#I think he agreed to work with Thanos bc like I said a need for purpose and vengeance & also lots of anger to release

[musclesandhammering]

I know this totally goes against the general belief that Loki was brainwashed and tortured, so I’m not saying this is exactly canon.

But my interpretation of this scene is two-fold. First, he’s saying that his plan was to piss them off on the helicarrier so they’d self destruct and he could escape (so essentially he’s taunting Tony that he was really manipulating all of them the whole time and they never actually had him subdued).

Secondly, he’s saying his plan was to piss off all the Avengers so that he’d get the war he was hoping for. Not so they could come together to fight Thanos, but so he could get them all in one place for the big showdown- to fight him.

Now he knew he’d probably lose, but that was never the point. Loki wasn’t interested in ruling. If he was, he could’ve been a lot stealthier and done it all under the avengers’ noses before they even saw it coming. He chose not to, because all he really wanted was a big fight. Chaos, destruction, war. All taking place on Thor’s precious earth. That’s his whole motivation for being a villain in this film- he’s not hungry for power, he’s angry and hurt and hungry for vengeance.

And of course Tony responds with “not a great plan.” because he’s missing a key piece of information: Loki doesn’t care about winning.

The Avengers (2012) dir. Joss “Thanos” Whedon

“What have I to fear?”

[caatws]

This might be a bad reading of events but I think there just wasn't any true desire to build back up a story for Gamora at the very end of gotg's trilogy. James Gunn has said several times the story of the guardians was always going to end with Rocket's origin story and that Rocket is the character he feels closest too. Instead of altering part of the plan to accommodate what was done with Gamora he altered how he usually approached Gamora's development and prominence to accommodate the story. Endgame absolutely showed Gamora being invested in her relationship with Nebula and having strong feelings about everything that was going on. There was a lot to work with to give her a fuller story and arc. I think some better choices needed to be made between what needed to take place in vol 3 to fulfill James Gunn's vision and what they wanted to do in Infinity War to prop up Thanos.

more vol 3 spoilers under the cut~

i'm aware gunn always wanted to focus more on rocket later down the line and that he's always connected with him the most and i'm not disagreeing with that, or how 2014!gamora acted in endgame for that matter. it was just strange to me to see that she didn't seem any closer or that close in general to nebula 2 years after that. like weirdly gamora and nebula seemed closer in vol 2 than in vol 3 to me? but that could've just been me watching the 2 films back to back so they were just begging to be directly compared LOL

but as it stands, original gamora's arc is just....not good. nothing abt her character in vol 2 suggests that her arc was so close to ending in her death that it would happen in her literal next appearance? i'm sure for gunn he was stuck in between a rock and a hard place of how he much he was gonna continue going with his original vision (rocket centric story) vs trying to change up anything in iw/endgame that he didn't agree with (tho i would argue given the russos retconned parts of gamora's background that had been established in vol 1/2, gunn should've gotten to retcon something they did in return LMFAO)

anyway, i get that trying to pick up and resume the greater gotg story from iw/endgame and the gamora situation was gonna be a tall order regardless of what the story of vol 3 was gonna be, so my bigger issue that i think could've been more realistically fixed is the ways the other guardians grieved (or didn't grieve) gamora, bc it rly did seem like peter was the only one who was upset abt it. would've at least been cool to see a convo between him and the others or nebula in particular abt how he isn't the only one grieving...but i guess he was?

[iamanartichoke]

People argue about what even is canon in the first place anyway. Even the starting point can't be agreed upon.

Including the 2nd ask bc I'm assuming they're from the same nonny? (pfft like more than one person would send me asks in one day lmao)

Anyway ... I mean, I'm mostly ambivalent on the first point re: people disagreeing over canon, bc ... like, idek where to start on all the shit that I could say about fans' relationship to and interaction with canon or even what canon technically is, like, by definition (and therefore what even qualifies as canon).

But I did want to address the second point bc I think it's a good opportunity to just sort of toss this hot take into the void: "Stating that fiction is subjective will ruffle some people's feathers at the minute" - so what? So. What. Fiction is subjective, all art is subjective, and that's something that is true, has been true, and will be true regardless of some fans' decision to just decide that things don't work that way.

They can get their feathers ruffled as much as they like, but people need to learn that their personal emotions and feelings about A Thing don't mean that they can just decide that That Thing is suddenly something else (or decide something else is suddenly That Thing). It's just like how words like gaslighting and narcissistic and abusive and torture and trigger have become so diluted bc people a) don't actually understand what gaslighting, for example, is, and therefore cannot possibly call it out with any real degree of accuracy, so they just end up throwing a really weighted term at something as basic, human, and everyday as telling a lie. Or an emotional argument becomes abuse, or being squicked by something makes it a trigger.

OR, on the opposite side of the coin, b) maybe they actually do know what gaslighting or abuse is, but then they will categorize anything that remotely falls within the realm of the same definition as being gaslighting or abuse. I, personally, for example, really hate the way that some people claim Mobius tortures and enslaves Loki. It drives me up the wall when I see those takes because - okay, are these terms technically correct? Yeah, technically, which is what they use to justify it - "Well, this source defines "torture" as xyz, and Mobius is clearly doing z, so Mobius is a torturer." But words mean shit, so are you really asking me to accept that Mobius tortured Loki just as Thanos tortured Loki? Yes? Okay, how? No? Okay, why not?

Here's the thing - Mobius never laid a hand on Loki, nor did he sadistically, literally play with Loki's mind. Remember, Loki was being influenced by the mind stone in Avengers and the Other had a constant connection to Loki's consciousness. Thanos (and the Other) tortured Loki. Mobius ... was mean to him during an interrogation and also lied about Loki being responsible for Frigga's death (and I've said it before, Mobius was being an unreliable narrator in this scene and anyone who believes - because of Mobius - that Loki actually killed Frigga is both factually wrong and also an idiot). Like, Mobius is shitty to Loki but Thanos is torturous to Loki. The two are not the same, regardless of how they may technically be defined. By calling the former torture, consistently, bc his behavior meets some arbitrary technical definition, you're actively diluting the word bc you feel like its weight lends credibility to your argument that Mobius sucks.

... I got off-topic for a second there, I'm sorry. But back to my point: fiction is subjective and I don't care whose feathers I ruffle by saying that. It's true, and acting like it's not so that you can feel like you have the "right" interpretation of the character (thus giving you personal validation which, I'm sorry to say, the Emperor thought that he was wearing fabulous new clothes but that didn't change the reality that he was butt ass naked) is just ... *gesticulates wildly bc words fail me* shitty.

[batfamtv]

(girls like girls) like boys do, nothing new

can you do a jealous carol x reader ? like reader has had long time crush on carol and admits her feelings only to get turned down bc carol has internalized homophobia and doesn’t know how to react. carol gets jealous when reader is moving on with another mcu character of your choice.

carol danvers x reader

warnings: internalized homophobia, failed the reverse bechdel test (women only talk about one (1) woman, a gay), no gays fighting over Y/N

word count: 2565 for the gays; set in avengers: endgame; everyone lives au

read part 1 here

Now, after a couple of years, you got promoted

Working under Nick Fury and caring for the Flerken really got you qualified to work in the field

And you did, with the best of the best: Natasha, the Black Widow, and Clint, Hawkeye

You were there when Loki destroyed New York, when Ultron threatened to destroy the world

Over time, your powers manifested, they have been dormant for the longest time

Speaking of dormant, you hadnt heard from Carol since the night she left

You talked to Nick, asked him if she’s ever stopped by, but she hasnt

“She’s busy saving the world, Y/N” he’d tell you, but that didnt make you feel better

You felt so hurt, by her reaction, her rejection, but you began to look forward

But you think about her everyday, wondering what could have been

Carol had given Nick a pager, ���for emergencies only”, she reminded him, but she also gave you one

Carol told you that it’s just to make sure Fury doesnt send out some false alarms, but who was she kidding? Maybe she did want you to hit her up

But after all those years, you hadn’t

She looks at her pager every single day, wondering if the world would miss her if she decides to come see you, to clear things out

And you have thought about ringing her up too, in times when the world is in trouble, and in times when the feeling you have on your chest is sharp that you couldnt breathe

In times when you miss her so much you cry uncontrollably, hand over your mouth to make sure no one hears

To make sure no one hears how much you miss the woman you love

You were with Nick and Maria when it happened

It was chaos in the city, and you, Nick and Maria got out of the car to investigate

The drivers seats of cars are empty, helicopters crashing into buildings

Almost reflexively, your hand flew to your pocket, where the pager lay there, almost waiting for you to press it

“Y/N?” Maria sounded distressed, and when you turned to her, her body was disintegrating, like sand blown away by the wind

Nick was distressed and eyed you, “You have to call her. Call control.”

You didn’t hesitate, pressing the button as you watched Nick do the same to his pager, watching your mentor and friend disappear right in front of your eyes

When your right hand started to disappear, you moved the pager to your left hand, tears threatening to spill

You were going to die, alone, unloved, and not having told Carol how much you miss her

Her name was the last thing on your lips before you disappeared

When carol came back to earth, she didnt know anyone

But everyone was grateful to her, for returning tony

The burning question in her head, the one thing she almost didn’t want to admit

Where is the woman she loves?

Back then, way back when carol was still a child, she was told that there were a lot of things she couldnt do

She couldn’t be strong, couldn’t play baseball--because she was a woman

She couldn’t join the air force, couldn’t be a pilot--because she was a woman

All of these things she couldn’t do, but there has always been one thing she was not allowed to do, not allowed to be

Because she was a woman, she is not allowed to like other women

Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could break the glass ceiling and become an air force captain, but there was one thing that she just was not allowed to do

And that was to acknowledge weird, different feelings for women

That has always been the case, it was drilled into her being, ever since she was a child

Girls can’t like other girls

And you confessing your feelings to her years ago forced her to acknowledge that her feelings for you were not at all platonic, that she didn’t stay with you for 3 days just because you were a good friend to her

Carol had to face the facts that being with you reminded her that she was human, and deep down, like the child that she was a long time ago, she had feelings that she didn’t believe were right

And she understood that her running away was not the right thing to have done, that she, who almost prided herself for being able to face her problems head on, was not ready to face this one problem that she had been forced to hide deep down, for years and years

Carol Danvers had always liked girls, and she liked you

Carrying that aircraft containing tony stark and nebula did not bother her one bit, what bothered her was that she was coming to earth after all these years

Somehow she believes that she is being forced to finally deal with abandoning you after all these years

But in spite of this, carol is feeling excited about this, because finally, after all these years...she had made peace with it

Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new

And all it took for her to realize that was the beeping of the pager

When everything had settled down, carol had been graciously offered a change of clothes by Pepper, who was hysterically thanking her for bringing tony back

The atmosphere was morbid, everyone in silent despair, and she was quietly begging for someone to fill up the spaces of what has happened on earth since she was last there

Finally, surrounded by a group of people calling themselves the “Avengers” (carol raised an eyebrow at this, asking if nick fury was the one who assembled the group, “Yeah, how’d you know?” Rhodes asked, and she shrugged and said “Lucky guess”), she was finally brought to speed

“It’s been 23 days since Thanos came to earth”

Holograms of people Carol believed were part of this team are projected around her

“We’re trying to take a census, and it looks like he did exactly what he said he was gonna do”

Nick Fury’s face appeared on the screen, much to Carol’s shock

Tears were brimming in her eyes, thinking about the distress call from Nick

Because if Nick sent the distress call and is now, as Natasha said, wiped out...does that mean…?

“Thanos wiped out...50% of all the living creatures”

Y/N’s face appeared in front of Carol not long after

With that, Carol exhaled as tears finally fell down her cheeks...she had her suspicions, but hoped--no, begged--for it to be false

Y/N was gone

And carol was too late

Tony stark had been upset...and collapsed, Carol, who was still in shock, was staring at the hologram of Y/N in front of her

“Carol, right?”

Carol turned, regarding Natasha with a nod

They hadn’t had the chance to properly introduce themselves, but Carol didn’t think there was any time

“Carol Danvers,” Steve added with a chuckle, “I think we all know you by name before we even met you”

“Fury really singing me praises, huh?” Carol was almost amused

Natasha smiled sadly, “Not Fury,” and she and Steve turned their heads toward the hologram of Y/N

“Whenever she had the chance, she would talk about “her”, Y/N’s greatest love,” Natasha whispered, remembering how she and Clint always pretended to be annoyed whenever Y/N would go on and on about this really powerful superhero who shined like the sun, and lit a flame in her heart

And as much as Carol wanted to bask in the appreciation, she felt nothing but shame, knowing she abandoned Y/N, and wasn’t able to save her

Glancing back at the hologram, she eyed her once more

Years had been good to Y/N, still beautiful as ever, leaving her breathless, but she wasn’t there anymore

And Carol knew what she had to do

If she couldn’t save Y/N, Carol could avenge her

Rhodes approached her, Natasha, and Steve, “He’s probably gonna be out for the rest of the day”, referring to tony

With a resolute look on her face, she said, “You guys take care of him, and I’ll bring him a Xorrian elixir when I come back”

Confused, Natasha, Steve and Rhodes glanced at each other before Steve asked, “Where are you going?”

“To kill Thanos,” Carol said matter-of-factly

Natasha could almost feel the anger Carol was radiating with, so she hurried to catch up to her, “You know, we usually work as a team here…”

When Natasha finally had the chance, she pulled carol over to the side to talk to her privately

“I know that you usually work on your own, that there are worlds out there who need you, but earth needs you too”

She was convincing Carol to stay, to try and create a better world for the people who survived, but it was getting quite hard for Carol to remain on earth

“I don’t…” Carol shook her head, “I don’t have much left on earth.”

“If you can’t stay, atleast come from time to time,” Natasha begged, “This was your home, wasn’t it? This was Y/N’s too.”

And Natasha was right, Carol thought, and in more ways than one, it was her home. But now it’s empty, and Carol is in mourning and she had never felt so alone

All those years, she thought she could live with what she did knowing that Y/N she was still on Earth, possibly with someone who is not ashamed of who she is, who is not ashamed to accept their own feelings

And Carol was okay with that thought, but now…

She couldn’t stand being on Earth knowing Y/N wasn’t there

It was like coming home to a cold and empty house

But she looked at Natasha, finally with the courage to ask her what she had been thinking all this time, “Were you and Y/N together?”

“No,” Natasha answered, almost teasingly

Carol felt relief, but above all, she felt obligated

To do right by Y/N

So she agreed to visit and report from time to time, “For Y/N. Because I need to do right by Y/N.”

When Carol returned to earth after 5 years, Thanos was there, and so was everybody who had disappeared 5 years ago

In spite of all the chaos, she couldn’t help the voice in her head, asking, “Is Y/N here? Is she safe?”

But you were nowhere to be found, and she had promised to scour the world for you later

Thanos was defeated, but it was in exchange for the lives of Tony and Natasha

With a heavy heart, everyone attended their funerals, all grieving the loss of two of their comrades, friends

At the funeral, Carol stood at the distance, watching behind everybody else

Behind her, Nick was there, and they exchanged solemn nods and opted to wait until the end of the funeral to reconnect

“You came,” was the first thing Fury said, after all those years that they haven’t seen each other

With a small chuckle, she nodded, “Don’t flatter yourself, I didn’t come because you called.”

“I know,” Fury retorted, amused, “You came because she called, right?”

Carol’s mouth opened, lips about to ask a question she had been dying to ask ever since she came back, but no words came out

When everything was chaos and adrenaline and fighting, Carol was not scared

But now that the dust has settled, she was terrified...because now there was no more excuse to avoid what her heart has been begging her to do

Before she could push the question out of her mouth, Fury handed her a piece of paper. “She’s off-duty. Gave her a whole damn month to recuperate from being wiped off the face of the planet.”

And when Carol unfolded the piece of paper, it was just an address

Nodding gratefully to Fury, Carol turned to leave, about to face her biggest obstacle yet

From what she could tell, it was a safehouse

Apparently, Y/N was someone high up the organization that they had warranted her one

Just a little cottage out on the countryside, a palace she had always wanted

Carol laughed whenever she remember you saying, “Maybe one day I could afford a little house in the middle of Kansas, meet Clark Kent and Lois Lane...I don’t know”

And here you were, at a small little house in the countryside

Carol watched you, almost ashamed to just be staring at you while you make yourself some breakfast

As she approached the porch, she wondered how she could take on the mad titan Thanos, but is now shaking as she brought her knuckles to knock on your door, extremities suddenly feeling cold, and knees wobbling to support her weight

She could barely hear your footsteps because of the blood rushing to her head, to her face, heart beating wildly

And when you opened the door, she noted how your eyes widened the tiniest bit, mouth opened in surprise when you realized who was on the other side

“Hi, Y/N,” was the first thing she croaked out

“You…” you smiled at her, “you changed your hair”

With a laugh, she nodded, running a hand through her short hair, before she let her hand down

Slowly counting to three

And engulfed you in a hug

Absolutely-swept-you-off-your-feet hug, your feet leaving the ground as her arms wound tightly across your waist, almost crushing you

And when you heard her inhale into the nape of your neck, it was like a reflex that you threw your arms around her neck, squeezing her just as tight

And Carol wanted to apologize, and confess, and plead for you to give her another chance

She wanted to tell you that she’s sorry for leaving, i was so confused and i was scared to come back and have you look me in the eye and tell me you don’t forgive me for what i did, but i have made peace with who i am and know what i want and what i want is you and your happiness and you and you

And she may have tried to make a letter to help her organize her thoughts

You held her shoulders back, looking at her, really looking at her, after all these years, and you use your thumbs to wipe away the tears running down her face as she shyly laughed at you and held your hands to her cheeks and kept it there for a second, relishing in your heat because you were finally here, after all this time, after 5 long years you are alive

And she brought your hands down and cupped your face and leaned in

And touched her lips to yours, gently, lovingly, finally

You can taste the saltiness of her tears, but also her apologies, and love, and devotion and you kissed her back, smiling

And as you pulled away, you wiped her tears again, before holding her hands, guiding Carol inside, “Let’s eat breakfast.”

And Carol Danvers, for once, was selfish, and did not think of the world needing her help, because she knows that the world would be fine if Carol stayed home for a while

And home is wherever you are

a/n: thank you so much for your support! i rly hope you like this ;__;

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being an Avenger from outer space

Avengers x reader

warnings:

a/n: this isn’t great but like im down for some avengers hc requests

prompt:

you weren’t exactly accepted on earth the moment you got there

but it wasn’t long before the avengers spotted you

“state your name and your business here” -tony

“wait, stark, just a moment! are you a [alien species]?” -thor

“...my name is y/n, i had nowhere else to go. and yes, i am [alien species]”

i mean, this would be much cooler if the avengers hadn’t already had a bad run-in with the chitauri army

but at least you weren’t trying to destroy any part of earth

“why don’t you come with us for a while? you might be safer in our custody” -cap

you were very uncomfortable with that, but you believed that whatever you were running from couldn’t get you if you stayed with “earth’s mightiest heroes”

and that you were...sort of

the bounty hunters that were on your trail, they didn’t know much about the avengers

so they were dumb enough to strike first

luckily, the avengers took a liking to you

“this is for messing with our new friend!” -tony as he straight up fries one of these goons

you seemed to fight well with them

it made them want to keep you around more than they wanted clint

“having fun, y/n?” -nat

“honestly, yes! i’ve never kicked ass in a group before!”

“i felt the same way on my first mission with these guys” -nat

“wait...is this a mission?”

“well, yeah? what’d you think it was, chess?” -nat

“what? what’s chess?”

oh, my god, this was like thor all over again, it was gonna be great

once the battle was over, they had a question to ask you

but before that...

“did any of you kill the leader?” -you

“which one was the leader?” -sam

“the one with...with the face” *puts clawed hand in front of face for effect*

“thanks, that was really specific” -sam

“you know, he’s got...” *puts fingers near face* “tentacles?”

“you couldn’t say that first?” -tony

“i didn’t know if they were called tentacles here”

okay, that was fair

at that moment the mf hopped out and you pushed clint out of the way so that he didn’t get shot. he said “ow” :( but u were too busy tackling a fellow alien

“you let the rest of those hunters know that they shouldn’t even think about coming after me, are we clear?”

“you’re sparing me?”

“don’t be too flattered, you’re nothing but a messenger to me” *shoots him in the arm*

okay that was a power move

as you kicked this bounty hunter back into his ship, the avengers crew reapproached

“got any plans now that you’ve taken care of your little ‘issue?’” -cap

“you know, i haven’t really thought that far ahead”

“well, if you’re up for it, the avengers would love to have you” -nat

you couldn’t have agreed faster lmaoo

the government didnt like you much

the human population actually wasn’t too fond of you either

but the avengers wouldn’t let anyone touch you

thor made it his own mission to show you all the new stuff that he had discovered on earth

“and these are pop tarts!!” -thor

im talking animals, snacks, music, and more

and dont even get me started on parties

no actually i will

“so, youre from space? list 3 species i’ve never heard of before” -random partygoer

“well, how would you know im not making them up if you’ve never heard them before?”

not much of a comeback for that

you’d only answer questions that weren’t stupid

like “how far away is your home planet?” or “did you have any friends or family?” or “what other planets have you been on?”

and you had a lot of questions too

“what is pizza and where can i get it?”

“you’ve never had pizza? oh, we have to change that” -tony

“what is it though?”

as you went on more missions, you got a better feel for how to work with teammates

especially when they had such different skillsets

“wanda, would you give me a boost?”

“with pleasure!” -wanda

“why didn’t you ask me? i could have flewn you!” -rhodey

“it just feels cooler when wanda launches me, but i’ll let you have your turn later”

“y/n, we should have coffee after this!” -thor

“WHATS THAT?!?!”

you always got excited when offered new things

*muttering* “what the fuck” -you

“OKAY, WHO THE HELL TAUGHT Y/N CURSE WORDS???” -tony

“hm. i wonder” -nat

thor brought you to asgard once

it was pretty. (pretty wild, that is)

“maybe you can take me to your planet one day!”

“i’m pretty sure i’m wanted on my home planet, but i’d love a challenge!”

okay maybe he was ur new bff

“so, y/n, how long is your species’ life span?” -bruce

“im not sure that our measurements of time are exactly translated, but i believe in your time it would be....900 years?”

“oh...may i ask how old you are now?”

“wouldn’t you like to know...”

“...n-no, thats okay”

honestly? sometimes your days were nothing but lazy, so you’d learn about human pop culture

“‘tatooine?’ odd, that’s a planet in my solar system. do you think this ‘george lucas’ is an alien?” -you, lying

*cue the entire fucking team going nuts bc they’re about to believe this conspiracy*

okay but like. you KNEW about thanos. you just never thought he’d be a problem all the way out here

so when the whole thanos situation came to earth you were just kinda like 👉👈 sorry guys, shoulda said smth earlier

“you know who thanos is?” -dr. strange

“...yes. i do. he’s big. really big. and purple. kind of looks like a raisin. oh, yeah, he’s crazy. obsessed with balance.”

“balance? what do you mean by that?” -tony

“like, he likes to kill half of each population for ‘balance,’ you know?”

anyways you went back to space

“so, anything else about thanos we should know?” -tony

“he has 2 adoptive daughters, they’re both badass, i know then personally, he’s from the planet ‘titan,’ last of his kind, aaaand he has an army”

“we have a—wait, no we don’t” -tony

“are there aliens that lay eggs in people? or is that just a stereotype?” -peter

“peter, is it? i heard that you’re taught that there are no stupid questions, but that was a very stupid question”

“...i don’t know if that was a ‘yes’ or ‘no’” -peter

tony asked if you could fly the ship. no.

eventually making your way to titan

which was surreal since it had just been so long since you’d left earth

gotg in the house

“where’s gamora?”//“who’s gamora?” “why’s gamora?”//“you know gamora?” “you know gamora?”//“do you work for thanos?”//“no, i’m here to kill thanos”//“so you’re here to kill gamora?”//“what? no! gamora doesn’t work for thanos anymore, it’s been like 4 years”//“holy shit”

and then thanos popped in and nebula too and she recognized you and it was kinda awk but were just gonna pretend it didn’t happen bc it gets worse <3

u, tony, and nebula got trapped in a ship for like 3 weeks but it was good for catching up

and u met captain marvel and honestly youve just met too many people in the past few weeks u were not vibing

“so, y/n, miss space at all?” -tony

“up until we went back to space, yeah. i’m not leaving this planet ever again”

“we need to find thanos” -bruce

“fuck”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedficrecs // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @thisetaernallove // @ofthedewthesunlight // @canarypoint // @zoeyserpentluck // @randomawesomeperson102 // @spideyandtheboys // @ghost-bich //

[twinferns]

tfatws finale!!

ik im late i have no excuses

go watch the ep bc there will be lots of spoilers after this line

- is it bad that i don't feel bad for the government people

- no bc sharon in the disguise thing that nat used really made me think it was nat for a hot sec

- IM SCREAMED I LITERALLY SCREAMED WHEN THE SHIELD SMASHED THROUGH THE WINDOW AND SAM FLEW IN HE LOOKKS SO GOOD THE SUIT IS AMAZING IM SO HAPPY

- that's my captain america im so happy and proud

- can bartoc go away thanks

- the way bucky just picks up the phone without questioning it please

- ik karli did not just tell bucky "i fought in wwII" barnes, bucky "i fought thanos twice" barnes that he hasn't fought for something bigger than him

- bucky talking to karli about the deaths and nightmares kinda hurts

- BUCKY GOT A MOTORCYCLE but can he hurry up please

- GOD DAMN sam is so smooth with that shiled yessirrr

- did yall see how the other flag smashers didn't respond at first, the girls are fighting

- YES SAM GETTING RECOGNITION FROM THE CROWD - YES BUCKY ISNT HOLDING BACK I've been waiting for this one turn it up

- can walker stfu and go away with his five minute crafts shield

- how dare they try and manipulate me into feeling bad for walker

- train fall flashbacks!!

- I LOVE SEEING THE SHIELD WORKED INTO IN FLIGHT FIGHTING

- fully thought sam died for a second

- that lady is the real hero/hj

- ok karli i see you that kick combo thing was smooth as fuck

- bucky i know you're not planning on trying to catch the god damn bus

- i really hate when walker does something good i refuse to agree with him

- SAM DID THAT WITHOUT THE SERUM HELL YEAH LOOK AT HIM GO

- no bc im actually crying "that's the black falcon" "nah that's captain america"

- oh so now bucky is playing babysitter for walker

- omg sharon is the power broker im so shocked i never would have guessed wow

- sharon you good broski

- i love sam so much, and the way he continues to reach out to karli and try to help her, and how he refuses to fight her is just a testament to the kind of man he is, and how he's the perfect cap

- can walker shut up with the lincoln quote

- listen, karli is a cool character and i agree with her cause, but her way of doing it is all wrong, and i do think she was too far gone

- that being said i dIDNT WANT HER TO DIE JESUS - sam's speech literally made me tear up. everything he said was so poignant, and i feel like it all needed to be said in the show. he called the officials out respectfully, but also in a way that gave them no room to disagree or wiggle out of it, and with incredible honesty. his speech also applies to today, and this world. and when they panned to isaiah watching, that was it i cried

- catch me over analyzing torres' shot

- i appreciate bucky's casual line at the end, but i would have loved to see him say "let's hear it for captain america" like he did for steve in ca:tfa

- who tf is the old man in the white gloves

- zemo's just vibing in prison, reading books, getting people killed

- oh my god can walker take a hint and leave istg, but he's officially US agent now ig

- ik a lot of people are upset that we never got to see if yori forgave bucky or not, but i think the most crucial part of that visit was the fact that bucky told him, and got closure, not the forgiveness

- no im actually crying he gave the notebook to his therapist i cant do this

- this scene made me sob. how isaiah said sam was special. how sam took him to the museum to show isaiah his statue, and the way isaiah hugged sam. im so glad they did that, bc it was so needed, and isaiah deserves the recognition.

- it's canon bucky is invited to the cookout. he shows up dressed like the rich uncle, and bringing cake

- FINALLY THE SCENE WITH THE KIDS SWINGING ON BUCKY'S ARM I LOVE THAT SCENE also it shows how bucky doesn't see the arm as just a weapon and that he's growing and im so proud of him

- therapy is expensive, but you know what's cheap and easy and gets the job done? rewatching this scene obsessively

- also how bucky isn't hiding his arm? he clearly feels so comfortable and welcome in that community, and my sam and his family and it's so heartwarming

- I SCREAMED THEY CHANGED THE TITLE CARD TO CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

- they said agent carter and i could only think of peggy

- oh so sharon's gonna be like a double agent? i honestly can't wait to see how that plays out

anyways im simoultaneously so happy and said, bc the finale tied things up perfectly, but it's over.

ig we have to wait until june 11 for more content so ig i'll see y'all then

until then, im gonna obsessively watch shadow and bone :)

[dearest-bucky]

One kiss is all it takes (One Shot)

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Requested by @softcobain - Where reader who’s Bucky’s best friend ask him to teach her how to kiss bc she really wants to impress a guy she’s going on a date with? But Bucky is totally in love with her, at first he doesn’t want to but then he agrees.

Words: 3.8K

Warnings: angst, fluff, one first detailed kissing scene lol

A/n: Because tumblr is apparently dumb I can’t tag the sweetheart that requested this, but @softcobain I really hope you like this love! 💕 Guys I got goosebumps while writing this, I hope y’all like it too.

Feedback is greatly appreciated! xx

The door of her small apartment made a small squeaky noise as she pushed it open. She wasn’t all that surprised to find it open, her key once again useless. The only noises in the otherwise quiet apartment were coming from the TV that was left on, some detergent commercial playing in one random channel. She turned on the small lamp next to the couch that she usually used to read at night, and smiled as the figure that was sleeping on her small and uncomfortable couch was illuminated by the soft light.

She crouched down next to him and softly touched his hair, making him stir in his sleep. “Hey sleepyhead, what are you still doing here?”

He opened one eye and when he was met with her face, a small smile crept onto his lips. “Hey, you’re back. Thought I’d wait up for you but apparently I failed at that too.”

She chuckled at his words and patted his cheek lightly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m here now.”

Bucky offered her a shy smile and got up in a sitting position, making space for her to sit on the couch too. “So, how was it?” He asked after she sat next to him.

She remained silent for a moment, as if she was thinking hard about the answer, but there was a smile plastered on her lips and a dreamy look on her eyes that kind of told Bucky everything he wanted to know. The answer, despite it not being said, was shown, written in her every feature. She finally turned her head on the side to face him, and then replied. “It was great. He asked me out again on Friday.” Her smile never faltered, but as she looked at Bucky’s reaction her eyes narrowed a little in curiosity.

He nodded at her words and fixed his stare down, unable to look her in the eye anymore. He cleared his throat once and then without even looking at her again, got up from the couch. “That’s great, if you’re happy then I’m happy too. It’s better if I go back to my apartment now. Good night Y/n.” He didn’t even spare her another glance and left her apartment in a hurry, not even allowing her the time to wish him good night too. He slammed the door closed behind himself harder than he intended to and that made him wince, but he wasn’t about to go back and apologize  for that.

With short but quick steps he arrived at his door on the other side of the hall and when he entered his apartment, without even realizing, he slammed his door shut too. He knew he had no right to be mad at her for going out on a date with somebody else, but he simply couldn’t talk his broken heart down. He’d been head over heels with Y/n for years and now having to see her date someone that wasn’t him, it was damn painful.

How could he even begin to explain what he felt for Y/n? Truth is he didn’t even remember how it all started.

After the Avengers defeated Thanos and Steve went to the past to get his second chance in life, Bucky chose to not stay with the rest of the Avengers at the new Avengers’ compound. Instead, with the help of Sam he bought a small apartment in Brooklyn where he’d been living for the last four years.

Y/n moved in her apartment on the other side of the hall only a couple of months after Bucky. When she was moving her furniture in, Sam, just like the perfect wing man he is, managed to introduce Bucky and Y/n, claiming they’d be neighbors so they needed to know each other if one of them ever ran out of sugar or flour. Bucky had scowled at Sam in annoyance but Y/n had only giggled at the new Captain America’s words and shook Bucky’s hand. “He’s right.” She had told him. “You’ll never know when one could need the help of a superhero.”

He had blushed then, at her words, and a smile had replaced the previous scowl.

That day they had both helped her move in, carrying the heavy boxes and the furniture. After everything had been put inside her new apartment, Sam and Bucky excused themselves and wished her a good night, seeing it was dark outside already. She had thanked them both for their help and when they were on the hall, she called out to Bucky. “Don’t be a stranger.”

He had smiled at her and nodded his head.

Ever since that day they’d spend many more days together, hanging out at each other’s apartments, but mostly at Y/n’s because she, as Bucky put it, had the better couch, despite the fact that it was smaller than his, but he enjoyed sitting close to her and watching movies and eating chinese takeout  almost every night. Eventually those nights became an every night occurrence, and without even realizing, Y/n and Bucky had become best friends, helping each other with everything, relying to each other, taking care of each other whenever one was sick, mostly Y/n. She even managed to help him calm down after a nightmare when he had knocked on her door at 3 am sweating and crying in pain.

In the last four years they had become almost family to each other.

Despite her very friendly nature, Y/n was actually very shy when it came to romantic relations. So whatever feeling Bucky started developing for his neighbor/best friend, he buried deep inside his heart, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. Because he knew there was no way someone as perfect as her would even like back someone like him.

Now he had to stand by and watch someone else take her out on dates and make her happy, when that could’ve been him.

With a heavy heart Bucky laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, a long sigh escaping his parted lips.

Bucky didn’t see Y/n the entire upcoming week. She was busy with her work and he spent most of the days at the compound, training for the next mission.

Days had been passing slowly and he missed her so much every passing  minute, especially on the evenings when they’d be almost cuddled up next to each other on her couch and binge watching whatever Netflix series was on his “to-watch-list”. He wanted to knock on her door but he couldn’t find it in himself to do so. After all she had started seeing someone now so he didn’t know if she still wanted him to go over.

It was almost 6 pm on a Saturday when he heard the hesitant knocks on the wood of his door and he moved lazily through his apartment to answer it. He was surprised to find Y/n on the other side of it.

She was wearing a nice dress, perfect for the warm weather of May evening and even more perfect for her. She looked absolutely breathtaking, but the almost panicked expression written all over her face made him break out of his stupor sooner than he would’ve wanted.

“Hey, Y/n. What’s up?” He spoke a little awkwardly, not knowing how to act around her anymore. It seemed as if it had been an eternity since the last time he saw her. Usually when she came over, she never knocked and she would always greet Bucky with a hug or a kiss on the cheek, but that seemed like a long time ago, and somewhat an inappropriate thing to do now.

She greeted him with a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and asked him if she could come in.

“Uhmm, yeah yeah, sure.” He said, a little confused, but moved on the side to let her inside his apartment and closed the door again.

He saw her move towards the living room, but she never sat down, standing awkwardly in the middle of the small space between the couch and his coffee table.

“Is everything alright Y/n?” He asked then, unable to bare the silence anymore.

She picked her head up and looked at him, a look Bucky couldn’t quite understand. “I need your help.” She finally spoke. Her voice was unsure, even a little shy when she spoke, but he heard her loud and clear.

“Sure, doll. What can I do for you?” Always the hero. Always trying to help. Always helping.

She remained silent for a moment, as if wanting to organize her thoughts well and then she finally started speaking again. “So you know I’ve been talking to this guy for the past month..” she began and Bucky noticed how she was picking up at the skin of her fingernails, a tick of nervousness he knew she had. He moved closer to her and placed his hands on hers, stopping her assault on the fragile skin that had started to bleed a little already.

“What about him? Is everything okay? Is he bothering you? Do I need to kick his ass?” His mind was running a million miles per minute, thinking of the worst case scenarios, but she only shook her head lightly in response.

“Everything is okay with him. He’s great. It’s just…” She hesitated a little before she continued again. “Last night we went out and at the end of the date he walked me home and when he was saying goodnight he leaned in and wanted to kiss me and I turned away so he ended up kissing me on the cheek.” She explained, blushing a little and Bucky was listening to her every word intently.

“Tonight we’re going out again, to the movies this time and this is the third date and I’m thinking we should kiss, right? But I don’t know.” She concluded and let go of his hands that were holding hers, moving to the couch and finally sitting.

Bucky followed her lead and sat too. “You don’t know what?” He asked. If she were unsure about this guy she shouldn’t feel obligated to kiss him. She didn’t owe him anything. She should know that.

But Y/n surprised him with the next words she spoke. “I don’t know how to kiss.” She said and a crimson red painted her cheeks after the words had left her mouth.

Bucky could only stare at her, a little shocked at the confession and that only made her feel more embarrassed than before. “Forget it, this was a stupid idea.”  She said when he took a moment too long to reply and she tried to get up from the couch, but Bucky finally came to his senses.

“No, please doll.” He spoke softly and she sat down again. “I’m sorry.” He continued. “You took me by surprise, that’s all. I mean, how is it possible that you don’t.. you know.. know? How to kiss?”

The entire situation was embarrassing and awkward and they both were wishing the ground would open and swallow them whole.

Y/n felt her cheeks aflame by the embarrassment she was feeling. She knew it was a crazy idea to come to Bucky about this, but he was her only friend.

Despite the fact that she was 26 years old she was an introvert and she didn’t have many friends. Except for Bucky who was her best friend, she had another childhood friend back in her hometown but she was too far to come and help Y/n with her situation.

Her entire life she had avoided people as much as possible, especially boys and men. She never had a boyfriend in her life and she never even kissed a boy before. That’s why she was in  Bucky’s apartment now, asking him for help.

“I just..” she stuttered a reply. “Never kissed someone, so I don’t know how..” Her words were spoken in an almost hushed whisper, still mortified from the situation at hand.

“Okay, so you need me to…?”

“To teach me how to kiss.” She said matter of factly but she regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. They had sounded better in her head than they did when she said them out loud, but there was no way she could take them back now.

Bucky’s eyes widened at her request but he composed himself quickly. He was a highly trained assassin for God’s sake, he knew how to mask his  emotions, but apparently not around Y/n. “I can’t do that!” He finally exclaimed and he watched her face fall after those words. “I mean, it’s not fair to you.” He was quick to add and Y/n looked back up at him. “It’s your first kiss and it should be with someone you have feelings for. Not with me.”

“But Bucky…” A sound of protest left her lips. Those rosy and pillowy lips that he had wished so many times to kiss and that were now asking him to do so. “I’m going to be so embarrassed when he tries to kiss me again and I just stay there. It will be terrible if I just froze in the spot, you know.” She was trying to reason with him as much as she could. “Please? I kind of like this guy and I don’t wanna look stupid in front of him.”

“Doll. You could never look stupid.” He replied, still not saying anything about her request.

He wanted to give in and kiss her so much, but he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop once he started. His heart and his mind were in war at the moment.

“Please Buck?” She tried again. “You know I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t really important to me.” She pleaded and Bucky knew who won the battle inside of him. How could he refuse those lips that he had dreamed of for several years now? How could he refuse her pretty eyes, giving her that sad puppy dog look he absolutely adored? He simply couldn’t. That’s why he found himself slowly nodding his head in response.

“Okay, okay doll. I’ll help.” He said and she nodded back to him, a small smile forming on her lips. “Just one kiss to show you how it’s done.”

“Okay.” She replied and he let out a long breath at the sight of her looking so hopeful now, and beautiful, always.

They turned their bodies to face each other and Bucky cupped her cheek with his flesh hand. Ever so slowly he started closing the distance between their faces, until their noses were almost touching.

Y/n had closed her eyes and was waiting for him to place his lips on hers, but she could only feel his soft breath tickling her lips, but not touching them.

“Relax, doll.” She heard him say and her shoulders sagged a little, finally free from the tension she’d been holding in. “Just go with it and let it happen.”

She was ready to say something when she finally felt his lips touch hers, so softly she thought she must be dreaming it. With the same softness he started kissing her lips, slowly, gently, just like a breeze touching the leaves on the trees. He slowly coaxed her lips to part and she quickly complied, allowing him to deepen the kiss a little, feeling the kiss a little more. He was caressing her lips with his, happy to finally be able to do so, his flesh hand holding her cheek while the metal one moved to her hair, carding through her silky locks.

Too soon for his liking she ended the kiss, but she didn’t back away from him. Her eyes were hooded and her lips still parted when she whispered his name. “Buck..”

It was all he needed to delve in again for another kiss, this one more passionate. He couldn’t hold back anymore, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue, kissing her lips with a passion that was about to burn him entirely. He had been holding back for too long.

The hand in her hair gripped the locks tightly in between the fingers and he felt her let out a small moan against his mouth at the action, which only spurred him to kiss her more. Tongues hugging each other and teeth clashing with each other, biting and kissing and licking lips, starved for each other.

Her hands had found home in his shirt, bunching the material in her fists as she reciprocated his kiss with everything she had.

They had been so lost in each other, not even considering about stopping, until the phone in her pocket ringed and she whined lowly in Bucky’s mouth in annoyance.

“Forget about it.” He spoke between kisses but the device continued ringing until they were forced to part away from each other. Y/n had an apologetic look in her eyes as she fished the phone out of her pocket and she visibly winced when he saw the name on the screen.

She waited a moment until she fixed her breath before answering. “Hi, Andrew.” She spoke, not looking at Bucky anymore. “Yes, I’m ready. I’ll be down in 5 minutes. Okay.” She hung up the phone and finally looked at Bucky again.

He had an unreadable expression in his face while he was still trying to catch his breath from the mind-blowing kiss they just shared.

“I’m sorry. My date is here, I have to go.” Y/n said and waited for Bucky to say something, anything, but he just nodded his head and got up first from the couch, moving to the front door and opening it for her.

She got up too and walked out of the apartment, unable to say another word to him. When she finally reached the door of her own apartment and was entering it, Bucky finally decided to break the silence.

“You’re a quick learner Y/n. Kiss him like that and he’ll be yours forever.” She wanted to laugh at his words, but she just turned her head back and smiled sadly at him.

“Thanks Buck.” She said before he closed the door and entered his apartment again.

This is it, he thought as he sat back on his couch. The same couch where less than 5 minutes ago he was kissing the woman he loved. He should’ve stopped her. He should’ve said something. Asked her not to go on that stupid date with stupid Andrew. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. Because he was a coward.

Besides, if Y/n felt something for him, after that kiss she sure would’ve said something too. But she didn’t. She just got up and left to go on her date with another man, leaving Bucky behind with swollen lips and a broken heart.

It was less than three hours later that she finally came back. Bucky heard the keys jingle out in the hall and he knew she was back. She was probably coming back home with her date, he thought, but he was shocked to see her open his door and enter his apartment instead.

She seemed hesitant as she walked inside his place, finding Bucky slouched on the couch, a half finished bottle of whiskey in his hand.

“Bucky?” She called his name cautiously and he picked up his head to look at her. The same dress from before, except this time she was wearing a denim jacket over it too. He stared at her for a while, simply admiring her beauty, cursing himself for not being enough for her.

“Are you drunk?” The question left her lips without thinking. She knew he couldn’t get drunk, but when she saw him like that it was the first thing that came to mind.

“You know I can’t get drunk doll.” His reply was court and composed. “How did it go? Where’s your date?” He then asked her, despite the fact that he had no interest in knowing the answer to either of those questions.

She moved to sit on the couch next to him, the same spot he had stolen her breath away with one kiss a couple of hours ago, and she couldn’t think of nothing else except for that kiss. “It was okay.” She spoke mechanically, staring at his face. In her mind she was still kissing him.

“Did you kiss him?” Another question he didn’t want to know the answer of but he couldn’t help but ask it. Her only reply was a nod, but it was enough for Bucky to understand what she meant.

He slouched his head, dejected, broken, not wanting to be near her anymore. He had lost her.

“Yes, I kissed him.” She spoke a second later and Bucky wanted to tell her he understood that from her nod. “But I realized his weren’t the lips I wanted to kiss me, the lips I wanted to kiss.” She added a little breathlessly.

Bucky fixed his eyes on her, this time waiting with curiosity for her to continue. That she did. “I never wanted to go to that date after the most amazing kiss of my life, but I didn’t want to be rude to Andrew, so I thought I’d give him a chance, because he was a really nice guy.” She let out a small breath before she continued to speak again, Bucky patiently and curiously listening to her. “The entire time we were out I was still thinking about a certain set of lips that managed to set me on fire. And I thought to myself, it’s just because it was my first kiss. I’m sure if I kiss Andrew it will be even better, because I like Andrew. So I kissed him, but there was nothing. I was still searching for a different kiss in him. I was still asking to feel another man’s lips on mine.”

The bottle of alcohol he’d been holding in his hands, he placed it carefully on the coffee table before turning his body to the side to fully face her. “Doll, what are you saying?”

She let out a small sigh before answering, looking him dead in the eye. “I’m saying I don’t want to kiss anyone else beside you.” She confessed and it seemed that the world came to a stop.

He moved to get closer to her, this time both of his hands cupping her cheeks, inching their faces so close to each other once again. “Are you sure?” There was a slight tremble in his voice when he asked the question, but there was none in hers as she answered “Absolutely.” before locking her lips to his and kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

Their mouths continued the exploration and their hands found homes in each other’s bodies.

Bucky was so happy he could die. He kept kissing her like his life depended on it and between kisses he managed to speak. “Good, because I’m planning to kiss you for the rest of my life.”

[terriblygrimm]

fatws anon here: first of all agreed to everything you said i share your sentiments on all of that. i wanted to mention that the "captain america and winter soldier" title card at the end of ep 6 really threw me off and it really felt like marvel was hinting that this is the new cap and buck duo (which i hope to god isn't i want cap 4 to be about sam and torres as falcon tyvm) idk why marvel didn't just make a separate project on bucky exploring his traumas and transition from wakanda to modern life and GOOD THERAPY and his life between ws and cw..so much potential to explore and yet they just didn't. with the way bucky has been handled, i honestly think they can only do proper justice to his character either by pairing him up with steve or just going more in depth by himself. this whole one sidekick to another is not doing it for me and feels like a big disservice to bucky.

i completely agree!!!!! imagine if they legit made bucky a sidekick to ANOTHER cpt america???? omg lmaoooo... the cringe would be off the mf charts..

bucky felt SO out of place to me in tf.atws! like his relevancy is so obviously fading within the mcu - they need to reinvent him & and that’s why i eventually changed my opinion on the whole ‘forever sidekick’ schtik.

i’m thinking they didn’t change the tws titlecard because he’s going to grow more and they were kind of saying they knew they didn’t focus on him/finish his arc. they wanted to just focus on sam becoming cap! (and rightfully so!) they also made a point to name drop white wolf AND brought in the dora milaje - yet told him to stay away from wakanda. so to me- that, alongside sam’s “stop looking to other ppl to tell you who you are” comment makes me believe that in the absence of steve, and the absence of wakanda, and the absence of the sam/cap influence, bucky will TRULY become white wolf on his own terms- be it through his own installment or other projects that we’re not expecting him to be in (space!!!!!!)

once he does they’ll bring him back around and reunite him with steve (☺️🥺). bc even shipping aside.. its factually undeniable that steve and bucky are one of THE linchpin duos of the mcu. like romantic or not they’re established and ppl love them together. they work well together and personal growth is easy to do between them bc they’re each other’s narrative sounding boards. they simply belong in each other’s spheres bc they’re literally the team of the cap series. marvel can’t deny that i do really believe they’re gonna put them back together.

so that being said, i can 100% believe that steve is off being a space daddy nomad, traveling thru time on secret missions dealing with/fixing the fallout of thanos, or maybe he’s lost in time!! (one of my favorite hopes and dreams that marvel is gonna crush is that steve is lost in time & bucky was over here thinking he retired but he eventually finds out steve is lost and he’s DEVASTATED that he hasn’t been looking for him all this time- paralleling tws with the roles reversed 😭) or maybe he’s aiding fury on the dl (& eventually taking fury’s place as the orchestrator and head honcho - he did in the comics!) so i can see once bucky’s new identity is fully formed they’ll wrap him up with steve again in those storylines. nomad has already been copyrighted by marvel so something is definitely in the works w steve!

like making bucky a sidekick to another cap would not only ALWAYS put he & sam at odds (like it did in tf.atws) because they’re both title characters & they’d ALWAYS be fighting for screentime, but they might as well just write him out?? bc his growth would forever be stunted since he’d no doubt take a backseat to cap. also they made a point to show sam getting a new falcon! like there’s his future lesser-known sidekick right there! i think they’re retiring the cap/bucky duo by name, it’s old hat at this point. sam can have his new falcon & since they can both fly, they’ll be an aerial duo.

that way when they all reunite (epic) steve will have a new identity, bucky will have a new identity, and sam will be an established cap 😁

(also i agree with your comment about just giving bucky a separate project to focus on his trauma and time in wakanda 😌- what a beautiful show that would be!!! but this is marvel and things move irrationally fast & they don’t give a rats ass about mental health unfortunately)

[antivancoffeelover]

alright here’s that fraternal twins au

thor and loki are fraternal twins who ofc look very different except! they share a birth mark on their hip that mirrors each other. just a little patch of pink-brown skin. they're sons of a wealthy lord and when they're pretty young loki is kidnapped and taken away and they never find him. this is like... medieval times bc i feel like it 

so about a decade later thor has inherited the estate and the all the riches odin left. hela married up and she's like a fucking duchess or sth, and one day thor gets a letter from his beloved sister claiming she saw loki at a tavern. she says she saw the birth mark and it has to be him, but she didn't say anything or do anything she thinks since he was taken so young he might not remember her, so thor should try

so thor goes bc even if it isn't loki he'd rather know he tried. but he takes one look and he knows. that's his brother. and hela also lied bc it's not just a tavern. it's a fucking brothel

and a very seedy one owned by a warlord thor's familiar with. he has to be careful because if he pisses off this warlord there's no guarantee that hela would be able to rally the king to come to his aid. so instead he plays it cool. he buys loki for the night and is determined to have loki remember him so they can run away together. but loki is in work mode, so he's just trying to get in thor's pants.

thor is trying to tell loki to slow down, asks him his name and loki says it's whatever thor wants it to be, so thor says "then i'm calling you loki" and loki freezes. he rips thor's pants down and sees the birthmark and quietly says "so it was our sister the other night? it wasn't just some fever dream about finally being free?"

and thor is pissed bc loki sounds terrified at the fact that thor is real and in front of him, that there's hope

so he decides he's going to buy loki since everyone is for sale in this place and then he'll use any information loki has to start fighting to take this warlord thanos down (ofc it's thanos lmao)

so thor leaves loki in the room and tells him not to open the door unless it's thor, he even locks loki inside and he goes to the front to the barkeep and says he's considering buying the man they gave him

except there's a catch sales have to be approved as good matches bc they don't want to have a slave returned after they've been used or even retrained. so someone has to make sure that they'll be compatible for long-term use. ie, they need to see loki being used.  thor has to either perform some kind of sexual act with his brother that he hasn't seen in ten years, or leave loki at the brothel and find another way to free him, or (as his temper wants) just kill everyone in the brothel and leave

so option a it is

he agrees and goes back to the room to tell loki what's going on, expecting loki to back out of things, but loki is like "i'm not going to let a blowjob keep me from my freedom" and thor's like O.O bc he didn't even get that far to thinking about what they'd even do bc he never thought loki would agree

so they end up in a little side room with some guy standing there, watching and evaluating them. and loki gets right to work. thor's pants are around his ankles and he's got his nose to thor's pelvis. thor doesn't know at first if he can get hard, but then loki does something with his tongue and all of his blood is in his cock

he's barely keeping himself from moaning loki's name. bc he can't give them away. thor's wires are being crossed because he loves loki so much and he's so glad he's finally been reunited with his brother and that he can buy loki's freedom, but this isn't how it should be... but it feels good, and loki seems to be going above and beyond what's necessary for the observing party.  thor cums too damn quick but he's not even upset, he's kind of dazed, and the guy observing makes an amused little noise and says "it's almost like he wants to go home with you"

and thor laughs and nods, bc he still can't quite speak. and he takes loki home. he's pissed that they didn't ask for more, loki's price is like mid-tier for a slave and loki says it's bc he talks back too much. once they're home loki is more than happy to spill any info he has on thanos and thor starts planning to have him killed by a couple of his former 'children' who are the only two that have ever managed to escape (gamora & nebula bc ofc)

but he's also having a crisis bc within a few weeks loki's put in a little weight and he looks healthy and he seems so happy and thor is so fucking grateful. hela visits and they catch up and they don't talk about anything that happened to loki, thor especially doesn't. 

bc all he can think about at night is how loki's throat felt convulsing around his cockhead

and he feels fucking awful bc loki went through 10 years of abuse and violence and he should be escaping it, not living with a brother who thinks about abusing him

part of him wants to tell loki to go live with hela

every other part of him can't stomach the thought of ever waking up without loki in his house again

so he says nothing. he continues on as he has, he bonds with his brother, loves him, and suffers silently and tries to purge himself of these thoughts but he just. can't. and one night, like two or three years after he's managed to rescue loki, they're in the library together and loki sits down a little too close to him on the chaise. thanos was killed in the spring, nebula and gamora have all of his power and resources. loki has been acting happier and lighter than ever and thor is so glad, but even  more guilty bc when he touches himself he hears loki's laugh as he cums

and loki kisses him on the cheek and he thinks nothing of it. loki has been affectionate, almost like when they were boys, and he figures that they were separated so young and for loki it must be nice to give some kind of innocent affection like that

bc despite everything thor sees loki as innocent

he knows loki's done some very cruel things, but it was all to people who used him without his consent, so thor feels loki was justified in every awful and ugly thing he did to survive, and he's told loki as much

but then loki kisses the corner of his mouth and thor freezes

and loki smiles and gives this happy little hum and says "you talk in your sleep sometimes. mostly you call my name. if i come to your room and touch you, you usually settle. so i came to you last night, but you weren't crying. you weren't upset"

thor's heart feels like it can't decide between stopping and racing, he can barely breathe. he remembers waking up with cum sticking his cock to his sleeping pants

loki nuzzles his cheek and is so sweet and tells him "i know i shouldn't want you, right? it's not normal, not natural, but i haven't been able to stop thinking about how your cum tasted. i've almost forgotten." thor can't move. loki takes the book he was reading out of his hands and straddles his waist and he is just sitting there silently, watching his brother

loki smiles at him and presses their hips together and thor gasps bc they're both hard. loki leans in and licks his ear, then kisses it "you make me feel safe. sucking your cock was the first time i had sex i actually wanted. i want to know what it's like to have someone i love touch me. you were rutting your cock into your bed, moaning my name, and you said you love me. you weren't even awake, you didn't know i was there to hear you, but i did. please"

and thor can't take another damn word so he kisses loki and pulls him in close, and it's all so overwhelming that he's shaking as he picks loki up and goes to loki's room, conscious of the fact that it should happen in loki's territory, as it were

they have very slow, passionate sex where loki is lavished in attention and cums until he's so exhausted he's barely moaning, but he's smiling the entire time, and when thor finishes he's just chanting loki's name over and over

and they lay cuddled up in bed, facing each other, and they kiss and talk, and loki touches thor's birthmark, then his own, and says maybe they have them bc they're soulmates

the end

[fyeahsmokinhot]

Basically a mildly funny, delusional therapy session!

Ok, I can't anymore I just need to let it out.

I've been in bed since this morning as I got food poisoning/stomach flu and I'm quite sure it's because of D&D and not the T/A.

So anyway let's rant...also my nimble fingers might make typos as I'm super dehydrated (feeling like Ghost after fighting with WWs and being abandoned by Jon the Dumbest).

So we start with the funeral.....and its sombre as shit. Well done David Nutter btw. And we move on to eating food 🤮.

Here we go: Dany! I love(d) her so much, but lately she's all over the place going from crazy to crazy in love. Now don't let my lack of detecting any chemistry between her and Resident Emo Boy confuse you BUT are we just all going to sweep the incestous undertones under the pelts?Here I am watching another make out scene???.....but ok I shall resurrect and go to Kings Landing where Cersei is hosting a party (Wall themed I see). After losing her baby (also wth how did she not see them?why didn't she dracarys Eurons ass?), her Sir Friendzone and her BFF once again Dany is made to seem BAD for mourning in a murderous way (ah I guess it's ok if Arya does it....or Snow?), Being held to higher standard .....JUST BC SHE HAS A VAGINA??? ( Dios Mio, Olenna please).

Next up on my list Arya who went back to her old cuddle buddy The Hound.....Kind of digging it. Gendry you dumbass (❤️) offer her to go on a round-trip of murder (Bonnie & Clyde style) not a marriage. Also mad love for making her an honest woman with those puppy eyes.

Brienne & Jaime ....and this is where we go cray-cray. Dear fellow citizen of Tumblr, if you still reading brace yourself....by the end of the next 2 episodes (if U ARE a BRAIME shipper) you be losing golden hands, legs, basically everything that you can rip off (like Miss Vanjie did when singing No More Pain). So after reading countless (!!!!) posts about how people interpreted that scene (remember dear reader I was ill today so it was a lot) I think we can settle on Prince Charming Now Turned Old Guy Because Of International Incestous Relations is a dumbass with a death wish. BUT is he a good dumbass or a bad one.Now here I'd like to point out two things I didn't see considered:

Jaime already killed a king to save the population of Kings Landing.

Jaime said to Brienne he would have done the deed at Riverrun....but he didn't cus of Brie-Brie .....I'm assuming we all saw the things he did for her that went against Cersei. He went back to rescue her instead of rushing to KL, he arranged for her to leave as soon as Queen Should Have Been Thanos' Wife even breathed in her general direction, gave her instructions and means to protect Sansa even though his sister wanted her dead, took Riverrun in piece BC Brie-Brie asked !!!!! Come on guys after all that you can't believe he would put Cersei before her (or maybe I'm fuckin wrong since D&D don't even seem to know correct details in their behind the scenes cuts). So yes I believe Jamie wants to kill Female Jaime because....if she defeats Dany she is coming for them in Winter fell (also Brienne and Sansa are in WF).

No I don't ship Jaimsa (because hello fuckin weirdos 💝), but Briennes oath means something to Jaime.

BUT I hate...hate...hate how Jaime left her (the 🍑). He broke her heart after she finally opened it ...and this (D2 will burn in hell, the crossroads demon is on it).

Also my two weirdos having the most relatable and clumsy copulation (yes I said it, someone had to) moment. Like don't we all just flirt like Jaime...so smooth: it's hot in here bitches breeches off. Oh look my poor hand doesn't work I guess I will need your help...🥺🥺🥺

Brienne will NOT die. I can't believe otherwise.There are some characters you don't touch (Juliet from Lost, Clarke from The 100, Castiel) and she is one of them. I love that Gwen was real about her arc of being a woman this season.

I do think I have an unhealthy obsession with Braime as this episode actually made me sick(no it wasn't the take away) and now I will forever remember this as the night Braime became canon and the day when I felt like The Prince of Dorne when his eyes were popping (oh Oberyn....Pedro Pascal I miss your holiness sexiness).

And what with all the articles/YouTubers predicting pregnancies? We watched (with my friend, I'm not hallucinating from dehydration) people predicting a pregnant Dany, Brienne, Arya (?)....basically everyone with boobs. Chill guys if you worried about repopulating Samwell is on it!

And Tyrion best wingman in Westeros. What even was he doing showing off to GingerBain (btw good for you, tap dat rebound ass babe....and have fun going back to the land of the lost....you could have taken Dumbass Emo with you 🤫). Btw guys how many versions of the Two Dudes Just Hanging And Discussing The Fate Of The Iron Throne While Demeaning Rulers (mostly women) As Incompetent do we have to sit through? Can I like request to see actual things like Two Eyed Robot telling the sisters about the heritage or Sansa telling Tyrion instead of cutting away? That Tyrion and Sansa scene was having me on the edge.

And we come to Sansa. My queen, my sunshine and..... apparently my New Little finger ( is it only me who hates this comparison that reduces her to a power hungry, brothel-less creepy dude even thought she's been doing everything for her family????). I lost it when I heard them bring this up in the Untucked Uncut vid. Like maybe give us some actual scenes with Sansa where we get to see her contemplating her goals and wishes and not just her looking pretty up into the sky (compulsory shot of season 8). I've been feeling so far away from Sansa since season 7 (worst season ever....but this one is a contender).

Also from now on I'm believing in Bronn.He foresaw the Bang and said he will collect later. There will be a later for the boys! Bronn gave up on the castle he's now gone to take over for the Witchy Woman who talked to frogs and Cersei. Big ups for the resident Reversed Three Eyed Raven!

I have read the interview where GRRM said he doesn't agree or like some character fates. I agree GRRM so can you give us a book ....I mean God's it takes me ages to get started on my coursework, bit at least I submit it 10 min before the deadline!

Also the total lack of any mention of Braime in both behind the scenes....??!!!...Might be good news.

#Bonus Fun topics you can bring up at Thanksgiving:

Podrick and the 3some - u go girl!!!

Tyrion and his lack of sex - we've all been there and that's why I need spoilers to satisfy my craving....just like you needed to know about the magic vagina!

Wtf is a Varys anymore? Also Yara?

Ser Dadvos without kids and Red God's is super depressing. Give the guy an orphan!

Greyworm -which shot of his face was more intimidating. Rate from 1 to Dracarys!

Global warming? Dragons near extinction?

*Disclaimer: I love all GOT characters (well, maybe except for I Have One Facial Expression And It's Emo Jon), but I just needed a good rant cus the ones aimed at my friends didn't do it for me 😄

[slytherinfinity]

ENDGAME SPOILERS!!

Okay I saw Endgame last night and I need to vent... AHHHHHH!!! haha I have so many mixed emotions and I don’t even know. Also I typed this on mobile so sorry for any typos. 

So I first saw Iron Man when I was 11, and it was so cool. I grew up watching all of these movies. At first, Cap was my favorite bc he was ~cute~ and I was a young teen girl and so were all my friends. I also loved Loki for this reason haha. Then I saw Iron Man 3 and LOVED IT. I bought it on DVD as soon as it came out. Tony Stark was amazing, but also he dealt with anxiety and panic attacks? His and Pepper’s relationship was everything as well, and also his and Happy’s and Rhodey’s friendships. Tony felt real and human and relatable, and it was cool he was able to overcome so much even with all of his trauma. In AOU he just wanted to protect his team, and no one truly listened to or respected him or tried to understand him, and he ended up with more trauma and guilt. I just wanted him to have a happy ending. Then he met Peter and it brought me hope, after all the Civil War crap. Infinity War was crushing but not completely because I knew another movie was coming out, so there was still some hope. But then Endgame. Honestly... I’m still processing, but I don’t think I’m happy with it. And for more reasons than just Tony, though I’ll talk about that first. His storyline just seemed... blah. He gets back, gets to yell at Steve, and then goes and lives in seclusion with Pepper and has a kid. Yet you know that even with that life he’s still depressed and guilt-ridden. It’s how Pepper knows he won’t stop. So he does his best to help, time travels or whatever (honestly that whole part is still kinda confusing to me- it created alternate timelines, but what are the implications of that- and also for the rest of the MCU??) and then Tony comes back and it looks like they’ve succeeded. I was expecting him to notice something off about Nebula, tbh. But anyway, final battle, and we all know what happens. He makes the sacrifice play. He dies. Pepper says it’s okay, but I just can’t agree. He already made the sacrifice play in the first movie. I think it should have been Steve or someone else in this one to do it. If all Tony’s pain and trauma has been building to this- I just feel empty inside. It’s not a satisfying end. Sure, he saved the universe, but I feel like Strange literally could have like left a message saying don’t send Nebula to the past and all of that would have been avoided. It felt so pointless. They’d already won. Tony also only got to reunite with Peter for like 30 mins, which is lame, and will bring a whole lot more trauma to him. He didn’t even get to see Morgan again. Ughhh I’m just annoyed. And then Steve?? He just goes to live in the past?? The whole movie he’s been saying he doesn’t move on, and then he literally never does, he never grows from there. He doesn’t really develop at all. It’s true- he never truly moved on from the past, and so that means... he’ll just go live there??? I think a better move would be to have him grow to accept his life and try to be happy and actually move on. Or, like I said earlier, he could have realized he can’t move on and made that sacrifice play himself in order to allow others to live and move on. I think that would have been a more satisfying arc to his story. And it would show the love he actually has for Tony- to allow Tony to live with his family and show that he heard and understood what Tony said at the beginning of the movie. (Also, they never had a real conversation where they made up. It was like they kind had that “do you trust me” moment but Steve never truly apologized and I feel like we got jipped out of a good heartfelt moment between those two.) Also- the Natasha sacrifice was sad, but I’m not totally surprised by it. It feels like a very her thing to do, to save her family and Clint’s. But then after everyone got mad and had a quick moment of silence, it was kind of forgotten?? Like they could have even had a memorial or small tribute at Ton’s funeral or elsewhere but like put something in?? It feels like she was just kind of brushed aside. (Also- I didn’t like BruceNat at first but grew to be okay with it, but then it never became anything? Bruce made himself into Professor Hulk and there was no real closure or conversation between him and Natasha? So like... what. was. the. point???) Again, everything with her just wasn’t that satisfying, but it’s something I may grow to view differently. I did enjoy Clint’s arc and I actually think they did a great job with him. Probably the strongest arc of the movie, actually. The way they handled Thor kind of annoyed me. I think it’s perfectly understandable that he would end up like that. He’s lost his family and most of his kingdom, and he feels responsible. I don’t have a problem with that. I have a problem with how the movie and the characters responded to that. Judgmental looks and jokes... like I’ll be honest, I did chuckle at Rhodey’s Cheez Whiz joke, but now I regret that. Like being fat is funny, haha look at Thor, he’s out of shape! Uhh yeah he’s depressed! And Rhodey should know better, being friends with Tony, he should know how to handle anxiety and depression. Nobody was really trying to help or even talk to Thor much, they really just wanted him to help them. Like he was clearly struggling, and yet that was used as a joke... it makes me sad. And also Thor never even looked back at Loki? The convo with his mom was nice though. But that reminds me? Was Loki’s infinity war death actually real then? Bc ugh. I’d be more willing to accept him being permanently dead if it wasn’t in such a lame way. Daggers, seriously?? Loki has freakin magic, and he’s smart!! He could have duplicated himself or something, and that type of lame death is so unsatisfying. Also. Captain. Freaking. Marvel. I went to the movie in a Captain Marvel T-Shirt, hers is one of the first actual comics I read, and I loved her movie. I was soooo excited to see her in this movie and become part of the team and to have some really fun banter with everyone. But then she just... disappears for basically the whole movie and hardly speaks at all (thinking about it- I think all the female characters speaking overall was wayyy low compared to mens which is sad) and she blows up the big ship at the end and that’s basically it. She didn’t really join the team, and she could have been so helpful! You’re telling me they didn’t make a way to communicate with her and they didn’t want to include her in their time travel adventures?? She could have had a funny interaction with Nick in 2012, or stopped Nebula from getting taken in 2014, or helped out more overall, idk. But she should have been a bigger part of the team. They hyped her up so much when she was hardly in the movie at all, which was extremely disappointing. Like I feel so cheated about this. This is something I’ll probably be bitter about for a while tbh... ugh she’s a queen and deserves so much more haha. Also Okoye and Wong would have been useful assets for the time travel and yet they were hardly in the movie at all? So many underutilized characters smh.... (Also I know this would be impossible and the point of the movie is for the main Marvel characters but you’re telling me that in 5 years, there was no random like French or Chinese or any other country’s scientist that could have developed time travel or another method of reversing the snap? Or someone from one of the bazillion planets out there? Like there have to have been other smart people/aliens who went all Liam Neeson after the snap and were out for revenge and solutions and they could have come up with something in those five years. But again, I know that wouldn’t work for the movie...) I just feel that a conclusion to the first real era and characters of Marvel should be more satisfying. But that’s just me, I know there are people who are plenty happy with it, and I think that’s valid. These are just my thoughts. Also, that was a long rant but I don’t want to be completely negative. Here’s some things I did enjoy. -Clint’s arc. Again, I felt it was really strong and emotional and hit all the right notes. They did a good job with him and I’m glad he got to go back to his family. -Nebula. She’s grown so much y’all. I do wish she got the final blow on Thanos, and that she clicked the button to go to the present faster so Thanos couldn’t come after them, but other than that I thought her storyline was great. She’s awesome. -That moment with all the female characters after Peter got hurt. I cheered. Marvel has so many amazing women and it was great to see them all together. I kinda wish they were given more lines and screen time though but this moment was super cool. -Morgan was adorable and I love her. -Pepper’s understanding of Tony was also great. She knew he needed to do something if he could, especially for Peter, she’s grown so much and she loves her mans I love her. -Almost the whole 2012 time travel thing was great. Some good humor and nostalgia, it was fun, I really liked it. The Loki alternate timeline would be cool to explore and I wonder if that’s what the show will be about. -Wanda had a great moment against Thanos. -Okay, while I do think that whole final battle was ultimately pointless and could have easily been avoided, the moment when T’Challa and the Guardians and everyone came in through the portals was amazingly epic and beautiful and powerful. The audience cheered and I did too. It was a cool scene. -Tony and Nebula in the ship at the beginning was great. -If Steve isn’t gonna be Cap anymore, Sam deserves it and I’m glad they went with him. -The Ancient One, Frigga, and other’s cameos were pretty cool. I liked those moments. -Tony’s convo with Howard was great. I like that he got a little bit of closure with his dad. There’s probably more but I’ve written a lot so I need to be done haha. Let me know your thoughts!! :)

[zivitz]

I can’t reblog this post so I’m just gonna copy and paste my reply. And then I have better things to do with my brain space than respond to people who are  attempting to browbeat me into submission while simultaneously refusing to allow me to participate, explain, or elaborate on my POV. So I might be talking to myself here, but it makes me feel better. To my followers, I’m sorry for the novel.

@trashpandabarnes ( @trashpanda-barnes) wrote:

yeah, abusing and gaslighting your “daughter” whose family who burnt to the ground, whom you tried to manipulate and sacrificed AGAINST HER WILL, as she ACTIVELY EXPRESSED HER DESIRE TO FREE HERSELF FROM YOU but you threw her off the cliff’s edge because u want power, because you don’t actually care about your “daughter” but are ALL about making her tragedy of negligence and abuse ALL YOUR OWN self-vicimized manpain is totally the characteristics of a fantastique dad™, ooof i could go on and on on the Gamora thing alone but then there’s Nebula who you mistreated her whole life and constantly pit her against the only person who she felt like she could have a connection to, and never passed up a chance to insult her, saying killing her would be a “waste of parts”. Boi oh boi @zivitz never fucking have kids dude if you think saying/doing this kind of shit to your kids is still gonna get u the award of father of the year bc no matter how much u claim u love ur kids, it doesn’t fucking excuse the abuse and also never have a girlfriend if this is how you think women are to be treated in fiction/otherwise —its 2018, women deserve  better than to  be treated as plot device for a self-importance asshole’s cringey angst. Get tf outta here with your apologist attitude, dufe. Thanos shows no remorse or no acknowledgement of faults and therefore, no character growth. He is stubborn and self-absorbed and a deadass weak villian. Marvel went about wrong with constantly trying to sympathize him, he’s a purple egoistic maniac and that is not an appealing character trait and should NOT have been glamorized by marvel for edgy fanboys like you with barely one working braincell, end of.

First of all, and this must be embarrassing for you- I’m not a guy. At least, I hope it’s embarrassing, because you’re making a fuck of a lot of assumptions based on this belief and they’re all wrong.

There seems to be a lot of thought going around that I am, and I quote, “pro-Thanos”. That I defend his actions or justify them in any way. That I think he’s a swell guy who’s just a misunderstood woobie. Or something. I think you’re confusing me with the Loki fangirls, but whatever.

Thanos being both capable of love and actually loving Gamora doesn’t make him a good person. It’s pretty clear throughout the movie that Gamora is literally the only person he loves. At all. In the universe. Except for himself, that is. Just because he’s capable of loving Gamora doesn’t mean he loves Nebula- I mean, clearly he fucking hates her. He doesn’t love the Black Order. I have a hunch that they started out as his ‘children’ in terms of being under his protection, guidance, and doing his bidding, but he was taken by Gamora and she became his daughter in thought and deed as well as word.

I have never ever said he was a good father, either. He clearly was not; no good parent puts their child through that kind of pain. No good parent rips a child away from their family, kills them, forces them into a life they neither are ready for nor would have chosen. A good parent (even most bad parents) doesn’t pit children against each other. Gamora had an abusive childhood, flat out. No one’s arguing that. Thanos is a big fat child abuser. He abused her (and Nebula, and probably the Black Order) to suit his own purpose. It was bad and wrong and fucked them all up royally and none of them deserved that.

Now take a step back and get the fuck of your high horse for a minute, and look at it from Thanos’s perspective. He is the hero of his own story. That’s what we were meant to see in Infinity War. A peek at the story from his point of view. Not that we were supposed to believe he was right, not that they were saying he had a point, or that we should sympathize with him. We’re not supposed to see character growth because he’s not the hero and there is no redemption. We’re just seeing how things look from his vantage point.

He saw his world die and couldn’t stop it because no one was strong enough to do the terrible, awful thing that would have saved it.  And he saw the same things happening all over, so he decided he was the only one strong enough to do what needed to be done. And he worked hard at it. He collected his ‘children’, those he could raise and train to be strong like him and carry out his work. Carry on his work, if it lasted beyond his lifetime.

Gamora came along and was Different. In that deleted scene, he said himself he saw himself as alone and he was okay with that (he says in a voice that very much says he was Not Okay With That) because he had ‘a new vocation’. Until Gamora. He loved her. Took her under his wing, trained her, challenged her to be the best she could be. Gave her a family. Thought she, his favourite daughter, would be his heir. Wanted her to choose it, choose him, and let her leave when she didn’t instead of dragging her back and punishing her. He doesn’t really care that she’s rejecting him because he loves her regardless, but is hurt by the betrayal of her lies because she was the one person he trusted completely. He hurts her, but only as much as he has to to get what he needs. If he didn’t need to, he wouldn’t hurt her (we see this again and again- he could have killed Bruce, Groot, Cap, Wanda- and he didn’t. He just wanted them out of his way). His Vocation is more important at this point. And even then, he struggles with the decision that he must sacrifice the one person he loves and again be utterly alone- and live with the knowledge that he’s killed his child, his ‘everything’- for the sake of the Greater Good.

That’s how Thanos views himself. Is that how I view him? Not really. I mean, objectively speaking he did pretty fucking unspeakable things for what he thinks in his own incredibly misguided way is the right thing to do. Did Gamora deserve all that? Fuck, no. No one does. Did he love her during all of that, think he was doing what was best for her? Yup. Was it actually what was best for her? Fucking hell. No.

I love Gamora. I feel a great affinity for her because I grew up in an abusive household, where I was groomed and manipulated to be what my mother wanted and needed me to be. I was made in her image, to be useful to her and do what she needed and prop her up. I was her enabler for a long time. I didn’t break away from her until I was long into adulthood. And yet, I was loved. My mother thought she was doing the right thing by me. She thought she was making me into a strong person. She was doing her best to make me the best I could be by her vision. Because she loved me. She was wrong about what she was doing. She fucked me up in ways I’m still learning about.  I can see both worlds: the one my mother inhabits, and the real world.

I feel Gamora. I really, truly do. But liking Thanos, being able to see how he sees himself and yes, even feel bad for someone who’s suffering even if they’re a crazy abusive monster, doesn’t mean I have to agree with him. Doesn’t mean I think he’s justified, doesn’t make me an apologist. Doesn’t mean I love Gamora any less.

And it doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. That I support abuse, abusers, or would abuse anyone in any way. I work with very young children precisely because I was abused and no one helped me. And I want to keep that from happening to other children, to keep them from growing up like I did. It’s my own version of “There are little girls like you across the universe who are in danger. You can stay with us and help them.” You make a lot of assumptions about me, and we all know what they say about that. This is fandom, but we’re all people here. Maybe check yourself before you go shooting your mouth off about shit you know nothing about.

[iamanartichoke]

I wrote a Thing. It’s extremely long. I’d prefer it not be reblogged; I wrote this for my own catharsis and would prefer it not be circulated, bc of Reasons. 

I changed my mind, okay to reblog. <3 

Under a cut for (extreme, did I mention?) length. 

So I got about 12 minutes of sleep last night, as you do, and around 3am or so I found myself - out of sheer curiosity - going down a meta hole of Ragnarok discourse, trying to figure out where this "satisfying redemption arc" for Loki happened. (I mean, there's a lot of things I would like to figure out, but I started there.) Because I could. 

Basically I was looking for meta that went into detail about how Loki was redeemed in a satisfactory way. The ‘satisfactory’  is an important word here bc there is a redemption arc in the film, in that Loki starts off the film as an antagonist (kinda) to Thor and he ends the film as an ally to Thor, standing at Thor's side. In that sense, yes, there's a redemption arc. I didn't find much (and I had no idea how much people just despise Ragnarok "antis" [I really dislike that word] but that's another topic [that I don't particularly want to get into, tbh]) but I did find some. I read what I could find, and I read it open-mindedly, and overall I came away feeling like, okay, there are some valid points being made here and I can kinda see where they're coming from.

But it was a bit (a lot) like -- flat. Idk. The best comparison I can think of is that it’s like if a literature class read, I don't know, The Yellow Wallpaper for an assignment, and some of the students came away from it feeling like it was a creepy story about a woman slowly driving herself insane, and the other students came away from it incensed at the oppression and infantilization of women in the late 19th century -

- and neither side is wrong, but the former is a very surface-level reading and the latter isn't (bc it stems from looking at why she drives herself insane, why she was prescribed 'rest' in the first place, the context of what women could and couldn't do back then, etc; basically, a bit more work has to go into it). 

[Note: I am not disparaging the quality of The Yellow Wallpaper. At all. It’s just the first relatively well-known story that popped into my head.]

In this sense, I can see the argument for Loki's redemption arc, but I don't think it's a very good argument. Not invalid, but not great.

I mean, for example, I think the most consistent argument I found variations of re: Loki's redemption is that Ragnarok shows Loki finally taking responsibility for his bad behaviour and misdeeds. This includes recognizing that his actions were fueled from a place of self-hatred and a desire to self-destruct in addition to bringing destruction on others. That he probably feels awkward and regretful of these things and doesn't know how to act around Thor, but he figures it out by the end, and decides that returning to Asgard is the best way to show that he's ready to make amends. His act of bringing the Statesman to Asgard is an apology. He allies himself with Thor and ends up in a better place, both narratively (united with Thor once again) and mentally (having taken responsibility and made amends for his past).

And setting aside that he had already made amends by sacrificing his life in TDW (and also setting aside that the argument is made that Loki redeems himself in IW by sacrificing himself to Thanos but if that's the case, wouldn't that imply that he hadn't achieved redemption in Ragnarok or else there would be no need to achieve it again in IW? Or, if you think he did achieve redemption in Ragnarok, then what the fuck did he give his life in IW for? What was his motivation there, and why did the narrative not make it clearer? I digress.) 

- setting aside those two factors, I think this is a very fair argument. Loki is fueled by self-hatred, and he does want to self-destruct, and he does want to inflict that pain on others as well (particularly Thor). No lies detected here. 

However, I also need to know where that self-hatred and desire for destruction (toward himself and others) comes from and for that, we need to go back to Thor 1.

Thor 1. 

Loki starts Thor 1 out as "a clenched fist with hair," to borrow a quote from the Haunting of Hill House (that I tucked away in my mental box of Lovely Things bc it says so much so very simply). He's very used to bottling everything up, pushing it down; he slinks around behind the scenes, pulling the strings to this plot or that. He's "always been one for mischief," but the narrative implies that the coronation incident is the first time Loki's done anything truly terrible. And it all immediately pretty much goes to shit, so Loki spends the rest of the movie frantically juggling all these moving pieces while trying to seem as if he's got it all under control, every step of the way. That's how I view his actions. 

But I always come back to that quote where Kenneth Branaugh tells Tom, of the scene in the vault, "This is where the thin steel rod that's been holding your mind together snaps." In other words this is where Loki discovering he's Jotun is just one thing too many. He can't take it. But though the rod snaps, his descent isn't a nosedive. It's a tumble. As the story progresses, the clenched fist starts to loosen, the muscles are flexed in unfamiliar ways (that feel kinda good, after being stiff for so long), and it culminates with the hand opening completely and shaking itself out. All of that repression, that self-hatred, that rage and jealousy just explodes so that, by the time the bifrost scene happens, Loki's already hit bottom. It's not just about proving his worthiness to Odin. He wants to hurt Thor, too; he, essentially, throws a tantrum. (That's right, I said tantrum.) 

(Note: The word 'tantrum’ has negative connotations bc we normally equate it with a toddler stamping their feet and screaming in the aisle when their parent won't buy them the toy they want. But in itself, the word tantrum isn't infantalizing. It's an "emotional outburst, an uncontrolled explosion of anger and frustration" [paraphrasing from dictionary.com]. That's exactly what happens here [and why Tom called Loki's actions a massive tantrum, but people took that to mean Tom agreed it was childish whereas I doubt Tom meant it that way]).

He's been pushed past his limit, and he does bad things. He does really shitty things. He hurts Thor, he hurts his family. I'm pretty sure he knows this all along so this isn't, like, some revelation further down the line that "hey, those things I did were probably kinda bad." He got the memo already. 

Ragnarok 

Fast forward to Ragnarok, and we're introduced to a version of Loki who's had 4ish years to sit with everything that's happened. To sit with it and not do much else. The rawness of it has faded, and now it seems as though it's just become a thing, like when you move through life aware of your childhood traumas and have more or less just accepted them (and you probably share a lot of really funny depression memes on Facebook, which is kinda the equivalent of Loki's play, but that's probably just me). 

Loki has, more or less, chilled out. He seems more bored than anything else; he's been masquerading as Odin for longer than he ever planned or intended to, so he's more or less ended up hanging out, letting Asgard mind its own business, and entertaining himself with silly plays. This is the version that starts out the movie as an antagonist to Thor - a version that is, arguably, in a much different place [and is a much milder threat] than the version who originally did those Bad Things. 

And of course Thor is still mad at him, and of course they're going to butt heads, because that's what they do (and Thor's grievances are genuine, I’ll add, bc it's not really his fault he assumed Loki faked his death, nor can he be blamed for being pissed about Odin).

One argument framed this version of Loki as being a person who is facing the awkwardness of coming out of a dark place, which is fair. If we're going to frame his actions in Thor 1 as a tantrum, then Ragnarok would be the part where the toddler has been taken home, possibly has had some lunch and a juice box, and is now watching cartoons. They're over the tantrum, and would probably feel pretty silly about it if they weren't, yknow, toddlers. They probably can't remember why they even wanted that toy so badly. If they're a little older and self-aware, they might even be embarrassed for having melted down.

Like the word tantrum, this feeling isn't a thing limited to toddlers. I know I've had a few epic meltdowns as a grown ass adult, and I know I always feel deeply embarrassed afterwards - like, want to crawl into a hole and die. I've said things I can't take back. Adolescents and teenagers throw tantrums, mentally ill people throw tantrums, adults throw tantrums (I mean, my god, look at all the videos of Karens having screaming meltdowns - screaming! - over having to wear masks in order to shop at stores). Humans throw tantrums. And usually, after the feelings have been let out and the tantrum has passed, humans feel pretty regretful and awkward and embarrassed about whatever they did and said in the midst of their meltdown. 

I get all of that and agree it's valid and that Loki probably feels it. By the time Ragnarok happens, Loki's had some time to reflect and think hmm, yeah, probably could've handled that one a lot better. The argument further goes that in order to navigate this awkward period, Loki must come to terms with what he's done, acknowledge that some things can't be unsaid or undone, and begin to make amends. Supposedly, some people feel that Loki becomes a better person because he does "own" everything he did wrong and, even though he feels like a jackass (paraphrasing), he sets that aside to become a become a better person by choosing to help Thor and Asgard at the end. 

Thus, the overall arc goes like this. Loki, Thor's jealous little brother, 

throws a tantrum of epic proportions bc Reasons 

continues to act badly and make things even worse (Avengers) 

has to face consequences for his actions (prison sentence) 

ends up with a stretch of time in which he's free to contemplate and chill out 

feels embarrassed and awkward about how he's behaved

sees an opportunity to make up for it and decides to take it 

helps Thor, saves the day, and ends the film a better person. 

Redemption achieved.

None of this is wrong. The film supports it. It's a fair interpretation. But it leaves. out. so. much.

To circle all the way back around Loki being "a clenched fist with hair," and his actions stemming from his self-hatred, you have to ask - how did he get that way? He didn't end up with all this self-hatred on accident. Generally, one isn't born despising themselves, it's a learned behavior. (I realize chemical imbalances are a thing, obviously, as I have Mental Shit myself, but for argument's sake I'm assuming that's not the case with Loki [at this point in time]). 

Where did Loki learn it? From his family, from his surroundings, from his culture. We see examples of these microaggressions in the first, like, twenty minutes of the movie - a guard openly laughs at Loki's magic after Thor makes a joke about it (the tone of the conversation implies that Thor "jokes" like this often) and though Loki does the snake thing, the guard faces no real consequences. Thor doesn't acknowledge that anything went amiss. Not much later, on their way to Jotunheim, Loki's barely gotten two words out to Heimdall before Thor cuts him off, steps in front of him, and takes charge. Loki doesn't look annoyed at this; he looks resigned. 

Then, for absolutely no reason at all, Volstagg decides to make a jab at Loki ("silver tongue turned to lead?") just because he can. The ease with which he makes this comment and the way that no one else blinks an eye at it implies that this isn't out of the norm. And Loki doesn't react, not really. In the deleted version, he delivers a particularly nasty comeback but he delivers it under his breath, without intending Volstagg to hear it. In the final version, he simply says nothing, though his expression can be read as hurt or stung. Either way, the audience sees an example of Loki being walked all over by Thor and his friends and bottling up his reactions instead of standing up for himself. 

Microaggressions matter. They are mentally and emotionally damaging. They hurt. The implication that this is not unusual treatment for Loki means that Loki's probably gone through this for most of his life. It's like the equivalent of being, I don't know, twenty two and you're the friend who has to walk behind the others when the sidewalk isn't wide enough, and it's been that way since the first day of kindergarten. At this point, you're used to it, but that doesn't make it hurt any less when the jabs come seemingly out of nowhere, for no reason other than to make you feel bad.

(I personally identify a lot with this bc I experienced passive bullying in social settings for years. I was the 'doesn't fit on the sidewalk' friend; I hung around with people who'd pretend to be my friend and would be more or less nice to my face, but would laugh at me and make fun of me behind my back for whatever reasons. And often there'd be the random jabs at me, things that would come out of nowhere to smack me in the face, followed by the fake laugh and “just kidding!" so that I couldn't even get upset without being made to feel like I was overreacting and couldn't take a joke. I'd deal with this socially, particularly in middle school when girls are their most vicious, and then I'd go home and, because I was the only girl with a lot of brothers and because boys are mean and because I am who I am, the dynamic was that my brothers would just endlessly roast me to my face and sometimes it was a "just kidding!" thing, where I was the only one not laughing. But that’s beside the point; my point is that microaggressions, passive bullying, and consistent invalidation are harmful and that shit stays with you into adulthood.) 

So, yes, Loki needs to be held responsible for his misdeeds, and it's valid to say that he recognizes those misdeeds and wants to make amends. I have never disagreed with that. But the problem with this interpretation is that it lets every single other character who contributed to Loki's self-hatred and mental breakdown (let's just call a spade a spade here, that's what it was; he was broken psychologically) get off scot-free.

First of all,

Odin is not held accountable for instilling in the princes a mentality of Asgard first, everyone is beneath us but Jotuns are benath us the most, they are literal monsters. He is not held accountable for pitting his sons against one another (even if it was unintentional, he still did it) with "you were both born to be kings but only one of you can rule" being the general tone of their upbringing. He's not held accountable for his favoritism toward Thor.

Frigga is not held accountable for deferring to Odin both in supporting the above things and in keeping the truth of Loki's origins a secret while doing nothing to discourage the "monsters" narrative. 

Thor is not held accountable for his own tendency of taking Loki for granted (he assumes Loki will come to Jotunheim, he oversteps Loki constantly, “know your place,” etc.. He grants his implicit permission for Loki to be treated as the sidewalk friend in their “group,” a group which is loyal to and takes their cues from Thor as Thor continues to do nothing in his brother's defense).

[Note: Wanting Thor to be held accountable for things he's done wrong isn't vilifying him. Acknowledging that Thor benefited from Odin's favoritism and his own place as Crown Prince doesn't negate Thor also being raised in an abusive environment. I don't think anyone's saying that or, if they have, it's not something I agree with.]

Furthermore, 

Odin is not held accountable for his cruelty in disowning Loki (”your birthright was to die” is never going to be forgotten, speaking of people saying things that can't be unsaid or taken back) and in sentencing Loki to a severe prison sentence (life! only bc Frigga wouldn't let him execute Loki) for crimes that are no worse than what Odin himself has committed (around which the entire plot of Ragnarok revolves! Colonialism (and subjugation) is wrong is, like, a major theme [that people rush to praise, even] here). 

Thor is also never held accountable for not trying harder to understand what made Loki snap (fair enough, he didn't have a ton of time after returning from Earth, but certainly he had lots of time to sit around reflecting while Loki was being tortured by Thanos for a year). He knows Loki is "not himself" and "beyond reason" and accepts it at face value; he questions it once and then lets it go. He's fine with assuming Loki's just lost his mind, and isn't that a shame. (I realize I'm simplifying Thor's emotions but my point is that Thor could've tried harder to figure out that Loki was being influenced and/or not acting completely autonomously.) 

Thor is also never held accountable for - if not facing consequences for his own slaughter of Jotuns - then at least addressing why Loki can't kill an entire race even though Thor tried to do that, like, two days ago. (Granted, it’s difficult to understand how Thor got from Point A ("let's finish them together, Father!") to Point B (this is wrong!), but that failing belongs to Thor 1 (which is not, by the way, a perfect movie).

The interpretation that Loki is fully redeemed because he took responsibility for his actions, returned to Asgard, and allied himself with Thor to save their people is all well and good - but, why is Loki the only one here who has to take responsibility for their actions? 

What about all the loose threads in his story? 

For example, how did he get from: 

Point A (believing himself a literal monster, having a complete mental breakdown, getting tortured and further traumatized after that, etc) 

to 

Point B (Hey, yknow what would be fun? I'm going to write and direct a play about how I heroically died to save Thor and Jane, and I'll go ahead and have Odin say he accepts me and has always loved me. I'm going to do these things because Odin never said this in real life and instead of acknowledging my sacrifice, Thor left my body in the dirt, so someone has to validate what I've done right and that someone might as well be me. And hey, while I'm at it, I'm going to control the narrative on revealing myself as Jotun to Asgard, instead of living in fear of it being found out, and I'm going to do it in a way that they have to sympathize with me and revere me in death, bc they never bothered to do so when I was alive. And Matt Damon should play me, also.) 

to 

Point C (Yeah, I guess I feel kinda awkward about that whole tantrum thing, also I should help Thor and support him being king.)

? 

The answers to these questions are handwaved and the audience takes that to mean they don't matter. Furthermore, framing Loki's redemption around an act of service (more or less) to Thor makes Loki's redemption about Thor. Does Loki make this decision for the sake of Thor and of Asgard, or does he make it for himself? It's not super clear to me, and I think arguments can be made for both. Which, again, is fine, but - whatever.

If we're going to collectively agree, as a fandom, that Loki is complex, that he's morally gray, that he's worthy of redemption and therefore arguably a good person who's done bad things, then why is it asking too much to have it acknowledged that Thor (also a good person who's done bad things) played a part in Loki's downfall and has shit to apologize for, too? Bc one can only assume the reason is that you're taking a very gray concept and making it black and white by saying Loki has to apologize and make amends because he is the villain, and Thor doesn't because he is the hero (and it's his movie). And it's lazy.

This is where the crux of the issue lands. There's more than one valid interpretation, yes. And no two people (or groups of people, or whatever) are going to consume and therefore interpret or analyze the source material in the same way. I think I saw a post recently about how studies have been done on this, in fact. But, there is a lot going on under the surface that tends to get overlooked when exploring Loki's redemption arc in Ragnarok, as far as I can see, and that’s why I don’t consider it satisfactory. 

[I did read similar arguments regarding other issues that are often debated ('debated'), like Loki's magic and/or being underpowered, whether or not Loki's betrayal of Thor was the natural outcome of the situation on Sakaar or not, whether Thor actually gets closure with Odin [if he does, how does he reconcile the father he's idolized with the imperialistic conqueror he's discovered? Why doesn't he hold Odin responsible for covering up Hela's existence and the threat of her return, especially as he knew he was nearing the end of his life? Is Thor's "I'm not as strong as you" meant to imply that he acknowledges those shortcomings of Odin's and that he's okay with them, or that he's just overlooking them, or is he not okay with them but didn't have the chance to get into it bc he was in the middle of battle? T'Challa confronted his father on his wrongdoings in Black Panther; could Thor not have had at least one line that was confrontational enough to establish where he stands as opposed to this gray middle? Can someone explain to me how any of this equates to Thor gaining closure? Please?) but obviously I'm not going to go into all of them (well, I tried not to), bc this mammoth post has gone on long enough (I may not even post this tbh)]

- but my overall point to this entire thing is that when I say I'm critical of Ragnarok bc it's flawed, that Loki's arc was neither complete nor satisfactory, that many things went unaddressed and, due to all of these things, I do not think Ragnarok is a very good movie nor a very cohesive movie, this is where I'm coming from. I have not seen anything to change my mind to the contrary. 

But I am not saying that anyone satisfied with it is wrong, or shouldn't have the interpretation that they do. I'm not vilifying Thor in order to lift Loki up, just acknowledging that Thor is arguably just as flawed as Loki without the stigma of being Designated Villain. I think a lot of these arguments get overlooked or dismissed, and that's fine, but it doesn't make the people who do engage with them hateful, or bitter, or trying to excuse Loki's crimes, or feeling like redemption means that Loki's crimes should be erased rather than reconciled. 

And sure, yes, perhaps we are expecting too much and exploring all of these themes (or wanting them explored) means that somehow we think it should be Loki's movie (we don't). Loki is a supporting character, but he's still a character. And the movie itself doesn't have to delve into all these things - no one's saying that. (At least, I'm not.) We just want acknowledgement, from the narrative, that this stuff was an Issue. 

This could have been accomplished with - 

Some dialogue closer to the novelization (and original script), like Thor and Loki both acknowledging the harm they've done one another and their kingdom due to their Feels.

 A single line of Thor confronting Odin, or even asking "Why?" 

A narrative acknowledgement that Odin did both Thor and Loki dirty (”I love you, my sons” isn't an apology, because it doesn't acknowledge either that there's been wrong-doing or express regret for having done the wrong in the first place). 

A little bit more nuance in the way Loki treats his own past (ie, instead of flippantly telling the story of his suicide attempt, maybe - if it must be flippant - talk about getting blasted in the face with Hawkeye's arrow or sailing through to Svartalfheim [And in that moment, I sang ta-daaaa!]) or whatever. 

I recognize that wanting full, in-depth exploration on all of these issues regarding a supporting character is probably too much to ask or expect - but, I also feel like, if you're going to be professionally writing a narrative (or rewriting/improvising, as it were), it's not too much to ask that a little more care be taken in regards to all of the layers that have contributed to said supporting character's downfall and subsequent redemption arc. I don't think that's an unreasonable thing to want. 

And maybe if there had been more nuance and continuity in how these things were portrayed on screen (ie, if TW had actually done as good a job as his stans think he did), the fandom wouldn't have divided and conquered itself over which "version" of the same character is more valid and whether or not the film did its best to close out a trilogy (not start a new one), to the point where everyone in this fandom space makes navigating it feel like walking through a minefield. 

But, I mean 

(Again, please don’t reblog if possible.) 

Edit: Okay to reblog. <3 

[frostironstrange]

what about tony and loki together wanting stephen (i'm curious bc i've never seen that possibility explored before) ps: i loooove your blog when i first read "express" i went crazy bc i couldn't find any more content for frostironstrange thank you so much for giving us more!!!

Express is a wonderful fic and I’m so glad I can help provide content to support the other people who came out of it shipping this.

Tony had saw Loki. Had seen him before, but not seen him. Not until the moment where Loki stood, pouring all the magic from his body into the infinity stones to jumpstart them after Thanos’ death as Thor screamed at him not to do this. Not to leave him again. Loki’s very soul had been exposed as he pulled on the threads of the universe itself, all the pain and all the lies he’d had to live leading up to this moment. Then the stones took to the magic, and in a moment they pulled from Loki his very core. His essence. They ripped him to shreds and for one terrible moment Tony though Loki gone and dead and the universe doomed.

But then Loki had done what he had always done. What he had so much experience in doing. He’d pulled himself back together, piece by agonizing piece and forced the stones to his will, reminding them who had given them life again and taking control of them as if it was his birthright. Maybe it was. Others had borrowed power from the stones, but in that moment with the whole damn universe watching, Loki had controlled them. They could not consume him like they had those before him, they could only be consumed by him. 

It lasted a thousand years and hardly a few seconds, then Loki had pulled the universe itself around him and from it he pulled back all those who had been lost and returned them as if they had never left. Peter was by Tony’s side, the guardians were returned, but even more then that, Asgard was restored and those lost in New York, those lost in Tony’s failings with Ultron and those lost in the battle before were all back. Safe. Home again. 

And then Loki was falling, the stones and him both now used up once more. Tony’s suit was barely working but somehow it found the power for Tony to lunge forward. Somehow Tony had caught him.

That had been two years ago. Tony had caught Loki and he’d never really let go since then. After everything, after Thanos and the exhaustion of Loki’s very soul Loki had been adrift. He’d confessed to Tony a few nights after he awoke that he’d seen the future up until he used the stones for the second time and after that everything had gone black. He’d assumed that he’d die there, and now that he’d survived he didn’t really know what to do with himself. Tony had understood and offered him a place as an Avenger. From there, Tony set about helping Loki find his place in the universe again. It turns out it was a lot easier to take care of someone else then it was to take care of himself, and it gave him a purpose in life. As Loki recovered, he learned to take care of Tony in turn. They ate together, taking turns cooking each day, they fought together on the battlefield and in the political world and after about six months they began to sleep together. Nothing fiery and passionate per say, just a soft rhythm that pulsed through every aspect of their relationship. Everyone said it wouldn’t last. 

But two years later, there they were as strong as they ever were. They were just as in love as before, working together and living together and happy. Loki had a job of sorts now outside of the Avengers, he worked with Stephen helping out those that needed magical assistance. He loved the work, Stephen loved the help and Tony loved seeing Loki happy and active.

There was just one thing, one small problem. One flaw in everything going on.

Loki and Tony felt as if they were missing something. Or someone. Someone wearing a long red cape who was always far too busy and yet made time for the two of them. Someone who came by once a week to eat dinner with them along with the other avengers and superheros around. Someone who smiled rarely but lit up a room like fairy lights when he did so. 

Yeah, the both of them had it bad for Stephen. The issue was, neither could understand whether he was interested or not. Sometimes Stephen seemed eager to spend time with them. Sometimes Stephen seemed flighty, ready to run if he sensed the slightest disturbance and it was frustrating them. 

So Tony took matters into his own hands. He requested Stephen meet with him formally, booked out his own schedule and had him and Loki taken off the rooster for that time period and he made tea for the three of them. Stephen was nervous when he came, but not overly so, and he seemed to settle a bit when handed tea singling that nothing too bad was about to happen.

“So.” Stephen began. Ever to the point. 

“So.” Tony parroted, a light of mischief in his eyes that made Loki do that little half-laugh Tony loved so much. Stephen flashed him a grin too but waited for him to continue. 

“So, over these past few months, Loki and I have been trying to… babe what’s the word you used? Court? We’ve been trying to court you. I love that word because it’s such a regal way to describe us being dumbasses and pining after you with weird half-flirting. We’ve been getting weird signals and the both of us wanted to know if this was something you’re interested in or not.” Tony finished off, trying not to let himself fall into a ramble. Stephen was looking at Tony as if he were mad, then quickly switched his gaze to Loki, as if expecting this to be some sort of prank. 

Loki gave a slight nod to agree with what Tony had said, but otherwise remained silent, waiting for Stephen to make his choice. He seemed to seriously consider what Tony had said, before finally speaking.

“I was unsure of myself, at first I thought I must be misreading your signals and distanced myself from you both. But, I guess I must’ve been correct the first time around.” He paused, realizing that didn’t answer their request.

“I think. I think I am interested, though I’ve had little success with relationships in the past, and little time for them, I would be willing to do my best to make it work with the two of you if you would have me.” His voice was softer then normal, but firm. 

There was still a lot to discuss. Boundaries, arrangements, schedules, but Loki couldn’t resist reaching out to put his hand on Stephen’s cheek in a silent question. Stephen gave him a little nod and Loki leaned in to catch him in a quick, soft kiss. It was their very first, and much later, a few thousand years and a million kisses later Tony would still recall it as his very favorite of Loki and Stephen’s kisses. 

[nezumionice]

I am going to speculate the entire plot of infinity war with all the set pics and rumours we have heard so far. Please feel free to add in missing points. This is what I think is gonna happen:

Both Stephen strange and vision have been attacked by some kind of alien intruders. This can be seen from the set pics and footage of vision being whisked off by cgi ninja-like creatures. The same ninja aliens can be seen in the recent set pics of Stephen strange as well. I suspect that these ninja aliens are Thanos' black order, whom he has sent from the cosmos to collect the infinity stones for him ONCE AND FOR ALL. The only thing Stephen and vision have in common is that they both possess the powers of an infinity stone, thus the black order is seen attacking them for their stones in these shots. Before vision is kidnapped, wanda maximoff was sighted with him, so when someone reportedly heard Wanda scream of "NO! LET HIM GO!" on the set, so we can assume that the black order must have succeeded in apprehending vision and collecting the mind stone. It's not confirmed yet, but judging by the way doctor strange is clutching his amulet of agamotto, I can only speculate that the black order must have succeeded in retrieving the time stone as well. Tony stark and Bruce banner seem evidently unscathed, thus I suspect they only arrived after the invasion occurred and are simply analysing the remains of the ordeal along with their new-found sorcerer allies. And then we have our friends in wakanda. So far natasha, tchalla and Steve have been confirmed to be in wakanda, and I highly doubt bucky has moved very far from his miserable refrigerator, so he's probably still in the country as well. God only knows how the fuck natasha managed to end up in wakanda (I mean, as the most hidden and advanced city in the world, I don't think even natasha could track it down with her killer spy skillset), im guessing someone went to find her instead (HOPING ITS BUCKY BC I MEAN ITS NATASHA ROMANOFF WE'RE TALKING ABT, AND SINCE BUCKY TRAINED HER, HES THE ONLY ONE WITH SHARED LIFE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWS HOW SHE WORKS). Scarlett Johansson was spotted filming near where vision was taken, so I have a feeling natasha (and maybe Steve?) would have heard about the invasion and brought poor devastated Wanda back to wakanda. Then there would be discussions and stuff about the aliens and why they attacked and who they were serving, so as of now, they don't know who Thanos is yet. Then come the cosmic heroes. Something on wakanda's radar picks up an unidentified flying object landing the borders of the city. Tchalla and Steve and everyone think it's the aliens again, but its actually the guardians of the galaxy. (Here we presume that there will be flashbacks or sth where we somehow get to see how the following happens) they heard that orb has been forcefully stolen from the Nova core and the reality stone was taken from the collector, who is most likely killed in the process. Gamora thinks that Thanos is behind this and is one of the few ppl in the galaxy who knows about the infinity gauntlet. They decide to go to earth to check on the rest of the infinity stones after they hear that two of which are there. They coincidentally land near to wakanda (cue emotional, nostalgic Peter Quill finally back on earth), and thats how steve, tchalla and friends found them. Both teams agree to join forces after gamora confirms her theory about the infinity gauntlet. She's also very concerned about her sister nebula, who was last seen vowing to kill Thanos by herself. Tony Stark, on the other hand, has also figured out as much as the fact that someone out in space wants all the infinity stones. Back to earth come Thor and Loki, another two individuals who are very well aware of Thanos' schemes (especially Loki). Thor finds Tony's side first (he would want to warn Steve as well, but wakanda, as I've said, is impossible to track) and warns him about the impending danger, and admits that the tesseract was also stolen from Asgard by the black order. He also mentions the missing reality stone and the collector's death, since lady sif was the one who put it there for safekeeping in the first place. In wakanda right now we have Steve, tchalla, nat, Wanda, gotg and bucky if he's awake. If he isn't yet, now is the time for him to wake up, because Steve realises the impending threat that is coming and decides that they need all the help they can get. He brings back the old team cap, Sam, Sharon, Scott, Clint, and wakes bucky up, (THUS THE BEARD?!? BC ITS BEEN LIKE TWO YEARS IDEK) but the gotg insist that they need to get Tony back. Steve is slightly hesitant (bc of civil war) but agrees to try and negotiate with Tony (cue nervous, guilty bucky). Tony's side is getting very anxious bc they lack manpower. Tony rung up his old team as well but since vision and tchalla are gone there's a huge shortage of fighters. There's literally just Tony, Rhodey, Peter Parker (I'm going to assume he proved himself worthy of handling lethal threats after Spiderman: homecoming) Bruce, Thor, and Loki. Then Steve calls Tony and both are surprised they know as much about the black order attacks as the other. They eventually agree to fight together one last time, but only for the sake of all the innocent lives in the galaxy. And thats the end of my crappy plot speculation. We don't have confirmation on where the soul stone is yet, although a lot of ppl think it's with heimdall, its not confirmed. So I can't talk about that part yet. Once again, feel free to add lil details you wanna see in the movie, like lil bits of dialogue or maybe rocket requesting for Bucky's arm to complete a plan (OK but what if it's legit tho like what if he really needed an arm for the plan, and innocent child Bucky just goes "no, you cant have this one, but I do have an old spare one from my winter soldier days. Will that work?"). But yeah also go ahead and play around with this plot, butcher it, write a fanfic to it, tweak it, add stuff, take out stuff, kill off more ppl, develop more ideas from it etc. I don't think the movie might be this way but that's okAY bc I have higher expectations for it lmao I'm gonna die

[pikapegasus]

081 "I can't fit into my favourite dress anymore" with star lord and Gamora please since I can't imagine gamora being like this so I'd like to read one.

“I can’t fit into my favorite dress anymore.”

i’m an american heathen who spells “favourite” as “favorite”, muahahaha.... ;)))

i’m glad you sent this prompt in tho!!! i agree that gamora doesn’t seem like the type of person we’d expect to ever really react like this, which made it all the more fun to write, esp considering i’ve had a fair share of moments like this for myself even just in the past year (i fell victim to the infamous college freshman fifteen™ yikes BUT HAVE WE CONSIDERED: gamora endures something similar when joining the guardians bc of the change in lifestyle/diet and maybe bc peter wants to make sure she gets enough to eat,,,,, read on to find out more!!!!)

It’s one of the dresses Gamora had received during theirstay with the Nova Corps on Xandar, after they’d defeated Ronan. She’d worn itthe day they’d flown off in the “Milano 2.0,” as Peter had taken to calling itat first.

It isn’t very practical for battle, no, but she’d receivedother outfits for that. This dress is efficient for meeting with governmentofficials for the more “diplomatic” side (if they can even call it that) oftheir job, as such work is typically allocated to Peter or herself; the othersaren’t as…experienced in efficientlycommunicating with other parties without resorting to violence.

And, yeah, it’d been a pretty slim fit around her waist fromthe beginning, but she’s never been one to lose or gain any weight verynoticeably. But times have changed, her entire life has changed; her eating and exercising are no different.

Honestly, it doesn’t initially strike her as a big deal whenshe can’t get the zipper all the way up her back anymore because, whatever, it’sjust a dress. But there’s an almost sentimental value to it now, as itsignifies the time she’d embraced her new life as a Guardian of the Galaxyalongside the people she’d come to happily recognize as her family.

(Peter may have also mentioned it being his personalfavorite of her outfits so, uh, yeah, it might have risen in her own personalranking of her clothes for that reason.)

(Assassins don’t rank their clothes.)

(…Times have changed.)

She really shouldn’t be spending as much time as she isright now, back in her sleep clothes after giving up on forcing the dress tofit, holding the damn thing in her hands with a thoughtful frown. Again, shedoesn’t really keep up with her weight because it’s never been prone tochanging, given the harsh food-to-work ratio she’d endured under Thanos andRonan, so, if anything, she’s just confused.

Peter walks in on her confusion. He’s already dressed fortheir meeting with the Nova Corps.

“Uh, hold up, am I ready first?”he says, gaping at her. “Is this real?”

“Yes, this is real,” she says, still examining the dress.

“That…should not be happening,” he says, closing her doorbehind him. He crosses the room to stand beside her. They’re in what used to beher quarters, but given certain developments between the two of them, she now spendsmost of her nights in his room. “Is everything okay?”

She looks at him then, lowering the dress. She brieflywonders what he’d think of it; Peter’s never been one to judge (harshly) forphysical appearances, especially with her, but everything going on here—relationships,weight gain, feeling as “hot” as Peter often likes to compliment her—is foreignterritory.

“I can’t fit into my favorite dress anymore,” she sayssimply, holding the dress down against her legs. She watches his face for areaction.

He appears caught off guard for a moment, eyebrows raisedand lips pursed, but recovers quickly. “Oh, the one from the Nova Corps?” Hegestures down to it in her hands and she nods. “Aw, man. That sucks. I reallyliked that dress, too.”

His voice is light, but she can’t help feeling disappointed,too. “I’ve…never gained much weight before.”

“You didn’t gain a lot,”he says, looking her over, and she feels suddenly scrutinized in his gaze. Sheholds her arms against herself more tightly, as if to conceal her body. “Don’tworry about it, babe. Everyone’s weight is always changing. I switch betweenpant sizes every now and then, too. It’s normal.”

Despite his reassurances (which do make sense logically),she can’t help but feel a little…embarrassed,she supposes is the proper word. She tries to ignore the heat rising to hercheeks. “Do you find me less attractive now?”

“What?” Now he looks reallytaken aback. “I didn’t even notice until you told me!”

She raises an eyebrow.

He lays a hand over his face. “Okay, yeah, bad response.What I meant was…it doesn’t matter tome. I mean, of course, you and your health matter to me, yes, but you gaining or losing weight doesn’t change how I view youas a person. Or how attractive I find you. Does that make sense?”

It does, but thisis still so weird and messy to her, nonetheless. Her conflicting feelings, especiallythis sudden lack of confidence in herphysical appearance, disturb her to no end. She tosses the traitorous dressonto her bed.

“After our meeting with the Nova Corps, we can go buy you anew one,” he continues when she doesn’t respond, offering her a smile. “It’llbe like a fun shopping date; I think couples on Earth might do that.”

“Sure,” she says with a shrug, turning back to her drawers tofind something else to wear. Fear lingering in the back of her mind warns herthat she may not have anything towear anymore, given her sudden weightgain, but she ignores it. The threat of humiliation upon failing to fitinto more of her clothes in front of Peter claws at her, prompting her to riflethrough her clothes rather roughly.

But Peter stops her, laying a hand on her arm. “Hey, Gamora,wait. Look at me.”

She turns to him with a small, impatient huff. “Yes?”

“You know I can tell when you’re upset,” he says carefully,reminding. “What’s really botheringyou? You can tell me anything, remember?”

“I know,” she says, then pauses. “I’ve just…never dealt withthis before, that’s all.”

“Growing out of your clothes?” he asks.

“Gaining too much weightto wear them,” she corrects, but her snap is weak at best. She feels just shortof defeated. “I always maintained my weight. Until…”

“Until now,” he finishes for her. “It’s natural, like Isaid. You’re living on a ship waymore now, you can eat pretty much whateveryou want whenever you want—since yousaid that was different, uh, before—and you can’t really do much running orjumping around on a space ship. Kinda goes with my first point. Your body’sjust adjusting, that’s all. Nothing to feel bad about.”

She studies him for a moment, turning his words over in her mind.Again, the logic is there, but her emotions are taking a bit longer to catchup. She frowns.

“This is your fault,” she decides, but her voice is teasing.“You always push me to eat.”

Admittedly, she’s gone to bed hungry more nights than shecan count in her life (maybe even more nights than not), but she can’t recall one since joining the Guardians.

“Hey, even a cybernetically enhanced assassin needs her fillof daily nutrients and shit, too,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. “Andwe always have enough for everyone to eat their fill.”

That statement’s debatable at best, but Peter’s the type ofleader (and person in general) to ensure that those he loves are happy andhealthy, even at his own expense.

(Peter also has a habit of not finishing his dinner andoffering her what’s left on his plate. It had taken her a while to accept, butthey’ve now reached the point where he simply pushes his unfinished food acrossthe table to her and she finishes it off, no questions asked.)

(So, yeah, this weight gain is definitely his fault, at least a little.)

Finally, she’s smiling, and relaxes completely under histouch. “I suppose gaining weight is not horrible.”

“Yeah?” He grins. “’Cause now I’ll buy you whatever newdress you want after our meeting?”

“Who said I needed another dress?” she teases. “Why not anew blade?”

“How did my offerto buy you new clothes turn into new weapons?”

“They’re more practical.”

He hesitates there. “If you’re suggesting we start fightingbattles in the nude—“

“Not what I meant in the slightest.”

“—I have no objections. I’ll buy you any weapons you want,just for that purpose.”

She rolls her eyes, turning back to her drawers once more. “Ineed to finish getting ready, Peter.”

“Fighting with or without clothes, I think you’re beautiful!”he says cheekily, practically grinning from ear to ear.

She ducks her head more closely to her drawers to hide hersmile.

(He’s still debating between the pros and cons of wearingclothes into battle by the time she’s finally ready to go.)