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#black widow cast edit
nostalgia-tblr · 10 months
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For anyone keeping track (no one), I have started watching the first Avengers film (MCU not the 60s TV show) but only while eating lunch so it's gonna take a while. So far Nick Fury has been assembling the Avengers (the film was initially released in the UK as Avengers Assemble - because of that 60s TV show - but it's not called that on D+ so I'm calling it what the Americans called it, just FYI) even though there's not yet anything for them to avenge as That Suit Guy (j/k I know his name too!!) isn't dead yet, and now they're on THE FUCKING VALIANT FROM DR WHO and I assume we're gonna continue assembling for a while as they're not all there yet.
MEANWHILE Loki (who is neither an alligator nor a woman in this???) is in a SECRET UNDERGROUND LAIR with a bunch of his stans who are... idk something technobabble that involves irridium and anti-protons. He is there looking for the tesseract on behalf of ???? who I know will be revealed 47 films from now as... no, wait, it wasn't, was it? That was just announced on a website or something? So it could be LITERALLY ANYONE. The Avengers (in-progress) also seem to be after that thing, but I have already forgotten why everyone is wanting it, assuming it was mentioned (it probably was).
Thor hasn't shown up yet, but Arrows Hawkeye is working as a Loki Stan and there's Steve Rogers and THE HULK and The Only Woman One, whose power is that she's a Cold War assassin (??) and I think this one is the film where she gets called a cunt (!) and honestly I am not sure which of the men she's getting officially shipped with, I think Arrows Hawkeye though? Fairly sure, as the alternative is that a man and a woman like each other as people but not in a lusty way, which would never happen obviously. (Hey I may ship mostly het* pairings but I don't always like it!)
Based on the Valiant (if u don't know who she is get da hell out of here!) I am guessing that the film ends with Loki dying in Thor's arms romantically but then I remembered that I know it can't because one of Loki got kidnapped from... either the end of this film or the start of the next one or POSSIBLY just from a later film's time-travel bit (???) but like... maybe they've edited this film secretly and I was right after all? But nobody else has watched it on Disney + recently so nobody knows yet? IT COULD HAPPEN.
Not sure what to make of this film so far, a lot's been going on yet also not much has been going on, and the one I like best so far (Suit Guy) is gonna die (NOT EVEN IN THOR'S ARMS ROMANTICALLY) and god Iron Man really hasn't aged well now that we have that one tech billionaire being a twat in public all the time to remind us what such people tend to be like. WHERE IS THOR????
*I say het but everyone in everything is bisexual, I know this because I thought of it and announced it on tumblr and will now say "I don't make the rules" to make it an objective FACT. I don't make the rules!!!
#the avengers (mcu edition not the 60s one)#(though if u close one eye and tilt ur head the black widow looks a wee bit like emma peel maybe?)#i like to think the lair of loki stans exists after this to post angrily on social media about how actually he did nothing wrong etc etc#let me know if loki's just working from a subway station that's still in use in this that'd be hilarious he'd be so annoyed by it all#torn on the tortured-by-thanos issue so far he does look messy but he might just have the flu and didn't want to back out#a lot of people are depending on him to jumpstart a movie superhero franchise he can't just take the day off can he#if loki took care of himself thor would be LITERALLY UNEMPLOYED how could he? how could YOU?#(the 'god of thunder' thing isn't a job he doesn't get paid for it so it's just a hobby)#(he doesn't even monetise that hobby! you think iron man would give you storms for free? EXACTLY. he'd have a patreon AT LEAST)#(“if you enjoyed this torrential rain pls tip me on ko-fi which is not pronounced like you think it is because it's a really BAD pun”)#mcu tag i guess#and whatever the fuck my loki character tag was#like i said i really do need to categorise my lokis more it's been bothering me for a while#reminder: i am here because they cast a woman in a previously-male role and SHE'S NOT EVEN IN THIS FILM. OR ANY OF THEM. D:#don't think the alligator's gonna turn up here either :( :( :(#otherwise it's just kind of fascinating what this film assumes i do and don't know about these characters#nick fury's a goth right?
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missus-rogers · 2 years
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BTS EDIT 🎬 🖤🖤🖤
#myholytrinity
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thewidowintheweb · 13 days
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The Way The Orange Glows
a/n: not editing for mistakes so hopefully there aren't too many, this has been in my wips for so long and just want to get it up. I know it started as a request a long time ago, but don't remember what the request was so here it is; more of an incomplete/noncommittal drabble.
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You smiled down into the glass you were cleaning. You'd been lingering around the bar, finding ways to keep yourself busy, it was creeping on an hour past closing, wondering when she'd show up. She promised. So you kept the door unlocked while you continued to tidy the place up, keeping yourself keen and alert. She didn't need to teach you that, but she helped you hone those skills. Perception and awareness. 
She didn't say anything as she walked in. Like a phantom barely disturbing the silence of the empty bar. Very much the trained assassin that she was. The Black Widow.
"Can I get you a drink?" You asked, tossing the damp rag over one shoulder and turning around to face her. The soft dim orange lights casting looming shadows across her face. And doing the same to yours.
This was a place where heroes and villains alike came to forget their responsibilities. Neutral ground. Natasha told you she couldn't be with someone who played for both sides that was years ago, but you didn't see it that way. And clearly she hadn't either. You sat on one of the few lines that middled good and evil.  
There was no charm or seduction in winning her over. Just simple earnestness. And saftey that seemed to trump her, very, loose principle.
"Water." Natasha surprised you with that answer, the smooth honey rasp of her voice replaced with something a little sharper around the edges. 
"Caught your stupid cold" She hissed, managing to only have you enamored by how adorable her grumpy demeanor was manifesting
"You were supposed to be on mission, you chose to breakaway and come see me." You reminded which earned you deaths glare. You'd probably be more frightened if it wasn't punctuated by a soft sniffle, and then a second, when the first didn't seem to do the truck.
"I appreciate you taking the time to stop by. But you don't get to complain." You chuckled.
"I feel miserable, I absolutely do get to complain." Natasha huffed.
"You're cute when you complain," you noted, a smirk toying at your lips, "come here so I can check you for a temperature."
Natasha looked at you in a way that begged to know if you were serious, "I think I can tell if I have a fever or not." However, she didn't stop in her tracks or stutter her footsteps, taking a seat at the bar. 
You smiled, big bad assassin, placing the back of your hand to her forehead, "do my hands feel cold?" You asked, since she didn't feel all too warm. 
"They're soft." She hummed.
You rolled your eyes, "that's not synonymous or even antonymous... or whatever the opposite is." You cringed at the way you fumbled over your words.
But it was Natasha's turn to smile, your fumbled words casting a momentary ray of light on her gloomy disposition.
But it slipped away as she ducked into the crook of her arm. A byproduct of her training being rooted in stealth, a near silent string of congested sneezes.
"Bless you Nat," you couldn't help but giggle, she was usually so tightly wound and put together, and even though Natasha kept it contained she looked almost unfamiliar. Unsure of herself. 
"It's not funny," she glared at you, but it didn't stick. What little irritation remained seemed to ebb away.
"Why are you so upset," you consoled, wrapping your arms around her carefully, allowing for her to push you away if she didn't desire the affection, Natasha all but melted at the touch, which made you smile with pride.
"I'm going to take good care of you and nobody ever has to know you're a big softy."
This earned you an elbow jab to the side.
"Ow," you rubbed at the area, moving away from her. "That doesn't change anything, now let's get you some tea for that miserable throat of yours."
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witchofhimring · 6 months
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Queen you shall be
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This series is being edited. I feel Alys came off as one dimensionally evil and the reader as a pretty flat character. So this will be heavily edited.
Queen you shall be, until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all you hold dear
Pairings:
Aemond Targaryen x Reader
Aemond Targaryen x Alys Rivers
Part 2: Until there comes another
Warnings: angst, cheating, mentions of stillbirth/miscarriages, death
Y/n Targaryen had once been a very beautiful woman. When Aemond Targaryen rescued her from the Prince of Dragonstone's clutches they wrote ballads about her beauty. But the Queen, who was nearing her fortieth birthday, was no longer such a sight. Her hair was going grey from stress, her body weighed down by numerous failed pregnancies that had either ended in a miscarriages or stillbirths. Only Princess Daenerys remained living in the pile of deceased offspring Aemond Targaryen had brought into they world. Your heart ached worse than your failing body as you watched your husband entertaining the Lady of Harrenhal. Aemond Targaryen had never even spared other women a look. That was one of the many reasons you had grown to love him. You always pitied the ladies who's husbands forsook their beds in favour of another's. Now you could count yourself amongst their number.
It had all started with a renewal of war. Viserys Targaryen, last remaining son of the Black Queen made another bid for the throne. Aemond Targaryen took to Vhaegar once more and waged war for the first time since The Dance. As regent you ruled with his absence. When the King came back you breathed a sigh of relief. But he had changed. His face looked gaunt and his eyes held a hardness you had not seen since the last war. And the Lady of Harrenhal who descended from the dragon with him. He had introduced her as his friend, but you weren't stupid. She could hardly be "just a friend" when there was that conniving little smirk on her face. You politely greeted her, but no more. You were still Queen and she was just as mistress.
It was now two years and they still danced together. Aemond had stopped visiting your bed. His days were spent with the young, beautiful and likely fertile Lady Alys. "Have they no shame." Lady Johanna Lannister was sitting beside you, showcasing the fury you hid. Johanna, widow of Jason Lannister, had dealt with her fair share of mistresses. You placed a hand on hers. Alys was not worth it. So you sat there in your splendor observing the court, ignoring the pain stabbing your heart.
The song ended and Aemond kissed the lady's hand. Some eyes went you. But if they were hoping for a reaction they would be severally disappointed. Aemond walked up the steps hand in hand. Johanna Lannister made a hissing noise behind you. "Your Majesty." Alys curtsied in front of you. As of late the woman had become more brazen. She no longer made any attempts to pretend to avoid you. In fact she was always there, breathing down your neck. Alys opened her red-stained mouth to say something else when your only surviving child Princess Daenerys entered. Following her was Dowager Queen Alicent. You and you mother-in-law were not overly close and were at odds in many things. But when it came to Alys Rivers turned Strong the Dowager Queen was completely on your side. Her lips pursed and Alicent looked the other way. You noticed that Alys Strong looked disappointed. Almost laughing, you greeted your daughter.
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It was one of those rare nights Aemond joined you in bed. Already in bed, you sat up and placed the book beside you. You did him goodnight, took some tea, and laid down to sleep. Any other woman might have made a remark on their absent husband finally coming to see her. But Alys Strong was hardly worth it. You were the descendant of Kings, the Queen and mother to the heir. She was nothing. But there was still an ache. You hid it deep down in your soul where no one could find. Laying there for sleep to take you, there was a sudden feeling of unease. Aemond had not gotten into bed as of yet. In fact, you could feel is gaze upon you. "Y/n, may we speak?" Surprised, you pulled the sheets off of you. After putting on a blue robe you stood before your husband. Once you two had loved each other very much. In those early days before the war he had been your love, a soulmate. Now there was this worn out King, a innocents of youth long gone. Perhaps you looked the same, body misshaped by years of child-carrying, hair grey in places. You were no longer the beautiful lady, he not the gallant Prince. That was not all you noticed. There was a nervous quality to his appearance. The look of one being the bearer of ill news. "Is Daenerys well?" Your thoughts first went to your little girl, aged only fifteen years a month past. The only true light in your life. "No. No it is not her, thank the Gods." He let out a sigh that you held in. The star of the Seven, a pendant around your neck, burned. You felt as if the ceiling might cave in. Aemond was about to tear your world apart, you just knew it. The tension in the air made it hard to breath. "I wish for a divorce." A thunderclap in its intensity. The room fell silent, only the shadows moved. At first you did not process it. "Divorce" was hardly a word one use. Less the the kingdoms anointed ruler. "I beg your pardon." You voice was slow, teetering on the edge of anger. Aemond looked nervous. "We have tried for many years Y/n. But I must have a son to succeed me. I know this must be painful-" No. You would not let Aemond try to come up with some excuse for this. You were a proud woman, no less than the Kings before you, and those of your nature did not give way. "So you think Alys Strong will?" He was a dear caught in front of the crossbow. His eyes twitched and his sword arm fidgeted. "I never said it would be her I marry." He said. Your eyes flashed dangerously. Did he take you for some silly fool? At fifteen you had acted as regent for your father. During the dance you held Kings Landing while Daemon's dragon flew bellow. It was you who lead armies against the north when they rose up once more for Viserys Targaryen, son of Rhaenyra, during the last revolt. When he was the little second son you were your fathers heir. Competent as any man. "Get out, Aemond Targaryen. And you and your mistress will have no such peace, so you think on that. Now out." He obeyed the command.
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You had hoped he would give it up. But half a year later and here you were. A trial was to be held determining if your marriage, which had stood for twenty years, was valid. You stood in front of your husband. He was glad in black with the iron crown upon his head. Aegon the Conqueror could not have been as intimidating. No one could meet his eye. No one except you. They had told you to come in humbly, to dress in mute colours. But your pride and fury at being ignored for years swayed you. After all this time being the supplicant wife was not the path you would tread. Your dress was a deep green with gold dragon sewn into it. You coronet sat upon your head. If they wanted to take it from you it would be over your cold, dead body.
Of course they made the obvious attacks, your age, lack of fertility. In silence you had stood here as they hurled slanders at your names, shamed in front of the court. And then they turned to you. Some sympathetic, others malicious. Although Alys had the good sense not to attend some of her ladies did. These young girls giggled at your old age. But women are worth more than their looks. You were proof of that. They gasped. The Queen did not stay in her place, but walked forward. Proud and straight as on her coronation day. She walked up the stairs, the guards not stopping her. Soon she was face to face in front of the King. "Tell me, husband, when did I incur such displeasure in you. You have sought council from me, had me bear your children and had me fight your wars and still I am to be cast off for a mistress. Have I not done all that I could to be a faithful companion to you? A faithfulness, might I add, you have not extended to me. Is this how justice is to be conducted in the land? Must every woman now lay awake at night and fear she shall be cast off from some new dalliance? Well, I will not. If you want to try and annul a marriage made and sworn before the Seven you may." You turned your back on the King and descended the stairs. There were murmurings in the crown. You turned. "I call upon the Seven to witness that I am a true and faithful wife. And so it shall be forever. A court held by a King has no say in these matters. Only a court held by the High Septon himself will I attend. Until then I shall depart from this farce." With that you turned. Your ladies followed and the herald called your name. Along the pathway you walked, your heart pounding in your chest. You might now be leading armies into the north but your heart remained the same. You walked towards the balcony when a group blocked your path. Alys Strong seemed to be coming to find out the verdict. "I trust the verdict has been read out." She held all the confidence of a young woman, sure of her beauty and good fortune. Gods know you did once. But now older, you understood the world did not operate in such a way. Things age, die, and fortune fades. "How dare you! She is the Queen." Johanna Lannister looked like to turn into a lion. You held a hand up. "Everyone, leave us." You ordered. Your ladies protested for fear of you. But nevertheless the obeyed. Alys's ladies paused, until you reminded them you were still Queen. Then it was just the two of you.
"You are old. No longer capable of giving him sons." A sly look came upon her face. Cooly, you observed her. "You are confident you will give him sons. Your age and beauty assure you of this." "Well, every man is in need of a fertile wife, and beauty is preferred." Her gaze drifted over your own, no longer youthful. "So was I. The most beautiful woman in the seven Kingdoms. I gave with to Daenerys and thought myself fortunate too. The tiniest moment of unease passed through her. "I come from good stock. Your mother never gave your fathers sons. Only you." You laughed. This little girl had no idea. "And do you know why. When he could have passed it off to a male relative?" Alys was silent. "I ruled my fathers land, defended it from those who wished to take it. And when I became Queen I did the same. I have lead armies and put down greater women than you. Do you see them out there?" You gestured to the window. Both of you peered out. A large gathering was outside. Although inside, you could still hear the cheers. And they were all for you. "I am Queen of Westeros and nothing you do will change that. Looks are fleeting and fortune is fickle. So guard yourself Alys, because I will bring a war if that is what you seek." An you left her there, pale and shaking. You on the other hand opened the doors. A roar of cheers greeted you, their Queen. The daylight warmed your aching heart. And it hurt to let go of your long dead love. But you were nothing if not a warrior.
Their cheers broke the early morning.
"Gods save the Queen!"
Note:
I just want to clarify that Alys is in no way based off Anne Boleyn in case anyone asks. The reader, however, was inspired by Catherine of Aragon. This will be in four parts.
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Hi, call me Spectra~✨
24 years old | They/Them & Fae/Faer | Black shifter
I’ve been in the shifting community for around five years now. So far, I’ve successfully mini-shifted three times to three different realities. I’m also a witch and I’ve been practicing witchcraft since I was 12 or 13. I like to try everything at least once, which is how I mini shifted the first time when I jokingly tried, and I like to think of myself as a “spiritual scientist” of sorts.
I have over 20 desired realities and many more to come, I’ll be posting about some of it here✨ Some of my DRs include-
O.R.I.O.N (Zombie apocalypse)
Supernatural
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Strange Ability (Anime)
Toriko (Anime)
H2O: Just Add Water
Resident Evil
H.O.T.D: College edition (Manga)
The First Hunter (Manhwa)
Enby Idol Group
8th Graders Will Survive (Quotev story)
Widow’s Bay (murder mystery book series)
Lollipop Chainsaw: College edition (Game)
Tokyo Mew Mew (2022 Anime)
Totally Spies (Cartoon)
Project MC² (Netflix show)
Trese (Netflix show)
Charmed
Powerpuff Girls Z
Etc.
In every script, I have powers as a witch. Telekinesis, Conjuring and spirit work, Visions, Sight, Mediumship, Spell-crafting and casting, Divination, Atmokinesis, Hydrokinesis, potion making, etc.
I look pretty much the same in most of my DRs, these pictures are my main reference pics used across my scripts.
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beefrobeefcal · 1 month
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okay so mr. fantastic. i am sooooo bummed about this because i have atomic marvel fatigue. but objectively, marvel has been consistently awful lately, and pedro is so above this now. (i think a part of him will always have a struggling-actor-sized-chip on his shoulder, making him unable to say no to these kinds of roles. i mean that and the millions of dollars they’re probably throwing at him)
BUT, to the important stuff. i don’t think pedro will (or can lmfao) get into six pack shape, even for marvel. i don’t think it’s necessary because lots of marvel suits have been cgi lately (spider man would be the perfect comparison here). i think they’re gonna slap him in some grey tracking pjs and edit his body. if they have any sense they’ll keep his dad bod, his fan base is rabid about it not in spite of it.
while i’m here, i’d like to place my bed that they will poke fun at his dad bod à la david harbour in black widow. i bet it will be something like him realizing his stretchy powers and suck in his stomach and stretch into the “perfect” body, then let go. seems like a super lame and mildly fatphobic gag marvel would do.
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Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave, Nonnnie?
All jokes aside, I do agree about Marvel fatigue (I haven’t felt hype for an MCU project in a hot minute), but let me be clear: my love/need/appreciation for Peepaw will obliterate any concerns I have for this project.
I sat thru The Bubble (no hate no shade to those who enjoyed it). I paid an obscene amount of money for a French dvd copy of Strange Way of Life (shame me for my impulse control). Baby, if seeing Pedro on the big screen means I have to sit through a movie franchise that I legit have no interest in - I WILL.
That being said, I saw a post earlier today that indicated Peepaw is at his peak beefiness (hello me and my call sign) and he’s been cast as one of the thinnest super heroes. Gotta be honest, cgi or not, that BTS shot we’ll get of him in mocap suit will make all this worth it imo.
AND IF YOUR PREDICTION IS TRUE, NONNIE, I WILL NOT SURVIVE. YOU HEAR ME? CHIEF DADDY HOPPER IN BLACK WIDOW MADE ME LOSE TIME AND SPACE. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE IF THAT IS PEEPAW AT THE END OF THAT NARRATIVE.
Thank you, Nonnie, for your thought provoking ask!
What-a-man-what-a-man regards,
Beefro👌🥩💜
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khadijha · 2 years
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🪶    /    in  the  source  link  below,  you’ll  gain  access  to  #1,758  gifs  of  florence  pugh  in  outlaw  king  (2018),  the  commuter  (2018),  the  little  drummer  girl,  s01e01-06  (2018),  midsommar  (2019),  little  women  (2019),  black  widow  (2021),  hawkeye,  s01e04-06  (2021),  and  youtube  videos.  she  was  born  in  the  year  1996  and  is  of  european  descent,  so  please  cast  appropriately  when  using  my  resources.  all  of  these  gifs  were  made  from  scratch,  so  you  may  edit  these  as  much  as  you’d  like,  but  please  don’t  redistribute  or  claim  as  your  own.  please  refer  to  my  rules  for  further  information.
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this  is  day  12  out  of  12  for  @sebestans’  23rd  birthday!  enjoy<3
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Eric is indeed that protagonist that everyone loves instantly despite never doing anything particularly likeable. It's a particularly irksome character trait. You don't need to tell me that everyone likes your main character if you just make your main character likeable. The only person who's ever gotten away with stating outright "Everyone loves this character instantly and isn't even sure why" is Terry Pratchett, and that's because Carrot is a well drawn character who is charming and kind and polite and also the clash between his Mysterious Charisma and his reality as a Mortal Person is half the point of his character.
There. I said it. Eric Marshall is no Captain Carrot. Come at me.
Anyway, enter Kilmeny. Or, at least, enter Kilmeny's name. And also enter Kilmeny's disability and Eric's reaction to it.
It's bad. Eric's reaction is bad. You know, if you were curious.
So Mrs. Williamson tells Eric about Kilmeny, by which I mean Mrs. Williamson tells Eric about Kilmeny's mother Margaret. Margaret was the only child of her father's second marriage, and her mother died when she was born. She was raised by her two older half siblings and her father, all of whom worshipped and adored her. She was beautiful and headstrong and didn't have any interest in casual flirtations with men.
She is also haunting the narrative and possibly also literally haunting Lindsay:
“When I’m talking about her like this it all comes back to me, just what she was like and how she looked and spoke and acted, and little ways she had of moving her hands and head. I declare it almost seems as if she was right here in this room instead of being over there in the churchyard. I wish you’d light the lamp, Master. I feel kind of nervous.”
Again, this book so wants to be a horror story rather than a romance.
We then get what should in all rights be a deeply portentous piece of foreshadowing:
“This Ronald Fraser was a stranger from Nova Scotia and nobody knew much about him. He was a widower, although he was only a young man. He had set up store-keeping in Radnor and was doing well. He was real handsome and had taking ways women like. It was said that all the Radnor girls were in love with him, but I don’t think his worst enemy could have said he flirted with them. He never took any notice of them; but the very first time he saw Margaret Gordon he fell in love with her and she with him."
Now what does this remind us of? Perhaps the mysterious and handsome schoolteacher who has recently come to town and doesn't much mingle with the locals and doesn't deign to look at any of the women in town? Someone who has laid eyes on Kilmeny once and become fully obsessed?
And what happens to Margaret the moment she meets her man? "Margaret looked lovely that day, so gentle and womanly. She had been used to hold her head pretty high, but that day she held it drooping a little and her black eyes cast down" She is reduced to supporting cast in his life. Gone is her pride and fire and determination, replaced with the meekness of demeanor suitable for wives (rich person edition) in this book.
"They went to live at Radnor and for a little while everything went well. Margaret had a nice house, and was gay and happy. She dressed beautiful and entertained a good deal. Then—well, Ronald Fraser’s first wife turned up looking for him! She wasn’t dead after all."
Margaret Fraser lived the gothic novel this story wants to be, and she is haunting the narrative in revenge for it.
So after the big reveal, Margaret shuts herself up in disgrace. Mrs. Williamson notes very specifically that it is only the Gordons who think the whole affair disgraceful. The rest of Lindsay is very willing to believe that she was wronged and deceived and would have supported her if she'd let them. But she didn't let them, and neither did her family. They shut themselves away and, when Kilmeny was born, shut her away too.
“Kilmeny was born in the spring, but nobody ever saw her, except the minister who baptized her. She was never taken to church or sent to school. Of course, I suppose there wouldn’t have been any use in her going to school when she couldn’t speak, and it’s likely Margaret taught her all she could be taught herself. But it was dreadful that she was never taken to church, or let go among the children and young folks. And it was a real shame that nothing was ever done to find out why she couldn’t talk, or if she could be cured."
Waltzing lightly over the whole 'a mute girl couldn't possibly go to school with normal children!' thing, Mrs. Williamson makes a good and compassionate point here. It is bad that Kilmeny has been kept locked away! It's horrible, in fact! No wonder Kilmeny's playing was tinged with longing for freedom.
I am Concerned that this book is going to give her this freedom by sending her straight into Eric's arms instead of, you know, giving her literally any other friends.
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agentnico · 3 months
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What If…? - Season 2 (2023) review
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So, is Jeffrey Wright like the new Morgan Freeman? You can get the man to read a phonebook (do those still exist?!) and it would sound soothing and delightful.
Plot: The second season of the American animated anthology series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, explores alternate timelines in the multiverse that show what would happen if major moments from the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe occurred differently. 
I enjoyed the first season. That being said you could tell from the get-go Marvel did not really know what to do with the premise, as the episodes of the first season were mostly animated summaries of the previous MCU films, with a detail or two changed to justify The Watcher’s presence. Fortunately, it looks like the team behind the show has gotten the hang of it for the second installment, with the new season of the series showcasing a much needed improvement when it comes to multiversal exploration.
This second time around the show seems to take a different approach, by opting for combining the premise of two seemingly unrelated MCU movies to create new stories. Such as an episode that merges together characters and elements of Thor and Thor: Ragnarok with the setting of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Or not even limiting itself to the MCU, in the case of the season premiere, sticking Nebula into Blade Runner. Yep, I know the setting is Xandar, but, like, c’mon - it’s Blade Runner MCU Edition. And this new strategy has allowed What If…? to deliver better episodes this time around.
What I really enjoyed about this season was that it has something that the current MCU live-action stuff really lacks - being fun and different. The movies and Disney+ shows have all become so one-note and limited in trying to take any risks, whilst this show basically allows us to see the MCU through different genres and perspectives. This season you get to enjoy an Iron Man 2-era Die Hard spoof and a Marvel flavoured Death Race/Ben-Hur, both of which were awesome, and then there’s the unique Kahhori episode where Marvel introduces its first indigenous superhero - a Mohawk woman who is empowered by the Tesseract Captain Marvel-style. It’s all fun stuff and it’s nice seeing the MCU not take itself too seriously and allow itself to relax and simply enjoy the madness so to speak.
In terms of negatives - I really do love the show’s animation style, when it’s showcasing people fighting one another. That stuff looks really cool, however it does get a tad horrid for when people are just talking, as it looks weird. Also, the Captain Carter character. What If…? is at its best when it goes random, so it is a little frustrating and repetitive when they keep shoehorning this one multiverse character into everything. Captain Carter appears in 3 episodes this season, and she’s an okay character, but she’s nowhere as interesting and engaging as the show makes her out to be and as such I found her inclusion tiring, no matter how likeable Hayley Atwell’s voice acting is. Even her own standalone episode this season about fighting the Hydra Stomper was just a rehash of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Black Widow but less compelling. As for the rest of the voice cast, a lot of the live-action cast members return to voice their characters, and as such you can tell some of them aren’t as comfortable in the voice acting booth, however this season’s stand-outs were Cate Blanchett, Devery Jacobs, Karen Gillan, Jeff Goldblum and of course Jeffrey Wright - gosh darn it his voice is wonderful!
Overall I believe I enjoyed this season more than the first, as the show seems to be really finding its own groove, so I am looking forward to seeing what kind of craziness they’ve cooked up for the already confirmed upcoming season 3, and hearing more of Mr Wright saying those two special words… “what if?”
Overall score: 7/10
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iriel3000 · 6 months
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When Will You Let Her Go?
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Whumptober Day 8: “It’s all for nothing.”
LAURA WHUMP, emotional whump, light whump
DISCLAIMER: I am legally allowed to torment the fictional character of Laura Barton (and Bruce Banner) this month.
AN: You are going to learn a lot about my writing process this month, sorry. Most of the whump fics will be 3rd or 4th round drafts. I normally spend weeks, if not months editing. Many of these pieces will be written days, if not hours, before the prompt is due. please forgive any spelling or grammar errors, or if these don't seem up to my usual standard.
thank you for indulging me tho😘
Summary: Laura calls the kids while they are in New York with Clint and Kate. part 1 of 3
“Hey, is everybody having fun?”
“Hi, mom!” Lila circled around Kate Bishop's penthouse with her phone, making Laura dizzy on the facetime call. “We’re having the best time! Look at Kate’s place!”
Clint was in New York helping Kate get ready for her first round of SWORD training and had taken Cooper, Lila, and Nate with him.
“Summer in New York is sooo much better than the winter.”
“What have you been doing? Where are your brothers?”
“They’re right here.” She turned the phone towards Cooper and Nate.
Laura blinked. She thought she was looking at an arcade. The room was huge with various ping pong, fooseball , and pool tables, along with old, upright video games. Cooper was playing online games on a theater size screen and Nate had VR goggles on, punching and kicking the air.
“Hi Mom!” Cooper shouted, not taking his eyes off the screen.
“Hi, sweetie. Hello, Nathan.”
Nate continued playing.
“He can’t hear you.” Lilia swung the phone back around. “Anyway, we swam at Kate’s friend’s house. She has a pool on the roof of her apartment building!”
“Wow, that sounds fun.”
“Way more fun swimming at the Waverly community pool. We also saw Rogers the Musical again and got to meet the entire cast afterwards.” Lila went into the largest bathroom Laura had ever seen and rummaged through some drawers.
“Thought you guys said that play was silly when you saw it at Christmas?”
“Yeah, but we met some of the actors in Central Park a few days ago, it was really cool. The guy that plays dad does not look like him at all.” She laughed and began putting on makeup. “Ms. Nadia gave us box seats.”
“Miss Nadia?”
“She plays Aunt Nat. She's super nice, Mom, and really pretty. She could be Aunt Nat’s twin; they look that much alike.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, and she taught me some ballet moves to take back to my class. Ms. Nadia says I should take jazz classes if I want to be on Broadway like her.”
“But, I thought you were…”
“She’s an amazing dancer, Mom. Dad said she can do all the moves from Swan Lake, like Aunt Nat. She said she would teach me those too.”
“Is your dad there?”
“No, Kate is with us.”
“Why? Where did he go?”
“He had to help Ms. Nadia get some stuff for her Black Widow costume. Guess what?”
“What?” She asked, not thrilled with this new information.
Why would Clint need to help the Black Widow dancer with her costume? The play had been running for almost a year.
“Kate got us Taylor Swift concert tickets!! A suite by all of the celebrities. And we get to take a huge purple, Hummer limousine. I can’t wait!”
“You guys are supposed to come home tomorrow.”
“Dad said we could stay a few more days to go to the concert and to the Hamptons with Kate and her friends. It's summer vacation, Mom.”
“I know.” Laura tried not to sound too disappointed.
This weekend was her and Clint's wedding anniversary. The children were supposed to go to their cousin's house to spend the night so she and Clint could have a romantic evening.
They hadn't had much alone time. Since his retirement, Clint had been keeping busy fixing up the house and visiting New York every couple of months to help Kate.
“Come on, please.” Lila begged.
“Lila! Where are you?” Clint hollered in the background.
“Daddy’s home!”
“Home?” Laura balked, but Lila ignored her.
“Dad! Talk to Mom. Shes using that voice when she doesn’t like something.”
“Why?” Clint came in and gave Lila a hug.
“I told her about staying a few days and she has that tone, as usual.” Lila handed the phone to him.
He covered the screen with his hand.
"I'll take care of it." Laura heard Clint whisper.
“Hey, hon.” Clint removed his hand and she saw him check on the boys.
“You’re staying longer?”
“Is that a problem?”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“When I got back here. Didn’t know the kids were going to call you.” Clint walked down a long hallway to a massive kitchen.
“I called, she emphasized the 'I', “ because you were supposed to call me at noon.”
“Kate, where’d we put the putty?” Clint hollered to his protege somewhere in the penthouse.
“Clint!” Laura yelled.
“What?”
She blew out a breath loudly.
“It’s only our anniversary this weekend.”
“Oh, yeah. Happy anniversary, babe.”
“No, this weekend…”
“I’ll send you some flowers and New York candy. The kids and I went to Dylan’s and went crazy.”
Kate came into the room.
“Tell Cooper to finish his game, we gotta go.” Clint said.
"Is that Nadia? Tell her our matching shirts for the concert came in"
“No, it’s Laura.”
“Oh, hi, Laura!” Kate stuck her face into frame and waved.
“Hi, Kate.” Laura tried to muster some enthusiasm.
“Cooper, get Nate and let's go!” Kate bounded out.
“Clint.”
“Sorry, sorry.” He finally looked into the phone. “What were you saying?”
“So, when are you coming home?”
“I changed the flights to Monday.”
“That’s almost another week.’
“It’s not like the kids have school.”
“I thought we could spend our anniversary together.”
“Seventeen years, it’s not one of the milestones.”
“That’s rude.”
“I mean,” he rolled his eyes, “our daughter has a once in a lifetime opportunity to see her favorite singer at Madison Square Garden in premium seats. For free. We could not afford to do this for her. Do you really want to make her come home so we can go to Applebee’s?”
“I guess not.”
“She’ll think you’re the best mom for letting her stay.”
“Well, let me talk to her one more time.”
“She’s already out the door with Kate and the boys.”
Laura didn’t hide her annoyance.
“I promise she’ll call you tomorrow. We have to go meet Nat and the others. Have a good time with your girls.” He set the phone down.
“What did you say?”
“Have a good time." He picked it back up but all Laura could see was walls. "I’ll tell the kids you miss them. Bye, hon.”
“Wait…”
He hung up.
Laura stared at her phone for a long moment before flinging it on the bed. She gathered up the little, black nightie she’d bought for this weekend and shoved it back in the bag.
find the whole series here....laura whump
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glynnisi · 1 year
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Marvel "Solo" Films- Unpopular Opinion
I don't know if there will be a 3rd solo/stand alone Black Panther film, but so far I'd say the Black Panther movies are the most consistent stand alone films in the MCU.
Black Panther was a cultural phenomenon with one of the best villains in the entire MCU. The cast, the world-building, COSTUMES, music. The only downside was that the 3rd act fight was dark. Wakanda Forever was a meaningful study in grief with perhaps the best teaser trailer EVER. Again, great cast, music, costumes, world-building. HEART. Namor was compelling. A little overstuffed w Iron Heart & Val on top of well-done Talokon. M'Baku stands out in both films. Nakia, Ramonda, Okoye & the Dorae. The tone from one film to the other is CONSISTENT.
Iron Man trilogy- the first Iron Man movie was awesome. Darker, grittier than much of the rest of the MCU. RDJ becoming Tony Stark. Cool suits/tech. Funny. Sad. Awesome. And then... the sequels kind of sucked. Yes, they had cool tech & stunts & RDJ carried them. But Tony pissing the suit? Bird? Fake Mandarin? *Cringe* They were bad.
My beloved, Captain America. Chris Evans did a great job as Steve Rogers. More nuanced & less flashy/quippy than Tony Stark, but great. CATFA was a sweet little comics movie w vintage vibe. Red Skull is a campy villain done as well as they could. Pretty good movie, not groundbreaking. BUT THEN- Captain America the Winter Soldier happened. It made Cap a badass. Fight scenes were AMAZING. Elevator scene! Cap & WS in the streets & at the end! Cap vs Quinjet! Nick Fury car chase. Black Widow badassery. Winter Soldier was scary & Hydra menacing. A tight, well-directed, well-written, well-edited, overall great FILM. Best of the MCU. PEAK Steve Rogers characterization. Yes. LOVED CATWS. So, then, Marvel said... "fuck Steve Rogers and his fans" (forever bitter & fuck you too Marvel). "RDJ's aging out & he makes $$$$. Let's give him Cap's 3rd film cuz BatmanVSuperman is coming & we're scared." IF you look at CACW as a Cap film, then Tony would be the villain. He's the 3rd act fight, the other face on the poster, the one trying to kill Steve. But, it's NOT a Cap film because Marvel couldn't suck RDJ off enough & could never nuance Tony's lack of emotional control as villainous. Nope. They made him Wooby crying out for his Mama. Waah! It's Avengers 2.5. It introduces Spiderman & Black Panther. It features every Avenger. It starts w Tony's early life trauma/loss of his parents/intro of his loving mom. (NO Sarah Rogers in Cap3, tho.) Then his guilt over lying & making Ultron & nearly ending the world. The longer end scene is Tony tending to his BF's injuries & sulking over Steve's apology. THEN we get a glimpse of Steve rescuing his friends from The Raft. Steve BARELY had more screen time than Tony in supposed Cap3. So, it's not a stand alone film. Cap fans were robbed.
The Thor films? Well. Uneven is an understatement. 1st Thor is kind of like the first Cap movie. Different tone. Deals well with campy comic elements. Branagh directed it as Shakespearean dramedy in space. Asgard is beautiful. Movie was made for the female gaze (like Mr. Hemsworth) and is a female fan fave. Thor the Dark World... is a dull follow-up. Malekith is the dullest villain ever. Dark Elves are so generic looking it's sad. If they'd been done differently, it could've had real menace. Lots of people are afraid of the dark, after all. Instead, Dark World is the most panned of all early Marvel films. Ragnarok is its polar opposite. Bright, colorful, comic-beautiful, but too funny. There's zero gravity to anything. Asgard explodes? Time for another joke. It's a fave, especially male fans. Thor is more badass in it, too. Loki is great. The faux tease of World War Hulk had fanboys delirious. And then there was Love & Thunder. Oh, L&T. Female fans were so excited for Mighty Thor/Jane Foster. Male fans were delirious that Gorr was coming & being played by Christian Bale. And, it's a huge flop. Again, comics beautiful. Too quippy, Taika. Not dark enough/wasted Gorr. Honestly, I enjoyed the kids/kiddishness because we took our son & he loved all that.
AntMan? The first was well done. Offbeat. Paul Rudd is CHARMING. Luis was the best thing in it. Scott's love for his daughter gave it HEART. Funny & fun. Great tone, though villain was meh. AntMan & the Wasp? Less fun. In big part that's because there were cast members phoning it in. Fishburne doesn't realize he was in it, FFS. Positive fam dynamic was too cheesily played. Meh. Then, Quantumania. Wait that may be the biggest flop of all MCU now. No stakes. No LUIS??? Exposition that something's coming? Lots of "care about these quirky characters you just met" and "listen... we're telling you Kang is bad... what? why should we show you?" Sigh. And... visuals were murky when the Quantum Realm should be vivid and sharp and vibrant and the most important element of the film.
Marvel is lucky so many fans have good imaginations and make their characters better than they did.
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byneddiedingo · 8 months
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Shirley MacLaine and Jack Black in Bernie (Richard Linklater, 2011)
Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman, Richard Robichaux, Rick Dial, Brandon Smith, Larry Jack Dotson. Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Skip Hollandsworth, based on a magazine article by Hollandsworth. Cinematography: Dick Pope. Production design: Bruce Curtis. Film editing: Sandra Adair. Music: Graham Reynolds.
Imagine Bernie without Jack Black, but with, say, Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role. Hoffman would have played the hell out of the part, which is one of the reasons he is so sorely missed, but the tone of the film would have been very different. What Black brings to the role is a familiar image, that of a scamp, a mocking presence in almost all of his previous movies. But here he's cast against type, as a sweet-natured possibly gay man who manages to capture the hearts of a small East Texas town, and more particularly the shriveled heart and deep needs of a wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine). It's the tension between the manic imp of his earlier films and the good-hearted (if naively lethal) Bernie that gives this movie its acerbic tone. Richard Linklater also directed School of Rock (2003), Black's first big hit in a starring role after stealing High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000) out from under the nose of John Cusack. It's to Linklater's credit that he sees more in the actors he works with than others do. Small town East Texas is an easy target for satire, and I understand the critics who liken Bernie to Fargo (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1996), which did similar things with the easily caricatured accents and mannerisms of the deep plains states. But anyone who has lived in the South knows a few Bernies: somewhat effeminate men who don't fit the good-ol'-boy stereotype of the region, but are tolerated by the good-ol'-boys and especially doted upon by their wives and mothers. Black captures the Bernies to perfection, perhaps because Texan Linklater and his co-scriptwriter Skip Hollandsworth, who wrote about Bernie Tiede first for Texas Monthly, know them well, and know how (as the Coens likewise did in Fargo) to transcend mere caricature for something more humane and interesting.
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ikissedfrogs · 2 years
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let me put forward this theory based on several blind items and gossip an hear me out. i will put forward some facts about me: 1. i like scarlett, i think she’s good and fun 2. i like chris evans 3. i like colin jost in general  4. i like colin and scarlett as a couple 
all the facts aside. I now put forward the theory that chris loved scarlett and probably would have married her, but i think for whatever reason she sidelined him into a friend/ “fun friend”.
Here’s my theory Chris and Scarlett met on Perfect Score 2000/2001 when they were both young, but Scarlett has often described the experience as she was barely in the movie and she didn’t have than many scenes with Chris. 
They later reunited on Nanny Diaries 2007/2008. They both were moving up in the world of the careers and during this time according to blind items hooked up for the first time officially. This may have been the time that Chris fell in love with Scarlett but for whatever reason she turned away and married Ryan Reynolds. Chris and Scarlet would both continue their careers and date other people. 
Around 2012 Chris and Scarlett would both join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain America and Black Widow respectively, and meeting up on screen in Avengers. We would continue to see them on screen together in the MCU until 2019. It has also been said that during this time according to several blind items they have said to have hooked up again since Scarlett’s marriage to Ryan Reynolds had fallen apart and she was in the midst of her second marraige to Romain Dauric (the french journalist) and then into her relationship with Colin Jost. It was also during this time that Chris had his last known public relationship with Jenny Slate. If the blind items are to be believed Chris and Jenny’s relationship may have ended due to the fact that Jenny snooped on Chris’s phone and found that there was numerous “sex tapes” with Scarlett in  them.
When the Black Widow movie was releasing Chris was supposedly help with some press, but backed out several times.Both Chris and Scarlett have promised the public several movies, but that hasn’t happened yet. Scarlett was supposed to be on the cast of Ghosted an upcoming movie by Dex Fletch but dropped out due to conflicts. Chris recently dropped out of Project Artemis. i know schedules are crazy and things happen, but it reads a little fishy to me.
also chris was recently doing press for The Gray Man and he’s quoted in an interview that went viral said that he’s laser focused on finding a life partner. While I want to believe him and believe in love. I truly believe that he’s still in love with scarlett and can’t get  over her. don’t get me wrong I adore him but I don’t think he’s trying to find a life partner, i think he’s more interested in bed hopping to heal his broken heart.
***Edit*** I ran this theory by my real life friend and they added that though it was fun that Chris Evans and Jenny Slate dated and that she barely talked about him in her book, though if you watch press interviews from the movie Gifted you’ll see that Jenny and Chris never do press together. Wow! For tumultuous breakup vibes, don’t worry though they get back together for a minute. 
Also to add Chris Evans has publicly said that he won’t do Saturday Night Live due to his anxiety. Well it probably doesn’t help that Jenny Slate worked there and probably would have worked there for longer had she not been fired for swearing on air. Also it probably doesn’t help that Colin Jost is head writer there and if he reads blind items, I’m sure that he would be more than happy to write “small” jokes in. So Chris if you read this, I double dare you to do SNL.
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easyface · 2 years
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My Chemical Romance may be the oldest young band in America. None of the members — singer Gerard Way, his brother and bassist Mikey, drummer Bob Bryar and guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero — is old enough to have bought David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs on the day it came out. But The Black Parade, the New Jersey group’s third studio album, is the best mid-Seventies record of 2006, a rabid, ingenious paraphrasing of echoes and kitsch from rock’s golden age of bombast.
The opening fanfare, “The End,” blows up like an outtake from Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies, with glam-Godzilla guitars and spook-choir hurrahs. “Dead!” is a sleek, bleak bruiser, like Queen’s “Keep Yourself Alive” in widow’s weeds. And in the hyperoperatic “Mama,” Way — playing a soldier up to his neck in blood, raging against the woman who gave him life — briefly duets with Liza Minnelli, who belts her two big lines only to have Way sing back at her with vicious obscenity. It is brassy casting, as if Minnelli has been dropped into a Glenn Danzig production of Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children. It also sounds like an idea Alice Cooper (the singer) might have had in 1976 while golfing with George Burns.
But this is not the Seventies, and My Chemical Romance are very much a band of their time — post-9/11. The first song Way wrote for the group (with ex-drummer Matt Pelisser) was “Skylines and Turnstiles,” based on his experience that day in New York, watching the Twin Towers fall in front of him. There is a lot of fire and rubble in these songs, too. And there are bodies all over the place — dead in the streets (“Welcome to the Black Parade”); near death in hospital beds (“Dead!” and “Cancer”); or just too numb to give a shit about morality (“House of Wolves”) or forgiveness (“I Don’t Love You”). Starting with a riff that stabs and stutters like an old Buzzcocks lick and packing a bridge that is pure Iron Maiden, “This Is How I Disappear” is an exciting, perverse goodbye, from one lost soul to the object of his suffocating affection. “And without you is how I disappear/And live my life alone/Forever now,” Way sings from the depths of obsession — and, it seems, his grave. The poetry is rickety, but the self-pity is arena-ready.
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Next to that, My Chemical Romance’s 2004 album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, is orthodox buzz-saw misery. Apparently, the band — which co-produced the vacuum-packed overkill of The Black Parade with Rob Cavallo, who also worked on Green Day’s punk-suite hit, American Idiot — now believes that if you’re going to feel sorry for yourself, you might as well do it with gusto. “When I grow up, I want to be nothing at all!” Way wails in “The End,” surrounded by what sounds like ELO with a case of G n’ R. The excess comes with diminishing returns. Cavallo and the group over-rely on the avenging-army drumroll shtick, and what is deliciously vintage for most of the record — Way’s bright, breathless yelp, with harmonies stacked to eternity; the lightning bolts of Brian May and Mick Ronson cutting through Toro’s and Iero’s widescreen grind — loses luster by Tracks Twelve and Thirteen, “Disenchanted” and “Famous Last Words.” The best last words should have been Track Eleven, “Teenagers,” a tight fist of T. Rex-style crunch with a great punch-the-air chorus: “They said all/Teenagers scare/The living shit out of me..”
Teenagers are the ones who should be scared shitless. They are about to inherit a hell on this earth that is more terrifying, day by day, than anything Way imagines here. In fact, the most realistic and contemporary thing about this album’s supercharged-Seventies Armageddon is his bitter, almost jealously guarded helplessness in nearly every song. Content to be the Queen of complaint (and damn good at it), My Chemical Romance offer no answers and give no hope — except for the shot of light that comes in the second manic half of “Welcome to the Black Parade,” whenever Way hits the vocal hook. “We’ll carry on,” he sings repeatedly, at full rock-hero tilt. He doesn’t say where. But the way he says it sounds great and worth believing, no matter how old you are.
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starchildbucky · 2 years
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tags navigation
tags refer to most posts (gifs/edits/pics, texts, etc.)
see also:
art 🎨 | fanfics 💫 | music 🎶 | mcu news
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alix talks  ·  alix replies  ·  alix soft hours  ·  alix writes
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-> mcu groups & randoms — mcu misc
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jane foster · pepper potts
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ari levinson  ·  colin shea  ·  johnny storm · jake jensen
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eleanor-sadler · 2 years
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female representation in the marvel cinematic universe
In this essay I will be talking about how women are represented in marvel films, how this has changed over the years, and giving my opinion on the current representation we have for strong, independent women in this franchise. From Pepper Potts to captain marvel, women make up a lot of the heroes and characters in these films but are often painted with the victim role, they need saving by the strong man, and that is often their only role in the story. On the rare occasion they are the hero in the story, their femininity is often taken from them, they must be buff and stoic, or show little or no emotion because of their tragic pasts that seem to be mainly implemented in women’s storylines within this universe. I will also be talking about how costumes have developed over the years, how men are usually suited up with a full kit of impenetrable armour, but women must hold onto that sex appeal that they’ve been presenting since the first marvel comic in 1939. Luckily in recent films, women have received better suits, such as in black widow and captain marvel, though both characters receive the same treatment, they must be tough and strong to be perceived as powerful, therefore casting aside their emotional sides, superhero women are often depicted as perfect humans with no flaws, they do not show their ‘weak sides’, otherwise known as emotions. This writing for female characters makes them difficult to relate to, real people have feelings and flaws.
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I would like to begin by talking about sexualisation of women within the MCU. In the image above (a poster used for Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier), Scarlett Johansson has been heavily edited to emphasise her small waist and breasts, she is posed in a way to emphasise her curves and make her ‘appealing’ and ‘sexy’, it is this kind of sexualisation that we have seen throughout the many MCU films. Many will argue that the men in the films get sexualised too, I agree, but not in the same way. Chris Evans (Captain America) is regularly shown topless and displaying his immense strength, this sexualisation is, in my opinion, more to demonstrate his power and strength, to cater to men. When we see women being sexualised I believe there is no other reason than to also cater to men and the male gaze (in feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and in literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer.), women are sexualised solely for men.
Another character that was incredibly sexualised in the beginning of their time within the MCU is Wanda Maximoff, she did not have a ‘costume’ but more of an outfit that greatly accentuated her chest.
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What protection during battle will this outfit provide? None. Women are given incredibly revealing clothing in these films for the sake of fashion and sexualisation, completely ignoring practicality and protection.
I would like to state, however, that in recent years both of these female characters have been given more suitable outfits and slowly we are beginning to see women depicted less as sexual objects and more as the people they are, with more practical and protective clothing.
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Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff) said herself "It would just not be a cleavage corset. I like corsets, but I'd like it to be higher." Wanda’s outfit changed as she became stronger, the actress also had input on the outfit. I like how Scarlett has been posed on the recent Black Widow poster, her stance is more like a fighter.
While watching marvel films, or any film with a “strong female-lead” I have noticed I find it difficult to relate to the character, they are presented as stoic and strong, nothing can bring them down because they are so tough, unfortunately this is also presented emotionally, with these female characters rarely showing emotion, for the sake of this essay I will be focussing on Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Natasha’s backstory is very traumatic, she was raised to be an assassin and underwent a forced sterilisation at a young age, these are just a few of the terrible things this character went through that we learn throughout multiple marvel films that slowly reveal more of her story, unfortunately many characters are depicted as emotionless or ‘difficult to get through to’ because of past traumas but I have noticed it is mostly female characters going through the worst pain in this franchise, do women need traumatic pasts to make them interesting? Or to make them strong? Much like in film series’ such as ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘divergent’ the female lead doesn’t seem to have much of a personality, they are just the face of the story, cold, never letting their guard down.
I watched a very educational video essay as part of my research for this project called “I Hate Feminism In Hollywood, And Here’s Why.”, the creator of this video raised many effective points, including “a woman who is anything but tough and dominating cannot be perceived as powerful” and “don’t write strong women, write humans”, both quotes I feel strongly about, male characters are often perceived as strong, but they also have many other characteristics about them, but women are written into these roles which try so hard to empower women that they forget to redeem women for having feelings and showing their emotions, so we end up only having “perfect human specimens” to look up to, which I personally find it difficult to relate to, especially growing up, I found it difficult to find a female character to have comfort in as I didn’t see myself relating to any.
One series I have found to be the best portrayal of a strong woman is ‘WandaVision’, she can demonstrate her immense power while also being allowed to feel. Nusta (the name of the channel that created “I Hate Feminism In Hollywood, And Here’s Why”) stated “we see her trauma, vulnerability, anger, grief, longing for affection, love and relationships” and “we see her be human, none of which takes away from her strength and power.” I could not agree more with this, I found while watching this series that I experienced stronger emotions and connection to this character because we saw her raw emotions and humanity, which neither of which took anything from her power, if anything, that side of her strengthened it.
Marvel and all production companies, still have a long way to go with female representation, but I feel comforted knowing that steps are being taken to improve representation for women, managing to be empowering yet real at the same time.
Referencing:
Captain Marvel. 2019. [film] Directed by A. Boden and R. Fleck. Marvel Studios: Marvel Studios.
Divergent. 2014. [film] Directed by N. Burger. Lionsgate: Lionsgate.
Harris, K., 2022. After Wishing She Could Change Her "Avengers" Costume, Elizabeth Olsen Finally Got To Help Design Her New Suit For "WandaVision". [online] BuzzFeed. Available at: <https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristenharris1/elizabeth-olsen-new-scarlet-witch-costume> [Accessed 16 January 2022].
2021. I Hate Feminist Hollywood, And Here's Why.. [video] Available at: <https://youtu.be/fjNyeDlqgqE> [Accessed 16 January 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Male gaze - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_gaze> [Accessed 16 January 2022].
The Hunger Games. 2012. [film] Directed by G. Ross. Lionsgate: Lionsgate.
Wanda Vision. 2021. [video] Directed by M. Shakman. Marvel Studios: Marvel Studios.
Black Widow. 2021. [film] Directed by C. Shortland. Marvel Studios: Marvel Studios.
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