#and mind you the mcu will run too far with that but point being that you use the different mediums of art for different reasons

[dareduffie]

when will people learn that live-action remakes will never be good as their original animated counterparts because the glory of animation is the colour, movement, and fantasy that's just untranslateable to live-action

[bestangelofall]

HI hope you are well! sorry if you’ve already done something like this and i’ve missed it, but i was wondering if you had any recommendations for people who want to get into black widow comics? i have very little marvel comic knowledge but your posts have made me want to read about black widow and i’m not sure where to start

Hi @strangesickness!! I am great :D and I hope you are well too :)

Also, hi anon who asked the same thing! I hope you're well too! I'll answer everything here.

Sorry for taking so long to reply to this... I was doing some reading and rereading of my own before making this post.

For a completionist reading list, I will refer to this link, which was recommended by someone here (I don't remember who, and I can't find my own post now 😭).

Note: I haven't read everything in that list, but I am randomly making my way through it. Also, I can speak more about Natasha's solos, so my rec list is mostly based on those.

In terms of personal preference and what I also consider important, I'd highlight the following: The Name of the Rose, Black Widow (2014) and Black Widow (2004).

The Name of the Rose

I think the last time I answered this question here, I recommended The Name of the Rose (Black Widow (2010) - #1-5, by Marjorie Liu) as a starting point, and I mostly still stand by that, in that if it's the only BW comic you'll ever read, read that one. I started with that one coming from the MCU, and I think it has everything that I like about Natasha: her protectiveness, ruthlessness, competence, and how much she *cares* about people and how that guides her actions. The art by Daniel Acuña is good too (though not my favorite, it serves the story well), but apart from the good characterization, what really shines is the prose itself. Some parts are very poetic, and I simply love the way Liu arranges words, I suppose.

This is my favorite comic book ever, and my only complaint is that Liu only wrote 5 issues of Black Widow and then never again... please bring her back!!!!

Note: BW2010 has another three issues and they are completely mid. Read them if you want, but I just want to make it clear that it's jarring to go from issues #1-5 to the rest of it lol, and i personally wouldn't recommend xD

Black Widow (2014)

If my complaint about The Name of the Rose is that it's too short, with Black Widow (2014) by Nathan Edmondson that is not an issue. This run is 20 issues long, and all of them are excellent! The characterization is spot-on, and once again, everything I love about Natasha is present here. Personally I think this is the run that goes deeper into her ethics, and the way Edmondson approaches the tragedy of her character and all the heartbreak and fucked-up-ness is very tasteful. Also, Liho (her cat) is in this run, and in a way that adds to her lore and characterization in a way that may be unexpected. Phil Noto's art is simply stunning (he's my favorite Natasha artist *by far*).

Personally, I consider The Name of the Rose and BW2014 *the* Black Widow comics, in terms of them being important and also good, but in a close third place comes Black Widow (2004).

Black Widow (2004)

Black Widow (2004) by Richard K. Morgan has some pretty important things of her lore appearing for the first time (I believe, anyone reading this please feel free to correct me) (like mind manipulation, more details about the Red Room, and interestingly, the pheromone thing from the BW movie comes from this comic too). I love the art style of Bill Sienkiewicz which is more artsy. Characterization-wise, what really shines here is the discussion of sexism. Defense of women is a huge thing for Natasha (you'll see that in The Name of the Rose and BW2014), but it's never as deeply discussed as it is here.

Now, there are other books that I liked, and that are solid, but that I simply don't find as good as the top tier books discussed above.

Black Widow (2016)

Black Widow (2016), by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid, is a fun run that has decent characterization but a somewhat repetitive plot (Natasha is on the run and all that, which I think both The Name of the Rose and BW2014 just do better... but then again, that's like, more than half her comics so it's not a completely fair complaint, I suppose). It has some Red Room lore, and I always love that. Samnee's art is really pretty to look at, too (some of the prettiest Nat is in this book, ngl). I definitely recommend it, because it's a solid run.

No Restraints Play (Black Widow 2019)

I recently read No Restraints Play, by Jen and Sylvia Soska, and I liked it a lot. I'd say it has a lot about what I love about Natasha that I already mentioned previously, but she's mentally less stable in this one, so compared to the rest of the recs here, she does more unhinged shit in this book (but not by much tbh... I think it's just the tone that gives that impression). I read it before reading Secret Empire and Tales of Suspense (discussed in more detail below), and I think that I didn't miss that much context that technically would be needed from those books.

Now, there's the section of "I like it because I ship Buckynat".

Captain America (2005)

Captain America (2005), by Ed Brubaker, is the book where Bucky comes back™. Natasha only appears from issue #27 onwards, so this is definitely a rec if are interested in the ship (although it is a very good run on its own, and obviously essential if you are interested in Bucky at all).

Winter Soldier (2012)

Winter Soldier (2012), by Ed Brubaker, features Natasha heavily, and while I don't love some of thing it does to her, I enjoy it for the ship and for the angst (it is also somewhat relevant for Natasha going forward, for example, the thing™ that happens here is referenced in Natasha's solos such as BW2014, but it isn't anything that you will be lost if you just google what happened if you want to skip this).

Moreover, books already mentioned previously, such as The Name of the Rose, BW2014 and BW2016 also have Buckynat content, but it's minor.

Apart from the three recs above, there are other comics that I really liked, though I can't say that all of them are exactly good.

Black Widow (1999) and Black Widow (2001)

So, are BW1999 and BW2001, by Devin Grayson, good? Ehhh. No. Specially in the case of BW1999 (the art of this one is also atrocious). Do they compel me? Immensely. I like these two because there's content of Natasha and Yelena being weird about each other. That's it. When I read them years ago I thought they were really mid *at best* (though I like the art style of BW2001 a lot), but on a reread a few months ago I got bitten by the Yelenat bug and developed a new appreciation for these minis.

Note: BW1999 is also Natasha's first solo, but in terms of characterization and lore it doesn't really establish a lot...

Secret Empire and Tales of Suspense

The gist is: Natasha dies in Secret Empire and then gets revived in tales of Suspense #103-104

I know most people hate Secret Empire. To be honest, I don't know a lot of Marvel beyond Natasha and some Bucky and Steve to hate on this properly, but the common complaint appears to be that everyone is OoC... except for Natasha.

I'm not gonna lie, I blorbo-read this one, asking "where is she" whenever Natasha wasn't in the panels xD (and I also read it because I want to write a meta-post and it seemed important for the theme I have in mind). All that being said, I think it has some *fantastic* Natasha moments... so make of that what you will.

Tales of Suspense #103-104 are incredibly fun, and I think it drops some incredibly fucked up bits of lore (that will likely never be explored to their full potential 😭), but it's not essential or anything...

And lastly, thing that I don't like but that might be important:

Black Widow: Deadly Origin

I personally don't like Black Widow: Deadly Origin, by Paul Cornell, but some people consider it to be important, as it does go into more detail about the Red Room and her backstory. It's not even that I dislike *what* happens in this book, but more that I don't think it was tastefully done (it's the misogyny). I think it all could have been handled better by another writer without even changing the events themselves. The art also doesn't help tbh. I would still recommend reading it for those Red Room bits and pieces, just maybe not as a priority.

Aaand that's all I have to recommend for now! I hope this is helpful and can make you take the dive into Black Widow comics, because Natasha is a fascinating character!

[3mcwriting]

Any Fan's Dream, Part 17

Any Fan's Dream Masterlist

Synopsis:

When you look around and see Avengers Tower in front of you and Peter Parker beside you, you wonder how the hell you managed to get into the MCU.

Taglist: @secretly-sirens, @zeeader, @imdoingathingmom, @x-theolivia, @ainsley-official, @huntress-artemiss, @hoohoohope, @ourgoddessathena, @wiintaersoldier, @vine-enthusiast, @afraidofshrimp, @myfturn, @im-better-than-your-newborn, , @mjaudrey, @igotthisasajokeyetimstillhere, @starr60, @coldmermaidhologram, @daenerysluvrr, @viperchick47, @marvelwomen-arehot, @mynightandstars

Sorry to everyone who the tagging isn't working, I'm not sure why but I hope you manage to find this anyway :))

Peter wanted you back home.

When you had left, he had just hoped that something would happen, something that would fix the problems you had been so broken up over because he had loathed the fact that you were so torn up. He didn't want you to be sobbing your heart out, he wanted you to be happy and he hoped that the trip would help with that, that some way, a solution would be proposed and you'd be able to rest easy because the people you cared about weren't in danger of being split apart. 

Of course, he'd still been worried about you, but he knew how much Mr. Stark and Ms. Romanoff cared about you. When you'd disappeared while walking with him, he had run into the Tower and yelled for Mr. Stark to help him find you. He had watched the blood drain from the man's face and the way Ms. Romanoff's eyes had hardened the moment she heard the news and he was comforted in the fact that he wasn't the only person who was willing to search every dark alleyway to find you. And when he had found you walking down the street, seemingly unharmed, he had rushed to you as quick as he was physically able, determined to check for himself that you were alright. 

Ever since that night, he'd been wary of your safety. 

The explosion in Vienna hadn't helped any matters.

With the knowledge that you'd been in the building combined with the fact that two people were dead and you weren't answering your phone, well, his mind jumped to possibilities he hoped would never become realities. 

Because of that, he felt a need to message you often to make sure that you were still okay, to reassure himself that you were fine. He didn't want to be annoying or clingy, but one of his closest friends had almost been murdered so now he had to live with the need to reaffirm your safety as often as possible.

He couldn't help it, that event made it so that he couldn't help but be terrified anytime you took just a little too long to answer his texts. 

You had been really understanding about his new habit of texting and when he apologized for bothering you so often, you had just said that "it was always nice when people cared" and he had wanted so desperately to give you a hug. 

Because of the texting, he had begun to check his phone far more than the teacher liked. But when it got to the point that he had started checking it once every two minutes because you still hadn't answered his message, he had gotten the device confiscated from him for the entire day during the first class he had. 

It was horrible. 

His fingers would tap the tables nonstop, legs bouncing and eyes darting around as he worried about you. It was getting way too out of hand and he knew just how distracted he was because of it, but he couldn't stop. Ned had managed to push the idea aside a bit and ranted to him about the new Lego he had gotten and how they should hang out to build it. Ned could see how affected Peter was and just wanted to make him feel better.

Peter was so thankful for his best friend because he didn't know who else would always know how to make him feel better. With Ned's help, he managed to stay focused on other things than his worry, reassuring himself that you were probably fine.

At the end of the school day, he had went to pick up his phone with barely suppressed impatience. Patience running thin, he waited for his phone to power back on, having been completely shut off when the teacher took it. The screen finally lit back up and he hurriedly put the password in, cursing the horrible connection in his school as he watched his messages struggle to load.

Finally, he could see the messaging between the two of you and the message he had sent you seven hours ago.

Only, you still hadn't answered his message.

He felt his blood run cold.

~~

You were stuck back in one of Tony's hotels, waiting impatiently as the elevator continued to lower. Your foot tapped rapidly while you watched the floor number get smaller and smaller, eager for the door to slide open and let you onto the floor that hopefully held a solution to your problems. 

Realistically, you knew that there was no magical fix for the situation at hand, but you had an idea of a way to hopefully help the team. It was a risky plan and you had no clue what the reaction would be, but there wasn't time for anything else nor was there any other options left that you could think of.

It was time to let tell the truth and hope people understood.

Well, not that truth. 

The other truth.

You were going to expose the immorality of the Accords to the public and hope that the people rallied to defend the heroes as the heroes themselves had defended the people.

You knew that doing what you were going to, there was a possibility that people would agree with the Accords, but you had to have faith that enough people would see how wrong they were that maybe the government would reconsider, if not to be good then to make sure the public didn't riot. And the people's support wasn't the only risk, but also the fact that you were going to leak the specifics of the Accords to the public. Sure, they already knew a little about it, but high-ranking officials (like Ross) had made sure that the specifics of what the document entailed wouldn't be exposed to the public. 

You were going to take a picture of every single page of it and post them to the public. 

You were pulling a Natasha Romanoff and you were nervous as fuck (because you were no Natasha Romanoff) but you knew that you had to do something. 

You hoped that the release of the information would, at the very least, delay the signing enough that all the Avengers already on the run would have a bit of a reprieve. You needed the Accords to be changed, to be fair, because you couldn't let the same things happen. The world needed the Avengers- no, the universe did because when Thanos came looking for his glowing rocks, they were all that was going to be standing between genocide on a scale nobody had ever seen and a chance at life. 

You had no clue if the things you were doing now would help in the end but you had to fucking try.

There was far too much at stake for you to just sit around and enjoy life.

The elevator opened, revealing to you all the wonders of Tony's workroom. 

When you had stumbled across it the first day there, you had taken a mental note of it. Now, that was coming in handy.

You knew that nobody could know it was you who leaked the Accords and they most definitely couldn't be able to prove it or you would probably be arrested and imprisoned, so you needed a way to do it and not have it trace back to you.

You needed technology that was so advanced, so untraceable, that nobody would ever be able to prove who the information had come from.

You only knew one person that had the technology that could do that.

~~

"Hey, May," Peter's voice was full of worry as he stepped into the apartment. "Have you heard anything from-"

He stopped when he saw who was sitting on the couch with his aunt. 

"Mr. Stark? Why-" Peter's eyes went wide. "What's happening? Is (y/n) okay?"

May looked between the two, eyes worried. "Your friend? Is she- is she alright?" She had seen the bad shape her nephew had been in when he had to deal with the possibility that you might be dead, she didn't want anything like that to ever happen again.

Tony began to get concerned. "What are you talking about? Did something happen to her?"

"She hasn't answered my texts." Peter tapped his fingers against his thigh nervously, desperately trying to maintain some semblance of calm.

"Oh," Tony relaxed. "Don't worry. She just broke her phone again." Tony made a mental note to get you another phone, having forgotten to do so before he'd left. 

Peter still couldn't quite relax. "So, you're sure she's fine?"

Tony could recognize the worry in the young man and felt himself begin to grow a little worried. He pulled out his phone and called Natasha, hoping to have their worries put to rest. 

"What, Tony?" Natasha's voice came through. "Having trouble recruiting people?"

"I haven't asked yet." Tony responded. "Is (y/n) doing alright?"

"She seems better, but she's exhausted. She's taking a nap and she's been asleep for around half an hour."

"But she's okay?" 

Peter straightened, thanking his enhanced senses for being able to hear what was being said on the phone. 

"Yeah," Natasha confirmed. "She's okay, Tony."

"Alright." Tony felt his concerns abate. "I have to go."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Tony put his phone away. "Sorry for calling someone while we were talking, but (y/n) is okay."

May looked relieved and Peter managed to really relax for the first time since he had gotten his phone taken away from him, although he still wished he could call you himself. He wasn't going to interrupt your nap though, glad you were getting some rest.

"Why are you here, Mr. Stark?" Peter didn't understand why the man would be there, given that their only connection was you and you were fine. Peter had never really talked to him except for the time he had told him about your disappearance, but even then he hadn't exchanged many words, too preoccupied with worry to have a real conversation. 

May remembered what she had been talking about with Tony before Peter had arrived. "You didn't tell me about the grant."

"About the grant." Peter repeated, looking to Mr. Stark for an explanation. 

"The September Foundation," Tony said smoothly.

"Right." Peter was confused but figured there was a reason for this meeting.

"Yeah. Remember when you applied?" 

"Yeah."

"I approved, so now we're in business."

"You didn't tell me anything." May looked at her nephew. "What's up with that? You keeping secrets from me now?"

"Why- I just, I just..." Peter fumbled to think of something. "I just know how much you love surprises so I thought I would let you know- wh- anyway, what did I apply for?"

Tony couldn't understand how a teenager was that bad at lying. "That's what I'm here to hash out."

"Okay. Hash, hash out, okay."

~~

When he door closed behind Tony, Peter opened his mouth. 

"If it's not about (y/n), Mr. Stark, why're you here?" Peter questioned.

Tony ignored his question, inspecting the room. "Whoa, what do we have here? Retro tech, huh? Thrift store? Salvation Army?"

"Uh, the garbage, actually."

"You're a dumpster diver." 

"Yeah, I was..." Peter trailed off. "Anyway, look, it's nice to see you, Mr. Stark, but why are you here?"

"Ah-ah! Me first."

Peter was confused. "Okay..."

"Quick question of the rhetorical variety." Tony pulled out his phone, the device projecting a video of a certain someone stopping a three-thousand pound vehicle in its tracks. "That's you, right?"

~~

You were done.

It had taken you three hours to complete your task, but with the assistance of Tony's tech, you were able to do it. 

You had no doubt Natasha had figured out by now that you weren't in your room sleeping, but it didn't matter anymore. You'd done what you needed to do.

The files were out.

You were in a strange state of anticipation because you knew everything was going to go to shit the moment the media saw the details of the Accords. 

You were scared. 

When Natasha had exposed S.H.I.E.L.D. the government had threatened imprisonment, and you weren't an unmatched agent who posed too much of a threat to the government for them to cross you. You didn't know what would happen if you got caught. 

You also still had to worry about sneaking back into your room without Natasha seeing you. You had barely managed to leave your room without her noticing because she had to use the bathroom. You were still stuck in the hotel, the surveillance would alert them if you managed to sneak out again, so you had to resort to sneaking through the hotel. 

So, how were you supposed to get back to your room?

It wasn't as if you could just waltz back in and gaslight Natasha into thinking you had only left a couple minutes before, rather than hours before. She would see right through your attempts at lying. It wasn't even that you were a bad liar, she was just insanely talented at espionage and would immediately figure you out. 

You stood in the elevator, nervous once again, watching the numbers as they got larger and larger. You were getting steadily closer to your destination and it made your nerves even worse.

You left the elevator, walking to the door you were supposed to enter and stopped.

Well, you looked at the door in front of you, better to just get it over with.

You took a deep breath and opened the door, hoping desperately that Natasha would be in the bathroom and you could get back into your room without being caught in the living room. 

Unfortunately, you had exhausted your luck.

Natasha stood up from the couch when the door opened.

You smiled guiltily when you met her gaze.

"What were you doing-"

She was interrupted by a sudden crash of thunder, drowning out the rest of her words while a blinding flash of light could be seen through the windows. 

You blinked, trying to clear your vision of dark spots, but it didn't seem to help, you could still see a small speck coming closer while you looked out the window. 

Wait a minute...

You began to recognize that speck as it got closer.

No way- it couldn't be...he wasn't in this movie either...

But as the person got closer and closer, you couldn't deny that you knew exactly who it was flying towards the two of you. 

Why was Thor back?

[void-of-unparalled-chaos]

This whole civil war on reading vs not reading comics is baffling to me. Like honestly this whole arguement is stupid.

Full disclosure before people come after me: I am a comic reader! I love reading comics (although I havent been able to read nearly as many as I would like)

Anyway yeah my whole 2 cents on this.

On one hand, I get why avid comic readers are annoyed. You're favorite character being what you perceive as wildly misinterpreted and being unable to find the content you want is annoying. But also it's so easy to just... click off? Like no one is forcing you to read it, just go find a different work instead of complaing to the author or whatever.

Also, comic characters have been written and rewritten by so many people and have had so many changes to their storylines and personality that a lot of stuff being argued as "not canon" very likely could have been at some point! And that's not even talking about other media like shows and movies.

The first example that comes to mind is Superboy (Conner "Kon" Kent). Comic Kon and Young Justice Cartoon Kon are drastically different in both personality and appearance. Comic Kon is the most bisexual coded person I've ever seen and Cartoon Kon is a grumpy asshole who looks like he stepped straight out of bootcamp. But guess what? Regardless of which one you like most both are canon in DC!

As far as I'm concerned, comic timelines and characters are a mess with or without other media types and we should be allowed to pick and choose whatever traits we want from it. Do I want Kon to have bisexual hair? Yes! Am I ignoring that Batman beats his kids in some runs? Also yes!

And because I saw a few complaints like these once before I'm going to address them.

"Character A can't be into this. It only happened like 1 time in the comics!"

Yeah but it happened. If people want to take that little hint of a trait and expand on it then power to them!

"Character A never actually had this role or did this so stop writing them like that!"

It's called a headcanon or an AU. This may be surprising to you, but both of these are common in fandom spaces. If that headcanon or AU is popular it's because people obviously like it. That person may not be you, and that's fine too! Just let them have their fun and leave to read something else.

And I'm not claiming to be innocent in all this btw! Lord knows I get loud and angry about many MCU fans' interpretation of Jake Lockley from Moon Knight. That being said, the reason I'm loud and angry isn't just "oh they made him less friendly and changed some personality traits". Its the fact that they interpret him as an "evil" alter which perpetuates hateful stereotypes about a very real and very stigmatized disorder with very little decent representation. The whole "Jake is an evil bloodthirsty alter" spreads those fearmongering ideas and has the potential to harm actual systems in the long run whether it's intended to or not. Disclaimer: I am not a system, but I do try my best to listen to what they have to say. By all means listen to their opinions on the situation over mine.

Even so, I don't go and yell directly at those creators. I click off. I don't have to read or look at their stuff if I don't want to.

Another complaint from comic readers I see a lot is "oh but it's so easy for them to just pick up a comic and read it! They are just being lazy/stubborn/etc." And honestly...

It's really not!

It took me YEARS to start reading comics because it was so overwhelming and I had no one to help me. Keeping track of all the comic runs is hard enough let alone actually finding and reading them. Comics are simply not well organized and it's hard to find a part to jump into when so many of them rely on prior knowledge.

"Well ask somebody who works at a comic bookstore!"

I did. He had no answers for me and looked like he would rather be talking to literally anyone else instead of a clueless 15 year old girl. Stepping into spaces like that can be intimidating in itself for a variety of reasons, let alone trying to ask for help. Online it's not always much better. So many people won't give an honest recommendation and others won't be specific enough. Many comic runs have similar titles, and honestly it's best if you just know the name of the writer.

Trying to break into comics is just genuinely difficult for a lot of people depending on their situations whether it be enviornmental, financial, or mental.

Also you can't just force someone to read the comics! If they don't want to and just want to watch the shows or absorb fanon content then that's their preference! You don't have to interact with it! Am I saying that no one should read comics? No! But I am saying that not everyone has the same accessibility and the way some comic readers treat these people isn't doing favors. Attacking them over stuff and getting annoyed at them isn't going to encourage them to pick up a comic and read it but rather push them away from something really fun.

Okay now that's out of the way, time for me to turn my sights on the "not reading" camp.

You can't just attack people for suggesting canonical content under your prompts. Unless they are being a dick about it. Then you can go ham. But if someone is coming in like "hey btw A is a thing that happens canonically and it might be fun to do!" then there is no reason for you to act like they just ate your baby!

It is also not completely unreasonable for someone to simply suggest that you try out a comic or two (provided that they are being polite and are actually willing to help you with clear reccomendations). There is no reason for you to get pissy at them, just as it is not a requirement for you to take up their advice. If you don't want to read it or can't currently that's fine, but just know that you have the potential to be introduced to something you really enjoy and that consuming canon content will more than likely help you with your writing!

[pikachugirltits]

Universes Beyond: Spider-Man Set Speculation/Wishlist

Well, now that we've actually got a name for the first Marvel set and the surprise reveal that it's entirely Spider-Man centric, I figure it's time for a new round of idle speculation (and maybe some slight wishlist choices.) Without further delay:

So now we know that instead of a wide ranging grab bag approach to the sets we're getting a more focused approach to the sets. This definitely explains why it's multiple sets. With the first set being Spider-Man, I think it's entirely reasonable to assume that we'll get a X-Men set and an Avengers set as well. I also think we could possibly get two more sets as well. The first would be a set focused on the space/cosmic side of the Marvel setting, with the set probably being named Guardians of the Galaxy for marketing purposes (although Captain Marvel or Fantastic Four are also possibilities.) The other would be based on the magical/supernatural side of Marvel and could either be named Doctor Strange or Midnight Sons.

(As an aside to the last point, this also explains their desire to increase the rate of UB set releases to 2 per year, to help release the Marvel sets in closer proximity. If they're smart, they'll alternate between non-Marvel and Marvel UB sets so that people who like UB but don't like Marvel will have something to look forward to, like how we're getting the Final Fantasy set next year.)

I think with the set being Spider-Man centric we'll get multiple cards representing the main 616 Peter Parker version of Spider-Man. However, I don't think we'll hit "6 Gandalfs" levels of this. I think the main set will have 2-3 Peter Parker Spider-Man cards and an additional one or two in one of the Commander decks. The main set will definitely have a card that's just the default, most iconic version of Spider-Man and will very, very likely have a symbiote suit Spider-Man card as well. We could also possibly get an Iron Spider card or a card for that time when Peter started turning into a full spider hybrid, but those aren't as certain in my opinion.

Of course, with the Spider-Verse stuff there's plenty of other Spider-People that could get cards. Miles Morales is a definite shoe-in, and I can even see him getting multiple cards even if it's just a main set and separate Commander deck version. Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider is another easy choice that could also get two cards this way. And Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099 is another strong possibility.

As for other Spider-Verse characters, I wouldn't be surprised if they slightly prioritize the characters that played big roles in the Spider-Verse movies. While WotC has stated that the sets are based on the comics over other sources, I do think that stuff like the MCU (or in this case, the Spider-Verse movies) will have some slight influence on what characters get prioritized. So I think of all the many Spider-Man variants we'll see, I think Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker and SP//dr, Spider-Punk, Pavitr Prabhakar Spider-Man and maybe Spider-Ham might be prioritized over some of the other Spider-Verse characters.

That said, I really, really hope we get a Spiders-Man card (you know, the Spider-Man variant that's a swarm of spiders controlled by a hive mind that's a psychic imprint of Peter Parker.)

Of course, there's plenty of Spider-Man characters who aren't Spider-Verse related. As far as allies, I think we could easily see cards for Aunt May, MJ, Black Cat, Spider-Woman, Scarlet Spider, Silk.

J. Jonah Jameson needs to get a card. I've seen a lot of jokes about him giving Spiders menace (and Spider-Man and other Spider-People having the creature type "Human Spider Hero" so it would work) but personally I think he should have some mechanic that involves Clue tokens to represent him running a newspaper.

While the set will probably be Spider-Man centric, I don't think it'll only be Spider-Man. I think we'll get some Spider-Man adjacent heroes too, to help diversify things a bit. The Defenders are the most obvious first choice for this. They're fellow New York based street level heroes, Spider-Man has worked with them before, and they just kind of fit the vibes.

I think the Champions are also a potential source of non-Spider-Man heroes since Miles Morales was a member.

Possibly we could see the Fantastic Four here, but they could be saved for the theoretical space themed set instead.

Of course there are plenty of villains we could see. I can see a lot of the most well known and popular villains like Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Venom getting multiple cards between main set and Commander decks.

I once saw someone suggest the idea of getting Sagas for various iconic storylines, which I think is an excellent idea. I don't actually read comics (I mostly know these characters from various adaptations and knowing comic readers) so I can't really speculate too much on what storylines we could see, but I definitely feel like The Clone Saga could easily be one of them.

I think we should have two cards that synergize with each other called Great Power and Great Responsibility.

Definitely need Web Shooters as an Equipment, probably have it grant reach and maybe an ability that puts stun counters on creatures.

Honestly, wouldn't be surprised to see multiple cards that flavor stun counters as enemies being webbed up.

I wonder if we could see symbiotes flavored as Enchantment Creatures with Bestow. Maybe not necessarily the named symbiotes like Venom and Carnage because their cards could be flavored as them bonded with their usual hosts, but maybe one or two generic symbiote cards could do that.

If not for the fact that it would involve negotiating additional licensing agreements, I would love to see a card for Japanese Spider-Man and his mech Leopardon.

[korrasamibottles]

Long tag game!! Thanks @nova-leaf @lilrobinbird for tagging me💖

How many tumblr accounts have you had before this one?

Just one! I made it in 2012 to look at Walking Dead and Supernatural gifs and eventually it just turned into a personal blog. I met two of my best friends there!! Unfortunately I'm locked out of it for now because I decided to be a responsible internet enjoyer and changed all my passwords and I uhh. I can't remember what I changed it to. And the email I used to sign up 12 years ago is long dead. So that blog might be gone forever. Life is a highway I'm gonna ride it all night long etc. etc.

How long have you been in fandom?

I had really intense Supernatural and MCU phases back in the day, and binged TLOK and ATLA in 2015 after the Korra finale (I watched Korra first and then atla, and I maintain that's the best way to do it😌) but I never really participated in the fandom, like I never talked to anyone or made anything. So I'm gonna say I've been in fandom since summer 2023 when I made this blog to post my tlok fic (couldn't post it on my old one. My face is/was all over it. You understand.) Everyone I've interacted with here is like. Shockingly nice. Idk why I expected to be beaten with hammers but umm it didn't happen so thank you all for that💖

Your favorite trope in fiction?

AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED!!!!! Also rivals coming together to fight a common enemy and then maybe coming together in a different way.....? That's good too.

Your favorite random fact?

There are vast, delicate fungal networks in the earth beneath our feet right now as we speak :) They wrap around tree roots and spread far and wide, connecting multiple trees with each other and allowing them to share water and nutrients. This is especially helpful for saplings, which often aren't able to get enough sunlight to make their own sugars. The fungal network helps ensure the survival of young trees, and in exchange it gets a share in the nutrients being passed between the trees!!!

Your favourite game or kind of game?

Saw trap.

A place you’d like to visit? (If carbon emissions, logistics and money weren’t in question)

Oh god literally anywhere. I want to get marinated in every culture and environment I think that would blow my mind in the best way. I do want to make it to Italy specifically at some point in my life because apparently I have cousins there? But then again what if they're weird and I don't actually want to meet them.....

An animal you’re irrationally afraid of?

I can't really think of any? As a kid I was terrified of big dogs, but that fear is like 99% gone now. Sometimes other people have their dogs off leash in the woods and I gotta say. I Do Not Like It when they come running up snarling barking jumping with their hair raised at me. But the vast majority of dogs are I encounter are nice, and when they aren't I just try to ignore them and keep walking lol.

What’s your favourite season?

Autumn 10000% and then winter. Then spring. Then summer. I hate being hot.

A smell that brings you nice memories?

So maybe this is weird but I really like the way horses smell? I was a farm girl growing up and always loved horses....a horse bit the top of my head once...a different horse broke my arm......still love them.

(If you’re ok talking about food. If not, delete this part) What’s your favorite food from where you were born? And what’s your favorite food from some place else?

My mom's Italian so it was all pasta all the time growing up...lasagna😭 Also chicken cacciatore but the pasta isn't the main event there. But yeah. Pasta tomato garlic basil.....I'm there babiee.

I'm also obsessed with Indian food and there's a place near me that has a vegetable korma that makes me cry.

What’s your favorite drink (if you drink alcohol, alcoholic and non-alcoholic)?

I don't drink alcohol anymore but I loooooooved rum & coke. Also hard cider.

As for regular drinks. I am 75% fruit juice by volume at all times.

Do you give your pets random table scraps?

My cat is a huge freak who turns her nose up at human food like she's literally too good for it. Sometimes I'll offer her a piece of cheese and she'll lick it, but that's it.

I don't know who has and hasn't been tagged already so if you want to do this. Do it🫵

[esperanza-rising]

Listen, I'm just a longtime lurker here, enjoying content on various topics and fandoms. My latest obsession is Black Panther Wakanda Forever, especially Namor and Namor/Shuri. I love the content and ideas I'm seeing already, so I'm just putting these thoughts/prompts out there to get them out of my head, hear others' thoughts if they stir discussion, and, maybe a little selfishly, hoping folks who are way more creative and disciplined than I am run with them to flesh them out in fanfiction, art, etc. (If you do get any inspiration from these ramblings, please credit/tag so I can see the amazing stuff y'all create!) 🤗👉👈🥹🙏🏼

Do any of these ideas resonate with you? What in-universe scenarios with Namor, Shuri, and/or their dynamic do you imagine or would like to see explored or visualized in film, writing, or art? Let me know your thoughts!

(1) Whether in a solo Namor follow-up, or even in the Black Panther or Avengers franchises, I imagine a scenario where:

Namor is his usual cunning and strategic self, understandably putting Talokan above all else but to the point where he makes certain decisions/actions that strain the already fragile alliance with Wakanda, or at least threaten the trust of other team members. Does Shuri defend him, despair, or something else?

Although Wakanda or others doubt him, Namor and Talokan definitely come through to save/assist Wakanda from attack by other world powers. I'd love a moment where Namor saves Shuri specifically. Does Namor go too far, though? How can Shuri and Wakanda restrain them once Talokan switches from defense to attack? Is there a situation where Shuri and Wakanda come a little closer to his viewpoint or actually join Talokan in a proactive attack that can be revolutionary or liberatory?

Alternatively, maybe Shuri and Wakanda/the team sees that there was indeed an immediate threat to Talokan they missed that helps them understand Namor's actions.

In either case, I like the idea of further exploring Shuri's trust or distrust of him, Namor's sense of honor, and grappling with the fundamental difference of having experienced colonization vs. not.

In the process of saving Wakanda, Talokan, or another group of innocents, Namor is wounded and/or captured. In the climax, it seems like Talokan might lose their god-king and Wakanda their ally, and the threat is on the verge of victory. But at that moment, whether by sheer luck or because Namor is blessed by Chaac, the sky breaks open with rain, healing Namor to be able to turn the tide of the final battle.

(2) I think this is more of a fanfic route, but could potentially still work in the MCU: In order to strengthen the alliance with Wakanda and his relationship with Shuri in particular, Namor decides to try to bring Queen Ramonda back to life. Since she drowned, he seeks an audience with Chaac, who sets him on a mission/requires a sacrifice.

So many questions! It doesn't seem that Namor is actually a god, but does being chosen by Chaac to lead his people grant Namor any spiritual authority or powers beyond his mutant and vibranium-related abilities? If he has none directly, is Chaac still connected to him? What is Namor's relationship to faith given his role? Would his mission be a spiritual test taking place in his mind or the Talokan equivalent of the ancestral plane-- or even Tlalocan itself? Would he have to do his mission in the "real" world? If such a thing could happen, how would Shuri or Ramonda react?

(3) Similarly, I'd love to see Shuri meditate on faith a bit more deeply. Besides seeing Killmonger and then her mother in the ancestral plane, which she may still explain away with her mind, she can't deny the small miracle of seeing Namor restored by the water after their battle, without the technology she has in her suit which kept her alive. Is it all down to genes and vibranium infused plants? Or is there something divine at work?

[spelldaggered]

storm

fandom: mcu pairing: tony & peter words: 2091 warnings: headaches/migraines

--

The city rain was merciless that night, unrelenting and painfully cold, the kind of rain that soaked a person in seconds and left them frozen to the bone. The raindrops were loud too, hammering on rooftops, on the sidewalk, on the cars sat in hours-long jams, their honking and revving combining with the rain and the general sounds of the city to create an overwhelming evening in NYC.

Tony was losing his mind. Peter was losing his bearings.

It had been a stupid argument that drove Peter to storm out of the Avengers campus, an uncharacteristic move that in Tony's opinion, only added to the point he was making. Peter was sick, nothing major, just rundown and overworked from trying to juggle his final year of high school and the pressures of keeping a watchful eye over his town each night. When he'd shown up to work with Tony that night, it had been pretty damn obvious he should have been in bed, not hunched over a workshop counter playing with something that could wait.

Well, obvious to Tony at least, which must have been obvious indeed, given Tony's own penchant for overlooking his health in favour of doing something more interesting than recovering.

Peter wasn't Tony though. Peter was Peter, and Peter was a kid, despite his increased protests at that statement since he'd turned eighteen, and Tony had a responsibility as his mentor to make sure he wasn't about to collapse on the spot. That, and he also just cared about the idiot.

So when Peter had walked through the door looking a couple degrees shy of alive, Tony had laughed at him, and told him to turn straight back around and go home; Happy might even still have the car running. The laughter, it turned out, was the mistake. because Peter, tired and unwell, was not in the mood for jokes, and missed the light humour in Tony's words.

Instead, he heard 'go home' and the less kind 'you look like shit', and had decided after a week of working himself to the bone, that that wasn't going to cut it. It was the first time Peter had ever argued back with Tony, the first time he'd ever raised his voice, and that alone was enough to stun Tony into a rare moment of silence, which Peter reacted to with a scoff, a roll of his eyes, and a dramatic storming out.

And eighteen his ass, Tony thought the terrible teen years were meant to be behind them.

He’d sat there for a moment, considering what the hell had just happened, and then, just in case Peter wasn't finished having his little tantrum, followed the kid out of the workshop to ensure he wasn't wreaking havoc across the rest of the building. There was no sign of Peter though, only a very confused looking Happy walking towards him.

"What the hell just happened? I only dropped him off ten minutes ago, now he's walking back out the front doors? What, my driving not good enough now?"

"Your driving's fine, Hap, as careful and slow as usual. We just had an argument."

"An argument? With him? The kid?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah. Y'know, it turns out he can really yell when he wants to. The acoustics in my new workshop... very impressive."

"So you sent him home?"

“I advised him to go home. Like I advised him to find you for a lift. Does he even realise how far it is from here to the city?"

"Well he looked pretty determined when I passed him. He’ll be outside by now."

Tony looked out of the nearest window at the miserable weather. "Great. Come on, let's go find him."

"You're coming with us?" Happy asked, making his way back to the car he'd left only minutes ago.

"i've spent too many years with Pepper, I know better than to leave an argument unresolved."

Happy looked sadly out of the window again as they walked. “I just had the car valeted."

Tony had been expecting to catch up with Peter somewhere along the main drive into the campus, probably looking damp, and almost certainly looking slightly ridiculous. He hadn't banked on Peter being nowhere to be seen. With a couple of choice words after realising Peter must have started running, Tony instructed Happy to carry on driving back to May's apartment. They were bound to run into him at some point along the way; kid could run, but he wasn't that fast.

Except, as it turned out, Peter was pretty fast apparently. Either that, or he'd taken a different route back into the city, and since he wasn't wearing the suit - Tony had checked - they couldn't track him. Undeterred in that moment, Tony had suggested to Happy that they carry on driving, occasionally taking a slightly different route, and just cruise round the city until they spotted him.

That had been an hour ago, and Tony had severely underestimated how busy the city would be, and how hard it was to find a single person among crowds of people through windows smudged with raindrops.

"You want to turn back and get the suit?" Happy shouted to him from the front seat, trying to make himself heard against the rain while Tony had the window down and his head poking out of it.

"Not yet," Tony yelled back; wandering the city as Iron Man brought with it an entirely different set of complications.

"Okay, but we haven't moved in fifteen minutes now, boss."

Tony ran a hand over his face, a mixture of stress, annoyance, but mostly concern. "Okay, i'm going to look for him on foot."

"You sure?" Happy asked, glancing up at the dark grey clouds above that suggested the rain was going nowhere for the minute.

"I gotta find him, Hap," Tony said by way of answer, already halfway out the door. "Keep your phone on, and call me if May rings again."

Happy gave him a nod and then Tony was off, slamming the door behind him and immediately drenched from the sheets of rain coming down.

"Where the hell are you, Peter?" he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning his collar up against the weather, which did absolutely nothing, before pressing on to start roaming the city's streets, checking all of Peter's usual hangouts.

Peter, meanwhile, had regretted his rash decision to storm off approximately five minutes after doing so, by which time he was already halfway home, having channelled much of his anger into a sprint that would put athletes to shame. Deciding to press on, he was starting to realise that Tony had very much been correct in his assessment of Peter's physical state, and he'd perhaps even underestimated just how lousy Peter felt.

The week had been a tough one, just the latest in a fairly long run of tough weeks, and Peter had been so sure that a night spent working with Tony on something non-school, non-superhero-related was just what he needed. The rejection, which his rational brain knew wasn't a rejection, but his sick, overly-sensitive self took as such, stung more than it should have, and although his outburst was foolish, he couldn't help but feel it wasn't entirely unjustified.

Thoughts of their argument were long gone by now though, after an hour spent stumbling around in the rain. Peter had been certain he was on the right track home, but after a while, nothing seemed as familiar as before, the bright lights around him not the ones he recognised. His phone had died, which was less than ideal, so he'd done his best to keep walking until he found somewhere he knew, and could right himself, but that moment never came.

Instead the rain just kept falling, and he grew colder and colder, and the slight headache he'd had before upgraded itself to a fully-fledged migraine. The lights around him were suddenly too much, blurring together and making it difficult to see straight, and his heightened hearing was proving overwhelming against the shouts of the crowd, the constant traffic, and the ever-present rain splashing on the streets.

The first crack of lighting across the sky had him flinching, a stabbing pain behind his eyes that made everything go black for a second, and the thunder not far behind had him covering his ears in pain. He thought he might have yelled out, but the sound was lost amongst the evening traffic, and it was busy enough that no-one noticed a stray kid staggering to one side, completely disoriented, eyes screwed shut against the world and his own head.

He carried on, hands clamped to his ears, eyes barely open and unable to see where he was going anywhere. He'd given up on even making it home by now, he was just aiming for somewhere he could sit down and wait out the rain and this headache. May was going to be furious, and Tony probably more so, but those were problems for later. For now he'd just try and stay upright, he thought to himself, two seconds before walking straight into someone.

"Sorry," he mumbled, not even looking up to apologise, but the hands that had caught him steadied him, and stayed attached to his upper arms.

Distantly, Peter realised the person he'd run into was talking to him, and he frowned, not sure how to convey that he wasn't able to manage any sort of conversation, and hoping he'd not done something stupid. The world was spinning, despite someone holding him fast in position, and Peter suddenly wasn't feeling very confident in his ability to stay upright.

Tony surveyed Peter, took in the way he was listing to one side, the sickly white pallor of his skin, and the clear pain etched in the frowning lines of his face, and panicked. It was clear Peter had no idea it was Tony who was holding him - which threw up all sorts of secondary concerns about stranger danger - and Tony wasn't about to terrify him by manhandling him away without identifying himself.

Realising he had no choice, and wincing before he’d even done it, Tony gently, carefully peeled one of Peter’s hands away from his ear, just long enough for him to whisper something someone with super-hearing would still be able to pick out amongst the chaos.

“It’s me, kid. I’ve got you.”

It took a moment for the words to register, but Peter slowly opened one eye just slightly, clearly recognised the vague, blurry outline of a very wet, very worried Tony Stark, and visibly sagged with relief. Tony, alert enough to realise Peter was spent, quickly lunged to grab him properly, and then with nothing else for it, lifted Peter up into his arms, the boy immediately turning his head into Tony’s chest to block out even more of the light, a hand weakly holding on to Tony’s coat.

“It’s okay, Peter, you’re safe now. I’ve got you, kid. Let’s find Happy.”

Whether Peter could hear him or not, Tony kept up his reassuring murmurings as they ducked into a side street and waited another few minutes for Happy to tear round the corner, careering up on to the sidewalk in his hurry to get to them.

“He okay?” Happy yelled as he raced out of the car to open the door for Tony to slide into, still holding Peter.

“I think so,” Tony shouted back, trying to clamber into the car as carefully as possible without jostling Peter around too much.

There was visible relief in Peter’s face when the door slammed shut and the noise grew considerably quieter, just the still calm of the back of Tony’s car, warm from the heaters Happy had left running.

“M’sorry, Mr Stark,” Peter mumbled, still pressed into Tony’s side.

“Forget about it,” Tony said, stroking his hair a little, and finally allowing himself to lean back into the chair as it sunk in that Peter was here, safe, and not collapsed in a heap somewhere in the city like he’d been fearing for the last hour or so. “You’re safe now, kiddo.”

Peter managed a small smile at that, and then relaxed a little, and Tony suspected he was about to pass out. And he was okay with that. When he awoke, he’d be back at campus, in a warm bed, with strict orders to rest, and no doubt Tony, May and Happy fussing over him for the next week. He was allowed to sleep for now.

“Thanks, dad.”

[tarnishedxknight]

A Reason For Everything || open to mutuals

{ This starter mostly centers around Drace in her MCU verse, but it can also involve Munoh, Noah, and any others who would be present at the Avengers compound. You muse could have been present in the training gym at the time, or run into Drace as she headed back to her quarters, or however else you'd like your muse to get involved. Feel free to add/change some nuances and details for your muse's particular relationship with any of mine! =) }

The Occuria had the ability to remove anyone from any chosen point in time and move them to another. Quite literally, they could pluck a being from its natural timeline and transplant them into another, one of either a previous or future time, to serve an intended purpose. This was something they shared with precious few humes, for the knowledge was too great, too heavy for most mortals to bear. The responsibility was one that they were too young to handle. And yet... Munoh had explained it to Caelen when they had brought him to the time of the Avengers, wanting to place him in a time where he could live with his sister and other assorted friends. There had been nothing left for Caelen back in Ivalice.

Munoh didn't know who had brought the others there, but it was clear that this time point, this particular stretch of time's endless expanse, was important. A culmination, if you will, of minds, powers, goals, passions, and lives. One of the others had brought the Dalmascan princess, her former knight captain, and the Archadian Judge Magister to this time, though for what purpose, Munoh was not privy. As a heretic Occurian, they were outside the loop of information.

Nevertheless, once here, Munoh had set about assessing the adjustment capabilities of all who had been transplanted. The one who had transplanted them had long since abandoned them, making Munoh wonder if the move had been for their benefit... or the benefit of ones left behind, that their adversaries might be removed from them? It was impossible to know for sure. But as they watched the princess and the knight captain find their way well enough with others native to this time in addition to Caelen, they watched a much different story play out with the Judge Magister. That one... was not getting on as well. He raged against his brother, frightened the princess, trusted no one, drank too much, and otherwise appeared to be self-destructing in his grief.

For the Occuria, time was neither a thread nor a loop. It was layers upon layers, all happening simultaneously, alongside each other. Jumping from one layer to another, from one year or time period to another, was as easy as moving from building to building was for a hume. Back in Ivalice, Munoh researched the Judge Magister's life to see what stabilizing factors he had lost. One in particular, the loss of one crucial person in his life under unacceptable circumstances, as far as Munoh saw it, was Judge Drace. Munoh watched this person, returning to an earlier time before Judge Gabranth had been forced to end her life. Interesting things resulted from that research...

Not only was this Judge Drace an indispensable support pillar within Gabranth's life, but her removal had destabilized him irrevocably. Able to review entire lifetimes in mere minutes, Munoh was horrified to see how much this particular hume had suffered, and inspired by how much the other had lifted him up. So many tales of humans harming and killing each other existed within the archives of time, but here was a tale of two who came together to support and love each another. Munoh was loathe to see such a bond broken, and when they realized something else towards the end of this Drace's life in Ivalice, their decision to transplant them had been set in stone.

Humes, like all living creatures, gave off their own unique auras to the Occuria. Every single one. Even the smallest of them. She hadn't known it yet, and with her life cut short such as it had been, neither had anyone else, but at the time of her death, Drace had been carrying a new life... one that bore resemblance in aura to both her and a certain other Judge Magister Munoh was now attempting to assist.

Plucking her from just before that fateful meeting where she met her end had been easy for the Occurian to accomplish. Now they had to hope this newly transplanted human would adjust well and be able to stabilize the spiraling Gabranth, so that all these deserving and long-suffering Ivalicians could live happy lives in their new time...

__________

Drace had been feeling a bit off of late. Her usually reined-in emotions were a bit more volatile, her sleep schedule was all over the place, and she'd been making very stupid mistakes during training. Although she knew it had started some time before, she chalked it up to this blasted magical mishap that had landed her in this accursed time period. Drace had assumed that she would acclimate after a while. That is, until the medical department had contacted her about some anomalies in her testing.

What could the problem be? Was there some sort of physical ailment or syndrome associated with being removed from one's native time? She hadn't noticed Gabranth or the Dalmascans having such, so why should she? Anomalies. What did that mean? Medical science in this time period did seem to dwarf her own with regard to how much was known and how much could be told about a person with just a few simple tests, but... what was it they had seen? They'd asked for additional samples of blood and urine, though requesting the latter seemed a bit undignified to Drace, and she was told to stand by for the results.

Those results came during a particularly frustrating training session in which it was if her body was rebelling against her. She felt clumsy, she hated the constricting armor of this time, everything felt uncomfortable, and Gabranth was besting her in ways he should not be able to. The interruption was actually welcome, giving her a chance to catch her breath and reset, at least until she was told the results of her tests. Glad for the fact that Gabranth had remained across the gym as she was taken aside by one of the medical staff, Drace was informed that she was, in fact, approximately three months with child.

The diagnosis blindsided her. It simply wasn't possible. All her life, she had only ever been with one man. There had been other women, in a romantic sense, but sexually there had only ever been one person... and he was sterile, so how could she possibly- A chill ran through her. It happened with Amoretta, so why not with you as well? The blood drained from her face and she was vaguely aware of the medical technician asking her if she was alright.

"Quite," was Drace's terse response. She... was not alright. "Inform no one of this," she practically ordered the woman.

"All your medical records are kept confidential unless you-" the woman started to say.

"Good," Drace replied, promptly leaving the gym without further word to Gabranth or anyone else there. She couldn't face him, not now. Not until she had gotten her head on straight. He wouldn't want another child, not after everything that had happened with Lord Larsa. Not... after he'd lost Larsa. Pregnancy, childbirth... those things were immensely triggering to him after all that had occurred with Amoretta. The last thing he would ever want to hear... was...

And... what did she want? She was a warrior, that was all she'd ever known and all she'd ever wanted to know. She... she wasn't a mother. That just wasn't her. Was it? Could it be? One could not wear armor and fight properly with one's abdomen swollen like a watermelon. Perhaps the medical staff were mistaken about the results? No, of course not, do not play at denial when you know the truth. And she did know it now, did she not? In retrospect, it all made sense. Her emotional volatility, the feeling of something being off with her body, her interrupted sleep, and... and the strange nausea that had plagued her in the morning hours. Apparently it had not been the food of this time period after all.

Drace retreated to her own quarters without explanation to anyone, needing time to live with this revelation, to digest it, and to decide what to do about it. She felt the slightest prickly sensation of panic begin to wash over her, something very rare for her to experience. This was a life-changing moment, at a time when so much had already changed. Did she want to raise a child in this world, this time? Only if Gabranth were by her side. The question was... would he want to be?

Gabranth, meanwhile, was left standing in the gym, brow furrowed, not understanding what had made Drace suddenly turn and walk from him without so much as a simple goodbye.

{ Side note to @disillusionedjudge: With this starter's setup of the Occuria moving people around in time, I had the thought that maybe Gylfie was brought in after the fact by Munoh because of her friendship with Caelen, also to help stabilize Noah/Gabranth, if that idea appealed to you! }

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

Loki Series Theories 1/?

After my Season Two Wishlist post wound up being long as hell, I think it’s best that my theory list be broken up into a few parts. Since I want to post my ficlet (too out of context in my opinion for AO3) for one way to integrate this theory into the Loki show (though not exactly in the way I highlight in this post), and because this one is involved as fuck, I decided to start with this one.

Kid Loki is Kid Loki from Journey into Mystery (the comic)

When Loki introduces the other variants to Sylvie he says something like, “Us from the future, us from the past, us…as an alligator.” When he’s referring to Kid Loki, he either says “us from the past” or “us as a child” (I’m so sorry, I’m writing this at 10:30 and I meant to go to bed half an hour ago, so I’m not going to check on this). If he says “us from the past,” I think he’s wrong. I don’t think this is him when he was a child.

One, it’s not the same actor as in the flashback in (I think) The Dark World. Now, we know why that is: that actor is too old irl to play a child anymore. However, in the context of the fiction, this Kid Loki does not look like that Kid Loki. So what happened? Is he older, did this Kid Loki hit puberty? Maybe. He doesn’t sound like it, though, as far as I remember.

So I think Kid Loki is not him when he was a kid. I don’t think this is the normal timeline. Or, it is the normal timeline, because Loki doesn’t know how his timeline is supposed to go. So here’s how Loki thinks it goes: he’s a child. Then he and Kid Loki part ways. He continues to be a child, perhaps growing more resentful of Thor as he grows up normally. Meanwhile, in his mind, Kid Loki, for some reason at this juncture, kills Thor. And when he kills Thor, the TVA takes him in, prunes him, and sends him to the void.

But that’s not what happens.

Because Kid Loki is not 2012 Loki, as a child, making a split-second decision that ruined his life. This Kid Loki isn’t this Loki at all, at any point in his life. Actually, technically, 2012 Loki is part of Kid Loki’s past. But only on a technicality.

Because Kid Loki is the Kid Loki from the comics, not the flashbacks from the MCU. So, I’m going to try to integrate comic book Kid Loki into the later events of the MCU to make this work, but to do that I’m going to have to provide some context from the comics. And I’m going to get some things wrong, because it’s really fucking complicated and I think I’m missing some things. And also I read the Journey into Mystery run to get background on Loki’s character from Agent of Asgard that I didn’t fully understand in certain parts, not for the action plot, so I don’t remember some specifics of certain events I need for this theory. (Maybe one day I’ll do more research before posting, but today is not that day.)

Also, this Journey into Mystery is not the run from the 60s where Loki makes his debut. These comics came out in the 2010s. In-verse chronologically (I’m not sure about release date), it goes Journey into Mystery, Young Avengers, Loki: Agent of Asgard, in terms of my favorite arc. (After another author picks Loki up and erases all of his character development from the last three runs, Defenders: Beyond picks up where AoA left off.)

Okay, JiM starts out by introducing the first iteration of Loki. This first iteration was likely not the very first appearance of Loki from back in the 60s, I’m sure he’s probably died like eighteen thousand times in the course of the comics. But this first iteration of Loki is probably what you would think of when you think of a classical version of Loki (not Classic Loki, classical version from the comics). So pure evil, pure mischief, has it out for Thor, trying to rule over Asgard, etc. This first iteration of Loki has a plan. His plan has a few steps. First, he’s gonna purge himself from the book of the dead. This means that when he dies, whenever that will be, he cannot go to Valhalla (he probably wouldn’t go to Valhalla anyway since he probably wouldn’t die a hero), he can’t go to hel (so he won’t be punished forever as one of hel’s warriors. He won’t get to see his daughter, either, but I don’t think he really cares about that), and he has pissed off Mephisto, too, but he won’t be able to go to H-E-double-hockey sticks hell, either. This doesn’t mean he can’t die. He will die, he’s just not gonna go anywhere in an afterlife. (More on that later.)

The other thing he’s gonna do, is he’s gonna take over Asgard, like he normally tries to do. He’s gonna fuck over whatever business Thor’s got going on, he’s gonna kill him, he’s gonna cause Ragnarok, the whole kit-and-caboodle. So he’s doing all that, and he’s getting shit done. And then (and they might explain this in more detail elsewhere in the book, but I don’t remember. But in the prologue they basically say for some reason, no one knows why, so I’m gonna go with that.) And then for some reason, no one knows why, Loki decides, ‘This would be a lot more fun if I was on the other side.’

So he switches sides. He’s fighting on behalf of Asgard, now, against whatever hell he’s been raining down on it. (Not actual hell, I don’t think? But something of the sort.) Until he does manage to help Asgard out of whatever calamity he brought onto it. But at the expense of, one, the planet, so now it’s just a floating city over this little town in Oklahoma. And, two, at the expense of his own life. So now he’s dead.

Thor, as Thor does, and as we saw at the beginning of Endgame, misses his brother. (Which I love.) To the point that he starts looking for him, and I think maybe starts doing some other stuff, too. Some more active stuff than look for him. (This all takes place before JiM.) And eventually, he manages to find a kid. A little dark-haired, green-eyed, street urchin, who, he comes to find out, has a bit of his brother’s reincarnated soul hibernating inside of him. So (and I don’t know what the kid thinks of this) he awakens the reincarnated little shard of soul inside the street urchin.

So Loki is kind of back, but he’s different. It’s only a piece of his soul. The rest of him is somewhere, not anywhere in the afterlife since he erased himself from the book of the dead, but he’s not around. So Loki is now referred to as Kid Loki, and he remembers some of it. He has some of his personality, but he still has some of this childhood innocence from when he was just a normal kid. It’s this complicated thing where he’s kind of Loki and kind of not. And he’s also a kid, he doesn’t age up (that’s going to happen later). He’s about twelve, maybe.

He may look like a kid. He may, for the most part, act like a kid. But the rest of Asgard doesn’t trust him. So he spends a lot of time trying to prove himself, a lot of time needing to be rescued by Thor when members of Asgard try to air out their grievances about the old Loki on him.

At one point, as comics do, there’s this big battle of whatever (I don’t remember the details, I’m sorry). During this battle, Loki’s doing what he can, but he’s also twelve. So he enlists the help of Volstagg, who has a bunch of kids, so he’s cautiously trusting of Loki. He likes him when he’s acting like a child, and not so much when he’s reminded of the person Loki used to be. And Thor’s kind of off doing his hero thing, so he’s not really around Loki during this part of the comic. If I remember correctly, it gets to a point where Loki realizes, ‘Thor’s going to die during this. Thor’s going to have to die during this.’ And he doesn’t like that, and he wishes there were another way, but there’s no other way to end it, and there’s no other way to end it with fewer casualties and victoriously on the part of Asgard. So he orchestrates on his end what he can do to turn the tide of the war both in Asgard’s favor and against Thor. Loki essentially influences events in such a way that Thor gets killed by the enemy to save Asgard.

And Loki is beat up about this. First of all, he’s lost his protector, so anything can happen to him at this point. Second of all, he made a choice, pretty early on in this comic run, that he is not gonna be the old him. He is gonna try his damnedest to not be like that. And this kind of directly contradicts that. Yes, it was for the greater good, yes, Asgard won, fewer casualties were lost, but Loki got his brother killed purposefully. And third of all, he loves Thor, deeply. It’s really shown in this comic how much he cares about Thor, and how much he wants to be around Thor, and how much he wants Thor’s attention and affection and respect. So he’s really upset and he does grieve privately.

So to tie this back to the show. The timeline splits at the Ark. Thanos kills Loki. Classic Loki doesn’t die and goes off to his uninhabited planet. Our Loki does die. But, somehow (maybe he purged himself from the book of the dead. We don’t know what he did as Odin for four years), some part of him somewhere lives, and at some point after the war (after Thor 4, I don’t know where Love factors into this, I’m sorry), the child Loki before he’s Loki and Thor find each other, and Thor awakens that little soul piece in Loki.

And then we have Kid Loki. And then some big battle happens. (Maybe it’s Kang. They’re all outside of time right now. Maybe Kang ends up happening, I don’t know. I don’t know how this time thing works. I didn’t know how this time thing worked in Endgame, I’m confused as fuck right now.)

Anyway, something happens. Some big battle happens, and Loki’s like, ‘The only way to end this is for Thor to die.’ And somehow, the TVA, because the TVA’s been wrong before, thinks that Kid Loki killed Thor. Or maybe he just wasn’t supposed to let Thor get killed. Because I’m still saying that Kid Loki didn’t kill Thor, or at least didn’t do it. I’m still saying Thor got killed by some shit to stop this war. But, technically speaking, Kid Loki did it. He orchestrated some events that got him killed. He knew that was the only way.

But I’ll tell you this, he doesn’t love it. He’s beat up about it.

But wait, some more astute fans may be saying (to which I say, why are you still here? It’s been almost 2k words, go read something more interesting or drink water). Loki watched the entire tape of his life at the TVA and it ended with the Ark exploding. How could it have ended if he was meant to become Kid Loki? Because that was only the first tape. You know who else’s life is longer than one tape? Tevye and Maria von Trapp and Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Titanic. Mobius didn’t even intend to show him everything on the first tape. He was trying to paint a picture of Loki’s character to get what he wanted out of him; why would he focus on a version of Loki actively trying to be better, a version of him more openly capable of showing affection toward Thor, a version of himself with friends (yeah, those friends were a hellhound puppy, a magpie with another shard of his soul, and a childlike illusion of Hela, but still)? Mobius didn’t even bother bringing that tape into the interrogation room, because Loki’s second life wouldn’t have served his purpose.

Now I want to talk about how canon I think this theory is. Do I genuinely think this is a possibility for the show, or do I just like how it sounds and would make this canon if I was writing it?

Canon Likelihood: Kid Loki is from the future, not the past…….Not Likely

Unfortunately, I think we’re done seeing him. I don’t think we’re gonna get anymore of his backstory, so we’re not going to hear about why he killed Thor, or how old Thor was when Loki killed him. Personally, I think it makes more sense for him to be JiM Loki. (Which is why I wasted all this time writing this post even if I don’t think it’s likely to be canon.) And! The goddamned episode where Loki meets Kid Loki is called “Journey into Mystery,” so why wouldn’t they reference that? But not likely. They just liked the shock factor of “I killed Thor.”

[keepcalmandshrugorsomething]

Unfinished Fanfic Idea

So I got this idea in the middle of the day and I just sort of wrote it but not really? It took me like 2 hours. There's over 3000 words. And it kind of phases in and out between my rambling self-dialogue and the actual story. So. If anyone out there is interested, feel free to write it. Properly, I mean. Just. Yeah. And send me a link to the fic. I'd like to read it. (To be honest anything would be better than I stuff I managed to write.)

--

In all the MCU time travel fanfics where someone went back in time to stop Thanos, Tony's always the one chosen to do it. Either it's just Tony, or it's Tony and Stephen and then they make it Ironstrange. 

Personally, I think it unlikely Stephen would bring Tony back with him. Given how hard Tony would be to handle and control and how tempted he'd be to change things. Stephen on the other hand, was willing to die countless painful deaths to stop Dormammu and without recognition. Tony is selfless, much more than Stephen, but at the same time he has too much compassion. Stephen is bother line sociopathic without how great he is at distancing himself and blocking out emotional shit. I mean, the man just watched these people die some number under fourteen million times. And he's willing to trade their lives on a bet that Tony Stark would bring the back? Yeah, I don't think Tony would've handled that after knowing Peter was going to die.

I think Stephen might have been able to do the forbidden and go back in time, but I doubt he'd bring Tony. For another thing, if Tony acts any different, his company would be affected and his company affects the world. Tony's changes in behavior are not as insignificant as a celebrity surgeon who was known for being an asshole either way. So. Yeah.

Now, Stephen goes back in time. Where does he go? How far does he go? Given that he only saw the future, he might think that by not being on Titan, a possible victorious timeline might emerge. So he does that. He goes back in time to try, again and again. He's almost sick of saying: "Tony Stark, my name is Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me." Again and again and again. The Battle of Wakanda has been fought thousands of times, in his mind, at least, as the Time Stone plays in out before his eyes in the privacy of his room where Wong could not discover his breaking the natural order. 

He gives up at 10 million, when the differences started to become more and more insignificant. When the wind blowing somebody's hair at the right time. Or Stephen choosing to run to Kamar Taj as  opposed to fighting Ebony Maw and the hammer guy.

Regardlessly, after watching Tony Stark grow old and die with his wife, best friend, daughter and son-in-law and in his bed was getting kind of sick for Stephen. He started to wonder if he wasn't looking far enough. He decided that the end point would be when even Tony Stark of all people had given up on finding a way. At least, given up for real. 

So Stephen goes further back. He starts wondering just what he could change. Stark said he couldn't contact Vision because he ran off, yeah? Well, Maybe Stephen can prevent that. If they got in contact with Vision earlier... When who knows what might have happened with another infinity stone in play?

...Except he didn't expect why exactly did Stark's synthetic-bot-human-thingy-guy decided to run off. With Maximoff, seriously??

The bot really could have done better than that.  Well, then again, he's only several years old. 

So now Stephen tries to stop the Avengers from splitting up at all. He's finally gone back far enough that he sees the Ancient One again. And she warns him: 

"This is a slippery slope you're going down, Stephen. The consequences of your actions increase the further you go into the past."

But what choice does Stephen have? He uses the mirror dimension to spy on the Avengers in the Avengers' Compound. He finds out about the Sokovia Accords. He watches as Steve Rogers break Tony's armor. Watches as Bucky Barnes, confused and still amnesiac, follows his best friend to Wakanda and request to be put on ice, the image of what he and Steve had done to the last Stark haunting him. 

There is nothing he can do. The Avengers were always slated to break, always fractured. They were never a truly cohesive team. They trusted each other' with their lives on the field, but not their secrets or their true selves. Toney wore the facade of the genius playboy, Steve forced himself to act like the Captain America of the legends, unsure if that was who he truly was and what he was supposed to be. Not understanding that he was Steve Rogers not Captain America. (Tony was right, later Stephen would think, everything special about Rogers came from a bottle. Bravery means nothing if one was an idiot. It would only be stupidity.) 

So Stephen goes further into the past and tries to prevent Ultron, prevent the Sokovia Accords, prevent the breaking of the Avengers. He contains and Scepter with the subtlest magics he could, hoping against hope that the Asgardians would not notice and if they did, decide that it as only a Midgardian sorcerer who allied with the Avengers and not that they there was no foul play. Disaster averted, Stephen withdrew from the timeline and returned to his set point- on Titan. When Thanos comes, he has Mind. Time was the last stone. Loki had given it to Thanos. And Tony was not able to steer the ship from its course and their crash land meant that it was destroyed. The Guardians of the Galaxy were utterly useless, as Thanos was waiting, not coming. He took advantage of Tony's distraction and sent himself back once more. 

He had to keep the stone on Earth. If it went to Asgard, that meant Loki would steal it and later be forced to give it to Thanos when he threatens Thor's life. 

So now what was Stephen to do? At this point, almost half a decade before Thanos' arrival, there are so many possibilities that even with an eidetic memory, he wouldn't be able to remember them all. On Titan, there were fourteen million possibilities. With so much time in between now, the number would have to be in the trillions, at least. If he attempted to see more, he might just lose his mind. 

Stephen broods and for the first time since his frantic tampering of time, he rests. He broke into his old penthouse while his current self was in a particularly challenging surgery and breaks out one of his old wines. For the first time, he indulges and lets himself just... fall. The Ancient One appears, after his second glass. Stephen's not particularly inebriated, having an admirable tolerance to alcohol. The Ancient One watches him as he sips the fine wine, overlooking the New York skyline, illuminated by lights.

"Go back, Stephen." She tells him.

He laughs, "And what? Surrender to fate or something?"

His mentor miles indulgently, "Yes. Surrender to the flow of time and trust that everything would end peacefully. We swore to uphold the natural laws, did we not?"

"Ha!" Stephen laughs again, "You're one to talk! You've only lived for so long because you've been siphoning energy off the Dark Dimension! What part of that is natural? I have to do this. I've got to. If half of all living beings die-" Stephen cut himself off. "I may have been called a fucking sociopath but I've not as- as cold- not crazy enough to just let trillions and Vishanti knows how much people die!"

"The choice is not yours to make," she says.

Stephen didn't even let her finish before sending her through a portal with a twitch of his fingers and a sweep of his arm and a "FUCK OFF!"

He breaks down, the strain of living so many years without any mental support or confidant or anything weighed heavily on his mind. His soul. 

When Stephen Strange with the steady hands returns to his apartment, everything was in its original place and only a single bottle of wine gone. No matter, Stephen Strange with the unmarred hands believes that he must have drunk it one day and disposed of it. His eidetic memory did not extend to when inebriated. 

Stephen wonders since when did using the Time Stone feel so much like using his magic normally. It's like the Stone's become an extension of himself... Like it's accepted him. The Time Stone's become familiar over the years in his time loop in the Dark Dimension, but time loop is different from traveling in time. He wonders if he can now use the time Stone's abilities without even being in contact with it . He wondered if he could touch the Stone with his bare hands and not die from the power of it. According to the legends, the Stones had to be handled with care, or it would turn on you, it overwhelming power running through yours veins. 

The Power Stone was rumored to be able to explode anyone who held it. The Reality Stone to slowly kill whomever it merged with. The Mind Stone to take control of one's mind and destroy your sanity. The Time Stone to revert your age to before you were born. The Space Stone to teleport one to an unknown place in the universe. As for the Soul Stone... well, no one even knows where it was. 

Stephen wondered... Well, what's he got to lose? He opened the Eye of Agammotto n and the Stone floated out of the Eye. He reaches and as his fingers curled around the green gem-

Stephen finds himself back on Titan. In his original timeline. He wonders if there was anything he could possibly do to stop Thanos. Or if the Ancient One was right...

But then he looks around. "Where's Stark?" He asks Peter Quill. "Or the other Peter- Peter Parker?"

"Hey, man, you just... did whatever you were doing... you looked like you were having a seizure..." 

"I'm fine." Stephen tell him, "Now where is Iron Man and Spider-Man?"

"What are you talking about?" Quill asks him. "Iron Man, what kind of name is that?"

"No... Stephen whispered under his breath. Memories from this timeline- the result of a single bottle of wine drunk... The Butterfly Effect... Tony Stark was dead.

"How-? No..." Without warning, he grasped the Eye and sent himself once more, back in time. He now realizes that he must make changes, but at the same time, Tony Stark's habit of putting himself in dangerous situation and coming out by the skin of his teeth and some serious luck meant that only a little change was needed to kill the man. So Stephen sends himself back in time once more, this time, he would keep the man safe and unharmed.

He had to go further back, much further than before. There was only one way. He had to use the Time Stone directly. The Eye restricted the power of the Time Stone to prevent the death of the user, but now that his drunk ass has already proven that the Time Stone would not kill him...

Stephen finds himself in his younger body. He knows so because his hands are steady and unmarred. His chest bore no signs of being stabbed through the heart. His head held no pain from the needles the Maw had put through. He felt... good. 

He also had no sling ring or anything. The only thing in his possession from the future was a glowing green stone in his hand. The green light shone from between his fingers and he feels a little power-drunk. Or just normal drunk. Because he's at a party. In his tux. And there's a champagne glass between the fingers of his left hand and his stead hands did not let the glass fall even when Stephen finds himself jumped back in time. A single blink and Stephen easily slipped back into his old behavior. The smooth, arrogant surgeon. The one everyone sought after because of his perfect record. And the one who turned away surgeries of no prestige or challenge. For a second, his future humility peeked through and he grimaced, before dropping the Stone into his pockets. Then he blinked and the half-smile was back on his face. He takes a sip of the champagne and watches the room. Wait- Was that Tony Stark? 

Jackpot. 

Stephen takes a deep breath before dropping of his glass to stroll over to the other genius' side at the bar. 

"What's a handsome guy like you doing at a party like this?" Stark asks.

The response was almost automatic as Stephen beings to panic in the deep recesses of his mind. The flirting was almost autopilot as Stephen beings to weigh the pros and cons of sleeping with Tony Stark. For one thing, Stark was notorious for never seeing a former lover again. For another, if he dated Stark, he could keep him alive and ensure that the Avengers would not split much more easily. 

He's not completely present as he tells Stark about the surgery that landed him in this party of old, rich men. 

"Then shouldn't you be out smoozing and landing yourself your next gig?"

Stephen smiled, "Too easy. I don't have to go to them, they'll come to me if they need me. After all, I am the best."

At his display of arrogance, Stark's own arrogance shone through. They trade barbs and snarky comments before Stark offers to show him his lab. Stephen agrees. He's still not sure if Stark wanted to fuck him or just genuinely wanted to see what he could do with his tech but Stephen will take what he can get. Becoming an acquaintance of the man was the first step to a friendship. He only needs to be friends with the man to affect his actions. And his actions could result in saving the universe. 

So Stephen agrees. 

So yeah, Stephen agrees to years of friendship and eventually falling in love with Tony, except after he meets Pepper he realizes what kind of future he was taking away from the man if he did so and he couldn't pursue a relationship with him. Until Tony started initiating a relationship. Honestly, never mind. It's just they get together and they fight Thanos. They've built a little family of three, the two of them and Peter Parker, their adopted son. Stephen fails to keep the Avengers together, either way. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he wanted to have Steve Rogers around Tony after he remembers the Siberian bunker where Stephen witness the end of the Avengers silently. On Titan, Stephen looks forward to see the futures and he finds. 

There was no victory. He watches fifteen million futures. Then sixteen. Then seventeen. He doesn't notice as his nose begins to bleed and Tony's coaxing him out of the trance. 

"Stephen, baby, you're okay. I'm here. You're here. You're okay."

Stephen's gasping, holding back the tears the's desperate to escape. Every future he sees, they lose and their family is torn apart. 

"Tony... I've seen seventeen million futures." He swallows, "We don't win. We just... don't."

An orange portal, sparkling, appears before him. He remembers suddenly, of his mentor appearing in a ring of orange sparks to tell him that it was time for him to fight Dormammu and become the Sorcerer supreme. And like before, the Ancient One steps through. "Stephen."

"...Master."

"I've told you, in a future you erased, that you must let go. That you must trust in fate. Do you see now?"

Stephen swallows and tears fall from his eyes. "Yes, I- Master-" He says brokenly before she envelopes him in a hug. Tony's hovering over the Ancient one's shoulder. 

"Go back, Stephen. And let go. Surrender to the universe."

"It's not about you."

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Stephen takes the Time Stone and then he falling. Falling into Tony Sark's arms. 

"Hey, doc, you're okay."

He tells Tony Stark- This Tony Stark who's engaged to Pepper Potts, whose Peter lived with May Parker, who never met him, Stephen Strange, up until several hours ago. 

With a heavy heart, Stephen outlines a plan, a plan that he has no idea would succeed or not. Above all else, he keeps Tony Stark alive, because Tony Stark was the only one to ever come close to saving the universe. 

"Tony, it was the only way."

He wasn't sure who he was talking to, this Tony or his Tony from another lifetime. But he knows that it didn't matter. Because it wasn't about him. He feels himself turn to dust but all he felt was peace. 

When Peter Parker blames him for Tony's death at his funeral, he says, "I know. I have tried everything to save him. I even traveled back in time to the past to change everything. But we either lose and half the universe is dusted or Tony is dusted or... or this. You know, in another timeline, I met Tony, more than ten years ago. We fell in love. I loved him. We adopted a child. A boy named Peter who loved to watch my operations and Tony's tinkering. But in that universe I watched seventeen million futures until I almost blacked out. There was no victorious ending in any of those timelines. We just don't win. So I came back. I put my faith in the universe that it would guide us to a way to win. And it did. But Tony dies. Every time. But that's alright, Peter. Because it's not about us. It's about the universe. About he greater good." Stephen turns around to find that Peter was crying as much as he was. Except that Stephen's eyes were resigned and sad, but accepting. Peter's were horrified and grieving. "I've lost more than you know, Peter. But it's fine. Because the universe comes first. Our suffering does not compare to the suffering of the entire universe. We chose this, to sacrifice ourselves and hurt those around us to protect others, This is what it means to be a hero, Peter. I'm sorry, for all it's worth."

Peter let out a cry and a chocked, "Doctor Strange-" before launching himself at the man and buried his face in Stephen's chest and cried. Sobbed. Stephen embraced the boy. His arms arranged easily around the boy, his movements practiced, even though not in this world. They stood there, the father and son duo that could have been, mourning a great man that they both lost. 

[munchkinmarauder]

It's interesting cause Orlando brought Pietro's relationship with Monet up in an interview on Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and an interesting tidbit he dropped was that they are each others new love interests but neither of them exactly is sure of what the terms of their relationship is. So I guess the writers don't either at this moment? It was a very interesting tidbit to drop in response to a question that was about Pietro and Crystal and if Orlando did have to mention Monet a little - a he's currently with Monet would do.

Now does that guarantee we'll get something more with them for a while? No, it could have just been Orlando's own headcannon for them and really nothing is guaranteed with the comics and in general it's not advisable to get too attached, cause well look at its track record... Wanda/Jericho and Pietro/Emily both great relationships were dropped with little explanation (and these were generally liked couples as well - though we can blame MCU synergy in both counts for the relationshios being dropped). But the fact that we've got a few glimpses here and there of them as small as they are mean this relationship has technically lasted past it's initial run which not many modern marvel couples can say and potentially makes this the second longest running relationship either of these characters have had so far (though it will take a long time to beat the 20 plus real life years Pietro was in his dumpsterfire marriage with Crystal).

Sometimes it takes one writer though and Orlando at least does seem to like this couple and included little nods to them when he didn't have to in a packed mini series. He does write Pietro running past and checking up on Monet alongside his daughter and nephew in the first issue (placing her as someone important to him), along with the panel in the last issue showing the aftermath of them "celebrating" Pietro living another day together (the first time Orlando's scarlet witch series has implied sex in any sense) - Wanda also seems to know about Monet so the relationship is significant or worthy of note enough to Pietro for him to mention it to his sister. I'm not sure if the Maximoffs twins are chronically overshare with each other (cause she seems to fully know what he and Monet got up to) but usually telling your family member about a new relationship is kind of a big step in my mind at least.

There is also ofc the cameo of the two of them together at Destiny and Mistiques wedding which is a small thing but something to note seeing as they deliberately included Monet when a preview had a character that looked and was coloured like Laura (but with blue on the costume) sitting next to Pietro.

From my reading of what we've gotten in comics so far this started as a sitationship, definitely predicated on physical attraction and enjoying having someone who could keep up with their sharp wits and tounges rather than a deep emotional bond (with Monet in particular taking as many opportunities to get her hands on him - which girl relatable) and you can interpret Orlando's comment as meaning the relationship is casual or friends with benefits in nature and might still mostly be that but is starting to develop enough that Wanda knows about her, Pietro runs off to spend time with Monet rather than his sister after all the Wizard's attempt to kill the twins and they attend a wedding together (in which the rest of his family is also in attendance).

Gail Simone at one point teased in twitter that she enjoyed both characters and she'd be interested in addressing the relationship but it may be "some time" - I have heard some not great things about Simone"s handling of PoC characters so as great as it would be to have them in as many books as possible I'm apprehensive.

Ofc it's still not loads, it doesn't mean we'll definitely see more of this relationship but I hope we do. Amongst all the reasons given by the above posters, which I agree with, I think it could be a lot of fun letting these two characters bounce off each other (and we have seen it), the dramatic and comedic potential of the dysfunctional Magnet family and the Gothic horror St Croixs mixing is off the charts, they could have fun interactions with each others sisters (and Lorna and Monet have been contentious teammates in the past), they both have similar responses to deal with their trauma and deal with their abusers but come from very different families and backgrounds in life. With Pietro having joint custody of his daughter and Monet seemingly being the one raising her sisters we could have a very interesting blended family which I don't think marvel ever really shows.

so yeah I was really taken by surprise by how much I liked this couple and think it should be explored. Sure right now it's two hot powerful people banging but with the right writer I think it could become one of those iconic couples it marvel let's them.

Also Quick Money is just a fun ship name

What are your thoughts on the Pietro and Monet pairing? Admitted we haven't gotten loads of them but it feels like there is a lot of potential there especially in how despite coming from opposite ends of the wealth brackets they are both extremely loving people, protective of their sisters and families but ones that refuse to forgive their abusers and developed more acerbic personalities as a defence for what they've ensured.

Is there anything you would like to see explored with them?

i have to be honest: i haven't moved on from emily/pietro yet and i doubt i will, but ignoring that, i feel like pietro and monet dating was a GREAT idea. just like you said, they have many things in common but different life experiences, which opens door for a really interesting dynamic.

now, when it comes to plans for the future i think they are absolutely perfect, but considering what we have at the moment i fear that getting attached to them would be a terrible idea 😭 marvel doesn't act like they really plan to do anything with them other than add a few jokes and nice moments here and there, and tbh that's really frustrating. they could have such a nice development, like both of their past relationships, but instead of that we are getting veeeery small crumbs.

about things to get explored: it can sound a bit silly but i think a run with them as leads learning how to get used to each other's habits and having to fight each other's battles/problems would be really funny. like having monet dealing with pavane(avengers v1 #377) or a character similar to him and teasing pietro about the fact his enemies are either children or just random people 😭 or having pietro dealing with victor without knowing about his relationship with monet and being flabbergasted when finding out about it. long answer made short: i think they could have MANY funnny, complex and interesting stories together and they really need more chance to be developed.

(i have to confess that i was kind of confused about their relationship status? are they dating or just hooking up? 😥 I hope they are dating...)

[ynscrazylife]

Spoilers

Not sure if you write for Melina from Black Widow but if you do could you please write a Melina x Reader where they are both locked in the cells in the red room and confess to each other and kiss

Destined to Lose | m.v fic

Summary: Melina recalls the love that she once shared with a Red Room agent years ago.

Authors Note: Thanks for requesting! Also, as the Red Room focuses on girls, the reader will be female.

Warning: Implications of some malnourishment. 

Request to be on a taglist (or multiple) here! (Taglists are at the end of the fic)

MCU Masterlist #1 | MCU Masterlist #2 |  Main Masterlist

PSA: Do NOT copy, steal, translate, plagiarize, republish, etc any of my works on Tumblr or any other platform. Also, do NOT claim any of my works as your own. All of these works are either requests I’ve gotten that people have wanted me to write or original ideas I’ve had for works. If you happen to take inspiration from anything I’ve written and want to write something inspired by that, please a) ask me first and b) IF I say yes, credit me as inspo in your post by tagging me and link whatever work of mine that inspired you. Thanks.

Ever since the Red Room had been stopped once and for all, there seemed to be the fragrance of calm in the air, washing over Mother Russia . . . or maybe it had just washed over Melina, Alexei, and Yelena, as everything had been shifted now. They were all free and had the opportunity to work on their shattered relationships - and to work on their shattered selves. Each one had coped in their own way, discovering and rediscovering their interests and who they were outside the Red Room, outside KGB.

One of the ways that Melina chose to heal was to take time for herself, and that included reading. More often than not, she’d be curled up in an armchair in the living room, entranced as her eyes swept over the ink printed on every page. The stories, whether they be fiction or non, always captivated her, and she soaked in every word.

That is the precise reason that despite being a highly trained and experienced spy, she didn’t notice that her youngest daughter was in the room until she piped up and spoke.

“Melina?”

Instantly the brunette was tugged from the faraway world she was in and her head snapped up, eyes holding a gaze of alarm for just a moment before they stilled. Melina took in Yelena’s state. The younger woman was standing confidently but her face told a different story. She was concentrating on something, Melina could tell from the way that her muscles were pulled, and there was an inner dialogue going on, troubling her.

“Yes, dear?” Melina said, carefully turning over the corner of the page and closing the book on her lap, as she could tell that this conversation wouldn’t be over in a minute.

“I had a question,” Yelena began, pausing for a moment and then sitting in the armchair across from her mother. She continued when she was comfortable. “-which you don’t have to answer.” She reeled in her worried gaze and made it more neutral.

Melina allowed her shoulders to slump into a relaxed posture and drew her bushy eyebrows together, her chin jutting down ever so slightly. “What is it?” She asked, the curiosity gnawing at her, since this wasn’t Yelena’s typical behavior.

Yelena seemed to be collecting her thoughts and, when she was finished, spoke in a delicate manner. “When I was looking at the Red Room’s files that Natasha got, I . . . I came across yours. It had said that you had been through the Red Room five times and . . . It mentioned someone named Y/N Y/L/N? I was wondering-” she cut herself off abruptly when she saw the solemn and serious look on her mother’s face.

The moment she heard that name, it struck something inside Melina. The memory, the feelings, it all came hurtling back with a force that had been absent for years. Y/N.

Y/N was the name that caused her stomach to twist and turn as the wound was ripped open. Y/N was the name that put a smile on her lips through the tears and reminded her how far she came when she was sad. Y/N was the name she thought of as a battle cry when she jumped into a fight against those Red Room agents. Y/N was the name she focussed on, like one would stare at a point on the wall to keep focus, as she got through the hardest times in her life, motivated her to push through with all her might.

With all those thoughts running through Melina’s head, she finally looked up, met Yelena’s gaze with her own, and parted her lips to tell her a story.

Melina had long since given up keeping track of the days at this point. There was no use, for by this time the days had all blurred into one. She could only differentiate the day and the night because every night is when someone with a deep frown on their face would walk in and give her a tray of food, and every morning was when someone else would arrive and take said tray away. She had barely moved from the position she sat in: back against the chain wall that seperated her cell and the one right next to hers and her knees drawn to her chest. She’d tune in to any sound she could hear and fixate.

She had been thrown into this cell because of her attempt to escape the Red Room. It wouldn’t be the first time she tried to escape, nor would it be the first time she sat in this cell, but it was the first time that she had gotten as far as she did, since she had help.

Melina could only wonder why she was here and Y/N wasn’t, and those wonderings always ended up with her conjuring thoughts and ideas that frightened her.

She ended up having the endless questions crawling at the back of her mind come to a halt when she heard pounding footsteps one day. Despite being in a tired haze, Melina snapped right out of it and became alert, watching and waiting with anticipation as their footsteps got closer, and closer, and closer.

The person - or people - belonging to those footsteps came into sight and Melina couldn’t stop the gasp before it escaped her lips when she saw what was happening.

A man, a Red Room agent, was practically dragging Y/N who was thrashing about, doing her best to put up a fight, but ultimately losing it when he carelessly tossed her into the cell next to Melina’s, locked the door, and walked away.

Only after his receding footsteps could be heard no more did Y/N look up from her tears, only for her eyes to widen and for her to lurch towards the chain wall, fingers grasping around it, when she laid eyes on Melina. Melina did the same and, after a little struggle, they managed to hold hands in a steel grip through the chain.

“Mel,” Y/N breathed, but her hoarse voice caused her to cough.

“Y/N,” Melina whispered, tightening her grip and scooting as close to the chain wall - as close to Y/N - as she could. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Y/N let out a shaky sigh, alarming Melina, and rested her forehead against the chain. “I wasn’t thrown into the cell immediately because you’ve been through the Red Room five times now, but I haven’t. They wanted to train me more and they did their best, but when I kept on fighting them they decided to put me in here.” she answered tiredly.

Melina thought this over and let out a sigh of her own, but this was a sigh of relief. She was glad that she no longer had to worry about Y/N and thankful that Y/N was with her so she could make sure that nothing bad would happen to her.

After a couple moments of the silence beginning to creep in again, Melina decided that she needed to tell Y/N something. “I have to tell you something, love.”

Y/N looked up, a beautiful glint in her eyes telling that she was intrigued. God, Melina had missed seeing that look on her face.

“Don’t feel pressured to respond, just, after I’ve been away from you, I really, really have to say this: I . . . I love you,” Melina confessed, bravely meeting Y/N’s gaze.

Y/N blinked, but that glint did not go away. In fact, it seemed to get bigger, making the smile on her lips reach her eyes, and she squeezed Melina’s hands as best she could.

“I love you, too.”

Those four words were probably the softest words she had ever spoken, but they were beyond true.

Melina leaned forward and Y/N after a moment did too. They did their best and managed to meet each other with a kiss. The two cherished it - the kiss was sweet and simple and not over-the-top. Perfect. They each leaned back.

Then, the silence came again, but this time, to Melina, it was more comfortable.

“I have something to tell you, also”

Melina looked up, expecting the smile to still be on Y/N’s face, but it was faltering. She tilted her head to the side.

“I insisted to them that you not be put through the Red Room a sixth time. I’m not sure if they’re going to do anything, but I wanted to stop what they were doing to you and-”

“That you did. They’ve listened.”

Both looked up to see a Red Room agent standing outside Melina’s cell. He unlocked it and she instantly scurried back, but couldn’t do anything to prevent him from grabbing her and yanking her up. “Y/N!” She yelled as she was half-dragged, half-carried away.

Y/N sat up, banging on the chain. Tears started streaming down her face. It was happening far too fast. “MELINA!” She yelled. “I’M SORRY!”

There was fear in her voice. Oh, god, what had she done?

Melina paused for a moment, eyes focussed on Y/N as they went down the hall. She then said calmly, but with a firmness, “Don’t be!”

“And that was the last time I saw her,” Melina concluded her story, not meeting Yelena’s eyes, but with tears threatening to spill.

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[doctorofmagic]

My thoughts on What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

The very title of the episode sends a shiver down my spine. And this is where we’re going to start.

~ long post under the cut ~

A year ago, I wrote this post as an attemp to dive into one of the most important traits in Doctor Strange’s personality: love. Stephen is a being made of love, made to love, no matter which interpretation you have when you watch Infinity War. If you don’t read comic books, you’ll understand the moment you meet Donna. You’ll begin to understand how her death reshaped his entire subjectivity out of fear of failing, being powerless and unable to control everything around him (especially death), thus the arrogant and yet a disaster of a man we all know.

Where do I even start? Stephen loved her sister deeply and felt responsible for her death. And then, slowly, he also lost his parents and his brother. He fell in love with Clea but he also pushed her away. He loved Zelma platonically and lied to her, which was enough for them to break their bond. He felt attracted to Kanna but screwed things up, even though they remain friends. He was forced to kill the Ancient One, the only father figure he had ever since his father died. And lastly, the only person who would never leave his side... also left. Yes, even Wong. Stephen has SO much love to give but he’s also afraid because he’s cursed. He truly believes his love in poison. And would you look at that? What If really delivered a story where this is actually true.

What If Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

The level of understanding when it comes to the character is... inconceivable. What could possibly reshape Stephen into following a dark path but love? The very premise of the whole episode. This is so much more than a love letter. This is literally too much, in all senses.

Fine, let’s begin.

What if the best of intentions has very strange consequences?

No. You used the word “strange” for the pun but this is not the word. Nah-ah. I’d go with ATROCIOUS, for starters. Things are gonna escalate so quickly, my friends.

Seriously, tho? Christine is SO SO SO SO beautiful, they’re so cute together. I have this feeling that MCU!Stephen was quite toxic because of his arrogance and this is why they didn’t work out. But WhatIf!Stephen???????? He’s always praising her, teasing her in a healthy way, respecting her and listening to her. HE TRULY LOVES HER, I’M GONNA CRY ALL OVER AGAIN, PLEASE, NOT THE CRÈME BRÛLÉE, PLEASE

I’m going to leave this shot here because we need to go back to it later. Hold that thought.

And bonus points to “Yeah, well, I would call that quite remarkable.” / “Well, I would say the same about you.”

GODS. THE PAIN. STOP THE PAIN.

So in this reality, Stephen didn’t caused the car accident because he was checking his phone while driving. Also it was not the reckless attempt to pass the truck. Well, maybe it was the consequence of this act? The fact is, the car behind them loses control, which makes them crash. Does it matter? We’ll learn later that no, it doesn’t.

And yep... Christine dies. Have you noticed the shattered heart? Ah, the pain only gets better and better.

Again, Stephen blames himself. More than anything, this is so important because Stephen is all about guilt. We still need to meet Donna so we can add yet another layer of guilt. But the feeling exists. This is what corrupts Stephen’s heart and soul in all his iterations. This is what makes him the character I love so much. I love this SO. MUCH. In addition, his stubbornness to accept his condition. Man won’t take a no. This, this is Doctor Strange in character. Stop complaining about NWH Stephen, it’s pathetic.

Okay, “grief-stricken”, Stephen found the Mystic Arts and became a sorcerer. That’s when he learned about the Time Stone, the Eye of Agamotto and Dormammu. Nothing changes, he saves the universe. But time does not heal his deepest wound.

I love Wong so much. Every time Wong does something, the world is healed. Really. We’re going back to him as well but for now I’ll just leave this shot.

BUT STEPHEN, DOING SOMETHING RECKLESS? HE’D NEVAH

Aaaaaaaannnnnnd then he did.

He goes back in time. It’s been two years since he lost Christine. I think he reacted pretty nicely, despite the circumstances. Now let’s go back to that shot I said I was saving for later.

Stephen is so light-hearted here. Also, during the first time he lost Christine, he had no idea what “The Price is Right” was. He knows now, which means he probably tried to learn more about the show because of her, because of grief. HAHAHA MORE PAIN

AND THEN HE

AND THEN SHE DIES AGAIN

AND THEN HE KEEPS GOING BACK IN TIME

AND SHE KEEPS DYING

AND THE MUSIC

AND HIS VOICE

AND HE TRIES TO CHANGE FATE BUT IT CAN’T BE AVERTED

HE EVEN TRIES TO STAY AWAY FROM HER LIFE BUT SHE DIES ALL THE SAME, WHY

AND EVERY TIME THEY CRASH, HE FEELS THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PAIN AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHY

I’M-- *ugly sobbing noises*

Apparently, not.

And this scene when he simply... closes his eyes before she dies again...?

This is where this episode had me in endless tears. It got me the four times I watched it. I’m dead serious.

Okay, so, next the Ancient One appears to Stephen, explaining that Christine’s death is an Absolute Point in time. It cannot be changed. Stephen needs the accident to become the Sorcerer Supreme and defeat Dormammu.

And this is where Stephen starts his journey into darkness. “Nothing is impossible, you taught me that. I only require more power.” Disobeying the Ancient One, Stephen then travels in time, seeking the Library of Cagliostro. Now, if you’re not aware of that, Cagliostro was a sorcerer who studied time in comics, and later became Sise-Neg (there’s a recent post on this because of the new Defenders run). It’s funny to think that Sise-Neg also destroyed the world when he became a god, however he grew past his pettiness and remade reality. Stephen did not possess such power, as we’re about to see.

PS: “Stop torturing yourself, Stephen.” Naur but he should use this line like a mantra. Especially comics!Stephen.

Not gonna lie, tho. This place reminds me of the Temple of the Vishanti from T&T (of course I was going to insert T&T somewhere, it’s me).

And of course they’d go for a pun with his name haha. I don’t know how to feel about this, tho. I feel like the episode is too heavy and dark for comedy. But it is what it is.

Okay but why some books are in cages??????????? And wow, it seems Cagliostro also gathered knowledge about several fields of magic.

And then Stephen learns that, in order to break an Absolute Point, he needs to absorb more power. This is when I went “oh-oh, here we go”.

And for real, is this Shuma-Gorath? Why are they keeping his name a secret? Is this the same creature from the first episode with Captain Carter, right? RIGHT? It has to be Shuma-Gorath.

Of course he tries to be polite and ends up all hurt haha. O’Bengh warns him about love but he will not listen. “Love can break more than your heart. It can shatter your mind.”/ “Is she worth the pain?”. Please, this is Stephen. He eats pain for breakfast.

Also, also, let’s take a break. We’re finally going to get monsterf0cker tentacle-lover Stephen Strange. It will cost us everything but here we goooooooooooo (yes, I went frame by frame for your more obscure fanservice needs)

Gods, I love this sequence so much it hurts. Okay, here we go.

Shmebulock???????????

AND HE STOLE THE CAPE??????????? AND DREW THE LINE ON BUGS??????

The grasp this man is holding on me right now...

Some of you will understand. I’m with you.

And here are the grostesque ones. These are hard to take SS but I had to.

Animation, sound effects, OST? CHEF’S KISS TO ALL

And lastly... the tentacles. Yeah, if you’re new... this is a thing.

Fanservice. Fanservice everywhere. (low-key the reason I also waited to write this review, I wanted to enjoy this part so badly but I was too sad for that lmao)

Okay so. O’Bengh is suddenly OLD and DYING, until we realize that Stephen spent CENTURIES absorbing mystic beings. CENTURIES. WTF STEPHEN. He had nothing in mind but the goal to save Christine. And people wonder why he went insane???? I’m sorry, O’Bengh, but I can’t take you serious when you still call Stephen Sorcerer Armani. Oh, and also because you watched him absorb beings for centuries in silence lmao. But I guess I have to because you said that Stephen is split in two since the Ancient One cast a spell on him, splitting the timelines and making them exist in the same reality before he could travel back in time. I know, it’s complex. Anything for the plot.

And now good!Stephen has an evil!twin who wants to absorb him back in order to become whole and break the Absolute Point. Cool.

I said I wanted to talk more about Wong because I think people are not talking about him enough. Wong is so important in this episode. He’s the one who’s trying to heal Stephen after Christine. He’s Stephen’s anchor.

Also, THEY FINALLY USED A SPELL WITH THE NAME OF THE VISHANTI. HOORAAAAY

So, for the sake of our understanding, I’m addressing the characters as evil and good!Stephen. Let’s go. Evil!Stephen summons good!Stephen and gods, he still holds such a strong grasp on me... unbelievable. THE DEEPER VOICE BENEDICT USES???? PLEASE, DIDN’T WE HAVE ENOUGH?

Imagine his strength to hold so many beings inside him, fighting to control him. BRO, THIS IS TOO TOO MUCH

Fine, I’ll not post SS about the fight because I’d be here all night long but I WILL say this: NOT CLOAKIE!!!!! NAAAAAAAAAAUR

Also if you ask me if I recognize any of the spells? Maaaaybe the Flames of Faltine, the not-so-crimson Bands of Cyttorak and a little trick Magik does with her portals. That’s how far I go.

I’ll not comment on the “seducing yourself to stay in the trap”. I will not. I’ll just say that the first person Stephen thought of when “Christine” was talking about the crème brûlée was Wong. That’s it.

And finally evil!Stephen absorbs good!Stephen and releases... UNLIMITED POWER (I love when the stone goes red as if it was bleeding aaaaaaa)

I can fix him...

This scene here? Poetic cinema. (I love his wings so much)

And when Stephen says her name and the other monsters’ voices echo “Christine”, AAAAAACKKKK

AND OF COURSE CHRISTINE WOULD FREAK OUT, BRO. LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE BECOME BECAUSE OF YOUR TWISTED LOVE. I’M NOT DOING FINE.

Oh, but it’s too late anyways because Stephen broke reality haha. This scene is interesting because Stephen is the only one who sensed and/or talked to the Watcher until now. I read an interview that the Watcher kinda showed up but it’s also about Stephen’s keen senses. Bit of both, let’s say. Still, man, 616-Watcher is not that cold. 616-Watcher would watch this and say “how about I intervene anyway?”. WhatIf!Watcher is brutal.

The way Christine looks at Stephen one last time also KILLS ME, DESTROYS ME, BREAK ME INTO A MILLION PIECES.

And this is where my soul left my body.

This is how they end the episode. This is how you leave me speechless and with teary eyes. This is how you give me a whole existential crisis.

This... this was brutal to watch. Really.

What can I say after this? I’m used to reading painful things when it comes to Stephen. Aaron’s and Cates’ runs are heartbreaking on so many levels. Hickman’s New Avengers is not easier. Coincidentally, What If? Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme and The End. And now Death of Doctor Strange. And yet, after everything I’ve been through, I’d never expect to watch something so brilliant, so tragic, so heartbreaking and unexpected in the MCU. Never. This is top tier content and this is my favorite character with SO MANY LAYERS and SO MUCH UNDERSTANDING. I can’t put into words how meaningful this whole episode is to me, or how deep it touched my heart and soul.

I’ve been struggling to find the proper words since then, I still can’t. All I can add is, I cried for the 4th time now. This is too, too much, even for Stephen stans. Even for the ones who are used to pain, regardless of which media you’re into: comic books, live actions or animated movies. This is literally more than I can take and yet I’m so, so grateful. The voice acting, gods, how did Benedict manage to create a better Stephen than the one he’s literally playing in real life???????????? HOW

This episode really took the max potential Stephen had to offer as a character, added tons and tons of layers based on his grief, depression, arrogance and need to control everything and created a tragic masterpiece. In 7 years of being a Doctor Strange fan, I've never read or watch something that could go this deep into the character. The closest I can think of is Mr. Misery and the metaphor of Stephen's depression. This is a whole new level of respect and understanding. This is more than a love letter. This is peak maestry. It’s perfect, it’s heartbreaking, it’s... gods, I can’t.

Sorry for dragging you until this far. Before I wrap up this review, I just wanted to remind you all that Stephen will appear again, he will smile again, he will be surrounded by people again. So this is not the end. It was painful but be brave. We still have a few more steps to take.

[saltybaltic]

Natasha Romanoff X Reader - FIVE FEET WORTH OF PROBLEMS

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow X Super Soldier Reader

Synopsis: Natasha isn’t the tallest member of the team which leads to her needing help sometimes (for clarity this is based on MCU Nat when she is just little and I’ve made the reader a super soldier simply to be more inclusive cause we’re not all 6 feet tall)

Warnings: language

Words: 1435

(1 ft)

One of the things you’d noticed about Natasha from the word go was her stubbornness. Especially when it came to asking for help. She was a firm believer that if something needed doing, there was no reason she couldn’t do it herself. Even so, you couldn’t help but laugh at some of the situations she tried to handle by herself.

For example when you walked into the kitchen one morning and saw Natasha straining to reach the ceiling from a set of step ladders, you couldn’t hold in a small chuckle as you went to pour a coffee.

“Need a boost?” you joked, grinning up at the other woman over the rim of your mug.

Natasha didn’t seem in the mood for your humour, shooting you a quick glare before continuing to try and reach upwards, “This damn lightbulb has been out for three days now and not one of you idiots has had the inclination to change it.”

“I hadn’t noticed.” you stated, taking a swig of your drink before placing it down and stepping closer so you were able to look up at the other woman, “You’re never going to reach.”

“Shut up.” shot back Natasha, huffing out a growl of frustration and standing as tall as she possibly could on her tip toes, “Why in the hell have we got the shortest step ladders in the world when the ceilings are this high?!”

You laughed, seeing Natasha’s frustration getting the better of her as you gestured for her to move, “Come on before you break your neck, let me do it.”

“If you were going to do it you would have done it by now!” snapped Natasha, “I can do it.”

“Okay but I mean, clearly you can’t.” you teased, not in the least bit put off by Natasha’s blatant irritation. Seeing she wasn’t going to move from the step ladders, you hopped up onto the kitchen counter beside her and stood up straight. The counter was about the same height as the ladders but you were still head and shoulders above the other woman as you reached up with ease and unscrewed the lightbulb.

The fact you had not only made it look so effortless but had also done it in a matter of seconds only seemed to annoy Natasha further, her jaw working as she narrowed her eyes in your direction, “And yet you still couldn’t be assed doing it three days ago?”

“Like I said,” you started, holding your hand out as Natasha begrudgingly slapped the spare bulb down into your palm so you could reach up and put it in place, “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Sorry I didn’t realise you suffered from blindness.” grumbled Natasha sarcastically as she made her way down from the ladders, “My condolences.”

Even with the snappy attitude from the other woman, you had to grin back at her, “I think the words you’re looking for are, thank you for your help.”

“Kiss my ass.” muttered Natasha, folding up the ladders and making her way back out of the room.

Hopping down from the counter you shouted after her, “Any time.”

You just about caught the rude finger gesture she sent your way before she disappeared down the hallway.

(2 ft)

The next time you had to help Natasha you found her much more accepting of your assistance; seeing her in the gym one evening and staring between the punching bag on the ground and then back up at the hook on the ceiling with a frown.

You had to smile, seeing the other woman obviously trying to figure out a way to get the equipment where she needed it but unable to find a solution. “Seems I’m always in the right place at the right time these days.”

Turning to see who had joined her, Natasha folded her arms and tilted her head with a small smile, “I suppose you are, yes.”

You walked over to join her, bending down to grip the chain at the top of the punching bag before lifting it carefully towards the ceiling and clipping it into place. Natasha watched intently as you did so, her eyes drawn to the flex and strain of the muscles in your arm with the action. Instinctively she swallowed, feeling a small lump in her throat and a dryness to her mouth that she hadn’t been prepared for. Of course it was no secret that you were enhanced but she couldn’t deny it was impressive to see an example of your strength. Especially in such close proximity.

Turning back from the punching bag, you didn’t fail to notice the way Natasha’s eyes were focused on you and the slight flush to her skin. You broke out into a smirk, flashing the red head a wink for good measure as you gestured to one of the corners of the gym, “I’ll be just over there if you need help with anything else.”

(3 ft)

Getting a knock at your door one afternoon, you weren’t particularly surprised to see Natasha on the other side of it. Granted you weren’t the closest of friends but you felt like your relationship with the other woman had been improving over the last few weeks. There was a sort of ease that had settled over the pair of you, finding it almost effortless to be in one another’s company. Comfortable silences were becoming more common and playful, flirtatious banter had quickly replaced the usual indifference towards one another.

Despite not being surprised to see the other woman, you couldn’t help but be a little shocked by what came out of her mouth when you answered the door.

“Can you come and help me with something?”

Leaning against the door frame, you thought for a moment and shot the red head a playful smile, “Is there a please in there somewhere?”

Natasha rolled her eyes, “Please.”

“Lead the way.”

Following behind Natasha, you were even more surprised when she took you to her bedroom, having never seen the other side of her door before. The room was predictably nice and tidy, not to mention tastefully decorated.

Natasha didn’t give you much time to take in your surroundings, clearing her throat to get your attention, “I um ... I need this mirror hanging.”

You looked down to where the red head was pointing, seeing a large, tall mirror leaning against one of the walls, “And what? It’s too heavy?”

“I can’t reach.” admitted Natasha, her words quiet as if she didn’t want anyone to actually hear what she’d said as she motioned over to the far wall, “It’s like a six foot mirror and well ... that’s a little out of my reach. Plus, yeah, it’s really heavy so I didn’t exactly want to be stood on a ladder with it.”

Nodding your head in understanding, a small smirk made it’s way across your face, “So you, Natasha Romanoff, need my help?”

“Don’t be an ass about it, this is exactly why I didn’t want to ask one of the boys.” grumbled Natasha.

Laughing quietly, you gave her shoulder a small squeeze as you walked over towards the mirror and assessed what needed to be done, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Natasha settled herself on the edge of the bed, neither one of you speaking as you worked silently at setting the brackets up on the wall and making sure everything was in place. You could feel her eyes on you the whole time, occasionally looking up from what you were doing and receiving a small smile in return.

When you were finally finishing up, you had to admit that Natasha wasn’t lying and the mirror was indeed very heavy. You huffed out a breath as you lifted it into place, straining slightly as you tried to get it level and hook it onto the brackets, “Jesus Nat, what’s it made of? Solid gold? This thing weighs a tonne.”

She chuckled at your comment, laying down on her side and resting her head on her hand as she watched you hang the mirror in place, “But you make it look so effortless.”

“Oh so that’s what this is,” you laughed, turning to face the other woman, “You just wanted to check me out.”

Natasha clutched a hand to her chest in mock horror, “Me? I would never.”

“Sure you wouldn’t.” you teased, bending down to scoop up the few tools you’d used and placing them on the bedside table next to Natasha. Giving the other woman a grin, you stepped close enough that you could gently pat the side of her cheek a couple of times, “Don’t worry though, I don’t mind checking you out too if that makes us even.”

For a moment it looked like she didn’t know what to say, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was trying to work out if you were being sincere. By the time she spoke you had already stepped back and made your way towards the door.

“Not sure I have nearly as much to show off about.”

Turning back to face her for a moment, you let your eyes trail over her body slowly and purposefully before looking back at her with a smirk, “Oh I would have to disagree with that.”

(4 ft)

“What you making?”

Your words seemed to startle Natasha, the spoon she was stirring her food with dropping against the side of the pan with a clatter as she gasped and turned to glare at you, “It’s rude to sneak up on people!”

“Well I didn’t exactly sneak.” you chuckled, walking around the breakfast bar to stand beside the other woman and peer down at the stovetop, “So what is it?”

Natasha shrugged, “Just pasta.”

“How exciting.”

Pushing you in the arm playfully at your tone, Natasha gave you a mock scowl, “I was going to offer you some but now I’m not so sure.”

“Well how do I even know you’re a good cook, it might be awful.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, dipping the spoon into the sauce in the pan and scooping some of it up. She held her free hand underneath it so not to drop any as she moved the spoon towards your mouth and raised her eyebrows expectantly, “Open up then.”

Looking down at the food cautiously, you blew on it for good measure before opening your mouth and taking the sauce from the spoon. You swallowed, running your tongue over your lips as you assessed the taste before pulling a face, “Needs more salt.”

“I know.” sighed Natasha, stirring the sauce again with a defeated slump to her shoulders, “But it’s in the top cupboard.”

At her words you had to laugh, running your hand over her back comfortingly, “Aww can you not reach the salt?”

“Don’t be a dick.” scolded Natasha, hitting you gently in the stomach but not shying away from your touch on the small of her back.

Reaching up to the cupboard above her head, you pulled it open and looked inside to retrieve the salt, earning you a quiet thank you from Natasha in return. It didn’t pass either of you by that even as the pair of you had settled into silence and the red head busied herself with adding the salt to her food, your hand remained on Natasha’s back, your thumb occasionally brushing delicately over her shirt.

The fact she seemed to enjoy the contact, almost leaning back into you to get closer, made your next words fall easily from your lips.

“How about for dinner tomorrow, I take you out somewhere?”

Natasha paused her stirring of the pan for just a second, your question taking her a little by surprise. You both knew that things had been leading this way, with every day that went by you seemed to be getting closer. The flirting, subtle touches and lingering stares were common place now and it was no secret that you were both clearly attracted to one another. Natasha supposed she just hadn’t expected you to ask her so casually and boldly. Still, she couldn’t deny it was what she wanted.

“Okay. I’d like that.”

(5 ft)

“This was nice.” offered Natasha, her arm slipped in to link with yours as you walked through the doors and back into the compound.

You nodded, tilting your head to look at her with a smile, “It was.”

“Thank you for dinner.”

Walking the red head down the corridor towards her room, you shrugged nonchalantly, “Thank you for joining me.”

The rest of the walk was silent until you reached Natasha’s door, the other woman reluctantly removing her arm from yours and taking a step back, “Next one’s on me.”

“Next one?” you asked with a grin.

Natasha nodded her head, reaching forward to smooth her hand over the front of your shirt, “If you want there to be a next one.”

“I think I could handle that.” you joked, bringing your hand up to join Natasha’s and brushing your thumb over the top of it.

The two of you stood in silence for a few moments, a small smile on your face as you simply enjoyed being in one another’s company for a little while longer.

Natasha smile widened as she watched your line of sight drop for just a second to her lips, now certain enough that you were probably thinking the same thing that she was. Giving you a playful grin, she took a step closer, “You know I would kiss you but, you’re a bit out of my reach.”

With a small laugh, you nodded your head slowly and reached down to cup the side of her jaw with your hand, “How about I come down to your level for once?”

Allowing you to tug her closer, Natasha smiled into the kiss as you ducked your head and brought your lips together. Neither one of you felt the need to rush or deepen it, happy to move your lips slowly together as her hands came to rest around your waist and your fingers brushed the side of her cheek. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but when you pulled back you were pleased to see that Natasha looked just as happy as you felt. Giving her hand a final squeeze, you nodded to the door behind her, “Go on, get inside before I change my mind and don’t let you leave.”

Laughing at your comment, Natasha reached up to grip the back of your neck and pulled you back down to her level so that she was able to press a kiss to your cheek, “You know, I see a lot of leaning down in your future.”

“Honestly? I really don’t mind.”

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

I’m so bad at putting my thoughts into writing. I’m a very word-vomity person and that doesn’t translate as well into text as it does actual dialogue… so I’m just gonna try my hardest. I’m sorry if it’s not coherent or if you don’t get why my evidence links to my points at all.

Basically, so I think Marvel just wants to play around with powerful characters. Like once you’ve had smart, strong, courageous characters, you need to get more creative with how to make them stand out, but if you make them mentally disturbed and throw awesome powers on them, it’s a character that’s easily made interesting.

Wanda, for example. we don’t know many of her non-magical skills (aside from cooking), or interests in the mcu, but people love her because she’s edgy, and cool, and a powerful girlboss. And with the reception of Wanda being so positive, obviously they’d be confident to lean into that.

Kang is a majorly popular villain in the comics, and an extremely difficult adversary to face. He’s evil, and powerful, and thus made interesting solely by existing. As of Quantimania, we know little of what motivates him beyond conquest, yet he’s already become popular across movie fans.

And Wanda has been impressively amped up as of recent too, only furthering her popularity.

Billy slots into this nicely as he’s a mostly limitless character in terms of what he can do. There’s been no harsh boundaries put on his abilities (that I’m aware of) and it all seems dependent on who is writing him, though the base layer for him is Wanda’s peak. It’s mentioned through both lore and just outright that Billy is stronger than Wanda, so her best will always be less than his. That’s a nice little blanket to fall back on for writers who don’t want to spend too long setting up powerful characters: find a way to link them to another character, compare their limits with that character, and leave the explanation as to ‘why’ to be explained by their relationship with the character they’re linked to. Also he’s kind of got some mental health issues going on, so that’s a plus.

Wandavision itself, whilst this is looked over, already has Billy with impressive feats, including passive Telepathy across a wide range and mind control of multiple people at once. Neither of these are things we see often across magic users in the mcu (and I believe the closest we have gotten to this is Wanda making the avengers hallucinate in AOU) yet a small child completes these with ease. I would also count clairvoyance as that’s how I personally interpreted the scene where Vision leaves the hex and Billy knows, but as I’m unsure of the canon-status of that, it won’t be included.

MoM also goes out of its way to only introduce more opportunities for Billy to be strong, including amping up Wanda, introducing America, and also the little wall in Wundagore with Wanda carved into it, alongside two children (one of which we can assume to be Billy, at the least). As I mentioned, however strong Wanda is, Billy is stronger, and the little carvings imply a deeper level of importance amongst Wanda’s children. Going as far as to imply importance of characters in a set meant to amplify the importance of another is a pretty conscious choice. And, well, considering Billy/the demiurge making America’s planet in the original backstory for her (has since been retconned but the MCU seems to be sticking to the pre-retcon story) that’s just even more piled on top.

And to bring the multiverse Saga into it: not only is it another grab at trying to be interesting with low effort, but it’s a mostly timeline-related Mess. With Loki being a time travel series and Kang being a time travel villain, it’s a time travel saga above all, despite MoM. And what can the Demiurge (who Billy has the powers of) do if not affect timelines backwards and forwards across all realities?

I am fully aware they’re probably setting up the Young Avengers because they want to keep the Avengers brand running, but with the low effort made for the other heroes (or the flat out ignoring of their existence *coughteddycough*) yet Billy is showing up with connections to EVERYTHING, maybe I’m reaching when I say this but they’re wanting to set him up to be powerful so they have a fun little toy to play with.

Does he deserve more than that? Yes. Does everyone deserve more than that? Of course. But Capitalism is when superheroes are translated badly into movie media or something.

(Not to mention Kang is a Young Avengers villain so… like as much as he is a villain to other people, he has fought the Young Avengers and lost… so.)

I have a lot of thoughts about Marvel’s treatments of their characters in phase 4, and why they leapt into the multiverse saga and characters like Kang and America Chavez, and it all boils down to Billy in the end.

Like I could go into detail, but like… i don’t want to spend time on a post no one will read