#Or being so very unlike the Asgardian ideal...

[tori-artemis]

Oh this is a great question to think about! Tbh I had a lot of hopes back when the series was premiering (and before when it was just announced), so to go off of those... well first off, I really really wanted an exploration of Loki's trauma, his past and even his psyche. Like I know a psychological thriller/horror probably wouldn't have been in the cards for a Disney+ show, but tbf I feel like the creators of Wandavision touched on aspects found in those types of genres (if in a PG 13 kind of way) so I don't think I was too off base for hoping to see something like that for Loki. (Not to mention the ridiculous comparisons to films like Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs that Mike Waldron kept making... but I'm not gonna get into that rant again.)

I think I would've put a lot of focus on what the hell actually happened to Loki when he fell into the Void and disappeared for an entire year or so, and how he ended up encountering Thanos and the Black Order, how that all went down, etc. Either through flashbacks, or (possibly altered) memories, or Loki recounting those events interview/interrogation-style (and being an extremely unreliable narrator in doing so, like for instance saying something like "I made a deal with Thanos and worked with him willingly" and then at some point you see into his head through flashbacks/night terrors and realize that clearly wasn't the case, just stuff like that). The possibilities were endless tbh, like there's just so many creative opportunities to explore that one aspect of Loki's backstory. And since that's such a burning question to me (and many other fans tbh) still to this day, I feel like that'd be the first thing I'd want to tackle.

Another important thing I'd want to include would be Loki's gender fluidity and his bi identity. Like I don't think it necessarily has to go with Loki referring to himself as bi, like I don't think he has to say the actual word "bi" in order to give any meaningful kind of rep?? Especially now that Agatha All Along has come out, I feel like I'd want to approach Loki's identity in a similar type of way, just unapologetic, and as authentic as possible to his comic book counter part. Like hell, he can have hang ups with those parts of his identity (which would actually make sense, being from Asgard and since he already has a lot of self-loathing issues in general due to being Jotun).

I wouldn't mind that, especially if it was done in a non-typical way, like maybe it's not being sexually intimate with men/males that's looked down upon on Asgard, but - similar to the Norse apparently - it's on what role they play, or basically who's the "bottom" - that gets shamed, or maybe same sex relationships aren't looked down upon at all on Asgard, but giving birth/getting pregnant while being/presenting as male is, bc it's seen as unnatural, and then let Loki go through an experience where he develops deep rooted insecurities about those aspects of his identity due to Asgard's cultural prejudices. And like this doesn't even have to be explicit (tho after the birth scenes in both Wandavision and especially Agatha All Along I can't help but roll my eyes at ppl having a hang up with Loki going thru something like this, especially if they were totally okay with Wanda and Agatha having birthing scenes, but anyways). It can be something as simple and as subtle as Loki finding out he's pregnant (maybe he can magically feel the fetus growing inside him, or he can hear the heartbeat/etc, or maybe it's as simple as having morning sickness and/or a change of diet). And it just ends up with him drinking tea/potion (due to pressure from Odin/Frigga/society, or maybe he's not ready and seeks it out himself) which gets rid of the baby, but again it's done in a very non graphic way. Of course the whole mpreg thing is just an example, and doesn't have to be in a series about Loki (that's what fanfic is for!) but basically: let Loki be queer, he can have hang ups about being queer, and tbh I'd want the hang ups to be kind of different from the usual discussions/portrayals of queerness in media mainly bc Asgard's an alien/fantasy society so I'd want their cultural norms to be pretty different from ours (human society in general), but overall just let Loki be queer, goddamnit!

Furthermore, I'd want to explore Loki's self loathing in particular, and see his view of himself change as he develops and grows throughout the series. If he encounters other versions of himself then I'd want to see what that would look like... and preferably done differently from how the show approached it (regarding Sylvie). Like I don't want him to just, I don't know, praise his other self up the way he ends up doing in the series (I know he also fought with Sylvie at the beginning but tbh I couldn't really take their rivalry seriously, it felt very sibling-like - which I actually enjoyed at the time, mind you, but a reflection of one's internal self-hatred it certainly is NOT, and like overall the whole dynamic just didn't work for me bc I find those two characters so undeniably different from each other and therefore it doesn't really work as a metaphor for self hatred/self love, but that's neither here nor there).

Like - let it be messy! Let it actually be vitriolic and hateful if that's what the series is trying to convey. Let Loki be angry, let him rage, let him lash out - at versions of himself and at other characters, like c'mon! This is a character that has a lot of inner darkness and has suffered through a lot of trauma and has difficulty trusting others due to said trauma (especially if we're going with Avengers era Loki) so how about we Show That.

Tbh I wouldn't have minded for Loki's main villain (both in the series overall and wrt the lead character) to be a version of himself. (As long as it was portrayed in a thoughtful way, like don't just make him evil please, in fact he doesn't even have to be evil at all - he doesn't have to destroy or conquer other worlds, he could literally just be out there destroying all versions of Loki, which would force our protagonist to fight/confront this person hunting him down). Like I think there would be so many possibilities for all of the ways a protagonist could deal with a "villain" - or rather, an antagonist like that. Some far more darker than others, depending on how you want your story to go. Like it could end similarly to the Agent of Asgard comics (where I believe Loki ends up forgiving and embracing his "evil" self... tho I've not read the comics so please feel free to correct me if I've gotten something wrong). Or if I were writing this series, I would've just had Loki forced into a position where, after being worn down to reaching his emotional breaking point, and in a fit of sheer rage, he'd end up brutally murdering the antagonistic version of himself, in the ultimate form of self destruction, and then I'd have him reeling from the internal consequences of such an extreme form of violence done against himself - but that's just my ridiculously morbid psychological-horror-loving ass for you. I'd just want to completely unravel him ngl, before having him overcome the impossible by rebuilding himself once more (w/ a little help from his newfound friends)...

If the TVA had to be involved in some way, I'd want to approach them as an ominous totalitarian organization, and if Loki were to be tortured by said organization, it most certainly would NOT be portrayed as some throw-away-attempt-at-comedy-type-of-scene (AHEM). I'd go for a darker tone overall, and Loki's torture at the TVA would be portrayed with all of the horror demanded by those types of scenes dealing with that kind of subject matter.

Tbh I have so many ideas for a Loki-centric show, some that involve the TVA and some that don't, but there's just so many threads and I don't want to make this any more convoluted than it already is, so to put it simply: I'd want the focus to be on Loki first and foremost. If it's called Loki, then it should be about the main lead, similar to how Agatha All Along was about Agatha, and Wandavision was about Wanda. (Which means, if the TVA has to be involved, then they would be secondary to the series' main focus - which would be on Loki and his relationship with himself.) Secondly, I'd want to see his trauma not only brought up, but fully explored. Which includes his traumatic upbringing (Odin's A++ Parenting, Frigga's enabling, family dysfunction, Asgard's toxic social/cultural norms) as well as the horror he experienced in the Void and on Sanctuary, maybe even some events in the first Avengers film, but seen through Loki's eyes this time. And I'd just want Loki to be queer, so if he's bi then let him have previous (or current!) relationships (or flirtations) with men (or attraction towards men) as well as women, if he's gender fluid then Show. That. Whether he physically transforms into a woman at times, or through his inner monologue where he refers to himself with different pronouns even if his gender presentation hasn't changed, or even his ambivalence towards being trapped/labeled in a one-gender-ticked-box, but Show. It. That part of his identity deserves to be shown, especially in a series where Loki's the central character.

If you yourself could’ve directed/wrote the Loki series, what would you have done differently? What would you have wanted to see in a series about Loki? What would you have focused on? Would the series take place somewhere other than the TVA? Which characters would you include? What would be the end goal? What aspects of his character would be explored?

[hollandsfavbabe]

Peter's Precarious Polyjuice Potion - part 2

Part 1

pairing: peter parker x stark!reader

synopsis: in which you and peter are forced to take extreme lengths to protect your secret relationship with the help of your shape shifting powers

warnings: lying, extreme secrecy, a very flawed plan, made up asgardian traditions, end of a secret relationship

word count: 9.3k

a/n OMG IT'S FINALLY HERE! I'm so sorry for how long it took (life's a lot to handle sometimes), but isn't it so worth it?? Nearly 10K words, she's a big one. Stay tuned for a very special announcement tomorrow, possibly involving a new series about some very magical characters ⚡🦁! Without further ado, please enjoy this very lengthy part two! I hope you love it as much as I loved writing it.

With only a little more than 24 hours to prepare for the impromptu family dinner, you and Peter wasted little time (other than the 30 minutes spent celebrating your stroke of genius). You spent the entire night practicing shifting in between forms; MJ for you and Flash for Peter.

While transfiguring your figure to match MJ’s wasn’t much of a challenge, you found it exciting getting to practice on another human, something you had never tried with your powers before. At first you had to retain physical contact with Peter to hold his transformation as Flash, clutching onto his hand as you perfected every portion of his to match the yearbook portrait reference you had of the obnoxious boy. Eventually, you started getting the handle on holding his transformation without touching him and then progressed to being able to change him from opposing sides of his bedroom with the simple swish of your finger.

Once all the technical work was figured out, you focused on perfecting the individual aesthetics and mannerisms of your faux significant others. For Peter, you stole one of Bruce Banner’s compression button ups that resembled something one of Flash’s butlers would’ve dressed him as and transfigured a lightsaber slap bracelet into the same ritzy watch that you’d seen on Flash’s sickly wrists from days he had haraseed you on Campus. Unlike Peter, who was fortunate to still attend school in New York, Flash had followed you to MIT which allowed you to develop a form for Peter that was closer to the person he was now and help him slip into character.

One of Peter’s flannels sufficed for your own transformation into MJ, but neither of you had quite the right dark bottoms outside of Peter’s Night Monkey suit from your SHIELD hijacked senior trip. You tried to call her as she had remained one of your closest friends, but it always went to her voicemail no matter how many times you tried. You figured she was still in school as resorted to a midnight trip to the nearest Target, picking up a pair of black jeans that you thought suited her. Of course becoming MJ to date Peter publicly wasn’t ideal, but it was so much better than having to change into Flash.

By morning you both felt confident in your disguise and focused on narrowing down the specifics of your plan. Before long, it was time for your scheme to turn into a reality.

As previously decided, you and Peter left the Campus under the guise of two platonic friends going their separate ways to pick up two beloved dates. In reality, while your father and Pepper were hard at work in the kitchen. You transformed your cars to resemble the area of forest around them and returned to Peter’s room to get ready, evading the cameras with the same transformative tactic. Simple objects like cars were much easier for you to transform, meaning holding it wouldn’t be a challenge. People on the other hand, were much more complicated and a successful heist of this nature would require full activation of your powers. It would be exhausting, but you knew you could do it. You were determined to succeed, another blessing that accompanied your inherited stubbornness.

You and Peter lounged about in his room undetected by the others for around an hour, the amount of time it took to pick up ‘MJ’, before it was time to start the show. You both dressed and hobbled over to Peter’s window where he jumped before you. Upon receiving his shout of survival, you also shimmied out and jumped into Peter’s waiting arms below as he caught you with ease.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked, setting you down on the ground while keeping an arm locked around your waist. As your boyfriend, he knew what a transformation of this size meant in relation to your health and worried as the considerate person he was.

You enclosed his hands in your own and closed your eyes. With a deep breath, you allowed the familiar skin-tingling sensation to surround you as your form was replaced with MJ’s. You open your eyes to meet the dark sea of murky brown enclosed in Peter’s and shoot him an assured smile along with a nod of approval.

“Let’s do this.”

It was with his hand entwined with yours that you made your way to the entrance of the most hospitable area of the campus where you knew the kitchen resided. The normally undecorated door sported a festive green wreath with red bows and silver bells embedded on the small branches as you rapt upon the wood and stepped head first into the lion den.

“I’m back!” Peter called, and immediately you two were greeted by Steve at the door. He took Peter’s coat from him like the old-fashioned gentlemen he was and as he turned to get yours, you had to fight hard to suppress the urge to smile at him like usual. Your persona has changed, you remind yourself, and the girl you’ve taken on does not smile at strangers. Ever. Instead you acknowledged Steve as stone faced as possible in the same manner MJ would’ve if she had done it herself.

“Nice to meet you MJ,” Steve smiled as he extended his hand to you, gesturing towards the thick flannel you had on. “May I take your coat?”

You eyed him down and shook your head.

“No, I like the cold.” you mumbled and walked off to the main room where Peter and the rest of the Avengers were so anxiously awaiting you, your father setting the last dishes on the table as they came out of the steaming kitchen.

“MJ!” he bellowed through the mass of hungry heroes at the sight of you and you can't help but feel strange about being called something other than the several names he had given you over his many years raising you. “We’re so glad to have you. Peter’s told us so much about you!”

You looked at your father with the same expression you had seen MJ give strangers many times before and nodded as he came forward, careful not to match his smile. You had to be absolutely unreadable, especially around your father or else your plan was sure to fail.

“Thanks for the invite. I’m happy to be here.” you recited in your practiced monotone voice, closely resembling MJ’s, but not quite mimicking it. You could feel your heart start pounding as your father eyed you with suspicion, his eyes narrowing at you.

“Have we met before? I feel like I know your voice from somewhere.”

You gulped as silently as you could, fighting hard against your nerves as your palms began to sweat. You balled them up before the perspiration could drip and gave a simple shake of your head, trying to stay as close to MJ as possible.

“I don’t believe so.” you stared him down with a classic MJ look; eyes in a half-lidded gaze and lips upturned into a bored sort of state.

“Hmm.” your father paused to ponder, his eyes scanning down to your balled fists that gave off a contradicting message to the thoughtless aura you aimed for. It was by the grace of a higher power that Pepper finally swooped in to save you, laughing angelicaly at Tony’s antics.

“Give her some space Tony! She’ll never come back if she thinks she’ll be suffocated.” she grinned and latched onto one of the arms he held propped upon his hips to pull him away from you. Instead she pushed him in the direction of the nicely set table and gestured for the others to take a seat.

“We just finished setting everything up, except for the main courses, so you’re welcome to come take a seat, MJ.” she offered, plopping down to the left of your father once he was settled in the head chair. You took note of the others as Bucky, Sam, Steve, Thor, and Natasha took their respective seats, leaving four empty chairs reserved for the couples that were supposedly attending.

Peter was by your side in an instant as if he could read the thoughts of doubt racing through your head. He took your hand and squeezed ever so slightly to remind you that neither of you were alone and that he wasn’t going anywhere. You wished you could show him how grateful you were for him, but even the semblance of a smile would’ve given you away to the others. Yet even under your mask, Peter could read you. It was a talent he had adopted from years of being around you and no matter what you put off for others, somehow he always knew.

He led you to your seats and pulled out a chair for you before claiming his own seat in between you and Bucky. You began to dish yourself up small helpings of every dish that was indicated as vegetarian friendly, a gesture from Pepper after Peter had told her about the real MJs dietary restrictions. You were lucky most of her sides ended up being meat-free naturally as any extra miles ran for ‘MJ’s comfort would’ve been taken in vain. Afterall, you would have to eat for two people the whole night.

It was while you were buttering up a plump Hawaiian roll that you realized that all of the other Avengers were staring at you, an awkward silence enveloping the room.

“So, MJ, tell us about yourself.” Natasha prompted, growing tired of the tension. She wasn’t as suspecting of you as you father who was eerily silent as he poured gravy on his mashed potatoes.

You cleared your throat as you rehearsed your background, careful not to break from character for a single moment.

“You guys probably already know, I used to go to school with Peter. That’s how we met. We didn’t have many classes together, but we were on the decathlon team together, so I guess that’s cool.”

“So I’m sure you know my daughter as well, right?” your father brought you up from across the table. He would’ve startled you if you hadn't been in such control of your expressions. Instead you gave him a curt nod, turning your head to peer at him.

“Yep, I was friends with her before Peter actually.”

“Well that’s wonderful!” he grinned, though you were sure you could sense the slightest tone of insincerity. “You know, she's coming tonight, but she’ll be a bit late. She went to pick up her boyfriend. You should know Flash, right?”

You felt Peter’s thigh nudge yours from underneath the table as you hesitated to reply, a reminder of the story you were to recite as soon as someone brought up Flash. It was imperative, otherwise the pieces needed to assemble the perfect date night heist wouldn’t fall into place as you had planned them.

“Oh, I can’t be around Flash for too long. He’s a real creeper.” you deadpanned. The other Avengers froze in the middle of their meal, all setting down their utensils and staring at you with intrigue.

“Like in the mortal television program? What is its name … Mind Facts?” Thor asked through a mouthful of cranberry sauce that he evidently had not learned was supposed to be enjoyed with other foods.

“Are you talking about Minecraft? The video game?” Peter suggested, the only person present who was young enough to make sense of the god’s unintelligible examples.

“Yes! The Craft of Mining!” Thor exclaimed. “‘Tis a much enjoyable endeavor indeed.”

“No, I’m pretty sure she means that this Flash kid makes her uncomfortable.” Sam reasoned, stamping out the sidetracked babble at the source as everyone’s attention returned to you.

“What do you mean, MJ?” asked Pepper. Despite all your preparation, you were suddenly realizing how much you lacked an explanation for why you and Flash couldn’t be together other than the truth. Without completely reasoning through it, you conjured up the best lie and let it slip out of MJ’s lips as the immediate regret sunk it.

“I have a … restraining order.”

SIlence washed over the table as the Avengers looked at you in surprise. Even Peter seemed shocked, but he quickly morphed his expression into one of remorse as if he had already known about the tragedy you had just made up out of thin air.

“What happened?” asked Bucky curiously, before receiving a hard elbow from Sam for asking such an invasive question.

“I don’t want to get into it.” you replied, satisfied with the severity of your lie preventing any further questioning out of respect for your fantastical situation. “It's fine though. He can be here as long as I’m in another room.”

“That reminds me,” Peter stood, clearing his throat. “I haven't shown you my room yet. Wanna check it out?”

“Sure,” you shrugged and stood to take his arm as the two of you headed towards his room, leaving a table of conflicted Avengers in your wake. Your father parted his lips, nearly calling you back to the table long after you and Peter had snuck out of sight until the sudden blare of the doorbell rang out from the entrance.

“I got it, ” he assured Steve who was eager to open the door until he was encouraged to stay at the table. This time your father went to open it and was met with you smiling in your normal form, your hand hooked in the crevice of a strange boy’s elbow that he had never seen before, Flash. Well, more accurately, Flash/Peter. In the two minutes you and Peter had been gone, you both managed to change into different outfits and transform into different people.

“Hey dad!” you greeted, leaning forward to kiss his cheek as you did all you could to separate yourself from the quiet stone-faced girl you had been pretending to be only a moment ago.

“Hey junior,” your dad smiled, pulling you into a casual hug before stepping back to motion you inside. You hurried in with Flash/Peter right behind you though he stopped in front of your father and held out one of his transfigured hands to shake Tony’s, grinning at him in a weird not even Flash like way that you supposed would have to do. “You must be the famous Flash!” your dad smiled back, accepting the shake before pulling the disguised boy inside.

Flash/Peter’s watch glinted in the artificial light of the dining room, the cherry on top of a perfect disguise. You had used a slap bracelet to make it,  transforming the original green of the lightsaber blade it took the shape of into something that resembled a Rolex.

“Famous?” Flash/Peter quirked an eyebrow as he began removing his own puffy jacket. “I don’t know about famous. I’m a pretty mediocre guy if I do say so myself.”

You kneed your boyfriend in the leg, a not so subtle reminder that he was supposed to be a walking endorsement for the person he was presenting as Flash naturally was. He doubled over in pain and you ignored whatever strange looks your fellow Avengers sent your way.

“Ahh.” he groaned, keeping his whimper down so as to not give his real voice away.

“Isn’t he just the silliest?” you mustered another fake grin that was becoming easier to produce with each front you hoisted up to protect your plan. You pulled Flash/Peter back up so he could be straight on his feet once more and headed towards the table, sitting in the only two seats with empty plates. “He gets so funny when he’s nervous. I’ve been trying to remind him he can be himself.” you enunciated the last part for your boyfriend’s sake.

“Oh you’re so right sweetie,” Flash/Peter reached to hold onto your hand. “I just don’t want anyone to think I’m a conceded assho-”

“Turkey’s ready,” you heard Pepper announce as she brought the large bird out from the kitchen and set it on the table. You hadn’t even noticed her absence at the table throughout all the chaos of pretending to be two people. You were reminded of your alter-ego as she set down a smaller dish closer to where you had been eating before. “I also have a vegan substitute for MJ.”

“So, Flash,” your dad began, retaking his position as the head of the table as he began carving at the turkey. “MJ and Peter were here not long ago. I’m guessing you know about them?”

“Of course I do, Mr. Star- I mean Tony,” Flash/Peter corrected himself, careful not to slip up by calling your father a name that was all too easy to trace back to Peter. The correction however, was almost worst as you noticed your father’s brows indent into the glare of a skeptic. “I’m friends with Peter actually. He’s a great kid.”

“That’s funny. I could’ve sworn he was just saying the exact opposite about you.” Sam pointed out, crossing his arms as he set down his fork. He could tell something was off as the man rarely mentioned Peter without sneaking in a jab.

You burst out laughing as an attempt to ward off the growing tension. It was all too artificial.

“Isn’t he just the sweetest?! He always thinks the best of everyone!” you exclaimed, throwing an arm around your boyfriend and flashing the table a false smile.

“Then how do you explain the restraining order?” blurted Bucky, joining Sam in the skepticism.

Flash/Peter’s eyes widened as he failed to provide an answer, nearly abandoning his impression of Flash’s voice.

“It was uhh… a total misunderstanding? I’m sorry, is MJ here? Like right now?” he asked, as if the information was new to him.

“She just went upstairs with Peter,” your father answered, though some of the cheer in his tone had been lost. He suddenly turned to you, and while you weren’t currently in your disguise, his stare felt like a flashlight as if he could see right through you. “I told you we were all going to be eating together. Why didn’t you tell me that she and Flash don’t get along?”

You mentally cursed yourself at the idea. Perhaps if you had spun your lies differently, you and Peter could’ve pretended for two seperate dinners instead of trying to juggling both to hold it together for one.

“I forgot?” you shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t think the restraining order is that big of a deal anymore.”

“Great! That means we can all eat together,” your father cheered, the prospect of his plan coming together overpowering any suspicion he had of you. He stood from his spot at the head of the table and veered in the direction of Peter’s room. “I’ll go get them.”

“No!” you shouted, dread corrupting your face until you noticed the warning look from Flash/Peter to correct yourself. Any extreme objection would be a dead giveaway.

You cleared your throat with a laugh and stood, pushing away from the table. “I mean, no, that’s okay. I can go get them,” you offered. “Flash, do you want to come with me sweetie? I should probably show you where the bathroom is. He has indigestion”

“Oh yes, that would be lovely.” Flash/Peter agreed as he stood with you. He sent you a subtle wink, confirmation of a successful save.

“Okay,” your father agreed, settling more of your worries until his gaze slipped towards Flash/Peter’s wrist where you had forgotten about the transfigured watch. “Just remember to take off your slap bracelet.”

Your heart dropped as you looked down at Flash/Peter’s wrist to discover the enchantment had faded, a symptom of your anxiety. You had been so focused on keeping up the facade of his facial features, the watch detail had entirely slipped from your control revealing Peter’s extremely recognizable lightsaber slap bracelet.

Flash/Peter looked down at his wrist, his eyes widening as he came to the same realization and proceeded to hide his entire hand behind his back.

“I don't know what you mean.” he tried and it took every morsel of your remaining strength not to slap yourself in the face.

“That’s really funny, Flash, because I swear Peter has one just like it,” your father declared to the table, one of the detriments of having a dad that knew your boyfriend so well. “He’s obsessed with Leia’s green lightsaber.”

“No, the blue one is Leia. This one is Luke’s!”

Silence took over the atmosphere in the room accompanied by stares of shock as Flash/Peter’s correction landed. You knew he couldn’t help it, Peter hated when people got Star Wars general knowledge wrong, but boy was the timing inconvenient. 

“Uh, I mean, that’s what Peter would say. He loves that kind of stuff. Oh god, my stomach hurts so bad. We should go babe.” Peter tried to cover, gesturing for you to escape with him to what was presumably the restroom though you were starting to think maybe there were better odds of your survival if the two of you booked it for the nearest remote village instead.

“Sure thing,” you nodded as you escorted him from the room, trying your best to ignore the suspicion that you could feel rising. The operation was still salvageable as long as you and Peter were convincing enough.

“Y/n said that dinner was ready?” Peter said only a moment later, reemerging into the kitchen as himself with you by his side in your MJ disguise once more.

“Yep! You guys can go ahead and take your seats.” Pepper smiled, seemingly the only person unphased by your slap bracelet slip up. You and Peter both did as you were told, sliding into your seats and digging into the meal.

“This is delicious Mr. Stark.” you deadpanned, offering a compliment to your father in hopes that it would subside his skepticism.

“Actually, I made it.” Sam interrupted in between bites, wishing for credit where it was due. You nodded in his direction, trying not to emote.

“Oh, well thanks Sam. It’s good.”

“How did you know my name is Sam?”

You shrugged in a manner that seemed aligned with MJ’s performed disinterest though inside you feel like you could explode on the spot.

“You just seem like a Sam,” you covered. “Or an Anthony, I just went with the first choice.”

“It’s Falcon to you, hot shot.” Sam returned, taking another bite of his turkey. You weren’t unused to harsh comments from him in your usual form so you simply returned to your own plate.

“MJ,” your father beckoned for your attention to which you gave it to him. “I thought you were vegan.”

“Oh, yeah I am.” you nodded. Panic erupted through your core, but you tried to contain it on the surface.

“Then why aren’t you eating the special option I prepared for you?”

“Yeah and why are you in Flash’s seat, Peter?” Pepper joined the questioning. It was then you realized that Peter had chosen the seat to your left where he had previously been dining as Flash rather than his assigned seat on your right.

“My bad, I didn’t realize he was sitting here.” Peter awkwardly rose and moved to sit in the correct spot.

“Yes, and while I appreciate the effort, I can have meat on Wednesdays so it’s okay.” you fibbed. Your father had never strayed from the path of being a practicing carnivore and so you hoped his lack of vegan insight was enough to be unaware that there were no breaks.

“So, how long have you two been seeing each other?” questioned Natasha, changing the dangerous topic of conversation though you supposed her reasons for asking we drastically different from yours.

“Four months.” Peter answered.

“Two weeks.” you chimed at the exact same time of Peter’s own response earning a conflicting look from the other Avengers.

“Uh we mean four months and two weeks.” he covered. “But honestly it feels like we’ve known each other for way longer.”

“Probably because we have known each other longer.” you elbowed Peter under the table, a stabbing reminder of the backstory the two of you had spent an hour preparing earlier that day. Perhaps the time would’ve been better spent constructing an exact timeline.

“Oh right, because we’ve gone to school together since middle school.” he smiled, reminded of your carefully constructed story that pulled from when he had first met the real MJ so many years ago.

“So that means you know my daughter!” you dad exclaimed, though the majority of the genuine excitement he had showed during your first appearance of MJ had completely disappeared. “She just got here with Flash. I know you can’t be in the same room as him, but you really should say hi. I can show you to her room.”

“Oh no need!” you assured him, though with too much enthusiasm. You had to swallow it down as you stood, returning to the character that resembled MJ. “I can go find her myself, I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah and I really have to use the bathroom.” Peter stated, replacing his napkin from his lap into the chair likely so that he would know where to sit when he returned as Flash.

“I’m pretty sure Flash is in occupance of the lavatory.” Thor informed your boyfriend.

“Oh, well in that case, I’m going to use the one all the way across Campus.” he stated and at once the two of you were charging towards the exit. Overall, your confidence in your performance was starting to plummet, but you hoped it was convincing enough.

“What is up with these kids?” your father asked once you and Peter were far out of earshot. He consulted the table for any take similar to his own. There was something off about your and Peter’s dates and he intended to figure out exactly what it was.

“I bet it’s some kind of college disease that’s spreading around. You remember how crazy it can get.” Pepper shrugged, the least suspecting of the table apart from Steve who was always slowest to process anything out of the ordinary.

“I wasn’t that bad. At least I could hold a conversation for more than five minutes without running off.” 

“I wish Wanda would’ve come,” Bucky stated, reflecting on her mind reading capabilities. “I swear she only scheduled that date with Vision to miss this.”

It was not even a moment later that you and Peter returned flushed from the quick change into the alternative couple, Flash/Peter taking the napkin-less seat.

“Feeling better Flash?” your father asked though his tone made it sound more like teasing.

“Hmm - oh! Yeah, much! This all looks delicious by the way. My compliments to the chef.”

“Thank you-” Sam had started to say, until he was abruptly cut off by your father.

“That would be me,” Tony took credit, and while you were confused by the blatant lie, you were sure it had something to do with his ever growing suspicions.

“Ahh yes, well, thank you Tony.” Flash/Peter eyed your father. As in tune with your boyfriend as you were, you swore the assumed first name basis was on purpose now to defame the real Flash.

“Except for the mead. Only the finest can come from Asgard-” Thor started, before he was shot down as quickly as Sam had been by the very same man.

“Speaking of compliments, I just love your T-Shirt,” your father praised, abandoning his plate to stare at Flash/Peter with curious gaze. It was even more frightening than any of your previous slip ups as he hogged every question to point out every flaw in your plan.  “Does Peter know you’re borrowing his clothes?”

Flash/Peter looked down to the wrinkled shirt on his shapeshifted chest, the white text starkly contrasting the black cotton to spell out, “Right now I’m in a galaxy far far away…” You couldn’t believe he had forgotten to take it off. It was a dead giveaway as no one else in the campus, in the whole of New York even was as much of a Star Wars fanatic as your boyfriend as emphasized by his slap bracelet.

You stood up from your place beside Flash/Peter and pulled him away from the table with enough force that it might’ve ripped his arm off had he not had the strength of Spider-Man even when trapped in his school nemesis’ body.

“Oh that’s so funny. Flash must’ve borrowed it from the pile in my closet.” you rambled out an excuse.

“You have a stash of Peter’s weird nerdy T-shirts?” Natasha commented as she lifted her glass of wine to take an overly lengthy sip.

“They’re not weird! Just punny.” Flash/Peter defended in a voice that was all too reminiscent of his natural tone rather than the false falsetto that Flash spoke in. You elbowed him as the two of you ducked away to change.

“We’ll just go put it back now!” you shouted to the table before disappearing out of sight.

“Wasn’t Peter wearing that shirt tonight?” Steve wondered aloud.

“I don’t know,” Sam shrugged. “I couldn’t tell with that goofy flannel he had on over it. How many years has he lived here and no one’s taught him how to dress himself. I think that should be the next operation.”

“Yeah, we could call it Operation Put Peter’s Pull-Overs to Death.” Bucky agreed.

“Guys, let’s look at the bigger problem here,” Tony interrupted as he quite frankly didn’t mind how Peter dressed. “Don’t all four of these teens seem suspicious to you.”

“Well I suppose a little bit, but it could be winter festivities.” Thor shrugged, unbothered by the whole affair.

“What the hell is a winter festivity?”

“He means Christmas.” Natasha filled.

“He’s not from where Christmas is celebrated.” stated Tony before turning to the god for further elaboration.

“In Asgard, winter festivities are when the finest of young people come together to fill the chilled night air with the sweet scent of love-”

“And I’ve heard enough of that.” Bucky forced the story to a stop, nearly running out of his seat quicker than you and Peter had.

“We’re at dinner for the love of God!” Sam looked at Thor with the most incredulous of expressions.

“That’s exactly what I mean, it is for the love of gods.”

“Quiet! I can hear them coming back,” Tony shushed, hoping that what the two of you pulled next would be enough to expose whatever you were hiding. Now, be super analytical here. Watch for any slip ups.”

You and Peter returned to the table, sitting back down in the seats of MJ and Peter once more carving into your meal. Peter was able to swallow a few more bites, but your anxiety surrounding being caught had caused you to lose your appetite.

“Wow, this is so good.” Peter groaned.

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that.” Sam chided. He too was getting tired of the game at play as he started noticing the same signs your father pointed out.

“Right, well, I thought I should do it again.”

“I hear you’re studying literature, MJ,” your father sent you a question. “With a specialty in classical era Russian authors?”

You gulped down your food nervously as you nodded though you couldn’t recall ever telling your father about MJ’s academic choices. You completely missed the discrete screen he had opened on his lap under the table that he had used to look up all of your friend’s credentials. It was one of the perks of being Tony Stark, he could gain access to anyone’s personal information with the simple tap of a button.

“That’s right.” you agreed, determined not to break from your expressionless front.

“Did you know that Natasha used to live there?” your father inquired and at once you knew what he was getting at.

“No, I didn’t. What was it like?” you replied, hoping he wasn’t about to do what you thought he was. But you and your father were all too similar and if there was a move you suspected him of making, chances were he would do it.

“Well,” Natasha cleared her throat, setting down the silverware she had once used to sift through her mashed potatoes. “- other than becoming a child assassin and spending every day of my childhood being brutally beaten to a pulp everyday to withstand the worst conditions that a hit might include, it was awful.”

“Wow, I’m sorry.” Peter sympathized, caught off guard by the misfortune of the whole story.

“Yeah it’s tragic,” your father brushed off, turning back to focus on you like the lense of a telescope narrowing in on the target star. “Now, you should really practice some Russian, with Natasha.”

“Tony, stop it.” Pepper tried in an attempt to stop the ambush from going too far, but she knew him as well as you did. When Tony Stark had an idea, he was like a bull chasing the red of a woven cloth. If anyone got between him and his goal, they would be squashed from the sheer force of his will.

“What?” he asked, as if he was clueless to the exposing plan that was currently in motion.

“You have that look in your eye. You know that one you get when you think you’re onto something?” 

“I’ve also seen him get it over a new microscope. While it was still in the box.” Peter added. You caught your laugh just in time, putting all your efforts into staying in character.

“Enough, we promised to keep that between us,” your father flashed angry eyes towards Peter before looking at Natasha. “Come on, Nat. Just one line of Russian? Wouldn’t you like that MJ?”

“No I wouldn’t…” you shook your head, though being MJ requires you to be less vehement than normal.

“Oh, but it would help you!”

“Fine, if it makes you shut up.” Nat gave in, before turning to you in your MJ form. You could feel your heart sink in your chest as if the growing weight from the pressure was starting to sink it.

“он думает, что ты лжешь” she spoke, and it didn’t take an expert in the language to know that her accent and inflections beyond perfection. She made a nod towards your father, a subtle attempt to warn you that he knew your plan was failing while she took your side. Little did she know, underneath the cool palette of MJ’s stone expression, you were panicking worse than ever before in your life which you could’ve conveyed had you ever learned to speak Russian.

“So, what did she say, MJ?” your father prompted.

“She dove a soak.” you replied in the best accent you could muster (which ended up being closer to a classic Californian tone than Russian), earning a stern look from Natasha.”

“Did you just say what I think you did?” she glared and you stood up with Peter, heading back in the direction of his bedroom.

“No - I - my notes are upstairs! Let me just go get them really quick.” you motioned for Peter to follow you, deciding that now was a good time for the two of you to switch as you feared being literally snapped in half by the Black Widow.

“See, I told you something’s off!” Tony exclaimed as soon as the two of you had vanished, his tablet above the table as he examined the real MJ’s Seal of Biliteracy.

“I hope you’re right. Otherwise Peter’s girlfriend just totally called me a fucking bitch in Russian and I don’t often let people get away after insulting me like that.”

“Cool it, Widow. I promise you, she did not understand an ounce of that conversation. MJ’s Cornell profile doesn’t even mention Russian,” he pulled up his screen to further inspect, zooming in on the certificate. “She’s actually studying Japanese.”

“Tony.” Pepper groaned at the sight of her husband holding the invasive tech.

“What?!”

“You are undoubtedly the worst iPad kid I’ve ever come across. And we live with Morgan!”

“Aren’t you more concerned with the fact that he can just access people’s private information on a whim?” Steve interjected.

“No. We’re all used to that.” Bucky shrugged as he was quite indifferent on the matter. He didn’t even have a personal phone for Tony to stalk.

“Got some embarrassing searches, Captain?” Sam teased from beside him. But Tony was on it before Steve even had a chance to think about a response.

“None other than the fact that he looks up Bluey on a daily basis to watch clips of it on Youtube.” Tony switched to a new tab that contained a detailed review of Steve’s search history before switching back to MJ and looking up Flash’s profile on Harvard for further opportunities of exposure.

“Hey! That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Steve exclaimed as he crossed his arms against his chest. “I love the Heeler family.”

“But I pay for Disney+. Why do you have to watch it on YouTube?” Tony protested before tucking his tablet away again at the sight of Flash reentering the room, only it wasn’t your face that smiled at the group as you entered, but MJ’s.

“We’re back!” Flash/Peter exclaimed, holding your hand close to him as if you were actually his date. You clutched onto his bicep, missing the firm muscle of Peter’s normal arm as you squeezed Flash’s much more flaccid one. It was then you noticed the disturbed looks from the table of Avengers.

“What?” you asked, moving one of your hands to pat your cheeks. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No, but you are holding onto the wrong man.” Bucky pointed out to which you realized that you, MJ, were holding the person that you were supposed to have a restraining order against.

You let out a scream as you tore yourself from Flash/Peter and booked it back in the direction you had come from. Peter was only a few seconds behind you as he started calling your name in Flash’s whiny voice.

“I’m starting to see it now,” Thor acknowledged as the gaps in your plan started growing too wide to go unnoticed any longer. “These young mortals are not who they pretend to be.”

“I told you!” Tony exclaimed. “I think y/n’s powers are behind it. There is no way that she and Flash just happen to appear right when MJ and Peter leave.”

“Either that, or this is just one bad Disney Channel show plot.” Steve shook his head, earning a crude stare from your father.

“What? First I got scolded for not using Disney+ and now I’m getting scolded for using it? Make up your mind!”

You returned as MJ only a few seconds later with Peter at your side as you thought it too risky to change into your other disguises considering the possibility of admonishment.

“Sorry guys, y/n is taking care of the restraining order stuff.” Peter professed as the two of you stood behind your chairs, but opted not to sit down in case you needed to quickly change.

“Is she now?”

“Yep.” you agreed, pulling out your phone as a distraction, hoping the Avengers would just see you as a blatantly disrespectful teenager rather than a skilled liar. You hated the thought of besmirching MJ’s image, but it had to be done to keep your secret. After everything else that had fallen apart, it was all you could resort to.

“Alright, that’s it!” your father exclaimed. “The jig is up you guys, we know what this is.”

“What?” your heart started beating wildly in your chest as you looked up from your game of Subway Surfers.

“I know you’re not really MJ. And I also know that if I went upstairs right this second, that neither Flash nor my daughter would be there.” your father stated, standing and moving closer to you as he revealed your biggest fear since starting the whole operation.

“No, I am and they definitely are!” you countered, losing the quiet aggressiveness of MJ’s normal tone as you defended yourself.

“Then how do you explain your phone case, huh? It looks exactly like the one I got y/n for her birthday last year.”

You looked at your phone case that displayed a solid ivory background and was covered with silly nods to the Harry Potter saga, something your father knew you would love. You laid it case-down on the table so it could blend in as  any ordinary phone once more.

“So, what if I’m just borrowing her phone case?” you narrowed your eyes at him.

“Like Peter just borrowed Flash’s whole outfit?” he returned and instantly all eyes were on Peter who was not in his flannel ensemble, but his counterparts silly con style instead. He looked down at his clothes and cursed.

“Damn it, I knew I was forgetting something.”

“This has been really funny, said no one at this table, but it’s time to give it up.” your father ordered, but out of the many traits you had missed out inheriting from him, stubbornness wasn’t one of them. You glared a deathly stare at him, your nose scrunching as you painted on your meanest face.

“I am MJ!” you glowered, slightly raising your tone so that he would take you seriously.

At that very second, your phone screen lit up with the familiar likeness of MJ’s contact photo and the swipe to answer button as she decided on the exact moment that you were trying to be deceptive to call you. It was all over.

“Answer it.” your father ordered and you knew you had no choice. You picked up the phone and put it on speaker as per his instructions.

“Hey y/n!” the voice of MJ greeted you through the phone in her usual friendly monotone that she often used when speaking to you. While you had only known each other the last few years of high school and didn’t go to the same college, you two were fairly close.

“Hi,” you replied shakily. There was no going back now.

“Listen, I don't have much time, I gotta get back to one of my classes, but I wanted to know what your plans are for the rest of break so we could find a space to hang out.”

“Uh yeah, I’ll let you know. I’m not doing much, just in a lot of trouble.” you confessed taking in the absolute fury of your father. If looks could kill, you would be six feet under. Honestly, you couldn’t tell if he was more mad at you or proud of himself.

“Oh, ok. Well can you pass the message onto Peter? He would be invited too of course. I’ve already asked Ned.”

“Great. I’ll tell him.” you swallowed.

“I’ll talk to you later, I’ve really gotta go now.”

“Okay, Bye.”

Your heart sank as you set your phone down again and faced the reality of your choices. Your father knew and there was no fooling him anymore.

“Alright, give it up you two.” your father ordered.

“But, I’m not-” you tried, but of course it was no use.

“Now!”

You sighed as you let the facade fall, crestfallen upon your revealed appearance. At once Peter was at your side as your curly hair returned to its natural stage and color and your normal face emerged from MJ’s.

“Busted,” Tony crossed his arms and stared at the two of you. “I’m guessing Peter was Flash.”

“What the hell is going on?” Pepper questioned, the only one who had fallen for the high jinks.

“It’s a scheme! They aim to commit high trickery!” Thor accused, slamming his fists on the table.

“Relax Thor, let Tony finish speaking.” Steve requested, much less disturbed than the others despite the fact that he had also been victim to your foolery.

You couldn’t even meet your father's gaze, far too embarrassed by the failure at your attempt at concealing your relationship. You knew he was eyeing you down with his startling stare, you could tell by his shifting posture. You looked over to Peter who was equally ashamed looking, wishing that you could hold him close.

“What is this?” your father inquired, his brown stern eyes burning into you like a brand into hide.

“Requesting clarification, sir,” Peter uttered. You had learned from past experiences that he often slipped into using strange vernacular when in an awkward situation.

“Peter, I caught you in a game of hooky. That doesn’t mean you become a robot.”

“Right, sorry….sir,” Peter apologized, using the name he had been wanting to call Tony all along.

“I want to know exactly what's going on here… from you.”

Sensing general attention shifting in your direction, you lifted your head to see his finger pointed in your direction. You knew there was no denying his authority though you didn’t think there was much to explain.

“I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on.” Natasha interjected, but she was brought down by Pepper who wanted you to get your chance at explaining. There was very little you could get out.

“I’m sorry, dad.”

“Why don't you two have real dates?”

“We’re not really dating those people Mr. Stark,” Peter contributed, hoping to take some of the weight off his shoulders, though it didn’t help much.

“So when I asked you who Peter was dating, you made up an answer?”

“Yes.” you admitted, lowering your head in shame once more.

“I knew it! He is gay!” Bucky exclaimed.

“What?” gasped Peter as he sent the soldier a well earned look of absolute shock. You couldn’t help, but roll your eyes.

“I already told you, he’s not gay!” you repeated your earlier statement, hoping it was enough to finally put the rumors to rest.

“Then why are you pretending to be his girlfriend?” your father asked and you knew you couldn't hide it any longer.

“I’m not, dad. I’m not pretending to be his girlfriend.”

“But you are quite literally in clothing you would never wear to try and act like someone else.”

“Yeah, if you two didn’t actually have dates, you could’ve canceled.” Sam pointed out though you suspected he only spoke due to his longing to be literally anywhere else.

“Right, okay so I did do that, but MJ is not Peter’s girlfriend. She never was.” you explained and at once you could tell the truth had finally snapped in place.

Your father’s eyes widened as he started to catch on to what you were saying. You nodded at him, taking a step closer to Peter and intertwining his hand in yours. He made it all obvious from the mere look he was giving you, soft and compassionate, two of your favorite parts of him. You could only imagine how in awe your expression was in return.

“I am.” you confirmed, though you hadn’t needed to say anything at all.

There was silence as the rest of the Avengers took in the reveal for a while before Tony broke the silence again.

“How long has this been going on for?”

You gulped.

“Three years.”

Your father nodded, pondering over the information before erupting in applause with the other Avengers joining just behind him and passing high fives all around as Tony shouted “I was right!”

You didn’t understand. He had seemed so angry at you seconds ago and none of it made any sense considering his ancient rule. No dating superheros, he had been preaching it long before you and Peter ever met. Yet it didn’t change the scene before you, the celebration played out as if they were footballers who had just won the championships.

“What the hell?” you cried?

“What?” your father paused all congratulations to turn to you.

“You’re not mad?” you questioned.

“Maybe a little about you lying for so long, but I gotta say, I am more impressed than I am mad. Why would I be mad?”

You almost couldn’t believe it. How could he forget his oldest rule?

“Because I’m not allowed to date him?” you stated as if it were obvious. It should’ve been, but somehow he hadn’t remembered.

“Why would that be?”

You stared at your dad in disbelief as the cheering instantly disbanded. The confusion you felt bubbles into a strange form of frustration. While you weren’t quite angry, you were blown away by the forgetfulness of your father.

“You said I’m not allowed to date superheroes! EVER! That’s like your oldest rule!”

“That's sad,” whispered Sam to Bucky, though it was loud enough that everyone heard it. You turned to glare at him before a large gasp erupted from your father and at once you could tell he remembered. You could feel it now, the shower of disappointment that awaited you, but instead all you heard was laughter.

Your father was laughing! Chuckling at the prospect of such a rule even though it was his very own. You stared at him, mouth agape as you waited for an explanation.

“Oh! Junior,” he chuckled, calling you by the nickname you had held from a young age. “I made that rule when you were obsessed with Loki. It doesn’t count for someone as harmless as Peter!”

Tony laughed as he gestured to your boyfriend who stood frozen like a deer in headlights. You expected the whole room to burst in the same hilarity, but what actually followed was almost worse. Heat bloomed in your cheeks as each of the present Avengers looked at you in disgust.

“Hey, you'd think he was hot too if you were 12!” you defended, though you felt silly.

“I, in fact, did not think Loki was attractive when I was 12.” Thor claimed, holding his proud mane of blonde hair high.

“You don’t count.” you glared at him.

“He literally almost took over New York and killed your dad?” Pepper recounted the events of the battle.

“I thought I could fix him,” you shrugged. “Still do actually…”

“Right, well moving on, if I had known you still thought those were the rules, we could’ve done this ages ago.” your father explained as if the information was a casual concept.

“Done what exactly?” you asked, requiring more explanation.

“You do realize this whole plan was to expose you and Peter right?” Natasha added.

And for what felt like the thousandth time in two minutes, your brain exploded from the new information.

“WHAT?”

“Well I wasn’t even that sure of it, I started to suspect it after I tried grabbing the Sorcerer’s Stone and literally all the Harry Potter movies were gone and I only know of one other person that considers them Christmas movies in this household.” your father eyed you as he explained it.

“Damnit.”

You really should’ve known. You totally had forgotten how similar you and your father were in that aspect. In many aspects really.

“So this whole time, everything with Operation Pair Parker, it was all so that Peter and I would confess?”

“Exactly. Though I must say, you had me convinced for a bit with the whole other partners thing. For a while at least.”

“I wasn’t convinced.” Bucky shrugged, crossing his metal arm over his chest.

“Yes you were,” Sam countered, calling him out. “You almost cried about it when you realized they might never be together.”

It was too much all too soon, but after a while you realized the whole plan of misdirection was equal in effort from you and your father as well as stemmed from the same intentions. A respect for the other and deep long running stubbornness. It forced you to crack a grin.

“So Peter and I were allowed to date this whole time?” you restated.

“Of course. In fact, I was surprised that you guys never dated in high school. It all makes sense now. Either that or Peter was gay.”

“What is up with people thinking im gay?!” Peter tried, but no one was paying attention to him.

“Thanks dad.”

“I am going to punish you for lying to me for so long though. You absolutely should've said something earlier.”

“That’s fair.” you muttered, gritting your teeth.

“Oh no it's not,” Pepper interjected. “C’mon Tony, it's the holidays! Can't we punish them later?”

“Fine, but I am going to make you expand your movie marathon to include the rest of us. Steve still has to check Harry Potter off his list.” your father required, reference the written list Captain America had been checking items off of ever since he had emerged from the ice.

“Yeah, as long as there’s a dog involved.” he agreed. You pictured Sirius Black in his dog form and nodded assuredly, omitting any of the tragedy that accompanied the name. You only nodded.

“Deal.”

And so your family date was rescheduled to the following night where instead of deception and stress, the space normally used for casual conferencing was transformed into a festive welcoming space. Snowflake decorations covered every corner of the ceiling and the chairs were arranged to all face a giant flat screen with loungers added around for you and the other Avengers to choose from.

Soon, the lot of you had settled down for the first few movies to kick off your marathon, sharing themed snacks and butterbeer from a recipe you had found online after your father declined importing the real beverage from Florida.

It was a better scenario than anything you could’ve imagined after revealing your relationship with Peter. Instead of drama and betrayal, there was light and laughter and just like always, Peter was right by your side in front of the others without a hint of bashfulness. You had just gotten to the third movie after spending the evening rewatching and finishing the first two.

“Which character was your crush when you were little?” you whispered to Peter, shifting closer to him in the oversized bean bag you two were sharing during the quidditch scene.

Peter sighed as he pondered all his options before landing on his final answer.

“Definitely Ginny.” he confirmed

“Good answer Parker.” you agreed, believing the girl was very similar to yourself. Or at least I’m a few ways.

“What was yours?” he returned the questioned, though you wouldn’t volunteer the information as easily.

“Guess.”

“Oh no,” Peter groaned as one particular person popped into his mind. “Don’t tell me you were a Draco sympathizer.”

“Don’t hate on his fan club,” you chided, remembering how strong of a chokehold Dracotok held over many in its active days, regardless if you felt bad for the pathetic blonde or not. “But no. I liked the twins.”

Peter chuckled as your answer made more sense than anything he had in mind.

“Which one?”

You opened your mouth, ready to respond, but your father beat you to it, his words sudden and unexpected.

“Fred,” he answered, popping a nerd gummy cluster into his mouth. “She’s got the Wattpad history to prove it.”

You turned in your seat to gawk at him as he offered the information to the whole room.

“You did not just say that.” Pepper scolded from beside him.

“How the hell do you have access to my Wattpad history?!”

Your father pulled out his tablet from seemingly nowhere and opened a tab that described every website you had accessed ever since you were an impressionable young teen.

“I have access to everything you did when you were little. I probably should’ve taught you about your digital footprint better.”

“Well anyways, he’s right.” you turned back to Peter, deciding not to bother with your fathers antics.

“But I’m nothing like them,” he whispered, careful to keep his voice low to prevent further eavesdropping. “Maybe you should make me taller and turn my hair red sometime.”

“You, Peter Parker, are everything I need you to be just the way you are. And I would take you over any of my fictional hallpasses anyday.”

You leaned in to nuzzle his nose with your own, sparring the hall from any intense PDA before your father spoke up again.

“That’s true. She still reads a lot of Spider-Man fics.”

“DAD!”

[benevolentgodloki]

L O K I and G for the A-Z dirty asks uwu

Dirty A-Z headcanon game

L - Lighting (are the lights on? off? do they have some kind of mood lighting set up?) 

// Loki's a showy mofo. He very much likes mood lighting, though he's more likely to indulge in creating it with magic if he wants to impress someone and/or likes them a lot. Otherwise he's happy to make do with the light of the moment. He does lean toward preferring the dark, despite liking the attention of being seen, and adores the clandestine feeling of the darkness and its intimacy. It lends him a feeling of power, whether he's in control or not.

O - Outdoor sex (have they ever done it in public? would they? where?)

// Absolutely. Loki likes the thrill of being just a little out of sight but with a chance to be easily caught. Fields of long grass; up against trees at the edge of a forest; on the banks of a lake; on balconies; on outdoor tables of a tavern after dark; up on rooftops. That thrill aside, he has been on plenty of excursions with Thor and his friends where they would bring back companions to their camp. Now and then Loki would find someone or a few someones he hadn't managed to scare off and weren't favouring his brother. Especially if he snuck off and found them by himself.

K - Kissing (what parts of their body do they like having kissed? what parts of their partner do they enjoy kissing? do they like leaving marks / having marks left on them?)

// Pretty basic really but he loves being kissed at his neck, jaw, chest, forehead, and waist. He secretly very much likes the idea of being kissed at the small of his back, which would require trust or masking that he doesn't care. He likes to kiss a partner's neck, shoulders, lips, forehead, thighs, waist and hips. Forehead kisses in both instances are less for sexual instances and more for affection. Marks may be verse dependent but by default he doesn't care for giving or receiving them. He does like to playfully bite but isn't interested in inflicting the bruise that makes a mark. Any ownership he takes is preferred through subtler, invisible means. He does not like to feel owned himself and would resent marks at his throat. Fortunately, human partners are very unlikely to be able to make them on his skin. He would quietly enjoy bruises from rough sex/a battle beforehand, but they would ideally be incidental and not possessive in origin.

I - Impact play (talking about things like spanking, paddles, canes, floggers and the like.) 

//Ok, so he's practically the god of kink so I feel weird having my Loki not be super into certain things, but I guess it's more like he's pro kink even if he personally doesn't go for everything. I suppose impact play he'd be down with if his partner specifically wanted it doing to them and were clear about what they wanted. He would enjoy playful spanking but not when it's in the classification of impact play. Either he wants it light and silly or he wants a full on rough and tumble fight that turns into sex. Smacking a partner with a paddle or whip isn't really his bag, though in female form she might enjoy a messaround with a riding crop or flogger, inflicting not receiving. Ehh, I think again it's situation dependent. I could see him enjoying having a male partner tied face down while he spanked them XD it's just likely the sub requested it rather than something Loki would invite people to have done to them.

G - Group sex (would they have a threeway? four? an orgy? do they put on a show for spectators? or do they like to keep it just between them and their partner?)

// Asgardians aren't unknown for their partaking in group experiences, even if Loki was supposed to somewhat behave with his princely status. Obviously he didn't, and neither did Thor. He has attended a few orgies in his time. Loki likes attention, especially when he's drunk, so he will draw it upon himself, but it's only when he's exceptionally drunk that he'll do so fully naked. The rest of the time he likes to remain mostly clothed and participate in a more controlled fashion. He ranges from refined to completely wild. In no-strings relationships, he's very open to this. If he's attached, which is a rare thing, he has the potential to become insecure and needs assurance and love from all parties involved that he's not going to be discarded out of distrust.

[samasmith23]

Jane Foster: Bridging the Gap Between Godhood & Humanity

The Death of the Mighty Thor is hands down one of the most thematically rich and character-centric storylines I've read from not just Jason Aaron's Thor run, but from his body of comics work as a whole!

It actually took awhile for me to fully unpack all my thoughts about this arc after I initially finished reading it, but that's only because there's just so many layers of meaning & symbolism which makes it a truly worthy finale to Jane Foster's saga as the Mighty Thor!

I stated before that Jane Foster is basically the Anti-Gorr in a previous post linked here:

After I read "The Death of the Mighty Thor" in its entirety, I realized that there was far more meaning to that initial description than I previously thought. Jane is the anti-Gorr the God Butcher not just in how she defends the gods from annihilation, but also in that unlike Gorr who was repulsed by the fact that he was becoming the very thing he despised so much, Jane Foster makes a conscious effort to bridge the gap between mortals and gods.

Jane is similar to Gorr in that she too has witnessed first hand the gods' arrogance & failure to protect those they've been sworn to uphold, and has directly suffered as a result. But where Jane ultimately differs from Gorr is that simultaneously has witnessed and recognizes the god's ability to love and protect others. This why when Odinson becomes unworthy and Jane hears Mjolnir's call in his place, she answers that call. She wields the power of Thor to not only live-up to the standards that the gods who came to her were never able to achieve, but also to provide the gods who have simultaneously failed and loved her a chance for redemption. Jane wants the gods to finally live-up to the ideals that they claimed to represent, to finally become truly worthy of the mortals who worship them.

Consequently, Jane is willing to sacrifice her own life in order to save the Asgardians from complete annihilation at the hands of the Mangog, a monster who sees only the negative traits of the gods, believing that they're incapable of self-improvement or change. Jane dies for love, whereas the Magog dies for naught but hate.

But dying is not the end of Jane Foster's story, as Aaron effectively illustrates that while suffering and dying for the sake of others can be meaningful, it's even more meaningful and important to live for yourself and others. Continuously sacrificing one's own well-being for others is a godly ideal that is unhealthy for the human body, which is demonstrated by Jane's cancer worsening every time she lifts the Mjolnir and the the transformation into Thor purges all toxins, including the chemotherapy drugs (which are essentially radioactive poison), from her body.

While Jane does more than once debate on whether or not this means she should completely cast aside her mortal half and remain as the Goddess of Thunder forever, she inherently recognizes that doing so would mean sacrificing her very humanity. And that scares her since while mortal life is painful and filled with unavoidable hardships, life simultaneously contains simple and unfathomable joys and beauties that are priceless and worthy of preserving, cherishing, and experiencing.

This is a point that was repeatedly emphasized by other characters in earlier in narrative. For instance, while Odinson recognizes that for all the happiness Jane has for provided others as a goddess, he states that she still has plenty to give by living as a mortal as well. Additionally Jane's friend and former S.H.I.E.L.D agent Rosalind Solomon makes an incredibly valid counterargument to Jane's desire to control her own fate and refusal to die due to forces outside her control like cancer. Regardless of whether or not Jane desires to die in battle protecting what she loves versus dying from cancer, dead is still dead either way.

So when Jane quite literally sacrifices her life to give the gods who failed her a second chance, in a deliberate Christ parallel she is resurrected with the assistance of Odinson, Odin and the sentient Mother Storm which previously dwelled within Mjolnir. And upon her revival Jane fully commits to living for herself and those who love her by dedicating herself to combatting her cancer with chemotherapy, while entrusting Odinson and the Asgardians to protect the realms which she had protected in their place.

"There must always be a Thor."

There must always be a Thor because Thor in all their various incarnations represents the ideal version of what a worthy god should be: a being whom continuously strives to protect others, questions and improves upon themselves, and cherishes love and humanity. A humanity which extends to not just humans and the various other races inhabiting the Ten Realms, but also to the Asgardian gods themselves, who are idealized representations of humanity. Jane recognizes the humanizing symbiosis wherein God compliments humanity, and humanity compliments God.

And while Jane is a mortal who lives up to godly standards by sacrificing herself to continuously protect & save others her mortal perspective also serves to remind the gods of their own humanity, thereby successfully bridging the gap between humanity and the divine.

Jason Aaron's run on Thor functions as an insightful inverse of real-life theological teachings for humanity to live by the god's standards, by instead teaching the gods to live by humanity's standards. In essence, Jane Foster is the anthesis to Gorr the God Butcher in that she conversely recognizes the gods as being human instead of inhuman.

And The Death of the Mighty Thor arc effectively serves as the enthralling apex of both Jane Foster & Jason Aaron's thesis on godhood.

[spiderling-space]

I was thinking about it recently, since i searched for wiki's page about some mutants for the thot blog. It may be a bit heavy, but it's something i placed a lot of thought.

On a serious note, once mutant!Mc regains their memories from their own world, there will be lots of second thoughts whenever they should go back.

Regardless of their old life, if it was a normal one or a traumatic one (Like nightcrawler's past, where he was a circus freak), their old world always feared and hated mutants. The violence on the news, the bigoted politics, the slurs and common behaviour. Whetever Mutant!Mc pass as a normal human or not, the truth is there: That world is not for them.

But in Twisted Wonderland? Where different creatures coexist and even gather together? Where discrimination is VERY tame in comparasion to their universe (no need to worry about being killed for something you can't control)? Mutant!Mc never had felt so much more accepted like this before.

So why leave?

I think if Mutant!Mc talked to Malleus about that, it would make him think a lot. About himself, his world perspective and Mc's world.

Thoughts of going back would depend on the which mutant we are talking about. Xavier’s students all work to make the world a better place for both humans and mutants, show that they are also humans with a few steps ahead of the human evolution and that they can co-exist since it is also their world.

If MC is someone whose thoughts are similar to Magneto then they would want a place where mutants can exist and does not deal with humans. 

If MC is Mr. Sinister or Apocalypse’s follower then their view would be entirely different from the ones I mentioned above.

Mutant!MC and Malleus can bond over how they are seen by the others, the hatred, the fear and the bias. They would understand each other well. Maybe MC can help Malleus as they’ve been dealing with the same issue in Earth and have been semi successful at it. It would be a lot easier for Malleus to change people’s views on them than a mutant, imo. Yet, Mc not going back is unlikely to be solution.

In X-Men TAS, Magneto built a living place for mutants on an asteroid where mutants can be free and separate from humans. This sparked more hatred for the ones that stayed behind as they been told to go to there as they don’t belong Earth even though it belongs to all. In House of M, Wanda created a world where mutants aren’t hiding and they are in high positions meanwhile homo sapiens (regular humans) are looked down upon. Neither of them worked out for mutants as whole. The best outcome for the mutants is to follow Xavier’s path which is challenging and painful.

Let’s assume there is no one on Earth for MC so they choose to stay in Twisted Wonderland. While there are humans, mages, fae, beastfolk, merfolk and monsters, there are no mutants. MC has no trace of magic so when they live somewhere, get a house and job, they will be registered as human. No one will expect them to have special powers. If they don’t use their powers, all be fine but if they use their powers and people see it, they will start questioning them. “How can a muggle human do what mages do?” or “How can a muggle human do what only a few selected mages can do?” This would also isolate them or be the centre of attention and get unwanted attention of some people that want to research them. Which isn’t ideal situation even though it is better than Earth, maybe even slightly better than Earth.

Now let’s assume there are people on Earth for MC. They would want to bring them to Twisted Wonderland as well. Now the above situation would go for more people and it would increase the risk of being find out.

Lastly, let’s assume that MC feels so comfortable in Twisted wonderland that they want their fellow mutants to feel the same way. And they manage to bring back all mutants that want safety to Twisted Wonderland. It would be easier to first reach out to mutants that travel through space and time or open portals like Magik, Rachel Summers, Nightcrawler, Scarlet Witch, Blink etc. Then there would be a mass immigration to Twisted Wonderland. Even if you have resources to host them, you would have a new species in a new world. Some of them even more powerful than mages. And this would bring back to the point of people fearing what they don’t understand. They would deal with the same issue as the one in Earth. As an example, current MCU has aliens, gods, and Asgardians on Earth but mutants will face discrimination and hatred because of their powers and people not seeing eye to eye with super humans like Wanda.

I don’t want to say much because I wish to write twst fic which is “What if Wanda Maximoff is the MC?” but since the fic too much of a work, it will be in headcanons format like What if MC is Azula from Atla?, Rouge form X-Men

Not sorry that it’s long as I love What if scenarios and X-Men a lot

[chipper9906]

Maybe

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR LOKI SEASON 01 EPISODE 05: ‘JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY’ AND SEASON 01 EPISODE 04: ‘THE NEXUS EVENT’

Pairings: Loki/Sylvie

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 4,124 

Status: One Shot - Complete

Chapter Preview:

He had meant for it to come out more as a question, an offering. A possibility for the both of them. But what it really sounded like was a… well; a sincere, hope-filled attempt to keep hold of… this. Whatever this was, he knew he wanted it. However things went, he knew-

He wanted Sylvie in his life.

His heart was racing in his chest, pounding almost as hard as it does in the midst of battle. In the unlikely event he’s a free man after all of this over, he’ll have to go and find his brother - if he’ll even talk to him, that is - and apologize for the harsh insult he used; for berating his older brother over his affection for that Earth woman.

He understood now.

Link To Fic

OR

Click Below To Keep Reading

Author Note: 

Oh Boy, here I go again, getting sucked into yet another ship. Basically, this is a dive into Loki's thoughts during the blanket scene in Episode 5 "Journey Into Mystery" because man, I sure do love getting into a character's head and breaking down their thought process.

P.S. No joke, I think I re-watched the blanket scene like... over 40 times I counted, roughly. Wanted to make sure I got every detail right lmao.

Oh wow, would you look at that - yet ANOTHER fic based on the blanket scene? I'm sure this hasn't been done by many different people ever since Episode 5 aired! Nah, I'm sure this is purely original stuff.

(Listen, this scene and - consequently - this fic got stuck in my head and I just had to write it down and... well here we are.

* * *

This was, as he had said, new for him.

It was… strange, to say the least. Not just because the woman who was sat next to him was, technically, on some sort of level, himself. And yet… not. Sylvie was her own person, that was for sure. And the only Loki, from who he’s met, who refuses to be called Loki. She had chosen her own name, and was currently choosing – or carving, was more accurate – her own path. A way out of the never-ending, self-sabotaging, “only use is for improving others” apparent destiny they’ve all found themselves in.

She had lived an entirely different life from him - and the use of the word ‘different’ here is strongly applied. It makes him a little uneasy when he dwells on it for too long if he’s being honest with himself. Yes, there may some similarities between them, as to be expected, but Sylvie had lived her own set of experiences different to his. Differences that had shaped her, made her see the world… universe… timeline? All of that, in a different way to him. Learning of the things she had gone through, what she’s trying to accomplish… it made his “glorious purpose” of ruling over “Mid-guard” seem like a spoiled boy's desperate attempt to feel important.

Everything with Sylvie and the TVA had shut down that ideal very quickly. Or, at least, has changed his view of his “Glorious Purpose”. The one change that he hadn’t seen coming, that Sylvie herself had told him; the very first words she had actually said to him:

“This isn’t about you.”

No, it wasn’t about him. Not just him, anyway. It was… it was all of him. Every version of himself out there, and every other variant of... Of everyone to have ever existed. Those, just like him, who are punished for stepping out of their pre-written timeline. Those that, when they try to change themselves, to be the person who those that loved him did everything in their power to guide them to be, were snatched away by the TVA and sent here to this pit of unwanted, broken things; left with nothing but unforgiving and dirty survival, only to lead to their inevitable death. 

And it’s cold.

“Mobius isn’t so bad.”

Sylvie breaks the comfortable lull of silence they had found themselves in. They were, technically, supposed to be ironing out the details of this plan to enchant a creature much, much larger than them, whose only desire is to eat everything that enters the world they’re currently in. Which is why, perhaps, they had taken the moment to just… breathe. A moment of rest, side by side. Whilst it was true that his plan of killing the gargantuan cloud thing was near suicidal, it would be fair to say that Sylvie’s plan was equally as dangerous. Then again, what did he expect? Seemed that every type of Loki out there isn’t the best at creating plans…

“Or so good,” Loki counters. It seemed almost cruel to say, but… it was also true, wasn’t it? Sure, Mobius had done the things he’d done because he thought they were the right things to do – but that didn’t take away from the fact that he’d done them. How many variants, not only of him, but of so many other poor souls had been doomed to this place because of his work? Still, it wasn’t like Mobius had the full picture with everything. Mobius had been lied to just as much as he had. “I think that’s why we get along.”

A small smile pulls at Sylvie’s lips. She takes a deep breath in, staring out to the horizon where Alioth awaits prowling his territory. “He cares about you.”

That catches him off guard. He supposed that she and Mobius must have had some type of conversation in however long they’d spent driving to reach them. Apparently, the topic of conversation must have steered towards him at some point. And somehow, through that, Sylvie had deduced that Mobius… cared about him?

There’s a soft, knowing smile on Sylvie’s face as she catches sight of his reaction. It was probably the closest similarity they shared: friendships… didn’t quite seem to happen for them. 

But there’s something else there in Sylvie’s expression as she looks to him. Almost a twinge of… of sadness. It sends an aching sort of pain through his chest as he sees it, coming to a sudden realization in his head. He knew that, deep down, the reason for his own loneliness was all due to himself. He knows now that there were plenty in his life that loved him, that always treated him like family even when, genetically, he wasn’t. But he had been blinded by jealousy and hatred, hatred that they had kept the secret of his true nature quiet for so long. It was because of this; this stubbornness and this selfish, false ideal that he deserves more, that he had made himself alone. 

But Sylvie…? She had been well and truly alone. From such a young age, an age where his mother had barely begun teaching him the basics of magic, she had been snatched away from her life. Everything she ever knew and loved had been wiped away, the timeline dumped here just like everything else the TVA – or whoever the hell is actually in charge of the damn universe and its multiple timelines – decided was too much of a threat. Ever since then, from that very same day she had managed to escape their clutches, she had been running alone. All those years, fighting to survive, completely alone, existing in one apocalypse after the other. Even if she did try and interact with the people in those timelines, what would be the point? They were doomed to die, anyway… 

Her words echo in his head for a moment, her sad smile seemingly etched into his memory. A part of him, that strangely soft side he didn’t know existed that had been growing stronger and stronger these past few days, burst with the need to do something, to remove the pain she was feeling. For just a split second, he nearly gives into it. He nearly says the words that were forcing their way to the forefront of his brain. 

‘I care about you.’

But the words stay safely locked away in his head. Sylvie looks away from him, and the moment passes. He didn’t know if she had been expecting for him to say anything, and he certainly didn’t know what it is she might have thought he would say. His mind clambers for something, for anything to try and bring the moment back.

A strong gust of cool wind blows over them, sending chills across his pale skin - despite the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing. He knew that, if he really wanted to warm himself up, he could shift into his true form. Except, he didn’t see it as his true form. He has been an Asgardian as long as he can remember, and for all intents and purpose, this is who he’s meant to be. He is the son of Odin, son of Frigga, brother to Thor, an Asgardian, and he’s proud of that. 

And that’s when the idea pops into his head.

“It’s cold,” Loki states the obvious to Sylvie with a shiver of his upper body, glancing over to try and catch her reaction out of the corner of his eye. For a moment, he wonders if Sylvie has the same views on their true heritage as he does, considering that, in her timeline, she was told she was adopted much earlier than he was. 

She doesn’t mention anything about it, though. Instead, she simply agrees with his statement with a hum of “Mmm-Hmm,” but it’s exactly the kind of answer he’s looking for.

From the outside, it looks like an easy twirl of his fingers and a burst of lime-green light, but in reality, it’s years and years of practice, both by himself and… and with his mother. The weight of the blanket - though light - is comforting as it wraps around his shoulders; silky smooth to the touch and of a darker green than the light of his their magic. 

The burst of color gets Sylvie’s attention, looking over to Loki again to see the new blanket he had materialized out of seemingly thin air - which… he did. 

“I could conjure one for you, if you like?” Loki offers.

Sylvie smiles for just a split second, enough for Loki to believe that she might just say yes. But then her nose scrunches as she comes back to herself, and the belief is gone. “Tell you what, you could conjure me a new outfit,” Sylvie says off-handedly, pulling at the tight collar of her outfit. “You have no idea how uncomfortable something like this is.”

It’s a deflection. He knows that all too well, because… because it’s something he’d do. Not that he can blame her in the slightest. As he had said, just before he was pruned through the heart and sent here - this was entirely new for him. Sure, he had had his fair share of flings back home. Rare occasions when he would give in to temptations, let himself experience a slice of normality. But it was never real. He did not doubt that those that fell into his bed did not do so because they felt a connection, or saw a future. And neither did he. He was a prince, a God, and for most, saying you were able to seduce a prince was an achievement. And for him? Well, it was an easy means to an end, he supposed. 

But this? This felt real. It was strange, it was something he had never experience before, and quite frankly, it scared the ever-living God’s out of him. So sure, he knew how to flirt… somewhat. But with this, with Sylvie? Everything was different, and he had no clue whatsoever what he should do.

“So…” Sylvie breaks him out of his thoughts. “Mobius, and his theory about…”

Oh. Well, he certainly hadn’t been expecting for the conversation to go there. Really, he had thought she might try and pretend to have never heard what Mobius had said. 

“Right, right. About our Nexus event-,”

“Total rubbish, right?”

He’d be lying if he said that didn’t sting a little bit. “Absolutely,” ‘Liar’, a voice in his head hisses. “Of course, I mean-,”

“I don’t mean that it wasn’t a nice moment,” Sylvie hurries to say, and it lessens that sting just a little bit. 

“No, it was great! It was really nice.”

“It just… sounds like another TVA lie.”

Which... Yes, when he thinks about it, could you easily have been a lie. Not that he thinks that Mobius would lie to them about this, no, but that someone else within the TVA had fed Mobius the lie. For what reason, he's not entirely sure. To throw them off the scent perhaps? Keep them from figuring out what can really cause a Nexus Event so powerful that it could conceivably take the TVA down. 

Or, perhaps they just enjoyed lying. More than him even - and that's saying something. 

"A hundred percent. I mean totally, yeah."

And oh, what was this? Loki tries to meet her eye, expecting her to nod her head vehemently in agreement to his statement. But... She won't look at him. She gives a somewhat strained-looking smile, more like a grimace than anything, and if he looks hard enough - by which he means projects his own feelings onto Sylvie and hopes she feels the same - he could almost imagine there was a flicker of disappointment there, too. 

"I don't know how to do this," Sylvie says, an admission he didn't expect. She looks about as awkward as he feels, eyes fixated on her fingers as she plays with them. 

"I don't even know what we're doing," Loki returns, and dear oh dear did he genuinely mean that. One moment he thinks he should take that step, say something, anything. And then the very next moment it becomes the wrong time, the wrong thing to say, and he's back to square one. 

It was frustrating, to say the least.

"I don't have friends," Sylvie carries on, and it's another dagger through the heart. Yet another thing that was so similar, yet so, so different. He had been given so many opportunities for companionship, for friends, but he repeatedly threw them all away. But Sylvie? She wasn't even given the chance. She truly had-

"I don't have..." Sylvie trails off, a long gap where she struggles to find the right word to use. Her eyes had locked onto his, and he knew that nothing less than Alioth appearing right above their heads would get him to tear his eyes away.

"... Anyone." 

"Well, there are more important things, right?" Loki desperately grasps for something to wipe away the blank, dejected look that was etched onto her features. 

"Right? Yeah, like bringing down the TVA." 

For once, one of his plans was going well. "Saving the universe, even."

"Well, there's no need to be dramatic - but yeah, kind of!" 

Then there it was again - a particularly strong breeze pushing up to the little hill they were sat on. Sylvie gives a little shiver as it washes over them, a barely noticeable shuffle in an attempt to get warm, and Loki jumps at the opportunity. 

It only takes one small adjustment, a brief push of magic, and then the blanket is growing, wrapping itself around Sylvie's shoulders in a motion so smooth, you'd think he'd done something like this hundreds of times before. Loki smiles gently to her when she notices the change, and his smile only grows more as Sylvie pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders, shuffling closer to him by just the smallest of movements. Yet another plan he could now say was a success. 

"It's not very snuggly."

Or, maybe not. "Okay," Loki manages to get out through a surprised laugh, but he does get some sort of gratification in seeing her smile at his response. 

"Is it a tablecloth?" 

"No, it's a blanket," Loki finds himself strangely defending his materialized choice of cloth. 

There’s a pause, the quickest of glances up to him. He sees a brief flash of pink as she pokes out the tip of her tongue between her lips, wetting them as she struggles to get out her next words. “Thank you.”

Loki gets a strange feeling she doesn’t get to say that all too often. Whether that be because she chooses not to, or because she’s never had the opportunity to. When was the last time someone did something nice for her…?

“My pleasure.”

Sure, this was all new, and all types of scary. But, as he sat here, shoulder to shoulder with Sylvie, looking out to the dreary yet oddly beautiful landscape scattered with remnants from pruned timelines, he can't help but feel that this moment right here? It was… nice. Despite the TVA, despite Alioth, despite the fear of imminent death he’s had to live through nearly every moment since the Tesseract flung him into that desert in Mongolia, he had managed to find himself some semblance of peace. 

And it was because of the person next to him.

“How do I know that, in the final moments, you won't betray me?”

Now, this was a conversation he had been expecting. How can he not? It seemed that nearly every single person he’s ever come across, who he hasn’t immediately tried to murder, wonders the exact same thing. The ‘inevitable’ betrayal every Loki seems incapable not to carry out. 

And he couldn’t blame them, just as he can’t blame Sylvie for wondering the same thing. Really, he had thought the whole reason she had wanted this moment to talk to him was to have this very conversation. It was… it was something he had thought about himself, ever since being dragged in by the TVA. It was Mobius that had shown him his consistent deceitful nature - quite literally, by showing him film of every moment in his life where his flair for dramatics and affiliation for backstabbing was apparently used for ‘the bettering of others’. 

It had become deeply ingrained into his nature. It became what he was known for, what his family knew him for. He supposed it gave him some sense of… satisfaction, perhaps? A false sense of security, that he always has the upper hand when need be. It was almost like a trial, opportunities to prove to himself that, when the time comes, he can do what it takes to claim what he, false-fully, felt he was owed. He was certain that the only path to being a rightful ruler was one filled with betrayal. 

And now, after only a few days with Mobius - and an even shorter amount of days with Sylvie, his previous ambition he’s been working towards for so long suddenly wasn’t as important. Things had changed. 

He had changed. 

And that was part of the reason the TVA wanted him dead. 

“Listen, Sylvie, I…” Loki starts, but then stops. He sighs deeply, wanting to find the best way to get this across to her. He needed her to understand. “I betrayed everyone who ever loved me. I betrayed my father, my brother… my home.”

He at least had her full attention now. No more awkward glances at one another, unable to maintain more than a few seconds of eye contact. This was important, and they both knew it. “I know what I did. And I know why I did it. And that’s not who I am anymore. Okay?”

There’s nothing on her face that he can read, nothing that says whether she believes him or not. She had been expecting him to say this, he supposed. “I won't let you down,” Loki says, and he says it like a promise - one he fully intends to keep. 

“You sure?” Sylvie asks, and he nods his head straight away in response. “ ‘Cause if we make it, and the TVA is gone, there might be a timeline for you to rule.” Sylvie continues with a challenging - yet slightly teasing- narrowing of her eyes. 

“Ah,” Loki says wistfully, looking out to the horizon as if dreaming of such an event. “And then I’d finally be happy.”

Except, he wouldn’t. He only has to look at his older self to know that. The only one of himself that had beaten the one event that’s supposed to define their lives. He had tricked the mad titan himself, found himself a little corner of the universe to live out his life in peace. No more people he has to challenge, no more opportunities for betrayal - by him, or to him. 

And he looked… miserable. 

Now, though? Right here and now, he wasn’t miserable. He certainly wasn’t relaxed, that was for sure, but far from miserable. He had ended his little exclamation with a rare smile that wasn’t a smirk - or forced- and miraculously, Sylvie returned one just as wide as his; wide enough even for him to see the little laughter lines crinkling at the corner of her eyes.

“What about you?” Loki asks. “What will you do when this is all over?”

Sylvie takes a moment to think, tucking an unruly strand of hair away from her face. “I don’t know.”

He couldn’t even begin to try and put himself in her shoes. Sylvie had spent… hundreds, perhaps even a thousand years of her life just running. Surviving. Doing whatever it takes to make sure she wasn’t wiped off the board by some mystery figure, or group, that had deemed her too dangerous to the timeline. And for what? Some kind of sick desire to have control over every single living thing in every type of Universe to ever exist?

Which… which sounded an awful lot like himself, now he thought about it. Maybe whoever was in charge of the TVA was another variant of himself…

“I don’t know either,” Loki said, and that added to the tally of growing truths he was admitting to people - perhaps the most in his life. 

At some point, this all had to be over. Whether… whether it ends in his death once again, another defeat by a power-hungry being, or with their victory. No more TVA. No more pruning of variants. No more control. Sure, Sylvie had made that joke about him ruling a separate timeline, but… what would he do once this was all over, assuming her survives it? What did he want to do?

What does he want? 

‘Look at your eyes! You like her!’

‘What?’

‘You like her! Does she like you?’

‘Was she pruned-’

‘No wonder you have no clue what caused the Nexus Event on Lamentis; both of you are swooning over each other!’

‘Tell me the truth-’

‘It’s the apocalypse! Two Variants of the same being, especially you, forming this sick, twisted romantic relationship - that’s pure chaos! That could break reality, it’s breaking my reality right now! What an incredible, seismic narcissist - you fell for yourself!’

‘Her name was Sylvie’.

Mobius had truly tricked him there. At least now he knew how cruel it was to be on the other side of such a bluff, he supposed. He had always prided himself on his acting abilities, his innate way of lying to others. Yet, apparently, when it came to Sylvie… he puts his full emotions on display. He had become too overcome with emotions at the mere thought of Mobius telling the truth, that Sylvie was well and truly gone, and he had snapped. He was…

Yes… That was the word. 

He was heartbroken. 

‘You conniving, craven, pathetic worm. I hope you know you deserve to be alone and you always will be.’

‘Do you really think you deserve to be alone?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Well then you better figure it out quick, because the Nexus Event the two of you caused, whatever that connection is, can bring this whole place down.’

Maybe, just maybe… Mobius was onto something there. Maybe Sif, even in that small, once insignificant memory buried in his mind, was wrong. 

Maybe he didn’t deserve to be alone.

Maybe he didn’t have to be. 

“Maybe…” The words get caught in his throat, spoken softer than he intended to. He involuntary finds himself leaning closer to Sylvie, to the warmth radiating from her, trapped within the blanket wrapped around them. “Maybe we could figure it out... together.”

He had meant for it to come out more as a question, an offering. A possibility for the both of them. But what it really sounded like was a… well; a sincere, hope-filled attempt to keep hold of… this. Whatever this was, he knew he wanted it. However things went, he knew-

He wanted Sylvie in his life. 

His heart was racing in his chest, pounding almost as hard as it does in the midst of battle. In the unlikely event he’s a free man after all of this over, he’ll have to go and find his brother - if he’ll even talk to him, that is - and apologize for the harsh insult he used; for berating his older brother over his affection for that Earth woman. 

He understood now. 

He almost misses the slightest of reactions as Sylvie looks up to him - and what he knows is an earnest, vulnerable glaze in his eyes. It’s the smallest of things, almost impossible to see, but there’s a slight pull to the corner of her lips as she looks to him. Almost as if she was fighting back a smile at his proposition. 

“Maybe,” She whispers back to him, just as quiet and tender as his own words. It’s not a yes, not in the way his frantically racing heart was hoping to hear, but it was a start. It was Sylvie’s own returning of a proposition, her own olive branch. The possibility he had given that she was extending right back to him. 

Maybe. 

Maybe.

Maybe.

Yes… Maybe they’d survive this. Maybe he and Sylvie would bring down the tyrant who oversees ‘the sacred timeline’. Maybe he’ll find Mobius again, alive and well, having turned the entirety of the TVA’s workforce against the organization they devoted their lives to, and burn it to the ground. 

Maybe Sylvie will let him stay by her side. 

Maybe, he’ll carve that new path in his life - with Sylvie’s intertwined with his.

Maybe he’ll find that new Glorious Purpose.

Maybe he won’t be alone. 

Maybe he’ll be happy. 

Maybe…

You know what? He was starting to like that word. 

[the-witty-pen-name]

It Happened on Sakaar Pt. 1

Mando x F!Reader; Loki x F!Reader

Rating: M; 18+ Only

Warnings: swearing, mentions of drugs, alcohol, and exotic dancers, grieving, angst, slow burn 

Word Count: 3.1k

Summary: The bounty hunter’s most recent puck sends him across the Galaxy to an unfamiliar and artificial planet named Sakaar- literally the galaxy’s trash can. Sakaar is a bizarre planet, but so is his most recent bounty. Din is chasing a man he only knows as The God of Mischief. The reader lives on Sakaar as a scrapper, a similar trade to that of a bounty hunter and has a tangled history with the man Mando is looking for. Will the unlikely duo team up to capture the mischievous Asgardian or will the reader fall victim to Loki’s promises?

A/N: I had planned on writing this in a few days but as per usual I put off coursework to write this fic! So here it is a couple of days early. I am also working on the next chapter of Deadbeat as well as Rest so look out for both of those within the next couple of days! I also am working on an adorable Obi-Wan x Reader request I received a few days ago that will be coming soon as well!

This is unedited and if I missed anything that I should include as a warning please let me know! Thank you y’all! 

Tags and Requests are OPEN

He promised. 

And you were foolish enough to believe him. 

You were foolish to think you were different. 

You were foolish to think you really got to know the real him. 

You were foolish to think that everything he told you was real. 

You were foolish to think that when he told you he loved you he meant it. 

You were foolish to think he’d come back. 

You, a warrior, a fighter, defender of the throne of Asgard, lied helpless on the ground, broken in pieces as you’re told by Odin that Loki was gone. 

And he was dead. 

You mourned him. 

The ache never going away, day after day, that stupid statue just another thing to remind you that he was gone. 

He wasn’t coming back. 

Until he did. 

And you realized how much of a fool you were. 

And you realized everything you thought you knew was a lie. 

So you left. 

 You left with the promise you made to yourself that you would never return to Asgard. 

In your rage, you were blinded when you demanded Skurge open the bifrost and send you to the furthest planet from your homeland. 

 The thought crosses your mind that if it had been Heimdall, he wouldn’t have let you go, talked you into reason and asked you to stay. 

If it had been Heimdall, Thor would’ve caught up to you in time instead of just missing you when you left. 

You didn’t know where you were going and you didn’t care. Your only thought was to put as much distance from yourself and Asgard as possible. You landed in a gross pile of debris when you first arrived, and from there worked your way up to one of the favorites of the Grandmaster- you were dubbed Scrapper 451 and second in most captures to Scrapper 142. Time works odd in space, you’d been there for three years- completely developed a new life under your new alias. 

You’d bring in life form after life form to the Grandmaster, always pleasing him by bringing him potential fighters. 

You worked alone, you preferred it. The only friend you had was Scrapper 142 and that was hardly a friendship- more just a rivalry you both had your fun with. There was a mutual respect, and a feeling about her you couldn’t explain, but that was it. 

When you met Mando, you almost killed him. You had heard a tip from a local shop owner a ship had landed rather roughly, and you made haste to be the first one to investigate, determined to beat 142 if there was a capture worth making. 

Carefully navigating your way through the wasteland, you had finally found the ship in question. It was a model you had never seen before. You stay crouched behind a pile of trash, your stun gun aimed at the ship waiting for it to open. 

You stopped and lowered your weapon when you saw the armored passenger had a very small creature by his side. A baby. 

You hadn’t seen a baby on this planet since you’d landed. Sure, people have children, but you had never seen anyone bring their child to Sakaar. All the children whom you’ve met, had been born there- no one with a child willingly travels to this part of the Galaxy. 

A metal man and a green baby. You scoffed. What an interesting duo. 

You took in the appearance of the armored man. Sakaar had a very basic premise that determined your survival. Are you a fighter or are you food? This one was very clearly a fighter. Not necessarily one that you think could be a gladiator- not the right type. But you could tell by the way he walked out of the ship, he was a force to be reckoned with. The baby was really throwing you off of your game. You could have this man halfway back to the Grandmaster by now if he wasn’t traveling with a kid. Sakaar has not yet made you completely heartless, as much as you tried to be. You decide to compromise your position, in a hope of being able to just talk. Learn why he’s here. 

No one comes to Sakaar. It’s never on purpose. Lost souls are dumped here. Yet, this man seemed like he was the only creature to intentionally travel to Sakaar like he was just passing through. If you couldn’t bring him in, maybe you could at least salvage parts from the ship. 

“What’s your business here?” You ask, from behind the pile where you hid. You could see him but he could not see you. You watch as his first move is to close the floating pram, protecting his child first as he desperately looked around for the source of the voice.

“I’m passing through,” he replies, looking around at his surroundings. 

“Nobody just passes through,” you reply. “No one comes here on their own accord. No one leaves once they arrive. What is your business?”

“I’m looking for someone,” he says nondescriptly, further irritating you. You stand up, slowly, your gun still pointed at the man as you walk closer. 

“Who?”

“Bounty”

“You’re a bounty hunter?”

“No, I came here for vacation.”

“Don’t be a smart ass.”

“Don’t ask stupid questions.”

“Who are you here for?” 

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” 

“I don’t know.”

“What kind of bounty hunter are you?”

“One of the best.”

“Oh really?”

“Don’t test me, Princess.”

“If I’m a princess what are you?” 

“Knight in shining armor?” 

“Are you really hitting on me right now?”

“Only if you’d want me to be.”

“Gods.” 

You can’t see his face from under his helmet but you could feel the smirk he was making. He clearly didn’t view you as a threat and it really annoyed you. Maybe you came off too friendly? No, you’re still pointing a gun to his head. 

“Who are you?” He asked. 

“Scrapper 451,” you said blankly. “Who are you?”

“You can call me Mando.” 

“Mando?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of a name is that?” 

“What kind of a name is Scrapper 451?”

“It’s a title.”

“Not going to tell me your real name?”

“Are you gonna tell me yours?” 

“How-?”

“I’m not stupid.”

“What’s a scrapper do anyways?”

“Bring mouthy tin men in in exchange for a generous amount.”

“You’re a bounty hunter?”

“You could say that?”

“Are you going to turn me in?” 

“That was my plan.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“The baby.” 

“Slave catcher with a heart of gold?”

“I’ll get that on my tombstone.”

“Sooner rather than later I hope.”

“Ouch. Mando, I thought we were friends.”

“You know I didn’t mean it, Princess.”

“Who are you here for?” 

“Someone who calls themselves the God of Mischief.”

You freeze, and you lower your weapon. You’re stunned. You hadn’t heard that title in years, and although you never forgot about it, you were great at pushing it back so far away where you couldn’t access it. The man is able to read your body language and can tell you know the man he’s looking for. 

“He’s not here,” you finally manage to say, your knuckles turning white at how tightly you grip your blaster. 

“He is here,” he says slowly, pulling out a bounty puck. Clear as day, Loki’s face shows up on the holographic screen. Your stomach churns. 

“He’s not here,” you insist. “If he was, I wouldn’t be here. Trust me.”

“So, you know him?” 

“Not at all.”

“Really?” 

“Really,” you take a few steps backwards to walk away. “I wouldn’t stay on this planet long if I were you. Sakaar has a way of just pulling you in.”

“I think I can manage.”

“Get lodging,” you advise with a smile, “the next person who finds you out here won’t be as nice as me.” 

With that you left, leaving the Mandolorian dumb struck. What was this planet? 

Mando knew well enough to take your advice. With the Crest secured, he and the Child made a journey into the city. 

Your words lingered in his mind. He knew you had information about the bounty you were withholding. He needed to run into you again. He reasoned with himself it was for the sake of catching the bounty, but part of him also wanted to see you again. He just wouldn’t admit it. 

He found a place where he could get a room. An elaborate casino, with ornate decorations and loud music playing constantly. A large bar and lounge also attached. He received his room key and ignored the festivities that occurred in the bustling establishment- his first order of business to make sure the Child was settled and would be safe in the room. He regrets his decision to not ask Peli to watch him, but he knew he’d be distracted being so far away. 

He figured he was far enough across the galaxy; he wouldn’t need to worry about those after his own bounty or the child’s. But he realizes that he forgot about needing a sitter. If he absolutely needed to, he could bring the child with him, but that was not ideal. Especially, since gauging your reaction at the mention of his new bounty, this didn’t seem like it would be any easy task. He sat down on the bed in the middle of the room, and pulled out the puck- reading over what little information he had.

He needed to find you again and desperately needed any information you’d be willing to share.

You were worried. There was no way Loki was here. You knew he wouldn’t have come for you, even if you thought about it when you first arrived. You thought if anyone would come after you, it would’ve been Thor, convincing you to return to Asgard and cleaning up another one of his brother’s messes. It hurt when no one from home reached out once in the last three years. However, you decided you were better off because if Thor had convinced you to return home, you’d have to face Loki again, and you were adamant on keeping your word you would not see him again.

 ***

His funeral was devastating. Although many on Asgard did not care much for Loki or his antics, the throne had lost a prince. It was a dark day. Weather on Asgard usually always seemed to be perfect, but on the day of Loki’s services, the God of Thunder was so distraught, he was unintentionally causing a gray and gloomy sky. Thor and you were affected the most.

You stood next to Thor as Odin spoke, but your gaze stayed fixated on the ground. It felt so unfair and you felt an indescribable amount of pain and loss. Your face was stained with tears, as was Thor’s, and you felt like you had just cried until you were physically unable to do so. He was gone and you couldn’t get him back.

Odin watched you solemnly throughout the services. He had told you that he knew how much his son loved you and how despite his absence, you are still considered family. He insisted you had an open invitation to be at the castle whenever you wanted. You could only nod and offer a very, very meek thank you.

You took advantage of that offer, and honestly, you knew you were overstaying your welcome under the palace walls. You found yourself coming, and spending the days in his room, trying to just feel him in anyway you could. You’d run your hands across the broken spines of his books, look at the kingdom from the view of his window, laying on the bed over the elaborate bedding to just try to feel him. You didn’t even know what you were hoping to feel, but you somehow thought this would help you be closer to him.

At events on Asgard, you continued to wear green, almost like your own twist instead of just the traditional black of mourning. It felt right to wear green in his memory, but it was nothing more than just another attempt to pretend like he was there.

You could imagine how he would react to seeing you wearing his signature color. When he was there, he looked at you like you were the only living soul in the room that mattered. He’d shower you were touches of affection and whisper nothing but praises to you, making you think he had actually loved you. This was back before you knew how foolish you had been, blinded by your own puppy love and your affections towards him.

 ***

You now sat in the lavish home of the Grandmaster. He always had hundreds of people in his home, a constant party, a group made up of Sakaar’s elite being entertained by drinking, drugs, or entertainment of sorts from his um… staff. Drink in hand, you sat cross legged on an elaborate circular couch lost in thought while a dancer performed on a table in front of the group you sat amongst. You didn’t even look up- you hated this part of earning the Grandmaster’s favor. You hated these parties with your whole being. They were hedonistic and you would avoid them if you had the choice. However, you knew the Grandmaster would take offense if you were not in attendance.

Music was loud, and there were many flashing lights. You couldn’t rely on any of your senses to navigate in a place like this, but that was intentional. The Grandmaster set this up on purpose. His parties were meant to be a completely immersive experience. It was probably great for those who wanted to be there, but for you, you wanted to escape and slip out as early as you could.

You weren’t interested in the company and you weren’t interested in the weird substances you didn’t recognize being passed around. You didn’t want to relax, and honestly, these attempts to relax always seemed to make you feel worse. Being sober at these events was invitation for horrible eye strain and a hefty headache.

“451! 451!” you heard a familiar voice call over the loud music in a sing song voice. It was the Grandmaster. He would be the only person at this party who would actually be looking for you.

“Grandmaster,” you smile, getting up and walking over to him. You kiss both his cheeks quickly as a greeting. “You look radiant,” you smile, the compliment going right to his head as they usually did.

“451! Look at you, let me see the ensemble,” he would say, talking a step back, and you would twirl once. It was a long golden dress that draped your body, with a plunging neckline. It was paired with golden arm bands and an elaborate gold necklace. You also had gold flakes throughout your hair. “Stunning,” he praised, “I wish 142 would be more involved like you 451- she’s the best, but ugh, she doesn’t know when to relax. Anyways, I called you over to meet a new friend of mine.”

“Are you replacing me, Grandmaster?” You say with a tone of mocked offense and it makes him laugh.

“451, there is no replacing you- you are the three B’s,” he chuckled, lightly guiding you over to another area of the party. “beauty, brawn and brains, a very rare combination indeed.”

“You flatter me, Grandmaster,” you laugh. If you went along with him to keep him happy, the Grandmaster was actually a pleasant creature to interact with. You had the ability to match his banter and he liked that about you.

“Anyways, anyways 451,” he says, as he remembers his train of thought, “I want to introduce you to someone. He’s devilishly handsome and talks like some stuffy aristocrat, he arrived here a couple of weeks ago and I was finally able to convince him to join us.”

“Did he say where he was from?” you ask curiously.

“Get this,” he chuckles, “Ass-guard. What a hoot, am I right? Anyways, there he is. We got to get whatever stick is out of his butt. I’m hoping you’ll help me to uh, loosen him up. Loki! I want you to meet one of my best, 451.”

Based on the look of surprise, you knew he didn’t expect you to be here. He looked like a deer in the headlights and it angered you that he was here. You felt your teeth clench, and you wanted to just get out of here as fast as possible.

“451 is one of the best scrappers I have,” the Grandmaster talks, “Of course, nothing compares to my Champion but she is ruthless. She’s second in the most gladiators she has been able to bring me.”

“Impressive,” Loki smiles, and you feel the urge to just scream. “I’m Loki, prince of Asgard.”

What an asshole.

“It’s an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty,” you say between your teeth. You could kill him.

“I’m gonna mingle,” the Grandmaster announces, “I’m leaving you in 451’s hands.”

“Please let me explain,” he immediately tries to say as soon as the Grandmaster is out of earshot. You scoff.

“I’d tell you to drop dead if you hadn’t already,” you spit, “Don’t talk to me. I want nothing to do with you. Get off this planet.”

“Please, just allow me,” he begins.

“Fuck off, Loki,” you snap, and make a fast exit. You leave him standing there bewildered and you watch how stunned he looks as the elevator door closes behind you.

You felt small again. Like all the progress you had made gone in a single instance, and you knew tomorrow you’d face the Grandmaster but for now you didn’t care. You craved a warm bed and sleep more than anything else in the world.

You had planned on staying here so you didn’t know how you were going to make it back to your little apartment. You assumed just walk. You weren’t armed and that was always a terrible idea on Sakaar. You didn’t have anything except a dagger that was fixed to your thigh under the dress you wore. You wished you had your blaster.

“You clean up nice, Princess,” a voice modulated voice you recognize says when the elevator door opens.

“Mando,” you say curtly, stepping out of the elevator.

“You clean up nice,” he states.

“Thank you,” you reply.

“Leaving the party so soon?” He asks. You nod.

“Not really my scene. What are you doing here anyways?” you ask, crossing your arms over your chest for a little bit of warmth.

“I received a tip that my target might be here,” he answers, you nod, not elaborating on that you knew for a fact Loki was upstairs. “Did you see him?”

“No, I didn’t.”

PART TWO

Taglist:

@msclifford

[novellaquill]

New Amazons

I had this idea of Amazonian warriors but with a little African twist on it. This idea/theory will be based on Oshira/Yoruba mythology. It’s also based on if gods/desses existed in the same universe (kinda) and will be mixed with dc version of this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay so, to first create more Amazons you have to understand the original in Greek mythology.

Creation:

Basically the female goddesses wanted a race of champions who would live up to their ideals. Zeus was like no, Hera didn’t want to displease her husband (and other reasons to be discussed later), Ares doesn’t want anything to bring peace, and the other male gods were just like “nah”. So Artemis, Athena, Hestia, Demeter, and Aphrodite got to work. They went to the underworld, took the souls of women killed by men’s hatred and brought them to life with bodies of clay. Each goddess gave them a skill:

Artemis-Hunting Skills

Athena-Wisdom

Hestia-Warm Homes

Demeter-Plentiful Harvest

Aphrodite-Beauty Inside or Out

I’m other versions I’ve read they were daughters of Aries (???). I don’t know how true that is but I like the one I found.

Reproduction:

In some versions they have a mating ritual with a neighboring tribe of all men called the Gargarians. The Amazons kept the girls and the Gargarians kept the boys. Other versions they fought and killed the Gargarians after mating. They either killed, sold the boys into slavery, sent them back to the Gargarians, or kept them for future rituals but crippled them. In DC, when they lived on their island they offered or forced themselves to/on men at sea then killed the men, dropped their bodies in the ocean (Posiden does nothing) , and went home to wait. They still killed the boys in this versiosn but they eventually sold them to Hephaestus as slaves in exchange for weapons. Another way they increase their numbers is rescuing women who’ve been mistreated by men.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is messed up and probably the reason why Hera didn’t bless them later on. She the goddess of marriage and the family. Killing your children and the fact that they don’t ever get married would anger her. Plus the rest of the goddess excluding Demeter and Aphrodite are virgin goddesses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now with the history lesson out of the way let’s pick the goddesses who would would create and bless the Amazons.

Yoruba:

Unlike the Greek gods, I don’t believe the gods of Yoruba would have a problem with creating a race of champions.

Oya: Goddess of storms, protector of the underworld, wisdom (in some versions), secrets, and magic

Gift-Wisdom, Manipulation of spirits, magic (to some)

Odudua: Earth goddess, battle maiden, and protector of earth. Her powers are also over womanhood, fertility, and life.

Gift- Warrior/Hunting Skills

Aja: patron of the forest, all animals within, the secrets of botany, master of potions and healing herbs.

Gift- Harvest,Herbs, Potions

Oba: Domestic goddess, resides over the home

Gift-Warm Homes

Oshun: Goddess of love, intimacy, and marriage.

Gift-Beauty inside and out/cooking skills?

The reason why there are more than one gift is because the Yoruba goddesses and gods are known to be very generous and protective to their followers. Which is why we have three extra goddesses to add to the list.

Nana Buluku- Creator Goddess, patron of spell casting and herbs

Gift-Magic/Spell casting (to some)

Mawu: Creativity Goddess

Gift: Creative, Crafting

Yemaya: An ocean goddess(?) said to protect abused and neglected women and children as travelers of the sea.

Gift-Protection, (Helping them stay hidden/sending women and children to them)

Reproduction:

The Orshira Amazons would mate with men, keep the daughters, and leave the boys with their father. The reason behind this is because many of the gods are fair and just. Many of the female goddesses (despite it not being their main power) have some control over fertility and wouldn’t approve of killing children. I also believe that Yemaya would be their primary goddess because she’s known for protecting women and children. That also means raping and killing sailors would be a huge no no. She’s known for her temper so it wouldn’t be wise to piss her off.

Life Together:

I personally think the Amazons of the Greek gods and the Amazons of the Yoruba gods wouldn’t get along at first. The main reason being how they reproduce and handle the sons of the Amazons. The Greeks would have to follow the Yoruba way of reproduction and handling the boys in order to get along. (I don’t think Yoruba Amazons would be sexist towards men but there would be a definite stigma towards them.)

They both have very different cultures but since the Greek Amazonians have women from all races that wouldn’t be a problem. They would have to get used to the others gods, however, I don’t see that being a major problem either. They both have similar beliefs (when it comes to girls) and I don’t see the Yoruba gods not helping the Greek Amazons especially Yemaya, who’s protective of all women.

(Now do I see the Greek and the Yoruba gods getting along? Absolutely not. Only a handful would get along, if that. Let me know if you want me to make a post about the gods’ relationships.)

Both Amazonian clans being omnilingual helps as well. With Mawu’s gift they may or may not need weapons from Hephaestus and would only give them boys as worker or apprentices (this would NOT be often) not slaves. 9/10 they’d just give them to the boys.

Magic granted by Nana and Oya would only be a gift for the wisest and most trust worthy Amazons. Magic can and have been used for evil. Despite the Amazons being created to be champions they are not perfect and can use it for destruction. So this power would be rare. Potion making granted by Aja would be more common, however, it’s not something everyone would have. A handful of Amazons have the knowledge of potion making.

End?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was fun to make, I really enjoyed research and envisioning scenarios that these women would have together. I didn’t know how Amazons were reproduced and I have to tell you that I am mortified. I looked up to these women and I couldn’t believe what I researched. I’m thinking about continuing this but adding Egyptian and Asgardian gods. (Anyone for a Marvel crossover?) This is manly so I can see every other god hate Zeus and get away with saying it to his face. I can just picture all the gods around a huge meeting table and just arguing about the fate of the world. Or just like trying to get it over with as quickly as possible so they can all go their separate ways.

[Insert God/dess]: Same time next year Zeus haha... *under breath* I hate that *#@$

Or a crossover with Percy Jackson. Technically doing a Percy Jackson crossover IS a Marvel Crossover because Disney bought it from Fox. (For SOME reason it’s still not on Disney +)

Anyway, this is just thoughts for the future. What do you think about this idea? Was I accurate or too hopeful? Please tell me what you think and if I should add other gods/desses.

~Novella Quill

[sebastianshaw]

Shaw & Skadi for the kid meme!

Name: Sigvid Skadisson Shaw. I know it should be Shawson BUT FUCK THE RULES. “Sig” is a pretty standard prefix for a lot of Norse names from the word “sigr” meaning “victory” and “vid” from the Old Germanic “widu” for forest. Gender: Masc and male-presenting but beyond that I’m not sure? Trans man? AMAB non-binary? Look, he uses he/him (maybe they too) and people THINK ‘man’ when they look at him, that’s all I know General Appearance: Tall and beefy, he couldn’t NOT be. Medium pale skin that gets even paler in winter but tans easily in summer. Black hair, or so dark brown it might as well be black, and very dark eyes. His hair, unlike both parents and most of his Asgardian brethren, is actually kept short, and while he has a beard, it’s not the big one. The reason for this is functional; short hair is better if you’re spending a lot of time in the wild. Stuff gets stuck in long hair, it can get tangled in branches at the worst times, it’s hot in the summer, and it can literally freeze in the winter if it gets wet. His attire is very much out of a Viking fantasy, but less on the “heavy armor” end of things and more on the “wearing lots of furs and skins” side. He doesn’t look like someone you want to fuck with, but he also doesn’t look like he’s going to war. He carefully avoids any kind of dangling amulets, charms, or other jewelry that could get caught on anything, but he’s got a sort of leather toolbelt containing various survival tools made from wood, bone, etc. Personality: Sigvid, as you might guess from his attire and the reasons for it, is an outdoorsman. Not as a hobby, not as a lifestyle, but an EXISTENCE. He thrives in the natural world as Sebastian does in the business world, finding ways to survive in even the most adverse of situation. Whatever Mother Nature is doing around him, he can not only make it through it, he can work it to his advantage. His closeness to the natural world, his close observation of it, means that he sees both the facts and errors in his father’s mentality. He sees that the strongest predators will pick off the weakest prey, that the winter will take those who do not prepare, that mother animals will neglect and even devour their young if they’re sick or runty. He also sees that prey are more aggressive than predators, how some creatures will adopt and nourish infants that are not their own or even their own species, how some will share their kill with no benefit to themselves, and how even the smallest and most humble animals can make it through things that the larger, so-called stronger ones did not. Sigvid is very pragmatic, like his father, very practical, very self-preservationist. He has to be. But he’s also very spiritual, not in a way that connects to some distant god, but the world around him, to earth and nature. Not some idealized hippie-dippie conception of nature as a loving mother that is always in balance, but an acceptance that it is a greater power that he cannot control, he can only hope to survive at best. It keeps him humble. It also gives him a much wider, more relative perspective on things that is not human-centric, or Asgardian-centric for that matter. My Shaw often says that he admires human accomplishments above all else, that no other animal has built cities, computers, cars, and so on. And he is correct in this. But Sigvid always points out, how many termite mounds has man built? How many times do humans migrate thousands of miles using an innate sense of the Earth’s magnetic fields? How many fish have we hunted by literally sensing the electricity in their bodies? Yes, humans are “the best” if we judge them by standards HUMANS MADE. Judge us by the base standard of any other species, and we flop. Same for judging any species by the standards of any other. Nothing is “more” or “less” evolved than anything else, more complex does not mean better, and nor does being bigger, stronger, meaner, or even smarter mean a species is “better” or “more evolved” either. Survival of the fittest is not about that, nor about individuals; it’s about how well a species fits its environment and niche. A slime mold is just as evolved as a person. Sigvid is very passionate about this, though he’s not the type to speak up most of the time; he’s stoic and saturnine, used to keeping his mouth closed and his thoughts to himself, because most of the time there’s no one to talk to. And that also means he’s learned to exist without the validation and approval of others---ironically, something that is much like his father, learned in a completely different environment.

A lot of this, obviously, comes from Skadi. He was at side her since infancy learning to hunt and track, learning the difference between wood sorrel and white clover, how to tell when a moose is about to charge, and what it means when the woods go quiet. This connects deeply to Skadi’s Jotunn side in particular, which in Norse lore are thought to have symbolized the inherently chaotic and uncontrollable nature of, well, nature! Though Sigvid would not, nature it’s chaotic, it’s actually very ordered, people just don’t bother to understand what’s inconvenient to them. But where he differs from Skadi is that he’s not a Disney princess. Animals don’t hang out with him. He doesn’t nurse injured creatures back to health. He doesn’t keep pets. He does not see them as friends. They are not less than him, but they are not allies, they are beings he co-exists with, avoids, or eats. At least, until a thylacine started hanging out with him. Yeah, a thylacine. The extinct Tasmanian tiger. Who knows where it came from or why he’s attached itself to him, but he’s very adamant she’s not a pet and he hasn’t named her, but she is THERE. Sometimes. She isn't at his side like a dog, it's more she's following him from a distance and she pokes her head out from the trees somewhere. She's not a pet. She's more a parasite. But unlike Shaw, Sigvid doesn't use that term in a bad way, and he's fine with her presence. He's just curious where the hell an extinct Australian animal came from? Obviously, Sigvid is not interacting with people a lot, but when he does, he’s far less awkward or boisterous than people expect. He doesn’t have the overt weirdness people expect from a hermit, nor the bombastic warrior cliché of an Asgardian, or the vicious stereotype of a Jotunn. He has a quiet but overwhelming elegance, not like an aristocrat but like a great stag emerging from the forest. He chooses his words carefully, and can say much with just a few. He walks the middle ground between judging by individuals and judging by species; he does a little of both. He has preconceptions and generalities that he believes in about each group, but also believes in room for exception. After all, he’s not what a lot of people expect, is he? Despite this, he’s frequently misread as disliking people, but he doesn’t. He is utterly neutral on them, he just prefers his own way of life. Likewise, he tends to be very neutral towards individuals, and this also is often misread as dislike. One thing he does dislike though, is when people try to endear themselves to him by talking about how they agree animals are better than people, or say stuff like you know only man kills for pleasure. . . .this actually just annoys him. Firstly, a lot of animals do kill for pleasure. Secondly, when people say animals/nature is better than people. . . .they’re forgetting that people---humans, Asgardians, Jotunn---are animals too. This is just another way people, of any sort, try to insist they’re something special and different, whether in a negative or positive way. It doesn’t impress him. What impresses him tends to be how well people work within their niche, whatever niche that is. Like Shaw, he doesn’t really judge in terms of conventional morality, but a person’s success----Sigvid’s definition of success is just much wider. Like, maybe you dive for a living---are you a good diver? A great cafeteria worker? The best toilet cleaner in the tri-state area? He admires that and he commends you. When he is angered, he stays quiet, and his response is swift and physical; he either leaves or strikes physically and then leaves. When he feels sufficiently bonded with someone. . . he is still quiet. He appreciates a person who doesn't need to be filling the silences between them to feel comfortable and kinship. And kinship for him is rare, but he's not lonely----just also not adverse to it, as many assume he is. People assume a lot about Sigvid, and most of it is wrong, but he's also very chill with it. Sigvid is a very chill guy.

Special Talents: Besides the obviously mentioned talents for hunting, tracking, foraging, survivalism, and nature knowledge? Many people think he’s some kind of seer because he’s good at predicting storms and such, but actually he’s just very good at reading the signs most people aren’t attuned to. He also presumably has the attributes of Asgardians and Jotuns (super strength, etc) but if he has a mutant power, it has yet to manifest. Also cannot assume a Frost Giant form. Who they like better: Skadi, though eventually he does respect his father for performing so well at what he does

Who they take after more: I think both equally in different ways Personal Head canon: -He really likes amethyst geodes. -He finds a lot of manufactured foods, like chips or snack cakes, to be WAAAAY too strongly salty or sweet for him to stomach, is allergic to Red Dye #40, and he finds the taste of domesticated animals to be weird. - Not much of a dairy person, but ghee is good -Dislikes when people stereotype hillbillies as stupid; as in like, people who are genuinely living in the hills and mountains of the American Southeast, they're an interesting people with their own unique culture like any other group that lives off the land in isolation---which he respects---and not interchangeable with typical rednecks. -He doesn't typically carry anything with him that's not a necessity, if he knows he's going to be seeing people soon, he will pick up knick-knacks he finds in abandoned places and distribute them like a weird Santa Claus. Who, he's met, by the way, and according to him, Father Christmas is something of a badass. - He will always buy your homemade soaps, and I have no idea what he's doing with them. Yes, maybe he's using them in the normal intended way but IM NOT SURE?? - Pops up in art museums. People never expect him to be here, in these cathedrals dedicated to human creation, but he is. I think he views art a bit differently than the average person, but he's there all the same. - He's an Aquarius but there is a LOT of Saturn in his chart - The first Midgard movie he saw was Forrest Gump. He was expecting it to be about something else because of the title, but he enjoyed it and LEARNED THIS DANCE Face Claim: n/a

[cammi-writes]

Title; Glowing Green

Part; part 1 |

a / n | warnings; I haven’t watched endgame so spoilers are a bit limited lol | mentions of sex/kink, jerk!Loki, angst, age gap, mentions of death

Fandom; MCU

Pairings; Loki Laufeyson x Reader

Tags; message me if you want to be tagged

You and your sister were recruited by the Avengers initiative after the attack on New York led by Loki. Your sister was gifted with physical strength while you were gifted with a brain. Neither of you had powers but your natural gifts were too much for the Avengers and SHIELD to pass up, so there you guys were. At 18 and 21 years old, you were helping some of the bravest people in the world protect the country.

You were working with the Avengers for a year before Odin decided that sending Loki to earth would teach him some humility, like it had did with his brother Thor. And of course the day of his arrival, Hydra had attacked some military compound in another country, leaving only you to greet the demi god. You thanked the universe that Thor was transporting him and you wouldn’t have to deal with the trickster alone. You remember thinking that being in the very room with him would be terrifying but instead it was the complete opposite. His aura was alluring. His presence seemed like it was luring you in.

Maybe that was why you were the only one to be civil with Loki, other than Thor of course. While everyone else was filled with hatred towards the god, you were curious about his nature. Maybe it was because you had also been adopted and found out rather suddenly. You related to Loki’s anger. His hatred for his father. Because you had been there yourself. The only difference was that you were human and your idea of rebellion was getting your lip pierced and wrecking his car. Loki, an Asgardian’s version of rebellion was trying to rule a whole planet.

It started off simple. You would be the only one to say “Hello” to Loki in the common areas of the Avenger tower. You would try to include Loki into group discussions. Then it turned into sharing a cup of coffee in the mornings when no one was awake and watching movies late at night when everyone was asleep. It turned into secret glances and stolen kisses. Jealous eyes and feelings of longing.

You guys had, had a complicated relationship for several months before things turned… intimate. What had brought it on was Loki’s jealousy and his own self doubt when it came to his brother. Jane had just broken up with Thor and you admit, Thor was getting a little bit friendly. But you had never been attracted to the god of thunder the way you had been towards Loki. So the confusion you felt after Loki had dragged you out of the party Tony had threw and into his sleeping quarters out of nowhere. You could hear the anger in the way his voice hissed and you could feel the intimidation radiating off of him. You should have been scared but all you could see was the worry in his eyes. The worry he had that he would lose yet another person to his brother. That’s why you had given into it. Loki would have jumped your bones the first time he saw the glint of want in your eyes but you had been so scared about what other people would have thought that you didn’t.

 It was 6 months after your first time together when everyone had found out. You thanked the universe that they found out after you guys had became official because it was a battle getting Loki to admit he had feelings for a human. The way everyone found out was not an ideal experience. Lets just say that you had a thing for dominant men and Jarvis misread a situation going on between you and Loki in your bedroom, tremendously. Do you know how it feels to have Iron Man and Captain America attack your boyfriend because they thought he was trying to strangle you? It’s a very uncomfortable feeling.

Nobody had approved of your relationship at first. Even Thor had his reservations. Many had thought you were being manipulated by the god. Others simply thought you were a young girl acting out despite being out of your teenage years at the time. But as time went on, the team realized that Loki’s feelings for you were genuine as was yours.

It was at the fight between Tony and Cap over Bucky. Despite agreeing with Cap, you had been helping Tony, knowing that if you had went with Cap, Loki would have followed making him an intergalactic criminal again. You were not a fighter but you were a techie and Tony wanted you to sit in the sidelines and try to scramble the jet that Cap & Bucky were trying to get to. One of Tony’s blasts went awry and was coming straight for you until Loki had taken the hit for you. That was the moment everyone had realized how true your relationship was.

The last time you had saw Loki was the night before your wedding. He had kissed you softly which was unlike him and told you how much he loved you.

You were left standing at the altar in front of your friends like a fool. The worst part was that you had never expected what he had done. When Thor came to speak to you, your first thought was that Loki had gotten hurt but when Thor eased your mind and explained that Loki was back on Asgard, you still had the best in mind. You had never expected that Loki had went home simply because he did not want to marry a human. Thor had explained how asgardians age differently and how you would wither away long before Loki. But his explanations meant nothing because all you felt was heartache and anger. You had wasted years on that man.

You had left the Avengers a few months after that. You couldn’t stand the pity. You couldn’t stand living in a building filled with memories of him. So you had decided to travel. To find yourself without everyone else around to make you second guess yourself. That’s how you found yourself at 177A Bleecker Street being taught magic by a certain doctor that had been tasked with protecting the planet.

You had found out Loki sacrificed himself from Thor in midst of the battle against Thanos. It absolutely broke your heart but you didn’t have much time to grieve because the Infinity snap happened and you were one of trillions that disappeared.

Coming back to life after 6 years is a strange feeling. Finding out what had happened in the six years was like a punch to the gut. Finding out who you had lost and who had been broken felt wrong. It was hard but after time you had came to terms with what had happened.

You went back to train with Dr. Strange and that’s where the surviving Avengers found you, years later, looking for help against another threat against your world.

“Do you think she’ll be happy to see me?”

“I do not know, brother. Lady Y/n has changed much since you had last seen her. In some ways, she reminds me of you” Thor looked at his brother and then back through the window where you practiced your magic that glowed green.

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chapter 41: Armor Amore

Chapters: 41/? Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Warnings: None Relationships: Loki x Reader (Someday) Characters: Loki (Marvel), Thor(Marvel), Brunnhilde/Valkyrie(Marvel) Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending (Canon-Divergent), TBH Who Among Us Doesn’t Find Armor To Be A Little Erotic, Thor And Brunnhilde Are Still Big Gossips, If You Couldn’t Tell I’m Still A Big ThorJane Shipper, I Don’t Care What Happens In Thor Four:More Thor, I Still Like It. Summary: Loki make plans for your future protection, while Thor and Brunnhilde Gossip Some More.

Loki sat at his desk idly sketching out his ideas. You needed protection. Ideally, he would be able to surround you with an impenetrable wall of soldiers, but he couldn't trust his soldiers. Not with you.

He would have to screen special bodyguards for you, and make sure his entire entourage was both unswerving in their loyalty to him, and fiercely protective of you.

Until then, the best he could do was to commission some proper armor for you. A bigger challenge that he had initially expected: your smaller form meant that he couldn't just find something in the armory and have it altered for you. Unless there was some practice armor for adolescents out there somewhere,  he would have to order it made from scratch. The materials would have to be lightweight, no uru for certain. You were sturdy for a mortal, but you would simply never have anything akin to an Asgardian body.

He could have some leathers put together for you, something not unlike what he preferred to wear, though he would have to raid the armory again, and pull some scrap leathers to recycle their materials. The beasts of Alfheim that contributed their hides to Asgard's superior leather goods were no longer available, and the animals here, while serviceable, were simply inferior. He would not trust your precious self with inferior armor.

You would need more than one set. And since you could not yet call your clothing to your body, any armor would have to be easy to get into and out of, requiring only one, possibly two people.

The idea of helping you into-and out of-armor that he had designed for you rose unbidden to his mind. He sighed dreamily, pausing his sketching to flesh out the daydream.

Armor consisted of multiple layers; there was all the metal, of course, which went on top and served to look intimidating as well as protecting vital areas. You wouldn't wear much of that, only over the very vulnerable parts. Otherwise, it would get too heavy. He'd get you pieces of nornbein, if he could, since it was hard and strong, but also relatively lightweight for metal. Over your chest of course, and your back. There should be plates on the shoulders, the upper arms, the forearms. The parts most likely to be aimed for. These few, select pieces would be fastened on over the leathers, and each piece, he would teach you about while he put it on you...or took it off of you.

Then there were the leathers. There would be more of that; the material was more available, flexible, and lightweight. He'd have them closely tailored to you, for ease of movement and he would share his diagonal motif as well; it broke up the lines of the body, redirected and distracted the eyes, and also looked very good.

Depending on how it was put together, he could pull the leather pieces over your head, or wrap them around your body, and fasten them there. They would protect your flesh from the slashing of unjust blades, and they would look beautiful as well.

One had to wear a little padding underneath, to avoid chafing and pinching. Only the finest quilted Asgardain silk would grace your skin. He could just see it; how the quilting would round out and soften your form even more, how the soft, natural shimmer of the silk would make you shine like a polished gem. Silk was surprisingly tough, and resistant to piercing, even on this world. Tightly woven silk, with raw silk quilted between would offer you some protection from pointed weapons such as poisoned darts or hidden knives. It would also keep you nice and warm in the coming Icelandic winter. He didn't really feel the cold, but humans certainly did, and you weren't even someone who had lived here and gotten used to it. You would need all the warmth that could be provided: Thicker clothes, more blankets, his arms.

If you were amenable. He also had a fireplace, if you felt more comfortable there. And the bath, which he would still very much like to share with you, under better circumstances this time. Warm and steamy, with cleansing soaps and fragrant oils.

But first you had to recover, and he had to get you your armor.

He wished he could have stayed in the healing wing with you, but Bjarkhild had kicked him out, with orders to get food and rest in his own bed. But he missed you. He couldn't stop thinking about you, lying alone in the healing wing, your poor face bruised, and swollen, your poor head delicate, and healing so slowly. What if you woke up again, and he wasn't there?

A man had to be dependable, didn't he? If he was serious about a suit, he had to be. Loki didn't think he was unreliable exactly, but that he was selective about the people and subjects that he was reliable for. For you, he wanted to be someone you could depend on, for anything and everything.

He had no experience in this.

When he was much younger, he had thought to find a partner for himself, and to be the best possible partner available. He was a prince, he had the highest education, he could offer everything. This was long before he realized that he would never be a match for his brother in looks or popularity.

As he grew, his relationships had been few and infrequent, and always disappointing. He had a poets heart, but the only people who bothered to look at him were not really there for him. He became hard to approach.

Finally, he realized that, as the second son, he would be most useful in a political marriage, where love wasn't necessary, and that everything would be decided for him...so he had simply given up trying.

If not for his kingship and his continued mooning over his lost mortal lady, Thor would never have an empty bed. In fact, Thor had been sent crashing to Earth as a homeless, powerless, boorish drifter, and hadn't even spent an hour before he'd found someone willing to love him. Maybe he knew some things that could help Loki out. As long as those things didn't involved being born blessed and beautiful. There was nothing Loki was going to be able to do about that.

He began sketching again. You needed something for your head, a helmet of your own. Something that should be personalized just for you, so that any one who saw you would know who they were looking at. Something crown-like...

He was interrupted again, this time by Andsvarr entering the room, stiff as starched paper and carrying a bundle, wrapped in quality cloth.

Loki looked him over. “Well.” He said. “Out with it.”

“I bring a gift from the Garprlings. A blood-price for the lady.” Andsvarr announced, not looking Loki in the eye.

“...I took Alarr's sword hand.” Loki stated.

“And thus satisfied the insult done to yourself. This is specifically for the seidkona.”

Loki rose and took the bundle from Andsvarr. The cloth was a cloak, made of plush velvet, in a cool, minty green. It wrapped a partial set of armor, made primarily from nornbein and steel, sized for an adolescent.

“This is...fortuitous.” Loki said. “I see our thoughts are running along the same lines. Did this belong to you?”

“My second eldest brother.” Andsvarr said. “It was made for him upon his entry into guard training. It may need to be altered, but I think it is small enough.”

Loki set the pieces on his desk, next to his sketches. A steel and nornbein breastplate that would only cover the front, long, layered pauldrons in nornbein and good, Alfheim leather, that would reach nearly to your elbows, and a pair of nornbein bracers over worn leather half-gauntlets. All of those would likely need altering to fit you properly. There was a pair of steel greaves and poleyns for your knees, but both needed their leather backings and fastenings replaced. There was even a set of very flexible steel and leather tassets, that would not even require altering to fit you, they could just be tied around your waist like a belt.

“This is a very good start.” Loki said, blessing the stars that someone has seen fit to keep even a partial set of adolescent armor.

“No one argued when I took it. They know we owe her.”

“How have things been?” Loki asked casually, beginning a list of repairs and supplies for the new armor.

Andsvarr sighed and drew himself up. “Quiet. Our doors are closed. Mother has been turning away 'well-wishers' after the first few came with conspiracies and offers that would have caused more trouble. She is tired of all this. I am beyond tired of all this. These people seek only to use us, and it's been obvious from the start. But Father thought...I don't know. He thought something important would be lost, but I really don't understand his mind.”

“I know what it is that he fears.” Loki said. “And he is right to fear it, but wrong to believe that it will not come to pass. We will integrate. Our culture will change. There is no way around it. But the thing is, we need to change. We've needed it for a long time. My Father's prophesy is proof of that, I'm sure of it.”

“Father will never accept it I'm afraid.” Andsvarr said.

“That will not stop it from happening. All empires fall. No supremacy is truly eternal. The true measure of the people is how they persevere during the decline. As long as the people adapt and survive, they have a chance to rise again.” Loki gestured out his window. “You can see examples of this in high speed on this planet. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of nations and kingdoms have grown up and disappeared. Some survived through change, others suffered diaspora. Others crashed so hard that even their languages are lost. All on a planet of beings so brief that some of their greatest empires rose and fell within your lifetime, changing the landscape and culture around them, then retreating back to their homes. Their impact remains, and we should consider that, I think. What will our impact be? What do we want to leave behind, now that we are no longer the pinnacle of the realms? Is there anything we can do to remedy our mistakes?”

“Your Highness?”

“Just musing.” Loki patted the armor. “I made mistakes here. It cost lives. Maybe if I wasn't trying so hard to buck the Norns all the time, I might believe that she was brought to me by fate, so that I might make up for a fraction of what I did on this world.”

“Your Higness, I'm sorry. I should have realized something like this was coming, with the way he spoke of her.”

“You are absolved, Andsvarr. It was never your fight. Shouldn't have been hers, should have been mine alone. But she is part of my court now, and that exposes her. So we will cover her with armor. We are honored by your contribution.”

“Yes, your Highness.” Andsvarr said, taking his cue to leave.

           *****

“Well,” Thor said gleefully. “He's admitted it!”

“What? No way, she's only almost died like, three times.” Brunnhilde said. “When did he tell you?”

“Yesterday. She hadn't woken up yet, and the head healer had kicked him out for awhile.”

“Damn. I really thought it would take a lot longer than that...”

“Well, it didn't, and you know what that means.” He held his hand out. “I win. Hand it over.”

Grumbling, Brunnhilde removed a flask from her belt and gave it to him. “I guess I'm glad for him. Little sorry for him too. This probably isn't gonna be easy.”

“There is nothing easy or simple about mortals. Speaking of, I am thinking about allowing Trollekaerhalla to observe Buridag with us. Perhaps in their own, fenced off area, so that they can't get into trouble in the city.”

“That's gonna require so many guards.” Brunnhilde pointed out. “Otherwise, it sounds like a good starting point for familiarizing them with us. Sharing holidays and such. How are you going to make sure the other camps don't sneak in?”

“I'm not.” Thor said. “If they want to come and learn more about us, they can. Everyone will be checked for weaponry at the gate, of course. No signs, no masks, just holiday merriment. We could share samples of Asgardian food, maybe little cups of drink-”

“They will die.” Brunnhilde stated.

“Okay, maybe just hot chocolate. And they will get the opportunity to be present at _____'s official seidkona declaration. An historic moment when our peoples will join.”

A sudden sadness washed over his features.

“I wish Jane could be there.”

Brunnhilde rolled her eyes. “Why don't you just invite her then?”

“I can't. She's so busy, and I'm so busy, and that was part of the reason...Why would she even want to come? Her last experience with Asgard was so terrible. And then there was all the trouble with the Restoration...she consented to see me one more time, and she had to deal with that damn Stone again! I'm sure she thought I was just using her. She just wants a normal life as the worlds greatest scientist, and anytime she comes near me, she ends up in terrible danger.”

“Uh-huh, and your massive fear of rejection has nothing to do with it.”

“Well, would you want your ex showing up?”

“Yeah, actually.” Brunnhilde said. “I'd actually love that more than anything.”

Thor hung his head. “Forgive me. I spoke like a fool.”

“You sure did, but you get it, so that's good.” Brunnhilde clapped his shoulder. “Give it a little thought though. We need all the allies we can get, and the world's greatest scientist sounds like a good one to have.”

“It's so much easier to focus on Loki's love life.” He groused.

“Why? Did little brother used to be some kind of womanizer?”

“No, very much the opposite. He's very honorable, and subsequently, has very little experience. And he knows nothing of mortal courtships.”

“So he's going to be a total disaster.” Brunnhilde said. “Well, that will be entertaining at least.”

“Heartless wench.” Thor snorted.

“You know it.” Brunnhilde joked, clapping him on the shoulder again. Thor winced.

[blueboltkatana]

Avengers and Cursing

Steve

Captain America doesn't curse! He's a role model for children and adults he's an ideal man. He does NOT say bad words. But thats Captain America... Steve Roger's a whole other person. He curses like a sailor. He'll say "fuck you" instead of Hello just because. He curses whenever he's not wearing his Cap mask. He even comes up with creative curses sometimes, but the Avengers favorites are the OLD ones, like an expression that hasn't been used sice 1940. Bucky has revealed that he used to be much worse Before he became Captain America.

Tony

Loves cursing, but he likes using sarcasm rather than outright insult people so he doesn't get to curse much. He likes to get creative thought and combines different curses to make a much, much nastier one.

Doesn't care bout public image and all of that, he'll tell even the president to Fuck Off to his face and not even blink. It's not like anyone can do anything to him anyway.

Thor

He curses... But in Asgardian. No one knows what the fuck he just called them but it was long and deeply felt. He doesn't particularly like cursing thought because he was raised as a prince, but he just Has to do it sometimes when it's too much.

Clint

Knows how to curse VERY WELL but to annoy the Hell out of everyone he doesn't. When things aren't very serious he uses replacements like Fudge or Heck and it drives everyone INSANE cause they know what words can come out of that foul mouth of his. He also gasps every time another Avenger curses and looks innocently at them. When he curses for real you know something is really wrong.

Natasha

Can curse whenever she wants but she likes to have standards. Her curses are rare because she likes i when they look at her surprised that she can curse. Most of her curses are in English but she Will turn to Russian if mad enough. Usually she just lets out a long sentence in Russian and everyone knows they're fucked. Sometimes she'll say normal words in Russian just to fuck with the others cause she's a Troll.

Bruce

This man doesn't like to curse. He has 7 phds and a big enough vocabulary to call you 20 things worse than Asshole and you won't even understand it. He will whisper "shit" to himself when things get really bad. Once used the word Fuck in a sentence and the Avegers almost had heart attacks.

*actually curses a lot when left alone in his lab but doesn't want people to know cause it ruins his reputation*

Bucky

Will curse in English, then in Russian, then in 7 other languages, then again in Russian and maybe finish with English. Steve basically taught him how to curse like him so he has a foul mouth. Unlike Steve he doesn't care about setting an example and stuff. Has cursed in live tv and would do it again. The only one who knows Natasha is trolling everybody but doesn't say anything about it.

Sam

He tries not to swear. Tries is the key word here. Being Steve's friend has ruined him. Now the only way he greets people is "hey fuckface" and it kills him inside but it's too late now. There is no going back. He and Bucky can argue and curse at each other for HOURS if someone doesn't stop them. It's the only time Sam doesn't regret swearing like a sailor.

Wanda

Really doesn't want to swear but with all these horrible role models you can't blame her for letting go sometimes. Curses only in her native language, never in English. Wants to keep her reputation intact but it's so difficult when you're surrounded by dumbasses like these.

Vision

Knows every single curse word that exists in every language but chooses to never use them. Does not swear ever. The Avengers have made bets when he will finally cave in but it seems he's in complete control. His first actual curse word is crap and he apologized before and after saying it.

[mikaila-orchard]

Soooo... Endgame

To be clear I went into this movie with lukewarm expectations despite all the hype.  The last movie I saw in theaters was Spiderverse and... well, most GODS aren’t as worthy of worship as Spider-Verse. The only thing I could predict was that the team was gonna be super mopey before finding a way to fix everything and then they fixed everything.  

 And yes, that is indeed what happened, but I did not expect everything that happened in between or for this movie to have as much heart as it did.  So yeah.  Perks to keeping your expectations low is being pleasantly surprised.

 Anyways.  Things that suck out of the way first.

 When I heard the movie was gonna have an lgbt character in it, that was my lowest expectation and unlike most everything else, it was not exceeded.  Just one no name character talking about being on a date talking about how half of everyone died.  Piss poor, even by modern media’s standards.  Also, Carol’s 90’s grunge lesbian aesthetic is done away with for makeup and and a plain feminine getup. ... Well at least for the first act.  She gets a short cut after the time skip and it’s much more appropriate (though it might be photoshopped?)

 Also, they fridged fucking Natasha in a way that actually pissed me off, and considering I never gave a shit about her, you know that’s saying something.  They did that whole thing with the soul stone again and fucking Hawkeye made a very good argument on how he should be the one to sacrifice himself, but then Nat does it anyway just so he can have more man pain!  WTF?  Honestly the only saving grace of that scene is that it drips Sylvaina energy.

 Going back to Carol, this movie’s biggest failing is not enough of her.  She comes in, helps take down Thanos (who dies in the first act.  Another thing I wasn’t expecting) and then just fucks off to space until the climax where she tears shit up.  Eat Shit, Rogers.  IDC if you can weild mjolnir now.  Danvers is my captain.

 Also needed more Valkyrie.  She is amazing and totally deserves to become king of the asgardians.... which she does!  I demand her own movie, Marvel!  Ideally one where she and Carol get married.

 Oh and I did shit on him earlier, but Steve was pretty good in this movie.  They used that “Hail Hydra” line from Secret Empire in pretty much the best way they possibly could.  His passing the mantel over to Sam was pretty well done.  Oh yeah, and he gets his happy ending with Peggy.  Also didn’t see that coming.

 Gotta say I didn’t think this would have been a serious time travel movie, but looking back it kinda makes sense.  This movie is the culmination of nearly every film before it.  It’s only appropriate to incorporate a sort of highlight reel.  There’s still gonna be paradoxes and alternate timelines out the wazoo  (especially since they did nothing about Loki getting away with the Tesseract) but whatever, that’s the future movie’s problems.  These sort of movies have never been about appeasing nitpickers anyway.

 Side note, holy shit did they commit to fat Thor for this movie.  Like good lord, I was expecting a montage where he gets back in shape, but nope.  He’s got the beer gut til the very end.  If I didn’t know this an infinity war were filmed back to back, I’d say they took inspiration from Peter B Parker in Spiderverse

 Also, yes.  My boy Petey does come back and he’s still a little ray of sunshine and I love him.  

 As previously mentioned, I figured they were gonna bring everyone back.  I did not figure they would have absolutely EVERYONE.  Like holy shit.  It’s no longer a group of heros against a giant fucking army.  It’s a giant fucking army against ANOTHER giant fucking army.

 Anyway, I suppose it’s only fair that Tony got the win this time.  I would have loved for Carol to have gotten the kill, but seniority and what not.  And while I suppose it was to be expected, Tony’s death actually got me.  Like.... he gets to rest now but it’s still sad.  He had a daughter and everything!  Thanks for everything Iron Man.

 Yeah, honestly there’s so many small moments and unexpected things in this movie all I can say is just go see it.  You were gonna see it anyway, but trust me its good.

[tarithenurse]

I see you - Ch. 10

Pairing: Heimdal x fem!readerContents: the usual fluffy piningA/N: I’m rather distracted this weekend by my hubby finally being able to visit me from his country, so don’t expect a whole lot of action from me.

Ch. 10 – Ain’t no mountain high enough

You can feel the difference the regenerator makes in the healing process. Three days with treatment, but today is going to be without it.

When you’d woken up the first time in Asgard, you’d been wrapped in stiff bandages to support the many broken ribs, and your arm and both legs had been broken in several places (technically one of those places what the hip and not the leg itself, but it hadn’t mattered much then).

Now however, the extra layers that had supported and protected the healing bones were gone. Breathing deeply, you’re finally standing on your own in a proper bathroom without the fear that you’ll collapse all of a sudden.

Three treatments in the cradle. Each one had left you exhausted, your body burning with the heat of electricity, and it had lingered long into the night, making you cranky and draining every bit of energy that wasn’t used for walking back and forth in the room with two healers ready to catch you. When you didn’t do any of that, you slept, only waking up a few times to see that Heimdal was dozing in the chair next to the bed, or that he’d been around, leaving some token behind instead of waking you. First it had simply been a note, saying that her sister was doing well and that he would come by later to entertain her. Another time it’d been a book with old stories and myth of the Asgardian people. Then flowers, strangely familiar and yet alien at the same time.

Today, you say to yourself, today I’ll stay awake. Wriggling out of the light hospital-like gown, you look over at the stack of clean clothes that Frigga has provided you with. There’s no doubt, they’ll be nothing like you owned at home, but you can’t wait to wear them. Anything to be less like a patient and more like a person.

The shower is true to the grandiose style of the city beyond your window. Like a waterfall, it springs from the stone wall, cascading onto you and the marble floor in a soft, warm stream that washes away the last bits of mustiness that had build up under the bandages although they’d been changed frequently. Oh, gods, it’s good. Rubbing your scalp and hair with plenty of shampoo, you realize that a haircut is long overdue. Maybe you will leave it long this time? Change it up, just like your life has been? The possibilities seem endless and the freedom to choose anything makes you smile. All in all, life has taken a turn for the better since you left your hometown. Sure, getting squished by a giant, alien “leviathan” hadn’t been ideal, but you’re alive, recovering well…and you’ve gotten to see more than you could ever have imagined.

Once clean and dry, you dress in what you assume must be Asgardian fashion, to you it could’ve been taken straight from a renaissance fair or a fairy tale. At least the queen has provided you with pants. Tight and made of leather, which seems a bit daring. But it’s much better than having to move around in one of those long dresses the women seem to favour around here. A soft tunic goes over that, and once you’ve wrapped a leather belt around your waist, it’s hard not to nod approvingly at your reflection in the mirror. Lookin’ good.

…

Rechecking that everything is prepared, Heimdal can’t help but feel a bit nervous. The queen had been kind enough to divulge the plan for [Y/N]’s treatment, granting him an opportunity to plan ahead. Ready. With a satisfied smile, he strides off to handle the next phase of the plan.

By the time he reaches the door to the Midgardian’s chamber, an apprehension unlike anything he has felt since he was a young man is hammering inside his chest. He knocks for once, and the answer comes promptly, urging him to enter.

Not sure what to expect, it’s a pleasant surprise to see the woman sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in leather and delicately embroidered linen. The cool purple of the tunic is broken by thin lines of gold and yet…it cannot distract from the glory of [Y/N]’s smiling face and sparkling eyes that greet him unwavering. She’s…exquisite. Sure, the clothes are simple, nothing worth bragging about, so rather it’s the concept of this woman, radiant with life and curiosity, finally not being reduced to simply a patient. Even without having exchanged greetings with her, Heimdal’s sure his plan will be accepted happily.

“Morning, Heimdal.” The woman drops the gaze, picking instead at some invisible speck of dust on the tunic.

She doesn’t see as the Bridge-Keeper smiles at her self-consciousness. “Good morning. It’s a joy to see you free of the infirmary’s dreary gown.”

“It feels good to wear sorta normal stuff.” [Y/N]’s eyes go wide as she realizes what she just said. “I mean…It’s not that it’s not normal! I just…on earth we, y’know…it’s uhm…different and…ehm…and –“

It’s impossible not to let loose a guffaw at the woman’s attempt at recovering from what she thinks it’s a blunder. “Don’t worry, my friend,” Heimdal calms, “I’m well aware of the garments used in Midgard.” Observing as a shy smile erupts, the Bridge-Keeper decides it’s now or never. “Perhaps, if you feel up for it, I could tempt you with an excursion? A skiff has been prepared to take you across the realm of Asgard rather than only watching the world from behind a window…?”

A variety of emotions flutter across the features of [Y/N]: astonishment and delight are pushed aside by something akin to worry, perhaps. The bright smile turns into a frown as she bites softly into the lower lip and the fingers wind themselves in the embroidered border of the linen.

“What is it, my lady?” Heimdal allows himself to take a seat next to her on the edge of the bed, carefully reaching for her hand.

Taking it, delicate fingers trace invisible patterns around his knuckles. “I would seriously, like really, abso-freaking-lutely love to go. There’s so much to discover here and it’s like…like being in a fairy tale. Only it’s real.”

“But…?” Holding his breath, the Guardian of the Bifrost attempts to steal his heart for the worst. After all, why would she care to spend time with him?

How…how do I get to the skiff? I still can’t walk very far yet.” Again, the lower lip falls victim to a soft bite, and Heimdal finds himself wishing it was his lip. “The length of the hallway,” she indicates with a nod towards the corridor beyond the chamber-door, “but then I’m done for.”

Is that it? Expecting her to go on, the Asgardian hesitates, but nothing more comes. “If I’ll have to carry you, to grant you a taste of the world you so keenly have observed, then I will!”

“Oh, no! I can’t let you do tha–“

“[Y/N], there’s no need to fret. Just like on you earth, we have means of transporting people too ill or injured to walk.”

Meeting the [Y/E/C] eyes, he witnesses the decision being made, and his own heart could burst from his chest.

…

Of course! You’re absolutely certain, that you’re the biggest idiot to walk the planet. A people as advanced as the Asgardians are bound to have wheelchairs and what-not. Oddly enough, Idun has so far insisted on ferrying you to and from the cradles in a lying position, so you simply haven’t seen any other means of aid. And lying on he way to an exploration-trip hadn’t seemed like a good idea.

So of course, it doesn’t Heimdal long before he’s arranged a surprisingly stylish set of wheels for you and brings you through the labyrinth of halls and passages until you finally are outside in the sun. Breathing deeply, it strikes you again how clean the air is contrary to that back home…even out in the middle of nowhere, where you used to live. The sound of the city was distant and soothing, unable to overpower the songbirds and myriad of busy insects dancing on the breeze from flower to flower. This is heaven. It really did make sense why the Vikings of old had lived in glorifying hope of going to Valhalla. A morbid thought with a sense of humour as black as the deepest cave makes you quirk a smile, because in a way you (almost) did die in battle like the warriors thought was needed to be taken by the Valkyries to Asgard…and here you are. Difference is that you’re very much alive. The sun warming your skin and the gently win playing with your hair is proof of that. So is the fuzzy jolt that travels through your body as a strong hand rests against your back, urging you to step into the longboat that’s hovering in a waterless channel.

Once settled neatly on board, resting against furs and pillows, Heimdal maneuvers the vessel expertly out of the alien dock and along an invisible path.

“Anywhere particular in mind?”

That voice can also only be from heaven. “All of it?” You answer makes him laugh, honey eyes nearly disappearing in the smile. “I’d like to see what you see when you’re guarding Bifrost. And the mountain inland! And the lake I can see from my room.”

He get’s what you are trying to put into words, and as he navigates through the air, the many stories of the nation and his own youth surface. The intricate pattern in this Asgardian’s life has you criss-crossing fields and rivers, skimming over the treetops of the vast forests, and cruising along herds of deer leaping over the plains that fall and rise like ocean swells. And although each detour has the skiff aimed in a new direction, Heimdal consistently draws nearer to the mountains, the heart of the world. The snow-capped peaks loom tall ahead of you as the upland grows steadily steeper.

“These summits,” with a flourish he indicates the two tallest, “are Kóngurinn and Drottningin.”

Apparently, it means king and queen and are referring to the very first king and his wife. Buri, as the king was called, established Asgard’s dominance and role as a protector or the “Nine Realms”. This is not completely new to you as some of the books you’ve been reading while stuck in bed also covers subjects such as Asgardian history. Still…hearing it from Heimdal is much better and you feel your gaze drawn to him rather than the view. He has a way of oozing contagious interest, each word dripping with a calm confidence.

Enchanting.

There’s no other term to describe how the mesmerizing voice conjures images from the past.

[dontcallmecarrie]

For the "send me a fic title": What Happens in Between

for this ask meme, which is now closed.

This feels like the title of a fic meant to fill in the gaps, for me— a missing scene between movies, something key that happened offscreen, that sort of thing. Off the top of my head, I’d use it for something like a oneshot showing what happened to Loki after his ‘death’ in Thor 2 [please bear in mind I’m nowhere near caught up on what’s going on in the MCU anymore, so it’s not Ragnarok compliant]: 

It’d start off with a bit of introspection, looking at Loki’s character development as he reflects while imprisoned. In doing so, it’d also be a bit of a sardonic social commentary on Asgardian society from someone incredibly bitter about…well, everything, really. Especially since Loki’s perspective is from a remarkably unique position— as someone raised with their ideals, yet generally treated as an outsider in some way, shape, or form [in this case, by not adhering to gender norms, plus having an unusual interest in the outside world].

Have Loki be so, very bitter— and the kicker is, he has a point. 

Apart from his mother, everyone’s written him off. Almost as a whole, Asgard went “I knew there was something wrong with him!” after Odin cast his judgement without hearing what he had to say, because who would listen to a war criminal?

Which…Loki can’t help but find a very, very dark irony, in that. Especially now, because now that he’s not having a breakdown [Thor 1], and isn’t being tortured and mind-controlled by Thanos [The Avengers], he’s finally had time to come to terms with himself, is finally starting to accept his heritage as a Frost Giant, and it’s done a number on his worldview. Which, granted, had already been different from the norm— after all, he’s already got an unusual interest in things outside of Asgard— but now? 

Asgard has an incredibly imperialistic worldview, has had it for generations and centuries. Every Asgardian was born and raised knowing they were some of the best warriors out there, knowing they were secure and unlikely to come under attack because who dared try? 

Loki had been rather unusual, even before his meltdown: his interest in other cultures had been something the others had found dismissive, which, on top of his not conforming to gender norms, meant he’d hadn’t exactly had a fun time even before he’d learned he was adopted— but now, it’s that exactly same ‘odd’ perspective that lets him see the gaping blind spot Asgard has.

Lok can see, all too well, how complacent Asgard’s gotten. And how it’s inevitably going to bite them badly, because he just had a very up close and personal encounter with Thanos himself— and now, looking at Asgard from his prison, he knows they’re going to be dead in the water the moment Thanos looks their way. 

Which…he is slightly okay with, actually. 

Or would be, anyway, if a) Thanos hadn’t tortured him, hadn’t used him [just like everyone else in his life did apparently—], and b) his family wasn’t Asgardian. And by ‘family’, I mean ‘his mother and his idiot brother’, because a wet dishcloth had more parenting skills than Odin. 

Then, have canon mostly ensue— only, Frigga survives [somehow, idk but in this house we unfridge moms okay? maybe in a pinch have her go into Odinsleep or something]. 

Loki still fakes his death, and makes a beeline back to Asgard to check on his mom and arrives just in time to see Odin have another round of Odinsleep. Loki sees his chance and takes it, because he pretty much could not care less about Asgard anymore but dammit his mom lives there so obviously he’ll have to do what he can to beef up Asgard so as to at least put up a fight for when— not if, when— Thanos rocks up to steal the Tesseract. 

Nobody questions why Odin’s acting a bit strange: between the stress from canon events and Asgard’s tendency to not question the Allfather, it’s actually pretty easy for Loki to impersonate him. The only one that comes close to cottoning on is Heimdall, and Loki manages to persuade him once he shows him what happened to him after he fell from the Bifrost and emphasizes Thanos’ power. If that weren’t enough, however, there’s also the chatter picking up, concerning the the Infinity Stones— and so Heimdall joins the ‘Asgard Security Force’ team and starts keeping an eye out for whatever he can catch of Thanos’ movements, and the two work on quietly gearing up Asgard’s defenses for war. 

…and then, end it with Thanos rocking up and Loki shipping Thor off to Midgard with the Tesseract because they can’t let the Mad Titan have another Infinity Stone. Give it a bit of a Rogue One vibe— and throw in deus ex machina or something I guess because I can’t do downer endings apparently.

[mentallydatingahotcelebrity]

Loki - Victim of Abuse or Just Bad Parenting?

This is in response to this post here, and a conversation I was having with @vesperazylra

Loki sticks out in Thor (2011) considerably; never exactly belonging to Asgardian society or his brother’s circle of friends.

But I don’t think this has anything to do with their culture. Let me explain:

Asgard appears to be a society that thrives on the golden age ideal that men were the defenders of the home and women are the caretakers, only called to fight in the direst situations or in defense of their children; both are expected to be nurturing, however.

But this doesn’t mean that there can’t be different sides to Asgardian men. They can be Casanovas and romantics (as demonstrated by Fandral), laconic, insightful, and slight (Hogun), they can be witty and affectionate and family-oriented (Volstagg), they can be wise, authoritative, commanding, with knowledge of magic (Odin), and they can be bold, proud, self-confidant, and war-loving (Thor).

And obviously there can be variations of the women, too.

Sif: bold, proud, skilled in battle, brave, selfless; well-balanced between masculine/feminine.

Frigga: wise, assured, manipulative, authoritative, nurturing, instructive, with knowledge of magic; feminine while at the same time not not appearing weak.

Brunhilde/Valkyrie: bold, proud, arrogant, self-confidant, war-loving; strongly masculine over feminine.

Eir (the healer in TDW): nurturing, insightful, instructive, authoritative, wise, precise; a touch more masculine than feminine (given how she speaks and carries herself).

So if there’s not a problem with their culture, where IS the problem?

Parenting. Parenting is the problem. Now hold that thought.

Parenting is an issue, for sure; but so is the fact that, like Sif, Loki is perfectly balanced between feminine/masculine. Hiddleston’s fault. (but in a good way and wonderfully done, bravo!) He projected himself into that aspect, in my opinion: being masculine while at the same time feminine-- a well-rounded man. Gotta admire that balance; very rare (and probably why we all adore the stuffing out of him).

Back to Loki:

Like Sif, society doesn’t exactly understand what to do with Loki. He’s too masculine to be a woman (obviously, he’s male) and too feminine (studies magic, has a “place” that ranks under Thor) to be a “manly man” or whatever. So they kind of just mesh him in with them and hope that he fits-- which leaves him feeling completely out of place because the only person to get him is his mother (useless, she’s not a peer, she’s an authority figure) and Sif, who hates him because they get on one another’s nerves (probably because they’re very similar: misfits trying to fit in. She reminds him that he doesn’t really belong as hard as he tries, and he reminds her that she won’t belong, no matter how much she wants to).

This means the problem isn’t Loki-specific. Sif, a woman in Asgard, has the same challenges (wanting to be a warrior, something uncharacteristic of her gender, as Loki does with magic, something uncharacteristic of his gender). So where does this lead, then? Obviously, Sif has no emotional/mental/identity collapse. Why? I think the answer is parenting.

Unfortunately, we know nothing of Sif’s parentage, but I can bet you that it’s far more wholesome and accepting than Loki’s is. I also think it has to be high-ranking, given that she and Frigga seem to be the only females in Asgard remotely warrior-like. (We’ll ignore the Valkyrie because they weren’t established until Ragnarok and tbh that really pissed me off; don’t add elements in at the 9th hour, writers, it Looks Bad.) Sif always has a sense of direction/purpose, even when she’s struggling to hold her hard-earned place:

“I have everything under control!”

“Is that why everything’s on fire?”

“And who proved wrong all that scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?”

“I did!”

Where Sif thrives from denial of accomplishment, Loki suffers.

Both are chastised, teased, disapproved of in their circles, yet Loki is the one to come away injured every time without fail.

The only way this happens is through fault in the parent-child relationship. Obviously, Sif had parents who told her to follow her heart as much as she could, and were there to support her in her desires (Thor said “all who scoffed”, not “your parents’ scoffing”, remember).

I think that as Loki grew into maturity he had almost solely the encouragement of Frigga and the other sorcerers/esses who taught him (because, c’mon, there are other magic practitioners in Asgard, don’t be daft now; Eir’s a sorceress, though with healer-centric powers). 

Odin, I’m sure, praised him when he was a child with the basic “lovelies” “marvelouses” and “well dones” that all parents bestow on young children. But I think as Loki moved from childish play to youthful study, Odin related more to Thor, a promising warrior-in-training and the future king after him, than with Loki: budding master sorcerer who would one day replace Frigga with all her knowledge of magic and the hidden paths between the realms.

And, if we consider Hela in this mix, perhaps Frigga loved Loki because he reminded her in certain ways of Hela before Hela fell from grace; and for the same reason, Odin distanced himself from the baby he’d taken in. 

Odin’s close relationship with Hela poisoned her; turned her into nothing more than a weapon if annihilation and desecration. Perhaps he feared the same for Loki? After all, we try to learn from our mistakes and being a parent must be the hardest task in the universe, especially in a universe where one’s children are more likely than not to have mystical powers.

As how Loki didn’t touch Odin in the Treasure Vault for fear of injuring him with his newfound frost giant powers, perhaps Odin feared being close to Loki would injure him with his [Odin’s] political ideals and hopes for peace, and so left the little boy to Frigga’s care. Never for a moment supposing that Loki --unlike headstrong, independent Hela (typical first-born)-- greatly desired his father’s praise and recognition.

Loki’s problem isn’t Asgard’s society, because they were perfectly fine with meshing him in; his problem isn’t with his ethnicity, because in the end Thor proved he learned Jotuns weren’t just cruel monsters “you can’t wipe out an entire race”; it’s a problem with parenting.

His mother loved him and expressed her pleasure in his accomplishments. His father loved him, but never expressed that he was proud of him. And, from the end of Thor, never announced such sentiments to Thor, either. We see this when Thor puts into words what Loki attempted in actions:

“I want to make you proud, father.”

“You have already made me proud.”

*cue surprised, quietly pleased light in Thor’s eyes*

Thor might have been insensitive to Loki, but he was also insensitive to Sif (trying to take credit for her success as a female warrior), to the rest of the Warriors Three (saying he brought them to good things and without him they wouldn’t have got there); Thor’s just brash and headstrong and essentially ignorant of what he’s doing because he’s determined/relentless in his liveliness and doesn’t understand that his boisterity, isn’t appreciated by everyone.

Odin, on the other hand, did what he did with full knowledge. From the beginning of Thor we saw that Odin, in fact, loved Loki; but obviously something happened between that point and Loki’s adulthood. Again, Odin didn’t seem to have much interaction with either boy (typical of monarchical settings realms over); but Thor survived because he’s independent and doesn’t really desire gratification (just like Hela), while Loki suffered because he desires acknowledgment, and the feeling of being seen, more than loving what he does all alone, like Sif. Everyone could tell Sif she’s wrong, but her drive to be “one of the best warriors in all the realms” is enough to keep her motivated to continue regardless of outside opinion.

So, in the end the problem is Loki’s psyche, and Odin’s [also, I have to say, Frigga’s] Parenting. Some people, like flowers, need more attention than others.

Another observation I’ve made is that Loki’s is an artistic/violent personality, a trait common among the fine arts: writers, musicians, painters, poets, performers. They tend to be eccentric, self-destructive, emotionally-based, passionate, and craving of praise-- They derive personal pleasure from being told “this is good, now make more”. All of this, Loki is. It’s simply his nature. (As he says in TDW “satisfaction’s not in my nature” a trait common of the fine arts: he cannot be satisfied because then he would cease to learn, to grow, to, essentially, be; because satisfaction means completion-- as a writer myself I relate to this strongly-- satisfaction means he is as good as he is ever going to get, and that is impossible when there is always more to learn.)

I’m not trying to exonerate Thor of anything, I’m just trying to say that it’s unfair to blame him for all Loki’s problems. There’s only so far that something is someone’s fault before the person suffering can take joint blame for not doing something to rectify it. If Loki was having problems, he should’ve said something to someone, Thor or Odin or Frigga-- Frigga certainly would’ve listened (though I think Thor would’ve listened too). 

Anyway, enough of my rambling.