#aka anthony being a good big brother

[shiroisotto64]

Carmine Headcanons

Benjamin

He’s always been described as green. Aka he follows the rules..mostly. Everyone has their moments am I right? Ben is respectful towards everyone and has a very eager air about him.

You wanna teach him neat military trick? He’s in. This leads to Ben and Baird spending a lot of time together. Imagine how much fun they’d have setting shit on fire? Exactly. And Baird finally has someone who actually tries to listen/understand his science talk.

He’d been real fun to be around. If your friends or together? He’s down to do things you like. Even if he hadn’t found it all to interesting before hand he’ll at least try to get into it for you. You like collecting antiques? He’ll save up to get you something whenever he can.

Gets real giddy when genuinely complimented. You noticed his tracking is getting better and say something about it? He’s touched! You think he’s getting real good at unjamming his lancer? Why thank you! He’s eats it all up and uses it as fuel to keep going.

With a s/o

Very respectful of boundaries. He won’t do anything without your explicit consent before hand. Including hand holding. He gets real shy when it comes to affection. He doesn’t mind it…but growing up with locust running around to kill you doesn’t leave a lot of time to get used to touch.

Ben would be super excited to genuinely spend time with you as well. Wanna walk around the yard? Sure, let’s go. Wanna eat lunch together? He’s damn there skipping to the hall. It’s so cute but the others definitely tease him for this. Marcus is just shaking his head in the corner but look closer he’s almost smiling!

Anthony

He needs to be put on a leash. He’s such a nerd. He’ll rant for hours about all the cool shit Marcus has done if anyone would let him. It’s funny how much he knows really.

Eager to train and get on the field. You can find him in the gym or shooting range. He likes the rush 1 and 2 he wants to stay sharp and be useful when called out. Rambles on the coms to. Marcus is normally the one to scold him to “shut the hell up!”

I feel like for some reason…he’d know a LOT of gossip around base..idk I can just feel it. Before you even tell him he already knows how the mission went. Luckily he’s open to talk about his missions too especially if he did something cool!

With a s/o

Likes no LOVES to show off. But he loses his cocky attitude when his gun fucks around and jams and oops he dropped it….ANYWAYS everyone has their days.

But lord help you cause it has to be nerve wracking being with him, he’s so eager and reckless at that. At least Ben follows orders Anthony just kinda forgets or gets wrapped up in the moment. He means no harm but still.

Clayton

He’s quieter than his brothers. Clayton just kinda chills there till he feels he needs to say anything. He’s more introverted prefers to keep to himself. He does have a sense of humor though. Albeit it’s a bit dry it’s there.

Clay cared a lot about his family especially his brothers. His affection is generally more quiet and shown through actions. A pat on the back here and a good job there. That’s his style even after the war he’s still kinda stiff.

He likes keeping his weapons in top shape. He’s found cleaning his guns and tags around the end of the week or right after a messy mission.

He’s not really picky about food or anything none of them are but I bet Clayton is the heaviest eater out of the carmines. Make him a hearty bowl and he’ll eat every last drop!

With a s/o

Wanna know if he likes you? Easy ask that man for a piece of his bacon. Regardless if he fussed about it or not if you get the piece at all you’re good.

If you’re the touchy type he’ll try to accommodate you. Like I said it’s not like they don’t like touch they just aren’t used to it.

He’s the touchiest when he’s tired. All of a sudden you’re being dragged to bed to cuddle. He’s a real heavy sleeper to! So good luck. Those big strong arms mean business once he’s got you there’s not escape.

@pink-apollo mentioned something about Clayton and dogs and I agree. I could totally see him with at least one large guard dog. But what’s better? A big dog and small puppy. LMFAO imagine the grub killer sprawled out on the couch with a yorkie or something. Adorable.

He’s not the jealous type but he is protective. Anyone giving you a hard time he’ll get it through their skulls don’t worry.

He does need a quiet moment to himself though, so if your the real clingy type he’ll get agitated if your constantly trying to hang off him, however he won’t yell he’ll just remove himself for you until he’s ready to be touched again.

#clayton carmine x reader #benjamin carmine #anthony Carmine #Clayton Carmine #gears of war #gears of war Imagine #gears x reader #gow3

[lookwhathappenedtomack]

Ladies, gentlemen, and interesting people, welcome to...

The Mackolades are my personal annual film awards, awarded to my favorite (for the most part) movies, performances, and people from all the movies I watched for the first time in 2022, regardless of release year. This is more or less a companion series to Brendan’s Pink Bettes, as most of our movie watching is together. You can see the first and second Mackolades here on my tumblr, now let’s get started on the third!

FAVORITE DRAMA

WINNER: tick, tick...BOOM! (2021) dir. Lin-Manuel Miranda

FINALISTS:

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) dir. James Cameron

Dramarama (2020) dir. Jonathan Wysocki

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) dir. Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan

TÁR (2022) dir. Todd Field

NOMINEES:

The Batman (2022) dir. Matt Reeves

The Godfather (1972) dir. Francis Ford Coppola

Klaus (2019) dir. Sergio Pablos

Pride & Prejudice (2005) dir. Joe Wright

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) dir. Anthony Minghella

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) dir. George Miller

GREAT year for the Favorite Drama category! I knew from the first few minutes of tick, tick...BOOM! that it was winning, but two of the finalists (Dramarama and Everything Everywhere All At Once) gave it a real run for its money. And then TÁR was just impeccable in every way (CATE!!!!!!). Special shoutout to The Godfather for actually living up to the hype and The Batman for being a genuinely good superhero movie. Highly recommend Dramarama in particular to any of my theatre friends that see this.

FAVORITE HORROR

WINNER: The Menu (2022) dir. Mark Mylod

FINALISTS:

All About Evil (2010) dir. Joshua Grannell (aka Peaches Christ)

Nope (2022) dir. Jordan Peele

Pearl (2022) dir. Ti West

Scream (2022) dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

NOMINEES:

Arachnophobia (1990) dir. Frank Marshall

Barbarian (2022) dir. Zach Cregger

Fresh (2022) dir. Mimi Cave

Hellraiser (2022) dir. David Bruckner

What Keeps You Alive (2018) dir. Colin Minihan

X (2022) dir. Ti West

GREAT year for horror, too! The Menu is such a fun ride, almost more of a dark comedy than horror. I had a lot more actual scares this year than in 2021, particularly in Nope, Scream, Arachnophobia, and Barbarian.

FAVORITE COMEDY

WINNER: Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021) dir. Josh Greenbaum

FINALISTS:

Do Revenge (2022) dir. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Glass Onion (2022) dir. Rian Johnson

Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) dir. Michael Showalter

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) dir. Charles Herman-Wurmfeld

NOMINEES:

Burn After Reading (2008) dir. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Fire Island (2022) dir. Andrew Ahn

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) dir. Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris

Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris (2022) dir. Anthony Fabian

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) dir. Joel Zwick

See How They Run (2022) dir. Tom George

Hey guess what. It was a great year for comedy, too. Barb & Star is destined to join Romy & Michele and the Tragedy Girls as a pair of gal pals that live in my head for the rest of my life. They’ve had this win sewn up since I first saw the movie in August, but there was still plenty of competition. Do Revenge is probably my unofficial runner up - those twists and turn and goops and gags and outfits!

FAVORITE SERIES

WINNER: Before Trilogy (3/3)

FINALISTS:

The Godfather (3/3)

Hell House, LLC (2/3)

Wong Kar-wai’s Love Trilogy (3/3)

X/Pearl/Maxxxine (2/3)

God, what can I say that hasn’t already been said about Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy? It’s just two people talking, but it’s perfect!

THE THANKS! I HATE IT! AWARD

WINNER: Whiplash (2014) dir. Damien Chazelle

FINALIST: Fall (2022) dir. Scott Mann

This new category is for movies that are good, but I hate them anyway! And there’s no movie that quite fits that bill like Whiplash. What an incredible work that I never wanna see again. Or dwell on for long here.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

WINNER: Halloween Ends (2022) dir. David Gordon Green

FINALISTS:

Brothers (2009) dir. Jim Sheridan

The Invitation (2022) dir. Jessica M. Thompson

Nerve (2016) dir. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman

Uncle Peckerhead (2020) dir. Matthew John Lawrence

NOMINEES:

Fall (2022) dir. Scott Mann

Hatching (2022) dir. Hanna Bergholm

Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) dir. Michael Showalter

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) dir. Charles Herman-Wurmfeld

The Lost City (2022) dir. Adam Nee & Aaron Nee

Valentine (2001) dir. Jamie Blanks

After Halloween Kills won Biggest Letdown at last year’s Mackolades, I went into Halloween Ends with rock bottom expectations, but was pleasantly surprised! From the opening scene it showed it was completely different from any Halloween movie that came before it, and I was mostly delighted by what followed. It’s far from the best Halloween, and has some major problems, but it’s leagues ahead of Kills, and that alone win it Biggest Surprise for me.

BIGGEST LETDOWN

WINNER: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) dir. Sam Raimi

I’ve engaged in a fair bit of MCU hate over the last few years, but I’ve held onto the belief that I’d probably enjoy them if I gave them a chance and just didn’t think too hard about it. Well... I guess I was wrong. I really thought I’d like this, the trailers looked interesting and Sam Raimi has a pretty good track record with me. But yeah... Martin Scorsese was right, these are just flashy theme park rides. Absolutely zero substance worth engaging with. What a disappointment, for me and for general culture. Anyway, somehow this was the only movie I watched in 2022 that I went into with expectations that were significantly let down, and I figured I’d give it its own multiverse of mediocrity with the myriad of posters available.

FAVORITE LEAD ACTRESS PERFORMANCE

WINNER: Cate Blanchett, TÁR (2022)

FINALISTS:

Mia Goth, Pearl (2022)

Janelle Monae, Glass Onion (2022)

Keke Palmer, Nope (2022)

Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

NOMINEES:

Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

Sally Field, Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)

Natasha Lyonne, All About Evil (2010)

Lesley Manville, Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris (2022)

Thandiwe Newton, God’s Country (2022)

Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu (2022)

Okay I have to bullet point this one so I can talk about all the finalists.

Cate is THE performance of the year for me. Her take on Lydia Tár is nothing short of amazing - even from the opening scene, with that TED Talk-like scene where she just talks about music for a few minutes, had Brendan and me grabbing each other and whispering in the (otherwise empty) theater about how breathtaking her performance was. I can’t believe I’m giving her lead actress two years in a row (out of three total!) but she really does deserve it.

Brendan and I loved Mia Goth in 2020′s Emma, but she reached new heights in X and, in particular, Pearl. The monologue! The face journey! The everything else! She’s now on the We’ll See Anything She’s In list, and I can’t wait for MaXXXine.

Janelle! I don’t have as much to say for her, but damn she picks projects well! Incredible lady and fantastic performance(s) in Glass Onion.

Keke - #ReleaseTheSpinCut! What a joy.

Okay I adore Michelle Yeoh and if Cate doesn’t win the Oscar I hope it’s hers. Truly wonderful and deserves everything good that’s coming her way right now.

FAVORITE SUPPORTING ACTRESS PERFORMANCE

WINNER: Hong Chau, The Menu (2022)

FINALISTS:

Jamie Clayton, Hellraiser (2022)

Courtney Cox, Scream (2022)

Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Brittany Snow, X (2022)

NOMINEES:

Margaret Cho, Fire Island (2022)

Tovah Feldshuh, Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)

Vanessa Hudgens, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

Andrea Martin, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Alia Shawkat, Being The Ricardos (2021)

Tandi Wright, Pearl (2022)

Hong Chau is another 2022 addition to the We’ll See Anything She’s In list, and she got an Oscar nom for the other one! Yay! But this is about my favorites, not objectivity, and I prefer her in The Menu. What a treat! I don’t have much to say about the finalists and nominees that wouldn’t require this becoming far too long, so I’m just gonna move on.

FAVORITE ACTOR PERFORMANCE

WINNER: Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

FINALISTS:

Marlon Brando, The Godfather (1972)

Austin Butler, Elvis (2022)

Alton Brown, Elvis (2022)

Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

NOMINEES:

Rohan Campbell, Halloween Ends (2022)

Ralph Fiennes, The Menu (2022)

Andrew Garfield, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

Robin de Jesús, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

Haley Joel Osment, Sassy Pants (2012)

Conrad Ricamora, Fire Island (2022)

I started watching Little Miss Sunshine for Toni, but I remember it for Paul, particularly the sequence pictured above. Special shoutout to Alton Brown for stealing the show for a scene or two of Elvis (a difficult task when Austin Butler’s Elvis is present!)

THE TONI “SHE HAS THE RANGE” COLLETTE AWARD FOR MULTI-GENRE EXCELLENCE

WINNER: Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)/Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)

FINALISTS:

Jamie Dornan, Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)/Belfast (2021)

Idris Elba, The Dark Tower (2017)/Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)/Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

Jenna Ortega, The Fallout (2021)/Scream (2022)

Tilda Swinton, Burn After Reading (2008)/Constantine (2005)/Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

I mean, Jim Carrey was basically born to play Dr. Robotnik, and when you contrast that with Eternal Sunshine, well, that’s basically what this category is for!

THE CARLY RAE JEPSEN “SHE MAKES MY BLOOD FEEL CARBONATED” AWARD

WINNER: Elaine Stritch, Original Cast Album: Company (1970)

During the Ladies Who Lunch sequence of the Company documentary, I must’ve turned to Brendan at least three times to say “I love being gay” - Elaine’s an icon and a queen and I hate I didn’t get into theatre soon enough to appreciate her while she was alive. (NOTE: If I’d started this category a year earlier, Carol Channing certainly would’ve gotten it for the documentary Larger Than Life, and it felt wrong to not mention that here)

HOTTEST DADDY

WINNER: Russell Crowe, The Nice Guys (2016)

FINALISTS:

George Clooney, Solaris (2002)

Guillermo Diaz, Bros (2022)

Thomas Forbes-Madison, The Lost City (2022)

David Harbour, Violent Night (2022)

NOMINEES:

Daniel Craig, Glass Onion (2022)

Idris Elba, Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

Ethan Hawke, The Black Phone (2022)

Martin Henderson, X (2022)

Peter Sarsgaard, The Batman (2022)

Bradley Whitford, tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

Someone ask me what kind of guys I like. I dare you. I downloaded six entire movies to get enough usable shots of these men - definitely the most work I did for any single category.

Anyway, that’s the 2022 Mackolades! 65 movies honored (or dishonored) from an eligibility pool of 205. Now you know what I love - any recommendations of what to watch in 2023?

#mackolades

[wantedtourist]

s5 first thoughts

SILVERUSSO NATION WE WERE FED we finally feasted like we deserved uggshshhh so much to say about them it should be it’s own post

CHOZEN. no words. absolute golden. s-tier.

I’m proud to announce that I single-handedly manifested Chozen/Kumiko aka Choziko NO CUZ ITS REALLY CANON NOW AND I WAS RIGHT ON THE MONEY WITH MY HEADCANON MONTHS AGO re: Chozen’s feelings of guilt and about not being good enough for her???? not in a million years did I actually think it would happen I’m so!!!!

MIKE BARNES. no cuz Mike hijacking the limo and the ensuing roadside hijinks is the funniest and most entertaining thing Cobra Kai has ever done. everything they did with Mike this season was A++++ and they need to bring him back or I riot

JESSICA ANDREWS MY LOVE. am devastated she did not have a scene with Daniel (or Mike!) but I know she’ll be back now that she and Daniel are canonically family and oh my god I can’t believe that’s a sentence I just said about a thing that is true, ditto choziko, scream/

ROBBY AND DANIEL. I cried in ONE (1) scene and one scene only, Robby and Daniel talking in Miyagi’s room. and by cry I mean I straight up bawled. I waited for this for so long and I wish we got more Daniel/Robby moments but I’ll treasure this one forever.

MY KIDS. did I think the writers did Robby dirty with that half-assed reconciliation arc? yes. but listen, my joy at seeing Robby finally being happy and seeing Robby and Miguel as friends outweighs my contempt at the writing for how it all got to that point so what I can say. on the flip side, not enough Sam and Tory. but I love what we did get of them together. also this means (or should mean) that they will have their arc next season, and it’ll get proper focus since the Miguel and Robby arc has been resolved and is out of the way. anyway, looking forward to Robby and Miguel clumsily trying to get them to get along next season. should ensure a lot of Miguel/Robby and samtory content :’). ANTHONY. love that lil twerp, always have! I finally got Sam/Anthony content. PROTECT THE EGG. or was it “protect the bird”??? um whatever it was adorable!! both times! bye feeling emo about Anthony being the baby/baby brother of all of Miyagi do, ugh, it’s just too cute

LOUIE. I have unapologetically and unironically loved this idiot since s1. please continue to give us all the Anouie content

overall! plenty of things I didn’t care for or didn’t like (die, Mexico arc and Mexico yellow filter, die), as always, but for once the stuff I enjoyed outweighed the stuff I didn’t enjoy

and I mean listen as a Daniel fan I’m feeling pretty satisfied right now. finally this show put some respect on his name. finally we return to the roots of the Karate Kid universe. I’ve been saying it all along, the problem with Cobra Kai until this season has been that it has forgotten or ignored that the whole POINT of this universe is that all big strong karate men want Daniel Larusso in one way or another. but it has finally arrived at that central truth by surrounding Daniel with all his former karate nemeses and demonstrating that he still has the effortless eternal karate twink powers to overturn or change their lives just by being himself and to drive them to obsession with him and thats what I call cinema

#cobra kai #cobra kai s5 #daniel larusso

[hannahhook7744]

Reasons why Hannah Hook ranaway;

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

1. She got tired of all the secrets. Seriously. In the span of 3 years she found out the following:

That she was adopted.

That her bio parents were dead.

That they were probably murdered by Gothel aka her grandmother.

That Ginny Gothel was her adopted father's bio daughter.

That Peter Pan was technically her Adoptive big brother.

That she has family in Auardon.

That her dad was getting remarried to a woman she had never even met.

That also all her siblings knew she was adopted.

That Cj and Zevon got hitched.

That Anthony knocked Harriet up barely a couple of months after the barrier was brought down.

That Davy Jones was her Adoptive grandfather.

And there were still more secrets that she didn't find out about until after she left. Like her two extra dads.

2. She got tired of always being mistrusted.. it gets old.

3. She got tired of her friends being treated like crap and of people treating her like a child as if she wasn't graduating in the same year as her much older brother.

4. She really, really needed to work on her mental health and her friends.

5. Auardon wanted to take Fiona and Levi away because they didn't have any adult supervision. Because apparently a 20 year old with a ton of teenagers as back up doesn't count as adult. And Hannah sure as hell wasn't gonna let that happen. Those kids needed her damn it.

6. She didn't want another mother and was tired of being bossed around.

And finally, reason number 7 of why she ranaway, is...

The fortune cookie Peter gave her told her to run away and join the circus. And he thought it was a good idea. So she did. And took her friends with her.

#descendants #disney descendants #melissa de la cruz #the marvelous misadventures of hannah hook #hannah hook au #captain hannah hook #hannah hook verse #hannah hook #hannah hook daughter of captain hook #captain hannah artemis hook #captainhannahartemishook #captainhannahhook #the hook family #the hook siblings #my descendants ships #the hook family is complicated #the hooks #this could be a terrible drama #expanding my universe #lol #be nice #peter pan is the hook siblings' brother #peter pan is zarina and james hook's son

[klarolinelibrary]

Hi KC Readers,

We have reached the end of the week which means we have new weekly releases for you! The stories below were updated during the week of May 1st - May 7th.

Happy Reading!

FFN

Gods on High

Author: slstmaraudersjple

Rating: K+

Length: 1,257

Summary: "In ancient times, they called her Hera. But when she was born, she was named Caroline." Greek mythology AU featuring Klaus and Caroline as Zeus and Hera.

Date of update: May 1 2021

Klaus POV - The Trouble with Spells (Chapter 23)

Author: ilovetf

Rating: M

Length: 91,722

Summary: The Trouble with Spells as seen through Klaus's eyes and his POV. Over the years, people kept liking this story and some even asked for Klaus POV, so I decided to give it a try. 

Date of update: May 2 2021

Cinderella's Beast (Chapter 15)

Author: Sci-fi Christian

Rating: T

Length: 59,065

Summary: He was a beast. An arrogant beast who carried his comments a little too far one day. Now, he may just discover that she is not what she seems. She's a Cinderella in disguise and his heart is the glass slipper she may leave behind. 

Date of update: May 2 2021

Fortitude (Chapter 8)

Author: G.M.Portraepic

Rating: M

Length: 15,256

Summary: Post TO 5x13: Even in his death, the key to Klaus Mikaelson having everything he has ever wanted, all at once, lies buried somewhere in the world. Can Caroline Forbes find it?

Date of update: May 5 2021

AO3

Without Pause Without Doubt

Author: ThrowMeAStory

Rating: M

Length: 3,679

Summary: 4x16, au. Part 9. Klaroline vs Damon.

Date of update: May 1 2021

Between Reality and Madness

Author: Eliliyah

Rating: G

Length: 8,395

Summary: When Caroline Forbes, Hogwart's resident Potions Mistress, is bitten by a werewolf, her father, the Minister of Magic, immediately orders she be taken away and imprisoned in a so-called "Rehabilitation Facility," mysterious camps from which no wolf has ever returned. Dodging curses, she runs for her life. Her only chance is to find the one person who seems to know a thing or two about wolves: Headmaster Klaus Mikaelson.

Date of update: May 1 2021

Our Time Now (Chapter 2)

Author: perfectpro

Rating: M

Length: 23,970

Summary: Caroline is going to spend her senior year getting into the law school of her choice, leading the cheerleading squad to a nationals title, and passing her sorority presidency to someone who will continue a legacy of excellence. She doesn't have time to take a bubble bath, much less to figure out what's happening with her relationship with Klaus. Not that it's much of a relationship to begin with.

Date of update: May 1 2021

no goodbyes (Chapter 11)

Author: deadofwrite (dead_of_write)

Rating: E

Length: 78,975

Summary: “Last night shouldn’t have happened,” Caroline whispered. Guilt. Shame. Regret. It was all the emotions he feared. And it was written all over her face. aka. a college/cheating au

Date of update: May 1 2021

All You Never Say (Chapter 6)

Author: misssophiachase

Rating: T

Length: 18,967

Summary: One wedding involving a best man and maid of honour who've grown up together but don't know quite how to reconcile their unresolved feelings.

Date of update: May 2 2021

A smutty anniversary (Chapter 8)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: E

Length: 5,414

Summary: Caroline and Klaus celebrate 3 months together with a day full of smut.

Date of update: May 2 2021

Darkness Becomes Thee (Chapter 3)

Author: BelleMorte180

Rating: E

Length: 12,317

Summary: Austria 1300s When Klaus met a young girl on a riverbank, he knew that he would one day come back for her. When he looked into her bright blue eyes, he could see a reflection of his own soul, a darkness that lingered inside both of them. When the young girl turned into a beautiful woman with a thirst for blood, his fascination with her turns into obsession. He wants not only her loyalty but her eternity, a possessiveness that is equally returned.

Date of update: May 2 2021

One of a Kind, Two of a Kind, or the Three Musketeers (Chapter 11)

Author: Phandancee74

Rating: T

Length: 24,114

Summary: Caroline recognizes how hard it is for Elena to be a doppelgänger, her fate predestined as well as her face. It's pretty tough being the last of your kind too though, and Caroline is determined to protect them both, with some very helpful Bennetts on their side.

Date of update: May 2 2021

Klaus’ Thousand Year Plan to be Her Last (Chapter 2)

Author: anncatherine

Rating: T

Length: 2,867

Summary: So these are some missing Klaroline scenes from my Elena/Elijah soulmate fic that I couldn’t include because they either didn’t fit or needed to be form Klaus or Caroline’s pov. I think it would be helpful to read at least the first couple chapters of that for background, but basically at twelve people’s soulmate’s birthday shows up on their wrist.

Date of update: May 2 2021

Cloud 9: A Collection of Klaroline Fusions and Crossovers (Chapter 11)

Author: klarolineagainnaturally

Rating: G

Length: 5,597

Summary: Various fusions and crossovers with Klaus and Caroline including Much Ado About Nothing, Ready or Not, and Tangled!

Date of update: May 2 2021

The Big Bad Wolf (Chapter 8)

Author: MorningStarGirl666

Rating: T

Length: 58,507

Summary: He was the Big, Bad Wolf of this story, there was no doubt about that. But Caroline? She was the light to his darkness, the moon that shone brighter than even the stars in a sky of endless void. Like every wolf, he fell in love with the moon, and every month, he was destined to cry for a love he would never touch.

Date of update: May 2 2021

Destination Wedding (Chapter 5)

Author: PumpkinDoodles

Rating: T

Length: 10,294

Summary: The first rule of going to your ex's wedding is 'make sure you look good,' but Caroline's seriously worried that this British Guy is going to make her late. And she cannot be late to Rebekah Mikaelson and Matt Donovan's wedding at a Virginia winery.

Date of update: May 3 2021

We are young (Chapter 14)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: T

Length: 16,153

Summary:  Basically, Klaroline flirt in front of their kids who they are barely older than, and Landon is appropriately confused.

Date of update: May 3 2021

Road to Ruin

Author: Cupcakemolotov

Rating: ?

Length: 2,122

Summary: Caroline comes home for Elena's funeral two years after she made out of Mystic Falls to NYU, and meets Klaus Mikaelson, one of the enigmatic brother's who claimed Elena as their own.

Date of update: May 3 2021

Time Heals All Wounds (Chapter 2)

Author: khaleesiofthewolves

Rating: ?

Length: 4,393

Summary: Does time really heals all wounds? Deeply scarred by his past, he would beg to differ. Klaus never thought the midnight shift at the hospital would change his life and yet it did. When a certain blonde is brought in with severe injuries, Klaus will learn that sometimes doctors need healing as well. Will their inner wounds and scars help them grow together or just tear them apart?

Date of update: May 3 2021

Caroline in Wonderland

Author: BelleMorte180

Rating: E

Length: 25,491

Summary: London, 1903 On the day of her wedding, a young boy collides into Caroline's legs, all but knocking her to the ground. Seeing that she is dreading walking down the aisle, any moment stalling her from heading to the church is welcome. However, when she follows the young boy down a London street, something impossible happens and Caroline finds herself in a magical world that she had been told about as a young child- Wonderland. She embarks on a journey through Wonderland to find out who she really is, where she belongs and towards a man who she had thought was nothing more than an imaginary friend.

Date of update: May 4 2021

A Bee A Tulip and a Meddlesome Sister

Author: KatherineBee1814

Rating: M

Length: 15,107

Summary: Newly arrived in London from Kent Lady Rebekah Mikaelson quickly catches the eye of infamous Rake and rouge Lord Anthony Bridgerton but Andromeda will be damned before she lets him marry her favourite sibling.

Date of update: May 4 2021

Soulmate visions (Chapter 6)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: T

Length: 11,445

Summary: On your soulmate's eighteenth birthday, you see through their eyes for an hour, but they don’t know. And if your soulmate turns eighteen before you are even born, you never get a vision. Klaus gets his soulmate vision right after he orders Tyler to bite Caroline on her birthday….

Date of update: May 4 2021

White Winds Blow (Chapter 2)

Author: perfectpro

Rating: T

Length: 17,704

Summary: Caroline Forbes waits anxiously in the Riverlands to hear of the return of her betrothed, Elijah Mikaelson, from the uprising against the mad King Silas. Instead, a letter arrives from his younger brother, Lord Niklaus, telling her of Elijah's death and offering to uphold the joining of their houses himself. She will become the Lady of Winterfell, but Lord Niklaus, waiting at the heart tree, is a stranger.

Date of update: May 4 2021

later on, we'll conspire (Chapter 3)

Author: PumpkinDoodles

Rating: M

Length: 7,292

Summary: Caroline asks Klaus to choose her over revenge at the Winter Wonderland Party.

Date of update: May 5 2021

KC Drabbles 2021

Author: CandyCane1287

Rating: T

Length: 8,303

Summary: C1: Hybrid Klaus meets human Caroline earlier and they fall in love. But there’s more. Ps, Katherine didn’t turn Caroline and she’s still human. He used Elena for the sacrifice but Elijah revived her. He got Tyler to bite Caroline but Klaus healed her. Tyler and Caroline broke up cause he cheated on her and they weren’t that in love. A bit of talk of Damon, but doesn’t go into too much detail. I suck at summaries btw.

Date of update: May 5 2021

Revenge of the Fifth - TVD Edition

Author: kcatdino

Rating: M

Length: 4,057

Summary: A star wars AU for vampire dairies for May the Fourth Be with You! Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena are padawan learners at Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi training academy, desperate to prove themselves by taking down some of the new Sith Lords that have popped up. The problem is, those Sith Lords are the Mikaelsons, and each girl has a Mikaelson brother obsessed with them, unwilling to let them come to harm. Will that make it harder or easier for them to triumph over the Dark Side?

Date of update: May 6 2021

The Beach House (Chapter 2)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: M

Length: 3,812

Summary: When Rebekah blackmails Klaus into pretending to be her friend Caroline’s boyfriend for the weekend, he expects sand, sun, and horrible people who never left high school. And while Caroline’s friends may ‘suck’ (her term, not his), he increasingly enjoys the time he spends with the bubbly blonde. But nothing can happen, even while sharing a bed. Caroline might feel bad for dragging Klaus away from his infant daughter for the weekend, but the little intimacies and kisses for their performance build up and start to feel very real. And now she wants him bad. If only Rebekah hadn’t warned him off.

Date of update: May 5 2021

Author: VintageLilac

Rating: T

Length: 156,908

Summary: New York was home to the richest families in the in world. They were the elite and spent their days traveling the world, making money, and earning power. Although Manhattan wasn't just their home, it was their kingdom. Left with little parental supervision, no rules, and copious amounts of money, the infamous teenagers ran the city and as people say, long may they reign.

Date of update: May 6 2021

That Kind Of Power

Author: ThrowMeAStory

Rating: M

Length: 3,375

Summary: 4x16 au, Part 10. Caroline vs Elena.

Date of update: May 6 2021

Reasons Not to Date a Mikaelson (Chapter 5)

Author: kcatdino

Rating: T

Length: 9,517

Summary: Bonnie and Caroline gain a new roommate for their freshman dorm when a vision leads them to tracking down a pregnant Hayley in the Rockies. Also, Bonnie may or may not have raised a certain dead Original instead of Jeremy and Klaus takes a job at Whitmore teaching, to be annoying. He’s very good at it.

Date of update: May 7 2021

LITTLE TENSE (Chapter 3)

Author: wincefish16

Rating: T

Length: 3,592

Summary: Klaroline's life together as they work in Mikaelson and co. Different snippets of their life.

Date of update: May 7 2021

FFN: The Exclusivity Clause (Chapter 3)

AO3: The Exclusivity Clause (Chapter 3)

Author: slstmaraudersjple

Rating: M

Length: 12,529

Summary: When Klaus receives a call that his soulmate has been found after searching for her for almost a century, he sets off to claim her before his enemies can harm her. But his soulmate is human this time around, innocent and irresistible, and his wolf wants nothing more than to mark her. Soulmates Reincarnation AU.

Date of update: May 1st

FFN: Louder Than Thunder (Chapter 39)

AO3: Louder Than Thunder (Chapter 17)

Author: khaleesiofthewolves

Rating: M

Length: 256,589

Summary: All Hell was about to break loose. After dying while protecting a grieving Klaus, Caroline finds herself sent back in time, and she's not who she once was. She's more. Back in Mystic Falls, something else is stirring. After the arrival of a mysterious figure from Klaus' past, it all comes to a head. It really is louder than thunder.

Date of update: May 3 2021

FFN: Caroline the Not So Teenage Witch

AO3: Caroline the Not So Teenage Witch (Chapter 15)

Author: klarolineagainnaturally

Rating: T

Length: 35,304

Summary: Continuing the drabble inspired by Sabrina the Teenage Witch, young witch Caroline Forbes must learn to live with her old flame turned cat. Antics ensue as they try to get along and fix what has been done.

Date of update: May 3 2021

FFN: A Beautiful Symmetry (Chapter 155)

AO3: A Beautiful Symmetry (Chapter 155)

Author: Uppity Bitch

Rating: M

Length: 419,840

Summary: A collection of random AU one-shots featuring Klaroline. Chapter 155: Part 2 — Fright Wedding. This is a sequel to Chapter 141: Fright Wedding. The alliance with the Mikaelson kingdom failed when they declared war, but Caroline was certain Klaus would be an excellent ally. Or hostage. Or possibly something more?

Date of update: May 3 2021

FFN: Royals of New York (Chapter 28)

AO3: Royals of New York (Chapter 27)

Author: VintageLilac

Rating: T

Length: 162,215

Summary: New York's royals spend their days traveling the world, making money, and earning power. With little parental supervision, no rules, and copious amounts of money, their children have New York as their own personal kingdom. May their reign be long and prosperous.

Date of update: May 6 2021

#klaroline library #KCL weekly releases #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline

[eeeeelijah]

Not everyone can say they’ve been to the Big Apple, but  ELIJAH 'ELI' JOHNSON, a 39 year-old CIS MALE has lived in THE BRONX for THIRTY-NINE YEARS. This is the city of dreams and HE knows it, because they came to NYC to be a DOG WALKER. Well, that and as a ROOMMATE to LEON MACKEN. Living in the city means they meet all kinds of people, but everyone always seems to think they look like ANTHONY MACKIE. They even got away with free cab fare once because of it!

tw: mention of depression, mention of adhd

ok hello i am fully taking the L right now and going with bullet points because brain.... says no to full bio for now SORRY

so eli is bronx born and raised!! his family has lived in nyc for as long as he can remember (which isn’t weird, seeing as he was literally born here) and he wouldn’t have it any other way. he absolutely loves it here.

grew up in a big family, three younger sisters and one younger brother, plus his parents and his grandmother... it was always a full house, at least! 

because of this, eli absolutely loves being around people and if he has to spend a lot of time alone, he’ll become a bit of a Debbie Downer

so!! about his Current Situation....

he was actually doing pretty well, working the stock market as a broker until he made some bad investments and lost most of his investments and his own savings in about 24 hours, lost his fiancé the day after that (turns out she was a bit of a golddigger.. who knew!) and basically just... had nothing.

he had to move back in with his mom for a little bit after that, became a little bit Depressed for a while.. saw a therapist, got back on the horse and is now.. doing literally any job under the sun he can find to make some cash, because no actual business wants to hire him after the mistakes he made at his old job.

so, dog walking, babysitting, food delivery... you name it, this man has done it. currently the dog walking thing is working out so well for him that he’s thinking of expanding his business to include a dog washing service as well! he just needs to properly train himself for that first. aka watch some youtube videos on it. we’ll see if it works out or if he’ll move on to yet another job.

so basically; if you have an odd job laying around, give eli a call! big ass chance he’ll do it.

in reality, he just doesn’t really know what to do with his life now. he’s a little bit directionless; but he makes up for it with his good natured spirit and stupid jokes!! 

because he has those odd jobs, he can’t technically afford the rent to his one-bedroom by himself. was posting an ad on craigslist the best idea? no. did he make a friend for life? most definitely. do they bicker like a married couple sometimes? very likely.

personality wise, eli is usually a moderately happy guy. what you see is what you get with him though, and if you catch him on a bad day, you’ll know. this doesn’t usually happen, and he’ll likely just be joking around with you (also has a little bit too much energy sometimes, but if that’s because of those 5 cups of coffee or the undiagnosed adhd, we’ll never know). 

some wanted connections could be old coworkers from the stock exchange, people he’s worked with or for at these odd jobs, people he’s currently walking dogs for, friends, the barista who serves him those many coffees, neighbors... you name it, it can happen!

#enyc.intro #hello this is .. not what i usually do but i couldn't be arsed to write a whole bio I'M SORRY

[aion-rsa]

Did The Dark Knight Really Influence the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

https://ift.tt/2QyP40k

In 2008, there were two seismic events in the superhero movie genre so close together that you’d be forgiven for thinking they signaled the same thing. Over the span of a few months, Marvel Studios launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) via Iron Man, and director Christopher Nolan changed the perception of how seriously to take these movies with The Dark Knight. Both are credited as watershed moments for how audiences and (more importantly) the industry approached such stories; and The Dark Knight is specifically singled out as the gold standard by which all other masked crimefighter films are measured.

However, was Nolan’s haunting vision—one in which a lone avenger is the last, best hope for a major American city on the verge of collapse—really that influential on its genre? The Dark Knight certainly had a monumental impact on the culture, then and now. You saw it when Heath Ledger’s searing interpretation of the Joker made him only the second actor to win a posthumous Oscar, as well as when the film’s exclusion from the Best Picture race changed the way the Academy Awards handled its top prize. And just last year, The Dark Knight became only the second superhero movie inducted into the National Film Registry.

Yet when a friend watching last week’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiere told me Marvel was returning to the “realistic” approach of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and by extension The Dark Knight, I couldn’t help but disagree. The new Disney+ series may have a slightly more grounded aesthetic than the last time we saw these characters (back when they were fighting space aliens over magic stones in Avengers: Endgame), but the medium-blending existence of the series belies the idea that Marvel took anything significant from the insular and self-contained Dark Knight Trilogy.

The Dark Knight vs. Iron Man

It’s interesting to look back at just those 2008 films since at face value they bore minor similarities. They both were focused on fantastically wealthy billionaires using their fortunes to fight wrongdoing on a potentially global scale; each movie was directed by filmmakers with indie cred thanks to Nolan helming Memento (2000) and Jon Favreau writing and starring in Swingers (1996); and each starred unexpected casting choices with Ledger as the Joker and Robert Downey Jr. jumpstarting a career comeback as Tony Stark.

But their goals and approaches were worlds apart. The obvious thing to note, besides The Dark Knight being a sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and Iron Man being an origin movie, is that Iron Man had an slyly hilarious sensibility, and The Dark Knight fancied itself an allegory about post-9/11 America. The former’s success was engineered in large part by Downey’s gift for comedic improvisation and freestyle. Indeed, co-star Jeff Bridges said in 2009 that he, Downey, and Favreau were essentially improvising their scenes from scratch every day during primitive rehearsals. “They had no script, man,” Bridges lightly complained with his Dude diction.

By contrast, The Dark Knight appears at a glance to be an exercise in self-seriousness and lofty ambition. Every scene, written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, appears like a chess move, and each character a pawn or knight who’s been positioned to put contemporary audiences in a state of pure anxiety with War on Terror imagery and dialogue. Of course this clocklike presentation is itself another Nolan illusion, as smaller players like Michael Jai White, who portrayed gangster Gambol in the movie, have been quite candid about. As with almost every film, there is still a level of fluidity and workshopping on Nolan’s set.

Ultimately, the bigger difference between the Nolan and eventual Marvel approach is what each is hoping to accomplish with the film they’re currently making. More than just offering a “realistic” vision of Batman, The Dark Knight attempted to tell a sweeping crime drama epic that would stand alone, separate from its status as a Batman Begins sequel. Rather than being “the next chapter,” The Dark Knight was meant to be a cinematic distillation of Batman and Joker’s primal appeals writ large. With this approach, the film also broke away from the superhero movie template Batman Begins followed three years earlier, and which nearly all superhero films still walk through the paces of.

In essence, The Dark Knight showed that superhero movies could be dark and mature, yes, but they can also be subversive, unexpected, and genuinely surprising. Nolan’s previous superhero movie, as good as it is, followed the beats set down by Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie nearly 30 years earlier. They’re the same beats trod by Iron Man and pretty much every other superhero origin movie, including a large bulk of Marvel Studios’ output. The Dark Knight, by contrast, reached for a cinematic vernacular separate from its specific genre. The movie’s not subtle about it either. The opening scene of Nolan’s epic wears its homages to Michael Mann’s Heat on its sleeves, and the story’s structure has more to do with Jaws than Jor-El.

The approach shook audiences in 2008 after they’d come to expect a certain type of movie from masked do-gooders. In The Dark Knight, superhero conventions could be subverted or obliterated when love interest Rachel Dawes is brutally killed off mid-sentence, or stalwart Batman is forced to claim a pyrrhic victory over the villain by entering into a criminal conspiracy and cover-up with the cops. The thrill of novelty was as breathtaking as the movie’s allegorical elements about a society on edge.

And even with The Dark Knight’s open-ended finale, it stood as a singular cinematic experience, complete with then-groundbreaking emphasis on IMAX photography. Nolan was so adamant about making this as self-contained an experience as possible that he jettisoned his co-story creator David Goyer’s idea of setting up Harvey Dent’s fall from grace for a third movie. Dent’s fate, as that of everyone else’s, would be tied strictly to the events of the movie you’re now watching.

“We Have a Hulk”

In Iron Man, and then more forcefully in Iron Man 2 (2010) and the rest of its “Phase One” era, Marvel Studios demonstrated a wholly different set of priorities. Similar to how Batman Begins paved the way for Nolan to do what he really wanted with that material, Iron Man 2 came to encapsulate Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige’s grander designs for the type of movies he was making. Where The Dark Knight was singular, unconventional, and two steps closer to our world than its comic book origins, Iron Man 2 was episodic, entirely crafted around audience expectations for a sequel, and even more like a comic book world than our own.

In other words, the first Iron Man gently submerged audiences into the fantasy by beginning with contemporary images of Tony Stark in a Middle Eastern desert; Iron Man 2 then made sweeping strides in defining what that MCU fantasy is as quickly as possible: Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is introduced solely to establish the superspy who will be vital to The Avengers two years down the road, and the central narrative about Tony Stark fighting an old rival is put on pause to reintroduce the character Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as a supporting, and superfluous, side character. The post-credit scene even arbitrarily introduces literal magic with a glowing hammer that has absolutely nothing to do with the story you just watched. Still, it’s a hell of a teaser for Thor which was due in theaters a year later.

With the release of Iron Man 2, Marvel Studios’ emphasis became diametrically opposed to the driving concept behind The Dark Knight Trilogy. Rather than each film being an insulated, standalone cinematic experience like the Hollywood epics of old, Marvel’s movies would be interconnected episodes in an ongoing narrative saga that spanned multiple franchises and countless sequels. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unlike Nolan after The Dark Knight, Feige and his stable of writers always know where the next movie (or five) is going, and have a better idea of what the overall vision is than any single director working within this system. Ironically, this returns power to the studio and producer as the seeming authorial voice of each movie. Like in the Golden Age of Hollywood, directors are more often hired hands than influential auteurs.

However, this means the aspects Nolan really valued on The Dark Knight beyond a gritty “realism”—elements like spontaneity, subversion, and a distancing from superhero tropes—became antithetical to the type of movies produced by the MCU. For at least the first decade of its existence, the Marvel Cinematic Universe flourished by creating a formula and house style that is as predictable for audiences as the contents in a Big Mac.

When you go to a Marvel movie, you more or less you’ll get: an ironic, self-deprecating tone, a story that often revolves around a CG MacGuffin that must be taken from the villain, and a narrative in which disparate heroic characters come together after some amusing, disagreeable banter. In fact, more than Iron Man, it was Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012) which refined the Marvel formula into what it is today.

There are of course exceptions to this rule. Black Panther became the first Marvel movie since Iron Man to arguably tackle themes significant to the real world, in this case specifically the legacy of African diaspora. It also became the first superhero film nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture as a result; James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies might follow the narrative formula of most MCU movies, but they’re embedded with a cheeky and idiosyncratic personality that is distinctly Gunn’s; and in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), directors Joe and Anthony Russo, as well as screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, attempted to inject a little bit of that “realistic” aesthetic from The Dark Knight. But only to a point.

Particularly in the 2014 effort, there was a push by the Russos to rely on in-camera special effects and cultivate what they often described in the press as a “1970s spy thriller” style. Ostensibly, the hope may have been to make The Winter Soldier as much a spy thriller as The Dark Knight was a crime epic. In this vein, there were even attempts to graft onto the story very timely concerns about the overreach of a government surveillance state, which had only grown in the decade since the U.S. PATRIOT Act was passed, despite a change in White House administrations. However, all of these ambitions had an invisible ceiling hovering above them.

Despite having overtones about the danger of reactionary if well-intentioned government leaders, like the kind personified by Robert Redford’s SHIELD director in the movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier couldn’t become too focused on the espionage elements or too far removed from the Marvel house style. The story still needed to interconnect with other Marvel films, hence Redford’s character turning out to be a secret HYDRA double agent, and it still needed to give audiences what they expected from a Marvel movie. Thus how this “1970s spy thriller” ends in a giant CGI battle with citywide destruction as Captain America inserts MacGuffins into machines that will blow up HYDRA’s latest weapon for world domination.

It’s easy to wonder if the movie was developed a little longer, and didn’t have to play by a certain set of rules and expectations, that instead of backpedaling into comic book motivations, Redford’s character would’ve been a well-intentioned patriot amassing power “to keep us safe,” and in the process destabilized the institutions he claimed to revere.

Read more

Movies

What Did Batman Do Between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises?

By David Crow

TV

WandaVision: The Unanswered Questions From the Marvel Series

By Gavin Jasper

A Universe Without End

The Marvel method breeds a heavy need for familiarity and comfortable predictability, as opposed to disorientation and discomfort. Yet both methods are valid. While Nolan achieved near universal praise for The Dark Knight, his attempt to replicate it with the even more ambitious The Dark Knight Rises—an unabashed David Lean-inspired epic that took more from A Tale of Two Cities and Doctor Zhivago than DC Comics—left fans divided. It also was a narrative dead end for the corporate/fanbase need of an ongoing franchise. Nolan instead reached a final, artistic, and emphatic period for his cinematic interpretation of Batman mythology. By comparison, Marvel Studios has created a new cinematic vernacular that only ever uses dashes, semicolons, and commas. There is always more to tell.

Nolan reflected on these changing circumstances for superhero movies in 2017 when he said, “That’s a privilege and a luxury that filmmakers aren’t afforded anymore. I think it was the last time that anyone was able to say to a studio, ‘I might do another one, but it will be four years.’ There’s too much pressure on release schedules to let people do that now, but creatively it’s a huge advantage.”

This lines up with what Jeff Bridges said about the evolution of the Marvel method way back in ’09 after the first Iron Man: “You would think with a $200 million movie you’d have the shit together, but it was just the opposite. And the reason for that is because they get ahead of themselves. They have a release date before the script [and they think], ‘Oh, we’ll have the script before that time,’ and they don’t have their shit together.”

Bridges’ unhappiness with the new process notwithstanding, Marvel was rewriting the playbook about how these types of movies were made. Nolan’s approach of one at a time and years-long development processes created three distinctly different and relatively standalone Batman movies. But Marvel has shifted the idea of not just what a franchise can be, but also what cinematic storytelling means.

Instead of three movies, their rules and structures have generated dozens of well-received and adored entertainments, that when combined can produce experiences as unique as Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019): two movies that were more like a two-part season finale on TV than individual stories. And the latter became the highest grossing film of all time.

The success of this approach is further underlined when one considers competitors that tried to emulate both Marvel and Nolan’s approaches, relying on a lone auteur to build a shared cinematic universe—while also arguably taking the wrong lessons from the “dark” in The Dark Knight title. In the case of the DC Extended Universe, that approach collapsed on itself after three movies, leaving the interconnected “shared” part of its universe in tatters, and fans and studio hands alike divided on how to proceed with the franchise.The Marvel Cinematic Universe took a narrower road than that of The Dark Knight. But it turned out to be a lot smoother and much, much longer.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[therandomfish]

Bridgerton Review

So, are we fans of Jane Austin? Oscar Wilde? Writers of that nature? Then buckle up kids because this is….. in a lot of ways almost exactly like that. Oh and SPOILERS!!!!!!!

Bridgerton is a drama series made for Netflix set in 1813 set in London at a time when young ladies were produced in from of royalty and then attended various functions in order to attract a suitor. First off I want to give some props to not only the design of the show but the choice of performers to play these various roles; everyone fitted their role perfectly and spoke eloquently. I will not single out any actors or actresses in this review as being exceptionally amazing but will say the cast as a whole was phenomenal.

So what’s the plot? Well there’s the main family of this show AKA The Bridgertons with their mother Violet (played by Ruth Gemmell) along with the 3 sons “The stick in the mud” Anthony (played by Jonathan Bailey), the “middle one with odd one out tendencies” Benedict (played by Luke Thompson) and the “one that needs a good slap in the face from reality” Colin (played by Luke Newton) we then get the one with more main-character-itus than the others called Daphne (played by Pheobe Dynevor) the nerdy daughter Eloise (played by Claudia Jesse) and then we have the one who disappears and only re appears once Francesca (played by Ruby Stokes) and finally the 2 youngest Gregory and Hyacinth (played by Will Tilston and Florence Hunt) and Main-Character-Itus Daphne is brought before Queen Charlotte (played by Golda Rosheuvel) to be presented by her mother to show that she is ready to seduce a man and get married (ahh the days of England when that type of thing was the only thing we were worried about; now that I think about it looking at some of the ladies around these days maybe they are still only worried about that), Daphne’s brother Stick in the mud or Anthony is taking over for her father in these matters as her father would’ve be in charge of making sure the suitor was suitable for the daughter in question. However Anthony is also (as in customary in these types of shows) a big old hypocrite who wants his sister to marry very specific people and make her do what is expected of her all while he is going around having sex with an opera singer Siena played by Sabrina Bartlett and talking about not wanting his responsibilities to the family but he has to do stuff. However he really misses the mark when he ends up pairing up Daphne with a dude called Nigel Berbrooke who is played by Jamie Beamish and also you’ll be glad to know isn’t in this show for very long due to getting punched in the face and exposed as a randy bastard but through a charade and touched fingers and sideways glances she falls for a Duke called Simon Bassett played by Rege-Jean Page (I apologise for the butchered spelling of the name) and they end up together by the end and while their story is the main front of the show and the main focus their relationship is quite believable in a lot of ways, they start out as friends and even when the Queen herself is opposed to them being together they make a plea to her and Simon makes the best speech ever about being friends first and transcending to love is what makes a relationship and in this case a marriage stronger because of it. We do get a secret that Simon is hiding but in all honesty it is something that even some people today would stick to; he makes a vow that he will never have kids to his dying father who was more interested in securing his family name and a male heir than he was in the health of his wife and honestly something that you stick to out of anger is a hard thing to let go of but of course he eventually does and there is a happy ending for them and you genuinely feel good for them when they do reach that moment.

However lets focus on the rest of this insane cast, I already mentioned the main family and their performers and like I said, Anthony is stuck trying to be the man of the house, his story is simple, he is a dick trying to do what’s right, he then tries to make amends to the opera singer he was shagging then decided to dump and gets told (rightly so) to get stuffed and so he decides that marrying for love is a dumb move (weird ending but okay) the second son is an artist and he meets up with another artist who shows him the artistic and creative world where he can paint and draw to his hearts content and of course he learns that his new friend is bisexual and he doesn’t know how to deal with it and you know what? They focus on that just long enough that you feel like you got just the right amount of that story, with the story focussing mostly on Benedict feeling like an outcast and finding common ground with his artist friends and also he got to draw attractive women in the nude.. he must have loved that day on set.

And finally we have the youngest of the three older siblings Colin who gets into a mess with a pregnant woman, now hold on, this is linked to another family called the Featheringtons with 2 older daughters who I swear look like they’ve been watching the evil stepsisters and have been emulating them ever since and a younger daughter called Penelope but then we also get the a character who joins the family and ends up going to the social events, trying to find a husband with the daughters called Marina Thompson played by Ruby Barker who is pregnant who ends up trying to get Colin to marry her and to sleep with her so he thinks the baby is his and feels guilty enough to stay with her. Now there are a lot of extenuating circumstances surrounding this, up to and including that Marina got pregnant from a soldier and he hasn’t been in communication with her and Baroness Featherington (who is a bitch) makes her believe that he wants nothing to do with her anymore and all sorts of things but Colin rightfully calls her out on a lot of stuff in her behaviour and other such stuff.

But going back to Penelope for just a minute and the younger sister of Daphne in the main family. They are the apparent intellectuals who decide to look down at the women who want to get married and are fine with prancing about as they don’t want to and want to pursue knowledge more and they are all reading what is essentially something like The Sun just a giant gossip column made by someone called Lady Whistledown (who is voiced by Julie Andrews) her identity is kept secret until the very last episode and almost the last frame and honestly I felt like this was the one thing in the whole show that really let me down. Keeping her identity secret wasn’t necessary and even when it was revealed it didn’t feel earned, having her voiced by a specific actress made me want to see that actress playing a role or have her be revealed to be someone who we hadn’t seen all show and made us wonder why she did this and have her give a smile of satisfaction at what had happened. But part of the Eloise and Penelope storylines is that they both want something they can’t have, Penelope wants Colin to herself (who saw that coming read my enthusiasm) and Eloise doesn’t want to have to choose a husband at all, being the type of woman who would say things like “I don’t need a man to feel complete in my life” and I do enjoy those characters because they are a breath of fresh air among all the other cardboard cutouts of the others who are trying to copy the main characters but sadly she is stuck with all the usual stuff a woman like her gets in a society like that was and she just didn’t feel like she grew much over the course of the show.

But overall, how was this one? Well in all honesty I would recommend watching it, not just because of the well written dialogue, not just because of the brilliant casting but because all together it makes the show sensational (just like all the drama is mmmm it’s delicious)

 Randomfish out

#iamarandomfish #bridgerton #review

[tomsrebeleyebrow]

@intiate03 asks: Hey could u write a ff on tony visiting peter at MIT with morgan bcz he was missing him . And them meeting one of tony teachers or someone who tony knew form his time in MIT

requests are now closed

A/N: another first for me! thanks a lot for your request sweetie🌸 I’m no really familiar with the X-Men universe but I tried making a parallel between the two universes like they did in one of the comics. It’s a short short blurb so I hope you will like it✨

‘Good to see you again’ - Iron Dad & Spidey Son

Warning: cuteness infinite level, and NO ENDGAME in this house!!

masterlist

Finally some free time. 

Tony sighs while turning in office chair when he hears the sound of steps echoing in the lab, coming to his direction. As he turns to see who it could be - even if he definitely knows already -, the little body of his daughter jumps right into him making both of them spin in the chair, laughing.

“Well well well, look who’s there!”

The little girl giggles in her father’s arms. “Daddy you done with work? Can we go now? Pleaaaaaase?”

Tony stops the chair with his feet and after waiting a few seconds, he stands still holding Morgan in his arms.

“Yes, sweetie. We can finally go. But first, we need to tell mum we’re going out. Can you go tell her while daddy close the lab?”

“Yes!! We’re finally seeing Peter!!”

Morgan jumps out of Tony’s grasp and runs outside the lab to her mum, Pepper, who was somewhere in the house doing her own business. Tony signs again, now pleased. He promised his daughter a few weeks ago that he will find some time to go visit Peter together, because the boy was getting busy with his lessons at MIT so they saw him less recently. And the little girl missed him a lot. And little did she knows that her father also couldn’t wait to see Spidey boy again.

Meanwhile, Peter finishes his first lesson of the afternoon. Having a few hours’ break before the next one, he thinks about reviewing some of his notes outside the campus. While sitting on a bench of the MIT garden, he soon hears in the distance someone calling his name, awakening his spider senses. And as he turns his head toward the voice, he couldn’t help but stands to be soon almost tackled to the ground by Morgan.

“Peter!! Hi!!” the girl screams in joy in his face.

Peter chuckles and wraps his arms around Morgan, spinning her in the air, a big smile now on his face. 

“Morgan!! Oh my God, I’m so happy to see you, little one!!”

They both keep giggling, happy to meet again after so long. And then, Peter starts hearing some shocked whispers around him and wonders what was happening.

“Dad! I found him!!”

“You sure did, sweetie.”

None other than the famous Anthony Stark aka Iron Man walks toward both of them, hidden behind his signature sunglasses, emanating power and class from him. Obviously people would start freaking out. And Peter feels even happier. He delicately puts Morgan back on her feet and taking her tiny hands in his, he (proudly) waits for Tony to stop in front of him.

“Hey, how are you doing, son?”

Son. This is the nickname Tony likes using to call Peter. He would never admit it out loud to the world but this boy, no, young man standing while looking at him in awe is like his own son. And for sure Morgan sees him as her big brother.

“I’m doing more than great, Mr. Start” replies Peter, still smiling.

Tony smiles back and ruffles the boy’s curly hair with his hand, before giving him a warm embrace.

“Good to see you again, son.”

“Good to see you again, Mr. Stark.”

“Well good to see you too, Tony.”

The new voice calling out to Tony makes him break his embrace with Peter, Morgan hiding behind both men as they all see the person moves to them. And Tony couldn’t help but smirk.

“What can I say? Who doesn’t like seeing the most talented and handsome Iron Man?” 

“As cocky as ever, Stark. You would never change.”

Peter recognises the voice as soon as he heard it. Because here now stands Professor Charles Xavier, one of Peter’s teachers at MIT. Of course he knows who he is. He is one of the most strict and intelligent professor of all the US, and nobody wants to mess with them. Peter has some classes with him and he can say he admires the man in the wheelchair. 

“So, you and Mr. Parker know each other?” professor Xavier says, his gaze going from the man in his forties and his friendly student. “Why am I not even surprised.”

“Well, the kid here is sure a nerd but that brain of his is one of a kind. A bit awkward but still smart. Everything I look for in an intern at Stark’s Industry.”

“After knowing you for quite a long time, I sense when you have something in mind, Tony.”

Peter closely looks at both men exchanging words, Morgan still gripping at his jumper. He conforts her by caressing her head.

“You, er, you both know each other?” tempts asking Peter.

“You see, kid, professor Xavier and I work together sometimes-”

“But Mr. Stark here clearly is avoiding me for, what, eight months now? Tony you can’t run away forever when we have to talk about Illumi-”

“I know I knoooooooow” interrupts Tony, exasperates. “But I’ve been super busy with the Avengers and my business - you know I’m a real business man, also family stuff and blah blah blah.”

Peter and Morgan try to hide their giggles while watching Tony being... well, Tony.

“Also”

Tony puts one arm around Peter’s shoulders and brings him against him again, Morgan following closely.

“I’m in the middle of a happy family reunion right here so if you would excuse us!”

The three of them start walking toward the street, leaving the professor by himself. 

“Don’t be a Stark and call me, Tony. You know why!” shouts professor Xavier at them.

“Yeah yeah, I’ve still got your number somewhere. I think? Bye, X!” Tony begins whistle.

“Er- b-bye professor Xavier!” Peter manages to say.

Professor Xavier lets out a sigh, looking at them walking toward some shops in the street nearby. Then he decides to go back inside the building, making his way between the students.

“At least, he got the family he ever wanted.”

🏷 Permanent tag list & mutuals 💖 (get notified)

@titahnics @tom-holland-is-spiderman @detroitbydark @blissfulparker​ @farfromhaz @xxtomxo @worldoftom @charismas-world  @stiles-banshees @americaxo17 @zabdisamor @princezzariel​ @mcuassemble​ @thatweirdomimic @juliebean247​ @harryhollandwhore​ @spiderbibby​ @intiate03​ @himynameishooman @bookworm06​ @flowerboyparker @miraclesoflove @thecheekyspidey @allegra-writes​ @biebsmylife95​

#request #blurb #tony stark #iron man #iron dad #irondad #morgan stark #peter parker #spider-man #spider son #spidey son #peter parker fluff #x-men #charles xavier #professor x #fluff #marvel universe #marvel

[your-frenchblondgirl]

We’ve known for a while that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is getting his own Marvel TV series on upcoming streaming service Disney+ – though the character’s surprise death in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War left a big question mark over how exactly the God of Mischief would return.

However, its sequel Avengers: Endgame sheds new light on just how Loki could make his big comeback, albeit with a twist that few fans would have seen coming.

Loki’s main Endgame appearance comes during the “Time Heist” portion of the movie, when Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man and Ant-Man travel back in time to the original 2012 Avengers movie in order to nab the Time, Mind and Space Infinity stones.

While our heroes manage to get their hands on the Time and Mind stones, an incident involving the 2012 Hulk and some stairs means that the Space stone (aka the cube-shaped Tesseract) ends up sliding to the feet of Loki, specifically the Loki that had just been defeated and captured at the end of the first Avengers movie.

Grabbing it, Loki uses the Tesseract’s abilities to teleport away, leaving the 2012-era Avengers nonplussed and the 2023 Avengers forced to travel even further back in time to get their hands on a version of it. Loki, meanwhile, is in the wind – and in the perfect free position to star in his TV series.

This certainly seems to be what the scene is alluding to given that the thread of Loki’s disappearance is never picked up in Endgame itself. But what does a loose Loki tell us about what to expect from the series as a whole?Well, possibly quite a bit. We shouldn’t forget that by the time he was killed in Infinity War, the later version of Loki had gone through a few more movies of character development, teaming up with his brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in both his solo movies the Dark World and Ragnarok and also ruling over Asgard for a number of years between them (albeit disguised as Anthony Hopkins’ Odin).

By the time of Infinity War, Loki was even willing to fight for his brother’s life at risk to his own – but the Loki we see in Endgame hasn’t been through any of that. Instead, he’s still more villainous and self-involved, which could make for an interesting contrast if he is somehow able to learn about his later growth.

That is, of course, if Loki interacts with the main Marvel Universe at all from hereon out. During the film it’s made clear that materially altering the past – say, by taking the Infinity stones – would branch things off into a parallel reality, and now that Loki’s nicked the Space stone we can assume his escape branches things off into an entirely different continuity to the films that came after.

Not everything would change but without Loki imprisoned, Thor: The Dark World doesn’t happen, possibly not Ragnarok either, and maybe not parts of Avengers: Infinity War, and that’s not to mention the huge ripple effect that this change could wreak on the rest of the MCU as well.

And even without these changes the newly-formed parallel universe means that the Loki streaming series can go in very surprising directions, with real stakes – just because the world was always saved in the main MCU doesn’t mean it will be here – and shocks that don’t have to tightly adhere to the rock-solid continuity of the main movie series.

That is, of course, if Loki stays put in his new universe at all. Arguably, having parallel universes of Marvel characters could end up being a bit confusing, unless Loki just travels around the other Nine Realms and avoids the parallel Earth entirely so that we don’t notice. More likely, he finds his way back to the main MCU for whatever reason.

You see, Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have explained that it is possible for characters to cross back from branched alternate worlds into the main one, revealing that Chris Evans’ Captain America achieves that very feat when he time travels towards the end of the film, lives a full life then returns to the present to hand his shield over to good friend Sam (Anthony Mackie).

“If Cap were to go back into the past and live there, he would create a branched reality,” Joe Russo told EW.

“The question then becomes, how is he back in this reality to give the shield away?”

“Interesting question, right?” he added.

“Maybe there’s a story there. There’s a lot of layers built into this movie and we spent three years thinking through it, so it’s fun to talk about it and hopefully fill in holes for people so they understand what we’re thinking.”

And frankly, if someone like Captain America can manage a return to the main Marvel universe, how much more likely is it for a Norse God with a history of using powerful magic to be able to achieve the same feat?

In short, Avengers: Endgame sets up a Loki series that takes us back to the popular, villainous God of Mischief that fans fell in love with in 2012’s Avengers , pops him in a parallel universe of limitless potential AND establishes that he may be able to tie back into the Marvel movies again at some point in the future.

To us, that sounds like a pretty potent combination. Mischief managed.

#tom hiddleston #loki #avengers endgame #endgame #avengers endgame spoilers #avengers #the avengers #robert downey jr #chris evans #chris hemsworth #tom holland #sebastian stan #mark ruffalo #benedict cumberbatch #jeremy renner #elizabeth olsen #antman and the wasp #captain marvel #marvel studios #marvel fandom #marvel cinematic universe #disney #mcu #marveledit #lokiedit #mypost #your-frenchblondgirl #myedit

[a34trgv2]

Why It Worked: Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2

Introduction: Picking up were we last left off on Why It Worked, Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands on this ever expanding franchise with new characters, new stories and new creative visions. This Phase is often regarded as the “hit or miss” period in the MCU, but I’d argue it succeeds so much more than it falters. So without further adieu, let’s get started.

The Plots: Phase 2 comprises mainly of sequels to the Phase 1 movies, and yet they all feel natural and very much stand on their own. Iron Man 3 picks up where The Avengers left off and sees Tony Stark battle with PTSD. All the while, he faces off against a notorious terrorist called the Mandarin (more on him later). Thor: The Dark World finds the Norse god of thunder protecting the 9 Realms from the Dark Elves, who’s sole purpose is to drown the universe in darkness. Captain America: The Winter Solider shows who Steve Rogers adjusts to the modern world as he faces off against the mysterious foe, the Winter Solider. And finally, Avengers: Age of Ultron finds Earth’s Mightiest Heroes face off against an A.I. who’s idea of saving the world is destroying it with a meteor. There are 2 films this Phase that aren’t sequels: Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. The former opens up the cosmic side of the MCU by introducing a rag tag team of misfits who must ban together to stop an vengeful warlord from reeking havoc upon the galaxy. The latter is a heist movie involving a guy trying to be a good role model to his daughter while also communicating with ants. This films bring in the same amount of charm and humor the first Phase brought and then some. Guardians of the Galaxy in particular had some of the smartest and well timed jokes in the MCU up until that point. Not only that, but there this Phase also brought in life changing events that carried on in future films. Tony’s paranoia caused him to build Ultron, S.H.I.E.L.D. became compromised and ultimately destroyed in Winter Solider and even with that, HYDRA lives on in other parts of the world by Age of Ultron. None of this would’ve at all been possible if it weren’t for the creative talents of Shane Black, Alan Taylor, Joe and Anthony Russo, James Gunn, Joss Whedon (again), and Peyton Reed.

Cast and Characters: Since we’re all familiar with the core Avengers at this point, let’s introduce the new faces starting with Sam Wilson aka Falcon. Sam is Steve Roger’s new friend introduced in Winter Solider. A veteran himself with a smart and charming personality, he and Steve hit it off almost instantly. Plus, Anthony Mackie is just right for the role, making the character funny, smart and tough in his own right. Next up we have the Guardians of the Galaxy, featuring Peter Jason Quill, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccon and Groot. Peter starts off as a Han Solo-type of character, but throughout the film we find his full of layers. He’s got charm, humor, heart, anger, cockiness, he’s basically the every man in this wacky side of the galaxy. All brought to life flawlessly by Chris Pratt. Gamora is a headstrong and dangerous woman who plays against the love interest trope in this film as she has great resentment for her father Thanos and sister Nebula. It also helps that she’s played brilliantly by Zoe Saldana, who brings the right amount of humor and fierce veracity to the character. Drax is meant to be this stoic tragic figure who seeks to avenge his fallen family. And yet his lack of understanding metaphors and Dave Bautista’s performance make him one of the funniest characters in this franchise. Then we have Rocket and Groot, a raccoon and a tree man who became household names over night. Rocket is a fowl mouth, sarcastic and crude rodent with a good heart under that ruff exterior. Groot meanwhile is wears his heart on his bark, having such a calm and gentle demeanor, while also not being afraid to be the muscle Rocket needs. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel bring these characters to life through their commitment and strife; I couldn’t have picked anyone better. Moving on from the Guardians, we have Scott Lang, the thief with a heart of gold who’s trying to be a good role model for his daughter, Cassie. It goes without saying that Scott’s funny (being played by comedic actor Paul Rudd and all), but he’s also very smart and caring for those around him. His skills in robbery and breaking and entering make him perfectly capable of dawning the Ant-Man costume, at least in the eyes of Hank Pym. Speaking of which, the original Ant-Man from the comics is now a wise, crusty old man with a good heart. Michael Douglas gives an excellent performance as this character, making it believable that he was at one time a superhero and is now passing the torch to a younger suitor. Hank’s daughter, Hope is a smart, stern and strong woman who at first resents her father for pushing her away after her Mom went MIA. After learning the truth, she comes to respect him and Scott a little more. Evangeline Lilly is perfect as Hope, delivering the right amount of humor and heart to. These new characters are just as memorable and as well fleshed out as the ones we’ve come to know and love at this point. And that’s not even mentioning Yondu, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, Vision, Harley Keener, Luis, Dave and Kurt, and Cassie.

The Big Baddies: I’ll just say this upfront: The Mandarin twist wasn’t bad. Unexpected, yes, but for the story Shane Black was trying to tell, it works wonders. I get fans wanted what we were advertised, but I think what we got works better. Iron Man 3 was a personal story first and foremost, so having him face of against an evil space wizard, while it would’ve been cool, it wouldn’t have fit with the overall narrative. Besides, Sir Ben Kingsley gave an excellent performance, being a menacing threat and a comedic fool all in one. Then we get Malekith, the quintessential example people point to when people say “Marvel villains suck.” <sigh> He’s not that bad folks. Malekith is a stone cold Dark Elf with one goal in life: to plunge the universe into darkness. He’s merciless, he’s dead serious and he sees the Asgardians as beneath him. Yeah, he wasn’t on screen for that long, but Christopher Eccleston gave a solid performance. Alexander Pierce makes for a really compelling villain because he firmly believes himself to be the savior of the world. Robert Redford brings out his calm and professional demeanor, while also making the character charismatic and intriguing. Ronan the Accuser is a power hunger warlord that sees the people of Xandar as beneath him, to the point were instead of siding with the peace treaty between the Kree and Nova Corp, he opts to try and obliterate the planet with the power of an Infinity Stone. Lee Pace gives a solid performance bringing the character’s anger and hatred to life and I look forward to see him again in Captain Marvel. Ultron is exactly what you get when you have the personality of Tony Stark and mix it with the genetic code of HAL9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ultron has charisma, humor and a very passive aggressive attitude towards the Avengers. James Spader was perfect casting in this role as he gives a robot bent on destroying the Earth as his idea of saving it so much personality. Darren Cross is the young novitiate of Hank Pym turned corporate businessman attempting to sell Pym’s technology to the wrong hands. Corey Stoll manages to make the character funny, quirky and intimidating all in one and definitely deserves as much credit as the rest of his costars. The villains in Phase 2 are a step up from Phase 1 and will only get better come Phase 3.

Costumes and VFX: Not only were the villains a step up from Phase 1, but the costumes and CGI has improved significantly as well. Some familiar stuff such as Iron Man’s armor, Cap’s costume and the Hulk’s design have been given significant upgrades with each film. All the armors Tony has made in between Avengers and Iron Man 3 look excellent; no two armors look alike and the way they’re incorporated into battle is better than ever. Cap’s giving a more stealth like costume in Winter Solider and it fits very well with the spy angel the Russo brothers were going for. Then we have the look of the Hulk, who still brought to life through motion capture performance and looks more lifelike with more hair and softer looking skin. With the addition of new characters and new environments, there also came the use of new costumes and unique uses of CG. Despite being revealed to be a fraud, the Mandarin’s costume looks spectacular, giving him a modern terrorist look while also keeping his traditional green rob and a ring on each finger. The look of Asgard received a significant upgrade since the first Thor film, as it now has a Norse mythology feel and the costumes on the citizens look very authentic. Also, the costume and make-up department went above and beyond to make the Dark Elves distinct from previous film/tv portrayals of elves. They have pale faces with pointed ears and noses, pitch black armor and soulless eyes. The Kurse himself looks amazing with all the horns, body armor and actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaji (try saying that 3x fast) making the character physically intimidating. The Winter Solider’s metal arm is brought to life with actor Sebastian Stan wearing a plastic sleeve while CG was used in post. Also, for Hayley Atwell to reprise her role as a 93 year old Peggy Carter, she performed her scenes with a few trace markers while Lola VFX (who made Chris Evans skinny in the first Captain America film) added in the features of an elderly woman to make effect feel seamless. Then we get the Guardians and boy is this film littered with a mix of practical and digital effects. Starting with Rocket James Gunn’s brother, Sean, played the little rodent on set to interact with the cast while Bradley Cooper recorded his lines in New York. For reference, they used a real life raccoon named Oreo (who recently passed away, RIP) as well as a lifelike model before CG companies like Framestore brought him to life. Same treatment was applied to Groot, who was played by Krystian Godlewski on set and sources such as a botanical garden in London was used as reference. Zoe Saldana spent at least 5 hours a day in the make-up chair and the final result is flawless. Dave Bautista meanwhile spent at least 4 hours a day in the make up chair and looks just as believable as Saldana. The locations explored in Guardians such as the Kyln and Knowhere, are brought to life through practical effects for filming with the additional CG for wide shots. It all looks so real and authentic like the characters are actually there. Ant-Man’s costume is significantly different from the comics, but is very practical and lifelike. It also helps that when ever something shrink or grows, the effect is a subtle nodded to how Jack Kirby drew them in the comics. Lastly, we have Ultron, who’s brought to life with James Spade in a motion capture suit and a lifelike model used as reference. There’s plenty of other examples of the amazing use of CG and practical effects in these films, such as the de-aging of Michael Douglas in Ant-Man, the way Wanda Maximoff uses her magic, Yondu’s arrow and so much more, but to list them all will take forever.

Where it Falters: Edger Wright having a falling out with Marvel producer Kevin Feige robbed audiences of what could’ve been a great film. Not that Ant-Man was bad, quite the opposite. But having seen Scott Pillgrim vs. The World and Baby Driver, I feel as though it was a missed opportunity to let Edger make the film he wanted to make. Also, for a place called “the Dark World” it’s not really that dark. Also, I feel as though Pietro Maximoff was killed off a little too soon. I mean, we just met him and Aaron Taylor-Johnson was doing a good job as the character. Narratively speaking it makes sense, but I personally would’ve kept him around until Infinity War. Lastly, the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King hinted that the real Mandarin was out there. It’s now been 5 years since that short and we’ve heard nothing from this “real” Mandarin. I’m hoping this get’s addressed sooner or later, otherwise it just feels like an attempt to silence detractors of Iron Man 3.

Conclusion: Marvel significantly improved their craft with Phase 2 and continues to grow strong to this day. With colorful new characters, exciting new locations, impressive VFX and costumes and great acting all all around, this is only a prelude in terms of quality for what might be the greatest era of the MCU yet. Thanks so much for reading and I’ll see you soon ;)

#marvel cinematic universe #phase 2 #superheros #action #movies #chris pratt #rehirejamesgunn #paul rudd #zoe saldana #dave bautista #bradley cooper #vin deisel #lee pace #james spader #christopher eccleston #corey stoll #ben kingsley #Kevin Feige #edger wright #russo brothers #like #share #follow #reblog #why it worked

[sportsnets]

nobody fucking asked but i don’t want to study for my ethics midterm right now so im giving you all my galaxy brain takes on hottest 10 nhl players

its about to become very clear that i am only interested in two types of men; goblins and pretty boys. thanks for coming to my ted talk

10 auston matthews

frankly doesnt deserve to be here but this blog is like 90% auston so it would be disingenuous not to have him here!! i just love his face idk dude the hort wants what the hort wants!

9 kevin hayes

listen. LISTEN. i know. he is a goblin. his only two settings are hot douchebag and loveable idiot. unfortunately im very into that. literally everything he does is so stupid and he looks like every man from boston. he has one braincell. i love him. 

8 brayden point

most likely secretly a werewolf. naturally perfect hair and eyebrows??? basically fuck this guy. this is what i wish i looked like. 

7 chris kreider

dumb thicc, smart as hell, and probably a vampire. thats tickin all three of my SMASH boxes idk what to tell you. a fellow self identified bastard.

6. roman josi

i wont include it for my own sanity but yes he did a photoshoot where he was a vampire?? literally just shirtless with blood on his face. exposing my own vampire fetish for the sake of this poast i guess. uhhh but yeah idk they let this male model play in the nhl and hes really fucken good

5. pk subban

200% boyfriend material and we all fucking know it, please look at this picture now

4. anthony duclair + i guess ill let PLD be here too

genuinely duke has the most heart stopping smile im sorry for being absolutely soft on main for him. um pld gets to be here because of that one video where he paints a little girls nails that was Very Good for me. anyways go thirst follow duke on instagram

3. charlie coyle

AKA big baby charlie AKA gronk AKA my emotional support hockey player. incredibly bland has never done anything wrong in his life. yall know that post like “charlie coyle is your friends big brother who walks around the kitchen shirtless” yeah its kind of devastatingly accurate

2. mat barzal

this is so self explanatory but like. bones. boy has Fuckign Bones. looks beautiful but has the messiest fucking frat guy energy. the duality. no sense of style but he is absolutely convinced hes a fashion icon. hes so pretty that every time i see him i am compelled to roast the shit out of him. doesnt deserve rights

2. mathieu joseph

sike there is a tie for second place. literally look at this image and tell me you dont Know. absolute boy next door vibes and deserves the hype that brayden point gets as hottest tampa rookie. i dont even like tampa but ill die on this hill. also has the personality that mat barzal wishes he had and is actually french

1. giroux

i know hes cleaned up and settled down but giroux used to be the patron saint of feral hot messes. encompasses the duality of softboy and gremlin. he has never looked good and yet always looks good. im literally always thinking about this photo of him playing beerpong with two broken wrists. king. 

#garbage.txt #this is the worst thing ive ever made #god bless and good night

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Marvel Movie Releases: Complete MCU Phase 4 Schedule

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

We’ve got everything you need to know about the upcoming Marvel movie(and TV!) schedule all in one place! The Marvel Cinematic Universe plan now stretches all the way to 2023 (and beyond). The amazing thing is, it’s even more ambitious than we anticipated, with new movies getting announced all the time. It looks like even something on the massive scale of Avengers: Endgame was only the beginning. How can anything ever be bigger than that crazy Avengers: Endgame finale?

Well, it looks like we’re going to find out…eventually.

We’ve compiled as much information as we can find on every Marvel movie coming out in the next few years in a handy release calendar for you. This is where you can check out all the details on Marvel Phase 4 and beyond. You probably want to know a little more about the future of the MCU and all the other Marvel movies in development. Well, we’ve got you covered! However, be advised, almost every single MCU Phase 4 date has recently shifted because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which is wreaking havoc with every industry in the world, so update your calendars accordingly!

These dates have already shifted several times recently, and the most recent changes affect Black Widow, Eternals, and Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Don’t be surprised if they continue to move as things develop with the pandemic, but hopefully by the time Black Widow is ready to come out, we’ll have reached the end of this nonsense.

WandaVision

release date: Jan. 15, 2021

Yes, technically this isn’t a movie release, but with all of the release date changes, and the fact that it has been over a year since the last actual MCU release, we’ll take the good stuff where we can get it. And make no mistake, WandaVision very much appears to be the good stuff.

Ever wonder what happened to Wanda after she went all Scarlet Witch on Thanos in Avengers: Endgame? Well, you’re gonna find out in WandaVision, which appears to depict a grief-riddled Wanda dealing with the death of Vision in less than healthy ways.

Elizabeth Olsen is, of course, back as Wanda, and so is Paul Bettany as the Vision. This show is going to have serious ties to the MCU, with elements that will be important for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Captain Marvel 2 having prominent roles. The trailer is packed with MCU strangeness, which we wrote about here.

WandaVision is the first of a number of MCU focused shows coming to Disney+ over the next year. 2021 will then (hopefully) bring us Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki. Since these will also be vital to the future of the MCU, we’ll add them to this calendar as they get release windows and/or trailers get released.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

release date: March 19, 2021

“The legacy of that shield is complicated.”

Yes, it is. And we’re going to find out just how complicated when Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes reckon with the legacy of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+. Here’s the official synopsis for the series…

“Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience—in Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

Yes, like WandaVision, this isn’t a theatrical release, but also like that show, this is far too important to the future of the MCU to ignore.

Morbius

Release Date: March 19, 2021

Spider-Man spinoff Morbius is Sony’s next big Marvel release, and it’ll officially be the first spinoff to properly connect to the MCU.

Safe House‘s Daniel Espinosa directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, as former Joker Jared Leto plays the anti-hero biochemist who finds a cure for his rare blood disease by using vampire bat blood. As you can imagine, there are consequences: he turns into a living vampire, for one. 

Um…don’t be surprised if this one ends up moving off this date at some point at the rate we’re going.

Read more about the character of Michael Morbius here, and find everything you need to know about his upcoming movie, right here.

Black Widow 

Release Date: May 7, 2021

The Black Widow movie was heading for a May 1, 2020 release before the coronavirus outbreak, but Disney and Marvel have decided to delay it until the industry’s infrastructure is back to some semblance of normal. First they bumped it to November, but now we have to wait almost a full year from that originally scheduled date before we see Natasha and friends. Disney and Marvel Studios seem absolutely committed to keeping Natasha on a theatrical release rather than sending her to Disney+.

Cate Shortland directed the film, and Scarlett Johansson stars, with Florence Pugh and David Harbour alongside her. One of the movie’s villains is Taskmaster, and we wrote a little bit more about him right here.

Natasha Romanoff will get a prequel movie of sorts here, as we catch up with Widow around the events of Captain America: Civil War. Will the plot affect her character’s ultimate fate in Endgame? Do not count on it.

We have more information on the Black Widow movie right here.

Loki

release date: May 2021

Tom Hiddleston will reprise his most famous role, as Loki finds himself on a heist through time and space after the events of Avengers: Endgame! Oh, and based on this trailer, there’s all kinds of weirdness awaiting, including the return of Heimdall, some other Asgardian hijinks, and…Loki running for President!

Look, he couldn’t possibly do a worse job than the guy who’s been there for the last four years so…Vote Loki!

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release Date: June 25, 2021

Andy Serkis (Mowgli) steps behind the camera for Venom 2, which now boasts the catchy title of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, replacing Ruben Fleischer as director this time around. The first film, buoyed by a terrific showing at the Chinese box office, made an absolute ton of money, despite being released to mostly scathing reviews.

Venom 2 will follow up Sony’s 2018 Spider-Man-less spinoff film, but will likely be more connected to the MCU this time around, thanks to a renewed deal between the company and its Marvel Studios partners. Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock, of course, and as you can probably guess from that title, he’ll be facing off against Woody Harrelson’s villain, Cletus Kasady aka Carnage!

This one was originally tentatively scheduled for October, 2020, but has been shuffled away for the moment as studios continue to move release dates around because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Read everything else you need to know about Venom 2.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release date: July 9, 2021

Simu Liu has been cast as the titular Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as The Mandarin (hey, that name sounds familiar! But this time, we’re getting the real Mandarin on screen). Destin Daniel Cretton is directing from a script by Dave Callaham. Given its “Ten Rings” title, Shang-Chi should be steeped in Marvel lore!

This has been delayed twice. Let’s hope that’s the end of it. At least it has resumed production!

We have more info on the Shang-Chi movie right here.

The Eternals 

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021

The Eternals has completed principal photography and is on post-production. Chloe Zhao is directing from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo. 

The cast features Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Gemma Chan as Sersi, and Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, the Black Knight.

This one was another victim of the release date shuffle, having moved from February of 2021 to November of that year. We’ll get to see Jack Kirby‘s wildest creations eventually!

You can read more about The Eternals movie right here.

Spider-Man 3

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2021

While the next Spider-Man movie doesn’t have a title yet, it’s happening, and the best news of all is that it’s happening in the MCU! Marvel and Sony solved their differences, good sense prevailed, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will remain a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This one, well…this might be a live action Spider-Verse movie from the sound of it. Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro from the maligned Amazing Spider-Man films and Alfred Molina will return from the Raimi era as Doctor Octopus. Wait. Are they trying to make this a multiversal Sinister Six movie? Because…we could be down for that.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Release Date: Feb. 11, 2022

Taika Waititi, who gave us the delightful Thor: Ragnarok, will return to write and direct. Chris Hemsworth will be back, but will it be as Thor? Natalie Portman is your new Thor (yes, you read that right, Jane Foster will wield the hammer…just as she did in the comics!). Christian Bale has also joined the cast as the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher.

We have more info on Thor: Love and Thunder right here.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks like it will open up the storytelling possibilities in the MCU like never before. And that’s just based on the name alone. Scott Derrickson was scheduled to direct, but has bowed out because of “creative differences” with Marvel. But the good news is that Marvel found a suitable replacement in none other than Sam Raimi, who of course has plenty of superhero experience thanks to his Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s!

This one has loads of connections to the wider MCU. Elizabeth Olsen will be here as Scarlet Witch, and the film will also connect to the untitled Spider-Man 3 and its own multiversal ambitions. There are also a few rumors doing the rounds that Jericho Drumm aka Brother Voodoo could be introduced in this sequel. We’ll keep an eye on that and update this if there’s any substance to them.

We have more information on Doctor Strange 2 right here.

Black Panther 2 

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Black Panther 2 is still on Disney’s release schedule, despite the tragic, untimely death of star Chadwick Boseman. Marvel has made it official that they have no intention of recasting the role of T’Challa, which is absolutely the right move.

Ryan Coogler will return as director, but there are no other details currently available. We have more information on Black Panther 2 right here.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sequel

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Is it technically an MCU movie? Nope. But with all the legal weirdness going on between Marvel and Sony, and this franchise’s very multiversal concept, who’s really to say that it ISN’T an MCU movie either, right? In any case, the sequel to the best Spider-Man movie of all time is coming in 2022 with Avatar: The Last Airbender mastermind Joaquim Dos Santos directing and David Callaham writing.

There’s also an “untitled Marvel movie” still technically scheduled for this date but…that is almost certainly not gonna happen now. Expect whatever that project was to move to one of these below dates or to some other currently unspecified date on the calendar.

Captain Marvel 2

Release date: November 11, 2022

WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell has been tapped to write the screenplay for Captain Marvel 2. You know what else is really cool? Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct!

We have no idea where we’ll find Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) in the sequel to her hugely successful first standalone MCU entry. Will she be fighting to loosen her former Kree pals’ iron grip on a pre-Avengers galaxy? Or will the follow up film see her fighting for justice in the present?

Read more about Captain Marvel 2 here.

And then there are still some dates that Marvel has announced that they have yet to match projects to. Those dates are…

Feb. 17, 2023

May 5, 2023

July 28, 2023

Nov. 3, 2023

Some of those dates could very well be good fits for the following films…

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Peyton Reed will return to direct the third installment of the Ant-Man saga, perhaps the most unlikely trilogy in Marvel’s entire arsenal. Paul Rudd will return as Scott Lang, and you can almost certainly expect Evangeline Lilly to return as The Wasp and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

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The villain of the film? That will be Kang the Conqueror, who will be played by Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors. The inclusion of Kang opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for the MCU, and may even tease the arrival of the Fantastic Four down the line! We wrote more about those possibilities right here.

We’re also going to need fast confirmation on Michael Pena’s return as Luis, though. Luis is key…

This will probably slide in to one of those 2023 release dates above.

Blade

Well this one was a surprise. In 2019, Marvel announced that they will be rebooting the Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali playing the titular daywalker. Ali’s True Detective co-star – and former Blade villain – Stephen Dorff is excited to see what he can do with the character, and so are we.

We have more info on Blade here.

Deadpool 3

Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin will be the writing team tasked with bringing the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU. What a Deadpool 3 could look like in the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe is, of course, anybody’s guess, but if anyone can crack wise about the follies of this kind of corporate synergy, it’s Ryan Reynolds.

Fantastic Four

The MCU Fantastic Four movie is finally happening! Marvel’s first family will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a film directed by Jon Watts, who did such a wonderful job with the first two MCU Spider-Man movies. That’s all the information that’s out there at the moment, but as soon as we have more, we’ll update this.

We have our own theories on why Marvel went with the Fantastic Four before the X-Men, but that’s another story.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 

Avengers: Endgame left the team in an interesting place. We broke down some of the story possibilities right here.

After a tumultuous period which saw James Gunn fired and then rehired as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, he will become the first Marvel director to ever complete a trilogy for the studio. However, Gunn can’t even begin filming Guardians 3 until he finishes production on The Suicide Squad for DC, as well as an HBO Max Peacemaker prequel. Once those projects are finished, he’s free to return to the MCU.

We have everything else you need to know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 right here.

And as for those others? Well, we’re still waiting on word on where Deadpool 3 will fit since that is (finally) official, as well as movies to bring the X-Men into the MCU. Could any of those 2023 dates do the trick? It’s very possible! And this doesn’t even account for all of the other MCU Disney+ TV shows that don’t have release dates yet like She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Ironheart, Secret Invasion, Armor Wars, and more!

We’ll keep updating this with new information as it becomes available.

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