#and yet steve is a villain for not signing away his human rights to them | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lovelybarnes · 3 years ago

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restless- b. barnes

pairings: bucky barnes x reader, mentions of natasha romanoff, sam wilson, and steve rogers warnings: mentions of nightmares and clingy bucky but it’s mostly fluff about: bucky can’t sleep without y/n a/n: i was going to post this yesterday but i fell asleep :| my computer was literally open and nearly dead when i woke up lmao

today marks one week that you’ve been gone, and with it, the official shortest amount of sleep that bucky has gotten in a week. he supposes it’s sightly pathetic that he can’t sleep well- or, really, at all- without you, but you continuously tell him you chase his nightmares away for him, and without you there to make them disappear, where else will they go but deep into the crevices of his mind, where they’ll hide long enough for him to let his guard down and lull himself to sleep, only to wake up with the ugly memories of things he hoped he’d forgotten. he’s constantly told that his attachment to you is overbearing- not by you, though. never by you- because it must be, with how much he clings to your side, always touching some part of you so that he’s sure that, yes, you’re there. not a dream or an illusion, although you’re good enough to be one.

he misses every part of you; your fingers and the way they run through his hair, trace his features with such tenderness he nearly believes he is what you see, your voice and its ability to transform the most mundane words into the greatest poetry, sing soft songs into his skin until he’s fallen asleep, your eyes and how they examine him in the best way possible, glowing when they meet his.

he longs for you, but he can only imagine your smile, the bitter reminder that you’re probably showing it to some psychopath for the mission you’re on. he hates steve every time the memory is evoked, the panic that comes with your being used as bait for some of the most screwed up villains in the world only returning stronger. he’s tempted to go get you himself, uncaring if he screws up the mission because at least he’ll have you.

stark will call him pathetic, then go to bed with the love of his life, so bucky prefers keeping his thoughts about you to himself, much like he’d like to keep you. you’ve told him you can handle yourself, and bucky never doubts it, having been victim to the using of your skills when he first encountered you as the winter soldier. you kicked his ass then, and you kick any and all ass now.

it doesn’t help his sleeping schedule, though your calls do. he swears you’re an angel because there’s no way a normal human could glow like that through a screen, but you always laugh off his words and simply tell him to turn his brightness down. however, you haven’t taught him that yet, so he greets you with the same sentence every time. his smile is always brighter after your calls, the dark bruises under his eyes reduced as if he got a full night’s rest. it’s your effect on him, and as much as everyone teases you both for it, they appreciate it.

you’re due to come back in a week or two, but bucky is unsure he can wait that long, and judging from your chirpier-than-usual voice in your latest interaction, you’ve finished early, like you always do. he likes to imagine it’s because of him, behind the deprecating voice that screams at him why would it be? (the answer is that you love him and hate every second you’re away from him)

sam scoffs when he overhears him telling that to steve, sitting down next to bucky, “man, there is no way you can tell that from a phone call. even if you could, i know she’s good, but to shave two weeks off mission time? natasha hasn’t even been able to do that.” a proud smile grows on bucky’s face without his permission as he shrugs, “she’s that good,” he brags, choosing to ignore the fake gag sam sends his way.

you frown when he tells you what he thinks on your call a few hours later, lips puckering into a small pout, “how did you know? i wanted it to be a surprise!” you ask through a crackled voice. so much for state of the art technology, bucky thinks, but is glad nonetheless to hear your voice. “i know you too well, doll. you’re really coming back today?”

you nod excitedly, biting your bottom lip. “mhm! i missed you and my bed too much to stay here a moment longer. villains are such pervs,” you complain, nose scrunching. bucky’s jaw sets when he hears your words, immediately thinking the worst. “but, i’m coming back today, so it’s fine. what do you want to do when i get back?”

bucky shrugs, “be with you,” he answers simply, making you laugh. “other than that, dummy. we could watch a movie, have a little date night to make up for the one i missed while i was gone.” bucky grins at this, remembering his plans for that night. “okay,” he agrees, “we’ll watch one of those movies on my list. although sam put some weird ones.”

you concur through chuckles that pass through the phone, reminding him how much you love him. he swears an oath to never let you go again and bites back a yawn that you see right through. “you’re sleeping the moment i get back,” you instruct, and bucky nods with your words, even when the sole idea of your being within arm’s reach is obviously too enticing to pass up for sleep. “whatever you want, doll. as long as you’re here.” he replies, thinking about spending the night pressing kisses to your hair and checking for any injuries you may have withheld from him.

the sentence is dishonest and you both know it, but you leave it at that, missing him too much and sure he’ll rest with how exhausted he must be. you say goodbye without the actual words, only giving a blown kiss and a “see you later.”

bucky spends the rest of the hours without you thinking of you, skimming through the words written in the little blue notebook you got him to replace his old one. that one sits on his dresser, the disuse proven by the layer of dust that covers it. the names he spent hours agonizing over, tracing his fingers over the indents made by the pen, are hidden by its cover. they never fade from his mind, though. only half of the pages of the one you gave him are blank now, and the ones that aren’t are bright and white, inviting him to drop his pen on the lines and jot whatever reference he didn’t understand but wants to. he eyes the names of the movies and shows, some accompanied by quotes that refer to them. “new girl: nick miller,” he reads, remembering how one of your friends said he was the avenger version of the character. “friends: ‘joey doesn’t share food,” sam told him that one when he didn’t let him have any of his chips. he looks at clueless, recalling the way all of his teammates stare at scott whenever the movie comes up. there are a couple pages like this, some of them recommendations and others titles he kept hearing. tonight, he decides on starting a new show, but he leaves the actual show up to you to decide.

you arrive a couple hours later, when stars have littered the darkness that bled through the sky. it’s all very rom-com-filmesque, the way you light up when you see his face- even through how tired you clearly are- and how you jump into his arms, ignoring the ache in your muscles because the way his arms wrap around you seems to make it disappear. he gathers you in his arms and kisses everywhere on your face, treasuring your laugh and the feeling of your lips pressing to his shoulder when you hug him again.

even when you pull away, he doesn’t let go of your hand, flesh fingers tracing small circles into your skin. you don’t complain, even when steve shoves papers in front of you and asks you to sign them with a sheepish look. sam comes by and teases bucky lightheartedly, hounding bucky to let you have both your hands. you chuckle at his request and squeeze bucky’s fingers, kissing the back of his hand, “oh, no, he better not,” you half-joke. he smiles, red tinting his cheeks as he gently draws you closer.

you don’t feel like driving at the moment, and you need to water your plants, completely sure that wanda forgot to do it, so you end up going to your room, even though you spend most of your time at his own room or your apartment outside the compound. you can tell how little the room has been used by the spotless counters and floors, furniture clean of any of the knickknacks you usually leave. you only sleep here when bucky leaves for long missions, his absence is overly blatant when he’s gone, and your plants keep you from feeling too alone.

you usher bucky inside, tugging open your drawers to search for something for him to wear. you grin at the soft fabric under the pads of your fingertips, recalling the memory of stealing them from bucky’s closet to soak in his scent when you couldn’t have the real thing. the considerable use has washed away all traces of him, and you decide that needs to be fixed, picking out clothing for him.

you change into one of his old shirts and make tea while he changes, smiling when you feel his arms wrapping around your waist and kissing your jaw. “what do you want to watch tonight?” he asks, and you contemplate it while you pour your drinks, shoveling spoons of sugar into each one to make it as sweet as possible- his favorite. “new girl, i think you’ll like it,” you reply after a moment.

he unravels his arms from around you, taking the mugs from the counter and following you to your room after you peck his cheek in thanks. “okay, i want to see what this nick miller is all about,” bucky says, making you laugh softly. “c’mon,” he urges, opening his arms for you after setting the cups down. you cuddle up to his side after you grab your computer, setting up netflix and choosing the show.

halfway through the first episode, bucky feels the fatigue hit him like a ton of bricks, hours of missed sleep catching up to him now that he’s finally relaxed and comfortable. keeping his eyes open is a job all on its own, and the sweet smell of your hair combined with the way your fingers move on his chest, softly writing letters and drawing shapes, is too much to resist.

you barely notice when he shuts his eyes, the evening of his breathing alerting you he’s succumbed to his tiredness. you stop the video and quietly shut your laptop, placing it on the bedside table while moving as little as possible. he feels you shift through your efforts, pulling you closer in his sleep. you chase away his nightmares like you always do, letting him sleep his first full night since you left.

he wakes up rejuvenated and embarrassed, sputtering out embarrassed apologies that you shush with kind reassurances and tender kisses. he’s reminded of how wonderful you are when you turn, arms extending to reach into your bag and carrying out a small stuffed animal that you say reminded you of him.

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midethefangirl · 3 years ago

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Captain America: Civil War - My Thoughts

I know this is like 5 years late but for this, I’d like to resurrect a barely dead discourse that succeeded in not just dividing the Avengers but also dividing the fandom. Before we start, content warning for spoilers and let’s dive into this mess.

So, basically, the entire conflict of civil war stemmed from General Thaddeus Ross (who is a hypocritical dick, btw) coming to lecture the Avengers on being destructive despite conducting destructive experiments (ahem, the Abomination and the Hulk) but I digress. Then, Ross presents the Sokovian Accords which is really lengthy and we see Steve reading like a few chapters(?). Now, let us note that the Accords were presented to the Avengers after a mission-gone-wrong killed about 11 people in Lagos (lay-gos, not lah-gos that pronunciation gave me headaches as a Nigerian).

So, the Sokovian Accords were written by 117 countries and vetted by the UN asking for the Avengers to be under oversight (which SHIELD would have done if HYDRA hadn’t infiltrated it in the first place but it is what it is). Somehow, Steve made it about “our right to choose” (how?! Cause I’m not understanding) and decided to not sign*.

*he later got back to sign, then backed out when he learnt that Tony had placed Wanda under house arrest (even though it was for her protection. I do believe Tony should have fully informed Wanda about keeping her in the Avengers’ Tower)

My issues with the plot of Civil War are:

1. The Sokovian Accords were not read out loud or placed on some kind of PowerPoint slide for the audience to understand why Team Cap is against the Accords. No, the fandom wiki is not a source because that one is from Agents of SHIELD and not a lot of MCU fans are familiar with that show (yours sincerely included). Assuming the contents were read out loud or discussed by the Avengers, I’d have understood why Team Cap refused to sign the accords but since none of that was given, I’d remain Team Iron Man for this one.

2. The Sokovian Accords is not the American Constitution. Then again, the MCU fandom tends to be American-centric and most Americans seem to have this belief that the world revolves around them (and it manifests itself in Civil War discourse).

3. Contrary to popular opinion, the Sokovian Accords were about 117 (mostly third-world) countries asserting their sovereignty and boundaries, not taking away rights from the Avengers. If we go by what the MCU wiki claims about the accords, yes, some parts are absurd (like asking for blood samples and using trackers, why are those necessary?). However, when 117 countries state that they want you to respect their boundaries, I think it is best to comply. Unfortunately, respecting boundaries is one thing the USA has a problem complying with and guess who happens to represent America?

4. The Accords affected only their hero lives, not their lives as a civilian. I doubt the UN would limit the Avengers’ movements as civilians

5. Let us not forget how Steve and Clint protect Wanda from accountability and responsibility. Wanda in the MCU is like y/n in many fanfics where everyone (except for the “big bad villain” who in this case is Tony and 117 countries) seems to love her and want to protect her from facing the consequences of her actions. Anyone *ahem Tony* who has a bit of problem with her is suddenly the enemy. Not to mention how Wanda seems to have a knack for causing destruction in African countries (Johannesburg, Lagos, Wakanda)

6. And fandom behaviour from the Team Cap stans

7. Also, why is Civil War not an Avengers part 3? It’s better than making it a Captain America trilogy and then trying to frame Steve as being right.

8. I do believe that the accords were sped up which left little time for the Avengers to discuss and compromise on certain issues. If they were given more time to discuss, compromise and negotiate, I think the movie would have ended better than it had.

9. In addition, I also agree with Team Cap stans on how the UN arbitrarily deciding to shoot Bucky on sight is a human right violation.

10. “The safest hands are our own” why does this sound like a white saviour talk point from Steve? The accords is about 117 countries wanting you to respect their boundaries and the best you can come up with to refute that is saying something a white saviour would say?

11. “Even if the whole world is telling you to move...” just shut the fuck up, this is no way comparable to 117 countries trying to assert their sovereignty.

12. Look if I have to choose between surrendering a few rights as a hero and just dismissing that of civilians as potential damage, I’d go with the former because the people whom I’m suppose to protect come first. For me to dismiss their deaths as “we can’t save em all” is just not it.

13. “She’s just a kid”, a few years later and I still hate that term. One, it’s infantilizing an adult white woman (something white men have historically done and we all know how that went) . Two, while Tony was obviously wrong for not informing Wanda about her house arrest, he was right to keep her in the Tower when they were people who would harm her with every chance they could find. **

** after watching WandaVision, some people might find every reason to want to harm her.

14. Let us also discuss the motivation of those in Team Iron Man vs Team Cap

Team Iron Man

Tony: feels guilty for the events of Age of Ultron, believes that he’s stepped out of line and the Avengers need oversight.

Natasha: believes that the Avengers should listen to the public and the UN after all, if they had one hand on the wheel, they can still steer.

Vision: believes that the Avengers as a whole bring challenge which brings conflict and then catastrophe.

Rhodey: a soldier; believes in following orders especially when it is from the UN and 117 countries.

T’Challa: dude is just there to kill Bucky. I’m sure if Bucky was on team Ironman, my guy would have joined team cap, lmao 😂.

Spider-Man: not really there for a reason except to bring in Steve to Ross. I do agree that Tony shouldn’t have dragged him to the fight without Peter making an informed decision.

Team Cap

Steve: didn’t want to sign because it takes away his “right to choose”. Idk what that means or how it is relevant to the Sokovian Accords but okay. However, I understand his mistrust considering a few movies ago, we found out HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD and as much as I believe governments are corrupt and the UN is shit, you cannot just enter a country anyhow without warning ahead of time.

Bucky: was his motivation given? I mean, I believe he joined Steve’s side to stop Zeno from unleashing the other winter soldiers. Not that that’s a bad reason, it isn’t.

Sam: again, I don’t think the movie gave us a reason for him being against the Accords. Did he also believe it was taking away his “right to choose”?

Wanda: undecided as of moment of discussion. Joined team cap because Tony placed her on house arrest. While I agree that Tony should have informed her that he was putting her under house arrest and stated the reasons why, I believe it was for good reasons especially when some people might decide to carry out witch hunts (you get it, witch hunts? 😅)

Clint: only joined because Wanda was placed under house arrest. We aren’t given any reason why he would oppose the Accords.

Scott: fan boy of Captain America, need I say more?

15. Also, to Team Cap stans blaming Tony Stark for Team Cap being imprisoned, grow the fuck up. The people in Team Cap are all adults who made their own decisions yet Tony is to blame for them breaking the law (because they did break the law), wtf.

16. “Are you capable of letting go of your ego for one damn second?” Like Steve’s ego didn’t play a part in all this too, lmao.

17. Okay, the final battle was intense and while I believe Bucky was also a victim, I can understand why Tony lashed out at him. The one to blame here is Steve because even if he had no clue Bucky was responsible for the Starks’ death, he still lied to Tony by not telling him who was responsible. It is more appalling to learn that Steve, in an attempt to “protect Tony and Bucky”, was actually covering for HYDRA!

Also, the way Steve stood emotionless while Tony watched a footage of his parents being killed. Yet, he could shield Wanda from watching the news because of how it affected her, okay.

“I can do this all day”, fuck you, Steve

18. Clint exploding at Tony is so fucking hilarious. Tony is right, Clint has a family yet he decided to fight in a war that didn’t concern him. Also, his comments about breaking backs is so tone deaf after Rhodey just broke his back!

19. If Sam was Captain America, I think Civil War wouldn’t have happened at all, from the dialogue in the Raft.

20. Overall, this movie is a fucking mess and I hate it for dividing both the Avengers and MCU fans.

Before I close with this, I want to add that I am not anti-Steve but Civil War really made me hate him. I get, Steve is supposed to be a Boy Scout and shit like that, but he’s a Gary Stu in the MCU, let’s be honest about it. Civil War should have been an Avengers movie, rather than a part of the Captain America trilogy. The Avengers should have been given more time than three days to discuss the Accords and make necessary amendments; after all that went down in Lagos, Wanda should have been made to sit out missions and maybe we could have had someone like Doctor Strange help in training her; Crossbones would have made a great villain but it is what it is; Peter’s introduction to the MCU could have been as him actually interning for the Stark Industries and forming a kind of acquaintance with Tony Stark before Tony finds out that he’s Spider-Man; Steve should have told Tony about HYDRA‘s hands in his parents’ deaths. Anyway, I’ll go read Civil War fix-it fanfics and fanfics where the Avengers are more like family. Fuck Civil War and I’m outta here.

Edit: okay this was a thought I had when I was trying to sleep but it was too good to ignore. Rhodey has a point about Steve arrogance (if that’s the correct term) in saying “the safest hands are our own” and here’s why:

Like he stated “this is not the World Security Council...neither is this SHIELD nor HYDRA” (paraphrased). This is the UN as well as 117 countries. Look, I am as anti-government as one can go and I don’t believe that the UN are reliable (plus, if we really want to go by the AoS version of the Accords, the Accords are flawed and they need amendments), however, given the US records on disrespecting boundaries in many third world countries, I can understand why 117 countries are wary about a bunch of superpowered Americans entering their country.

To us, the Avengers are saving the world. To these 117 countries and the people who have families who were killed in the crossfire (Zemo is a good example), the Avengers are a bunch of nuisances who leave destruction wherever they tread.

I am still neutral on the whole Accords as I don’t know exactly what it entails but for Steve to go “we are surrendering our rights to choose” (again, how is the Accords threatening the Avengers’ right to choose?) when asked to be under oversight is tone deaf.

#marvel cinematic universe #captain america civil war #team cap critical #mcu critical #not anti steve rogers btw #wanted to clarify #steve rogers critical

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abduloki · 4 years ago

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What I really think of John Walker

I’m aware that everyone has their own opinions on the character, some liking him while some hating him. So this is purely my own opinion which I look from a neutral point of view, neither liking him nor hating him.

Okay, first up, I don’t see him as a villain, in a sense that his intentions are good because he’s not someone who is greedy with power like Red Skull or enjoy killing people for the fun of it or wakes up everyday wanting to piss people off.

He’s an old school straight soldier following orders, regardless of what that order is, which is the first difference between him and Rogers, because Rogers will decide whether to obey or belay that order depending on what he thinks is right.

Remember that letter Rogers wrote to Tony at the end of Civil War? “I never really fit in anywhere, even in the army.”

What is a definition of a good soldier? A loyal and unquestioning follower who is willing to obey the orders of his superiors regardless of the nature of that order?

I don’t think Steve Rogers is someone who will follow an order blindly simply because it’s an order from the top because if he was an obedient soldier, he wouldn’t have ran off with Howard Stark and Peggy Carter on that plane to rescue Bucky and the others in The First Avenger. He would’ve shared whatever secrets he got from Fury with Alexander Pierce in The Winter Soldier and even disagreed with Fury on his helicarrier project of pre-emptive strikes. He would’ve agreed to sign the Accords or surrender to General Ross in Civil War.

Because that’s not him. He’s not an obedient soldier who trusts all those above him. He didn’t trust organizations because he thinks they are run by people with agendas. And agendas changed, as he said in Civil War. So every order he received, he will question it as to whether it is the right thing to do. This is what Dr Erskine meant, “Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.” Erskine used to work for the NAZI so I guess he’s seen people being killed and executed or at the mercy of men who were following orders. (Like Magneto eh?)

I’m guessing John must’ve done something terrible which he regretted in Afghanistan because he were simply following orders. And the guilt of this is weighing him down that he sees the symbol of Captain America as a new hope or redemption for him. But only to realize the stain of the past clings on him.

At first, I didn’t realize why John interrupts Sam’s negotiations with Karli and then I realize something. What if something similar happened in Afghanistan, where his comrade tried to negotiate with terrorists, lowering their defenses but only to be betrayed, ambushed and killed. That traumatizing experience must’ve shook him which was why he was extremely uncomfortable sitting around waiting and fearing something similar will happen again.

I think John is still suffering from PTSD and severe anxieties, he shouldn’t have been given the mantle of Captain America just yet because he tend to get extremely emotional and reactive which clouded his judgement based on past incidents. So when he see his war buddy, Lemar, probably, one of the last few who survived the war with him, died before his eyes, it must’ve triggered whatever that went down in Afghanistan and he got into a rage, remembering those he failed to save or those he killed because of orders.

So when he did not get the reactions and cooperation he was hoping for from Sam and Bucky when he don the suit, despite all the shit he went through to get where is now, he got agitated, thinking, who are these “righteous” guys thinking they’re better than me? I’ve been a good soldier all my life following orders that I don’t even like but I had to and even earn myself three god damn medals! And these guys just turn their backs on me and walk away just like that?

But he didn’t realize is that its not personal but they just hate seeing someone wearing the suit of their old friend and brother who is long gone. The person who fought alongside them for many years against human and alien threats. I mean, how would John feel if someone else wears the suit of Battlestar after Lemar’s death, feeling as if his war buddy is replaceable by just anyone. I’m sure, he’d be equally pissed, because no one can ever replace Lemar.

Now that I think about it, John, Lemar, Bucky and Sam should’ve sit their asses down with that therapy lady in a room and hash it out about what’s really bothering them and get that shit out of the way. What I’m trying to say is, both sides are right and both sides are wrong. They just fail to understand things from the other side’s perspective or what you call a communication breakdown. I think they need someone whom they can all trust as a leader to bring them together.

Question is, who?

I guess that’s life isn’t it. We only see and understand things from our own perspectives and never from the other side because we’ve never been on the other side, only our own. So we get pissed when others don’t understand what we’ve been through. The greatest challenge is trying to make the other side understand ours so that we could find a middle ground. But often times, we are dictate by our feelings and emotions more than logic and reason. I guess that’s what it means to human. Human with flaw.

As Zemo says, “How nice to find a flaw.” 😆

Posted : Apr 12

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naferty · 4 years ago

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Happy b-lated Birthday, @summerpipedream! Sorry I couldn’t get this out sooner. That gaming system yo.

Here’s some Avac Stony, but really it’s Nat trying to figure out the Stony happening under her nose and the shenanigans that follow.

~~~

Natasha has a suspicion. A suspicion of suspicions. A suspicion that revolves around one Steve Rogers - aka Captain America.

Natasha suspects that Steve is dating someone.

While that in itself doesn’t sound huge since everyone dates or try to date, because it’s Steve Rogers it means everything. Nat has been trying to set the guy up on dates for a while now and the list of people interested in him isn��t short. So she has a lot to work with and he has a lot to choose from, but she’s careful to separate those genuine to those who want something of gain in dating Captain America.

Nat considers Steve a friend. After months together in the academy, partnering in classes and sparring in their free time, she likes to think they’re pretty close. As much as a spy and America’s sweetheart can be. Which is bordering on best friend territory for her, meaning she has a duty to Steve to make sure he gets a date, maybe even a girlfriend out of it.

She has tried. Every other day per Steve’s request she has tried getting him dates. Ranging from classmates to SHIELD personnel and even some villains attacking the Academy. No dice. Steve has stubbornly refused to even consider them, when before he thought about it briefly before shaking his head.

Even Sharon Carter got the boot, who Natasha had been sure Steve was trying to ‘get sweet on.’ The two blonds talked, ate and even went to Club A together once way back when Sharon first arrived, but before Natasha could even suggest he ask her out the supersoldier flat out said “No, she’s just a very good friend.” After that, she didn’t see the two as close and wondered if her curiosity meddled in their relationship.

Natasha to this day remains baffled. All the signs pointed to the two dating at some point, but Steve just had to throw a wrench into all that (or maybe that had been Natasha’s own fault for jumping the gun?).

The star-spangled bastard. Making everything more complicated than it should be.

So now here is Natasha. Suggesting the new blood who just arrived to the Academy and Steve denying her before she could finish saying the new student’s name.

“I’m not interested in asking Carol out. Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s already seeing someone,” he says without looking up from his book.

“How are you sure?” Natasha hasn’t even heard the possibility of Captain Marvel taken. How could Steve?

“Call it a hunch.”

“And if your hunch is wrong?”

“Trust me, it’s not wrong with this. I ask Carol out, I’ll end up punch on the nose.”

A thought struck her. “Since when is Captain Marvel Carol to you? We just recruited her yesterday. I haven’t even seen the both of you together.”

The fingers tapping over the cover of the book freeze. Got him. Steve isn’t prepared for that question but he quickly recovers. The fingers resume their tapping. “We got together after class. Strictly as friends.”

Natasha smells a lie. “A date?”

“No, not a date.” He corrects. A little too quickly if you ask her. “Only friends.”

“But it could lead to a date?”

“Natasha,” Steve finally looks up. She’s clearly pushed him a little too much as evident by his very impressive frown. “There’s nothing going on between us. Carol and I are just friends. Nothing more. Nothing less. Drop it, and please stop trying to set me up with people. I’m not interested.”

Natasha takes in the words and her mind goes into overdrive. Steve isn’t interested? Outright just asked her to stop finding dates for him? When before Steve would just entertain her and go along with it until it eventually ended with him saying no.

Now, he wants her to plain stop and is even getting defensive about it.

Either Natasha pushed some buttons she shouldn’t have, Steve has reached his limit and is tired of her constant meddling or America’s sweetheart is already dating someone.

“Are you dating someone?” she blurts, automatically assuming the latter. It’s more fun than the first two.

She makes the right choice, as Steve’s mouth falls open, unprepared for it, and maybe a little panicked that she’s on the right track. She’s going to assume it’s that.

He clears his throat. “No, I’m not dating anyone.”

Natasha Romanov, the human lie detector, is out to play. “What’s her name?”

“Noone.”

“Strange name.”

“You asked.”

“Can you describe her?”

“There’s no one to describe.”

“Is she tall or short? Blond, brunette, or mail order?”

He shakes his head and stops, insulted. “Really?”

“Does she go to the Academy?”

“No.”

“Is she a hero we haven’t recruited yet?”

“No.”

“Is she from Earth?”

“No.”

“Is she old?”

“What? No!”

“Just checking. I don’t know if you’re into that.”

“Will you stop already. No, I’m not dating anyone.”

She gets a little frustrated. The man is good. She can only catch him lying about not dating anyone, but everything else he’s telling the truth. She doesn’t understand. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend, Nat. Stop asking already.” Annoyed now, but still not a lie. Steve looks away, back to his book. His sign that he’s very done with this conversation. Natasha isn’t.

He’s lying about not dating someone but he’s not lying about having a girlfriend. She takes in all this information. It starts clicking together. Pieces fitting perfectly. The reason he’s fooling her lie detector skills.

Because he’s telling the truth.

It’s not a girlfriend.

It’s a boy. Friend. A boyfriend!

The imaginary girlfriend doesn’t go to this school, or is a hero, or is from Earth. She’s not real.

But the boyfriend is.

“Are you dating anyone?” she tries again. Start over. Find the clues that’ll lead to the answer.

“No,” Steve answers automatically. He’s lying, but he’s also not paying attention anymore.

She goes for another tactic. Someone not focused can be easily duped. “Is it someone from the Academy?”

“No.”

A lie. Perfect. She has him. “Have we recruited them yet?”

“No.”

Another lie. “Are they from Earth?”

“No.”

Lie three. They’re from Earth. They’re here. They’re a boy. “Are they a hero?”

“No.”

A hero then. “Is it Sam?”

He sighs. “No.”

A truth. So not Sam, and if she knows Steve he’ll hang out with his boyfriend every chance he gets. So, someone he’s seen with often. “Is it Thor?”

“No.”

“Is it Bruce?”

“No.”

“Is it Clint?”

“No.”

“Is it Bucky?”

“No.”

That last one is meant to be sarcastic. She’s dating Bucky, but she’s also getting frustrated. Who else hangs out with this stubborn man?

Something moves in her line of vision. A person. Looking their way. Getting closer. Her eyes widen. No, it couldn’t be.

“Is it… Tony?”

“No.”

That’s a lie.

“Holy shit,” she blurts. “You’re dating Tony.”

Steve looks up. He’s trying to be neutral but Nat sees it in his eyes. He’s flustered. “No, I’m not dating Tony.”

“You are!”

“I’m not!”

“You’re dating Tony?”

He throws his hands up. “I’m not dating Tony. We’re just friends. Tony is just a friend.”

“Oh,” comes a voice from behind Steve.

Steve whirls in his seat, looking at the very man. “Tony!”

“You asshole,” Tony says, offended. He turns and starts walking away, shooting Steve a dirty look.

Steve gets up, panicking. “Tony, wait!”

Natasha looks on in shock. Her mouth almost touching the floor. Steve runs to catch up with Tony, leaving his book and Natasha in shock.

She certainly didn’t expect that.

She follows after them. She’s going to fix the little mess she made, but after that, she’s beating the two up for keeping this secret from her.

#text post #long text post #naferty writes #stony #stevetony #natasha and steve #avac stony #happy birthday summer!#though a little late #hope you like it!

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wolf-stark · 4 years ago

Note

You ask I deliver — both tfatws asks in one!

tfatws weekly ask 1

i finally saw ep1!! i wont be able to see ep2 until thursday at the earliest but i already have some Thots on this ep. here are the ones I remember

first is, and i'm so sorry for this, a grammar lesson. an appositive is when you stick an additional phrase in between commas, dashes, or the like. i actually just used one! the "and i'm so sorry for this" in the first sentence of this paragraph is an appositive. thing is, most english speakers don't normally use them when they speak, only in writing. so i'm always on high alert whenever i hear somebody in tv or movies use one. (it's generally a marker of bad screenwriting). anyway there was one right in the beginning of the episode. the white army guy yelling at sam wilson said "first lieutenant Torres, our intel officer, will be helping on the ground." yeah so. the writing of this series started out on the wrong foot for me. but the rest of the episode was obviously tons and tons better (every interview i see with malcolm spellman makes me love him more and more)

the contrast between the opening minutes (falcon action sequence) and the rest of the ep.... i would 100000/10 rather watch a series with just sam and bucky dealing with life. i dont give a single crap about the flag-smashers or any of that. i just want sam, sarah & fam getting their boating business back on the ground & yeeting racist dickwads, bucky going through therapy and making amends, sam and joaquin being bros, sambucky homoerotic tension, etc.

the cinnamontography! wandavision mostly used cinematography to signify era n stuff. tfatws doesn't have wv's premise to go off of, so here's some tricks i noticed:

with sam there's obviously all sorts of shots with the captain america iconography next to his face, but he hasn't totally claimed it. there's the mural of steve rogers in the background; there's sam staring into the shield like it's a spectre of steve's face; there's sam looking into the exhibit, the shield and sam separated by glass and a layer of camera focus. steve is a constant spectre, always there, an idea, a symbol himself. sam's relationship with this iconography is distanced. he is separated by glass exhibit walls. by painting canvases. he doesn't yet feel worthy to take on that iconography. this whole thing was pulled off quite well but also a bit on-the-nose if only in quantity. there's just sooooo much fancy iconography stuff

speaking of the exhibit, there's something that i get real pissy about. it's when like, there's an action going on you're supposed to be paying attention to but the cinematographer is like,,,, hey! check out this location! or this headline! or something! there was a lot of that in the exhibit. the camera was like, you could focus on sam and rhodey's convo (which was fine but could have been so much better with an extra like 10 minutes of deep character study talk) but noooo you want me to look at the symbol for the united nations and read all the text about bucky who hasn't even showed up yet. shut up i know the lore and ill watch the shot-by-shot breakdown yt vids you don't have to make the shot this long jkdsalcjklasejf

my fav trick was with bucky and the therapist. i had seen a clip of the scene with bucky and the therapist beforehand and i thought the cinnamontography was super obnoxious, but then i was like, oh duh. the shots frequently change the distance between the camera and its subject. sometimes it's uncomfortably close and sometimes it's really far. a clear allegory for the duality of therapy, esp for bucky! therapy is an invasive process wherein he is ruthlessly examined, picked apart, and berated for his trauma (this therapist is crap in every way btw, "mean therapist" works for greg house and greg house only). so the camera goes close. it makes the viewer claustrophobic like bucky. but when he's like "no i haven't had any nightmares" the camera suddenly goes really far. we see bucky as this tiny head in the center of the bottom of the frame. we are distanced from him. he has pushed us away. we cannot see him. he lies because he is vulnerable. so yeah, amazing work there. the therapy scene was hard to watch on purpose!

did bucky slip a note to yori inside the dollar bill? bucky stop making me emooooo. the suuper awkward fake smile has me 😭 (veteran trying to adjust!)

mark my worrrrds when sam asks someone y the govt picked john “white bread” walker they’re gonna say “we needed somebody everyone can get behind....someone uncontroversial, someone everyone can see themselves in” like that exact racist dog whistle

tfatws weekly ask 2

just saw ep2 so im taking advantage of the 2 seconds i can be on tumblr without worrying about tfatws spoilers before new episode drops

when isaiah said "your people put me in prison for being a hero" and bucky thought "your people" means hydra. 🤦‍♂️

speaking of racism, the interplay between sam being Black (anti-Black racism) and sam being the Falcon (negrophilia, "can i take a selfie w you as i deny you a loan?") and the intersection between the two (j*hn lichrally called sam "steve's wingman"! he takes the crypto out of crypto-racist in like 2 seconds!) !!!!!!!! a Black celebrity's Black experience, the separation of man and identity!!!! (thinking about vanessa bayer in snl in that skit "beyonce is black" telling her black friend "you're not black, you're...my girl!")

after sam gets racially profiled by cops we see j*hn standing in front of cop cars cinematic parallels turns out j*hn is racist who knew

this therapist sucks major ass but she got bucky and sam together in the same room and ready to collaborate...that's something ig. it was lichrally couple's therapy she said she used her miracle exercise with couples sambucky antis get blended

bucky says "he was wrong about you so maybe he was wrong about me"...that's not how people talk. when therapist asks bucky, the guy who doesn't talk at all about himself, "y do you hate sam", the last thing bucky's gonna do is actually connect his hatred of sam to his own self-worth issues. bucky generally refuses to talk about himself, so why would he talk about himself in the one context that nobody ever links back to their own neuroses: hatred of other people? one thing human beings hate most is admitting we're wrong. admitting you hate someone because of your own issues? that's a major therapeutic step. bucky would absolutely have to be prompted to do that. even like one or two lines of dialogue more would have set up that line better. but in terms of the actual thought? an amazing way to take the sam/bucky relationship. bucky bases his self-worth on steve believing in him, and if steve is wrong bucky has no self-worth, so 1) he has to develop self-worth disassociated from steve's assessment of him and 2) he has to love himself before he can love sam, and 3) he has to realize that sam giving up the shield is a sign of sam's humility not his unworthiness.

conversely, we don't get into why sam hates bucky? yeah sam has the right to hate a guy that has tried to kill him (albeit while brainwashed) multiple times, and now shows up in his life just to bash him but. everything happens so fast i cant follow their relationship

in fact i dont feel like i understood much of anything. like y did bucky and sam go on that mission together? how connected are sam/bucky/joaquin with the government? doesn't bucky just want to retire now? literally what is everyone doing/feeling and why???

if battlestar becomes a knowing commentary on the black best friend stereotype i'm gonna party, but i dont expect much of that

the interplay between man and symbol. captain america is obviously a symbol. the shield is obviously a symbol. but steve rogers? the. man behind the cowl? he too seems to become a symbol. a paragon of a good guy, so good he's unreachable. steve was just a guy stop idolizing him the last thing steve would want is to be idolized

as the resident musician/music nerd on mcublr, 1) that captain america rally music slaps, but 2) re: the song at the end of the ep, if you're just gonna rip off mozart's lacrymosa then at least play mozart's lacrymosa. we wont blame you the lacrymosa slaps (if you dont know what im talking about go on yt and search it up youll recognize it fo sho

look i love enfys nest as much as the next guy but if tfatws is gonna get erin kellyman to play another innocent little gurl blackmailed into the fakeout-villain position (her text seemed to suggest as such) then 😡 like why can't women just....be evil? young, freckly, innocent-looking women? girls are not untouchable pure objects but full of rage and resentment just as much as anyone can be

bonus ep1 comment: bucky says about that senator whose car he hijacked, "she continued to abuse the power i gave her." fictionaldarling on yt say that he says "i" because he can't disassociate himself from his winter soldier persona which begets endless and senseless guilt. like dude. can i not be emo for like 1 second.

OKay. First off, as much I enjoy your sending it to me, what made you decide to send me these??

TFATWS WA #1

Don't worry about getting this to me as early as possible. I usually don't watch the episode right away.

1. Cool writing lesson.

2. Everyone wants a comedy show [like Friends] about the MCU superheroes.

3. Cinematography is always a beautiful thing.

4. Sam definitely has to carve his own Captain America status for himself, outside of Steve's ya know everything.

5. They have to do that for people who was just now tuning in because they're in love with Sam Wilson or Sharon Carter.

6. I think the therapist was taking a 'tough love' approach for Bucky, because she likely has some very strong opinions about the literal assassin she's been assigned to give therapy too. She did not choose to talk to him, she was assigned that make that clear in the second episode.

And, Bucky isn't lying when he said it wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't a nightmare, it was a resurfaced memory. So, technically he wasn't lying - and yes, the camera does move away because while he's saying he didn't have a nightmare, he's not expanding on what actually happened - so, he's still pushing the therapist/us away.

7. Bucky, and Steve, have/had a TON to adjust to.

8. Yeah, I agree that will be the bullshit line they give. If they ever actually talk about it.

TFATW WA #2

Yeah, always got to take advantage of avoiding those spoilers lmfaoo.

1. Honestly, that line was double meaning. Both about White people and Hydra [which is made up of mostly white supremacists/nazis] So, the line is gesturing to both White People in general and Hydra assholes together. I think the terminology is “double edge sword”??

2. This whole paragraph structure confused me, ngl - so I'm going to answer it the best I can. I do like that they're not ignoring the fact that Sam being Black is 1000% the reason he's not the Official Captain America - because the gov't is racist as hell.

I also like the little lines about how they point out little things about Sam's Falcon persona, like that kid calling him 'Black Falcon' specifically and Sam's response show the split between Sam and Falcon itself.

John is a dick for calling Sam the wingman of Steve Rogers. Sam was a hero all on his own before Steve asked him to join up again. [Side note, it's lichrally??]

3. Exactly, the parallel of Sam being profiled and surrounded while just on the street and John being surrounded by fans and being able to spring Bucky with apparently only a few sentences shows a Loooooot

4. Honestly, at this point I wonder if she's not actually a therapist and is just an agent assigned to assess Bucky outside of an Official Building. I do know, however, that her 'look at each other and speak' exercise is actually a real therapy practice. It's just a little slower.

5. Actually, I think he would've blurted that out. That whole line. I don't think Bucky hates Sam. I think they could've done the scene better, but I think that had Sam prodded him/the therapist been more annoying Bucky would've lost control of his emotions and blurted out the whole "If he was wrong about you, he was wrong about me" but I feel like the writing for this show is just... not there. Sometimes you blurt shit when you get overemotional and I think that was what Bucky was supposed to be like.

6. I don't think Sam hates Bucky, I think he doesn't trust him though. I do wish they'd talked about that though. The whole 'talk to each other' scene should've been a LOT longer and a LOT slower.

7. Sam and Bucky's relationship is being fast tracked because they don't really know how to work the relationship out, writers-room-wise. Bucky is technically retired, but I feel like he's trying to live up to Steve's expectations and doing what Steve would've done and we all know that if Steve was there, Steve would've jumped on that plane with Sam. It looks like Sam/Bucky/Joaquin are a side-team based from Military services but as Sam says they're all free agents so...?

8. Sadly, They seem to just be propping up to be another stereotype.

9. Captain America is a symbol. Steve Rogers is a man. But now Steve Rogers is an idol because of all the shit he's been through and honestly, it's not a bad thing he's become an idol for people - it's using Steve as a reason to make White Bread Walker the next Captain that makes Steve's idolization so fucked.

10. I don't know anything about music so I have no opinion here, sorry.

11. Enfys?? Also, I think they did the whole Innocent Girl Thing as side commentary for Bucky lowering his guard about seeing a young girl rather than a guy.

12. Bucky is the Winter Solider. The Winter Solider is Bucky. That is how Bucky will always see it because although he was brainwashed, it was still him and he remembers all of it. When you have constant memories of something 'someone else' did, you tend to not be able to pull the two personas out of each other. I want Bucky to take up the title, White Wolf instead of Winter Soldier. Honest.

This is all my opinion, I’m honestly a little disappointed with the writing of TFATWS so far so... I’m not really optimistic about this.

#Asks

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multiverseforger · 4 years ago

Text

The United States and the world of Earth-807128 has been conquered and divided among supervillains, with territories belonging to the Abomination (later conquered by the Hulk), Magneto (later conquered by a new Kingpin), Doctor Doom, and the Red Skull, who has named himself President of the United States. Superheroes have been wiped out of existence, with the few survivors in hiding. Logan lives with his wife Maureen and young children Scotty and Jade on a barren plot of land in Sacramento, California, now part of the territory known as Hulkland. Needing money to pay rent to his landlords the Hulk Gang (the incestuous hillbilly grandchildren of the Hulk and his first cousin She-Hulk), Logan accepts a job from a blind Clint Barton to help him travel east to the capital of New Babylon and deliver a secret package (which Logan assumes to be drugs).[4]

Logan and Hawkeye encounter several diversions on their journey. They rescue Ashley Barton (who seems to be an aspiring Spider-Girl) from the clutches of the new Kingpin. She murders Kingpin and reveals her intention to seize his territory of Hammer Falls (formerly Las Vegas).[5]

They escape a cluster of Moloids who are destroying cities by sinking them from beneath the surface. They then get chased by a Venom symbiote-infused dinosaur (imported from the Savage Land), but they are rescued and teleported by the White Queen and Black Bolt.[6]

Throughout the story it is reiterated that the "Wolverine" persona died the day the villains attacked and that since then, Logan has refused to use his claws (yet is shown in Old Man Logan #14 (2016) using his claws once after this event, albeit briefly, to destroy the Silent Order's leadership). Flashbacks reveal that on the night the attack happened, a group of 40 supervillains attacked the X-Mansion. Unable to locate his teammates, Logan slaughtered the attackers to ensure the safety of the mutant children. As the last "attacker", Bullseye, was killed, Logan realized that the entire assault was an illusion created by Mysterio and his perceived enemies were actually his fellow X-Men. This destroyed Wolverine emotionally and mentally, and he fled the mansion and wandered away to a train track in shock and shame. Though he made a subsequent suicide attempt by allowing a freight train to run him over, Logan could not actually kill himself, but had effectively killed "Wolverine".[7]

Writer Mark Millar signing a copy of the collected edition during an appearance at Midtown Comics in Manhattan

When they arrive at the capital, Hawkeye delivers his package to an underground resistance group hoping to begin a new team like the Avengers. The package contains Super-Soldier Formula, enough to form an army, but Barton's clients expose themselves as undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They shoot and kill Logan and Barton.[6] Logan's body heals, and he awakens in Red Skull's trophy room amongst the armaments and costumes of fallen superheroes. Without using his claws, he kills Red Skull's men and engages Red Skull himself, eventually decapitating him with Captain America's shield. He grabs a briefcase of money (their intended reward for the delivery) and uses pieces of Iron Man's armor to fly back home.

Upon arriving, Logan discovers that, in his absence, the Hulk Gang murdered his family and left the bodies unburied. His neighbor, Abraham Donovan, states that Logan's family was killed when the Hulk Gang got tired of waiting for their payment. This results in Logan finally unleashing his claws.[8] He seeks out and slaughters the Hulk's grandchildren Beau, Bobbie-Jo, Charlie, Elrod, Eustace, Luke, Otis, Rufus and Woody before encountering Old Man Banner himself who displays monstrous strength, even in his human form. It is implied that the gamma poisoning in his body had begun to deteriorate his sanity in his old age. Banner reveals that while the murder of Logan's family was intended as a message to others, he really just wanted to get Logan angry enough to fight him because he had gotten bored with being a "super-villain landlord", like the others. In his Hulk form, Banner easily defeats Logan and then consumes him. Logan recuperates within Banner's stomach and bursts out, killing the Hulk. Afterward, he discovers a baby Hulk named Bruce Banner, Jr. A month later, Logan and his neighbors hold a small memorial for Logan's family. With nothing left of his old home, Logan then says he plans to defeat all the new world villains and bring peace to the land—with himself and Bruce Banner, Jr. being the first members of a new group of superheroes—before riding off into the sunset.[9]

Earth-21923 versionEdit

When the Multiverse was destroyed and Battleworld was created, a different version from an altered universe version of "Old Man Logan" called Earth-21923[a][10] is reborn on the Battleworld domain called the Wastelands, a re-creation of his native reality with his memories still intact, although he does not know how he arrived in Battleworld. After having declared to set his world right, Logan disrupts a poker game between the Gladiator and his Flying Devils, and he ends their human trafficking ring by killing them, freeing those imprisoned. While on the way back to meet with Danielle Cage, Logan witnesses the head of an Ultron Sentinel fall from above. Wishing to investigate further, he brings it along with him back home, where Bruce Jr. and Danielle also reside. After explaining this new development, he investigates the head's origins. He visits Hammer Falls and meets with the dying Emma Frost, and he learns that the head is from beyond the Wastelands, so he begins traveling beyond his domain.[11]

When Logan trespasses upon its borders, he is approached by an unidentified Thor of the Thor Corps. She attacks Logan with a lightning bolt for breaking Doctor Doom's laws, falling into the Domain of Apocalypse in the process. Already healed from the burns caused by the Thor's attack, Logan is attacked by Victor Creed (who is one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse) and his soldiers, but Logan is rescued by the X-Men and taken to their hideout, where they are attacked by Apocalypse and his other Horsemen.[12]

The battle that ensues is intervened by the Thor who attacked Logan earlier and as she argues with Apocalypse, Logan flees and hides. The Thor then demands to know to where he had run, but no one answers. Angry, she attacks both the X-Men and the Horsemen with a lightning bolt and then looks for Logan through the domain. When she is near the domain's walls, Logan climbs it and attacks her from behind. Enraged, the Thor attacks him with another lightning bolt and lets him fall into the neighboring domain of Technopolis, as she is attacked by Apocalypse's Infinite Soldiers. Logan is taken to Stark Tower by Baron Stark and Grand Marshal Rhodes, the Thor of that domain. After healing from his injuries, Logan awakens only to find himself in a totally different domain from the one where he was. He ends up fighting Rhodes, but is defeated and sent to the Deadlands as punishment for breaking Doom's laws.[13]

Due to his healing factor, Logan succeeds in fighting through hordes of zombies in the Deadlands. He takes shelter inside a cave where he finds an uninfected She-Hulk who has been there for a long time. He tries to convince her to throw him out of the Deadlands when the zombies find them. In a desperate attempt to save Logan's life, She-Hulk grabs him and jumps as high as she can to throw him out of the Deadlands as he had suggested, ultimately sacrificing her own life to do so. Afterwards, Logan finds himself in the Battleworld domain called the Kingdom of Manhattan.[14]

While wandering the city he has not seen in years, Logan meets this domain's Jean Grey and Emma Frost. They take him to meet the rest of the X-Men, as well as "his" son Jimmy Hudson. Logan later leads the superhero population of the Kingdom of Manhattan in a rebellion against God Emperor Doom. Subsequently, Logan finds himself in a new world.[15]

All-New All-Different MarvelEdit

Learn more

This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed.

Logan awakens on Earth-616 in New York City. He is not sure how he has been relocated, but he knows he is in the past. He decides to prevent his post-apocalyptic future. His first target is a minor villain named Black Butcher who, in his future, stole Scotty Logan's baseball cap. Logan easily kills him.[16]

Logan uses Black Butcher's workshop to prepare. He hears on the radio that the Hulk is in Manhattan. Logan confronts Hulk and after a brief fight, learns that the Hulk in question is actually Amadeus Cho and not Bruce Banner. After evading the police, Logan goes to Hawkeye's apartment in Brooklyn to ask for his help, but he finds Kate Bishop.[17]

He explains his situation and drops exhausted on Hawkeye's couch, awakening 33 hours later. Knowing that Logan is seeking Mysterio, Kate accesses the villain's last known whereabouts on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database. She demands to join Logan on his search. When they arrive, they find a man named Eddie and his unnamed partner there. Logan immediately attacks them, cutting off one man's hand despite them denying that they knew who Mysterio is. A horrified Kate tries to stop him, but Logan quickly neutralizes her as the two men escape. Logan chases them, but he is stopped by the arrival of Commander Steve Rogers.[18]

After gaining Logan's trust and bringing him to Alberta, Canada, Rogers reassures Logan that this is not his past by showing him the adamantium-coated corpse of his younger self. The sight reminds Logan to enjoy life, rather than brood over his own past ghosts. Although he tells Rogers what he had experienced in his timeline, Logan declines Rogers' offer of help.[19]

Logan later appears in Extraordinary X-Men where he decides to remain under the radar, believing his destiny was to kill the X-Men and determined to try anything to avoid it. He also vows to take out those who would orchestrate the villain uprising.[20] Logan catches the X-Men's attention when confronted by Cerebra. The X-Men believe Logan to be their late Wolverine.[21] Storm wants Logan to rejoin the team, but he declines.[22] The time-displaced Jean Grey of the past convinces Logan to change his mind and promises to stop him from killing the X-Men again.[20]

After taking a momentary leave, Logan decides to head to the old Weapon X facility where he initially met Maureen. He finds her, but she is still a child. The Reavers arrive at Killhorn Falls with Lady Deathstrike and attempt to hunt down Logan.[23] When Logan searches for Maureen's missing dog, he discovers its corpse which was killed by the Reavers. As the Reavers massacre the town, Logan singlehandedly kills them all and confronts Lady Deathstrike before saving Maureen. He is wounded multiple times, but Logan defeats Deathstrike. As she leaves, limping, Logan falls unconscious. Realizing that he failed to protect Maureen from the chaos, Logan decides to hunt down Lady Deathstrike.[24]

Logan returns to X-Haven where he has a nightmare about the villain uprising which quickly alerts Jean. In order to calm Logan, Jean assists Logan's travels to Manhattan where in his timeline, Daredevil, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight had been killed by Enchantress and Electro. While Punisher managed to kill Electro, he was stabbed by Kraven the Hunter. Cerebra then teleports Logan and Jean to Connecticut where Pym Falls would be established in Logan's timeline. It is here where Crossbones, and the rest of the villains with him, killed Wonder Man before Crossbones was stepped on by Giant-Man who also crushes Vulture with his hand. When Wasp was killed after shooting down Hobgoblin, Giant-Man was devoured by the Moloids that emerged from the ground when Avalanche shook the area around Giant-Man. Again not assured, Jean and Cerebra teleport Logan to Westchester County, New York where Logan was tricked by Mysterio into killing the X-Men. As Jean manages to assure Logan of no invasion, she takes Logan to Madripoor where he is greeted by Puck, Hawkeye, Steve Rogers, and Jubilee. Logan realizes that if and when the villain uprising comes, he will not need to face it alone.[25]

Logan goes to a bar in Tokyo as Patch, where he meets Eito, a minor crimelord. Logan attempts to bribe him for information on Lady Deathstrike's whereabouts, but the meeting turns out to be a ruse. He is gunned down by Eito's henchmen, but he heals and then slaughters them all. Before he kills Eito, Logan interrogates him and learns that Lady Deathstrike is in a remote village. Logan travels there, noting that it is where he and Maureen had attempted to find refuge in his past. The village is seemingly abandoned, but he finds Yuriko chained to a wall, begging for his help. He is then ambushed by a ninja clan, the Silent Order. Four days later, he awakens in a well and attempts to climb out, but he is shot down by Sohei, the Order's leader. Once Logan succeeds in climbing out of the well, he sees he is in a temple and Lady Deathstrike is in a cage. He is attacked by Sohei and the rest of the Silent Order. Logan is overwhelmed by the horde of ninjas, so he has no choice but to free Lady Deathstrike. After Logan and Yuriko manage to kill all of the ninjas, she attempts to kill Sohei, but is cut down by him, causing her to stumble back into the well. Just as Logan attempts to confront Sohei, he is telekinetically assaulted by his unwitting enforcer, a mutant child called the Silent Monk, whose older self Logan had killed in his timeline. The Monk has had a vision of his death and tries to kill Logan by throwing him into the well over and over again. Lady Deathstrike throws an arrow into the Silent Monk's thigh, causing him to fall in. Logan then threatens to kill the young mutant unless Sohei releases he and Yuriko. Sohei calls Logan's bluff, but knows that Yuriko is more than willing to murder a helpless child. Sohei agrees to their demands, just as the Silent Monk regains consciousness and lashes out. The Monk transforms into a giant creature as his powers run wild. Logan convinces the young boy to read his mind, assuring the Monk that Logan's future will never likely come true. The young boy then realizes that Sohei has been manipulating him and subdues Sohei and the remaining Silent Order ninjas. Logan offers to take the Silent Monk to X-Haven, to which he accepts.[26]

One day at X-Haven, Logan is approached by Cerebra, who informs him of Jubilee's disappearance. Logan begins his search by going to Jubilee's apartment, only to find her infant son, Shogo, by himself. Logan leaves the baby in Cerebra's care before telling her to teleport him to wherever Jubilee was last located, which is Romania. Soon after arriving, Logan encounters the Howling Commandos who mistake him for a vampire and attack him. After the misunderstanding is cleared, their leader Warwolf informs Logan of their war with Dracula. Dracula has been psychically calling all vampires to his castle which, Logan deduces, must include Jubilee. The Commandos attack Dracula's castle while Logan sneaks in, but are subdued by his army, led by Vampire by Night, who is under Dracula's control. Logan finds Jubilee who, also under Dracula's control, begs him to save her. Just as he lets his guard down, Dracula attacks Logan from behind, biting him. Logan fights Dracula as his healing factor fights off the vampirism. The Vampire King easily beats the weakened Logan, who then passes out. Logan wakes up in the dungeon, along with the Howling Commandos. As Dracula taunts them, Jubilee begins resisting his control. Logan encourages her to fight back just before Man-Thing and Orrgo break in to free everyone. Dracula threatens to kill Jubilee as Logan approaches him. Now free from his control, Jubilee throws Dracula towards Logan, who then impales him. After a brief scuffle, Orrgo grabs Dracula and exposes him to the sun. Logan then proceeds to decapitate Dracula, freeing his thralls. Logan instructs Cerebra to throw Dracula's head into the sun in order to prevent or at the very least, delay his resurrection. Later, Logan spends time with Jubilee and Shogo over dinner.[27]

Logan awakens in a desert, his memory hazy. Logan realizes that he is somehow back in the Wastelands, as he is attacked by the Venom T-rex. After killing the beast, Logan retraces his steps and remembers receiving a distress call from Puck, who he and the rest of Alpha Flight were trapped in an abandoned space station formerly owned by Reed Richards. After going into space and entering said space station via X-Shuttle, Logan found it infested with the Brood. He managed to kill the Brood drones that attacked him and proceeded to look for Alpha Flight, only to find most of them encased in cocoons. Logan was then attacked by Sasquatch and Abigail Brand, who had been converted into Brood drones. He was saved by Puck at the last minute and the two escaped through an air vent. After finding a safe place to regroup, the hull was ripped open, causing Logan to be pulled into space. Logan regained consciousness aboard the Alpha Flight Squadron Jet, piloted by Puck, who had saved him. The two then snuck back onto the station. Logan and Puck were discovered by the Brood, forcing them to fight. The Brood then inexplicably disappeared. Logan goes back to his old house looking for Dani Cage and Bruce Banner Jr. only to find it seemingly abandoned. Logan then hears a noise and finds Dani bound in the closet. She tells him that Bruce has been kidnapped by Kang the Conqueror. Logan then sets out to hunt down Kang down and rescue the baby. Logan's search leads him to Niagara Falls, where he is assaulted by some thugs and kicked down a cliff. Logan regains consciousness and soon encounters a hysterical Puck, surrounded by the corpses of Alpha Flight. Puck warns Logan about the "Warlord of the Wastelands" just before Kang reveals himself. Kang claims to have taken the baby in order to prevent the Warlord's rise to power, confusing Logan. They are confronted by the Warlord, who is revealed to be a fully grown Bruce Banner Jr. As the Warlord beats Logan, Puck urges him to remember what has happened. It is revealed that the X-Men came to help, but were converted by the Brood and that Logan's experiences in the Wastelands were an illusion created by Jean Grey. Jean telepathically assaults Logan by forcing him to relive his greatest crimes and failures. He resists the attack and kills the parasite controlling Jean. Jean shuts down the Brood hive mind, freeing everyone from its control. In the aftermath, Logan resolves to go back to the Wastelands to save baby Bruce.[28]

Logan seeks help from the foremost experts on time travel and sorcery, including Magik, Beast, Shaman, Cable, Wiccan, Doctor Doom, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange, who all refuse to help him, due to how his plan might affect the timestream. Desperate and left with no options, Logan breaks into the Cellar: a maximum-security super-prison. After subduing the guards, Logan is confronted by Spider-Man, whom he distracts by freeing some of the inmates. Logan then enters the cell of Asmodeus, a servant of Satannish and makes him an offer.[29] Asmodeus states to Logan that he would help him in his mission if he picked up some of his things. Afterwards, Asmodeus begins to help Logan in his mission to rescue Bruce Banner Jr.[30] After reliving each moment, Logan finally arrives in the current time, where he finds that the remainder of the Hulk Gang are now working for an unidentified version of Maestro. Logan discovers that Maestro has rounded up the remaining members of the Hulk Gang in his plan to make a paradise for all Hulks on Earth-616. Hearing about what Logan did, Hawkeye followed Logan to his timeline and helped to fight the Hulk Gang. With help from the Cambria Banner (A member of the Hulk gang who defected), Logan and Hawkeye of Earth-616 were able to defeat Maestro and the surviving members of the Hulk Gang went their separate ways. Afterwards, Logan and Hawkeye returned to Earth-616.[31]

During the "Civil War II" storyline, Maria Hill recruited Logan to investigate the missing S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. He was saved by Wolverine (X-23) before he can be eaten by Fin Fang Foom. Ulysses Cain's vision stated that Logan would kill X-23's clone Honey Badger. This led to Captain America and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to show up to arrest Logan moments after Logan, Wolverine, and Honey Badger defeated the burglars. While a similar event happened during the conflict, Honey Badger survived Logan's attack as Logan commented that he killed the X-23 of his world due to his hallucination. After Wolverine threatened to have Logan thrown in jail if Honey Badger is harmed again, Logan quoted to Honey Badger that he will come after her if Wolverine is harmed. After Honey Badger threatened Logan, Wolverine and Honey Badger told Captain America that they are not partaking in the second civil war.[32] Ulysses Cain's latest vision has him in the Wastelands where he meets Logan after he saves Ulysses from a Hulk. Ulysses learns that the Inhumans left Earth when Tony Stark "pushed her too far".[33]

During the "Inhumans vs. X-Men" storyline, Inferno and Iso escape through Eldrac to get away from Wolverine, only to end up running into Logan.[34] While Inferno distracts Logan, Iso discovers Forge nearby with a device that the X-Men are planning to use to destroy the Terrigen Cloud. Iso and Inferno manage to defeat Logan and Forge, then flee as they take Forge prisoner.[35]

During the "Monsters Unleashed" storyline, Logan is seen fighting Leviathons in Louisiana and receives help from Monstrom.[36]

During the "RessurXion" storyline, Logan is seen as a member of Kitty Pryde's new Gold Team of X-Men as they fight Mesmero's incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants. It was discovered that the members were under Mesmero's control on behalf of Lydia Nance. After the Brotherhood of Mutants was defeated, the X-Men track down Lydia Nance and state that they will come for her if she tries anything against them again.[37]

While spending some alone time in the woods as part of the "Weapons of Mutant Destruction" storyline, Logan is attacked by Weapon X cyborgs, forcing him to team up with Sabretooth to confront the current iteration of the organization, whose goal is to hunt mutantkind to extinction.[38] This experiment led to the creation of Weapon H.[39]

Logan later went on the trail of the Regenix drug which took him to Ikebukuro where he fought the head of the operation and the Crazy Thunder Gang. After being directed to Touku Kenmochi, he learns that he has died and meets with his widow Asami where she stated that Touku was coerced into bringing the Regenix samples to the Crazy Thunder Gang. Their conversation is crashed by the Hand Ninjas led by Gorgon and Scarlet Samurai. When Logan was subdued, Gorgon ordered Scarlet Samurai to remove her helmet as Logan discovered that Scarlet Samurai is the resurrected Mariko Yashida who hesitated to attack Logan enabling him and Asami to get away. When the Silver Samurai wanted to ally himself with Logan, he agreed in exchange that he doesn't kill Mariko and that Touku and Asami's child is taken care of. When Logan and Silver Samurai attack the Hand's Regenix operations, Silver Samurai fought Gorgon while Logan fought the Hand Ninjas to confront Mariko. After Gorgon got away, Silver Samurai injected nanites into Mariko to break the Hand's control over her. Afterwards, Logan and Mariko sent Silver Samurai to destroy the Regenix shipments in Madripoor.[40]

Recently, Old Man Logan, Lady Deathstrike, and Sabretooth were captured by a group of anti-mutant terrorists called the Orphans Of X and were all killed, having all their heads blown off by bullets covered in Muramasa metal and their healing factors nullified temporarily, until being rescued by X-23 Wolverine. They were later revived.[41]

Dead Man LoganEdit

After defeating an alternate version of the Maestro, Logan recognized that he was dying of old age, now relying on regenix to supplement his failing healing factor. He decided to set out to return to his original timeline after sorting out a few loose ends in this one, which included eliminating Mysterio so that the villain could never attempt the same feat he accomplished in Logan's past. Mysterio was recruited by Neo-HYDRA and Miss Sinister when they learned about Logan's history, but Mysterio eventually turned against Neo-HYDRA to aid the Avengers when he learned that Neo-HYDRA intended to kill him once they had won. Mysterio subsequently faked his death after Logan and the Avengers defeated Neo-HYDRA.[42]

After a meeting with his resurrected counterpart, Logan asked Mariko to keep an eye on the version of his future wife in this timeline before he returned to the Wasteland via a time portal created by Forge.[43] Returning to the Wastelands, Logan engaged the Joseph Manfredi and his henchmen who are allied with Lizard in Florida, the Creel Gang in Georgia, and the Phantom Riders in Nashville, Tennessee. When Logan was captured by cannibals operating in the Ozarks, he is saved by Danielle Cage and Bruce Banner Jr. who inform him that a lot of villains like the Punisher Gang are looking for him after what he did to Red Skull and Hulk. What happened to Red Skull and the Hulk Gang caused a power vacuum in the Wastelands. After a fight with the Tranquility Temple that tried to kill him and Bruce Banner Jr., Logan drove his group to the Badlands where they met with Forge and Dwight Barrett. Forge's lair was attacked by Sabretooth and his clones. Forge unleashed an unstable Speedball from him container who destroyed the Sabretooth clones as Sabretooth made off with Bruce Jr.[44] Tracking Sabretooth to a Weapon X facility, Logan and Danielle discovered that the head of the Weapon X facility is Mister Sinister who created the Sabretooth clones and claimed that he orchestrated the villains' rise to power which Red Skull took the credit for. After Logan and Danielle Cage rescued Bruce Banner Jr., they got chased by the Sabretooth clones until Danielle picked up Mjolnir and became the new Thor.[45] Logan would eventually meet his end after killing Sabretooth and Mister Sinister, weakly affirming that his healing factor has finally worn out and he just exhausted his final vial of Regenix. Dani and Bruce take him back to the graves of his deceased family and he dies looking up into the sun. After burying Logan with his family, Danielle Cage, now acting as the new Thor, Bruce Banner Jr. as the new Hulk, and Dwight Barrett as the new Ant-Man, formed a new incarnation of the Avengers and vow to keep fighting the opposition until they can find a place they can call home.[46]

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thattennisgirl · 6 years ago

Text

Loki x Fem! Reader - First Impressions

Holy cow, two fics in one weekend. Thought I would write something as a thank you for all the love I have received on my last fic, as well as a thanks to my followers!

Summary: The reader is a former SHIELD Agent and now an employee for Stark industries. You work in the Avengers Facility and meet the newest member of the Avengers, Loki Laufeyson, a now “reformed” villain.

Set in an AU where Loki is part of the Avengers as part of an agreement for the Asgardians to settle in part of Norway. Post Thor-Ragnarok.

Word Count: 1,311

Warnings: Language

The incredibly wise Bruce Lee had once stated: “the most dangerous person is the one who listens, thinks and observes.” You had thought nothing of it, but now, in retrospect, you could see the truth behind that quote. Especially now that the only thing standing between you and probably one of the most dangerous persons on the Earth was a glass panel for the observation room.

You looked down at the large training room from your vantage point, you could see some of the Avengers training. To the normal eye, nothing seemed extraordinary, but you had been trained by SHIELD prior to its collapse, to spot anomalies. And this was one of them.

If someone did not recognize him on the street, they may have considered him to be an extremely attractive man, perhaps even a model. His dark raven hair was in soft waves and fell to his shoulders. His pale skin was smooth and flawless, with a complexion that many women would kill for. His sharp cheekbones and regal nose were accented by beautiful green eyes. You found your gaze examining him further to examine his athletic build. Compared to Thor, he would likely be considered an opposite, since it seemed nearly all Asgardians had bodies similar to bodybuilders. Loki however, despite not being overly muscular, you did not doubt that he had a more lean strength to him.

Not to mention, he was tall. Incredibly tall, towering over almost all of the Avengers.

But it wasn’t only his features that warned you of the danger of the Asgardian. It was the way he held himself, but also the way his emerald eyes flickered over his companions in an almost detached way. He was a natural observer, able to recognize underlying emotions, lies, and truths. It would appear that there was more to this God than mere magic tricks.

From what Maria Hill had told you, the God who had invaded New York all those years ago was no longer the same person. He was what Thor proclaimed to be a reformed villain, but not without flaws.

“Ready to meet your new partner?” Maria asked you, jerking you out of your stare to look at her in surprise.

“Sorry?”

“We’re working to get Loki more adjusted to working with different team members. You may not be an Avenger, but it will be good for the two of you to work together. You certainly have the experience with working undercover.” Maria explained nonchalantly, moving towards the door, without waiting for you to follow.

You stumbled after her, trying to desperately to shake off your shock. You were going to work with him? You were familiar with the Avengers members, but this, this was an entirely different ballgame.

“Ah, there is Lady Hill and Lady Y/L/N!” Thor proclaimed excitedly, causing the gazes in the room to shift towards you and Maria. You had to keep yourself from nervously fumbling with your hair at the attention. Instead, you settled for holding your hands behind your back. Knowing that you probably shouldn’t, you felt your gaze gravitate towards the other Asgardian in the room, whose sharp green eyes were already trained on you. For a moment, your heart was stuck in your throat and it felt like adrenaline was racing through your veins. He was dangerous, so incredibly dangerous from what you could tell from his stare alone, and yet, he was cool and composed. Were you the only one concerned about this?

Loki had noticed your stare and met your gaze unflinchingly. You were beautiful, at least in terms of Midgardian standards. From what Thor had said, Loki distinctly recalled that Thor had mentioned you were a former SHIELD agent before its demise. There was a special draw of danger that Loki could sense from you. Loki raised a single dark brow as you stared at him, tilting his head in mild interest.

You quickly looked away from Loki, having to remind yourself it was a terrible idea to stare at the Asgardian. You followed Maria to the ground floor of the training room, while Captain America ordered the Avengers to proceed with training.

You had just made it to the floor when a sudden movement caught your eye. You looked to your left in time to see Loki pull out his daggers in a smooth motion. He must have pulled them out from his sleeves you reasoned as you watched him swipe at Thor who had predicted the movement and blocked him quickly. He was fast, you realized as you tried to track his movements with your eyes. Loki moved efficiently, a trained fighter but with much more fluidity and grace compared to Thor. Thor, however, looked more panicked, at the idea that his brother may actually stab him.

According to Bruce Banner, that was a common occurrence between the two.

“Loki!” Captain America said sharply, enough to make Loki pause in his movements to glare at him. “Meet your new partner for the upcoming operation out of France. This is Y/N.”

Loki glanced at you rather nonchalantly as if uninterested and perhaps even bothered by the presence of another human. You couldn’t help but feel a little bit of annoyance at him, first with his careless attitude towards his fellow Avengers, and now you. However, Loki was rather curious about the former SHIELD Agent, and what made you so special that Stark would hire you.

“I’m Loki, you may have heard of me.” Loki stepped closer, flashing a pearly smile that certainly would have caused other females to blush and smile. His accent smoothly covering his words.

But not you, instead, your annoyance increased at his arrogance.

You clenched your fist, willing yourself to not hit him, to not invite further animosity between the two of you. The two of you would be working together, you had to be amicable. But Loki was a natural instigator, and read your signs of irritation easily which caused him to grin.

“Truly Thor, I thought she would have been much prettier.” Loki looked over at Thor and smirked.

You then proceeded to throw a right hook, watching with some sense of satisfaction as Loki was caught off guard. You were much faster than he had anticipated, and he stumbled back for a moment in surprise.

His green eyes darkened dangerously and you realized that hitting a God much taller than you may have not been your best move. But it sure as hell had been satisfying.

Loki could hardly believe that you dared to hit him, and while you were certainly a beautiful little thing, he was not about to let that go unpunished.

“You’re going to pay for that.” Loki spat, his gaze now zeroed in on you.

“Am I?” You grinned, trying to maintain a fearless face even though your heart thudded in anticipation and fear.

Loki launched himself at you without hesitation, his daggers drawn, and you, with daggers of your own. For a few moments, as the two of you exchanged blows, some of the Avengers were concerned about your safety. Finally, after you and Loki had managed to disarm each other, Thor reached in to separate the two of you.

You smiled as the God stumbled for a moment, before glaring at you with green eyes that flashed dangerously while he breathed heavily. “Honestly, I thought you would have been much stronger,” You taunted.

Loki frowned at you while Steve moved in to pull you away.

“First impressions matter,” Steve muttered. Loki couldn’t help but agree, although you had been an annoying little Midgardian, you had certainly proved your ability to withstand a challenge. And he hated to admit it, but he admired you for it.

Yes, the two of you would make excellent partners.

#loki #Loki Laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x you #loki fanfic #loki (marvel)#reader fanfiction

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marvelficrec · 6 years ago

Note

do you have any 100k stony?¿

Massive list of 100k+ stevetony fics for your slow burn needs (under the cut cause there’s 20+ fics!!)

REBIRTH SERIES - 300k - i love

If you think of life and death on a continuum, finding the point where it tips is complicated. It cuts across all political lines and gets to the root of our humanity. It requires faith informed by years of intimacy that you’re doing what’s right for your loved one.

But Tony is just a man. And there’s only so much he can do.

(Or that time when Tony does what is necessary to survive just so that he can continue to fix things and makes extremely rash decisions; because even if Steve may have left him behind, doesn’t mean Tony would do the same. Kind of.)

Deep in the Heart of Me - 256k

Veteran single dad Steve runs a tattoo shop. For his 40th birthday, Pepper arranges for Tony to get that tattoo he always wanted, and he winds up with the mother of all crushes instead. Jumping out of airplanes is one thing, but falling in love is something else entirely. Steve struggles with the idea of actually letting someone into his life. Tony is left trying to keep his heart from being broken while Steve figures things out.

I Said “I Love You,” What Does it Matter if I Lie to You? - 96k (its almost 100k, I love it too much to not rec)

18 year old Tony Stark is your typical teenager. Well, except for how he’s the playboy billionaire heir to Stark Industries and working on two PhDs. Oh, and 6 months ago he was kidnapped by - well, no one really knows who. Since his rescue (excuse you, Tony liberated himself), he’s also been keeping a pretty big secret. Here’s a hint: it’s shiny, red and gold, and flies. Tony’s had a productive couple of months, but the fact that his grandfather keeps trying to hire bodyguards for his “safety” is really putting a cramp in his ability to keep his secret superhero identity, well, a secret.

Steve Rogers wakes up in 2015 and finds out that he’s missed 70 years (Oh god, does this mean he’s 94?), a revelation that he handles with much less grace than usual. Mostly, Steve just wants to be Captain America again, but on his own terms and without a lot of fanfare. To fill the time while Steve tries to figure out the best way to resurrect a dead superhero, his good friend Isaac Stark offers him a job: bodyguard to Isaac’s grandson, Tony Stark - who seems to get into a surprising amount of trouble for a teenager. “There’s no better introduction to the 21st century than through Tony,” says Isaac. Somehow, Steve is not reassured.

Paved With Good Intentions (I’m on the road to hell) - 194k

When the mysterious group of vigilante assassins known only as ‘The Avengers’ are tipped off about the dirty secrets that lie within Stark Industries, Steve Rogers has his heart set on taking out Tony Stark for good in order to protect the rest of the world from his evil. He’s seen the footage, after all- Stark is a man who fights only for himself. And of course, when a job arises as chief bodyguard for Stark, to protect him from the growing threat of an ominously infatuated stalker, the opportunity is way too good for him to miss out on. It’s the perfect placement, and the perfect way to find out whether or not their tipoff is genuine.

But as Steve falls into rank as the new bodyguard for Mr. Stark and he spends time getting to know and protect him, his initial hatred begins to falter and merge into something different, something far more terrifying than the prospect of killing the face of Stark Industries.

Steve Rogers may just be falling in love with him instead.

America Isn’t Chicken - 130k - eh.

After a Civil War, death, rebirth, a takeover by Osborn, brain deletion, and the fall of Asgard, Steve and Tony might just be starting to get back on solid ground with one another. Things aren’t perfect, not yet, but they can be in the same room as each other without resorting to violence, and they’ve even managed to share a smile or two.Seems like the perfect time, then, for Tony to try and fuck it all up with a stupid game of gay chicken.

Meanwhile, as if he didn’t have enough to worry about, Tony realizes some kind of supervillainous trouble is brewing when increasingly advanced armors start popping up all over Manhattan, looking strangely reminiscent of his tech. On the other side of the world, Steve gets news that Zola is on the move in Russia, with some sort of nefarious plan at work.

Which will ruin them first? Will it be this unknown armored villain who is after Tony’s tech? Or will it be Zola unleashing his mysterious plan on the world? Or will Steve and Tony prove to be their own worst enemies, destroying the tentative truce they managed to forge with their own stubbornness?

Blue Lips, Blue Veins verse - 307k

Tony Stark is Iron Man.

Before that, he was an man with bigger heart than brain. Before that, he was an asshole with a bigger mouth than sense. And before that, he was was a scared little boy. Not that it matters. Stark’s always have had iron in their backbone.

Scatterlings and Orphans - 210k

It’s really got to say something about a guy when you can defeat Doombots, AIM, Interdimentional Yeti, SHIELD’s systemic obfuscation, Asgardian Gods, Fox News, and also kick some serious Alien ass with a guy, and still want to punch him in the head over dinner, hasn’t it? Tony’s sure that means something.

Wipe Your Tears Away - 121k

Steve likes taking care of his team. It gives him focus in a confusing new world. But one member of the team never learned that it’s okay to be taken care of. Until the night Tony gets a concussion, and his deepest secret - that, when he’s absolutely sure he’s alone, he likes to role play being a toddler - comes out into the open and affords Steve the perfect opportunity.

Sixpence In His Shoe - 103k

Steve and Tony should really read the fine print on what they’re signing. Then again, some mistakes are not really mistakes.

almeno tu nell'universo - 114k - good! nice!

Tony drives off.

Well, he wants to.

But he can’t.

Because.

Steve Rogers is in front of his car.

Steve fucking Rogers. Is in front of Tony’s fucking car.

Double Time - 123k

Cassino, Italy, December 1943. Special Agent Tony Stark, former Marvels adventurer, is sent to investigate a Cosmic Cube found by the Invaders – and it’s the perfect opportunity for him to rekindle his secret romance with Steve Rogers. But when Hydra attempts to steal the Cube, an inadvertent wish for help leads to the appearance of a Tony from the future of another world: Director Stark of SHIELD. This Tony is a man with a lot on his mind. He refuses to tell them anything about the future, but he seems to know much more than he should about Captain America. And something’s happened that’s clearly killing him inside, but he’s not talking. When Director Stark’s failed attempt to return home leads to the unexpected appearance of another visitor from his universe, all the lies come undone. Now there are two wars to fight, and the second one could ruin all of them.

Irreparable - 131k - WIP but good

Forgiveness is a journey, or so Tony was maybe told a long time ago. He doesn’t know about any of that and doesn’t particularly care to. In the wake of civil war, the Avengers remain, as do their enemies. And Tony Stark rebuilds, as always.

He destroys the phone, he burns the letter. But he can’t (he won’t) eliminate Steve Rogers from his mind.

Blank Space - 113k

During a fight with Doom, Steve is hit with a spell that takes all of his memories from his time as a Super Soldier. The last thing he remembers is going in for the Project Rebirth experiment. Now he’s being told it is 80 years later, he’s a Super Soldier called Captain America, and he leads a team of other super powered people.

One week earlier Tony finally takes the leap and makes a move on Steve. It works out great and they start dating, without telling anyone. Now Steve doesn’t even remember ever knowing him and Tony doesn’t know how to tell the guy from the 1940’s that they are in a relationship.

Sins of Omission - 155k - another WIP but good

A Post-Civil War, Pre-Secret Invasion AU where Steve is dead, Tony’s a mess, and everything sucks.

In which Tony deals poorly with Steve’s death, falls off the wagon, sees ghosts, and misses a lot.

Oh, and the Skrulls are about to invade.

Resurrection Verse - 338k

Doom brings Steve back from the dead. Hijinks ensue, some of which might vaugely be considered plot.

Even the Light is an Illusion - 102k

Death threats are an unfortunate side-effect of being Tony Stark, so he’s learned to ignore them. The problem is, when someone really wants you dead, hiding your head in the sand just kinda exposes your ass.

But it’s not just Tony’s behind on the line. Whoever wants him dead wants him to suffer first, and they’re willing to do anything to make that happen. Tony knows there’s only one way out. To save Steve, the Avengers, and the general public, Tony has to die. Of course, death isn’t always the end, and Tony does what any other self-disrespecting scientist would do: he finds a way to fake his death and avenge his own murder.

The trouble is, terrible decisions usually have a terrible price, and this one is no different. Tony has a chance to save the day, but the cost may be more than Tony was ever expecting to pay…

In Which Tony Stark Builds Himself Some Friends (But His Family Was Assigned by Nick Fury) - 343k

Steve takes things like personal responsibility and respect seriously. Tony’s got people he pays to take care of that kind of thing, and anyway, he’s pretty sure that he’s going to die of some exotic disease in his workshop, because Dummy’s still a little spotty about what is 'clean’ enough to put on an open wound. The rest of the Avengers are in this for personal gain, except for Clint, he just enjoys being a dick.

And some things shouldn’t be a chore.

Earth-1796 - 619k

Captain America respectfully requests that all complaints be addressed to him in writing. On paper, the nice old-fashioned way, because the computer screen hurts his eyes.

Put your phone down, Tony.

Road To War verse - 177k

Tony rebuilds, modifies. Takes fragments and gives them new order. He does not create. He can’t, not anymore. Not after this.

Or: After the events of Ultron, Tony rebuilds the tower by himself and shuts everything out to the point that Pepper takes desperate measures and asks Steve to come and help.

Pulse, Beat, and Measure verse - 134k

You should always meet your heroes. (Or: Tony Stark, formerly of Marvels magazine, encounters Captain America, formerly nobody special, at a party in 1942.)

Tales of the Bots - 514k

When Tony Stark was seventeen years old, he built his first AI. On that day, he ceased to be his father’s creation, and became a creating force in his own right.

That one act likely saved his life, and not always in the most obvious ways.

Truth Behind Masks - 98k - close enough, and its good so

Steve Rogers has plenty of friends. He just doesn’t know two of them are the same man.

That’s just how Tony Stark/Iron Man likes it. Until he comes to regret it.

#ope thats a lot #asks #long #stevetony #tony stark #stony #tonysteve #Steve Rogers #fic rec #stony fic rec

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singtheskyandfightlikehell · 5 years ago

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i think it finally clicked fully why i’m still mad about civil war all this time later (and it’s not just bc cap 3 became avengers 2.5 meaning i was robbed of a cap movie)

i said the other day that comics and comic related content should have two main moods: goofy/campy/cheesy and bold. the superhero content we get today is presented as bold but it’s about as bold as a cup of tea that’s been sitting out for 30 minutes is hot

civil war had the opportunity to push the motivations behind the two “teams”. instead we got the same handful of actions scenes and poster shots that marvel gives us every fucking time

if civil war had been done properly, we should have gotten a genuinely vulnerable monologue from tony about his guilt, pried from under the egotistical monologues we got. we should have gotten to see the weight of constantly choosing between two evils crushing him. the desperation to not have the responsibility of that choice

AND THEN (more importantly) we should have seen the 100% low-hanging fruit that would be a bold motivation for cap. steve fought the nazis. that is undeniable. in fact, captain america punching hitler is one of the most iconic pieces of artwork out there, and it was certainly a bold move at the time it was made (recall that the US had not yet entered the war and there was little call among americans for them to do so, certainly not on the side of the allies)

to me, it seems clear steve’s motivation for opposing the accords, besides his disregard for the law from long before his cap days: he’s seen humanity at its worst time and time again. not only this, but an organization he trusted, one he took orders from turned out to be overrun by the nazi group hydra. why in the ever-loving fuck would he sign away his right to decide when to intervene and when to sit back when more than half of the authorities he followed and believed to be good people were actually nazis?

marvel could have done that. they could have made this clear. they could have brought in current events and the rise of fascism, white supremacists, and neo-nazi organizations. they could have unapologetically stated that these ideologies were both insidious and villainous and that good people must constantly be on the lookout for this sort of thing. that anyone who opposes hate is a hero. that government organizations can be overrun with hate.

marvel could have used civil war to make any or all of these statements, they could have explored complex topics and been bold. instead, we got more cookie cutter fight scenes and manpain

so yeah, i’m still mad about it

#anyways #long post #it's just me ranting #tbh what's the point in comics that aren't cheesy or bold?#u think i care about men punching each other while the women around them drop like flies?#no thanks u can keep that shit #(and btw that isn't a bold plot that's staler than week old bread)

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cjoatprehn · 5 years ago

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BaxTale: Chapter 3 Part 1

Surprise! I decided to write Chapter 3 anyway. It’s only because I really enjoy writing Baxxie’s tale...*snrk* omg that was bad. But nonetheless. Wouldn’t be Baxtale if there wasn’t a moment with Papyrus NO BEFORE YOU START SHIPPING THEM TOGETHER NOT GONNA HAPPEN NO. (because to be honest there really is no plot here, just writing just for the sake of writing. But if you guys have ideas or art ideas, pls let me know.) So without further ado, here is chapter 3 part 1 of Baxtale. Hope you guys enjoy.

Bax grinned, happy to be in this world. Dancetale is so much fun! Why hasn’t she ever come here before? Literally it was so easy to thrill these dancing monsters with such a mystery. Pop in, dance, and pop out, repeat. It seems villainous to do this. Like...almost feeling the sins crawl down your back. Like little bug critters. It feels almost like...riding a rollercoaster.

Baxxie laughed with sheer glee as she hopped through evergreen after evergreen. A ninja dancer. She squealed like a two year old, not caring who would hear. No one knew the secrets she had, who was pulling the peace-disrupting dances, and who was having the most fun being both seen and unseen! Such a tease! And also not!

She saw the town of Snowdin nearby, and the smell of Grillby’s cooking suddenly wafted into her nose. She landed on the Grillby’s Dance Bar. She heard music from inside. Okay. How should she go about this....She suddenly got an idea. When in doubt, enter with confidence, dance with flair, and leave with a bucket of tears.

…

Grillby and the patrons are chilling down below, Grillby cooking burgers and food to those at the bar including Sans who is drinking mug after mug of Ketchup. It’s festival time. The whole town of Snowdin is merry with the switching of the seasons. But really, everyone is just really in a celebratory mood. Doggo hears something land on the roof. He tilts his head up toward it. “The ****?” He says, the rest of the dogs at his table to look at him. “Doggo?” One of them asks. “Heard something on the roof.” Doggo replies, sniffing the air for intruders. “What?” “Who foolin’ on the roof?” “Yo, Sans.”

“Yo.” Sans replies.

“Ya hear dat?” Doggo asks with a slight growl.

“Hear what?” Sans, turns his head to him, drunk.

“aaaand he’s drunk.” One of the dogs sighs with disappointment. “He didn’t hear anything, doggo maybe it’s nothing.”

“Didn’t seem like nothing.” Doggo sighs, before sitting back down.

Grillby sighs as he polishes another Beer mug when his flames suddenly move wildly, sensing a draft. “Grilbs?” Sans asked, looking at his flames moving erratically.

Nothing prepared them for the mysterious monster falling through the roof and landing on their feet on the floor.

“WHAT THE ****!!!” Doggo yelps, jumping on the table. In a black suit, with a silvery glove, and a white skeleton mask. Standing in a pose similar pose to a special dancer who’s music is becoming more relevant to today.

A beat drops as he lands, splinters of wood falling all around them. The air in the bar sparkling as ice crystals flew around the figure. Looking almost human-like. They flexed their gloved fingers, and pointed to the fire elemental behind the bar. Grillby raises an eyebrow. “Now that’s a challenge if I have ever seen one...”

“Grillby are you serious?” Sans asked, somewhat concerned, and suspicious of the masked skeleton monster.

“It’ll be fine, Sans, besides, no one destroys the roof of my bar and gets away without paying.”

Everyone cleared the center of the bar, Grillby leaving the counter and facing the monster, he got a glimpse of the monsters eyes through his mask. He summoned his fire dancing flames.

“DANCERS READY!” The challenging monster shook out their hands, and looked down, and Grillby readied his pose.

“3!”

“2!”

“1!”

“DANCE!”

Grillby danced to his usual theme song, his embers flicking and flowing about and spinning all around the room. His gaze glared at the skeleton masked monster before moving to attack him. Bold move, but that was the end of his turn as a song switches to an older classic of pop. As the flame headed toward the monster, hitting him dead on, filling the room with a mist.

...

The monster leaps from the mist, unharmed, and right in front of Grillby, gracing their finger across Grillby’s chin sending shivers down his spine, before suddenly popping off with an, “OW!” And Grillby stumbles back, as Baxxie reveals herself, her mask being a smokescreen. Dancers come out of the mist. Her song starts to play, as they all dance in sync. Baxxie sings in a extremely good disguised voice,

“As he came into the window Was a sound of a crescendo

He came into her apartment He left the bloodstains on the carpet

She was sitting at the table He could see she was unable So she ran into the bedroom She was struck down It was her doom.”

“DANCE SKILL ACTIVATED. BAXXIE!”

Baxxie came over to one of the patrons, a female and took her hand, including her in the dance, for two. She continued to sing, as the dancers launched their own soundwave attacks, Grillby managing to block and dodge with his embers, and quick stepped dancing, in an attempt to combat her intense performance.

“Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie?”

Baxxie dips the patron, obviously earning a squealed blush from her, never leaving eye contact with her.

“Annie, are you ok Will you tell us that you're ok There's a sign at the window That he struck you A crescendo, Annie He came into your apartment He left the bloodstains on the carpet Then you ran into the bedroom You were struck down It was your doom!”

Baxxie spun and twirled the patron around just as she got into her quick footwork, wishing the dance could never end. Winning jealousy and admiration from the crowd in the bar. Grillby growls, sending his embers toward Baxxie, and she kicks it back toward the wall, combusting it into flames.

“Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie?

You've been hit by You've been struck by A smooth criminal!” Baxxie spins her out back into the crowd, just as the her dance skill ends. and to finish up, she and the back up dancers grow closer to the fire elemental, intimidating him. “OW!” They step back and await.

Grillby summons dancers made of fire, and then combats her with his own quick footwork of his own, he must be riled up, because his embers and will-o-wisps fly around erratically, attacking each and every one of the Baxxie’s backup dancers.

“SONG CHANGE! GRILLBY!”

Grillby decides to spice things up a bit, HE STARTS SINGING, a song he’s never heard of, but he’s winging it and desperate. His flames changing toward darker reds and blacks.

“Double bubble disco queen headed to the guillotine Skin as cool as Steve McQueen, let me be your killer king It hurts until it stops, we will love until it's not I'm a killing spree in white, eyes like broken Christmas lights My touch is black and poisonous And nothing like my punch drunk kiss I know you need it, do you feel it Drink the water, drink the wine Oh we gotta turn up the crazy Livin' like a washed up celebrity Shooting fireworks like it's the Fourth of July Until we feel alright“

Now it’s Baxxie’s turn to feel intimidated, she summons ghosts this time,

“Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay, you okay, you okay, Annie?--”

“we feel alright!!!!! AH!”

“You've been hit by You've been struck by A smooth criminal”

Grillby and Baxxie’s souls are resonating like no monsters has before, clearly the songs they picked are shocking the underground with shockwaves!

Eventually the dance-off becomes dancing-together! Grillby are still competing and yet working together to blow the roof off of this place.

(You can listen to this song now, it’s lit I ran out of dancemoves to write lol)

Soon a resounding boom fills the entire bar, the walls stretching to their limits, once the dance ends, leaving Grillby and Baxxie standing next to each other.

“DANCE END!”

“IT’S A TIE! SOUL RESONATION OVER THE TOP!”

Baxxie and Grillby face each other, just as Baxxie undoes the damage, leaving an address in his pocket, waving with a wink, as she flies back through the roof. The bar having returned to it’s normal splendor, without damage.

“That...was the best damn thing I ever seen.” Doggo grins.

“Huh. And she fixed my bar. Well. Everyone alright?” Grillby asked panting, his embers disappearing.

“Holy crap, Grillby? What song was that?” Sans asked, somehow completely sober.

“I dunno. Just popped up in my menu.” Grillby brushes off more questions as he heads behind the baar and picks up the same glass he was polishing, and offers Sans “another drink.”

“Nah... I’m good, Grillby.” He seemed jealous...which made the Grillster, smile coyly.

https://bax-the-hooman.tumblr.com/post/187269646705/baxtale-chapter-32

#grillby x sans #annie at the disco #smooth criminal #Michael jackson #undertale #dancetale #dance-off #jealousy #panic at the disco #grillby #sans #doggo #the dogs #intimidation #best dance I have ever written so far #Awsome #PLS REBLOG

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bookmawkish · 6 years ago

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Seeing double, part 1

@worldoftherandom Writing this stuff is keeping me sane and what that says about my sanity I don’t want to know

All the Loki/Heckyl stuff (aka Heckyl in the MCU)

So just when Tony thinks he’s got it all figured out, this happens.

JARVIS immediately alerts him to the portal on the roof - damn but this city’s turning into a Swiss cheese for interdimensional incursion - and also adds, in his reassuringly supercilious British tones, that the energy signature is a perfect match for that terrifyingly cute robot dinosaur universe that Heckyl comes from.

Terrific. Why is it nobody ever listens to him? If those candy-cane Hairspray nicest-kids-in-town have come looking for their long-lost villain again…speaking of…

“JARVIS, get Goggles up here, pronto.”

“Paging Mister Heckyl now, sir.”

“If I’m going to have to do this,” Tony adds, aloud, to nobody in particular, “he’s gonna get his lazy pinstriped ass away from Netflix and help me.”

He heads for the elevator, not bothering yet to suit up, and when he gets up there he finds that somehow a familiar tail coated figure has beaten him to it. Heckyl’s standing with his back to the swirling vortex that is the portal, hands poised on his hips in that familiar sassy stance, apparently just waiting impatiently for a certain Stark to appear.

“Oh hey,” Tony calls out. “Goggles. That was quick. Guess I must have caught you in between episodes of America’s Next Top Model. Great. Glad you could spare the time from your busy schedule of shoving six tons of caramel buttered popcorn down your annoyingly slender face.”

Heckyl turns to look at him, and he’s frowning. Not the usual frown, either. Heckyl has a wide repertoire of facial expressions and Tony’s started to learn them all over the past months. This is neither You Humans Baffle Me nor Quit Your Bullshit, You Hater. This is another kind of frown entirely. This is -

Heckyl abruptly turns that frown upside down. He grins, savagely, flings out a hand full of lightning, and makes a very spirited attempt to fry Tony like a slice of bacon. No holding back. Full throttle death juice. Woah. Tony dives for cover.

Oh yeah. Yeah. Should have guessed, really. So this is the Hi, I’m an Insane Alien, You Die Now frown. Well, crap. What’s crawled up his ass and died?

“Heckyl!” he shouts, once he’s safely behind the cover of an air vent. “Hey! Come on, dude, I thought we were - well, maybe not friends, but I kinda thought you hated me least!”

Lightning scorches past his feet and he hastily skitters back towards the elevator. “JARVIS, where’s that Mark VII?”

“Inbound. Also, Mister Heckyl has acknowledged your call, sir, and he is on his way. As is Doctor Banner.”

“Wait, what?”

Tony risks a peek. Heckyl is striding rapidly towards his hiding place, his mouth twisted into a gleeful sneer.

“Uh, JARVIS, can you run that by me again, Heckyl is where?”

“Mister Heckyl is passing the penthouse floor now. He is in the elevator.”

“No he’s not -”

Tony turns and runs as Heckyl, laughing loudly, throws another coil of energy right at his chest. “Fuck! He’s right here and he’s trying to kill me!”

There’s a telling silence on Tony’s comm.

“Jarv,” says Tony, scrambling back against the side of the elevator exit. “Come on, buddy. Tell me what’s going on.”

“It is - confusing, sir. The scans do seem to indicate that Mister Heckyl is in two places at once.”

The Mark VII mercifully chooses that moment to slam down and rescue Tony from certain electrocution, and Tony goes into its embrace gladly. Ahhh, the HUD, how he’s missed it. Not to mention the armour plating that will (he knows, with the certainty of a man who’s been sparring with Heckyl for months now) withstand a good few of those energy shots without damage.

“All right, Blue,” he murmurs to himself inside the suit, and steps out into plain view. “Whatever screw finally came loose inside your head, let’s sort it out. Let’s get you calmed down. We can do it with the Hulk, we can do it with you. Come on, now.”

Heckyl doesn’t seem to want to be in the least bit calm. The HUD registers the steady climbing temperature of the outer shell as Heckyl’s power envelopes Iron Man and just keeps on blasting with no signs of letting up.

“Maybe I should get Loki up here.”

The suit’s sensors briefly white out as Heckyl redoubles his efforts.

“Ow! That really - well it would have hurt if I was out there - look, c’mon, just talk to me, did something come out of that portal that messed with you -”

And then the barrage abruptly stops. Heckyl is staring at something over Tony’s shoulder, and his expression drops into disbelief, then deepens that disbelief into boiling rage.

“Please don’t expect me to fall for that old trick,” says Tony, mainly because he can already see the blip on the display behind him. He switches to the rear-facing camera.

Heckyl is standing there, wearing the big charcoal grey “I HEART NY” jersey shirt that Tony bought him as a joke shortly after he moved in, and sweatpants. Those stupid big green fleece slipper socks because he apparently has no kind of normally functioning circulation and his feet are always cold. Typical Heckyl Sunday afternoon junk TV viewing gear. And he really couldn’t look more different to the other Heckyl, the sharp-suited, mad-eyed homicidal maniac standing in front of him.

They all stand there in an awkward face-off for a count of about six heartbeats, then:

“Oh, shit,” says the Heckyl who’s wearing the t-shirt, and for one glorious, glorious moment that’s all Tony can focus on.

“You swore!” he accuses, delighted, swinging around to point a gauntlet at Heckyl. “This is historical. I’m telling Steve. Honestly, he’s gonna wash your mouth out with -”

And of course, that’s when the other Heckyl shoots him in the back.

#Heckyl #heckyl/loki #tony stark #Iron Man #Avengers #avengers family #jarvis #dimensional portals #Power Rangers #power rangers dino charge #power rangers fanfic #crossover #FANDOM FUSION #MCU

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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Marvel’s Loki Episode 6: MCU Easter Eggs and Comics References

https://ift.tt/2UfmlQd

This article contains Loki episode 6 spoilers, and potential spoilers for the wider MCU.

The Loki season finale (and thanks to the mid-credits scene we know it’s a “season finale” not a “series finale,” thank Odin) is here, and it’s got bigger ramifications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe than we ever could have imagined. Loki episode 6 may be light on Marvel Comics Easter eggs (and after last week’s egg-fest, don’t get greedy!), but it’s BIG on characters and concepts that we’ll be dealing with and talking about for years to come.

Let’s get to work and see what we found in Loki episode 6.

The Opening

The opening space sequence is a clear homage to Robert Zemeckis’ Contact. The 1997 sci-fi film begins with a similar CG pullout from Earth into the known universe and beyond while we hear clips of historic speeches and songs. These fade away until there is silence, and then the camera reveals the universe has been inside the protagonist’s eye. As Loki’s opening tails off, we hear Sylvie shout “open your eyes!”

This isn’t the first Contact homage we’ve seen in the Disney+ MCU shows either, as WandaVision embraced one during Monica Rambeau’s transformation sequence as she forged through the Hex. And it’s not the only sci-fi movie reference we get in the episode, either!

What are Those Voices?

There are plenty of famous quotes from the MCU all through that wild, cosmic opening, but as far as we can tell, none of them are especially significant to the events of this episode. There are also some famous quotes from real life figures. They include:

“One small step for man…” – Neil Armstrong

“How dare they!” – Great Thunberg

“My dream…” – Malala Yousafzai

“We have fought for the right to experience peace.” – Nelson Mandela

“I will rise.” – Maya Angelou

“We think of time as a one-way motion…” – Not identified by closed captioning but possibly Carl Sagan

“Motivated by women throughout the world.” – Also not identified by closed captioning

This beginning features several prominent songs from throughout human history. The opening of Beethoven’s “Für Elise” pops up noticeably yet briefly, and we think we heard strains from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.

The majority of it, however, is set to the strains of The Harry James Band’s version of “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” a song that is heartrendingly familiar to Captain America fans as the song that plays over Avengers: Endgame’s perfect final moment. The song first popped up in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when Nick Fury was playing it in Steve’s apartment (clearly, Steve had plans for this song), but here the “Long, Long Time” in question is referring to the lifespan of series villain, “He Who Remains,” better known as…

Kang the Conqueror

(quick disclaimer: for simplicity’s sake, we’re referring to He Who Remains as Kang in this section, but for reasons that will become clear, there’s some nuance there, so just bear with us)

Kang’s backstory as laid out here also pays tribute to the idea of “The Council of Cross Time Kangs” which is both an assortment of variant Kangs from assorted timelines and also the people who battled/defeated them…and thus took on the mantle of Kang in their respective timelines. Does your head hurt yet? Because…

There was also an “Interdimensional Council of Reeds” from Jonathan Hickman’s run on Fantastic Four. Like Kang, various Reed Richards from various realities met up via portals and decided to help out areas of the multiverse in need using their combined intellect. Initially, they were mostly killed by a bunch of Celestials. These days they’re back, but led by the corrupt Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe (the Maker). Things are going to be absolutely bonkers when the MCU finally brings us the FF.

Despite Jonathan Majors having signed on to play Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, he’s never actually identified as such here. In the credits, he’s the Miss Minutes-approved “He Who Remains.” The closest we get to him being called Kang is when he mentions that he’s been referred to as “a conqueror.” He also mentions that he’s been called a “ruler” which could very well be taken as a reference to the character’s time as Pharaoh Rama-Tut.

When Sylvie takes a swing at Kang early on, he teleports and ends up laying down behind them in a smug pose. This looks to be a reference to his first comic appearance (1964’s Avengers #8), where the Avengers find him casually laying down in mid-air.

Loki Episode 6 Review: For All Time. Always.

By Kirsten Howard

Movies

Who is Kang the Conqueror? Powers and Marvel Comics History Explained

By Jim Dandeneau

Kang isn’t rocking any of his familiar comics looks here (although the color scheme is vaguely appropriate), but at least one of the “miniatures” he uses to illustrate his story appears to be.

He Who Remains

While the “He Who Remains” we meet here is definitely meant as a Kang variant of some kind, the character exists independently of Kang in the comics!

He Who Remains has only made a handful of appearances in Marvel Comics, with the first (and most substantial) being in 1976’s Thor #246 by Len Wein, John Buscema, and Joe Sinnott. There, it was Thor and Jane Foster entering the “Citadel at the End of Time” to meet He Who Remains, and they have ALMOST a similar moment to Loki and Sylvie in that one wants He destroyed while the other wants to listen to what he has to say.

The comics He Who Remains was later revealed as the founder of the TVA (just like we see in the MCU) and the actual creator of the Time-Keepers. And while he shares Kang’s fondness for purple, he was never defined as a Kang variant in the comics, and in fact was pretty explicitly not that.

Secret Wars

The Multiversal War idea that plays so heavily throughout Loki also ties into Jon Hickman’s Avengers run where the multiverse has been collapsing onto itself due to the machinations of the Beyonders. As entropy destroys everything, various Earths are pitted against each other and are given the choice of destroying the other or both dying. While this led to a single world run by Dr. Doom, Reed Richards was eventually able to overtake him and bring back the multiverse.

Also with Hickman’s run, there was a moment of Captain America coming across a group of Kangs from different eras (regular Kang, Iron Lad, and Immortus) and explaining that allowing so many to die in order to save so many more is immoral. After the inspirational speech, Kang simply told him, “No one here…cares.”

Ravonna Renslayer

Well, we share the FDR High School pen mystery with this episode, that’s for sure!

After Renslayer decided she wouldn’t be steered towards a complicated future with Kang in the pages of Marvel Comics, she betrayed him and then assumed the name “Rebecca Tourminet,” which we see printed on her diploma back on Earth when B-15 is introducing the TVA Minutemen to the Real Her.

Interestingly, MCU Renslayer doesn’t appear to be aware of Kang or He Who Remains just yet, so perhaps there’s more interesting things coming down the pipe for these time-tossed lovers.

The Ending

“You know you can’t get to the end until you’ve been changed by the journey,” Kang tells Loki and Sylvie. It seems as though Kang has a surprisingly thorough understanding of what makes a good story. This could potentially be a shoutout to Dan Harmon, creator of Community and Rick and Morty, the latter of which Loki showrunner Michael Waldron wrote on. Harmon is famous for constructing “story circles” to help young writers understand the proper beats of storytelling.

The final shot of a confused Loki looking at a massive (and mostly comics-accurate) Kang the Conqueror statue is definitely a reference to the ending of the original Planet of the Apes (a franchise which also has some wacky timeline shenanigans of its own) which gives us a huge twist by having the main character come across the Statue of Liberty and piece together the truth of his world. Then again, it could also fit with the Tim Burton remake where the protagonist comes across an ape version of the Lincoln Memorial.

There’s also a serious Invasion of the Body Snatchers vibe to that ending, with a dazed/crazed Loki trying to explain the impossible to a skeptical audience who clearly don’t believe him.

We wrote in more detail about all the implications of that ending right here.

The Post-Credits Scene

We can’t help but feel that the mid-credits scene that literally and explicitly spells out in actual words that Loki season 2 is happening is a meta-joke at the expense of sites like Den of Geek, who make a big deal out of “explaining” every Marvel post-credits sequence. To which we say…yeah, cool, fair enough!

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

The post Marvel’s Loki Episode 6: MCU Easter Eggs and Comics References appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3hF0FWP

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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rainbowtransform · 7 years ago

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The Means To An End

THIS IS A PRO-TONY FIC. DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T LIKE TONY STARK, OKAY? Read it on A03.

Summary: Snippets of before and after Civil War.

Tony gifts the Compound, so that the Avengers have a place to train, and be safe.

Tony gifts the Compound so that they have a place to have Movie Night.

Tony gifts the Compound so the Avengers can be a family.

They throw it back in his face like it’s nothing.

The first time Tony has nightmares he doesn’t know why. FRIDAY monitors, but she can only do so much. FRIDAY’s still young, and Tony doesn’t say anything because he doesn’t want to pressure her into being something she can’t be.

Tony yawns as he shuffles toward the kitchen. He’s got some leftover tea that Rhodey gave to him. It’s Mama Rhode’s tea and it always helps Tony fall asleep without nightmares. But when he gets there, he searches through the cabinets only to find nothing.

Blinking, Tony turns his head towards the living room. All of the Avengers are sitting on or around the couch, drinking out of cups. Tony hears one of them praising Wanda for finding this “really good tea” and for “sharing” and that “it was so deep in the cabinet”.

And Tony knows that it’s Mama Rhode’s tea. He turns back, and subjects himself to a sleepless night in the lab.

The second time, Tony is tired, upset, and scared . He doesn’t know why his mind is torturing him with this kind of information. He’s been going to a therapist for a few weeks, and it’d helped. Really . It helped him eat more often (not as often as the therapist liked, but they were getting there), and slept for at least half of the night.

He doesn’t sleep for even a third of the night now. Instead, he works on gauntlets, wings, armor, shields, and spy things for Nat. FRIDAY keeps him up-to-date with the time, and when each of the Avengers get up.

Wanda’s always up early, though. Tony doesn’t know why.

Tony’s nightmares worsen the third time.

The fourth time, Tony barely falls asleep.

The fifth time Tony’s mind hurts.

The sixth time, Tony doesn’t leave his room.

The seventh time, Tony doesn’t even go to his room.

Tony’s nightmares got progressively worse as the months passed.

Tony should have seen it coming. Really. He should’ve. But he didn’t. Instead, he ignored the signs and ignored how much Wanda’s hatred had deepened in her heart. FRIDAY asks with a hesitated “Boss?” and Tony just shakes his head. “It’s okay, Fri,” he says. “I’ll bring it up with Steve at a later time.

FRIDAY’s grown for the past five months, and Tony’s proud of her. She’s learned snark, sass, and knows how to deal her way around the Compound. She hasn’t surpassed JARVIS, yet, but Tony knows it’s only a matter of time.

“I can alert the police, Boss. Or, call Xavier?”

“No. Who’s Xavier?”

“He runs a mutant school. I managed to find him.”

“By accident?”

“No.”

“On purpose?”

“I worry.”

“I know.”

Tony brings it up to Steve, and Steve brushes him off .

“She’s just a kid. She can’t control her powers yet, it’s okay.”

“Ste-”

“Tony. Relax. You don’t see any of us complaining about nightmares.”

“But St-”

“You know, I can’t believe that you’re trying to blame Wanda for losing control, after what you’d done at the last mission.”

“I already explain-”

“Goodbye, Tony. Go get some rest, you look tired. Oh, and don’t tell the others about this. We don’t want anyone to fear her, right?”

“Should I call Xavier, Boss?”

“No, Fri. I think we’ll keep this in-house.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Neither do I, baby girl. Neither do I.”

Tony brings it up to Sam, when he goes to talk to him. “I’ve been having nightmares,” he tells him. “They’re really vivid. They aren’t supposed to be that vivid.”

“It’s your guilt manifesting itself,” Sam says. He doesn’t say anything else, and Tony blinks.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. That’s how it always is, Tony.”

“It can’t be anyone else?”

Sam stops. “Tony,” he says. “Are you implying someone’s messing with your brain?” He looks angry. Tony puts up his hands.

“No, no,” he says. “It’s hypothetical.”

Tony doesn’t talk to Clint, but he knows Clint isn’t going to do anything.

Wanda’s like his kid, so Clint isn’t going to do anything to stop her, and it’d be like Tony’s the villain.

He doesn’t say anything.

“I think someone’s making me have nightmares.”

“Stark, that’s ridiculous.”

“Nat-”

“Are you suggesting that Wanda is messing with you?”

“N-”

“I knew you’d sink low, but that low? God, she can’t control her powers.”

“I wa-”

“I don’t even want to hear it.”

Tony doesn’t sleep anymore. Pepper, Rhodey, and FRIDAY worries.

(Vision’s with Wanda, her trying to convince him that them dating is a “good idea” despite him being only a year old.) (Does that make Wanda a pedophile?) (Because Vision’s only a year old.) (But he looks older.) (Sleep-deprived Tony isn’t the best Tony.)

The Avengers give him a fucking intervention.

“Tony, we’re here to clear something up once and for all,” Steve tells him.

“Watch, Stark,” Clint snaps. “Wanda, hey, are you messing with Tony?”

She blinks. “Messing? Well, I can’t control my powers very well and they might’ve accidentally messed with Stark’s mind.”

“See? Accidents,” Natasha says briskly and Sam nods.

“Stop asking around now, Stark,” Clint says before they leave.

His nightmare that night? It’s the worst one he’d seen so far.

Tony’s nightmares continue, and worsen and Tony breaks.

He leaves the Compound and goes back to his Tower.

It’s better. So much better. He can sleep.

Civil War mess happens.

Tony’s heart hurts.

He recommends Vision to a therapist. “This will help us,” Tony tells him.

“You don’t have the best role models for good human relationships. You were just thrust into this life without any warning. But that’s okay. This’ll help us out.”

He spys Vision reading a book titled The Signs of Toxic Relationships.

Tony almost cries with relief.

He doesn’t quite know how to work with T’Challa. He’s hiding the Ex-Avengers, isn’t he? And it’s hard to place himself out on a limb. The Dora Milaje seem nicer than normal, and Tony’s pretty sure it’s because they’ve actually met Rogers and his ragtag team.

“Boss? Pepper called. She asked if you can take on a few board meetings.”

“Yeah. How many?”

“Just three. She said the first one is for SI, the second for Wakanada rejoining the world, and the third… for the Rogers and his team’s punishment if they come back.”

“Mmm,” Tony jabs a screwdriver into SI’s new phone. “The first two I can get to, but the last one is difficult.”

“You don’t wanna go?”

“I do. I do. But I know that Ross is in jail, and the other Ross (the better one) is in charge, so he won’t be as hard. Plus, there’s the fact that this tablet’s supposed to have holograms (which it will), but I’m having some trouble implementing certain things.”

“The holograms of you as a kid, rocking out to any AC/DC?”

“Those, and the new phones I’ve recorded.”

“Those are funny.”

“Yeah, and anyone smart enough to hack it’ll, get a nice surprise.”

“Wakanda?”

“Wakanda.”

“You put a hologram specifically for my country?”

Tony pulls two wires out and readjusts them. “Uh-huh.”

“ Why ?”

He yanks a blue wire out. “Why not?”

“The technologists and Shuri are quite upset.”

“Why?”

“They wanted to see the hologram of you dancing again.”

“Huh,” Tony closes the door. “That’s funny. I’ve used that same video for most of my electronics. I just wanted a kid to be happy.”

“Shuri’s also angry. She can’t hack the game you’d implemented.”

“Yeah. She’s smarter than me, but I’ve got some experience. She’ll be able to hack it later.”

“Later?”

“When she’s older.”

“How much older?”

“Nice try, Kit-Cat. She’ll know when.” Tony places the prototype aside and the call ends.

Tony’s nightmares hadn’t gone away, but they aren’t as vivid as before.

They also aren’t as frequent. (Which is how Tony knows that Wanda kept doing it, ever after Tony told the others. And after he’d made it known what was happening when he moved out.)

“Boss?”

“What’s up?”

“King T’Challa’s calling.”

“Answer,” Tony squints at the Avengers’ designs he’d been planning.

“Mr Stark,” T’Challa’s smooth voice fills the room.

“Hey, Kitty,” Tony says. He opens up Black Widow’s file and then crumbles them and throws them into the garbage. FRIDAY gets to work erasing it quickly.

“It seems that a visit is in order.”

“Yeah?”

“Shuri is itching to meet you. She wishes to… crush you.”

“Yeah, a lot of people wanna do that. Is she still angry over the game?”

“Quite.”

“Ha.”

He’s barely out of bed when someone’s knocking at the door. Blearily rubbing his eyes, he opens it to T’Challa’s poker face and his sister’s bright grin.

“What’re those?” She asks and Tony blinks. He points a finger at her. “It’s seven thirty in the morning, and I haven’t had any coffee. No memes.”

She frowns. “At least my FBI agent would have appreciated me.”

“Your FBI agent cries every night because you don’t go to sleep until three o’clock. He has a family . I’ve spoken to him.”

T’Challa rolls his eyes. “Why?” He says.

“Just wait ‘till Peter gets here. He’s your age.” Tony tells Shuri.

“I will corrupt him,” she says. Tony nods.

“Too late, though,” he tells her and she slams her fist down.

“Damn it!” She shrieks.

It’s different, Tony realizes, from Bruce. Shuri’s mind takes leaps and big gaps through her process and Tony can replicate it. But she’s just like him when he was young: doing things that shouldn’t be done. Peter and Shuri are the next best thing the world has to offer, and Tony knows. He knows that them together they will be able to save the world from anything.

Tony’s part isn’t over yet, but he knows it will be soon enough. But sitting with Shuri on his right helping him build Extremis, he knows that it’s going to be okay.

When Tony lays dying, at his last war, he stares up at the stars. The suit is crushed around him, he’s just laying there, and FRIDAY’s talking to him. But his part is over now.

“Boss? Is this what happened to JARVIS?”

“Not exactly.”

“Your heart rate’s dropping.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t leave me,” she begs, but Tony just smiles. It hurts, but it’s starting to numb.

“You won’t be lonely.” He tells her. “You’ve got DUM-E, ButterFingers, U, Shuri, Peter.”

“But they aren’t you!”

“You’ll be okay.”

“No! No! Please!”

“It’s okay…”

“Boss? Boss!”

“…”

“Mr Stark? Mr Stark!”

“Tony!”

“Iron Man!”

“Tony, answer!”

“Stark, stop playing!”

“Peter…”

“Mr Stark! Why aren’t you answering? Karen! What’s wrong?”

“FRIDAY is shut down.”

“Why?”

“Tony Stark is dead.”

When the fight is over, that’s when people mourn. Tony Stark was the one who’d learned what the people wanted and bowed to their whims. Iron Man was the one who’d flew a nuke into space.

Pepper cries.

Rhodey doesn’t speak to the Exvengers.

T’Challa doesn’t leave his country for a few days.

The Dora Milaje sit for long periods of time.

Shuri doesn’t enter her lab for weeks.

Peter patrols as Spider-Man for hours without pause.

The Exvengers don’t mourn like they would if any one of them died. Instead, they attend the funeral, and doesn’t say anything.

Vision turns away from Wanda’s advances, and sits by Tony’s grave for two months. He disappears, and they don’t hear from him again.

Tony gifts FRIDAY, and the bots to Peter and Shuri.

They aren’t going to be much trouble, promise. They are intelligent creatures, guys. Treat ‘em like they are, cause I know you would. Take care of Vision, too, because he’s going to be “truly” alone for the first time in his life.

But when they enter the lab, DUM-E, ButterFingers and U are sitting in the middle of it, staring at the chair and prototypes. DUM-E beeps at Peter, running circles and opening and closing his claw; ButterFingers shrieks, and U is silent.

“Guys,” FRIDAY says, and the two teens are taken back. “Boss is dead. The Mechanic is dead.”

The beeps trail off, and then DUM-E lowers his claw, and shuts down. ButterFingers and U follow suit; and then FRIDAY does, too. Everything in the Tower and the Compound shuts down, and then the emergency power comes back.

Peter and Shuri are left, alone, in a lab of the greatest mind of his century.

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apicturewithasmile · 7 years ago

Text

LOST rewatch (season 1):

[follow the entire rewatch-tag here]

episodes 1 and 2 – Pilot:

Jack’s Angel Hair Pasta speech is making my eyes roll so far back up my head that it hurts

Kate speaks the first “we have to go back (for him)” around minute 39 of ep1

I forgot how incredibly sexy Naveen Andrews is

John Locke doesn’t speak his first line until minute 23 of ep2 when he explains Backgammon to Walt – his iconic Orange Smile scene and the Sitting In The Rain On The Beach scene actually both happen before he gets to speak

episode 3 – Tabula Rasa:

Oh, it’s the first “previously on LOST”

the sheer loathsomeness of that fucking US marshal… ugh

Michael: “I will get your dog back as soon as it stops raining.” – rain: *stops*

Wash Away playing in the final scene

that last shot that made John look like he was gonna be some mysterious villain character when actually he’s just the jungle philosopher who talks to the island

episode 4 – Walkabout:

yaaay, the first boar action

I can’t believe they waited until the airplane food was all eaten up before they thought about finding food on the island

that asshole from the office who’s bullying John makes me so angry

“don’t tell me what I can’t do” makes its first appearance at minute 21 and is quickly followed a mere minute later by the second appearance

totally forgot that John is actually the first one to see Smokey – and that early on in the show?!

Uuuuuuh first time we see ghost!Christian Shephard

Do we really think John killed that boar on his own or did Smokey help him?

episode 5 – White Rabbit:

there’s so many times they say “the others” before there’s even any sign of The Others™ I’m starting to wonder whether it’s intentional

the best thing about Jack-centric episodes is Christian Shephard (I got it hard for daddy Shephard okay!??!?!)

do Australians really sound like that or did they mainly cast American actors for the scenes that take place in Sydney?

aaaaand there they are, the Jears (Jack tears)

episode 6 – House of the Rising Sun:

god I love Sun and Jin, I hate how underrated all of their flashbacks are

bless the bad CGI bees

look! it’s Mother’s first appearance

episode 7 – The Moth:

ugh it’s a Charlie episode -.-‘

headcanon: Jacob made that cave collapse because he wanted to get rid of Charlie

John believing and being proud in Charlie makes this episode worthwhile for me

episode 8 – Confidence Man:

Kate is actually carrying a… bundle??? of bananas over her shoulder. What’s mote #jungle aesthetic?

John you manipulative bastard, I love you!!!! I can’t wait for Not Henry Gale to join you into an endless manipulation play-off

I honestly can’t remember whether or not Sawyer and Sayid will ever work out their issues in the later seasons and actually get a somewhat friendship?! I don’t remember any bro-scenes between them which is a shame tbh.

Boone: “She’s my sister!” – god how did I think it was totally reasonable to turn this into an incetuous romance?!

episode 9 – Solitary:

Yaaaaaaaaaasssss it’s Sayid’s first episode which also means: DANIELLE ROUSSEAU!!!

I am a big Shannon/Sayid shipper but I can really understand the folks who ship Kate with Sayid. It would have been soooo much better than the love triangle of hell.

And I hate that Sayid doesn’t speak Arabic in his flashbacks. I get, Naveen Andrews doesn’t speak it but… they made Daniel Dae Kim speak Korean even tho he couldn’t?!?! It’s a bit of inconsistency that annoys the crap out of me.

I’m moaning a lot considering this is my fav show… there’s just… a couple of things about season 1 that always been bothering me.

OH MY GOD IT’S CREEPY ETHAN!!!

Danielle looks so fucking good and so does Sayid fnfsdkgnjkngjdfh my bi senses are tingling.

episode 10 – Raised By Another:

Claire’s nightmare is super fucking disturbing

Her ex is literally the most annoying fuckboy and I have absolutely forgotten about him for a good reason. What an asshole.

Kate’s been wearing the same green short for at least the past 3 episodes… which… I get because clothing is limited on the island but it reminds me of the Simpsons’ wardrobe

The fact Creepy Ethan™ is there after Claire wakes up the second time saying she’s been attacked should have been the biggest #clue.

Hurley getting the flight manifest from Sawyer by just… talking to him… my aesthetic!

The “Ethan is creepy”-reveal is soooooo well done gjfsngkngdg

episode 11 – All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues:

More Terry O’Quinn close ups please!!!

I love that John is “of course Kate is coming along” and just hands her a knife whereas Jack is always like “no, don’t come along, this is #dangerous” – like… by now we should all know there’s no stopping Kate!

John predicting the rain is one of my fav scenes.

Wooooow they discovered the hatch THAT early in the season?!??!

episode 12 – Whatever The Case May Be:

Sawyer really shouldn’t go swimming in sweet water with his wounded arm.

I love Rose :’)

okay this episode was kinda underwhelming but that might be because I remembered what was in the case

episode 13 – Hearts and Minds:

I do not remember this episode title AT ALL so I have no idea what to expect

Aaaaaah I think it’s the Shannon and Boone incest episode which explains why I have forgotten about it – one of the most unnecessary plots in the history of LOST ever

How is Boone still friends with Locke after this whole bondage mess? Nevermind, John could do anything to me and I’d still follow him to the end of the world.

“PEE ON IT!”

episode 14 – Special:

I hate that Michael’s ex took his son away from him. She shouldn’t have put him in that position. I hate her.

What is it with Michael and car accidents?

and now she’s clearing her bad conscience with money. I HATE HER!

And now Charlie’s reading Claire’s diary – I hate him, too!

Aaaand here comes the bad CGI polar bear

Every time John Locke smiles an angel gets its wings.

Claire is already back?!?!?!?

episode 15 – Homecoming:

Wait…. Is this already when they kill Creepy Ethan? If so then I really liked this episode. Probably the only moment I truly liked Charlie.

The Scott/Steve-joke never gets old.

I love that Sawyer organised a gun for Kate. If I absolutely had to ship any combination of the love triangle of hell it’d be Kate and Sawyer… but only because Juliet isn’t in the picture yet.

episode 16 – Outlaws:

Oh it’s the Sawyer versus boar episode, I love that one!

Sayid you sassy fucker, I love you!!!

I love that they made the “I never…” scene so long.

“You’re not alone – don’t pretend to be!” is exactly what I needed to hear right now, thanks Sayid!

episode 17 - …In Translation:

How are Sun and Jin both so incredibly beautiful? Newsflash: I’m bisexual!

Hurley, my lovely empathetic sunshine!

Is it just me or is Michael’s first raft bigger than the second version?

John back at it again with the jungle philosophy.

“WE ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE AN THIS ISLAND AND WE ALL KNOW IT!!!!” you go John, tell them!!!

Aaaah Jin’s father aka the only good father in the entire show!

episode 18 – Numbers:

FINALLY!!!

John building the cradle with Claire for the baby is breaking my heart. Jungle grandpa Locke <3

I’d love for the monster to have been a “pissed off giraffe”

DANIELLE IS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL

episode 19 – Deus Ex Machina:

Awwww I forgot that John worked in a toy shop – that’s so cute

Damn he looks so much better without hair than he does with it

Anthony fucking Cooper you disgusting weasel of a human being

I just remembered that the “Deus” that’s in the “Machina” is Desmond Hume, my Scottish puppy – can’t wait for him to be there doing his thing

God that moment with the light is sooooo good! That’s when I was #hooked the first time I watched the show.

And I just remembered: that’s John saving Desmond’s life there and Desmond saving John’s life and rgkdabgdlkgndg

episode 20 – Do No Harm:

Jack doesn’t deserve this wonderful wife…. And I really don’t like the whole “fixing things” trope that surrounds his character.

Oh riiiiiight, Claire’s having the baby while Boone dies. I totally forgot about that. I love it!

Sun is soooo strong in this episode, I love her!

Jack: “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” – I think this is the first time someone other than John said it.

god it’s so fucking tragic with everyone looking at the baby while Shannon gets told the news her brother died. it’s too much for my tiny heart

episode 21 – The Greater Good:

John it ain’t really helping that you still drowned in Boone’s blood, my guy, my buddy, my pal.

Sayid saying “I know when I’m being lied to.” is kinda foreshadowing the whole Henry Gale affaire because he was the only one who wouldn’t take any of Ben’s shit for even a second.

Sayid: “You’ve never fired a gun before!” – Shannon: *fires gun*

episode 22 – Born To Run:

judging by the title of this it’s gonna be a Kate episode

ah yes…. The horrible blond wig. I mean…. How bad must a wig be to see it’s a wig from behind?!??!?!

episodes 23-25 – Exodus:

jhbdfajksfg it’s Ana Lucia, bless her, my lovely angry smol child

it was absolutely not necessary to show Sawyer with his shirt off but I ain’t complaining

anyways… when will I ever have enough time and money to go to Hawaii?

That Walt/Shannon/Vincent-moment breaks my heart big time.

The Black Rock being an old ass ship was one of the biggest plot twists the first time I watched.

The parts of Arzt flesh raining down on our guys was really more realism than needed

IT’S SMOKEY!!!! Yaaaasssss!

Has there ever been a better finale for the first season of a show ever?

#Maddie rewatches LOST #lost show #lost abc #4 8 15 16 23 42 #I'll put this in the tags in case anyone wants to check my 'Maddie rewatches LOST' tag

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mst3kproject · 7 years ago

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The Brain from Planet Arous

I told you I'd get to this one. It was directed by Nathan H. Juran from The Deadly Mantis, and it stars Joyce Meadows from The Girl in Lover's Lane, Ken Terrell from The Indestructible Man, and everybody's least-favourite greasy pontificator of things he knows bupkis about, John Agar. The plot's about an evil brain from another planet. It's as if the movie has a sign taped to its back that says MST3K ME, and who am I to refuse?

Two scientists, Steve and Dan, are picking up strange gamma rays from Mystery Mountain (the name Mystery Mountain is a good indicator of the level of storytelling we’re going to be seeing here). They head out to investigate and only Steve returns... but he's different, somehow. For one thing, he's suddenly much better at kissing. For another, the family dog tries to attack him. And the last straw, he's talking about taking over the world! Yep, Steve's been taken over by an evil alien brain monster named Gor! Fortuanately for the Earth, a second brain, called Vol, has been sent to track Gor down. With Vol's help, Steve's girlfriend Sally may be able to save him – and the entire world!

The main attraction of The Brain from Planet Arous, besides its silly premise, is obviously the special effects. Gor and Vol themselves are generally represented by immobile images of brains with glowing eyes superimposed on the film, while somebody delivers lines in an echoey voice. This is pretty funny by itself. Then when the film needs Gor to be solid in order to interact with objects in a scene, we discover that it is actually an inflatable brain hanging from a string, trailing a spinal cord behind it like a tail! Steve proceeds to attack this with an axe, making me a little sad that Gor's end wasn't to be popped like a balloon.

A lot of effort clearly went into this prop, with its light-up eyes and elaborate paint job depicting the folds and wrinkles of the cerebral cortex. It's got a divide between the hemispheres and a little cerebellum, but no attempt to reproduce the structure of the major lobes of the human brain. The latter is a bit unfortunate, since there's a major plot point about how Gor can only be killed by being stabbed in the fissure of Rolando (more properly known as the central sulcus, which divides the parietal and frontal lobes). How we're supposed to know which of Gor's many squiggly bits is the fissure of Rolando is beyond me.

Then there are Gor's 'powers'. Its entering Steve's body is represented by the superimposed brain shrinking and fading away while sort of overlapping with the image of John Agar on he film. There's a bit where Gor blows up a plane with its mind, which is of course achieved by blowing up a model, bits of which remain twirling on the string. Gor incinerates people by having a bright light pulse while they writhe and fall down, and the super-explosive, of course, is stock footage of an atom bomb test. The only effect that really works is the way Steve's eyes go silver when Gor uses these powers. This appears to be accomplished by reflective contact lenses and it's quite creepy-looking, especially when we see Steve's face partially hidden by blinds or distorted by a water cooler.

The second most MSTable feature is the dialogue, which borders on the indescribable. The existence of a place called fucking Mystery Mountain is only the beginning. Let me give you some of my favourites. At the beginning of the movie:

SALLY: “Do you know it's 3 o'clock and you mad scientists haven't even stopped for lunch?” DAN: “No wonder I've been getting insulting messages from my stomach!”

Or, when Vol shows up to ask for help:

VOL: “You can help me save the Earth from a terrible experience. Yes, the whole Earth.”

And Gor gives villain speeches that Lex Luthor would declare too cheesy:

GOR: “Power? That's what everyone wants! That's why the office boy wants to be the boss, that's why the private wants to be the general. Power! And I've got it!”

There are also some headache-inducing continuity errors. First Steve says nobody has been to Mystery Mountain since 1900, then he says that he was there just last winter! Later, Sally agrees that she's been on the mountain before, and Gor's cave is a new formation. I guess main characters don't count as 'somebody'. Or how about where Steve and Dan work? The scientist investigating the radiation at the plane wreck talks to Steve as if they work together at Indian Springs (Creech Air Force Base, Nevada), and yet Gor had to ask to come to the atom bomb test as an observer, rather than as somebody directly involved. I have no idea why Gor lets George the dog hang around after George attacked Gor the first time they met.

So the movie is very cheap and very bad, but there's actually some pretty interesting stuff in it. Gor and Vol's species has evolved beyond bodies and language and food and all that, but Gor at least does not find this to be the desirable state the Observers would have us believe. Most of us probably think of the archetypal 'emotionless alien' as being like Star Trek's Vulcans, who consider emotions a primitive thing that they are better off for having discarded. Gor, on the other hand, is more like the Kelvans from the second season episode By Any Other Name, who discover that having bodies and being subject to needs and emotions is a lot of fun. Food is delicious! Kissing is great! Booze is amazing! Man is a Feeling Creature, and because of it, the Greatest in the Universe, and Gor wants some of that action!

And what is Gor's favourite physical need? Why, sex, of course, as demonstrated by its behaviour towards Sally, whom it describes as a very exciting female. I think the reason it took Possessed Steve a week to return from Mystery Mountain is because that's how long it took Gor to get tired of sitting in its cave jerking off.

I won’t apologize for making you think about John Agar masturbating. The movie made me think about it, so we have to suffer together.

The Brain from Planet Arous actually has a weirdly ambiguous attitude towards sexual desire. Gor has no libido of its own, so what it feels for Sally while in Steve's body must be entirely Steve – and it's evidently pretty potent, since Gor attempts to rape her the first time it sees her, and is stopped only by an attack from George the dog. Steve without Gor, however, does not behave as if he's physically attracted to Sally at all. In the first scene, when she arrives to announce she's made lunch, he kisses her chastely on the cheek and then resumes talking science. He's not even particularly interested in the food, since it's Dan who repeatedly insists that they stop and eat!

Steve isn't exactly our hero in this movie, spending most of it as a helpless victim, but he's clearly supposed to be sympathetic and generally a good person despite being John Agar. We must therefore assume that it's Steve's attitude towards love that the movie considers right and proper. Steve kisses Sally on the lips at the end, but still not with the ferocity Gor did. At the beginning of the movie, in the time when we're supposed to be getting to know Steve as Steve, he almost entirely ignores her, as if she's more of a housekeeper than a girlfriend. All his passion is for ill-defined science. It seems as if humanity, as represented by this man, is well on our way to evolving into space brains ourselves, unmoved by food or sex or indeed by anything but pure rational thought.

The actual hero of the movie, I guess, is Vol – Vol has come to Earth to stop Gor, and with help from Sally and her father, it succeeds. Vol, too, decides to occupy a body in order to work on Earth without being noticed. Sally offers hers, but Vol ends up choosing George the dog, and as far as we can tell it remains entirely undistracted by George's needs and desires. Maybe we're supposed to assume this has something to do with the dog having a less complex mind than a human being... but in that case, less thought surely ought to mean that the natural urges would be even more compelling! Instead, the idea seems to be that Vol has more willpower than Gor, and is therefore a better being. Again, things like sex and hunger are simply irrelevant to a truly great mind.

For this reason, the movie would make for an interesting double feature with It Conquered the World. Both depict emotion as purely human, but while Beulah feared emotions, Gor revels in them. It Conquered the World suggested that all emotions are equally essential to the human experience, whether love or hate, joy or rage – The Brain from Planet Arous divides emotions into good and evil, contrasting Steve's love with Gor's lust, Steve's humility with Gor's arrogance. Of the two approaches, The Brain from Planet Arous' is the more cliché and therefore less interesting one, and I'm not sure how much the movie was meant to explore its themes and sexual hangups. It may have been intended as nothing more than another 'aliens stand in for Red Scare' film.

Also, I gotta ask... has a John Agar movie ever had a decent ending? Because this one is shit. Steve asks Sally how she knew that Gor could be killed by a blow to the fissure of Ro-lan-dooooooo! Ahem. So she explains about Vol in George's body, but Vol has already departed. Steve then laughs at her for imagining things, despite the fact that she clearly got the information from somewhere and he has himself been doing psychological battle with an alien brain creature! I hope she dumped him. Maybe she could marry Vol instead. He'd be just as good in bed, and far more respectful.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #the brain from planet arous #tw: rape #oh shit it's john agar #50s

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