#never forgiving marvel for not giving us the deleted scenes

[app1ebats]

[9worldstales]

MCU “Thor”: Who’s to blame for Thor’s banishment?

So I’ve seen around people blaming Loki for Thor’s banishment and…

… I can’t help but wonder if they realize that, by saying so they aren’t just pinning the blame on the wrong person but they’re doing a HUGE, GIANT SIZE disservice to Thor.

But let's list sources used for this first.

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Movies: “Thor” (2011), “Thor – The Dark World” (2013)

Comics: None mentioned

Direct-to-video animated film: None mentioned

Motion comics: None mentioned

Books: None mentioned

Novels: “Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Thor” by Alex Irvine (2015)

Webs: None mentioned

Others: “Thor” old movie script, Interview “Director Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Feige Interview THOR”, interview “EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter Don Payne Talks Thor!”, Interview “SDCC 2010: Chris Hemsworth Interview THOR”, Video “Thor (2011) Chris Hemsworth Kill Count”

Although “Thor” is meant to be an origin story for both Thor and Loki…

Kevin Feige: The movie, very much, is an origin of Loki, almost as much as it is an origin of Thor. We had to ride that balance. There were drafts where Thor took over too much, and there were certainly drafts where Loki became too prominent, and I think we found a nice balance that is clearly the origin of both of those characters. [Director Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Feige Interview THOR]

…the focus was mostly on Thor and his journey to learn humility.

I mean, this is not MY interpretation of the story, it’s basically what everyone involved in the production says the story is about. Thor is unworthy, the banishment is just, from it he learns humility and becomes worthy again.

Don Payne: Whereas we’ve got an extra-dimensional being once worshipped as a god by the ancient Norse who’s banished to earth and stripped of his powers to learn humility, all set amidst the Shakespearean intrigue of a dysfunctional royal family. You just have to find the things that make Thor timeless and relatable as a character. It certainly helps that he’s charismatic and likeable, albeit flawed. He’s banished for good reason, but I think people will want to go on the journey with him and root for him to find redemption — particularly with Chris Hemsworth’s performance. [EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter Don Payne Talks Thor!]

Kenneth Branagh: That story arc of the flawed hero who must earn the right to be king is in our piece, but what’s key is the stakes. There, it’s Europe and England, and here, it’s the universe. When that family has problems, everybody else is affected. If Thor throws a fit and is yelling at his father and is banished, suddenly the worlds are unstable. [Director Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Feige Interview THOR]

Chris Hemsworth: At the beginning of this film, he’s certainly a brash, cocky warrior who’s about to inherit the keys to the kingdom, and his father thinks that he’s not ready. It’s the journey of him learning some humility through the film. I think he’s one of those people who has his heart in the right place. He’s doing what he’s doing for his family and to protect the kingdom, and he thinks it’s the right way to do it. It just happens to be a very aggressive way of doing it, which probably isn’t the right way. It’s about tempering that raw emotion that he drives off most of the time, into the right direction. [SDCC 2010: Chris Hemsworth Interview THOR]

And in fact Thor makes a 180° turn from how he started.

The boy then man who insisted he wanted first to kill all the Jotun then give them a lesson is the one who sacrifices his chance to meet Jane again to save them.

Young Thor: When I’m king, I’ll hunt the monsters down and slay them all! Just as you did, Father.

and...

Thor: March into Jotunheim as you once did. Teach them a lesson. Break their spirits so they’ll never dare try to cross our borders again.

versus

Thor: You can’t kill an entire race!

The man who said his father was an old man and a fool, becomes the one who says there will never be a wiser king than Odin.

Thor: And you are an old man and a fool!

versus

Thor: There will never be a wiser king than you. Or a better father. I have much to learn. I know that now. Someday, perhaps, I shall make you proud.

The man who returning from Jotunheim was too busy to care for how Fandral got hurt so that it was Odin who had to say to get him to the healing room, is the one who, once back to Midgard, first worry about having his friends getting Heimdall on the healing room and then about what he’ll do with his brother.

Odin: You cannot even protect your friends! How can you hope to protect a kingdom? Get him to the healing room! Now!

versus

Thor: Get him to the healing room! Leave my brother to me.

The man who thought his father’s lessons were wrong, then admits his father was right.

Thor: While you wait and be patient, the Nine Realms laugh at us. The old ways are done. You’d stand giving speeches while Asgard falls.

versus

Thor: Neither did I. My father was trying to teach me something, but I was too stupid to see it.

The man who first was told by Loki going to Jotunheim was madness and did it anyway then tells Loki how destroying Jotunheim is madness.

Loki: Thor, it’s madness.

versus

Thor: Loki, this is madness.

The man who would start a fight just because he was called ‘princess’ versus the man who kept on refusing to start a fight with Loki even after the other hit him four times and only does so when Loki threatens Jane.

And then there are the comparisons that got lost because some scenes got cut. For start an even better comparison, in which another man calls Thor "Princess" and Thor this time refuses to fight.

Jotun: Run back home, little princess. [Thor stops in his tracks. Loki goes white. He knows what's coming.] Loki: Damn. [In one quick move, Thor pulls Mjolnir, swings it, and KNOCKS the Jotun clear across the plaza. The Asgardians reluctantly draw their weapons, gather into a circle around Thor. Volstagg looks around at the angry Jotuns approaching them.]

versus

Drunk townie: You were in the diner with that hot girl. [Thor doesn't like where this is going.] Drunk townie: I wouldn't mind her doing a little research on me. [He laughs. Thor is annoyed.] Thor: I have no quarrel with you. But she's a lady. You should be more respectful. Drunk townie: And you should shut the hell up, princess. [Selvig looks to Thor, concerned that he's going to lose it. But, to his surprise, Thor remains unaffected by the Townie's baiting.] Thor: I will not fight him. Drunk townie: Then it'll be easy to kick your ass.

Or like the deleted one in which Frigga said that Thor believed to be ready… when in the end Thor will realize he’s not.

Odin: Do you think he’s ready? Frigga: He thinks he is. He has his father’s confidence.

versus

Thor: There will never be a wiser king than you. Or a better father. I have much to learn. I know that now. Someday, perhaps, I shall make you proud.

You might remember Thor smashing a cup because he wanted another drink… well there’s a deleted scene in which, just before the Warriors Three and Sif reach Midgard, he brings a cup to Izzy in payback for the one he broke.

Thor: This drink, I like it. Darcy: I know. It’s great, right? [Thor hurls the empty mug at the ground, SHATTERING it.] Thor: (CALLS OUT) Another! [ISABELA ALVAREZ (60), the diner’s proprietor, glares at Thor from behind the counter.] Jane: Sorry, Izzy. Little accident. What was that? [He doesn’t understand. The other patrons stare at him.] Thor: It was delicious. I want another. Jane: Well, you could have just said so. Thor: I just did. Jane: No, I mean, ask nicely. Thor: I meant no disrespect. Jane: All right. Well, no more smashing. Deal? Thor: You have my word. Jane: Good.

Versus

As the group finishes breakfast, Thor looks at the mug in his hand, gets an idea. Thor: [About a cup] May I have this? Darcy: Sure. Thor: Thank you. Please, excuse me. [Thor leaves. In front of her diner, Isabela prepares to open for the day. Isabela sweeps the front porch. She looks up to see Thor approaching. She eyes him suspiciously. He offers her a MUG.] Excuse me, Isabela. Isabela: Oh my gosh. Thor: To replace the one I broke. Please, forgive me for my behavior. Isabela: Okay, thank you. Thor: if I may, I’d like to come back here for more of yours splendid "coffee". Isabela: Any time.

And then you might remember how Fandral was hurt in Jotunheim and it was Loki and Volstagg who helped him, while in a deleted scene we’ve Selvig being hurt and Thor helping him.

And so on and on and on.

Thor started one way, this caused his banishment and the banishment changed him.

If we go and say Thor didn’t deserve to be banished, that it was all Loki’s ploy, we ignore how Thor before was an unworthy person and after he became a worthy person. We turn Thor into a person who’s ALWAYS worthy, regardless of him acting one way or its exact opposite but for some reason was misjudged and punished unfairly and never really had to change because he was perfect as he was.

We turn Odin into a fool who punished a worthy son for crimes he didn’t do and then took the punishment back not because Thor changed, but because he realized he made a mess.

The idea Thor’s banishment is Loki’s fault is against the authors’ intentions, damages Thor by stripping him of his growth and, ultimately, it’s totally false, so trying to pin the blame on Loki so as to make him look bad is simply wrong.

Although Loki did some things that triggered Thor’s reactions, Thor wasn’t completely and utterly brainwashed. It was Thor’s decisions who ended up bringing those consequences and Loki had no idea Odin would go as far as banishing Thor.

In a deleted bit Loki says Odin normally ALWAYS forgive Thor.

Fandral: Well, if he doesn’t show up soon, he shouldn’t bother. Odin looks like he’s ready to feed him to his ravens. Loki: I wouldn’t worry. Father will forgive him. He always does.

From Thor’s reaction to his banishment it’s clear it’s the first time he got such a punishment and that he assumed all he had to do to be forgiven is to retrieve Mjolnir.

The novelization is not shy to say that:

Odin had always favoured Thor because Thor was a warrior, just like him… [“Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Thor”]

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif clearly follow Thor because they don’t think it’ll end up in Thor being banished for disobeying Odin’s orders even though they know he shouldn’t have done it.

This proves it was the first time Odin reacted as such to Thor’s disobedience.

But let’s dig more into the story.

Loki yes, caused the coronation to be delayed by having three Frost Giants sneak into the vault and attempt to steal the Casket.

His purpose was:

Loki: That was just a bit of fun, really. To ruin my brother’s big day. And to protect the realm from his idiotic rule for a while longer.

Loki has no reasons to lie to Laufey about this. The ‘a while longer’ clearly imply he didn’t expect it was permanent. If he had said ‘to have him banished forever’, it would have affected Laufey just the same, he wouldn’t have judged him worse.

Thor’s reaction to the invasion is entirely Thor’s.

Thor: The Jotuns must pay for what they’ve done! Odin: They have paid, with their lives. The Destroyer did its work, the Casket is safe, and all is well. Thor: All is Well? They broke into the weapons vault! If the Frost Giants had stolen even one of these relics... Odin: They didn’t. Thor: Well, I want to know why! Odin: I have a truce with Laufey, King of the Jotuns. Thor: He just broke your truce! They know you are vulnerable! Odin: What action would you take? Thor: March into Jotunheim as you once did. Teach them a lesson. Break their spirits so they’ll never dare try to cross our borders again. Odin: You’re thinking only as a warrior. Thor: This was an act of war! Odin: It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail. Thor: Look how far they got! Odin: We will find the breach in our defenses and it will be sealed. Thor: As King of Asgard.... Odin: But you’re not king! Not yet.

Loki doesn’t even talk here. Thor, despite Odin thinking the opposite, insists they should just attack Jotunheim until Odin reminds him he’s no king.

This is relevant because if the coronation has concluded and the Jotuns had found on their own the way to get into the Vault, Thor would have waged war against them. This is what he wants to do and discussing things with Odin doesn’t change his mind, Odin merely forces him to shut up with his ‘I’m the king’ card.

Originally he would leave slamming the door behind himself, a sign he was still upset. We don’t see this, but we see him he’s still upset enough he turns a table upside down.

Then he has a discussion with Loki.

Thor: It’s unwise to be in my company right now, Brother. This was to be my day of triumph. Loki: It’ll come. In time. Thor: What’s this? Loki: If it’s any consolation, I think you’re right. About the Frost Giants, about Laufey, about everything. If they found a way to penetrate Asgard’s defenses once, who’s to say they won’t try again? Next time with an army. Thor: Exactly. Loki: There’s nothing you can do without defying Father. No, no, no. I know that look. Thor: That’s the only way to ensure the safety of our borders. Loki: Thor, it’s madness.

It’s true, if Loki had revealed he had been who orchestrated the break of the Frost Giants instead than telling him he also thought they were a threat, Thor might have calmed down. But this is not excuse enough for how Thor disobeyed Odin’s order, and only proves Thor wasn’t fit to be king right there because he insisted on going to Jotunheim even though Loki also reminded him this means defying Odin.

This is a serious matter but the key of it is that Thor wanted doing it before and still wants to do it now. He just can’t control his own wish to fight the Jotuns even if his father told him no. He’s not thinking. He’s not a common warrior, he’s the man who’s meant to be king.

If it takes him so little to wage war, then he’s unworthy of being king.

And does Loki really want for him to go to Jotunheim?

Not in the slightest, he knows it’s madness, in fact, believing Thor can’t be stopped, he tries to have him tattled out to his father.

Fandral: Well, at least he’s only banished, not dead. Which is what we’d all be if that guard hadn’t told Odin where we’d gone. Volstagg: How did the guard even know? Loki: I told him. Fandral: What? Loki: I told him to go to Odin after we’d left. He should be flogged for taking so long. We should never have reached Jotunheim. Volstagg: You told the guard? Loki: I saved our lives. And Thor’s. I had no idea Father would banish him for what he did.

In a deleted scene we see that as the group is about to ride toward the Bifrost Loki leaves them for a moment to talk with a guard. He’s not lying when he says he warned the guard.

The novelization digs a lot in how Loki didn’t want them to reach Jotunheim and in how Odin KNEW Thor would just do something, so it’s entirely possible Thor would have acted even if Loki had disagreed with him or had told him nothing.

“Why did he always seem to get into trouble because of his older brother? Wasn’t he supposed to be the wiser one? Odin has expressly forbidden that they enter Jotunheim. Yet it wasn’t the first time Thor had done something reckless. And it wouldn’t be the first time Loki was powerless to stop him.” [“Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Thor”]

Loki had made a decision. True, he could not dictate his brother’s actions, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t continue to make plans of his own. As the others checked and double-checked that they had everything they would need for the journey to Jotunheim, Loki slipped away. When Loki rejoined the others, they were on their way to the Observatory. Hogun gave him a curious glance, but he ignored it. What he had done was none of their business. [“Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Thor”]

They were on their way to Jotunheim. And what would happen once they got there was not in the hands of fate, but in the hands of his impulsive brother and his warrior friends. Loki would not be able to manipulate events there. He had to trust that the arrangements he had made would be enough for them all to survive. [“Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Thor”]

Odin spent an uneasy night and felt no better in the morning. He had not seen Thor since their argument in the Vault. There had been shouting in the banquet hall as Thor told his friends what had happened, but Odin had heard nothing since. Frigga had tried to reassure him that Thor’s temper would ease and this would blow over, but Odin knew better. His son felt himself to be king already, whether the ceremony had been completed or not. He would take action. It was his nature. Odin hoped only that the action would not cause more problems than it solved. Just then, a guard rushed to him, and Odin’s misgivings were proved correct. Thor had taken his friends and journeyed into Jotunheim. Odin felt a deep well of fury rise up within him. Thor has deliberately disobeyed his orders. So, too, had Heimdall, who should not have let anyone pass on the Bisfrost – especially not a war party going to Jotunheim. “Tell the barn master to have Sleipnir and my battle gear to be readied immediately,” he ordered the guard. [“Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Thor”]

Once in Jotunheim Laufey notices Thor wants to be there to wage war. He even warns him that if he keeps this up he would unleash something terrible… and it’s not Thor but Loki who accepts Laufey’s offer for them to leave, Thor doesn’t accept it even if they’re outnumbered and risk being all killed because, as Laufey said, he craved for battle.

Laufey: Your father is a murderer and a thief! And why have you come here? To make peace? You long for battle. You crave it. You’re nothing but a boy trying to prove himself a man. Thor: Well, this "boy" has grown tired of your mockery. Loki: Thor, stop and think. Look around you, we’re outnumbered. Thor: Know your place, Brother. Laufey: You know not what your actions would unleash. I do. Go now, while I still allow it. Loki: We will accept your most gracious offer. Come on, Brother.

Ultimately, even if Laufey and Loki had almost persuaded Thor to leave, all it takes is a small provocation and Thor starts attacking Frost Giants.

Jotun: Run back home, little princess. [Thor stops in his tracks. Loki goes white. He knows what’s coming.] Loki: Damn. [In one quick move, Thor pulls Mjolnir, swings it, and KNOCKS the Jotun clear across the plaza. The Asgardians reluctantly draw their weapons, gather into a circle around Thor.]

Loki is clearly not happy with his brother’s actions, he didn’t want this. It’s Thor who decided to do this anyway and, during the battle, we see that Thor is in a great spirit as he destroys a Frost Giant after another for a total of 145 Frost Giants (you can see the dead count in the Youtube video “Thor (2011) Chris Hemsworth Kill Count”).

Through the battle first Sif and then Loki TWICE will urge Thor to leave, they’re outnumbered they’ll end up getting killed if they remain there and it gets no better when Fandral gets wounded.

When Odin shows up Thor is all for continuing the battle.

Thor: Father! We’ll finish them together!

This is not Loki dictating his moves. This is all Thor and ultimately it’s Thor who argues with his father once they’re back, which is the last straw for Odin.

If Thor had kept quiet or had acted sorry Odin might have still forgiven him. He does not.

Thor: Why did you bring us back? Odin: Do you realize what you’ve done? What you’ve started? Thor: I was protecting my home. Odin: You cannot even protect your friends! How can you hope to protect a kingdom? Get him to the healing room! Now! Thor: There won’t be a kingdom to protect if you’re afraid to act. The Jotuns must learn to fear me, just as they once feared you. Odin: That’s pride and vanity talking, not leadership. You’ve forgotten everything I taught you about a warrior’s patience. Thor: While you wait and be patient, the Nine Realms laugh at us. The old ways are done. You’d stand giving speeches while Asgard falls. Odin: You are a vain, greedy, cruel boy! Thor: And you are an old man and a fool! Odin: Yes. I was a fool to think you were ready.

This is no Loki needling Thor, this is all Thor, this discussing matching the one he had in the Vault with Odin previously.

And, credits when it’s due, at this point Loki tried to interject.

Loki: FATHER-- [Odin turns with a growl and gives Loki a look which stops him in his tracks.]

Only at this point Thor will be banished and while yes, the way Loki chose to interrupt the coronation clearly had upset Thor and his words didn’t manage to calm him down, it’s also clear that not only Loki didn’t want for them to go to Jotunheim and almost get killed but that it’s Thor’s reaction to the situation that causes his banishment and that situation could have happened regardless of Loki having a hand in it or not.

Invasions happens.

The difference between “Thor” and “Thor: The Dark World” in which another invasion takes place, is that although Thor is always trying to disobey to his father in both movies, in the first he did it because he wanted to go at war with the Jotuns, in the second he did it because he hoped to spare Asgard from a war.

In the deleted scene for “Thor: The Dark World” even Odin acknowledges Thor was right.

Odin: I thought you’d been blinded by passion but in truth you were the only one who could see and you... did what needed to be done

His motive for disobeying his father in “Thor: The Dark World” is the exact opposite than it was in “Thor”, but if he’d been the old Thor he would have had no qualms to drag all Asgard into a war.

So yes, Loki set up the situation, but if Thor ended up being banished it was solely for his own reaction to the situation, a situation that could have happened in other circumstances.

Would Loki coming clear with Odin lift Thor’s banishment?

No, of course not, because none of Loki’s actions are what moves Odin to decide for Thor’s banishment. What pushes him to decide for such a punishment are Thor’s reactions to the situation. If Loki had confessed the most this could cause was for him too to also be banished.

And, to Thor’s credits, he grew in his banishment and became a better person. This is important, it doesn’t deserve to be underscored.

Also, as said before, Loki couldn’t predict the punishment would have been banishment and he didn’t control Odin either.

Not only Loki actually tried to stop Odin, but even Frigga in a deleted scene begged Odin to reconsider and he refused.

So yes, Thor’s banishment ultimately turned out to be convenient for Loki, but he didn’t deliberately orchestrated it, he didn’t plan that far.

So really, let’s just Thor have his moment of personal growth in which he becomes a better person in his own movie, let Odin have his own agency in deciding if to punish his sons or not and just accept the whole trip to Jotunheim wasn’t something Loki wanted nor Thor’s banishment something he could predict.

In short simply accept the story as its authors wanted it to be.

I get not everyone might be aware of interviews and deleted scenes but really, I would say the movie made the whole thing obvious enough to be understood just by watching it.

[of-house-atreides]

This article is breaking my brain

Have you read this article ?

TW: mentions of suicide and also I’m an angry petty bitch

Yes I know this article is from like three weeks ago but I just found it... and I have things to say.

I swear I can’t handle this anymore...

“But today, Loki steps out of his brother’s shadow”... to step in another one. It be the TVA or Sylvie, just... take your pick.

“resuming his role as the God of Mischief” um where? when?

The comedy part is debatable but fine, whatever... I must have missed the noir crime-thriller bit maybe it was between two scenes of Loki getting his ass kicked by literally everyone in this show.

Yeah you forgot that end-credit scene showing Loki alive and well in IW/Endgame.

And no, alternate/variant Loki doesn’t count, he’s not the same person/character.

Because of course when you think of Loki you instantly think his story should take place in a “bureaucratic nightmare” -

And why not hire competent experienced people for Multiverse of Madness and Loki? Is this Marvel’s way of telling us they don’t really care about these projects?

Kevin really said “no experienced writers on this project, let’s just hire whoever” - or maybe it’s a budget thing? Less experience means less zeros on the pay checks?

Wow, ok.

So not a fan of the movies nor a fan of the character, just a fan of the genre, that explains a lot...

“what was really important to me was stripping away all the fantastical elements” ... ?? I’m sorry?? What?? So removing all the fantastical elements from a show titled after who is supposed to be the main character who is a GOD and a prince from another realm/planet was what was important?? The Trickster God of Mischief, magic wielder, master of illusions NEEDED to be stripped from his FANTASTICAL ELEMENTS???

ffs

“find the heart of this story” - is the heart of this story Loki becoming best friends with his (mental and physical) torturer after what? 2 days? Was it falling in love with the ‘superior’ version of himself after only 13 hours together? I’m still looking for the heart of this story.

“what is the relatable message at the center?” - well apparently it’s ‘you can be a God and a warrior with magical powers but still get your ass kicked by literally everyone all the time and never use your strength and skills to fight back’. Or it’s the power of love, idk -

Oh wait, is it falling in love with the female version of himself? For a weird ‘love yourself’ metaphor? That must be it.

Or maybe it’s jet skis.

Ah yes, the ‘you can be good, actually’ message of this series that is so subtly presented to us...

They really missed the whole fucking point of Loki.

They missed it so bad they made him call himself a narcissist (which he isn’t btw).

For the record, Loki is a prince of Asgard who learnt one day he was adopted and in fact taken from one of Asgard’s worst enemies, the King of the Jotuns, aka Frost Giants “the monsters parents tell their children about at night”. He found out he was not only adopted but also abducted and not out of love. He feels not only betrayed but he thinks he understands now why Odin always favoured Thor and why he’d never have the same love from Odin that Thor has had his whole life. He thinks of himself as a monster and wants to be worthy of Odin’s love. So he tries to get it. And sure, he doesn’t do it in the best way, and yes, he is the villain of that story. But Loki isn’t a villain. He doesn’t like to make people suffer, he did it out of pain, out of hurt. The events in Avengers was after he was thoroughly tortured and coerced by Thanos to invade Earth. There is even a moment in the end when Thor asks him if he thinks this ‘madness would stop under his rule’ (or something along those lines) and he looks unsure and regretful. But due to the fear of Thanos and insecurity about himself (love is weakness or whatever) he keeps going. He redeems himself in Dark World, again in Ragnarok and yet again in IW and he was thrown in the trash for it.

Yes, Loki’s story is complex, but it really isn’t that complex... So maybe Loki is a “scared little boy” but his way of acting out makes sense and there’s a legitimate reason for it that was not explored in the show. And his backstory is probably what she called the “bells and the whistles”... 

“we literally delete his universe” - and apparently you deleted his personality too

“it’s a story of reinvention ... can Loki find goodness in himself?” - again, you’re missing the point. Loki is insecure, but not about his ability to do what’s right, but about whether or not he is worthy of love! Finding goodness within himself comes AFTER!

“Loki’s journey, to me, is really about acceptance of himself” - several questions here, um, first, what about himself does he need to accept? That he’s a Jotun? The show never mentions it. That he’s done bad shit and should forgive himself for it? Give him a reason to. Self-love doesn’t come after being mentally and physically tortured by some guy who acts like he’s your best friend after 2 days of working together and being yelled out that “he can be anyone he wants, even something good”.

Show, don’t tell, isn’t that the point of your job?? The job you begged for??

Loki’s journey should have been about self-love and no, falling in love with the female version of yourself (who keeps saying they have nothing in common (because they don’t!)) doesn’t count!

“a more mature and darker path” ...

well this is interesting... was making Loki a clown and the butt of every joke part of making the show mature and dark? Were the terrible attempts at humour? Him being beaten up every two seconds? Having him say lines he’d never say in a million years just to be funny but since it’s out of character for him it fails completely? Was making him incompetent and a complete idiot part of that attempt of making the show mature and dark?

Is that why there’s no magic? You cut off the magician so your show would be more “mature and dark”?

Having him cry every episode doesn’t make your show mature and dark.

Loki from Thor, Avengers, the Dark World and even IW is mature and dark. Your Loki from your series is just a pathetic clown.

“don’t give viewers the story they are expecting” - I personally wasn’t expecting any story, I just wanted Loki, you know, in this Loki series, supposedly all about Loki, and you guys couldn’t even do that.

So this is the author of the article speaking here, I’m guessing, and I think they’re giving a summary of the show so far, so let’s break this down:

“This is Loki as we’ve never seen him before” - I 100% agree -

“Stripped of his self-proclaimed majesty” - ok, first of all, Loki is a prince, that’s a fact, he didn’t make that up, and for the few years he was King of Asgard disguised as Odin, he seemingly did a great job, so...

“but with his ego still intact” - ah, yes, his ego, you know, because he’s such a narcissist... oh wait -

yes he has an ego, but he has a regal one, not misplaced entirely either - his ego in the show is basically him underestimating the TVA and Mobius (as well as the Time Keepers) - his ego is him getting offended by the variant: the ‘superior Loki’ - his ego in the show is used as a weapon to humiliate and belittle him.

“he faces consequences he never thought could happen to such a supreme being as himself” - he literally tried to k*ll himself in the first Thor - literally a result of his own actions - when he returned to Asgard in Dark World, he didn’t try to pretend he hadn’t fucked up. He didn’t try to hide what he had done (he tries to deny to Mobius in episode 2 that he was manipulating them at the fair) - he sacrifices himself in IW... but sure, Loki from the series is indeed surprised that he is powerless (even when he doesn’t need to/shouldn’t be)

“there is a lot of humour ... he is taken down a few pegs by the TVA” ... he is humiliated by the TVA - definitely not what we were expecting, I’ll give you that.

“sentenced to a lifetime of bureaucracy” - definitely did not expect that either

and here comes my favorite quote: “it’s a sad Loki without any mischief”

yes - yes - yes

that is a good summary of this goddamn show, a sad, pathetic, powerless Loki without any personality 

“fallen God” - yeah that’s definitely not what I was expecting either from the Loki series so good job on subverting expectations I guess...

“who is going to win out in this match between them?”

there is no match - Loki is powerless - he’s been turned into a pathetic docile harmless wet dog - Mobius literally mentally (episode 1 and 4) and physically (episode 4) tortures him, both time in an attempt to have Loki do his bidding - Loki is the dog and Mobius is the master - even when Loki ‘tries’ to manipulate him it fails because he’s underestimating them (by overestimating himself) - he uses obvious techniques to manipulate the TVA (episode 2) and nobody buys it because it’s not subtle at all! Loki is smarter than that, he is a TRICKSTER GOD FFS!

“there is an interesting dynamic between them that maybe you haven’t seen with Loki in the Marvel movies” - yeah, maybe there’s a reason for that... like... he wouldn’t... submit so easily... he’d be wary, cautious, cunning... he’d be... himself...

Sans déconner ?

It’s like whoever wrote the series didn’t actually know shit about Loki... like that wasn’t fucking obvious...

And those lectures were apparently done after the script was written so... again, no surprise there... we can see that

Well...

“we wanted the show to be imbued with mischief” vs “sad Loki without any mischief” choose your fighter

“Loki has this very sensitive, damaged, broken heart with an enormous capacity to feel emotion on the biggest scale.”

Are surprised that only Tom so far has portrayed and talked about Loki accurately?

“loneliness, sadness, anger and grief and loss”

I love this man.

I do wonder what Mr. Branagh thinks of the show...

I’m of the people who see a vulnerability beneath those layers of charm and playfulness. I love Loki because he’s smart and cunning and regal, and elegant and sophisticated. I love him cause at the end of the day, he just wants to be loved, and he deserves to be loved.

And in the end, the only Loki I can’t stand is the one from the series.

[bridgertonlife]

Marvel will have the guts of selling this as the next best thing. It’s not even a new scene with Iron Man in it, is a recycled scene from the “Civil War” movie, filmed in 2016,  that never saw the light. Give me a break. They are SO desperate at Marvel headquarters. And they should.

This is them trying to make more money of our attachement to Tony Stark. And I'm sorry, but I hardly pass. I'm done. I love Robert, but I'm not seeing more Marvel Studios movies in my life. I'll see his new projects non Marvel related, of course. But all this shit? First Tony AI in Riri series, now this. Fuck Marvel. Tony Stark didn't deserve the ending he got. Us, as dedicated fans didn't deserve the way they spit on our faces giving Tony a family just to kill him off in the end. It was a wrong decission and they know it. Now they are scared the future movies will flop because a lot of people flew away so hurt to never return, me included. They are trying to give us more crumbs, just to keep our money.

Sorry, Marvel. But I'll never forgive the way you ended Tony and Pepper's character journey. It was wrong. Tony deserved to be rewarded with his family life in the end. His story wasn't to die. You did it for shock value. Now, your franchise deserves to DIE too.

Nothing Marvel does with Tony Stark, unless they say he survived and is happy living with Pepper and Morgan, will make me see more damned dark and hopeless Marvel Studios movies. I don't want to see flashbacks of two dead characters which have no future anymore. They died. End of story.

I'm the most done a person can be with something, and Marvel is dead for me.

[kittyprincessofcats]

MCU movies ranked by how well-written Loki was

Well, one person did tell me to post them, so here we go. This list ranks the 6 MCU movies Loki appeared in - solely based on how well-written he was. This list disregards how good/bad I thought the movie was otherwise, and also doesn’t factor in how well the story treats the character - it’s based just on how much I agree or disagree with Loki’s characterisation. (In other words if he gets brutally murdered or treated like shit by his family, that doesn’t necessarily mean he himself was ooc.) Also, this is of course just my opinion and very much up for debate :)

This ended up getting kinda long, sorry - I just really like talking about Loki :D

ALSO THIS LIST CONTAINS ENDGAME SPOILERS

6th Place - Thor: Ragnarok

Yeah... Sorry, I know people love this movie, but it really deserves last place on this list. Now, to be fair, I didn’t completely hate how Loki was written here, there definitely were some nice moments (”I’m here”), but overall I felt like the movie played Loki’s trauma for laughs to much, made him the butt of a joke too often and didn’t make him stand up for himself like he did in his previous movies - which is one of the things I liked most about him. I also didn’t like that the movie tried to retcon him into someone who’s been hurting Thor his whole life, or that they made his “redemption” involve forgiving Odin. And even though this movie is praised for its “anti-colonialism” message, it really fails to address that Loki was one of the biggest victims of Asgard’s colonialism and that Odin never really changed his ways after banishing Hela.

And beyond that, I just felt like there was something slightly “off” about how Loki was written here. It was his first time back on the big screen in 5 years, and somehow it just didn’t feel like the same character anymore. Ragnarok was the only movie Loki was in where I went out of the cinema and didn’t feel the need to read tons of fanfic about him. At first I thought it was just because I’d moved on in those 5 years and wasn’t as invested in his character anymore - but then Infinity War happened and (despite killing him off) absolutely nailed Loki’s characterisation and brought my love for him back full force. And that’s when I realized I hadn’t moved on - Ragnarok just hadn’t gotten Loki right.

5th Place - The Avengers

I initially wanted to place this higher, mainly because it’s such an iconic movie (that I really like) and because so many of Loki’s most iconic and well-known lines are from this one. Tom absolutely plays the sassy, charming but vulnerable trickster to perfection here. Then why is is to so low on my list? First of all, because I feel like there was a giant personality shift for Loki between this movie and the first Thor. Loki has previously stated that he never wanted the throne (of Asgard) and now he suddenly tries to conquer earth and we’re not really meant to question it.

Now before you all say it - Yes, I’m aware that Loki was tortured by Thanos between this movie and the last one. And while the movie doesn’t explicitly tell us that, I think between him looking like hell and limping in his first scene and his scene with The Other (”He will make you long for something as sweet as pain”), the implications were clear enough. Plus, there’s the whole revelation that the mind stone influenced his thinking. So yes, I think his personality shift is understandable - BUT I wish the movie itself had made that clearer instead of leaving it to fans to connect the dots and understand why Loki is acting so different now.

And lastly, I don’t like his “mewling q**m” line to Natasha. I think it’s incredibly misogynistic on the writers’ part (ahem... Joss Whedon again), and it’s also incredibly ooc for Loki, who subverts gender roles, is genderfluid himself if we go by the comics, and has always been shown to respect women, especially his mother. So I don’t feel like using gendered insults is something he would do.

4th place - Avengers: Infinity War     

Yes, the scene was horrible. Yes, it broke my heart and made me angry at the Russos. No, I don’t have the desire to rewatch it. BUT the one thing I do have to give this movie credit for is absolutely getting Loki’s character right. This was the movie that reawakened my love for Loki after Ragnarok failed to do so. Tom’s acting throughout this scene is brilliant and heart-wrenching and the dialogue features some of my favourite Loki lines. I mean: ”For one thing, I’m not Asgardian - and for another, we have a Hulk.” “The sun will shine on us again.” “You will never be a god.” Loki finally acknowledging himself as “not Asgardian” and “the rightful king of Jotunheim”? Loki repeating “We have a Hulk” - symbolizing that he’s on the same side as the Avengers now? Loki looking his biggest fear in the eye and choosing to sacrifice himself for his brother? GOOD SHIT. That’s some good shit right there!

Even Loki attacking Thanos with a butter knife isn’t necessarily ooc - He didn’t do it because he thought it would work, he was simply out of ideas and decided to distract Thanos and save Thor. He knew he would die. And if you tell me that wasn’t absolutely heroic then I don’t know what is. Though I do agree that the writers (not just of this movie, but of all of them) seem to have forgotten all the powers Loki is supposed to have and I’m also annyoed that they just make him stab people instead. And also, I don’t like that Loki calls himself “Odinson” in this scene. Forgiving Odin shouldn’t be a part of his redemption, bla bla, we’ve been over this. I like to headcanon that that part was more meant for Thor than Odin.

3rd Place - Avengers: Endgame

I know what you’re thinking - Does Loki even have enough screentime in Endgame for it to be on this list? And yeah, good point. It’s hard to be completely ooc when you basically have two minutes of screentime and I did consider leaving it off the list for precisely that reason. But, I mean COME ON. I just had to give a shout-out to how absolutely iconic those two minutes were. Imitating Cap? Sarcastically waving at the Hulk from the elevator? Dramatically rolling his eyes when Thor mentions Odin? Grabbing the tesseract at the first chance and just noping out of that horrible mess of a movie? ICONIC. Two minutes of screentime and he somehow stole the show. When could your fave ever?

2nd Place - Thor 1

This is the movie that made me fall in love with Loki in the first place, so obviously it had to be high on this list. The way he was written (and acted) here was absolutely beautiful, his story is heartwrenching in all the right ways, he makes all the wrong choices but as a viewer you understand why he makes them. He’s presented to us as this outcast who doesn’t quite fit in, who’s always in the shadow of his brother, kind of gets bullied by his brother’s friends, yearns for his father’s love - and who one day has to deal with the realisation that his life was a lie and that his father resents him for something beyond his control. The confrontation between him and Odin in the Vaults is still the best Marvel-scene ever, hands down.

Fun fact: I literally first watched this movie because I wanted to know “who that Loki-guy is and why people love him so much”. I finished watching the movie and was like “Ah. I get it now.”

My only complaint would be that they deleted all the scenes that explained Loki’s motives and made him more sympathetic. To be honest, I sometimes forget that they’re “deleted scenes” because I’ve watched them so often that I just consider them canon.

1st Place - Thor: The Dark World

Honestly, it was close between this one and Thor 1. I love them both, but while I think the first one is a better movie overall, Loki’s portrayal in the second one is probably my favourite. He starts the movie already disillusioned with his family and spends it unafraid of calling them out on their mistreatment of him. This is the movie where Loki won’t be silenced about the injustices he’s suffered, and I love that about him. I also love how he just replies to threats with sarcasm now (”You’ll kill me? Evidently, there will be a line.”).

I also like that his movie gave more depth to his relationship with Frigga, and also showed Loki being heroic: Helping Thor, never betraying him, protecting Jane, sacrificing himself for Thor. In fact, I stick by what I said before: Loki wasn’t a villain in this movie. There isn’t a single evil thing that he did in this film. NOT ONE.

I also love how this movie makes Odin’s hypocrisy more evident than ever (Telling Loki they’re not gods and that he shouldn’t think himself above Midgardians, but telling Thor he shouldn’t date Jane because Midgardians are “goats”... You get the idea). I also like the contrasts painted between Odin and Loki and how they think about Thor’s relationship with a mortal - Odin tells him he shouldn’t date Jane because she’s “beneath” him, Loki tells him he shouldn’t date Jane because she’ll die one day and that’ll break his heart. And that’s just one of the many contrasts between them in this movie.

And THAT ENDING! Thor getting his only bit of good parenting ever and it was actually Loki - Loki still being alive - Loki sitting on that throne. HELL YES.

(I seriously don’t get how people thought that ending meant Loki was evil? Hello?? He just freed Asgard from a totalitarian dictator? Last time I checked that was a good thing? Have some people not gotten the memo that Odin’s evil? This movie in particular was very clear about that.)

My other rankings: Thor | Steve Rogers | Natasha Romanoff

[setitofffamily]

Track By Track Reaction to Midnight by Set It Off.

This was written as I was listening. So excuse any typoes. 

Killer In The Mirror - Why is it so aggressive? Why are these words so true? Why do I want to yell this at all the assholes I went to high school with? Or my old boss... Or that co-worker who ratted me out for something I didn’t do? Acturally this is quite a bop. Like I have no idea what “killer in the mirror” really means but I actually feel it in my bones... Yes. I’m going to send this to all those poeple who were assholes in high school. Yup. 

Hourglass - Reminds me a bit of old school SIO. Really digging this song. Is this song about a middle age crisis? Or an existential crisis? I think middle aged... Why is that relateable when I’m only 25? For some reason I want to go reread all those texts message I sent with my ex best friend that I kind of miss alot... Wait. This is the epitomy of reading old text messages with your ex at 3am... Then writing a pissy drunk text and deleting it? 

Lonely Dance - This album is literally how I feel every other day. The anthem of those of us who have anxiety and hate people. This how I feel when I’m writing in my room late at night surrounded by my obscure Marvel and music collection that no one ever sees... Also a BOP. I’m going to blast this on repeat every other day and scream the lyrics in my car, even when people are in the car with me. Yes. Yes. This song is my new anthem. 

Different Songs - Why is this song about action figures? Oh wait... A guitar? Is this about old school SIO changing? OMG IT IS! No wait... It’s about growing apart with the people you used to know? Wait no they are flipping off everyone who’s talking about their style changing? Wait... No it’s about an old relationship? I can’t figure this one out. Oh who cares. Another song I wanna dance to. But think it’s the one about growing apart. 

For You Forever - Already digging the change in pace. A little slower... Don’t hate it. OH SNAP! Bring that chorus around. You tell that person to stop stringing you along, Cody. YOU TELL THEM! Why is this also relatable? I hate this. Give me a song I can’t relate to on this album. Come on SIO! 

Dancing With The Devil - Demon voice? WHAT!? Wait... Why does this start sound like We Can’t Stop by Miley Cyrus? Did anyone else realize this? Not bad though... Not my favorite... I don’t think I like this one... Why is Cody now a demon? What’s he doing? Why don’t I like this? Why do I also want to sing along? Are there more than 1 demon in that back track? Why is is slow now? What is this song... Why is he angry again? I’m so distracted by the demon voice I can’t listen to the words. HE’S TALKING REALLY FAST!!!! Bring back the chorus CODY! And Demon man is back... Phew. Finished. 

Go To Bed Angry - Another slow beat... I can dig this. A little sway in my chair. Cool. Cool. I wish people listened to this anthem more often. Going to bed angry is literally bad for your health. Check the studies. Cody is onto something. GIRL!? WHO IS GIRL!? (check track) Oh it does say there’s a feature artist. Okay. She’s got a good voice. I should check her out... She’s no Ash Costello in Parners in Crime but.... Let’s all just go to bed happy. Send this to people who are mad at you when they pull the “Night.” text and hope they get the message? Not my favorite song on this album but not my least so far... 

Midnight Thoughts - YES! My favorite song heard before the release! JAM TIME! Mostly because this is literally how I feel every night. Excuse me while I go dance a bit and try not to wake up the roommates while I celebrate the existance of this song. ooooOOOoooOOOooo! 

Criminal Minds - Why does this sound like something that should be Hercules... That Disney movie you know and- Wait. What? This is a very different sound... I... I think I like it? I feel like this should be a musical or something. Like Cody is singing a solo in an emotional musical. He’s the protagonist. He’s a detective falling in love with the suspect, but this is the scene where he has a mental breakdown about what he should do about this situation. He’s debating running away with the suspect but he knows she might be guilty... And now we are full circle to that tour they did back in like 2014 with the masks and stuff with the Bonnie and Clyde story. Oh it’s over...

No Disrespect - Ooooo I like this guitar. This is the next number in the musical I was talking about. The suspect ran off with her drug dealer boyfriend after Cody let her go. Now he’s losing his job and pissed off at her. I need to get off this musical thing... This is a funky song. I like it. I wonder who pissed off Cody again? Piano? What!? Acoustic guitar? Where is this going? Now we’re in a romantic ballad? Never mind... He’s still mad... 

Stitch Me Up - Awwww... This reminds me of my best friends that have helped put me back together after all the shitty things I’ve been through... Already loving this song. The beat is good and lyrics are so amazing. I love this message as well... Everything you went through makes you who you are. My cat has even emerged to listen to this song. He’s digging it as well. YEAH CAT! When the cat approves it’s a good song right? This ones in the top 5 of this album. Yup. Also reminds me of S-Club7 for some reason? 

Raise No Fool - Call out all those fakers! YES! I like this. WHAT A JAM! Screw all the people who have tried to use me. I’mma send this to my old boss. In a random email. 2 years from now. When she forgets. Where was this song 3 months ago when I lost my job? Because this was perfect to decribe what happened. Instead of trying to type out what happened I could have just sent them this song! Also should send it to those people who strung me along over the years... The losing my job is just fresh. Also in the top 5. I’ll sing this LOUD at the next show. Don’t worry y’all. Abrupt end though? 

I Want You (Gone) - Someone hurt you!? WHO HURT YOU!? Someone hurt me... This is literally how I felt when I stopped talking to you like 3 years ago... And was ignoring all my friends and family telling me they were draining my happiness. Nothing was more relieving than taking all your stuff and shoving it in a box under my bed. Still trying to get my life back after those almost 5 years of my life wasted. There’s the trumpet! I was waiting for a trumpet. I like this song. Do I like this song or just the lyrics? Another song that seems like it should be in a musical. What if I wrote a musical with all these songs in it? Can I get those rights? Set It Off... Let’s chat about that. The next Broadway hit is Midnight. 

Unopened Windows - A VERY slow jam... This is cute... When it’s gonna turn dark... I feel it coming... Such a sweet song though. I wanna make a cover of this song. It’s so sweet. This would also be perfect in that musical we talked about. Oooo it’s picking up a bit... This feels so raw compared to their usual music. Why they gotta throw this curve ball at me? They better play this on the next tour. So I can cry... Now I wanna cry... I’mma cry... It’s making me sad... So many feels... I’m crying... This is a part 2 to Dad’s Song. Holy shit... No one warned me about this emotion!!! I miss Cloe so damn much... 

Happy All The Time - Still trying to get over Unopened Window’s. Hold on. Okay I can listen to this now. I’m half way through and can’t focus. I’m not crazy? Thank you, Cody. I like this. Sounds like another anthem. This was a good follow up to me bawling... Jesus... Okay. I forgive them. They literally just told me the fact I cried was okay because I don’t have to be happy all the time. 

[sweeneytoddblog]

ALL THE LYRIC CHANGES TO SWEENEY TODD, 1979

And now for a post I have been meaning to do since the inception of this blog!

This post compiles all of the lyric changes from when Sondheim and Hal Prince first played the show for potential backers in 1979. All of the information here is obtained from a YouTube video (which I will link if I don’t forget). I am also including a list of interesting facts.

NOTE: This isn’t necessarily correct all the way through. It’s entirely possible that I missed or misheard something in a video this long. It was hard to make things out sometimes, as you will see. Also, I didn’t include any additional or changed dialogue, just song lyrics.

Interesting facts:

The organ music at the beginning is supposed to be like funeral music (that may have been obvious to some but it’s news to me). 

The judge was supposed to appear completely naked in Poor Thing.

During the “alms, alms” part of “Ah, Miss” the beggar woman was meant to emerge from a huge heap of garbage that is apparently always next to Judge Turpin’s house.

Toby is described as: “A young boy, rather demented but lovable” and 1 5 y e a r s  o l d (funny right? wonder when that changed).

There was a deleted scene where during Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir, an 8 year old boy pickpockets Mrs. Lovett, who causes a scene and gets him arrested by Beadle Bamford, and the crowd yells “terrible implications” at him as he’s dragged away. Which is REALLY interesting because Burton chose to include a scene in the movie where a little boy gets sentenced to death by Judge Turpin, remember???

Originally, the audience was supposed to see Toby put on the wig in the background before the crowd did.

The Judge was supposed to get as far as his hand on the door in Kiss Me, although Anthony and Johanna didn’t know it.

Kiss Me was also supposed to be interrupted with scenes of the judge in his courtroom at certain points. One of the scenes being where Judge Turpin sentences the little boy to death!!! (It was in the show!!!)

Then, as Kiss Me ends, the body of the 8 year old boy is supposed to drop simultaneously. Kinda dark huh?

Sweeney did his first demonstration with Mrs. Lovett on how the chair works using a stuffed alligator that he has in his tonsorial parlor. (Why an alligator? I don’t know, maybe Bond has an answer.)

During God That’s Good, the crowd was supposed to be singing “Yummmm” over and over while Toby had his little solo.

At one point in Johanna Quartet, Sweeney has to slam the lid down again on the trapdoor to get someone’s hat to go down.

Lyric changes:

Ballad of Sweeney Todd: Sweeney heard music that no one heard

Alms, Alms: A little jug jug, it looks to me, dear, like you’ve got lots of it to push

Alms, Alms: Alms, alms for a poor helpless creature

Worst Pies in London: Not as hard though as the worst pies in London

Worst Pies in London: All soggy and gritty

Poor Thing: (This was an added part, not a lyric change) He had this mouth, you see, had to open his mouth, couldn’t leave him at large so they trumped up a charge and they shipped him out south, poor fool. But of course it was pretty had on the wife and kid, I could hear em sob themselves silly for weeks they did, they was left with nothing but memories and half a quid

Ballad of Sweeney Todd (after My Friends): He rarely smiled and never laughed / His voice was soft but he knew his craft / His hands were wicked, his fingers strong / It tingled a bit but it wouldn’t take long (?)

Ah, Miss: Or any other raunchy youth with mischief on his mind

Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir: Gentlemen, gentlemen may I have your attention please / Do you open your eyes there in morning to stare at a pillow enroiling? with divets? of hair

Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir: Well ladies and gentlemen, let me put your ??? at ease, there’s no reason for shame, no cause for despair, I’ve a miracle here that is marvelous, rare

Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir: You can take your pick sir, boys or girls (instead of, you can have your pick sir, of the girls)

Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir: (Another added part that has to do with the aforementioned deleted scene w/ the 8 year old boy) Wanna chop this hand off little snit, taking food from honest people’s mouths, ??? earn a living, what about the money they turned back on ???

Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir: Get Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir, shoulda done the trick sir, as it should, trust Pirelli’s, soon’ll make it thick sir, then you’ll have a lick sir???, have you good.... know it’s fresh??? (curse this unintelligible song)

Ladies in Their Sensitivities: Your pardon my lord, I have a thought my lord / A notion my lord at worst / But may I my lord, suggest my lord / Young ladies should not be pressed my lord / They tend to become distressed my lord / Whenever they feel coerced / You must reassure ‘em first

Ladies in Their Sensitivities: Forgive me my lord, I have a note my lord so clumsy my lord begin (?) / But if I my lord, may state my lord / You’re looking below your peak my lord / There’s stubble upon your cheek my lord and bristle upon your chin / She’ll not see the man within

Pretty Women: What more can man require than love sir? More than love sir? Pretty women (instead of just “what sir” and “women!”)

Epiphany: (Just a brief note, the line “even you, Mrs. Lovett, even I” was originally in there, so I don’t know why it isn’t like that in the OBC. Anybody??)

A Little Priest: No the clergy is really too limp and too mealy / Then try actor, much compacter (can you believe the “with or without his privates” line isn’t in there yet?!)

God, That’s Good!: And I’ll be there, I’ll be there / But they’ll never be sold if I let them get cold

By the Sea: Oooh Mr. Todd, you’re so lovely

By the Sea: (Sweeney has a lot more lines originally, such as...) “God, the woman’s mad” “Absolutely crap / Have to face the fact”

By the Sea: Growing old together (instead of “we’ll grow old together”)

By the Sea: By the sea, we’d be free of the city’s fumes / Maybe rent out a couple rooms, By the sea / Single men required / By the sea / Merry and retired

By the Sea: By the sea Mr. Todd that’s the life I fancy / You agree Mr. Todd it’s a lot less chancy / And in times we’d get sad we’d go dad and mother (?) / We would always have each other

Not While I’m Around: (Mrs. Lovett’s part) Nothing’s gonna harm you, baby? maybe? / Not while I’m around

Not While I’m Around: But in time / Nothing will harm you (the whole “two quid” part of this song wasn’t there initially)

And the rest of the show hadn’t been written yet so it ends there!

P.S. I know I don’t say where these lyric changes are, but I didn’t want the post to look too complicated or get too long, so if you want to know for a part I can give you a time on the video or something!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF3HK0l_MY4&t=6295s

[shadowdragonlost-blog]

Spyro Reignited Wishes; then Skylanders Academy Predictions (Then More Game Stuff)

I decided to do something really stupid, and try and post about three different things in one post because I guess a really long read is something that nobody has complained about yet. I am sorry in advance for the nightmarish amount of text you will see, and tell me not to do this in the future if you’d prefer one thing at a time. I will probably avoid doing this again in the future. I am sorry in advance, and I tried to mark the transitions from one topic to another heavily so you could just skip to what you want.

1. ———-With the Reignited Trilogy coming closer to being just around the corner; everyone who isn’t an original series Nazi — an original series fan that believes that just porting the original series to the PS4 is the only thing that can be done with this series that isn’t punishable by murder — is really exited to get their hands on the Spyro that predates all other Spyros. With that exitement however, many people have come to hope for and even beg Toys for Bob for any reveals on any of the new features they could’ve added, and hope that the Reignited Trilogy is getting all of the love that the N’Sane, and from what we’ve seen so far; from being in development for over two years longer than the N’Sane Trilogy because it was actually being developed at the same time if not early than the N’Sane Trilogy started to having revamped cutscenes and a reactive development team that gives what the fans ask for through hard work, the Reignited Trilogy seems to be receiving more love than the N’Sane Trilogy.

This love that is being given to the Original Spyro has given many of us a list of things that we may have come to hope for or expect (or hate the idea of if you are an Original Spyro Nazi). My list of wishes are as follows:

•Playable Cynder and/or Ember: First thing, because Crash had an extra playable character added for after the game was beaten, this is then followed by the Original Series having had done this before in later installments, and is made more likely through being probably THE MOST REQUESTED THING OF THE REIGNITED TRILOGY BY FANS OF THE LEGEND SERIES. So yeah, may actually be a thing.

•The addition of deleted content: Crash obtained his stormy ascent, and Spyro likely had many worlds that were removed due to either difficulty or time constraints, and as much as all files on the original series were lost by Insomniac, it’s original developers could definitely tell them about deleted content and abandoned ideas.

•A Crash Easter Egg?: Spyro and Crash were best friends after all, so having him show up in an Easter Egg or level could be pretty fun.

•Keeping the Adaptive Difficulty Algorithms: This one is more so one of my hopes for this Trilogy. The Original Spyro Trilogy was technologically ahead of its time in way more ways than one (outside of being two years late to the 3D Platforminng Genre), one of these wonders of technology that this game boasted was how its enemy AI would actually adapt to how good you were at the game, making it absolutely brutal for the pros of the series, and extremely easy for those who struggled with it more often, so every player would actually witness different levels of difficulty for each boss and enemy.

Even though Crash Bandicoot is difficult to start with and understand the full extent of its physics, all of its characters and bosses followed set paths, and for someone who is experienced at playig Crash Bandicoot, and has memorized the boss-paths; it is actually really easy to do a zero-deaths run of any level, boss, or even the entire game after having had played it before. Each of the Original Trilogy Spyro games would actually become more difficult the better you bacame at the game; requiring a more in-depth knowledge of characters and levels by a long-shot if you plan on beating the game without a single death, each of the enemies starting to react within periods of time that aren’t possible for some random player to just pick up and play against. So as much as people talk about how hard Crash is for them, they’re forgetting that the original Spyro trilogy was only easy for them because they sadly (and bluntly) weren’t probably that exceptional at playing it, and also probably because it does begin at an average difficulty level that was designed for anyone to just be able to play; so a lot of people probably didn’t have the difficulty raise too much for them. But yeah; I want the Reignited trilogy to show off one of its technological marvels that people today probably wouldn’t even try to develop or implement in the greatest of AAA games.

<TRANSITION>

2. —————As one of the many people who enjoyed Skylanders Academy, and really payed way too much to the lore of it and similarities it showed to the stories of other Spyros, I have a few predictions for season three that I can pretty much guarantee and would maybe even be willing to bet money on with the confidence and evidence that I have for these. With the Third season being released a month after the Reignited Trilogy, the fall of 2018 will be the season of Spyro. But keep in mind that I have avoided leaks, so any of this could’ve been leaked or disproven without my knowledge.

•A Bloodlines Episode: As much as that episode will not be called Bloodlines, their will most-definitely be an episode where Malefor and Cynder will be having some father daughter time (in the middle of Cynder being pissed); while Eon reveals the truth about Spyro and his history to the rest of the Skylanders; all while Kaos tries to have some father-son moments with Strykore. This episode will entail why Malefor hates purple dragons so much, and him telling that story to Cynder (which will 100% reveal that Cynder’s mother was a purple dragon; who probably died protecting the core of light from all of the dark-form purple dragons, or became corrupted as well. I can guarantee this because of Cynder’s color, her retaining her dark purple scales even though Malefor never corrupted her with Aether in this series, he’s just a black dragon who cares deeply for his biological daughter; so with him being black; Cynder’s mother would have to be purple. So that is definitely a reveal to look for). Though this reveal of Cynder’s mother will likely then be followed-up by a Dark Spyro visit (just because individual episodes tend to have themes that they stick to, and Spyro is convinced that Malefor knows how to find his family, and will definitely show back up to find out).

Stealth Elf and the other Skylanders will probably end the episode determined to find a way to either bring the purple dragons back so they could save Spyro (knowing how he’ll be looking for them), or they will either abandon Eon and his cause for having had lied, or forgive him and prepare to fight Strykore and Kaos to the bitter end. This may also include Eon revealing his relations to Kaos, but if so then this episode may be the forst or second one of season three.

Kaos will likely fail in trying to have his father spend time with him, and will hold that deep in his heart to be triggered later; pushing him to turn against his father when it is needed of him most; either making him worse than his father was, or and antagonistically-neutral character at the end of season three (which may be the last season)

•Saving Spyro: This one is the more complicated part of predicting season three, and that is because there are several ways in which it could play-out; each with similar or different saviors.

Cynder saves Spyro: The case behind Cynder being the one who saves Spyro can be seen heavily from all of the similarities that their relationship in Skylanders Academy has compared to the relationship that The Legend Trilogy Spyro and Cynder have with each other. But there is a twist in that, in every similarity in this relationship, the roles have been reversed between them. So Spyro’s because you have left me nothing to fight for scene can become Cynder’s; since he was the only thing that really gave her reason to be a Skylander. There is also the fact that she is likely a half-breed purple dragon, meaning that she would actually have light to give/bring to him in his darkness. Making her the most-ideal character to save him if the stick to their legend series references and self-established lore of how light works in their own series. Their is only one other character who could fit this role as well as Cynder could, and that is before considering how Cynder is the only character who has lived on both the sides of bad and good, and she learned and accepted how she could be a Skylander in spite of being groomed to be evil. She of all characters knows that anyone could be saved, and if they really want to sell the reflections of the Legend Series; they would have her stop at nothing to save him, this may force her to face both the Skylanders and Strykore though. Hell; she may even join with Kaos for a time just to try and get close enough to be able to reach Spyro.

Cynder saves Spyro when he visits Malefor: So dark Spyro will eventually visit Malefor in season three if not the other way around. Cynder will be in Malefor’s custody when that happens; meaning that she will definitely play a large role in the endgame. So how this will go will be; Spyro likely gets violent, one way or another it becomes a duel between him and Cynder in which she either loses or refuses to fight, does either the inversion of the Legend series Dark Cynder Spyro fight from DotD, or she uses her light to purify him knowing that she’s a half purple dragon now, or a mixture of both. This will either leave Cynder in a weakened or ill state forcing Spyro to apologize and find some way to bring her to the core of light, or she’ll be fine and the story will continue.

Cynder saves Spyro when he his fighting at the core of light: Similar to the last one, just theyre all at the core of light and Spyro and Cynder end up alone in the battle one way or another, repeat all thr stuff from the last one and bam, Spyro is himself again.

Cynder and Stealth Elf save Spyro at the core of light battle: Since Stealth Elf is Spyro’s best friend in this series, just pair up her value of Spyro and desperation to likely save him with the stuff from earlier revolvin Cynder and you’ll have a saved Spyro with two of the most important if not the two current most important people to him there by his side for him to apologize to and finish the final battle.

Stealth Elf saves Spyro: Stealth Elf is Spyro’s closest friend, so with that being a main theme; Stealth Elf alone is a candidate to save him, not as ideal as Cynder and Eon, but she can. She might use water from the core of light, but otherwise the power of friendship is all I can really say.

Stealth Elf at the core of light: Just read the one before, and You’ll know why this is the only location that Stealth Elf alone will be able to save Spyro, because the core of light is the only place where she can restore his light, her not being one of the three beings that just has pure light within them.

Spyro’s Skylander team saves him: Because of the themes of family within this show, the team that traveled with Spyro throughout Skylanders Academy is really the most expectable group for the show to use for anyone who doesn’t Overdose on researching and studying the lore of series like I do. They are a great candidate provided Skylanders Academy wants to just plot-armor the word “family” over all of the lore and character forshadowing that the developers did throughout the first and second seasons. It will still fit the themes of Skylanders Academy though.

Spyro’s Skylander team saves him at the core of light: This is the only area where the team detailed earlier could save Spyro in a lore-friendly way without the help of Cynder or Eon.

Eon saves Spyro: A lot like why Cynder will probably save Spyro, Spyro’s internal struggles are 100% Eon’s responsibility, and he is one of the three characters that we have seen who is a being that contains pure light (Spyro, Cynder from her mom, and Eon); so he would be a great light-giving candidate, but there would be a price to that. Master Eon (as we saw in season one) cannot expose himself to darkness on a great scale, and cannot expend his light without falling deathly ill. So if we wanted an Ignitus in Skylanders Academy who wanted to do right by Spyro even if just once, Eon would likely sacrifice himself to restore Spyro.

Eon is killed: This doesn’t need an explanation, Eon either dies from sacrificing himself, or he is killed by Strykore or Spyro.

What I believe will happen: Knowing the themes of family and friendship; while also keeping all of the Legend Series themes and concepts that are apparent and repeating in Skylanders Academy. Spyro’s team will likely try to save him, but will either fail or give up thinking that he may be too far gone. So they will likely start to relentfully view him as an enemy. Then will come the involvement of either Cynder or Eon to save him; I can almost guarantee Cynder will be the one to save him, because Eon likely shouldn’t die, and also because Cynder is the only character in the series outside of Spyro who has walked on both the dark and the light, and possesses a very unique knowledge of how one can choose to be evil, and can be saved from that, so she will likely either give him her light (some or all, either could happen), after having to either face him with the Skylanders, or face the Skylanders to be able to get him to open up to her enough in his dark form. But yeah; she’ll definitely be saving him; I want to go out on a limb and say that she’ll have to abandon her father and the Skylanders in the process; while also facing Kaos. Of course this series may not go that far, but I’m going to say that will happen, because that will enable Spyro and Cynder to save all of Skylands with Stealth Elf and the rest of the team helping as needed if they aren’t incapacitated, but it will also reflect a very specific condition that I will explain right below this.

•A large part of Skylanders Academy was how it had its own twist on the Legend of the Purple Dragon, in the Legend Series, Malefor and Spyro were Eternal (meaning cannot die at all), and in Skylanders Academy spyro had invulnerable scales, and both Spyros are said to have many more powers. But there is one confirmed power of the Legend Series Spyro that is known by fans as Convexity, and by the game files as Aether. It is one of the many powers that Spyro possesses in the Legend series that makes him as rediculously powerful as he was at the age of fourteen in Dawn of the Dragon (that and being unable to die), but his Aether powers had one twist to them; they were able to be accessed through a balance between dark and light; his dark form being a result of losing himself to the darkness of his heart and emotions and being overcome by dark Aether (along with his critically untreated depression that he only had a hold over with Cynder), but there was no real side-effect of being overcome by light and light-related emotions, unless if love overcoming him with light is what roided his heart into repairing the planet. It was also this power that he used to purify Cynder and restore her at the end of A New Beginning. Meaning that Cynder in Skylanders Academy could maybe even unlock this power; if not use it to save Spyro.

If Skylanders Academy was to use a twist on that power to defeat Strykore, then they would be bringing a lot of their lore full-circle, most of Spyro’s lore in Skylanders Academy being a modified version of the Legend Series Spyro’s lore after all, but the only question is; what would they change about Spyro’s Convexity/Aether powers before revealing them in Skylanders Academy? Cause if they kept them how they are now; then Spyro himself would never be able to use them outside of a few set circumstances; with Aether powers requiring a balance between darkness and light where Spyro is always either a being of 100% pure light or 100% darkness he would never be able to use them unless if he was able to becoming a being of both dark and light. Though with Aether being the one superpower that by its own nature should be able to accomplish anything; it will likely be required to save the Skylands. But there is one gem of a character who fits the requirements for Aether as they were in the Legend Series, and that gem is Cynder; with her mom being a Purple Dragon and her father being the ruler of the underworld; she would be a being of perfect balance between darkness and light by birth and nature. That would make her the perfect candidate to save the Skylands or even Spyro with her Aether powers. She could even try to restore Spyro with her light, which would then place either both of them at 75% dark 25% light, or she will abandon all of her light to save him; leaving Spyro at the perfect balance needed to save the Skylands, but then he would have to clutch a Cynder as she either falls to darkness, or fights desperately to remain herself; then Eon could show up and sacrifice his light to both restore Cynder to her perfect balance and bring Spyro back to 100% percent, or he could leave spyro and cynder at perfect balances and stay at a 50% light 50% neutral state, and then the series will likely end with Spyro either rejoining the Skylanders with Cynder, bringing Cynder with him to save the purple dragons if not going alone, or leave the Skylanders and become a guardian figure of perfect balance between darkness and light either along or with Cynder who shares the same description. Who knows; I’m just babbling on about what’s possible with the lore of the series.

<TRANSITION>

3. ——————GAME STUFF: I said I would like input on game names and stuff, so here I am asking. The game that you’ve all been seeing some random map sketches from is the second game on my development list, but it hasn’t been named yet. The inspiration for the games initial idea was actually my frustration with the pokemon series... I was frustrated with all of the limits that the game series placed on everything, from levels to training to even relationship development; so I started to create a Bestiary that had creature stats and growths plotted out heavily, and I have been trying to design personality types and creature interaction concepts. With creatures ranging from single-stage to five-stage creatures with each one being able to train their stats infinitely in their final stage. I wanted all of the evolutions to be locked-out be relationship level requirements at certain stages, and I wanted there to be main character creatures that would be with you throughout the entire game. So I started designing a creature game that will do all of that. I’ve gotten most of the story concepts down and rough story guidelines for individual characters and main-character creatures, but the back-of-game-case-summary will be a little like this: “Join Xavier on his journey through an alternate world with his otherworldy dragonling Fry as he befriends creatures, slays fiends, and tries to discover his purpose in discovering Fry and traveling to Alterium” or something like that. But yeah, it will feature befriending characters and creatures (no capturing); Xavier and all of the player-characters will actually participate in combat with their creatures; even though they will be significantly weaker than their creatures, and you all should expect concept art for this once I’m confident enough to start posting it. So please send me any name ideas that you come up with for this game, and I will ask for approval on any that I may come up with.

All of you have a wonderful night, and tell me what you think about any or everything I may have said here. You should even feel free to comment as you see fit.

[ageofgeek]

Infinity War Thoughts and Review

First, I'm going to start off with a non-spoiler review (above the read-more).

So, after seeing Infinity War last nigt, I am actually traumatized. I feel like I'm in the 5 stages of grief, and I'm still in the Denial phase because the ramifications of this movie haven't set in yet. I am still so fucking shocked by what happened in that movie. And while I will undoubtedly be entering the next phase - Anger - fairly soon, I am going to try to be somewhat coherent and logical about this, so I'm gonna talk about the movie in broad strokes (again, no spoilers!).

First of all, Marvel did a great job at balancing all of those characters. I know a lot of people were very concerned about 30+ superheroes in the same movie, but they did a great job. As much as I hate to say it, they were very smart to "center" the film around Thanos, and then use his quest to get the infinity stones as the grounding for the rest of the characters and their missions.

That being said, this movie was an emotional rollercoaster. Goddammit. Tragic, gut-wrenching moments were quickly and almost abruptly followed by Avengers-typical quips and humor, and there came a point in the movie where my brain was like: "Alright, yep, that tragic thing just happened, time to wipe your tears and move on because the movie is already 10 steps ahead of you while you're still reeling.". And while that sucked for someone like me, who wants to cherish every single one of my babies, it did create an emotional environment wherein you felt the urgency. When tragedy struck, you didn't have time to mourn or think or become angry, because the stakes were too high. And I had the feeling that what I, as an audience member, was feeling, was similar to what the characters themselves were feeling. As these awful things happened to the people that they love, Thanos is still growing more powerful every second, and those characters had to swallow painfully, maybe shed a small tear, and move on. And that was one of the most tragic parts of this movie for me: the way that things had become so dire that individual lives didn't - and couldn't - matter anymore, not even to the people who love them the most.

In general, I wouldn't say that this film was enjoyable to watch - much like I wouldn't say that open heart surgery would be enjoyable - but it was definitely an incredible film. High intensity, beautiful cinematography, some stunning visual effects (and some less so - see: Thanos' bulk and height compared to the other, non-CGI characters), and there was a real loyalty to the arcs and lives of these characters. The ramifications of Infinity War will definitely need to be addressed in the 3 Marvel films that follow (Ant-Man and Wasp, Captain Marvel, and finally Avengers 4), and I'm looking forward to theorizing frantically on the Internet for the next year as to what will happen next.

And now, let's move on to the SPOILERY discussion. AGAIN, SPOILERS ARE AHEAD: BEWARE!

God, alright, let's start at the beginning.

Opening up on the Asgardian refugee ship being attacked by Thanos, I just, god. That entire scene destroyed me, right off the bat. First of all, Heimdall's death was so upsetting (and Thor's reaction to it was so painful), but here's a question that a lot of people have been asking: What happened to Valkyrie? Did she leave the ship before they got attacked? God, I really hope Marvel doesn't give her the "Sif and Jane" treatment - it seems like women in the Thor movies always just get forgotten and brushed off, which, wtf?

But moving on - fuck, Loki's death destroyed. Right off the fucking bat, I was sobbing at this fucking movie. Goddammit. I knew that it was probably gonna happen, but it didn't make it any less painful (also, oh my god, Thor screaming through the gag when he died and then crawling over to his body and cradling him, god that FUCKED ME UP). I mean, there are already a few good theories floating around which argue that Loki could have escaped death once again (i.e. why didn't Loki's corpse revert to his Jotun form after he died? Also, why would he just foolishly try to attack Thanos with a knife? He knows Thanos' strength better than almost anyone else (except Gamora and Nebula) - he would not have just barreled ahead and attacked him! There's also the point that while Hulk and Thanos were fighting, Loki went off screen, and when he returned, he was all jovial and did the ballsy (and foolish) stab move. Why would he be that confident, unless he had a plan and had already saved himself?).  But anyway, that’s enough theorizing.  Even if Loki did die for real, I will be smiling through my tears because he died a hero.  They didn’t fuck up his character development from Ragnarok - he died trying to save his brother and his people.  He died embracing his family, and all parts of his identity (”Prince of Asgard...rightful king of Jotunheim...Odinson”).  Even if he is dead for good, I’m proud of my boy.

...

Now, switch to Tony(!!!) and Pepper(!!!!!!!) jogging in Central Park, talking about their wedding and babies!!  I actually squealed during that scene.  FUCK I love them.  Also, the fact that Tony specifically mentioned that he dreamed about Pepper being pregnant makes me think that she actually is, because we’ve been told ever since Age of Ultron that Tony has somewhat prophetic dreams/visions, for some reason.  If he was right about Thanos, why isn’t he right about this?  Just saying!  (Oh god, please let Avengers 4 have Tony and Pepper’s baby).

Doctor Strange comes through the portal and we have the Science Bros reunion hug :’) God, they haven’t seen each other in 3 years, and Bruce’s confusion over the breakup of the Avengers was both funny and sad.  And Tony’s face when he says “Steve Rogers” - not “Steve” or “Cap” or “Capsicle”, but his full fucking name.  The divorce is still real and apparently, NOT RESOLVED IN THIS MOVIE because THEY NEVER EVEN FUCKING SPOKE TO EACH OTHER.  I came out of that film saying to myself, “...Wait, there wasn’t even the flip phone call?!  Bruce called Steve, and it was off screen!  What the fuck???”  Dammit, Marvel, why did you play me like this?  There better be fucking resolution to this conflict in Avengers 4.

Anyway, the first fight scene with Ebony Maw was pretty awesome, because Stephen and Wong’s magic was cool but we ALSO GOT TO SEE TONY’S NEW ARMOR!!!  Our entire theater began to cheer when his armor began to come out and aghh, it was so beautiful, I’ve been waiting 5 years for this moment!!  It seems like he still doesn’t have Extremis, but still, the nanobot armor is a great improvement (all of the phasing that that armor could do was awesome!).  And Peter’s introduction, of course, was great.  And my emotions! when Tony basically told Peter to let go of the spaceship and trust him, and Peter did and he got the Iron Spider armor!  (which, holy shit, I love it, A++).

Also, when Tony got on that ship and Pepper called and she was so upsettttt, okay, i need to move on, that was too painful

...

Switch to Vision and Wanda in Scotland, POST-COITAL!!!!  FUCK my Scarlet Vision heart in this movie was fucking fulfilled and also broken, god, I love them so much.  I just, the fact that they’ve been visiting each other for 2 YEARS and secretly dating and hE ASKED HER TO STAY AND SHE DID, fuck, I love them, why is this movie so cruel to my babies?

Ok, but also, how many fucking times does Vision get stabbed in this movie?  He gets stabbed twice(?) in the fight in Scotland, and then a third time in the woods of Wakanda at the very end.  Which, there wasn’t an explanation as to how the Black Order’s weapons were able to pierce vibranium?  I guess there was kind of the implication that the bonds between Vision’s neurons/molecules were weakening, so weapons could slip through?

Anyway, the introduction of Team Cap to fight off Proxima Midnight was pretty awesome, ngl.  I pretty much forgave them at that point (although not entirely.  Still a little mad at Cap).

...

But then they go home to RHODEY!  Which, yes, I grinned and wiggled in my seat when I saw my baby following in the footsteps of his best friend and pissing off Ross.  Although, still pissed that Rhodey didn’t put up more resistance to Team Cap before seemingly forgiving them?  Like, even if Rhodey forgave them for what they did to him personally, there’s no way that he wouldn’t have given them shit over what they did to Tony at the end of CACW.  Come on now, Marvel.  I have to wonder, based on what Don Cheadle said in an interview, if there are deleted scenes where Rhodey is more standoffish towards them at first.

...

This is where things kinda get a little muddled in my head, because things were moving so quickly, it was difficult to keep track.

At some point, the Guardians were introduced again, and they stumbled upon Thor and split up.

Thanos took Gamora because she knew where the soul stone was, and tortured Nebula to get that info out of her.

They went to Vormir, where the soul stone was, and WHAT DO YOU FUCKING KNOW, Red Skull is there.  That cameo honestly shocked the FUCK out of me.  I sat there with my mouth open for at least a full minute, that just caused my brain to short circuit, goddamn.  I was honestly wondering if they were ever going to bring him back (since the Tesseract doesn’t necessarily kill you, it’s the space stone, it just teleported him), and his appearance in this movie actually reminded me of his role in Avengers: Assemble, when he uses one of the stones(?) to become “Cosmic Skull” or whatever?  Yeah, anyway.

So, there’s no way that Gamora is dead for real, right?  Like, that’s some bullshit.  THAT.  IS.  BULLSHIT.  MARVEL.  I don’t know if Zoe Saldana’s contract ran out, but there is at least one more Guardians movie and there’s no fucking way that she isn’t in it, come on now.  Same with Groot (although that happens at the end).  Gamora’s death feels a bit more final, though, compared with the “dust deaths” that happened at the end, so I don’t know.  Dammit, that one hit me hard (and I wanted to punch Thanos for shedding that single fucking tear, lol, FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE).

...

Everyone goes to Wakanda while Tony and co. are on Titan, and the dual final battles begin.

Shuri is there (YAY!), and so is Okoye, being a badass, and M’Baku, and T’Challa!!  It’s only been a few months since we saw Black Panther, but fuck, I missed them all.

Shuri is a fucking sassmaster with Bruce (and Tony, by proxy), in Vision’s body composition (although, didn’t Ultron technically make the body, and Bruce and Tony just finished it and integrated it with JARVIS and the mind stone?).  Anyway, whyyy did this movie give me hope like that by them desperately trying to find a way to save Vision while also destroying the mind stone?  Fuck you.

Wakanda’s defenses hold up SUPER WELL, like, lol, fuck you Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian, if it wasn’t for T’Challa decision to open the barrier to give Shuri more time, they never would’ve gotten in to Wakanda.  And then there’s the big fight scene, which was awesome!  I loved the 3 women team-up against Proxima, with Okoye, Wanda, and Natasha.  That was, ungh, fuck, I was so aroused by that scene.  GIVE ME AN ALL-FEMALE MARVEL MOVIE, YOU COWARDS.

...

Switch back to Titan, and there was a very important scene with Stephen that I forgot to mention.  He used the time stone to look into millions of possible futures, and they only win in one of those universes.  That is SO.  IMPORTANT.  because Stephen is absolutely about the greater good, we saw that on the ship when he said that he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice Tony and Peter for the time stone.

So the fact that Stephen then GIVES THANOS the time stone to save Tony’s life is SUPER IMPORTANT.  Because if there was only one universe, one set of events, where they won, then you better fucking believe that Stephen is going to follow that universe TO THE LETTER.  Why would he get all sentimental now to save Tony’s life?  No, there are either 2 ways to interpret Stephen’s actions: 1) In the universe where they won, it was necessary for them to “lose” first by Thanos getting all of the infinity stones.  Thus, despite what the others on Titan thought, Stephen never intended to subdue Thanos and take the gauntlet, and really only intended to eventually “give in” and give him the time stone.  Or 2) The only way to defeat Thanos is for Tony to be alive.  Tony is instrumental for Thanos’ eventual defeat, and so, Stephen thought it was a necessary sacrifice, to give Thanos the time stone in exchange for Tony’s life, and thus, the chance to defeat Thanos for good.

I’m kind of leaning towards the latter, although both are certainly possible.  The fact that Thanos KNEW Tony - specifically calling him “Stark” when they first met, and saying that “we are both cursed with knowledge?” - fuck that really points to Tony having cosmic significance here, and I am INTO it.  I’m kinda worried that they’re gonna have some sort of Harry & Voldemort link(?), where Tony has been having visions for the past 6+ years about Thanos, and Thanos has been having similar visions about Tony?  IDK, but I’m definitely gonna be reblogging a shit-ton of theories regarding this.

But fuck, when Tony was stabbed.  WHEN TONY WAS STABBED.  I literally almost threw up.  Like, I was kinda prepared for it, but fuck I really was not.  I WAS NOT PREPARED, AT ALL.  Just, his face when he was stabbed, I just wanted to cry and hold my baby and wrap him in a blanket burrito and NEVER LET THANOS TOUCH HIM EVER AGAIN.  I can’t even really talk about that scene, because it fucking destroyed me and I don’t want to think about it.

...

Wow, and back in Wakanda, we have another heartbreaking scene, fuck me in my fucking asshole.  Wanda having to destroy the mind stone, and thus, Vision.  WOW.  WOWWW I was crying so fucking hard, FUCK, why do I love Scarlet Vision so much, this movie wouldn’t have been so painful, goddammit.  I also want to wrap them both in blanket burritos, because this is so unfair.

But, the good thing about Thanos using the time stone to get the mind stone back is somewhat a good thing, because Vision’s body was no longer destroyed - he just had the mind stone ripped out of his head.  He’s an android - as long as his “corpse”/body is still intact, there’s the possibility for them to retrieve the mind stone and resurrect him.  So, I kind of have tentative hope for Vision?  But I don’t know.

...

And then.  We get to the very end.

Thor comes in and stabs Thanos (which, thank God) (also, i totally forgot to mention that whole subplot with Thor, Rocket, and Groot, along with surprise cameo, Peter Dinklage???  What the fuck?  I mean, I wasn’t complaining, but I was super shocked).

But Thanos is able to snap his fingers and then he disappears...and they all begin to turn to dust.

This was such a bold move by Marvel, I can’t even explain it.  Like, even if it all gets ret-conned and they’re all brought back to life in Avengers 4 or some shit, it’s still a SUPER BOLD MOVE to end one of your biggest movies with HALF OF THE PROTAGONISTS DYING INSTANTLY, and the antagonist seemingly WINNING.

But, another part that was very important - before Stephen faded away, he told Tony that “this was the only way”, which again, only supports the theory that Stephen knew exactly what he was doing and that this was the only way for them to win.

Honestly, watching all of them die was really painful.  Bucky, Sam, Wanda, T’Challa(?!?!?!?!), Stephen, Peter Quill, but...

As many people have already said, my heart broke when Peter started fading away in Tony’s arms.  Fuck that scene fucked me up.  As someone in the theater said, “HE’S JUST A KID, MARVEL.”  Like, goddammit.  And the fact that he felt it coming because of the spidey sense??  Wow, how much more painful can you get, I hate this!!!  And him falling into Tony’s arms, oh my god, just kill me already.  I don’t want to talk about it.  I can’t even think about it anymore.

Just.  Ugh.

...

Alright, I’m done.  That’s my thoughts.  It ended on such a sad and hopeless note, I honestly don’t know where to go from here, other than read fluffy fanfiction for the next few months and reblog the shit out of theories and metas.

FUCK.  This movie really fucked me up.

[its-love-u-asshole]

about me as a writer

I was tagged by @oiivkawa <3 Thanks so much, this was super fun!

Tagging: @emeraldwaves @ivyfics @calmgeyama @ohoholyshit @yatatsukki and?? anyone else who wants to I guess lol, I feel like most ppl I know how been tagged ^^ 

I’m putting my responses under the cut as well bc I know myself lmao, my responses can be long af ^^’’

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean? bleh I have two usernames, and both stories are embarrassing LOL I’ll go with my actual ao3 name though I guess?? When I was in middle (?) school I used to watch the anime HOTD, which is like...awful first off. It’s borderline hentai, shitty fanservice, the whole thing (don’t ask me why I watched it, bc who knows, the music was A+) but my favorite character’s name was Saya, and her servants would call her ladysaya, so that’s the explanation for that ha. I put the x in front because I used to be obsessed with x men and all the marvel/dc animated series, so it felt appropriate pft. Man, even talking about this brings back so many cringe worthy memories lmao forgive me. 

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (Bookmarks/ Subscriptions/ Hits/ Kudos) for Haikyuu!! it’s definitely Slipping Underneath, and for K Project it’s There You Are <3 

3. What is your AO3 profile icon and why did you choose it? It’s Semi! The reasoning for this is because I have 3 fav Haikyuu!! characters: Tsukishima, Oikawa, and Semi. So I just try to distribute my love evenly tbh lol. I have a Tsukki icon on here and discord, Semi for AO3, and Oikawa is on my phone case ^^ 

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters? ahhh I have several but I’m not aware if many of them have tumblr?? A lot of people who comment on every chapter of my multichapters are very special to me, I love them all! Ofc on here there’s @emeraldwaves @ivyfics @momomirasaki124 @uselessvalshit @starjem and then I have my other fav supporters @serviceace @caelestisxyz and @urikawa-miyuki  <3 

5. Is there a fanfic you keep going back to read again and again? Ah damn there are so many lmfao, I have a lot of fav fics and I don’t want to make this post super long. Please check out the rec posts I’ve done here and here ! Or also message me for specific types of fics <3 I will say though, one fic I always go back to read even though it’s been YEARS is a kyoukao fic by potionwine! 

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked? I consider myself pretty picky, but I do read a LOT of fic, so I have a decent amount of both ^^ About 187 bookmarks, and 16 fic/author subscriptions! 

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most? Probably college?? even though I know that’s super broad, and all kinds of different AUs can be based in college but that’s how it is lol. I think that’s because I honestly don’t like redoing AUs?? I like experimenting and making up really weird shit and original scenarios as much as possible. Though, I’m sure you can find apparent trends across all my fics ^^ 

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? haha...I have 76 user subscriptions, 436 general fic subscriptions, and 792 bookmarks. I don’t even know how that’s real lmao I feel so blessed that so many people enjoy my writing <3 

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!) not really honestly, if I have an embarrassing or indulgent idea at this point, I just write it lmao idc but there are lots of types of fics I am scared to write just bc I don’t know if I could do them justice heh....

10. Is there anything you’d like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc. yes lmao updating better would be something I’d LOVE to improve on ; ; Also writing action scenes too fff fuck action scenes

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often? Uhhh I’ve dabbled in both but yeah, more often than not I stick to more popular pairs just because I need content to motivate me pftt

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day? 50! 

13. How many stories do you have saved in/ with your writing program? Like WIPs? ffff WIPs...maybe like 4 or 5 at this point, including multichapters, and wow that’s actually not a lot, usually I have a ton and I’m drowning in them loool

14. Do you write down story ideas or just keep them in your head? Both...I usually just keep things in my head, but if a fic starts giving me issues, I like to plot it out

15. Have you ever co- authored a story? Nope, but I’d really love to at some point with a friend! 

16. How did you discover AO3? Uh I honestly don’t remember loool I think one day I sorta just saw that no one was using ff anymore and I was like ‘aight’ 

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3? Not really lmao, I mean...my siren au does pretty well, but otherwise my fics get kinda slept on -shrug- it is what it is 

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers? lol i do not

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write? Well I’ve always loved to write so no, but @brynne-lagaao is a big reason I started writing sarumi fics back when I was in K fandom! And nowadays in the hq fandom, a lot of amazing authors really push me to keep writing ^^ 

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author? don’t be afraid to write and write whatever you want basically lmao I know it can be daunting if you think your writing skills aren’t matching up with other authors, but the best thing you can do is practice, practice, and eventually you will see results! Also read a lot, reading other ppl’s stories really helps, and above all, just have fun with it! 

21. Do you plot out your stories or do you just figure it out as you go? I try to have a basic plot (beginning, middle, end) because I used to just DIVE IN to stories and it was awful lmao I need some sort of guideline, even if it’s small

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do? yes ofc, but I honestly try not to dwell on them because they’re not worth it. I either ignore or delete in most cases

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (Action, smut, etc) action and smut are never easy for me lol

24. What story(s) are you working on now? well right now I’m working on two secret santa fics for iwaoi, as well as my two kurotsuki multichapters! I am also trying to write kacchako as a x-mas present for a friend lol

25. Do you plan your new projects before you finish your current ongoing story(s)? ha yeah, it’s a bad habit but I have no self-control

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself? I do not! I just try to write at least a little bit each day if I can, but there’s never a word minimum I try to reach ^^ 

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started? oh 100% lmao comparing some of my old fics from even a year ago to my fics now is eye opening 

28. What is your favourite story that you have written? Shaking in My Skull for sarumi, it’s also the longest fic I’ve ever written and it holds a special place in my heart ; ; For kurotsuki it’s gotta be Let My Love 

29. What is your least favourite story that you have written? fuck me, Pencils and Paper LOL it was an earlier sarumi fic of mine and I just...hate it. I’m not even gonna link it LOL 

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years? Still writing fanfic most likely, maybe some original stuff (I hope!)

31. What’s the easiest part about writing? lmao nothing, writing is super hard work, sometimes even just thinking up ideas can be difficult, then there’s actually writing and making the ideas come to life, and don’t get me started on editing lmaooo writers are my heroes 

32. What is the hardest part about writing? Finding the motivation, at least for me. I struggle sometimes with it because I’ll have the time and inspiration but depression just kicks my ass every time fff

33. Why do you write? For me it’s super therapeutic, I love the satisfaction of putting hard work into an idea you love and finishing it, and the high that comes with that. Plus sharing the story with others and getting positive feedback is a feeling that can’t be beat. I’ve always loved writing, I love how the possibilities are endless, and I hope I never stop <3 

[adityamatta]

Black Widow’s Scary Alternate Death Scene Revealed By Scarlett Johansson

It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since the release of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s climatic end to the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame. The highest grossing movie of all time, the film’s relevance and importance are still being felt in the comic book movie community today. And, it seems to be the gift that keeps on giving, as we are still learning about deleted scenes and alternate takes to this day. Case in point, a particular death scene was nearly drastically different.

While Iron Man’s death hit fans the hardest, and still plays an emotional toll on many, the sacrifice of Black Widow cannot be overlooked. The first female hero of the MCU, Black Widow was an essential part of the Avengers team. And, the scene between her and Hawkeye fighting over who would sacrifice themselves is a moving and powerful moment in the film. But, it turns out that the scene was originally a much different scene. Scarlett Johansson spoke with Entertainment Weekly about a more frightening version of this scene. Apparently, there was to be a chase scene with Dementor-like creatures trailing after the heroes, leading to a much more gruesome take.

“I was thinking, ‘Parents will never forgive us for how these creatures look’. We wanted to leave [the audience] with the weight of that loss and the shock of it.”

Truly, Marvel made the right choice with taking the scene in the direction we saw in the theaters. The shock of the monsters would have lessened the sacrifice made and its emotional weight. With Widow making the choice she made and giving up her life so that the universe had a chance to be whole again was all that scene truly needed. But, at least we get one more outing with Black Widow in her solo film due out soon.

[akotowaa]

Yeah, fam, so life is beans. You don’t need to be told. But, as a whole, there are a few things that make it a bit more bearable for me. They aren’t actions per se, more like lifestyle adoptions. They may not be dramatic, but they have been life-changing in their own ways. So, I decided to just share a few of the things that have helped and are helping my life be slightly less beans.

My name.

I like it a lot. I let go of my first name, Ivana, fully in 2016, and that was very refreshing. Sometimes names are associated with too many unhealthy things. I still cringe when I’m called Ivana. When someone does it, I either have to admit myself that they aren’t very close to me, or have to convince myself to be patient and forgive them. My middle name, its meaning, the story behind it and cultural relevance it holds are far more significant to me as a human being and as a Ghanaian storyteller, than my Slavic name. I mean, there are trade-offs in life. I’ve traded “Ivana…like Ivana Trump?” for “Ah-ka-two-ah?” But I’ll survive. It feels nice to wear the name Akotowaa. It feels like clothes that fit in a wardrobe of mostly inappropriately sized things.

  My filtered social media.

Honestly? I’ve learnt to do what I must to recover. I remember during high school, feeling incredibly outcast whenever school went on break (and even sometimes when it wasn’t on break) and I would open my Snapchat, and see about 50% of my classmates at some social event, all posting at once, so that it was as if I was getting different pieces of a full mosaic scene. The sense of exclusion was a bit of a paradox, and an unnecessary one, since most times, I did not want to be at the event in the first place, and would have felt even more outcast if I had been present than in my absence. But it was taking a major toll on me, and since it made no sense, I deleted my Snapchat and started a new one. I didn’t tell anyone except my ex-roommate. My psychological state improved a lot when I was simply not receiving the information that would have stressed me out. Out of sight, out of mind, heart at rest. I know it takes me a long while to follow some of the people I know in real life on social media, and I know it gives me a horrible reputation. I have no doubt a lot of people think I’m a stuck-up girl who thinks she’s better than her former classmates since she got signed on a record label or whatever, but to be honest, their lives are probably way litter than mine, and I’m just trying to be sane in the knowledge that they are comfortable in a social world I have never belonged in. (Which might be difficult for them to understand, since they, of course, belong – or I assume they do.) And I swear, the filtration of my social media has eased me much more than a lot of things ever could have. My tolerance fluctuates. Some things take time, and it is important to give yourself time and grace, especially if nobody else will give them to you.

My hair.

I really love locs. They are my favorite category of hairstyle ever. (On black people, of course.) The decision to get dreadlocks is one of the best I ever made. These are things that actually get me to look into the mirror and smile because wow, I have locs, and they’re nice. Perhaps it is vanity – but it is the healthy kind. I feel like it might be useful for everyone to have at least one part of their body that they can smile at when they look into the mirror. My hair makes me very happy. It feels good to catch myself in envy, for instance, when I look at pictures of people with gorgeous locs online and go, “Wow, I wish I had dreads.” And then I brighten all the way up because guess what – I do! I suspect that once you start liking a part of you more, you begin to like all of yourself more, even if just marginally.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the growth between my 2015 twists and 2017 locs? It’s lit, isn’t it? Yah, yah.

(Can we just take a moment to marvel over the growth between my 2015 twists and my 2017 dreads? It’s lit. 🙂 )

My projects.

I am very much familiar with the experience of feeling like a wasteman. A lot of the time, I am. But a lot of the time, I’m also not. The ability to at least temporarily separate emotional sensation from substantial evidence is a useful one. I may feel like a wasteman sometimes, but then I’ll remember that I went and wrote a whole novella in 2015. It might not have been a great or even good novella, but it’s something I started, finished, and was bold enough to share. So, apply the same thought process to every piece of work I’ve ever put on the internet, and keep putting on the internet, and it’s a bit of a marvel. I may be a wasteman now, but I have not always been a wasteman. And it is very likely that I will not always continue to be a wasteman.

My best friend.

Having a best friend that loves you a lot can help you learn to love yourself. I know I talk about Tronomie a lot. I can’t help it. He’s currently the best thing about my life. He makes me very happy. He also makes me sad a lot, and he’s really awful, as like, a human being. And I think we’re both as messed up as each other. We have very little in common, and our friendship, frankly, doesn’t make a whit of sense to me. But it’s blessed. Immensely, incomprehensibly blessed. He’s my spiritual twin. And he shows me my reflection when I forget what it looks like and reminds me that it is worth loving (…on the days that he’s not simply tired of saying things to me over and over again that fall on deaf ears). I hope I do at least half of what he does for me, for him. I probably don’t. I love him though. To crazy high levels. And when I finish fumbling around and figuring out what the best way he can benefit from my existence is, I’m putting 110% of myself into it.

  Understanding where my worth comes from.

The world is a salesman. It’s a top advertiser, selling a lot of things that won’t give me what they promise. My worth is in my Creator and Him alone – and God gives no grades, nor project ratings, nor reviews. I understand this, even when I forget it. Whichever scale says I can’t or haven’t, is irrelevant in comparison. My worth is unchangeable because its source is. And if I link my worth to performance or achievement, I’m always going to be in serious trouble.

  “Sometimes it takes years to learn how to be comfortable in your own skin…”

https://soundcloud.com/akotowaa/to-be

Likewise, sometimes it takes a while for your own words to become your own reality. They are written in the state of discomfort, for a future self whom, when becoming comfortable, will find that her past self has already provided the equipment to facilitate the process. To Be is almost prophetic – or an act of faith – as a description of a facet of self-love. And I cannot say I have in any way reached “there” yet. Some days I’m there. Some days I’m not. And that’s how life is. To Be is never fantasy; at any point, it is either prophecy or reality.

What helps you? 😊

-Akotowaa

P.S. my Snapchat username is akotowaa.

6 Little Things That Help Yeah, fam, so life is beans. You don’t need to be told. But, as a whole, there are a few things that make it a bit more bearable for me.

[geekns]

12 days of 12 | day 8 | character development

In the beginning, Twelve was filled with a lot of regret and self-doubt. I think this was imperative after the character arcs of Ten and Eleven.  You cannot erase what happened with Donna, Amy, Rory, and River. I was eager for that to be dealt with, would have liked for it to be more directly addressed, honestly.  But we do get to see that Twelve is asking questions.  Should he throw in the towel as Eleven did for a while?  His face turns out to be a reminder that he should always try to save people, even if it's only one person.

As far as his personality, Twelve started out very sciency and grumpy.  He had this outward image of not caring when i think his problem was actually that he cared too much.  But he also had issues (that the Doctor always has had really, just more pronounced) about recognizing people, their face, their age.  This is very ironic when it comes to what happens with Clara in the end.  The whole of series 9 i actually felt like he already knew how Clara was going to die, that she had died from his perspective, and he was just fitting in a few more adventures with her.  That didn't turn out to be the case.

So at the start Twelve is very adamant that he and Clara are not dating.  And Clara gets a boyfriend and he very much plays the part of jealous father, with Danny being very much like parts of himself that he doesn't like.  And as they go on the Doctor realizes who he is, not the angry vengeful Time Lord Victorious of Ten or Eleven, but someone who will stand alone no matter what because it's right.  He falls in love with Clara of course but i think it wasn’t a romantic kind of love but something deep and complicated.

I cannot imagine Twelve without Missy.  They are two sides of the same coin.  Interestingly, Missy has always played the part of teacher, to Twelve, to Clara, to random blue alien #3 (sadly a deleted scene).  And she is a marvelous teacher...and somehow that is what Twelve becomes when he becomes her Carer.

And let us not forget Rock Star Doctor.  That was when his character really clicked.  Like he is who he is and he does not give any fucks what anyone thinks. "I like it."  And then he starts teaching people more and more as he goes along.  He eventually becomes Time Lord Victorious himself at the end of Heaven Sent and into Hell Bent and it's really interesting to see that progression.  From Flatline where he doesn't want to kill the monsters but decides he has to, to HS/HB where he just doesn't give a fuck if he destroys the universe getting Clara back.

And we still don't know why Missy gave Clara to the Doctor.  What was her endgame there?  It seems very important to me.  They haven't mentioned it at all this season.

And then we end with Twelve being a professor to many (but most of all Bill), a boss to Nardole, and what is he to Missy?  It's a shame that we never get to see how therapy sessions in the Vault went.  Was he a therapist?  A teacher?  Stern?  Kind?  Were they going at it like rabbits?  Like seriously, so many unanswered questions.  But ultimately Twelve is about forgiveness and teaching in my mind.  Like the Zygon Inversion is amazing for that.  I just wish he would have gotten there with Missy, fully forgiving her and letting her back into his life.  It's a real shame.

I really don't know what to make of Twelve in the Doctor Falls.  It feels like so much got cut out.  We don't get to see his side in every scene, it's too dark, or they just don't take the time to show us his face.  He’s very generous with Bill but seems mostly shut off to Missy.  Does he know that Missy was planning to come back?  Will he go back for her at Christmas?  We don't know.  I am eager to see where the end of his journey goes even as i am loathe to lose him.