#like for example we had Thor and Thor the Dark World done 8 and 10 years after LOTR (about the same time as the Hobbit IIRC)

[delyth88]

I've seen people talk about how LOTR is so great partly because it takes its world and characters completely seriously.

And that got me wondering, because I absolutely agree, but I feel like I'm in the minority here. It seems like we've moved into a period where it is deeply uncool to take fantasy seriously in mainstream film.

So, do you think a film made today with strong fantasy elements would be successful if it was as serious and earnest at LOTR?

[vicstwashington]

Seen this on Variety website. Though it was really good!

The 9 Biggest Burning Questions Ahead of Friday's WandaVision Finale

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen Episode 8 "Previously On" of WandaVision please don't read!!!

Who is "Fietro"?

Evan Peters arrived at the end of Episode 5 "On A Very Special Episode" , claiming to be Wanda's brother, Pietro. Since then the internet has been in a tizzy over why Peters was playing Pietro Maximoff, and not Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who originated the role in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

In Episode 8 ("Previously On"), it was revealed *it was Agatha all along*, having magically pupeteered an alt-Pietro to prompt Wanda into confession over how she is using complex magic (now revealed as Chaos Magic) to control West View.

But why Evan Peters' Quicksilver? Many thought this was Marvel Studios President, Kevin Fiege's way of introducing X-Men into the MCU but it seems likely now - with only one episode to go - that this plot point will go unresolved. Maybe he really was a way for Agatha to get Wanda to spill the magic beans.

Are The Twins Real?

In one of the comic book inspirations for “WandaVision,�� Agatha explains to Wanda that the twins she had with Vision disappear from existence when she’s not around to conjure them into beings.

Wanda's magic expands vastly in WandaVision, but it's not perfect and West View townspeople were real before Wanda showed up. Billy and Tommy however, were "conceived" inside the Hex, and grew to 10-year-olds in roughly 48 hours.

Was Agatha behind Billy and Tommy’s rapid aging when she sprayed “lavender” on them as babies? Or did she merely take advantage of the situation as a way to manipulate Wanda and will take them away to provoke emotion from Wanda?

In the [West Coast Marvel] comics, Billy and Tommy end up getting reabsorbed into the soul of Mephisto, the devilish Marvel Big Bad some have surmised is behind Agatha’s set-ups. It’s only later that Billy and Tommy’s souls are freed and placed inside actual human boys, who become the Marvel superheroes Wiccan and Speed - and become part of the Young Avengers.

In Episode 8 we see Wanda create Vision from a yellowish haze that could signify Mind Stone powers are behind his resurrection (inside the Hex) and it's clear here he is his own being, with his own thoughts and dawning awareness (he explores West View and leaves without Wanda's knowledge), but he also cannot survive outside of the Hex. Will this be the same for Billy and Tommy?

Is Monica the MCU's First Mutant?

After Monica dives back into the Hex for a second time (this time willingly) in Episode 7 "Breaking the Fourth Wall" - we see her develop abilities like glowing blue eyes, super strength and the ability to spark blue-tinged energy - though we don't yet know the full extent of her powers.

All evidence seems to point to Monica Rambeau becoming the superhero Photon, who in the comics has also gone by the names of Spectrum, The Lady of Light, Sun Goddess and even in some storylines Captain Marvel.

In the X-Men films and comics, mutant biology is explained as human mutants possessing an X-Gene - that gene is then activated usually by aging, stress or trauma.

If Marvel Studios somehow ties in that Wanda is, in fact, a mutant, then Monica Rambeau would technically not be the first one to step into the MCU scene.

What is Agatha's Book?

In the 7th and 8th episodes of WandaVision we see this book in Agatha's dungeon, emitting a strange mystical orange aura. The focus on it as Wanda first enters the dungeon couldn't mean a mere coincidence; just another prop in a creepy dungeon.

There are plenty of magical books in the MCU - Doctor Strange has seen/read his fair share - including the Darkhold, the Necronomicon and the Tome of Zhered-Na - but none of which have been explored in the films.

It could be the Book of Cagliostro, the book of dark mysticism that was stolen from the Ancient One’s (Tilda Swinton) private library in the first “Doctor Strange” movie. Agatha owning the book is a sure possibility of Doctor Strange's' tie-in for the sequel, Multiverse of Madness, and making his cameo in the season finale highly potential.

Is There a Bigger Bad Beyond Agatha?

Only in Episode 7 did we come to realise that it was *Agatha All Along*, before fingers had been pointed at Wanda for the actions inside of the Hex. But it turns out Wanda wasn't entirely to blame.

Agatha revealed to Wanda in Episode 8 that she sensed Wanda's powers and decided to come check out what was happening, since then it's seemed like Agatha is desperate to know the full extent of Wanda's powers and where she got them from (especially as she knows what Wanda supposedly is - "This is Chaos Magic, Wanda. And that makes you, the Scarlet Witch").

Whether or not Agatha has existing alliances with other Big Bads in the Marvel comics that could become relevant in this current MCU phase (and/or in future ones) — such as Mephisto, the Grim Reaper, Nicholas Scratch, Salem’s Seven, Nightmare, Chthon, Ghost Rider, etcetera - it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be introduced in WandaVision.

That said, this is the MCU and there's no clear "Big Bad" for the next few phases of the MCU for our heroes to fight against. Will they follow a similar route that of Thanos with someone like Mephisto?

Who Is The Mysterious Guest Star?

This could be the trolling of the decade - and we all fell for it.

For weeks Paul Bettany had teased us with a surprise actor popping up at the latter end of WandaVision. He reported that it's been an actor he's “always wanted to work with” and in the show “[they] have fireworks together."(He announced this after Evan Peters' reveal).

Actors including Al Pacino, Mark Hamill, Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy have been theorised from the clues Bettany hinted at, playing various roles such as Professor X, Mephisto, Magneto etc.

At the end of Episode 8, in a post-credit scene, S.W.O.R.D Director Hayward awakened White Vision, who is also played by Bettany. Did Bettany mean himself all along? It's likely we may see White Vision (of S.W.O.R.D creation - he has no memories and doesn't speak in the comics) come head to head with Wanda's Vision in the finale.

Will Vision Survive the Finale? Can He?

Episode 8 heavily showed us the trauma and loss Wanda has experienced in her life, including Vision, who helped her after she lost her twin, Pietro in Sokovia. And the Hex is an example of just how powerful Wanda can be in grief.

If “WandaVision” were to end this season without Wanda confronting what she’s done, and finally allowing herself to accept Vision’s death and move forward, well, this wasn’t the show that we all thought it was going to be.

White Vision may come head to head with Wanda if he manages to kill Wanda's Vision - if she can help create him, surely nothing can stop her from destroying the evil doppelganger of her soulmate in the blink of an eye?

Either way, it looks like Vision will have to die in order for Wanda to move forward.

Will S.W.O.R.D Survive the Finale?

Before WandaVision we had never heard of S.W.O.R.D (Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division), but the organisation has been around for years, in the trusted hands of Monica Rambeau's mother, Maria (played by Lashana Lynch) who was then followed by Tyler Hayward (played by Josh Stamberg).

S.W.O.R.D is like the F.B.I, but for space, and Director Hayward's focus has seemed to be entirely on resurrecting Vision and what powerful weapons can be created from Tony Stark's (and Bruce Banner's) creation.

White Vision could be the end or the beginning of S.W.O.R.D, but with upcoming Marvel films set in outer space incuding Thor Love and Thunder, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, The Eternals, Captain Marvel 2, it's unlikely that the organisation tieing Earth to these other-worldly characters (including the Skrulls) will be wiped out after it's first introduction.

Will Doctor Strange Show Up in the Finale? Or any other Avengers?

We already know that Elizabeth Olsen will be reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange 2: Multiverse of Madness, as will Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, in March 2022.

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Fiege has remarked repeatedly, that WandaVision directly links up with the events of the Doctor Strange sequel. So it's not entirely unbelievable that Doctor Strange will pop-up in Wanda's self-created reality. Whether this arrival will be a happy visit or not, is the question.

Will he be taking Wanda away to protect her from the likes of Agatha Harkness or S.W.O.R.D? Will he be taking her on a journey through the multiverses to help him save the world? Or will he be taking Wanda to help her study the Chaos Magic and her Mind Stones' powers (like the Ancient One did with him in the first Doctor Strange film)?

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About the MCU (Phase Three Part One)

...I’m gonna have to split this one into two parts. Because Phase three is when these movies start getting good, and which in turn results in my have a LOT to talk about. So, here’s the first half of this phase.

10th place: Captian Marvel (6/10)

This is not the worst MCU movie. This isn't even close to the worst thing in the MCU. THAT honor goes to Inhumans, which might just be the most boring TV show that I ever had the displeasure of watching. And if you're a person who only counts the movies as part of the MCU, then there is no way you can look me in the eye and tell me that Captain Marvel is worse than Thor: The Dark World. Because this movie actually has better action, a handful of funny moments, a decent (albeit predictable) story, a fantastic tribute to Stan Lee, and Goose the Cat. Who is free from any criticism due to being equal parts adorable, hilarious, and awesome.

However, there is one major issue that this movie has, and that is Brie Larson's Captain Marvel. Before you say anything, no, it's not because she barely smiles (shut it, if you think that's actually the problem). The problem is that I just don't know what they want her character to be. Is she meant to be playful yet mysterious, like Marceline from Adventure Time? Is she meant to be a stoic badass with a deadpan sense of humor like Garnet from Steven Universe? Or is she supposed to be this perfect hero with witty remarks like Kim Possible from Kim Possible? Because at times, it feels like the people behind this movie are trying to do all three personalities at once, which makes the character feel disjointed. Plus, it's probably not a good thing that I listed three female characters in children's shows better than this character in this movie for teens and adults. Nor is it a good thing that every actor, including the males, act circles around Brie Larson, who is known for giving Oscar-worthy performances. Still, I'm willing to allow the benefit of the doubt that this issue will be solved in time for Captain Marvel 2, as it took both Captain America and Thor a while before they finally became fan favorites. For now, while Captain Marvel is nowhere near the worst, I wouldn't exactly jump the gun and call it the best, either.

9th place: Doctor Strange (6/10)

This movie is somehow both memorable and forgettable at the same time. The visuals alone help make Doctor Strange memorable, seeing the world bend and morph in a way that is best experienced on the most gigantic screen you can find. The visuals even lend to making the fight scenes unforgetable, resulting in action that's hard to forget. It's still just punching and kicking, but the way this movie uses punching and kicking that makes it fun to watch. Such as having Strange fight wizards as astral projections, or while the world is reversing in on itself, dodging debris as it puts itself back into place. Plus, that ending is not only the most unique defeat of a bad guy that any MCU movie has done, but it also proves how selfless Doctor Strange can be as a hero. So I won't be able to forget bits and pieces of this movie...but I can easily forget everything else. The jokes, plot, characters, and especially the villain are things I tend to lose track of on each rewatch. Which might honestly be worse than it sounds. Because while it's still a fun movie that I recommend, it's not a good thing that I constantly forget it, even as I'm writing this.

8th place: Ant-Man and the Wasp (7.5/10)

How is Ant-Man and the Wasp a dividing movie for MCU fans? People either really hate it or just think it's ok, and I don't get that. Because personally, I think this movie is really good. Yeah, there are leaps in logic, and the ending is a huge cop-out, especially since this movie came after Avengers: Infinity War. But I think Ant-Man and the Wasp incredibly improve upon the original with a tighter story and better-written characters, who all have great personalities and fantastic chemistry. Sure, these characters fall flat during certain dramatic moments, but really succeed when written for comedy. My personal favorite is Cassie, who might just be my favorite little girl character in fiction. She admires her father for everything he does, going so far as to smile with glee as he's wreaking shop in the finale. 

Speaking of her father, I really love how Ant-Man and the Wasp differentiate Scott Lang from the rest of the Avengers. In a world of gods and supersoldiers, you have Ant-Man, who's basically just a regular guy. The best example that shows how it that montage of him doing stuff while under house arrest. If any of our other heroes were in this situation, they would take advantage of the time to train, build cool s**t, and maybe even meditate. But for Scott? He wastes time singing karaoke, practicing close-up magic, and crying himself to sleep while reading The Fault in our Stars. It's a great way of showing how he's a little fish in the world's biggest pond. And I like that.

This movie may not be perfect, but every now and again, it's nice to get something small-scale (get it) and personal within the grand adventures in the MCU.

7th Place: Captain America: Civil War (8/10)

There are three camps of people who argue about this movie. The first camp is the people who fight about whether this is a Captain America movie or an Avengers movie. The second camp is the people who disagree on how Captain America: Civil War is the same as Batman v. Superman-Dawn of Justice. The third and final camp argues whether or not the movie is better than the comics. And I'm about to address each and every one of these camps.

First off, this is an Avengers movie. Captain America may take a more primary role, but consider that Thanos is easily the main character in Avengers: Infinity War, and how that movie isn't called Thanos: Infinity War. The fact that Cap barely takes center stage kind of ruins this being his movie, which is why it's arguably the worst Captain America movie by default, but that doesn't change how good this is. Mostly because it's easily a better Avengers movie than Age of Ultron.

As for how this movie is the same as Batman v. Superman, I can tell you right now that it isn't. They're similar in concept, I'll give you that, but their differences meet with the execution of said concepts. Yes, both movies have two people with different ideas fighting it out due to heroes causing collateral damage while inadvertently doing what an evil mastermind, with a tediously complicated plan, expects them to do. But you wanna know what Civil War has that BvS doesn't? Comedy. Marvel's ability to laugh at itself, to realize that what they're making shouldn't be taken too seriously, is what makes it worth the watch. Every. Time. Plus, I find it hilarious that a movie with four times the amount of superheroes manages to give each character a proper story and subplot than the film with just three.

This leads me to my third point: The movie is much better than the comics. Would it have been more awesome to see the number of characters we have now battle it out than seeing the relatively small one in this movie? Maybe. But look at Infinity War and Endgame. As good as those movies are, there were still many characters that got the short end of the stick. By keeping the cast small, Civil War gives each hero time to have an understandable motivation to pick one side or the other while giving each of their stories a proper conclusion. Even Black Panther and Spider-Man, introduced in this movie as sequel bait, still somehow manage to have clear motives and satisfying stories. Plus, where the comics make it hard to pick a side between Captain America and Iron Man because both made awful decisions after awful decisions, the movie makes it hard to pick and choose because both have to make hard decisions. Both Cap and Iron Man have clear reasons for their choices as well as hesitations. But they still see the point of view of the opposing side and try to talk things out. Which makes things all the more heartbreaking when they finally disagree. Something that never happened in the comics even once.

Overall, Captain America: Civil War is a great movie. It may not entirely be a Captain America movie, and the villain's plan is, again, tediously complicated. But it's still good because it understands the importance of characters and even a sense of humor. Which is something that I wish I could say about Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

6th place: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (9/10)

It's not every day that the sequel is better than the original, let alone being equally good. And yet, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is just as fun as its predecessor, if not a smidge better. Everything that I love about the first movie is here in spades, with a few improvements added to the appeal. Like the visuals, which not only have the colors and gradient turned up to thousand, but there are also some spectacular shots that at times look like they could be panels in a comic book. Plus, Ego the Living Planet is a much better villain than Ronan ever could be. Ego's motivations are typical, but his charming personality creates a character that's fun to watch while also showing how dangerous a person like Ego could be when his true motivations are revealed. Although, despite improvements, there are still some elements that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 takes away. Because while most of the jokes are funny, there are some scenes where it's hard to tell if I'm supposed to be laughing or feeling emotional. Also, I just hate what they did to Drax in this movie. In the first one, he was a stoic badass with a deadpan sense of humor. Here, he's written as a dumb a**hole who gets one emotional scene. And it's a powerful one, sure, but it's not enough. Still, I love this movie. If I had to pick which one is better, I would probably say it's Vol 2, but even then, it's a close race, in my opinion.

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And that’s all for now. Here’s part two.

[shortqueershakespeare]

bro... you just know imma have to ask for all the questions....

I hope you’re proud of my dedication (also thank you for doing this every time lol)

london: when you visit a city, do you take in the tourist points or the more unknown places?

I like to do both, but more unknown places are fun to either discover myself or be shown by someone who loves the city.

paris: where did you last fall in love?

In a bedroom in Cambridge I think.

berlin: do you find history or geography to be more interesting?

History, I love learning about history, but I didn’t study either at school - I now do some history.

amsterdam: would you drink in a room full of strangers?

That’s just freshers week in a nutshell so yes I did.

prague: rivers or forests?

Forests with lakes, although rivers really make me think of home - in my home city my grandma lives next to a river, as does my dad, at uni I live near a river and in Vienna I commute across the river which I love.

vienna: do you enjoy classic literature?

Yes, definitely, I actually read a lot of classics as a kid but I’ve been slacking lately.

barcelona: beaches or cities?

Cities

madrid: who did you last attend a party with?

I’m assuming it would’ve been with uni friends, or many a zoom party.

budapest: if you could do anything and not have to face the consequences, what would you do?

ooh shit that’s such a good question, right now it’d probably be punch/get rid of our incompetent government.

rome: ancient rome or ancient greece?

oooh i think i’d go with ancient greece although i can speak some latin so i’d maybe fare better in rome.

copenhagen: how many languages can you speak?

5, to varying degrees, english and german are my best, russian is prob still my worst because i haven’t practised in forever.

dublin: where was the last castle you visited?

Old Sarum 

stockholm: angst or fluff?

Fluff babyyyy

lisbon: if you had the chance to become a prince/princess, would you?

Hmmm I don’t think so, although the British monarchy have so much monarchy, maybe just to do good with that money.

athens: favourite greek myth?

Off the top of my head, Eurydice and Orpheus.

milan: what matters more: fashion or comfort?

Comfortttt

munich: why did you kiss the last person you did?

I’d broken up with someone not long before and he kissed me and took me by surprise, it was very sweet.

helsinki: when did you last visit a friend’s house?

Start of October I think, we don’t have bubbles in Austria but we made one with him so he wouldn’t be on his own.

reykjavik: do people usually have trouble pronouncing your name when you first meet?

Nope, they often spell it wrong though

florence: how did you discover your favourite artist’s work?

I really like Allie Brosh’s comics and books, my sister introduced me to her.

edinburgh: would you visit a dog park without a dog?

Probably yeah

oslo: what’s more important: work or love?

Love

venice: why did you last fall in love?

He provided me support when I really really needed it and made me feel valued.

glasgow: where were you going during your latest bus journey?

To work

liverpool: do you follow any sports?

I follow league one of British football for AFC wimbledon. I follow tennis sometimes too.

cologne: why did you last visit your grandparents?

To give my mum a break from looking after grandma.

moscow: would you rather perform in a circus or an opera?

Oh hell, probably an opera.

naples: if you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and for how long?

Hmmm I’m gonna give a few answers - if there wasn’t the teeny problem of bigotry and safety I would love love love to go to Russia for like a month.

I also really want to go to Italy and Spain and the Scandinavian countries, so I’d like to do like a month or two of interrailing (which was my plan for March but obvs I can’t do that)

favourite

1 - season?

autumn

2 - classic film?

Men in black?? idk

3 - nostalgia-inducing possession?

my teddy bear - he’s called brownie and my sister got him for me when I was really little

4 - shade of green?

the dark bits of malachite

5 - gemstone?

amethyst

6 - hour of the night?

4-5am

7 - quote?

“The universe is seeming really huge right now. I need something to hold on to.” - We Were Liars (E. Lockhart)

8 - type of dream?

dreams about being in love

9 - happy song?

Candlelight - Relient K

10 - sad song?

Tobacco In My Sheets - Lauren Aquilina

11 - character from a book?

Ohh I really don’t know I’ll go with Andy Skampt from the Carls.

12 - creative medium?

Pen and paper for writing

13 - memory?

belly laughs around the table with my family 

14 - aspect of a person’s face?

smile or eyes

15 - decade before the 2020s?

2010s

16 - band?

Stornoway

17 - animated film/tv show?

moana

18 - constellation?

cassopeia

19 - poem?

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver.

20 - album?

right now its Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted by Passenger

21 - ending in fictional media?

The ending to Crazy Ex Girlfriend.

22 - shade of blue?

maybe baby blue because its on the trans flag

23 - part of being alive?

love

24 - holiday?

last time I came to Vienna actually

25 - kind of candy?

flying saucers are a classic

26 - person you know?

I’m real homesick so my sister at the moment

27 - musical movie?

Rent

28 - superhero?

Spiderman

29 - book longer than 500 pages?

I think North Child is longer than 500 pages?

30 - book shorter than 300 pages?

We Were Liars

 marvel character asks

iron man: first superhero you ever liked?

spiderman

spiderman: do you believe in hometown pride?

not really 

black widow: would you rather be a secret agent for the heroes or the villains?

heroes

hulk: which approach to conflict do you prefer: analytical or physical?

analytical

thor: what’s your favourite kind of weather?

snow

captain america: how patriotic are you?

fuck not at all

black panther: what’s your favourite sci-fi movie?

the one i immediately thought of was I am Number Four.

ant-man: how tall are you?

something above 5′3″ but i genuinely don’t know

bucky barnes: do you have any hidden talents?

nope

captain marvel: on what topic do you and your parents most disagree?

how tidy my room should be kept

hawkeye: if you had to fight, what would be your weapon of choice?

something i can use at close quarters, maybe a knife

doctor strange: what’s an occurrence of everyday magic you’ve experienced?

Honestly some places and weather and animals are so magical

peter quill: is there anyone that underestimates you?

probably my flatmate

falcon: tell us your feelings on the armed forces.

oof that’s a rough one. My dad was in the army and definitely has ptsd from it. I don’t support the army at all but I do recognise that a lot of working class kids have few alternatives and are funnelled into that system.

gamora: if family and success were mutually exclusive, which would you choose?

family every time

nebula: do you believe a person can truly change?

yes

wanda: if you could have any superpower, what would you choose and why?

shapeshifting

deadpool: tell an offensive joke you feel bad for finding funny.

eh no thanks, i don’t really wanna put that energy out there rn

loki: greatest thing you’ve done on april fool’s day?

i mean probably something annoying to my sister when i was younger

venom: what non-mcu marvel character would you love to see in the mcu?

oh god i have no idea

nick fury: how do other people perceive you?

i hope as empathetic

thanos: do you believe in necessary sacrifices? give an example.

yes and no, not in terms of economy and shit, i don’t think people should ever be sacrificed for economic gain, but in terms of personal life i’ve sacrificed friendships to transition, and i’d do it again.

rocket: favourite non-domesticated animal?

tigerrrr

drax: would you rather fight with fists or knives?

fists

groot: how annoying were you five years ago?

i think i was growing out of my super annoying phase

[a-ratt]

How do you write your stories. I know it sounds like a broad question, but I have been inspired to write because you make it so fun! The problem is... well I have a lot of problems. For example how to start a chapter and/or outline, making dialogue correctly, how not to make the plot/chapter feel rushed, etc... Do you have links, process, or tutorials on how to write and get started and all that good stuff? Thanks in advance!

Well, my dear anon, I do love talking about writing. So, for starters, I should probably explain that I’m an English-Creative Writing Major in uni, so I’m going all in with my writing. Besides that, though, I usually start with an outline.

Idk how most people write their outlines, but I usually use “Blake Snyder’s Beatsheet”. It’s basically a list of “story beats” that help plan out the plot of whatever story I’m writing. It’s actually a screenwriting strategy I started using to plot out novel writing. Here’s the list:

1.) Opening Image: 2.) Theme Stated: 3.) Set-up: 4.) Catalyst: 5.) Debate: 6.) Break into Two: 7.) B-Story: 8.) Fun and Games: 9.) Midpoint: 10.) Bad Guys Close In: 11.) All Is Lost: 12.) Dark Night of the Soul: 13.) Break into Three: 14.) Finale: 15.) Final Image:

Basically, 1.) through 6.) make up the First Act. 7.) through 13.) make up the second act. 14.) and 15.) are essentially the third act.

So, 1.) through 6.) are all about the setup. The Opening Image is the first impression you’re giving your readers. It’s a tiny snapshot of what they should be expecting. Theme Stated is generally a moment where the story’s theme/message is given to the protagonist in some way/shape/form. The Set-Up is all about world building. This is where you’ve gotta give us the rundown on the protagonist’s “normal world”, what a day in their normal life is like. The Catalyst is where the fun starts. This is Luke Skywalker getting the message from Princess Leia. Where Frodo Baggins is given the One Ring. When Tony Stark gets blown up. And the moment where Ant-Man comes back from the Quantum Realm 5 years after Infinity War. This is essentially the moment where the conflict is started because the protagonist is pushed into the adventure. (Make sure they have a personal stake in it, though.) The Debate is a small moment where the protagonist, or just characters in general, argue about ‘going on this adventure’, about leaving their normal world. The Break Into Two is my favorite moment in Act I. This is when the protagonist chooses (and they usually must choose) to leave their normal world and embark on the adventure. Bilbo Baggins leaves the Shire. Frodo Baggins leaves the Shire. Luke Skywalker joins Ben Kenobi and leaves his homestead. Tony Stark builds his Mk. I Iron Man suit and fights his way to freedom. The Avengers plan how to time travel to collect the Infinity Stones.

7.) to 13.) is the longest act, Act II. This is the introduction of the B-Story to the Break Into Three. It encapsulates the Fun and Games, all the trials and obstacles the protagonist will have to face.

The B-Story is the subplot you want to implement into the story. This can be a lot of things and can be multiple things. Sometimes it’s a romance, or a learning curve, or a friendship. The Fun and Games, like I said above, is the trials and obstacles the protagonist must overcome. Essentially, in screenwriting, it’s everything you want to put in a movie trailer that’ll draw audiences in. In storywriting, I make up this part of the story as everything I want to happen along the way. The small adventures and little moments I can have fun with before I need to head back to the main story/conflict. The Midpoint is where everything changes. It’s either a “False Victory” or “False Defeat”, mirrored by the All Is Lost beat. An example of this is in Avengers: Infinity War, when Thor enters the Battle of Wakanda, but then Thanos breaks free from the Guardians, Iron Man, and Spider-Man’s trap later. There is a ‘peak’, where it seems like “Hell yeah, we’re going to win”, but then they start losing and losing and losing. The next beat is Bad Guys Close In, which is all about the bad guys closing in. Either the enemy literally shows up. fights them, and wins, or the good guys start fighting amongst themselves. All Is Lost follows up as the moment when the heroes lose. They fail. Often, there’s “a Scent of Death”, which can be an actual character death or someone coming close to death. This is Ben Kenobi getting cut down by Darth Vader. Gandalf getting pulled into the abyss by the Balrog. Thanos confessing that he murdered Gamora for the Soul Stone. Black Widow sacrificing herself to get the Soul Stone. Right after this is the Dark Night of the Soul, which is where the heroes are depressed. They’re at the bottom of the pit. They don’t know what to do with themselves. The mood is usually: It’s over, they’re done. No take backs. No do-overs. We. Lost. Everyone’s defeated and they don’t know what to do next. Following is the Break Into Three, where the heroes find their resolve, get back up, and forge ahead to the final confrontation. A few perfect examples of this is when: the Avengers ruminate over Black Widow’s sacrifice, reaffirm their mission, and then reverse the Snap. Luke Skywalker gets inside the X-Wing to go fight the Death Star. And when Peter Parker tells Happy Hogan that’s he’s going to kick Mysterio’s ass. Finally, we reach the Finale, where it all ends. This is the final confrontation. Thanos attacks the New Avengers Facility. The Rebel Alliance attacks the Death Star. And Ladybug and Chat Noir face Stoneheart one last time. The Finale isn’t bogged down by one fight, though, as Avengers: Endgame shows us. You can stretch it out a bit, play with the audience’s emotions. While Nebula and Gamora help Hawkeye, and Ant-Man saves Hulk, Rocket, and Rhodey, the Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor face down Thanos in a 3v1. It’s an epic battle and it feels like the end, but then the rest of the Avengers show up and we get the biggest battle in the entire story. This is the final battle.Then, there’s the Final Image. This mirrors the Opening Image, shows how far we’ve come and how much has changed. At the start, Luke Skywalker was a farmer boy and at the end he’s a galactic hero/terrorist. At the start, Frodo was just a normal guy living in the Shire, but at the end he’s on an epic adventure to save the world. At the beginning, Bilbo Baggins is content with living at home, but in the end he’s prepared to go on an adventure to help his friends take back their home from a dragon. In Miraculous Ladybug, Marinette is an introverted klutz who grows into a confident superhero.

So, yeah, that’s how I plan out my stories. Each beat is an essential component to create the narrative flow. If none of this made sense, here’s a link to a website that might help out: (x)

Of course, a story is more than it’s plot. You mentioned you had issues with dialogue?

Well, my method for writing dialogue is by throwing myself into the character. I act like them. I try to emulate them. For me, dialogue isn’t about making it correct, it’s about making it organic. Dialogue is linked to the characters you write it for. So someone stiff and stoic is probably not going to clip words and spell everything out. Someone lax and playful will probably clip words and phrases, and also throw in slang.

The kind of dialogue I usually write is inspired by Thor: Ragnarok, because the dialogue used is mostly improv, or improvised. In other words, make it up on the go. Have fun with it. If you want to, throw yourself into the character and try to act like them.

In terms of chapters, I don’t think length matters as much as content and flow. You want to make sure it paces well. You want to make sure that you’re not bogging it down with writing that’s unnecessary, like a diverging plot about food while the characters have to worry about going somewhere. Not unless it’s necessary for the plot.

In other words, chapter density is all up to you. What’s necessary and what’s not? Does it feel too short, as in they reader reads it and it feels like the hero punched the villain and it’s over? Or the read it and they felt like there was a full struggle where they fought and clashed and finally won.

Besides that, I don’t have much else to give. In terms of links and tutorials, all that I learned in class or from experience. (Don’t make me talk about the Fanfiction.net days.) But, if you’ve got anymore questions, I’ll be glad to answer.

[lesty-xx]

10 Questions Ask Meme

ooooh I haven't done one of these in *ages*, thank you @shakespeareanqueer for tagging me!

Rules: Answer 10 questions you were tagged with, come up with 10 more, and tag 10 people.

1) Favorite MCU director? Taika Waititi, he's been one of my favourite directors for years and years (since What We Do in the Shadows, which came out when I was 13) and I'm so thrilled that the entire world now get's to see just how awesome he is.

2) Favorite MCU platonic ship? Hmmmm I'm a big fan of a lot of them, I tend to prefer platonic stuff over romantic stuff since in canon it's normally written better (bc they don't try to make ridiculous mis communication blunders or awkward love triangles or whatever). I love Rhodey and Nebula, I think their friendship was utterly fabulous and really well navigated, I also love love love the dynamic between T'Challa and Shuri, but that might just be because I adore Shuri =")

3) Any MCU NoTPs? St*arker. Put that thing back where it cam from or so help me-

4) Kiss, Marry, Cuddle (when they’re old enough): Toby Maguire as Peter Parker, Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, Tom Holland as Peter Parker? Ooooh I'm not sure?? Hug: Okay, Toby because out of the three of them he looks like he gives the best hugs, he's got a soft face and I think that helps aha Kiss: I don't really remember much of Andrew's run, MJ's death traumatised me a fair bit as a kid so I think I blocked most of those movies out of my memory and I just haven't watched it since. Anyway, I don't really think Andrew's Peter ever got over MJ and honestly, I don't blame him, so I think kiss for that?? Just a quick smoosh, like on the cheek or something lol Marry: Tom, bc he's the last one left hahaha.

5) Least favorite MCU movie? Thor: The Dark World, which makes me really sad because I freakin love Christopher Eccleston, and he was done DIRTY in that film. But like, besides that one time where Jane slapped Loki, I don't think there was a single moment where I actually enjoyed it. I've watched it 3 times now and have fallen asleep or gotten distracted every. single. time.

6) Thoughts on Sony’s foray into Marvel comics films? (Venom + upcoming films?) I actually haven't seen Venom yet! I know, I know, I'm like the only person on tumblr who hasn't haha. Mostly though I'm pretty chill with it, I (like every other person on the planet) really enjoyed Into the Spider-Verse, which was a Sony film, so they definitely hold weight.

7) MCU film you’re most looking forward to coming up? Thor: Love and Thunder. It's actually the only one I'm excited for right now aha, I've been finding the sheer monopoly the MCU has kinda draining lately.

8) Any character/comic arc/random comment/whatever you wish they’d make an MCU movie out of? I honestly kinda wish they'd utilised Kang as the Big Bad instead of Thanos, it would have made far more sense with the time travel story arc in Endgame if they'd been going up,, against,, a time traveller,,

Also, I really hope they do Jane's Thor story arc justice, I have a feeling they will since Taika's running the show, but it's one of my favourite recent story arcs in the comics (is it still even considered recent anymore?? who knows)

9) Thoughts on the Hulu/Netflix Marvel shows? I've enjoyed what I've seen! Due to some personal stuff I haven't really had the heart to watch a lot, just because the themes in a lot of the shows are just a bit too heavy at times (especially in Jessica Jones), but because of the comics I adore the characters.

10) Which Disney+ MCU show are you most looking forward to? The What If? animated series. I'm so pumped, I'm so ready, I. Am. Down.

My Questions

What're you currently reading (be it fanfic, comics, or books)?

What's a fandom you're part of, but don't really engage with often?

What song are you listening to right now (if you're not listening to music, what was the last song you listened to)?

What device from a fictional universe would you love to have in real life (for example, mine would be a sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who)?

Twilight's getting new stuff, Hunger Games is getting new stuff, Percy Jackson is getting new stuff, Sherlock's getting new stuff, and so is Loki. It's almost like 2012 tumblr is coming back. In light of this, what is one thing from 2012 tumblr you'd like to bring back, and one thing you really hope stays in the past forever?

Sci-Fi or Fantasy?

Is your phone damaged in anyway (a cracked screen, an old battery, ect.)?

Pastel or Neon?

How many unread emails do you have right now?

What hobbies, if any, have you gotten into recently?

I've gotta admit it's been so long since I've been on tumblr so I'm not exactly sure who’s still down to be a mutual  anymore 😅 If we're mutuals (or if we're not but you'd life to anyway) then you're more than welcome to answer these questions!  Tag me if you do =D

I'm also tagging @fanfictiongreenirises @ohloverbcy and @shakespeareanqueer (I know you tagged me, but I had so much fun answering your questions I thought you might like to answer more - but only if you'd like to!)

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @abovethesmokestacks for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Pia, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

I started back in 2008 when I was 21 years old.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I do enjoy both, but lately it's been more reader inserts. It's challenge to write a good reader insert, to make them a natural part of the setting, to make them relatable to your audience and find a way to make them click with the other characters. Because they are meant to be a character you should be able to see yourself in, it tests your ability to make the character both approachable to a wide range of readers, yet specific enough to mesh with the story. 

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

Well, I have been called the angst queen on numerous occasions. Apparently I am a sucker for making myself and others hurt. 

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Oh Jesus, probably one of the Twilight fics I wrote during the dark days of my ff.net run. I got swept up in the hype and with a few exceptions, I have no qualms about tossing those fics into a volcano. 

5) When is your preferred time to write?

When I have both inspiration, motivation and time. Sadly, sometimes that happens at night and let's just say I have sometimes sacrificed sleep in favour of a story. Generally, though, I don't have a preferred time of day.

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

From anything and everything. Something I've seen or heard or experienced, videos I've seen, songs I've listened to.

7) In your Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavors fic, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

The final scenes of Assorted Flavours is close to my heart. Same with the scene in the Easy As Pie-chapter where they discuss Bucky's metal arm.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

I haven't made major amendments. Someone may have pointed out typos or missing words which I have edited, but nothing storyline-wise. 

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

I am a sucker for a lot of Seb's characters, especially Bucky and Hal. And Chris Beck. They are fun to write and there is so much that can be done and explored with them. 

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

I wanna preface this by saying it's not so much I dislike them as I find them hard to write well. Tony and Thor hard for me to write because I can't seem to connect as easily with them as I can with other characters, and I'd hate to do these guys wrong.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavors?

This is the eternal struggle with me, to come up with a good title. I knew I wanted something that alluded to reader being a baker and one my Spotify playlist shuffled to Emily Browning's rendition of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). For the sequel series, I wanted to continue on the same theme, and my friend Loup helped me land on Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavours. 

12) How did you come up with the idea for Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavours?

I am not entirely sure anymore, but it may have included a conversation about Bucky Barnes (or Seb, or both) and cupcakes, and evolved into an idea about Bucky finding a nightopen bakery during one of his nightly walks through Brooklyn (because obviously). 

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

I have two. One is a Twilight fic that I abandoned and deleted when I left behind my ff.net account for good. It was never going to get finished and I didn't want any WIPs on the account. I didn't delete the account, it's basically there as an archive, but yeah. Deleted that story because I was never going to finish it. The second fic is a Gilmore Girls collab fic I started YEARS ago with a friend from Australia. It was put on hiatus when my friend started writing original fiction. That one I would love to finish, but I don't know how likely that is.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

None that I am really aching to do a sequel for. That being said, with the right inspiration, I could possibly nake a third fic in the little verse I created with Hal in Cling To Me and Cling To You.

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Surprisingly, no. I've been happy with the endings to all of my fics.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Are we talking other fanfic writers or other fiction writers? For fanfic writers, just go into my fic rec tag. All of them are immensely talented in their own way. I will give special props to the writers of Not Easily Conquered because what they did with that series has fucked me up for life and I have the tattoo to prove it. For fiction writers, I do love Rowling for what she created with Harry Potter. I remember reading the books as they were published and just... I was mezmerized! I also love everything Neil Gaiman writes, it's dark and quirky and has that little something that takes hold of you. I can reread Pullman's His Dark Materials over and over just for the amazing world and mythology he created for that series. 

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

I usually don't reread stories I haven't clicked with, so not really.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Both. I have a Bucky playlist on Spotify that I usually crank whenever I am writing a fic that features him. But I can just as well write in silence.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Yes. I cried while writing With Him I Will Stay and Goodbye for example.

20) Which part of your Sweet Dreams fic was the hardest to write?

There wasn't one part that was specifically harder to write than others. I do sometimes get stuck on transitions, how to move from one scene to the next as smoothly as possible. If anything, writing Sweet Dreams has taught me that sometimes it's totally okay to just shift scenes and not make a big deal out of it. Not everything has to be complex.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

Often I have a rough idea of how I want things to play out, focus points that I want to include that function as pit stops for me as I write. The only time I haven't made a clear outline was for Kintsugi. I let the prompt guide me and hopes like hell it made sense.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction?

That it's a process and you learn. I was so worried about writing perfectly. When I started out in the Gilmore Girls fandom and posting at ff.net, it was really common to have a beta reader. I was new, I had no one to beta read and I kept obsessing over getting things right until I realized that I didn't HAVE to have a beta reader and that yeah, I made mistakes but I could learn from them and from reading other what other people wrote.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Maybe Snapshots. Or my T.J fic. I love them both dearly.

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Not to the point where it's an eye roll because I do like the attention my fics get. I was very surprised though by the amount of notes that flooded in for a drabble called Fight Night.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

I haven't really made use of a lot of OC's. Aiden from Make Me Feel Like I'm Real is the only one that qualifies and with him it's all in how he looks. When I came up with him, I had a very vivid image of a man that looked like a mix of Donald Glover and Daveed Diggs. His personality came quite naturally as he started interacting more with T.J.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

There are so many that have made me blush so hard. One that I remember very vividly was when @lostinthoughtsandfeelings-blog commented on Soft Devotion that it made them feel the same kind of empowerment that the Wonder Woman soundtrack evoked!

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I have been very lucky so far in the criticism that I've gotten. Mostly it's just been typos or something similar that's been pointed out. When I started out on ff.net there were a few who commented that they didn't understand where I was going with a certain story. I think for one fic I got a comment about having dragged it out for too long, but that's about it.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I do share some of them, simply because I get excited about them or because it's an idea that comes from a conversation that ends with "I need to fic this!!"

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

My husband knows, but he doesn't really know what it is (despite my attempts to explain). A few of my old school mates know I write, but otherwise no. I don't really talk about writing fan-fiction with people outside the fandoms I write for.

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

I love Steve's parts in Sweet Dreams, and anything that involves Sam.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

If I'm writing a series, the feedback from previous chapters do so much to encourage me. Feedback in general motivates me. I often ask friends to give me feedback on certain scenes or passages while I write and seeing their excitement does a lot to help me push through and finish.

32) What’s your favorite trope to write?

AUs and A/B/O for sure.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

I can't remember exactly which one, but it was a Gilmore Girls fic.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

I'd love to say fluff, but angst just hurts so good, and getting screamed at in caps-lock is kinda fun.

[rhetorical-ink]

Rhetorical Ink: “Star Wars - The Last Jedi” Review!

** BALANCED SPOILERS BELOW **

My father, brother, and I finally were able to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi in theaters today -- how did it measure up? Let’s say my views of the Light Side and Dark Side of this movie are pretty balanced -- so, in a “special” --

My Top Ten Thoughts on Star Wars, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi:

This review is going to focus on ten aspects of the film and what worked and didn’t work in my opinion, so bear with me:

10. The Effects:

Let’s get this out of the way -- the movie is GORGEOUS to watch on the big screen. I review enough films and critique enough to where that’s constantly what I’m looking for, especially in CGI-heavy films. I will say that the good news is that this has far better CGI than Thor: Ragnarok and DEFINITELY Justice League in terms of creating a seamless environment; plus, there are a lot of practical effects, locations, and set pieces that work well.

This will sort of go along with my #9, but at times, the effects do have a sort of Guardians of the Galaxy feel (see my #4), and that distracts me from the “realness” of the actual effects and some of the creature designs (looking RIGHT at you Porgs, again, #9), are fully CGI in many places and if you’re distracted by that sort of thing, yes, you’ll notice. Otherwise, though, the movie is SO stunning visually, I could do a Top Ten list alone of the visuals and world-building taking place in this movie. So that’s a win for me!

9. There ARE a lot of practical effect creatures blended with CGI in this film -- a lot of them I think help the worlds feel more “full” with life and have a galaxy-other-worldly quality to them. The “Caretakers” on the planet Luke is at, for example, work well alongside the Horse-like creatures that Rose and Finn discover on the “Casino planet,” essentially.

While the Porgs didn’t annoy me as I thought they would, and actually have a hilarious scene involving Chewie (not just the one above), they are clearly a marketing ploy and I’m not quite on board with their shameless-plug-nature. Nonetheless, they are okay and nothing as grating as the added CGI “cute monsters” Lucas added into the Prequels and “Special Editions” for no logical reason.

8. As far as the side characters go, we see a lot of the “every man” put into much of the movie -- and the whole notion of “nobody” plays a HUGE role in this movie (see far, far down below) -- but there were two main “side characters;” one I thought was well-used and the other two I was very, very unsure or displeased with their use: 

Laura Dern’s Captain character, luckily, was the well-used one -- she  not only had personality and a presence, but her character had a point. While it wasn’t really spelled out until her final moments in saving the Rebels, it was SO effective.

You could honestly hear a pin drop the moment she went light speed into the First Order fleet -- it was one of my favorite moments and a breath-holder for me. RIP Laura Dern’s lavender-haired character!

Benetio Del Toro’s “code cracker” and Captain Phasma, though? I feel Phasma is so wasted altogether -- you have such a cool character design, and they really don’t have much to do with her, and Del Toro, while charming though he’s no Han Solo in some moments, has an odd stutter of a character choice and doesn’t do much in terms of the overall plot, though my brother swears he’ll be back in a future movie. Maybe. Not sure I’ll welcome him, though.

7. There were three of our main characters that I felt either became developed in good ways or bad ways: First. let’s get the lesser developed out of the way.

Rose and Finn:

6. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Boyega and the new actress playing Rose and I liked their characters overall -- their plot in the film, though, did grind the film to a standstill at several points, and I honestly think it could have been shortened to help move the story along. That, and of all the lines in the film, they had some of the cheesier lines, like “Rebel Scum,” and Rose’s whole line about protecting what you love -- the lines aren’t necessarily cringe-worthy, but in the context they were said, I just didn’t feel them or like them. Hopefully, they’ll get more to do in the next film that is relevant with Rey, etc.

5. On the other hand, Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaacs jumped up a notch in terms of his role in the film. He clearly has that “Solo” attitude of jumping into action and being the no-worries “flyboy” throughout much of the film, but what I like that they did with him is that he GROWS as the movie goes on, to the point where by the end, he realizes the difference between being the “hero” and being the “leader.” It’s a type of growth that gives his character a much more relatable, and satisfying arc, whereas I don’t feel Rose and Finn get much of one, except Rose may have a thing for Finn now...which, okay, I guess.

Okay, so, I know I’m just wasting time at this point, because it’s all coming down to the Skywalker Family...oh, and Rey and Snoke. So let’s start with --

4. Now, I will be the first to admit that Leia has easily my least favorite scene in the film, and really the only one that I was uncomfortable with. Remember that notion about Guardians of the Galaxy above? Spoilers, obviously, at this point, but at one point, fairly early on in the movie, Leia’s ship is damaged and she is jettisoned out into space. The big deal here should be that it was NOT her son that shot the ship; in fact, he chose NOT to -- more on that below -- but instead the big deal is that she uses the Force to get back to the ship and to safety. From outer space.

I get the scene on paper; I get the importance of setting up how strong she really is with the Force, because it pays off later, but the entire sequence was a little unnerving and unsettling for me...maybe I’m the only one that didn’t like that sequence.

The rest of the movie with her? She STEALS the show -- well, her and Mark Hamill (again, more below) -- and owns her time on stage with such grace, elegance, and you can sense this frailty about her that is almost heart-wrenching. I really don’t know why the Outer-Space-Force scene was left in, aside from keeping her out of commission until later, but thankfully, the rest of the film with her makes up for it! Speaking of making up for things --

3. Mark Hamill as Luke stole the movie for me -- the emotion in his acting, the action scenes with Rey (and Kylo -- for the last time, more on that below), and the overall message of learning from failure just worked for me so well. His humor worked, the raw emotion in specific flashbacks, and with Leia -- it all just worked and I would watch a cut of just his, Leia, Rey, and Kylo’s scenes over and over if I could.

There is a scene, once Rey has left to go face Snoke and Keylo, where he encounters Yoda’s force-ghost, and at first, I was like, “Nooooooooope,” because I thought it was going to get cheesy, and that Ewan McGregor was going to pop in as Obi-Wan or worse, Hayden Christensen was going to pop in, but NO, it was just Yoda, and the scene served its purpose well, especially in foreshadowing of things to come. All the nods to Hamill’s bringing back Luke.

2. There’s been this running thread in the film about the Force, and how if you connect hard enough, it’s like you’re actually there. It sort of reaffirms the ability of Force Ghosts to exist and makes sense that characters with a strong bond can connect together and practically feel each other’s existence.

When Kylo and Rey start to connect, there’s this scene where they touch hands and it “feels” as if they’re really with each other, though they are thousands of miles away. That same moment comes back later, as Luke basically fools everyone, even his own sister, to his presence and saves the day. The last few moments with Luke we have? I was almost crying, and I rarely cry at a movie --

ALSO, JJ, if you can do anything for me, can you please, PLEASE just have Luke come back as a Force Ghost and “haunt” Kylo Ren, since he said he’ll always “be in his heart?” If you can do that, I will complain of NOTHING ever again with this series. 

1. I won’t lie, the last act of this movie is my favorite; there is SO much that comes together and to a head -- Luke’s fight with Kylo was without a doubt my favorite part of the film, but Rey and Kylo versus the Guards, the confrontation with Snoke, all of that was just SO well done, and I give props to Johnson’s screenplay for taking the Force in a new direction and really giving us a new movie-going experience with this story and I was ON BOARD with that. Plus, Ridley and Drive have SUCH good chemistry together! Seriously, every scene they played off one another, especially the Snoke Room scene -- floored me.

Oh, and thank goodness, Snoke dies in this movie, so forget him! While I was really hoping Kylo and Rey would team up after that -- I guess we haven’t quite gotten Kylo back to the light...he’s a work in progress, you know. 

Also, finally, we learn who Rey’s parents were -- nobodies.

They were common, every day people.

THAT is possibly my favorite part. SUCH a middle finger to all the theorists out there trying to connect her to a person in the already existing story line, but I loved it. Rey is all of us; she comes from a random place, but her motivation, spunk, and drive keeps her going -- and it doesn’t help her to be a tad bit Force-sensitive, eh?

Overall, I enjoyed The Last Jedi. Is it perfect? No, the Finn/Rose storyline does drag it a little, the Leia space-moment is luckily towards the beginning, so it’s out of the way early, and there are a few cheesy one-liners I was like “Ooohhh no” at, but overall, the rest is such a fun ride!

If you just happen to walk in the second half of the film, don’t feel bad; the story amps and amps to a fantastic conclusion! Worth seeing in theater!

[theantisocialcritic]

Archive Project - February 7, 2014 - Avengers Lineup

2012's Avengers movie is too easily forgotten as a miracle of modern film. What was once considered a film that could and wouldn't ever work, with a lot working against it, managed to become one of the best movies of the early 21st century. This is due largely to the miracle casting of Joss Whedon as director. Prior to selling his soul… I mean future career prospects to Marvel/Disney, he gained extreme nerd credibility for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and Cabin in the Woods (which premiered around the same time as Avengers). Joss Whedon's strength as a director has always been inter-character dynamics. By that I mean, he is able to establish a large cast of characters with differing personalities that all interact with each other differently in fascinating ways. This, I imagine, was largely why he was chosen for The Avengers. His touch really does show through as we see certain characters get along and bicker. For example, Tony Stark immediately gets along with Bruce Banner, but clashes with Steve Rogers. Ultimately though, I will admit that The Avenger's as a movie suffers from 1 flaw: an overall lack of depth.  Joss spent all of his time working the movie developing the character's personalities and interactions, but the resulting script was pretty much a standard action movie with little to say about people, life, the universe, etc. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it doesn't detract from the movie, but what it does is two things. The first is that is keeps the movie from really standing out as potentially the greatest Superhero and Action movie of all time (though I will say it easily get's second best for me personally). The second is that it makes me really worried for the sequel, 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Joss has stated in interviews that his influences for making this movie are The Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather Part II, which I would take as good signs if that actually was some sort of signifier that the movie's inspiration was other good movies. What he has also seemed to have done is to take nearly every single fan request for a character appearance and stuck them into the script while simultaneously making the story darker and more complex. I'm nervous because the last time I saw a movie that tried this strategy, making the movie darker, more complex, with more characters, and taking inspiration from another great movie (in this case Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan) was the unfortunately complicated misfire that was Star Trek into Darkness. I'm not saying that Joss Whedon is going in a bad direction with Avengers 2 or that he isn't talented at what he does. In fact if there is any director I would trust to make this movie work.. IT IS JOSS WHEDON! I'm just worried too many people out there are already convinced that Avengers Age of Ultron is predestined to become some sort of modern cinematic masterpiece when there is just as good a chance that the whole experiment could fall apart on itself if it makes a severe misfire. Overall though my main fear, as I mentioned briefly before, is the casting. Reading the cast list for this movie on Wikipedia makes me really afraid that Joss Whedon might be a bit over his head here and that he could be biting off more than he can chew. Lets look back of his record so far: Ok.. Firefly: 9 central characters, plus rotating cast of antagonists The characters had great dynamics and the show had a deep emotional core with a fully realized world. Avengers 1: 10 central characters, plus 1 primary antagonist One of the best Superhero-Action movies ever, kinda weak story but REALLY awesome!!   Avengers 2: 9 Protagonists, 5 antagonists remains to be seen.. So maybe it doesn't sound like that much, but 14 main characters are a lot to throw around, especially when you are balancing multiple bad guys with different goals and story lines. Again, thats not to say it can't work. The first Die Hard movie had 12 villains.   So the question is, how do you balance a two hour movie with fourteen or more characters. My best guess: do it the way they did in the old Star Trek shows: create a diverse cast of personalities but keep the focus primarily on the important figures. In old Star Trek, the stories usually revolved around Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and Dr. "Bones". Yah, characters like Uhara and Scotty got screen time but it wasn't guaranteed in every episode and was less significant than the main trio. If Avengers: Age of Ultron keeps it's focus on the right characters and gives screen time where it is needed then it really could end up something of a great movie! But it's important to approach this cautiously, as this could very easily turn out to be an X-Men: The Last Stand level disaster if the ball is dropped. Or alternatively, it could be a Man of Steel 2… I mean Batman vs… I mean NOT Justice League level screwup. The saving grace here is that we have hope. At the helm of this movie is an incredibly talented group of actors, directors and special effects artists who genuinely care about the material. The Avengers movies are one of those rare little treats where Hollywood figured out that they could make a lot of money by honoring the source materials people care about and making genuinely great, light hearted and fun action movies out of such odd, out there concepts. Who would have thought a movie about The Norse God of Thunder or Ayn Rand in a robot suit would become to most dominating movies out there. What i'm really hoping for is that the huge cast that Joss Whedon is collecting is for a greater purpose for these movies. The fact is, sadly.. these actors aren't going to be around forever. Eventually Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evens, Robert Downey Jr and the rest will get tired of the roles and try to retire the characters. We almost saw this with Downey in Iron Man 3. By making such a huge cast, maybe Joss is preparing for the ugly reality that we will all have to face at some point, that Chris Hemsworth as Thor really isn't immortal. That the invincible Iron Man really isn't. Just looking ahead at Marvel's Phase 3 movies, you can really see this. Marvel/Disney is currently in talks right now for potential movies for Dr. Strange, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel and Blade. Not to mention the Netflix Original Series' coming in 2015 for Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Don't take this as cynical. If anything, the untold possibilities with these films has me more excited for them than anything else! I'm not nearly excited for stuff like Star Wars VII or The LEGO Movie as I am for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man and Avengers 2! And in the meantime, I can confidently say that the characters we know and love will be around for quite a while! Thor 3 and Captain America 3 have already been announced! Take from this a sense of cautious optimism. These are the movies we will hand down to our children. Even if things crash and burn from here on out, we still got 8 amazing movies out of this deal! And I can say with confidence, that we will probably have more than 8 of these films to pass on. :) Thank you for reading! Live long and prosper!

[thegoddamnwordsmith]

My Top Ten Marvel Legends of 2017!

10 - Colossus Starting our list off, we have the guy that a lot of people were waiting to see updated, and is he ever an update. Colossus premiers a new body mold, clocking in at eight inches of Russian organic steel. His sculpting is great, combining detailed boots and gauntlets with his classic banded arms and an otherwise smooth costumed body. His face sculpt is solid, with his alternate bearded head lending a little more character to the figure. Alas, he's not without some issues - some additional hands (for fisticuffs, or properly tossing Canadian teammates) would have gone a long way, and while I have no issue with the more recent costume choice, the paint work could be a lot sharper. But he towers with power, which is required for any good Colossus figure, giving him his slot on the list. 9 - Singularity When we first read A-Force, my wife and I fell in love with Singularity. Funny, cute, and endearingly new to the world, she was a breath of fresh air among the jaded heroes in the 'verse. We hoped, one day, that she'd get the plastic treatment... and then the A-Force boxed set did just that, and did it well. Cast in translucent blue glittery plastic, Hasbro's deco team did a great job of throwing a purple-indigo face across her body to cement the cosmic look of this living pocket dimension, with a spot of white paint to define her eyes. However, one of the most notable things about her is also left out of the figure - Singularity is almost always smiling, being a joyous character who loves life and her friends. The figure has a vaguely pleasant neutral expression, and this minor detail goes a long way to keep this figure so low on the list. But even the fact that she got made in the first place is worth celebrating, so here we are - a fantastic figure that's just a bit shy of being incredible. 8 - Lady Loki Another 'niche' character (and, thus, great for the A-Force boxed set), Lady Loki gets on the list for two reasons - one, because she's a figure that wasn't likely to be made any time soon, and two, her paint work is amazing. The dark metallic green used across her body is sharp, accented with equally-clean applications of a light green scale pattern on her arms, legs, and abdomen, with a nice fade effect between the greens. A more subtle, but just as impressive, example of paint apps would be her face paint - two-toned lipstick, metallic green eyes, and a clean fade application of green eye shadow give her a striking appearance. Topped off with a fur-lined cape, a custom loincloth, and hair outfitted with gold accent pieces and Loki's trademark horn headdress, Lady Loki is much more than one might expect from a lesser-demand character. 7 - Invisible Woman (with HERBIE) The return of the Fantastic Four to the Marvel Legends line starts with a bang. Sue's got a fantastic (d'oh) paint job, sharp black paired with a medium-dark blue, with a clean '4' chest emblem proudly displayed. While I'd prefer a full alternate invisibility arm, rather than just an alternate hand, the fade on the clear plastic is very well done, showing the barest differentiation between her costume pieces as they fade into nothingness. On top of it all, a very nice face sculpt (with spot-on paint application and a great hair piece) gives her a pleasant look, fitting for the world's most fantastic woman. Plus, a cleanly-sculpted and painted HERBIE is included, and while they could have made him a static piece, he even has a ball-jointed neck, allowing him enough poseability to express some character. And I just love the sculpted outlet in his back. 6 - Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) One of Marvel's newer best-selling characters, it was only a matter of time before Kamala joined the ranks of Legends. For being released on a body-type we've seen quite a bit (Teen Girl), she has enough unique parts to bring her above the standard rank-and-file. Of course, there's her head sculpt, which gives her a bit of a smile, but that's not where the big difference lies. It's actually the dress layer over her body (from the ab-swivel down) that sells it, changing her silhouette just enough to catch the eye and reproduce her costume from the comics without any shortcuts. On top of that, she has flared sleeve caps, her trademark scarf, and the heirloom bangle on her left wrist, to make her more unique. Hasbro didn't stop there, though, and included two alternate forearm pieces to replicate her 'embiggening' powers from the comics, and while they could be tweaked a bit better (giving them any kind of wrist articulation, for instance), the fact that they're included, and are very well-sculpted to boot, just make her all that bit more perfect. 5 - Ares The original BAF Ares was before my time as a collector, and long before I had any interest in Ares as a character. Between then and the Ragnarok wave, Ares hit my radar hard. So when I first saw the figure in person, I knew I had to get him. And I don't regret it. Despite being only slightly altered from his original 2008 release, the alterations are nothing but good for this nine-year-old (!) mold. Ares is a massive chunk of plastic, with no small amount of sculpted detail or paint apps. His metal boots and leather wraps are given a darker wash, and his altered face-up gives him a more ethereal, godly look that the original release lacks. The use of gold plastic over paint in his helm is a good choice, as the original looks a bit more slopped on, while here the black paint is nice and clean. And I'm a sucker for figures that come with big weapons, of which Ares comes with three - his original long and short swords, as well as the axe meant for him, but usually included with Thor figures instead. Given that the original Ares goes for a high price on the aftermarket, this figure does a good job of filling the god of war-shaped hole. 4 - Moon Knight I know a lot of people don't like the costume used for this iteration of Moon Knight, but it's hard to argue with the simple elegance of a high-contrast scheme, especially when so many of the pieces are molded in their color, rather than painted. The result is a nearly universally clean deco, with paint apps being limited to the hands, feet, chest emblem, and face. the individual armor pieces help break up his shape more, making him stand out from the crowd of 'heroic male build' figures just a bit, as does his iconic cape and hood. The eyes have a thin rimming of blue, helping them 'pop' a bit more from the rest of the deco. His cape stays loose due to having a short peg, but it's not as big of an issue as one might think. Marc's accessories are a mixed bag - the billy clubs should have been a proper staff, but alternate hands and multiple throwing crescents help ease that, even if some of them are small and easy to lose. However, the figure boasts one other advantage over his fellows - instead of the ubiquitous mid-calf swivel, he features a new ankle joint, allowing for an increased range of motion. Hopefully we'll see more of this type of joint going forward, because Moon Knight makes great use of it. 3 - Elsa Bloodstone Another slam-dunk character from the A-Force boxed set, Elsa makes good use of recycled parts. Aside from her head (brand new sculpt with an incredibly striking face and amazing hair) and knee pieces, Elsa is a successful combination of Misty Knight and MCU Scarlet Witch, blending pieces from both into a trenchcoated, knee-high-booted monster-hunting badass. Clean paint apps across the board (including her Bloodstone Gem choker) help polish off the look, as do her accessories - a revolver (conveniently tucked into her hip holster) and twin shotguns, the weapons of choice for Miss Bloodstone. A little bit of altered articulation would put her on another level entirely, but it's hard to argue with just how **** amazing the end result already is. 2 - The Beetle (Abner Jenkins) Sometimes, it's the little things that make a figure great. They don't necessarily need to be an all-new sculpt, or have twenty-million paint apps, or come with an arsenal of accessories. Sometimes, it's just a smart combination of details that do the job. Ol' Abner has that combination. The right number of new pieces (head which captures the classic Beetle mask, new torso and shoulders, and a new belt), accessories (reused wings from Wasp and Louise Lincoln Beetle, along with new wing-cover pieces above those), and paint choices (metallic violet and dark green, natch) come together to create an iconic villain from Marvel history in a hard-to-beat figure. Just like Eel from last year, sometimes it doesn't take a whole lot to rank high on the list. 1 - Angela On the other hand, Angela is almost the opposite. From head to toe, she features an all-new sculpt that gives her the impressive build of an Asgardian warrior (topping off at seven inches), with additional armor pieces across her body, few of which impede her articulation (which includes a fencing joint worthy of the swordswoman). Numerous paint apps cover the figure, including fine detailing on her gauntlets, shoulderpad, and face (which is crisp as hell). And, of course, she's outfitted with unique accessory pieces, including a sword, twin axe weapons, a belt (with sheath for the sword), and her iconic ribbons - all featuring detailed sculpting and/or unique paint work. All of this comes together to be the best figure for 2017, no contest whatsoever. BAF: Warlock Once again, the X-Men wave delivers with the BAF, because Warlock is fan-friggin-tastic! He's a looming giant, standing at ten inches tall, and his lanky frame makes him as striking as any bulky goliath (looking at you, Juggernaut). He's got as wide a range of articulation as he could get, even if there's a few pieces hindered by sculpted details. And that's one of the best parts - the sculpting. This sculpt is 100% Warlock - it will take a lot of retooling, new pieces, and paint to make this into anyone other than the techno-organic New Mutant. Every inch of him is covered in metalwork and circuitry detailing, given life through a fantastic gold paint wash over black plastic. His face, a less stylized interpretation of Bill Sienkiewicz' art of the character, is nonetheless spot-on and even gives the illusion of different expressions based on the angle at which it's viewed. Hell, he even comes with an alternate buzz-saw hand, a rare accessory for BAFs. He might not be perfect (the hoses can't stay connected without hampering articulation, and the joints like to be a bit loose), but he's such a standout that it really doesn't hold him back from the top slot. Honorable Mentions: Human Torch - While not much of a standout sculpt-wise, the use of translucent plastic is excellent. And while some people balk at the 'mismatched' colors across his body, I dig that they outline the details of his costume when not 'enflamed,' a trait shared by fellow FF figure Invisible Woman's translucent arm. Thor (Jane Foster) - Long awaited, Jane hits all the right notes for her debut figure, and really has no drawbacks - the paint work, sculpting, and accessories are all great. She just doesn't have the right amount of oomph to make it into the top ten. (NOTE: Only speaking of the mainline release - never got the SDCC version) Monica Rambeau - Another solid figure and a long-awaited addition, Monica has a fantastic head sculpt and a great deco, and is only hampered by minor engineering issues (she uses the arms and coat of MCU Scarlet Witch again), and the lack of any 'energy burst' accessory, which really would've gone a long way with her. Dazzler - Like Jane, she doesn't have enough to edge into the top ten, but Alison is no slouch as a figure. The pearlescent white used for her disco-era costume, the sharp apps for her stage makeup, the Farrah Fawcett hair, and the accessories (rainbow energy burst, microphone, disco ball necklace) are all tip-top. And the roller skates! Even if posing her with them can be a pain. Mary Jane Watson - We haven't picked up MJ yet, but she's getting a mention due to the sheer fact that she was made. The Legends line isn't known for getting civilians, so to see one of the most prominent ones get the plastic treatment is just an event worth celebrating. Vulture w/ Wing Pack (MCU) - While not the BAF buffet that Warlock is, Vulture is still a worthwhile figure, featuring an incredibly detailed sculpt and clean paint apps across the board, as well as being an interesting take on the BAF formula - he's an enjoyable, if basic, figure on his own, but the moment you get all the pieces for his wings, he makes a menacing display piece. I'm not looking for Hasbro to do more Build-a-Vehicle figures in the future, but as the primary villain of Homecoming, I'm glad they didn't shortchange his figure release. Disappointments: She-Hulk - We've gone for years without an update to our favorite green lady, and when we finally get one... she left a lot to be desired. I have no personal problem with the body itself, but something about this figure highlights the flaws - limbs, torso, and head are all ill-proportioned to one another. If the arms had been lengthened and the head enlarged just a tiny bit, it would have made a world of difference. Also, I'm just not a big fan of 'stoic' Jen - she's generally a lighter character, and needs a face that shows it. Until then, my Blob-wave Shulkie will continue to be the go-to. X-Men Wave - An interesting case, because while the wave has a bunch of updates or first-time Legends, so many of them have something that holds them back from greatness. Last year's wave was a strong return of the X-Men, and this year... gives us what we needed, and what we wanted, but not quite what we could've gotten. Cyclops reusing the Bucky Cap body and being covered with ill-fitting straps (would sharing Sunfire's body have been better, I wonder?). Polaris looked fantastic, but dull at the same time. Shatterstar is a great sculpt, but there's a lot of QC problems with his paint and joints, and really, no fencing joint in the wrist for the career swordsman? Sunfire is great, but he's also just kinda... there. Old Man Logan... feels tacked on, like they needed a Wolverine in the wave but didn't want to immediately turn around and release the Tiger Stripe right after the 80s costume. And honestly, none of these figures are bad, they just didn't quite live up to the expectations. Overall, this year has been an odd one for me, since while there's been a lot of good figures released, there haven't been a ton of outstanding ones. Almost all have been servicable figures, to be sure, and there's a lot of welcome faces among them, both remakes and first-time Legends. But there's not as many this year (compared to last year) that just slap you upside the head with their very existence. All that said, however, this has been a solid year, with few actual missteps, in my opinion.

[ramajmedia]

10 Supporting MCU Characters That Could Return In A Big Way

D23 2019 brought a lot of surprises. Not only did we find out that we would be getting some brand new Disney Plus MCU series, there were also a few shocking casting announcements that very few could have predicted. While there are some high profile cases such as Kit Harrington starring as the Black Knight, or Gemma Chang returning to a completely different Marvel role, a couple of other casting choices flew under the radar.

RELATED: Disney+: 10 Things You Should Know About Ms. Marvel

The return of both Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo to WandaVision shows that Marvel is willing to dive deep into their list of supporting characters, in order to keep fleshing out the universe they have created. With the unexpected return of these characters, we're taking a look at some supporting characters that could return in a much bigger way during the next few phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

10 LADY SIF

It's no secret that Lady Sif certainly has her fans. The Asgardian warrior has been absent from recent films after a scheduling conflict meant that she could not appear alongside the Warriors Three in Thor: Ragnarok. This was probably good news for the adventurer however, as her brethren were killed in combat fighting against Hela. Sif was said to have perished during the snap, but will of course be around once again.

There's plenty of potential for Sif to now return, perhaps in the Loki series or Thor: Love and Thunder. Fans have been speculating that Sif could in fact be the Queen that Valkyrie has been searching for, marking a triumphant return to the franchise.

9 HARLEY KEENER

Avengers: Endgame saw the surprising return of another supporting character that had a much larger role during Shane Black's Iron Man 3. The young inventor Harley Keener was briefly seen during the funeral of Tony Stark. The producers over at Marvel Studios clearly felt it was important to continue to show the connection between the two characters.

Harley may be in for a much larger role in the MCU. With a successor to Iron Man probably inbound, it makes sense that Harley is part of that journey. The Young Avengers are supposedly coming, with the addition of Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang to the MCU, so it's possible Harley joins them as their in house inventor and mechanic.

8 ARNIM ZOLA

Zola had a completely hidden cameo in Endgame thanks to the production crew behind the visual effects in the film. This recent reveal has only reminded fans just how good the character is though. We last saw Zola in his computer form in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

RELATED: Disney+: 10 Things You Should Know About She-Hulk Before the Premiere

Zola has actually appeared in many more MCU properties than people might realise over the years and he is set to voice the animated version of the character for Disney Plus. However, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier clearly bringing back many other supporting characters, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see Zemo written back into the universe.Someone so obsessed with surviving probably has a backup stored somewhere!

7 RICHARD MADISON

A random choice, perhaps, and maybe one that readers don't even remember! During Thor: The Dark World, Jane Foster starts looking for other romantic partners and goes on a date with Richard, portrayed by the fantastic Chris O'Dowd. It would certainly be brilliant to see Richard return due to the charismatic actor behind the character, but what larger role could Richard actually play in such a vast universe?

It's been a while since we've seen Jane Foster and there's every possibility that she could have reconnected with Richard. With Jane becoming the new Mighty Thor, from a storytelling perspective, there needs to be a character that follows her on that journey and reacts to what's happening alongside her.

6 LEONARD SAMSON

The Incredible Hulk is a largely forgotten entry in the MCU. The movie has been partially salvaged, however, with William Hurt's recent reprisal of Thunderbolt Ross and Martin Starr's strange ongoing role in the MCU. There are a lot of great characters featured in the film, however.

Leonard Samson is one such example. The psychiatrist boyfriend of Betty Ross put himself in the way of the Hulk due to his jealousy over his girlfriend and Bruce Banner. Portrayed by the wonderful Ty Burrell, the character has probably gone through a lot since these events. There's definitely a role in the MCU for a superhero psychiatrist and we could see Samson's superhero alter-ego!

5 CHRISTINE EVERHART

Christine Everhart has actually been featured in quite a few MCU properties, especially in her role with WHIH, the fictional news station in the franchise. There seems to be a real potential to flesh out this character, who audiences will be familiar with.

RELATED: 6 Characters We'll Miss From The MCU's Spider-Man (& 4 We Won't)

By now, Everhart is probably at the top of her field and looking for the latest scoop on any case Jennifer could be working on. The two could share both a friendship and a professional relationship that could add a new dynamic to the show.

4 RHOMANN DEY

It was mentioned that Thanos had completely wiped out the Nova Corps and the planet Xander during his quest for the Infinity Stones. The means that Dey's family and friends are all likely dead, but there's a real possibility that Dey actually survived himself and is now looking for any kind of revenge in the universe.

In the comics, it is Dey who passes down the moniker of Nova, and this could very well be his role in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. It's also the perfect way to finally introduce Nova into the MCU.

3 NAKIA

Lupita Nyong'o is an absolute star and it's a travesty that her character Nakia hasn't appeared since the original Black Panther. It is almost certain that she'll return for the sequel, though. Nakia's story was already complex in the franchise, with the activist and spy feeling like Wakanda can do more for the world.

With the events of the last five years, she could have completely shifted in perspective, perhaps feeling like she was wrong and Wakanda should have stayed protected and hidden after its losses. Maybe she feels like even more could be done and it's now too late. Whatever the case, we could see her transition into a more villainous character.

2 KRAGLIN OBFONTERI

Kraglin's honorary position with the Guardians, his role with the Ravagers and relationship with Yondu have all made him a fan favourite of the galactic series. ,It really wouldn't be surprising if he had an even more extended role in the finale part of the Galaxy trilogy set to release in phase 5.

There's a lot more that Kraglin could do, from rising the ranks in the Ravegers to perhaps even becoming a fully fledged member of the team. Now with the use of the fin and arrow it's clear that James Gunn wants to explore the character some more and give him a larger and more dangerous role.

1 JANET VAN DYNE

You don't cast Michelle Pfeiffer without having a larger plan for her character. The return of the original Wasp was a big moment for Ant-Man fans, but the character has only since briefly appeared in the funeral scene. However, there must be more that Van Dyne can do in the larger MCU and there's surely a place for her to appear again.

What's strange is that we haven't heard anything about an Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel, which means the places she could appear are limited. But there's still a lot of story to be told there and Peyton Reed is probably eager to get back to work on the characters he loves. Maybe Van Dyne could serve as a mentor figure for a new female hero joining the MCU on Disney Plus?

NEXT: 10 Other MCU Characters Who Might Be Worthy Of Wielding Thor's Hammer

source https://screenrant.com/mcu-supporting-characters-cameos-may-return-phase-4-beyond/

[waringout-blog]

The Most Important & Definitive MCU Ranking, Probably

Come one, come all, and witness my subjective attempt at objectivity! The Marvel Cinematic Universe, whether appreciated or disavowed by fan or critic, is an ever present entry into the canon of film history and the cultural zeitgeist. With multiple MCU films releasing every single year between now and the end of time, there is no denying the sway these films hold over the Western cultural conscience and the conversations about the film industry, art, and fandom that they encourage. I have found in creating my ranking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that list-making is an ephemeral practice in the subjective. Better yet, my making of this list has been a Sisyphean practice in futility, as I constantly revise these rankings based on the Marvel movie I’ve most recently viewed, or upon hearing a rousing argument from a friend, or some such constraint on my ability to establish objectivity in my arbitrary designations. Thus, I invite you to be my editors through this endless struggle. Here is my proposed draft of the MCU films, ranked from worst to best. Obviously, revision will be necessary as time moves ever onward, but if I am blatantly incorrect please let me know and we will collaborate together on some sort of truth in this cynical world. 

15) Thor: The Dark World

14) Iron Man 2

13) The Incredible Hulk

12) Iron Man 3

11) Avengers: Age of Ultron

10) Thor

9) Captain America: The First Avenger

8) Ant-Man

7) Doctor Strange

6) Captain America: Civil War

5) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an endearingly warm film that returns to the cast of misfits that shattered the Marvel movie-making model. I’ve written about the film at length here, so I’ll keep the details brief. GotG Vol. 2 offers delightful moments of character and light-heartedness that is purely joyful. This movie is among the best that the MCU has to offer, and James Gunn, the director, continues to bring instinctive innovation to the superhero genre through wit, charm, and bad-assery. The Guardians of the Galaxy films nestle seamlessly between episodic space opera, a groovy soundtrack, and the most out-of-leftfield, off-beat superheroes that any studio has dreamed of. I left the screening of GotG Vol. 2 full of adrenaline and the largest, cheesiest grin beheld upon an apathetic college student’s face.

4) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America is the MCU’s most iconic superhero among its current roster. In 2008, Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man was the catalyst of this growing film universe and a symbol of all that is excellent of that which followed. Unfortunately, the Iron Man sequels set precedent for the lack of imagination and/or execution that has defined MCU sequels (most will argue in favor of Iron Man 3, but I was largely unimpressed and haven’t revisited it since the first time). Robert Downey Jr. remains grounded as the inimitable Tony Stark, but unfortunately his charm is unable to sustain the unsavory sequels. This is not the case for Captain America, whose films continue to supersede the original one. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is bold and exciting, giving the audience an engaging plot, magnificent characters, and some of the most stylized and provocative action sequences within the MCU. While Captain America is often one-dimensional as an individual, his inclusion in the Avengers helps anchor the entire series. Everything that the character represents is reflected upon his fellow heroes and pushes them beyond what they are ordinarily capable of. It is Cap’s lack of cynicism, apathy, or arrogance that also inspires the audience to be better versions of themselves. Robert Downey Jr. laid the foundation of success upon which the MCU was built, but it is Captain America’s shadowing presence that bolsters it.

3) Iron Man

I continually return to the word iconic because it represents how the MCU has infiltrated the American consciousness through their ability to embed themselves within the cultural zeitgeist. This relevance is created in moments of gravity and inspiration so profound they cannot be ignored. Marvel Studio’s creation of Iron Man and their decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. brought about the emergence of a new brand of filmmaking and iconicized superhero movies forever. Marvel Studios, under the guiding vision of Kevin Feige, set upon tempered waters by taking one of their lesser known characters (one of the few they still retained movie rights for) and turning him into the foundation of their franchise. Feige set out to emulate comic books by creating serialized movies for audiences to track with and enjoy, as they attempted to streamline these heroes’ stories into an overarching narrative. At the time, there was no precedent for this type of universe building. The producers, working for the nominally independent Marvel Studios, were staking their claim in the tepid milieu of superhero filmmaking. The fact that Robert Downey Jr., a recovering addict humbly working his way back into the goodwill of Hollywood, acted as the impetus propelling the property into what it is today was an outlandish gamble. This bold vision paid off though, and Iron Man was both a financial and critical success. Nowadays, Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. are synonymous with the MCU. This is most evident in Iron Man’s inclusion in both Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and while I argue that Cap now carries the torch for the franchise, he does so piggybacking on the success of Tony Stark and his super-suit. Iron Man loses steam towards the end, specifically as they rush the story towards its inevitable and calamitous conclusion, but the overall design, effects, and plot are well realized and the perfect entry into this mammoth franchise. Audiences would not have been introduced to this vast universe of characters nor been taught the idea that “we are Groot”, had Marvel Studios, and subsequently Tony Stark, not had the audacity to proclaim, “I am Iron Man.” 

2) The Avengers

This movie feels like a laborious day’s work coming to a close; as the hours wind down and the body’s strength weens, there is a sense of relief and accomplishment at the sight of a job well done. By the time Marvel’s The Avengers released in 2012, four movies and four years had passed since Nick Fury, and subsequently Marvel Studios, hinted at the Avengers Initiative. Marvel had delivered a bombastic entry into their cinematic universe through Iron Man, but proceeded to produce two flops (The Incredible Hulk & Iron Man 2) and two mediocre entries (Thor & Captain America: The First Avenger), leaving fans to wonder what they were buying into . Franchise fatigue began to set in for the first time and fans started to wonder if this elaborate film industry experiment was beginning to be derailed. That’s not to say that these films weren’t successful and the general population wasn’t willing to see them at the box office, but the question remained as to whether this franchise would break the glass ceiling and become something greater. Fortunately, the anticipation of seeing the Avengers team up in a single movie liberated viewers from their cultural malaise. The Avengers succeeded in bringing these separate superheroes together on screen and followed through on Kevin Feige’s original vision for the coherent, overarching narratives of many films to assemble into a single story within the confines of a single film, much like the team ups featured in Marvel’s comic books. The film is able to converge these characters without losing their individuality and allows each hero the time needed to be effective. The Avengers also offers the greatest MCU villain to date in the unruly and sinister Loki, as a continuation of his previous entry in Thor. Villainy was, and always has been, a problem in the MCU, but Tom Hiddleston's Loki is constructed so well and transcends the typical contrivances, that he is able to deliver a menacing performance that places him in the same iconic lineup as Iron Man and Captain America. Since its reception, The Avengers has served as the mold from which all MCU films are now made. Regardless of rumblings of superhero ennui settling in once again among fans, the franchise filmmaking model established by The Avengers is not an indictment on the film itself, but an accolade and example of being the type of film that so firmly supplants itself into the cultural conversation. In an era almost compromised by tedium in superhero filmmaking, The Avengers proved that it was the most evocative superhero film of its time, and that despite cultural listlessness, the MCU was still able to excite and shatter viewers’ expectations. 

1) Guardians of the Galaxy

While considering Marvel’s The Avengers and its induction as the mold through which Marvel films are fitted, it is worthy to note that there are a few exceptions. Chief among them is Guardians of the Galaxy. Sure, it’s a superhero team-up movie that is both funny and action packed, but James Gunn took the Avenger model and notched it up to eleven. The film is daringly subversive and the heroes it displays are characters with whom audiences were widely unfamiliar with and unprepared for. Guardians strikes a delightful balance between irreverent and contemplative, and does so without paying attention to the conventions of other Marvel films. Expanding the cinematic universe into the galaxy and unveiling uncharted spatial and character territories quintessentially invigorated the franchise unlike any previous film. There was an unfettered joy in the creation of this film that translates perfectly into the experience of viewing it. It may be argued that Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers are tied for first or are out of order, but Guardians is just more delightful than any superhero movie that I have ever seen.

Please comment below and tell me how I’m wrong, or share it with your friends, solidifying my attempt at creating something pure and true. 

[tardisgirlepic]

Ch. 1: “The Doctor Falls” Analysis Doctor Who S10.12: The Rescue Is Not Over, Heather & What the Prison Ship Tells Us

NOTE: TPEW = “The Pyramid at the End of the World” TRODM = “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” THORS = “The Husbands of River Song” CAL = Charlotte Abigail Lux, the little girl from the Library

The Rescue Isn’t Over

The long rescue isn’t over yet, which is why the Doctor’s story hasn’t ended.  There is a Horse metaphor in the TARDIS at the end to prove it, shown below (red arrow).  

Not only that, there are 4 other horses, too, symbolizing the 4 Horses of the Apocalypse, but with added new meaning, which we’ll examine.  It’s foreshadowing for Christmas.  We have to come back to the ship or a similar setting, and I’ll show you why in the another chapter.  In fact, there are several other pieces of subtext that say the rescue isn’t over.

There’s also a mechanical-type horse that we’ll look at.

Not Everything Is As It Appears

Right at the start, we hear birdsong, a sign that we still haven’t gotten back to reality in the Library metaphor.  We should finally get to the bottom of the main story in the Christmas Special.  There’s plenty of foreshadowing for it in the finale, which I’ll show you throughout this analysis.

However, birdsong is not the only problem that says something is wrong.  For example, the cut on the Doctor’s forehead should have healed over the 2 weeks between when Bill brought him back and she woke up. However, it didn’t.  In fact, it opened up somewhat as the episode went on. This was going in reverse, just like his timeline.

Additionally, there were plenty of reflections, inverse reflections in the ponds, and other such things to tell us that we shouldn’t believe everything we are seeing.

In another oddity, Bill saw the Doctor’s regeneration energy on the prison ship in “The Lie of the Land,” so why didn’t she know about it in “The Doctor Falls”?

Also, how did the Doctor, CyberBill, Missy, the Master have trouble taking out one Cyberman, who came up in the lift in the forest?   Yet at the end, the Doctor was going through the forest taking out numerous Cybermen all by himself, shooting them left and right?

Then, the scene with Bill and Heather in the TARDIS isn’t quite happening the way it looks.  This suggests to me that Bill will be back in some form at Christmas, even if it’s a clip.  And we’ll examine more subtext, telling us who Heather is.  We looked at that before in “The Pilot” analysis, but there’s some additional information now.

We'll examine what's happening with some of these in this analysis.

Showing You the Subtext through a Different Format

Given that we have plenty of time to look at information before the Christmas Special comes out, I want to step back and give you a different format for how to look at what is happening in the finale and the rest of DW. 

In the previous analyses, I haven’t concentrated too much on setting and characters.  I’ve done more with themes and other important pieces of subtext.  However, the setting, characters and themes all foreshadow things for Christmas, besides telling us more about the finale.  Therefore, I want to concentrate mostly on these elements.

Another element we need to examine are a few mirrored scenes from other episodes, showing us how this all fits together with previous canon. 

Brilliant 2-Part Finale with the Resolution in the Xmas Special

Before I get into the meta, I want to give you my opinion of the finale because I offered my opinion on two-part episodes before the airing of “The Doctor Falls.” 

Typically, the subtext story in the 2nd part overtakes the surface story, leaving, for example, plot holes or something tied up too quickly, which takes away the emotional aspect.  (This has happened a lot, too, with Season 10 in general, just because everything has to be tied up quickly since Capaldi is leaving.)  With so much story left to tell before the final episode, I wasn’t sure how they could finish it adequately except through a cliffhanger.

Therefore, while I was deeply concerned that the 2nd part of the finale would never live up to such a great 1st part, I came away elated at how things turned out. The 2nd part was brilliant and very much lived up to the 1st half. 

There was a fantastic mix of subtext story and canon because most of the subtext story prior to this has now become canon.

At the same time, I’m so grateful that Moffat opted to give the story the room it needs by finishing it in the Christmas Special.  Still there’s a lot to tell.  I have no doubt that the heart of the main story will get told, but many of the details will have to be in the subtext.

The subtext foreshadowed the main points that happened in the finale, and it was beautiful to watch how everything came together, showing us the near resolution of the Doctor’s 3-season character arc, as well as the very long story in the making since Classic Who.  Not only that, Missy, too, had a 3-season-ish character arc, turning from the dark side at the end.

Also, I’m elated that the 1st Doctor showed up at the end, as the subtext suggested would most likely happen.  We will hopefully see Susan, too.

So we need to see the final rescue story and the Doctor reuniting with his family. 

Because the subtext was heavily referencing former cast members, I expected to see some of them show up, and they did.  It just wasn’t in the way I imaged, except for John Simm.  However, seeing clips of Jack and of all the Doctor’s female companions, including Sarah Jane, Clara, and River was enough to satisfy me until the Christmas Special.

Will Clara show up for Christmas?  I’m not sure if her appearance in the finale counts as finishing the Great Work.  The subtext in “The Eaters of Light” suggested that he was remembering her.  However, does that mean he remembers everything about her?  This has a complication, too, which I’ll show you below.

Extending the Library Metaphor: Holo-decks & Some Perception Filters

The brilliant 2-part finale extends the meaning of the Library metaphor in connection with the Eye of Harmony.  We know that people in this metaphor typically live in dreams and illusions, like CAL does. The nightmarish situation of reality becomes just a nightmare while dreams seem real.  That includes CAL seeing herself as a little girl even though she’s a cyborg.  So the terrible truth is hidden. 

The people on Floor 507 at the beginning of “The Doctor Falls” don’t even know they are on a ship. Therefore, they are analogous to CAL and Donna in the Library dream being fed lies by Doctor Moon.  They are living in a Star Trek-style holo-deck.

Bill, too, mirrors CAL in not knowing she isn’t the person she once was.  They both see themselves through memories.  According to the Doctor, Bill’s mind is acting like a perception filter.  She could easily be in a fugue state, where the mind runs away from the truth.  We examined that with Jackson Lake in “The Next Doctor” and Oswin Oswald in “Asylum of the Daleks.”

Therefore, we can add a holo-deck to illusionary possibilities for our Library metaphor, along with some perception filters – when they act like they do with Bill and CAL. Also, we can add fugue states in similar situations.

The Doctor’s 3-season Arc: A Good Man?

The 12th Doctor has been on an amazing journey over the last 3 seasons, wondering at the beginning if he was a good man.  He started off grumpy, aloof, and not caring after having helped end the Time War.  While his journey isn’t over yet and he’s been taking the “long way home,” we have our answer.

He is both a good and great man.  As a good man, he is helping the people on Floor 507 due to his kindness and decency, even to strangers, because it is right not to abandon scared children and adults.  Also, as a good man, he is giving his life for them, and that is also part of what makes him a great man.  We see the war hero in action, a man who has had a decisive historical impact on Gallifrey and the Time War.  It’s now easy to see how he caused so many deaths.

The War Doctor

The BBC put out a promo photo of the Season 10 finale, which is a mirror of the one they put out for “The Day of the Doctor.”  Since several analyses ago we examined my hypothesis that the Doctor was really the War Doctor, I was delighted to see them.

Here’s a 50th-anniversary image with the small version of the War Doctor in the middle, along with the 11th and 10th Doctors back-to-back.

Here’s the image the BBC put out for the Season 10 finale with the small version of the 12th Doctor in the middle, along with Missy and the Master back-to-back.

While the 11th Doctor calls the War Doctor “Granddad” in “The Day of the Doctor,” the Master, mirroring the 11th Doctor, calls the 12th Doctor “Granddad” in “The Doctor Falls.”

The Season 10 finale is meant to give us some subtext details of the Time War in a brilliant model of the Library metaphor universe, complete with a sort of, kind of Heaven metaphor, as well as a Hell metaphor.  (We’ll examine this more in depth in a bit.)  The Doctor is in a desperate, no-win situation, and while he could run, he’s made a choice. This is a retelling of the same choice the 8th Doctor makes: becoming the War Doctor to fight in the Time War. 

The difference is that we don’t see the 12th Doctor regenerate.  He doesn’t have to.  He’s been transforming through the Great Work, returning to what he was born to be.  The warrior, a weapon of mass destruction, and a child of war.  His newborn consciousness, at least one face, arose from the ashes on Trenzalore.  Then, we have a huge gap from there until we see him in “Deep Breath.”  Part of events in that missing time can be inferred from what is happening in the finale.

After we examine the setting of the ship, floors, ice, characters, themes, etc., I'll put everything together for you, so you can see the Doctor’s story in a more condensed format, rather than through many analyses.

Problems with the Previous Time War Episodes

There are a lot of problems, oddities, and hand waving with the previous episodes talking about the Time War story.  For example, the 9th Doctor said he stopped the Time War by blowing up Gallifrey, as well as all the Time Lords and all the Daleks.  How is that possible unless they are all on Gallifrey?  Why would the Doctor assume some are not on Skaro or elsewhere?   This has never made sense to me.  At least until the Season 10 finale, which I’ll explain in another chapter.  Also, if he blew them up with the Moment (like what we saw in “The Day of the Doctor”), how did the Doctor survive according to what we think we know about him in canon? 

“The End of Time”

In a 2nd example of weirdness, Rassilon and the Chancellor are talking about something really odd in “The End of Time” Part 2:

CHANCELLOR: The signal has been sent. A simple task of four beats transmitted back through time, and implanted in the Master's mind as a child. RASSILON: Then we have a link to where the Master is right now. CHANCELLOR: But we're still trapped inside the time lock, sir. The link is nothing more than a thought, an idea.

Gallifrey is in a time lock here?  But the Doctor said he blew up Gallifrey.  We didn’t hear about the Doctor putting Gallifrey in a time lock until “The Day of the Doctor,” but then DW doesn’t tell the story linearly anyway. Things are timey-whimey here. 

“The Day of the Doctor”

In a 3rd example, in “The Day of the Doctor,” 11 Doctors, the War Doctor, and somehow the 12th Doctor (more hand waving) put Gallifrey in a time lock.  Some things don’t add up here, like greenery on the floor of the barn when there’s a desert around them.  Something is wrong. 

Also, the scene of the War Doctor looking at the barn in the distance (red arrow, shown below) looks like a bad matte painting in relation to other quality images of Gallifrey in this episode and in “Hell Bent.”  It isn’t real, and it isn’t supposed to be.  The greenery suggests these were the Doctor’s memories of a time long gone.

“Hell Bent” 

In a 4th example, there are problems in “Hell Bent.”  Gallifrey is back in the universe, but at the end of it.   While there’s hand waving here, I can accept that because we are talking about Time Lords.

However, for what we think we know in canon, there are still other problems, which I haven’t previously mentioned with “The Day of the Doctor,” and they still exist in “Hell Bent.” The inside of the barn is shown below, as the Doctor walks in.  

First, the yellow arrow points to a big truck tire or, more likely, one from a tractor.  That was surprising!  I didn’t expect that with such an advanced society, especially in a desert.  So something is off.  It also looks so human.

Then, the green arrow points to the structure that represents a prison – a 6-sided figure – which is also part of the structure I saw in the 3rd Doctor story “The Ambassadors of Death.”  (We examined that story’s significance in “The Empress of Mars” analysis.)

The 3rd arrow (white) points to something really odd.  It’s not a normal barn structure but the hull structure of an overturned boat. No one would build a barn with timbers crafted like that.

I figured the ship was supposed to be Viking (or metaphorical Viking) when I saw “The Day of the Day” because the 11th Doctor had a Viking funeral in a boat. 

Then, I got my Viking question answered, at least in part, in “Smile.”  The Doctor and Bill are in the Vardy building, looking for the original colony ship:

DOCTOR: When the Vikings invaded, they used to pull their longboats out of the water, turn them upside down and live in them as houses until they'd pillaged and looted enough to build new ones.

BILL: So?

DOCTOR: You didn't see a space ship outside, did you? When the settlers first landed, they must have lived in it and built out from it, so it's still here, somewhere inside this building. Ah. (a not-perfectly-smooth-and-white wall) Bits of meteor damage. Flecks of rust. Rivets. Oh, I love rivets. A wall. A real, honest wall. Not made of tiny robots but made of any old iron.

So, does that mean the barn really is a symbol of invasion?  Or is it just the symbol of the original colony ship or just a ship that landed on Gallifrey?  I’ve been considering these questions.

The Setting Is Driving the Story

At the beginning of the 1st episode of the finale, the Doctor did another bootstrap paradox to go back to near the beginning of his timeline.  We are witnessing a brilliant microcosm of an alternate universe and how it operates with the Black Hole of the Eye of Harmony. This setting also allows us to see an example of how the Time War works with one end of the ship in closer proximity to the Black Hole.  This microcosm universe, then, shows us how time is a continuum across the ship.

The Black Hole and ship are analogous to the Black Hole and Planet in “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit.”  In both the 10th and 12th Doctor episodes, the situations become desperate, and there is a rebellion.  However, the rebellion in the 12th Doctor episodes is not so clear-cut. 

The Master said that everyone on the ship is dying.  The only way the people on Floor 1056 can survive is to rebel against squalid conditions and death by upgrading themselves to Cybermen.  They are desperate to break free, building an army through forced upgrades.  At least some see evolving to Cybermen as freedom.

However, the people on Floor 507 are desperate to save their children from being turned into Cybermen. They see Cybermen as slavery and death and are rebelling in their own way.

We’re at the root of the ideological war, foreshadowed since Season 2 of nuWho, which we examined in Chapter 16 “Doctor Mysterio Analysis Part 3: Ideological War for Season 10 & the Eye of Harmony.”

Heaven, Purgatory & Hell in the Alternate Universe

The differential of time between Floor 0 the Floor 1056 is an interesting number: approximately 1000 to 1001 years per day.  This curious set of numbers recalls 2 Peter 3 in the New Testament:

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

Therefore, Floor 0 is the Heaven Metaphor, and Floor 1056 is the Hell metaphor.  Interestingly, the Doctor goes to Hell in “World Enough and Time” to get Bill back, and we saw him in a different kind of Hell in “Heaven Sent” before he brought Clara back.  However, the Doctor can’t get back to metaphorical Heaven while he is alive. 

The Heaven Metaphor & God’s Names

The Heaven metaphor on Floor 0 looks futuristic, especially in comparison to the rest of the ship.  It’s bathed in light colors, too, as opposed to the darkness on Floor 1056.  It follows the light and dark patterns that we’ve examined in multiple ways.

Allusions to God come up in several ways regarding this Heaven metaphor.  Here are just a few for now.

This ship situation is analogous to the people in “The God Complex,” who don’t realize they are on a prison ship in a Star Trek holodeck-type situation.  There, too, we see both a “heavenly” side where people lost their fear of being taken by the Minotaur.  They were in a euphoric state, like a dream, while they eagerly awaited death.  That’s in contrast to the hellish side of everything before euphoria set in, which is analogous to pre-conversion Cybermen, at least on Floor 1056.

One odd thing about the ship in this Season 10 finale is that the floors have numbers on the sky ceilings. 

So I wonder what the people in this bucolic setting think of the sky with a grid, the number 507, clouds, etc. in the heavens?  Is that the name of God for them?  It’s a fascinating question, especially since God comes up a lot lately in DW, and many religions have multiple names for God: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Sikhism, etc.  Therefore, floor numbers as names for God seem apt, given the reference to “The God Complex” and the 1000 years per day between the 2 ends of the ship.  

In fact, in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, God is quoted as saying "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  In “The Zygon Invasion,” the Zygons in human form are in a church that has the symbols for Alpha and Omega, shown below.  And between Alpha and Omega is the Sun symbol.  Missy talked about the Master burning like a Sun, and we know the Doctor does too.  We’ll look at this more in a later chapter.

Baby Melody Pond is associated with Omega.  And in fact, River was associated with the Church of the Papal Mainframe in “The Time of Angels” and “Flesh and Stone,” which uses an omega and what looks to be the capital Greek letter pi superimposed mostly within the omega.

Besides Christianity, if we count mythological gods, I’ve showed you a few of them, but there are a lot more that the Doctor is associated with in the subtext.

And I believe there is a reference to the Hindu god Shiva in “World Enough and Time.”  After the Doctor used Venusian Aikido (a very 3rd Doctor maneuver) on Jorj, the Doctor says something interesting to Nardole’s comment:

DOCTOR: Venusian Aikido. NARDOLE: I thought you needed four arms for Venusian. DOCTOR: I've got hidden talents, as well as hidden arms.

This makes sense because Shiva is the destroyer of the universe, so he can re-create it.  He is part of the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity, which includes Brahma and Vishnu.  Shiva has 2 to 4 arms (and can have more) and a 3rd eye.  The Doctor has a 3rd eye of sorts (red arrow) in the opening credits.

Purgatory Metaphor

Floor 507 isn’t Heaven, per se, but compared to Floor 1056 it’s much more heavenly.  So 507 is like the intermediate state, relating to the Purgatory metaphor.  Not everyone on Floor 507 or possibly on other floors may be considered to be in Purgatory, although they could be.

I’m using the metaphor for those people who have died previously, like the Doctor and Bill, who are, according to Wikipedia, in an intermediate state after physical death in which some of those ultimately destined for heaven must first, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church "undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," holding that "certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come."

Afterlife purification is not unique to Catholicism.  Other religions, like Judaism, have something similar.

BTW, it's clear to me that DW is using the Purgatory metaphor to apply to several other characters, too.  We'll examine them in a future chapter.

The Doctor Earned His Wings With all the allusions to God, Heaven, and It’s a Wonderful Life (“The Eaters of Light” analysis), it’s clear the Doctor really is a mirror of Clarence the Angel, 2nd Class, who was trying to earn his wings.  For example, Missy, the Doctor’s project, did turn toward the light at the end.

After the Doctor died, he earned one wing to Heaven, as the image below shows (red arrow).  His coat spread out under his right arm showing the red lining serves as a wing.

After Heather and Bill move the Doctor to the TARDIS, we see him lying on the floor, having earned both wings (yellow arrows).  There is also a divine-type light (red arrow) near his head.  The lining is easier to see in the episode than it is here.

Heather & How the Doctor Earned His 2nd Wing

Before the Doctor died, he and Bill parted without saying much to each other, although they should have. It was a mirror of Clara and the Doctor before she died.  Here’s the lack of communication problem again.

However, Bill did say one thing:

BILL: But, hey er, you know how I'm usually all about women and, and kinda people my own age.

DOCTOR: Yeah? BILL: Glad you knew that.

She put in an order, so to speak, for her love interest. 

As we examined in “The Pilot” analysis, Heather was the Doctor, so she had to come back. 

Either she is a projection of him or she is a part of his being.  The Doctor is not just male, so he can project either a male or female being.

In fact, she is wearing a ring, a symbol of the 12th Doctor, around her neck, shown below (red arrow).

There is a precedent for this in Classic Who.  Time Lords could project a version of themselves, and we looked at this in the “Knock Knock” analysis with the 3rd Doctor story “Planet of the Spiders.”  According to the TARDIS Wikia, Cho Je only existed either as a future projection of K'anpo Rimpoche (the Time Lord abbot of the meditation center) or a creation of his mind, which Rimpoche used as a proxy.  At the end, K’anpo died and regenerated into Cho Je.

The other possibility for Heather was put forth in the 5th Doctor story “Kinda,” which we looked at in the TPEW analysis. Since Bill uses “kinda” when talking to the Doctor in the dialogue above, the Doctor’s soul probably passed onto Heather, the way the old blind woman in “Kinda” passed her soul into the young girl who was her companion.  They operated like the Holy Trinity where 3 operated as One, but in that case 2 operated as One while the old woman was alive.

Either way, they end up as beings of pure consciousness, who can manifest in human form.

After the Wings While we see Heather as a type of regenerated Doctor, the 12th Doctor has to come back to life because he has not finished the rescue.  And he has multiple faces that have to get redemption, which we’ll look at that more in a later chapter.

The 12th Doctor’s face we see at the end of the episode when he is in the icy environment with the 1st Doctor should be back at the beginning, happening earlier in time than what we see on Floor 507.  We’ll examine the symbolism on Floor 507, and how this relates to going back to the beginning.

This Doctor’s face hasn’t earned his wings yet.  The other did, suggesting that he did remember what Clara meant to him. However, what does that mean for this other version on ice?  That’s a question I’m considering.

Hell Metaphor, the Satan Pit & the Time War

We’ve seen more of the hellish side of the ship than the heavenly.  Certainly, Floor 1056 represents the Satan Pit and a living nightmare.  The squalid conditions and nasty emissions outside the hospital are a reference to “Gridlock” with similar conditions in the New New York Undercity. 

And the gridlock has to change in the Library metaphor.

Because conditions in this part of the ship are driving people to desperate measures and time is going faster in Hell, we get to see how beings from the Hell metaphor are going to overtake Heaven, Purgatory, and the children, unless something is done.  We have to see a resolution in the Christmas Special, and I’ll talk more about this in another chapter.

DOCTOR: We can't go back to the bridge. We can only go four or five floors up at the most. The further we move up the ship, the slower time moves for us and the faster it moves for the Cybermen. By the time we get to the bridge, they'll have had thousands of years to work out how to stop us. There is no safe way to get back to the Tardis. It's a mathematical impossibility.

The Ood server in “The Impossible Planet” expresses what is happening here:

OOD: The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God.

So we have a war against God on Floor 507?  Yes, in a way.  This is more foreshadowing for Christmas, which we’ll examine.

In fact, Razor said something interesting in “World Enough and Time” when Bill wanted to get back to the Doctor:

RAZOR: You do not understand the dangers. Many years ago, there was an expedition to floor 507, the largest of the solar farms. BILL: And? RAZOR: Silence. They never came back. There is something up there. And we must be strong.

We saw what was on 507, but that doesn’t explain why someone couldn’t get to the bridge.  If those Cybermedics could do it to get Bill, they could do it again.

So there’s something else going on, and the subtext shows more.  We’ll talk about that in another chapter.

Dante’s Divine Comedy, 9 Circles of Hell, Ice & Foreshadowing

The way this universe is set up, I can’t help but think of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy.  In fact, it most likely gives us foreshadowing for Christmas.  The Divine Comedy comes in 3 parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.  Wikipedia says, “As an allegory, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.”  Dante’s work, among several others, has influenced the Christian concept of Hell.

Since this Library metaphor universe has become a very hellish place, the Inferno part is rather fitting as it describes the metaphorically fiery place of Hell.  Wikipedia continues

The Inferno tells the journey of Dante through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".

When I saw Floor 900 being punched through by Cybermen, shown below, I immediately thought of the 9th Circle of Hell.

9 Circles, Satan & Ice

The Master is sitting in Hell at the beginning of “World Enough and Time,” but it’s Floor 1056.  While there are 9 circles in Dante’s Hell, the last has a depth.  Wikipedia says

Dante’s Hell is divided into nine circles, the ninth circle being divided further into four rings, their boundaries only marked by the depth of their sinners' immersion in the ice; Satan sits in the last ring, Judecca. It is in the fourth ring of the ninth circle, where the worst sinners, the betrayers to their benefactors, are punished. Here, these condemned souls, frozen into the ice, are completely unable to move or speak and are contorted into all sorts of fantastical shapes as a part of their punishment.

Ice is interesting, especially because the 12th Doctor ends up there at the end of “The Doctor Falls” where the 1st Doctor is.  And a bunch of subtext shows that this would be the 9th Circle of Hell. 

Before we examine part of that in this chapter, I want to show you the other circles because the Doctor, Master, and Missy would fit into quite a few of them.  The Master would fit into all of them, including living like a king, being a dictator, and believing Missy’s soul wouldn’t continue on in some other form.  According to Wikipedia:

1.     First Circle (Limbo) - The first circle contains the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans, who, although not sinful, did not accept Christ.

2.     Second Circle (Lust) - These carnal offenders are condemned for allowing their appetites to sway their reason.

3.     Third Circle (Gluttony) – This circle contains those who overindulge in food, drink, and other worldly pleasures. At the same time, they have the inability to see others lying nearby, representing the gluttons’ selfishness and coldness.

4.     Fourth Circle (Greed) – These offenders are divided into two groups – those who hoarded possessions, and those who lavishly squandered them

5.     Fifth Circle (Wrath) – These offenders are here, being furious and sullen

6.     Sixth Circle (Heresy) – This circle contains those who say "the soul dies with the body"

7.     Seventh Circle (Violence) – There is a Minotaur in this circle that gnaws flesh.  Those who commit violence against neighbors, self (suicides), God, art, and nature end up here.

8.     Eighth Circle (Fraud) – There are several types of fraudulent and malicious offenders here.  Those who deliberately exploited the passions of others and and drove them to serve their own interests; those who abuse and corrupt language to play upon others' desires and fears; those who made money for themselves out of what belongs to God; those who are fortune tellers, diviners, astrologers, and other false prophets; and those who are corrupt politicians. Also, there are hypocrites, thieves, counselors of fraud, sowers of discord, and falsifiers.

9.     Ninth Circle (Treachery) – People here are guilty of treachery against those with whom they had special relationships. 1st Ring - Traitors to their Kindred: for example, Cain murdered his own brother 2nd Ring - Traitors to their Country: for example, Antenor, a Trojan soldier who betrayed his city to the Greeks. 3rd Ring - Traitors to their Guests: for example, Ptolemy invited his father-in-law Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to a banquet and then killed them 4th Ring - Traitors to their Lords and Benefactors: for example, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus

Center of Hell – Satan “In the very centre of Hell, condemned for committing the ultimate sin (personal treachery against God), is the Devil, referred to by Virgil as Dis (the Roman god of the underworld; the name ‘Dis’ was often used for Pluto in antiquity, such as in Virgil's Aeneid). The arch-traitor, Lucifer was once held by God to be fairest of the angels before his pride led him to rebel against God, resulting in his expulsion from Heaven. Lucifer is a giant, terrifying beast trapped waist-deep in the ice, fixed and suffering.”

Heresy came up in “Dark Water” after Danny Pink died.  People were getting cremated even though Dr. Chang said people’s souls lived on after death. In fact, Missy is acting like Pluto in “Dark Water” and its sequel, “Death in Heaven,” as keeper of the Matrix data slice, collecting souls.

So Missy would be sitting in the Center of Hell, too, at some point, but she did change.

What about the Doctor? In “The Lie of the Land” analysis, we looked at the concept that a face of the Doctor was a Trojan Horse.  In fact, a toy Trojan Horse shows up in “The Doctor Falls.” It’s hard to see, but there is a Trojan Horse on wheels, shown below (red arrow), next to the Doctor.

The Doctor has a lot of sins to atone for, which we’ll examine more in a future chapter.

So the Doctor ends up on ice, most likely symbolizing Dante’s 9th Circle in Hell. He needs rescued. 

Also, he would prefer to commit suicide than regenerate.  He’s terrified of changing into something unknown, especially after all he’s been through.  Those are Steven Moffat’s words.  I can certainly understand the Doctor’s sentiment.  He’ll lose part of himself and possibly not remember the lessons.  I certainly wouldn’t want to have to repeat those lessons, if I were him.

Since he is willing to commit violence against himself, that may be another reason why we keep seeing numerous references to “The God Complex,” referencing the Minotaur from Dante’s 7th Circle of Hell.  That would make sense.

Also, since Danny Pink killed his young self in the war (we examined that in Chapter 18: "Doctor Mysterio Analysis Part 5: Rescuing Children & Missy/Master"), that would be the 9th Circle of Hell, which would be another reason the Doctor has ended up on ice.  But that may not be all…

“Fire and Ice” & Perishing Twice

Since the Doctor has to die again, the ice motif may also be an inspiration from one of Robert Frost’s most popular poems and may give us some more foreshadowing:

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

We saw Hell and the metaphorical fire, so now we get to see the ice.  It’s interesting that hate is associated with ice and the Doctor has been described as being fire and ice.

At the end, he certainly hates the thought of regenerating.

So ice is an appropriate setting in more than one way, besides tying in the Mondasian episode from 1966.  However, there’s more to the ice part beyond this, and we’ll explore that in another chapter.  There are several important tie-ins to the ice and hatred concept that we need to examine because this foreshadows Christmas.

Read next chapter ->

[ramajmedia]

Doctor Strange 2: 5 Things It Needs To Improve From The First One (& 5 It Should Keep The Same)

At this year’s Comic-Con, Marvel Studios officially announced their sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange, which will be titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and is set to bring the Sorcerer Supreme into alternate realities with Scarlet Witch.

RELATED: Doctor Strange: 10 Fan Theories About Scarlet Witch's Role In The Multiverse Of Madness

Director Scott Derrickson is set to return and Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, and Rachel McAdams are all due to reprise their roles. The first Doctor Strange movie wasn’t terrible by any means, but it was also far from perfect. So, here are 5 Things Doctor Strange 2 Needs To Improve From The First One (And 5 It Should Keep The Same).

10 Improve: Stephen Strange being so similar to Tony Stark

With his chauvinistic attitude, materialistic playboy lifestyle, and weirdly shaven goatee, the Stephen Strange we were introduced to in Doctor Strange was basically a second-rate Tony Stark. His life of excess comes crumbling down, he has to put the pieces back together by becoming a superhero, and he learns to put the needs of others above himself.

Strange’s character arc mirrored Tony’s in some very shallow and obvious ways. In the comics, Stephen Strange’s downfall is his arrogance, so that can remain a part of his characterization in the movies, but more needs to be done to differentiate him from Stark.

9 Keep the same: Mind-boggling visual effects

Even people who hated Doctor Strange are willing to admit that the visual effects are incredible. The folding of cityscapes gives Inception a run for its money, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg – there are also hands growing out of hands growing out of hands and rainbow slides leading to the edge of reality.

Since the upcoming sequel promises not only a multiverse, but one of “madness,” we should have some equally trippy visuals in store. Doctor Strange’s CGI worked because it had fierce imagination at the helm; the sequel needs the same level of creativity behind it.

8 Improve: Banal romantic subplot

Although Rachel McAdams is an incredible actor and she performed her scenes in Doctor Strange phenomenally, the movie’s romantic subplot was pretty banal. The idea that the male lead and the female lead had already gotten together and it hadn’t worked out was a novel and fresh spin, but since it didn’t really develop at all and McAdams didn’t seem to share an ounce of chemistry with Benedict Cumberbatch, it failed.

RELATED: The 5 Best (And 5 Worst) Couples In The MCU

The sequel can still salvage it, though. With Jane Foster returning to the Thor franchise and WandaVision set to give the titular couple an experimental sitcom treatment, maybe the MCU’s Phase 4 will be marked with “fixing” the franchise’s most boring couples.

7 Keep the same: Strange’s relationship with the Cloak of Levitation

One of the best things that can be done with modern CGI effects is turn inanimate objects into their own character. Doctor Strange’s Cloak of Levitation was given its own personality in his 2016 standalone movie and the two developed a real on-screen relationship.

We saw that relationship grow in Avengers: Infinity War as the two worked in tandem to fight Ebony Maw on his Q-Ship. Strange’s appearance in Endgame was so brief that the pair didn’t share any moments together, but Strange’s relationship with the Cloak of Levitation shouldn’t be forgotten altogether in his solo sequel, because it was one of the most fun parts of the first one.

6 Improve: Easily defeated villain

The MCU has been criticized for its “villain problem,” and this could be boiled down to villains who are built up as terrifying threats, but turn out to be easy to defeat. Dormammu is a prime example of this. We were told that he was the ruler of the Dark Dimension and that he was bent on consuming Earth.

However, when it actually came to fighting him, Stephen Strange was able to annoy him into submission. Suddenly, he didn’t seem like such a formidable opponent. It would be another thing if the “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain!” scene was caught in a Groundhog Day loop that seemed to last longer than five minutes, but it didn’t.

5 Keep the same: Outside-the-box final battle

Having said that, what the first Doctor Strange movie did wonderfully was subvert audiences’ expectations of a big, bombastic third-act battle that would total a city in the name of killing one guy. In Doctor Strange, the final battle sees the title character working to prevent city-wide destruction.

As far as the wider world is concerned, the Masters of the Mystic Arts don’t exist and nothing of note happened in Hong Kong that night. It wasn’t just a subversion of the audience’s expectations; it was a complete reversal of them. Scott Derrickson should do some similar outside-the-box thinking with the sequel’s final battle.

4 Improve: Humor

Ever since Guardians of the Galaxy used humor to endear viewers to obscure characters they didn’t know existed, comedy has become the cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Ant-Man films are full-on comedies and even serious movies with grave stakes like Captain America: Civil War are jam-packed with jokes.

RELATED: 10 Funniest Characters In The MCU

Doctor Strange was no different, but a lot of the humor didn’t land. Stephen Strange trying to get Wong to laugh was the only bit that landed (especially that Beyoncé gag) and it all felt so forced. If the sequel will continue utilizing humor like the rest of the MCU, then it needs to be better-crafted and less cringeworthy.

3 Keep the same: Weirdness

The key to making an MCU solo franchise work is offering something that the other movies don’t. Ever since Taika Waititi fixed the Thor franchise, we know we can expect an ‘80s-style sci-fi adventure like Flash Gordon or Masters of the Universe, and we can’t find that anywhere else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Guardians movies give us cosmic adventures, comic banter, and pop music; the Ant-Man movies are wacky crime capers etc. Doctor Strange’s gimmick is that his movies are by far the weirdest that the MCU has to offer. Scott Derrickson’s greatest achievement as the original’s director was embracing the weirdness of the character and his world. The sequel should continue to lean into that.

2 Improve: Predictability

The first Doctor Strange movie was a pretty formulaic origin story. We knew that everything Stephen Strange was introduced to (the Eye of Agamotto, the title of Sorcerer Supreme etc.) would somehow end up in his wheelhouse by the end of the movie. We could see almost every plot turn coming from a mile away.

But the sequel has a golden opportunity to break the shackles of predictability and really surprise its audience. This has happened already with the announcement that it’ll be a horror movie – no one saw that coming – so it seems to be on the right track.

1 Keep the same: Emotional scenes

When the Ancient One died in the first Doctor Strange film, we really felt the weight of her death. Tilda Swinton played the scene beautifully, coming out of her body and slowing down time and telling Strange that she knew exactly how and when she’d die and always thought she could accept it, but suddenly couldn’t do it when push came to shove.

It was a really poignant moment that gave the movie some substance under its dazzling visual style. Scott Derrickson shouldn’t shy away from giving us more scenes like this in the sequel, even if it is going to be a horror movie.

NEXT: Suicide Squad: 5 Things James Gunn Should Change From The Original (And 5 He Should Keep The Same)

source https://screenrant.com/doctor-strange-2-needs-improve-keep/