#Thor just has nothing he just does whatever is expected

[amethystarachnid]

no bc why would a loki friends to lovers be so good?? 😭 ✋✋✋

can i request loki trope best friends to lovers with female avenger!reader from love is in the air? i have a whole plot and i am so sorry in advance so here we go:

reader is lokis best friend and they became friends bc she was the only avenger who was nice to him when he first came to the compound and they got really close. he still gets bad nightmares and when he does, he goes to readers room and she just accepts him and holds him while he cries until the nightmares are over!! (she’s so book boyfriend coded i literally can’t) and then this happens a lot but is only mentioned like a few times in the story (i really hope you understand this im so sorry my thoughts are literally all over the place) and then one night he goes to her room again bc of another nightmare and she comforts him and they fall asleep and he doesn’t have any nightmares while sleeping and then in the morning when they wake up (tangled in each others limbs) he goes ‘i love you’ and she smiles and goes i know and then he goes like ‘no, i LOVE you’ and she smiles more and whispers ‘i know’ and then kisses him!!!

thank you for making this new game and always specifying the as much detail as we want part i love u and ur writing soso much and you are so amazing and im so sorry for making you read this super long request

— anon 🌷

NIGHTMARES

⤷ LOKY LAUFEYSON

ᯓ★ Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x fem!reader

ᯓ★ Genre: romance, some angst and some fluff

ᯓ★ Story type: one shot

ᯓ★ Word count: 4.3k

ᯓ★ Summary: just what the ask said

ᯓ★ TW(s): nothing I think, just some angst

ᯓ★ Love is in the air - Valentine's Day special game

ᯓ★ My Masterlist

ᯓ★ MARVEL Holiday Special

ᯓ★ MARVEL Multiverse - choose an AU, pair it with your favorite character and make a request!

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo

ᯓ★ English isn’t my first language

Loki has no choice but to be here.

It is a punishment, though not the kind he expected. No dungeons, no chains—just the ever-present weight of Midgardian hospitality, which is its own sort of prison. After Asgard’s fall and the madness that followed, Thor petitioned to bring Loki to the Avengers Compound rather than leave him to whatever grim fate awaited him elsewhere. It was a mercy, Thor claimed. Loki knew better. It was just another way to keep him under watch, to keep him leashed. So he plays along, lets them believe he is something tame and manageable, even if the mere presence of this place makes his skin crawl.

The others do not trust him. That much is expected. Even if Loki had miraculously decided to change his ways, there is too much blood between them all. Stark especially watches him like a vulture, always ready with some barbed comment, some clever little jab to remind Loki that he is not welcome. Rogers is quieter about his disdain, ever the noble soldier, but he does not mask it well. Romanoff does not bother with pretense—she does not speak to him at all. Barton is much the same, still nursing whatever wounds Loki left behind in New York. Maximoff has her own reasons to hate him. Strange treats him as one might treat an unpredictable wild animal, barely interested beyond the occasional veiled threat.

Thor is the only one who does not look at Loki like an enemy, though his efforts to bridge the gap between them are clumsy at best. Loki does not want his brother’s pity. He does not want to be here at all.

And yet, somehow, against all odds, you happen.

You are the only one who speaks to Loki without venom in your voice, the only one who does not look at him like a problem that needs solving. From the very beginning, you offer him kindness. Not the strained, obligatory sort Thor extends, nor the artificial niceties of someone waiting for him to slip up. You are simply… kind. It baffles him. It frustrates him. It keeps him awake at night, replaying your words and gestures in his mind, trying to decipher your angle.

He tests you at first. He is cruel, the way he has always been, sharp-tongued and dismissive. He tries to chase you away, because he cannot fathom why you would want to be close to him. But you stay. You take his barbs with an infuriating sort of patience, countering his wit with your own, refusing to let him push you into the shadows. And slowly, against his better judgment, he stops trying to push at all.

Loki does not know when exactly things change. One moment, you are just another foolish Midgardian trying to play nice with the villain, and the next, you are something else entirely. A constant. A presence that lingers in his mind even when you are not there. He finds himself seeking you out, watching for you when he enters a room. He makes excuses to be where you are, though he is certain you see through them all.

You are different from the others. Perhaps that is why he lets you in. Perhaps that is why, when you tease him, he does not feel the usual bite of mockery. When you speak to him, he listens. When you laugh, he does not wish for silence.

It is strange, this… whatever this is between you. He does not know what to call it.

There is a night, early on, when he realizes how much he enjoys your presence. The others are away on some mission, leaving the compound oddly silent. You do not know he is there when you slip into the common room, curled up in the corner with a book, lost in the pages. Loki watches you for longer than he should before making himself known. You do not startle when he speaks, do not tense like the others do when they notice him lurking. You simply glance up, meet his gaze, and smile.

It is a small thing. A meaningless thing. And yet, Loki feels it somewhere deep in his chest, in a place he thought long since turned to stone.

From then on, things are… different. You and Loki fall into an easy rhythm, one that does not require explanation. You are his friend, though he still struggles with the weight of that word. It is unfamiliar on his tongue, but there is no other way to describe what you are to him. You speak to him as though he is not a monster. You listen when he speaks, even when his words turn bitter. You do not pity him, nor do you fear him. It is a delicate balance, and yet, you hold it effortlessly.

The others notice, of course. Stark makes his comments, forever incredulous that you would willingly spend your time with Loki. The others exchange looks when they see you together, silently wondering what exactly has formed between you. Even Thor is perplexed by it, though he does not question it aloud.

Loki does not care what they think.

For the first time in what feels like centuries, he is not entirely alone.

---

The first time it happens, Loki does not intend for it to happen at all.

It is late—long past the hour when even the restless find sleep. The compound is silent, steeped in the kind of darkness that makes everything feel heavier, more oppressive. He should be resting. He knows this. And yet, as he lies in the too-soft Midgardian bed, the sheets tangled around his restless limbs, Loki cannot shake the remnants of his nightmare.

It is not the first time he has suffered such things. They have plagued him for years, twisting his thoughts into cruel shapes, dragging him into memories he cannot escape. Usually, he endures them alone, swallowing down the horror, letting it fester in silence. But tonight is different. Tonight, the weight of it is unbearable.

He sits up, dragging a hand down his face, breath still unsteady. The dream clings to him like a second skin. He can feel it—thick, choking, inescapable. His own screams still echo in his mind, a cruel reminder of how easily he unravels when left alone with his thoughts.

He needs to breathe.

Loki forces himself out of bed, out of his room, into the dimly lit hall. He does not know where he is going at first. He does not think at all. His body moves on instinct, his feet carrying him forward before his mind catches up.

And then he is standing in front of your door.

The realization strikes him like a blow. He should not be here. He has no reason to be here. And yet, something in him will not allow him to turn away.

He hesitates, jaw tight, fingers curling into fists. He should leave. The last thing he wants is for you to see him like this—weak, vulnerable, broken. You have only ever known the pieces of him that he allows you to see, the sharp wit, the clever smirk, the mask that keeps the world at bay. This… this is something else entirely.

And yet, before he can stop himself, he lifts his hand and knocks.

It is soft, barely audible, but in the silence of the compound, it may as well be a thunderclap. His heart pounds against his ribs, and he almost turns to flee before the sound of movement reaches his ears.

A moment later, the door opens.

You stand before him, bleary-eyed and wrapped in a blanket, confusion written across your features.

"Loki?" Your voice is thick with sleep, but there is no irritation in it, no impatience. Just quiet concern.

He does not know what to say. He does not even know why he is here, why he has come to you instead of locking himself away like he always does. The words catch in his throat, his pride warring with his need for something—anything—to ground him.

But you look at him, really look at him, and something in your expression shifts.

You step aside without a word, leaving the doorway open in silent invitation.

For a long moment, Loki simply stands there, waging a battle within himself. He should not do this. He should not need this.

But the alternative is far worse.

So, with slow, reluctant steps, he moves inside.

You close the door behind him, and the quiet settles between you, not awkward, but heavy with something unspoken. You do not ask why he is here. You do not press him for an explanation. Instead, you gesture toward your bed, a silent offer, as if you have already decided what he needs before he can admit it himself.

He swallows, shame burning in his chest, but he cannot bring himself to refuse.

Without a word, he lowers himself onto the edge of the bed. His hands tremble slightly as he presses them against his knees, his entire body taut with tension. He feels exposed, raw in a way that terrifies him.

And then you sit beside him, so close he can feel your warmth.

Still, you do not push. You wait.

It is this—your patience, your quiet understanding—that breaks something in him.

He exhales sharply, his composure fracturing at the edges. His shoulders shake before he can stop them, and then, before he even knows what is happening, his hands are gripping the fabric of his own sleeves so tightly that his knuckles turn white.

You move before he can react, before he can even think to stop you. Your arms come around him, careful but certain, pulling him into your embrace.

Loki stiffens at first, instinct screaming at him to pull away. He is not used to this—to being held. He does not know how to accept comfort, how to take something so freely given.

But you do not let go. You do not waver. You simply hold him, warm and steady, as if this is the most natural thing in the world.

And Loki breaks.

A shuddering breath escapes him, and then another. His body sags against yours before he can stop it, his forehead pressing into your shoulder, his fingers clutching at the fabric of your shirt like a lifeline. The dam bursts, and before he can stop it, he is trembling, shaking, silent sobs wracking his frame.

You say nothing. You do not tell him it is okay, do not offer empty reassurances. You simply hold him through it, your hands moving gently along his back, your touch grounding him in a way that nothing else ever has.

Time loses meaning. He does not know how long he stays like this, pressed against you, his breath uneven, his body betraying him. But you never pull away. You never make him feel as if he is too much.

When the storm finally begins to pass, when his breathing evens and the tremors fade, he feels exhaustion settle deep in his bones. He should move. He should leave before he humiliates himself further.

But then you shift, adjusting your grip so that you are holding him more fully, your chin resting gently atop his head.

"Stay," you murmur, the word barely above a whisper.

He does not fight it.

For the first time in his life, Loki allows himself to be held.

That night, he sleeps.

And then, somehow, it becomes normal.

It does not happen every night, but often enough that neither of you question it anymore. When the nightmares come, when the weight of his past becomes unbearable, Loki finds himself at your door.

And every time, without fail, you let him in.

The shame he once felt begins to fade, replaced by something he does not have the words for. You do not judge him for his weakness. You do not make him feel like a burden. You simply accept him, in all his fractured, broken pieces, without hesitation.

It is terrifying.

It is the most comfort he has ever known.

And Loki does not know what to do with that.

---

Loki does not know when it begins. Perhaps it has always been there, buried beneath layers of denial and self-preservation, something too delicate to acknowledge, too dangerous to name. But slowly, steadily, it grows.

He notices it in the quiet moments, in the spaces between words.

It is in the way he seeks you out without realizing it, the way his day does not feel quite right until he has spoken to you. It is in the way his chest tightens when you laugh, in the way his mind lingers on your voice long after you have left the room.

It is in the nights spent wrapped in your arms, when the nightmares become too much.

At first, those nights were a necessity, a last resort when his own mind betrayed him. But now, they are something else entirely. The shame that once clung to him has faded, replaced by something far more dangerous. He no longer fights the pull toward you—he welcomes it. He does not know when it became so natural to find solace in your presence, to lean into your warmth without hesitation.

But it is not just about the nightmares anymore.

It is the way he lingers when he does not need to. The way his fingers brush against yours in passing, the way he memorizes every shift in your expression, the way your touch lingers on his skin long after you have pulled away. It is the way his heart pounds in his chest at the smallest of gestures, the way your absence leaves an ache that he cannot name.

And then, one night, it happens.

It is late, but Loki is not in his room. He is in yours, as he has been countless times before. The routine is familiar—he wakes from a nightmare, the echoes of it still clinging to his skin, and without thinking, his feet carry him to you.

You let him in, as you always do.

Tonight, the weight of it is heavier than usual. The nightmare lingers in his mind, curling around his thoughts like smoke. He does not speak of it, and you do not ask. You simply pull him into your arms, letting him bury himself against you, his breath uneven against your collarbone.

For a long time, neither of you move. The silence is comforting, your fingers tracing gentle patterns along his back, grounding him.

And then, in the stillness, something shifts.

You sigh softly, a sleepy, content sound, your arms tightening around him just slightly before relaxing again. It is the simplest thing—an unconscious movement, a meaningless moment.

But it unravels him.

The realization hits Loki with the force of a thousand suns. It is sudden and absolute, as if it has been waiting for this exact moment to make itself known.

He loves you.

It is not friendship, not even close. It never has been.

His love for you is deep and consuming, something that lives in his very bones. It is in the way he looks at you when you are not watching, the way your presence soothes him in a way nothing else ever has. It is in the way he would burn the world to the ground if it meant keeping you safe.

The realization is terrifying.

Loki does not move. He does not breathe. He simply lies there, pressed against you, as the weight of it crushes him.

This should not have happened. He should not have allowed it.

Love is a weakness. It is a thing to be used, to be twisted and turned against him. He has seen it happen too many times before. He has felt the sting of rejection, the sharp bite of betrayal. He knows better than to hope.

And yet, it is too late.

Loki swallows hard, willing the ache in his chest to subside. He cannot tell you. He will not. You are his closest friend, the only person who has ever truly seen him, the only one who has never turned him away. If he speaks this truth aloud, he risks losing that.

And that is something he cannot bear.

So he does what he has always done—he buries it.

He forces himself to breathe, forces himself to relax against you, as if nothing has changed. Because for you, nothing has.

You do not know. You cannot know.

And Loki will make sure it stays that way.

From that night on, everything feels different.

He pretends it does not. He is careful, measured. He acts as he always has, keeps his words and actions the same. He does not allow himself to linger too long, does not let his touch betray him.

But inside, he is unraveling.

It is a constant war, a battle he fights every second he is near you. He is hyperaware of every glance, every touch, every breath. He cannot stop looking at your lips when you speak, cannot ignore the way his heart clenches when you smile.

And the worst part? You do not even notice.

You treat him the same as always, utterly unaware of the storm raging inside him. You laugh with him, tease him, pull him into your arms on those quiet nights, completely oblivious to the fact that every moment is torture.

Because he wants.

Gods, how he wants.

There are nights when he stands outside your door, debating whether or not he should knock. Not because of the nightmares—those still come, but they are no longer the only reason he seeks you out. He knocks because he aches for your presence, because the thought of being alone feels unbearable.

And every time, without fail, you let him in.

You do not question it. You do not ask why. You simply welcome him as if he belongs there, as if it is the most natural thing in the world.

And maybe, to you, it is.

But for Loki, it is agony.

Because he cannot have you.

Not the way he wants.

And so, he suffers in silence.

He lets himself be near you, lets himself feel your warmth, your touch, your kindness. But he never says a word. He keeps it locked inside, where it cannot hurt either of you.

Because if you do not know, then you cannot leave.

And for Loki, that is the only thing that matters.

---

It happens again.

Another nightmare. Another night where the ghosts of his past pull him under, drowning him in horrors he cannot escape.

Loki wakes with a sharp inhale, his breath coming too fast, his chest tight with panic. The darkness of his room feels suffocating, the walls too close, the air too thin. His hands tremble as he presses them against the mattress, trying to ground himself, trying to remind himself that he is here, not there.

Not falling. Not failing. Not alone.

The thought comes unbidden, as it always does.

Because he is not alone.

Without thinking, without hesitating, his body moves on instinct, slipping out of bed and into the hallway. His bare feet make no sound against the floor, the compound silent in the deep hours of the night. He does not question where he is going. He does not stop to consider if he should.

Because he already knows the answer.

Your door is slightly ajar, just as it always is. You never lock it. You never turn him away.

Loki hesitates for only a moment before pushing it open.

The room is bathed in darkness, the faint glow of the city outside casting soft shadows along the walls. You are curled beneath the blankets, your breathing slow and steady, lost in sleep.

He should leave. He should not do this.

But the remnants of his nightmare still cling to him, cold and suffocating, and he cannot bear the thought of returning to his room, to the silence, to the weight of his own thoughts.

So he steps inside.

The floor creaks beneath his weight, but you do not startle. You stir slightly, shifting against the pillows, but you do not wake.

And yet, as he stands there, lingering in the doorway, you sigh softly, murmuring his name in the dark. Not with fear, not with surprise—just quiet understanding, as if you expected him to be there all along.

Something in his chest tightens.

He does not speak, does not explain. He simply moves toward the bed, and when he hesitates, you lift the blanket in silent invitation.

He exhales, slow and shaky, before slipping beneath the covers beside you.

The warmth of you envelops him immediately, soft and steady, grounding him in a way that nothing else ever has.

He presses closer without thinking, without meaning to, his forehead brushing against your shoulder, his hands curled near his chest.

And then, as if sensing the last of his hesitation, you shift just enough to pull him fully against you, wrapping your arms around him in a way that makes everything inside him unravel.

Loki breathes.

The tension eases from his body, the nightmare fading into nothing, the ghosts retreating into the shadows where they belong.

You hold him, just as you always do, your fingers tracing lazy, soothing patterns along his back. He feels your breath against his temple, soft and even, and for the first time in a long time, he lets himself relax.

His eyes grow heavy, his body warm, and then—

Sleep finds him.

And for the first time in years, there are no nightmares.

The morning sun filters through the curtains, golden and soft, chasing away the last remnants of night.

Loki stirs slowly, caught in that hazy space between sleep and wakefulness, his mind still wrapped in warmth, in comfort, in you.

There is something different this time. Usually, when morning comes, he is awake before you, careful to slip away before you can stir, before you can see him in the vulnerable light of day.

But this morning, he does not move.

He is tangled in your limbs, his head resting against your chest, your arms still wrapped around him.

He does not want to move.

Your scent surrounds him, your warmth pressing against every inch of him, and for once, he allows himself to savor it.

His eyes flutter open just enough to catch the golden light spilling across the bed, the way your hair glows in the morning sun. You are still asleep, your breath slow and steady, your heartbeat a gentle rhythm beneath his ear.

And he is safe.

The thought settles in his chest, warm and unfamiliar, something he has never allowed himself to believe before.

And before he can stop himself, before his mind fully catches up with his body, the words slip out, slow and sleepy and utterly unguarded.

"I love you."

The words are barely above a whisper, a sigh against your skin, but you hear them.

Because you smile.

Loki does not see it at first, but he feels it—the shift in your body, the way your arms tighten around him just slightly, the way your breath catches for half a second before settling again.

And then, still drowsy, still wrapped in the warmth of morning, you murmur, "I know."

Loki freezes.

His breath catches in his throat, his body going rigid against you as his mind finally catches up with his words.

What has he done?

Panic rises in his chest, sharp and sudden. He had not meant to say it, had not meant to ruin this. He was supposed to keep it buried, to let it fester in silence where it could not hurt either of you.

But it is too late.

You know.

And then, just as he is about to pull away, just as the weight of his own foolishness threatens to crush him, you shift beneath him, tilting your head just slightly, pressing your lips to the top of his head in a touch so soft it makes him ache.

And then—

"I know," you whisper again, and this time, your voice is different.

He swallows hard, eyes squeezing shut, his fingers curling into the fabric of your shirt.

"No," he breathes, barely audible, as if saying it again will somehow change the meaning, make you understand the weight of it.

But you do.

You have always understood him better than anyone.

"I love you," he says again, more certain this time, more him, his voice rough from sleep and tangled in something too big to contain.

He feels you smile against his hair.

And then, gently, finally, you whisper, "I know."

And then you kiss him.

Loki stills, every thought in his mind vanishing into nothing as your lips press against his.

It is soft and slow, something delicate, something precious.

It is not hurried or desperate. It is intentional. Certain.

Your fingers brush against his jaw, tilting his face up to yours, deepening the kiss just enough to steal the breath from his lungs.

And Loki—Loki, who has spent his entire life running from things he cannot bear to lose—lets himself fall.

When you finally pull away, your forehead resting against his, Loki does not move. He cannot. His heart is still catching up with what just happened, his mind still drowning in the warmth of you.

You smile, pressing one last kiss to the corner of his mouth before murmuring, "Took you long enough."

A breath of laughter escapes him, something he did not expect, something light and unguarded.

He presses his face back into the crook of your neck, exhaling slowly as the last of his fear dissolves into nothing.

"You are insufferable," he mumbles, but there is no heat behind the words, no bite.

Only love.

And this time, he does not try to hide it.

[ashdreams2023]

Hi, I love your posts a lot and i was wondering if i could make a request. I checked your master list just incase someone asked it already and i didn’t see it.

Could you do a loki x reader, where loki is nervous to reveal that he is a frost giant to the reader and when he does reveal it the reader finds him like cute and pretty. Just lots of fluff and cuteness :)

(You can do a gn or fem reader i don’t really mind).

Have a good day/night! :)

My good looking boy

Loki x fem reader

Loki walks back and forth in his bedroom, he has been thinking about this sensitive for ages now.

He looked down at his blue frosted hands, his veins looked so pale and greenish, disgusting in his own eye.

You wouldn’t want to look at this everyday, right?

But he couldn’t hide this forever and he promise to share every detail about himself with you, regardless of how mad and twisted it may come off as.

You deserved to know and whatever happened afterwards…well he didn’t want to think of anymore outcomes because all of them ended the same in his head.

Alone.

"Loki? Am I early? I saw the door open and let myself in" you walked in and phased at the darkness of the room "Why are the lights off?"

Loki swallowed and leaned his back on the wall "Darling before you turn the light on I want you to know something"

You tilted your head confused "Is something wrong? You sound stressed about something"

"No i…actually there has been a secret that I feel you should know before we go any further in our relationship, it is a sensitive topic that no one here knows about but Thor"

"Oh my god are you sick?! What’s happening" you walked towards his figure who’s standing in the dark but he lifted his hand up stopping you from getting closer.

"No, listen to me you need to understand how important this is to me"

"Ok…tell me then"

"I am, Loki oddinson but I am also Loki laufeyson and with that comes a great burden, and I don’t to cheat my way to your heart, I want you to see the other side of me, my ugliest secret"

You blinked as the lights turned on and your eyes landed on him, his skin blue as the sky, his eyes red as Ruby’s and you could see the Smokey cold air surrounding the area he stood.

"I know it looks and I know you deserve much more better than this but I just couldn’t hide this from you anymore and you have all the right to leave me if you wish" he let out a breath and waited for your response, he expected the worst of the worst.

"Does it hurt you? I mean not being in your natural form all the time?"

Loki opened his mouth then closed it "No, not really, the only downfall is getting bothered by the sun easily"

"That’s it?"

"Yes?"

You sighed then approached him slowly, you looked up at his face, his features looked different but not unfamiliar, he was still your Loki, your same old god of mischief.

"Will I get hurt if I touch you?"

"You’ll probably get frost bites dove"

That didn’t seem to stop you from hugging his middle though, he was cold but nothing you couldn’t handle "I don’t care what form you have, I’ve seen you literally turn into ancient creatures, you think I’ll be phased by blue skin and red eyes? Don’t be ridiculous now! I would never leave you!"

"But…but I’m ugly"

You pulled away and crossed your arms "You’re still my hood looking boy, whatever you look like because at the end of the day I love you more than you could ever imagine and I’m happy you’re telling such an important detail about your life, it’s your heritage and not something to feel ashamed about"

Your words stuck him like an arrow in his heart, he felt choked but held himself together "Are you sure, you still want to stay with me"

"One hundred million percent, I don’t care if you look like a lollipop because jokes on you my standards now are YOU"

"….don’t let stark hear you he will be disappointed" he snorted.

You smiled shaking your head "you so nervous, honey you can trust I’ll love you regardless and no matter what, I promise so stop sulking in the corner and come spend some time with me pretty thing"

"Oh you and your flattery" he rolled his eyes walk up to you, the skin color coming back to his face the look you knew first came back into view.

"Smoothies?" You asked.

"Deal" he grinned at you.

[telvess]

Record of Ragnarok: What kind of pet do they have?

I'm like Tesla 🤣

Jack

I once read that people who are broken or haven’t experienced much love as children tent to choose animals that are less popular and sometimes seen as bad omens, such as black cats or ravens. So I see that Jack has a rat as a pet. They are intelligent and very clean animals, with an unfairly given bad reputation, and I think that suits Jack very well.

Nicola Tesla

Hear me out, Tesla is the proud owner of a turtle. There's a joke going around turtle owners that every time the turtle does something - such as yawns or falls asleep - you take a photo or video of it and happily show it to everyone. This is Tesla. The entire science crew has a mailbox full of this kind of spam, and their all sigh whenever Tesla sends them a new video of his pet doing absolutely nothing.

Poseidon

I think he likes animals in general. He despises humans and most gods for not behaving as they should, but animals are themselves. They do what is expected of them, they are excellent at being themselves, if that makes sense. So Poseidon probably has a dog that he has trained very well. The dog listens to all commends and generally behaves very well.

Hades

It’s canon that Hades has a pet - cockatoo. These animals require a lot of attention from their owner, which makes sense because we all know how lonely Hades is. He is literally playing chess with it! The parrot probably knows some fancy words like „magnificent” or „mellifluous”, and a whole bunch of wine names that it randomly says. Adamas, by the way, puts some effort into educating the bird too and incidently teaches it how to swear.

Beelzebub

Given how little he cares and how little he CAN care, the only option he has is fish. He gives it a good tank, he remembers to feed it and that’s it. They just exist. Damn… how depressing…

Loki

Two options. First: SAND ANT FARM. He watches it from time to time, mocking the ants for poor direction choices or just messing up with them for funnies. Second option is ferret. Loki finds them both annoying and interesting. There’s no boredom with them.

Ares

Ares thinks highly about himself, after all he is a part of the most powerful pantheon and the son of Zeus. He believes that he deserves only the best, which mean that whatever animal he gets, it will be a pure breed. If he chooses a cat or dog, it will receives a golden pillow to sleep on, a silver food bowl, the fanciest toys, the best caretakers, and… „the best owner”.

Thor

Thor has a cat. Most of the time they simply exist in their spaces and don’t interact. But every now and then a cat comes to Thor and demands a scratch, which Thor gives without hesitation. Loki once overheard Thor talking to his pet in those rare moments. Surprisingly, he speaks in a very gentle and caring tone, almost like mother to her child.

Hajun

He probably has a tank full of dead fish. Never cleaned, never fed, never bothered.

Lu Bu

Lu Bu has a pussy. He had no intention of having a pet, so the cat had to choose him, and Lu Bu obligated. He gives it lots of scratches and plays with it. Lu Bu is unfazed by the claws. Hearing her meow when he isn’t close puts him in a fighting stance. Nobody hurts his cat girl.

Hermes

Budgies! The guy has a lot of responsibilities, he's probably the last to fall asleep and the first to wake up, but he still finds time for his melodious pets. They always get the best snacks and for some unknown reason they become very excited when Zeus is around.

Göll

She has hamster, as small and cute as she is. Göll tries very hard to provide it a happy life, which probably means she’s trying too hard. She asks all his sisters for advice, and knowing how many siblings she has, she probably ends up with very conflicting opinions.

Zerofuku

Definitely rabbit. They are both full of energy, do not pose a threat and just enjoy themselves on a clearing somewhere.

Buddha

He doesn't have a pet, but he occasionally looks after Zerofuku’s and Göll's pets. He complains that he doesn't have time and that he doesn't care, but in the end he has a great time with the rabbit and hamster.

Noah

I think he ends up with a pigeon. He just feeds it from time to time in the same place and slowly tames it. Before he knows it, the bird becomes a new part of his life. He tells it about his problems, about Luna, Jack, Mother Goose and Shakespeare. This pigeon has therapeutic properties.

Qin

Definitely a husky. I see just two idiots keep talking to each other and arguing over nothing. The more the emperor demands something, the louder the husky's tantrum will be.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Hi there please could i get some relationship headcanons for Thor! Thanks you so much!!

Let's see what we can do~

⚡Thor is generally a quiet and apathetic person, caring mostly about fighting only and putting everything else on a second place.

⚡Still, he's not ignorant to the happiness that you bring him simply by being in his presence.

⚡Only around you, can he feel fully at ease and calm.

⚡Keeping his head on your lap, playing with his hair while you hum a lullaby or read him a book is one of the few things that can offer him bliss.

⚡He loves holding you in his arms - You're so small compared to him, he can't help but feel the burning need to protect you from any kind of harm.

⚡Though, realistically speaking, there is little harm that could reach you, considering nobody would be dumb enough to even think about attacking you, let alone do such a thing.

⚡He doesn't care much about Odin's opinion, but he's rather pleased when he mentions approving of you - Not that he'd change him opinion if he disapproved, but he might have started a war with his own father.

⚡Since he's so tall, he ends up putting you on his shoulders often, so you can see things from above - The horizon during twilight especially is a most beautiful sight to witness.

⚡He appreciates the sky during all phases of the day, and would like to lay on the grass next to you and just relax, watching the clouds pass by, or pointing out constellations at night.

⚡You're the only person he allows to touch his hair, and even braid and put flowers in it - He'd rather not have other people see him, but if they do and comment something that might upset you, well... They're dead. He'd prefer to avoid the erasure of a whole pantheon though. He doesn't much like to subject you to too much bloodshed.

⚡He wants to make sure you live a happy, fulfilling and peaceful life.

⚡That's also why he hardly ever argues with you - He'd rather remain silent or agree with you, rather than confront you about something. Usually, there's barely anything worthy of fighting over, so he diverts the subject or just does whatever he wants regardless.

⚡But when he votes against mankind, and he sees you bursting into sobs, getting out of the council, he feels upset that he spurred such emotions in you, when he only ever wants to make you smile.

⚡He explains that he holds nothing against humans and just wants to see if humanity has any warrior worth fighting, but it doesn't console you at all - His whims might destroy billions of innocent lives.

⚡He just sighs, not sure how to deal with this situation, and leaves, hoping you would calm down on your own.

⚡Thor never expected to be challenged so such a degree, let alone injured, by a mere human - No, a friend, Lu Bu, the most powerful warrior that China ever had. After their fight, Thor had such respect for him and his allies, that he decided that, whichever side wins, he would impose the safety of humanity, in his honour.

⚡As he exited the arena, he feels two tiny arms holding him in a weak embrace, and you crying in his chest, telling him how worried you were about him and what not.

⚡He was moved that you still loved him so much, even despite his contrary decision during the voting, and he knelt to your level, pulling you in a strong hug and kissing your forehead, reassuring you that he'd fight all the Gods to honour the man he just fought.

⚡He wasn't one of the Norse protectors of Mankind for nothing.

⚡Though seeing you cry, especially because of him, only reinforced the idea that he never wants to see you upset or in distress ever again. You are far too precious for him.

⚡Kisses with Thor are mostly gentle, because he's so strong that he fears hurting you, even though you're a Goddess like him. He's so used to destroying everything in a single touch, that being tender is a bit odd for him.

⚡He gets used to it quickly though, and he likes it.

⚡But more than that, he loves your soft hands caressing his face so lovingly, and how you managed to steal quick pecks from him. It was adorable.

⚡You're probably the only person to whom he would engage in small talk, or would tell random stories about his past, his fights and whatever other things he finds worth sharing.

⚡And though speaking of his feelings is not a subject he cares about, you may be able to occasionally hear him say a whispery confession, when he's sure you're asleep in his arms.

[finemealcreates]

Some Assembly Required

Danny can’t say he had expected to hear an explosion on his way to work, but he does. He lets out a deep sigh, ducking into an alley before he lets the familiar jolt of his transformation rush through him. Then, he’s taking off into the air. 

There! In the distance, the SHIELD helicarrier is … in the water?

Danny’s eyes widen as he quickly flies over to it. Sure, he may not be legally allowed to exist, but people need him. He’s not strong enough on his own to stop the helicarrier from sinking, but he can at the very least help with evacuation. 

Quickly he phases into the helicarrier and begins to grab people. Most of the agents resist his help, but he ignores them and drops them off on lifeboats or at evacuation points. 

“You’re welcome!” he shouts over his shoulder as they fire at him, letting the blasts go through him. 

Before he can head back into the helicarrier, though, he sees a ship shoot up into the air with a (tunnel? Elevator? Whatever) attached to it. 

“That can’t be good,” Danny mutters to himself as he flies over to investigate. 

A man built similarly to his father is floating in the air, eyes glowing blue with a long beard and even longer hair. He’s holding a man (is that Director Fury?) in the air, spouting some nonsense Danny can’t quite hear. But Fury contorts in the air and Danny glares at the stranger, hands glowing. 

That’s when a hammer hits the floating man in the head, and Fury drops. 

Quickly, Danny changes directions and catches Fury. 

“Phantom?” Fury asks, baffled. 

Understandable, Danny’s been evading Fury for years. He doesn’t even know if the super spy knows what his identity is, he’s gone to great lengths to hide it. Besides, it’s not like Fury yet has the tech to be able to detect Danny. 

“Threaten to kill me later, focus on the big dangerous guy now,” Danny retorts, flying Fury to shore quickly. 

Danny spots Ant-Man on the shore, Wasp beside him. Danny smiles somewhat, Ant-Man has always been one of the good scientists. 

“Please don’t piss him off any more, Fury. I know you’re good at it, but it’s not helping,” Danny says before he takes off into the air again, leaving the trio down on the shore. 

He flies back to the guy just in time to hear part of his spiel. 

“Fury called me Graviton because he knew. He knows I can control gravity! And when you control gravity, you control everything!” the dickwad exclaims. 

“What about things that aren’t affected by gravity?” Danny snarks, shooting Graviton with a beam before becoming incorporeal. 

Thor (the Asgardian, was it?) attempts to land his own blow and is blocked by the man. 

“I may not be able to control the gravity around a ghost,” Graviton spits out, “but I can control the gravity of your friend!”

With that, Danny watches as Graviton increases the gravity on the other hero, sending him into the water. 

Danny speeds off after Thor. He doesn’t know if Asgardians can drown, but he doesn’t want to find out. 

He speeds passed who he’s 99% sure is Wasp as he dives into the water. Thor is sinking deeper and deeper, sand beginning to engulf him. 

Floating towards Thor, he grabs the man’s hand and makes him incorporeal with him, causing him to be immune to Graviton’s powers. Thor nods at him in gratitude as Danny flies them out of the ocean. 

“I don’t know if I can release you without causing you to go back down,” Danny admits. 

“Do not worry about it, friend! I will attempt to call my hammer to my hand regardless,” Thor replies, oddly proper as he holds a hand out and focuses. 

Nothing happens, and they both hear a loud boom! before watching Iron Man get flung into space. 

Danny sighs deeply as he looks at Thor. 

“Go after him! If I am once again submerged in the water, I shall be fine. Us Asgardians are not as susceptible to drowning at Mortals are,” Thor assures. 

Danny doesn’t know whether or not to be offended by that as he releases Thor, taking off into space after Iron Man. 

He does his best to focus on saving the man, he’s not sure if Iron Man’s suit has been adjusted for space travel, and not getting distracted by the fact that he’s in space. 

Iron Man fires his repulsors multiple times, but keeps getting pushed further and further back. He doesn’t have enough power to resist Graviton’s own powers pushing him further and further back. 

Harrumphing, Danny zips towards Iron Man. As soon as he touches the man’s suit, he goes incorporeal and his repulsors shoot him forward suddenly. Danny keeps a hold on the man as he gets a hold of himself, realizing what is happening. 

Iron Man turns his head towards Danny, and he can practically feel the eyebrow raise behind the helmet. 

“Phantom? Aren’t you a ghost?” Iron Man states dumbly. 

“Obviously,” Danny replies monotonously.

“But aren’t ghosts … ya know,” Iron Man stumbles. 

“Evil?” Danny offers, making a show of rolling his eyes. “Yeah that’s what the G.I.W. says anyway.”

“So why are you helping me?” Iron Man asks. 

“Do you want me to not help you? I can let go and let you get pushed deeper and deeper into space if you want—”

“Nope, I’m okay, thank you,” Iron Man interrupts, giving Danny a thumbs up. 

“Yeah that’s what I thought,” Danny mutters, flying them back down to the fight. 

The sight that awaits them is a chunk of land beginning to fall back into the ground. Danny sees Thor begin to fly under the land mass, to slow its fall. He releases Iron Man and rushes to join Thor, hearing Iron Man follow behind him. 

All three of them slow the descent of the land mass. When the ground is about to hit the bottom of the ocean, he waves Thor and Iron Man off. 

“Go! I can phase through this, you two can’t.” 

Surprisingly, they listen to him and leave him to handle it as they get out of there. 

Only once the island is secure does Danny phase through the earth and pop up above ground. 

He arrives topside just in time to see Iron Man charging a beam at Graviton, and quickly matches it with his own ecto blasts. Together, they push him into the ground causing a mini crater. 

Danny winces at the damage they did, but he knows for a fact the area has been cleared. So at least there won’t be any civilian casualties from that attack.

“You need help, Franklin,” Ant-Man says, standing atop the crater they just formed. 

Danny hovers over Graviton as he watches Wasp zip down toward him. 

“Or perhaps some more zapping!” Wasp threatens. 

“Enough!” Graviton yells, hands raising. 

Danny goes incorporeal as he quickly zips down and grabs Ant-Man. They are able to stay steady as Graviton exerts his power, forcing everyone else to their knees.

“Even though you are incorporeal, ghost, I can still stop your attacks! You can’t touch me!” Graviton laughs. 

Danny frowns, it dawning on him that he could try to overshadow Graviton. But, if he doesn’t completely overshadow the man, it could lead to more destruction if Graviton fights the shadowing. 

“I can’t do anything to him,” Danny admits to Ant-Man, “except make sure that you or someone else isn’t affected.”

Ant-Man frowns but nods in understanding to Danny, and Danny can tell the man is thinking quietly next to him. 

“I’m the strongest being in the universe!” Graviton raves, laughing as he holds debris up in the air. 

“Are you sure about that?” a gruff and deep voice asks, before the Hulk jumps down on top of Graviton.

The Hulk smashes against Graviton’s gravity shield, pushing the other man further into the Earth. 

Danny takes a deep breath and focuses, with Graviton’s focus on the Hulk maybe Danny can make this work.

He splits into two, then four, then enough for everyone. Danny’s sweating, weakened by the exertion of splitting himself up multiple times. It’s like playing multiplayer on one TV, his vision is split into numerous sections. Yet, he knows he can control himself and the duplicates have some section of his consciousness. 

Each Danny goes to a hero, making the heroes incorporeal. The only exception is the Hulk’s Danny, as making the Hulk incorporeal would be more of a nuisance than anything else at the moment.

“Phantom, can’t ghosts overshadow people?” Iron Man asks his duplicate. 

“If I overshadow him and he resists? His power would be going haywire, potentially causing more destruction than he currently is,” the duplicate answers, giving Iron Man a look. “Besides, I’d have to not be split up to attempt an overshadowing right now. Do you not want to be immune to the potential fallout that would happen?”

“Well we have to do something,” Wasp insists. 

“Trust the Hulk,” her duplicate answers, all eyes on the fight. “And wait for the right moment to strike.”

All of them are tensed, ready to attack where they can. Hulk’s duplicate flies around, anxious to try and sneak a blast in.

“Stop it you blasted beast!” Graviton growls, hands extended and holding Hulk down. Danny and his duplicates release the incorporeal-ness and they all swoop down to attack him while his focus remains on the Hulk. 

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about all of you!” Graviton says, raising his other hand and pushing them all back. 

Gravity forces all of them down, and forces all of Danny’s duplicates back to himself. 

With a grunt, Danny goes incorporeal again, but doesn’t have the energy to bring his duplicates back. 

“It’s draining me too much to stay duplicated,” Danny admits to them, flying above where most of them are being pushed against the ground. 

“Just focus on hitting him! We’ll focus on getting up,” Iron Man grunts. 

Danny nods as he flies close to Graviton, whose focus has returned mainly to the Hulk. 

“Why won’t you stay down,” Graviton grunts, exerting more force on Hulk who gets shoved deeper and deeper into the Earth, yet keeps moving. 

“Maybe you’re not as strong as you think!” Danny exclaims, forming an ecto blast in his hand. 

As soon as he tries to shoot it, though, it blasts backwards and through Danny. 

“Perhaps you’re not as smart as you think,” Graviton snaps back, a sneer on his face. “I may not be able to keep you down, but you can’t land a hit on me!” 

Graviton seems to increase the gravity on the Hulk, and Danny watches as he strains against it. Graviton growls as Danny flies to the other side of Graviton and debates if he would get pushed back if he went corporeal enough to hit Graviton with his stinger. 

Yet, he doesn’t get a chance to think about it before Graviton lifts dozens of shipping containers in the air, then throws them down on top of the Hulk to keep him down. 

“Good luck powering through that!” Graviton laughs as Danny changes tactics and soars down towards where Hulk is buried. 

He barely manages to begin to phase through the shipping container when Graviton suddenly lets out a yelp and smacks at the back of his neck. The shipping containers are thrown away as Hulk smashes out of them, Gravtion’s effect clearly gone again. 

Danny pauses his flight as he watches Hulk jump up and smack Graviton down. As Hulk goes to continue his attack, Graviton sends Hulk high into the air, aiming shipping containers at him. 

With a slight growl, Danny changes tactics and begins to fly up to Hulk. Danny sees the Wasp follow him in the air as the rest focus on attacking Graviton.

Hulk begins to fall, but Wasp and Danny are right there with him. 

Wasp uses her blasts to split a shipping container in two, while Danny uses his powers to make Hulk incorporeal when a shipping container gets too close (if he makes him incorporeal the entire fall, his punch won’t have as much strength behind it without gravity’s help). 

Hulk turns to both of them, a quizzical look on his face.

“You’re … helping me?” Hulk asks, confusion so painfully clear in his voice. 

“That’s the question you want to be asking right now?” Wasp questions. 

“What Wasp means is of course we’re helping you,” Danny pipes up. “Besides, I know what it’s like to be unfairly labeled as a villain.” 

Hulk’s face goes soft for just a moment, before twisting into something fierce. He turns back to Graviton, smirk on his face. 

When Hulk lands on Graviton, a creator is formed underneath Graviton. 

Immediately, Graviton shoots a hand out and pushes a chunk of the Earth up underneath Hulk to get him away, seemingly keeping Hulk pinned to the piece of Earth. 

Iron Man and Danny beam Graviton with their combined blast’s, pushing the man back. Graviton responds by picking up another piece of earth, and moving it to smoosh Iron Man and Danny against the other piece of Earth he raised up.

Danny grabs Iron Man and makes him incorporeal as they watch Ant-Man go big and throw a ship on top of Graviton.

“Holy shit, I thought that dude was called Ant-Man, how’d he go so big?” Danny questions, mouth agape. 

“Well, when he goes big I think Wasp calls him Giant-Man,” Iron Man comments, as if that explains anything. 

“I have more questions than before,” Danny replies. 

Before they can move towards Graviton, thunder rings throughout the air as dark clouds form above, lightning crackling. 

“Thor,” Danny breathes out, eyes wide as he shrinks instinctually at the sight of the lightning. 

“For Midgard!” Thor yells, swinging his hammer in a downward motion, pointing at Graviton. 

Danny pulls Iron Man back, out of the blast range as Thor leaves a giant crater in the ground. After Danny’s ears stop ringing and he stops shaking slightly, he peers down into it.

Graviton is still there, but he looks … like he couldn’t fight any longer. He looks severely burnt, eyes half-closed and unfocused. 

Iron Man and Danny join the rest of the group at the edge of the crater, looking down at Graviton. Wasp shoots him with one final blast, making him fall the rest of the way. He’s even drooling a bit. 

“And I think that’s it,” Danny states, a slight smile on his lips. 

That’s when, of course, a loud megaphone sounds. Danny turns and sees the Hulkbusters and G.I.W. off to the side. Safe, and not interfering of course. Why get their hands dirty when they could wait for the fight to be over?

“Attention!” a too-familiar voice starts. “Hand Phantom and the Hulk over! They’re fugitives of the country!” 

Hulk growls and gets into a defensive position, while Danny floats next to Hulk, hand outstretched and ready to retreat. 

“I got us, big guy. Trust me,” Danny whispers to Hulk, eyes meeting. 

Hulk nods and Danny smiles. 

“If you want them you’re going to have to get through me!” Iron Man states, standing in front of Hulk and Danny.

The rest of the team also move forward, making themselves a physical barrier between the duo and their enemies. 

Danny and Hulk spare glances at each other, surprise clear on their faces. 

“Stand down!” Fury’s voice yells over everyone, hand raised to stop any protests. “We have bigger problems to deal with. Like the fact that seventy-four villains escaped and need to be recaptured and brought in.”

“Yeah, and exactly how did that happen, Director Fury?” Iron Man asks, getting in Fury’s face. 

Danny is still tense, hovering beside Hulk. Ready to make them invisible and incorporeal the moment it’s needed. 

“We don’t know yet,” Fury answers, which shocks Danny. 

Sure, Danny’s pretty sure Fury doesn’t know his secret identity, but he assumes Fury knows pretty much everything else. He’s like … Batman? Somehow, someway, the dude knows things he shouldn’t because he’s that good. 

“But while we’re finding out, you could help us. Join SHIELD, make a difference, together,” Fury continues, extending a hand towards them. 

“Absolutely not,” Hank says before anyone can say anything, storming up to get in Fury’s face. “This is your fault, isn’t it Fury? You had Franklin working on something, and then he became Graviton. And then caused this.” 

Hank gestures to the destruction around them. Danny winces, wondering if there were things they could’ve done better to have limited the amount of destruction.

“Fury’s right,” Iron Man pipes up, all heads whipping towards him. 

“You of all people are going to join SHIELD?” Wasp asks speculatively. 

“No, of course not!” Iron Man exclaims, clearly slightly offended by the implication. “I mean about us, working together. Making a difference as a group.” 

“If we worked together, we could avenge those who these villains hurt,” Danny pipes up. 

“The Avengers!” Wasp suggests, bright smile on her face. 

“Hey, that’s got a nice ring to it,” Hulk comments, offering a smile. 

“Director Fury,” an agent starts. Danny changes focus to be on that man instead, listening in on the conversation. “The security footage is back online. Graviton didn’t wake up until after the prison break, it couldn’t have been him who caused this.” 

“Then who did?” Fury mutters to himself, eyes narrowing as he thinks. 

Danny’s eyes narrow at them, before turning back to his new team. Interesting. 

[themculibrary]

Stony Halloween Fics Masterlist

an’ harm ye none (ao3) - LinneaKou steve/tony, peggy/angie, happy/pepper, jane/thor M, 92k

Summary: “…do as ye will.”

Toni Stark, small-town witch, has served as the head of the Cravenswood town coven for a decade all the while assisting the police in occult-related crime. Between her and Detective Steve Rogers, nothing that happens in Cravenwood is too big to handle - not even the reappearance of her estranged brother… that is, until someone starts ritually murdering townspeople.

As the death toll climbs and a conservative religious group begins to cast blame upon the town witches, something monstrous begins to stir up Craven’s Woods. Faced with an unknown Craft and drawing the suspicions of the citizens she swore to protect, Toni must put an end to the killings before whatever is haunting the woods comes out into the light.

Fear lives in a small town.

black velvet (ao3) - royal_chandler E, 1k

Summary: It’s Halloween and Tony does too much of a remarkable job with Steve’s costume.

breath of a fish (ao3) - picturecat G, 4k

Summary: Their relationship was courteous, as it must be for any two witches who had no interest in feuding with one another properly. But to someone he could trust not to repeat his words, Steve often complained that Stark was basically a warlock, the way he carried on with esoteric nonsense and ignoring the needs of the people. For his part, Steve had no idea what Stark’s objection to him was. He knew only that the man so obviously delighted in teasing Steve that the people of their town regularly placed bets on when they expected them to come to blows.

devilish delight (ao3) - muchmoremajestic E, 3k

Summary: Steve is in for a surprise when Tony picks out their Halloween costumes.

does not play well with others (ao3) - usedupshiver T, 11k

Summary: While sneaking into the Starks’ abandoned home, Steve makes the startling discovery that even though no Stark is living in the house anymore, not all of them have actually left.

haunted vacation (ao3) - pinkhairnoshoes steve/tony, ben/may T, 31k

Summary: Tony and Steve invite Ben and May on a vacation to a cottage upstate. It’s a good chance to disconnect from technology and enjoy the summer out in the country. The house seems normal enough until Peter starts having nightmares and seeing ghosts. Unexplained things are starting to happen. Steve and Tony are getting increasingly frustrated waking up to things being out of place or damaged. Peter is getting increasingly worried when he wakes up with dirt and grass on his feet but no memory of leaving his bed. The adults assume Peter is acting out for attention. They don’t see the ghosts or notice that the house is having an effect on them too.

keep it a secret (ao3) - SmileAndASong G, 3k

Summary: Tony decides to surprise Steve by having Peter dress up as Captain America for Halloween. Steve decides to surprise Tony by having Peter dress up as Iron Man for Halloween. Peter now has two secrets to keep, two costumes to wear, and two loving fathers that he doesn’t want to disappoint.

Meatball Eyes and Sparks Fly (ao3) - endof_theline G, 4k

Summary: Steve and Tony’s first date at a Halloween theme park, where they eat meatball eyes and sparks fly...

protective (ao3) - glyphsbowtie T, 1k

Summary: Steve and Tony are watching a Halloween film with the Avengers. When Tony notices Steve feeling a little afraid, he has to intervene.

sexy soldier cap (ao3) - Neverever T, 1k

Summary: Steve buys a completely inappropriate costume for Tony’s party and has to improvise.

take me out (and let me hold you tight) (ao3) - MusicalLuna T, 3k

Summary: Steve daydreams about holding Tony’s hand, and Halloween might just be the best chance he’s got for making dreams reality.

the reason for the season (ao3) - Captain_Panda T, 10k

Summary: Tony loves Halloween. Steve does not. Tony wants to celebrate. Steve does not.

Hint: Tony wins.

The Avengers tag along. Spooky shenanigans ensue.

The trick’s a treat. (ao3) - captainstars E, 2k

Summary: Tony is very excited to show Steve his Halloween constume. Steve’s got a little surprise of his own planned.

trick or treat (ao3) - Katieb18 T, 6k

Summary: Peter loved Halloween, especially because it was one of the only times in the year that he was allowed sugary things. He couldn’t wait to have so much that his tummy ached! Tony and Steve are not as excited as Peter. All they want is to come through this Halloween without having to deal with Peter post sugar rush. But such was the life of overprotective parents.

Trick or Tsums (ao3) - muchmoremajestic G, 1k

Summary: Steve's never really been into Halloween, but Steve-tsum just might change that.

Wishing You A Haunting Night (ao3) - EchoSiriusRumme G, 4k

Summary: Stony Halloween-y goodness, filled with fluffy and spooky moments galore!

[local-redhead-bookworm]

I can’t bring myself to like the Loki series. I want to like it, and there are aspects of it that I think are really good. But overall it just doesn’t feel like the show runners understand Loki as a character.

Loki in Thor, Avengers, and The Dark World feels like a completely different character than show Loki. I feel like we as the audience are meant to laugh when Loki is captured by the TVA, rather than view that whole process as incredibly invasive and dehumanizing. And his dynamic with Mobius does get better throughout the series, but Mobius had every intent of breaking Loki down mentally so he could use him. Forgive me for not thinking that “I’m going to show you a reel of how you ruined your entire family’s lives then when you resist me I’m going to trap you in one of your worst memories, where you are repeatedly kicked in the genitals and made to feel worthless until I decide you’ve suffered enough” is a good redemption arc.

Also the handling of Sylvie as a whole is just so bad. I want to like her, I do. But the writing did her a major disservice by just telling us her trauma and expecting us to take her side. Also confirming that Loki is bi then immediately putting him with a female love interest? Oh Marvel, did Loki step a little too far outside the bounds of conventional heterosexuality for one of your heroes? Also she went on to immediately backstab him.

This is to say nothing of the fact that Loki is canonically gender-fluid in the comics and would take whatever form they wanted in the myths, yet the other Lokis outright state that they can’t imagine a female version of themself.

And the idea that Loki is so arrogant that he could only fall in love with himself is so absurd. This is the Loki of Thor and Avengers. The Loki who just found out that his entire life is a lie, that he’s part of a race of monsters, then attempted to take his own life and was instead captured by Thanos, tortured for the better part of a year, then used as a puppet to steal the Tesseract. Loki at this point has no clue who he is and hates himself for his heritage. You expect me to believe that he’s that self-absorbed? No.

For a show about Loki, he had surprisingly little character development or connection with other characters. There are a few very strong elements to the series, but I can’t convince myself that show Loki and movie Loki are the same person.

[tarithenurse]

Inhuman

Fandom: MCU Pairing: Loki x fem!reader, Stucky, more (some canon, some not). Word count: 1271. Contents: Preparations, - the last pieces are coming together. A/N: Any questions are welcome. Please comment and like and reblog. Let me know if you want a tag.

Chapter 60

... Reader’s PoV ...

Two spacecrafts have landed in the giant underground hangar. One is angular, with vibrant orange and turquoise colours. The other smaller vessel is kept in matted silver and black tones that makes the curves appear soft and intangible. There is nothing elusive about the holes and splinters that scar the exterior, though. You haven’t had a chance to check out more of the craft but Rocket has guaranteed that it will be up to the job despite a couple of fried panels from when they disabled the tracking and weapons.

“We just need to…clean it up a bit,” he had shrugged. “The bastard got scattered more than we expected.”

The lone Chitauri had apparently put up a fight, and even after restraining him, he didn’t divulge anything they didn’t already know. Thanos, the Mad Titan, is still gunning for Earth to grab both you and whatever useful artifacts available.

“It’s weird though,” Tony mutters, “it kept talking about three Infinity Stones here. Idiot needs to get his facts straight.”

They’re all assembled in the kitchen, making an order list for dinner while listening to the returnees explain what about the mission. Some of them are more excited about having been in space than others (especially Bucky, Wanda, and Natasha seem to still be floating around among the stars), but at least they are all relatively unscathed.

“It is most peculiar indeed, Man of Iron.” Thor’s voice is a deep rumble, that fits the force of nature he wields. “This lackey we defeated appeared convinced that not only the Time and Mind Stones were to be found on this planet, but also the Space Stone.”

“The Space Stone?” Steve finds the answer on his own. Swearing vehemently he glares at the two Asgardians. “The Tesseract? You said it would be safe.”

Shuffling his feet, the blond giant seems uncomfortable. “It was, yet after the destruction of our home world, there has been no trace of it. We had to assume it lost to us.”

For all they have learned about the Infinity Stones, nothing seems to have been able to obliterate them a couple of the voices in the room point that out, and Quill adds that the Stones would be what destroyed the world, not the other way around. But Thor stands by his conviction, nearly managing to convince the rest that it must be the case…until Loki clears his throat with a soft smile.

Pushing off from the chair he was sitting on so hard it tips over, the king of New Asgard rounds on Loki. “Brother…what have you done?”

“While you were busy battling our sister, I managed to ensure that the Tesseract would not fall into the wrong hands.” The scheming bastard almost purrs with delight over his own actions. “It is hidden…and safe for the time being.”

“And it did not occur to you to mention this earlier? Before we searched for the damned trinket in the smouldering ruins left by Surtur?!” The peace that has flourished between the brothers seems about to be broken.

You frown. “Surtur…? As in the ruler of Muspelheim?” Bloody hell, what else is real?

Your words were not meant as a distraction in an effort to diffuse the tense situation but it does have that effect to a certain degree as Thor briefly explains how Valhalla was destroyed before the eyes of the survivors.

When he is finished, he glances at the adoptive brother. “Nothing was left…I am glad, that you managed to steal the Tesseract out of the vault. It would have been a great blow if the enemy had found it.”

“So the spy was right…we have three of the Stones.” Steve pinches the bridge of his nose. “How many are unaccounted for now?”

“One.” Cocking his head, Vision lets a fingertip caress the surface of the yellow gem implanted in his forehead. At least the Mind Stone is in good hands…so to speak.

“The Nova Corps are keeping the purple Power Stone safe,” Gamora explains because the blue man named Hank has opened his mouth.

Thor nods. “My father left the Aether under the watchful eye of Taneleer Tivan.”

“Yeah, dude, bad call.” Quill is almost as informal and impolite as Tony can be on a bad day. “That guy’s shady. He even tried to buy the Orb, but that plan went south and we had to hightail it outta there.”

“Orb?” The question several of them are thinking is voiced by Bucky.

In much the same way the Mind Stone had been tugged away inside the sceptre that Loki had been given before the attack on New York, also the Time, Power, and Space Stones have housings of their own. The purple gem is stored inside an intricately crafted metallic globe and is why it has been possible to transport it relatively safely to the Nova Corps facility, in much the same way that the Aether is suspended in a stasis chamber, ensuring that it cannot infiltrate a living host. The remaining known artifacts function as devices that help channel the powers of the Stones they hold.

“Here’s a thought…” The light intonation Tony uses bodes ill. “Say all the Infinity Stones were found and brought together…what would happen?”

“A single Stone can destroy an entire world, scouring the life away before there was time to mourn the losses.” Nebula rarely speaks up, but this time she abandons dissecting an apple in favour of pinning the inventor to his seat with her black eyes. “No one knows what would happen if all six were used together, but we should assume it could mean the destruction of the universe.”

“Okay fine!” He might not like the answer but at least Tony accepts it. “So we can’t use them against him. Problem is…he will if he gets the chance.”

…

Everyone who can is helping with the work that has to be done on the quinjet and the X-Men’s plane. Even with Stark’s robots and the combined brainpower of Tony, Rocket, Bruce, Nebula, and Hank McCoy there is still a lot left to sort.

You are working on a message for Thanos. Each attempt you write down and rejects makes you grumpier and you have barricaded yourself in the room with music blaring to drown out the sounds of anyone else. Because of that, you don’t hear the knocking on the door before she turns the volume down. Gamora?

“C’m’in.” What does she want?

The green-skinned woman is very different from you in nature and she has been brought up to be a warrior. Just like her blue-skinned sister, she is wary of strangers and highly strategic in all her actions, which means she wants to know everything that’s going on at any time. A space-Natasha. The two have already been bonding over weapons.

“What are you working on?” Gamora sinks down into one of the soft chairs, crossing the leather-clad legs.

Crumbling yet another piece of paper, you glare at your own reflection in the window above the long table. “Brainstorming what to say to Thanos.”

“You said, that you would appeal to his understanding for revenge.”

“True. But I can’t leave it up to chance how I phrase a round of backstabbing…” I don’t have a lot of experience with that unless you count NOT taking time to be single for a while before fucking someone new.

“Perhaps you are over-complicating it.” The extra-terrestrial is twirling a fuchsia-tipped lock of hair between her fingers. “Keep it simple. Keep it close to the truth.” Gamora gets up, leaving you alone to ponder the options.

[nerdby]

It was never about a throne.

Like I completely reject the notion that Loki took over Asgard at the end of The Dark World because he "wanted a throne."

Because he said in the very first movie that he never wanted a throne. All he ever wanted was to be seen as Thor's equal. He wanted to stop living in Thor's shadow. Why would that have changed?

It didn't. Loki took over Asgard at the end of TDW as his own of getting revenge on his family for taking him for granted.

Like what is the first thing that happens when Thor brings Loki back to Asgard?

What is the very first thing Odin says to Loki?

"Why did you do that?"

"Are you okay?"

Nope, none of that. Let's review--

So the conversation between Loki and Frigga establishes a few things--

Loki has given up hope. He's assumed that Odin is going to have him killed. That's why he says, "Define worse."

He knows that he can never live up to his parents' expectations of him, so why would they believe anything he has to say about the situation regarding Thanos? Why would they believe that Loki never actually planned on ruling Midgard but was sent there because he was being manipulated and blackmailed?

They wouldn't. That's what he's thinking anyway, so he decides to play along cause they've already assumed the worst of him.

Loki wants to hear what Odin really thinks of him -- his precious baby boy that he rescued from Jotunheim.

And one of the first things Odin says to him is,

"All this because Loki desires a throne?"

You can tell from the opening scene that Loki is dreading his conversation with his father. He just wants to get it over with as soon as possible. And the entire conversation is him basically saying,

But it was okay when you did it?

Except he knows it wasn't. He's just throwing Odin's hypocrisy in his own face because now the truth is out there, and everything Loki learned in the first Thor movie has been reconfirmed: Odin does not care about Loki, and deep down he knows he should have just left Loki on Jotunheim to die. Because regardless of whatever plans he had for Loki -- to use him as a pawn in some political scheme:

"By the way, Laufey, you remember that son of yours that went missing eons ago when I was here slaughtering your people--?"

Regardless of those meticulously thought out, painstakingly laid plans Loki is a bad egg. Irredeemable. Undeserving of any sort of sympathy or second chance.

Loki just wanted to hear him say it because he was expecting to die. He wanted to die. He doesn't want to live knowing that he's ruined his mother's life, disappointed her, and completely destroyed whatever chance he had at repairing his relationship with Thor. He doesn't want to live with the memories of Thanos's torture in his head or knowing that the only father he'd ever had only ever saw him as a gambling chip. That's why he spent the entire scene snarking off and calling his dad out on his shit.

So, yes, by the end of the movie he's furious and resentful.

Because his family is still unwilling to say, "We're sorry we fucked up. We're sorry we hurt you."

Throughout the entire film Thor never comes to see Loki or ask if he's okay. The only time Thor goes to Loki throughout the entire movie is when he needs his help to save Jane. He doesn't care about the pain Loki feels -- no, he's just worried about some mortal that threw herself at him during the seventy-two hours he spent banished on Midgard.

Odin and Thor just assume the worst of Loki without even bothering to ask if he's okay. They completely disregard all of the abuse, the favoritism, and the fact that he said flat out that he never wanted a throne. But, yeah, at the end of the day that must be what its really about cause Loki is nothing more than a spoiled brat of a prince, nothing more or less, right?

And that is why Loki took over Asgard and sent his father to a nursing home on Midgard. He is a child, lashing out and furious at the fact that he is being held responsible for his parents' and brother's sins. Now, what was it that Rocket said in the first GtoG movie?

"I didn't ask to get made."

Well, Loki never asked for Odin to rescue him from Jotunheim.

And since the Loki fandom has so far portrayed the emotional depth of a teaspoon, let's just throw this is here to see if we can make the parallels a bit less subtle--

So all of the healing and growth that Loki accomplished in the TV series is not because he's suddenly focused on something other than a throne. Because it was never about that. Ever.

[wearelondonhq]

Time for a meme! If you want to take part all you have to do is reblog this post. Remember if you reblog to send them out to those who also do. Meme lasts from today (17/02) to the next Friday (22/02)! As always, please have fun and happy meme day!

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE SENTENCE STARTERS: featuring quotes from deadpool, venom, ant-man & the wasp, thor: ragnarok, wandavision, doctor strange, ant-man & more. credit for some of these goes to @scotchymemes

Go back to whatever cave you ever crept out of!

What is grief, if not love persevering?

The world has taken too much from you for you to still be considered innocent.

I love you. I love you in every universe.

Where once you were nothing, now you are something.

Expect disappointment and you will never be disappointed.

We were good together, weren’t we? Maybe it’s time to reignite that flame...

I love you 3000.

You still owe me a dance.

Every good family film starts with a great murder.

Kiss me like you missed me.

You’re a lot smarter than I look. You can’t really live until you’ve died a little.

You are not judge, jury or executioner.

You’ve let me down for the last time. What did I do to piss off a grumpy old sucker with a Winter Soldier arm?

You shut your trashmouth!

Sorry, I tend to process traumatic events with dad jokes. 

The only thing that does make sense is that nothing makes sense.

I make grave mistakes all the time. It all seems to work out.

You are my sadness and my hope. But mostly, you’re my love.

Good morning! Are you ready for your hot fresh cup of bodily harm?

You’re not seriously thinking of going back, are you?

Piss off, ghost! I have to get off this planet.

It’s an honor to meet you, officially. I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping.

We never lose our demons. We only learn to live above them.

I’m expendable. That’s why I’m here.

Some of the best love stories begin with a murder.

You ever feel lost? Just look into the eyes of the people you love.

Do I have to figure out my whole future before lunch, or is there, like…?”

He’d rather lose this fight than lose you.

I’m gonna have to rain check that dance. 

Don’t do anything I would do, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. There’s a little gray area in there. That’s where you operate.”

Love is a dagger. It’s a weapon to be wielded far away or up close. You can see yourself in it. It’s beautiful until it makes you bleed.

Someday I’m gonna make great machines that fly. And me and my friends are gonna go flying together, into the forever and beautiful sky.

There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t regret having said yes.

I just want a chance to prove myself. Because that’s what heroes do!

You know what I like about being upset? The blame.

You’re just using me to get to (...). That’s so gross, you’re not even my friend.

You don’t have to fight anyone, but we’re in danger so we have to move.

Your hair looks nice. What did you do to it? Did you change it, maybe wash it?

He is as dishonourable as he is attractive.

Where do you store all this useless information?

Good is not a thing you are. It's a thing you do.

You know you didn’t have to humiliate him in front of everyone.

House blowing up builds character.

I’m just a bad guy who gets paid to fuck up even worse guys.

Motherfucker, you’re the world’s worst friend.

Less talking, more kissing.

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

I know what you’re going to say, but this guy/girl/person is all the way bad.

You are so pathologically self-observed

Love the optimism, but in my experience, when it looks bad, it’s usually worse.

I do not understand the intricacies of social interaction.

What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say, Jesus?

I told you that when I was drunk, why are you bringing this up?

Please tell me nobody just kissed me.

There’s a shawarma place two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.

If he ends up being evil, we’ll just kill him.

Trying to get you to stop has been one of the few failures of my entire life.

! Do you ever feel like your life is one monumental screw-up?

You people have no shame! What does the FBI even stand for? Forever Bothering Individuals?

Ninja Turtle, you better stop poking me.

I get emails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy.

I just keep imagining you waking up in the morning, sir, looking in the mirror and then in all seriousness saying to yourself, ‘You know what would be a really kickass name? ______!’

I told you, I don’t want to join your super-secret boy band.

Look, I’m going to be totally honest with you:

I forgot you’re here. Well, I was in the neighborhood so I thought I’d save you the hassle.

So are you two…do you…fondue?

You call me _______ again, I’ll shove my foot up somewhere it’s not supposed to be.

Don’t drink fountain water, you idiot.

That’s disgusting.

We'll be okay. You can rest now.

I do some dumb things and it ends up hurting the people I love the most.

Maybe you need a partner, someone to watch your back.

You can do it. You can do anything.

Together, we’ll figure something out.

Missed me, missed me, now you gotta- You know what, forget I said anything.

I’m not one to be judgemental, but you, sir, are an extremely disturbed man.

Lie is such an ugly word. I prefer misdirection

I just conned the hell out of you and here you are trying to save me. How can you be so damn nice all the time?

[and-then-there-were-n0ne]

Even as adherence to orthodox Christian belief waned and a secular liberal culture became the default mode of life in the West, religious moral assumptions long continued to be considered axiomatic. Some even regarded them as universally inherent to humanity, a framework on which a progressively more atheistic culture would construct an ever more peaceful, just, and enlightened society. But this is not what happened. Instead, like Wile E. Coyote, we made it past the edge of the cliff only to witness the return of moral gravity. Instead of a humanistic atheism, Davidson argues, something different—something ancient—filled the void left by Christianity. Paganism has made a comeback.

This doesn’t mean that kids have started making sacrifices to Zeus and Thor (though interest in Wicca and other modern forms of playacting at witchcraft has surged, especially among young women). Rather, as Louise Perry has explained in these pages (“We Are Repaganizing,” October 2023), paganism is better thought of as mankind’s default outlook on the world. The pagan worships the immanent, including worldly gods and worldly things, and so what he ultimately comes to worship above all else is power: power in the world and over it. In Perry’s words: “To put it crudely, most cultures look at the powerful and the wealthy and assume that they must be doing something right to have attained such might. The poor are poor because of some failing of their own, whether in this life or the last.” It was Christianity’s “topsy-turvy attitude toward weakness and strength” that made it so revolutionary—and so anthropologically odd. So now, as societies revert to the pagan mean, moral beliefs we mistakenly thought were unshakably foundational, such as that every person possesses inherent human dignity, or that unwanted babies shouldn’t be abandoned to die, are being upended in favor of the old ways. Thus we end up with growing public support in the West for policies such as state-facilitated euthanasia.

Davidson’s most important contribution in Pagan America is to explain how repaganization can be expected to change the character of the American state, alongside society more broadly. Until now, America has been governed largely by the tenets of political liberalism. But as Davidson points out, liberalism always relied on “a source of vitality that does not originate from it and that it cannot replenish”: the Christian faith. And as the nation repaganizes, “we will revert to an older form of civilization, one in which power alone matters and the weak and the vulnerable count for nothing”—neither in spirit nor in law. “As Christianity fades in America,” Davidson warns, “so too will our system of government, our civil society, and all our rights and freedoms.” The state will no longer allow the principle of individual rights or conscience to override its desires, and it will not hesitate to use force to get its way, even if that means violating previously sacred norms by, say, threatening to break up the families of those who refuse to submit.

The pagan state, on this view, will not pretend to maintain any sort of liberal neutrality. Instead, Davidson argues, “We will have a public or state morality, just as Rome had, which will be quite separate from whatever religion one happens to profess.” What will this state morality consist of? Davidson believes we can already see it being instantiated everywhere: a solipsistic focus on self-expression, self-empowerment, and pride; a radical emphasis of unabridged individual autonomy and liberation from all customs, taboos, and constraints, including all duties and relational ties; an extreme aversion to boundaries and limits on desire, and the self-creation not only of all aspects of personal identity, but of the body, nature, and reality itself; and ultimately an undiluted worship of the self and the will to power, hidden behind a mask of empathy, tolerance, and the language of the therapeutic. Under this regime the strictest of commandments will be that it is forbidden to forbid anything. [...]

Davidson predicts that life under this regime will be characterized by oppression and coercive violence, and that this “violence will be official—carried out by government bureaucrats, police, health care workers, NGOs, public schools, and Big Tech.” Those who refuse to render the expected moral sacrifices to Caesar are likely to come under intense pressure to conform, hounded not only by the state but by all the aligned institutions of American society. They can expect life to become very difficult: their bank accounts closed, their ability to travel restricted, their access to education and employment limited. The threat of arrest and prosecution for “extremism” and other vague crimes will loom constantly. Such an environment of totalitarian coercion should be expected because, in addition to delineating loyalty, the doctrines of official ideologies always serve as a means of coordination and mobilization across the disparate elements of a regime. By permeating every level of the many institutions of the American managerial apparatus and determining the thoughts and behavior of their members, from journalists to judges, the new pagan public morality will become integral to the function of the system as a whole. In other words, we will live under a pagan integralist state.

Davidson, for his part, does not shy away from accepting the inevitability of this future. “America as we know it will come to an end,” he writes. “Instead of free citizens in a republic, we will be slaves in a pagan empire.” Only the wealthy and powerful will do what they will, while the rest suffer what they must. “What awaits us on the other side of Christendom,” he declares, “is a pagan dark age.” And “in the second decade of the twenty-first century,” he writes, “we can say with some confidence that this dark age has begun.”

It is for me always a bit of an odd experience to read someone who is even more pessimistic than I am. I get an eerie tingling sensation, an unwelcome and unsettling suspicion that things aren’t as bad as all that. In this case something nagged at me as I reread Davidson’s thesis. Something seemed not quite right . . . Ah, there it was: “Nothing is true, everything is permitted.” This is the slogan he repeats many times throughout the book to encapsulate the core proposition of paganism, ancient and modern.

This, it strikes me, is wrong. The pagan of the ancient world may have held a moral worldview alien to ours, but he was no nihilist. Quite the opposite. For the pagan, immanence was indeed his lived reality. And that meant that everything around him—every tree, every blade of grass, every gust of wind—was suffused with spirit and enchanted with meaning and symbol. Everything had soul. The divine was alive and present all around him, for good or ill. Every swooping hawk and every moving star could be an omen of fear or favor, a story revealing a glimpse into the workings of fate and the drama of the gods. Everything might be true, anything was possible.

But not everything was permitted. The world for the pagan—as it remains for many tribal peoples today—was rife with taboos and solemn duties. Guests must be protected and treated with complete sanctity under a strict code of propriety, lest one attract the wrath of the gods. Sacred ground must be maintained in absolute purity. The best sacrifices must be offered to honor and placate the ancestral dead, or to ensure the continued right working of the universe. The flame of the sacred hearth must be tended at all times, the proper rites continuously performed. A Roman wife must be carried across the threshold of her new household with great care that she never touch the boundary, for her transit was not only between families but across divine realms.

Our dim and pallid modernist world could not be more different from the pagan’s. Here all has been reduced to mere matter, moved about by the collision of atoms. There is no meaning in the wind. There are no spirits in the trees nor stories in the stars. We can no longer see them. Nor for most of us does God seem, as the early Christians felt deeply, to permeate each breath and every stone of creation with his energy, present at once in all things and beyond all things. Ours is a profane, mechanistic world—a dead world, in which the vast majority of us have, perhaps literally, lost the ability to perceive that it is still alive. Instead, in our drab materialism, most of us live in a kind of self-imposed virtual reality, obsessed with predictability and technocratic control.

Only in such a meaningless world can the proposition “nothing is true, everything is permitted” make any sense to its inhabitants. It is not, then, the slogan of paganism, but something else entirely: the worldview of materialist modernity, produced by the centuries of metaphysical drift that first pushed God out of the world and then pushed the Western mind deeper and deeper into cold rationalism—and from thence into the great disenchantment of the Enlightenment, then on to the unprecedented murderousness of the twentieth century’s utopian revolutionary theories, then the bleak relativistic nihilism of the present. Though Davidson does include a chapter on the rise of materialism, overall his book glosses over this nearly thousand-year devolution. Instead the narrative largely reverts to a simple binary: There was a pagan world; Christianity triumphed over it but never dealt it a mortal blow; now we are sliding from Christendom back into paganism.

Is this really what is happening? C. S. Lewis, for one, was always skeptical of such claims. He wrote that he found it “hard to have patience with those . . . who warn us that we are ‘relapsing into Paganism.’” The whole notion relied, he said, on the “false idea” that secularized former Christians could return “by the same door” through which they’d entered the present. In reality, this is impossible because to a post-Christian materialist the pagan world of symbol and spirit remains wholly unintelligible. “A post-Christian man is not a Pagan; you might as well think that a married woman recovers her virginity by divorce. The post-Christian is cut off from the Christian past and therefore doubly from the Pagan past.” In fact, he pointed out, “Christians and Pagans had much more in common with each other than either has with a post-Christian. The gap between those who worship different gods is not so wide as that between those who worship and those who do not.”

So who is right? Are we repaganizing or not? Perhaps both are right, in a way. Lewis is probably correct that what we’ve seen so far can’t quite be described as a straightforward return to paganism. But something is now happening: Amid our broader civilizational turmoil, the zeitgeist does seem to be shifting dramatically, shaking off the remnants of tepid, Christian-influenced secular liberalism in favor of something new, inchoate, and potentially very dark. So far it is not Christian. But—and this is I believe by far the more important point—neither is it the soulless materialism that Lewis feared had already conquered the world, severing us from the past and from the divine. 

What we seem to be seeing is a broad and accelerating reaction against and rejection of the materialist framework of Enlightenment modernity. It is now observable throughout Western culture and politics. The young would-be feminists flocking to “WitchTok” for advice on how to conjure love and manifest success are hardly atheists. Neither are the young men of the right who, if not crowding back into traditionalist churches, grope for a spirituality of strength, vitality, and meaning among the aesthetic ruins of ancient warrior cults. These are people searching for the sacred, even if they don’t know where to look. In fact, sometime during the last decade, the atheist movement seems to have quietly died off as a cultural force.

What is happening? Citing a recent wave of religious conversions by formerly atheistic public intellectuals, Jordan Peterson has argued that we are experiencing the beginning of a “Counter-Enlightenment.” The centuries-old Enlightenment consensus, including the idea that the materialist-rationalists’ “dead facts” could serve as a guide to existence, has, he believes, turned out to be badly wrong, and now an epochal reckoning is building. (As for his own contribution, Peterson said he’s now writing a book that aims—he remarks offhandedly—to “demolish the atheistic argument permanently.”) I think he is right: The whole edifice of modernity is in crisis. But this should be a cause for Christian hope, not panic. In fact, it seems possible that our time may witness a transition not into Davidson’s new “pagan dark age,” but out of what Lewis called the true dark age of modern materialism.

More than a hundred years before Peterson, the German historian Oswald Spengler predicted that, beginning sometime in the twenty-first century, “a last spiritual crisis” would shake a declining West and lead to a resurgence of religiosity, a long era of renewed piety that he dubbed a “Second Religiousness.” Spengler based this prediction on his reading of the life cycles of many major civilizations, all of which had, in his telling, been brought low by an “age of theory,” in which a hubris of materialist rationalism crystallized into self-induced mechanistic madness, decadence, and civilizational decay. In time, however, this epoch always came to an end, as “the possibilities of physics as a critical mode of world-understanding are exhausted, and the hunger for metaphysics presents itself afresh.”

“For us, too,” writes Spengler, “let there be no mistake about it—the age of theory is drawing to its end. . . . In its place is developing even now the seed of a new resigned piety, sprung from tortured conscience and spiritual hunger.” But first civilization would be swept, as in every historical case, by a temporary period of bizarre superstitions and syncretic cults:

Everywhere it is just a toying with myths that no one really believes, a tasting of cults that it is hoped might fill the inner void. The real belief is always the belief in atoms and numbers, but it requires this highbrow hocus-pocus to make it bearable in the long run. Materialism is shallow and honest, mock-religion shallow and dishonest. But the fact that the latter is possible at all foreshadows a new and genuine spirit of seeking that declares itself, first quietly, but soon emphatically and openly, in the civilized waking-consciousness.

In the end, what “starts with Rationalism’s fading out in helplessness” concludes “as if a mist cleared off the land and revealed the old forms” of that “first, genuine, young religiousness” that once drove the civilization to cultural greatness. Spengler was predicting a sweeping re-Christianization of the West.

Could this really happen? I do not know. What I am confident of is that, before Christianity could ever flourish again, the iron cage of materialism would indeed need to be broken and the world re-enchanted, filled again with an immanence of spirit. It is the materialist worldview—not pagan foes—that has for centuries smothered and subverted Christian faith and passion.

But with the veil of materialism lifted, could we expect that paganism, too, might have a chance to flourish again, as Davidson predicts? That the West might face a “dark enchantment” as much as a return to the light? Yes, I think so. The deadening effect of materialism has undermined paganism no less than Christianity. Freed from its grip, we may all be off to the races.

In that case I’d say: Do not be afraid. This situation would be familiar terrain for the Church. After all, it was precisely in the pagan world, amid its simultaneous suffering and enchantment, that the Christian faith spread like wildfire. There is no reason it should not do so again. Even in the worst case, if Christianity finds itself badly persecuted, as in Davidson’s pagan America, persecution may ultimately give it new strength—as it so often has.

So perhaps the rise of a little paganism is a necessary development for renewal—a cause for hope, not despair. It may end up merely preparing the way, as it did before. At least I find a wry poetry in the idea that, should we face a great relapse into paganism, the Enemy may have inadvertently planted the seeds of a greater Christian triumph. God does seem to have a strange habit of winning that way.

[the-firebird69]

Yo Gotti - Rake It Up ft. Nicki Minaj

It looks like this we have a huge problem and this is look like helpful solution but it really does no if these cars go there they come here and want money and stuff what should I do avoid you. I don't understand what you're saying we're another impediment in front of his survival and we want to serve the empire we don't really want to but that's what we're doing.

Stan

It's kind of a tough formula if you do this we're top side and these people get excited and it says so what I get territory and we're just going to fight the empire eventually or someone else and hand it over and to the empire and that's what I'm saying he has a point I said we're making him do the job just let him sit there and get pissed off and do nothing else and the empire The empire is encouraging this type of thing to occur but they need that s*** out of the way is the currency occurring to me that they need that s*** out of the way and we're just sitting here being assholes feels like as well I can send some of it out and then you might actually buy cars and it's true this is a pain in the ass you guys want everything for nothing and just for bothering him and what he says is I don't like to be bothered so going to go over again in class or whatever you want to call it because you don't listen at all stan

Mac daddy

So we're supposed to sit there and take it like a man but really these people fight the other people they said wow no way is it because of race I don't find these idiot racist to be racist in any way. So he couldn't say it I have no one can say it's a massively racist and they're dumb as a post and they look like Billy Hicks

Stan

What you're saying is if you bring them Lamborghinis on Corvette chassis for the Corvette engine that they'll come here and mess around with people and other places so why don't we just do that and Terry cheesman says no and everybody says no but really they're going to be messing with us and I can care less

Trump

Are you the guys stopping people at the border

Zues Hera

Yeah I guess so you don't do anything anymore and we don't go anywhere and we don't hire anyone but we expect everything

Trump

We're going to have to test this idea out it seems interesting to me

Thor Freya

We could also get parts for Corvette and quite easily as a matter of fact we can get new engines and suspension tires and rims and accessories easier than for these used cars that there's tons of it's amazing you never think this is true but you can't this car is so fast and it's really nice and stock and people just don't go out and buy as many as they could it's really weird it's like the super car and it's cheap and anyone can buy one and it just sits there I've seen Corvettes sit on the car lots for a year yet they go like almost 300 miles an hour and inside is real nice I don't know what the hell is with people it's so damn strange

And yeah the models in the video are popular it looks like a Ferrari versus the Lamborghini and I'm in the pink room and that one is famous where we are no not Los Angeles thank you though yeah it's famous there we're famous there and we used to watch YouTube around and doing nothing these people are so stupid and lame he has a fun party everybody was huge and these people were there faking their black there's so much fun he says it was boring and just really awful most of the time since this kid going out with his parents and they weren't there of course but these people are demented parents and he's trying to tell him you're not my parents he's trying to tell him to get off and with that cuz it's like abusive and that makes sense they've adopted him and we're not doing anything that's pretty insightful of us

Nikki yes not spelled exactly right

Olympus

[worthystill]

for the life of him, thor cannot explain to himself WHY he is holding back. a god of want he has always been and never let anything stop him. whatever he has wanted in this existence he has gotten because he was committed to getting it. why does he hesitate now? it is simple. RESPECT. steve has expressed his worries and thoughts. they've been entangled and near an edge they could not possibly hope to come back from. the other was not ready and thor cannot push him no matter how much he wishes to.

no matter what he does, where realm he disappears to, or how he distracts himself, his heart ACHES to let himself melt into the captain's embrace. be there for him in ways no one has and show him that there is absolutely nothing in this world that he should fear. at least not with him. they could take on this world together if only steve would allow it, but for now thor remains a faithful friend yearning for what he cannot yet have.

on asgard there are no rules or expectations. sure he would be expected to produce an heir when he was king but there are ways around that. everyone lives so freely that it is simply hard for him to imagine being unable to live any other way. though he does try. there is more to the weight on his shoulders than just the universe. they both know that. it is far greater than any weight he has ever felt which is saying something.

"Perhaps it is not so dire, but then why does it feel as such?" he says with a ghost of a laugh. typically, the god is so full of life and wonder, with nary a frown in sight. always the embodiment of sunshine despite his kinship to the storm. maybe he has a flair for the dramatics with his words but his heart tends to feel so much that he cannot help himself.

thor turns to him, and offers a small smirk in offering of the attempted humor. neither one of them know how to navigate this territory and that is okay. he says nothing for a long moment but his chest heaves with a dreaded sigh. "we signed up for this though didn't we? sacrificing everything for the good of it all. " that is the pair's one true flaw. they'd sacrifice their own happiness to help anyone and everyone. seems as if they have already veered down that treacherous path.

THERE WAS THIS THING BETWEEN THEM. steve hadn't been able to deny that it was there; working and spending time with the god of thunder had bloomed something undeniable, something that unfurled within him. it wasn't bad, nor was it against any rules, and it didn't hurt anyone; none more than the two of them, at least. but steve was hesitant to let them have what could be given the time he was from.

and he hadn't meant to hurt thor, but he also -- stupidly -- hadn't seen what was coming until it was too late. he'd had to pull away.

--- i don't know if the world is ready for captain america to be gay. ---

because he was the shield, and the weight of it not only had a weight of expectation with it, but it also tethered him to his time. from his upbringing. nineteen-forty-five wouldn't have accepted a gay man, never mind a bisexual one; and though steve had been aware of his interest in men while growing up, he also had never acted on it. there was also the fact that he was raised catholic; he attended church and it had been drilled into him what god supposedly saw as a sin. he might not believe it himself but the pressure of those teachings still bore down on him like a ten-ton weight.

thor was a literal god and deserved far better than to have any interest in someone with as much baggage as steve -- but ironic as it was, the super-soldier also couldn't stay away, even if he knew it was for the best.

his brows are furrowed in concern, blue eyes moving over the god for some indication toward what was troubling him. and somehow, the words that left the thunderer's mouth didn't sit quite right between them -- so he tries for humour, offering a lopsided smile as an olive branch of sorts.

" the universe, huh? that really makes everyday problems seem real small in comparison, doesn't it. "

he hears himself the moment the words are out, cringing inwardly at his own awkwardness. he never had been any good at not making himself look like an idiot in front of people he had feelings for.

[themculibrary]

Amnesia/Memory Loss Masterlist 2

part one

at last, my love has come along (ao3) - parkrstark steve/tony T, 5k

Summary: He wakes up only knowing three things: he was familiar with hospitals, his mother was an angel, and he might not know his own name, but he knows that man is Tony. Tony is good, and warm, and nice.

Tony is also apparently his husband. And they have a son. Together, they spend the next few weeks trying to piece his memories together, wondering if they'll ever find them all, and if they don't will they be able to love like they once did?

birth (ao3) - daisy_mooon T, 2k

Summary: Her name is Carol, and she is dying. Her name is Vers, and she has just been born.

Blank Slate (ao3) - sariane steve/bucky G, 4k

Summary: When Steve looks up at him, his eyes are slow to focus on Bucky. Steve sends him a blank look.

“Who’s Steve?” he asks.

Bucky’s heart sinks.

déjà vu (ao3) - lokitty11 steve/tony T, 5k

Summary: "I'm sorry, soldier, but you've got the wrong man," Steve says.

Forget me (not) (ao3) - Myrsky bucky/tony G, 1k

Summary: Every inch of his body hurts. Waking up not-on-his-bed hurts more.

Has he been kidnapped again? Why is he at hospital? Who is that man (not that he isn't gorgeous, but why does he want to hold his hand?) Where are his friends?

[hospital setting, brief mention of a car accident]

I Guess Being Lonely Fits Me (ao3) - ErrorInLoading T, 3k

Summary: "Who...who are you?" He finally spoke. The man immediately froze.

He may not know who he is, or where he is, or what happened, but he did know that the expression on the strange man's face was panic.

Keystone (ao3) - KiaraSayre N/R, 6k

Summary: "Do you remember anything?" the man says. "Do you know who you are?"

He stares, trying to connect himself as he is now to something that existed before. There is nothing, and the concept fits strangely in his head, unsettled and instinctive and repulsive at the same time.

"No," he says finally.

lacuna (ao3) - alcibiades steve/bucky E, 62k

Summary: The Winter Soldier doesn't remember Steve Rogers, but he needs Rogers' help.

OR: The one where Bucky doesn't remember Steve, but falls in love with him anyway.

Memento (ao3) - elle1991 steve/bucky E, 31k

Summary: A deadly virus has decimated the world's population. The lucky ones die quickly. The unlucky ones die slowly - becoming increasingly zombie-like and aggressive.

This is the post-apocalyptic world that Steve Rogers wakes up to, after a 4-month medically-induced coma at a military base - his memory gone.

As food supplies run low, he and a handful of other survivors - fellow amnesiacs Bucky and Natasha, along with the mysterious Dr. Banner - are forced to leave the relative safety of the base.

With their memories gone, they have only their instincts, one another, and mysterious mementos they left for themselves prior to their amnesia - objects that they hoped might one day manage to make them remember who they really are...

Memory (Is a Vital Process) (ao3) - Rowantreeisme T, 3k

Summary: Death: The permanent ending of one or more vital processes.

AKA the angsty as all hell amnesia fic that absolutely no one asked for. Enjoy.

Missing Memories (ao3) - Sillysbarka16 G, 3k

Summary: Peter lost his memories in a battle and wakes to think Tony is his dad.

Tony doesn't correct him.

New Memories (ao3) - STARSdidathing loki/tony T, 10k

Summary: Loki enjoys exploring the other villain lairs as it can provide all manner of information and items to steal. He does not expect to find Anthony Stark as a prisoner. Nor does he expect the man to act so... strangely.

(Now You're Just) Somebody That I Used To Know (ao3) - AverageMarvelBitch steve/tony, mentioned bucky/natasha, mentioned thor/bruce G, 8k

Summary: Thanks to Loki, Steve remembers everything and everyone, except for Tony.

Tony tries to deal with it until Strange comes back and fixes his partner so they can be together again. And he has to believe that whatever happened with Steve can be fixed, because he doesn't know what he'd do if he lost the man he loves forever.

Reflex Memories (ao3) - sariane steve/bucky M, 34k

Summary: Bucky Barnes never remembers who he is.

That doesn’t stop him from falling in love with Steve Rogers.

Remember (ao3) - thenigotthisfamily (guitarplayer3) T, 6k

Summary: Yelena is injured and can’t remember who Natasha is. The Black Widow finds herself unraveling for the first time ever because of it.

Something (ao3) - wylanvanecks steve/bucky G, 1k

Summary: Living with Bucky is some odd form of torture for Steve. Seeing the man you love look at you and see nothing but another vaguely familiar face was nearly as heart-breaking as losing him had been the first time.

stardust (to remember you by) (ao3) - Tiny_Dragongirl T, 4k

Summary: The ballad of missing memories, fake identities, and driving lessons, told by Peter Parker, one hell of a masochist.

Still Fading Marks (ao3) - Diary clint/natasha T, 5k

Summary: AU. Loki takes all memory of Natasha from Clint. Natasha's POV. Complete.

Tabula Rasa (ao3) - PinkEasterEggs steve/tony G, 6k

Summary: “Tony,” the blonde sighed his name, as if it were a prayer. “Thank God you’re okay. We were worried for a second.”

Tony frowned, staring at the hand holding his own. What was going on?

“I’m sorry,” the teenage boy sniffed, eyes pooling with tears as he stared down at Tony with such a sorry expression that the genius wondered if he was meant to actually feel bad for this kid.

“Peter,” the blonde man gave the teenager a look. It was clear they’d had this conversation a million times. “What have i said? It wasn’t your fault; Dad doesn’t blame you— right Tony?”

Tony cleared his throat, both pairs of blue and brown eyes getting brought back to him. “Okay, this has been fun but who the hell are you?”

When a mission goes wrong, Tony gets hurt and loses his memory. The last 25 years is wiped from his mind and he wakes up in a 47 year old body with a 22 year old mind. Apparently he has a family now?

the gift of forgetting (ao3) - stars2dust G, 2k

Summary: It’s been a month since Strange’s spell. Since everyone in Peter’s universe forgot who he was in order to send the multiversal beings back. But something must have gone wrong, because Peter-Three is still here.

And he doesn’t know his own name.

OR

Peter is struggling after the events of No Way Home and maybe an older brother is exactly what he needs right now.

[worstloki]

What is your favorite kind of thorki fanfic? Everyone knows that you read them

okay okay so imagine all the terrible popular fanon tropes that get attributed to Loki. Now hand them over to Thor and do them well—!

[rukia-writes]

Ignore this if you’ve already answered something like this, but I’m curious to know your opinion on it.

The gods are used to being worshiped for what they do and what not..I wonder which gods would be ones to be worshiping their s/os. Like, not just in the bedroom.

Especially if the s/o is pregnant with their child- I wonder how worse it would get.

Warnings: mentions of pregnancy

Hercules is loves his beloved so much. He worships them either in private or outside. It doesn’t matter to him though and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

Hercules revolves around his beloved. His beloved is the sun and he’s just happy to be around them. (See picture above 👆🏼) once pregnant he’s so sweet but very protective of them. He’ll do his best to make sure the pregnancy goes smoothly also he likes to kiss their stomach. 🎀 he really likes to do that especially late in the pregnancy.

Yet another god who believes his s/o is the sun and everything revolves around them. He’s like to worship his s/o privately, he’s the god of the underworld. However, he’s not afraid to compliment them in public. If his s/o thinks the worship stops because they are pregnant it only increases, he too likes to kiss their beloved’s belly when they are pregant. Compliments and is just really tender with them 🎀

A king really🎀🙇🏼‍♀️

Ares is really sweet and would love to worship his s/o outside infront of everyone but Hermes. Ares doesn’t want to picked on more than he already is. Ares has a few pet names like “sweetie” mainly sweetie might sneak a “honey” in there. But only in private. When his sweetie is pregnant all they have to do is breathe and Ares compliments them. 😭 he’s so sweet. Cravings? Nothing is too weird for Ares.

Everyone knew this was coming. 😭

Thor is silent worshipper. Like Hercules and Ares, his s/o is the sun ☀️ and everything else follows. Thor’s form of worship is silent but his s/o can expect cuddles and a few words of love. Also, whatever his s/o wants they get. Now, once his love is pregnant Thor is very protective. Again, while Thor is somewhat quiet he likes to rub his s/o belly and try to talk to the baby. 😭 if his beloved tells him the baby can’t hear him, Thor will debate them with “I saw the baby kick.” 🎀

While Shiva is used to getting praise he likes to give it as well. His beloved means the world to him and he lets them know, publicly or privately. If his beloved is feeling down about something Shiva will make sure their head is held high. Kisses and winks Shiva has no shame. 🎀 once his beloved is pregnant, like Thor, he likes to talk to his s/o belly and while giving a series of compliments. 🎀

This bitch. 🎀🙇🏼‍♀️

Aphrodite has no shame, I’m sorry. Her beloved is worshipped daily. While she does expect it in return no one really does it like Aphrodite, she’s sweet and will worship her beloved infront of whoever. Compliments. “You look so cute today, (Name).” Has her golems get whatever her beloved wants while she cuddles with her beloved. Aphrodite is aware of the rollercoaster ride of emotions one has when pregnant and Aphrodite is all for it. Never leaves their side and worships more than ever. Kisses and hugs and compliments all of it. 🎀

Hermes worships his beloved privately, however it’s not because he’s embarrassed or anything, he just needs silence so he can play his music that he wrote for them. Which is a whole book of songs 🎀 Once his s/o pregnant a few things change. More compliments and he prefers to do the chores. He likes the pregnant glow, shhh 🤫🎀

🎀Rukia-Writes🎀