#after civil war

[vertigoartgore]

2007's Thor (Vol.3) #1 cover by Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales & Laura Martin.

[mrfandomwars]

Steve Rogers is a firm believer of museums giving back the artefacts that they stole, not only because he genuinely believes people deserve to have their things back, but also because the Smithsonian refuses to give him back his shit, and if he doesn't get his family recipe book, his mother's jacket and his father's hat, god willing he will-

[vee-nyx]

to celebrate 8 years since civil war release, let’s review all the ways tony stark was an absolute loser and actually the reason thanos won in infinity war:

created an omnicidal A.I. that the rest of the team warned him against creating

decided that the entire team needed to become government puppets because he felt guilty for creating said A.I. that, once again, NO ONE SUPPORTED HIM IN MAKING

(also the reason bucky was forced back into the fight bc tony caused sokovia and thus caused zemo’s need for revenge but i digress on that pt)

when members of the team who can’t disconnect from their abilities raised concerns about how the accords dehumanized them, he had them arrested or locked them in his tower

bribed (yes, bribed) a child into fighting on his side because he knew he was outmatched

instructed vision to shoot sam out of the sky and then shot sam point-blank when he avoided the blast that would’ve left him severely injured AND LANDED TO HELP THE PERSON IT HIT

wanda on the raft. this is its own point. he let her be restrained and collared like a fucking DOG as if he hadn’t already done enough damage in her life (killing her parents & brother)

proceeded to break the accords THAT HE HELPED WRITE to chase cap across the globe because he felt left out of the action

blamed a brainwashed pow for BEING FORCED to kill the starks AGAINST HIS WILL and proceeded to BLOW HIS ARM OFF and ATTEMPT TO KILL HIM DESPITE KNOWING THAT NONE OF IT WAS HIS CHOICE

mocked natasha’s trauma because she dared to disagree with his methods (he is, in fact, incapable of letting go of his ego for one goddamn second)

even after receiving an apology, refused to contact cap for three years despite KNOWING about the threat of thanos

in conclusion,

[legalandnotease]

it is concerning how much faith Tony fans have in the government and the political establishment: especially the ones who call themselves "liberal".

Like, its a consistent theme throughout the MCU that establishment figures and politicians cannot be trusted. They're almost always the villians or aligned witht the villians.

They never pass up an oppurtunity to screw over the little people. Which is arguably one of the most realistic aspects of the MCU.

Take how they say Steve "should have gone throught the right legal channels" to help Bucky in Civil War.

The movie takes great pains to show us that Steve *tried to do that*. Like Bucky let himself be arrested as soon as he got away from Ross kill squad.

And what happened? He's handed over to the CIA and denied a trial or legal representation (E. Ross laughing at the idea of him having a lawyer which is a human right enshrined in International law)

Its clearly shown that those in power were *not interested* in who really bombed the UN. They just got hold of the nearest convenient scapegoat and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible to look good. To look as though they were doing something.

No due process, no investigation. Zip. They didn't even bother with proper security at the detention facility considering Zemo was just able to walk in armed only with a fake ID card.

Steve was basically *forced* to clear Bucky's name himself, because the establishment were not interested in real justice. It wasn't even some "arrogant American" version of justice either.

Like... finding the *right* person who bombed the UN and killed King T'Chaka should have been a priority for anybody.

Convicting the wrong person for a crime is contrary to most people's interpetation of justice, because it means that the person who actually did it goes unpunished.

[toppermostpoppermost]

i like to remind everyone myself that this is only a film

CIVIL WAR (2024) dir. Alex Garland

[felucians]

it is my biggest complaint that the mcu didn't just get Cap to call Magneto during the events of Civil War because Wanda is literally his daughter and Magneto vs Iron Man is a fight I personally deserved to witness

[danysdragonflies]

At what point does falling into the water with your homie after fighting and then dragging each other out turn gay?

[charlietheepicwriter7]

"Mr. Bubbles, Mr. Bubbles-"

A little boy's voice--the first little boy that Tim had discovered in the labyrinth city below Gotham--echoed through the cavernous halls. Tim crept over the rubble of a broken stalagmite that had fallen through the ceiling, destroying the white and gold decor and dripping water inside. The room up ahead was lit only from glowing green tubes of liquid that lined every wall of Amity, the ectoplasm that powered the entire city.

"Are you there? Are you there?"

He peeked out from behind a crumbled wall. On his own, the little boy was crouched over corpse, fresh enough that it's blood was still wet on the floor. The boy's giant needle, the go-to weapon of all the Little Sisters that Tim had seen so far, was jabbed into the corpse's stomach and, slowly, ectoplasm and blood filled the glass jar on the end.

"Bring me a lolli-"

There was no sign of a Big Daddy, but Tim knew there was one nearby. These children were never without their protectors after all.

"Bring me a toffee-"

And at this point, Tim had killed enough of them to know for certain that one was around.

His left arm, marked all over with the needle marks of constant Plasm and ecto-dejecto injections, tingled, like there were ants under his skin. Or more accurate, he mused grimly, electricity-

Don't Think About It.

"Teddy bear, teddy bear."

He kicked his bare feet excitedly as he finished harvesting ectoplasm. Screwing off the jar, the child lifted it up to his lips like a cup and drank the viscus liquid down in huge, chest-heaving gulps like his life depended on it. Unlike Little Sisters who wore gore-covered dresses, the Little Brother was dressed in a white medical gown, relatively clean considering his filthy surroundings. His arms and face were free from dirt or blood, and even his hair looked suspiciously washed and combed.

Tim tightened his grip on his gun.

The Little Brother sighed, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Brushing off his skirt, he yanked the needle out of the corpse. Then, like he could sense him, the boy looked straight at Tim. He froze.

Blank eyes covered in a green flim stared at him... and the Little Brother smiled at him, his teeth stained brown from the muck. "Mr. Helper! There you are, I've been waiting soooo long! Big Sister thought you'd never catch up!"

[kingsmoot]

i really like the tension between theon and jon as they fight over the bottom rung of the stark household. jon spent four years he might not even remember with no one beneath him. theon was 10 when they met and would have found himself on equal footing with a bastard toddler. jon is of an age with robb, heir to winterfell, and ned stark's son the same as him. but he is also a resented bastard who poses a direct threat to catelyn's trueborn children. and while cat would have never been affectionate towards theon she wouldn't have pointedly and purposefully ignored him the way she did jon. she probably would have felt more open to acknowledging him, actually, since taming a savage greyjoy by integrating him into mainland westerosi culture was the whole point of him being taken as ward. meanwhile jon has spent his life very pointedly separated from his half siblings, surely resentful that the political prisoner is sat at the dias with his uncle and his father while he sits and drinks with the servingmen. it's contentious and precarious and good and i like how many angles to this there are. like you could write out a really exhaustive pros and cons list of "inexplicably claimed + fostered bastard son" vs. "political hostage taken to ward as a child" and you could be as exacting as it is possible to be and they would still be fighting over who had it worst and who was hated most. it was theon, btw.

[tranakin-skywalker]

So I'm pulling most of this out of my ass, but-

I think such an underrated concept to explore is Padme's first few years as senator. Like, just the culture shock of that alone must be enormous, going from Naboo and being the highest voice of authority to suddenly being just one of thousands (or hundreds of thousands depending on what canon you choose).

The slow creeping realization that Palpatine didn't fix any of the problems he told her existed under Valorum. Seeing just how deep and pervasive it really is. Realizing that most of her peers are only there for their own gain, that their priorities are themselves and not the people they claim to serve. That building, burning fury at the injustice of that. That she seems to be one of the only people trying to fix anything. Anger strong enough she could rip someone apart with her teeth that her colleagues are actively trying to stop her from doing that.

And that deep, alienating realization that she is so so alone in caring about any of this.

[prince-liest]

So you keep your characterization for your Hazbin fics pretty canon-compliant/in character, and I know you're averse to getting jossed by newly revealed canon, but are there any bits of canon where you're like "oh, fantastic! Just gonna toss that right in the trash, no thank you <3"

Doesn't have to be for Hazbin either! If you happen to have another media's piece of canon you don't care for go ahead and toss that in there if you like :3

Categorically and unambiguously, Viv's assertion that Alastor's teeth are that color because he doesn't brush them.

NO, THANK YOU. 🙃

My writing in particular fandoms tends to start out with me having a strong preference for canon and compliance, and then the further along I get the more I'm like, okay, I'll explore all the weird AUs and genderswaps and whatnot. Fundamentally though even within AUs I get most of my joy from drawing parallels to canon and expanding on the themes and constraints that canon has established. And I do still defensively tag my Hazbin fics as "written after season 1" so that people at least know, haha.

BUT. THAT PARTICULAR TIDBIT?

DEATH OF THE AUTHOR.

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

Sasha using the title "Lord" in RiAAU after taking over Toad Tower and presumably killing Grime and stealing Barrel's Warhammer from him, and other political and military leaders assuming she's a man because, well, Sasha is a gender neutral name, so they hear Lord Sasha and assume they're talking about an adult male toad warrior. The second most powerful person in the known world and only real threat to the Leviathan reign!

Cue princess Marcy fleeing Newtopia and her father seeking refuge with his worst enemy hoping to offer information and political levarage in exchange for protection, perhaps even offering herself in marriage to transfer eventual inheritances and whatnot, and she finds out that Lord Sasha is not, indeed, a dark and domineering toad warlord, but a beautiful, terrifying girl her age that looks like her and oh god her poor little lesbian heart can barely take it.

[to-be-a-dreamer]

Loving the fact that the current Young Avengers mentor lineup includes the most Normal Dude in the MCU and the ghost of a centuries old spirit witch in a complicated relationship with Death herself who is haunting the son of her ex-situationship because they trauma bonded over having accidental murderous tendencies

[blueiscoool]

Disputed Ukrainian Treasures Returned to Kyiv After Dutch Court Ruling

A haul of Ukrainian treasures sent to Europe for an exhibition nearly 10 years ago have been returned to Kyiv from the Netherlands after a lengthy legal battle.

The collection of ancient artifacts was dispatched to the Netherlands from four museums in Crimea before Russia’s annexation of the region in 2014. But the annexation meant their return has not been straightforward.

“After almost 10 years of litigation, artifacts from four Crimean museums that were presented at the exhibition ‘Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea’ in Amsterdam have returned to Ukraine,” the National Museum of History of Ukraine said in a statement.

The collection comprised 565 items, including antique sculptures, Scythian and Sarmatian jewelry, and Chinese lacquer boxes that are 2,000 years old, the museum said.

Rostyslav Karandieiev, Ukraine’s acting minister of culture and information policy, described the treasures’ homecoming as “our great historical victory.”

“It is very important for us to save and protect our history, traditions, and heritage. This is what we are fighting for at the battlefield. We are fighting for our identity and freedom,” he said.

“The exhibition in the Netherlands was showing the history of Ukrainian Crimea, therefore it is exclusively the people of Ukraine who should possess these treasures,” he added.

In a statement published on its website, the Allard Pierson museum in Amsterdam confirmed that the collection had been kept in storage while the legal dispute raged on over whether items should be returned to Ukraine or the four museums in Russian-controlled Crimea, with both sides claiming ownership rights over the historic pieces.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled on June 9 of this year that the collection should be returned to Kyiv.

In its statement, the Allard Pierson museum went on to say that the items were “independently checked and carefully packed in accordance with museum rules” last month and arrived back in Kyiv on Sunday.

Els van der Plas, director of the museum, said in the statement: “This was a special case, in which cultural heritage became a victim of geopolitical developments. After it became clear in 2014 that the judge would consider the case, we focused on safely storing the artefacts until the time came to return them to their rightful owner. We are pleased that clarity has emerged and that they have now been returned.”

Welcoming the development, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said in a statement: “Until the de-occupation of Crimea, the ‘Scythian Gold’ will be temporarily stored on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.”

By Maria Kostenko, Victoria Butenko and Lianne Kolirin.

[umbracirrus]

Okay, so, I have recently been thinking about axes and their importance in Nord culture in Skyrim, in part because I have something planned in a fanfiction that involves giving an axe and have been doing a little bit of research into it, and I have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole so please bear with me on this mini essay in which I have pulled together my thoughts/observations about axes in Skyrim and my two favourite Jarls, Balgruuf and Ulfric.

So, as anyone who has done the Civil War quests in Skyrim would know, there is a pivotal point in which the balance of power in Skyrim shifts either towards the Empire or the Stormcloaks based purely upon the player's alignment - when Whiterun either aligns with the Imperials or is taken by force by the Stormcloaks. Of course, there is one particular event which happens immediately before the battle begins, and that is the delivery of an axe.

However, at this point I would just like to bring up something which will become relevant later no matter what your alignment - at the point of the axe being sent, you have been named a Thane of Whiterun. Balgruuf won't hear anything to do with the Civil War when a dragon is attacking the Western Watchtower, so becoming both Dragonborn and a Thane is a prerequisite to the Civil War.

If you align with the Empire, it is Balgruuf who decides to send an axe. If you ask why, he gives the explanation that "if he returns it to you it means we have business to settle. If he keeps it, then we are at peace.", and if you ask whether you should say anything, he says that Ulfric knows what it means (also important for later!). The other dialogue option which isn't just 'sure, okay, I'll do that' also says that it is tradition, and that Ulfric honours traditions.

Obviously, Ulfric doesn't accept it and you return to Balgruuf with the news that he will be attacking Whiterun and suddenly, the city is under siege. When you win, Balgruuf personally thanks you for what you have done after his victory speech.

Now, on the other side of things, if you side with the Stormcloaks, it is Ulfric who gives you the axe to take to Balgruuf, but his explanation is much more... succinct. "If he keeps it, I will bide my time. If he returns it to you, it means war."

And as with the other side, because the game would be pretty boring is Balgruuf was to go "sure, I accept Ulfric's axe", he rejects the axe and that in turn means that you return to Ulfric with his axe, and he expresses his disappointment that Balgruuf had done so.

The two Jarls wanted the other on their side, but their views were fundamentally different they couldn't accept. 😭Sending their axes was just a formality, a way of saying 'this is it, we have to fight now'.

So what I am basically getting at, the civil war quest establishes that giving an axe is a way of determining allies and enemies, depending on whether it is accepted or rejected.

Coming back to what I mentioned earlier, in order to do the civil war quest and to talk to Balgruuf in order to either give him Ulfric's axe or to give his axe to Ulfric, you have to have become the Dragonborn and are a Thane of Whiterun. When you become a Thane in Skyrim, you end up receiving a weapon as a reward, typically named 'Blade of *insert hold name here*'. Except in two places.

Whiterun, and Eastmarch. In those places, you get either the Axe of Whiterun or the Axe of Eastmarch.

If I remember correctly, the blade weapons are randomly generated so have the potential to be axes, but these two are specifically named to be and are axes.

What else is in common with Whiterun and Eastmarch?

Their Jarls (Balgruuf and Ulfric) are the only two people in Skyrim who actively partake in and have knowledge of the tradition of the sending of axes.

When you become a Thane of these two holds, you are not just becoming a Thane, you are becoming a trusted ally of the Jarl, somebody who they can rely upon. Even more so with Ulfric, because you can only become a Thane of Eastmarch with Ulfric as Jarl if you are Stormcloak aligned.

Speaking of being Stormcloak aligned, how about a diversion back to the Civil War, specifically when the battle for Whiterun has reached its penultimate stages, Balgruuf has been defeated and has surrendered control of Whiterun. After an argument with Vignar (and I'll get into him later because he makes my blood boil), Balgruuf turns to you and says a line which absolutely breaks my heart - "And you. A Stormcloak? I'd thought better of you." 😭

Balgruuf thought you his ally, he had given you his axe, and you have just gone and stabbed him in the back (figuratively, and quite possibly literally depending on character build). As I said, it breaks my heart when he says that line.

Basically, what I am getting at, is that the depth of such a simple tradition in Skyrim is immense and I wish that there were more things like it (beyond the duel to the death for the throne thing, looking at you Ulfric) or saw it used more in the game. And that Balgruuf and Ulfric are by far the best Jarls in terms of character development and just how much their homeland and traditions mean to them. And I wish that there was a way to keep Balgruuf as Jarl even if you are Stormcloak aligned because fuck Vignar, and you know what? Fuck Maven Black-Briar too, she sucks. Laila is pretty incompetent as Jarl but at least she isn't Maven and that's a rant for another time. But not having Maven as Jarl is main reason I join the Stormcloaks more often than not. Balgruuf is usually the main reason that I join the Imperials on playthroughs.

Now... Vignar Gray-Mane. When you make him Jarl of Whiterun and he names you Thane, he gives you the Blade of Whiterun, not the Axe of Whiterun (yeah, I know I said that I think the blade weapons can be randomly generated as axes, and no doubt it was given to stop you from having multiple axes of Whiterun, but I just don't like Vignar soooo....). That's mean. Especially after we protected the city and helped him become Jarl too. There's another layer of insult there if you've rescued Thorald, his nephew, from the Thalmor. At least Brunwulf Free-Winter gives you the Axe of Eastmarch when he is Jarl if you defeat Ulfric for the Imperials and complete that shitshow of a quest 'Blood on the Ice'. Brunwulf is a bro, not Vignar. Hmph.

[murkycran]

I like how one of the moments where Shadow and Maria bond is them watching a movie together, and then not even that long after that Sonic mentions his, Tails and Knuckles' last movie night, that had to be intentional (as well as Shadow being unnerved by the words "beware the alien freak" in the movie similar to how Tails was before Sonic put on Uptown Funk)

🫵 YES! You get it!

Can I also add that I love how they made Sonic so empathetic from the beginning of the movie? Us as the audience making comparisons aside, he was making the comparisons himself. Him asking Eggman “don’t you ever wonder how you’d turn out if things had been different?” (Or close to that) He definitely learned a life lesson or two from meeting Knuckles.

Sure, he went Super and tried to smite Shadow out of existence but honestly that’s a pretty reasonable response from a kid who thought he might lose another parental figure. Once his self-awareness caught up with his anger he instantly went back to being empathetic.