#and i thought i didn't care about marvel after endgame

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Birthday Confession

PAIRING | Bucky Barnes x Best Friend!Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT | 2.4K

SUMMARY | Bucky never really cared for his birthday, but he suddenly had a different outlook since you came into his life. As long as he can spend it with you—the sweet, soft-spoken neighbor he secretly harbors a major crush on— and his cat, Alpine, he's happy. However, when everything takes a turn this year, you're both turning it into a birthday he'll never forget.

RATING | Mature (M)

WARNINGS/TAGS | Friends to lovers trope, use of Y/N, alcohol consumption, Natasha and Tony are alive, mutual pining.

A/N | This story is written in honor of Bucky Barnes' birthday, which is the perfect opportunity for me to get into the swing of writing for him again! It's written for Bucky's Birthday Bash—hosted by @buckybarnesevents—and includes the prompts Post Endgame Bucky, Friends to Lovers, Reader, and Dancing. The story is not proofread, any and all mistakes are my own.

EVENTS Masterlist | @buckybarnesevents BABB061: March | 3AM Talks Masterlist | @anyfandomaubingo | Neighbor!Reader Masterlist | @anyfandomfluffbingo | Girl/Boy Next Door Masterlist | @fandombingo | "I don't know how to be in a relationship." / "Good, that makes two of us." Masterlist | @marvel-smash-bingo | Best friends to lovers Masterlist | @sebastianstanbingo | Birthday Gifts

Banners: Yours truly | Divider: @firefly-graphics | Header: Yours truly

Main Masterlist | Bucky Barnes Masterlist

Bucky never particularly cared for his birthday, but that changed when he met you—the sweet, soft-spoken neighbor who moved in next to his apartment almost five years ago. He used to be a recluse, preferring the company of Alpine, his cat, but something about you made him want to open up and let you into his life.

Now that you had melted his heart and broken down the walls he had built, he found himself looking forward to seeing you. He even dared to say he looks forward to celebrating his birthday because he knows that you will make him the type of cupcake he loves.

It's just after dinner, and he finds himself on his couch, Alpine purring on his lap as he pets her and tells her about his evening plans.

"I'm going to the club later, can you believe it? I never would have even considered it a few years ago, but when Y/N asked me, I didn't even think twice about it," he says with a small smile, shaking his head gently at the thought of you asking him to the club a few weeks ago. He could not say no to you, especially with his major crush on you.

Alpine meows when she hears your name because when you and Bucky got to know each other, you have also fallen in love with her. She's the reason you two even met. The day you first moved in, Bucky went to check his mail on a beautiful summer evening, and Alpine escaped before he could stop her.

She wandered carelessly into your apartment with a loud meow, pulling your attention away from the box you were unpacking. A white, fluffy cat with the brightest blue eyes you have ever seen stood in front of you, and right behind her was the most beautiful, albeit broody-looking man you've ever seen.

"Alpine! What do you think you're doing wandering into this lady's apartment?!" he told the cat, and you couldn't help but chuckle as she meowed loudly when he picked her up.

"I'm sorry," he said, and you smiled warmly at him. Deep inside, you were enjoying the stark difference between the dark-haired, broad-shouldered man and the beautiful white cat in his arms, but they seemed to fit together perfectly as if they were made for one another.

"It's okay; I like cats, especially when they bring along men like you!" you said confidently, and Bucky couldn't help but blush deeply after your comment. Before you could introduce yourself, he turned around and quickly returned to his apartment; the mail he was supposed to pick up had been long forgotten. From that moment on, you were the topic of most thoughts.

Over time, Bucky has slowly accepted you into his life, and being with you has brightened some of the darkest moments of his life. After Steve returned to be with Peggy, Bucky struggled a lot. From horrible nightmares to sleepless nights, he has been through everything. But you always seem to bring a bit of lightness wherever you go, including in Bucky's life.

Nowadays, he is generally a lot happier, but it's even more noticeable when you're in his presence; he carries himself with more confidence. Instead of hiding away all the time, he doesn't mind being seen when you're by his side. You gave him back the self-confidence he'd lost all those years ago, and he will always be thankful for that.

Before he can think about all that too hard, though, he hears a knock on the door and tucks Alpine under his arm before he opens it. He can see you standing there through the peephole and quickly swings open the door to let you in.

You're standing in front of him in a tight, knee-length dress, black heels, and lipstick that perfectly matches the color of your dress. The rest of your makeup is light, and your hair is pulled into a bun with braids to complete your outfit. His gaze lowers to the cupcake in your hand, a candle burning.

"Happy birthday, Bucky! Make a wish!" you tell him in a cheerful voice. With a smirk, he leans down to blow out the candle on the cupcake you're holding, though he already knows what he'll wish for. Each year, he wishes for the same thing: that you become his. This year may be the year for it to come true.

"I got you something special for your birthday this year. It's not every day you turn 107 years old, after all," you tell him, and he can't help but laugh. The fact that he's this old has never bothered you, and he's thankful for that.

The first time you ran into him on his birthday and asked how he was, he couldn't help but tell you it was his birthday. He still remembers how your eyes widened at his words and how you showed up later that afternoon with a book you had recently read.

Your shared love for reading is one of many things you two have in common, so you have developed the tradition of buying books for special occasions. The moment he tore the paper away from the first book you ever gifted him, he knew he would love it no matter what because it came from you.

You found an extra special one this year, though, and you've been dying to see his reaction since you acquired it. It is wrapped in shiny, black wrapping paper with a gold ribbon.

With quick movements, he unwraps his present, and an almost pristine first edition of The Hobbit is lying in his hands. It is the same book he read when it first came out and one he never thought he would see again.

"Why don't you open it up?" you urge him, and he does. Inside are the words he never thought he would see again, and he can't help but get choked up at the sight of them.

'Happy Birthday, jerk' is scribbled at the front of the book, and Bucky knows instantly that it's the version Steve has worked hard to buy him. Tears gather in his eyes as his fingers glide over the words, and he feels deeply thankful for this present.

"W-where—How-?" is all he can manage to choke out before you step forward and wrap your arms around him. He melts into your touch as your cheek is pressed against his chest, and soft kisses are placed on your head as his way of saying thank you.

The two of you stay like that for a few minutes until you feel Alpine's soft fur against your bare legs, making you chuckle before releasing him and bending down to give her some love. Not long after, it's finally time to go to the club where you are supposed to meet the other Avengers, and Bucky calls the two of you a cab to take you there, saving you two the hassle of NYC parking.

"Are you ready to go in, Doll?" Bucky asks after helping you out of the cab and paying the driver. You nod as you go into the club, which is still relatively empty. It's still early in the night as you go and find a booth, and the rest of the Avengers will join later. As you slide into it, you look around to observe the room, but your eye eventually falls on Bucky standing at the bar.

He looks back at you with a wink as he orders your drinks, even though he can't get drunk. Despite that, he still enjoys the taste of it, so he usually orders a beer or two. It doesn't take long for him to join you in your booth, sliding in so he's sitting right next to you, and your thighs are almost touching.

"Thank you for inviting me, Doll. These evenings are a lot more bearable now that you're with me," he says, and you give him a smile before taking a sip of your drink.

"I'm glad to hear that because I know they're a lot more bearable for me when you're here," you say, and he blushes under the scruff lining his cheeks. The pink tint has the butterflies in your stomach going wild, but most of the other Avengers are arriving before you can say anything else.

Tony arrives at your table first, closely followed by Natasha, Wanda, Sam, and Clint. The two of you slide out of the booth to greet everyone, and the three men go to sit on one side while you, Natasha, and Wanda sit on the other side. Luckily, you're still seated across from Bucky during all this.

The conversation during the night's first half is light and pleasant, but the more drinks flowing, the looser everyone becomes. Combined with the number of people slowly filling the club, the atmosphere is starting to get much more enjoyable. You're just about to take a sip of your third drink of the evening when Natasha and Wanda practically pull you out of the booth, begging you to dance with them.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" you tell them with a broad smile that doesn't go unnoticed by Bucky. Seeing you getting along so well with his friends fills him with happiness, and no one can wipe off the smile adorning his face. He also knows that if Steve were here with all of you, he would have loved you, too.

The entire time you're on the dancefloor, Bucky's eyes are glued to you. From the way your hips move effortlessly to the excitement on your face, and from the way the sweat drips down your neck and into the valley of your breasts to the way your dress seems to ride up just enough to show a bit more skin, he notices it all.

"Why don't you go over there and dance with her? It's almost creepy when you're staring at her, man!" Sam says with a push against his metal arm.

"I'm pretty sure she's doing just fine with Nat and Wanda over there," he says, looking at Sam grumpily. However, you seem to have gotten the same idea as you return to the booth.

"Dance with me, Bucky! C'mon!" you say, and of course, the man cannot say no to you. Bucky shoots Sam a dirty look before turning to you, sliding out of the booth, and taking your hand. The music has a nice thumping bass, and Bucky allows himself to get lost in it and in the moves your body makes.

While you were dancing side by side at first, it eventually migrated to the point where you're grinding against him, his bulge pressing against your ass while his fingers are digging into your hips. The tension between you two has been building for a long time, and relieving some of it right now feels good.

After dancing like this for a while, you turn to face Bucky, and he can see the way you're enjoying yourself. From the flush on your cheeks to the smile adorning your face, you're looking perfect, and Bucky has to stop himself from kissing you right now. It's not that he doesn't want to do it, but if he goes down that path with you, he wants to do it right.

"Shall we go outside for a moment?" you ask him, and he nods. You lead him out, the cool air feeling pleasant against your skin.

"Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Doll?" he asks you, though he already knows the answer. Clearly, you're enjoying yourself, but he still wants to hear you say it.

"I am, but there's a reason I asked you out here. Away from everyone else's ears," you tell him, his curiosity piqued. He raises a brow as he looks at you, your lip pulled between your teeth as you muster up the courage to finally tell him what's on your mind. You've gotten this far, so now you have to pull through.

"The past few years with you have been amazing, Bucky, but I have noticed that something... changed," you say after a short moment. As soon as those words leave your mouth, Bucky's brows furrow, but you're quick to ease the thoughts in his head.

"I mean to say I'm in love with you, Bucky. I'm not sure when or how it happened, but it has. I understand if you don't feel the same about me, but I've been thinking about this for almost a year now-" is all you get to say before he pulls you against his chest as he dips down to capture your lips with his.

It's a soft, sweet kiss that has you melting into his touch, and neither of you wants it to end. When the need for air eventually takes over your brain, you hesitantly pull away, though your foreheads are still connected as you gaze into Bucky's bright blue eyes.

"I'm in love with you too, Doll, but I have another confession. I don't know how to be in a relationship," he says softly, and you smile at his confession.

"Good, that makes two of us. But if you want to, I want to figure it out together. Something about being with you feels right, and I want to explore it with you if you're open to it," you say, and he nods.

"I'd love nothing more, Doll," he says before he leans down and kisses you again, your head tilting slightly to the side as he does. All four other Avengers are whooping in excitement as the two of you kiss, but you don't care. All you can think about is Bucky and how his lips feel on yours.

"Finally, it took you guys long enough!" Tony says before everyone congratulates the two of you. Before you go back inside, Bucky grabs his phone from his pocket, and when he notices the time, he can't help but smile.

"Y'know what, Doll, out of all the 3 AM talks we've shared over the years, this is my favorite," he says as he shows you the time. You have stayed up with him during his nightmares or sleepless nights countless times, but you cannot agree more. This one is definitely your favorite.

"Happy birthday, Bucky," you tell him before pulling him in for a last kiss. Afterward, you go back inside, and all of you dance until the sun rises again, and it's time to go home. Bucky may have celebrated many birthdays in his life, but not a single one will ever top this one. There's no greater gift than hearing you confess your love for him, after all.

#BBEbuckybdaybash2024 #BaBB2023 #anyfandomaubingo #anyfandomfluffbingo #fandombingo #marvelsmashbingo #sebastianstanbingo #bucky barnes #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fluff

[shi-daisy]

Spring Beast and Silver Queen

Day 6 and here we have the second otp! Like Tamcien (or Feylincien) and Neris own my heart but Neslin has so much potential that I wouldn't mind them being endgame in a Canon. So here's a little oneshot for them with some Fairytale tropes. Hope you like!

@tamlinweek

Tamlin Week 2024- Day 6- Fairy Tale AU

Spring Beast & Silver Queen

Nesta walked onto the decayed manor, it was just as destroyed as the rest of the court.

Lucien might be the only one to come here out of genuine care, but if the mild mannered redhead couldn't do more than this that meant the High Lord was all but dead inside. She understood. Nesta felt the same way.

She found Tamlin sleeping. The male was in his beast form, like that day when he came to their cottage and took her sister. There were times she wished that hadn't happened. Now, she just wished she'd ran when she had the chance.

It didn't matter anymore. It was either Spring or a lock up on Night, and she'd take her chances with the wilted flowers.

Nesta came into the room slowly. A bird that slept on Tamlin's mane woke up, and left out the window, sparing her one last glance.

She kneeled on the floor and gently patted the man. He was alive, just deeply asleep, and he looked so very weak.

'Guess they've broken us both.' She thought.

Who had once been a monster to her now looked so very defenseless and sad Nesta felt compelled to be kind. Maybe being here wouldn't be so bad, at least Tamlin wouldn't bother her about her drinking if the empty wine bottles were any indication.

She didn't know why, but Nesta decided to plant a soft kiss on the beasts forhead, and wait for him to wake. Nesta didn't have to wait long.

Tamlin turned from beast to fae form in a flash, and when his emerald eyes fell on her their bond snapped.

***

A deep silence fell upon the room as he sat up and stared at Nesta who was equally surprised and stunned.

"I...Think you know what this means."

"Yes..."

"Wait! Why are you here, Lady Nesta? Is this another strange dream?"

"Afraid not. I'll explain."

She told him of her downward spiral, of her sister's betrayal and the choice she was given. It nearly made his magic spiral in a rage.

"Stay here I'd that's what you want. I swear I shall protect you." Tamlin managed to say.

"...What about the bond?"

"If you keep it, they cannot take you away. Once we're certain they won't hurt you, then you may do as you wish with it."

It hurt to say, to denounce something he'd once wanted, despite knowing of it worst sides thanks to his parents, and yet...he wanted to prioritize Nesta's free will. It was clear she needed it.

Especially when her frown turned into a slight smile. "I appreciate it."

Baby steps, in time they could be friends.

***

Lucien had come to visit. After she explained the situation the redhead not only returned to stay with his partners but he cut off all ties to Night.

"We will help you rebuild this court!"

That was all they needed to let the Band of Exiles become part of the Spring council.

The Spring Library was a marvel after it was cleaned and she took to devouring every book she could. It helped fix the court and bring back the population.

In a few months things were already looking up, and Tamlin wouldn't stop thanking her. "Lucien did most of the administrative work. Vassa is in charge of diplomacy and Jurian is training the sentries. Why are you thanking me too?"

"Because if you hadn't arrived that day. I wouldn't be here right now. Your silver flame is what kept me holding on and made me rebuild what I shouldn't have left crumble. Thank you."

His gentle hand on hers gave her pause. Despite the slow friendship they'd cultivated and the bond that kept her safe, sometimes Nesta doubted a man like him could want her if it wasn't because of the mating bond. Still, she didn't want to break it. Her safety was at stake but also...she didn't want to hurt Tamlin further.

Nesta felt a tear slide down her cheek, but it was soon wiped away as Tamlin kissed her forehead. "You don't have to say anything. If I have to wait forever I shall. You're worth waiting for."

Worth. She hadn't heard that from anyone.

"There's a lot I still must deal with, but when I do. I'm certain you'll be who I want to spend my time with."

"I'm honored to hear that."

***

Tamlin often thought that beyond any person music would remain his ultimate love. Perhaps that would've been right, as he played his fiddle before the Calanmai celebrations and everyone danced with joy.

Then she stepped into the scene wearing the long sleeved silver dress he'd gotten for her and the glass shoes he'd seen her eyeing at the boutique.

Nesta was a delightful dancer. He knew she loved music as much as he did when she organized all his sheets and instruments with great care, probably more than the books.

Nesta danced beautifully for him, and he didn't remember the last time he'd played that well. By the time the song ended and she stopped dancing, Tamlin had picked her up in his arms and they shared a kiss.

"I love you." Nesta said, and he couldn't help but cry.

"I love you too."

No other Calanmai had left him as breathless and full of joy

***

Eventually they came for her a little over week after their bond was sealed and their frenzy over.

Nesta nearly barbecued the entire inner circle when they tried to get close to Tamlin. He'd wrapped them in thorned vines.

"We are mated. We are happy. We won't bend to you if you're trying to get the crown. Leave!" He said.

Cassian glared at her and Nesta regarded him with indifference, she had the man of her dreams right by her side and wore a crown of roses rather than chains of stars. The only ones she'd mourn for were her sisters, but she was free and she wouldn't apologize for it. Let the. Make their choice for themselves.

And they did. Because when shadows took her to the House of Wind and she was locked in its tower, Nesta could hear a battle far away in the Velaris palace. By now she'd realized Morrigan was the traitor and that Feyre had joined her, but she couldn't wait for them to rescue her. She had to get out herself.

Rhysand had brought her back to fight for Night's side. She wouldn't and so he locked her up. But he forgot she had power and she had read enough to figure out the end of the tale.

Nesta used her power to create thin threads of silver. They grew from her hair and she made sure to tie them onto the balcony rails. It wasn't enough to reach the ground safely, but she wouldn't need to. She saw a figure of green and was aware he High Lord came to save her.

With rope of hair in hand she jumped from the balcony of the tower and safely mounted Tamlin, who was now a dragon.

"My silver flower"

"My fiddler lord."

They flew away as the Obsidian castle in the distance was swallowed up a black hole in the sky. Both of them were worried until the event passed and the castle was nothing but rubble left away.

After landing they spotted Lucien in the distance with the healers. She saw Feyre and Mor with them, out cold but alive.

Tamlin and Nesta both breathed a sigh of relief. Then they looked at eachother. Nesta smiled at the sight of her mate, her beloved and the man who'd come to her rescue.

Tamlin pulled her close, holding his savior, his queen and his beloved.

Nesta kissed him, using words he'd once said to someone else yet were never returned until now. "I love you, thorns & all."

"And love you, my queen Nesta Acheron."

Two birds flew over them as they shared a kiss, into their happily ever after.

#tamlinweek 2024 #tamlin #nesta acheron #neslin #Day 6: Fairy Tale AU

[highfantasy-soul]

Things I LOVED about NATLA Episode 8 - Legends

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

The Aang Gaang working together in the fight!!!!

Honestly it felt so natural to have all three of them taking out the Fire Nation ship that I completely forgot it didn't happen like that in the animated show!

In the animated version, Aang took out the ship while Katara and Sokka just stood on the ice wall - showing them in battle together and working with synergy was phenomenal

Aang doing AOE damage, Katara taking out soldiers with precision, and Sokka shouting battle plans and taking out the command center - really great way to SHOW the roles each play in battle

The Gaang complementing each other was soo cuutteee!!

"Lu Ten would have been proud to have you as his father" 😭😭😭

Then the Iroh hug!!! 😭😭😭

"I'd say it's 50/50! …. 60/40 😬"

Lol oh Sokka, you're so bad at optimism

Let's go Katara!!!! Going to even the odds!!!

The war balloon showing up early!!!

The entire battle of the North was sooo intense!

I really felt a lot more of the danger and panic than in the animated version

LOVE that Pakku's change to allow women in battle came here, with Katara and the other women standing up to him

The animated show doesn't even have any women helping at all in the battle - we don't even see them healing the wounded. To me, the live-action actually addressed the systemic issue of the sexism in the North rather than just having Katara be the token woman who wanted to fight

"You KNOW we can make a difference!" "We?"

The shot of all the women standing there in traditional clothing was super powerful to me

I know some people think it's 'virtue signaling' or whatever and complain about the shot of all the women heroes in Endgame or Captain Marvel's 'standing up after being knocked down' montage, but call me a stupid woman, those scenes actually mean a lot to me. Why is animated Katara railing against Sokka because she has to do the laundry seen as the height of feminism and yet a group of indigenous women standing up and backing one of their sisters in her bid to make systemic change actually the opposite of feminism? It makes no sense to me.

I LOVE Yagoda backing Katara!!

Katara isn't some 'outsider coming in to change a culture's savage ways' - she's simply the catalyst for the people WITHIN that culture to stand up and say 'yeah, now is our time, change needs to happen and we've known it for awhile'

Yue wanting to be out there helping her people 😭😭

Her father's talk with her really reminds me of Eowyn and Theoden from The Return of the King - even if you want to help defend your home, if you're in a position of leadership, staying alive so you can lead in a fallen chief's place is an important role to play, too

Sokka and Hahn's ….tension as he promises to take care of Yue 👀

The student calling Katara 'master'!!!! 😭😭😭

In my in-depth analysis, I go into why I think it's a title she's completely earned despite her lack of formal training but suffice it to say that if you have an issue with them calling Katara master, then shut the fuck up

Ooohh adding a time-table for the Fire Nation attack with the Ice Moon caveat!

I like adding to the depth and lore of the world which makes it make a whole lot more sense that the Fire Nation would attack the WATER TRIBE during a full moon

LIONTURTLE REFEREEENNCCEE!!!

I like the Fire Sage actually knowing spiritual stuff and finding value in it - even though he's using it to help Zhao hurt them

Yes, Iroh. Zhao is most definitely planning on tampering with the spirit world 😬

Avatar Kuruk coming to Aang!!!!

I really like that concept - like on the Lionturtle, the past Avatars can appear as a mirage to give warnings

And connecting Kuruk's battle against the evil spirits to the Fire Nation twisting the weapons of defense into a weapon to harm - soooo goooood

"Killing the ocean spirit would deprive people all over the world of their lives!!! I'm not a monster!!" 🙃

Aahhh, twisted logic at its finest: after all, what's the point in ruling the world if there's no one to rule

Oooohhhhh and Kuruk's voice beginning to layer with the other Avatars as he talks about how Zhao can't be allowed to meddle with the primal forces of nature!!

Such a great use of the voice alteration that happens when they go into the Avatar state!

Hero Momo!!!!!

Omg I was SO WORRIED they actually killed Momo!!!!

Sokka and Momo's relationship is so cute how they developed it 😭

I like Yue telling her story this way better than in the animated series

Here, the story is connected to what's happening directly: she's saving Momo's life the same way her life was saved and letting us know the spirit oasis water has healing properties beyond regular healing

Zuko and him fire blasting out from beneath the ice - cool in every adaptation!

"How do you know that?" "Because I helped design the thing" 😔

Love that we're getting a direct tie from the war balloon to Sokka - just like with Kuruk's spirit knife and like Sokka said all the way back in Omashu: the Fire Nation can turn anything into a weapon

Though Iroh won't fully stand against Zhao yet, he's totally stalling as much as he can

Zuzu!!!!

"This is about you and me!" aawww classic Zuko - walking into a massive thing and thinking it's still just about him capturing Aang 😅

We've got bigger fish to fry, buddy - oh, shit. No. Oh god. Why'd I use that turn of phrase?? Too soon! Too soon!

Love the full circle moment here with Katara and Zuko's showdown

Aang is now letting her fight while he goes off to another task, trusting that she'll be ok

"Go easy, enough people have been hurt already." "I don't care. "I wasn't talking to you 😏"

Damn right, Aang! Putting respect on Katara!!!

Also, Zuko's face as he realizes Aang doesn't see him as the most important thing here 😬 that's gotta hurt

KATARA V ZUKO ROUND 2!!!!

Love that they're getting a rematch so we can see just how far Katara has come in her combat/waterbending training!

The bending is GORGEOUS!

You can see every move each of them are making and watch the respective elements respond to their movements perfectly.

"You little peasant!!" Oh Zuko, you silly, angry boi "You've found a master, haven't you?"

"Yes, you're looking at her" - DAMN STRAIGHT!

Despite Pakku not agreeing to train her, she's taught herself. She clawed tooth and nail to learn everything she could from every source she had available - she observed other benders and created a waterbending version of the move, she practiced in every spare moment, she grappled with her emotional and spiritual trauma and came out the other side with a more holistic view of bending despite the world telling her to stop - so yeah, she IS her own master.

While I do love the "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" line, I'm ok with the siege lasting only a day instead of several like in the animated series.

Zuko's little field trip with Aang takes an entire day with nothing really going on in the battle, it's just a few minutes of screen time until we can get back to night again so we can see the moon being killed.

Streamlining it and having Aang seek council before the battle starts rather than in the middle of it I think was a good move. We didn't need a cliffhanger mid-episode like we did in the animated series since it's all a single episode.

Zhao's plan revealed is such great character work - he's just as egotistical as the animated version, down to wanting to be declared 'the moon slayer', but there's so much more depth in the live-action version

He's so ambitious that he actually believes he could become Fire Lord and doesn't take Iroh's threats seriously at all - his pride ensuring his downfall.

LOVE that they kept the blood-red moon as the moon spirit is captured!!

Aang trying to talk down his enemies yet again 😞

No matter how clear their antagonistic motives, he truly believes the best in people and always wants to give them the chance to do the right thing

Oof Zhao cutting to Aang's fear without knowing it: Zhao thinks the Avatar doesn't matter on its face - Aang is afraid he's not good enough as an Avatar TO matter

This sets up Aang's decision to give himself to the ocean spirit - he accepts that he isn't good enough - he doesn't matter, but the ocean spirit does

Iroh shot first!!

In the animated show, Iroh only attacks after Zhao kills the moon spirit, here, he's trying to help the Gaang by distracting Zhao enough for them to save the spirit

But they're too late

They kept the black and white shading where only things bathed in fire or the ocean spirit's blue light have any colors!

I think this entire battle sequence was amazingly done

You can FEEL the terror, you can SEE the cost of such an attack

It's not gratuitous violence - it's showing the realities of war without showing gruesome injuries

I love how Hahn and the other Norther Water Tribe Warriors got to have a heroic stand even without waterbending. Despite their best resource being taken from them, they aren't going down without a fight.

Iroh unleashing on the soldiers and Zhao running like a little bitch!!!!

I love Aang's speech here - he's "following" the advice of past Avatars by putting the world's needs above his own, but it's out of despair, not balance

He's surrendering to a power greater than him because he doesn’t feel like he's succeeded in being the Avatar (which unfortunately, through no fault of his own, is true) and so he's willing to fully lose himself to another power to save the world.

MONGO KOI-ZILLA!!!!

It's WILD that this happens only HALFWAY through the episode!! They really let this sequence breathe and gave so much room for all the character moments to happen

Iroh hugging Zuko while he just stares at the giant koi fish 🤣😭

"Uncle, what is that?" "That, that is wrath" - CHILLS

Zuko ready to fight that monster fish to get the Avatar 😭😭😭😭😭

He really is a crazy dude

"He's a small man who's going to meet a small end"

So right you are, Iroh

Zuko v Zhao!!!

LOVE how the live-action made Zhao a cerebral rather than physical antagonist for Zuko

Even though Zuko beats him physically, Zhao destroys Zuko mentally by revealing all the truths about the royal family dynamic

"You were the fire in which her iron was forged"

DDDAAAAMMMMNNNNN 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Love how each adaptation has Zhao die in a different way 🤣

Honestly, I like all the ways ppl have decided to kill him

The ocean spirit taking him, waterbenders drowning him, and now Iroh killing him for attacking Zuko

I do think I like the animated death the best, but Iroh killing him to protect Zuko is also a nice way to end him - Iroh isn't about this 'give them infinite chances', he's a soldier who's not afraid to get his hands bloody.

The entire attack by the ocean spirit is phenomenal - beautifully shot and you can now feel the terror from the fire nation soldiers

Yue getting the agency to realize she can save the moon and sacrificing herself was a good change

"It's worth it to be alive, even just for a night"

"The world needs you. I need you" 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I think it was a really good choice to move Katara talking Aang down from the Avatar state and telling him they're family to the final episode rather than way at the beginning like it happened in the animated series.

That declaration holds a lot more truth as we've SEEN them become a family

Seeing the actual loss from the battle was heart wrenching, but I think it was really needed

Poor Hahn and the young waterbender

I love that Sokka didn't fight in the big battle - his place was being there to support someone else and provide comfort in a terrifying moment for her. His heart is what was needed in this battle, not his combat skills

And Pakku giving Katara her due - she EMBODIES change and growth, always finding a way no matter how many people tell her no

And she got her spirit water!!

"I'm tired" "Then you should get some rest. A man needs his rest" 😭😭😭😭😭

"How do I do this without causing so much pain?"

Oh Aang, that's a question you're going to be grappling with for awhile.

It's such a wonderful way to sum up his character - he doesn't want to cause pain, even to the point of giving people chances they don't deserve - but that quest to find an answer is the reason the world is saved and Aang cements his own legacy within the Avatar line.

Closing with another lesson from Gyatzo!!!! 😭😭

"Let go of your past, or you'll never have a future" - thesis statement right there

Let's not misinterpret this line to say 'forget the past' - this is a Buddhist version of 'letting go' which is to say 'don't cling to the past so much you cannot take steps into your future'

The Gaang's banter over Sokka always thinking about food!!!! So cute!!

I love the scenes here at the end with the Fire Nation

Ozai still holding out hope that Zuko will surprise them with some 'hidden' reserve of strength, but still willing to let him fall so 'the strong' can rise

Azula taking over Omashu!!!

And the comet!

Makes sense that they didn't give a time-table as kids grow fast and we can't just draw them the same age: Gordon is a growing boy so we need to give some space for how much he grows through the filming process

#natla #avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #atla #natla positivity

[findafight]

i do want catws opinions!! so much!!! mcu cap am was one of my major interests for quite some time, so i am Very interested! tbh don't much care for the rest of the mcu all that much, like ive seen quite a few of the movies but absolutely far from all of them. and like tbh i cared the most about catfa & catws and then steve and his relationship with people, idk i just love his character so much, I've done some sort of analysis inside my head of his character, but it's been A While so i don't remember any of it in words, just vibes lol. also idk how i feel about cacw, it just sorta didn't feel like His story, it felt more like avengers 2.5 or smth.

also related to steve & peggy, i feel like the thing that makes their story stay so strong Is the missed opportunity, the longing for something that can never be. it's this thing that was on the brink of possibility, and where the potential was so big and tangible, and they both felt it, and then all of a sudden the possibility is gone, it's lost, forever. idk like i think steve going back in time to dance with peggy would be sweet, But, it just doesn't move me as much unless peggy also knows that the moment is a promise fullfilled and a dream that can never be, it's one more aching moment together and then it's goodbye. idk like i thought the scene in endgame when they danced was absolutely beautiful, but to me it is a dream, and to me it feels kinda disrespectful to all of them(steve peggy & bucky) to have steve go backwards, that's not him, maybe when he first woke up after the ice, if presented with the possibility he wouldn't be able to resist, but otherwise his character is LITERALLY about getting back up again!! and then also peggy had a life?? with someone else!! and she was happy with her life! he literally knows this, he talked to her when she was old! why would he disregard that?? and then why would he live the rest of his life knowing bucky is the winter soldier and then NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT????????? idk it's just like, when SO MUCH of steves story is so closely intertwined with bucky it just doesn't make any sense to leave him??

also while i am a romantic stucky believer, truly more than that i am a soulmates stucky believer! so the stobin tws au really really hit me in the feels yk.

Okay so. What makes CAWS so good, and one of the best mcu films, is that it uses superheroes not as a genre, but as a vehicle for a genre. Winter Soldier is a spy thriller. Arguably TFA also does this by being a war film? But WS embraces it. It's so clearly a spy thriller with a superhero setting! More superhero movies should have co-genre I think. It can be watched as a stand alone, with good solid introductions to characters, to the point that it's bascially the only mcu movie I've watched with my mother that she hasn't asked "who's that?" and why they were doing stuff. Basically every other one, besides the first in their series require prior knowledge of characters for most of the impact of them.

WS doesn't? We see Steve and Natasha have a friendly relationship, that steve's a supersoldier and also takes risks (no parachute), that they're some kind of soldiers, that there's some secret operations going on. We get this! Then we meet Sam and we see that Steve is also incredibly lonely, we see him at the Howling Commandos exhibit, and sure maybe it's hamfisted by focusing on bucky or whatever but that sets it up! we now who steve is, why he's lonely, and some of his values.

and even without TFA, as soon as the mask comes off, we know this is someone steve knows. When he insists on saving Bucky, he uses the line "even when I had nothing, I had Bucky" having watched tfa before just makes it hit harder.

I'm going to be real with you I've watched civil war once and was like "this is kinda stupid? very stupid" and then stopped really paying attention to most marvel movies.

oh yes so true about Steve and Peggy. It's compelling because the could have beens. If that had happened, but then steve went back to present, I would not be mad. It wouldn't be weirdly stealing someone else's life? Especially combined with the Agent Carter Tv series, Peggy has closure for Steve's death. Though it's still an ache, and she mourns and misses him, she's still living her life. She isn't caught up on him as a romantic interests. She has multiple (they should have given us more cartinelli tbh we were robbed in s2) in the series! She had a good, long, and happy life. Steve just dropping in sometime in the 40s(?) with the expectation of pursuing a romantic relationship with her would likely be a shock, and unwanted. They both would have changed from where they left off, both having mourned each other and their relationship. It wouldn't have worked! But to have him drop in. tell her "hey. I can't stay for long. I'm sorry it has to be this way. But I owe you a dance, and it's been killing me breaking a promise to my best girl." That!!! would have!! been! so sweet! A final goodbye for both of them. The final closure and fulfilled promise from oh so long ago.

Steve had spent at least ten years out of the ice before endgame. I just. How could they slide him back to what he would have done directly after being thawed? Like I don't think even lost sadman beginning of ws steve would have stayed back. He's changed and he can't go back to what things were. he keeps getting up, even when he shouldn't! That's what's endearing about Steve, his stubbornness, and his willingness to put himself on the line to protect people. That's why he was the first and only (official) American supersoldier. He carries on, even when it's almost unbearable for him to do so.

It's so... It felt cheap and insulting to him and Peggy and Bucky. Because you're correct!! It means Steve went back to nineteen fourty-whatever and chose not to do anything about the 80+ years of horrible things that happened in the world. Especially chose not to do anything when he knew exactly where Bucky, who he had previously jumped behind enemy lines with nothing but a wing a prayer and a shield to save, who he had defied governments for, who he's nearly died for multiple times, was??? how in the WORLD did the same screenwriters and directors who made one of the best marvel movies that highlighted and used their friendship in such a compelling way also write/direct that for them? how? valuing romance over any other kind of relationship I guess?

yeah I think what's compelling about stucky is that there is so much love there, that they've known each other for their whole lives, and will continue to be (or should be) a vast part of each other's worlds no matter what that relationship looks like. They're soulmates, whatever that looks like for them. and if it's romance then that romance is built upon the deep devoted friendship they have. That's everything about them. Everything is built on a sickly and scrappy kid who couldn't leave well enough alone and got pushed into the dirt by bullies he stood up to over, and over, and over again, and some charming schmuck who looked at him and thought "I'm gonna help him keep get back up". to the point where they broke over half a century of brain washing because of it.

#findaanswers #anon do you remember the glory days of like. 2012-2014 avengers fandom. esp 2014 post winter soldier #my god. it was simpler times. didn't know what we had until we lost it. #mcu #caws #captain america #stucky #cap #tbh it's kinda similar to how I see blr? like the romance is interesting and heartbreaking because they are friends first #and that anything other than that must be built with that massively devoted friendship in mind #but obviously yeah stobin fits ws because they're unhinged and decidedly abnormal about each other. they're soulmates #Robin WOULD go behind enemy lines for steve. steve would break decades of brainwashing and torture by seeing robin's face #anonasaurus #finda's rambles #meta #steggy

[jellogram]

Ex-marvel fans always seem to say that Endgame was the last good movie and I feel like I'm insane for thinking Endgame actually sucked ass. I thought infinity war laid the groundwork for a great finale, and it absolutely wasn't delivered on. I saw it with a huge group of like 10-12 people and when we came out of the theater it was like a party, everyone was hyped and freaking out about the movie, and I was just sitting there silently like I just saw the emperor naked and no one else noticed. I'm glad people are turning their backs on the franchise but every time someone says "Yeah Endgame was awesome but they fell off after that" I have to bite my tongue.

Like... the movie where they used FUCKING TIME TRAVEL to undo the events of infinity war? The one where they killed off one of their only female characters and none of the other characters seemed to really care that much? Where they retconned Peggy's entire arc by throwing her back with Steve? That movie SUCKED TOTAL ASS it not only didn't deliver on the gravitas of Infinity War but it actively undid everything it accomplished.

And so when people pinpoint where exactly Marvel stopped being fun I have to take everyone else's pinpoint and move it one space to the left. Infinity War was fun, Endgame sucked.

[signalwatch]

The Marvels (2023)

Watched:  11/09/2023

Format:  Alamo Drafthouse

Viewing:  First

Director:  Nia DaCosta

Marvel has been having some issues, of late, with quality and maintaining a fanbase.  I'm not sure why having a fanbase for sci-fi/ fantasy stuff means eventually that the absolute worst people on Earth feel like their opinions should dictate what the rest of the planet sees and what constitutes a "good" Marvel, Star Wars or whatever movie.  But I suppose it's the same reason that people think they get to tell other people they're the only *real* Americans.

I don't want to define the film Captain Marvel or TV show Ms. Marvel by the audience that manages to mix misogyny and racism into rocket fuel for social media, but I will say - in the event of this year's strike by SAG-AFTRA, it's been tough to get much in the way of promotion out there for The Marvels other than dropping trailers, and that's left a gap in the conversation those folks have filled.  It's more likely we'll see the occasional hit-piece by a major industry publication looking for clicks than Disney doing anything worthwhile to actually promote the film on their own.  We coulda really used the lead cast hitting Hot Ones and Good Morning America.

Look, I agree:  Marvel has put out too much content since Endgame, and that's had a deleterious effect on the overall quality of the material.  Even I have been asking "will this be necessary?" as I hear about each new Marvel thing still in the pipeline.  And sometimes you're watching, say, Loki Season 2, and you're thinking "I literally do not care what happens here" because something like "oh noes, the timelines will all collapse" is both meaningless, up it's own ass of the story being about itself, and insanely old hat to us aging comic nerds who've seen timelines and multiverses collapse and expand over and over for our *entire lives*.  And, yes, Superman will still get printed every month.

Movie superheroes still have to have an antagonist, and they still have to wind up in a big crescendo of a finale, but we've seen this dozens of times in the past fifteen years.  You can polish it, put a new coat of paint on it, but eventually it's someone in a slugfest with their evil opposite who has the advantage on paper (but not the heart of a hero).

So what you have left is what you can do with characters.

And that brings us to The Marvels (2023), Marvel Studios' latest offering.  

The movie has mediocre reviews and is tracking to open badly.  I haven't read the reviews, because (a) I already had tickets and was going, and (b) I kinda wanted to write this before I saw what Chris Spectacles of the Akron Observer thought of the film.*  And I didn't want this review to be me addressing the concerns of reviewers.  

I saw it in a 2/3rds full theater on opening night, and with not a child in sight.  I will say the following up top:  

First - there's no post-post-credits sequence to wait for.  Go home after the first couple of them.  This is not a trick.

Second - Before watching this, yes, you will have to have seen Captain Marvel.  You should see Ms. Marvel.  You will want to just skip Secret Invasion, which this movie pretends didn't happen, and that's fine, because that show was quite bad and more confused the MCU than helped it along.

SPOILERS

The Marvels (2023) is not going to change the world.  This is also not going to "save" Marvel Studios, if, indeed, Marvel Studios needs saving, or the *idea* of saving the studio that means anything at all.  

What I'll argue the movie does is provide a fun time at the movies with characters that are a good hang for the movie's speedy, non-stop runtime.  If Guardians of the Galaxy taught Marvel that what you need is a mix of action, comedy, space and family issues, this movie is absolutely a product of that line of thinking.  The Marvels isn't trying to copy Guardians (despite the fact the villain is a version of Ronan who is a mean lady instead of a mean man), but clearly those items were on a whiteboard somewhere while this movie was getting sorted out.  

The movie knows that the villain's plot is going to fail, and knows we, the audience, are just following the beats on that score.  And so it does the unthinkable of late for Marvel:  it uses the plot as an excuse to tell a three-sided story with three solid characters thrust together an inextricably linked, thereby creating a movie that's character driven.  The problems it addresses are personal in nature as much, or more!, than the need to stop Kree Hammer Lady.**

We catch up with the MCU as Kamala Kahn has settled a bit into her role as teen-hero, Ms. Marvel.  She's still very much a kid living with her family (Marvel understands when they've struck character gold).  Meanwhile Carol is in deep space, living with Goose and part of a network of folks helping keep peace across the galaxy, one supposes.  And, working aboard SABRE's orbital base, Monica Rambeau (I think last seen in WandaVision) is putting her powers to some use and being a scientist/ astronaut type.

But it seems since we checked in during the 1990's, the Kree had a civil war that somehow:  (a) messed up their sun? (b) evaporated their oceans and (c) ruined their atmosphere, creating a permanent state of planet-wide nightfall.  Not-Ronan has taken up the mantle and is trying to restore Hala, the Kree homeworld in a very Kree way - by murdering people.  She's obtained the second Quantum Band (Kamala having the first one we'd seen - there are two) and she's using it to open worm holes to...  

Look, the plot is the villainous plot from Spaceballs, and our villain is MegaMaid.  There's really no way around it.  It's not what *I* would have done as a writer, but Spaceballs was also 40 years ago, so... we may have to let this one go.  What's important is that MegaMaid is targeting planets in which Carol Danvers has an emotional investment and stealing their water, air and sun, and that's personal and mean.  But why?  Well, thereby hangs a tale.

But, like I say, it kind of doesn't matter.  She could be unleashing cooties on those planets.  She exists so our heroes get together and figure out their personal stuff.  And that's what the movie is about.

Monica has to figure out what it means that Carol didn't come back for Monica when Maria fell ill, both the why's and the impact.  Kamala has a parasocial relationship with Carol that Carol feels she has to live up to, even as it inspires Kamala and Carol doesn't feel at all like that hero.  But Kamala's hero-worship is kind of the unspoken opposite of how Monica has reacted to learning she has powers of her own.  And Kamala and Monica are complete strangers, navigating knowing each other while also seeing each other's relationship with Carol.  It's complicated stuff!  You could have made a similar indie movie about a movie star, her old friend and a fan, and gotten much of the same effect.  

But this one is in space, action-packed (I mean VERY action packed) and manages to balance the sincere moments with the incredibly silly moments with the pathos of inadvertently causing the self-immolation of Space Nazis.  And, in my opinion, it all worked.  

I liked the singing planet (but they did need to hold to the concept through the battle), I liked the kitten Flerkens and the absolute chaos of the evacuation scene.  I liked Kamala's family dealing with the nonsense of superhero/ SABRE life.  I liked the kooky three-way fights and the "we gotta synch up" montage.  The fight sequences are very well choreographed and work well despite what absolutely should have been a lot of confusion for the audience - ironically, only the audience is in a position to get what's happening. And I very much liked that our heroes *tried* to reason with the mad despot once it was clear they had the upper-hand and offer a way out of this.

In general, I was already in the bag for Brie Larson's take on Carol, and it's interesting to see a version 30 years older and with a lot of new, self-inflicted baggage.  Iman Vellani's Kamala Kahn is an absolute delight and can't wait to see her again.  And Teyonah Parris is very pretty great as my first Captain Marvel, and with decades of baggage to sort through with Carol, the blip, super-powers and how to be a superhero, which, frankly, she doesn't want to be.

Complaints:

So - did the singing planet die?  I have no idea what happened there.  It would be nice to know.  It seemed like everyone was going to die, and no one seems to care.

They basically borrowed the ending of All Star Superman, but didn't do it as well or with much emotional resonance, which is a real bummer.  Now DC can't use it, and this didn't land as well as it could have for Carol.  Felt like it needed a few more beats.

We gotta find more interesting ways to dress aliens.  Bright robes are very 1990's ST:TNG and it keeps happening at Marvel

Space is boring in this movie.  Marvel space was defined by James Gunn, and it is beautiful. Show that candy colored majesty, not ST:TNG white stars (the new Trek knows this).  There's definitely some more creative design they could have done, but maybe less is more if Quantumania was any indicator

Carol sure is good at astro-navigation and everything is apparently cosmically nextdoor in the MCU

I don't understand how the heroes became disentangled

Kamala uses her powers without her bangle, and I didn't know that was a thing

Spoilery Spoilers

It was fun seeing Valkyrie again, and good use of the character in her current role.  Also, sure felt like she and Carol knew each other pretty intimately...  Close to making that happen as Marvel will get, I guess

I don't know who Park Seo-joon is, but he was swoony.  I guess he's a big star?  Probably make the kids very happy

The first post credits scene was met with audible joy from the audience, so here's hoping that works.

The second post credits scene received an involuntary verbal response from me and a few others in the theater.  I like where they're going with this.  X-Men will not work in the MCU, but as close-universe neighbors, seems like a fine idea.  Also, thank goodness that isn't the last we'll see of Lashana Lynch

I was led to believe Richard Ryder/ Nova would appear, he does not.  

(late edit: this movie has the single greatest needle drop in Marvel history)

I don't think this one landed for me exactly as hard as the origins of either Ms. or Captain Marvel, but if the requirement was "I would like to spend time with these people, and see them together in a fun way" this managed that.  It feels unnecessary only in that it only barely strives to move a universe of stories forward and is, instead, self-contained and about these three people and their family/ friends.  It is very necessary as a "we should have solo stories that advance the characters but not carry the universe forward in obvious and awkward ways" sort of way.

Would I watch four more of these?  Yes.  

And thank god they got Nick Fury into a place where it's not a drag to have him around.

Look, I don't know what you people want out of Marvel, but I want something fun I can rewatch without feeling like I'm doing homework.  I like a good adventure and fight scenes and jokes and characters to enjoy.  I suppose I'll check out some reviews, and I think from my laundry list of nits to pick, it's clear I'm not giving this a 5/5, but when all you hear is "underperforming" and "mediocre reviews" in a world with ten movies about Vin Diesel driving cars fast and the general shit people get enthusiastic for, I won't even pretend to know what people consider a win.

*I swear to god, if I see one more person thinking they've got the edgy take on Marvel by saying "I don't consider Marvel movies to be *cinema*...   Dude, we get it.  You're very special and very smart and you can get your "I'm a very smart person on the internet" cookie on your way out the @#$%ing door

**no one is beholden to remember made-up alien names for longer than the name pass by in the credits

#marvel cinematic universe #marvel #marvels #captain marvel #ms. marvel #movies #movie review

[kylekozmikdeluxo]

Here's a big reason why I sympathize with Martin Scorsese over all the endless flack he gets for a few concerns he had about superhero/tentpole movies and their effects on the overall cinema landscape...

About three years ago, in the midst of pre-vaccine COVID times, I was deep into my Beach Boys hyperfixation. At the time, I maintained a wordpress blog called "Kyle Loves Animation and More". On it, I decided to do a personal deep dive into Beach Boys album released in the early 1970s called SUNFLOWER and SURF'S UP.

I related a lot of my own neurodivergent experiences to the way Brian Wilson, a neurodivergent himself (and possibly autistic, like me), wrote songs in his idiosyncratic ways. It was a pretty long article, and I felt I put a lot into it. I tried to understand the thought process behind the songs, relating some historical context, and my own personal views on the music.

I was once part of a Facebook group dedicated to all things Beach Boys, and I decided to post the article there. It got some pretty decent marks from the community there, but there was this one man... Who presumably grew up in the '60s/'70s when their music was new, unlike me, a 1992 baby who was introduced to the Beach Boys' music via their parents... This one man found this ONE sentence in the article...

Where I remarked that the album 20/20 was "fascinatingly uneven"... I didn't even mean "uneven" in a bad way, but as a matter of fact... And he got soooooo upset... And made one comment about that... How dare I use the word "uneven" to describe the genre buffet/half made-up-of-leftovers album 20/20!

So I tried to explain, calmly, what I meant by that... And he didn't respond to me. He said to another commenter "who cares about the history of the album? the music is good!" To another commenter. Not to me directly... Passive-aggressive, much?

And also, as an artist MYSELF, I do very much CARE about the history of any given piece of art... What circumstances lead to the creation of this thing? What drove the artist? Yes, I care about the history, too! It's a fixation of mine!

...

Anyways, Scorsese. Marvel movies.

I totally get it.

Here, Scorsese is trying to make new films, new statements through the cinematic art form, openly worrying about his age and whether he has enough years left to tell more stories... He's openly reflecting about life itself, how he feels... He has an entire legacy of films behind him that far outweighs the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and I'm saying this as someone who likes the MCU and has seen at least 85% of the movies in THEATERS), one film of his alone arguably does that...

And yet all some people care about is whether he regards THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER as a work of art or not...

And ironically, a director like Francis Ford Coppola has said even more scathing things about Marvel movies... But he doesn't get an *ounce* of the flack Scorsese continues to get... And this was WELL AFTER Scorsese took the time to explain what he meant...

So yeah, I find that all so frustrating. If I were Scorsese having to read all of that (he probably doesn't, good for him), I'd be so goddamn frustrated lol.

(As an aside, on my other tumblr, I did a little article analyzing the current trajectory of superhero movies and how they are evolving, or need to evolve, in a post-ENDGAME world... I put a ton of paragraphs and research into it... And I got this one comment that was like "hush"... From an MCU stan... See what I mean?)

[natsubeatsrock]

Top 7 Things I Enjoyed in 2023: Number 0

Working with children has been a constant reminder of my mortality. This upcoming June will mark ten years since graduating high school. I don't know that I'd imagine doing even a fraction of what I'm doing now. I didn't know about Fairy Tail. Writing as much as I have about anything would have seemed insane.

Other things were different then. A decade ago, Cartoon Network was still trying to make live-action shows. I didn't hate all of them. One of my favorites was Incredible Crew, which was their attempt at All That. The cast included Jeremy Shada, who voiced Finn from Adventure Time, and some guy named Shamiek Moore. He had some of the crazier roles in skits and he grew on me. And it's always great to see more black actors doing well.

We were also getting ready for the Lego Movie. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were directing a movie that we all thought was going to be a massive sell-out film. In reality, people were slightly disappointed it didn't get more respect. Honestly, it might have deserved an Oscar nod for best song. Even rewatching it recently this year, it's impressive how much was able to be done with the medium.

I wonder what they're all up to now…

Number 0 - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Apologies to Scott Pilgrim, but this wasn't a competition. 

Almost the instant I left the theater watching this, I knew this film wasn't just the best thing I experienced this year. It might be one of the best superhero movies of all time. Not just for kids, or Marvel, or Spiderman, or whatever time limit you want to put to it. If the competition between the prequel and Endgame was close, this blew the comparison out of the water. Aside from the Guardians movie I've yet to see, it doesn't even sound like there was much competition this year. 

We live in a world where so many properties are trying to handle a multiverse, in no small part because of the original. With a few exceptions, the experiments with the concept have yet to yield great results. Many studios have forgotten the lesson taught by Marvel Studios: get audiences to care about and connect with as few characters as you can reasonably develop at a time. Once that’s done, we can start caring about others as the universe is built.

A big focus of this film is Gwen Stacy. Rewatching the original film, I came to appreciate her version of Spider-Woman a lot more than the first time I saw the film. With one clever retcon, we got to focus on her more than before. She wishes for people she can open up to without the fear that it won’t end well.

However, we never lose focus on Spider-Man himself in all of this. Miles is coming to grips with the fact that, in his universe, he doesn’t feel like he belongs. A lot of people around me have noted that he’s giving up his artistic skills to study physics, just so he can be with his friends. All things considered, that doesn’t seem necessary. (From experience, that would be a depressing life to lead.) His journey is finding security in his own identity, both as Miles Morales and Spider-Man. 

These are the kind of superhero stories we’ve come to know and love over the years. Even after watching this movie once, I was impressed with how much was packed into the film on repeat watches and discussions with other fans. Some things I picked up on, but other things needed to be pointed out to me. The same can be said about the original, but this film feels like everyone involved knows what they’re capable of and is actively pushing their boundaries.

I am not expecting Beyond the Spider-Verse to come out next year. I didn’t believe it would come out on time when I saw the planned release date, and other news made that seem less likely. However, with as many questions and lines this film has set up for the future, it shouldn’t come as a shock to see that film top the list the year it comes out as well.

For now, Across the Spiderverse stands as the undisputed best thing I enjoyed in 2023.

#good riddance 2023 #across the spiderverse #spiderman

[caatws]

I'm pretty sure your blog has saved my sanity. I was running around in circles with Gamora feels until I saw a post of yours and then wandered here and saw a plethora of amazing posts. Gamora has been my comfort character for years and when they decided to have the guardians join the mcu I was skeptical. Then vol 1 turned out to be incredible and vol 2 was even better. But when IW killed Gamora it was like my heart dropped. I'm still hurt by how they let her die like that. Everyone kept telling me Gunn would make up for it and do better after Endgame but when I left the theater a couple weeks ago I didn't feel better. I felt worse off than I was after Endgame. Reading posts here has been the only thing that helps. Particularly your post about Gamora and grief. Why is the need to process grief over Gamora's death such a taboo. During vol 1 Peter has all this unprocessed grief about his mom because he was kidnapped from right outside her hospital and then placed in an environment where he wasn't supported enough to find closure. Once he meets up with the guardians and they become this unit where he feels more comfortable and supported he's finally able to open the gift she left him and read her letter. He's able to cope better because of the guardians and you see that in vol 2 where he doesn't have to wait years to have closure about Yondu because he has support and love and can say goodbye. I don't understand why this kind of thought was absent for Gamora. He needed people to help him carry the load of losing her rather than telling him she's not gone. He needed people to care about dealing with 2014 Gamora instead of being very much alone in the whole process of figuring things out. Maybe Gamora wasn't the exact same person the guardians lost but she was still a person. She deserved support too. She deserved a bigger role so that her story wasn't left wide open.

What's most upsetting is that I don't even love vol 3 but would still have spent money on Gamora merchandise. Only I can't do that because there's hardly anything to buy. How are there multiple versions of some things for most of the characters but Gamora is missing from almost everything? What was the point of bringing Gamora back only to exclude her this way. I know I have a love for Gamora and with that comes bias but I don't think I'm insane for saying there was no reason for Gamora's time in the mcu to end this badly.

omg i'm glad you could find some relief in this space anon <3 we are all members of the Gamora Defense Squad(TM) over here so we aren't afraid to call bullshit on marvel for where they've failed her over the last couple years! even if our feelings are driven by our biases toward gamora, there are still things objectively wrong with how marvel has handled her creatively and how disney has handled her as their ip (such as the merch issue). like these things have all built upon each other over the years and it's just sad

#ask #the gamora situation

[luna-rainbow]

Who's the writer that quit from TFATWS?

My mistake, I don't think he officially quit. I think someone else brought it up last year as a possible explanation for why the plot and characterisation was so messy.

Derek Kolstad was announced with some fanfare (probably because he's got John Wick under his belt) but he was absent from the press round (there is exactly one interview I can find prior to TFATWS screening where he talked about the series and that was it). Of course, Spellman is the head writer so he's the one doing the tour.

Someone discussed the theory that Kolstad was brought on to write Bucky, while Spellman was to write Sam and Walker. I can't find the exact post now but they thought it was possible Kolstad simply didn't pull his weight on the project, so Spellman had to fill in and...whether he just didn't care about Bucky or didn't have time to do the research on Bucky, it was clear that Bucky's side of the story was glaringly OOC for several key beats.

Also, I know it's unrelated to the ask but since I've looked it up.

On October 30, 2018, Variety reported that Marvel Studios was developing a limited TV series featuring Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, with Kevin Feige set to serve as an executive producer, while Malcolm Spellman was confirmed to serve as the writer of the series. (MCU fandom wiki)

On April 11, 2019, during Disney’s 2019 Investor Day, it was announced that What If would premiere during the first year of Disney+. Kevin Feige also announced that each episode would explore a key moment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that first episode would explore what if Peggy Carter was given the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers. (MCU fandom wiki)

So they've been planning a CC-centric show straight after Endgame. And they've been bleating loud about CC ever since TFATWS wrapped up.

The other very cynical possibility is that as soon as EG was written they got cold feet on a Black Cap and invested in a back-up plan, and maybe as time went by the Union Jack female Cap looked more and more like a safe option.

And importantly...CC is going to be a female hero in the modern day. At least that's what she is in What If and Doctor Strange. In that case...the misogyny aspect is no different to what a horde of other MCU women are facing, and we have seen that...most of these women thrive through the misogyny even without superpowers. She's literally just an overpowered White woman who had come from a privileged background and like...her only claim to disadvantage isn't at all different or more interesting than all the other badass women who already exist in the modern MCU.

Meanwhile, Sam being an icon for specifically Black people in America (as opposed to fictional Wakanda) is far more threatening to the status quo, because the oppression for Black people continues to be so much more pervasive and violent, and maybe that's why he's being sidelined.

#anti peggy carter #anti captain carter #asks

[bubbleteycosplay]

What ifs Sigyn's stories

Part 17

So many different universes, so many different possibilities. And in some loves Sigyn and their different stories. Pictures and brief information have been written about some of these possibilities.

But what is her full story, we don't know. But we can spin them further in our thoughts ^^

The whole project here serves to show the possibilities and potential that Sigyn would have had within the Marvel Universe. How she could have been reintroduced, her story made new and more exciting. #JusticeForSigyn stands for creating Sigyn content because Marvel doesn't give us any.

Inspired by @fauna-and-mythos @dailylogyn @dank-art @jonquilclegane @sigynoffidelity @sigynthevictorious @thewitchysystem @shenanigans-and-imagines @timeladyjamie @therese-lokidottir @puckwritesstuff @sigynappreciation @sigyn-obsessed @ellecaterina @roruna

Enchantress Sigyn

Nobody really knows her, her name is whispered and you will hear her coming.

Sigyn living in this universe is like you know it from comics with a difference! She became an enchantress and a woman without mercy!

Sigyn from the Fanfiction series A Sorta Fairytale by @logynwrites

A Sorta Fairytale:

The story of Loki and Sigyn, starting with their first meeting, their friendship, courtship, and marriage throughout the MCU films. Begins pre-Thor and runs through Endgame. Sigyn, a village maiden, meets Prince Loki when her sister is kidnapped by a storm giant. First his apprentice, his dearest friend, then later his wife, Sigyn will discover just how far her constancy will go when unimaginable foes and horror threaten to tear them apart.

The Usual by @roruna

After taking her revenge, Sylvie has taken a job at a McDonald's in the 1970s. Even when Loki and Mobius find her, she doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. This may have something to do with a regular customer who happens to be from Vanaheim.

A Relative Betrayal (Sigyn in the Dark World) Story by @roruna

Sigyn Freyadottir and Frigga Freyrdottir were more like sisters than cousins. Sigyn looked up to her cousin and followed her everywhere. Even after she came of age, Frigga still took time to play with her dear little cousin. Sigyn was the flower girl at Frigga and Odin's wedding. But once she was queen of Asgard, Frigga had no time for play.

After Hela decimated them, it seemed like the Valkyries were finished but Sigyn joined them as soon as she was of age. Her training kept her in Vanaheim but about a month before Frigga's first child was due, Sigyn snuck out of Valkyrie boot camp to be by her beloved cousin's side. She was punished harshly for going AWOL but Sigyn didn't care. This established the pattern

that would carry on for centuries. Sigyn served the Valkyries faithfully and visited Asgard as often as her duties allowed.

Every visit, Thor seemed to grow another two inches. Sigyn actually felt somewhat betrayed when Frigga introduced her to her second child. "Why did you not tell me when you were with child? Why didn't you send for me when you gave birth?" Sigyn asked.

"The war with Jotunheim," she explained. "Odin feared that Laufey might send assassins if he knew I was in such a vulnerable state. No one knew I was with child." "I still wish you'd told me, I would protect you to my final breath," Sigyn said.

"Auntie Sigyn!" Loki called out and offered her a bunch of wildflowers he'd picked. "Father says he gives Mother flowers because he loves her. So I'm giving these to you."

Sigyn took the little bouquet and kissed the boy's forehead.

"What a lovely boy you are," she said. "I love them." "When I grow up, I will make you my bride," he said, beaming with joy. "Will you?" She asked. "Yes, so you mustn't fall in love with anyone else," he ordered. "You must wait faithfully for me." "Of course," she laughed. "I will be fidelity itself."

Sigyn was in Vanaheim when Thor was exiled and when Loki and Thor destroyed the bifrost,

she was stuck. Asgard and its protectorates could still communicate with each other with sending spells, scrying and astral projection but there was no way to travel. Of course, she grieved over Loki's death and being so far away when Frigga needed her most, made her grieve all over again. She remembered Loki was always a shy and sensitive boy. And

when Frigga told Sigyn his true origins, she knew that he could travel no other path but

madness after such a shocking betrayal.

Sigyn couldn't return to Asgard until after Odin sentenced Loki to life in the dungeons. As

shocking and as harsh she thought that punishment was, to not allow Loki any visitors was the definition of cruelty. Frigga tried to keep a brave face, contenting herself to only astral project to see her son.

Sigyn found out that the dungeon guards had been forewarned and specifically ordered not to let Frigga enter the dungeons. But otherwise, it only took a little bit of gold to obscure the guards' vision. Bribery was how Frigga's handmaidens smuggled books, furniture and better food to the disgraced prince. And bribery was how Sigyn entered Loki's cell. "Hello Auntie Sigyn," he said with a dark edge to his voice that she'd never heard from him before.

"Hello Loki," she said.

When she hugged him, he wouldn't let her go. He held her tighter when she tried to pull back. To say Loki was touch starved was an understatement. He needed to be held more than he needed to be lectured and questioned. So when she visited him, she'd just hold him.

Sometimes he'd fall asleep in her arms but his sleep was never peaceful. He didn't talk or thrash in his sleep but he'd wince and groan faintly. Whenever she'd wake him from his nightmares, he would spend the first few seconds of consciousness with a lost, terrified look on his face. Then he'd recognize her and relax.

"What happened after you fell?" She asked him after weeks of visiting. "I saw… so many things," he said. "Great and terrible things." "Is that why you attacked Midgard?" She asked.

"I meant to conquer Midgard and rule the mortals as their God King," he said without feeling. "That doesn't sound like you," she said. "The boy I knew was gentle and sensitive. He didn't want to subjugate or bully anyone." "Loki Odinson was a timid boy and he died," Loki said. "Loki Laufeyson is a cruel man so he lived." "You still-" Loki kissed her. He pushed her down onto his bed.

"A little boy once asked you to wait for him to grow up so you could be his bride. Now this cell will be my tomb so I only have one use for a bride," he growled. Of course, she could push him back. She was a highly trained Valkyrie. And however wicked he tried to seem, he was still watching her for any hint of distress. But after whatever he went through, he needed her. He needed this. So she let him have his way with her.

"Hello Loki," Sigyn said.

"Hello Freyadottir," Loki replied.

Sigyn guessed that Loki made a point of calling her Freyadottir to distance them from the dynamic of his childhood. Or perhaps he was trying to attribute his desire to the fact that he was a frost giant because he was ashamed. Whatever the reason, she hoped it brought him comfort.

She hoped she brought him comfort.

Sigyn had her arms and her legs wrapped around Loki. She was lying back on his bed and he was on top of her and nothing else existed outside of each other. They could only hear each other's moans and look into each other's eyes.

Frigga astral projected into Loki's cell. She and Loki didn't have a scheduled visit but Odin was welcoming Thor back after his unexpected return so Frigga had some free time. She gasped at the sight of her younger son in bed with a woman.

"Mother!" Loki exclaimed. "Frigga," Sigyn gasped.

Frigga had only just started to ask herself how Loki was able to sneak some woman into his cell but recognizing who was in his bed was almost a physical blow. "What… what the Hel is this?!" Frigga screamed and the astral projection suddenly disappeared

When Frigga physically arrived in the dungeons, both Loki and Sigyn were fully dressed. Frigga stormed down the corridor, flanked by guards. She ordered the guards to remove Loki from hiscell and the queen's rage made telling the All-Father that they released a high profile prisoner seem the safer option.

The queen, the prisoner and the Valkyrie went to an antechamber away from the dungeons. "What the Hel are you doing?", "How could this happen?", "How could you do this?" were all questions the queen wanted answered but not as much as "When did this start?" "How long have you been molesting my son?!" Frigga demanded.

"Mother, I'm not some helpless child," Loki said.

"I swear it's not like that," Sigyn cried.

"I thought it was Odin's lies that hurt you so last year but if she… if she's been-" Frigga sobbed.

"Our romantic relationship started after I was put in the dungeons," Loki said, hoping this would calm his mother. "Sigyn never took advantage of me. She's not the first person I've gone to bed with. Not even close."

Frigga looked at Loki in bewilderment. When she looked at Sigyn, she could only feel rage. "We were like sisters," she hissed. "You held my hand when I gave birth to Thor. I don't care if Loki had a thousand lovers before now! I trusted you!" "I'm sorry, Frigga. I swear I didn't want to hurt you," Sigyn cried, moving to Loki's side and taking his hand. "But Loki needed-" "Don't you touch my boy, you slattern!" Frigga commanded. It wasn't long before the shouting drew the attention of the All-Father. Thor also joined them, with the mortal, Jane Foster.

"What is all this commotion?" Odin demanded.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Thor asked. "Loki, what are you doing here?" "I had to get Loki out of his cell when I found out my cousin and closest friend raped him!" She screamed.

"What?" Both Odin and Thor exclaimed.

"Mother, that's enough!" Loki snapped. "No one raped or molested anyone. Sigyn and I are adults. The past two years have been the worst of my entire life! Thor is content to pretend I don't exist while Odin made a point of keeping you away because he knew it would hurt me!" Loki wrapped his arms around Sigyn, shielding her from his mother's wrath.

"Sigyn has been there for me at my lowest. In all of Asgard, she's the only one who still cares about me," he said. "And she's the only one for whom I feel love." Sigyn gasped. Loki and Frigga watched each other.

"Loki, your family-" Sigyn began.

"My captors," he corrected. "Odin isn't my father, he stole me."

"But your mother-"

"No," he said.

Frigga's expression set itself like stone. Both her fists were clenched. She finally looked away from Loki and towards Sigyn.

"Leave Asgard at once," she ordered. "Because if I see you again, I will kill you."

A squad of Einharjar escorted Loki back to the dungeons. Sigyn followed after them, just out of sight. As they approached the dungeons, they heard shouting and the sound of fighting. All but two Einharjar stayed with Loki while the rest went ahead to bring order to the dungeons. Sigyn and Loki used this chance to overpower the two guards and free Loki.

"You need to get out of here," Sigyn said after kissing Loki several times. "Out of Asgard."

"We need to get out of Asgard," Loki corrected

They could hear screaming outside. When they looked out the window, they saw black ships shooting into the city.

"I'm a Valkyrie. I have a duty to protect the nine realms," she said. "But you deserve to be free." Loki looked torn and was thinking desperately. He kissed her suddenly.

"I'll go to Jotunheim," he said. "This time I'll wait for you."

She nodded and kissed him again.

"Alright, I'll join you as soon as I can," she said.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she said.

"Where is the aether?" Malekith demanded.

Frigga held her head up defiantly even if she couldn't free herself from Malekith's hold.

"I'll never tell," she said.

"I believe you," he said.

There was a shout that caught everyone by surprise. Sigyn charged into the queen's chambers, sword drawn. Malekith let Frigga go to deal with this new threat. Sigyn decapitated Malekith in one swoop but she left herself open for Algrim, the Kursed elf, to impale her in the stomach.

Thor finally arrived and while he dealt with Algrim, Frigga ran to Sigyn. She'd collapsed on the floor and was bleeding out.

"Sigyn, Sigyn!" Frigga screamed, holding her face with both hands.

Sigyn put a hand over Frigga's. Already it was getting hard to breathe.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she wheezed.

"No, please, you can't just give up…" Frigga sobbed. "What about Loki?!"

"Loki," Sigyn said with her final breath.

A Crown of Forget-Me-Nots by freudensteins_monster

Sigyn spends her days bouncing between anger and confusion. Anger for the marriage contract her mother forced her into, and confused by the attention Prince Loki starts paying her.

death tale

Telling a story about is difficult. And telling what happened on Earth 9088 is even harder.

Imagine living for hope, for confidence in giving a service to your people that you love so much. Only to find out in the end it was all a lie, yet you keep fighting to stand up for your beliefs. But at the end... Nobody thanks you for the sacrifices you made to save others, to protect them. This is how Sigyn lived and died on Earth 9088.

Snakes & Flowers by @mistress-of-words

A chance encounter in the Royal Gardens could give Loki a love story for the ages, that is if he doesn't screw it up.

Raven gold story by @jonquilclegane

Odin loved to make his sons compete, on every occasion possible, and what better occasion than his birthday? Both his sons had to prove their valor, their resourcefulness, their intelligence and good sense, picking for their father the perfect gift.

Thor had already an idea in mind, and could not stop boasting about it. Loki listened closely to his brother, so sure of himself and of his gift. While his brother chatted joyously with his friends, the second prince retained his growing frustration. Thor was again going to win this time, wasn’t he?

The Golden son had already contacted Eitri and Brock and called in a favor. The famous smiths would win the prize for him, and once again, Thor would be victorious.

For a moment, Loki thought of finding ways to stop the dwarves, turn himself into a mosquito and bite them into their eyes, and ruin their work. But he knew his father would eventually find out, and the punishment would be memorable. In dreams, Loki had seen the same dwarves sew his lips with metal treads, and he did not want that to happen in reality.

So, what could he do?

Well, he could still go and check the competition! Iwaldi was known to be the best in his craft, and his sons were getting quite the reputation as skillful craftsmen. Maybe they would have the perfect idea for a worthy gift and would forge it within the expected delay. He would pay good money for it and would sing their praises afterwards.

But Iwaldi and his sons were absent. Instead, Loki found a young red-headed girl, who welcomed him into the shop with a kind smile.

“What can I do for you, my Lord?”, she asked politely.

Well, she was very pretty, with a gentle demeanor. Usually, the prince would have had his mind full of ways for her to help him. However, that day, he was not in the mood for love, or even lust. If Thor won once again, the crown would escape him for good. He had to focus on the task at hand, and Iwaldi and his sons were the only ones who could help him.

“Yes you can, my sweet”, he replied to the lovely girl, “Where are your masters?”

“My masters?”, the lady replied, her elegant eyebrows rising in surprise, before bursting out laughing, “You mean father and my brothers?”

That beautiful young woman was a dwarf? That could not be! Dwarf ladies had beards, and were ill-tempered. Nothing like this sweet lady. But something inside her blue eyes told him not to mess too much with her, or he would soon find out the taste of her axe.

Dwarf she was, though she did not look like it.

“You are Iwaldi’s daughter”, Loki finally guessed, “My apologies, my lady, my worries have made me blind and rude.”

Politeness was the best way to get what he wanted, and hope for a prompt return from her father and brothers.

“Worries, my lord?”, she asked, his faux-pas forgotten, “May I help you?”

Once again, Loki was very tempted to ask for a favor that had nothing to do with her father’s skills. It would be quite a nice way to pass the time while waiting for the men’s return. But if they were to find him with the lady of the house in a delicate position, they would never help him.

Yes, he would have her, but afterwards, when Iwaldi had given him what he wanted, and could not take it back. Though, of course, the lady could interfere in his favor with her family.

“What is your name, my sweet?”, Loki cooed, deciding she might be his best ally.

“Sigyn, my Lord”, she curtsied, making the prince’s heart flutter just a little. The perfect little lady, wasn’t she? He would have great fun with her, once this was all over. She would be his rewards for winning against Thor.

“Sigyn”, he echoed, her name like a sweet melody on his tongue, one he could not wait to taste, “Do you know when your father and brothers will be back?”

“Not before two months, my Lord”, she replied, killing any hope Loki had. When those cursed dwarves would be back, it would be too late.

Loki’s distress must have been obvious, as Sigyn dared to ask him again, “What troubles you, my Lord?”

Odin’s son sighed, readying himself for his unavoidable defeat, “I am Loki. My father is Odin, his birthday is coming up soon, and I wanted to commission a gift for him, as I know your father’s and brothers’ skill, but…”

Sigyn nodded, and looked at Loki with so much compassion, the prince decided he would have his reward as his consolation prize. Since he was to be defeated, at least, he would have the sweet Sigyn in his bed. That would allow him to endure the bitterness of Thor’s victory, and the venomous remarks he would get from Sif and his friends.

However, while Loki was about to make a move and seduce Iwaldi’s daughter, his lady pursed her lips, her gaze firmly directed towards her father’s forge.

“You know, your Highness, my father and brothers might be absent, but I am here. And they are not the only skilled smiths in the family”, she revealed, seemingly determined about this, before becoming much more bashful, all of a sudden, “if I were to help you, what you would give me?”

Loki laughed, surprised and relieved he might have found a worthy replacement to Iwaldi, after all.

“Whatever you desire, my sweet”, the Prince declared, and he meant to keep that promise for once.

Sigyn’s eyes were now fixed on the floor, her cheeks reddening by the second. Sweet Norns, what was she about to ask from him?

“Even if I ask you your heart?”, she whispered, shy but playful in a way. Oh, he liked this. He liked her, a lot. He ought to tell her she already had his heart in the palm of her dainty hand, to do whathever she pleased with it, but since she had named her price, there was no need to change it, mostly when he was so eager to pay it.

“Very well”, Loki said, taking her hand, his lips brushing barely her fair skin, before he drew her towards him and sealed their deal with a kiss.

It was a surprise to everyone in the Throne room, when Odin conceded the victory to Loki, as his birthday gift for his father was actually superior to Thor’s. The Golden son did not seem to mind, quite the opposite, gaping at the present and clapping his hand in excitement.

“It is so pretty”, his brother chanted again and again, and Odin seemed to agree, admiring the Golden raven Sigyn had created for the occasion. The mechanical bird, forged by Iwaldi’s daughter, seemed as real as Huginn and Muninn, except for its feathers made of pure gold, and was flying happily with his black-feathered brothers.

“Quite remarkable, indeed”, the AllFather agreed, before smiling to his younger son, a certain interest shining in his one eye.

“You did good today, my son”, the King of Asgard declared, while Loki’s heart was suddenly filled with pride and contentment.

He could not wait to go to Sigyn and tell her all about it. After all, his heart was hers now, and he had a reward to enjoy…

Miracles work miracles story by @jonquilclegane

A few centuries ago, a handsome prince saved an obscure princess no one truly cared about. Some marauders had been invading the plains of Vanaheim once again, and the princess had been helping the people, healing the wounded and cooking some soup and delicious pies to cheer everybody up. Yet, after a ruthless attack, the looters had taken a few women as their prisoners, and among them was princess Sigyn.

Prince Thor and his friends were in charge of the rescue, boasting about how they would make them pay and make sure the princess would be back soon with her mother, safe and sound.

Yet, they failed. Even with all their fancy weapons and clever plans, they were still defeated. Only a miracle could save the princess.

The miracle happened, and his name was Loki.

With his magic, the Trickster prince fooled the marauders, turning himself into a dragon, and saved the young princess and the other ladies that had been kidnapped with her.

Sigyn never forgot, and promised herself she would once day repay the Prince for saving her life. However, what would a handsome prince, who was also a powerful sorcerer, ever need? Sigyn thought and thought about it, and eventually decided that fate would help her and give her the right opportunity to help her savior.

But then the Prince died, killed by the Mad Titan, and the princess felt terrible, not having repaid her debt, and at the thought of such a kind soul, lost forever, her heart bled.

Yet, something felt wrong. For nights, she kept having the same dream, of her prince’s body, floating lifelessly into the void of space. But in her dreams, he was not dead. He still breathed, thought he was weak and so very close to his final demise.

The princess decided there was a possibility those dreams had some truth in them – after all, she did have some cunning powers. This could be the occasion she had waited for: she would be able to save the man who had saved her, all those centuries ago.

Turning herself into a little dragon so she could travel into space, Sigyn searched and searched, until finally she found Loki. Thanks to a spell, she was able to rescue him and bring him back safely to Vanaheim – since Asgard had been destroyed. She nursed him back to health, and smiled when he asked her for her name and her story.

“Well, your highness, it’s a long story, and it involves dragons”

Loki laughed, though he winced as his wounds were still painful.

“Seems like quite the tale, and we have all the time in the world”

Kiss of lies story by @jonquilclegane

Loki lied as well as he kissed, with skill and a certain playfulness that both left you breathless and heartbroken, utterly under his power, whether you liked it or not.

As they were married for thousands of years, Loki kissed Sigyn many times, and he lied to her quite as much.

Though, to Sigyn, three of those kisses of lies truly mattered.

The first one was when he was under the disguise of Theoric. It was their first kiss, and Sigyn believed him to be her fiancé, though his touch and voice were different, and made her whole soul stir in such a way she had felt dizzy and drunk with love for days after his lips had sealed her fate with a kiss.

A lie, it had been all a lie…

The second one was when they were married, and after centuries of humiliation and insults, he suddenly decided she was worthy of his love, calling her “the only one he loved in the Nine realms”, “his beloved wife”, pretending he cared… He had kissed her, and she had believed him. She had been craving for his love and attention for so long, so she took every crumb that he was willing to give her.

Had it been all a lie? Yes. Probably.

The third one… the third one had been a heartbreaking, soul-breaking mess. After coming back from death, she had been trying to get better, to forget about Loki. But then, temptation had been the strongest, and she had joined Loki’s other exes, to make him pay all of his lies.

When he had seen her, he had laughed, and had thrown her a kiss in a playful, yet mocking manner.

“My dear wife”, he had teased, “Happy to see you again”

Then he had his friends beat her up, with the rest of his scorned lovers.

A lie. Another lie. Always lies.

Kisses of lies.

Part 18 is in progress ^^

Here you can find the last 4 parts

#sigyn #loki #marvel #logyn #justiceforsigyn #loki x sigyn #lokiswife #marvel comics #goddessoffidelity #goddesses of victory #sigyn stories #multiverse #marvel what if #sigyn reboot #sygin #mcu fanfiction #marvel comic fanfiction #marvel movie #marvel series #justceforlogyn #Goddess Sigyn

[lokigodofaces]

Okay, I know I've made it clear that I think Star Wars was overall screwed over more than Loki/Marvel, but Marvel did take the incest route and run with it. Long post with pics, so I'm putting a cut to make things more convenient :)

In Star Wars we have the obvious issue in Empire Strikes Back...

And the commonly forgotten about kiss in A New Hope

And another one

And here's at the end of Empire

Bam, four kisses between these two when they are love interests. Very fun. And while the fandom jokes about these, especially the one at the beginning of Empire, none of us care. Because it never went farther than this, and Luke, Leia, the actors, and George Lucas himself did not know they were twins.

How is that possible? There was no plan when the OT was made. Pretty much everyone thought A New Hope would flop, so no plans for sequels were made. And Star Wars is a huge part of why sequels to movies (not counting those adapted from books) became popular, so I don't know when Lucas decided to make a sequel. And Empire could have flopped too. Lucas made things up as he went, but he stuck with the narrative pretty well, which is why the OT is so good despite no planning. But up until Return of the Jedi, Luke, Leia, and Han were supposed to have some sort of love triangle thing going on. And they do in ANH and ESB. I guess Lucas wanted Leia/Han to be the endgame (which makes sense, given how things went in ESB), but Harrison Ford didn't want to come back, so Luke was kind of backup. But since they got Ford to come back, they had to find some way to satisfy the end of Luke/Leia. And a pretty good way of doing that is to make them twins!

Here are Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher reacting to the news. Clearly, they did not know until ROTJ. These are the faces of people realizing they had filmed five incestuous kisses (the fifth was in a deleted scene). (No this doesn't matter, I just find this picture hilarious).

While they never have a conversation on screen about it, well, when they find out, you can see it in their faces. Instant regret. Because they totally kissed each other.

"It won't be easy for you to hear it, but you must." Yeah, part of that is because of tense circumstances, but Luke did just say his father is Vader and is about to tell Leia she is his sister that kissed him four times.

So then Leia is free to be with Han, no more incest, and all incest before happened before they knew, so that's on Obi-Wan for not telling Luke. Dude should have shown up the instant Leia kissed him when they were on Yavin and told them. I understand the need to hide them for their own safety and keep them separated, but that's not gonna work anymore. The only kiss they have after this is in The Last Jedi, and that is clearly not romantic. Luke is about to get himself killed, and he is saying good bye to his sister. Though, oh boy, when I first saw it, there were thousands of jokes forming in my head.

It's not a popular ship, not even in pre-ROTJ fics. It's mostly something fans joke about. Because, haha, remember that time Luke and Leia kissed? And how a bunch of people shipped them? And then it turned out they were twins? Classic!

The only other time incest really ever entered the Star Wars fandom has been through fans. There are clone/clone ships, and, basically that's shipping them with an identical twin (except there are millions of them. And, when Force Awakens first came out, lots of people started shipping Reylo. Myself and several others did not. And for me, the only reason was because Star Wars had fooled me once. After that movie came out, everyone was theorizing who Rey's parents were. And likely candidates were Luke, Leia, and/or Han. Which would make Rey Ben's sister or cousin. And after ESB, I wasn't going to ship anyone with anyone until I found out exactly who everyone was related to. I really wanted Rey to be a Kenobi (thought it would be poetic if Ben redeemed himself and then those bloodlines would be reunited with a common cause and they could kill Snoke together), but I was not risking it. And even when TLJ made it seem as if Rey's parents were nobodies, I was not risking it even still. But obviously, that's only supposed incest, and me being cautious because I shipped Luke and Leia as a kid before I saw ROTJ. Rey is a Palpatine, nothing bad here. But, well, her being a Skywalker or a Solo was a very real possibility.

And then we move on to Marvel. Now that variants keep popping up, there's some...interesting things happen. Keep in mind, I have not seen Multiverse of Madness yet. I really hope I do not have to edit this post with something from that.

First off...this....

Since Sylvie was born female, that means her and Loki don't have exactly the same DNA. But, they are probably twin-like genetically. And they both know it. This is season one. This was planned to be a kiss between to Loki variants. Which I wouldn't mind too much (if I were to conveniently forget some things) if Marvel was straight up about it. They refer to it as "self love" and try to skirt around the fact that they're genetically siblings. And, on the one hand, I could actually argue this isn't incest (I mean, if Loki has an alligator variant, clearly the variants' DNA can be drastically different. So there is the possibility Sylvie and Loki aren't sibling-like. But how are they supposed to know? Loki literally saw a video of his "true" variant who looks exactly like how he does in episode 1. He knows that variants can be strikingly similar. But, nope, never considered.

To add to this, you have the Peters interactions. Primarily this line.

So, on the one hand, Marvel is saying there is no incest in Loki. On the other hand, they're explicitly calling the Peters brothers. And, of course, this can be interpreted as brothers in arms. But it still seems a little off.

I'm not a fan of Sylki, and that is the least of my concerns (it isn't even a good friendship). I'm not a fan of incest in general myself, but, it's fiction. And Sylki fics on Ao3 are probably not going to cause real life incest. I operate on a "don't like, don't look" philosophy. I have to in order to stay sane. That's what happens when you end up in a minority group. Between being queer and my religious minority, I don't let myself look for things I don't like. The instant I see it, I block it. Because I'm not going to let myself have someone hating me for my sexuality or religion on my dash. And I do the same thing with incest. It's not my thing typically, so I don't go out looking for it or try to stop it from being made. But practically everyone that ships an incestuous ship recognizes it as incest. I mean, ask a thorki shipper. They aren't going to deny it. There may be fics of theirs where it isn't incest (they weren't raised together), but they will all admit that if there is a relationship in a universe similar to canon, it is incest. Star Wars admits that Luke/Leia is incest. Not as obvious in the films (I have a feeling acknowledging it in the movies might have bumped the ratings up from PG), but anyone that ships it or clone/clone usually admits it's incest. And then there's Marvel that can't decide. Would they call it incest if it was Pres Loki/TVA Loki? Probably. But they chose to do Sylki, and now it's not, according to them. That is my issue. I would like at least some acknowledgement.

#i have no idea why i wrote this #i'm kinda in a star wars mood i guess so i keep thinking sw #may the force be with you #loki (2021) #loki (2021) critical #sylvie laufeydottir #loki laufeyson #tva loki #again i have no idea why i felt the need to compare them but i did

[a-little-rough-around-the-edges]

So I watched 2022's The Batman!

I've been thinking about it for a few hours and I think I wanna share my rambling thoughts on it, and my experience with the Comic Book Movie genre as a whole, here.

For context, for a long long time I was what you would definitely consider a Superhero Movie Guy. I had them all on Blu-Ray, I defended each one till my lungs hurt and I was the president of my uni's Comic Book Society even though I honestly just preferred the movies. These films - especially the films in the MCU - brought me so much joy and I was so happy that they existed. I did cosplay, saw the films on release night, the whole shebang.

I didn't think the oft-cited "Superhero Fatigue" would get to me. It did, in a big way. After Endgame, I looked across these films that I've loved for 10 years and wondered if any of it was worth it. I wondered if Endgame, a film that had me cheering and crying in the cinema but is certainly not without its major flaws, was a fitting conclusion for this massive story. I wondered if anything could be.

Spider-Man: Far From Home released not too long after. I didn't love it. It was fine. And although some of the movies since and the Disney+ shows have been far more enjoyable (Moon Knight comes to mind), I think my enthusiasm for the MCU as a franchise is basically dead. It all feels so bloated now. Endgame was the last Marvel movie I saw in theatres. As for DC, I've always loved Batman games & movies but I certainly haven't ever been a DCEU fan (you couldn't pay me to watch the Snyder Cut).

So, this is where the genre has left me at this point. A few highlights, but generally kinda jaded about the whole thing.

With all of that said, it was last night that I watched The Batman at home with my partner. I absolutely *loved* this film. It's stuck with me in a way that no other superhero film has in years. And I think the reason for this is, at the risk of sounding pretentious, The Batman is an actual film. Not a Superhero movie, not 2 hours of feel-good fanservice, but a real-ass detective/mystery/noire film.

The colour grading is excellent and artful. The cinematography is gorgeous. The Gotham it builds is so dense and unnerving and dark that I want to be immersed in it for hours. The Batman, much like The Dark Knight before it (even moreso in my opinion) has set a new standard for the comic book movie.

I don't have the words in my vocabulary to describe how much I love the characters. Every actor plays their role perfectly, from Pattinson's caring and vengeful Batman to Dano's twisted portrayal of The Riddler. I was on the edge of my seat. Michael Giacchino's score is absolutely beautiful and gothic and fits the world and the tone of the film perfectly.

My instinct is to snap to "I want more!" I want to beg for sequels, extensions of this beautiful story. Maybe Hush would be a nice fit into this world? But, a part of me thinks that that kind of thinking is what got us all into this mess to begin with. It's rare that a piece of pop culture such as this is allowed to exist on its own. Sequels, reboots and spinoffs are everywhere and it's becoming depressing.

I *like* that this is its own thing. I *like* that there's no post-credits Justice League teaser or ScreenRant articles titled "New 6-Part Zoe Kravitz Catwoman Series Confirmed". I know a sequel is confirmed, but that's alright.

This film was real good yall.

#The Batman #Long post #rant #ramble

[thefangirltreehouse]

spider-man two, thoughts (spoilers below).

this is literally just spit-balling

harry as venom isn't a plot i hate. the way insomniac likes to craft their stories primarily around the emotional baggage of established relationships that peter (and miles) has. fighting for and against your terminally ill best friend with pretty bleak execution results is far more interesting to me than fighting a character who's no more than a missable footnote in the original game. harry as venom isn't something i'm gunning for in the comics but it works for insomniac.

i'm so glad that insomniac really leaned into peter and mj's dynamic and it was nice to see her as more than just the doting girlfriend.

i mean, darin de paul is just a national treasure. in what world does the man that plays ardyn izunia play triple-j.

speaking of final fantasy xv, king regis you bitch! how dare you stab peter. i cannot believe we have two caelum's in one spider-man game.

i'm so happy they integrated hailey into the main supporting cast (also playable?!) but when did she find out about miles?

mj i get, but i feel peter moved on far too quickly from the fact he nearly killed his girlfriend. and on that note, literally just stands and watches the scream transformation. i know they're trying to keep it together considering peter's experience with the symbiote but like, i would've been pissed at harry.

rio and miles dancing at the gala was the most adorable thing. (especially as someone who grew up with a single-mum).

they literally don't explain how venom gets his name

"show them your manhood!" / "yes sir - wait, what?!"

young peter's look just confirms disney / marvel wanted the face change to represent the mcu because that is literally tom holland's face.

i actually didn't think yuri's performance could get any better, it did especially once peter has the symbiote off.

the music during the venom fight with peter at midtown is incredible.

i obviously knew he wasn't going to die but i legit cried when pete got stabbed.

i understand insomniac really want you to use the symbiote suit but peter's lower-level unlocked suits are low-key hot garbage. even as someone who doesn't mind the militarized, tech suits the choices were so mid. i didn't get the suit i really wanted until after i bet the story. i ended up using the raimi suit which i never used in the original game as i don't like that suit but it was the only normal looking suit that wasn't native to insomniac as i don't like their peter suits.

miles' were better but a lot of them seemed to blend together. his endgame suit is actually my favourite (but with the red, purple and blue ombre lining - which i'm annoyed i couldn't even use the swatch in the finale).

had quite a handful of restarts and crashes in 23hrs play-time.

kinda wish we could've seen young!mj with peter and harry.

miles telling harry that he doesn't care if he's peter's best friend, he's still going to kick his ass was great.

i feel like the plot beats for this game overall were kinda predictable in that kraven was the early game bad guy, pete gets the symbiote suit from harry, harry takes it back and becomes venom all with the end result of norman being pissed at spider-man(s) for harry's probably bad outcome. that said, i genuinely have no guesses for structure of the next one and i doubt they're going to make harry a 'villain' again.

i don't think they'll use carnage in dlc, especially when yuri said it might take "years" to track him down, but i also don't know if he'll be enough for the finale as it might - at least gameplay and conceptually - feel like a venom rehash.

this just me on a tangent so feel free to skip. based on what i said, as someone not super familiar with carnage outside of specific media, the problem i have with him in relation to venom is the same problem i have with 'the batman who laughs' it makes the former feel less threating in direct comparison (which will happen when you cut to carnage after immediately having venom as a main antagonist one game prior), especially when venom is brock rather than peter as the host, because there's internal conflict with peter (which can be argued with tbwl's to some extent). carnage, in basic terms is bat-shit venom with zero redeeming qualities and i worry that for a medium like this he will feel derivative. the joker and the venom shouldn't feel less dangerous, especially now that it feels like venom has taken on anti-hero and carnage has become what venom was. like what happened in cruella. disney tried to make cruella likable, so emma stone basically played 'disney: harley quinn' and emma thompson played cruella.

this is oddly specific but i feel laura bailey is like the only woman in gaming that goes for the scream. and i always watch these games (cyberpunk in particular) and i'm like "girl scream, let out that guttural scream because i know that's exactly what's i'd be doing in that situation because this shit is terrifying." the only other time i've properly seen it done was also by laura bailey when she played fetch.

i actually don't know if we'll get another in-between game because i feel like the "play as miles'" itch has been scratched. meaning there's no need to fill that void as until his spin-off we couldn't play as him, now we can.

but if we do, could potentially see a silk, miles team-up to take down carnage.

mj's stealth missions are terrifying. her section under the tunnel with peter should’ve been longer

gutted there's no ng+ yet.

my bisexual queen is thriving.

getting the spider-bots was really the only fun thing to collect.

we’ll probably see gwen in the next game.

the sheer amount of detail on felicia's face

i can’t not hear wally in any of jason spisak’s roles.

“i don’t know what it is, but i just love this spider-bot.” - peter (about the spider-girl spider-bot)

vulture, electro and shocker really didn’t need to be killed completely off-screen. but i feel like they might’ve lost their rating if they weren’t. it’s just a bit strange that nobody noticed, especially pete that multiple high-profile raft inmates went missing?

people are being weird as fuck about cindy and peter. the girl is clearly a minor.

i booted up the first game to replay it, yeah. i still don’t like peter’s new face.

felt like there was half an act missing. could’ve done with one more agent venom mission, perhaps they can’t save vulture or electro. kinda felt like they needed a ‘he really is taking them out one by one.’

could’ve done with venom’s arc being a little longer.

miles’ arc was incredible and i loved watching him team-up with mj.

the black suit with the blue and red highlights from the nineties cartoon?!

speaking of, mj’s outfit during the zoo mission is also a call back

reed richards is defo getting a cameo in the next game and maybe tony on a phone call. i’d also love a nudge-nudge side-quest for deadpool.

i know it’s an emotional scene but i spat out my drink when i saw they changed the pic of harry from the old game to his new design in peter’s garage.

“i think we should get them” the line delivery on that is immaculate, like thank you captain obvious.

i’ve had a bit to linger on this but, there’s a bit of a disconnect between harry wanting the suit and getting it back. i think there had to be just a bit more push with peter specifically. i get he’s a nice guy but we needed to see a bit more passive aggressive harry brewing in the desperation for the symbiote.

watching a playthrough i realised venom got his name from oscorp / dr. connors as there’s a container with the name “vnm” when peter turns connors human again.

i don't want a venom spin-off and it feels like the only people who do want it is to take venom for an hour's joy-ride (until the gimmick wears off) or eddie brock stans that feel jilted by insomniac. i'd much rather get straight to the finale because i don't want to have to buy a playstation six just because some randomers want an eddie simulator first.

chameleon is absolutely going to be dlc.

how did mj get her motorbike back from the tunnel?

predictions for the next game:

electro isn't dead, primarily due to the fact that max may have became pure energy to escape kraven.

cindy, miles and black cat team-up mission.

may is hinted at towards the end of the game.

madame webb is getting something.

if carnage is in the third game and not two's dlc, he'll be the opening act villain (pseudo-kraven).

they'll tease hobgoblin - harry or not. (i could genuinely see harry becoming hobgoblin to help take down otto and green goblin, if it's norman).

peter might die, but i doubt it.

if harry dies, it'll be half-way through the game. i will actually kill myself tho.

i low-key want spot to be in the game or dlc but i don't think they'll do that purely because of spider-verse but you can tell a lot of insomniac grew-up on the nineties show, so it might be a possibility. (most of my knowledge for spider lore exists in that show and the various film franchises because the only spider comics i own is one 'noir' trade and a handful of 'the superior foes of spider-man'.)

i mean, they also could have miles go after spot, which could be fun.

HOLY FUCK! WAIT! HARRY AS GREEN GOBLIN COULD BE AN HOMAGE ARC TO MARY JANE IN LIMBO BUT EVEN MORE ANGSTY CAUSE THAT SERUM IS DEFO GONNA MAKE HARRY PSYCHO - I ACTUALLY NEED TO SEE IT BECAUSE THAT EPISODE IS LITERALLY ONE OF MY CORE MEMORIES.

the delivery of “i think we should get him” is immaculate

someone mentioned this on tvtropes, but stark industries bankrolling f.e.a.s.t is not a bad idea.

fisk will probably be back in side mission capacity or dlc.

#Spider-Man 2 #marvel’s spider man #Spider-Man ps5 #peter parker #miles morales #mj watson #harry osborn

[getmemymicroscope]

It's been a while since I've waited till the second weekend to watch a 'highly anticipated' movie - or any movie, really, if we're being honest (fear of spoilers, fear of missing out, etc.). But for various reasons, complicated by the fact that this movie has been non-stop sold out since opening night, it happened this time around.

And yet, even today, over 1 week after the release, this movie (and Oppenheimer too) remain completely sold out, aside from a few straggler seats (and the very front row, which, well, no thanks). I haven't seen the line at the concessions be this long since, well, maybe Endgame (but again, saw that first weekend). Absolutely crazy.

And 100% worth it. This movie is so much fun - perfect casting (they absolutely nailed it), great chemistry between the cast, great Barbies and Kens and Alan, great music, great story, and great lines. Numerous times during the movie, the entire theater was laughing out loud.

The story was wonderfully done, and everyone was excellent - even harder to pull off when you don't necessarily have a prototypical bad guy. But they did it excellently, and made you laugh in the process - even while hitting on so many real, serious points during the course of the movie. It's very real in that.

Mattel willing to make fun of themselves in the movie is also great to see. It works brilliantly in a movie that is inherently designed to poke fun at so many things, and people, in the 'real world.'

The only thing I didn't care for was the ending - I mean, I loved the very ending sequence when she walks into the office and utters her line, I'm just not sure about this journey ending with somehow her becoming real. But then, I don't know how else you would end it anyways - she's clearly been thru too much to just go back to the daily grind of parties and no death-related thoughts, so I guess this was the only way to end it. Sorta Truman Show-ish, maybe. It just seems odd, I guess, given that she never really seemed to want that or even consider it until that moment.

The cameos were fun too.

And man, seeing guys like Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir so soon after seeing them in Marvel (especially Kingsley, whose role on Secret Invasion literally just ended) and future Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa and Michael Cera (man, haven't seen him in anything in a while) in these roles is just hilarious. The Barbies are all, of course, excellent. And the overlying narration is brilliant too.

Absolutely love this movie. What fun!

#movies #movieblr #gmmm does movies

[raggedy-spaceman]

Too much is happening all at once

#disney investor day #loki #ironheart #the falcon and the winter soldier #wanda vision #marvel #fantastic four #black panther 2 #ms marvel #there is so much going on i don't even know what to tag #and i thought i didn't care about marvel after endgame #what a naive idiot #this reminds me so much of the incredible november 5th i had to do a meme #i was literally going to bed help #mine