#and controversial I didn’t even enjoy thor

[jazzythursday]

I’m about to go into another very long Marvel rant/dissertation here— mostly for myself— that I started writing soon after the Loki Series finale so please feel free to just scroll past this, because honestly I think I kinda overdid this one. It’s jaded and overly dramatic even for me. You have been warned:

The last 4 Marvel movies/shows I’ve watched left me feeling so completely depressed and unsatisfied and hopeless about the future of popular entertainment and story telling in general, and I know I’m not the only one. The fact that fans are going into these experiences hoping for a good story and character arcs that make sense with prior characterization, and leaving feeling… empty is a very clear sign that their approach leaves a lot to be desired.

Infinite War had some valid reasons to end the way it did, because by having our heroes fall so much harder than ever before, it built up the tension and high stakes for the next film. But what does that do when Endgame leaves us feeling even worse? I wanted them to triumph and finally come together to be better. I expected there would be losses of course but not enough to negate the wins. Instead the characters were subjugated for plot, characterization was watered down, and we lost all the original Avengers besides Thor and Bruce (who was no longer even Bruce). Peter loses Tony, Thor’s previous loses are permanent, and so many other things that, in spite of loving a lot of the movie, mean I haven’t been able to stop being sad about it for literal years. And the amount of thoughtless destruction that seems to be at an all time high when it comes to character’s lives and disregard for properly exploring emotions just doesn’t leave much to be expected at this point. Far From Home was good. It was. I liked it a lot. The acting was wonderful and there were some really interesting themes they grappled with but I still walked out of the theater feeling like there was still so much detachment surrounding a lot of the decisions, a little too much thoughtlessness (that, and the gaping hole of Tony). I’m not going to talk about WandaVistion but I’ll say that I was invested until the start of episode 8, and finished episode 9 feeling drained and tired and sad.

Then we get to Loki, a show which has plagued far too many of my thoughts since I started watching it, and has crushed my hopes for ever truly being happy with a Marvel project ever again. Loki is a character who’s ostensibly felt alienated and unseen for most of his life, and that’s before finding out about his parentage. His first movie ends with his suicide attempt and subsequent fall into the void. His second takes place a year into working under Thanos and ends with him being taken away in chains (yes I know he’s the villain he’s done bad things etc. etc. but for the purposes of this I’m only focusing on his pov). Then his third involves his solitary imprisonment, his mother’s death, and his near-death (considering the likelihood that he was actually stabbed), although it does end on a lighter note with his acquisition of the throne. Then we get his redemption and reconciliation with Thor in Ragnarok, immediately followed by the utter tragedy that is the first 10 minutes of Infinite War, which I don’t think I need to explain.

So what I suppose I’m saying here (very very inadequately) is that after all of that, I can’t believe the proper story to tell in his first chance at being a main protagonist was one where he’s constantly degraded and beat up, convicted of things he didn’t actually do, given no focus on backstory or implied/established motivations, and labeled as a clown and a narcissist! His powers are weakened, he displays almost no recognizable mannerisms or competence, he’s held to a higher moral standard than every other character, shown no respect, and ultimately loses EVEN MORE. We’ve seen him lose and lose and lose and lose again. We’ve seen him die THREE TIMES, we’ve seen him redeemed TWICE. So who in their right mind thinks that the most compelling story to tell after all of that was to see him LOSE AGAIN?! And not only lose, but lose without any real triumph, dignity, or acknowledgment beforehand. Death to the author aside, reading the utter nonsense the team behind it have spread, it’s so clear that it wasn’t made in good faith. Whether in ignorance or true maliciousness, they just don’t care. They didn’t research. They didn’t try and see things from his point of view. They didn’t truly sympathize with him as a person while writing. They didn’t understand. And they truly, truly wanted him to fail.

I’m tired of feeling hopeless at the end of everything, of leaving the theater or turning off the TV wondering why I even bothered, why I even care when I’m just being strung along with as little consideration as an audience as my favorite characters. I wanted to actively see him strive to be better, not just be told he could be. I wanted to see him triumph over his demons, not forget them. I wanted to see him be the “master of magic” that every other damn movie has alluded to, and to use his powers effectively. I wanted him to be powerful. I wanted him to, if not win, then win on a personal level at least. I wanted to see him take agency in his life and PROVE EVERYONE WRONG! And, though it’s now bafflingly controversial to say, I wanted it to be told by an experienced and competent writing and directing team that knew and understood his character and were passionate about telling his story.

I would ascribe to the notion of “don’t like it, don’t watch” if I could but I care to much to not be affected by this obvious decline in quality and awareness. And I’m a relatively recent fan. I haven’t been waiting for Loki to get his moment in the sun for 10 years. I’M NEW HERE, and my heart breaks so much for fans of the original movies who have lost their love of Marvel or Loki because of the way it’s been handled. No one should fall further than they can climb up from, and I’m tired of watching loss after loss and never getting the release of gaining enough of it back. What’s the point of caring about these characters if the writers won’t? Of investing in a connecting cinematic universe if it lacks continuity? Of looking for clues and foreshadowing when there isn’t any and the only twists are random and pander to shock value? The way these pieces/characters are being created and interpreted is reductive and incompetent, and for once I’d like to watch something that feels crafted, inspiring, and gratifying to see to the end.

If some people like the Loki show we got, I have no argument against that, because my own opinion is just as subjective as theirs. Though, I’d like to think that if what I want is for the show to be better out of love for the same character, then what they enjoyed from the show can coexist in that. If anyone’s actually read up to this point, I have to admit I’ve forgotten mine. Mostly I just wanted to express my frustrations over how unfeeling and stale most entertainment, specifically from Marvel as of late, has been.

TL;DR: I care too much, waaay too much, Marvel cares too little, Disney doesn’t care at all, and I don’t know how to accept that.

[lowkeyorloki]

Goldfish

Pairing: Loki x Mobius

Rating: Teen and up, but nothing more than a couple kisses

A/N: Hiiii sorry I’m never on here anymore I’m a bit busy and I don’t have time to post consistently on tumblr if I want to keep updating my multichapter! I know this isn’t my usual content but I’m posting it on my ao3 so I figured I’d drop it here as well ^.^ it’s funny, I don’t even ship lokius but I saw some fanart on twitter of them hugging and it just... inspired me. If this is your thing, I hope you enjoy <3

~

It’s just that… Loki knows it will have to be him.

He can’t read Mobius, not like he can every other human he comes across. Or being, even. Mobius has seen every moment of Loki’s life, some of which Loki himself will now never live out or understand. Mobius has watched Loki in his most private moments.

It makes the TVA agent inescapable. He knows Loki, truly knows him, whether Loki likes it or not. 

And so Loki can’t tell with Mobius. The small exhaled laughs or the allowance of Loki to fix his tie. Loki doesn’t know if Mobius does these things because he wants to, or because Loki would like to think the other man wants him to. 

And Mobius is loyal to the TVA, anyway. Even if he were to look past all of Loki’s faults, even if Mobius were to see Loki as anything more than a pain in the ass of a friend, he wouldn’t do anything. It was controversial enough to bring in Loki at all.

Loki should be thankful he has Mobius in any capacity at all. 

And so Loki knows he would have to make the first move. And he can’t do that, because Mobius is possibly the only person who could destroy Loki with a simple rejection. 

Loki keeps quiet, and lives for when his shoulder brushes Mobius’s in the elevator. 

~

Trying to find the variant is exhausting. Mobius is on his seventh cup of coffee, and his head is starting to buzz. Not the good, productive type of buzz either. The type that makes someone need to lay down. 

Apparently, Loki has already had that idea. Mobius glances at him, asleep across the table and surrounded by books and loose papers. As he drains the last of what’s in his cup, Mobius realizes he hasn’t seen Loki eat or drink a single thing since he got here. If he had to, Mobius would bet money the god hasn’t been sleeping either. 

Mobius stands up, his back cracking when he does. He groans - Mobius is getting old, something he’s noticed more and more lately. He walks around the table until he’s right next to Loki, ready to wake him up. Loki’s breaths are even, hitting the ends of a few pieces of paper. Mobius has never really seen him like this - calm, subdued. He almost looks peaceful. Mobius leans over Loki, hands on his hips as he examines the other man. 

Mobius would never tell Loki, but it is obvious that the dark-haired man is a god. There are just things about his looks that clue Mobius in. 

Loki’s skin, even as it’s gotten dull with his time in the TVA, is technically flawless. He glows, even in his embarrassing or rude moments. His cheekbones are impossibly sharp, and his lips are the reddest Mobius has seen. He would guess they’re soft. 

Loki’s hair was the most dead giveaway. It always looked perfect, loose curls that seemed to suck in any light. It was the opposite of Mobius’s graying blond hair. He’s shiny. Everything about Loki is shiny. 

Loki stirs, and Mobius straightens up, not wanting Loki to see him watching. He was upset enough that Mobius has watched his entire life over. 

Mobius ponders how to wake Loki up when a lock of his black hair falls into his face. Without thinking, Mobius reaches forward and tucks it behind the man’s ear.

Reckless. Loki really does start to wake up then, and Mobius swats him with the corner of the folders in his hand. 

“Come on,” Mobius says. “We’re not even close to done.”

~

The two of them are so close to making strides. Loki is smart, just like Mobius knew - just like he keeps convincing Ravonna - but he’s being held back. It’s like a single wrong look could make Loki wither away, be absent for the rest of the day. Mobius has no clue how someone who thought so highly of himself could be so affected by the glare of a random agent. Maybe Mobius didn’t know Loki as well as he thought. Only in small ways, though. 

And Mobius still hasn’t seen him eat or drink a damn thing. 

He stands up abruptly, surprising Loki. His head shoots up, perfect curls becoming loose and falling in his face in the process. Mobius almost considers brushing them away. 

“Come on,” he says, gesturing towards the exit. Loki narrows his eyes.

“We haven’t even been here four hours,” he says, which is generous, because they both know they’ve only been there for two. Mobius lets out a harsh sigh. 

“Am I the supervisor or are you? Let’s go, Loki.” Loki seems to know Mobius is doing him a favor, and stands up as well. Loki follows him down a new set of hallways, stands next to him in an elevator he hasn’t been on yet. 

“Am I to take it we’re breaking the rules, or…?” Loki trails off in a way that is anything but unsure. 

“It’s for the sake of the cause,” Mobius says. “We don’t need to address it directly.”

Mobius does look over his shoulder when he gets to the door, and locks it as soon as they’re both inside. He flicks on the lights, and Loki looks bored. Mobius lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Don’t say I never did anything for you. Sit down,” he gestures towards the couch. 

“Agent Mobius, are you allowing me in your home?” Loki’s eyes glint. Despite himself, Mobius finds himself relieved to hear Loki making quips again. He already might have more energy. 

“Hey, if we don’t talk about it, my job security looks a lot better,” Mobius sets a bowl down in front of Loki. “Will you please eat something? God or not, I don’t know how you’re still alive after a month.” Loki presses his lips into a thin line.

“Mobius, I appreciate the gesture, but you don’t need to -” Mobius is already prepared, and tosses a piece of food directly into Loki’s mouth as he speaks. He makes a gagging noise, and looks at Mobius furiously, but the other man is already laughing. 

“What… what are these?” He asks after swallowing, seemingly admitting defeat. Mobius laughs again.

“Goldfish. They’re from Earth you know,” Mobius eats a few, and quietly celebrates when Loki does as well. 

“Goldfish. I know of an employee you have that might benefit from these,” Loki tells him. 

“I’m flattered you think I’m anyone’s, especially Casey’s, superior. But really, the only person I’m in charge of is you,” Mobius says. Loki glares. 

“I’m always ten steps ahead of you all. Surely you know that,” he says, but it’s non-committal. Mobius can tell. 

“Yep. You’ve said before, handsome. This is all part of your plan.” Mobius looks to Loki for his next retort, but Loki doesn’t say anything. He stares at Mobius with an unreadable look on his face, and Mobius realizes his slip up. Handsome.

“Hey, don’t let my crackers go to waste. They’re hard to get a hold of around here, you know,” Mobius says, and Loki seems to move.

They stay like that for awhile, Loki sitting as Mobius watches over him. Mobius is just getting comfortable again when Loki gets up.

“It’s been great, but we probably should be heading back now,” he says, walking towards the door. “Wouldn’t want the timekeepers finding out about this, would we?”

Mobius stops him, carefully telling him to wait. Loki does, back facing him.

“I can tell you’re tired, Loki. I get it. You got here just after a war,” Loki tenses, just barely, at the mention of New York. Mobius talks faster to smooth it over. “I think you can take a day off. Better for me anyway. I don’t want to be sticking my neck out for someone who isn’t even helping all that much.” Mobius puts his hand on Loki’s shoulder. 

He’s always shocked by the amount of muscle he can feel through the material of Loki’s shirt. Loki seems so lean, but whenever Mobius touches him, he can feel how solid the other man is. He likes it. It’s soothing.

Loki turns around, looking suspicious. Mobius doesn’t blame Loki, but he does almost feel guilty. 

Almost.

“You can sleep here. Not just today. I’m sure the cot they have you sleeping in hardly compares to whatever you had on Asgard,” Mobius steps away, letting Loki go and waving his hand. “My couch doesn’t either, but it’s an upgrade for sure. Living room is all yours, buddy.”

“Where are you going?” Loki asks. Mobius looks at him. 

“To my room. I’m tired too,” he says. Loki blinks. 

“Won’t someone notice I’m not where I’m supposed to be?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Mobius says dismissively, even though he has no idea how he’s going to pull this off.

He’s practically made Loki a promise at this point. He’ll figure out how to make it all okay somehow. 

~

It’s driving Loki insane. 

Before, he could keep it all in because he was scared that Mobius wouldn’t want it. Wouldn’t want him. But now, there are moments that Loki doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that Mobius might push him away, give him that disapproving look if it meant Loki could just…

Kiss him. 

Loki scoffs at himself. He didn’t even get this caught up in the thought of a kiss as a boy. It was pathetic to feel like this in adulthood. 

What’s even worse is the thought that maybe this is how it’s supposed to be. He can recall watching Thor on Earth as he followed around Jane Foster, losing every bit of charm that kept him so popular on Asgard. At the time, Loki didn’t understand it.

But now he does. 

Everything is so high stakes for him - Loki is doomed if he doesn’t do as the TVA wants, and he would have been doomed had he just stayed on Earth like he was supposed to. But he barely even pays attention to those things.

Every waking moment is about Mobius. How he looks in the morning before he showers, hair tousled as he digs around in the fridge. The way his face lights up when he and Loki almost find the variant, and then the inevitable disappointment when they don’t. How every night, without fail, he tells Loki goodnight as the god falls asleep on his couch. 

Loki is starting to think there is something here. Because he’s paranoid, but not stupid. Mobius wouldn’t be letting Loki get this close if he thought the same way as when they first met. 

They enjoy each other. Mobius likes to lead, to rebel in the way he’s been given permission to. And Loki is realizing he doesn’t mind following a man like Mobius. 

~

Of course, the TVA isn’t so bad either. 

The organization itself, Loki hates. He’s never met the timekeepers, but they sound like kings. That was a group Loki never got along with. 

But the buildings, the center, was growing on him. Even if he wasn’t allowed access to most of the materials, Loki likes the library. He enjoys staying deep in the bookshelves, and bringing a stack out to drop right on the book Mobius is reading. Loki likes the elevators, which seemed to be the few minutes he could simply stand in silence and rest. He likes Casey too, though he tends to leave the poor, sad man alone now. 

Most of all, Loki likes the long hallways that rarely had anyone but him and Mobius. They feel private without being stifling. Sometimes, when the two go back to Mobius’s apartment too early, Loki feels sick. Like it physically hurts to be so close to having what he wants.

~

“That brown suit is hideous, you know.” Loki tells Mobius as they’re both getting ready. Mobius scowls at Loki.

“It’s uniform. You know, if everything works out, you might get one just like it,” Mobius retorts. Loki scoffs. “Alright then, mr. prince. What would you have me in?”

Loki stops, his eyes trailing over Mobius as he thinks about the question. Loki smirks, turning around as he grabs his belt.

“Anything else. You always look so uptight. No one here knows how to let loose a bit.”

“I’m uptight. That’s a good one,” Mobius says. He’s standing by the door, wanting to leave. “Could you hurry up and put your pants on? We’re late.”

All Loki is doing is tucking his shirt in, but he thinks he can feel Mobius looking. It’s in a way that doesn’t seem strictly observational. 

~

The nightmares, of course, are an issue. 

Loki hasn’t shared a room since he and Thor were children, so no one knows about the night terrors he gets. Maybe Mobius does, having had a glance at a few as he watched Loki’s life play out on the screen. But Loki doesn’t think so, because Mobius has never said anything. 

But of course, Loki has to ruin that. He wakes up with a shout that echoes off the walls. He slaps a hand over his mouth, then pulls it away, sticky with sweat. He’s pinching the bridge of his nose when Mobius bursts into the living room, slamming his hand over the light switch to turn it on.

“I’m sorry,” Loki says immediately, squinting at the brightness. “I didn’t mean to be so loud. I know you would get in trouble if someone were to find me here.”

“You.. I’d…” Mobius blinks, still half asleep and trying to figure out what’s happening. “Loki, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Go back to bed, Mobius.” Loki leans more into his palm, cursing himself for letting this happen. If Mobius knows Loki like he claims to, he should just go.

Mobius stays in the doorway, and Loki can practically hear the gears turning in his head. Mobius sighs.

“Look, I’m not gonna ask you what it was, but… why don’t you sleep in here for tonight?” He gestures behind him, presumably towards his bed. Loki raises his head, looking at the other man.

Mobius looks sincere - painfully so. It seems like he doesn’t know what’s going on or what he should do, but he also looks like he just wants Loki to listen. 

Loki gets up, folding the blanket on the couch before he follows Mobius. Loki crawls into the bed after the other man, staying as far away as possible. He expects Mobius to say something else, but he doesn’t. Mobius just sighs and yanks the blanket towards him. 

~

Loki wakes up feeling amazing. 

He feels rested, warm and heavy as he stirs. The room smells like sleep, and Loki can’t help but raise his arms above his head and stretch. That’s when he feels something on his chest. Loki opens his eyes, peering down. Mobius’s arm is slung over him, the other man still asleep. 

Loki doesn’t move, trying to figure out how asleep Mobius still is. He wonders if they can stay like this for a few more minutes. 

He doesn’t take the chance. Loki gets up, quietly leaving so he can take a shower in the bathroom where his toothbrush sits next to Mobius’s. 

~

Mobius doesn’t like this shift in his feelings. 

He liked thinking Loki was all bravado with no depth. It was easy to separate everything that way. What was work, and what wasn’t. What mattered and didn’t. 

What was ethical or not. 

Being around Loki so much was making Mobius like him. Even worse, care. He started to dread rewatching certain scenes from his life to look for clues that might tell him where other Lokis are, because Mobius can see the effects of it all now. They’re playing out in front of him, sleeping on his living room couch. 

When Loki wakes up from whatever he was dreaming about, Mobius feels sick. He doesn’t even think about the fact Loki’s cry is loud enough to get caught - literally does not even occur to him. His only thought is, what now? What could possibly catch up to you here?

After Loki lays down in his bed (which was easier to get him to do than Mobius thought), Mobius listens for his breathing to even out. Then he reaches over, resting his arm on Loki’s chest. Mobius falls asleep making sure Loki is still breathing. 

~

Mobius notices the way Loki looks at him. The realization makes Mobius think about the two of them. What it would mean. 

It hasn’t even occurred to him to look at Loki like that, not seriously. Loki is an asset, so Mobius built up a ton of walls for the sake of professionalism. You know, for his job. Mobius is aware of Loki’s attractiveness because he has to be. It’s part of the reason all these Lokis get away with so much. 

But after that night Mobius begins to look at Loki because he can. And then he realizes he’s been doing that all along. 

“You know,” Mobius tells Loki the next afternoon. They’re in the cafeteria, and Loki is eating everything in his salad but the cherry tomatoes. “It might be better if you stay with me again tonight. Like you said, we wouldn’t want any of my neighbors to pick up on anything.” Loki raises an eyebrow, carefully setting his fork down. Mobius clears his throat.

“No need to be embarrassed, partner. I’m told I have a soothing presence.”

“I absolutely would not say that,” Loki says. “But… if you insist. After all,” Loki’s eyes glint. “You’re in charge.”

Mobius doesn’t know what to say to that, and drinks a cup of water in just one gulp.

~

And they settle into it. Loki doesn’t sneak out of Mobius’s arms, in fact, he actively seeks them out. Only once everything is quiet and the lights are out, but still. Loki tucks his head under Mobius’s chin, Mobius wraps his arms around Loki’s torso, and they both like it. A lot.

They don’t mention it ever, but it doesn’t seem like something they aren’t allowed to talk about. It’s just part of the routine. Shower, study, search, eat, get in bed. It’s nice. 

At some point, Loki realizes this is the longest he’s stayed in one place for a very long time. 

~

Just like Loki thought, he’s the first to do it. 

They’re in the elevator, and it’s taking a particularly long time, and Mobius decided to stand closer than he needed to and Loki just… kisses him. 

The best part is, Mobius doesn’t even seem surprised. He opens his mouth when Loki bites down on his lip, and he holds on to the lapels of Loki’s jacket and Loki cradles his face. Everything is so familiar, so natural, and Loki can’t help but smile against Mobius’s stupid mustache. 

And then Loki pulls away. Mobius doesn’t say anything, but he gives Loki a sad smile. Loki feels his blood run cold. 

“What?” He asks, and suddenly, he feels like a child. Like Mobius knows something he doesn’t, and now Loki is going to be chastised. 

“Nothing,” Mobius says, but that’s obviously not true. He sighs. “It’s just… that can't happen again.”

Loki stares at Mobius. “Why?” He demands. “Did you like it?”

“Yes,” Mobius says. His hands are resting on Loki’s waist, but he slides one over Loki's stomach. Mobius’s fingers find their way through the holes that the buttons of Loki’s shirt leave. The feeling of Mobius’s fingers on Loki’s bare skin make Loki dizzy, and confused. 

“Then why can’t we do it again?” He asks, wanting to rip Mobius’s hand off of him, but unable to bring himself to. Mobius grimaces. 

“Loki... Isn’t what we got goin’ enough?” Loki is cool under Mobius’s fingers. No more than anyone else though, even with his frost giant heritage. “C’mon, Loki,” when Mobius glances at Loki, then immediately looks away. The sight of Loki’s disorientated face, combined with his mouth slightly ajar… it’s too much. “You know if it goes any further one of us will screw up. I’ll even say it’ll be me. But someone would notice. It’d be impossible for them not to.”

“But… you’re the one who started this,” Loki protests, and he’s right, because Mobius is the one who brought him into this whole mess. The TVA, his apartment, his bedroom. It’s all been Mobius. Loki never asked for any of that. 

“I know,” Mobius says, and he sounds like he’s sorry. “Listen, I know. I’m sorry. We can’t have it all, but if we keep going the way we have, we can still have some.”

Loki steps away, and Mobius’s face falls. He looks more angry than sad. 

“I think I’d like to go back to my cell now.” Loki says. 

~

Loki doesn’t actually go back to his cell. But he does sleep on the couch again, and refuses to touch the Goldfish Mobius leaves out.

Mobius feels like a dick, but he’s also sort of pissed. He’s not happy about this either, and if Loki wasn’t always so selfish, he would see that Mobius also isn’t prancing around in happiness. 

“I’m not like you,” Mobius tells Loki the next morning. “Look, I can’t just… rebel. It’s not a luxury I’ve been afforded.”

“I’m glad that after seeing my entire life and death, you’ve settled on the word ‘luxury’ to describe it,” Loki responds angrily, and Mobius just backs off. He knows he won’t get anywhere with Loki, not like this. 

~

Watching Loki close himself off is… exactly what Mobius would have thought it would be. 

It’s exactly the same as when Loki arrived at the TVA, he’s just less defensive. Loki is just as mad at everyone else, but with Mobius, Loki doesn’t even give him a reaction. He does exactly what’s asked of him, no more and no less. 

Mobius misses him. 

Loki is just across the table, but Mobius misses their rapport. He wants to tease the god again, hassle him as they make their way to the cafeteria. Mobius wants to listen to Loki talk about Asgard, tell him all the little details that can’t be picked up on a screen. He wants his friend back. 

And now Mobius isn’t sleeping, either. He grew used to Loki’s head resting on his chest, the feeling of his hip in his hand. Mobius thinks about the skin of Loki’s stomach, how everything in the elevator felt. 

It was like Mobius lit up. He felt alive again, with free will and all.

But of course, Mobius doesn’t have free will. If he did, he’d pull Loki into the elevator himself, and show Loki just how much wanted this too. 

~

It hurts because Loki knows Mobius wants this. 

It’s almost worse than if he didn’t - because Mobius liking, wanting, and maybe even needing Loki back, it makes him like everything else in Loki’s life. Loki is so close, he can reach it, even hold it in the palm of his hand. A life with Mobius, at least for the time being, would be exactly as it was before the argument, except more so. Just a bit more. 

Loki can’t take it. He feels like he’s going to vomit every second of the day, because his life is a vicious cycle and coming so far just to be thrown away.  He takes long showers now, the stream of water being the only thing that can drown out his thoughts. Loki almost doesn’t see Mobius as he steps out of the bathroom, drying his hair. 

“Loki,” the other man says, and his tone is so grave that Loki stops. 

“Mobius,” he responds. “Do you need something?”

“I… I wanted to apologize,” Mobius takes a step forward. “For what I said.”

Loki tilts his head. “For which part? I recall quite a few things.” A look of exasperation passes over Mobius’s face. Loki hates to admit it, but the look is relieving. It makes everything seem less serious than it is. 

“What I said about not being like you,” Mobius explains. “Look, I know you’ve felt alone your whole life. And the way I said that, I don’t feel good about it. I’m sorry.”

Loki blinks, then throws his towel in the hamper. 

“It’s fine,” he says. Mobius shakes his head, stepping even closer, and Loki raises his eyes. 

“No, Loki, it’s not,” Mobius reaches up, running his fingers through Loki’s damp hair. “I lied,” he murmurs. “I lied to the God of Lies. I am like you, Loki. I’m your kind. I know Lokis, so I know who you would have been. But this you?” Mobius places his hands over Loki’s hips and pushes, pressing Loki’s back against the wall. “I’m still getting to know who you are now. And I like you, Loki. I really do.” Mobius stares at Loki expectantly. Loki swallows, resting his hands on Mobius’s shoulders. Mobius is softer than Loki is, and it makes Loki’s mouth water. From here, Loki can see every wrinkle and gray hair that Mobius has. He’s painfully human. Loki closes his eyes, leaning forward to press his lips against Mobius’s temple. 

“Do you mean it?” He asks. “Will it stick? Are you going to call it all off?” At this angle, Mobius can reach Loki’s neck, and he begins to suck on the delicate skin there. Loki lets out a moan. 

“I can’t promise we’re gonna get married and be together forever,” Mobius teases Loki lightly. He runs his tongue over Loki’s Adam’s Apple. “But I’m not gonna stop just because of the TVA. You.. you’re worth more than that.” Mobius slides his palms under Loki’s shirt and up his back, and Loki melts into him. “I promise.”

“Okay,” Loki says, because that’s all there is to say. He trusts Mobius, Loki realizes. He wholeheartedly does. 

“Loki,” Mobius says, exhaling. “Can I touch you? Do you want me to touch you?”

Loki straightens, catching Mobius’s eye. 

“Yes.”

[musclesandhammering]

Non-Controversial Loki Headcanons for These Trying Times

1.) Loki has had dozens of Midgard-based aliases over the years, for no other reason than the fact that he was bored and it was funny. DB Cooper was one of them. Hank Williams was another. He may or may not have even pretended to be a vampire at some point.

2.) Loki can definitely sing. Not just in a funny ironic way, but like.. he actually enjoys singing. It shouldn’t even come as a surprise considering he’s such a fine arts nerd, but yeah. He plays the guitar too. Surprisingly folksy.

3.) Loki’s rooms in Asgard literally look like a witch’s lair. I mean straight up spooky. All dark earth tones, spellbooks strewn everywhere, runes drawn on the walls to keep certain big brothers from messing with things they have no business messing with, vials of poisonous stuff sitting on every available surface, shelves full of strange little trinkets and talismans, a dramatic ass medieval-looking bed, a whole ass cauldron… and then in the corner on a stand there’s his Hank Williams Guitar aasdfghhjkl-

4.) When people call Loki a witch, they’re not joking. He’s. Like. An actual stereotypical, like.. witch. He doesn’t just do finger wavy magic- he mixes potions, he does rune work, he recites spells, he has a cauldron.

5.) He also used to dress super witchy. Used to. Past tense. I’m talking black nail polish, lots of necklaces, rings, eyes makeup (ok maybe I wouldn’t go that far, but Loki in eyeliner would be pretty hot, right?), clothes that were like.. 15% scarier yet more fashionable than the ones he wears in canon. The only reason he toned it down was because someone whose opinion he cared about (it was Thor) made a joking comment about his appearance looking “wicked” or “evil” and it made him feel self conscious, so he changed how he dressed. :(

6.) He was rocking the whole short hair look years before Thor in Ragnarok. In fact, by pre-canon Loki’s standards, his hair in Thor 1 was even a bit too long. He did this because a.) he hates how his natural curls soften him and will do anything to get rid of them and b.) in Asgard short hair wasn’t really worn by noblemen because it symbolised servitude, so this was Loki’s subtle way of being defiant and deviating from the norm.

7.) As Frigga said in Endgame, Loki is very good at sneaking. Even when he’s not trying to. There have been many-an-accident in the Palace of Asgard because he unintentionally almost gave Thor a heart attack.

8.) Loki and Thor weren’t always at each other’s throats. They actually got along pretty well up until Odin started planning for the coronation. Loki was still jealous of the way Thor was treated compared to the way he was treated, but he knew that wasn’t Thor’s fault- not really. And Thor was still arrogant and entitled, but that was mostly directed at other people and not his own family, so while Loki knew about Thor’s character flaws, it didn’t really effect him personally. When the planning started, though, Thor gradually became even more superior and insufferable than normal, and Loki became even more bitter and unsettled, and their relationship just kind of went downhill from there.

9.) Loki absolutely joined the Mile High Club with that flight attendant from the first episode of the show. Her name was Florence and she was adorable, Loki thought so too.

10.) Loki’s the only person on Asgard who can beat Volstagg at an eating competition. He has a giant’s metabolism, after all. And, contrary to his elegant and refined tastes in most other areas, he’s actually a straight-up carnivore. I mean he eats other foods too, obviously, but meats are by far his favourites. Boar, fish, poultry, steak. Just meats. He doesn’t know it, but this is because frost giants are mostly carnivorous.

11.) His relationship with the Warriors 4 was always split down the middle. He and Sif always hated each other. Hogun never trusted him and Loki never had any interest in spending time with Hogun. Fandral and Volstagg, on the other hand, were always much nicer and Loki always sort of considered them his friends as well as Thor’s. This is why they were more reluctant to believe that he’d let the frost giants in in Thor 1.

12.) I refuse to believe Loki doesn’t have at least one tattoo somewhere. Probably more. Probably of a snake. The only parts of his body we didn’t see naked in Episode 1 were his thighs, lower back, knee area, pelvic region, and the back of his neck. So it’s gotta be in one of those places. (Might I suggest: snake thigh tattoo, tiny nape tat, goth tramp stamp lol, rune tat behind his ear, Norse mythos leg tat, badass above-dick tattoo).

13.) Loki’s prickly and insecure and has layers like an onion, but once you get to the point of actually being friends with him, he’s a total sweetheart. I mean a literal smol dork. A bit hyperactive and excitable, but still very very soft. It’s because he’s had so few actual friends in his life.

14.) Sometimes Loki only goes a few days before his gender changes, sometimes he stays one gender for years at a time. And he tends to shapeshift his body to match. That being said, one of his biggest pet peeves is how his other-gendered clothes get all dusty and musty when they have to stay in the closet for long stretches of time. So he’s taken to wearing luxurious gowns around the house when he’s in his male form. You know, just to air them out.

15.) Loki hates sleeping with people. Sex is fine, but he’s just so solitary and paranoid that he’s never been comfortable sleeping in a bed with another person. This may or may not have gotten him in trouble a few times when his partners woke up and found him gone lol.

16.) Laufey is actually incredibly similar to Loki, the way Odin is very similar to Thor. He prefers smaller blades (ice daggers), he’s very analytical and calculating, he’s very calm and non-confrontational even when he’s in a stressful situation, and tbh he seems like a better king than Odin- much like Loki probably would’ve been a better kind than Thor. (Whoopsie this one’s a bit controversial)

17.) Loki adores animals! …But he’s also a bit obsessive about keeping his environment clean. Not organised, per se, just clean. And animals tend to be hairy and slobbery and feathery and slimy and poopy and dirty, so he’s never been able to have a pet. He just takes a lot of nature walks to compensate :)

18.) All jotuns are naturally intersex, including Loki. This is a bit unusual for Asgardians, but because Loki is genderfluid and a natural-born shapeshifter- and has always had a tendency to change his body parts around as his gender changes (male, female, both, neither)- he’s never had a reason to find it very odd. In hindsight, that was one of the many eccentricities that should have made him realise something was a little fishy with his “asgardian” genetics.

19.) The snake + stabbing story from Ragnarok was nowhere near as nefarious as Thor made it seem. What actually happened was: Someone accidentally mixed a real knife in with the blunted practice knives. Thor and Loki didn’t know this, of course, and when they were playing a battle game, Loki ended up with the real knife. When Loki “won” and went to “vanquish his enemy” he ended up actually stabbing Thor for real. They were both hysterical and it took longer to calm Loki down than his brother. It ended up just being a flesh wound, though, so everything turned out fine.

20.) A lot of people think Loki discovered his “secret passageways between worlds” from TDW through some sort of inter-realm questing or magical study or something, but in reality, he discovered them when he was like 16 and desperately trying to find a way to sneak out of Asgard without Heimdall telling his parents.

Tagging @natures-marvel & @little-s-creampuff for expressing interest. Thx for listening to my mad ravings lmao <3

[pugh-bug]

Scott Lang x reader

Chapter 16

Warnings: none except swearing as usual

I hope you enjoy this, I’m sorry for not updating this for what feels like ages. I’ve been at uni and very distracted. I’ve also been insecure about my writing being shit but oh well. Enjoy :) and let me know if you want to be added to my taglist

The controversy had swayed slightly in your favour. Finally people had begun to question why a certain ex Mrs Lang knew so much about a young, non celebrity girl and how fucked it all was (except fucked was not the word the media had used). There was a significant less amount of tension between everyone in the tower. Stephen, to no ones surprise, had been right. The media would move on.

You watched Scott take his second phone call of the morning, coffee in hand and Antony flying close by. ‘Hank needing you again?’ He nodded before continuing to listen intently. The kitchen swarmed with hungry Avengers, struggling to find the space not to bump shoulders while they buttered toast, fried eggs and poured milk into hideous neon bowls. Peter’s choice. The kid had questionable taste on a good day.

‘Y/N!’ Toast crumbs flew out of the boys mouth as he made his way over to you. Since his growing worries about his ‘beautiful’ MJ, you’d been spending more time together. He irritated you, sure, but he was one of the sweetest people you’d ever made friends with. Scott treated him like a son, when he wasn’t too busy, and you found yourself feeling sisterly towards him. Plus it was an excellent distraction from the controversy.

Peter smiled like someone with more than just good news on their mind. ‘I asked her out! I did it!’ He was beaming from ear to ear. You listened, as everyone else continued eating and chatting, to the hard to follow story of how Peter asked his girl out. Finally. You asked the usual questions ‘Were you nervous?’ ‘Did you pick a date?’ ‘Did she say she had a problem with dating a senior who takes the term web design to a whole new level?’. The answer was no to all except the second. (That weekend would be the date).

‘So you’ll be missing my birthday.’

Everyone stopped what they were doing immediately. What the fuck. You’d never once heard Stephen Strange mention his birthday. Whenever Tony or yourself had asked if he wanted to do anything he’d clammed up. Of course Tony or the Vision could easily find out the exact date but why bother if he didn’t want to celebrate?‘You want to celebrate… your birthday?’ You questioned the wizard.

‘Isn’t that what humans are supposed to do?’

‘You’re hu-OW!’

You kneed Peter under the table. ‘Of course he is.’ which earned you a suspiciously warm smile from Strange. Scott ended his phone call to ask Peter a hundred questions about MJ, which you found sweet, whilst Tony and Nat grilled the poor wizard about presents and venues.

Then came the third ring from Scott’s phone. ‘Hank’s desperate huh?’ Nat asked innocently, not noticing the look Tony saved just for your eyes. Pity. The man was bored and making up problems for his peers. It was no secret that Tony hadn’t been expanding much recently. The swimming pool had been a time waster so he didn’t have to think about Iron Man. You didn’t blame him. You were the queen of procrastinating but the government didn’t rely on you to protect Earth.

‘So denial it is?’ Wanda sniggered, pulling you aside as the kitchen was too busy. Scott was mere metres away, sounding more and more stressed down the phone, what the fuck was wrong? Whatever was happening was pressing. Dangerous? Too dangerous to tell you about because it would put YOU in danger? Maybe…

‘No.’

‘Okay..’

‘Don’t- don’t do that.’

‘I’m not doing anything. What’s Scott doing?’

‘I. Don’t. Know.’

‘Exactly.’

Shit- no not shit. It was fine. If Scott needed to tell you something important he fucking would.

RING RING

He would.

Stephen was still being laden with birthday questions just looked amused in his overly formal suit. It was a good look on him, you thought, blue. ‘I don’t need balloons and I don’t need flowers.’ You heard as you left. ‘But Sir, I’ve read that real flowers give humans significant increase in serotonin.’

You went to your room for some much needed peace. Scott was busy, Tony was acting more strange than usual and Thor was still devouring breakfast food at lightning speed. The tv in your room hadn’t gotten much use since you and Scott only used the bedroom for sex or sleep. It deserved some love too.

‘I know. It’s hard to narrow down isn’t it?’

You jumped at the sound of Stephen’s voice because frankly he was the last person you expected in your room. He’d never gone in before and you’d only seen his once. Once when you had your infamous drunken make out session. ‘You scared the shit out of me.’ Normally you would have laughed but Tony and Wanda had gotten in your head. Wanda quite literally.

‘Really? Me?’ He clutched his chest as if hurt. Not a lot of people saw Stephen’s funny side but you did. ‘Did you want something?’ You asked him after hesitating. ‘I kind of wanna be alone for a bit.’ To spare his feelings you masked your honesty with a forced chuckle that promised ‘I’m not being rude but please leave’. Your message was only partially received.

‘I don’t think you want to be alone. You just want me to leave you alone.’

‘Getting more and more true.’

Your tone seemed pointed even to you, which came as a surprise. You could feel yourself getting more irritated but it wasn’t at Stephen. It wasn’t his fault the media was after you and Scott. It wasn’t his fault everyone thought your relationship was a joke and you spent all of your time worrying if you and Scott were on the same page. Who’s fault was any of it?

‘From your tone I think it’s safe to say Scott hasn’t said “I love y-‘

‘It’s nothing to do with you!’

Your reply came out as more of an angry shriek than you intended but the man was pushing all the wrong buttons at the worst time. The following silent moments were filled by your conscious decision to say nothing in that way again. ‘I’m sorry,’ Stephen, seeing the instant change in your tone and body language thought it safe to sit beside you. ‘I don’t want to be angry and I’m not angry at you.’

Stephen cleared his throat and flirted with the idea of placing a hand on your shoulder. He decided not to. ‘I understand why you are Y/N. I’m quick to anger too.’

‘I’m not usually!’ You snapped instantly, causing Stephen to raise his eyebrows at your lousy defence. However it was true. You’d never felt this raw and emotional since meeting Scott. He made everything heightened. It was almost too much.

‘Stephen,’ the two of you looked up to the source of the sound. ‘Can I have Y/N back?’ Scott chuckled and your heart lifted, although you didn’t appreciate the implication that Stephen had ‘had’ you. The stupidly tall wizard made a ‘of course’ gesture with his hand and you shot him a thank you smile before running to Scott. It didn’t matter that you’d only just seen him that morning, you felt as if the two of you hadn’t spent much quality time together since Hank’s phone calls and Peter’s queries to you. In the day at least.

‘What do you want to do?’ You beamed at Scott, knowing he knew you wanted him all to yourself. ‘Drive?’ He kissed you with surprising force, as if he thought you were a mirage that would disappear if he didn’t try to consume some part of you quickly. It made you certain that Stephen was rolling his eyes.

Taglist: @supraveng @thottio @wandamaximoffshoe @aliceblxck @merleisapartygod @brianmayscurls @psychadelichues

[alexjcrowley]

Hi! This fanfiction is based on an idea by @idrilearfalas , she wrote the entire concept and the iconic/important lines you'll find in this fanfiction, check out her blog, she is great.

The Pompeii mission, Mobius thought it would have been an easy one. Everybody knows what should happen in Pompeii and it's usually all natural. You just have to make sure someone dies- eh, sorry Plinius- and someone lives.

It's an easy mission, normally, but not when you have to handle a certain norse God of Mischief. One who likes to throw a tantrum on every other occasion.

It's usually nothing more than bantering, playful and witty at its best, sharp and bitter at its worst, but it's something Mobius can handle. He can even enjoy it, when he makes a stupid joke and Loki tells him how stupid it is and they both chuckle. Loki has to learn something new about being a TVA agent and most of the times he makes a fool of himself before getting the thing right, so Mobius can tease him a little and Loki will respond sharp as ever, but with a sort of...endearing note in his stubborness.

Those are good days, days Mobius comes back to his apartment with a smile and when he closes his eyes he can still hear the God's laughter at whatever funny thing happened that day, or replay the moment when they looked into eachothers' eyes and they suddenly understood what to do with the mission, with a single glance.

Today was not a good day. He didn't know the reason. Maybe Loki woke up on the wrong side of the bed, maybe Mobius accidentally made an unpleasant comment, but the norse God started their mission with a pout you could see on the face of a child when they don't get the Christmas present they wanted.

"Oh well" Mobius had thought. Oh well, it's just another bad day, a day in which he had to watch his mouth, because you don't want to deal with an angered God. The general mood was low, the Minutemen looked already tired before the mission had even started and Mobius knew from the moment he passed through the portal he wanted to come back home as soon as possible.

But this wasn't an ordinary bad day. Mobius was prepared to deal with a bit of coldness, with a lack of enthusiasm from everybody, what he wasn't ready to deal with- he didn't want to deal with Loki acting like an asshole.

"And that's it? Really?"

"What did you expect me to say, exactly? You brought me here, you told me I was living a delusion and you gave me no choice other than being your hound. I apologise if I can't think of you as one of my dear friends."

"One of your dear friends? Who would the others be? Just curious, because I have seen your entire life and there is not one person, except maybe Thor, you actually build this strong and trusting relationship with-"

"Wonderful, so why did you expect you'd be the first one I'd decide to grant the gift of my friendship to? I am not even your colleague, I am subjected to this stupid organisation and to you in particular. We are not friends, we forcibly work together and that's it."

Mobius and Loki had been speed walking during the entire discussion, but Loki stopped for a moment.

"You can't fool me, I know very well I am not anything more than your ticket to the Variant. I'll be damned before I put my trust in you, we both know, after all of this has come to an end, nothing will be between me and that resetting stick."

You see, on an ordinary bad day, this would have never happened. On an ordinary bad day, Mobius wouldn't have seen all of his efforts to build a decent relationship with Loki shattered. Was he used to a suspicious Loki? Yes. To a Loki who said that trust is for dogs and children? Also yes. He had been used to that Loki since he first opened up his file. But he had also started being used to Loki's rare moments when he opened up, to his hidden heroic side which desperately seemed to call for attention, to his awkward, genuine reaction when he was showed any form of affection. Mobius had seen Loki spitting his "trust nobody" one liners with less and less convinction everyday, and then they were only mumbled comments to keep up a façade, and then they had become whispers, and then eyes rolls, to the point that Mobius had thought Loki had started warming up on poeple- warming up on him. But he was wrong. Just because Loki didn't voice his dissent, it didn't mean it wasn't there.

It didn't mean he saw Mobius as more than just enemy, even after everything they had been through, even after Mobius took on himself the risk of whatever would have happened to Loki and because of Loki, even after the trust he had shown him, even after the laughters and the lunches and the jokes and the stolen glances- now, look at who was the delusioned one.

Did this upset Mobius? Absolutely. But it also fired him up. Frustration, anger, embarrassment, Mobius erupted with a fiercety matching the volcano explosion just minutes ago.

"Do you really think I would just let them reset you?"

Although shorter than the God, Mobius stood up in front of him looking him in the eyes.

"After all I have done to keep you alive, after all we have been through, do you believe I'd just abandon you to your de-"

"What else would you do? Keep me with you, as your 'friend'? What, you took pity on me and were planning to give me a desk so I can spend the rest of my eternity working for the same people who robbed me of my future?"

"Now stop it, you two, the passage is open, we need to leave" said Hunter B-15, but Loki and Mobius didn't seem to have any intention of listening to her, so she just signed at the rest of the group.

"Come on, hop through it, they'll come when they're ready" she ordered. She waited for the Minutemen to go through the passage, she looked once again at Loki and Mobius and she shook her head, following her collogues back to the TVA. She closed the passage, aware that Mobius could have opened another when he wanted to.

"Just because you are a selfish, uncaring bastard it doesn't mean we all have to be. Is it so difficult for you to accept some people care about you? Like your mother or your brothe-"

"Don't you dare talking about them, you know nothing about them-"

"I literally know everything about them-"

"And stop pretending you care about me or trust me, I am the God of Illusions, I know all your stupid tricks, I used them before-"

Loki and Mobius were shouting very loud, they barely heard the footsetps of someone approaching. A Variant, not the Loki Variant, another one, an enemy of the TVA, probably.

Mobius noticed them in the corner of the eye and turned around fast enough.

Loki was not minimally done with the discussion, but if Mobius was looking away from him, something must have happened.

Loki has been in battles. Battles on Asgards are usually more "traditional" than what you see on Midgard. Sure, they can use magic, but it's mostly swords and axes and arrows and, sometimes, good old-fashioned punches. When he had been on Midgard, Loki had learned war had incredibly evolved. The glorified Midgardian technology changed the face of battles. He had seen a few of the new weapons, nothing that impressive, incomparable to magic. But he remembered them very well, he knew he was not a good idea to underestimate them. So he remembered the sound of a bullet. It was loud, violent, fast. It lasted a few seconds, and then there was silence. If you aim right, your enemy is not just wounded, he's already dead.

They both turned to see the Variant pulling out a gun, and then Loki heard it.

The sound of a bullet.

He shoved Mobius away, before the agent could do anything about it. Mobius heard the sound of a bullet as well, he heard Loki moan in pain and he knew he hadn't been fast enough. But he made up for it pulling out his gun as well, shooting the Variant right in the chest, it only took one bullet to kill him.

Mobius was suddenly grabbed by the arm by a bleeding Loki, who was trying to stand up in vain.

Mobius kneeled next to him, holding him and putting his head on his lap.

Blood. So much blood. The bullet hit the stomach. A normal bullet? You take him to the hospital and chances are he'll be fine. A bullet like that, with a venom release? Kills you in a matter of minutes.

'He is not going to survive' a voice declared in Mobius's head.

He had seen scenes like this too many times to ignore the truth, even if he was desperately trying to. So many missions ending up with corpses, Mobius had witnessed so many deaths like this. It was useless to try and save them, the most merciful act was to immediately reset them to spare them the pain.

But not with Loki. Mobius had already started pressing on the wound, trying to stop the blood.

Useless, all of this was useless.

Loki was uttering verses more than words, normally at this point he would have neen already unconscoius, but the whole being a God must have come with some sort of enhanched healing capacity.

"I am not...ugh, not surviving this?"

"No, no, you are, I just have to take you through the passage-"

"I am...the God of...lies, I know one when I heard...one" Loki coughed.

No, no, no, one thing was seeing Loki dies in a stupid video, another was to witness him dying between his arms, Mobius thought. He couldn't bear this.

Loki looked so scared. He didn't even have the strenght to talk to pretend he was fine with this, he accepted this death. He just looked pained and frightened. He tried to tighten his grip around Mobius's arm, but he couldn't, he was loosing too much blood too fast.

"He looks so young, God, he looks so young" was all Mobius could think. He had seen Loki die, he had seen him a hero, a son of Odin, a troubled man with a controversial life, but this Loki, he was too young. He was just learning what his life could amd couldn't be, he still hadn't make up with Thor or heard his father tell him that he loved him. There was an entire future for him ready to be rewritten, he couldn't die in that moment, he couldn't die on him.

"Aren't you...you tired of watching...me die..."

"You are not dying, Loki, we just have to press on the wound for bit longer, enough for it to stop bleeding, then I'll take you through the passage and-"

"It's always...so pathetic..." Loki coughed again "of a scene..."

Mobius looked around him for another piece of cloth to press on the wound. He had already sacrificed his jacket, but, in absence of anything else, he ripped part of the sleeve of his shirt and pressed it on Loki's stomach. The white cotton was soon impregnated by dark red blood.

"At least...both times...I died for someone I-"

Loki coughed again, exhaling his last breath.

Mobius stopped pressing on the wound. He stared at Loki's corpse in a silent horror.

His body wasn't cold yet, the blood was still flowing, but he was dead. Loki was dead.

Mobius conceided himself a few seconds to fully realize there was nothing left to do. He wanted to scream, but his mouth didn't emit any sound.

His hands still rested on the wound, wet woth blood.

"It should have been you, is that what you're thinking, isn't it?"

Mobius reluctantly teared his gaze off Loki's corpse, to meet the eyes of another God Mischief, one alive and on the run.

Towering over Mobius with his dark cloak, the Dangerous Variant casted a shadow on the two TVA agents. He then kneeled beside Loki's corpse.

Mobius looked at him is disbelief.

"Why are you here?" was all Mobius managed to say.

Why are you here now? Where were you five minutes ago, when Loki was still alive, when you could have done something? How are looking at your own corpse- they were, after all, the same person- without any anger, or surprise or shock?

Mobius wasn't scared of the Dangerous Variant, on the contrary. Although TVA insisted on branding him as this big enemy, he had on several occasions helped him and Loki out, even saved them from some very bad situations. He had never constituted a threat for him or Loki. Sure, he was a mass murderer, but that was kind of a Loki characteristic in general.

"Okay, here's the deal" said the Variant, without looking away from the dead body "You use your...your- ah, what's its name, the- the remote to go back in time, I'll take his place and it's happy ending for everyone. Except for me" he mumbled "but that was mever in the plans, wasn't it" he smiled bitterly, pushing a lock of the dead Loki's hair away from his face.

"What?" Mobius exclaimed.

"Just do as I say" the Variant kept looking down at the corpse "You turn back time, I take the bullet, you two live, I die. It's easy, Mobius."

"How the hell should this be easy?" Mobius shouted, prey to grief and confusion "Why would you do that? What's- what's the meaning of this?"

The Variant had been willing to lend a hand in moments of need, but he was no suicidal.

Finally, the Variant pried his eyes away from his other self and looked at Mobius.

"You asked me once why I was doing what I was doing, remember?" he began.

Mobius slowly nodded.

“Killing TVA officers, trying to destroy the system" the Variant continued "It was just... revenge. Against the TVA. For taking away the thing I cared the most about."

He then looked Mobius in the eye, with a strange intensity, some sort of regret.

"...I was that Loki"

He looked once again at the corpse.

"Then they killed you." he paused.

Mobius didn't say a word, but he kept looking at the Variant astonished.

"And I decided it was time to stray from my written path again. Because nothing else mattered anymore, except making them pay for what they did and making sure what happened to you in my past... did not happen in your present."

The Variant idly run a bony finger over his other's self pale cheek. He then raised his eyes at Mobius.

"I will take his place because he still has you" he then declared "and he still has time to accept" he made a small gesture with his hand, encompassing his dead alter ego and Mobius "whatever you’ve got going on."

Mobius looked at the Variant ever so bewildered, but the Variant simply closed his eyes for a few seconds, looking for the right words.

"He still has time to tell you...all the things I never said." 

The Dangerous Variant was on his knees, teary eyes and a lump in his throat, but he then stood up and cleared his stance. Despire the shaken voice, he proclaimed with all the courage he seemed to own: "I am Loki of Asgard and I am burdened with glorious purpose." He screamed that to no one in particular, or maybe just to himself.

Mobius had been shocked into silence until that moment. Still looking at the Variant, he stood up too, hesitated for a moment then extends his hand to Dangerous Variant. The other one looked at it for a moment, and then firmly grasped it, shaking it.

Mobius was still very confused over what has just happened- what was going to happen.

"Are you sure?" he asked "You...would die. For good. I- I don't think there's a way everybody can get out safe from this- even if you consider time travel and-"

"I know. That's why I am doing it. So that you two get to live, you still has reasons to do it." the Variant said, no hesitation.

"I was right, you know," Mobius said, still reluctant to leave Loki's hand- the moment he did, the Variant would have to die. It was still hard for him to sentence someone to death. But his lips curled into an almost amused smile, even though with a note of sadeness "You're not a villain."

The Variant snorted- oh, Allfather, he had missed Moby's antics- and rolled his eyes, then looked at Mobius again, trying to hide his amusement. You had to have a sense of humour to live his life, Loki thought, there weren't many moments to laugh in his existence, he had to learn to appreciate rare moments like those, when fate graced him with the last sight of the love of his life.

"Turn back the clock, Mobius."

After a slow nod, his hand still in Variant Loki's, Mobius did as he was said.

***

Two days later those events, ut was a good day. In the previous two days, the TVA had finally declared that one of his most wanted Variants was not a problem anymore. Mobius simply stated he had "been cared about", with a hint of sadness nobody cared for. Loki had been quite shocked to witness his death, he had tried to do something for him, but Mobius had looked at him the way he rarely did- with resignation. Nothing left to do. He had offered Loki to spend some time together after the whole thing, to buy him a drink if he needed, to simply listen to him or leave him alone, if he wanted to. It wasn't easy to be a spectator of their own death.

Loki had recovered quicker than Mobius would have thought. Sure, you could still see Loki lost in his train of thoughts when he was left on his own, but he had seen himself die once, he could handle twice.

"Paperwork. To distract you. As a treat." Mobius put on his desk a stack of papers the size of an encyclopedia.

Loki frowned: "And you call this a treat?"

"Well, you can always go help Casey cataloguing the infinity stones, if you like it best" Mobius chuckles.

Loki mindlessly started playing with the Tesseract on his desk- yes, they let him keep it. After all, it was no more than a glowing blue lamp at the TVA.

"Mh, whatever" Loki sighed, picking up a paper, still glaring at Mobius.

"Oh, you have to file these for the end of the day, which gives you around...hmm, something between one and four hours in earth time, I don't remember now. Good luck." Mobius added before starting to walk away.

An irritated "what" that was probably heard in the entire pocket reality of the TVA made him stopped in place. Mobius couldn't help but smile, but he didn't turn around.

"You must be joking! This is- this is unacceptable! What is even supposed to mean between one and four hours? I may have king ambitions but you are the real tyrant!" Loki shouted.

"Oh, Loki" said Mobius, finally turning to face the God "This is very flattering, but I am no more than a mere bureaucrat."

"Yes, and the worst kind." the other replied. He then looked around him, noticing that everybody has stopped whatever they were doing to listen to his shoutings. With a faint flush on his face, Loki sat back in his chair, just after glancing at the whole room and snarling a "What are you looking at?"

He then looked back at Mobius, sighing a "I hate you so much".

Mobius simply smiles.

"Sure you do, kitten."

I am sorry for the spelling mistakes, I tend to make a lot of them and also I am not a native english speaker, so I hope I everything I wrote makes sense.

[justcoolquotes]

Mobius and Loki's Theories

*Spoilers*

Mobius' Past Life

I was thinking about Mobius' life before the TVA and I have the theory that he was a child before he was taken by the organization.

Since episode one, when Mobius interacted with that french child, we have seen a compassionate or a kinder side of him. At first I thought he was being paternal, but then he referred to Loki as a 'scared little boy' twice, and that got me thinking that maybe he was projecting himself in the boy and Loki as well.

The way he has Jet Ski's magazines and how he is such a fanboy about them also made me think that he possibly was just a boy before TVA.

Also, he said on episode one that time passes differently on the TVA, which leads me to think that maybe time passed differently for him as well. We don't see any kids on the TVA but Sylvie was taken as a child as well, so it could be a possibility... and to think that the TVA stole his life from him breaks my heart.

I know it is just a theory, but the fact that he has a soft spot for children lingered in my mind (the idea of him being a parent also crossed my mind, but as I said, I think he sees something of him in both the french kid and Loki).

Loki's feelings

This could be a little controversial, but I think Loki is still not sure about his feelings towards Sylvie. I'm enjoying this show so much because we have seen so much more about Loki, we have seen so much growth in him and I'm all in for it, but I am confused with all this Loki/Sylvie relationship.

At first we could see curiosity from both sides (I think after all the emotional turmoil of the first episode, Loki -who already knew how his life ended-, was even more curious to see what other version of his life could have been). And then acceptance on both ends and then... some kind of mutual respect (I'm still not sure what to make of it... could it be understanding? Platonic or romantic love?). Loki told Sylvie that she was amazing because against all odds she survived this long and maybe for the first time in his life he openly admitted to admire someone else in that way. I know he admires Thor, but in this case (with this Loki) he also felt jealousy.

Loki knows he's a narcissist and I think that was a huge step for him, to leave himself aside and to simply be amazed by someone else. Sylvie touched Loki's arm and I'm pretty sure he felt accepted and maybe cared for, and I think that was also new for him: he was vulnerable and honest with her and she responded with affection.

And then they get back to the TVA and Mobius tells Loki that Sylvie was pruned and he tries his best to hide any emotion, but Mobius sees through it. Mobius reaction is complicated. He simply states that Loki fell in love with himself because he's a narcissist, but he didn't know about the conversations they had and the connection they established on Lamentis-1. Loki doesn't say a lot, he just keeps repeating the same questions, he just wants to know what happened to Sylvie and if she is fine.

Mobius was not his best self in this moment (I love Mobius, but I think he was kind of mean with Loki and he mudded the waters), he was shocked and he probably doesn't understand how something like that could have happened, even when it makes all the sense in the world (for him) at the same time, and then he starts to mock him. I don't think Loki (or anyone else on that matter) could possibly process his emotions after everything that has happened in such a short amount of time, and Mobius didn't give him the space to think things through and he seems so sad and confused during that conversation.

When Mobius goes back to Loki after stealing Ravonna's TemPad, he asks Loki if he cares about Sylvie and Loki responds that caring is not the right word, he seems irritated now and doesn't know much about what he's feeling, but he trusts her... and he trusts Mobius.

I don't think that by the end of the episode he's clear with his feelings, but he knows he has to act and he probably recalls Mobius' words when he approaches Sylvie. Yes, he seems vulnerable. Yes, he's being honest about his feelings. But I don't think he's completely sure about the way he sees Sylvie.

[the-ice-sculpture]

Loki Episode 1 initial reaction

Mixed opinions so far. I could write an entire essay on this, and maybe I will at some point, but here are my initial thoughts, starting with the negative:

I really despised the first twenty minutes. It’s so jarring. Loki’s dialogue, especially, doesn’t sound anything like Avengers!Loki. His speech patterns and entire dialect are suddenly different, much more modern and filled with too many Earth-specific terms with no explanation. There’s no easing the viewer into the difference, it’s just suddenly there and it’s horrendously whiplashy

The same applies to the presentation of his character. Avengers!Loki was grandiose and majestic and witty, even when he was being defeated. This Loki... isn’t. He comes across as juvenile, bumbling, over the top in more of a cringey way, and he’s the butt of the jokes that rely on his humiliation. He doesn’t feel like the same character from any of the movies to me, or, at least, not for the first twenty minutes

With the desert scene... Yes, it bugged me that his hair was suddenly shorter and didn’t just look like a messed up version of Avengers!Loki’s hair. And it also bugged me that Loki didn’t understand what the humans were saying in a different language. Was the Allspeak not working? Or if Allspeak doesn’t exist in the MCU, are we supposed to believe he studied the English language or that Asgard and Earth happen to share a common language?

I wanted Loki to put up more of a fight. I don’t mind him being defeated by people more powerful than him, but it felt like he resigned too quickly and allowed himself to be shoved around by them too soon. I wanted him to struggle more, it felt weird for him not to try harder to go all death and destruction and for it to not require more pain inflicted on him to get him to (reluctantly) go along with it

The humour in this show didn’t do it for me. It felt out of place and not even particularly funny to begin with. Yeah, yeah, I get it, they want their show to be irreverent and zany, whatever draws in the largest audience, right? But if they were going to go for that style of humour, it could be done so much better than how they did it here. And I’m reiterating please just let Loki be witty, please

Once it got to the part where Loki’s watching himself on the screen, everything got a lot more palatable for me and the last half has made me more hopeful

I’m liking Mobius so far. He actually tries to understand Loki and listens to him. He has empathy but he isn’t going to let Loki walk all over him either. Mobius sort of feels like a guide for viewers who are unfamiliar with analysing Loki’s character and not taking him at surface level, and he asks some of the right questions. I want to see where they’re going with Mobius and Loki’s dynamic

From the instant I saw Loki watching himself in the trailer, I was hoping he’d learn about his hand in Frigga’s death and his own death, and we got that! And more! We also got Odin's death and Loki and Thor’s reconciliation. I liked that they gave it time for the emotional impact to hit, this was the part that started giving me hope again. This was the first time when Loki’s character felt actually recognisable to me. Also, yes, I did enjoy the ouchies

The whole D.B. Cooper thing didn’t feel like something that Thor 1!Loki would have done in his past. It just didn’t. When I saw that in the trailer, I was hoping it’d be a variant Loki or our Loki having to be in disguise or something, but nope, it’s supposed to be part of our Loki’s past

Neat. By the sounds of it, Mobius will be ‘hiring’ Loki to help him catch a Loki variant. I was hoping for that and the play of Loki’s worst enemy being himself

He escaped faster than I thought the show would let him. I mean, he isn’t all the way out yet, and I don’t think he will be, but still, at least he managed to do something and tried to put up more of a fight. I’m still surprised there were no deaths though

The whole ‘we use Infinity Stones as paperweights’ thing... I get that they’re trying to establish the TVA as a more powerful entity than any we’ve come across in the entire universe, but at what point do you stop keeping having to one up the power of what’s already been established in the MCU? This isn’t so much a criticism as it is something I find interesting as a discussion point

On the bright side, at least most of the stuff I didn’t like in the trailers is out of the way now

I was hoping to come to a more solid conclusion about whether or not I’ll like the show after the first episode, but I’m still undecided. It’s so frustrating because a lot of the issues with it could have been so easily fixed. It’s set straight after Avengers Assemble, therefore Loki should feel like Avengers!Loki. I don’t know why that’s controversial. Just look at Avengers!Loki’s speech patterns and apply them! How hard could that have been? Even if they wanted more ‘accessible’ dialogue for him (and, yes, I’m tired of the anti-intellectual trend these days), they could have gradually eased him from the more Shakespearesque stuff to the dialect he has in Ragnarok, and that could have had an in-universe explanation of him picking up language/assimilating or whatever. But they didn’t. Just, bam, it’s different now because we said so and we don’t care if it doesn’t make sense. I’m so tired of things being constantly retconned and I still don’t know if I have the energy to justify it to myself to myself anymore.

But yeah, I think there’s a good chance of the worst being out of the way now. Could be famous last words, but my hope hasn’t been completely destroyed. The first half really didn’t sit well with me at all, but the latter half was far better, even if it wasn’t perfect.

And I’m sure I’ll think of a bunch of things I should have added to this list straight after posting, but oh well.

[dragoqueen]

5 Times Bucky Helped out Peter + 1 Time Peter Returned the Favor

Summary: Peter may or may not be one of the best procrastinators there is. Which leads to some tricky situations when he has patrol late in the night and school in the morning. Luckily, Bucky is there to help him out. 

Words: 1790

Alright, so maybe procrastinating on his homework by going on patrol wasn’t the best idea when he had a 3 page paper on WWII due the next day. But, in his defense, he had already created a plan for it. The thing could practically write itself at this point, and if only it could. The real problem was that he left it on his desk, and he didn’t remember half of it.

So here he was, sitting at his desk in the dark, with a single lamp on, a large mug of coffee to his right, and a computer with a blank google doc pulled up, the blinking cursor reminding him of every second gone to waste of him not getting any work done. His eyes were dry from staring at the screen for a good half an hour, and he was about ready to give up and just accept the terrible grade.

Suddenly, a noise from the hallway pulls his attention away from the computer. Footsteps slowly approach his room, though his spidey sense doesn't alert him of any danger. A mental arm slides through the cracked doorway and slowly the rest of the door opens to reveal Bucky, blinking from the sudden exposure to light. Peter quickly turns the brightness on his computer down before turning back to the man who had already taken a seat on the bed. “What are you doing up so late?” he asks gruffly, though Peter can sense the well-meaning-ness behind the question. 

“Forgot I had a paper due tomorrow. It’s kinda important, can’t miss it.” he answers. 

“You know you’re supposed to do that kind of stuff over time, properly. That way it turns out nice. What’s the paper over?”

“World War Two heroes.”

He lets out a soft snort, “well that should be pretty easy. You have two of us living with you.”

“Yeah, but all of my research is currently sitting in my desk at school and this is due tomorrow! It’s going to take at least a few hours to write this.”

“Peter, you can’t be doing this. A growing boy like you needs his rest. Especially you, being a growing spiderling and all.”

“I know. I’m sorry if I woke you up, I’m just trying to get this done as quietly as possible. I already made a cup of coffee to keep me up so I should be fine, and I promise I’ll go to bed when I’m done if you want to go back to sleep.”

“No. I’ll help you. Research will take too long, I’ll provide information and fuel. Stay here.”

Bucky stands up, ruffling Peter’s hair before exiting the room. Peter awkwardly sits there, his chair angled towards the doorway, as he waits for Bucky to return. He’s just barely fighting against sleep when he hears Bucky’s footsteps approaching the room. Ha makes an attempt to sit up more, but decides to just prop his head up with one hand. 

Bucky pov

Bucky gives the kid a smile when he sees him. He was super adorable, and was definitely worth protecting. He’d pulled plenty of all-nighters before, mostly just from nightmares and his body refusing to sleep. His mind always returns back to his time in the army and with HYDRA. He’d only told Steve about these nightmares, and typically they’d get through it together. Especially since Steve had trouble sleeping as well after being frozen in the ice for so long. However, Steve hadn’t been up when Bucky’s body refused sleep, and he’d seen the light in the baby spider’s room. One thing led to another and here he was, handing him a large pitcher of ice water, a cup, and a plate containing four ham and turkey sandwiches cut into triangle halves. 

“Here’s the deal. You’re going to work and I’ll answer any questions that you have. If you finish at a reasonable time, I’ll make you a huge breakfast in the morning as a celebration. What hero did you choose? Steve… Peggy…?” 

“Oh, actually Mr. Winter Soldier White Wolf Bucky Barnes, sir. I chose to write about you.”

“Me…” Bucky’s baffled. He hadn’t viewed himself as a hero in the slightest. Especially with all of the Winter Soldier… stuff. Even during the war he was more of a sidekick than anything. One of “Captain America’s” many accomplices. The kid was sweet though. “I… okay. I guess helping you with this thing is going to be easier than I thought. Umm… What kind of information do you need, kid?” 

“One paragraph has to be general information about your life before the war, like where were you born, where did you go to school, what was your childhood like, etc. The second one has to be what was your contribution to the war, what you were mots known for, etc. And then the third one is about your affect on others and our everyday life, which is more based on me than research I need for you. All and all, pretty easy. Especially with your help, Mr. Bucky Barnes, sir. My research hadn't resulted in a lot of stuff because it's a "controversial topic at school," the kid actually used air quotes. He's so precious. "But, I did you anyway because you're really cool and more people need to realize it. Sorry if I ranted a bit there."

“It’s fine kid. Like you said, this shouldn’t be too hard. Also, you can just call me Bucky.”

“Alright Mr. Bucky. Let’s get started? I can just write down the information I need and then you can go to sleep-”

“Nope, we’re in this together. I’m staying up as long as you are so better get started.”

“Oh… alright then. I’m going to write a quick thesis and then maybe ask you a few questions based on the different paragraphs, if that’s all right?”

“Perfectly fine, kid.”

Peter writes out a quick thesis he’d been mulling over as he’d stared at the blank screen for so long. He thought it actually wasn’t half bad. Then, he begins filling in information on Mr. Barnes’ (he was still planning on calling him that in his head) childhood, adding in a few fillers here and there to make the essay fit the guidelines. Every once and a while he’ll take a long gulp of water or take a bite of one of the sandwiches. They were really good.

By the time the kid has gotten to his conclusion paragraph, he’s nearly fallen asleep multiple times, and the plate of food has long gone, though Bucky had continued to keep the pitcher full for the kid, despite his reassurance that he didn’t need it. Like heck he did. Finally, kid types the last sentence and turns it in, slumping over his desk on top of the recently closed laptop. Bucky chuckles, and grabs the dishes from the desk, assuming the kid would move to the bed by himself. Once he’s returned to make sure he’s asleep, the kid’s passed out, still over the desk. Bucky picks the kid up and moves him to the bed, Peter only letting out a small sigh in his sleep as protest. He pulls the covers over him before closing the doors behind him, moving back to his own room after finally feeling tired. 

Steve’s sitting at the edge of his bed when he returns, looking slightly worried. He grins when he sees his husband return, scooting over to allow him to sit down. “Sorry I wasn’t up, you know you could’ve woke me up, right?”

“I know. But I didn’t want to disturb you. After all, you looked so peaceful,” he teases. “And anyway, the kid was still up doing an assignment.”

“He get it finished?”

“Yeah, helped him a bit. Gonna have to make him breakfast in the morning as a reward.”

“Well aren’t you the parent.”

“Shut it punk. I want to sleep.”

“Alright.” They both return to the bed and end up passing out almost instantly. 

Bucky wakes up first the next morning, surprised to get some of the best sleep he’s gotten in a while. As promised, Bucky makes a large meal, fit for the endless void of food that was caused from the family of spies, gods, super soldiers, and other assorted bottomless pits. For the rest of them he whips up some pancakes, bacon, and eggs. However, for Peter he makes a couple of chocolate-drizzled croissants (a favorite of the spiderling) a chocolate flavored smoothie (with a bit of coffee mixed in for energy), and a small bowl of assorted fruits. 

Soon after the foot is done the team begins to trickle in at their own pace. Pepper and Natasha are up first, having breakfast together with a cup of coffee before moving off to their assorted morning duties. Sam, Clint, and the twins appear shortly after, fighting over the biggest pancakes like children. In the middle of it Steve appears, giving his husband a kiss on the cheek before sitting in between the two squabbling children. Sam and Clint give one last glare to each other before settling with the food on their plates. Tony and Bruce were at a science convention meeting, so they were currently at a hotel in Washington. Strange had taken a visit to Kamar-Taj, so he too was absent from their breakfast.  And Thor, Loki, and Carol were all off-world. 

Finally, the spiderling made an appearance, solidifying his child-like being by rubbing his eyes with his fist, blinking into the chaos of the morning. FRIDAY automatically dimmed the lights as he walked in, alerting everyone of his presence. Various greetings were exchanged as he sat down at their abnormally large table for his breakfast. He looks at Bucky curiously, to confirm that his breakfast would be a satisfying reward, his eyes growing bigger than they had thought humanly possible when the tray of food was set before him. “Wow, thank you Mr. Bucky. You really didn’t have to do this!”

“Hey! How come the kid gets a special breakfast?” Clint complains.

“Because the kid actually works hard for things in life, and this is a reward for him. Now eat up Peter, Happy will be here to pick you up in about 20 minutes.”

Peter nods his thanks before digging into the meal. It tastes even better than he could have imagined and by the time Happy comes to pick him up, he’s eaten it all and feels fresh and prepared for the coming school day. 

When he returns from school he happily tells everyone in the tower of how his teacher really enjoyed his WWII essay and had him read it aloud, which earns himself a proud smile from Bucky. 

[the-working-class-guide-to-films]

Mulan (2020)

A film probably isn’t going to get off to a good start when there is more substance to the Wikipedia ‘controversy’ section than the ‘plot’ section. From the lack of diversity within its production team, comments made by lead star Yiefel Liu on Hong Kong, filming in Xiajiang where there are actual INTERNMENT CAMPS and the removal of Li-Shang from the original film who has since become an LGBT+ icon. These are all terrible, terrible decisions. We haven’t even discussed how bad the movie actually was yet.

Yeah you do, at the end of my DVD watchlist because I won’t be watching this again. 

First up, I’m a massive fan of the 1998 film but I tried to look at this through unbiased eyes. The original film is probably my second favourite Disney film alongside The Lion King. It has a fantastic mix of humour, action, interesting and unique characters and of course, a good message to take from it. For me the film did a great job of giving us a powerful message without preaching. It worked beautifully well. Remember in Endgame when they did that scene of all the female characters lining up and it was one of the one most cringy and virtue signalling moments in my life. I groaned loudly. Because of course we should raise women up, create powerful stories about the, but do this in a smart way. Don’t throw all your women in one scene when you don’t do anything positive with the female characters. We’ve had two...two Hulk films, three Thor films, two Ant-Man films. Who the fuck cares about Ant-Man??? But up to this point, we haven’t had a Black Widow movie despite her being a staple of Avengers movies for the past what, 10 years? So when these companies throw out statements, or shout about equality, see what their actions say. Endgame featured a horrible piece of virtue signalling and I felt that this adaptation tried to do something similar. It went too far enforcing the message that is so clear and prominent in the original film, Mulan is the baddest. An actual fucking queen, the hero of China. The original done this in a fantastic way, I don’t think this version had the same effect.

Right well you know the story. It’s pretty much the same story. Mulan’s Dad gets called up to fight in the Imperial Army, he has a dodgy leg, she takes his place. It’s the same. A few things are different but the main story is the same. This version was reported as trying to be more realistic than the animation. So no Mushu or songs. This is fine by me. If you want to do a realistic version of a historical story you probably don’t want to be breaking into song every thirty minutes or having a tiny dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy. So why oh why did they decide to add in a completely new character who could turn into an eagle and perform magic? Why? How is this realistic? Her character was supposed to be there because it was meant to show the path Mulan could have gone down. Qi, which is what the filmmakers were talking about is about energy flowing during martial arts. In the film it is described as a magical force that gives the characters their power, and that it becomes weakened through dishonesty, giving reason for Mulan to stop the lie about being a man to receive the full potential of her qi. Yeah, this didn’t go down well and once again, made no sense to the apparent realism this film was trying to achieve. So yes, hated this.

I didn’t like the cinematography, there were too many slow motion cuts or times the camera would flip over. It was over used that it lost the effect it was trying to achieve. The dialogue was poorly written and for some scenes there were issues of overacting. The characters didn’t really have much of a personality and whereas in the orignal the characters had distinct looks and charisma, these guys didn’t. Apart from Cricket, Cricket was kinda cute. There were also too many characters and there was the injustice of omitting Li-Shang who was split into two characters. Li-Shang was an interesting character, firstly his character had an arc, there was conflict and dilemma. In this movie there was a Commander Tung and Honghui, the latter being the ‘love interest’. These two characters were boring because there was nothing about them, and the relationship between Honghui and Mulan seemed obvious. To me it seemed like Honghui knew straightaway that Mulan was hiding her identity so their connection didn’t have the tension that the previous did. I think it was a big mistake leaving Li-Shang out.

Maybe if you was watching this movie first you might enjoy it. It’s not that there aren’t any good things about it. Because it does an OK job as an adaptation. Obviously it doesn’t come close to the original. The things they add, and omit, do not make any sense to me. It doesn’t make the film better and certainly takes it away in some cases. I enjoyed Tzi Ma as Mulan’s father, I enjoyed the colours, I enjoyed the addition of The Silk Road, making the history a bit richer. Despite the exclusion of songs, I did enjoy the music. There was a hint of Reflection throughout which is of course THE song from Mulan.

2/5 If you haven’t seen the original you might think this is ok and I guess in parts it does an ok job adapting a much-loved and Disney movie. For me however it fails on many parts. Lacking in humour, decent action, good writing and engaging characters. Not for me. 

[wandas-sunshine]

Most characters which are not Bucky, Steven and maybe Loki and/or Thor are often underrated and therefore don’t receive so much attention. But I definitely enjoyed your Pietro fic very much. You mean Hermione Granger for cosplay? If so I give a big fat yes. Next to Draco she’s my favourite character. It might be a very unpopular and controversial opinion but I didn’t liked that she ended up with Ron. I think Harry would have been the more obvious choice. A fem Winter Soldier would be cool too 🦊

AHHH I never even saw this how rude of tumblr. Yup! I liked the idea more before I shaved the side of my head because my hair was long and really curly so it was kinda always frizzy.

I'm iffy on her relationship with Ron. I like it, but at the same time (controversial opinion incoming) I just don't like him. I'm one of the outliers who ships Fred and Hermione but we all know how that ends

[lynnsfics]

Coffee Stained Confusion Ch 10

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~~~

Sam pointed his gun at any HYDRA agents that tried to stand in your way as you exited the compound. “Here’s how this is gonna go,” he said to them, “we’re gonna walk out of here, and you’re going to let us. Because although Stark needs her,” he motioned to Alicia, who was limping behind the rest of the group, “he doesn’t need any of you. Stay out of our way, and you can escape with your lives.”

Finally you made it to the car, Sam getting in the back with Alicia, and you sitting shotgun. Bucky sat next to you in the drivers’ seat.

“Did you have to park so far away?” Alicia complained, “My feet are killing me.”

“Considering you’re a prisoner right now, you’d better keep a lid on it.”  Sam replied.

“If anyone should be a prisoner right now, it should be that ‘doll’ of yours. She killed someone, I didn’t.”

You tensed up,  the video playing on a loop in your mind. You’d hurt another innocent person. “Watch it.” Bucky replied, venom lacing his words. 

“Are we going to the compound?” You looked out the window, unsure of what you wanted the answer to be. 

“Yes, we are, and you’ll have a room there for as long as you want.” We sent one word ahead to Tony and Nick. They’re talking about recruiting you for the Avengers Initiative, if you want to join, that is.”

“I, I don’t know for sure yet. Can I think about it?”

“Of course, doll. However long you need.” 

“Is it alright if I don’t talk about what happened right away? To be honest, all I really want to do right now is watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine and have some coffee.” You smiled to yourself, remembering the good things in life.

“You don’t need to talk about any of it until you’re ready.” Bucky paused, “Wait, you watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine too?” Your eyes lit up, and he smiled. There was a sparkle there that he hadn’t quite noticed before. Now he was wondering how he could ever miss it. 

“It’s been my favorite shows for a while now! Actually, I was watching it right before, well before all this,” you vaguely gestured to everyone in the car. “I just love everything about it. Maybe watching it can help me get back into the groove of things.”

“Maybe you two could watch it together,” Sam suggested with a smirk, “To help adjust to the compound, of course.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes in response, but as you glanced at him, was that a hint of a blush you detected? You finally started to feel the knot in your chest unravel a little. There was something about talking with Bucky and Sam made you feel more at ease. Before you knew it, you forgot that Alicia was even in the car. 

Bucky turned on the radio and was about to change the station before you stopped him. “Wait, this is a good one! Not to be a total dad, but old school rock is pretty good sometimes.”

Sam made eye contact with Bucky in the rear view mirror and chuckled, “Yeah, her and Tony will get along just fine.” 

Soon enough, you were in the city, and when the car pulled up in front of the tower, you gasped. It was more beautiful in person than the pictures they had shown on the news. To be fair, when it had been shown, there was a Hulk-sized hole in the side from the Attack on New York. 

Bucky opened the car door for you. “Welcome home,” he said with a smile. “That is if you decide to stay of course, which you don’t have to but if you do-”

Sam cut him off, “Welcome to Avengers Tower. We hope you enjoy your stay.” 

You laughed, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. This was one of the most famous, if not controversial skyscrapers in the world. And you were about to live there, at least temporarily. Alicia made a snide remark about the “morality of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, but you couldn’t even process it, because at that moment Tony Stark stepped out of the building to greet you all. 

“Sam, Bucky,” Tony said cordially, “glad to see you didn’t completely ruin your mission.” He turned to you and smiled. “And you must be the spark of hope I’ve been hearing about.” He extended his hand for you to shake, but instead you just stood there staring. “Go ahead, I don’t bite. Well, Pepper might have something different to say about that but,” he smirked. “Anyways, it’s nice to officially meet you.” 

“Dude, come on, she’s traumatized enough as it is,” Sam rolled his eyes. “So, now that you’ve been so formally introduced to the ‘Great Tony Stark’, maybe you want to head in and meet the rest of the team?”

You walked into the Tower, heart pounding. Armed guards arrived to help Sam escort Alicia to where she would be detained. As soon as she was gone you felt a weight lift, the constant reminder of your actions gone, at least momentarily. 

Bucky led you to a private elevator, out of sight from prying eyes. “This will take you to your private rooms, along with the floors reserved for Avengers, should you choose to join. Until then,” he handed you a small plastic card that had your picture next to the Avengers logo, “this it your personal I.D. It will allow you to go to the floors you have access to. Just swipe it right there.” He motioned to a scanner near the elevator’s keypad. 

Cautiously, you swiped the card and sure enough a woman’s voice spoke over the audio system. “Hello Miss Y/N, I’m FRIDAY, which floor would you like to go to?” 

“Uh, which levels do I have access to?”

“You currently have access to the Avenger’s main floor and Sergeant Barnes’ floor.” “They didn’t have enough time to set up your floor yet,” Bucky said, glancing down, “so until they do I offered to share mine, if that’s alright with you, of course.”

“That’d be great, thank you Bucky. FRIDAY, can you take us to the Avenger’s main level, please?”

“Sure thing.” The button for the top floor lit up and the elevator started rising. You looked out the glass walls at the beautiful view of the city below.

“Um, Bucky,” you paused, looking for the right words, “thank you for rescuing me.  I know that it must have been hard going back to a HYDRA compound, and if it hadn’t been for you and Sam, I’d still be there.”

Bucky smiled sadly, “If it hadn’t been for us you probably wouldn’t have gotten so tangled up in this. It was the least we could do.”  

“Trust me,” you said, “I was tangled up in this way before I bumped into you. Alicia was my roommate, and,” your voice cracked, “my best friend. Or at least I thought she was.”

“Hey, it’s alright, basically everyone here has been betrayed by someone at some point. Just ask Thor how many times his brother faked his death. And,” Bucky hesitated, not sure if he should press the issue, “should you be looking for a new friend, I’m just a few doors away.” 

You smiled, “Thank you-”. Before you could finish your sentence the power in the elevator went out, and you felt yourself falling. 

~~~

Taglist:

@sydneyisnotawriter

I feel like things may go well for reader and Bucky. She seems to really be ~falling~ for him. Like always, likes and reblogs are appreciated! Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! Love you all <3

[elenatria]

“It wasn’t planned. I thought that will be my only award this year, that’s why I said yes!” – joked Skarsgård, before jumping right into discussing his impressive career. Starting with 1960s series “Bombi Bitt och jag”, a still from which was met with delighted giggles. “This little boy? He didn’t want to be an actor, he wanted to be a diplomat” – he explained. “Dag Hammarskjöld was the hero of my childhood and my idea of a diplomat was someone who travels the world to bring peace. I still haven’t decided what I want to do when I grow up.”

As hard as it is to believe, it wasn’t an easy start for the acclaimed actor. “My first feature was called “Raid in the Summer” and it was the kind of film where you can’t shoot anymore because there is no stock to shoot on. It was supposed to be a summer comedy, all about running hand in hand into the water, and I was running hand in hand into the water in October.” Theatre roles and, as he put it, semi-light porn films by Torgny Wickman were to follow. Until 1982’s “The Simple-Minded Murderer”, shown just before the masterclass, gave him a long-awaited break. “I developed camera-fright. I was afraid of it because I made so many bad movies. I remember [director] Hans Alfredson was watching me when I was reading the script. He wanted to see my reaction. This man was fantastic to work with because there was never any pressure. That’s how it all started.”

Although the author behind his thriller “Code Name Coq Rouge” complained Skarsgård was too thin (“He said I looked like an asparagus!”), huge international success was just around the corner. Courtesy of Lars von Trier’s “Breaking the Waves”, which started a years-long collaboration rivaled only by that with Hans Petter Molland. “I went: Yes! Finally a love story I can relate to!” – he said about a film that saw a religious woman having sex with other men to please her paralyzed husband. “When you work with Lars, you do what you want. His scripts are extremely structured, like ‘Raiders of the Last Ark,’ but the way he shoots makes them so alive. A director needs to have something to say and it has to be personal, but you also want someone who is interested in what is happening between the lines. In ‘Chernobyl,’ the relationship between Jared Harris’ character and mine wasn’t even on the page.”

Popular on VarietyAlready a staple in European cinema, over the years Skarsgård also managed to enter the dark world of Hollywood blockbusters. Quite literally. “When they finished the film, they realized nobody understood what was going on” – he said about “Thor: The Dark World” and its infamous chalkboard scene. “They needed a scene where at least some of it was explained, so they flew me in to do it! I was reluctant to do the first “Thor”, but I had great respect for Kenneth Branagh and compared to these other films it was a slow-burner. During our first read-through, and Kevin Feige was there as well, I asked: This comic-book stuff, is there really any money in that? The whole table just froze. I was stuck with Marvel for a while but I enjoyed it, even though when you read the script there is a good scene and then four pages of people throwing each other at the wall. I don’t understand everything about it, but I had fun doing it.”

Encouraged by Holmberg, the actor found time to address Martin Scorsese’s Marvel controversy as well. “In his article for The New York Times he wrote that it’s not Marvel’s fault, because it’s not. It’s not Netflix’s fault either that the streaming services are taking over. For decades, we have believed that the market should rule everything. That’s the root of it all” – he pointed out. “It’s monopoly everywhere and all the midrange movies don’t exist anymore. ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ played in Stockholm for 20 years! That won’t happen again. All these brilliant writers and directors went to television, but the same mechanisms will kill it too. They make more series than we need, Netflix is buying out every talent and the diversity in terms of voices will eventually end. It’s not Marvel’s fault – it’s this idea of how economic systems of the world should work.”

As the evening progressed, things got personal. “I don’t want to do moral films. I have done semi-moral films, and by that I don’t mean the sex films, but I don’t think everything in art needs to be immediately useful. You give the audience a new pair of eyes to look at the world” – he said, swiftly moving onto his ever-growing acting clan. “Hiring a Skarsgård is like hiring a BMW – you know what you get!” – he joked. “I have no influence over my children, they hit puberty and never respected me after that. If you interfere and they are successful, they think it’s thanks to you. If they fail, you get shit for it.” Still, he will soon join son Gustaf in a project written by his wife Megan Everett. “It’s a Swedish story, so of course it will have a Chinese director. Cultural appropriation can be good – look at what Ang Lee did with ‘Brokeback Mountain’ or Wim Wenders with “Paris, Texas”. It’s good to have an outside eye looking at your society sometimes.”

And yet, while already in his late 60s, things aren’t necessarily looking up for Skarsgård. “For several years, the only offers I got from Sweden were to play some serial killer in ‘Wallander 43.’ If I play a one-dimensional baddie, it better be in an American movie where I get good damage for it” – he observed dryly. “This summer I did ‘Dune’ and I had so much fat on that just moving around was horrible. Physically, that was the hardest job I have ever done” – he told a curious member of the audience. “For thousands of years, actors have learnt by acting and by stealing from more talented actors. Just steal from several of them so they can’t trace it.” And as to his future legacy? “I don’t care. I am not saving all the scripts, like Bergman did, to have my own museum later on. I have eight kids. What kind of legacy is that?”

[hackedmotionsensors]

Here we go Endgame lets talk about it! 

BELOW THE CUT

So I’ll say this!!! Over all!!! I liked it a lot. For a lot of reasons.

I also HAAAATTTEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDD a lot of some of the choices. That’s okay. We can have mixed feelings about movies especially the end of a saga. I think they did a good job of getting nods where they needed nods, bringing in storylines from previous movies and conversations that needed to happen.

And they fucking whiffed it on at least THREE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS!!!

So lets start with what I liked.

1) STEVE TONY EVENT. DO YOU HEAR ME IT WAS A STEVE TONY EVENT  aaaah oh my god. From the second Tony lands back on the planet and Steve RUNS to him before even Pepper and he’s holding him and just the look of agony as Pepper takes him away and the fight where Tony says ALL THE SHIT WE HAD BEEN SAYING!!!! WHERE WERE YOU! YOU LIAR!!! and he RIPS HIS HEART OFF OF HIS CHEST AND GIVES IT TO STEVE BECAUSE YOU FUCKING BROKE HIS HEART YOU FUCKING FUCKED UP STEVE!!!!! FUCKK!!!! And then reconciling because “Resentment is corrosive” UGHHH!!! And Steve just barely containing himself when Tony shows up ughh!! UGHHH!!!!!!! AND THE ASS JOKE!!! THERE’S NO HETEROSEXUAL EXPLANATION ABOUT THAT!!!! TONY SAW STEVES ASS AND WAS LIKE TAN FRANCED IT LIKE BITCH YOU NEED AN FRENCH TUCK OF MY DING DONG IN YOUR BUTT!!! and Steve over the intercom being like “omg tony not in front of the kids” AND A STEVETONY SOLO MISSION!!!!!! 

A STEVE TONY...

SOLO

MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TONY CALLING STEVE MY MAN  WOW. WOW. FUCKING EXCELLENT ON ALL ACCOUNTS THANKS SO MUCH!! I was given some bread thank you I will eat this stevetony bread nom nom nom nom nom.

2) Tony’s arc in this story was really beautiful. He finally got what he wanted, some perspective and closure with Howard. And I know initially you want to go “Hey Howard was really abusive” and yeah he was. But its complicated. Because Tony even says in Homecoming he was trying to break the cycle of abuse and he DID with Peter and Morgan. You can see just HOW MUCH he cares for his daughter and he was willing to say fuck you to the UNIVERSE in favor of not losing her. Its always a different perspective when you see your parents as people and not as YOUR PARENTS. 

Also Tony lying on the table with Natasha UuU. A lot of the interactions with Tony and the other characters were so good. Tony and Rocket. Tony and Nebula. Tony and Carol (tho brief). Tony arguing with Pierce like his little gay senses were like “This guys a nazi I bet”

3) I genuinely liked the Time Heist. I DID  NOT LIKE THE RULES OF TIME TRAVEL IN THIS MOVIE BUT I’LL GET TO THAT. But I looooved the Time Heist. From the New York stuff with Steve fighting Steve and knowing his dumbass loses his shit when he hears things like “Bucky’s still alive” and being done with his own stupid shit “I can do this all day” “YEAH I KNOW” (which btw at this point was basically the last thing he said to Tony in Civil War so maybe that doesn’t have its plucky little fire anymore and now is a sore spot). I loved Loki running away with the Space Stone (even tho as of now I’m still not sure what the FUCK THAT MEANS!? more on that in a sec) Loki making fun of Cap. Loki rolling his eyes at Odin. Tony dressed in a shield outfit screaming Medic!!! The gang all on the elevator and Hulk screaming about it and LOKI WAVING HIS HAND AT THE HULK AS THE DOORS SHUT!! TONY SITTING ON THE BRIEFCASE! SCOTT GOING “how the FUCK did you not know they were Hydra LOOK AT THEM They’re a COP!” Then jumping forward to the 70s and Steve’s legs that went all the way up to his asshole and Tony dressed as a doctor

I drew a doodle of it here you go lol I’ll post it properly later

oh did this not happen? Idk what movie you were watching.

4) The big battle at the end was SO FUCKING COMIC BOOK I WAS LOSING IT. Also I keep calling it the Battle of Five Armies or Return of the King lol T’challa BATHED IN A HALO OF LIGHT LIKE YES WE STAN A KING. MY WIFE

MY.

WIFE!!!!!!!!

VALKYRIE!!! ON HER BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE!!!! (also not being given an actual name and called Valkyrie is the funniest goddamn thing. Like that’s like going into a Footlocker and talking to the manager but calling them Manager)

CAROL!!!!!! WITH HER BUTCH ASS HAIRCUT PUNCHING THANOS IN THE MOUTH AND WRECKING HIS SHIT

WANDA FINALLY FUCKING FLYING. LIKE. F L Y I N G. THAT is what the Scarlet Witch is SUPPOSED TO DO!! SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE SO POWERFUL IT TOOK EVERYONE TO TAKE HER DOWN CMON!!!!!! And she almost got him too. Honestly if it were down to Carol and Wanda they probably could have ended Thanos alone. 

Korg coming back for more comic relief AND PUTTING HIM IN TAIKA’S PINEAPPLE ONESIE!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING.

5) This is controversial. And I know it won’t age well. And that’s okay and feel free to disagree with me entirely. 

But I liked Fat Thor lmfao. I know it was played as a joke for the wrong reasons but I laughed. I was like fuck yes his belly looks like mine and that’s not why it was funny and it SHOULDN’T BE but I laughed lol. But on the other hand I think it had partially to do with Hemsworth constantly being like “no no we don’t need a shirtless scene” or just sort of a gag at how Marvel always has a shirtless scene and its just kind of funny to have it not be someone cut. EVEN THOUGH its a fat suit and I can’t take off my fat suit but Hemmy can and that’s kinda shitty. 

but I laughed. I can’t help it. He was a whole ass mess and I thought it was funny. And I know there are Thor fans out there who wanted more for him but like I said before this was a SteveTony event. This movie and this win worked because it was Steve and Tony finally coming together again.

It felt honestly the most comic book Avengers of the entire series. 

And true to comic book events

it whiffed the landing.

Before I get into dislikes I’ll say that I liked this movie more than I disliked it. I cried H A R D at the end of the movie. Because its not a movie that’s an on its own kind of movie. You had to have gone through the journey to get here. The pay off is completely lost if you only watch this movie. Or you only watch one or two of the MCU. Or if you’re like a few people I’ve talked to where they only like Steve and Tony. Or they only like Thor and Loki. Or they only like the Guardians and hate the avengers. If you have hate in your heart for any of these characters the payoff of this movie is pretty much lost.

The theme of this movie is clearly about moving on when things come to an end. When things stop or end or we lose people we love you have to move on. Steve says that at the beginning of the movie to our apparent gay representative straight director Joe Russo.

But like Tony said before.

Steve’s a fucking liar lmfao

But lets not start there. Lets start with the fucking timeline.

I hate.

I H A  T E EEEEEEEEE TIME TRAVEL!!!!!! AS A PLOT!!!!!!! WITHOUT ANY RULES!!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed what we SAW of the Time travel but the rules itself DIDN’T MAKE ANY FUCKING SENSE.

So when they’re suiting up Hawkeye for the test run Bruce explicitly says that all these movies that say “if you go into the past and fuck up the past you fuck up the timeline and the present/future is fucked because you’ve changed things”

ARE WRONG. HE SAYS THEY ARE WRONG. He says “If you go into the past. The past becomes your present. But the present then becomes your future. So you can’t go back and un fuck your parents to make you. Or kill baby Thanos. because that happened and you can’t change that but you can change youre present”

WHICH DOESN’T

MAKE ANY

FUCKING

SENSE. BECAUSE THEN YOU AREN”T TIME TRAVELING!!!!!!!!! 

If you go into the past yes YOU are in your present but the world is still being written around you STILL so you go into the past and change something (loki making off with the space stone) that’s CHANGED. You’ve created a new reality.

THEY EXPLICITLY SAY THIS IN DOCTOR STRANGE AND Y’ALL I KNOW DOCTOR STRANGE WAS BORING AS HELL BUT IF YOU’RE GOING TO USE TIME TRAVEL AS YOUR STORY DEVICE THEN YOU CAN’T SAY THAT SHIT IN DOCTOR STRANGE DOESN’T WORK WHEN YOU’VE ESTABLISHED IT AS THE RULES OF TIME TRAVEL.

THE ANCIENT ONE EVEN SAYS “you create a new reality. And it fucks shit up”

LIKE!?!?!??!

WHAT THE HELL!!!

So now Loki has the time Stone in reality B, in reality A Steve goes back and puts the stones back where they belong (and I guess.....gives the soul stone to Red Skull????????? wouldn’t you try to get Natasha back????like that itself is a whole movie of Steve going back and putting things away but ??????) 

And then we get to the end of the movie where Steve says Fuck you to Peggy’s reality A family and now on this timeline where they’ve time traveled he lived an entire life WITH Peggy but like.......you were Captain America and you just said “No don’t worry about JFK being assassinated. Or the Civil Rights movement. Or stopping Bucky in any capacity. Or maybe saving MLK. Or Peggy continuing to join SHIELD. Or stopping ACTUAL NAZIS from infiltrating SHIELD.

Because if you go with this idea that Steve went back and “lived a life” What did he DO then. What did he FUCKING. DO?

You’re not Steve from 1940s going back to 1940s. You’re Steve form 2019 going back to 1940s. No wifi. No medicine. No cell phones? Gays are still being persecuted. You can’t drink from the same fountain as black people (or rather they can’t drink from your white fountain). 

You are.

CAPTAIN.

AMERICA.

and you just said nah fuck it its fine? This shit can all happen but I don’t super care because I get to dance with Peggy. Peggy who on her own had this whole life. Who did all this stuff IN YOUR NAME IN YOUR HONOR. Who married someone else. Who had a FAMILY. Who had a NIECE that you made out with. And just..... wha....

Like if he had gone back and danced with her but came back with Natasha in exchange for the soul stone but during his travels had aged. Or met someone else.

Like movie wise and story wise I get wrapping up Steve’s story. And maybe the person Peggy is talking about in the video of her in TWS is actually Steve from 2019. Maybe that’s it. But it still doesn’t make sense because they FUCKED UP THE RULES OF TIME TRAVEL SO WHO THE FUCK KNOWS.

So. lol I wasn’t a huge fan of Steve at the end of the movie. I know they needed to do something to end the movie with a finality. With Steve being DONE. But instead of finality or closure I just have so many goddamn questions. And I don’t hold it against Evans or even really the directors per say. But I’ll blame Markus and McFeely because they were writing since TWS. They HAD the Cap STORYLINE to write about and that was how they ended it.

its like when you pack for a very important trip and you plan out all your outfits but then wake up late and end up throwing whatever you can find into your suitcase and run out the door.

It felt final and not final.

But I’ll tell you this. From my perspective and obviously I’m going to skew it this way because its me and FEEL FREE to disagree with me.

He left because Tony and Natasha were dead. The two people that he felt the closest to (sorry Sam, Bucky and Sharon [who we didn’t even see as dusted wow]) were gone. Natasha and Steve had become a brother and sister. He would always come back for her clearly. Trying to cheer her up as she’s crying. Natasha understanding Steve’s feeling of being lost. Tony inspiring and fighting with Steve. Like that’s part of what I liked about this is taht you could really feel how Steve and Tony needed each other for this to work but also they needed to not hate each other. 

Also I kinda knew the second Scott said “That’s a one way trip!!” before the 70s bit that Steve was going to stay in the past lol What an asshole.

Also I don’t think it was very UN-Captain America because I think people don’t always realize that a lot of the inspo for the MCU came ALSO from Ultimates. And if Ults Cap was able to go back to the past he would have in a heartbeat. Who was a more depressed Cap? Ults or MCU? I just don’t know.

Now.

Natasha.

This was another one I kind of saw coming from a mile away as soon as it was just the two of them on Vormir. I was kind of hoping they’d Hawkeye a way out of the deal by like throwing his daughters picture or something like that. Or that it would be Hawkeye. But they both had an upcoming movie/series so I didn’t know which way it went.

And then there was that big jump. And I was like oh my god they did it right

AND THEN THEY FUCKING DIDN’T.

Wow. Wowwwwwwwwww

Markus and McFeely 

REALLY DID THAT

THE RUSSO BROTHERS REALLY DID THAT

THEY DID THE SAME FUCKING SCENE TWICE.

The first time you get because Thanos is a dick and abusive and he would absolutely throw his favorite daughter into the soul pit (which I guess Isn’t picky because she didn’t love him back she hated him but I guess its a one way street with the ol’ soul stone)

And they don’t say during that one (far as I remember) that its a permanent exchange. 

But they sure emphasized this time. And they sure killed the original avenger who was the only girl on the team. Who never got a chance to live.

Who Whedon made herself call heself a monster because she can’t have a family and then she gets a found family and then SHE DIES. THEY KILL HER. AFTER HAVING A FAMILY.

WHAT THE FUCK. Like...my problems with Scarjo aside (which are similar with my problems with Paltrow) You DID. BLACK. WIDOW. FUCKING. DIRTY. I don’t care that there’s a movie coming out that was her story. You were supposed to give her a fucking story. And now her story is only how she relates to her TEAM OF MEN.

And now to my last point that I didn’t like. And I don’t hate this one as much as Steve’s ending or Natasha’s ending.

I don’t like that Tony died. I know this is wrapped up in a lot of emotions I have about Tony Stark the character. Robert Downey Jr the person. Tony Stark the character in all his forms is very important to me and I love that he has many forms. 616, Ults, AvAc, Avengers Assemble, the MCU. But his story is important to me. And its heartbreaking. I’m tearing up a bit now writing this out. 

I’m just the type of person that hates that a character, in a fantasy setting where you have wizards, valkyries, robots, talking raccoons and trees, Dave Bautista, a giant green rage monster wearing chinos, that you have to take this one part and make it realistic. That we have to keep realism kill this character off because it doesn’t make sense if someone doesn’t die. Because the stakes aren’t high if you don’t make them personal as well.

Which is true like you don’t have high stakes (the planet or universe getting dusted) if you don’t are about some of the people in that universe personally.

I just would have rather he had retired. Moved onto his little farm with Pepper and Morgan.

I think they did right by Tony. Storywise, ending...all the stuff the dropped the fucking ball on with Natasha and Steve they gave to Tony. And on one hand I get it and I appreciate that because (sorry to nat and steve fans truly) I care more about Tony. Tony started this whole thing. In a miracle of accidents they got the right actor, the right story, the right character, the right director, the right timing technology wise, the right social mood and made solid gold. And none of this would have happened if it weren’t for that amazing accident that happened.

And I think it has more to do with not wanting to let go or move on even though i can always go back to Iron Man 1 at any point and start the journey over again and have a laugh but there’s always going to be that ending where its final. Its done. Its over. And in the simplest of terms. I don’t like it. You have to know when to bow out and I respect and appreciate that. I don’t wanna see Iron Man 8 with geriatric old RDJ trying to fumble into a mocap suit.

I understand. I appreciate. But I don’t have to like it as a person. And that’s okay.

Its all about moving on isn’t it? That’s the theme of the movie. Moving on.

Even if you’re steve and your moving on wipes out the existance of a whole other family lmfaaoidnsfasfada sorry sorry. 

Okay. yeah that’s all I think I can think of. I’m sure there’s a ton more other people have mentioned aside from what I wrote. Like its a LONG movie and I think its hard to say hey “they fucked this up” or “they got this right” for EVERY SINGLE THING. There were so many characters. Nebula’s story could have been better. Thor’s story could have been more involved. Hawkeye could have been more important throughout the series. Janet could have come back for the final fight and healed Tony. Like there’s a ton of “this COULD have happened” But it didn’t. And that’s okay. It may not be right but its okay. I think they wrapped it up as best you could while still making a good movie. I think you probably can go back after a long while and look at the Endgame and go yeah that wasn’t so bad for an ending. Endings are hard to do with any sort of skill. Its why the joke that the third movie always sucks. 

There’s still a ton of stuff to look forward to.

Falcon/Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Wanda and Vision (i GUESS??? lol), Black Widow’s movie. 

Maybe Steve solved more than he let on who knows. WHO KNOWS. Maybe Mjolnir left him haflway through the journey when she knew he was going to ditch his 2019 family (who again....mostly dead now)

I love Tony 3000. Which I found out is more than a ton which makes Morgan Stark a lot smarter than I am lmfao

[sciencelings-writes]

Incredibles AU (Part 1)

My next @iron-man-bingo entry! Enjoy!!

The Starks were a normal American family. Tony, the father, worked as a mechanic for a decent wage, Virginia, the stay-at-home mom, took care of the kids and kept the house in order, Harley, the eldest son was a high school junior with passing grades and helped his father as a hobby, Peter, the middle child, was less than a year younger than his brother and spent his time reading and daydreaming, lastly, Morgan, the baby. She was a normal toddler that as most normal babies, couldn’t talk and seemed to be having as much fun being completely unaware of what was happening. 

But on the inside, the Starks were not very normal. Tony could feel the electricity through technology and could create whatever his brilliant mind could come up with. Virginia, often going by her nickname Pepper, had fire under her skin and could melt metal with her bare hands. Harley could see and control the magnetic fields around him and levitate the metals around him. Peter could lift an elephant with his pinky, stick to even the slickest materials, hear the heartbeats of people miles away, feel danger moments from its impact, perform intricate acrobatic maneuvers, and balance on a string. Morgan could… well, they didn't know yet but her powers would manifest pretty soon. It usually took a few years. 

So yeah, the Starks were pretty normal. They kind of had to be. In the world that they lived in, people like them were a controversial topic and publicly using their powers or using them to intervene in everyday life was illegal. Sure, Pepper could heat up a pot of pasta to get it to boil faster and Harley could lift the car that his father was working on, but in the public eye, they had to do things the normal way. Peter had to pretend that he couldn’t lift as much as he was able to, Tony had to let his phone stay thick and inefficient. Because they had to be normal. Even if it made life feel emotionally unsaturated. 

However, Tony was unsatisfied with this. He missed having a suit of technologically advanced armor. He missed flying above the air and going against the odd villain of the week. He missed the rush of energy he got when he saved someone or dodged death for the seventh time that week. He missed the excitement. The only thing stopping him from going back was his family. He didn’t care about the superhuman regulatory laws, he just had to keep his family safe. Even if it meant he couldn’t be Iron Man anymore. 

Tonys children had never gotten to know what it was like to be a superhero. They never knew why Tony so desperately missed it. They never had super friends, because of the mandatory secrecy. The only person outside of their family that they knew had powers was Pepper's old friend Carol. She could shoot bright energy out of her hands and glow and use the power to fly. She didn’t just secretly have powers though, she secretly got married to a non-powered woman. She was probably the coolest person the Starks ever knew. 

Besides Carol, there was only one more person who knew about their little superfamily. James Rhodes. He didn’t have any powers but he was still Tonys longtime best friend. Rhodey was a military man who could be hit with the weirdest shit but still stay logical. He always had a fire extinguisher with him after Pepper had a cold and almost sneezed the house on fire. 

So, an ordinary family in an ordinary world. Fortunately soon the world would need extraordinary people again. Whether they knew it or not. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Superheroes and supervillains may be gone but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t an evil out there. It just meant that the world concurring was much slower and more malicious. Non-powered individuals were afraid of their more evolved counterparts. There was a group of these kinds of people that hid in the shadows ever since superhumans were discovered. They called themselves HYDRA. 

They had whispered in the ears of the world governments for decades and were the ones to force the supers into hiding. But that wasn’t all. Superhumans were going missing. Even some of the Starks old teammates. The Winter Soldier, James Barnes, was one of them. Along with Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), and worst of all, The Hulk, Tony’s friend Bruce Banner. 

Needless to say, the disappearances didn’t go unnoticed. Tony and Pepper started to get paranoid. They kept in near constant contact with Carol and even though Harley could drive, Pepper always picked her boys up from school. Tony started a project, just in case something happened, so that they would be ready. But they had no idea what they were up against. Who could capture some of the strongest supers on the planet without even a trace? Who would even want to try to capture the Hulk? To Tony that was practically suicide. 

The kids weren’t aware of what was happening and Tony wanted to keep it that way. Let them worry about school and allowances and not the fact that there was practically an anti-superhuman organization out there connected to the vanishing of dozens of their kind. Unfortunately, Tony’s kids had inherited his brilliance. They also had access to the news just like their parents had. 

After years of being forced to hide their powers, they found a reason to be afraid to have them. Because people just like them were going missing and the non-powered government wasn’t planning on doing anything about it. They were unfortunately unlucky enough to live in a world where it was more illegal to save someone with their powers than to be behind major hate crimes towards supers. 

It took one more of Tony’s super friends to go missing before he stopped sitting on his ass to just watch. He had to actually do something about this. Someone had abducted Thor. THOR! The guy was a literal god and some unpowered piece of shit managed to get him too. Some morbid curiosity made him wonder how they were even able to do it. In fact, how were they even able to do it to any of the heroes they had taken? Tony suspected that they had something on their side that made them actually able to… take down the most powerful of them. The idea sent a shiver up his spine. 

Tony had closed the shop for the day but still left early in the morning as if he was just going to work as normal. He kissed his wife goodbye and she seemed to suspect he was up to something but didn’t have time to figure it out because Peter still wasn’t awake for school goddamnit, and Tony left without a hitch. 

It wasn’t hard to get into a highly secure government building, at least with his technopathy. He just had to wave his hand in front of the keypad and it lit up green and let him in. All he had to do was not get seen by a real person. Or he could just pass off like he belonged there. It wasn’t too hard with the dapper suit he had changed into before going in. His sunglasses were as much of a mask as the metal one he had locked in storage. 

He just waited for the highest ranking official to need to go to the bathroom and snuck into the man's office. It only took a slight touch on the clunky computer for information to flood Tony’s brain. Of course, it took a moment for Tony to know that it had been too easy for a reason. A little red light blinked urgently at the corner of his vision and he sent one last message before the electricity hit him. After a moment of immeasurable pain, his vision went dark. 

Pepper was in the middle of cooking when she got the message. She looked at the little device that Tony had made her after Natasha had gone missing, he had said that it was only for emergencies and she felt her heart stop when she noticed that it had gone off. She didn’t take time to wash her hands or anything before she picked the device up to read what it said. 

It was a long string of numbers and at the end was the words, ‘Superhuman Containment Facility’ Peppers blood went cold which with her powers was incredibly rare. She knew he wouldn’t have used the communication device to send it to her unless he was in trouble. Her body must’ve betrayed her secrecy because Peter seemed to notice. 

“Mom? Are you okay?” He looked up at her with his big brown eyes, he had just been doing his homework on the dining room table when she got Tony’s message. With his enhanced senses, nothing got past him. He always knew when something was wrong. 

“Yeah,” she lied, “Something just came up, I have to… get something taken care of… How about you order a pizza, I’ll leave a twenty…” 

“Mom.” Peter interrupted, “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing you need to worry about.” She lied again, “I’ll be back late…” Peter squinted his eyes at her. But she had something more important to worry about. Before she didn’t know what it would take to get her back into her old life of hero-work, but her question was answered at a moments notice with the disappearance of her husband. 

“Is dad in trouble?” Peter asked innocently. 

“Probably. I’ll take care of it.” She promised with a proud smile. 

“What if Morgan develops her powers while you’re gone?” 

“I seriously doubt that will happen. Can you hand me the phone? I need to make a call.” She requested and he tossed the plastic home phone to her. Peter looked at her as if he knew she was lying but was too polite to interrupt her while she made her call. 

“Hey, Maria? It’s Pepper. Do you still have that jet?” Peters' eyes widened. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Carol had been a mixture of worried about Tony and excited to get back into hero-work when Pepper met them at their aircraft they’d hidden from the government in their concrete basement. Pepper knew that she couldn’t fly a jet but both Maria and her wife were more than willing to help her. 

There wasn’t much hesitation to board the aircraft and enter in the coordinates that Tony sent her. Carol put on her old red and dark blue super suit with the gold eight-pointed star and thick stripes sprouting out of it going to her shoulders and red sash around her waist. Carol also had a helmet that tucked her hair into a mohawk and went around her eyes to properly protect her identity. 

Pepper didn’t even think about getting her suit… She hasn’t worn it in so long… It probably didn’t even fit anymore. Protecting her identity had been the least of her concerns but it didn’t matter now. It was too late anyway. 

Pepper left the cockpit to sort out her thoughts and attempt to make a plan but hushed whispers stopped her train of thought. 

“Shut up! I can use it! Dad made it for me remember!” 

“Dude she’s coming-” 

She knew those voices. She honestly couldn’t say that she was surprised to hear them but she had been dreading it. She just hoped that they had an ounce of foresight and didn’t leave a budding super-toddler home alone. They were too much like their father, all impulsive selflessness and not a thought of consequences. 

“Peter… Harley…” She said in her mother voice. The voices stopped and for a moment, everything was quiet. “I’m not an idiot I know you’re there.” After a second more of silence, there was a sigh and Harley, in a plain gold and black super-suit similar to the one Tony wore under his metal shell, walked out of a well hidden dark corner. Peter, in a red and blue super-suit with a spider insignia on the chest, dropped from the ceiling and landed without effort. 

“Hi, mom…” The said in strangely perfect unison. 

“I’m not mad… but did you at least get Morgan a sitter?” Pepper asked. 

“Yeah, we’re not that irresponsible… Scott was nearby.” Harley explained. 

“You got Scott? Like, Ant-Man Scott?” 

“No, Laser-Vision Scott, or course Ant-Man Scott!” Harley said oozing with his father's sarcasm. 

“Okay… How did you get those suits? Have you been holding out a sewing power or something?” 

“I mean, I can sew a little but dad made these. I think he was scared because of all the super people disappearing.” Peter sighed. “He made one for you, we brought it.” he smiled and dug around in a duffle bag to pull out a white, gold and bright red flaming spandex super-suit. It was a little more flashy and glittery than her old one but honestly, Pepper had to admit it had style. 

“Fine, family mission. But you guys have to promise to listen to me. If you stray from my instructions and get yourself hurt then I’ll ground you for life. Got it?” She ordered with as much authority as she knew they would listen too. Enough to know she was serious. 

“Yes, ma’am!” Harley saluted dramatically with Peter rolling his eyes. 

“We promise.” Her Spider-kid smiled, obviously not doing a good job hiding his excitement and fear of finally being able to be a superhero. 

“This is serious, these guys won’t care if you’re a little young.” 

“Yeah… I know… I’ve been waiting for this kind of thing forever. Not for dad to get kidnapped but… to actually use the weird shit I was born with.” Peter rambled. 

“Well, don’t enjoy it too much. This isn’t a field trip.” 

“Are we going to tell Aunt Carol that we’re here?” 

“Shit… I should probably tell her that we have stowaways…” 

“We heard everything Mrs. Stark,” Maria said loudly from the cockpit. 

“Hey, kiddos!” Carol called from her seat. 

“Hi, Aunt Carol!” Peter greeted cheerfully as they made their way to the cockpit holding their gay pilot aunts.

“If you guys put your seatbelts on, I’ll do a barrel roll-” Carol offered.

“No, you’re not.” Maria gave her wife a look. “This is a mission, not an amusement park.” 

“Yeah… it’s time to be serious…” Harley said in an overly serious tone and straightened his back while folding his arms in an attempt to look ‘serious.’ Maria looked back at him with a raised eyebrow and Peter snickered in response. Pepper rolled her eyes and left to go to the onboard bathroom to change into her new suit. She felt like she was the only one worried about Tony but she knew that everyone dealt with stress in different ways. Including distractions. 

The flight was only a few hours long, with the speed of the aircraft and the fact that the ‘superhuman containment facility’ was apparently in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between the edge of California and Hawaii.  Not horrifically far away for a crazy fast aircraft. 

Of course, a few hours of smooth flying meant that there was something coming. And this time, it wasn’t just Pepper’s paranoia. Before the radar even saw anything, Peter straightened up and looked around the window, looking for whatever was setting him off. 

“Guys… something is coming…” He warned a full five seconds before the radar pinged with something approaching them head-on. After they cleared a clump of clouds, they saw what it was. A handful of small fighter ships were coming from the small island that was now in view. Pepper was almost completely sure that the island held her husband captive on it.  

“Is everyone belted in? This rides ‘bout to get bumpy.” Maria warned as she helpfully pressed a seatbelt sign like this was a commercial flight that was going to experience a little bit of turbulence. Harley stumbled to a seat and Peter just held on, fully relying on his stickiness to keep him from shaking around the cabin like a maraca. Before Harley could fully fasten his seatbelt, Carol swerved the aircraft away from the fighter jet that had started to shoot at them. 

Pepper caught Harley before he went hurling into the wall and everyone tried to stablized themselves as the jet went rolling to avoid the gunfire. Carol roared as she shot her own fleet of fire at them. She caught at least four fighter jets in the gunfire but the other six were fast enough to avoid it. Their aircraft was surprisingly nimble for being like ten times bigger than the fighter jets, but even Carol and Maria’s flying wasn’t going to be enough.

The biggest fighter jet shot a massive projectile at them and it took a swan dive, several rolls and a bunch of crazy flying techniques to realize that they couldn’t get the homing missile off of their tail. It was faster than them and no matter how fast they went. It was slowly approaching them with no hope of escape. Then, Pepper had an idea. 

“Harley… you have to destroy it.” She realized. 

“I’ve never worked with anything that big or far away…” His voice shook in the fear that they were about to get blown out of the sky. 

“I know, but you can do it. You just have to focus as hard as you can.” Pepper said urgently. Harley closed his eyes and held his hand out to the back of the aircraft. 

“I-I can’t-” His arm shook with the effort. They could vaguely hear the emergency call that Maria was directing towards the island tower, saying things like the fact that there were children on board and that they weren’t there to attack anyone. But it was no use. The missile just kept coming closer with the little red dot blinking more and more urgently. 

“You have to!” Pepper said desperately. Harley tried but it was like he couldn’t get a hold of it. It was too much. It was like trying to climb up a steep waterfall. He just kept slipping and his muscles strained with the physical effort of at least trying not to fall. Thankfully, the closer it got, the more he was able to get a hold on it. Unfortunately, that also meant that it was getting closer to killing them all. 

They were moments away from being hit when Harley finally got a hold of it and swiped his arm with the last bit of energy and got it off course. But not off course enough. It blasted through the left wing and tore a hole through the aircraft before exploding. Somehow, this didn’t kill everyone. Peter had held Harley down to keep him from flying off into the vacuum of air trying to rip them into a thousand feet of free fall.

This was the point where everyone seemed to realize that they couldn’t stay on the jet. It was a little too late for a rescue. Harley activated his suit and the metal plates came flying at him. Carol and Maria had gotten out of their seats and Carol had started to glow from head to toe. There was a lot of yelling that was being covered up by the thunderous sound of the air against the doomed aircraft. 

The minute after that was chaos. At some point, Carol let herself be pulled out by the vacuum with Maria in her arms and catching herself with her power to fly once they were out of the crashing jet. Somehow Harley had done the same thing and had managed to figure out how to make the suit fly before he could fall to his death. He caught his mom before she could pummel to the unforgiving water below. 

All that was left was Peter. The jet was losing altitude too fast for him to try to jump off and hope someone would catch him. He tried to think about what his suit could do but his panicked mind stumbled over thoughts like he was trying to run with twisted ankles. He couldn’t fly… he couldn’t- after a flurry of panicked thoughts, an idea thankfully stuck out to him. He climbed to the hole in the side of the aircraft and stuck himself to the outside of the jet as he made his way to the top. The wind threatened to rip him off but somehow he managed to crawl to the top of the plummeting aircraft. 

When Harley had first found the suits when Pepper had left for their aunts, he also found the paper schematics with paragraphs of specific features in each suit and each little detail and Peter was pretty sure that he had seen something about web wings. They weren’t actual wings but being able to glide would be a whole lot better than falling like a comet to the ground. The problem was, he couldn’t remember how to activate them. He had gotten the suit a few hours ago and had not used his time on the jet to figure out how to work his suit out. 

He crouched on the top of the jet with the rough wind hitting him with all its might. And he did something stupid. He took a breath and he leaped into the air. The wind immediately swept him far away from the crashing jet and he spent a horrifying second thinking that he just doomed himself even more than he already did. But as he extended his arms, the web wings popped open and caught the wind like a kite. 

His spider-sense reminded him that he wasn’t safe and he shakily adjusted his body as a convenient gust of wind hit him and raised him higher for a perfect moment. He landed on the glass of the fighter jet that was following the crashing ship and he wasted no time in breaking it. He threw out the person inside after taking a short moment to check and see if the bad guy had a parachute or not. He did. So Peter didn’t feel too bad throwing him out of his jet. 

With his spider-sense, piloting a fighter jet was weirdly easy. All he had to do was steer and play ratatouille with his sense buzzing when he was about to do something wrong. He managed to relatively gently crashland on the island without being followed and quickly distanced himself from the crash. The problem was, now, he was completely alone. And it was just as scary as being stuck in a jet with its wing ripped out.

Well, that wasn’t good.

[re-readingcomics]

NYCC 2014 Day 3

I was still doing the re-reading Batwoman thing and trying to defend the book while it was on a downswing. I got confused for Batgirl frequently. I think this was around the time the Bombshells started coming out. I think I’ve seen more people cosplay that version of Batwoman. I expect since the TV show is coming out that will change.

Image Comics has been the publisher I’ve read the most for several years. I went to several of their panels that year. Towards the end of the convention I found the moderator of more than one at the Image booth towards the end of the Con and congratulated him on doing a good job.

I swear, I didn’t remember I wrote this down when I wrote about it in a previous post. I would like to say that a thing Saga and Game of Thrones have in common is that  both have sprawling ensembles whose characters you enjoy on their own only to be shocked by how painful and violent things get when they actually meet. They’re both also anti-war stories set in war times, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say Saga does a better job in not glamorizing the war.

I’m a huge Sex Criminals fan. I have two shirts related to the series, a Sexual Gary one (which you may have noticed I was wearing in the selfies) and more recently a “DON’T WORRY BE WORRY” one that I wore to the first day of Book Con this year specifically to impress Kelly Sue DeConnick. (It worked.)

I only read the first issue of Deadly Class. I had recently read the first trade paperback of writer Rick Remender’s Black Science and hated it.  I thought it was needlessly mean, doing things like killing off a character in the first issue only to have her show up in flashback a few issues later all excited about the mission that already killed her. (There was also something degrading about a dancing humanoid female amphibian.) Nothing in that first issue of Deadly Class made me feel like “this might be better.” I’m just really excited to learn about artists’ models.

Right now that everyone seems underwhelmed by Hawkeye’s role in the MCU, it may be hard to understand, but the Matt Fraction penned Hawkeye series was very hot at the time. It had very little to do with the film version of the character. It was a fairly low key tale of the least powerful Avenger being a mentor and a good neighbor in some trying circumstances. I have a shirt based on this run too.

Part of the regular response is that Vaughan wanted The Will to be a Jason Stathem type. Vaughan also jokes about this being an “all white bald men look the same” describing himself as confusable with fellow comic scribes Grant Morrison and Brian Michael Bendis. I actually agree that he and Morrison do look very similar.

Now I’m wondering how much this inspired the flash forward in which The Will is drug-addled and has gained a lot of weight.

This came up with the example of someone on YouTube reading out loud a then recent issue of Thor to point out how bad the dialogue sounded. I wonder if this caused a controversy that I missed.

So this is the point where I have to write about having a pleasant encounter with someone at NYCC and then finding out about that they’re awful. Shortly after this convention in which Upchurch told charming stories about the difficulties of working from home with small children, he got arrested for domestic violence. He served his sentence, had the crime removed from his record, but was still let go from Rat Queens. (His wife claims the abuse was worse than in the police report and that after completing his sentence he abandoned her and the children, both physically and fiscally.) Stjepan Šejić finished out the arc they we’re working on and Tess Fowler became the series artist. She was fired after one five issue arc and a spin off special. At the time she was let go, she was under the impression that she was going to be replaced by Upchurch. That didn’t end up happening, but the whole thing was pretty devastating. I gave up on Rat Queens, but I still follow Fowler and Šejić. Upchurch recently announced a new series. I won’t be reading that.

I didn’t remember writing this as a tweet when I wrote about this in the previous entry. It’s a sign that one remembers things better if you write about them, even if you don’t remember writing about them.

I really do feel like my autograph hounding has led me to being in a rut while attending conventions.

Let’s talk about Dare2Draw. I’ve spent a lot of time with them, though not recently. It’s an organization that promotes people interested in cartooning and drawing for comics. For a while they would have monthly meetings which consisted of an opportunity to draw cosplaying models doing quick poses, a competition involving how to draw some high concept that you associate with comics. (There was a Godzilla inspired one the first time I went, some other time there was what your pet does when you’re not around. Then there’d be types of gods or villains. It’s a very demanding contest.) There’d be a lecture by a guest artist, examples of whom include Cliff Chiang, Bill Plymton and Russ Braun. There wasn’t a lecture part, just the competition. The category was creating heroic types. I had no idea what to do, did a variation of Casper David Friedrich “Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog.” I didn’t place, all three of the people who did were women and had much better, more dynamic drawings then I did. I only ever placed, once. I actually won that time. I haven’t been back. I miss it, even the constant losing.

I would have liked to have met Marc Andreyko. I really wanted to publicly support his Batwoman run. It is as much about me being a contrarian as about me being nice. I also like him as a Twitter follower.

I missed a birthday party for my cousin’s son. I don’t remember anything else that I missed. Maybe a semi-regular baby sitting gig?

[lakinda5654]

~~~~A Girl and A God~~~~ Chapter 23- Words

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A Girl and A God is a RATED M Loki Fanfic with an original character, Alexa, who is taken in by Tony Stark after the revelation of abilities of her own. There’s sex, romance, heartbreak, action, fluff, angst, all that good stuff. Full description in blog, and a jump-to-chapter list if you just want the smut or the cuteness bits. Enjoy <3

Chapter Summary: Alexa and Loki spend their last day at the tower before she leaves for the full moon, Alexa tells Loki a sultry secret, and the two have an eventful evening on the couch...

Contains: Jealousy, Smut, Fluff, Coming out, dirty talk, dom/sub

Word Count: 1,776

~Previous Chapter~~Next Chapter~

~~Beginning of Story~~

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Another day passed. It was typical, with nothing super special, but for Alexa it was difficult. The full moon was the day after tomorrow, and she couldn’t get it out of her head.

During lab that day, Tony had spoken to her about his plan. He had a special holding cell, out in the middle of the countryside in Canada. Nothing for miles around but woods. He would take her there and be able to safely monitor her and keep her calm and at ease, hopefully without any issues. Alexa agreed but was sad that she wouldn’t be able to be with Loki during the whole process, though it wasn’t like she was expecting it.

Loki had been sensing her tension and fear through the whole day, so he’d tried to make it as lighthearted as possible. They watched the comedies that she somehow found funny, and he tolerated them with her.

Inside though, Loki had been struggling with his own desires. He hadn’t been with a woman in such a long time, their acts in the days prior had been stuck in his mind like a virus. But he knew that Alexa had much to deal with at the moment, and he didn’t want to seem desperate or needy, even though at this point, he was.

Alexa went to group lunch and chatted with Peter and Thor most of the time. She had found that those two made good companions for her. Thor was so very kind and always seemed understanding. He told her some of his stories of adventures and how he first came to Earth. She loved hearing them. She also told Thor of her power discoveries, and though they hadn’t gotten to play with lightning together, she still wanted to on her next cycle. She also showed Thor pictures on her phone and little videos of Pikachu, which he didn’t quite seem to find as cute as she did, but he at least tried to understand.

Peter had visited after lunch that day to play with Thunder and talk with her. She’d hidden Loki under the bed for his visit. They had a good time together, the two of them had a lot in common, mostly with their humor. 

Once Peter had left, Loki groaned and rolled out from under the bed. “Could we try to make his visits as minimal as possible?”

“Yes, I know it’s uncomfortable down there... I’m sorry,” she said, helping him to his feet and giving him a kiss on the cheek. 

Loki stretched his cramped muscles now that they were free. As he went into the kitchen to get a snack, he commented to Alexa from across the room. “You two do seem to get along well.” His tone was ever so slightly sarcastic. 

Is he jealous? she thought. “What do you mean?”

“Well, he seems quite fond of you.” His tone was growing more sarcastic and snarky as they spoke. 

“Loki oh my word he is 16. Not only is he under-age but he is 4 years younger than me. He’s just a kid. A kid who wants a friend.”

 “You do realize I am over a thousand years old, Petal. If 4 years is too much for you I am certainly off-limits.”

Alexa sighed loudly. “That’s different. You’re immortal basically. Exceptions apply.” She ended it at that and turned on the TV to watch an episode of The Office before going to dinner.

When she returned from dinner, it was their last evening together before she would leave for Canada tomorrow afternoon with Stark. Loki knew he’d miss her, but he kept trying to keep things lighthearted. “What is your favorite show, Petal?” He said as they picked something to watch, spooning on the couch.

“House. But I haven’t shown you that one yet, so I guess out of the ones you’ve seen, my favorite is The Office.” She replied, but her tone was heavy, and the happiness normally present in her voice was drained.

“Hm,” he said and kept looking to the tv while stroking his hand through her hair.

“Loki…” she clearly had something to say, and he felt it would surely be about the full moon, but she surprised him. “Was I good? At sex?”

This was unexpected. “My petal we haven’t even had sex. If you think we have then I have a lot more to teach you than I thought.” He chuckled a bit as he spoke into the back of her head. 

“I mean i know we haven’t actually done it, but in general.” she rolled onto her back so she could see him. “Like the other night, when you…” she looked at him and made a motion with her head, begging to not have to say it. 

He raised his eyebrows at her expectantly. 

“I mean when we kissed and I tried to…” she paused, clearly uncomfortable. 

He pounced in this opportunity. “To what, love?”

“To do other things? Like, grab your hair and kind of, move my body with yours, or… whatever. Was I good at that stuff?”

She had no idea how good she’d been. He was utterly intoxicated and wanted to command her to strip at this instant. To throw her on his bed and take what was his, to hear her scream his name…

But that was the sole physical drive in him. He’d done that with the many Asgardians in the past that were paid for such things, but this was different. He cared for this girl’s feelings. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable and wanted to know what she liked. He wanted to please her. Not to mention, that he was her first. He wanted to be a good experience for her, but truly he wanted to be her only experience. He knew that was wrong, he shouldn’t want to own this girl, but he wanted to in the purest way; he wanted to be owned by her too.

“You were… utterly perfect Petal.” He said, his tone was deep. Thinking back to what she’d done made him even more filled with lust.

That made her smile. “And what of me?” Loki said, raising his eyebrows at her. “Was I satisfactory to you, pet?” He already knew the answer.

“Oh… yes, Loki it was… amazing.” She stuttered a bit.

“And what more would you like of me? Is there anything that you have a fondness for? Any particular… desires?” He was struggling to hold himself back now and began running his fingertips up and down her neck.

“Actually, yes. There is something I’ve been meaning to tell you, um…” he noticed immediately that her tone had changed, she seemed nervous again.

“What is it, love?”

“On Asgard… is anyone ever, like what’s the stance on… well…same-sex relationships?”

Oh. Loki could see where this was possibly going, and it utterly drove him mad with want. The thought of her with another girl…

“Ah yes. Humans still find it controversial don’t they?”

“Well, some do.”

“On Asgard, it does not matter who you love, so long as you love them kindly and with loyalty.”

“Oh okay…” Alexa paused. “Well, do you know what Bi is?”

“I certainly do.” His voice was smooth and understanding.

She didn’t speak, it seemed like she couldn’t get the words out herself.

“Is that what you are, love?

Alexa nodded nervously.

Loki laughed. “Petal you don’t need to be afraid. You think I have the ability to shape-shift into whoever I please at my whim and I have not explored the many realms of sex in my one thousand years of life?”

Oh. She wasn’t expecting that, but it made everything that much better. She smiled, relieved, and pushed her lips onto his. The more she learned of this god, the more deeply she fell in love with him.

“There are other kinks I have too…” Alexa said. She’d gained more confidence, and her tone had turned from anxious to teasing. 

Loki noticed. “Oh? Do tell.”

“Well…” she said, playing with the collar of her shirt. “I love being controlled. Like, someone just using me. At least I fantasize about that a lot when…” she jolted back into uncomfortable. Loki was now bursting with lust at her confession of being submissive, and he pushed himself closer to her. “When what, pet?”

With his lips inches from her face, his breathing heavy, Alexa realized very quickly where this was going.

“When you play with yourself?”

She gave a short nod. Her eyes once again trapped in his and wouldn’t let go. He kept leaning towards her and moved to the side until he had pushed her down onto her back on the couch, and he held himself over her.

“Oh my dear, I would love to see that, but I do believe would be punishable if you were to touch what is mine without permission.”

His words caught her by surprise, causing her mouth to hang slightly open for a moment. At the same time, she could feel how effective his words were between her legs. 

Suddenly, he was literally ripping the t-shirt off of her body,  and he pulled her shorts down. She kicked them off her feet. He then forcefully grabbed her wrists and held her hands down behind her head. He looked over his mortal girl in only her underwear and blush-colored bra and admired how her skin tensed up from the sudden cold of the room.

“I know you’re not experienced pet, but don’t worry, I will teach you.” He said as he looked over her blushing face. “Kiss me. Give me your pretty tongue to suck on. Seduction begins with the lips, little girl.” (*)

His words were rendering her speechless, but she did as she was told. They fell into a kiss, that Loki almost immediately took over, his lips crashing into hers over and over, and his tongue fighting with hers.

Loki began to remove his own clothes, opting for the non-magical route given how she always seemed to watch him so intensely when he manually pulled off his own shirt over his head.

Alexa looked at him in total admiration, his body was so damn perfect.

He leaned down to start kissing her again, holding her down by her wrists against the arm of the couch with one hand, and pulling her head back by her hair with the other. He kissed and bit at her neck, causing her to whimper. 

Then, the door opened. 

“Hey Alexa I went to the pet store and found this super cute thing for…”

Peter’s eyes widened. For once, he didn’t have words.

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*I remember that line was from a Loki dirty talk submission blog, but I can not for the life of me find it. Please tell if anyone knows where it came from!