#THIS IS ENDGAME COMPLIANT BTW

[astxrwar]

love the trope that’s like. “asshole deranged bite worse than his bark (and his bark is pretty bad already” type character who only allows backtalk/attitude/snark etc from certain people.

[emmalostinwonderland]

Absolutely adore this take.

I'd personally always believed some branch of this- it's the obvious train/subway metaphor, but most people don't actually ride the train all the way to the end. They choose to step off and step back on where they need or want to be, and in a way they never actually see the end of it, it's just a distant possibility. So for Steve and Bucky, they got off the train here and there what with the brainwashing and plane-crashing and the many many wars, but they always come back together in the end. Their train still has so many stops left to make.

Since Marvel Studios don't seem to understand what a line is

[feyrescourt]

This is a long and rambly discussion post for elriel nation btw so strap in

I want to preface this by kindly asking the elriel hive to not use any tags of #those ships if reblogged. I want to keep this in the elriel echo chamber. Please and thank u!

A huge part of fandom culture is to ship canonically compliant characters and crack ships. Everyone’s got them, and it’s totally normal, and it’s usually fun to engage with.

The majority of the time I have no issue with this (I am a wolfstar shipper and even though there is canonical evidence of them in the original HP books, they’re widely accepted online and balked at IRL usually due to homophobia and #that nasty, nasty woman’s bigotry), but over the last few years a certain group of crack shippers have taken it upon themselves to fly a little too close to the sun, and want to make it our (elriels) problem. I am talking about the Glees.

It’s late and this just popped into my head so I want to rant about it.

My friend who got me into ACOTAR gave me a breakdown of the ships (bc I read ToG first and went in blind. I became a doraelin shipper very early on and remained one halfway through QoS, it was a whole thing when I realized they were not end game lol), bc I asked her to after my ToG experience. She told me all the characters names and then told me about feysand and nessian endgames but didn’t mention az or elain’s situation. I asked her about it and she told me that she didn’t want to mention much about Az because “by the end of the series azriel has two options for how his story could go, elain or another way”. She shared some anti elain sentiment with me because she’s “boring and doesn’t do anything”. That went in one ear and out the other with me tbh.

When I started acowar, and feyre returned to the night court, I saw how elain and azriel were interacting and I concluded that mor was the second LI of az bc of acomaf. I was not apart of the fandom online at this point, so I was genuinely in the dark about everything around these two. I was just reading and talking to my friend about what I read. I also want to add that I still liked L*cien at this point in the series (it changed in acofas, I became apathetic towards him rather quickly when I finished reading that whiny ass convo with feyre…..I don’t play when it comes to her) but wasn’t sold on eluce because they had like one interaction and it wasn’t a great intro to a ship.

However this first meeting in acomaf….. :)

‘Can you truly fly?’ He set down his fork, blinking. I might have even called him self-conscious. He said, ‘Yes. Cassian and I hail from a race of faeries called Illyrians. We’re born hearing the song of the wind.’ ‘That’s very beautiful,’

“Rhys chuckled, Cassian’s wrath slipping enough that he grinned, and Elain, noticing Azriel’s ease as proof that things weren’t indeed about to go badly, offered one of her own as well.”

Well imagine my surprise when I finished acowar and it turns out mor (the person az has crushed on for 500 years) comes out to feyre before the book ends and she explains that she can never love az the way he loves her. After three books, and everything that happens in acowar it was clear to me that elain and azriel were being set up as each others love interests, despite the mating bond with l*cien.

After Acofas I was officially on the elriel train. I mean…

“Azriel strode to the lone window at the end of the room and peered into the garden below.”

“Azriel emerged from the sitting room, a glass of wine in hand and wings tucked back to reveal his fine, yet simple black jacket and pants. I felt, more than saw, my sister go still as he approached. Her throat bobbed.”

“But Azriel only took Elain’s heavy dish of potatoes from her hands, his voice soft as night as he said, ‘Sit. I’ll take care of it.’ Elain’s hands remained in midair, as if the ghost of the dish remained between them. With a blink, she lowered them, and noticed her apron. ‘I—I’ll be right back,’ she murmured, and hurried down the hall before I could explain that no one cared if she showed up to dinner covered in flour and that she should just sit.”

“Elain swept in, apron gone and hair rebraided. ‘Please don’t wait on my account,’ she said, taking the seat at the head of the table.”

“He [Azriel] was the portrait of relaxed, an arm braced against the carved mantel, his wings tucked in loosely, a faint grin on his face and a glass of wine in his hand. He slid his hazel eyes toward my sister without him moving an inch.”

“Azriel and Elain remained in the sitting room, my sister showing him the plans she’d sketched to expand the garden in the back of the town house, using the seeds and tools my family had given her tonight. Whether he cared about such things, I had no idea.”

(Damn the more I read elriel’s acofas moments the more I can’t help but conclude that they just hate/don’t understand introverts 😭)

Before I started SF, I decided to look at the online fandom and bitch……my jaw hit the floor with all the elain/elriel hate I saw on TT. And everyone was talking about a newer character in SF, and I was seeing the glee fan art and was like oh shit ok maybe elriel isn’t endgame.

Fast forward to SF……

‘What happened to Elain?’

“Nesta saw the blow land, like a physical impact, in Elain’s face, her posture. No one spoke, though shadows gathered in the corners of the room, like snakes preparing to strike. Elain’s eyes brightened with pain.”

……and I’m thinking ok, az obviously likes her. Then comes az’s BC. When I finished the elriel portion of the BC I was actually crying bc I was like oh fuck I really love these two….I knew it was over for me, and I was freaked out bc I thought I was going to get got with this “new ship” involving az. Plus I was thinking about elain being left alone in the dark without any explanation and feeling like an idiot for finally showing her true feelings towards him😭. It was like 3AM when I read it so I was hyper emotional lol. But then I read the rest of the BC and was still confused because I didn’t see any romantic subtext with g/wyn. I read it and saw a hurt male who couldn’t stand what he had done to elain the night before, was pissed at his brother for stopping it and making him feel bad when he was finally willing to voice what he’s been feeling for the past year or so and hating that he was shut down because we know he never voices his emotions, and couldn’t bear keeping a gift he picked out specifically for her. A necklace…..for solstice……Then I finished SF as a whole, and still, was confused as to why glee is a ship. Nearly all of their conversations were centered around training, and Sarah didn’t use any descriptors in their encounters that elude to any romance or mutual interest. (Btw I have a whole take on rhys’ part in that BC and I think a lot of ppl are dense and don’t understand what he was going through in that book but I can save that for another time)

Cassian and Feyre have more chemistry than those too lol.

I then talked to my friend about the these ships (elriel, eluce, and glee) ((i didn’t talk about eluce much in this post but that’s a lifeless ship too. I mean…..she can’t stand that red head anyway soooo)), and I said “I’m an elriel through and through. Idc that eluce are claimed to be mates you can tell she does not like him. also glee makes no sense to me.” Not verbatim but you get the point. My friend is very sensible so by the end of our convo, she told me that she’ll accept whatever way Sarah goes and that she’ll give elain a chance when her book comes out.

But isn’t that what all of this shit is about in the end: unjustified dislike/distain/hate for elain? That’s certainly how is appears to me. You cannot look me in the eyes and tell me that you love elain if you ship her with a male whom she has expressed, on multiple occasions, zero interest in AND becomes a shell of herself when he’s around because she just doesn’t want to interact with him. (I want to reiterate that I don’t hate L, I don’t think he’s awful or anything. elain just doesn’t want to know him. And that’s her right.) The glees don’t like her bc she doesn’t fit their stereotype for what they want in an FMC and therefore, for azriel. Which is why they have been chirping that the next book will be azriel’s. Not elain’s….WHAT??? You sound fucking crazy. The eluces (even though they claim they like her) dislike her so much that they go on and on about how she needs to grovel and apologize to the male they like because HE deserves to be happy……the same male who she associates with one of the most traumatic days of her life. Who also has not apologized to her for the part he played in that day, but I digress.

I say all that to point out that Glee specifically is in the crack ship category. No canonical evidence in the text can be used to claim they are ‘mates’ or endgame or anything more than acquaintances. And that’s fine, but don’t act as though they’re to be taken seriously as a canon ship when there’s no evidence to support it. Don’t boldly claim that azriel “has two love interests” when he literally doesn’t. He can’t sleep because of elain. He can’t stop thinking about her. He’s short with his family and others around him the days and weeks following solstice. His shadows threaten to strike nesta when she hurts elain and causes her pain. He doesn’t assign his spies to watch L*cien in acofas because he doesn’t want to know if he’s trying to court elain. He goes full lethal when he hears she may have been hurt. He follows the sound of her laugh to see what caused it. He goes on a suicide mission to save her. They communicate through looks alone when their family is around. Have you read an SJM book before? This is how she sets up her relationships. Like, holy fuck.

You cannot claim elriel is a crack ship because they have had background build up that both FMCs in their respective books have noticed and commented on. Cassian has noticed it too DESPITE not being hyper aware of what’s going on with az in SF. (referencing the scene in SF where elain tells everyone at family dinner about nesta’s love for dancing and the ball story from when they were human).

This ship war shit is fucking crazy because really this should only be between elriel nation and the eluces. Anyway, I’m over dealing with the fever dream brigade and their hallucinations. They’re going to come crashing down like Icarus when the elriel bible release day arrives and all our suffering will finally come to an end.

Then after that I’ll need to defeat the tamlin redemption arch threats, bc that is not a claim, that’s a fuckin threat and I won’t stand for it. But let’s tackle one problem at a time.

Pink: side notes/thoughts that give more context to my points

Blue italics: convos I’ve had being referenced

Purple: elriel moments <3

[iwriteasfotini]

The Rules I Broke: a Rant and a Warning

Our Love is Written in the Stars is a Marauders era series which depicts my head canon as it applies to the original seven Harry Potter books, it might not be your head canon. That's just the way it goes.

I’m new to the current fanfiction space which can be a benefit or a drawback. I’ve read some popular fics, blended inspiration from them with my pre-existing head canon, and created a pretty solid mental characterization of these lovely people. The drawback is I didn’t and still don’t know or understand the rules and divides which exist in the fandom. Over ships, over characterizations, over plot, over canon compliance, etc. Side note, because of this I will NOT label my series as canon compliant, even though in my mind it is. 

Thus I found myself frequently thinking “am I allowed to do this?” The last time I was in the fanfic space there were fierce debates over certain topics (often very frivolous things mind), so when I started writing there was a little voice in my head telling me what I was writing might be wrong. I brought this up with my partner, and he said, “whose rules are you talking about?�� I had no answer. So I finally chucked the supposed rulebook out the window. I know it is going to create some drama. My ships, my characterizations, my plot, it isn’t going to jive with everyone. I never expected it to. So please, before you dive into this epic but fantastic series, know that I broke rules. I did so intentionally because I found the rules to be silly, limiting, and honestly not founded in anything valid (to me). I have read the original series A LOT, I have read books written about the original seven books. I can get deep into canon and into the world. But my own story is meant to be fun. It is meant to be entertaining. Not analyzed for literary merit or if my characterization matches with your head canon (or heaven forbid JKR’s intent) one hundred percent. 

I can guarantee this story will disappoint you at some point. Because I have read some great fanfiction and every single piece disappoints me in some way. I have a mental model of the characters which the author skews just slightly, or I have a problem with a tiny piece of plot, or how a scene was written. There is always going to be something, and because it’s fanfiction, there is always room to wish the author had written it slightly differently. How many people read published fiction and think, if only they had characterized so and so better, that would have really made the story. Instead we read published fiction and think either Amazing!, Good, Ok, Meh, or I don’t like this book. You can’t reach out to the author directly and tell them exactly how and why what they wrote was annoying to you. I’m not saying a broad appreciation of an entire work can’t happen with fanfiction, but I have been there, reading something people rave about and thinking it’s so good except… (I always choose to keep those thoughts to myself, BTW.)

There will be that in this story. Because I am me, and you are you, and this whole story is my except, this story is my I wish there was more or I wish it was done differently… and we will not agree. 

So yes, I bridged the void between Severus and the Marauders. Yes, I have Regulus and Severus and Lily in a mutual friendship dynamic. Yes, I have endgame Jegulus in a canon event compliant story. Yes, my James is Indian, and my Severus is a Spaniard. And Yes, I did create some ships I have personally never encountered before, though I would venture a guess I am NOT the first person to go there. 

And for me it works. For me it not only works but it is fantastic. Because I don’t want to have to choose. Unless it is between Jily and Jegulus in which case I chose Jegulus every time. Wolfstar is untouchable canon. Sev and Lily are WAY more than they were ever given in canon. Regulus! My beloved is so amazing. And I know the debates go long and hot over who can be characterized a certain way and why, who can ship with who, according to you and to your interpretation of canon, or even just your personal opinion. Who cares! 

I am not trying to debate or make any lasting points. I want people to be entertained, to laugh, to experience more fantastical magic (isn’t this what drew everyone to the series in the first place, it wasn’t the ships, that’s for sure). If you find you aren’t enjoying the story, please for the love of everyone STOP reading. And if you try to discredit my imagination I’m going to kindly remind you that we don’t have to agree on everything. And do not get me started on the Death Eaters. Yes they did awful things, Dumbledore is a piece of work himself. James can be an insensitive arse hole. So can Sirius. And there are ALWAYS two sides to a story. So let’s have fun! Let’s return to Hogwarts with first years and watch them mature into adults. Let’s feel what it is like to play a game of quidditch from someone who works their arse off (James) and from someone who is naturally a phenom (Regulus). And if anyone throws a ‘well Sirius said’ or ‘well Snape said’ comment at me, I’m going to shrug and reply with, Harry is an extremely biased narrator, Sirius is a trauma survivor who spent twelve years in isolation in a dementor infested prison, and Snape is one of the smartest and most deceptive characters in the series. You think any of them ever painted the whole truth, I think not. 

If you want to hop aboard this train, I welcome you with open arms. If you plan to board just to throw rotten veg at the other passengers, I’m going to politely ask you to please disembark. 

The glorious madness begins in fifteen days. I hope you are ready. I hope you are excited. Because we are going back to Hogwarts!

>>><<<

This is one of my Author Notes for the series Our Love is Written in the Stars which will begin daily posting on Ao3 on October 31.

[aelaer]

Chapter 2, if you haven't seen it yet! BTW if you're reading along and have the time/energy, comments are very welcome. With the hit counter as is, it's always difficult to tell if people came to only the first chapter and immediately bounced or if there are actually people reading along. And since you can't kudos per chapter, the comments at least helps multi-chapter writers know that people are checking out future chapters xD

No pressure, as always, just if you're in the right mood and space!

Primary Characters: Stephen Strange, Tony Stark

Major Secondary Characters: Wong, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker, Vision

Relationships: Primarily platonic with the above listed. Pepperony exists, but it's not primary relationship focus of the story or series. Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Not Canon Compliant with Movie: Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Sokovia Accords, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt Stephen Strange, In This Fic We Love And Cherish All Canon Characters, Stephen Strange is Actually a Doctor, Absolutely more tags to come as more fic comes, all the chars are BAMF in one way or another

Chapter 2: Cross Walks and Crossed Hearts

Stephen did everything in his power not to miss another session with Pepper Potts after his last conversation with Tony, and he just managed to do so. (Though admittedly, the session three days ago was performed after only three hours of sleep. Thankfully, the mapping of the anomaly's path within the reticular formation was easy enough with the help of some caffeine.) Each session was half the time that he originally planned in late December, but the need to conserve his reserves was very real, and "saving" this map between sessions took no small amount of power.

That day, Tony wasn't actually present for the session, having some work-dinner function with S.I. at the same time Stephen was available. Happy Hogan was around, though. The bodyguard still tossed him the occasional suspicious look, but Stephen was fairly certain he was posturing more than anything—though he wouldn't leave Stephen alone with Pepper without Tony around. What exactly did he think he'd do, anyway?

(and you can read the rest at the link above)

[jelly-pies]

Dancing From Now On

Read on AO3

Pepper remembered their first dance. Contrary to public knowledge, it had not been at the annual Stark Industries gala.

Tony and Pepper's first dance took place months before that, alone at the mansion, late after a long day of work. The music had been Pepper's idea, to relax. But the dance had been Tony's.

"Getting better, Potts." Somehow cheerier than usual, he spun her slowly around the workshop. "Nobody will ever know you had two left feet. Hardly believe it myself, if my toe wasn't still throbbing."

Pepper huffed. "Not all of us could afford dance classes, you know."

"Well, it's not that hard, see? We're just swaying." Tony pulled her in, an inch closer, meeting her eyes. And for one moment, Pepper was purely dancing with the friend she was secretly in love with—not the boss who depended on her, or the playboy whose one night stands she escorted out of the mansion every few weeks. Just Tony. "Just dancing."

Their casual flirting was one thing. But this was getting dangerously close to something else—so Pepper ended the moment. JARVIS stopped the music, and when Pepper looked back after collecting her things, Tony suddenly looked away as if he'd been caught staring.

Maybe he had.

"So, you're good?" Tony asked casually, hands fiddling with some tools he picked up. "No stumbling over anybody's feet at the next gala?"

"We're good." Pepper matched his light tone. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"You're very welcome, Ms. Potts."

"And Tony... " She paused at the door. Did she imagine that expectant look he sent her way, or was it just the lighting? "Um… that contract you still have to look over. Don't show up tomorrow without it."

"Which one?"

"Tony."

He chuckled. "I got it. Have a good night."

Maybe it was just the lighting.

"Good night," Pepper answered, and exited the room with deliberate steps.

She turned back before the landing. Tony was facing away, bringing up holo-screens, flexing his hands—and suddenly she remembered the feel of those calloused fingers against her own, drawing her closer.

Tony looked up. Pepper turned away, determined not to be caught staring.

But maybe she had.

Pepper remembered their first dance. And she remembered how it led to much, much more.

-

Their second dance, that one was at the Stark Industries Firefighter's Family Fund benefit. A backless blue gown, a little banter, an almost-kiss on the roof. Another moment Pepper ended before anything could begin, even though she half-wished something  would begin—had been wishing it those dreadful three months of Tony's disappearance.

As Tony left to get them drinks, Pepper turned away to hide a growing blush. She didn't see the way he looked back at her from the door.

Tony reentered the building, and didn't see the way Pepper looked after his retreating back, either.

-

Years later on another rooftop, after a disastrous Stark Expo, the kiss became real.

They even had a witness, who deadpanned, "You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape."

Tony put his arm around her as they faced Rhodey, and Pepper couldn’t help thinking how that gesture must make them look like a real couple. She found she didn’t mind. All of a sudden, plans of her resignation as CEO didn't seem so urgent.

Tony turned back to her as soon as Rhodey left and challenged, "How are you gonna resign if I don’t accept?"

Pepper laughed, letting the action release her anxiety and near-death stress and girlish romance. "I…" And Tony was leaning close. She stopped him with a finger on his lips. "Tony, if I don't… we can’t…"

"Come on, it’s us. We’ll figure something out." And there was that look again. Pepper wasn’t so quick to blame the lighting this time. "Ms. Potts?" Tony took both her hands. "Pep?"

It was too late to stop this moment, and Pepper knew it. But the doubt must have still shown on her face because Tony took one look and continued, "Remember when we danced? The first time, Malibu? You crushed my toes about a hundred—"

"Please let that go."

"—but we made it work."

Pepper took a breath. "We did."

Tony smiled, eyes shining—that's how Pepper could always tell if his smiles were real. She could also tell that both of them were done holding back… whatever this was.

"We are pretty good at dancing," Pepper replied.

Tony couldn't see her face as they embraced, but if he did, Pepper was sure he could tell her smile was real, too.

-

A private night at Stark Tower after the New York attack, that was the third dance. Or fourth, or fifth, maybe. Pepper wasn't sure she needed to count anymore.

She was only sure of two things. Swaying together in their home, with JARVIS playing soft music overhead, her arms around the love she had almost lost—and had accepted she would come close to losing, over and over again, for the sake of saving the world—Pepper was only sure of these: that she wanted herself and Tony to have a thousand more dances to come.

And that she could never know which one would be their last.

-

They danced that night on yet another rooftop, after the events with the Mandarin.

They didn't dance after Ultron.

Or for several months after that.

But the next time Pepper and Tony finally held each other in their arms, they held on tighter, and neither let go for a long, long time.

-

This wasn't how Pepper imagined it, for several reasons.

Tony’s smile was different. There was a sadness in them that lingered like ashes, but he smiled anyway, holding her close—which was a feat with Pepper's growing belly, but they made it work.

There were fewer guests. Several seats they left vacant on purpose, scattered around the lakeside like lonely souls. Some people held the belief they were there, in spirit, and that's what mattered. Pepper wasn't so sure; pure sentimentality had prevailed on her to leave the seats out.

Apparently sentimentality ran high this evening. The band played the song she and Tony had first danced to, oh so long ago, in a mansion long since blown to bits, by an AI, a friend, long since gone.

There was no publicity in what had once been anticipated as the event of the decade. A single ray of sun through gray clouds instead of all-around sunshine, in what was supposed to be the happiest day of Pepper and Tony's life.

But the people they loved—those that were left—celebrated with them, and that was enough. A simple reception at their new house, and the wedding was over.

After the lake grew quiet and the stars came out, the newlyweds slow-danced through the night, just the two of them.

This wasn't how Pepper imagined their new life would start. But start it did, with a dance.

"Getting better, Potts," Tony whispered beside her temple, their heads pressed together.

"Not so hard without the floor length gown. I know that was my idea, but God, don’t let me do anything like that ever again."

Tony chuckled and spun her slowly until she faced away, then wrapped his arms around his wife, their four hands interlocking on top of her belly.

Pepper had long lost count of their dances. But she knew this was one she would always remember.

It was Tony who broke the silence. "You guys still here? Scoot."

Pepper turned where he was looking: Rhodey’s wedding presents on the mantelpiece, staring at them—two plushie seals. And she laughed. Tony could always make her laugh.

“Fighting over a grape?” Pepper recalled.

“I never really got that image, to be honest.”

“Hm.” She turned back to Tony, cupped his cheek, and leaned in. “Let’s see about that.”

-

"That’s it! You’re doing it!" Tony spun their daughter around until the song ended, and Morgan collapsed in giggles on the floor. Tony scooped her up and tickled her with his stubble, making the giggling grow louder.

"Dad!" Morgan laughed. "Mommy, save me!"

Pepper swiftly rescued the toddler, only to drop her on the couch and blow raspberries on her stomach a second later. "In this house—" another tickle, and Morgan squealed— "nobody—escapes—dancing!"

Morgan finally succeeded in pushing her away as FRIDAY started the next upbeat song, and soon all three were back on their feet.

-

“Not that it's a competition.” Tony walked in. “But she loves me three thousand.”

“Oh, does she?”

“You were somewhere on the low… six to nine hundred range.”

Tony could always make her laugh.

Even the night after the Avengers came to visit. The night their new life, that Pepper knew in her heart could never last long, started to melt away.

Tonight there was no music, no dancing. Only the crackle of the fireplace, the weight of the future, and Pepper’s words hanging in the air— "But will you be able to rest?"

Tony didn’t answer her. He didn’t need to.

But Pepper held his hand, and Tony kissed her cheek. And when they finally went to bed, they held each other tighter.

-

Tony held her hand, and Pepper kissed his cheek. "You can rest now."

Tonight there was no dancing.

-

Two cylindrical compartments stood along the garage wall, one of them forever to be empty. In the other, Pepper put her Rescue suit away by herself. Crossing the room, her fingers couldn't help lingering over Tony's reserve helmet—Tony's desk—Tony's tools—Tony's presence. She could always feel it in his workshops.

Their first dance had been in his workshop.

The memory jolted her, pulling Pepper's eyes back to the last gift Tony left: her Rescue suit slumped in its compartment, looking as battered as she felt. Pepper remembered what it was like to take the suit to battle. To fight side by side with her husband, gauntlets firing in sync, guarding each other's back. A team to the end.

Did that count as a dance? Because otherwise, Pepper realized, she didn't remember the last time she and Tony danced.

She remembered their first, though—would always remember it. JARVIS’s song, their wedding song, strained in her ears—she could almost feel Tony's calloused fingers around hers—dancing in his workshop late at night.

But in this workshop, on this night, Pepper could only cry.

-

Pepper still danced.

She danced with Rhodey, and they leaned on each other, the way they had learned to do long ago.

She danced with Happy, bouncy little head bangs as they cooked Christmas dinner together, and for a moment the house was full of music again.

She danced with Peter, years later at his wedding, whispering "We’re so proud of you" in his ear.

She danced with her daughter. Morgan always pulled her to her feet whenever a lively song came on the radio— "In this house, nobody escapes dancing!" And they laughed. And they danced.

Pepper still danced. Just not with the one person she most wanted to dance with again.

-

When years had passed, and Morgan was grown, and the house was quiet most hours of the day, Pepper developed the habit of sneaking out on the balcony on clear nights, and looking up at the stars.

Some of her favorite dances with Tony had taken place under the stars. Like the rooftop. And their wedding.

Pepper didn’t remember which dance had been their last. But she remembered the first. And the second. And the thousands that came after that. Maybe that was enough.

In the quiet of the lake house, with only the strains of their wedding song echoing in her ears, and the stars above her, forever her witness—Pepper danced.

-

-

- "Ang Huling El Bimbo (The Last [Dance])," The Eraserheads

Lahat ng pangarap ko'y bigla lang natunaw

Sa panaginip nalang pala kita maisasayaw

(All of my dreams are suddenly gone

Only in dreams can we dance from now on)

[winter-turtle]

so I was editing a oneshot called count to seventeen and close your eyes so I can upload it on Monday and the transition between sixteen and seventeen... well, here's a spoiler without context

[stxphxn-strange]

protected

a/n: stephen angst about the Dark Dimension ft: wong being Fancy in the background and tony being flirty but caring and loving and supportive

Stephen shuddered. “There’s a roach in our bathroom.”

“Did you do something about it?” Tony asked, the light from the TV illuminating his face.

“No! Those motherfuckers are scary!” Stephen replied. “Pardon my French. I would sooner fight Thanos again and make another thousand bargains with Dormammu before dealing with one of those things.”

Tony rolled his eyes affectionately. “I don’t blame you, but I’ll take care of it.”

Tony turned away just as Stephen blanched. He hadn’t meant to ever actually tell anyone about Dormammu, outside of those sorcerers who had a vague understanding of what happened. No one knew the full story, and no one needed to.

As Tony walked towards the bathroom, his brain caught on an unfamiliar word Stephen used. What was a... a Dormammu? It was probably some kind of Mystic Arts thing that was far too complicated and storied for Tony to understand, but he didn’t fail to notice how pale Stephen suddenly was.

“This thing is a monster,” Tony called, “At MIT if I ever saw a bug like this, I’d hide under Rhodey’s quilt. Except, of course, for that time when the bug was under his quilt.”

Stephen laughed through gritted teeth. Just mentioning the demon of the Dark Dimension made the sorcerer panic, his hands trembling as he tried to stop himself from casting spells in the air. Even still, he felt the golden burn of magic in his veins and its longing to be freed from the cage where Stephen kept his emotions. He felt a bit more relieved when Tony reemerged from the bathroom, his hands still dripping with water and vanilla soap as he climbed back into bed.

“Well, Prince Stephen, the beast has been dealt with,” Tony said coyly, laying down and facing his partner.

“How dare you, bitch? I’m a King,” Stephen replied, pulling Tony into a hug.

Tony snuggled closer to him, alarmed at how fast Stephen’s heart was beating. “You’re my King,” Tony murmured, trying to make his voice reassuring.

Stephen hummed. He was trying to breathe, trying to relax and convince himself that he was fine, just home in bed with Tony... but the darkness of their room suddenly felt suffocating. The lights of the city looked more like the hazy purple shadows of the Dark Dimension. And then Tony’s voice, the thing that usually kept Stephen so grounded in this reality, made it all worse.

“By the way, what was that thing you said earlier? A Dormammu? What’s that?”

He was so innocent and curious it hurt. Tony didn’t mean to harm, he just wanted to learn and understand. But this was one of the sorcerer’s worst moments.

How could Stephen bring himself to let his love in?

How could he explain his irreversible mental scars that he gave himself by breaking the rules voluntarily?

Stephen shivered. “Oh it’s nothing. Can I be the little spoon? I’m cold.”

Tony nodded against Stephen’s chest, leaning up to kiss him before settling again and pulling him close. “Is that why you’re so tense and shaky?”

“Yeah,” Stephen replied, not at all convinced by his own answer. “I guess I could get a blanket but I don’t need one as much when I have you.”

Tony smiled in the darkness, pressing a sweet kiss to the nape of Stephen’s neck. “I’ll always be here to be your blanket.”

Stephen yawned. “I know, and I love you for it. Goodnight Tony.”

“Goodnight Steph,” Tony whispered. “I love you.”

++++

It didn’t take long for the nightmares to start. It was almost as if Stephen closed his eyes and went instantly to the Dark Dimension, into fight or flight mode. 

He began to fight against everything in his path, from blasts of energy and stabbing shards to the sheets tangled around his legs and Tony’s arms holding him still. 

Tony woke up when Stephen (accidentally, of course) elbowed him in the face. He loosened his embrace, whispering to the sorcerer to try and calm him down.

It was almost fifteen (15) minutes later when Stephen woke up, accidentally opening a portal to the Sanctum in the process of relaxing his body and mind. On the other side of the portal, Wong frowned as he lit a tea tree scented candle.

“Stark, take care of him,” Wong said.

“I’m fine Wong, goodnight,” Stephen replied, his voice short and taut as he closed the portal. He turned to lay on his back, pressing a trembling hand to his head.

“FRIDAY, lights at 25% please,” Tony said quietly. He slipped out of bed, adjusting the thermostat until the room began to cool.

Stephen then realized how warm he was, but it wasn’t the same warmth he fell asleep to. He was sticky with sweat and tasted blood as he bit the inside of his lip.

Tony gently took Stephen’s hand, the one clamped on his head. “What do you need?” He asked, his voice almost a whisper.

“I’m fine Tones,” Stephen replied. “It was just a bad dream.”

“It seemed like more than a bad dream,” Tony ventured. “You were defending yourself against something, fighting for your life even in your sleep.”

“It felt real,” Stephen muttered numbly. “It felt like I was there all over again.”

Stephen shifted, resting his head on Tony’s lap. His stupid brain and cursedly supreme memory had given him the opportunity to be open with Tony about what he’d done. This was the chance he’d been waiting for to just be honest.

And yet here he was, a coward afraid to face it again.

Tony clearly wasn’t willing to let this go. In the dim light of the room, Stephen could see concern and empathy all over his face. He just wanted to understand, and Stephen couldn’t deny Tony that chance.

“There are beings out there, extradimensional beings I mean, that are bigger threats than even Thanos,” Stephen began.

Tony flinched at the mention of the Mad Titan. “Are you about to tell me that you’ve faced them?” He asked gently, beginning to card a hand through Stephen’s sweat-damp hair.

“Not all of them, just this one called Dormammu,” Stephen replied, taking his turn to flinch. “It was really early in my training, before we met and before Thanos. I didn’t know how to handle him, and long story short I...”

Stephen exhaled annoyedly.

“You don’t have to tell me the full story now,” Tony said.

“But I do! I have to tell you because the fact that I haven’t yet is tearing me up,” Stephen replied, shaking in frustration and exhaustion.

Tony hummed. “Okay. But hey, listen to me: it’s just me here, we’re home, and I promise no matter what you say it won’t change anything about what I think of you. I know it’s usually you saying that to me, but I think it’s important that you hear your own words.”

Stephen sat up, resting with his back to Tony’s chest. He smiled as Tony continued to play with his hair, holding him close. He sighed and continued his story.

“I chose to do what I did, y’know?” He began. “I went to the Dark Dimension and trapped myself in a time loop with him. I let him kill me over and over again until we made a bargain and he left. It was agonizing, but anytime I get upset about it I remind myself that I chose to do that. I brought it on myself. I—”

“You’re one of the strongest people I know,” Tony interrupted, his tone laced with sadness and awe. “And hey, regardless of the circumstance you still went through something traumatic that still affects you deeply. There’s no shame in that. Anytime you want to tell me about these things or anything else as a means of healing is more than alright.”

Stephen shuddered at Tony’s affectionate speech. “Why should I let you get dragged into this? I brought it on myself, now I have to deal with the mental consequences.”

“You’re not alone, Steph. Your shoulders aren’t broad enough to carry the entire world, lovely as they are. You don’t need to handle everything by yourself, including trauma. If you want to, that’s respectable, but you don’t have to,” Tony replied. “You know me, by the way, you know I’d follow you to the end of the Earth. I’m here for you.”

Stephen yawned. “Did I kick you in my sleep?”

“I got an elbow to the face, but I’m fine,” Tony replied.

“Sorry,” Stephen muttered. “I’ll try not to do that again. Will you hold me for the rest of the night?”

Tony nodded. “Gladly.”

“Actually wait, I feel gross. Before I go back to sleep I’m going to take a shower,” Stephen said, sliding out of bed. After turning the water on, he turned around to face Tony. “That was your cue to join me, by the way. I’ll need you to protect me if there’s another bug lurking anywhere.”

[fandom-geek17]

WandaVision - Thoughts and theories

So… I wrote a more pessimistic version of my thoughts HERE. But this is the more optimistic one. There are 5 questions I’m going to discuss, the 5 questions running through my mind when watching this show (which I adore btw). SPOILERS!!!

1.     Is Wanda the villain of this show?

Yes and no. I fully believe that Wanda created this alternate reality (or whatever we’re calling it so far), and I believe that Wanda wants to stay there. But I don’t believe it was her idea in a sense. I think she was manipulated by Agatha and Mephisto into thinking that this would be the only way for her and Vision to be together and alive, hence why she is so desperate to remain there. Her character arc could be similar to the one she had in Age of Ultron: joining the bad guys whilst being manipulated into believing it will further her goal, but ultimately realize the truth and switch side. This would make her the villain of her own narrative, but not the primary villain of the story.

2.     Does Wanda have control of this “alternate universe”?

I’d say the majority of it. We clearly see her controlling and changing every event that could potentially help anyone realizing the truth, including her. Deep down, she knows what she has done to the town, but has probably suppressed her conscience (or Agatha/Mephisto is doing it to her, probably both). I’d say that the more compliant she is with the larger plan, the more control she is allowed to have (not that she knows what it is, ergo the babies). We have seen moments where she isn’t in control: the stork – possibly Mephisto spying on her, and the aftermath of throwing Monica out (to me it looks like she’s being controlled).

3.     Is Vision alive?

The optimistic part of my brain wants to say yes because Vision is my favorite character and Scarlet Vision needs to be canon forever, so we’re going with that. My working theory as of yet is that Wanda left (after Endgame) to go somewhere (not sure where) to try and reanimate the Mindstone and therefore Vision. There is a short clip in one of the trailers where we see Wanda working her magic on what looks like the shatters of a yellow/orange gem.

                     But I don’t think she was successful. This defeat could easily have let her even further down on the path of depression, and this is where Agatha Harkness and Mephisto come into play. Recognizing a moment of extreme weakness in Wanda, they promise her the magical boost she needs to bring Vision back and a world where they get to finally be happy and escape the way they talked about in Infinity War. Of course they leave out the part where they’re after Wanda’s future babies and possibly her powers too.

                     So yes, I want to believe that Vision is perfectly alive, because Wanda is not naïve enough to play along if he isn’t. The part where we saw Vision’s walking corpse in episode 4 (horrifying btw) could have been a subconscious warning to Wanda from Agatha and Mephisto: “We helped you bring him back, we can easily reverse it”.

                     Having said all this, he’s probably dead, dead, dead and Marvel will rip my heart out and do the Russian dance on it by the end of this show…

4.     Will the babies be alive outside of West View?

Yes, I think so… Because when Monica was thrown out of West View, the changes made to her stayed (clothes, hair, makeup etc). Which is why I believe that everything happening inside the bubble is real. This in turn means that Billy and Tommy are real, and will survive in the outside world.

                     This also ties into point 3. In the mid season trailer we see Vision trying and probably succeeding in breaking out of the bubble. The last thing we see is him falling to his knees in the real world. If he’s dead, it explains the falling because duh: he’ll die all over again (please dear god no). But if he is alive and therefore survives the crossing, it could just be all the memories, pain and realizations coming back, or maybe something is resisting his departure, trying to force him back in?

5.     What side is Sword on?

This is a harder one… Obviously I believe Darcy’s and Jim’s intentions to be good, but I don’t know… I just have a nagging feeling that someone inside sword is dirty. And that this someone could be working with Agatha/Agnes from the outside, making sure that the blame for all this falls on Wanda and no one else. I have seen some theories that it’s the director (can’t remember his name) in episode 4 that’s the mastermind along with Agnes. One evil genius on each side. Sword as an organization is probably good, but maybe not every member?

Please respond with your thoughts and theories!

[clara-licht]

do have any other field trip fic recommendations while we wait for part 2? (you’re an amazing writer btw!💕)

Oh I have TONS! Field trip trope is one of my top favorites ever!

Keep in mind that I’m really into Irondad-Spiderson trope too, so most of these contain that. I also prefer to read non-pairing fics when it comes to field trips (aside from reader-inserts). Everything in this list is from AO3:

Note: * means my absolute favorites

Constant Internal [Spider] Screaming: Semi-Connected Scenes from a Graduating Senior’s Life by isaDanCurtisproduction *

This is a really long and great fic! It doesn’t just focus on the trip, but rather the events leading to the trip itself. Peter met the Avengers without them knowing he’s Spider-Man and accidentally found out he’s ‘worthy’. The trip is also fun, considering there was a cowboy villain.

Tag™ by stardust_moonbeams

The Avengers are playing a game of tag during Peter’s field trip and he is fucked.

the rumours about peter parker by tempestaurora *

Part of hydra’s not a home series, where Peter is Tony’s biological child who was kidnapped by HYDRA as a child. I recommend reading the entire series.

Wait, You Actually Work Here? by Shirosbluesamurai

Part of Peter and the Tower series which I mentioned on my Badge post! Sadly, the author has orphaned their account due to personal reasons, but the stories are still up there to read. The details poured into what is Stark Industries is amazing in this series.

total eclipse of the stark by floweryfran *

Part of a motley crew series that focus on Harley and Peter’s amazing found family relationship. I’ve read the entire series a lot, it’s just THAT amazing. In this one, Natasha and Bucky led Peter’s class as a joke and intentionally showed them Harley and Peter working in Tony’s workshop with him.

Field Trips, Infinity Stones, and oh mY GOD IS THAT SPIDER-MAN? by visionsofus

This one hurts me a bit because it’s Avengers: Endgame compliant, which means Tony’s dead :( If you haven’t noticed, I try to avoid fics where Tony is dead because I reject reality and reality is Avengers: Endgame.

Field Trip! by rhelia *

Second part in The Man Behind the Mask series, or what would have happened if Peter made it in time for the competition during Spider-Man: Homecoming and he was in the elevator in Washington Monument during the failed elevator incident. I suggest reading the first part too, I love the identity reveal.

Robots and Fire Are a Bad Combination by Singing_Siren

First part of Peter and The Avengers, as Seen by Midtown High series. Any story where Peter’s friends see him interacting with any of the Avengers is always a good story for me.

That Awkward Moment When Your Whole Class Shows Up At Your House by MurdockSchmurdock

Peter is ‘recuperating’ in the tower after a Spider-Man related injury, but somehow he got swept into his class's field trip. Talk about awkward.

Workplace Mixer by sameuspegasus *

Part of Glowy Green Slime series (which is super hilarious, please read them). Basically Mrs. Warren had to meet Tony after Peter’s internship was questioned and had found out more than she would’ve expected. Seriously, this series is super hilarious, you HAVE to read it. I told @angel-spidey about this through an ask once because I love it so much.

from your perspective, the world is flat by blueh *

THIS! ONE!!!!! The decathlon team’s bus was exploded by some men trying to ‘kidnap’ them and Peter had to reveal his secret hero identity to save them. They didn’t get to tour Stark Industries in this one, but at least they got another tour in Avengers Compound. There’s also a part 2!

field trip (to nowhere) by ThisUsernameTaken

In which Tony made his own intern lead a field trip group where he’s part of. Poor Peter.

Perhaps He's Not Missing Out After All by NotYoCheese

Peter isn’t allowed to join the field trip, so he spent time interning instead. When his classmates arrived, they were surprised to see just who their tour leader is.

I. Am. Spider-Man. by lisa_yo

This one is a bit dark. It’s also Avengers: Endgame Compliant and it’s very long. Midtown Tech went on a field trip and 2 days camping trip to Stark Industries where they were attacked. Peter gave up being Spider-Man months ago, but now he had no choice but to help.

Mr. Parker Declined to Comment by apisdn

Somehow Peter ended up being in charge of field trips. This is how it comes to that.

Ned Leed's field trip to Stark Industries by Drake_DiAngelo

A field trip fic from Ned’s point of view.

Open For All by JointExisting *

In which Peter Parker is also secretly Peter Stark, and he had to go through the worst program the State had ever mandated for schools: Open For All. This story is AMAZING. It’s one of the newest field trip fics I read and already has a sequel.

Everyday Superhero by stoneage_woman *

This is also one of the newest fics I read and also already has a sequel. Everyday Superhero focuses on Roger Harrington’s story as Peter’s teacher after finding out about Spider-Man during a field trip to SI. It’s not really a field trip focused trope; it deals with school shootings and its effects, but it’s a REALLY good story. Please exercise caution and read the warnings before reading.

Stark Jr. by SketchyNebula

The title kinda speaks for itself, doesn’t it? Peter is so much like Tony, and people in SI noticed that.

The Home Invasion by Blue_Glass

Peter Stark, more commonly known as Peter Parker, just missed out on the secret Academic Decathlon field trip because he had miscounted his days absent from school. Well at least he gets to stay home for the day right? What happens next is purely coincidence, but really Peter should have expected this to happen.

More than Survive by Groot_Is_God

This is a series with 2 field trip fics inside where Peter is living with Tony and Pepper in the Tower.

Realizations by Khrystyll *

It's been three months since Flash found out, along with the rest of the world, that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Not a field trip to SI, but still a field trip although to another place.

-------------------------------------------------------

And that’s my whole list for now! I still have more in my bookmarks and subscription list in AO3, but these ones are the ones I recommend the most. This ended up being so long, huh? 😅

[pepperonyfic]

endgame filling-in-the-5-years fics

because we didn’t get enough pepperony & morgan moments in endgame! some of these aren’t completely canon-compliant btw.

fyi our endgame fix-it list is here

bedridden by tempestaurora calm by doctornineandthreequarters cat sitting by imgoingtocrash don’t waste your life by thelastavenger first words by jessiestark five years by londongypsy five years with you (series) by friendley getting it back by wolvescomeout93 half the universe, plus one by remreader her by rioriley honorary stark by imgoingtocrash late night at the stark residence by remreader late one night by the_alias / artemis_day light my way by moosh one more, for love by shadaras pepperony (series) by notjustmom pepperony endgame (series) by alexandye redolence by glockcourage she takes his hand by nyxetoile, olivesawl star dust by pawprinter the kids aren’t alright by downeylove the last five years (wip) by tonystarktrash tony stark googled the thing by mybrotherharry where the green grass grows (series) by flyingorfalling

[ted-curtis-art]

PSA to the Romanogers Community (SPOILERS)

DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ENDGAME OR DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED ABOUT THE ENDING. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.

So, we didn’t get the ending we wanted. Romanogers will not be canon, Steve will stay in the past with Peggy, and Natasha is now dead, sacrificing herself to get the soul stone. The worst scenario possible for us fans of the Soldier and the Spy, right? WRONG.

Sure, it didn’t end up as definitively canon, but we have never, EVER needed the direct blessing of canon to let this ship sail. This changes nothing, not to us. We will still create art, still write fanfics, still celebrate what could have been, just as usual. We have to accept that, as much as our desires were somewhat catered to, we were in the minority. The ending we got is what most people would have wanted, and that’s fine. We can accept that, and move on and as a community and as fans. 

We simply bet on the wrong horse and lost, but that does not mean we were wrong. We were never wrong in seeing the potential of these two, never wrong to want more from them. Canon doesn’t diminish the passion we have for these characters, and at the same time, our specific, admittedly unpopular scenario not happening doesn’t diminish the effort of the Russo brothers, Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus, Kevin Feige and - most importantly - Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson for their efforts in making these films.

Natasha went out as a hero, sacrificing herself to save the universe. She was most heroic of them all, an honour that she fought for her entire life at SHIELD, a cause that was strengthened by her time spent with Steve. Steve mourned for her. That tear may not seem a lot but think about it. We have rarely, RARELY seen Steve cry. The last time I could think of was Peggy’s funeral. Natasha was just as important to him as Peggy was, THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE. All he could, whilst the others were arguing, standing up and throwing chairs, was crumple into a seat and cry. Utterly defeated. These choices were deliberate, the people behind this film knew how important Nat was to Steve.  They KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

Think about it this way, perhaps - just maybe - the screenwriters knew that if Natasha were still around, Steve would have stayed in the present. Natasha, his rock in the modern world, was gone. That’s why Steve was so ready to go back and be with Peggy, the other most important woman in his life because there was little left in the present for him to live for.  Of course, he would want to have a little bit of happiness with the life he missed out on. And I’m sure that Natasha would have wanted that too, for him to finally find a place where he could just be, a place to call home, even if she can’t have that with him. That was the sacrifice she made in the end, and she did it for him. Just as he said he trusted her to do. She gave him more than anyone else ever could, SHE GAVE HIM HIS LIFE BACK. If that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is.  Besides, we can always have our satisfaction that Steggy’s happy ending will always be reliant on Natasha, and by extension Romanogers. Yeah, if it weren’t for those two bringing out the best in each other, helping each other, staying by each other’s sides until the very end, then every post-Endgame Steggy fic will have that little undercurrent of Romanogers to thank. And I think that’s delightfully satisfying.

Besides, do you know how easy it would be for us to change this? The fanfiction writes itself. Who says we can't write a scene where Steve wakes up in the middle of the night and just breaks down in Peggy’s arms, his grief for his fallen lover finally catching up to him? Or how about a fix-it where Steve rejects the past and brings her back (we know the soul stone can be bargained with, Gamora came back, so why not her)? Or how about a fic where Thanos kills Steve in battle, only to have him and Nat reunite in the soul stone, together for the rest of time, in peace? The possibilities are endless, so get writing, get drawing, get animating, get editing. We are far from done with these two, nay, we are only just beginning. The story is over, yes, but that means we can construct our AUs from start to finish, our new timelines will be more complete than ever.

And don’t let anyone tell you that we can’t divulge in our pairing, after all, it’s fiction, in the same capacity as the MCU itself, the same as the comics. It’s just as valid to diverge from canon as it is to follow IF YOU’RE HAVING FUN WHILST DOING IT. So please, no shipping wars, no blasting the people responsible on twitter, no boycotting the MCU. Let’s enjoy what was, and what can be. Let us sail the good ship Romanogers to greater horizons, the best non-canon MCU pairing ever made. A pairing so close to canon, it should have been ENDGAME.

Oh, yeah, and - besides my disappointment that that ONE aspect of the film - this movie KICK ASS AND EVERYONE SHOULD SEE IT, MY GOD IT IS AWESOME!

EDIT: BTW I’m writing a post-Endgame, canon-compliant Romanogers fic where Steve and Nat end up happily married and live out their lives in peace. How could they possibly end up together after Endgame, you ask? Impossible, surely? You’ll have to read and see. I’ll post a link when it’s up. Treat it as a free therapy session.

EDIT 2: @romanogersnowbarry94 especially wanted to be notified when I started posting my fix-it story (mentioned above), so here it is: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18603754/chapters/44106034

It’s still in progress but updates are quick. Welcome to therapy.

[hjbender]

Ask re: Thor in Endgame

This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.

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KitCat Italica said:

What did you think of how they handled Thor in Endgame? I saw the film this afternoon and I have mixed feelings about it 😞 (This is KitCat Italica btw, I have no Tumblr but I've been following yours because I like having good things in my life ^.^) 

Ah, thank you, Kit! Hopefully there will be more of those “good things” on my blog once I stop angsting about what I saw in Endgame and start working on all these non-canon-compliant AUs. 

I too have mixed feelings about Thor’s part in Endgame. I felt really disappointed that some characters (Cap, Clint, Scott) were able to get their happy ending while others (Tony, Nat, Thor) did not. Was it unrealistic of me to expect a happy ending for all? Even bittersweet ones? Maybe. But I think of all the Avengers, Thor deserved a better ending than what he got (based on how much he had lost beforehand--which was everything, even his pride, honor, and self-worth).

I just don’t see him running away from his duties to his people, pawning those responsibilities off onto Valkyrie so he can hop on a spaceship, ditch the home he’s spent five years rebuilding, and cruise around the universe with a guy who can barely tolerate him and a crew he only vaguely knows. It just seems very... un-Thor to me. (Perhaps my mind will change in time, but this is my first reaction.)

Now, Thor did a similar thing at the end of The Dark World, but he at least had a purpose and a mission then. In Endgame, he’s just relegating himself to the position of space garbage. He’s no better off than he was at the beginning of the film, especially for all of his development (which mostly hinged on him realizing that he is “still worthy”). You would think he’d be filled with drive and purpose now. But he’s not. He’s just... going off into space. Farewell, Val. Have fun running Asgard. 

I was really disappointed.

My partner asked me, “How would you have written Thor’s arc?”

I had to think for a minute.

“He would have been the same in the beginning,” I said. Depressed, grief-stricken. Drinking too much. Unshaven, unkempt. He is not a king, there is no New Asgard. Simply a village where his people have found new lives for themselves. Hard lives of toil and sadness, but at least they’re living. Which is better than most of his people’s fate. (One half killed in Ragnarok, half of that number killed by Thanos’s attack on the Statesman, and half of that number decimated by the Snap.) He thinks himself a failure, unworthy. Perhaps he’s working on a fishing boat, throwing himself mindlessly into manual labor to keep his thoughts away from the past and all that he’s lost. Losing himself in the sea instead.

Then he’s approached by the Avengers, told there is a chance to go back in time and fix things. He declines. They persist. (Like the black ops coming to the bitter old retired soldier with one last mission because he’s the best they’ve got and they can’t do it without him.) Thor loses patience. The sky darkens, thunder growls. His eyes glow. People run for cover. But the Avengers appeal to the one shred of hope that still lingers in his heart, and at last they succeed in convincing him.

After all...

So Thor, still consumed with rage and grief and battling his alcohol addiction, finds himself among his old friends again and is slowly infected by the same desperate hope that they all share. They are brought closer together because of it, united in these harrowing times, made stronger by their determination. They become better comrades now than they ever were before as the Avengers because they share the same sorrow and loss, all of them, and burn with the desire to make things right. Now they are something new, an entity fueled by love and madness and hope. Their reassurances help to ease the burden of his heavy heart. He has a mission again. A purpose. Perhaps he will not fail. Perhaps this time he will do one last worthy thing, and then himself be worthy again.

He teams up with Rocket and journeys into the quantum realm with his mission, and suffers continuous panic attacks the whole time. But finally he is met by his mother, who sees her beloved son for who he is: a broken shadow from the future, consumed with anger and grief and self-hatred. She strokes his scarred cheek and stares into his mismatched eyes and speaks the words to him that he needs to hear. You are worthy. You still have purpose. I love you, my son. You are enough.

These words (among others) are a turning point. Thor calls Mjolnir to him and is further reinforced that he is worthy, and he goes forward with hammer and axe to help his friends defeat Thanos.

Afterward, he returns to New Asgard with a set of goals. Small plans to move forward. He’s going to start over. Do things right this time. Try to better himself. Stop the drinking, stop isolating himself. Face the reality he’s been hiding from for the last five years. He still has his people. (They smile as they see him return, and Thor finds himself smiling back.) He and Valkyrie work together to rebuild their lives, and the tales of their journey are woven into the tapestries of time. 

There is a place where the gods still live. Where the survivors of Ragnarok dwell alongside mortal men, and protect the realm that is now their home. And if the God of Thunder is ever called upon by the people of Midgard, he is always ready to answer.

[thecloserkin]

fic rec: if wishes were horses, we would rule the world by epicureanEmpath

fandom: Marvel

pairing: Pietro Maximoff/Wanda Maximoff

word count: 35k

Is it canon: Yes

Is it explicit: No

Is it endgame: Yes

Is it shippable: Yes

This fic was written in 2013 (Avengers: Age of Ultron saw theatrical release in 2015) and thus is not MCU canon-compliant. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff are mutants. “They have superpowers” is the one detail that all the comics and movies agree on, and usually those innate talents are enhanced by torture/experimentation. The premise of this story is that they were not born mutants—or rather, that Wanda was born with the power to alter reality through “wishes” and in a moment of weakness she grants Pietro’s entreaty to “make me faster than anyone else.” I wish he was like me, she thinks, and to her sorrow she dooms them both to the inevitable fate of mutants in this fallen world. Unleashing a wish, you see, is kind of like firing a revolver. The recoil from her wish lands Pietro in the hospital and the twins, eventually, in Herr Doktor’s laboratory as experimental subjects/victims.

What this fic does superbly is depict powerlessness as the defining quality of childhood:

In that moment Wanda saw that nothing she could say would convince Mother of the truth.

And make no mistake, they are children, they spend 5x more time thinking about ice cream than sex, and the cruelest thing Herr Doktor does is take away five years of their childhood. FIVE YEARS. That’s like, a third of their lives. It’s cruel that at first their parents disbelieve their claims re: superpowers; then when the twins are fucking kidnapped by Nazis and locked up as human lab rats, their parents don’t even coming looking for them—Mother and Father have swallowed the lie that Pietro and Wanda ran off. Adopted children do, sometimes. Man do you guys remember what it’s like to be a kid? Like a really small kid and you’re playing with a toy and someone comes along and makes you stop doing what you were doing and force you to, idk, eat broccoli instead? There is a convincing case to be made that this is why so many children are “picky eaters,” btw—because food is the one arena where they can exert some modicum of control over their lives. Sorry my point was that children are generally in a pretty powerless position, and that’s why Wanda’s newfound abilities are so gamechanging when they first manifest. Later, Wanda blames those same abilities for her captivity:

She hated her power most of all. Without it they would have gone on being Wanda and Pietro. Cookie dough ice cream whenever they could pinch it. Summers spent languid by the pool or buried hip deep in literature (for Pietro) and poetry (for Wanda)….Now Wanda barely remembered what a book smelled like. She couldn't recall the feel of the breeze, or a shirt's cotton caress on her skin. Only those few brief visits with Pietro had kept her anchored to herself. When she lost all hope and sought death in her soul, she could remember the brush of his hand in her hair and keep going, just for another minute, another hour, another day.

90% of the soul-crushing toll of her captivity lies in her separation from Pietro. At one point Herr Doctor promises her an hour alone with Pietro if she passes a test. A whole hour, she thinks—unheard of. But it’s all part of the test:

Herr Doktor had given no guidelines, laid down no rules. He never did. Wanda might perform perfectly throughout the meeting and still be denied that hour. All depended on the whim of Herr Doktor.

This is actually a tried-and-true strategy employed by those in authority against subjugated populations everywhere: keep ‘em guessing; set no firm rules that might be challenged or appealed; make them hang on your every whim, make them study your moods and concentrate all their energies on anticipating your displeasure.

“How did you say you keep control again? Suppressants?” “I have her brother too,” Herr Doktor said. He tipped Wanda's chin up with almost paternal care. “They are so fond of one another.”

The slimiest word in that sentence is paternal tbh. He feels paternal towards the twins, he’s just a benevolent parental figure hahaha NO. Ok so one day Pietro kisses Wanda during one of their brief visitations:

“Tomorrow,” Herr Doktor said, struggling to maintain calm, “he will be castrated. We cannot have you breeding little monsters, can we?” “If you touch him,” Wanda said, “I will wish you dead on the spot. How is the old heart doing, hm?” “My men have orders to shoot him if anything happens to me.” “If they shoot him, I will wish myself dead and be rid of this place – and you – either way.” His Adam's apple bobbed. She had him, for now.

Checkmate. You cannot win a game of chicken against someone who has nothing to lose, and Wanda’s only hostage to fortune is Pietro. If anything ever happens to Pietro all bets are off and Wanda becomes a loose canon.

They effect their escape!!! But the trauma of five years’ captivity is not so easily sloughed off. For one thing, they’re still minors but they can’t go back to their parents. They have no money, no job, nobody to turn to:

she almost wanted the sea to swallow her just so they could stop running. Herr Doktor would never find them at the bottom of the ocean.

Wanda missed colour … Wanda still dreamed in colour. And the colour was red.

This hurts so much. It’s a hard fic to read, not because there’s any graphic depictions of violence, but because the most effective form of torture is mental, and the whole story is limited-POV Wanda and we are really deep in her head and she is fucking petrified even after they break out of Herr Doktor’s lab. Here they are on the run and Wanda’s rediscovering something banal after being treated as subhuman for so long:

In the bottom drawer she found a compartment full of small, round black bundles. She tipped her head to one side and looked at them for a long time, unable to think what they were for. Finally she picked one up and pulled it apart. All at once the word came back to her. She had utterly forgotten about socks.

SOCKS she forgot about socks ohmygod it’s not like a lab rat would get to wear socks. The biggest casualty of their captivity is that Wanda store of trust in humanity is depleted. She feels like the society that allows somebody like Herr Doctor to exist is complicit in her and Pietro’s torture, and she ain’t wrong:

And yet the man below them was innocent. The man with the pickles, the police officers, the father, all of them were innocent in their ignorance. Herr Doktor had deceived them as thoroughly as he had deceived Wanda. How many times had Herr Doktor gone out to the store in those five years? How could the cashier have known, just by looking at those patronly eyes, that here was a madman who kept children bound like slaves in his laboratory?

She trusts Pietro and that’s it. Everybody else can go to hell. Pietro buys her a necklace!!! Well he steals her a necklace (they sneak into Wal-marts right before closing and sleep there at night), a delicate gold chain with a garnet bc Wanda’s all about repping the color RED in this story and I am here for it. There is something about brothers giving their sisters jewelry that hits all my buttons. I think because there is a social norm about men buying jewelry for the important women in their lives, including not just romantic partners but mothers and daughters too, so buying jewelry for your sister is technically unremarkable but it’s all about the context. One of my favorite scenes in Tabitha Suzuma’s Forbidden was when he scraped together the money from tutoring to buy her a surprise Christmas present and it was an engraved bracelet. Giving a woman in your life a really nice piece of jewelry is A Statement, but is it a statement of “I love you platonically” or “I love you and you’re my soulmate”? Am I the only one who is soft for this ambiguity?

ANYWAY Charles and Erik stumble on the twins so they are going to be taken into the bosom of the mutant community and they are going to be just fine.

[ao3feed-stucky]

by thedogfrommakingahome

Words: 115, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of EKMey Cinematic Universe

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Scott Lang, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Morgan Stark, Bruce Banner, Thor (Marvel), Carol Danverse, T’Challa, Peter Parker, Valkerie, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, unfortunatly Thanos, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Clint Barton

Relationships: Avengers Team - Relationship, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Every Female Avenger & Peter Parker

Additional Tags: Fix-It, Feels, Angst and Fluff, Honestly Endgame was one of the worst Marvel movies, so I rewrote Endgame, lord help us, Russo Erasure, Non-cannon compliant, Non-Russo Compliant, Please Don't Hate Me, EKMey’s Cinematic Universe, that me btw

[light-and-darkness-equally-well]

I Saw The Crimes of Grindelwald

And like any movie, there were things I loved.

Baby. Nifflers.

The freaking artistic departments and the COSTUMING were all very beautiful.

I liked Theseus Scamander more than I thought I would - maybe I was getting more realistic older sibling vibes, maybe his human moments just hit me. Idk.

OMG the cast performed so well??? I’d literally just list all their names if I wanted to point out anything specific. If you’ve seen the movie yell about the spoilery things in the comments with me?

SPOILERS BELOW

Okay, Leta was awesome and I had honestly expected her to follow Grindelwald? But they definitely broke expectations with this one. Really pulled a Last Jedi on us in that regard - the person we expect to be tempted to the dark gave her life for the right reasons, and one of our brightest, most hopeful and wholesome characters in the first movie goes dark.

BTW she made me want to cry when she screamed “Walk with me,” ugh. I really hope she doesn’t die still on Grindelwald’s side. The man must be a powerful occlumens to not reveal his actual endgame to a legilimens that just hears people without even trying. I’m glad it wasn’t just “for love”, though that is a driving factor for her - it’s for freedom to express that love, and being caught in a moment of vulnerability in the crowd, and Jacob finally calling her crazy out loud for that decision.

Also, like, can we talk about how her descent into darkness was definitely not unexpected? She enchanted Jacob to keep him compliant! I mean, I get it - but Jacob was the one who loved more in that scenario, because he cared more about her than about them being together. She could have campaigned for the right to marry him at the Ministry - but she went with mind control. There’s a clear difference in what she believed was right and wrong versus others.

IDK I just hope that if she does come to a breaking point it won’t take someone killing Jacob to bring her to the Light again.

Nagini was pretty cool even though she was just kind of along for the ride? I liked her companionship with Credence. Unfortunately we already know how her story ends.

Okay, gonna touch on Johnny Depp - I’m not extremely well read on the irl controversy and really based off of what I know I can’t personally condemn or acquit him just because I don’t have all the info.

But I’m able to separate a person’s actions from their work either way and - he was a goddamn good Grindelwald. Very charismatic and softspoken when he needed to be, cruel in turn to see where loyalties lie, and he knew how to push all the right buttons. The only part that just made me giggle at the absolute wrong moment for a movie to make me want to giggle (with death and destruction on the line, ugh) was the “I hate Paris”. It was too cheeky for me at that moment, idk.

ON TO HOGWARTS

Freaking Jude Law, ugh. He definitely was an amazing Dumbledore. I was all for his performance, and there were definitely images with the Mirror of Erised scene where I just was like wow, you two had such a profound bond. And Grindelwald used “The Greater Good” line, which was a thing between the two of them regarding their positions on this whole new world order thing. He’s enigmatic and friendly, especially in his interactions with Newt and Leta.

(OMG McGonagall was there for a hot second and it was perfection)

Theseus Scamander, my friends. He is SUCH an older brother around Newt. I am an older sister, and can confirm. My heart broke for him when Leta died, omg.

and Flamel was unexpectedly hilarious and simultaneously badass?

Tina was kind of following a trope that I expected of the spurned girlfriend, so meh on the storyline but A+++ with the “salamander” dialogue between her and Newt and the moment when she pulls out the little bell toy.

I don’t have much to say about Newt because he was very typical Newt. It worked well and I was glad he wasn’t the only main player in the movie, but I adored every bit of him.

AND OKAY THE NIFFLER BEING THE ONE TO STEAL THE THING FROM GRINDELWALD OMG

Okay, you’ve guessed that I’ve been holding back on the Credence bit because -

What the actual fuck?

Okay, the very first option is that Grindelwald is a lying liar that set it all up, and that would not be a surprise honestly.

(Gonna still call him Credence for a bit on account of that notion)

But these things tend to be important, these “phoenixes come to Dumbledores” type of things. So I’ll take it as truth for now.

And we have heard nothing about an Aurelius Dumbledore even existing until this point - and we know very little about Ariana and Aberforth. So I suppose it’s plausible that we never heard his name before. Still!

He has been pulled from every side for every reason to use him or destroy him, and that breaks my heart. Look at how freaking powerful he is at the end at Nurmengard (which we know later, of course, will be Grindelwald’s prison) - all he could do. And that of course worries me, because under Grindelwald he could do a ton of damage.

The one good thing Grindelwald does, imo: give Credence a freaking wand. Ezra Miller has been waiting too goddamn long for this moment, probably vibrating in his seat with excitement, let him be a proper wizard.

And how in Merlin’s name did he get where he is? I have a pretty interesting timeline.

Ariana Dumbledore, the youngest Dumbledore until now, was an Obscurial child because of muggle bullies. She died during a fight between Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald (who may have already witnessed her power and had ideas of how to use her? Albus hadn’t enjoyed the burden of caring for, essentially, a disabled sister. Maybe he had been wondering how to take her off his hands, and Aberforth had seen it coming and that’s how that mess occurred.)

Anyway, she died in the fight - no one knows who killed her out of the three. This was 1899.

Credence was born two years later.

Now, he doesn’t necessarily have to be a brother - he could be a cousin - but I’m super inclined to think that if he is indeed Aurelius Dumbledore, that he’s the youngest brother, or at least is symbolized as such if he is a cousin. (Wizards live a lot longer than average humans, so it’s totally plausible to have siblings that far apart I think) It would be a different mother, because Kendra Dumbledore (Albus’s mother) died some time the same year before Ariana did.

And Albus, upon finding out about Credence and perhaps guilty about his own treatment of Ariana, thinks I am not fit to care for a child keep away and offers to send Aurelius and his mother to America. Thus we have Credence.

NOW this is assuming we don’t get an entire retcon of the Dumbledore history. If we do that, then my mini-headcanon is a bit more disturbing.

We know very, very little about Ariana Dumbledore. We didn’t know she existed until the seventh book. Same for Aberforth. We learn a lot about Dumbledore all at once from some unreliable sources (Skeeter etc) through Harry, who finds certain information more important than other info.

I looked up the timelines earlier, so the first theory fits better with canon. If we throw timelines and whether Kendra Dumbledore died at a certain point out - if we assume that the little tidbits might be wrong -

What if Ariana wasn’t hidden away in the house? What if she was born later? What if she and her mother moved to America when it became clear that Albus wouldn’t support them?

And this is sort of fanfictiony, and very weird, but what if -

Aurelius was Ariana? I mean, Obscurials. Dumbledores. What if Dumbledore didn’t love his sister enough to keep her close, and supposedly lost her to a storm at sea?

What if, in a bout of childhood accidental magic, Credence changed their own body, uncomfortable as a little girl?

(This leads Mary Lou Barebone to scream about witchcraft for the rest of her days, but she still takes care of the cursed little boy. She feeds him, houses him, hopes his sins will be forgiven, punishes him because he’s a little curse on her too, and Lord if it happened to her-)

So Albus believes Ariana to be dead, but if he can save this Obscurial boy, just maybe -

Yeah. Okay. So. Tangent over, fanfiction to be written, this movie was great and weird and confusing and cool. Ta-da.