and reduces it to “This bad ass is a bad ass. The end.”. Killer to hero is a much more interesting story than bad ass to still being a bad ass.

Pointless CGI in Mos Eisley. Mos Eisley was the home of scum and villainy and also the home for wayward CGI creatures that escaped their digital pens. The thought was more roaming creatures would add color and vivacity to the bustling desert town, but unfortunately, they looked like lost sideshow attractions. The CGI stuff in the background doesn’t blend in with the rest of the film and just draws attention away from the action in the foreground. It’s like an irritating five-year-old onscreen screaming, “Look at me look at me."

Editing the Jabba’s Palace Sequence. Jabba's palace was another opportunity to put a vast array of unique and interesting aliens on display, much like Mos Eisley's cantina. And also like the cantina, a gangster's hangout deserves a house band. In the original release that was the Max Rebo Band and the number they performed was "Lapti Nek." The original scene was short and feels like it belongs. This scene doesn't feel intrusive and out of place like the special edition, it feels like in Jabba's Palace there is a band playing some alien music. The added CGI was awful and became unwatchable. It detracts from the grit of the scene that’s created, in part by the aliens in the background, that in this case are actually portrayed by actors or puppeteers. It didn't need the whole new scene and terrible CGI dancing. To call the scene distracting would be an understatement. Visually, it's incongruous with the dingy, smoky atmosphere of Jabba's Palace, largely in part because of how badly the CGI aliens mesh with the real actors and sets. The new song also doesn't fit with the mood of the setting, it’s just tonally offensive and just kills the mood of Jabba The Hutt. Jabba’s Palace was so uncomfortable and full of dread. All we needed to see was a short music scene, Oola displeasing Jabba and Jabba sending Oola to the Rancor. That’s all you need to establish that everything about the palace is a nightmare and just adding the horrid abomination known as Jedi Rocks just killed it for me.

Replacing Sebastian Shaw with Anakin Skywalker. I understand the in-universe reasoning behind changing Anakin’s Force Ghost to Hayden, but to me it is completely and utterly disrespectful to replace a now dead actor’s only appearance in Star Wars. It ALREADY made sense for Anakin to appear old. I love Hayden and I love the Prequels, but he should not have replaced Shaw as Anakin. It both contradicts Vader’s redemption and disrespected the memory of Sebastian Shaw. It’s not that they shot a whole new scene with Hayden, Hayden Christensen’s head was pasted on over Shaw’s body and that is really disrespectful to Sebastion Shaw since he passed away a few years before the special editions. The whole idea was that there was still some good left in the old man version of Anakin and that’s what we’re seeing here. It was the old Anakin who made the choice to save Luke so it makes more sense to have him as the Ghost. Luke wouldn’t even recognize the young Anakin which makes the change even more of a fail. Anakin appearing as he did in ROTS invalidates the fact that he was redeemed at all in the end. I mean, the first thing he does in that movie is behead Dooku, then immediately admit that it’s “not the Jedi way.” He then goes on to slay a ton of Jedi and then murder a bunch of little kids, before going to murder Nute Gunray/other Separatist leaders etc. That’s why it’s such a baffling decision to show Hayden at the end of ROTJ… it completely undermines the payoff of ROTJ: Vader still had good in him (like Luke said) even as an old man. Why would you turn back to the person who murdered children and betrayed everyone you loved? The entire point of the ending of Return of the Jedi was that after years of having been corrupted as Darth Vader, Luke’s adherence to the Jedi principles and refusal to strike down his father in anger is what causes Anakin to realize that he’s been consumed by the dark side. He then atones as best as he can by sacrificing himself to kill Palpatine and asks Luke to remove his mask in a final act symbolizing his freedom from Darth Vader. Anakin has mere minutes as a jedi before he succumbs to his wounds, but it’s extremely important to note that he died a jedi. This is why Luke gives him a traditional jedi funeral, and why he is able to apparate as a force ghost. This is why the movie is called Return Of The Jedi. This is what makes the ending scene significant. Anakin appears not as the intimidating figure of Lord Vader, but as a mild old Jedi knight, like he would have appeared if he had never been corrupted by the dark side. This is why Anakin as an old man works, it shows what the dark side can do to you, but it beautifully shows that Anakin can still find redemption and die as a Jedi and return to the light. He nods to Obi-Wan, who smiles at seeing his friend finally free of the Dark Side, and the film ends with them standing side by side as old friends once more. Having Anakin appear as he had looked when in his 30’s would discredit his sacrifice in the final scene. It would imply that the last time he was truly a jedi was when he was the young hotheaded general who saw the jedi code as a hindrance, and not a healed version of the wisened old man who finally understood the importance of peace. Additionally, it removes the symbolism of Anakin and Obi-Wan standing side by side as old friends once again. With Anakin appearing as an apprentice to Obi-Wan rather than an equal. And Luke recognizes him. He already saw the father behind the mask. Anakin appears as the wise old Jedi and father figure to Luke that he would and should have been have been and who he died as. Shaw is more aesthetically pleasing in that shot. Seeing him portrayed as Alec Guinness’ contemporary, as a father to Luke, he just looks like he belongs in the original shot. I grew up with the Original Trilogy on VHS, so seeing Sebastian Shaw as both the unmasked Anakin and the ghost of Anakin was wonderful to see, when both Anakin and Obi-Wan look at each other here, it seems they are finally at rest after decades of war thanks to Luke, Leia and the rest of the Rebels who believe in the Old Republic, when we got to the prequels, it all changed and did not make complete sense, I enjoy the prequels, but it did not work to change, there was ALREADY an in-universe explanation as to why Shaw works as Anakin’s Force Ghost. Shaw fitted a much better vision of Anakin, an Anakin who did not intend to fall but raised up when he realized his true self in his son. And finally he looks at his children with so much love in his eye which is really emotional. Anakin Skywalker is finally at peace with his old friends and looking on his children with so much happiness.

#Star Wars #Star Wars The Original Trilogy #Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope #Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back #Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi #A New Hope #The Empire Strikes Back #Return Of The Jedi #han solo #Darth Vader #Jabba The Hutt #Luke Skywalker #Anakin Skywalker

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billykaplandemiurge · 6 years

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Marvel LGBTQ+characters.

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Male couples/characters

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Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman

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Both Wiccan (Billy Kaplan) and Hulkling (Teddy Altman) were members of the Young Avengers which was formed when the regular Avengers had disbanded. They were attempting to mimic the looks and codenames of original Avengers. Wiccan taking a look similar to Thor (even originally calling himself Asgardian), and Hulkling taking a name that obviously comes from the Hulk, even though neither character had any connections to Thor or Hulk. The two have been held in high praise as Marvel's most prominent LGBT couple, and are currently engaged to be married. Their relationship has never been a secret. Also, my personal favorite couple!

Northstar and Kyle

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Northstar's relationship with Kyle as a way to write an inspiring story about characters who feel like outsiders even among outsiders. Here are two people, trying to live their lives mutant and gay, black and gay. Empowered in their own ways, but also fringe dwellers. And they're making it happen. They're living life on their own terms. It doesn't matter that it's a superhero comic, the message is: You can be yourself. Northstar a mutant with powers, then Kyle on the other hand is a normal human being. He posses no super powers or mutant genes. But, he’s very supportive of his lover Northstar and continues to be.

Iceman and Romeo

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All New X-Men comic, the popular mutant Iceman locks lips with another character named Romeo who reportedly “belongs to a rival class of superhuman known as Inhumans.” In the comic, the pair go on a series of dates, ultimately leading to their big, romantic moment. As a big fan of marvel it warms my heart to see things finally unfolding and expanding into the lgbtq+ community.

Iceman and Judah

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To be clear, there are two Icemans currently running around the comics X-Men universe. There is the adult Iceman, the same one that comic fans have grown up with since the 1960s. There is also a time-displaced Iceman, after teenage Bobby was brought from the past to the present. Teen Bobby was outed by psychic Jean Grey, and has since come out, kissed a guy and got a boyfriend. It was revealed it wasn’t just teen Bobby that was coming to terms with being gay, it was adult Bobby too. Fortunately, things are looking up for Iceman aka Bobby Drake, as the superhero is sharing his own first gay kiss with a guy he met in Los Angeles named Judah, and it’s adorable.

Alan Scott (Greenlantern) Sam Zaho

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Alan Scott was a young, openly gay media mogul, who dedicated his work to the heroes who gave their lives three years prior in the war against Darkseid. He was in a relationship with Sam Zhao, and while on a business trip in Sam's native China, he worked up the nerve to propose. Unfortunately, just before Sam could accept the proposal, the train crashed suddenly, killing nearly every passenger except Alan - including Sam.

Daken

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Back in the '40s Wolverine was married to a nice Japanese girl, but in an effort to bring Wolverine out of hiding, his pregnant wife was murdered by the Winter Soldier. The baby survived and was raised by a Japanese family where the servants referred to him as "Daken" which translated as "bastard dog."Eventually, Daken was told that it was his father, Logan, who had murdered his mother because his father didn't want a child. Eager to get revenge, he began training so the could find and murder his father. Daken's mutation is similar to that of Wolverine's: he has three retractable bone claws (two in the knuckles and one in the wrist) on each hand, and the traditional healing factor, but he also can produce pheromones to confuse those around him, and has often used them to confuse and manipulate straight men he claims to be bisexual.

Colossus

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Colossus grew jealous amongst the romance of his team mates. Eventually he grew fond of wolverine. Although Colossus remains protective of Wolverine, he realizes his affections are unrequited. Piotr was briefly interested in Longshot, a mutant whom he and his teammates rescued in Krakoa, but later learned Longshot was a murderer. More recently, there have been hints of a romantic spark between Colossus and mutant speedster Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier); but as more of Piotr's friends pursue inter-team relationships, Colossus's self-doubt and feelings of isolation may yet return.

Loki

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As we will find out later on, Loki's history is ripe with gender swapping and confusing sexual proclivities. Apparently he inherited all that from his biological father -- or should we say mother. It's tough to say. A pansexual shapeshifter who has changed into animals and women in the past, Loki has also had relationships with men and women, but there has been no clear orientation before the book’s proposal.

Female couples/characters

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Moondragon and Phyla-Vell

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Moondragon's backstory is pretty intense, and even though she is openly bi-sexual and has been romantically linked to heroes like Thor and Daredevil she has been most recently romantic with Phyla-Vell.

Mystique and Destiney ──── •°.༻ ❁ ༺.°• ────

In the comics, Mystique is openly bisexual (which I guess works when you can shapeshift to either gender!). If you've seen an X-Men movie then you know that the beautiful blue shapeshifter Mystique has played a pivotal role in the X-Men franchise. One of the biggest characters that influenced her comic counterpart however has never appeared: her partner Destiny.

Karolina and Xavin ──── •°.༻ ❁ ༺.°• ────

Xavin came to earth to marry Karolina Dean, but was turned down because she said that she was attracted to females. But Xavin revealed that this was not a problem because Skrull are natural shape shifters, meaning that he could change gender as easily as she could change her clothes. So Karolina left with him to get married. The intricacies of Xavin and Karolina Dean's relationship and the nature of their sexuality together are not completely understood by the Runaways, but appear mostly homosexual.

Spiderwoman

──── •°.༻ ❁ ༺.°• ────

Another example from the Ultimate universe is Jessica Drew - Spider-Woman. In the main comic continuity, Drew was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that had been experimented on by Hydra to be given powers. She took the name of Spider-Woman but was unrelated to Spider-Man in any way. However, in the Ultimate universe she was one of the many clones created based on Peter Parker. This version of Drew eventually joined the Ultimates by invitation of Nick Fury, however in this universe she's expressed interest in women, and in her words: "especially redheads and Jews."

America Chavez

──── •°.༻ ❁ ༺.°• ────

One of marvels first Latino queer superhero’s! This may not be a couple, but from what we can tell this superhero has an obvious crush on Kate Bishop.

#billy kaplan #wiccan #Teddy altman #hulkling #billyteddy #gay #gaycouple #marvel #marvelgeek #marveladdicts #marvelnation #lgbt #lgbtq #young avengers #marvel comics #queer

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Best of Marvel: Week of April 17th, 2019 - WEEK OF ZDARSKY!

Best of this Week: Spider-Man: Life Story #2 - The 70s - Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Frank D'Armata and Travis Lanham

War destroys everything, the men and women that fight in them and the relationships between those who are left behind.

This issue was a roller coaster ride, starting off very high and happy-ish and tumbling down the road that leads to Peter Parker’s inevitable destitution. It was emotional and refreshing to see the Marvel Universe evolve with time, seeing characters grow up and the world slowly build in a decent amount of time that allows for events to just happen without cramming.

Mark Bagley continues to amaze as, though his action art was better in the previous issue, with more dynamic scenes being shown, the character art was amazing in this issue. He takes his time with the scenes and is very attentive to detail. Though I HATE Reed’s goatee, it is still very distinct and comes off as something I could see Reed rocking in his mid 40s - 50s. Harry looks like a haggard young man, he’s gone through the ringer trying to keep Oscorp alive and the effects on his health show. Heck, even Peter’s face, after an argument with Mary Jane, where he doesn’t shave the next morning is so AMAZING to me.

Chip Zdarsky is killing it with his Spider-Man work and somehow even found a way to make a mini-Clone Saga happen without making things feel hokey and stupid. I hope this book gives him or other creators opportunities outside of “Marvel Presents” to do stories by the decade with characters. I want to know more of Captain America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, I want to see a dirtbag Iron Man profiting from the continuation of the war which ended in 1975 in our world, but has stretched into 1977 in theirs.

Spoilers Below, but I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book.

It’s been three years since the death of Flash Thompson who went to fight in the Vietnam War and things have gotten more intense on the battlefront with Captain America going rogue and saving lives on both sides and the entry of Giant Man on the side of Iron Man and the American Army. Public opinion is still divided with Reed Richards, sporting an awful goatee, taking the side of Captain America and Peter Parker stating that those with the power have a responsibility to help and before the argument can take a nasty turn, Otto Octavius, now reformed after a heart attack makes him reevaluate his life, steps in to calm both men.

Peter’s taken a job working with the two genius scientists as a Mechanical Engineer, he’s married the love of his life, Gwen Stacy and his life is going well, but he still can’t help but think that he could have done more in lieu of Flash’s death. After a conversation with his wife and Professor Miles Warren, about his opposing opinions to Dr. Richards, Pete prepares to go to a nightclub to catch up with Mary Jane and Harry Osborn. The latter of whom had recently met with his father in prison and learned some shocking news, causing him to get stoned at the club, leaving a drunk Mary Jane to chastise Peter for not using his powers to help Flash, revealing that she’s known he’s been Spider-Man for years now.

This scene may be one of the best in the issue as Bagley shows why his faces are some of the most expressive in comics, using a wide range to convey happiness and reassurance to bitter dejection and anger. Mary Jane in particular is stunningly beautiful and stands out as a definite representation of late 70s fashion and beauty.

Things only go further downhill as another argument with Reed causes Peter to lash out, alluding to Sue Storm having left Reed for Namor, resulting in him getting slapped and walking out, quitting the job. Hoping to get a new job working with Professor Warren, he heads towards the lab just as a new Black Goblin attacks the lab, revealing clone tubes that the Professor had been keeping secret that contained clones of Norman Osborn, Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. In a rage, Black Goblin unmasks himself and Peter, yelling about how Norman only ever cared for Peter and how Peter ruined his life.

In the end, it’s all too much for Harry as he destroys the tubes, killing “Gwen” and “Norman”, but leaving “Peter” alive. Warren, hysterical after his Gwen is killed, reveals that Peter’s Gwen was really a clone and the real Gwen was the one that died in the explosion, shocking everyone. Harry runs off and not too long after, Clone Gwen and Clone Pete get new identities and a new chance at life while real Peter is left alone, his life in shambles. No friends, no job, nothing, except for Mary Jane’s shoulder to cry on.

---------------------------------------------------

You know your life as a superhero is screwed up when The Punisher thinks you’ve turned to his side.

Runner Up: Daredevil #4 (Legacy #616) - Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho and Clayton Cowles

Following his manhandling at the hands of Detective Cole North, an injured Daredevil is rescued by Frank Castle and whisked away to one of his secret hideouts. What follows is one of the most cathartic tear downs between two diametrically opposed heroes that I have read in a while.

Frank Castle is a broken man. He’s a Marine who witnessed the worst of war only to come home and see the worst of man as his family was gunned down, turning him into the murderous psychopath we know him to be. Matt Murdock is a guilty Catholic who has so much sin weighing on his heart that his only way to atone is by seeing the good in people and doing what he believes to be good, never killing any criminal he comes across.

Frank and Matt have fought each other or worked together for decades, always crossing paths that lead to the moral quandary of whether it’s wrong to kill or better to eliminate a problem altogether, but with Daredevil possibly having taken the life of a petty criminal, Frank sees this as Daredevil taking a step into the light.

Zdarsky does a great job at crafting his own Frank Castle/Daredevil dynamic, with Frank acting more judgemental of Daredevil than normal and it is perfect. He calls Daredevil a phony for portraying himself as a good guy all while breaking the law and criminals with glee on his face as he fights. Frank believes he’s always seen Daredevil for what he is, but that DD himself won’t give up the act and Matt only gets progressively more pissed off. Things reach a head after Frank kills a criminal that Matt coaxed him to let go of after he picks up a gun and tries to kill them. Matt breaks free of the restraints he was bound to and leaps at Frank in anger.

Checchetto really struts his stuff with the art this issue and shows improvement from the last time he drew these characters back when Greg Rucka was writing Punisher. The first fight has a lot of weight to it as strikes are made and things are thrown around in close, tight shots. The physicality of both Frank and Daredevil is ratcheted up to 11 as both men look to be in their peak forms, especially when Daredevil uses two pistols akimbo, showing Frank the damage that he could do if he decided to go Frank’s route and use guns. Daredevil would be near unstoppable and it shows. This might some of Checchetto’s best panel to panel work that I have ever seen as even the flat ones feel dynamic as hell.

In the end, Daredevil defeats Frank who muses at the thought of a Punishing Daredevil, a being much more effective than he ever could be. Matt knocks him out and saves him from the fire that their fight caused, telling us that becoming Frank is his greatest fear and that that’s what’s been preventing him from admitting to himself that he killed that criminal and that while he couldn’t bring him back to life, he could at least make things right by continuing his mission.

This is the Daredevil I love and seeing him finally let it out and admit that he’s not perfect and he will make mistakes, even grave ones is a breath of fresh air. I also loved that Frank wasn’t the powerhouse/unstoppable monster that he is pretty much everywhere else. (see The Punisher, War of the Realms: Punisher) Though, I do love these representations, it is good to see him low for a bit.

Zdarsky truly does it again, high recommend!

#comics #marvel #marvel comics #spiderman #peter parker #gwen stacy #miles warren #harry osborn #mary jane watson #the 70s #chip zdarsky #mark bagley #daredevil #punisher #matt murdock #frank castle #marco checchetto #sunny gho

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