#aside from the obvious ''hydra has many heads thing” I think hydras are similar to s.ystems

[funnier-as-a-system]

The flavor text of the magic card Aspect of Hydra i think fits here.

"Even alone I outnumber you."

Pfft, that definitely fits here. Hydras are to plurals what werewolves are to gays, I think. If that makes any sense.

[iliumheightnights]

We Have A Jedi [12] | Peter Parker x Male!Reader

Fandom: Marvel and Star Wars

Pairing:  Tony Stark x Son!Reader, Peter Parker x Male!Reader

Summary: (M/N) is officially back on earth, so is Sheyo. With the two stranded and the war still raging on, what comes next?

Read from the beginning

…

(M/N) opened his eyes and was confused why he didn’t hear the hum of ship engines. Sitting up he realized he wasn’t in his quarters on the ship, he was in his room on earth. He could tell by how the sun was starting to raise over the city that he had woken up pretty early. Perhaps he was still adjusted to waking up for the next campaign. He stood up and walked over to the closet, inside he found some clothes that could fit him. Once he was dressed he wandered out to the living room.

The quietness of the area told him that no one was up yet. Moving to the kitchen he looked around. Last time he was on earth he was taught a couple of things for cooking. He got to work making something for everybody to eat as they got up. He had got some of the food done by the time someone entered the kitchen. “Do I smell food?” (M/N) smiled and turned to face his intruder. “Hey Steve. I’m making breakfast, grab a plate. most of it is done.” Steve smirked and did so before sitting at the table. “I gotta say, I half expected to wake up and realize last night was a dream. But you’re here...actually here.” He looked at his plate and back to (M/N). “Where have you been kid?”

(M/N) finished his cooking and set everything aside. “I didn’t want to leave. I wanted more time here, with you guys...with dad. But there’s still a war going on and mom wanted to make sure that we realized that.” (M/N) shrugged his shoulders. “I guess she was right though. Once we got back into the fight I realized there were still so many people that needed our help. I couldn’t just stay here or come back...even if I tried at first.” (M/N) had a far away look in his eyes and Steve noticed, the younger book shook his head quickly though. “Anyways that’s the past. I’m here now...I just hope for longer.” Steve nodded his head. “Well I’m glad to have you back, I know everyone else...especially your dad is too.”

Grabbing a plate for himself, (M/N) joined Steve at the table. “So...anything interesting happen when I was gone?” Steve smirked at him. “You’ve missed a lot. Turns out there were lots of hidden Hydra agents in Shield and that was an ordeal. Also...Bucky’s alive.” (M/N) raised a brow at that. Steve had told him of his time in the war, and his best friend Bucky...but that he died. Apparently that wasn’t the case. “How?” Steve sat his fork down, no longer interested in the food. “Hydra.” (M/N) nodded and gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry Steve. We’ll get him back.” Steve genuinely smiled and with that his appetite seemed to return. “Anyways, what have YOU been doing Mr.I’ve lead armies in war?” (M/N) blushed and looked away as Steve made fun of what he last said to them. “Shut up. I’ve just been doing what I’ve always done...fighting in a seemingly endless battle. But I HAVE been learning different art and stuff from different planets.” Steve seemed to be really interested with that. “Art like drawing and painting?” The boy nodded at him. “Yeah, plus pottery, music, theater. All of that. There’s a lot out there.”

Steve was about to say something when we were joined by some others. “(M/N)!” He didn’t have a chance to say anything before Clint pulled him into a tight hug. “Welcome back kiddo. Oh hey breakfast.” Clint let him go and went to get a plate. Natasha took the chance to rub his head and mess up his head. “Welcome back kid.” She also grabbed a plate and the two of them sat down. Just like Steve had asked before, he told them about what he had been up to. It wasn’t long before Tony and Bruce arrived, his dad sitting next to him. (M/N) noticed how his dad was grinning, almost like he thought it might have been a dream. They had told him that Thor had returned to Asgard for a bit but that he should be back soonish. The group were all enjoying their breakfast and talking when (M/N) heard the sound of a crutch. “Oh hey, there’s a group of people now.” (M/N) turned and smiled at Sheyo who looked a lot better than she had the night before. The avengers were looking at her with mixed emotions, who was she and why was she here...also why was she green.

Quickly standing from his seat (M/N) pulled out his chair offering it to Sheyo who gratefully took it. “How did you sleep? You feeling better?” Sheyo smiled at him. “Very much so. I think I should be fine soon hopefully. Now, are you going to introduce me to everyone?” (M/N) nodded and looked around. “Sheyo these are the Avengers. Steve, Clint, Natasha, you already met Bruce, and...my father. Tony Stark.” Sheyo grinned as she looked from me to Tony, soon she lifted her hand out to him. “Nice to meet you Mr.Stark.” It was obvious that everyone was still confused so (M/N) helped explain everything with Sheyo filling in any gaps. It was very similar to how (M/N) was questioned after the battle of New York.

The conversations were dying down and breakfast was coming to an end. (M/N) was enjoying the time he was spending with his family again, this time with his best friend. As everyone broke from the table Sheyo leaned over to him. “(M/N) a word?” He gave her a nod and excused himself from the rest. He took Sheyo to his room and closed the door. “What’s up?” She sat down on his bed and looked around before looking back at him. “So my leg’s out of commission for at least a couple days, but what are we going to do after that? We can’t stay here forever, you know that.”

(M/N) nodded. “I know. I would stay forever if I could but we can’t. The war is still going on and we have to get back. The first problem we’ll have is to find a way off planet. We’ll need a ship with a hyperdrive to get us back. Plus, we have another problem.” (M/N) took out the two infinity stones he has. “We have these to worry about. We can’t keep them together, it makes them a bigger target. We have to separate them.” Sheyo nodded. “So what’s the plan?” (M/N) laid the stones on his desk. “When Thor get’s here I’ll give him the space stone. Let him take it back to Asgard, it should be safe here. The mind stone, I’ll give to my dad. He and the avengers are the best the earth has. They’ll keep it safe.” He looked to Sheyo who only smiled at him. “Sounds like a good plan. Alright. Guess we get to take a little vacation for a bit.” (M/N) put away the stones into a hidden place and grabbed his sabers. “Come on. You may not be able to train, but I want you to at least give me pointers.” She let out a groan then grabbed her crutch and began following him to the training area.

The tower had changed a lot since the last time he came and the training room was no exception. It was now an ACTUAL training room and not just a boxing ring. “Sir. Your father designed a training program for each of the avengers, including you.” Jarvis spoke up. That made (M/N) surprised. He didn’t think his father would have taken his combat teaching into consideration. “Really?” Jarvis’ voice spoke again. “Yes sir. He studied the videos of you fighting during the battle of new york and based the training for you on them.” He smiled at that, his father really did take care in making sure he was included. “Thanks J. Can you start the training?”  Sheyo moved to the side and Jarvis began the training exercise. “Starting simulation.”

The simulation room started to hum and the lights dimmed. A holographic image of a Chituari appeared and it began firing at (M/N). He quickly ignited his lightsabers and began deflecting the bolts back on to the oncoming waves. As the waves of holo enemies came towards him, he switched from defense to attack. He slashed through the oncoming waves, as he was doing it he realized that he had improved during his time gone. Perhaps he’d have to talk to his dad about other fighting stances and techniques to help improve the simulation. 

While (M/N) was in the simulation, the door to the viewing room opened and Tony, Steve and Clint walked in. “Heard little Stark war doing the simulation, wanted to see his moves.” Clint said. Sheyo smirked at them and nodded to the simulation. “This is easy for him compared to other things.” They all watched as he did a flip with a landing slash on an enemy. “He’s improved a lot since last time.” Steve noted. “That’s my boy. Takes after his father.” Steve laughed. “I’d say he takes after his mother.” Sheyo raised her brow. She was going to find out who his mother was. Tony scoffed and turned back to watching his son.

Steve turned to Sheyo. “So Sheyo. Since you’re a jedi do you do what he does?” He nodded towards (M/N) and she smiles and nods. “You mean being part of a galactic war? Yep. My master’s Dia. His is Janai. I’m sure you know that bit though. Like we said earlier, we were on a mission when we ended up here.” Sheyo looked at Tony, studying him. “You know. He looks like you a lot.  We, Jedi, aren’t supposed to know our parents or form attachments. I don’t believe in that. I think it’s a stupid rule...but you should know there’s still a war going on. If he stays here...they’ll come after him. The Jedi. It won’t be pretty. He might have to leave but that doesn’t mean he wants to. I can see he loves you a lot.” Tony smiled sadly at her and nodded. “I know. When he first left I was angry at everyone, myself, his mom, but never at him. I knew he still had a job to do. When it’s time for him to leave again, I just hope he says goodbye this time.”

The simulation ended and (M/N) exited the room. “Oh, hey guys. Were you all watching me practice?” They all nodded. He turned to Sheyo. “Just like the temple training room.” She laughed at that. Clint lightly punched his shoulder. “Well kid. You definitely put on a show.” (M/N) smirked at looked at Tony. “What can I say I take after my dad.” Tony laughed and pointed at Steve. “I told you! Now…” He wrapped his arm around (M/N)’s shoulder. “Let’s figure out what we’re doing today.”

A/N: I realized I haven’t shown you what Sheyo looks like so here she is!

[thesaltofcarthage]

Avengers: Endgame: Did Marvel Pull It Off?

This is a followup to my (surprisingly popular!) post “The Stakes Are Too High.” (at least, it surprised the hell out of me that it got so popular; I wasn’t expecting it to resonate as widely as it did.)

FULL ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. I’m putting it under a cut just in case.

Also, above the cut in case you’re still dodging spoilers, tagging @kryptaria @iamanartichoke @taurileonis @hjbender @chey-tips22 @wu-the-stoic @englishontheinside  @rennemichaels @alwida10 @ladylowkeyed @saltoftheearths @mizkit @thelightofthingshopedfor @essesnceofhappiness @theravenofwynter @pinetreeparadoxx @ironhammermagicshieldedgreenbow @philosopherking1887 @waywardkansasflower @lokeanrampant @maneth985 @ilovethemallsoimconfused @bengalaas @icyxmischief @yuuki-fandoms @snailchick  @fictions-stranger  @adhdasianaroace @artherra @missmaladicta @queerfictionwriter because you specifically commented/reblogged.

So having seen Endgame, the question becomes: Did Marvel pull it off? 

My answer is: yes and no.

Did we get an emotionally satisfying ending? Did Marvel understand that closure doesn’t have to come with corpses?

There were a lot of things I loved about Endgame. There were many, many of the “small character moments” we were begging for. Marvel didn’t forget that we fell in love with people and we need to see people and their choices and how they live with the consequences of those choices... mostly.

I loved how Marvel rewarded the audience for watching 11 years of movies. It was practically wall-to-wall Easter eggs and callbacks. I loved how the time travel allowed us to loop back through some of our favorite scenes and see them from other points of view, and the additional information. (Sitwell and Brumlow taking the scepter immediately after Loki’s capture: oh, so that’s how HYDRA got the Mind Stone!) I loved the cameos upon cameos (despite how silly it is for someone like Natalie Portman to show up for literally 15 seconds and not get any lines). I appreciated that Captain Marvel was used exactly the right amount: she saved Tony and Nebula, she was established as part of the post-Snap team, she came in at the end to lend some firepower, but she did not have any part in solving the problem nor was she the person who ultimately handed Thanos his raisin ass. I LOVED THE FINAL BATTLE, HOLY FUCK. (With the exception of Loki not being present, but I’ll get to that.) There were real laughs, and real tears. I cheered when Steve summoned Mjolnir (and laughed my head off at the Cap-on-Cap fight). I loved Morgan and Cassie, and the echoes of fathers and daughters throughout.

There were things I did not love, even before we got to the final or semi-final fates of some characters. I was genuinely offended with Thor’s treatment. I was not happy with Loki. I was confused about Vision, Gamora, and Black Widow, because they are due to return for future TV shows and movies, so leaving their statuses open or cloudy (or “dead,” which I put in quotes for a reason) was just disconcerting. The time travel opened up a lot of problems.

My original post was about endings, so let’s talk about those. In approximately descending order of Satisfying to WTF:

Stan Lee: Got his last cameo in the end of the arc so he didn’t miss any, driving along, clearly having the time of his life. Excelsior, Stan, and thank you for everything.

Clint: Got his happy ending. He was deeply bitter about losing his family, but got them restored to him. He did lose Nat, but I’ll cover her in her own section.

Steve: He did get his soft epilogue, albeit with Peggy Carter, and I can’t fault that. Marvel was never going to give us the Steve/Bucky romance no matter how obvious it was, and Steve/Peggy also works. (And really, I love Peggy, so for her to get a happy ending too is a bonus.) Steve gave so much of himself over the years. I can’t object to allowing him to be selfish and re-live his life quietly, to finally put down his shield and go home from the war. He got his reward.

It basically works with the existing timeline if you squint and assume that Peggy’s Alzheimer’s was messing with her at the beginning of Civil War, or if there’s another timeline altogether. I’m slightly annoyed that whatever he got to have with Bucky all happened offscreen between the stinger of Black Panther and the beginning of Infinity War, but apparently they did spend time together. And Steve clearly told Bucky was he was planning; that’s what “I’m gonna miss you” was foreshadowing.

STEVE IS WORTHY OF MJOLNIR. YESSSSSS!

Bruce: I was okay with the “Professor Hulk” storyline (which I was told by a sharp-eyed nephew is from the comics), although I wouldn’t have minded seeing that internal struggle onscreen, but I understand it’s an IP rights issue and there isn’t going to be another Marvel standalone Hulk film.

Tony: Augh. AUGH! I get it. I know why he died, on a meta level. But still.

This, at least, we can say is mostly “heartbreaking” and not “burn.” Tony got the five-year interval to make some kind of peace with his losses. He and Pepper got married and had Morgan. He got some kind of Happy For Now. He got some kind of reward, which RDJ brilliantly conveyed even in the few minutes we saw.  

@hjbender linked @starkysnarks’s excellent post about Tony’s arc. One important part:

That’s why I think that giving a better, more positive message is so important. While other characters have flaws, it’s only Tony who has this consistent, this carefully streamlined storyline of improvement, of redemption, of self-realization and self-betterment. It’s Tony who is most often referred to (by the aforementioned mainstream outlets AND within the fandom) as the most human of the characters, and his story – as the most humane. His happy ending with a new house and young family will not feel like an opt-out, it will not feel complacent, at least not to me. It will feel like hope. It will feel like achieving, at least partially, the goal of that endless internal struggle that we all go through daily. It will feel like it’s possible to be good and be happy and be content, to know that you have done you best and your best is good enough for you to live, and go forward, and be.

He ultimately got some of this, for a while. Tony’s fatal flaw is his fear about Thanos, or the threat that Thanos represents. Prior to Avengers, Tony was happy-go-lucky because he could, eventually, beat whatever the world threw at him. But Thanos was not of this world, and would have wiped everyone out if Tony hadn’t managed to get that nuke through the portal. That trauma, that guilt, that fear, is what drives him for the rest of the Infinity Stones storyline. He is desperate to protect everyone. It’s what makes him want to put “a suit of armor around the world” in Age of Ultron, and of course the way Ultron backfires compounds Tony’s PTSD and guilt, which is what leads to his position in Civil War and the fight he picks with Steve at the beginning of Endgame.

And the worst happens in Infinity War, and the Avengers lose. Everything Tony feared ultimately happened.

Five years later, he’s managed to move forward. He has his happy ending — as happy as he can be, given their losses. He’s accepted his failure, more or less. He wants to rest, which is why he rejects Steve and the others at first.

But his tinkerer’s brain won’t let him put their proposal aside. He needs to know intellectually that there’s no chance, that he can’t fix what he screwed up. Because that’s the other part of what drives him: they lost. He lost. “I lost the kid,” he tells Steve (meaning Peter). That fear of loss, of losing people, of failing people, of disappointing people, is what keeps pushing him. If he knows that there’s no possible way he can undo his mistake, he’ll figure out a way to cope, especially since he still has Pepper and then his daughter. But now there is a way, or there might be, and he can’t let that lie, he can’t rest, until he knows one way or the other. And when the way to fix things becomes possible, there is no other outcome for Tony to choose. He wouldn’t be a hero otherwise.

It is a terrible loss, but in the end I could accept it. Tony got a Happy For Now. He was able to enjoy his life for a little while. He got the genuine closure with his father which he couldn’t in the BARF hologram at the beginning of Civil War thanks to the time travel, and he got to see Peter restored and give him the hug which they weren’t at yet in Homecoming. Tony was triumphant. He defeated his greatest, most terrible adversary. He defeated his fear. Thanos is gone, and his minions with him. The echo of “I. Am. Iron Man.” was exquisite. (even more so knowing that line in the first movie was ad-libbed! it wasn’t in the script! It was RDJ’s idea!) So his death is sad, but it’s earned.

Natasha: Meh. Just meh. The scene where she and Clint fight over who is going to die was blackly hilarious. It made narrative sense for Nat to be the one who died — she has found family, but not children; she spent the interval trying to run the Avengers and SHIELD and trying to fix things, and this allowed her to contribute in a material way; she still has a lot of red in her moral ledger — but on a meta level, we know there’s a Black Widow movie in the works. It doesn’t make sense to have a spinoff series set before Endgame when you know how the character dies. It’s not a bad ending, all things considered, but the actress herself can’t get younger. Is it supposed to be her origin/backstory movie after the character has died? Is it Multiverse Branching Timelines? Was she restored when Steve returned all the Stones to their place in the timeline? Was she restored with Tony’s Snap, or Bruce’s? Not knowing how that’s going to work with the rest of the MCU timeline blunted the emotional effect of her death for me.

Although he’s not an original Avenger, I had similar issues with Vision. There will be a Scarlet Witch and Vision TV series. Vision is still dead, according to Wanda at Tony’s funeral. So was he restored with either Bruce’s Snap or Tony’s? Was 2018 Gamora? 

And the two which completely did not work for me, the ones where I think Marvel really missed:

Thor: Of the original Avengers, he was the one I was most upset about.

I really, really did not like how Thor’s very legitimate grief, depression, PTSD, and alcoholism were played for laughs. Thor is down to a “kingdom” of a few hundred people at best (we don’t know what Asgard’s population was to start with, but Hela killed quite a few, and then Thanos killed half of them on the Statesman, and it’s entirely possible that the Snappening dusted half of whomever remained). He’s living with the murders of Loki, Heimdall, and the Warriors Three (I can’t remember if Sif was supposed to have survived the Snappening, but she doesn’t appear in Endgame). He didn’t “go for the head” in Infinity War, which clearly haunts him despite the fact that Peter Quill is just as much to blame for interrupting Strange, Tony, Peter, and Mantis, or Wanda is just as much to blame for not getting the Stone out of Vision’s head faster, etc. etc. He cut off Thanos’s head after the fact and is clinging to that — “Who else here killed Thanos?” — as some kind of cold comfort. “Look, at least I did that in the end. At least I got revenge.”

Thor is a mess. His family is dead. His dearest friends are dead. He’s in a depressive spiral, self-medicating with food and alcohol, lost in video games because they are a consequence-free way to “win.” He’s holed up with Miek and Korg because they didn’t know him before Ragnarok and they have no real expectations of King Thor, God of Thunder, Avenger, Hero. He feels he has failed at everything which has ever been expected of him.

And the script... plays this... for laughs.

We are meant to laugh at his pot belly and flabby physique. We are meant to laugh at his unkempt matted hair and wild unbraided beard. We are meant to laugh at his drunkenness, at how he passes out, at how he blearily begs and whimpers to be the one to unSnap everyone ( “Please let me do something good, something right,” he pleads), at how he returns to Asgard on the day of Frigga’s murder and tries to frat-boy off to the cellars for some of Odin’s best ale because he cannot face his failure on this day too.

None of this is funny. It’s not funny at. all. It’s horrifying.

I do understand that this is likely more Hemsworth than Marvel. The actor vocally complained that he was bored with formal, upright Thor and would have been done with the character without Taika Waititi’s more comedic take in Ragnarok. He has said in interviews that Thor in Endgame is the closest to Hemsworth himself that the character has ever been, and clearly the actor loves doing comedy. He’s good at it — I enjoyed Kevin in Ghostbusters 2016.

I don’t object to loosening up Thor. I don’t object to showing Thor spiraling into alcoholism and depression and hiding from the world in food and games. I object to using depression and alcoholism for comedy.

Thor faces Frigga, reluctantly, and she counsels her son whom she loves, telling him not to worry about living up to expectations but to be his best true self. This is consistent with both characters; Thor has accepted how hard it is to be king. Then as Thor is quantumming out she adds “And eat a salad.” Really? You had to throw that in there? She sees the wreck her son has become and she nags? She gives him some kind and loving advice, she knows there’s some weirdness going on, but she has to cap it with fat-shaming?

We are meant to mock formerly ripped Thor for being “fat and ugly,” but let’s be clear: Thor’s appearance is an outward manifestation of deep emotional issues. Thor has not been able to cope with his failure. He and Tony faced similar terrible losses. Both characters originally had sunny dispositions. Tony, who still had Pepper at least, has managed to crawl out of his hole and build something with his wife and daughter. Thor lost his brother, his other half, and has mentally, emotionally, and physically collapsed. There really is no Thor without Loki.

And speaking of, I’m going to scream for a moment:

SERIOUSLY, MARVEL, WHAT EVEN THE FLAMING FUCK WAS THAT? YOU TEE UP A GODDAMN LINE LIKE “I ASSURE YOU, BROTHER, THE SUN WILL SHINE ON US AGAIN” AND THEN IT DOESN’T PAY OFF? I FUCKING WAVED THAT FLAG FOR A SOLID YEAR BECAUSE I WAS CONVINCED YOU WERE SMARTER THAN THAT AND THIS IS HOW YOU DO ME?

Loki: I am well aware that Loki started as an antagonist, and that my perspective is skewed from the fandoms I choose to participate in. I know that he’s not an Avenger.

But purely from a narrative point of view, Marvel, ya done fucked up. You dropped the ball.

From my previous post:

Loki’s death in Infinity War was so stupid and narratively pointless that a lot of fans, myself included, believe that there’s a plan behind the scenes (since we know Endgame involves time travel) which somehow explains it and gives it meaning. Because if not, then one of the most popular MCU characters — the only antagonist to keep returning, film after film, and primarily because audiences love him — died for nothing.

And there you have it. Explaining it after the fact in Loki’s TV show doesn’t count (and we don’t know that they will). Yes, Loki grabs the Tesseract in 2012 and disappears, so you can argue that “he doesn’t die,” but all that really does is screw up the timeline. It creates another timeline branch which isn’t resolved.

Is everything now a branched universe? If Loki took off with the Tesseract, does that mean The Dark World and Ragnarok never happened? If Loki didn’t go back to Asgard in chains at the end of Avengers, that means TDW couldn’t have happened the way it did. It means that Loki didn’t sacrifice himself, but does that also mean that Malekith would have gotten the Aether/Reality Stone from Jane and killed her? (It was Loki’s plan which saved Jane, let’s recall. And killed Kurse.) Does that mean Odin is still alive and on Asgard? And Hela was never unleashed? And therefore Loki and Thor never ended up on Sakaar and Hulk and Valkyrie Brunnhilde are still there? Or worse, that Odin died and Hela was unleashed but Thor wasn’t able to stop her because he didn’t have Hulk, Valkyrie, and Loki to help him? So she’s now loose and rampaging across the realms murdering at will?

It was appropriate for the larger arc for Carol to be part of the cavalry swooping in during the final battle to pummel Thanos for a while, but I kept waiting for Loki to show up. Loki was tortured by Thanos and Ebony Maw, which is what kicked off the plot of Avengers. If 2014 Thor was willing to break Loki out of prison to get revenge for Frigga’s death, why wouldn’t either 2014 Thor or 2023 Thor be willing to tell 2012 Loki “We have an opportunity for you to get back at Thanos. Wanna help?” Because as strung out and as still cocky as he was, jauntily waving in the elevator at the beast who just beat the shit out of him, I bet Loki would have been delighted to take a few swings at Giant Purple Nutsack Face. Yes, he probably would have escaped at some point during the final battle, because that’s who he was at the time, and still is — he’s “very comfortable with chaos,” as Hiddleston notes. And that would have been consistent. Help others if it also helps him, he’s not really a hero at that point in his arc, check out after Thanos is dead because he doesn’t want to go back to prison. That all would have worked. Even if he had no more to do than Shuri or Okoye, just to show him shooting a few blasts of seidr and showing that he is in fact just as powerful a sorcerer as Doctor “I’ve only been doing this for a year” Strange.

But Loki’s death in Infinity War is for nothing. Even if I wasn’t as invested in the character as I am, from a storytelling standpoint, it was pointless. The entire heavy foreshadowing of that line was utterly whiffed. You can’t even argue that “Loki sacrificed himself for Thor” because Thanos disappeared with the Space Stone, leaving Thor behind, and Thor crawled over to his brother’s dead, broken body and crumpled there to die. Thor gave up and never recovered. The last word he expected he would ever say was “Loki....” 

Thor didn’t choose in that moment to use Loki’s sacrifice to stand up and claim revenge. Even Clint did more than that after Natasha’s death. Thor only continued on to forge Stormbreaker because the Guardians happened to pick him up in the vacuum of space after the Statesman exploded. That wasn’t a choice by the character, which is what moves a character arc forward. It was happenstance. Thor’s heart was destroyed with Loki’s death. It’s a shell of a man who eventually beheads Thanos.

Loki got an “Avenge the Fallen” poster, but he wasn’t avenged. The 2012 version of him escaped and branched off a new timeline, according to the Ancient One’s explanation of how time travel works in the MCU.

We don’t know if either Tony’s or Bruce’s Snap restored 2018 Loki. Endgame is the end of this arc. Marvel can’t patch stuff up later and claim a do-over. 

AND FOR FUCK’S SAKE MARVEL WE NEVER GOT THOR AND LOKI’S HUG.

So: did Marvel hurt us?

Not as badly as I feared. There was a ton of fanservice and moments which were so go-for-broke that I felt like we were watching wish-fulfillment fanfic. (So many jokes about Steve’s ass. Steve joking about Steve’s ass.) The script didn’t stop to explain who people were or give context; it assumed the audience knew everything and was keeping up. And that last battle, have mercy, Helm’s Deep and Pelennor Fields look like playground skirmishes in comparison.

BUT: The loose ends are deeply frustrating, and I think the Loki fandom is going to blow a collective gasket. Grotty Drunk Thor having constant My Dick Is Bigger fights with Peter Quill is not going to make me want to watch Guardians 3. (Although if Loki comes back and sneers at Quill, and Thor follows his brother off into the wild yonder with stars in his eyes, okay, call me.)  

I will watch the Marvel TV shows because I’m a masochist, but I don’t know how much I’m going to allow myself to get emotionally involved. My expectations are far lower than before IW/EG. I don’t know how the shows and movies involving “dead” characters are going to explain things. Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey handwaving is kind of a cheat, and it doesn’t excuse the shit storytelling which was allowed to happen in the first place.

Do I regret the journey? I don’t. It’s been a hell of a ride, and I’m so glad to have met these characters. I could wish for some things to be better, and hoo boy is there going to be a lot of corrective fanfic, but I’m not sorry I came along. 

(and P.S.: Loki lives. :P)

[fangirlinsweden]

Promises 10

Pairing: Steve x reader                                                                        

Warnings:  Crying, swearing, bad memories, angst and fluff    

Word Count: about 3500 words           

Square Filled: Crying themselves to sleep for @star-spangled-bingo          

Summary: Y/N always keeps her promises. Always. This time that hurts her.  

A/N: This is my second fanfic series for the @star-spangled-bingo.

And I would like to thank @kaunis-sielu & @allaboutthebooz & @itsanerdlife for their help and support. These women are amazing writers, that you need to check out if you haven’t already.

I am officially back in Sweden. Came home to a sick dog and then I also got sick. I am doing better now and my goal is for this series to only have one or two more chapters.. 

Part 1 Part 2   Part 3    Part 4     Part 5     Part 6   Part 7   Part 8    Part 9

Promises Masterlist

“Explain” Steve demands. Bruce shifts his weight from one leg to another.

“We can’t really explain. Not without more research,” Bruce is looking down at his tablet then he looks up at you meeting your wide eyes. “What we know is that your blood has many similarities with Steve and Bucky’s blood, but your bloodwork also shows an increase in your inhuman DNA.” You sigh looking away.

“Beth told me that it was a mistake that she became pregnant with me, but that HYDRA though it would be good to try a new kind of experiment, on fetuses. They thought it could be better having a scientist doing things on foetuses, then on adult persons. Beth’s idea was to do it on her own baby,” you start explaining what she had told you when you were alone with her. “With the hope that I would die in her womb, Hydras hope was that I would be the first super warrior born as a child so they could easily make me as they wanted me from the beginning, without brainwashing. Less work, more efficient killing machine.” Steve's hand gives your hand a squish. It gives you the energy to continue talking. “But I came out seems like a normal child. Beth told me that she continued experimenting on me until my father started becoming suspicious of her activities with me. Then about a year after my fire powers came to light.” Tony snickers at the pun. Everyone else shakes their head. “My father took contact with Fury when Beth wanted to send me away to an institution. What she really wanted was to send me to HYDRA. But dad and Fury put a stop to her plans, without really knowing what they were doing.” You take a deep breath. “Beth left and nobody noticed that she was HYDRA. I want away for school and then I became an Avenger. She has been keeping tabs on me and she was waiting for me. She injected me with something that activated the super soldier serum in my body.” Bruce and Dr Cho share a look.

“This explains so much,” Tony says typing away on his tablet. “We need to go to the lab.” They leave you alone with Steve.

“I am so sorry,” Steve says looking eyes with you. He is still holding your hand. You move closer to him. His breath can be felt on your skin. There is a knock on the door. You move back. Bucky walks in, smiling when he sees Y/N awake.

“I heard you were awake,” Bucky walks over to the bed and gives her a kiss on the forehead.

“Punk, go and take a shower. You smell. I will stay here with Y/N.” Steve looks at you and you nod at him.

“Go, I will be fine,” you say. Bucky makes himself comfortable on the chair beside your bed. Steve kisses your cheek and leaves the room. You look at Bucky and he looks at you. The room is silent.

“Do you want to talk about it, cry about it or do something to take your mind of it?” Bucky asks and you smile at him.

“I want to take my mind off it,” you answer honestly. All that had happened the last day was not something you wanted to think about right now.

“Just what I thought,” Bucky nods fishing up his mobile sending a quick text. After a while the door opens and in comes Wanda, Nat, Sam, Pepper and Clint. They are carrying pizza boxes and water bottles. You laugh at the sight.

“Hungry?” Bucky smiles at you.

“Starving,” you answer.

You eat together laughing, talking about anything other then what had happened. That is how Steve finds you an hour later.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Steve stood in the doorway looking at his family, because that was what they were. His family and Y/N was the women he loved. Right now he needed to push his feelings aside and be there for her. Help her through all of this.

“Steve,” Sam cheers as he Steve standing in the door.

“Hey!” Steve says to the group.

“Come in, Steve,” Y/N says with a big smile on her lips, but Steve can see the sadness in her eyes. “There is pizza for you too.” She holds up a slice of pizza to her mouth and takes a big bite. He walks into the room and sits down on the empty chair. His eyes are on her, trying to assess how she really was doing. She gives him an eye roll and looks with a smirk on Bucky.

“Bucky” she says with her voice dripping of sugar. Bucky looks at her with one eyebrow raised. Nat looks at Y/N with a smirk, like she knows what Y/N is going to say.

“Please tell us more about Steve’s reckless ways from when he was younger,” Y/N says still sweet as sugar. Bucky laughs and looks over at Steve. Fuck was the only thought in Steve’s head. He really did not want her to hear all that. Not now, not ever. Even though he knew that she already heard a lot of stories.

“Do you want to hear the time he tried defending a girl out back of the cinemas or the time he stopped tried to stop a gang of older kids bullying a kid,” Bucky askes looking smug.

“Both,” Y/N says rubbing her hands together. Steve takes a slice of pizza and his eyes are at Y/N. She was smiling and laughing at Bucky’s storytelling, but the hollow look in her eyes was still there. It was killing him. She had always been a light in the Avengers. Always had a smile for everyone and always putting everyone over herself. She was the sun and the moon for Steve. He was hopelessly in love with her and all he wanted at this moment was to make that hollow look in her eyes disappear. However, he would go about doing it. He had no clue.

  Steve was looking at you, he ate his pizza slices, but his eyes never left you. At least not a long while, his eyes always finding you again. You tried your hardest not to look at him. Not now. You were scared you would break down under his eyes.

“Wow, Steve was quite reckless before he became Captain America,” you get out after Bucky finished his stories. Clint made a snorting sound.

“What have I missed?” you ask looking around the room. Sam looks at everyone, but you. Nat and Bucky share a look. Steve can’t look at you. This was strange. A minute ago he could not stop looking at you.

“Steve is still the same reckless Punk he has always been,” Bucky says. “Hoping out of planes without a chute and if you need a more recent example. Then take yesterday, when he walked through fire to get to Y/N.” Your stop eating, your eyebrows raised and looks to Steve, who is sending Bucky a death glare.

“You walked through fire to get to me?” you ask keeping your eyes fixed on Steve.

“I will always get you” Steve shrugged like it was not a big deal. “Always.” You looked down at your pizza. He had literally walked through fire to get to you. It was a lot to take in.

“You most have gotten burned,” you say looking up at him again. He just shrugs his shoulders again. Nat shoves him hard. Steve looks up at you and in his eyes you see so many feelings twirling around. Although you could not pinpoint the feelings. Clint clears his throat and Nat gives him a hard stare. You look down at your hands, trying to process. Steve had walked through your fire to get to you. He risked his life to get to you. You knew that he would have done it for anyone in the team, and probably to a complete stranger as well, but something in both Bucky and Steve’s voices said that this was something more. You open your mouth to say something when there is a knock on the door and Dr Cho walks in.

“I see someone is having a pizza party,” She smiles. You nod. “Well, I am only here to say that you can spend the night in your own room if you want,” Dr Cho continues. At this, you sit up a bit straighter. “We figure you would be more comfortable in your own bed.”

“Yes, please,” you say directly. Steve looks from you and over to Dr Cho.

“Is that really a good idea?” Steve wonders and Dr Cho sighs. Tony had said that Steve would be opposed to this.

“Y/N’s results show that she is healthy,” Dr Cho says trying to be patient. “Why should she stay here, when she is perfectly fine.” Steve squints at the doctor before he nods. Nat, Pepper, Clint, Wanda and Sam leave the room after you promise to get in touch if you needed anything. Bucky and Steve stay with you while Dr Cho takes of all the monitors you had attached to you.

“I want to see you again tomorrow,” Dr Cho says before she lets leave. You agree and when you sit pull of the blanket from your body you see that you are only in a hospital gown, something you had not noticed before. Bucky laughs at your facial expression before he walks over to the closet and pull out your fluffy rob.

“Thank you,” You say and slip it on. Bucky holds out his arm to you.

“Will you let me escort you to your room” Bucky smiles at you. You slip your arm in his.

“Yes, please” you say happily. “Bye, Steve. Get some sleep.” Together you leave the room. Steve steps out after you in the hallway and you can feel his eyes burning in the back of your neck, but you ignore it.

“You know his only worried about you,” Bucky says when you reach your room. He does not have to say he means Steve, it was obvious.

“I know,” you mutter. “I just wish.. I don’t know.” Bucky gives you a knowing smile.

“Do you want me to come in and keep you company?” Bucky asks dropping the subject of Steve. You shake your head.

“I am going to take a long shower and then try and get some sleep,” You say and give him a big hug. “But thank you.” Bucky holds you close and you feel safe. Bucky was a good friend.

“Call me if you need me,” He says and you say goodnight to each other. You walk into your room and go directly into your bathroom, strip down and take a hot shower.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Over an hour later you are sitting on your bed crying. It all was a mess. You were finally back in your own room, but you did not know what to do. Your mother was Hydra. Your dad had kept secrets from you. And you were now a super soldier or at least kind of. There is a knock on the door, but you just kept crying, not having the energy to go open the door. There is another knock on the door, then silence. Whoever been outside must have given up. Then the door opens and there is Steve. You look up at him, but you can’t say a word, just continuing crying. Thinking he would leave you alone when he sees you in this state, but Steve simply walks over to you in big steps sitting down in bed with you and pulling you into his arms. He lets you cry and cry. His hand running up and down your back. It felt so good being in his arms, feeling his heat and having his scent surrounding you. It was safe and you knew right there and then that you were by no means over him. No, you had fallen even more in love with him how that could be a possibility, you seriously had no idea.

Wow, your life really was fucked up and you had no idea what to do about it.

  “What do you need?” Steve asked when you had stopped crying.

“I don’t know,” you stood up and walked to the window looking out on the rain.

“Wait here, I will be right back,” Steve says leaving you alone. You sigh. A couple of minutes later your door opens. You turn around. Steve was standing there with his arms full with things. He walks over to your bed and put it down. You could now see that he had your favourite blanket that you always used when you watched movies with the team, a lot of chocolate, water bottles and a boxset with Doctor Who. You let out a little laugh.

“Am I that predictable?” you wondered. Steve shook his head.

“No,” Steve said. “I just wanted to make you feel better and I remember you telling me that Doctor Who was your go-to for everything.” You nod and he sets everything up. You sit up against your headboard and pat the place beside you in bed. Steve walks over and sits down close to you. He wraps an arm around you and pulls you closer to his body. You lay the blanket over the two of you and take a bit of chocolate. Steve press play and you start watching from the first episode where the ninth Doctor meets Rose. You smile because Doctor Who always made everything better. It had been your go-to from you were a teenager trying to figure out your life and powers and it never ever let you down.

 Steve looks down at Y/N. She has fallen asleep resting against his chest. He knew the exact moment she fell asleep. He had felt her whole body relax against him. Their Doctor Who marathon was still playing, he did not dare to move. He did not want to wake her up. She needed her rest. Steve loved having her this close, feeling her in his arms and he wished he could fall asleep every night with her by his side. He was tried but did not want to fall asleep yet, no, he wanted to look at her and enjoy being close to her. Seeing her so relaxed. Steve could feel his eyes getting heavier and heavier, and finally, sleep overtook him. Steve dreamed happy dreams about the two of you dancing at Tony’s party, walking around Brooklyn and finally having a picnic in the woods. He woke up of Y/N screaming. His heart froze of the sound, it was so much alike the scream he heard when they found her strapped to the table. He sat up and took her into his arms. Starting to whisper soothing words to her.  

 You wake up screaming. A pair of arms are around you in an instant. You had been back at the table, with a fire raging around you. And you had seen your father and mother hugging and laughing on the other side of the fire.  

“Doll, I am here,” Steve says pulling you into his arms, tears are running down your face. “You are safe.” You crawl up in Steve’s lap pulling him even closer to you. “I am here. I am not going to let anything happen to you.” Steve’s calming voice brings you out from the dream and you start relaxing against him. He presses a kiss to your forehead and you try to calm down your breathing. You were sitting in Steve’s lap. You were safe. And still your mind is screaming at you. To run. To hid. Steve kept whispering to you. That you were safe. That he had you. That he was not going anywhere.

After a while you slide out of Steve’s lap.

“Thank you,” you said unable to meet his eyes.

“Want to talk about it?” he asks and you shake your head. He sighs and pulls you back to his shoulder and lay down with you in bed again.

“Doll, I can’t fix your problems, but I promise you that I am here for you if you want to talk. About anything.” Steve says and you look up at him. You see the honesty in his eyes and smile at him. You press a kiss against his cheek and you just lay there feeling safe until you fall asleep again.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 The next morning you wake up pressed to Steve hot body, and it was in a double way. He was hot as hell but he was also warm. You try getting out of his grip on you carefully, but his arms hold you tighter.

“Steve, I need to go to the bathroom,” you whisper, and all you get in response is a groan. You finally get yourself tangled out of his grip, sprinting to the bathroom. When you finished your business you look at your reflection in the mirror. It was immediately something you wished you had not done. You looked great, healthier than you ever looked. Your skin was glowing and you did not have a single pimple. But your chest felt heavy and your head was a mess. Why did it you appearance not look like you were feeling? Then it hit you. The Super Soldier Serum. You sigh and washed your face with cold water.

When you walked out in your room Steve was sitting up in your bed. His hair was a bit dishevelled and he looked like he belonged there in your bed. You could easily picture waking up with him every morning. He did not say a word and neither did you. But the looks you gave each other said everything. He patted the bed beside him and you walked over there.

“Talk,” he said in a husky voice. You know what he means and you know you can’t avoid it any longer.

“You know, I never thought I would see her again” you say looking down at your hands. “All of this is like a big box of memories that I really don’t want to open.” You sigh and Steve looks at you. His gaze completely empty of pity or anything close to pity. You know you needed to talk about it. Maybe it was time to open the box of bad memories. Steve is not saying a word. “She never showed me love when I grew up. I would say that she was kind of indifferent to me until the day that I almost burnt down my bedroom.” Steve places a hand on your arm, giving you a light squeeze. “She was hysterical, screaming that I was a freak and should be looked up,” you continue a tear leaving your eye. Steve wipes it away. “Dad was firm and told her no. His daughter belonged at home. She gave him an ultimatum. Me or her. I was in the room. She could not even look at me and it ended up with her leaving, when dad made it clear that I was more important than she was.” You suck in a deep breath. Steve is not saying a word just nods at you to continue. “And if I am completely honest with myself, I always thought he would change his mind and wanting her back. But he always had my back. Always.” More tears are running down your face and Steve pulls you close again.

“He loves you,” Steve mumbles with his mouth pressed to your head. You try to shake your head.

“I thought so,” you say and pull back some looking up in Steve’s mesmerising blue eyes. “But he had his suspicions about what she did to me but never told me. Not a single word.”

“I am not defending him, but Doll, you know you need to talk to him at some point,” Steve says. You shake your head. “You need to get his side of all this.”

“Doll, he is your father,” Steve continues. You look down.

“He was the one person I thought would never lie to me, well him and Wyatt,” You admit. “Like how can I get passed this? It feels like someone has ripped my life away from me. That I am standing in the ashes of my life. Like I just burned down my life. Who the hell am I?”

“You are the same person you have always been,” Steve says. “You are an incredible woman, strong and fierce. You are kind, loyal and always putting everyone else ahead of you.” You blush a bit at these words.

“What happened to you does not change that,” Steve states matter of a fact.

“I…” you say swallowing hard. “I think I am dangerous now.” Steve looks at you with big eyes. You lift your hand and the fire is burning blue in your right hand you. You toss the flame to your left hand like it’s a ball. That was something you never been able to do before. Steve’s eyes grew even bigger. He was quiet and you felt ashamed. Was he scared of you? Were you a monster now?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Promises tag list:  

@njayfbi     @ncrediblelove      @keithseabrook27     @donner5822    @thecauldroncake    @tessvillegas      @denzmallows       @allaboutthebooz     @sister-winchesters99     @ilanay41004      @destiel-stucky4ever-loki-queen    @xmtd5    @mrsseizetheday   @boxofteenageideas    @evanstush    @swiggityswiggityswagswag   @evanstush

[lunahpeixvey-fr]

Emperors but...for other breeds

My clan (Maudit) is all about curses! And well...emperors are a very cursed idea. The idea of dead bodies forming into one body with all of it’s heads thinking independent thoughts is...honestly terrifying to me. So I decided to make up ideas for what happens when other breeds fuse with another of the same. Base “emperor” term is going to be fusion! All of them will be under a cut because this could get long as I will explain my choices/how it could come to be. I might elaborate on fusions beyond just this one post. Feel free to use these ideas for yourself but just...idk link to this post? I will also be using group terms coming from my post about them. This took me like 5 hours.

For cross-breed fusions it’s a chimera. Named for both the ancient Greek beast, but also because chimera is now a term used for hybrid monsters of any kind. Chimeras usually happen in Arcane clans, thanks to the radiation that affects mass burial holes (which I believe some clans must have, just out of...probability). They can also happen on purpose in Lightening clans (or clans that are working for Stormcatcher himself). After all, what if you could have the energy of a spiral with the endurance of a snapper and the multitude of food sources as a guardian? These experiments are...usually failures. Those that succeed are hooked up to their machines and those that don’t...we don’t talk about those that don’t. I might have to make another post just for types of chimeras.

For Fae fusions it’s a Gentry (pl. Gentry). Named for a colloquial term for the Fair Folk/Good Neighbors/Faeries and because it sounds pretty. Gentry’s usually happen in Arcane lands, thanks to the overindulgence of sheer magic in the ground and the tiny bodies of faes. I say usually because there are always outliers, but I’m going to stick to the main stuff to make this not longer than the Bible. The tiny bodies fuse into one fusion that looks a lot like the Arcanist. Many limbs, many wings, but this time- many heads. Instead of being individual personalities, the Gentry is now a singular dragon, but as a mish-mash of all of it’s components personalities. It also talks as one, all heads talking in the same monotone buzz.

For Tundras it’s a Taiga (pl. Taigas). Named for the fact that tundra is an actual biome in our world, and Taiga is a very similar biome (there are differences but also I’m gay). These tend to happen in the Southern Icefield. When blizzards of Tundras are huddled together for warmth, not all of them tend to make it. In sadder circumstances, none of them make it. These blizzards become Taigas, giant monoliths of fur and outcroppings of ice-formed spikes. Wandering hopelessly in search of warmth. Taigas are their own independent being, completely a new personality that shares nothing with it’s components besides it’s sheer mass.

For Mirrors it’s a Savagery (pl. Savageries). Named for the obvious savage nature of mirrors, but...not an adj. These crop up around the Wyrmwound, which is doing it’s job and releasing all kinds of dangerous stuff into the air. This stuff affects mirrors the worst out of all of them, and so a Savagery is born from wandering groups of mirrors. It is a beast of teeth and wings. Two sets of wings, of arms, of legs, of heads. Perfectly mirrored except for the teeth. It’s as if the teeth from all of the mirrors combined into those two heads. With their two heads, they think as one, but can talk on their own. Savageries are usually made up of two mirror dragons, but if more dragons are added, only more heads will add on. Savageries can be found prowling the wasteland in search of prey.

For Spirals it’s a Hydra (pl. Hydras). Named for the multi-headed beast of Greecian myth. These crop up in the Windswept Plateau, and are formed when a coven is caught in the Twisting Crescendo. More specifically, when they’re caught in the eye of it. The fusion actually forms as the coven is twisted into each other until their very beings meld. Their minds stay separate, leading it to have a call and response with itself. The Hydra stays there, unable to move from the center. Their long tangled limbs reach out to try to pull in stray dragons, hungry for more company.

For Nocturnes it’s an Entity (pl. Entities). Named for the unnameable, how can you name what has no definition? Born of darkest night and with a tendency to leak goo from their eyeballs, it’s no wonder that these bat like dragons can become fused together. In one terrifying goop-covered beast, an Entity has six wings, and a midsection that comes apart, trailing it’s lower quarters behind it’s top half with trails of goop connecting them. Entities occur when strange chests containing nocturne eggs are allowed to disappear into powder. From the powder, like a twisted phoenix from it’s ashes, an Entity arises. Since the potential nocturnes were never born, the Entity is it’s own dragon.

For Bogsneaks it’s a Residue (pl. Residues). Named for what they are born of. Bogsneaks are made of alchemy, but sometimes that alchemy doesn’t work quite right. Sometimes one adds in the wrong color goo or slime and suddenly everything inside of it goes kaput! Or well, not everything. In the burnt remains, a Residue stirs. Blackened and twisted, with clouds of it’s own ash exhaling off of it with every movement, a Residue is not something you’d want to see on a dark night. Fins run up and down it’s body in every direction, hundreds of eyes all peering around to search for dangers. Like an Entity, a Residue is it’s own dragon.

For Coalts, it’s a Flurry (pl. Flurries). Named for what they look as they swirl throughout the floating ash. Coalts come from the Emberglow Hearth, and so too do Flurries. They are Flamecaller’s Forsaken, fire licking at their heels and their eyes and their feathered wings are burnt beyond repair. Forged together in the lava instead of forging tools, Flurries are cast out from the Great Furnace, a shame on Flamecaller’s shining history. Unable to fly with their burnt wings (no matter the fact they have four of them on average), instead the Flurries take to moving along the ground, their dark coloring blending in with the obsidian and ash covered ground. A Flurry, much like it’s name, thinks in scattered thoughts from different dragons, unable to hold onto one. Hatchlings in the Ashfall Waste are told of beings of lava and ash that crawl below and are greedy to find new Coatls to add to their body. Hoping that maybe they could get a pair of wings that work.

For Ridgebacks, it’s a Manticore (pl. Manticores). Named for the spikes that ride up high on every bit of them, and the weaponized tail they were forced to have. Manticores have the saddest origin out of the Fusions (aside from maybe the Taigas), as they are created on purpose. For their spikes can be harnessed to conduct electricity and if you force many of the singular dragon into a containment chamber and force the bodies to fuse through electricity, you will have a being made of spikes, and a being to which machines can be hooked up to. Ridgebacks in the Shifting Expanse get told to mind their manners or they’ll get sent to Stormcatcher and oh that threat works. For you see, almost every schooling program allows the hatchlings to visit The Lightening Farm, to see not only the creations of bronze and copper and silver, but to also see the Manticores in their eternal torment.

For Snappers, it’s an Oread (pl. Idaeae). Named for the Mountain Nymphs of Greek Mythology. Much like their name, these fusions are made under only intense pressure. Rockslides, cave-ins, everything that comes with living in the Shifting Expanse. A few snappers, doesn’t have to be many, but they are left alone. Underground or under rocks, and the pressure and weight causes their bodies to break and shift together. Turning into a rocky form that’s more stone than dragon. Rocks stay stuck in the massive form. It’s in the shape of a snapper, but much much larger, almost to the size of being an Imperial. Idaeae speak as one and think as one, or at least...that’s what we assume. What we hear is that their very voice causes earthquakes.

For Guardians, it is a Cohort (pl. Cohorts). Named for a section of the Roman Legion (a group of Cohorts is called a Legion). When Guardians are all focused on protecting one thing, one thing that is hopefully inanimate, they will all fuse together around the item, creating a hollow center to protect it with. Armored plates fuse together and a dominant pair of legs move it around, while eyes (covered by translucent protective covering) outcrop everywhere on the Cohort to better protect it’s charge. While it’s a living and conscious being, a Cohort has no mouth, so we cannot tell if it remains individual.

For Wildclaws, it’s a Vocifera (pl. Vociferaen). Named for a word that means to bawl or shout (vociferator). These wildclaws look normal, save for two details. They have four limbs (like usual), and a tail (like usual), and a body (like usual). But the heads keep getting added on, adding to the chorus of screams and shouts. The wings also keep getting added on, allowing this beast to remain flying underneath the weight of all of it’s heads. They call and scream out in the night, each head perfectly clear and perfectly aware of the abomination they now find themself to be attached to. Unlike other fusions, this one does not want any more to get added to itself, but in the Shrieking Wilds...it happens. As plant fiber breaks down bones and vines replace tendons, a Vocifera finds itself more plant than dragon, and more monster than plant.

For Pearlcatchers, it’s a Shatter (pl. Shatters). Named for the broken pearls that decorate its body, Shatters are seen most often in the Hewn City, ruined and wrecked like the city that lay around them. There are Pearlcatchers who lost their pearls early on, who’s oily goop never stopped flowing as it polished their teeth and their skin until they were opalescent themselves. Eventually they fled to the Hewn city, picking up pearls and shiny objects to attach to themselves to do something with the goop that sharpened and sharpened and never stopped flowing. Their teeth have become a unit, a single solid unit as their growls rattle against their closed mouth. Sometimes these unfortunate can become attached to each other, this is called a Shatter.

For Skydancers, it’s a Danse. Coming from the full phrase of Danse Macabe, or Dance of Death (or of the dead depending on how literal your translation is). This fusion is the only bipedal one. Or well...it would be if it had the normal amount of limbs. It’s body stretches unnaturally, as if there were multiple Skydancers attached at the hip all together standing on their hind legs. Their faces and wings have decayed down to bone (with no feathers left on their wings), and only their lower halves still have flesh and muscle. After all, they need to be able to ride the wings. From a distance, they almost look merely like a ballet of Skydancers, but oh is the Ballet morbid as ever. No one has ever heard a Danse speak. This occurs at the crux of the Starfall Isles and the Windswept plateau. Spare trickles of potent magic affecting Ballets of Skydancers and forcing them to join at the hips.

[havemyoldusername]

AOS Character Analysis

Okay, i haven’t seen any character analysis really for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This is kinda more to my own benefit, if anyone disagrees, go ahead and tell me, i’m interested.

and because I have the time, here is my concept of the characters (This is without seeing the last two episodes of season 4 before the mid-season finale, thanks to stupid Aussie TV networks not showing it)

1: Agent Coulson

Right off the bat, Coulson has a high moral compass, willing to do what is right for the people and for his team. He doesn’t trust easily and has his doubts with nearly everyone he comes in to contact with. He isn’t opposed to killing as long as it fulfils something. Killing people like Garret and Ward for several reasons.

While Coulson’s loyalty has been tested in the briefest of times, he’s really just the guy who’s mind says ‘Stick to the system, unless the system is wrong, then you make your own system’

2: Melinda May

It makes sense that the shows quietest character is the one of the most complex. From day 1, she’s been unwilling to carry or do anything lethal unless she absolutely has to. She was haunted by her time in Bahrain and doesn’t want to make the same mistakes. For the quietest character, emotion doesn’t come easily to her, but when she feels something, she really feels something and it takes over.

she’s lethal and efficient and really always judging anyone around her while also being severely underestimated.

3: Leo Fitz (Beware, his is long)

speaking of complex characters. No denying that Fitz has been portrayed really well as someone real by Iain, who is perhaps the best actor on the show. Like Coulson, Fitz has a strong moral compass and is also not opposed to killing, but like May, only when deemed necessary. Out of all the characters, Fitz has changed the most (even against Daisy, who is practically the same, but I’ll get to that). In season 1, we see Fitz as a shy, awkward nerd who really only has eyes for Simmons (Which didn’t change at all). He doesn’t want to get his hands dirty, doesn’t want to pick up a gun and shoot someone, hence the ICERS (Or at this point, Night-Night guns) being developed.

The first time we do see him kill is when he shoots the HYDRA agent, an action that saved May. There was practically no time for him to feel remorse, besides the reaction we got from him during the event, with all the HYDRA business. During season 2, after his brain damage, his demeanour changes and we see an angsty Fitz who really misses Simmons. We see him putting so much on the line in order to help Skye and stop people from judging her and being afraid of her. We also see his close friendship with Mack develop. What interested me though was Fitz’s statement in Episode 3 ‘I’m not a killer’ and how that comes into play later. That statement was said right after he nearly killed Ward, after torturing him (In a way). We see his reaction to Gordon teleporting onto Fitz’s pole, something he no doubt felt responsible for.

While Fitz core principals stayed the same through season 2, we see a lot change in season 3. After losing Simmons (”losing”), we see him throwing everything he has to try and get her back, because if he couldn’t, he had nothing left to lose. Simmons is his rock, someone that keeps him grounded and sane. He puts so much on the line to save Simmons, becoming reckless and in a way, more confident as the season progresses. What really came as a shock, and something that was slightly out of character, was Fitz’s killing of Giyera.

As I said before, his statement in season 2 comes into play here. We see Fitz debate constantly with himself and his moral compass get tested. Fitz is hardly not the first Marvel Character to have what is called ‘moral ambiguity’. Daredevil could even be in this category.

Season 4 for Fitz is slightly different. He's back to being similar to season 1, he’s in a committed relationship with Simmons and all is good. In season 4, Fitz is doing what he does best, Science, and is more involved in both sides of S.H.I.E.L.D. rather than being more involved in the field agent side as it seemed he was in season 3.

Throughout all the seasons, Fitz went from shy engineer with his heart on his sleeve, to semi-confident field engineer with a lot of bottled up emotions. Pardon the long section, Fitz’s character is so complex that he needed a season by season breakdown (Not to mention being my favourite character)

4: Jemma Simmons

Simmons is an obvious INTJ in MBTI types. As an INTJ female myself, i understand her character in a way few overlook. she is less emotionally driven then Fitz, going through everything rationally and applying logic to everything she does. Simmons moral compass is skewed in a way, she wants to do the right thing but is one of those people that has the code of ‘the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few’.

We see her consumed by her revenge against Ward, however brief. Bakshi died because she was careless in a way that seemed out of character for her, but really, it wasn’t. One of the traits of INTJs is that they do have emotion, incredibly strong emotion, but are able to compartmentalise them to a point where they seem cold. Simmons loves Fitz, in more ways than one. At the point of Bakshi’s death, he was her best friend. She hated what Ward did to Fitz that she felt the need to find closure in the only way she thought how, killing Ward.

5: Daisy ‘Skye’ Johnson

Daisy’s character is simple. She’s the character the show tends to revolve around and so we see a lot of her character. In season 1, Daisy was carefree and cocky. Her intelligence didn’t go unnoticed, she didn’t want it to. Season 2, we see the start of her struggles with herself. In light of learning that her parents were alive and of her inhumanity, she begins to retreat back into herself, forming a wall around her that only few could get through.

Her friendship with Fitz seemed to get stronger during season 2, as he was the only one that didn’t push her away. Her relationship with Coulson is like a father and daughter, with Coulson seeing her as someone he could ‘raise’ in a way, to teach what was right and wrong and to see become a great person.

In season 3, we see the start of Daisy’s hate for prejudice against Inhumans, as she had begun to accept herself properly. We see her and Lincoln become something strong and great as she’s learning to trust again after Ward and after her mother. We also see Daisy’s vulnerability, her emotions running everything.

In season 4, Daisy’s broken and her character is something new. She feels responsible for everyone’s pain and Lincoln’s death. She’s willing to die to stop herself from feeling the pain and seemed to find herself situations in which she might not come back from.

6: Lance Hunter

I miss Hunter. Just saying.

Hunter was a jack of all trades, a comedian in his own right. his character was arrogant, sarcastic and was overall, a loveable asshole. His moral compass is perhaps the most grey out of all the S.H.I.E.L.D. characters due to his professional career as a merc.

7: Bobbi Morse

A truely strong female character. Bobbi’s manipulative, great a poker faces and a fighter capable of similar feats to May. She’s good at using other’s weaknesses to her advantage and how to play her cards right.

8: Mack

Mack is truely done with everything by season 4, if his continuous use of the shotgun/axe or reference to it is any indication. We know he’s done with everyone’s shit when we hear a reference to his special weapon.

All joking aside, Mack’s great a helping people, like he did Fitz. He knows enough techno-babble to become great friends with Fitz and Simmons while also being a capable fighter and leader to bond with Coulson and Daisy. He’s an allrounder, being able to do a bit of everything and it’s shown time and time again that without May or Daisy there, Mack’s the one that Coulson trusts the most to get other through.

9: Trip

Poor Trip...

Trip was quite a character. He was confident, witty and clever. He drew both Simmons and Daisy’s attention in similar ways. He was smart and took pride in the fact that his grandfather worked with Cap.

10: Grant Ward

The biggest asshole on the show!

Ward was a complex villain. In season 1, he prided himself on being a really caring agent hiding behind a wall of emotions. While that was all part of his cover, there was some truth to it.

When he was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. Ward tried to play to the teams weaknesses, trying to make himself seem genuine and willing to help. He seemed to believe his own lies and make me think that he had some sort of mental or personality disorder. One thing that interested me was the fact that he really did care for Kara.

In season 3, before he was killed, the only thing that seemed important to him was becoming the boss of a newly reformed HYDRA, with him as the head. It was interesting that he seemed to keep some habits from S.H.I.E.L.D., such as being called ‘director’ and the level system.

all and all, Ward was one cold bastard with a, albeit small, sentimental side.

Well now that’s done, if anyone has any thoughts on what I said, please do tell me, i’d really like to know what others have to say.