#before civil war

[isthatmyjacket-covenofchaossq]

Wanda’s eyes softened, her gaze steady, and for once, Natasha didn’t feel like she had to hide. Before she could change her mind, Natasha closed the distance, her lips brushing gently against Wanda’s. The touch was soft, tentative, a question in itself. Wanda responded without hesitation, her hand moving up to cup Natasha’s cheek, her thumb tracing a delicate path along her jaw.

It was everything and nothing like Natasha expected—gentle but electric, a spark that set her heart pounding, a warmth that spread through her veins like wildfire. But as the kiss deepened, something in her chest twisted, the intensity too much, too real. She pulled back abruptly, her heart racing, panic clouding her mind.

“Natasha?” Wanda whispered, her voice filled with both concern and something deeper, something that terrified Natasha to her core.

“I— I can’t,” Natasha stammered, her voice barely audible.

She stood up, running a hand through her hair as she fought to steady her breathing. Her walls were crumbling, and all she could think about was the past—the endless nights of training, the missions, the people she’d lost. “I’m sorry, Wanda. I… I don’t do relationships.”

With that, Natasha turned and hurried toward the door, her footsteps echoing in the silent house. She didn’t look back, didn’t dare to see the hurt in Wanda’s eyes. She could feel the memories clawing at her, the pain she’d buried for years rising to the surface, threatening to consume her.

But just as she reached for her coat, Clint’s voice stopped her. “Nat.”

She froze, her heart hammering. Clint stood in the doorway, his expression soft yet unyielding. “You’re really going to walk away from this?” he asked, his voice quiet but laced with understanding. He stepped closer, his gaze steady. “You know, you’re not the only one with a past, Nat. Wanda’s been through hell too. But here she is, willing to take a chance on you.”

Natasha swallowed hard, her throat tight. “I don’t want to hurt her, Clint. I don’t even know if I can be what she needs.”

Clint’s expression softened, his eyes warm. “You don’t have to be perfect, Nat. Wanda doesn’t need you to be anything other than yourself. And from where I’m standing, that’s more than enough.”

****************

I don't know when I'll be posting this story but I honestly hope to do justice for these characters I love so much (also it's my first time writing anything marvel even tho I've been watching those movies since the first iron man so bear with me pls)

[jellyfishxxi]

Spidergirl - Far From Home CH 1

Miguel O'Hara x Child!Spider!Reader

Summary: An anomaly got into Earth 199999. You and Miguel go to fix it. However neither of you are expecting to get stuck there....

My name is ______ _____.

🕷️-------🕷️

Alright, let's do this one last time. I promise.

I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for the last 3 years, I've been the one and only,

Spidergirl.

I think you know the rest.

Saved my city, saved my school (not that I wanted to.), Lost my dad, and saved the city some more.

Then this weird version of Doc Oc shows up, and this cool spider-lady with a motorcycle and this really buff spider-man show up and invite me to join this society.

Tldr: I have a new dad now.

And I'm not the only one.

🕷️---------------🕷️

It should have been business as usual. An anomaly got into another dimension, spiders get dispatched to retrieve it, business as usual, right?

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Earth - 199999

New York City

"Kid, you know this guy?" Tony asked Peter, as they fought a version of The Green Goblin, who looked more like he belonged in ancient Greece than 2014.

"No, Mr. Stark!" Peter replied, launching the ancient greek goblin into a nearby wall. "He looks like Green Goblin, but not the one I've fought, which technically doesn't make any sense cause-"

"We get it." Clint chimed in, trying to pin the greek goblin into the wall with his arrows, only for the greek goblin to rip them out and resume attacking, flinging Peter into a wall.

Every Avenger was fighting the variant of Green Goblin, from Tony in his Iron Man suit to Hulk as... Well, himself. The Green Goblin glitched out, stopping fighting for a moment.

"What the hell..." Natasha spoke, looking at the goblin in suspicion and confusion. "J.A.R.V.I.S, gimme the rundown." Tony said, looking at the glitching goblin.

"It appears this Green Goblin is not from this universe."

J.A.R.V.I.S spoke in Tony's suit. "This thing knows how to traverse dimensions?" Tony spoke, Bewildered. Nobody else was able to get a word in before the Goblin stopped glitching. He grabbed Peter by his webs and stuck him to a building, slamming Thor and Hulk with his tail and flicking Tony, Steve, Natasha and Clint like they were nothing but bugs.

That's when the portal opened up.

The glowing, hexagonal portal appeared in the sky, surprising every Avenger. "What is that??" Thor both exclaimed and asked.

Two strands of flaming webs shot out of the portal, latching onto Green Goblin's arms. Goblin grabbed the webs and yanked them hard, only to be kicked in the face by... A kid who really couldn't be any older than 13.

As the goblin landed with a thud against the concrete, you dropped down, breathing heavily as you dusted off your costume. "Who-" Tony started to say, before another person came through the portal. He was clearly much older, and landed next to you.

"Did you see it Miguel? I was all tough and I kicked his stupid face!" You exclaimed, jumping excitedly. Miguel didn't react outwardly, but on behind his mask he was looking at you like a proud father.

"Focus, ______. Take care of the anomaly before celebrating." Miguel said to you, causing you to nod. "Right! Right." You said, focusing.

"I'll take the left arm if you take the right." Miguel spoke. You nodded, shooting towards Green Goblin's right arm and webbing it to the concrete, Miguel doing the same for the left. The two of you continued to web up Green Goblin, before finally he was completely tied up.

"Getting this guy back is gonna be a nightmare." You commented. Miguel hummed in agreement, going to open another portal back to the Spider Society HQ. But nothing happened.

"Qué..." Miguel said in confusion. "What? Open the portal already." You said, getting frustrated. You had a test tomorrow. Staying overnight in an alternate dimension was not in your plans.

"I'm trying, niña, it's not working. You do it." Miguel sounded just as frustrated as you. You tried opening a portal with your 'gizmo', but nothing happened. "It's not working for me either!" You shouted.

You looked at Miguel with a slightly scared expression. "Miguel, are we stuck here.?" You asked. Miguel sighed. "We're not stuck." He said. "LYLA, reboot the system." He spoke to the holographic AI as she popped up.

"What?" She said, teasingly. "Reboot the system." Miguel repeated. "Couldn't catch that." She said. Miguel groaned. "Reboot. The system." He repeated again, angrier.

"Ooh. Yeah, on it." She said, much to Miguel's chagrin. She appeared moments later. "Uh, something's up with the portal generation system. In fact, you and ______ can't actually do anything with your Gizmo's but make calls and check the time." LYLA spoke.

Both you and Miguel looked at her. "But... We're not gonna glitch, right?" You asked. "No, the protection against that's still running. But until they get fixed, you're stuck in Earth-199999." Miguel groaned, rolling his eyes. You looked nervous.

"Stuck? In an alternate dimension?!" You exclaimed. "I can't be stuck here, I have a test tomorrow! And if I'm not back by morning my guardians will kill me!" You began to freak out.

"Breathe, niña." Miguel spoke, kneeling down and placing a hand on your shoulder. "We'll get home."

Your moment was interrupted.

"Uh, excuse me?" Tony asked, suddenly standing in front of the two of you. That's right, there's other people here. You thought to yourself. "Who the hell are you two?"

You looked at Miguel. Miguel looked at you.

"I'm Spiderman." Miguel said.

"I'm Spidergirl." You said.

Peter pried himself off of the building, looking at you and Miguel in shock.

"More Spider-people?"

🕷️--------🕷️

TO BE CONTINUED

[haleyatwell]

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016) dir. Anthony & Joe Russo 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999) dir. Gil Junger

[linusbenjamin]

Captain America: Civil War 2016 / dir. Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

[c--3phoe]

Just rewatched Captain America: Civil War and its so fucking obvious how wrong Tony is at all points throughout the film. So here is a list of shit he does in the movie that pisses me off extra (not im chronological order):

- Signs the Sokovia accords and then hunts down his buddies for breaking, AND THEN HE BREAKS THEM HIMSELF. Also he forces everyone to sign the accords due to the guilt he feels.

- Blackmails a 15 year old into fighting two super-soldiers and a girl who controls matter (not exactly sure what her powers are but you know that im talking about Wanda).

- Locks Wanda up in the compound against her will.

- Asks Vision to shoot down Sam, Vision misses and hits Rhodey. Then he gets mad at Sam and shoots him in the chest when he comes down to check on him. Like that shot was meant for Sam and it would probably have hurt him so much more, seeing as he is not in full armor, and I strongly doubt that Tony would have stopped and checked on Sam.

- And then he attacks Bucky like crazy after finding out he killed his parents, which would be completely valid and understandable except for the fact that Bucky did it under mind control. Which Steve tells him.

- And then theres the end fight, where he is doing anything but pulling his punches, maybe hes pulling them a little for Steve (I wouldn’t be too sure of that). He shoots his blaster thingies at their bare skin.

Look i used to be a Tony fan, and then i grew up. I know that not everyone agrees, but these are the problems that i find with him in this movie.

[chaotic-archaeologist]

Extremely awkward typo from this article about the 72nd Pennsylvania monument at Gettysburg.

[normalties]

Since the red guardian joined the avengers after that what if...? episode where the red guardian stopped the winter soldier, then imagine how DIFFERENT captain america civil war would end up being

[supercalifragipopculturevomit]

Daniel Brühl at the opening ceremony of the 70th Berlinale.

📸 Gina Wetzler (February 2020) + my edits

[batcavescolony]

Apparently people need stuff spelled out for them, Ben Parker still exists in the MCU he is just not shown because marvel thought everyone knew Ben got killed about when Peter got his powers, so they could skip over it. I just saw someone say that Tony Stark is the only father figure Peter has ever had...maybe marvel thought too highly of some of you and they should have shown everything.

[wizzard890]

And I saw another beast come up out of the earth...and he spake as a dragon. (Revelation 13:11)

.

The Coronation of His Majesty King Bastian I - The Hour of Wolves

When he was born he was a small thing. A screaming infant, a second son, destined perhaps for military greatness, but never dukedom. Never inheritance. Never conquest.

But at the inception of the light, the birth of the world, the moment between silence and splendor when The Glory breathed across the scope of creation: he was no small thing then.

Even then, he was coming.

His rise runs with blood: knives in the back, poison, betrayal, kidnapping and vengeance.

His rise burns with greatness: glory, family, rescue, love and ferocity.

The secret world recognized him before he knew himself. A fairy witch marked his passing and offered her slender wrist for his talons. A dead sun opens its mouth for him, a vanished Christ is his counterpart, a death knight worships before him, a raven-haired little girl holds the hand of her doting and beloved father.

The world we know calls him king of France, the monarch of a seized throne, a general who has promised the great lords England on its knees.

The Devil, in his own tongue, may call him son. The Glory has said nothing.

Would you know him if you saw him? Would you recognize what he is?

Bow, while you consider, and kiss his ring. There is a crown of flame upon his brow.

[kulalanti]

Matters of the Spark (Shattered Glass Fanfic)

Suddenly had a craving for a sparkmate AU but like in Shattered Glass skskks.

This fic combines both FunPub and IDW Shattered Glass continuities.

Also used elements about Functionism here, but it may not be correct cause I am still learning about it.

Now with a Part 2 because I have a problem /j

A mathematics professor and a senator. Both sparkmates. But before that, they began life as a miner and as a librarian. Otherwise known as, the events of their lives before Professor Megatron and Senator Orion Pax ever met, alongside the sparkbond they share between one another.

Ao3 Link:

For the longest he could remember, his sparkmate had a profound sadness. Subdued as the emotion was, it was a constant in the connection that D-16 could not help but wonder what life his sparkmate had led. Even in the deepest pits of the mines of Kaon, D-16 had found joy among his fellow miners - regardless of their circumstances. It was truly a wonder what experiences his sparkmate was going through that sorrow clung to him as though he’d been forged with it.

It was an ache to his own spark to experience it, so when he could, D-16 would send bursts of his own happiness through their bond. Not that it ever elicited a response aside from a harsh lock being put in place between them. It never lasted for long, only one solar cycle before his sparkmate opened the connection once again.

He didn’t know what to make of that. D-16 still sent the bursts of joy, unwanted as they may be. He hoped that in some distant future, his sparkmate would accept the comfort. It was only right that he continued to try. When D-16 had a rough day in the mines, or felt grief at the loss of another of his many friends to the collapsing tunnels, his sparkmate would reach out through the bond and fill him with hope of a better tomorrow. If his sparkmate could comfort him, D-16 didn’t know why he couldn’t do the same. If only the mech on the other end would let him.

This was the closest they may ever get to know one another, and D-16 would be lying if he said the continued lock on the bond didn’t frustrate him. 

He may not know what life his sparkmate may have lived, but D-16 didn’t entertain the thought that he’d ever leave the mines of Kaon. It was a grief that left traces of rage within him as he thought of the centuries before him underneath the Functionist laws.

So many mechs have lost their lives to the darkness of the mines, and he wondered if he would too. If one solar cycle, those walls would close in on him and snuff out his spark.

He hoped for the sake of his sparkmate, that his death would be quick.

He’d seen firsthand the anguish a mech could feel as they waited for their sparkmate to slowly offline unable to do anything but claw desperately at the rubble that would never give way beneath their servos.

It haunted him most lunar cycles that his sparkmate was a miner too, somewhere on Kaon - not that he would ever know unless by some chance they were assigned together, and even then, they’d have to bare their sparks to one another to know.

It was lunar cycles like those that made his sparkmate reach out.

For as long as his sparkmate lived, D-16 would always be filled with the promise of a hopeful world.

His sparkmate won’t let him feel anything else.

—

For the longest he could remember, his sparkmate always felt so defeated. It was just his luck that Primus attached him to a spark just as hopeless as he was.

Somehow, the despair on the other end of the bond gnawed at him more than his own ever did.

Optronix was no fool. By Functionist standards, he was casted an easy lot in life. He took some pride in the role of a librarian, entrusted to keep the sanctity of Cybetronian history. His older brother, Ultra Magnus, even chastised him for the emptiness he felt in life even when he could have anything he wanted - provided it matched his status.

Yet that was not enough.

It would not be enough until he could rid himself of the pain in his spark - his own and that of his sparkmate’s.

It drove him mad to think he could not find a way to control it, that nothing he could do would ever rid his sparkmate of that pain. Oh Optronix tried while he attempted to fix his own.

He did, he really did.

Yet nothing.

And the sheer audacity of his sparkmate to try reaching out to him with false joy was utterly repulsive.

He would close the bond whenever that happened, though he would always open it once a solar cycle had passed because despite having never met the mech on the other end, Optronix loved them.

He had asked Ultra Magnus once on what could be done about the sparkbond, on how he could force the other mech to feel a permanent sense of hope. His brother had laughed, calling him a hypocrite.

They both knew how empty Optronix felt most of the time, not that he ever told his brother the cause of it, even if Ultra Magnus had attempted to send him to the best mnemosurgeons their lot in life could afford.

How to tell his brother that the life he’d been forged for was not the life he wanted?

Not only would never let him be more than a librarian… but it would never let him know the mech at the end of his sparkbond.

It was always a matter of luck or riches when it came to finding one’s sparkmate. If you were lucky, you’d find one another. If you were rich, it was easy enough to hire an outlier mech to find your sparkmate.

Optronix could save enough shanix and it would never be enough to afford a good outlier. His sparkmate could try, but from the despair towards the future that the other bond usually let out, Optronix had long ago concluded that his sparkmate must be a lower-caste mech. Not of his sparkmate’s own fault, he had been merely forged that way.

And Optronix didn’t believe in luck.

He knew in this world, if you wanted something, you would need to take control of your fate.

His sparkmate may not have hope but that was alright.

He’d create the hope they both deserved.

—

He didn’t think that in his lifetime that the Functionist laws would ever be challenged. 

Nor did he ever expect he’d be one of the many mechs who’d be part of the fight against them.

D-16 was forged to be a miner. Nothing more. 

Really, this was his sparkmate’s fault.

If he hadn’t fed their bond with nothing but hope then D-16 would have maintained his position as nothing more than a lowly miner. 

Yet the hope had infected him like a virus that corrupted his processor until the thoughts that had circulated within him slowly translated themselves into poems, and then the poems turned to lengthier writings.

The writings were meant to be nothing more than personal pieces, yet somehow he had lost them and they had begun to circulate among the miner population before making its way to the other castes. Then some mech had leaked his writings to a radiocaster.

That should have been the end of his involvement. He had not signed his writings. They had been spread so far and between so many mechs that it should have been impossible to pinpoint the original author.

The radiocaster, Soundwave, was unfortunately rather brilliant in finding intel.

The mech had approached him at one of the local bars, buying him a few drinks before finally broaching the topic before inviting him on his radio show. D-16 had at first refused, terrified at the thought of giving a voice to his written words - which had only really been meant for his optics. No one should have known. His words should not have reached the other miners. It should not have spread as far as it did.

He had rushed out of the bar, but not before Soundwave had given him his personal contact. Really, D-16 should have deleted it from his communicator. He didn’t have any intention of ever contacting the other mech.

But the thought had plagued him even into recharge.

It didn’t help that his fellow miners had begun to take his words to spark.

Even if it had taken him a long time to agree to Soundwave’s proposal, his words had begun to change even within his mining sector. Not a solar cycle went by where D-16 did not see a fellow miner begin to argue with the supervisors, claiming that as Cybertronians did they not all have the right to be treated equal.

Of course, those little rebellions led to punishments, and those punishments led to more unnecessary deaths.

There really wasn’t a specific moment where D-16 decided enough was enough.

Just one solar cycle, he found himself contacting Soundwave.

Soon enough, his words had gained a voice and himself a new designation. It was a necessary precaution to protect his identity until he found the courage to really show himself.

He was still a miner, but somehow he found himself a new role as a civil rights activist.

He wondered if his sparkmate could feel the true hope emerging from his own spark.

—

Optronix had not cared much for current politics, truth be told.

That was a business his older brother could concern himself with.

He was more fond of history, of the many ways their old leaders had made the same mistakes over and over before slapping the label of “progress” on them.

Still, he found himself more immersed as changes began to run through the entire Cybertronian system.

Even so, his growing interest in current politics was mostly a personal one. A budding jealousy as he began to realize the source of the pain in his spark.

He blamed that new civil rights activist.

For a long time, Optronix had scoured the library for a reason for their existence. If the Functionist laws were to be believed, then they were all forged to be cogs in the great machine of Cybertron.

Yet if it was such a perfect system, then why did it lead to many mechs never achieving more than they could and why was the rate of sparkmates meeting one another so low? It only proved that the Functionist laws were wrong.

It had taken him long, but Optronix had come to a sobering conclusion.

In the current Cybertronian system, life had no meaning.

The Functionist Life was not truly living.

It had nearly sent him into a breakdown once he’d realized.

Oh, he did have a breakdown, but it wasn’t because of that.

What truly led him to the edge was the realization that he could not do anything about it, and that sickened him.

He had wanted to create a hope for him and his sparkmate, but the system would not have allowed that. Optronix had to resign himself to the truth that he could do nothing. He had no control.

He had no life.

He would be a librarian for the rest of his life, and history would not remember his name nor his sparkmate’s. They were nothing but cogs that functioned today but would be replaced as soon as their frames began to rust.

The thought had deeply upset him that he had to shut down the bond for an entire astroweek.

That agonizing realization had wrecked his emotional core that Ultra Magnus had genuinely threatened to have his processor checked. Optronix had to force himself back to work after that. His brother would not have understood his pain.

And that pain remained until them.

Some mech had begun to question the Functionist laws. His writings had even reached Iacon before the Senate labelled them as heresy.

Optronix had even read some before they were all confiscated.

It made him jealous to think that another mech had done what he couldn’t. Some other mech was bringing change, and Optronix knew they were the type of mech that would forever be remembered in the historical records.

Personally, it made him irrationally angry that this mech was the source of his sparkmate’s growing hope. 

They were the reason his sparkmate no longer needed Optronix’s comforts of hope.

—

And so, D-16 embraced his role as a civil rights activist, emerging as Megatron. He spoke against the Functionist Laws and the Senators that continued to perpetuate the cycle of inequality.

Slowly, Cybertron began to change, and some sympathizers within the Senate had begun to question the old laws.

This is how the rebellion began: through the hopeful words of a lower-caste mech.

A mech who wanted nothing more than equality.

In another world, the rebellion escalates to a ceaseless war.

In this world, the rebellion ends with a near death.

But they were too late.

Change had already begun.

—

Life changed for Optronix when the civil rights activist was nearly assassinated.

He remembered it clearly.

They say Megatron had garnered a meeting with the Senate that solar cycle.

Many mechs had testified against the Senators who had orchestrated the assassination. In an attempt to rid themselves of Megatron, they had only made more mechs rally against them.

Still, that wasn’t what he remembered clearly.

It was the debilitating pain, the brief taste of death in his spark that haunted him.

Later, he would look at the after-images of the assassination, at Megatron’s broken frame.

And he knew.

He knew.

—

Polyhex had welcomed him after everything.

A few of the friends he had made in the Senate had tried to convince him to return, offering protection, but Megatron had refused them.

In his lifetime, he never thought he’d see change.

Yet when he’d onlined after a long time under stasis, he’d been told that while Cybertron was still at the early stages of change, his words had truly begun to affect the way the system worked.

He’d heard that mechs had begun to be welcomed into positions that they were not “forged” for.

Working conditions in the mines were on their way to being improved.

It had brought him to tears, and he appreciated that Soundwave was there to calm him down.

He had nearly been offlined for this, and Megatron would do it all over again if given the chance.

But he couldn’t go back to that life. Not because he was afraid of what had happened to him, but because he had emerged from stasis as a different mech.

He hadn’t even recognized himself in the mirror when the medics had allowed him to finally walk around his medical quarters.

He had been forged with the frame of a miner, yet the mech that had stared back was someone else entirely.

D-16 never had wings.

He hadn’t told Soundwave - though he felt the outlier knew how he really felt - but he hated his new frame. It was him, but… not. 

The medics had explained that some of the Senators had wanted to give him a new frame, something that no longer resembled that of his old caste.

That decision made on his behalf disgusted him.

He had nothing against his old frame, no matter what he was forged for, and he wouldn’t have minded a change - but they never asked.

With Soundwave’s encouragement, Megatron had refused to return to his old role as a civil rights activist - and he’d even refused a position on the Senate.

In his time in the medbay, Megatron had turned his attention to mathematics. He’d always found numbers to be calming. Soundwave had supplied him with datapads of mathematical theories and had even borrowed some from the Iaconian archives.

After Megatron had mentioned he wanted a fresh start, Soundwave had helped him apply to Polyhex. He had been mortified as he never had a formal education, but Polyhex had welcomed him after reading the entrance essay he had written.

It was a new start.

It was at Polyhex that Megatron shed his old life behind. He had shown his brilliance in the field of mathematics. With renewed passion, he had written his own theories and once his education had concluded, he had been offered a position as a professor.

It was so far removed from his old life as a miner, and as an activist.

This life made him happy.

His only regret throughout it all was that when he came back online after nearly being offlined, the sparkbond had been closed.

Permanently.

—

He was not prepared for a meeting with any Senator. 

The last time he met with a Senator, he had nearly been offlined.

Back then, he had at least looked presentable.

Megatron was functioning on only a few groons of recharge when the door to his office slid open.

He hadn’t even turned at the sound of the panels sliding open, too engrossed in the mathematical formula that had haunted him for the past astroweeks. If the conclusion was to be believed then Megatron was staring at the promise that Cybertron would be engulfed in a civil war soon.

And it might have already begun.

The destruction of Crystal City popped into his processor just as the intruder behind him made a small noise to catch his attention.

Pushing down his frustration, Megatron turned his helm slightly to look over his shoulder pad, intending to chastise a student from entering without permission.

He felt the energon in his cables grow cold as red optics met his blue.

Megatron fully turned, his attention focused entirely on Senator Orion Pax.

“I’ve always wanted to meet the famous civil rights activist.” He could feel those optics look him up and down, an easy smile on the Senator’s faceplate as he approached Megatron, holding out a servo. “A pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Senator.” He kept his tone even, keeping his servo from shaking as he reached out towards the Senator’s. “This is a surprise.”

And it was.

Megatron had some friends in the Senate, but Senator Orion Pax was newly-elected. They’d never met before, and he doubted that any of the other Senators would have encouraged him to talk to Megatron, much less visit.

He shivered as the other mech held onto his servo, pressing a kiss to the back of it before finally letting him go.

“Please, call me Pax.” Megatron tried not to think too much about the pout in the other mech’s tone as the Senator walked closer to him, enough that he could nearly feel his heat against his own frame. “My friends call me Pax.”

“Senator, to be truthful, I have to say that I have no interest in making new friends - especially ones in the Senate.” Spending time away from Iacon did not dull his glossa. Megatron would not back down from a fight with a Senator. None of them would ever get the satisfaction of seeing him weak ever again. “Please state your business with me. If it involves my past as an activist then I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave. I’ve changed. If you wish to talk about mathematical formulas then you can stay.”

Instead of anger, the Senator had chuckled, delighted at Megatron’s words. His optics shone with a profound joy that Megatron couldn’t quite understand.

“While I would love to pick that brilliant processor of yours, as I am a fan of your work - both as an activist and as a mathematician - I’m afraid I’m here on a personal matter.”

—

It had taken him a long time to claw his way to a position of power.

Optronix hadn’t done it for selfish gains, rather, his sparkmate had inspired him to finally take control for once.

After he had nearly lost him, Optronix had done everything he could to gain a higher position. He had amassed mechs that wanted what he had wanted: peace through control.

All for his sparkmate.

Megatron had wanted peace, and lowly Librarian Optronix couldn’t have given him that.

Senator Orion Pax could though.

Now that he had power, he could make their world better. For them.

It had pained him to close the bond after Megatron’s near offlining, but he hadn’t wanted to burden his sparkmate with his plans. He wanted him to rest until he could arrange their first meeting. 

He had monitored where his sparkmate went after everything.

He learned through intel provided by the Wreckers that Megatron had left Iacon for Polyhex. He never thought his sparkmate would find passion in mathematics, but he had been happy for him. It was a safer profession than what he’d previously had. 

Megatron no longer needed to be an activist. Not now that Pax was fighting his battle for him. No longer did Megatron have to fear retaliation from some of the Functionist loyalists that still clung to their beliefs. Pax ensured that they were among the first that he needed to cleanse Cybertron of.

Alongside the Senators that had so thoroughly broken his darling sparkmate.

His red optics focused on his sparkmate, taking in the blue wings that emerged from the other mech’s backplates. It was a shame, Pax had found Megatron’s original frame to be beautiful.

No matter. He loved him no matter the frame. 

His only worry was how Megatron felt about the change.

At least those gorgeous blue optics hadn’t changed.

He leaned closer, savoring the moment.

This close, he could feel the warmth of his sparkbond, could almost imagine the spark inside the other mech’s chassis. 

The spark that belonged to him.

He could hear Megatron rudely rebuke him, and Pax was delighted to know that the near offlining hadn’t destroyed that passion inside his sparkmate.

Otherwise, he would have to make those Senators suffer even more.

He chuckled, his spark thrumming with joy and anticipation. “While I would love to pick that brilliant processor of yours, as I am a fan of your work - both as an activist and as a mathematician - I’m afraid I’m here on a personal matter.”

Before the other mech could ask, Pax did what he had long hoped to do.

He reopened the bond.

Shock was the first emotion he felt, then utter awe.

Pax committed those wide blue optics to his memory circuits.

He didn’t have to, as Megatron was coming home with him now that they had finally found one another, but he did.

“Hello, sweetspark.” His voice was gentle, and he pulled the other mech right into his arms. “I’ve missed you.”

[totwototwo]

I know this has been said many, many times over the last few years, but I just rewatched ca:tws and it's on my mind. The way Steve's story ended in Endgame was just so out of character and completely erased both Steve's and Peggy's story.

Captain America (movie version) was one of my first real interests as a child and was what ultimately got me involved in the MCU. I loved his story and his character and, as ca:tws and ca:cw were releasing, I was so excited to see how his story progressed. It was so disappointing to see how Steve just threw everything he had and had worked so hard to get at the end of Endgame. I am not sure if there could be a worse ending to his story.

Starting with Peggy, it is so messed up that she was reduced to Steve's love interest in the end. Her story, her life, and her family were completely erased and disregarded at the end of Endgame in a way that is frankly disgusting. Peggy had a life, and she had a family (which Steve knows about because he sees the picture in ca:tws when talking to her when she was old). Yes, she was Steve's love interest in ca:tfa and a memory he held onto dearly (which also haunted him (see The Avengers: Age of Ultron)), but she was so much more than that. She was her own woman and while Steve did have a big impact on her life, he was gone, and she moved on. I don't care about different timelines or whatever, the fact that Steve went back in time and erased Peggy's story was messed up and absolutely diminishes her character.

As for Steve, his character was also completely ruined by doing this. As I said before, yes, he loved Peggy, and this was shown a number of times throughout some of the MCU movies. He loved her, he longed to have their dance together, and he wished he had more time with her. That is all true. However, it is also true that, just as Peggy was more than Steve's love interest, Steve was more than his love for Peggy. The love her had for her was a big part of his character and his story, but there was so much more to him/his story that Endgame completely disregarded. Perhaps the most common example (and the one that's on my mind as I just watched ca:tws) is his story with Bucky. There were two entire movies made on Steve's devotion to Bucky and Endgame just throws that all away by having Steve leave his friend (who he went on the run for and fought an entire battle with Iron Man for) just after they were reunited. They had him do that for a woman who he definitely loved, but also barely knew compared to Bucky. Not to mention the fact that she had already died, and Bucky was still there, miraculously alive (even if by terrible means) and able to understand the situation that Steve was in. Steve threw away his relationship with the one person in the entire world who understood what it was like to be alive in the wrong time and thrust into a completely unknown world because of the serum. He found that person with "shared life experience" and then he threw it out.

As I said this reduces Steve to his old love interest and completely destroys the entire part of his character that was set up by ca:tws and ca:cw with his devotion to Bucky. I can't even bring myself to talk about the whole "I'm with you to the end of the line" thing because it makes me so mad that this is how Steve's story ended. Endgame ending how it did in regard to Steve's story was an insult to Steve himself, Peggy, and Bucky.

I want to add a little disclaimer that I am not against Sam becoming the new Captain America. I have no negativity towards that story, and I am excited for Captain America: Brave New World to be released in a few days. If that was the direction the story was supposed to take, I think it could've easily done so without Steve doing what he did. Maybe Steve giving up his shield and title without any direct cause (like suddenly being an old man) wouldn't really fit his character either, but it would make more sense than what did happen in my opinion. Almost six years post-Endgame release and this is still something that bothers me to this day. I was so excited for the movie but left the theater more disappointed than I ever had before. There were a few things that I didn't love about it, but out of all the major deaths that happened in the movie, the death of Steve (in a metaphorical sense) had no meaning. It simply ruined his development as a character.

[cowboyscaviar]

“aegon’s remembered as the rightful heir!” “well rhaenyra’s bloodline is the one that continued to sit the throne!!!!!” YOU GUYS. the point of the dance is that it was pointless and NOBODY WON and in the end none of it mattered! house targaryen never truly regained their power, the dragons were all killed (until dany), and robert baratheon was able to overthrow them!

[tjarry]

hey man, perhaps we shouldn't be calling the j*ckets the fucking slavery team?????? are you fuckin fr????????

[chaotic-archaeologist]

Considering going for the Abel Peck beard and hair combo to make the best use of my receding hairline and oppositional ability to grow a full beard.

[dryemiddi]

To all my American followers out there: stay safe. Please. The outcome of this may very well be a disturbing one.

There is still a chance to disarm this grenade, however. Go vote. Do whatever you can to make sure you can vote. Convince anyone you can and do whatever you can to make sure they can go vote too.

Your vote matters more than it has ever.

The world is watching.