#spoilers for the entirety of the 2023 run also but it's been out for a week so I figure no tags are fine

[ct-hardcase]

Or: Why I Ship Terekeeve, Why You May Want To Also, and Why Cavan Might Also Be Heading That Way

First, this is predicated on me being a sucker for friends to lovers. To me, this thread can simply be boiled down to “I like their friendship, think they have chemistry, and want them to kiss about it” and that can be that.

That being said, there are also thematic reasons that make the ship appealing to me, and, given recent developments with Terec’s character, make me wonder if Cavan may also be heading that way. For certain, I think that an emphasis is being placed on the two of them having a close friendship, and that this has mattered for their stories, and will probably matter down the line.

[Long post under the cut]

To get there, let’s define some beats in their personal arcs/storylines:

Keeve (Phase I): Getting over imposter syndrome/lack of confidence, realizing that her heroes aren’t infallible.

Keeve (Phase III): Desperately trying to hold herself together, lead the team.

Terec (Post-Drengir): Wants their own mind/to be their own self.

In Phase I, though Keeve expresses initial annoyance with Terec (and Ceret), she falls into an amiable dynamic with them almost immediately. After their first mission together, Keeve bandages Terec, and cares about how much they’ve been wounded. Though this is because Keeve is a good Jedi and would do this for anyone, Keeve also leaves her hand lingering on Terec’s shoulder for a panel longer than it takes for her to bandage them up.

Afterward, it’s implied that Keeve, Terec, and Ceret become frequent mission partners for the next few months (and issues) as they work to defeat the Drengir. The next big terekeeve moment comes when the Jedi undertake a mission to take on the Great Progenitor. After a skirmish at the beginning of the issue, Keeve splits off to find Avar, and Terec volunteers to go with her. 

After they separate from the group, Keeve recognizes Terec and identifies them by name, which they seem pleased by.

While Keeve may have identified either twin correctly before this in the timeline, this is the first time the reader sees Keeve correctly identify them or Ceret. Thematically, I take this as an early nod toward Terec’s individuality, which I believe this is supported in the next few pages, due to the following:

Keeve and Terec stumble upon the root mind, to which Terec says “I think she knows, Keeve Trennis.” 

Terec and Ceret, until this point, use “we/us” to describe themselves, as they share a mind, and the first time someone notices either twin’s usage of “I” comes later in 2021’s Issue 10, when Terec is about to get husked by the Nameless, and Ceret can no longer feel them in the Force:

Ceret: “I have lost them.”

Nooranbakarakana: “I? Since when did they say I?”

Ceret: “Terec is gone. I…am alone.”

Avar: “Gone? What do you mean? Ceret—is Terec one with the Force?”

Ceret: “I will…we will attempt to re-establish connection.” 

However, Issue 8 marks its first usage in the 2021 comic. I’ll come back to this, but keep a note that the first time Terec refers to themself as “I”, it’s around Keeve. 

I think that Terec referring to themself as such around Keeve in this scene is significant, both in that they trust her, and (though this next part is speculation), shows that Keeve plays a part in Terec realizing their wanting a sense of self.

Keeve then undergoes a major part of her own personal arc when Terec asks whether they need to call the others for help, and she responds: 

“No. We’re enough. We’ve always been enough.” 

Though this is a conclusion Keeve was long coming to, I still think it’s meaningful that she reached that conclusion with Terec at her side.

Later, the two are sent undercover to infiltrate the Nihil together, and while the two are preoccupied with the plot, they get a moment alone together in the Nihil stormship. Keeve nicknames Terec “Ter”, and while this seems like an alias for the sake of the mission and to fool the reader into thinking they’ve defected for real, put a pin in that for later. She also rests her hand on their shoulder as they get pulled in by the Nihil’s tractor beam.

The two infiltrate the Nihil and make a fun team to watch as a battle couple, but while that’s part of why I ship them, it’s not a substantive part of the analysis. 

Afterward, Terec is subdued by the Nameless and begins to get husked, while Keeve shrinks away. Though this is mostly a response based on fear for Keeve, she does lean on them for support one final time:

After the pair is rescued by Avar and Sskeer, we don’t get much else from Phase I that isn’t Keeve caring about both Terec and Ceret; though her sadness and frequent visits to their bedside shows the growth of her friendship with both twins since the first issue. Terec and Ceret wake up and save Keeve, which does a lot to show both them being damn good Jedi, but also equally her friend as she is with them.

At this point, between Phases I and III, I’d argue that despite the bond having been intact (or at least, until the Dregir incident) between Terec and Ceret, there are enough moments between just Terec and Keeve that solidify a dynamic and trust between those two specifically, as opposed to Terec, Keeve, and Ceret as a trio or Keeve and Ceret’s friendship (though I cherish those dynamics too!).

I also want to check in on how the two characters compliment each other’s themes:

Though Keeve describes Terec and Ceret as living legends at the beginning of the comic, she quickly falls into a peer to peer dynamic with them. She doesn’t have to idolize Terec and Ceret; they’re her friends and mission partners, as opposed to Avar and Sskeer, both of whom she idolizes and then sees their flaws.

We don’t really get Terec’s desire for individuality as strongly in Phase I, but as I mentioned earlier, I think that Keeve is the first person to really facilitate that, either in them, or as the audience sees it. 

_

Moving into Phase III, one of the biggest developments for this situation is the instability in Terec and Ceret’s bond, and the theme that Ceret is clinging to the link between their minds, while Terec craves independence, creating a source of conflict between the twins. Though, for most of the run, they still can sense each other’s thoughts and still have the bond, they move more as two different people as opposed to a unit. 

Another one of the more notable terekeeve moments happens in Issue 1, as Keeve is about to be husked by the Nameless, and Terec hears/senses that she’s in danger. Breaking military formation, they dive-bomb into the atmosphere and straight at the Nameless to kill it, stating that Keeve can’t give up. 

Additionally, Terec stops calling Keeve “Keeve Trennis”, here, like both twins did previously, and starts simply calling her “Keeve”. This disparity continues throughout the rest of the run.

On the same mission in Issue 2, the plot is mostly moving (though Keeve expresses concern for Terec before confirming their survival). Notably for Terec, they an implicit “I/me” to refer to themself for the second time, and again, in response to Keeve:

“The Nihil berserker has been shot. Am attempting to alleviate their discomfort.”

Issue 3 has Terec and Ceret blatantly defy Republic orders to help Keeve save Sskeer and jump to the Occlusion Zone. This confirms that all three are still close (and, while mostly unrelated to terekeeve as a ship, shows that Terec and Ceret will cooperate with each other for Keeve’s sake). The plot mostly keeps trucking along through Issue 4 (though we get confirmation that Terec still calls Keeve only by her first name, and that Ceret is still referring to her as “Master Keeve Trennis” or “Keeve Trennis”, for context). 

Issue 5 has most of the main cast hitting intense emotional peaks, but relevant to this meta, explicitly outlines Terec’s desire to have their own mind, and Ceret’s contrasting fear of losing Terec. Keeve learns that, though she can bring Sskeer back down to earth (metaphorically speaking), he’s not alright.

Though Issue 6 mostly keeps the plot and exposition moving, Issue 7 contains what I’d argue is this run’s biggest terekeeve moment. 

First, Terec uses “I/me” a third time when reassuring Keeve that they’re alright after the Yacombe child lashes out at them (“The Force protects me, Keeve.”). This marks the third time out of three that they use “I/me” to respond to Keeve specifically.

After the situation with the Yacombe child unleashing her powers, Goonral Monshi dies, and the group takes a moment to rest after nonstop plot since the first issue. The team breaks into smaller groups at the funeral pyre, but notably, Keeve and Terec split off alone. While this thread has mostly been on the substantive/thematic reasons I think Keeve and Terec work as a couple, I do want to point out that this scene has framing that could be seen as romantic (or at least intimate) with the two sat closer together than they’ve been on the page together in a while, and the moonlight/firelight framing them. 

After an exchange about their current circumstances (we’ll get to that in a moment), Terec states that “We will take the first watch.” while Terec is still referring to themself with “we/us” pronouns during this run, this is no longer a rule, and notably, they’ve just referred to themself using “I” in this issue a few pages ago, and hadn’t used “we” for themself since. While this hasn’t been explicitly stated (and creds to @deusexvalerate for this observation), I think that this context means that Terec was referring to “we” as in “themself and Keeve”, but Keeve was too involved in her own issues to catch that. 

On the note of Keeve being caught up in her own emotions, though the audience has been aware of Keeve’s feelings for a while due to flashbacks and her internal monologue, this is the first time she’s expressed them out loud to any of the cast. Terec and Keeve have been friends throughout the two comic runs, and have raised each other up before, but Keeve demonstrates a deep trust in them here, a trust that she hasn’t placed in anyone else in that group. When Keeve expresses her insecurities, Terec argues back that she has been a good leader. 

Finally, remember that pin I asked you to put in Terec’s nickname from Phase I? Terec dropped to a level of familiarity with only using Keeve’s first name earlier in this run (and repeatedly in this conversation). Keeve using an old nickname for them feels notable here, especially given the intimacy and trust of the situation.

The plot keeps moving along for the next few issues, and doesn’t really give us any moments I’d say are concrete ship fuel between Keeve and Terec in Issues 8-10.

However, in a very significant moment for Terec, they close the bond with Ceret during Issue 9. Though it’s been a strong theme in their story until this point, this is the first time they admit their desire for their own mind out loud. This also marks the first time they’ve used “I/me” for themself while not speaking to Keeve, which I assume will continue through the duration of Tempest Breaker and thr 2025. While Terec and Ceret seem to come to an uneasy understanding, I’m sure that any tension will get developed further during the aforementioned works.

I don’t have any concrete predictions for how Terec and Keeve’s relationship will develop going into the future, but right now, Keeve is in an insecure place due to Sskeer’s betrayal, and I suspect she hasn’t recovered from her insecurities about leading a team quite yet. Though Keeve feels strongly about Sskeer, she probably won’t confide in him about her feelings for a while yet, and though she’s created a strong bond with Lourna, their trust is still tenuous. Of her close relationships, it seems natural that she’d turn to Terec, given that she’s done so on multiple occasions before this.

As for Terec, they have to learn what it means to be their own person, now. As much as Keeve trusts Terec, they also had their sense of self affirmed by her, and trusted her to the point where all three times we hear them refer to themself by “I” (or some variation thereof), it’s around her. Especially since they probably won’t be able to confide in Ceret about their newfound split, at least not for a while, they may turn to Keeve for support. 

In terms of how their relationship develops, I hope it continues along the same lines that it has previously, and they continue to grow platonically closer. Originally, that’s all I thought it was going to be canonically, but between the sheer vibes (and content) of that Issue 7 page, and the fact that Terec now has their own mind, the massive factor that would potentially make a romance awkward to write just came down. Additionally, Cavan’s no stranger to a slow(ish) burn—look at Vildar and Tey from thr 2022—and the fact that they’re close could develop in a romantic or platonic direction. If we assume that there was an endgame that he’s planning with Keeve and Terec, there’s the possibility that it could have been planned from the beginning of Phase I. Finally, we have reasonable certainty that Keeve is leaving the Order. While I don’t think the catalyst for that will be a forbidden romance, it’s both a factor to pile onto why Keeve may want to go, and a way to either break her and Terec up at the end of Phase III, or provide a new direction for them to go in.

[444lpblue]

Heavenly Delusion #1 - Heaven and Hell

Heavenly Delusion #01 Screenplay: Makoto Fukami Storyboard: Hirotaka Mori Batte Scene Storyboard: Tetsuya Takeuchi- Episode Director: Hirotaka Mori Animation Director: Yuuko Yoshida, Ryouta Furukawa, Ai Watanabe Assistant Animation Director: Mayu Gushiken

I… I mean, what can I say? Welcome to Heavenly Delusion, folks. If you haven't watched the episode, go do it right now! What are you doing here? And if you have, let's talk about it.

Heavenly Delusion has been one of my most anticipated anime of the entirety of 2023. The manga is gripping, thrilling, and fun in its characters, making it one of my favorite manga of all time (definitely in my top 5). And how was the anime? I don't want to sound like a fanboy gushing over everything, as that would be biased and totally not good for someone who tries to write about anime objectively. But, I really don't have much else to say except gush over it. My review will not contain any spoilers from the manga, nor will I try to sneak in bits and ruin the experience for you, so anyone can feel free to read this.

You start off the episode by being greeted with luscious green and bright red tomatoes and are introduced to this beautiful facility with seemingly children to teenage students running around looking happy. But in every shot, there's a constant sign of this almost chilling vibe to the whole place. The music, unlike the bright atmosphere the initial moments try to portray, is soft and almost solemn in its delivery.

Eventually, the camera pans to Mimihime (in a fantastic shot), who's overlooking the other kids as her friend, Tokio comes to talk to her. There's still nothing wrong with this whole situation but the use of voyeuristic style shots by Director Mori Hirotaka creates an unnerving feeling as if someone were secretly recording them. It's disconcerting, and the shots felt as if they could have been done in real life. This sense of creepiness makes the situation feel odd, despite no clear indication of anything wrong happening. Then we're introduced to another set of characters, Maru and Kiruko

While the placement of the shots is similar and just as great, the environment is largely different. You get a huge feeling of "density" as soon as they switch to these two. The bright greens and heavenly location are now gone, replaced with abandoned buildings and overgrown grass. I can't find another word to describe its visuals except "dense". It's all so dense. The beautiful background work by Kaneko Yuuji is so detailed in its presentation that it's almost hard for my eyes to perceive all the details at a first glance. The colors of a dead, desolated city would likely be drawn as dull and lifeless by many other people, but the use of bold colors and heavy shading creates a beautiful presentation that complements the character design greatly and serves as a great contrast to the environment of the facility. I can go on and on about the specifics of the scenes as there is an endless list of shots I've loved from this episode, but I can't make this just a summary of the episode word by word.

For all you animation fans out there, the action scenes in the episode were delivered with much more flair than I even expected. The dynamic camera work during all of it (hell, the whole episode, not just the action) was simply incredible.

My thoughts on the episode are already too long so I need to start wrapping it up. The backgrounds continue to be a highlight throughout the episode.

I'd also like to point out how the direction manages to enhance the tension and creepiness of the scene beyond what was depicted in the manga. It's almost like the scene is right in your face, yet the portrayal is still indirect and subtle. We barely got to see the hotel lady's face as she's reacting to Kiruko and Maru's words, but the small actions and smartly placed shots are what make all the difference in changing the mood of the scene. You don't see it directly, but boy, does it raise chills.

There was also a change to the order of some things, which I thought gave the anime a much stronger point to end on. It ends with the old lady from the facility confirming to Tokio, who became curious about the outside world from Mimihime, that there is an outside world, but that "it is a filthy world, a hell where abhorrent monsters lurk." I think this sends the message of the show clearly and augments the effect of the title Heavenly Delusion. Is the outside truly hell? Is heaven just a delusion?

[mushroompineapplepizza]

Holy shit, I think the new way DC is writing Harley just clicked for me

~Possible spoilers for the current (2023) Harley runs

Thanks to the first portion of Black + White + Redder, the entirety of the main run that has been confusing me since the multiverse shit started just got a lot clearer. This issue is entirely correct: Harley has been a lot of things. Some of these things contradict previous versions enough that some writers have tried to explain it as her being two separate people entirely (whether or not I agree with that is a separate rant). At first, I was confused by this current run being so focused on her interactions with the multiverse. It made very little sense to me and I spent so much of my time reading the comics trying to figure out what it was going to build up to. Whether or not it was the intended purpose, this specific issue made something click for me. The multiverse of Harleys addresses the issue of her inconsistent characterization in an adventurous and zany way, which is in line with the main character Harley of this run. It acknowledges that there are many different iterations of Harley Quinn. Hell, you can go back in certain issues and look for easter eggs galore. Until then, they had all been more distanced. People have argued over what the canon and “correct” Harley characterization was ever since she got her own books. However, when you not only pull in the very-canon multiverse as well as many wildly different versions of the same character, it sends a very clear message: Harley can be whatever people want her to be.

As I was reading this specific comic, I was reminded of the quote “Anyone can wear the mask,” from Spider-man (who also utilized the concept of the multiverse to reach a larger audience). Harley Quinn is a character many people enjoy and connect with. She can be a very emotionally powerful and fun character! That being said though, that can cause fans of one version to disavow any version that doesn’t align with the specific one they connected with. In a sense, the multiverse addresses that too. For a character that has had so many changes in her story, this current run does not ignore its predecessors as many others have. The Harley you like isn’t gone or invalid because she doesn’t match the current run, she’s still there somewhere inside the multiverse. I find that almost comforting in a sense as someone who has honestly complained about specific tellings of her story, mostly coming from a place where I otherwise so deeply connected with other versions. I feel as though from a psychological standpoint, a huge part of her attraction is identification with the readers. Additionally, it makes the ever-changing and evolving nature of her stories a solidified part of her character. Whereas the Spider-verse may have been a tool to expand upon a fairly standardized character, the Harley-verse is tackling the magnitude of a non-standardized one. It is okay for her to change over time. It's okay for her to be different things to different people. All of them have their place. Again, I don’t know if this was DC’s exact intention, but I find myself really enjoying at least this interpretation. I feel like could expand to even greater lengths, but I actually want to read the comics I just bought, not just write about them ; )

Regardless, she is such a beautifully complex and adaptable character with so many great stories to tell because of that. I love her so much

< 3

[culttvblog]

The Guardians: Part 12 - The Killing Trade

Spoiler alert: in this blog post I spoil the conclusion of this episode. This episode of The Guardians brings together the disparate interests by the very simple means of having Tom and Claire Weston both in the Benedicts' house, looked after by Mrs Weston while Dr Weston is out seeing to things. The episode starts with a montage of shots of action by Quarmby, which you could either call protest or possibly terrorist action as you will. I am very happy to accept the possibility that I have missed a major facet of the plot, but Tom Weston spends the entirety of this episode comatose in bed in the Benedicts' house, and I'm not sure of what happened to make him that unwell. My recollection is that we last saw him bombing the Guardians' headquarters in Redditch, so it may well have been that. Anyway, because he's not taking part except to lie there, and Dr Benedict is out, the episode takes the form of an extended conversation between Mrs Weston and Mrs Benedict. If you like the thread of this show where people agonise about their relationships and things, you will love this episode. If you don't you can just not watch it at all because I'm going to tell you what happens. Claire Weston's character is rather annoying in this episode, but this isn't a criticism, because she's clearly intended to be annoying. She ignores the security that Quarmby need to maintain by going out, she's obviously not really engaged in it, she's ambivalent about her husband and what he's been doing, and ultimately makes her own decision about how to resolve the situation that she has agonised about for twelve episodes of this show. She resolves her situation by killing her husband with a suicide pill. She does this completely unilaterally and without consulting, or even telling, Mrs Benedict, who then has another murdered body in the house and that is how the episode ends. She concludes that she didn't love her husband but felt pity for him. My main criticism is a completely personal one that I find this way of resolving the plot (in the penultimate episode) very unsatisfying. In a sense it isn't a resolution at all. I also sense a certain moral tinge to the episode, suggesting that Tom ended up in the state he did because of being a violent resister to the government and look he got the end he deserved. In contrast to the complex polticial discussions of the earlier episodes it's a bit too easy and feels like the series is a train on a long journey which has suddenly derailed. On the other hand I now really want to see how the series concludes in the next episode, the final one. Perhaps Claire will run off to her lover, the PM's son, and both overthrow the government and Quarmby. Frankly nothing would surprise me about this show. My other criticism is a purely practical one, which is an apparent inconsistency in the descriptions of Tom Weston's state. He's described as taking tablets and being fed and yet when he's on screen he looks absolutely comatose, having to be physically moved and dressed. You may not feel that this amounts to a continuity error but it just strikes me as wrong. In all, an episode which will suit people who like discussion, but can be omitted by everyone else because only one event happens which really moves the plot on. This blog is mirrored at culttvblog.tumblr.com/archive (from September 2023) and culttvblog.substack.com (from January 2023 and where you can subscribe by email) Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

[vydante]

Restart | Avengers x Male! Reader | 5

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Avengers x Male! Reader (romantically: undecided)

Plot: Dr. Strange said there was only one possibility of winning the battle against Thanos.

But when (Name) is forced into the past and into his younger body, he’s suddenly given the chance to start over and prevent the future from happening again.

So which route are you going to take? Are you going to risk the future and take preventative measures, or live life with the Avengers for the next 4 years, knowing what will soon come?

A/N: Long. Includes Endgame Spoilers.

You lie on your bed silently contemplating. The others had already settled down in their respective homes, and so far the only Avengers still in the building was your dad and Steve, who was also still here, but it was around this time that he’d usually go back to his apartment. He’s probably finishing up sending the report to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Yesterday’s mission had been a success, but that didn’t mean it never left the back of your head. You will admit, you can’t remember every single detail of every mission you went on, but you definitely knew that the mission wasn’t supposed to go the way it did.

"Look who we have here, a baby Stark."

The door slammed itself stuck as a heavily accented voice spoke up.

You turned around and held a neutral stance as you were surrounded by around 40 or so enemies. They all held guns- a few even had knives, strangely enough.

A pit formed in your stomach, all of your senses screaming at you that this was wrong. You didn't remember this happening. You were supposed to get the file and go, no hassles, no fighting, no nada. Nothing.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

But you had to keep face.

"I think you mean the superior Stark."

Even if you were severely outmatched, especially with a 1-40 ratio, your sarcasm was one of your most successful defense mechanism. They couldn't see it, but you were slightly panicking underneath your helmet. The only thing they could sense was the snarkiness in your voice.

The guy in front- he seems to be the leader of the pack behind him- spits on the floor and holds his gun point blank at your face.

"Let's cut to the chase. Come with us quietly, and we won't hurt you."

You eyed the blinking words in your U.I.

'Thruster Percent: 98...'

You shakingly smiled and raised both of your hands, making the man smile- he seems a bit too happy, maybe he thinks that he actually intimidated you.

Though you were a bit scared, it wasn't because of them per se. You breathed in and out.

You've faced worse. You're only panicking because this wasn't planned for. But you're good on your feet- you've fought worse.

40 guys with guns- which can't even penetrate your armor, though it can damage it- is nothing. Besides, you've fought an overpowered grape with balls for chins and lived, so this shouldn't be that much of a challenge.

You sighed with a regained sense of confidence. He's lowering his gun. He thinks he's won.

"When has that tactic ever work?"

You shot your blasters straight at him as they all raised their guns. Their leader crashes against the guy behind him as bullets start flying at you. You flew into the air as you made sure to keep the folder from being hit.

You shot left and right as the bullets pelted themselves at you- some missed, some didn't.

You shot a continuous beam and turned a full 360, taking down a significant amount of guys in one go.

'Structural Integrity: 92%...'

You will admit, that did take a punch at your pride knowing you were getting shot at a lot. You launched your body at a huddled group, knocking almost all of them out as you roundhoused kicked, one guy.

You grunted as you heard your dad call your name over the comms. He sounds panicked. Your comms were off as you were a bit busy right now. You knew you should probably respond back, but being surrounded by a bunch of guys made talking seem like kind of a bad idea right now.

You grunted as someone elbowed you in the head, but you launched forward and headbutted them.

So far, only a fourth of their original crew still remains. You grabbed one by their neck and slammed them into their buddy. You feel arms wrap themselves around your neck, but you scoff.

As if that'd do anything.

You huffed as you hit the back of your head against the guy's head.

There was only a few of them left, and they were all the more easy to take out. Just a few punches and blasters in their faces- not literally, that's just cruel- you soon found yourself surrounded by piles of bodies, some obviously alive and some... You weren't too sure.

You took your helmet off and panted as you scratched your head.

Now that the storm was gone, now you were just left with questions.

What just happened? Was this supposed to happen? Or was your memory just failing you right now?

But before you had time to even think any more, the sound of the door opening with great force brings you back to reality. You turned around with a dumb look on your face, meeting your dad and Steve's equally dumb expression on his face. All of you were panting as you spoke up quietly.

"Uh, hey guys. I got the folder."

You don’t remember being ambushed like that. After all, if you know yourself- which you did- then you know that teenager you wouldn’t have been able to handle that many enemies at once.

Of course, you're more experienced and knew how to handle them- you've handled worse before.

For sure, you would remember being severely injured from the mission, but nothing came to your mind. All you remembered that, obviously, the mission was a success, but never at your cost.

You shook your head and turned to your side. Maybe your memory was just lacking. After all, it had been nearly a decade since this particular mission; it wasn’t like you were going to remember everything.

But it still lingered in your mind. You sighed and sat up, feeling restless. For now, you’ll just have to brush that aside.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., is anyone in the lab right now?”

“No, sir.”

Good.

You had a lot of goals you needed to complete, and the first one was making your nanotech suit. You will admit, it was going to be difficult given that 2013 tech simply isn’t what it is 10 years into the future. Maybe you’ll start small- perhaps you should try to recreate your dad’s prototype?

You cautiously opened the door and glanced around. You made your way down the empty building and into the lab. The lights automatically turned on as you made your way to your section, and cracked your knuckles. You glanced at a nearby clock.

‘11:28 PM’

You hummed.

It shouldn’t take you that long. If 2023 Tony can figure out time travel in under a day, 2023 you can make a nanotech watch in under 12 hours. All that matter is the supplies.

Morning rolled around and Tony was in the kitchen, his body still sore from the day before. He brewed a cup of coffee and quietly sipped on it as he checked the monitors as he normally does. Pepper was still in bed as Tony was feeling restless for once. As he swiped through each camera recording, there seemed to be nothing unusual going on. He wanted to make extra sure though.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., give me a diagnostics. Anything changed?”

Tony hummed as the familiar voice rang through the kitchen.

“Just the usual, sir. However, (Name) has been in the lab for the whole entirety of the night, sir.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Pull up the camera footage.”

“Of course, sir.”

The monitor appeared out of thin air and in front of him. The camera was facing your back as you sat hunched over a table. Your surroundings looked like a mess, with exposed wires and plenty of metal plates scattered everywhere. Your hair was a mess, and judging by your clothes you hadn’t changed ever since you got home.

And even though there was sound on, Tony could barely hear anything. Just the sound of Dum-E going buck wild, and in the corner of the camera view, he seemed to be waving something around. Was that a plastic hand?

“What’s he doing?”

J.A.R.V.I.S. was quiet. J.A.R.V.I.S.’ voice echoes through the camera, and he sees your head pop up to answer J.A.R.V.I.S. quietly. Tony struggles to hear it.

“... He says he’s working on homework, sir.”

Tony rolled his eyes. He grabbed another cup and poured coffee into it, knowing very well that you hadn’t drunk or eaten anything in hours.

“Yeah, sure. Tell him I’m coming down there.”

“Of course, sir.”

Your heart sank to your toes as you heard J.A.R.V.I.S. relay what Tony told him to tell you. You scrambled as you tried to pull something out to make it look like homework. You dug your hand in your cabinet as you pulled out a bunch of unfinished projects.

You were getting frustrated and just pulled something out, no matter if it wasn’t what you wanted and found some dingy project- it looks like a mini version of Dum-E with a crudely painted “Smart-E” doodled on it.

You tossed it straight on your table.

You glanced at your watch and in a panic, you slapped it around your wrist as you struggled to buckle it tightly on. You had just finished with it and was running through the settings and schematics of it, but you’ll just have to do that later. Just as you finish getting it on your wrist, your dad walked into the lab.

“Guess who has coffee?”

You sent him a tired and anxious smile. You hadn’t seen a single person ever since Steve dropped by last night to say his goodbyes, so seeing someone alive after being alone for so long was weird for you.

“Someone’s up early.”

You murmured as your eyes lingered on the steaming cup. He came around your desk and settled right in front of you. He handed you your cup of coffee to which you gracefully took. He smirked at you.

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Late Nighter. I'd thought being on the battlefield yesterday would've tuckered you out.”

You rolled your eyes as you took a sip of coffee. You nervously twitched as you placed your hand in between your thighs as if you were cold.

“I'm young, I've got energy. You guys are just old. What do you need?”

He placed his hands on his chest.

“What, can I not visit my child while he does his… homework?”

He questioned your Smart-E as you coughed quietly. You will admit, it looked pretty stupid for it to be ‘homework’.

“Yeah, it’s more of a personal homework though. Nothing for school.”

You cringed as your voice cracked midway through. Your dad held back a smile. Puberty, he probably thought.

“I can tell.”

You kicked him, making him laugh as he swiveled around in his chair. He may be old, but he still has plenty of spirit in him for him to be giggling like a school girl.

You placed your cup down on the table and lifted Smart-E into the cabinet, even though you just took it out. Chances are, the poor thing’s not gonna ever see the light of day again.

Your dad was silent for a moment, his eyes tracked on your wrist unbeknownst to you. He took another sip of his coffee as you closed the drawer.

“Nice watch. Didn’t take you for a watch guy.”

You jumped.

“Wha- what watch?”

Your eyes snap to your wrist and you laughed. You tried to think of the best lie possible, but the only thing that popped up was something that made you cringe at how bad it sounded.

“Oh, this thing, it’s uh, the Apple Watch! Yeah, Apple Watch… Just bought it recently, haha.”

Confusion flashed over Tony’s eyes, but it was quickly erased with humor. He smiled and stood up as he stretched. He strolled over to the entryway as he yelled back at you.

"Leaving so soon?"

You called out to him. Though you did want him to leave as fast as possible so you can continue with your work, you will miss him a bit.

“Well, there's a meeting today so I gotta wake up Ms. Potts. We'll head over in a few hours. I’d ask you to come, but you have class tomorrow. Catch up on those Z’s and quit staying up late!”

The door shut as you were left sitting in your seat confused. You pulled out your phone and skimmed through your calendar.

'Isn't tomorrow a teacher workday?'

Unbeknownst to you, Tony head through the halls quietly with an equally as confused expression as you. He scratched his head as he entered the elevator.

'What's an Apple Watch?'

You finally finished finicking with the last settings on your 'prototype'. You will admit, it does look just like an Apple Watch- you may or may not have owned one in the later years, having finally given into the Apple ecosystem- but the OS isn't it. It's disguised as a watch, and yes it does function like one, but pushing the right buttons pulls out the nanotech stored inside.

You looked at its final form. Similar to your dad's prototype, it looked like a skin-tight glove with metallic plates fitted around it. It just has a different color scheme- your color scheme. 

So far, it has just about as much as you could try to fit in the thing. You just pray that you don't have to use it around your dad, otherwise you'll have him breathing down your neck as to what was in your watch.

The watch transformed back into its natural state as just a watch. You securely tightened it around your wrist as you sighed and stretched.

You cleaned up your station and as you were leaving the lab, you heard J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice through the speakers.

"Sir, Ms. Potts is calling you down for dinner."

You raised an eyebrow.

"Already?"

"It's 7 PM, sir."

You took a glance outside the window, and it was indeed getting dark.

You sighed quietly as you turned the lights off in the lab. You thought to yourself as you made your way down to the dining area.

You suppose that, for now, you'll just have to resume life as the normal teenager (Name). At the end of the day, you still had your duties as a high school student to keep up with, even if you were an Avenger- especially one from the future, at that.

You just pray that you remember how to act like a teenager when tomorrow comes round.

Masterlist

[buckities]

I wanna talk Endgame.

Spoilers. Obviously.

NO, REALLY! SO MANY SPOILERS!

  So the first watch is a thrill unlike anything else. You’re running on adrenaline. You’re on the edge of your seat. Everything is happening at once and you eat it all up and everything is beautiful and everything hurts. The second watch is a profound emotion. It’s still thrilling, but the edge of ‘WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT’ is out of the equation, so now you know what to process. You cry. You cry a lot. Everything is beautiful and everything hurts. And everything is beautiful.

So if you’re here for salt and hate, this ain’t it. This will be just waxing poetic to an epic movie that I adore with all my heart. For me, it was brilliantly constructed, brilliantly written, brilliantly directed and brilliantly acted, gave closure to storylines that needed closure and left open-ended those stories that could/will go on. Juggling this many characters, this many versions of the characters, in such a so-much-plot plot, and giving everyone their moments, their scene to shine, while paying off past things, subverting expectations, making justice to and furthering the characters, reestablishing relationships, tying off loose ends and wrapping up major storylines? Jesus Christ. That is A Feat and they did it beautifully and redefined the entirety of the previous movies in the most positive way possible. It was simultaneously a movie So Big, So Massive, yet so Personal and Intimate.

That said, the real MVP of Endgame was, clearly, the rat.

I am always wary of time travel movies, because time travel confuses me, but they established the most important rule – the past doesn’t affect the present. I was so relieved over that, ‘cause I was terrified that them messing with the past would alter the present or negate what the characters have gone through or retcon things. There’s things I don’t get, at least not yet, eg how did Thanos’ ship get to 2023 without a Pym Particle? Does Past Nebula know some kinda programming that our peeps don’t, which doesn’t require Pym Particles? Do I really care? Absolutely not.

I am pro-Thor. Dude is traumatized. I know much of it has a joke-type vibe, but if you sit on it for a minute, dude is traumatized.

If Natasha and Tony had to die, their deaths were executed beautifully. They are tragic, but they matter, and they’re not played up for melodrama. Natasha “It’s Okay” Romanoff, her catharsis of the way she saw herself, which was a much more cruel way than the way we saw her, giving her all for her family and the greater good. Tony, not bested by a villain, not slain in battle, but going out on his own terms because He Is Iron Man. Pepper, beautiful Pepper, not asking why or declaring her undying love, but assuring him (and us) that it’s okay; that he can rest. Beautifully done. So emotionally mature.

Steve’s Controversial Decision ™: I think it’s sweet that this is how he got his closure. I’m infinitely grateful he got to live. I don’t find it OOC in the context of the canon. It was a valid choice- as in, we can disagree with things characters do, we can deem them ‘a bad choice’, and still acknowledge that for them as characters they were plausible choices. I’d even argue that this is Steve’s character growth – doing something for himself, which he has more than earned. I understand the SteveBucky-needed-more-screen time argument, but to me, the time that they did have was done right and made it count. The fact that Bucky knew still sets him up as the soulmate, and the catfa callback reinforces that no matter what, between the two of them they’re still just two dumb kids from Brooklyn. This is and has been Bucky’s role in the mcu since catfa – a (rich and elaborate) secondary arc to Steve’s main arc. The Steggy cut scene was in direct response to Sam’s question. If you can claim based on nothing that Steve did nothing but live a life with Peggy and let Hydra reign supreme, then you can equally justifiably claim based on nothing that Steve lived a life with Peggy and did his best to take care of Hydra and saved Bucky etc. Though in my opinion, the latter isn’t based on nothing, it’s based on all we know about Steve Rogers.

Every time Steve and Natasha are together in a scene I level up.

The whole 2012 sequence was inspired. Magnificent. Poetic. “Gratuitous violence.” “America’s ass.” “I can do this all day – I know.” “Bucky is alive.” “Flick me.” “Hail Hydra.” Inspired. The Morag sequence? Magical.

The most devastating, heartbreaking moment for me is when Thanos nukes the compound. On first watch, I thought everyone died. I thought the unsnapped Avengers would pop over just to find everyone dead and ta-dahhhh New Era. It’s just so cruel. They’ve just Done Good and BAM. It’s. It’s a lot.

The stakes? High. The fear? Real. Valkyrie? Art. Carol? *swoon*. Avengers? Assemble. This was in a review – “the 2019 ‘Avengers Assemble’ was what we wanted in 2012, but needed in 2019’. Skillful planning. Masterful. First viewing I all but screamed “JUST SAY IT!”

Is there anything more wholesome than Steve wielding Mjolnir, Steve wielding Mjolnir and tossing the shield, Steve wielding Mjolnir, bringing down lightning and tossing the shield? Is there anything more wholesome than the entirety of the final battle? No, probably not. And does anyone braid hair better than lightning itself? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Wanda was phenomenal. She is so powerful. She almost tore the purple grape to pieces. I love that she had a moment with Clint. Also – in the funeral, Clint, Wanda, Bucky and Sam are more or less on the same row, and my mind immediately went “Can the people with Disney+ shows please gather on row X”.

Past Gamora in 2023? Really interesting! The Asgardians of the Galaxy? I’m here for it. My girl Nebula? The best.

Bucky and Sam? The Softest ™. Bucky? Art. Honestly though, how do you expect me to pay attention to anything when Bucky struts around looking like poetry personified?

You get that shield, Sam, you deserve it <3. I’m very curious to see what this means for the show. Will he take up the role at once? Will he be grappling with the idea of it and grow into it? Will he hide the shield in a closet until a potential mcu appearance? And what’s Bucky’s part in this? Will he be filling some of Steve’s void in terms of the greater good? Will he be a mentor of sorts to Sam, after having seen Steve grow into Captain America? Will he be an avenging partner? Will he be there on his own accord, or will Sam poke him for input? So many possibilities, and all of them so good.

There are a lot of ways a movie like this can go wrong, very wrong. There are very few ways that it can go right. This was a right way. And the thing is, my two cents on controversies: there’s many ways to tell a story, but each story can only have one final product, can only be presented in one way – the movies can only go one way, their way, the canon way. The best we can hope for is for that one way to make sense given the context, given the characters, given their motives, flaws, what they know and what they need to learn. And this, imo, is exactly what Endgame gives us. One of those paths that make sense – and canonically opens up timelines that we can explore if we wish to. Don’t hate, create. Or don’t. But be gentle.

And that’s my two cents. I’m on team #ThankYouAvengers. I’m excited for what comes next.