#kinda? this is the tag i decided is my mcu meta tag so...

[buckys-arm-and-rios-dagger]

So... I've been seeing people talking in the greater Marvel fansphere and saying that Agatha intentionally killed Alice and I *really* don't agree. Like, maybe it's just my chronic Wanting to see the Best in Everyone Disease, but I dunno, I believe Agatha when she said "I couldn't control it". She seemed just as shocked as everyone else.

For starters, I think that based on how we see it work in WandaVision I think that her power absorption abilities work sort of like a white blood cell in a body, for lack of a better metaphor. White blood cells attack foreign objects in the body, and usually that's a good thing like bacteria or viruses, but they can also be the reason organ transplants are rejected. I think the power absorption is a defense mechanism and is her body's/magic's response to being attacked, I don't think she has any control over it. I do think she's weaponized it in the past (ie trying to goade the Coven into attacking her, draining her entire Coven's power in 1693, etc.), but I think in this instance it's just how her body responded to it. Especially since she had JUST gotten her mother's spirit expelled from her body. Her adrenaline is running high, she's already been attacked, it's some sort of protection thing.

Not to mention, at the VERY least I think Agatha is smart enough to not want to kill the Protection Witch when there are 7 half-feral witches hunting her like a dog. I know she has Alice's powers now, but I mean. She doesn't know how to use them as well as Alice who's presumably grown up with that specific power set as opposed to whatever Agatha learned over the centuries. I mean, I know Rio is a powerhouse, but she's really the only one. Lilia's powers seem more aligned with divination and tarot than any sort of defensive magic, Jen and (until the end of this episode) Agatha had no powers, and we only JUST learned that Teen has powers, so really Alice and Rio would've been their best defense in a straight fight. I'm sure the others would find clever ways to fight (and again, we now know Teen is crazy powerful), but still.

Also, really the last time we saw Agatha talk about absorbing someone's power is in Episode 2 (last episode doesn't count because she was CLEARLY baiting Rio into talking about killing the coven to make everyone wary of her). And like. I do think, in her own weird Agatha Harkness way, she does care at least a little bit about the people she's with. whatever projecting onto Teen she was doing aside, her moment with Lilia during the first trial, as well as later when she goes to Jen who's panicking and tells her "they can take your power Jen, but they can't take your knowledge" and seems to be completely genuine. And I know she has a history of manipulation and is pretty much a career manipulator at this point, but I don't know I see these little moments and I think all of them combined point to her not purposely killing Alice.

I dunno, this could all be bullshit, and I could just be wanting to see the Best in her because of who I am as a person and this could be proven wrong in the next episode, but I just don't think Agatha did it on purpose.

[zuko-always-lies]

Ah, a Zuko realist. Now this is refreshing.

When I first watched ATLA, Zuko was easily my least favorite of the major characters. Apart from the obvious (him hunting the savior of the world for status and personal gain), the guy was consistently selfish, rude, and pretty much acted like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Toons…but not for the sake of comedic value. After being exposed to the fandom for a while, I kinda got sucked in to the “Zuko is an awkward turtleduck” stuff and it took me a while to realize that his fanon character has totally been perverted. And the real tragedy is that he has a ton of depth and some major redeeming qualities…the fandom has just chosen to ignore the fact that he’s morally conflicted and warped him into an infallible Traditionally Masculine Hero. It’s just a relief to see another person (there aren’t many) who seems to acknowledge that canon Zuko has totally been obliterated and replaced by something that doesn’t resemble him at all. (Any thoughts on why Zukophilia has become so rampant?)

Sorry for taking my time answering this, but I very much agree with you. Fanon Zuko has nothing to with canon Zuko. The person who I think has done the best analysis on canon Zuko and some of the less savory parts of his character and less well-written parts of his arc is @seyaryminamoto . I reblogged a ton of her posts within the last couple months and I tagged them all with "seyaryminamoto" if you're interested. In fact, I'm going to try to link all of them here: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x. To make it clear, I don't 100% agree with seyaryminamoto on just about anything. @wingsfreedom and @eshusplayground are also people who have had some good takes on Zuko, particularly this post. And if you haven't read this post by me on "power hungry Zuko," you might find it interesting.

Now, to get into the substance of your ask a bit more, I'll be honest, the first I watched the series I just saw the narrative framing surrounding Zuko and didn't think deeply about him. Honestly, I liked him in a way I can't now, since the fanbase flanderizing him kind of poisoned his character for me. It's hard doing meta analysis of a character when you haven't finished a series, and most fans never give that level of thought to a character. Unfortunately, the way that Zuko is presented and framed leaves meta-analysis as the only way to get a good grasp of his character.

I think one of the issues with the writing of Zuko's character is that the writers couldn't decide what kind of redemption arc they were writing. I think Zuko's arc unfortunately mishes and mashes between three different types of redemption arcs:

1. Moving from being selfish and self-interested to being selfless(i.e. the Han Solo arc)

2. Escaping from a toxic family environment and forming healthy relationships arc(i.e. the Nebula--from the MCU--arc. This actually requires the character undergoing the arc to be a little selfish)

3. Rejecting the awful values you have been indoctrinated in and becoming a better person through accepting new, better values arc. If I were writing a redemption arc for Azula, this would be the focus.

When you combine aspects of these three arcs together without being careful, you can end up with some very unfortunate implications. And I think it also creates a lot of the confusion surrounding Zuko in the fanbase.

However, by far the biggest reason why people believe "Zuko is an awkward turtleduck" is because it's how the narrative frames the character. The narrative always presents Zuko in the most sympathetic and positive possible light, even though his actions run very heavily against this framing. The two most pivotal episodes for Zuko's character are "The Storm" and "Zuko Alone," and both present Zuko as an awkward, kind, moral, selfless, empathetic, and compassionate turtleduck being harmed by his evil relatives; the narrator is heavily biased in both cases but the narrative never calls attention to it. Zuko's actions in just about every other episode also contradict these traits, but the narrative also never calls attention to that.

There are also some other factors about why Zuko gets woobiefied in the fanbase to the degree he is. First, Zuko is an abuse victim in a very obvious way, so there's the tendency(like with Ursa) to woobiefy him and present him as a "perfect" victim being violently tormented by his evil father and sister, rather than deal with how his abuse and indoctrination led him to engage in toxic behavior.

Second, Zuko is male, so the fanbase is much more willing to ignore it when he acts violently, gets angry, or otherwise engages in toxic behavior. Male characters get so much more slack here.

Third, Zuko is the deuteragonist of ATLA, we always see things from his point of view, and he ends up siding with(and being accepted by) the protagonists, so there's the natural tendency to soften his actions.

Fourth, the narrative ends with the implication that Zuko has become the perfect ruler and finished his growth, so the fanbase is less willing to accept he is flawed.

Finally, it seems like the fanbase is more enamored of the idea of Zuko(abused kid gets on a better path and develops healthy relationships) than they are with his actual character. Certainly, the fact that ~50% of "Zuko meta posts" are written by Azula fans suggests that Zuko fans are more interested in what they project onto Zuko than on Zuko's character as is revealed by his behavior.

[iamanartichoke]

[please blacklist spoiler tags: #loki tv series spoilers, #loki series spoilers, #loki spoilers]

I need to talk about the Avengers. 

I just want to express how much I hate that the Avengers aren’t on the hook for all their time travel nonsense bc they were “supposed to” do it and Loki is on the hook bc he wasn’t. 

I mean, I am glad that they addressed it right away - that Loki was inadvertantly caught up in the Avengers' time meddling, and that apparently they were doing what they were supposed to and that's why none of them were on trial, but - there are two things going on here that I have issue with. One is, of course, the scapegoating of Loki once a-fucking-gain, but the other is that there's a legitimate problem inherent in framing the Avengers' deeds as The Right Thing So There Are No Consequences, especially because it directly leads to Loki (and only Loki) being scapegoated since, apparently, someone's got to answer for all of this. 

Why Were The Avengers Supposed to Undo the Snap?? 

Of all the possible options they could have gone with (such as reversing time back to just before the Snap happened), going back through time to gather the stones and use them to undo things five years later is, like, one of the worst?? Best case scenario, it implies that the TVA is ridiculously incompetent in managing the sacred timeline and worst case scenario, it implies that the TVA is ridiculously adept in managing the sacred timeline, if their goal is to have it be the worst possible timeline anyone could end up in. 

The Avengers may have done an arguably good thing in undoing the Snap - I don't disagree that those people should've lived - but they also royally fucked over a lot of things in the process and left Earth (and presumably many many other worlds) in total post-Snap chaos while fucking off to die be with their families and/or start new lives. 

This goes back to the plan itself. One of my many issues with Endgame is that not only is the plan convoluted and, frankly, stupid, but also I have a real problem with the concept of the Avengers just saving the world as they see fit, regardless of whether or not that's actually the best thing to do. (If the Russos hadn't done such a shit job with explaining what the Accords were actually supposed to do, then maybe this could have been addressed somehow - like, okay, together we may have the brains and resources to carry off this plan but does that mean we're the ultimate authority on whether or not we should? Maybe we should check with, like, the UN or something about this? [and it’s entirely possible the UN was mentioned and I have forgotten it bc I’ll be honest, I watched Endgame once and have bitched about it ever since.] I digress.) 

The narrative in Endgame and into the MCU beyond plays like the Avengers only care about saving the world when they stand to personally gain from it (they want their friends and family back, they want to feel like they didn't fail, they have unilaterally decided that what they want is the Best Thing for everyone) and once the Good Deed is done and the smoke clears from the battlefield, there's no concern with saving the mess of the world they created. 

TFatWS addressed so many of the problems with the post-reverse-Snap, which implies that the MCU (both in-universe and out) is aware that things are fucked up now. People's lives were literally ruined by what the Avengers did. Refugees are displaced. Humans are coming back to a world where they've been dead for five years and their loved ones have moved on and their homes have been sold and their bank accounts have been closed and they have no jobs. And that’s just on Earth. Yet no one (again, both in-universe and out) feels the need to hold the Avengers accountable for any of this. 

Plus, what about the people who died as a result of the Snap but not from the Snap directly? What about the planes that fell from the sky when the pilots turned to dust? The cars that crashed and collided when the drivers poofed? Etc. Like, fuck all of those people I guess? 

And who, exactly, is "supposed to" clean up the Avengers' mess now that the actual Avengers are either dead, old and living on the moon, or retired? Is it on Sam's shoulders alone (or, rather, Sam and Bucky's)? Is Peter Parker (yknow, the 15 year old Nick Fury went and recruited bc there was no one else) supposed to be fixing things? 

The TVA takes responsibility for none of this. They sit back in their nightmare DMV-esque office and claim that all is as it should be but my question remains: please explain to me how the outcome of the post-Snap universe is ultimately satisfactory to anyone besides the Avengers? 

There's also the fact that Loki figures out right away that the Avengers were engaging in some time travel shenanigans ("the cologne of two Tony Starks is hard to miss” lmfao Loki you snarky shit). Loki recognizes that there's been an opportunity created of which he can take advantage, but he isn't responsible for creating it. The Avengers messed up and created that opportunity so, even if they were supposed to be doing what they were doing, there are still no consequences for the fact that they made a mistake that allowed Loki to then branch off and create a new timeline. 

Let's also say that we accept that the Avengers were supposed to undo the Snap exactly as they did. Okay, sure. BUT: 

- Was Steve, then, also supposed to decide to fuck back off to the 1940s and marry Peggy (which created two Steves, right? The one who was married to Peggy all along and the one who was in the ice?? The TVA is just okay with two Steves?)? 

- What is the actual point of Stephen Strange having the time stone and using the time stone both to gain the advantage over Darmammushumuuyourmom (I’m sorry, I can’t remember his real name) and to look at all the possible timelines to figure out how to defeat Thanos? 

- How is it possible that there are 14 million potential timelines in which the Avengers failed if the TVA’s entire thing is that there can only be one true ring timeline to rule them all? The fact that Stephen can look ahead and determine so many outcomes based on the choices they're making would mean that people do have free will and that their actions aren't automatically dictated by what's “supposed to” happen. They had to make the right choices in order to get to the one timeline in which Thanos failed. 

- What’s the point of Stephen having to protect the time stone, anyway, if there are presumably a few others in Casey’s drawer?

- On that note, if there are a lot of infinity stones hanging around in the TVA’s desk drawers, what makes the original six the specific, correct ones that Thanos had to collect in order to pull off the Snap and why is it then those specific six the ones that the Avengers had permission to go back through time to get in order to undo the Snap as the Timekeepers intended?

- And actually, in fact, if there’s only one sacred timeline and anyone who fucks it up without permission gets “reset” (aka made nonexistent, along with their timeline branch) then, again, why does Stephen have to protect the time stone? Either anyone who steals it was supposed to, or their timeline gets eliminated and the theft ceases to matter. 

- Less significant but also still kinda significant is how Agents of SHIELD figures into all of this. The TVA knows that Loki killed Coulson but they don't know (or don't care?) that Coulson was brought back to life and proceeded, with his team, to go on and get heavily involved in time travel and going back and forth and bringing people from the past into the present? So the TVA is okay with Daniel Sousa leaving his timeline but not with Loki leaving his? 

... I have literally confused myself with all of this, so if anyone followed my train of thought here, congratulations and maybe you can explain it to me lmao. 

But here's my ultimate point: the sacred timeline that the TVA is tasked with maintaining is not sensical or linear. It's full of gaps and holes and people taking matters into their own hands to determine both their own fates and the fates of others. As a result, a lot of people suffer kinda needlessly based on the events in said timeline, and apparently it's perfectly fine for all of this nonsense to occur so that everyone else has some element of control - 

- but Loki is literally the only one who is told uh, actually, no, you are supposed to live a shitty life and die a pointless death and there's not a goddamn thing you can do about it bc it's supposed to happen. 

What in the actual fuck kind of logic is that??? 

Thus, either the TVA (and the Timekeepers) are grossly incompetent, or else they're extremely competent and also really fucking shitty beings who just enjoy the needless suffering of others. 

And somehow this is all Loki's fault!!

And then Mobius has the fucking audacity to say, to Loki's face, “you only exist to prop up everyone else and you, Loki Odinsonson Laufeyson mischief god and king of space lol, do not have any inherent worth or value as your own person. You were born to be a scapegoat and you will die a scapegoat and there's no getting around that, if we have anything to say about it.”

To quote Loki, in a very twisted way - yes, it's funny. It's absurd. 

Does, uh, does this make sense? At some point I crossed over from meta-writing into straight up ranting and so, well, here we are. 

[delyth88]

Episode 6 reaction

Spoilers ahead!

Whoa boy! Yet again that did NOT go in the direction I expected! Overall I really enjoyed that and I’m excited to see what happens next. I can’t believe they left us on a cliff hanger like that!!! I do kinda hope this opens the door to Loki getting to be in the films with Wanda and Dr Strange at some point in the future (I want my magic trio!), but I don’t know if they’ll go there. I keep feeling like they’ll do almost anything but allow him to interact with the Avengers! Lol

So there’s no particular pattern to these thoughts… here we go…

I’m heartbroken for Loki that he lost Mobius in this. Mobius not recognising him just… agh! Can he catch a break?! I guess that makes sense of the odd sense of finality when they hugged goodbye in the last episode. And this comes after he loses Sylvie too. Very different circumstances, but he’s filled with this sense of urgency that they must fix the timeline and then all of a sudden the people he trusts to help him are all just… gone!

That moment when Loki first returns to the TVA. That was heart breaking! While I still don’t buy into the romantic relationship Tom sure can act, and this was so well done. You could see him take a moment to grieve then pull himself together for the greater good – to save the universe. Soul crushing. Ooof.

So yeah, damn. They were going for the romance. *rolls eyes* Ah well. At least I’d had a few weeks to prepare myself. :/

And they went the route of Sylvie betraying our Loki. Now that was interesting. It was something that I really didn’t want to happen, but I actually came out of this thinking that was quite well handled. I thought the idea that they would disagree over the approach to take was quite a good idea. It gave them an opportunity to dig deeper into the differences between these two characters. And I liked that it was a difference born out of their traumatic experiences. I think there’s going to be tons of meta on why Sylvie and Loki made their choices in that moment, and I LOVE that (as of right now – who knows what I’ll think in the morning) I feel like there is actually something to dig in to there, like it wasn’t completely shallow. It wasn’t some stupid repetition of the what’s almost a joke now Loki wants to rule line. And I liked that our Loki was the one who saw the grey areas and wanted some time to analyse it, he wasn’t just hot-headedly set on killing. And I liked that he finally seemed to have some backbone, some drive.

I was wondering where they were going to find some drama from when I saw that the head of the TVA was some new character (who I have to assume is Kang since online is full of how he’s the next big bad). Like how was that going to mean anything to me? Especially when so much of that scene was Loki and Sylvie sitting there listening. (I did love the identical postures with swords across their laps though. 😊) But this worked for me.

And I really thought for a moment they were going to have Sylvie kill Loki. How sad is that that the experience of IW and Endgame has made me fear for the lead character’s life so frickn’ much! Ugh!

One thing that I can see that may have been a problem for some people, and possibly me after I’ve had some more time to think about this, is that the finale had a lot of focus on setting up the next step in the MCU. Now while this is great, especially if it enables Loki to actually participate in events, it does sort of take away from the characters. At this point, for me though, the conflict between Loki and Sylvie worked enough to satisfy me. And then the mad tumble to the end where we get revelation top of revelation was exciting and a very energised way to ‘end’ the episode. But it is definitely NOT any sort of resolution.

And omg what are we going to do knowing where Loki’s at right now for the next months? Years? Till the next season comes out!? Lol

One thing I am grateful for, and again I think it’s a sign of my super low expectations regarding Loki’s treatment, is that I am glad that Loki seems to be relevant to things again. It’s felt so much like they’re trying to ease him out of the universe, so the fact that they wanted to make a second season when they very clearly didn’t need to does make me feel good on behalf of Loki, and Tom.

I felt like Loki had the opportunity to be a little more like my Loki in this episode. Particularly some of his responses while talking to Kang. And I think this just goes to illustrate the point that in the earlier films we’ve seen a lot of time where Loki is in very serious and high stakes situations. And the way this sets up what feels like some big action to come makes me hope that perhaps he might get the chance to be a bit more of that characterisation of Loki in whatever he shows up in the future in.

So, what happened to those shots of Loki in Stark Tower and in Asgard? I am terribly confused. They weren’t in there, right? I didn’t somehow miss them, did I? I thought, when we saw Miss Minutes and her offer, that they might have been moments shown to Loki to entice him to take up the offer. I’m a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to seeing Asgard and Loki in his Asgardian gear again. Did they maybe cut them out for time or some other reason? Were they pieces they filmed pre-pandemic and then decided against using later? If so, why was it in the poster? *shrug*

So no new Loki outfit. ☹ No new Loki powers. ☹ I still feel like the various hints in Episode 5 about Loki’s power really were leading to something and we haven’t (yet?) seen it play out.

Having said that, from the perspective of the end of the season, it now feels like the whole season was a bit of a lull, and bit of a time for Loki to learn about himself (and I would say ‘grow’ but all the talk of Loki ‘growing’ in Ragnarok have made me slightly allergic to that phrase lol), almost as though this is the set up for him to take on something bigger. I dunno. It probably isn’t, it never seems to be, but I plan to enjoy the next however-many-months we have imagining the possibilities.

I liked that Mobius got to have a conversation with Renslayer. That he called her out on all the nice things she’d said but didn’t mean. To me he’s one of those people who it feels worse to have disappointed at you than angry. I also like that he tried to stop her rather than letting her go for some old feeling of friendship or some cliché like that.

So that’s what that pen was all about. So is that a version of Renslayer that Renslayer is protecting? I’m not sure I followed? Or is it just a variant that B-15 found? If so, then why does TVA!Renslayer have the pen?

I get they were going for disarming, contrasting, and just a little mad, but I didn’t particularly like Kang. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays out in the films etc.

I’m here for the multiverse, though!

So, did Sylvie push our Loki into a different multiverse? Does each one have it’s own TVA? Is that a variant Mobius? Or is this some sort of ripple effect that’s changed the course of history, even in the TVA? Questions!!

My list of negative things hasn’t changed much since episode 3 really. I’m still sad that Loki’s characterisation is so different, that they haven’t addressed his time with Thanos or his pain from being Jotun, that he still hasn’t used a lot of magic, and that he never got to see Frigga again. And mostly that he really didn’t seem to be driving the action at all for most of the season. So I think I’m likely to be both happy with this show and disappointed, and apparently completely able to hold both these opinions in my head at the same time. The characterisation and the romance seem to be things I can become more comfortable with on repeated viewings.

I maybe a hopeless fool for Loki, but him having his heart broken and then being thrown into dramatic universe ending peril within the space of two minutes works for me. lol Poor Loki.

Right, that’s enough for me. I look forward to reading other’s thoughts.

Tagging a few folks: @iamanartichoke @scintillatingshortgirl19 @sparklegemstone @pinkpondofasgard @thelightofthingshopedfor @piccolaromana

[spaceorphan18]

What are all the projects you’re working on?

All the Projects, Nonny, lol 

Okay, well since you asked... 

The Fic Writing: 

There are two that I’m primarily focused on... 

1. 99 Perspectives on a Single Love Story -- which I’ve decided to parcel out a little at a time.  It’s a big project, that I could easily burn out on.  

2. Chasing Pavements - which is almost coming up on a year.  I need to buckle down and just finish it.  I have all the chapters outline, it’s just a matter of focus.  I also feel really bad I haven’t updated in a while, especially since it’s currently on a cliffhanger. 

There’s one I’m writing writing as well as these two, but am not posting until it’s finished.  However, since it’s just in my head, I’ve been kinda picking away at it, too.  It’s called Head Over Feet, and it’s a reunion fic set in the future when Klaine are in their mid-30s.  And it might be my favorite thing I’ve ever been writing. 

There are also a few projects I’d like to get back to when these are done -- One being The Spaces In-Between, which is Kurt’s story in canon and two, the fic based on my Final Season sketch that I wrote a few years ago.  I wrote the first couple of chapters, and really like it -- I think I’ll wait until that’s finished before posting as well.  

And, I have numerous one-shots and smaller ideas written down just in case I ever feel like writing those.  We’ll see!  

The Fic Blog: 

The Author Spotlights are still going on - on TDBfic, and those take some time to put together.  

Plus, I’m trying to figure out ways to help keep it active, as well as getting ready to set up a Summer Exchange for people to participate in (and am hoping to get some help in running that).  

Meta: 

You guys ask a lot of questions, which I love! But I don’t always get to.  Some of them take some time to answer, I have a few very old ones that I haven’t replied to yet, just because I know they’re going to take some time.  I also have to set up my queue, which sometimes means digging into old posts and seeking things out to fill the space.  And, there are things in my likes that need responses, and I’m always behind on that -- like, posts that I want to make replies to, or memes people have tagged me in.  

Meanwhile...  There are the Rankings 2.0.  I know I sometimes pause for days on end, and I’ve been griping a lot, but I’m not kidding when I say watching the show this way has been incredibly fascinating.  I now have a real understanding of things that bug me about the show.  In about ten episodes, we’ll be getting to episodes I like more than I don’t, and the tenor of discussion will change.  I’m looking forward to being positive about it again, lol  

There are also two projects that I haven’t posted about, but I’m working on... 

1. The Grey Project - which is a deeper analysis of ATOG’s sequel Grey.  It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years, and it’s a follow up to the analysis we did on the TDB Podcast.  (As an aside -- I think I want to visit the older fics on my master fic rec list, because I haven’t read any of that in years.)  

2. Glee Music Retrospective -- where I look at all the music in the show.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, too, so I’m finally doing it.  

The Book Blog and Marvel Movie Night: 

Most of this is non-Glee related stuff.

The Book Blog is just a way for me to keep track of things I’m reading, and share with you guys new recommendations for published works.  I’m also rereading all of the Agatha Christie novels (because I love them) and working through X-Men comics (which I’ve been wanting to do, and tried starting a handful of times).  All of this is a labor of love.  

And then there’s the Marvel Movie Nights -- where I watch a Marvel movie... all of them... including non-MCU ones.  I kind of wanted to see everything, even the terrible ones, just because.  I’m about half way through the list, and just getting into the MCU, which of course is my favorite.  

Other (mostly boring adult stuff): 

Of course, real life things are a constant.  There’s work (and now that I’m a manager(ish) I have more obligations there; cleaning my house - a never ending project; prepping meals; making sure I’m working out; doing needed errands, etc, all that fun stuff that takes up time.  As well as making sure I’m doing some kind of socialization and doing things just for fun -- like watching TV shows or playing video games.  

And of course, there’s my dearly beloved, neglected child - my original novel.  It’s called The Legend of Melaynia; it’s a fantasy, and I’ve been working on the world building for twenty years.  I am no Tolkien, but it’s been my love, and at some point, I would like to actually focus on it.  

Because I love organizing, I bought a white board that helps me keep everything straight -- and today, I think I came up with a schedule that will help me not feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff I’m working on.  

[crypticbeliever123]

Reposting my question because I guess I put too many tags for it to show up the first time but here goes

So basically I've had the idea to try my hand at a multi-fic universe of DC characters kinda akin to the MCU but I've been struggling to decide which of my ideas to go with for Superboy since his origins might shake up some of the other characters' narratives around him one way or another. So here are my 4 ideas. Which version of Superboy’s story sounds better?

Couple notes: In each of these cloning is unstable when you try to speed up the subject’s growth so Superboy is chronologically 16 no matter the version. Also, no matter what version it is Superman sees Superboy as a son and wants to be a part of his life but not every version has Superboy reciprocate that feeling. And finally he wears the 90s costume while doing heroics in each version, may or may not wear the t-shirt get up in his civvies though. 

A version where Krypto, Streaky, and Beppo the Supermonkey were all Cadmus experiments gene spliced with Kryptonian DNA that escaped. Krypto then came to live with Clark and Streaky and Beppo finding their own homes to hide from Cadmus in. Meanwhile, they’re secretly acting as the Legion of Superpets behind the League’s back in an effort to stop their former prisoners and when their initial attempt at a rescue goes wrong Krypto goes to the League for help in rescuing not only Project 13 but also his captured teammates, using J’onn as a telepathic translator. Superman is flabbergasted to find that Krypto isn’t actually Jor-El’s long lost dog like he originally thought and that his pet has been leading a secret team of super animals the whole time and then he, Batman, and Martian Manhunter help Krypto and his team rescue Project 13 from Luthor, causing an incident wherein 13′s telekinetic meta-abilities become apparent forcing Luthor to flee and resulting in 13′s freedom at which point Superman discovers the boy is a hybrid clone of him and Luthor. Superboy then runs away from the Kent Farm, deciding that as nice as the Kents seem he doesn’t want to be under anyone else’s authority ever again.

A version where Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman track down Bizarro after receiving reports that the disfigured clone of Superman had been robbing baby stores and find him with a newborn baby who he claims to have rescued from ‘drowning’ in a large cylindrical container at a lab he’d been captured in. Superman accepts baby-sitting duty so Bizarro can lead Wonder Woman and Batman to the lab which has since been abandoned and the only thing left behind is a computer file on the infant which states it is the 13th attempt at cloning Superman with half Kryptonian/half Human DNA, though the latter genetic source is unlisted. Batman informs Superman of the discovery with Big Blue saying he kinda figured given how much the kid looks like him and says that he plans on raising the baby as his son Conner Kent. Fast-forward to when Conner is 4 and Clark and Lois are getting married. The boy’s introduced to Lex Luthor, who is in attendance as a long-time acquaintance of Clark’s and Conner and Lex both notice they have the same eyes, causing Lex to realize that Conner is the clone he created a few years previously and that Clark must be Superman to even have him at all. Meanwhile, Conner develops a phobia of Lex and tries to tell his dad as much but Clark passes it off as Conner not knowing Lex that well yet (Clark is kinda really dumb and too trusting of Lex in this and it causes Conner to grow up resenting him for not listening to his belief that Lex can’t be trusted based solely on his gut feeling). Cue Conner, who has inherited Lex’s masterful mind, recruiting a whole mess of teen heroes from around the world to be a part of a secret movement called the Teen Titans to fight the villains the Justice League turns a blind eye to, either willingly or unknowingly (such as Lex, The Court of Owls, and the Ninth Circle) all while operating as the head of the group from the shadows right under his dad and the League’s noses.

A version where we follow a sort of Death of Superman arc where Superboy escapes from Cadmus following the apparent death of Superman to avoid being killed as he was created to kill Superman and thus with him dead is deemed obsolete. This story would follow Superboy’s POV as he struggles with freedom for the first time and trying to shake the conditioning and Stockholm Syndrome he’s developed over years of growing up under Luthor’s thumb. He quickly meets Bart Allen, fresh from the future who makes it a point to befriend him because his grandpa Barry had told him it was inevitable that he’d wind up in the past and that Superboy would need someone looking out for him at this point. Superboy also meets Tim Drake, who is less than forthcoming about his double life, unlike Bart who told him straight up he was the Flash’s grandson from the future. Tim becomes his sole ‘normal’ friend and keeps his association with Superboy a secret from Batman so as to both not betray Superboy’s trust by getting Batman involved and also not have Bruce upend his personal investigation into Superboy’s mysterious origins. In this Superboy has a low self-confidence and anxiety but acts cocky and showboaty for the public because he thinks it’s what people would want as that’s how Lex always described Superman to him. Superman returns from the apparent grave and Superboy either avoids him like the plague or actively works to keep him alive out of fear that he’d once again be obsolete and a target for termination by Cadmus if Superman dies again, but loathes the idea of Superman as a father figure as the words father and son have taken on a dark and painful meaning after years of abuse by Luthor.

Sort of similar to the last version but instead of Superboy’s POV it’s from the POV of characters like Lois Lane, Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor, Jon Kent, John Henry Irons, Martha Kent, and Clark Kent, possibly others too. It focuses on Superboy as a mystery to be solved as he claims to have been literally born yesterday which Batman and Lois both have doubts about. Lex’s POV has him stressing out over Superboy’s actions. The story has Superman discovered alive and Cyborg Superman trying to kill him only to fail and be put away but in doing so Lois finds more reason to suspect Lex Luthor is behind Hank Henshaw turning into the Cyborg Superman and begins investigating it with some help from Batman who suspects her case might hold some connection to his investigation into Superboy. Unlike the last one, Superboy isn’t an anxious ball of nerves pretending to be confident but is actually defiant and refers to Superman’s efforts to get to know him controlling and manipulative (all he does is fly into Superboy’s path to try and stop him from just flying away before they can talk) which leads to Batman determining that Superboy was abused. Different POV per chapter with Superboy's POV coming in at the end after Clark is discovered alive but before he has a chance to try and get to know Superboy because of the Henshaw fiasco (thinking a two part fic here) where we learn just what Superboy was up to this whole time and see more of the real him. (Already working on this one but I'm not sure if I want to include it in the multi-fic universe or if it'll be a standalone story hard to say)

[icyxmischief]

Hot take: for my own entirely selfish personal emotional reasons, it would really be awesome if MCU stopped pitting Ste/ve R/oge.rs against Loki.   It’s almost as if Loki himself acknowledges the way the narrative forces their antithetical moral alignments (Lawful Good versus Chaotic Neutral) to come clashing together, and often in the theater of Thor’s emotional development, and grieving process. 

In Endgame, not once does Thor mention Loki’s instrumental part in thwarting Makelith and Kurse in trying to take the Aether. Not once does he mention how he’s mourning his brother.  Not once does he even LOOK at Loki when they return to the Asgard of 2013, despite spending a good chunk of time talking to their mother Frigga.  He makes no effort to say goodbye to his brother, even in veiled terms, which I seriously doubt would have jeopardized the larger objective.  

But when he nabs Mjolnir, who gets to lift it later? Who is “worthy” (still, I argue, an arbitrary construct designed by Odin) both in Age of Ultron and in Endgame? St/ev.e, of course.  While Loki continues to be dead in the main timeline, and 2012 Loki is alone somewhere with the Tesseract and his festering resentments because for some reason post-Ragnarok Thor can’t be arsed to remember his brother existed??? When???? In Infinity War he was sobbing over his corpse??? Like, what????? 

It’s camaraderie at Loki’s expense that began in Stuttgart in Avengers Assemble, and you might say, “well Loki earned it by being the asshole attacking the city,” to which I’d respond please read over 80 pages of my meta tag explaining Loki’s motives and how New York was not wholly or even primarily of his own volition.  

The weird thing is this goes beyond the IC into the real relationships between the actors.  Who did Chris H even, kinda,  dump Tom H for (for reasons I can guess at but only speculatively, so I won’t share them here)? C/hris Eva.ns, of course. Which, cool, if they hit it off, awesome, it’s just...weirdly pointed that it happened RIGHT when Chris decided to produce distance from Tom.  

And by the way,  Eva/ns is a LAMB, and I ADORE him.  I don’t think any of this is his fault or doing. It’s more writers and directors who’ve decided this is somehow a compelling clash of characters.  And it makes me froth with rage lmao.  Gah. 

And I LIKE Cap, discretely, separate from this whole weird dichotomy revolving around who Thor’s “old” and “new” brother and bestie is.  

[dontcallmecarrie]

I just binge read TWiFFON, and its sidefic and almost everything that's here about this universe and sadgkjhakjg you're amazing and this is amazing and I love you and this is one of the best fics (out of MCU fics especially) I've ever read. IM1 is one of my favorite movies ever, I love Tony very much and it hurts to see what they're doing to him in MCU (and what they're doing with all the characters, really), and I love your portrayal of him so much, because that's real Tony. (1/4)

Competent, genius Tony, owner of the huge company, the man, who, without the suit, is still the person who’s built this suit. From scraps. In a cave. In Afghanistan. While being tortured. Revolutionizing science on the way. I’m looking at you, Mr. I-Saw-The-Footage(And-Made-My-Judgment-Before-Actually-Meeting-You-And-Decided-You-Suck). Yeah, you can see how I just -love- Steve in this moment in “Avengers”. (2/4)

I always wondered what footage he saw, btw. From before-Afghanistan? From the IM2 Senate hearing? From the disastrous IM2 b-day party? Even if the scepter amplified their feelings, those feelings had to be there in the first place. And AoU and CW just make me go Hulk, so most of the time I pretend they didn’t happen and don’t exist unless we’re talking about -consequences-. It’s been years and I’m still bitter and salty as the Dead Sea. (¾)

Um. Anyways, I love you and your awesome fic, thank you so much for your writing

Glad you’re liking it so far, and thanks! 

Also: same. [the rest is under the cut because surprise meta’s apparently a thing, as are major spoilers, and I get very rambly, RIP mobile users otherwise.]

I got into the MCU when it first kicked off, and my favorite movie’s a toss-up between IM1 and The Avengers [though, due to recent events, I’m really leaning towards the former nowadays]. I love all the characters, and if I had a heart [because no, I don’t, nope, nothing’s ever made me tear up nope heart of stone right here], it’d be hurting because of the turn the MCU’s taken lately, and the level of character assassination I’ve seen is….the best comparison I can think of include the way Naruto ended [specifically, Sakura], or…well, you get the picture.

Just…the turn canon took, after Phase 1, left a bitter taste in my mouth. Tony’s my favorite character, and seeing how the world’s done its level best to break him when his origin story is literally him forging his armor from the guns that would’ve killed him otherwise is something that I have very strong feelings about. Add to that my spite after seeing the turn the fandom took after Civil War, and I couldn’t not write the fic where he actually [albeit accidentally] took over the world, by taking him back to his roots. 

[aka TWiFFON’s basically me venting passive-aggressively about the issues I have with the MCU]

As for my take on Steve? 

Even if it doesn’t look it, I kinda liked his character, early on. The way his character was mangled by the writers is another thing entirely, however, and after Phase 1 my enthusiasm didn’t wane so much as it tanked, especially after Age of Ultron. [ditto as to Civil War.]

But early on? I actually liked his character. My headcanon/take on his approach during the first Avengers movie was him being adrift in a world that’s moved on without him, so of course he’s clinging to what he remembers. 

That ended up being something that SHIELD/HYDRA took advantage of, though, and while Fury tried to help, the HYDRA guys did their level best to sabotage him, which succeeded in ways that don’t show up until later on. For instance, while Fury’s crew was the one to break the news of ‘so you slept 70 years, welcome to the future’, it was a HYDRA contingent that were the ones to ‘ease’ him into it, and so his briefings on history and whatnot were basically sabotaged. 

As in, they made sure to focus on the shitty parts of the past century, and glossed over the progress, and did their best to be subtle about it so that when Fury came around, he thought it was ‘okay Steve’s still settling in and hurting’ rather than ‘Steve’s hurting and everywhere he looks only makes it worse’. I mean, it wouldn’t even have been hard; breaking the news would’ve been dicey enough as is, but I can guarantee that HYDRA would’ve pulled no punches in painting everything to be as shitty as they could. 

I mean, even if they were trying to help, it would’ve been hard enough: because good luck updating the guy who literally did a suicide run to prevent his home country from being bombed about the Manhattan Project. 

That alone would’ve been messy enough, but also going through Korea and Vietnam and the list just goes on, while also trying to go ‘we’re the good guys’, and I’m pretty sure Steve’s faith in humanity would’ve taken a hit somewhere in there. And that’s if it was SHIELD who was doing it; if it was HYDRA instead? Just…yikes.

And Tony has a lot of fodder that could be used against him. 

He’s a powerhouse, a loose cannon, and is very visibly anti-establishment when it comes to some things, so when Steve’s trying to cling to a vestige of the past, it’s so, very easy for a HYDRA technician to pull some clips of Tony’s messing around and gloss over ‘yeah he’s also a genius and built a suit somewhere along the way’ while doing their level best to make sure that Steve does not like Tony, because if those two got along it would not end well for HYDRA so best nip that in the bud. [I’ve got a fic idea that plays with that premise, actually, but…rambling again, oops.]

Doesn’t help that people’s values have changed, either; nowadays, we’re a lot more cynical as to what’s going down in Congress, for instance, or the military-industrial complex, so just right there’s some culture clash. Iirc, pre-Nixon, people viewed what happened in DC differently than they do now, and I don’t think Clinton helped any, either. And that’s just one example.

tl;dr: I headcanon that HYDRA sabotaged Steve’s possible relationship with Tony, among other things. 

Now, when it comes to the world domination thing…

You can probably tell I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s part of what helps keep the tone of TWiFFON fun for me to write, and I’m choosing to go the cracky route instead of the grimdark serious one because this fic’s self-indulgence at its finest, and my life is stressful enough as is. 

Because, I mean, for me it’s either laugh or cry, and I can’t afford to cry, when it comes to the tire fire that’s going on. I can laugh or cry, so I’d rather go for deadpan ‘so apparently this shit’s more plausible than some of what I’m seeing in the news’ rather than get even more gray hair stressing out over stuff I have no control over. [Playing with power dynamics in a fictional universe where there’s magic and aliens is very good stress relief, is what I’m saying.] Plus, y’know, it gives me an outlet for whenever I see yet another ‘Tony Stark was the villain!’ post. 

You probably know that originally, TWiFFON was supposed to be way darker [and shorter]. However, thanks to…life, I decided to go for broke and went ‘screw it, this is stress relief so might as well go for broke’, and since I love the Accidental World Domination trope…[getting rambly again, oops] 

Thus, why it’s going to take a literal Destroyer of Worlds to break it to Tony that yes, he took over the world. Oops. 

However, since apparently I can’t help but be pedantic about power dynamics and politics and whatnot: it’s probably more low-key than some of my readers are expecting. Here, it’s not going to really show until we reach the Final Battle arc, but I’m trying my best to avoid imperialistic tones where that part’s concerned. 

Like, yes, the fic’s going to devolve to crack by then, but the world domination part’s going to end up being due to basically [heads up for major fic spoilers]:

The world: so 

The world: you have Skynet in your pocket. A horde of them, even.

Tony: guys, you are so grounded why’d you pull that stunt I told you—

JARVIS: *is unrepentant*

FRIDAY: *is also unrepentant*

JOCASTA: *is shamelessly using her full capabilities to help clean up the battlefield*

Tony: JARVIS, you were supposed to the the role model, not the bad influenc—

Tony: wait what do you mean you want me to take them offline

Tony: okay you know what? Fight me

on top of everything else. But the above being the main motivation for Tony’s not stepping down after the Final Battle, and I intend to go into more detail when the matter comes up. [Hopefully I do it right.]

But for the most part?

It’s not like he can put it on his shelf to collect dust or anything, no way does he want to rule the world! Tony’s got more than enough power as is, and he’s happy enough being the Head of R&D. Hell, he’s got more than enough as his plate as is, why the fuck would he want to add to his workload?! Strange, stop laughin—Rhodey, why are you giving Hope money? Thor, you too—what do you mean ‘you lost a bet’? JARVIS, you are so grounded!

aka his life is s u f f e r i n g because he didn’t sign up for any of this, thank you very much, how is this his life, where did he go wrong in his life choices?

Strange, you can stop laughing any time now. Any time. 

…screw it, might as well roll with it. Anyone mind if they call themselves the Federation if any other aliens come around? Or would that violate some copyright law? 

meanwhile, elsewhere: 

everyone at Stark Industries is scratching their heads and wondering where the miscommunication happened before shrugging and carrying along because business as usual now includes world domination, oops

Pepper’s in Maui finally getting her vacation. 

JARVIS doesn’t really mind, as it simply means he has less variables to control for to help keep Tony safe and happy, so he’s completely and utterly shameless about it all. Even if he’s so, very grounded for pulling the stunts he did during the Final Battle arc. 

Fury is in an unspecified location, laughing at Tony while also feeling very proud of him because this is the opposite of a problem and free entertainment at its finest, yes, this was worth it. Not what he’d expected, but most definitely worth the headache.

[just putting it out there to hopefully give an idea of what I’m aiming for, at the end of the fic.] Hopefully it gets across right. Just…world domination, but with a kinda relaxed take on things.

Kinda sorry for the spoilers, but that moment’s one of the ones I’ve been really looking forward to and it’s been the better part of a year and this fic just keeps growing.

[mosqa]

by @bonelessnerd who is gonna read a freakin novel cause I write as much as I talk: too much.

Rules: tag 9 people you want to know better

Relationship status: Single

Chapstick or lipstick: lipstick. My drag name is Tapioca Lipse so...

Favorite colors: pale bright bluish green... I don’t know! I love the soothing green of forest in summer’s daylight and the turquoise of seashores, the deep dark green of seaweeds and the hills in long evening blue air. Guess growing up in Côte d’Azur’s countryside is the reason. I tend toward natural green(s).

Last movie I saw: this week end I’ve seen two movies in Paris’s legendary “Grand Rex“. First, “The Room”, with an actual visit of Tommy Wiseau onstage before the movie started and everyone lost it, threw spoons and scream “OH HI MARK”. The best worst movie ever (with Turkish Star Wars and the Hobbit III). Then I’ve seen Black Panther with my best friend. The movie suffers from all the flaws of recent Marvel movies, but it’s not enough to have a bad time. I enjoyed Shuri’s enthusiasm and Okoye’s “badassery”, and Killmonger is one of the best antagonist from the MCU. Plus Michael B Jordan’s flawless plastic. I’m just disappointed by Lupita Nyong’o character Nakia, which only existed as a love interest with a warrior make-up...

Top 3 TV shows: First, Doctor Who. Oh yes I’m not a “true” fan. I started with the ninth blablabla. Anyway. Donna Noble is the most important woman in the universe and I would cry instantly if I was to meet David Tennant. Steven Universe comes second. At first I was putting Adventure Time in first place, but this little weirdo of a show won my heart with Opale, and hasn’t let it go yet. Finally, it’s a hard choice (you’ve seen with “favorite colors” that I have trouble deciding my top whatever) but I will say the 90′s animated Batman series. I’ve grown with it, and I watch it again every two or three years. It may not be in my favorite at the moment but it has been so important to what I am that I can’t avoid it.

Top 3 Bands/Artists: My goddess, my queen, my cosmic mother is Kate Bush. She’s my gay icon and my beacon in the night. I love all of her albums, though Never Forever and the Dreaming stay my favorites. She’s also for me the soundtrack for Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” book series. Second comes David Bowie. I have cried so much the morning I woke up and saw that. I grew up with Labyrinth. For me, Reality is the soundtrack of Leo’s “les Mondes d’Aldébaran”, a wonderful comics series which I would recommend anyone to read if you can find it in your language. Last I would say Camille. She’s a french singer with a pathologic creativity, her texts are poetry and she has album entirely conceived with human body as the sole instrument. “Pâle Septembre” is my favorite but she has made songs in english, particularly in her album Music Hole.

Books I’m currently reading: I am currently reading three books at the same time BECAUSE CHOOSING IS FOR PUSSIES (and I have a problem) (send help). I have started House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski some times ago but I read it at my own pace. It’s great for people loving a faint teint of strange and an after taste of inexplicable horror lurking between the lines. Also, it’s freaking meta and a work of art in terms of editorial design (don’t buy the pocket version!) I am also reading Black Hammer. Started it today so I don’t really know if it’s good. It gives me a BPRD or Umbrella Academy vibe, so it should be good. I tag @nclm @arbitrary-stag @ocalui @theboymelancholy @fishhook-s and I don’t really have many others I could think of with whom I have had enough kinda discussion or interest (or which are not already tagged by Bonelessnerd) for me to tag here. PS: Sorry if I make mistakes in English sometimes.