#( meta . ) — son of cosmos . lightning flows through thy veins .

[magnusmodig]

||. "It’s because losing Loki was so traumatic and Loki acts like nothing happened." - a meta that i just read and YEAH yeah yeah !! catch me about to throw hands ... nobody ever talks about this ENOUGH

[magnusmodig]

headcanon/development qs / anon / no longer accepting !

╰┈➤ What’s the lie your character says most often?

||. I've written two mini-meta on his biggest lie (his 2011 facade) before, so I won't go into that one again.... Thor is contrarily a very sincere person. If he doesn't have anything good to say, or if he can't agree to something outright but can't deny it either, or otherwise is in a position where he might need to be dishonest or unkind to someone in good standing with him, Thor doesn't say anything at all.

Or if he does, he'll word it in a way that gives him a loophole out of it, and then proceed to abide by that. Thor doesn't (usually) lie intentionally unless it's for a specific gain, something he can't entirely agree to, and usually to further benefit the lives or plans of his friends and allies.

To my count, he's only ever lied on screen 4 times.

2011 - Only bowing his head to Selvig during the bar scene and not actually giving his word that he'll leave Puente Antiguo and Jane Foster behind)

2013 - Purposefully misdirecting Loki and leaving him out of the "Get Jane out of Asgard" Heist

2013 - The entire "get Jane out of Asgard" Heist and attempting to misdirect Malekith into destroying the Aether (which I'm only counting because it's deliberate treason against his father. which he only did because odin refused to at least attempt to make sure Thor's plan would go off smoothly)

2015 - Electing to not bring up to Steve Rogers that he can lift Mjolnir (though this, they both knew)

I might be missing some small fibs here and there, but Thor is an incredibly honest person, so I doubt it's very much more than 4. (I guess you could also count Thor telling Jane he'll return for her and then not doing that for 2 years, but that's less of a lie and more of a broken promise; he fully intended to return and chose not to after the drama of his family escalated to the point of insanity.)

As far as the lie that Thor believes and will state as if it's truth? That he isn't worthy to be king. Tangentially also: that he would lose himself as king, the same way his father did. It's his "resistance to reality", so to speak.

Thor can talk and believe all he wants that he isn't the king his father would want, and he isn't a worthy steward of the title, that he's afraid he'll drown in the politics of the matter instead of being a good king... never realizing that that heart is exactly what would make him a good king. And a good man at that. He already has the qualities, he already has the skills... the only person who neglects to see this is Thor himself. (and where his character arc should have ended him: finally seeing that he has always been worthy, and not because a hammer (see: his father) told him so.)

╰┈➤ What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

||. Honestly? Just his name, "Thor". Maybe Tony would call him one of his various on-the-spot nicknames like Point Break but nothing too terribly out of the ordinary.

[magnusmodig]

╰┈➤ thematic headcanons / @diemon / no longer accepting !

hc + 🤕 for a pain-themed headcanon

||. Emotionally, Thor is ultimately really calm and relaxed. Very rarely is he truly perturbed, and as such is something of a sage and stable individual. He's an optimist, and always tries to see things from a third angle. If there is a way to keep the peace, foster peace, or protect the peace, then Thor will try to find it and act upon it. That doesn't mean that Thor is blind to the horrors of the world, though. He's a lot more of a realist than people give him credit for, and those who underestimate him will often consider him naïve. (He's... willfully naïve. Could the world chew him up and spit him out? Yes. Absolutely. He's terrified of that. But he'd rather turn his cheek to it and see the good in the world anyways... even if that choice bites him in the end.)

That said, throughout all of his appearances in the MCU, Thor seems to suffers a lot from low self-esteem/self-worth (hah.), depression, anxiety, and a slew of self-destructive/self-sabatoging tendencies. On top of being a naturally reserved person, it boils down to the fact that Thor's best act, is covering up his emotional pain. He wants to seem like he's okay. That he's strong enough. And in being strong enough to carry his own burdens, even if he's not, maybe he'll worthy enough to then be able to help his loved ones carry theirs. Earn their love, in a twisted kind of way. It's what he strives to do every day, to be frank. He wants to be a safe space for the people he loves... and in his desire to protect them, he neglects himself (mostly emotionally) in the process.

He's SO good at this that even his own family was once completely fooled by his act, and all of his closest friends too. I'd go as far as to say he's almost manipulative in that way. Not maliciously, of course. But in the sense that... even if you directly ask him (re: Jane), 9/10x he's probably not going to actually answer your question, find a way around the question, and turn the question back onto your needs and desires... And all of this without skipping a beat. Unless you are on it, or know him well (Jane, Heimdal, Loki), you'll never realize what he's done until it's far too late to turn the conversation back to what it was originally meant to be. (He'll also fight back, resist, and otherwise squirm his way away from you if he feels cornered. The best way to succinctly describe Thor emotionally is a wild animal; a feral beast. A wary, but regal stag on the best of days, easily spooked and quick to flee at the first sign of danger to him... and a wolf, when he's angered, in pain, anxious/scared and trying very desperately to fight his way out of, or through whatever situation is dangerous to him. He's an animal that growls, snaps and snarls. Scary when provoked, and dangerous when approached. And like a stag or a wolf, he will try to make himself bigger and scarier than the danger posed to him, even if it's another person whom he loves.)

He also refuses to talk about things that have scarred Thor emotionally. Things like Odin calling him unworthy and banishing him from Asgard/tethering his power to a hammer, Loki casting himself from the Bifrost in 2011 right in front of Thor's eyes (after killing him and betraying him twice before then), and Jane "dumping" him (though... I think that last one is a bit more... complicated. And not at all what Thor has perceived it as.)

Physically, Thor is a TANK. He can survive the pressure and freezing cold of open space, tank infinity stones directly to his person (power stone to the head in INFINITY WAR) and surrounding his person (reality stone/aether in DARK WORLD), and full on survive the direct blast of a neutron star for about a full minute before it'd start to kill him (INFINITY WAR). As well as various other things he's survived. And that's all admittedly with his full Asgardian traits, including his regenerative healing factor.

Even completely stripped to human mortality, though, Thor can withstand a lot of dangerous situations. He was hit by an RV ... twice. The first time, it was speeding through a violent storm. He walked away without a scratch on his person, and the ability to fight a room full of doctors and nurses within no more than 5-6 hours later.

[magnusmodig]

thematic headcanons / @sparesovereign / no longer accepting !

╰┈➤ hc + 😨 for a fear-themed headcanon

||. Thor is courageous...and oftentimes, that quality is confused with fearless. (Something I think Thor would swiftly point out that he is FAR from.) To say he spirals into anxious fits or is prone to flights of panic would be an incredibly far stretch. Thor is hardly the sort. He isn't neurotic. (He is, in fact, quite the lax creature.) And so, while it would certainly be disingenuous to say that Thor is neurotic, the nature of which he has been bred, schooled and raised lends itself to something of an... active penchant for worrying.

I would argue, through sheer observation and general inferences, theory, you name it, that while Thor is generally quite calm (and cool under fire when pressed), he is far more anxious than he lets on. To be a leader of any stripe is to wear many different hats, all at once, after all. Knowing every detail at all times, having counter-measures for potential worst-case scenarios, combing through plans to be the most efficient without any loose ends. In Thor's case, not only has he been schooled to eventually lead an entire country, but multiple countries - planets, even - that extend throughout the Asgardian Empire (The Nine Realms). He's also the head of his squadron, meaning he has to be a great warrior and tactician, and beyond that, he's a person with great power, and an even bigger heart. So one will find, if one pays attention enough, that he does indeed worry. About his family, his friends, his personal warriors and the state of the Einherjar. He worries about whether the Asgardians have needs he can fulfill as head of state and crown, from prosperity down to safety, and then this extends to the other realms and their overall states of being, and the planets beyond that of the Nine Realms; the galaxy is big and filled with allies and enemies alike, after all.

Where worry turns to fear is when all of those worries compound, or become reality; when threat becomes reality, and when the state of things fall to his own shoulders. It becomes fear when it becomes personal. For Thor is a great many things. He is mighty and fierce, compassionate and kind... and he also fears greatly that he will never be able to fulfill the expectations set before him by his Father and his fore-fathers, and the expectations of the Realms and his own people. Even his own closest friends expect greatness. But how do you rise to the same height of the wisest, and longest-lived king in the universe? How do you compete with the concept of the endless, heroic valor of a storm? How do you ensure the safety of your people and the sanctity of your home's borders, when you yourself feel so small in comparison to the greatness behind you, before you, and expected of you?

And because his fear is vast, and because his worries so deep in him, at the end of the day what Thor fears is failure, and in that way, Thor is courageous, for daily he takes his fear and (usually) commands it. He rises, he competes, he ensures. If for no other reason than that he will not allow any other option, because that is his greatest fear.

Small meta/examples under the cut for why I say this generally:

From what I gather from all of Thor's appearances (and I mean all of them. There's not a single appearance he doesn't do what I'm about to say at least once. Probably twice.) is that he's a relatively anxious individual. Again, not to the point of neurotic behaviors ("... experiences anxiety, depression, irritability, and self-consciousness. It is also common for a neurotic person to interpret situations as threatening, making them feel overwhelmed easily. The reactions and feelings of a person who is neurotic are not by choice. - x.) but definitely to the point of some disruption.

In THOR (2011) there are multiple instances just in the (cut) opening scenes where Thor is pacing and fretting before his coronation. It's Loki who comes to him first and eases his mind, followed soon thereafter by Frigga's attempts. It's an act of genuine sincerity from Loki that gets Thor to calm down ("...But, really, how do I look?" / "Like a king.")

BEFORE that, though, he covered it up with over-enthusiasm, gloating, goading, and overall defensive behaviors. (I've expanded on it before, but his supposed 'arrogance' is less arrogance and more a bloated and failed attempt at self-confidence)

One that he attempts to keep through humor and frivolity. Only it doesn't exactly come across that way, when his anxiety/fear leads him to a fight response, which then leads to aggression when he feels he's cornered. (and when you're scared of everyone knowing your a fraud....well...)

In THOR: THE DARK WORD (2013) there are multiple instances of his depression and anxiety but the best and most obvious depiction is when he's sharing his plan to escape asgard (effectively committing treason against his own father) with the rest of the Warriors. He has a habit of rubbing at and wringing out his hands, the same as Frigga and Loki both do.

During the escape, he also exhibits what I lovingly call his panic-breathing, in that he's becoming overwhelmed with either fear or anger (or usually both) and then he begins to breath heavily with his entire chest, and slowly caves inward.

This panic-breathing and/or hand-wringing / anxious trait is also something shown in

THOR: RAGNAROK (2017)

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)

and when he isn't caving inwards in a way that's physically palpable, then he's generally very closed off in his body language, in this... sort of self-sheltered, self-soothing, hunched inward way. He reminds me of a turtle.

He also has a habit of, when he feels threatened, trying to make himself big - and especially bigger than whatever thing or person is scaring him.

The best example of that I can find it with Nick Fury, because even though Fury has the power (both in the cinematogrpahy, and in the topic of conversation), you can still see Thor sort of bulk up (and stare Fury down) in an effort to seem unintimidated / larger than Fury.

TL;DR is Chris Hemsworth gives Thor some really neat body language quirks and all of them make me wanna hug him by boy is this guy stressed and/or anxious/scared like constantly

[magnusmodig]

╰┈➤ thematic headcanons / @brokeassgoing / no longer accepting !

hc + 🤥 for a lie-themed headcanon

||. SO let's talk about Thor + his """Arrogant""" façade, fellas, because I see a lot of bad takes take Thor is an conceited buffoon who talks too much and is very, very dense.... and while absolutely none of that is true, I also think that's the beauty of Thor's façade in THOR (2011). It's all one big lie. Thor isn't vain. He isn't conceited. He isn't strong in his self-esteem.

In fact, at no point, in all of his 1,500 years, has Thor ever been any of those things. That IS the lie. That is his biggest lie.

A great many people - the audience and the characters in Thor's own universe, including his own family, - ASSUME as much. And how can they do anything but?

He's effervescent and hopeful, he tells good jokes (even without meaning to), has a sterling smile and is altogether jolly. So he must be happy a great deal of the time. He gets along well with others. He's charming and knows how to sway a crowd and bounces between his friends with ease and a natural, extraverted fluidity. He must have a great many friends he's close to, and he must never be lonely. Thor is self-assured and comfortable in his abilities. He is fully aware of what he is capable of and just how much he can take at once. He's a well-established warrior and the most powerful person in all of Asgard (discounting Odin), both in literal physical/magical prowess and in station... so Thor must be self-confident and unfaltering. Thor is a member of royalty at the top of the food chain, and CLEARLY knows his station. He carries himself with a dignified nobility about him. An air of purpose. He must be strong-willed and proud ...

...and he must also be vain, greedy, (unintentionally) cruel and overall thoughtless of those around him, putting all of these assumptions together. ESPECIALLY when taking into account the surface-level of his rash, impulsive, bull-headed, hot-headed, stubborn actions and words.

Suddenly, a passionate individual who wants to protect his home is "only thinking as a warrior". Suddenly a highly anxious individual about to be crowned king and overcompensating for his lack of confidence is now showboating for the enjoyment of showboating. Suddenly a reserved and quiet, kind person with a big heart, protective nature and complete dedication to servant-leadership of his kingdom is a cantankerous buffoon "unworthy" of the crown to rule.

The most well-crafted lie Thor ever crafted was that he has ever been anything but "fine", and totally self-assured, and the fact that even the MCU audience was fooled by his lie (unless they'd been paying attention to him in particular) says volumes about just how thorough Thor actually was about it.

[magnusmodig]

╰┈➤ VI TALKS ABOUT THOR/MCU / @requiend / no longer accepting !

🔥 allow me to enable, with any topic of your choosing !

||. "Thor: The Dark World" (Thor 2) was a financial success, well-received by everyone who isn't part of the toxic Loki!Fandom and is absolute peak Thor content and I can prove it.

I've done extensive research on the critical and box office success of the Thor franchise and in this research I discovered the following:

Financial Success:

On average, each film of the THOR franchise grossed about 3.75x the production budget of each film, altogether.

Thor: Love and Thunder and Thor (2011) both made ~3.0x their production budget

Thor: The Dark World did 4.3x better

Thor: Ragnarok only did 4.7

This actually means that, adjusting this scale for inflation between 2011-2017, AND for Thor's popularity after his first debut, Thor actually makes consistent money. Thor: Ragnarok is actually on average with the rest of Thor's films, INCLUDING Thor (2011), so despite all of the YouTube critics lording it as the best thing ever because Tai.ka Wa.i.ti.ti wrote it, the fact of the matter is Gagnarok is just... 'a good Thor Movie' just the same as ALL the rest of them. (Which is actually, technically, bad, because it threw away everything about him and we saw how well that turned out in Endgame's cinematography/framing and L+T. Nobody appreciates it.)

Critically Well-Received:

If you chronologically search for reviews of Thor: The Dark World and actually read most reviews, while Dark World wasn't a box office smashing success, it was generally well received by the public (until the loki fans ruined it.), and any critiques that were given were valid ones, or directed towards the film editors since the THOR films usually have a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time.

you can read some reviews here:

SlashFilms / Oct 22nd, 2013

Never Been Better / Nov 8th, 2013

RoboHeartBeat / Nov 8th, 2013

Slice of SciFi / Nov 8th, 2013

AIPT Comics / Nov 8th, 2013

Ajaydsouza / Nov 12th, 2013

AustinChronicle / Nov 8th, 2013

The Providence Journal / Nov 7th, 2013

People saying that it's "the worst Thor Film of all time" or that it was 'boring' are generally people who, I kid you not, wanted Tom Hiddleston to write the next Thor Movie, only went to watch the film for Loki/because Loki was in it, and otherwise complained about him "not having a lot of screen time" despite being a secondary character on par with Jane Foster. (Which, I understand that Loki is popular, and I think he's lovely and that Tom is a wonderful actor and we're absolutely blessed to have him and Chris Hemsworth in their respective roles, especially together – but Loki isn't the main character and he isn't supposed to be.)

Peak Thor Content

In this singular movie alone we get:

Absolutely the best character design for Thor out of all his appearances even up til now.

A sleek armor design

Chris' REAL HAIR being used instead of a wig (it's so pretty!)

even a better, more flowing cape design that was a real cape!! Not CGI like in Thor: Gagnarok!

The Entire Poncho Look

EXTREMELY complex and interesting dynamics with his entire family (Jane is included as part of the family.)

With Odin, he's subservient to a worrying degree, but still willing to rebel against him, even if that could mean banishment or being public enemy no.1 whilst his father is deranged.

Frigga as always is generally complicated, but they get along well enough, and she accepts Jane into the family immediately, and Thor thinks highly of her, even if he doesn't know her so well.

Loki's primarily in the Asgardian dungeons, but despite this, because he is in the back of Thor's mind even when Loki is away, the audience is CONSTANTLY thinking about Loki too. His presence is felt everywhere, and when the two brothers finally reunite on screen, it's after a year of separation and festering betrayal of their bond. Loki's redemption moment is in this film. ("Trust my rage") and it's probably one of the BEST brodinson moments of the entire series by far. Loki also spends most of his time outside of prison just trying to get Thor to break out of his apathy, which is nice.

And Jane and Thor are positively sweet! Their chemistry together is off the charts and so utterly wholesome. He perks up almost instantly when she finds her way back into his life, and I love that she actually helps him defeat the main villain, Malekith, with her science inventions. (2011-2015 jane foster is peak jane foster). I also think it's worth noting that the tone for their relationship is pretty clearly set in this film. He's a protector, she follows his lead, but he relies on her to keep him in check and assist him whenever she is able. They're great rulers together!

He has a subtle, sassy humour that oozes out of him in every scene where it's applicable for him to be a bit funny. Some of my favorites include:

Sif: I had this under control!

Thor: (smiling) Is that why everything is on fire?

Thor: (GETS BOMB-RUSHED BY A BRUTE IMMEDIATELY)

Thor: Hello. Brute: (ROARS IN HIS FACE)

Thor: I accept your surrender. Maurader Crowd: (CHEERS AND JEERS) Thor: (laughs silently. DESTROYS THE BRUTE IN ONE SWING.)

Thor: Thor:

Thor: Anyone else?

Loki: At least furnish me with a weapon. My daggers. Something!

Thor: (begrudgingly looks at him.)

Loki: (smiles)

Thor: (acquiesces)

Loki: At last! Common sense—....

literally this entire face

Thor: And I thought you liked tricks. (wiggles his whole body happily as he walks away laughing)

and also the ENTIRE space ship scene between him and loki. Not gonna cap that one past this but:

L: No don't hit the buttons press them. Gently. T: I AM ""presSING THem gENtLy"" it's nOT WORKING >:T

L: I think you missed a column. T: Shut up.

L: Congratulations! You just decapitated your grandfather.

L: Maybe I should try flying. :T I'm clearly the better pilot. T: Really? Well, between the two of us, which one can actually fly?

I COULD GO ON but i'll leave it here...for now..

[magnusmodig]

╰┈➤ VI TALKS ABOUT THOR/MCU / anon / no longer accepting !

🔥 ( Thor and his relationship with Frigga )

||. Oh, man, Thor/Frigga is an interesting topic - because I feel the thor/mcu fandom tends to really characterize her one of two ways, and both are right and both are wrong.

The FIRST WAY is that "Frigga is a saint who can do no wrong, absolutely adores both of her boys and is the perfect mother" and... while I think that Frigga is certainly a perfectly loving and caring mother (and person tbh.) she very clearly had her FAVORITE son. There's a huge element of neglect towards Thor that goes overlooked in this take that I don't agree with, even if I don't subscribe to the idea that Frigga was purposefully neglectful, either.

....Which happens to be the SECOND WAY that the fandom (mostly the mcu!loki fandom, as usual) mischaracterizes Frigga, and by proxy Thor/Frigga's bond as well. In this take, they make Frigga's favoritism and doting over Loki go too far. To the point where she's passive-aggressive and borderline toxic, just because Thor isn't her precious uwu frost-baby. I am a FIRM believer that even if Loki was her favored son to hang out with, Frigga still didn't love Thor any less. It's just a very complex relationship, overall.

My personal take on Frigga is as follows:

Ultimately: Thor is her son! Her only child! And so is Loki, and I think she loved them BOTH so dearly. At the end of the day though, Thor has to spend his time with the other aesir in the family, and that's not Frigga, it's Odin. Not only that, but Frigga has more in common with Loki, so they have more to talk about in 1:1 moments together. What I think this led to was an unfortunate cycle in which she spent so much energy doting over Loki, making sure he felt seen/heard and had "some sun for himself" that she COMPLETELY neglected to see that her other son was in just as much pain as the youngest was; that while Loki is the underdog, Thor still needed his mother, and DID NOT have it all together. She was completely fooled by Thor's façade just like everyone else. And only realized how estranged they had become when it was too late, and she couldn't reach Thor anymore. (She also died before she could make it right.)

To further explain these two opposing takes, the first characterization comes (presumably) from the following:

Frigga being a very wise and clearly empathetic individual. The "glue" that keeps the family together. (a general observation due to how she interacts with her family. specifically: "[Odin] kept the truth [about you being a frost giant] from you so that you would never feel different. You are our son, Loki, and we your family. You must know that." thor (2011), and immediately accepting jane as her daughter-in-law in Thor: Dark World comes to mind. )

Frigga arguing with Odin about Thor's banishment (deleted scene.)

Frigga (attempting) to assuage Thor's anxiety pre!coronation (deleted scene)

I think this particular take is relatively accurate in characterizing Frigga's motherly nature, yes. But what it neglects to keep in mind is that:

Frigga was complicit in the lie of Loki's heritage. Her line about "Odin" not wanting Loki to feel different can also be read as her using Odin as a bit of straw-man for her own feelings. (@mischiefmodig and I have actually come to the conclusion "not wanting loki to feel different" was originally HER idea when Loki was very small. Odin is too pragmatic to come up with it. BUT when he got older, Frigga changed her mind, and Odin didn't want to tell Loki at that point because it'd cause a meltdown. Which it did.)

Frigga arguing for Thor's sake post!banishment was NOT done while Thor was aware of this development. HE IS NOT AWARE THAT THIS HAPPENED. From his perspective, she never fought for him, and more importantly: even if he did find out AFTER the fact, during his banishment, THOR DIDN'T EXPECT HER TO. In fact, Thor accepts that Frigga disowned him the second Loki lies to his face about that detail in THOR. (Re: "Mother has forbidden your return.") It makes no sense for Thor to believe this so immediately if they were close. (he WAS close to Loki, who he trusts implicitly, especially because he's family.)

While Frigga does attempt to assuage Thor's anxiety before the coronation, the key word here is ATTEMPT. She doesn't succeed. It's actually staggering how badly she misses the mark, and he continues to be largely unfocused and anxious about it. Even though Loki's scene with Thor happened before Frigga's, it was Loki who was able to say what needed to be said to calm Thor down where Frigga couldn't. ("You're my brother, and my friend [...] never doubt that I love you." / T: "How do I look?" L: "Like a king.")

The second take comes from a very loud and large portion of the loki!fandom in particular who absolutely despises Thor as a character and prefer Loki in every way. To the point where, I suppose, Thor is "an abusive brother"... Which makes no sense. It's ultimately a lot of projection. HOWEVER, I can't say it's entirely inaccurate to the favoritism displayed either. Some things I can say Frigga messed up on are as follows:

The official marvel comic (taking place between thor 2011 and avengers) in which Frigga endlessly searches for Loki and refuses to believe he's dead instead of mourning his loss with her husband and son. (Which is saying a lot, given that Thor and Odin both saw Loki attempt suicide by letting go into a black hole.) While she was right in the end, this is ... really negligent at the end of the day. (it puts SUCH a bad taste in my mouth that I refuse to consider it canon since it's not the movie's material anyways. I do think she searched for Loki, but more that she was searching for his body so they could have SOMETHING to bury.)

This scene of Frigga telling Thor that "[he] and your father cast large shadows"... Which is true and not necessarily a bad thing to say, but the line that preceded this was ultimately Thor just asking Frigga if she regrets teaching Loki her magic because of all the trouble (and war crimes) he’s committed with it…. And her answer was no —> proceeds to remind thor that he overshadowed Loki. (I don't think he took that personally or was bothered by it, but the answer isn't exactly well-timed or considerate of ... everything.)

TL;DR: Thor and Frigga aren't close. They're "close enough", but the fact that he doesn't shed tears at her funeral, (he weeps for loki THREE TIMES and is utterly enraged by Odin's death. Hers is the ONLY death thor is witness to where he does not actively react to at all.), speaks of her as if he's speaking highly of a well-esteemed stranger, has no reaction to her attempts to meet his emotional needs, responds minimally to her physical affections (mostly talking about body language, he's very stiff with her in a safe environment vs. a battle environment, as shown respectively), actively shuts her out in a time of mourning (she has to ask sif how her OWN SON is doing post!loki's death), and fully believed that she would not have fought for his right to return home —and in fact, FORBADE IT — with no questioning shows me as much, even if they do have some very soft moments together.

[magnusmodig]

rough childhood headcanon qs / anonymous / accepting !

╰┈➤ 1 . does your muse blame themselves for their trauma?

||. As is ever the case with Thor Odinson, the short answer is still, in itself, complicated. Ultimately the answer is, in my personal opinion, yes , though Thor is an incredibly introspective person, and so he can be self-aware enough of himself and his family situation to see it plainly for what it was. Thor is not a doormat. But whether or not he fully commits to acting on what he's feeling, and thinking based that awareness is its own issue. One mostly steeped in how Thor views himself and partly how he views his own family (specifically: he views them all with blinding rose-colored glasses ESPECIALLY once they've died, regardless of the damage they've caused him).

For some context on what I mean, by "how Thor views himself", I mean that he is shown to have something of an atlas complex (also known as: superman complex, savior/hero syndrome, codependency). Everything comes down to him. He's the strongest, so he'll do it. He can outlive and outlast, so he'll endure. He's the eldest, so it's his responsibility. So on and so forth very often times coming out as "I will solve this problem for you" statements most notably with Jane Foster. He takes failure personally, especially when other people are at stake, or the collateral. And he will hold himself accountable for tragedies beyond his control at length. In "The Avengers" and a deleted scene in "Thor: Ragnarok" he actively and repeatedly lumps himself in with his family (aka his father and siblings, mostly), and their catastrophic, destructive actions and pasts — both of which are things that thor himself actually hasn't partaken to any large degree (unless we count the failed Jotunheim heist and even that he WAS going to bail on before his temper got the best of his judgement.) He proceeds to call them (his family) "bilge snipe", while using the terms "we" (denotating himself as part of the issue) and proceeds to call the metaphorical bilge snipe "repulsive". He does this again in Ragnarok while telling Banner that "we're cursed to fight amongst ourselves while everyone else suffers for it"), meaning his opinions on the matter have not changed since 2012.

And by "blinding rose colored glasses" I mean that Thor has another tendency to see the good in people, partly in nature and partly deliberately, especially when seeking it out. And he does this especially when it comes to his family, and he will justify their actions by trying to step into their shoes even when it may not always be appropriate. (//gestures at literally all of thor: ragnarok and how he still idolizes his father to an obscene degree thankstaika re: "i'm not as strong as you", and even further back to the way thor speaks to odin in thor 2011 at the end of his banishment re: "there will never be a wiser king than you or a better father". He also idolizes Loki in "The Dark World" with the line "loki, for all of his grave imbalance, understood rule as i know i never will" and to a lesser degree does this with Frigga in the same film "she saved us all, a thousand times.")

From a slightly more psychological perspective:

The long and short of it is that it is much easier to blame yourself for things that hurt you that were beyond yourself. Especially when you can't understand it, or didn't deserve it. Especially when they come from someone you hold in high esteem, and hold a lot of love for. Like caregivers and family. In a twisted way, it grants the guilt-bearer some level of CONTROL over their emotions and their situation that they did not have in the moment the hurt occurred. If you're can blame yourself, then you're at fault. If you're at fault, then you can feel guilty, and if you're guilty, then you can atone. You can actively work to make up for it. ( "By blaming ourselves, we maintain the perception that we’re still in control of the situation and ultimately safe -even when we’re not." - rosscenter.com) This is especially critical in children who go through this sort of parental dysfunction and neglect. And the reason why I think this is not a development saved for his young adult -> adult years is because of exactly what we see on screen.

Thor comes from a family that is just as loving as it is toxic. His father was so good at being a wise king that he completely failed at being a good father. It's something Thor even calls out in "The Dark World" ("I'd rather be a good man than a great king") after speaking on how being king is losing who you are to politics and mind games and war. Odin as a parent, and Odin's overbearing, all-encompassing shadow of a legacy is what Thor's entire character arc was always about overcoming. His mother, Frigga, is by far the most decent of the bunch, but she is far from perfect. To pull from a previous meta on the subject, my opinion on frigga/thor is as follows: " [...] an unfortunate cycle in which [Frigga] spent SO MUCH ENERGY [...] making sure [Loki] felt seen/heard and had “some sun for himself” that she COMPLETELY neglected to see that her other son was in just as much pain as the youngest was [...] And only realized how estranged they had become when it was too late, and she couldn’t reach Thor anymore. (She also died before she could make it right.)"

His brother is arguably the person he was ever closest to (even among his friend group), up until his brother manipulated and betrayed his trust, killed him, attempted suicide in front of him, tried to take over earth as payback, tried to kill him again, rejected him outright, and then got put into jail.

Suffice it to say that while I think that Thor's issues stem from deep childhood trauma (and only ever further reenforced by the fact he ages so slowly), my dude's got some issues, and blaming himself for past trauma is definitely one of them. (When he can't get away with internalizing it and avoiding it any longer, anyways.) I do also think to a lesser degree this behavior does also count towards friends, just to a less extreme degree. With the main difference being: Thor adores his family. He wants to keep them close to him. He's incredibly protective of all of them. Which isn't to say he doesn't love his friends, because that would be the biggest lie. But friends come and go. Thor will always want to be a good friend, but he wants to be a good son even more than that. And so in cases of conflict with a friend and a peer, Thor will gladly and readily call out his friends for their bad behavior just as readily as he would also dismiss and justify their bad behavior towards himself. (you know like not checking in on him for five years in "endgame", apparently...)

[magnusmodig]

TAG DUMP.

( ic . ) — son of odin . the crown is a heavy burden for thee . ( ooc . ) — stories that leap from the page . ( dash comm . ) — connected by the bifrost . ( crack . ) — the elevator's not worthy . ( fosterson . ) — i believe that fate brought us together . ( mischiefmodig . ) — we grew up together . played together . i thought the world of you . ( answered . ) — black feathers fall to a raven's call . ( headcanon . ) — glory to the man who toils for his land . may it ever prosper . ( iisms . ) — love like cleansing rain . rage like smoldering fire . ( meta . ) — son of cosmos . lightning flows through thy veins . ( album . ) — roots of yggdrasil . ( aes . ) — on your head a circlet . tarnished silver and gold . ( odin . ) — let my blade strike true . ( frigga . ) — the wisest woman of all asgard . ( loki . ) — round and round we go . ( thor . ) — if he be worthy . ( jane . ) — earth to asgard . ( avengers . ) — earth's mightiest heroes .