darling, you're still divine
May. 10th, 2012 01:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reflectedeveSo hey, I'm not dead! How about that. /o\
I have all kinds of talking about school and comics (not superhero ones) and my fifty billion exciting summer projects to ramble about under a lock sometime soon, but you know, instead this is going to be a super quick reaction post because it's late and I just got back from seeing Avengers. Clandestinely. Because none of us wanted to break our poor professor's heart (and um, Kirby and Marvel and creator abuse in the mainstream comics industry and tangential thoughts about transformative works should maybe happen at some point too I guess).
So my first reaction was sheer, not-terribly-complicated fun. I'm a little light on obsessive emotional involvement right now, which probably has something to do with the fact that I still haven't seen Iron Man 2 or Captain America and I only finally watched Thor this weekend (somewhat inattentively). This is probably a fandom where the fic will push me the rest of the way over the edge (if I can give enough of my energy and attention to it, since I do have fifty billion exciting summer projects, but anyway). It was a lot of mostly-new characters to take in all at once and try to connect with, and I think I'm a little out of practice with movie characters as it is (everything's been tv and comics and novels lately; longer work, much more time to get attached).
So the characters I felt most strongly about were Tony (because I already love him from the first Iron Man) and Loki (because despite the fact that I actually thought his character arc, such as it was, was a bit mangled in Thor, Hiddleston just like, reached into my heart through my eyesockets and I have a really complete idea of how I see the character even with some weird writing choices), sort of automatically. Every moment that Tony was on the screen was basically FULL OF DELIGHT for me. His cocky irreverence and comical alarm and absurd fucking courage and self-sacrifice, his way of relating with just about every other character ... I don't even know, I have no complaints about Tony at all. And Loki makes me ache for him one minute (because he is so broken and it is so obviously never going to end well for him), and then the next minute fills me with glee over his smirking and posturing. I love that even though he's crazy, he's relatively calm about it all the way through; none of that dissolving into hysteria when everything goes wrong. His "this usually works" when he can't brainwash Tony! Ruefully asking the triumphant heroes if he can have that drink now! (Also I feel as though I should find his costume design ridiculous and stupid, but for some reason I really love those horns.)
The rest of the characters I felt like I was just starting to get to know; they did charm me, but now I really want a lot of epic teamfic so that fandom can help me flesh out those feelings.
I mean, let's see. Natasha! Natasha was badass, oh my god. I don't recall ever having any particular fondness for Scarlett Johansson before, but she kept catching me beautifully with her whole instant switch from apparent vulnerability to "gotcha." It was intensely satisfying every time. (Beyond that, I found her acting a bit flat, but it kind of worked for the character?) I want to know a lot more about the character (I'm realizing that I really don't have much background on her, and I still haven't seen all of her movie canon). I wonder if there's any truth to this solo movie rumor? And while I didn't have any real investment in Clint for his own sake, her well-scripted connection with him made me want to. I don't know that I 'ship them, but I want to see that partnership, and especially that first meeting.
Also, I seriously do not like the Hulk. I have never had even the tiniest bit of inclination towards the character, but jeez, this movie sold him beautifully. I was on the fence for awhile--I wasn't interested in his angst, which made it annoying, and I was really distracted by my strong dislike of the way they used the India setting as a metaphorical representation of his internal "dark place," so to speak--but then they brought in Tony Stark and there was poking and quipping and awesome scientist bonding and pep talks and oh. Man. I see a 'ship there, but I really want them to be awesome scientist BFFs and drive everyone else on the team nuts with it, I want all the fic with that. (Also, I really enjoyed deliberate-and-self-aware Hulk who was still all id-like and randomly punching Thor but also a genuine teammate, not just a monstrous force to be unleashed. He added some much-needed humor to that drawn out final showdown, too.)
I can see why fandom loves Coulson; he is charming, particularly when he starts going all fanboy crush on Steve. I ... don't really 'ship him with anyone based on what I've seen, as of yet, and I felt as though his death was actually not handled powerfully enough to be a catalyst (like, I didn't believe in the other characters having a deep enough investment in him that his individual death would galvanize them), which was a little weird (particularly since that's something Joss Whedon can usually sell, even if I'm sick to death of him doing it). Huh, that's all very ambivalent, isn't it? But I want to see a lot more of the character, with his understated fierce loyalty. And I'd love more just like, friendly backstory with him and Tony and Pepper. (And yeah, he totally doesn't have to be dead.)
Thor. Oh, Thor. I love how grown up he was in this compared to the last movie, seriously; how he could make snarky comments about humans and take his brother to task competently and be ready to quietly take responsibility ... but he still had some lovely little comic moments (like the one where he made a comparison to some bizarre monster and was totally caught off-guard when Coulson told him they didn't have them on earth). Thor actually didn't give me nearly enough regretful, reaching-out brother material, but I was so pleased with it here, the way he so obviously cared for Loki and wanted to stop him and FIX him and protect him from his own terrible choices. Ugh. I am so on the fence about Thor and Loki; I can't decide if I want to 'ship them or if I want all the OMG BROTHERS (in a platonic but seriously intense and important kind of way). I don't like incest much, but you can play them a lot of different ways, and IDK. I should read around.
(This is random, but I was weirdly amused by the way Thor appeared to basically be standing there in that field, contemplating picking up his hammer for ages before finally, decisively doing it after everyone else had had their resolved!moment. Just something about the way the montage was handled, IDK.)
And Steve! I feel as though I really need to watch Captain America to properly appreciate him (I want to, I just don't have a source at present), but I did really enjoy the bits of him I got here, with his wary frustration and discomfort with the modern world. But ... well, I have to be honest; I love him best with Tony, flinging insults and potentially on the verge of blows one minute, and working together beautifully the next. I love their clashing, contrasting attitudes so much, and seriously, I'm almost dismayed by how easily and obviously I'm into the pairing, but I am just such a sucker for that kind of antagonistic relationship. Of course, I also love Pepper Potts and her relationship with Tony intensely (and every brief moment we got of them in this was great). I ... really want Steve/Tony Tony/Pepper v-style poly fic now, you guys. A whole lot. (I swear, there's something about RDJ. Have I mentioned how much I want movie!Holmes/Watson John/Mary v-style poly fic? IDEK.)
Nick Fury delighted me, naturally; I loved that the ~bloody trading cards were a manipulation on his part, ugh, I loved that he was such a spy and deceptive but also standing by his team at the end. And also he shot down a plane with a rocket launcher. I have so much love for that casting choice right there, seriously.
Also, I appreciated that when I was watching this movie I was almost never distracted by giant blinking JOSS WHEDON PROJECT signifiers; he was in this movie, to be sure, but almost never obnoxiously so for me. There were a few quips in there that made me think immediately of Joss's so-self-aware work on Astonishing X-Men (like the "Hulk ... smash" bit from Cap), but that was fine.
I was really frustrated with the movie's utter Bechdel test fail; there were several deeply fantastic female characters in this film (Natasha! Pepper! Agent Hill, who I would like to know a little more about, but who is beautifully badass!), but for a long while now that hasn't been enough. I want interaction. And also more; I adore Natasha and her skill set, but there are so many fantastic Avengers women to choose from in comics canon. How about Monica fucking Rambeau, huh? Just for a start. (I've had a lot of female character frustration this week, because try as I might, I could not like Natalie Portman's character in Thor, although her friend with the impounded iPod charmed the hell out of me.)
Oh, I need to stop, but basically, I am excited about the fandom for this movie, for all the possibilities there are for falling in love this set of characters who I've just started getting to know and enjoy. (I am so so out of touch, but even avoiding my flist and haphazardly dropping in on twitter, I've picked up a lot of fantastic fannish energy! Enough to get me around a lot of weird comics creator guilt, but anyway.) It's funny, but right now I'm not all that interested in diving into comics canon for them ... I am feeling really burnt out on chasing after the good threads in superhero continuities right now, honestly (and none to enthused about giving Marvel more of my money). And the Avengers aren't a team I have lots of childhood connections to (I was such an X-books kid back in the day); I know a bunch of random trivia, but I think almost all of it is from collecting trading cards, of all things. I just want all the fic. And the podfic, because I have so much drawing to do.
So by "quick" I meant "long but written quickly," I guess? Repetitive and babbly and not an organized post. Sorry about that, guys. I need to go to bed, but I'm so tired of not posting here. (Also of not reading here. That's the next step.)
I am kind of just starting to relearn how to interact with people and the world outside my little sphere ... I miss you all tremendously, but I kind of forget how to do this. But HI. ♥ I'm a little late to the party, but it's nice to be catching the general excitement like this again!
I have all kinds of talking about school and comics (not superhero ones) and my fifty billion exciting summer projects to ramble about under a lock sometime soon, but you know, instead this is going to be a super quick reaction post because it's late and I just got back from seeing Avengers. Clandestinely. Because none of us wanted to break our poor professor's heart (and um, Kirby and Marvel and creator abuse in the mainstream comics industry and tangential thoughts about transformative works should maybe happen at some point too I guess).
So my first reaction was sheer, not-terribly-complicated fun. I'm a little light on obsessive emotional involvement right now, which probably has something to do with the fact that I still haven't seen Iron Man 2 or Captain America and I only finally watched Thor this weekend (somewhat inattentively). This is probably a fandom where the fic will push me the rest of the way over the edge (if I can give enough of my energy and attention to it, since I do have fifty billion exciting summer projects, but anyway). It was a lot of mostly-new characters to take in all at once and try to connect with, and I think I'm a little out of practice with movie characters as it is (everything's been tv and comics and novels lately; longer work, much more time to get attached).
So the characters I felt most strongly about were Tony (because I already love him from the first Iron Man) and Loki (because despite the fact that I actually thought his character arc, such as it was, was a bit mangled in Thor, Hiddleston just like, reached into my heart through my eyesockets and I have a really complete idea of how I see the character even with some weird writing choices), sort of automatically. Every moment that Tony was on the screen was basically FULL OF DELIGHT for me. His cocky irreverence and comical alarm and absurd fucking courage and self-sacrifice, his way of relating with just about every other character ... I don't even know, I have no complaints about Tony at all. And Loki makes me ache for him one minute (because he is so broken and it is so obviously never going to end well for him), and then the next minute fills me with glee over his smirking and posturing. I love that even though he's crazy, he's relatively calm about it all the way through; none of that dissolving into hysteria when everything goes wrong. His "this usually works" when he can't brainwash Tony! Ruefully asking the triumphant heroes if he can have that drink now! (Also I feel as though I should find his costume design ridiculous and stupid, but for some reason I really love those horns.)
The rest of the characters I felt like I was just starting to get to know; they did charm me, but now I really want a lot of epic teamfic so that fandom can help me flesh out those feelings.
I mean, let's see. Natasha! Natasha was badass, oh my god. I don't recall ever having any particular fondness for Scarlett Johansson before, but she kept catching me beautifully with her whole instant switch from apparent vulnerability to "gotcha." It was intensely satisfying every time. (Beyond that, I found her acting a bit flat, but it kind of worked for the character?) I want to know a lot more about the character (I'm realizing that I really don't have much background on her, and I still haven't seen all of her movie canon). I wonder if there's any truth to this solo movie rumor? And while I didn't have any real investment in Clint for his own sake, her well-scripted connection with him made me want to. I don't know that I 'ship them, but I want to see that partnership, and especially that first meeting.
Also, I seriously do not like the Hulk. I have never had even the tiniest bit of inclination towards the character, but jeez, this movie sold him beautifully. I was on the fence for awhile--I wasn't interested in his angst, which made it annoying, and I was really distracted by my strong dislike of the way they used the India setting as a metaphorical representation of his internal "dark place," so to speak--but then they brought in Tony Stark and there was poking and quipping and awesome scientist bonding and pep talks and oh. Man. I see a 'ship there, but I really want them to be awesome scientist BFFs and drive everyone else on the team nuts with it, I want all the fic with that. (Also, I really enjoyed deliberate-and-self-aware Hulk who was still all id-like and randomly punching Thor but also a genuine teammate, not just a monstrous force to be unleashed. He added some much-needed humor to that drawn out final showdown, too.)
I can see why fandom loves Coulson; he is charming, particularly when he starts going all fanboy crush on Steve. I ... don't really 'ship him with anyone based on what I've seen, as of yet, and I felt as though his death was actually not handled powerfully enough to be a catalyst (like, I didn't believe in the other characters having a deep enough investment in him that his individual death would galvanize them), which was a little weird (particularly since that's something Joss Whedon can usually sell, even if I'm sick to death of him doing it). Huh, that's all very ambivalent, isn't it? But I want to see a lot more of the character, with his understated fierce loyalty. And I'd love more just like, friendly backstory with him and Tony and Pepper. (And yeah, he totally doesn't have to be dead.)
Thor. Oh, Thor. I love how grown up he was in this compared to the last movie, seriously; how he could make snarky comments about humans and take his brother to task competently and be ready to quietly take responsibility ... but he still had some lovely little comic moments (like the one where he made a comparison to some bizarre monster and was totally caught off-guard when Coulson told him they didn't have them on earth). Thor actually didn't give me nearly enough regretful, reaching-out brother material, but I was so pleased with it here, the way he so obviously cared for Loki and wanted to stop him and FIX him and protect him from his own terrible choices. Ugh. I am so on the fence about Thor and Loki; I can't decide if I want to 'ship them or if I want all the OMG BROTHERS (in a platonic but seriously intense and important kind of way). I don't like incest much, but you can play them a lot of different ways, and IDK. I should read around.
(This is random, but I was weirdly amused by the way Thor appeared to basically be standing there in that field, contemplating picking up his hammer for ages before finally, decisively doing it after everyone else had had their resolved!moment. Just something about the way the montage was handled, IDK.)
And Steve! I feel as though I really need to watch Captain America to properly appreciate him (I want to, I just don't have a source at present), but I did really enjoy the bits of him I got here, with his wary frustration and discomfort with the modern world. But ... well, I have to be honest; I love him best with Tony, flinging insults and potentially on the verge of blows one minute, and working together beautifully the next. I love their clashing, contrasting attitudes so much, and seriously, I'm almost dismayed by how easily and obviously I'm into the pairing, but I am just such a sucker for that kind of antagonistic relationship. Of course, I also love Pepper Potts and her relationship with Tony intensely (and every brief moment we got of them in this was great). I ... really want Steve/Tony Tony/Pepper v-style poly fic now, you guys. A whole lot. (I swear, there's something about RDJ. Have I mentioned how much I want movie!Holmes/Watson John/Mary v-style poly fic? IDEK.)
Nick Fury delighted me, naturally; I loved that the ~bloody trading cards were a manipulation on his part, ugh, I loved that he was such a spy and deceptive but also standing by his team at the end. And also he shot down a plane with a rocket launcher. I have so much love for that casting choice right there, seriously.
Also, I appreciated that when I was watching this movie I was almost never distracted by giant blinking JOSS WHEDON PROJECT signifiers; he was in this movie, to be sure, but almost never obnoxiously so for me. There were a few quips in there that made me think immediately of Joss's so-self-aware work on Astonishing X-Men (like the "Hulk ... smash" bit from Cap), but that was fine.
I was really frustrated with the movie's utter Bechdel test fail; there were several deeply fantastic female characters in this film (Natasha! Pepper! Agent Hill, who I would like to know a little more about, but who is beautifully badass!), but for a long while now that hasn't been enough. I want interaction. And also more; I adore Natasha and her skill set, but there are so many fantastic Avengers women to choose from in comics canon. How about Monica fucking Rambeau, huh? Just for a start. (I've had a lot of female character frustration this week, because try as I might, I could not like Natalie Portman's character in Thor, although her friend with the impounded iPod charmed the hell out of me.)
Oh, I need to stop, but basically, I am excited about the fandom for this movie, for all the possibilities there are for falling in love this set of characters who I've just started getting to know and enjoy. (I am so so out of touch, but even avoiding my flist and haphazardly dropping in on twitter, I've picked up a lot of fantastic fannish energy! Enough to get me around a lot of weird comics creator guilt, but anyway.) It's funny, but right now I'm not all that interested in diving into comics canon for them ... I am feeling really burnt out on chasing after the good threads in superhero continuities right now, honestly (and none to enthused about giving Marvel more of my money). And the Avengers aren't a team I have lots of childhood connections to (I was such an X-books kid back in the day); I know a bunch of random trivia, but I think almost all of it is from collecting trading cards, of all things. I just want all the fic. And the podfic, because I have so much drawing to do.
So by "quick" I meant "long but written quickly," I guess? Repetitive and babbly and not an organized post. Sorry about that, guys. I need to go to bed, but I'm so tired of not posting here. (Also of not reading here. That's the next step.)
I am kind of just starting to relearn how to interact with people and the world outside my little sphere ... I miss you all tremendously, but I kind of forget how to do this. But HI. ♥ I'm a little late to the party, but it's nice to be catching the general excitement like this again!
