#'are you crying over the bifrost incident again?'

[submitwittyblognamehere]

I am one again going insane about The Bifrost Incident (album by The Mechanisms (aka no-longer-immortal time traveling cyborg space pirate cabaret band, feat. hit podcast writer Jonathan Sims)) and all the complexity that's hinted at and expressed between Loki and Thor, specifically from Thor's perspective. That's it, I'm just thinking about Thor.

(long thoughts under the cut :3)

I'm thinking about what it means to have a friend and how it hurts to think you know her until one day she disappears. How could this have happened? Did she tell you her plans beforehand? Did she try to give you warning? Did you believe her? Had she whispered her desires to escape like a confession? Or worse, did she leave without so much as a "goodbye?" Do you play and replay your last conversations with her in your head, searching for codes and meaning that you can't ever be sure is there?

I'm thinking about what it means to lose someone, to feel absence in your chest like a cavity for years and years and years and.

I'm thinking about what it might mean to hold dear the memory of the one you're missing until she returns. And I'm thinking about how, when she returns, instead of a joyous reunion, her actions steal away someone else who was dear to you.

I'm thinking about how you've lost them both. She (because it is just "she" now, you can't even speak her name) is back---caught, more like, but your other is gone, and you hate her for it. There is no way to have them both. And now there is no way to have either of them. How could you be expected to forgive such an unconscionable and irreparable act? An inconsolable pain? You hate her so much for it that you can only feel vindication when she is executed. Did you feel vindicated? An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, but what is it like to feel as though you're the only one who can't accept that this happened?

I'm thinking about how the anger of betrayal (now, twice over) might feel, until your friend's enemy's death, and how you can expect that the very public exhibition of violence against her is the only closure you will ever receive.

Was she quiet at the gallows? Or did she plead and cry out her conspiracies, desperate for a listening ear? Did she beg for your help in the moments before her demise? Did you turn away from her, or did you watch until the life left her eyes? How could you stand it?

I'm thinking of how years may soften the sting of grief, but a dull knife can still wound.

I'm thinking of the years you spent alone, with only a fool as competent company.

I'm thinking of ghosts. I'm thinking of anger and mirth. I'm thinking about reflections and the face you saw on that damned train. Did you feel a brief moment of joy at her familiarity, or did you jump right to the impossibility of her presence? Did you feel any hope at reconciliation, or did that only come later after the last remnants of remorse had finally left you?

I'm thinking about how, head clouded with confusion and rage, you confronted the mastermind behind all of your frustration; and how in exchange for your effort you, too, were excommunicated.

I'm thinking about how priorities change in the face of tragedy; how unlikely alliances form in the most desperate of situations; how there is room for shared grief to be felt together, even as you and your new Ally put the past behind you.

I'm thinking about your decision to be the final one to confront the Mastermind.

I'm thinking about how, even after death, there is no room for forgiveness.

I'm thinking about how, even before death, there is still room for peace.

You stand and face the friend you no longer know; the friend you will now never forget. She faces you and you both understand that there is no more time to figure things out, there is only the violence that lies between you and the union you find in the middle.

I'm thinking about the many meanings of vengeance and love, of peace and honor.

I'm thinking about courage, ambition, fear, audacity, stubbornness, reason, determination, rage, frustration, loss, acceptance, sabotage, power, maliciousness, mourning, and strength.

I'm thinking about autonomy and how you were able to choose the way in which you ended things.

I'm thinking about friends. Was it enough?

[thistleation]

I’m so obsessed with your eldritch space fic, I just can’t get it out of my head! I swear I catch myself thinking about it at least once per day. It’s got me really wanting to finally get into sci-fi media again and I’m wondering if you happen to have any recommendations?

Oh wow.

Damn.

Okay well first of all, holy shit, thank you!

I knew BoSaS was well liked by a handful of people, but until now I didn't think anyone besides me belonged in the "thinks about it daily category" 😭💖

As for sci-fi recs... well this is going to be a bit scattershot.

I've honestly not really kept up with recent sci-fi due to over a decade of major depression and not having my shit together, and I'm not a huge fan of a lot of the sci-fi that comes out these days in visual media, so I'm trying to make some time to read some of the sci-fi stories of recent years, but again, that's a work in progress, so can't really rec much in that regard.

First things first though, if you like Beyond our Space and Starlight, I absolutely have to rec luminous beings by @daisychainsandbowties .

It's warrior nun, it's star wars, it's got the suffering and the crying and the patented Cas poetic beauty amid the despair. It's SO fucking good and if you've not read it (and its companion pieces in the same setting) you absolutely gotta.

And also before I go any further, shouting out the Bifrost Incident which @the-darkness-does-not-bargain so kindly introduced me to. (don't look up anything about it, just listen). I assume that the main motivation behind you asking is something along the lines of "what kind of sci-fi was the inspiration behind this?" To which I'd have to say it's a mix that's a little eclectic and mainly old.

But let's talk about them because why not:

First off, the biggest influence is probably the original Star Wars trilogy, with dashes of the prequel trilogy.

I could write an essay about this, but I guess I could condense my opinion on Star Wars (and its relation to BoSaS) very simplified into something like: "Yes! You SHOULD bring swords and myth/magic into sci-fi... no, not quite like that!"

Rogue One brought it back and did it pretty well. (Only truly good recent Star Wars movie) I'd also draw from other sci-fi classics like the original Alien movies, the first two Terminators and Blade Runner.

Not to be all "the original is always better," but I feel like an issue with a lot of modern sci-fi is that the setting is too effaced, it lacks story and it's just a vehicle for spectacle. I like sci-fi stories where space is BIG and scary, and being on a ship surrounded by millions upon millions of miles of vacuum, utterly hostile to life? That should feel a little claustrophobic! Or at least occasionally unsettling.

If you hit the original movies, you're more likely to catch more of the vibe of the setting itself being an important character in the story, which to me is an essential aspect of my favourite kind of sci-fi content.

Okay this is getting long, let's go over the rest faster.

Ghost in the Shell

The original movie and the Stand Alone Complex (second season especially).

This is probably one of my biggest formative experiences on my "didn't realize they were trans at the time" adolescent brain.

High concept, transhumanism, guns, fast action, and enough of a spiritual/philosophical vibe to keep it from getting bland.

Then in a similar vein of physical dissociation and occasional body horror, but you want it to be even more fucked up?

Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm

The original run in particular. This along with Ghost in the Shell was what shaped my interest in sci-fi around my adolescence. I liked how both weren't afraid to introduce philosophical, almost spiritual and mythological elements to their futuristic stories.

Ghost in the Shell especially is like, the powers of mythical creatures, achieved through technology, and it leans into that and so you get an almost spiritual experience as an end result.

This story gets fucked up at times, but it's beautiful and heart wrenching all the same.

Prey

In contrast to my "watch the originals" statement of earlier, this is a recent predator movie that's actually good.

Thorgal

Okay this one isn't sci-fi, but I'm adding it to the list because this takes my love of adding magical/fantasy elements to sci-fi, but from the other direction: a story of a viking outcast, featuring gods and mythical creatures, but ALSO sci-fi elements as the lead character is of a race of spacefaring human(oids?)

Again, the first 20-odd books especially.

A powerhouse of the classic Franco-Belgian comics, nothing quite like it.

It's getting late and this is getting long, if any mutuals wanna tag on their recs for weird and not-so-weird sci-fi, please feel free.

[jam-campasta]

So I gave the Bifrost Incident a second listen but this time I actually read the lyrics along with the music and like, actually understood the plot and let me just say I embody this image whenever I think about any aspect of the story

[the-sound-of-her-wings]

In a Crowd of Thousands

Loki x Gender Neutral!Reader, set in between Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. Loki is currently pretending to be Odin.

Word Count: 1,744

Contains: Reunions, Threats of Violence, Angst?, Fluff?

Inspiration: In a Crowd of Thousands from Anastasia.

As the child of one of Vanaheim’s two senators, you were expected to make appearances with your mother often- or as often as an 8-year-old would allow. People weren’t exactly expecting you to appear at every signing of a bill into law, but they were expecting to see you at fun things. The kind of events that kids dream of taking a part of, or at least look up at in wonder. This was one of those events: a parade celebrating the over thousand-year peace between Asgard and Vanaheim, cemented when Frigga and Odin were married.

You sat high on a carriage, next to your mother. You were dressed in fine Vanheimian silks, enshrouding your body and making a hot summer that much more unbearable. You began to fuss with the sleeves on your outfit when you took notice of something odd. A small child, extremely disheveled and dirty, staring directly at you from the crowd.

As your carriage moved by, you saw him begin to move, trying to catch up with you. The guards spot him, but they can’t catch him. He is able to dodge them and escape from the crowd into the parade. He begins to run towards you, shouting your name the whole time. Your mother realizes this boy is very persistent and elects to stop the carriage so that he doesn’t get run over by it. You smile at him as he bows. The guards finally catch up to him and take him away, and you wave goodbye to him as he is dragged away kicking. The parade starts up again, and you continue on the rest of your day thinking about that day.

You still think about that day now and then- even a thousand years later. Not much has changed since then- your homeworld is still a democracy, run by two main senators. The only real difference is the people in power- now, one of them is you. It’s your first term as a Senator, though you’ve had a lot of experience in the local politics of your homeworld. Unfortunately, that’s not very helpful when it comes to politicking with leaders of the other Nine Realms. The last time you left Vanheim, and subsequently met any kind of leader outside your own world, was that parade. But now, you're going back.

Five years had passed since Frigga was killed by the Dark Elf Algrim. The peace between Asgard and Vanheim was as strong as it ever was, but the people of Vanheim were weary. To appease your people, and to ensure that the peace remained strong, yearly visits to Asgard were implemented. It was more for keeping up appearances than anything, but you had been warned by your predecessor had informed you this usually came with in-depth philosophical discussions.

You knew something was off as soon as you arrived. You were not greeted by Heimdall. Instead, some man named Skurge had welcomed you. You might have been a child when you were last here, but you distinctly remembered the Bifrost Bridge being more colorful, shining more brilliantly, and having less stuff littering it. By the time you make it to the throne room, you are thoroughly convinced some trickery is afoot. The person pretending to be Odin, sitting atop his throne confirms this.

You can tell right away that it’s not Odin. Your people are one of old magic and trickery, and this is an obvious example of a well-crafted, almost perfected glamour. But you can see through the cracks. The puzzle now is figuring out who is pretending to be Odin- without causing the people of Asgard to panic at the fact their ruler is not who he says he is.

“Greetings, Senator Y/N of Vanheim. Welcome to Asgard. I trust your journey here went smoothly.” The false king states.

You bow your head in keeping with tradition. “Greetings, Odin, All-father, Protector of the Nine Realms. My journey was safe and swift, and I am thankful to have the honor to be in your presence once more.”

“You honor me, Senator, with your respect for my right as King. Come now, let us dine together.” You raise your head again and begin following the false Odin into the dining room.

Thankfully, another part of the tradition is for Odin to eat dinner with the Senator of Vanheim alone upon their arrival in Asgard. Which gives you the perfect opportunity to figure out who is masquerading behind the facade of Odin. As soon as you are alone together, you make your first move: Undoing the magic being done to pretend to be Odin. You are unsurprised to see who it is, but something now seems eerily familiar about him that hadn’t before.

“How did you do that?” He asks, puzzled that he looks like himself again.

“What are you doing, Loki?” Your voice is sharp but quiet, careful not to alert anyone who may be trying to listen to the huge secret you’ve just unveiled.

“What does it look like I’m doing? And you haven’t answered my question.”

You take a huge deep breath and let the air flow out slowly through your mouth so you don’t immediately fly into a rage. You are still a Senator, after all. “If you had studied the magics like you had been told too, maybe you would know the answer. Now, where is Odin?” You begin walking towards him, and he walks backward to keep the distance between you.

“I have no idea.” His answer sounds honest, but you know it’s a lie. He has backed himself into a corner, and you stand in front of him, about the block him in when he teleports to the other side of the room.

“Do not test me, Prince,” You begin, conjuring a gigantic ball of flame, “Where is your father? What have you done to him?”

“Senator, please calm down. We wouldn’t want a diplomatic incident, now would we?” Loki is smirking at you, thinking he’s got you in a bind. But he doesn’t realize he’s already lost.

You glare at him and put out the flame. “See, now that wasn’t that-” His speech is interrupted by you transforming into him, and reconjuring the flame.

“Do not trifle with me, Prince. I would be more than happy to kill you and replace you if it meant no one else must suffer at your hand. Now tell me. Where is your father?”

“He’s in a retirement home on Earth.” You transform back into yourself instantly upon this revelation and put out the flame once more.

“What in his name is he doing on Earth in a retirement home?” Your anger is gone, you are just tired now. Tired of the trickery, and games. And you really just want to eat.

“I put him under a spell. Wiped his memories.” You want to cry. Your first visit back to Asgard and it’s a total disaster.

You hesitate before asking, “How long have you been at this?”

“Five years” You look up at the ceiling and bite your lip to prevent yourself from screaming. When you look back at Loki you stop biting your lip and instead smile, and clap.

Through gritted teeth you shout, “Let’s Eat!” He opens his mouth to say something, but you are done with his nonsense. You cast a spell to temporarily prevent him from speaking. He glares at you, but you ignore him. You sit down next to each other at the table and eat the dinner you had been craving since you arrived.

After you finish the meal, you reverse the spell, and tell him, “You are the luckiest Prince in the Nine Realms, Loki.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s luck. I worked pretty hard to get here.”

“Loki. You do realize that had any other Vanheimian Senator, let alone any other ruler of any of the Nine Realms, found out your secret before me, they would have killed you on the spot?”

“Then why haven’t you killed me, Senator?”

“I’d rather not have to deal with the war that will come after that. Even if I am justified, it would destabilize all the Nine Realms. I will not sacrifice millennia of peace because you decided to rule Asgard for five years.” You reply.

“I am grateful.”

“You know,” You start, and you're not sure why you’re telling him this, “I’ve been waiting a millennium to come back here. And this is what I find now that all this time has passed. A Prince playing at being King.”

“A millennium?” There is a shift in his tone as he asked.

“Yes, a millennium. I keep thinking back to the day my mother and I came here. She was a Senator at that time, and we were in a parade. There was a boy-”

“That was you?” The realization hits him first, and his whole demeanor shifts.

“What do you mean that was me?” You are in denial.

“I was that boy. The one who made you smile and got dragged away by guards- that was me.”

“Are you telling me the day I couldn’t stop thinking about for centuries, that the boy I wanted to come back and find- that was you?” You really wish this was one of his tricks, but it’s not. It’s obvious it’s not. The way he’s looking at you like he’s just rediscovered the love of his life, tells you he’s not lying.

“You couldn’t stop thinking about it either?” He asks.

“I wanted to find you again.”

“So did I.” He chuckles, “It seems ridiculous now. I spent a decade looking for you, but my mother said-”

“Don’t worry, child. You will meet again one day when the fates allow?” You finish his sentence.

“Yes, exactly.” Loki smiles at the memory of Frigga.

“So what now?” You ask.

He reaches out for your hand and you give it to him. “We make up for lost time.” He kisses you, and you kiss him back. It is the kiss of a long-lost love, full of passion and relief. Of a spouse returning from war, years after the war has ended, long since presumed to be dead. As the kiss ends, you embrace each other. You saw each other in a crowd a thousand years ago. And a thousand years from now you will be in crowds together, happily married, with the peace between your realms secured for thousands more.

[cailjei]

For the gift exchange of @worstloki . My giftee is @palletprincess . I truly hope you enjoy this!

The sound of a door creaking woke Thor from his slumber. A thin ray of moonlight passed through the drapes, illuminating the room. His gaze immediately snapped to the door. Loki stood there, his face looking otherworldly pallid under the light of Asgard’s moons. He seemed unsure of what to do.

Thor sat up in his bed. “Brother?”

There was a pause, before Loki asked timidly “Can I come in?”

“Of course.” Loki stepped through the door uncertainly. “What happened?”

Loki hesitated for a moment. He casted his gaze on the floor. “I had a nightmare.”

Thor scooted over to make room for his brother, pulling off the bedcovers and patting the now empty space beside him. Loki slid under the blankets. It was impossible to see it in the dark but now that they were near each other, shoulders and arms touching, Thor could feel his brother trembling. “What was the nightmare about?”

“I don’t remember.” Loki answered a bit too quickly. It was a pitiful attempt at a lie, which was weird coming from Loki, who usually was so artful at his deceits. Nonetheless, Thor was tired enough to let it go. “It’s alright. Let’s just go to sleep.”

Thor had almost fallen asleep, when he heard Loki whisper. “It was so cold. Their eyes were glowing like embers, burning in the dark. And they came for me. The Jotnar monsters.”

Thor knew that his brother was scared of the Jotnar. It was the only threat of their nursemaid, Hilde, that had actually taken root. And ever since Hilde had understood it, she had used it ruthlessly. Every time his brother was causing mischief, Hilde would say that the Jotnar would come and steal him in the night and eat him. Loki, despite putting on a brave front would pale every time he heard it.

“They won’t come. And even if they do, I won’t let them take you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

They were suspended above the void, Loki’s fingers wrapped around one of Gungnir’s ends as Thor tightly held the other. Loki looked more vulnerable than Thor had ever seen him, since they were both children and Loki slipped into his bedchambers, in the middle of the night, seeking help to ward off his nightmares. Thor could see Loki breaking a little more every moment that passed, but he could never have guessed that Odin’s words would send him over the edge, not until he saw his expression, shifting from desperation to resignation. Loki’s fingers loosened their grip and Thor screamed as his brother let go, because there was nothing else he could do, nothing that could keep his brother from falling into the abyss. And then he was being hauled up to the bridge by Odin.

“Loki!” Thor yelled, feeling paralysed, staring over the edge, at Loki who seemed to get smaller and smaller with each passing second, as if he was being consumed by the darkness surrounding him. For a wild moment, Thor had half a mind to follow him, but the urge passed before he could realise it. Then he heard Odin uttering some arcane words in an ancient tongue. Loki’s form was enveloped by white light, and suddenly he disappeared. Thor terrified turned to his father, who was gazing onto the bridge again. He followed Odin’s stare only to find his brother, laying in a heap, prone and unmoving. Thor looked questioningly at Odin.

“It’s a sleeping spell. It will keep him calm until we can get him to the infirmary.”

Thor ran to Loki and turned him over. Loki’s face was slack, youthful in his senselessness, all evidence of his previous madness erased. He didn’t know what else to do, other than yell at Loki what the Hel he was thinking, or crush him into a hug and never let go. Since he could hardly manage the first, he had to be satisfied with the latter. So he gathered Loki into his arms, pressing him tightly in his chest and got up, following Odin to the healing ward.

The days following his failed coronation were the most difficult thing Thor had ever had to endure. It felt as though the world had turned upside down and yet he still had to pretend that everything was as it used be. He had to attend a lot of council meetings regarding inter-realm relations, as well as the fate of his brother. Odin had declared Loki to not be of sound mind and -as much as Thor hated to think about his brother that way- it made their job of defending his actions against the council and the representatives of the other realms so much more easier.

And as terrible as it was for him, he could only guess how horrid it was for Loki.

Loki who had not spoken a word since being rescued at the broken rainbow bridge. When Thor visited the infirmary, he mostly stared into the distance, ignoring him. At the rare occasion when Thor said something particularly stupid, Loki would turn and look at him with dull eyes. To be honest, Thor himself did not know how to feel about Loki and about what Loki had done. He alternated between guilt and fury and worry and sorrow.

And then there was their family secret.

Three days after the incident at the Bifrost, Thor’s parents had bid him into Odin’s study. “We need to talk to you.” Frigga had said. “It’s about your brother.” And Thor had come. His parents had both seemed awkward at first, as he took the chair in front of them. Odin spoke first. “Your brother is not our son by blood. He is our son by heart.” The words felt like one of his many practiced speeches.

Thor did not know what to say, he did not even know what to feel about it. All these years and the thought had never crossed his mind. Looking back now he could see how different his brother had always been, both in appearance and personality. And yet, Thor could not think Loki as anything other than his brother. Odin went on, apparently unaware of Thor’s shock, his gaze turning distant.

“It was years ago, during our war with Jotunheim. After I fought Laufey, I found him, abandoned in a temple, left to die of exposure. Laufey’s son. I will confess, my first thought was that I could use him, I could unite our realms through him. So I brought him home. I may have had plans for him, but soon enough they all changed, as I came to love him as if he were my own. Perhaps I erred, in hiding from him what he was. But that was not my intent. I thought him to be happy. I truly thought him happy.”

“It can’t be. He cannot be one of them. The Jotnar are monsters! Loki is... clever and witty and wily and... and not a monster!” Even as he said that, he thought of his brother, hell-bent on destruction at the Bifrost, feral and wild, crying and cackling. And on this occasion alone, Thor could imagine him blue-skinned and red-eyed, monstrous. The next moment he felt sickened by his own train of thought.

“They are not monsters Thor. Don’t ever say that again.” Frigga hissed. “He is your brother, regardless of his race.”

Thor just gaped. “All these years, you let us believe -you let both of us believe- that the Jotnar were monsters! That they were nothing more than monsters! How could you, when the one you call son was one of them-”

“We never taught you as such. But we couldn’t control the people’s opinions... And after the war the Aesir’s hearts were hardened against the Jotnar.”

“But you could have taught us otherwise. You could have taught us the truth.”

His parents had nothing to say to that. At last Odin spoke. “I will admit that we could have handled it better. But, in all honesty, I had thought that he’ll never know. We only sought to protect him from the truth.”

“So that means that he knows?” Thor asked in the end, even though he had the sneaking suspicion that he already knew the answer to his query. For there was no other explanation for his brother’s sudden bout of insanity.

“He does.” Answered Frigga.

Thor had heard enough. He excused himself and left. He had a lot to think about.

The next day, after Thor completed his obligations, he headed towards the healing chambers. Loki was there to heal, but the healers had no idea how to aid him. His magic was bound, much to his dismay. Thor visited daily, but today he was there for a different purpose. After he reached the door, he stilled himself, readying for the battlefield that this conversation will be. Then he knocked, mostly to inform Loki of his presence, and entered without awaiting for his response.

Loki lay on the bed, curled on his side, his arms wrapped around his waist and his back on the door. For a moment, he wondered whether his brother still slept, but once Thor noticed his breathing pattern he could tell that Loki was awake. Thor sat on the chair beside the bed, as usual.

“Loki, turn to face me. Please. We need to talk. It is long overdue.”

Loki did not answer him. He did not turn around either. Thor struggled not to sigh audibly. “I know what you are.” Loki’s breath hitched. “But I also know who you are. My brother, my best friend, my closest confidant. My equal.”

For the first time in four days, Loki spoke. “You must have lost what little wits you had about you if you think to call a Jotun your brother, much less your equal. I would have thought that by now, we both have learnt that I am neither.” His voice was raspy from disuse and thick with disgust.

“That is not true. As children we’ve played together and as men we’ve fought together, side by side. I know you as I know no one else. You may not be my brother by blood, but that is not the only measure of brotherhood. The Jotnar are not monsters. And you are not one either.”

Loki finally turned to face him. “And they would have it that I am mad. Whence did that sudden love for the Frost Giants came? You had no qualms about slaying them all. You said so yourself. And yet, one of them is standing right before you, wrapped in false Aesir skin and instead of making good use of your prized hammer, you call it brother and dilly-dally your time making polite conversation with it!”

Thor was momentarily stunned. He hated the way Loki seemed to think about himself. He was also unable to discern what his brother was referring to. In the end, a distant memory clawed its way on the forefront of his thoughts. “I was but a child. I didn’t know any better. And I was wrong to hold such opinions.” Loki’s eyes widened in surprise. There was a brief pause. “You shouldn’t talk about yourself that way.” Added Thor at last.

Loki chuckled bitterly. “But a few days ago, you were ready to kill them all, to start a war with them over petty insults, to make them learn their place. And in the space of a three day vacation on Midgard you changed completely. All those years, I was the only one to see your flaws, your arrogance, your temper, your impulsiveness, your tendency to act before you think and I did my damnedest to try and change them, and when that proved impossible, I did what I could to keep you away from the throne, before your hot-headiness doomed Asgard. And as if you did not already set an impossible standard, suddenly you return from your banishment, all flaws wiped away, ready to consign me to your shadow, forever this time. For how can I escape it now?”

“I wouldn’t have ruined Asgard!” Thor felt genuinely hurt that his brother seemed to hold him in such low regard. His aforementioned temper began to rear its ugly head again.

Loki laughed, hysterically. “You wouldn’t have done it all at once. But given a few centuries, I am certain-”

And Thor exploded. “You didn’t just do it for Asgard! You always were jealous of me. I never did understand why, for what petty reasons-”

Loki’s face hardened. “Of course. This is what I am, isn’t it? Everything I do is either from envy or from spite, there is always some sort of malicious intent behind my actions. Everything that’s ever wrong, it is that way because of me, it could never be you, the golden son, the flawless, glorious prince, the mightiest warrior of Asgard. This is what everyone believes, isn’t it? I am a trickster, the Liesmith, a snake in the bosom of the royal family, finally revealed for what I truly am-”

“I do not believe that.”

“And I don’t believe you. All those centuries of being dismissed as the lesser prince, my talents belittled as yours were cherished, of being in your shadow until I became one.”

“I never thought myself as your better.” Even as he said that he remembered, not a week ago, saying to his brother to know his place. He flushed. “I didn’t mean- I was just angry-”

“Ha. You always are. Angry or upset or-” Loki cut himself off and breathed deeply through his nose. “I don’t want your sentimental nonsense. I am not interested in your worthless excuses either. Go.”

“Loki...”

“Leave me be.” Loki said, his voice flat and cold, turning away and curling into himself again, in a movement that reminded Thor of a snake coiling in preparation for brumation.

Stubbornly, Thor attempted to start again the conversation, but his efforts were all for naught. In the end he left, having achieved none of his goals.

That night, sleep would not come for Thor. Certainly, it was not for lack of effort. The conversation with his brother was replaying in his mind, over and over. Sometimes, Loki frustrated him to no end. Other times he got angry on himself, for his mishandling of the situation. He tossed and turned until giving up finally when only the smallest moon was still hanging in the night sky.

It was true that his brother’s seidr was scorned since it was considered a womanly art. His cunning and keen wit were appreciated by few when applied to strategy in battle, but Loki’s preferred method of manipulating social circumstances and lying, even by omission, were thought as cowardly. ‘A warrior’s way is as straight as the sword he wields.’ Were the words of their weapon-master, Tyr. Tyr had often berated Loki for not leaving up to that standard. And Thor- he didn’t recall berating exactly, but he most certainly teased. He didn’t have malicious intentions, he didn’t want his brother to feel bad, but in retrospect, he could see how his comments, or the ones by their friends could be taken as offence, even if at the time they were received with a wicked smirk and a retaliation in the form of a snide remark, usually about the intelligence of the offending party. And, on second thought, although he held Loki in high regard, he had underestimated his brother’s talents in the past. Loki had spoke true, he had been arrogant and thoughtless. He still was, from time to time. Perhaps he ought to admit to his faults. It wouldn’t solve everything, but just maybe it could be a start, the new beginning they both seem to need.

When the morning arrived, Thor mustered the courage to go to Loki’s room again. He rapped his knuckles on the healing room’s door, ready to burst in without permission, when Loki’s tired, thin voice came to him through the wood. “Have I not make it clear enough yet that I do not desire your mindless chatter?”

Thor could not help the smile that graced his lips. If you excluded the weariness in his tone, Loki almost sounded normal, like every time Thor interrupted something he deemed important. How Thor wished everything was that simple, as it was during their youthful squabbles. “Can I enter? Please, brother.”

A sigh was heard from the other side of the door. Thor could almost imagine the exasperated expression in Loki’s face. “My wishes do not really matter now, do they?”

“Of course they do and if you truly think there is no hope to mend what is between us, then I will go. But, if you hold even a sliver of hope in your heart, let me in.”

Another sigh, softer this time. “Come in.”

Thor opened the door, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Then he ventured forth, taking the chair beside his brother. “I have thought long and hard about this. And I wanted to apologise, for I have indeed wronged you.”

If anything, Loki seemed annoyed at this. “Is this your attempt to appease me for my imagined slights?”

Thor pressed on. “I have underestimated you in the past. I failed to recognise that while our skills may differ, they are of equal importance. In fact, when it comes to ruling, cunning, diplomacy and the ability to decide with your mind rather than your heart, are perhaps more important than prowess in the battlefield.”

Loki gaped at him. “You can’t mean that. You witless oaf! I... I almost killed you! And you apologise for merely-”

“I do not believe you intended it. Had I not been a mortal, the strike would not have killed me.”

“I- I was so angry, I did not think-”

“Sshh. It is alright.” Thor hesitantly put his hand on Loki’s nape. When Loki did not pull away, but instead leaned into the touch, Thor pulled him closer still, until their foreheads touched. For the first time in this bleak week he felt something like hope. Things were not well. But they could be mended.

[hela-avenger]

poison & wine- part 19

Author: hela-avenger

Word Count: 1940

Summary: Prince Loki of Asgard is in need of a date to take back home. That’s where you come in with a task of your own to make the whole trip with an insufferable prince worth it. Too bad that things don’t always go as planned and you end up giving more than you can take. Fake-Dating AU.

A/N: So the last update brought the angst and this one makes up for it! Thanks for reading and commenting everyone! Please send me a message if you’ll like to be tagged! 

poison & wine masterlist

After a few minutes, Loki was forced to let you go. You had yet to stop crying and he didn’t know what he was meant to do if this continued on. He couldn’t take you back to the palace in this state but he couldn’t stay on the bridge any longer and risk someone finding you like this too. 

“Mount my horse,” Loki instructs you as he leads you to the black stallion adorned in his colors. “You’re in no state to ride back on your own so you’ll ride with me.” 

“But…” you whisper as your stare turns to the horse you had brought along. 

“I’ll send someone to come pick him up,” Loki assures you. “Just get on my horse.” 

Loki watches as you climb onto his horse and settle into his saddle. When he’s convinced you won’t do anything brash, which he isn’t entirely convinced at the moment, Loki steps away.

“I’ll be back. Just wait for me.” 

You don’t argue when he turns away and leaves you behind. You simply watch as he makes his way into the dome. 

“Is the Lady Y/N alright?” Heimdall asks as the prince enters. 

“Yes, no thanks to you.”  

“I knew you would catch her, your majesty,” Heimdall remarks. “There was no need for me to intervene.”

Loki shakes his head at the guardian knowing that there was no point in arguing further. 

“What did you tell her, Heimdall?” Loki asks as he glared up at the All-Seer. 

“She wanted to know who her father is,” Heimdall answers. “I reminded her that my loyalty is to the king.”

“Don’t drag this out,” Loki snaps. “She’s deeply upset. What did you tell her?” 

Heimdall knows better than to reveal such a secret to the prince. You had come to the truth on your own and the prince would have to do the same.

“I gave her clues to lead her to an altogether different truth,” Heimdall states. “She was smart enough to find it.” 

Loki hated when Heimdall spoke in riddles but that was all the All-Seer was going to give him. The only way he would find out would be through you if you allowed him to know. 

He turns his back with the intent of heading back to you but Heimdall wasn’t done with him yet. 

“This game you’re playing with her at the moment,” Heimdall speaks. “I suggest you put an end to it.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“No,” Heimdall answers as his stare shifts to watch something else entirely. “But it can be.” 

Loki scoffs and walks away. 

He held no fear towards the All-Seer and his attempts of intimidation but he couldn’t help but keep the warning in mind. There must be a reason for it and Loki had every intention in figuring it out. 

The ride was silent and slow. Neither of you were willing to be the first to speak and perhaps it all had to do with the distraction of the thoughts revolving in your mind. You had broken down and out of everyone, it was in front of Loki. You didn’t know how to manage that situation. In fact, you didn’t know how you were meant to manage any situation at all. 

You were in Asgard, a thousand light years away from your home on Earth, and you had found your answer. The answer being something you already knew. That you were on your own. 

“We’re here.” 

You frown when you realize that Loki had steered the horse out of the palace path into some unknown forest. 

“Where are we?” you ask as Loki leads the horse under the shade of a nearby tree. 

“We’re just outside of the city gates,” Loki answers as he dismounts from his horse. “There’s a small river nearby where Thor and I used to play. It’s relatively safe and out of the way that no one ever thinks of coming through here.” 

“But why?” 

“Your eyes are still red from crying,” Loki points out. “We can go back if you like but I believe you and I would prefer to avoid the royal court's attention on this matter.” 

Loki had a point and so you agree on the break. You dismount and the moment you’re off, Loki is quick to whisper something to the horse before sending him off. 

“He’ll be back when I call for him,” Loki tells you. “Just sent him out to get a drink.” 

You nod at his explanation and allow yourself to relax. You take a deep breath of fresh air and take a seat on the shaded grass. Loki follows suit leaning against the tree. 

“Are you going to tell me what you and Heimdall spoke of?” 

You let out a sigh knowing you had to. 

“I asked him about my father,” you answer as you wrap your arms around your knees to rest your head upon. “Heimdall couldn’t tell me much but the little he managed to give away … well, it was enough for me to come to a big conclusion.” 

“Which was?” 

“The reason why my father never came back for me and my mother is because he died before he was able to do so,” you can’t help the dark chuckle that escapes you. “My life is not at risk. I was safe all along apparently.”  

You’re met with silence which doesn’t surprise you. Loki stares out into the forest in front of you and lets out a sigh.

“I… I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” you tell him. “I found the answer I was looking for. All matters have been put to rest.”

“But…” 

“No, there’s no more buts, I just… I just want to move past this.” 

“Y/N.” 

You look over at Loki who’s watching you with that same concern he had when he caught you from falling to your death. 

“What?” you ask. 

“I am not the best at managing my emotions but even I know that you can’t simply move past this.” 

He was right but you didn’t want to admit that to him. You wanted to be numb and remain numb. 

“I don’t want to cry anymore,” you whisper. “I don’t…” 

“You don’t what?” Loki asks. 

You swallow not wanting to admit what you feared the most. 

“I don’t want to be alone anymore,” you whisper. “But I don’t… I don’t have anyone. There’s no one left.”

“You have friends down in Midgard,” Loki reminds you. “The Man of Iron and the Captain… the Witch and the Widow.” 

“I can’t call them my friends when all I do is push them away because I’m afraid of growing attached,” you answer. “You and I both know that I will outlive them all anyway and then I’ll be left on my own once again so what’s the point? My father was the only person I could rely on and it turns out he’s been dead all along.” 

“Y/N…” 

“People aren’t meant to be alone. We need a community. We need companionship,” you explain. “I thought I could go without but I have been on my own for two centuries and I can’t take it anymore. So what am I meant to do now? What is there left for me to do?” 

You lean against the tree in resignation trying to find your own answer to the questions you’ve been asking since you left Heimdall. 

“Your father, though he is dead, must have left you a legacy to follow through,” Loki tells you. “All we need to do is find it.” 

“Loki…” you sigh out unsure why he was so intent in dragging this out longer. 

“Just listen,” he interrupts you. “I looked through the travel records and found nothing.” 

“Ok?” you answer confused as to how that mattered. “Maybe someone forgot to write it down.” 

“We are precise here in Asgard. Such a thing wouldn’t happen,” Loki explains. “Which leaves a unique conclusion to explain it all.”

“That is…?” 

“Your father, whatever his role in court was, must have been very important and private for his travel records to Midgard to be sealed. Only Odin has access to those.” 

“But what kind of… That doesn’t make any sense,” you stammer out. “What could he be doing down on Earth that it had to be kept secret?” 

“I don’t know,” Loki answers. “If you no longer wish to find your father, I will let the matter rest but I believe you owe it to yourself to know.” 

You let out a sigh. 

Loki seemed genuinely invested in helping you now. It made you suspicious. 

“You’re not trying to convince me because you still need me to fake court you, are you?”  

“No,” Loki smiles. “I have a feeling you would regret missing the opportunity to find some real answers. You deserve to know the truth.” 

You knew he was right. If you went back to Earth empty-handed, you would regret it for the rest of your life. 

“Ok, I’m in,” you tell him. “You get me my answers and I’ll keep fake courting you.” 

“It’s a deal,” Loki agrees. “Are you ready to head back?” 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you sigh out. 

Loki stands up and offers his hand for you to take so you do. He pulls you up and surprisingly doesn’t let your hand go. 

“I uh…” Loki hesitates for a moment before continuing. “I thought I should let you know that… that you’re not alone.”

“How so?” you ask him.

You couldn’t help the smile that fought its way to your lips. He was suddenly nervous that he couldn’t even meet your eyes anymore.

“You have me,” Loki answers. “I am an immortal with nothing but time in my hands. I can be there for you for as many years as you have left.”

You squeeze his hand in gratitude and he finally meets your stare. 

“I would like that,” you tell him. “Thank you.” 

Loki nods at your answer and lets go of your hand. He clears his throat and the simple gesture shifts him back to his usual princely self. He turns away from you and whistles causing his horse to trot back to you instantly. 

Loki grabs the reigns and motions for you to mount first. Once you’re settled, he climbs up and settles himself behind you.

“We should probably come up with a story as to why we left the palace to visit Heimdall,” you tell Loki as he pulls you back to the palace path. 

“Simple, you wanted to check in on your friends in Midgard,” Loki answers. “And if someone asks if you’ve been crying just tell them the truth.”

“My father’s dead?” you ask confused. 

“No,” Loki objects quickly. “I was referring to your bridge incident.”  

You can’t help but be shocked at the reminder.

“I can’t believe I almost fell off the Bifrost,” you mutter in realization. You look back at him with a laugh. “There should really be some kind of warning sign to prevent another accident like mine.”

“A warning sign?” Loki mocks. “It’s common sense to not get close to the ledge.”  

You can’t help but laugh and continue to pester him for a solution. 

“Ok then maybe set up some rails or a fence,” you offer. “Your first order of business when you become king is to put some rails up.” 

Loki shakes his head as you continue to ramble on possible solutions for him to consider. You look back at him in amusement and he can’t help but smile in response. The return of your happiness was contagious and he allowed himself the peaceful reprieve of it.

poison & wine tag: @damalseer​ @just-the-hiddles​ @jessiejunebug​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @smollest-soybean​ @assassinoftheworld​ @readerbandit​ @doyoufeelikeayounggod​ @strangemcuvlogs​ @ha-tep​ @i-dont-know-eiither​ @gene-king​ @day-dreaming-fox​ @bn-studies​ @is-it-madness​ @sigyn-njorddottir​ @devilbat​ @victor-criss-bish​ @skinny-macncheese​ @musicconversedance​ @baby-bunnyxn​ @fandoms-allovertheplace​ @marvelloonie​ @jinxjinxednova​ @queenmuahaha​ @accio-boys​​ @eternalqueensworld​​ @umlvk​​ @roger-the-reindeer​ @punkrockhufflefluff​

Loki Tag: @unicorniorosacomefrutillas​ @thesilentbluesparrow​ @oddly-drawn-muse​ @josiehosiedaninja​ @hp-hogwartsexpress​ @sadwaywardkid​ @wolf-lover74​ @sizzlingbarbarianglitter​​

All Works Tag: @jmb959​ @astudyoftimeywimeystuff​ @hellocookiecutter​ @steve-rogers-personal-hell​ @buckybarnesyard​ @not-zari-tak @strangersstranger

[waxcylindersonata]

I’m really bad at paying attention when I’m reading, and I kinda don’t know much about the mechanisms, but I really wanna. Is there any way you could like give me some info about them. Obviously you don’t have to lol, I’m just really lost tryna figure out what the hell they are.

YES THEY'RE SO GOOD OKAY

This may get a bit long, feel free to skip around!

So they're a concept band, sort of! They all play characters on stage, and those characters play characters within the story albums! Their main characters are "immortal" space pirates aboard the starship Aurora! Here's the main set of characters:

Jonny d'Ville (the first mate, his mechanism is his heart)

Gunpowder Tim (the gunner, his mechanism is his eyes)

Drumbot Brian (the pilot, his mechanism is everything except his heart)

The Toy Soldier (officially listed as their mascot, its mechanism is everything except its voice)

Ashes O'Reilly (the quartermaster, their mechanism is their lungs)

Raphaella la Cognizi (the science officer, her mechanism is her wings)

Ivy Alexandria (the archivist, her mechanism isn't listed on the abouts)

Marius von Raum (the medic, his mechanism is his arm)

Nastya Rasputina (the engineer, her mechanism is her blood)

There's also Doctor Carmilla, she made them all "immortal" (and gave them their mechanisms and whatnot), but she's not around for much of the canon because Reasons hdjdkek

If you want to start with character backstories, here's a list of Mechanisms who have backstory songs (with links to those songs!):

Jonny – "One Eyed Jacks", "Homesick"

Nastya – "Cyberian Demons"

Tim – "Gunpowder Tim vs. the Moon Kaiser" (this one also has a little TS backstory too!)

Ashes – "Lucky Sevens"

Brian – "Lost in the Cosmos"

Kofi Young, the person who played Marius, is working on an album as well that will have backstory for his character! It's not out at the time of this post, but it's worth mentioning!

Now, if you want to get into the main story albums, they go in this order (I'll be using these as links to playlists with lyric videos made by @tentiredcats, who has done so much for this fandom I swear):

Once Upon a Time (in Space) – think fairy tales but with a dark twist that's also very sci-fi AND THERE'S LESBIANS

Ulysses Dies at Dawn – Greek mythology but also very steampunk and has SO MANY VIBES (I believe on fybutches I've shared a couple songs from this album, it's my fave for so many reasons)

High Noon Over Camelot – THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND BUT MAKE IT A SPACE WESTERN AND ALSO THERE'S CAMELOT'S FAVE POLYCULE BEING ABSOLUTE ICONS

The Bifrost Incident – Norse mythology but sci-fi/steampunk and it WILL make you cry and there's lesbians again and they WILL make you cry (and imo this album is peak Mechs singing skill)

Death to the Mechanisms – it's maybe a stretch to consider this a story album as it's mostly a combo of songs from the other albums (it's also an audio recording of the DTTM live show!), but it does bring a close to the story of the band as a whole, as well as detailing their deaths (no forgiveness for how they did TS hmph)

And then there's the fiction! The Mechanisms' official website has a whole host of fiction that didn't make it into the songs, which you can find here!

Okay, I tried not to make this suuuper in-depth, so I hope it works well as a kind of intro to the band! Lmk if you have any more questions!!

[sam-roulette]

rip to the alt Sasha survives s3 “the slaughter ritual is a battle of the bands wherein one of the 4 main mechanisms albums has the key to ending the world” crack au for being quite literally impossible to write 

so here’s how it was meant to go down:

- Jon gets kidnapped by Alfred Grifter himself and when he’s returned to the archives he has all 4 Mechs albums and also punches Tim in the face in a slightly slaughter-induced haze

- Jon immediately snapping out of it and being so apologetic he tells Tim to punch him back so they’re even. Tim, tiredly, tells him that no. He is not going to punch him back. “You don’t have to worry about if it hurts,” that’s. Not The Point.

- there’s some slaughter juice on the albums so everyone starts getting a little bloodthirsty, a fact that becomes apparent as the Archives splits along party lines- Jon is convinced High Noon Over Camelot is the world-ender, while Sasha insists that it’s The Bifrost Incident. Tim’s on  Sasha’s side; Martin says he’s impartial but implies Jon may have a point, and only chooses Once Upon A Time to keep up the veneer of not being biased. 

- Sasha manages to convince Tim to grab Ulysses Dies At Dawn so that none of the other possible combatants have it Just In Case that’s the one that ends the world so that she can stop him. Tim questions who’s gonna stop Sasha if he can’t get close once Red Signal starts and she says not to worry, I’ve got a plan

- the plan is she gets Not!Sasha out the basement to be her bandmate, promises it that it can eat her after the competition and (it can’t because of ) threatens it with a suspiciously high voltage taser. She has no plans to let it eat her later. She is a liar 

- Tim, predictably, does not take this well. Sasha tries joking that he doesn’t get her “artistic vision” and Tim says he doesn’t know what he’ll do if Sasha gets taken again. The argument gets more heated from there.

- Turns out, things between Sasha and Tim didn’t get magically better once Sasha was spat out the table at the start of s3

- and in fact Tim has been more distant and unsure of how to act around her, since even if she’s His Sasha, he has NO memories of her- just what Sasha says and vague half-recollections that he can’t tell if its something the Stranger put in him or if its the hazy remnants of this woman that he loved once. 

- Sasha finds herself being treated like a stranger by Tim, and while it’s not really bad per se- Tim isn’t cruel to people- it still Hurts when she tries to reach out to him, when it looks like he’s obviously hurting, and he just. Doesn’t Open Up. It doesn’t help that he can’t be in the same room as Jon for long and that he can’t look Martin in the eye, and it doesn’t help that it’s only after Literally Threatening To Leave that Jon cracks and admits everything that happened in s2

- The day of the contest is getting nearer. Martin is suddenly very suspiciously good at the violin despite never having lessons growing up, which he jokes is a “natural affinity for strings”. He’s been on the phone a suspicious amount.

- The day before the contest and tensions are high in the Archives. Jon’s locked himself in his office to do “vocal exercises”. Martin hums everywhere. Tim and Sasha are coordinating on The Bifrost Incident, but Tim keeps it strictly professional and terse, and it’s slowly driving Sasha up the wall.

- Finally, Tim says, “During this... we won’t hurt each other, right? While we’re in there- we can keep our heads on straight.”

- “Of course not.” Sasha replies, immediate. “You’d never hurt me.”

- “... Right.”

- The day arrives and it’s revealed that Jon, Martin, Sasha, and Tim are the Only combatants. It was Grifter’s game to get them to fight each other the entire time, in a strictly organized battle-like way. Not!Sasha gets a pass as Sasha’s “pet” and Sasha very quickly steps on its foot to keep it from saying anything that might disqualify them.

- Listen the actual battle itself ? Is messy as fuck to figure out. like we never actually properly figured out the rules. we have a spreadsheet of like which number placement every song in all 4 albums were and everything and while some combinations would’ve made for some SICK turn based combat would’ve been an absolute Nightmare to actually carry out

- each song actually has an effect and transforms both the stage and audience as the show goes on- so there’s a bit where Jon has The Hanged Man Rusts and that garners complete silence as it accidentally prophesies the rest of the story, Thor causes Sasha to actually begin to spark with lightning, cool stuff

- the only truly comprehensible bit was round 4. Hellfire, Sirens, Cinders’ Song, and Sigyn.

- Hellfire sees Jon give into the Slaughter energy more than any other point as the entire audience starts fighting each other in religious ecstasy, the other stages where the assistants are isolated beginning the melt and warp. Sasha helps Tim back up just before he slips into the flame below and Martin tries to climb higher as the hands of congregation reach for him, or past him, or to grab Anything

- Sirens cuts through the last bit before it all goes truly to hell as Tim picks up a guitar and starts lulling everything down to a sense of normalcy. There’s a moment, at the intersection of when Jon stops trying to scream the last dying cry of Gallahad’s maddened ramblings and the audience returning to their seats and his voice acapella filling the hall- we can chase away your worries- where there is Perfect Clarity. Tim could stop after this moment. Before the end of the verse, he could stop, and maybe it’d put an end to this.

- His eyes land on Sasha. Before he can stop himself, the verse is finished. Sleep in peace and serenity. Then he can’t stop singing anymore, and Sasha watches the drowsy smile suddenly bloom across Tim’s cheeks

- It’s when Martin, never once looking in Jon’s direction, jumps from his platform to Tim’s that Sasha knows something’s wrong. Because she wants to do the same thing. So she takes a page out of the real Ulysses’ playbook- she has the Not!Them tie her to one of the beams on her stage and promise, no matter what she says next, to never untie her. Not until someone else starts singing

- Just as Sasha predicted, she starts getting odd herself. Tim is looking in her direction, so longingly as he sings that she Knows it could only really be for Her, that he wants her to just lay in his embrace and be well taken care of- and she stops wanting anything beyond it. So she struggles. She hisses and bites and kicks and screams to try and break free of the rope while Tim smiles, beckoning, so they can finally have that reunion they’ve both wanted. The one where they hold each other and say that it’s okay, that they have each other, that it’s Safe

- Someone unties Sasha. It feels like Tim’s arms around her and she melts, no longer recognizing the pretty man singing on stage. Not!Tim looks back at Tim from across the gap, holding Sasha tenderly, and grins. Tim stops singing, for just a moment, surrounded by legions except for the sole person he wants to see most in the world, in  the arms of something that doesn’t even look remotely like him

- The moment’s enough and, as Martin sees Jon looking strangely adoringly at Tim, he realizes that wait a fucking minute. And immediately gets so jealous he hijacks Tim’s spotlight and restores actual equilibrium with Cinders’ Song. Tim is once again left alone on stage, strangely desolate against the large setting.

- Sasha regains her balance and tries to answer it all with Sigyn, but the Not!Them refuses to stop looking like a mockery of Tim. Jon is kind enough to take Lyf’s narration while Not!Tim is “kind” enough to take Loki’s lines. Sasha tries to appeal- why back away? This time I’ll stay; come stand at my side as we make them pay... 

- When she sings “remember your wife!” Not!Tim says, “I don’t recall,” playfully, mocking. He mocks when he says “She’s still enthralled,” one part disgust for Sasha’s feelings and one part gleeful accusation to Tim- look what you did to her. She still feels the effect of your song, even now.

- anyway long story short everything gets more and more screwy as everyone is magically made to forget that they’re supposed to be stopping this thing and start only wanting to be the one to get to their finale quickest. Blood and Whiskey sees Sasha nearly lose an ear from a bullet. Underworld Blues has Tim nearly causing hell to freeze over with his chilling plea as Orpheus. No Happy Ending signals the first of the audience member deaths.

- It also signals when Grifter leaves weapons on the stage and has the team go at it. It’s not really so bad, at first- Jon and Martin forget about fighting somewhere along the way and kiss, Sasha is knocked out for a few seconds and is somewhat conscious, which is Not a good state to enter Red Signal in, and Tim is trying desperately to figure out where to go next

- Tim has Ties That Bind as a last attempt to gain control of the situation and very nearly manages to snap Sasha out of the absolute maddened hell state she’s about the enter. If only he could find it in himself to omit some lyrics- if only he could find it in himself to be less bitter when singing I was betrayed by the one I was to wed.

- There was no more love there - my heartstrings long since cut...

-There was no more love there.

- “Ah.” Is Sasha’s last coherent thought, “I see.”

- “So that’s how it is.”

- Martin’s mic cuts out. Jon’s mic cuts out. Tim’s mic cuts out on the last line.

- Sasha picks herself off the ground, slowly. Far more slowly than the words falling out of her mouth. Not words- an incantation. A Chant.

- y’ai ngah Yog-Sothoth...

- turns out Jon’s not the only one who can do a mean incantation. And unlike Jon, Sasha’s had some vocal training at some point in heavy metal. Make of that what you will

- The guitars kick in at the end to dive straight into Ragnarok I and Alfred Grifter announces that the winner is Sasha James amidst the screaming and destruction of the roof caving in reverse, showing a blood red sky. The Not!Them has disappeared, presumably already running into the faceless crowd to find a new body for the incoming new world Jon’s trying to get to safety and Martin’s begging Tim to hide, that there’s not gonna be getting through to Sasha now

- But Tim knows the album because he worked with her on this. For this scenario. Just in case. He knows it’s safe enough to move when Sasha-as-Sigyn questions I know this man, why is he here...? Knows to hold still, make himself as small as possible, when she begins Ragnarok II. The crowd isn’t so lucky and they melt into each other, a mosh pit of rock n roll violence that flashes and gleams with pocket knife and piercing and heels and nails. Just barely manages to make a run for it as Sasha takes on the final lines as the Void.

- Envy your dead for now unfurled / this madness follows to consume / your world. 

- Tim is just close enough in ear shot to yell, not even attempting to sing at this point with a throat as dry as his is, “You- don’t I know you?” The world tries to skip Ragnarok III to get to IV. Tim tries to be louder even with the rubble giving way under his hands, “Weren’t we friends?”

- The gentle piano kicks in instead. Tim could nearly cry with relief when Sasha turns his way and, even if she doesn’t look like she fully gets it yet, answers, “Once- I remember. And now, when it ends...”

- In harmony. The first they’ve managed in a long while. Where are you going?

- “For vengeance...?” Sasha left uncertain. Answered in a songbird lilting voice, “For love.”

- There is no mention of death. Only an immediate harmony as they both sing Perhaps that’s enough!

- The guitar that comes on isn’t the end of Ragnarok III. It’s the lonely riff of Thor as Sasha hauls herself up with a drum mallet she steals from the broken down remains of backstage. Sung, almost like a tune a soldier marches to, fury like thunderbolts burns in my veins...

- She smashes Grifter over the head and feeds him into the mosh pit to be torn to shreds. As his shriek of laughter echoes off of the walls, she takes the mallet to the lonely speaker at the back of the hall, playing the final riffs, and destroys it.

- The world stops ending. Everyone is left in the wreckage, passed out and bloody. Jon pokes his head out from a trap door in the ground. Martin mutters from offstage somewhere. Sasha is heaving out breaths as she stares at the broken equipment, still clutching the hammer she threw in the works.

- Cue the moment where she finally turns to face Tim. They look at each other. Then, they’re grinning, and they’re starting to run. They end up toppling onto the ground together, laughing with wild relief, arms tight around each other the entire way through as Tim’s the first one to let loose the first catharsis tears.

- Tim tells her that was the coolest damn thing he ever did see. Sasha says she’s sorry for almost ending the world to have him see that, and Tim’s just going are you kidding ??? This was the best way this could have ended up!

- And Sasha says that it wouldn’t have happened if not for Tim stepping in like he did. And Tim says he’s sorry too, for everything. For the way he acted, and Sasha says that none of them were in their right minds, but Tim still insists that being in right mind or Not, he made some shitty choices there-

- and of course Sasha kisses him. Tells him he was simply brilliant. And Tim grins and kisses her and tells her that no no no SHE was absolutely brilliant, she had TRUE star power-

- and it’s not like before. Tim still can’t remember everything, and the memories Sasha has of the Archives before the Not!Them leave a sour taste in her mouth after she’s released. Tim is gonna need a long time before he can really go back to being his cheerful self, and Sasha needs time to come to terms with missing so much of her own life. But 

- But at least they can lay together at night and find a little peace and serenity in the interim.

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: The Queen of Asgard - Epilogue

The Tower: The Queen of Asgard An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 639

Warnings: none

Synopsis: The twins are now three and while the Avengers know that Clint and Thor are the biological father’s none of them know or care which blond, blue-eyed baby is related to which man.  When Riley gets the power to control wind and it becomes evident that she is the heir to the Asgardian throne, Elly, Steve, Thor, and Tony take the twins to Asgard to train her.

Not every Asgardian is happy with their king’s choice of consort, nor the impurity of the heir’s blood.  While others expect Thor to make things more official.  What’s clear is, the role of Queen of Asgard is not easily filled.

Author’s Note:  Written with @fanficwriter013​ who is going crazy being locked up and also I hope remembers to link this chapter to the last one.

Epilogue

The group that had been taken down to the Bifrost was large.  People were leaving in lots.  T’Challa and his group to Wakanda.  Scott and Hope to San Francisco.  Everyone else was going back to the compound, but because there were so many of us we were doing it in groups of five.  Along with the people leaving, were the people seeing us off.  Sif and the Warriors Three, Loki, and Angela were all there with Thor.  Our departure had drawn a similar crowd to our arrival, but they were all back at the end of the rainbow bridge so we had the privacy to say our goodbyes.

“We’re going to miss you,” Steve said as he embraced Thor.

Thor kissed his cheek and pulled him close.  “It will just be a month and then I am there for good,” he said.  “You are of course welcome to stay.”

“We’ve left the Earth unguarded for too long.  We need to return,” Steve said with a frown.

“Do not worry,” Thor said.  “I understand and we will be reunited soon.”

They kissed and Thor moved on to the rest of us.  We all took our time saying goodbye before Loki handed the children over to Thor.  “Okay, children.  You be very good while I’m away and I’ll see you very soon.”

They both started to cry.  “No, daddy.  You dotta come too,” Pietro wailed as he clung to Thor’s neck.

“I know, my darlings,” he said gently.  “I’ll be home very soon and we’ll all be together.  I just have to make sure my sisters are okay without me.”

Steve and Bucky took the kids from him and the toddlers sobbed against their large chests. “Alright, my loves.  I will see you soon,” Thor said as he walked us to the bridge that connected Asgard to Earth.

“Send someone if you need any of us,” Steve said.

“I will.  But it will be fine.  I have seen it,” Thor said.

“Can you hurry this along?”  Loki said giving a wrap it up movement with her hand.

“Bye, sister,” I teased and waved to her.

She rolled her eyes and we stepped into the Bifrost in groups, and once again it felt like I was being dragged up through space.  As we hurtled along I tried to picture how different things might be for us now.  It was strange though, but even with the powers and the extended life, all I could think about was how close we were to completing our family.  I wondered if this was it for us or if we’d have more children.  I liked the thought of there being a small clan of them.

We landed and stumbled forward.  Phil, Maria, Rhodey, Happy, Nick, Jax, and Clarke were milling around, watching as Melinda May marched over the group followed by the two bouncing puppies and a very excited looking Peter Parker.

“Do not ever leave me in charge of the Avengers, SHIELD, and teenage superheroes ever again,”  May said, crossing her arms over her chest.

The kids wriggled out of Steve’s arms and ran over to the puppies cuddling and patting them as the dogs bounced around and licked them.  Steve, Fury, Sam, and Coulson went straight to May and started talking shop as Peter hurried over to Tony’s side.  “Mister Stark, Mister Stark, there was an incident with…”

Tony held up his hand and gestured to the house.  “Come on kid, we’ll talk in the lab.”

I smiled, watched as the threads that joined us started spreading out into the compound.  Nothing had changed, and yet everything had.  It felt good.  Clint gestured to me.  “El?  You wanna come walk the dogs with me and the kids?”

I nodded and we set off towards the water.

~ END ~ 

[runnerfivestillalive]

The Price of Alliance: Part Four

Part Three | Part Five

It had been a painful, humiliating lesson in the benefits of age.

His first blow had gone straight into Zeus, and smashed downward so hard they had shattered through the bifrost, and plummeted into the sea. Thor had born Zeus down, teeth bared in vicious triumph!

That had lasted until Zeus got his hands on him.

They had struggled against the sandy bottom of the shallow sea - or rather, Thor had struggled. Zeus had millennia of power and experience on him. And Thor quickly discovered an important difference in their powers.

Thor could cause a storm with his rage. But the storm was in the sky. The little sparks that crawled over his skin only served to call the lightning down to him - useless, through so much water.

Zeus, on the other hand, seemed to generate full bolts of lightning from his hands.

And he did so, holding Thor’s arching, spasming body to the sea floor, until he screamed out all of his air. He stopped to let Thor struggle, seemingly only for his own amusement, then started again.

Eventually, he dragged Thor, limp and stunned, back to shore. He left him face down in a tangle of seaweed, while he stripped off much of his sodden clothes and wrung out his hair, laughing as if at a good game.

Thor determinedly, twitchily, got up. Disjointed growls were coming from his throat. “You... rapist!”

Zeus was still chuckling, as he turned to face him. “Of my own dear queen? Oh, he may not like what I do to him, but he hardly gets a say.”

“He was a child!”

“Oh yes, such an innocent little thing! You Asgardians...” He made a tsking noise, still grinning. “He barely even knew what sex was! It was such a privilege to introduce him. Of course, he’s all grown up now. Hardly ever cries anymore.”

Thor lunged for him, but, twitchy as he still was, Zeus easily caught him and tossed him back on the sand. Where he kicked him. “Stay away from him!” Thor coughed up what seemed to be a lungful of salt, sand, and debris, trying to shake off the effects of so much lightning.

Zeus laughed. “Tell you what, whelp. I spend most of my nights with a mistress - my dear queen can be a boring thing - but you’ve got me thinking of old times. So, just for you, I’m going to spend every night I’m here in that twisted brat’s bed, making him cry!”

“No!”

Zeus kicked him again. “Of course, it’s much harder now. I’ll have to work him for hours to get him sobbing like he did on our wedding night.”

With a wordless roar, Thor shoved himself up from the sand again, determined to kill no matter what it cost him! The storm overhead boomed, swirling with his rage, and hail began pelting down, just as he laid hands on Zeus-

He found himself face down in the sand again, some seconds later. The storm was already letting up, as he tried to piece together the lost moments. Zeus kicked him yet again, just as a bunch of guards ran up, followed by Father.

“Odin, old friend! Your boy’s quite a spirited thing, isn’t he? And protective of his brother; I can hardly fault him for that.”

“He has-“ Father’s voice hit Thor like his own hammer, promising grave punishment.

“Youthful exuberance!” Zeus interrupted, firmly.

Father was silent. Thor tried to pick himself up, to as least see his expression.

“Believe me, I understand! I’ve got your other one, after all, and they’re practically the same age. So energetic! Discipline him as you see fit, of course, but no need to make a diplomatic incident of all this.” He hoisted Thor easily up, before shoving him at the guards.

“Wisdom indeed, to forgive such youthful foolishness.” Odin twitched his head and the guards holding him up, single eye briefly meeting his, in sheer fury. Then he snapped back to Zeus. “Let’s get you cared for, at least. I hope you remembered our bathing pools?”

“Fondly!”

Thor lost track of their words, as he was half carried, half dragged away. His head spun. He wanted to rage, to demand Loki’s release, to demand Zeus be executed for all to see!

Zeus’ threats spun in his head. He’d made things worse. Worse for Loki...

Unconsciousness took him.

Part Three | Part Five

[sserpente]

A/N: Here’s to the first Halloween Imagine this year! I can’t believe September is almost over already. Request from @amaru163​, @primestefericirea and anon. Enjoy, everyone! ♥

Words: 2262 Warnings: brief mentions of attempted rape

Moaning, you shut off the TV and then threw the remote on the empty spot on the sofa next to you. Hocus Pocus was a classic Halloween movie and perfect for cuddling up with pumpkin spice tea and Halloween candy… but at the end of the day, the boy got the girl and they kissed and lived happily ever after.

It wasn’t even Christmas yet—you forbad yourself to sulk away and cry over being so lonely; and going out on Halloween, dressed in an uncomfortable costume, wasn’t really your thing either, even if your friends had insisted you came along to meet someone. Since the incident with your spiked drink and the two American men who had tried to rape you in the backyard before your friend found you and stepped in, you hardly felt like partying out in public anymore.

You’d rather spend the day giving out candy to costumed children and then curl up in bed with a good book, wishing you would not have to spend the spooky day alone. With a sigh you closed your eyes, the clock striking midnight. 31st of October… well… Happy Halloween to me.

It was time to go to bed anyway.

-

The next morning started unspectacular, even though it was a perfect October day. Fog crept through the streets, the cold autumn air uniting with a grey sky. The wind was chilly—you were glad to be too old to go trick or treating. You would have been freezing today, especially in the witch costume you used to wear.

Humming to yourself, you poured yourself a cup of coffee and then prepared a bowl of treats which you placed next to the door. You had a few more hours until the first children would excitedly ring your doorbell and until then, decorating a bit surely wouldn’t do any harm. You always left your Halloween decorations up until mid-November anyway.

It was then somebody knocked on your door, making you frown. It was way too early for trick or treaters. You suspected it to be the postman but even he usually did not stop by before twelve—one of the disadvantages living in a small and secluded house in the suburbs. But that also meant that visitors were a rarity. Only the children knew that they’d collect a lot of candy here.

You heard the knocking again, this time more urgently, ferociously even. Almost as if somebody was sliding down your door after being beaten up…

Quickly, you threw on your bathrobe and hurried to the door, eyes darting around to find a suitable weapon—just in case. The metal shoehorn would have to suffice; but what you saw when you opened the door made you gasp.

There was a man, panting and barely conscious. A tall man with long black hair and the most beautiful face you had ever seen, cowering on the ground like a parched traveller in the desert. Your eyes met—his of a stunning blue—then, they flattered close.

Your first instinct was it to call an ambulance, the police, anybody. But something held you back. This just didn’t make any sense. Where did he come from? The passed out man before you had, apart from a few minor cuts on his face, no visible injuries and he did not look drugged either. Just very tired and exhausted, like he had just returned from a war and now the weight of what he had seen and done was taking its toll both on his body and mind. It could be a trick, too. A burglar using his acting skills and then overwhelming you once you dragged him inside, practically inviting him to rob you.

Still… you couldn’t just leave him out here to die. It was cold… and it was Halloween. Perhaps your wish had been heard and you wouldn’t have to be alone after all. If the stranger woke up, that was.

 -

He was heavier than he looked. You had barely heaved him on your sofa when he opened his eyes again, seemingly appreciating the soft surface you were attempting to steer him onto. As soon as his body hit the fabric, he fell asleep again.

For a moment, you simply stared down at him, blinking. None of your friends would believe you if you told them what was happening here right now. What if he was severely sick? Should you call an ambulance after all?

Biting your lower lip, you decided against it and instead hurried to the bathroom to empty your medicine cabinet, returning with some gauze and antiseptic.

You longed to find out his name, who he was. But for now, you would tend to the wounds on his face. There was a cut on his forehead that, by the looks of it, didn’t need stitching, another one on his left cheek. He had a split lip, too.

He looked so peaceful and innocent. Like a boy who had been forced to grow up too soon and at the same time… like a dominant man who took what he wanted no matter the cost. Like a man who would hide his true feelings and protect his heart because it had been broken one time too often. You couldn’t deny he looked familiar too. And those clothes… so old-fashioned and… otherworldly. He was wearing green and black leather armour combined with golden accents and plates. Probably just a Halloween costume.

The stranger took another hour to come about again. Time which you made use of by finally getting changed into proper clothes. You had just sat back down on the sofa with him, watching him intently and checking if his wounds had started to bleed again when his eyes fluttered open and your gazes met.

His widened, as if something occurred to him. Sitting up so fast his vision must have gone black for a moment, he grunted when a stinging pain cursed through his head. He hated to admit that his unexpected fall from the Bifrost had drained him completely and now, being far away from a realm sizzling with magic, his energy would take a lot longer to replenish. He was tired, hungry and worn out. Well… he shouldn’t be surprised. Coming to Midgard had never been a joyful experience before.

Your house had been the only one in sight and he needed a safe place to recover. He would positively kill Thor once he found a way back to Asgard. It wasn’t the first time he had been banished to Midgard, after all.

The mortal was staring at him like he was alien. He was, technically. But Loki was certainly not in the mood for explanations. He had to admit you were rather beautiful though—for a human that was.

“Who are you?” You heard yourself whisper.

The stranger sighed. “I am Loki, of Asgard. You may have heard of me.”

Then it dawned on you. Loki. Asgard. Of course you had heard of him—and of the incident in New York. You had taken in a known criminal and treated his wounds. Your heart started beating rapidly at the realisation.

When you said nothing, he spoke up. “And who might you be?”

“I… (Y/N). My name is (Y/N).”

“(Y/N),” he nodded. A pleasant shiver went through you when he spoke your name with his smooth and velvety voice. “It looks just like I will be keeping you company for a while.”

Standing, he took in his surroundings. “It will suffice.”

“Excuse me? You can’t just make yourself comfortable here. I didn’t invite you!”

“Technically, you did when you helped me inside your home and took care of my wounds. I heal faster than mortals.” He said it like it had been an unnecessary and pointless action.

“I was just trying to help.” You glared at him, unable to believe what you were hearing.

“Thank you very much for your hospitality,” he replied dramatically, slightly rolling his eyes in the process. “Where are your kitchens?”

“Kitchens? I only have one.” He waved it off. “Straight ahead, you can’t miss it.” You followed him when he turned on his heel and began to search your kitchen like a cat hoping to steal a piece of meat or a slice of ham and soon, unceremoniously, practically ripped open your fridge. There were leftovers from yesterday’s dinner as well as some yogurt and carrots. You had planned on going shopping today. Loki grunted at the pitiful selection and took it all without asking. Then, he slammed the fridge shut again, grabbing the bag of bread rolls on the counter too.

“Of course, help yourself.” You murmured contritely. When he only rolled his eyes in response and barely managed to find some cutlery to dig in still standing, you threw your arms up, desperate for someone, anyone to explain this bizarre situation to you.

“What on Earth happened? Why were you knocking on my door like somebody tried to murder you? How did you even get here?”

Loki swallowed a big bite. He glanced at you in such a menacing manner, you took a step back. Perhaps you should have called the police, after all.

“Do you have hot chocolate? And coffee?” He suddenly asked. You blinked.

“I… yes. I mean, no.” Loki raised an eyebrow at you. “I mean, yes I do but not for you. Answer my questions, Loki.”

Loki dropped the cutlery onto the counter with such force the ear-piercing sound made you flinch.

“I was banished, if you must know. Thor had me leave Asgard because he no longer trusts me… and the people urged him on too…” He trailed off. “I refused. Believe me, my unfortunate fall and inelegant landing on Midgard was not planned.”

“Thor? Out of all places, why would he send you to Earth? You tried to subjugate us!”

Loki’s blue eyes locked with yours yet again, thousands of unspoken words reflecting in them. There was a story behind it—a story which he was not quite willing to tell you.

“Sorry… I just meant…”

“Midgard was not the final destination.” He interrupted you sharply—but not before smirking weakly but mischievously. “This place is void of magic. I will need some time to recover in peace. I assume you have chambers for me to rest in?”

“I don’t have chambers, I have bedrooms. And there is a guest room upstairs.” There was no point in kicking him out. Surely, Loki would simply take what he wanted if you denied him. At least this way, he was asking nicely… more or less; and besides, you had hoped for a miracle to happen so you wouldn’t be alone on Halloween.

He wasn’t so bad… apart from being outrageously handsome, he was by far as charming as arrogant when he smirked at you like that. And for some reason… you doubted he would seriously threaten or harm you.

You almost giggled at trying to explain trick or treating to him.

“Now, what about that hot chocolate?”

“Oh, fine then.”

-

After slurping down the cocoa you made him and eating up almost all of the food you had had left in your house, Loki retreated to your guest room and did not return until noon. You were quite surprised he only needed a few hours of sleep for some fresh energy, which is why he completely caught you off guard when he suddenly appeared behind you in the living room, watching you with his head tilted how you balanced on a chair to hang up some spooky pumpkin lights.

“I am dreading to ask but what are you doing?”

You screeched, almost falling off the chair as you turned around to face him. “Couldn’t you clear your throat or something? And now don’t tell me you don’t know what Halloween is…”

Loki frowned in response, waiting for you to speak on.

“It’s today. People dress up in costumes and celebrate and children go from house to house to ask for candy to scare away ghosts and evil spirits. I’m decorating. Jack-o-Lanterns are the most common item you’ll find around houses on this day. Don’t you celebrate Halloween on Asgard?”

He shook his head. “What we celebrate towards the end of autumn is Álfablót, to worship our ancestors and honour the life force of a family. It does not involve carved pumpkins though.”

“Must be weird for you…” You muttered sarcastically, attempting to stick a piece of tape around your curtain rail.

“It is by far not the strangest thing I have seen mortals do during all the times I visited Midgard.”

“The first children will be here soon, I need to have decorated until then. You could help me instead of standing around. Consider it paying your rent.”

Loki smirked, making your heart jump; almost as if he meant to say challenge accepted. With but a wave of his hand, the pumpkin lights stuck to the curtain rail on its own.

“Huh.”

But it didn’t end there. You let out a scream when you suddenly felt the orange and black tinsel from your Halloween decorations box slowly creeping up and curling around your leg like a snake.

“Loki!”

This time, the God of Mischief actually chuckled. He dropped the spell when you threatened to lose your balance and fall off the chair yet again. When you turned back around, he was leaning against the threshold with his arms crossed in an amused manner.

He certainly was going to have his fun while he was here. You were quite adorable, after all.

-

A/N: Check out my blog to find more Imagines and take a glimpse at my first novel! Also, if you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate so much if you supported me on Kofi! ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

[fealtyfaggot]

Could you please tell me about your favourite Mechanisms songs bc. I wanna get into them but idk where to start asdfghjkl

!!!! Omg OK here goes a lot of incoherence. First things first! The mechs are a band that's harder to get into on a song by song basis bc of the nature of their work--each album tells a story from beginning to end, with alternating prose and music for each song. None of their stories have happy endings but they're all v cool and diverse and they really slap so yaknow. They also bend genres and have fantastic prose (idk if u listen to tma but jonny sims' writing... Hell yes) The albums are as follows:

Once upon a time (in space)

this one is, as the title suggests, about fairy tales......... But in space! Really gritty reimagining of a bunch of well-known fairy tales and nursery rhymes telling the story of a revolution against an evil king with a lesbian love story at its core.

Fave song: Pump Shanty, a sea (technically space) shanty that makes my soul leave my body. Its got a gay bit too so hell yes.

Ulysses dies at dawn

In a cyberpunk future set on a planet dominated by a sprawling city led by the criminal Olympian underworld, a group of paid criminals (all reimagined Greek myth figures) look to break into a vault held by the war hero/war criminal Ulysses (fun fact! Their gender is unknown throughout) which is labeled only "penelope".

Fave song: Elysian Fields, which is a really beautiful song and the last of the album. Never fails to make me cry.

High noon over camelot

This album is my absolute favourite. Arthurian legend but it's cowboys in a dystopian space station doomed to a fiery end, with a conflict between the saxon ghouls of the lower floors of the station and Camelot above, led by sheriff Arthur and his two loves, lancelot and guinevere (POLY RIGHTS STAN THE PENDRAGONS THANK U AND GOODNIGHT). Also has my fave character, mordred and a really interesting story about identity, prejudice and absolute bangers.

Fave song: all of them. But especially Hellfire, featuring a mad preacher talking about his planet's fiery doom. 10/10 would be lectured on my sins again.

The bifrost incident

To start with, just thinking abt this album makes me cry. It's very good though. It's about odin, queen of asgard, who has just built a railway through the bifrost, a wormhole she has harnessed. The train, on its maiden journey, was destroyed, and the album picks up the pieces of what exactly went down. Feat. Loki who is a wlw and a freedom fighter (opposing odin's tyranny etc) who has had her mind broken and her wife Sigyn, who tries to get Loki back. Thor is also there, and is less of an ubiquitous hero than one would assume. Overall v interesting characters and really just a gorgeous ending.

Fave song: End of the Line. It makes me cry.

Honourable mentions:

Tales to be told vol 1 and 2, which I haven't listened to but I'm sure are very, very cool.

Anyways I haven't been into the mechs very long but I'm happy to ramble abt them forever akfkakfjs. Thanks for the ask and stan the mechanisms

[themculibrary]

Loki-Centric Masterlist

Links Last Checked: September 1st, 2024

Darkness, Flooded in Light (ao3) - galaxysoup T, 42k

Summary: “When much is taken, something is returned.” - Terry Pratchett, Nation

Loki falls. Injured and unable to access his magic, he must struggle to restore himself physically and mentally before the Bifrost is repaired and Asgard comes to find him. That would be difficult enough, but one of Asgard’s deepest secrets has followed him...

Do No Harm (ao3) - AuroraWest, the_genderman loki/stephen M, 69k

Summary: When Loki stole the Tesseract from the Avengers, he hadn’t been trying to break the universe. Nor had he anticipated a wizard saving his life.

Now, Loki finds himself in the New York Sanctum, helping Stephen Strange hold the universe together—while he himself falls apart. But trouble finds the God of Mischief whether he invites it or not, and good things don’t last for Loki. As his universe crumbles and takes another with it, he’ll be faced with a choice: the greater good or the people he loves.

Dreams Come Slow and They Go So Fast (ao3) - FlashySyren jane/thor, loki/sif M, 27k

Summary: Loki managed to get the throne for himself, but now he has to figure out how to keep from being discovered and replace Odin as King because the ruse won't work forever. Unfortunately, plans have a way of going awry.

Friends call me Snow Miser (ao3) - breakfastparty9 loki/sigyn T, 18k

Summary: Loki is sent to live with the Avengers under the careful watch of Thor, only a few weeks after the New York attack. They dread it at first, but come to realize that Loki is not as he seems. They uncover centuries of trauma and dead family, on top of that identity issues with reindeer games. Get ready to cry.

Foundations (ao3) - AuroraWest T, 16k

Summary: Nothing crumbles all at once. Loki, and five times the cracks showed.

Grievance (ao3) - PeaceHeather N/R, 92k

Summary: For a fill in Round 17 of Norsekink: "Someone starts to notice that Odin treats Loki in ways that are neglectfull and borderline abusive and starts to feel very uncomfortable about it.

It becomes worse when people at court start to take after Odin's treatment of Loki. But they still don't feel comfortable voicing they're doubts out loud.

And then the lip-sewing incident happens and they can no longer sit idly by while this happens. So this person just stand up and calls the rest of Asgard out on this bulshit, seriously the boy just cut of some hair, it's not like it wont ever grow back on it's own again.

I do solemnly swear (ao3) - Mikkeneko T, 11k

Summary: In which our heroes learn the perils of lack of inter-team communication, and Loki gives his side of the story.

Life In Reverse (ao3) - Lise T, 228k

Summary: Home is where you make it. Or, the AU where Loki falls to Earth after Thor, wanders around trying to work out what to do with himself, and somehow ends up working for SHIELD. (Mostly because supervillains are so plebian.)

Slow Poison (ao3) - Mikkeneko T, 29k

Summary: Years before the events of Thor and Avengers, Loki is working as a spymaster for his father the King. Or at least... that's what he thinks he's doing.

Sure (ao3) - usedupshiver loki/tony M, 77k

Summary: When Loki finds the hung over remains of the party animal that is his brother's best friend sleeping on his couch, he's sure it will upset all his plans to spend the day studying. Tony isn't really sure how he got there in the first place, but it turns out he isn't in any hurry to leave.

Tapestry (ao3) - Arvensis5 loki/tony T, 35k

Summary: While in prison on Asgard, Frigga devises her own punishment for her wayward son – she bestows upon Loki the curse of watching the different pathways of what might have been during the attack on Midgard. In one thread, he accepted the drink from Stark. In another, Stark saved him from death. In every thread, the infuriating mortal captures Loki's attention. Now, every time he closes his eyes, Loki walks the threads of fate that never were and that never will be, and in doing so, he must learn from the past to find the future that Frigga has already foretold from the tapestry of fate.

The Hangman's Hands (ao3) - Mercurie jane/thor, jane/loki M, 160k

Summary: Thor and Loki never make it back to Asgard. Now S.H.I.E.L.D. is stuck with the world's most hated war criminal on their hands and everyone wants a piece - unless they can find a way to get rid of him for good.

True Son (fanfiction.net) - Catspook T, 12k

Summary: Written as a fill on Norsekink - AU: prior to the events of the movie, Loki becomes depressed when he concludes that he will never be able to make his parents proud.

Truthfully (fanfiction.net) - Salazarfalcon T, 129k

Summary: Loki had every intention of wreaking havoc upon Midgard the moment his suicide attempt had failed, it was just too bad that Midgard ended up being so distracting. Who knew that such a primitive society would have such a novel concept as therapy?

truth more than knowledge (ao3) - Lise T, 8k

Summary: When Loki sees the Tesseract sitting in the Vault, of course he's going to take it. He can't possibly do anything else.

No, really. He can't.

Walked In These Quiet Hazes (ao3) - ratsats T, 193k

Summary: Loki has spent five years avoiding death. It was a success. Alive once again, if also sort of lost, he seeks out his brother. Turns out, Thor has issues of his own to deal with.

With One More Try (Can We Start Again) (ao3) - Infinite_Monkeys M, 13k

Summary: Loki's attempt to conquer Earth has, to his great dismay, succeeded spectacularly. When Thanos sends him to collect the Time Stone, he strikes a deal with the Stone's keeper: he'll be sent back to the beginning of the invasion, and this time, armed with knowledge about his opponents, he can lose properly.

Or: a time loop fic in which Loki does increasingly desperate things to try and get the Avengers to defeat him already.

Your Life for My Pride (ao3) - Mythtaken Identity (Shadowland) G, 15k

Summary: Loki is not the typical Asgardian warrior. He fights with seidr, agility, and deception. When the Warriors Three question the honour of such methods, Thor proposes a series of contests to prove that Loki's talents can overcome their respective strengths...with a little cheating.

[dearlazerbunny]

Lie to Me (Ch. 24 of 28)

Pairings: Loki x Reader

Genre/Ratings: M eventually (aiming for a slow burn here); warnings for kidnapping and subsequent anxiety/PTSD (will be marked before every chapter)

Words: 2100

Summary: If you had to guess what the captured, traitor, trickster god Loki Laufeyson wanted or needed at this moment, a babysitter would be far, far down on the list. (Set after the events of Avengers 1.)

SHOUTOUT TO @molmcb and @jessiejunebug, whose faces I have cared into marble so they shall forever be immortalized as gods

Requested Tags: @deraniel, @iamverity,  @yasnooshka24, @wegingerangelica, @themusingsofmany , @dark-night-sky-99, @tarynkauai, @stuffandstuff-stuff, @angelicshinigami, @my-current-fandom-is, @geekysimmerthings,           @lokis-butter-knife, @help-i-need-a-social-life, @vodka-and-some-sass

WARNING: descriptions of anxiety, PTSD, and severe depression

When the cab finally drops you off at your apartment, you flash him your badge, tell him to charge it to Tony Stark, and then wander away without another word.

Your hands shake as you try to unlock the door- these damn tremors, they haven’t gone away yet, even though the doctors promise they will- and it takes you much too long to finally get the key into the lock and twist and open the door and close it behind you and lock it back.

Then you secure the chain, tugging it tight. And turn the lock again a few times, just to be sure it’s latched. Paranoia has become something of a friend since the incident.

Your small home speaks volumes about your mental state. The bookshelf, normally pristinely kept, is full of tomes that have been unceremoniously shoved back into their places any which way. The sink is overflowing with dishes. You’re not sure if there’s anything remotely edible in the fridge. The blinds are drawn tight and patched with cloth to block out as much of the outside world as possible, because sometimes even seeing the sky is too much on a bad day.

Today qualifies as a bad day. You reach for the bottle of pills you know will be close at hand and pop one into your mouth, swallowing it dry. After a second thought, you swallow another.

You stand in the doorway for a moment, not sure what to do. Amongst the panic attacks, the healing scars, and the demons lurking in every shadow, Loki was the only thing keeping you functioning as vaguely as you were. Now you feel like there’s nothing to tether you from spiraling out of control- no green eyes, no warm smiles, no stories to smooth over your ragged nerves. He’s gone, facing a fate you can’t even begin to imagine, and you won’t even get to be his knight in shining armor. He’ll forever be your hero, and you can never return the favor.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, a kind voice whispers, “No, my dear. I believe you saved his.”

The sweater Loki magicked gets wrapped tighter around you, even though the warmth has long since worn off. Your bed is cold, despite all the blankets piled onto it, and once you’re finally burrowed in amongst the pillows you let yourself release the sobs that you’ve been holding back, making your chest ache with emptiness.

Sleep is going to be a long time coming.

Weeks pass in a blur. You don’t really keep track. It takes you far too long to realize you haven’t been in to work- would there really be any point in going back? Did they believe you were brainwashed? Would they try and ‘recalibrate’ you?- but SHIELD hasn’t called you either, so you just let it lie. You keep up with those mandated therapy appointments a few times, and then they switch to conference calls, since you start having difficulty going outside. Eventually when your phone rings you just sit there and watch it chime until the screen goes dark once more. You’re not really in the mood to tell someone all about how pathetic you’re being.

Because you know it’s pathetic. The anxiety attacks, the nightmares, the listless spells where you’re content to do nothing but watch shadows creep over the walls as the sun moves from dawn to dusk. You can’t even go to the grocery store without someone accidentally jostling your arm and having to reflexively hold back a shriek. Most days seeing your own reflection in the mirror is enough to make you jump.

So you spend your time sleeping, though that sleep is consumed by nightmares. The taste of blood on your tongue, the sharp crack of your ribs splintering into pieces, the feeling of concrete beneath you as you make peace with your final resting place. Sometimes you see Loki as he appeared in front of you, hazy and surrounded in green magic, ready to slaughter enemies as he sees fit. Your guardian angel. But in your dreams, he never reaches for you like he did that day. He just watches as you feel breath slipping away moment by moment, an indifferent sort of smirk on his lips. You cry, you scream for him, willing your broken fingers to close the gap between you- your bones crumble to dust before you do.

When you’re tired of living your own personal hell on repeat, you make a habit of sitting at the window looking up at the stars, trying to keep him alive in your mind. You hope he isn’t in pain. You hope that Thor has kept his promise, keeping him safe the best he can. You hope… well. You hope a lot of things.

You take to imagining a thousand and one ways you might get to him. Break into Stark’s lab and demand information on the Bifrost. Sneak into SHIELD’s vaults and swipe the Tesseract; use it to do… something. Somewhere in the universe he’s standing judgement before a judge who’s been biased against him from the start- why would he think to be fair now? Thousands of years ago, a little baby frost giant was thrown into a narrative where he’d always be five steps behind, always second best. He never even got a fair shot. You wipe a tear from your cheek. Life isn’t fair, but if it’s going to be this brutal, the least it could do is offer you a happy ending.

You must’ve fallen asleep against the window pane, because for once your dreams are ethereal and covered in stars. You float past space and time, and when you reach out to touch the sparks lazily floating through the air, they collect like small galaxies on the tips of your fingers. Some invisible string tugs you forward, gentle yet relentless, and you allow yourself to follow it, wherever it might lead. Over a glittering rainbow bridge that floats in a dark, vast ocean; towards a golden castle pointed towards the heavens. There’s a strange sense of familiarity here, as though you’ve walked this path before. Perhaps in another dream; perhaps in another life. The thread winds you through the halls of the gilded castle. You pass a throne room that could hold a nation, a single dias fit for a king. There’s a library on your left, full of powerful things, illuminated by a crackling hearth. A room with a locked door that shimmers with runes and wards glowing blue. They say hello as you pass.

Finally, descent- layers upon layers of staircases, past whom you assume to be guards, with their armor and swords, though they don’t even turn an eye toward you as you float by. Your feet don’t make a whisper on the stone floor. There are glass cages all around you, similar the ones at at SHIELD, but they reek of power. Only, it isn’t glass, exactly- it shimmers and refracts in the dim light. A beckon. You fingers pass through the wall of energy easily enough, then your hand- then you start to feel some resistance. You frown and push harder, determined, though you don’t know why or what waits for you on the other side.

There’s something in the corner, and it moves with a heavy clanking noise when the rest of you finally gets through the boundary. It can sense you, unlike everyone else in this strange place. “Who is there?” A man’s voice, tired and wary. Familiar? More rattling, which you can now see comes from thick golden chains sprawled on the floor and looping off into the darkness. “Show yourself!”

Yes. You know that voice. And his hair, though it’s messier than you’ve ever seen it. His eyes, dull as they may be, are still the ones you’ve been dreaming of since the day he left. With a cry, you rush to Loki, kneeling on the ground in front of him where he sits with manacles binding his wrists and ankles. “Loki! Loki I- can you hear me? Oh god, please…” gently, you let your fingers tuck a piece of his black hair away from his eyes. He jerks back, confused, but more alert. “No, it’s okay, don’t be scared. It’s just me. I- I found you, I don’t know how but-”

“Y/N?” You don’t think your name has ever sounded more beautiful than in that moment. “Love, is that you?”

“Yes! Yes, can you see me? I’m right here. I’m right in front of you.”

“No… perhaps? A little, out of the corner of my eye.” Tentatively, he raises a hand and traces a gentle thumb against your cheekbone. It feels as insubstantial as a breeze, but you could cry from that small touch nonetheless. It’s him.

“I found you,” you whisper again. It’s him it’s him it’s him.

“So it would seem.” You giggle as a child would, proud of yourself. “And how, precisely, did you manage that?”

“I- I don’t know. I fell asleep and wandered around this castle for a bit, and then I was here. Where am I? Where are we?”

“Ah.” There’s something he’s not saying- you can hear it hiding underneath his tongue. “I think you must be dreaming, my love.”

“I- are you sure?” You glance down at your ghostly hands, still shimmering with starlight. “It seems so real.”

“You always did have quite the active imagination, Witling.”

You hum nonchalantly, taking in the dark circles under Loki’s eyes, the rings on angry flesh trapped underneath his cuffs. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I am fine, love. Do not worry about me.”

“Bullshit,” you huff. “Don’t think I can’t see these.” You reach for a chain and tug, frowning when they barely move an inch.

He easily moves the restrains behind him, out of your reach. “Stop. I am far more concerned with you than myself.” Worried eyes roam your face. “What is wrong?”

“I’m tired,” you say simply, and your voice breaks halfway through. “Sleeping is… hard. And eating. And I need…” You is the missing word there, and though you don’t say it, he hears it nonetheless.

“I know, love. I know you are.” His voice is full of regret. “I never should have left you.”

“It’s not like you had a choice.”

“All the same. I wish it could have ended differently.”

The world around you wavers for a moment, then two. You look around, confused, instinctively reaching for Loki to pull him closer. “What…?”

“You can’t stay much longer, love.”

“I’m not leaving you! How will I find my way back?”

“You shouldn’t have come in the first place.” Green eyes darken. “I wish I could see you better.”

“I’ll find you again,” you say confidently, even though whatever strength that carried you here is slowly slipping away. “I promise.”

You wish Loki’s smile was more genuine, but as it is, you’ll take what you can get. “Such a brave Witling. Sleep, now. I am with you, even when you wake.”

A feather-light brush to your nose that feels strangely like a kiss makes your eyes open. You’re in your apartment, curled up next to the window, just like when you fell asleep. No rainbow. No castle. No Loki.

Only… you trace your cheek where maybe-Loki had done the same. It was so real. He was so real. Wasn’t he? Either way, you feel more at ease than you have in months. You have no idea what happened, but you don’t care. Seeing him was worth it.

To your surprise, you’re able to repeat your little cosmic jaunt every so often. You can’t control when or why, but the wandering seems to happen on the days you need them most. Sometimes he can’t hear you even when you sit beside him and confess everything you’ve ever wanted him to know, but others he’s so tangible you can lean against his side and press a kiss to his shoulder, if you work up the courage.

It isn’t perfect. You watch each other weaken by counting the shadows that appear under eyes and cheekbones, unable to offer any substantial comfort. You still break down more often than you should, and think of him even more frequently than that. But it’s easier to sleep at night knowing that even though he might as well be on another plane of existence, not even that can keep you apart forever.

Life still isn’t fair, not by a long shot. And you wouldn’t exactly call this limbo a happy ending. But it’s better than nothing, and so you savor every last drop.

A/N: I used the link below to work out the specifics of Loki’s cell; it’s a funny read if you’re interested: 

https://missviolethunter.tumblr.com/post/105099519018/mcuasgard-afterthought-lokis-toilet-prison

New chapter in honor of my new phone! :D Now all my fanfics are in SUPER HI DEF! 

[dukereviewsmovies]

Duke Reviews: Thor

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Where We Are Continuing Our Look At The Marvel Cinematic Universe....

As We Look At The First Movie With The God Of Thunder, Thor...

This Film Sees Thor (Played By Chris Hemsworth) Being Banished To Earth By His Father Odin After Reigniting A Dormant War, Stripped Of His Powers, Thor Seeks To Return To Asgard When His Brother, Loki (Played Memorably By Tom Hiddleston) Seeks To Take The Throne Of Asgard For Himself, Will Thor Return To Asgard In Time To Stop His Evil Brother?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Thor...

The Movie Starts At Night On The Planet Earth As Jane Foster (Played By Natalie Portman) Erik Selvig (Played By Stellan Skarsgård) And Jane's Assistant, Darcy (Played By Kat Dennings, Who Is Apparently The Jar Jar Binks Of This Film) Who Are There To Monitor Atmospheric Disturbances Which Tie Into Jane's Work...

Eventually Finding Something, They Drive Off To See Whatever It Is But When They Drive Into It They End Up Crashing Into A Guy With Blonde Hair And A Beard, This Leads To An Introduction By Odin (Played By Hannibal Lecter Himself, Sir Anthony Hopkins)

(Start At 3:02)

Showing His Sons, Thor And Loki The Casket Of Endless Winter, Thor Promises His Father That He'll Hunt Them Down And Slay Them All, However Odin Tells Him That A Wise King Does Not Seek War, But He Must Always Be Ready For It....

Years Later, Thor Is Ready To Ascend To The Throne Of Asgard With His Brother Loki And His Friends, The Warriors Three (Hogun (Played By Tadanobu Asano) Fandral (Played By Once Upon A Time's Josh Dallas) And Volstagg (Played By The Punisher)) And Lady Sif (Played By Jaime Alexander) By His Side...

But When 3 Frost Giants Break Into The Weapons Vault At Asgard, Odin Destroys Them With The Prototype Version Of Cyclops So, Him, Thor And Loki Can Come Down To See What Happened...

Seeing This As A Possible Threat To Their Boarders, Thor Suggests Going To Their Homeworld Of Jotunheim To Teach Them A Lesson So They Won't Dare Cross Their Boarders Again, However With Odin Seeing This As Just An Isolated Incident That Will Never Happen Again As The People Behind It Have Paid With Their Lives, Odin Tells Thor No...

Having A Major Temper Tantrum In The Dining Hall Because Daddy Won't Let Me Have My Way...

Loki Goes To Talk With Thor To Say That Despite What Odin Thinks He Thinks He's Right, Saying That If The Frost Giants Broke In Once, They'll Do It Again...

Which Sounds Right...

Thor Is Right, The Frost Giants Broke The Truce And They Should Be Going To War But Odin Is Like "These Things Do Happen" Bull! Something Needs To Be Done And Just Simply Raising Security Is Not Enough...

Deciding To Go To Jotunheim With Loki, Sif And The Warriors Three, They Race To The Bifrost Where They Try To Convince Heimdall (Played By Idris Elba) To Help Them, Which He Only Does Because He's Pissed Off A Frost Giant Got Passed His Watch And He Wants To Know Why...

Once On Jotunheim, They Meet The Ruler Of This Frosty Realm...

(Start At 0:17, End At 1:46)

No, No, Not Him!

This Guy, Laufey, Who Tells Thor That The House Of Odin Is Full Of Traitors, He Doesn't Know What His Actions Will Unleash And That He Should Leave Now While He Still Allows It, Which They Start To But One Lousy Frost Giant Couldn't Shut His Mouth

(Start At 2:07, End At 4:28)

Being Chased By Frost Monsters, Odin Eventually Appears To Try To Barter Peace With Laufey, But It Is Too Late And Laufey Declares War On Asgard...

Taking Them All Back To Asgard, Odin Argues With Thor About What He Has Done And For His Actions, Odin Takes Away Mijonir From Thor And Banishes Him To Earth And Sends Us Back To Where The Film Began With Jane And Her Team Finding Thor...

Believing Him To Be On Drugs Or Something, Darcy Tazers Him And They Take Him To The Hospital Only For Thor To Attack The Doctors And Nurses When He Comes To...

Meanwhile On The Other Side Of New Mexico, A Driver Comes Across A Big Crater Where Mijonir Landed And Tries To Pull It Out Only To Be Unsuccessful...

Back At Their Lab, Jane And Her Team Go Over The Data Of What Happened Last Night And Discover That Whatever It Was Had The Characteristics Of An Einstien-Rosen Bridge Otherwise Known As A Wormhole...

Coming Across A Picture Of What Looks Like A Man Inside Of The Wormhole, Jane Races To The Hospital To Get Thor...

Strapped Down After Trying To Escape By Beating The Living Hell Out Of Doctors And Nurses, Thor Somehow Manages To Break Free Before Jane And Her Team Get There...

However, When They Go To Leave, They End Up Running Thor Over Again...

Do You Just Run People Over On A Regular Basis, Jane?

Meanwhile At The Crater With Mijonir, Millions Of People Are Around The Area Trying To Get It Out Like It's The Sword In The Stone...

Hell, Even Stan Is Getting Involved...

Stan Lee Cameo!

But While Everyone Tries To Get It Out, A Car Arrives On A Hilltop, With The Driver Getting Out Of The Car, We See That It's Phil Coulson (Played By Clark Gregg) Who's There To Redo The End Credit Scene From Iron Man 2 For The People Who Didn't See The Film Which Is Most Likely The People Who Live Under A Rock Or Martin Scorsese...

Jane Gets Thor Some Clothes Along With An Easter Egg To Dr. Donald Blake, While On Asgard, The Warriors Three And Sif Are Missing Thor. However, They Soon Wonder How The Guards Found Out, This Leads Loki To Admit That He Told Them, However He Had No Idea That Odin Would Banish Thor For What He Did...

Sif Asks Loki To Convince Odin To Change His Mind But Despite Loving Thor More Than Any Of Them, Loki Knows How Arrogant, Reckless And Dangerous Thor Is And He Believes That That Is Not What Asgard Needs Right Now...

As Loki Walks Away, Hogun Remembers What Laufey Said About The House Of Odin Being Full Of Traitors, Stating That A Master Of Magic Could Bring 3 Frost Giants Into Asgard, But Sif, Fandral And Volstagg Just Dismiss The Idea...

Meanwhile In The Weapons Room In Asgard, Loki Grabs The Casket Of Endless Winter Only To Be Confronted By Odin Who Discovers That Touching It Has Briefly Transformed Loki Into A Frost Giant...

(Start At 0:50, End At 2:22)

With Loki Mad At His Father For This, Odin Soon Faints And Falls Into What He Calls The Odinsleep...

Taking Thor For Food, Him Along With Jane And Her Team Hear About A Crater Where A Satellite Crashed In The Desert, But When They Say That No One Could Lift It, Thor Knows That It's His Hammer And Asks The Gentlemen Where It Is And They Tell Thor Where It Is Only To Warn Him That Feds Showed Up...

Walking In The Middle Of The Road With Jane And Her Team Following, Thor Tells Jane That If She Helps Him Reclaim Mijonir, He'll Tell Her Everything She Needs To Know. But Selvig Tells Jane Not To Go Because He Believes Thor To Be A Delusional Nut So Jane Doesn't Go With Him And They Just Walk Off Only To Get Screwed By Coulson And S.H.I.E.L.D. Who Take Everything From Them...

And I Do Mean Everything, Their Data, Their Facts Their Scientific Equipment...Everything Without Even Saying Please...

With Their Research Gone, Erik Lays Down A Reference To Bruce Banner Before We Go Back To Asgard To See That With Thor Gone And The Allfather Deep In The Odinsleep, Loki Has Been Placed In Charge Of Asgard...

(Start At 0:40, End At 1:49)

Jane Decides To Help Thor By Driving Him To The Crater Site Which Has Been Taken Over By Coulson And S.H.I.E.L.D. Sneaking Under The Gate, Thor Fights Dozens Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Soldiers While Coulson Gets Clint Barton (Played By Jeremy Renner) To Try To Take Thor Down From Above, But Eventually Reaching Mijonir Thor Tries To Grab It Only To Discover That He Cannot Lift It As He Is Not Worthy...

Arrested By S.H.I.E.L.D. Guards, Coulson Interrogates Thor Only To Get Nothing Out Of Him. Once Coulson Leaves, Loki Appears To Thor...

(Start At 1:10, End At 3:09)

Getting Selvig To Help Her After A Talk About How Magic Is Just Science That They Don't Understand, Selvig Goes Down To The S.H.I.E.L.D. Site To Free Thor, By Stating That He Was Upset That They Took Their Research And The Reason He Was Able To Take Down Their Soliders Is Because He's A Health Nut On Steroids...

Buying Selvig's Story, Coulson Lets Thor Go, But Before He Leaves, Thor Manages To Get Ahold Of A Book That Belongs To Jane...

Taking Thor To A Bar To Talk, They Get A Few Drinks Which Ends In Selvig Getting Drunk To The Point That Thor Has To Carry Him Back To Jane's Trailer...

Meanwhile On Jotunheim, Laufey Has A Visitor In The Form Of Loki, Who Tells Him That He Was The One Who Let The Frost Giants Into Asgard Mainly Because He Wanted To Ruin Thor's Big Day. Offering To Conceal Laufey And A Few Of His Soldiers In Asgard So He Can Kill Odin And Take Back The Casket Of Endless Winter, Laufey Accepts...

Travelling Back To Asgard, Heimdall Tells Loki That He Couldn't See Him On Jotunheim Which Has Him Suspecting That Loki Was The One Who Brought The Frost Giants Into Asgard...

But Telling Heimdall To Never Question Him As He Is King And To Not Open The Bifrost To Anyone Until He Has Repaired The "Damage" That Thor Has Caused, Loki Exits...

Talking Outside With Thor, He Gives Jane Her Book Before Telling Her Everything She Wants To Know And Where He Comes From...

Back On Asgard, Fandral And Volstagg Are At The Point Of Fighting Before Sif And Hogun Unite Them When They Realize What They Must Do And That's Go To Earth To Get Thor Back. Going To Heimdall At The Rainbow Bridge After Hearing Them With His Powers, He Somewhat Helps Them...

And Somewhat Helps Them, I Mean He Walks Out, Leaves His Sword That Opens The Bifrost And Lets The Warriors Three And Lady Sif Use It To Go To Earth..

Seeing The Bifrost Being Opened, Loki Sends The Destroyer To Detroy Thor And His Companions...

Arriving On Earth, The Warriors Three And Sif Go Into Town To Try To Find Thor Only To Be Spotted By S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents On The Rooftops...

No, No, No, You Twit! This Is Robin Hood..

He Was Prince Charming...

Eventually Finding Thor, He Tells Them What Loki Told Him Only For Sif To Tell Thor That Odin's Alive And He's Been Lied To...

Confronting Heimdall Who Knows The Truth Now, He Fights Loki After Loki Dismisses Him From His Job Of Gatekeeper Only For Loki To Freeze Him With The Casket Of Endless Winter

Arriving At The Site Where The Warriors Three And Sif Landed, Coulson And His Agents Watch As The Destroyer Arrives On Earth...

(Start At 0:38)

Talking With The Destroyer, Knowing That Loki Is Watching, Thor Tells His Brother That Whatever He Has Done To Lead Him To This, He Truly Is Sorry But Taking Their Lives Will Not Gain Him Anything So Instead He Offers Up His, And The Destroyer Kills Him Only For Thor To Be Brought Back To Life By Mijonir As He's Proven Himself Worthy Enough To Regain His Powers To Destroy The Destroyer...

Confronted By Coulson Who Says It's Obvious That He Hasn't Been Telling Him The Truth. Thor Tells Coulson That They Fight For The Same Cause And To Consider Him An Ally If They Return The Items They Stole From Jane, Which Coulson Promises To Return...

Taking Jane, To The Bifrost Site With The Warriors Three And Sif Going There In Selvig's Car, Heimdall Breaks Free Of Loki's Ice Prison And Opens The Bifrost To Bring Thor And The Others Home....

But Before He Leaves, Thor Promises To Return For Jane Which Ends Up With Them Kissing...

But While Thor And The Others Were On Their Way To The Bifrost And Heimdall Was Still Frozen, Loki Brought Laufey And His Frost Giants Into Asgard To Kill Odin But When Laufey Goes To Kill Odin, Loki Double Crosses Him And Kills Him Instead...

Making The Attack Look As If It Was Orchestrated By The Frost Giants, Thor Arrives To Reveal All Of Loki's Lies...

Blasting Thor Out Of Odin's Room, Thor Flies To The Bifrost As Loki Heads There To Release The Full Power Of The Bifrost On Jotunheim To Destroy The Entire Planet...

(Start At 0:28)

Realizing That He Can't Stop This, Thor Decides Instead To Destroy The Bifrost With Mijonir, Knowing That He Will Never See Jane Again..

But When The Bifrost Is Destroyed Loki And Thor Are About To Go Over The Edge But Luckily, Odin Wakes From His Odinsleep To Save His 2 Sons, However After Telling His Father That He Did This For Him, Loki Lets Go Of His Staff Only To Supposedly Fall To His Death...

Holding A Celebration/Funeral Over The Return Of Thor And The Loss Of Loki, Thor Talks With His Father, He Tells Thor That He Will Be A Wise King But Thor Admits That He Has A Lot To Learn And Says That Someday He Will Make His Father Proud, However Odin Says That He Is Already Proud Of Him Before He Walks Away...

Headed To The Rainbow Bridge (Can't Really Say The Bifrost As The Bifrost Is Gone) Thor Talks With Heimdall Asking If He Can See Jane, Saying That He Can He Tells Thor That She Is Searching For Him...

After The Credits Roll, We Get The End Credits Scene Of The Film Which Shows Selvig Meeting With Nick Fury (Played Again By Samuel L. Jackson) Who Is Impressed By His Work With Jane Foster And Shows Him The Tesseract In Which He Needs His Help Adapting It In Someway...

Looking In A Mirror, We See That Loki Is Alive As He Puts Words In Selvig's Mouth...

This Film Is...Pretty Good...

Alot Of People Complain That This Is Just A Fish Out Of Water Story With Only Best Scenes Being In Asgard But Me, I Just Like This Movie, The Stuff With Thor And Loki And Thor And Jane Is Interesting And I Love The Fight Scenes, I Love The Warriors Three And Sif As Well As The Stuff With Darcy (I Know I'm Going To Get Alot Of Hate For This But I'm Sorry I Like The Character, I Thought Anthony Hopkins Was Good, I Thought Asgard Was Amazing As Well As The New Mexico Setting, It Was Just A Good Film And I Say See It...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[come-with-me-and-imagine]

My Shadow--Loki Soulmate Au

Using with permission of imagine-loki

Prompt: Imagine a Soulmate AU where your shadow is the silhouette of your soulmate. You find it really odd how sometimes the shadow of your soulmate appears with horns on his head. 

Word count: 2246 (I got carried away)

Gif is not mine 

As a child, Anne knew she was different. It wasn’t just that she had a different shadow, oh no that wasn’t the part that was curious, for everyone had a different shadow. It was the sign that they had a soulmate. What was different was that her shadow was six foot two and often times could be seen with horns on his head. As a child, she loved her shadow. She would run up and hug the wall her shadow touched. But as she got older she became tormented over her beloved shadow. “Look Anne’s shadow has horns!”

“Is your soulmate a demon?!”

They would all laugh but she wouldn’t pay attention to it. For the fact that he had horns sometimes made her feel special. He reminded her of something out of a fairytale.

Over the years, she grew into a woman and her shadow never changed. Still tall and unwavering even with those horns. She swore sometimes she could feel his touch on her skin. Anne would often wonder who he might be. Where was he in this crazed world? 

When Loki was a child he had no shadow. This made him feel like an outcast and alone. The others would tease him ruthlessly. “Loki the Lier doesn’t even have a shadow!” 

“How pathetic!”  

“He won’t have anyone!” They would laugh and jeer at him. This drove him to the tower where he would often hide away while reading magic books. He refused to let anyone see his emotions. Yet, many times, he would hide away in his tower crying. Why had the universe cursed him to be alone? Was he so undeserving of a soulmate? As he grew older Loki felt as if his entire being had become numb. He didn’t feel anything and as the years went by he turned cold and unfeeling.  

Then...one day...something amazing happened. He saw a shadow following him. Staring at the wall in his tower he saw what looked like a child…an infant. His heart beat rapidly in his chest as he reached out to touch his shadow. He could have sworn he heard a laugh. A giggle that sounded like the sweetest melody. His soulmate had been born. Loki cried again but this time it was out of sheer joy and happiness. He had a soulmate...he wouldn’t be alone.  

Loki watched his soulmate grow. Every day seeing her shadow was as if he was seeing the world anew again. He swore he could hear her talking in his head. He would often trace her cheek as he sat in the sunlight. He would lay awake at night watching her sleep. What did she look like? Would she like him? So many thoughts and insecurities came through his mind as he thought of her.  

He thought of her every moment of every day of his life. Even when he was taken back to Asgard after the attack on New York. Even when he sat in his prison day after day.  

“You are thinking of her again.” He heard the voice of his mother as she appeared in his cell.

“Of course, I am mother...what else do I have to think of in this place...” He scoffed as he got off his bed and stood before her. “Do tell me what else I am thinking.”

“You are afraid you won’t be good enough. That after this incident you don’t even deserve her.” Loki felt his chest tighten with every word. Why did she have to be right all the time? He did think these things. He had let himself become manipulated by Thanos. And now...his insecurities had worsened. Turning away he sighed as Frigga disappeared once more.  

Anne grew up to be a hard-working woman. She worked in a bakery which she owned. Her proudest achievement is when Tony Stark himself asked her to become his personal baker. She accepted of course because of one, the salary was amazing and two, he allowed her to keep working in her shop as well. She would bake for every party, gala, an event he had hosted. She even got to meet the Avengers.  

However, it was one day that would change her life. It was another fundraiser for the children's hospital. There were tents everywhere to keep people out of the sun. One tent in question was where Anne set up her cakes and goodies for the people to eat on.  

Thor had come to the event to support his good friend Tony. “Tony my friend this party is fantastic.” He said as they stood in one of the tents drinking.  

“Wait till you meet Anne she is an amazing baker.” He said before he was quickly distracted by someone else. Thor smiled as he sipped at his drink while his eyes glanced about. As he looked to his left he saw a shadow coming along the side of the tent. The silhouette was unmistakable. His eyes widened as he watched his brother’s shadow creep along towards the entrance. Much to his surprise, it was a woman who entered the tent.  

“Ah! Anne, come over here I want you to meet someone.” Tony called her over as she smiled at him. Tony hugged her around the shoulders. “Anne this is Thor, Thor this is the amazing Anne.”  

“Nice to meet you I have heard so many stories about you.” She smiled at him but Thor only stood there staring at her. “Um...do I have something on my face?” She asked nervously.  

“You are my brother’s soulmate.” He blurted out suddenly causing both Tony and Anne to stare at him.  

“Wait you mean Loki?”  

“Wait...” Anne stepped forward “You-you know my soulmate?” “Yes, he is my brother! You hold his shadow!” He said happily as he watched tears come to Anne’s eyes. “I can’t believe this, this is a wonderful day,” he said as his excitement grew.  

“Where is he?!” Anne asked holding onto Thor’s arm. Thor’s smile faded slightly. 

“He is in prison for his crimes. Loki was responsible for the chaos some months ago, however; we recently discovered much like our dear Clint Barton, Loki’s mind was being manipulated. He doesn’t know it but our Father is planning on releasing him soon. Fret not dear Anne he will be coming here. His release will be under the condition that he assists the Avengers.”  

“Sort of like community service for offenders,” Tony said with a smirk. Oh god, he was going to have fun with this. However, Anne was in tears, she felt so overwhelmed with emotions.

“Oh, my god...he’s...I’m actually going to meet him.” She sobbed happily as Thor’s hands kept her standing upright. The two men escorted her inside and gave her some water to help her calm down. “I never thought I would ever meet him…” She sighed heavily as she sipped the water. “When is he going to be released.”  

“In three days,” Thor replied softly so he wouldn’t spook the woman. He couldn’t believe it himself. This was his brother’s soulmate. He had seen her shadow with him ever since she was so little. “You don’t know how long he has waited to find you.” He smiled at her as he took this time to hug her. She smiled softly and hugged him back. “I can’t wait to see his face when he meets you.”    

Loki looked up when he saw the guards taking down the magical wall. His brows became knitted together. He was even more confused when he was brought forth before Odin. “Loki,” he began in his soft aging voice. “After some time, we have discovered that you were in fact manipulated by Thanos. You are hereby released from your jail sentence. On one condition.”  

“And what might that be?” he asked in a semi-sarcastic voice. Gods he was tired of this old man and his riddles.  

“You return to Midgard and work with these Avengers.”  

Loki sighed “Is it too late to go back into the cell?” Odin glared at him and Loki shrugged. “Merely asking…”  

Thor walked up and slammed his hand against Loki’s shoulder. “Come on brother you will like it in Midgard. I can guarantee it.” “I highly doubt that.” He rolled his eyes as the hulking god dragged him along. They made it to the Bifrost bridge and soon appeared on Tony’s balcony.  

“You know I should just make a special helipad for this.” He mumbled to himself before he went back to work. “Stark we have arrived.” Thor’s voice bombed within the penthouse.  

“Yes, yes I can clearly see you have. Rather hard to miss the vast glowing rainbow energy field.” He said in his usual snarky tone. “Hello, again Loki. Nice to see you.” Tony smirked rather triumphantly and Loki’s disdained look.  

“Has she arrived yet?” Thor asked a little too loudly, yet, on purpose.  

“No, she hasn’t arrived yet—  

“If you two are trying to be secretive you should be a little quieter,” Loki said with a roll of his eyes. “Since you have started speaking about a person this “She” I might as well ask who she is.” He huffed out glancing from one idiot to the other.   “Well?”  

Thor smiled at his brother. “I found her Loki.”  

“Who?” Thor rolled his eyes this time and pushed Loki to stand in the sunlight. His shadow facing him again on the wall.  

“Her…” Thor’s voice caused Loki’s chest to tighten to the point of pain. “We found her Loki.”  

Thor was suddenly met by a pair of angry green eyes, “If this is some sick joke I swear I will—

“Mr. Stark,” the voice of Tony’s A.I. system F.R.I.D.A.Y said. “Miss Anne Collins has just entered the elevator.”  

Thor’s blue eyes bore into Loki’s green ones in sympathy. “Loki, I would never joke about this kind of thing. I met her three days ago, at Starks charity party. I saw your shadow before I saw her. And she is so happy that she can finally meet you.”  

“No…” he jerked from his brother. “No…no she-she won’t want to meet me. I am…” Thor watched his brother’s composure obliterate before him. “Thor I am a monster!” He shouted, “A monster who destroyed a city!” His eyes flashed red for a moment. “How could she want a monster—

“You are no monster Loki. You are hurt and full of anger and pain but no monster. This is your chance at happiness don’t throw it away.”  

DING

Loki looked at the Elevator doors as the light flashed that the elevator had arrived. They opened and out she walked. Loki felt his breath catch in his throat as his heart skipped a beat. She was beautiful…average height with curves and dark brown hair with blue eyes. But she was beautiful to him. He stood there like a statue praying that she might not see him. However, her eyes locked onto him like a hawk. She stood there almost as still as he was. He could hear her heart beating just as rapidly as his own was. Was she as nervous as he was? Who would take the first step?  

Anne did, she slowly took a few steps towards him and Loki copied her. Their eyes locked as neither blinked. They were too afraid to blink for they were scared that if they did the other would vanish. Then this would have been all a dream. He reached her and she came right to his chest. “You…must be Loki?” She asked softly.  

Loki’s shoulders slacked as he let out a shuddering breath. “I am…you…your name is Anne?” He murmured watching her smile as her eyes became glossy. Suddenly, much to Loki’s surprise, he was suddenly enveloped in a warm tight embrace. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face into his chest. He let out a few gasping breaths as tears fell down his face. His arms trembled as he pulled her even closer to him. A few tears escaped his eyes before sliding down his cheeks only for them to fall into her hair. His body was filled with such warmth he never thought it possible to feel. He felt…whole again. He inhaled deeply before pulling back and cupping her face with his hands. “I…I never thought I….” His lips kissed her face gently as she smiled.  

“I’m so happy to finally meet you.”  

“You don’t know how long I waited…” he gasped for breath again as he smiled happily as they hugged again. “Oh, my darling…” he cried as he kissed her face again. The two laughed and cried happily as they hugged one another again and again.  

Thor sniffled softly as he watched the exchange of emotion. “I have never seen such happiness in my brother.” He smiled as he heard a sniffle from beside him. “Are you crying Stark?”  

“Huh? What? No, I just have something in my eye.” He said as he rubbed his eyes. “Nope, not crying.” Thor laughed as he wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulders. 

@pandainfinitely