#no hate to the mcu fandom btw of course this is just my personal choice to give up on the franchise

[thepunkmuppet]

btw if anyone still follows me for marvel let it be known that uhhh friendship with marvel ended, not counting the spiderman, spiderverse, deadpool and guardians of the galaxy franchises, quite a while ago

multiverse of madness, she hulk, thor love and thunder, loki and most (not all, but most) of their most recent stuff proved to me that marvel is just cringe overdone corporate bullshit now.

i still love a lot of characters, ships, shows and movies (pretty much everything tfatws and backwards i really like, and no way home, wakanda forever and gotg3 were fucking AMAZING)

but if michael waldron is allowed to write queerbaiting, autogynephilia and incest as if it was a romance AND completely decimate loki and wanda’s characters AND THEN WRITE THE NEXT WANNABE ENDGAME, then i cannot fucking do it anymore sorry lol

the franchise has just descended into unbearable cringey dialogue, oversaturation, terrible cgi due to disney’s terrible practises and just generally bad writing that makes characters and stories feel different and much less enjoyable

i’ll just hang out in my happy little guardians of the galaxy world thank you very much i’m done with the mcu forever :)

[iamnmbr3]

Hi! I was wondering what was your overall opinion or Ragnarok. Are there parts you genuinely like or do the inconsistencies ruin the movie for you? I ask because, as someone who really liked Thor and TDW, I also enjoyed Ragnarok a hell of a lot, and I was surprised to find out not many people share that opinion. Have a nice day < 3

 of course everyone has a right to their opinion - whether that is to strongly dislike, love, or be indifferent to this movie. and i will say ragnarok did make a ton of money so i think a good number of ppl probably share your opinion xD. tbh im also surprised it’s so divisive. i guess partly it depends on your standards. i think the MCU as a whole suffers from a lot of plot and character inconsistency issues and so I usually just cherry pick the bits that I enjoy. 

For example I was in stucky fandom for a long time and I really liked The Winter Soldier - it was my favorite captain america movie (don’t even talk to me about civil war) and was and is one of my favorite MCU movies. That said. It suffers from some pretty big plot holes. Like how come no one figured out about HYDRA earlier? When Steve realized literally the whole world was under threat why didn’t he try to contact the Avengers etc? And yeah I know they’ve tried to explain stuff like that away but tbh it’s a bit weak. Still I enjoy the movie and the more down to earth grittier feel so I just ignore the bits I don’t like. Same with Civil War where I ignore like...90% of the movie.

Now as far as Ragnarok in particular goes overall I found it a thoroughly entertaining movie. like other MCU films it most certainly has its issues. But I think in my view it does some important things. First of all, I think it gives Thor the character development he was supposed to get in Thor 1 but didn’t really get by actually taking things away from him. Rather than having the narrative continuously punish Loki and reward Thor, as was the case in prior movies, Taika did the opposite and had Thor lose a lot and have to go through changes as a result. Thor also ends up in a situation where his fighting prowess doesn’t help him as much as usual and he has to rely on other skills - like craftiness and charisma to get by.

Meanwhile, the narrative stops continuously punishing Loki and actually has him end up in a situation of relative power and comfort compared to Thor, who is fairing far worse on Sakaar than Loki is (and we know why that is. *winks with both eyes*). I also like that Ragnarok tries to show the camaraderie and affection that thor and loki have for each other and that despite their relationship being deeply flawed they do also have a strong bond. 

and btw. for all that ragnarok has a lot of humor it also has some pretty deep and interesting themes about family, love, forgiveness, and redemption which get explored through various characters including loki and valkyrie. i also really like that the film acknowledges how deeply flawed Asgardian society and Odin were far more explicitly than in previous films.

I ALSO quite like that Loki and Thor’s arc actually gets closed with reconciliation. And it’s finally Loki’s decision. Because he got shocked he could genuinely say he tried to stop them getting away but failed. He probably could have stayed on Sakaar without being kicked out as a traitor. But instead he chooses to follow Thor. And he finally gets to be hailed as a hero. 

Loki gets to come back into Thor’s life and be accepted for who he is now. Thor stops demanding that he come back in a specific way or that he become a version of himself that no longer exists. Also the Asgard that Loki returns to is not the one he left. Thor is a different person and the people he surrounds himself with are no longer the ones who continuously mocked and belittled Loki. He actually has a place and there’s potential for them to move forward. I really liked all of that. 

Now. Are there flaws? Yeah sure. And I enjoy discussing those too. Are there bits I didn’t like? Yup! But ultimately there were a number of elements that I quite enjoyed. Like getting to see Loki end a movie getting to make a choice of his own and getting to be welcomed back to Asgard in a positive way instead of in chains. 

Also remember that Loki never really wanted the throne originally. He wanted to be Thor’s respected equal. the movie ends with a wiser, more mature Thor on the throne and Loki by his side. When Thor asks where to go next, Loki is the first person he looks at. In other words, Loki finally got to have what he originally wanted. 

The Thor movies were very much the story of these 2 tragic siblings and having them end with the 2 of them on the same side and reconciled made me happy. A lot happier than IW and Endgame which I continue to exclude from my canon bc I hate them with a burning passion since they managed to ruin every single character arc. 

[definitely-not-an-alb]

fanfic tropes! identity porn, friends to enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, coffeeshop au (don't have to answer them all, pick what you like). hope work went by quickly :)

Ahhh! Thank you, anon!

Identity Porn

How  likely am I to write it: Identity porn isn’t really a narrative kink  for me, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to put it into anything, if it didn't come up naturally. Or if it would be funny.

What characters/ships/fandoms would I write it for: I don’t  really have a lot of fandom I could do identity porn for, too, so that's the next problem I have. RoL doesn't go for it much, and neither do TMA or Witcher or SGA. In the MCU/marvel comics I'm kind of only invested in Characters that just superhero under their legal name, zero fucks given in all canons I'm aware of, so oops there. Hannibal, maybe? Hannibal might work. Altho I prefere season 2 era, with everyone vague degrees of aware of each other's bs and scheming like petty murder divas.

Friends to enemies to lovers

How  likely am I to write it: Very unlikely. I think the only thing with this dynamic I like is Hannibal, as in, both Hannigram and Clannibal and Clannigram, but I don't think I'd really seek it out in fic or write it. I don't even know why, I should be into The Drama Of It All, but I'm just not.

What characters/ships/fandoms would I write it for: Like I said, Hannigram/Clannibal/Clannigram, if it's something that retells an arc. I don't really do Ironstrange, but enemies to lovers or friends to enemies to lovers might be the only way I would, probably. They just don't get along in canon, and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why people ship it so much. Also why is their Doc always ooc. Enough moaning, I'll stop, I'll stop. Have fun ya'll, but stop the goddamn cross/mass-tagging. There shouldn't be that much Ironstrange in the gen tag, ya hear me?

hurt/comfort

How  likely am I to write it: VERY LIKELY. Hmmmmmm give me that good hurt/comfort.

What characters/ships/fandoms would I write it for: Basically everything, lol. All my faves are idiots who need to be shipped with therapy and tortured with hugs. The Bev & Thomas fic is very hurt comfort-y, as is the Nonromantic-Soulmates WIP. Yes I know I never finish anything, shhhh. There's also an unfinished Strangewong fic in my drafts that's technically sick!fic (I MEAN ... what else lmao) and involves cuddling and soup and being sad about Endgame, so. Which, btw, is THE ONLY reason I will ever acknowledge that dumbassery masquerading as plot. To mine it for FRIDGE HORROR *evil laughter*. And then hand out soup.

coffeeshop au

How  likely am I to write it: Relatively unlikely? I don't really do fluff without plot (and I'm down with emotions as plot or snapshots that reveal something halway and sideways), and incidentally the only version of this trope I ever started would need a Graphic Violence tag lol. (If it wasn't LANGUISHING IN MY DRAFTS.) So I think I might be doing this trope wrong. Also doesn't help that I have experience manning a beer-counter / drink station, so I fall hard in the camp of 'that's an awful place for cute/fluffy shenanigans, have ya'll ever worked customer service lol'-camp. I see the appeal, but I also ... don't.

What characters/ships/fandoms would I write it for: Like I said, the only one I ever started was low-key a joke, because I don't do the trope and the fandom didn't have (and still doesn't have) one, and also because, you know. Graphic violence.

Have the first four or so paragraphs of the very unfinished RoL Demi-Monde Coffeeshop ... pre-canon canon divergence. Is there even a tag for that kinda thing? Anyways. I think the best part about this is getting to write a snotty totally-an-adult!!!-Peter who has zero respect for anything and thinks Thomas is the most ridiculous person he ever met. No graphic violence yet, only canon-typical ableist language.

There’s a lot of reasons people hate working in customer service; The bad pay, the atrocious hours, the customers, the service.

I did about two year of it, first on-and-off positions in some retail shops around where I grew up, punctuated by getting dragged along to my mother’s cleaning gigs, and then later, about a year in a not-actually-fancy Coffee House near Russell Square. And I figured afterwards my stint in customer service and retail had, at the very least, taught my younger self some much needed humility and compassion.

I’m kidding, of course. It just confirmed the suspicions I held towards my fellow humans. Especially the kind that start magic duels in public.

Now, I worked in a Coffee House, not a coffeshop, which meant Management got to price everything even more ridiculous then the rest of the world, we played wannabe-jazz elevator music instead of pop and our clientele wasn’t weird and crazy but more slightly bizarre and very deranged.

Like that one vaguely East-European guy who thought combining windowpane and paisley was a grand idea and who we – that’s the staff – did certainly not call Dracula, or the posh black lady who came to pick up her coffee before heading into the City every morning, except for that one time when, I swear on my dad’s record collection, she was wearing a diving suit under her costume, and of course Mister Stranger-Danger, who was the reason younger cousins didn’t get to do their homework behind the counter any more.

Of course we got your everyday stroll-by white girls and hipsters, but our regulars where, as far as I could tell, decidedly posh, but mostly not yet fully upper class, and also completely batshit looney, is what I’m saying. No offence to actual crazy people, because they certainly don’t dress that badly.

That’s why I didn’t even bat an eyelash when one day someone walked into the shop who was either a time-travelling noir-spy or a runaway extra from Downton Abbey.

He was a white guy, in that inexplicable past-40 age range where I can’t tell their age for the life of me, with a side sweep that must have been held in place with actual pomade, and dressed in one of those sleek looking, old suits with the broad, deep lapels and incredible narrow waists. To round off the impression that he’d come over, lean homoerotically close and tell me the name of the Kraut’s informant any moment now, he’d draped a Burberry over his arm and lugged an actual, honest to god walking cane around the city. It seemed impractical to me, but who am I to judge people’s fashion choices; I’m only the barista.

He also had that stiff demeanour about him, which I’d taken as a sign of something shifty going on anywhere else. Here, in seven out of ten cases, and even more with posh dudes, it meant that he longed to order something utterly ridiculous, with a long name, six ingredient and maybe some speculoos dust uptop, but didn’t have the courage too. Honestly, the way grown men start acting once there’s pumpkin spice on the menu is hilarious – you’d think we’re selling sex toys under the table.

[tonystarktogo]

Top 5 Favorite Time Travel Fics You’re Prepared To Defend To Death

Full disclosure, I absolutely adore the time travel trope. I have yet to meet a fandom where I didn’t enjoy it and the MCU is no exception. Especially since -- let’s face it -- it’s not like there’s a lack of issues that need fixing. Nor is it out of the realm of possibilities, in-universe-wise. I do my best to avoid spoilers, but that isn’t completely possible.

Here are, in no particular order, my favorite gems of the lot:

#1: If You Had This Time Again by dls

Tony Stark closed his eyes in a wrecked Siberian bunker and woke up on a demolished New York street. Four years earlier.

There are many, many reasons why I adore this fic and I promise it’s not just because I have a huge weakness for long stories (which, by the way, dls has my utmost respect for writing so much so well, seriously and their posting schedule is something I can only dream off). The changes Tony inevitably causes, big and small, immediate and over time, are wonderfully done.  But I think my favorite part is the way the author takes time to develop Tony’s relationships. The way Tony builds his family this time (in true Tony fashion both accidentally and on purpose) and particularly his friendship with Pepper are things I cherish.

The main pairing is FrostIron, which isn’t for everyone, but I personally love it and damn if it doesn’t work well in this fic. Their interactions had me on the edge of my seat right from the beginning, wanting more and at the same time knowing that the wait would make it all the sweeter. I could list more things, but I don’t want to spoil anything. I also haven’t read everything yet -- for that matter, the fic is incomplete at the moment -- because I occasionally lose track of this beauty during stressful times and then go back and re-read everything from the start. So far, I haven’t regretted that a single time and I know I’m going back to this fic again soon.

#2: We'll Meet Again (Some Sunny Day) by @tangodancer91

Stranded in the past, Toni Stark builds herself a new life, far from superheroes and corporate expectations.

Reading this series is both, the best choice and the greatest mistake I ever made. Mostly because it is wonderfully woven, heartbreaking and -shredding mess of angst -- also because it’s incomplete. I’m still waiting for my happy ending here *pouts* 

Seriously though, the series handles the interactions between a post!CW Toni and a 40s-Bucky-and-Steve, the developing relationship between Toni and Bucky, the inevitability of the ever-looming future events ARSIDLSLKSjksadkls!!! This fic just gives me so. many. feels. and I swear Build, Now, a Monument delivered everything I expected after the previous parts, killed what was left of my heart and was so freaking amazing that I had to re-read it despite the pain I knew it was going to cause me. What is it about angst that draws me in like this? I’d seriously like to know.

Anyway, whether the series will be finished or not, I assure you it’s absolutely worth reading. Just-- try not to let bitterness and tears swallow you whole while you do that.

#3: Seize Yesterday by DannieU

In 2017 the Earth is about to end. In 1987 Howard Stark might have the answer. The solution seems simple, except Tony has the worst of luck, and he might just be stuck.

In which Tony hates magic, time travel, babysitting amnesiac assassins and being seventeen.

Another favorite of mine. I really enjoyed the plot in this one -- and of course the WinterIron. But don’t let the summary fool you, the key words are indeed ‘worst of luck’. Which means that, yes, this another mess of angst and heartbreak. So much angst and heartbreak. I’d say the ending more than makes up for it, but to tell the truth I was still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster and couldn’t properly enjoy it. I also really liked the thing with Natasha (you’ll know what I mean) which I’d never seen done in a fic before (though I’m pretty sure there are others out there, I just haven’t seen them yet.)

Overall, it’s a great fic -- and contrary to the first two this one is finished -- and I definitely recommend it.

#4: Anew. by @ivivao3 

In death, there was no glory, no redemption, no salvation.

Only darkness and ice—or that’s what Tony thought. He closed his eyes in a Siberian bunker and opened them again on his 41st birthday, with War Machine flying into the distance.

This one is for you IronStrange fans out there! (And I know for a fact that you are out there, guys, denial is futile!) There are two obvious reasons why I remember loving this fic, even though it’s been a while since I’ve read it. One thing is indeed Tony and Stephen. The other is JARVIS. Also seeing Tony say “Go. Save. Yourself.” was incredibly satisfying, therapeutic and honestly couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy (okay, there might be a couple more on the list, but it’s a start!!) 

Anyways, the fic is completed and there’s also a sequel, though that one is still ongoing. Enjoy :)

#5: Veni, Vidi, Amavi by Maedlin

(We came, we saw, we loved.)

Tony's not the hero type. To suggest otherwise would be outlandish and fantastic, clearly.

Yet somehow, he's the one that's responsible for saving the universe. Now, he's a decade in the past. He's just revealed to the world he's Iron Man. Tony finds himself facing dozens of old problems, and as time passes the ripple effect of his presence generates ever more new issues.

All the while, the impending threat of Thanos looms ever-closer.

(Or: how I becomes we and Tony learns that not all burdens must be shouldered alone.)

Truth be told, I might be getting ahead of myself here, since I haven’t actually finished this fic yet. Oops. Still, it’s time travel and also it includes bot feels. (And yes, I’m counting JARVIS as a bot in this scenario, just let me, okay.) I’ve really enjoyed the chapters I’ve read so far, which is really enough to warrant a place on this list *shrug*. The story is also finished and has a still on-going sequel.

*

Obviously these aren’t the only great time travel fanfics, so if you have a favorite that hasn’t been added, please feel free to join the Top 5 Fanfic Saturday or just add it in a comment/reblog.

Btw what do you think about time travel?