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simplytolkien · 2 years

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Friends, I’m going to say something that might not be popular right now, but I think it has to be said. I love Rings of Power so far. I am frustrated hearing people say already that it’s no good. And my most annoying reason for them saying that so far is that there are too many questions, that things aren’t explained yet. I mean, today is just the third episode. This is a story arc that is planned for five seasons. Do they think everything is going to be explained and all characters introduced in the first two episodes of the first season? If so, they’ve never read Tolkien. Sorry. They’re having to tie in so many races and characters and cultures. It’s going to take some setup.

My second most annoying reason I’ve heard is that there are characters added in. I mean, yeah. It’s a huge world. It’s a huge story. And Tolkien really only included the very main characters. Of course there are going to have to be some to fill things out. But Tolkien’s main characters are there so far, and they are so well done! They are staying much truer to Tolkien’s personalities than Peter Jackson ever did. I mean, Aragorn scared to be king? Pfft, that was his whole motivation in the books! I’m not saying he was arrogant or entitled about it, but he was very determined and enthusiastic. He had to defeat Sauron, become king, and reunite the northern and southern kingdoms for Elrond to allow him to marry Arwen. ‘Break up’ with her? Never. Faramir beating Gollum and taking the ring? Never. Tolkien was probably spinning in his grave. He said Faramir was the character closest to himself, and he loved him.

Gosh, don’t get me started. I still love the LotR movies. I will not go into how much I hated the Hobbit movies, despite so many of my favourite actors being in them. Anyway, back to the point. Galadriel is well done, I think; her pride and determination are very well portrayed. To me the new characters don’t feel jarring. They fit right in with what’s going on in Middle-Earth and what we know is coming. And the scenery and costumes and music! That scene in the third episode (no spoilers!) of Galadriel riding on the beach was just gorgeous, and I think the fact that they included her joy in the moment was absolutely beautiful. I’ve been really looking forward to that scene after the glimpse in the previews. That dress in the wind! That horse! They have captured Tolkien’s love and gentleness so far! I love love love the fact that they are doing real cosmetics instead of CGI where at all possible. It has the real feeling of the LotR movies, and they throw in so many little things to tie the show to the movies, like words the orcs use or lines Galadriel uses.

But I think what has struck me the most has been how unflinchingly they have portrayed the evilness of the orcs without an ounce of gratuitous violence or ugliness. Yes, orcs would be ugly and scary, and I think they have a perfect balance on necessary vs. gratuitous, which is where the fantasy genre always fails for me but where Tolkien excels.

After watching the first two episodes last week I started doing a little bit of googling, and I think this show is in the right hands. Their love and respect for Tolkien shines in every second so far. I’m just going to withhold judgment and enjoy the ride with this show. Even if I didn’t care for it, it’s a gorgeous way to spend an hour in Tolkien’s world again without having to rewatch the movies for the 3,764th time. But being able to enjoy it is great!

#rings of power #tolkien #simply tolkien

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storiesbyrhi · 1 year

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I just re-watched season 2 of Stranger Things and here's the takeaway for me - stop me if you've heard this one before ;) - whoever I was when I watched it in 2017 is not the girl you see before you. I have a wayyyy different interpretation of the characters and the show.

(Season 1 thoughts here.)

'MADMAX' was the coolest way to introduce Max. She is absolutely as rad as I remember. I'm not entirely sure they knew why they wrote Max into the show... Was it to give Lucas something to do (which is shitty for his character); was it to add another girl (yay tokenism); was it a setup for later seasons (I might accept that because not all new characters have to be the star of the show)? Who knows! What I do know is that Sadie Sink really gave Max teeth in an otherwise... eh storyline.

I forgot Nancy and Steve went to Barb's parents for dinners. Makes me so fucking sad. The entire Barb situation is tragic. Idk if it was a reaction to the 'Justice for Barb' movement but regardless, having some follow-up around that was so important. Nancy's trauma being (somewhat) explored was great too.

Jesus H. Christ Noah Schnapp can fucking act. Like yeah, Sadie Sink killed season 4 but Noah Schnapp season 2 is incredible. And he's thirteen! And the intensity and nuance in his performance are wild! !!! !!!

I remember being so charmed by the Dustin and Steve pair-up. Still am. Still am.

"He likes it cold." Yikes. Like I said about season 1, it's cool watching this through a Vecna lens. It feels plausible he was the plan for the show all along.

My memory of Dart was a nice one. Turns out that I forgot he killed Mews. Fuck that guy Dart. He is not my homie. RIP Mews. You deserved better.

I remember the demodogs being more dog-like. They truly be serving Silent Hill, huh?

Unpopular opinion but I don't hate the Kali storyline. I can see how I thought it sucked in 2017; waiting all that time for season 2 to finally come out, then getting that. I probably wanted more action and group bonding. However, I like that we got to see a) an alternative outcome for El had she not found Mike and Hopper, and b) El gain some autonomy in her search for history and home. It makes her choice to be Hopper's daughter more meaningful. The storyline also broadened the danger and cruelty of Brenner and co., and gave a legit setting for El to learn more about her powers.

RIP Bob. My memory of you was correct and you truly are a hero. Casting was A+ because nobody thought they'd violently kill a LOTR/Goonies star in the 80s themed show.

Watching the entire gang in the Byers house in episode 8 was so cool. That sweeping shot of all of them poised ready for the demodog attack... chefs kiss. I am now even angrier that they were all separated in season 4.

There's so much talk about cool television dads. Din Djarin this. Bandit Heeler that. Joel Miller who. Bob Belcher why. Where is the hype for Joyce Byers, who once again proves to be parent of the motherfucking year?! Are you kidding me?!

Knowing that the show goes on to call Mike the heart of the party is a real kick in the teeth. Will is so utterly the heart of this family and found family.

So, I never fell in love with Steve. Not a Stevie girlie. But, ah, this rewatch has me feeling all kinds of things. The fucking character development on this boy?! Might have to branch out into some Steeeeeedie x Reader fics. Shiiiit.

I. Love. Nancy. She. Is. So. Smart. Give. Her. More. Guns. And the scene with Dustin at the dance still breaks my heart. I love her, your honor.

Murray was exactly how I remembered.

Hopper was wayyyy better this season. The "sometimes I think I'm a black hole" speech was fantastic. Him telling El about Sarah, finally, is so healing for them both.

My opinions about Jonathan and Steve changed so much between 2016 and 2023, so I went into this with an open mind re: Billy. However, here's the thing. He's racist. Racists just aren't babes. No matter how else his behaviour and personality are contextualised, he will always be a racist so it's a hard no for me. Yes, Billy is the victim of an abusive parent, but that can only be used to explain some of his behaviour. Not all of it. Nor can it be used to excuse some of his behaviour. Nothing that has happened to Billy can justify the way Max is terrified when she hears his car. She is terrified of him. I'm not saying they don't love each other in a very complicated messy way, but when I try 'redeem' (for lack of a better word) season 2 Billy, I can't. Billy deserved a safe and good home, deserved better than what life gave him, but he'll continue to be a blocked tag for me. I do wanna say that I think he's an important character for a lot of people, and that is so valid. That's why I don't go around posting shit about him 24/7. I'll probably have a lot to say about him in season 3 too, because hey guess what, sexualising a teenager is weird as hell @ grown up adult women living in Hawkins.

At the end of season 2 I am so keen for some more El/Will friendship, Max development, and Jopper.

And I'm onto season 3. (Edit: here's the link!)

This has been a Stranger Things Rhi-Watch.

#Stranger Things #ST RhiWatch #Stanger Things 2 #Rhi Talks #steve harrington #joyce byers #jonathan byers #will byres #nancy wheeler #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #billy harringrove #jim hopper #jane hopper #el hopper #eleven hopper

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mystery-star · 5 months

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Wow I can’t believe that 2023 is now (almost) over. So much has happened this year and in retrospect I am quite glad about all of it, even what first seemed negative. Just a short overview:

I finished my apprenticeship and everything that came with it (final project, diploma celebration, graduation trip, finishing school etc)

Started a new job after the apprenticeship (tho in the same company) and the team is so nice.

The name change on Tumblr and definitely cutting all strings to HP

Instead getting back into LOTR and Star Trek that were two old fandoms

Therefore also picking up 3 old fanfics again and actually publishing or continuing them

The Russell discord gaining more life and finding all those amazing friends there, love you so much folks!

And generally having made a few more friends on Tumblr/deepened friendship with others, you all are SO. AMAZING. too.

Getting in to gifmaking and finally gaining more traction for my blog again

Started reading (more) books again and love it just as much as I used to years ago.

Started a second blog about mental health and all because I did research and self diagnosed myself (I might share that later when I feel ready)

And in relation to this of course having learned a lot about myself

Also can’t believe I turned 25 that year, like wow in my head I’m still 20 or so.

Getting back into drawing and actually starting to like it

Changing a medicine recipe that gives me less side effects and therefore improving life-quality

Getting diagnosed with leg length discrepancy and being prescribed inlays for my shoes that I need to wear everyday now.

Downloading a Self-care app that gives me life routine and all and motivates me to do stuff I always postponed or forgot

And of course watching a lot more Russell Crowe movies (and rewatching known ones)

Emotional rollercoaster like all the time since summer

Getting an assessment talk at a therapist for next year that if everything goes well I can get into therapy (and get an official diagnosis)

and of course a lot more, like tiny little things everyday that often moved me deeply

Would like to tag all fantastic people I met that year but I’m sure I’d forget some and wouldn’t want anyone to feel left out.

And even if we only shortly or never interacted in 2023 or before I still love you and wish you all the best for the coming year!

That being said: I wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a great 2024!!

#linnie talks #year in review #happy new year #2023 ends #year end #new year's eve #personal life #life update

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lilolilyr · 9 months

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Tagged by @banashee to post 10 of my favorite comfort movies and then tag 10 people, thanks! <3 just had a look at yours again after writing mine, we agree on LotR :D and adsfg I really need to watch Rocky Horror one of these days (I've seen it live before, but never the movie I think?? Oupsie xD fast ne Bildungslücke!)

1. Lord of the Rings (whole trilogy but if I have to choose one then Return of the King)

Comfort movie: battles and darkness and Winning

A++

2. Racing Stripes

(The film's in colour but it looks like this is the only gif I can find when I type in the title lmao)

One of a handful of taped movie me and my sister watched on repeat as a kid. Big nostalgia

3. Chestnut: Hero of Central Park

I can't find a gif for that one at all, but it's another cute kids movie I used to watch A Lot and still sometimes return to for the comfort of nostalgia and safety

4. Monte Carlo

I love all those silly switcharoo films, also the princess switch and its sequels etc, but Monte Carlo was the first one I watched and I still love to watch it for some mindless destress entertainment xD

Ummmm okay what else we got, I can't actually easily think of comfort!movies, I've got a whole bunch of comfort TV shows that come to mind, and movies I love but that aren't exactly /comfort/... *Goes through my Ao3 fandom list* no nothing clicks nothing clicks... Oh!

5. Pitch Perfect

Just the first one tbh, I mean the others are fun too but this one's a comfort film for me!

6. murder, she said

I adore Miss Marple, and this version of Miss Marple specifically! I've watched this one so many times :)

7. The Parent Trap

It's cute. Okay? It's cute xD and I've probably watched this version at least as often as the German one I'll add next, probably bc this one was on TV more often? Idk, I couldn't actually say which one I like more

8. Charlie & Louise

Again no gifs on here, but I adore this film! Also as you can maybe tell I'm actually running out of ideas and the Real comfort would be reading the book version of Das Doppelte Lottchen that both this and the parent trap are loosely based on xD my mom still has an old hardcover version and I've always adored that book, wished I had a twin whenever I read it as a kid!

9. Pride and Prejudice

Alright so th Colin Firth series version is better and the YouTube Lizzie's diaries or what it is is the best anyway but we're doing movies here and the Keira Knightley version Is definitely a comfort film for me so here goes

Ok so there are Definitely pride and prejudice gifs somewhere on tumblr. It just won't show them in the search results for sommme reason. Seems to be because it has the word 'pride' in it, because whenever I type that it switches to the 'create your own gif' error image. @staff what's up with that? Latent homophobia again?

10. Kyss Mig

First wlw film I ever watched, I still remember watching it (on mute, with English subtitles, there's no German or English dub anyway) in my parents' living room when I was 12 or so, with the computer display turned away from everyone else, actually pretending to be on tumblr (the rule was we had to be at least in the same room for evening family time even if I was uninterested in whatever movie or sports the others were watching but I was allowed to be on tumblr) and trying not to show any reaction to the screen bc at the time I had no idea what my parents' stance regarding LGBT ppl was (parents, tell your kids when you're okay with them being gay, bc they might be and they won't just Know that you're okay with that!), and idk I've had friends tell me it's not their fav film and maybe it's mainly the nostalgia for me but I still absolutely adore this movie and have rewatched it many times

Tagging my mutuals, friends and collaborators <3 @toboldlynerd @lavendelhummel @squishmittenficfan @purlturtle @mimi-mindless @asstraightasau-turn @katieswain123 @verajasmijnart @artax-risen @bookgirlfan only if you want to do it of course! :) & pls lmk if you'd rather I didn't tag you in the future!

Edit: looking at old posts in my 'movie tag' and 'comfort movies' tags now like omg! Of course! Mr&Mrs Smith, Lara Croft, Mean Girls, Carol..... Also I only just thought of Miss Congeniality! Adsfghjkl I really have 0 memory sometimes!

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chasingfictions · 2 years

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tag game :)))) — rules: tag some people you want to know better

tagged by @mulderscully <333333

four ships: hshdjdjf the way spuffy has such a chokehold on me I can’t even think abt anything else……. but ok in terms of what else is currently making me insane: lottie lee from yellowjackets :)) also I’m having a cangel moment again :))) also I don’t talk abt it very much but I have never been normal abt fran/ maxwell from the nanny and I’m not about to start now…… bonus is my pet theory that Rachel from this season of bachelor is gay and yes shipping real people is weird that said I am manifesting her leaving Clayton to date women

last song: don’t go breaking my heart by Elton John <3333

last film: but I’m a cheerleader :)))) legally mandated yearly rewatch

currently reading: fellowship of the ring :)))) rereading lotr and going insane !!!!! I have not reread since high school and it IS ruining me I AM feeling insane literally jrr tolkein said oh u wanna think abt the nature of story??? Let’s fucking talk abt the nature of story

currently watching: i mean I am Always rewatching buffy but in terms of media I am consuming in a Normal way??? I’m watching this season of bachelor and of abbott elementary as they air, and also watched the first season of shrill over the weekend

currently consuming: currently Being Consumed by thinking abt buffy as a narrative in relation to myth structure ….. as far as food I might get an egg sandwich for lunch pls weigh in everyone

currently craving: to quit my job and somehow come into a bunch of money that I don’t have to work full time and can just work part time at some artsy nonprofit that barely functions and spend the rest of my time writing and taking walks to look at birds

tagging: @willowrosenboob | @katebaudelaire | @rosieposiepie | @thoughtsofahouseplant | @jjmaybank

<33333333

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space-blue · 3 years

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Dune, the mostly spoiler free review.

Spoilers will be under breaks.

Having slept on it (and since I got to bed at 4am I needed that), and having eaten enough sugar to kickstart my brain again, I can now confirm, wholeheartedly, that Dune is a masterpiece.

Hardly a hot take on the internet right now, I know. I'll say this, to start on a low note : Dune's greatest flaw is that the side characters (anyone outside of Jessica and Paul) can be left wanting development. Some non-book readers might struggle to get attached.

The film simply doesn't have time to deliver narrative, mood and emotional characters the way Fellowship of the Rings did, as I often see the film compared to LOTR. Unlike LOTR, Dune has not shot part 2, and it doesn't have enough action beats/plot beats to give you engaging character interactions for 1/3 of the story.

As a result some characters seem to be "seen in passing". Which... Bothered me a little at 3am, but has since faded. My memories turn to Jessica and how incredible Fergusson was. Absolutely show stealing. And Skarsgard!! Yeesh, the Baron Harkonnen does not need more screen time to be intimidating...

All the cast delivers. The visuals, design, costume, photography... It's clear to me everyone involved in this was at the top of their craft and giving it their all for a career turning point of a production. I even struggle to believe book 2 could land such a punch again, I mean, I've rarely been punched in the face this hard by a movie...

I mean, I'm not the type to be into spaceships or anything. I even struggle with models in the Star Wars universe and I published 58 fan fics for that fandom so... And yet in this film, hah... When the Atreides ships are introduced (you see these big transports in the trailer) I was like "No. He didn't... OMG the madlad, he did." — the music, the visuals, the scale... And then there's the thopters, and I was having moments of prescience myself, seeing actual ship/spaceship nerds rise up, foam frothing at the mouth. Modeling thopters and making videos about them for years to come.

The audio was loud, bold. The music alien. The sound mixing done so well I had a snappy thought 2min in, along the lines of "I hope Nolan sits to this film and learns something about sound mixing from this" (don't @ me, I'm still spicy about my viewing of Tenet).

In short, Dune is spectacular. It oozes with mythos and charm, feels lived in, intimidating yet beguiling. The plot is as sound as the book's the visuals are a cinema/SFF fan's wet dream, the acting and production value are stupid crazy, and the only drawback IMO — for non book readers — will be the "in passing" characters (like Raban, Piter, Gurney, Hawat... Who simply don't have the space and time to shine yet) and the ending, which is 100% "INSERT CD 2"

It feels jarring and leaves you begging for more. But book readers probably won't feel the same pang, since we can now close our eyes and image how bonkers part two can be in such visuals.

I've over-heard old french people saying it was super boring and slow and... lol I can't disagree more, but then again the trailer does market an action movie, and the film is not any more action packed than BR2049 was. When the action comes calling it's big, fast... When it isn't, the movie is moody, deliberate, and meticulous.

It won't be for everyone, but if you've so much as "enjoyed" the books, you'll be having the experience of a lifetime.

Before I delve into some mild spoilers I'd like to make a disclaimer: Denis has begged people to see Dune in cinema, and I was thinking "of course, what film maker wouldn't want people in cinema?" but also suspected he might want the numbers in order to get part 2 started.

I owe him an apology for these impure thoughts. You MUST watch Dune in cinema, not for Denis or part 2 (though, come on...), but for YOURSELF. There is not a single home cinema set up that can do justice to this film. It's the definition of why you go to the cinema for. It's epic in scale, it makes you jump at startling moments, it punches and screams at you, and makes you squint at others, and you walk out of there with a sense of having witnessed something like... To me, like Interstellar. Remember seeing that docking sequence scene in the theater and walking out being like "holy shit" ? Well Dune is very much like that. It was made for the big screen, and anything short of IMAX or Dolby ATMOS would be a disservice to both the film and yourself.

I will be seeing it in France the instant it comes out in September. It begs rewatching.

Now for some spoilery thoughts (mild spoilers, and a warning for further spoilers below).

The film takes surprisingly little time to delve on certain topics. Like the spice. Sure you're told it's important, and the economics that drive the story make it feel important, but not nearly as much as I suspected it would be. There is no clunky exposition on the topic (lol no fucking time for that!) no scene where someone shoves spice in your face and goes “oh but blah blah spice must flow”. It’s said in passing and newcomers better hold on to their seat and pay attention.

Sadly though a fair bit of the dialogue was expositional imo, and too little of it over all felt like that heart warming moment between Paul and Leto. It's not a big drawback, but since I enjoy more character driven stories, I regretted the lack of general emotional investment.

On the point of emotions though, I was taken aback by Jamis! The scene of him in the trailers "I'll show you"... creates a sort of very subtle and implied dynamic that was probably one of the biggest heart punch for me, and started driving home how dire Paul's visions can be. I suspect some viewers won't interpret it the way I did though.

THE VOICE WAS SO WELL MADE YOU GUYS!! The thopter escape scene was always a "meh, sure, they get away" moment for me in the books. Good teamwork between Paul and Jessica... But *hearing it* was a completely different business. I was at the edge of my seat, I LOVED IT.

There's also a lot of actual signing in the film! And the Sardaukar don't speak english but a super guthural language. Kind of like making a conlang merging German and the Black Speech of Mordor and giving it to a Danish to speak. Felt very cool.

The shields were just as badass as you think they'll be. The slow impact weapons are just... *chef kiss*

Finally some heavy spoilers on book story details (jihad, Muad'dib, some characters) :

There is no mentions of Jihad, but not because it's avoided. The visions of a fight Paul has are rare, and he mentions them once. At that time he says war or massacre but not Jihad. I didn't notice until I was asked.

He also doesn't chose the name Muad'Dib. If I recall that's right after killing Jamis, but doesn't happen here, even if we see the literal muad'dib in the desert. It's also fine. Those scenes were at the very end, and I felt like slamming newcomers with such a significant moment with alien language at the very end might be a mistake. I'm curious to see how it's handled in part 2 though.

I was looking forward to Piter... His role is uber minor. As much as Hawat's. Like, the Bull that killed Leto's father gets more screen time, funnily enough. There's a heavy imagery around it that's going to fuel many video essays.

#Dune #biennale di venezia #venezia 78 #Denis Villeneuve #paul atreides #lady jessica #duke leto #baron harkonnen #muad'dib #film review #spoilers hidden #mild story spoilers #Dune review

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qqueenofhades · 3 years

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so…now that we all know what you DISLIKE about star wars (and 400% fairly so, you have my full support here)…

what drew you into the universe, what keeps you around?

favorite characters, ships (OTPs or actual spaceships lol), overall themes, do you have a favorite random weird creature or robot that you adore? whatever you wanna talk about!

go off honey (again, but supportively 💖💖💖)

tax paid: the very nerdy star wars punk vest i made and the even nerdier matching vest i made for starsky

Lmaooo, entirely valid. You were like "star wars?" and I was like the drunk person at the bar who can't stop shouting about how much their ex sucks. But now that I have gotten all that off my chest, let's talk about why I love it (since if I didn't love it, I wouldn't have such strong opinions). Basically my feelings on the OG SW trilogy are similar to my feelings on the OG LOTR trilogy, as that tumblr post floating around somewhere put it: sure, they have flaws, but also, they're perfect. I have a complicated relationship with the prequels, as do we all, since George Lucas cannot write dialogue or direct actors to save his life (stick to what you're good at, George, hire other people to do the rest), but even they have their moments. Like. Hit me with that "Across the Stars" love theme, John Williams. Gahh. Just like that.

Because... Star Wars wasn't actually this omnipresent corporate global entertainment monolith when it started out. It was a dorky low-budget indie sci-fi film in the 1970s which everyone thought was going to bomb. But it told a simple and compelling story in an interesting way, everyone agrees that ESB is one of the best films/sequels ever made, and then ROTJ gave it a happy ending while it was still okay to do that. My main thematic gripe with the Disney trilogy (I will try to keep those to a minimum, lol, but I have to bring it up to compare) is that it very clearly fell into the "actual happy endings are naive and unrealistic and a cynical postmodern audience won't accept anything less than things being Bad" trap that, yet again, we have GOT to thank for. It obviously existed to some degree before that, but GOT blew it up to huge levels, where the only valid situation or character is that which is Grimdark and Depressing. Which, in my view, misses the heart and soul of what SW is all about??

Like. ESB is genuinely dark. ANH was this fun plucky little sci-fi film where the scrappy good guys won the day against the Nazi stand-ins, as they were supposed to, and then ESB comes along (speaking of John Williams, let us all chant together, DUH DUH DUH DUHDUHDUH DUHDUHDUH, DUH DUH DUH DUHHHH DUHHH DUHHH DUHHHH) and things go... wrong. Leia and Han are on the run for most of the movie, then get captured and tortured by the Empire and and betrayed (however unwillingly) by Lando. The Rebellion is attacked on Hoth (I tell you, those fuckin AT-AT walkers were SCARY when you see it as a young kid for the first time), and forced into hiding. Luke loses his hand, doubts Obi-Wan and Yoda and realizes that his mentors are fallible, makes dumb mistakes, and of course gets hit with The Most Famous Line In Movie History. But it's also just adrenaline and excitement. THE ASTEROID FIELD! THE HAN-LEIA BANTER! THE FIRST LUKE-VADER DUEL! THE FACT THAT YOU HEAR TWO FRICKING NOTES OF THE IMPERIAL MARCH AND YOU'RE JUST LIKE OH YEAH OH YEAH OH YEAHHHH!

But also then... Return of the Jedi. It gets shat upon for the Ewoks and reusing the Death Star as the Big Bad and being supposedly cheesy and not as Thematically Dark as ESB. Which is all kinda silly, in my opinion, but also, can we talk about Luke Skywalker's character arc and how he chooses possibly the most radical compassion ever demonstrated by a hero in an action movie, let alone a space opera. He insists that Anakin Skywalker is still in there somewhere and puts his own neck on the line to prove it. Luke doesn't save the galaxy by being a Badass Jedi. He saves it by throwing away his lightsaber and saying "I will not fight you, Father." He saves it by trusting that even in the depths of darkness, Anakin can come back from the charred ruins of Darth Vader and finally do what he was supposed to do all along. He can end Palpatine for good and all (we don't talk about "Somehow Palpatine has returned" because it's nonsense, obviously). Anakin can avenge the Jedi and what was done to him and all the lies he believed and the pain he wreaked on the galaxy, even then. It's not too late. It's not too late. Like. I don't care if this is Lightweight or Childish or whatever. It makes me CRY every time I watch it. Especially the moment where Luke takes off Anakin’s helmet and sees how ruined he actually is under there, and yet the downfall and death of the trilogy’s chief villain is not triumphant at all but instead utterly heartbreaking. “You were right about me Luke... tell your sister... you were right.”

Excuse me, I need to just /CRIES INTENSELY/

Luke won't be tempted to the dark side for his own sake, but Leia's ("If you will not join me, then perhaps she will"). I likewise hold firmly that Anakin/Vader is one of the best movie villains/antiheroes of all time and likewise have many feelings and Strong Opinions about his arc, prequel writing clumsiness and eye-rollingly tepid love story aside. (See: he and Obi-Wan were deeply in love and in a way they still are, don't @ me. I have no problems with Padme and obviously stan Natalie Portman at all times, but Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship is the real love story, the heart of the prequels, and in some ways even the subsequent movies, the end.) And “so this is how democracy dies, with thunderous applause” is... raw af as a line. For being in a Star Wars prequel movie. What?? (Also, the Revenge of the Sith novelization had no business being as good as it was. If only that dude had also written the movie.)

Anyway, my point is: the OG trilogy had plenty of moments of staggering emotional weight and where things genuinely sucked for the good guys and the outcome wasn’t entirely clear. The difference is that it didn’t choose to dwell on them, and it allowed for a transformative fictional space where a happy ending, fiercely fought for and squarely earned, was the right outcome. We didn’t need to go back thirty years later and make everything suck for fear that a cynical modern audience couldn’t connect with it otherwise. (Like I said, we didn’t need the new movies at all, but Disney heard that Cha-Ching of the Almighty Dollar). Star Wars was sci-fi, sure, but it also had the fantasy elements that allowed a happy ending to be the right choice for what we saw the characters go through and the philosophy that carried us through the original trilogy.

Likewise it’s just... Peak as far as dynamics go. C-3PO the fussy metal butler who worries about Everything and R2-D2 who is the droid embodiment of YOLO? Flawless. Sassy scruffy space pirate and badass politician warrior princess bicker constantly, butt heads, drive each other crazy, and then fall in love? Iconic. (And has shaped my ship tastes for... all of eternity, oops.) The above-discussed transformation of Luke Skywalker, whiny ordinary teenage kid, to the truly great man who fulfills what Obi-Wan, Yoda, AND the rest of the entire Jedi order couldn’t manage to do, because of their own flaws and blind spots and black-and-white moral views that didn’t know what to do with a man who loved as passionately as Anakin Skywalker, for better or for worse? The guy who managed to save the galaxy with love? STAN.

So... what? The Disney trilogy decides to retcon all that, throw everything that they’ve fought for out the window, make Han, Leia, and Luke miserable and rejecting the roles they grew into in the original trilogy, and die without ever really reuniting or seeing each other again as a trio? The underlying message was that “these happy endings aren’t satisfactory/realistic/sophisticated enough” and idk, maybe it’s just the shitshow of the last few years, but I’d like to see some entertainment that had the cojones to tell me that despite all the darkness and despair, maybe there’s a chance for hope. (”Rebellions are built on hope,” thank you Only Valid New Star Wars Movie Rogue One.) And Rogue One worked so well, despite being utterly GUTTING as all the heroes died one by one, because we knew what was coming next (A New Hope) and that their sacrifice was going to be worth it. I don’t care if that’s “realistic” or not. As I’ve said before, that’s what stories are for, and if I only wanted things that were Real Life, I would only read the news. Besides, the idea that happy endings never happen in reality is equally bullshit. We as a culture need to accept that more, instead of finding reasons to tear everything down.

So just... yes. The original trilogy might have flaws, but also, it’s perfect. And do I want to rewatch it all now? Kinda.

(Anyway. I warned you this was gonna be long. Oh look, it’s long, and I’m sure there is even more I could say, but still. Ahem.)

sleepover weekend asks

#buffaluff #ask #star wars #long post

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stxrshxpxd · 3 years

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“do not expect this to be the last you see of me” x kili

check masterlist (in bio) for the next parts in this series <3

Pairing: Kili x (wood-elf) Reader

Word count: 930

Warnings: none

Me and my family have been rewatching the hobbit and lotr films and I have fallen back into my love for Kili.... that dwarf is so aarghh :(( so anyway heres a kinda shit one-off fic

* * *

I had never quite looked at a dwarf in such a light before. I had figured it had been the last rays of the sun accentuating the sweat on his forehead last night when I had given them refuge, but now he looked just as handsome in the early morning hours and there were no beads of sweat to be seen.

“How come you’re up here on your own?” His brother asked and I made eye contact with him for a second before my gaze involuntarily traced back to Kili. He was sat in the corner with attentive eyes and a somewhat mischievous smile.

The dwarves, and the one hobbit, were quieting down now and listened carefully to the quiet. After a while I threw a few words out into the vast silence.

“I was banished.”

“For what?” Kili asked now. Fili looked at him and so did Thorin.

“Oh, you know, elves are uptight beings. Easy to offend,” I laughed lightly and the small hobbit laughed along with me. He seemed to not like how quiet the dwarves had gotten.

“Eat up, we ought to be off soon,” Thorin spoke and turned his head back down to his plate.

“If the wargs will let us,” one of the others, who I believed was called Nori, said in fright.

They had come climbing up my group of tall oak trees the previous evening, barely hanging on to the branches, with a herd of angry wargs scratching at the bases of the trunks.

“I think they’re long gone by now,” I guessed.

I had let them all pile into my treehouse and for a moment I had worried about the stability of the wooden abode. Thankfully they weren’t all as well fed as that Bombur fellow. One out of the bunch was in fact a delight to lay my eyes on.

“We really must thank you again for showing such hospitality,” said Bilbo, the small hobbit with the curly golden locks and the pale hands wrapped around one of my tea cups.

“Oh, it was nothing. I’m happy to have some company. Besides the animals of the forest, I only ever really get visited by Legolas my old friend, whenever he has the time.”

“Then we must stay and keep you company for as long as we can,” said Kili. He was looking into my eyes now. His smile was the most charming smile I had ever seen. “At least until-“

“Second breakfast!” Bilbo croaked, cutting Kili off. Chuckles were scattered around the room.

I couldn’t allow my eyes to stray from the enchanting eye contact Kili had conjured up with me. His irises shone a rich dark brown colour. His lips were tinted pink from the hot tea. His dark hair shifted shades as the morning sun danced across it and jumped from strand to strand.

“We really cannot stall any longer,” Thorin spoke again in his deep voice. “Although, thank you a thousandfold,” he added as he steered his gaze up to me. I smiled and nodded.

They were all sat in different corners, on chairs and matts and by tables, and I was stood in another corner with a cup of my own securely wrapped with my long fingers. It was a summer morning, although it was an unusually crisp one and a breeze traveled in through the cracks by the windows and door.

“What have you set out to accomplish on this journey?” I asked the room but mainly directed my focus on Thorin.

“We are on a quest to take back something that is rightfully ours.”

“It seems, judging by your mood, that it is a serious task.”

“Dragons are uptight beings. Easy to offend,” Kili chimed in with a smirk. It seemed he wasn’t entirely pleased with my sudden lack of interest in or attention directed at him. Thorin grumbled under his breath and gave Kili a stare.

“Dragons?” I asked, my eyes now jumping between the two dwarves. Neither of them elaborated.

“We must be off now,” Thorin announced and stood up in a haste, sending a few green-winged butterflies flying nervously through the room. The rest of them followed and they all said their thank you:s as they bowed and brought cups and plates up to what might be considered the kitchen.

Kili stalled the longest and when he finally stood up he didn’t move for a while. He patiently waited for the majority of them to scurry off and out through the door onto the thick branch, before he came up to me and added his cup to the neat pile of dishes on my wooden counter.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” he purred, reaching for my hand. His nails were dirty and his fingers chunky and strong. They held my elf hand in the gentlest way he could manage.

“Good luck with your suspicious dragon quest,” I answered.

Kili smiled as he gave the back of my hand a soft kiss of gratitude.

“Do not expect this to be the last you see of me,” he mumbled. The twinkle in his eye was as big as his pupil and his smirk so wide it dug dimples into both of his scruffy cheeks.

“I certainly hope it is not.”

Thorin called for Kili from outside and he let go of my hand at last. He bowed about as gracefully as a dwarf could bow and in an instant I was left alone. There was a thrilling sensation in my chest that I couldn’t recall having felt in a very long time.

#the hobbit #lord of the rings #lotr #kili #imagine #fic #au #blurb #writing #smut #fluff #kili x reader

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patrickian · 2 years

Text

Anyways, enough about Tumblr censorship (for now)

Finally watched Wheel of Time with HusbandPerson. Let me say this first, I have read the books and he has not. That said the audio descriptions were of such low quality, even if he HAD read the books he wouldn’t have been able to follow the story. They were sparse and uninformative.

Netflix Originals have high quality audio descriptions: you can feel completely immersed in the story and not feel as if you have missed anything. Seriously, rewatch Midnight Mass with the audio descriptions on and then minimize that window. Just listen to it... you will get the same feeling as if you watched the show.

Amazon really dropped the ball on Wheel of Time in terms of descriptions. “Rand walks into the inn.” OK... is it busy? Is it brightly lit or smoky and dark inside? What about the patrons? Are they well dressed and lively or is everyone grumbling over their tankards? It’s stuff like that that gives the listener an idea of what is being represented on the screen. “So-and-so walks into a bar” does nothing.

Anyways... It was so bad that HusandPerson checked out half way through the first episode and I watched the next few on my own. This does not bode well for their upcoming LOTR series. I will watch because of Trystan Gravelle (of course), but I might have to watch alone because the audio descriptions will likely suck.

#Wheel of Time #audio description

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ellcrys · 2 years

Text

I posted 3,983 times in 2021

1069 posts created (27%)

2914 posts reblogged (73%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 2.7 posts.

I added 2,386 tags in 2021

#queue - 1330 posts

#text - 287 posts

#marvel - 246 posts

#lotr - 122 posts

#photography - 87 posts

#gintama - 80 posts

#howl's moving castle - 62 posts

#aph - 62 posts

#video - 61 posts

#spirited away - 49 posts

Longest Tag: 142 characters

#anyways a bit ticked it’s early bc that means next month my period will 110% arrive while i’m on travel in europe but it is what it is 🤷🏻‍♀️

My Top Posts in 2021

i just watched episode 3 of odd taxi and when i got to the end it suddenly hit me that holy shit i think shiho is ichimura from the idol group that we got introduced to last episode... so i rewatched episode 2 to confirm, and wow, rewatching ep 2 actually made the ending of episode 3 make so much more sense??? i remember watching episode 2 and seeing that scene when yamamoto gets a call and something something mumbly mumbly about a dash cam and a taxi driver which I figured was odokawa, but now it makes sense why yamamoto shows up at the end of episode 3 trailing kakihana and shiho. this is definitely a trap to get info from kakihana or use him for leverage against odokawa.

i am so impressed with this show so far??? it’s atmospheric as fuck with great social media commentary but also honestly a kick-ass mystery with really fucking good foreshadowing that when you rewatch episodes you’re like OH? good shit.

also this screenshot:

those figures don’t look like animals and that really stuck out to me last ep

someone was theorizing on a forum that maybe none of the people are actually animals and we’re just seeing them as animals from odokawa’s perspective bc of trauma from his car accident as a kid or something and i was like

holy shit you might be onto something

15 notes • Posted 2021-04-23 04:22:36 GMT

Can you even imagine tho like imagine someone goes hey I need you to come with me and then said person shows you a dead body and is like, you’re going to help me bury the body. Can you even imagine?????? Of all the rude and presumptuous things to demand like excuse me did you just make me an accessory to murder without my consent????!

16 notes • Posted 2021-11-22 03:01:58 GMT

after reading the theory about none of these characters actually being animals, I went back to episode 1 to see goriki and shirakawa’s reactions to odokawa calling them a gorilla and an alpaca respectively. in goriki’s case, shirakawa laughed quietly and goriki sighed and said ‘you’re not wrong.’ when odokawa called shirakawa the only alpaca around here, she burst into full laughter but otherwise didn’t respond. hmmmmm.

20 notes • Posted 2021-04-23 04:28:13 GMT

Not to still be on my total drama bullshit, but it hit me last night that Heather and Alejandro would 110% be drift compatible. They would be one-upping each other all through training and then when tryouts occur for pilot matching they’d realize that they’re very evenly matched and very much in sync and disgust would bloom bc no fucking way are they EVER going to be co-pilots, no thank you. They’re both condescending and arrogant and disrespectful of everyone they come into contact with except for each other, bc despite their respective derision for the other there’s a real respect there, and that makes them compatible when they’re literally incompatible with Everyone Else. Plus they finish each other’s sentences and know each other’s manipulative minds like no one else like. Bro.

33 notes • Posted 2021-05-14 02:23:50 GMT

in retrospect wenwu yelling at shangchi that he should have helped his mother fight rather than watch from the window despite shangchi being like eight at the time was 100% wenwu projecting onto his son and wishing he had been there to help fight but. i just imagine wenwu being 100% serious that an 8yo should have helped fend off trained fighters and lmaooo

39 notes • Posted 2021-09-06 00:51:29 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#omg my year in review finally worked after like 10 tries lmao

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a-s-levynn · 3 years

Note

4, 8, 9, 11, 12

( ´ 3`)~<3 Thank you so much for always asking! (TmT)

4. A film you could watch on repeat for the rest of your life?

There is a few so let me list a few. The movie i watched the most already is probably the 2014 winter soldier movie. That’s my stress relief movie. So when it’s like an exam period or something it just goes on loop sometimes only as a background noise. But i’m still properly watching it as well regularly. That is the movie that -no matter what- can make me focus. I can’t pinpoint it why. But it is probably going to stick for the rest of my life.

Now close second would be probably the first pirates of the caribbean movie. The black pearl. I can watch that thing over and over.

Also the LOTR trilogy.. tho i have not watched it in a year ot two i still can recite every single line from the three movies. And i never say no to a rewatch soo, this one could work as well. And one of the very few actually good fantasy movies and that’s always a plus.

But all in all, i probably still would pick the Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Just for the sole reason that it can completely put my mind off of anything that stresses me out and i can be fully engaged no matter how many times i see it. Or when i use it as noise, it helps me focus.

8. Which book would you like to see adapted into a film?

For the longest time i had this love hate relationship with the idea of the Riyria books being made into a move. Because the story and the characters are so much fun! But with a bad script, or not so great director or failed casting it would be a disaster. And we already know that fantasy movies are usually disasters so..

Now i recently read a book called Beat the Reaper and ooooh my god it could be such a great film! It would be highly dependent on the actor for the main role but boi with a good actor it would be a blast.

9. The most aesthetically pleasing movie you’ve ever watched?

Now this is going to be a weird one but the clusterfuck called Guns Akimbo. I can’t even really explain why? Probably because i was in a really weird headspace when i watched it but it stuck in my head. I’m not sure it should be called an aesthetically pleasing move per se because the genre and the overall plot but i just loved how that thing looked.

Also shout out to the Into the Spiderverse movie because that was something really special. So yeah that would be the other i’d say i loved watching for the looks.

11. Your favourite movie genre?

Of this, i’m not entirely sure. 10 years ago i’d said horror. A few years back i would have said fantasy/sci-fi without a second of hesitation but now i’m in a stage when i watch movies for actors first and genre or plot second. I just want to see new things. And movies with actors i like, you know, it’s a good place to start. I mean i kinda have a baseline of what to expect from at least someone in the movie and it allows me discover new actors and i can branch out form that. It helps me watch different types of movies from all across the genre board.

12. A movie that holds a special place in your heart?

Hmm.. I needed some time to think about this, that’s why i answered so slow. I was debating with myself over it because i recently saw a movie that might become something special to me but only time and a few revisiting would tell.

In the meantime i’d say the original Hair movie. I have so many memories attached to it. Good and bad and it’s just.. it is one of those things that going to stay with me for the rest of my life, you know. Hard to explain without going off the rails too much but yeah. That one.

#levynn answers #frostyviking #you have no idea how happy it makes me that you always take your time to ask #long post

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elcorhamletlive · 3 years

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@bulkyphrase said: I personally think the extended editions of the movies are optional. It’s nice to see the extra material, and they feel a little more fleshed out, but they’re so long. The shorter versions are still great movies. Like, I’m glad that I’ve seen the extended edition, but I usually watch the theatrical cut when I actually watch the movies. There are people that would disagree with me on that one, though. I don’t think it makes much difference if you read the Hobbit before or after the Silmarillion. If anything, reading the Silmarillion first might help give some historical context for things that are mentioned in the Hobbit. But nothing essential.

-> Thank you! I'm going to watch the theatrical cut first and then rewatch everything with the extended editions, because why not. As for Silmarillion and the Hobbit, I might go for Silmarillion first then!

@caffeespresso said: I also think the extended is optional, and the extra content is nice but I personally think some of it may detract too much and drag the movie.

-> I can definitely see that. Having watched the theatrical cut of Fellowship today, I feel like it goes by really fast, which is great because I was afraid of being unable to focus since it's pretty long. It made me interested in seeing the extended version later, though!

@everymanwillbeaking said: the hobbit is fairly self-contained as a book, imo, so the order doesn’t matter much. in any case you’ll probably be “oooooooh there goes x” when you spot a name here and there. as for the movies, the extended versions are mostly a bonus, for whenever you think ‘but what if there was MORE of this?“. the theatrical cut gets the story across just fine on its own

-> This seems to be the general opinion on the movies! And, yeah, that's the vibe I got from the Hobbit as well.

@dirigibleplumbing said: The extra content in the extended versions is mostly good, and some of it is excellent, but narratively speaking it’s easy to see why it was cut. I think I wouldn’t have enjoyed them as much had I not seen the theatrical releases in theaters first. If you read the Hobbit in hard copy, a fun thing about it is that JRRT wrote and published it before LOTR and at the time, the ring wasn’t going to be The Ring. So in earlier editions, Gullom gives it to Bilbo. In newer editions, Bilbo steals it. The in-universe explanation is that Bilbo wrote the book now known as the Hobbit (as, I think, the Red Book?) and JRRT just “translated” it. So the version with the stealing is the one that Frodo later corrected for accuracy. I didn’t explain that well, I meant since it wasn’t originally planned to be the One Ring but just a magic ring, it didn’t have the same hold on Gollum that it does in LOTR, so JRRT had to retcon it. And iirc the concept that he translated real books from Middle Earth is true for LOTR as well. Some of this is discussed in the appendices, which shows the Hobbits’ *real* names and then how JRRT anglicized them for his “translation”. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, I knew this stuff by heart approximately 20 years ago 😅

-> I think you're completely correct! Now I'm curious about which one is the version I have at home (my mom is a fan so I'm reading her books). But yeah, the concept of the translated books is my edition of LOTR, and it's in the appendices as well. It's such a sweet touch, imo!

#replies

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wild-west-wind · 4 years

Note

Canadian scifi tv shows is so specific pls elaborate I need new things to watch

Okay some of these are fantasy shows, and some I watched years ago and cannot attest to whether they are good now. I’m going to bold the really good ones, and I left out some like X Files that moved to LA after a while. Without further ado, all the Canadian sci fi and fantasy shows I ever loved:

Continuum: Future cop learns that socialism is actually not as bad as her uber-capitalist society said

Sliders: It’s the 90s and Gimli from LotR plays a man who travels to different parallel universes with all his grad students (I think that’s the conceit, I watched this one like 13 years ago so I’m fuzzy)

Stargate SG-1: There’s some military bullshit, but basically 3 very attractive people and McGyver use a space portal to fight evil parasitic ancient Egyptian worm fascists, and later they fight gods. I absolutely love this show, but season one is...rough.

The 4400: Okay this one probably didn’t age well (LOT of Homeland Security bullshit) but 4400 people who disappeared over the course of the last century suddenly reappear all in one place, and the government has to figure out how to deal with that, and also figure out what happened.

Battlestar Gallactica: Great reboot, very post-9/11 military ra-ra, but it also does a really good job of saying “look but for real this shit only causes more problems later.” Great show, I named my old pickup truck “Battle-car Gallactica,” and I kept repeating quotes from the show when I crashed it. I wrote a 7 page essay about it and the concept of the self in 12th grade English and got a flat 100% on it. Turn it off 2 minutes before the end of the last episode.

Eureka: Cheesy fun sci-fi procedural in a secret town where everyone in town is a mad scientist. The main dude’s kid was in my Zoo Camp class and he’s a handful, but dude is a good dad. Gets weirder and less good later on.

Reaper: A slacker twenty something learns that his parents sold his soul to the devil, but also the devil might be his dad? The closest place to hell in the world is the DMV. Very silly procedural nonsense. Probably not as good as I remember. Does not have a good ending.

Caprica: BSG prequel that is SO INTERESTING but not great. Everyone lounges and smokes cigarettes and does terrible things.

Sanctuary: I think was about like a home for supernatural beings, and they also fight bad supernatural beings? I watched every episode of this and I loved it but tbh I don’t think it made any sense.

Warehouse 13: Disgraced secret agents hunt down magical artifacts imbued with power by their proximity to famous intellectuals throughout history. Very silly.

Lost Girl: The worst show I’ve ever rewatched three times. Just, wretchedly bad. the worst. It’s just. It’s wild.

Orphan Black: You know it.

Dark Matter: A bunch of people wake up on a space ship with the cheesiest pun name with complete amnesia (or do they?) and have to figure out what happened, why, and how to function in the world while making peace with the people they were, and are now. Good show, MASSIVE cliffhanger ending.

Travelers: Agents of change from the future have their consciousnesses sent into the bodies of people who are about to die, so they can then change the course of history and stop the apocalypse. This has all the great Canadian Sci Fi staples like slow burn ambiguous worldbuilding, warring factions with the same overall goal but different ideas about how to do it, treachery, a perfect lovable character who you know will get hurt physically and emotionally by this all and you just hate to see it.

Wynonna Earp: The descendants of Wyatt Earp are cursed to kill the reincarnated spirits of every man he killed with a giant gun. Every time an heir dies, the revenants all come back to life, and hunt the heir in the hopes of stopping the cycle. Things get more and more wild the longer you go and Wynonna has a cool sister and one of them ends up being queer but it’s not the one you expect. Coming back for a fourth and final season soon-ish.

Honorable mention, a show that fits this vibe but it’s australian:

Farscape: An American Astronaut gets lost in space and has to live with a bunch of Australian aliens including: A giant Spider, very dusty lady, tiny Jabba the Hut who is also a deposed dictator, blue lady, grandma from the Addams family, what if orcs were dogs?, and just a human lady. Many of the aliens are amazingly advanced puppets made by the Jim Hensen company. Bonus for two of these actors later joining Stargate SG-1.

#this is a lot #meraxes-of-new-albion

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writinginstardust · 5 years

Text

Movie Night

Pairing: contains Tyler x Finian, Kal x Auri, and Scarlett x Cat x Zila

Request: @blossomtheterror asked “ Aurora rising - the squad has a LoTR marathon and Kal finally learns who Legolas is. ”

Warnings: a couple of bits of suggestive conversation, I think someone might swear? big-ass spider and mentions of fictional violence

A/N: Does what it says on the tin, the squad have a movie night. god i really loved writing this one and it gave me an excuse to rewatch lotr as well. it’s more of a general thing with just like a few moments of ship related content and I really need to do more of this casual found family bonding stuff because it’s great!

Word Count: 1944

"So you're telling me none of you have watched Lord of the Rings?" Auri was horrified.

"Tyler and I have," Scarlett offered. "I don't remember much of it though."

"This is unacceptable. We're watching them all tonight, I can't be around people who haven't seen them for another day."

"Technically tonight we're meant to…" Auri's hard look cut off whatever Tyler was going to say. "...We can reschedule I guess."

"Good. Kal and I will go find snacks and meet you in the common room at 5."

"So early?" Kal asked.

"We've got 9 hours of movie to get through so yes."

"Alright, see you guys in a couple of hours."

At exactly 5 the squad converged on the common room. Scarlett arrived early and managed to nab the big screen with the comfiest couches, quite possibly through a little persuasion if the awestruck look on the faces of a group of guys across the room was anything to go by. She grinned as everyone filed in and got comfortable, Cat coming to sit on one side of her and grumpily leaning her head on Scarlett’s shoulder.

Kal and Auri claimed the second couch, curling up together only slightly uncomfortably. It was still new to them and they weren’t sure how to navigate everything but they were cute. Everyone thought so. That left Tyler and Fin with the pile of pillows and blankets dumped on the floor in front of Scarlett’s couch. The boys pouted at Scarlett but she wouldn’t be swayed and eventually they flopped down onto the floor. Scarlett prodded her brother’s head with a foot and giggled when he swatted it away, grumbling under his breath.

The lights dimmed and sound blared, causing them all to wince as Zila frantically turned down the volume and offered a quick apology before crossing the space to curl up on the couch, half in Scarlett’s lap. She stole a blanket on her way over to the protests of the boys on the floor. Scarlett quickly silenced them both with light kicks and a glare when they turned around, her face softening when Zila finally settled against her and Cat curled in closer to fit under the blanket as well. Tyler rolled his eyes but didn’t complain further and settled down with Finian tucked under his arm.

With everyone finally settled comfortably, Zila pressed play and Auri shushed everyone loudly as the first whispers of Cate Blanchet’s ethereal voice started. She didn’t even follow her own command though and eagerly narrated and explained everything to Kal in excited whispers. No one really had it in them to complain though. That or they worried Kal might rip out their tongues if they said a word against her.

Kal barely even watched the film, far too entranced by Auri, the passion in her voice, the glint in her eyes. He got the gist of it from her rambling anyway. Auri pointed frantically after about an hour and a half and Kal finally forced his eyes away from her and towards the screen in time to see a tall man with long, blond hair and pointed ears appear.

“That’s Legolas!” She proclaimed gleefully and Kal had to admit after a while of watching him, he could see why Aurora had made a link between them.

“You never told us you were an actor, Kal,” Finian said in mock offence.

“I can’t believe I’ve kissed a celebrity!” Tyler pretended to swoon and Kal felt his ears redden at the reminder of that time in the server room.

“What!?” Everyone’s attention turned from the movie to the boys and Finian scowled at his boyfriend.

“You kissed Kal!?”

“Fin-” Tyler suddenly regretted dropping that on them all in that manner.

“And you didn’t invite me!? Maker, you think you know a guy...”

“Wait,” Scarlett piped up. “When did this happen?” She shoved him with her foot. “And why didn’t you tell me!?”

“On the Worldship. A tech was about to catch us in the server room and it was the first thing I could think of to stop our cover being blown.”

“I can assure you,” Kal looked between Auri and Fin to try and reassure them, “it meant nothing.”

Tyler gasped. “But baaabe,” he said, just managing to maintain a hurt pout through the bubble of laughter that threatened to escape him.

“So if I invited you-”

“Do not finish that question,” Tyler, Kal, and Auri all practically yelled in sync.

“Alright, fiiine. I guess I’ll just stick with Tyler.” Said boy pretended to look hurt but he knew better than to take what Fin said seriously. The devilish Batraskan grin aimed his way and the quick kiss he received only confirmed it.

“Okay, can you all shut up and watch the movie now?” Cat grumbled, the sound less threatening and quieter than normal with her face pressed into the crook of Scarlett’s neck. Still, they did as asked and focused back on the movie.

‘You have my sword. And my bow. And my axe.’

“And my freaky mind powers,” Auri continued with a grin

“And my wrench.”

“And my awesome pilot skills.”

“And my disruptor pistol,” Zila added, quite to the surprise of everyone.

“And my leadership skills.”

“And my powers of persuasion.”

“And his...well...him,” Auri said, gesturing to Kal. Everyone was starting to really get into the film and she was ecstatic. They all broke down laughing at their own ridiculousness and missed the Fellowship head off. Half an hour later there was yelling and popcorn was thrown at the screen.

“They did not just kill off Gandalf!” Cat exclaimed, royally pissed off and enjoying the film far more than she’d planned to. Maybe she was a bit more inclined to give the film a chance than usual since Scarlett seemed to be enjoying it so much. Scratch that, she was absolutely more inclined to give the film a chance because of that. Although, she knew she’d enjoy it anyway but it’s not like she could admit that to the others. Anyway she was not happy that the old wizard was gone now. Auri had to bite her tongue to avoid ruining anything for her and the others.

The film finally ended and everyone was mildly shocked. They had no idea Boromir was going to die. Auri and Fin were the only ones seemingly unaffected.

“You know, if I was trying to protect a bunch of Hobbits, I would simply not get shot in the chest three times. RIP to Boromir but I’m different.” Auri could barely contain her giggles as the rest of the squad scowled at Fin and Tyler shoved him gently. His death was too fresh for them it would seem.

“Alright get the next one on,” Cat demanded, unwilling to move and do it herself. Zila slipped off Scarlett’s lap instead and sorted out the next film. Disgust was voiced when Grima was introduced. Cheers erupted when Gandalf finally returned. And the squad discovered both the Jones twins had a knack for impersonating Gollum. Fin most definitely did not appreciate this particular talent, especially when, without warning, Tyler whispered an eerily accurate my precious directly in his ear. He nearly jumped out of his skin, fortunately managing to hold back a scream which at least slightly lessened his embarrassment.

“You’re going to pay for that golden boy.” He glared down at Tyler who was clutching his stomach while his body shook with laughter. Something disgustingly soft formed in Finian’s chest at the sight of Tyler so carefree and relaxed though.

“Worth it,” he wheezed. He managed to calm himself enough to grab Fin’s hand and tug him back down into his arms, still giggling softly into the older boy’s hair.

“You won’t be so pleased about that later,” Fin grumbled and Scarlett couldn’t help laughing.

“Looks like someone’s not getting any tonight. Bad luck baby brother.”

“Will you all shut up? I’m trying to watch sentient trees kick ass,” Cat complained.

“They’re called Ents,” Auri corrected absentmindedly but Cat just waved her hand dismissively.

By the end of The Two Towers Zila had fallen asleep in Scarlett’s arms and the rest of them were on the way to it. Auri crawled out of her comfortable spot curled into Kal’s side and put the last movie on.

Too tired now, the squad kept the comments to a minimum this time. Auri and - surprisingly - Cat shuddered when Gollum led the hobbits into Shelob’s lair and Cat actually hid her face in Scarlett’s shoulder. A comment about that was on the tip of several tongues but they all thought better of it. Cat would certainly kill them if they dared mention it.

Despite enjoying the film, probably more than everyone except Auri, Cat fell asleep soon after Sam escaped from the Orcs with Frodo and then Scarlett’s attention was no longer on the film. Technically she’d seen it anyway so it didn’t matter. She’d much rather enjoy the rare quiet contentment from a sleeping Cat and Zila than watch a movie. About 20 minutes later, she too fell asleep.

“Wait. There’s ghosts in this?” Kal questioned when Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas met the army of the dead.

“Yep,” Auri said through a yawn. “It’s long and complicated but they’ll explain in a minute.”

“But ghosts…”

“Shut up Legolas,” she groaned lovingly. “Just wait. They’re very useful.” She fell asleep before their use could be revealed though and Kal cared more about gazing lovingly at her than the movie. No one made it to the end. Tyler and Kal got close but in the dark and the quiet even they couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer.

In the morning, groggy and awoken by other Legionnaires coming in, Auri insisted they rewatch the end. Tears were shed. Even Cat and Finian were caught crying silently by the Jones twins.

“So, did you like it?” Auri asked when the screen finally faded to black. They all did.

“It was very enjoyable,” Kal admitted. “I...can understand why you call me Legolas now.”

“Do I get to keep doing it?”

“I think you would with or without my permission,” Kal smirked as Auri conceded that she probably would. “But I do not mind the nickname.”

“Good.” She kissed his cheek before taking his hand and standing up. “Now take me to breakfast, Legolas.”

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“Almost definitely.” And then she dragged him from the room. Zila and Cat tugged Scarlett up as well and followed them out.

“You want breakfast?” Tyler asked Fin who was still laying on him.

“Depends. Are you on the menu.” He said it around a yawn and there was little of his usual teasing in it. Tyler just laughed. He leaned in closer and whispered in Fin’s ear with his best gollum impersonation again.

“Anything for you, my precious.” Fin lept up with a screech and Tyler was losing it again.

“I told you not to do that again.”

“Your face,” Tyler wheezed. “It’s still worth it.”

“You’re sleeping on your own tonight,” Finian grumbled.

“Oh come on.” Tyler stood and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend as they both left to catch up with the rest of the squad. He pulled out the smeagol voice he was also rather proud of. “It’s just a bit of fun, precious.”

Finian jabbed an elbow into his side. “I should never have let Auri talk us into watching that. She’s created a monster.”

“Don’t be mad, precious.”

“No. No. No. No. No.” Finian squirmed out of Tyler’s grasp and ran, Tyler’s laughter following him all the way down the hall.

Tag Lists: (send an ask if you want to be added!)

Everything: @wonderfilledness @writingbychelle @ad-astraaaa

Aurora Cycle: @aurising

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girlbookwrm · 5 years

Text

Bah! Bah! Bah da-dah. Badabadabadadah bah dah dah! (<-- this is the iron man song)

THE MIGHTY ENDGAME REWATCH CONTINUES: PART THREE

(parts one and two are HERE)

The Gal Pal has joined us, so tonight we are three (@goteamwin is the Roommate and @pegasuschick is the Gal Pal.) This time we ALL pregamed with booze and cookies.

Further note: It Has Been Years and I Still Miss The Old Marvel Logo

The Gal Pal: For a second I thought this was Lord of the Rings

THIS WAS A GAMBLE. I have to remind myself of this every time I watch this movie because this was a hhUUUUUGE gamble starring a recovering addict and directed by a nobody using technology that had been tested in Transformers, a franchise known for it’s kwality filmmaking (not u bumblebee i’m sure you’re g r e a t)

(the roommate would like it noted that they probably stipulated in RDJ’s contract that he wouldn’t be fully paid until he finished the movie because he’d flaked out on previous filming commitments for. you know. getting arrested and going to jail.)

This is a solid opening. A Super Solid Opening, in fact. Quality flashback. Actually TFA, take note. This is how you do a flashback, TFA

WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY

comedy moment with the stark missile here.

Howard Stark Mark I. (of three. Never forget. that there are three howard starks)

Oh No it’s Wrong Rhodes. Rhong Wrodes? just Wrodes?

Obadiah Stane? Really?? who thought he was a good guy??? although I love how easily he does this “getting on the stand to accept an award for Tony” thing. like he’s done it a thousand times before. because of course he has.

GOD THEY'RE ALL SO YOUNG

no da Vinci his a fair comparison, actually, given that Da Vinci apparently designed loads and loads of Very Deadly Things.

At this juncture, the Gal Points out:

Not to be super gay here, but I would observe that the later Iron Man movies get hotter lady extras. Just a note.

she is not wrong.

You're better than this journalist lady.

actually wait is she only sleeping with tony for the purpose of snooping?

SHIT SHE TOTALLY IS.

on the one hand DAMN PEPPER I HOPE CHRISTINE GETS MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR THAT BURN but on the other hand BOO GIRL ON GIRL CRIME.

Tony your music is bad

why isn’t it the iron man song

what band is it that does the iron man song

black sabbath, said the Gal Pal and The Roommate in unison.

tony i thought you weren’t a painter how do you even know who pollack is

The perpetual question with this movie: Was the script That Good or is RDJ Just That Good?

Will We Ever Truly Know

WRONG RHODES HAS A POTATO FACE RIGHT RHODES HAS A GREMLIN FACE. YOU NEED CORRECT GREMLIN POTATO FACE PAIRING.

Things that Date This Movie:

Tony’s suits (the fabric ones)

The phones (ohhhhhhhhhh my god flip phones oh my gooooooooddddd)

the fact that the hero is a new york billionaire with his name on the side of a building and people actually like him

Wait is Obie fucking someone? NO DON'T MAKE ME THINK THAT

I hate this part NOSE NO THANK U. GROSS. GROSS. NO I DON’T LIKE IT. NO. i came here for an ACTION MOVIE not a BODY HORROR MOVIE HELP PLS

Yinsen is v well dressed. like. Yinsen is SO dapper wtf Tony looks like a bum by comparison. And his chemistry with Tony is Un. Paralleled (except by pepper.) He fucking NAILS THIS ROLE. Ho Yinsen, International treasure

sub note YINSEN’S FIRST NAME IS HO. YOU ARE ALL VERY WELCOME.

sub sub note: The Roommate spent like fifteen minutes calling him Jensen. This Seems Racist. She points out that I am being racist for thinking that. She may be right.

the ten rings IT IS LOTR

“I don't watch Iron Man that often, it's always a surprise when I enjoy it” - The Roommate

I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T A PAINTER TONY. THOSE ARE VERY GOOD DOODLES FOR SOMEONE WITH NO ARTISTIC INCLINATIONS.

I love/hate that it’s like: Oh no this bad guy speaks English NOW WE'RE IN TROUBLE.

THAT. SEEMS. RACIST.

“Yes I would like a delivery date” says the roommate, someone very accustomed to working with clients that do not provide a coherent delivery date/schedule.

every time i see this scene i am reminded of that interview where Cevans is like: tthHHAT’S RDJ?? and then he licks his lips like the thirsty little bitch he may or may not be.

army recruitment - avengers - dick swinging contest - dumpster fire <-- this is literally the note i made for myself, i don’t know exactly how we got onto this particular sidetrack but look here’s the story:

the pentagon subsidized the early marvel movies, but then they stopped. that was a fun fact that I knew

the gal pal looked it up and it is Very Real. She was explaining to us that they STOPPED subsidizing marvel movies after the avengers because SHIELD. ‘Does the army answer to SHIELD or does SHIELD answer to the army?’

Me: SO ARE YOU TELLING ME. THAT THE ARMY. A REAL LIFE ORGANIZATION. STOPPED FUNDING MARVEL MOVIES. BECAUSE THEY GOT INTO A DICK MEASURING CONTEST WITH SHIELD AND MIGHT HAVE LOST????

yes

the answer to that question is yes

the military industrial complex is a dumpster fire.

32 minute mark and Tony has more time with yinsen than anyone else

I cannot believe it took them them THIS LONG TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. No one thought to question that glowing thing in tony’s chest, just like: Nah that seems right. That’s part of the missile building process, right? They're working. this seems fine

It's still a horror movie but now Tony is the monster

he was always the monster

YINSEN WE HARDLY KNEW YE

Tony Tedward Stark you're literally the only person in the world who didn't know Yinsen’s family was dead. “I’ll see them when I leave here?” THEY’RE DEAD TONY. THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN DEAD.

also: YINSEN IS AN INTERNATIONAL TREASURE

Tony, at the end of this fight scene, is A) deaf from all the bullets pinging off his suit. B) very badly burned, and C) has broken every bone in his body.

All Jameses in the MCU come with an innate Bullshit Detection Sensor. “Steve’s in trouble” “What’s that explosion? probably Tony.” JAMES POWERS ACTIVATE.

40 minutes in and this is the first time I buy Wrodes as a pal. Maybe

Tony Stark: BRING ME BURGERS. YINSEN TOLD ME NOT TO WASTE MY LIFE

oh hey phil is here!

Tony you have PTSD ---- aaaand you also have a burger stashed in your sling? that’s the best thing. THAT’S THE BEST THING.

UGH GOD OBIE’S ON A SEGWAY GROSSSSS (as if we didn’t already know that he was evil just from his NAME)

The Gal Pal, re Tony vs his PTSD: of course he builds himself a suit of armor. we're lucky he didn't end up in a gimp suit.

me, internally: bold of you to assume he doesn’t.

I refuse to even imagine this movie with Tom Cruise it would be so Wrong. (For those who don’t know, the studio really wanted Tom Cruise to play Tony, Jon Favreau really went to bat for RDJ against the studio, you know. on account of the whole. addiction getting arrested thing.)

TONY THIS IS A LABORATORY, WE WEAR OUR SHOES AND BUTTON OUR SHIRTS.

Mad money really dates this too. Add that to the list of things that date this.

Tony: Pepper you’ve got small hands, right? get down here.

Now is the perfect time to remind you all that comics tony has canonically been pegged by Gamora.

You Are Welcome

A) pepper is great. B) Tony is definitely not really going into cardiac arrest. C) I’m remembering that they were my first Marvel OTP and I love them.

Re: Rhodey and the whole “Manned vs unmanned flight” and Tony coming in like “What about just the pilot with no plane” or whatever QUICK QUESTION ASKING FOR A FRIEND WHEN DOES THE FALCON PROGRAM HAPPEN

RDJ and his big sad brown cow eyes.

The Roommate: I know I wasn’t into it at the time, because I was a youth and he’s like forty and I was like “No, he is Not For Me.”

Me: PAST YOU WAS A MORON.

The Roommate: Yeah i know that NOW.

Tony built his own keyboard that's so extra

Yikes generic ten rings bad guy you should put a bandage on that

ROBOT ABUSE, but also, can we talk about how much I love DUM-E, U, and also this entire sequence?

U is getting real fancy with the camera zooms

At this point we got into a discussion of whether the arc reactor gives Tony powers:

Me: Please. He’s a glorified normie. He’s the Batman of the Marvel Universe.

The Roommate: Yeah! He’s the Batman of marvel with out the...

Me: The what exactly?

The Roommate: The dead... no his parents are... the car-- no he’s got lots of fancy-- The pearls. He’s the Batman of Marvel without the pearls.

now we have to wait until Civil War to see if Maria Stark is wearing pearls when she dies.

PIZZA. Obie is like the stepdad with that pizza. “I’m taking the pizza back. Nah go on take a slice.” G R O S S

Paul Bettany! You're better as a disembodied voice.

The Roommate: I do not care for your purple robot form. I know Wanda does but--

Me: Listen. We’ve all made mistakes and bought an unreasonably large purple dildo

The Gal Pal: And we’ve all gotten attached to non-human characters.

The Roommate: Like the fox from Robin Hood!

The Gal Pal: Exactly. And hey, maybe he just keeps going, you know? like the energizer Bunny.

Me, Upset: NONONONONONONO

The Roommate: now hang on a minute that’s interesting.

Tony, i feel like you didn't think though. But seriously, what is this scene? Why is there a Ferris wheel? Are those the director's kids?

YOU’RE DOING GREAT, DUM-E.

Tony, quick question, did you cut holes in all your tee-shirts? Why? There’s no need for it? It’s Literally? Just for the dramatic effect? Tony?? WHy??? ARe YoU LIke THiS????

they are literally titty windows

these shirts are probably very expensive

sToP

oooo the bad guy (side note, put on a bandaid my guy. get some neosporin or something) has the iron man 1.0 suit and waaaIT A SECOND ARE THERE BULLET HOLES IN THE CROTCH ARMOR??? DID THEY SHOOT TONY IN THE CROTCH?

First of all, Jarvis is a treasure, I’m sad they ever got rid of him, second of all I love that Tony can just show up unannounced at a Very Important Party and no one questions it, third of all:

Poooterrrrrr

Oh hey Phil is here!!

Oh Pep. You are so on top of things, you basically run SI, you know your fear about the deoderant is just paranoia. You applied twice and you have an extra one in your purse and you’re wearing perfume. You smell like roses and victory.

O! T! P!

Christine, why do you have these photos where have you been keeping them why don’t you just pull them up on your phoneOHHHH RIGHT THIS IS THE PAST THERE ARE NO SMART PHONES YET FFGHSSJJSJSDKDKD I FEEL OLD.

Tony is standing on a higher step than Obie for this. The Smolest Avenger.

This is the first full iron Man moment but all I can think is:

Toe socks Tony? really?

~Cool guys don't look at explosions~

SOMEONE REALLY NEEDS TO TELL MARVEL THAT MORE VILLAINS =/= BETTER VILLAINS.

Rhodes sees the boom on the screen and is like but… Tony is here. in the US. I know he's here. I'm 99% sure. 98%. (explosion #2) I’m 95% sure. (by explosion #5) I’m 42% sure that Tony is in the US.

Definitely the worse thing that Pepper saw was him cutting titty windows in his tee shirts

MARVEL! MORE VILLAINS ARE NOT BETTER VILLAINS!!

beeteedubs We All Hate the way Obie says “data” and “manufacturing.” Dah-tuh. Man-uh-fact-ering. U G H.

YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND PEPPER I HAVE A NEW JOB NOW AND IT'S SAAAAVING THE PLANET

every movie ever: Is this hacking? Is this how hacking works?

Obie’s frankenstein vein and the way he slllluuuuurrrrps his whiskey. GROSS.

Oh Hey Phil Is Here!!!

What other applications?

WAIT WHAT OTHER APPLICATIONS ARE THERE FOR SHORT TERM PARALYSIS?

NO DON’T TELL ME I DON’T WANT TO KNOW

Hhhhhhow does Obie already have a specially designed arc reactor extractor?

TONY WHY DON’T YOU GET ON THE SCOOTER INSTEAD OF SHOVING IT AWAY? WOULDN’T YOU GO FASTER?

DUM-E IS A TREASURE

Re Pepper:

The Roommate: Pepper’s superpower is calling the right authorities and making sure the right people get arrested.

Me: so what I’m hearing is that Pepper’s superpower is being a responsible adult???

This Seems Accurate.

“Anything else I can do?” says Terrence Howard. “yeah, you can turn into don cheedle” say we all.

Where's the water in this creepy underground lair. Whyyyyyy are there water light effects? WHERE? IS? THE WATER???

OMG look at that cgi wowwwww he’s just coming up through the concrete and it is Definitely CGI.

dear obadiah stane: YOU DO NOT FIRE PEPPER POTS SHE IS ESSENTIAL. IF YOU FIRE PEPPER POTTS YOUR COMPANY COLLAPSES LITERALLY THE NEXT DAY.

Hey Obie. Did you put the Batman voice modulator in yourself orrrr...

Holy Cow Digital Hand is Very Digital.

HANG ON ISN'T THIS EXACTLY WHAT ANT MAN DOES TO TONY IN CIVIL WAR???

Blow the reactor, he says. JUST DO IT, he says.

The Gal Pal: Shhhh you can hear Howard Stark rolling over in his grave

oh hey Zuul is coming

OH HEY PHIL IS HERE!!!!

The roommate: THAT'S NOT TRUE SMALL AIRCRAFT ARE VERY SAFE

WAIT WAS CAPTAIN MARVEL PHIL’S FIRST RODEO? *need to see Captain Marvel Intensifies*

“Girlfriend who worries about me” Tony says. It's Rhodes. Right? I mean. He already has a girlfriend who worries about him. It’s Colonel Rhodes.

tony is so bad at lying

which is cute and all but FORREALS do you remember seeing this movie for the first time? whether you like Iron Man or not, whether you like MARVEL or not, this is fucking cinematic history happening here. this is the first franchise of its kind, it opened the door for so many others and it is so weird to remember that.

BAH! BAH! BAH DA-DUH. BADABADABADADAH! BAH DAH DAH!!

we have spent literally the entire movie waiting for this song to play

wow Jarvis u ok

THERE HE IS. Lookit him. with his eyepatch. he’s Seen Things. he’s Done Stuff. him and phil. geeze.

Me: I really wish I had just seen Captain Marvel

The Gal Pal: I feel like that every morning

i mean i don’t want to harp on this given that we’ve already moved on from the incorrect hulk but WHY WOULD TONY STARK BE RECRUITING ROSS?????

#the mighty pre endgame rewatch

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