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friendofcars · 2 years

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I know a lot of people have pointed out that Maura, Calla, and Persephone serve as mirrors for/are counterparts of Gansey, Ronan, and Adam, but before she is Adam's mirror, if she is at all, Persephone is Noah's. As time loops, Noah has died, is dying, will die, and so will persephone- something of which I think they're both aware. they reflect each other's ghostly qualities. more on Adam later, though!

(in hindsight, part of this list reads like diagnostic criteria. unintentional on my part. take from that what you will. this is also really long. it gets more analytical towards the end.)

From a more meta (?) perspective, I think the purpose of Noah and Persephone being parallels to one another is to foreshadow Persephone’s death (in concert with her name) via parallel descriptions and narrative roles to noah: a lot of her descriptions and actions are ghost-like, not just generally, but Noah-like too!

1. appearance and impressions: light, vague, approximate, ephemeral - except for their dark eyes

“There was something out of place about his clothing, his mostly combed-back fair hair.”

“Persephone knelt on the edge of her bed, draping a crimped pale cloud of hair around Blue’s face.” (I think it's also worth mentioning here that the woman who dies in Opal is described as cloud-like).

“[O]ne was smudgy, just as he said, with a rumpled, faded look about his person, like his body had been laundered too many times.”

“He looked pale and insubstantial in the yellow, late-night light of the room behind him; the skin beneath his eyes was darker than anything. He looked less like Noah than the suggestion of Noah.”

“For a second, all that seemed to be visible was his pale face; his dark clothing invisible and his eyes chasms into someplace unknowable.”

“Noah’s chin ducked farther, his expression somehow black, his eye sockets hollowed and skull-like. Were they looking at a boy? Or something that looked like a boy?”

“He thought of what a cruel mockery that mirror-version of her had been, the terrible child-creature from his ritual before. Nothing like this airy whisper of a person in front of him now. ”

“When pressed, people often remembered Persephone’s hair: a long, wavy white-blond mane that fell to the back of her thighs. If they got past her hair, they sometimes recalled her dresses — elaborate, frothy creations or quizzical smocks. And if they made it past that, they were unsettled by her eyes, true mirror black, the pupils hidden in the darkness.”

“Persephone blinked up, her black eyes a little far away.”

“A mirage had appeared at the end of the exit ramp, only now that they looked a bit harder, it was a real person, behaving like an unreal person... Her hair was a blond frothy cloud and her skin was chalky. Except for her black eyes, everything about her was as pale as the psychic beside Maura was dark.”

“He was, Adam noted, nearly disappeared already. He was more the feeling of Noah than actually Noah.”

“He thought of what a cruel mockery that mirror-version of her had been, the terrible child-creature from his ritual before. Nothing like this airy whisper of a person in front of him now. ”

Even her tarot cards resemble Noah: "Spidery lines and smudgy backgrounds suggested the figures on each card..."

2. movement and body language

“Czerny was on the ground. Not dead, but dying. His legs still pedaled on the uneven surface beside his red car, making drifts of fallen leaves behind him.” Re: drifts- I associate both Noah and Persephone with air (especially as a symbol of dwindling life).

“Persephone was a poor but energetic sleeper; her midnight shouting and nocturnal leg paddling ensured that she never had to share a room.”

Like the tarot cards, Persephone's belongings look and act like Noah's dying body: “Most of the bed was covered by strange, embroidered leggings and plaid tights running in place...”

“Noah seemed about to put his hands in his pockets and then didn’t. Noah’s hands seemed to belong fewer places than other people’s.”

“She twirled a hand around in a vague sort of way. Blue took this as a sign to find a place to sit.”

“Behind her, Persephone stood in the doorway, her hands clasping and unclasping each other.”

“Noah made a series of incomprehensible gestures, more agitated than she’d seen him.”

“ Noah immediately spotted Gansey and made a generalized flapping gesture.”

“Persephone flapped a hand as if it was too difficult for her to explain.”

“When he straightened, he realized Noah had drifted from his room to stand near Gansey.”

“Persephone tended to get caught in odd drafts and blow around.”

“Behind them, the stairs creaked, and both Calla and Blue leapt...She’d gotten over her shock and was now merely angry at being shocked. “You should make some noise when you enter rooms.”

“Noah. You’re creepy as hell back there.” In the deep, shadowed entrance of the church, Noah stood silently.”

“Because it was rare that Blue noticed the moment Noah actually appeared.”

“Persephone, and the furniture lurked against the walls.”

Both Noah and Persephone often seem childlike in comparison to their friends, too, emphasized by their preternatural knowledge of the story (Noah's through nonlinear time experience, Persephone's through psychic ability).

3. quiet and distant voices

“Persephone’s tiny, breathy voice said, “It’s available. I mean, open.”

“Her dainty, child’s voice was soft enough that Blue had to hold her breath to hear it. ”

“Oh dear,” Persephone said in a small voice — and Persephone’s voice was already quite small, so her small voice was indeed tiny — but she turned and went up the stairs. Her bare feet were soundless as she did.”

“One at a time?” Persephone suggested, her voice nearly inaudible.”

“Noah’s voice, cool and barely there, whispered in her ear. “Please say something to them.” ...Noah’s voice was faint but desperate. His distress hummed through her. “Please.”

“He thought he heard Noah’s voice, distantly... “I’m sorry. Can you say it louder, Noah?”

“Noah, who could go unnoticed for hours, whose room was pristine, whose voice was never raised.”

“Persephone’s quiet voice cut through Maura’s and Calla’s increasingly loud competition.”

“Noah, who could go unnoticed for hours, whose room was pristine, whose voice was never raised.”

“Persephone finally spoke up in her tiny voice.”

“Now,” Persephone said, and her voice was very small and soft. “Are you the Magician? Or aren’t you?”

“She sighed deeply. She sighed a lot.”

“Even though Ronan was snarling and Noah was sighing and Adam was hesitating, he didn’t turn to verify that they were coming.”

4. obscurity/evasion of others' memories

“-it was always difficult to know details when it came to Persephone-”

“Adam,” he demanded, “what is Noah’s last name?” Before Gansey had asked, Adam felt as if he must have known. But now the answer slid away from his mouth and then from his thoughts entirely, leaving his lips parted. It was like losing his way to class, losing his way home, forgetting the phone number for Monmouth Manufacturing. “I don’t know,” Adam admitted.”

“Everyone had been surprised to discover Persephone had a last name.”

“Maura offered, “It’s the Russian in you.” “Estonian,” Persephone replied.”

and soon after,

“Maura gestured toward the third member of their group. “And Persephone is Russian.” “Estonian,” Persephone corrected softly.”

The fact that only a handful of characters can see Noah also applies here. A lot of the examples in the appearance section also fall under this category!

5. recycled language: from other people and other points in time

“Good morning,” Persephone echoed. “It’s too early. My words aren’t working, so I’ll just use as many of the ones that work for you as possible.”

“No,” Adam said softly. Persephone echoed, “No?”

“He’ll be a champ,” Blue said, punching Noah’s arm lightly. “I’ll be a champ,” repeated Noah.”

“Is that all?” she whispered. Gansey closed his eyes. “That’s all there is.”

and then,

“Noah, standing next to a pile of plywood and four-by-fours, asked, “Is that all? That doesn’t seem like very much.”

and a three part example:

“Ronan was right. Things felt bigger. He may not have found the line, or the heart of the line, but something was happening, something was starting. Noah said, “Don’t throw it away.” This is right after Ronan kills the wasp in Monmouth and deposits it in the waste basket, but Noah is, of course, referring to Gansey's second chance at life, for which Noah has sacrificed himself.

and

“Don’t throw it away,” Noah whispered. “I’m trying not to,” Adam replied.” This is right before Adam takes the Camaro to Cabeswater to stop Whelk. Noah is now referring to Adam's chance to make a sacrifice to Cabeswater and wake the line, to supplant himself in the story where Noah left off. This is perhaps the point at which Adam definitively sets along the path that leads him to Persephone, but first, before he goes, he mirrors Noah one last time: “Noah stood directly in front of him, hollow eyes on level with Adam’s eyes, smashed cheek on level with Adam’s ruined ear, breathless mouth inches from Adam’s sucked-in breath.” The parallel injuries, the opposing presence/absence of air (read: life)- it's a turning point! It's almost as if Noah starts to cede his mirroring of Persephone to Adam in this moment- he doesn't lose the qualities he and Persephone have in common, but they become secondary as Persephone's primary role in the story crystalizes as a mentor to Adam. I think you could also consider Persephone not as a mirror to Adam but a lens- microscopic, telescopic, or both. She's instrumental in his psychic awakening and self healing and does so by teaching him to shift his perspective, to look both within himself and far beyond himself, finding the connections in between. I still think Adam and Persephone mirror one another, especially with regard to their generally quiet and distant demeanors and psychic abilities that distinguish them from their friends, but it's a parallel that gets crafted mid-story, not a parallel that frames the story from the start- even if Adam is inherently psychic independent of his sacrifice, which I think he is!

and finally,

“Goodbye,” Noah said. “Don’t throw it away.” I don't think this needs any further commentary:(

6. relationships with friends: noah + gansey and persephone + maura

Gansey and Maura can also be considered mirrors of one another; given Gansey's experiences with falling into cavern pits, the Henry hole in the ground situation, etc., we can tenuously equate Gansey's (second) death with Maura's disappearance into the caves. Noah knows that Gansey is fated to die through his nonlinear experience of time (time along the ley line in particular, I believe). Persephone is implied to have known Maura was going to disappear too: when the characters return to Fox Way in the epilogue of The Dream Thieves and find Maura's note, we read: “As Persephone climbed the stairs, Calla said accusingly, “This is your fault. Did you know this was going to happen?” Noah is also aware that he cannot stay in the story forever ("I'm almost gone anyway"), and it seems to me that Persephone knows she will die too (mainly because her giving her tarot cards to Adam seems like a precautionary measure/a parting gift). I'd even go as far as saying that Noah dies for Gansey and Persephone dies for Maura, although they "die for" their respective friends in different ways (Noah designates his death as a sacrifice for Gansey's life; Persephone dies in the process of trying to save Maura's- but unlike Noah's death, her death is not integral to Maura's survival. Two distinct actions and outcomes, but not entirely unrelated ones. I'd argue they both make the biggest sacrifices for Gansey/Maura in their respective groups of friends.).

And because I can't not make this about Adam again, Persephone herself doesn't see Adam as like her: in the prologue of Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Persephone comments on how new to life he seems (in contrast with her agelessness), how she isn't suited to bargains like he is, and especially this:

“She was a far better psychic when she had her two friends Calla and Maura with her: Calla to sort through her impressions and Maura to put them in context. Adam seemed to have potential in this department, though he was too new to replace Maura— no, that was a ridiculous way to put it, Persephone told herself, you don’t replace friends. She struggled to think of the proper word. Not replace.”

Like the Gray Man (see "Adam Parrish and his band of merry men" which sort of happens in a contrived way in TD3 w/ the Crying Club being rather unmerry men), Persephone recognizes Adam as a leader of the kids' quest, much like Maura's leadership amongst the psychics of Fox Way.

7. other notes

I think it's worth mentioning that Noah doesn't enter 300 Fox Way until after Persephone's death. I haven't reasoned out why exactly, but I think it's intentional.

They're both harmed by literal mirrors (not narrative foils nor the Blue/Gwenllian type of mirror)- when Gwenllian possesses Noah, Jesse Dittley halts the possession by putting a mirror in front of Noah, which makes him incredibly distressed. Persephone, of course, dies between the mirrors in perpetuum in the Fox Way attic.

In the epilogue of The Dream Thieves, Persephone and Adam flank Noah as Ronan brings Aurora into Cabeswater: “And there was Noah, shoulders slumped, hand lifted in an apologetic wave. On one side of him, Adam stood, hands in pockets, and on the other side was Persephone, her fingers twisted together.” In the same section, Ronan realizes Aurora looks like Matthew, which to me serves as an implicit reminder to consider how Noah and Adam are similar to Persephone as well.

I don't really have any summative thoughts on this, but I think it would have been incredibly cool if Persephone turned out to be a ghost as well... but alas...

#rchl #trc #noah #persephone #adam #the raven cycle #noah czerny #persephone poldma #adam parrish #maura sargent #gansey #im a little remorseful about making a 2.3k word tumblr post #i wanted to make this concise but the autistic urge to include every piece of evidence i found in the books was too strong xoxo

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naviculariis · 6 months

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Guess who finally finished Vasille's biography? you can find it in this nifty link here, and if that doesn't work, the important bits can be found below the cut.

[ art by charrtastrophe on twt ]

STATS

NAME: Vasille Albescu

NICKNAME / ALIAS: Vas, Vassy; Necromancer

AGE: 28 [ Debut ]; 30 [ Timeskip ]

DATE OF BIRTH: September 25th

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Male, he/him

ORIENTATION: homosexual / demiromantic

RACE / ETHNICITY: Human / Devil Fruit User / White

NATIONALITY: Crescent Moon Island, South Blue

PHYSICAL

HEIGHT: 6’1” ( 185.42 cm )

WEIGHT170 lbs. ( 77.11 kg )

HAIR: Blonde

EYES: Hazel

SCARS: Numerous; distinctly, his fingers are black from the tip down to the first knuckle. This isn’t paint; it’s an effect of his Devil Fruit.

PIERCINGS: Both ears twice in the lobe

TATTOOS: A black band that wraps around his right forearm with “As Above” above the band, rightside up, and a matching black band around his left forearm with “So Below” beneath it, upside down. This references the belief that there will always be some sort of correspondence between the laws of life and death. This also references the practice within Paganism ( and various other religions ) that in order to take something, something must be given ( a sacrifice of some sort, an offering, etc. ). This correlates with how his Devil Fruit works: in order to use it, he must give something up. Balance.

Vasille is a tall, lightly muscled man in his early thirties. His hair is a natural silvery blonde tone, which he typically wears long and free; though on occasion, he will braid it back, in which it falls to the small of his back. His eyes are a clear hazel tone. He holds scars along his biceps resembling ropes from an accident a few years back, as well as a large burn scar on left shoulder blade from a work-related injury. The tips of his fingers are gray- it isn’t noticeable unless one really studies it. It’s a side effect of his ability; the beginning stages of decay. It will continue to progress as he uses his ability unless he can find a way to cease the growth. Due to this, he has begun to lose feeling down to the first knuckle on each finger.

BODY TYPE: Endomorph

COMPLEXION: Clear; scarred

SKIN TONE: Limestone / Beige with grey undertones

CLOTHING

Vasille tends to wear black or dark red “pirate” / poet laurent shirts paired with black cargo-esque trousers, and black leather boots that end slightly above the ankle. These boots are reinforced in the toes with steel, and have specialized grip on the soles to allow him traction when on a wet deck. Around his neck, he wears a golden crow skull on a gold chain; his right ring finger has braided gold band with an onyx gemstone sitting in the center, which belonged to his mother. Both ears are pierced twice in the lobe.His sword belts hold one bag of cut up cloth that is used to staunch bleeding when he needs to cut into his palm for his ability to activate, two daggers ( one short, one long ), a flintlock, and a coin purse.If the weather trends colder, he pulls out a heavy coat that dusts the floor. Black in color, with black wolf fur lining the interior. Embroidered with a golden filigree along the edges of the cuffs, only. High collared. On the back holds his personal Jolly Roger: A hand holding a skull upon the palm, fingers gripping the jaw.

BACKGROUND

PARENTS

Vladimir Albescu ( Father )

Maria Albescu ( Mother, Deceased )

SIGNIFICANT OTHER

[ VERSE DEPENDENT ]

OTHERS

CREW OF THE TOMBSTONE PIRATES

*Captain Iris “TOMBSTONE” Karim

*Second Mate: John C.

*Navigator: Orion Karim

*Gunner / Carpenter: Roy H.

*Sails Master: Nemeria “GRAVEDIGGER” Karim

*Doctor: Ronan O'Byrne

*Crew: Raven, Dream

OCCUPATION: First Mate, Pirate, Tarot Reader, Fortune Teller, LYING THIEVING SCUM.

HOMETOWN: Crescent Moon Island, South Blue

CURRENT RESIDENCE: N/A

LANGUAGES: French, English, Spanish, Arabic

ACCENT: Southern with Cajun influences

PERSONAL

POSITIVE TRAITS

Talkative

Charming

Polite ( well, as polite as a pirate can be… )

NEUTRAL TRAITS

Mischievous

Self-Sacrificing

Mildly hotheaded

NEGATIVE TRAITS

Gossip

Power driven

Manipulative

Good at lying

ASTROLOGY: Libra Sun, Aquarius Moon, Gemini Rising

TEMPERAMENT: Vasille is a quiet individual, preferring to keep to himself more than speaking openly, freely. He’s been described as being a cold individual, outright walking away mid-conversation at times. He avoids talking about his past, outright avoiding speaking of the events that lead him on the path he’s chosen to follow.Despite this, if one were to stick around enough to cause him to break (which is relatively easy, really), he’s quite the chatter box- especially about the arcane magics. He also keeps an ear out for Marines- after all, being the son of a former Captain means you know a thing or two.He is quite the charmer when he wants to be- especially if he knows it will get him information- or into a place he knows he shouldn’t be. But that’s why he lays on the sugary sweet words and plays into the “dumb blonde” trope. Works like a charm.

Men are weak creatures.

OTHER

NEURODIVERGENCIES & DISORDERS

Insomniac

Depression

PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

-He was gradually losing feeling in his fingers until Nemeria “Gravedigger” Karim brought him back to life, after he was pierced through the abdomen by Commodore Fujihara. Since then, he has regained sensation in his hands, but the black, necrosis-esque pigmentation continues to spread.

POWERS / ABILITIES

Shinda Shinda Fruit — A Logia type devil fruit that allows the user to to raise the dead and use them as both offensive and defensive ‘puppets’, bending their will to the user’s own.

TYPE: Ranged combat

Vasille is a unique case. Coming from Crescent Moon Island, which has a nickname for being the City of the Dead, Vasille had already been well aware of the Shinda Shinda fruit. However, he hadn’t been on the lookout for it; rather, the fruit seems to choose its user. Prior to eating the fruit, he had already been dabbling in the arcane arts, researching dark magics and relatively banned practices. He has himself a form of an infamous book, one that he had created and continues to write.

With this ability, he is able to raise up to 6 bodies at once, though it is dangerous for him to attempt this. As with all things tied to the balance between life and death, it is give and take: he must first offer a blood sacrifice via his own blood before the bodies can rise. Due to this, his palms and forearms are covered in scars from doing this. More often than not, it is humans who rise, though occasionally, an animal will join the ranks.

Mild Telekinesis — Once the dead are above ground, a telekinetic connection is formed, and Vasille is able to control them with his mind alone, giving directions on where to move, how to move, and what actions to take.

Binding (Blood Variation): Caging: surrounding an object with barriers or otherwise restricting their actions, so they can move inside but have no way of getting out.

Entombing: Surrounding an object completely by a substance or another medium, so they can't move at all, or at best wiggle slightly. In this case, Vasille’s coffins that he creates, using a mixture of a wood stain and his own blood to create the bind rune needed.

Enhanced Strength: Vasille is stronger than the average human. Having to, occasionally, not only lift but carry deceased bodies requires strength.

Enhanced Agility: He is flexible, having always been so and continuing to train with his flexibility. It aids in his line of work, having to squeeze into awkward places at times.

Skilled in Hand-to-Hand Combat: He trained in hand-to-hand combat, specifically in aikido, mainly in the event that his devil fruit is rendered useless. However, he is also adept at boxing.

EQUIPMENT

Knife: He carries a pocket knife with him in the event of needing to raise the dead.- Gauze: He carries a roll of gauze with him to staunch his bleeding when he performs a blood sacrifice.- Clawed Ring: he wears a ring that doubles as a claw on his left middle finger. This is both a fashion statement as well as a weapon; he keeps it sharp enough to cut through skin, whether that be his own or someone else's.- Gun: He carries a flintlock as a last-ditch effort.

WEAKNESSES

Sensitivity to Light: His mutation causes his skin to be more sensitive to sunlight. While he won't burst into flames while in direct sunlight, after spending an hour in the sun, his skin will start to get a rash. He carries sunblock on him at all times due to this.

Sea Water: As with any Devil Fruit user, Vasille’s Devil Fruit ability will be rendered useless when doused in sea water.

Sea Stone Prism: As with any Devil Fruit user, Vasille’s Devil Fruit ability will be rendered useless when touched by Sea Stone Prism.

Body Count: He can only raise six bodies at once, though this is dangerous. His body will start to overexert itself, pushing itself to the limits to keep the reanimated bodies upright and in control, even if it means breaking down its own muscles and tissues. This causes his nose to bleed, as well as coughing up blood.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

POWER: 3/5 C

SPEED: 3/5 C

TECHNIQUE: 4/5 B

INTELLIGENCE: 4/5 B

COOPERATIVENESS: 2/5 D

#tw: pet death #[ it's briefly mentioned i'm so sorry i promise its not graphic or anything of the sort ]#𝕸𝖆𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕻𝖔𝖗𝖙: [ portrayal notes ]#𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖗: [ vasille albescu }

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winterironrox · 1 year

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Let’s Discuss the Infinity Stones

I’m world building for a fic largely inspired by dls’s “If You Had This Time Again,” which is a time travel fix-it focusing on the infinity stones. So of course I pulled out my stack of papers containing infinity stones info and I had the thought to post what I have on here just in case someone would like to use it. Forewarning, this information focuses on the stones in relation to the movies.

As we know, there are six stones all together. Here they are in no particular order:

Soul Stone

The soul stone is an orange stone located on the planet Vormir, or more accurately can be accessed on the planet Vormir. It’s location was unknown until Gamora, a daughter of Thanos, discovered it’s whereabouts in 2014. The Nazi Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull, transported to Vormir in 1945 and was appointed the guide to the stone. According to Schmidt, a soul is required to obtain the soul stone. Not just any soul but a soul loved by the acquirer. “You must loose that of which you love. A soul for a soul.”

The orange gem grants mastery of the soul. Meaning the wielder can alter and manipulate all souls. It can also preserve the soul to allow for life after death, resurrect the dead, and conjure the spirit of a dead being. The soul stone has its own pocket dimension only accessible to the user.

My personal head canon is that Schmidt is only telling a half truth. He’s both harming and helping the visitors. I don’t think the soul has to be loved to get the stone but I do believe that the stone respects the sacrifice more and you are only allowed to hold the stone in hand when it contains a soul connected to yours. I also think the stone is less likely to twist your commands for this reason.

Mind Stone

The mind stone is a yellow stone that was housed inside a scepter. This scepter was given to Loki by Thanos to help with his invasion of New York, United States, Earth in 2012. It was then taken by SHIELDRA and used by Baron Von Strucker to give the Maximoff twins their powers between 2013-2015. (sorry I don’t know when exactly their experiments took place) The Avengers recovered the scepter in 2015 and placed it in Avengers Tower where it corrupted Ultron and then was finally placed inside Vision’s head.

The yellow gem gives its wielder the power of telepathy. It can be used to influence a person’s thoughts or actions. It also grants the user a sense of all-knowing intelligence mainly via their ability to access minds.

Power Stone

The power stone is a purple stone that was covered by an orb structure kept on the planet Morag. Peter Quill, aka Starlord, took the orb from Morag and it was then used by the Guardians of the Galaxy to defeat Ronan and save the universe in 2014. Afterwards, the Guardians placed the power stone under the protection of the Nova Corps on their planet Xander.

The purple gem does as it’s name suggests. It amplifies the wielder’s abilities or actions to that of a superior quality. No matter who the wielder is fighting against their strengths will be above the opponent’s.

Space Stone

The space stone is a blue stone housed inside a device called the Tesseract. Hydra used it in the 1940s during WWII. During the final fight between Captain America and Johann Schmidt, the Tesseract transported Schmidt to Vormir. Howard Stark found the Tesseract when looking for the Valkyrie wreckage, or more precisely Steve Rogers’s body, before 1970. He shared it with SHIELD who allowed it to be used for project Pegasus. Carol Danvers obtained her powers in 1989 when she was doused with Tesseract energy attempting to keep Yon-Rogg from getting it. In 1995, Carol became Captain Marvel and entrusted Nick Fury with the Tesseract. SHIELD kept the Tesseract until 2012 when they traded the Scepter for it. Thor then took it to Asgard where it was placed in Odin’s vault.

The blue gem allows for instantaneous teleportation through space. The wielder can travel across the universe or just twenty feet in a blink. This travel happens via portals instead of atoms disappearing and then reappearing.

Time Stone

The time stone is a green stone that has been on Earth for centuries. It was found by Agamotto, the first known magic user on earth, who then stored it in a magical amulet that became referred to as the “Eye of Agamotto.” Ever since Agamotto’s death it became the responsibility of the Sorcerer Supreme to protect the time stone as well as time itself. Doctor Stephen Strange used the Eye of Agamotto to save the universe and defeat Dormammu in early 2017. Dr. Strange was then appointed Sorcerer Supreme and tasked with protecting the time stone and the sacred timeline.

The green gem allows the wielder to manipulate and travel through time. Its user can control time from a single source to all of life. They can see into the past and the future. Also, the user can access a diagram of timelines.

Reality Stone

The reality stone is a red stone that was referred to as “the Aether” by the Dark Elves. When worshiped by the Dark Elves, the Aether was a free moving red liquid. The Aether inhabited Jane Foster in 2013 when she traveled to the Dark Dimension. After removing the Aether from Jane and stopping Malekith’s invasion of Greenwich, London, England, Earth Thor with the aid of the Warriors Three and Lady Sif gave the reality stone to the Collector on Knowhere.

The red gem grants its user the ability to manipulate any and all reality. Meaning the wielder can turn an object into whatever they wish, change the laws of nature, make any fantasy come true, and create their own version of existence. It also gives them access to the multiverse. This ability is possible because of their control over reality. If they can control it of course they have access to all forms of it.

Now if you are wondering how exactly Thanos was able to wield all six I’ll tell you. Firstly, he had a conduit made by the best welders in the universe. Welders who literally make sentient weapons from dying stars that can kill gods so that was a bit helpful. Also him being from a powerful race of conquerors all whose baseline is above superhuman didn’t hurt. Secondly, the stones are meant to be used together well more accurately they can be used circularly.

I don’t think any being, even those above god status, would be able to wield all six if the stones weren’t influenced by each other. If someone has mastery of one stone then in theory they can control all the stones. Which we see from Thanos; the stone he used the most was the power stone.

—-

If you are into Tony/Loki and time travel fix-it I suggest reading “If You Had This Time Again.”

Here’s a link:

Also there is a Darcy fic about the Infinity Stones and them being drawn to each other I read a couple years ago. I’d like to read it again but like an idiot I didn’t save it. If anyone knows what fic I’m talking about please comment below.

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bow-chicka-wow-wow-wow · 1 year

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MCU Deaths That Still Hurt

*SPOILER ALERT*

Gamora (Avengers: Infinity War) - This 2018 gut-puncher of a film was about Thanos’s quest to find all six Infinity Stones to erase half of all life in the universe. By the time he captured Gamora for the location of the Soul Stone, he already had his hands on the Power, Space, and Reality Stones. When Gamora reluctantly tells Thanos the location of the Soul Stone, which is on Vormir. Upon learning from the guardian of the Soul Stone, revealed to be Red Skull, that to obtain the Stone, one had to lose that which they love most. Although initially delighted, Gamora realizes that a tearful Thanos must sacrifice his favorite daughter, and he tosses her off the cliff to her death.

Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy) - No, that sapling you saw at the end of the movie, the infant in the second movie, the moody teenager in Avengers, and the swoll tree in the third movie is NOT the same Groot you saw in the first movie! When Ronan’s ship was being destroyed, Groot sacrificed himself to protect the rest of the Guardians from getting killed, with his last words being “We Are Groot.” Luckily, he is survived by his offspring. That’s right, every subsequent appearance of Groot after Guardians 1 is actually his son. James Gunn even confirmed that the original Groot is dead.

Vision (Avengers: Infinity War) - Another entry from the 2018 blockbuster. Technically he died twice. In order to prevent Thanos from collecting all six Stones, Vision forced Wanda to destroy the Mind Stone on his forehead, although this process would kill him. Wanda succeeds in doing so, but because Thanos had already obtained the Time Stone (Quill couldn’t just keep his cool for like 5 more seconds), Thanos rewinds time to before the Time Stone got destroyed, just to yank the Mind Stone from his forehead, killing him again. And of course, this was the last Stone the Mad Titan needed to collect…

Phil Coulson (The Avengers and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) - Another entry on this list that actually died twice. He was present in most Phase One films, being the S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison for each superhero in that century. He died by Loki’s hands during the attack on the Helicarrier, but was brought back to life prior to the ABC show. Near the end he died again (I haven’t actually seen the show), and was replaced by a Life Model Proxy. He always wanted Cap to sign his cards.

Howard and Maria Stark (Captain America: Civil War) - Tony Stark didn’t always get along with his parents, particularly with his old man. But he was struck when they were killed in a car accident. Winter Soldier had a “blink-and-you-miss-it” implication that HYDRA was responsible, but Civil War confirmed that it was a brainwashed James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes. It was even more devastating that Howard died feeling betrayed by a close colleague of his. This was also the nail in the coffin for Cap and Stark’s relationship.

Spider-Man (Avengers: Infinity War) - I almost didn’t want to include those who “Blipped,” or perished by Thanos’s snap, as they were resurrected 5 years later by Hulk, but I made an exception, because c’mon, it’s Spider-Man! Since this version of the web-slinging hero’s introduction in Civil War, he’s become a favorite in the MCU. He was one of the last heroes we see get dissolved to ashes, and his last words stuck with us forever: “Mr. Stark? I don’t feel so good…”

Yondu (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) - In the first movie, he was seen as more of an antihero, due to kidnapping a young Peter Quill after his mother succumbs to cancer, putting a bounty on Quill for double-crossing him, and repeatedly threatening to have the Ravagers eat him! But he actually kept him around because he was originally supposed to deliver Quill to his father Ego, and upon learning what atrocities Ego has committed to his other children Yondu delivered, he kept Quill around as a Ravager. He sacrifices his life at the end of Guardians to let Peter live on, giving him his spacesuit and dying in space after the death of Ego. For his act of heroic sacrifice, we was given an official Ravager funeral.

Black Widow (Avengers: Endgame) - Five years after Thanos’s universal genocide, resulting in the death of trillions, Scott Lang came back from the Quantum Realm. He pitches the idea to travel through the Quantum Realm to pull a “time heist,” which will allow the remaining Avengers to collect the Infinity Stones through different points in history in order to bring everyone Thanos had killed back to life. Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Nebula, and Rhodey all travel to 2014, with the former two traveling to Vormir to get the Soul Stone. But those who saw Infinity War already know the price of obtaining the Soul Stone: you must lose that which you love. When Barton and Romanoff try to jump off the cliff, but Natasha ends up giving up her life so Clint could get the Soul Stone. She may be gone, but her soul lives on in the heroes brought back for the Battle of Earth.

Loki (Avengers: Infinity War) - Yes, we have a 2012 variant still very much alive thanks to the events of Endgame, but this entry is about the original Loki. Although he has “died” twice, this death is actually for real. Introduced in the MCU as the villainous brother of Thor, he has become a character we all loved to hate! He was given a more heroic role at the end of Ragnarok, saving the lives of the Asgardians while Thor causes the titular event to kill her evil sister Hela. Buuut, he’s still the God of Mischief as he just HAD to take the Tesseract before Asgard gets destroyed. In an attempt to kill Thanos, Loki ends up getting grabbed by the neck, and having it crushed by the Titan. His defiant last words: “You… will never be… a… GOD…” It’s more heartbreaking when the 2012 variant has to watch his own demise at the TVA Headquarters.

Iron Man (Avengers: Endgame) - “I am Iron Man.” The very words that started the MCU as we know it. Tony Stark is a character we have all grown to love over the course of 11 years. Yes, he was originally introduced as an unlikable douchebag, but after seeing how dangerous his weapons have become in the wrong hands, he decided to shut down his weapons manufacturing division, reveals to the world that he’s the armored hero Iron Man, and the rest is history. 11 years later, in 2019, we get the ending to the Infinity Saga, when Stark sacrifices his life to destroy Thanos and his armies and save the universe, uttering his famous line before snapping his fingers. The exposure to the gamma radiation emitted from the Stones ended up killing him.

T’Challa (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) - In 2020, Chadwick Boseman passed away fighting colon cancer. When the Black Panther sequel was in the works, they named it “Wakanda Forever” as a tribute to the late actor. When Wakanda Forever begins, it reveals that King T’Challa, who took the mantle of the Black Panther after the death of his father, has unfortunately died of an unknown disease. Following the funeral, we get a very poignant Marvel Studios Logo, showing only shots of the late King of Wakanda. Rest in Power, King.

#gamora #avengers infinity war #groot #guardians of the galaxy #vision #phil coulson #the avengers #agents of shield #howard stark #maria stark #captain america civil war #spiderman #yondu udonta #black widow #avengers endgame #loki god of mischief #iron man #black panther #wakanda forever

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sleepyowlwrites · 2 years

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FTWT CCCLCVII

I'm gonna mention what I'm listening to as I do this tag because I want to. stick-pricked by @talesofsorrowandofruin and @akindofmagictoo

gasp Cry of the Celts by Ronan Hardiman (phantasm, 2020)

I laughed to see you so larger than life and you leaned back and I gasped told you not to lose your grip on the chains holding you up hang there a minute while my feet find the ground but instead you echoed in spirals while you shrank from my sight

obscure The Mummers' Dance by Loreena McKennitt (city story d0)

The bloodstain is obscuring the small print on the front of his shirt. Jet’s not the sort to care about ruined clothing, but today he lets it fill him with rage as he catches the next thrown punch and yanks down on the arm attached, bringing his elbow up to smash into the face that yaws closer to him.

“This is my favorite shirt,” he complains, kicking out one of the guy’s legs and driving his knee into the small of his back. The guy lands with a thud, face stuck in an expression of surprise while he tries to regain his breath.

encourage Storms in Africa Pt.II by Enya (The Illusion, 2011)

I ran, with whatever reserves remained in my exhausted body. My legs felt like twigs, bending and about to break each time my feet met the ground. Verain ran alongside me now, flashing me an encouraging smile, one hand on my elbow to propel me forward when I slackened. Finally, we made it to a ford. Torash jumped down into the shallow water. Verain pushed me in after him. With one hand from each guiding me across the slippery rocks, we made it to the opposite side and staggered out of the water.

My mind registered the fact that we were climbing more roots, from the large trees that grew often alongside flowing water. Their root systems held the banks together and provided us with opportunity not to make footprints in the mud for our trackers. What did it matter, I thought, since I don't have any feet? But then I had to concentrate on staying upright, even with the help of my companions.

candle (summon story d0)

Zan jumped and nearly fell over when out of nowhere, something fell from the roof and landed in front of the two of them. He immediately placed himself in front of Shae, who sighed in frustration and elbowed him.

“Calm down,” she muttered. And then, louder, “This is Grimes.”

The something reconfigured its shape, bones aligning and smoky mass solidifying into somewhat recognizable form underneath the long coat it wore without flesh to support it. Dark red flames like tips of candles served as eyes in the skull that stared back at him. And Zan was staring. Indeed, this was some sort of possessed skeleton, a kind of creature he’d never heard of and wouldn’t have dreamed up if he’d wanted to.

legend Dance of the Druids by Karliene (youth story au)

Not every student stays here for the same period. A couple of them have been here so long they became teachers. Or maybe they have memory issues and might have graduated but they were phasing while they were trying to leave the school and on that particular day there was storm interference and they ended up losing like, all their memories and also can no longer sustain their own form by themselves.

That one isn’t me. Nyks’ story is known by everybody. Nobody talks to him, despite him being practically a living legend now. He has me, though. And speaking of.

“Nyks! You’re here. In the hallway. Are you going to class?”

Nyks brushes his shoulder on mine and slips right through. Even though this has happened before I still shiver. He hugs the book he’s holding closer to his chest and looks up at me. Only slightly, because Nyks is also tall, but smaller when he’s drooped over like this.

rise Resolve by Nathan Lanier (taste of summer, 2019)

Honeycomb and moonshine Watermelon skies Nightingale and rooster Sun always eager to rise Arms up in the morning Feet down every night Comfort in the blankets under stars After twilight

rain Boudica by Karliene (she is ocean blue, 2015)

She is a moment She is a single drop of rain Just a flightless feather Drifting alone on the grassy plain

She is a molecule She is the universe A string of notes that hold their own Against the weighty verse

real (a sketch, bold lines, chromatic, 2021)

my heart is here, on my sleeve, right next to my elbow. I keep it in a plastic bag so it doesn’t get wet, but you can see it. it’s real, and pulsing, and the love can come out of it just fine. love is not tangible, you see, unless it has already left the heart in which case I can put it in my hands and lay them on your cheeks and then it is very tangible in so far as you will allow yourself to feel it.

ring Marble Halls by Enya (I Met a Horse in the Silent Dark, 2012)

My legs are weary and trembling I can't find a way to walk And when I try remembering I forgot that I cannot talk

A silver ring on my finger Shines in a sudden light A lantern far away glimmers And I can run away into the night

I gotta stop doing two blue friends at the same time. horizon, bend, believe, hope. BONUS: generous, gravitate.

@ettawritesnstudies @thegreatobsesso @drippingmoon @writeblrfantasy @livvywrites @vsnotresponding @zoya-writes OR ANYBODY

#find the word tag

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tornrose24 · 2 years

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A basic-ish summary of every MCU movie villain and antagonist for those who aren’t into the MCU like I am.

(Not counting shows because I’m not THAT insane. Also Spoilers, but you probably don’t care if you’ve either seen some of these films or have no intention on watching them.)

PHASE 1 (Not a lot of good villains here I’m afraid)

Iron Man’s Iron Monger- The first of many to steal Tony’s tech and your average ‘corrupt businessman’ who was like Tony’s co-worker/surrogate dad-mentor. Also happens to be The Dude. Kind of not impressive for the first canonical MCU villain.

Incredible Hulk’s General Ross and Abomination– The best example as to why the MCU isn’t as pro-military as you may think. (And later was dumb enough to think he’d have any power over the Avengers). The other one is your basic ‘villain with powers equal to the hero’ who ends up becoming one of the better characters in She-Hulk.

Iron Man 2’s Whiplash and Justin Hammer–I honestly haven’t seen this movie, but basically it’s another ‘guy who steals Tony’s tech’ and has whips, but not the fun kind. Also some dude who I think is meant to be the discount version of Tony Stark (and is played by an actor whose voice you might recognize as one of Dreamworks Animation’s best furry icons.)

Thor– Thor’s trickster brother who is the first of the most memorable villains…. And one of many ‘Tumblr Sexy Men.’ Comes off as smarter than Thor (and you might like to know what he’s SUPPOSED to look like if you have a thing for giant men in Marvel’s ‘What if”). Honestly I think Thor is the more attractive brother.

Captain America’s Red Skull–The head of a fictional branch of one of the most hated political parties in history so yes you should immediately hate him…. Also I’m angry because THAT is how you could pull off an accurate book version of the Phantom of the Opera with make up.

Avengers’ Loki–Loki again, but at least they picked a good villain for the big crossover. Screws with everyone’s heads for most of the film and tries opening a portal to space with a ‘totally not going to be important later on’ scepter and cube. Honestly his defeat at the hands of the Hulk made me laugh so hard that it’s still funny years later.

PHASE 2 (Slightly better, but mostly ehh...)

Iron Man 3’s Mandarin–I’ve never seen this movie either, but the villain managed to anger a lot of the comic book fans for a good reason. Hope you aren’t an Iron Man fan if you know what I’m talking about. But chances are you know the twist because it’s that famous.

Thor Dark World’s Malekeith–…. Damnit you just HAD to waste poor Christopher Eccleston’s talent, didn’t you? You promised me his character would get a good back story, but you’re dumb obsession with Loki cut down his screen time and turned him into another generic doomsday/conquering villain who just happens to be an elven version of Two-Face by a certain point.

Captain America’s Winter Soldier–Steve’s handsome brainwashed buddy with a metal arm. Was made so by Red Skull’s main right hand man whose idea of immortality makes black and green computer screens into nightmare fuel. Was also put on ice and un-frozen and re-frozen several times throughout the years. Oh yeah and something about a twist villain but I think you’d figure out who it was almost instantly.

Guardian’s of the Galaxy’s…. Ok wow I’m seriously blanking out on his name right now… Oh yeah, Ronan– Another genocidal maniac who wants to kill people just because. Was stupid enough to be distracted by Star-Lord’s dancing of all things. He’s especially lame.

Avenger’s Age of Ultron’s Ultron–Tony’s never ending bucket of dumb ideas leads to the creation of a genocidal robot who sounds like that California guy from The Office. His idealized ‘final form’ gets its own personality and becomes Wanda’s boyfriend before he gets dibs on it. He’s… somewhat entertaining, but kind of ‘eh’ at the same time.

Ant Man’s Yellow Jacket–ANOTHER ‘corrupt businessman’ who makes poor choices like doing business with Hydra people or going after Scott’s daughter. The latter proves to be the last mistake of his life and I would have personally kicked his ass if he harmed that sweet child. Also pretty bland. I heard he’d be coming back for Ant-Man 3, but I’ll be annoyed if he become’s the MCU version of M.O.D.O.K. like I heard about.

PHASE 3 (They get a lot better here… also Thanos is here too.)

Captain America Civil War’s Zemo–some random Sokovia survivor that did the impossible and turned the Avenger’s against each other…. At least we got a couple of good fight scenes between the heroes thanks to him.

Doctor Strange’s Kaecelius and Dorammu (or was it Dormammu? Some of these names are nuts)–That guy from Hannibal, but with magical powers, bad eye make up, and was dumb enough to not read the fine print. The other is a large purple dude (no, not that one) from another dimension that Strange defeats by trapping him in a time loop and thus annoys him into leaving. I’m guessing he’ll be important later.

Guardian’s of the Galaxy 2’s Ego–A giant planet that managed to turn into Kurt Russell and is basically Star-lord’s biological dad. Does and did some horrible stuff, but I don’t want to spoil it because the ‘wham’ moment, but it made me go ‘oh no’ right before Peter reacted.

Oh yeah, there’s also a golden lady and a guy with a name that people make fun of as if he’s a Captain Underpants villain, but they just serve as obstacles.

Spider Man Homecoming’s Vulture–A guy that got screwed over by the government and Tony turns to the black market with stolen alien tech, and flies around in a flight suit that’s way cooler than the comic book version. Is played by none other than the original Beetlejuice and 1989!Batman. Somehow ends up in what appears to be one of the least liked superhero films ever several years later (and even the die-hard fans are confused as hell by that).

Thor Ragnarok’s Hela and Grandmaster–If you wanted a hot female villain who wants to conquer you, has an understandable rage about being erased from history, and has a soft spot for her giant doggo, then boy do I have good news for you. Also there’s an obvious slave owner played by Jeff Goldblum so of course you’ll find him despicable, but he’s Jeff Goldblum so of course you’ll be too charmed to care.

Black Panther’s Killmonger–T’Challa’s cousin who has understandable reasons for wanting to lash out at people who harmed all black people across history and modern times, but is too full of anger to realize why his methods are wrong. Would also make for a TERRIBLE boyfriend, so I hope you don’t fantasize over him. I can’t really find much to make fun of this guy since a lot about him really isn’t that funny and his final lines will haunt you long after you’ve seen this movie.

Avenger’s Infinity War’s Thanos- The giant purple dude obsessed with getting all the stones in order to make a gauntlet. Thinks killing half the universe’s population will save the universe. A favorite amongst most MCU fans and movie fans… but honestly he’s an abusive dad, so he doesn’t deserve much praise.

Also has four children with different names related to the color black, but you’ll only care about his other kids so I’m not going to bother describing them.

Ant Man and the Wasp’s Ghost–Lives up to her name by not being completely solid, but also completely hates it because it’s killing her… Ok, look–some villains WANT to be cured or get health care which was what Ava wanted and her condition did seem pretty awful. It was nice to see Janet heal her and then Scott and the Pym family made sure she’d have access to what was basically free health care and medication. (Is also going to appear in the Thunderbolts film and I won’t be surprised if she’s shipped with either Yelena or Antonia.)

Captain Marvel’s… was it Yorg? Rogg? Yrog?–Typical ‘mentor who is actually the bad guy.’ Honestly it says a lot that the cat was the best part of this movie.

Avenger’s Endgame’s Thanos–Basically Thanos from 2014, but still a tenacious A hole that tries to keep the Avengers from undoing what his future self did instead of just letting things play out. I mean it DOES lead to an awesome epic final battle (though the best experience comes if you’ve seen MOST of these films by this point). But the fact that he caught onto it feels like a ‘need to have an obstacle.’

Spiderman Far From Home’s Mysterio–They REALLY thought they could pull a twist villain? Seriously?! It’s a freaking Spiderman villain, why would you pull that off with this guy?! Anyway its some dude that claims to be a hero from another universe, but he’s ANOTHER person who Tony somehow annoyed. Uses special effects and illusions, a team of misused Stark employees, the drones he steals from Peter… but is too stupid to listen to any warnings when it comes to his personal safety. Is also a huge gaslighter and the kind of person you wouldn’t want in your life.

PHASE 4 (Some of these were surprises, but there’s more in the Disney plus shows that I’m not covering here.)

Black Widow’s General… Drekov? Drakov? (I give up). And Taskmaster–He’s not a good villain. Your typical evil general even. But he had a lot of women brainwashed to be his soldiers and had them sterile whether they wanted it or not, so of course you’ll hate this disgusting pig like I did. (And he gets defeated and it is oh so satisfying when it happens.) Taskmaster… you’ll either like the reveal or hate it, but a non-spoiler detail is that they are the ‘anything you can do I can copy it.’

Shang Chi’s Wenwu–A once immortal evil overlord that gave it all up to live in peace with his wife and raise a family. But proved to be a tragic reason why ‘going straight’ doesn’t come without a cost when his wife dies. Ends up going evil again and puts his kids through hell. And then thinks his wife’s village resurrected and abducted her so he’s trying to bring her back. Honestly I can’t find it in me to make fun of this guy, but losing your wife doesn’t give you a reason to be a shitty or neglectful parent.

Eternals’…. It’s a mix of Arishem, Kro, and Ikaris (yeah, no surprise there)– Some giant space god who created the Eternals and told them not to interfere with Earth’s fights (explaining why they were missing from key films) whose using our planet as an egg that’ll kill us when a new space God comes out. And is also voiced by the same guy who voices Sesshomaru (no seriously I’m NOT making that up). Kro… is one of the monsters the Eternals fights that gains powers every time he kills one of them… and Ikaris is ‘TWIST VILLAIN’ who is only so because he is stubbornly devoted to Arishem’s intents… and he’s like one of the blandest MCU character’s imaginable.

Spiderman No Way Home’s… ok there’s five villains (sadly we were one short of having an actual Sinister Six line up) and they get their own entries:

Green Goblin–Here to make Peter suffer and to remind the other MCU villains what a TRUE super comic book villain is meant to be. Back to scare the crap out of you and gets to ditch the mask to allow Dafoe’s terrifyingly good acting on full display. Rightfully earns his position among the MCU’s scariest villains and will keep you on edge if you’ve seen the original Spiderman film.

Doc Ock- A reversible Octo plushie in human form who just happens to look attractive. Provides one of the best fight scenes in the MCU, but gets one of the most amusing of defeats at the same time. If you’ve seen Spiderman 2 and care about him as much as I did, you will also love his character arc. He was also the main reason I wanted to see this movie since he’s my favorite. (And thank GOD they didn’t do the body swap thing from the comics).

Electro–Thor’s villainous counterpart minus a hammer…. Well actually its still Electro, but throw away the blue theme, give him a better outfit, and let Jamie Foxx do this thing. Also a MASSIVE improvement over his first appearance that has nods to his comic-book self. Not to good when it comes to making sure he destroys something properly.

Sandman–Name pretty much says it. Just fed up with everything like most people who don’t care about the MCU and wants to go home to his daughter.

Lizard–A scaly boy that just wants to turn people into lizards and also knows like the audience that things will inevitably go sideways. Ends up in the truck during a chunk of the film for reasons that are obviously to save money. Probably one of the few characters in the MCU to be naked throughout the entire movie.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ Scarlet Witch-What happens when an MCU hero turns evil and kills almost everyone on sight just to be able to kill an innocent teenaged girl for her powers. A worthy successor to Sam Raimi’s villains and who manages to be genuinely scary in a few scenes. Also I hope you watched WandaVision before seeing this movie otherwise somethings won’t make sense… oh right, the real villain here must have been Disney Plus in that case.

Thor Love and Thunder’s Gorr–What happens when a God fails to protect their people. Goes killing gods (which we won’t see much of) because one of them was a lazy ass who wouldn’t save his daughter from death. Probably one of the few best things about this movie and honestly you’d be rooting for this guy after seeing how most of the gods in this film ARE actual jerkasses. Also the movie wants to make him scary but he’s either too tragic or too corny for me to be scared of him.

And though I have yet to see it and it’s hard to tell if Namor should count as an actual villain yet, I propose that the REAL villain for the last film of phase 4 to be….

Black Panther Wakanda Forever’s…. The cancer that killed Chadwick Boseman– F*** you. You took away a wonderful human being from the world. A compassionate person who was well loved and admired by many. A man who was an actual king in spirit with true dignity and grace. You took T’Challa from us, but his legacy will live on in both the MCU and in the real world. And while I’m at at, F*** you for killing so many others that didn’t deserve to die so soon.

#marvel #mcu #avengers #iron man #captain america #thor #spiderman #doctor strange #black panther #guardians of the galaxy #too many to list

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iammistressofmyfate · 1 year

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54 pynch?

Ohhh, thanks Anon! I hope you like thisssss 😘 I've never written anything like this one!

54. Cum Kink

[Kink Prompts]

Ronan had not done much digging into what it meant to like things, sexually speaking. He liked men and that was about as far as he'd gotten at first.

Then he'd figured out that he liked hands, Adam's hands in particular. The long, elegant digits punctuated by knobby knuckles, the prominent veins, the boyish elegance of them.

Ronan loved putting Adam's hands to his mouth, sucking on his fingers, which was just as hot as sucking on Adam's cock.

Which was a whole other thing. Apparently Ronan liked having any part of Adam in his mouth. His dick and fingers specifically.

Exploring things with Adam had been one of the most enlightening experiences of Ronan's life. He hadn't even known where to start and the fact that Adam was down for anything meant the world was totally open to them.

Which was how Ronan had ended up on his knees, a willing supplicant before a benevolent god. Adam looked so beautiful; face flushed, lips parted, eyelashes quivering. Soft moans and pants issued from his lips as Ronan sucked his cock.

Ronan loved Adam's dick. The weight and warmth of him on his tongue, the salty-sweet taste, just the feel of him there. Ronan loved it.

Adam's hand rested on Ronan's skull, head lulled back, before he pushed at Ronan.

"Stop, Ronan," he breathed and Ronan did, pulling off of Adam slowly, looking up at him.

Adam's pupils were huge in his eyes, his lips red.

Ronan knew what Adam was thinking and he made a soft noise, hand on his own cock.

"Stay just like that," Adam murmured and Ronan moaned, knowing what was coming, eager for it. Adam has his hand around his cock, jerking himself off. Ronan closed his eyes, opening his mouth.

It only took a few strokes before he was coming all over Ronan's face, some landing on his tongue. He came, too, shuddering, having to brace himself on the floor.

"Fuck, Ronan," Adam murmured. "You're filthy."

Adam said it in a way that was awed and fond and Ronan looked up at him, worshipful and adoring. Adam kissed the top of his head.

"Let's get you cleaned up."

#Pynch #ronan lynch #adam parrish #kink prompts #asks answered

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marveldcnerdys · 22 days

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MCU Villains Till Now Ranked from Weakest to Strongest

From Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor to Inter Galactic Forces – Guardians of the Galaxy, there are a number of mighty heroes in the MCU and also some great MCU Villains. However, it’s rarely one of them to save the day, it’s because they simply come up against a collection of equally powerful villains.

The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe not only relies on the great superheroes but also on the memorable MCU Villains. In the year 2022, we saw some remarkably stronger MCU Villains in MCU Phase 4 like Gorr the God Butcher, Namor, and Scarlet Witch.

But while some of them may be more entertaining than others, there can only be one villain who is deemed the most powerful of them all.

46 Kro (Eternals)

45 Todd Phelps (She-Hulk)

44 Saddie Deever (Ms. Marvel)

43 Najma (Ms. Marvel)

42 Ivan Wanko/ Whiplash (Iron Man 2)

41 Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)

40 Darren Cross / Yellow Jacket (Ant-Man)

39 Ghost (Ant-Man and the Wasp)

38 Adrain Toomes / Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

37 Wilson Fisk/ Kingpin (Hawkeye/Daredevil)

36 John Walker (Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

35 Dreykov (Black Widow)

34 Karli Morgantheau (Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

33 Malekith the Accused (Thor Dark World)

32 Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)

31 Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)

30 Alexander Pierce (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

29 Zemo (Captain America Civil War)

28 Wenwu (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)

27 Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

26 Taskmaster (Black Widow)

25 Green Goblin (Spider-Man No Way Home)

24 Winter Soldier (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

23 Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger)

22 Arthur Harrow (Moon Knight)

21 Agatha Harkness (Wanda Vision)

20 Ebony Maw (Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers Endgame)

19 Yon Rogg (Captain Marvel)

18 Ronan the Accuser (Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel)

17 Kurse (Thor Dark World)

16 Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)

15 Ikaris (Eternals)

14 Ultron (Avengers Age of Ultron)

13 Adam Warlock (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and 3)

12 Namor (Black Panther Wakanda Forever)

11 Hela (Thor Ragnarok)

10 Gorr the God Butcher (Thor Love and Thunder)

9 Surtuer (Thor Ragnarok)

8 Loki (Thor and Avengers)

7 Erik Killmonger (Black Panther)

6 Ego the Planet (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2)

5 Kang the Conqueror (Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantamania)

4 High Evolutionary (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3)

3 Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness)

2 Thanos (Avenger: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame)

1 Dormammu (Doctor Strange)

If you guys to read in detail about this then do click on the link of this article given below -

#marvel #iron man #mcu #thanos #marvel comics

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tinky-dinky · 2 years

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Why is Wanda the only Avengers villain who isn’t either killed or arrested? She attacks all of the Avengers, except Clint and works with and helps Ultron. So why isn’t she arrested? Instead she’s allowed to join them in fighting Ultron (you know, the fight that would not have happened without her) then welcomed onto the team.

At the end of The Avengers, Loki is arrested. In Age of Ultron, Ultron himself is killed, as is Pietro and Von Strucker. In Endgame, Thanos and the Black Order die.

Even in the solo movies, the villains either die or get arrested:

Iron Man- Obadiah Stane dies.

Thor- Loki dies. At least they think he does.

Captain America- Red Skull dies and Zola is arrested.

Incredible Hulk- Blonsky/Abomination is arrested.

Iron Man 2- Vanko is both arrested and killed and Hammer is arrested.

Iron Man 3- Killian and his minions all die.

Winter Soldier- Pierce and most of the rest of Hydra die. The ones that don’t are arrested.

The Dark World- Kurse and Malekith both die.

Guardians Vol 1- Ronan dies.

Guardians Vol 2- Ego dies.

Civil War- Zemo gets arrested.

Black Panther- Killmonger dies.

Captain Marvel- Yon-Rogg and the rest of the Kree die.

Doctor Strange- Kaecilius dies. Dormammu doesn’t die or get arrested but he’s an eldritch other dimensional being so he’s an obvious exception.

Homecoming- Vulture is arrested.

Far From Home- Beck dies.

No Way Home- The villain personalities symbolically die. It’s a bit complicated.

So Wanda is the only villain- and the only Hydra member- who doesn’t die or get arrested. Why, exactly?

(I can hazard a guess, seeing as she’s also the only young female attractive villain/hydra member.)

#wanda maximoff #mcu #marvel #musing #how come wanda gets treated differently to every other villain?#she should have been arrested #scarlet witch

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weronse · 5 years

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Part six of six (Yea... this is the end and I'm glad about it)

Villain

Now I can start a another project.

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skeetusmcyeetus · 4 years

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I’ve making headcanons about all of my hyper fixations for a while now and just dumping them on my friends so I’m gonna also dump them here.

If you’re into All For the Game , My Hero Academia, ATLA, The Raven Cycle stay fuckn tuned my doods bc I have a loooot of stuff rattling around my empty skull.

Not all of these are 100% mine some of them are already pretty popular and I’m expanding on them or I heard something similar and edited it to my own tastes

I’ll separate them by series,,,

Theres like one canon that’s mildly nsfw

TW: drug abuse

Mha/Bnha

pro hero kirishima’s Red Riot™️ merch is insanely size inclusive bc he wants fatgum to be able to wear the hoodie that kiri’s pr team sent him but that’s not all,,

If he wasn’t super gay and in love with Bakugou he’d be very Into BBWs so again his merch is super size inclusive bc he wants everyone to be able to wear it

The company that makes the merch also takes requests for special made merch for people who’s quirks interfere with a “normal” size or dimension

ALSO ,,,,this man(kiri) is built like a fuckn MACK TRUCK OKAY he is 6’7” and cannot fit through doorways without ducking and turning a little to the side ,,, he is broad And still wears no shirt™️ ,,, this being said ,, bakugou is still around 5’8” and pretty slim don’t get me wrong he’s extremely strong and toned but he’s not huge,, it makes flying easier if he stays a little lighter ,,,,,,, the point is,, sometimes kiri will pick up bakugou with one arm and bakugou can’t even pretend to hate it anymore

Also,,,, fatgum has to use special pens and keyboards because of how big his hands are,,, he’s literally 8’2” I won’t take criticism on this

Fatgum actually loves wearing red riot and sun eater merch

Allmight and Inko start dating and one day when they’re out someone comments on how much all might “looks like a skeleton” and she absolutley lets loose on them for being so vapid and shallow and how “he’s risked his life to save people like you more times than you have ever even thought about being helpful in your life and it would serve you well to treat someone who’d die for you without even knowing you with more respect”

All might had to gently pull her away bc the guy was crying and she wasn’t anywhere near finished with him

Midnight is Asexual and aggressively pretends to be horny on main™️ because for one, it works with her quirk and two, nothing sells better than sex especially when you’re a woman.

Bakugou and kirishima use sign language to talk shit at Public events

Dabi is addicted to painkillers because he’s been on them his entire life,, he wakes up with the shakes and sometimes toga has to help him take his meds in the morning because he’s already in withdrawal

Tensei was the first one to realize that iida was autistic and immediately did copious amounts of research on ASD and how to be a good brother to him

ATLA

sokka grows his hair as long as Zuko’s (except the sides obvi) and sometimes he’ll wear his hair in the fire nation top knot and zuko loses it every time

Azula gets help and now sometimes when she wakes up with the sun after a night of fitful sleep she goes to the courtyard to have tea with iroh. They never talk, but then again they never need to.

Sometimes after a hard day sokka falls asleep in the bathtub and wakes up to zuko warming the water back up and washing his hair for him

Suki lounges in zukos throne while zuko gets worked up about stuff and paces all around the room

Mai is on the ace spectrum

When sokka and zuko visit the southern water tribe zuko will firebend for the all of the kids in the village,,, they love him so much and sometimes sokka gets a little teary eyed watching him

Sokka braids zukos hair water tribe style and it’s the hottest thing maybe ever

Zuko takes sokka on shopping sprees pretty frequently and sokka fuckn loves it

One time someone has the nerve to call sokka “the fire lords sugar baby” and sokka just flips his ponytail over his shoulder Ariana style and says “and what about it?”

The Raven cycle

Ronan has 100% killed Robert Parrish in his dreams and when he wakes up to see Adam next to him he almost immediately wants to go back to sleep and do it again for all the pain he’s caused Adam

Gansey is oblivious to the fact that he is indeed shredded,, when he gets really worked up he moves his arms a l o t like rolls up his sleeves, crosses and uncrosses his arms and The gang’s favorite is when he puts his hands on his head and subconsciously flexes,,,, literally entire gangsey will group swoon at him and he genuinely thinks they are marvelling at his passion for whatever he’s worked up about

Ronan watched broke back mountain once when he was like 16 and now all he can think about is being a gay cowboy ,,,

Adam will read people’s tarot wrong if theyre douchebags

Don’t you think it’s funny that the ganseys don’t have any straight children?

Blue has a T-shirt from each member of the gangsey (except Noah,, rip Noah) and shes created a terrible Franken-T-shirt by ripping them up and sewing them all back together in an extremely ugly patch work thing

Adam talks in Latin in his sleep and it really freaks his roommate out,, like a lot,, not to mention the fact that Adam already creeps him out to begin with bc he’s got that other vibe that comes from being tied to cabeswater and lindenmere ,, 6 out of 7 days his roommate is convinced that he’s a witch or a fairy or something

Ronan teaches opal how to bake and opal burns everything on purpose

aftg

Neil has definitely killed multiple people to survive

Neil’s mom definitely made him kill someone at least twice to make sure he could kill to survive on his own if they got separated

he probably definitely still has nightmares about each one

Matt and Dan both had a crush on Neil for like 30 seconds and absolutely talked to each other about him

Ppl always talk about how hot it is to crush a watermelon with your thighs,,,, Andrew could do it with his arms

Aarons ass is so flat and Andrew has an absolute dumptruck

Kevin started out as one of those annoying “obsessed with WWII” history guys and now he’s actually very into queer history and will rant about the lavender scare for an hour if you let him

The foxes lounge room(?) has a dart board with riko’s face on it to this day,, they literally have a drawer full of copies the same image of riko and every time one gets worn out they put a new one up. It’s more of an inside joke now but wymack still hates that little puke even though he’s dead so it stays up

Post-canon Neil gets drunk and teaches the team how to steal a car by hot wiring Matt’s truck

Matt does drag for halloween one year and Dan liked it a little too much *cough cough* she pegged him while he was still in drag

Someone once asked Renee if she was “saving herself for marriage like a good Christian girl should” and Allison knocked them out cold and stepped over the body

Neil calls Aaron ugly to his face literally any chance he gets (I feel like this one might be canon but I actually don’t know What’s real anymore)

Andrew Unironically wears a pink apron that says “kiss the cook” that Nicky got him for Christmas when he bakes

Okay I think that’s it ? For now?? Let me know if y’all want more,,,,, I’ll separate them next time I just really had to dump these and I didn’t want to make multiple posts.

I made this at 5:30 in the morning sorry if it’s riddled with typos and errors.

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cardiaccadillac · 2 years

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Naturally, being me, I wanted to write a oneshot for Murdered: Soul Suspect where Ronan watches his own autopsy. The screenshot may be a useful reference.

(Also a polite request for no spoilers beyond the police station section of the game. This is for now as far as I’ve played.)

He doesn't have to stay to watch this. Ought not to. There are more pressing matters calling him, like the girl in the holding cells or the serial killer at large, yet still it doesn't feel like Ronan has been given the choice.

Digging forceps, seven times prying for the remnants of a bullet. Shrapnel slivers extracted from devastated flesh, two splintered ribs and shattered vertebra, a ricochet from the cobblestones where an exit wound bloomed and then reversed its wrath back within him. Clatter of cold, unfeeling steel in a stoic tray. The remnants of a magazine that hours before had claimed his life, loaded by his own hand.

Ronan stands and watches it all.

Only when the forceps are laid aside, coated in a cloying sheen of red he still can't quite believe belongs to him, does he feel the first flicker of nausea; the living sensation warped into a ghostly mimicry no more real than the quickening of his phantom breath. The medical examiner picks up a scalpel and chooses where to divide the tattoos that had painted Ronan's life.

The motion is efficient. Professional. Impersonal. The first incision undoes the spider web, separates the roses that once tangled he and Julia together till death do them part, and Ronan watches it all with the passivity of a shy student afraid to question his master's work.

(Why keep staring? Is it because they've left his eyes open? Why did they open them when he watched Rex gently press them closed…?)

No. It isn't that.

He'd asked the girl sat by her own corpse a few slabs down why she would choose to watch this. Now he thinks he understands.

The body on the slab used to be him. The same body that once lived, once breathed, once felt; the same hands that knew equally the violence of bleeding knuckles, the pleasure-pain of an ink-tipped needle, the tenderness of caressing Julia’s skin. Just a used canvas soon to rot now. Hollow flesh incapable of even acknowledging the presence of his soul.

(He’d stirred his own death rattle with a ghostly brush of his cheek. Ronan doesn’t dare touch again.)

The creak of the bone cutters as they pry away the front of his ribcage draws no flinch, yet were Ronan still living he's certain he'd hear the blood pounding in his ears. (There's none left for that. All drained into the cobblestones several blocks away.)

Then a soft squelch, a hunk of bone and cartilage lifted away to rest instead in a metal tray, and the damage wrought on his lungs is revealed. The right one mangled, seven times punctured, as expected. Flecks of black from a decades-long smoking habit in both, not so expected, yet upon reflection blindingly obvious.

And between them nestles his heart. Still. Silent.

Whole.

The sight stirs within him an ache that feels like the bruise left by the hopelessness of his first attempt to climb back into his body. With a gesture of his hand he can send electronics into overdrive, summon ghostly structures into existence, or even leash an unsuspecting demon to banish it. Yet he can't command his own heart to beat.

Ronan bows his head and doesn't know if he feels anger or humility.

The examiner and his assistant talk. The words aren't illuminating. Cause of death is obvious, embellished with words like trauma and haemothorax and hypovolemic shock, but putting a name to the wounds seems to matter less than naming the man who caused them.

They empty him out. Piecemeal, organs on the scales. Turn him over, at last breaking the vacant stare of his sightless eyes. Livid bruises stain his back, bleeding over the bullet-broken lines of his tattooed mural as though painted by a careless child. Blood crusts at the back of his skull.

They're going to open it, Ronan realises, when the bone saw comes out again. Check for bleeding in his brain from impact.

He's never seen the back of his own head so closely before. Isn't sure that he cares to.

Wrenching his spectral eyes from the corpse, Ronan looks back in the direction of the holding cells. He's borne witness to his own autopsy long enough. He has his own witness to find.

#my fic #murdered soul suspect #ronan o’connor #autopsy cw #death cw

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oksana-moods · 3 years

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Supernova

Summary: As the seasons passes you by, it is inevitable for you to watch the fall.

A/N: This is an AU requested by the darling @multi-muse-transect and you might find it in here. This request filled me with joy and worries at the same time, because it was hard to create a visible story in my head before trying to write it down. But I really enjoyed all the research about Nova Corps, hence it took me a little more than intended.

Warnings: Language, marvel’s canon violence… if there is any other that I should mention, please, let me know.

“You take my breath away. You're a supernova and I'm a space bound rocket ship and your heart's the moon.”

#not my pic

Carol is at a window looking at the sculptures and other buildings of Hala, she’s just arrived from a mission against Kree insurgents. ‘They're like weeds’, she thinks. No matter how hard she fights or fights back, they always come back and never learn that against the Empress they will never succeed.

The lights are beautiful in Hala, but they will never compare to the lights of the Old Earth. She takes a look at the latest reports of her home planet's reconstruction on the table beside her and sighs, knowing that New Earth will soon be ready.

Years ago, Ronan attacked Earth with the intention of destroying Carol and he did, in fact, destroy her heart. Even though she could absorb and redirect energy, she failed to destroy all the missiles before they hit the ground and then it was over. And the beginning at the same time.

Completely possessed by the grief of losing her home and loved ones, Carol went hunting for the Kree and, more importantly, for the Supreme Intelligence and, one by one, Carol brought down her tormentors until she became the Empress of Kree, residing in Hala.

Her patrols to different galaxies have been reduced as she monitors the Kree group responsible for rebuilding the Earth, chases mutineers and still rules the Empire. Her Empire. There's not even time for karaoke, she thinks, as her eyes follows a shooting star across the night sky of her capital.

Her eyes narrow when said shooting star seems to take a route, rather than a random path, because it is a celestial body without navigation. This shooting star is, in fact, very different, she observes. And, almost a second late, she notices that someone is heading right for her.

Taking her by surprise, you hit the balcony glass as if it were nothing and saw Carol's body hurl against the wall with the impact of your body. Not even spending a breath, it's your turn to be hurled against the wall when Carol fights back even harder than you.

You fight, exchange punches and blows. You notice that she's slightly surprised to find a worthy opponent, something that's still unheard of. Until today. Until you.

And that intrigues her, how could someone be so powerful without her knowing?

"Did the Kree insurgents send you?" She asks after you collide on Hala’s sky, the noise and vibrations being felt even in buildings far away from the fight.

"No." You answer. “I was sent by Nova Prime to deal with you” You barely finish your sentence, and you attack Carol again, but she's confused. She had heard of Nova Prime when she was still a Kree soldier. When she fought for the wrong side.

She then looks at you once more. She takes in the clothes you're wearing and your helmet, which covers your eyes with a blueish light but leaves your chin bare. The symbol that resembles a star painted in red on your golden helmet indicated what you are. Nova Corp. You are a corpsman.

A bright, gold insignia in a form of three circles linked in your chest shines even in the dark, showing her that you’re not an ordinary corpsman, but a Centurion. You are Nova Corps’ Commander. Okay, that explain why you’re so powerful.

"What do you want with me?" She asks without the slightest pretension to continue fighting and for the first time you don't attack, you stop and look at her. Wow, the reports of her strength and agility were consistent with what you see, but there was nothing about her beauty. Shaking your head, you answer it.

"Justice." Seeing the confused expression on Carol's perfect face, you continue. "You are crushing the democracy that existed for the inhabitants of this planet, the countless reports of an empress overthrowing entire communities have crossed galaxies."

"Justice, you say." You see her eyes flash with anger and hatred. "And what justice does Nova Prime intend to give Earth?" She approaches dangerously and you have to remind yourself to not cower under her glare.

"The Kree have destroyed my home, so I won't give them one until the New Earth is rebuilt and populated." The threat in her gaze, in her posture, was tangible. "And nothing and no one in the universe will make me concede freedom to this barbaric species."

"Being a barbarian yourself?" You turn your head to the side in a questioning tone, but she takes it as irony. Maybe it was. “An eye for an eye, as earthlings are fond of saying. Or should I say, used to like?” A kind of roar was the only warning before her fist collided with your face.

"Wash your mouth before you talk about Earth, soldier." She patched up a string of blows you couldn't get out of. "Nova Empire has always fought the Kree, why they want to protect them now?"

She was strong; you've already figured that out, but like many other very powerful beings in the universe, they tend to think they're the only ones with powers. Absorbing most of the blows and directing the energy against the empress, you use your power blast and with that, once again, Carol is hurled against the wall of her palace.

As an automatic response, Carol uses the powers of her fist and you feel the force of a thousand cannons throwing you backwards into space, grunting right after with the impact of Carol's body, engaging the fight once more.

You could tell that she was angry and, according to your studies, humans tended to be guided by such frivolous feelings. And that was something you intended to use to your advantage.

Being two beings bestowed with stamina, the fight would go on for hours until someone got tired, but if she uses her powers erratically and drenched in rage, she will be drained quicklier.

“I am the Empress of the Kree Empire! Answer me!" The tone of voice in which she addresses you makes it clear that your goal of getting under her skin is working. With a smirk, you respond.

“Nova Empire takes care of the galaxy and has balance as its main goal, your highness. To overpower other species is not our intention.” Your response seems to enrage her even more and the only reaction you got from her was more blows and more blasts in your direction.

You dodge, you block, and you realize she's getting careless then letting her guard down. And that's where you come in with quick jabs almost powerless, only to enrage her more and more. Just to remind her that even an Empress has weaknesses.

You hit the ground and certainly the people throughout the city felt like it was an earthquake. Something was off and before you could react, Carol hits you with a blast right in the middle of the chest, throwing you meters and meters into a random building.

This time, you start feeling the impact on every wall you hit. You feel dizzy, your hand is shaking, and you find yourself bleeding. ‘What's going on?’ You think as you watch Carol's figure to grow in your field of vision.

The smirk on her face is ridiculously sexy, but you barely have time to make any comments before her voice reaches your ears. "Apparently, you're not that tough without your helmet on, are you?"

You look at her hand that is carrying what was once your helmet, now just broken shards and she drops it into your lap. Without your helmet you are ruined, as is your mission.

The smirk and one last punch were the last thing you remember before she knocks you down cold.

---

Your head was about to explode inside your skull, and you blink at the light entering your cell. All that brightness was not helping your headache at all.

It's been a few days since you've been taken prisoner by Empress Carol Danvers and whether Xandar knows or has noticed your disappearance is something you have no idea of. And when Nova Prime sends reinforcements after you it won't be pretty.

Before proceeding on your mission, you had already been informed that all diplomatic avenues had been tried but completely closed by the Empress. That way, Xandar wouldn't try negotiations to try to get you back. Perhaps this would trigger a new war.

A war you couldn't afford. Certainly, you didn't want the weight of being the trigger or the spark in a cold battle of inflated tempers on your shoulders. Carol had a very short fuse, as you witnessed firsthand, while Prime could be an slayer when the situation called for it.

Days passed, becoming weeks and your monotonous existence is only interrupted by the Empress's daily visits. Visits that you don't know why she still keeps, when it's pretty obvious that you have no information to provide.

You are a member of the Nova Corp and have been sent on a solo mission to "dissuade" the Empress from continuing to rule her own empire with an iron fist. There were no ulterior motives, no espionage or reinforcements waiting in the moon not far from Hala.

You were a single, last resource. There was nothing but you and your broken form. A failed soldier.

You were standing, watching the sun shining on buildings across Hala through the small window in your cell, admiring the dots circling farther down the street, almost forgetting that each dot was a person. You wonder if Carol forgets who they are.

"Um, admiring my city, I see." You spare her a brief glance before you return it to the window. She was in a red robe with local designs, and you can't shake off your head at how beautiful she is. How beautiful she looks in red. Or any other color.

You don't exactly know why Carol still comes to your cell, but you can't lie to yourself that you don't like it. You do. But you convince yourself that any company is better than the solitude of these walls, just that and nothing else.

She is an empress after all. A Sovereign, considered by many to be evil and tyrant. But each gentle gesture towards you reminds you that her hands are stained with blood. Like yours. Your conscience doesn't seem to know which side it should be on.

"Forgive me if my boredom is exacerbated, your city is the only thing I have left to admire." You answer still looking ahead, afraid to look at her and be mesmerized. The Empress was a mystery that captivated you, as her answers were never what you would expect them to be. Just like now.

“I could end your boredom. Hala’s Summer Trade is famous across the galaxy, have you ever tasted Pluot Fruit?” Your head swivel towards her so fast it feels like a whip.

"Summer?" Quickly you do the math in your head, in this solar system the days and seasons were longer than in Xandar, so... "How long have I been kept in here?"

"Too long, Nova." Nova? What kind of nickname is this? Shaking your head, you question her. "Nova? This is not my name." She giggles and moves closer to the energy field that makes up your cell door, she’s one yard away so you can smell her perfume. White jasmine.

“I know it isn't. But I decided to abbreviate the title of Nova Corps to Nova, besides, I own this place…” she opens her arms to emphasize what she's talking about. "I can call you whatever I want, prisoner."

You decide to play her game and with a smirk on your face you respond. “Prisoner? Now, seconds ago weren’t you inviting me for a walk, your highness?”

You lick your lips when you see her face contorting in a mix of anger and something else, but what, you don't know. “You abuse my benevolence too much. Your precious Xandar never tried to open a ransom deal, you are of no use to them or to me.”

Her words crash into your chest, and you feel your heart break a little more. Months have passed and there was no sign of another corpsman coming to your rescue and now she tells you that Nova Prime didn't even try to negotiate your freedom.

You close your eyes and with small, defeated steps you walk to the window. A lifetime dedicated to Nova Corp and Xandar, to be abandoned like a stray dog lost from its owners. Like someone worthless.

Defeated and hopeless, you ask Empress Carol why she still keeps you alive. Standing in the hallway leading to the dungeons hall she smiles triumphantly and speaks. "For my entertainment, prisoner."

"What do you think of the Pluot?" Carol's voice breaks your train of thought.

"Strangely delicious." You respond by referring to the strange appearance, as if it was a dried fruit and not completely juicy right after tasting it.

As with the fruit, such was your surprise to see Carol's interaction with her subjects. Many of them kept their distance, paid their obeisance and respects to the Empress, and continued on their way with their heads low.

However, a reassuring number of people seemed to genuinely like or even admire Carol and not out of obligation. Doing a 180° turn in the opinion you once held of the Empress, she was extremely adorable when interacting with children.

Who knew the fearsome tormentor of the Kree empire would be so… human? How can someone, who keeps a prisoner just for her own pleasure, be so kind? You wonder if they were the same person at all.

She smiles in response to what you said and you smile back, completely unsure of the reasons why you do.

After the Hala market tour went without incident, that is, without any attempt to escape on your part, Carol has granted you the right to stroll through the inner gardens of her palace. As much as you want to hate the way she plays as if you were a puppet, you can't.

You try to hate her, but each day you spend in her company makes it harder for you to deny the feeling that, gradually, grows in your chest. Then, you find yourself desperate to hang this passion before it's too late.

Your morning walks allow you to see autumn slowly approaching, little by little, with each leaf touching the ground. And if you used to enjoy Carol's garden alone, over time, the Empress's company became part of your routine.

"Why are you still keeping me alive, Carol?" You rarely addressed her by the title of empress or nobility, and she never forced you to use it, she seemed not to care whether you recognized her power or not. Nor did he seem to mind when you used it ironically.

"I like your company." She answered and that made you look directly into her eyes. "It isn't every day that I find a match." Her answer made something boil in your chest and you had to force your heart to understand that she was probably referring to the fight.

"I'm not a match for you, your highness." You spoke. "Everything special about me came from an enhanced helmet." A sad smile danced on your lips, remembering how powerless you felt when you saw it broken in her hand. You remembered how broken you felt yourself.

“Everything special about you comes from your heart, Nova.” Her tone was low and as much as you wanted, there was nothing to grasp in it. She spoke this sentence as if she were speaking about the weather but for you it just set your heart on fire.

Between stories from a lifetime ago, when Carol was only a human being without a single clue that the universe was bigger than her world and stories from her time adapting and training in Hala, you felt yourself slowly but surely falling for her.

The change for you was visible and you prayed it would be visible only to you. If before you thought she was beautiful, now she’s extremely attractive in your eyes. Even when choosing simple robes, Carol was always dressed impeccably.

After spending so much time together, it was only a matter of time before you realized that the Empress was possessed of vast intellect and knowledge about many different things.

But what strike you most was how funny and mundane she could be, yet, she still had that special something in her eyes that never failed in make you weak. You were a prisoner, indeed. A prisoner of her eyes.

Unlike many extremely powerful beings, Carol was humble enough to listen to your stories, and even encouraged you to tell more details about yourself. She never quite understood, but something about you drew her as if you were a magnet.

The sparkle in your eyes as you spoke about your homeland, friends, or your passion and honor in serving Nova Corp thrilled her. There were many things in you that stirred emotions in her, as well as aroused feelings that she thought she was no longer capable of feeling for a long time.

And so, without realizing it and at the same time fully aware of what was going on beneath her skin, the Empress fell in love with her Prisoner.

Winter at Hala marked when your quarters were no longer a cell but a room in Empress's palace. Larger than your home in Xandar, the room was beautifully decorated with art, and you could discern some Xandar artwork. You wonder if it was coincidence.

Despite being as warm as a star, Carol suggested that both of you should trade your walks in the garden for spending time in the library available at the palace. And that's how you began to be the Empress's company during her meals.

It started with lunch and then evolved into dinner and now Carol finds herself waiting for your presence before even touching her plate. ‘I shouldn't allow myself such weakness’, she thought. However, she couldn't bring herself to change or to avoid the need of your company.

"I beg your pardon?" You speak, barely able to avoid spilling your soup. The increasingly warm but shy rays of the sun and the many animals strolling in the courtyard tell you that spring is just around the corner. And that's exactly what almost made you spill the soup, in first place.

Carol cleared her throat, promptly speaking again, as if you had not heard her from the first time. “I’d be delighted if you grant me the honor of your company for the Spring Ball due in two weeks.” She looked at you expectantly.

Your mind was swirling as to why she would want you as her company, out of all people. She was the Empress; she could have anyone she wanted by her side. Yet, here she was, asking you to be her date.

The time in Hala flew slower as it did in Xandar, but it felt like the opposite, for the Ball came faster than you thought it be possible.

And here you were, walking down the entrance stairs in a beautiful golden gown with Carol’s arm locked with yours. Her deep green dress was marvelous and when you saw her welcoming you with that pretty smile of hers you thought you could melt.

Much to your dismay, Carol could sing just as she’d told you she could, but you never believed in her. It wasn’t hard for you to realize that you were free falling in love with her even more than you already were. If it was possible, you fell in love again. You’d be her prisoner, forever.

As the night went on, you were mesmerized by the ball, the music, and the way of life in Hala. It felt like a different life, one that very much resembled prince and princess’ tales that you heard when you were a kid.

A life that didn’t quite belong to you but looking into her eyes it made it feel like everything was possible, reachable, as if her power could create a different world. Just as she did. As ruler of the Kree empire, she created a new kingdom.

Standing in the balcony, you welcomed the cold air hitting your skin that was inebriating your senses, previously flooded by the Empress. The stars illuminated the sky of Hala making the city bellow you even prettier.

A soft touch in your hand brings your gaze back to its owner and a small gasp scape your lips when you see how close she is, even more so when you wish she were closer. “I never told you how beautiful you are tonight.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“You flatter me, your highness. You’re flawless yourself.” A small smile creeped up her lips and you forced yourself to keep your eyes locked with hers, proven to be a hard task when she started to lean into your ear.

“There is something that I wanted to tell you for a while ago.” Her hands on your waist made it difficult for you to pay attention to her words, along with the feel of her cheek touching your cheeks made your knees weak.

“You’re no longer a prisoner and you can leave Hala if you want to.” Her thumb drew patterns where it touched you and you could feel your skin burning. “You’re free, but I wish you’d stay here.” She backed down and now her eyes were boring into yours.

“I wish you’d stay here with me.” She stressed.

Your heart and head were running thousand miles per hour in completely opposite directions. The rational part of you wanted to take your freedom and go back to Xandar, even though you should find it suspicious that, almost after a year, she’d let you go. Specially after you’d learned so much about Hala. About her.

However, your heart’s been slowly giving itself to this woman right in front of you, and there was nothing that you wanted more than to stay here with her. Surely, you felt left behind by Nova Prime, but it still stings in you that no one came after you. Not even a fellow corpsman.

‘Not one that you know, for that matter.’ You shook your conscience’s voice away and gave in to your heart. The rational part of you broke at the exact same time as did your helmet.

“Carol, I…” You begin but she interrupts you by placing an oh so soft lips on yours and there is no voice to hear anymore. Nor rational, nor emotional. There are only her lips pouring her heart into a kiss and you do just the same.

Right in that moment you felt as if your heart was about to melt, maybe it would, if she hadn’t broken the kiss and rested her forehead in yours.

“Tell me you’ll stay and rule by my side.” Before the true meaning of her words could sink in, the sky of Hala suddenly shone as if thousands of stars appeared right in that moment, drawing the attention of you both.

Not long until you realized that it wasn’t stars, but thousands of spaceships painting the night over your heads, and you’d recognize those ships anywhere. Xandar was here. And a voice that you’d never forget was heard above all noise.

“I am Nova Prime and Xandar declares war to Empress Carol, accused of murdering Nova Corps’ Commander.”

‘Why are they accusing her of murder?’ You thought to yourself. It does not make sense that she’s being accused of killing you when you’re alive. Unless…

“Carol, what did you do?”

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