#and angela basset put her all into this

[babyboybuckley]

9 1 1 Spoilers!!!!!

Hmmm ok not much to say this week bc the episode, in some parts, made me feel physically ill but the cinematography in the final chase scene was incredible. I really think this episode was such a stand out even if it was a bottle episode of sorts, but I can't but feel like now they've found the killer... bathena retirement on the horizon??? Something to think about ANYWAY I am v keen for next week because as much as this episode was incredible and I did rlly rlly like it I do honestly thrive for the team dynamic

[cleastrnge]

.

[bibellebibuck]

Finale Thoughts

This is a long ramble that I’ve attempted to categorise and form into something coherent - but bear with me if there’s any mistakes, I’m working rn and didn’t have time to proofread🙏🏻

HENREN & MADNEY

I adore Madney and how inherently GOOD they are all the damn time. My favourite straights ever.

I know there’s differing opinions on this plot line but honestly I am glad that Madney are fostering Mara, for Maras sake. It’s a safe space her for where she’ll be loved and can keep in contact with Henren.

I do agree, though, that the constant struggles they put Henren through as they try to build their family is getting old and tired now, let them off the struggle bus, it’s time for a breather.

It’s a testament to how rushed this episode was that we didn’t even SEE the councilwoman at all. She just drops this bomb on the Henren family last episode and then disappears? No follow up? Okay.

My thoughts/hopes on these guys for S8 are; Madney will be left as they are once the Mara storyline is resolved (which I think won’t take long after the whole Gerrard situation is sorted) as they’ve had a lot going on with their wedding etc. I think they’ll be put aside for a while while other characters stories are expanded this season. I think it’s a possibility we’ll get another Buckley-Han baby after they see the sibling dynamic between Mara and Jee. Afterall, it was Maddie who commented on Denny and Mara “getting along so well” “like siblings”.

Henren specifically id like to see more of, I want Karen and DENNY! to have more screentime. Karen’s job is fucking interesting, SHOW US MORE SOMEHOW!! And Denny, what’s going on with his relationship with his dad now? This kids a great actor, give him a little more screen time.

BATHENA & AMIR

Now, Athena was bad ASS this episode. I love BAMF Athena with all my heart, that’s literally my mother. Her talk with Amir was emotional and I think well written (one of the few well written moments in this episode..) but it all went downhill from there. Amir’s rescue was rushed as fuck, I wasn’t tense at all, Athena basically showed up, burnt the place down and sauntered out with Amir like it was nothing. Ofc my girl is capable of this no problem… but it wouldn’t have hurt to have had more of a fight scene, maybe Amir being a little more proactive, then show them struggling to get out of the fire? Idk. Just SOMETHING to expand on the scene a little. I did like “I’m Mrs Bobby Nash” though, hell yeah you are <3

Oh also Yay! May sighted!! Love my girl, wanna see more of her in S8 I miss her sooo much :(

For S8, I think Bathenas marriage issues should be gently explored a little more, i feel this plot line wasn’t properly resolved during the cruise eps? Idk maybe I’m just a nervous child of divorce but I’d like to see some of their trust issues put to rest. I mean, just an episode ago Athena was terrified Bobby was going to off himself, and Bobby literally retired without telling her. It’s not healthy, I wanna see them work it out and get stronger together. I don’t want more conflict between them to cause this though, maybe they just start up a conversation when things have calmed down and agree to talk it out or go to couples therapy or something. Leaving them where they are right now will feel like a dropped plot line.

I want to see more of Amir but I sincerely doubt we will, I have a feeling he won’t even be seen in S8 at all to be honest. It’s a shame, he’s an interesting character that I’d totally love the see explored more. Someone suggested he could be a connection opportunity for the hospital? I like that. Tim, take notes !!

I also want them to stop murdering Angela Bassets hair. Let her slay, please.

BUDDIE

I wish I had more to say here, but sadly… I don’t. My heart is telling me we’ve been gently queer baited once again, but I think that’s just old scars hurting (Destiel and johnlock survivor ✊🏻), my head is telling me a lot of the hype was stirred up by us as fans giving journalists and actors comments a little too much credit.

This isn’t to say I don’t think Buddie is happening, i still have my naive little belief that if WILL be canon eventually. They’re just going to drag it out as long as possible for the drama and possibly to appease Those fans, and the older viewer base who won’t be pleased by buddie canon.

I was very disappointed by the scene after Chris left, where Buck just put his hand on Eddies shoulder. We can say all we like that the shoulder touch is Their Thing™️ but in that situation a hug was absolutely goddamn necessary. Idc about shipping, that man needed a hug from his best friend in that moment. I think Buck needed it too. They just said goodbye to their son for an indefinite amount of time ffs why are we standing here like absolute mugs.

S8 - I want gay Eddie this season. I want it.

I want gay Eddie and then I want them both to be single for a while and Then I want buddie. If they can fit this into season 8 while keeping a nice steady pace (I have little faith after this insanely rushed finale, but let’s give them the benefit of the short season doubt) then I want Buddie feelings realisation towards the end of S8.. possibly setting up canon for S9 or even ending S8 with canon and a cliffhanger.. maybe a good one this time though!

As much as I’d like to see Buck supporting Eddie as he navigates life without Christopher, I don’t think we’ll get many scenes between them at first. I think this is where Ryan is talking about Eddies isolation. He’s going to go to work, be with his family, then go home and be without his family, and it’s at this time that he’s going to be working on himself. To get better for Chris, and for his own mental health. This journey is his alone, and I think it (although a little painful) makes sense that Buck isn’t involved in this too much.

EDDIE & CHRIS

To sum it up.. OUCH!

Eddie is an amazing father, and if you think otherwise just block me. He made a mistake with Kim, that does not make him a bad father. Him respecting Christopher’s space and choices in this ep was soooo healing and lovely to see, he called Buck because he knows Chris trusts and loves him and needed somebody to talk to, and knew he wasn’t the person for that right now.

I’ve seen some people bothered about how it’s unrealistic for the Diaz parents to have gotten to eddies so fast after the incident. To this I say, how are you not used to 911s complete disregard for timelines/timeline realism at this point? Just let it happen and move on, like it’s a fantasy land where time isn’t real. Now, I’m not American so maybe I don’t get the extent of the distance between LA/Texas - but still, I enjoy the show more I think, because I don’t overanalyse the timeline 😅

What I DO find unrealistic is that Chris would call his grandparents and not Buck. I’m not looking at this through shipping lenses either, I’m saying that when Eddie had his breakdown, Chris’s first instinct was to call Buck. When Chris was upset and scared at the Ana situation, he went straight to Buck. And now this, he doesn’t talk to Buck at all before calling his grandparents?

It makes sense that he wanted to go to Texas as if he stayed with Buck he wouldn’t really be getting much space from his dad, and maybe he’d be thinking that Buck/Eddie would be on his case trying to force forgiveness on him while he’s there. But I think he first instinct would still have been to Call Buck to discuss the situation first, to confide in him, ask for help. Then he’d call his grandparents.

For S8 - I hate to be a downer but I don’t think we’ll see Chris this season. At LEAST the entirely of 8a, anyways.

As I mentioned earlier, I think this season will show Eddie growing and healing from this situation and becoming the person he wants to be, for himself and for Chris.

I think there is a lot of potential for us to finally get some Eddie & Maddie scenes, she could open a conversation with Eddie about her own struggles with feeling like an unfit parent for Jee - maybe Buck initiates this conversation, asking Maddie to speak to him?

I hope he will finally be able to put his insecurities about his parenting aside and stop trying to find Chris a mother figure, and accept that they’re a fine (wonderful, even) family unit as they are.

BUMMY / BT

Ooooohhh lord let’s get into it then.

It’s no secret that I hate this relationship. I do NOT hate it because I am a Buddie shipper, or because I’m homophobic (the fact that I have to clarify this is stupid, but the anon hate in my inbox means it’s necessary). When BiBuck became canon, I was OVERJOYED! I was excited to see Buck exploring his identity and enjoying a relationship with a new partner (I did want him to be single for a while originally, but it wasn’t a big deal, the Natalia relationship was barely a relationship anyways).

I initially had a bit of an ick from the way Tk kissed Buck to ~shut him up~ but I’m a bit of a hypocrite here because I don’t entirely hate this trope usually, but only when it’s between two well established characters who know each other well. At this point, Tk is still new to Buck so it did bother me a little. But, we move.

Then… the first date. I fucking hated this date, Tk almost outed Buck and then left him on the pavement like an a class ASS. I lost all interest in this relationship at this exact moment.

In this episode, on this date, we see Buck opening up about his relationship with Bobby as a father figure (WIN!! Let’s appreciate our small victories!!). Tk then gives us “but your fathers alive” which ?? What’s your point?? Why aren’t you comforting your partner right now?

And shared his own experience with having a shitty dad. We then get the daddy issues joke.

To detour for a moment; we all remember when Buck went to therapy and opened up about his sex addiction, right? How he was being vulnerable about his trauma/mental health, to the point that he was in actual tears… and then his therapist came onto him and slept with him. The show brushes this under the rug and even later makes a joke about it. We’ve all expressed our distaste for this in the past and rightly so. Aside from how morally wrong it was, it was also incredibly distasteful in a very real way.

We’re given a very close repeat of this situation in the finale. Tommy sexualising Bucks trauma is not only unfair on bucks character, but also a shitty slap in the face to real people in the real world too. How many times have we been sexualised for having “daddy issues”? The answer is a lot. This scene was Downright Offensive.

It’s so disappointing because in some ways this show is so progressive, and has handled some sensitive topics in such a great way in the past. But it’s really fumbled the bag with this one.

A large and hopeful part of me thinks all these tense/awkward/unhappy/unsatisfying BT scenes are a setup for BT bones in S8. If they wanted us to like Tk and be invested in this relationship, SURELY they’d make him more likeable & more supportive of Buck?

The awfulness of his character and the stilted scenes between him and Buck do feel intentional. And I reaaallly hope this is the case.

S8 - preferably, BT Bones off screen before the season even begins, Natalia style.

More likely, BT bones within 8a, due to Gerard’s return and the tension this will cause between him and Tk.

Most likely, BT bones by the end of 8b. I truly truly truly, with all my heart and head and hands, do not believe BT is surviving to season 9.

BUCK

just wanted to put in a little paragraph here about Buck specially, piggybacking off of what I’ve said about his trauma being sexualised etc.

They have consistently missed opportunities to flesh out Bucks trauma, and he has MANY to choose from. If they continue to ignore this aspect of Buck, it will be a great disservice to his character. I know we all joke about wanting Buck to go through more shit situations for the angst, and how we want him to have a big breakdown at some point but honestly - it really is overdue. I don’t just want him to suffer for funsies, I want his character to make sense, I want him to continue to be massively relatable, I want him to address his trauma and work through it and move on etc. etc. etc.

Here’s hoping we get the single Eddie and Buck arcs in S8/maybe 9 and both of them get therapy, properly.

RAVI

My boooyyy!!! The framing of that last shot, I do reckon Ravi will main soon. They didn’t drop his insane childhood lore, and built on him as a character (while Chim was at the academy with him) for no reason.

I am personally really looking forward to seeing him get a lot more screentime in S8. It’s what the people want!!!!!!

GERRARD

Why did they act like this was such a major twist?? Like why else would they have shown him last episode..

I don’t really understand how he can have been made captain of the same firehouse he was removed from for bullying a crew that is literally still there.. but for the plot I guess we’ll go with it!

I look forward to him finally getting his comeuppance in season 8, but the asshole he’s going to be to everyone sounds less fun.

Let’s look at what we might have in store, hm?

-Racist to Chim, Hen and now probably Ravi too.

-Homophobic to Buck.

-If Bobby is around, no doubt he’ll be demeaning to him.

-And, i fear, if he somehow knows about Eddies current situation, will he make snide remarks about him as a father? Idk, I wouldn’t put anything past the bastard.

I’d really like to see the team take a stand against him though, I know he’s their captain for now and they will, to an extent, respect him (or at least do as he says). But it would be nice to see some firefam crew solidarity the face of his bigotry and bullying. It won’t be realistic if any of them just stand by and listen/watch while he makes shitty racism/homophobic jokes to their family.

Going to be a fun (🫠) few episodes!

FINAL THOUGHTS

As an episode, this wasn’t horrendous, but certainly not great. As a finale, it was terrible. Underwhelming sums it up, disappointing emphasises it nicely.

I look forward to getting back to a full length season that has hopefully will be written a little more in advance than this one was. Let’s be optimistic, or this hiatus won’t be too enjoyable.

Can’t wait to spend the next few months binging Buddie fics and reading all your theories!! And don’t forget we get S8 BTS pics in just a few weeks 😭🫶🏻

Feel free to send me any asks if there’s something I’ve forgotten to mention that you’d like my thoughts on - or if you have any theories etc. I love to get asks from your guys 💛

[namor-shuri]

Marvel Studios Assembled & Wakanda Forever Podcast: Namor/Shuri + Tenoch/Letitia Moments

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Wakanda Forever [available on Disney +] [w/ time stamps to follow along]

▻ The whole cast comforted and gave Letitia a group hug at San Diego Comic Con as she broke down [Tenoch kissed her shoulder] [0:27]

▻ “We know what Black Panther is but what makes it a Black Panther movie? If we were to do another one….how would audiences recognize it?” - Ryan Coogler [Director] [5:44]

▻ We learn that Namor’s character was discussed to be in Black Panther 2 while the first movie was being written. “In the comics, the two worlds have a great rivalry” - Joe Robert Cole [Screenwriter] [13:25]

▻ Ryan was interested in Meso-American culture for the Talokanil and “…upon research it became more clear that the people of the Yucatán made a ton of sense.” - Ryan Coogler [Director] [14:40] They wanted to give Namor a culture/background different from the comic book version [a white man]. “Their [Mayan] artwork and their advanced agriculture…all of these things that they accomplished, it was a perfect palette for us to delve into.” - Joe Robert Cole [Screenwriter] [16:40]

▻ Namor’s costumes and headpieces are curated from post Yucatec Mayan culture roots. “We used a lot of kelp and things to make the headdress and hand wove his cape, but we kept it pure to what he looked like in the comics.” - Ruth Carter [Costume Designer] [17:50]

▻ Ryan and Hannah Beachler [Production Designer] show us the set of Namor’s cave and explain the time/labor that went into creating this elaborate set. Ryan points to the mural painting of Namor and the Black Panthers fight. “This one’s my favorite one” - Ryan Coogler [Director] [22:25] We learn that the style of art is “Bonampak”

▻ Letitia had to learn how to swim for her role, along with the majority of the cast. “I struggled with it. Ryan called me and he was like ‘Tish, can you swim?’ I was like ‘Sir, sir, I’m in the lab. What more do you need from me coming out of that lab?” - Letitia Wright [Shuri] [26:06]

▻ All of the water scenes were half filmed under water, called “wet for wet”, and filmed outside of the water, called “dry for wet” scenes. The exosuits [Shuri is shown wearing one when exploring Talokan] were real suits that were also filmed underwater and were about a million and a half dollars each [explained by Chris Denison, Stunt Coordinator] [29:40]

▻ A clip of Letitia Wright’s “Screen Test (2016)” from the first Black Panther is shown [41:54] and we learn that Dominique Thorne [Riri Williams] also auditioned for Shuri’s role a while back

▻ The cast had differing emotions/opinions than Ryan about the decision to kill Queen Ramonda [played by Angela Basset]. “When I read that Ramonda was going to die by the hands of Namor, I was very upset. I think I almost cried on the phone to Ryan.” - Letitia Wright [Shuri] [43:43] Ryan and the writers felt her death would be a big “motivator”/ transformative moment in Shuri’s development and the eventual break down of her character to become the Black Panther [her arc]

▻ Ryan supported and pushed Letitia during the whole process of becoming the Black Panther to do her best work and continuously reminded her of who she was and what she was capable of when stepping into the role. Letitia wished Chad could have passed the torch to her himself to do it [46:02] + [55:03]

▻ [Referring to the making of Shuri’s Black Panther suit] “We were working with the design language of silver being representative of T’Challa, gold being representative of T’Chaka, and the little bit of where Killmonger’s coming from…We’re essentially taking those two elements and combining them.” - Ryan Meinerding [Head of visual development] [46:58]

▻ “Shuri vs Namor. We put alot into that fight.” - Aaron Toney [Fight Coordinator] [49:59] We see that a lot of the BTS of their big fight on the desert were shot with different individual sets with Tenoch, Letitia and stunt actors, separately and together. “I’m so proud of it. Shuri’s looking amazing, Namor’s looking amazing.” - Letitia Wright [Shuri] [50:27] Their fighting styles are explained to be very different, where Shuri is more calculated and Namor is more in his body. “With Namor, when it came to fighting styles, I pulled from….cultural aspects like Lucha Libre…asian cultures…I pulled from a style called Baji.” - Aaron Toney [Fight Coordinator] [50:49]

▻ “Processing in a way of expressing her pain and fury towards Namor, she thinks that’s going to be satisfying to her soul and it’s not….I think that’s a beautiful way to complete that arc, to realize that my brother wouldn’t do this, my mother wouldn’t want this for me….We see Shuri become a woman in her own right.” - Letitia Wright [Shuri] [53:00]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast [Hosted by Ta-Nehisi Coates]: Chapter 5 w/ Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta, Dr. Gerardo Aldana [available on Spotify]

▻ “What does it mean when Wakanda and Talokan give us a beauty created not to justify enslavement but to celebrate freedom?” - Ta-Nehisi Coates [Host]

▻ Tenoch continues to put the spotlight back on indigenous communities/culture and does not claim to be apart of their experiences. “I don’t practice the culture so it is impossible to name myself indigenous….I’m not pretending to be something that I’m not…I’m just trying to honor my ancestors.” - Tenoch Huerta [Namor]

▻ A fan went to the movies with his Mayan grandma and she began to translate scenes herself while watching the film with him. “The Mayan group in LA said it [the character’s Mayan in the movie] sounds beautiful. You have an accent, it sounds good! They were happy with it.” - Tenoch Huerta [Namor]

▻ “Why are these two groups [Wakandans and the Talokanil] fighting each other? Why can’t they get together and go beat the colonizer?…I am a huge Black Panther fan but I was sitting there and found myself rooting for the Talokanil!” - Ta-Nehisi Coates [Host]

▻ Letitia was bullied in school for her appearance when she was growing up (ex. her size, being African, etc) “I kind of let that go…I talked myself out of the idea that I should be like anyone else.” She found comfort/ amusement in going viral on TikTok. “It’s definitely flattering but I’m really shocked…I’ve never been crushed on before in school…As a black woman, I’m moving into a space where I’m finally being called beautiful but I didn’t wait for them [the media/world] to tell me that at first. I told it to myself.” - Letitia Wright [Shuri]

▻ “This is the highest grossing movie with the lead character as a black woman and it’s you [Letitia]. How does that feel?” - Ta-Nehisi Coates [Host]

▻ “The love that Shuri has for T’challa is the love that Letitia has for Chadwick and that’s intertwined.” Letitia shares her initial hesitancy about doing the film without Chadwick after his passing and taking on the mantle as Black Panther. “I see it as I’m a vessel. I’m a trusted vessel that’s here to honor my brother.” - Letitia Wright [Shuri]

▻ Letitia laughs about fun moments they had on the set of Wakanda Forever. “He [Ryan Coogler] would say Namor and the Black Panther are having a conversation. It’s a big movie. Turn your phones off!” - Letitia Wright [Shuri]

[buckera]

Where did Angela Basset hint at a new spinoff? Not disagreeing I swear I just don’t keep up with a lot of press for the cast.

i believe in one of her mini interviews on the carpet recently she made some vague "you never know" kinda comments, but i don't have an actual source — i didn't question anon because the possibility has been brought up in this article a couple of days ago

again, nothing is confirmed at all, but it def seems like they are putting some feelers out

[ridersfm]

welcome to lyris, tahlia llywelyn, rhodes karstark, countess wistar & lio kanroji ! we hope you and altair & amaris will join us in defending the city and its people to the best of your abilities. thank you for your applications, mandi & caelum, please read through the checklist and make sure to send in your account within the next 24 hours

🐉     natasha liu bordizzo  &  cis woman  &  she/her     |     tahlia llywelyn, the crown princess & alchemist of lyris for the past thirty years. they're thirty, and known to be quite extroverted & endearing, but on a bad day they can be incautious & sardonis. within lyris, it’s common knowledge that tahlia is always reading alchemy books & practicing archery, and they do have any interest in being a rider.     |     either you had a book with your nose buried in it as you put one foot in front of the other or eyes in the sky watching the dragons flying around as staff tried to wrangle you in check until it was time to grow up. you were a child who stayed under the bed prepared to catch the monsters and under the bed until you hear the crown calling your name. you hid behind father and mother as you tried to not see all the darkness around but knowing the world you grew up in is a vicious place because its all you’ve known and maybe you don’t want to see such darkness anymore. eyes that burn with passion but can also turn cold with a single word. doing things well by sheer hard work and determination but fueled by spite.     |     mandi  +  27  +  she/her  +  pst

🐉     archie renaux  &  cis man  &  he/him     |     rhodes karstark, the city guard of lyris for the past eight years. they're twenty-five, and known to be quite determined & athletic, but on a bad day they can be aloof & stark. within lyris, it’s common knowledge that rhodes is always sword fighting & horseback riding, and they don’t have any interest in being a rider.     |     midnight is when you come alive as you make your way through the shadows guarding a home you've only known. sarcasm was always your best friend and easily rolls of your tongue. vulnerability hidden beneath layers of confidence and steel. silver ring clad callous fingers with faint bruises from years of training. heavy is the will one wears as a cap when a job means everything to survive.     |     mandi  +  27  +  she/her  +  pst

🐉     angela basset  &  cis woman  &  she + her     |     countess wistar, the judicial arm member bonded with altair for the past fifty - one years. they're sixty - six, quite a contrast to the nine hundred sixty - seven of their antlered white whip-tail. they’re known to be quite loyal and dignified, but on a bad day they can be kind of critical and harsh. if separated from their dragon, tessa relies on a double bladed polearm to protect them.     |     the dual blades of your battle worn polearm was born from tragedy, once existing as a pair of swords belonging to twin sisters, cursed when a single plunge baptized the two in familial blood. along the shaft sits a gilded engraving: "for nothing but death could reunite me with the one who shares my face. with every strike, with every blow, with the crack of armor and mask, i meet my match where space meets time at the edge of the worldline." it has tasted far more blood in your hands — the kind that has stained your hands red ; your warrior spirit will live on even when you perish, your legacy will immortalize you on parchment and in stone. your father may have met his end with a reputation corroded by shame, but you honor him with a bequest that transcends the stars that you’ve flown close enough to touch ; as a youth, you were discouraged to dream. your desires were yours to manifest and capture, to claw into until crimson beads pooled from the punctures. you've fought for so long, blade dulling just to be sharpened again. now, you take to your judicial thrown, your dragon sits at your feet and your hands quiver, hungry to wield steel once more ; there’s a darkness in your eyes, a heat to the blood in your veins and a thirst to be chosen for battle — one that will never die ; a countess birthed from the tarnished castle of a nameless king, your father taught you that victory grants entrance into a warrior’s solace. the sharpness of your eyes, even now, is a reminder of the warning you grace all that stand across from you. “I am Countess. Rider of Altair. And I have never known defeat.”     |     caelum  +  25+  +  they + them  +  est

🐉     mackenyu  &  gender non - conforming  &  he + they     |     lio kanroji, the squad 2 vice captain bonded with amaris for the past twelve years. they're twenty - seven, quite a contrast to the one hundred thirty - seven of their long horn black blade-tail. they’re known to be quite disciplined and diplomatic, but on a bad day they can be kind of aloof and strict. if separated from their dragon, lio relies on a crossbow to protect them.     |     you may have been born small, but you will die a colossus ; feet together and hand angled into a perfect salute, flying among the skies breathes life into a body that was once a shell, but you find true purpose when you join the ranks. living to serve, there’s no greater honor ; you’re the first to rise, first to the training grounds, first to finish your meal and first to leave the barracks. why is everything a race to you? why do you run like you’re running out of time? ; you’re hard on your squad, flipping them during training and bruising them with snaps from your wooden sword. you scowl at the moans for mercy and command them to stand. they need to be ready for all that approaches, they need to live and breathe and prosper once the dust has settled. otherwise, to walk through a battlefield soaked in the blood of your comrades is to admit that you will never escape the legacy of failure that you were born into.      |     caelum  +  25+  +  they + them  +  est

[deelovesbooks]

911 s7 finale liveblog!

the amount of anxiety im feeling cannot be healthy rn

omg omg omg ok ow i just stimmed too hard and hurt my hand

oh man chris :(((((((

oh shit oh shit okay yeah chris called the grandparents

mara :(((((

lmao i called that the shocked diaz parents was seeing kim

ohhhh Athena

ooooooooooooooooh Athena maam thats a bad idea thena put the gun away

i dont like this lady im suspicious fr

Maddie Han 😍

yeah in danger from you

oh is that the Prayer book eddies holding?

ok its very tense but im loving the teamwork connecting the dots. also love how up in eachothers buisness the 118+ fam is. Sketchy call from athena? better call chim

oh buck and eddie sitting in bobbys room :(

lmao that 911 nba commercial startled me i was so confused

Athena miss maam leave this man alone

i still cannot believe that we get Angela fuckin basset on our weewoo show

Aw Amir

if thats not bobby fucking waking up and fighting the intubation im gonna lose it

the fact that buck is in the same shirt for the bucktommy date as he is in the hospital rn is the only thing holding me together bc if bobby died they wouldnt have the date right?

[also jesus christ why are there so many fuckin medication commercials? america are u ok?]

lmao Athena bout to start her own fire

lmao amir and athena about even now? sorry i threatened u here let me save ur life pls dont press charges lol

BOBBY!!!

OH THANK GOD ok i can untense now lol

"god i hope so" THOMAS

[ok was that just my stream or was there a weird cut edit during their conversation?]

ok yeah hes 13 he should have some choice but also hes 13. have him stay with like hen and karen or even buck for little bit if he needs space not in another state!!

Awwwwwww grant-nash family :')

please excuse me while i go cry :(((

I CALLED IT!!!! MADEY THE COUPLE YOU ARE!!

amir :')

yes bobby accept ur a hero

oh thank god we were wrong its bobby n

NO FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SENTENCE SAYING IT WASNT HIM

FUCK FUCK FUCK SHIT GOT DAMN

i legit threw my glasses off my face onto my desk the viceral reaction i had to that motherfuckers face

i- fuck. thats the only thing i got. fuck.

there was only a minute left i assumed the angst and bittersweet part would be chris leaving and ya know he grant-nashs not having a house but then

we knew. we all as a fandom knew that it wasnt just a coincidence that gerrard was at the medal ceremony. i had hoped that it would be one of those instances where fandom read to much into it and thought about it way harder than the actual writers like what usually happens but no.

fuck

[destinyc1020]

I agree with that anon…. If Barbie is getting nominations, I don’t see why MCU are not considered good enough. Sorry. I know I’m starting it with the film people…

Well, "Barbie", while it was a lighthearted, fluff, blockbuster film, it DID have very deep messages in it, especially about women in society. It wasn't JUST about a Barbie doll in other words.

I kind of feel like it would have also been a huge snub to a female director, who created such a huge female-dominated film, not to even recognize her. 🤷🏾‍♀️ jmho

Also, I'm not sure why people are acting like superhero/MCU films NEVER get nominations??? 🤔 Ummm... they DO!

Just last night, "Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse" was nominated. 🤷🏾‍♀️

"Avengers: Endgame" was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Visual Effects".

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was nominated (and WON!) for Best Costumes at the Oscars last year. 😁

Did you all also forget that THEE Angela Basset was nominated for a "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar for BP Wakanda Forever at the Oscars last year? 😅

"Spiderman: No Way Home" was also nominated for "Best Visual Effects".

"Black Panther" and "Joker" were nominated for "Best Picture" Oscars.

Heath Ledger was nominated (and WON!) a posthumous Oscar for his role as The Joker in "The Dark Knight".

Sooo.... comic book films DO get prestigious award nominations, but it's just kind of rare that they get acting nods. Heath and Angela are the only ones that stick out in my mind. 🤔

MCU films are great, but sometimes, you really have to look at what else was put out that year, and ask yourself if it's realistic to expect that a film about superheros is really going to win over a film about a son committing suicide and the family having to pick up the pieces from that (for example, just hypothetically-speaking).

🤷🏾‍♀️

[cantpickonefandoms]

On another note, I’m disappointed Angela Bassett didn’t win for best supporting actress, I’m not coming for Jamie Lee Curtis, I haven’t seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, so I can’t say anything about JLC’s performance or about whether she earned the Oscar or not. But Angela Basset absolutely killed it as Queen Ramonda, she put so much emotion into her performance, and was just absolutely fantastic every step of the way in that movie.

[indyflanery]

Fcs: Monica Raymund, Adria Arjona, and Angela Basset?

Okay, so you're going to have to forgive me because I don't have names for anyone in terms of the NPCs in Indy's life. Naming is always the hardest thing for me because I suck at it. I always think everything I come up with sounds stupid or fake so I'm going to opt out on that part of things.

As for how the above women would fit into his life....

Monica Raymund

Monica is gorgeous, but she's got something in her eyes that makes Indy think that her character would be just as strong-willed as Marion Ravenwood and would give him a similar headache. He's secretly turned on by that kind of woman who keeps him on his toes, but don't tell anyone.

I imagine whichever setting it would be, they'd have a bit of a love-hate relationship. Any time they meet up, they swear it's going to be the last time, but that never actually happens.

In Indy's default modern setting, they probably are overly competitive with each other at school or her character is someone in a position of legal authority that is unwillingly bringing Indy in a matter for consulting purposes and she isn't that impressed with him yet she still keeps asking for his expertise when she has no choice in the matter.

Canonically, I feel like Monica's character would be another spy Indy encounters during World War 1 (think Mata Hari but not really) and they keep running into each other over the course of the war. It's a long-term on-off thing for them where the other person is one of the few who just gets it in terms of what things are really like in the world.

--

Adria Arjona

He might have a few notable blonde love interests in his life down the road, but Indy very much has a thing for gorgeous brunettes. Adria also very much falls into that sphere. (She actually reminds us of a past muse who used Emmy Rossum as the fc for the embodiment of Connor MacManus' rosary, and oh my god did Indy fawn over her). She would be a love interest, hands down.

Canonically, he would meet her oversees in Europe during his service during the War and they would have a whirlwind romance. Lots of intimate, intense nights and days are spent in the bedroom, but he'd also take her to dinner and outings because he's absolutely taken in by her beauty. Unfortunately, his duty comes first and Indy has to return to the front due to end of leave or through threat of desertion, leaving her behind but constantly dreaming about going back to her one day.

In the modern setting, Indy meets her character at the bar she is tending. At first she doesn't find his attempts at flirting all that impressive, but he keeps coming back and eventually wears her down because he can be charming when he wants to be. They've probably hooked up at least once in the storeroom and once in the ladies' room before she's willing to give him a chance at a proper date.

--

Angela Basset

Ms. Basset's character would absolutely be one of two things: either the older love interest Indy gets entangled with on some absurd adventure who teaches his naive ass a thing or two or the stern professor that puts him in his place but he tries very hard not to let it turn him on because boy does he have a thing for strong women at the end of the day. She would not put up with his bullshit for one minute and he secretly loves it. Both scenarios work in the modern setting, but in the canon world, the older Mrs. Robinson-type character would work best.

[roseandclove999]

Lean into your lessons

✺

Queen of Swords

“When you fight, you win!”

Expect your maturity to be tested. Merc Rx is such a potential rich season. If you are training or studying something at some point you will be tested in your field on your responses. When these tests come they are not necessarily supposed to challenge you. They are supposed to show you that all of your training was worth it. They show you that you can do it and deciding to do it was the first and one of the bigger hurdles.

The Queen of Swords is a real mom energy. Think of Angela Basset as Marie Laveau in AHS: Coven. Any of her people need her she goes above and beyond to help them.

Cross her and so help you god you will know a new definition of suffering and pain.

Mercury Rx is often defined as some kind of period of mishaps, slowdowns and redirections, but it’s more than that.

Remember when you were a baby? And someone took something from you and you screamed and cried and shook your body and your rage was your biggest experience in the moment?

As you grew up all of that changed (I hope and believe ) because you learned new ways of communicating, right?

Mercury Rx shows us that all of our experiences and interactions during the year were in fact what was refining us, teaching us new ways of communicating, of sharing information and of receiving new ideas.

Merc Rx helps us so when we drop our glass and it shatters we see how different our response is to something breaking, because we have to have tools to deal with this, because things break! It gives you the opportunity to sweep and clean up the broken glass and refresh your space, to declutter and prepare for new information, downloads, people, travel, foods, scents, sights and skills that are  there for you to access as soon as *you* realize that you are ready.

If we never get hurt we never know we are capable of healing. If we never get hurt, we will never know the difference between pain and presence.

With each supposed set back, obstacle, or redirection don’t rise to fill in the role or expectation of past patterns. Show up intentionally. Put into practice all that you have learned, all that you are becoming.

When people approach you respectfully you can always hear them out, and when they send you that negative, sneaky, passive aggressive bs? Babe, you’ve got a mega-fvcking sword to slice that sh*t into pieces without even getting up!

What good are your weapons if you’re not using them?!

Like, hello!?!?!?!

Your intelligence and creativity are not a mistake or coincidence or gifts that you need permission to yield.

They are your divine responsibility.

Before taking the bait reflect back to this Queen of Swords

And remember what you have learned.

Mercury loves a good student. ☿

Tips $

cashapp: $butterflyxgoddess

venmo: roseandclove999

[theuniverseawakens347]

physical into the SPIRTUAL… I’m going to try and keep it on my story… but Halle ya roped in for a past life … Chloe ur a different .. sector from sky… so they say I’m not going to judge it in full just the over lay.. lil Wayne rhythm..

I was being hunted physically and spiritually when Tristan Barton came into my life… Noah ring led back end EAZYIINK Ian McDowell… ya purposely w adults who hate DARNIECE and our parents did the same thing to them to us.. using the kids of the same adults.. elders might have skipped a generation depending on coming to America time frame.. DDG mom..

I’m not giving too much detail cause a lot happening… but I talked to a tarot reader when Tristan and I parted and when MY ANCESTORS PASSED OVER NIPSEY INCLUDED started calling me … I needed a physical understanding …

so I found some online stuff bc Loyalität.. Informant did her part.. in the physical now it was time to go to her SPIRTUAL realm… Howard serving me papers w his death pet “for” Lee … 3 party.. person who handed it to me guilty for HELPING LEE IN THE PAST GET AWAY W CRIME IN WHATEVER LLC EESTAB BISH MENT… they don’t know spiritual law.. that’s another reason pergatory is Russian doll…

this man 2:57 pm just left the library… he’s a fake SPIRTUAL in psychosis for Lee garlington to piss off this library and get it shut down by having the cops come to HARRASS them but see me and call me mentally a bitch to test if I can read their minds… YA GOT MY TWITTER TORRENCE PD FRONT DESK LEARNED THE HARD WAY… NELSON… SINGLE RIDE SQUAD CAR .. CAULIFLOWER EARS STARBUCKS .. THIS MAN DOING BLASPHEMY HE GETTING PSYCHWARD FOR TAKING MEDS TO BE A CRACK HEAD IN SPIRITUAL PSYCHOSIS…

HALLE BAILY AND PUTTING CHLOE ON PAPER … AND HAVENT TOLD HER YOU DID IT SAID IT WAS DDG OR DASHAE OR HIS MOM SIGNATURE AND SOMETHING BOUT HALO ON HER CHESTTHAT VIDEO NIGHT AND WHOO OPS

… anyways I reached out to a physical tarot reader and they asked for photos of my apartment to assest my energy and spirits around me HALLE BE DOING THIS SHIT IN CHLOE NAME OR ASKED CHLOE TOMDO IT TO FRANCESKA AND NOMI… GROWNISH CREW .. YARA SIGN OFF AS ZOE … ORGANIZE IT AND UR CO CAPTAIN HALLE GOT A LITTLE TOO LOOSE.. AND YA JUST LET IT KEEP GOING AND DRINK TO IGNORE IT NOW YA BOTH EVEN MORE RESPONSIBLE… BC DID YOU REPORT IT TO ANYONE!? No. U just drank and told someone who pushed you to the next sector TRACEE to do something dumb ..

Howard took a photo of me receiving this paper and docked who came with him… Ben did that part … I’m posting everything PUBLICALLY and tagging the police and proper ppl.. and I know it’s getting there bc Burbank pd already seen me and Venice ya call me when I’m in the area and tell me come to a crime scene when things are going down and I document it …

I got 18 miles to the gas tank and no dollars for mobility.. except my legs … Jesus not walking more miles thru the desert ya coming to come now or within close range,,

….vivicca WHITSET Angela basset at some point in ur spiritual special mental illness sector you got big footed and I got someone over seeing and reporting evidence,,, it takes time yes… but DIDDY did his part and Cassie did hers w resistance … like Lee and Howard.

DIDDY. EEN TURNED THINGS IN ALL OF IT BEFORE AUG 17th 2021 … again my 27th that yr was suppose to be something special in going home to the stars.., n starting my spiritual journey w PROPER FAMILY… Lee evil team Angela basset got jealous again at lee and used you get back at her and hurt me GOD.. for their pain they cud t understand… well now ur learning IVE BEEN NUMBED OUT MENTALLY MY WHOLE LIFE WITH ALL MY FAMILY FROM OUR SPIRITUAL TRUTHS… MY TRIANGLE N EXTENSION SACRIFICED TAKING BULLETS FOR CERTAIN FAMILY OF THE HOLY LAW OFFICE … WHILE UR PASSED OVER ANCESTORS PROTECTED YOU FROM HARM… BUT AGIN FREE WILL IS URS TO TAKE AND GODS WILL IS ONLY FOR MY 3 … AND OUR ANCESTORS TO AN EXTENT UNTIL I WAKE… THE MORE NUMBING YOU GIVE ME ANGELA ON PURPOSE TO AVOID PUNISHMENT FROM OTHER REALSM THE MORE THE PPL GET MAD AT TRISTAN… HE CANT OVER STEP UNTIL WERE TOGETHER AND YOU KNOW THAT ANGELA.. U TRYNA GET BACK AT LEE FAMILY TREE BC THEIR ANCESTORS ARE THE GROUP OF SLAVE OWNERS SEX TRADE SLAVE TRADE.. U PLAYED BLASPHEMY INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THE CREATOR AND WORKING THRU UR PAIN LEGITIMATELY… FROM A BLIND HINDSIGHT SPOT YA PROBABLY BEEN DOING IT IN EVERY LIFE TIME.. SAME W HALLE BAILEY OR ENOUGH FOR ME AWAKING TO SAY… NAW IM GOOD ON HER AFTER WE TALK FACE TO FACE.

[ilearhmajeste]

But as for Angela Basset, she couldn't get her hands on Absolut Monday but had some Appletons and the same basic principle on a floppy

Turns out to have been the only luggage brand ever brought up in manhattan

Any given garlic butter

Like Chevron would ever bail me out.

Regis tries showing how crazy it is by comparing regular folk to someone closer to Ned's figure skiing

Promises its on all the bingos he goes for.

She's impressed.

So he does it

It's kate Winslet but they haven't figured out the little balls in whistles so now her "dress" needs changstein motors. Then pop pop it does that

So I asked Edinburgh or Glasgow.

All I heard was bag pipes. He's just a columnist. But there's a book. He was paid by the a banker box. Bull shit!2chitty

She goes the authors dead leads a psychic mains psychic it's Pirates of the banana peeles. Requires Age of Empires for expansion to install.

She is too far from a waiter to get a martini

Woman

What do they say

Ford I can see.24 28!

What's the time?

Now she's less impressed as Canopy shows up in the ESV Bible she found AND she heard Kate say put Michael on.

Regis tries, look one hand, I can do this driving.

The one on south park has hydraulics.

And then this chicks like I was on bus thinking when's there going to he a harry potter amusement park I can get to bang bang black peral

Chinese tourists roll up with disposablestm

tmtmtmtmt mtmt pineapple tmtmtm

Someone points out Playstation is awesome. Almost every one believes crash bandicoot didn't. I never ever see a toilet but plates at bonus? Earth worm jim 2, as a babier worm but it's moonlight sonata. Why does everyone's cdRibbon list CD in higher ds

Larva, everyone's seen antz

This shapes solid..

I btk some it's teeth

Wait! I'll get a ziploc. Does anyone know the safest edge for Saran.

She says ballet flat

He says batman direct to voucher

Do we know anybody from Japan

Pluto: is the lead psychic

Regurgitation why does the TV cause the smekle.

I was only in Hercules anime do you know R.Morranis, did honestly it's funny. Watch it with commercial.

Sundance!10% xBye

She wanted to get as many make up tips from the breast feeede.r which of these are windows

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Wakanda Forever: A Celebration of Life and Death (Nicole’s Ramblings)

So, yeah, I’ve just seen the movie and I’m not sure about the stand I wanna take on this one. I won't be tackling the cultural impact because I firmly believe that these movies are endlessly needed. Every group of people needs representation, we all wish to see people like us on the big screen. Ryan's Coogler's first instalment was a HUGE statement and I'm all here for it. I love the messages, I wanna hear the stories, and I wanna learn about topics I'm not educated in. I'll be simply talking about the movie from a simple movie and part of the MCU perspective, going over what made sense to me and what didn't, I'll talk about characters' arcs and soundtrack, etc.

Warning: there are spoilers for the entire movie down below. The ramble is VERY long as I'm trying to clear my mind and find my stand on the movie. I dwell on details as I try to give you my arguments for why I don't like some things but why I can appreciate them, etc.

Spoiler freely I can say that the movie is a solid 7.5/10 since it's beautiful a tribute to Chadwick - but you can't let the two major opening/closing scenes cloud your mind and make you forget that the entire movie is not that good.

Part I: The visuals, audio story and story itself

Ryan Coogler’s emotional pondering upon mourning, life and death… And its setback of the story:

As was expected, the entire movie tackles the incredibly personal and challenging topic of mourning, overcoming it just as it was a celebration of life. I didn’t expect them to dive deep into raw emotion and I was really taken away by the way everyone poured their heart into the project; both Letitia Wright and Angela Basset put their souls into acting all their scenes and it can be felt. Sometimes I even had to shift in my seat because the raw energy of their portrayals made me truly uncomfortable (in the best way possible). When we view the movie through emotional beats, it was handled with the best care and there were moments when the entire cinema grew more and more silent while watching the scene untangling - the main example being queen Ramonda letting go of Okoye as her general.

However, while all of the emotional beats are possibly the best Marvel had released to date, the story suffered for it greatly. The movie felt unnecessarily long at times and the story beats often didn’t hit at all. If there was half an hour cut out of the length of the movie, I don’t think it would make too much of a difference. I’m so disappointed to say this but for example, Shuri’s transforms into the Black Panther didn’t hit the emotional or the story beat at all for me (I'll explaining be why that happened more in another part of the rambling). While her conversation with N’Jadaka was great, the entire moment kind of… Fell right on its face. And for me, the story had a lot of beats that didn’t fit in or just missed entirely. Just as most of the third act.

For example, Nakia introducing her son to Shuri just came out of nowhere after a beautiful mourning and heartfelt scene and to be frank, it ruined the entire moment for me. I wasn’t even confused that the son was introduced, I just couldn’t be bothered. I wanted to feel the moment for a bit longer.

My respects to Tenoch Huerta because while Namor wasn't handled or utilized well, to say the least, he had really threatening and discomforting scenes sprinkled throughout the entire movie. It wasn't nearly enough to make him a compelling villain, but that's just a typical Marvel issue Tenoch had nothing to do with.

The Visuals: A walk through Wakanda and a not-so-impressive Talokan:

When it comes to the visuals, I have mixed feelings regarding them as well. As it was presented in the first instalment, Wakanda is looking like a vivid, beautiful place; it's a mix of super-modern stuff and old, traditional and cultural huts (which, in the context of the movie doesn't make much sense - Wakanda is supposed to be this super advanced nation among everyone else). It might not make sense in the context but it's visually very appealing, livid and colourful. When it comes to Talokan... First off, we didn't see much of it so it would be unfair to judge definitely. It's, gives or take, 2 minutes of footage before we spend the rest of the time with K'uku'lkan and his fellow Talokans in the caves (presumably somewhere around Haiti and the Yucantán peninsula?). We hadn't seen enough of Talokan to say for sure but what was presented was underwhelming, to say the least. The megalodon-jaw throne was poggers, tho.

The CGI is a question in itself. As expected, most of the visuals are stunning and believable; Shuri's suit is simply a piece of eye candy, as mentioned Wakanda looks wonderful - but then there are the buts: Namor's fucking feet, sometimes the movements of the characters seemed very questionable... Overall it is a solid 7/10 but there are some stupid moments.

The last point regarding the visuals is the costumes and superhero suits: - First off, Namor's fucking green shorts: We cried each time he entered the scene without his clothes on, that shit makes you laugh, 5/10 because of how ridiculous poor Tenoch looked. - Shuri's suit: The CGI on that thing was really well done and Letitia looked super slick in it... As to be expected, 8/10 - Okoye aka the Night Angel: For some reason, while most of the suit looked fine (the colour scheme is beautiful), it just doesn't click when you compare it to the rest of the suits. But I don't hate it; 5/10, why does it look like an owl? - Riri's Ironheart aka Iron Man's very lacklustre ripoff: ... What the fuck is that thing about? I'm going over Riri later in the character section but regarding her suit, I feel very strongly against it. If you're ripping off your A-list superhero (which you clearly are) and replacing it with a B-list counterpart at best (Dominique's Riri is a B, but comic-book Riri is just a straight D-list annoying replacement), at least make the suit look right. 2/10 for the fluid movement CGI at least.

Ludwig's wonderful audio story and, well... The lack of Kendrick Lamar:

To stay transparent, Ludwig Göransson is the favourite composer of this generation - he's willing to travel the world to simply get a feel of the sounds the people in his movies use and are used to - this damn man travelled to Yucatán and Nigeria just to learn and to incorporate the sounds into the movie. He did all this to simply take the spectator on an audio walk through the world of this movie. He was the one to originally cooperate with Baaba Maal and to tape the amazing Wakanda (Black Panther, 2018) with him. Hearing Baaba coming back for the second instalment was amazing. The score didn't disappoint, it still held onto the African instruments we grew to love in the first movie and added Hispanic music elements.

Well... That's not to be said about the OST. Kendrick Lamar didn't come back to oversee the second album from what I can understand and Rihanna overtook his place? I don't really understand this instalment's OST. While most of the songs capture Yucatán's atmosphere and the Latino feel is simply wonderful, this OST is missing the raw feel Kendrick's 2018 OST had. Sure, the songs are fine but none of them is really memorable? I love Tems' No Woman No Cry and Love & Loyalty (Believe) made by multiple artists but... The palette is lacking. It's good background noise, yes, but none of the songs stands out.

First Black Panther had X, Opps, All the Stars, Pray for Me or Black Panther, I can only remember A Body, A Coffin from this movie's OST. It's fine but it's kinda... Not rememberable. I like the songs, I have most of them in my Marvel playlist, but I don't think I'll be ever able to remember which movie release they accompanied.

Regarding the audio story Wakanda Forever has presented, I have one last H O T take: Rihanna's tribute song 'Lift Me Up' should be replaced by Tems' cover of 'No Woman No Cry'. I feel like it captures the mourning process at least a few times better than Rihanna's song, mainly because Lift Me Up is a bit bland.

Part II: The lead actors, support and newcomers

Letitia Wright and the conundrum of being the Black Panther:

First of all, I’m sure this executive decision had to come off as a surprise to the actress (as well as the rest of the cast) and it also had to come with an unimaginably high emotional toil. Taking the mantle after the incredible Chadwick Boseman, her good friend and figurative older brother, could not have been an easy task.

Then there’s also the part where Letitia simply doesn’t feel right being the Panther. Let me elaborate. We all knew it was inevitably going to happen - there was virtually no other person than Shuri who would be at least remotely in the position to take the mantle. And we’ve been, I wanna excitedly say, all looking forward to this transition. The ancestral plane scene with N’Jadaka was such a good kick-off, an amazing set-up for what kind of Panther had Shuri the capacity to become; everything after that is a certified fucking mess.

Each scene she’s in as the Black Panther just doesn’t click in the way it should. And this fact, sadly, can’t be excused with Shuri’s story of growth and emotion, longing for revenge or her mind being clouded with hatred or anger. It can be seen that Letitia herself isn’t comfortable in the role and that she’s not ready for it. It's a bit janky if you will. Physically or mentally. Let alone the fact that she badly injured herself during the filming which had to take away from her performance too - no way around it, it traumatized her and she has every right to take it easy.

There’s this small window in which it almost comes across that Nakia might be taking over the mantle. At the moment I wished not for Ryan to take that route - in foresight I can say that it would be much better than pushing Wright into it. It would still make sense to let Shuri take over the throne while Nakia takes the place of the mythical protector. I really hope Marvel won't force Wright into the suit again - at least in the near future to give Letitia time to come to terms with things and accept them.

The Queen and the spiral to madness:

This is one of the rare moments of the current MCU movies I can say with full confidence that I won’t stop to praise or supporting ever. Angela Basset is a beautiful and talented actress right off the bat and the time and space she got to discover Queen Ramonda at her lowest and most vulnerable state was legitimately sending chills down my spine. We watch Ramonda witness the loss of her oldest child and the motherly need to protect the second because that’s all she has now.

Each of her scenes made sense, each eruption of emotion was frightening to watch and it was simply beautiful to let Angela walk the audience through all the ambition, wisdom and cold blood she had to have in order to take her husband’s and son’s place as the monarch. Ramonda's arc simply made sense.

The supporting cast:

I'll start with the Schroedinger's cat - Martin Freeman didn't have to be in the fucking movie at all. Given the circumstances and controversy surfacing regarding this man (thanks to @emmyspov for telling me ), it would be better if they dealt with him just as Disney (Mandalorian to be precise) dealt with Gina Carano after her antisemitic tweets - immediately cancel their cooperation and end his contract. Everett Ross had nothing to do in the movie (if they cut out his 10 minutes of fame nothing, literally nothing, would've changed; the scene regarding Riri could be done via a phone call) other than to fuck around with his ex-wife, who is, of course, de Fountaine who has no fucking reason to be there other than 'haha, funny cameo time' and potentially to set up Secret Invasion (I don't see how but ok). Still - does Marvel realize people need to either watch FATWS or Black Widow to even recognize this woman? I had to explain to my friend who she is - but I didn't know why she was in the movie (don't worry, the movie didn't know either). JUST CUT THEM OUT. Save 15 minutes of screen time.

Now that's off my chest, the rest of the supporting cast was a delight. - Danai Gurira took my breath away as Okoye once more; she and Shuri are a full-on comical duo and that one scene with Angela Basset in the Throne room gave me literal chills. My heart broke for her the moment she started crying. The only problem I have with her is the entire colonizer joke that's repeated in the third movie (?) we met Shuri and Okoye in. It was funny the first time, now it's now. - Winston Duke came back to reprise the role of M'Baku and while he wasn't as present or crucial to the plot (while being a big part of it in the first one), there was nothing wrong with his performance. Again, M'Baku is used as the big macho man comedic relief character but this time, we can see glimpses of emotion and worry (especially in his relationship with Shuri which is... Wonderful to be a witness of.) - I have nothing to say regarding Lupita Nyong'o, she was fine in her scene and did her job well. - The rest of the cast (Mabel Cadena, Michaela Coel, Florence Kasumba, Alex Livinalli ant etc) were fun to watch, but just as the title suggests, they are truly the supporting cast of Wakanda Forever that mostly stays in the background and occasionally gives us a one-liner or does something to move the story forward.

Riri Williams aka Ironheart:

First off, we need to talk about Riri's comic-book presence. If you've seen my previous Marvel posts, you know that I want the universe to expand and that I wanna see more cultural backgrounds pour into the mix - the time of mostly white and male superheroes is slowly but surely becoming the past. I adore Kamala Khan and Steven Grant/Marc Spector was a wonderful addition regarding mental states and disorders.

So, it might come off as a surprise when I absolutely fucking hate Riri Williams, everything she is and the entirety of the Ironheart comic-book series. Truth be told, she's an annoying over-confident and proclaimed genius young adult who is cookie cutter Mary Sue and not much more. Smarter than anyone else because of no reason, always sassy for no reason and just... The writing of this series is simply not good and her reason is very simple: to take the mantle of Iron Man. The problem is she popped out of nowhere just to be the OP replacement for Tony Stark after his death.

Dominique Thorne did a wonderful job portraying the character and made Riri Williams more likeable than she ever was in the comics. I found myself liking Riri since the first moment she appeared on the screen. Thorne was, hands down, amazing. Her suit, however, not so much just as I said earlier. Don’t take me for a conservative person when it comes to Marvel suit designs; I love to wonder about how they’re planning on bringing new heroes to the big screen and the bigger they go, the better for me. Naturally, this question came to play with her rendition of the Iron Man suit.

And holy moly this was such a lacklustre mess. The entire suit looked so janky as if she was a space marine or something, and what about that weird-ass colour scheme? Girl, who told you that would work? This was officially the first time I got real confused real fast and that’s saying something because I’ve seen the last Thor and wasn’t as confused and concerned as with Riri. I hope Marvel will bring back the iconic gold-red scheme along with Riri’s comic book rendition and add the black plates on her chest because that suit looks visually very stunning.

[spencererlyme]

Wakanda forever spoiler :

-

-

-

Thinking about how M’Baku told Shuri “the world has take too much from you for you to be considered a child”.

Still crying over it.

ALSO IF ANGELA BASSET AND DANAI GURIRA DO NOT GET NOMINATED FOR A DAMN OSCAR I WILL RIOT.

Every single scene Ramonda was in she gave me chills.

Also I have to say from going from a charecter that had maybe ten lines in every movie she was in to being the main character with so many horribly difficult layers, having to put out these absolutely HEARTWRENCHING scenes like Queen Ramondas death, Letita did wonderul and gave everything and more.

The scene between Ramonda and Okoye where she is stripped of her title of chief of the Dora Milaje , is absolutely oscar worthy and so much more. The kneeling and calling the Queen Mother “mother” in such a vulnerable manner was truly heartbreaking. The anger of stabbing her spear into the floor but still coming back to try to revive Ramonda later with love for her and still calling her “mother” its all just perfect and wonderful.

Also the line (i promise im almost done lol) in the half end credit where Shuri meets T’challa amd the very first thing she asks is “have he met my mother”? just absolutely broke me.

[leveluponabuck]

Waiting to Exhale - My Take Aways

Bernadine Harris (Angela Basset) - What this always put together gorgeous housewife taught me, was to ALWAYS have your own money!!!! And no matter how comfortable you are with your man to make sure that you know what is going on financially. She taught me to not settle for second choice!!! Unlike her character in the movie who when approached by a young Wesley Snipes in a vulnerable moment, who was open to being the black mistress. She also taught me that when you get married having something of your own is smart and don’t let your man talk you out of it! And like the old saying goes lets  when a woman cuts her hair change is a coming!

Robin Stokes  (Lela Rochon) - This gorgeous, accomplished beauty taught me so much! Don’t think just because dude who isn’t conventionally attractive a and will give you want that you’ll be happy. In this movie I noticed that her character and many others had sex with guys who often were terrible in bed. I feel her character was probably the most sexual out of all of them and yet I she only seemed to enjoy sex with one emotionally unavailable man! I also find in the particular gif above behind her was mammy doll, even though she was clearly portrayed as a sapphire like character. I do love that they gave her some power by showing when her telling her partner the way she wanted to be kissed and being honest about what she wanted out of life. I also liked that for the most part when men weren’t performing she kicked them to the curb. 

Gloria Matthews (Loretta Devine) - I love Ms. Loretta in everything I’ve ever seen her in! I loved her as the Gloria in this movie. One thing I learned from her character is that trusting your feelings and your intuition is essential to having a great love/sex life. I think in this movie she showcased herself as a loving mother who for years had put her love life on the backburner and merely focused on her business and her son. I love her vulnerability in this movie and how when confronted with her son’s father’s sexuality she NEVER allowed it to make her bitter nor did she spend too much time trying to change him. I also love when confronted about her son-husband tendencies she LET HIM GROW AND LET HIM GO!

Savannah Jackson (Whitney Houston) -  While each lady got her own storyline, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that Savannah was the main character. Like all the other accomplished ladies in the group Savannah’s love life was in the toilet! I find that she was the most honest out of all the ladies when confronting her issues with men. While she did waste just as much time as her friends on dusty men, emotionally unavailable men, she always knew they weren’t what she wanted. When confronted with what/who she thought she wanted like many of us she ignored ALL of the red flags. However, my favorite part of her character is when the 33 year old understand that she is GROWN and no longer has to carry the burdens and fears of her mother about being “alone”. She realizes that her life with a terrible two timing loser of a man is more lonely than her without a man. I adore her character.

I know this movie definitely has issues and that unfortunately some of the those issues still reign true today. Waiting to exhale is truly a classic even more can be learned from this movie. But I believe the biggest takeaway is that moving on doesn’t always look like a new relationship. Sometimes moving on is a good set of girlfriends, meaningful careers, and allowing yourself to feel the hurt, but not letting it make you bitter. Moving on doesn’t always look like your husband comes back and regrets losing you which Bernadine initially wanted, or your ex decides he wants you and was going through “a phase” which Gloria hoped the case was for her man. Letting go may mean exploring how you can experience your dream even if it’s not in a traditional way like Robin decided to do after her first experience of letting her dream go. Letting go may even mean that we have to admit we’ve been the *sshole and accept where we went wrong like Savannah did when she took accountability when confronted with the bs she has initially been accepting. The women despite the title of the movie, didn’t wait to exhale, they there lives back and took a deep breath and moved on!  They let go and when they did everything flowed in perfect 90s harmony. Enjoy the movie guys if you haven’t watched it already be sure to.