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And you're right that Marisa wouldn't have liked an obvious infodump.

For her, it's on to the next thing!

And, sometime in the future, I might still write the 'Marisanual' fic, just for sporking material~

But on the second read... well, what would you add? Perhaps something about the effects of the first spell, but you've already got that in there. Perhaps a piece at the end with what her Ordeal actually achieved, but the parenthetical ending is pretty darn good, so it would have to go before that. Maybe her Speech therapist could show up in the hospital - but what would that actually add? 'Well done, Marisa, you have done X and Y' is a bit pointless when X and Y are obvious from the story. (Also I doubt Marisa would much appreciate being told the obvious.)

So yes. It's a bit abrupt. But... that kinda fits.

hS

I'll make sure to do that. But I'mma join the game first.

~Neshomeh

I'm free for the moment, would a match be possible now, or when would your Skynet agenda for the world would allow for a match if not?

(Someday, Huinesoron. Someday.)

There is a round available.

Password is 'Errantry'.

Here are the related fic archives.

(And yes, I know I forgot to come up with a title for the last part of Marisa's story. |D 'The Flashes of Succcess', maybe?)

Anyway, a long while back I was scrolling through DeviantArt for Young Wizards fics and found... this old thing.

There aren't words.

... I shall make a team using all the things I've learnt, such as always having Brick Break to hand, and making sure to spread out your weaknesses.

/But that is not this day/.

hS

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7doublesou-739544310

I'm Huinesoron on Showdown; should be all logged in now.

hS

Welcome back. Here's a voucher for 10 gallons of Bleeprin.

Congratulations on your new degrees! I hope we'll be hearing more songs from you eventually?

—doctorlit

Both for winning the battle and being the first person in a long time for using a move which I have no idea what it does.

unless I say otherwise. Sorry about this.

Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers!
Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers!

I meant to mention it but got sidetracked by everything else! Red Skull coming back got a gasp out of me—it's been, what, eleven years since we last saw him? It makes me almost hope he and Cap run into each other in the future, though I can't really see what storytelling purpose it might serve...

Ooh! Another thing! Star Lord and Thor getting into a tough-guy showdown. That was some A+ comedy acting on their parts.

If I had to guess—Loki and Gamora are going to stay dead, because they weren't killed by the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. Team Free Will—I mean, the survivors'—main priority will be to undo that damage, which is why I think those two deaths are going to stick.

Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers!
Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers! Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers!

Was that excessive? I would have used the gif, but I couldn't figure out how to paste it in, so... ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway! Thoughts! I have lots of thoughts about this movie, hence why this won't be a proper review and more of a ramble.

First off, Thanos is the best Marvel villain ever. Period, end of story. I would have given Loki that title, but he dies a good guy, so it doesn't really count. About Loki dying, by the way, I really hope it is for good, because it was the perfect end for the character. It had him doing what he always did best: being a trickster, and even though it didn't work out, it wholly redeemed him (at least, that's what I think).

I love how the designated dwarf was actually really big.

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw was the absolute standout of this movie. I loved every single scene he was in. He was just so deliciously sneering and condescending without ever being over the top. The opening of the movie, when it's basically just him delivering a monologue, was the absolute best opening it could have. It perfectly set the Wagnerian, and (dare I say) poetic tone of the movie. Also, that Wilhelm scream when he dies made me snicker.

Gamora's death was a total wtf moment. I think I might have actually said just that in the theater when it happened. :P I... kind of hope she stays dead, honestly. I mean, I love Gamora as much as anybody, but after the emotion of that scene it would just be cheap to bring her back.

Speaking of wtf moments: Red Skull's return. That was completely unexpected. I mean, to be fair, when I first watched Captain America: The First Avenger I knew he'd be back eventually, considering that he was just transported across space by the Tesseract, but I just... didn't expect it here, I don't know why. Anyway, that was cool.

The actress for young Gamora was amazing and looked eerily like Zoe Saldana as a small child.

I have mixed feelings about the Iron Spider suit in this movie. It's really cool, but it also makes Spider-Man less Spider-Man and more smol!Iron Man.

I wish Hawkeye had been in this movie. I have no idea where he'd have fit in, but I just really love Hawkeye.

Shuri did not get half the screen time she deserved. This is a fact.

I absolutely loved this movie, even though it may not seem like it!

Not trading lives for victory (a.k.a. the opposite of the many before the few) is an amazing theme, in my opinion, and one that's all too sorely lacking these days. The means matter just as much as the end goal, and Captain America's refusal to sacrifice Vision (and the ultimate pointlessness of it when Scarlet Witch actually does it) embodies that perfectly.

On a much more shallow topic: so many hot guys in the movie, like... testosterone, my God.

The title dissolving at the end really hit me in the feelnuts. After everything else, it was just too much, but in the very best way. The entire ending sequence was incredible. I did not expect it, I was not prepared, it was devastating, I loved every bit of it while sobbing my eyes out. My immediate reaction after the last scene was "what did I just watch? What was that?" And I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it's supposed to feel. Did anyone else get serious Deathly Hallows Part 1 vibes at the end?

Do any of you suppose it's on purpose that 'Thanos' sounds similar to 'Thanatos,' the Ancient Greek word for death?

Last thought, only tangentially related: we hear that Xandar was devastated by Thanos while he was getting the Power Stone. The destruction of the Nova Corps is the origin story for arguably my favorite superhero of all time: Nova. Does this mean that he'll make an appearance in the upcoming GotG Vol. 3? I really, really hope so. Plus, the Nova Corps member who recruited him from Earth, Rhomann Dey, is actually part of the MCU, as played by John C. Reilly in GotG. I think there's a very high chance of Nova appearing soon, and I am ridiculously excited for it.

Right, that's it (for now)! Just... go watch this movie, all ye mortals who haven't. You will not regret it.

I'm free almost all weekend—afternoons EST would be your best bet to catch me.

Do not say I didn't warn you about spoilers!







Okay. Okay, wow. Where do I begin with this?

I guess I'll start with the pacing. I was very worried going into this movie that with so many characters to juggle, there would be massive pacing issues. Not once did I feel like that was a problem; though there were obviously some characters who got pushed to the sidelines, there was enough of switching around between the different subplots to give the major players enough screen time to feel like what they were doing mattered. The fact that the writers and editors were able to make a nearly three hour movie feel like an hour and a half is a testament to how well they were able to pull this off.

The villain, Thanos, was also surprisingly well-developed for a Marvel villain. His motive is simple: He wants to eradicate half of all life in the universe so the remaining life can flourish without fear of extinction. He doesn't just want to kill to conquer, or for s--ts and giggles—he does, I believe, feel actual remorse for what he has to do to accomplish what he believes to be a noble goal. A villain believes he is the hero of his own story, and Thanos definitely sees himself as the hero. But when he manages to do just that—wiping out half of all life in the universe—he isn't triumphant, or gloating. He sits down and watches the sunrise, and thinks about what he had to do to accomplish his goals. His expression wasn't one of a conquerer triumphant, but of a tired guy who was just glad it was finally over.

Which brings me to the HOLY F--KING S--T moments of the movie.

Everyone dies.

Wait, scratch that. Not quite everyone.

But the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, everyone we've met in the MCU so far—there aren't a whole lot of good guys left standing. It's probably easier to say who didn't die than it would be to say who did. Of those left standing, we have...

Captain America
Iron Man
Black Widow
Hulk
War Machine
Rocket Raccoon
Thor
Shuri
Okoye
Wong
Nebula



Seriously. That's it.

Spider-Man is dead. Doctor Strange is dead. Scarlet Witch is dead. Loki, Vision, Falcon, Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Mantis, Groot, Black Panther, Bucky Barnes, Nick Fury, dead, dead, dead.

It's a very, very ballsy move by Marvel, and one I'm incredibly excited to see how they resolve it—because let's face it, these are characters for a multibillion dollar franchise, and based on comic books to boot, so I don't expect them to stay dead for long. But with the reality warpers Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch out of the picture, it'll be interesting to see how they plan on bringing everyone back.

Even with this 99% certainty the deaths won't be final, it was still an emotional gut punch. There was no dramatic death monologues, just confusion before disintegrating into dust. The closest we got to a parting speech was Peter Parker begging for Stark to save him, that he didn't want to die, and then he simply faded away in Tony's arms. He was a kid who Tony had tried to send home at the beginning of the movie, and he was just gone.

The credits were set to very sad and somber music, and the simple title screen in turn disintegrated to dust when it was over. It was a very heavy, very final sort of feel for the ending. And though we got a bittersweet moment of hope where Nick Fury uses his last moments to send a distress call to Captain Marvel... the fact is, for the time being, Earth's Mightiest Heroes are dead as, well, dust.

Things are looking very bleak indeed, and I admire the guts it took to take the franchise in that direction.

Some other, scattered thoughts:

Loki's death and the destruction of the Asgard refugee ship right at the very beginning did an excellent job of setting up the tone for the rest of the movie. Though there was some wisecracking from Thor and Loki before s--t went to hell, Loki's death—for good, this time—made it apparent that this was not going to be a movie where everyone comes out triumphant at the end of the day.

Thor has a new weapon! It's... kind of disappointing? Especially after the awesome moment of development he had in Ragnarok: "What are you? Thor, God of Hammers?" But he's been fighting with a weapon for 1500 years now, and going up against Thanos with unpracticed new powers prooobably isn't the best idea. So while I'm not a fan, I can understand why.

Rocket pestering Bucky to sell him his arm was perfect and just about everything I could have asked for. Also, Bruce Banner piloting the Hulkbuster suit (since he was having trouble with summoning the Hulk) was 10/10 squee-y goodness.

Star Lord. Dammit. The plan to defeat Thanos would have gone off perfectly if it wasn't for you getting angry and screwing the entire universe over. *sigh*

Gamora. Oh man... we got to see how Thanos chose her from among the refugees he was planning to slaughter, and how he really did view her as a daughter—and then he murdered her, because in order to access the Soul Stone, he had to sacrifice the thing he loved most. Her disbelief that he loved her enough to consider her the sacrifice was painful, especially after she reminded him of the abuse he subjected her to. And her broken body lying at the base of the cliff... ouch.

Peter Dinklage shows up playing a dwarf. Typecasting? Not when this dwarf is something like fifteen feet tall.

Doctor Strange saw exactly one timeline where they defeated Thanos. Was his decision to hand over the Time Stone influenced by this? Did he set some sort of master plan in motion, or was this an instance of the writers handing him the Idiot Ball as well?

So, to say I was fangirling hard over this movie would be putting it mildly. Marvel wasn't kidding when they said Infinity War was ambitious—and it certainly delivered.