#Asgard on screen examples

[blindtaleteller]

thank you for previous explain. It was so long and detailed. I had now another question. About lady's life in Asgard. Sigyn x Loki for me. And Sigyn is not warrior, but typical lady. Can you write something about it?

Honestly if you're looking for an example of that in canon MCU, much of Frigga's character and especially her surroundings as expressed on screen does have quite a few examples.

In fact, we aren't even given the idea she can still fight until she absolutely has to in The Dark World.

And, it's in Dark World (and a little of both Ragnarok [geh] and Endgame if you take both the premise of the Valkyries and the time travel scenes in it seriously) that we are given those examples.

Remember, whether they are fighters themselves or not: if they're Asgardian, they're still raised as a part of that previously mentioned warmongering imperialist society: and that would be (as also told to us in their dialogue about Jane and Sif, and their King Odin's expectations) even more strictly observed by someone like a lady in that kind of royalist/imperialist hierarchy, rather than a warrior.

That is why I say 'much' of Frigga's character and surroundings.. but not all. It's not the fighting you need to look at, though that can help. It's her mannerisms, her rooms (look at TDW including the fight with Malekith), her maids, and more. Frigga is, as Queen and even without the fight or ability itself: the top and more importantly leading example of what to expect of a lady of the royal court: as she should be in that kin of society.

And that's also VERY probably why she doesn't fight in any of THor 2011 on screen: even when Laufey shows up, regardless of her being nearer to the main palace then, than she was in TDW: where she was shown being in a separate side palace at least a few miles away when Algrim/Kurse broke out of the dungeon: all the way up until her life, and Jane's, are in immediate danger after having left that portion of the palace during the attack that Kurse opened the shields to manage.

(Which side note was REEEEALLY questionable at the time with a human housing an infinity stone in tow at the time, but is neither here nor there with other things taken into account... just a very dangerous for Jane choice, given what enemies they did have even without the elves being taken into account.. but eh, it is canon and it does fit the flavors of Asgard's, Odin's, and Frigga's own arrogance and ignorance in regards to Asgard's 'impervious' mindset state, as far as the upper echelons of their society seems to be concerned as portrayed on screen.)

In a way, it's made pretty clear that while Frigga still retains much of her skills as a fighter and mage/witch (Or the daughter of three witches at least as we also now know through canon dialogue:) the things she does and doesn't do, while also comparing that to someone like Brunhilde (aka Valkyrie) and how they were clearly recieved during and well after their term as an active female-only fighting force, the canon makes it pretty clear that unless they do retain that fighter status, women (perhaps including the queen) either do not tend to hold as much sway or dignity in other pursuits outside the household.

In other words and as an canon example.. even as the other ruler on the throne and his adoptive mother; Frigga is easily able to set aside the throne and any responsibility for doing so even in that situation. Regardless of, the fact that; at that point the situation is that Jotunheim had declared war in response to Thor's treasonous invasion, and regardless of being closest to Loki (we know this through the words of every character in the family: Thor says it repeatedly, Odin goads and attempts to guilt trip him with that close relationship too, and Frigga does the same with her own wierdness during her conversation with him in TDW's dungeon cell scene) knowing full well not only what she was asking of Loki, but also what Loki was going through in having just recently discovered that he wasn't only not of the same species: but on top of that was Laufey's biological son AND Jotunheim's only known of prince. Whom, Odin admitted he had taken to 'forge a permanent peace.'

A peace that, probably wouldn't have happened anyway if he and it had been handled just as poorly as well, it was.

Think about that for a little bit; really think about it: and the fact that she did so, while playing the part and claiming she was closest to him and cared about him the most.

That canonically casts some seriously gross and awkward truths into the realm of how their their relationship actually is versus how Frigga and the rest of them tried to paint it. As well as touching her own guilt evasion there too: and is something that both in the first Thor and the second film both: Frigga absolutely side steps taking any responsibility for, as the mother, the mentor, and the lady who raised him with that lie: regardless of their supposed closeness.

And, why that's important? Is because, under that king, husband and society as it goes: she is not just allowed to do that without complaint from any of the above, their society OR the foster-brother that she raised and lied to right next to him: she's allowed to thrive and remain in her position STILL without that question or any apparent explanation of ANY of those nuances or her part in putting him in charge in taht mental and emotional state; well after the fact and into 2013 two years later.

When she refers to that massive erasure of not just who but WHAT he is? Frigga almost always shifts that blame fully onto Odin in her dialogue; and steers as hard as she can away from words reminding the viewer that, she was Odin's wife and partner: through all of that. Instead, it's always 'your father' or 'he' rather than 'we' or 'he and I.'

Which is very blatantly another portion of Loki's response in this same scene when asked 'And am I not your mother..?' because, he's right in every form of the answer.

It's -possible- that she was being honest about her relationship with Loki, at least later on? But it's -not- very -probable-, or believable at that stage.. and her lack of self awareness and ownership of her part even when alone with him in Thor 2011 (not to mention carrying that on a year later in Dark World) makes that very hard to miss as a thing in truth: especially with the given facts being that this went on for over a thousand years.. and still over all that time she didn't have enough regard, respect, or love for her supposed favorite son, to even hint at any of his origins even after she taught him to shapeshift or cast illusions herself, to change the outcome.

And again.. no one raised a question as to why. Or held her accountable. No one questioned the one person in the royal family who was capable of taking Loki's place on the throne back in 2011 either.

Given how little we see women in honored fighting positions in Asgardian culture, and are given the very blatant information between the films that it's been literal centuries since even since a female fighting force has been a thing, PLUS the literal views we've been given with Sif as the only woman in the training yard in modern eras...?

It's pretty likely that raised-in bit of social ugly is pretty well dug into their society as well.

Again and that said: figuring out how a lady rather than a fighter might run her life, or fit in at those upper tiers without picking up a weapon: has been put on some display.

Asgard has a very wonky, heavy half ren/medieval approach to their upper heirarchy on display, complete with ladies in waiting (which Tony takes a little off jab at in GROUNDED too lol,) and healers especially seeming to be a majorly female profession.

There wasn't a single dude in that scene with Jane that wasn't either royalty or a guard, if you look at it again. Every single one of the healers is a woman.)

That mentioned, another place to look for examples, are again: Frigga's personal surroundings. And Dark World gives us a good look at those.

One thing to note, is that besides the healers: pretty much every Asgardian lady has armor in some portion of their wardrobe. Whether that's a breastplate, vanbraces (wrist/forearm,) gorgets (neck guard, like Loki's) or something else to accompany their dresses.

Vanbraces (Thor 2011)

Vanbraces and Archer's breastplate (Dark World Dungeon Scene)

Vanbraces, Pauldron, and partial Chestplate (Dark World, final scene)

There are moments when we see her and them without armor pieces (or in some scenes with even fewer of them at least, like teh carefully disguised set in the top gif) but for the most part those outfits are reserved for really important parties that are the equivalent of formal-dress parties: in which case we can see that even Sif doesn't escape from the expectation of wearing a literal dress: though even then.. hers is the odd one out of the others shown/on display in the room as far as style:

Which tells us a couple of things, but first and foremost and something that makes sense in their culture: is that even if they're not mainline fighters, and having been invaded enough to need and upkeep those shields in the first place?

Other than fancy events/celebrations and or coronations? The armor pieces are definitely as much local every day cultural fashion thing, as they are functional in some cases.

It's pretty likely that even the ladies of the court at least know and are expected to upkeep at least minor skills in self defense, if not the defense of their own homes: and are probably taught to do so from a very young age. They're not going to be as good at it outside of their own personal territory, or a territory they know well like say the Valkyrie were supposed to be, as the equivalent of a special forces military task unit: but they probably are expected.

Another side note..? This above, is ultimately; also among the forgiving reasons I don't question why Frigga went to the main palace outside of her taking Jane with her when she went. As Queen and lady of the house under that form of society, it absolutely passes without Jane in tow. However.. without Jane in tow, there's also the bit she couldn't have known at the time; that the writers did of course .. the fact that any of the elves were even alive and kicking. [And gee; thanks for that again Bor, lol! like father like son, I guess? Bor, his son, and said son's wife DO seem to have a habit of -not- telling their kids about world and universe ending enemies being alive after the fact, don't they? coughcoughHELAcoughcough.. XD]

There is one other bit, besides that: that we do get about the society from all that too though. At least about the surviving upper echelons of the ruling class: and that is?

That Odin had a really tight reign on the upper royals and his fighting forces surviving the Great Wars as King.. lips and all: unless amongst the entirety of their armies, council, other generals (besides Hela, which HOO is that a whole conversation unto itself Loki and Laufey related when you look at that timeline with Hela in it omg..) and pretty much every lady in waiting, servants .. or just other lords and ladies? Just didn't notice a surprise baby that the Queen -didn't- give birth to, was randomly being presented as a new baby prince to the Asgardian Empire. Which.. is next to impossible; especially when you take into account that this wasn't another country he took this kid from, or a society unfamiliar with magic: he took Loki from an entirely differing species and PLANET elsewhere in the universe in the middle of the last battle of one of the largest and bloodiest wars in their generation: and forced passing him off as his own.

Even if, he did manage that; maybe sequestering his wife and passing Loki off as a twin or some shizz? Someone if not a whole lot of someones probably knew.. but especially the healer or healers who would have treated any wounds throughout Loki's lifetime.

We could, almost say that they could have presented him as an adopted Asgardian kid.. and maybe he and Frigga did, to some of them on the sly to help keep it under wraps.. but that doesn't fit how their relationship is depicted, shown or talked about prior to or even after the reveal of his species and bloodline at all, either.

And that still wouldn't pass the first time this kid hurt himself, or was injured in battle under the scrutiny of an uninformed healer's ability in that society, with magic and high tech and more very much at their fingertips and in their alliances and enemies too, to be recognized.

Meaning, at least a portion of the populace closest to the crown, and especially those types old enough to have taken part in the last of the Great Wars or tending Loki as he grew and fought and more as a captive prince: were either just as complacent or, shut up by either if not both portions of the crown house really damned fast and really efficiently likely through threat, exile or worse. Keep in mind, the Great Wars and especially that one was still freshly finished, and they made a great show of making sure we knew there would be problems having the future ruler of the enemy they had been killing for an un-foretold length of time next to the crown in how even mention of Jotnar was allowed to form in Asgardian society: through Loki's words, through Thor's reactions and words, through Odin and through Frigga too.

The hate was strong enough even a thousand years plus of Odin's rule with Loki as prince later, that Thor thought it was A-Okay to go ahead and invade the planet and restart that war, against the literal warnings not just from every single person around him before he did it: and not just warned but told outright by his father and the King 'don't you fuckin' dare' well before even that.

That.. is the kind of society and expectations, an Asgardian Lady would have been raised into and led by along with the rest.

All that said, this is getting long; and there are metas rather than canon they come from that I could mention regarding Vanaheim as the most prevalent colony of Asgardians/partial Asgardians too, but.. we don't get a whole lot of them or their off world society other than to know that Odin doesn't care about them NEARLY as much: or at least not enough to even provide them defensive cannons or other defenses that Asgard otherwise VERY clearly has and has had for literal ages as put on display in the Dark World.

Being a woman in that society would probably be a very, well...

Probably, brainwashed to accept a lowered expectation of self worth over all, without the ability to fight on a greater tier than just home and self defense. And those who don't fall into those already asserted social standards would definitely be outliers if not outcasts. We have Loki himself and how Frigga's skills are viewed and worded even by her own family, as example of that.

So.. that's a lot to keep in mind but.. yeah. It is there, and more that; I probably haven't touched or missed while in the process of going on and explaining that.

For Sigyn though, for me: I do have some planned for her but as she doesn't exist in the MCU and adapting her would for me have to take all of that in mind: that is being approached very back burner for late Vestibule 2 (after Mixology) and Vestibule 3 as what ultimately boils down to an OC version of her. In part because I like that character in real life lore, and Skadi's character: and when I do write for them both.. I want to try and convert them to fit into the MCU base in a way that feels right to me.

Which is going to be rough when getting into more detailed versions of stuff like the very brief mentions of Skadi's tale and others I've already done in fics like Simon Says/Bail: given the MCU is twice removed from actual Norse Mythos; being Asgard in the MCU is more loose in being based off of Marvel, which in turn is then just as loose in the comics' basing their characters from that Norse Mythos.

Also, am tired .. is eleven PM lol sorry for not continuing, and getting extra rambly. But will add more pretty pictures to make up for it a lil bit? lol

If you have more questions or want some elaboration on anything, by all means feel free to send me asks just like this one.

I generally try to answer pretty quickly when I see them lol.

[chaos-bites]

📯 Subtle Heimdallr Worship 🐏

Learn about/practice a method of self-defense (weapons included)

Own a ram horn - faux or real; own/craft real wool items (blankets, sweaters, scarves, etc.)

Light a bonfire; gather around it with loved ones or enjoy its warmth on your own

Decorate your space with fairy lights, a pretty lamp, or some kind of light fixture that you like

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Get a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Place a protective rune (or bindrune) at the entrance of your home or space

Invest in household security options (security camera, Ring doorbell, alarm system, etc.)

Have a plan in place in the case of home invasion or medical emergencies (legally storing a weapon in your home, learning CPR, or keeping a tourniquet in your car, for example)

Stay informed about the happenings in your area; keep up to date with world news (take a step back from it if it gets to be overwhelming for you, please)

Make sure to eat a good breakfast to start off your day; try to include meat, bread, nuts, and veggies/fruits if able

Drink something energizing at the start of your day, be it coffee, tea, or something else; dedicate the first sip to Heimdall by raising a glass in his honor

Start a collection of keys and locks - new and old (antique shops are a great place to find these)

Practice mindfulness and self-awareness; try to look at situations with a more nuanced and objective perspective

Have a stuffed animal ram, seal, horse, or rooster/chicken

Have imagery of gates, watchful eyes, ram horns, rivers, the World Tree, Asgard, rainbows, the Milky Way (some scholars believe it to be the OG representation of the Bifröst bridge), the sky, golden teeth, golden maned horses, swords, and shields around

Teach someone how to do something new; educate someone about a topic you're educated about; generally openly share knowledge with others

Be willing to learn about new things; be open to corrections from others; practice not taking constructive criticism personally

Learn about different logical fallacies; learn how to properly argue/debate respectfully with someone

Assert your boundaries with others; take time to learn what your boundaries are and where you draw the line

Ground yourself regularly; make sure you take time throughout your day to reconnect with the present moment

Stand up for what you believe in; attend protests or activism events (be safe, please)

Try to attend social events or hang out with loved ones; put yourself out there if you can

Step outside of your comfort zone; if you're scared, do it scared (reasonably, of course)

Drink/make mead; if unable, drink something with honey in it, such as a tea or warm milk with cinnamon and honey

Exercise/care for your senses; don't blast music in your ears, take breaks from looking at screens, sit in silence once in a while, etc.

Take your promises more seriously; try to always follow through on promises (and especially vows) that you make

Acknowledge your inner strength and resilience; be sure to appreciate and celebrate how far you've come; you've overcome before, and you overcome again

Take time to simply sit and observe your surroundings; listen to the sounds of birds, watch leaves fall from trees, notice the feeling of your feet on the ground, etc.

Practice different forms of divination (you don't only need tarot cards or runes for this, I've literally used Uno cards before; practice with a variety of forms until you find one that suits you)

Learn more about Norse runes; once comfortable, practice using them

Do things that benefit your future/make things easier on your future self (getting chores done ahead of time, setting money aside to save, looking into future careers/education, exercising your body and mind, etc.)

Engage in activities that stimulate your mind (reading, writing, solving puzzles, learning about something new, playing card games, etc.)

Learn to trust your own judgement and intuition; this takes time and comes with lots of practice which is ok

Practice learning when to speak and when to hold your tongue; sometimes it's better to simply listen

Practice finding your voice and speaking up for yourself; advocate for your needs

Explore things you find mysterious and intriguing; replace fear of the unknown with curiosity

Allow yourself to bear an air of mystery; try not to give away all the cards in your hand, so to speak

Go stargazing

-

This is my list of discreet ways to worship Heimdallr! I may add more in the future, but this is what I currently have. I hope it's able to give people some good ideas! Take care, and stay safe, everyone. 💜

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[foreststarflaime]

I did my part today in The Bad Class, it was me in the trenches with one other guy defending stories told in mediums other than books against the world (the entire rest of the class) 🫡 (things I used below the cut)

It saddens me that the academic community is so biased towards anything other than published books. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a writer myself and I adore books, but they’re missing out on so many good stories that hit so much harder in mediums other than words on a page!!! ✨Stories of all kinds are equally precious✨ pass it on

Defending movies: Inception!!! If you’ve not seen it, it deals a lot with dreams and layers of dreaming, and thinking about reality. In it, there’s a gimmick where you have a certain ‘totem’ (item) that you can use to determine if you’re in a dream or awake, and the main character’s is a top—if he’s in a dream, it will never stop spinning, but if it’s reality, the top will eventually be stopped by gravity. (Spoiler alert) At the end of the movie, the mc finally gets home to his kids like he’s been trying to the whole movie, and as he embraces them in the background a little out of focus, you see his top on the table, spinning—and right before you could expect it to start to wobble, the soundtrack peaks (thank you Hans Zimmer you master) and cuts off and the screen goes black, leaving you to your own conclusions. It’s such an effective moment and it really would not be the same in a book!

Defending video games: Crisis Core lmao. I love how it uses game mechanics to characterize Zack in such a unique and creative way!!! The DMW is the main thing that comes to mind here, in particular in the final battle, but over the whole game and how it gets you used to it as well. You get a new thing every time Zack gets a new friend, and that’s the source of your strongest attacks throughout the game, a thing you’re constantly thinking about and relying on—which is such a cool way to characterize Zack, because then you realize your thought process has basically been turned into his! He loves his friends, they’re everything to him, and they’re the source of his strength! Which makes the final battle so so devastating when they’re fading away and you get to see, nay experience, his last thoughts as they’re happening. It’s so devastating in a way I’ve rarely been devastated before, and it would not be the same in words. Also there’s the funny haha that this adhd puppy’s brain runs on gambling because he has to get extremely lucky to be able to focus on anything lmaooo

Defending comic books: Loki Agent of Asgard!!!! My beloved! So this is the comic book run where Loki becomes the god of stories, and everything about how it was done here is just. SO so genius. When I say these comic books were a formative experience for me I mean it. But I’ll focus on the things that were great specifically because of the medium here, otherwise I’d be gushing for hours. Yknow how comic books generally have little narrator text bubbles telling you what you need words to describe? And then maybe have a different one for the thoughts of the character? Well this had that, and the narrator bubbles were styled like little scrolls. When you get towards the end of the run, after Loki has realized his power as the god of stories, you get to a part where he’s facing the gods of the gods, telling them a story—and then the little narrator scrolls have the speech bubble thing drawn off from them, to Loki. It’s been him as the god of stories narrating his own story the entire time, writing his own destiny. Such a powerful moment, blew my mind—you could do something similar in a normal book I guess, but it was just so impactful here that I think it wouldn’t be exactly the same. And also, earlier (I think in the second volume), a different future version of Loki is time travelling using his story god powers to write the past to his own ends (you don’t know his connection to story yet, so this is an example of such good foreshadowing), and to do this he reaches out of the panel and jumps into the margins to travel around the story!!! Mind-blowing stunning 1000/10

The strength of books: I just realized why I like my specific imagery-laden style of writing so much in the middle of class while I was explaining this. So in On Fairy Stories (the book the discussion was about for the day), Tolkien talks about how the invention of the adjective was the most important thing for the invention of fantasy, because it helps you change things—for example you can say things like the red sky or the green sun, and people can imagine that. There’s a linguistic concept called mental models which explores how we think in metaphors to understand more abstract concepts—for example, a lot of people tend to view how electricity works in terms of the flow of water. In fantasy, we can take our words and especially our adjectives and metaphors, and we can craft new mental models that wouldn’t work in the real world, and create our own worlds doing that to great effect. I find myself doing this SO much now that I think about it! And that’s something you can do really really well with words that doesn’t lend itself as well to adaptations in other mediums.

And that’s the thing, really—you can do things to amazing effect if you write them using the strengths of the medium you choose! That’s why adaptations rarely work I think, people just don’t play to the strengths.

[wolfgiselle]

Character Reaction Fanfictions (watching the show/movie or reading the books) -Recs -

One of my favorite tropes in fanfiction is characters being forced to watch/read/react to their own stories. Unfortunately, a good majority of these are crap. Readers looking for these stories often have to dig through a lot of coal to find just one diamond in the rough. Here's a list of the ones I’ve managed to find. Ones that aren’t just a written recreation of their source material.

Is This The Way It Ends Now? by Seastar98 (Death Note) (Finished) This is one of my favorite Death Note fanfictions for a reason. It doesn’t make us watch or read the dialogue or action of the show along with the characters; It assumes we’ve already seen it and focuses on the character’s reactions (what we’re actually here for) and gives more character development to some of its minor characters (Mello, Near, and Matt being clear examples. I was happy about this in particular since my favorite characters in Death Note are Matt and Matsuda). L and Light end up together, but romance is not the focus.

Hunter x Hunter / Assassination Classroom by EternalQuestForGoodFics (Finished) Basically, Killua ends up in the Assassination Classroom world. To go home, he must eventually allow his classmates to watch the HunterxHunter series to learn more about him and where he came from. These two fandoms are a great matchup, and Killua is one of the best characters to end up in the AssClass world. Seeing Killua bond and make a new friend out of Nagisa made it worth reading alone. Their reactions are part 2 of the series. 

MHA X Hunter by makifinity (My Hero Academia / Hunter x Hunter) (In progress) This is a good fanfiction where the My Hero Academia characters watch the HunterXHunter anime together instead of their own show. What makes ‘this’ great is how different the two worlds are and the morals that hold them together. I love that the villains are also involved in this viewing room since, in most My Hero reaction fics, the villains are left out of the experience and don’t get to have their own voices and opinions about what is happening on screen.

The Journey of the Unholy Trinity by Arremi (Code Geass) (In progress) If you’ve been in the Code Geass fandom long enough, you’ve probably seen a few of these stories. This one is the longest, most well-written, and most complete I’ve found.

Code Geass: The Blame Game: by AllHailThe99th (Code Geass) (In progress) One thing I like about this Code Geass reaction fic is the author’s obvious and stated hate of the character Suzaku. Suzaku is on my list of most hated characters; I like reading people judging and calling him out constantly on his shit. It’s a very therapeutic read. I recommend it to anyone who felt a similar rage when watching the show.

Appearances by McKinney_Wylis (Marvel / Avengers) (Finished) This story has the Avengers going to Asgard to check on Loki when they find a weird video clip online that scares them into believing Loki may have broken free. It turns out the video clip was from a different universe (our universe), and they suddenly had access to the Marvel movies that were available at that time. They watch the Thor movie and learn things about Loki, unknown before. The watching of Thor actually doesn’t take up the whole fic, but this story still counts. It takes place during the Thor: The Dark World storyline.

In terms of pairings…well, I’ll read any pairing if it’s written well enough. Even a story with Loki and Steve shacking up. I don’t like Steve, but I like how he was written in this fic. The way he and Loki interact is cute enough that I can look past it.

Part of the Journey is the end by hunkahulkaaburningfudge (Marvel / Avengers) This series starts with the characters watching Infinity War and has been going through the continuing movies and TV shows; with great writing and lots of material, this is definitely one of the best. I loved the Wanda and Loki reactions. And the ‘What if?” storylines were hilarious.

Avengers Watch Snippets by Ifihadatardis (Marvel / Avengers) As advertised, the characters watch little snippets of scenes of each other’s lives. Sometimes, these fics are preferable because the characters can learn about each other without going through their entire movies.

All the Days of Our Lives Series by ElrondScribe (Marvel / Avengers) This series has the characters react to Captain America, Iron Man 1, and Iron Man 2. It takes place after Civil War and has them watching the movies in Wakanda. I like the Tony Stark and Pepper focus in these fics, and I thought the writer did well with the other character voices, even for the ones I didn’t like.

School Watches Assassination Classroom by TheSteinsGateFormula (Assassination Classroom) (Finished) This is not just one of the best reaction fanfictions of all time but one of the best, period. The author not only had the original class and teachers watching the show but the entire school (baring the Principal, thank god) yet still managed to keep everyone in character and give everyone a distinctive voice when trying to keep up with so many people.

Attention is given to situations that were mostly glossed over without consequence in the actual show, like the students who came from abusive households. My favorite characters, Nagisa and the younger Asano, get a good amount of attention.

The only negative of this fic is how long it is. Over 700,000 words. It takes some serious reading time, but it’s worth it. Trust me. But once you start, you might not want to stop. Make sure you have the time to dedicate to it.

Lucifer Reacts to Supernatural by SilverWolf7 (Lucifer/Supernatural) As much as I love Supernatural and wish I had more good recs for it, this is one of the best options I can offer in this category. I haven’t seen the show Lucifer yet (I’ve been meaning to), but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this fic. Seeing Lucifer’s love of Sam’s character and hearing him rage about many of the things in the show that frustrated me or he thought were inaccurate were giant highlights of this story. Warning: If you’re a Dean fan, you might get defensive about how much Lucifer bashes him (I live for it, but that’s me). One of the other characters that he’s watching it with even rage-quits on him for how much he was dissing her favorite character. If that doesn’t bother you, this might be the fic for you.

Watching You, Watching Me, Watching You by trippedandfellintopurgatory (Supernatural) This is one of the only good Supernatural watching-the-show fics I’ve found. So, of course, it only has 19 chapters, sits at 30,000 words, and has a slow updating schedule.

Blank Disc by TheFallenArchangel (Supernatural) Another of the few good Supernatural watch-the-show fics. This one hasn’t been updated since 2014 and has only seven chapters. Dean and Sam are teenagers, and their father and Bobby watch with them.

The Void by iAnneart (Yugioh: Duel Monster/ Yugioh Abridged) This fanfiction was one that I used to love, and I hate that it still hasn’t been updated and doesn’t look like it ever will be. The characters of Yugioh react to their own abridged series to hilarious effect. This fic was the entire reason I watched the Abridged Series by LittleKuribo - still one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, and admittedly much better than the actual show. Another fanfiction is more popular and has them watch more episodes. But this fic was much better written with only ten chapters.

Under a Watchful Eye by my secret thoughts (Harry Potter) A story where the Harry Potter characters read the books. It focuses on Harry and Sirius. There is no actual recitation of the books (thank god), but it’s written well enough to tell what they’re reacting to. So far, this is the only reaction fic like this in the Harry Potter fandom I’ve liked. It takes place during their 5th-year, and the other characters are mostly Order of the Phoenix members.

Truth Revealed by Lucifer swift (Full Metal Alchemist) One of the first reaction fanfictions I ever read. It's been reuploaded on fanfiction.net. In this reaction series, the characters are forced to relive the pain they witness themselves having on screen. Any of you who have seen Full Metal Alchemist know that is leading to an agonizing time.

No such thing as a painless lesson by RoseJennison (My Hero Academia) The best My Hero Academia fanfiction that’s actually still going and might eventually catch up with the episodes…maybe. The characters in this are also forced to suffer the pain they see themselves experiencing onscreen. Think about all the times Midoriya breaks himself and imagine him having to feel all that again continuously.

In the Grasp of Schadenfreude by ThoughtSpinner (My Hero Academia) The parents and teachers/heroes watch the show and find out what's been going on with their children and at school. Needless to say, these parents have a lot of thoughts. 

Reaction Ritual by PreshByPyre (Naruto) This is only six chapters, but I hope the author returns to it. It’s a good idea, and well-written Naruto reaction fics are rare.

A number of fragments by eliscool (Naruto) Exactly what the title suggests. Instead of watching Naruto episode by episode, the characters are watching random fragments of the show and have to try and put together what’s happening. This occurs when Naruto and the kids are still in the Academy - but before Itachi commits the massacre.

Old stories, new discoveries by Daniablazin (Discontinued) (Miraculous Ladybug) This is my favorite Miraculous Ladybug reaction fiction. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go past the first season. It’s been discontinued because the author said they didn’t like where the show was going. A real shame. The writing on this was amazing, and it had serious potential.

What are our children up to? by o0Lithium0o (Teen Wolf) The parents of Teen Wolf from earlier in the timeline get to see what their children are up to and their future. The kids aren't actually in the room with them. Probably for the best. They are so grounded for the foreseeable future once they all get back.

As Above is Below by kswriter (Shadowhunter Series)The characters of the Shadowhunter series (pretty much all of them) sit down to read the books. This goes by the book canon, not the show canon. I mainly love this series for the Mangus and Alec content. This is the only reaction fic I've seen with these characters. 

Reaction: Six of Crows by error_404_gender_not_found (Six of Crows) Characters from Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone reading the Six of Crows books. This ignores the TV show canon.

Honorable Mentions: 1.Watching Hunter x Hunter by catnip_riceball 2.HxH watches Hunter x Hunter by bb_bubblepopb33 3.I Have Regrets, but this Just Might be the Worst of Them Series by by IzuochaRay (My Hero Academia) 4.Cheat code central by orphan_account (My Hero Academia)(Villains react to the show) 5. Mansion Of Time: Watching Season 1 by Perez_K (My Hero Academia) 6. Watching as Hope is Lost by GeorgeFredSlytherin (Code Geass) 7. The Trials and Tribulations of Spider-Man, the People's Hero by ironfidus (Marvel/Spiderman) 8. Glee meets Glee By: babeitscoldoutside (Glee) 9. when the teacup shatters by SolusMormont (Hannibal)

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

This got longer than I expected I'm so sorry

The reason why mcu is not the same as comics is not usually because they are trying to be creative

One of the reasons is money (shocking I know) for example civil war In movies was just a fight between 12 people while in the comics there were more characters involved which made the fights much more crazy. In movies they took both hulk and thor out of the way. They didn't even wanted to cast rdj because he was an "expensive actor"

marvel comics were a thing since 40s Mcu has only been around since 2008. I'm gonna go with civil war as example again. The surprising part of that story in comics involved Peter. He always been so careful with his secret identity but when he takes Tony's side he reveals it in front of cameras and the consequences was that aunt may almost dies. In mcu civil war we've JUST met Peter so instead they held that storyline and used it when it was more convenient for them (in nwh). another example is Tony's origin story changing from Vietnam war

Third one is the lack of some characters in mcu. wandavision for example was based of house of M comics But the mutants are a big part of that story so they had to change a lot of things in that show to make it work in mcu

Another thing is that mcu doesn't have or had the right to some of the characters so like when they couldn't make a planet hulk movie they took that storyline and put it in thor ragnorak. two birds one stone

I'm gonna give mcu some credits tho because some of these changes were so smart and some times made the movie much more better than it comics version like what they did with thanos motives in infinity war

but still anthony mackie is really not wrong. In fact when he says "marvel is such a space of controlled entertainment" he is so fucking correct

The first ever mcu movie didn't had a full script but in no universe I can imagine marvel doing that ever again

They don't give actors and directors that much freedom. they seem to just make this movie for this next big movie.

Marvel being all connected was one of the reasons I liked it so much but know it seems to become a problem

I feel ya. It's only normal that they need to alter certain stories and characters, but this insane scrutiny is so over the top. Hell, I still remember The Marvels' director saying her movie turned out to be more Feige's than hers.

I'd argue in the past, that "connected universe" only enriched the stories. But that's because they left that "connection" to the post-credits or maybe a scene or two, it was never part of the story. They don't do that anymore. Now that connection IS the movie and they want us to get attached to characters we don't know just because we are told (not shown) that they're better than the old ones (why does it have to be a competition?).

I miss stories like when Stephen defeats Dormammu by losing and losing and losing until he annoys the hell out of him. I miss scenes like the ones we have in TDW (the Asgard ones) that are so heavy on the characterization that they give up on shiny battles, choosing to have characters just talk to each other instead. I miss honest talks like Steve's or Clint's to Wanda in AoU or the vulnerability of Quill...

They can't translate comic books to the screen, I get that. It's like movies based on regular books, you know you're not gonna get a page-by-page recreation, but it doesn't matter as long as the story is interesting, as long as it says something. Mackie says it pretty well, they're overly controlled by the execs and those are mostly business men who only see numbers and money but have no clue about art.

[an-aussie-button-masher]

The Multiverse's Mightiest Heroes - A Quick Review of the Marvel Rivals Closed Beta Test

   Doom strikes! Across an entangled timestream converging around a duo of battling Doctor Dooms, various iconic (and some obscure) heroes and villains from across the Marvel multiverse are thrown into battle in NetEase’s Marvel Rivals! An upcoming hero shooter in the same vein as Overwatch or Apex Legends, Rivals hosted a closed beta test earlier this year that I was lucky enough to participate in. For two weeks, testers got to play as 23 different Marvel characters battling in the halls of Asgard or the neon streets of Tokyo 2099 in a surprisingly polished beta with only a small handful of standout issues. Testers could play as tanky Vanguards like Thor or Magneto, powerful Duelists like Iron Man and Spider-Man, or helpful Strategists like Rocket Raccoon and Luna Snow. I’ll share my thoughts on the closed beta here before the full game releases on December 6th 2024 - enjoy!

   The majority of the cast has highly satisfying gameplay; bringing the thunder as Thor or zipping around as Spider-Man feels just as cool to play as it seems in the comics and films. Many characters should also feel very familiar to players of other hero shooters - for example, Storm’s controllable weather aura will remind Overwatch players of Lúcio’s switchable music - and I had no trouble quickly picking up how to play as, alongside, or against each hero despite the sheer number of them. Quick kill times means it’s easier to feel like you’re providing more impact per match even if it means more personal deaths - if all your scoreboard numbers are high, you can’t be doing too poorly right? The regenerating destructible environments also really set Rivals apart from the rest of the genre and keep things interesting. Someone hiding from you in a building? Just get rid of the building!   Of course, it was a beta test, so some issues are inevitable. I’m expecting most of these to be resolved by launch - but one can only hope. The lack of map variety was one particular problem; with only three game modes across four maps in total, it started to feel rather repetitive once I’d escorted Spider-Zero through Tokyo 2099 nine matches in a row. I’m also begging the developers to add proper Australia/Oceania servers - I, and plenty others, had to endure skyrocketing latency all beta long, getting repeatedly trapped in the loading screen for half the duration of many matches! I tended to be quite late to those first decisive team fights after staring at that 99% loading bar for several minutes.    Gameplay aside, this game’s artstyle is amazing. The characters all look incredibly striking and distinct, instantly recognisable yet with a unique twist on each one. Definitely my favourite look for Scarlet Witch in any of her adaptations. The voice acting is also top-notch, with an absolutely stacked cast; Troy Baker, Nolan North, Nika Futterman, Liam O’Brien, James Arnold Taylor, Yuri Lowenthal, and so so many more familiar talents. Finally, my personal highlight - lore! A hero shooter with actual in-game storytelling! Imagine that. Each hero includes a snippet of excellent writing found in their gallery that is just as compelling as the gameplay itself, showcasing various different story threads all slowly weaving together around the core conflict between two alternate versions of Doctor Doom. I’m just as excited to see how all their stories unfold as I am to play the game again when it releases on December 6th 2024.   I hope you enjoyed this quick review of the Marvel Rivals Closed Beta Test! Feedback, reblogs and likes are all much appreciated!

   Thanks for reading!

An Aussie Button-Masher

[spider-spirit-god-whatever-bitch]

ok fine let's talk about how the Loki tv show made him straight & how that's basically why hes so different in the show. an essay which will probably go on longer than i want it to.

ok, swooping claim right off the bat: Loki is a queer coded villain in the first two Thor movies and in The Avengers (2012). idk how widely accepted this is, but it's absolutely true. and they didn't only pick up the good tropes. Loki is very effeminate in looks (long hair (well actually they all do in the thor movies), that outfit is just a dress lets be honest, very skinny. absolute skin and bones, no muscle). shown as much more cowardly than the manlyTM Thor, instead of using brute force relying on tricks. the flamboyant speeches. being self-centered. no confirmed girlfriends nor romantic/sexual relationships of any kind. also the obsession with his mother, which was just a thing from the hays code era when ppl just assumed all gay men were obsessed with their mothers. there's a reason queer coded villains are a tad problematic. But Loki falls under so many of these accepted tropes. this article I have opened in parallel about what makes a villain queer coded lists him TWICE in the examples. in the movies, he's gay. he's a gay disney villain.

however, the Loki tv show needed to make him a protagonist. especially if they're airlifting 2012 Loki out of the narrative, they're going to need to speedrun some character development FAST. of course, that means you need to ditch his villain traits immediately (remember we only have 6 episodes and we have to cram in a recap, two intros and an outro into each of them). however, in the original movies, a large part of his villain-ness is so heavily entangled with his queerness. at this point there were two choices: disentangle the queerness from the villain-ness, keeping him queer but making his flamboyancy, tricks and effeminacy a part of his new protagonist characterization. which i would have fucking loved. lets be honest everyone wants the queer coded villain to be the main character. but that would require innovation and you're not allowed that at marvel. careful!! you almost took a risk there!! so instead of subverting the queer coded villain trope with a relatively innovative idea, they just chucked everything in the trash. seriously, rewatch the first episode, and see how quickly they try to subvert every single last thing on the list. in the first MINUTES they take away his magic so he can no longer rely on tricks, they strip him of his effeminate clothes (showing off that he now has chiselled masculine manly male abs) and replace them with a collared shirt and tie. they have him realise that he's self obsessed, and have him be like "ohhh im going to get better its bad that im narcisisstic im self conscious now". also, they introduce Sylvie, and absolutely use her to point out how 100% straight he is. when sylvie is on screen they make a big deal about how SHES THE FEMALE LOKI!! SHES A GIRL AND HES A BOY AND THEYRE DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF THAT!! taking away any gender ambiguity. idk why they do this with such a passion but they LOOOOVE pointing out that Loki is a guy in this show. and then they speedrun putting him in a romantic relationship with her.

and there's no argument to be made about making him canonically queer, because what they did is so painfully token its not even funny. they casually drop that he is bi, and it is never acknowledged again. ever. just a casual "a bit of both". four words. thats it. they could have very easily elaborated on this, because there's so many gaps to be filled here: what is it like being queer on asgard?? is it the future the woke left TM wants, or is there stigma around it? if there is stigma, how did that contribute to his whole thing of feeling like an outsider? what about jotunheim? does his family know? you're building an universe here. elaborate on it. maybe you don't need graphic gay sex on screen, but there is a middle ground here. and boy are they far from it. because not only do they not elaborate on it, but by this point they have drained all the queerness out of him. they made him the most cishet-acceptableTM gay they could. this is to an extent personal taste but i really dont like it when movies do that. please, let them actually embody queer culture. let him have some fashion sense, some mannerisms, SOMETHING, which shows that he's outwardly queer. queer coded villains do somewhat come from a time of homophobia, but that does not mean you can't try to reclaim it. Loki could have stayed androgynous and ambiguously bi/gay/aro?. or you could have just made that canon, and kept him how he was. I'm not saying avoid character development, but this was too fast and incredibly unnatural.

anyways in conclusion they fucked up and this was the fakest gay representation i have seen in a while. and that's not even TOUCHING on the frankly disgusting amounts of queerbaiting going on between him and Mobius like dude come on is it 2014 or 2024

[idpgroup1]

Blog 1 Immersive Experience in Alan Wake II - Fangxuan Li

Talking about one immersive experience that I can think about, game playing experience of a level of Alan Wake II brings me some memories.

In this level, player as Alan Wake himself would go through a lot of set up screens of showing the live scene of song Herald of Darkness. This live show are made by recording of real people that in games these people are used as face models. During the playing they will guide you and tell you stories of main character through the lyrics.

This level combine 3D game scene and real footage well, give me a very immersive experience. During the playing sometimes I can’t even tell which is real or not. I think this level in Alan Wake II is a very good immersive art work example.

Reference

Dan Allen Gaming. (2024). Alan Wake 2 - Herald of Darkness Musical Mission (4K) Old Gods of Asgard [Video]. Available at: https://youtu.be/CsmCoI5QJ3k?si=qONvaPYLg7YSGb5y

[brooklynislandgirl]

Bill shifts in his pilot's seat and turns his head to regard Beth, sitting at the nearby data console and sifting her way through all manner of notes he's collected on Earth cultures. Ostensibly her original intent had been to fill in gaps in knowledge for him... but now the young SHIELD agent seems more interested in installing gentle corrections on conduct that might lead to faux pas. Serving particular foods, for instance. Evidently 'communion wafers' are improper and inadequate sustenance for large gatherings of culturally disparate sentients.

"I wish to ask you something," he remarks. "You speak very little of your family... your blood relatives. But you offer glowing reference to others you have met in life. I find kinship in this, as I heartily claim Thor as my brother, though we share no common ancestry. Loki and I are considered adoptive sons of Asgard, a title that can be as assuring as it sometimes is burdensome. Your heart has bidden you to speak with great fondness for your friends and allies -- as examples, your Agent Coulson... Doctor Strange... the amazing Spider-Man. Do you find a similar sense of adoption among them? Having adopted them as your own, or been adopted by... or even a life oath?"

Three of a Kind || Accepting

She had to laugh about the wafers, all hushed tones and smile obscured by her hands, and a mental note that she has one more thing to confess the next time she can make it by Sacred Heart. Then she goes through the whole explanation recalled from memory of her catechism classes, about transubstantiation, grace through the Eucharist, and Catholicism in general. Extremely hard when several points of reference also have to be explained and when the person receiving the information might not understand the belief, the implication and well… the cannibalism of it all. This will probably need a lot more explanation in the future, if it doesn't bother him right out of that armour of his. She wouldn't blame him for being squicked, it's almost ridiculous trying to type it out. Thankfully though, Bill ushers her away from the screen just after all those thoughts flit into her mind and saves her from any real close-contact with blaspheme. His plangent tone wraps around her as warm and silky as the depth of midnight, and makes her swim to the surface. He isn't wrong. She really doesn't talk about her family; the mother who abandoned her and seemed to forget her in favour of someone else's children, the Admiral who seemed to despise every breath she took for no reason she could ever fathom, the brother who had died on foreign soil fighting in a war that wasn't his in the first place. Her grandfather who after all this time only visits rarely and only then to ensure her safety from the rest of his kin. What is there to say about it, these stories that he's perhaps already heard before from any number of people that he's met? Or maybe she's being so insular to keep her own unhappiness at bay. Beth struggles with feeling valid, worthy to be in a world that seemingly doesn't want her. There is something a little brittle in her expression when he mentions the Asgardians. She's never in their brief interactions fallen afoul of the Thunderer, if anything he'd best be said to have been kind or deceptively cruel, in trying to smooth over her initial interactions with his sibling. But Beth is ever so careful to remain neutral on the matter of Loki. On one hand, xe killed Coulson. On the other, xer destiny goes beyond any gift of sight or sense of fate that she can claim, and who is she to say these were not all things set into motion by the universe itself? It could also be that she is afraid someone will use her softness for Loki for something truly evil. He can probably see the moment each name steals her breath but lights up her brain, the connections and emotions she associates with them. And the complex narrative she needs to weave now, which she wishes she had Loki's way with stories. "I suppose I should start with Ku'uku'u…ah…Spider-man, as you call him. He is wonderful. Such a good and deeply compassionate heart that will not allow him to do anything but the greatest good that he can. He is noble and he is a hero, never doubt that truth. I think in some world, maybe more, he and I could have made as you say…a life-oath. But anyone who does has to know they will always be second or third behind his need to save the one life he couldn't. That his drive and his connection to Spider takes up so much of his soul that he fears love. Fears sharing his life and believe me he has reason. I don't fault him for that."

It's all she can say without mentioning anything that might compromise the identity behind the mask, something she won't do for anyone, no matter how much she cares for them. She is loyal to Peter, and she loves Peter maybe more than he ever knew. But Beth is also a little selfish and she can only come in last so many times before even her heart breaks. She knows that maybe she isn't a good fit for him, not that way.

"So I suppose…maybe our relationship is like hanai-brother and sister. Like you and Thor. Fun fact, he's actually a couple years younger than me, too. So there's that." She offers a modest lift of one corner of her mouth. The seed of a smile perhaps that fades when she begins to speak again. A bright brush-stroke of sorrow paints her gaze with a crystalline clarity, and she cannot bring herself to look him straight on. Her chin dips. "I…I don't know if…or what…Korbinites consider their Hōkūpa'a, which in my native language means steadfast star, and is what we call Polaris, the constant north star which has been used for navigation and sea-faring since I don't even know how long. But it's very important. So I suppose you could say my personal Hōkūpa'a is the Doctor. He was the reason I chose my medical school, he guided and guarded me every step of the way through the learning process, and if I hadn't…made some choices, I'd still be with him now. There is little of me that you can't see his hand on. Even when we disagreed or arrived at a solution from different sides, there's not a man I don't respect more, and whose wisdom and friendship mean more to me. I am sure if he thinks of me at all, he still sees me as his favourite student." The trails they could have blazed, the practice they could have shared, the life that they could have built together still haunts Beth when the nights are darkest and loneliest. There isn't an ache or a joy of his that she doesn't feel in a distant sort of way. "I can't presume to say what he falls under, assuming there is even a word for it. Hanai brother? Oath-mate? Hanai-Father?" A lilt of her delicate shoulder, something of a sigh and she waves a hand over the console beside her as if her hand is a tide washing away what was written in sand. "As for Agent Coulson. Well, you've met him. Like Ku'uku'u, he's steadfast, honourable, compassionate. Like Stephen, he's talented, sophisticated, dashing. Wears a suit well. He's smart, yes, but his strength is in his experience, his wisdom, his willingness to be exactly what the job calls itself; a shield to protect whomever might need him most. There's great rage in his heart but that's reserved not for an enemy but situations where he is needed, if that makes sense. It's his own sort of passion under the affable exterior. One part of me wishes that the Admiral could have been an eighth the man Phil is. That he could have ever made me feel as safe, as valued." And there, there's that selfishness rising, for which she looks immediately guilty for once the words leave her mouth. "Agent Coulson is everything a person could want in a father. In a boss. In a friend. In a husband. I would consider myself lucky were I ever to have someone like that interested in me. I know by now you must have heard me call him uncle, and maybe in a way I do see him in that sort of light. I call him Uncle because it's a term of respect on my island." That same shrug of her shoulder, that same small exhalation. "I suppose I could make an argument for each of them living in my heart as one has family. I could also make the argument that if I ever made a life-oath, I would consider myself a fortunate woman if any of them wanted that." She looks up at long last. "What about you? Have you met any other hanai-family amongst your travels? What about someone you who makes your heart sing?"

[bigbazoxngas]

There are so many things I LOVE about Loki's costume design in his first three movies.

In Thor (2011) his armour looks shiny and looks new, it's smooth and sleek.

Compared to Avengers (2012) it's visibly scuffed, worn and dented.

A good example of this is a comparison of Loki's helmet, in Avengers it's noticably grittier.

Loki after falling into the void, something described as "Marvels version of the seventh circle of hell" and (at the very least is being threatened and is hurt once on screen) encountering Thanos his armour is now visibly frayed and dented. It's such a small detail but I absolutely love it.

It's visually showing us Loki's state of mind, he still looks regal and big, intimidating, powerful, yet there's damage, he's in Tom Hiddlestons own words "scarred for life."

Especially how the gold, in particular, something that represents Asgard, is what is most textured, especially in Thor TDW, where Loki endures more anger and grief, and breaks out of the abusive and toxic dynamics of Asgard and his family.

The gold is at it's most damaged, yet it's still powerful, it gives Loki this feral quality, it has a different effect, because this time Loki is working with his grief. He's not just feeling angry, he's using his anger.

It's just *chefs kiss* something so nice, I just really like it. Visual storytelling through clothes is something I fucking love about movies and shows.

[blairsanne]

All great points!

I especially love the Anders & Dawn part of S3. The way the brothers work together to stop Colin makes me so happy.

I want to clarify that in my previous post when I said "god spouses" I was specifically referring to gods who are married in Asgard (Hel/Hod, Odin/Frig, Braig/Idun). I do think we get plenty of examples of other gods hooking up and it going poorly or not.

I have a headcanon that the gods and goddesses are pulled to each other, whether that's simply a "subconsciously recognizing your own kind" or a "you need to make babies with each other so there are more vessels for the spirits to inhabit" thing. (Maybe both.)

We see that once the goddesses are connected to the Johnsons (et al) that they start to form pairings, and I don't think it's just that everyone is so hot. I think there is something about the other gods that they find comfort/interest in.

Axl and Suzie are so cute. Would love to see them get back together in a S4 tbh, or even just post-Ga. Did Suzie ever even get told she was Saga?? I know Axl finds out in that episode but I don't recall her being told on-screen. What happened after the Ga? She's now the bartender nobody knows, and she doesn't get why? What about Derek? (And all the other gods and goddesses they never met!)

I think Olaf/Stacey was a cute couple, and I liked Olaf/Ingrid as well. I didn't feel like they had any kind of big blowup, and they are able to hang out even after he gets with Stacey, so I think they were mostly on the same page with that one.

Colin and Michele, while they were both antagonists to the Johnsons in S2, ultimately weren't a great match because Colin didn't respect her. I thought it really interesting that she went for Mike (after suggesting he play martyr in S1) when Anders wasn't at the housewarming party.

I actually liked Mike and Michele together, but not how it ended. I think they could have worked it out with better communication and a bit more grace on Mike's end to the fact that not everyone sees things as black and white as he does. I feel like I can see both of their sides of the issue at that point, but it becomes too escalated for them to reach a common ground, which is unfortunate.

I also feel like maybe their breakup had more to do with plot convenience to free Mike up to chase Hannah, which is... not my favourite thing to suspect of writing.

Michele and Anders might have worked out in the long term if they were both on the same page about it and willing to be vulnerable with each other. I felt like we saw that willingness in Anders in S3, but Michele was more guarded in S3 (and who could blame her given everything else going on and both her history and what she knows of Anders). There was some hint of things being a little sweeter in the finale (thinking of the casino scene where he says he's happy where he is), so it would depend a lot on what the writers decided to do I think.

As for Anders and Gaia - totally agree that without the Axl aspect, there's every chance they could have actually tried to have a relationship. They were not super well matched in age or values, probably, but they could have tried. I don't think Gaia hated Anders before the Idun thing, but I do think she hated the situation, and they both wanted so badly to deny the Bragi/Idun thing that they were not honest about it, for sure. Which might have made it worse. It certainly led them to acting on their own, which... Well they both complain about how poorly that went, so there you have it.

There are some mentions throughout of things getting intense or being difficult when gods in general get together (like Olaf and their grandmother whose name I've forgotten, Elizabet and Johan, Karen and Johan). I'm pretty sure it's Olaf who says something like "when you bag a goddess, there's always a catch". Which seems to be truer earlier on in the series than toward the end.

Is that because the gods don't get along that well despite being pulled to each other? Is that because they all have particular natures and powers that complicate their lives? Does it have to do with living your whole life hiding part of yourself from everyone around you and that making it difficult to open up, even to another god? Who knows. We are left to speculate. XD

I find it really interesting, though, that Axl was set up to be endgame with Gaia (I do think S1 is full of hints at this, as well as earlier parts of S2) who was supposedly mortal. That would have been a great payoff for the S1E1 conversation about how the last Odin chose to love a mortal woman and didn't bother with the quest, and Zeb telling him that Gaia is not the Frigg he's looking for, as well as all the S2 Kvasir "you need to become yourself to become Odin" stuff. Choosing your lover despite the Frigg hunt feels romantic to me. (Whether or not she ended up as a goddess in the end, and whether or not she had originally been intended to be Frigg.) [Interestingly, Hannah is forced to do the opposite, 'going to' Axl despite her feelings for Mike. Though, given that she knew what would happen at the Ga, I don't get why that was such a hard decision for her. She acted like she had to 'break up' with Mike, but like... only for a day. Whatever.]

We also see that same dynamic with Ty and Dawn, where Ty even goes as far as to become mortal to be with her. Of note, Axl didn't have that option, because dying would have killed everyone else around him. [Though the show could have penwaved that by later deciding that it was all a coincidence that natural disasters happened when the last Odin died. It's not like the oracles had everything else right every single time - see the Ga.]

Since I love the characters so much, I like to headcanon that it's possible for them to have functional relationships, even though there are sooooo many examples of that not being the case for other gods and goddesses. The few examples we get seem to be enough to prove that it's possible. And (certainly after the Ga, former-) gods might be able to understand each other better overall.

I just finished my first rewatch of taj. This time around, I noticed more than the first time I watched. I was actually paying more attention to the storyline instead of just watching Dean in every scene and how good he looked lol.

I felt bad for Anders and how everyone treated him, even up until the last episode. Yeah there were times when he acted like a prick but hey that’s his character and I understand him putting up a wall and acting the way he does because if how others treat him. Still loved Ty. Yeah at times it was a little creepy with his approach to Dawn but I love the ending how it all turned out for them. Still cried. Mike, still can’t stand him. I think this time around I found him even more annoying. I almost got to the point where I had to wither mute when he was talking or just outright skip it lol. Axl was better this time around. First time I found him really annoying but this time he was better. Love Zeb, hilarious! Love all the goddesses still, except Gaia. Don’t even get me started on her! Especially the storyline with her and Anders. Nope hated that part, couldn’t watch it this time.

I loved it even more this time around! Since finishing it, it got me thinking about it they did go ahead with a season 4 and what would play out. I would’ve loved to see how each of them adapted to their life now without their god powers and who would embrace the new change, who would struggle the most, would they change anything about their life or try and keep it steady? Who knows!? And then what about Axl moving back in with Zeb, do you think he’d eventually start telling him everything or just leave that all in the past and build a new friendship? What are your thoughts on if they did another season and what they would tackle?

Yay, talking about TAJ is one of my favourite things!!

I fully agree re: Anders. I often feel sad for him when people who watch the show accept his brothers' opinions of him as fact, despite Anders himself repeatedly trying to tell them that he does the right thing often, that he's trying to protect them, etc. -- and the audience even being shown that effort on his part multiple times. It grinds my gears that other characters thinking Anders is a shallow jerk is taken as a statement of fact from the writers and not, y'know, the character's opinion.

Anders may not have the same set of ethics as Mike, but he clearly has his own set of ethics (which he brings up in S2 when he's uncomfortable with Helen's ideas for his powers, in S3 with Colin's ideas for his powers, etc...) and doesn't see his own actions the way his brothers interpret them, and I think it's a very uncharitable reading of his character to think of him as flat and selfish, instead of the very complex character that was actually written into the show, with flaws and good points and complicated family dynamics where mostly there's a lot of misunderstanding of each other going on. I could probably ramble on about that forever, but I'll refrain.

Mainly I wish that viewers would take Anders word for it what his own motivations are, because he does outright state them at multiple points, right from the first season where he explains that the thing that got him BANISHED FROM HIS FAMILY was done in an attempt to protect Mike.

I really disliked Mike my first viewing, because I felt like he caused a lot of strife for other characters by being inflexible and believing he knew best. As I've rewatched, I've come to better appreciate his character and the immense burden he bears. I think his attempt at controlling his family is his own way of trying to protect them, and that this was caused by the events surrounding both the toxic relationship of his parents and that he was forced to be the head of the family at age 21. (I still get annoyed with him during the S3 Odin contest stuff but I also headcanon that it was a "fate" thing to force Odin and Frigg together.) I try to remind myself that every character on the show thinks they are in the right, and why that might be.

I have a theory about Gaia, but that's a whole other essay lmao.

My answers to your questions re: S4 will be somewhat colored by the deleted scene from the final episode, which reveals what Colin was doing tossing a red gem on the ground before the Ga.

In the deleted scene (which they filmed in case they got renewed for S4), Loki comes out of the gem, and we were left with Loki and Colin standing in the woods, apparently about to cause some problems.

With that in mind, I have to assume that the Johnsons would discover Loki was in Midgard and try to do soemthing about it. I further assume that at least some of the other characters would have god spirits inhabit them again (mainly because that's more interesting than them coming back to Earth on their own and interacting with mortal Johnsons).

I think it would be REALLY interesting if they didn't necessarily get the gods they had the first time around. Maybe Odin doesn't want to leave Asgard, so Axl becomes another god. Maybe Freki, just for the lols. Maybe they find some new McGuffin that allows other mortals (liek Zeb and Dawn) to take on god spirits!

Re: Zeb and Axl living together, given how long their friendship was, I headcanon that - much like Dawn - Zeb would eventually start to remember Axl, and maybe everything. Alternatively, maybe part of the season is Axl finding a way to make Zeb remember!

Just re: the Johnsons being mortal in general, I have a bit of a hc where, since Mike's career wasn't based on his powers, he'd go back to construction (maybe rebuild the bar to sell it), and Axl would work for him. Anders (who I assume does know how to do his job, despite no longer being able to just Bragi his clients) might even do promo for the construction business. Ty could still be a courier, and as the only one to actually live as a mortal since turning 21, I think he'd have the easiest time of it, especially with Dawn remembering him and all.

I think initially there would be a lot of razzing Mike by challenging him to games and beating him, but overall I think Mike might actually feel really happy to get to be included in those games again after so long. I think losing Ullr would really help Mike chill out. Or, at least, I hope that for him.

I don't really see Michele and Anders working out long term unless Michele started to take Anders seriously. She didn't really seem to understand him very well even in S3. I did feel like Anders seemed to want a more serious relationship (not necessarily that he wanted what Ty or Mike would want, but just that he seemed to be looking for emotional connection in S3, and not only physical, perhaps because of the whole Idun plot?) so I could see with not having Bragi anymore that he might settle down a bit and get a gf. I've always sort of thought maybe mortal women didn't seem like suitable gf material to him because they couldn't know about everything going on (like he saw how being with Val was complicated for Mike) and that's why they're always little flings. We do see him treat Michele and Helen pretty well imo (not cheating on them, taking them seriously as people, etc.), so I thought maybe he would do better with a goddess gf. (See Lofn fic lmao)

Ahhh that was a lot of rambling, but I'm always happy to talk more about TAJ!! Thanks for the ask :)

[dwollsadventures]

Magnus Chase Project Idea

The next thing for my list of projects is something a little closer to home and achievable, but also perhaps less anticipated. 

Percy Jackson was the first series of novels that I ever read of my own volition. It instilled a love of reading and appreciation of mythology that continues to this very day. When I heard that Riordan was going to be writing a series based on Norse mythology in 2014, I was ecstatic. Unlike before, I had a basis of knowledge to draw from to prepare for the books. When the books were released and I read them though, I felt a little disappointed. I actually have a large document that I wrote back in 2017 detailing all of my criticisms, but I’ll summarize them here: 

Magnus Chase as the protagonist goes through a very well defined and meaningful character arc in the first book. It’s probably one of the only things that make him stand out from Percy Jackson, who he can sometimes read as a carbon copy of. In the subsequent two books, however, he loses everything that made him special. His identity as a peacemaker and healer, and his choice to not use Jack the sword as a weapon are all forgotten about. 

Rick Riordan’s passion for Greek and Roman history oozes out of everything he wrote for his previous books. And while he did make an attempt, the mythology presented in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is one of its greatest flaws. The gods of the stories are shallow, one-joke cut-outs compared to the complex parents and power players in PJO. Heimdall is the worst example. Rather than echoing themes and remixing myths, oftentimes the characters play out recreations of Norse myths word for word during the course of the story. Norse mythology has a lot of large gaps in its content, meaning that an author will almost certainly have to bridge them with their own creations at some point. Riordan chooses to do this by mixing in modern culture and folklore from the 1800’s of Scandinavia. 

This book was not the first to feature cross-overs from other Riordan books, but it is the one that leaned the most heavily on them. Annabeth’s inclusion in the first book was appropriate, but it seemed like pandering to include Percy in the last one. When reading reviews to refresh myself for writing this, a good percentage of them cried out about their insufficient screen time. 

Slavery. The mythology point above makes me the most peeved, but this one baffled me as I read the books. One of the first einherjar characters introduced is Hunding, from the Volsung Saga. In the Saga, another of the characters, Helgi, kills Hunding, and his reward for the victory is that Hunding becomes his slave in Valhalla, commanded to “of every hero / Wash the feet, | and kindle the fire, / Tie up dogs, | and tend the horses, / And feed the swine | ere to sleep thou goest”. This is present in the books, but couched in PG13 language, so that Hunding is Helgi’s “servant”. One of the main cast of characters is Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Jr., a runaway slave that died fighting in the Civil war. In the third book, one of the other main characters replays a scene from mythology where she gets a bunch of jotunn slaves to accidentally kill each other. This character then apologizes to TJ for killing the slaves and they make up off-screen. Hunding is never rescued from eternal slavery, the existence of slavery in Valhalla is never acknowledged, the end. 

So what? Why did I list all of my gripes with the series and put it under the future projects title? Well, after I wrote my laundry list in 2017, I capped it off with a “what I would do” section. I’ve never been able to get into the realm of fan fiction. But what about fan rewrites? Rewriting the book chapter by chapter with my own changes? 

The reason I haven’t done this is because, again, I don’t have a foot in the fan fiction world, and for most of my time I’ve thought that spending so much time and effort working on something like that would be a waste of my time when I could be working on my own stuff. But recently I’ve been rethinking that. Finding the motivation to work on my own Acronym Pending series is conflicting with my anxiety about perfecting it so that I don’t tear it down a month afterwards. What if working on fan fiction doesn’t trigger this response? After all, the hard work’s already been done. If I end up doing this, it will be because I can’t bring myself to work on the TDG, which is bad, but it would mean something is still getting done, even if it’s something I cannot claim as 100% my own. 

What would I do differently? Here’s a few examples:

Magnus is not a demigod. Demigods are not a big thing in Norse sagas or myths, and it links the series too much to the previous ones. 

Samirah would not be a valkyrie, but another of the einherjar. 

Valhalla and the Norse elements would not be modernized, at all. 

Hearthstone’s father would be Volundr. 

Overall, the story would be closer to a runaway tale rather than a hero’s journey. The overarching mythological theme would be focused on breaking the cycle. 

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I agree that the treatment of Loki in his own series is awful but I would not say that the mcu who killed their two only female members of two superhero teams for the sake of the plot praises women just becase of the shallow girlboss character

Anyone who claims the MCU praises women is being ridiculous 😂😂

There are some female characters that are great but most of the time they're not written all that well and don't have much to do.

The best example of well-written women is Black Panther. We have Ramonda, Nakia, Okoye and Shuri, not to mention all the Doras. They're shown to be strong, capable, kind, loyal to each other and fierce in their love for Wakanda. T'Challa relies on them and we get to see their friendship - how many female friendships do we have in the MCU? Yeah, it's that bad.

But the women in other movies they don't have all that agency. We have some exceptions like Natasha in WS but she's so inconsistently written throughout the films (I still loved her in her movie though). Then I'd say Wanda has a good chunk of screen-time but I don't think she was given much to work with until the D+ show. I'll mention Carol as well (and I love Captain Marvel and how they have women of all ages in it, there are no scenes where she shows skin, not a single word about how attractive she is and there's no romance at all).

But Valkyrie? We don't even know her name. Gamora and Nebula? I love them but we don't have enough of them (and don't get me started on how they mistreated Gamora in IW). Hope is wonderful and I have a soft spot for the Ant-Man movies but again she doesn't have much to work with. Jane is sidelined and Hela is basically blamed for Asgard's imperialism.

Sylvie is a bit like that all-female scene in EG: they don't want to take the time to write a proper role for a woman so they go overboard and come up with something excessive and disproportionate to satiate the need for women in superhero movies but it falls flat because it's entirely bland.

[my-emotional-self]

Toxic Love Chapter 4

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes

Summary: Finding out your soulmates were Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes was one thing.  But when someone from your past comes back to haunt you, you have to figure out if a relationship with two super soldiers is something you really want to pursue or if you’d rather go back to your comfortable single life.

Series Warnings:  18+, Swearing, Angst, Fluff, past mentions of rape, self-harm, attempted rape, domestic violence, stalking, death threats, possible Dark!Steve?, Steve will be an asshole a LOT in this series but I don’t know how dark it will get, explicit sexual content, mental health issues, kind of A/B/O dynamics but not really (no they are not actual wolves, more like the hierarchy), mentions of suicide, flashbacks of suicide

A/N: There will be no taglist for this story!  I apologize in advance!

The three of you gathered around the kitchen island and ate the pizza.  Well, more like Steve and Bucky inhaled a whole pizza each while you ate two slices.  The pizza was delicious, probably the best you’d ever had and your stomach was grateful for the yumminess.

“Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself Y/N?” Bucky asked as he licked the grease off his lips.

“What do you want to know?” you replied.  

“Let’s start with your family and where you grew up.”

You shrugged as you wiped your fingers with a napkin.  “There isn’t really much to say.  I grew up in a small town in the Midwest.  Both my parents died when I was a teenager.  I never knew my grandparents and I was an only child, same with my parents, so I don’t have any other family.  I moved here when I was 20,” you stated honestly.  Well, mostly at least.  Yes, it was true both of your parents died, but how they died was tragic.  They both committed suicide.  First your mother, then your father one year later.  As far back as you could research, mental health issues unfortunately ran in your family and that was including you.  But you weren’t ready to open up that old wound yet. You were on medication to help it and that was that.  Luckily the dosing you were on worked well and you could only hope you wouldn’t need to adjust your medications anytime soon.  

“We know how you feel doll. Obviously all of our family is gone too. But we can make a new family with the three of us,” Bucky stated as he wrapped his metal arm around your shoulders. You liked the sound of that.  The three of you becoming your own family. It sounded nice.  

You gave Bucky a wide smile, mirroring his.  “What have your past relationships looked like?” Steve announced from the other side of you.  

This was something you had been debating on bringing up.  If you weren’t going to tell them about your mental health issues just yet, you didn’t want to lie and be dishonest about John as well.  Taking a deep breath, you held it in for five seconds before releasing it.  “I’ve only been in one relationship before.  His name was John, John Smith.  He’s in prison right now.”

From the corner of your eye you could see Steve clench his fist; his knuckles cracking in the process.   “What happened?” he growled out.    

“He…he umm.  Well, he hit me,” you said, almost as quiet as a mouse but you knew both men had super hearing and they damn well heard you.  

Steve slammed his fist on the granite countertop making you flinch.  

“Steve!” Bucky barked at him in anger.  “You’re not making this situation any better right now.  Calm the fuck down and let her talk.”  Bucky soothed his arm up and down your back.  “Go ahead doll.   We’re listening.”

Nodding, you began to speak again.  “Things were great in the beginning.  He seemed like everything I could have ever asked for in a man.  I didn’t know if or when I would ever meet the two of you so I decided to live my life and date him.   The first six months were a whirlwind of romance.  He was the most charming man I had ever met.  But then things took a turn when I moved in with him. I was ready to have sex yet, but he was sick of waiting.  That first night I moved in, he…he raped me.”

This time you saw Bucky’s right hand clench on the table in front of you while Steve knocked his chair over as he stood up, pacing the kitchen.  “Go on doll,” Bucky urged, trying to keep the anger out of his voice as best he could for you.

“That was just the first time.  He umm, he did it again for weeks.  I wanted to leave, I really did.  But he was rich and he had security around the house.  I knew I couldn’t just up and leave.  Finally, when he demanded I quit my job, I stood up to him and told him no. That was the first time he hit me. That continued for months.  I was ready to give up on myself.”

“What happened next huh? How did he end up in prison?” Steve demanded as he leaned over the counter, staring at you with those piercing eyes.  

“I got lucky,” you replied. “We were out shopping one day.  He felt bad for the wrist he broke the night before so he took me shopping.  One of the sales ladies escorted me into a fitting room and I slipped her a note letting her know what was going on.  I stayed in the fitting room for as long as possible.  And then I heard them.  The police. The sales lady called the police for me and they took him away.  He’s been locked up ever since.”

Closing your eyes, you let the tears slip down your cheek.  “You were so brave,” Bucky cooed as you felt his lips on the top of your head.

“Look at me Y/N,” Steve demanded yet again and that deep feeling to please him was happening again. You snapped your head up and looked directly into his eyes.  “That will never happen in this relationship. Do you understand me?”  You simply nodded.  “Bucky and I would never hurt you like that.  Ever.  You have our word.”  As soon as he finished talking, he stormed out of the kitchen and down the hallway to where you only assumed was his room.  

“Just give him a minute to cool off sweetheart,” Bucky spoke in your ear.  “Stevie gets pent up sometimes and he has a lot on his plate. He may seem like it, but he’s not mad at you.  I promise.”

You collapsed into Bucky’s chest and softy sobbed.  It felt like a weight was lifted off your shoulders and you were relieved to have told them about John.  “I’m so sorry you had to go through that doll.  That will never happen to you again.  We won’t let anything like that happen.”

It couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes later when Steve emerged from his room.  “How about we go down and show you the communal kitchen and living room.  Give you a little tour.  What do you say?”

A small smile broke across your face.  “I’d like that very much.”

As the elevators opened to the communal floor, you jaw dropped.  If you thought Steve and Bucky’s apartment was big, this was ten times the size. Not only were there ample more couches, the television was bigger and there was a large dining table big enough to sit at least twenty people.  

“Holy crap,” you exclaimed in awe.  

“Yeah, Tony likes to go big if you couldn’t already tell,” Steve joked.  

“You think?” you quipped back, earning a smirk from Steve.  

The entire space was void of anyone except the three of you as Steve pulled you further into the living room.  He explained that the group tries to do a movie night at least once a week.  “To make things as fair as possible, Tony pulls a name out of a hat to see who gets to pick the movie that night,” Bucky said.

“Yeah but it doesn’t really work.  There is still always complaining and bitching from everyone else.  Mainly Clint,” Steve chimed in.  

It made you giggle, genuinely giggle and it felt good.  That hadn’t happened in quite some time.  

Steve and Bucky guided you towards the hallway, explaining that these were the ‘hobby rooms’ of everyone and their soulmates.  Steve opened the door to the one at the end of the all on right left side.  

“This will be your room. You can make it anything you want. But I’m going to guess this will be your game room where you work.”

“That would be correct,” you answered as you turned on the light.  The room was very decent sized and you would have no problem fitting all of your gamer stuff in here.  Hell, there would be a lot of room left over and you were quickly trying to think what else you could fit in here.  

“C’mon.  Let’s go back to our floor and we can show you your room up there.”

On the elevator ride back to their apartment, Steve and Bucky explained who all lived in the tower and who their soulmates were.  Tony and Pepper were soulmates together, along with Bruce.  Bruce was best friends with Tony and more of a brother figure to Pepper. Then there was Natasha, Clint and Darcy Lewis and they were all in an intimate relationship together.  Lastly, there was Thor and Jane but they didn’t stay in the tower too much as they spent most of their time on Asgard.  

Steve stopped in front of your door.  It was across the hall from Bucky’s and right next door to Steve’s.  

“Go ahead and open it,” Steve said with a smile.  “Just place your hand over the screen.”

Taking a deep breath, you did as he said and placed your hand, palm down, on the digital screen where there would normally have been a doorknob.  With a soft click, the door opened for you and you walked into your new place.  It was nothing like what you were thinking. You were honestly just guessing it would be a bedroom, but no, this was an entire apartment.  

Straight ahead was a decent sized kitchen.   There was dark cherry wood cabinet with black granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  To the left is what you would assume would be the living room, however it was completely bare of any furniture.  As you continued to move through the apartment you found that the bedroom was all the way in the back.  It was a very nice sized master bedroom with the biggest walk in closet and on suite bathroom you had ever seen.  

“What do you think?” Bucky asked as he came up behind you and placed his hands on your shoulders.  

“It’s big,” you replied with a chuckle.  

“I’m going to have Tony’s interior designer email you.  Give him examples and ideas of what you would like and she will make it happen.  Don’t worry about prices.  This is Tony’s gift to you.”

Your eyes grew wide at his statement.  “Are you sure?”

“Yes sweetheart,” Steve replied as he slipped his hand in yours.  “We want the best for you.  Whatever you want this new home of yours to look like, then so be it.  We will make it happen for you.”

~~~

That night as you lay in bed after spending time with Steve and Bucky, you couldn’t help but frown. Things had seemed to be going much better tonight than they did when you first met them two days ago.  Now, you had to pack up your apartment and move. You weren’t really nervous about that part, hell, you were looking forward to it.  But then it meant things were starting to get real.  When things start to get intimate with them, would you be able to let yourself go and do that?  Would things be vanilla in the bedroom? Would you be able to tell them that because the only sexual experiences you’ve ever had was being raped, that you could now only get yourself off on violent fantasies of being raped, or tied up, or choked?  Fuck, what was wrong with you?

[blindtaleteller]

stuff in tags, and also some more road trip ideas forming..

On a Road Trip with Loki - Headcanons

Loki would be super excited

and total happy as he got asked

He buys Snacks and drinks

Loki would probably cause some mischief with your clothes in your suitcase 😜

On the Day of the Road Trip

I think he will be grumpy if you wake him up in the middle of the night

You are the driver - Loki couldn't sleep

He is curious about the Navigation system - gps

tell him it's like a Map 🗺️

He would tell you Story's about his favorite Places

I think there would also be lots of fun and laughter

After awhile he would start to ask ...How long till we are there ? I am bored ?Are we there yet? In how many hours are we there?

Loki comments on everything all the time... You can drive faster!!... Watch out!! ...did you blink? Why don't you overtake? I don't like the Music 🎶

he is kinda annoying and it's distracting

If you tell him that - Loki would get pouty and sulk the whole time

Please,say you don't mean it ... He just needs the Attention

Masterlist

[make-loki-happy-again]

A lot of people say it is biphobic and bi erasure to be unhappy at the thought of Loki ending up with a feminine presenting character. And I agree. Very, very often it is.

But as a bisexual woman myself, I am unhappy about that too. Not because I think bi characters should not end up in a "straight" relationships or because I have some unhealthy need for gay ships with any character I like.

I am dissappointed because they confirmed Loki as bi/pan but didn't show us any of it. They could have showed us Loki in queer relationships or situations. Then giving him a girlfriend wouldn't bother me at all (even if selfcest seems a bit questionable for the main canon relationship - but you know what? I don't care, they can go for it, she is kinda cool).

Some easy examples:

1. They could have showed us Loki flirting with a man instead of a woman on that plane (don't get me wrong, she was really cute and I liked that scene, but it's just to make a point about how easy it would be to show he can be flirty with men).

2. Even tho I don't think Loki and Mobius would be a healthy relationship and I never really shipped them or wanted for them to become canon, they could give us some obvious scenes of them flirting or even just of Loki trying to flirt to gain his trust/sympathy or to fool him.

3. Instead of the scene with Lady Sif (that was imo performed really well by the way, they both did a great job here!) they could have showed us a painfull memory with a male lover. Maybe getting rejected? Maybe finding out he is dead or even seeing him die in a battle? Maybe even showing that Asgard can be a homophobic place by having someone mock Loki for his interests (and the climactic point, instead of Loki apologising, would be Loki openly standing up against that, proud of who he is). I am just brainstorming, I know those are not perfect queer representation ideas, especially if this would be the only "queer" moment for Loki. But it was still an opportunity to give us something.

Or they could show us some "wlw looking" moment with Sylvie! That would work too even tho she is not the main character here. Maybe some cute moment with Hunter B-15?

Instead, they gave us Loki flirting with a woman on the plane and then hinted that the endgame may (or may not) be Loki and his feminine presenting version and that their romantic love may be some super powerful thing. It is disappointing. It's like they confirmed his bi/pansexuality but are only willing to explore one side of it.

And honestly, I don't even dislike the idea of Loki "falling for himself". I just wish they gave us a bit more of his bi/pansexuality on screen instead of just jumping into the relationship that can be seen as "straight", at least from the outside perspective, immidiatelly after confirming that they are both bi/pan.

EDIT: I realised I called Sylvie a woman and I changed that to feminine presenting character because even tho they didn't mention it in the show, I still believe that Sylvie is genderfluid just as Loki is and that we will get some proof of that in canon.

I also feel the need to clarify: I don't dislike this ship and I won't be angry or sad if it becomes canon. They are cute together and I don't care at all if it's selfcest or not.

And yes, bisexual people are still bisexual, no matter who we date. Our relationships don't define our sexuality. Please don't say they made Loki or Sylvie straight! Instead you can say, for example, that their relationship is straight-passing. ^-^

But it is still sad that big companies always choose to portray only the "safe part" of our sexuality.

It's the same with their genderfluidity. Presenting the way they do doesn't make them any less genderfluid. I just wish they showed us some bigger hint on screen instead of making one of them presenting feminine and using only she/her pronouns all the time and the other presenting masculine and using only he/him pronouns all the time without a hint for anything else and never mentioning it (but I am very cis myself so I feel like this is not my place to be a judge of that).

Still, I am really happy that Loki is confirmed bisexual even if it was only one sentence! I enjoy the show and I have nothing against Loki and Sylvie! 🖤