#kickass movie 2

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[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[luck-of-the-drawings]

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN (TO GET SPLATTERED) OOH MYSTERY! PANIC! DRAMA! EMOTIONS!! LOTS N LOTS OF MEAT, SCARES, AND DICK-OUT FUN! BLOOD IN THE BAYOU HAS GOT IT ALL BABY!!!

blood in the bayou would make SUUUCh a great campy horror movie, its real in my heart, so real.....

[shepswrath]

They reference kickass in the nimona movie i swear they did not cast chloe grace moretz and then use the dickies banana splits cover in a fight scene for no reason

[in3rci4]

Can I get an Angst with all the boys, having a crush on gn reader who is new in town and heterochromia? ( If you can of course💕)

It's the first time I do a request fr 😭

It's ok , it's normal to be nervous when requesting if you're new or not used to it , hopefully I'll do my best with this one , enjoy it anon , thank you for sending your request 💕 !

°°°IT'S THE EYES . IT WAS ALL IN THEIR EYES °°°

Author's note : I been slow with publishing stuff because personal life is becoming more a survival than living , so sorry if it takes some requests too long to get done , but I'm slowly , yet surely , getting the ones I have done one step at the time .

Characters included in the following headcanons : Robin Arellano , Griffin Stagg , Vance Hopper , Finney Blake , Bruce Yamada , Billy Showalter

WARNINGS ! : CHARACTER X READER CONTENT , IGNORANCE / DISBELIEF ABOUT THE SYNDROME , BULLYING , THIS MIGHT BE SHORTER THAN EXPECTED , SOME MIGHT BE SHORTER THAN OTHERS , THERE'S PROBABLY SPELLING MISTAKES , GENDER NEUTRAL READER , CRINGE ¿? PROBABLY CRINGE , 2 SIDES , ONE WITH FLUFF , ONE WITH ANGST ( AND IT MIGHT NOT BE SO X READER TYPE OR BE A SENSITIVE TOPIC TO READ , ALSO THE CHARACTERS ARE MEAN ON THE ANGST ) TOXICITY ¿? DISCRIMINATION , MANIPULATION ¿? , ETC

ROBIN ARELLANO

≈ This guy is in love with your eyes , they're so unique , so badass , so special of yours , you're like a cool character of a movie or like a kickass villain

≈ Robin is a boy who loves everything that it's out of the normality , the more different , the more harder to forget , the better .

≈ If you felt insecure for your eye colors before then you'll be no more with him by your side ! He will compliment you without shame in front of others and he won't stop until you're all flustered and blushing

≈ But all jokes aside , once he get to know you and learned more about you , Robin will always remember you to not feel bad about your looks , it's not like you can control it , and it's nothing bad that you need to hide either

≈ if you want to buy contact lenses to match both eyes he won't stop you , but he'll be sad for not being able to see the real look in your eyes anymore

≈ He sometimes jokes about being jealous of your eyes , you get to have 2 colors and he only got 1 , that's not fair ! He wants to look just as cool as you

≈ You will always have his protection and support , no one will make fun of you , no one , and the one who dares to will feel a physical payment for playing stupid games in their faces

≈ Don't ever feel bad about yourself , because you'll have an annoying and romantic Robin making sure to bust your ego over the sky and taking photos whenever he can

≈ But that isn't so bad , isn't ?

GRIFFIN STAGG

° He's so sorry for being the ones who believed in the rumours it was contagious in the past , for being ignorant and avoiding you like the rest of the students

° Growing up he realized it was something stupid to think on , if it was contagious , then why nobody has changed eye colors yet ?

° Maybe you don't , but Griffin does remember well the day you two started to be friends

° The day you decided not to do anything in P.E class because you felt physically bad , and he , since nobody wanted him on their team , didn't lose anything by also not doing exercise either . You sat next to him , and started a casual conversation that turned out to be a funny exchange

° Casual conversations started to be more interested on each other's likes , conversations in each other's likes lead to gossip sessions , gossip became deep talks about the future and other corny shit that Griffin didn't thought he'll talk with someone ever

° He compares your eyes a lot with things , now that he learned to appreciate them , he can't stop remember you everytime a combination of color is the same as the look in your eyes

° You can say that your charm is contagious , and he's more than happy to be infected by love for you

VANCE HOPPER

♠ While others kids thought you were weird or cool , Vance thought you were a pretender

♠ Can you blame him though ? He hasn't seen somebody like you in his entire life , it's impossible for someone to have their eyes like that ! You must be using contact lenses or some shit !

♠ The evening he realized you weren't faking , he melted like ice cream in summer right there in front of you ( But you didn't noticed it )

♠ He stormed furious out of the mall when in a bad day he couldn't even get to the half of his high score , and accidently bumped into you . He looked into your eyes mad as hell , not expecting at all to see your pupils getting bigger , frozen about how fucked up it was to know that you truly had such a unique pair of eyes

♠ After an awkward time he slowly started to greet you " indifferently " , drawing you on his special notebook when the teachers didn't bothered him , and sometimes inviting you to watch him play Pin Ball when he felt cocky enough

♠ Hope you don't mind intense staring , because Vance is all about looking straight into your soul , he can't help it , or well , maybe he can because he can be a little of a tsundere

♠ To be honest he'll stare at your eyes all day if he could , but he's too of a dork to admit it , or decide if he likes it when you look at him or not due how flustered you make him feel

♠ And yeah , he will start a fight for you if someone dares to mock you , it's obvious , but it's a nice thing to think about

FINNEY BLAKE

∞ Finney is more curious than avoidant , he feels guilty for looking at you so much , you may had felt the hairy eyeball before and don't like it but , you're so .... Interesting ? Beautiful ? It's hard to describe

∞ Even for A or B you'll meet and trust my word , he's going to be respectful all the time he's with you . Only if you gave him permission to , he'll ask you more about your condition and how it exactly effects you , but don't worry , once he get all his doubts solved , he will move on and ask you about yourself

∞ He understands it yet he does not understand how someone could hate you by the color of your eyes , he doesn't even get racism and now we have people insult you by the color of your eyes ? By something you didn't choose to have ? Like what ?

∞ You're special ( and attractive he may add ) from the rest and that's gonna get more staring than someone else will have , sure , but he'll be angrily confused if someone bothered you in front of him , now we're bullying people for their genetics ? Come on man

∞ Finney would try to get you out of a uncomfortable situation , but if it persists , he might be verbally violent or push the person to tell them to back off and leave you alone

∞ Bonus : Gwen does the same with you , although she loves to tease Finney in your presence , she likes you though , she just does the " sibling annoying the other " things

∞ He has a special love letter that he never gave you were he used astronomy elements to describe you and the look in your eyes , but he was to embarrassed or afraid of rejection that he kept it for himself

∞ You read it , but you never told Finney and kept the secret

BRUCE YAMADA

★ Ignorance isn't a sin some people say , but he pity you when he first saw you and until this day he can't believe how dumb he was

★ Bruce mind was like " Aw poor kid they probably have problems with their vision " as if he knew what exactly condition you have

★ He felt like a dumbass the day you tapped his shoulder to tell him from really far away that someone was trying to steal his bike after one of his games

★ To thank you for the gesture ( ahem , and clear his mind from the guilt ) he invited you to watch a movie in the cinema ( Jaws 2 being his option and yours Star Wars 4 , you both watched the two of the movies because in one you sneak in between the crowd anyway )

★ after that movie night everything went smooth , until the point that neither of you acknowledge the fact that you still didn't confessed yet and were already lovey dovey with each other

★ He has the privilege to say he has a partner that has no comparation , there's no other you , and Bruce loves that

★ Bruce loves you and those special eyes that life has gave you

BILLY SHOWALTER

🔺 Billy knew animals could had two different colors in their eyes , but he didn't thought it was possible for a human too

🔺 It was a shame how nobody saw that special shine in you , or maybe they did , but they decided it was too bright for them and tried to turn you down

🔺 But you never let them took advantage of you , and he was proud that you know your worth and didn't let the negativity get you

🔺 He didn't stuttered or thought twice when you asked him on a date , you were his crush , of course he's gonna say yes !

🔺 Billy is not only an admirer of you and your lovely eyes , but a flatterer as well

🔺 At first , the compliments were accidents that escaped from his mouth before he noticed he was talking in loud voice , but with time , he became more and more confident to tell you how gorgeous you look , how you make him feel , his plans for the future , etc

🔺 If Billy has the chance to , he's gonna spoil the hell out of you , just to give you a material proof how much he loves you , so he can see that singular look in your eyes everytime you're happy , forever .

ANGST PART

They would love you of course , they can't control their hearts to stop beating for you every time you look at them or smile , but love sometimes ain't all rainbows and butterflies .

Now why or why you were born like this ? Why you couldn't just be normal ? Everything could be so perfect , so beautiful , if you didn't look different and just be like other people .

In a bad dream type of reality , they will cross the limits so they don't feel " ashamed " to be seen with you

BRUCE AND BILLY would suggest the idea of buying contact lenses to match your eyes with only one color , Billy being the one telling you that it's necessary that you should had them , BRUCE being the one who bought them without asking you first as a " gift " , thinking it was the best idea , after all , the two of you would look much better as a couple in people's eyes if you did

ROBIN AND FINNEY would keep you as their secret , no one has to know their feelings for you or your relationship if you ever had one , FINNEY afraid of having another reason to be bullied because of you or having his father mock his selection of partner , ROBIN because he's ashamed of liking someone that doesn't look " right " and is "pointed by God "

VANCE AND GRIFFIN would backstabbed you when you started to get used to the idea of having someone by your side , VANCE would mock you and insult you in front of his friends or people if that made him look better , GRIFFIN would act as if he doesn't know you when you needed him the most , without a feeling completely guilty for it , perhaps not even a little if that makes you and people's starting at him when he's by your side go away

It's just the way things are . It's how your eyes are .

[ibraidedmybootyhairs]

dude hcs (postal 2)

- wears dog tags because theyre kickass

- diet consists of instant noodle and shawarma

- hates ALL music loves the sound of NOTHING (but if he were to like a band it would probably be alice in chains i think)

- buys champ a lot of toys even when he has no money left. Or maybe he shoplifts

- had a clint eastwood phase

- believes in aliens

- would love movies like jackass, ted, the hangover, etc

- basically just trevor philips. Terrible relationship with parents, super smart but failed a psych evaluation probably.

——> in game he uses a lot of medical terms. maybe he was studying to be in the field

- wile e coyote’s #1 fan. He’d be sitting around and watching looney tunes and whenever wile e would come on screen he’d be like “heh. thats my boy… oh and that fugly peacock is there too”

[knifetomeatu]

I know this isn't a headcanon but I've been stuck on the idea of what nubbins would look and act like if he was alive in the second movie and I just wanted to know if you have any ideas :]

i love this ask bc i wake up in tears every day of my life wondering What If Nubbins Didn't Die so!! yippie!!! (also i know i took super long to answer this i have a million things swirling around in my brain and this ask has been one of them for a while lol)

pretty obvious choice but i think he'd still be sporting that sweet jacket, maybe chop gave it to him when he got back??

and, since the sawyers seem to be doing relatively well for themselves by the 2nd movie, i like to think nubbins would wanna look more "successful" or "fancier" (whatever his idea of those is😭) which i imagine might be: more camo (like chop wore!!), new jewelry, and nice shiny bowling shoes, stolen straight off the feet of your uncle who was the head of his league (rip😔) jewelry includes a necklace made of teeth, and rings made of shattered femurs💖 lovely plus i thought since chop gets to snack on his own scalp with that hanger, nubbins deserves a gross little habit as well🥰 so maybe, since we know he enjoys slicing himself, why not let him have a cut on his hand he likes to keep open just for a little drink every once in a while? i mean look at him he needs it!! speaking of chop, i like to think that he LOVES making nubbins laugh, like when he does ANYTHING nubbins is the first person he glances at to see his reaction, and nubbins is so zapped out of his mind even more he is just LOVIN it😭 i imagine him super giddy and kind of Always High during tcm 2, always giggling in reaction to his family's actions or the attempts by lefty/stretch/LG to defeat them side note: i LOVE stretch SO much, but i do believe that if she had to deal with both of these freaks solo she wouldnt have made it😢 apologies to my dearest wife💔 (tho maybe if she 1v1'd each of them she'd make it out she IS pretty kickass) bonus nubbins in a ponytail after growing his hair out a bit bc i thought itd be cute and i was Correct😭💚 so unbelievably babygirl my GOD

[morporkian-cryptid]

I feel like the fandom is sleeping on the 2023 live-action Jigen Daisuke movie.

Do you want to see Jigen very confidently state "I can't stand kids, they irritate me", then five minutes later proceed to lay his entire life down for a traumatized little girl?

Do you want to watch him wreck a bunch of assassin's shits with only his bare hands and a table?

Do you want to see some actual real-life badass fight scenes that we never see in the anime because it would cost a fortune to animate?

Do you want to watch Jigen actually get his time to shine and show off not only badass gun fighting skills but also brilliant strategy?

Do you want to see a very gay florist who for some reason isn't in fact Lupin in disguise?

Do you want to see a kickass old lady gunsmith who for all intents and purposes has basically adopted Jigen?

Do you want to watch him fight back actual tears on TWO (2) separate occasions?

Do you want to see him fully adopt a child like seriously I cannot stress enough how wholesome his relationship with Oto is I actually melted into a puddle of feels several times

Then WATCH THE MOVIE PLEASE I promise it's really good!

Also Tetsuji Tamayama is very very handsome

Bonus: adorable gay-ass florist whom I am 100% convinced is Lupin in disguise

"...what just happened??"

Anyway. Movie good. You want to watch it. Reblog. (pssst I have a link 👀)

[hashtagcaneven]

Kuro's Advice for Awesome Fight Scenes

So I heard you want to write a cool fight scene. Rock on.

Running into some trouble though? No sweat, I got you covered.

I compiled this list of 8 Rules I personally use for Kickass Action Scenes for a Discord group of writers and thought it might be useful for others as well.

Rule #1 Fight scenes MUST tell an emotional story.

A fight is just an argument but with physical violence instead of words. Just like how in a musical people talk until the energy and emotion goes so high they burst into song and then when that keeps building, they all start dancing. Same concept. People argue and disagree until the emotion is so high they start throwing hands.

Fights act like any other scene where it starts with one emotion and ends with another. Emotion should flow through each move. They should ebb and flow from start to finish, raising and lowering tension to keep a reader engaged and guessing over who is going to win.

This is the bedrock of fight scenes. No amount of “rule of cool” is going to save the scene if there is no emotional heart beating through it.

Rule #2 You need personal stakes

Goes kit and parcel with Rule #1. Your POV characters have to have something on the line to tell an emotional story.

What happens if they lose? What happens if they WIN?

Go beyond JUST “oh if they lose, they die”. What happens to the character’s world if they lose. What will happen to the ones they love when they’re gone? What are the TRUE long term consequences for failure?

Even if it's a friendly (ie non lethal) competition scene, what are those stakes? Bragging rights for a proud character? Or perhaps taking their opponent down a peg?

Avoid vague generalized stakes and find what makes it personal. A knight may fight for his king and country but he also does it because he has his pride as a knight on the line if he walks away or loses.

Rule #3 Pacing is key

Action is fast paced in real life. It should be so in writing.

I personally think of my fight scenes as if they were a movie/show/play fight scene. Partly because that’s my own personal experience and partly because it helps me with pacing, especially with multiple POV characters.

Don’t spend too long on one action. Keep it flowing but have moments of pause. Real fights have moments where someone needs to pick themselves back up or two opponents need to steady themselves for the next round of assault. Use those moments to dig into the introspection of the POV. Your reader is also gonna need a breather from time to time.

With multiple POVs, I flip through them like I’m switching shots on film. We cut away from one thing to see what another character is up to in the flow of things. I flip the camera at moments of triumph or tension to keep building that emotion.

Rule #4 Let your heroes take some hits

Show off those stakes by letting your big bad character get his ass kicked a little bit.

Let ‘em get knocked around a bit to build that tension within a reader. Make them wonder how they’ll pull this off.

Superman fights are so easy to be boring because he’s basically invincible. We all yawn because we know he’s gonna win. Then along comes someone with kryptonite and suddenly it's Superman getting the beat down. Now we’re emotionally engaged because how is he going to get out of this one?

Show their competency in a fight by how well they can take big, painful hurts and keep going anyway. Show it in how they fight back or stay standing, despite the effort.

And don’t be afraid to let your heroes lose a few times. It makes their eventual victory sweeter.

Rule #5 Be clear and concise with your descriptions

Now ain’t the time to pull out your best Tolkien describing a meal impressions.

Action is fast. There are a ton of moving parts which can be severely complex and hard to follow. You want to avoid this confusion at all costs.

Use clear, specific language so the reader can visualize what is happening in their head and not get lost. Once they get lost, they will get frustrated and disengage.

Ditch the heavy metaphors. Let the movement speak for itself as the allegory. If you want to sprinkle in some flowery language, do so separate from the actual action happening in a fight.

Rule #6 Learn the basics of movement

You don’t need to know how to swing a sword with proper technique to write a sword fight (though, let’s be real, it helps). As long as you understand the fundamentals of how the weapon moves, you can write a good sword fight.

Because what makes a fight good is the EMOTION in the fight. Not just the fancy flourishes.

However, if you go too crazy and it becomes unrealistic, your readers can easily disengage.

So you don’t need to know the difference between a riposte and an ochs stance. You just need to know that arms don’t swing that way. You need to know if someone gets pushed, it can throw them off balance.

Learn the basics of human movement, and if there are weapons involved, learn at least the basics because if I see one more person say they’re wielding a longsword like it’s a small sword, you people will kill me inside even more.

Rule #7 Every action has a consequence

When someone attacks, someone has to defend (or get hit). But when someone moves their body one way, it can open them up to a counterattack.

If I lunge too far forward and overextend, I’ve left myself open for attack. If an opponent turns around, their back is now my next best target.

Pay attention to how your characters are moving. Are they opening themselves up for easy counterattacks when you don’t want them to? 

Thinking about what opening a move gives their opponent can help you write your fight scenes, as it will lead to a natural flow and chain of events.

Rule #8 Don’t be afraid to add sound

Fights are vocal. People grunt and groan and shout when they’re hit. They also make noise when they attack. The more wrapped in emotion, the louder and noisier people tend to get as they get lost in it.

During those moments of pause you add from Rule #3 is a great moment for characters to continue the verbal part of their argument

 If one character temporarily overpowers the other, let them brag. If one character gets punched in the mouth, describe the sound of the blood they spit on the ground. 

Just, for the love of the gods, don’t go all Marvel and be quip central. Don’t undercut your own tension and emotion for a quick laugh or to sound cool.

Some examples of great fights:

[peppermintquartz]

My top ten movie night suggestions for Buck and Tommy that aren't Love, Actually:

1. Pacific Rim: Drift compatibility, big action sequences, awesome father figures, brotherly vibes, romantic undertones, detailed worldbuilding for people who may like deep diving into interesting topics... They debate who is drift compatible with whom in their circle of friends.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road: (this is primarily for Tommy but Buck will also enjoy it) the big rigs, the wild vehicles, the stunts, the cinematography, the kickass women, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron. Tommy SO WANTS a big rig. Buck gets him the game instead

3. Everything Everywhere All At Once: it's a movie representation of ADHD. It's also a movie about family ties, generational trauma, feeling like a loser, romantic love, familial love, queerness, and it is also a cinematic masterpiece, and Ke Huy Quan is adorable. Buck is a crying mess and Tommy isn't any better, but they both cuddle it out.

4. Pride & Prejudice: for the hand holding scene alone Tommy will watch it ten times. And Mr Darcy in the rain. And the part where Mr Darcy and Elizabeth are laughing and kissing and talking about names, what names to use when they're happy. Buck tries out his English accent and all of a sudden Tommy wants him to roleplay Mr Darcy in bed. (He calls Tommy Thomas and it turns Tommy on SO MUCH but only if it's said in an English accent)

5. The Mummy: Brendan Fraser. Rachel Weisz. Oded Fehr. John Hannah. Arnold Vosloo. It's a bisexual wet dream wrapped in a swashbuckling action fantasy. Both of them want O'Connell carnally.

6. The Princess Diaries 2: far off places, daring (sword?)fights, magic spells(?), a prince in disguise! Ok, 2.5 out of 5 isn't too bad. Buck thinks it's because Tommy had a crush on Chris Pine. Tommy later bashfully says it's actually for Joe, played by Hector Elizondo. Buck teases Tommy "no Daddy Issues" Kinard about this all night.

7. Up: they have to pause after the first few minutes just to cry it out. Buck even punches Tommy's chest a few times for making him watch the sweetest and most painful love story ever unfold and rip him apart. But the rest of the movie is adorable and Buck now wants a dog. Tommy isn't budging yet on his position: no pets unless they're sure they can come home daily.

8. Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet: Tommy learnt his Shakespeare watching this. Buck is enchanted by the aesthetic OTT-ness of it. They both get really quiet in the final scene, and hold each other closely when Juliet weeps over Romeo before she takes the gun.

9. Kung Fu Hustle: Buck can't predict where the movie is going but it goes at a wild pace, zigzagging different tropes and cliches, and at the core of it is a guy who had a boyhood dream of being somebody who can save the world, but was led astray and found his way back to being a hero. Tommy likes the wire-fu, and the tributes to other movies. There's a lot of references made and Buck goes digging into the allusions and references with glee.

10. The Lord of the Rings: around Christmas, Tommy makes time to run the extended edition. First of all: Aragorn. Second of all: Legolas. (Tommy is the Legolas fan, Buck turns out to be the Aragorn fan.) Lots of lore again. And it's so sincere and sweet and there is so much love that Tommy can't help loving it too. Buck gets into the hours and hours of BTS details of the best trilogy ever made.

[transformersarelikemagicalgirlz]

Redesign 😇

(+ headcanons)

Soo it’s a fusion of several different designs for her throughout comics and the show.

(PLS TAGE ME IF YOU DRAW MY DESIGN 🙏 I WANNA SEEE)

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

1. The nose shape is just cause you can’t tell me they’ve never been punched in the face. It’s sort of based off the look of someone who’s broken their nose in the past and it healed a little crooked.

2. Always thought they could use more eyes, especially with the movie version coming out. The smaller ones can’t see all that well.

3. Can actually transform into a spider like her kickass predecessors Tarantulas and Black Arachnia. It’s a semi-biblically accurate jumping spider.

4. The type to throw and break shit when they’re mad and then insist it’s the fault of whatever made them angry in the first place.

5. The inside of their ship looks extra foreboding due to scratches and dents in the wall giving the impression that things get dragged in there kicking and screaming, but in reality 90% came from her hitting a wall or throwing heavy objects. things do get dragged in there though.

6. They aren’t completely unfeeling and apathetic, but when it comes to animals or less-sentient beings there’s this disconnect in their head that sorts them into ‘unfeeling/object’; this is part of the reason they see absolutely no wrong in killing/trophy hunting/taxidermy.

Interested? No? Too bad I’ll be posting more abt them later 🗣🔥

[catmansquad]

Special (2)

An irritating Spider-woman leaves you on edge, fortunately, the man you love can make you feel all better...

(Miguel O'Hara x M!Reader) (Pokes M!Reader tag. "C'mon... Do something...")

‘What’s up Spider-fans! It’s Spider-Selene here once again! There’s a whole lot of you who’ve been sliding into my DMs about seeing Across the Spider-Verse. Well, guess who’s gotten her own special invite? That’s right; I’m in Spider Society!’

She held up her phone, still recording as her other hand held up the silver-white bracelet that swirled with a soft neon blue light. ‘For those who don’t know me-? Seriously, how can you not? Well, let’s take it from the top; I was bitten by some radioactive guy in a spider costume- some sort of Halloween party at a power plant gone wrong-, and since then I’ve been the one and only Spider-Selene; half-spider, half-witch, and full on badass! Fighting crime and saving the world with kickass acrobatics, pure love, and white light magic! Well, I’m already in good; got some tight-knit friends… Uh… Like Ben! Hey, Ben! How’re you doing big guy? Just telling all my fans about how I’m-!’ ‘… Friends…?’ Ben hung his head, face vanishing beneath his messy dyed locks, voice low. ‘… My life truly can spiral into darker depths.’ Spider-Selene blinked, a little nervous laugh escaped her before she swiftly turned on her heels, panning her phone away from him. ‘Yeah, he’s just being himself- we’re really actually good friends, like… Uh… Like me, Jess and Peter! Heyy!’ She waved them down, watching the two in particular pause in their conversation and look to her. ‘Hey! I’m just telling all my fans about us, want to tell them about-‘ ‘Actually, Peter, I really need to get back home… We’ll catch up later, yeah?’ Jessica gave him a soft, fond smile, that Peter matched and quickly strode off. As soon as Spider-Selene’s masked face snapped to Peter, he shrugged with an apologetic smile. ‘Yeah… Sorry, I’d love to stick about and chat, but I promised I’d look after Mayday tonight; MJ’s having a girl’s night out. See you later!’ With a “thwip” of webbing he was off, leaving Spider-Selene staring at the empty space they had once been.

‘So, you know the difference between the movie and the actual Spider-Society? Well, the bracelets are different, for one… But the really bad thing is… Well…’ She panned the camera, over to where two figures lurked by a futuristic water cooler; tall and powerfully built, a man clad in the venom green suit of a scorpion with his tail lazily curled on the floor, and a man in green and purple carrying a fishbowl helmet under one arm. ‘… Last world I explored? Literally built in the skies; farmlands, windmills, quaint little towns. Local population had wings.’ Mysterio gestured calmly the glint of a fond smile on his face. ‘Why do you get lucky? Mine was a swamp where the trees would try to strangle you with their roots.’ She returned the camera back to herself. ‘See? Literal. Villains. Just walking about with travel bracelets on. In Spider. Society. I… I mean, Mysterio’s kinda hot though, but the point still stands! It’s for Spider-People!’ ‘What did she say?’ She froze up, slowly looking back to where the pair stared at her. Scorpion’s expression narrowed further, his tail lifting from the floor. ‘M-Mac, don’t get carried away now.’ ‘Listen, you entitled little s-‘ ‘Mac.’ Mysterio’s hand on his shoulder seemed to calm whatever rage was building. ‘Look.. Spider-whatever… This place is for all of us to explore and chart the dazzling expanse of the multiverse. Perhaps no-one explained it to you- perhaps you just didn’t want to listen- but me and Mac? In our worlds, we’re the heroes. Don’t take Mac too harshly, he’s had it rough; his local Spider-woman is a terrible villain.’ A look of concern crossed his charming features as he glanced over her shoulder. ‘Perhaps it’s not any particular heroes or villains you should be worried about….’

She turned on her heels, and hurriedly tried to shove her phone back into its pocket. In a sleek black suit, you approached, peering from behind neon blue glasses, the scroll of data running across the lenses. ‘You.’ You paused before her, hands behind your back. ‘Spider-Selene.’ She corrected you, and you shook your head. ‘Lyla, pull her profile, please.’ The scroll of data stopped as you surveyed what had been brought up. ‘Hanna, please come to my office at your earliest convenience; you and I are going to have a little talk.’ She cringed softly at the mention of her name, like a scolded child who knew she had been caught out by a teacher. Finally, she hung her head, all confidence fled. ‘Yes, sir…’

You relaxed back into the chair of your office; its soft cream walls, shelves lined with tokens from other worlds, and the sleek desk with its hardlight screen scrolling the data that passed through the building. Sighing you, pulled the glasses from your eyes and set them aside, blinking at the world as it truly was.  It was fascinating, just how easily you had slipped into this life, this job, in another world and time altogether. Your eyes glanced at the bracelet on your left wrist, the silver-white sparkling in the light, the engraving of a many-branching tree visible upon its surface. Gabriel had a wonderful sense of style for designing their aesthetics. How different your life had become solely because of one extraordinary, wonderful man… The soft knock on the door, the door with that bore your nameplate and title beside it; “Head of HR”. Lyla’s hologram flitted into being on your desk. ‘Got Spider-Selene, here for your chewing out.’ You sighed and sat up straight, feet flat on the floor and pulled the chair closer to the desk, trying to look professional. ‘Let her in, please.’

She slinked across the threshold as the door slid open, hands clasped nervously as she waited for your judgement. ‘Sit down.’ The chair opposite creaked as she did as ordered. You waited for a time before clearing your throat softly. ‘Since it’s nearly lunchtime, I’ll make this brief as I’m sure we’re both hungry…’ You closed down the screen and leaned on your elbows across the desk, no barriers between your eyes. ‘Hanna, I’ve been receiving some...  complaints about you, recently. I know you’ve only been here a month and you might need time to settle in, but the frequency has quickly become… worrying. I deal with Spider-People relatively frequently, some are worse joke tellers than others…’ Realising you were beginning to drift off-topic you cleared your throat softly. ‘These complaints state that you have been… Irritating, unprofessional, and intrusive. Invading private conversations, recording and photographing without permission, and conducting yourself inappropriately in a manner that could be construed as sexual harassment.’ You watched the eyes of her mask grow wide, and you resisted the urge to grit your teeth at the last one. Needless to say, that Miguel certainly didn’t appreciate having his ass groped by yet another Spider-woman who thought he was the hottest thing since fire. ‘N-no! I’m not intrusive! I’m a superhero! I’m a good person!’ ‘We’ve also had complaints about… junk being left around the premises by you.’ ‘No! No, those are crystals and blessing bags! They’re to promote good energy and fill the space with white light… Y’know… cause I’m half-witch.’ ‘Riiight…’ You rolled the word, tone dry, you wished you had a drink beside you, something to stretch out the awkward silence.

‘I don’t know why we have villains just roaming the premises, I mean, surely for Spider-Society they should be sent back to their own worlds, it might damage the Ca-‘ You slammed a hand onto your desk stopping her babbling before she could utter that last, cursed word. ‘No.’ You closed your eyes, exhaling as fingers curled tight into your palm. You blinked your eyes back open, looking up. ‘We are not The Society. We do not wish to be their exclusive club, and we do not respect their views on the theoretical nature of the multiverse. Anyone can be an explorer of the Tree of Infinity. Now, Hanna, I want you to consider this a warning; we expect your behaviour to improve. You are still on probation, and if it does not improve, we may have to say goodbye to you. I will be discussing this matter with Miguel.’ She seemed to sink deeper into her seat at the mention of his name. ‘P-please, can you put in a good word for him with me? Let him know that I think he’s handsome? I-I mean, I don’t mean to brag, but I feel like we’ve got a real connection- we were bitten by the same spider after al-‘ ‘Really? What spider?’ You feigned interest with a gentle smile, knowing she had blabbed herself straight into a corner. ‘U-uh…’ ‘What spider, Hanna?’ ‘Uhh…. Black widow?’ You closed your eyes, chuckling softly as you nodded, and when you opened your eyes again, you could almost make out her relieved smile from beneath her mask. It was time to drop the hammer twice over. ‘Hanna? Miguel wasn’t bitten by a spider. Also, please stop flirting with him. He doesn’t like it, and his boyfriend doesn’t appreciate it. Mm?’ You watched her eyes slowly widen in realisation and drank it in before waving softly, triumphant. ‘You can go now, get some lunch.’

The gloomy room was Miguel’s office in the highest reaches of the tower, illuminated faintly by the sprawling, rotating image of a white tree with many branches. You knew its layout well enough to move through it without falling over anything, as long as Miguel hadn’t moved things around too much. As luck would have it, he had indeed. Your feet became tangled in a mass of cabling that had not been present on your last visit and you felt yourself stumble and begin to fall. You never hit the ground before familiar strong arms caught you and bore you close against his warm chest wrapped in soft clothing. ‘Heh… You’re getting clumsy.’ His deep voice was rich with amusement, right by your ear as he lifted you off your feet with effortless ease. You wrapped your arms around him, squeezing him in a hug with all your might, and his body didn’t yield in the slightest, only a faintly amused huff escaped him for your efforts. ‘You’re the one booby trapping your office to trip me up, Miggy.’ He laughed again and placed a fond kiss to your cheek. ‘Damn, you’ve figured me out… Lyla tells me you’ve been busy. Want to tell me what it’s about?’ ‘Well-‘ ‘Actually, hold that thought. Let’s get comfortable.’

He supported your entire weight with one arm as his other reached out, the “thwip” of the white, organic webbing from his wrist as he launched both you and him up into the upper reaches of his office, to where a hammock of webbing had been constructed. He laid you down on the soft, silken threads and relaxed beside you, the glint of his crimson eyes visible in the faint light. He began to rock the hammock gently with one foot against the wall and you felt utterly safe with one of his arms over your waist. ‘Well… Uh, the crazy witch has been told off. She won’t be groping you anymore. So your ass is safe… Until the next Spider-woman tries….’ ‘Ay dios mio… You think it’s pheromones? You think I produce pheromones that drive them crazy?’ You snuggled closer into him, nuzzling into his neck and sniffing to inhale his wonderful earthen scent. ‘You always smell great to me, Miggy…’ Another little chuckle escaped him, and he kissed the top of your head with a pleased rumble. ‘Uh-huh…? Well, Lyla’s made sure we won’t be disturbed… So, maybe your ass won’t be so safe from me, my love. If you want to do more than just snuggle…’ You snuggled even closer against him, feeling his arm around you tighten with strength that was just shy of hurting- you knew he still held back the lion’s share of his might, he could snap you like a twig if he wanted. ‘I… Think I just want to be with my Spider-Man, right now…’ ‘Heh… Te amo, mi vida…’ He purred as he placed another kiss to your head, still rocking you quietly. ‘I am yours…’

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

I designed Spider-Selene to be an incredibly shallow, irritating version of some of the Spidersonas I used to see around Tumblr. Also I love the fact that she just got chomped by a drunk guy in a costume and the world went "Ehh, techncially that counts". Probably doesn't even have any powers (which would explain why ATSV Miguel had no interest in recruiting her)

[ladykailitha]

All My Roads Lead Back to You Part 18

All right, my lovies, this is the last chapter. There will be an epilogue and then the story is done. Thank you all who joined me down this amazing AU. It’s been a blast.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

***

Turns out what they were going to do the night of the gala was Mandy was allowed to invite her bandmates over for a party. There was going to be snacks and pizza and movies. They could stay up as late as they wanted and Eddie and the Grants were even okay with their sons staying the night for a sleepover.

When she learned that the event was going to take place the Saturday after her finals, she was sooo glad that she had listened to her dad and agreed not to go. Trying to study and do her finals during the week from hell, would have straight up killed her.

Edie also had to grudgingly admit that the party sounded way more fun than waltzing around in high heels and a pretty dress with people that were only trying to schmooze to get money out of other people. No parents, just her and her friends having a blast.

Plus she had fun prom, why would she want to go to boring prom?

But she helped her dad pick out his suit for the event. He looked hot in it.

“Is Mr Munson coming?” she asked as she tried to decide between a black pocket square and the white one.

Steve sighed. “He’s been invited every year by Uncle Dusty for the last ten years, and he’s never came, so the chances aren’t good.”

Edie pouted. “That’s too bad. That outfit he wore the prom was kickass. I was looking forward to seeing what he would come up with for a more formal event like this.”

Steve smiled at the memory and blushed. “Me, too.”

She bumped him with her shoulder. “Have fun anyway even if he doesn’t come. You work hard for this every year. Have fun with it.”

He kissed the top of her head fiercely. “I promise you’ll be my plus one next year.”

“You better!” she teased. Her eyelids half closed. “Or...and hear me out, your plus one could be a certain metal producer...”

Steve blushed even darker. “Do you think I’m ready?”

The teasing smile slid off her face and she sat him down. “You know your therapist is going to say that’s something for you to decide, but my opinion is that you are. You have worked so hard these last few months and while there have been a couple of low points, it’s clear you’re better equipped to handle that.”

Steve let out a shuddering sigh. “Yeah. You’re right. I can’t wait to be perfect, because that’s never going to happen. But I’m getting all the right tools and we know how to communicate better now.”

Edie sat down next to him and she picked up his right hand. “You know, it’s so strange not seeing that ring on your hand anymore.”

Steve thumb rubbed the underside of his ring finger instinctively. “It’s weird for me too. I used to panic in the morning thinking I’d lost it only to remember that it’s in the safest place for it. Back on Eddie’s finger.”

Edie smiled. “I think you have your answer, Dad.”

He smiled at her. “So it seems.”

*

Eddie was as dressed up as much he tolerated. He wore skin tight leather pants with chunky boots. His black silk shirt was tucked loosely into the pants with a black and silver belt that had chains dangling off it artistically. The shirt was only part of the way buttoned and showed off the many chains and necklaces around his neck. He wore a suit jacket with the sleeves rolled up to show off the bracelets and bangles on his wrists. All of his rings were on today and a single upside down cross dangled from his left ear.

In short, he did not belong here. He had even said as much to Dustin and Suzie six times already.

And he was about to add a seventh. “Look at these people, Dustin! Her necklace probably costs more than my entire outfit.”

Dustin rolled his eyes. “She also probably rented it for the night. Chill out, dude. You’re making me nervous and I’ve been to every one of these things.”

Eddie sighed. “How the hell did I let you talk me into this anyway?”

“Because it’s a cause you feel strongly about,” Dustin growled. “It’s about getting music and music education into deaf and hard of hearing schools. It’s about sharing music in new and exciting ways for people who might not otherwise get the chance.”

Eddie sighed again. “I’m surprised this charity is as popular as it. I’m seeing legit movie stars here, man.”

Dustin looked around for a moment and then points to an actor with thinning hair and glasses. “It’s because of a little movie he did, that came out like a month after the charity was formed.”

Eddie’s eyes followed to where Dustin was pointing and there was Richard Dreyfus talking to Steve Harrington and he gulped. “Oh.”

Suddenly the whole night made sense. Steve had come out hard of hearing in August of ‘95 and that December ‘Mr Holland’s Opus’ came out. Forming a charity when he did was brilliant. But that was Steve, he was intuitive that way.

He wave his hand Steve’s direction. “This is exactly why I shouldn’t be here. Look at how well Steve blends seamlessly with actors, musicians, and sports stars alike.”

Steve was wearing a gem tone blue suit with a black button up and matching pocket square. He had a glass of something bubbly in his hand as he laughed at something the renowned actor was saying.

Dustin pushed Eddie’s shoulder. “Dude, you must have been to a ton of these parties for your music, why are you freaking out now?”

That brought Eddie up short. He had been to a ton of these kind of things before. Just never with Steve looking like he’d walked right off the pages of a fashion magazine.

“What if I say or do something that makes him look bad?”

Dustin frowned. “Who? Steve?”

Eddie nodded, lips pursed. “He worked so hard for this, I don’t want to come bumbling in and wreck it for him.”

Dustin’s expression softened. “You can’t do any worse than the actress in ‘99 when threw wine at the wrong guy thinking he was her ex and then tried to strip so that she could drown herself in the punch bowl.”

Eddie blinked. “That didn’t really happen, did it?”

“Oh yeah,” Dustin said. “It was a nightmare.”

Eddie tilted his head to the side and thought about it. “Huh. I guess you’re right.”

Dustin rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to be right in order for you to believe me?”

“He really needs to check his ego,” a warm voice came from behind them.

Eddie turned around and smiled fondly. “It’s his tone, right?”

Steve grinned. “Always.”

Eddie came forward and hugged Steve. “It’s good to see you.”

Steve pressed his face close to his. “I’m so glad you made it.”

Eddie’s heart started beating wildly in his chest. He felt like they were on the cusp of something great.

“Not gonna lie,” he said fondly, “shit like this always terrifies me.”

Steve only stepped back far enough that they weren’t cheek to cheek anymore but still hugging. “Me, too.”

Eddie’s smile was soft. “Yeah? Then we can be nervous together.”

Dustin huffed out his annoyance. “Unless you two want to be all the talk of the gossip rags tomorrow, you may want to put a little bit of space between you.”

Steve and Eddie laughed, but they only moved so that they were standing side by side with one arm around each other’s waists.

Dustin rolled his eyes again. “I take it back, I don’t want you two as a couple, you’ll be insufferable.”

They both grinned.

“There are so many famous people here...” Eddie whispered, practically plastering himself against Steve’s side.

“Who do you want to meet and I’ll introduce you,” Steve said with a smile.

Eddie chewed on his lip a moment before whispering it in Steve’s ear.

Steve chuckled. “Sure thing, sunshine. We can start there.”

Dustin just shook his head as he watched them walk away. Suzie came up to him with a glass of champagne and glass of juice for her.

“You not drinking tonight, honeybee?” he asked her as he took his glass from her.

She shook her head with a smile. “Found out this morning when the doctor’s office called to confirm it.”

Dustin turned to her, his eyes wide.

“It appears the last insemination worked.”

He took her drink from her and both of their glasses on a nearby table. He hugged and kissed her. “We’re having a baby?”

She nodded shyly, rubbing her belly gently. “They want me on bed rest starting in a couple of weeks, to make sure it really takes. But yes. We’re having a baby.”

“I love you,” Dustin whispered.

“I know.”

*

Eddie was actually starting to have fun. Steve was a malicious gossip and he weaponized that fact to make Eddie laugh.

He was trying to hide his giggles in Steve’s neck when Robin and Viv came up to them.

“You two look cozy,” Viv said with a grin.

Eddie straightened up and looked at her with curiosity. “Oh hello.”

“Munson,” Robin greeted.

Eddie looked over at her then back at Viv.

“Two pretty birdies,” he said with a smile.

Robin laughed. She had forgotten in the years of hurt and separation how funny he was.

“Viv,” she said, “This is Eddie Munson, music producer. Eddie, this is my fiancee, Viv.”

Steve and Eddie looked at each other in shock.

Steve scooped her up in his arms and twirled her around. “Oh my God! I’m so happy for you. When did this happen?”

He set her back down and immediately Viv took her hand. “I proposed this morning. It’s not going to be official until tomorrow.”

“Congrats,” Eddie said with a soft smile and gentle tilt of his head.

“We wanted you to be the first to know,” Robin told Steve.

“I’m honored,” Steve said. “Now go have fun.”

They nodded, but Robin hesitated a moment before giving Eddie a hug. “I’m sorry.”

He hugged her back fiercely. “Me, too, Birdie. Me too.”

Robin nodded and Viv and she walked off hand in hand.

Steve turned to Eddie. “I think you just got the best friend seal of approval.”

Eddie blinked. “You think?”

Steve tried to fight back the smile but failed. He nodded.

“That’s good to know.”

They stood there, warm and content by each other’s side. Then the DJ started up and people began to dance to the music.

“Dance with me,” Steve breathed into Eddie’s ear.

Eddie looked into his eyes and then nodded.

Steve led them to the dance floor and he took Eddie’s hand in his and placed the other on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie’s remaining hand was warm on Steve’s side.

Steve sighed and laid his head on Eddie’s shoulder.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie said softly. “Getting tired?”

Steve nodded and buried his face into Eddie’s neck. “I usually sleep it off over the next couple of days.”

“You work too hard, baby,” he murmured into Steve’s ear.

Steve sighed and let Eddie rock them back and forth to the music. He wasn’t sure if it was luck, Robin paying the DJ off, Jeff paying the DJ off, or just the DJ noticing their little dance, but the next song was a slow song too.

After a moment or so just moving in a small circle, Steve murmured, “I’m ready now.”

Eddie reared his head back to try and get a better look at him, when it hit him. “Yeah?”

“Like I told Edie,” Steve whispered, “I can’t keep waiting for the perfect moment. The time when I’m one hundred percent better. Because I know I’ll never be. And that’s not fair to you or to me. So this is me saying yes.”

He lifted his head up to gaze into Eddie’s eyes. He must saw something he liked, because he was pressing his lips to Eddie’s.

Eddie cupped Steve’s cheeks and deepened the kiss as Steve clutched at his sides.

“I think we were always meant to be here, sweetheart,” Eddie whispered back.

“All my roads were always going to lead back to you, sunshine,” Steve admitted. “I love you so much. I always have, I think I always will.”

Eddie kissed him again just as fireworks started going off.

They broke off giggling, just holding on to each other as the ridiculousness of kissing to fireworks got to them.

Jeff came over and patted them both on the shoulder. “It took you guys long enough.”

Eddie playfully pushed at his friend. “I had to go through all that to get to here, man. I don’t think it would have worked otherwise.”

Steve nodded. “I think so too. Young idiots in love wouldn’t have been the same as two people loving each other and growing together as mature adults.”

Jeff nodded and then gathered them both up for a huge group hug.

“Hey, what would you say about getting the band back together?” Jeff asked Eddie. “Gareth’s on board.”

Eddie shook his head. “We’d need a bassist and I wouldn’t want to tour with some stranger.”

Jeff grinned. “Well the thing about that…” he looked over at Steve.

Steve pointed at himself in confusion. “Me? I mean I know how to play the bass, but...” he turned to Jeff slowly. “You rat bastard, you’ve been teaching me how to play for this very reason!”

Jeff threw his head back and laughed. “You better believe it, Stevie boy!”

Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “You have been playing quite the long game, Jeffrey Nicholas Lawrence.”

Jeff grinned, rubbing his hands together. “Just wait until you hear what I have planned!”

Steve and Eddie looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

“Yeah, all right,” Steve said with a fond shake of his head. “Let’s hear what you’ve got.”

Eddie put his arm around Steve’s waist and listened to his best friend talk about touring after their kids graduated from high school and how it would all work with a smile.

Moving back to Indiana was the best idea Jeff ever had.

***

Epilogue

A note about Suzie’s pregnancy, when you’re told you can’t have kids you think any missed period is just stress. Then after the third month of not getting her period she went to the doctor and they told she was pregnant (from personal experience).

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk @trashpocket @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @mightbeasleep @thedragonsaunt @chaoticlovingdreamer @trashpocket @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666  @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @steddie-as-they-go @lillemilly @callas-shitshow @bisexualdisastersworld @renaissan-vvitch @immortal-iratze @bookbinderbitch @cardigangoth @lilacrobin @nightmareglitter @nerdsconquerall @stxrcrossed186 

[clueless-fan-critic]

Deadpool & Wolverine: Time for a Reboot or Whatever.

Finally, Deadpool, aka the Merc with the Mouth, has returned to invade the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a bloody, gory, and sexually offensive manner.

The new movie is a needed refresher to MCU Overload when Deadpool comes in for vulgar jokes and sick R-rated action killings. The trailer, however, starts with an unlikely situation: Deadpool in a wig! Oh, and Vanessa and other characters who've died in Deadpool 2 are alive and well, but the wig. It's just... ughf.

Moving on, the TVA or Time Variance Authority arrives and takes Deadpool, but pulls a Loki-style opportunity for him to join the MCU. He finally suits up in his iconic red suit and katanas on some sort of Multiversal-level mission with kickass fighting and Deadpool-isms. But we get the reveal of the iconic Wolverine making his MCU debut since Logan and we're getting more details in the future with the title Deadpool & Wolverine.

While it does have Deadpool, it's also an MCU film that will have a lot of cameos and easter eggs. But here are some of my theories of how it might play out.

Theories

Deadpool Variant or Variants

I suspect that this Deadpool isn't the Deadpool we know, not completely. We just might get a Dreadpool situation. A variant of Deadpool as the main antagonist does make sense in the grand scheme of the MCU.

MCU Cameos

It's obvious there are going to be cameos from various properties, but we might see iconic heroes at unexpected points. I'm hoping for a cameo from Spider-Man so we can finally have some Tom Holland screen time and maybe a tease for Spider-Man 4.

Mutants Invade the MCU (Krakoa Era)

Mutants have been heavily teased throughout the MCU, so it's fair to say that all mutant kind will officially debut. I want the Krakoa storyline from the X-Men comics to play out because it's a great change of pace and an interesting mystery for the audience to introduce in its origins.

Whether or not it is true, I expect Deadpool & Wolverine to become a summer blockbuster with the combined star power of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman and their respective characters and franchises. Plus, you can't go wrong with Deadpool's craziness and Wolverine's rugged sexiness.

[unnursvanablog]

And now it has arrived!

One of my most anticipated sageuks of the year, Queen Woo - but it has been on my tbw list for AGES because all I really needed to know is that is was a historical drama with Ji Chang Wook in it and I am not about to pass the opportunity to witness that again. I adored him in Warrior Baek Dong Soo (the lighter and more campy version of My Country also starring my all time fav Yoo Seung Ho) and in Empress Ki (which was the first looooong historical kdrama that I stuck around with and watch from beginning to end).

Also, it's not a sageuk set during the Joseon times… which is honestly just such a breath of fresh air. We get so many of them. I adore a lot of them, but Korean history also has so many other stories to draw inspo from.

That was sort of all I sort of knew about it before I went into it. I knew it was about Queen Woo and how she married one of her husbands brothers and was fighting to keep the throne after her husband died. I didn't know it was rated 19 for violence and… nudity, but that isn't really something that bothers me all that greatly if it just works with the story. I doubt this show is going to go all Game of Thrones on us and just show that sort of stuff in there just because.

If anything those scenes that we got actually just sort of amused or make me go… sure, ok.

And since I knew Ji Chang Wook would die (very sad, I wanted to watch him in all his sageuk glory for 8 episodes) so I spent the entire first episode just expecting him to drop dead and just exit the story every moment that he appeared on screen. But we are seeing quite a bit of him, and he seems to have a much bigger role within the story than I thought he would, which I am glad about. I was expecting a very kickass guest role or a cameo or something.

This show so far, I am on ep 2 because I am in my heart and soul not a binge watcher and I prefer to watch my kdramas on a slow but steady pace, and it is sort of the standard sageuk fare… with some added sex which we see way more in like historical movies but not in dramas. But with 8 episodes this will probably just feel like one long, epic movie anyway. It seems to have that sort of feel to it.

There is some scheming old men who want a better position or they want a better way to rule the country without really being on the throne and having to deal with stuff that comes with being a king. They want to rule from the shadows so to speak. There are ladies who want to be queen and scheme and plot to try to get to that position and so forth. it got flashbacks to the times they were kids and it got a man with a heart of gold (probably, or that is how it starts out) who is also a bit of a scoundrall running through the streets, jumping on roofs etc. It's a sageuks, you are having a fun time, you are pretending that you are learning some history and it's bloody and gory, it has Ji Chang Wook looking moody and sometimes covered in blood… what's not to enjoy.

It's all very standard for the genre, but I was very much entertained through it all... or the first two episodes. I just really enjoy this sort of more serious toned historical dramas. The politics can be dry, sure, but if one does it well and have enough of multi-layered and complex characters where we understand everyone's motives and such it actually is a very fun time.

I do think the drama is still very much setting the scenes in episodes 2 and we are still getting to know the main players. And I am still very much learning their names. There are some interesting characters there, like the priestess lady and the lady, the queens sister no less, one who accidentally killed the king because she wanted to fuck him, as well as Queen Woo and the former kings closest advicer, but they aren't the most complex characters yet, but with time they could be.

The queen, who is our main character and the main player in all of this, is somewhat of a girlboss female character and idk if she was adapted that way, of being this girl who wants to be a general but can't because she is a girl, for modern audience or if she was actually like that. But I do find her to be a character who is more than that and she is someone who is easy to root for. And I am excited for her politics and her plots and more of her backstory.

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff: Best Movies of 2023

This was NOT a great year for blockbusters, huh? This was probably Disney's worst in years, multiple flops including what was meant to be their centennial anniversary film. It looked remarkably by the numbers, but think of the conglomerate's losses... Anyway, this to me was a pretty great year for films. Like 2022, I'm amazed at the variety we got that says more about the shifting tides of people's interest in movies. It was the most times I've been to the theater. We got a big worker's strike over the summer, especially large push back against degenerates trying to push AI to do more than just shitposting. And it was enough for me to know Adam Sandler, Godzilla, and Hayao Miyazaki could get the better of Disney. With this said, let this be a first for Good Stuff and count down my favorites of this year.

12. Renfield

My suspicions were on the money and I'm glad I gave this a shot in the theaters. Cage was the best Dracula I could've asked for in what you might say was an Adult Swim-esque dark comedy. It definitely has that style of gruesomeness and humor given Robert Kirkman and the Writer/Director behind Moral Orel made this. Unfortunately, Ben Schwartz stuck out like a sore thumb even if he fulfills his purpose in this, reminding me of Christopher Mintz-Plasse in KickAss; I feel he or Jason Schwartzman would've been better suited. Plus it can feel all over the place, an identity crisis that you can't even grasp after it finishes. Then again, I just had fun watching and would gladly rewatch for Cage and Hoult who are the highlights of this.

11. Migration

Call it blasphemous, but I enjoyed this more than the Mario movie. It's essentially Rio mixed with National Lampoon's Vacation, with a lovable cast, solid animation, and an eazy breezy road trip story. I've always looked to Illumination for simple enjoyable romps and I got what I expected here. Gave me Amphibia vibes in a way, replace frogs with birds. Everything surrounding the villain is my only real issue, he was an obvious and very nothing bad guy, but it's overall better paced than Super Mario Bros where it felt like you watched an eternity in 3 minutes. Still don't get the air of folk looking down on this for just being serviceable when it's honestly become my favorite Illumination movie next to the first Despicable Me.

10. Killers of the Flower Moon

Sad to say this is the weakest Scorsese movie for me, mainly because it felt like we're following the wrong main character. Lily Gladstone is incredible in this, among the other great performers, but she felt sidelined in favor of DeCaprio and De Niro's perspectives. It's like if in 1995's Casino, we just follow Ginger throughout the moment Sam introduces her. I liked the turmoil Leo's character goes through, but it paled in comparison to Mollie who was more affected by his and Hale's actions. That does not mean it's all bad. This can be a beautiful, dynamic, and ruthless movie that just made me feel bad for watching it; running with the words "harsh reality" throughout the 3 and a half hour runtime.

9. Good Burger 2

I watched Good Burger 1 & 2 this Thanksgiving weekend, and just had a blast. These are the kind of movies that are charmingly stupid but not insultingly so. Kel Mitchell's Ed is emblematic of how much dumb fun this duology is where he's actively comical but not smoothbrained to ruin your time. This I say is like Home Alone 2 where it is just beat for beat the 1st movie with minor developments but that doesn't really matter when it's just as well put together. It never feels like Kenan nor Kel missed a beat and the drama not overstaying its welcome. It is just "Good Burger Again" without it feeling like diminishing returns compared to other rehashing sequels.

8. Leo

Can you believe this got better publicity than Disney's Wish? Even YMS could appreciate this movie, that's how you know Sandler has his recognizable game when you least expect it. But Leo is a surprisingly good comedy that has actually sincere moments. Being Happy Madison's 2nd ever animation, it's like Adam waited to refine the production as opposed to putting a cash grab together like one would expect. It's not all good, especially trying to be a musical, but seeing it once you'd be impressed how much good it does with the risks it takes.

7. Nimona

Like Migration, everything surrounding the villain is the one big issue I have with this, especially when it comes to affecting the film's message. At the same time, she pales in comparison to the dynamic pairing of Ballister Blackheart and the titular shapeshifter. Nimona is my favorite character of 2023, her energy and confidence matched by the struggle she bears existing alone and the facade made to band-aid it. Her and Ballister's journey alone made me glad this got out of development hell, being Blue Sky's final production posthumous. To me it wasn't about being a take that to Disney, it was about the fact a movie like Nimona got to exist as great as it did. Hoping Stevenson is satisfied with their adaptation, because it definitely earned its flowers.

6. Emesis Blue

Offhand, it openly sucks that Letterboxd refuses to let this stay on the site to log, but it can't be overstated how much of a marvel this was. Repurposing not just the characters, but the lore and mechanics of Team Fortress 2 into a feature length horror thriller. The animation's top notch where it can have godly framing that was on par with the known legends of horror film making. SFM animations can be beautiful on their own, shitpost or otherwise, but Emesis Blue goes a step beyond by having a compelling story fitting for the universe on top of, again, every frame being a painting.

5. Shin Kamen Rider

I've never really saw any Tokusatsu shows. Not that I hate the genre, just could never get into it while recognizing the glorious looking chaos found in clips. Knowing Hideaki Anno directed was what got me into seeing this film and it opened my mind quite a bit. This was the legacy film that definitely had Anno's touch in both the action and drama. While the climax can notably drag, you never feel left out of what was essentially the original Kamen Rider's origin story. It doesn't have the complex VFX of stuff like Marvel, but the costumes and fight scenes makes me wish we got more of this in America beyond Power Rangers.

4. TMNT Mutant Mayhem

Advertising before release really didn't make this appear like a promising film. If there's anything I learned from this year though, appearances can be deceiving. Like Nimona was for her movie, the creative choices for this made it the TMNT movie I never knew I wanted. To me this felt akin to the Lego Batman movie where it's not only a good love letter of the franchise for more than its fanservice, but this spin on the characters is able to have a new sincere view of them without overhauling everything about the TMNT. That and it has the greatest needle drops I've had in a long while like how do insert He-Man Fabulous Secret Powers and expect me to hate this?

3. Godzilla Minus One

I call this a great year for films because it marks the first time I got to see a Toho produced Godzilla, with subtitles, in an real movie theater. Needless to say, it felt like I got to enjoy the 1954 film again anew. Not a remake mind you, but the parallels were uncanny and this spins here work just as well, if not more here than with the original in a couple places. Both are still strong movies nonetheless. Minus One is a refurbish that dishes out what people always wanted and uniquely giving a little more while never sacrificing why the OG is that timeless. With it getting more than a limited release, I'm glad this got to be more than a niche celebration of the kaijuu king.

2. Oppenheimer

This film's been meme'd to heaven, hell you could say it got meme'd to success thanks to its dual release with Barbie, but it didn't undermine getting hooked to watching this anyways. This really has become my favorite Nolan film, a compelling biopic that doesn't exactly herald its titular lead in the best light thanks to the paradoxical storytelling. Oppenheimer gives us the largest ensemble I know, and delivers in the most breathtaking moments I never knew I could get. Cillian killed it among the many who made the three hours of people sitting and talking in rooms actually tense and intriguing to thread. Plus it gave us the beauty of Josh Peck being the guy to detonate the test bomb like cherry on top of this cinematic cake.

1. The Holdovers

I remember watching Alexander Payne's Sideways with Paul Giamatti as a high schooler but couldn't appreciate it until rewatching this year. It's one of the best mid-life crisis comedies you could see, still fresh in its easy going presentation and music. The same can be said for this film, made to feel like it came from the late 70s or 80s with the old opening logos that I didn't think you could do in these times. Out the gate, this was the holiday story I was shocked would be as relatable as it was, with the trio of Giamatti, Randolph, and Sessa each having their story that resonated with me strongly. With the right amount of time, Payne offers an remarkably cozy, down to earth movie where from reserved to outgoing, it did a lot for me emotionally. Like Netflix's Klaus, I kinda want this to be a traditional rewatch for the holiday seasons. One that everyone should try at least once, especially if they feel the disillusionment of the season where this might lift their spirits one way or another.

If there's anything to learn from this year, it's that the meta has definitely shifted. Even when the many on my list didn't make billions like the Avatar films, the variety and risks made spoke more than the big dogs like Disney and WB putting out unprofitable blockbusters that ranged from very by the numbers to you don't need to see The Flash to know how god awful it just was. More people are & should branch out beyond the major mainstream names. Not that the big dogs aren't ever gonna make great films in the coming years, but we should appreciate more than the big budget features you can tell are playing it safe. Time can be patient for great cinema, sleeper hits or not, so take advantage while you're young.