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insanityclause · 8 months ago

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When Tom Hiddleston landed his career-changing role in Marvel’s Thor back in April 2009, he never dreamed he would be playing the character for nearly 15 years. To be fair, no one did—except maybe Marvel’s mastermind Kevin Feige, who had begun laying the cinematic groundwork for a multi-billion dollar franchise. At the time, Hiddleston happily threw himself into extensive research and prep to play the duplicitous brother of Thor (Chris Hemsworth). “I was cast in April 2009, and I had about eight months to build the character from the ground up,” Hiddleston says on this week’s Little Gold Men. “So that was a deep dive into everything Loki from any comic book, any Norse myth, any saga, everything—from the whole run of Marvel comics to the ancient Scandinavian stories, and how he pops up in The Ring cycle for Wagner, and Jim Carrey is wearing the mask of Loki in The Mask.” Hiddleston was trying to discover “this sense of, what's Loki's impact on human imagination and culture? And then synthesizing all of that into the story we’re telling. That was such a delightful period of discovery and curiosity.”

Hiddleston’s scene-stealing portrayal made him an instant fan favorite, laying a formidable foundation for a character who went on to appear in six more films and the stand-alone series Loki. The two-season series threw the character into a new dimension and timeline, stripped him of all his creature comforts, and gave the actor new challenges to tackle.

“In successive iterations, [my approach] has been, how do I keep it interesting?” he says. “I genuinely say this to myself and to others: ‘We're not reheating yesterday's meal in the microwave. We're cooking up something new.’ It's trying to find new ingredients or new challenges for the character, for us as actors, so that it feels like the same person is growing. Because that's what human beings do. They don't stay the same, they grow. Sometimes they regress, but there's always movement.”

Hiddleston has gone on to star in a wide array of projects outside the Marvel universe, of course, from his Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning work in The Night Manager to Jim Jarmusch’s acclaimed romantic vampire drama Only Lovers Left Alive and Steven Spielberg’s epic War Horse. But he’s definitely spent the most time with the God of Mischief. And though no official announcement has been made, the final episode of Loki season two strongly indicates the closing of a formative chapter.

The actor and executive producer stopped by Little Gold Men for a thoughtful discussion about the gift of developing and playing a single character for so long, the surreal fun of working with drama school classmates turned costars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wunmi Mosaku, and getting to come up with the character's last line (for now). Listen below, where you can also read excerpts from the conversation.

Vanity Fair: Did the series version of Loki feel a little more stripped down, or did you have the same kind of mindset playing him as you did in the films? Tom Hiddleston: Yes. I think it was stripped down literally in the sense of taking away the costume, but stripped down spiritually and in his soul. I thought [the concept] was such a brilliant idea, and it wasn't mine. It was [executive producers] Michael Waldron and Kevin Wright, and the great and the good at Marvel Studios. I thought for any character, if you were presented with your life and watching a kind of highlight reel of it, what would it add up to? Would it be satisfying? Would it be meaningful? Would it be amusing? Would it be disappointing? And I thought to do that with Loki especially, as it's the journey of a life that the audience is familiar with, but he hasn't seen it. I just thought it was a brilliant conceit. And then I leaned into this idea of the leopard being challenged to change his spots. Because you'd have to if your life ended up in murder by Thanos and humiliation. You'd want to try something new.

And that was really fun, developing a story which was actually very philosophical. It asks the question of Loki, as I hope it asks the question of all of us: Are we in control of the course of our lives? Do we have any free will, and can we break free from any kind of predetermination? It seemed like a great question, and a fun way to ask it.

You’re also an executive producer on the series. How did you take on that role? What did you get to do?

Honestly, it was such an honor and I loved it. I loved the extra imagining and problem solving. I was invited into the writer's room really early, season one, even earlier on season two. And to borrow the words from Lin Manuel Miranda, to be in the room where it happens, and to sit around the table and break story and crunch through the great creative ‘what if’ questions—what if Loki did this? What if Mobius [Owen Wilson] did that? What if they couldn't find Sylvie? What if the TVA ran on an energy source, and it wasn't energy, it was time?

Can you take any credit for bringing Ke Huy Kwan or your RADA buddies Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wunmi Mosaku on board? I love that that was a little bit of a through-line, that you all got to work together.

Well, when their names came up, Gugu and Wunmi particularly, I was able to say, those guys are great. And Ke was just an amazing idea because actually, [his character] Ouroboros was coming to life on the page. Somebody suggested Ke, and Everything Everywhere All At Once had just come out. And I was like, genius: somebody call him now before we lose him. He was so joyful and optimistic and happy to be there, so honored to be there. He'd wanted to be in a Marvel project his whole life, I think, and, and he brought everything and more to that character.

The day he landed, he came from the airport straight to the studio, probably thinking, ‘I'll just say hello and go back to my digs.’ And Owen and I were actually rehearsing the scene before Mobius and Loki meet OB for the first time. And he came in and he listened. And then we got to the bit where we were like, ‘You're in the next bit. Do you want to do it?’ He said ‘Okay!’ And he stayed and rehearsed for three hours. I think he felt completely crazy having just [traveled] across the continents, but it was so brilliant. And the chemistry was so immediate between the three of us, and so funny. We all love Ke.

Thinking about your journey with this character and all the places he has taken you, has there been a surreal aspect to it? I think about you being in drama school with Gugu and Wunmi—now you're getting paid to play.

It's a wonderful question, and I'm never unaware of the great gift that this job is. Especially because it happens all the time,: I go out into the world and I meet young people or children, and they're so amazed that they’re meeting Loki. I'm obviously not Loki, but the response is so immediate and so emotional and so joyful. What a gift. It's the best job in the world. And I never dreamed back then that I would be part of something with such reach and for so long. It just is the most unlikely, surprising, delightful thing. And we—Wunmi and Gugu I've known for a long time. It is amazing to look and go, ‘Can you believe we're here, we're doing this?’ It is exciting too, because it feels right in some way and they're great actors. They are brilliant.

Do you get recognized as the character, or are people starting to recognize you for your other work?

Oh, it's always different. I went to a friend's birthday party the other day—a friend and his wife, both turning the same age. They got a taco stand. I went to get my taco and the guys were like, ‘Only Lovers Left Alive, man. Love that film.’ And I said, ‘Thank you very much. That's very kind.’ Some people say The Night Manager. Some people stop me in the street and go, ‘It's you! You're the dancer.’ And they're referring to some talk show, some bit of dancing I did on a talk show from like a thousand years ago, which really tickles me.

Speaking of dancing, I wanted to bring up your physicality. With the most recent season of Loki in particular and that time slip, did you have to have massages and stretch after? Because it seems like such a jarring movement.

It's jerky, yes. I had to put my body under a kind of relentless physical stress. But I think it pays off in the way it's presented. In terms of movement and physicality, it comes from my own admiration for other performers when I sense that there is a really, alive and visceral physicality in the performance. Some of people are great actors, very cerebral, very intelligent, but sometimes not always fully embodied. And I love the actors who are giving me a sense that the whole body is occupying whichever space that is. They could be on a horse, they could be driving a car, they could have just run in through the jungle. I don't know, it could be anything, but a real sense of physicality is always something I admire in other actors.

One of my favorite things in doing a little research about your work on this season was that you got to craft Loki’s last lin,e and it also maybe came from going on a run. Can you talk about that? Well, first on running, I love it and it is a big part of my life. And a big part of my creative life. Running outside, in space, in the world with only your own legs to carry you and your own breath to fuel you, I find incredibly freeing. And it's where I do some of my best thinking and dreaming and imagining. Things bubble up from inside you. So I often run at the beginning of a day, very early and with an awareness of what's coming, what the scenes of the day are. Sometimes things will bubble up. And maybe that's just extra oxygen in the brain, who knows?

But to the point about that last line: one of the things I kept trying to guide our team back to was that the whole series, both seasons, was really about finding purpose, or re-finding, re-defining, re-discovering a sense of purpose. And I think a primal need in all of us, is that we need our lives to mean something. So I kept coming back to this line from The Avengers, ‘I am Loki of Asgard and I am burdened with glorious purpose.’ And we kept thinking, well, if Loki has a second chance, he gets to redefine his purpose or re-imagine it. I went for a run and was listening to some film scores, and it was a beautiful day. I was thinking about the journey of playing this character and where it started, and all the people that I have had the great good fortune to work with and become friends with—that completely unique kind of soul-sharing relationship where you make something together. And I remembered the end of the first Thor film, and how emotional that felt and. I just suddenly thought, that's what he should say—but it should mean something completely different. Loki's last line in Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is, ‘I could have done it, Father. I could have done it for you, for all of us.’ And of course his effort to gain his father's pride has been misguided and ill thought-out. And then at the end of Loki season 2, 14 years later, he turns to Mobius and Sylvie and says, ‘I know what I want I know what kind of god I need to be. For you. For all of us.’ It felt very resonant somehow. I hope the audience picked up on that.

Are you able to just say goodbye when it's wrap time, or do you have any sort of meditative, formal way of saying goodbye to a project or a character?

That's such a good question. I think it's a very honest, immediate feeling of relief, which they say is the most intense human emotion. You'd think it was anger or grief or something, but actually relief is—the way relief kind of washes through you, and a sense of finality that some finish line has been crossed and there are no more miles to run. And for me anyway, huge amounts of energy have been stored inside myself which had been poured out over time—over maybe 20 weeks or however many months.

I love that feeling of completeness. The great joy of what I do for a living is that it involves very intense, very close working with a team. And the pride that you can feel with your teammates, with your crew, with your cast—you just hang around and say goodbye, but it never really is goodbye. And there's just a sense of, like, “that'll do, pig,” you know? Yeah: that'll do, pig.

#tom hiddleston #loki #little gold men #emmy fyc interview #babe

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foursthemagicknumber · 26 days ago

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Essay on erasure under cut

@roze-realm @kis5ki5skai

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a very big problem: the erasure of minorities in their characters. They continuously change parts of characters in order to appeal to a larger demographic of audiences. When in reality- the Marvel comics were never about that. In comics we have characters that aren’t even subtle about being minorities. There’s even an entire franchise based around the idea of superpowers creating a minority that faces major discrimination. All whilst telling a cohesive story. In the movies however, the characters that are portrayed as a minority like in comics don’t get a good story.

This is most present in a certain family. The Maximoff’s are a jewish-romani family. However in age of ultron where the scarlet witch and her brother were introduced they are cast as white. As well as had them work with literal nazis. Not only that but the movie immediately killed off one half of the twins. Peitro despite at least keeping his name unlike his X-Movies counterpart, was somehow shot to death by bullet’s he is meant to be faster than.

In the new show Agatha all along they cast Joe Locke as Billy Kaplan. Many may argue that Agatha all along is playing the representation game well, having a mainly female cast with a black and asian characters and the only male on board being established gay and jewish. However this view fails to point out the fact that we only ever see William Kaplan as portrayed as jewish. Any associations to religion with Billy Maximoff, who appears to be a completely different character, are to witchcraft adjacent religions such as wiccan and paganism. This paired with the fact that by extension of his mother’s erased romani identity, his was erased as well, it’s not looking good for him. Fortunately there’s still hope for his brother.

Now as much as a good example as the Maimoff family is, there are many others. Such as, America Chavez. Now my knowledge on the comic book character is limited due to the fact that simply haven’t gotten there yet, however I know quite a bit about her appearance in Marvel Rising, a series of short films focusing on new jersey hero’s such as Ms. Marvel or Inferno. And in such she was displayed as a dark skinned Spanish aligned queer woman working a job that was barely paying for her schooling. And in multiverse of madness, she’s practically the definition of white washing. Not to mention the down play of her character’s strengths and sass. Everything that makes America, America is taken away. It’s one thing to play down what makes a character a minority but that alongside with the down play of her characterization makes her into a weak link in the very weak chain that is multiverse of madness.

Now another great instance would be Loki, who in comics is gender-fluid and pansexual. In the movies however is treated solely as male and straight. In an attempt to give him a love interest the writers posed the question, “What if Loki was a woman?” However if they were simply comic accurate, there would be no alternative female version of Loki, because sometimes he is she. Loki is the epitome of a shapeshifter who’s gender-fluid. In fact they are the first that comes to mind when asked to think of the trope- simply because it’s done so well. Loki is meant to be a character who simply is, and is unapologetic for who they are good or bad, male or female, unfortunately the MCU gave us a bratty theater kid and called it a day.

After this point tw: Child abuse

Now all of this is well and good- but the final straw would be the Hulk. In comics the Hulk, or Bruce Banner has an incredibly tragic backstory. He is a demonstration of how at times the greatest danger to a child, is the one in their own home. Bruce was abused by his father as a child which eventually led to him forming dissociative identity disorder. The alter to Bruce being Hulk an angry and out of control monster, whom is eventually given its own form different from Banner in a very Jekyll and Hyde fashion. The movies however completely ignore this idea even to such an extent that a character tells him roughly“I control my anger infinitely more than you do” almost as though it were a competition as to who has suffered more. Bruce Banner’s trauma was downplayed so parents would take their children to see his movies.

To me this is a very personal essay. I want to love the MCU as blindly as I did as a child. But I have found that the more source material I read. That harder that becomes. A character in Daredevil once said roughly ‘To love something is to forget what you don’t like about it.’ If that be true then I no longer hold this same love. I fortunately believe in a different idea, that love is something that people love to think is inherently blind. But in reality, the most complex loves are the wary ones. I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however I grow more and more wary of the cinematic universe as I grow more and more in love with the comics.

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sleepingdeath-light · 1 year ago

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finding out his soulmate is depressed hcs ; loki

requested by ; anonymous (19/05/22)

fandom(s) ; marvel cinematic universe / mcu

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; loki laufeyson

outline ; “request: i'm desperate for a soulmate au. it doesn't make if it's between loki or wanda because i love them both but i'd love your take on the soulmate au. it'd be cool if the reader had depression, cause same. thank you!”

note ; this is going off of the au where there is a ‘red string’ connecting people and is based on the avenger!loki concept

additional note ; the references to the reader’s depression are extremely brief but present

warning(s) ; canon typical references to violence and angst

loki spent the vast majority of his life thinking that he was damned — the only person in asgard to be without a soulmate

wishing, praying, reading up on anything and everything he could just to scrape together some tiny crumb of hope that one day his string would manifest

that he wasn’t truly alone

a thousand years passed him by

then two

then three

by his fourth he’d started to lose hope and as he started to fast approach his fifth he’d given up all together

the black sheep of his family; unworthy even in the eyes of the universe

it was like some sort of sick joke

but he never told a soul, lying through his teeth as naturally as he breathed and telling tall tales of his golden string and how he was waiting for the right moment to pursue his soulmate

but they didn’t exist

and it hurt more than he’d ever let show

until one day, a quarter century shy of his five thousandth year, he awoke to find a golden string wound tightly around his ring finger — precisely where one might put a wedding band

he shook of the drowsiness and bleariness of sleep in seconds, inspecting the deceptively fragile twine with rapt interest

flicking, tugging, strumming and winding it tighter and tighter — spooling it between his fingers curiously as it continued onwards into the distance without effort or strain

always having the same amount of tautness to it no matter how hard or how far he pulled

gold spun as thin as spider silk yet, as present to the world as a light breeze yet as heavy and palpable as traditional battle regalia as he brushed his fingertip along its surface

tangibly intangible, paradoxically present and yet not so, visible and invisible

exactly as the old stories had told — and there, in the distance somewhere, was his fated other half on the unseeable other end of the string

loki wanted nothing more than to meet you, but he knew well enough that the string’s late appearance meant that he still had a long while to wait — so, instead, he busied himself with his usual routine

messing with his brother, studying with his mother and proving his worth as an heir to asgard to his father

… and i’m sure that we don’t need to explain what happened in the interim so let’s skip forwards until after the 2012 incident…

the last thing he wanted was to spend his sentence waiting on a bunch of mortals — confined to a small space filled with creatures that despised him and that were far below him in every way

and he did very little to hide his disdain for the situation — which was mirrored by his ‘landlord’, stark, who also made it very well known that he didn’t want ‘reindeer games’ living in his tower

loki, in return, went to let out another sarcastic remark about the man’s ignorance before he caught sight of the very thing he’d been ignoring for the better part of a year and the words died on his throat

leaving him completely speechless for the first time since anyone had seen him after his attempt to take his own life back in asgard

after millennia of feeling so terribly alone he could see the other end of his string and it was attached to… well… you

a mortal who looked terribly detached from their surroundings, just carrying out some standard busywork in the background of his custody announcement like it was nothing at all

if he hadn’t have been forced to wear those damned cuffs he’d have peered into your mind by now — but it didn’t take a psychic to see something in you that he had been trying to conceal in himself for a while

loki didn’t speak to you that day, nor did he get the chance for a good few months as your responsibilities kept you separated to different areas of the tower

he, as a (very unwilling) member of the avengers initiative, was forced to keep to the top few floors for training, briefing and other such things

and you, who he found to be a standard member of stark industries, tended to stay on the lower floors of the tower unless you were called upon by your boss

it was frustrating, to say the very least, but the separation gave loki the time to consider his next steps — and his situation as a whole

consider the fact that he’s destined to be with a mortal of all beings — consider the differences in experience, strength and life span

consider the fact that you likely fear or potentially even hate him for his actions against your home world — that you’d probably scorn or mock him because of his actions (and he’d deserve it, he lamented)

consider the fact that he saw part of himself in your eyes and that a mortal of all things might just be the one to understand him

consider how to approach you in the first place

in the end he just about manages to catch you as you’re walking out of a meeting with stark and some higher level agents of s.h.i.e.l.d — coughing and gesturing to the string between the two of you

for a moment you just stare at him, blinking and looking between his neutral expression and the golden string — before cracking something of an awkward smile and introducing yourself (which he returns with a kiss on the back of your hand)

and you’re too busy to stay for long, and he knows this, so he sends you on your way with the promise to meet again soon

but he also says something that sticks with you as you hurry off to your next meeting — for the rest of the day, in fact

‘i understand,’

a simple, unassuming phrase spoken so quietly and genuinely that you might have thought you’d dreamt it had it not been for the earnest look on his face when he spoke

(though even that disappeared a fraction of a second later)

the end of your brief exchange that left you questioning everything you were told about him

his tendency to isolate himself according to thor (and, later, observations from the other avengers)

his habit of lashing out when pressed on certain topics

his lack of appetite for the entirety of the time you (and most other humans) had known him

his apathy towards his own well-being and, well, what he’d done before ending up on earth which had been mentioned in whispers around the office

maybe you had more in common with your soulmate than you realised — but that could be discussed at your next meeting

#sleepingdeath #gender neutral reader #soulmate au #fluff #fluff hcs #marvel fluff #mcu x reader #mcu fluff #loki laufeyson x reader #loki odinson x reader #loki x reader

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adobedragon · 5 months ago

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The Collected Works of sitehound

All my stories, in one place, listed by fandom—which means, mostly Voltron: Legendary Defender—and by romantic ship (if applicable). Ratings vary from G to E.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Darcy/Loki

My magnum opus! More than a decade after I started posting it, it still, IMO, holds up well.

Following the events of Loki’s attack on New York, Thor, Loki, Darcy Lewis and Jane Foster find themselves unwilling roommates, living in a crappy trailer home in the New Mexico desert.

Original Work

Elrekki Chaosbringer/Kelly Marquez

A bookstore owner’s life is turned upside down by a mysterious young man who turns out to be a criminal from an alternate universe.

Voltron: Legendary Defender (VLD)

GEN (No, or minimal romance, although Plance does sneak in…)

How to Impress Your Pidgeon (14K words, Complete | Rated T | Mild Violence | Dragons | Dragonriders of Pern crossover)

Pidge, an apprentice in the MasterSmith Crafthall, meets a very opinionated young dragon.

I’ll Stand by You (3K words | Rated T | Bullying | Friendship | Pre-Canon)

In which Pidge, aka Katie Holt, finds that impersonating a male cadet presents challenges she never thought of.

Pidge, Lance and Hunk sneak out of Galaxy Garrison for some unauthorized R&R in the nearby town of Torre Siena. When the inevitable happens—they get kicked out of a bar—they wander the streets and encounter a very strange car.

Lance/Female Reader

A Little Artistic Nudity (9.2K words | Rated E | Post-Canon | Second Person POV | No use of Y/N)

On a planet zillions of light years away, you meet a cute guy in a café and instantly strike up a rapport.

Shiro/Keith

An unwanted orphan bounced from Hold to Hold, now a murderer consigned to hard labor in the mines of Crom, Keith is grimly resigned to a short, miserable life. But when a chance encounter leads to him standing on the sands of Benden Weyr's hatching grounds, a Candidate for Impression, he dares to hope for something better.

Keith/Lance

In the wake of crushing loss, Keith, Pidge and Hunk, once Galaxy Garrison cadets, now conscripts in the Galra war efforts, plan a desperate escape from Sendak’s estate in the New Mexico desert.

Lance has an encounter in the woods with a wolf-boy.

Pidge/Lance/Keith

Well, There Goes Our Security Deposit (2.1K words | Rated T | Fluff)

Keith comes home one day to find that his partners in love and life have wrecked the apartment.

Everyone has an origin story. This is Rogelio the chabbit’s.

The last place Lance wants to be is in a Conn-Pod, but it may be his best chance at a new beginning, provided he can move on from the past. A retelling, of sorts, of Pacific Rim, featuring Pidge, Lance and Keith.

Keith/Pidge

Stop Thinking (9.2K words | Rated E | Post-canon | First Times)

On a dark and stormy night, after years of waiting, Pidge Holt gets what she wants.

Pidge/Lance (Plance, Pidgance, FlirtyRobot, my OTP)

More than a decade before, Lance ghosted Pidge. But a chance encounter leads to a journey together in a small spaceship across the Earth’s solar system, offering the opportunity to repair a friendships and fall in love.

Mind the Hardwood (4.5K words, Rated E | Post-Canon | Cut scene from St. Elmo’s Fire)

In which Pidge and Lance get busy in the cockpit of Pidge’s small spaceship.

Lance stumbles upon Pidge’s attempt to comprehend and model their relationship using math.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (11K words, Complete | Rated E | Canon | Canon Divergent | First Times)

Pidge successfully seduces Lance.

A Rain of Terror (3.6K words | Rated T | Post-Canon | Angst | Grief/Mourning)

Pidge Holt can repair anything. Except a broken heart. In the gathering fury of a dangerous Altean oort storm, she struggles with her terrible people skills, needing to get a depressed and nearly catatonic Lance out of the storm’s path.

If a Door Slams in Outer Space, Can You Hear It? (2.9K | Canon | Canon Divergent | Story in a Story)

Lance makes like a bard and courts Pidge with a good story.

To Find a Princess, You Gotta Kiss a Green Paladin (7.6 words | Rated T | AU | Actor AU)

In which Katie Holt, girl genius, finds herself cast in a movie playing an Altean princess to Lance’s Paladin of Voltron.

All his life, Lance has craved attention. To be seen as more than the farm boy from Cuba. On the eve of the Galactic Coalition’s final offensive against the Galra, Lance finally learns, with a little help from his friends, that growing up means letting go of what you want and accepting what you need.

In Deep Space Where the Wallflowers Grow (2.4K words | Rated T | Post-Canon | Pidge Salsa Dances)

Pidge Holt is so done with being paraded about the universe, expected to mingle and meet and greet the Galactic Coalition's bigwigs. During a brunch on a Galra cruiser, she retreats to a quiet spot in the stateroom by a vast window to do some stargazing, but her solitude is interrupted by a certain social butterfly.

A Pidge in a Dress is Still a Pidge (5.6K words | Rated T | 1950s AU | Science Fiction)

“Just one dance,” Pidge’s mom had stated. One dance with anyone and Pidge can leave the gala at the Altean embassy, go home, take off this beautiful but totally not-Pidge ballgown and go back to being a tomboy girl genius. Alas, the only available dance partners are creeps who are trying to suck-up to Admiral Sam Holt through his daughter. It's gonna be a long evening

Shapeshifter, Shapeshifter, Shape Me a Match (6.1K words | Rated G | Fantasy AU | Shapeshifter Lance)

On a quiet little farm, a mischievous shapeshifter meets his match in a studious girl.

It Is You I Have Loved (A Collection of Plance Fanart and Short Fiction) (Ongoing project)

What it says in the title: drabble plus fanart.

Katie Holt, masquerading as Galaxy Garrison cadet Pidge Gunderson, is on a mission: to find the truth about her family’s disappearance. But an unlikely romance leads to the startling discovery that otherworldly forces are at work in the Garrison.

Lance, Pidge and Keith, three Paladins of Voltron, each carrying a permanent legacy of their Voltron experience, and now pawns of forces that might save or destroy the universe.

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blindtaleteller · 1 year ago

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MCU Asgard Canon Observation Research [Part 1]

Firstly and before I even start in on the subject, keep in mind that this is what it says: a collection of research into actual Canon Lore from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: not the comics, or the Nordic lore twice removed from it.

Secondly and alongside that, also keep in mind that even back at the start of the MCU as a long term project, while the MCU is based on the Marvel comics universe: the creators made a point of making it a completely different universe: for many varying reasons, including the spaces lacking continuity in the comics over the years that the MCU as a project wanted to pursue from it's first conception.

This is a large part of why there are phases and why they were numbered from it's creation. (And yes also why my tags recently mentioning counting phases are what they are elsewhere, but that's a whole other post.. or set of them.)

These are important to remember because, I would like to avoid previous iterations of people wasting their time trying to insert comics-universe lore and more excessively into or onto this requested post purely for the sake of, well; being argumentative or just trolling:as much as possible. I do try to take some time to respond to comments and reblogs as much as possible, but I can and will ignore or yes, at times point out people unable to manage these things.. and respond as necessary.

I normally wouldn't bother to mention this except yes, that has happened before so: consider this your disclaimer.. I ain't dealin' with you if you're gonna be a trolly shit disrespectful enough of the time effort and willingness to share what research and observations I have, by shitting on it or me in your pursuit of whatever flimsy excuses might be given for any inhuman reactions posted passive aggressive or worse.

More frankly: be respectful on my posts or get lost. I don't tolerate harassment on my blog whether it's aimed at me or others. Passive aggressive or otherwise. I'll discuss stuff, am happy to have any valid references I might miss added to and pointed out. Just don't be an asshat about it, and you'll get the same from me. That's how basic-bitch Karma, and I; both work: you'll get what you give along those lines, while in my space.

The necessary now out of the way... Next!

More as a side note with that mentioned; while I may mention some meta/theory in the form of the most probable (as that's how my meta in particular is formed) it is again: based on the facts of the canon lore and contexts confirmed presented in it; visually, in dialogue, and out of the mouths of the very people who made all that themselves, at the time that lore was given to us on screen: and will be mentioned as the theory and supposition that is 'meta' rather than 'canon'. I have gone out of my way as a fan of world, universe, and character building as a part of the creative process in particular: to watch, rewatch, rewatch again and again, and hunt down all this stuff (often lol purely out of my own curiosity.) All in all Meta is theory, Canon is story/film-established fact; and I do try to keep a clear line between the two of them. The early world and character building in the MCU has always been interesting enough to me alone, to do all that with my free time.

And that's especially true with Asgard in particular, as a main story driving force in one form or another as far back as 2010 when both Thor and CA: tFA's scripts were being filmed and their sets/settings picked out and created.

Final few bits before we get into it..? As Asgard lore (and even a lack of it's presence at times) is directly and appropriately attached and or in relation to the lore of several races, species, and massive events in the entirety of the MCU's first three phases.. I will be touching some of those cultures and places too, where important. Probably not in this particular part, but yeah. It's gonna happen.

As with the research post into Loki and his year of absence prior to Avengers 2012: (yes that's a link to an ask that contains a good chunk of info and years of interviews on that particular subject) this might not be an entirely complete compilation: for the same reasons. As I said, i didn't just watch, I rewatched repeatedly from differing personal mental angles: not just three or four times, but and as I wrote my own fanfiction.. I would also re-watch once or twice just prior to fleshing out an outlined story of my own to refresh my memory, seek out interviews official and otherwise from the creators and actors who made that lore and put it on screen for us to enjoy as part of the stories we enjoyed (or not, depending lol) and well.. the resulting organization of the whole outside of this post is less than comprehensive for anyone else. You can see the explanation for how that happens in the foreword of that thread if you're curious.

As a result, I may or may not exclude the actual interviews if this gets too long. Much of the visual in this first part especially are pretty self explanatory, as I did find some of my dissection pics too.

All said (I think? Gods I hope so that was a lot wasn't it? XD) and as suggested/requested recently in discord?

This one is gonna be expansive.. and hellaciously so: so grab your drinks and your snacks and still be prepared for this series of posts to be going for while (not kidding, may be compiling this properly between jobs for weeks) so yeah..

Here we go again!

The major forgotten fact of Asgard's depiction in the MCU is this:

We the audience are only shown a very tiny fragment of Asgard as another separate planet in space, and: they do show us we're missing as much, from the very first film.

That gif directly from the movie I used at the top? I'm using it again, because...

..look at that.

With topography, perspective and size in mind.

That tiny golden triangle in the middle is the Palace at the center. The little golden bar along that tiny portion to either side? Is the city attached to it proper, with the Bifrost, and as far as we've seen the 'Heroes Road' (as soem are calling it) and city walls cupping the Bifrost Bay directly facing the camera.

This is a space shot (of course,) and that tiny itty bitty moving spec that is still shrinking as it gets further from our perspective and closer to Asgard at the bottom, is the Bifrost in use.

And, they do give us a few views of that as early as five to six minutes into the first movie in 2011, as seen in the first clip below. I've set it to share at the first view of Asgard itself.

Hopefully that works. If not, the timestamp you're looking for is 2:04.

I recommend shutting off the audio, as it's a bit distracting. Trust me, we will get back to the very interesting audio from a world builder's perspective, when we get to the History and Relations section of Asgard's break down.. there are several tons, of that and in that opener alone, to examine later.

youtube

IMPORTANT!! When looking at any of these images or videos, keep in mind and look at the scale. Not just in the scene on screen at that moment, but also in reference to previous shots. Distance is a thing. The size of trees and people are a thing. This place in the MCU is much more massive than where it's very cloistered story parts take place.

This is not a city-planet like and for comparison: Coruscant, from Star Wars... though I am very aware that some people will throw out Asgard's concept art to try and 'debunk' that (yes its' been done and proven pointless in other threads).. that does also bring us to another couple of facts that slip by in their context.

In fact, you know what? I'll throw it in here right now myself:

This concept art: does still apply, if slightly adjusted with the topography and likely under ground portions taken into account.. because Asgard is the name of both the planet AND the city as separate entities of the same locale.

In other words, the concept art is VERY valid as a map of the city itself: but not the outlying locations outside of Asgard as a Capital City Proper, of Asgard as a disk planet.

And again.. they do show us this, and not just in the first film: although that first shot going into the city says as much too, being that..

A. Asgard is established as a society greatly more advanced than Earth and most others, and;

B. there are whole swaths of land (and especially mountain they like to build into) without structure between the edge panned through and the City itself. (see still image below: not the best quality but it's also in the video.)

Which.. we'll touch again a little more in a bit (and probably the biggest lol) part of this breakdown set; digging at History, Culture, and Relations.. as the fact they do prefer to build INTO their environment much more than on top of it is also shown in the shot of the canyons and canals on which not only that city is built, but even what buildings are shown outside of it on that panning-in shot.

We can see in the one above though: that while they did redirect some of the water through canals in the lower shot; they also kept and built into the natural(?*) lay of the river canyons below.

This theme is kept even before we get into the city though with the first part of the shot above the water.

Want a more visual view of the breakdowns as I do them?

Here you go, here's one example from out of my crazy folders and docs, that I made in paint back in 2013 (LOL yes I know. XD) while once again re-watching that same scene.

I would highly suggest clicking on it, as tumblr does downsize images making text on them hard to read otherwise. Crappy in-motion quality screen cap but, it was made more for breaking down the visual elements on screen for what it told us about the land, and more; on it.

----[?*] As a set of side/foot notes to that last bit and the image..

A. the top left corner yes: does reference some of where I use certain observations of canon in my own fics; and how they would have grown or evolved depending on that story. In this case, and at the time: the pink text is making note to utilize those observations in outlining Hvedrungr (Loki from Uni 0) and Flykra's (Loki from Vesti1 Uni 14) universes in particular: both of which return to Asgard at VERY different times and in different situations: while the history and culture I've been able to glean and expand on in some cases is still part of their and the location's background. As I don't have the patience to remove the text from an old paint shop cut.. I thought I would at least explain it's presence left there. These things are, ultimately connected by the culture that originated on and created them on that planet after all.. and why there's an entire section dedicated to the varied aspects of Asgard's presented Cultural, Relations, and History lore. B. The '?' at the 'natural' mention in parenthesis above, also takes into account that Asgard is much older than Earth's culture and has to be: if only because as only three generations have come and gone over the passage of what to us is five thousand years! (see the next installment Thor the Dark World: Bor and Darkalfheim, or just watch the movie with info gathering in mind.) In other words, between Bor's War, and Odin's Asgardian Great Wars: we cannot be certain whether or not 1. those canyons are actually natural or the now aged result of one of many previous interplanetary wars, or 2. whether Asgard at this stage of it's showing timed at 2011 more than a millennia later, has even always been this size, given their advancement in technology and study of magic as presented OR left in question, either. For my part, as there's no conclusive dialogue from that era to state otherwise in the MCU or it's interviews that I know of, and knowing the context of Malekith and Darkalfheim's familiarity with Asgard itself during their raid to reclaim the infinity stone: I tend to veer towards a mixture of the two. While it's very likely at least some of the canyons are indeed natural; the great age of the culture and planet both, along with the nature of Bor and Odin's rules alone as we've seen them: leaves a HUGE and LONG period of time and opportunities for some of those nasty fights to come directly to them... or even their predecessors. Which would also explain why they had that shield for the palace too. You don't build and more importantly upkeep something like that without a very good set of reasons or examples experienced, to do so after all. Much of that is meta though, however based on canon fact it may be: and as many of the creators were not asked publicly during that era, and have been dismissed or moved on to other projects since.. it's hard to know if we'll ever see a *genuine* answer from the people who actually made it all starting sixteen years ago.

Anyway, let's look at a few more shots of Asgard with that breakdown going. Some of these are all old, from as far back as about ten years ago when I first started writing outlines for the varied universes in my Lokiverse Project: but they do still hold up. theer are some from TDW in this bunch too. I heavily dissected these scenes knowing I was going to do whole chapters in multiple differing universes, and wanted to have the presented layout and feel laid out in my head, before I started adding in locations on the planet not yet shown on film. And given my first Book was already going to be DREAMS.. where Asgard has been blown to bits post Endgame? I really wanted to get it right so I could deconstruct it as many times as I and the muses wanted to. Laufeyson (Universe 10 Loki) was pretty insistent too with the opening chapters on his end focusing partially on that chase with Abell through Asgard's blown apart ruin

Sorry for the ramble of an explanation, but that's how it is and how it works over here...? XD

..uhmmmm. Yeah lol! When I said I watch and re-watch from differing mental perspectives..? That's what I mean. I don't usually share those at all... only the unedited pics. Genrally I will take caps or take existing raw caps and pick out piece that catch my eye. I've been told they do help put your brain in the right mode for those who have difficulty processing them in that way, like I do when in that mode. Also yes, trees and fish ...bruh. lol!

It's there, has been for years in some cases; and I'm not messing with it now.

That basic bit out of the way (doesn't sound so basic does it.) Let's backtrack a bit, specifically to Asgard's shape and the placement of it's location and the locations on it.

As I first write this, I don't have the talks I had with a few wild meteorologists and geologists back then directly on hand (as this is a part I still don't focus on too much; but:) shaped as it is, those I did talk to theorized that between the shape and placement of planets as well as the nebula they're partially inside, that Asgard may be shaped and in rotation as it is because of its' placement in it's system: or because of late interference by Asgard's inhabitants to keep it stable.

^ That one scene in particular from Thor 2011 really made my eyes pop. Not because of what's going on in it so much as trying to answer the whys and hows and what the actual fricks man: because..

Can you imagine, the conversation: trying to pitch that spinning death ball to the King there OR anywhere else on the planet before Bor or even his great grandfather?

Or, trying to talk the royalty down from the idea of putting it anywhere NEAR the palace, or other people's homes?

How about testing that house sized death-by-velocity-alone gilded mess? (Yes I still laugh thinking about that. Some poor scholar/engineer type trying to dissuade Bor's grand-daddy from building what would definitely become a giant pinball of death in the canyons and canals, if that thing ever came off it's anchors even once in the city. Good gods! lol!) Who knows; maybe that was when people started moving to Vanaheim... XD! Just (mostly) kidding.

Cray-cray thoughts of high velocity gilded pinball hell that was probably somewhere way back in the Bifrost's likely development and evolution as tech/normie science boosted by magic, and or vice versa, aside:

You probably notice I've mentioned the nebulae and the planets in their rotation more than once. And with good reason.

Backing up a bit; Asgard is interesting well before you hit her shores.

Not only is she a top-shaped disk-planet: but with the way the sky is shown: Asgard has a very interesting rotation if she has any left at all. There's very little we know, but what we do know is she is not alone in her systematic rotation either way.

(Asgard's sky from Thor's personal Hall in Thor: the Dark World)

In fact and as seen in the screen caps above: Asgard has an incredibly close relation to at least three planets in her nebulous solar system. At least one of which is absolutely massive: massive enough that it's close proximity is theorized as being pretty likely to be the only way Asgard experiences night cycles as seen in Thor: the Dark World... mainly through eclipsing the nebulous sun by passing between it and Asgard as a planet.

Which is both cool -and- scary when you take things like degrading orbits, space debris and projectiles like comets and other space science into account.. but also very, very interesting.

It also begs the question either way: why didn't Asgard at their earlier establishment of a greater technological level, colonize or move to those planets sooner? Of course.. the first obvious answer is.. they probably couldn't, at first. And even more probably were past trying by the time the Bifrost was built, prior to Bor's time (I say prior because we have seen Bor use it in Thor the Dark World: and on a massive scale moving whole armies, the same as his son Odin. See some of the scenes from Bor's seizure of the Aether below.)

But yeah, Asgard is a pretty unique place even before you get to the water fall's edge: or questioning what kind of condensed mass it has to retain gravity at it's very small size.

Or, whether that gravity and the shape is in fact generated in some form or another after millennia upon millennia of just the Wars we do know about in their history.

(At current we know about Darkalfheim and the series of Wars including Jotunheim and Muspelheim that they call the Great Wars. While they are definitely aware of the extensive millennia of intergalactic war between the Xandarian based Nova Corps and the Kree Empire put front and center in GotG.. there hasn't been any actual confirmation as to whether Asgardians fought in that war on either side: only that they are at that stage at least loosely allied with Asgard.. if not a more separated protectorate being considered among the nine realms in the MCU.)

Why do I keep pointing out trees, and perspective; or teh size of the city in that first little gif again?

Because.. that is our repeated visual evidence of just how much of Asgard as a planet; the story did not take place in.. huge parts of the place we haven't seen. And that makes sense.

Power plants or generators, smithys, and even schools can be easily placed in the city proper, at this stage.

But what about BEFORE, they got to this stage.. because that is a thing in the MCU in regards to Asgard: and a major plot point for three movies of script running, from 2010 all the way to 2015 when Taika Waititi was hired (unfortunately, for those of us who know the root of what happened there.)

What about food, for thousands of 5000 year lifespans and their kids. And their grandkids. And.. the food for the livestock, or the wild game

Or the bilgesnipes and dragons--well we can guess what happened to the dragons of Asgard in particular actually. If they were anything like Muspelheim's; and on a planet that size..? It doesn't take much to figure out Odin, Bor and their predecessors probably couldn't excuse not hunting a predator big enough to swallow people to extinction: not for much longer than they absolutely had to anyway.

What about fibers and leather for clothes.

How about waste management, for both the city and suburban areas? Sewers? Water filtration? Factories or slaughterhouses to process it all, and the means to support those things. Everything man made, is grown, processed or made somewhere.

We know they have these things, because we know they have and make their own alcohol (fermentation of grains, fruits, and more); as well as other things to eat: displayed in both T1 and TDW.

(The top image is from Thor's table flip scene in Thor 2011; while the one below it is from the tavern scene in the beginning of Thor: the Dark World.)

Meat, vegetables, fruit, grain, herbs, and seasonings are all represented on the tables above. While some might be imported (I really do wonder about the platters of golden apples myself:) it's not very likely all of them are. And it wouldn't make sense for them to have been imported from off world throughout their species development either. After all and again: they would have had to have survived and developed enough to GET TO, that stage in the first place.

You're also looking at Varnish in the shine of that table; smithing and metal working and ceramics in their table ware. Weaving either plant or animal fibers in their clothes, as well as the likely production of tannin (or it's equivalent) and leather working in every leather piece on screen. Candles can be made from varied sources, whether that's actual wax of some form, or condensed animal fat.

Oh, and if you find the enlarged version of those images: you'll also notice things like fine engraving and metal sculpture to the goblets and platters on the Thor 2011 table in particular.

Either way, the images above show us directly that unsurprisingly, they have come to understand whole other sub-levels of production: before you even get to the high-tech and magic ends of any of that to be able to reproduce it in that modern era.

As another side note related to that: the booze alone is pretty telling as to how far off the "Loki" series is on this mark, as well. Creators of current content 'conveniently forgot' that this is supposed to be a space faring, technologically advanced society (even if they're the social equivalent of medieval imperialist thugs .. lol sorry not sorry! That's literally how they're depicted... and honestly that really weird twist IS some of Asgard's most interesting and strange development) whose friends, allies and other examples of places visited DO and HAVE included Earth, Xandar, and six other 'realms' as their etymology names them: for literal millennia. Even taking the other, long established cultural influences and visitations aside? For a society who 5000 years ago was still porting whole armies to other planets to kick peoples asses? The idea they never discovered honey; or sugar especially even on the inside of a fermentation barrel for wine; OR how to process it into something like candy? Is more than just a -little- dumb in the stretch. Sugar often naturally starts to separate and crystallize during the fermentation process. Ask a vintner, or look it up if you don't believe me. Just sayin'.. just on Earth alone, we know sweets were discovered more than 8000 years ago. Eight thousand. And the only reason we haven't been able to confirm people older than that finding things like bee's hives?? Is because well.. that kind of thing rarely survives even that length of time at all, to be found in archeology in order to tell us more. I'll touch that and how it's pretty damned near impossible that 'Loki doesn't know wtf candy is' being 1k+ years himself, and a guy raised as an Asgardian prince & spymaster to boot later into the culture section I think, but mmm.. that whole bit still reeks of stupid, to me And more so after their own DB Cooper scene. Gonna say candy wasn't a snack in that era either? Cause if so; I got big shocking news, for those who think so... XD

In closing.. for this part?

As far as the world of Asgard goes, we have only been allowed to see a very small part of it: and even then? It is still undoubtedly massively larger than even what's implied: and definitely capable of supporting it's comparatively small base population of less than 10k people.

(Odin's subterranean vault reference: exterior)

The only reason we don't see even more of it; is the fact that films have a limited time to give you everything, and the story focuses on the royal family from the get go. And they live, in the heart of Asgard's capital city... so we largely don't see as much of that as weirdo world building fans like me would absolutely love to see in the process... and frankly; they gave plenty enough to start us off with.

The films would have suffered for having too much more of that, rather than the stories they were trying to tell.

The same.. I would love to know more: and I do wish the current teams paid the previous ones more respect by using what was already there and expanding on it: instead of making mismatched new things up, as they went.

The early creative teams really knew what they were doing back then.

(Asgard's defensive cannons defending against the Darkalfheim air raid in Thor the Dark World.)

And no, this isn't all they showed us, in the show and tell they did manage to give us over the course of years of work... far from it.

Hope you enjoyed part one! Maybe you learned or saw something you missed.. or have been inspired to watch the older films again..?

I know I often am.

#MCU #Asgard #MCU Asgard #Lore drops #research #scene dissection #location and culture dissection #world building #universe building #Lokiverse references #writing references #writing research #Youtube #MCU Lore #part one:#about the land more than the people on it #don't worry: we'll get to that #:3

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themculibrary · 1 year ago

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Avengers Reacting To Their Movies Masterlist

A Beautiful Journey (fanfiction.net) - Aragorn II Elessar T, 566k

Summary: Watch-it fic. In 2035, members of the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four bring forth the Avengers, Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, T'Challa, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Pepper Potts, Aunt May and Loki from the past to watch the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

All the Days of our Lives, Phase 1 (ao3) - ElrondsScribe pepper/tony, jane/thor, clint/laura, ian/darcy, wanda/vision, sharon/steve, bucky/natasha N/R, 41k

Summary: An Avengers-watch-their-own-movies fanfiction. I know it's been done before, but I wanted to try it with a more expansive audience. In addition to all the Avengers (both retired and active) you'll find Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Laura Barton, Betty Ross, Helen Cho, Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, and even Ian Boothby.

Post Captain America: Civil War. AU, obviously. All ships in the tags. Please do enjoy! Warning: there will be a bit of language.

First up: Captain America: The First Avenger

Assemble (ao3) - Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen T, 201k

Summary: Ten years after Thanos’ defeat, Clint Barton, with help from Stephen Strange and a SHIELD agent named Leopold Fitz, brings the Avengers, plus Peter Parker, Scott Lang, and T'Challa, from a few months prior to The Avengers Civil War to show them the future so they don’t repeat the same mistakes.

Avengers Watch Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania Trailer (ao3) - SpiderWidowFam88 scott/hope, hank/janet, pepper/tony, mj/peter T, 5k

Summary: [Part 2 of Avengers Watch Stuff]

After Watching the events of No Way Home, the Avengers have some time to cool off and have a chat before their host plays another assortment of clips of their future.

This time, it's about the rise of a new villain and the adventures of the lovely Scott Lang.

Avengers watch Captain Marvel (fanfiction.net) - Roxas Itsuka T, 30k

Summary: Called forth by an unknown being. The Avengers are made watch a movie about a hero who came not long before them. Fury and Goose present also. No pairing.

Avengers Watch Spider-Man No Way Home (ao3) - SpiderWidowFam88 mj/peter, pepper.tony T, 71k

Summary: The movie left me feeling so heartbroken for our favorite spider kid so this is how I'm dealing with it.

Expect everyone being protective of Peter and desperately wishing they could be there to kill all of his problems.

Cough* cough* Natasha...

It's exactly what the title says.

They watch Spider-Man No Way Home

bro (ao3) - hunkahulkaaburningfudge G, 64k

Summary: The Avengers watch their future.

A Hawkeye watch-it fic.

bus boy (ao3) - hunkahulkaburningfudge clea/stephen, kate/america G, 40k

Summary: The Avengers watch their future.

A Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings watch-it fic.

Film Reels (fanfiction.net) - Little-miss-laughs-alot G, 19k

Summary: A stack of film reels sent to the Avenger Mansion will be intriguing for some, but for one, it will be difficult. Reliving Steve's past- before and after Captain America came to be, they get to know exactly who the kid from Brooklyn really is. Now Complete!

pizza balls (ao3) - hunkahulkaaburningfudge wanda/vision, kate/america, clea/stephen G, 58k

Summary: The Avengers watch their future.

A Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness watch-it fic.

Rewriting The Way This Story Ends [IM1] (ao3) - bookaholic4ever G, 49k

Summary: An Avengers watch the MCU fic. Will be Tony Stark centric. The OG 6 and Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Vision and Rhodey are also included. Can the Avengers watch and learn from their mistakes to protect their earth and in turn the universe from a madman? Read to find out. Set after Civil War and Homecoming but before Infinity War.

In this installment they are watching Iron Man.

stupid pigeon (ao3) - hunkahulkaaburningfudge layla el-faouly/marc G, 67k

Summary: The Avengers watch their future.

A Moon Knight watch-it fic.

The story behind the man: Iron Man 1 (ao3) - Anothershadow24 bruce/tony T, 34k

Summary: A year after the so called 'Civil War', the six original avengers, plus Sam, Wanda, Vision, Fury and Hill, get locked up on a room to watch a stack of films about one Tony Stark.

Watching- Iron Man 1 (ao3) - Schayisgay pepper/tony T, 28k

Summary: Up First- Iron Man 1.

The Avengers and Co watch their resident Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist as he becomes Iron Man.

Watch my life, feel my pain (Do I deserve it?) (ao3) - Wise_writer_girl wanda/vision, steve/natasha, sam/bucky, bruce/thor, pepper/tony T, 175k (WIP)

Summary: The Avengers wake up in a theater, the Theatre of Judgement, all from different times in the MCU storylines. The Judgement Spirit, Justice, is forcing them to watch WandaVision clips. If Wanda has suffered enough, Justice will bring Vision, Tommy and Billy back to life. But things don't seem so black and white when the loved ones of the other heroes are brought in as well. A deal must be made: the reveal of the darkest, most embarrassing and most painful moments of their stories in exchange for just a moment longer with someone they've loved and lost. Can the Earth's Mightiest Heroes cope with their best-kept secrets being exposed?

For the sake of those they love, they're going to have to.

#themculibrary #mcu #marvel #reacting #reacting masterlist #masterlists

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twh-news · 2 years ago

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Go Behind The Scenes With 'Loki: The Official Marvel Studios Collector Edition'

Discover the secrets of Loki with our exclusive preview with Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson, and pre-order the book on-sale on December 6th!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was turned upside in Loki Season 1, when Loki discovered Sylvie, The Time Variance Authority, Variants, and of course, He Who Remains. Re-live the stunning first season now streaming on Disney+, and go behind the scenes with the upcoming book Loki: The Official Marvel Studios Collector Special, from Titan Comics on sale on December 6th.

In this official guide, you’ll discover the secrets of Loki, the original Marvel Studios series, through interviews with the cast and creators, an episode guide, and behind-the-scenes material. Dive into the mysteries of the TVA and the incredible new characters who accompany the God of Mischief on his journey along the Sacred Timeline… all the way to the End of Time!

Thanks to our friends at Titan Comics, we have a preview of Loki: The Official Marvel Studios Collector Special with exclusive interviews with Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson:

“Loki has always been presented as a bit of a loner in the MCU, and by pairing him up with Mobius in this series, it’s given him a really great sparring partner," acknowledges producer Kevin Wright. "At first they have a very adversarial relationship but the great thing with Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston is that there is just an instant camaraderie there that I think just comes down to chemistry.”

Hiddleston remembers when the creators sketched out the plot of the series for him. The story would, they said, introduce a new character early on: “This really interesting character called Mobius. And he’s kind of an analyst in the TVA, and he’s a great intellect, he’s a scholar, he kind of understands Loki, and he’s able to show him parts of himself he’s never understood before. And I always wondered who was going to play that part. And here he is: Owen Wilson.”

The two actors had previously worked together before, but this, according to Hiddleston, “has been a different level of engagement.” Wilson’s turn as Mobius is his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and perhaps a somewhat surprising role for him! “When people ask, ‘What are you doing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?’ I reply, ‘No, I’m not wearing a cape. I don’t have any super-powers, other than the name Mobius, which has a certain power to it,'" Wilson says.

But Hiddleston doesn’t entirely agree. As the actor explains, “Mobius has his own super-powers, which is his kind of curious intelligence and his almost academic fascination with complexity, which exists in Loki and in the timeline. The Time Variance Authority is full of people who are quite militant. And some of them like order and organization. I think Mobius has a greater ability to contain the complexity and the ambiguity of life because people always used to say Loki can play the heavy keys and play the light keys. But Mobius can play the heavy keys and play the light keys. He knows the whole piano.”

Hiddleston clearly remembers the odd moment when he discovered his synergy with Wilson. “We were shooting out in the middle of the night in late February, in a quarry, somewhere in Georgia," he remembers. "It was really, really cold and I was wearing a costume, I was just in shirtsleeves, bare arms. And I realized that in the takes I was standing still, and I would start to shiver. And there was this massive hill that the trucks were coming down. And to keep myself warmer I decide to run up this hill between takes so I wasn’t shivering.” Suddenly, on one of these runs, Hiddleston saw Owen Wilson sneaking up on his left, also busy running, “And without saying he was going to do it, without noticing, without sort of making a comment.”

“I didn’t know where Tom was going,” remembers Wilson, “But it was like seeing someone, like a kid in your neighborhood throwing a ball against the wall and thinking, ‘That looks fun.’ I saw him running up this hill, and I said to myself, ‘I’m going too.’” According to Hidddleston, “That’s when I knew we had him. That’s when I knew he was locked in.”

#loki #loki series #tom hiddleston #interview #marvel #owen wilson #long post

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magicaldogtoto · 4 months ago

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Blood-brother of Odin, the father of the wolf, the (former) confidant of Thor--Loki!

Continuing on from my previous commission of Ultraman Mjolnir, here is Loki by BattyWanderer, the (self-appointed) leader of the Jotnar (kaiju) and former friend-turned-enemy of the Aesir (Is Asgard just this universe's Land of Light? I'm still figuring that out). Just like the Loki of Norse Mythology, this Loki was sealed deep under the earth a long time ago. Now he's broken out of his containment in the present day, and with his freedom, Ragnarok inches ever closer...

When people think of Loki, they probably think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Loki, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston. (The Thor films are a guilty pleasure of mine; they may not be the most liked of the Marvel films, but I like a lot of things about them.) I wanted to have a Loki that was divorced from that universe's version, and a bit closer to Norse Mythology. In contrast to Ultraman, who is a fighter, Loki is more cunning, and willing to sit back and let the Jotnar fight Ultraman for him. His pose in this piece is based on older illustrations of Loki, while his face is inspired by the Snaptun Stone, believed to be a depiction of Loki (Link leads to Wikipedia). The stitched mouth is a reference to the story where Loki had his mouth stitched by dwarfs after losing a bet (said bet actually related to the forging of Mjolnir). His colors are inspired by older characters in the Ultra Series, such as Dark Zagi, while the bioluminescent glow of the red is inspired by similar ideas in Guillermo del Toro's films. His winged shoes/feet are a reference to Loki in the myths being described as having shoes that allowed him to fly over the water and in the air. They're based on Hermes's shoes, but that was just because those shoes were the only reference I had to winged shoes.

Just like the myths, this Loki is a shapeshifter. He can appear in any form, and uses this ability to cause trouble for Ultraman and his host.

One final point: The Color Timer is modeled after Laguz rune, which is the first rune used to spell Loki's name. So Loki essentially walks around with an "L" on his chest. The jokes write themselves, really.

#ultraman mjolnir #ultraman #ultra series #ultraman oc #ultra oc #loki #norse mythology #tokusatsu #kyodai hero #art #my thoughts #my ocs #text

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blood-and-winter-buckynat · 1 year ago

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Note: The show notes and the story synopsis are not final, this is just currently what I have in mind. Just not that I thought that Rogers: The Musical in Hawkeye was cringe and I want this to be an Avengers musical with a much higher quality.

Assassins In Love (An Avengers Musical)

Production Notes:

The story and the production design will incorporate elements from the comics, in particular the 616 timeline, but there will be references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. References to the Avengers Assemble and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes cartoons are very welcome. The goal of the production is to be fan service in good taste, but in such a way that non-fans can also enjoy it. Action scenes/language/sensuality will be kept at the PG-13 level.

The songs will be in the style of classic Broadway and Disney musical numbers, with touches of hip-hop and big band jazz. The superheroes and villains in their fight scenes will wear bright, colorful costumes based on their comic book and film counterparts.

The majority of the story takes place in 2010s New York City. Scenes with flashbacks and travel to other places can be depicted with lighting and stage effects.

Genres: Action, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Suspense, Spy thriller

Characters:

Starring Characters: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Supporting female characters: Sharon Carter/Agent 13, Maria Hill, Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Pepper Potts appears at the party in Act I and in the Finale

Supporting Male characters: Steve Rogers/Captain America and Sam Wilson/Falcon; Tony Stark/Iron Man, Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and of course Clint Barton/Hawkeye

Villains: Alexander Pierce/Red Skull and Madame B from the Red Room; Kingpin also appears briefly in Act II

Avengers Chorus: Vision, Thor, Bruce Banner/Hulk, Scott Lang/Ant-man and Hope Van Dyne/Wasp; Doctor Strange; Peter Parker/Spider-man, Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver; Rhodey/War Machine

Villain Chorus (for opening Avengers battle): Including but not limited to Loki, Baron Mordo, Mysterio, Doc Ock, Whiplash, and Zemo

Extras: NYC Civilians, SHIELD/Hydra agents

Clint Barton’s family from the MCU will be mentioned throughout the play and appear in the finale

Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter will have a romance that parallels and foils Bucky and Natasha’s relationship; they will be a couple by the end of the show.

Story Synopsis

ACT I:

Prologue—(The prologue will be depicted in a montage of scenes and dances with minimal dialogue).

Steve Rogers/Captain America and Bucky Barnes were best friends and fought side-by-side in World War II. At the end of the war, Captain America goes missing and Bucky is captured by Hydra. Red Skull turns Bucky into the Winter Soldier and uses him as an assassin to enforce Hydra’s agenda.

Meanwhile in Russia, the Red Room headed by Madame B trains young girls to be assassins but incorporates ballet into their program. Young Natasha Romanoff is one of the best pupils in the Red Room. Red Skull and Madame B arrange to have the Winter Soldier train with teenaged Natasha.

In modern times, Captain America returns. He fights the Winter Soldier only to discover that his opponent is his long-lost friend Bucky. Bucky goes into hiding.

Present Day

The Avengers save New York City from a team of supervillains. After the battle, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff have a personal chat. Steve is adjusting to the modern world. However, ever since his encounter with the Winter Soldier he suspects that Hydra could be building in secret. He is also looking for Bucky but so far the search is fruitless. Natasha Romanoff is content with her existence as an Avenger, but she wonders if she can ever have a normal life and do something besides be an assassin. Sam Wilson arrives to tell Steve that Bucky has turned up.

At the headquarters of SHIELD, Director Nick Fury suspects that Hydra is rising again and warns Phil Coulson and Maria Hill to be on the lookout. Hydra is, in fact, operating under Fury’s nose, led by the Red Skull disguised as Alexander Pierce. Pierce works in a high-profile position at SHIELD. Madame B pays Pierce a visit, and together they plot to destroy the Avengers and help Hydra take over the world. Throughout the play, Madame B is in the background of various crowded scenes, spying on the characters.

After spending months in hiding, Bucky Barnes is in Brooklyn, his and Steve’s childhood home. Bucky is living in the streets while trying to remember his past and put his Winter Soldier days behind him. Steve Rogers finds Bucky and offers him material help. After some persuasion and argument, Steve gets Bucky to move in with him and Sam. Steve also invites Bucky to a party that night being thrown by Tony Stark.

Tony Stark throws a party at the Avengers Tower in Manhattan. While the other guests enjoy the party, Bucky sees Natasha Romanoff from across the crowded room. He remembers her from the Red Room. Natasha sees Bucky also, and she recognizes him. They meet and they talk briefly.

A few days after the party, she goes to Central Park and she sees Bucky again. They discuss their shared past.

Steve gets Bucky a job at SHIELD as a super-agent. For his first assignment, Bucky is sent out with Natasha Romanoff. It is at this point that Bucky recognizes that he has a growing romantic attraction to her.

ACT II:

Bucky has a hard time hiding his feelings for Natasha from the other Avengers. The Avengers and their coworkers at SHIELD believe that Natasha might like him back, but she is in denial. Nick Fury sends Bucky and Natasha undercover to a party in Manhattan hosted by Kingpin. Natasha and Bucky dance together at the party, and then they fight Kingpin’s thugs and arrest the crime magnate.

After the party, Natasha and Bucky frequently go on assignments together, but they also start seeing each other outside of work. Bucky is unsure about where to take his relationship with Natasha. He goes to Steve for advice, and as they reminisce about old times, they rekindle their former friendship. Later, Bucky summons up his personal courage and he tells Natasha that he loves her. They start ‘officially’ dating as a couple, but Madame B is spying on them. Maria Hill, however, is in turn spying on Madame B. Hill tips off Fury that Hydra is going to make their move.

Natasha rented an apartment in Manhattan (furnished by SHIELD) for an ongoing assignment and she is staying there while she and Bucky are dating. Madame B breaks into Natasha’s apartment while she is getting ready for a date with Bucky. Natasha is overpowered and tied to a chair. Then Madame B disguises herself as Natasha and she goes out and captures Bucky.

The Avengers receive Nick Fury’s call for help and they ‘Assemble’ to take out Hydra. Sharon Carter makes a phone call to Natasha and learns that Natasha has been captured and that Bucky is being lured into a trap. While the Avengers go to save Bucky, Natasha attacks her guards and frees herself to go join the Avengers.

When the Avengers come to rescue Bucky, Alexander Pierce reveals himself to them as Red Skull. There is a battle between the Avengers and the Hydra sleeper agents. Natasha arrives, and during the combat she and Bucky steal several moments to ask each other if they are all right. Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes take turns fighting the Red Skull. Red Skull attempts to set off a bomb, but Natasha disables it. Bucky kills Red Skull. Madame B and the other Hydra agents are arrested. Bucky asks Natasha to marry him and she says yes.

Finale: The Avengers throw a big wedding for Bucky and Natasha.

@sharingsharoncarter @burninblood @bolshoiromanova @agentxthirteen

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lokiondisneyplus · 2 years ago

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe was turned upside inLoki Season 1, when Loki discovered Sylvie, The Time Variance Authority, Variants, and of course, He Who Remains. Re-live the stunning first seasonnow streaming on Disney+, and go behind the scenes with the upcoming book Loki: The Official Marvel Studios Collector Special, from Titan Comicson sale on December 6th.

In this official guide, you’ll discover the secrets ofLoki, the original Marvel Studios series, through interviews with the cast and creators, an episode guide, and behind-the-scenes material. Dive into the mysteries of the TVA and the incredible new characters who accompany the God of Mischief on his journey along the Sacred Timeline… all the way to the End of Time!

Thanks to our friends at Titan Comics, we have a preview of Loki: The Official Marvel Studios Collector Special with exclusive interviews with Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson:

#Tom Hiddleston #Loki #Owen Wilson #Mobius M. Mobius #The Art of Loki #interview

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sun-stone-r-ain · 7 months ago

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Platonic Love is not 2nd Place

I just read this fic that I really liked and I want MORE. I'm not sure what aspect of the fic was my favorite, but one prominent feature was non-sexual intimacy. The Temeraire fic is the one driving me crazy with longing for more. The others also focus on non-sexual realtionships (aka Friendship).

Title: Understanding

Author: WerewolvesAreReal

Fandoms: Temeraire - Naomi Novik

Author Summery: Laurence knows as soon as he meets the Admiral's eyes.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49140079

My Notes: "Laurence presented nearly fifteen years ago. How can he still be learning about what he is?" Maybe this line is the one. This is like. Laurence has been alone and afraid for so long. And now he finally has someone to learn from. Jesus. And Lenton is so supportive. I want Laurence to vocalize their relationship, his questions. I want him to be openly affectionate. God. I need more of this.

***

Title: None So Blind

Author: prettybirdy979

Fandoms: Daredevil (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Author Summery:

They say when you assume you make an ass of you and me.

Matt wishes that the Avenger's assumptions about his seeming inability to read the written word did something as benign as making an ass of him and them. Being called illiterate shouldn't hurt, not when he knows he's not, and it's not like he can tell them the truth.

Not that the truth would make much difference. He's just going to have to grin and bear it.

If he can.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6256720/chapters/14336380

My Notes: I suppose this is more about ableism than the power of friendship. For more impact, first watch Zoe Bee's youtube video "The Adults Who Can't Read" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxMsgVgeu_M&ab_channel=ZoeBee

***

Title: Tony Stark: Appliance Whisperer

Author: Alex51324

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Author Summery: After Tony over-reacts to some SHIELD agents breaking a microwave oven, Steve begins to wonder if there's something the team should know.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1167543

My Notes: Tony has a secret, and his friend figures it out. I think the tag WAFF for Warm and Fluffy Feelings would be suitable here.

***

Title: Gravity of Empire

Author: NonBindaryStars

Fandoms: Temeraire - Naomi Novik

Relationship: Tenzing/Laurence

Author Summery:

“The captain was clearly one of those Englishmen who, having acquired a taste for the exotic during his travels and being a gentleman of means, wielded his power over the natives to affect the trappings of a status he had not earned...

...For his own part, Tharkay had long since ceased to draw from the poisoned well the British called love.”

Tharkay and Laurence’s story from Tharkay’s perspective, from Black Powder War through Tongue of Serpents.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25099333?view_full_work=true

My Notes: This fic is about racism. And colonialism. Read the authors notes in this fic. Here's a quote:

"Tharkay understands what the real outcome of that equation is because he LIVED IT - his ENTIRE family and community cast him out rather than openly claim him when it became inconvenient, remember???...And these were people who LOVED HIM. That’s the fucked up part - they REALLY, REALLY DID LOVE HIM - but their love is a POISONED. WELL. because of the unacknowledged gaps in their thinking. It’s so fucking insidious that nobody will admit it when it’s pointed out - it scatters like cockroaches when you shine a light on it. Please, please, please believe me: when it comes to BIPOC people with white friends, trusted colleagues, family members -- the love is REAL, and that’s what hurts. Not even LOVE is enough to make most people do the hard and uncomfortable work to think about their own biases, to empathize with your experience."

***

Title: Ásgarðrian Galdr

Author: Valerie_Vancollie

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Norse Religion and Lore, Marvel

Author Summary:

What if Loki was able to warn his past self, so he did not lose control during his regency and was able to act as he normally would? What if he had been able to remain calm and in control of himself, and the situation?

"How?" Loki demanded.

"Betrayal," his future self stated simply, rage clear in every syllable. "But you must control your reaction and come to see me, or you will repeat my mistakes and we will miss an opportunity to take control and alter things in our favor."

It would have changed everything.

My Notes: This is my new head-cannon for how Loki gets his happily ever after. Odin and Frigga are imperfect, not malicious. Thor is also imperfect. Different characters have different beliefs about what other characters believe, leading to misunderstandings. There is non-sexual intimacy. Loki is a regent King who Gets the Job Done.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29072913/chapters/71363868

#fanfiction recs #fanfic rec list #temeraire series #temeraire #tenzing tharkay #william laurence #daredevil #loki

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dhr-ao3 · 11 months ago

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Lover (My Favourite Couples' Version)

Lover (My Favourite Couples' Version) https://ift.tt/5OTvcBX by That_One_Dwarf "I always look at albums as chapters in my life, and to the fans, I'm so happy that you like this one... But I have to be really honest with you about something: I'm even more excited about the next chapter." - Taylor Swift A compilation of stories of my favourite couples featuring all the songs from an underrated gem in Taylor's discography. I present to you all, Lover! Featured Couples: Loid x Yor (TwiYor) - SPY X FAMILY Marinette x Adrien (Marichat) - Miraculous May x Steven (Daiharu) - Pokemon ORAS Draco x Hermione (Dramione) - Harry Potter Rapunzel x Jack Frost (Jackunzel) - Tangled & Rise of the Guardians Jane x Loki (Lokane) - Marvel Barbie x Oppenheimer (Barbenheimer) - Barbie & Oppenheimer Charlie x Alastor (Charlastor) - Hazbin Hotel Daryl x Beth (Bethyl) - The Walking Dead Nick x Judy (WildeHopps) - Zootopia Sukuna x Cinderella (Cinduna) - Jujutsu Kaisen & Disney Eleven x Rose Tyler (ElevenRose) - Doctor Who Words: 997, Chapters: 1/19, Language: English Series: Part 2 of My Favourite Couples' Version Fandoms: SPY x FAMILY (Anime), SPY x FAMILY (Manga), Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions, Disney Theatrical Animated Universe, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), Barbie (Movie 2023), Oppenheimer (Movie 2023), Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Miraculous Ladybug, Tangled (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Zootopia (2016), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Loid Forger | Twilight, Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess, Haruka | May, Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Cinderella (Disney), Sukuna | Ryoumen Sukuna, Margot Robbie's Barbie (Barbie 2023), J. Robert Oppenheimer, Jane Foster (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Rapunzel (Disney), Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Eleventh Doctor (Doctor Who), Rose Tyler, Daryl Dixon, Beth Greene (Walking Dead) Relationships: Loid Forger | Twilight/Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess, Haruka | May/Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Cinderella (Disney)/Sukuna | Ryoumen Sukuna, Margot Robbie's Barbie (Barbie 2023)/J. Robert Oppenheimer, J. Robert Oppenheimer/Barbie Roberts, Jane Foster/Loki, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Rapunzel (Disney), Alastor/Charlie Magne, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Eleventh Doctor/Rose Tyler, Daryl Dixon/Beth Greene Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Angst, Fluff, Slice of Life, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Families of Choice, Album: Lover (Taylor Swift), Inspired by Music, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Title from a Taylor Swift Song, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift References, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Married Life, Smut, here we go again, no beta we die like my brain while writing this via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/WDLbl8w December 24, 2023 at 04:58AM

#IFTTT #Dramione #Draco x Hermione

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ao3feed-twiyor · 11 months ago

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Lover (My Favourite Couples' Version)

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/a3Am0SG by That_One_Dwarf "I always look at albums as chapters in my life, and to the fans, I'm so happy that you like this one... But I have to be really honest with you about something: I'm even more excited about the next chapter." - Taylor Swift A compilation of stories of my favourite couples featuring all the songs from an underrated gem in Taylor's discography. I present to you all, Lover! Featured Couples: Loid x Yor (TwiYor) - SPY X FAMILY Marinette x Adrien (Marichat) - Miraculous May x Steven (Daiharu) - Pokemon ORAS Draco x Hermione (Dramione) - Harry Potter Rapunzel x Jack Frost (Jackunzel) - Tangled & Rise of the Guardians Jane x Loki (Lokane) - Marvel Barbie x Oppenheimer (Barbenheimer) - Barbie & Oppenheimer Charlie x Alastor (Charlastor) - Hazbin Hotel Daryl x Beth (Bethyl) - The Walking Dead Nick x Judy (WildeHopps) - Zootopia Sukuna x Cinderella (Cinduna) - Jujutsu Kaisen & Disney Eleven x Rose Tyler (ElevenRose) - Doctor Who Words: 997, Chapters: 1/19, Language: English Series: Part 2 of My Favourite Couples' Version Fandoms: SPY x FAMILY (Anime), SPY x FAMILY (Manga), Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions, Disney Theatrical Animated Universe, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), Barbie (Movie 2023), Oppenheimer (Movie 2023), Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Miraculous Ladybug, Tangled (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Zootopia (2016), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Loid Forger | Twilight, Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess, Haruka | May, Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Cinderella (Disney), Sukuna | Ryoumen Sukuna, Margot Robbie's Barbie (Barbie 2023), J. Robert Oppenheimer, Jane Foster (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Rapunzel (Disney), Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Eleventh Doctor (Doctor Who), Rose Tyler, Daryl Dixon, Beth Greene (Walking Dead) Relationships: Loid Forger | Twilight/Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess, Haruka | May/Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Cinderella (Disney)/Sukuna | Ryoumen Sukuna, Margot Robbie's Barbie (Barbie 2023)/J. Robert Oppenheimer, J. Robert Oppenheimer/Barbie Roberts, Jane Foster/Loki, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Rapunzel (Disney), Alastor/Charlie Magne, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Eleventh Doctor/Rose Tyler, Daryl Dixon/Beth Greene Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Angst, Fluff, Slice of Life, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Families of Choice, Album: Lover (Taylor Swift), Inspired by Music, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Title from a Taylor Swift Song, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift References, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Married Life, Smut, here we go again, no beta we die like my brain while writing this read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/a3Am0SG

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #twiyor #spy x family #sxf #loid forger #yor forger

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melodylnoelle · 2 years ago

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Opposite Sides

The Cards Have Spoken - Week 8 (My cards)

Hello! These are my cards from last week since we got a little behind again, but hopefully we should be back on track for next week!

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters: Natasha Romanov x Loki Category: Relationship - Enemies to Lovers Timeline: Wild Card (Chosen: - mid-Avengers) Setting: Dealer’s Choice (Chosen - Stark Tower) Warnings/Notes: Little bit of threats and violence. No smut beyond making out // I had another idea for this one, too, but this got finished first, so... maybe there will be another version of this posted soon // We are trying to keep these all to a minimum of 500 words. You can use these same cards for your own story if you like, but please tag me and @brightsun-and-darkmidnight so that we can see what you do! Please enjoy Words: 2145 Summary: Natasha confronts Loki about what happened with Clint and gets something she didn’t see coming. Masterlist

He was very infuriating for a god. Or maybe because he was a god.

Steve had once said there was only one God, stripping the brothers of their rank or titles with the statement. Natasha wasn’t sure that she had agreed with that sentiment. That didn’t mean she had to like them.

Thor wasn’t the problem, though. It was his mischievous brother, Loki, that was setting her on edge.

It wouldn’t be too long before Thor took him away. Right now, he was locked in another glass cell – this time, in the tower, and with no army or Clint under mind control to save him from it. In a few hours, everyone would be done with their debriefings and cleaning up, decompressed, and Thor would be there with a chain and muzzle to bring him before their king to be sentenced to whatever fate the Asgardians see fit for him.

But she had a score to settle with him first.

As everyone returned to the tower after their outing for shawarma – a delicious meal with all-too-quiet company for her taste - she excused herself from the men. She claimed that she needed to shower, to find a private place to get the blood off her face and be presentable again. But that was just that – an excuse, and it could wait.

Which is how she had found herself here, standing in front of the glass cell that held the god. His injuries had already mostly healed, besides a small-yet-glaring cut on the bridge of his nose. She had no doubt that he would be able to heal from that just fine, too.

He watched her as she observed him with squinted eyes. He waited, the only sign on his impatience being tapping his finger against his clasped wrists.

She knew what she wanted to say, what she needed to ask that was driving her mad, but she let him wait. She couldn’t exactly get the words out, anyway. She shouldn’t even be here, and she knew it. But she needed to.

After a while of staring at each other, Loki was the first to break the silence. “As much as I would love to continue this staring contest of ours, I do believe we have a limited time.” He switched his hands to being clasped behind his back.

She met him with silence.

He tilted his head back, eyeing her curiously. “Why are you here?”

She took one step closer to the glass. “You know too much about me. How?”

“I told you – Barton told me everything. To his credit, he was not exactly in his right mind, as you would say, when he did so.” A smirk broke across his face.

She tried to ignore the urge to break through the glass at that. “And how many others overheard that conversation?”

He blinked in surprise. “No one.”

“And am I supposed to just believe that?”

He laughed, throwing his hands out to his sides. “I’ve no reason to lie about that. It certainly would not help me to escape this situation.” His eyebrow quirked in question. “But if you are truly unwilling to trust my word on that, why are you here and not asking Barton these questions? I did not take any memory away from him.”

Why was she here? To break through the glass and kill him? She couldn’t do that, not without upsetting the Asgardians. And she didn’t need to have this conversation – Clint had already told her about all of this. She was surprised, though, that Loki had said the same thing as Clint. That didn’t make her want to trust him.

She realized she didn’t have an answer to that. She was acting on instinct, out of sorts. There was no reason for her to be here. She needed to be more in control than that.

With one last pointed look at him, she turned on her heel, beginning to stride out of the room.

“The only things I have lied to you about, for the record-“ his voice stopped her in her tracks, but she did not turn- “were that I was going to make Barton kill you. I was just trying to upset you, get you to open the door.”

She thought back to that moment – the pure rage and fear that she felt at his statement. It set her blood boiling all over again, but she still didn’t let herself turn around to face him.

But she also didn’t step away, because when she didn’t speak, he continued. “That and that I think you irredeemable.”

That surprised her enough for her to turn around. She eyed him curiously. “What does that mean?”

He was sitting now. She hadn’t even heard him move, but he was on the edge of the bed in the room, looking up at her from under his lashes. “I still don’t think you can wipe out the red in your ledger, as you put it. But I don’t think you have done things that cannot be forgiven in some way.” He looked off to the side, and his eyes seemed to be looking at something that wasn’t there. “At least, I have to believe that, because if even you cannot be forgiven, where lies any hope for me?”

“No.” She strode forward quickly enough that he seemed startled back into awareness. She slammed the button that opened the door, moving forward to block his exit before he could think about it. It was stupid, reckless, but she had had enough. Fuck pissing off the Asgardians. Just one more thing to add onto that ledger, in the end.

But to her surprise, he didn’t move towards the door. Instead, he rose his hands, as if to show he was not a threat. What an odd move to make, she thought, Then again, did he really have anywhere to go at this point?

This is a trick, she thought to herself. He was being nice to gain her sympathy, to be the balm to her nerves the way that he had expected her to be back on the helicarrier. She didn’t know where this rage was coming from, why she couldn’t tone it down, but it was enough that she brought a dagger to the spot under his jaw.

“Why are you doing this?” She asked. She could hear the fury in her normally-controlled voice, but she didn’t care. “What is it you want from me this time?”

“I don’t want anything from you.” His voice was even, controlled. “You asked me a question, I answered it honestly.” His eyes flickered to the dagger at his throat and back to her. “Though I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you. I’m sorry.”

She wanted to see a lie there – wanted to justify her reaction in some way, justify her hatred for the man who was speaking kind words – but she couldn’t. Maybe he was just a good liar.

Or maybe he wasn’t lying.

She didn’t make a move one way or the other. Her limbs felt like they had frozen in place. It was unusual for her to be rendered unable to move from a decision. She frowned, trying to sort out in her own mind why she was so torn. She didn’t like it.

“I understand your suspicion towards kindness, trust in that.” He smiled slightly, that far-off look there again for a moment. “But I meant it honestly.”

She wanted to hate him, she realized. Wanted to not feel guilty about wanting him gone after what he did to Clint. But when she looked into his deep green eyes, she couldn’t find it in her to feel that way.

She took a deep breath and held it as she lowered the dagger.

She couldn’t bring herself to move away, though. Her legs were still locked in place, like she was still trying to convince herself to do it. But she knew she wouldn’t. Not even to get revenge for Clint, and that upset her, too.

Loki didn’t move, either. His hands were still up near his head in surrender. He eyes her curiously, his face betraying nothing now but confusion.

They stayed like that for an agonizingly long time while she tried to process what she was feeling. What she was doing. She should leave, but something was making her stay rooted in place.

After a while, Loki spoke again, breaking the silence with a gently whisper. “What is it that you want from me?” His eyes looked lighter, less suspicious than they had when the dagger was poised to kill him.

Natasha still didn’t have an answer. She opened her mouth, trying to will words out, but shut it quickly. She couldn’t think.

Loki moved to stand then, towering over her short frame. On instinct, she went to raise the dagger, but he moved quicker, crushing his mouth to hers. The shock of it made her hand still. Her cheeks felt hot as his hand flew to tangle in her hair. His other cupped under her jaw, keeping her there lightly.

It was maddening, the way her heart was doing somersaults while her mind was still processing.

Loki pulled away first. He let his hand slide from her hair to her shoulder, but the other stayed under her chin, holding her gaze to his. His eyes were searching her face, wide with emotion. “Is that what you wanted from me?”

She finally found herself able to form words as she spoke. “You’re infuriating. How did you possibly get that out of me coming in here?”

A pained expression flickered across his face for a moment before it smoothed over to passive. “Then I find myself needing to apologize again.” He started to pull his hand away.

Something in that pain caused her heart to drop to the floor. Why should it bother that she hurt him after everything that he had done?

But it did. Whether she wanted it to, or not, it hurt her more than she expected.

And suddenly, she knew why she was here. It was an unexpected, maddening pull in this direction that she didn’t understand.

Her hands flew forward before she could register what she was doing. She pulled on his tunic and brought his mouth back to hers. He let out a gasp of surprise at the motion before giving into it, bringing his hands back to her hair and balling them into fists. Her mouth parted for his tongue, letting it explore inside her mouth.

She moved forward, pushing their bodies closer together. She kept moving until he stumbled backwards, knees buckling and forcing him to sit on the edge of the bed again. His hands were still in her hair, bringing her down with him. She straddles him. She let her hands fly over his back, in his hair, over his arms. His hands mimicked her movements while their mouths stayed locked together.

This is wrong, she had thought to herself. So why does it feel like it was exactly what I wanted?

But her mind flew back to earlier today – to seeing the battle and the damage to the city and all of the chaos that he had brought - and she stopped herself dead in her tracks.

She pulled her face from his. Their breaths mingled in the space between them, heavy and winded.

“What are we doing?” she breathed. She hadn’t found it in herself to get up yet, but her mind was reeling.

“Truly? I don’t know.” Loki seemed equally as perplexed. But soon he was shaking his head with a smirk on his face. “Acting as children, I suppose. Though if you are having doubts about the matter, I do suggest that you sort it out for yourself quickly. I imagine we’ve not much time left for… whatever this is.” He gestured between the two of them.

Shit, she thought. Thor could be there at any moment. And this was probably not an action the other Avengers would look lightly on.

In one swift motion, she was up. She backed away from him, taking one last look at his eyes, his now out-of-sorts hair marring his otherwise perfect appearance. She backed up all the way to the control panel to slide the glass closed, though she wasn’t sure now if it was to keep looking at him or to make sure that he didn’t escape.

Did she want him to go back to Asgard after all? Would she ever sort out what just happened if he did?

She tried to shake the thought from her head. He said nothing more, the whole time just sitting there, watching her and taking heavy breaths.

She shouldn’t be here any longer either way.

She turned and strode from the room, trying to sort out her next move in her head.

#the cards have spoken #writing #mcu #natasha x loki oneshot

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