#ragnarok only gave us a preview

[seven-oomen]

Omg, lol, yes, go to bed!!!

I mean, I have tried a fair few of our treats just so that I can mess with people when they ask for recommendations.  There was one treat that we used to sell by the pound that a lady actually asked us to stop carrying because her husband would buy and eat them.  Like, she would find stashes in his sock drawer.  One that we carried from a local company for a while was actually meant to be eaten by both the owner and the pet.  As I recall, they too were a bit dry and bland, but not bad overall.

And yes, that does help clear things up a bit without giving anything away, and shift the anxiety more towards curiousity.  About multiple people now, it seems.  And I love the new preview, which I presume is part of a fleshing out of Chris’s flashback about the incident with the basketball players?  Can’t wait to see how that goes.  (The angst.  The potential for comfort.  Mmmm.)

Those are excellent choices, and also some of my faves.  Ragnarok was a fucking masterpiece (will Loki’s face when Odin says “I’m proud of you my sons” ever stop catching me like a knife to the chest?  Pretty sure the answer is no.)  I love when Thor gets a chance to prove he’s actually intelligent, and I need a Valkyrie movie asap.  (And omg, some of those visuals…)  And I really need to see Black Panther again soon.  Pretty sure Shuri is my fave Disney Princess after Leia.  (For some reason I’d also really love to see Okoye and Carol meet.  Like, I’m pretty certain the combined confidence and self-assurance would just make every dude in the vicinity spontaneously bow or kneel without even fully understanding why.)

I haven’t actually gotten to see any of the footage from the FF7 remake yet, but I remembered their participation being talked about on Tumblr (which is also where I saw the pics of Keahu’s cosplay.)  I haven’t had a chance to see my friends and talk to them about it, though it’ll be more “hey, did you know that Sephiroth is voiced by Superman?” because none of them watched TW, but a fair few have seen the CW DC shows.  And hey, don’t sweat it, I just have a weird ability to remember stuff like that, whether I want to or not.  I may not always recognize the voice, but I remember names fairly well most of the time, which comes in helpful at work when we’re talking about some piece of media and they can’t recall someone I’ll play “what else were they in?” with them until we can usually figure it out.  Or when my mom is telling me about something she saw (she’s a caregiver with a patient who LOVES going to the movies, so she’s seen more in the last few years than I ever did with her as a kid XD ) and cannot for the life of her remember names correctly.  Like, at all.  It astounds me sometimes what she comes up with trying to get it right.

Gonna have to look some of those characters up, only some are familiar.  (If it weren’t for the fact that they’re cousins here, I would be screaming Geralt!Derek and Jaskier!Stiles from the rooftops.)  I have actually done a video game costume myself but it was very long ago.  Some friends and I were in a small, local Halloween parade.  We had a Mario and a Luigi, a Lara Croft (with old Nintendo guns instead of regular ones), a couple of puppet Pac-Man ghosts being chased through the group by a large cardboard Pac-Man, several Tetris pieces, and one person wearing a Power Glove, a dance pad as a cape, and innumerable corded controllers as bling who I think was technically “leading” us along.  I was the T-shaped Tetris piece, and for what was basically a large cardboard tube with another cardboard box attached to the back, it was surprisingly easy and comfortable to walk in…as long as I didn’t try to sit down.

Ooh, and last random thought that occurred to me earlier.  If Cora does turn out to be alive (which we don’t know if she is), and Peter gave up the Alpha spark, would it go to Cora, as eldest female in the Hale line, or Malia, as eldest female in Peter’s line specifically (assuming Allison stays human)?  Feel free not to answer if need be in case of potential spoilers, I just happened to think of it.

Hope your sleep was sufficient and restful!

I’m going to put down a couple of quick answers to all of these lovely asks since I don’t have much time but I do want to address some of it.

First of all, this just made me smile today all of it. I love reading through these on bad days.

Second, it was a continuation of the scuffle with the basketball players. This time seen from Peter’s pov. The preview I put up today is basically a short scene where they’re a few months into trying to get close to Chris and finally, things seem to be working. Not included in this preview is also some background info on what’s going on with Melissa and Claudia.

And that is a good question, one I haven’t thought much about since I’m still not 100% sure what I want to do with Cora in the sequel. I’m kind of tempted to not bring her back and have the spark go to Malia by default. But eh, more thoughts need to be put into this.

#ben says stuff #once upon a time comments #my convos with anon #submission

[pwnyta]

Full Endgame spoilers/review:

(TL;DR: It was really fucking good. Theres some bad obviously but overall worth it. Even after reading the spoilers and feeling like I may not like it as much as I thought I would... I actually liked it more.)

- - So as I said I loved the movie I had some gripes but overall I thought it was one hell of a fun, entertaining movie. I'll go by each characters story in my review saving Cap and Tony for last.

Natasha- Honestly? Though I think the MCU dropped the ball on the 0G6 being a believable family... I think Nats role in this movie was sweet. I really like the scene where Tony Nat and Bruce were laying down talking about Strange and the stones. It was really cute but it really made me wish we got to see this earlier. Joss dropped the ball hard in AoU. Ive said it one and I'll say it again. AoU should have been the movie where the Avengers were a solid unit throughout the movie.Nats death was... heroic but honestly her and Clint beating the shit out of each other because neither could stand the thought of the other being sacrificed was kinda funny and cute which is jarring to the story. It kinda sucks that she was fridged before the final battle though.

Clint- What are the fucking odds that every one of his family was dusted? But w/e. Clint having a wild sword battle in Japan... it was ridiculous and weird and IDK what they were thinking with that scene but it was played really dramatically but I laughed? Cuz it was so over the top and silly... even though he just slit that guys throat and Nats like :c Clint~ honey no its fine... and they hold hands over the guys warm corpse. LMFAO WHAT!? Im at least happy his kids got him back if nothing else.

Bruce- ... Bruce with Hulks big green body? NICE. Thats gonna have some interesting fanart I can already tell and I lift my glass to you. I once tried to draw a little comic where Bruce and Hulk separated but also had swapped bodies.... so Bruce had Hulks body but I never did finish it I wonder if I still have it saved somewhere. Anyways. Honestly? I found Bruce in this movie to be equal parts funny and annoying? Like it was a bit jarring sometimes that he was so lighthearted despite everything.

Thor- When I read the spoilers I thought I was gonna really dislike Thor but watching it I understood where Thor was coming from and I couldnt really blame him for spiraling and its not like anyone close to him seemed to even check up on him despite clearly knowing where he was. Im really sad that it took all those years and only until he was needed for someone to try and talk Thor through what he was going through. Im not annoyed with Thor. Im annoyed with the rest of them (minus Tony and I guess Clint? Considering.). Bruce was his friend in Ragnarok, Nat keeps talking about them being family, and Steve is their leader where the hell were they? Unless im missing something... I guess Valkyrie too but shes been picking up his slack as a leader and was holding the Asgardians together so I can cut her some slack. ANYWAYS. Thor was kinda funny in the movie but it was kind of hard to enjoy his goofiness. It kind felt like Tony in IM2. Speaking of Im glad Tony seemed really tolerant of Thors drunk behavior... I was sure he would throw a lot of shots like Rocket did. I wish they had a moment to talk about Thor self medicating with booze... Tonys been there. I get why they couldnt really but.. His scene with Frigga was really nice. Frigga is a bad bitch raised by witches and shit.... she knows all~ A wise woman that Frigga.

Scott- HOLY SHIT Did I love Scott in this movie. He was soo funny and cute... and bullied a lot. You know I have a thing for easily bulliable character. And Scott just got spanked left and right. His helpless goofiness reminded me of Harry from KKBB a little. He bounced off everyone well and it makes me kinda wish he was one of the OG6 instead of Clint. He was more of the heart that kept the Avengers together than anyone. Also him and Tony talking about Caps ass? HILARIOUS. Bisexual icons honestly. 'That suit did nothing for your ass.' 'No one asked you to look!' 'I think you look great Cap as far as Im concerned thats Americas ass!' and then later Caps all 'That IS Americas ass.' Unbelievable. But his best scene is still him reuniting with Cassie. She was so big! Im so happy she got her dad back... but Bruces failed time travel machine scene.... that was a close second. 'Somebody peed my pants... idk if it was baby me or old me........ or me me.' Also the 'whats up regular sized man' scene is longer and more hilarious than the preview showed. FUCK YOUR TACO SCOTT. At least Bruce is nice to him. I ship GreenAnt a little. Rocket petting Scott and mockingly calling him a puppy. SAME.

Rhodey- JESUS RHODEY. Speaking of hilarious idiots. Im glad he got a bigger roll in this movie but he didnt hug Tony when he got back so whats the point? BUT W/E... He was hilarious and amazing. It was nice to see him step up as one of the sorta leaders after the snappening. But he was also A HUGE FUCKING DORK THE ENTIRE WAY THROUGH. Thinking that a secret cavern with a spooky name would be boobytrapped like in Indiana Jones and trying to convince Nebula to be careful. Naming a bunch of shitty time travel movies to prove a point about time travel (with Scotts help) and going back in time to kill baby Thanos...and Bruce was like 'yeah... no...' and him fucking TRASHING the magic of the iconic opening scene of the first GotG where Quill is dancing.... 'so hes an idiot?' RHODEY PLEEEEAAASSSEEEE have mercy. Him and Nebula are a trip. Also I made a note to mention Don Cheadles BEAUTIFUL soft voice. So here it is. I love Don Cheadles beautiful soft voice. He had too few scenes with Tony but their first scene when Tony starts freaking out and hes trying to get Tony to calm down was pretty good... and god that ending.... ;-; How come Rhodey got NO lines while Tony was dying? But also in the same position I dont think Id have any words either. I too would just cry. And did... for Tony. But yeah besides his lack of scenes with Tony I really loved Rhodeys scenes. I usually do. Hes adorable.

Nebula: Sweetie... You are just amazing. Shes legit one of the best most solid characters in the movie. The opening scenes between her and Tony? FUCKING adorable. Im sad we dont see more of them after the time skip. I also wish we got a longer scene of Neb and Rocket talking when she gets to earth... I guess just seeing them sit together sadly was enough to portray the emotions but.... I MEAN. More Nebula wouldnt hurt anyone. Having to see two tortured versions of Nebula was upsetting. Future Nebula who lost so much and past Nebula still under Thanos' thumb. 'You can change!' 'He wont let me' OOF. Im sad that past Nebula was killed... but appreciate that even in that moment past Gamora was upset to see her be killed. Im glad with Present Neb, Gamora was so easily heel-face turned. She loves her sister. Also their moment after past Gamora beats up present Quill was hilarious 'Really? This is the guy?' 'The choices were him or a tree.' WHAT ABOUT DRAX, NEBULA?! I know I said I may not watch any MCU movies after this but I might tune in for GotG3 for Nebula (and Thor).

Steve: I actually ENJOYED Steve in this movie for the most part. For the first time in any movie... even by himself I kind of enjoyed Steve. Especially the scene when hes fighting himself and his past self says 'I can do this all day' and hes like 'Tst... yeah I know... okay' Like he was sick of his own damn bullshit. And frankly? Same. Also him whispering 'Hail hydra' to get the scepter? Hilarious. I cant help but see it as a knock at that shitty Hydra Cap comic that everyone hated. But despite me enjoying Steve for most of the film... the MCUs inability to write a good romance and pretending like Steve and Peggys relationship was a peak or something completely undoes it all. It would still NOT BE GREAT regardless but the fact the RUSSOS are the ones who brought Sharon into TWS in the first place makes it SO MUCH WORSE that Steve dipped out. Steve should have moved on... even if it wasnt with Sharon. They could have at least MENTIONED HER but they knew they couldnt because then it would be too highlighted that Steve is a fucking FUCK BOY who used the niece of the woman he loved as a surrogate and that him going back to the past means hes gonna be meeting little Sharon at some point. Also? Really? Steve you have this whole new family you supposedly love and can live your life with but you rather go back in the past because the first woman who was nice to you was there? Move on. Its so fucking weird that hes so obsessed with her. You have your childhood friend and the rest of your new friends... and supposedly a girlfriend. IDK how anyone could be happy with that ending for him. But I guess its in character... remember the note he sent Tony 'I've been on my own since I was 18.' What about Bucky? He was there with you and you had family in the Avengers supposedly. Natasha seemed to think so. YOURE SUCH A FUCKIN SCUMBAG STEVE. Jesus.

Tony: First of all Id just LOVED his scenes with Nebula as I said. He sat there patiently teaching how to play paper football and held her win. It was REALLY cute. When he passed out she picked him up off the floor and sat him down on the chair and pat him. REAL CUTE. He nicknamed her 'The Blue Meanie' its cute and he tried to give her the last of their food but she insisted he eat it. Bobbos eyes never looked more gorgeous than in that scene where Carol finds them honestly. Tonys I told you so was really really sad. It had a lot of feeling like that scene in AoU when he laughs hysterically and starts ranting? Rhodey tried to calm him down but he just ripped into Cap. Also he yanked off his arc reactor and I FULLY JUMPED IN PANIC because I forgot it wasnt in him. I fully flinched. But he pulled his heart out and gave it to Steve and then passed out. Tony and Peppers daughter is ADORABLE. And her interactions with Tony are so sweet. Domestic Tony is lovely. I love that when Steve and the gang roll up on him Morgan runs out during their discussion and is like 'Mom told me to come and save you....' and hes like 'Well Ive been saved!' REAL CUTE. Also he swore and his daughter copied him and hes like NOOOOO!!!!!!! LMAO. LANGUAGE Tony. Tony is motivated to fix things seeing that pic of him and Peter. Hes such a softie. IM REALLY REALLY SAD that we finally see Pepper kinda GET Tonys need to be Iron Man and is like 'But could you rest?'. The one time she encourages him to go back to be Iron Man and he fucking DIES. Im so sad for Pepper. But that scene between them where shes like 'We'll be ok.... you can rest now.' FUCK. Im crying again. That scene between him and Steve- 'Someone shoula warned you~' 'You did...' 'Oh did I? Thank god Im here' has the same energy as 'Who taught you how to dance?' 'You did.' 'Well Ive done a marvelous job!' It was pretty great. Tonys nicknames for Scott are 'Pissant' and 'Thumbelina.' Im not OVERLY fond of his scenes with Howard. But honestly? My brother is the same way with our dad... he just chooses to forget the bad stuff and focus on the few good times. I cant do that but if it made Tony happier then VERY WELL. I wish Tony coulda talked to Jarvis too tho... just a word... anything? Best Tony scene is Peter babbling about how he musta passed out because Tony was gone and and and and Tony just hugs him so tightly and Peters hugs back and is like :D 'this is nice'! Though that STARK contrast of them after Tony uses the gauntlet... and Peter is like 'Mr Stark... we won... we did it... no Mr Stark...' Big Simba and Mufasa feels (and kind of Hughes and Elicia tbh). Not cool Disney. I was already crying. Rhodey was the first to reach Tony and Tony couldnt say ANYTHING to anyone and Rhodey just pets his cheek... Tony was just looking around as his family just has to watch helplessly as hes dying and Pepper tells him its ok. His funeral was really nice. He recorded a message for everyone kind of like his message for Pepper on the ship. Everyone was there... I think even Harley (Im really sad we didnt see them get reunited even once). The scene with Happy and Morgan was really sweet. 'I'll buy all the cheeseburgers you want....' It was cool to because... ya know.... Jon Favreau. He got a really beautiful end. I wish he could just retire and live with Pep and Morgan... but if he had to die... that was a really lovely sendoff. SO ALL IN ALL. Awesome movie. I didnt get to see past elderly Steve passing the shield off to Sam... I'll have to rewatch it again when theres a better version. Especially for that fucking STUNNING end battle. Even with the shitty cam I watched it looked AMAZING and I cant wait for it in HD.

#Endgame Spoilers

[northlandian]

How I Fell in Love with Marvel

As a die-hard MCU fan today, it's hard to imagine where I would be and what I would be interested in today if it wasn't for my discovery of these fantastic movies. This is the story of how I accidentally saw my favourite movie to date, resulting in me finding one of my greatest passions today.

For context, before that day occurred, the closest I had been to anything Marvel related was having seen the original Spider-Man movies, 1 through 3, and I actually liked them (well, except for the obvious). A few years after that, I also saw Guardians of the Galaxy in theatres, which also happened to be on accident, as I was cottaging in a small county during the summer, and my sister and I were bored one night. However, Guardians wasn't enough to reel me in. If I'm being completely honest, it was never one of my favourite MCU movies (I even prefer the sequel over it). Not that it's not good, it was, but at the time, there was a lot of information thrown at me all at once that I didn't quite get because I didn't see any movies previous to it. Obviously, being young, stupid, and not that into that kind of stuff at the time, I didn't know I was supposed to. 

It's also worth noting though, that before this accident I'm about to delve into occurred, I knew I wanted to be a Marvel fan. I had seen the Spider-Man movies and enjoyed them (although I didn't know that the MCU would differ from those, but anyways), so I knew there was a fairly good chance I would enjoy the others. Just the idea of these incredible fighters had always intrigued me, and it's probably why I enjoy video games as well. But I also wanted to feel like I was part of something, something bigger than myself. I was over my book phase, Gravity Falls had just ended, and I had finished all the Harry Potter movies... I wanted to find something else to love. But at the same time, I could never really find the time or effort to catch up on however-many countless movies were out at the time.

SO, without further ado, this is how I happened upon the MCU.

First of all, it was near the end of December 2017...yes, this took place just last year, I'm aware of how new I am and I only wish it could have happened sooner.

Anyways, my sister and I were staying at my cousin's for a few days during the winter break. We decided to go downtown for the day, which included seeing a movie. We hadn't bought the tickets ahead of time, but we were planning on seeing Coco - I had only heard good things, so we were all really excited. We get to the theatre, and one of my cousins goes to buy the tickets, while I wait with her three little brothers and my sister. Eventually, she comes back, only to tell us that Coco was sold out...big bummer for me. There was nothing else to see. My sister began complaining. My cousin then informs us that she had instead, purchased us all tickets for the new Thor movie...what? Her brothers seemed happy about it, and I decided to grin and bear it, but I gave my sister one look and knew I'd be sitting through one boring boy's movie. Whatever. I'd get it over with.

So we sit down in the theatre, we sit through the previews (I saw the preview for Black Panther for the first time, and ironically thought, "huh, that looks pretty good"), and the Marvel logo comes on. First impressions? Well, it was pretty cool. It was my first time seeing the newest Marvel logo, considering Guardians never had it.

Then it pans down to Thor, and he starts monologuing in his deep Asgardian accent, and I'm expecting it to be expositional and boring but...wait, it's not? It was actually pretty funny. The Surtur scene continues, and now first impressions are really kicking in... they were able to make it expositional and funny at the same time, and it worked well. Then the fight began, and suddenly, I was like...woah. These fight scenes are really good. Like. Really good. I found the camera angles made to follow the hammer very cool. Enemies were being taken out like dominos. Even Thor using his hammer as a shield against Surtur's fiery breath was literally a battle move I had doodled all the time! And now I was seeing it in front of me! Then, of course, his escape. I fell in love with the score instantly. The Bifrost aesthetic had me captivated. And from the moment the camera panned up into birds-eye view to read "Thor: Ragnarok", I knew this movie was going to be a bit more than interesting.

Suffice it to say, first impressions were good.

I won't go into detail about every scene like I just did, but I'll highlight the important ones that really made the movie for me.

Loki's introduction. Little did I know I'd be meeting one of my favourite characters of all time. His magical capabilities were revealed instantly for a first-timer like me, something I appreciated at the time I was watching. So was his relationship with Thor; not all of it, obviously, because there are many, many layers, but it was enough for me to determine that he was someone who had the kind of relationship that allowed him to act very jokingly, as seen while also being very jealous deep down, and expressing resentment (his desires of wanting to be King, making a stage production out of his own death, exiling his own father, etc). I could also pick up his immediate character traits fairly quickly - he’s funny, he's someone who practically embodies trouble, and he will always put himself first. It was unclear how much he truly did care for others, specifically his brother, but then again, it's been like that throughout most of the MCU anyways. I, of course, did not know why he was the way he was, but his personality had me intrigued from the very beginning.

The references made to past MCU movies. Believe it or not, I wasn't completely lost, unlike with Guardians. The reason for this was because it was presented in a way that made it so simple. For example, Loki faked his death. How do I know? Because Thor comes back to a stage production about it, but surprise! He's not dead. Another example is, Hulk and Thor always fight alongside each other. How do I know? "He's a friend from work". "Work" obviously being the Avengers (I didn't live completely under a rock, at least), and "friend" being enough to tell me that they were on pretty good terms the last they saw each other. Even the line "adopted" being enough to tell me that there was some deeper story behind why Loki is the way he is. It was small things like that that really set this particular movie apart, and sure, there were some references I didn't catch until seeing the previous movies ("Yes! That's how it feels!"), but it was nice to not always be in the dark about everything. 

Valkyrie. Literally, everything about this character. I hadn't exactly been acquainted to Natasha Romanoff yet, so she was the first female badass I had ever had the pleasure of watching. From the moment she's introduced, you can tell she has a deep backstory. Her confrontation with Loki had me rolling when she beat the crap out of him, and then proceeded to throw a bottle at him shortly after. And of course, there's her entrance onto Asgard... enough said. 

The last thing I'm going to mention goes out to the film's director, Taika Waititi, as well as the perfect portrayal performed by the actors, and that is the constant humour in the movie. Perfect example: “Get help”. It had me rolling. This is why I always consider it the most wonderful, yet coincidental incident because the truth is, if it was any other MCU movie, I wouldn't have been enticed enough. The movie was so damn funny, I must've laughed through half of it. Before I had seen it, I didn't know Marvel didn't take themselves so seriously. Or at least, I didn't know they didn't have to. I know now of course that that movie specifically was purposed to completely rebrand Thor in order to make him more interesting, and damn, did they do a good job. 

So, that last point especially lingered as I left the theatre that day. I cannot express how much I thought about that movie for the rest of the night, which rarely happened to me, as it only happens when I watch something really good. The best thing I can think to compare it to was when the author of the journals was revealed in Gravity Falls (for those who have seen it). I even remember asking my cousin, "Wow, I had no idea Marvel movies were that good. Are they that funny in all the movies?". She responded, "Yeah, we should definitely watch the Avengers tonight", to which I agreed.

We watched Wonder Woman. I was highly unimpressed. Sorry, not a DC stan, never will be. 

But when I got home from my cousin's, I did end up watching it. And then I watched Ultron. Then the Thor's. Then the Iron Man's. Then the Captain America's. I loved them all. I even enjoyed Guardian's 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, as I was hesitant about both. A few months later, I went back to the theatres to see Black Panther, just like I wanted to. With each time I watched and rewatched the movies, I fell more in love with the characters, I picked apart more from the storyline, made sure I knew every after-credits scene...started crafting my own theories for Infinity War. 

And of course, little did I know, it would smash my heart to pieces not five months after I first discovered it. 

And now, here I am, still obsessing over these movies, still undecided on who I could possibly like more, Thor or Loki, just as I felt from the moment I left the theatre for the first time. It's cool to think I found my passion on a happy accident, and it's weird to think that considering how happy it's kept me, what I'd be doing without it today.

#marvel #MCU #storytime #thor ragnarok #thor #loki #avengers #iron man #captain america #spider-man #guardians of the galaxy #origin #story #love

[zenosanalytic]

Doom-Broom Looms; Assumes Costumed Groom will Fume in Tomb-Gloom: The Tune-Presumed Consumes

Yes I did it; No I’m not sorry; Shutup it’s a Gr8 Headline; Mild Spoilers below cut:

So I really liked this one, I’d say it’s at least as good as the first Avengers and probably better, making it the best of the Avenger films so far. As per tradition, I will start with what I didn’t like first and, aside from the first two, they’re mostly Quibbles:

The Bads

So:

Labeling the cruelty of an abusive guardian -who murdered his child’s family, surgically altered and experimented on her without her consent, forced her to kill, forced her to fight and sometimes kill her siblings to protect her body and her life from that parent- as love is some Buuuullshit >:( I can easily accept that Thanos would think he loved her, abusers tell themselves all sort of garbage to justify what they do, but that some omnipotent universe-stone would judge that situation and those feelings sincere is, again, Buuuuuullsheeeeiiiit >:( >:( Attaching that execrable nonsense to the killing of Gamora makes it so much worse, and then connecting that to how Thanos “wins” through Quill’s anger, makes it even, even worse. 

Their choices on who to “kill” were fucked up and bad. Bucky dealing with a world without Steve is interesting. T’Challa traumatized by the loss of his closest friends and torn between healing/protecting his people and helping bring Thanos to justice and potentially undoing what he did is interesting(not to mention how loved the character is. Though I’m p sure we’ll see a BP Shuri as a result, which I’m very much looking forward to). Scarlet Witch given the chance to grow on her own, instead of being tethered to a guy, is Interesting. Groot dealing with the death of their “parent”/Confidant/translator is Interesting. Having Banner “die” so that only The Hulk is left would have been interesting. Going with what they did was stupid. Killing off Fury and Hill was Stupid. Wiping out, to a duo(!), the Guardians of the Galaxy was Stupid. Killing Drax and Mantis is some Galaxy-Brained Criminal Ignorance! Killing Heimdall I understand BUT(!!!), at the same time, Elba’s a great actor and Ragnarok’s the only film to make even decent use of him, so I’d have liked to see him live through this one and into the next one, at least, before he was killed. And, as others have said, the general race&gender balance of the killings was, charitably, Iffy.

These are some seriously flawed ethical/political choices they made for this film, and they didn’t have to make them. Totally could have handled all of this differently, and better, than they did. So on to the Quibbles!

Having Gamora and Peter’s relationship, which had, so well and realistically to two folks working through trauma and immaturity, been cooking low and slow over the two GoG movies, suddenly be physically and emotionally intimate and vulnerable, and having her saying things like “I love you more than anything” to him, when they live on a tiny ship with zero privacy with four(?) other people, and doing all of that purely for plot-convenience, was dumb and lazy and Lame. Character dev should serve the characters first and plot second; this complaint kinda dovetails with my issues with SW and Vision in the next para.  

There really should have been one more movie, and maybe two or three, before this one. The character writing was great and all, but Scarlet Witch and Vision just haven’t had the time to be developed enough as characters for their(rather central) place in the movie to be emotionally meaningful enough. A movie focusing on them, or maybe on Steve’s “unofficial” Avengers, would have really helped add some more depth and impact to Infinity War. The other movies I think would have helped are another Dr. Strange(I didn’t like the first one much at all and he didn’t really come off as all that capable to me in the first one and really seemed to just fall into the role of Sorcerer-Supreme by dint of being the last one standing), and Definitely another Black Panther. There are obvious scheduling reasons for not holding off for a second Black Panther(which are totally Marvisny’s fault, of course; for instance, if they’d just introduced the character earlier, so that CW would have been the 2nd BP movie and BP the 3rd), but Dr. Strange was 2016 and they could have totally gotten another one out, with some significant crew and writing changes, before this to flesh out, build up, and actually render interesting/likeable, the character. Though, I suppose maybe there were equally obvious financial reasons why not to roll the dice on that franchise again(though though, looking it up just now it topped Captain America: The First Avenger on box office, which is Insane).

Dispensing with Nova off-screen. I Mean: WTH. That should, at the least, have been an in-credit sequence(in GoG 2 or T:R). Something as simple as showing Thanos with the Power Gem, then panning out to show a devastated Nova Command or him taunting Nova Prime before killing her, would have been fine(though, the GoG movies gave me the impression the Nova Corps would have been a tough nut for Thanos to crack).

Probably my most niche opinion: they should have, FINALLY, done a movie crossover with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast here, especially given the in-credit sequence. Marvel and Disney have been promising Chloe Bennet that AoS was going to be her vehicle into film work since the series started and this is, like, the third or fourth frigging times they’ve either reneged or passed on a chance to boost her up into the big leagues, and frankly it’s annoying. She’s a good actress, The Inhumans should have stayed a movie and been that vehicle(with the characters they made protags the villains S.H.I.E.L.D. was fighting), and, given the stakes and the nature of the conflict, it’d have been easy to ameliorate that mistake by bringing her, the rest of the AoS cast, and Fury in on this one as secondary characters. I mean, it’d have been better if they’d had two or three SHIELD movies spread out over the MCU by now, or always included them in the Avengers films to give also-rans like the show cast and Hawkeye places to shine, but barring that and given Disnal’s fuckup with Inhumans, they should have made a go of it here. Ming-Na Wen also deserves more time on the Big Screen and, while Johannson’s Fine in the films, Wen does her character-type Better u_u u_u u_u

Like I said, Quibbles, they don’t really detract from the movie. The main problems with Infinity War, to me, are it’s screwy plot-ethics.

The Goods

Not really much to say here other than “I liked it and had fun”. The character writing was good, the dialogue was funny, the fight choreography was, given the logistics of multicharacter combat, Fine, the fights were engaging, the camerawork was(mostly) clear, the costume design was great, the side characters(especially the Black Order) all got good beats of their own, the Heroes(except Black Panther and maybe SW, since she was restricted to just moving things and blasting things) all got opportunities to show off their abilities. IW really validated the “Comics=Wrestling” critical lens I was introduced to by @some-triangles, as it felt like a Wrestlemania or Battle Royale more than anything else to me. Related to that there were some really dumb moments, like when Scarlet Witch left the lab to enter the rin-, er, battlefield, but you basically knew that was going to happen the instant they told her to stay in the room because Tropes, and the Forms must be Honored u_u u_u The Russos are genuinely competent movie-makers, who seem to have that all-important skill of recruiting and keeping a talented crew around them, and they made a genuinely competent movie, despite the questionable plotting.

The Judgements

So that’s my opinion on the thing. Infinity War includes some highly fucked up ethical messages for the sake of plot convenience, and confirms the MCU’s refusal to make even basic use of some really top-notch acting talent, which just happens to be mostly non-white people, that they’re (presumably)paying fortunes to have access to; if you feel that sort of ish isn’t something you can sit-through or abide giving your money to, then don’t see the film. But it’s a technically competent film, 90% of the time the writing is wonderful, and overall it’s an engaging and entertaining film so, if you can tolerate that ish in some fashion, maybe you’ll enjoy it like I did.

Oh, and it’s really long(2h40m, and there were, like, 30mins of previews before it. Seriously >:| >:| >:| They played TWO[!!!!!!] flipping Jurassic World trailers, as if anyone wants to see that junk), so I’d rec you not get any drinks if you’re going to go see it(though it’s not a big deal as there are some nice-sized lulls, reasonably spaced, to take breaks in).

#Infinity War(Movie) #Infinity War Spoilers #Movies #Movie Reviews #Rhyming #zA's Outside Viewing

[a-goats-tin-can]

Alrighty since some of you are interested....

Yesterday I went on a date with a guy from my Biology class (a Virgo whom I will refer to as C) and it was honestly so great, I get giddy whenever I think about it.

This past Tuesday I was talking to C after class and telling him that he had to go see Thor: Ragnarok and was just about to ask if he wanted to go with me to see it when this other guy in the class (who isn’t the most socially perceptive person..) jumped into the conversation and told C that he’d take him to see the movie and I was just standing there like

THIS MOTHERFUCKER JUST STOLE MY DATE!!

But I wasn’t having any of that so I jumped in and was like “mind if I tag along too?” and so the 3 of us planned to see the movie on Friday but I was highkey still bitter that the other guy was going cause I was like I WANTED A DATE WITH C!!! ALOOONNEEEE!

But then C and I were texting the next day and he told me that he was also about to ask me if I wanted to go see the movie with him and then asked me if I wanted the other guy to go with us and I wanted to say NO I JUST WANT IT TO BE THE TWO OF US but instead I said that I didn’t really know the guy but that I’d feel bad if I said I didn’t want him to go, which was true but like I didn’t want him to go lmao

So he and I texted and talked a lot the rest of the week leading up to the movie and by then we were also planning to go get this really really good chicken soup in town that he’d never tried before after the movie, just the 2 of us, so I was much less bitter about the other guy crashing the first part of our date.

So we got into the theater and the other guy was already there sitting in the last row in the corner when the theater was virtually empty and C and I were like Um?? and then the 3 of us moved over to the middle of that row.

During the previews C and I were talking and flirting and shit and wow can I just say that I was on my A game last night like damn I’m impressed with myself rn tbh I don’t think I’ve ever been that charming in my life 

We also spoke a few times during the movie at particularly hilarious moments

(travel time interlude!)

So while we were waiting for our order that we got to-go, we went outside and talked and got to know each other a bit more and at one point he just kind of paused and looked at me and asked if I have a boyfriend and I was like “pFFT NO I’ve never had a boyfriend” and he was SHOOK to learn that he was like “how?? you’re so amazing and you’re beautiful” and I was like “well guys tend to be intimidated by me” and he was like “because you’re smart??” and I laughed and told him no it’s because i’ve got a resting bitch face that could kill a man, which he vehemently disagreed with me about. 

I also then learned that he’s 21 and then it was my turn to be shook because holy fuck I was on a date with a 21 YEAR OLD AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT

After some more talking he just smiled really big and wrapped his arms around me and was like “I can’t believe that something like this could happen” and I just OKAY CAN I JUST SAY THAT I DO NOT BLUSH EASILY. AT ALL. BUT THE WHOLE 7 AND A HALF HOURS WE WERE TOGETHER HE KEPT MAKING ME BLUSH LIKE OH MY GOD 

Then I got a text from one of my very good friends who got home that same day and she was asking if I wanted to go to our high school to watch the football team’s playoff game and I was like sure! cause I miss her but at the same time I didn’t want to end my date with C cause I was having a really really good time and wow he is so incredible and wonderful and sweet and I just :’)))

so I asked him if he wanted to go to the game with me and he quickly agreed because he didn’t want the date to be over either so we got our soup and left for my old stomping grounds.........he got lost on the way over there, which was funny.

(travel time interlude pt. 2!)

Since I got there before he did and I was beginning to panic because I was realizing that I really like this guy and I don’t know how to process emotions and I felt like I was going to puke from all the feelings I was feeling, I FaceTimed my best friend and word vomited the whole time. She encouraged me to continue being myself and to just breathe and such. She also was like “OOH YOU GUYS SHOULD WALK IN HOLDING HANDS!” to which I yelled NO I AM NERVOUS AND MY HANDS SWEAT WHEN I’M NERVOUS

but then he found his way to the campus so I ran over to meet him and as soon as I saw him (this is cheesy how gross) I just calmed down and felt good again. 

So we were walking over to the stands and I cracked a joke and he high fived me and then he was like “oh my god Katie your hands are freezing, let me warm them up” and held my hand and I was like OH MY GOD A SLICK BOI HERE

(side note, I am leaving a lot of things out so that I can try to keep this post shorter)

We got there right after the game started and we didn’t really pay attention at all because we were just talking the whole time and he was so touchy (in a really sweet and affectionate way and we all know how affection deprived I am) and I loved it and he kept playing with my hair and brushing it out of my face and he kept telling me how amazing, incredible, beautiful, adorable, cute, and funny I am and that he loves my laugh and my eyes and my personality and all this sweet stuff

His eyes are really expressive too and at some point during the game I could just see in his eyes as he fell head over heels for me, like I’m really not exaggerating. He even told me that he wants me to meet his parents and his brothers and his adorable baby nephew and talking about future dates we could go on and ow my heart :’))))

We paid attention to the game when we realized there was literally one minute left and it was really stressful and intense and I almost started crying tbh but MY BOYS WON AND I’M REALLY PROUD OF THEM! I also saw a lot of my children who are now seniors at the game and I almost cried again because a lot of them I hadn’t seen since before I graduated in June

Anyways so C and I left and headed for the parking lot and we held hands the whole time and talked about how we both love stargazing and he asked if I’d want to go stargazing with him some time and on the inside I was freaking out a lot because that’s my goddamn dream date but on the outside I only freaked out a little and said that I’d love to

We got to my car and he kissed my hand and he looked at me and was like “I want to kiss you, but I won’t tonight”

and I agreed because I GOT REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE I REALLY WANTED TO KISS HIM BUT I HAVEN’T EXACTLY HAD MY FIRST KISS AND I GOT SCARED BECAUSE AS MUCH AS I CRAVE AFFECTION AND EMOTIONAL INTIMACY I ALSO FEAR IT

He and I stood outside my car for a few minutes and he was like “I don’t want to leave; I don’t want to say goodbye” and so I said “Then we’ll say see you soon” and he agreed to that and gave me one last hug (of many that day/night) and walked off to his car, after telling me to drive safely and such.

It was then that I realized my chemistry teacher was parked right next to me and he was like “Hi Katie~” all teasing like and I was like “shit fuck outta here Jared”

and then I drove home with a huge smile on my face the whole time

and that was our 7 and a half hour first date. it was rad.

#katie talks #fuck i really really like this guy

[jolienjoyswriting]

The Paradalis Paradigm, Ch. II

Chapter II of "The Paradalis Paradigm," an "Essence of Ragnarok" story.

Did I mention that this story is (loosely) based on a roleplay Kaiya and I did, once?  'cause, it totally is, ha hah~

Word count: 3,494 – Character count: 20,047 Originally written: October 3rd, 2018

One successful date later, Kaiya invites her new boyfriend to her nana's apartment for mysterious reasons…

Kaiya Paradalis originally created by Kaiya Canver

[ ↶ Prev. Story | ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → | Next Story ↷ ]

    “So… the other Joseph tells me you come here, often?”     “Oh, yeah!” Kaiya said, handing her ticket to an usher who was standing guard outside theaters 1-through-12.     “He says you usually just dance,” the fox standing beside her commented, doing much the same with his ticket.  “I didn’t know you were into dancing…”     “How could you not?” she laughed as they walked through the gate, together.  “You know what kind of music I like best!”     “That’s… a good point.”     “Besides… dancing’s good for you!  It keeps you in shape!”     When she poked him in the belly, he gave a startled squeak and winced.     “I… guess so,” he commented.  “Yeah… maybe, I’ll give it a whirl, on the way out.”     “That’s the spirit, Joe!”     When he saw her happy smile, he couldn’t help but smile, as well.  Kaiya had such a lovely smile… not to mention, a pretty face.  He was so glad she’d invited him out…

    “Let’s sit up near the front!”     The bunny-girl took a sip of her soda as she dragged her friend down the aisle of the large, darkened movie theater.  The previews for coming attractions had already started, but not many people had found their seats… which meant that her plan of sitting in the middle of the third row went off without a hitch.     “I… think someone spilled a drink in my seat…” Joseph idly commented, noticing a wet feeling against his rear.     “Aren’t you glad you have that sweater around your waist, then?”     “If I can feel it through that… chances are, the seat is really wet.”     “Well, if you’re gonna whine about it…”     The girl giggled before standing and pulling him up.  The two moved one seat over, then.

    “I… I wasn’t whining!” the fox protested as she helped him into what had been her seat.     “You’re so much fun to mess with, Joe…” she quietly cooed, playing with his long, pointy bangs and kissing his cheek.     “I wasn’t whining…!” he continued, ignoring the warm feeling in his face… only to blink as Kaiya plunked the bucket of popcorn in between his legs and retrieved a handful.  He thought about offering one of the drink cups he’d gotten for sharing… but, when she reached for another bunch, he decided to stay quiet.  In his juvenile mind, having a pretty girl reach for popcorn, like that, was something that some people did on dates… and, he’d wanted to start dating Kaiya… officially… so…     “H-hey, Kaiya…”     “Shh!” she hushed.  “The movie’s about to start.”     “But–”     When her hand took hold of his muzzle, he blinked for a second time.     “Later!” she said with a wink and a grin.     As she drew her hand back, she got another handful of popcorn.  He decided, then, that… yeah, he could bring it up, later.  Until they, he’d just enjoy the movie… and, enjoy her company.

    Before they’d headed to the theater together, Joseph hadn’t been sure about the movie Kaiya had recommended.  “It Came For Dessert” sounded a little flaky, to him, and the promotional poster that he’d seen – which had the title cutting through the middle, diagonally, while a large, stocky fellow loomed ominously over a terrified-looking, cake-holding lady – only made the movie feel cheaper… but, after about twenty minutes of comedic exposition… Joseph really found himself getting into it!

    The title, as one might’ve guessed, was a parody of old-time horror films,  as was the plot.  Apparently, the main character – a girl by the name of “Rolanda,” – ran a bakery in the middle of a small, nameless town somewhere in the west.  One day, something odd happened and a well-known couple disappeared from sight… only to come back three days later.  When they came back, however, they were acting unusual…  The two, who had previously avoided all things like unhealthy snacks… had developed an insatiable sweet tooth.  Stranger still… as they started frequenting the bakery, so did many others.  Before long, Rolanda couldn’t keep up… but, as she ran out of stock, the customers started getting restless… then, they became hostile!

    By the middle of the movie, it was discovered that the people who were regulars at the bakery were actually creepy aliens whose home planet was devoid of sweets.  They’d planned to take over the town as the start of a worldwide invasion which would have left the planet without any kinds of cakes, candies, or otherwise!  But, the secondary-protagonist-and-love-interest of the movie – a man who only went by the name, “Berkowitz” – discovered that, despite Rolanda’s bakery being ransacked, the aliens had left something behind… and, with the help of a somewhat-eccentric scientist by the name of “Doctor Sierra,” they found that the aliens were weak against healthy foods!

    The climax of the movie was one that really had to be seen to be believed.  Bagels and baked donuts of all kinds flew across the screen, wheat germ was flung, some kinds of vegetables were used as melee and projectile weaponry, and Rolanda even managed to put together an oversized breakfast muffin that stopped the invasion in its track!  And, as the town was celebrating and it looked like she and Berkowitz were about to kiss… dark clouds filled the sky and a projection of what looked like a man wearing a skull loomed overhead!     The person, who was the leader of the aliens, claimed that the invasion had only begun…  The clouds parted to reveal an overwhelming amount of stereotypical flying saucers hovering overhead, followed by the holographic head disappearing and a several questions appearing in a variety of goofy-looking “horror” fonts, all of which led up to a title card for a potential sequel: “It Came for Dessert II: Farmageddon.”  All-and-all… it was a grand experience that no one who’d seen it would ever forget… in-world, or in the theater.

    “That may have been the silliest movie I have ever seen!”

    Joseph and Kaiya walked out of the movie theater together, both laughing and smiling from the movie they’d just seen.  They weren’t the only ones, either… and, in fact, some of the people around them were laughing even harder than either of them!

    “When that one guy used the shrink ray to go inside an alien?” Kaiya said with a big grin.  “I nearly lost it!”     “Traffic lights?  Police officers?  A whole network of vehicles?!”  Joseph gave a mighty laugh, grinning just as widely as his friend.  “And, that dance number…!”     The bunny couldn’t take it.  She’d started laughing and snorting like crazy!     “I can’t wait for the movie to come out on disc!  I’m gonna watch it over-and-over!”     “Ah, Kaiya… this was such a good idea!  I can’t think of a better date than this!”     Without missing a beat, she told him, “Date’s not over, yet, Joe!”     It was only then that he realized what he’d said… and, what she’d said.     “I… wh-what?”     She didn’t answer with words.  Rather, she hooked her arm around his and continued to grin as she calmed down from laughing.  At least…     “Snrrrk–!”     Until something tickled her funny-bone, again.     “You’re still thinking about that dance number, aren’t you?” Joseph asked.     “I can’t help it!” the girl said as she leaned over and slapped her leg.  “It was so… so…!”     “Random?”     “Oh, absolutely!”

    The two had to take another moment to calm down.  When Kaiya put her arm back through Joseph’s, however… he twitched, his face turning a little red.     “‘Date,’ huh?” the bunny asked, finally acknowledging what they’d said.     “I-I-I mean… we don’t have–”     “I was wondering when you’d ask…”     “Wh-wha’…?”     Kaiya grinned at him, bumping her hip against his.     “Silly Joe…  If you wanted to make us a thing, all you needed to do was ask!”     “Y-you mean…?” he squeaked.  When she nodded, he took a sharp breath and stared… before brightly smiling and giving her a hug!     “Easy, there, hun!” she laughed, smiling as he picked her up and spun her around.  “Save it for the honeymoon!”     “H… honeymoon…?!”     “Yeah.”     She gave a shy sort of smile when she was set down.     “I figure, why not skip all the junk and just get to the good part?  Let’s get married!”     “Ah–”     He seemed like he wanted to say something… but, as he stood there, letting the girl fondly look into his eyes and hold his hands… nothing came out.

    “Hey, Joe…”     Again, nothing came out.  At least… not until she poked his nose like a doorbell.     “You know I’m kidding, right?”     “I…  I-I…” the flustered fox half-sputtered.     “But…”  Kaiya brightly smiled as she paused.  “I… I’d be happy to be your girlfriend.”     Joseph blinked… then, he blushed.  She was being sincere…

    “R… really…?” he found himself asking.  When she squeezed his hands and gave a nod, all he could to do was say… “W-wow…”     “Honestly… we, already were, practically… right?”  She grinned, her long tail swaying as she said, “We go places, together…  I love hugging you and making you blush…  And, I know you really like it when I kiss your cheek or nose.  So… yeah!  Let’s make it official, why not?”     He blushed a little harder as she leaned down and kissed his cheek.     “I’ll be your girlfriend… if you be my boyfriend!”     And, again… she found herself being hugged tight.     “S-silly…” she chuckled.  “People are staring.”     Joseph blinked… then, he squirmed.  People weren’t just staring… they were applauding!  How much of that private conversation had they heard?!     “Wanna get outta here?” Kaiya asked amidst the claps and cheers.     “Y-yes, please…” Joseph stiffly said, setting her down and drawing a slight chuckle.     Once that was agreed on, she quickly padded toward the front door of the theater, tugging Joseph along.  She seemed like she was in a hurry to leave, too… but, she had her own reasons for wanting to go – ones that he would find out about not long after, in fact…

    “What do you mean, you ‘have the place to yourself,’ this weekend…?”

    After a short walk to clear their heads and a moderately-short bus ride further into the city, Kaiya had led her new boyfriend somewhere.  It was somewhere he’d been before… but, usually, under much different circumstances.

    “You mean, your nana isn’t here…?  Like, at all?” he asked.     “Nope!”  She giggled, giving a little wiggle.  “From today until next week, Nana’s apartment is aaall mine!  Or, if you want…”     She leaned in, purring into his ear…     “All ours…”     Joseph heavily blushed, tensely watching as his friend-turned-girlfriend leaned back.  She was fondly smiling at him, her eyelids lowered and her cerulean eyes focused on his face.  He’d noticed her fidget, glance down, kick her foot against the carpet, play with her hands, or do some other things… which, strangely, made him feel a little less tense.     “G… gosh…  Kaiya, are you…”     “Excited?”  She bit her lower lip gave a sharp nod before giggling.     “I… I was gonna say, ‘nervous…’  But…”     He blinked, then.  She’d taken him by the hand… offered a shy sort of smile… and, pulled him inside, closing the door behind.

    Kaiya’s nana’s apartment was a pretty nice one.  It was situated on the tenth floor of a fairly tall apartment complex in the heart of Masamune City, a fair distance away from the namesake tower that everyone knew.  It had two bedrooms – both situated toward the back – a kitchen area with all the usual equipment and gadgets, and a bathroom that was accessible from the living room.     Speaking of which, he had been escorted to the center of the living room and planted on a comfy, maroon-colored couch… only to have the attractive bunny-girl straddle his lap and look into his eyes, again.  He’d started blushing… and, so had she.

    “S-say, Joe,” she said, her voice sounding nervous.     Joseph swallowed before asking… “Y… yes…?”     Without a word more… she brought her hands up… cupped his face… leaned in… and let her actions speak for her.

    The teenage fox felt his fur stand on end as he felt the girl’s bunny lips touch his.  It hadn’t been the first time she’d ever kissed him, though.  Even before they were “official,” they’d ended up on that exact couch… in that exact position… doing exactly that – usually, just for laughs, or because she loved making him blush.  However, knowing that he was kissing his girlfriend… and, that she was kissing him… her boyfriend… seemed to change everything.

    For the first time ever, Joseph let his hands stray from the safe position of the couch cushions… let his arms curl around her thin frame… and, let himself pull her close.  When he felt her arms slide over his shoulders and curl around his head, he closed his eyes and drew inward, doing something he’d only dared to do once, before, with mixed results.  He was returning the kiss…  But, unlike the only other time he’d tried it…     “M… mm…”     She seemed like she was loving it…

    After what felt like a lifetime, Kaiya finally had to pull back and catch her breath.  She placed her hands on his shoulders…  There was a soft smile and a bright blush on her light-gray face… her tail was twitching, her heart was beating like a drum, and she felt nervous excitement race through her.  She’d kissed him… really kissed him… and, he’d done the same, right back.     “I…  Wow…!”     She panted before cuddling into his front and moving her arms around his middle.     “Let’s do that, again, sometime…!”     “Y… yeah…” he shakily said, gently draping one arm around her back while the other lazily rested to one side.

    For a while longer, the two remained resting together, casually cuddling and softly breathing with their eyes closed…  It wasn’t until Joseph felt something pinch his shoulder that he looked… to find that Kaiya was nibbling on him.     “That… I…”  He murmured, squirming in his seat.  “You’ve… never done that, before…”     “I… I know we have all weekend, Joe…” she said between nips, “b-but… now that we’re official… I kinda wanna… do something.  Something fun… something we’ve never done!”     She kissed his throat before purring…     “Something… that I’ve always wanted to do…”     “Y… you do…?” he squeaked… then, he blinked.  She’d slipped out of his lap and stood.  And, without any explanation, she’d trotted away, heading in the direction of her room and leaving the fox to wonder what she had in mind…

The way she kissed me…  G-gods…  She’s never kissed me like that, before…!  A-and… the nibbling…!  I… kinda like that…  O-oh, and… the way she looked at me…     Joseph tugged on his collar, his face brightening and body temperature rising.     I… I wonder if she wants to… g-go ‘all the way…?’     Strangely… that hadn’t been the first time he’d thought about such things…

    When he’d found Kaiya online, at the beginning of the school year, the two had really hit-it-off, becoming the best of friends practically overnight!  It didn’t take long, after, before they were roleplaying… as themselves… and, doing a number of things that Joseph had, admittedly, done with other girls – or, people claiming to be girls, anyway.  It wasn’t until a month later, though, that Joseph found out that she lived not even forty minutes away… which, to him, meant that they could take things from virtuality… to reality.  But, when he finally met Kaiya… when he saw the girl from the photos in-action and heard her voice in-person, instead of through headphones… he found that he couldn’t go through with it.  He liked Kaiya too much, for that.     Kaiya was just as perky, friendly, semi-flirty, and playful offline as she was online…  She would often tease him and bring up their online activities, just out-of-earshot of other people… as well as give him plenty of hugs and a few kisses on the cheek.  Even when she’d finally invited him to the apartment, things stayed fairly platonic… though, as mentioned, Kaiya was a little more affectionate, when her nana wasn’t around…  Still, neither one of them had ever seriously considered bringing their online actions to the real world – despite continuing to roleplay even after meeting up.  Joseph, honestly, assumed she wasn’t interested…  In fact, he pretty much assumed she had a boyfriend… until he worked up the nerve an asked.     “Nope!  I’m single!” was the answer he’d gotten.  And, since that day… he’d been planning to ask her out… the first step toward a serious relationship.

    As he sat there, feeling nervous and excited… he smiled.  His patience had finally paid off.  They were a couple!  But, how long would it be before they started doing “couple things?”  And… what sort of things did couples do… that they hadn’t, already?  He wondered…

    “Hey, Joooe…”     The fox perked in his seat.  Kaiya had called to him… and, she was using a much sweeter tone than usual.     “Y–” was all he could get out, then.  The girl had, apparently, changed her clothes… and, to his surprise… she was wearing little more than a long, white T-shirt that barely covered her lap.  Again, it wasn’t like he’d never seen her bare legs, before… or, the boy-shorts she wore underneath when she was “dressed for bedtime.”  But, with his mind stuck in “relationship mode…” those long, slender, spotted legs of her looked oh-so-much-nicer, to him…

    “I’ve gotta surprise, for you…” the girl sensually cooed as she stepped his way, bring one foot directly in front of the other and swaying her hips.     He hadn’t been trying to… but, he had noticed, when the fabric brushed just the right way… that she wasn’t wearing her usual boy-shorts.  He was starting to wonder if she’d been wearing anything underneath… before he remembered spotting some pink straps hugging her hips, peeking out from over her baggy jeans, earlier that day.     “What’s…” he started before clearing his throat.  “What’s the surprise…?”     “You’ll see…”

    The fox stood to meet the bunny as she scooted in front of the couch… only to be nudged back into place and sat upon, again.  He noticed, then… she was giving him an odd sort of look.  Her lips were curled into a nervous sort of smile and she couldn’t stop biting her lower lip.  Plus… her eyes kept darting back-and-forth between him… and, something to her side.     “What’s… what’s up…?” he skittishly asked.  A second later, he felt his face warm even more than it had been.  She’d brought a hand down and raised the side of her shirt, revealing that… yes, she was still wearing her soft, pink undergarments.  But… there was something else…     “What’s… that?”     Kaiya pulled something from her waistband… specifically, a little, glass tube with a cap.  It appeared to be filled with some sort of see-through liquid, too.     “Kaiya…?”     The girl had no use for words.  She hesitated, still nibbling on her lip… before popping the cap and drinking the contents of the vial.  Not even a second later, though…     “Mmph…?”     She pressed up against his body… hard… and forced his lips against hers.     “Mmph…!!”     But, she wasn’t done.

    Joseph’s eyes went wide as he felt her rock and nudge her head, her kiss becoming deeper-and-deeper.  His face brightened to a whole new shade of red when he felt something other than her lips touch his…  Her tongue was “knocking” on the front door that was his teeth… and, it wanted in.     The golden-furred fox remained tense…  He hadn’t expected Kaiya to be quite that bold.  She’d seemed unusually shy… but, at the same time… it seemed like she was willing… almost eager… to try new things… with her new boyfriend.  Somehow, that made him relax enough to let her go through with it…     “Kkch–!!”     It was only then… that he realized the mistake he’d made.

    The instant he’d let his guard down, Kaiya took hold of his head, maintaining a tight seal against his lips!  As she did that, a small flood of warm liquid came pouring into his mouth, surprising the fox and cutting off his air supply!  His body, acting on its own, forced him to swallow the majority of it before he was able to pull away, coughing and choking.  And, as he stared at his girlfriend with watery, somewhat-angry eyes, he realized… she hadn’t consumed whatever was in that vial, at all…!  She’d force-fed it to him, in the guise of another kiss!

    “What did you… why, Kaiya…?” he whimpered.  His eyes blinked and he gave another, lighter blush as he felt her reach up and rub one of his ears.     “You’ll see, hun…”     That… did very little to comfort him.  But, even as he sat there, confused, coughing, and short of breath… he didn’t feel too upset.  Kaiya would never do anything to hurt him… and, even though that liquid tasted a little odd… kind of like alcohol of some kind, in fact… he had to trust her.  She was his girlfriend… the one person in the world who would never betray him…

    Right…?

#fiction #Essence of Ragnarok #Year 2039 #The Paradalis Paradigm #original characters #Joseph Lithius #Kaiya Paradalis #slice of life #romance

[radreviews]

2017 SQUAD PICKS

Hello, it’s us. It’s been awhile, but we’re back with our favorite art, moments, and trends from 2017. I usually have a whole preamble to set the stage for our picks, but let’s just get into it:

RADHIKA

In-Theater Experiences Every year I have a few movies that remind me how great the movie theater experience can be. A couple of years ago it was Magic Mike XXL; this year it was Get Out and Spider-Man Homecoming. I saw both films in packed houses, with the audience reacting to every line delivery, cameo and plot twist as it happened. It was exhilarating, and I can’t imagine seeing the films any other way. It reminded me that sometimes film needs to be a collective experience—that peer reactions can be the very thing that makes a good movie great. The same thing can be said of live theater, an inherently shared experience. Humblebrag time… we finally saw Hamilton this year and it exceeded the hype and expectations. I also listened to the soundtrack a million times and memorized all of the words after seeing it so, yep, I’m one of those people now. Also! We saw Mean Girls: The Musical in its previews in DC and holy wow you’re all in for a treat. Lady Bird Forget what I said about collective experiences because I saw this incredible film by myself, crying quietly through the entire third act. There are always films whose stories don’t necessarily overlap with my experiences, but make me feel everything (last year’s was La La Land). This film has universal love from every critic with a beating heart and it’s one thousand percent deserved. Lady Bird was my favorite film of the year — a beautiful portrait of the confusion of adolescence, of familial frustration and of love. It was note-perfect. Despacito CALL ME BASIC but I love this song. I will not apologize for how happy it makes me, for how secretly sexy the lyrics are, for how directly my mood is impacted by those opening chords. Also, I prefer the Justin Bieber version don’t @ me. “Remember Me” from Coco

Let’s not talk about how much I cried during Pixar’s Coco (but if you must know, it was A LOT), let’s talk about the five different versions of its original song “Remember Me” that appear on the official soundtrack. There’s the three versions directly from the film (each BEAUTIFULLY sung by Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Anthony Gonzalez), a Spanish version, and inexplicably a version by Miguel?!!??!? It’s a classic case of I didn’t know I needed it until now, but thank you for this gift.  CTRL - SZA Everything is all caps, and wow, what a debut. “The Weekend” spoke quiet sadness about being the ‘other woman,’ “Supermodel” delved deep into being unloved and retaliating, and everything before and after touched on the intricacies of relationships and heartbreak. It was personal and it was stunning. “Lemons” - blackish Eleven days into the new year, we already had one of the best episodes of the year. In a pointed middle finger to Trump, blackish became a mouthpiece for what all of us were feeling two months after the election—anger, confusion, and helplessness—and instead of harping on the negatives, it made lemonade. Traveling I was 2 steps away from going full “wanderlust”-Instagram-caption mode this year. I’ve always wanted to travel, but 2017 was the first year where I threw caution (and money) to the wind, and just…booked stuff. I went to Cuba, Philly and Nashville for the first time, explored San Francisco and Boston again with friends, and flew back to Michigan, Chicago, and Cleveland for various engagements and weddings. If ever there was a year where a few days of distraction were not just welcomed but needed, it was 2017. There’s only more exploring to be done in 2018. Pod Save America I think it’s safe to say we all feel more politically angry and engaged in this era of backwards politics. Twice a week, I relied on the educated discussion, hilarious banter, and informed opinions of former Obama staffers Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor to fill me in on what I should be angry about that day. It’s a podcast that just feels necessary. Also, I now own a ‘Friend of the Pod’ t-shirt and I feel like I’m part of a cult, but it’s the coolest cult ever. Bojack Horseman

It’s common knowledge that I love art that makes me cry, but I never thought I’d cry while watching a cartoon. This show is equal parts acerbic, hilarious, and downright depressing (read: I love this show so much). Harping on the fragility of time, the fourth season of Bojack Horseman continued its upward trajectory and gave me one of my favorite quotes from and about television, probably ever. Bojack is one of the smartest, most thoughtful and well-written shows on this incredibly vast television landscape. We are so lucky to have it. The Emergence of Timothée Chalamet Relatively unheard of before 2017, Chalamet starred in two of the best films I saw this year — Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name. Chalamet inhabited two completely different, complicated characters but made them both vulnerable, empathetic, and mesmerizing. He’s a star and even if the Academy doesn’t recognize him this year (which would be objectively incorrect), I’ll watch anything he’s in from here on out.

PROMA Trailer Hype

I have never experienced a theater crowd cheering for a freaking trailer before – titters of excitement for Harry Potter, at best – but once the Black Panther full trailer dropped there was only one logical response. We cheered for it before  Spider-Man: Homecoming, before Marshall, before Thor: Ragnarok, and I hope to cheer for it again before February 2018, which is finally close. Seeing Things in Theaters Multiple Times Since moving to New York, I’ve never seen a movie twice in theaters - first because of cost and then because of time. Honestly I probably haven’t done it since high school, but I used to love it, and this year I finally returned to that with The Big Sick and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Worth it. A First Time with an Oldie

I’ve loved Titanic since I first saw it in 2000, but of course I was too young to see it in theaters. It was re-released in 3D for a quick stretch in 2012, but I was in India at the time, so this year marked the first time I saw Titanic in theaters, that too in impressive 3D. I will never tire of watching old favorites in packed theaters full of people who love the film as much as I do and hum along with the music or clap for big moments. The Year TV Got Angry In a year when we were all perpetually existential or angry, it was cathartic to see TV mirror that state. I reveled in the female rage of The Handmaid’s Tale, the intersectional activism of Dear White People, She’s Gotta Have It, and the straight-up middle finger that was Difficult People. Having an AppleTV is almost as gratifying as screaming into the void! Facemasks A pack of facemasks literally arrived on my and Radhika’s doorstep at a point in 2016 when we didn’t realize we needed them. Since then, I’ve tried to always have some sheet masks around and let myself splurge on a charcoal mask that I’ve done almost every weekend without fail since September. Put on a mask, start an episode, remove  and rinse. Treat yo self. Mean Girls: The Musical Seconding Rads on this. I was lucky enough to catch Mean Girls in the workshop stage before it left New York for a summer hiatus and then previews – even in that early stage it was fantastic. It’s exciting to have been with a piece of art through all these iterations (not even including the movie and its decade of cult-status), and I can’t wait to see it blow up next year. Existential Twitter Twitter was always at its most funny and weird during ungodly night-time hours; The night is darkest before the dawn and now it’s like Night Twitter 24/7. From politics to entertainment, we are at least winning at hilarity on social media. But seriously, delete his account. The Return of MoviePass This squad has been preaching the gospel of MoviePass since like, 2014, and I’ll admit I faltered in the middle there when it hit $50/month (I took the 3/$30 plan instead). But now it’s $9.99/month and people have heard of it and don’t make that blank face when I talk about it and wow guys we are saving so much on movies I feel so alive!!! People still regularly ask me if it’s legit/worth it/a scam, but I am happy to answer them and spread this joy. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Listen, some shows are just pure joy and this is the second Amazon show to give me this jarringly unfamiliar sunny feeling in my heart when I watch (shootout to you, Mozart in the Jungle). This show is like eating ice cream covered in candy (but with some sweet wine) and the best part it gets me inspired to create. Oh, Hello Dittoing Rads again because our first theatre experience of the year was one of the best of my whole life. I laughed so fucking hard at Oh, Hello — I’ve never seen a piece of comedy so meticulously crafted, down to every word of every joke, and you could hear the payoff in the laughs, which hardly ever stopped.

ARJUN

“I’m not a body/the body is but a shell.” Like so many of us, I spent a scary amount of time this year being resentful and confused about a million different things happening in my hometown, state, and country – things outside of my own body, bigger than myself.  It is then maybe my (our?) subconscious trying to tell me something else in the shared themes of the music I was coming back to the most.  While I would say I was consumed by questions of the foundation our entire world rests on, my iTunes would counter that my existential questions this year were actually pointed inward, contemplating over what constitutes a relationship in 2017. “Is it warm enough for you inside me?” With the full acknowledgement that there was a LOT of great music from other artists, when I look back on what set music in 2017 apart from other years, I think I’ll most remember albums like SZA’s ctrl, Moses Sumney’s Aromanticism, and Charli XCX’s Pop 2.  These three have some pretty big differences (namely, how they literally sound), but I would argue that they are all contributors to the same internal dialogue that a single 20-something year old living in New York was having, if not always aware he was having it.  They ask questions about all forms of love and affection, including (but not limited to): What does it mean to love? What does that even look like in 2017? Is it co-dependent? Is it more than an initial attraction? Does it give us our worth? Is it harmful to tie our worth to it? How stupid are we for putting ourselves through it? If the stupidity makes us happy, is it actually stupid? How do we handle heartbreak? Do we take on an arrogant braggadocio? Do we show the utter lack of confidence hiding under that? And hey, what role does sex play in all this? “I’m not tryina go to bed with you/I just wanna make out in your car.” Admittedly, some of these aren’t the most original questions of all time.  It’s the way these artists answered (or tried to answer) them that felt special to this point in time.  When SZA says, “Lately you’ve been feeling so good/I forget my future/never pull out,” there isn’t even a question if they’re having sex, and no narrative build-up of her career; they are conditional to even be at the point in time being confronted.  For the narrator, the to-pull-out-or-not debate is less a sign of carelessness and more one of carnal satisfaction (though she points out it's pretty careless too).  In a borderline companion piece, Charli XCX adds on, “I just wanna spend the night/Fucking in your bed tonight/Watch a little TV/I love it when you need me.”  Sex and what comes after are given equal weight in all of the toiling, tossing, and turning. “Ooh no she didn’t/Ooh yes, I did.”

No doubt, these songs have selfishness and over-dramatization at work.  But elsewhere, there’s a clearly embedded sense of self-awareness, too.  On “Indulge Me,” Moses Sumney’s verse starts and ends with a bit of a call and response when he sings, “All of my old lovers have found others…All of my old others have found lovers.”  There’s meant to be some sadness here, but the wordplay suggests a certain irony; he’s far from shocked.  Similarly, on “Out of My Head,” Charli XCX, Tove Lo, and ALMA begin singing, “You got me doing all this stupid shit/you fuck me up like this,” before finishing with, “Secretly I’m kinda into it, though.”  It’s as if the narrator is fully aware that she’s enveloping you in her own problems and she’s totally cool with that – she’s even giving you a wink while doing it.  The listener is simultaneously watching a card trick and listening to the magician explain exactly what he/she is doing each step of the way. “I blame it on your love/every time I fuck it up.” All of that is to say nothing of the music.  Throughout, we are sent on a journey of eclectic sounds & compositions, ranging from no-fucks-given aggression to dancefloor escapism to soothing near-lullabies.  The fully-formed picture is ultimately what made these works feel alive in the present.  They’re messy, they’re self-important, they’re dramatic, they’re self-deprecating.  They’re 2017.

ADITYA

Master of None, season 2 It’s exciting to watch talented people swing for the fences. Master of None, Aziz’s love letter to New York, millennial aimlessness, Italian cinema, food, and about 45 other things, is a start-to-finish shot at greatness. It’s filled with terrific performances, and breathtaking shots. It also radiates intelligence in its observations; Dev might be aimless but Aziz has a point of view.

In a toxic 2017, the show’s generous nature stands out. In ‘New York, I Love You,’ Dev is completely absent; the exhilarating episode instead elevates viewpoints that are often reduce to stock clichés – the doorman, the driver, etc. In ‘Thanksgiving,’ Dev plays a clear supporting role as Lena Waithe’s Denise accepts her sexuality and hopes for her family to do the same. In episode after episode, Master of None pursues interesting stories, whether they’re with Dev or Arnold or Denise or Francesca or a taxi driver. The show insists that it’s worth caring about other people, and the spirit of empathy and curiosity is refreshing.  The show is unabashedly cinematic in its aesthetic. The first episode is a surprisingly detailed (if low stakes) homage to Bicycle Thieves, presented in black & white with dialogue entirely in Italian. Later references include L’Avventura and La Dolce Vita. Despite these influences, Master of None makes excellent use of the episodic nature of TV, with installments devoted to big issues, like the theme episodes of old. ‘First Date’ uses an inventive structure to highlight the bleak fun of app-driven dating. ‘Religion’ tackles..religion. ‘Door #3′ is a portrait of career indecision. Sprinkled throughout are observations of fame and celebrity, and Aziz’s (and Dev’s) status as a minority provides a unique observational lens. Let me point out that the season is also fun. It doesn’t matter how many hours of Fellini Aziz has watched; the moment he sings about eating food, it’s clear that Tom Haverford is irrepressible. The show is consistently funny, both sharp and silly (I’ll laugh at any framing of the tiny Dev next to his immense buddy Arnold). Dev’s relationship with Francesca is, for me, the best rom-com of the past few years. It’s bracing to watch funny, charming people fall in love, and there’s a thrilling prolonged scene in ‘Dinner Party’ - where Dev is sitting in an Uber processing the fact that he is desperately in love – that ranks among the best of the year.  Mask Off + I’m the One + Red Bone I’ve been told that I’m bad at “good” music. Because of the pretentious circles within which I reside, I’m often faking musical expertise. ‘You know who’s great?’  I’ll say. ‘Ess Zee Ayy. Yeah, no, SZA, that’s what I meant. They’re good.’ But when no one was looking over my shoulder, it was these three songs all day all year. That’s a liability! Get Out & Lady Bird Two brilliant debuts. Get Out is a biting satire/comedy/polemic built on a horror movie chassis. From the creepiness of the “No, no, no, no…” scene to the “haha…wait a minute” guilty recognition of the liberal family to the shoulder-slumping devastation of the keys scene, the film takes no false steps. Lady Bird is great all the way through, led by Saoirse’s fiery performance and a sparkling, hilarious script. Greta Gerwig’s love and understanding for the characters on screen shines through.  NYT’s “Trump’s Daily Life�� Pieces The NYTimes has grown essential in the Trump era. Sure, sometimes they Disney-ify Nazis, or allow David Brooks to moan about the difficulties of getting a sandwich with a poor person. But have you seen the WSJ editorials, or the ever-multiplying panels of “experts” on CNN? I’ll take the Gray Lady. While there’s plenty to appreciate, I want to call out the Sunday night articles, usually by Maggie Haberman and 300 unnamed sources, that offer hilarious insight into Trump’s daily life. I can’t get enough of these. 8-12 Diet Cokes? 14 hours of TV? Tries to impress John Kelly by doing a push-up? Sexts himself from Melania’s phone? Tell me more. We laugh so as not to cry.  I Am Not Your Negro

The startlingly powerful documentary relies exclusively on Baldwin’s own words, culled from various letters and writings, and read by Samuel L. Jackson. Even if you’ve read Baldwin, to sit in the theater and drown in his unparalleled eloquence is a shattering experience. The director, Raoul Peck, works with Baldwin to underline the film’s relevance to present day. Images of police brutality in the 1960s fade into images from Ferguson; Baldwin’s words close the gap in time. Another standout section involving a clip of Baldwin explaining his “fixation” on racial issues onThe Dick Cavett Show- a Tonight Show forerunner - is a sharp rebuke to the anti-intellectualism that is currently pervasive.  I was hanging on to Baldwin’s words, amazed at their relevance in the world I would walk into when the credits rolled. I can’t recommend this highly enough.  Revisiting the Godfather A back-to-back screening of The Godfather Parts I & II was a lovely experience. I was particularly moved by the father and son seated behind me. Most of us learn to appreciate the Corleones through our fathers, forcing ourselves to stay awake the first time we watch it because our infallible dads insisted it was brilliant. The pair behind me was all too familiar. The father patiently entertained his son’s incessant questioning (who’s that again? Wait, why did they kill Luca? Can we get more popcorn?), leapt to cover his son’s eyes during the topless scene, and nudged his son excitedly during the Baptism. The kid is now mixed-up in the family business for life. Twitter I love Twitter. I love retweeting things I agree with and I also love retweeting things I disagree with with a “get a load of this guy”-type comment. I love jumping into the fray and tweeting something like “call your senator!” and then patting myself on the back. I love seeing what other people I follow like, and seeing that they like things that are very similar to what I like, further affirming the idea that everyone is on my side. I love political twitter. I love sports twitter. I love movie twitter. I love reading the first sentence of an article and immediately knowing that I want to tweet it out. I love twitter. Protests For when Twitter isn’t enough. I was dreading Trump’s inauguration day, fully anticipating tears when the Obamas finally helicoptered away to a much deserved peace. When the moment came, and Trump was sworn in, it was…bearable. I knew that in less than 24 hours, I would get to witness thousands of women marching in defiant response. The Women’s March had an incredible energy that I assumed was rare. But it was replicated repeatedly - at the airports after the attempted Muslim ban, outside the courthouse where the ACLU challenged the administration, throughout the city after the DACA decision, etc., etc.  I’m a longtime petition signer, but I’m a novice protestor. I’m not great at chanting and I’m bad at estimating how big to make letters. A lot of my signs looked like I’M WITH her. But with the Trump administration determined to reduce the idea of America, protests were catharsis. They were a messy, vital declaration to the administration that they would be met with a response. They’ve recharged and inspired and reassured, and they’re what I’ll remember most about 2017.

#best of #2017 #arts #movies #film #tv #music #sza #master of none #blackish #titanic #twitter

[itkmoonknight]

  Episode 13:  

The High Priests of Khonshu, Connor and Rey forge on despite a lack of news this week. Some tidbits of toy news and a brief chat about the release of Thor: Ragnarok before getting stuck into two cracker issues!

Lemire’s run is coming to a close in our OVER THE MOON, and along with a frantic issue of Black Panther #22 by Christopher Priest, we’re treated with the smooth bass tones of one of our heroes,  guest narrator Derek O’Neill from ‘Gotham TV Podcast’ and ‘Defenders TV Podcast’!

It’s a feast for the ears, so get out that knife and fork, tuck the napkin under your ear lobes and indulge!!!!

OVER THE MOON- Comic Book Reviews

Moon Knight Vol. 8, Issue # 13- “Death and Birth – Part 4 of 5”

Bare Bones: 

As Marc Spector and Bertrand Crawley alight from Anubis’ cosmic raft, preparing to re-enter the hospital and kill Khonshu, Anubis warns Marc of the path he is travelling. Having spent much of his life running from his illness, Marc sees this as the only path for him now, and bids Anubis a fond farewell.

Having saved Crawley’s soul, Marc also asks for Crawley to find Gena’s Diner and to stay there, away from harm. Crawley is reluctant, but Marc is firm in his belief to face Khonshu alone and so, Crawley honours Marc’s wishes and admire’s Marc’s resolve.

The journey through the Othervoid’s tomb-like passageways starts to speak to Mr. Knight – it is the voice of Khonshu and he is glad to see Mr. Knight’s return. Things never appear as they seem in the Othervoid, and what was once a passageway turns into a horizon of brain matter – a representation of Mr. Knight’s mind presented before him, by Khonshu. Taken aback, Mr. Knight’s moment of weakness echoes the brain he stands upon and like quicksand it slowly sucks him under.

A flashback to the past shows Marc and Frenchie, alongside Bushman, on route to their next job – an archeological site near the Sudanese-Egyptian border. Marc questions Bushman on the amount of weaponry they have brought along, considering that there will be no soldiers, only civilians present. Bushman replies that the reason is to create fear – the one true weapon for victory. As they arrive, Frenchie is uneasy, but Marc is still optimistic that no harm will come of the innocent and that Bushman’s tactics are all for show.

Busman terrorises Marlene and her father Peter Alraune (the head of the archeological team) and when Marlene refuses to relinquish the information on the tomb that they have recently unearthed, Bushman brutally murders Peter Alraune in front of her. Shocked, Marc decides to take action.

Returning to the Othervoid, Mr. Knight slowly fights his way out of the giant brain but it manages to smother him again, and this time Marc finds himself floating in the night sky, with Khonshu’s Eye – the full moon – peering at him.

Khonshu tempts Mr. Knight to embrace the Moon (and essentially succumb to Khonshu) but Mr. Knight refuses and remembering why he returned in the first place, Mr. Knight destroys the Moon by throwing his crescent darts at it. Khonshu is shocked and pleads for Mr. Knight to do no more damage, as it’s also his own mind that Mr. Knight is damaging. Ignoring Khonshu’s warnings, in one final blow Mr. Knight frees himself and finds himself burst out of the Brain and into the subway which leads back to the hospital.

Returning to Marc’s past, Marc and Bushman exchange blows and it’s Bushman who finally has the better of the two. Bloodied and unconscious, Marc is left for dead, whilst Bushman takes Marlene and another of her team to lead him through their site. In a final sweep before departing  in the chopper, Bushman orders the rest of the archeological team killed, and Bushman’s men line them up and shoot them down.

Frenchie is forced to pilot the chopper for Bushman as they leave to head towards the entrance to the tomb, leaving Marc behind.

As memories of the past are played out, we see Mr. Knight finally make his way through the subway, and into the hospital where his final confrontation with Khonshu awaits.

Black Panther Vol. 3, Issue # 22 – “Nightmare”

Bare Bones: 


Everett Ross is stuck in dream after dream, the first we see playing out with Ross as one of the world’s most popular and celebrated lawyer, winning a case for Ka’zar to keep his kitty. He then awakes again, Brother Voodoo still dead at his side causing his dream after dream (he is Brother Voodoo after all).

We find out that Moon Knight and Black Panther have been gone in the spiritual plane to receive healing from Khonshu to restore his bonds to the Panther God for a week…
Deep within the Kingdom of the Dead, Black Panther battles Nightmare ruler of the Dream Dimension, who has followed the two heroes into the Spiritual Plane. Nightmare easily overpowers Black Panther as he feasts upon the souls and dreams of Black Panther and his ancestors!

Nightmare has him trapped, forcing him to relive memory after memory of his childhood and failing to kill the man who would kill his Father.
That is until Moon Knight, healed from his wounds of last issue, appears to slap him out of the villain’s hold, Nightmare then vanishing without a trace.
Moon Knight and Black Panther discuss their next course of action, revealing that Nightmare feeds off the dreams of sleeping mortals, now feasting off Moon Knight and Panther inside their comas. 
Realising that Nightmare cannot feast off dead souls and that Nightmare is not all-powerful outside his dream realm in the Kingdom, they venture forth to find the key to his demise while he is weakened in this spiritual realm.

Back in Ross’s own dreams, we see a Batman-parody with Black Panther as Not-Batman and Ross as Not-Robin, as they track down Not-Joker. But before the Black Panther in the dream can finish a monologue, Ross is ripped back to reality by the splash of cold water by Queen Davin of Wakanda.

In the Spiritual Realm, Moon Knight and Black Panther try to find Khonshu, only to be faced with Khonshu’s guardians stirred into battle with the two by Nightmare’s appearance prior! Using the Book of the Dead (retrieved last issue) however, they use the book’s ability to protect them from evil as a convincing argument that they mean no harm to Khonshu. 
Khonshu greets the two heroes, belittling Moon Knight however for entering when Nightmare’s influence still remains.
Moon Knight is unconvinced this is really Khonshu, but Panther accepts his presence and hears what he has to say. Khonshu warns that if they do not hurry and complete the pilgrimage for the renewal of communion with the Panther God they will be trapped as living soul in the kingdom of the dead forever, and that Nightmare has been the one to prolong their stay as he feasts upon T’Challa’s ancestors’ souls.
With renewed faith and guidance from Khonshu, Black Panther finds he can use the book of the dead to travel to Nightmare’s realm and sever his connection to his own plane of existence. 
Moon Knight takes control of his own memories to call forth the Moon Copter for the travel ahead.

Back again in the real world, Ross believes he has finally understood what his dreams have meant, and that he needs to use the emergency political powers T’Challa gave him before he left to lead Wakanda to safety in his absence. W’Kabi, Wakanda’s minister of security, tries to let someone with half a brain actually lead, but Ross is convinced and his position means he cannot be stopped.

In the final push to the end, Marc reclines in the Copter as Black Panther pilots with the book of the dead to make it to the outskirts of the Dream Realm. The two realises that Khonshu and his followers have followed them for the assault on Nightmare, only for Black Panther to come to a realisation. Nightmare’s weakened state means he has limited hold on those he submits to his will, and that he willingly let Black Panther take the book of the dead as it would lead Nightmare home also! Nightmare is lost in the land of the dead and growing weaker every hour and needs to return home or be trapped in the Spiritual Plane forever!

As T’Challa begins to destroy the book to stop Nightmare, “Khonshu” and his followers then reveal themselves as Nightmare’s minions and Moon Knight revealed as Nightmare himself!

Black Panther has the upper hand however. If T’Challa destroys the book of the dead then Nightmare can never go home and will be stuck in the Spiritual Realm forever until he perishes. He bargains with Nightmare, allowing Nightmare to use the book to return home only if he releases Black Panther, the souls of his ancestors and allows them to complete their quest!
Nightmare accepts his defeat as he lets out a cry, and T’Challa then awakens, finally back in the real world. Moon Knight is returned and T’Challa’s bonds are restored.

Brother Voodoo reveals however, that his attacker in the prior issue was a being known as “Malice”. Someone deadlier than Nightmare and the biggest threat to the realm of the living they may ever have to face…

In America, Ross, unbeknownst of the King’s return, is using his status of leader of Wakanda to hire once-prisoner Kraven for unknown purposes…

Then book then ends with previews for Avengers as a new Black Panther arrived at Avengers mansion! And a preview for Deadpool as Black Panther villain Achebe asks for Deadpool’s services…

Show Notes:

Moon Knight Vol. 8, issue #13- “Death and Birth: Part 4 of 5”

Black Panther Vol. 3, issue #22 – “Nightmare”

Gotham TV Podcast

Defenders TV Podcast

Check out more of Connor’s comic reviews! – Big Comic Page

Mini-Mates News!

Moon Knight Funko Pop – Glow in the Dark Chasers!

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Episode 13 – SPLOOT! Episode 13:   The High Priests of Khonshu, Connor and Rey forge on despite a lack of news this week.