#had to FIGHT HARD between thor and thomas.... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lokimostly · 5 years ago

Text

Polaris (Ch.2/?)

Loki x Reader, Pirate!AU Word count: 3,707 Warnings: mentions of blood, angst Summary: Your life has always been set in stone. Born to a wealthy merchant family in the Caribbean, you’ve spent your years as an heiress in the daytime, escaping at night to wander the streets of St. Thomas. Now, on the eve before your life settles into mundanity for good, you discover someone who could change everything– if you choose to trust him, that is.

A/N: Tag list is open! Sorry for any typos, I really need a beta reader, lol. Enjoy!

Previous Chapter ~ Chapter Three ~ Chapter Four ~ Chapter Five ~ Chapter Six ~ Chapter Seven ~ Chapter Eight ~ Chapter Ten ~ Chapter Eleven ~ Chapter Twelve ~ Chapter Thirteen ~ Chapter Fourteen

“Daughter, if we don’t leave now, we’re going to be late!”

“It’s not like it starts without me!” You snapped. You heard your father let out an exasperated noise, quickly followed by his footsteps down the hallway, and then they disappeared entirely. He’d given up fighting with you for the meantime, it seemed.

One of the maids your father employed stuck her head cautiously through your open door like she was peeking into the lair of a waking dragon. “Miss, would you like any help–”

“– I’m fine,” you replied curtly. “You may go.”

She dismissed herself with a relieved expression.

You returned your gaze to the vanity mirror in front of you. You didn’t look anything like yourself. Your hair had been tousled with and brought to heel, stacked so high that you felt like you might topple over if you leaned your head the wrong way. Your face was painted with vermillion, cheeks unnaturally red. Your lips were pigmented, too– they tasted sour and metallic when you ran your tongue over them.

You stared at yourself. You looked miserable. Your eyes dropped to the ornate set of jewelry that had been laid out for you on the vanity. You sighed noisily and reached up to the mountain of hair, searching for the clips that held it so carefully in place. If you were going to be forced into a corset, an obnoxiously heavy dress and even heavier jewelry, you had to compromise somewhere. Besides, how was your future fianceé supposed to know what you looked like if he couldn’t see your real features?

You paused with a hair clip between your fingers. Huh. You’d never thought about your betrothed before. Not as a person, at least – he was always a concept, an abstract figure that you could argue about and passionately loathe for ruining your life’s plans. You didn’t even know what he looked like.

If you were lucky, he might be that handsome stranger.

You threw away the thought just as quickly as it came, and began undoing the mountain of curls on your head. What a foolish thing to think. You’ll never see him again. You don’t even know his name.

He didn’t know yours, either. It was an arrangement he suggested at the beginning of the night, and you had agreed. After all, the less he knew about you, the better, right?

But he was the first thing on your mind when you were roused by the maids, only a few hours after falling into bed. You blamed the dark circles under your eyes on a bad night of sleep, on account of nervousness – which was laughable. This marriage had been arranged since before your birth. What did you have to be nervous about?

After you pulled a final clip your hair came loose, tumbling down your back in loose curls. Much better. You sighed again – you seemed to be doing that a lot lately – and gave yourself one last look. No, as much as you could daydream about the handsome stranger who walked along the docks with you on your last night of freedom, you knew the truth. You would never see him again.

You tried to convince yourself that it was for the best.

“Daughter–”

“I’m coming down!” You called, pulling at the dress to try and ease your discomfort somehow. It was peach-colored – sweet, soft and innocent, as you were supposed to be. You reached up and rubbed the back of your hand against your lips, removing the blood-red stain from them at the last minute.

You could practically feel your father’s veins about to burst when he called you again, this time by your first name. You picked up the hem of your dress, stood, and smiled politely at your reflection: half-practice, half-goodbye. This was, after all, your farewell to your better self. The girl that would walk out of your room would be someone else entirely.

Your eyes pricked with tears and you inhaled quickly– no crying. Instead, you put your chin up, took as deep a breath as you could manage, and walked out the door.

The lone candle stood flickering on the windowsill.

It was mid-afternoon by the time you arrived.

“You changed your hair,” Your father observed as he stepped out, offering you his hand.

“It looks better this way,” you replied testily, taking it. You picked up the fabric of your dress with one hand and carefully descended the steps, until your soft-soled slippers touched cobblestone. You purposefully avoided your father’s expression of displeasure. Instead, you looked ahead.

The estate was enormous. You couldn’t have imagined a house so large, even though yours was the biggest in St. Thomas by far. There were more windows than you could count. The gardens went on forever. Ornate pillars of alabaster stone framed a wide, curving staircase up to the gilded double doors. They were wide open: music and light chatter flooded out like water, ringing out across the grounds and reaching you even as you stood in the drive.

“It seems that it does start without you,” Your father remarked as he offered you his arm– a jab at your comment from earlier.

Your eyes flitted over the estate with an unenthused expression. However skilled the musicians inside may have been, to you the distant music only sounded discordant.

You took his arm and travelled up the stone walkway. Your stomach felt like it was sinking to the depths of the ocean. By the time you reached the stairs, you were surprised there wasn’t a visible thundercloud looming over your head. The servants at the door greeted you – you didn’t hear a word.

When you came through the foyer and into the main ballroom, you had begun preparation for a swift exit.

There were too many people, far too many. The afternoon heat only amplified your feeling of claustrophobia. The room was obscenely large and still felt crowded: lords and ladies dressed to the nines, not a beauty mark or a wig hair out of place. You were immediately grateful for altering your appearance. You stood out now. To this crowd, you undoubtedly looked childish and plain. To your fianceé, at least you might look something like yourself.

A string quartet played subdued, slightly melancholic notes from one corner. You were reminded of the four-string fiddler in the tavern last night – and the sea-green eyes of the man who’d saved you. You felt a pang in your chest. Why hadn’t you run away for good? Smuggled yourself onto a ship and let it take you far away from this?

I’m a coward, you thought miserably, as you flashed a reassuring smile towards your father. No matter how hard I try, I’ll will always be afraid.

You were vaguely aware that the servants had announced your presence, because suddenly the music quieted, and everyone turned to look at you. Hundreds of eyes burned holes in your skin, tearing apart your clothes, makeup, expression– you felt more naked than if you’d stripped. And yet muscle memory prevailed: you smiled, just enough to look seemly, and told yourself it would all be over soon.

Your father tugged subtly on your arm, ushering you into the room. Your heart felt like a bird trying to escape through your chest as you continued to draw the gaze of the crowd. Why were they still staring? Surely your appearance wasn’t that shocking.

“My friend, how good to see you. You look well.”

You turned your gaze and found your father shaking hands with someone: an older man. Your soon-to-be father-in-law. You knew him only by the name of his company: Odin & Sons, the wealthiest shipping merchants in every corner of the Caribbean. Unlike most of the English guests, he wore no wig or lace-covered clothing. There were a few metal clasps in his greying hair, and nothing more. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you recognised it to be a more traditional Scandinavian style of dress.

Not that it matters, you reminded yourself. He’s the richest man in the South Pacific, he can wear what he likes.

“And you must be her,” he said, turning his attention to you and extending his hand. You snapped out of your thoughts and forced a smile, giving it to him. He pressed a kiss to your knuckles as you curtsied.

“It’s an honor, Sir,” you said robotically, faltering a little at his title- you weren’t sure if it was the right one.

He noticed, and chuckled. “Odin will suffice, my dear.”

You forced a titter through your lips and straightened up – a small laugh that meant silly me, what an easy mistake. There had to be some kind of award for a performance this convincing.

Odin gestured broadly behind him, directing your gaze as he spoke. “May I introduce my sons– Thor, my firstborn, and Loki.”

Your eyes fell on the two tall figures, and then your jaw dropped.

It was him.

The one who walked the town with you last night, who saved you in the tavern, standing there and smiling with all the congeniality his handsome face could offer, like nothing had happened.

And next to him was your fianceé.

“My dear, that’s hardly becoming,” your father teased nervously, and you quickly closed your gaping mouth. Your father chuckled, trying to make light of your inappropriate expression. “I hadn’t told her of your son’s good looks.”

Thor laughed, and you looked at him for the first time. He was good-looking. Like his father, his golden hair was pulled half-back and tied with metal clasps; there were a few braids hiding behind his ears as well. Broad shouldered, with a light beard and twinkling blue eyes … yes, he was handsome.

But then there was Loki.

Gone was the simple dress you’d seen him in the night prior. The wide-sleeved shirt he wore now was a deep sea-green, embroidered to shimmer like water when he moved. The only addition to his appearance was a loose braid that fell to his collarbone, but God if it didn’t do wonders. He looked marvelous: understated yet elegant, with a smirk that betrayed exactly nothing. Even here, he had that air of mystery, like he was somehow a touch out of place.

You let Thor take your hand automatically, but your eyes stayed fixed to his brother: staring at him with such intensity that you were surprised you didn’t leave burn marks in his forehead.

It’s me, your eyes said desperately. We’ve met before.

Loki’s eyes said nothing in return.

“May I have the first dance?” Thor asked politely. Right, there was dancing. You broke your gaze from Loki (with difficulty) and allowed Thor to take you from your father, capturing you with a hand around your waist. You stiffened at his touch, and then forced yourself to relax. This would be your husband soon— you couldn’t flinch every time he touched you.

The string quartet music swelled and in one choreographed movement, the guests paired themselves up. You knew how to dance, of course, but given the nature of your predetermined marriage you had never actually danced with anyone other than your instructor.

“You must forgive me,” Thor said, smiling apologetically. “I’m usually too busy for dancing. I haven’t made a habit of it.”

“You and I both,” You responded distractedly. Your hand barely touched his shoulder as the music steadied to a waltz. Simple enough. You avoided Thor’s gaze like the plague, looking around the room instead – searching for his brother. Did he really not recognise you, after last night’s excursion? Your appearance wasn’t that different.

Then again, if he was feigning ignorance, you wouldn’t be surprised. He had already proved that he was clever beyond your understanding.

“Your hair is lovely.”

You forced yourself to pay attention to your partner. “Thank you,” you murmured, still avoiding his gaze. “I like yours, too.”

On cue with the music, Thor spun you out and brought you back seamlessly, pulling you to him once more. You found yourself staring at the floor, watching the marble tiles move beneath you. He was obviously taking great care not to step on your feet.

“If we are going to be wed, we should learn to look each other in the eye,” he said gently.

Your gaze snapped up to him as your face flushed. Apparently Loki wasn’t the only one with a watchful gaze. “My apologies.”

“Not necessary,” He smiled, which only made you feel worse.

There was another beat of music-filled silence. You combed your brain for something witty to say, and came up empty. How were you supposed to talk to him? With respect? As a friend? The two of you barely knew each other– you hadn’t the faintest idea where to begin.

You heard Loki’s familiar, musical laugh and glanced across the dance floor– he had a woman caught up in his arms, spinning her like she weighed nothing and smiling as though he was having the time of his life. You felt an unfamiliar twinge of jealousy, and quickly shoved it back down, forcing yourself to look at Thor again.

By the time you had half a sentence constructed in your mind, the song was over.

Thor parted from you and bowed politely, offering you a genuine smile. “If you’ll excuse me – there is business to attend to that I must oversee.”

Your eyebrows raised and you managed to conjure a mildly disappointed expression. “Oh, it’s alright,” you said, and gave him a condoling smile. “I understand.”

“Don’t worry, brother,” came a familiar voice over your shoulder, as two large hands set themselves on your shoulders. You froze. “I’ll ensure that she won’t perish of boredom.”

Thor laughed. “I have no doubt of that.” He gave you a final nod, and strode through the crowds, disappearing from your sight.

As soon as he was gone, you whirled around with wide eyes, feeling like you were about to combust. “You–” you began accusingly.

He didn’t let you finish. Instead, he swept you up into his arms just as the music swelled again, grasping your hand and wrapping his arm around your waist. It sent shivers up your spine that you did your best to ignore.

“Darling, we must stop meeting like this,” he said, and began twirling you across the dance floor. You were forced to stare at his face so you wouldn’t get dizzy. He led effortlessly, weaving through other pairs and picking you up off the ground by a fraction of an inch when called for – unlike Thor, whose dancing required rigid focus, you felt free in Loki’s arms.

Loki. You savored the name in your mind, wondering how it would taste on your tongue. It certainly suited him.

“So you did recognize me,” you said, after you’d reigned your thoughts back in and remembered what you were talking about.

Loki merely smirked, tilting his head slightly in a nod. “You’re hard to forget.”

Your cheeks burned and you scowled. “Don’t try and flatter your way out of this,” you warned him. “Did you know I was your brother’s betrothed when we met? Is that why you wouldn’t tell me your name?”

“Surprisingly, I was unaware,” he admitted, lifting you up and forcing you to hold tightly to his shoulder before setting you back down again. So fluid and simple, but your heart was racing from the adrenaline of it. “It’s a shame. He’ll have a hard time reining you in.”

Your scowl deepened as you tried to discern the meaning behind his statement. “Is that an insult?” You asked, gazing up at his face. Goodness, that jaw of his could cut glass.

In contrast to your faithful stare, Loki’s eyes never seemed to meet yours. “A compliment,” he corrected. He spun you out without warning, pulling you in and holding your back against his chest. His elegant hands gripped your waist just enough to lead without ever making you feel like he was touching you indecently. The irony was that it left you wanting for more of his touch. You wanted to feel his fingers dig against your skin.

You felt a surge of guilt. You shouldn’t be thinking of him that way, not when you were going to marry his brother.

Why wouldn’t it have been him?

He brought you back to face him once more, catching your hand and bowing as the song ended. Unlike the first, this waltz seemed only too short. You had a hard time masking your regret when you curtsied.

Then he offered you his hand again.

“What say we catch our breath?”

The gardens were a maze. Tall, neat hedges lined the walkways and climbing vines wove around overhanging tree branches, hiding you from the sweltering heat of the evening sun. The grass underfoot was obviously well-tended: there wasn’t a blade out of place.

Loki looked different in sunlight.

The night before, you hadn’t been blessed by the opportunity to observe him in full. You had only seen the shadows and suggestions of his features, alluding to what he truly looked like. Now, you could see the curve of his cheekbones, the angle of his nose, the way his eyes spoke volumes before he ever said a word. He was mesmerizing, and you had a difficult time diverting your eyes.

So he’s not a pirate after all, you thought amiably. Just a wealthy merchant’s second son.

When you put it like that, he hardly sounded impressive – but he held your fascination nonetheless.

“Tell me, is there something on my face?” He asked suddenly without looking at you. His eyes were, in fact, drawn upward towards the low-hanging bows of the trees.

Your face flushed and you diverted your gaze. “No. I’m sorry, it was rude of me to stare.”

“You’ve been doing it all evening, don’t stop now,” he remarked sarcastically, dropping his eyes and gazing at you. In the light of day, they were more of a light green than the deep sea color you had previously thought. “And you sound terribly mechanical when you talk that way.”

You pressed your lips together to hide a smile, and dropped the formalities. “You don’t know me like you think you do.”

It was true, to an extent: you had told him almost nothing about yourself last night. Then again, you knew he saw more than he let on.

But to your surprise, he agreed. “No, I don’t.” He paused, slowing down to consider the roses that were blooming elegantly along the archway above you. They were the same color as your dress. “But I know you’re already tired of him.”

You frowned. “Thor?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Stupidity isn’t becoming on you, either. Who else?”

You crossed your arms over your chest and watched him through narrowed eyes as he looked up at the roses. “I’ve only just met him, I couldn’t be tired of him.”

“I saw your face.” Loki reached up, and there was a small snap as he broke the stem of one flower between his fingers. “This world you’ve found yourself in, full of business meetings, garden parties, empty conversations– it bores you to tears. And Thor is all of that personified.”

His voice and face held no emotional weight– only cold calculation. He was stating a matter of fact.

You reached out to take the flower when he offered it. The wheels of your mind mulled over his words. He was probably right... they had grown up side by side, and if Loki said it, then it must be so.

Thor had left you for a business meeting right after your dance. You hadn’t cared at the time. But the duration of your interaction – and the fact that it felt like he was doing the bare minimum – did make his entrance into your life lackluster. And when you married him, what then? The least you could expect from your fianceé was his attention. And today, Thor hadn’t been able to give you that.

You had a feeling it wasn’t going to change.

Loki watched silently as you thought it over and your countenance fell, and he hummed through his nose.

You looked up sharply. “What?”

He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, smirking. “So unhappy and yet you do so little to prevent it.”

You stiffened as a rush of heat rose to your face. “You don’t know me,” you repeated, more serious this time.

“No?” He asked, stepping towards you so suddenly that you took a few steps back, hitting the trunk of a willow tree. The bark dug into your back as you stared up at him with wide eyes.

His expression had changed. The deep sea-green color of his eyes was back, dark and dangerous like an impending storm.

“I know that it wasn’t just surprise that held your gaze on me and not your beloved,” He stated. His voice was low and sultry as he reached forward, holding your chin between his forefinger and thumb so you wouldn’t look away. “Tell me, little one, when you’ve finally wedded him and resigned yourself to a life full of everything you despise, how long will it take before I find you in my bed, whimpering in the dark, begging me for the comfort your husband cannot give?”

There was a sharp sound.

You stared, petrified, as you watched the pale skin of Loki’s cheek blush crimson from where your hand had struck him. He pulled away from you and reached up, slowly, ghosting his fingers over his skin.

You were speechless.

Loki stepped away, leaving you pressed against the willow. You were gripping the rose so tightly that the thorns had pricked your skin, little rivulets of blood trickling through your fingers. Your chest heaved with emotion, but still you made no sound.

He chuckled, dropping his hand and narrowing his eyes. His genuine smile sent a shiver down your spine - and not an unpleasant one, either.

“I think," he said slowly, offering you his arm with a smirk to walk back, "that you and I are going to get along.”

Next Chapter

~ ~ ~

Tag List: @neontiiger, @un-consider-it, @jessiejunebug, @nerdypisces160, @lokiisntdeadbitch, @e-wolf-90, @cursedmoonstone-blog, @kikaninchen-2, @bluebellhairpin, @evy-lyn, @midnight-queen-1, @travelingmypassion, @harrybpoetry, @adefectivedetective, @absolutecraziness13, @kumikokagato, @randomfangirl7, @timetraveler1978, @tarynkauai, @arcanethamin, @ornate-ribcage, @julianettedoe, @kinghiddlestonanddixon, @yespolkadotkitty, @befearlesslyauthenticc, @ladybugsfanfics

#loki #marvel #loki x reader #loki x you #loki x oc #loki fanfic #loki x reader fanfic #loki pirate!au #pirate!au #au #writing #fanfic #fanfiction #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x you #tom hiddleston x reader #thor #odin

248 notes · View notes

peachyteabuck · 5 years ago

Text

eating a heart in a marketplace

summary: "[C]ommunion doesn’t need to be holy. Or even decent." - THOMAS C. FOSTER

After one of Tony’s men injures one of yours, he must present a peace offering in order to keep his black market distributor business afloat.

Good news: you accept the gift.

Bad news: the gift is Thor.

pairing: Thor Odinson x Reader

words: 5,863

trigger warnings: dubcon ig, humiliation, heavy d/s dynamics, mentions of canon-level violence, use of gags, collars, basically kidnapping, dehumanization (sexual and nonsexual)

notes/other: this fic is entirely self-indulgent and i am anticipating sequels bc i .... love it. enjoy!

sk box / masterlist / commission info / ko-fi

The obnoxiously long, dark oak table lays mostly bare, the only places set are the ones at each end of the exquisitely made piece of furniture.

The pink, sheer robe you’re wearing does nothing to hide the matching baby pink lace lingerie, just as the equally feminine heels donned with a strip of pink puff across the base of the toes would do nothing to protect your perfectly manicured feet from the harm of the eerie storm raging outside. Still, the garments and accessories are not meant to be something that cover you up, keep you warm, help you run from danger; they’re tools, tools you’ll hopefully use to get your way as the final meal of the evening approaches.

The entire event is set up just the way you want, with your makeup setting just as expected; the pig roasted to perfection, the pasta firm to the touch, the carrots and broccoli steamed until palatable, the champagne chilled. Most important, though, was the arrival of your guest. At exactly 6:05, your head butler comes in to notify you of the car pulling in front of your expansive home. With the wave of your hand she’s instructed to let the man come in, allow your rival to step into the palace you’d constructed for yourself when you’d risen to the top of your organization.

Well, maybe “rival” is the wrong word. “Rival” implies an active dislike or struggle, when in reality you two operate in separate spheres of influence.

“Companion,” though, seems too friendly.

As the distinct sounds of footsteps filter through the grand hall and into your study, the man you’ve decided to call “fellow leader” steps into sight. His fine pressed suit, dry as the Sahara desert, smiles as you come into his view.

“Ah, my favorite mob woman.” His eyes seems more sinister than you expected. You attribute it more to the dark tones of the evening rather than actual malice.

“Stark,” you say with a curt nod. You go up to exchange a kiss on each cheek, heart racing with the anticipation of what’s to come, excitement increasing with each step. “Come, we have a wonderful meal prepared for you.”

Anthony doesn’t protest, simply accepts a glass of Scotch a maid hands to him and follows you into the dining room. He chuckles a bit at the display you’ve put on, but doesn’t say anything outright. You two have enough respect for the other not deny their counterpart the joy of a dramatic display. He simply sits, the pig placed in the middle of the table large enough to be an obvious sign of wealth but not too big as to deny the two of you eye contact.

Small talk is exchanged as the meal is served, biscuits placed, and pork cut into thick slabs. Vegetables placed delicately on plates and napkins placed on laps. You ask how Pepper is doing, he asks if the dress you had handmade from some extravagant designer turned out how you wanted. Half your plates are clear before either of you truly start to converse.

You’re the first to break the silence as Anthony begins on his mashed potatoes. “I appreciate your understanding of the deal. I’m not a fan of bloodshed, and the demonstration at the club that night are something I wish to forgive and forget as soon as possible.”

Anthony nods, speaking around a bite of the creamy starch. “I agree. Odinson’s actions were inappropriate, wildly and unpredictably so. In truth, I’ve thought he was a liability since he joined, but I never thought he’d lash out like that.”

As you slice through a particularly thick cut of meat, your fork slips and scraps against the china. Both of your winkles your noses at the grating sound.

“Yes,” You pause to chew. “cutting off Barnes’ arm during a bar fight does seem a little…” The bite of biscuit you had gotten was just perfect, the equal amount of butter and brown sugary, apple flavor from the pork together. God, you really do love a good meal. “Rash.”

Your guest hums in agreement. He then clears his throat, preparing to talk. “To symbolize my apologies, I have brought you the gift we spoke of earlier,” he pauses, raising his left hand just above his elbow and bending his first two fingers forward. You sit up, intrigued.

As the large French doors behind him open, from the dark depths of your hallway comes the man who scarred your oldest friend for life, cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and has put your best hitman out of commission. He’s tall, fills the doorway like a key in a lock. His scruff thick and dark, bags under his eyes from lack of sleep.

Something deep in you stirs, and squeezing your thighs together does nothing to stop it.

Thor Odinson is clad in a suit, as most of Stark’s enforcers are. Though, the handcuffs keeping his hands behind his back are new.

“Interesting addition,” you note, staring at his straining arms in the expensive fabric.

Anthony doesn’t give any indication that he hears, let alone cares, about your sarcastic comment. “I’m assuming this” he gestures to the man. “Will put me back in good spirits with you and the rest of your crew?”

Odinson walks to your side, head hung in shame and hair tied in a tight bun as his former employer speaks. He knows what he’s in for now, has been told in so many words he is now something less of a person – and it’s obvious this has put him to shame.

You consider it – think about letting all that happened go with a simple olive branch. Before you can do that, though, you must make sure that the merchandise lives up to the promises on the box.

“Down,” you command. Immediately, he drops to his knees. You smirk, dragging your baby pink nails down his stubbled jaw.

“Oh, yes. This will do just fine, Stark. Just…fine.” The last two words are long, almost forgetting to finish them as your mind travels to all the things you could do with him.

Anthony smirks. “Perfect. I’m assuming business with resume as usual?”

Your fingers stroke at the sides of Thor’s face and trace around the shell of his ear. “Of course. I’ll call the appropriate people later. Everything should be up and running by midnight.”

Suddenly Anthony tenses, his fingers moving to fidget with his tie. “If I may-”

“You may,” you tell him, not meeting his eyes.

Anthony audibly gulps, fidgeting in his seat and with his tie. “That’s quite late, that’s hundreds of millions of dollars that we’ll miss out on if we-”

You hold up your hand flat while your gaze remains locked on your new toy. “That’s the earliest I can assure you. Whether or not it happens before that is,” you stop to try and feed Thor a small bite of carrot from your hand. He hesitates but accepts after a few moments, plucking the orange vegetable with beautiful teeth and a gentle bite. He doesn’t make eye contact like you originally wanted, but this is a good start. “Not guaranteed.”

Anthony knows that you’re stubborn, much too stubborn to be moved away from your current stance. He’s done all that he can do to sway you, and now whatever income he hopes to make between now and the end of the day depends on Thor.

In short, Anthony Stark Junior (and his bank account) are royally, utterly fucked.

As he leaves your home he can hear you call to your head servant to tell Customs and Border Patrol to let his packages in (an assured start to him not losing a fortune), but he still wrings his hands as he slides into the backseat of his solid black Escalade. As the partition opens to reveal the man at the wheel, the thought of angry text messages from smugglers trying to get their goods into the States flash in front of Stark’s bloodshot eyes.

His driver, Happy, notices the fellow man’s anxiety as he looks at his boss through the rearview mirror.

“You think Odinson is gonna be okay, boss?” He asks, sort-of worried but mostly focused on filling the deafening silence in the expensive car. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t fill the awkward spaces in conversation that always come post-transaction.

Tony just laughs, typing something into his watch. “Of course not. That woman is going to chew him up and spit him out by the end of the fiscal year.”

Happy chews at his bottom lip. That’s two weeks from now. “You really think it’s gonna be that quick?”

“Probably,” Tony shrugs. “She’s never been known for mercy.”

The other man nods, quiet as he makes his way to the Stark residence. The quiet, cold night air strikes the mobster as he steps out of the car; the sharp grass smells fills his sense and bloodstream, calming him as he steps into his home. Pepper’s at the counter, stirring something in a pot. She doesn’t turn around when she hears his footsteps, but knows he’s somber nonetheless.

“Hard day at the office?” She asks, giving him a small taste of the homemade alfredo sauce.

Tony snorts, moving to lick at the wooden spoon. “Oh yeah,” he mumbles, wrapping his arms around her waist. She’s in one of his t-shirts and sleep shorts, the soft material comforting him. “You could say that.”

You only make good decisions when you’re in a good mood, and right now said mood depends on Thor Odinson - a man so insecure he once got himself tortured just because his captors told him he couldn’t take it. The man is a stubborn, uncontrollable mess with an anger issue to rival that of Lyssa, or a lighting on a field of dried grass.

He was feared within the Nest and by the lower Excidium members, but he didn’t make palms sweat and hands shake and hearts beat faster quite like you do.

No one fucks with you because you’ve very appropriately placed yourself on a pedestal based on madness, control, and desire for power. Thor’s just feared because he’s a dumbass with a short fuse. It’s the difference between a forest fire and a crazy, drunken uncle holding a lighter; one you can try and prevent, coax it into submission and run away if necessary. The other? More unstable than Francium.

(At least you know that thing’s only going to last twenty-two minutes, though. At least it’s predictable in its instability.)

Back inside, you’re more than ecstatic to have a new plaything. You were fully prepared to let the kid’s behavior slide, especially since the Nest brings in a hefty amount of revenue. But if Tony wants to give up a weak link, you’ll gratefully treasure the broken piece of steel you picked up from the gravel.

Thor stays like that, on his knees and eating out of your hand, for so long his legs fall asleep. You spend the rest of the night chatting at nobody, talk to him like he’s an old, deaf cat who just remains in your favor because he’s soft to pet and is cute. You sign some deals, check the language of some proposed treaties, write your to-do list for the next day all at the dinner table. Thor only dares to look at you when you’re too busy conversing with maids or chastising someone who works under you or any time your head is turned enough that he can make out the scar that runs from behind your left ear to the back of your neck.

Your form, the way you speak, he’s obsessed with his chance finally take it all in.

He hasn’t seen you in person before, just heard rumors and conspiracy theories and whatever else people spend their time making up about you. Thor always passed it off as fiction, simply inflating the higher-ups to pass the time. Everything about you, though, seems exceptionally true. Maybe even underestimations. It’s true you walk around your house in matching lingerie sets, possibly a robe if it’s breezy. The East Coast heat can be unexpectedly warm, but as the sun sets on the July day he can see goosebumps rise across your soft skin and the shivers that sometimes shake your spine. Your house fits all the descriptions he’s heard, too. The decor seems almost welcoming, faded oranges and pastel pinks and dull whites and baby blues and mustard yellows. Plush, velvet furniture the same deep magenta, mirrors trimmed in what Thor can assume is real gold.

It’s like a scene from Mean Chicks or whatever those 2000s teen movies are. If one of those movies took place in the home of an incredibly powerful mobster, it’d look like this.

“What do you think, pet?”

Oh shit. Thor was supposed to be listening, wasn’t he? When he looks up, Bucky Barnes (the man who called him a pussy and “Stark’s whore,” prompting him to grab one of the decorative - but still fully functional - swords from the wall of the bar they were in and just...slice away at his tormentor), Steve Rogers (who looks like the human version of a sugar cookie while specializing in torture) , and Sam Wilson (a sarcastic little shit who knows exactly how to get anything past the feds) are all staring down at him. Barnes’ left arm (stub? It’s mostly just stub now) is still bandaged, but he’s at least walking now. Thor was told he might die from blood loss, but no. Thor Odinson would never be that lucky.

“They never listen, do they?” You sigh, rolling your eyes as you shift to face them. None of the men sit, knowing they won’t be there long. Plus, they get a much better angle of Thor’s tortuous position while standing.

“You don’t think that deserves punishment?” Steve asks, a smile curling at the sides of his mouth that speaks volumes.

You shrug, not looking at him. “Later. Now I want you to donate fifty thousand to the Vermont special elections. I need that entry point into Canada or else there’s no way we can get out shipments into that garbage country in a timely manner. Also,” you turn to Sam, whose eyes are caught staring between Thor’s left upper ribs. “Call CBP. Stark held up his end of the deal, I have to hold up mine.”

All three of them huff, both at the large sum of cash you’re about to give to a twenty-something know-nothing frat guy who knows nothing about politics but everything about being open to bribes and about them not being able to watch the man they hate become the most embarrassed version of himself in front of the man he tried to kill and his two best friends.

Whatever. The trio’s time for revenge will come, you promised them that - promised Bucky when he was in the ICU that you would find the man that did this and would make them pay.

Bucky has never known you to break a promise.

When the three leave you and Thor, you raise your left arm high flick your wrist towards the large doors. Understanding the cue, your maids wordlessly close them to seclude you from whatever responsibilities you were intending on dealing with tonight. Whatever it is, was, can wait until tomorrow, can wait until you’ve begun Thor’s assimilation into your home.

There’s a moment of quiet, of stillness in the house before Thor hears the sounds of several pairs of footsteps – maybe four, he counts – that enter the large dining room with haste. He’s quickly escorted down a long hallway and up a winding set of stairs. Thor can’t see much as he’s rushed away, and the little he can make out is a baby blue wallpaper with gold patterns etched into it, and fine paintings that appear sporadically on the walls. Some are black and white with abstract patterns, others depictions of angels, a few featuring intricate designs that resemble the sky and sea.

It feels like a forever before Thor is slammed down onto the floor of your bedroom, his knees hitting the wood with a painful smack. Despite the earsplitting sound, he doesn’t wince, doesn’t even flinch as his hair is pulled back by one of the maids so he’s forced to look at you. As you gaze upon him he bares his teeth; you can see fire behind his eyes. What a cutie, you muse to yourself.

“Wrists,” you instruct. Another maid moves behind him with dusty pink rope, securing his wrists together behind his back. “Legs,” you tell them next. Thor is easily flipped onto his back, arched at an uncomfortable angle because of his arms. Just as quickly as before, his legs are tied so that his calves and the backs of his thighs meet. When he’s flipped back up, all he can see is you smiling devilishly. “I’ll do the rest myself ladies. Go ahead and take the night off, I want him all to myself.”

“Yes ma’am” they respond in unison, Thor unable to see their hurried steps but understanding that when he hears the door closing behind them, he’s completely and utterly alone.

For a moment you two just stare at each in silence, his nostrils flaring and chest rising from anger and adrenaline. He heaves as you calmly gaze upon him, pissing off your captive even more. All Thor can do is react while you stand there, stationary and speechless.

Within a few moments, he’s lashing out to break the painful quiet. “This fucking sucks,” he hisses through clenched teeth. “That Barnes fucking deserved that shit, you know? He’s a whiny bitch that gets into shit he doesn’t belong in. I bet he’s fucking compensating for something, ya know? He’s not even a big enough man to come at me himself, needs his master to do his bidding ‘n shit. Why the fuck am I ever here anyway, do you go through boytoys so fucking often you just steal them so that you don’t have to pa-“

You roll your eyes, shoving three fingers into his mouth. Thor looks more confused than anything else, but he does immediately stop talking. Good, exactly what you wanted.

You two stay like that, your jaw tightened with one eyebrow raised – daring him to defy you - and him looking up at you like a puppy who’s just pissed on the carpet in defiance. “Listen, you little brat. I used to babysit for twenty dollars an hour. I put myself through grad school twice on money from too-rich white-ass parents who couldn’t control their kids so they pawned them off to underpaid college kids. I got here because I worked for it, dealing with men much more powerful than you acting like children. If you think for a fucking second that I will tolerate this behavior in my house, under my roof, then you are wrong. Very wrong. Do you understand me?”

Thor’s eyes narrow, and though he doesn’t bite, he does press his teeth into the skin of your first knuckle. It’s enough to keep your attention entirely on him, eyes locked on his as you throw your phone onto the bed next to you. You know this game, and you know breaking first would mean he has some sort of holding over you. Unblinking, you stay silent as he swallows around your fingers.

The tension in the air is thick; it’s nothing you can’t handle, nothing you aren’t used to. Thor is the first one to surrender, looking down at your baby pink stilettos. “Good boy,” you huff, moving to open a drawer that conveniently sits just within arm’s reach. You withdraw you hand from his mouth but don’t move to wipe his spit from your fingers. Thor can’t see anything you’re doing, but does hear a smaller (and less used, judging by the squeaking noise it makes as you open it) drawer open, the sound of a little bell, and then the loud scraping of both drawers closing on top of each other and hitting the back of the structure that holds it.

“Head up,” you command. “Look at me.” Thor’s hesitant but ultimately obeys. His eyes widen as he sees the items in your hand. The first is a simple, black ball gag and the other a frilly, pink collar with a small bow and equally tiny bell at the front center. In the back, an adjustable metal clip.

The gag is slipped on first, the uncomfortably large sphere blocking any searing remarks from leaving his lips. As spit pools below his tongue and from the corners of his mouth, all he can do is growl low in his throat.

Despite your long, pointed nails you open the clasp of the collar with ease, flashing it close to your captive’s face like an owner showing a dog his new restraint. Thor may be your pet, and you may be his rightful owner, but the move isn’t one that builds trust. It’s one that makes his insides curl, because it’s a demonstration of how much power you have over him. Look at this thing, the gesture conveys. Do you understand now? You’re mine. Everyone will know that. Everyone will know what you did. This is your retribution.

“Are you gonna shut up now?” Thor doesn’t move, but he also doesn’t make any disgruntled noises. “Good. Now, let me make myself clear, since it appears you do not know the terms of Stark’s and my agreement; Stark settled to give me the man who permanently injured one of my best men in exchange for my forgiveness of the entire event. That means two things. First, Stark gets the money he needs from my business in order to remain powerful. Second, I get to do whatever I want to you. Understand?”

Thor’s eyebrows furrow. What do you want to do to him?

“For now, though, I am going to untie you and go to bed, because I am tired, and it has been an exhausting day. Got it?”

Thor nods.

“Good.”

He flinches as you kneel down to his level and begin to untie him from the complicated binds. Your fingers move with purpose, your nails occasionally scraping across his electrified skin. With his body uninhibited, he flexes his fingers as to examine the indents in his flesh.

“Don’t worry,” you tell him. “Those will go away by morning.”

Somehow, he doesn’t believe you.

He spends the night on the cold wooden floor, occasionally making a desperate attempt to fit himself on the tiny plush pink carpet that the dresser rests on. Thor doesn’t get much shut-eye, time either spent shivering or trying to plan for survival. He can’t escape, it’s been made very clear that both Excidium and the Nest will both be hunting him down if he so much as pisses where he’s not supposed to. It seems keeping his mouth shut, following orders, and taking whatever it is you want to put him through with whatever tiny amount of dignity he has left.

(As the night progresses, he realizes the last part will be the hardest).

When the world comes alive again, Thor remains mostly ignored. As the sun comes up and you awaken with your alarm, he barely gets so much as a brush of fabric as you pull off your white nightgown and slip into a pale-yellow sundress with a long, white cardigan. It’s much different than what you were wearing last night, but as you readjust the strap of your lacey white bra from its improper place on your shoulder, he guesses that was more show(wo)manship and a reiteration of hierarchies than an honest exchange between business partners.

As the first full day under your whim progresses, he’s left behind as you move to your office. You feel some time apart may be good for his insolence, even if his fierceness amuses you so.

You like a challenge, especially one you know you can win; a little tussle didn’t hurt anybody, has it?

You instruct one of the new recruits to buy you a dog bed – the largest one they can find – and you have it placed on the floor next to your bed so you can keep an easy eye on him throughout the day. Thor’s kept on a leash attached to the collar on his neck; the piece of leather is flimsy at best, but the man still refuses to break out of it for fear of punishment.

There, on a large, baby pink pet meant for some Doberman or Pitbull or other bigass dog, he waits, ears perking up whenever someone, anyone steps into the room. But, while he craves human contact, the hushed voices of the maids that clean up the dirty clothes and make your bed make the hairs on the back of Thor’s neck stand in fear.

Natasha, lover, retribution.

Bucky, money, revenge.

Loki, trip, return.

He can’t tell which name fills him more with dread. Barnes is barely healed and full of rage at his injury, desperate for vengeance against the man that hurt him so. Natasha Romanoff is a woman that Thor has never truly met, only seen when Stark and you have business that requires some back up. Even so, the stories of her apathy and brutality need no introduction; once, she cut a dude’s dick off, made a wallet from the foreskin, and sent it to him while he was recovering in the hospital. She carries a switchblade in the inside of her bra. She only has red hair because the blood crusted onto it permanently stains the follicles.

And Loki…

Well, Loki and him have been estranged since they were both late teens. They’ve both had daddy issues since birth, and Loki’s so happened to manifest in a weird mix of picking up mercenary work, becoming a serial sugar baby, and wearing a lot of black. The last thing Thor would expect is for Loki to settle down for someone like you, a woman who requires loyalty of heart, mind, soul.

His thumping heart and terrifying internal monologue are interrupted by a maid, one he hadn’t yet seen, whose face scrunches up when she notices your absence from the room. She then sighs, and beckons two other maids – one pushing a cart filled with a small buffet of food, one carrying a cart with cutlery and dinnerware – through the threshold. The three of them stop at a bone-white desk, fretting about as they set up what Thor can only assume is a late lunch.

As you step into the bedroom – pushed through the doorway by the maid from before – Thor can tell you are less than happy.

You’re annoyed, to say the least. Can’t even tell why, really, can’t find an even barely comprehendible reason for you to be tearing through financial documents as if they were important family heirlooms that were on fire. No reason for you to snap at a recent recruit for misspelling the code name of a spy you had placed in the Nevada Supreme Court three courts back. Some madness bites at your skin as you nibble on small sandwiches and drink a large glass of cold sun tea, and Thor can tell it’s tearing you apart.

Thor can’t see much from the floor, but he can feel the electricity in the air as you scribble in a notebook that he guesses is where you plan all of your mob’s heinous activities. He wonders what your handwriting looks like, how you keep all the people you’re blackmailing straight, what kind of code you use. Stark keeps everything on paper as well, in a locked room inside of a secret room inside of his basement (well, maybe. Thor’s never been there, he’d never gotten high enough in the Nest to warrant being given access to such a space, but he’s heard the rumors).

It's about an hour later when the head butler from before, the one who led him, his (former) boss, and his (former) bosses men through your maze of a home, steps just into view of your tired eyes.

“Miss, you need a break,” she says simply.

You sigh, rubbing at the bridge of your nose and then your temples. Resting your head in one hand, you use the other to grant her permission to grab your paperwork. It’s only when she’s gather your things and left the room that you speak.

“She’s right,” you let out a small chuckle before sauntering over to the white dresser in the far corner of the room. “I do need a stress reliever.”

The man on your floor can’t see what you’re doing, his eyes only widening when you place the thickest, blackest dildo he’s ever seen into his view.

“Wh-“he starts to speak, trying but failing to push himself away from you. “What are you doing to do with that?”

You shrug, eyeing it up and down. “I don’t know. Could fuck myself with it…could fuck you with it…”

Thor’s stubbled face is beet red from embarrassment, even more so than when you made him kneel in the dining room or gagged him with your fingers.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, you little slut,” you hiss. When he doesn’t look up at you, you grab his chin and force his head back. He doesn’t want to admit it, but it wouldn’t be fun if he just gave in the second you put the tiniest bit of pressure on his overly-tough facade. “Tell me you love sucking my cock.”

But all Thor does is open his mouth wide as it can go and pushes his flattened tongue as far out of his mouth as it’ll go. He’s got this glimmer in his eyes and a smirk on his lips that tells you Thor knows what he’s doing, he knows he’s pushing every button he can think to push.

You’ve danced this routine before, though this time Thor’s much more confident, willing to push further, push harder.

“You want to be a brat?” You ask, begging him to give you a smartass response. “Then take it like one.”

With swift movements of your right leg he’s pushed flat on the ground, his back hitting the hardwood with a low thud. “Flip over,” you tell him. With an unfortunate lack of protest, he does, toned stomach settling onto the floor barely warmed by his back.

You climb over him, leg on each side and core pressed into him as you gather his hair in your first. “You’re such a fucking tease,” you hiss through grit teeth. Thor makes a similar – but more pained noise – as you wretch his head back. “Such a little tease, begging me to put him in his fucking place. If you wanted me to fuck you like you deserve, you should fucking ask for it next time.”

Smack, the deep sound of your callous hand hitting the soft flesh of his ass almost makes him flinch more than the pain. Smacksmack, two more, quicker this time.

“I’ve met little fucking brats before, but never like you,” you pull the rest of his clothes off with minimal protest. “Gotta get you cock drunk before you’ll figure out how arrangement of ours works, don’t I?”

Thor, with his eyes scrunched shut and mouth lax, says nothing in return.

Your hand reaches under him, hips lifting to provide a small space between him and the floor. He’s already hard, aching, leaking, and he moans brokenly when you wrap your hand around him.

It’s rough, hurts more than it pleasures, but it still feels so, so good all the same. Thor almost wants to say so, too, but can’t make himself push the words from his throat.

“So easy to get you all fucked out isn’t it?” You whisper low in his ear. “So easy to break brats like you, makes me wanna make you cum and then leave you here for the rest of the night…”

The subsequent whine from Thor makes you laugh and push him harder into the floor. “But I won’t do that, can’t leave little things like you all alone, would be like leaving a baby bunny to a bunch of wolves.”

Thor doesn’t disagree, doesn’t try to build his demolished ego back up.

“Doesn’t that feel good, sweetheart?” you purr, hand keeping a slow, torturous pace. “Doesn’t it feel good to be good?”

All Thor can do is squeak and push his face into the floor, trying to hide the deep redness in his cheeks.

For once, you don’t punish him. You want to, want to stop and make him beg for forgiveness for his nonanswer. Maybe tie him up and fuck him with your fingers until he’s ready for your biggest strap, pounding into him.

Oh, Babyboy, you’re being so good taking this whole cock inside of you, aren’t you? So good for your owner. I bet nobody’s ever fucked you this good.

Maybe you’ll tie him up, edge him until he’s sobbing. Wait until he’s just about to cum and pull a vibrator or your hand away – make him whine and tease him as his whole body twitches.

Are you not enjoying yourself, baby? Because it looks to me like you are. Look at those glassy eyes, do I need to slap you to make you pay attention?

Thor screams as he cums all over your floor, whole body tense then completely lax within the span of seconds. His breathing is loud enough to be heard across nations, each exhale laced with a small moan.

He cries, deep and low, when you climb off of him, tries to arch his spine into the nothingness that once held you.

“Shh,” you tell him. “Mommy’ll be back in a second.”

Thor seems to calm with that, heart still racing but head and body slumped.

When you come back, you hold a bit of salmon - small grains of buttery jasmine rice and cranberry sauce stuck to the pink meat. You’ve grasped it with three fingers – thumb, middle, point – and have it nearly pressed to Thor’s plush, pink lips. It’s still warm, dinner having been served by the maids despite your absence from the dining room.

“C’mon baby,” you tell him. “You gotta eat sometime.”

Thor glares at you but knows you’re right – his already flat stomach howling in pain from lack of sustenance. Reluctantly, meekly, he pulls your fingers between his lips and swallows the soft food.

“Good boy,” you tell him. “See? Following directions isn’t that bad.”

Thor, for the first time in days, says nothing to the contrary.

#thor odinson x reader #thor odinson smut #thor smut #lukis writes stuff #thor x reader #thor odinson imagine #avengers smut #avengers imagine #sub!thor #sub thor #thor x reader lemons

150 notes · View notes

tilltheendwilliwrite · 5 years ago

Text

Patron is now Live!

Thank you to all the people who have shown such love and support in this endeavour. I appreciate you all so damn much!

For those in tiers one and two, there will likely be more than one image a month, as well as a few public posts every month for those who just want to check out what Patreon has to offer.

Become a Patron!

Tiers:

Stories On Offer:

Of Two Brothers (A Hiddleston AU)

$3 tier

Twin brothers Thomas and William Hiddleston- Harris, estranged for the last ten years, are suddenly thrust back together with the death of their stepfather. Even more startling news emerges when, after a shared indiscretion sixteen years earlier, they discover they have a daughter.

Fifteen-year-old Clara and her aunt Noel are just trying to piece together their lives after the sudden death of Clara’s mother, SueAnn. Finding out Clara has not one but two possible fathers, identical twin brothers Thomas and William Hiddleston-Harris, has left them both a little leery of what comes next.

With Thomas dragged from the spotlights of Hollywood back to the Colorado ranch he grew up on, and William fighting not to lose the inheritance that means so much to him, can they put aside their differences to welcome the daughter they now share? Or will Noel, the feisty, take no shit Aunt, further the gulf between them?

Guardian of the Fae (A Heimdall AU crossover with the World of Maleficent and the Dark Fae)

$5 tier

Heimdall has waited centuries, searched the cosmos, scanned the realms, looking for the one with the match to the soul mark on his forearm. He never expected to find her the last of her kind living on a world far from his with naught but fairies, pixies, and forest folk for company.

On a world hard fought for, Inbeta, the last of the Dark Fae, lives only to care for those left behind after the Great War with the humans. On her battle-scarred homeworld, she has no time for a giant man and his claim of soul marks.

Not when the stone gate that once brought humans with their iron blades to her world is active again.

Seven Deadly Sins (A Steve Rogers AU)

$5 tier

When a question is put before Thor regarding who the Heart of the Avengers is, he’s puzzled. Could it be the Captain? Stark? A bored Loki, an idea, and a challenge later, the two are on their way to Midgard with a new “game” for the Avengers to play and a bet between them.

All has been quiet on the hero front, leaving Sam, Bucky, Natasha, Clint, Tony, Bruce, and Steve sitting on their thumbs. When the two Asgardians arrive with their challenge and this new game, Steve is leery. This is Loki, after all. Brainwashed by the Chitauri or not, he’s still the Trickster God for a reason. When the others give in and agree to play, he hesitates until finally being prodded into the game.

Big mistake. Why didn’t he listen to his instincts?

Emery Dawn Williams, tech and intelligence genius, never expected to return to the tower from an afternoon of shopping to find the seven Avengers devolved into extremely odd versions of themselves.

Clint, who ate everything in sight. Bruce stretched out asleep on the sofa with Netflix running in the background. Sam, crowing about his achievements, and Bucky griping over everything. Tony, who screamed to get out of his workshop and Natasha, who claimed anything and everything was hers.

But worst of all was Steve. Sweet, hot, panty-melting Steve who had never, ever looked at her with eyes like the devil and a smirk that made her core clench. His face said he wanted to eat her alive. If Emery wasn’t so freaked out, if his feelings were at all real, she might let him.

But this was a game. A wicked game. Because when you play a game with Seven Deadly Sins it was win, or lose your soul.

61 notes · View notes

devilbat · 6 years ago

Text

No Spoilers

@saturnsharpe Had required this. May have had way to much fun with this one. Thanks for asking for it.

A/n: requesteds are always open.

Warning: this is just pure yeah adult fun no plot really.

Laying naked next to the most handsome man in the world, was amazing. You and Tom had been together for over a year now. Blissful year. Even when he was gone off to film you both still had a little fun over the phone. But now he was home, his left arm rest over your back as you were snuggling against his side. When he got home, he wanted to tell you so much, even though he couldn’t, about his up coming movies he was currently done filming for. You had asked, begged and bribed him all week. Even threatened not to give yourself to him. Though in your current state you really didn’t put up much of a fight when he took you more then once. You were always willing to give yourself to him. Even if your were mad at him. He knew the right buttons to push, though you knew his as well.

You laid there, trying to figure out how to get information out of him. That’s when you looked over seeing two of his ties draped over the lamp. That had been used earlier on you. You smirked as you slowly moved reaching for them. Slowly pulling them off the lamp shade, you made quick work of tying Tom’s hands to the headboard. Lucky for you Tom can be a hard sleeper after filming and few rounds of sex. You lightly placed opened mouth kissed down his lean chest. Stopping every time he stirred. Biting you bottom lip as you watched him sleep so peaceful. Unaware of his up coming torment. Sure, you could wait until Premier, Tom would take you. But you wanted to know what would happen to you favorite character, that happens to be played by your poor currently tied boyfriend.

Moving your head down towards your objective Tom’s soften cock. That laid nicely against his abdomen. Licking your lips as you lower your parted mouth over the tip giving it a light kiss. Your eyes never leaving Tom’s handsome face. Your tongue darted out, giving his tip little kitten licks. Causing his cock to harden, and Tom moaning out as he starts to wake up. You free hand grabbed a hold of his shaft as you start to lick along the pulsing vain. Tom tried to move his hands towards you. Stopping as you watched his eyes shot open, looking over to each hand before looking down at you. The biggest smirk on your face as you pulled the tip of his twitching cock into you hot wet mouth.

“Oh, you little minx’s.” Tom try to speak normal, but his voice was shaky and his breath hitched. You suck on the tip hard, getting a gasp out of him. His eye’s flutter half way closed. As he sank back down on his pillow. While you pulled his large heavy cock into your mouth. Taking him deep as you could. What you couldn’t get you made up with your hand gripping tightly, as it slid up and down in the same motion as you bobbing head. God having him struggle under your touch, made your arousal grow more and more by the minute. You weren’t sure if you would last.

“Oh darling do not slowdown.” Tom gasped out, when you slow your pace. “I want to cum in the pretty little mouth of yours.” Tom whimpered. Oh he was close. You stopped fully pulling your mouth away with a loud pop. You hand slowly stroking his length. He groaned in announce. You giggled and bite your lip as his beautiful blue lust filled eyes bore into your own.

“First my love, if you would like me to finish you off. You have to indulge me with some lovely information I require.” You licked your lip slowly. You hand moved down to rub against his soon to be blue balls if he doesn’t tell.

“What do you wish to know? My wickedly evil minx’s.” He whined, needing to be released soon. You hand still moving along his entire length. You smirked with such innocence it amazed Tom.

“I.. want.. to.. know.. what... happens.. in.. infinity.. wars.” You moaned while you lick his pulsating head, between each word. Reminding him who had power right now. You licked up the per-cum that oozed out, before taking him fully back into your mouth. Painfully slow moving up and down letting you teeth graze ever so lightly along his shaft causing him to shiver and moan.

“Darling you know I can’t.” He panted out. His voice was husked. “Please my love.” He begged. Unfortunately that was not the right answer. Pulling away with another pop. You moved over him. He whimpered thinking you were going to leave him there tied to the bed. But you positioned you body, your thighs straddling his hip. He could feel the heat coming off of your core. As you hovered over his needy cock.

“Wrong answer, do you want to try that again?” You purred as You nails dragged along his chest. Before leaning forward to take his pouting lips with yours. “How bad do you want to cum?” You whispered as your lips moved along his sharp jawline and down his neck. Nipping and sucking along the way. Leaving your own trail of bruises. Lower your wet heat against his cock. It twitched wildly once it laid amongst your wet folds.

“Damn it y/n!” He growled in frustration. Buckling his hip up. You giggled against his ear before you sucked and pulled on it. “You know once this is over, you are not going to like what I’ll do to you. Do you really want to play this game my love.” You wiggled your hips giving him some friction but not enough. Humming, to the animalistic noises that was coming from this mans torture.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t want what’s coming to me. And we all know my love you can’t go a Day without wanting fuck me into the mattress.” You said seductively as you kissed his lips. Pulling away sitting back on your heels. As you took in the sight of your poor suffering boyfriend. Grabbing ahold of his cock as you got back into position. You toyed with it. Rubbing his length between your wet folds. Making you moan out Tom’s name. You lined him up at your entrance, sliding down pushing the tip of his cock in. Tom thrusted up. Only for you to pull away. “Ah Ah, my love, I can and will leave you here tied to this bed if you do that again.” You nipped at his bottom lip.

You position yourself again. As you sank down only half way this time. Waiting for him to try thrust up. It took all of Tom’s will not to do so. Though he may be grumbling in protest. You walls clenched around his cock. Making him squirm. God this was way too hot. You painfully slow, move up then back down. You nails dig into either side of his chest. Holding yourself up while you move, you didn’t want to complete have him bottoming out inside you. He was already hitting that spot deep inside you being half way in.

“Oh Tom!” You shrieked out. Making him hiss as you use his body for your own pleasure, even if he is enjoying this. The noise he made were practically animalistic. You finally dropped yourself down take all his hard cock inside your welcoming core. Stopping as you let yourself adjust his size.

“Darling, you know how much you love it when I cum deep inside you. You’re wet and ready. Just give me my release woman.” He howled. It was painful to watch him suffer so.

“Oh Thomas, this is not how we are playing. Now be a good Tom and tell me just the one thing I ask and I will give you want you want. What you need, what you crave.” You said seductively. As you wiggled your hips around in circles on his cock. Your inner Loki came out. Tom always teased you saying you would make a great female Loki.

“Damn it love, you know I can’t.” He hissed glaring at you. As you started to move up and down riding his cock. Just enough for him to feel like his release was soon until you stopped. “How are you going to cum love?” You smirked kissing his lips before pulling your hands off straightening yourself up. You two fingers traced along Tom lean yet muscular torso. Making your way, where both your body’s met. You were never one to finger yourself in front of Tom. But you wanted to prove a point. You slowly rubbed your sensitive clit. Moan his name. When you were close you started deep hard movements on his cock hitting at the right angle.

Tom watched to his displeasure you getting off without him. Though he did moan when you came, drenching his cock and you two fingers. You stilled yourself on his length. A pleased smirk on your face. Tom just gape at you in shock. Moving your hand as you leaned down you mouth next to his ear as you ran your juice covered finger over his parted lips.

“Mmm, Thomas.” You whispered nipping at his ear lobe. “So Tom what’s it going to be? Now that I’ve had my fill.” Rolling you hip causing him to growl.

“You are an evil, evil torturous woman.” Tom growled. “And I can not take this torture.” Tom paused with a heavy sigh of defeat. “Fine in IW loki fakes his death again. Only to be to late to help after the snap. And I do not know who get’s snapped. But Loki help out in the endgame though Thor thinks Loki is betrayal him again.” Tom hissed. You being none the wiser of Tom lie. As kissed him passionately. You started rolling your hips, untying him. Knowing what would happen after untying him but you didn’t care. You wanted it. Once he was freed his arm snaked around you waist flipping on to your back. Not hesitating as he thrusted in to you.

“Tom.” You screamed out. As he took you hard and rather harshly. Pulling out of you a only to slam back into your dripping core. Fucking you rather possessively in to the mattress. Tom’s mouth Took over your neck leaving his own possessive bruises on it. It didn’t take him long before he came deep inside you. Bitting into your shoulder. Making you cry out in pleasure. Nails dragging along his back. Once Tom emptied himself deep into you. He clasped on top of you. Panting heavy. You hummed as your fingers ran along the makes on his back. You could feel his cock twitch inside your core. You walls still clinched around him. The warmth of his seed leaking out.

“Don’t get to comfortable love. I’ve only just begun. And trust me when I say I will take you again and again. And you will not find your release until I find it fit. I will make it so you cannot sit while at dinner with your parents.” Tom Hissed. You eyes widened forget you and him were to have dinner with both parents. Knowing he would be good on his word. “So Love was it worth it now?” He chuckled darkly. As his fingers found you very sensitive clit. Pinch at it. You could only Yelp in response.

Permanent tags: @kitkatkl @lokilvrr @instantnoodlese @drakesfiance @meyoko10 @jackheart180 @miraclesoflove @wolfcore227 @mr-hiddlestons-pet @madleiine @teageowen

Tom/Loki Tag’s: @theoneanna @graveyard-groupie @silverquartx @moonfaery @kcd15 @moonlightprime @youveseen--thebutcher @shockwavee

#tom hiddelston imagine #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fluff #tom x reader #tom #tom hiddleston x you

292 notes · View notes

imagining-sio · 6 years ago

Text

Escapism IV

Rising Tides

“You’re a vet?” I asked as I took off my helmet. We had just arrived in his driveway from the trip back to the auto-shop, which I was beginning to suspect was merely a ploy to get me to interact with him more.

“Yeah, 107th, where I met Wilson.” He hooked the bottom of his helmet on the handlebar of the Matt black cafe racer.

“And Steve?” I asked again.

“Nah, that pain in ass has stuck with me since we were kids,” he chuckled run his hand through his hair.

“What position were you?” I inquired whilst we strolled down to my inhabitance. His grip tighten on the small box, and he moved his other hand into his pocket.

“I was a scout sniper,” I watched as his chiseled jaw clenched tightly.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, you know?” I told him, setting my hand upon his arm. He stopped as I walked up to the bronco, propping up the hood again. I looked back at him, and he had an odd expression on his face. He looked as if he was contemplating on actually telling me. He stood unmoving, unflinching, yet his expression travel as if it were a million miles a minute. And just like that, the walls went up; and the charming smile came back.

“Yeah, but I don’t wanna dampen your sunny mood.” He nudged me.

“Yes, because I have such a bright disposition around you.” I deadpanned, eyebrows raised. I crossed my arms over my chest, rubbing my arms.

As I did, a weight fell upon my shoulders. I peered over to find Barnes had placed his jacket on me. It would seem it wasn’t up for a debate let alone a conversation as he went right to work, as if it was completely normal.

“Uh, Bucky?” I asked.

“You looked cold, so hang on to it while I get this in.” He took on a serious more mature tone. He was headfirst into the engine, his tattooed limb about halfway down in the machine. He was in his work mode, and I knew that he wasn’t coming out of it until he was done.

Doesn’t mean I couldn’t have fun with it.

“So Barnes? Who was she?”

“Rumlow’s ex-girlfriend.” He answered, pulling the malfunctioning device out.

“Are you telling me all this fighting between you two has been over a girl?” I scoffed, pulling the jacket on through the sleeves.

“Ha! He wished, then it would make me look like the asshole of the community,” he laughed, unscrewing the wires where it was connected; “They broke up six months ago and she’s been trying to get back at him by flirting with me. Though she keeps saying that he’s had some new interest in someone new in town. Care to guess who that is?” He looked straight me, clearly aware of the game I was playing. I paled, making a disgusted face.

“If he has interest in me, I’m afraid it’s not your concern,” I gave him an expectant expression. I watched with satisfaction as he clenched his jaw and continued working.

“Well, if he tries anything; lemme know.”

“And what qualifies and ‘trying’.”

“You know, anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

“What if you make me uncomfortable.” I smiled as I asked. To which my neighbor promptly shot up, banging his head upon the underside of the hood. I started cackling so hard I doubled over.

“That’s not funny.” He rubbed the top of his head.

“You’re right; it hilarious!” I held my stomach with one arm, pointing at him and laughing even more.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Wilson,” he grumbled, turning back to the project at hand. i had to force myself to stifle the copius amount of giggling from my lips, opting to merely hold my hand in front of my mouth.

“You haven’t been spending enough time with Wilson,” I raised a brow. he glared at me, before his expression changed again. It softened as he held my gaze.

“You’re smiling.” he stated blankly.

“Yeah, I can do that Barnes,” I chuckled, a slight tin of pink oainting my cheeks.

“It nice.” he responded; “I haven’t really been able to see it until now.”

“T-thank you.”

“The jacket makes you look lke a scrawny kid,” he gestured to all of me. Finally completing the operation, he slammed the hood shut.

“Gee thanks,” I deadpanned, though the smile upon my face had a different view.

“No really its cute,” he chuckled, ducking nhis head down and shaking his head. We both started laughing together, trying to get each other to stop before bursting into giggles as soon as we looked at each other.

My phone going off broke us out of the endless cycle. I dug the rectangle out of my pocket, seeing the contact on my screen, paling at the name.

“One second, I gotta take this.” I said solemly, clearing my throat as I walked to the end of my own driveway. I took a deep breath before my thumb hit the green button on the right side.

“Hello,” I said into the device.

“Hey, this is Detective Danvers, not sure if you remember me but I gave you my number before you left town.” The voice explained.

“No I do, I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

“It’s been almost a whole year,” she stated; “We’ve made progress. We have enough to indite him on charges.”

“Why do I hear a ‘but’ at the end of that sentence,” I sighed, looking down at my feet.

“You will have to testify for us if we want to go ahead on the charges.” she sighed as well, I could hear the faint sound of bustling noise in the background of the audio.

“Look I’m not here for a direct answer right now, we havent brought the case to the DA yet. but I just wanted to let you know before we offically come across the country to ask you. I want to give you time to think about it, you can call me when you made your decision anytime, I know how hard it is for you.”

“Thank you detective.” I said; “I appreciate it.”

“So hows life in the middle of nowhere.” she asked. I snorted through my nose, a fond smile appearing on my lips.

“Not terrible.”

“That’s great! OH- I gotta jet kid, take care,” she ended the call before I could say a word. I placed the phone back in my pocket. I inhaled a deep breath, the weight I commonly felt somehow appeared back upon my shoulders. I could never escape it, I honestly don’t know why I would bother to try sometimes.

“Who was it?” my neighbor strode into my peripheral vision.

“No one important,” I started shrugging the jacket off, folding it over my arm.

“Lemme buy you lunch,” he stated, declining my extended offering of his jacket.

“Wait, I should be paying you for what you just did,” I protested.

“How many times do we have to go over this, it’s on the house,” He laughed, returning to his driveway.

“I’m buying then!” I yelled across the street.

“Like hell you are!” he shouted from his garage, although I could not see him.

“Really? Got a problem with a woman paying for you?” I tried inciting him, only to have the hum of the motorcycle echoing through the street. I watched as Steve, Thor, and Clint pulled up on their respective motorcycles. Steve barely kicked the stand out before he hopped off and ran toward the garage where Bucky was pullign out the bike.

I trotted across the street, my cocern amplifying with each step.

“What’s wrong?” I asked the large bearded man.

“WHAT!” Bucky shouted from the garage.

“There’s a problem at the Witch’s Covent,” Clint said simply, a tight expression on his face.

“What happened?” I pressed them, but they didn’t have time to answer as my neighbor was storming out of the garage with his motorcycle in tow.

“What’s going on!” I asked, my tone sounde slightly frantic. Steve approached his bike, starpping his helmet on.

“No time to explain,” was all the blonde said as he sat on his bike, making me back away a few steps. I locked eyes with my neighbor as he revved the engine of his vehicle. I could only back into his driveway as they all drove out of sight in mere seconds. The cold breeze a stark reminder of the loneliness that becme oh so present. The only thing I had to cling to was his leather jacket.

In the coming days, they became more and more solemn in nature. No one came into work to order coffee. I was too busy to try and see what was going on at the shop. Enda and Thomas only said that something had happened at the Witch’s Covent. No one was saying anything, it was getting aggravating at this point.

It was either I had to accept I would’nt find out or I had to start finding out for myself.

I stared out the window, gazing at the sunset of my backyard, the lake was still as the sun glistened over its surface. Everything was still, secure, stable. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I missed my neighbor. I missed him greatly.

I chuckled at the thought of how he would respond to me admitting it. He’d probably make it his ringtone, constantly replaying it over and over at my expence. To my own dismay, I wouldn;t be objected if he did. Annoyed maybe, but in a sentimental way.

I couldnt take it anymore, I had to find out if he was ok. I grabbed his jacket, to which I had been wearing a lot more often than one should; especially when they accidentally stole the item that doesn’t belong to them. I snatched my keys off of the counter, making sure I had a few twenties in cash before I hopped into the newly revived Oliver.

The turning of his engine had never sounded better. It was refreshing to not have to worry about his health since Bucky had fixed his temporary illness. I backed out of the driveway, shifting the gear to drive down the road.

It wasn’t hard to find the place, Edna was right in that I drove by it coming home from work. The place looked like every biker bar would, given the fact that a line of motorcycles were placed out in the parking lot alongside the byway. I pulled into the dirt lot, careful to give enough room from the line of motorcycles. The last thing I wanted to do as anger anyone of the owners, even if I knew them or not. There were some cars strewn in the lot, but not many.

I took the jacket off, setting it in the passenger seat before I hopped out of the driver’s side. I adjusted the grey sweatshirt over my ripped black pants. I strode toward the entrave with a purpose, the dirt chrunching beneath my bright red sneakers. the wooden board creaked as I ascended the steps, the distorted music growing louder. I could easily recognise the sound of glasses slamming to a wooden surface. The rattle of balls breaking over a felt surface. The melodic sounds of laughter and light. A classic dive bar full of locals who had gone there for years.

Upon entering, it only confirmed my suspicions. They were all there, everyone from the auto-shop, wether they were seated at the one large booth in the corner, or playing pool, even throwing darts. They hadn’t noticed me by the looks of it, though the woman behind the bar had looked up from the mug she was cleaning.

“Welcome to the Witch’s Covent, I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” her accent was eastern European from the soudns of it; although not as thick as most. I’ve heard Natasha talking to her mother over the phone and that woman’s words are indecipherable even when she is speaking english.

“I new around here; even though its been quite a while since I’ve been here.” I shrugged.

“So you’re the one I’ve been hearing so much about.” she lit up like a light bulb. Her long brown hair bouncing slightly at the movement.

“Whose been talking about me?” I could chuckle awkwardly in response.

“Oh please, the whole town has been a buzz. Ever since you stood up to Rumlow, no one has been able to get enough.”

“Are you sure it’s not from those idiots,” I gestured to Sam and Scott trying to play pool while giggling like drunken school kids.

“Actually it’s you neighbor who won’t shut up about you.” She slid out glass, preparing to pour a dark liquid in its contents.

“I’ll have whiskey if you don’t mind,” I said before a drop cold pour out. She tilted her head back, eyeing me with a smile.

“I see why he likes you,” she said with a sly smile as she went to grab a bottle of whiskey.

“Wait, he likes me?” I snorted.

“Given from what his friends tell me; yes he does. I heard he let you ride with him last week.” she poured the desired drink. I gratefully took in in my hands, tracing my thumb over the rim.

“I did, though he didn’t really give me much choice.” I nodded my head to the side; “When we got there Steve looked paler than a ghost.”

“That’s because Bucky never lets anyone on his bike.” she said, returning to her taks of cleaning the glasses. My head shot up, eyes wide.

“Really, cause he doesn’t have a car.”

“No he does. He never uses it though.” she chided.

“It’s not in his garage.”

“No, he keeps it in his backyard. One of his continous projects.”

“You know him?”

“Everyone here pretty much grew up together. We’ve all known each ohter since we were kids. The only acceptions are Sam, Scott, and Thor. Sam was in Bucky’s squad. Scott moved here to be closer to his daughter, and Thor? Well, no one really knows with him.” She shrugged.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but did anything happen last week?”

“Its a roadside bar, you will have to be more specific,” Wanda gave me a mischevious look.

“Look, after Bucky fixed my truck; Steve and the others pulled up. All I got out of them was that there was a problem over here.” I gaged her reaction, watching as she stopped cleaning the glass in her hand.

“There was a fight,” she shrugged, “One of Brock’s buddies sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.” she set the glass back with its companions.

“Is that all you’re going to tell me,” I sighed, knowing she was still hiding quite a bit.

“It’s best if they tell you yourself,” she smiled, going back to some other customers who sat at the bar. I recognized one of them from when Brock tried to intimidate me back at the coffee shop. I gave him a hard glare before sipping on my whiskey.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the mysterious new girl,” Speak of the devil. Mr. Local pulled up a stool on the other side of me, effectively blocking me from moving away from his croney.

“Rumlow,” I heard Wanda ground her teeth, “You know the rules. This is neutral territory.” she said sternly.

“I know, Salem, calm down. I’m here to have some fun.” he slung his arm over the back of my stool, causing to move awkwardly in order to avoid it.

“That remains to be seen,” she poured a low grade beer for the man and slammed it down on the counter infront of him.

“How’s your brother? Do you still use a oiuja board to talk to him?” He arched a brow as he brought the mug up to his lips. I exchanging glances between the two, watching as Wanda’s nostrils flared up before she walked away, muttering something in her native tongue under her breathe.

I could only hunch my shoulders, keeping a firm grip on my glass of whiskey, carefully eying either man beside me.

“So, not so defiant out in public are you. What’s on your mind sweetheart,” Rumlow asked, his voicemaking my skin crawl.

“Wether or not I should punch you into next week.” I sipped my whiskey, my gaze burning into the shelves of alcohol before me.

I heard the door open, well, slam was more like it. The light casting my shadow over the numerous bottles. I looked over my shoulder, finding my neighbor heaving for air as his hand was upon the door.

“So, you got the message I take it,” Rumlow swivled around in his chair, a smug expression on his features. I looked over my shoulder again, utterly terrified at the murderous glare my neighbor sent him.

“You got some fucking nerve Brock. If you wanted your ass kicked you sure got one,” Barnes began marching toward him. The burly man on my left, the croney, stood up ubruptly, his chair falling to the floor with a loud thud. As a couter, everyone from the shop stood up, their chairs schreeching loudly.

“Ah, ah- this is neutral territory, Barnes.” Rumlow scolded the man mockingly. The arm across the back of my stool suddenly pulled hard. Yanking me around to face my neighbor.

“Wouldn’t wanna ruin the neighborhood now would we?” Rumlow asked. I could only stare wide eyed at my neighbor as his nostrils flared.

“She has no part in this Rumlow, leave her alone.” Steve said from behind his friend.

“Oh, really? Last I checked Rogers, your hand ain’t up his ass so stop speaking for him.”

I watched as the two men glared at each other. The tension was like gasoline, itching for a match. Any reason to fight was a good reason, no matter how stupid it was in concept. I was not about to be that cause.

I smacked Rumlow’s hand off my shoulder, standing up from my chair. I paid Wanda for the drink, even though she said it was on the house.

“You won’t mind if I do something stupid would you?” I whispered to her.

“Please do,” She smiled, as if she already knew what I was about to do. I smiled, with my hand still on the glass. I looked to the side, seeing that Rumlow was still glaring at Barnes.

“Hey Rumlow,” I called him, making the man turn around. I threw the whiskey directly at his face, watching in satisfaction as fell out of his chair in pain.

“You fucking bitch!” He writhed on the floor, flailing as he tried to get the alcohol out of his eyes.

“I’ve had enough of this,” I muttered, brushing past my neighbor, delibrately ignoring the look he was giving me. I walked out the door, grumbling as I went toward my vehicle.

“Hey, Y/N! Wait up!” I heard my neighbor call after me.

“Oh, so now you wanna talk to me!” I said, not bothering to turn around as I continued toward Oliver.

“Hey, hey, hey,” His footsteps grew louder and I felt his hand grasp my arm. I yanked myself out of my grip, finally turning to face him.

Why the hell did this man have to be so good looking.

“What!” I said, the anger boiling throuhgh my veins.

“What do you want, Bucky! One minute you are being all nice and neighborly, and the next you don’t even give me the time of day. I don’t care how you and Rumlow started fighting, I really don’t. But don’t drag me into your bullshit!” I ferociously poked my finger into his chest to annunciate my point.

I was snapped out of my reverie when his iron clad grip encomassed my wrist. The dull pain from loss of circulation was growing, sure to leave a bruise tomorrow morning. His expression was turning dark, and he had yet to say a word.

“Barnes, let me go.” I said, desperately trying to keep all of the memories from flooding through my head.

“No,” he said; “You need to listen to me.”

“Let. Me. Go.” I tried to pry out of his grip, but to no avail. He trudged through the heavy wind back toward the bar. I dug my heels into the earth, creating evident drag marks in the gravel lot.

“Bucky,” my tone turned desperate as he slung me around him. My back hitting the wall of the building that was cast in shadow.

“No! You listen to me.” His palms slammed on either side of my head; “Brock is dangerous, I don’t like his interest in you, and you need to stay away from him. I know you don’t like being told what to do, but for once in your stubborn life; just do this one thing.”

“What happened last week.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“He was here when I got there; bragging about how he had you wrapped around his finger. He was very explicit on what he wanted to do to you.” he ducked his head down, the light showcasing the faint yellow and greens of his bruised chin.

“I don’t care, you were with me the whole day practically. Why the hell were you marching off to war with him that day.”

“He was rubbing salt on an open wound.”

“Bucky,” my hands cupped his chin, guiding his line of sight back to me; “You don’t have to talk about it.”

His bright blue eyes locked with my own. They glistening in the fading sunlight. He released a sigh through his nostrils, his gaze still turned downwards to his feet.

“Well aren’t you two sweet.” Sam’s voice made both of us jolt. Bucky clamored away from me, his chest heaving.

“We tossed Rumlow out, by the way. Not sure if you saw it while you were lost in each other.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Any reason why you wanted to tell us?” Bucky grumbled, hands upon his hips. Sam shrugged in response.

“Not at all, just nice to get the jump on you for a change.”

“You’re a dick.”

“So are you.”

“I’m gonna head home,” I decided to make my exit. I walked toward Oliver, pulling out Bucky’s jacket. Even a few feet away I could still here the two bickering.

“Shut up Samuel!”

“You first James!”

Thankfully, my footsteps caused the two to cease as I walked toward them. As soon as Wilson saw what I had in my hand, he smirked at Bucky.

“I hadn’t had the chance to give this back to you.” I handed the leather item to Barnes, who only gazed at me earnestly.

“T-thanks,” was all he could muster.

“I’ll see you round,” I hugged Sam goodbye. I turned back to my neighbor, giving him a small peck on his bruise. I pulled back to find him wide eyed and turning red as a tomato.

I smiled as I walked backwards, “See you around, neighbor.” I waved, getting into my vehicle.

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #biker!bucky #biker!au #james buchanan barnes #oof #sio #marvel imagines #I'm seeing endgame friday OOF #marvel x reader #whee #I'm alive #escapism IV

35 notes · View notes

subskywalker · 5 years ago

Text

I was tagged by @gffa thanks Moonlight!!💕💕💕😊😊😊 Tagging: @glare-gryphon @skjwalkers @mademoisellemurders @anankeskywalker @saunterdvaguelydownward @cordeanddorme @darlingamidala @vulpesarctica @writegowrite and anyone else who wants to do this!! As always you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to!🤗 List ten of your fave characters from ten different fandoms:

1). Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars. I don’t think anyone’s surprised that they’re on my list but I feel like I have to explain why I love them both so much. They’re both my favorite and I don’t think I can choose between them??? Anakin is such a disaster and he made so many terrible choices but his story to me will always be the most heart breaking one of all. And Obi-Wan god he lost so much but he’s so good??? He’s been through hell (they all have and Anakin too!!) but Obi-Wan still managed to find the good in people and Anakin I the end managed to do good in the end, fought to free himself and remember who he was before everything happened. And I just fucking love both of them damn much!!!

2). Thor, Marvel. #what an icon #legends only #the only one who gets four solo movies I love him??? Catch me crying the club over Thor 4: More Thor when it comes out in theaters bc when I see him imma be like that’s my baby and I’m proud!!! Like he’s been through so much and has suffered so much and lost so much and he’s still so good??? He’s so good and he’s still trying his best and I just love him so fucking much???? Protect Thor 2kforever!!!

3). Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon. So like Sailor Moon is the earliest anime/movie that I remember watching. And I remember loving her so much and wanting to be just like her! Like 5/6 year old me would go to the blockbuster with my parents and older sister and I would always without fail pick Sailor Moon. Like she’s just so good and wonderful and she’s trying her best and always trying to be and do good??? I just love Usagi so much!!

4). Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov, Yuuri On Ice. It’s really hard to choose between the two of them bbc I just love them both so much???? And they’re both the most relatable characters ever???? Both of them are literally #legends only!!!! And I love their characterization and character development so much???? That Yuuri found his passion and confidence for what he loved again with Viktor and Viktor found his inspiration with Yuuri!!! They’re both just so good and wonderful????? But if I had to pick a scene that really cemented my love for them it would be the banquet scene aka the most iconic scene in the show aka the best plot twist in the history ever!!! Like looking at the scene and then all the characters interactions and reasoning all makes so much sense????? Like they legit met a year ago and Yuuri literally met Viktor and talked to him and danced the night away with him and everyone else and accidentally seduced him a year ago at the banquet except that Yuuri was so drunk that night that he didn’t remember anything the next morning and left. Meanwhile Viktor was pining and being like why hasn’t he called me???? Like what kind of icons?????? I love them??????? ALSO ALSO the fact that everyone had pictures and videos of yuuri and the banquet that night like oh my god!!!! I love this show I love these characters so much!!

5). Harry Potter, HP. Like it’s so hard for me to choose a fave character from them. Bc I love them all so fucking much for different reasons and they all just tried their best to survive, and Harry god Harry lost so much more than any other character and he still manages to be so good and so loving and keeps getting back up. And I love it, I love my son so much?????? Like pls protect him at all costs and also he’s such a sarcastic little shit I love him???

6). James Flint, Black Sails. James Flint is a fucking legend and I would die for him. Like I just really love the way they built his backstory and shows him in the present and in the flashbacks and how he became who he was and how he wasn’t always like that. I love that James did what he had to do to survive and that he never stopped being good. And y’all...y’all the fact that Miranda/Thomas/James was canon and they were all so in love?????? Fucking killed me?????? Like oh my god. And then and then y’all...y’all the book scene, where Miranda gives James the book Thomas left him to remind him, and that it said “My truest love, know no shame” y’all what the actual fuck I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it. And and oh my goodness, when James got to the plantation right, where they had the prisoners, and someone looks at him, and it’s fuckinbg Thomas, and they way they got towards each other and hold each other so gently oh fucking god y’all my heart. I love them so much. I love James so much he deserves nothing but happiness I’m crying!!!😭😭

7). Santanico Pandemonium, FDTD: the series. I’ll admit that one the reasons why I love her so much is bc Eiza González portrays her character in the show and anyone who knows me knows how much I love her. I don’t think I’ll ever not love her??? She’s just such and amazing character and her character development through the seasons makes me love her all that much more. Because she’s suffered so much, she’s been through so much shit but she’s still surviving, still fighting and still getting back up. Her backstory to me is one of the most heartbreaking in the show and just...like how can I not love her??? How can I not root for her when she fought to get where she is??? She’s amazing and I love her and I would die for her tbh 😭

8). Will Graham, Hannibal. I just???? Really fucking love Will???? He’s my fave from the show tbh???? Adopts dogs he finds and names them and just wants to spend his time with his dogs like wow will same bc I too would much rather spend time with dogs. But also he’s such a bamf!!! An icon!!!! A disaster too!!!! (Bc he really is a disaster will what are you doing smh smh).

9). Nina Zenik, Six Of Crows. I just??? I just really fucking love her so much???? And I love her characterization in the books and her relationship with everyone but especially her relationship with Matthias (like their background story and her background in general is so fucking amazing????) And her journey through the books is so fucking lovely and heartbreaking and I honestly think that if I had to pick a fave character from the books it would be her (not that I don’t love all of them bc I do and I’m crying just thinking about them) 😭

10). Daenerys Targaryen, Game Of Thrones. I honestly don’t think I could ever hate Dany. And her character is the one that I fell in love with immediately when I first saw her on the show and she’s been through so much.

#things i’m tagged in #about the blogger

3 notes · View notes

taaroko · 6 years ago

Text

Post-IW MCU Rewatch: Ant-Man

Yay, time for Ant-Man! This one has rather grown on me over the last couple of viewings (not that I ever didn’t like it).

Hi middle-aged Peggy! (Isn’t it great how many times Hayley Atwell managed to get herself into these movies beyond what the original plan was, out of sheer enthusiasm? Yeah, I’m still bitter Agent Carter got cancelled.)

The music for the logo is awesome.

My killjoy brother says the main reason he dislikes this movie is that he doesn’t think it makes sense that Hank would ever trust some stranger (Scott) with his tech. Um. Hank has been protective of the tech because he doesn’t want it to be abused. But Scott proved he wasn’t a corporate goon by going to prison for screwing over a corrupt corporation. He’s proven himself. Also he doesn’t have the knowledge to make more of the particles, so he can’t steal any of the secrets himself.

Luis is probably my favorite sidekick in the whole MCU. He’s irrepressibly cheerful, he compulsively makes delicious-looking waffles, he’s a refined wine man and fan of neo-cubism yet also steals two smoothie machines, and when he goes into ramble mode it’s the greatest thing ever.

Anyone who has ever worked food service has met an idiot like Scott’s customer. Also his boss is basically David Brent. Trying way too hard to be cool, but kind of a git and a coward.

Scott’s attitude is super endearing. Very chill, understated reactions to things that annoy him. You get the impression that it’s not so much that he’s a very patient man as that he’s just so used to stuff like Luis’s antics that he’s become kind of inured to it. He’s also able to roll with the punches. Getting fired from Baskin Robbins could’ve made him bitter and angry, but instead he just kind of shrugs and takes that Mango Fruit Blast. He’s not prideful at all.

I called the tank being real by the second time the keychain appeared onscreen. Chekhov’s Tank!

Hello, Darren Cross, dude who is only not the worst MCU villain because Malekith exists. (How did Malekith manage to have less of a personality than Darren? It’s absurd.)

The ad video for the Yellowjacket is horrifying. Do people actually make ad videos for advanced weaponry? Do they narrate them with movie narrator voices and tidy up the diction to make them sound like wonderful good pieces of technology, but in a not-entirely-convincing way?

How is a hand on a shoulder such a sinister and obvious sign of impending murder?

Cassie is the most adorable little girl ever, and the kid playing her is a really good actress. I love that Scott is a dad. It makes him much more interesting. (Also is he the only divorcé in the entire MCU? Wait no, May is too. I think he’s the only one in the movies, though.)

“He’s so ugly! I LOVE HIM!” AAAAGH. SO CUTE.

I love that all the little details keep coming back. (The tank, the “La Cucaracha” horn.” Just lots of really good callbacks. It’s hard to believe this movie had production issues with changing directors.)

The way Darren kills that guy by shrinking him, and then wipes him up and flushes him, is ridiculously horrific. And the way he looks in the mirror after that is probably the most interesting he ever is in the movie. He knows the path he’s going down, and he’s not stopping.

So it’s not entirely clear. Is Hope dating Darren? Are they living together? Or are they just business partners? I’m confused.

YES LUIS STORY TIME. This is like Kid History, and it’s my favorite thing. Please please please make an MCU recap narrated by Luis, Marvel.

This music is weird and fun. I love it.

Scott parkouring is great. I wonder why he developed that skillset when he was just an electrical engineer. Has he been doing it since he was a kid?

Scott is like the midpoint between Tony Stark and Peter Quill in almost every way. Good at outside-the-box solutions, has engineering skills (but not at Tony’s level), a sense of humor that’s more self-deprecating than Tony’s but less wide-eyed dorky than Peter’s, etc. That’s awesome.

Could you be more transparently evil than using a bleating white lamb for your ill-fated lab experiments?

Huh. There’s a moment where Scott looks in the mirror too. Is that meant to be a contrast with when Darren does it? For Scott, it’s a moment where he resigns himself to failing, even though he caved and did the burglary. I don’t really see the connection, emotionally, to the way Darren looked in the mirror, but I guess one of them is the apprentice Hank rejected, and the other is the apprentice he ultimately chose. *shrug*

Ant-Man perspective is great. The encounter with the rat is terrifying.

You broke Scott’s chill, Hank!

Okay, so Scott’s actual superpower is changing his clothes at the speed of light. It was entirely unnecessary for them to give him such a small interval of time to get the suit on.

“What happens if I throw up in this helmet?”

There were zero bullet ants on the floor in the initial wide shot of the room. Also in the second wide shot. Which takes place two seconds before Scott tries to put his foot on the floor. Did they...forget to render ants in those shots? Or did they forget there were going to be ants there when they filmed from that angle? Gonna count that one as a mistake, because they could not have gotten all over the floor that fast.

They really needed to do more to explain about Darren’s brain chemistry getting messed up by the particles, because as far as I can tell, the first time he ever shrinks himself is on the helicopter at the end. How do these particles make him evil/crazy, exactly? What was he like before? What have the particles done to Hank?

Also they shouldn’t have explained the particles as changing “atomic relative distance” without also explaining that the suit allows you to control your weight relative to size. Because sometimes Ant-Man appears to weigh as much as he looks like he should, but the rest of the time, he’s clearly still 180 lbs in that tiny space (with the reverse problem when he becomes Giant-Man). If he always weighed 180 lbs while being the size of an ant, he would constantly punch through surfaces by walking on them, and if he was always the weight of an ant, he’d be powerless to do anything except be sneaky.

The montages in this movie are great.

Scott uses Hope’s move later. :D And she was totally checking him out.

Huh. Hope and Scott’s conversation in the car happens exactly halfway through the movie, and it’s the turning point. This is when they start being on the same team.

Hank’s revelation about Janet comes rather out of nowhere. I feel like they could’ve woven that in more effectively. It’s also a little exposition-heavy to entirely work on the emotional level.

This gesture by Scott is one of the best things.

I love the crossovers. Crossovers forever! (Seriously, put Thor cameos in future GotG movies and Loki cameos in future Doctor Strange movies. No, I don’t for a second believe Loki is really dead.)

Poor Sam. He missed out on Sokovia just to get trolled by this rando in a shrinking suit.

Hope saw Scott use her move! Hee!

Sinister hand on shoulder!

Okay, Hope’s “I’m at home” line is why I was confused about whether she and Darren were dating and living together. But it occurs to me now that there’s not really an implication that it’s his home too. So I think they’re just business partners. Good. Because Darren being double-crossed by his girlfriend and failing to react on that level would have made him a much worse character than he already was.

Seriously love Luis, and the other two guys are great too. Excellent crew of wombats.

I love the wallpaper in Hank’s house. Also, just, all of Hank’s house. It’s so pretty.

Okay I absolutely believe that Luis was the only guy to ever knock out that huge dude from the prison. He’s been knocking people out with single punches left and right on this job so far. I love him even more now! That’s such a cool little bit of consistency for him.

Is it true that cops use Crown Victorias as their undercover cars most often? Because I’ve kind of assimilated that as real-life trivia ever since theaters.

What was the point of frying the servers if they were just going to shrink the building to nothing anyway?

Kurt and Tip are hilarious. “There was a black guy who looked exactly like me who attacked us and put us in the back of this disgusting van!”

So if the Avengers have spent the last year taking down Hydra facilities, how are there still people in Hydra who can spend billions for Yellowjacket suits?

I thought Hank was going to die the first time I saw this. Now I’m betting this will be a How to Train Your Dragon situation with Ant-Man and the Wasp, where not long after we discover the long-lost mom, the dad gets killed.

Darren’s villain music is the best thing about him. It’s very unnerving.

All the fights while Scott’s in the suit are so much fun to watch.

“Are we the good guys? Feels kinda weird.”

I don’t like that the chain attachment on the tank also gets huge. And how does a tank cushion a three-storey drop?

That Darren is able to shoot ants is very silly and weird. Would’ve worked better if there was buckshot or something. But still. This movie made me care about an ant dying.

Dangit, Darren, you just killed everyone else in the chopper. You suck.

Briefcase fight! I remember how hard everyone laughed when “Disintegration” started playing in theaters. So great.

All the abrupt cuts from epic to insignificantly small are what make these fights so funny and awesome.

Bug zapper! I watched this with my dad recently (his first time seeing it) and he laughed so hard at the bug zapper.

Another tased Avenger!

So I thought this movie was going to be stupid, right up until the trailer got to the bit with Thomas the Tank Engine. Then I knew it was going to be amazing. It’s still probably my favorite moment in the whole movie.

They kinda overdid it with the “back it up” bit.

Giant ant! Poor Paxton.

Did anyone not see it coming from the moment Hank talked about going sub-atomic that Scott was going to have to do it at the end?

The infinite shrink is mesmerizing to look at. I bet this movie was cool in 3-D. (I have glasses, so 3-D is not so fun.)

Hi Janet!

The bottom half of that face in the photo actually looks kinda like Michelle Pfeiffer’s face. Nice work!

Hahaha, I love that Cassie kept the ant as a dog.

MORE STORIES FROM LUIS! The way he blinks too many times after he finishes is what really clinches it.

So yeah, I like me a heist movie, and it was definitely a brilliant decision on Marvel’s part to go small (figuratively and literally) with the next movie after Ultron. It is a mistake to think you always have to escalate your threats in a series. That was the problem for a while with Supernatural, and it’s definitely a problem in shows like Dragonball Z and Naruto too. Ant-Man was the perfect way to scale back and remind us that these movies are a ton of fun. I’m so glad that they did the same thing with the scheduling of Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp, and I can’t wait for July 6.

I really hope Ant-Man and the Wasp does the same thing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did, and goes deeper with the characters instead of just getting bigger in scope. Because Ant-Man is one of the more surface-level movies in the MCU. Scott doesn’t really carry a lot of angst, so even though his arc is about proving he can be the hero Cassie sees him as, it’s pretty chill, with just a couple of moments where he loses...hope...(dang it) in his ability to make this work and be the dad he wants to be.

The bigger emotional arc was Hank and Hope, because Hope absolutely carries her angst and bitterness in a big way. They’re kind of a representation of what Scott and Cassie could end up being if Scott doesn’t get his crap together. And Darren is an evil parallel for Scott, obviously. All of the different arcs probably would’ve worked better if they’d spent enough time and effort on Darren to make him interesting. But the lack of depth in all of the arcs doesn’t ruin the movie because it’s a comedy. This is deliberately a light, fun comedy action movie, and it’s great.

Also it has a good and memorable soundtrack, so bonus points.

#ant-man #scott lang #hank pym #hope pym #mcu rewatch #Infinity War spoilers #marvel

7 notes · View notes

undertheinfluencerd · 3 years ago

Link

https://ift.tt/3jWk86c #

Bravo’sÂ Southern CharmÂ allows viewers to see theÂ sophisticated,Â beautiful world of Charleston, South Carolina andÂ there’s some kind of drama in every single episode. For 7 seasons, fans have watched Shep Rose and his friends enjoy casual and formal parties alike, and whether they’re grabbing a few beers or attending a dinner party at PatriciaÂ Altschul’s, tension is often on the menu as well.

RELATED:Â 10 Best Southern Charm Fan Theories, According to Reddit

If someone is new toÂ Southern CharmÂ and wants to know which wild and intense episodes to start with, these are the ones that feature the biggest friendship fights and help viewers get to know the most important cast members.

10 “Peter Pan ‘Sin’Drome” (S1, E1)

The pilot episodeÂ is a great introduction to the major players on this show, from Shep to Thomas Ravenel and Whitney Sudler-Smith. When it comes to theÂ likability ofÂ the Southern Charm cast, many viewers find Kathryn Dennis to be problematic, but the first episode was allÂ about seeing the fabulous, sometimes immature life that best friends Shep and Craig Conover lived.

After this entertaining pilot, new viewers will want to see more of this “slice of life” show about young adults living in Charleston and not wanting to grow up. While that’s not the most realistic way to behave, it definitely makes for compelling episodes.

9 “Is She Or Isn’t She?” (S1, E4)

In thisÂ season 1 episode, word around Charleston was that Kathryn was pregnant, and no one was sure if Thomas or Shep was the father. Of course, the friend group couldn’t help but gossip about this big news.

RELATED:Â 10 Life Lessons We Learned From Southern Charm

Thomas and Kathryn’s difficult, on-again and off-again relationship dominates several seasons of the show, making this early episode a must watch for anyone who hasn’t seen too many episodes. It helps explain Kathryn’s desire to create a family with Thomas and the dream that the couple both had that things could work out.Â While they do co-parentÂ two kids, their romance has fizzled.

8 “Words Of Wisdom” (S3, E11)

This season 3 episode is memorable because Thomas hosted a dinner party and this became an iconic Southern Charm scene. After Thomas seemed happy to have his friends at his house, he began saying mean things about Shep and Landon Clements, and before too long, the party was definitely over.

In the next episode, JD Madison said, “TypicalÂ Southern parties try to keep things light…” suggesting that Thomas’s gathering was too dramatic. The reality show is famous for fancy dinner parties that quickly dissolve into chaotic arguments and anyone will be totally hooked after this one, wondering what harsh words Thomas would have to say next.

7 “Craig of All Trades, Master of None” (S4, E5)

Part of what made Cameran Eubanks so relatable is that she struggled with the decision to become a parent, and she talked about this subject with candor.Â In this season 4 episode, she shared that she had a quirk, too: she loved voodoo dolls.

Besides this funny and unexpected scene, this episode also featured Craig discovering his love of sewing, which is a famous part of the show, and Thomas wanting to date Landon. Landon had bad luck with love on the show as she worried that people would judge her for dating Thomas, and when she confessed her love for Shep, he rejected her affections. New viewers will feel badly for Landon and become invested in her story.

6 “To Liver Or Die in Charleston” (S4, E6)

The two main storylines here couldn’t be more opposite: while sparks flew between AustenÂ Kroll and ChelseaÂ Meissner, Shep got some scary health information that hisÂ liver andÂ cholesterol were in a dangerous place.

Southern CharmÂ gives some lifeÂ adviceÂ often and this is a good example of a time when viewers could learn something from what the cast members were experiencing. In this case, Austen really liked Chelsea but she wanted to keep things casual, and Shep realized that he had to grow up and be more mature. After watching this episode, it’s hard not to want to see what happens next.

5 “New Craig,Â WhoÂ Dis?” (S6, E8)

This season 6 episode is a funny, heartwarming one, as Shep got a dog and named him Little Craig after his best friend and co-star. In what is relatable for anyone who has welcomed a pet into their home, Shep had to learn to live with a new puppy.

RELATED:Â 10 Things The Real Housewives Does Better Than Southern Charm (& Vice Versa)

This is also a stand-outÂ Southern CharmÂ episode because Cam celebrated her 35th birthday and had a bit too much to drink. Cam is one of the most beloved cast members and she would sometimes act silly whenever she had too much alcohol, and her co-stars always knew to anticipate this. It’s fun to see Cam let loose sometimes as she’s the “voice of reason” on the show. Those new to the show will want to watch more episodes after getting to know Shep and Cam better here.

4 “Outfoxed” (S6, E13)

While reality shows that focus on competition will always be dramatic, the series that talk about friendships can feature episodes that are also nail-biters. With this season 6 episode,Â Southern Charm fans saw how shaky Shep and Austen’s relationshipÂ was.

The most memorable storyline from season 6 was Shep getting mad at Austen for getting back togetherÂ with Madison LeCroy. In Shep’s opinion, the two were toxic and it was a horrible idea for them to be romantically involved, but Austen wanted to listen to his heart. It’s impossible not to watch the next episode after this conflict.

3 “White Gloves Off”Â (S6, E14)

A proper season finale of a reality show needs to have one unexpected fight and the drama was out in full force in the season 6 finale. When Patricia threw a party that was just as fabulous as she is, Ashley Jacobs, who wasn’t a popular part of the cast when she dated Thomas, showed up. ThisÂ was one ofÂ the most dramatic Southern Charm moments.

The cast wasn’t interested in seeing Ashley, especially since she told Patricia, “I know what you did and the truth will come out.” Patricia said, “She was not goingÂ to bring her cat on a hot trailer roof drama to this event.” Fans were shocked when a security guard made her leave, and this episode will make new fans want to go back and see everyÂ Ashley episode.

2 “The Good Shephard” (S7, E1)

Shep is famous for not dating anyone seriously and believing that if he did settle down, it would be a long time in the future. In the season 7 premiere, he introduced fans to his girlfriend Taylor Ann Green, and it was a welcome surprise to see Shep in a real relationship.

RELATED:Â 10 Best Quotes From Southern Charm

If new viewers start with this episode, they’ll want to watch the whole series to see what Shep was like in the past. He has changed quite a bit and seems much more comfortable and open to commitment, which isÂ nice to see since he’s been on the show since day one.

1 “Love Sick” (S7, E6)

Leva BonaparteÂ joined the cast in season 7 and in this particular episode, she talked to Kathryn about the offensive monkey emoji that she posted on social media.

This just might be the most important episode ofÂ Southern CharmÂ as Leva tried to make Kathryn see that this was problematic. Kathryn didn’t want to take responsibility for her actions, which is one reason why fans can’t support her anymore. This is a key episode as Leva wasn’t afraid to stand up for what is right.

NEXT:Â 8 Unpopular Opinions About Southern Charm, According To Reddit

#marvel #avengers #marvelcomics #spiderman #mcu #ironman #comics #captainamerica #thor #avengersendgame #marvelstudios #xmen #dc #marveluniverse #art #cosplay #tomholland #hulk #disney #comicbooks #dccomics #peterparker #tonystark #blackwidow #marvellegends #endgame #deadpool #marvelcinematicuniverse #loki #bhfyp

The post Southern Charm: 10 Best Episodes For New Viewers To Watch appeared first on undertheinfluencerd.net.

#entertainment, screenrant #tumblr #aesthetic #like #love #tumblrgirl #follow #instagram #photography #instagood #likeforlikes #s #likes #art #cute #o #girl #followforfollowback #a #tumblrboy #grunge #fashion #photooftheday #tiktok #l #photo #sad #k #frases #f #bhfyp

#Undertheinfluencerd

1 note · View note

elenatria · 7 years ago

Note

Any idea of what were those emotionally complex places that Tom and Chris were together during their first years that laid the foundations for such intense declarations of friendship and mutual love? I mean, it must have been something very strong, that may have been his arrival to fame (or not) was behind all that dance of promises that surrounded the first two films of Thor and the Avengers Do not you think?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/13059180

Hiiiiiii.

I started off writing this based on the pressure and the fame that you describe aaaaaand I think I slightly went off topic here, dwelling mostly into Tom’s inherent loneliness. .__. Kinda one-sided description of feelings BUT if you want something more, something else, ask again with more details ok? Here it is.

“You’rethe only one who understands, mate.”

What was it like to be away fromhome, for so long?

Tom knew. And he understood alright.At thirteen he boarded at Eton college. He was always the studious type, alwaysbringing A’s to his proud parents. He was a middle child, an only son, andalthough he never took as much pressure as his older sister he wanted to excelat everything, sports as well as classes. He had to. It was like a competitionwith himself, a silent struggle, the only thing he could do as a child to showhis worth, to stand out.

To beg his family to stick together.

He could feel the tension rising ashe was packing his things for Eton. The long silences, the outbursts, thefights between his parents on whether it was advisable to send him away now ornot. He didn’t know, they hadn’t told him, but he had sensed it.

Threemonths after he moved to Eton he got a phone call. His friends asked him if hewas alright as he shoved past them, lips tight, squeezing the books on hischest. As he sat on the toilet lid he tried time and time again to bend overand tie his shoe laces without letting the books fall from his lap as hisvision grew blurry and his cheeks damp. Yet another contest, to run and hide inthe toilets quickly, to not let anyone see him, to tie those damn laces withoutletting the incredibly voluminous books of the expensive boarding school dropon the wet floor. What would his parents think if they got a call from thelibrarian telling them their son had destroyed a load of expensive Etonproperty?

Oh right. Nothing at all. Becauseexcellence was no longer an issue for Thomas. Nothing he did would bring hisparents back together, nothing could make them proud and happy anymore. Nomatter how hard he tried. Their world, hisworld was falling apart and a few wet books wouldn’t make any differencewhatsoever.

As the months passed he struggled toovercome the bitterness, the tormenting suspicion that one of the reasons hisparents chose to send him away to Eton, away from his sisters, was to save himthe drama of their divorce, of his father moving out. He tried to hate them forthinking him weak, for thinking they were protecting him when what they reallydid was deprive him of the last moments they shared as a family, if only ashattered one. For not telling him the true reason of his banishment. He couldat least have some kind of control over the situation if he was there. He wouldhave witnessed the fall, and accepted it, one awful day at a time.

Instead, unlike his sisters, he wasshut off from the transition, locked away. Blind, deaf and dumb to everythingthat mattered to him. In years to come he would recall that feeling, theloneliness, the isolation, the extreme pain. Whenever things didn’t go well forhim, whenever he auditioned for a role and failed, whenever his acting teacherswould push and push him to do things out of his comfort zone, to work 16-hour dayson things he didn’t love, the darkness would come crawling back. Not a searingpain anymore; just an itch, a burning, deep and dull and numbing. Somethingtelling him he just… wasn’t good enough. Wasn’t brave enough. Wasn’t strong enough. Not enough to make anyoneproud.

But he was an actor, and pain camehandy; a useful tool that would easily bring tears to his eyes if he had to cryon demand. All he had to remember was his parents growing apart, or the lonelytears running down his cheeks as he was trying to tie his shoelaces in thattoilet.

All he had to remember was being protected,and lied to.

“You ok, mate?”

Chris was holding two cups of fragrantsteaming coffee as he hovered above Tom who was sitting on the staircase of theAsgardian vault. He was still in his Thor costume, red cape, wig andeverything. Tom wiped his eyes and nose with the back of his hand.

“Yes. Yes. I’m good.” Heunconsciously, nervously, wiped the heel of his palm on his expensive Lokibreeches.

“That was intense!” Chris exclaimedand let out a whistle of admiration.

“Why-why aren’t you resting?” Tominterrupted him, gulping down his remaining tears. He was almost embarrassedthat Chris was there to see him cry, if only for the cameras.

“C’mon, this was your big scene withTony, what was I supposed to do?” Chris smiled, and Tom felt like the sun wasbreaking through the clouds after long hours of heavy rain. “I asked Ken to letme hang out with the crew. You were beautiful, bro. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks…” Tom muttered and took thecoffee from Chris’ hand as his friend sat on the stairs next to him.

“For a moment there I honestlythought you were giving Tony a real heart attack, you were so intense, mate!” Chris laughed. “Youalmost gave me a heart attack.”

“Did I…” Tom smiled and looked inChris’ eyes to make sure he was telling the truth.

“Yeah…” Chris nodded and looked athim with a smitten look on his face. “You totally broke my heart, I almostcried for you. How do you do that? I mean I know how I do that, all I have todo is think of my uncle dying. But you… you shine.”

Tom chuckled. “I assure you, on theinside I’m not shining at all when it happens. It’s…” he winced in pain. “It’s avery dark place really, and I’m happy to forget it when the shooting ends.”

“I understand,” Chris patted hisback. “I understand…”

“Do you?”

Tom’s question was abrupt, his tonealmost aggressive. He didn’t mean it that way but there he was, his big sadeyes desperate for someone to listen.

Chris furrowed his brow and squintedhis eyes. He could tell Tom was trying to open up but was fighting it.

“Do you… do you want to talk aboutit?” he said in a soft voice.

Tom took a deep breath. “I guess… I guess me and Loki have that one thing incommon. The feeling of growing distant, the alienation. The price of halftruths.”

“What do you mean?” Chris asked andmoved his weight closer to Tom, grabbing his coffee with both hands, ignoringthe perfectly ironed cape that was now a bundle underneath him.

Tom lowered his eyes and squeezedhis lips together, that tiny ever-present expression that was all Tom. “My… myparents divorced when I was thirteen. I was studying in Eton when I found out.When they…decided to tell me. Wasn’t easy. I mean it wasn’t easy before, theendless fights, the accusations, the coldness. My sisters and I would go toparties and see those happy kids with both their parents and we thought… whycan’t we all be together just like everyone else? Why can’t we be normal?”

Chris shook his head. “There’s no‘normal’, mate. Divorces happen all the time.”

“I know. I know,” Tom nodded, hiseyes staring into the void. “That doesn’t make it hurt any less…” He let hishead drop slightly as he stared down the brown bubbles in his cup, stirring thehot liquid in silence, waiting for it to cool down or just using it as anexcuse to avoid his friend’s eyes. “When a parent leaves because he has noother choice, you’re just left wondering what it was you did wrong, as their child. You’re hurting, you feel you’rebeing punished, so there must be somethingyou did wrong, right? And when it happens you’re just left with the constantfear… the fear of…”

“Of being left behind,” Chrisfinished his sentence with a compassionate nod.

Tom looked up in amazement.

“Yes…” he whispered almostmesmerized by Chris’ perceptiveness. He had been looking for these words foryears and there he was, in his ridiculously expensive leather outfit made for abig-budget superhero movie, hearing those words from a seven-foot tall Aussie withbiceps as big as mountains and a funny red cape that was now a dirty messcrumpled between their two bodies.

Chris smiled, looking like a god,and that smile was full of sun and rain and glorious thunder, full of pride andforgiveness.

Chris smiled, and it was all ok.

He held his coffee in one hand, puthis other arm around Tom’s shoulder and squeezed him. Hard.

“You know, when we’re done filming I want youto come over to Australia, meet my folks there,” Chris said. “My mother alwayssaid she wanted a fourth kid.”

“A fourth son?” Tom raised his brows incredulously and smiled. “Quite ahandful.”

“Meeeeh not exactly,” Chris crinkledhis nose as he tilted his head from side to side, looking adorably childlike. “Shewanted a daughter too, but since she can’t have any other kids anymore she’llhave to settle for a son, don’t you think? Makes things a lot easier since you’reall grown up and stuff, we won’t have to change your diapers and warm yourbottles, will we? God, I hated that.”

Tom giggled thinking of Chrisfeeding his baby brother Liam. One baby feeding another baby on a hot summerday. A happy Aussie family of blonde bearfoot baby boys.

Chris laughed as well but he nevertook his arm off Tom’s shoulder, instead he squeezed harder and pulled Tomtowards him. His laughter was warm and welcoming, a laughter that always madehim so easy to love. Tom wondered how things would have been for him if he hada friend like Chris during his lonely Eton days, when the only things hisfriends cared about were grades and sports and holidays at home. Somehow itfelt like Chris had always been there, his arrival in Tom’s life heralded bythe extreme pain, the endless Berkshire rain, the darkness.

Still, there was no darkness ifthere was no light to cast those shadows, Tom knew that. Each defined theother, co-existing and taking their place in the universe like the phases ofthe moon. Each heralding the other.

“We will adopt you!” Chris saidcheerfully, his face shining with sweetness. “You’ll be a Hemsworth, you’ll beone of us. How would you like that?”

Tom grinned, his eyes stillglistening with the tears he shed for the scene revealing Loki’s parentage.

“…Awesome,” he replied.

Chris let go of Tom’s shoulder torub with the back of his finger his friend’s pale cheek, where Loki’s tearswere still drying up.

“C’mon,” he said as he stood up andshook off the dust from his cape. “Confession time over, let’s go have a bite.Or I’ll start missing my home and brothers as well. I love… this,” he made a gesture showing thesets and the crew that were having a break, “but I still miss the beach, youknow? I miss everyone there.”

“Oh I understand.”

“I know you do,” Chris paused for amoment with the cup in his hands. Theyhad a long filming schedule ahead of them, long exhausting days, but they werein this together and that made things so much better, so much easier.

“You’re the only one who does, mate.”

………………………………………………..

Funny fact: as I was struggling to find inspiration to answer this anon ask (I mean what kinds of dramas would bring two people together in a bromantic story?) I inevitably checked out Tom Hiddleston’s IMDB page, looking for interesting trivia that might help, and it did mention that he went to Eton when his parents were divorcing and I thought BINGO, that’s it use that. Only after finishing this story and randomly googling his sisters’ pics for my moodboard did I find this article that, of course, confirmed what I suspected, and what IMDB implied: his heartbreak when he was away during the divorce. Nice one. IMDB. )

#tom hiddleston #chris hemsworth #hiddlesworth #thor #loki #eton #headcanon #bromance #why am i doing this to tom t__t #why am i writing him like harry potter t__t #half truths and stolen relics

59 notes · View notes

akariitsuki42 · 4 years ago

Text

Spirit Saga

Ch26

Chapter 25

A few hours passed by, I think I am calm now, I hid the fox plush back into one of my bags in the temporary room, Janus escorted me to the living room where everyone was, I am back to my shy self, he sees this and made sure that I can make through this. I believed him, which I do not know if I should because he said that his other name was Deceit, I hope I am not being lied to from him. I looked into the living room, no one but the 2 of us, "Where is everyone?" "Don't you worry about that, Thomas wants you to feel comfortable here during your stay here," he said, "I insisted that he'll let me coach you through while Roman was making sure you were alright, I had to pull him aside because he was getting to force you into watching the things he only watches." "I hate it when people do that to me sometimes," I said, "I tolerate it, I just ignore everything that was happening on whatever is onscreen." "That is such a mood," he said, "Looks like I'm not the only one who does that." "I do it all the time," I scoffed, knowing that it annoys the literal hell out of Ichigo. I do it on purpose on most people, I would never ignore Lady Halibel or my own mother, I accidentally did it to Captain Ukitake, but he understood completely, he said that I have a true blood of a Shiba.

I turned to the Marvel movies and started to watch the ones I have seen and not seen. I started with the correct timeline, I've started with the ones that led to the first Avengers movie, I clocked everything out and only focused on the movies, I told Janus to turn off the lights because I like watching movies that way. It helps me to ignore the other things in the room, then I started to see different people taking their seats, and I heard the sound of tape being ripped and was placed on someone's mouth, twice actually. I heard Janus saying something and made no other sound, sat right near me, then I heard a husky voice below saying, "Ugh, Thor is so stupid. Loki is much better." Then I chuckled because it's true, Loki is smarter than anyone in Asgard, I mean come on, he tricked Laufey so good, HE IS THE GOD OF MISCHIEF, so he has to play a part. Once the movie was over, I started Captain America: The First Avenger, I heard Thomas asking, "Why are we skipping the Hulk movies?" "They are crap," I said, "Now shut up, Janus." "Did she- you know what, never mind," whispered Deceit. Yes, I know that he brung in the others, but I kept in mind that it was only just us 2, that was the only reason why I said it.

Half way through the first Captain America, I heard the Brain asking, "What's the hole point of going after Hydra?" "Shut up, Brain," I said, "It's in a different world where H.Y.D.R.A. overpowers everyone." I heard nothing after that statement, including watching the Avengers, which I think everyone's favorite scenes was still funny, it still was, to me at least, I don't know about everyone else who watched this so many times, as the movie was over, yes I had watch the end credit scenes, I always do, that is what every Marvel fan would do. After a while, I just drifted off to sleep, not knowing I was missing the eating scene, everything got quiet fast, I woke up to seeing black everywhere, dang it, I stumbled to get to my room, closed the curtains of the window and booted my tablet back on, Usami left a message, she said that, "Ulquiorra came to his senses about what the both of you said, the stress of you not going to him with what is going was taking a toll on him, he feels nothing but guilt and regret on the last thing he said and what you said." I messaged back on what I said about feeling somewhat of the same way, but slightly different, I sent the message, then felt relieved when I saw my Fox plush on my nightstand. I slept with it throughout the night, I always locked my door when I sleep because I don't want to get a rude awakening of any kind, I like my beauty sleep.

When I finally woke up, expecting someone to wake me up rudely, I got nothing, I hid the plush again and made my way down towards the living, when I saw the TV on, I know I would get in someone's way. I did NOT expect all of them to be watching something together, I just sat at the table facing them and the TV, tablet in hand, I checked if Usami left another message, so far nothing, guessing she is asleep right now, though I got a message from Kyoraku, which is a phrase of every thing Jushiro say to me every morning I greet him, I smiled because I need that right now, more than anything in the world. Yeah I get it that Denver is the resurrected version of him but he said it himself, that the true Ukitake is not there within him. I want to ask Logan or Thomas if I could borrow their computer because the tablet only shows me the elements, that's it, but at the same time I do not want to become a bother to anyone. So, I just sat there thumbling through the elements that have yet to show any chosen one, maybe I need to do something in order to find these but what caught my attention ever since I stepped on this land of the country of North America, the Lava symbol was glowing ever since I have been here.

I got the attention of one of the versions of Thomas, I was hoping for it to be Janus because he has been friendly to me ever since I got here, I looked up, Logan had his laptop in his hands, "Don't search up any thing that might trigger a virus." "I won't," I softly said, wondering on how he knew. Then the nicest gesture of anyone would do, he pointed to where everything was, "If you need something to write, just ask me or Thomas, we'll get it for you." "Whoa, thank you, just know that I'm only doing research," I said, "I like to look things up before going into a situation, blindly head first, I like to use my head to come up with a strategy." "You think logically?" he asked. I nodded, "Only in life or death situations and in case of knowing in the future." "May I see on why you can't use your tablet?" he asked. I figured he would find out, I showed him the symbols that were glowing and the ones that have yet to, I said to him, "I'm only looking up the ones that haven't glowed yet." "Here's one that looks like a sword, shield, armor, and a sky symbol," he said, "Something to look up, but I can help if you give me information on what is going on." "I have to trust you fully in order to do that," I said, getting the tablet back from him.

I was looking where he was looking at, oh my gosh, there is a whole section of a bunch of new elements that I did not know about or was told about. Okay, I love Logan now, as soon as he was about to walk away, I asked, "Did I say you could go?" "No, you didn't," he said, "Would you like me to company you?" "I would like that very much," I said, with a warm smile. He sees that I needed a password, he felt so wrong, but I didn't think as such because I need his personal opinion of what I am going through, I just need someone to talk to, I put the tablet in a pouch that was made from the Wraith, saying that it was made for elemental purposes only, and if I need to keep in touch with some people, like Usami and Kyoraku, also Rev if need be, as I was looking up the purpose of Lava, I asked, "Is it normal to be so broken inside?" "What do you mean by that, Ms Spencer?" Logan asked. I knew that was a bite in the ass for me, I corrected him, "My actual name is Akari Itsuki, that name Cynthia Spencer was just a cover up." "Well, I understand your way of trusting others than the ones you know," he said, "So, back to my question please." "Well, it's a little hard to explain if you understand me perfectly," I said, trying to not get the Fox plush. Logan sees the look on my face, "You can go get it, I'm not going question it."

Few seconds later, I got the Fox plush, I said what was going on between me and Ulquiorra, then my end sentence was, "After that, I came here to be away for a while so I could clear my mind because the stress was getting to the both of us. My stress was different from his, here is what a friend of mine, her name is Usami, here is what she sent me." I showed him what she said on the tablet, and he read what I wrote to Usami, he finally said, "I see, well, I will come up with something to ease your situation because I need to process what was said to me." "I understand," I said, knowing that his opinion is going to be the total opposite of what I need to hear right now. Roman, the prince dude, was hearing and saw the look on my face, "What are you doing right now, it will have to wait."

"Why?" I asked. He gives me a look, "All of this talk about trying to make things right for your homeworld is tearing your love for him, when was the last time you guys spent quality time together. He has been waiting for you to finally let him fight alongside you and yet you never told him once on what is going on."

"Roman, this is unlike you," said Logan, "I was going to say something else but that would've been bad." "She needs to hear on what she needs to hear and learn from what she is doing," said Roman, "Because, hear this Akari, you can not fight all by yourself, remember, everyone that you love are trying to fight alongside you." "You can thank my so called biological father, he's the one who started it all," I said, "He's trying to pressure me to forgetting on who actually took the time and effort into making sure I was going to grow strong and survive on my own."

"Well, then he needs to give you room to breathe," says Janus, "Because he might not have a choice if you have the power to take his power away, which you don't have do you?" "Oh yeah, I do, thanks for the reminder, Janus," I said, knowing that I knew for a while. Since I have this new ability, I can actually use that against his will, I mean I don't want to do that but I need to make sure that he is not taking Jushiro's spot EVER. Every one of them, they just stared at Janus for giving me that reminder, he was staring at me like he started shaking the cage of this creature that has yet to be unleashed.

#Elemental Defenders #Spirit Saga #Rainbow Arc

0 notes

tilltheendwilliwrite · 5 years ago

Text

Patreon coming Dec 1st!

Exclusive stories that will be on offer for those in the $3 and $5 dollar tiers:

Of Two Brothers (A Hiddleston AU)

Fifteen-year-old Clara and her aunt Noel are just trying to piece together their lives after the sudden death of Clara's mother, SueAnn. Finding out Clara has not one but two possible fathers, identical twin brothers Thomas and William Hiddleston-Harris, has left them both a little leery of what comes next.

Guardian of the Fae (A Heimdall AU crossover with the World of Maleficent and the Dark Fae)

Not when the stone gate that once brought humans with their iron blades to her world is active again.

Seven Deadly Sins (A Steve Rogers AU)

When a question is put before Thor regarding who the Heart of the Avengers is, he's puzzled. Could it be the Captain? Stark? A bored Loki, an idea, and a challenge later, the two are on their way to Midgard with a new "game" for the Avengers to play and a bet between them.

All has been quiet on the hero front, leaving Sam, Bucky, Natasha, Clint, Tony, Bruce, and Steve sitting on their thumbs. When the two Asgardians arrive with their challenge and this new game, Steve is leery. This is Loki, after all. Brainwashed by the Chitauri or not, he's still the Trickster God for a reason. When the others give in and agree to play, he hesitates until finally being prodded into the game.

Big mistake. Why didn't he listen to his instincts?

Emery Dawn Williams, tech and intelligence genius, never expected to return to the tower from an afternoon of shopping to find the seven Avengers devolved into extremely odd versions of themselves.

But worst of all was Steve. Sweet, hot, panty-melting Steve who had never, ever looked at her with eyes like the devil and a smirk that made her core clench. His face said he wanted to eat her alive. If Emery wasn't so freaked out, if his feelings were at all real, she might let him.

But this was a game. A wicked game. Because when you play a game with Seven Deadly Sins it was win, or lose your soul.

#patreon #exclusive stories #four tiers available #weekly content #coming in December

56 notes · View notes

valkyrie-echo · 7 years ago

Text

Project Echo, Part 3: Chapter 19 (50 Days Before the Explosion)

Part 3 Summary: Seven years after the events of “Part 2”, Avengers Tower explodes, fulfilling Bucky’s vision. All evidence points to Avengers Shadow-Ops leader Inessa Ryker, who is forced to seek out Bucky in hiding. Together they must determine who the traitor is in their ranks and if their friends are still alive- all while trying to survive deadly ambushes orchestrated by Sam Wilson and his hand-picked army.

Chapter 19: 50 Days Before the Explosion

"Noelle, can you come with me for a moment, please?" Steve interrupted Amadeus and his team as they ran yet another round of simulations on the symbols from the Shadow King's blood magic. At this point it was pretty much only them looking. Everyone kept Niflheim and what happened there as an active case, but it was more likely the answers would be found off-realm. With Odin's well-known distaste for the Avengers it wasn't hard to imagine that an answer had already been found- he just wasn't telling. As worried as the leaders were, they had a world to protect, and it was well over a month later. They'd never had an attack this drawn out before.

Amadeus glanced up and fixed the Captain with his coldest glare- his own form of greeting Steve, Vision, and Clint ever since the Leader's Meeting where they'd voted to form a second Black Ops unit. He willfully ignored Natasha and Wanda, who abstained from voting- meaning they agreed with Steve but didn't want to hurt Inessa's feelings. His smiles he saved only for Tony, Thor, Banner, and Sam who'd all sided with Inessa against the idea.

The new Unit couldn't form without the unanimous consent of every Avengers leader (which Steve would never get because Inessa wouldn't budge in her position that it was useless), or an 89% majority of all Avengers. Basically the only way he was getting his new team was to convince every last one of them it was necessary, but if more than four Avengers couldn't be won over then once again he would fail. He'd been speaking with them one-by-one for days, trying to explain that yes, the timing sucked, but they needed to support the Shadow Unit. Let them focus on Inessa and the Shadow King while another Black Ops team protected the world. It divided the teams within each of the four units- and now Steve had the audacity to approach a member of Inessa's group directly.

"Go with him and you're dead to me," Marie glanced up from her computer across from Amadeus in the small root interface of JARVIS' mainframe- a glorified server room that felt more like a claustrophobic closet. She'd never seen him look so cold, or so dead serious. The more Steve pressed his case against Amadeus' friend and leader the less old loyalties mattered.

Steve rolled his eyes, "I've about had it with you Amadeus. Noelle- Captain's orders. Come on."

"Sorry," she shrugged to Amadeus and slid back from her computer. Marie was indifferent on the whole issue. She ignored Steve, Amadeus, and their little feud. She was too new to be loyal to a leader she'd frankly hardly seen and pretty much just followed her lieutenant's orders- right now that meant running down leads on blood magic… Even though in reality she was taking advantage of her secluded position and playing Oregon Trail. Amadeus had cholera, Inessa died from exposure, and Noelle was still going strong despite being 65.

"Hey Steve," Amadeus got his attention before he left with Noelle.

"Let me guess, you're going to tell me to shove something up my ass."

"Your head, yes."

"Good talk."

Amadeus sighed dramatically after he left, "Ah Marie, I wish you knew Noelle better before her tragic passing."

"Do I need to start wearing black?" she wasn't paying much attention, but she knew by now to pretend to humor the oddest Avenger.

"No, that's alright, she wouldn't want us to be in mourning forever."

"You leaving lilies in front of her door?"

"Naturally," he cracked his neck and went back to typing away, "by the way- I'm closer to 25 than 20 and you treat cholera with laudanum, not extra fluids."

"How-"

"JARVIS is a tattle-tail," a screen popped up on her game informing her 'Zombie Inessa' had joined the group. Marie was fairly positive that wasn't part of the original game, "Do a better job with her this time around."

"I will. I promise."

"Is this about the second Black Ops Unit?" Noelle had followed Steve up to his apartment where his lieutenant, Sharon, was waiting. The Tower was boiling with tension, mostly thanks to Steve and his decision to just about ignite a new civil war. Teams were fighting one another at the slightest provocation and Tony's Iron Legion could only do so much to keep the peace. Splitting the teams off back to their satellite facilities would be tantamount to declaring open conflict. Steve hiding out away from the others was probably the only move he had left to make.

"No, but it is about Inessa," Sharon invited Noelle to sit but she remained where she was, "Steve offered leadership to Amadeus because it is the least controversial choice. Promoting a lieutenant is easier for the public and the Avengers to swallow than promoting a general member. Ideally it would be you and Marie on the new team."

"You sent me to Inessa's team because you were worried about her and Amadeus and how they were handling Mallory Ivaneau's death and Eoin O'Meara's betrayal. I'm an Avenger first, Shadow Unit second. I will continue to do what I believe is best for the entire group, not just my team. I won't turn on my leader for power. It only fans the flames." She turned but Steve blocked her way quickly.

"I'm not offering you leadership, we're just saying you were the first choice."

"I'm ambitious, not petty," Noelle was one of the most logically-minded Avengers Steve had ever known- including Tony. He wasn't entirely sure she was human and not another strange AI like Vision. She could read people's intentions, and he only wanted her to know his for sure- in case that mechanical personality did see its pride as being wounded. Geoff swore she was different once you really got to know her. Evidently the four years he'd lived in the same building as Noelle (the first year of that with her on his team) wasn't long enough.

Steve shook his head, "Use your powers. What are my intentions?"

Noelle's face was unreadable, "You've got two things for me. A mission, and a secret."

"Two missions, both secret," Sharon corrected softly. When Noelle was one of them she was still learning the subtle shifts in her powers and needed to be guided when possible.

"No. One mission. One secret. You think they're linked Sharon, Steve isn't so sure."

He glanced to his lover and she nodded, "JARVIS, load Hydra security footage from Project Echo. One of the more mild bits, please." Noelle turned back to face Sharon and the television behind her.

She wasn't one of the Avengers stupid enough to look at the torture footage from Inessa's time with Hydra. The newer ones, ones who didn't know any better, dared each other to watch it. All they knew was that everyone was afraid of it. Few were warned of the brutality. Eventually, though, they all learned the story- well, at least what they thought was the story.

Grainy footage filled the screen of a blindingly bright torture room. The walls and floors were filled with lights- a true shadow-free zone. A plastic table sat in the center of the room and on it was a young Inessa, "Footage from July 27, 2009. Week 47 of Project Echo," a man with a shining metal arm was turning Inessa over, mindful of her feeble struggles to escape. Something was off with the girl's toes and every kick brought forth a squeal of pain, but she kept trying. Noelle knew what it was- they'd been severely broken once upon a time and healed wrong.

I was lucky, she remembered something Inessa had said once upon a time, the body I left was in a pretty shitty state- all busted and gnarled. The Avengers took it in, JARVIS and this surgeon put it back together, and by the time I got to it it was in incredible shape again.

The man's face was too pixelated to see clearly, Noelle couldn't even tell if he was phased by the 15 year-old's feeble cries. Another man was waiting by a metal cart, on top of which was the unmistakable outline of a whip. Noelle knew more about Hydra torture techniques than she'd admit even to Geoff, but between her experience raiding bases and the occasional glimpse of Inessa's bare back in the locker room showers, she could safely bet that whip was studded with metal barbs. A small bowl sat on the tray as well- salt. Once, when Amadeus brought up her past, Inessa had told him her torturer, Thomas Dennisson, liked to extend the pain as long as possible using salt or citrus juice. Whenever the doctors told him he had to give her more than a day to recover he'd have her heavily sedated so that she could never enjoy the respite. It was hard for Noelle to look at the screen, knowing just what all of this meant to Inessa, and especially knowing that this was only halfway through. That girl in the video wouldn't be free for a very long time yet…

"JARVIS, override Echo Alpha, remove the filter," Steve came up next to Noelle as the picture abruptly sharpened to something closer to HD, "The cameras Hydra installed in the halls were shit. Unfortunately for those of us who had to watch this back when Inessa first came to the Tower, Dennisson liked a much better picture. We added the filter later to protect new Avengers from the full horror, should they try to watch without knowing precisely what it is. We were also protecting him," he motioned to the man with the metal arm as he tore open the back of the white shirt Hydra prisoners still wore, "JARVIS, skip the gore, please."

The image jumped. Inessa's body was breathing heavy, but limp. Chunks of flesh torn off by the whip were sprinkled around the room. The metal man, the Winter Soldier who would one day be killed by Steve over the Potomac during the Hydra emergence, was leaning hard against the wall in the corner of the room over a small pool of vomit. Dennisson was now holding the whip in one hand and the empty bowl of salt in the other. He threw both on the table and whistled sharply, glaring at the Soldier.

Two scientists and two guards immediately wheeled a bizarre chair into the room. Noelle recognized it from an Avengers file she'd skimmed in the computer- a programming machine. Brutal and efficient, it zapped the subject with near-lethal amounts of electricity while a small screen over the eye played a "Compliance and Obedience" video. Brainwashing at its worst.

The Winter Soldier was moved into the chair. His metal arm held him to some hidden magnet and the panels descended. While he screamed, Dennisson smiled. It sent chills down Noelle's spine.

"Skip ahead, give us a freeze frame on his face."

The gaunt, dead-eyed man who emerged from the machine a few hours later looked oddly familiar. Big eyes, straight nose, strong jaw- a face more suited to a cocky smile than a stone-cold glare. If the footage wasn't black and white she might have had a harder time guessing, but it jogged something, "He's on the Wall of Remembrance. One of yours."

"James Buchanan Barnes," Sharon nodded, "his picture is next to my Great Aunt Peggy's." Every Avenger facility had a wall of photographs of people near and dear to each Avenger. Some they'd lost, some they'd failed to save, the pictures were on the walls to remind them all what they fought for. Their family outside their team.

"And he didn't die in the Potomac like everyone thinks. The Winter Soldier went in, Bucky Barnes pulled me out."

"Amadeus was right?"

Steve glanced to Sharon, "Amadeus has been repeatedly warned to keep his mouth shut," he looked at Bucky's face a moment longer and sighed, sad, "He joined us on the condition we find Inessa. His programming was breaking, but she'd been locked in the Valley too long. She couldn't find purchase here, so she whispered in his mind until it about drove him insane…"

"We never lied," he continued, "the battles against the Shadow, the fight against Dennisson, Hydra, Sebastian Morris and his cabal- it's like those pictures in Inessa's living room. The first and fourth photographs- pull them out of the frames some time and you'll see they're just folded specially to hide him. He was an Avenger for about seven or eight months."

"Steve couldn't face his demons," Sharon took over, "but Bucky wanted to. After the battle with the cabal he went into hiding- maybe until he got things under control, maybe forever. He hasn't been seen since."

Noelle's power flared, "You want me to find him. He's the secret you think is a mission."

"Bucky had these visions, three of them," Steve explained, "in each one Avengers Tower was destroyed. In the last one he saw Sam attempting to carry out an execution order against Inessa for the deaths of myself, Tony, Banner, Thor, Clint, and Natasha- the original Avengers. Bucky's had a lot of experience as a ghost, but I need to talk to him. He sent himself away to find peace and flush out Hydra's Winter Soldier, but with the Shadow King's blood magic, Ingvir's death, the disappearances, and Inessa's new issues with her powers I'm worried. I need to know more about what he saw, if he's seen anything else, and if we're anywhere near the timeline in his visions."

"Why not ask Muhammad? He's the first person that comes to mind with the power to send something like that."

"He will probably send them, yes," Sharon corrected, "but if he'd seen something yet he would tell Thor. We can't ask him and risk an Ouroborous, even a small one."

"My mission is to monitor Inessa," Noelle predicted, "the second is to find Barnes again. Neither of you really think that will help."

Steve nodded, "We need to know if the blood magic is turning Inessa into the woman from Bucky's vision, and he's in the best position to make that call. We're not finding him to extend a membership offer, only to confirm or eliminate a theory."

Sharon stood up and came over to Noelle, "Inessa always has had a perfect distinction of James and the Winter Soldier. She supported his decision to leave. After Steve's breakdown," she spared a sympathetic glance to her lover, "she became downright protective of the man. Steve felt like he'd been forced into this life, James had been. To him his work with the Avengers was more like an extension of what he did for Hydra, just pointed at a different target. She made sure no one knows where he is so that he can be free of it all. She's doing her best to make that happen."

"He's had a lifetime of experience in hiding," Steve continued, "he didn't come to my funeral, he probably hid himself away somewhere so remote he doesn't even know Thanos existed. If anyone is going to find him, it has to be a Black Ops member, and of those we can only trust you to actually retrieve him. In the meantime, yes, we want you to watch Inessa. Look for any signs her judgement is impaired. It's nothing unconscionable, just be a vigilant friend."

Noelle considered it, "Watch her and find him, is that all?"

"We wouldn't ask you to do anything against either," Sharon assured her.

"I have a duty to keep the Avengers safe," Steve prompted, "I'll do what I can for Inessa, and I'll keep my friends safe from her. When Bucky told us about his visions I wasn't willing to listen. I'd just watched him squeeze the head off of an unarmed Dennisson and though it wasn't confirmed at the time I knew he'd killed Inessa's uncle. Someone, probably a future version of Muhammad, was trying to warn us against something. I need to know what Bucky knows, and this time I'm ready to pay attention."

"One condition."

"Name it."

Noelle sighed, "Make peace with Inessa. It isn't good for the Avengers as a whole, you two at one another's throats."

Steve shook his head, "I can't make that promise without knowing what's coming."

"At least stop talking about a second Black Ops unit."

He looked tired, but he shook her hand, "That's an easier promise to make."

"Nessa, I need to grab something from your apartment."

"JARVIS, let Noelle in. Lock up when she leaves." Inessa was still trapped in the hospital wing. Noelle felt a twinge of guilt, using Inessa's trust like this, but she had to know for sure what she was wading into. Pictures one and four…

Inessa's living room was a shrine to the past six years, but the earliest pictures were different. Avengers didn't typically think to chronicle their adventures or time together- especially not in those early days. Initially it was only the Leaders, all living separate lives unless something came up that drew them together. The only reason the Battle of the Shadows had been a group effort was because they happened to be in New York City together when Bucky was brought in. The only reason that happened was because of Thor's appointment to Asgardian Ambassador.

After Inessa returned to her body they all went to Clint's farm. Again, it wasn't meant as anything more than a team vacation after the stresses and strains of New York City (plus, no one was willing to leave Inessa behind, now that they knew there was someone in there). Then Ultron, and the satellite facilities began popping up. Then Thanos and the new Avengers who came in droves.

Picture one was, naturally, among those taken from security footage. It showed the Avengers together in the recovery room after Clint saw the Shadow for the first time. It was the brightest room in the old Tower, and they'd marked it as the best place to be. A surgeon friend of Tony's was visiting to check out Steve, Sam, and Natasha- freshly arrived from their trip to Kazakhstan where they retrieved the Project Echo folder. At least, that was the version she'd been told. The surgeon just happened to be there before Steve went exploring to verify Clint's story and was attacked. The why of his leaving was never particularly clear, but in the security picture Noelle had always thought Steve was looking at something off-frame, worried about some invisible matter.

She pulled that picture from the wall first and quickly removed the backing. Sure enough, the picture was folded over. Noelle pulled the image out and held it up to inspect. Bucky Barnes was lying unconscious on a hospital bed across from where the Avengers sat. His metal arm was gone and the shoulder on his left side was heavily bandaged. He was also in Steve's direct eye-line. Steve had survived his fight with the Shadow by holding onto one of Thor's healing stones- now Noelle wondered if he hadn't been retrieving it when Inessa had first attacked so that it might help his friend.

Picture four was the first of the group shots, this one from Clint's farm. It was the first non-paparazzi group picture of the Avengers Leaders ever taken (though it was minus Wanda and Vision, of course). They were sitting around the fire at Clint's farm- the original format of the Leader's Meeting apparently- fanned out so a group picture could be taken. Their faces were somewhat grim, Inessa had something metallic peeking out from the back of her neck (Noelle asked about it once and never received an explanation for what seemed to be some sort of machine), and Steve's nose had a definite snarl to it. Inessa explained to her it was only a few weeks before the attack by Morris' cabal. Tony had decided they needed a group picture the night before Inessa, Steve, and Sam returned to New York City for her to undergo treatment by undercover cabal member Doctor Madelyn Pryor.

This time Noelle had a good idea of where Bucky was hidden. She removed and unfolded that picture as well. Sure enough what Inessa claimed was the tip of an abandoned shoe next to Tony was attached to someone. Bucky. He was smiling a tense smile on the farthest side of the group as possible from Steve. This picture would help her more in her search- his hair was clean and pushed back, he was awake, alert, and well lit- considering the picture was taken by an Iron Man suit and it was nighttime. Inessa stood in the center of the group, seemingly unafraid of her torturer so close.

Inessa could have cut him from the pictures, easily, but she chose to hide him instead. Steve said she was protective of his freedom from the team- especially after what they went through with Steve in the civil war. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep him out of anyone's hands- Hydra or the Avengers. That might have been what she told herself, but Noelle didn't need her powers to see the intention behind keeping Bucky in the photographs, invisible but still a part of the memory- she couldn't give up hope that he might one day come back. She didn't cut the line or even hide it better- she made a small change that could easily be undone. If he walked through the doors that very day she'd probably come up and unfold the pictures herself. Doctor's orders or no.

"Find what you were looking for?" her voice came through the house speakers, "Amadeus just left to go buy lilies to put in front of your door. He's making the other Avengers sign a 'Sorry you died' card. I'm guessing Steve sent you up?"

"He had some questions about an old case of ours, thought it might tie into one of his."

"I see," Inessa had an odd way of sounding (and looking) like she knew exactly what was going on, "old files are in the middle of the book case in my library."

"Yeah, got it," Noelle quickly put the pictures back together and returned them to their proper places. She noticed a thin line in the paint- maybe nothing, maybe a security mark. Noelle lined both pictures up with the barely visible scratch and headed quickly for the back corner of Inessa's apartment. Most of the books in here were related in some way to her coursework or were simply books she liked to have around- encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases- she wasn't always a fan of going to the Avenger's library where noisy gatherings were held almost nightly. Besides- the Shadow Unit's case files were all there.

"Bottom left. Inactive cases," Inessa spoke softly, as if she wasn't sure she wanted Noelle to hear, "it's under 'Kochevnik'… The Russian word."

"Nessa-"

"Do me a favor?"

"Yeah," Noelle hung her head and took the file.

"Don't look too hard. No matter how Steve thinks this will end, if he hears something is wrong he'll come back. This life can suck you in and not let go. I chose it, we all chose it, but breaking away… It took a lot for him to leave the first time. Give me a chance to fix this before you pull him back in. Please."

Noelle didn't respond, but Inessa didn't expect her to. She had the file she needed, so she turned and left quickly. Once upon a time Inessa had brought a missing boy back to a village so remote it wasn't even on a map. When she came back to check on him the town was abuzz with the news that a favored monk, believed to be a messenger of god, had vanished in the night just after her last visit. Inessa was intrigued, bored really, so she asked around that village and a few others just as remote. There were four confirmed sightings of him, this wandering Westerner who took shelter in temples and performed little acts of kindness to as many residents as he could manage before moving on again. It was the last temple they'd visited- where they'd learned the man seemed to possess super-human strength and performed feats with only one arm it would take ten men with two to complete in the same amount of time- like chopping firewood for an entire village or hunting large game for starving residents- that killed the case. Inessa brought them back to the Tower, said the man clearly wasn't a threat and the reports of his super human strength were likely exaggerations. The man, no matter where he was, went by the same name- the Kochevnik. The Nomad.

Inessa had as good as confirmed her hunch that perhaps the mysterious man, the buried case Inessa refused to ever discuss again with any of them, might just also be Steve's missing friend.

Nadya stirred first, the others followed soon after. A soft breeze blew through the Valley, but it wasn't her. They'd been despondent since the sky opened and something nearly drew the lost realm back from whatever oblivion it was in to rejoin the Bifrost. Her power still filled the Valley and sparked across the now brilliant blue sky. Until it dissipated, until she opened a path for it to return to her, she would remain weak and lost.

So, if not her, what was knocking?

A crack of thunder sent shockwaves from the heart of the Valley and forced the pack to scatter. In their place appeared two people, or rather pieces of them. A couple of fingers and puddles that just smelled wrong. Part human, part poison and radiation.

Hours passed and more bodies flooded in in varying stages of completion. Around the thousandth time bodies that were at least whole on the outside (though black liquid on the inside) began to appear. The pack became agitated and frightened as the corpses continued to arrive, and Inessa's moods shifted back in Avengers Tower in response (though she had no idea why and attributed it to either kidney failure or PMS).

Nadya alone had been part of the Shadow for the last eleven years, and they didn't have the same abilities or instincts as their Alpha, they were pure instinct. Near the end one of the new arrivals was still alive and, like their mistress, was wreathed in black mist and silver fog. Before Nadya could stop them they set upon the abomination and ripped it to shreds. It wouldn't have survived long anyways, but it was still a creature that should have been protected.

The Alpha had only one option. It was connected to Inessa in a way the others were not, and Nadya had always been able to draw on Inessa's power to open a door and find the girl. She took it as a duty to protect and aid her. From Inessa's own anger and uncertainty when she'd connected with Nadya's mind in the attack on New York the Alpha knew what had to be done, considering the uncertainty and suspicion of the human-cub's allies.

She borrowed that piece of Inessa's mind and, despite the pain it knew the action would cause, it used her to open a door into the Valley. The wolves atop the heap of corpses howled as the lightning high above followed Nadya to Inessa and brought their mistress to full power. Inessa shrieked- more from surprise- when an abrupt burst of pain wracked her body, followed by a sensation disturbingly like having an entire bathtub worth of ice water poured on top of you at once (she knew the feeling thanks to Amadeus and Clint several prank wars ago).

Nadya dove into the shadows of the exam room and came out on the other side of the floor in the equipment storage area. Acting off Inessa's own ever-present link she found the Helius beacons used by the Avengers and began to rip and tear at them one by one. Every Avenger was in the Tower, meaning every beacon was in one place and within minutes they were destroyed. The others wouldn't know now.

4,000 bodies in the Valley. The Avengers could never see, no one could know yet but the mistress. Though, thanks to Inessa, Nadya's instinct had been to preserve the creature that arrived last. The pack was right to destroy it. She had a sense of the others, thanks to the marks that each Avenger bore as a locating beacon. Some didn't trust the mistress' powers anymore, not like they used to.

What would they do if they found out someone, somewhere, was trying to create their own Shadow?

Chapter 20: Not Dead (Yet)

#my writing #avengers #marvel

1 note · View note

biofunmy · 5 years ago

Text

25 best TV shows of the year, from ‘Fleabag’ to ‘Pose’

After 2019, TV will never be the same.

This year, TV got bigger than we ever could have imagined back when there were only three channels. Over 500 scripted series premiered new episodes, two major new streaming services (Apple TV+ and Disney+) debuted, “Star Wars” and Meryl Streep came to TV and “Game of Thrones” ended with massive ratings but disappointed fans. And yet we still are mostly talking about where we’ll be able to easily access reruns of “Friends.”

But there were some really fantastic TV series we hope some of you managed to watch between all the Twitter reactions and marathons of Disney animated movies. And spoiler alert: “Thrones” and its terrible ending didn’t make the cut.

You still have plenty of time before New Year’s Day to catch up on USA TODAY’s top 25 series of 2019.

Joe (Penn Badgley) stalks a new woman (Victoria Pedretti) in “You” Season 2. (Photo: Tyler Golden/Netflix)

25. ‘You’ (Netflix)

The soapy thriller starring Penn Badgley was a pleasant surprise in its original home on Lifetime, and became a sensation once it moved to Netflix, which will stream its second season Dec. 26. The second outing with self-aggrandizing stalker (and murderer) Joe is just as addictive as the first, if a little repetitive. But of all the current series that traffic in bad men doing bad things, “You” remains one of the few that asks interesting questions about its bad guy.

24. ‘Evil’ (CBS)

Akin to “The X-Files” for religion – in which a psychologist, a priest-in-training and a tech expert investigate claims of miracles and demonic possessions – “Evil” is a hard sell on paper, but a surprisingly coherent and gripping series. Created by Robert and Michelle King (“The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight”), it is thought-provoking as an investigation of organized, institutional religion and as a source of thrilling horror stories about exorcisms and evildoers.

23. ‘Living With Yourself’ (Netflix)

Paul Rudd is one of Hollywood’s most charming (and ageless) actors, and he does welcome double duty in this dark comedy about a man who ends up with a clone that is significantly better at living his life. Full of existential angst and pratfalls, the series neatly balances comedy and drama. It’s also a great showcase for Irish actress Aisling Bea, who turns in a breakout performance that isn’t overshadowed by Rudd’s star power.

22. ‘Country Music’ (PBS)

Ken Burns rarely disappoints. The legendary filmmaker turned his lens on the history of a uniquely American music genre for this 18-part documentary that traced its roots and rise. It may have also changed some minds about what country music really is and who it is for.

Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Caleb McLaughlin in Stranger Things 3 . (Photo: Netflix.)

21. ‘Stranger Things’ (Netflix)

After a disappointing and derivative second season, the ’80s-set supernatural series – Netflix’s most popular – returned with new episodes that took more risks and repeated fewer plot points. With the Soviets as new villains, new horror inspirations for the monsters and new relationships to explore – particularly the friendship between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Max (Sadie Sink) – the series crafted a third season that was almost as captivating as its breakout first.

20. ‘Veronica Mars’ (Hulu)

In our current nostalgia-obsessed TV era, there are plenty of truly terrible reboots, remakes and revivals (“Fuller House”), but sometimes bringing back the original cast and creators years or even decades later results in good TV. The most successful attempt in recent years is “Veronica Mars,” the cult neo-noir series canceled by CW in 2003, revived in 2014 for a movie and brought back yet again for eight episodes by Hulu. Kristen Bell and creator Rob Thomas found a mystery worth Veronica’s talents, and room for the beloved-but-damaged detective to grow. Its shocker ending divided fans, but nothing about the new “Mars” felt cheap, forced or dated, and that’s a true achievement.

19. ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ (HBO)

If you missed this small but mighty new sketch comedy series in August, it’s worth catching up on all six episodes of the hilarious first season. Created by Robin Thede and produced by Issa Rae (“Insecure”), the series’ talented black women comedians excel in sketches that are unique to their experiences and universal in their humor.

Mj Rodriguez as Blanca, Billy Porter as Pray Tell on “Pose.” (Photo: Michael Parmelee/FX)

18. ‘Pose’ (FX)

FX’s groundbreaking LGBTQ drama became bigger and more intimate in its excellent second season, homing in on its best characters while making its stories more ambitious, tragic and complex. The season was more focused and compelling than its promising first year, with especially strong performances from Emmy-winning Billy Porter as Pray Tell, Mj Rodriguez as Blanca and Indya Moore as Angel.

17. ‘Stumptown’ (ABC)

There is nothing particularly revolutionary about this procedural drama starring Cobie Smulders, but it stands out among the new network offerings this year because of the thoughtful and fresh way the writers make age-old detective stories. Smulders shines as Dex Parios, a deeply caring if not always smooth private investigator, and her performance elevates “Stumptown” beyond just-another-network-cop-show.

16. ‘The Good Fight’ (CBS All Access)

Despite getting a little more fantastical every year, CBS All Access’ “Good Wife” spinoff is still the drama that best captures the current sociopolitical era. Its third season, with the addition of Michael Sheen as a Roy Cohn-inspired lawyer, was a little wacky without getting too weird, with smart scripts and great performances, most notably from Christine Baranski and Audra MacDonald.

15. ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ (Netflix)

This prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 film manages to go above and beyond the beloved original. On aesthetics alone, the series is a huge achievement, but it also tells a fantasy story as lofty and politically complex as “Game of Thrones.” That “Crystal” manages to make fully-realized characters and plots through mesmerizing puppetry rounds out a superb epic.

Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II on “The Crown.” (Photo: Sophie Mutevelian/Netflix)

14. ‘The Crown’ (Netflix)

God save the Queen, whoever happens to be playing her. Netflix’s British royals drama proved it can go deep into the reign of Queen Elizabeth II by successfully swapping its original cast for an older set of actors, including Oscar winner Olivia Colman in the lead role (previously played by Emmy winner Claire Foy). The third season has a few bumps, and struggles to make Elizabeth the center of her own story, but the addition of a young Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) and his romantic escapades makes up for Colman’s brief screen time.

13. ‘Superstore’ (NBC)

Like a cheap bottle of wine at Target, “Superstore” just gets better with age. NBC’s workplace comedy is smarter and funnier every season, and 2019 episodes represent the show at its peak. “Superstore” kept its stories and character dynamics fresh this year by promoting Amy (America Ferrera) to manager of the Cloud 9 big box store, changing her socioeconomic status in an instant and drastically altering her relationship with her co-workers, including boyfriend Jonah (Ben Feldman).

Kayvan Novak as Nandor and Harvey Guillen as Guillermo on “What We Do in the Shadows.” (Photo: John P Johnson/FX)

12. ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (FX)

Based on the cult 2014 film from Jemaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords”) and Taika Waititi (who directed “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Jojo Rabbit”), “Shadows” is the funniest show this year, an outright bacchanalia of vampiric failures, energy draining and nerdy virgins. The comedy moves its focus from hapless vampires in New Zealand to an even more inept clan in Staten Island, New York, with lofty goals such as taking over the world via city council meetings.

11. ‘The Good Place’ (NBC)

The philosophical afterlife comedy hasn’t been quite as brilliant in its fourth and final season, but even at 85% strength, “Good Place” is still smarter and funnier than most shows on TV. Nailing an ending to a series that asks questions as big as this one does (what does it take to be a good person?) is always tricky, and most crucially the series is staying true to its delightful characters.

10. ‘Shrill’ (Hulu)

At last, “Saturday Night Live” standout Aidy Bryant has a starring role worthy of her talents in Hulu’s “Shrill.” The actress finds a quieter side of her comedy in this Portland, Oregon-set series based on writer and fat-acceptance activist Lindy West’s memoir. It marks the best portrayal of life as a plus-size woman on TV, neither patronizing nor unrealistic, and tells stories beyond its protagonist’s weight on a scale. With just six hilarious episodes, it’s one of the few TV series that would have excelled if it had expanded.

Merritt Weaver, left, and Toni Collette play detectives who initially butt heads but learn to work together in Netflix miniseries “Unbelievable.” (Photo: Beth Dubber/Netflix)

9. ‘Unbelievable’ (Netflix)

True-crime stories can be many things: seedy, enthralling, vindicating, angering or satisfying. Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning ProPublica article, “Unbelievable” is both infuriating and triumphant, highlighting the deep flaws in our criminal justice system while also celebrating the work of two genuinely heroic policewomen. With a stellar cast, “Unbelievable” tells the story of a rape victim (Kaitlyn Dever) who isn’t believed by police, and the two detectives (Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) who bring her attacker to justice years later – after he raped several more women.

8. ‘Undone’ (Amazon)

As deeply emotional and affecting as it is unsettling, Amazon’s animated series gets under your skin, in a good way. The series’ rotoscoping technique, in which animation is drawn over live footage, provides an eerie edge as it tells a magic-realist story of a stagnant 20-something woman (Rosa Salazar) who can travel in time and communicate with her dead father. But for every psychedelic trip Alma takes, she also takes a more grounded one as she tries to repair damaged relationships and plot her next course.

7. ‘Dead to Me’ (Netflix)

Christina Applegate gives her best performance in Netflix’s black comedy about a widow who unknowingly befriends the woman (the great Linda Cardellini) who killed her husband. Twisty but not gimmicky, “Dead” is addictive. The series has an abundance of acting talent, including James Marsden, who finally gets a role that takes the sheen off his perfect smile.

6. ‘Watchmen’ (HBO)

Although it started off a bit unsurely, HBO’s very loose adaptation of the graphic novel has blossomed into one of creator Damon Lindelof’s best series, and from the man behind “Lost” and “The Leftovers,” that’s some achievement. The series has a superb cast – including Regina King, Jean Smart, Jeremy Irons and Tim Blake Nelson – that elevates smart scripts that get better as the season progresses. Lindelof and his writers find surprising ways to bring the superhero story from the 1980s into today’s culture, helping “Watchmen” upend the comic book formula once again.

Asante Blackk in “When They See Us,” Ava DuVernay’s retelling of the Central Park Five. (Photo: NETFLIX)

5. ‘When They See Us’ (Netflix)

Ava DuVernay’s striking miniseries gives voice to the so-called Central Park Five, a group of five black and Latino youths wrongly convicted of assault in one of the biggest trials of the 1980s. With an extremely talented group of young actors as the falsely accused adolescents – Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Emmy-winner Jharrel Jerome and Marquis Rodriguez – the series brings the story to the screen as a brutal, unrelenting tragedy.

4. ‘Back to Life’ (Showtime)

This British tragicomedy, starring and created by Daisy Haggard (“Episodes”), focuses on Miri, a woman who returns to her small seaside village after spending 18 years in prison for a crime that’s explained as the series progresses. Although Miri has left iron bars and jumpsuits behind, her small town is a prison of its own, where she is hated by all but her parents, her new boss and her kindly neighbor. Touching on themes of forgiveness and deception, the series is breathtaking in its emotional scope, despite the small story it tells over just six episodes.

3. ‘Chernobyl’ (HBO)

The brilliance of this historical miniseries, which chronicles the 1986 nuclear disaster at a power plant in Soviet Ukraine, creeps up on you as you watch its five episodes. Despite portraying so much death and despair, “Chernobyl” is never crass or exploitative, but rather it simply, anger-inducingly explains the failures and hubris that led to the disaster, and the people who tried to mitigate its consequences.

2. ‘Leaving Neverland’ (HBO)

Among 2019’s many true crime documentaries that made viewers question established media narratives and powerful people, this one – about two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse when they were children – stood out. Wade Robson and James Safechuck were given a platform to tell their harrowing stories, and director Dan Reed is unflinching as he captures the pain and suffering of the men and their families. Tough to watch, it’s also an eye-opening look at the lasting effects of abuse, and the way the media handles allegations against powerful men.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Fleabag in Amazon’s “Fleabag.” (Photo: Amazon)

1. ‘Fleabag’ (Amazon)

Could there be any other choice for No. 1? Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s dark comedy ran away with the 2019 Emmy Awards for good reason. Few series have ever been as emotionally affecting and brilliantly written as “Fleabag” in its second season. The story of a self-hating and self-destructive woman (Waller-Bridge) falling in love with a Catholic priest (Andrew Scott) was both a shocking sequel to the first and an exquisitely perfect ending to Fleabag’s tale. We’ll miss her dearly.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Last SlideNext Slide

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2019/12/04/25-best-tv-shows-2019-fleabag-stranger-things-leaving-neverland/4300681002/

Sahred From Source link TV and Movies

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2PdC4ZD via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

1 note · View note

imagining-sio · 6 years ago

Text

Escapism I

Chapter one: Wlecome to Mount Eaton

I’ve always loved a biker!bucky Au so viola...

Bucky Barnes x reader

——————————————————————————

It was the perfect place to vanish. The whole town was nestled between the mountains at one end, and the lakeside off to the other. The only border was thick dense woodland. One where people who search for Bigfoot would only dream of going.

The town itself was a small four stoplight kind of place. It was the “They kept the old buildings in their original paint because it held charm” kind of place. A far reach from the hustle and bustle of where I once called home. I gripped the steering wheel as I drove down the mountainside. The olive green ford bronco held all the contents I wanted to take with me. All that I couldn’t find myself living without. It was a depressingly small amount. However over the course of my trip across states I had accumulated quite a bit.

I knew what was waiting for me in this sleepy town, as I drive through it I could see a few heads turned, given they had never seen my vehicle before. I could only give a tight lipped smile as I kept driving toward the outskirts of town, near the lakeside.

I pulled up onto the inclined street of my new residence, and was surprised to find a gathering of motorcycles on one side. There was a house on either side. The house accompanied by at least 8 motorcycles was bustling with life. The garage was blaring old classic rock music, it was his kind of music. I felt a chill run up my spine at the thought.

I turned my attention to the small house across the street. I recognized the small sedan from the realtor three weeks ago; back when I was motel hopping. The middle aged woman was busy on her phone glaring in sustain at the neighbors across the street.

I placed my vehicle in park in the driveway, taking a deep inhale before hopping out of my beloved Oliver.

“Miss Y/L/N; so good to see you again! I just came by to drop off your keys to your home.” The woman sauntered up to me as she finished her text.

“Thank you for meeting me. I’m sorry we couldn’t do this earlier. I just want to thank you for letting the movers in when I wasn’t here.” I smiled gratefully, letting my fingers drift over the keys. This was my house. This was to be my home. My new start.

“Oh it’s no trouble dear! You didn’t need to pay me extra for that. I know it’s hard getting your things across state lines at the same time.” She dismissed me with a small chuckle. She clearly liked the extra pay, as in she had only told me now about how it was extra.

“Well thank you again.”

“Just one last thing before you go sweetie. Be careful with your new neighbor. They are not particularly liked round town.”

My brows furrowed, and I peered across her shoulder toward the crowded garage. The music somehow got louder, and was project across the street. Truthfully, any noise complaint could be solved by telling them to turn it down.

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Honey, they are a biker gang.” She handed me a card; “This is my husband’s company card, I’ll put in a good word for you to get a security system.”

With that she went back to her luxury sedan and drive off. She didn’t mention that on the house tour, then again they weren’t there. Also that would explain why the house itself was dirt cheap, Apart from lack of curb appeal.

‘Just as long as they don’t come bothering me there won’t be a problem,’ I told myself. I walked up to the porch and unlocked the front door. Apparently my realtor also took up interior decorating. The place was arranged in all the wrong ways, there was barely any life in it. Once I got my stuff settled I would be sure to move it.

I couldn’t beat the backyard view, though. I had a lovely fire pit to stargaze with my telescope. The house was surround by the tall tall trees, and the music from across the street was muffled by the sound of the lake and the trees. A small dock led out far enough to dive right into the waters. Though I doubt, with how frigid the weather is right now, I would do that.

Still; it felt like I belonged here. That was a good omen at least.

I walked back and forth between the trunk of Oliver and my new home, every now and then glancing at my neighbors; intently watching for any movement toward my side of the street. As I went to grab the last box of my belongings, I noticed the garage was dispersing toward the curb.

It was quite the eclectic bunch, they were mostly broad shouldered, well built people all around. They certainly differed in height, ranging from my height, which was about five foot five inches; to the two tallest being about six foot seven. The eight of them planting themselves onto their respective bikes. They all however were giving me a kind smile, and a small wave before they rode off. At first I don’t know how to respond, but I simply just gave a small waving acknowledgment gesture akin to theirs and went on with my business. By this time it was just about sunset.

When I came back out to close Oliver up and place him in the old garage I found a lone figure, most likely my new neighbor; from his detached garage toward his matte black mailbox. He had on a leather jacket, black in color, under it a grey shirt. His pants were fraying at the knee, most likely from overuse.

He had this air about him, a cockiness. Whether it was from the cigarette that dangled between his lips; or the way he dismissively glitter through his mail. Something about him was both intriguing and at the same time, not.

I shut the trunk with a heavy sigh, purging my thoughts, not even sparing a second glance as I went to shut my front door.

—————————-——————————————

It had been two whole months since I moved here. By that time I had grown accustomed to the town, and them to me. The local florist began to supply succulents after I expressed my interest; thus the reason for my increased cactus collection. It also brought him more business with the children round town, or at least those with internet access.

The general store was the hub for everything groceries and town social meetings. The suburbanites would occasionally paruse into town, but only for school functions. Everyone and their mother was so intrigued to find out just why I, a young single woman with no children, had decided to move here. They were also interested about why I moved across the street from the local gang of bikers. They were more adamant about the latter.

Truthfully, I hadn’t had any trouble from my neighbor, or his budding social life. I wasn’t the only other young single woman in town, his nightly company was a clear indication of that fact. A new woman almost every other night. I never told anyone else that, mainly because I expected they already knew.

My job at the bookstore was perfect; everyone in town loved it because it doubled as a coffee shop. When you bought a coffee, you could also take a book off the shelves to read, as long as you left it at the table when you were finished, wed put it back. If you wanted to buy it, you could do that too.

I was probably the youngest employee these people ever had; by the looks of the town, not many young people were looking for a job here. However, the owners, an elderly married couple, happily accepted me. They were like the great aunt and uncle I never had. It was a refreshing spin from my old job, and I could still pursue my hobbies in the lulls between the breakfast and lunch rush.

“Y/N dear, would you mind closing up tonight?” Edna, the owner and coworker piped up from the back.

“Not at all,” I wrote down the order of the tall blonde in front of me, asking myself why someone should name their child Thor. His accent was Norwegian, so I couldn’t really fault them there. Then again, I’m not about to pick a fight with the leather clad lumberjack.

“What book would you like, sir?” I asked, as was routine.

“The Silmarinion if you have it.” He smiled warmly. Couldn’t fault him for having great literary taste either.

“Edna! One coffee with milk; Two lattes, one iced tea, a hot chocolate, and one black coffee to go if you’d please!” I called.

“Oh! Thor’s back?” I’ve never seen a 72 year old move so fast. I chuckled as I went to find the book he requested. I searched through the aisles, with no such luck. I remembered that someone else had asked for the book and they had already left. Perhaps it was on one of the tables outside, it was a bright day and the weather just right. I walked outside and checked the outdoor tables, finding the book instantly.

As I went to reach for the book, the roar of an engine made me jump. I couldn’t understand how a bookstore coffee shop was so close to an auto part store garage that loud, and still have such healthy business. I glared at the storefront, it’s open garage adjacent to our windowed storefront. ‘Barnes & Rogers’ had to be some sort of trademark infringement. The amount of motorcycles outnumbered the automobiles. The music radiators from the shop with a heavy rock and roll base you could feel from across the street.

I could only glare as I went back on with my day. I handed the book in question to the large burly man.

“Here we are.” I said with a smile. He gave a wide smile and a thank you before taking a seat. I went back behind the counter to help place the coffees into the to go bags.

“Y/N would you be a darling and help Thor deliver the drinks to his coworkers.” Edna wrote the respective orders onto the cups before placing them in their carriers; “My husband usually does it but he’s out sick today.”

“Sure, lemme just take the apron off.” I undid the bow around my waist and hung the emerald apron upon a hook.

“Thor honey; Thomas is out today, so Y/N volunteered to help you today.” She hand him one of the carriers. He traded her with the book, giving a grateful and gruff thank you.

“This way, Y/N,” he said with a bright smile. It was like he was a big teddy bear disguised as a lumberjack god. He held the door open for me as we walked down the street. It was nice, until I figured out where we were headed.

“So I hear you are the new girl? Yes?” He tried to make polite small talk.

“Yes I am? But you don’t sound like your from around here either?” I shot back playfully. He laughed.

“Indeed I am not, but I like it here. It reminds me of home.” He smiled fondly.

“That’s good.”

“How do you like your new home?”

“I couldn’t ask for better. The house is just the right amount of space for me.”

“And Bucky?”

“Who the hell is bucky?” I asked.

“You haven’t met your neighbor yet?” He quirked a brow. So that was his name. What is it with this town and their oddly named people?

“It appears I have not.” I said dryly, still somewhat grateful I hadn’t.

“Well we’ll soon fix that.” He opened the door for me as we walked into the shop. He ushered me through another door and we were both smack dab in the center of the auto shop.

There was a loft which led to what looked to be the office of the place. Cars were either on jacks high enough for the men to work below them, or being torn apart. Sometimes it was both. A few of the motorcycles were being worked on. And other people were fabricating iron. The sparks flew on the other end of the large shop. I watched as the masked figure welded metal together. The yellow glow making a heavily aura.

“Barnes!” His voice boomed like thunder; “coffee is here!”

“About damn time!” Voices chimed together. I watched as the welder looked up before setting the equipment aside. He removed his gloves and torn off his mask, revealing the head of brunette locks.

Of course my neighbor was the one I was ogling; How else could god make it more awkward for me?

“Who’s the girl?” The first man to approach said slyly. His smile was warm and kind. His hair was clipped close to his head, and a healthy stubble grown along his goatee.

“This is Y/N,” Thor explained, whilst handing the man his drink.

“As in the Shithead’s new cute neighbor he’s too afraid to talk to?” He raised a brow, as well as a smirk.

“Indeed;” Thor nodded with the same expression.

“I’m gonna get some mileage outta this.” He sipped his coffee before turning his attention toward me.

“Hi, I’m Sam Wilson. You can refer to me as the handsome one.” He joked. I chuckled, shaking his hand with a smile.

“Nice to meet you.”

“He isn’t be too bothersome is he?” Another tall blonde walked up, his hair a lot shorter than Thor’s. His white shirt was stained with grease and oil. He had a towel thrown over his shoulder, what he probably used to wipe his hands with. He himself looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place where.

“Not at all.”

“Here I’ll take that.” He gestured to the coffee carrier. I gratefully handed it to him.

“How you liking the house?” He asked, handing out the beverages to their respective owners. My eyes widened at the question, before quickly going into fight or flight mode.

“Excuse me?” I began to pale.

“Oh, sorry! That sounded really weird!” He quickly apologized.

“Well done Rogers.” Sam sipped his coffee to hide his smile.

“Can it Wilson.” He elbowed the man.

“I meant was we were there when you finished moving in. I mean, we’re always at Bucky’s house anyway, so we’re bound to see you on occasion.” He scratched the back of his neck.

Rogers. As in the name of the shop. And whom is a frequent to my mysterious neighbor. The one who is a leader of a biker gang. Who co owns the shop with Rogers. Which I am standing in and handing out coffee to.

Fucking hell. Don’t die just talking to them. Play it off somehow dammit.

“Oh! Right! Yeah, that doesn’t sound so weird after explaining it.” I said with nervous chuckle; “I do love the house, I can’t complain.”

I most definitely could complain, but not in front of them.

“Hey Barnes, come get your shit coffee!” Sam hollered toward my neighbor.

“I’m coming!” He yelled back dismissively ruffling his hair out of his low bun. His long sleeved black shirt stuck to him like a second skin, in which I felt bad for the seams.

“Come meet your neighbor while your at it. How come you never told us she was so cute!” Sam said condescendingly, only adding to the mans annoyance.

“What the hell are you talking about you fu-“ his cut short mid syllable as soon as he locked eyes with me. Me, in my striped three quarter shirt and jeans looking like a French tourist. The only pop of color was a pair of red sneakers due to my job description.

Him, in his taught black shit and dark washed jeans that looked like they were too tight around his thighs. His hair the perfect length to still be short and place in a bun without looking too creepy. The blue eyes that contained more depth than the ocean itself.

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” I outstretched my hand.

“Bucky,” he ignored me and walked toward Rogers for his coffee.

“Bucky, manners,” Rogers held his beverage out of reach.

“Screw you Steve; give me my coffee.” He clearly was irritated.

“Manners; then coffee.” The blonde said sternly, holding the cup close to his mouth. The brunette growled, sending goosebumps up my arms.

“Stop acting like you drink coffee Steve, we all know you won’t do it.” The brunette smirked. I guess I know who ordered the hot chocolate.

“My point still stands.”

“Nice to meet you too, Y/N,” he glared at Steve, who had maneuvered behind me, as he shook my hand.

“It’s nice to be met; I can’t say the same for you at the moment,” I couldn’t stop the sarcasm from spewing out my mouth. A silence fell over the room. The brunette in front of me gave a surprised look, our hands still clasped together. The tension made me start to sweat.

And then the room was filled with laughter once again. It flooded the entire plain.

“I like her,” Sam patted his hand upon my back. Steve at last handed James his coffee, and the man sulked back angrily over to his corner where he resumed welding.

“I think that was the first time I’ve seen Barnes speechless,” Steve spoke with a fond smile.

“Thor! Bring her around more often!,” another man, shorter with spiky hair shouted as he walked away; “wen need someone to keep Barnes’ ego in check!”

“I heard that!”

“Are you always like this?” I asked Steve. He shrugged.

“Pretty much, Besides me or Sam; Buck is in charger of the shop.”

“What he means to say; is that we’re pretty much one big happy family.” Sam three his arm around Steve’s shoulder.

“I’m not happy,” The spiky blonde spoke up again.

“Oh my god Clint! We know! You’re never happy until you see your wife and kids every night! Jesus you are whipped, man” Sam and the man Clint walked off, laughing as they did.

I could only glance at the man in the corner I had just met. He barely spoke a word to me, and yet I somehow found out more about him in the time he hadn’t spoke.

I could only watch as he finished the piece he was welding together, sliding his goggles up further upon his forehead. He stared at the piece with great scrutiny, making sure what he had was perfect. The intestity of those blue eyes. It had an effect upon me.

The same way a lamb had when facing a wolf, especially when those big blue eyes were on you.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #biker #biker au #biker!bucky #marvel #marvel imagine #imagine-sio #escapism #blep #welder #bucky barnes imagine #beefy bucky #james buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes x reader #eventual smut

60 notes · View notes

reeltalker · 7 years ago

Text

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and its spin-off television shows) grows, the number of actors being cast also increases exponentially. Not only do we start to see more cross-over between actors who’ve worked together before (Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, for example, have worked together almost a dozen times now), we’re starting to see a great deal of influence from other large bodies of work. Now, with Thor: Ragnarok right around the corner, we’re noticing a recurring trend – there are quite a few cast members from Peter Jackson’s imaginings of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies making an appearance in this world of superheroes! Some are fairly obvious, but digging through the two extended universes, it’s actually pretty interesting just how much crossover there is.

Richard Armitage

Thorin Oakenshield – The Hobbit Trilogy

Heinz Kruger – Captain America: The First Avenger

Armitage struck a reasonably recognizable figure as the Dwarf king Thorin in Jackson’s foray into the prequel series The Hobbit, as he should’ve. But when you strip away the medieval clothes and massive dwarf beard, you realize you’ve actually seen Armitage before – as a Nazi in the first appearance of Captain America. Heinz Kruger was the Nazi spy that used a bomb to blow up the super-soldier presentation, stole a vial of the serum (that was thankfully destroyed), and killed Dr. Erksine. Though his MCU appearance was a small one, it was pivotal in Captain America’s journey, and most of us didn’t even make the connection to the King Under the Mountain.

Sala Baker

Sauron / Orc / Uruk – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Extremis Soldier – Iron Man 3 / King – Iron Fist S1.E5

Now this was an appearance I can almost guarantee you didn’t recognize. Though the voice of the Ring throughout the series was played by different actors, Sauron’s flashback appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring was handled by Baker, who was then invited back as an orc for The Two Towers (the one who sniffed and said “Man-Flesh!”), and then as an Uruk in The Return of the King. Afterwards he played an adversary of Tony Stark as a soldier effected with Extremis, before getting a role with a name in the Netflix adaption of Iron Fist. So not only has he branched the two universes, he has played multiple roles within them.

Cate Blanchett

Galadriel – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy

Hela – Thor: Ragnarok

This Oscar winner has always brought a presence of strength and mystery to her roles, so it only makes sense that she makes a big impact on both universes. She was one of the few characters to perform in all six films in the Jackson franchises, which audiences loved because the elf queen Galadriel was both beautiful and a little terrifying. Now, in just a couple of weeks, Blanchett will step into the MCU as the first lead female villain, Hela, the goddess of death. She stands to be an adversary of Thor and Asgard, but who knows where that role will lead her as Infinity War looms ever closer?

Benedict Cumberbatch

Smaug / Necromancer – The Hobbit Trilogy

Dr. Stephen Strange / Dormammu – Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok

Though Cumberbatch first drew attention for his appearance of Sherlock Holmes (a role once played by Tony Stark actor Robert Downey Jr.), it didn’t take him long to set foot in Jackson’s take on The Hobbit. Though his pivotal role was as the dragon Smaug, the foe of the dwarves, he also performed a voiceover role in the first film of the trilogy as the Necromancer who summoned the Nazgül back to “life”. He even went so far as to perform motion-capture for Smaug, though it was eventually discarded from the final cut. Then in 2016, Cumberbatch took a step into the MCU as surgeon-turned-magician Dr. Strange, wielder of the Eye of Agamotto (a coveted Infinity Stone), as well as providing the voice of his great foe Dormammu (though this is uncredited on IMDB, trivia confirms that Cumberbatch provided the voice). It has also lead to many jokes and petitions that when Tony Stark and Stephen Strange finally appear in a scene together, a Sherlock Holmes joke should be made.

Brad Dourif

Grima Wormtongue – The Two Towers, Return of the King (extended edition)

Thomas Nash – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., S1.E16

One of the favored performances of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was that of Grima Wormtongue, the twisted advisor to King Theodon that secretly worked for Saruman. He was slimy and everyone loved to hate him, especially when he got super creepy towards the king’s niece Eöwyn. That was not his only experience as a villain – he then went to ABC’s television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be hunted as the potential candidate for the Clairvoyant, a Hydra mole inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. Because Wormtongue was such an iconic look, it was hard to recognize him in regular clothes!

Martin Freeman

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War L to R: Agent 13/Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal © Marvel 2016

Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit Trilogy

Everett K. Ross – Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther

Freeman has developed a bit of a reputation as being eternally paired with Benedict Cumberbatch for projects, as the Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes on Sherlock, and appearing in these two extended universes alongside Cumberbatch doesn’t help dispute the theory (even though in the MCU, the two have shared no scenes yet)! Freeman was chosen to portray Bilbo Baggins in his youth (after Ian Holm’s performance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), on a journey with a group of dwarves as their burglar. Freeman stood out with his unique mannerisms and fun attitude, becoming a fan favorite even to those who were upset with the trilogy itself. In the MCU, Freeman cuts a different sort of figure – not only is he second character with the surname Ross (whether or not he’s related to Hulk opponent Thaddeus Ross has yet to be clarified in the films), but he seems to be an antagonist toward the Avengers. He appeared alongside Team Iron Man to promote the Sokovia Accords after Captain America’s group were captured with Bucky in Germany, and he seemed pretty happy to throw away the key on all of them. The magnitude of his role in Black Panther has yet to be determined.

Evangeline Lilly

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (2013) EVANGELINE LILLY

Tauriel – The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies

Hope van Dyne – Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp

As a rather athletic actress, Lilly has been taking extended universe roles as a rather badass fighter, so it makes sense that both her characters in these series’ can hold her own with warriors and superheroes. Lilly performed in one of the few female roles of the Hobbit trilogy as the female elf scout Tauriel. She eventually fell in love with one of the dwarves, but throughout the two films she appeared in, she spent a great deal of time fighting Orcs and giant spiders, proving her skills with a bow and knives. She then slipped into the role of a business woman who still knew how to throw a punch in Ant-Man as Hope van Dyne, the daughter of Hank Pym. She was a bit of an antagonist towards Scott Lang at the beginning, taking pleasure in showing him exactly how she punched, but by the end the two had gotten plenty close, and now she stands to be equal to him in a superhero suit of her own in the sequel film.

Lee Pace

Thranduil – The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies

Ronan the Accuser – Guardians of the Galaxy

Pace is one of the only actors to have appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy segment of the MCU as well as the Jackson-verse, going from something between an anti-hero and antagonist to a full-blown villain. His performance as Thranduil in the Hobbit films was an interesting one, as his elven king was both a hinderance to the dwarf quest and yet he was not necessarily out to murder them like the Orcs. He was also the father of Legolas, who played a pivotal role in the Lord of the Rings series. Pace’s appearance of Ronan was far darker, however, as an alien with a vendetta against an entire planet and an Infinity Stone in his grasp. He threatened to destroy entire planets in his rage, and was only stopped by a dance-off. Sort of.

Andy Serkis

Gollum / Smeagol – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Ulysses Klaue – Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther

Serkis is the king of motion-capture performance, though he surprisingly does none in the MCU (where you would expect they’d need a bunch). One of his best performances to date is as the deformed Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as both an antagonist and protagonist, helping and hurting Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mount Doom. His creepy snarls and creeping stance was left beyond as he traversed into the MCU as weapons dealer Klaue, a former associate of Stark Enterprises that was approached by Ultron for a deal on vibranium. It has also been established that he is the only dealer to get in and out of the mysterious Wakanda on a regular basis, perhaps hinting at more screen time in the upcoming Black Panther.

Liv Tyler

Arwen – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Ross – The Incredible Hulk

Tyler’s angelic face and sweet voice provides her with a great aptitude for the love interest, and her two appearances in extended universes reflect that. In one, she is the daughter of the elf lord Elrond, linked to the future king of Gondor Aragorn. Her visions of the future help to lead him down the path to reclaiming his throne, and her elf magic also helped to save Frodo after his encounter with the Nazgül. Then she moved on to become a biologist and become romantically involved with the nuclear physicist Bruce Banner. Though The Incredible Hulk is one of the films that the MCU crowd tends to ignore (even if it’s not the worst Hulk film), Tyler’s performance was still an important one to the development of Banner and, consequently, the Hulk.

Karl Urban

Eömer – The Two Towers, The Return of the King

Skurge – Thor: Ragnarok

Karl Urban has actually branched into three extended universes (if you include the rebooted Star Trek films), but his newest “trek” is into the MCU as the Asgardian warrior Skurge. He is a character playing two sides, trying to keep Hela from destroying him alongside Asgard, but he still cuts a frightening figure, so who knows what he’s really after? This is coming after Urban’s experience as the horse lord Eömer, nephew to the king and leader of the army of Rohan. At the very least, Urban’s got experience with all of the medieval weapons that a warrior of Asgard would be working with.

Hugo Weaving

Lord Elrond – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Unexpected Journey, The Battle of the Five Armies

Johann Schmidt / The Red Skull – Captain America: The First Avenger

Weaving is only one movie short of appearing just as many Jackson films as his costar (and according to Lord of the Rings lore, mother-in-law) Cate Blanchett. The two have, however, starred in the same amount of MCU films, both as villains no less. Weaving took the role of the elf Lord Elrond, father of Liv Tyler’s character Arwen, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also appeared in two films of the prequel series, The Hobbit, to continue world-building Middle Earth. He was presented as a wise and fair character, though maybe a little disheartened by everything he’d seen in the world, and more than ready to head to the undying lands. In the Marvel Universe, on the other hand, Weaving played the man who would become Captain America’s greatest foe – The Red Skull, leader of Nazi offshoot Hydra, determined to wield the power of the Tesseract himself and become a perfect being. His character was greatly unstable, but there are speculations that, because of the Tesseract’s ability to open portals into space, we may not have seen the last of him.

David Wenham

Faramir – The Two Towers, The Return of the King

Harold Meachum – Iron Fist

Another character who made a wild transition from franchise to franchise is Wenham, whose character in the MCU is extremely different from his Middle Earth appearance. In Middle Earth, Wenham appears as Faramir, the second son of the steward of Gondor who has grown up in the shadow of his brother, as he is the more bookish of the two and less of a warrior. He does have a great strength of character, however, as he is able to push out the influence of The Ring. When he appears in the MCU, however, that strength of character didn’t come with him. The series Iron Fist brings out his inner demon as Harold Meachum, the ruthless business partner of Danny Rand’s father, brought back to life by The Hand, and willing to do anything to protect what he believes is his, no matter who gets in his way. It is actually very funny how much he acts like Denethor, as though the influence of his deranged father followed him across the universes.

Mystical in Marvel: The Lord of the Rings Crossover As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and its spin-off television shows) grows, the number of actors being cast also increases exponentially.

1 note · View note