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ospookio · 29 days ago

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Bob/Sentry/Void facts to spur ideas for fics!

I've been reading quite a few Sentry comics after Thunderbolts came out and I just wanted to share a bunch of things that happen that might give you guys some ideas for your own stories!

The list is below the cut!

Bob has a superpowered Corgi named Normie

Although the breed of the dog is pretty vague in the original 616 universe, it's much more clear in other iterations that Normie is a Corgi! Normie is superpowered just like Bob and even has his own superhero name, Watchdog.

Out of the three, Sentry is the most affectionate

It's very clear in Sentry's 2005 run that Sentry is the most affectionate of the three. Although Bob does love his wife (and the Void has very complicated feelings about her), the Sentry is the one seen being the most confident in expressing his love for her.

The Void taunts Bob... a LOT

This is an obvious one, but the Void oftentimes tries to dig deep into Bob's skin, especially about his wife and mentality. Despite this, the Void seems to be the side of Bob that can see things for what they truly are and is not as easily manipulated as Bob is.

Another thing to note is that in the 2005 run, Bob has his own room where he can seemingly talk to the void face-to-face without needing to unleash him.

The Void has a... complicated relationship with Bob's wife

Like said before, the Void often taunts Bob about his wife, Lindy. In later comics he even wants her dead. Despite this, when under a Skrull invasion, the Void is the one to save Lindy, saying that "Bob couldn't handle it and ran away" as Sentry left the earth thinking that the invasion was his fault. Unfortunately it's not touched on again, but it definitely hints that despite his taunts, he still cares for Lindy just as Bob does.

Bob's weakness isn't just the Void, it's his love

As one of the very few superheroes with a wife, many villains often try to take advantage of this fact to hurt him. Both times that Lindy has died (which I will get to that later) it was done in order to trigger an extreme response from Bob in order to further their plans and make him suffer. One such times Bob had grown so enraged that he had ripped Ares, the god of war, in half. In the other Ms. Marvel had to knock him out before he had killed Ultron.

Another thing to note is that despite all the problems that him and his wife undergo, and even despite her betrayals and fear of him, Bob still can't shake his love for her.

The Sentry has the power to revive those that he touches

After Lindy's first death, Sentry had unknowingly revived Lindy at just his touch. When she awoke, she had no recollection of her death, believing to have only been asleep the entire night.

Bob tends to lean more towards being the Sentry rather than himself

Bob unfortunately doesn't feel as needed as his superpowered persona and unfortunately tends to lean towards being him in most situations. Although it causes more risks with the Void, it still makes him feel needed and important.

The Hulk is one of the very few that Sentry can both call a friend and go toe-to-toe with

The Hulk was one of the very few heroes that remembered Sentry after the world forgot about him, resulting in both being good friends. After Hulk goes on a worldwide rampage during World War Hulk, it is Sentry's job to stop him, and the two fight for so long that they eventually revert back to their original personas.

The Void has the ability to possess people

During a fight between Loki and Dr. Strange, the Void takes over Strange and eventually possesses him after Strange releases him in fear of Loki winning.

Aaaaand that's all i could think of! If you have any more random facts, feel free to leave them in the comments!

#sentry x reader #bob reynolds #robert reynolds #marvel mcu #bob reynolds x reader #robert reynolds x reader #the void x reader #marvel #thunderbolts #thunderbolts x reader #thunderbolts fanfic

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padmestrilogy · 2 months ago

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my diehard star wars fan father who has like. opinions on the extended editions & thrawn & shit. he has not not been keeping up with all of the disney+ shows. and the stuff he does watch, he’s only mildly into. he doesn’t care about mando. he likes rey. he wants to know if they’re gonna finish that rey movie anytime soon. which makes sense because she was an actual main character in movies. and watching a few episodes of a streaming show is a different level of commitment than going to a theater. i know this is purely anecdotal but i really do think star wars has messed up by assuming the huge swath of normies like my dad a) watched all the shows, & b) care about them as much as the movies . like we just saw these strategy go sideways for marvel

#maybe i’m delusionposting whatever #star wars #anti mandoverse #<i’ve realized i should probably have a tag for it

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amateurwritescm · 2 years ago

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Weems, a Goddess

Hello everyone, I am tentatively posting this as my first fic. It was intended to be a complete fic but it became so long. So I thought I would post it and see what people think. So, here is the first part of made it as a first part of a few that will end up NSFW.

Warnings: Right now, I don't think there are any but I am super happy for you to tell me otherwise and ill edit. I'm new to this :). The only thing I will add is that I don't really proof read, so I am so sorry in advance.

I would love some feedback if you do read it.

Summary: Your Normie self arrives in Nevermore as the Academies new therapist. Instantly you are impacted by Larissa who is like a goddess. Fluff and flirting ensue. You are a mess and completely undone by her.

P.s. Help please I don't know what I am doing. SOS

🐴 CM

Weems, A Goddess. Part 1.

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You could faintly hear the train on tracks clacking away when suddenly, your eyes snapped open. Your heart picked up its pace, beating fast as if your life was threatened. You had forgotten where you were momentarily and cursing yourself for the way your body did this sometimes. It was so unpleasant.

Internally you laughed at yourself, knowing you wouldn’t usually have fallen asleep on a freaking train, but it had been a huge trip from Australia already. Finally, you were on your last leg to Jericho, Nevermore Academy. Filled with nervous energy, you looked out at the passing autumn trees. They were beautiful, calming you as they passed by almost rhythmically in time with the train. Memories arose of your brother telling you that you were crazy to accept a job on the other side of the world, in which you kind of agreed with. You knew very little about this school’s history. From what you could tell, it was a boarding school for outcasts. It intrigued you, being a therapist and all.

The train had been pretty empty for a while now, you guessed Jericho was further out than you thought. Weirdly enough the absence of passengers didn’t alarm you, kind of filling you with curiosity instead.

An uncomfortable screech of what you assumed was the result of poor-quality sound and speakers blared overhead. It did not fail to grab your attention as it announced your stop. Jericho didn’t have a train station, however there was one only half an hour away. You’d hoped that you could find an uber or a taxi, maybe even a bus to make your way there. Picking up your bags from the luggage section between the carriages, you waited as the train slowed to a stop.

Stepping onto the platform and chuckling to yourself, you marvelled the quiet. It was empty, oh except for some random woman at the other end of the platform. Weirdly, she didn’t get on the train. You supposed you could ask the woman if she knew how to get from here to Nevermore, realising it was probably not as simple as you first thought!

You were looking down, pulling your luggage in the direction of the woman when you heard a “Hello there!” in the most beautiful British tone. Looking up, you realised that the woman at the end of the track was much closer and you began to take her features. She was much taller than you first noticed, with beautiful curves and bright white hair curled pinned in an updo. The woman strode so gracefully towards you in her sage green tightly fitted skirt suit. Wow she was beautiful.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, I am Ms Weems” she introduced, holding her hand out towards you in a soft gentle way. Are you Y/n? You half nodded, half shook your head realising you were staring right at her and hadn’t replied yet. In confusion, you took her hand. “Hello?” you said more like a question, hoping your accent wasn’t too harsh in comparison to the lull of her voice. She spoke again, “I’m so sorry to surprise you. I am here to pick you up, you see I forgot to mention that it’s almost impossible to get from the station to the school without encountering lots of chaos” smiling cheekily, her white teeth white filling her mouth beautifully. Suddenly it all clicked, she was the principal of the school and was here to pick you up. Taking a second glance at her beautiful face, you were taken back by how beautiful she was. You assumed the principal would be like a much older grumpy head mistress. You had only exchanged words over email recently, as your interview had been with someone standing in for her whilst the principal was on leave.

“I hope that’s okay?” she said, after your silence. You noticed her plump red lips turn from a huge smile into a concerned pout. “Oh of course, thank you very much” you finally came out with. Your eyes met her crystal blue’s which seemed to sparkle, was that even possible? You looked away as you felt the heat rise into your cheeks, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Interrupting your inner thoughts once again, she leaned in close to grab one of the cases you were holding and sung “this way!” whilst nodding towards the exit. It’s safe to say you died for a moment, momentarily made worse as you inhaled deeply, smelling her perfume as some kind of sweet flowery mix. Still standing there, you watched her walk away with her hips swaying and heels clicking against the concrete. She turned once again, “Hey, Y/N enough staring for right now, are you coming?”. You realised in that moment you were in some serious trouble.

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“And this will be your quarters y/n” I suspect you’ll find it most suitable. Most of the staff live in quarters by the hall they oversee so we are kind of spread out, but since you aren’t a part of the teaching staff” She paused and stepped closer to you, her hips slightly more forward as if they were beckoning you themselves “I also thought it would be nice for you to be closer to me, In case you need me…”. Her voice shifted from playful to sultry and low and she looked deep into your eyes, with an unspoken question. No, it was expectation. With her face flashing darker, her head slightly tilted down to you, she bit her lip.

Oh my god.

The word… or name even had brought you back to your earlier interactions with the principal. You were just as flustered now, feeling as though you were short circuiting. On the drive, Principal Weems had initially talked about some of the students at Nevermore, however you had trouble listening as you stared at her lips moving so gracefully, occasionally catching her gaze. Usually, you weren’t so frazzled by the presence of beautiful women. It was technically your job to be confident and talk to people and seek meaning, but this woman was something else.

You were sitting in the small car, with your luggage stuck in the back and boot. Looking over, you marvelled at her stature closely resembling some kind of goddess. Although she was slim, she barely fit into her seat with her long arm resting close to yours as she drove. “The place you’ll consult with student’s Y/n is on the other side of my office. Its just a small room but you are welcome to change it around, decorate and make it your own if you like”.

You nodded, catching the last sentence as you were stirred from your thoughts by her mentioning your name. “Yes… sorry for not being so present. It’s been such a long couple of days I think my brain is just jetlagged”.

Or it is because you’re sitting next to a literal god in human form that you would let sacrifice you if it was her wish?

“Of course, you must be absolutely exhausted having come so far. Ill show you to your quarters and you can rest that pretty little head of yours” she said sweetly, glancing down at your body and then up to your face before looking back towards the road. “I was wondering though if tomorrow you might join me for lunch, seeing as it is a Sunday”.

Eeeeeee, she asked you to lunch! You squealed internally. Calm down Y/n it’s just lunch... You opened your mouth, expecting yourself to accept in a kind and professional manner. Which would have been so appropriate and normal, except you didn’t.

“I’d really love you for lunch” Fuck. “I mean I’d love you to lunch me… like… I mean… for me to have lunch with you, like you said”. Your stomach flipped violently making you push yourself back into the passenger seat, silently wishing it would swallow you whole. You took your bottom lip between your teeth and looked down at your hands.

“G God, I’m so sorry” you stammered. your eyes flicking upwards whilst your cheeks beginning to sting as you knew you had no room to move underneath her gaze.

“My name is Larissa, darling”, her eyes darkening even further as Larissa internally revelled in the feeling of having caught you like a little mouse. You on the other hand, felt terrified but electrified by the way Larissa looked at you in that moment.

The thing was with Larissa, she was so emotive with her face that all could be revealed with a fleeting look. You, being a highly trained therapist were great with reading emotions, and that included those with a suggestive nature. You stored the glimpse you saw on that drive, knowing you could bring it up again in your mind. But you didn’t have to, because you remembered that you were standing in the room with her right now and the same look was on her face.

“Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?” She picked an invisible piece of lint from your blouse before running her hand down your arm slightly. Your skin responded with little tingles. Having registered your response to her touch, she continued. “I must have missed that memo, with me having been away when you were hired. Well darling, I think I am going to quite like having you here” she said, her expression moving from the darkened gaze to a content smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart” she said not bothering to pose it as a question again. “Come to my quarters at noon and we can figure out a plan from there”. She was walking away slowly, turning to lean for on the door frame for a moment. “And bring those brilliant eyes, I love it when you stare at me”.

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The next day:

Larissa had felt quite taken with you the moment she saw you. Truly she had just expected to pick up the new therapist who would probably also leave shortly into the school term. The last one had left because of Wednesday Addams, of which you could understand to some degree but hiring someone else felt impossible knowing it may just happen again. However, when she saw you hop off that train, her heart felt like it simultaneously dropped into her stomach and beamed up into the sky outside of her being. She knew right then and there; you were hers and she wouldn’t let you go without a fight.

*Knock knock*

You knocked on Larissa’s door, and it she soon opened it to you dressed in a slightly more casual pair of dress pants and a soft pastel blouse tucked in to accentuate her waist. “Hello, my love. You look beautiful”.

Earlier you had tried on about 6 different outfits, making a huge mess in your new place, you went with your favourite pants and long sleeve combination. It was much colder than you had expected it to be though having come from summer in a hot climate. You walked in with a bit of a shiver, grateful to look over and see her open wood fire going.

“Oh, my love you look freezing!” With her beside you, she wrapped her arm around you and led you towards the fire. “Here, come sit with me and I will warm you up”. You thanked her quietly, just absorbing her touch as it lingered on you. You felt unprepared for her to leave, feeling her shift slightly you pressed into her a little. Larissa knowingly smiled and instead of moving further she simply asked “what would you like to do for lunch? And I mean what would you like to eat and not who” She laughed, recalling yesterdays use of your words. You tensed momentarily until Larissa squeezed your arm playfully. Relaxing you giggled “I’m so sorry, you’re just so beautiful and I guess you make me a little nervous”. Larissa, still smiling retorted “well that much, I can tell and its kind of fun” she pushed into you slightly causing you to look up into her eyes wondering what might happen next. Larissa looked down to your lips and then back to your eyes…

“And as fun as this is, I am absolutely starving and we must eat!” Larissa gracefully lifted herself from your side. You audibly whined slightly at the lost of contact, until you realised she was gone. She emerged from a door hidden in a corner you hadn’t noticed earlier, holding a warm jacket out to you. “I thought as much as I am a fantastic giant water bottle, you might need this. Let’s go to lunch at the Weathervane”.

“Oh that’s so kind of you, but my place is just down the hall …” you began to make an excuse, knowing if you wore that jacket that she would never see it again.

“Nonsense, this way it is much sweeter” Larissa boasted a big smile, although she thought something much dirtier. It’s also going to be much more satisfying when I get to take it off of you.

Larissa motioned to you to turn around as she held the jacket for you to slip your arms into one by one, making contact with your arms, neck and back as she adjusted the way it sat for no reason other than to touch you. “Let’s go, Ill drive”.

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Only 15 minutes later you were hopping out of Larissa’s personal car which was much bigger, feeling slightly tipsy as it smelt intoxicatingly like her. It had made sense when Larissa opened your door for you, that the little car she barely fit into yesterday was not hers and was a Nevermore car for school related things.

“This is the Weathervane, it’s such a nice place to get food and drink. They have really fantastic hot chocolate and cute little booths sit in” Larissa said enthusiastically with a smile charging towards the entrance. Your legs although not typically small, struggled to keep up with her. She turned around “Come on darling as much as I don’t mind you watching me walk from behind, I love having you by my side”. Fluffy comment pricked you in the chest, leaving you warm feelings. You didn’t know it then but that was just the start of the heat.

After ordering some hot fresh paninis and hot chocolate, Larissa sat down at her favourite booth in the corner. You sat across from her and began to ask her questions about Nevermore. You both talked for what seemed like hours discussing students, the history behind outcasts and education. It was all so interesting to you, and you couldn’t wait to begin with the students who needed you most. One thing that kept popping up was that you couldn’t help but wonder whether Larissa was an outcast or a normie like you. One part of you knew that she had to be, no normal human being could be so tall, so beautiful and practically perfect in every way.

“If you are wondering, which I am sure you are… I am an outcast” Larissa said, shaking you from what clearly was silence through your last thought process. Caught in a new bout of fluster, you began to ramble the thoughts you had been having. “That… doesn’t surprise me you know like you’re so beautiful and perfect kind of like some Amazonian, or goddess that fell from the sky or something. Like look at you, of course you are. No normal person looks so delicious”. None of that was supposed to come out of your mouth in the way it did. You shrunk down slightly, blushing bright red.

“Oh really? Well, that is quite the admittance” the words almost crawling out of her mouth, just like her body crawled forward, leaning over the table with little effort and maximum grace. “I just love the way your brain and body disconnect from itself and then does whatever it wants”. Tilting her head, she looked into your eyes and down to your lips, licking her own red plump ones. Suddenly you felt her leg brush past yours underneath the table. Feeling slightly brave as your core was set alight “Oh yeah?” you breathed out, hoping you didn’t look too impacted by her words and her actions. But how could you not? “Mmhmm, yes, I do. However, it would be much nicer if I were the one to undo you; mind body and soul and then put you back together again”.

You could say nothing, Larissa grabbed your hand and walked you back to her car.

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Tagged:

@weemssapphic

#larissa weems #gwendoline christie #larissa weems fanfic #gwendolineuniverse #larissa weems x reader #principal larissa weems #larissa x reader #gwen christie #weems x reader #principal weems

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emeraldghast · 1 month ago

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it doesnt really make sense but here’s a giggs thunderbolts* au (movie spoilers ofc)

*SPECIFICALLY the movie, because i went to see it yesterday, and also there are so many fuckin thunderbolts comics you cant possibly contain them all in one au concept. i like to think this setting works because it’s a self-contained plot for five losers who are unfairly good at what they do while getting their asses kicked so bad all the time. and none of them have romance arcs, which is a plus imo. thoughts include

-skizz::bucky and not just because they’re my respective favorites, because bucky is a goober forced into the body of a corporate asset and recovering from that by maxing out every middle-aged uncle trait he has. i wanna see this particular setting bring out the no-nonsense percussion-tech team-manager personality from i&s tales of old (or the classic leader skizz mentality) instead of making him into the comic relief, see

-gem::yelena, which seems like a given, because shes generally good at what she does, has the funny father-daughter dynamic in most group settings, and can corral/direct three to four people with various levels of effectiveness but maximum humor. it’s also remarkably easy for everyone in giggs to respect her, which is not something i can say for everyone in giggs

-impulse::alexei for literally no reason besides the opportunity to have him embarrass the hell out of gem constantly, and also for their movie moments in general (felt like crying when he became the dad that stepped up fr) but also, now that im thinkin about it, because i want to see impulse the character go absolutely off the walls reckless and impractical for the same reasons i want skizz to be a hardass

-grian::ava on a purely vibes-based call. i really like the cohesion of grian’s general characterization/background alongside ava’s reality-shifting power in the movie; paired with her lines (half of which allude to this insane backstory which she just…. never gets screentime about because she deliberately doesn’t draw attention to herself, the other half are begrudgingly explaining why she stuck around to help everyone “because it was the most logical option”) grian feels like a pretty natural choice

(pearl would make a great ava though. i wish there were more women)

-scar::john walker even though i think john walker kinda sucks. im so sorry scar but someone had to be him and you dont really have a solid personality match to any of the protag crew. if anything he’d make a better off-brand cap than john walker did; i wanna see him in this setting as this character concept more than i wanna see him with john’s actual lines, yknow? i don’t really wanna make gtws an absent father

-and OF COURSE jim::bob for so many reasons… his general involvement/de facto inclusion within giggs, how easy it is for him to get ragged on, the fact that i REALLY wanna see jim(character) go absolutely maniacal, the parallels between the canary curse and the shame room, and above all because you can’t replace the comedic weight of the nickname BOB with anything less comically average or normie-sounding than JIM.

this au has no meat and no basis i literally am just enjoying rotating movie scenes in my head with these guys in it. mostly making a post about it to see if there are any marvel comics + hermitcraft fans out there. like firing a flare into the ocean that is the tumblr search function. #myflare

#mcytblr #team giggs #giggs au #thunderbolts* au #thunderbolts au #emeraldpost #sketchbook #notepad

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fortressofserenity · 2 months ago

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They look similar

There's this new Marvel themed game called Marvel Rivals, which gained quite a lot of traction among people, but there's this kind of running gag about how the characters of Dagger, Invisible Woman and Emma Frost look similar. They're not necessarily identical in appearance, life experience and possibly gameplay, but the fact that they look kind of similar sort of undermines the actual differences they have with one another. Especially in terms of ability and life experience, that without other ways of telling them apart, it would be hard to not think of them as interchangeable.

Funny enough, I cooked up with a solution for DC Comics's Stephanie Brown that to avoid making her interchangeable with Cassandra Sandsmark, especially when off-duty that writers should make Stephanie into the sort of girl who likes listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees, Blondie, Rubella Ballet, The Adverts, Xmal Deutschland, Skeletal Family, The Cramps and Danielle Dax. That she kind of dresses the part when off-duty (Goth-punk) should give you a good idea that Stephanie should never be mistaken for Ms Sandsmark when off-duty.

If they're not interchangeable in life experience and ability, they shouldn't even be interchangeable in hobbies and preferences either, despite looking somewhat similar. For another matter, there's a tendency to put redheads in green clothing, regardless of their actual preferences, life experiences and stuff. It makes sense to put Poison Ivy in green because of her affinity with plants, but it doesn't make sense for Cyclone to dress this way because she manipulates wind storms instead. Or for another matter, Jean Grey herself, who's shown to be in a fiery aura.

Maybe that's why she looks more distinct whenever she wears yellow and blue/black, though that's popularised by the 1990s programme. Even then there ought to be ways to differentiate rather similar-looking characters, especially if they may not necessarily have similar life experiences, hobbies, abilities and preferences to boot. Sort of like the thing with Cassie Sandsmark and Stephanie Brown, other than being blonde they may not necessarily have much in common. But to the point where the latter would unapologetically dress in black and play Siouxsie and the Banshees on her playlist, the former's more normie.

Marvel Rivals seems to have the same problem but in reverse where you have characters with rather dissimilar life experiences, abilities and preferences having oddly similar appearances, they're not necessarily identical though it's a matter of time before the game starts introducing Carol Danvers, a character that might break the mold in a way if she ever shows up in blue and red at all.

#carol danvers #marvel #marvel rivals #marvel comics #invisible woman #dagger #cloak and dagger #emma frost #stephanie brown #cassandra sandsmark #dc comics

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seriousfic · 2 years ago

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It's kind of impressive how Disney has managed to make Marvel movies appeal to no one.

The big fans don't care anymore because the adaptations are never faithful. They don't bother with any classic storylines or villains from the comics, they race-swap and gender-swap the characters until they're nothing like the source material, they fixate on incredibly obscure or original characters who no one cares about like Yon-Rogg, Dar-Benn, General Dreykov, Hulk King, Agatha Harkness...

Which is all hell to the hardcore faithful who want to see their favorite characters and big moments on screen.

And the casual fans don't care anymore because it's too much of an investment to watch this TV show and that TV show and this other movie to understand one movie. If you go from watching Doctor Strange to watching Doctor Strange 2, you'll be completely lost if you didn't see Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and Wandavision... and yet Wandavision doesn't really line up with Doctor Strange 2, because they were both being made at the same time and it was too much of a hassle to keep them in sync with each other, so you get a show that's supposed to be Wanda's villainous origin story only it ends with her as a good guy and then Doctor Strange 2 says she became a bad guy off-screen.

Which is all hell to the normies who just want to go to the theater for a good time without having to do homework.

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angelinthefire · 7 days ago

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I really really liked your answer to that jinx’s question and I find it amusing that I’ve actually seen a significant amount of people who wanted jinx to go full monster argue that she did become a Harley Quinn rip off in season 2 bc apparently now in new comics/series(?) Harley is an anti-hero or whatever and riot wanted to copy that so they can make bank lmao not that riot is the bastion of originality but like kind of odd criticism imo. I feel that this aligns a lot with what you said about critical watchers having such a huge marvel/disney/sw or comics fixation that they will refuse to truly engage in good faith with anything they find similar to the popular thing they claim to despise while also expecting the things they do like to simply be a better replica of it (to own the normies????🤔). So curious whether you have some “controversial” arcane takes that you haven’t discussed yet or something that you actually wished had been explored more/gone differently

Thank you!

Re: the Harley Quinn thing, I think people also underestimate how long it took to produce the show. I looked up when the new Harley Quinn storyline started, and it was in 2021, by which time the scripts for season 2 were already written

Tbh I can't even blame people for being fixated on the disney-owned franchise kind of storytelling, it is just *so* pervasive.

In terms of controversial takes or criticisms...

My friend started watching Arcane before I did, and she said that when she watched season 1 for the first time, she thought it was good, but flawed. But the longer she sat with it, and then rewatched it, the deeper her appreciation grew, until she absolutely loved it.

I feel like that's what season 2 is like for me. I would still say that if season 1 is 100/100, then season 2 is 85-90/100. But there's a number of things that I didn't really get the first time I watched season 2, or that felt disconnected, that I feel like I understand and appreciate more now. For example, I do still think that Warwick is the weakest element of season 2, but the more I think about why he is what he is, the more I appreciate what the show was doing. I didn't really get Isha at first, but now I adore her. Everything to do with anomaly falls into this category too, lol. I guess my biggest standing criticism is that Mel's storyline involved a lot of exposition, and I wish it had been delivered in a more creative way than with two massive chunks of dialogue.

And while I think the pace of the show is good in general, I think if there were an extra 10 minutes per episode, that might have helped, not by slowing things down, but just adding more. Like, yeah, I would have liked to see at least a little bit of the Fireflies' preparation for battle, and Ekko and Jinx together, and maybe a peek at what Sevika and Scar were doing, and for Mel's story to be more elegant with the exposition.

But overall, I have very little to complain about.

What keeps me hooked on Arcane is that it's a show that requires the viewer to pay attention, and make connections, and engage with what's on the screen, and add 2+2 instead of just showing you 4. I really enjoy that. So I wouldn't want to change it very much at all.

#arcane #arcane thoughts #ask #anonymous

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keepsmagnetoaway · 1 year ago

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X-Men 50 (November 1968)

Arnold Drake/Jim Steranko

For its half-century, X-Men goes all out with an absolutely groundbreaking, balls-out crazy issue with easily the finest art the series has yet seen, starting right off with the cover.

That cover is by Jim Steranko, who also drew the interiors of this issue, and my god is he good at it. Steranko drew extensively for Marvel in the 60s, especially Nick Fury/SHIELD stories, and almost always wote as well: this and the next issue are rare instances of him drawing someone else's script. Steranko was amazing - he brought a level of creativity that verged on surrealism to the medium. He also, as you can see, designed a new logo for X-Men, which became iconic in its own right. That cover is followed immediately by the deeply atmospheric, radically composed first page.

And then that is immediately followed by a two-page splash of an impossibly strange vista, including the issue's title in monumental stone. We're not past the scene setting and this is probably the most exciting issue of X-Men ever.

Steranko clearly owed a debt to Jack Kirby too, and he brings back some of Kirby's high weirdness, including the characteristic energy dots and the bizarre machinery - but he pairs it with a stronger sense of human form and a radical use of colour. This, again, is the very next page. Plot-wise - oh, right, there's a plot - this is Lorna Dane being mysteriously techno-crucified by Mesmero.

Unfortunately there are also some normie X-Men in this issue, trying to break into Mesmero's San Francisco home - but after a fight they too are spirited away to the city in the desert as things like storytelling logic begin to break down in the face of the art.

Look at this! Just look at it!

The machine does indeed turn Dane - now revealed to be Magneto's lost daughter - into a villain queen, arriving in another splash page of massive daring and wild perspective.

It's almost embarrassing to see the regular X-Men in their dorky costumes and leaden wisecracking interfering here.

Fuck! Look at this!

That panel was Lorna Dane revealing that in fact she's not evil: she has simply been massively empowered and was playing along, and then saves the day in a single burst of blue-white force. But it's a double-twist, because machine's true purpose...

...was bringing Magneto back. Incredible. Masterpiece. Indisputably the best issue of this series so far. Steranko also drew the next issue and then never drew X-Men again and I'm so mad about it.

#x men comics #an xmen a day #xmen #uncanny xmen #jim steranko

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cami-stuffs · 2 years ago

Text

Pushing Towards You

Chapter 11: Party Night

After a week, Calista was already acquainted with her leading roles at work. Her staff was collaborative, and she was having a good time. During the week, she received a visit from her boss, Rashid Sharma, who invited her for lunch that afternoon.

"I'm sorry for not having visited you before, Ms. Cos'Anto; with our upcoming raising funds party, I had a lot on my plate." They were sitting in the hospital cafeteria, and Rashid started the conversation.

"Please, call me Calista, Mr. Sharma. About the visit, there is no problem. I had a great first week. People here are very receptive." Calista answered him with a sincere smile.

"Call me Rashid, please." He said, bowing his head. "So, are you already adapted?"

"Oh, yes. As I said, people are eager to help each other." Calista said.

"That's great. So, may I expect to see you at our party on Friday night?" Rashid asked with an inviting smile.

"Absolutely. I'll be there with my partner." Calista confirmed.

"Marvellous," Rashid answered. "By the way, an important geneticist will visit us this week. He is an outcast, and his research relies on the inherited outcast's powers. Maybe you would like to talk to him. Outcasts in that high position are rare."

"How interesting! I want to talk to him, indeed. This is a subject that catches my attention." Calista was thinking about Ártemis. "As you know, I have a daughter, Ártemis. She is a shapeshifter, and no one in my family is."

"It is rare." Rashid agreed. "And her father? Was he an outcast?"

"The donor was a normie. Gaia and I used a sperm bank, and according to his profile, he was a normie. But who knows? Many outcasts prefer not to identify themselves." It was the first time Calista thought about the donor. Seeing Ártemis and Larissa together induced Calista to fantasize about many possibilities. Now, there was the donor.

"I dare say you'll have much to talk about them." Rashid smiled. "I am trying to hire him. It will be quite an acquisition for our team. Perhaps he considers it as a possibility to stay around." He confessed his motivation.

"Is he going to be at the party?" Calista asked.

"Yes. He is going to arrive Friday morning. Would you like me to introduce him to you at the party already?" Rashid was beaming.

"That would be lovely. It is not the right place to discuss this subject, but maybe I can call his attention." Calista wanted to cope with Rashid. She had an interest in that research.

"Well...I'm afraid duty calls me. Thank you for the company, Calista. I'll see you on Friday night, them." Rashid stood up and bowed to Calista before leaving.

"See you on Friday, Rashid." Calista bowed back.

Calista decided to google the geneticist and his research at home. This was a chance to understand Ártemis' powers and if she was connected somehow to Larissa. Besides, there was the slight possibility that the donor was an outcast, which would raise questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday came, and Calista waited for Larissa to pick her up at home. At 06:00 p.m. sharp, Larissa called Calista.

L: Hello, my darling. I just arrived.

C: Hey, Riss. I'm coming.

Calista was wearing a suit set with high heels, less comfortable than she was used to but still manageable for a party night after working. Larissa, on the other hand, was wearing a silver dress, a coat, gloves, and heels. Calista was used to Larissa's glamour; she's always been like this. For Calista, it was a mystery how Larissa could be so well dressed for any occasion. Even when Larissa came to spend time with her at home, she wore fancy clothes.

"You are gorgeous, my love!" Calista pecked a kiss on Larissa's lips. She couldn't get enough of Larissa's magnificence.

"Thank you, my dear. You are beautiful, as always. The most beautiful, as your name says." Larissa blushed and kissed Calista's hand just before opening the car door for her.

They were talking about their week when Calista remembered she hadn't heard from Ártemis yet.

"Did you talk to Ártemis this week?" Calista asked Larissa, checking her phone—no messages from her daughter.

"I couldn't find time, honey, I'm sorry." Larissa eyesided Calista. "The first week of classes is busy. Have you not talked to her yet?"

"No. She didn't call or text me." Calista signed. "This makes me have dichotomous feelings. On the one hand, if she doesn't reach me, it is because she is having a great time. And I am thrilled. On the other hand, I miss her!" Calista pouted at that.

Larissa chuckled. "Your girl is growing up, darling." she grabbed Calista's hand and kissed lightly. "Don't worry, she is okay."

"I know. Ártemis has Gaia for sentimental reasons; she has you for the academic ones and has me for anything she wants." Calista listed. "If she didn't look for any of us, I'm sure she is good."

"I can assist her in anything she needs. Not only for academics." Larissa said gently.

"I know, babe." Calista heart was full of love now. "I don't know if she knows that. But I do."

"I'll make sure she does," Larissa told more to herself than to Calista.

"What about Gaia?" Calista was curious about her ex-wife's first week.

"Well... I must say that Gaia is a masterpiece for our faculty members." Larissa was beaming. "I had some feedback from students, and they loved her classes. I'll meet her tomorrow after lunch to congratulate her."

"Wow... This is outstanding news." Calista was truly happy for Gaia. "Nevermore was her life dream. She deserves to be successful."

"You two are good friends, aren't you?" There was no jealousy in Larissa's words.

"We are, indeed. Our relationship started with us being good friends. She was a good partner, and she is a good mother for Ártemis." Calista opened her heart to Larissa. "The fact that it didn't work out for us doesn't mean I want her badly. For romantic purposes, we don't match anymore. But she is a good friend."

Calista stared at Larissa after that speech, and the woman had a soft smile on her face.

"That is why I think she has to know about us first," Larissa said, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Are you not jealous?" That was not Calista's point, but she wanted to make sure her words didn't make Larissa feel uncomfortable.

"Not at all. Not from Gaia. I can see you are good friends. She is the mother of Ártemis, and she has her heart in place. I don't have any reason to feel jeopardized by her." Larissa was being sincere, and Calista could see it.

That mature attitude caught Calista's breath. Maybe twenty-two years apart was what they needed to spend the rest of their lives together. Calista couldn't conceive a life without Larissa anymore.

"We're here, darling." Larissa ripped Calista out of her thoughts.

"Let's show them your beautiful ass, then, my love," Calista smirked, making Larissa giggles and flush.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Calista and Larissa were having fun at the party. Calista introduced Larissa to her colleagues as her partner, making Larissa's eyes shine. At some point, they were standing up in front of their table, and Larissa was hugging Calista from behind and sipping her champagne. Calista was moving slightly at the sound of the music, rubbing her ass in Larissa's front. Suddenly, Calista felt a bulge in her back and froze.

"What is that?" Calista turned her head to Larissa without moving her body away from the woman.

"What can I say, honey? Being introduced as your partner and having you grind me awake something down here." Larissa lowered her voice but kept her look at the band, who was playing.

"Yeah...I can feel that awakening." Calista said, making Larissa giggle. "Oh...there comes my boss, Mr. Rashid Sharma. Behave yourself."

"Would you like me to..." Larissa started.

"Nope. Keep it awake. Just come closer." Calista smirked, pressing Larissa's front.

"Naughty girl," Larissa whispered and adjusted herself, putting more pressure on Calista's back.

Rashid approached the couple with a bright smile and was accompanied by a tall black man, unknown by Calista.

"Ms. Cos'Anto. Good evening. Nice to see you." Rashid gently kissed Calista's hand.

"Mr. Sharma. Good evening. I want to introduce you to my partner, Larissa Weems." At that, Calista felt the knot twitch in her back.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Weems. I'm Rashid Sharma." Rashid kissed Larissa's hand as well.

"Likewise, Mr. Sharma," Larissa answered with a smile.

"Ladies, I shall introduce you both to Mr. Diallo Maina. He is a geneticist and will visit us for this next month." Rashid gave a meaningful look to Calista.

Calista and Larissa greeted the doctor, who answered softly and kindly.

"Ms. Weems, may I ask you, are you also an outcast?" Rashid was trying to start a conversation.

"I am, indeed, Mr. Sharma. I'm a shapeshifter." Larissa said openly. She knew from Calista that Rashid was a gorgon.

"Wow... You are rare!" Diallo intervened.

"Are you Ártemis' mother? Your daughter is also a shapeshifter, isn't she, Ms. Cos'Anto." And he had it. Rashid took the attention of the geneticist.

"Unfortunately, I'm not Ártemis mother. But yes, she is also a shapeshifter." Larissa anticipated.

"My ex-wife, Gaia, is Ártemis' other mother," Calista explained. "We used a sperm bank, and the donor was a declared normie."

"Is there any shapeshifter in your family?" Diallo was curious.

"No, there isn't, Mr. Maina," Calista answered, looking at the doctor. "I'm a telekinesis, and nobody in my family is a shapeshifter."

"How interesting," Diallo said, looking from Larissa to Calista. "Shapeshifters are rare, and you have two around you, Ms. Cos'Asanto: a daughter and a partner."

"Yeah... I'm a lucky woman." Calista answered, sipping her wine. The bulge became harder in her back.

"How long have you been together?" Diallo asked directly to Larissa at this time.

"Well... We have studied together at Nevermore Academy about 32 years ago. Back then, we were seeing each other, if you know what I mean." Larissa blushed at that. "After graduation, we followed different paths, and we reunited again less than a month ago."

"So, you didn't see each other for 32 years after graduation?" Diallo proceeded.

"School reunion," Calista said.

"Sorry?" Diallo was confused now.

"Ten years after graduation, we've been together at the school reunion," Calista explained.

"And...Have you..." Diallo cleaned her throat and lowered her voice. "Sleep together?"

At this point, Calista felt the bulge disappear, and Larissa tightened the grip on her hips. Calista didn't mention her suspicions about Ártemis' heritage to Larissa. Then, she pressed Larissa's thigh to ease the blonde.

"I'll talk to some investors and leave you here with this conversation." Rashid blushed and left in a hurry.

"I'm sorry if I made you both uncomfortable." Diallo looked ashamed.

"That was my fault, Mr. Maina. Allow me to explain." Calista retrieved her phone from her purse and showed a photo of Ártemis to him. "This is my daughter, Ártemis. Does she remind you of somebody?"

The doctor turned his attention to the phone and then raised her eyes to Larissa.

"Are you sure you are not the mother?" He asked Larissa.

"I would know if I had a child, doctor." Larissa was now offended. "Besides, I'm a woman. That is not even possible."

"Have you shifted?" Diallo asked. The question took Calista and Larissa by surprise. "Have you shifted back then, at the school reunion?"

"I...I....How do you know?" Larissa was embarrassed and looking for answers in Calista's eyes. They talk between whispers in the middle of the party.

"Let me explain more clearly to you, Ms. Weems." He began. "My research is about inherited outcast's powers. I study to comprehend how our powers are passed between lineages. To understand how an outcast is born with an ability different from her parents. You and the girl, Ártemis, are both shapeshifters. And it seems that the bond between you is Ms. Cos'Anto."

Larissa looked puzzled at Calista.

"That is the point, Mr. Maina." Calista was anxious to explain. "We've been together at the school reunion. Larissa...shifted." She blushed at this point. "But, Ártemis was born seven years later, and, well, Larissa is a woman. Even if... You know... She can shift." Calista stopped herself.

"That information makes everything more intriguing," Diallo said. Calista and Larissa looked at him, seeking answers. "This is not the place to discuss this further, but I shall give a small explanation before letting you enjoy the rest of the party."

At this, the three retreated to a quieter corner of the room.

"During my duties, I've seen women shapeshifters being able to get their partners pregnant. They can shift not only their genitals but also the gamete. I mean, from an egg cell to a sperm." He stopped at that, waiting for a response from the women. But Calista and Larissa were baffled.

He resumed the explanation. "That would require a large amount of energy and specific abilities from the shapeshifters, and only girls could born from this. Although the gamete can change, genes remain the same." He paused once more, and yet the other two were in deadly silence. "There is a considerable gap between the last sexual encounter between you two and the girl's birth. But, I dare say there is some connection between you, Ms. Weems, and your daughter, Ms. Cos'Anto."

"But I didn't know I was qualified for doing that. How could that be possible?" Larissa was beginning to understand what didn't make it easier.

"I don't know. But I must say I would like to investigate more. I shall say that the bond is nothing like parenthood because Ms. Cos'Anto didn't get pregnant that night. But I should risk saying that your genes, somehow, are in the girl." At this, he finished and waited for their reaction. Calista and Larissa just stared at each other. "I guess it is a lot of information to digest. I'll leave you both to discuss it with each other. I'll be here for next month, Ms. Cos'Asanto. You can reach me anytime. Have a nice party, Ladies." Diallo bowed and left.

Larissa leaned on the wall and pulled Calista towards her. They were facing each other now.

"How long have you been thinking about that, Lis?" Larissa was astonished by what she just heard.

"I've always thought Ártemis was different from my family." Calista raised her eyes to Larissa. "But since I saw you together, I wondered if you were related. Until now, I didn't have the background to support my hypothesis."

Larissa had her thoughts away, and her eyes wandered around the room.

"Are you mad? About me not sharing this with you?" Calista felt anxious.

"Mad? Not at all, my love. I was thinking about the possibility of having my genes in Ártemis." Larissa had her eyes wide open. "I know this does not make me her mother, but as if she was part of me."

"Maybe she is. Who knows?" Calista gave Larissa a soft smile and the hands around her neck. And, then, the bulge was back. "And what is this now?" she smirked.

"I don't know. The remote chance of getting you pregnant makes me want to practice it." Larissa grinned. "And I have a proposition for you."

"Oh yeah? Tell me what it is." Calista caressed Larissa's neck and gently rubbed the bulge with her lower core.

"What about me making a generous donation now, and then we leave for your apartment so you can help solve this tiny issue?" Larissa lowered her eyes and winked at Calista.

"I have a counterproposition, then." Calista bit her lips. "What about you making a generous donation now, and then we leave for a hotel room here in Burlington?"

"I like the way you think, Ms. Cos'Asanto." Larissa pulled Calista closer, and the bulge twitched. "Wait for me at the exit, my love." Suddenly, the node was gone, and Larissa pecked Calista's lips before she left.

Chapter 10 | Chapter 12

#wlw #f/f fanfic #larissa weems #larissa weems x ofc #lesbian #lesbian fic #original character #wedneday #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #calista cosanto #larissa weems x ofc #larissa weems fanfic #principal larissa weems #principal weems #today on tumblr #smut mention

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hostilemuppet · 1 year ago

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Creek Based Applejack enjoyer?! Unexpected, but can't blame him

Sidenote, I think it's soo funny that one of the biggest liars/manipulators in the franchise's favorite pony is Applejack,,, who is yk,,, the element of honesty? Was that intentional on your part??? (it's hilarious)(to me)(I'm just easily amused)

Also does Floyd also watch any shows with the kids? Or is that activity just between the kids and Creek? Idk if he'd be the type to enjoy that tbh...

ill be honest i didnt put any thought into it i just thought the idea of assigning him a favourite pony was funny and applejack seemed the most out there. but you guys make a good point lol. shes everything he should have been if he wanted a normal life. they never finished watching mlp bc the kids got "too old" and lost interest and creek didnt want to watch a childrens cartoon on his own

floyd takes brad to his normie marvel movies and drives angelina to the weird gigs from artists hes never heard of bc theyve got 174 monthly listeners on spotify

#ask #tdau

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tarisilmarwen · 2 years ago

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Rebels Rewatch: “Siege of Lothal”

In which Vader is an absolute beast and we shift off-base from Lothal for (semi-permanent) good.

A brief note on the nature of serial escalation.

Oftentimes in a series, especially one based around extrapersonal conflict with multiple arcs, what will happen is that your initial antagonist will be something or someone relatively small or simple to handle, and as your characters grow and get stronger the threats will get bigger and bigger.

Now, there is a point at which the villain can grow to be TOO big, and there’s no way for the heroes to defeat them or nowhere bigger for them to go from there.

You also don’t want to throw your strongest antagonist at the heroes at the very beginning, or risk everything else looking anticlimactic by comparison. This could have been a risk in Season Two, as Vader is quite a significant step up from Imperial officers, Agent Kallus, and the Grand Inquisitor. Fortunately Rebels makes the wise decision to keep Vader in reserve most of the season, only really bringing him out for the two most significant narrative points in the story (the opener and the finale), and relegating mundane antagonist duties to our new Inquisitor duo. In this way, the narrative keeps our heroes busy but not overwhelmed, leaving more breathing room in the story for individual characters to get plenty of focus and development.

And on that note, let’s dive in.

We open In Media Res with an action prologue that quickly informs us of the new Status Quo and allows us a moment to settle into it. The Ghost is no longer flying alone, but alongside a half-dozen other Rebel ships, who work in perfect coordination and tandem with our team.

The dialogue is comfortably casual. The music is generically exhilarating. Kanan and Hera tease each other. Zeb topples off a railing. Ezra gets heart eyes about Sabine being amazing.

The Spectres are now a part of the wider Rebellion and things are looking up. They’re looking good.

Which of course means it’s time to ruin things for them. XD

In the Imperial Dome, Kallus and Tua snipe at each other about the problems they’re facing and even in the frustrated dialogue she gives, it’s obvious Tua isn’t entirely enthusiastic about punishing her own people for the actions of the Spectres, only listing out things like patrols and checkpoints and curfews. While definitely authoritarian given the Empire, these are relatively light restrictions.

Which Vader points out as he enters.

It’s obvious in hindsight that Vader’s immediately sussed her out as more sympathetic to the Rebels than she lets on. (Consider how she claimed there was nothing more she could do yet the minute her life was in danger immediately knew to beeline for Jho because he had contact with the Spectres and has a ready list of Rebel sympathizers to barter with who she hasn’t had arrested.)

It’s insidiously clever, how Vader uses her to set a trap. But poor Tua.

She was just a frightened normie in the end.

Hi Sato! You are criminally underrated as a character and I love you.

I love how you can already tell Kanan isn’t comfortable with this from his sulking posture back there.

Catch me sobbing about how Ezra’s so intimately empathic and connected to Lothal that he can sense Tua’s genuine intentions from a holotransmission.

Tua dropping hints that she knows about the “true reason” the Empire came to Lothal and once again I’m marveling and wondering at just how far back the whole World Between Worlds reveal might have been planned.

This whole scene between Kanan and Hera is fraught with tension. (And not just the romantic kind.)

Seriously, show me a more intimate setup and blocking.

Kanan’s dialogue and agitated tone and body language betrays his apprehensions. He’s afraid to join another military organization, to be around reminders of the Clone Wars, to be drawn back into that environment. It’s one of the first hints we get about his PTSD regarding the Clone Wars, and I love that Ezra overhears.

I think it’s hilarious how the Spectres take a Star Commuter 2000 shuttle like it’s just a day trip to Lothal from Garel like last time, lol.

Aaaaah Ezra showing off his character development and how selfless he’s grown! I’m so proud of him.

Also he can sense Vader from atmosphere.

I haven’t commented about the music much but I like the way the strings drag across the notes here to create some quality tension.

Kallus is such a smug snake here, it’s amazing that I like him.

I think I hear a very brief snippet of the “Shenanigans” leitmotif in very serious trumpet.

Man. What a way to go. RIP Tua. :(

Vader overwatching lets us know this exactly according to plan. He is scarily competent in these episodes.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way the blaster bolts spark as they pop off the side of the shuttle.

A snippet of Ezra’s theme here, as we find our heroes hiding in his old house.

Ezra holding his old cadet helmet. :(((((

There’s a somber kind of finality when the troopers set fire to the house. This whole season premiere has an overall sense of, “You can’t go home anymore.” and nothing emphasizes it more than the Empire torching places we know and have been (Ezra’s home, Tarkintown, etc.).

His face. :((((

Rebels bucks the Status Quo so hard it’s painful.

“I wish that worked for me.” “I wish it worked on you.” Lol.

"Have you smelled me?” Love this subtle joking callback to Ezra complaining about how Zeb smells. <3

All these typical light-hearted bits and moments only contrast harder against Vader’s later deadly serious entrance. It’s quite effective, actually.

This sequence is one of my personal No Context Signature Scenes, I love it so much.

This slow small pan away from Kanan et. all as they exit frame, hinting that something’s behind. How Kanan stops in his tracks, eyes widening with fear and alarm.

How Ezra stops too and you can practically see the goosebumps raising on his arms, feel the deadly cold they’re feeling.

CUE THE MOST ICONIC BREATHING IN CINEMA HISTORY.

Yeah, I’d be terrified too.

The Imperial March cuts out right before the TO BE CONTINUED titlecard and if you weren’t screaming before, you certainly were now, lol.

Ezra looks so terrified, look at the way he’s shrinking into his shoulders here.

Vader barely expends any effort in this fight, blocking one-handed, effortlessly flinging Kanan and Ezra across the landing pad, which reinforces how seriously outclassed they and the Spectres are.

You do not win a fight against Vader. You do not even survive a fight against Vader. If you survive an encounter with Vader it’s because he let you.

This moment where Vader almost forces Ezra to cut off his own head with his own lightsaber is particularly dark and terrifying ggkjghdsk.

Twice in this fight the importance of armor is proven. Kanan catches a glance of Vader’s saber on his shoulder pauldron and Sabine gets a blaster bolt reflected into her freaking breastplate AND helmet.

WELL THAT ISN’T THE MOST HELLISH THING I’VE EVER SEEN.

The Imperial March is a constant in this scene, not surprising, given that it’s technically Vader’s leitmotif. It fades out as we check up on our heroes and this is such an effective scene.

Everyone is visibly rattled by the encounter, and the voice acting perfectly conveys how shaken and frightened they are. Something I do have to give the Disney era of Lucasfilm props for is remembering that Vader is a freaking terrifying villain, practically a walking Eldritch Abomination in the eyes of normal denizens of the galaxy. So this scene helps convey that.

Lol Kanan and Ezra immediately objecting to calling Lando for help.

“The compassion of the Rebels is a weakness. One we will exploit.”

*sobs in Rebellion Era Jedi feels*

“Jedi cannot help what they are. Their compassion leaves a trail.”

No I’m never going to be over that line, sue me.

Proof that even “filler” episodes on this show come back and have relevance, the crew make a deal with Lando for help to get them offworld. :)

We even visit his farm again. :)

Also I love this southern-accented droid, he’s so polite.

There’s a unique flute cue here that I really like. Also, the “Shenanigans” theme has been slowed down, tempo-altered, minor keyed and just put through the gamut of musical variation this episode, wrung out until it’s almost unrecognizable.

This smoke effect is gorgeous, almost painted in texture.

This conversation between Kanan and Ezra about the cost of their actions is fascinating in what it reveals, especially towards the end. Kanan sees reflections of his battle-eager younger self in Ezra, still fired up and passionate about the fight, not yet truly damaged by his experiences.

That wouldn’t truly cement in Ezra until the finale, but we’ll get to that later.

RIGHT, ANYONE STILL COMPLAINING ABOUT REBELS’ ANIMATION OWES ME MONEY FOR HOW PRETTY THE CLOUDS ALWAYS LOOKS.

There are in fact a lot more Star Destroyers guarding Lothal this time, we see three up in orbit and I know we saw at least three others in airspace above Capitol City.

I... think they reused Sato’s voice actor for one of these Imperial technicians here.

I love this quiet scene right here. Kanan’s still got massive misgivings about being involved with the wider Rebellion, but he’s overruled by the others, by Ezra’s sense of obligation to get stronger for the sake of his people. (This would later play into his Dark Side temptations in Season Three, Ezra has always viewed power as a means to protect, to preserve, to cling to.)

The shuttle seems to have been tracked with a more mundane method this time, a transmitter that activates upon reentry from hyperspace.

Another brilliant ploy from Vader. Told you, he’s scarily competent in this.

A modified Endor space battle cue plays in the background here. The notes are ever-so-slightly soured, off-tune.

Would like to point out, just to emphasize, Vader nearly takes out the entire Phoenix cell on his own here.

Ahsoka’s presence has been mostly downplayed until now but the narrative subtly brings her into prominence by having her board the Ghost for the fight.

“All right kids, do Mom and Dad proud.” <33333

The Found Family vibes always get to me.

Underrated awesome Kanan moment: Boosting and assisting Ahsoka’s Force Scan of Vader.

God, that sliiiight turn of Vader’s head as he senses Ahsoka back just gets to me. This whole sequence, Ezra talking about the cold, about the fear, anger, and hate he senses, Ahsoka’s eyes snapping open in horror, “The apprentice lives.” I HAVEN’T EVEN WATCHED ALL OF CLONE WARS OR PARTICULARLY CARE THAT MUCH ABOUT THIS RELATIONSHIP AND I STILL CATCH THE FEELS.

Vader being single-mindedly focused on the Ghost now that he knows Ahsoka’s aboard... not to Kenobi-show blubber again but, “All he’ll see is me.” Anakin is so obsessed with erasing himself and everyone who knew him it will drive him to obsession uuhhhhggggghh this stupid messy asshole.

Hera outflying motherfreaking Vader because he’s too distracted. <333333

I do like that Rebels kept Ahsoka’s appearances to a minimum too, knowing her mere presence would overshadow the others. (Same reason the Teen Titans writers never brought in the adult heroes; they had to let their cast stand on their own merits.)

Egads look at the lighting effects in this scene. Look at those slow-moving patches of light and shadow.

Ahsoka deep in denial about Vader’s identity.

Ezra’s theme ringing out briefly until it dissolves into tense strings.

And the Emperor’s theme comes in along with the first technical appearance of the man in this show, even though we never see him, only hear his voice.

I... kiiiiiiinda prefer Sam Whitwer’s dub of the scene, honestly. Glad Disney+ still has his version on their site. (Apparently the Ian McDiarmid redub is only on the Amazon Prime digital downloads, which is kind of asinine, but hey I appreciate not having the retconned version foisted on me.)

Aaaaaand episode end.

This was a rollercoaster of a season premiere, emphasizing that things have definitely changed for our heroes, that what was familiar can no longer be accessed, that we’re now hitched along for the ride with the wider Rebellion and what happens to it.

It’s simple and effective and it lets Vader be absolutely terrifying. No complaints, really.

Next time, we get even more TCW characters reappearing.

#star wars #star wars rebels #rebels rewatch #liveblog #ezra bridger #agent kallus #disney plus decided to log me out on my desktop which is why this is late #kanan x hera

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katatonicimpression · 6 months ago

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Hi,

Do you find that the negative way that the fandom, actors like Stan, and the writers treat the character of Sam Wilson, take away from your ability to enjoy the fandom at large?

It seems like everyone, literally everyone hates Sam Wilsons character and it sucks. How do you deal with that? sorry for the long ask.

"Everyone, literally everyone hates sam wilsons character" - well, clearly not literally everyone.

So..... let's address this in pieces. As far as coping with fandom is concerned, I do not go to spaces where normie dude bro type fans are. I don't read YouTube comments. I don't do marvel reddit. Even before twitter was fash, I didn't do fandom there. Those people are not any more "real fans" than I am, and honestly a lot of them are genuinely thick idk.

There's only so many times you can read "his real name is Clarence" in one day lbr

On tumblr, I block people who post racist or aggressively obnoxious opinions. I block liberally, it really eases the mind.

There's been a drop in his popularity on here in the last few years for a few reasons. Some bigger fans have left the platform, or moved onto other fandoms so aren't engaging with much content. There's also the known phenomenon of the popularity of black characters (and ships involving them) having distinctly less longevity than white ones (famously discussed to death around the finn/poe thing and other ships). There's also the sheer length of time it's been since tfatws, and the call from bds to boycott the upcoming film.

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The writers? This one is weird to me because in the 55 years since he was introduced, sam has had very little (as a proportion of his appearances) good writing, and when it is good it doesn't last. From the very beginning, his history is fraught and to this day the issue of many of those handling him giving zero shits about him is a self replicating problem. Complaining about sam being mishandled or underutilised is about 60% of this blog.

The beauty of comics is that they can always change, fix things and do better. Bring things back that work, and retcon things that don't. I whinge a lot, but I do firmly believe that there's good writing in Sam's past and future.

As for his writing in the mcu? Well, tfatws had issues; I liked a lot of it, but not all and had problems with how sam was handled at times. This opinion seems to be common among sam fans, even if we squabble over the details. For the earlier appearances in the mcu? They're mostly fine. It sucks shit that they took his powers away, and he's underutilised but whatever.

We don't know what the film is like. The bullshit headlines from spam farms saying "rumour: film is bad" are dumb. Theres been reshoots, but some of that is to be expected. The hulkification of what is supposed to be his movie is worrying, and I'm baffled by the decision to include sabra (although it looks as though they've tried to work around that as much as possible without removing her, which they'd face a counter backlash for*) but we genuinely have no idea if the film is well written or not, if it handles him well. We haven't seen it yet so... yeah no one can speak to its quality.

*that's not a defence, just my assumed explanation as to why she's still in the film.

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I do not know Sebastian Stan.

All I know about this is that he said he'd be excited to see Chris evans back? I don't think he said that to spite Sam or Anthony Mackie. I think he just didn't think about anything much at all. It comes across badly but hey that wouldn't be the first time... in general, stan has spoken supportively about both mackie and sam, so this seems like projection. Parasocialing too close to the sun.

If I have beef with anyone on this topic it's the interviewers. They ask irritating questions (usually in the form of hounding mackie about anyone other than his own character), and we're left with these irritating answers.

As for evans? They're probably doing stevil. I'm ambivalent about it. Maybe sam will get to showdown with him. Hopefully they don't give all the good moments to bucky.

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Maybe, mayyybeeee also consider that when there's a black led project in any nerd franchise (see The Acolyte, or Star Trek: Discovery) the narrative will emerge that it's irredeemably terrible, driven by the "anti-woke" types. Then, that backlash starts to influence the normal people too and then suddenly there's no talking about it ever because that group feel insulted when you point out how it all started.

That's not all of what's going on with sam right now, but it is absolutely a factor. I wish people would remember that people don't typically preface a racist opinion with "I'm racist and I think that..."

And this is, obviously, not the same as saying that "if you don't like this character, you're racist". Obviously not. Because, normally, when you don't like a character because you just don't really vibe with them, you just ignore them. If you can't keep their name out of your mouth, then there's clearly something up.

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For those who are planning on not paying to see the film because of bds, I support that decision and I think sam would too if he was real. I have talked about this at length before.

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So, is it hard being a sam fan? Yes and no.

I wouldn't talk about him, write him and draw him if I didn't enjoy it.

But it does mean a lot of this emotion 🙄 a lot of the time. It's probably one of the reasons my blocklist is so long. Hell, I started this blog in 2021, the era where multiple bucky fans were calling sam an abuser for using the word cyborg.

And obviously for Black fans in this space, the problems are worse. The people I know here who have received the most harassment are all Black women. I cannot speak for the experiences of Black fans, but I have a fucking heart. I have so much sympathy for those who ended up leaving the space for somewhere where they weren't forced to defend themselves every day.

So, yeah. A mixed bag. But people do like sam.

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I'm aware I've referred to star wars twice. Yes I've broken my own rule. Do not ask me followups. I do not talk about star wars on the Internet.

#you thought the ask was long?? this is longer #and wayyy too discoursey for me i don't want to answer anything else on the topic

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