#Of Evil Wolverine’s wish?

[completeoveranalysis]

[4]

HUGE FAN of tiny Sakura trying to make that connection between her and Lava Lamp. Shyly asking if they can hold hands after the ceremony is done, which is ADORABLE and, because this is Tsubasa, means that this absolutely will not happen. Their outstretched hands will ONCE AGAIN fail to meet in the middle, just like always - but different this time, since this is the FIRST. 

And extra hello to Lava Lamp’s giant distorted shadow looming underneath him! The disproportionately huge shadow his presence is casting! The dark fate spreading out before him just by being here! The alternate versions of himself that will spread into the future!

I love that this Sakura, in her love for water and the water’s love for her, is characterised by bubbles floating around her instead of feathers. And that Lava Lamp hopes that they can be together. And that this tiny child’s hope MAY OR MAY NOT be the match that sets so many other things in motion.

It's just two children wanting to be friends! And SO MUCH goes wrong!

[illyanarasputinfan]

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Marvel Studios

Cassandra Nova is not who I imagined the antagonist of Deadpool & Wolverine would be, but I think she’s great! Professor Xavier’s twin sister is truly evil. Best wishes to Emma Corrin on the film’s success!

[makuyi13]

"The Least They Could Do" (Morpherine / Morph x Wolverine)

by @makuyi13

"The ways they could make him happy if they were Jean. But they weren’t. Logan was the man, the myth, the legend, and Morph was just Morph. And they were just friends.

And they hoped to God that was enough."

-

Author's Note: Alright guys I've gotten over an adequate amount of my fears and written a little one-shot after years and years of not being able to write fan-fiction! So anyways this is a really big step for me and I'm obviously very nervous, so please be nice. If I messed up on Morph's pronouns or grammar or spelling somehow, though, please do tell me so kindly. Anyways fellas enjoy I hope it's good :)

Oh I added some more edits, too. The ending is better now.

-

Logan was upset. Again.

It was like the guy was sentenced to be upset for life. There was always something for him to be frustrated about. There would be a few days, weeks if he was lucky, when there wasn’t, and all was well. But then something would go wrong again.

This time it was about Jean.

Again.

She was to have a baby with Scott.

And of course Logan was upset about it.

Morph felt bad about it, being such good friends with Logan and all, and caring about him and his happiness so much, but there was a part of them that was glad that Jean was with Scott. They didn’t know why, and there was always a bit of them that didn’t want to find out. And even worse (Morph felt horrid about this), there was always that part of them that hoped Logan would never have Jean.

It made them feel evil, wishing that kind of misfortune upon somebody, especially their best friend. And being evil was a wretched thing, they knew, but they couldn’t help it. They couldn’t help it at all.

Smart people knew better than to bother Logan when he was upset. But the good thing was that Morph didn’t necessarily consider themself smart. So that was how they found themself opening the front door and stepping outside the mansion to go find Logan.

It happened to be cloudy. All murky skies and chill, although there wasn’t excess moisture or cold. Morph walked down the slight slope, hands behind their back, looking around. Logan was slumped in the distance, staring off. Morph jumped and started, almost running, but caught themselves just in time. As they stepped nearer, they suddenly became painfully aware that they had hands. They tried to drop them by their sides, but they seemed too stiff. Crossing their arms seemed weird and hostile. Keeping them behind their back just seemed awkward and unnatural.

They shook their head forcefully. What was wrong with them? That coffee Jubilee made them must have had something in it. Morph shoved their hands in the pockets of their sweater after whatever fumble just went on. Ignoring it all, Morph opened their mouth to say “hello”.

“What’s cookin’, good lookin’?”

Morph cringed. Of course what came out instead had to be something dumb. They felt their face burn and suddenly felt a strong desire to dig a hole and die. God Almighty, why would they say that? Just why? Why did they always have to try and fail to be funny?

Logan didn’t look their way, but grumbled something under his breath instead. He didn’t say anything else, and Morph took that as an invitation to sit down next to him. They brushed their long skirt, gathering it as they settled. They began to have second thoughts about this. Maybe Logan didn’t want to see them. Maybe they couldn’t really make Logan feel better. Maybe Logan didn’t care if they were there or not. After all, who were they? They were just a friend. They weren’t even Jean.

But… that didn’t really matter, did it? They didn’t need to be Jean to have the kind of time that they wanted to have with Logan. Did they?

Morph realised they were staring and studying Logan a little too closely. Running their eyes along his brow, down his temple, his mouth… Ugh, they thought to themself. That was really pathetic of them. Ripping their eyes away and trying to shift a little to seem a bit more animated, Morph heard Logan sigh next to them. As if he had been tensing his muscles the entire time he was out here and had relaxed them just now.

“You know you don’t have to follow me around when I ain’t feelin’ well, right, bub?” Logan finally spoke, his voice gruff yet slightly defeated.

“It’s the least I can do,” Morph shrugged.

And yet it kind of was the truth. There wasn’t really anything Morph could do to make Logan feel better but this. They thought all the time about all the things they could be. Thought about the sweet songs they would play for him if they were some kind of musician. The long, heart-warming letters they would write if they were some kind of writer. The ways they could make him happy if they were Jean. But they weren’t. Logan was everything; he was the man, the myth, the legend; and Morph was just Morph. And they were just friends.

And they hoped to God that was enough.

They blinked a few times. Keep it together. Clear the mind. But now they’ve realised that Logan’s shifted his body so that they’re sitting across from each other, facing each other, and now their mind’s a little too clear. Blank, even. And then Logan’s reaching for their leg and their heartbeat’s getting loud and fast, fast and loud, and then that thick, rough hand of his is touching the fabric that’s swimming around Morph’s legs, and all they can think of is damn, all they can hear is the heavy, rapid thump of their heart. 

But all Logan does is touch the hem of the skirt and softly say in his tough, gravelly voice, “This looks good on you.”

And it suddenly means the world to Morph. Their heart squeezes tight and releases. He likes my skirt, he likes my skirt. They dare to look at his face. It's saddened, defeated, creased with age and worry and hardened with pain, and yet they can't find ugliness in it, because there's a sixteenth of a smile lingering on his chapped lips and an unbearably sincere look buried deep in his brown eyes, no matter how much Logan tries to hide it all and shove it under. And that's when Morph knows they would wear that skirt over and over just to see that kind of look in Logan's face again and again. A confusingly, maddeningly good kind of feeling is rushing through their veins, and Morph wants to push it away, tell it to leave them alone, but they can't. Because they do love that feeling, even if they don't know what it is.

"Thank you," Morph breathes, wishing they had more to say.

And then Logan avoids their eyes, turns his body away and it’s over. Morph could kick themself. But instead they silently swear not to say or do anything stupid while they’re with Logan. So they just sit. And so does Logan. Neither says a single word. Neither moves. It’s just Logan and the grey sky and the still air and the lawn and Logan and the silence and the sweater weather and Morph hoping with all their heart that Logan was feeling a little bit better at least. But then again, they didn’t really do much for him. They couldn’t really. All they could do was just come and be there and try their best not to fumble like an idiot (again). Even if Logan said they didn’t have to.

It was the least they could do.

[septiccoffeefreak]

My Immortal Adventures - Chapter One

Hi my name is Jackieboy Septic Boyman Greenway and I have short green hair (that's how I got my name) with brown facial hair and icy blue eyes like see-through tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Jacksepticeye (AN: if u don't know who he is get da hell out of here!). I'm not related to Spiderman but I wish I was because he's a major fucking badass!!!!11! I get into fights a-LOT but my teeth are straight and white (and I still have all of them). I have pale white skin. I'm also a superhero, and I go to a superhero community college called ALTR in England where I'm in my second year (I'm 19). I'm a nerd (in case you couldn't tell) and I wear mostly red. I love BoxLuch and Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a color block Naruto t-shirt with matching black gloves and a spiderman bucke/seatbelt belt, red sweatpants, wolverine crew socks and black and red combat boots. I was also wearing a shrek beanie, black eyeliner, red nail polish, and a blue mask just around my eyes to hide my identity from the evil bad guys. In my bag was my superhero outfit which has a red jacket, black and red pants, and black tennis shoes- I keep the black gloves and mask in my uniform. I was walking outside ALTR. It was snowing and raining but there was still a little sun, which I was very happy about. I wave at a goth girl who was staring at me and she calls me a prep and puts up her middle finger at me. I awkwardly finger gun at her and pretend that it never happened. "Hey Jackie!!" shouted a voice. I looked up. It was… Marvin the Magnificent! "What's up Marvin?" I asked. "Nothing." he said shyly. But then, I heard my friends call me and I had to go away.

[rascalentertainments]

Account Update 🌟

I haven't been on this platform in years and slowly started making posts and reblogs again. Most of the accounts I did follow back then are either gone, or no longer active. So I'm listing EVERY THING I'm into, so I can follow people back with similar tastes and interests. Consider it a get to know me things whole I make updates. Reblog, share and comment as much as you want, I'd really like to make good use of this site again. Especially since I'm a YouTube Spoofer and part time writer, and always getting inspiration. Which also means my channel is going through revamping, so you'll see some activity on and off as things are scheduled ahead of time.

Plus I'm working on creating my own animation studio with friends to bring my original ideas to life as movies and series in the future. I love to spread joy and fun to others to who aspire to animate as well! Warning: there's a a ton of things I love! 😅

Animation/Cartoons 🎨

Animation

Behind the Scenes and Animations tests

Animation Trivia

How to Draws

Fanart

Memes

Animation History

Tributes

Kid Cosmic

Ben 10 (Classic-Omniverse)

Teen Titans

Samurai Jack

OK K.O: Let's Be Heroes!

Bluey

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja

Codename: Kids Next Door

Invincible

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Justice League/Unlimited

Young Justice

Batman Beyond

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Batman (2004)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Motorcity

Hazbin Hotel

Spectacular Spider-Man

Gravity Falls

Wander Over Yonder

Sponge bob Square pants

Johnny Bravo

Johnny Test

Scooby-Doo/Mystery Incorporated

Code Lyoko

Lackadaisy

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Legend of Korra

Transformers: Prime

G.I Joe Renegades

Wolverine and the X-Men

Danny Phantom

American Dragon: Jake Long

Star vs The Forces of Evil

Penn Zero: Part Time Hero

Tales of Arcadia

Lego Monkie Kid

TMNT (2003)

Wild Kratts

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Xiaolin Showdown

El Tigre

Miraculous Ladybug

Steven Universe

Monster High

Static Shock

Hellboy: Animated

Animaniacs

Tangled: The Series

Lilo & Stitch The Series

Darkwing Duck

DuckTales 2017

Wish Concept Version

Lego Monkie Kid

Buddy Thunderstruck

King of the Hill

The Simpsons

My Life as a Teenage Robot

Comic Books & Manga 🔥

Marvel & DC

Superman

Batman

Superpets

SuperSons

Hellboy

Invincible

My Hero Academia

Fullmetal Alchemist

Monthly Girls: Nozaki-kun

Deadpool

Jonah Hex

Middlewest

My Little Pony

MLP: Legends of Magic

Ouran High School Host Club

Jujutsu Kaisen

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

Godzilla

Voltron Legendary Defender

Scott Pilgrim

Anime 🇯🇵

My Hero Academia

Sonic X

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Ya Boy Kongming!

OddTaxi

Toradora!

Monthly Girls: Nozaki-kun

Cowboy Bebop

Urusei Yatsura (2022)

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Tiger & Bunny

Solo Leveling

Jujutsu Kaisen

White Cat Legend

Dr. Stone

High Card

Demon Slayerw

Trigun: Stampede

Delicious in Dungeon

Love is War!

InuYasha/Yashahime

Polar Bear's Cafe

Rascal the Raccoon

Movie Franchises 🎬

Kung Fu Panda

The Fast Saga

Star Wars

Sheep

Hellboy

DCAU

Scooby drop

Pixar

Lego Movie

TV Series 📺

Stranger Things

Heroes

Friends

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Supernatural

Video Games 🎮

Sonic the Hedgehog

BROK The Investigator

Blind

Crash Bandicoot

Sly Cooper

Spyro

Party Games

Mario & Sonic at the Olympics Series

That's mostly the just of me and what my channel is going to start having. If you have any questions about favorite foods, animals, book series, sports or anything about personal tastes, feel free to drop them I'm my asks box, and Ill get to them as soon as possible!

Hope you'll like what I have to offer! 🌟🌟🌟

[thealmightyemprex]

Top 10 X Men the animated Series villains

Now before we go forward Im gonna say something controvercial:Magneto is NOT on the list cause I dont consider him a villain outside of his first two appearences

10.Lady Deathstrike:Former lover of Wolverine who has gotten cybernetic enhancements to avenge her father .I wish she was in more then one two parter

9.Cortez-A mutant acolyte of Magneto who attempts to kill Magneto and frame the X Men for not going far enough .I just love how deranged this guy is

8.Omega Red -A living killing machine made by the Soviets and enemy of Wolverine.Overshadowed by another Wolverine foe but hes still very intimidating

7.Mystique:A shapeshifter and leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants.Very much an opurtunistic character ,and is fascinating due to being the mothers of Rogue ,Nightcrawler and Graydon Creed

6.Mr Sinister -A basically immortal mad scientist ,Mr Sinister is the second biggest villain of the show.....And confession time,initially I didnt like him,finding his arc in season 2 so so,but a mixture of Christopher Brittons cold performance ,his unique design and his appearences in season 4 and 5 (Which showcase him working with Apocalypse ,aiding the heroes and showcasing his orgins ) have warmed me up to him and am excited to see what he has in store for the upcoming X Men 97

5.Juggernaut -Charles Xaviers bullying step brother who through magic has become a unstoppable super strong brute .His motives are simple he wants Xavier to pay for precieved slights against him,when in actuality both were victims of his cruel exploitive father

4.Shadow King-A powerful telepath whose mind was imprisioned by Xavier and now seeks a new body.The villain so powerful and evil he lead to Xaviers efforst to found the X Men .I find him an existentially terrifying villan and sad he only appeared twice

3.Graydon Creed -Head of the Mutant hate group Friends of humanity and son of Sabretooth and Mystique .Of the non powered villains he is the one who stands out for just being a vile realistic bigot

2.Sabretooth -Wolverines nemesis ,a sadistic and cunning villain,whose own son Graydon is terrified of him.Very menacing and I really like the performance of Don Francks

1.Apocalypse -The closest thing the series has to a big bad , a centuries old power mad mutant .This guy is just entertaining ,bombastic and a wonderful performance by veteren scene chewer John Colicos

@ariel-seagull-wings @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @princesssarisa @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @piterelizabethdevries @filmcityworld1

@countesspetofi

[ihonestlydunnowhattocallmyself]

A recommendation of Undead Unluck

I'll be completely frank with you. By binge reading all of the manga I have come to the conclusion that it is my fourth favorite manga. Yet, for all the good will I hold for it, I can't earnestly recommend the first few chapters to anyone. Not because of its weird premise or that its just my trash taste that has made me love it. No.

The starting chapters are just very problematic with just this weird sexual undertone between the two main characters, the titular Undead Unluck. It makes it just extremely hard to get into if you don't know what it becomes. It may start out as such but in a very short time-span it metamorphosis into something completely different and completely different. This change is comparable to a persons complete personality shifting from something that just feels off at a lot of times to something I can say wholeheartedly is beautiful. Which is what makes the initial chapters so sad in contrast with the rest of the story. It is what keeps this series from getting a 10/10 for me.

With this I conclude my initial disclaimer.

And if you have read so far,

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMEND IT THE REST OF IT.

While its beginning is definitely problematic it really drops those undertones quick which lets the story keep chugging along. I would however completely recommending skipping the problematic beginning. While it has a lot of vital info I do feel like you can read ahead since it still changes massively enough to the point where it isn't really needed and you can simply understand whats going on from starting at that point. The chapter I suggest you start at is chapter 9.

I can also give a summary if you wish. It is in the following paragraph

So basically in this world that can negate a specific concept. This ability is based around their interpretation of said negated concept. This gives it a specific condition for activation. The simplest way to explain this is an ability that is based around the characters interpretation of it that is molded by their experiences with it. The current user of the ability Unluck is Fuuko. As implied the ability lets her give people bad luck. This is activated when people come into contact with her. This leads her to accidentally killing her parents. This leads to her becoming a NEET who's scared of touching literally anyone. This leads her to try to commit suicide by jumping onto an oncoming train from above a bridge. That's when Andy, the user of Undead comes in. As implied by the name he literally can't die and can regenerate from anything. Think Wolverine but able to use the fact that he ca practically regenerate as a weapon in of itself. He tries to die with her unluck. He escapes because of his regenerative abilities. Then there are a few shenanigans before he cuts her hair as he was once a barber. However there touching moment is interrupted when a seemingly evil organization called UNION attacks. They are able to of course beat them back. Andy explains that they've been chasing them for a long time and even trapped and experimented on him 50 years ago. Of course he broke out and he has been pursued ever since. Then they are once again found by Union. 2 of its top brass are sent after them. They kill one of the guys while the other guy, Shen says that he can recommend them in. They only need two empty seats to fill. By killing the other guy they've successfully emptied one and just need to kill another member. He gives them the place where they can find said member. So they go and kill her too.

This is an extreme over simplification of what happens and I'd say at a certain point you should probably come back to read these chapters as they are somewhat re-contextualized later on. You likely will know when to read them but if you want a hint there are two major turns in the middle portion. Probably go back when the second turn happens.

Now with the summary and disclaimer out of the way I think I may start of with the main appeal of the story.

For one I love how it develops the main duo as you often don't see much romance in shounen. And usually it is a side-plot. And while I've never been a fan of romance myself I do thing with the exception of the first few chapters, Undead Unluck handles that aspect of it pretty exceptionally. I feel like Fuuko and Andy gain more chemistry as the story goes on. It in my opinion happens very naturally and is shown to be mutually beneficial. While they certainly can operate individually and be effective, by working together their power is bolstered and they are more effective.

Beyond just this main pairing love is a recurring theme within the cast. So even if you don't like the main characters there are always other pairings for you to ship.

Beyond just this its just really fun from start to finish. It has a really nice adventure aspect where it can feel monster of the week at times. And even then the plot is able to progress. This helps make even less consequential arcs feel engaging as its always going somewhere.

I also really like how specific arcs can pay attention and really help develop the specific characters that become the focus in them. It really helps make the cast feel more well rounded and likeable. I think this aspect of the manga really shines in the sixth arc as it in my opinion gracefully shifts focus to a completely new character and fleshes them out to a great extent. I also like how with each re-appearance we learn more and more about the villains and their motivations.

If there was anything I didn't particularly like about Undead Unluck I'd have to say that its fast pace is a double edged sword as I wished some arcs took some more time to develop the characters as they are all just so interesting. But the plot is always progressing so it feels like no time is lost.

In all, I think its a series worth reading.

[newx-menfan]

Marvel Infinity Comics Love Unlimited #44 Review

*Spoilers*

The issue starts with Gwen getting a new costume and talking about Jean/Scott/Wolverine/Emma love quad…

Gwen talks about the Wither and Elixir rivalry and describes Elixir as the “good boy” (REALLY??! That’s like saying Hellion and Rockslide are “good boys” 😂🤣)

Gwen mentions Elixir’s history of being part of the Reavers and uses that to her advantage by telling Josh that she’s having trouble controlling her powers and needs his support…

As Gwen puts her plan in motion and the guys fall for her, she begins to feel guilty….

Wither finds out what happens from Eyeboy, who saw Gwen with both Elixir and Wither…

Apparently Elixir and Wither are friends now?? (They were NEVER close even BEFORE the Laurie drama…so this feels kind of out of the blue…)

Instead of them fighting…they hug it out and Gwen feels even worse, admitting that she’s glad their still friends and that she didn’t really have feelings for either of them…

(The “girl who can warp reality” line is a bit strange…since while Laurie COULD manipulate people emotionally…it’s a very DIFFERENT power set from Gwens??)

While Gwen is contemplating all of this, a goo monster nearly attacks her but she’s saved by Julie Power.

Julie compliments Gwens hair and the issue ends with Gwen realizing she has a crush on Julie.

Review:

Ehhh 😬

It’s disappointing…because #43 was super fun and this is…not as great…

Besides some weird canon issues…like the Laurie comment….it just felt… kind of cliche?

I often wished we got more development in this issue… but I realize the writer only had so much time (when did Elixir and Wither become friends? What caused this to happen? Does this mean neither of them are with Laurie??) 

But I think the BIGGEST disappointment was instead of Gwen realizing that she maybe doesn’t NEED relationships to stay relevant (god KNOWS X-23 fans WISH Laura would stop being shoved into bad relationships!)… the writer instead goes for a ham fisted LGBTQIA+ relationship, that feels a bit like a stereotype on bi-women?? 

Having a bi-woman represented as possibly ruining a friendship for essentially…clout…isn’t GREAT, especially when you consider HOW MANY BI-CHARACTERS are represented as morally dubious or evil 😬

I agree with most people’s comments on Twitter- if you were going to go with the twist of Gwen falling for a woman…wouldn’t Wallflower, the original STARTER of the Wither/Elixir drama, have been funnier than randomly throwing Julie in??

Still- it was great to see both characters and considering how little page time we get of the NXM…this WAS kind of a fun little treat! (I rescind this being SMaTXM tier levels however!)

Also Elixir and Wither look pretty amazing in the art! (The “pretty boy” look really works for both of them😂) 

[motsimages]

Being the change I want to see on here and popping in to chat.

Are you watching all of the X-Men movies, or just X-2? I do think that one is the best of not just the early 2000s trilogy, but of all seven films (though First Class was excellent and Days of Future Past was... fun). Do you have a different preference?

(I remain pleased the MCU hasn't taken over the X-Men yet. While I understand the appeal of mutants being a part of it, I think the MCU would make extremely bland, dull X-Men stories)

I am watching all of them. Although, tbh, I had to leave for a work trip and didn't watch the Dark Phoenix, but I don't think I've missed anything :P

I really liked the X-Men when they first came out but after Days of Future Past, I was done with them (except Wolverine, but I didn't know I had missed movies). Bf downloaded them all, so rewatch was in order and boy was I right.

This will be long because you gave me a chance and I have it fresh in my head lol.

I agree with you that X-2 is the best. I understand that maybe nostalgia plays a role, but with all the defaults of even the very first movie, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart knew how to play these friends/lovers? who broke up but still care a lot about each other, supported by a script that also knew how to write them. And the stories are compelling too. Particularly in X-2, with the cure and all that, it is an interesting debate, and it gives Magneto a strong motivation for his evil plans.

The new ones... first of all, I don't know how it is even possible to make them less gay (Ian and Patrick weren't there to make it so [get it?], I guess), but they go full cisheteronormative ideals. Someone didn't read the LGBT allegory of the X-Men or something. And then, now that I have watched them all very close to each other, the evil plot is always the same. And they even kind of give Magneto some of the Wolverine arcs. They try to compensate with Mystique, but given that both Charles and Eric are different kind of assholes, why would she even be there? She spends the first 3 movies trying to not be there, but they bring her back because apparently these adult men need a mother. And Beast. Someday, these mainstream movies will be allowed to have an intelligent and sensitive man who is not kind of a gullible incel, but it will be too late for this Beast. In this regard, I agree with you that the MCU wouldn't do better.

Days of Future Past, I remembered worse but I liked it more than First Class this time.

I wonder if the director of the new movies even liked the X-Men to begin with. The old ones, even the bad ones, seemed to at least like the idea of the X-Men.

In all this, as I mentioned, Wolverine always has a special place for me. Do you have a favourite mutant? I really like Nightcrawler (particularly in X-2, I just love Kurt, I wish he was my friend). I also enjoy the tragedy of Rogue.

[wispstalk]

respect

“Steady on,” Brynjolf urges, and winces when the metal snaps. Behind him, Sapphire clucks her tongue, and he shoots her a warning look.

“Twenty-one,” she lilts, not to be deterred.

The guild’s newest recruit tosses her head back and growls under her breath, then snatches up another pick. Tongue clenched firmly between her teeth, she hunches down and jostles the pins with a fervor.

“Enough,” Brynjolf sighs. “Hands off.”

Seadhna sits up and glowers at him. He holds his hands up, palms facing down, and indicates for her to do the same.

“See there. You’re shaking. You’re getting impatient, and it’s making you nervous, and your hands aren’t any use now. Take a breath.”

Sapphire’s jeweled fingers flash as she crosses her arms. “You trying to set a record or something? That’s the hardest lock we have, girl, it takes practice.”

Seadhna gestures at the metal carnage around her. “Practice, you say? No shit? Wish I’d thought of that.”

“Breathe,” Brynjolf insists, and Seadhna fixes him with a glare, and huffs through her nose until her hands are sure and even. “Again.”

“Full of piss and vinegar,” Sapphire remarks as she watches the girl’s renewed attack. “And… that’s… yep, twenty-two broken.”

“Got any helpful tips, or are you just here to heckle?” Seadhna tosses the broken pick aside. “ ‘Cause if so, I want to know how I can get that job. I’d be good at it.”

“Too important a duty to trust to you just yet, new blood.” Sapphire drops to a crouch beside her and gestures toward the chest. “Now, if you were a lock, and someone came at you all angry and stabby…”

A pensive look comes over her face, and she curls her fists around a new pick. “I suppose,” she says, “I’d snap it right off.” She breaks into a malicious little smile and cracks it in two.

“There’s a girl.” Sapphire looks sidelong, smug, at Brynjolf, and he leers right back.

“Mark my words, this one’s a prize. Let her loose on the streets and she’s sure to put the fear back into people.”

“You could do the same with a wolverine, and I bet they cost less in upkeep.” Sapphire thumps the back of Brynjolf’s head with the flat of her palm as she passes, and he throws a rude gesture after her and turns back to Seadhna and prompts her to try again.

—

The girl is much more at ease without Sapphire tallying up her failures. She sets to work once more on the master lock, and save for the gentle creaking of the pins, the training room is silent. Four more attempts and she has it open, and Brynjolf beams. Then there’s nothing else for it: she wants to try again and again, until the motions are fluid and effortless.

The best one he’s brought in yet, he thinks; sure, at this juncture, the Guild needs tenacity more than charm.

“Hey, Bryn…” She sets aside the last intact pick and twists her hands in her lap. “Do I have to keep working for Vex?”

“You two not getting on?”

“No, I like her all right, just, uh.” Her hands move faster, finger to thumb, finger to thumb, as if she’s warding some evil away. “Well, it’s like this. She cased a house, and told me to sneak in and grab this fancy model ship, right, so I did. Except later I found out it was Marise’s house. You know, the lady with the meat cart?”

“Pay wasn’t what you expected, eh? You know the guild has to take its cut.”

“Pay was fine. It’s just that sometimes Marise gives me a leftover skewer at the end of the day, or an apple or two. She never did nothing to me, and I think I stole the only nice thing she had. Bet she brought it all the way from Morrowind, and now it’s just sitting on Vex’s stupid shelf.”

“Ah, now…” He tugs at his beard. “One thing you’d better learn is not to take these things personal.”

“Felt pretty fuckin’ personal to me, being in someone’s house like that.” She pouts her lips out, her expression dubious. “Had all her underthings drying on the line. Didn’t need to know what old Dunmer ladies wear ‘neath their skirts, but now I do know, and I can’t un-know it.”

She’s trying to wriggle out from under the weight she cast down, he knows, but he leans forward. “You can’t just go dangling a tidbit like that and not tell me.”

“Layers. So many layers, and not one of ‘em wool.” She stares off into the middle distance, her expression troubled. “And they twist and tie and wrap around in all these odd ways. I’ve heard Stormcloaks piss in their armor, because, y’know, it takes an hour to get it off and back on again, and I reckon if I were wearing all that cloth, I wouldn't bother with—”

Brynjolf lets out a snort of laughter.

“I’m serious!” she cries. “Serious as a heart attack! Can’t look at her without wondering if she’s standin’ in a puddle!”

Their laughter rings through the training room, but as it fades, her grin turns malevolent. All bunched up around her nose. Just like a snarling wolverine.

“Can’t look her in the eye at all, anymore, thanks to you lot.” She stands up and dusts off her hands. “You and Vex and Delvin and everyone keeps saying the guild’s problem is that it’s got no money. And it’s no wonder, when you’re nicking things off meat-cart vendors. You know who has got money? Maven fucking Black-Briar.”

All the mirth slides off Brynjolf’s face like water. “Careful now, lass. Maven fucking Black-Briar is the reason this guild has a shred of respect left to it.”

She nods, widens her eyes, the picture of eager innocence. “Yeah, that’s what I heard too, but I wasn’t gonna tell you. Since she doesn’t have enough left over to share with you.”

She smacks him on the back of the head as she leaves the training room, just like Sapphire had. Brynjolf grumbles to himself, but he has to admit— the wee shit’s a quick study.

[green-angst-and-ham]

YET MORE INCOHERENT SCREAMING

Did that have even the slightest resemblance to the comic? Not in any way. Was it absolutely amazing and was I grinning all over my face like an idiot and bouncing up and down on the couch? Forsooth, I was delighted.

Methinks that was the greatest half hour of television to ever exist, or possibly the greatest of my life, I shall never recover

Yes this is a Buckynat blog but Loki alas-poor-Yorick-ing!!! I just know Tom Hiddleston put his entire Shakespearean soul into that and it was glorious, my theatre-major self is content

The Odinkids are getting along!! I’m so proud!

Tony, drunk in a hayloft, as he is wont to be.

Rogers Hood and Maid Margaret is the most brilliant thing to have ever graced mine eyes, long live the Outlawvengers

BUCKY!!!! Look at this man and his gauntlet-arm and his crossbow and his best friend Steve, he is beautiful and I love him and this is brilliant and perfect and AJDHSHDK I AM HAPPY

Red Skull fight!! Bucky’s just getting to mix it up with all the Hydra folks this season, isn’t he?

Since Clint was mentioned and Natasha is AWOL, I choose to imagine that Clint rescued both of them from a medieval Red Room or something, and the thought of the resulting shenanigans brings me great joy

You can HEAR how much fun Jon Favreau is having voicing Evil Happy. “The pipes, the pipes are calling!” Also that role in the original comic tie-ins was played by the Punisher which would have been very bad so I’m glad we went the fun route

On the subject of King Thor, I feel the need to inform the masses that the king in the original comic was King James, who is Scottish and angry and possibly gay for Quicksilver and is also Wolverine, which makes me wish they could have borrowed Hugh Jackman off the Deadpool set

“Shut thy mouth” is now a permanent fixture in my vocabulary

I will think about nothing but this episode for the next week, I want to write a bajillion fics

I can end my incoherent screaming in no other way than with an emphatic HUZZAH

[completeoveranalysis]

[2]

Excuse me I just want to gush over how gorgeous all this is. The dramatic shot of Lava Lamp with Evil Wolverine and Yuuko’s faces in the background? The two beings who frame either side of this conflict, both reflecting on the decisions made by Lava Lamp and Watanuki, who are technically the same person? 

And both want the same thing? To move forward in time? 

And how their individual decisions will decide how the entire universe is affected from here?

AND YUUKO’S EVEN MORE DRAMATIC FACE IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE PANEL WITH WATANUKI? SHOWING THE DARKER IMPLICATIONS OF THINGS THAT MIGHT RESULT AS WATANUKI MOVES FORWARD? (And Yuuko’s general fate as a whole)

GORGEOUS. Could not have framed this all better. I’m here for the drama of these two legendary figures talking to themselves in empty rooms for no particular reason, but lining up so perfectly with each other all the same.

WE SURE DO LOVE THE UNPROMPTED DRAMATICS :D 

… OH?!

WAIT. EXCUSE ME?

Ok ok ok one thing at a time

 It’s still completely hilarious that they’re hiding the faces of Lava Lamp and Watanuki’s parents from us. Just. Completely blatantly. Even though, like, we know that they are A Sakura and A Syaoran. We totally COULD see what they look like and have it not spoil anything (Unless it was, say, an eye colour that would give it away) - BUT NO, THE DRAMA. WE ARE HERE FOR THE DRAMA. You cannot see their faces. 

Yuuko has this photo in her store! Meaning she received it as payment? Absolutely love the implications of who would have had this and traded it to her. 

And it’s been long enough since I read some xxxHolic that I have forgotten if I knew that Watanuki traded his memories away. DID I KNOW THIS? DID I SOMEHOW FORGET THIS?

OR AM I NOW OFFICIALLY AHEAD OF WHERE I WAS IN xxxHOLiC?

Please hold while I check this. We had just finished the Kohane arc but had only read up to Doumeki and Kohane talking about Watanuki together.

… OK I CAN’T SEE THIS INFORMATION ANYWHERE. IS THIS NEW????

I AM CONSULTING CHARTS! I AM CHECKING CHAPTER NUMBERS!

I HAVE NO FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE CONCURRENT CHAPTERS. I AM ONLY GUESSING NOW. 

EITHER WAY.

4. WATANUKI’S MEMORIES APPEARING AS A LITTLE BLACK BOX WITH THE FUZZY PATTERN OF A BUTTERFLY ON IT?

PERFECTION. 

And 5. The absolute symmetry of Watanuki and Lava Lamp being one person who became two people, and they're both using wishes to maintain the other? The amount of care and love that goes into reciprocal wishes?? How MUCH of themselves they put on the line to make sure their other half can keep going??

IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

[an-aussie-button-masher]

Marvel’s Midnight Suns - the superhero strategy game I never knew I needed

  I wasn’t sure I’d like playing Midnight Suns, as I’d never been interested in the whole “deck-building turn-based-strategy” schtick, but over 130 hours later I’m wishing I’d played it from day one. Developed by Firaxis Games (the team behind XCOM) and released in December 2022, Midnight Suns is the latest addition to the Marvel gaming library. An adaptation of the comics team known as the Midnight Sons, the game focuses on the lesser-seen mystical and supernatural side of Marvel. It’s also the first Marvel game that allows the player to create their own protagonist; dubbed The Hunter, this entirely original character serves as the player’s avatar throughout the game as they battle the evil demonic Lilith (who also happens to be the Hunter’s mother). As Lilith spreads her demonic influence across Earth, it’s up to the Midnight Suns, their allies in the Avengers, and the newly-resurrected Hunter to stop her at all costs.

GAMEPLAY    The game wastes no time in throwing you into the action, teaching you the basic mechanics in a quick and intuitive way. As the game progresses, the sheer amount of different tricks and mechanics you’ll need to master might seem intimidating, but you’d be surprised at how quickly it becomes like second nature. With new heroes, cards, enemies, hazards and mission types constantly being introduced over time, the game feels fresh and engaging for the entire playthrough without outpacing the player. Between missions, the player controls the Hunter as you explore the Abbey, the makeshift home base of the Midnight Suns. Exploring the Abbey grounds and hanging out with the heroes is a “love it or hate it” situation; while some might feel it drags down the action, I personally love it as it fleshes out the characters and expands the lore of the game. The game will definitely take a strong PC to run at high settings - you might run into some strange visual bugs and the odd crash here and there, plus some framerate issues in the Abbey when the two-dozen or so heroes all hang out in the same place. I’ve experienced few, if any, performance issues within the actual missions, and the occasional bugs I’ve run into do nothing to dampen my enjoyment of the game.

WRITING    The game’s writing is definitely its biggest strength. The characters are excellently written, with a good mix of humour and seriousness that fit perfectly with each characters’ distinct personality. The story campaign takes much longer than I expected but never felt like a drag, with plenty of exciting twists that caught me by surprise in the best way. While some of the voices can take a little getting used to, especially if you’re more acquainted with the film versions of the characters, the actual performances are top-notch. Every quote out of the characters’ mouths, from story cutscenes to dialogue interactions to even the random one-liners in the midst of combat are both written and voiced near-flawlessly; even generic HYDRA troopers get hilariously terrified as the heroes whittle their numbers down in battle. There’s also plenty of familiar voices in the game that long-time fans will be happy to hear again, like Yuri Lowenthal as Spider-Man and Steve Blum as Wolverine. The golden combination of top-tier voice acting, exciting writing and engaging gameplay is rare, but Midnight Suns has more than proven itself in those regards.

GRAPHICS & AUDIO    While not quite as high-grade as the game’s other aspects, the overall graphical quality is still fairly good, save for a handful of lighting and texture bugs that keep cropping up. Some of the characters’ facial models are a tad off, especially if you aren’t playing at the highest possible graphics settings. However, the animations in combat and during cutscenes are superb; every single blow landed by either the heroes or villains has loads of impact to it with perfectly-paced slow-motion that really sells the sheer superhuman strength everyone seems to have. Virtually every card you play is accompanied by a unique animation with cinematic camera angles, turning the otherwise-straightforward card game into a grand blockbuster battle straight out of a movie. The music is often overpowered by all the explosive action sound effects of combat, but taking a moment to really listen to the soundtrack reveals just how awesome it actually is. The battle music is tense and exciting, the boss fight music is heavy and foreboding, and even the main menu soundtrack will get you pumped up before you even hit Continue Game.

ENJOYMENT    Simply put, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is downright addicting. Not the “guilts the player for not logging in every day” kind of addicting, but the “game is just that fun” kind. I’m not even much for turn-based strategies or card games, having bought this game because I’m a Marvel fan and wanted to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised by how fun I found the gameplay, and the story had me hooked from the beginning. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting just the right combo of cards to clear out the entire enemy team before they’ve even had their first turn; it turns out the Hulk is really powerful. Who knew? As I mentioned earlier, I personally loved the in-between-mission moments of hanging out with the other heroes in the Abbey, exploring the lore and worldbuilding of this particular Marvel universe. I’m really looking forward to the future of this game - there’s still more DLC planned, and I’m hopeful for plenty of extra heroes and missions. Fingers crossed for a sequel!

   Reblogs and likes are appreciated, and thanks for reading!

[mikejaffa]

“The Labors of Magik Goes Out with a Whimper”

Body of a letter-to-the-editor I emailed to Marvel after reading New Mutants #28.  Spoilers for that issue.

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The promotional material before New Mutants #25 led us to believe "The Labors of Magik" would be a war between Illyana and Madelyne for the throne of Limbo.  How I wish that had been the case.   Writer Vita Ayala had some great ideas:  

An Illyana-centric story:  Great idea!

Illyana, Rahne, and Dani team up:  Great idea!  (A Magik/Wolfsbane team-up would also be fun, but I have to accept the fact that Marvel does not now have, never has, or ever will have any interest in doing that.  But I can still lodge the complaint [again].)

Magik v. the Golbin Queen for the Throne of Limbo:  Great idea!

The Labors of Magik:  Where great idea went to die.  And #28 was the story's underwhelming conclusion.   We began #28 by learning a future/alternate version of Illyana was S'Ym's benefactor.  I suspected that from the start.  Although the silhouette in #25 was drawn to look like Belasco, S'Ym's ally had two arms whereas Belasco has one.  Vita managed to muddy the water by having Belasco generate a false energy arm in #27 (something he has never done in any other comic appearance and certainly not in the Magik limited series written by Chris Claremont), and I briefly hoped for something more creative than another version of Illyana, but alas, that was not to be.

Other than expressing their concerns about Illyana turning Limbo over to the Goblin Queen, Dani and Rahne have almost nothing to do in "The Labors of Magik."  There's hardly any chemistry between these three young women even though they have known each other, lived together, and fought side-by-side for roughly a decade.  (I'm assuming that the O. G. New Mutants are all in their mid-twenties during the Krakoa era.)  It could have been any two characters.  It could have been Storm and Wolverine.   It could have been Captain America and Hulk.  It could have been Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano.  Or just Illyana and her brother for all four issues.  Absolutely anyone Marvel has the publishing rights for given the lack of chemistry.  Dani and Rahne were completely unnecessary to the story.  Why were they there?  

After Queen Illyana is, well, dispatched just when she gets interesting, Regular Illyana gets her magical power back, and a text page explains what has happened to her.  These feel like afterthoughts, last minute changes to a story designed to either write Illyana out of existence or regress her to an unpowered child (again).  I have a very easy time envisioning someone from Disney HQ going to Marvel's editorial offices to lay down the law in person:  "Magik is a major character!  She's all over the comics lines except for the Star Wars Line, she's in the video games, and she was the breakout star of a movie that otherwise tanked.   We're already having discussions about casting her for the MCU; I've had three calls from Taylor-Joy this week.  You will NOT get rid of her, Ayala!  If you do, we will get rid of you!  And the next very next New Mutants writer brings Magik back as soon as possible and we forget this ever happened!  Capiche!?"   I do not doubt that the writer and editors will completely deny anything like that this happened, but the fact that a knucklehead like me could envision that shows my lack of trust in the writer in this case.

We end on a late-night heart-to-heart between Illyana and her brother in which Illyana explains she was tired of being angry.  Oh, please.   Illyana was never just angry.  3/5 of her soul had been consecrated to evil via the creation of the bloodstones, and the demonic side of being expressed itself through her being a bad attitude.  That's something you can't wish away.  Or shouldn't be able to.  And Illyana's motivation that she was tired of being angry was weak, especially given that everybody she knows is used to it by now.  Why the rush to change?  I couldn't see a pressing reason for it.  

The flashback reveals that child Illyana defied Belasco because of a book created a time-traveling demon she had once shown kindness.  Excuse me? The little sister of Colossus, who was pretty much being raised by the X-Men and who wanted to be a superhero like her big brother, was going to give up all hope and knuckle under to Belasco if not for the book this demon had somehow caused to write?  Seriously?  

(BTW, what happened to Squidge?  He was a little critter who came and went on the first pages of Magik #3.  I had assumed/hoped if we saw more of Illyana's time as Belasco's apprentice, we would see more of Squidge.   Guess not.)

And to top it all off, the introductory text said one of Illyana's duties was being the leader of the New Mutants.  SAY WHAT!?  For four decades, I thought DANI was and is the leader of the New Mutants.  No wonder Magik was burning out!  This begs the question, could the whole mess have been avoided if 'Yana had just given Dani her old job back?  Or maybe Illyana, Dani, and Rahne could have taken time off and gone on vacation?  That would have been more fun than "Labors of Magik" turned out to be...unless Vita wrote that, too...then...well...  

We're left with the Goblin Queen on the throne of Limbo, and I suppose that's got some story potential in it.  There's also the mystery of where Illyana's stepping disks now take people.  And what her place in the mystical world is now that she's no longer the sorceress supreme of Limbo.  Ok.  But that potential came at the cost of changing Illyana in fundamental ways.  Magik's story was always more than just an allegory for child abuse.  Being angry and being the queen of Limbo were central to her character for 40 years.  Remove those things and we're left with...what?  I can't relate to the character who was having a heart-to-heart with her older brother in #28.  I don't know how to relate to her, and I'm not sure I want to.  The "old Magik" had an edge.  Vita's "New Magik" has the cutting edge of a whiffle ball.  To be blunt:  A happy Magik is boring Magik.  

I can't see any reason for the changes to Magik's character, or who beyond Vita Ayala could have possibly wanted them.  "Because no one demanded it, we did it anyway because...well, just because!  Vita's tired of writing 'Yana in a bad mood all the time.  What do you care?   You're going to buy the BLEEP book anyway, so BLEEP you!"  Sadly, I did buy the BLEEP book, and I will probably buy the BLEEP trade paperback, but sales receipts do not indicate quality.  

So much potential, and all to nothing.  What a waste.

Better luck next time?

[garak]

i dont understand why everyone has to hate on young scott so much in all new x-men. hes like 17 and they brought him to the future specifically to make his future self not evil and immediately wolverine is like "i am going to cut through your brain stem to kill you instantly and i will not feel sorry about it" like okay goddamn he literally just got here he doesnt know wtf is going on... plus immediately jean starts being like i dont trust you at all scott when approximately 6 hours ago she was going on dates with warren thinking shit like "i wish i was on a date with scott instead ohhh i love scott ahh" like have some loyalty to your man. he has no personality except being emo and having a crush on you he is the biggest jean grey fan ever... even future cyke is still operating like having a crush on jean is his main priority. everybody is so mean to him when hes rawdogging life no medication no therapy no family and now no friends. his life sucks

[mbrainspaz]

mildly surreal experience reading the tacky 2008 Wolverine novella 'Election Day' (in which a team of militant 'patriots' and some very evil politicians attempt to subvert a presidential election) in a post January 6th 2021 world. The goofy scenario they made up for a sitting president trying to subvert the election is so tongue in cheek--full of scheming evil 'muahahaha' politicians and mutant terrorists--but ... they weren't far off the mark actually. Minus the shape-shifting mutant.

"The truth of things is that you're proposing I do what no president before me has ever done—refuse to abide by the wishes of the electorate. How is this going to make me any better than some two-bit third world dictator?" 👀