Posted by Sarah

https://reactormag.com/superhero-rewatch-thunderbolts/

Column Superhero Movie Rewatch

“We’re all losers, and we lost” — Thunderbolts*

This movie is an absolute delight — while also dealing with some serious themes.

Published on December 4, 2025

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Posted by Sarah<a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-rewatch-thunderbolts/">https://reactormag.com/superhero-rewatch-thunderbolts/</a><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=832861">https://reactormag.com/?p=832861</a><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-horizontal"> <div class="container container-desktop"> <div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container"> <div class="post-hero-content"> <div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase"> <a href="https://reactormag.com/articles/column/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Column 0"> Column </a> <a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/superhero-movie-rewatch/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Superhero Movie Rewatch 1"> Superhero Movie Rewatch </a> </div> <h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1">“We’re all losers, and we lost” — Thunderbolts*</h2> <div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">This movie is an absolute delight — while also dealing with some serious themes.</div> <div class="post-hero-wrapper"> <div class="post-hero-inner"> By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/keith-decandido/" title="Posts by Keith R.A. DeCandido" class="author url fn" rel="author">Keith R.A. DeCandido</a> | Published on December 4, 2025 </div> </div> <div class="quick-access post-hero-quick-access mt-[17px] tablet:hidden"> <div class="flex gap-[30px] tablet:gap-6"> <a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-rewatch-thunderbolts/#comments" class="flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase translate-x-[1px] translate-y-[1px]"> <svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 18 18" aria-label="comment" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-comment-quick-access-"> <title id="icon-comment-quick-access-">Comment</title> <g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"> <path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" d="M6.3 18a.9.9 0 0 1-.9-.9v-2.7H1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 0 12.6V1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 1.8 0h14.4A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 18 1.8v10.8a1.8 1.8 0 0 1-1.8 1.8h-5.49l-3.33 3.339a.917.917 0 0 1-.63.261H6.3Z" /> <path stroke="#000" d="M5.9 14.4v-.5H1.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3-1.3V1.8A1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.8.5h14.4a1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.3 1.3v10.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3 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7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" /> </g> <defs> <clippath id="clip0_1051_121783"> <rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)" /> </clippath> </defs> </svg> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </details> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-hero-media "> <figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image"> <img decoding="async" width="740" height="333" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Elevator-740x333.jpg" class="w-full object-cover" alt="The Thunderbolts* assemble in the Avengers Tower elevator in Marvel's Thunderbolts*." srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Elevator-740x333.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Elevator-1100x496.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Elevator-768x346.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Elevator-1536x692.jpg 1536w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Elevator-2048x923.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </post-hero> <div class="wp-block-more-from-category"> <div> </div> </div> From August 2017 – January 2020, Keith R.A. DeCandido took a weekly look at every live-action movie based on a superhero comic that had been made to date in the <a href="https://reactormag.com/columns/the-great-superhero-movie-rewatch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Superhero Movie Rewatch</a>. He’s periodically revisited the feature to look back at new releases, as well as a few he missed the first time through. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> In 1991, a whole bunch of Marvel’s most popular artists—who’d become fan favorites working on titles featuring Spider-Man and/or the X-Men—decided to quit Marvel and form their own company, where they could produce superhero titles that they owned and controlled. Thus, Image Comics was born. Trust me, this all relates to Thunderbolts*… Five years later, the sales on several of Marvel’s flagship titles—those featuring the Avengers and the Fantastic Four—were poor. In a radical move, Marvel decided to outsource those titles to two of the artists who’d gone over to Image, Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld. In-universe, there was a major crossover called “Onslaught,” which ended with the apparent deaths of the Avengers and FF—but in truth, they were sent to a pocket universe created by Franklin Richards, the child of Reed and Sue Richards of the FF. Meanwhile, in the mainline Marvel universe, a team of all-new heroes who called themselves the Thunderbolts appeared to fill the gap left behind by the removal of so many heroes. While the team was created by Kurt Busiek & Mark Bagley, they first appeared in Incredible Hulk #449 by Peter David & Mike Deodato Jr., then were seen in their own title by Busiek & Bagley shortly thereafter. The twist came at the end of the first issue of their title, when it was revealed that the Thunderbolts were, in fact, a bunch of long-time Marvel super-villains in disguise, led by Baron Zemo (posing as Citizen V). They were engaged in a long con, acting as heroes in order to win the trust of the people of Earth before betraying them and taking over. Eventually, the team became proper heroes, as all the ex-villains—save for Zemo and the Fixer (posing as Techno)—decided they like being good guys more than being bad guys. Hawkeye—himself a reformed villain—took over as team leader for a time. The outsourcing of the Avengers and FF titles only lasted a year, and they were returned to the mainline Marvel Universe, but the Thunderbolts also remained a going concern. They have gone through numerous incarnations in the two-and-a-half decades since, including being renamed the Dark Avengers for a time. The notion of adding the Thunderbolts to the Marvel Cinematic Universe originally came from James Gunn, though his interest in doing a Marvel movie about a group of villains doing heroic things waned after he wound up doing something similar for DC with <a href="https://reactormag.com/nothing-like-a-bloodbath-to-start-the-day-the-suicide-squad/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Suicide Squad</a>. After <a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-movie-rewatch-black-widow/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Widow</a> wrapped, that film’s co-writer Eric Pearson pitched a Thunderbolts movie, with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova headlining. While the two villains who formed Thunderbolts groups in the comics—Zemo and Thaddeus Ross—were potentially available, it was decided not to go that route precisely to avoid comparisons to the two Suicide Squad movies. The seeds for this movie were sown, not just in Black Widow, but also in <a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Falcon and the Winter Soldier</a>, <a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/hawkeye-recaps/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hawkeye</a>, <a href="https://reactormag.com/only-the-most-broken-people-can-be-great-leaders-black-panther-wakanda-forever/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Panther: Wakanda Forever</a>, and <a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-movie-rewatch-captain-america-brave-new-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Captain America: Brave New World</a>. In particular, the introduction of CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine sets up much of this movie, as de Fontaine’s use of costumed heroes to do black ops is seen in several of the above stories. Most of the main characters in this film appeared in prior MCU films. The exception is Sentry, a character created by Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee, & Rick Veitch for an eponymous 2000 miniseries. A powerful hero who watches over the world to protect it against the Void, Sentry was retconned into Marvel’s history, but had never been seen or mentioned before because the Void erased all knowledge of Sentry and Void—who, it turns out, are two halves of the same person. Sentry has appeared in several Avengers comics since his intro, including the Dark Avengers. Back from Brave New World is Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier. Back from Wakanda Forever is Julia Louis-Dreyfus as de Fontaine. Back from Hawkeye is Pugh as Belova. Back from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S.Agent. Back from Black Widow are David Harbour as the Red Guardian and Olga Kuryenko as Taskmaster. Back from <a href="https://reactormag.com/you-will-believe-a-hello-kitty-pez-dispenser-can-fly-ant-man-the-wasp/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ant-Man & the Wasp</a> is Hannah John-Kamen as the Ghost. Introduced in this film are Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel, Chris Bauer as Holt, and the great Wendell Pierce (who will next be seen in this rewatch in Superman) as Congressman Gary, who is holding hearings investigating de Fontaine. Many of the above will appear next in Avengers: Doomsday. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> Thunderbolts* Written by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo Directed by Jake Schreier Produced by Kevin Feige Original release date: May 2, 2025 “We’re just disposable delinquents” <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1100" height="733" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/thunderbolts-thumbnail-pugh-1100x733.jpg" alt="Florence Pugh in Thunderbolts*" class="wp-image-806611" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/thunderbolts-thumbnail-pugh-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/thunderbolts-thumbnail-pugh-740x493.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/thunderbolts-thumbnail-pugh-768x512.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/thunderbolts-thumbnail-pugh.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Marvel Studios</figcaption></figure> Yelena Belova is depressed. She’s just going through the motions—in this case, her latest mission for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She’s to dispose of a lab in Kuala Lumpur. A scientist—who insists that de Fontaine doesn’t understand the reality of what happened with the Sentry Project—tries to stop her with a gun that he isn’t very good at shooting, and winds up with his face blown off. This means Belova can’t get into the lab to destroy the evidence she’s there to destroy, as it’s behind a facial recognition lock. So she blows up the whole lab. (She does save the guinea pig they were using as a lab animal.) Meanwhile, de Fontaine is being investigated by a congressional committee. (One of the people observing is first-year congressman James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, who has apparently won the Brooklyn congressional seat he was running for in <a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-movie-rewatch-captain-america-brave-new-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brave New World</a>.) Prior to being appointed head of the CIA, she was the head of OXE, and while she says she’s divested herself of all holdings in OXE, she’s still on the advisory board. The chair of the committee, Congressman Gary, believes that she’s still more involved, and that OXE is involved in human experimentation in an attempt to create new superheroes. De Fontaine speechifies, pointing out that the Avengers are gone, but threats still exist, plus <a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-movie-rewatch-captain-america-brave-new-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the last president turned into a big red rage monster</a>. After walking out of the hearing, de Fontaine asks her assistant Mel for an update. Mel reports that all the evidence is in the vault, and she’s sent all but one of the assets to the vault. De Fontaine guesses who the exception is. Belova has gone to visit her surrogate father, Red Guardian, who is now living in Baltimore, running a limo company, and pretending to still be a superhero. He and Belova haven’t spoken in a year, and she bares her soul to him, expressing her depression and that she’s thinking of quitting working for de Fontaine. Red Guardian’s response to this is to ask for de Fontaine’s number, as he’d kill to work for her. Belova then calls de Fontaine, and says that after this next job, she wants a more front-facing job—like her sister. De Fontaine says that, after this next job, they’ll discuss it. First, she has to go to a vault in a mountain in the middle of nowhere, where a rogue agent known as the Ghost is trying to steal OXE’s stuff. Belova is to follow her in, see what she steals, and dispose of her. When she arrives, she’s surprised to see U.S.Agent, who is targeting her—and Taskmaster, who is targeting U.S.Agent, while Ghost is targeting Taskmaster. In addition, there’s a seemingly unpowered civilian there named Bob. It soon becomes clear that they were all sent there to kill each other, and if they didn’t succeed, they’re going to be incinerated. Alas, they don’t learn this until after Ghost kills Taskmaster. U.S.Agent doesn’t believe this, as he’s a genuine hero, not like the others, plus he’s got a family. (At this point, Ghost and Belova remind him that he stopped being the official Captain America when <a href="https://reactormag.com/bad-guys-and-good-guys-in-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldiers-the-whole-world-is-watching/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">he killed an innocent civilian</a>.) The vault is sealed off and the heat starts to rise. There’s a convenient countdown of two minutes. In D.C., de Fontaine is holding a party for the families of first responders that’s full of Avengers memorabilia. Gary calls her out for her “fake party” as a PR move, while Bucky tries to work Mel, giving her a business card. Mel then surprises de Fontaine by informing her that the assets that were supposed to either kill each other or get incinerated are, instead, working together. De Fontaine is pissed, and also confused as to who Bob is, instructing Mel to find out. Back at the vault, they are able to destroy the machine that is keeping Ghost from phasing through the door. Ghost then opens the door just as the room is incinerated. She almost left them behind, but the lift isn’t working, so she decides she needs help. <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="677" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/thunderbolts-vault-bob-1100x677.jpg" alt="Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Bob (Lewis Pullman), Yelena (Florence Pugh) and U.S.Agent (Wyatt Russell) peer around a doorway in a scene from Thunderbolts*" class="wp-image-832874" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/thunderbolts-vault-bob-1100x677.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/thunderbolts-vault-bob-740x455.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/thunderbolts-vault-bob-768x473.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/thunderbolts-vault-bob.jpg 1300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Marvel Studios</figcaption></figure> When they’re blown out of the vault, Bob and Belova make skin-to-skin contact, and Belova finds herself reliving one of the tests she underwent in the Red Room as a child: luring one of her fellow trainees—a little girl—to her death in the forest. Belova tries to calm a very frightened Bob down, especially since he has no memory of what happened to him. He had been off wandering through Malaysia, agreed to do a medical trial, and the next thing he knew he was in the vault watching these people try to kill each other. As they’re being driven home in a limo, de Fontaine instructs Mel to send Holt—her chief of security—and his troops to the vault to take care of the assets that had the temerity not to kill each other. Mel also has learned who Bob is: one of the test subjects for the Sentry Project. They assumed he was dead, which is why his corpse was sent to the vault—but apparently, he’s alive. This thrills de Fontaine. After they leave the limo, we see that Red Guardian is the driver. U.S.Agent has found a shaft that will lead to the surface. But none of them can fly and it’s too far for even the super soldier serum-enhanced U.S.Agent to jump. Bob suggests they stand back to back, lock arms, and climb up the shaft. This barely works, and then they’re stuck with what to do when they get to the top. U.S.Agent decides to grab Belova’s staffs and use them to get through the hatch, with Ghost able to cling to the side, Belova able to cling to Ghost, and her widow’s line catching Bob. An unapologetic U.S.Agent helps Bob up, at which point he flashes back to a bitter argument between him and his wife. Mel calls Bucky and it turns out she does have reservations about what de Fontaine is doing. She encourages him to track her phone. When de Fontaine and Mel arrive at the vault, the former tells Holt to go non-lethal. Holt is disappointed, as he’d planned for lethal, but de Fontaine doesn’t want Bob to catch a stray bullet. In the vault, the assets realize they have to get through the troops. Ghost goes off to get them transportation, while Belova plans to knock out the lights with an explosion, then, when Holt’s troops come in with their night-vision goggles, turn the lights back on, blinding them. U.S.Agent doesn’t like this plan, as explosions have too many variables, but Belova insists. U.S.Agent thinks he should be the leader, and cites not just his military record, but also how many presidents he’s shaken hands with and his high-school football record. Belova snarkily counters with the terrible soccer team she played on when she was part of a fake American family in the 1990s, the West Chesapeake Valley Thunderbolts, sponsored by Shane’s Tire Shop. Bob sticks with Belova, who continues to try to be friendly and encouraging to him, and also protects him during the ensuing fight. That fight goes rather poorly, as the explosion fried the lights, so Belova’s plan doesn’t quite work. However, they manage to take out Holt’s troops and sneak out in uniforms, and then head away in a truck Ghost stole. However, they’re stopped at a checkpoint where U.S.Agent utterly fails to bluff his way past the guard. Bob takes matters into his own hands, grabbing a rifle and shooting randomly. Holt’s people shoot the crap out of him, to de Fontaine’s horror—but then, to everyone’s shock, Bob proves completely immune to those bullets. He then flies into the air, is shocked, starts to run out of air, and passes out, falling to the earth at what would be terminal velocity for someone who wasn’t invulnerable. The impact crater he makes totals the truck, so Belova, U.S.Agent, and Ghost have to proceed on foot. Eventually, they come across Red Guardian, who warns Belova not to go into the vault, as de Fontaine will incinerate them. Belova initially tries to pretend Red Guardian doesn’t exist, but they all get into his limo to escape. Red Guardian thinks they’re a team, prompting U.S.Agent to snarkily call them the West Chesapeake Valley Thunderbolts. Red Guardian is thrilled that Belova named them after her soccer team, but they all insist that they’re not a team. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="523" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thunderbolts-6-1100x523.jpg" alt="Red Guardian (David Harbour) attempts to encourage his daughter Yelena (Florence Pugh) in Thunderbolts*." class="wp-image-813460" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thunderbolts-6-1100x523.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thunderbolts-6-740x352.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thunderbolts-6-768x365.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thunderbolts-6-1536x730.jpg 1536w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thunderbolts-6.jpg 1789w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Marvel Studios</figcaption></figure> De Fontaine has Bob brought back to the base—not to D.C., as Mel thinks, but to the place in New York. Mel points out that they stopped renovations when they stopped the project, but de Fontaine tells her to start them back up. Holt’s people catch up to them, and start shooting at the not-as-bulletproof-as-Red-Guardian-says-it-is limo. The same sonic blast they used against the Ghost in the vault is in use here, so she can’t do anything, and U.S.Agent’s shield is the only thing keeping them alive. Then Bucky shows up, taking out all three APVs, then taking the four of them hostage. He wants to bring them back to D.C. to testify before the committee. He also expresses sympathy to U.S.Agent over his wife and kid leaving him, information that surprises the others. The place in New York where de Fontaine has set up shop is the old Avengers Tower, which she apparently <a href="https://reactormag.com/whatevers-going-on-with-you-i-hope-you-figure-it-out-spider-man-homecoming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bought from Stark Enterprises</a>. De Fontaine has brought Bob there, explaining that the others are criminals, and that he should only trust her. He will become the finest superhero in the world, Sentry. At one point they touch, at which point de Fontaine flashes back to her childhood in Italy when her father was killed. Mel is concerned, worried that someone with Bob’s litany of mental health issues shouldn’t be given superpowers. You give Steve Rogers a super-soldier serum, he becomes Captain America, but you give it to Bob, and you don’t know what you’ll get. After de Fontaine completely dismisses her concerns, Mel calls Bucky, expressing fear about Bob. Bucky has been hearing about Bob from his four new prisoners and not entirely believing them, but now he’s convinced. So they head to New York. The Thunderbolts arrive at what is now called the Watchtower. At first, they fight de Fontaine’s guards, but then she just invites them upstairs to the same room with a bar where Tony Stark confronted Loki in <a href="https://reactormag.com/earths-mightiest-heroes-type-of-thing-avengers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Avengers</a>. The Thunderbolts plan to take de Fontaine in, but she has a <s>Hulk</s> Sentry. The Thunderbolts utterly fail to even come close to the vaguest possibility of any kind of inkling of harming Sentry. Eventually, they retreat. On the street, they admit defeat, with Belova in particular going on at great length about how pathetic they are. She storms off, but Red Guardian goes after her. She castigates him for ignoring her for a year, and he apologizes, saying he’s here now. Upstairs, Sentry refuses to go after the Thunderbolts. He wonders why, if he’s virtually a god, he has to listen to what de Fontaine says. With a sigh, de Fontaine is about to throw the kill switch, but Sentry is too fast, and he almost chokes her to death before Mel activates the kill switch, then demands a raise. Unfortunately, the kill switch didn’t actually kill Sentry, it just allowed his other personality to come to the fore: the Void, which starts seemingly disintegrating people and plunging New York into darkness. Holt’s people go after the Void, which just results in a lot of property damage. The Thunderbolts try to rescue people, but it’s a losing battle, as the Void keeps wiping out more people. <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="501" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Void-Shadow-4-1100x501.jpg" alt="Void/Sentry (Lewis Pullman) floats over Manhattan in Marvel's Thunderbolts*." class="wp-image-823440" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Void-Shadow-4-1100x501.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Void-Shadow-4-740x337.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Void-Shadow-4-768x350.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Void-Shadow-4-1536x699.jpg 1536w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Void-Shadow-4-2048x933.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Marvel Studios</figcaption></figure> Belova, however, steps into the darkness on purpose. The other Thunderbolts debate whether to follow her in—it’s possible she was simply disintegrated—but they’re getting to the point where they have little to lose… Belova finds herself back in the forest where she led Anya to her death, which she’d flashed back on earlier. After trying to stop Anya from being killed, and instead reliving it over and over, she manages to escape to another room, where she and other children were locking and loading pistols. Belova was the fastest, and the other girls were whipped for not being first. Then she sees Bob in a mirror, and breaks through to find herself in a bathroom with a version of herself at her lowest point, drunk and mourning Natasha. She eventually finds Bob in an upstairs attic, where he’s hiding as his abusive father and his mother fight below. He explains that he has no control over the Void, which then uses the furniture and bric-a-brac in the attic to try to kill them—or at least hurt them, as Bob says they can’t die here. But then the other Thunderbolts show up to rescue them. Apparently, they went through some shame rooms of their own. (Bucky says wryly, “I’m fine—I had a great past, I’m totally fine.”) Bob has said that this attic is the best place here, so Belova suggests the way out is to go to the worst place. They go through several of Bob’s shame rooms—including one where he’s a sign-twirling chicken, during a time when he was on meth—before finding themselves at the same lab that Belova blew up at the top of the film. The Void physically traps the Thunderbolts, then Bob confronts him, beating him up repeatedly. However, that’s what the Void wants, and the darkness starts to claim Bob. Belova manages to break free with Red Guardian’s help and tries to hold Bob back. The others also break free and do the same, and the power of the group hug gets them back onto 42nd Street… the darkness retreating, the people all restored, and Bob once again not remembering anything. The press de Fontaine had Mel gather to announce Sentry’s defeat of the rogue criminals who blew up an OXE vault are present, and de Fontaine switches gears, announcing that this team that just defeated the Void are the new Avengers. Belova whispers to de Fontaine that they own her now. And the asterisk on the title is finally explained: the real title of the movie is: Thunderbolts* (*The New Avengers). Fourteen months later, it’s clear that the public has not embraced these new Avengers even a little bit. (Headlines include “Not My Avengers” and “B-vengers” and “The ‘Huh?’ Heard ’Round the World.”) Apparently, Sam Wilson is trying to put together his own Avengers and also has filed for the trademark. (The dialogue says copyright, but it’d be the trademark he’d have to get.) Red Guardian’s solution is for them to call themselves “Avengerz.” Then they detect a ship that has entered their universe through a dimensional portal. It has a stylized “4” on it. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="511" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Avengers-Kitsch-1100x511.jpg" alt="A symbol of the old Avengers is displayed as a historical artifact in Marvel's Thunderbolts*." class="wp-image-823435" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Avengers-Kitsch-1100x511.jpg 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Avengers-Kitsch-740x344.jpg 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Avengers-Kitsch-768x357.jpg 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Avengers-Kitsch-1536x713.jpg 1536w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunderbolts-Avengers-Kitsch-2048x951.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: Marvel Studios</figcaption></figure> “Your light is dim, even by Eastern European standards” This movie is an absolute delight, partly because it doesn’t entirely follow the expected formula. But it’s also got some disappointments, partly because, just like Brave New World, it apes the structure of another, better movie a little too much. One of the things I like best about this movie is that—like most of the MCU films—it’s not just a superhero movie. Just as <a href="https://reactormag.com/i-ruined-the-moment-didnt-i-ant-man/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ant-Man</a> was also a heist movie, <a href="https://reactormag.com/this-isnt-freedom-this-is-fear-captain-america-the-winter-soldier/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Captain America: The Winter Soldier</a> was also a political thriller, <a href="https://reactormag.com/its-hard-for-a-good-man-to-be-king-black-panther/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Panther</a> was also an Afro-futurist tale, and so on, Thunderbolts* is a very powerful treatise on mental health issues in general and depression in particular. It starts with the very first scene, where Belova—who is so lackadaisical toward her work that she isn’t even wearing the battlesuit we saw her wear in Black Widow and Hawkeye, but is instead wearing sweats and a hoodie—is trying desperately to find some kind of meaning. Indeed, that’s true of pretty much all the characters herein. U.S.Agent is putting up a mediocre front as the operative who has his shit together, but we learn that he’s lost his family and is mostly known by the world at large as the failed Captain America. Bucky is not enjoying being a politician—his response to Gary’s throwing impeachment paperwork at him is to be bored to tears, and he jumps at the chance to do something superheroic instead. And Red Guardian is frustrated as hell by his life as a limo driver living in a crappy house in Baltimore. Ghost gets short shrift here, and it’s one of the movie’s flaws on two different levels. One is that Hannah John-Kamen is delightful, and it would’ve been nice to do more than pay lip service to her shitty life. Plus, she kills Taskmaster—which is another flaw—and aside from one very brief unsatisfying conversation with Belova, that isn’t even really dealt with. Indeed, one of the interesting things about Black Widow was Taskmaster being freed from the Red Room, with the promise of more development later, since she was underused in that film. Instead, she comes back long enough to be even more underused, getting all of one line of dialogue before she’s shot in the head. But the movie still works on so many levels, partly due to the sparkling dialogue that is a hallmark of most MCU films, partly due to superlative performances by everyone, and partly due to the climax not being a big-ass battle against a CGI monster of some sort. That last is particularly good, as watching superhero movies for the last eight years has engendered tremendous fight-the-CGI-monster-at-the-climax fatigue in your humble rewatcher. And I love that the method of stopping the Void was, basically, a group hug. We also have a great villain in de Fontaine. Julia Louis-Dreyfus imbues her with what Loki referred to as “glorious purpose” in Avengers, and her actual big-picture goals are, in the abstract, good ones, but oof are her means awful. She also has the same flaw here that we also saw in Wakanda Forever: she underestimates people. In particular, she puts way too much faith in her ability to control Sentry, something her assistant (who is also magnificently portrayed by Geraldine Viswanathan, whose banter with both Louis-Dreyfus and Sebastian Stan is letter-perfect) has figured out. The climax is trying a little too hard to ape Avengers, and for the second movie in a row, it doesn’t entirely work. It comes closer to making sense here, because de Fontaine is trying very hard to re-create the Avengers, and her buying Stark Tower and confronting them from the bar plays into that. But the scene doesn’t have anywhere near the verve of the scene in the 2012 film, and it’s never a good idea to remind people of a better movie. The movie is absolutely made by Florence Pugh and David Harbour, though. The pair of them continue the fantastic work they did in Black Widow, and while the third part of their triumvirate is seriously missed (I will never stop bitching about the idiotic decision to kill Natasha Romanoff in <a href="https://reactormag.com/whatever-it-takes-avengers-endgame/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Avengers: Endgame</a>), Romanoff’s death also dictates a lot of the character work done with both Belova and Red Guardian. Pugh’s laconic charm and Harbour’s bombastic scenery chewing are superb. My final complaint isn’t so much a problem with this film as a bit of a continuity issue that is probably at least partly the result of the movies since Endgame being made in the shadow of a global pandemic and two strikes. Both <a href="https://reactormag.com/the-pursuit-of-happiness-doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness</a> and the after-credits scene of <a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-movie-rewatch-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings</a> make it seem like the Avengers are still some kind of going concern, but <a href="https://reactormag.com/the-calm-after-the-storm-spider-man-far-from-home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spider-Man: Far From Home</a> made it seem like the Avengers are gone, while other movies were cagey on the subject. However, Brave New World and this movie have been explicit about the Avengers no longer being a thing, and that makes no sense. I guess we’ll have some kind of explanation next year when Avengers: Doomsday comes out… <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> Next week, the Man of Steel is back! We take a look at the latest film version of Superman.[end-mark] The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-rewatch-thunderbolts/">“We’re all losers, and we lost” — Thunderbolts*</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.<a href="https://reactormag.com/superhero-rewatch-thunderbolts/">https://reactormag.com/superhero-rewatch-thunderbolts/</a><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=832861">https://reactormag.com/?p=832861</a>

Posted by Fred Clark

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2025/12/04/for-the-least-they-can-possibly-do-2/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=72008

“It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her. (And other links.)

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2025/12/04/for-the-least-they-can-possibly-do-2/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=72008

Posted by Rachel Thomas

https://www.themarysue.com/aritzia-worker-body-shames/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903043

woman shares shopping experience (l) aritzia store front (r)

A woman says she was body-shamed after a visit to an Aritzia location in Charlotte, North Carolina. Corrin Bogan (@corrinbogan) recently went inside one of the stores and received an unrelated and unwanted comment from a sales associate after asking a question. She later posted about the experience on TikTok, where her video has received more than 863,000 views. Aritzia has since responded to Bogan’s claims.

“Not the body shaming in Aritzia. And you know what? I still bought the freaking jeans,” Bogan said.

https://www.themarysue.com/aritzia-worker-body-shames/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903043

Posted by Medievalists.net

https://www.medievalists.net/2025/12/time-prayer-and-song-medieval-monasticism-and-the-divine-office/

https://www.medievalists.net/?p=106928

Explore the origins and daily practice of the Divine Office in the Middle Ages, from the Desert Fathers to Benedictine monasteries, where time, music, and prayer shaped every aspect of monastic life.

https://www.medievalists.net/2025/12/time-prayer-and-song-medieval-monasticism-and-the-divine-office/

https://www.medievalists.net/?p=106928

Posted by Blake Seidel

https://cheezburger.com/43449093/a-lengthy-list-of-40-purrfect-posts-of-cats-being-natures-glitchiest-and-silliest-creation

Let's be real - cats are purrfect. They're almost too purrfect. They're graceful, beautiful, with luscious fur, ameowzing hunters, always smell good, and they think they're better than everyone else (they are). But, it's impawssible to live with something that's purrfect because it's setting a standard that's unrealistic. Even Ceiling Cat knew that the cats they were creating were too good, so they added a little extra flavor to their feline souls that made them purrfectly ready to be paired with hoomans - derpiness.

As someone who has lived with cats for most of their lives, we can tell you that underneath all that meowjestic beauty is the brain the size of a walnut that is too curious for its own good. Cats are nature's glitchiest and silliest creation, and we love them for it. It adds some chaos and fun to their feline purrsonalities. Some cats are obsessed with potatoes, some fur babies love to hang upside down, and those are just the ones we can think of off the top of our heads.

But it really is this combination that makes cats truly special. They're silly, funny, beautiful, adorable, and surprising all in one tiny package. The purrfect package.

https://cheezburger.com/43449093/a-lengthy-list-of-40-purrfect-posts-of-cats-being-natures-glitchiest-and-silliest-creation

Posted by admin

https://lamebook.com/a-little-kindness/

https://lamebook.com/?p=175044

https://lamebook.com/a-little-kindness/

https://lamebook.com/?p=175044

Posted by admin

https://lamebook.com/the-sacred-ladder/

https://lamebook.com/?p=175025

https://lamebook.com/the-sacred-ladder/

https://lamebook.com/?p=175025

Posted by Molly Templeton

https://reactormag.com/what-keeps-you-reading/

https://reactormag.com/?p=832864

Books Mark as Read

What Keeps You Reading?

Becoming a reader is different than *staying* a reader…

By Molly Templeton

Published on December 4, 2025

Portrait de Marguerite (The Reader) by Henri Matisse, 1906

Lately, it feels like every time I log on, there’s a new article or post bemoaning the state of reading. Some of it is genuinely distressing; some of it draws a bit more of a side-eye, from me at least. A Smithsonian headline says “Reading for Pleasure Has Declined by a ‘Deeply Concerning’ 40 Percent Over the Past Two Decades.”

I don’t want to rehash the content of all of these articles, which talk about everything from the lure of social media to the sad percentage of adults who read to children to the question of whether “performative reading” is a thing and what the term itself means. But I have been thinking about a different facet of the same topic: The people who read all the time. The kids who love books; the friends whose reading I simply cannot keep up with; the booming corners of the publishing industry, where dragons and faeries rule over all. Last month, I went to the Portland Book Festival, where the presence of Rebecca Yarros was unmissable: there were Basgiath War College sweatshirts aplenty, plus dragon imagery everywhere and women with their hair in elaborate braids that I began to understand marked them as Fourth Wing fans. The festival is always lively and well-attended, but this year, it sold out for the first time ever. And the crowd was a little different than usual, or at least looked that way.

Some people aren’t reading. But some people are reading a lot. Not everything is darkness. Publishing would not put out books like Hwang Bo-Reum’s Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books if there were no market for such books. Last year, Evan Friss’s The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore was a bestseller. Char Adams’ Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore just came out last month. There are countless books about books, booksellers, publishers; journals about reading; gift items in the shape of books or designed to make you think about books; book-related tarot cards; bookish mugs and scarves and bags and magnets. Being a capital-R Reader has never felt as commodified as it does right now. Book people are clearly a market. There can’t be that few of us.

I find it hard to imagine not being a reader. I was that cliched kid who would read the back of the cereal box if there was nothing else available. I’ve read really, really random books out of sheer desperation, having underestimated my book needs on a trip to a place with no bookstore. Before phones, there was always a book in my bag; now I rarely carry a bag, but there is always something to read on my phone.

But I can also see that if only a few things were different in my childhood, I might have turned out otherwise. What if my grandmother didn’t teach me to read long before I started school? What if my house hadn’t been filled with books? What if my parents hadn’t allowed me to read anything I wanted? What if my mom didn’t read Le Guin and Tolkien to me? What if I didn’t get to make regular trips to the library? What if there had been social media when I was young? Any life is filled with these variables, the things that, had they been different, might have led us down such different paths. Some big, some small, some life-changing. I wonder what could change, still, for the people who take no joy in reading.

Becoming a reader, though, is different than staying a reader. When I’m thinking about these columns, sometimes I make my way through a series of blogs, websites, forums, newspapers, browsing around to see what people are talking and thinking about. There is always someone finding something new, and always someone struggling to sustain their joy. There’s always a list post made up entirely of obvious books and one that’s full of surprises. Now, especially, is the time of lists—all these best-of wrap-ups full of books I’ve not gotten to yet. (There are at least 50 titles on my list of “2025 books I wish to read someday”).

Still, even when I’m overwhelmed, overworked, stressed out, mid-move, missing deadlines, worrying about the world, furious at the world—in all of these times, I’m reading. Or I’m trying to read. At the very least I am putting the books I plan to read next into a stack in the middle of the room, where I can’t help but see them. Sustaining this habit is a priority because I make it one.

What keeps me reading? Curiosity, more than anything. What’s out there? What don’t I know about? What will I learn from the next thing I read—about writing, about history, about people, about a place in the world, about trauma and conflict and love and contentment? Where can I go in a book that I may never go in real life? What can I take from a book to use in my own writing? What will inspire me or make me cry or leave me so rapt that I don’t want to watch TV or leave the house or anything? Why does it do that? How does it do that? What else is out there?

What is it like to be in someone else’s head? What is it like to live in their space, to walk their roads? Reading, for me, is the single best way to experience lives I will never live. Watching TV and movies is delightful, magical, enjoyable, but it’s watching, and watching is different than reading. Reading, I’m in charge of the pace, how quickly or slowly I follow or race through the words. I’m in charge of casting, location, setting. The image that forms in my head may or may not exactly match the author’s description, but whatever it is, it’s something my brain—my store of ideas and visuals and references—cooks up to accompany the prose. Sometimes, it feels like practice for living.

I don’t mean to be too terribly grandiose. I have grown wary of the reading-is-good-for-you positions, the but-you-need-it-for-empathy arguments that seem to posit reading as a moral good. There are plenty of things a person can read that are not going to add to their own personal moral goodness quotient. I’m not reading because it’s good for me. Reading isn’t vegetables! I’m reading because I can’t imagine not—and because I want all the things that books encourage me to imagine.

What keeps you reading? How did books and stories come to matter in your life? Each of us has a story about how we got this way, don’t we?[end-mark]

The post What Keeps You Reading? appeared first on Reactor.

https://reactormag.com/what-keeps-you-reading/

https://reactormag.com/?p=832864

Posted by Leah Marilla Thomas

https://www.themarysue.com/oh-what-fun-review/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903078

The new Christmas movie from director Michael Showalter, Oh. What. Fun., tempts the audience to roll their eyes almost immediately, laying on the theme that being a mother at Christmas is a thankless task thick. But as the first act progresses, it becomes clear that a simple “thank you” or “can I help” from her family isn’t enough: Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) should be given a gun.

Since it’s the holiday season, can the terminally online please inform their luddite (affectionate) family members that I am referencing a meme, and am not actually advocating for violence? I am simply impressed by how effectively the Prime Video ensemble comedy presents Christmas as a pressure cooker that brings all of the every day motherhood stresses to a head because, in preparing for the holiday, they multiply. Plus, as she notes in the film’s first few minutes, holiday movies love to center a man’s emotional growth and take the women in the picture for granted.

https://www.themarysue.com/oh-what-fun-review/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903078

Posted by Kopal

https://www.themarysue.com/hardworking-president-trump-took-another-midday-nap-while-marco-rubio-sang-his-praises-sitting-right-beside/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903271

Donald Trump napping during cabinet meeting - Dec. 2

Donald Trump has had enough laughs with his “Sleepy Joe” jabs at former President Joe Biden. Turns out, it was a boomerang that came right back to hit him on the head. Now, he’s napping, and everyone’s laughing.

The hardest-working president the United States has ever seen again dozed off during an important meeting live on television. But it doesn’t reflect his incompetence or declining health. Remember, he “aced” his cognitive tests and got “all As” in his physical examinations just a month ago. He isn’t unfit; his cabinet just did not say anything worthy enough to listen to.

https://www.themarysue.com/hardworking-president-trump-took-another-midday-nap-while-marco-rubio-sang-his-praises-sitting-right-beside/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903271

Posted by Sanchari Ghosh

https://www.themarysue.com/4-nations-that-seduced-donald-trump-with-gifts-and-got-rewards-youd-never-expect-in-return/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903322

When you are the President of one of the world’s largest democracies, you are definitely important. And when you are that significant, you can be sure that many will go to great lengths to win your favour through various means of appeasement.

In recent months, numerous world leaders have visited Donald Trump, and he has also travelled to meet various leaders, all in an effort to strengthen ties between the United States and those nations. During these meetings, especially when leaders came to America to meet the president, they brought along various inexpensive gifts to keep the 12-year-old child in President Donald Trump entertained. This was also a practice during his first presidency, but that’s a discussion for another time.

https://www.themarysue.com/4-nations-that-seduced-donald-trump-with-gifts-and-got-rewards-youd-never-expect-in-return/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903322

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/cowboys-ya-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163559

Ravished

Ravished by Amanda Quick is $2.99! This is a historical romance with some Beauty and the Beast vibes, which many readers loved. However, other readers felt the heroine’s characterization was a bit inconsistent with constant mood changes. Have you read this one?

From the cozy confines of a tiny seaside village to the glittering crush of the a fashionable London soiree comes an enthralling tale of a thoroughly mismatched couple . . . poised to discover the rapture of love.

There was no doubt about it. What Miss Harriet Pomeroy needed was a man. Someone powerful and clever who could help her rout the unscrupulous thieves who were using her beloved caves to hide their loot. But when Harriet summoned Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin, to her aid, she could not know that she was summoning the devil himself. . . .

Dubbed the Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and lecherous past, Gideon was strong and fierce and notoriously menacing. Yet Harriet could not find it in her heart to fear him. For in his tawny gaze she sensed a savage pain she longed to soothe . . . and a searing passion she yearned to answer. Now, caught up in the Beast’s clutches, Harriet must find a way to win his heart–and evade the deadly trap of a scheming villain who would see them parted for all time.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Immortal

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan is $1.99! This fantasy romance was released in January and was mentioned on Hide Your Wallet. Tan’s books always have beautiful covers.

A stunning, standalone romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion, of a young ruler who fights to protect her kingdom, from bestselling author Sue Lynn Tan and set in the breathtaking world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

“What the gods did not give us, I would take.”

As the heir to Tianxia, Liyen knows she must ascend the throne and renew her kingdom’s pledge to serve the immortals who once protected them from a vicious enemy. But when she is poisoned, Liyen’s grandfather steals an enchanted lotus to save her life. Enraged at his betrayal, the immortal queen commands the powerful God of War to attack Tianxia.

Upon her grandfather’s death, Liyen ascends a precarious throne, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for.

But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Change of Hart

Change of Hart by Bailey Hannah is $1.99! This is book three in the Wells Ranch series and features a second chance romance. Have you read this series?

In this spicy romance from the author of Alive and Wells and Seeing Red, a jaded woman reluctantly returns to her hometown—and to the cowboy who broke her heart and drove her away.

She spent years trying to forget. He’ll do anything to make her remember.

Wells Canyon is the last place Blair Hart wants to be. Yet when her mother falls ill, she has no choice except to return to the hometown she’s avoided for over a decade. In a town so small, she knows there’s no way she can avoid the cowboy who tore her life to pieces all those years ago, but that doesn’t mean she’s prepared for the way Denver Wells can turn back time with a single smile.

Since Denver’s world came crashing down thirteen years ago, he’s somehow managed to keep his demons at bay…that is, until Blair Hart’s return knocks him from his saddle. But if he wants her back, he’ll have to prove he can be the man she needs—the same one she used to love.

Throwing herself into the role of caregiver, Blair doesn’t have the time to sift through their messy history even if she wanted to. And Denver’s going to need a lot more than his usual cowboy charm to convince Blair he’s worth a change of heart.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Bone Houses

RECOMMENDED: The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones is $1.99! I really liked this one. It has elements of Wlesh mythology and role reversal of sorts: the heroine brandishes a giant axe and fights the undead, while the hero is a scholarly cartographer. It was mentioned in our previous Goth Rec League.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sky in the Deep in this bewitching, historical horror novel, perfect for fans of Holly Black and V.E. Schwab.

Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.

The risen corpses are known as “bone houses,” and legend says that they’re the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?

Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairytale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Good Spirits

It’s Sarah, dropping in with one more sale book!

RECOMMENDED: Good Spirits by B.K. Borison is $5.99! This is a newer book – released October 21 – and is on a few readers’ best-of lists. Shannon Stacey said, “Good Spirits was my fave read of the year. I actually bought a shelf copy to lend to my sisters, lol. That’s rare.”

It’s got a 4.26 (!!) rating on Storygraph, and folks who reviewed it say that it’s cute, but with real stakes and a lot of character development. My favorite review is from mariahstieve, who wrote, “Ghost spice was everything I never knew I needed.” – SW

The USA Today bestselling author of Business Casual, B.K. Borison is back with a whimsical new holiday romance—this time with a magical twist—that will have everyone falling in love with the Ghost of Christmas Past.

He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.

Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.

Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.

With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?

Filled with magic, mayhem, and cozy holiday charm, this swoony romance is B.K. Borison’s best yet!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/12/cowboys-ya-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163559

Posted by Rachel Tolleson

https://www.themarysue.com/exclusive-sxsw-announces-opening-night-film/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903315

Get ready, it’s almost time for the yearly film and TV festival! 2026 marks a special year for the Austin-based event, as it celebrates its fortieth year. And today it announced that NEON’s I Love Boosters, the latest film from visionary filmmaker Boots Riley, will make its World Premiere as the Opening Night Film of the 2026 Film & TV Festival.

The synopsis of the film is as follows: A crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It’s like community service. The film features Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore.

https://www.themarysue.com/exclusive-sxsw-announces-opening-night-film/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903315

Posted by Rachel Tolleson

https://www.themarysue.com/someone-take-the-facetune-away-from-abby-lee-miller/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903203

FaceTune strikes again! This time, at the hands of Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller. And it’s actually pretty hilarious. It is also further proof that FaceTune must be stopped, or celebrities at least taught how to use it properly. I mean really!

In a recent Instagram post, Miller went to Art on Broadway and met the cast of the show. A normal experience. However, her photos she posted are a little less than normal, with that uncanny valley feeling Instagram–and social media in general–has made us feel is normal.

https://www.themarysue.com/someone-take-the-facetune-away-from-abby-lee-miller/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903203

Posted by Jen

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/the-blizzard-of-odd-2025

It's only two weeks 'til Christmas, bakers. Quick! THROW PLASTIC CHRISTMAS FLOTSAM ON EVERYTHING!

Oh come on, man. PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT!

That's better.

Now, go make some cupcake cakes {PATOOIE!} that defy all laws of logic and common sense. DO EEET!

Yessss, and use sprinkles instead of colored icing! GENIUS!

I don't know what's happening here, but I like where your head's at.

Ok, now make a Christmas King Cake, because it's been WAY too long since those things got me in trouble:

Of COURSE you can still use the purple sprinkles and little plastic baby, silly! It's a King Cake! But for Christmas! AND THIS MAKES TOTAL SENSE!

Now pass the eggnog, and let's go flash people on the street with our ugly Christmas sweaters for tinsel!

WHOAH THERE, St. Nick. I said flash our sweaters!

And you call yourself a saint. REALLY.

Thanks to Daisy B., Andrea J., Ginny V., Lizz, Holly H., & Christine V. for the cup of holiday HELLOOOOOO, Santa.

******

P.S. It is possible our obsession with gnomes has gone too far?

Gnome Refrigerator Handle Covers, Set of 8

... or not far enough?

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/the-blizzard-of-odd-2025

Posted by Rachel Thomas

https://www.themarysue.com/man-records-meta-sunglasses-airport/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903053

woman shares airport issue (l) woman sitting across man at airport gate (r)

A woman sat down to rest before her flight at the airport when a stranger struck up a conversation. She later learned the stranger had recorded their entire exchange and posted it on Instagram.

@lowbritt5 found out after her brother sent her a post recounting the whole conversation. She has since shared her side of the video, generating 181,000 views on her platform after she asked, “This creepy or just me?”

https://www.themarysue.com/man-records-meta-sunglasses-airport/

https://www.themarysue.com/?p=903053

Posted by Medievalists.net

https://www.medievalists.net/2025/12/thousand-year-old-medieval-gospel-linked-to-women-scribes-heads-to-auction/

https://www.medievalists.net/?p=106968

Christie’s will auction a newly identified 10th-century Gospel manuscript, one of the few surviving examples connected to medieval women scribes.

https://www.medievalists.net/2025/12/thousand-year-old-medieval-gospel-linked-to-women-scribes-heads-to-auction/

https://www.medievalists.net/?p=106968

Posted by Mariel Ruvinsky

https://cheezburger.com/43452165/after-being-gone-for-3-whole-years-this-persons-childhood-cat-who-had-run-away-finds-them-again

We think that every cat owner can relate when we say that we wonder sometimes… when we leave our cats alone, say for a long vacation, if they would remember us. Logically, we know that they probably will. We know that our cats love us, and that love like that would be nearly impawssible to forget. But we can't help feeling that tiny bit of nervousness. What if they forget us? How long does it actually take for cats to forget? Do they ever? We've always wondered, and we think that today, we have officially gotten our answer.

Never. That is the answer. Cats remember those who show them kindness. Cats remember the people that they have grown attached to literally forever. That is the only thing that could explain what happened in this story. Years. It had been years since this cat ran away and didn't come back. But the reunion between this cat and its owner didn't happen like they normally do. The cat wasn't found. The cat was the one who found the human. After years, the cat recognized his human, and he made his way back to them.

https://cheezburger.com/43452165/after-being-gone-for-3-whole-years-this-persons-childhood-cat-who-had-run-away-finds-them-again

Posted by Mariel Ruvinsky

https://cheezburger.com/43453189/28-belly-clutchingly-hissterically-relatable-cat-memes-for-both-cats-and-the-humans-who-serve-them

You know how we always joke about the fact that our cats own us instead of us owning them? Well, we're not actually joking. Sure, to an extent, we are, but we're also not. Because our cats do own us. Maybe not physically, but they sure do own us mentally. When we're not home, we're thinking about them. When we're talking to other people, we're constantly hit with the urge to show them pictures of our cats. When we are at home, all we do all day is touch our cats, even when they don't want us to. And, of course, one of our favorite things in the world is scrolling through cat memes.

Our cats really do own us mentally. Nothing else would explain the amount of funny cat memes that we have laughed at during our lifetime. And no matter how many times we see the same one, we still love it. Even working here at ICHC, and putting together listicles full of silly cat memes on a daily basis has not stopped us from being obsessed with them. And we think that means something.

https://cheezburger.com/43453189/28-belly-clutchingly-hissterically-relatable-cat-memes-for-both-cats-and-the-humans-who-serve-them