#avengers the reality show interview

[onemustalwaysbecarefulofbooks]

HOFAS/MAASVERSE THEORY: This is not the story SJM planned to tell us

Listen, if you are feeling let down by the overall lack of an ACOTAR crossover in HOFAS, your feelings are entirely valid and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And I'm saying this as someone who largely finds the Inner Circle insufferable and has the opinion of the less we see Rhysand, the better. But for real. . .point blank, this book was absolutely 100% marketed and hyped as a "crossover" which, in reality, ended up being sort of a stretch. And I believe, that at one point, it truly WAS all it was hyped up to be.

Raise your hand if you felt like HOFAS felt weird, disjointed, and unsatisfying at a lot of points.

Everyone, right? I don't think I've encountered a single person who can say they never experienced this at any point, even if they loved the book overall.

I'm sure some of you have probably heard by this point that there is a whole first draft of HOFAS out there that was apparently scrapped and rewritten entirely by SJM: SOURCE.

This draft teases a LOT of things that had people salivating, none of which actually showed up in the book we read. Examples:

HOFAS being "split between Bryce in the world of ACOTAR and the characters in Midgard".

Bryce being worried and freaked out over whether Prythian had toilet paper and receiving an answer

Nyx being featured in the story and the IC being extremely protective over him

Receiving an explanation on Rhys seeing Aelin during Starfall

SJM positively gushes over this stuff as she talks about it in interviews. You can literally see the light in her eyes and how excited she is as she discusses it. She compares it to Avengers Endgame and talks about how excited she and others were to see all the good guys come together for something epic and says this reminds her of that. However, there's a caveat. She consistently repeats things like "as of right now" or "in this first draft" or "we'll see what my editor says". Check out this live chat here.

And the next thing we know, she is claiming she turned in her first draft and felt "meh" about it, didn't like where the story went, and re-wrote the entire thing. Ladies and gentlemen, I call bullshit.

Bottom line: I truly believe, and would honestly bet a significant amount of money on, that this first draft was truly the story of SJM's heart and was brought to a screeching halt by her publishing company, who felt they could milk this hype and get more books out of it.

Essentially, if you were expecting ACOTAR 6, sorry can't help you, that was NEVER happening, BUT if you were expecting MORE than what we got, you are entirely within your rights to feel disappointed! That's why things felt weird and disjointed. . .because it was not the story she intended to tell organically and she had to make some pretty significant changes on a short notice.

The silver lining, I suppose, is the fact that I don't think her publishers talked her out of this happening in general. I think they just convinced her to drag it out longer. . .to delay it, essentially. Like I said, get more books in before finally making it happen. Because once that happens, how do you reach a higher peak? What could she make happen after that point that is more exciting than a huge epic crossover? I think that unfortunately, the Asteri were kind of wasted villains, as I don't know what other force of evil could bring all of these characters together realistically. But I do believe it's going to happen.

So yeah, you'll never be able to convince me there's not some version of HOFAS out there that only exists in Sarah's mind at this point, where the ACOTAR characters (and honestly, Aelin and the ToG characters) are much more central characters to the overall story. I'm convinced she wrote this epic story, went to her editors, and was told "Hey, the hype around this is so insane, we COULD do it now, OR we could develop the characters even further and do it LATER" (meaning more $$$$$$ for them). SJM is the QUEEN of changing her mind mid-series but to me, this really reeks of corporate greed and milking the hype. I'm trying to trust the process and tell myself that it's all coming eventually.

So stop shitting on people who complain about the lack of a crossover. We were teased with one and you know damn well SJM wrote one! I'm convinced it was teased and hyped this way because that's the way she originally wrote it and then when publishing convinced things to change the way they wanted them to. . .why tell us? If the already existing hype gets us to buy their book, it's a win for them.

I guess only time will tell!

#hofas #hofas spoilers #house of flame and shadow #house of flame and shadows spoilers #crescent city #crescent city spoilers #cc3 #cc3 spoilers #acotar #acotar spoilers #sjm #sarah j maas

[loverliner]

EPISODE 01 - INTRODUCTIONS

Part 1 of Keeping up with the Avengers

Loki x reader, Avengers x reader (platonic), Sam Wilson x Bucky Barnes

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1k

SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

*The confessions are in bold*

“I don’t get why we need to do this,” Tony complained, 

“The Avengers have a bad image,” Pepper said with an annoyed sigh,

“I’m a billionaire, if The Avengers look bad, I can just donate to some charity for puppies or something,” Tony continued to whine,

“Hey, I’m Tony Stark, I’m sure you know who I am,” he said to the camera,

“Tell us a little bit about yourself.” a distant voice behind the camera said, causing the billionaire to roll his eyes,

“Well, I’m a Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, I’m also Iron Man, in case you didn’t know,” Tony said,

“Yeah, I hate to agree with Stark, but if there’s an issue with publicity, I highly doubt the solution is a reality show,” Natasha said, walking in and adjusting her widow bites on her wrists.

“Hey, I’m Natalie Rushman,” Natasha said, picking at her nails,

“People already know your real name,” someone behind the camera reminded her,

“Fine, my name is Natasha Romanoff and I’m Black Widow,” Natasha said, not giving any more information about herself, “What? There’s nothing more to say,”

“I think it’s a good idea to show people that The Avengers are still just human,” Pepper said,

“Isn’t this team made up of a bunch of superhumans? Aren’t there only, like, four people in this team who are “just” human? And even so, one’s a genius and two are highly trained assassins? If you think about it, Sam is the only one who’s “just” human,” Bucky said, walking in with Steve.

“Hey!” Sam protested, looking up from the couch, “you’re lucky I love you,”

Bucky rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

“Hey, I’m James Barnes, yeah, that James Barnes,” Bucky said, 

“I’m Sam Wilson, former U.S Air Force parachute jumper, I’m also the falcon,” Sam said,

“We actually got a TV show?” Y/N asked, walking in with Loki by her side,

“Hey, I’m Y/N Y/L/N, aka The Monarch, so I guess you could add me to the list of superheroes based on insects or arachnids,” Y/N said, “I have pyrokinesis, telekinesis and telepathy, kind like Wanda,”

Then the camera zoomed into her face.

“Also, Sam, If you’re watching this, I know you took the last red, white and blue donut so run because so help me god I will hunt you down,” she added, 

“I have to say, having a TV show for ourselves sounds interesting, almost like our own play, except I won’t have to impersonate someone else this time,” Loki said, 

“You what?” Tony asked,

“Hello mortals, I am Loki, son of Odin, prince of Asgard, god of mischief,” Loki said, “I don’t have much to say about myself,”

“How about you tell us a little bit about yourself, what do you like?” someone off screen said,

“I wouldn’t know what to say,” Loki replied, “However, Y/N might,”

cut

“Oh, I definitely know,” Y/N said,

“He likes the colour green and gold, he likes reading, pranks, stabbing Thor, his daggers, animals, - especially cats - the rain, ‘cause he’s dramatic like that, shakespeare,” she said, before pondering for a moment, an small smile appearing on her face, “he also likes me,”

“I’ve remembered I wanted to be an actress when I was younger,” Wanda said, following behind with Vision.

“I don’t think this is what young you had in mind, dear,” Vision commented, “However, the sentiment is still very nice,” 

“Hi, I’m Wanda and this is Vision,” Wanda said pointing to the android next to her,

“We decided to do the interview as I am technically not a human,” Vision said,

“I should probably tell you a little bit about myself,” Wanda said, “I love baking and sitcoms like ‘Full House’,” 

“I don’t really have interests, though I do like watching sitcoms with Wanda, no matter how absurd some of them are,”

“Has anyone seen Banner,” Natasha asked, “I needed help with my Widow bites,”

“You needed help with something with the weapons that I created and you decided to go to Jolly Green instead of me,” Tony said,

“Yeah, because Banner doesn’t change and add something completely unnecessary to it,” Natasha said,

“Wha- I don’t do that,” Tony protested,

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

“He has a problem,” Natasha said, ““I was on a mission in Moscow where I tried to work my Widow Bites and silly string came out,”

“It wasn’t that serious,” Tony waved off,

“It would’ve sabotaged the mission if Y/N wasn’t there,” Natasha deadpanned,

“You call it unnecessary, I call it genius,” Tony said,

“Did someone call me?” Bruce asked, entering the room with Steve, 

“Hi, I’m Bruce, umm, Bruce Banner,” Bruce said with an awkward smile, 

The camera zoomed in.

“I-I don’t know what else to say,” he said,

“You know, if this was an early 2000s disney channel show, people would be clapping at that entrance,” Y/N commented,

“Why do you know that?” 

“What’s that?”

Natasha and Steve said respectively.

“The spider kid made me watch some,” Y/N said, shrugging it off.

“He said I needed to read the ‘classics’, we spent a whole day watching Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Wizard of Waverly Place and Lizzie Mcguire,” Y/N said, “I will never be the same,”

“What are the camera’s for, by the way,” Steve asked, gesturing to the production team,

“Oh, it’s for a reality show,” Natasha replied,

“Hi, I’m Steve Rogers,” Steve said, “Captain America by the way,”

“Have you seen Clint?” Steve asked,

“No, I haven’t seen him all day,” Y/N said, 

Loki snickered.

“Lokes, have you seen him?” Y/N asked,

Loki used his magic to open the overhead vents.

Clint fell out flat on his face.

“Barton! What the hell!” Y/N said, jumping away,

“Heyyy,” he groaned, 

“Okay, I’m getting you to medical,” Natasha said, 

Cut

“What’s it like being in a relationship with Y/N?” someone off camera asked,

Loki’s eyes lit up slightly.

“Well, I’m incredibly lucky, she’s honestly amazing and much too good for me, I don’t know what I did to deserve her,” Loki said,

“One time, she was mad at me and I asked her for a glass of water so she gave me a glass of ice and asked me to wait,” Loki said, “I love her,”

“Are the cameras just going to be following us around like this?” Y/N asked,

“Mhm,” Tony replied nonchalantly,

“Why do I feel like he’s used to this?” Y/N asked,

“It’s not all bad,” Wanda said, “Maybe we can make money off of this,”

Y/N’s eyes widened.

“We can?” Y/N asked, “Sam, come over and cry,”

“Why?” Sam asked,

“Good thumbnail,” Y/N said,

#loki x reader #loki laufeyson x reader #reader #avenger!reader #kuwta #keeping up with the avengers #avengers x reader (platonic) #avengers x reader #sam wilson x bucky barnes

[scarlet--wiccan]

C.b Cebulski (the guy who pretended to be Japanese & I think he’s the editor in chief of marvel comics) apparently wants Wanda & Vision to get back together 😭😭

How likely is that to be true??

https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/this-week-in-marvel-cb-cebulski-interview-avengers-guardians-gwen-stacy

So, that's an old interview from March, and he's talking specifically about The Avengers (2023), which, at the time, hadn't even come out yet. We're now six issues into The Avengers, and there have been no new developments in Wanda and Vision's relationship. The latest issue did have something of a callback to their history together, but it took place in an alternate reality dreamworld.

The Avengers is kicking of a new story arc next month, so I don't know what's coming, and I don't know what to expect. What I do know is that Cebulski is neither writing nor editing the book itself, nor is he a part of the creative team on Scarlet Witch or SW&Q. I'm much more interested in what Orlando and MacKay have to say about Wanda's love life-- Cebulski has a lot of power in the company, but I don't believe that he typically gets to make this sort of decision on his writers' behalf. Orlando still has the most creative control over Wanda, and he hasn't done anything with her and Vision-- in fact, he's actually teased her getting back with Jericho.

As I said when this article was first published, a lot of the buzz about Wanda and Vision being on a team together felt like it was pandering to the M C U audience. The two of have them have been on teams together multiple times in the last decade, but people didn't start jumping to conclusions about it until that stupid show came out.

[blackhiil]

BLACKHILL BAND AU: that’s the beauty of a secret (you know you’re supposed to keep it)

PART ONE

E! News: It’s no secret that Lesbian Fury and Russian Roulette are dominating the charts right now and currently fighting for the number one spot. Here’s everything we know about the two bands.

Lesbian Fury composed of Maria Hill, Maria Rambeau and Carol Danvers are signed to SHIELD Entertainment. The 3 women are very open in their sexualities as lesbians and many fans have spoken about how seeing the 3 in mainstream media has helped them be comfortable in themselves.

Carol Danvers (aka Captain Carol) and Maria Rambeau (aka Phonton Maria) have been in a relationship for 10 years. The two women — who were friends long before they were together —have been married for 7 years. The couple is often seen with their daughter Monica Rambeau-Danvers. Carol recently admitted in an interview that Still Into You was written as an anniversary present for her wife.

“It was a spur of the moment song. I had just been thinking of how we were nearing our 10 year anniversary and Maria never fails to give me butterflies, even now. So, I went to Maria [Hill] who helped me finish writing and producing.”

Speaking of Maria Hill, the lead singer, she told Vogue she is married to a mystery woman. Maria often speaks of her wife in interviews so this isn’t anything new; however she said the songs Strange Love and Trouble were written about her wife. We all hope one day we will see the woman who managed to capture the singers heart.

“Strange Love was written about my wife . There was a party we were at and people were wondering if we had hooked up in the bathroom and I don’t mean to be crass, but we totally did. So whoever bet on it, because I know they did, they always do, you’re gonna get your money. During this time, people were also constantly talking about my love life and calling my wife strange and weird and I was sick of it because it’s none of their business and she’s perfect how she is. Thus, Strange Love was created.”

Russian Roulette composed of sisters Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova, and Sokovian native Wanda Maximoff are signed to Avengers Inc. These 3 queer women (Natasha is a lesbian, Wanda is pansexual, and Yelena is an asexual lesbian) recently opened up in a Vanity Fair interview about how they became comfortable in their identities and fans loved it.

In this interview, fans found out more about Yelena and Wanda’s relationship. The two have been in a loving relationship for 5 years and recently got engaged. Yelena admitted that the song Everything I Wanted was especially written for Wanda as an engagement gift.

“I had this recurring this dream — it was a nightmare really— that Wanda would one day leave me. Her leaving was a thought that was always in the back of my head, especially after I came out as asexual. However, the reality was completely different. Wanda was so accepting of it and even did research to get a better understanding of what asexuality was and how to navigate our relationship. I just wanted to show her my love and appreciation toward her, so I put it in a song.”

Onto the redhead Lead Singer Natasha (or Natalia as Yelena calls her). Natasha admitted that she’s been married for since 2013 to a mystery woman. When asked about her wife, Natasha just said her wife loves her very much and she’s always happy around her. She even opened up about Cinnamon Girl, a song Natasha previously refused to open up about in many interviews.

“Cinnamon Girl is actually a song my wife and I wrote together. We had been together about 5 months and I was still healing from a very bad relationship that I had 2 years prior. At the time, she didn’t know many details of that relationship, just how it affected me, but she was so patient and loving and it was new to me. I didn’t know how to express my feelings, so I wrote them in a song which she heard me playing. I opened up to her that night and a few days later, she helped me finish it.”

Fans of LF and RR have suspected that Maria [Hill] and Natasha are each other’s secret wives because of the secrecy of their relationships. However, the two women have never even interacted online, so we may never know if they’re together or not.

————————————————————————

Lesbian Fury Tracklist: Strange Love; Halsey The Shining; The Neighborhood Still Into You; Paramore Trouble; Twin Heat Waves; Glass Animals Make Up Your Mind; Florence + Machine Haunting; Halsey Don’t Blame Me; Taylor Swift Sweater Weather; The Neighborhood

Russian Roulette Tracklist: Coming Down; Halsey Sober II (Melodrama); Lorde Everything I Wanted; Billie Eilish Cinnamon Girl; Lana Del Rey Flaming Hot Cheetos; Clairo Love in the Dark; Adele Sorry; Halsey Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince; Taylor Swift Supercut; Lorde ————————————————————————

Very excited for this series, mainly because it is apart of my blackhill bingo, but also, this idea is so fun. It’s going to be a social media au but also have little stories. Wanda x Yelena is a ship I really enjoy, therefore they’ll be together. If you have anything to say about that, well don’t! cause this is my page and I can write whatever I want. That being said, I really hope you guys have fun with this <3

This will have its own tag; TTBOAS so it’s easier for you guys to find it.

#blackhill #maria hill #natasha romanoff #maria x natasha #lesbian maria hill #lesbian natasha romanoff #martasha #lesbian carol danvers #lesbian maria rambeau #carol x maria #carolmaria #danbeau #maria rambeau #carol danvers #wanda maximoff #yelena belova #asexual yelena belova #lesbian yelena belova #wanda x yelena #band au #TTBOAS #marvel wlw #wlw #lesbian

[buckysnumberonegirl]

Glimpse of Us

Past Matt Murdock x Reader, Steve x Reader

tw~ Angst Angst Angst, a little bit of blood

Word count~ like a little over 1.1K

A/N ~ This stupid song made me feel things I didn't want to so now you all have to feel my pain, I haven't been feeling well and this was not beta read so if it's bad it's bad

Another party. Stark Tower boomed with loud voices and Music as the Avengers celebrated another victory. You followed Steve around like a lost puppy, these parties always stressed you out but he flourished in the limelight, loving every bit of attention that fell upon you two. After the press caught you two out for coffee you decided that the relationship benefited both of you. And you did like Steve he was Sweet and he brought you flowers every Sunday. 

You felt so overwhelmed, as the reporters took picture after picture asking about your picture-perfect relationship. 

“ So Y/N when do you think you guys are going to move on to the next step?” The microphone shoved in your face smelled like rubber and bad mint.

‘Move on?’ you tried to catch a grip on what was happening your heart rate rising as Panic started to set in. What had he told you what were you being asked? That calming voice hit the back of your head Just breathe 

You reached out trying to clear your head and find Steve so you could hold onto him tethering you to reality.

His hand came to grip yours, giving it a squeeze. “Let's go outside yeah?” He looked into your eyes as you studied the sea of blue. He waved to the reporters saying some excuse about needing a minute with his girl.  Tugging you out you finally took a breath on the balcony. 

“What going on in that head of yours Y/N” Steve smiled at you that smile that makes America swoon, so why didn't you. 

—--------

He sat on the roof, focusing on the noises of the night. Over all of it was that stupid music, Stark really knew how to throw a loud party. He wondered if you were there, if you were you probably were miserable. You always hated those Parties, often begging him to make an excuse with you so you could stay home. 

Then He heard his voice. You were outside you were upset. He almost felt your heart beating from where he sat. He wondered how fast he could get to you, god Foggy would be so disappointed. 

He tuned out all the other voices, he knew he shouldn't listen but he just wanted to be sure, be sure you were okay. 

‘ I'm fine Steve I just need some air’ even he knew you were lying from miles away. ‘ You can go back in I just need a minute’ 

He heard the door and you let out a sigh so deep, he hadn't heard you sound so defeated since your last fight. 

And then he heard a sound he knew all too well. You were crying. 

—-----

‘Fuck’ you mumbled to yourself as the tears slid down your cheeks. You just wanted to go home. You pulled out your phone The picture of you and steve greeted you. You looked at his head that was thrown back in a laugh about who knows what. 

You knew he would do anything for you but yet…

You looked out into the darkness of the night. Wondered if he could hear you wherever he was. 

‘Sometimes I look into his eyes and I hope I find A glimpse of what we had. I'm trying to fall for his touch but I'm thinking of how it was.’ 

You knew he wasn't there He didn't hear you. You knew that your number was blocked after that stupid interview. It was probably Foggy that told him. 

When they asked you if you Missed Matt Murdock. 

‘I'm fine, I've moved on it's in the past now’ you smiled that fake smile and laughed that fake laugh. Then they blindsided you with the picture of you and Steve having coffee. Your hand was on his arm and you both were laughing. It had been harmless, a post-run drink before the morning debrief. As soon as the picture popped up Your PR agent came through your com saying Steve was willing to go on a few dates until the media loses interest. 

Now 6 months later you were the paparazzi's favorite couple, two avengers in love showing the world that you were normal people just like everyone else just with superpowers. 

 —-------

7 months earlier 

He had been waiting on the roof You said you needed to talk and so he waited in the one area he could keep his head clear despite being able to hear the whole of the city. His nose was sore, he hoped he had gotten all the blood off, the dealer he had fought caught him pretty good. He told you he wasn't going out tonight but he couldn't help it he heard the cry for help. 

‘ Matt,’

He knew you were there God why was this happening, if he could just tell you how he felt. 

‘There's blood on your lip’

Your voice was so soft, so tired from the fighting. You signed that damn sigh. So defeated. He felt you wipe his face, your hand resting on his cheek. “Y/N I just… I need to tell you something”

‘I'm moving into Stark tower’

Your words sat hung in the air. Heavy and cold.

‘Tony has a suite for me the movers are coming to get my stuff tomorrow I just,’ your voice caught in your throat. Matt felt each word like a lash knowing he could have prevented this. Should he fight, he stayed quiet letting you speak. 

‘I don't know what else we can do here Matt, I'm sorry' 

He caught his hand as he went to reach up to hold your face. “I'm sorry too.” 

That was all he said, you walked away slamming the door behind yourself. He listened to you cry as you walked to your car. Fighting every urge to follow you to tell you he loved you He adored you… The ring sat cold in his pocket

—-

You held the balcony, wiping the tears from your face and getting ready to head back in and face the masses. 

‘I know you probably can't hear me Matt, but I miss you’ you spoke out into the darkness not knowing that now just a rooftop away he sat listening having taken in every word. 

“I miss you too Y/N” part of him was hoping you would hear him and stay just a bit longer, looking for him. 

You almost did hear it, the words wrapped around you with the breeze bringing warmth as you walked back into the party. Putting on a plastic smile as you walked over to Steve, he wrapped his arms around you without a second thought. 

You looked out the window, staring and the stars peeked over to the tops of the buildings, noticing a moment too late the silhouette of the man leaving the neighboring building.

#marvel #captain america x you #captain america fluff #captain america #steve rodgers x reader #reader insert #txt fluff #matt murdock smut #matt murdock x reader #angst #matt murdock #daredevil

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

BABYMETAL Officially Welcomes New Third Member, MOMOMETAL

Japanese pop metal band BABYMETAL has announced the addition of a new third member, Momoko Okazaki, who will go by the name of Momometal.

Okazaki had been a member of BABYMETAL's trio of backup dancers (along with Kano Fujihira and Riho Sayashi),known as "Avengers", since 2019, following the departure of one of BABYMETAL's original members, Yuimetal, in October 2018.

Momoko's addition to BABYMETAL was announced over the weekend during the band's show at the Pia Arena MM in Okazaki, Japan.

Momoko was once a member of SAKURA GAKUIN and participated in South Korean reality TV show "Girls Planet 999" as a contestant. However, the singer left the series after the show's first elimination round.

In 2018, BABYMETAL announced the departure of Yuimetal, who was formerly one of the members of the Japanese group's core trio. She exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.

BABYMETAL was formed in 2010. Their mission was to unify the world through heavy metal by creating a fusion of heavy metal and the Japanese pop genre. Their music contains a stunning mix of electronic pop, a pinch of alternative and industrial rock, and is leveled up by fast-driven heavy metal. Their live shows are ground-breaking and epic visual as well as sound performances. BABYMETAL continued to travel the path of metal with the international release of their three albums, telling the story of the mighty Fox God and his brave metal warriors.

A book about the first ten years of BABYMETAL, "Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushuu", was released in Japan in October 2020. It contains a long interview with Su-metal and Moametal as well as never-before-heard stories from band producer Kobametal from BABYMETAL's decade-long history, photos taken from live shows, a discussion between Demon Kakka and Kobametal, and much more.

BABYMETAL's latest concept album "The Other One", was released on March 24.

#Babymetal #2023 news

[agentscamander-romanoff]

Charlie Cox said in the interview that he wants to meet and work with his friend Tom Hiddleston in "Daredevil:Born Again"but hear me out... Charlie Cox as Mike Murdock in "Loki". He works at the TVA and the fact that he is Murdock is never adress or only a little bit information is shown and then Loki comes to the MCU 616 reality in the "Avengers :Kang Dynasty "and sees Matt and he is like "Mike! My friend! WAIT ARE YOU BLIND? ",while Matt is just :"?????" 'till TVA Mike shows up and everyone is confused , because they look the same , but not variants of each other and what is going on?

#tbh I don't know much about Mike #but that sounds pike an interesting concept #loki #loki tv series #loki tv show #tva #mike murdock #matt murdock #daredevil #daredevil: born again #avengers : kang dynasty #avengers #mcu

[altheterrible]

please tell us about: Avenged! The Making of the Official Biography of the Avengers of New York?

So, the premise here was that SHIELD decided they needed to humanize the Avengers so that people wouldn't freak out about the existence of superheroes. Nick Fury thinks the best way to do that is to launch a media blitz that includes TV interviews, a reality show, and an authorized biography. The story was basically going to be about each Avenger and their reactions to the media attention. I wrote the prologue but not much else.

#writing #ask game #fanfic

[sincerethoughtsblog]

I posted 804 times in 2022

That's 314 more posts than 2021!

528 posts created (66%)

276 posts reblogged (34%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ferrisbuellers

@billieeilishdaily

@womanmagnificent

@hunterschafer

@that-bi-multifandom-mess

I tagged 549 of my posts in 2022

Only 32% of my posts had no tags

#mcu - 212 posts

#the avengers - 186 posts

#the mcu - 171 posts

#avengers - 155 posts

#hayley atwell - 124 posts

#peggy carter - 121 posts

#doctor strange multiverse of madness - 120 posts

#hayley atwell is stunning - 119 posts

#captain america winter soldier - 117 posts

#peggy x steve - 117 posts

Longest Tag: 103 characters

#billie eilish says she &039;should not be headlining&039; coachella as she headlines coachella cnn

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

lexi howard writes, reads and pretends to have fake interviews until 4am to escape from reality when she feels like a side character in her own life. she’s so real for this. she’s me and i am her. she’s for the mirrorball girlies

3,231 notes - Posted January 24, 2022

#4

this lexi director scene was so camp

4,696 notes - Posted January 23, 2022

#3

lexi having fake interviews in her head and imagining her life as a character and relating everything to to tv shows and film i’m her and she is me

11,901 notes - Posted January 23, 2022

#2

in case florence + the machine comes on shuffle

17,623 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Pride and Prejudice (2005) is a timeless classic because the line “i’m 27 years old, i’ve no money and no prospects. i’m already a burden to my parents and i’m frightened” is as relevant today as when the movie came out in 2005 😭

43,709 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[matchboxguns]

Day #11: Ego, The Saturdays (2010)

Finally! I get to write about The Saturdays. This was the first musical act that I really stanned, as obsessive as I was with Shakira and Madonna and Matchbox Twenty. Finding out about The Saturdays was not as organic as compared to my journey with Europop groups in the early aughts – I found them via the Recommended tab on YouTube, with a song called Notorious. I immediately imagined myself in their shoes, but with myself switching from the dryness of school (instead of the dryness of working at an office) to working the dancefloor. It was during my internship (when I also listened to Robyn) when I first saw the music video. And like the young homo that I was, me and floor fillers just mixed well.  

Soon enough, I listened to all their songs, watched all their MVs, watched all their interviews that were online. I talked about them to my friends non-stop. My experience with girl groups was similar to everyone else: some Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child here and there. When I saw Frankie, Mollie, Una, Vanessa, and Rochelle for the first time (in Flo Rida’s order in their collab “Higher,” which is the only correct order), I was in love. Singing in the cold in the middle of nowhere? Stunning. Mollie’s verse in Work? Work. Vanessa’s vocals in Forever is Over? Iconic. Androgynous clothing in Gentlemen? They went there years before your pop idols. I even watched their Google+ Hangout launch on YouTube. All 51 minutes of it. Vanessa randomly broke out into song and imitated a dog’s bark non-stop (since they did not have a buzzer for a trivia game).

They had a reality show on E! in 2013 which I watched and rewatched religiously (I rewatched the whole thing when the whole world in quarantine, as a regressive source of comfort). It’s soothing to see their dynamics play out. Hey, every reality show is scripted, but I really felt that they were really good friends IRL. I think they’re still good friends, even today. It’s refreshing to see genuine friendships in pop groups instead of the usual drama that goes on (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, The Cheetah Girls).

About the song itself, it was a fun reworking of a superhero story, way before Marvel movies made it the cash grab-pop culture industry that it is today. Way before Avengers and the MCU, we didn’t have too many good superhero stories in film or TV. Una is a pyrokinetic, Frankie is a photokinetic, Vanessa manipulates physical bodies, Rochelle has super strength, and there was a debate about whether Mollie is an aerokinetic or is actually an atmokinetic. To be fair though, we only see Mollie blow strong winds against their foe and posing next to a griffin. We don’t see her doing anything else that could suggest that she can control weather or at least, lightning. She has lightning under her eye, but that doesn’t suggest anything except for maybe she’s a fan of David Bowie. Or that she’s probably a Little Monster.

Ego’s music video features The Saturdays (Rochelle joked that they would’ve been called The Friday Nights which I honestly don’t know if that’s better or worse) out for revenge when their former member (who’s a guy) chose to go solo. As it turns out, the guy is incompetent and hungry for recognition, and he only got to where he was because of the efforts of his former team. It’s a nice interpretation of the lyrics, which is about the inherent confidence/hubris of straight men.

Favorite Lyrics:

I think you’ll find that it is very hard to face reality is a simple thing

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93iIib5oLOw

#soundtrack to your life #the saturdays #ego

[egotheplanet]

Avengers the Reality Show Interview - WandaVision Edition

(Requests Open! Send me ideas for the show)

#WandaVision #avengers the reality show interview #atrsi #wanda maximoff #the vision #vision #pietro maximoff #peter maximoff #quicksilver #Scarlet Witch #billy maximoff #wiccan #tommy maximoff #speed #darcy lewis #disney plus #disney+ #marvel #mcu

[arctimon]

What If...? (Big Hero 6 Edition)

So the next Marvel series set to release is What If...?, a series of nine episodes that will focus on alternate events and timelines that occur within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The series, based off of the comic series of the same name, will premiere on August 11th, running straight through October 6th. The show was suppose to have ten episodes in both Season 1 and 2 (which is already being worked on), but producer Brad Winderbaum mentions in an interview that they had to push an episode back because of, you guessed it, the pandemic:

"We had to push an episode into Season 2. It was just, honestly, like everything else, that was a COVID impact," Winderbaum told Collider. "There was an episode that just wouldn't hit the completion date, but luckily we do get to see it in the second season of the show."

Judging by both the poster and the trailer, we know of a few scenarios: Peggy Carter becoming Captain America, an alternate Avengers lineup battling at New York, Black Panther as Star Lord, Marvel Zombies (of course there’s zombies), and Spider-Man as the Sorcerer Supreme.  Inverse has an article breaking all of the possibilities down.

A lot of the actors who portray their characters in live action will reprise their roles for the animated series, including the late Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther/Star Lord.  Star...Panther?  Black Lord? That last one sounds wrong. Among those not coming back are Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, and Dave Bautista as Drax.  Bautista was, according to the man himself, wasn’t even asked to come back to voice Drax.  Others include Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, James Spader as Ultron, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Elizabeth Olson as the Scarlet Witch, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and various members of the Dora Milaje.  They have all apparently been confirmed to be appearing in What If...? in some form or another, but voiced by different people.

It will certainly be an interesting show, but I hope you can see where I’m going with this.

The Big Hero 6 fanbase has a lot of burning questions for the show and movie, and it’s not all just unanswered ones about what happens after the show ended.  I think collectively there are a few common “what-ifs” that we have in our minds about the team.  I think the most obvious one involves one of the Hamada brothers, and that branches off into other what-ifs as well.

Granted, not all of these are reality-altering hypotheticals like there are in the show or comics, but they can still change the course of the movie or show in a huge way.

1.) What if...Tadashi had survived the fire?

Tadashi being a survivor of the fire that takes down the exhibition hall brings up a few interesting conundrums.  Would he be scarred for life?  Would he even be able to complete school?

And if Hiro still made the team, would he end up becoming Sunfire like a lot of fans theorize?

The thing is that Callaghan knows that Tadashi died in the fire.  If he knew that he didn’t, would that change his motivations?  Would he still be using the Microbots knowing that the person that was trying to “stop” him was still alive? Alternatively, you also have...

2.) What if...Hiro had died instead of Tadashi?

Hiro was probably about two seconds away from being fully engulfed in that giant fireball.  It’s entirely plausible that he (or possibly both Hamadas) could have perished in the fire instead of his brother, which sort of leads to the same circumstances as the first question, just with different powersets.  Tadashi would no longer be tied to fire-based powers but the magnetic equipment that that Hiro currently uses.

But one has to think about whether Tadashi would be in the right state of mind to be a hero long term.  Seeing his kid brother perish in the accident would probably cause him to go insane, and perhaps the rest of the team would have to reel him in.

3.) What if...Baymax had killed Callaghan?

It’s worth noting that if Honey Lemon had been about three seconds later on getting the healthcare chip back into Baymax, this wouldn’t have been a “What If?” question.

And sure, the team would have saved the day, but at what cost?  The permanent scarring of a fourteen-year-old?  And what would have come of the major revelations after that fight concerning Project Silent Sparrow and Abigail?

Maybe they would have been the ones to build the portal to the other dimension to try to save her.  That would similar to what happened in the original manga (where Tadashi actually helps with the construction of the original portal and got sucked in as a result). 4.) What if...Baymax had saved Obake in “Countdown to Catastrophe”?

Obake dismissed Baymax after his hideout started collapsing near the end of Part 2, and you could tell that Baymax was seriously considering rescuing him before leaving him in his chair amongst the rubble.  Ultimately, however, he did leave him behind after Obake’s insistence.

Imagine what would have happened if he had gone against his programming and saved his life.

The relieved group hug on the beach would have been replaced with a disheveled (and probably a little damp) Obake.  Hiro would have been staring hiim down in disbelief.  Perhaps there would even be another fight, or at least the makings of one.

And then Obake would give himself up for arrest.

Maybe that’s where Chief Cruz could have been introduced.  It would have given a good lead into the next season, and it would give Megan’s meeting with Hiro in Season 2 a little bit more meaning.

And finally, because I’m a shipper and we have to go there:

5.) What if...Karmi had never left SFIT at the end of “City of Monsters”?

We know from the boards that Bob Schooley posted that “City of Monsters” was originally going to end very differently than what actually made the final cut.  It seemed that Karmi, in addition to getting a nonsensical boyfriend named “Flammarion”, was not suppose to leave SFIT in the early draft.

So what if Hiro had shown up to her lab, and instead of seeing this...

He saw this?

Or...something a little less dramatic?  Maybe just her packing up stuff because she’s in the process of leaving?  And Hiro had to say something in order for her to stop what she was doing? And how exactly would you achieve that? See, if that scenario happened, I think that this particular point would be where Hiro told her about being in Big Hero 6.  And of course Karmi wouldn’t believe him, even though she’s now in love with him crushing on him.

Then, he takes her to the base.

And she turns back to him with an incredulous look.

And roll credits.  What a cliffhanger to go into Season 3 with. I vaguely remember fanart depicting that exact scene (Hiro taking Karmi to the base), but I don’t remember who did it.  I would like to give them the proper credit. Season 3 would have looked totally different if that took place.  Maybe it would have been an actual season and not a bunch of mini stories.  Also...perhaps Karmi would have joined the team proper.

And maybe we would have finally had a giant canonical Karmiro moment.

...Now that is a big “What if?”.

(Marvel’s What If...? premieres on Wednesday, August 11th on Disney+.)

#big hero 6 #big hero 6 the series #big hero 6 season 3 #hiro hamada #tadashi hamada #big hero 6 movie #karmi #karmiro #marvel's what if #obake #liv amara #countdown to catastrophe #city of monsters #baymax #yokai #professor callaghan

[scarlet--wiccan]

Talking about the mcu in any capacity is like. Genuinely upsetting to me at this point so subject change: wanda (or like, a Wanda inspired character) is going to be focal point of the next demon days run. Do you have any thoughts on it/the series as a whole? I haven’t read it myself yet (I think it just got added to my library’s digital collection so I’m thinking about checking it out)

I just posted about this! The character based on Wanda is named Momiji, and I am excited to see more of her.

I tried keeping up with Demon Days / Demon Wars, but I fell off after a while. The way Marvel publishes this series is really weird and it makes it difficult to keep track of, especially if you're trying to order or subscribe to it at your LCS.

Anyways, I love Momoko's artwork and I think that this world she's been able to build is super exciting and refreshing, especially in the context of Marvel's history with Japanese settings, characters and creators, both real and fake. It's no secret that I love mythology and folklore, so that aspect of the series is a real treat for me. The storytelling is not super tight, but I think it comes together nicely if you read it as a fairytale piece.

I spent the afternoon catching up on Demon Wars and I realized that Momiji, our Scarlet Hannya, is most likely the villain of the story. This week's release, Demon Wars: Down in Flames, revealed that Momiji is the mystical presence that has been fomenting conflict among the yokai world's protectors, and causing Yamato-- the Captain America stand-in-- to experience violent rages.

My primary concern is that Momoko may have based her Scarlet Hannya on a shallow reading of Wanda's most challenging, problematic storyline. Momiji's actions harken back to Disassembled, in which Wanda, during a grief-induced breakdown, uses mind control and reality warping to sow chaos and violence among the Avengers. In an interview for Marvel.com, Momoko stated, "When designing Momiji, [...]the first thought that came to mind to represent Scarlet Witch was her anger and betrayal."

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with writing Wanda in a dark place, but I don't like it when writers refer back to Disassembled with out showing empathy for Wanda or unpacking the ableist, sexist portrait of her mental illness. Time will tell what Momiji-- and Momoko-- have in plan.

#demon days #demon wars #momiji #scarlet hannya

[vagrantblvrd]

So, uh.

How ‘bout that AU where Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark went to a boarding school or, idk, some Young Rich Kid Thing years ago and have this ~frenemies thing going on?

Because heirs to their respective empires/legacies who end up in the superhero business.

The press thinks they’re rivals/frenemies and such? Which in all honesty they should be?

But nah.

(But maybe?)

In reality they heckle the shit out of each other and stage “hostile takeovers” and whatnot because things are slow and boring, or they need to train up new people to handle serious attempts and anyway.If they manage to succeed it just means there’s a WE branch in that city or SI in this one and anyway.

It’s entertaining as hell watching the pres trying to make sense of it?

But also the superhero Thing and late night calls where it’s clear the other one Knows but coming out and admitting it would spoil the fun, but anyway, okay, anyway.

Sometimes Bruce gets packages with new gear/tech that have the Si logo on them somewhere - discreet-like, but also where Bruce knows to look. Or Tony gets a gift or someone taps JARVIS on the shoulder like psst, hey, you should take a look at this, and oh, hey, something nefarious is brewing and Tony best nip that nonsense in the bud before it blows up in his face.

Clark is convinced Bruce cannot stand this Tony Stark character? But then there’s some party or an expo and Bruce has to attend, and Clark goes (as Bruce’s ~date or in capacity as a reporter or just to fuck with Bruce for the hell of it) and is like oh.

Because to anyone who doesn’t know better it sure as hell looks like Bruce cannot stand Tony? But he’s got a real smile on his face, no horribad Brucie facade, seems glad to see him?

(And look, he doesn’t know Tony well, but he’s interviewed the man before and the smiles he sees on Tony’s face while talking to Bruce aren’t the same ones he gave Clark during that interview.)

AND THEN.

There’s the matter of Bruce’s kids and Tony’s kids and Bruce’s no, pls no, at the mere thought of them meeting?

But of course they do, because his kids are all horrible little gremlins and Tony’s got this mixed bag - Parker’s charmingly polite, but then there’s Keener and oh, God, the rest - and Bruce is like *SIGH* because the world will never be the same again???

Also, though, also.

Bruce’s kids when they’re with the Titans and Tony’s on the west coast at the time, you know - convenient that - and oh, God, the horror? (The horror.)

Especially when he finds plans for iron man suits in Robin’s colors???

There are so many over the years, and when his kids outgrow Robin there are suit designs for Nightwing, and armor or Red Hood - where did Bruce think Jason got the fancy helmet from, you know? Ra’s? Talia? Pfft. Red Robin and he knows Oracle’s got a line to Tony and JARVIS and whoever else for Steph and Cass and whoever.

(Armor at the very least, if they refuse a full suit and Bruce is like *SIGH* but it’s not like he’s going to turn something like that down, you know? Tony makes the best and it’s sticking point on the business side of things at times, a good reason for that division of WE to be better, dammit, although outsiders think it’s a business thing and nothing personal at all, and anyway.)

Yes.

Tony forever trying to ~woo Bruce’s kids away because they’re all so fucking smart?

But then there’s Tim, and Tony remembers the Drakes, okay. Wondered what happened to that kid he met at some party once upon a time, heard about the everything that left young Timothy without a mother and father badlyinjured and -

Bruce.

Also, okay, also.

Sometime after the everything with Jason, and Tony being in no position to help Bruce out, but then JARVIS tells him Batman’s got himself a new sidekick and really, Bruce, really.

Got to put in more work if you’re going to do the secret identity thing because that’s obviously the Drake kid - thank god you gave him tights, but come on, man, are you serious with all this?

And then the moment Tim’s anywhere near the west coast Tony has to check in on this kid and is like *_* because he’s the perfect little sarcastic brat and oh, Bruce, where do you find these kids?

But no, don’t tell Tony he can handle only so many tragic backstories before his morning coffee and anyway, about time you old bastard.

(Because Jason and Bruce’s guilt and everything.)

But then fast forward to Tony in New York and Tim’s there for a Thing for WE and Tony >:)))))))))))))) because he’s going to steal Tim for SI, don’t think he won’t, Wayne.

And then other shenanigans, I guess?

The Avengers being all ??? at this kid in the Tower who isn’t Peter or Harley and Tony trying to sell him on an armored suit of his own - grappling hooks are so yesterday, you know? Tony’s suits are so much better, and anyway, did he mention the flying thing?

Because it is awesome, Tim, trust him.

Tim is just *eyeroll* because Tony’s not wrong, but the whole metal suit doesn’t lend itself incredibly well to the whole...terror that flaps in the night thing or whatever the Bats have going for them???

(Tony takes that as a challenge because he can so make a stealth armor, just watch him, Tim.)

But anyway.

ALSO.

Tam being like.

NO. You can’t have him, he’s a nightmare, but he’s our nightmare, and then , idk, commiserating with Pepper and/or taking notes from Pepper and Tim and Tony are like oh, no, but also oh, yes, because Pepper is terrifying and her teaching Tam her tricks can only end well.

(Not for Tim, necessarily? But you know. In general.)

And then some party or gala or whatever and Bad Guys and the Avengers show up to save Tony and whoever?

And are ??? because Tony and Tim are like “Oh, no, after you I insist,” and “No, no, this is your city after all,” and so on because manners! And also superhero politics and really, the bad guys are hilariously bad at this and no one’s in any danger from them, and anyway.

Yes.

(Also. Tony being ridiculously charmed by Damian, okay. This little >:((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( kid who clearly thinks Tony is at least three steps below slime he found on the bottom of his little batkid boot and oh, God, it’s like seeing young!Bruce before his kids ruined his life but in concentrated form and he cannot believe Bruce didn’t want the two of them to meet, Damian is a fucking delight, okay, as is Tony, and anyway. Yes.)

#batfam nonsense #avengers nonsense #crossover nonsense #bucky and jason bonding though #*_* #everyone else being oh no #because oh no #tim plotting with tony to make bruce's life miserable #like #job offers at SI that Bruce comes across and is like #*SIGH* #but also >:( no tony my kid! #you have yours #leave mine alone!!1! #idk #it's been a hell of a week #:D? #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #long post

[redspiderling]

MCU Breakdown: Black Widow, Part 1

I can’t believe this is happening 😭

First of all, congratulations to all of you who’ve been here all these years. We got it. We begged for years, and it’s finally here.

For once I wasn't dreading revisiting this film to write down what I got from it. I felt more like I might not do it justice. This film is so special to me, but here it is, the MCU Breakdown of Black Widow, part 1 (of who knows how many).

I remember back when I started running this blog and talking about a hypothetical Black Widow movie that had never been announced, always "yeah, we would be happy to do it, maybe, someday in the future", and arguing that it would be important for women and girls, no matter its content. I'm so glad we got it like this. So, so glad.

The rest under the cut.

Let's start with some technical details. The film has a lot of setups and callbacks, nothing is done in chance. For example, I love how the light, and the sounds we hear when we first, and last, see Natasha in the film, are the same. We greet her in bright -birds cheeping- morning light, while she's riding her bike home, to her family

and we leave her in bright -birds cheeping- morning light, while she's riding her bike home, to her family (I'm using the term family very liberally here in reference to the Avengers for the sake of the movie, bear with me, you know how I feel about those dudes).

It's signifying new beginnings, each time, not endings. Notice how, what we see is natural light, which makes this scene pop out, and look more real because the light is coming from the sun, and isn’t artificially made on VFX software. You will notice the stark differences in colours and lighting when the emotions and the atmosphere change in this film, because there is a visual language being employed here, the director has a story to say, and she uses all the tools she has to tell it. The light is exactly the same in those 2 scenes, because Cate wants us to make that connection, even if we make it unconsciously.

Natasha is placed in such a positive way, both at the start and the end of the film. There's this discussion about how "real" their little family was, but it was the characters that muddled up that image. The reality of their lives in Ohio is presented in a happy way, that had deep rivers under the surface, for sure. This wasn't accidental, for a lot of reasons.

First of all, if you take it the literal way, they were spies, and had to present themselves as normal. If you take it the allegorical way, any girl could fall victim to trafficking, and if you take it the character way, both Scarlett and Cate wanted to showcase that Natasha is human. They also wanted to give her something that wasn't always dripping with pain and sadness. They were both parts of her life, yes, but there was also joy, and light, and once upon a time she had been a kid, playing with her sister.

Also, and this has been mentioned before but it bears repeating: I love the actress they chose for young Natasha, and I love how they presented her character. She's allowed to be a young teenage girl. She's not sexualised. She's at that gangly stage between childhood and adulthood, and there's nothing sexual about it, no provocative clothing, no excessive makeup. She's a kid.

Plus, I know Cate said the actress already had her hair dyed blue and they just decided to let her have it, but I think it works well for Natasha's character. That small act of defiance, even that early on, against the system that wanted to break her. Also, the film gives us such great character moments, because they let the camera roll and don't rush through scenes, look at Natasha looking at Melina comforting Yelena. We can see the pain, the fear, where she knows that this isn't going to last, and wonders about what will become of them once their lives begin to unravel.

We also get to see the joy on her face, the wonder of discovering the world, how often do you get to see Marvel characters do this, just live in the moment?

Bioluminescence: the production and emission of light by a living organism. Or how Natasha is a bright light, that shines from within. Not my words, Cate Shortland's words. I felt it when I was watching this scene, but it was lovely to have it verified in one of her interviews. I wish I could meet her, and tell her that everything she wanted to put on screen came through, incandescent and crystal clear. Fireflies are a symbol for Natasha, as a bright light that shines from within, and never dies.

Small details that I love, the magnet on the fridge: Don't forget, above a picture of Natasha. LIKE WE EVER COULD, CATE.

We have another setup here, where the family gathers up to have dinner together. Even the sitting arrangement is the same as later on in the film.

Notice also how both young, and adult version of Natasha, communicate so well with Melina, just with their eyes. It doesn't necessary show a deep history between them, but it does show a bone deep level of understanding. Not just of their current circumstance, but of their future, and of what it will do to them. Melina knows what's coming and she's says it "I'm sorry", but they're both resigned to their fate, Melina because she doesn't see a way out, and Natasha because, well, here she's a kid, and therefore is powerless.

The dynamics between Yelena and Alexei is so different. Yelena is young and doesn't understand, so they're speaking about completely different things. "I don't have my shoes" is what she says, and it's heartbreaking in its innocence, as Alexei is loading his gun and reading himself for battle. We can still see that he's not indifferent to her, telling her she can have "fruit loops in the car". He's not a monster, he just doesn't have a choice (or at least, he thinks he doesn't).

Also, notice how the camera angles are employed here: Natasha and Melina look each other eye to eye, Yelena looks up to Alexei, Alexei looks down on her, there is an imbalance of power and understanding in the second set of images, and the camera tells us that.

Melina doesn't let Natasha take the photo album. For one thing, it's certain that Natasha wouldn't be able to keep it. For another, Melina wanted the memories, and probably didn't want anyone else to realise/think that they cared about their little family unit.

There's just a lot of thought that's been put in the details of the script, to show us their bond, their attempts to hide it, to show the characters' personality in everything around them (notice the plants that are ever present in Melina's home, in Ohio and later in Saint Petersburg). She might seem cold, she has been through a lot, but she cares. And that care has brought her pain. And we have to see that pain, because we get the quiet moments like this one, where she stands alone in an empty home knowing that part of her life is over, never to return.

The mission, is the last thing Melina asks about. The last thing Alexei mentions, the last thing either of them cares about. First, she refused to accept that they had completed the mission and were now hunted, then she accepted it and they loaded their family in the car, and then she asked about the leaked files.

Also, notice how that shot is framed. Both images silhouetted by the light because it’s the moment and the prop smack down in the middle of the frame that’s important, now what they’re going through, emotionally, they’re not themselves in that moment, they’re nameless, tools of the trade, expendable in front of that tiny floppy disk.

Yelena is singing while the rest are plunging in despair, but still humour her and play her song.

I found this shot a bit... Jarring. I get it that for American audiences this would show that they're actually leaving "home" behind, but for the rest of us... Eeeh, I'll give it a pass because it is an American production and this is just something to be expected. I mean, Yelena's song was American Pie. We get it, you still love America, just because you're making a film about Russian spies doesn't mean you're a commie Marvel, it's ok.

But in any case, the setup for the action scene here was excellent. Happy, familiar music playing, car is on the main road, car goes off the main road familiar music gets toned down and eventually completely lost in the darkness.

Yelena knows what to do, we see it, so that we know that this 6 year old girl who holds her stuffed animal and walks barefoot has practiced for this moment.

By the way, Natasha did take another item with her along with the photobooth pictures (it also looks like a photo album with Disney princesses on it), it didn't survive the trip. We are informed of this for a very specific reason: Melina didn’t ask Natasha not to take the photo album out of malice, or just because she wanted to keep it for herself. She knew it wouldn’t survive the trip in Natasha’s hands. We also get a close shot of the image strip (and we get it again, during the credits), because it will be important, later on.

Bet y'all also forgot you were watching a superhero movie until this happened? That wasn't accidental, they wanted us to see them as normal people, this is the moment when that ends.

Natasha saved her family, even though she was a terrified kid.

I know that they did the huge titles thing to connect this film to Civil War but... Listen, Civil War needed the huge titles because that script and the way that movie was directed was a complete disaster. We needed to know where the characters were each time with huge ass title because there was NO OTHER WAY TO TELL. Between complete lack of a timeline, and the fact that you couldn't even tell what time of the day it was due to the horrible lighting, you definitely couldn't tell what the location was because it was irrelevant to the plot like, 90% of the time. Not to mention the title cards in Civil War were usually followed by dimly lit grey corridors so, yeah, give us a title so we know at least where they are, generally.

This film. Didn't Need That. For the most part anyway, there are 2 locations where the titles worked. First one was Ohio, the other I'll reveal later.

But here. Guys, they're Russian spies escaping from the US on a small plane... Where else would they go if not to Cuba?!?! This is the Black Widow movie paying for the sins of Civil War, in a small way in this instance.

Yelena tells Melina that pain only makes you stronger, Natasha cries, and they setup my heartbreak for later.

Natasha protecting Yelena, terrified, and staring men down the barrel of her gun anyway. Such a badass and heartbreaking callback.

Notice how this scene makes us look at how men view this. There's an allegory here as well, but I'll address what's actually happening in the film:

Dreykov notices Natasha's natural instinct to protect herself and her sister, and all he sees is something he can use. A tool for violence, instead of sex, in this case. But the implication is there. Not a person, or a terrified girl, just an object to be used by men.

So glad that piece of shit got blown up and never mentioned again. Any man looking for exposition on Dreykov to feel the "loss" when the villain is gone: Fuck you. Go get some therapy.

Moving on from that piece of shit, difference between Melina and Alexei: Melina apologised. Alexei lied, but he also tried to give them hope. We can see the devastation, because the soldiers never thought of them as girls like he did, and didn't blink before drugging them and taking them away.

Yet another setup, of Natasha and Yelena, drugged and powerless as they are taken away. Because it wasn't enough that they were kids, they took away all their choices, and rendered them unconscious.

What can I possibly say about this credits scene.

It's very real, probably the realest minutes in the entire MCU, and it's merciless. They don't try to sugar-coat what's happening, and there are no jokes to diffuse the drama. These are girls being trafficked from all over the world. I don't know about you but I felt the switch from true parallel to real life traffic victims like this shot that looks like footage from Interpol

to Red Room victims as being a clear shift, and I was actually grateful for it. Because here I could put my back against the fact that the red room wasn't real, otherwise I would have broken down before the credit sequence even ended.

It was a stroke of genius to create an introduction to this entire world like that. We rarely see credit sequences anymore and it's a shame, because when they're well done they tell stories in and of themselves, and this is one of the best I've seen.

Even the villain is set up here. He's pointing at girls and saying "that one, and her", like he's picking pigs for slaughter. How much more setup than that do you need, to want to murder that man dead? Not any more, that was enough.

Nobody speak to me I’m crying.

Subtle, but there. Trafficking (and traffickers) exists because it IS being tolerated by governments around the world.

Unnecessary title aside, who else says Natasha looks at herself in the mirror hear and repeats "pain only makes you stronger", as she's being hunted away from yet another family.

Then she's saying it again because it bears repeating and Natasha has been through A Lot these past few years. I love how unfiltered our first image of her is. After all she's been through, we basically see her stripped of all her tricks in a moment where she’s alone with herself and her thoughts(something we later learn she tries not to do much), and she's just a woman having a tiny breakdown in a semi-public bathroom. Again, human.

This is where I will leave you for this first part. Hey, I got through the intro, I count that as a win given just how long this breakdown has already been. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for reading, come yell at me in my inbox whenever, see you for the next one xo

#MCU Breakdown #Black Widow #Black Widow Spoilers #Natasha Romanoff #I'd like to think that all my followers have already seen it but just in case

[midnightbabylon]

F•R•I•E•N•D•S

summary: You’re a newly discovered German actress. So far you’ve had smaller roles in series like Law and Order or Navy CIS with 1-2 sets. Now you have your first big film project at the side of Sebastian Stan. In a week, the movie’s gonna be in theaters, and you’re on a press tour. Today you will be a live guest at Jimmy Kimmel Live!

pairing: Sebastian Stan x fem! German reader

word count: 1623 words

warnings: none just fluff

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Nervously, you step from one leg to the other. You’ve never been so uncomfortable in your life. Not only did you spend a few months in America, but it was also your first live talk show. To prepare you, you had seen some shows to get a feel for the show. Your hands were shaking and you asked your stylist every 10 seconds if you could really go out like that. You wore a y/fave colored dress that hugged your body. “Y/N you look great.” Sebastian was right behind you. His gentle voice and the compliment made you smile. “Says the right one. In the suit and shirt. Looking handsome as hell. This isn’t your first talk show, my dear.” You looked up at him and he smiled wide. “You’ll be all right. I’m with you all the time. You’re excited, I get that. That’s me before every show and every interview. Trust me.” “I trust you with my life.” You meant it. The last few months have been indescribable. Before filming, you first met the cast, including Sebastian. From the first second, he was likeable and radiated a calmness that went straight to you. You’ve met each other and created a base. Your connection has grown so much that you are now best friends. You’re both more introverted. On the last day of shooting, the crew wanted to celebrate. You guys went to the restaurant and had a wonderful, fun evening. When the others wanted to go dancing in a club, you both thankfully declined. You went to his apartment together. You mixed some cocktails while he was making popcorn. You were able to talk all night. In the early hours of the morning you went to sleep. He is such a humble and calm human being. It is impossible to not like him. “Let’s go.” He raised a finger as a gesture of listening.

“Please welcome Sebastian Stan and Y/N Y/LN.”

The silence was interrupted by deafening screams. That’s what Seb does to his fans.

You took a deep breath as you followed Sebastian to the stage. It all seemed much smaller than when you see it on TV. After you greeted Jimmy one after the other, you took a seat in the right chair. Sebastian was right next to Kimmel. The grey armchairs were totally comfortable. Carefully stroke your finger over the fabric to hide your nervousness.

“It’s really good to see you ya know.” Jimmy leaned over to Sebastian. “It’s great to be back! Last time was with the Avengers cast am I right?” The Moderator nodded. “Absolutely. I am glad you both can join tonight. You are here with Y/N Y/LN.” He looked at you and you smiled. “You two are the main characters in the movie ‘No Time For Tears’ coming out next week.” The crowd cheered. Sebastian’s warm glance grazing yours and you make gestures of approval. “Exactly.“ You played with your fingers. On one of the screens on the right the cinema poster was shown. “Tell us something about it. We are curious.” When Sebastian explained the rough plot of the movie, you were in a different world. His voice came to you like a sound wave. Gee, that was a lot of people in the studio. A little bit on your thigh brought you back to reality. You gave Seb an apologetic look and your concentration was back on track. To be the center of attention was nothing for you at all. “I’ve prepared a little game. In this box I have ‘This or That’ questions. Das You will take turns answering the questions. Sebastian answers the questions on behalf of you and you for him.“ Jimmy looked at you. Before the show, you both answered the questions in separate rooms. In the show is checked whether everything matches up or not. “You two already answered the questions for yourself. After every question we have a little video sequence to see if you are correct or not.” Sebastians hand brushed your tight without attracting attention. There was nothing romantic between you two. He just knows that physical touch is relaxing you.

“Sebastian you are going first. Let’s see if you two know each other.” Kimmel smiled indecently.

(1)“Beer or Champagne?”

“Beer all the way. She doesn’t like the sparkling champagne stuff. She always says: “Why do I have to drink champagne if there is beer?!” He grinned and the interviewer laughed. “Absolutely correct.” The video sequence of you is shown. You wrote your answers on white cardboard. „I’m German what did you expect?!”you laugh. “We have such good beers.” You shrugged. “I’ve never tried German beer.” Kimmel grinned. “Oh You have to!” “Well I hope I get an invitation to the Oktoberfest.” You pointed a finger at him “Only if you wear leather shorts.” He looks at you amused. “Next one. Y/N your turn.”

(2)“Chocolate or Peanut Butter?”

“Both. He likes everything chocolate and peanut butter. Sometimes he just put a slice of chocolate into a peanut butter jar and eats the whole glass.” The crowd laughed and you smiled mischievously. “Well let’s see if that’s correct.” You look at the screen and Seb’s cardboard says the same thing.

(3)”Text or Call?”

“Oh that’s easy.” Sebastian leaned back in the armchair. “Text all the way. She absolutely hates it to call somebody or to get called. She just looks at her phone terrified.” Now you have to laugh. “That’s also correct. Man oh man. Let’s see if you get trough all of the 10 questions.”

(4)”Batman or Superman?”

Oh, what a question? Ridiculous! “None!Marvel! Thank u next!“ Sebastian and you laughed in unison. “Yeah my bad I picked this question. I don’t have to show the video because you already know the answer of the Winter Soldier.” Kimmel grinned directly into the camera.

(5)”Book or Movie?”

“Oh easy least lemon squeezy. Y/N is a bookworm. She even read in our 5 minute breaks. Definitely book.” Sebastian’s body posture was self-confident. He knew you and your stuffed bookcase in your apartment too well.

(6)”What’s worse laundry or dishes?”

You’re acting like you’re thinking. “Every time we’re at Seb’s house, he cooks something delicious. The dishes aren’t a problem for him. With the right music, it’s fun. The whole dirty laundry process makes him sick.“ He smiled and nodded. The audience and Jimmy Kimmel realized more and more how well you know each other.

(7)”Amusement park or beach?”

“That’s a harder question.” He has a finger on his chin. “I would say both. First the amusement park. Roller coaster and candy cotton even though she has to puke after some roller coasters.” He chuckled as you punched him on his Bizeps. “After that she would be very lucky to have a lazy afternoon/evening on the beach.” He was a little unsure about this question and therefore looked anxiously to the screen. But he was absolutely right.

(8)”Anthony Mackie or Tom Holland?”

At the same time, you both start laughing hysterically. “Ohhhh. I think Tom Holland.” You licked your lips. The crowed laughed. “I am joking. Anthony Mackie for the win.” “What a shame that you aren’t together. It’s like you two are soulmates. Evers answer is correct.”That was your weakness. You’re ignoring the stabbing pain in your chest. Ever since you started filming, you’ve had a crush on Seb. But he is in a happy relationship. There was no chance for you. You’re flirting all the time, but for him there is always a border. Sebastian didn’t even notice your change in emotions.

(9)”Fancy Restaurant or Local Food Spot?”

“Oh Y/N isn’t a person for fancy food. She’s happy with spaghetti and tomato sauce. And she doesn’t like it if I spend too much money for food that tastes ok when you can buy a pizza for 4 dollars that tastes delicious. If we have takeout for dinner or lunch on set I buy everything from Kismet Los Angeles. The business is run by one of my closest friends and it is very good. So my answer is Local Food Spot.” Smooth how he advertises for his friend and not make it obvious. “9/10 correct. I’m really impressed.” Kimmel smiled and Seb and you shared a look.

(10)”Going Out or Staying In?”

“Do I even have to answer that?!” You laughed. “Staying in of course. Home is where the heart is. We also like to do something with friends, family or with each other but we prefer to have it in our respective home.“ Kimmel leaned backwards. “That was so amusing. 10/10 100% correctooo!” Everyone in the studio burst into applause. Seb and you looked at each other smiling. “Good Job.” You told him. “You too.” You embraced in a short hug and gave Kimmel an High Five.

“Thank you for coming tonight. Everyone take notes. No time for tears out next week in theaters. Let’s see if Sebastian Stan and Y/N Y/LN have the exact same chemistry in the movie as here in the interview. Have a great night. We’ll be right back.”

“Thanks for having us.” You mumbled and ran backstage. “Wow that was..” You took a deep breath. “Awesome, the best night ever?” Seb gave you a few options and you laughed. “Shut up.” “See you in 10?” He nodded to the exit. “Yup. See u in 10.”

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#sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x you #Sebastian Stan x #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky fanfic #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #sebastian stan fanfiction