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webtrinsic1122 · 2 years

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My Marvel Zombies AU’s & HC’s & Ideas:

Based On the What If Episode:

* Since Peter’s webs only last two hours he probably had to either redo the sky base over and over again or they had to keep moving.

* At first Peter was probably paired with Happy, Kurt and Hope came from San Fran together, Bucky and Sharon teamed up and then Okoye came last alone and that’s how they came together.

* Spider-Man has a decent chance at winning against Thanos since he can probably easily rip the mad titans decaying arm off - Gauntlet included.

* Scarlet Witch is no longer a threat cause she’s no longer in that universe at all. (Oof what if that causes an incursion?)

* Peter, Shuri, and Scott may actually be the only hope for the world in Wakanda for now - them being the most likely to concoct a cure.

* Peter’s one of the more careful of his multiversal counterparts cause his phone isn’t cracked lol.

* Hope probably enlarged ants for Peter to hang around with.

* T’Challa takes Peter under his wing because hey he already has a little sister, a little brother isn’t anything too new.

* The Cloak of Levitation flits between Scott and Peter, mainly staying with Scott’s head for transport and stuff but Levi probably sleeps with Peter to help his nightmares.

* De facto leader of the main squad was Hope since she assumed responsibility but Bucky did a lot of the dirty/hard work, while Sharon acted like the leader but was not.

* Kurt somehow made the best food with what little they had, man was frying food they didn’t know could be fried and they loved it.

* Happy helped a lot with the cooking.

* Happy took main responsibility over Peter, but once Hope entered the picture he got displaced in the slightest. Still he worried and denied letting Peter do reconnaissance and such at the start - not trusting Hope to keep him safe but had to relent do to circumstance.

* Hope did not take needing Peter’s help lightly, terrified and ashamed because they clearly asked a lot of him. Peter making them their structures and handling the heavy stuff, not to mention his spider-sense.

* Sometimes they all got really annoyed by Spider-Man constantly recording and taking pictures but they figured his little hobby was keeping him happy so they try not to be snappy but Bucky and Sharon fail at that from time to time.

* Peter has a massive hand sanitizer collection, they all appreciate it and wonder where the hell he’s keeping them and getting them.

* Shuri, Peter, and Scott watch horror movies together in Wakanda, eventually T’Challa and the other Dora Milaje join in and start to understand Peter’s references.

* They manage to get vision back who is very confused about what happened to zombie Wanda but they have no explanation so he resolved himself to helping them advance to find a cure.

Based On the Released Show Information:

* Since we don’t see the queen herself, Xialing, assuming that she is gone: Shang-Chi becomes protective of Kamala, taking her in as a little sister figure since he didn’t get to be with Xialing growing up.

* Deathdealer notices and is like we should train her how to fight like us and Shang-Chi gets super defensive because he won’t let Deathdealer train her after he trained him.

* Kate helps Katy get better with her bow, and there ends up being so much confusing and funny/scary moments when their similar names/ skill sets get them into trouble.

* Kate has to kill Zombie Clint but timeline wise she doesn’t know him personally but it still breaks her heart she has to kill her childhood hero. (Makes sense because in the art we see his zombie corpse filled with her arrows)

* Since it seems like Shang-Chi has been bit since his arm is decaying and the rings are stopping the process, Kamala often worries about him and he worries he’ll turn and hurt Kamala so to make him feel better she crystalizes over her skin around him so if he did turn and bite her he couldn’t.

* This new gang runs into the SKRULL gang, and they all randomly expect a fight but then their like wtf would we fight let’s help eachother and they merge.

* In the What If Episode they say the Virus is brain stuff and since we see zombie Ikarus we know even as androids they have brains so, all those left alive are baffled because ikarus is not a superhero they’ve seen before but clearly his outfit designated him as one before hand.

* Kate and Yelena don’t get along at first at all, but warm up to one another.

* Alexei is actually really protective of Yelena in this setting. Doing more dangerous stuff since his armor will protect him more than her outfit does.

* Jimmy Woo is the dad of the group, especially towards Kamala and Shang-Chi

* Katy, Shang-Chi, and Kamala on more than on occasion have given their position away from being too loud

* Yelena has berated both Alexei and Shang-Chi for trying to punch a zombie in the face, claiming it’s why Shang-Chi’s arm is probably infected cause he cut his skin on teeth.

* Jimmy is weirdly competent with Death dealers throwing knives, mainly cause his magic trick practice.

* Yelena, Jimmy, and maybe even one of the SKRULLs is who figures out a signal that tells them to head to Wakanda.

* Yelena teaches Kate some moves, as does Deathdealer, but Yelena oversees that and makes sure it doesn’t get too much for her.

* RAIN CHECK I FOUND ON THE ART THING WE DO SEE WANDA IS BACK IN THEIR UNIVERSE SOMEHOW SO CONSIDER HER A THREAT

* Ghost is probably the scariest zombie, because she can still utilize her power so she is the biggest threat.

* Zombie Abomination is a great physical attacker so Shang-Chi uses the rings against him but since it’s muscle memory, abomination puts up a good fight since his lessons with Wong.

* Shang-Chi bemoans seeing abomination like “I know you! Cant you give me a break!” But since Emil is a zombie it doesn’t really matter. Just yells and attacks while Shang-Chi sighs and groans and fights.

* Zombie Okoye nearly gets back into Wakanda because she has the key with her tattoed lip.

* Kamala doesn’t know what to feel about zombie captain marvel, terrified and broken. But it’s her who has to defend against her hero.

* I’m sorry someone’s gonna laugh at zombie cap still fighting while cut in half.

* Also braggadoom is who my friends and I assume is the big guy in the back but that’s speculation since we’ve never seen him in mcu canon.

* No idea if we will see how Namor and his people will handle the virus or if they’ll have to underwater. Who knows.

Someday I’ll have even more but for now enjoy all this.

#fanfic #ao3 #fanfiction #marvel zombies #marvels what if #kamala khan #death dealer #shang chi #katy chen #kate bishop #yelena boleva #jimmy woo #peter parker #shuri #tchalla #scott lang #hope van dyne #marvel #mcu

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demigodofhoolemere · 1 year

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I’m getting more and more frustrated with Daredevil: Born Again by the day.

First my theory turns out to be correct that Marvel had the Netflix shows canceled so that their rights would expire and the MCU could begin to use the characters. Then they refuse to say whether the MCU counterparts are within the same timeline as the Netflix characters, and continue to be so intentionally muddy and unclear about it that even the literal star of the show has admitted he doesn’t know if he’s working within the same continuity (Marvel, I am begging you to start communicating with your actors). Then they decide to throw away beloved characters and refuse to talk to people. We don’t get Foggy and Karen back despite Elden and Deborah making it clear they want to be there, and they’re far from the only ones Marvel is ignoring. I’ve seen almost every actor who had involvement in the Netflix shows publicly beg to be brought back but it seems that the only ones Marvel is interested in keeping are the biggest names like Daredevil, Kingpin, and Punisher that they know are cash cows. To add insult to injury, they DO apparently want Vanessa back, but not Ayelet Zurer who has been officially recast in the role — and I looked up her filmography to see if perhaps she was just too busy to be there, and she’s not; if anything she’s very available because the show she was doing last year wasn’t renewed and her only upcoming project is a short that’s already in post-production. With Marvel’s track record I have a hard time giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming that they reached out to her and she declined, considering these are the same people who recast Cassie Lang without even having the decency to tell Emma Fuhrmann. And if they wanted Vanessa but didn’t care to keep her actress, it begins to make you worry that maybe they will use characters like Foggy and Karen somewhere along the way but not Elden and Deborah for goodness knows what reason — there have been plenty of rumors about recasting other important characters as well, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility. How disheartening would that be to know they wanted your character but not you?

I feel so bad for all of these people that have gone on the record saying they want to return to their respective characters. So many of them from all of the various shows have more or less publicly pleaded for Marvel to give them a call or throwing out ideas they still have for their character because they felt like they didn’t get to finish telling their story. Jessica Henwick outright turned down the offer of a role in Shang-Chi because if she was going to work with Marvel then she just wanted to be Colleen again, and there’s almost no chance of her ever being rewarded for that loyalty. Christopher Brewster who was Charlie’s stuntman has said that Marvel wouldn’t even let him interview to have his job back — and what’s the point in not letting him back when you don’t even see his face?! It really grinds my gears that they intentionally canceled all of these shows, making a whole slew of actors lose their jobs and also making many of them feel incomplete about their characters’ arcs to boot, to only bring back their favorite few and act like the rest don’t exist or something. When Charlie was turning down roles with bigger commitments in the hope of keeping himself free to be Daredevil again, at least he actually got something out of that effort and gets to be back now (and I am happy for his happiness about it if nothing else), but others who did similarly probably never will.

On top of everything else, the only thing we’re really hearing about the revival so far is that it’s “new” and “exciting” and “different” from the original, which is always a big red flag for me because people always use those terms when they don’t have anything better to say about their project and I almost always end up disliking it because their definition of those things has often turned out to be my definition of “this is my own private hell, oh please make this end”. Marvel in particular has developed a habit of taking my favorite characters and changing everything about them and their world into something I can’t stand, so when I read that something is “different” than before, what I hear is “the thing you loved so much wasn’t fun for us to play with anymore so we’re giving it an overhaul to make it unrecognizable from that boring stuff lol”.

I think I’m gonna have to just live in my little Netflix Marvel bubble forever. It’s nice and warm there and I like it and I don’t trust whatever is going on outside of that bubble. I already feel inclined to sit this project out, which is one more for the growing lineup of MCU projects I’ve been opting to ignore. It makes me sad how many of those there are now.

Also in the new set photo it doesn’t look like Matt’s collar is buttoned down. He always has it buttoned down. This won’t matter to literally anyone on earth but me and it’s a total nitpick but I couldn’t help but notice.

#vent because everything i see about this leaves a bad taste in my mouth #marvel #marvel critical #daredevil: born again

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itsapeterthing · 3 years

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Karaoke Night || Shang-Chi

pairing: xu shang-chi x avenger!reader

summary: after a message from wong, you arrive to meet shang-chi and his friend katy and as a night of fun ensues you realize you feel more than strictly professional about your new acquaintance

a/n: this is my first fic involving shang-chi so bare with me- this takes place during/after the mid-credit scene!

word count: 2.7k

warnings: shang-chi spoilers

masterlist || request || taglist

Stepping through the portal you had created for yourself, you smiled at the three faces staring back at you from the room on the other side.

“Sorry I’m late.” You apologized, stepping into the quaint, book-filled room.

“Traffic?” Wong asked rhetorically, gesturing to the portal that showed your bedroom still open on the other side behind you.

“You know,” You said, closing the portal and turning back to him. “At least one of us stays for longer than two seconds.”

Rolling his eyes, recalling his brief conversation with Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers not even a minute before, he said nothing.

Considering his silence as a win, you finally faced the two other individuals within the room- the ones Wong had told you about prior to requesting your presence at this meeting today. He had told you about the man’s past, his skills and the frankly heroic victory he and his friend had secured during a battle in his mother’s village to keep not only themselves but this dimension safe from creatures that sucked the souls from living beings.

It was impressive to say the least.

Smiling brightly at the two confused faces- no doubt asking themselves who you were- you reached out your hand and shook the both of theirs.

“It’s so nice to finally meet the both of you,” You smiled before introducing yourself. “My name’s Y/n, but you might better know me as Sorceress.”

As soon as your alias fell from your lips, the two of their faces lit up as their jaws dropped and Katy, who had been shaking your hand, tightened her grip and shook it more aggressively.

“We used to watch clips of you fighting all the time during the Blip-” Shang-Chi started.

“Yeah,” Katy agreed, still gripping your hand as if her life depended on it. “You’re, like, such a badass.”

Not often used to hearing praise, you couldn’t help the grin on your face as you laughed.

“I could say the same for the two of you.” You argued, turning to Shang-Chi. “I mean the way you fight is incredibly impressive. I could never fight like that. And you,” You said turning back to face Katy. “It takes guts to do what you did. It’s important to have people you can trust by your side.”

Finally releasing yourself from Katy’s tight grip, you shot them each one last smile before turning back to Wong and the display of the ten rings on the table.

“So, what were we talking about?” You asked.

“Well,” Wong began. “If you had been on time for once-”

“When I used the ten rings for the first time,” Shang-Chi interrupted. “It set off this beacon.”

“Do we know what it’s calling?” You asked.

“Not now.” Wong said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

You hated that phrase.

Waiting to see what inevitable force would come for your planet was nerve-wracking to say the least- and not knowing if it came with good intentions was even worse.

However, your job was to worry, not to worry everyone else.

So you shrugged and smiled softly.

“I guess so.”

“So that’s it?” Katy asked. “Meeting’s over?”

“Well,” You said, glancing at your watch. “It’s only eight o’clock. If you have any other ideas...”

Almost as if they had planned it, Shang-Chi and Katy looked at each other in sync and shrugged.

“Well-”

That’s how you ended up sitting on the soft couch of the tiny karaoke room the four of you had rented, laughing as you watched Wong, Shang-Chi and Katy sing the lyrics to “Hotel California” all while their arms were draped over one another.

It was comedic to say the least.

As the song came to a close, you laughed, clapping your hands and cheering for the three singers as Katy and Wong descended from their nonexistent stage. Watching as Wong immediately flopped onto the couch and downed a shot after his “performance”, you chuckled until you felt a slight nudge at your arm, turning to Katy who was now sat beside you, but when you did, you followed her line of sight to Shang-Chi who was standing in front of you, reaching out a microphone in your direction.

Beginning to grow flustered, you frantically shook your head.

“Oh no,” You said. “I’m not good at singing. I’ll leave it to the professionals.”

“C’mon Y/n,” He said. “You haven’t sang once.”

You weren’t often used to hearing many people call you by your name for the first time. When you had first discovered that you had had powers, you had decided to keep your identity a secret. Only your close friends, family and fellow Avengers knew who you truly were and ever since the battle against Thanos that had brought everyone back, but cost the lives of some of the people closest to you, you hadn’t opened up to people who weren’t already in your dwindling circle

However, hearing him say your name made you feel a skip in your chest that you couldn’t deny- a feeling so long lost that you had almost forgotten it.

You were glad he wasn't able to read minds because you were sure you would have died of embarrassment at how badly you wished for him to say it again.

“I’m really not good at it, Shang-Chi.”

Instead of taking what you said for an answer, he moved the microphone he had been offering to you into his other hand that held his own microphone, and stepping towards the couch, reached his free hand out for you.

“You’ll be fine.” He said. “I promise.”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you weighed your options, but as you glanced up from Shang-Chi’s waiting hand to his face softly smiling down at you, you couldn’t find it in yourself to say no to him.

“Alright, fine.” You agreed, slipping your hand into his. “But just one song.”

As he pulled you off of the couch and handed you your microphone, you shot Katy- the only conscious audience member- a worried glance to which she replied with a wide grin and two thumbs up.

“So what song are we singing?” You asked.

Before he could answer, however, you heard the opening music of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin play from the speakers.

“Seriously?” You asked, giggling.

“Yes seriously!” He said. “It’s a good song- oh wait it’s starting- I can show you the world-”

Not being able to help yourself from laughing as he over-dramatically sang his portion of the song, you quickly grew nervous as you realized your side of the song was coming up. Catching you staring at the screen anxiously as the lyrics came up, you felt his hand gently rest against your arm, giving you a light squeeze.

When you glanced back at him, your eyes briefly met before he turned back to the screen, a smile still present on his face.

Taking a deep, shaky breath you brought the microphone up to your lips.

“A whole new world,” You sang softly, slowly easing up. “A dazzling place I never knew.”

Before you knew it, you had almost completely relaxed while singing Jasmine’s part, you and Shang-Chi practically belting the lyrics as you reached the close of the song, both of you facing each other as you did.

When the song finally came to a close, you laughed as you leaned onto Shang-Chi’s shoulder, bowing as Katy cheered and gave an enthusiastic round of applause to the both of you.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Shang-Chi told Katy before leading the two of you towards the couch.

When he did, Katy hopped off of the couch and grabbed the microphone once again, sorting through an array of songs.

“You’re not as bad as you think you are.” You heard Shang-Chi say. “You’re actually kind of good.”

Turning to face the man beside you, you noticed that he was sitting closer to you now than he was earlier, his body facing towards you as his arm draped along the back of the couch, behind your head.

Feeling your face grow hot at the more intimate seating arrangement, you tried your best to play it cool. You were an Avenger after all.

“Yeah?” You asked, turning your body towards him. “I’m glad you think so. I think we... I think we make a good team.”

As flustered as you were, you didn’t miss the way his eyes shifted from yours to the space between the two of you as he smiled.

“Wow,” He chuckled. “Sorceress herself thinks I make a good teammate? I guess I really am a superhero.”

Swatting his arm, you laughed.

“C’mon, don’t call me that.” You said. “You know my real name.”

“I know, I know.” He said. “Why do you have a fake name anyway?”

Dodging the question, you shrugged.

“Why don’t you go by a fake name?” You teased. “Bus boy not good enough for you?”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you watched him throw his head back and groan at the pseudonym the public had made up for him after one videotaped fight scene on a bus.

“You know about that?”

“Of course I do.” You laughed. “I might not know about everything, but I’m glad I know about you.”

As soon as the words slipped from your mouth, you wished you could’ve swallowed them back up.

However, much to your surprise, rather than him backing away from you and the once fun night ending in an awkward silence, you just heard him laugh sweetly.

“Yeah?” He asked.

Meeting his eyes once again, you swore you saw a hopeful look in his eyes as you took in his features, bathed and highlighted by the multicolored lights shifting throughout the room. Although you were embarrassed by what you had said, you were sure you had meant every word of it as you stared at the man in front of you.

“Yeah-”

“Hey!” You heard the guy you had rented the room from earlier shout through the open door. “We're closing in five! Start heading out!”

Before anyone could reply, however, the man left the doorway, leaving the four of you behind in the room.

“It’s time for me to go back.” A freshly awakened Wong said, already opening a portal back home. “No one tell Strange about this.”

Glancing between the other two people in the room, you nodded.

“My lips are sealed, Wong.”

Without another word, only an understanding nod, Wong stepped through the portal and once his foot was on the other side it closed behind him.

“Well,” Katy said clapping her hands together. “My uber’s outside so I’ll see you tomorrow Shaun.”

“You don’t want me to come with you?”

Glancing between you and Shang-Chi, Katy shook her head, a hint of a smile on her face.

“Nah,” She said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Watching as she walked out the door, you patted your pockets to make sure you had everything and when you assured yourself that you did, you looked up to find Shang-Chi staring down at you, his hands dug into his pockets.

“Do you um…” He said, glancing around the room. “Do you need me to walk you home… or anything…?”

“Well, I uh… I live in New York so…” You said, playing with the sleeve of your jacket. “I kind of used a portal to get here…”

“Oh! Yeah, yeah, I forgot about that.” He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

“… But…” You said shyly, looking back up at him. “I could always portal a block away?”

At your proposition, you swore you saw his face light up a bit as he nodded.

“If you insist.” He teased.

Opening the portal, as you promised, a block away from your house, you glanced back over your shoulder at him and smiled.

“I insist.”

Stepping through the portal, the blast of cold air hit you fast as you wrapped your jacket tightly around yourself, unconsciously gluing yourself to Shang-Chi’s side for warmth. Rather than saying anything, he only smiled and tucked his hands into his pockets once more as the gateway to the karaoke room you had been in seconds before shut behind you.

The two of you walked in a surprisingly no-so-awkward silence along the sidewalk on the way back to your apartment and as you did a part of you had wished that you had made the portal farther way just so you could have more time with him. Not being able to help yourself, you glanced up at the man beside you admiring the way the streetlights highlighted his features and just when you swore you could get lost in him if he let you, the two of you stopped in front of your apartment building.

“This is me.” You said.

Climbing one step up the stairs, you leaned on the handrail, the two of you silently staring and nodding at each other for what felt like centuries, trying to find something to say until you both unknowingly cracked at the same time.

“When can I see you again-“

“Will I see you again-“

Both of you catching each other stumbling over the other’s words, you laughed.

“Okay, okay- you go first.”

Trying to find the courage in him to say it for the second time- knowing it was a long shot that an established Avenger and experienced Sorceress like you would ever give him the time of day- Shang-Chi cleared his throat, as he looked up at you.

“Can I… I don’t know… see you again?” He asked.

It taking everything within you to keep your cool, you smiled widely.

“Like a date?” You asked.

“I mean if you want it to be a date then yeah, but I can totally understand why you wouldn’t want-“

Before you could even let him finish, you slipped your own hands out of your pockets and grabbed onto either side of his unzipped bomber jacket, pulling him towards you. As your faces were inches apart you gazed up into his eyes looking for any sign from him to stop you, but when he only relaxed under your touch, you leaned in and pressed your lips against his.

You couldn’t remember the last time you had kissed someone, but as you felt his hands wrap around your back, pulling you towards him, you didn’t care to.

All that you ever needed was right there in front of you.

Slowly pulling away from him as another rush of cool air brushed up against the two of you, you stared up into his eyes and smiled.

“Same karaoke place at eight this Friday?”You my asked.

Although he had been trained to not have the breath knocked out of him by stronger men, your touch had left him speechless and all he could find it in himself to do was nod eagerly.

“Yeah,” He said breathlessly. “I‘ll be there.”

Finally finding the strength to pull yourself away from him, you stretched your arm out over his shoulder, opening a portal back outside the karaoke place the two of you had just spent the night at.

“I’ll see you then.”

Wrapping your jacket tighter against you once again, Shang-Chi pulled away, stepping back from you and towards the portal you formed behind him.

Just as he was about to step through, you called to him.

“And Shang-Chi?”

“Yeah?” He asked, glancing over his shoulder back at you.

Taking him in one last time for the next few days, you smiled.

“It was nice to meet you.”

Smiling right back at you, he nodded.

“It was nice to meet you too.”

And as he climbed back through the portal and onto the sidewalk in front of the karaoke bar, he slipped his hands into his pockets once more, smiling to himself as he walked home, thinking about his upcoming date that Friday with the only woman who could take his breath away.

#shang chi #shang-chi x reader #shang chi one shot #shang chi imagine #xu shang chi #shang chi fluff #shang chi fanfiction #shang chi x reader

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crimefightingspiderguy · 3 years

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holding out for a hero

Summary: Shaun (Shang-Chi) offers you go out for drinks and who are you to refuse?

Warnings: Drinking. Talk of sex (none actually happens). No spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the the Ten Rings (but I do give away what his job is in the movie if you didn't know that pre-movie).

Pairings: Shang-Chi x reader

Word count: 2,492

A/N: I did make the female reader bisexual in this piece, but if that's not how you identify, it's only briefly mentioned in a sentence or two and you can just swap out the pronouns, or skip over it really quick, without affecting the plot :) Also, please do not think I'm using the name Shaun because I didn't want to use Shang-Chi or am being disrespectful to his true name. I'm basing this timeline wise, before he reveals his past to anyone close to him.

“Hey guys!” You waved to Shaun and Katy as you walked into the hotel to clock in. You were taking over Katy’s shift. She needed to go home early to go to the doctors, but Shaun was still there for another 3 hours with you. You were very willing to take over her shift when she asked. You loved working with both of them and any chance you got to, you gladly took it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to get paid to hang out with your best friends?

“You’re welcome.” You heard Katy say to Shaun as she was walking inside to clock out, passing you by with a cheeky wink, as you took your spot next to him.

“Well, she’s in an awful good mood for having to go to the doctors. I thought she had a fear of the doctors.” You gasped, “Is she drunk?”

He chuckled, “No. She’s not actually going to the doctors. She just wanted an excuse to leave work early to go to some concert in LA.”

“Oh, that wench! I gave up going on a date to come in for her. I thought she was dying or something.” You pouted, not actually mad at her, but you were still sad you told your date no.

“You had a date? Who’s the lucky one.” Shaun asked.

“Well, she is a lucky gal who I paid to go to dinner without me.” You huffed.

“You paid her to go out to dinner? By herself?”

“Well, we already had reservations, but I told her something came up with work and I had to go in. But she could take the reservation if she wanted, my treat. I’m sure she probably took someone else since it was a reservation for two.”

“So let me get this straight.” Shaun started to laugh, “You paid some random girl to go on your date with someone else?” He was doubled over in laughter by the end of his sentence.

You kicked his shin, “Hey, I was trying to do something nice for someone I stood up… but yeah it does seem like I probably just sent her on a date with someone else.” You started to laugh with him.

“You’re too nice for your own good sometimes.” He patted you on the shoulder. “How about this, after our shift, I’ll take you out for drinks and karaoke, my treat.”

“Well, that would make me feel better.” You grinned at him, leaving his side to help the new guest pulling up.

After the shift, the two of you took a bus to his apartment so he could change out of his uniform. You were going to stop at your house, which was between his apartment and the bar but when you got into his room, a deep blue sweater hanging in his closet pulled your attention to it. You walked into his closet and shut the mirror door over it. Pulling the sweater off the hanger, it was softer than you could ever imagine. You stripped of your uniform top and threw on the sweater. It was so comfortable and after a deep inhale, smelt exactly like Shaun. It was heavenly.

“(Y/N)?” Shaun called out to you, coming out of the bathroom after getting dressed himself. You stepped out of the closet, “Why are you wearing my sweater?” He laughed at your guilty expression as you slowly walked up to him.

“Well, it was just sitting there looking so comfy, I just wanted to try it on, but now that it’s on I’m afraid I’m never going to take it off. It’s too comfy.” You wrapped your arms around yourself, snuggling into the sweater even more.

“It looks good on you.” He smiled.

“It can be our sweater, how’s that sound?” You batted your eyelashes up at him as he threw his head back in laughter.

“Let’s go short stuff before I end up staying here and cuddling. Our sweater isvery cozy, so it’s very tempting.” Him saying he would rather stay home and cuddle with you, and him holding your hand as he pulled you out of his apartment caused you to blush. He let go of your hand to lock his door, turning to you, “Are you blushing?” He chuckled, grazing his fingers over your burning cheeks.

“No, it’s just getting a little warm in this sweater.” You rolled the sleeves up, letting your arms breathe, “There, that’s better.” You lied and turned away to the exit with determination. He just shook his head and chuckled.

You were a few shots deep into your bar night when you couldn’t help but stare at Shaun. ‘Has he always been this pretty?’ you thought to yourself.

“What are you staring at?” He laughed as he set your next drink down. You said nothing but answered him by putting your hand in his hair, “Your hair is so soft. Oh my gosh it’s softer than this sweater.”

“How many drinks have you had?” He burst out laughing, pulling your hand out of his hair and holding it on the table in his own.

“I haven’t had anything to drink.” You slurred as you take a sip of the fruity drink, he put in front of you.

“Mhmmm, and how many fingers am I holding up?” He held up 3 fingers on the hand not holding yours.

“3, now how many am I holding up.” You stuck up your middle finger and stuck your tongue out as he pretended to be hurt and gasped. “I have to pee.” You got up and stumbled your way to the bathroom. It was a pretty simple trip there and back, but when you got out you couldn’t remember where your table with Shaun was. So instead of going to the table you headed up to the stage and picked the first song that stood out to you, “Holding out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. As the intro music was building up you spoke into the microphone, “This one goes out to that beautiful boy right there.” You pointed vaguely in Shaun’s direction and then burst out into song.

He laughed as he made his way up to the edge of the stage. He was mostly concerned that you’d fall off the stage and land right on your face, but he was really enjoying the performance that you’d likely forget tomorrow. When you finished your song, you held your hand out to meet Shaun’s stretched out one to help you off the stage.

“Oh my gosh, thanks for helping me down. That was like a 20-foot drop. You’re the hero I was holding out for!” You exclaimed as you threw your arms around his neck.

“It’s a stage maybe 3 inches off the ground, but I’ll take the credit I guess.” He pulled back from the hug and grabbed your hand, pulling you back to your seats.

“Oh no, I’m empty.” You pouted when you found nothing in your cup at the table.

“I’ll get us refills. Stay here.” He made his way up to the bar.

You pulled out your phone and opened your texts with Katy,

“OMG KATY THIS REALLY HOT GUY IS GETTING ME A DRINK AT THE BAR. I THINK I MIGHT GET LAID 2NIGHT! 🤪”

“I thought you were at the bar with Shaun?”

“Who’s Shaun?”

Shaun came back to your table and set down your glass.

“Well, hello handsome.” You wiggled your eyebrows at him, “Do you come here often?” You leaned your head on your hand, elbow on the table. You were as Katy would describe it to you, “heart-eyeing” him.

“Okay, I’m glad I grabbed you a water.” Shaun chuckled as he took his seat across from you.

His phone lit up with Katy’s contact picture. He answered it, plugging the opposite ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, are you still with (Y/N)?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Who else are you guys with?”

“No one, why?” his question was met with silence, then a loud laugh from Katy.

“HA! No way, she totally texted me that a hot guy was getting her a drink and she was definitely getting laid tonight. When I asked her if she was still with you she said ‘Who’s Shaun’ and proceeded to stop texting me. She thinks your hot and that you guys are hooking up, this is going better than I thought it would when I called in.”

“Shut up, you’re messing with me.”

“Well, what is she doing right now?”

“She’s staring at me and sighing contently… OH MY GOD SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHO I AM!?” Shaun whisper-yelled into the phone.

“Well of course I know who you are silly! You’re the handsome man who’s sitting across from me and I’m the lucky gal who gets to look at you.” You giggled as you continued to stare at him with a sweet, but glazed over, look.

“Oh my god she’s so far gone.” Katy laughed on the other end.

“What do I do? Have you ever seen her this drunk?” Shaun was beginning to worry that you’d had way past your limit and you were about to get really sick.

“Oh yeah, definitely. All you have to do is bring her home and put her to bed. She’ll be fine, I’ve seen her drunker than this and not get sick.”

“Okay, should I make her coffee or something?”

“She’s allergic to coffee genius.” Katy rolled her eyes.

“Right, right. I knew that. Thanks Katy.” He hung up the phone and got up to grab your stuff.

“Hey where are you going?” You pouted as he walked up to the bar to pay the bill

“I’ll be right back, just wait here for me.” You nodded your head and waited patiently for him to come back.

“We’re going to go home now, alright?” Shaun pulled you out of your seat carefully helping you land on your feet. You nodded your head and yawned, stretching your arms over your head.

“Shaun, I’m too tired to walk.”

“Oh, now you remember who I am?” He chuckled, and you gave him a questioning look,

“Of course, I remember you, why wouldn’t I?”

“Well about 5 minutes ago you didn’t, I brought you a water and I guess it cleared your head enough. Come here.” He bent over enough for you to hop onto his back so he could give you a piggyback ride.

“My hero.” You mumbled into his back, closing your eyes as he started walking out of the building.

“Hey, (Y/N).” Shaun shook his shoulders to wake you up.

“Mhmm?” You moaned.

“Where are your keys?”

You sighed and climbed off his back, reaching into your purse, you handed the keys to him. He grabbed your hand and led you up to your porch, unlocking the front door and bringing you inside. He locked the door behind him and picked you up bridal style. Your head lolled into his chest as he carried you to your bedroom. He put you down on the bed, pulling the covers up and over you.

“Shaun…” You let your hand reach up to pull his arm back to you.

“What’s up?” He looked at you with concern.

“Can you help me take my pants off?” You laughed, and he blushed.

“Uh… yeah, sure.” Once he pulled back the covers, he realized why you asked. He hadn’t realized you were still in your dress pants from work. He went to unhook the buttons and slowly pulled them down your legs, tossing them into your hamper across the room. He pulled the covers back up to your chin and laughed as you happily took them and snuggled farther into the bed. He went to leave again but you stopped him yet again, “Shaun…”

“Yes?”

“Will you stay with me?”

“I was going to crash on the couch. I’ll be right outside, holler if you need something okay?”

“No… will you stay in here with me?” You opened your eyes for the first time since you got into your house. You gave him a puppy dog pout that made him melt.

“I can set up some couch cushions on the floor I guess…” he began looking around the floor to find a big enough space for him.

“No… Shaun… just come here.” You pulled him onto the bed and scooted over, pulling the covers over him. He hesitated for a second, body freezing, but when you snuggled your body into his side, he quickly melted under your touch. Not strong enough to fight off sleep any longer.

Shaun sighed as he woke up, he forgot to set his alarm last night. He probably was going to be late for work. He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar bedding surrounding him. It then hit him that he was not alone. He was holding onto someone. Looking down, he saw your peaceful face resting into his chest. Your breath fanning over him, tickling him. ‘When did I take my shirt off?’ He thought as he quickly realized why it tickled. He looked under the covers slowly, trying not to wake you, ‘When did I take my pants off?!’ He questioned himself in alarm as he realized he was snuggled up to you in just underwear. He slowly leaned up on his elbow to look around them. Your pants and bra were thrown haphazardly towards your hamper and his shirt, pants, and socks laid at the end of the bed. He laid back on his side and looked down at his current position with you. He had his hand resting on your back underneath his sweater. Your legs tangled with his, and your hands cupping under your face that was cuddled up into his chest still. He couldn’t help the giant grin that plastered his face. He’s wanted to be with you like this for years. He’s wanted to be able to hold you close when he wakes up, to be able to kiss your forehead as you wake up, smiling up at him. He’s wanted to feel how soft your skin is, how gentle your lips rest against his skin. He’s got goose bumps all over his body as he realizes just how warm you are. He started rubbing circles on your back, trying to wake you up.

“Mhmm. That feels nice.” You smiled into his skin. You slowly opened your eyes and looked up at him, “See, isn’t this so much better than sleeping on the couch?”

“This is way better.” He kissed your hairline.

“I hope you know when I said this is our sweater, I meant I’m never giving it back.”

“You look better in it anyway.” He shrugged, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear, getting a good look at you, ‘Oh yeah, way better in it.’ He thought to himself as he blushed thinking about beautiful you were and how lucky he is right now in this moment.

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Thank you, xx.

#xu shang chi #shang chi and katy #shang chi and legend of 10 rings #shang chi fanfic #shang chi x reader #shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #shang chi #shang chi imagine #shang chi x you #shang chi fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #mcu x reader #simu liu #i'm a simp for shang chi it's true #bisexual reader

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cienie-isengardu · 3 years

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There is one thing that you mention a lot and it is Bi-Han's lack of social skills and well I do not agree at all, that is, Bi-Han as with Sektor is quite introverted but I do believe that the Lin kuei taught them social skills to be able to infiltrate them among the people during missions. Bi-Han I think he has manners and social skills but he doesn't hide when he doesn't like someone. He was sarcastic with Quan chi but at no time did he insult him or refuse to do his job

I do not have any doubt that Bi-Han’s speech patterns depend on whom he is interacting (x) but as much as honesty and straightforwardness are in itself valuable traits, frankness is not always an acceptable choice to rely on. Having social skills helps to navigate how to behave and talk to different people to not overstep or break generally accepted norms and in result, to build a healthy relationship, or in case of living in a strict warrior society, to not get in trouble. Bi-Han for me lacks in this department, especially in mentioned interaction with Quan Chi, because he was not on equal ground with the sorcerer yet had this borderline challenging attitude. And most likely yes, some of the rudeness came from not liking nor respecting the suspicious guy that already proved to be some insidious bastard for hiring another man for the same job. But the thing is, he wasn’t there to question a lucrative customer that was personally approved by the Grandmaster and he should keep his accusations and rude remarks to himself, not throw it into the sorcerer's face just like that.

I mean, as much as dark and evil Lin Kuei are, customer service is a vital part of the earning money process. Bi-Han wasn’t there as equal to Grandmaster (the superior whom he swore to obey) nor Quan Chi (approved client). Between these three characters, Sub-Zero was just a tool to finish an already made transaction, no one was interested in what he thought or felt at that moment. As much as the accusation to some degree may be forgiven, since Quan Chi openly antagonized Sub-Zero by calling Lin Kuei the ninja (an intended insult) and admitted to hiring Shiray Ryu (the enemy of Lin Kuei), he shouldn’t be so aggressive nor so open. It toned down once Grandmaster stopped their argument. Even then, Bi-Han could - should - ask about the mission in a more polite or at least neutral way, instead of “If it's so precious, why don't you get it yourself?”, since his superior made it clear Sub-Zero is gonna do another job for the client (“Now you will use the map on your next mission. Quan Chi has once again retained your services”).

The whole situation feel to me like Grandmaster promised Quan Chi the best man for the job but said man had this “fuck you” attitude from the start. Sub-Zero represented Lin Kuei but instead of the professional and obedient subordinate of Grandmaster there was an abrasive warrior who called Quan Chi on his lies and backed down only because his boss had enough of his attitude and the pointless argument. Not the best social awareness if you ask me.

Bi-Han wasn’t any more polite to Raiden (“That's it? Not even a thank you?”) and either deliberately provoked Scorpion during the Tournament or he was simply brutally honest about not caring about Shirai Ryu’s fate. Which, considering what he knew about the massacre, Scorpion’s obsession about him and just heard Hanzo’s promise to not kill him, he was stubbornly arrogant or really lacked empathy or good understanding of emotional impact his words may have on his sworn enemy. Considering how Bi-Han is described as “the most cunning” above all, we know he is pretty intelligent. But his harsh, abrasive, often confrontational behaviour makes me think he is good with cold logic, not exactly with empathy and because of that, he is not always reading the situation well and may “forget his place” when dealing with people he does not respect or care about or outright provoke them in the worst way. The whole argument with Quan Chi in the first place shouldn’t even happen because really, it wouldn’t be the first time an outsider (client) didn't care about the assassin's life and saw him as just a tool. Grandmaster himself wasn’t bothered nor surprised by Quan Chi’s deal with Shirai Ryu and so Bi-Han’s outburst is even more out of place in my opinion.

How much of this is Bi-Han’s intention to be a rude bastard and how much came from limited social skills (and maybe from introverted nature?) is of course up to debate. But to be fair, all cryomancers have this cheeky and passive-aggressive attitude in common (Frost for example seems like being constantly angry at everyone and doesn’t hold her sharp tongue, younger Kuai Liang literally disturbed Mortal Kombat last Tournament and told Shao Kahn to give him murderer of brother, Conquest!Sub-Zero was no less stubborn and asocial). I do see cryomancers in general as the asocial, aromantic & asexual (maybe even autistic to some degree?) people whose natural coldness may have handicapped sense of social norms and the fact that they are trained killers (thus have empathy dulled even more) don’t help at all.

At the same time, I strongly believe that not every warrior was constantly or even often working undercover and Lin Kuei used its members adequately to their skills. Some are better at spying (thus are better at interacting with people to get the needed information), some are better killers (whose interaction with people doesn't matter as long as the job is finished). There is not enough source material to say for sure what was Bi-Han’s specialization but Mythologies: Sub-Zero strongly suggest is was actually assassination and theft, as we were told by Grandmaster (“Once again, our most cunning assassin and thief is successful.”). The known jobs he did involved breaking into heavily guarded places (Shaolin Temple, Temple of Elements) to steal artifacts and killing people on the way. There was no need for Bi-Han to have any social skills nor during the Mortal Kombat Tournament, when he was hired exactly to eliminate (kill) Earthrealm’s Champions. Of course, this is barely the tip of the iceberg, more or less the last year of Bi-Han’s life, but if he truly was one of the clan's best, sending him on long-term undercover missions could be a waste of an opportunity for profitable earnings. I mean, stealing and killing are usually short-termed jobs, the “go in and get out” as fast as possible to not leave any trace behind. Those jobs of course also take time for proper preparation but because of its specific nature, a warrior can be sent from one place to another almost immediately, especially if the lucrative customer (like Shang Tsung or Quan Chi) needs to solve an urgent problems quickly. The game and movies are separated sources, but Mortal Kombat (2021) seems too put Bi-Han mainly on the assassination jobs or staying at Shang Tsung’s side than anything truly involding good understanding of social ettiquete; beside the sorcerer, Bi-Han did not interact much with other people, even with his own allies. Then there is the possibility that Bi-Han could work ultimately more in lawless, wild Outworld than modern Earthrealm which also would affect his behaviour and sense of social norms.

I believe Bi-Han took some undercover missions, but I see him more like operating in the city to do some quick dirty jobs and moving to another target than staying in one place for months while playing “normal” human being. That way he was more useful to clan by earning good money in short period of time and maybe correcting faults of other warriors (supervising them) or killing Shirai Ruy / enemy’s agents along the way. He probably could fit into society for a specified period of time if that was absolutely necessary but I don’t think it happened often. And even then, he most likely kept to himself because Bi-Han is introverted by nature.

At the end of day, the coldness and social detachment was a useful trait for a killer and murdering was most likely Sub-Zero’s expertise so forcing him to spend months on anything else seems to me like wasting both his potential and good job offers. So the Grandmaster (Lin Kuei) could tolerate Sub-Zero’s natural frankness because his social skills weren’t ever the priority.

Bi-Han’s abrasive ways to communicate with others, lack of empathy, the visible isolating himself leads me to think he lacks social skills (and maybe even could fit somewhere on autistic spectrum). At this point of time, I think cryomancers in general are dense when it comes to social norms and interacting with people and I don’t mean it as they are stupid or unable to learn. They just have different (mental?) mindset about such things than other people, even other Lin Kuei warriors. Of course, it is just my take on the matter so anyone can disagree : )

(Ironically, I have the impression that Sektor would do better in long-term undercover work than Bi-Han but he is hardly better at pretending to be a normal human being. The difference is that he is the quiet type easy to overlook while anyone not familiar with Bi-Han's specific behaviour will see him as the rude bastard.)

#mortal kombat #my replies #bi han #sub zero #sektor #lin kuei #cryomancers #are in my mind the asocial aromantic asexual group that has zero social skills #which is why they seems to be the angry rude bastards with no will to change in that matter #you can rip this headcanon #from my cold dead hands #also lately more and more i wonder if Bi-Han (and Sektor for that matter) is not autistic to some degree #with the visible isolating himself and bad communication skills #ramblings #anyway i think there is not enough sources to tell for sure if bi han is just a rude bastard or just bad at talking to other people

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warrioreowynofrohan · 3 years

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Review - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Spoilers!

Just watched this today - my first movie in a theatre since the start of the pandemic! - and I enjoyed it heartily. It’s in my upper-middle cadre of MCU movies - better than the majority of them, but not on as high a level as Captain America: The Winter Soldier (still my favourite), Black Panther, or Civil War.

I enjoyed the fight sequences, the acting was solid, and I loved Ta Lo. So often, when there’s a widden city hidden world like that, it’s treated as inherently isolationist, xenophobic, morally compromised, something that needs to have its fundamental nature destroyed and be incorporated in ‘our’ modern world. This movie doesn’t do that! Ta Lo is a genuinely good, valid place, carrying out an important mission, and it doesn’t need to be deeply morally compromised for Shangqi and Katy to want to live in our world. They like our world! It has karaoke! Likewise, I loved Shanqi and Xialing’s aunt, the way that they still had family that accepted them entirely.

And the visuals of Ta Lo are, in my opinion, gorgeous. I loved how otherworldly it felt (appropriately, since it is another world). I didn’t know most of the animals, but were the lion-beasts qilin? I was so glad the movie let the dragon live - I was certain it would die in battle against the shadow-monster, and was very happily surprised when it did not.

I liked Shanqi and Katy’s characters and relationship - their interactions were a major highlight of the movie - and their desire to live a life they enjoyed rather than chasing prestige, though I also liked the slightly deeper look we got at Katy’s motivations later on (if you don’t put too much of yourself into anything, you don’t have to deal with the risk and pain of failure) - though I found it a bit silly and cliché that she changed her whole outlook based on one motivational-poster-level line (“You miss 100% of the shors you don’t take!). In general, the dialogue was not a particular strength of this movie and didn’t do much to dig deeply into any of the characters - although Tony Leung’s delivery was exceptional and made the most of what he was given. That man has an amazing voice. It’s the same feel you get when you hear classically trained Shakespearean actors like Sir Patrick Stewart in an action movie.) (Proposal: convince Tony Leung to act in some Shakespeare productions. He’d be great.)

Notwithstanding his acting, though, I felt very little sympathy for Xu Wenwu. He spent a thousand years in conquest, stopped for maybe a decade because he fell in love (and just - stopped; didn’t show any indication of feeling remorse or wanting to make amends in any way or to use his exceptional powers to help people), and immediately after her death reverted to form and abused both his children. I did like Shanqi’s line - “Even if she was [behind the portal], what makes you think she’d want anything to do with you?” - and Wenwu’s fury in reaction, because it was completely true. Ying Li’s portrayal was weakened, despite her exceptional martial arts skill in the first scene of her encountering Wenwu, by her being portrayed solely in her capacity/roles as mother and wife, and her being so willing to set all else aside for the love of a man who, in the final analysis, was a shitheel. Having his soul devoured by a demon was a logical consequence of the choices he made.

We got fairly little of Xialing, but what we did give provided a good sense of her. I mentally nicknamed her ‘Azula’ in her first appearance (more skilled and driven than her older brother, and more ruthless and dangerous) and wasn’t at all surprised at her taking over the Ten Rings rather than disbanding it in the final scene. She said outright that if her father didn’t let her into his empire she’d create her own - her objections to it were based on being excluded, not on moral considerations - it fit her perfectly that she’d jump at the chance to turn it into something of her own.

I know a lot of people didn’t like Trevor, but I found him hilarious and enjoyed every scene he was in. He’s just so frankly, openly aware of what a flawed person he is.

On the whole, a very solid, enjoyable movie, with good acting, visuals, and fights; some good emotional connections; subpar dialogue in the serious scenes and a fairly shallow treatment of most of them; and a middling plot that didn’t offer any major surprises but that held together well enough. If you like the MCU, I recommend seeing this one in theatres.

I’m very interested to hear what other people thought of this one!

#shang chi #shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #shangi chi spoilers #movie review

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fizzingwizard · 2 years

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Watched Raya and the Last Dragon at last... Now I'm so conflicted. It's a perfectly fine movie, let's get that straight. I want to like it, there are lots of things about it I love, but it just feels so... confused... like it's not sure what kind of movie it is... does that make sense??

It kind of reminds me of how I felt after watching Shang-chi - so many things that were pretty freaking awesome (plus Awkwafina's in both) but just sooo many characters and such an overly complicated plot despite at its core being a super simplistic one... and the chief personal elements that could set it apart being conveyed with run-of-the-mill "and here we are bonding" "here we are dividing" type scenes that don't have much individuality.

To be fair, I often like things better on rewatch. I think I'd give it a B, which isn't bad.

Rambling below...

To start off with, the animation: gorgeous. Love all the color, and also the Tatooine-like desert... and the textures on the fabrics, the hair, etc. Really lovely.

The dragons: not sure how to feel about them. On the one hand, I think they're fantastic. I love how lively and free and playful they are. The scene where they're all flowing through the air in iridescent colors is gorgeous. But on the other, their design is very much like "we want to make a cute plush doll out of this character for little girls, so make it as cute and rainbow and unicorn-like as possible"

(A lot of my issues with this movie could come down to "did Disneyfication do it wrong?" sort of stuff, such as the above)

The script was either stilted or just felt off. Like someone was trying to write "like a cool teen" who has never actually met a teenager, let alone a "cool" one. I can't take one more "I got this" for the rest of my life lol

Sidekick characters: Each came from a different country, and I liked how they arrived in a natural way - just people Raya met passing through. I love Boun in particular, and Tong being the loving dad. Noi was annoying af but honestly I think I would have loved her just as much if she'd been a tiiiiny less babyish. In my head, I'm reasoning that she can't talk because her family was petrified, and it's totally normal for some kids to not talk much even at three or four years old even when they do have adults in their lives who talk to them. So I'm fine with that. But I'd rather she was just quiet then, and not making constant goo-goo noises. Or at least let her sound like a baby and not an adult plugging their nose while they garble into the microphone? XD But I admit this is just my pet peeve haha.

Even though I like the aforementioned sidekicks and how they joined the group, I didn't feel like there was much use for them aside from comic relief and the obvious "coming together in unity" thing at the end.

The linchpin of the story is Raya and Namaari. Whether they choose to trust each other is the crux of saving the world. So WHY wasn't their relationship more important?? This is what boggles me. You could argue that what we do get is enough. But I think they missed major potential. If it were me, the movie would have started with Raya and Namaari, as kids, making friends on their own somehow (diplomatic travel, etc). We would get to know them as individuals instead of extensions of their parents (*eye roll*). That would have made Namaari's betrayal hurt more, and feel less stupid (I get Daddy Dearest wanted peace, but did he never tell his daughter not to let random people into the secret highly-protected temple of the dragon gem? Did he really think there's no way someone would try to use an innocent child's trust to get at it??)

And obvious the shipper in me is like RAYA AND NAMAARI COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL etc etc.

Ultimately I really really do just wish we knew them more as characters. I think this is the biggest issue for me: it's a Disney animated movie, but it's so action-y. I'd hoped it would successfully bridge the gap between the impersonal "the world is dying"-ness of dystopian adventure stories and the centrality of interpersonal relationships and emotions that Disney is known for. But there was too much plot that needed to happen in the short time for the relationships and personality to come out - and there was too much personality for the adventure to crystallize, instead turning into a pretty straightforward "beat the big bad" RPG type story with an underlying message of "divided we fall united we stand." Sweet, but... heavy-handed in this movie.

I mostly liked Awkwafina's awkward dragon though. There was a lot of iffy dialogue for her too, but she grew on me. I think she and Raya had a lot more potential as well. It bugged me a little that we saw Sisu's naivety cause harm several times, but Raya's lack of trust was the "bad guy" of the movie. That lack of trust is what kept her alive. Her choice to trust Namaari at the very end was big for just that reason. So I feel that there really needed to be more done for Sisu to convince Raya to trust again. It's kind of like Sisu was a Disney character and Raya was an action hero... and it didn't gel :P (To be clear: I don't mean that Sisu's trust shouldn't be allowed to cause harm - we definitely should see that it comes with risk. I just felt like Sisu wasn't built up as being reliable. Although, in retrospect, "Trust people without knowing if they're trustworthy" could be considered the message of the movie... and I'm just too jaded to appreciate it :P)

That being said. Raya losing her trust, not in Namaari, but in Sisu, and accidentally causing the accident that led to Sisu's death was a GREAT moment. Freaking loved that. Also her giving in to pain and vengefulness and going after Namaari. Her final sacrifice felt both fitting for the story and for Raya herself - after heading all the way into hate and finding no way out, she threw herself entirely in the opposite direction when there was literally nothing else to lose.

Anyway, yeah, Raya/Namaari... I ship it :P

#disney #raya and the last dragon

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mostlymovieswithmax · 3 years

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Movies I watched in September

I skipped a month again. But not to worry. This is a wrap-up of all the movies I watched in the month of September (2021). I think I maintained a steady ratio throughout but perhaps there’s not as much on the list this time because I wanted to get on with other things, be that work-wise or just trying to get out to the beach as much as possible and make the most of the last dregs of summertime. I went swimming in the sea a lot! But I also got to catch the new James Wan movie, Malignant (twice!) as well as the new James Bond, No Time To Die. Not to mention a couple of classics! My hope again with this list is to introduce people to new movies that they may otherwise not have seen or perhaps have never have heard of. These short reviews are my own subjective opinions on each individual movie. I’m thinking maybe a more informal approach to movie criticism can help include others who are just passing through. So here is every film I watched from the 1st to the 30th of September.

Fanny and Alexander (1982) - 8/10

Coming from Ingmar Bergman, I was surprised to see just how warm this was. I’m a big fan of the Swedish director and while this isn’t my favourite from him (perhaps due to it needing a second watch, or the fact I watched it in three chunks because it’s about three hours long and I overestimated how much time I had in the day) it’s still an interesting departure from what I’ve come to expect from him. Fanny and Alexander is a dreamy Christmassy movie that presents an overarching theme of love, spending a large portion of its runtime just hanging out with this big family on Christmas and showing how close they are. I would love to watch this again at some point in December and see how my opinion shifts but for now, while it could meandre in places, I can’t deny how unique a movie it is.

Another Round (2021) - 10/10

I had seen Thomas Vinterberg’s latest film before this point but this was the first time I got to see it in a cinema. Luckily for me my local independent cinema was showing it one night and while they had a few technical hiccups with setting everything up, the movie itself was still fantastic. Following a handful of school teachers who experiment with whether they can maintain a certain level of blood alcohol throughout the day, Another Round demonstrates a sense of unease and sadness throughout an otherwise comedic tone. These emotions are balanced perfectly, boosting an already intriguing concept that examines our relationship with alcohol from every angle.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) - 4/10

Straight after Another Round, I made my way to the chain cinema to meet up with friends to see the new Marvel movie. At this point, having had my second dose of the Covid vaccine that morning, I was starting to feel the effects and I was not doing well. But I watched the movie anyway, all the while wanting to be in bed. Shang-Chi was massively underwhelming and I’d go as far as to say it was even incompetent. Truth be told, I like the Marvel Cinematic Universe but from the get-go I already wasn’t hyped for this movie and I was expecting it to be about mediocre but what I got was something a lot worse. I won’t rehash what I’ve already said on this film so if you want to hear me rant about it a bit then I would recommend checking out episode 47 of my podcast, The Sunday Movie Marathon.

Your Name. (2016) - 6/10

Ultimately this was a fun little romance movie but I can’t say I understand why people adore it, nor do I understand why it needed to be animated. For what it’s worth, I found it cute and entertaining but nothing much jumped out to me.

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang (2021) - 7/10

I’m always stumped on what to say about stand-up shows. It was good! I enjoyed Phil Wang talking about different things in a funny way and it got some laughs out of me. Admittedly I’m writing this a couple of weeks after watching it but it’s certainly a decent way to spend an hour if you’re looking for something light and fun.

The Lego Batman Movie (2017) - 6/10

I remember seeing this in the cinema with two of my friends and the theatre wasn’t exactly packed but those that were there were either children or parents. But I like The Lego Batman Movie! Clearly this was made by fans of the character as it’s packed with a lot of details and references from old comic runs but as someone who has never read the comics or seen those older movies, it still managed to be entertaining and while I won’t say it’s quite as good as The Lego Movie, the animation is still top notch and the voice actors are certainly giving it their all, especially Will Arnett as the titular character. It’s just a bit of fun!

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - 10/10

A friend of mine told me to go to the screening of Terminator 2 at my local because they themselves weren’t able to attend. The first Terminator movie is a real gem and one of the most 80’s-type movies I’ve ever seen. I was excited to watch T2, remembering next to nothing about what I watched of it when I was a child. So it was just me in this screening, with one person in a row in front of me, and one other person behind me. If I had it my way, I would have been the only person there because this is honestly one of the best movies I’ve ever seen and it was very hard not to yell out every time something incredible happened, especially when it’s so action-packed and basically goes all out at every opportunity to deliver some of the most jaw-dropping effects or choreography. Truly there is never a dull moment and I was grinning like a lunatic the entire time. This film rocks!

Mirror (1975) - 7/10

Andrei Tarkovsky is one of my favourite directors and the new Criterion release of his film, Mirror, had been on my shelf for a while. My friend and fellow podcast co-host, Chris, was also interested in watching this movie so we decided we’d give it a watch and review it on the podcast. But this is such a weirdly structured film that the entire way through, neither of us knew what on earth was happening. What we got from the experience is reflected in the episode we made and I would love to watch this again at some point, hopefully with more context and a better understanding of what I’m in for. But in the meantime, you can hear the discussion on episode 46 of the podcast.

The Night House (2021) - 6/10

The Night House is David Bruckner’s follow-up to his previous movie, The Ritual and while I’ll say I prefer The Ritual, this is still a decent watch, just don’t go in expecting horror. More of my thoughts can be found in episode 46 of the podcast.

The Ritual (2017) - 7/10

After watching The Night House, I decided to go back to the director’s previous film, The Ritual and I got a lot more out of it this time around. Themes of guilt and grief permeate the movie and the result is this weird and unnerving film about a group of guys who go hiking in Sweden after the death of one of their friends and encounter dark forces beyond their comprehension. It can be drawn out at times and probably could have been boosted with a better script but there are so many interesting and strange ideas presented that culminate in a haunting third act that it’s worth watching just to see what on earth they’re being hunted by.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - 10/10

Straight after recording an episode about our favourite movies on the podcast, I returned to one of my all-time favourites. Holy Grail is such a fantastically funny movie with so many memorable lines and moments that it’s become a staple in the comedy genre. Setting it in Arthurian England is a surefire way to make sure it stands the test of time, making use of the budget in a way that heightens the comedy, for example: not being able to get horses and so resorting to having a man banging two coconut halves together as they skip through the grassy terrain. It’s the writing that really takes centre stage here; the guys from Monty Python were/are geniuses. A couple more points were made on my podcast so please do listen to that to hear more: Episode 46 of The Sunday Movie Marathon

Malignant (2021) - 7/10

The new James Wan movie was bonkers! I saw this one twice in quick succession without hesitation. To find out why I love it so much, listen to episode 47 of the podcast.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - 8/10

We got a marathon of the first three Nightmare on Elm Street movies on the podcast so we watched them in quick succession within a day. This first movie is a true masterpiece of its time. For more insight, listen to episode 47 of the podcast.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) - 2/10

Quite an embarrassing departure from the genius and fun of the original. Elm Street 2 is not only technically unfulfilling but a wholly unentertaining movie to boot. More thoughts in episode 47 of the podcast.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - 3/10

While only a few hairs better than its predecessor, Elm Street 3 is still a mere shadow of the original. All in all, these second and third instalments in the franchise have put me off watching any of the others. More thoughts in episode 47 of the podcast.

Her (2013) - 10/10

Her is at once a beautiful love story between a man and an AI, and a scarily accurate look at how technology is expanding and moving forward. It uses warm colours and smooth camera work to create something that feels homely and safe, juxtaposing the often cold and dark feeling of science-fiction films to tell an intrinsically human story. What would it be like to go through this and what are the hurdles that need to be overcome? Her is a masterpiece of filmmaking and it left me emotionally exhausted in all the right ways.

Alien (1979) - 10/10

First time I’ve seen Alien in the cinema (as I was too busy not being born yet to see it on an initial release) and it was amazing! This is cosmic horror at its best. With all the eerie sound design, slow and deliberate camera movement, and outstanding effects, there’s no wonder as to why this is considered one of the greats and seeing it on the big screen was enthralling.

Aliens (1986) - 8/10

I had never seen Aliens before so the opportunity to see it for the first time in a cinema was one I could not pass up, especially since I was able to see it straight after the first. This is more of an action movie than the first one and as that, it was really something to see. While I don’t think it quite measures up to the original, James Cameron does bring a style to it that makes it something completely different while still feeling in line with its predecessor. A problem I’ve found as time goes on is that I don’t find myself thinking much about Aliens whatsoever and that’s probably down to its characters who generally I found quite weak. I’m already not big on standard action flicks and this is a clear cut above those but it does still fall victim to the trappings. That being said, I would in no way call this bad or even mediocre because it was a lot fun and being able to see it in the cinema is an experience I’m very grateful for.

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021) - 6/10

Gunpowder Milkshake is trying very hard to be John Wick and although it never really manages it, there is still fun to be had with its action (because really that’s all this movie has to offer). There’s a very creative scene in which Karen Gillan has to fight some goons in a hospital with a gun taped to one hand and a scalpel taped to the other, with the caveat being that her arms don’t work. Despite that and a good enough performance from Gillan, the rest is very goofy, with a villain about as intriguing as an advert for life insurance and a story that to say the least, leaves much to be desired.

I Lost My Body (2019) - 10/10

Another one for the podcast, I Lost My Body is a glorious cerebral animated piece that hits every nerve in my body. Listen to episode 48 for more.

Alice In Wonderland (1951) - 10/10

Perhaps the best early Disney movie in my humble opinion. Alice In Wonderland is complete insanity, doing things simply for the sake of it in a beguiling dreamlike take on Lewis Carroll’s classic book. Listen to episode 48 of The Sunday Movie Marathon for more.

WALL-E (2008) - 9/10

WALL-E is one of Pixar’s best. It is a cautionary tale of where the world is headed wrapped in a sweet story about going to the ends of the solar system in order to help those you love. I do however have one big problem with this movie and you can find out more in episode 48 of the podcast.

Killing Them Softly (2012) - 6/10

A lot about America’s economy at the time, Killing Them Softly goes about showing the lengths people will go to for money and yes it is generally solid with a fantastic speech by Brad Pitt to cap it off, but it cannot avoid meandering scenes of listless dialogue that neither engage me nor make me care about the characters it presents.

The Dirties (2013) - 6/10

Funny! The Dirties is a mockumentary about two guys making a movie about bullies in their school. While often it was generally chugging along and making me laugh, it tended to err on the side of plain as regards its presentation. A lot of scenes happen for the sake of it and in a movie that’s around an hour and twenty, it’s amazing I still managed to dip out in the latter half. More thoughts in episode 49 of the podcast.

Telstar: The Joe Meek Story (2009) - 3/10

Ah, I really hated this. I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. Just listen to episode 49 of the podcast to hear what I had to say.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - 10/10

This is my favourite movie! I got to talk about it on my podcast! Listen to episode 49 of The Sunday Movie Marathon to hear what I have to say!

No Time To Die (2021) - 8/10

Best Bond movie? Perhaps. I’ve not seen every Bond movie but of the ones I have seen (which does include all of Daniel Craig’s run), this is as good as it gets. Despite a near three hour runtime, No Time To Die felt as though it wasted very little. I’ve always complained that I could never follow the plot to these movies because often I simply didn’t care about it; for me it’s more about the action and seeing Daniel Craig be James Bond. No Time To Die does not escape some of the general tropes that often don’t leave me thinking I’ve watched something masterful but what I will say in its favour is that it’s fucking fun! Don’t expect to love it if you already dislike these movies because generally it stays in the same vein as the others before it, but for Bond fans it’s something totally enjoyable. Captivating cinematography, biting fight choreography and action set-pieces, a core struggle for James who actually goes through relatable hardships his time round, coping with being part of a family and trying to keep them safe.

I was happy to see a bit more attention paid to female characters this go round; in a franchise that often glamorizes Bond’s sexual promiscuity and ability to woo any woman he likes, it was much more refreshing to see that he often did need help from a lot of badass, well written female characters.

No Time To Die has been waiting to be released for a long time now and now it’s actually out, I’m pleased it’s not hot garbage. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The final swan song for Craig’s fifteen-year tenure as one of cinema’s most recognisable heroes outdoes all that came before it. Bravo.

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lovemesomesurveys · 3 years

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How are you doing today? It’s only 1:56AM, but so far I’ve just ate a bowl of ramen and watched a couple YouTube videos. What was the best thing that happened to you today? My ramen was quite delicious, ha. Which cell phone network are you on? Verizon. Do you like the smell of cinnamon? Yesss. What was the last book you've read? I just finished, “The Secret She Kept” by Elle Gray and I’ve started, “Autumn’s Strike” by Mary Stone.

Are you hungry right now? No, I just finished eating. What was the last thing you've had to drink? Water. How often do you visit this website? I’m on Tumblr all the time. Do you like frogs? No. Are you afraid of dying? Yes. Do you like bananas? I love bananas. Do you like the show American Dad? Meh. It has its moments, but overall I’ll pass. I don’t ever watch it by my own choosing, I just catch it here and there because my family watches it. What TV show do you miss the most that's no longer on TV? Gilmore Girls, Degrassi, and True Blood come to mind first. Are you currently fighting with someone right now? No. Is your life full of drama? No. I have other stressful things I’m dealing with, but not of the drama variety. How long can you hold your breath underwater *shrug* Where's the last place you've been to out of state? When I went to Arizona to visit my grandparents about 6 years ago. Have you ever been kissed in the rain? No. What letter does your last name start with. -- What are you listening to right now? I’m watching Gilmore Girls. Have you ever had a pet that died? Yes. Would you rather use a trackpad or a mouse? Trackpad. Do you consider yourself politically intelligent? No, not at all. Have you ever done any volunteer work? Yeah, I’ve done a lot with Girl Scouts, school clubs, and class assignments. Do you like the Beatles? I like some songs. Is it night time where you're at right now? Yeah, it’s 2:08AM. Do you like steak? Nope. Do you eat healthy? No, I definitely don’t. How often do you work out? I don’t. What was the best gift you've ever received? I couldn’t possibly choose. Have you ever participated in a spelling bee? Nope. If you could have one wish right now, what would it be? Good health. Do you owe anyone an apology right now? I kind of do. Are you the jealous type of person? I can be, but it’s not something I feel much. Or at least haven’t felt in a long time. I feel envy more. Have you ever tried doing yoga? Nah. Do you like getting massages? I’ve never gotten one. Would you rather be too hot or too cold? Cold. Are you good at telling jokes? No, I’m pretty much the worst. I don’t tell many jokes. When was the last time you've attended a sleepover? Several years ago. Tell me one of your pet peeves. Eating sounds. Do you wear glasses? I do. Do you like to keep your nails painted? I haven’t painted my nails for the past few years. Have you ever had a pedicure? Nope. What is your favorite smell? I have several favorites. Do you like the TV show Full House? I do. Would you rather listen to country music or rap music? I like both. Are you a Duck Dynasty fan? Nope. Have you graduated high school yet? Uh, yeah, back in 2008. What kind of person were you in middle school? Quiet, shy, awkward. Nothing has changed. Do you have any major regrets in your life? I have a few. :/ Do you like pixie sticks? Eh. I did as a kid, but I don’t have much interest in them the older I get. Do you like French toast? Mmm, yes. Are you a fast typer? I am. Are you good at doing math in your head? Nope. Or at all. Have you ever played with Silly Putty? Yeah. Do you take in a lot of caffeine daily? I do. I love my caffeine. Do you like watching Football? Nope. Or an sport. What language do you wish you could speak? Spanish. Do you know a lot about history? No, I wouldn’t say that. If we could travel back in time, where would you travel to? Can I travel back to childhood? Would you ever consider joining the military? No. I couldn’t anyway, I’m physically disabled. Are you a cigarette smoker? No. Have you ever done something you didn't want to just to look cool? That’s kind of how it was when I used to drink and smoke. I wasn’t a big drinker or smoker, only did so socially, but still. I also did so on my own accord, I’m not blaming anyone, and I’m not going to say I hated all of it because I did have good times, but there was a big part of me that did so because I felt I had to. My friends liked to do it and I wanted to partake with them and not sit out on the sidelines by myself. It’s just that truth be told I think I would have rarely drank at all if it weren’t for that and likely would have never smoked. It had its fun moments, but I didn’t feel the need to partake all the time like they did. Do you like zombie movies? Nah. Have you seen The Hunger Games? Yep, all of ‘em. Do you have a favorite piece of clothing? All my graphic tees, t-shirt dresses, leggings, and lounge shorts. All my comfy clothes, basically. Do you own any Uggs? Nope. Are you wearing any rings on your fingers? No. Name a TV show that you absolutely can't stand. Most sitcoms today. Do you have any unusual talents? No. Or any kind of talent. Do you look like your age? *shrug* I’ve been told I look younger. Do you feel confident in a bathing suit? Nooo. Do you do a lot of online shopping? I do. Do you like the Harry Potter films? Yeah. Do you judge people based on their sexual orientation? No. I care about who a person is, their personality, and whether we vibe. Have you ever been told you had an accent? No. Have you ever ridden an elephant? Nope. Are you allergic to pollen? I do have seasonal allergies. Have you ever eaten sushi? Ew, yes. Not a fan. If so, do you like it? Nope. Are you a fan of anime? No. Would you rather play Xbox or Playstation? Playstation. Are you a big fan of seafood? I don’t like seafood at all. What kind of food are you craving right now? I’m good right now. Are you currently in a relationship? No. If not, are you happy being single? Yeah, it’s for the best. Do you like to go fishing? No. Are you a fast runner? I used to be. I don’t have the energy or strength anymore for that.

Have you ever worked at a fast food place? Nope. What's on your mind right now? Now I’m thinking about food cause of some of the previous questions. Are you texting anyone as you're taking this survey? No. Have you ever had a nasty rumor spread about you? No. Have you ever sent someone sexual pictures of yourself? No. Do you like who you are on the inside or the outside more? Neither. :/ Are you good at drawing? No, I have no artistic abilities. Do you know how to dance? Nope. What's your favorite reality TV show? Catfish, Teen Mom OG, Teen Mom 2, The Voice... Do you think Kim Kardashian deserves to be famous? I don’t care. Are you excited for Christmas this year? I’m always excited for Christmas. Do you celebrate Halloween? I mean, I put up some decor, watch scary movies, and partake in treats. I stopped dressing up and carving pumpkins a few years ago. Have you ever had a concussion? No. Do you pretend to be someone you're not? No. I certainly wouldn’t pretend to be... *gestures vaguely* this. Do you listen to heavy metal music? No. Were you sad when Michael Jackson died? I was just surprised. Do you have more upper or lower body strength? I barely have any strength anymore it feels like, but I used to have really great upper body strength. Have you ever been in a tanning bed? No, and never want to be. Do you like hot tubs? No. Do you know anyone who is battling cancer? No. Have you ever donated money to a charity? Yes. Do you get bored easily? More so nowadays. I didn’t used to. Have you ever peed your pants in public? Maybe as a little kid. Are you afraid of roller coasters? Yes, except for the Cars and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coasters at Disneyland. Are you good at doing tongue twisters? Not really. What was the last movie you've seen in theatres? Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Have you ever been to a drive-in movie? Yeah, a few times but it’s been a long time. I’ve been wanting to go to one, though. Are you good at doing fractions? Meh. I’m alright. Me and math don’t get along, but I could do some things somewhat. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and Halloween. Do you prefer Apple or Android? Apple. Would you rather have a tablet or a computer? Computer. Do you like things that are touch screen? Yeah. What age did you have your first kiss at? 16. Do you regret losing your virginity to whoever you lost it to? I’m still a virgin. Do you have a good relationship with your mother? Yes. Do you like the color lime green? Sure. What are your plans for tomorrow? I don’t have any. Would you rather wear jeans or yoga pants? Yoga pants. Do you like your clothes to be baggy and comfortable or tight and revealing Baggy and comfy. Do you wish you could change something about your hair? Yeah, it’s really not a good look right now. I pretty much chopped it off a couple months ago for reasons and it’s in that awkward phase as it grows out. I want it to be longer and dyed red again because currently it’s all natural and I don’t like it. Have you ever gotten a makeover? Yeah. Do you get mad easily? No. but I get frustrated and irritable easily. Have you ever punched someone in the face? No. Do you think the minions from Despicable Me are cute? Ehh. Did you have a Gameboy as a child? I did. Would you rather have chocolate or gummy worms? Chocolate. I’m not a gummy fan. What are your favorite pizza toppings? Extra cheese, garlic, green onions, spinach, cilantro, crushed meatballs, and pesto. Have you ever auditioned for a talent competition? No. I don’t have any talent. Do you make good sandwiches? I think theyr’e better from a deli or when my mom makes them haha but sure. Would you rather get high or get drunk? High. Have you ever failed a drug test? Nope. Do you like the Silent Hill movies? I actually haven’t seen them. What is one thing you need to work on to make yourself a better person? I have a few things I need to work on.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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alaffy · 3 years

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Iron Man

I’m kind of (slowly) go back through the MCU and just wanted to record some of my thoughts on the movies and tv shows.

I thought the first few minutes of Iron Man was the perfect way to introduce Tony. Just through those few scenes we are able to see exactly who he was before he was captured, and it’s done quickly enough that we can get right to the plot of the movie.

Of course, Rhodey is played by Terrance Howard in this film. And Howard is a fine actor and plays the character well. That being said, I do feel that Don Cheadle works better in this part. Rhodey is supposed to be this character that is trying to reign in Tony. Of the two actors, Howard just seems like he’s more likely to join in. I think that’s because Howard looks much younger than he actually is (in real life he’s four years young then Downey, but in the movie, he looks several years younger). Anyway, this is just personal preference more than anything else.

I honestly forgot Colson was in this movie. I thought he was introduced in the second one. Also, I forgot the group that captured Tony is the Ten Rings. I wonder what references (if any) will be made in Shang-Chi. It’s too bad we didn’t get more of an Iron Man vs. Ten Rings conflict in the MCU.

Pepper Potts is an example of how a character can be used as a damsel in distress without making her that type of character. Pepper Potts is smart, independent, and brave. She has just as much personality as Tony. She is not there just to be rescued. Now, she finds herself in some moments where she does need to be rescued (one of which she ends up saving herself), but it’s not because of some sort of weakness. She is literally trying to do the right thing, but the events around her change so rapidly that she ends up in situations she needs help to get out of. For example, when she goes with SHIELD to arrest Stane, there is no reason for her to expect him to show up in a giant armor suit. But he does, and suddenly she finds herself in danger. And Tony comes to her rescue.

And speaking of Stane (as well as Tony)…so, one thing Marvel has does quite often is make the villain an evil businessman. All three Iron Man movies, both Ant-Man movies, and the second Spiderman movie, all businessman who are “Evil” for “reasons” usually greed. And in these cases these villains are usually one dimensional and kind of meh. Stane, while he definitely doesn’t rank up with the better Marvel villains, is the one time I think this works. The whole point of Iron Man is that Tony Stark, a weapons dealer, believes what he’s doing is for the good of mankind. That he’s helping the good guys. Tony then gets one hell of a wakeup call in that the world is not that black and white. And that his weapons are doing just as much harm, if not more, than good. So, Tony realizes that he needs to take back control of his company (because it’s clear he doesn’t know everything that’s going on in there) and the first step to that is to stop weapon’s manufacturing. So if Tony, the hero, is a businessman saying that his company needs to “do better,” then it does make sense (in the first movie) that the villain is going to be his opposite (in other words, a business man who is a war profiteer). And it absolutely would make sense that the profiteer would be from Starks own company, because they definitely wouldn’t want Stark Industries to change. But I don’t think it was something that needed to be repeated in all three movies, or at least find a way to make it different. Because each time Marvel has done the evil businessman, it has felt like we’re rehashing Iron Man 1. Although I do question why Stane, who plays the part of the concerned father figure to Tony while trying to quietly usurp him, would tell Tony he locked him out of the company in front of all those press people? Seems a bit of a risk.

I think the first Iron Man works really well. It’s very much a strong debut of several characters. And it absolutely starts the journey that we will see Tony go through over the different movies.

#Iron Man #Tony Stark #james rhodes #obadiah stane #MCU

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Summer Movie Preview: From Black Widow to The Suicide Squad and Beyond

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The summer movie season has returned. Finally. Once something we all just took for granted, like handshakes and indoor dining, a summertime season stuffed with pricy Hollywood blockbusters and cinematic escapism suddenly feels like a long lost friend. But, rest assured, the summer movie season is genuinely and truly here. It’s maybe a little later than normal, yet it’s still in time for Memorial Day in the States.

This is of course happy news since many of the big screen events of this year have been 12 months or more in the offing. A Quiet Place Part II was supposed to open two Marches ago, and In the Heights is opening almost an exact year to the day from its original release. They’re here now, as is an impressive assortment of new films. There are genre fans’ long lost superhero spectacles, with Black Widow and The Suicide Squad leading the pack (and Shang-Chi closing out the season unusually late in time for Labor Day weekend), and there are also horror movies like The Conjuring 3 and M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, aforementioned musicals, family adventures in Jungle Cruise, psychedelic Arthurian legends via The Green Knight, and a few legitimately original projects like Stillwater and Reminiscence. Imagine that!

So sit back, put your feet in the pool, or up by the grill pit, and toast with us the summer movie’s resurrection.

A Quiet Place Part II

May 28 (June 3 in the UK)

Fourteen months after its original release date, the first movie delayed by the pandemic is finally coming to theaters for Memorial Day weekend. And despite what some critics say (even our own), most of us would argue it’s worth the wait. As a movie about a family enduring after a global crisis that has left their lives in tatters, and marred by personal tragedy, A Quiet Place Part II hits differently in 2021 than it would have a year ago. And it’s undeniably optimistic view of humanity feels like a warm balm now.

But beyond the meta context, writer-director John Krasinski (flying solo as screenwriter this time) has engineered a series of intelligent and highly suspenseful set pieces which puts Millicent Simmonds’ Regan front and center. Also buoyed by subtle and affecting work by Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy, here as a neighbor they knew a few years and a lifetime ago, this is one worth dipping your toe back into cinema for, especially if you liked the first movie.

Cruella

May 28

We’ll admit it, we had the same initial skepticism you’re probably feeling about a Cruella de Vil origin story set in punk rock’s 1970s London. But put your cynicism aside, Disney’s Cruella is a decadent blast and the rarest of things: a live-action Disney remake that both honors its source material and does something creative with it. Neither a soulless scene-by-scene remake of a better animated film, or a lazy Maleficent like re-imagining, Cruella more often than not rocks, thanks in large part to its lead performance by Emma Stone.

Also a producer on the picture, Stone takes on the role of Cruella de Vil like it’ll be on an awards reel and absolutely flaunts the character’s madness and devilish charm. She also finds an excellent sparring partner via Emma Thompson, young Cruella’s very own Miranda Priestly. Once these two start their verbal battle at the end of the first act, the movie is elevated into an electric period comedy (with plenty of heavy handed period music). It’s a pseudo-thriller for all ages, enjoying some very sharp elbows for a kids movie.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

June 4 (May 26 in the UK)

The latest big-screen adventure for real-life ghostbusters Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) sees the two drawn into the unusual case of the first ever U.S. murder trial where the defendant claimed he was innocent because he was possessed by a demon. This is the eighth movie in The Conjuring expanded universe—director Michael Chaves has already made a foray into this supernatural world with The Curse of La Llorona—and as with all the main Conjuring films, the hook is that it’s (very loosely) based on a true case that the Warrens were involved with.

Peter Safran and James Wan are back on board as producers, although with this being the first time Wan isn’t directing one of the main Ed and Lorraine investigations, we’re a little cautious about this return to the haunted museum.

In the Heights

June 11 (June 18 in the UK)

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Tony award winning musical is getting the proper big screen treatment in In the Heights. A full-fledged movie musical—as opposed to a taped series of performances, a la Disney+’s Hamilton—In the Heights is like a sweet summer drink (or Piragua) and love letter to the Latino community of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

Movies

Best Movie Musicals of the 21st Century

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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and the Perils of Taking on a Real Life Murder

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Closer in spirit to the feel-good summertime joy of Grease than the narratively complex Hamilton, this is perfect multiplex escapism (which will also be on HBO Max if you’re so inclined). Directed by Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu, In the Heights has a euphoric sense of movement and dance as it transfers Miranda’s hybrid blend of freestyle rap, salsa rhythm, and Caribbean musical cues to the actual city blocks the show was written about. On one of those corners lives Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a bodega owner with big dreams. He’s about to have the summer of his life. You might too.

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

June 16 (June 21 in the UK)

You know Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is a throwback when even its trailer brings back the “trailer voice.” But then the appeal of the 2017 B-action comedy, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, was its very throwback nature: a violent, raunchy R-rated buddy comedy that starred Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, who exchanged quips as much as bullets between some genuinely entertaining stunts.

Hopefully the sequel can also be as much lowbrow fun as it doubles down on the premise, with Reynolds’ Michael Bryce now guarding Samla Hayek’s Sonia, the wife of Jackson’s Darius. All three are on a road trip through Italy as they’re chased by Antonio Banderas in what is sure to be a series of bloody, explosive set pieces. Probably a few “motherf***ers” will be dropped too.

Luca

June 18

Pixar Studios’ hit rate is frankly incredible. With each new film seemingly comes a catchy song, an Oscar nomination, and a flood of tears from anyone with a heart—and there’s no reason to believe that its next offering will be any different. Luca is a coming-of-age tale set on the Italian Riviera about a pair of young lads who become best friends and have a terrific summer getting into adventures in the sun. The slight catch is that they’re both sea monsters.

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This is the feature directorial debut of Enrico Casarosa, who says the movie is a celebration of friendship with nods to the work of Federico Fellini and Hayao Miyazaki. The writers are Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones—Andrews is new to Pixar but has experience with coming-of-agers, having penned Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, while Jones co-wrote Soul. Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer voice the young boys (sea monsters)—13-year-old Luca and his older teenager friend Alberto—with Maya Rudolph as Luca’s sea monster mom. After a year of lockdown, this could be the summer movie we all need.

June 25

You better start firing up the grill, because the Fast and Furious crew is finally ready to have another summer barbecue. And this time, it’s not only the folks whom Dom Toretto calls “mi familia” in attendance. The big new addition to F9 is

John Cena as Jakob Toretto. As the long-lost little brother we didn’t know Vin Diesel’s Dom had, Jakob is revealed to be a superspy, assassin, and performance driver working for Dom’s arch-nemesis, Cypher (Charlize Theron). Everything the Family does together, Jakob does alone, as a one-man wrecking crew, and he’s coming in hot.

Fans will probably be happier, though, to see Sung Kang back as Han Seoul-Oh, the wheelman who was murdered in Fast & Furious 6, and then pretty much forgotten in The Fate of the Furious when his killer got invited to the cookout. It’s an injustice that brought veteran series director Justin Lin back to the franchise to resurrect the dead. So it’s safe to assume he won’t be asking Cypher to bring the potato salad.

The Forever Purge

July 2 (July 16 in the UK)

We know what you’re thinking: Didn’t The Purge: Election Year end the Purge forever? That or “are they really still making these?” The answer to both questions is yes. Nevertheless, here we are with The Forever Purge, a movie which asks what happens if Purgers just, you know, committed extravagant holiday crime on the other 364 days of the year? You get what is hopefully the grand finale of this increasingly tired concept.

The Tomorrow War

July 2

Hear me out: What if it’s like The Terminator but in reverse? That had to be the pitch for this one, right? In The Tomorrow War, instead of evil cyborgs time traveling to the past to kill our future savior, soldiers from the future time travel to the past to enlist our current best warrior and take him to a world on the brink 30 years from now.

It’s a crazy premise, and the kind of high-concept popcorn that one imagines Chris Pratt excels at. Hence Pratt’s casting as Dan, one of the best soldiers of the early 21st century who’ll go into the future to stop an alien invasion. The supporting cast, which includes Oscar winner J.K. Simmons and Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, and Sam Richardson, is also nothing to sneeze at.

Black Widow

July 9

The idea of making a Black Widow movie has been around since long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe first lifted into the sky on Tony Stark’s repulsors. The character has been onscreen for more than a decade now, and Marvel Studios has for too long danced around making a solo Widow, at least in part due to the machinations of Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter.

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But the standalone Black Widow adventure is here at last, and it now serves as a sort-of coda to the story of Natasha Romanoff, since we already know her tragic fate in Avengers: Endgame. Directed by Cate Shortland (Berlin Syndrome, Lore), the movie will spell out how Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) kept herself busy between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, primarily with a trip home to Russia to clear some of that red from her ledger.

There, she will reunite with figures from her dark past, including fellow Red Room alumnus Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Russian would-be superhero Alexei Shostakov, aka the Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), another survivor of the Black Widow program and a maternal figure to Natasha and Yelena.

It’s a chance to say goodbye to Nat and see Johansson as the beloved Avengers one more time. But this being Marvel, we suspect that the studio has a few tricks up its sleeve and in this movie about the future of Phase 4.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

July 16

In the annals of synergistic branding, Space Jam: A New Legacy might be one for the record books. A sequel to an older millennials’ 1990s touchstones—the thoroughly mediocre Michael Jordan meets Bugs Bunny movie, Space Jam—this sequel sees LeBron James now trapped in Looney Tunes world… but wait, there’s more! Instead of only charmingly interacting with WB’s classic stable of cartoon characters, King James will also be in the larger “WB universe” where the studio will resurrect from the dead every property they own the copyright to, from MGM’s classic 1939 The Wizard of Oz to, uh, the murderous rapists in A Clockwork Orange.

… yay for easter eggs?

Old

July 23

Though he might be accused of being a little bit hit-and-miss in the past, the release of a new M. Night Shyamalan movie should always be cause for celebration. Especially one with such a deeply creepy premise. Based on the graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters, Old sees a family on vacation discover that the beach they are on causes them to age extremely rapidly and live out their entire lives in a day.

This is surely perfect fodder for Shyamalan, who does high-concept horror like no one else. The cast is absolute quality, featuring Gael García Bernal, Hereditary’s Alex Wolff, Jo Jo Rabbit’s Thomasin McKenzie, Phantom Thread’s Vicky Krieps, Little Women’s Eliza Scanlen, and many more. The trailer is pleasingly disturbing too as children become teenagers, a young woman is suddenly full-term pregnant, and adults seem to be decaying in front of their own eyes. Harrowing in the best possible way.

Snake Eyes

July 23 (August 20 in the UK)

Snake Eyes will finally bring us the origin story of the G.I. Joe franchise’s most iconic and beloved member. Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) stars in the title role, with Warrior’s Andrew Koji as his nemesis—conflicted baddie (and similar fan fave) Storm Shadow. Expect a tale heavy on martial arts badassery, especially with The Raid’s Iko Uwais on board as the pair’s ninja master. Samara Weaving will play G.I. Joe staple Scarlett after her breakout a few years ago in Ready or Not, while Úrsula Corberó has been cast as Cobra’s Baroness. Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Red) directs.

Jungle Cruise

July 30

Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra is best known for making slightly dodgy actioners starring Liam Neeson (Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night) and half-decent horror movies (Orphan, The Shallows), so exactly which direction this family adventure based on a theme park ride will take remains to be seen.

Borrowing a page and premise from Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen (1951), Jungle Cruise stars the ever-charismatic Dwayne Johnson as a riverboat captain taking Emily Blunt’s scientist and her brother (Jack Whitehall) to visit the fabled Tree of Life in the early 20th century. Like the ride, the gang will have to watch out for wild animals along the way.

Unlike the ride, they’re competing with a German expedition team who are heading for the same goal. A solid supporting cast (Jesse Plemons, Édgar Ramírez, Paul Giamatti, Andy Nyman) and a script with rewrites by Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049) might mean Disney has another hit on its hands. Either way, a lovely boat trip with The Rock should be diverting at worst.

The Green Knight

July 30 (August 6 in the UK)

There have been several major Hollywood reimaginings of Arthurian legends in the 21st century. And every one of them has been thoroughly rotten for one reason or another. Luckily, David Lowery’s The Green Knight looks poised to break the trend with a trippy, but twistedly faithful, interpretation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain, a chivalrous knight in King Arthur’s court who takes up the challenge of the mysterious Green Knight (The Witch’s Ralph Ineson under mountains of makeup): He’ll swing a blow and risk receiving a returning strike in a year’s time. Gawain attempts to cheat the devil by cutting his head clean off, yet when the Green Knight lifts his severed head from Camelot’s floors, things start to get weird. As clearly one of A24’s biggest visual fever dreams to date, this is one we’re highly anticipating.

Stillwater

July 30 (August 6 in the UK)

The Oscar winning-writer director behind Spotlight, Tom McCarthy, returns to the big screen with a fictional story that feels awfully similar to real world events. In this film, Matt Damon plays Bill, a proud father who saw his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) go abroad to study in France. After she’s accused of murdering her roommate by local authorities, the deeply Southern and deeply Oklahoman father must travel to a foreign land to try and prove his daughter’s innocence.

It obviously has some parallels with the Amanda Knox story but it also looks like a potentially hard hitting original drama with a talented cast. Fingers crossed.

The Suicide Squad

August 6 (July 30 in the UK)

You might have seen a Suicide Squad movie in the past, but you’ve never seen James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. With a liberating R-rating and an old school vision from the Guardians of the Galaxy director—who likens this to 1960s war capers, such as The Dirty Dozen or Where Eagles Dare—this Suicide Squad is absolutely stacked with talented actors wallowing in DC weirdness. One of the key players in this is Polka-Dot Man, another is a walking, talking Great White Shark, voiced by Sylvester Stallone. The villain is a Godzilla-sized starfish from space!

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So like it’s namesake, there’s probably a lot of characters who aren’t going to pull through this one. Even so, we can rest easy knowing that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn will be as winsome than ever, and the likes of Idris Elba and John Cena will add some dynamic gravitas to the eccentric DC Extended Universe.

Free Guy

August 13

Perhaps pitched as The Truman Show for the video game age, Free Guy stars Ryan Reynolds as an easygoing, happy-go-lucky “Guy” who discovers… he’s a video game NPC living inside the equivalent of a Grand Theft Auto video game. This might explain why the bank he works at keeps getting robbed all the time. But as a virtual sprite who’s developed sentiency, he just might be able to win over enough gamers to not shoot him, and make love not war.

It’s an amusing premise, and hopefully director Shawn Levy can bring to it the same level of charm he achieved with the very first Night at the Museum movie.

Respect

August 13 (September 10 in the UK)

Before her passing in 2018, Aretha Franklin gave her blessing to Jennifer Hudson to play the Queen of Soul. Now that musical biopic is here with Hudson hitting the same high notes of the legend who sang such standards as “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and of course “Respect.”

The film comes with a lot of expectation and a lot of pedigree, with Forest Whitaker and Audra McDonald in the cast. Most of all though, it comes with that rich musical library, which will surely take center stage. And if movies like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman have taught us anything, it’s that moviegoers love when you play the hits.

Reminiscence

August 20 (August 18 in the UK)

Lisa Joy is one of the most exciting voices on television today. One-half of the creative team behind Westworld, Joy steps into her own with her directorial debut (and as the solo writer) in Reminiscence, a science fiction film with a reliably knotty premise.

Hugh Jackman plays Nick Bannister, a man who lives in a dystopian future where the oceans have risen and the cities are crumbling. In a declining Miami, he sells a risky new technology that allows you to relive your past (and possibly change it, at least fancifully?). But when he discovers the lost love of his life (Rebecca Ferguson) is cropping up in other peoples’ memories, which seem to implicate her in a murder, well… things are bound to start getting weird. We don’t know a whole lot more, but we cannot wait to find out more.

Candyman

August 27

Announced back in 2018, this spiritual sequel to Bernard Rose’s 1992 original is one of the most exciting and anticipated movies on the calendar. Produced by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, the film takes place in the present day and about a decade after Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects have been torn down. Watchmen’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays an up-and-coming visual artist who moves to the now-gentrified area with his partner and is inspired by the legend of Candyman, an apparition with a hook for a hand, to create new work about the subject. But in doing so, he risks unleashing a dark history and a new wave of violence.

Tony Todd, the star of the original movie, will also reprise his role in a reboot that aims to inspire fear for only the right reasons.

The Beatles: Get Back

August 27

Director Peter Jackson thinks folks have a poisoned idea about the Beatles in their final days. Often portrayed as divided and antagonistic toward one another during the recordings of their last albums, particularly Let It Be (which was their penultimate studio recording and final release), Jackson insists this misconception is influenced by Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary named after the album.

So, after going through the reams of footage Lindsay-Hogg shot but didn’t use, Jackson has crafted this new documentary about the album’s recording which is intended to paint a fuller (and more feel-good) portrait of the band which changed the world. Plus, the music’s going to be great…

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

September 3

The greatest fighter in Marvel history finally hits the big screen with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) takes on the title role of a character destined for a bright future in the MCU. Marvel fans might note that the “Ten Rings” of the title is the same organization that first appeared all the way back in Iron Man, and Tony Leung will finally bring their villainous leader, The Mandarin, to life. Awkwafina of The Farewell and Crazy Rich Asians fame also stars. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12), this should deliver martial arts action unlike anything we’ve seen so far in the MCU.

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majingojira · 4 years

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Spider-Man Real-Time Aging Timeline

I’ve been asked to get on my crazy again with this, this time for Spider-Man. Well, here goes and boy, this is about to get WEIRD! A lot of this IS based on Spider-Man: Life Story, so if you are wondering about something, refer to that.

Because there’s a LOT of Spider-Man events out there, I couldn’t include them all without going totally nuts. If you have a question about them, ask! Though beware, “The writers made that up” is a possible explanation. 1946 - Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Jessica Drew, Luke Cage, “Flash” Thompson, and Gwen Stacy born. 1947 - Peter’s Parents die under somewhat mysterious circumstances. His Aunt May and Uncle Ben Parker take him in.

1950 - Julia Carpenter born. 1962 - Peter Parker, 16 years old, invents a quick-drying temporary adhesive with properties similar to spider silk as an entry in a science fair (with hopes of catching someone’s eye to sell the invention to in order to aid his aunt and uncle). Unfortunately, one of the other entries was a might volatile and explodes. Peter is caught in the blast radius and injured. Worse, while on the ground an escaped Tarantula bites his hand in its panic. Peter recovers, but the incident was quite traumatic, and he associated everything that followed with that spider.

When he recovers, he finds himself stronger, faster, and tougher than he was before, and more ‘aware’ of his surroundings. Worse, he was ‘seeing’ things before they happened. He doesn’t know what to do with these abilities at first but is inspired by seeing the masked wrestler El Santo perform on TV. He hits on the idea of fighting for money with a masked identity. It goes rather well, but we know how this song and dance goes by now.

After his, he invents gloves and boots to better help him climb across surfaces, as well as web-shooters for ranged entrapment. He soon figured out web-swinging from there. And thus, Spider-Man was born! But what did cause his powers to awaken? It goes back a few hundred years. One of the greatest swordsmen of all time was a man named Zatoichi. Upon learning of this man, one of the greatest criminal masterminds of all time (Fu Manchu) attempted to re-create this man’s skills. This eventually led to the creation of the Nanjin, a sect of Warrior Monks who ritually blinded themselves to “See With the Heart”. Over time, The Devil Doctor did his best to be eugenic about the subject, but random mutation is going to random. Peter Parker his the jackpot with his genes. Upon suffering a horrendous injury, an epigenetic response kicked in and he became as they were--more in fact with an enhanced musculature and reaction time on top of it. How strong is he? Well, starting out, he was a very athletic human, far more so for his size and weight. After fighting and working out for a few years, he could give some species of vampire a go without much problem. Especially with his “spider-sense”.

And yes, Daredevil is a trained Nanjin. Obviously.

Also, this year, Jessica Drew is the only survivor of a car crash into a chemical truck that kills her family. With no one to watch her, she is kidnapped and experimented on by HYDRA. 1962-1966 - Many of Spider-Man’s classic rogues appear in this timeframe. Notable oddities about them based on what people assume are as follows: Vulture’s ‘flight harness’ was based on the old Doc Savage designed Rocket Pack, most famously employed by the Rocketeer (Cliff Seacord) back in the Late 30s/Early 40s; Otto Octavius is a Cthulhu Cultist; The Sandman is a person who absorbed a juvenile Founder/Changeling and gained some semblance of their shapeshifting abilities; The Lizard is likely tied to the experiments which created the “Alligator Man” of Bayou Landing (The Alligator People); Electro is one of several known “Electrical Mutants” -- people who were born with an electro-kinetic ability.

1964 - Norman Osborn becomes the Green Goblin.

1965 - Peter Parker meets Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy.

1966 - Flash Thompson goes to Vietnam.

1969 - The death of George Stacy, Gwen Stacy’s Father.

1972 - Giant-Size Spider-Man #2 - Spider-Man and Shang-Chi team up against Shang’s Father, Fu Manchu.

Peter Parker marries Gwen Stacy. 1973 - Giant-Size Spide-Man #1 - Spider-Man tangles with (a) Dracula.

1974 - Giant-Size Spider-Man #3 - Spider-Man helps resolve a case started by Doc Savage in 1934.

Flash Thompson comes back from Vietnam with a wife, Sha-Shan Nguyen-Thompson, but without his legs.

Jessica Drew escapes Hydra’s indoctrination and tries to make headway as a hero on her own as “Spider-Woman”. It does not go well.

1975 - Marvel Team-Up #36-37 - Spider-Man meets Frankenstein’s Monster. Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man - Spider-Man is tricked into fighting the legendary Superman by the machinations of Otto Octavius and Lex Luthor. They eventually team up and stop the malcontents. 1976 - Jessica Drew decides to re-invent herself as the heroine “Jewel” since her powers really have very little to do with Spiders. 1977 - Professor Miles Warren’s plan of making Gwen Stacy his own via “cloning” is exposed by the ‘new’ Green Goblin, Harry Osborn. Unfortunately, tat technology is over a decade away, and his “Clone” is more “Human Meat Puppet” and rather horrifying. In the conflagration/confrontation, he and Gwen Stacy are killed. Harry Osborn disappears for a time... Mary Jane Watson-Osborn and Peter Parker comfort each other over their mutual losses.

Jessica Drew finds herself under the thrall of a mind-mage known as “The Purple Man.” The thrall is eventually broken, but though she manages to recover, it leaves scars.

1978 - Marvel Team-Up #79 - Thanks to a mystical malady, Spider-Man battles Kulan Gath, and things could have ended up badly for him, if not for the revelation that Mary-Jane Watson was a descendant of Red Sonja of Hyrkania. Touching an artifact allowed the She-Devil to manifest in the present and aid Spider-Man in taking down her ancient foe.

Spider-Man first encounters the blind seer Madame Web.

Birth of Samuel Thompson to Flash and Sha-Shan Thompson.

Jessica Drew takes up two new identities, Knightress (for about 5 minutes) and Jessica Jones to distance herself from what happened.

1980 - Marvel Treasury Edition #28 - Spider-Man manages to accidentally thwart the plans of Doctor Doom, to turn the monster known as Parasite into a massive energy storage device after it drained the life force from the Hulk, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Secret War - Spider-Man is one of the many people invited to this decade’s Mortal Kombat tournament. Unfortunately for Shao Khan, so is Superman (Clark Kent), and he utterly wrecks the event, making the whole thing a wash, forcing Shao Khan to wait another decade to continue his win streak. The monstrous being known as “Venom” follows Spider-Man from Outworld. One of the people taken in by this is a survivor of “The Shop”, Julia Carpenter. Taking a cue from Spider-Man, she dubs herself Spider-Woman (II).

Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson marry.

Mattie Franklin born.

1981 - Marvel Team-Up #111-112 - Spider-Man has a time-traveling adventure featuring King Kull, battling against Valusian Serpent-Men. Marvel Team-Up Annual #5 - Spider-Man has more adventures with the Serpent-Men and their ancient enemies, Kull and Conan.

1982 - The monster “Venom” reveals himself. Its first host is Eddie Brock.

May “Mayday” Parker is born.

1983 - The Venom creature spawns, creating the horror known as Carnage. It goes on to spawn more Symbiotes. Jessica Jones has a child with Luke Cage (Daniel Cage) and later marries him. 1984 - Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds - Spider-Man and Batman (III) team-up.

Kraven’s Last Hunt occurs.

Cindy Moon, the grandaughter of Flash Thompson, born.

1985 - Batman/Spider-Man - Batman and Spider-Man team up once again.

1988 - Anya Corazon born.

1990 - Julia Carpenter retires as Spider-Woman, Madame Web begins recruiting her as a replacement for herself.

1991 - Richard Wentworth jr., the descendant of the pulp-era anti-hero known as The Spider takes to the streets, and takes umbrage with the ‘pretender’ that is Peter Parker. He and Peter clash several times over the next few years, and the comic industry uses the presence of a ‘second Spider” to inflate the “Clone Saga” to ridiculous levels.

Thanks to developments from InGen being stolen when the company was liquidated in 1990, Efforts to Clone Spider-Man go forward under multiple groups. The results are nicknamed “Kaine” but artificial again technology doesn’t exist, so it wouldn’t bear fruit for many years.

1993 - May Parker Sr. passes away.

1995 - Richard Wentworth jr. goes to more volatile places around the world to sate his bloodlust.

Miles Morales born.

1996 - Gwen Stacy (II), niece of Gwen Stacy (via Gabriel Stacy) is born.

Mattie Franklin, a half-demon with arachnid affinities decided to become “Spider-Woman”. Her desire to prove herself causes quite a few problems.

1998 - Mayday Parker has her first outing as Spider-Girl under her parent's noses. After a few of these outings, she catches Mattie Franklin’s attention, who challenges her to a “Title Fight.” Mattie loses and chooses to go by “The Scarlet Spider” for a time afterward.

Benjamin Parker is born to Peter and Mary Jane Parker.

Cindy Moon is identified by the Nanjin and is kidnapped for ‘training’ by them. She ends up with a similar condition to Peter Parker.

2000 - Peter Parker retires from being Spider-Man and working Biotech to become a teacher at his old High School. Mayday Parker takes over properly as Spider-Girl.

2003 - Anya Corazon is kidnapped by the tattered remains of the organization known as Shocker and partly transformed into a quasi-magical cyborg super-soldier by them. She is rescued before she could be brainwashed by Kamen Rider (Kamen Rider Spirits). She takes her new ‘gift’ and becomes known as “Arana”, though people often call her “The Other Spider-Girl” to both her and Mayday’s annoyance.

2004 - Mattie Franklin dies battling drug-runners.

2005 - Samuel Thompson becomes bonded to the “Venom” Symbiot (or a facsimile thereof) by the U.S. Government. Dubbed “Agent Venom” he works with them as he furthers his military career.

Julia Carpenter takes over formally as Madame Web on the original’s passing.

2009 - Miles Morales is bitten by a spider carrying an attempt to create a retroviral payload to make Nanjin Adepts. He nearly dies from the venom, but it works -- with an added perk or two.

2011 - Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man with Peter and May’s blessings.

Kaine Parker reveals his existence to Peter, but more out of obligation, as he’d rather be left alone. He is not, thanks to mystical shenanigans. Even moving to Huston doesn’t help in that regard. He dubs himself “The Scarlet Spider”.

2012 - Cindy Moon escapes the Nanjin order and goes to “Spider-Man” to help. Mayday Parker does her best to get her settled after over a decade in isolation.

2013 - The “Ghost Spider” appears, and is eventually revealed to be Gwen Stacy (II), niece and namesake of the Gwen Stacy Peter knew. She is ‘accepted’ by the family, but has been through quite a lot and is often chastised for making bad decisions.

2018 - Miles Morales has his mind swapped with that of the extremely aged Otto Octavius via a dark ritual.

2019 - Miles Morales is freed of Otto’s domination of his mind. However, the Grand-Nephew of Otto Octavius (name currently unknown) begins causing him problems, dubbing himself the “Superior Spider-Man.”

#Spider-Man #Chronology #Timeline #Peter Parker #Mary Jane Watson #Crossover #Crossover Timeline #Miles Morales #Anya Corazon #Cindy Moon #Kaine Parker #Jessica Drew #Jessica Jones #Gwen Stacy #Ghost Spider #Julia Carpenter

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xoxardnekoxo · 4 years

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Movie Review: Mulan (2020)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Ah, Mulan. One of my all-time favorite Disney movies. I loved it so much I had a life-size plush Mushu, a Disney Beanie Baby talking Mushu, a Mulan Barbie, every action figure made, a chirping Crikee, and even a Mushu/Crikee alarm clock. It’s no surprise that when Disney announced a live action version of this movie, I was all over it. The three-time delay in theaters due to the pandemic was disappointing, but then again, so was having to pay $30 on top of a monthly fee I already pay for Disney+.

When the movie was first announced, we knew right away that three things would be lacking that were in the beloved cartoon:

1. Mushu 2. Shang 3. Songs

I immediately jumped on this band wagon at the announcement of no Mushu:

Supposedly the actual country of China strongly disliked Disney’s animated interpretation of an actual legend from their homeland. I don’t know the full details, but I do know that with that in mind, Disney wanted to make the live action version of the movie more authentic to the actual story. This really wasn’t meant to be a remake of the cartoon, but a more accurate take on real events.

I know it’s Disney and that usually means music, but honestly, I’m okay with no songs. I outgrew musicals 15+ years ago. I was even okay with no Shang (but it makes no sense when there is an obvious, if unfulfilled, love interest in this version as well).

Much as I love Mushu, I was still eager to see this movie because I’m a fan of Asian culture in general and was curious to see how this movie would play out. Imagine my surprise when I learned that this version would consist of a phoenix and a witch.

How is that any different than a dragon? Is it because dragons are kind of sacred to the Chinese? A phoenix is similar - it’s a bird that is reborn from fire. And a witch? I highly doubt that actually happened in the original story. Did it? I don’t know, but my point remains.

Unlike the cartoon, Mulan in this adaptation knows quite a bit about combat already. We can see her as a child using her skills quite often, and her father tells her to contain her (strong) chi. Speaking of chi, it’s mentioned quite a lot in this movie. Apparently what makes Mulan such a strong/good fighter and leader is her strong chi. Chi is mentioned so much all I could think of was this:

(Chobits anime)

Mulan doesn’t have her dog (Little Brother) in this movie, but she does have a little sister. Interestingly enough, the original story depicts her as having a younger brother, but he was too young to fight. So if Disney was going for accuracy, they still could have gone that route and stayed true to the source material.

As with the cartoon, Mulan does meet the matchmaker, but she doesn’t go in alone. She goes in with her mother and sister, the latter of which is terrified of spiders. Instead of a lucky cricket causing a catastrophe during this “audition,” a spider decides to scurry in and scare the younger sister, prompting the cacophony. So really, it’s the sister’s fault Mulan brings dishonor in the matchmaker’s eyes.

Mulan’s father is frequently chastised by her mother for encouraging her boy-like behavior. “She is your daughter, not your son.” Rude. But remember, this is a different era. The only way a female could bring honor to her family was to be a good wife and bear sons. Still, harsh.

So we all know what happens next. One man from every family has to join in a fight against some turd determined to take over the empire, in this case one who is using a witch to help him, and Mulan takes her father’s place since she fears for his life. But she has good reason to - the poor guy needs help walking and even her mother said he won’t return from battle this time. Way to sugar-coat it, lady.

So we get to the men’s camp... no wait, first, we get lost and a phoenix (symbolic, since it appears no one else is able to see it at all) shows up to guide Mulan to where she needs to go. Yes, instead of asking the ancestors for help, her father asked the family guardian (phoenix) to watch over her. Okay.

Eventually we get to a large tent shared by all the soldiers. Yes, this time, they don’t all get their own individual tent. And of course, all the men are running around half dressed, throwing things at each other, rough-housing, you know the drill. It’s especially amusing when one of them loses his towel and Mulan immediately closes her eyes and cringes.

Then the commander asks for a night guard volunteer. Mulan proceeds to volunteer for this every night to avoid having to shower with the men. Too bad they all start to notice the smell. Funny, in the cartoon, Mulan absolutely did not want to smell like a man at all. It takes her quite some time before she’s able to sneak into the river to bathe. Too bad one of the guys decides to follow her in and she has to hide herself. :D

During training, rules and penalties are revealed, and the penalty for pretty much doing anything wrong is death. Except one thing - dishonesty. Dishonesty brings expulsion from the army as well as dishonor to the family. Don’t talk to a woman or you’ll die, but pour out some water to make the buckets lighter during a strength exercise and get humiliated.

So we eventually get to a big battle scene with all the flying arrows, and Mulan, of course, winds up by herself fighting the witch. The witch can obviously tell that Mulan is hiding her true self, so she’s all, “You’re going to die pretending to be something you’re not.” Then something pierces the wrap Mulan uses to hide her chest and she decides the best course of action is to go back to her comrades as her female self. The whole “big reveal” scene is her taking her hair down (which she does not cut with a sword by the way - in fact, she doesn’t cut it at all) and walking out of the fog and introducing herself. To me, that was very anti-climactic.

The cherry on top of that is when, after being expelled from the army for dishonesty (weird though, another rule was to not consort with women at all and yet she actually IS a woman and isn’t killed), she returns to the camp and the men immediately accept her for who she is because she’s all, “The emperor is in danger and I know how to save him.”

So the commander allows her to lead a group of men into the Imperial City to save the emperor, who is quite a warrior himself - he breaks out his armor to fight the Hun (not Shan-Yu, I don’t even remember what his name is this time), then Mulan shows up and of course she and the witch team up because, hey, why not? They’re both misunderstood women always being told to stay in their place, except the witch is controlled by the Hun and Mulan is free.

The witch can transform into a hawk or something like that (probably a shout out to Shan-Yu’s pet from the cartoon) and she actually flies in front of Mulan to save her from getting pierced by an arrow. So of course she dies in our protagonist’s arms and is all, “Take your place.” And of course, as expected, Mulan saves the day. And let me just say, how many times can one possibly kick an arrow and send it flying straight toward a designated target? It happens at least five times in this movie, and just once is a one in a million shot. Yeah, cool effect, but totally not accurate, Disney. I thought that was the whole point of this movie - more accuracy to the source content. And you also wanted to appease China. Too bad it didn’t work this time around, either.

The movie ends with Mulan being offered a position on the emperor’s army (nice cameo by Ming-Na Wen, the original voice of Mulan from the cartoon!), but she chooses to go back home - where her sister has been matched to someone who isn’t afraid of spiders.

Yay! Then Mulan’s commander and some other guys show up and offer her the same job the emperor did, only in front of her entire village, so everyone knows she has now brought honor to her family and the country, prompting the matchmaker to faint because she was proven wrong.

So then she does take the job after all, and that’s pretty much the end. Shang isn’t in the movie but there is one fellow soldier she seems to have fun with in practice combat, and he’s super eager to accept her as a woman, even saying she’s the best soldier they’ve got. But nothing comes of that - the two part ways as friends, but honestly, I think it’s okay in these circumstances. Throwing a love story into this rendition just wouldn’t work.

So all in all, not a bad movie, but I think I probably should have waited until it was available on regular Disney+ or DVD instead of spending $30 on premiere access. But I would have spent that going to the theater anyway, so I guess it’s not so bad. I do know a lot of people absolutely hated this movie and it’s gotten bad reviews. I didn’t mind it, but I think my favorite live-action Disney movie so far is Aladdin. This one is probably in second place, though. I think the reason people dislike it so much is that there are so many things missing that were in the cartoon. But again, this is not meant to be a remake of the cartoon - it’s meant to be a more accurate version. But you just can’t make everyone happy.

Overall, I’d give the movie a 7/10. It could have been better, could have been worse. I still prefer the cartoon but it was interesting to see this version as well. Now to see what other live action movies get made... and we’ll see if The Little Mermaid can beat this with a black Ariel. I think I should audition for the role of Snow White - I have the short hair, pale skin, and am always talking to animals. If Ariel can be black, Snow White can be fat!

#xoxardnekoxo #Movie Review #Mulan #Mulan 2020 #Mushu #Shang #Li Shang #Crikee #Disney #spoiler alert #Disney princess

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justfandomwritings · 4 years

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Superhero Hunger Games Simulation

special credit to : @juliaguliaa

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome, to your Second Daily Hunger Games Simulation! This year, our theme is Superheroes! Here are your Tributes!

Representing District 1, Luxury: For the District only known for being blonde and rich, we have a prince, the blondest of blonde superheroes, and a spy, the fakest of blonde superheroes....

Thor and Black Widow!

Representing District 2, Masonry, Weaponry and Peacekeepers: The only two superheroes I trust to lead an army....

Captain America and Wonder Woman!

Representing District 3, Technology: A literal machine and the girl who deconstructed him....

Vision and Shuri!

Representing District 4, Fishing and Water: The king of fish and the queen of making it rain....

Aquaman and Storm!

Representing District 5, Power: A guy who solved the world’s energy crisis while in a cave and a girl who got blasted with the literal source of all power in the universe....

Iron Man and Captain Marvel!

Representing District 6, Transportation: He outran your train there, and she just teleported the train because she was sick of waiting in the station....

Flash and Raven!

Representing District 7, Lumber: I am Groot, I am Groot, I am Groot....

Groot and Layla Williams (from Sky High)

Representing District 8, Textiles: The most fashionable superhero on Earth and the girl named after a fabric....

Shang Chi and Silk!

Representing District 9, Grains: They’re still in Kansas, and they won’t leave damnit....

Superman and Supergirl!

Representing District 10, Livestock: The only two superheroes we trust not to eat the produce, because they turn into the produce....

Beast Boy and Vixen!

Representing District 11, Agriculture: Look Katniss, she wouldn’t have let Rue die.

Okoye and the Falcon!

Representing District 12, Mining: A literal rock, and a much better shot than Katniss

The Thing and Kate Bishop!

Day One

The Thing would be good at hiding, my man can just ball up next to a cliff and then boom boulder. BEAST BOY YOU ARE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK THAT ALCOHOL YOU JUST STOLE. Though, I’m loving the girl power of Kate Bishop, Wonder Woman, Okoye, also some inter-universe cooperation.

AQUAMAN YOU LITERALLY DON’T NEED BAIT TO CATCH FISH YOU CAN MAKE THEM JUMP IN YOUR HAND, DUMBASS.

Poor Vixen, I am both surprised by your death because you are a badass, and unsurprised because I don’t think you have it in you to kill a hero.

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Captain Marvel stalks Layla Williams, understandably. She is beautiful, but also she is an unknown quantity. No one else in the Games can vouch for her. What does she do? Who is she? No one knows. None of them have even heard of Sky High.

Supergirl receives fresh food from a sponsor. Her secret? That sponsor is Lex Luthor.

“Beast Boy sprains his ankle running away from Thor” is the most Beast Boy sentence of sentences I have ever read in my life.

Flash searches for firewood; I don’t know why this is worthy of note. It took him two seconds; he’s damn quick.

Superman was far too powerful a character to put in this game. He easily cut through Kate Bishop. He’s clearly in a frenzy desperately searching for his cousin, or no doubt he would have spared Kate.

Black Widow does not share Superman’s mercy. She kills people. End of sentence.

Shuri is chasing Okoye to try to find an ally. Okoye has not looked back over her shoulder. She’s running for her life. If she looked back, she’d know she didn’t need to run.

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Rest in peace, my dears.

Though, I guess this proves my intro wrong about Okoye. She damn sure let Kate Bishop face Supes alone and die.

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Night One

Beast Boy screams for help, hoping his fellow Teen Titan, Raven, will hear him. Raven hears him. She just doesn’t bother coming, because she knows he’ll talk her ear off.

Thor and his friend, a tree, sleep in shifts with two other people they stumble upon in the woods. Layla naturally gravitates towards the tree.

Wonder Woman screams for help from the goddesses. Captain Marvel keeps trying to start a fire, but she keeps accidentally blowing up the logs. Shuri and Falcon are actually sitting on opposite sides of the same tree. They keep hearing humming in the distance and harmonizing with it, assuming they’re losing their own minds.

Superman, naturally, defeats Raven, but as he does, he sees his cousin and thus, his craze has ended and he spares her life. Supergirl is munching on some apples that Lex Luthor sent her when she sees her cousin choking a teenager to death with his bare hands.

Tony and Natasha consider putting together an Avengers alliance with Vision and Thor and teaming up on these ‘weirdos from another universe’. Unfortunately, Thor is also a weirdo from another universe himself, though with a different definition of universe. He’s just an alien; they’re from a differen reality.

Okoye could start a fire, but she worries her enemies may see the smoke. She’s tough. She doesn’t mind the cold.

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Day Two

Beast Boy picks flowers, because Beast Boy.

Captain America stumbles upon the Flash while he’s sleeping and shoots this unknown man with a poisonous dart. The poison works slowly, but the Flash’s circulatory system is very fast. When Cap comes forward to put him peacefully out of his misery, the Flash is already dead.

Groot hears a rustling behind him. He thinks it is the plant lover girl from the day before. He didn’t like her. He got the impression she could control his entire body. Groot swings, not realizing its Shuri and kills her.

Black Widow receives a hatchet from Nick Fury. Iron Man leaves her looking for firewood; he considers cutting off a piece of Groot’s leg.

Thor tracks down and kills Raven because Loki’s symbolic animal is often a Raven and he isn’t about to let her steal his Bro’s thunder. Okoye kills Falcon with a hatchet. It wasn’t a mistake. His quips were annoying her.

Superman steals the note that came with his cousin’s free food. It’s a love letter from Lex Luthor. He’s fucking pissed.

Aquaman kills the plant girl. He likes water more than land, so they were natural enemies.

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Groot would apologize Shuri, but you don’t speak Groot to know what he’s apologizing for. Okoye doesn’t feel sorry about Sam dying. He was annoying her.

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Night Two

Supergirl runs away from Superman because he’s giving her a dad lecture about her choices. They both quickly find new allies: Superman with the girl who controls the weather that he doesn’t recognize and the boy he tried to kill in that one crossover movie. Supergirl with some hot soldier, and she’s not complaining.

Groot, in a rage of guilt, is roaring through the forest, not seeing anything as he attacks the first camp he stumbles upon. Tony manages to kill Groot, but he catches Black Widow in the crossfire.

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Day Three

Tony gets medical supplies from Pepper. Thor sees a hot chick and decides to follow her around the arena for a bit; he’s been lonely since Jane left him after all. T’Challa sends Okoye a hatchet. He intended her to use it to kill the tree that killed Shuri, but Groot was dead by the time it got there. He’ll settle for her using it to chop the trees body into firewood. Beast Boy injures himself doing something stupid and reckless; he may win these Games just because he’s too dumb to find anyone else.

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A tsunami hits the arena.

Superman flies off. Storm flies off. Thor flies off. Vision just floats over the top of the wave like a jackass.

The Thing is actually the debris that hit him. He punched himself in the head while trying to swim away.

Cap and Tony come upon each other. Cap’s foot is trapped in a tree that he was sleeping under. Tony has accidentally killed Natasha, and he can’t bare to watch another Avenger die. He drowns trying to free Cap, who also drowns.

Supergirl and Captain Marvel are both just super hard headed. When they collided it was like a damn earthquake. Of course they both died.

Wonder Woman doesn’t fly off, but she grew up on an island. She’s a damn good swimmer. Okoye, however, is not. What can she do? Wakanda was a landlocked country! She’s not a god! She can’t fly! Blame Thor! He could’ve grabbed her, and he didn’t.

Beast Boy didn’t actually mean to drown Shang Chi. He was just looking for something to stand on.

Spoiler alert, everyone watching thinks the Capitol caused the tsunami as an arena event. It wasn’t the Capitol. It was Aquaman.

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It’s probably for the best that Tony died so close after Natasha. He really wouldn’t have lived with the guilt.

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Night 3

As founding members of the Justice League, when Wonder Woman and Aquaman find each other they naturally team up.

Storm sings Singing in the Rain.

Thor and Superman are both exhausted. They have to sleep by now. Superman does so crying; his cousin is dead and the last conversation they had was an argument about her love affair with Lex Luthor.

Vision is still floating like a jackass. He hears Storm singing and decides to sing himself. He sings all of Spotify. His brain is a computer after all.

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Nothing interesting happens at the Cornucopia Feast. They all decide to stay home or get one thing before they leave.

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Day Four

That’s a big ass hunting party. Who the hell were they hoping to find? Every time Beast Boy hears them stopping around he just turns into a moth, and Superman is secretly guiding them all away from Wonder Woman when he sees her with his super vision.

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Night Four

OOOOO Things are heating up.... Wonder Woman and Superman. Is it simply for comfort and warmth or something more....? SHIPS! SET SAIL!

The unknown sponsor Storm receives clean water from is herself. She just makes it rain.

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Day Five

Play fighting got out of hand in Camp Justice League.

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Thor flies off. Beast Boy is in moth form and flies off. Vision floats like a bitch again.

Storm is swept away in her sleep. She controls the water, not the fucking ocean.

Wonder Woman surprises Superman in his sleep when she wakes him up to save him from the tsunami. Superman is suffering from nightmares after what happened to Supergirl. He heat visions straight through Diana’s head before she can lift her bracelets to stop him. He leaves her body to be washed away, ashamed to touch her.

Aquaman secretly caused the tsunami again. Superman is going to kill him for it.

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There aren’t any X-Men to mourn Storm... And the Justice League guys are trying to kill each other... So.... There’s not really much they’d say.

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Day 6

Beast Boy manages to convince Superman not to kill him. It doesn’t take a lot of convincing. Superman is a heart of gold soul. Except when his back is turned, Boom! Beast Boy has been using his green outfit and green skin to hide the fact that he’s got kryptonite. Superman dies before he can get his revenge on Aquaman for the tsunamis.

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RIP Supes. No one in the Hunger Games is mourning you, but I will. Mostly because I chose a Henry Cavill Superman icon, and Henry didn’t deserve to die in two of these.

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Night 6

OH MY GOD DID BEAST BOY KILL SUPERMAN TO PROTECT HIS GAY LOVE FOR AQUAMAN!?!?! It would make sense! He can turn into a fish. Aquaman likes fish.

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Day 7

It was all an act! This whole time! Beast Boy was only playing at incompetence in the beginning to be underestimated.

Beast Boy has defeated Thor. No doubt he used the trick of faking sympathy and emotion until Thor was close enough to stab. Beast Boy would probably be friends with Loki to learn that trick from Avengers 1.

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One night and one day pass without consequence.....

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Night 8

Beast Boy is apparently in love with Aquaman. No doubt from the time Aquaman spent on Teen Titans back when he was a B-List superhero.

He begs Aquaman to kill him. He can’t live in a world without him. He’s willing to die so Aquaman can live.

Aquaman doesn’t know this, not that he would care. Beast Boy’s love is not returned. Still, as far as Aquaman knows, Beast Boy is riddled with guilt at killing Superman. Aquaman ends him.

Vision watches all of this from a distance.

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Day 9

Beast Boy’s sacrifice is in vain.

Vision, using his Mind Infinity Stone no doubt, convinces Aquaman not to kill him. He kills Aquaman instead.

Tragedy.

Truly.

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#superhero hunger games simulator

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popwasabi · 5 years

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“The Farewell” Review: Asian Family Dramedy Finds Bittersweet Humor in Grief

Directed by Lulu Wang

Starring: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin

It’s been a while since I’ve gone out of my way to see a film that didn’t feature super heroes, dog-loving hit-men, or giant atomic-breathing fire lizards but a chance to see Awkwafina flex her comedic and dramatic chops while supporting Asian American creative voices was too good to pass up in “The Farewell.”

Director Lulu Wang’s film, based on “an actual lie” that her family went through, is a mesmerizing bittersweet and often hilarious take on the cross section of immigrant family values and the love that holds it all together. It’s the kind of story that will make you want to hug your parents and relatives extra tight, while laughing your ass off and shows a new angle to the family dramedy through Asian American voices that Hollywood rarely touches on.

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(Since I’m sure most of you NERDS don’t watch Indie films, here’s the trailer to get you up to speed.)

“The Farewell” tells the story of an Asian American woman named Billi struggling to find purpose in her life out in New York. When she learns that her Nai Nai (grandmother) is dying from cancer she is told she is forbidden from telling her about her condition as per Chinese tradition. Under the guise of a wedding for her cousin the family uses it as an excuse to get together to be with Nai Nai one last time but the secrecy does not sit well with Billi and now she finds herself struggling with keeping the truth as it slowly eat her inside.

The best thing about “The Farewell” is that it doesn’t choose a side in its East vs West dynamic that may feel apparent in the film’s trailer. In fact, it’s more closely East AND West when it comes to the message of the story. The film doesn’t aim to vilify Billi’s family for hiding the truth from their matriarch but rather simply state this is how it is in China. It doesn’t try to state that this is the right way of thinking either, of course, as plenty of the film’s dramatic frictions comes from this lie but the film balances this East and West ideology very well by ultimately choosing not to take a side and simply show how this family loves one another which is ultimately more important to its narrative.

Though the film has an ultimately tragic premise it is here that much of the movie’s great comedy comes from and often at hilarious levels. It doesn’t simply make comedic scenes take place between the family drama it actually melds the two perfectly as humor comes directly from the tragedy. Often while viewing this film in fact you might find yourself wondering if you should laugh or cry and sometimes, you’ll end up doing both and the film is better for it in this way.

(That look we all gave when we tried to avoid spoiling “Endgame” to friends a couple months ago before they got a chance to see it.)

The film does such a wonderful job of making good, bittersweet humor out of this familiy’s struggle with tip-toeing around the truth that you’ll simultaneously want to sympathize with them and laugh at/with them at the same time. The humor can be both outrageous, dry and sometimes even dark in this way and makes for a very complex viewing experience. It’s a great balancing act that projects both emotions in perfect harmony from start to finish that’ll have you crying from laughter and sadness.

It’s the cast though that makes all this work perfectly as they form a believable loving but slightly dysfunctional family from various parts of the world. Tzi Ma is great as Billi’s father who struggles in his own way with his Chinese principles and his newer American beliefs. Diana Lin reminds me almost too much of my own mother, who is both loving and haranguing toward Billi throughout the film. And Zhao Shuzhen will make you wish she were your grandmother as her undeniable charm keeps the story humming along at a delightful and loving pace.

But it’s Awkwafina (real name Nora Lum) of course who shows off her impressive range here as both a dramatic and comedic talent that brings this all together here. Her catchy one-liners and star-making performance in last year’s “Crazy Rich Asians” was one of the film’s big highlights and she’s no less charming in “The Farewell” as well.

Awkwafina carries this film as the audience’s primary western point of view but again it never turns to condescending of cultural traditions as our main character struggles internally throughout the film but never vilifies what is going on either. It’s a highly nuanced performance that shows Awkwafina’s star is indeed rising and deserving of recognition when awards season eventually rolls around.

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(Side note: If I ever get famous I want to party with Awkwafina haha)

So, now it’s time for me to get on my soapbox again for a minute. If there was any doubt that diversity and showcasing minority artistic talents is important just look at all that’s changed in the wake of last year’s “Crazy Rich Asians.” I mean, just look at this picture of the theater I went to see this film at this past weekend.

It was a full house and it wasn’t even the showtime I originally wanted to see it at because the previous one had sold out too! And this wasn’t a crowd of predominantly Asian folk seeing this film; viewers of seemingly all backgrounds came out to see this wonderful family dramedy. It’s further proof that these films about the Asian American condition are relevant and more importantly have mass audience appeal.

On the surface a film like “Crazy Rich Asians” (especially compared to the complexities of this film) feels like a pretty standard rom-com but by getting it in theaters past all the countless bull shit, nay-saying it effectively broke down the door for new films that featured Asian Americans. In just a year’s time Henry Golding has already starred in “A Simple Favor” and is set to star in two more before the year’s end. John Cho was able to make his directorial debut with “Searching” and is set to play Spike Spiegel in Netflix’s “Cowboy Bebop.” Ali Wong’s “Always Be My Maybe” was a huge streaming hit as well on Netflix last month. And Marvel Studios is finally ready to have an Asian American super hero make his debut in Shang Chi later in the MCU’s phase 4.

(Ali Wong is just delightful if you didn’t already know btw.)

This is what I mean whenever I say Hollywood needs to give these films a chance because look how much has changed with just one movie. Who knows if a movie like “The Farewell” would’ve had a chance at even minor independent film stardom if a movie like “Crazy Rich Asians” hadn’t been given a chance to shine first on the big stage.

These movies and these people deserve a chance to tell their stories because they are relevant, they are poignant and more than anything they are good fucking stories! “The Farewell” is easily my favorite film of the year and I am grateful to “Crazy Rich Asians” for making it a possibility to be here. And if you think diversity still doesn’t matter then kindly just go fuck yourself because Asian Americans, these films and these beautiful, heart-wrenching and often funny stories are here to stay whether you like it or not.

(Seriously though can we like hang out, Ms. Awkwafina?)

“The Farewell” is well worth searching for a theater that’s playing it on the limited release circuit and will have you laughing and crying at the same time before and after the credits roll. It’s a film that will undoubtedly leave a mark no matter what cultural background you come from because the love in this story is relevant to everyone.

So, go see this movie and don’t forget to bring your Nai Nai too.

VERDICT:

5 out of 5

*Me after the credits rolled.*

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