#duke can tell danny has some kind of abilities

[dat1angel]

When Ra's needed an heir, Talia impregnated herself with The Detective's DNA to give him the perfect offspring. When she delived fraternal twins the boy was raised to one day take over the League and the girl was kept around so that she might one day provide the LoA with new recruits. When she came of age and learned that the only reason she was kept around was the idea of her future children, she fled. They never found her.

Years later, Duke Thomas introduces his family to his new boyfriend, Danny Fenton.

[little-pondhead]

So, for the Supervillain Danny and Everlast Trio Villains Au's....

What about Jazz?

Since I understand everyone's villain alter ego is based around their trauma and becoming their own antithesis and what not, I'd like to think that Jazz's alter ego would be a bad girl, kinda like Ember and Kitty (the former who mind controlled her twice and the latter who almost took her place while slowly corrupting her), maybe with a hint of Spectra (the school councilor thing, the hospital thing, and that one time with all three of them).

Instead of being the nice, normal girl who tries to be perfect, she's a loose cannon who does all the wild teen stuff, doesn't care about anyone accept for those who are in her 'gang', and will absolutely resort to violence the first chance she gets. Maybe she also has some kind of mind control powers, given how these incidents relate to her being under someone else's control.

Maybe she doesn't come around as often, because she has college and the like, but once she does, things get messy as she takes the chance to let out all her school related stress.

you have read my m i n d

Jazz had almost no childhood since she helped raise Danny from a very young age. She's intelligent and respectful and really wants to be an excellent example for Danny, so she acts as such. Therefore, Jazz never got to go through her 'teenage rebellion' phase. She wears modest clothes and upholds a pretty solid moral code. So here I present Nightingale, the punk-rock social justice warrior who comes and goes like a hurricane. She takes on the name Nightingale to avoid confusion, but once the JL realizes she and Fenton are related, some of the members consider going on a very long vacation to another world so they don't have to deal with this shit.

Now for her powerset, I'm not entirely sure if she should play meta or not. It's a common trope in fics that Jazz has been ecto-contaminated from her parent's experiments, thus giving her some sort of body enhancement. I played on that to give her a set of ears and teeth that match Danny's. She may not have ghost powers, but if she's fighting alongside Team Phantom, she must have some freaky abilities, right? (I love the mind control idea, btw) I feel like Jazz would be the Exception, where she's obviously enhanced in some way, but it's not an obvious power she can consciously separate herself from. It's like trying to tell your body to stop using your eyes. Unless other outside forces are preventing it, Jazz can't really not use her enhanced strength or speed. It drives the JL nuts because either Nightingale is a very weak meta or just an Olympic-level teenage athlete, and no one will spill the beans.

Also, this is personal preference, honestly, but I think it'd be really fucking funny if the DC universe is where Jazz and Danny have all their sibling fights. At home, they have to put up a united front so their parents don't get suspicious and the house doesn't kill them. (Also so none of the rogues takes advantage of their anger at each other) But they're siblings. Even if Jazz and Danny are the best of friends, they have to have arguments over the stupidest stuff. That's practically rule number one of having a sibling. So they go there to blow off steam and duke it out like they've always wanted to. It's mostly to release tension and stress, but each fight is getting more and more elaborate, and this whole thing is ridiculous. None of the heroes get paid enough for this. They're just gonna sit back and watch the show.

[doors-to-infinity]

DP x DC crossover, likely set in the Wayne Family Adventures verse. (I love the character dynamics there.)

For the set-up, Danny's class is on an excursion in Gotham. Danny looks like any other average human in Duke’s vision, maybe a little brighter. So does the rest of the class. (Phantom, on the other hand... :) no telling.)

This spiraled from a plot bunny that Danny gets a crush on Signal who saved him from a mugging. Duke is just that kind and wonderful and it reflects in how he acts and feels to those around him.

Also, the clouds literally drifted apart behind Signal and the sun put a halo of light around him when he saved him. Dazed from his sudden crush and thinking for a moment that he met an angel, Danny doesn’t notice that he lost some things from his bag in the scuffle. This includes a dangerous Ghost Zone artifact he didn’t have time to bring back to Amity and through the portal. It’s possibly so old that barely even anyone in the Ghost Zone remembers what it does.

It’s not there where he was mugged, when he later sneaks out as a ghost to look. Danny now is on a time limit to find Signal again, who is his only lead, and get the artifact back before its powers destroy Gotham. (Or a different dangerous effect.) Hoping that he won’t make a bad impression on Signal or the Bats.

How is he supposed to explain how he got this artifact if they notice that it’s magic?! How is he supposed to keep his identity safe?

(It also might be that Danny wants to speak to Signal again. Just a bit.)

Duke did indeed pick the artifact up and took it with him. His powers let him see its magic / power, but now from what it’s glowing in his vision.

If you want to make the story more complicated and add more mystery, somebody recognizes it’s an artifact but mistakes what kind it is. Maybe even a magic user does that. Not many people would think ‘Ghost Zone’ at first if they had no knowledge about the place.

Add some speculation where it came from, if there’s speculation on the kid Duke saved and if he had the item in possession, etc. Duke’s training and flexing his detective skills here.

Meanwhile, the artifact’s influence is spreading across Gotham. Not from the Batcave / the Wayne Mansion, and neither are the effects that visible yet, because that’d be too easy. It just feels like another day in Gotham. It takes a while before anybody notices that something is wrong.

Duke can’t see the magic. From day one, the artifact has kept glowing in the same way. He does eventually gain the ability to spot the affected people and locations, though, and becomes one among the very few people who can navigate the dangerous effects and save the day.

[filonikou]

The blob part 9

Excerpt from the story:

(Tim sees floating green blob)

He suddenly remembered, as if struck by lightning. Who in the family sees things that no one else can? Well, not counting Tim, but he usually can't see invisible things.

No other than Duke. He quickly traces in his mind where Duke would be. It is Thursday, and Duke goes to Gotham University; if Tim remembers right, he has classes until nightfall today. Tim looks out the window; there is still light streaming in. He doesn't want to go to the manor today, he needs to hurry if he wants to catch Duke before he leaves the university.

He eyes the blobs and asks, "Would you follow me?" there would be little point in rushing if the blobs are not coming. Although maybe even then it is. Duke can also see things in pictures.

He never understood that. If the cameras aren't able to capture the sight, then Duke wouldn't be able to see it, but if they do catch it, why isn't it showing up in the picture data? And how is he able to do that to printed photos?

He shakes his head. It's not the right time. He just gets confused every time he thinks about this. Duke attempted to explain to Tim that his ability does not work as Tim believes it does. However, he is unable to explain to Tim how it works instead.

They latch themselves onto Tim. "I guess that's an answer in itself," he chuckles.

He rushes out the door and dashes into his car. He is driving like a madman, but it's worth it.

Duke's class ends just before Tim arrives. Tim knows that Duke usually goes home alone because he doesn't want to bother anyone. Alfred wanted to oppose, but Duke was astute and played someone who desired independence rather than the truth.

Tim thinks Alfred knows it anyway but lets it go because he hopes Bruce takes on the task and does it himself. All of Alfred's comments so far have been in vain.

He gets out of the car and walks toward Duke, who is just saying goodbye to his friend. Duke is surprised to see Tim and opens his mouth to ask why Tim is here when he catches sight of the blobs. Duke drops his jaw.

"W-what is that?" he stutters.

Tim is very proud of himself. He smirks and says, "What is what?" he decides to prank Duke just because he is such a good bother.

"There is no way you don't see it, they're touching you," Duke finally whimpers after searching for the truth on Tim's face.

Damn, Tim pranks his brother too often; Duke can tell when Tim bluffs. Even Bruce would need more time to decide if Tim was telling the truth.

"You catch me, but I actually don't know what they are. Only I was able to see them until now." Tim pets Verde. Since Duke asked what they are, Neo has been hiding behind him.

"How are you not freaking out as it touches you? It looks horrifying." Duke shudders and even steps back from Tim.

"What? They're kind of cute, in my opinion. Tim defines the blobs. They grew on him.

Duke looks at him like he is crazy, which is not based on anything, nothing at all. Tim is totally sane.

"They look like they're from some kind of horror movie." Duke can't bear to look at Tim, so he turns away.

Tim definitely thinks that the blobs are weird, but not horrifying. "What exactly do you see?" he asks, tilting his head.

"There are two of them, one of whom is naked, and one whose body parts aren't connecting." Duke looks at Tim strangely as he explains.

"Who are you talking about?" Tim is astonished.

"The dead bodies that are clinging to you," Duke says as if it's obvious.

[asterekmess]

S3A - E5

AAaannddd, we’re back, with another episode! Wow, this rewatch is gonna take for-fucking-ever isn’t it? Yeah, I thought so. Anywho, on with the show.

Read More’s Are Polite

Thoughts:

Boyd and Isaac sharing a bus seat, even though there’s clearly empty seats available. I love it. I love the packness (I will cling to the barest hints at pack until the day I die)

I think this is the most I’ve ever heard Boyd talk. I want MORE BOYD.

Also, all these fucking twenty-somethings riding the bus, tryin’ to pretend they’re just wee little 16/17 year olds. HA. They look so uncomfortable.

This is also the most I think I’ve heard Danny speak. I want MORE DANNY.

Oh god, this episode is gonna give me a headache. I don’t even know how to start going about writing this. Do I follow the show, with the flashbacks every ten seconds? Or do I actually follow the timeline and try to piece together all these lil bits? Oof.

Why why won’t Scott talk to Stiles about the Darach thing? This is literally the exact thing that Stiles said was happening, and now Scott’s beloved Deaton has confirmed it and Scott just...refuses to talk to him about it?

As usual, I’m on Stiles’ side. Why the fuck are they going to this cross-country meet after what happened?? “safety in numbers” what does that mean? NONE of you should be going???

Also, injuries from an alpha take longer to heal yeah, but like, not days? There’s no reason that Scott should think that’s normal. Surely he went to Deaton with his injury, right? Did Deaton tell him it was normal?? ALSO, just to get that whole anti-scott thing out of the way. If Scott’s becoming a real Alpha, then there’s no reason the injury shouldn’t have healed way before this. It’s almost like he only has a few cosmetic traits of Alphas, but none of the biological ones. Hmmmmmmmm.

*slides in from the left* also, side note, it’s canon that wolves in a pack are stronger and faster “better in every way” which includes healing faster. So It makes total sense for Boyd and Isaac to have healed way faster than Scott. Scott’s an omega, while Boyd and Isaac have a pack. They’re literally automatically more powerful than him.

That was such a random way to introduce the premise of the episode. “I can’t believe he’s dead” where is that line coming from? We were talking about the slash in your side and werewolf healing abilities.

wow. that’s literally the first time I’ve heard Scott say ‘i looked it up.’ I’m actually....impressed? He actually did research...of his own volition? I’m fucking flabbergasted.

where the hell did he hear about that agreement between Allison and her dad? Did Chris tell him? Did he say it in the last episode and I can’t remember?

I...okay hear me out. I see the tension/teasing they were going for between Allison and Scott, but like...I still don’t vibe with it? Like, the point of the conversation is “Is Allison capable of fending off a werewolf” and it’s like....yes? Obviously? When she says “I have skills and training” she doens’t just mean with the bow, dude. She was specifically taught how to fight someone who is far faster and stronger than her. Her training included how to deal with claws. Your argument is just ‘I have all the same traits as what you were taught to defend yourself against’ and it doesn’t actually lend itself at all to him being too capable an opponent?

WHERE? Where does Scott get these moves from? I’m not sorry, but hand to hand abilities are not innate. Scott doesn’t get to just be a fighting genius because he’s a werewolf. Derek was trained. Isaac and Boyd were trained. Allison was trained. So what the fuck is up with Scott suddenly being able to do all these things? Reflexes don’t cover that. It’s the fucking lacrosse thing all over again. Being a werewolf isn’t a replacement for actual skill. And why are they so desperate to show that she’s not capable of fighting him? What is romantic about her spending months training to fight a werewolf, only to be immoblized by a fucking omega? That’s terrifiying?(not to mention it makes no sense for her training to have sucked that bad when her family is one of the most deadly hunter clans in the world?)

for that matter...how does he know where she lives now?

....did he have do the creepy “looking up through eyelashes” thing with the ‘and they should scare you too.” he just looks fuckin demonic with the grr face. It’s almost as bad as that nasty grin they gave Derek at the end of S1.

also, WHY are all the camera angles tilted diagonally? That’s how I take instagram pictures, not how to shoot a fucking tv show. everybody looks like they’re in a fun house??

Do the argents know that there is an entire pack of alpha werewolves living above them? Did anyone think to tell them?

Derek. STOP just telling people that they’re going to help you. You’re supposed to ask. Peter’s a horrible influence on you. I also kind of hate the implications of this fight Derek is planning. I hate that it’s more than just them killing Erica. It’s Derek trying to do what his sister wants him to do. She was pissed at him for not attacking them, and he tried to explain they weren’t ready yet, but she was so fucking angry at him. So now he’s doing this, to prove to her that she shouldn’t be disappointed in him. Can you imagine the pain of finding your long lost sister alive again, and the first thing she does is tell you that you’re a complete disappointment and you’re weak and she regrets coming to find you?

*snort* in these random slow-mo flashes to the mall fight, it’s so easy to see how fake the fighting is. Like, obviously I don’t blame them, cus’ it’s not like they could actually beat each other up, but watching Derek’s fist completely miss is hilarious.

Dude, obviously he’s listening. You’re two seats away from him. JARED is listening. The both of you, get some fucking volume control.

How’re you plannin on stopping them, Scott? Hm? Boyd’s been able to take you down since day one, and Isaac is a beautiful lil vicious boy.

Why is the default plan always murder? Um, because these are literally serial killers and there is no form of human law enforcement that could ever take them down? God, the idea of ‘reasoning’ with them is literally like reasoning with Hitler. Every one of them personally murdered their entire pack to be a part of Duke’s group. They killed Erica. There is No Reasoning with them.

Oh how I love Cora. Yes. Good girl. And No, Derek...he didn’t? He followed you into the vault begrudgingly and then enlisted the help of a fucking hunter who helped more than he did. Like...? I don’t get it? PLUS. What do you mean save her life? You already know that the Alphas intended for them to get out and they weren’t planning on killing Cora. They wanted her to kill other people so you would have to kill her. Which you were never gonna actually do, so how did anybody have to save her life? Derek? Wtf?

They already made the first move by kidnapping your sister and your betas, then killing one of them, and then injuring another. Honestly, they’ve made like five moves and ya’ll are super behind.

.....dude what is with this whole ‘Scott suddenly gets all the literary references” thing? I mean, i get that he’s supposed to have gotten all enlightened over summer break, but why tf was he reading the myth of Herakles? Also, spoiler, the Lernean Hydra was defeated by Herakles working with Iolaus to cut off its heads and cauterize the wound before more could grow back. So cutting its heads off still fucking worked. (Fun side-fact: Only two of the Hydra’s heads did the double growback thing. The middle head was completely impervious to Herakles’ weapons and was immortal, so he chopped it off as close to the body as he could and just buried it. Worked pretty well.)

God, I’m still just so disgusted with this whole Lydia/Aiden Danny/Ethan thing. Like, I saw someone somewhere say that Aiden and Ethan were well over eighteen...but then...how did they get enrolled at the school? Whatever, even if they were seventeen/eighteen, or hell, even nineteen, My issue is with the MURDER part. THEY ARE MURDERERS. WHY has no one explained this to Danny or Lydia?? WTF?

Ew. Why would Lydia ever wanna bang in a school office? She has standards, people.

Scott, this is the one time when you could actually say ‘i can smell it.” or ‘i just know” Because that’s LITERALLY how chemosignals work. and instead you just point out his claws?

why is this elevator so fucking big???

...i do not know what to think about the whole Deucalion is blind, but only when he wants to be, thing. Like...why’d they give him a disability and then just make it so he could turn it off anytime he wanted? It would’ve been so much more badass if he was always blind and had just learned to use his actually hyped up senses to navigate the world instead? It would’ve been even more badass if the only physically disabled person they have on the show weren’t a goddamn villain.

Okay, but like, Peter and Cora. His greeting to her, such a quiet, unassuming introduction to her? Clattering something to announce his presence. Keeping his distance. “it’s just me, your uncle.” But then, it intrigues me that he specifies. “Your uncle Peter.” DID THEY HAVE MORE THAN ONE UNCLE???? And Cora’s instant tension, but keeping a sass that sounds so much like something she would’ve learned as a kid, mimicking that terminology. “Uncle Peter who killed Sister Laura.”

I WANT THEM TO HUG SO BAD.

Okay, but timeline-wise. why didn’t anybody go to the bodies right after the fight? They all watched Derek and Ennis fall, but no one went to check on them? Huh?

what is with this voiceover??? You have no idea if Derek’s going to get them all killed! Them not doing anything is definitely going to get them all killed! “Don’t stop them, lead them.” GAG. Fuck you Deaton.

????I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Why does Boyd just randomly back down?? Is it supposed to be seeing that Scott’s hurt? Why would that matter? Is it supposed to be hearing that Scott cares? Cus’ that’s bullshit. Even if Scott does care, it’s not like he’s the only one? It’s not like Boyd’s all alone? Isaac’s RIGHT NEXT TO HIM and Cora and Stiles have all made clear they care about him. Even PETER is around.

Yes, Stiles, you do have a very perceptive eye for evil. It’s fucking wonderful.

.....when did Stiles get danny’s number? ARE THEY BROS? I see a previous text bubble from Danny above Stiles’ first message which means THEY”VE TEXTED BEFORE THIS. I”M CLAIMING IT.

Is anyone else like..super depressed that Ethan is showing more of a pack bond with Ennis than like...anybody else has with Derek besides his actual family? Like, yeah, Stiles has worried about him plenty and Boyd’s clearly fucking pissed off, but the actual fear in his eyes, that quiet worry, that’s so much more pack-like than anything else we’ve seen?

I am SO confused about why they can’t fucking hear this shit. Why can’t ethan hear them talking about it? Why didn’t Scott hear Ethan telling Danny? Just PRETEND for a MINUTE that these are fucking werewolves.

THey’re going after the others ANYWAY Morrell! Helping save Ennis isn’t going to change that. They’re gonna kill Scott ANYWAY.

Also, why can’t Morrell just open the gate herself?

why is Jared so nauseous? They’re at a standstill? I thought the point of car-sickness was the movement??

God, that moment with Lydia on the phone? I love it. I love it so much. Just the chill “Heyyy Stiles.” “...okay.” So good.

“Do I have a PhD in Lycanthropy?” I’m CACKLING. Fucking snorting like a pig, why is this so funny to me? God, Dylan your delivery is so perfect.

I can feel Stiles having a fucking aneurysm while Coach whistles at him. I can feeeeeell it.

“hey Jared. How ya doin?”

Dude..that is not...that’s not what happens when you don’t heal out of guilt. That’s just not. We see IN THE NEXT EPISODE that that’s not what happens. Their blood doesn’t turn BLACK. That’s a POISON thing. GUYS COME ON.

....i’m not sure if I’m supposed to feel bad for ennis but I like REALLY don’t feel bad for him.

Allison honey, this’d be easier if you laid him down on the floor.

JEsus CHRIst. HOw fucking toxic was her relationship with her mother than Allison hallucinates getting SCREamed at? Also, Allison seriously needs a doctor bc these hallucinations started way before the nemeton. This is so unhealthy.

Putting aside my fury at Isaac going to Scott after what happened with Derek, I hate this whole “you’re not going alone” thing. Like...what the fuck is this supposed to be? If Isaac knows what happened, then he wouldn’t insist on going for Scott’s sake. he’d be doing it for BOYD. HiS PACK. He’d be doing it for ERICA.

I love how chill they let Lydia be. “Ah, screw it.” God, it’s so nice for her not to have to be the hyper-feminine “better than all of you” character anymore. She’s allowed to have some depth.

duke you’re not...you’re not fucking blind. Also, how exactly did Kali GET up there?? and WHY DIDN”T ANYONE NOTICE? Scott’s just fucking useless at this point, but ISAAC? PETER? DEREK? BOYD? CORA? COME ON.

WHY ARE THEY SHIRTLESS? WHY NO SHIRTS?

God, what the fuck is wrong with these people? WHy do they insist on making ethan and aiden masochists? It’s literally disgusting, having them fucking laugh every time they get the shit beat out of them.

NOpe. NOPE. NO. Scott does not get to do the Alpha thing. NO. I SAID NO.

I love Cora’s normalcy like yeah, she’s all wolfy, but she’s also so well-adjusted? KNocking on the door. It’s so fucking nice.

“Out cold,” Deaton says, and then Ennis immediately opens his eyes. Love it. Some vet you are. Deaton, what the fuck happened to “difficult for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble” “Not in here you won’t”?? Why is Duke suddenly able to kill his own packmate in your fucking office? And why can Duke leave with blood on his hands and no one realizes he’s the one who killed Ennis? Why didn’t Kali HEAR that??? Why Didn’t Aiden and Kali notice Peter and Cora hiding behind a CAR?

ALSO peter’s holding cora’s HAND. I LOVE FAMILY. (i’m complicated, okay?)

Yes, Allison THANK YOU. That’s the kind of shit I LIke “Sounds like saving your own ass” YES.

BUT. HOw the fuck does ALlison know where to go????

....Allison, the first three flashbombs helped. After that it’s just a light show. YOu could literally have killed the ALphas RIGHT THERE with an Arrow EACh to the heart. WHy were you aiming at the floor??

nobody questioned ALlison and lydia getting on the bus? Finstock? No? OKay, sure, fine.

I like Stiles getting to actually talk to someone about the Darach, since scott refuses. Lydia’s got his back.

for once, it’s true. That wouldn’t have been Scott’s fault. Slicing up the back of Ennis’ leg doesn’t make it his fault that Derek fell.

Shaky cameras are so gross.

NO. NO NO NO. NO. Fuck you.

Last Thoughts: This episode was just...bad. Like, it was just this constant contradiction of (Still flimsy) baseline abilities and behaviors set up for the characters. It’s even more Scott centric than all the other episodes and it’s SUPPOSED to be about DEREK DYING. How do you have an entire episode about Derek’s death without actually giving him any real scenes?? God, it’s so frustrating to get more satisfaction out of a three second scene with Peter and Cora than it is with any scenes with Scott in them.

Also, sorry I took so long to put this one out. This is slow going my dudes, it’s hard to get up the mental fortitude to watch these, make notes, and also make real notes about what I’m changing/adjusting in my rewrite. Oofta.

[ljones41]

“X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” (2009) Review

“X-MEN: WOLVERINE” (2009) Review

I must admit that when I had first learned of Marvel’s plans to release a fourth movie in the ”X-MEN” franchise nearly six years ago, I did not warm to the idea. And when I learned that this fourth movie would focus upon the origins of James Howlett aka Logan aka Wolverine, my wariness deepened.

Fortunately, ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” eased most of my doubts. It turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining movie. Directed by Gavin Hood, it told the story of how a Canadian mutant named James Howlett (or Logan) became the amnesiac Wolverine first introduced in the 2000 film, ”X-MEN”. The movie not only provided a brief glimpse of his tragic childhood in mid-19th century Canada, which included the deaths of his stepfather; and real father and his relationship with his half-brother, Victor Creed aka Sabertooth, along with an extraordinary title sequence that highlighted the two brothers’ experiences as Canadian mercenaries for the U.S. Army during the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. But the gist of the film centered around their work as mercenaries for the U.S. Army’s “Team X”, led by military scientist Major William Stryker; and James’ (Logan’s) later conflicts with Victor and Stryker after he left the team.

”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” had received some bad word of mouth before its release at the beginning of May. A rumor circulated that either Marvel or 20th Century-Fox had meddled with director Hood’s finished work. Since I do not know whether this is true or not, all I can do is comment upon what I had seen on the movie screen. And to be honest, I am not a big fan of the Wolverine character . . . despite Hugh Jackman’s portrayal. Yes, he can be very entertaining. But uber-macho types like Logan have never been my forte. But I went ahead saw the movie, anyway.

First, I have to say that ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” was not perfect. One, I never understood why James and Victor had served as mercenaries for the U.S. Army during both World War I and II, since Canada had participated in both wars and at least seven decades had passed between the deaths of John Howlett and Thomas Logan (James’ step-father and father) in 1845 and their participation in World War I in 1917-1918. And two, how did Stryker know that Victor had less chance of surviving the adamantium process than James? Was it ever explained in the movie? I also had problems with two of the characters in the movie, along with Nicholas De Toth and Megan Gill’s editing. But I will discuss those later.

Despite some of the flaws mentioned in the previous paragraph, ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” turned out to be better than I had expected. The movie took viewers on James Howlett’s emotional journey that started with him as a young boy in 1845 Canadian Northwest Territories, who stumbled upon an unpleasant truth about his parentage in the worst possible way. By the time the movie ended, James (or Logan) had fought in several wars, participated in Team X’s black operations, estranged himself from Victor, fallen in love, experienced loss, acquired his adamantium claws and lost his memories. Several fans had complained that Logan’s character did not seem like the complex loner from ”X-MEN” throughout most of the movie. Instead, he seemed more like the slightly benign team player that had emerged at the end of ”X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND”. I must admit that these fans have a point. Only . . . I am not complaining. This only tells me that screenwriters David Benioff and Skip Woods had properly done their jobs. If Logan’s character had remained the cynical loner throughout the entire film, I would have been disappointed. One key to good writing is character development. In all of the previous three ”X-MEN”, Logan’s character had developed slowly from the loner to the team player shown at the end of ”THE LAST STAND”. But ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE”is only one movie. And in that single film, the screenwriters, along with Hood and actor Hugh Jackman had to show the audience how James Howlett became that amnesiac loner. The last thing I wanted to see was a one-dimensional portrayal of his character. And I am thankful that I have no reason to complain about Logan’s character arc.

Not only was I impressed by Logan’s character development (which was the gist of the story), I was also impressed by how Hood, Benioff, Woods and Jackman handled Logan’s relationships with Victor and Stryker. I enjoyed how the screenwriters created the con job that both Stryker and Victor had committed against Logan. They had manipulated Logan into volunteering for the adamantium process, so that he could seek revenge against Victor for his girlfriend’s death. What Logan did not know was that he had been nothing more than an experiment – a test run – to see if the process would work for Stryker’s new weapon – a mutant called Weapon XI or Deadpool that had been injected with the abilities of other mutants, including Logan’s healing factor. I feel that Benioff and Woods’ creation of the con job was an imaginative twist to the story . . . and very essential to Logan’s character development.

Speaking of Logan, I must say that Hugh Jackman did an excellent job of conveying Logan’s emotional journey in the film. Thanks to his first-class performance, he took Logan from the loyal, yet wary half-brother of the increasingly violent Victor Creed to the amnesiac mutant who ended up rejecting Remy LaBeau’s help amidst the ashes of Three Mile Island. Mind you, Jackman’s portrayal of Logan has always been first-rate. But since this movie featured a more in-depth look into the character’s development, I feel that it may have featured Jackman’s best performance as aggressive and self-regenerative mutant.

Liev Schreiber seemed equally impressive in his portrayal of Logan’s half-brother, Victor Creed aka Sabertooth. Like Logan, Victor possessed a regenerative healing factor, an aggressive nature and superhuman senses. But Schreiber’s Victor seemed not to have embarked on an emotional journey. Instead, his character seemed to be in some kind of quandary. Not only did Schreiber portray Victor as a more aggressive and violent man than Logan, but he did so with a touch of style that seemed to be lacking in Tyler Mane’s portrayal in the 2000 movie. Schreiber also did a magnificent job in revealing Victor’s conflicted feelings toward the character’s younger half-brother. He loves James, yet at the same time, harbors several resentments toward the younger man – including one toward Logan’s abandonment of Team X and him.

Normally I would pity the actor forced to fill Brian Cox’s shoes in the role of U.S. Army scientist William Stryker. The Scottish actor had given a superb performance in ”X-MEN 2: X-MEN UNITED”. Fortunately, Marvel hired Danny Huston for the role. Not only did he successfully fill Cox’s shoes in my opinion, he managed to put his own stamp on the role. Like Cox, Huston did a great portrayal of Stryker as the soft-spoken, yet ruthless and manipulative military scientist who would do anything to achieve his goals regarding the existence of mutants. But whereas the older Stryker simply wanted to destroy mutants, Huston’s Stryker seemed to desire control over them . . . for his own personal experiments. And Huston . . . was superb.

I felt more than satisfied with most of the movie’s supporting cast. Ryan Reynolds was memorable in his brief role of a wisecracking mercenary with lethal swordsmanship named Wade Wilson. He was both hilarious and chilling as the mutant who eventually became Stryker’s premiere experiment – Weapon XI aka Deadpool. Taylor Kitsch made a charming, yet intense Remy LaBeau, the New Orleans hustler and mutant who had escaped from Stryker’s laboratory on Three Mile Island. Rapper will.i.am made a solid screen debut as the soft spoken teleporter, John Wraith. Dominic Monaghan gave a quiet and poignant performance as Bradley, another member of Stryker’s Team X that happened to be a technopath. Kevin Durand as funny as the super strong Fred Dukes aka Blob, who developed an eating disorder after leaving Team X. Daniel Henney was intense and unforgettable as Team X’s ruthless tracker and marksman, Agent Zero. I enjoyed Tahyna Tozzi’s portrayal of the strong-willed Emma “Frost” so much that I found myself wishing she had been the movie’s leading lady.

Which brings me to Lynn Collins as Kayla Silverfox. I am sure that Ms. Collins is a competent actress. But her performance as Kayla, Logan’s telepathic girlfriend struck me as a bit uninspiring. Oddly enough, she physically reminded me of Evangeline Lilly of ”LOST”. In fact, her portrayal of Kayla damn near came off as flat so much that her acting skills almost seemed as mediocre as Ms. Lilly’s. Considering Ms. Collins’ reputation as an actress, I suspect that screenwriters Benioff and Woods are to blame for the flat portrayal of Kayla, instead of Ms. Collins’ acting skills. Tim Peacock gave a competent, yet unmemorable performance as the younger Scott Summers aka Cyclops – another mutant who became one of Stryker’s prisoners on Three Mile Island and a part of the Weapon XI experiment. If this Cyclops is supposed to be twenty years younger than the one featured in the first three ”X-MEN” films, then I believe that a younger actor should have been cast in this film. Why? I never got the impression that James Marsden’s Cyclops had been somewhere between 34 and 38 in the three previous films.

As I had stated earlier, I was not impressed by Nicholas De Toth and Megan Gill’s editing of the film. At times, it struck me as slightly choppy and amateurish. Only the editing featured in the opening title sequence struck me as impressive. And imaginative. However, Donald McAlpine’s photography and the visual effects supervised by Dean Franklin, Craig Veytia and Mike Rotella struck me as very impressive – especially in the title sequence and the scene featuring Logan and Victor’s fight against Deadpool on Three Mile Island.

In conclusion, I found ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” to be surprisingly enjoyable. It turned out better than I had expected, despite some flaws. It would probably rank third for me in the ”X-MEN” franchise – somewhere between ”X-MEN 3” and ”X-MEN: FIRST CLASS”. I find this astonishing, considering I did not have any real hopes for this film when it first hit the theaters nearly nine years ago. I realize that many fans of the franchise have low opinions of the film. But you know what? I guess I really do not care.

[justanotherdumpingground]

Chapter Reviews: March 19-23, 2019 + Thoughts on upcoming books

High School Story: Class Act Chapter 6:

Most of the trip to the aquarium is relaxing. There's no presidential election drama to worry about aside from Ajay learning that the twin's ahead in the polls. Definitely the break I needed from all that drama.

As much as I dislike Ajay, I feel bad for him that his parents are arguing to the point of getting a divorce. I just wish his story is executed properly and has a conclusion that makes sense. Same goes with Skye.

Across the Void Chapter 14:

Ah, back to Matara. Playing as my MC is fun in some ways, but these moments are few and far in between. And my happiness quickly vanished when I have to get back on the Atlas. Not to mention that having to pay diamonds to save a passenger's life is just stupid. On a morbid note, that's one less passenger to worry about.

Great, I have to play as Eos again. I still remember how petty and self-righteous he is, and I certainly am not pairing him with Lyra. She deserves someone better. At least there's no sign of Pax.

I didn't hesitate picking the option hoping that Barlow is a handsome fellow. That was actually pretty funny. With VEE and Sol on board, I hope most of the rest of the crew made it safe and sound. And since my MC's dating Sol, I hope they get to reconnect, and Sol gets to develop as a character. He has potential owing to his vast knowledge of the setting around him.

The Heist: Monaco Chapter 16:

Wow! This is a nice, sweet ending. Prove that a Choices story doesn't need romance as a main focus to be awesome. It was also nice and satisfying to take down Ansel and Carlise in order to prove who's boss. Reuniting with Sonia at Vegas was the cherry at the top. I owe her a premium scene once I can afford it.

As for the ending, I got an average one, but at least it's more satisfying to match the good endings of my recruits. I particularly enjoy those of Jones and Graves. Even the cameos from other books are fun to watch. Sure some of them are from books I'm not fond of, but at least they're done in a way that doesn't piss me off. It's fun to see Graves starring in a movie directed by Tommy Phelps. And yay for Alana! I miss her so much!

Overall, this story is great. I love the fact that I have to think in order to get favorable outcomes, allowing me to exercise my mind. The heist crew is also one of the strongest points, each of them having unique and distinct personalities, and their conversations together are fun to watch. I'm definitely replaying this with the crew members I didn't recruit in order to immerse myself again. I think this story works just as well with a second book, but with a new crew and a few recruits returning, kinda like America's Most Eligible has a new set contestants in All Stars. That would keep the story fresh and exciting while still preserve our choices on who we recruited.

Desire & Decorum Chapter 13:

I'm starting to miss Prince Hamid, whom my MC is engaged to. It doesn't help that the premium option to go with Ernest comes across as pointless, so I skipped that. Nevertheless, it always cheers me up to pick the snarky options with Duke Richards.

I picked the premium options to play as Briar and eavesdrop on the conspirators with Luke. Reaching the point where I have to pick Arthur Woods or Edmund Marlcaster got me thinking that it's. For the conspirators, I wish there's a way to play them against each other, and the pretending part to keep them unaware is a start. At least I got proof of how much of a hypocrite the duke is.

Bah, that snake Henrietta! Always looking after herself. I'm not super surprised she would get rid of MC. After all, it's a temporary "alliance" of convenience, and she practically does nothing to help with the investigation. This series's MC has suffered a lot, espececially because of Duke Richards, but I can't see her giving up because she strikes me as determined to be with who she loves no matter the situation in the end. In her case, I'd love to see people's reactions when she marries Prince Hamid. That's right, a prince.

Passport to Romance Chapters 1-2:

Eh, it's okay. I get that it's light-hearted, but there's not much to say because I don't get to see much of the love interests. At least they don't look super bad, though Elliot looks like he should lighten up. I also like that Marisa and Sumire are opposites in terms of personality, though it's a tad bit sterotypical. Still miffed that the male MC faces come from BSC. Why can't it be from VoS or AME?

I cringed at the thought of spending diamonds just to get extra views on the blog. Not to mention that I already have a bad feeling I have to pay diamonds just to add certain pictures of iconic landmarks to the vlog. Nevertheless, I'm more interested in the traveling for the vlog than the romance.

Anyway, let's see how this goes.

America's Most Eligible Chapter 10:

Ugh, Vince continues to get on my nerves for his unnecessarily rude behavior, and I'm glad Ivy's sick of him.

I'm curious of Ivy right now. I know she comes across as an underdeveloped villain back in Book 1, but I'm all down for understanding her character. Pity it costs diamonds, and after watching the scene on YouTube, I'm glad she reveals that she plans to run pageants if she won, and her desire to win no matter the cost makes more sense now. I think it's fun to see her choosing underhanded means to win and not letting her past bring her down.

As for All Stars' format, it's about time Jen and Omar are feeling the frustration with Carson's mishandling of things. I saw some screenshots, where Carson doesn't want to become like Piper, only to mess things up. If I were him, I'd take Jen and Omar's opinions into account and evaluate them. That would've allowed him to keep the show exciting for the audience and contestants. Either way, Jen and Omar should've been the showrunners instead of Carson.

The go-kart ride was a breeze for because I picked the premium option to pick the audience vote and train with Crash just because I wanted an advantage and continue roleplaying my MC as a flirt. Didn't expect things to go easily. Oh well.

Holy cow! That ending with Eden and Kiana was a curveball! I had a bad feeling they'll get eliminated soon, but having them in a go-kart accident that results in karts exploding? That was a drastic move! I just hope they'll be okay, but chances are that they won't, and I'm scared. The next chapter summary doesn't exactly relieve my worries either.

Open Heart Chapter 6:

Man, the beginning of this chapter was super tense. For a moment, I thought I might kill Shonda if I wasn't being careful. Fortunately, she survived and gave decent advice to MC. That should be useful later on.

My MC's number 19 on the list. Well, that means he has to work harder. Jackie's shock at Aurora being first and Aurora telling her to go on was priceless, though.

So, Sienna's boyfriend Wayne is a clone of some characters I've already seen. He even talks robotic that it's creepy instead of funny. There's no emotion when he talked about being a lead programmer at a software company. Seriously, Sienna should dump him and move on to Danny, just in case Wayne's company decides to go after Edenbrook Hospital.

Speaking of which, it's adorable to see Elijah feeling infatuated with Phoebe, even if Phoebe has Lucilla Nazario's model.

I'm curious about the C.T. scan from Ethan. My guess is that it's on Naveen Banerji, hence his retirement announcement. Either way, this story is getting more interesting.

Ride or Die Chapter 10:

After seeing the nitrous oxide tank, I just can't help but think of Crash Team Racing. It's a PS1 game I often played during my childhood, and its antagonist is named Nitrous Oxide. Anyway, I didn't use it because I'm saving diamonds.

The party's okay, though I'd rather not go to one in some decrepit area. Pity it costs diamonds to kiss Mona, but whatever.

I didn't pick the premium option to talk with Teppei Kaneko, but after seeing some screencaps on it online, I have conflicting opinions on him. I get that he ultimately cares for his son and encourages him to pursue a life outside of crime, but grooming Logan as his "successor" just so he'll have nothing to lose in case Logan gets in trouble is what caused Logan and Colt's rivalry in the first place. Colt needs a heart-to-heart talk with his father, especially since the MPC leadership is hereditary, and Kaneko seems adamant to encourage his son to abandon this kind of life, just like Colt's mother did.

So Logan knew the dad was investigating the MPC and was the one who called the cops because he wanted to MC to "owe" him? Well, MC never owed him anything. In fact, I never liked Logan to begin with, so am I supposed to feel angry and heartbroken that he tricked the MC? That's something he would do, honestly. I thought the rest of the MPC will get rid of her, but that didn't seem to happen. As for her oldest friend, I'm guessing it's her old friends Riya and Darius. I hope it's Darius because I like him for displaying common sense.

The Elementalists Chapter 2:

I like this book even more than I thought. The indication that some choices affect MC's karma meter looks like choices will affect the MC's personality and relationship with others. After the ability to impress Kane A.K.A. that funky fashion disaster of a villain, I'm guessing we can choose who we can trust.

Katrina Harrington is so pretty. And a cool teacher, not less. I love the way she teaches her students and look forward to know her better, preferrably directly from her.

I swear, Beckett should start behaving in front of his sister and friends. I get that he's distant to his friends besides the MC, but his rather disparaging descriptions of his friends isn't helping matters on his insecurities. I get that he doesn't want to be overshadowed by his sister and thinks she barges into his space, but that doesn't give him the license to abuse it by acting dismissive towards his "friends".

Thoughts on upcoming books:

I'm mildly excited for Nightbound, in part because it will feature gender options. Yet at the same time, I'm worried that Pixelberry will resort to the same clichés plaguing so many of its books, forced white male LI derailing the story being the biggest one. In the end, let's see how this goes.

I have mixed feelings for Wishful Thinking, especially after it's revealed that we can only play as a female. What's more important, however, is the quality of the story. If it ends up aimless like #LoveHacks, I don't want that.

I'm not excited for Sunkissed, which comes across as a cheesy romance story most likely to be female only. After all, Choices's low-effort books tend to lack gender options in order to make quick bucks. As for Platinum, I'm more excited because it's less like just romance and more like building up a music career. I fear that it will end up a fiasco like Red Carpet Diaries because of the protagonist being an up-and-coming music star. When Peyton said it will be gayer than TH:M, my guess is that its female love interests will be more prominent than the male ones. It could have gender options like TH:M, but it's also possible we won't.

Regarding the Royal Romance sequel series, I feel like a short epilogue would've been a bit better than an entire sequel series. Don't get me wrong. I love Olivia, Maxwell, the corgi, my MC, and her husband Liam, but I think it would've been better if the writers focused on treating their own characters well in Book 3 instead of focusing too much effort on Drake.