#Ragnarok brought in SO much feeling but not to say the first game didn’t but WHEW

[bricreative]

Finally played the new installments of God of War and still just feeling so much from it, specifically from Ragnarok

[cafeinthemoon]

Ever Dream (Apollo x reader)

Chapter 1/1

Wordcount 7,3k

Title Ever Dream

Fandom Shuumatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Symbols ✔ . 1️⃣ . 💛

Warnings: Apollo is extremely inconvenient in the beginning; angst with a soft, bittersweet ending

Tagging ? (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N. A. Finally I can fulfill my promise and post this little story with Apollo!

At first, he wasn't appealing to me at all, but as his character was developed, I found myself liking him (I basically understood that my lack of interest in him and his fight was due to me not moving on from Hades' loss, since snv doesn't feel the same for me anymore) Also his personality is a bit weird in this one bc I've started to write it before his flashback came out, and since I've wrote so much it would be a waste to restart my work to adjust his depiction to something more "pleasing", so I just kept things this way. But I hope you have fun with it :)

“Come out, come out

Wherever you are [...]

Give in, give in for my touch

For my taste

For my lust”

(Nightwish, Ever Dream)

Summer days might be the favorites among the mortals, for they were long and favorable to the body and the heart, as a good presage for the ones who needed it, but that didn’t apply to you. Yes, as many, you appreciated cheerful encounters of friends under the shadow of a tree on a warmth afternoon, as well as playing games in the city’s lake with your sisters, but none of these small delights were enough to make you enjoy Summer above the other seasons. Honestly, you would be happier during Spring, when the beauty of the flowers would be in its apex, or during Winter, when you would stay long periods at home, in front of a good fire, with warm food and crafting to occupy your hands; even Autumn had a special place in your heart, with its meadows of red leaves and winds whispering mysterious tunes.

The thing is that you used to work as a gardener during Spring and Summer, and this latter was always the most difficult one, for the land where you lived was always too hot for any activity to be possible under midday sun, so you would adjust your routine to work at early morning or when the sunset approached.

It was a hard work: the plants would suffer with the heat, and you must know the right moment of the day to pour water in them, in order to not burn their roots; some of them would even become dusty with the lack of rain, only to be harmed after sudden, summer storms, and it would take an entire day for you to clean the fallen leaves, broken branches and garbage brought by the wind – not to speak about the mud; and, as if none of this wasn’t enough, you would have to fight against seasonal infestations.

It was a lonely work, also: there would be days when you would stay in silence for so long that hearing your own voice after going back home or speaking to yourself during work brought a sensation of strangeness. But you enjoyed the solitude, using it to perfect your abilities and organize your thoughts.

Some would say that you should start thinking seriously about your situation, that is, that you couldn’t live only for the plants and that you were already in the age of considering marriage, but you would just escape from their demands inside the labyrinths of the garden. Not that you would get angry with them, though. You understood their preoccupations, but you were aware of where they came from: they didn’t understand that happiness could have many sources in human life beyond building a family.

And, as long as your own happiness came from the garden, you would stay inside it.

***

If the humans who knew you were the only ones watching your steps with what you’d call an abnormal interest, you could deal with it. But fate wanted things to be complicated for you, so your peculiar, solitary routine hasn’t caught only the mortals’ attention.

It happened that, close to your garden’s location, upon a greenish hill, a temple was built centuries ago. A temple to honor the deity whose powers were always strong across those lands – Apollo, Son of Zeus and Guardian of the Sun, Master of Poetry and Music, and owner of more titles than you could remember. You’ve never seen him in person, though it was said that he used that building as his temporary residence on summer days, which explained the intense temperatures during that time of the year; it also explained why the lights of the temple would be fed until late hours and why there would be sound of chords, drums and high voices all day. You respected the work of the people living there, of course, but you’d appreciate a bit of silence during a period that was so difficult for you, and there you had another reason to show up only when the sun wasn’t shinning in all its splendor.

Little you knew that, from the highest spot of the temple, upon a parapet only accessible to himself, the Lord of that house, to whom all those honors were directed, has been observing that lonely, little mortal who would come every day to take care of her flowers with the same dedication as Heracles by the time he had to fulfill his twelve tasks.

He couldn’t remember when was the first time he saw you: the only thing he knew was that, while he stood at that temple, he couldn’t spend one day without seeing you. Every morning, before his worshipers woke up, Apollo would walk up the stairs that led to the private space where the highest balcony of the temple was, and he would sit at it, with his back leaning on a column, to witness the girl’s arrival and her preparations before work; he would stay there, watching in ecstatic silence as she separated her tools, touched each plant with those delicate fingers of hers, examined each spot of them and gave them the necessary treatment, smiling and, sometimes, mumbling to herself.

Not only he noticed your diligence and dedication, but it didn’t escape him how much you were beautiful. Yes, you were surrounded by appealing fruit trees, flowers of the most interesting shapes and shades, all of them between intricate green walls that only added in majesty, yet your figure caught the man’s eyes above all of them – eyes that were trained to not miss anything that could be pleasing to one’s sight.

The god would cheer at himself with the fact that you were oblivious to this, while he, at that height, was completely out of your sight. It was like in the old days, where he would observe the mortal realm from his spot at the Olympus, except that this time there would be no difficulties in reaching you: as one of the city’s inhabitants, you were basically his neighbor, and knowing that building like the palm of his hand, he knew the secret shortcuts that would lead him to your garden’s gates.

At first, Apollo would state that his morning observations were just a hobby, and that with all the work to keep him occupied at the temple and the attentions he would get from the worshipers – particularly from the priestesses – he would soon forget about you and your flowers. However, he wasn’t fool to the point of lying to himself for too long, and soon he would admit that he was interested in you. Well, he was already desiring you, in a way that didn’t happen since… a few centuries ago, maybe by the time of that temple’s inauguration, when he would lure some of the city’s mortals into it. And now, there he was, leaving the comfort of his bed every morning, sometimes even before the sun came up to greet him, for anything but to catch the exact moment when your feet stepped into that garden, wondering how your voice would send shivers all over his body in case you whispered in his ears with the same docility you did to the flowers, how soft your skin would feel if he caught your frail form between his arms, and the heat he would sense once his lips touched yours.

This extended for days, until he finally had enough.

That morning, he watched you as always, but this time something inside him awakened, and he just let his body move away from the parapet and reach for his private chambers, where he caught his best garments and a pair of golden sandals, and then wandered to outside the temple, to the narrow path behind the hill, covered in stones and sand, only known by himself, and in one minute or two, he was standing at the garden’s entry.

Today is the day. The day when I shall make you mine.

***

It should be a pacific, ordinary morning of work at the garden.

You arrived at the usual hour, reached for the spot of the garden where you started working the day before, separated your tools and went to take care of your tasks.

You’ve spent one hour, maybe two like this, so concentrated in what your were doing that the sudden rustling between the leaves somewhere behind you made you startle and drop your garden shears. You turned around…

And found quite a spectacle for that time of the day.

Coming out of a narrow space between two green walls, you saw a young man dressed in garments that you supposed to be only appropriate for the Summer Festivities, not so far in the land’s calendar: he had a white toga around his body, which hems and details appeared to be sewn with golden threads; golden were also the strappy sandals he had on his feet, as well as the laurel wreath on his head. The first rays of the sun reached the space between you at that hour, and the golden light poured itself over the man’s figure as the hug of a beloved one, revealing that the metallic ornaments he carried were, in fact, gold, and conceding a singular glimmer to his eyes, which you thought to be of the same shade. But that wasn’t the only peculiarity seen in his appearance: his hair, falling on straight strands to his waist, were of a soft pink that reminded you of some of the flowers in your garden, but a comparison wasn’t possible, since they were out of sight at that moment.

Yes, the visitor was a beautiful man, though eccentric, so your first thought was that he was the son of a noble family that came to the city to honor the god of the Sun at the temple beside your garden.

He’s probably thinking that the garden is part of the temple’s territory. I must clarify this mistake and lead him back through the right path.

And you were going to do that very thing, but he was faster.

Without waiting for an invitation or at least a question about his presence there, the man approached your spot and stopped in front of you, observing your tiny person surrounded by flowers and tools with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief: was this girl really engaging in physical work this early?, his eyes seemed to ask.

You stepped behind, closer to a bush of wild roses, but glanced over your shoulder before touching the thorns – something that made the stranger giggle. You didn’t like that at all.

The first words said between you were his.

– I’ve always said that wild roses were not my favorites, but the truth is that they’ve scared me and charmed me at the same time, and I just couldn’t deal with it – he stretched an arm to touch a spot above and behind you; not disguising the feeling that he was closer than a stranger should be, your eyes followed his movement and found his fingers reaching for a flower of the bush – A ridiculous mistake from an arrogant heart… – and, turning his golden eyes to you, – Don’t you think, my flower?

Your eyes widened, but you managed to control your mouth to not scoff at those words: you’ve been working at that garden for too long now, and from time to time there would be one and other man who would come to celebrate the Summer Festivities at Apollo’s temple, many of them from privileged houses… and about whom you’ve already had a clear opinion.

Let me see… Extravagant clothing at this time of the day, bad sense of direction, abnormally elevated self-confidence and no regard for personal space. Of course, another womanizer who relies on cheap flirting to win innocent hearts. He knows that this type of chatting only works when the speaker is young and beautiful like him, but things would be very different if we had an old, naughty man in his place.

You knew that, if you didn’t do anything to get rid of him, he would bother you for the rest of the morning, and you wouldn’t be able to complete the works of the day, but fortunately you also knew how to deal with this kind of situation, so you decided to act right now...

By moving aside and bending down to grab the garden shears that he made you drop. You stood up again and started removing the small, green leaves from its blades as you spoke.

– My Lord, I suppose you entered here by accident – you started; and, looking into his eyes, still with the shears’ blades up – Because, you see, despite the proximity, this garden doesn’t belong to Apollo’s temple. No festivities will happen here.

It was with a bit of diversion that you observed the bright smile fading from his pretty face, but you remained impassible, for you were aware that this one was an experienced gentleman and wouldn’t give up so easily.

And he didn’t.

– I must be indelicate and disagree with you, Miss – he moved his hand away from the flower, but, with an eye on your shears, he hid both hands behind his back – For a garden is a never-ending festivity itself, and the one that is going on right here owes all its beauty to the work of your hands.

You swallowed. He did have a way with words, then. But not even this would be enough for you to allow delays in your routine, and you made that very clear.

– If this is the case, my Lord, I must make use of the same indelicacy and interrupt our conversation here – in a swift move of your hands, the shears closed and opened twice with a metallic whisper – And keep working on the garden’s beauty.

And, without waiting for a response, you turned your back on the man and restarted to prune the bush with the roses, just as you were doing when he arrived.

Not even this was able to shake the young man’s confidence, for he just stepped aside and continued to talk, caressing the flowers at the same time. No irritation or offense was sensed in his tone.

– Then I must leave you to complete your mission – and, after a pause, – But I’m trapped here, and you’re the only one who can release me... by letting me know your name.

Your hands stopped and you turned to him again. You weren’t willing to reveal it to him, but if that was going to make him go away, you would do it.

– Y/n s/n.

The young man opened a satisfied smile. But, instead of saying his own name in return, he just stepped back and nodded.

– For this I will be forever grateful, my y/n. I will make sure that Apollo’s blessing falls over you and your work concerning this celebration of beauty.

And without waiting for a response, he turned away and left.

***

If only the Festivities in honor of the Lord of the Sun were shorter, or if your garden was located in somewhere else, the strange events of yesterday involving that extravagant individual would be just a funny story to remember in an encounter between your friends, or even something you would forget after a week.

But, unfortunately, things don’t always go as we plan, so to your surprise – and exasperation – the situation happened again in the next day.

You were pouring water on the soil, in a spot of the garden not so far from the one where your first encounter happened, having only the sounds of the water falling from the can and the early birds singing on the trees as your company, when the rustling noise of indiscreet steps upon the grass caught your attention.

You turned around… and found the shinning figure of the young man smiling at you, his right hand leaning on the tree at his side, his golden eyes upon you with the same enthusiasm of the last day.

You bit your lip.

I can’t believe it. Did he forget everything that happened yesterday?

If he noticed your displease or if he chosen to ignore it, you didn’t know, but he started a casual conversation without waiting for an invitation.

– Good morning, dear y/n! – he left his spot beside the tree and walked toward you with no sign of embarrassment – As I can see, the festivities continue today.

You just gave him a silent nod in reply. The man’s smile widened in contentment.

– That’s good to hear, for today I bring you something that you might appreciate…

Only then you noticed the object he was carrying on his left hand: a bracelet made of gold, in the shape of a vine and with a white gem in its center, with rays surrounding it as an imitation of the sun. You looked at the object and hesitated.

– My Lord, it is not…

But when the words were still crossing your lips, you felt a strong hand holding your wrist and pulling it forward, making you drop the watering can; before you did anything, the man put the bracelet around your wrist and spent a moment admiring it, with your tiny hand between his.

You even tried to pull it back, but the he held you in place. You swallowed.

Heavens, his appearance is the most deceiving thing I’ve ever seen! I don’t know many soldiers who possess this strength!

Because of this, you understood that you might have been in danger since the other day, so that time you kept your mouth shut and waited to see what his next step would be.

And you didn’t know if you should feel relieved or shocked when you found it out.

– Now you were granted the necessary permission, my dear – he spoke with softness; and, pulling you closer to whisper in your ear, – The way to the Summer Festivities has opened to you at the Temple of the Great Apollo.

You had no time to respond, to move away or to show any form of refusal. The man, still holding your hand, pulled you with him and started running between the green walls and trees, rushing toward the depths of the garden and not allowing you to stop.

You glanced behind and your heart ached when you saw your work unfinished and the watering can forgotten on the spot it fell, the remaining water leaking and soaking the soil.

***

The path through which he led you, as well as the environment you found when you entered the temple was what you would sense in a dream: in one moment, he was carrying you by the hand through the green labyrinth, in a pace that defied time; in the next one, you were inside high walls of white, imposing columns with marble flowers surrounding them from their highest to their lowest spot, and countless tables of gold with goblets, jars and trays full of fruits, sweets and other tempting treats that were taken by uninhibited, joyful people dressed in flowing fabrics and barefoot, running, hopping and dancing between themselves to the frenetic sound of chords, flutes and drums. The place was a mixture of sounds, colors and smells that confused and numbed your senses, in a way that you were only able to stand thanks to the strong hold of the young man.

Despite that, you still noticed how strange was that those people seemed to move to the music as if they were just one, yet they acted like they weren’t seeing each other, lost in their particular world, to the point you wondered if they knew what they were doing or if they were just caught under a spell.

Are they really happy, or are they forced into this? It’s unsettling...

The people only showed a believable reaction when you arrived… Well, actually, when they put their eyes on the young man, and started reaching for him with no regard for your presence, pushing, bumping and even stepping upon your feet.

In a way you couldn’t understand, he opened his arms wide to receive them without letting go of your hand, with a satisfied smile on his face that seemed to light up when the first rays of sunshine entered the place, embracing him with the same passion as the people around.

It was when a thought crossed your mind as fast as those rays, and you stared at him with a knot in your stomach.

Could it be that he…?

The chorus around you, chanting the same words in delight, was the confirmation for it.

– Apollo! Apollo-sama! You finally arrived, Apollo-sama! Please don’t make us wait this long for you again, Apollo-sama!

His face brightened up with the call of the humans, as if it absorbed their joy and turned it into vital force, returning it to them with the warmth of the sun; to them, he was god, father, husband and master, and he was more than happy in taking all those roles for himself, in what you saw as a hungry, even predatory way. Though you still found it a beautiful thing to observe, you no longer saw any resemblance with a man in his figure.

He was something else.

Feeding himself with their energies and keeping them gravitating around him is like a diversion to him. How scary.

And with the same diversion, he pulled you to a tight embrace, giving you no choice to walk away, for many people came to him and were no dismissed, so that you were trapped between him and them, and you didn’t know for how long you would be able to breathe.

Somehow, he managed to walk among his worshipers and take you with him before you in fact were smothered, and without decreasing in enthusiasm, he looked around and chanted:

– My children, my flowers! Another day of Summer came to bless you! Enjoy it, cherish it like it’s your last!

Immediately, the people obeyed him and, as if slowly forgetting about his very presence, restarted the celebration, dancing and jumping around and opening the way for you two at the same time, not really realizing what they were doing.

Not wanting to join them and not being able to release yourself from Apollo’s grip, you had no choice but to follow him.

***

You walked up spiral, white stairs with golden banisters, ran through a corridor and ended up in front of an enormous pair of doors, which he opened with a slight touch of his hand.

They revealed a wide room that, even in your lack of experience in these matters, you knew to be worthy of a god: everywhere you looked, you saw comfortable chairs and couches, covered with satin sheets and surrounded by trays of sweets and fruits, and countless jars of wine; there was also a small fountain pouring water, with a jar and cups around it. You also saw books, parchments and musical instruments ready to be used. Everything there was arranged to display beauty and pleasure, as expected from its owner.

Once you stepped inside, you heard the sound of the keys turning to lock the doors from inside and shivered.

– My y/n, will you follow me to the balcony? – Apollo passed to your side – There’s something I need to reveal to you, but it has to be in an appropriate place!

And, without waiting for your response, he tightened his grip around your wrist and pulled you across the room, to reach the said balcony.

You passed under an arc with a pair of curtains of a peach shade and found yourself in a place that could serve as a common room of a human house by its largeness, except for the fact that it was uncovered; on it, there was wine, fod and water as well, and a couch twice the size of the ones inside the room, yet none of those objects interfered while you walked among them.

Apollo stopped at the parapet with you by his side. With his arm stretched over it, he indicated the entire view.

– Let your pretty eyes enjoy what’s in front of them with no shame, my dear – he laughed – Trust me, the view of your lands from the Olympus is no match for this!

And you were, in fact, impressed with what you saw.

From there, you were able to spot various things, from the mountains that surrounded the city, passing through the town itself, with its marketplace and daily movement, to nearer places… such as your garden, its open fields and the very spot where you were working this morning when Apollo arrived and abducted you.

Your face burned with the thought.

He has been spying on me from here? Since when…?

You never had the opportunity to inquire him on this, because he had no shame in telling you the whole story.

– Since this Summer started, though I cannot precise the day, I’ve been trapped in this balcony, just as I am now – he turned to you with a strange glimmer in his eyes; you sensed his hand letting go of your wrist and wrapping itself around your waist, bringing you closer as he spoke – I’ve been trapped by you, my flower, for I couldn’t spent one morning without seeing you from here, cherishing with your whole figure, your steps, the work of your hands, all for your precious garden…

You put your hands between you and him, in an attempt to prevent him from approaching even more.

– My Lord, with all the respect, this is my work – you managed to speak – I would never be able to properly take care of a garden if I refused to pour my heart into it…

The god’s response was to widen his already present smile, giving to it a hint of something that would be called presumption if he was a mortal man.

– I know it! I know well how these things work, and for this I am jealous – he caressed your face for an instant, his eyes swallowing each traits of yours with greed – I am jealous of your flowers, of your trees, and everything that has been blessed by the touch of your hands…

You gasped.

– My Lord, I think this is going too fa…

Your words were cut off by his next act, which consisted in wrapping his arms around you and lifting you from the floor, taking you to the couch you saw before, not so far from your spot on the parapet. There he sat you down, then knelt to take off your sandals – of course, without missing the chance to let his fingertips wander through your feet and legs. With no visible ways to escape this situation, you could only observe the scene in silence.

The door is locked, I don’t think I could open it as fast as he closed it, he’s too strong for me to put a physical fight and is too lost in his own fantasies to hear a word I say. I see no solution besides climbing up the parapet and jump.

While this thought was still crossing your mind (and your eyes glancing at the parapet), Apollo was already climbing the couch. You tried to move away, but he was faster: holding your jawline, he pulled you close to him, his lips brushing yours as he spoke.

– I beg you, my little flower… stop making me jealous… pour your heart to me… be mine…

You opened your mouth to speak, to reply, to try and reason with him one last time, to ask for his divine favor and beg him to let you go, but Apollo didn’t even give you the time to breathe: convinced that actions would teach you better than words, he covered your mouth with hungry kisses, his tongue reaching for yours in a hurry, his hands grabbing your body with voracity. With the lack of air, your lungs started to burn and your eyes got filled with tears.

Your hands, still free, pulled him away by his chin; he stared at you in incredulity.

– Please… my Lord… – you forced your words out, alternating them with gasps – Please… reconsider…

For the first time, Apollo seemed to have his patience tested, and the slight twist in the color of his eyes instilled fear in your heart like you’ve never felt before.

– Too late to think, my y/n… It’s time to act.

He pushed himself upon you on the couch and a second kiss happened, longer and hotter. Now that your attempt to stop him failed, desperation was taking over you, leaving you with two choices: letting him continue or dying for opposing to a god’s will.

The latter seemed less painful for you, so you opted for it.

Beside the couch, just like the other seats at that room, there was a small table with a metallic jar on it; you glanced at it when Apollo let go of your mouth and brought his kisses to your neck, and supposed that it was full. An idea came to you, but you had to be careful.

If I fail at this, it’s over for me.

With slow movements, you managed to bring your body closer to the table’s side, taking the god with you, leaving him too occupied in his caresses to notice anything around. You even reciprocated some of his touches to disguise your nervousness, and waited until you were sure that your hand would reach the jar’s wing.

When the moment came, you stretched your left arm… and your fingers closed around its wing, lifting it from the table with all the strength you could find.

Everything happened too fast for your eyes to follow: catching him in a surprise was your only and greatest advantage, and you managed to do it. The jar flew from the table and hit Apollo’s head, forcing him away from you and dropping the laurel wreath from his hair; confirming your prediction, the jar was full, and the water spread all over the place as the metal clanged against the floor.

You wasted no time: you dragged your body out of the couch and fled the balcony, leaving your sandals and a paralyzed, dismayed Apollo behind. You crossed the room like a ray and somehow unlocked the door easily despite your shaking hands; not only this, but you had the nerve to take the key with you and lock the door from outside to slow the man who would certainly come after you.

***

Your feet barely touched the stairs while you walked down. Behind your back, there was still silence, but you knew it wouldn’t take long until Apollo reached the door and found a way to open it, so you wouldn’t stay to see what was going to happen.

You soon were back to the wide room where his worshipers were celebrating, and it was with no surprise that you found them as happy as before, and that, as you joined the crowd to reach the exit, they barely remembered you. Still, you couldn’t help finding it scary to be squeezed and pushed to all sides by those strangers, who screamed, sang and danced with no regard for each other and for themselves, as victims of a sinister spell.

***

The image of you running away from him was the most terrifying of the nightmares.

Apollo could have ran after you, grabbed you and pulled you back to the balcony. He could have also stretched his hand toward you and used his golden threads to wrap your body and force you to stay, to submit to him. He even managed to raise his hand while you turned your back to him and moved away, passing under the arc that separated the balcony to the rest of the room… but he didn’t do anything.

He just stood there, paralyzed by the surprise with your reaction and the resulting dizziness in his head, his vision darkening as he came to the shameful conclusion.

What I did… there was nothing beautiful about it.

***

The sun was higher in the sky when he regained his consciousness and left the balcony. It must have been one hour or two, judging by its position now – long enough for the effects of the strike to diminish. His head hurt so much that he was sure he would be dead if he was human.

He left the balcony and passed by a mirror, not so far from its entry. He spotted the bruise on his forehead and flinched: it was darker, deeper than he first imagined. Not that he should be worried about having a permanent scar, of course, but it would ache for days.

The god crossed the silent room and stopped by the doors. One look to the lock and he noticed the absence of the key; the shadow of a smile came to his lips.

Clever girl. Trying to slow me down.

He raised his left hand and, working with his golden threads, he involved the doors and pushed them out of their hinges, destroying both with a thunderous sound. He walked out of the room in firm steps, the wreckage cracking under his golden sandals as he approached the stairs and walked them down.

In a minute, he has reached the first floor, where his worshipers continued to celebrate, yet this time a wave of uneasiness has spread silently among them, clearly provoked by the sound of wrecking materials upon there.

Of course, he was eager to leave and start chasing after you, but he was empathetic with the ones who were there just to love him, and made sure they were all calmed down by his words; with this, they were free to go back to their worshiping, knowing that their Lord would be back in a few moments.

He left the temple and rushed to the garden, as his feet were led by instinct to the place that first connected you, but it was with no surprise that he saw you weren’t there; you didn’t even use the garden as escape route. Still, his heart didn’t ache less with the sight of your tools on the soil, and your flowers abandoned, for they meant only one thing.

Not only you were gone, but you weren’t coming back.

***

Autumn came sooner to those lands that year.

The Temple of the Sun closed its gates long before the last week of Summer, and the worshipers returned to their homes with a strange weight in their hearts; it was clear that their god wasn’t content, but the reason was only known by himself, and perhaps as an act of mercy, he protected them from his wrath by sending them away, assuring them of their innocence and promising a warmer season of festivities for the next year.

The days quickly became short, and the winds of the new season were colder than they were in the previous years; the city’s inhabitants were caught in a surprise, and even feared what Winter has reserved for them. The streets were empty, the markets saw their clientele grow thin, the richest traveled to distant lands and the common people were hidden inside their houses. In the wild, the beasts and the small creatures were sharing the same difficulties, and just as it happened with the humans, there was no guarantee that they would make it through the longer period of cold.

Apollo, on his turn, stood in that house alone, instead of traveling back to his place and his divine fellows at the Olympus: he missed their company, but had no strength to face them after the ugliness he created; it has been a monstrosity and a shame, and this was something he must endure all by himself. And so he did it, spending his days and nights wandering among the cold walls of marble, inside which the sound of chords, voices of adoration and the wine being poured in the goblets wouldn’t be heard, and the echo of his own steps were his only partner; the fires lightened by his followers stopped making him warm even before they turned into smoke and cinders, the sweetness of their incense made him sick and the golden altars and objects of devotion turned gray to his eyes.

All because of what he did to you. Because in his eagerness to make you stay, he ended up scaring you away, and the sun that should have kept you content and safe almost burned you to death. How, he asked himself, how did he deprive love from its natural beauty, he who lived to exalt the beautiful? But silence was the only thing to reply.

***

Apollo visited your garden every morning, staying there for a while before returning to his temple and to his dark meditations. Protecting his physical form from the cold with a gray cloak, he wandered through the natural walls that were once green, but now had only brown and red to offer to his sight; the grass was now a shadow of what they were, just dried vegetation that would crack and whiter under his feet, and the flowers came undone to the touch of his fingers.

Many times he passed by the spot where he abducted you, and tears would fill his eyes as he looked at the watering can and the tools rotten on the cold soil, useless after so long time without executing their functions. One morning, he even considered touching them, but when he approached his hand no remnants of your spirit could be sensed in them, and he moved away.

Well, your presence just vanished from the garden itself, and even from the town: sometimes, he would disguise himself among the mortals and seek for your face in the corners of the streets, but he knew the search was worthless. You were long gone.

Actually, you left and hid on the other side of the land, and even your acquaintances haven’t heard about you since Autumn began. But even you couldn’t deny that the season was less merciful that year… and it didn’t take long for you to realize it had something to do with the episode at Apollo’s House. Maybe he couldn’t accept that a mortal woman defied him, and decided to punish her entire land in return; or maybe he just decided to leave sooner, and with him Summer has left. It was hard to be sure when it came to the gods.

However, as much as you weren’t willing to try and seek for his favor against your will in order to save the people of the city, innocent and defenseless against Nature, your heart has been yearning for your garden, your true house, where your happiness and strength and life purpose were. You’ve been struggling to stay in your hideout and wait until the god’s wrath was over, but you just couldn’t take it anymore.

One morning, despite the cold and the adversities, you dressed up and traveled back there. You had no idea of what you were going to find once you stepped into your beloved garden, and a thousand nightmares haunted you while you were on your way, and the times when you thought of giving up and return to the hideout weren’t few…

But all of this noise disappeared when you found yourself, in fact, standing before the garden’s gates. A breeze passed by you at that moment, coming from inside the garden, and sent a chill through your body – a chill that reached your heart.

You forced your feet to move ahead.

As you walked, farther from the entry and closer to the depths of the garden, you noticed that the sensation of loneliness that you were anticipating didn’t come. Yes, the flowers were dead, the grass was dry and the birds disappeared from the trees, but you had this strange feeling telling you that you weren’t the only living being wandering among the reddish vegetation.

A sudden instinct led your feet to the very place where your watering can and shears were left the day you were taken away by Apollo. Were they in the same place, still waiting for your return? You’d only know if you reached there.

And you did. And they were there. Covered in dirt, dead leaves and ivy.

But they weren’t alone. Someone was watching them in silence, standing among the desolation as if they were just a part of it that was waiting for you to come back as well.

And, perhaps, they were, for when they turned to you, your heart dropped.

It was him. It was him, there was no way for you to be mistaken.

The golden bright in his eyes has faded away, and so was his smile. The pink of his hair was no longer glowing, and the paleness on his skin was unsettling. He was still the god of the Sun, but the Sun just settled.

Suddenly, you were scared. What if he was there waiting to cease your existence in revenge? What if that was just a vision to deceive you, and you were now in a new trap, from which you had no chance to escape like the first one?

You tried to move your feet, but they wouldn’t obey you. Your heart ached inside you, and your eyes were getting filled with tears.

Is this how I’m going to die, then?

Apollo left his spot and walked toward you. He was still silent, but no sign of his intentions could be sensed, and you were too scared to try and guess them. Still, something wasn’t right – and when you finally had the courage to look straight to his face, you understood what it was.

From his eyes you saw tears rolling. And in his expression there was only room for incredulity and pain. It was when you knew: it wasn’t a vision; it was really him. And he couldn’t believe you were there.

Apollo stopped before you and you flinched, not knowing what to expect. You shut your eyes tight… and no touch, no extravagances nor punishment came.

You opened them again and found the proud god kneeling on the dirt soil, taking his cloak from his shoulders and leaving it beside him on the ground, his eyes glued on you all the time, as if you could disappear at the slightest distraction.

You didn’t know how long you stood like this, having only the winds to voice your anguish, but the silence became unbearable, and you opened your mouth to speak – but, as always, he was faster.

– Forgive me.

Two words only, but enough to shake your spirit and think of how strange reality could become. A god apologizing? When would you imagine such a thing?

– Forgive me, my flower – he repeated, since you stood quiet – For those things I’ve done weren’t but terrifying.

He stretched his hand to touch your clothes, but gave up on the gesture as to prove his feeling of shame.

Again, your heart ached, and your mouth dried out. You couldn’t just stand there with no reaction, no word, after traveling for so long to reunite with your beloved garden. But you didn’t know what to do or what would be right, so you just let your body decide.

You knelt on the soil too, before the astonished god, and didn’t try to stop yourself when you saw your arms throwing themselves around him, your head resting on his shoulder, and your skin shivering to the warmth of that embrace. You should be scared, you should be aware of any spell working at that very moment, you should be disgusted to see him there – but you weren’t.

– Yes, Apollo-sama – you murmured, not recognizing your own voice – They were terrifying. But I’m no longer scared.

And that was true. All your fear was leaving. And with the first signs that the Autumn was going away with it, you were strangely in peace.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi there! Can I request Female Mihawk Reader with Yandere Lu Bu, Jack, Raiden, Buddha, Qin Shi Haung, Thor, Poseidon, Hercules, Loki, Hades, Rudra, Indra, Hajun and Sasaki?

Reader comes from another World and is revealed to be the ‘Strongest Swordswoman in the World’ with her God opponent being the God of Swords (Reader has Yoru, her Black Blade on her back) and has her Valkyrie Partner transform… to everyone’s shock into a small crucifix pendant, that’s actually a small dagger, which her God Opponent demands in annoyance what exactly is Reader’s game, only for Reader to explain “I’m not the the kind of beast who uses all her might when hunting down a mere rabbit” then has a condensing look as she ‘pitifully’ says “Unfortunately, this is apparently the smallest blade my Valkyrie Partner can turn into, so this will have to do”

Which makes all the Gods and Reader’s Opponent FURIOUS, believing Reader is to arrogant and stupid… until she proves them all wrong by DESTROYING her opponent (The fight ends similar to Zoro and Mihawk’s fight, but the only difference is Reader doesn’t use Yoru, as her calls her opponent ‘Too Weak’ and a ‘Disappointment’ to her, when she kills him, stabbing God’s heart with her tiny blade as he starts to disintegrate) and to add more salt to the Gods’ crippling egos, Reader admits this fight was just like every other fight she’s had “Boring and Unsatisfactory” as she leaves, just as stoic as she fought

However, to everyone’s surprise, Reader shows interest in Sasaki and tells him how he’s the only man worthy of her time (Reader can tell Sasaki is strong, especially since can adapt in battle) and even tells him that she’ll wait for him, no matter how long it takes for him, until he can surpass her, since both are Swordsmen with Honor (Everyone is jealous of Sasaki getting Reader’s attention) and she even asks him every day to spare with her

Reader even tells Sasaki that he should be honored that she uses Yoru when they spare (Sasaki feels honored that a woman like Reader gives an old man like him attention like this, and he could ‘Die a happy man’, which causes Reader to laugh, which is a shock to everyone since Reader is always stoic with a resting bitch face)

-You were regarded as the strongest sword user in the world, even as a woman, you were the strongest, your skills with swords were legendary.

-You enjoyed your time in Valhalla, able to live in quiet comfort, drinking wine, reading books, and meeting other legendary humans, one that you didn’t know, but that was because you were from another world entirely.

-When you died, being caught in a sudden explosion, you were brought here to Valhalla by Brunnhilde.

-This new world was unlike your own, the only people with unique powers were the gods themselves.

-You didn’t fuss with the gods much, getting your own quiet room and plenty of areas to choose from to train in.

-Many of the warriors you faced while training, both humans and gods, were very strong, giving you a challenge, but only for a short while.

-Your skills were too much for them, easily able to overpower most anyone who would challenge you.

-When Ragnarok was announced, you were one of the first people that Brunnhilde approached, asking you to fight against the gods themselves.

-Hoping for the challenge you were finally looking for, you agreed.

-You were fighting first, something you requested and Brunnhilde arranged it for you, and your opponent was announced first as the god of swords himself!

-You smirked for only a moment as you walked out, a massive sword strapped to your back, carrying it with ease.

-Your sharp golden hawk-eye like eyes pierced into your opponent as he was holding two large swords with ease, but everyone was stunned as you made no move to grab your massive sword.

-You touched the cross-shaped pendant hanging around your neck as your Valkyrie partner appeared beside you, “You’re sure this will work?”

-You glanced at her as she was hugging you around your neck, looking like a child, but you instantly pulled out, the tiniest sword that anyone had ever seen, more like a baby dagger!

-Your opponent’s eyelid twitched before he pointed a sword at you, “What the hell is that?!”

-You held your blade, your Volundr, ready to strike, “A weapon that is more than enough for you.” His eyelid twitched again before the gods were quick to yell at you, calling you a cocky human and that you should know your place.

-He shouted at you, charging you with his swords, demanding to know why you weren’t using your big sword, as he wanted to take it from you, seeing the quality.

-You looked almost bored, dodging his strikes before kicking him away from you, your foot in his stomach before you spoke, your voice cold, “I’m not the kind of beast who uses all her might to hunt down a mere rabbit. A pity-” as you looked down at him as if he were dirt, “-that this is the smallest blade my partner can transform into.”

-More shouting from the gods while the humans were in awe of your confidence.

-You rolled your eyes as he shouted out his most powerful attack, trying to take you out and you took a step to the left, dodging it completely, much to his shock as he had turned white, his eyes wide as he gawked at you.

-Your eyes narrowed slightly, “Such a disappointment.” You then slashed at him, cutting him down with an X shaped slash, winning easily.

-Gawking faces filled the arena before the humans went wild, seeing that you had defeated a god and you made it look so easy!!

-You sighed as your partner returned to her normal form, holding onto your hand, making her look like she was your child before you turned, looking up at Zeus, “Was that really the strongest god you had?”

-You ignored the fury of the gods, many who shouted at you, but they couldn’t argue that you did handle your match so easily, it was almost embarrassing for them!

-When Heimdall approached you, inquiring about your thoughts of the match, your words resonated with so many people, “Boring and unsatisfying.”

-The rest of Ragnarok came and went, wins and losses on both sides until humanity was standing in the winner’s circle, and to further prove they deserved their salvation, as you all got to choose one wish together, those who had been killed were brought back to life, both humans and gods.

-The smallest shade of a smile appeared on your lips as your arms folded under your chest, seeing the reunions all around.

-Many gods and humans now had more of a healthy respect of each other, knowing that humanity was indeed stronger than they had thought.

-You were unaware you were now being stared at by both gods and humans, who were taken by your power, wanting a chance to fight you themselves, to test your strength.

-The more they stared as you were speaking to your Valkyrie, Goll, and Brunnhilde, the more they wanted to know about you.

-You were a stunningly beautiful woman, intimidating almost, something even Aphrodite had to admit, but your strength paired with your beauty made you a truly highly sought after woman.

-However, you stunned all by stopping after you had been walking out of the arena, when you saw Kojiro approaching you.

-He offered you a bright grin, “Hey there Y/N! I haven’t seen you since your fight! You were amazing! I would ask for a fight but I would probably lose.” As he said this he scratched the back of his head, laughing lightly.

-You put a hand on his shoulder, meeting his eyes which widened in shock, “No- you’re wrong. Your adaptability in your own fight was very impressive. I’d be honored to spar with you, to see how strong you are now. I would wait centuries for you to surpass me, Kojiro.”

-He was stunned that you recognized him as strong, while many of your other self-proclaimed rivals, were seething with jealousy, as you hadn’t paid them any attention, at least with fights; you would talk with them, but as far as actual fighting, you refused, only willing to fight other sword users.

-You sparred with Kojiro every day, allowing him to train against someone very difficult, and your matches always drew a crowd, not that you minded, mainly because you couldn’t care less.

-As Kojiro laid on his back after another intense session, for him at least, he spoke, “I’m honored a woman like you would give an old man like me any attention. I could die happy.”

-A grin instantly appeared on your face before you threw your head back, laughing warmly, which everyone stared at with huge eyes, as you always had a RBF! You were absolutely stunning when you smiled.

-You reached a hand down to help him up, giving his own a soft squeeze as you spoke with a soft smirk, “It’s a special type of man to grab my attention like that.”

-The glares Kojiro received were well worth it. He had no regrets.

-Lu Bu- When he finally convinced you to spar with him, using his halberd against Yoru, he wanted to see who had the stronger strike, his Sky Eater or your Strongest Slash in the World. The damage as the two strikes hit was so immense, even more so than when Lu Bu fought with Thor, you both had to help clean up the arena after you trashed it. When the dust cleared, both of you were still standing, unharmed and you had to give him a small grin, seeing that he withstood your attack. He became another you fought on a regular basis and he always fought with such joy fighting you, saying you were the only woman he would respect. Thor and him were both strong drinkers, as they would invite you out all the time, which you didn’t mind, finding their antics amusing. It was nice to be able to fight without holding back.

-Jack- Was one of the few who actually didn’t want to fight you, more interested in just conversing with you, sharing tea or wine, playing chess together, and having intellectual discussions. You had to admit that you were a bit curious about his ability to see into your soul, describing the colors you displayed at any given time, it was unique as you had never heard about something like that before. Jack enjoyed his talks with you, never wanting you to leave, as he found you entrancing, from your looks to your strength to your complex personality. He wanted to see more and more.

-Raiden- Raiden was very enthusiastic in trying to convince you to fight him, to the point of chasing you down, running after you until he had you in his arms, like it was a children’s game of tag. You always refused him, as you weren’t a combat fighter, you only used your swords and if you fought him, either you would get hurt from his physical attacks or he would get cut to ribbons. Your words and reasoning did little to deter him as he kept seeking out, asking for a fight, carrying you around in his arms like you were a princess. He was very jolly and loud, but also pushy and sometimes annoying, but you felt like you couldn’t bring yourself to dislike him.

-Buddha- Buddha was another one who was quite pushy, not as in he wanted to fight you, as he was quite laid back, but he was always coming into your house, uninvited, bringing all sorts of snacks that he was willing to share with you. You could enter your home at any given time and find Buddha lounging on your couch, welcoming you home like he lived there. He picked up after himself so it wasn’t that big of a deal to you, and he was quite amusing when you gave him wine and got him drunk, he was a funny, cuddly drunk, which you teased him mercilessly about, but he didn’t care, as you were giving him attention.

-Qin Shi Huang- This cocky little shit irritated you, at first, when he tried to make demands of you like he was in charge of you. As time went on and you learned that was how he was a person, due to him being emperor, you gave him a bit of leniency. He was almost like a child with you, acting spoiled, wanting you to dote on him. He didn’t really want to fight you, although he was curious about your strength, he just liked your icy vibe, as he had seen you smile so brightly, he wanted to see what other sides there were to you.

-Thor- The god was respectful but also quite persistence, in getting you to fight him, as he wanted to see your strength for himself. He would ask you on the daily to fight, but would accept your no, unlike others who would keep asking, but then he would be back the next day to ask you again. You only accepted after you fought Lu Bu, willing to give him a match. Brunnhilde left a lump on your head, Thor’s head, and Lu Bu’s head, scolding all three of you after you and Thor destroyed the arena again. Thor respected your strength and loves to spar with you and Lu Bu both, as you could give them a challenge and they give you a challenge. Plus, they were fun drinking buddies as they were both very strong drinkers.

-Poseidon- Your strength and beauty was unrivaled, or so he thought, when you smiled and laughed, it was like he was being born again, seeing the world with new eyes, but only with you. Poseidon couldn’t stand that you were giving Kojiro the most attention, fury filling him that the older samurai had your attention. It made him want to do even more to get your attention on him. You weren’t bothered by his fancy gifts when he would try to give them to you, refusing them, but his tenacity is what caught your attention, not willing to give up and you finally accepted one of his gifts, a bottle of wine, but you made him sit and enjoy it with you, showing him that there were more sides to you than he originally thought.

-Hercules- This man- this god, was like a giant puppy with you, smiling so brightly when he would call out your name when he sees you around. He’s so respectful of you and your power, not taking anything lightly, which you appreciated, but he’s also super sweet with you, taking your groceries from you, “Let me carry those for you!” he treated you like a lady, but knew for a fact you could probably kick his ass easily, especially if you used Yoru. You enjoyed seeing Hercules, as he showed you all around Valhalla, and he would always be willing to fight you, if you wanted to spar, as he knew he didn’t need to hold back against you.

-Loki- This MF!! He is such a little gremlin and a tease, popping up at random places to try and scare you, wanting to see more emotions out of you, calling out your name so cheerfully. Loki was complicated, if you needed a word to describe him, he was annoying, teasing, perverted, loud, and obnoxious, but as you hated to admit it, if he hadn’t come around for a few days, you found yourself missing his antics. It was sometimes too quiet without Loki’s obnoxious self, popping up at random times. He nearly melted when you patted his head when he came back, asking if you missed him, and you patted his head lightly, adoring your affections.

-Hades- Was very impressed with your skills when he saw you fight, wanting to test you himself, and laughed warmly when you refused to fight him, instead offering him a glass of wine. The two of you became fast friends, as you were similar in personality, usually so serious and stoic, but you did have your soft sides, him with his siblings and you with children. Hades usually got jealous when someone else would try to take your attention off of him, but he was calm about it, choosing instead to just glare harshly while pouting, which you noticed, poking his cheek when you came back, teasing him which he tried to deny that he wasn’t pouting.

-Rudra- Was very soft with you, acting like a gentleman, asking to walk with you, taking anything that you might be holding other than your swords, it was amusing, but appreciated. You found Rudra relaxing to be around, as he was mellow, but you could sense his strength, his determination. You laughed warmly when he asked to hold Yoru, wanting to see how heavy it is, as you were carrying it around like nothing and swung it with such ease. Even with holding it with all four of his hands, Yoru fell to the ground as he could barely hold it up and he gawked before showering you with praise for your strength.

-Indra- Quite and cool, you found solstice with the Hindu god, as he was relaxing to be around, as he didn’t ask you for fights on the regular, only about once a week or so, and he would just sit with you, enjoying spending time together. You did dislike when he smoked, as you didn’t like the smell, but he always made sure to sit downwind from you, so you weren’t overly bothered. You did, however, find out that he was a weak drinker, after you offered to share your wine with him. You couldn’t help but poke his cheek, teasing him as he was nursing a headache afterwards, finding it amusing while he found your teasing side to be rather cute.

-Hajun- You had to discipline him when he tried to grab Yoru, wanting you to fight him, easily taking him out with your unsheathed sword. He was shocked with how easily you were able to take him out, impressed with you while you sat on his chest, but he was unbothered, finding you light, as he asked to fight you again. He was rather territorial with you, if he were to see you, he would hug you and try to keep everyone else away, not willing to share such a strong opponent with anyone else. As time went on however, he grew more territorial, not wanting anyone around you at all, which was more of a headache for you than you thought.

-Kojiro- Kojiro was the only man you gave any physical attention to, mainly because he was your lover now, something he still couldn’t believe. The swell of happiness that would fill his heart when your arms would encircle his neck, hugging gently could warm him all throughout winter. He never asked you for fights, you were the one to ask him, which you didn’t do for anyone else, something he noticed but wouldn’t mention as he would let you curl up in his lap, being doted on by him so gently, your arms around his neck as you both basked in your quiet affections with each other.

[vikingnerd793]

🚨not a spoiler alert but a lot of end game theories. If that’s not your jam. Scroll past this post.

So I’ve picked apart the trailer and my theory about the ending is:

Eivor refuses to convert, knows she is a threat to her people if she stays as they will come for her. Ravensthorpe converts and assimilates to survive. A protector until the end. I think everyone stays behind except maybe one person. Fully expect tear jerking goodbyes with Valka and Gunnar. I doubt either goes with her.

Sigurd returns to Norway, takes the throne in Fornburg under Harald’s banner. Eivor says goodbye not just to Sigurd, but Styrbjorn (or he dies and this is why Sigurd returns to Norway) AND I have a feeling she says goodbye to her parents by visiting Heillboer. I think Varin never being removed from the longhouse (that creepy bug so many of us have, that doesn’t make sense for it to be there as his last scene was him dancing with Eivor and then leaving the longhouse, not just standing there…) may have been a cutting room floor cut scene that is brought back.

I think she makes peace with Havi and that conflict is not truly a conflict, but a co-existence of some sort.

I think Randvi leaves with Eivor, or, when Eivor is old, the final scene we get is Randvi finding her in Vinland. If she does stay behind at first, that breakup is going to be HARD to play through.

I think all those animus anomalies is going to be Basim finding out what happened to his sons (so, possibly the death of his children at Ragnarok) as that’s why he went into the animus to begin with.

I have to wonder if Basim will regret betraying Eivor on some level as he will come to respect her, and realize she truly never knew the full extent of who she was and why she was that way. I got the sense she didn’t in the trailer. Not sure her brain will ever fully process it.

And finally, I think Eivor being buried in Vinland is intentional. Like the whole fate thing, it sets events on a linear path that will be the only way Basim is stopped. Whether Baldr plays a hand in this, or Eivor knows her fate has to be in Vinland for a deeper reason, or both, I am unsure.

I’m putting money down on most of this being correct. And my money is on Darby not having her go out sadly, per say. Just doing what she had to do to protect her loved ones. A much better legacy because of her choices and staying true to herself, not what Havi and the harsh world she lived in tried to make her become.

[starshipsofstarlord]

All This Hassle, and What For?

Pairing | Loki Laufeyson x reader

Summary | getting taken hostage, along with Loki, is far more amusing than ever intended to be, despite it leaving your captors anything but impressed.

Warnings | kidnapping, mentions of depression, swearing, implied smut, innuendos

Based off this tiktok. All original rights to the plot go back to the creator.

Quick link to my masterlist, if you’re interested in reading more of my crap 😬

Opening your aching eyes, you found yourself to be in a large room, there were plenty of feet stood at your eye level, and such a sight made you frown. You certainly didn’t remember being knocked out, but who would, the exposure to unconsciousness was most likely sudden.

But nevertheless, you raised your head, glaring up at those whom had captured you. As your eyes scoured the room, your eyes landed promptly on the god of mischief, who had his hands bound and shackled in chains, and by Odin, did he look good.

However, your attraction the man who once reigned terror down upon New York wasn’t the focus now, and so you licked your lips, and kicked the nearest guard in the leg. He stumbled, the noise loud enough to draw the attention of all others, and you were pleased to stifle a laugh. Loki frowned at your behaviour, knowing that this was not the way that you were trained to be an avenger, but it was clear that you were no longer on earth, so human pleasantries did not apply here.

“And by the gods, who in the galactic council’s name do you think you are?” The closest asked, wrapping his large hand through your hair, and tugging your face up to stare up at him, wanting you to be treated as the lesser being he thought you as.

“Actually, he’s the god.” Tilting your head, you diverted it towards Loki, who squinted feebly at your answer. “But I think you already knew that, since you have him rattled in metal. Just a word of advice, rumour has it that he likes to be restrained in such ways; really, you’re doing him a favour, and you may just earn yourself a big tip.”

You sent a wink up at the commander, watching with inward joy as he grimaced at your development within your speech. “Quite a nice sight, to see him so vulnerable and at someone’s mercy, so thank you general.”

Sending him a smile, he huffed, whilst Loki tried his darnedest to contain an amused grin. It wouldn’t be the first occasion that you had made suggestions regarding the new troop of the avengers; even when he was around causing mischief, (which he still tended to do), there were always words said that gained the god’s intrigue.

Tony at the time, and to this day, despite him being a part of the heroic team, which Thor was ‘inclined’ to drag him into, thought nothing more than disgust at your meaningful jokes. In his words, ‘you two may as well screw so we don’t have to listen to anymore of this dirty banter, you in regards to reindeer games’.

How you wished right now, preached silently even, that Tony could bare to listen again, so that he could send in the team whom could deal with these aliens that were keeping your imprisoned. But all communications were cut, and that just left you and Loki.

By no means did you doubt if Loki got the chance to escape, he would leave you. It was in his nature to do so, but if you could pose a lack of threat, they may loosen up on their efficiency in guarding you. After all, Loki was the one they wanted, not you. And then, both of you could get away from this galactic nonsense.

“Humans.” The general huffed, causing you to grimace as the stench of his breath wafted through the air, and hit your nose. “You all think that you are so special, but when it comes down to it, those who are not from your planet do not care. Loki here, this god, does not care about you little one. And he never will.”

“That’s okay with me, because I don’t care about him either. It’d called self preservation.” You informed your captor, noticing Loki staring across at you with an icy gaze. Who were you kidding? Of course you cared about the god, but right now, you would do anything to get out of this predicament.

“Aw would you look at that.” The feet moved back towards the main reward of their capture, staring down at the green eyed trickster with mocking eyes. “This woman has attitude just like yours, if either of you cared, I’d call it a match made in Asgard.” A laugh bellowed from the wide chest of the being, finding his own comedy quite humorous.

“Excuse me, I’m way out of his league!” You pretended to be offended, bringing your hands that were free of restraint to your chest. They thought not to tie you down as they did to him, after all, you were nothing but a midguardian. That was their mistake. “What’d you want with old horse shagger over there anyways? Don’t be alarmed, but he actually does some kind of good now, even if it be out of his own self interest.”

A heavy sigh fell on deaf ears, as the protector of space glanced unsurely between the pair of you. “He has the tesseract, and I wish to take it from his slippery hands, he cannot be trusted with such a powerful source of energy.” His words bellowed a laugh of absolute surprise from your mouth, earning a frown from those keeping you hear, and a cock of the head from the god of mischief.

It was clear that not only was he confused by your supple, yet somewhat pleasant burst of amusement, but he was also in the dark about what in the Hela this predominant being was speaking of. Yes, he had had the tesseract at one point , however, no longer was it in his untrustworthy grasp.

Thanos had taken ownership over it, after killing many of the people that he had saved from the events of Ragnarok. It was not just some energy source, it had been an infinity stone all along, tricking the eyes of elders and the young to believe that it was nothing more than a harbouring of power. But it had indeed been the space stone, and it was taken from him, in exchange for saving Thor’s life.

The Guardians of the Galaxy had found the pair of them upon the aftermath of the wreckage, taking them in, amongst plans of taking Thanos down. It had been a failure, up until the avengers went back in time, going to their past that would not affect their future, so that they could reverse the affects the Titan had brought upon earth and everywhere else.

During that time, Loki had nurtured his brother, watching as he fell apart with the responsibility of their people, and collapsed into a spiral of depression. You had also been there for Thor, doing your best to take the drink away from the bulky god, but to no avail did you manage to succeed. And so, during those tormenting five years, you and Loki would sit side by side, both basking silently in your failures.

“I thought you guys’d know everything, but I guess that you and your highness are stuck in one time line; all of them. But for us humans and every lesser being, there are multiple, and that Loki that stole the tesseract, yet I say again, is one much different. And we are on the search for him, to stop his disruption and crossing over of the times!” An exonerated, and audible exhale of air left you after your little speech.

Loki smirked, at the premise of you protecting him with the admission of the truth. But he couldn’t help but feel a feeling of warmth flutter within his immortal insides, it was rather a nice feeling he realised. “He is quite difficult to catch, we have been tracking him since the time heist went sideways.”

“That’s because he’s you!” You pointedly exclaimed, unable to pin some of the blame upon the god himself. Sure, in recent times he had changed, and was much different from back when he wanted all mortals to kneel before him (which you’d willingly do if it ever came to that, though you’d never tell him under which circumstances that would be), but at the end of the day, that had been him once!

The tricks and the lies still remained, but he had found a reason to thrive, and a long and enduring career that he was well at tackling. Often, he made out being an avenger, despite the government’s rouse of concern, to be a bore, and that he had far better things to do. But he stayed, with a light in his eyes, and continued following along with the heroic traditions, breaking a few rules here and there.

“Dear, why do you always have to put the blame upon me? I was not the one who decided to put that green dye within your shampoo, but I’ll have to admit, did you look so enrapturing.” He was running a ploy, dragging out the time that you spent bantering in hopes of something happening.

Unlike Heimdall, he did not have foresight, but it was a requirement whilst the pair of you were on your expediting mission, that you check in with the base, via the comms that had cracked under brutal feet. And so, he spoke, with the promise that you’d return the conversation and leave all others in the room confused with your meaningless discussion.

“I did, didn’t I?” You asked, to which he hummed in reply, lightly nodding his head, as his feline eyes ran up your body, paying ample attention to how your limbs were free, unlike his own. “But I’d say fine sir, that the blame is down to Clint, and if I’m correct, may we kick his ass as soon as we get back home?”

“Of course we can my beloved-“ you froze at his choice of words, and it appears that he did too, suddenly realising his mistake. Gulping for a second he went to speak again, but the commander felt much inclined to but in, and stop the headache that was bubbling in his large head.

“Shut up; the pair of you!” His scolding made you feel as though you were in school over again, it was impossible not to drop your head down and try to contain your laughter. Loki too found such enjoyment in this predicament, sporting a cheshire grin to emit his emotions.

“I’m sorry, can you say that again? Maybe a just a tad louder?” You pinched your thumb and forefinger together to show how much, and it was clear that you were pissing this primal being off. He began towards you, and you were prepared to fight him, you were never one to back down, which was one feature upon the various reasons that Fury had initially recruited you.

Awaiting the first strike, you stood despite the others around you, your eyes wide open as you bravely stared up at your opponent. But before the fight could begin, a distant crash assumed preference in your ears, causing you to turn your head in the direction it had came from. And then, all of a sudden, a ship crashed through the dock, guns blazing from its side.

“What are you waiting for?” The distinct voice of Rocket asked, and obediently you ran through the terror, finding Loki already upon the ship, but then, he appeared behind you also. “Quill, get ready to go!”

Taking glances, you stared between the two practically identical copies, a light frown on your face. Both were restrained, yet the one that was seated beside Groot, whom was playing a game on some nineties device, was glaring up at the pair of you.

“An avenger, really?” The seated one laughed, mocking his once future self, as you felt the ship steer clear away from the scene. Your Loki quirked his brow, smirking at his self that had avoided the wars that he had chosen to fight upon earth.

“Yes, an avenger.” He responded, causing his other to languidly scoff. An ‘I am groot’ came from the tree, and it was uncertain in your spoken languages of what he had said, but either way, you were more intrigued by the conversation that was happening between the Loki’s. “And I’ll have you know, that she is infinitely more brave than you, you cower-some fool.”

“Oh, so we’re going there?” You asked, causing the pair to snap out of their mutual rivalry, and stare haphazardly at you. “No, don’t mind me, feel free to continue.”

“We’re not going to be unable to unbind your until we reach earth.” Gamora cut in, speaking to the Loki that you knew to be the original.

“That’s fine.” He nodded humbly, before casting his attention back at his alternate reflection. “And this woman, is not only an avenger. She was there for your brother when you were not.”

“Aw.” The other Loki smirked, almost cruelly. “So she’s your beloved?” He remarked rudely, and it seemed to break something within Loki, him wishing not to listen to the other version of himself. He decided he did not like him, and understand how you must have felt upon your initial meeting.

“Yes.” You went to speak, but instead, Loki stood before you, powerlessly pulling your face to his own, and colliding his lips upon yours. On impulse, you ravenously replied with much affection, clasping his jaw and allowing him entrance into your mouth. It earned a disgusted groan out of the Loki that had caused all this hassle.

“I hate to interrupt...” Rocket returned, after putting his gun down and having gone to the front of the ship with Quill, so that he could contact Stark. “But these may get those off.” He held a pair of golden pliers, that were far larger than his body. At the sight , you pulled away from Loki’s face for a moment, raising a brow.

“It’s fine, I think I want to keep them on.” You smirked, earning another sound of disapproval from Loki’s identical rival, pulling him back to your face. Wildly, he hummed into the cavern of your mouth, as the pair of you stumbled around on the spaceship.

“Bedrooms are down the hall to the right.” Nebula informed you, her voice monotone, and in turn, you dragged the god towards said direction, finally releasing all the tension that had been pent up through the years.

Tags

@nickkie1129

[nonbinarylowkey]

Hi its me again, that dude who asks about what would past Loki react thingy, anyway. Can you do a small headcannons where the “future” s/o was paired up with the past Loki and wearing some mask to cover up her face and stays quiet while helping him on his mission from the entire series. Pleaseeeee

Sure I can!  This might be a little different from what other people think because Loki doesn’t have a canon S/O to base the personality off of and this is just what I think his S/O will be like, but here we go:

At first S/O tries to distance themself from Loki. They might have to go on this mission together, but they don’t have to be close. And they’re not really interested in getting close to a version of Loki that they will almost certainly not be able to spend their life with. As far as S/O is concerned, this version of Loki is one that’s being used for certain missions that are best suited to his skillset, and then he’ll be set back to his own time to live the life he was meant to live before Tony’s botched attempt at getting the tesseract.

Loki is a menace about the mask. He doesn’t understand the need for S/O to hide their face. So he makes a game of catching S/O with their face uncovered. It’s extremely distressing when he manages it and S/O lashes out, nearly quitting the mission. It’s not really that they think Loki is in danger of recognizing them without the mask - this version of Loki never met them, after all. The problem is that when Loki doesn’t recognize S/O without the mask, it drives the nail in the coffin of the love they once shared. S/O’s Loki is gone. This Loki might look, smell, talk, walk, act like their Loki but he doesn’t love them. Their life together is done.

So once Loki sees S/O’s face, S/O goes to the TVA and demands to be let go from the mission. S/O refuses to work with Loki anymore. Naturally, the TVA doesn’t allow this. S/O has to carry out the mission. (I’m leaving the mission vague, I don’t think it really matters to this). So S/O goes back to where they left Loki and continues to lash out at him. Loki doesn’t understand what’s going on and thinks that S/O is just fucking batshit. This drives a bigger wedge between them.

Now, S/O and Loki are continuing the mission, but the wedge is making everything go wrong. They aren’t working well together. They keep messing up because they won’t communicate properly. They’re making stupid little mistakes that put everything at risk. Eventually, this culminates in S/O getting hurt. Loki doesn’t particularly like S/O at this point, but they are his partner for this mission so he takes them to a safe place and does his best to heal them.

During the healing process, Loki swallows his pride and apologizes for looking at S/O without the mask. He doesn’t understand what the big deal is, but obviously it was a big deal to them and this fight is putting their lives at risk. It isn’t a good apology. It’s not the worst, but this is a version of Loki that hasn’t had a chance to really heal from everything he went through with Thanos or even finding out that he’s actually a frost giant and his whole life as an Asgardian prince was a lie. So the apology toes the line between sincere and insincere. He says things that are more insult than a request for forgiveness. But it’s an apology, and it is clear enough that he’s trying to mean it even if he’s not doing a great job.

S/O just starts bawling at this point. The tension between them has been eating them up inside and they just can’t hold in their emotions and it comes out in one awful sobbing mess. Loki doesn’t know how to handle this. He just stands there awkwardly and debates the merits of leaving S/O to fend for themself while he finishes the mission now that their life isn’t immediately at risk. But S/O asks him not to go. So he doesn’t. Because there’s still a small, unbroken piece of him that Thanos and the Other couldn’t touch and that piece is the piece of himself that wants to be better. It’s the reason he’s helping the TVA and not taking every chance he can to just escape.

Nothing is really resolved at that point. But the S/O seems to do a complete 180 personality wise, at least as far as Loki is concerned. See, S/O had been doing their best to be the exact opposite of the person Loki fell in love with in their timeline. After Loki saves their life, however, they don’t have the energy to keep it up. The relationship S/O had with their Loki might well and truly be dead, but this is still a Loki. A version of Loki that their Loki once was. And their love for Loki is still there and while time might have let the intensity of that love fade, the TVA hasn’t given S/O any time. So now that S/O doesn’t have the energy to pretend to be someone else, they’re retaking the personality that their version of Loki once fell in love with.

Loki likes this “new” personality much better. So he and S/O get closer until after a while he genuinely considers them a friend. He opens up to S/O a little bit. He lets his guard down and becomes more of the version of Loki we get in Ragnarok. He’s still hurting and masking that hurt with wit and sarcasm. But there’s also an openness and willing to reveal pieces of himself that he never thought he’d want revealed.

S/O and Loki find themselves at a bar on some planet neither of them have ever been to before. They get drunk on alien wine and before S/O realizes what they’re doing, they kiss Loki. Loki, who thinks this is just going to be a drunken friends with benefits situation is like, fuck yeah! I’m getting laid tonight.

They have sex.

S/O wakes up in the morning, has a complete breakdown when they realize what happened and now Loki is thinking “oh fuck, I just ruined the only friendship I have.”

In the midst of their panic attack, S/O pulls out something that has always helped them calm down in the past, but gasp! Loki recognizes it. Turns out that S/O’s comfort object is actually something that their version of Loki gave them. It’s something that Loki managed to save from his rooms in the Asgardian palace before Asgard exploded. He had given it to S/O on their first anniversary as a romantic gesture of using his past as a building block to his future with S/O.

Obviously, the version of Loki that S/O is currently with doesn’t know any of this. This Loki thinks that this particular item should still be in his rooms in Asgard where he left it. Once S/O has calmed down enough to talk, Loki asks about it. How did they get this, why do they have it? Is this some sort of trick? 

S/O, out of energy for lies and wanting nothing more than to come clean about how much Loki actually means to them, tells Loki the truth about their relationship. It’s a long explanation, one that Loki doesn’t immediately believe. But he also can’t deny that what S/O is saying just feels... right. This version of Loki may not be so sure that he loves S/O at this point, but the idea isn’t repulsive. It’s nice, actually. And more than that, when he actually thinks about the time he’s spent with S/O while they’ve been on this mission, he realizes that there have been little pieces of evidence pointing to their past relationship all along.

But he doesn’t know how to handle the truth of everything. It’s just one more life changing truth he’s been given and while this is far more positive than Odin revealing the truth about him being a frost giant, it’s still something he isn’t equipped to properly handle. That night, he leaves. He takes the mode of transportation he and S/O have been using and leaves. Where he goes doesn’t really matter. He goes to try and sort his own thoughts out. To see if he can calm his racing emotions.

Naturally, S/O is heartbroken. They don’t leave the room they’d been staying in for days. They have meals brought to them by the staff of the place they’re staying in and wonder what they’re going to do now. As far as they’re concerned, Loki has rejected them and left them stranded on a foreign world. 

A few days later, Loki returns. S/O is furious. They scream and cry and shove Loki until their throat can’t take it anymore. Loki lets them do this because, well, it was a pretty shitty thing for him to do. And when S/O is done, he apologizes. Sincerely. It’s probably the most sincere thing this Loki has ever done in his life. Then he explains where he’d ultimately gone: to the TVA, to demand they show him any footage they had on his relationship with S/O. It was... a lot. Especially the parts where Loki and S/O discussed Thanos and the abuse Loki suffered at his and his lackey’s hands. But the footage gave him some perspective and he wants to do right by S/O. Obviously he can’t promise to be the same Loki they fell in love with, but he wants to build a new relationship. S/O wants the same. There is no denying it. They tried and it only led to this moment.

So they do try. It’s a long process. Things aren’t the same as they were with the other Loki. There are times S/O just wants to quit and there are times Loki wants to quit. Ultimately, they come together and create something beautiful. Maybe at some point they’ll have to deal with this version of Loki having to go back to the timeline he’s supposed to be in, but for the moment they have each other and they’ll fight anyone who tries to take that away.

So, yeah! That’s my headcanon for what would happen. You asked for small headcanons and I gave you 1600 words so I hope that’s okay lol I honestly didn’t think I’d have much to say, but here we are. And this is the version where I keep things sorta vague to account for all the things we don’t know about the show yet. Kept the gender of the S/O neutral.

[sparrowsabre7]

I have to say, the Avengers game's story has really impressed me. The plot itself is so-so and unfortunately bears the baggage of telling an Avengers Disassembled story not one year after Endgame (it even features the same five year time jump) but to counter this it has Ms. Marvel front an centre.

Kamala Khan has been a breakout character in the comics for some time now, but is still not particularly well known by the public at large. This enables Crystal Dynamics to craft an origin story that is also an Avengers story, told from the perspective of a fan.

It works neatly within the narrative and I confess to getting the same thrill seeing Thor appear onscreen as Kamala did. We share these moments with her and feel her losses and triumphs. It's also easier to build a story on her when there is much less weight of expectation of what Kamala is "supposed" to be like compared with the other Avengers (remember the outcry when they didn't look exactly like the MCU versions?).

That being said, before I heap more praise, I do find it a bit strange that although we see the origin incident that causes Kamala to gain powers and her transition from keyboard warrior to super hero, we never actually see her discover her powers and the transition is a little jarring. One moment she's fleeing the events of A-day and the next she's bounding over rooftops. Considering the relatively slow burn intro it may have been cut for time, but it still feels a bit off.

To delve in then, the voice work surprised me. All the trailers and the beta showed off a fairly generic reading of the 5 veteran Avengers, most noticeably Nolan North who at points seemed to be channeling his Deadpool by way of Nathan Drake for Tony Stark, and Travis Willingham, despite being an old hand at Thor seemed worryingly hammy. In the game proper however, each actor is surprisingly nuanced, particularly Sandra Saad who bears the brunt of the narrative on her shoulders as Ms Marvel. She sells every moment with Kamala and brings earnestness to the character that helps temper the relatively dark setting the game has gone with. However, it was Troy Baker who surprised me most with a performance that really captures the withdrawn and introverted energy of Bruce Banner in a way I didn't really expect to see in a video game. So often he is just there to talk on Hulk's behalf or play a generic scientist, so it was actually quite disarming to essentially see him as Kamala's mentor. Nolan North also brought a much more tortured energy to Tony than the previews would have had you believe, he quips a lot, sure, but when he speaks with sincerity, you feel it. Travis Willingham won me over in his first scene, balancing the Shakespearean classic Thor with some Ragnarok attitude thrown in there. Laura Bailey remains excellent in everything so little surprise there.

[nerdyzombiesonskates]

Imagine Finding a Way to Save Tony

Side Note:   This is long but I wanted to establish your character’s background and develop relationships!

Warning: If you have not seen Endgame, there will be spoilers!   Y/N=Your Name, F/N=First Name, L/N=Last Name

Tony Stark x Reader. Platonic!Reader x Dr. Strange, Platonic!Avengers x Reader. The Reader does have an age gap but she’s still over 18!

One last note: This takes place between Dr. Strange, Civil War, and Ragnarok while ending in Endgame. 

You traveled with Captain Marvel throughout the galaxy, just before Thanos arrived. Along the way you learned you had a natural ability to magic so as Carol went out and saved the universe from every danger that showed it’s ugly head, you stayed back and learned all that you could from the strange masters. 

Healing was one of your abilities. It used a mixture of light magic and water. But this wasn’t just any water; this water came from the most sacred place in the galaxy. A place known as the Sanitatem. Here, the magic users master the arts ranging from minor cuts and scrapes all the way down to severe burns and essentially bringing someone back from the dead. 

Your journey separated you from your life long companion as a distress signal radiated among the ship you came to know and love. 

“I’ll see you soon, (Y/N). You’re going to do fine.” Carol mumbled with a sad smile. You gave her a firm hug, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. 

“It’s just the Masters of the Mystic Arts. I’m already a Sorceress of the Practical Arts, how hard can this be?” You weakly joked.  “Besides, I’ve been meaning to stop by Earth; the Ancient One is said to be there. Maybe she can teach me the last of the magical arts.” 

Carol hugged you firmly one last time. Once the two of you said your goodbyes, you departed with a silent spell; Ianuae Magicae. 

Earth was everything you had imagined it to be. Or at least how you remembered it to be before the Kree Empire took Carol and inadvertently you. Following the distress signal, you met up with Dr. Stephen Strange inside the New York Sanctum. His face grim, his lips in a thin line as if he was chewing on them subconsciously. 

“You must be (Y/N) (/L/N), I’ve heard many things about you.” 

“Good things I hope.” You mumbled sheepishly. 

A smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “Good things, yes. I called you here for a reason, (Y/N). Earth will be needing your services when Thanos comes.” 

Your eyebrow quirked up. “Oh? In what way?” 

Dr. Strange smirked. “If I told you, it wouldn’t come true.” 

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Ah yes, time mumbo jumbo. Don’t wanna ruin any surprises.” 

You paused for a moment, looking over your shoulder to the big city behind the two of you. “I have a feeling I’ll be meeting someone here. Someone...important to me.” 

Dr. Strange hummed. “Come, you want to learn the Mystic Arts, correct?” 

Your eyes shinned brightly. “Yes. I’ve heard nothing but mysterious things about the Ancient One and her students.” 

You chattered excitedly to Dr. Strange as he lead you through the Sanctums and finally to Kamar-Taj. Over the months, you trained along side your newest friend and mentor, Dr. Strange. You weren’t up to his level, nor did you think you would ever be but that didn’t phase you or him. You both knew where one of you were stronger in the Mystic Arts, the other was stronger in the Practical Arts. Eventually you would end up fighting along his side when Dormammu arrived; helping Stephen seal him away and gaining the Infinity Stone. 

Although your training was complete, you stayed with Dr. Strange learning more magic than your heart knew how to handle; your daily tasks included helping Strange categorized any and all mythical threats on Earth. 

Then one day, you met him.  It was an accident, honestly. You were out trying to locate some greek demigods that accidentally destroyed a minor part of a museum last night and had no intentions on meeting anyone when in the state of daydreaming, walked face first into the one and only Tony Stark. 

The two of you got along almost immediately. Your emphatic abilities picked up on almost every distressing emotion this poor man has subjected himself to. It was overwhelming to you but still you couldn’t help the blush that formed across your cheeks when he started using some stupid pick up lines and witty conversations. 

Your dates were romantic, and over the top just as he was. Every day brought a new adventure between the two of you and arguments were far and few in between. Eventually you were brave enough to tell him the powers you had, and he immediately told you he was Iron Man, and thus was already used to the strange and unusual. You wanted to mention you already knew who he was, considering everyone does but you kept it to yourself. 

You found yourself blabbing a lot to Stephen about your new relationship with Tony. You couldn’t contain yourself. 

“So you’re in love.” He said almost flatly. He walked around you, looking at maps of the multiverse. 

Your head snapped to look at him; eyes wide. A new emotion flooded you. One you weren’t one accustomed to since being with Tony, and Stephen. You were scared. 

“...Yeah...I guess you could say that.” 

“(Y/N), you know that’s a dangerous game to play in our work. Especially with what the outcome is supposed to be.” 

“There has to be a way.” You nearly yelled and stood up quickly from your chair. “I can’t...” You were breathless. 

You moved through rows and rows of books; some of them were just as ancient as the building was. Stephen appeared next to you, a look of forlorn on his face. He brought you into a bit of an awkward hug in an attempt to comfort you. 

“I can’t lose him, Stephen.” You breathed into his shoulder. 

“I told you getting too close would be disastrous for you.” He joked weakly. You shoved his shoulder lightly, pulling away from him. 

“I know I can’t change destiny but I have to try.” 

Stephen didn’t stop you. You wouldn’t let him even if he tried. 

The months flew by. You were getting closer and closer to Tony by each passing day, eventually moving in with him. You met some of the Avengers through your travels. You took a big liking to Wanda, and although Natasha was a bit weary of the age gap between you and Tony, she eventually warmed up to you, as did Clint. Steve seemed nice but he was troubled about something. You wanted to ask him about who this Bucky person was, but seeing the pain in his eyes the ache in his soul, you decided not to. You met Thor when he came barreling into the Sanctum declaring he was looking for his father, Odin. Stephen was more than glad to show him the way. 

On a rainy night in the middle of spring, you found yourself slow dancing in the middle of Tony and your’s shared living room that overlooked the Big Apple, the lights were dimmed, the music was soft and slow. Your head was laid on his chest, listening to his heart beat. You were content, but something lingered in the back of your mind. Thanos was coming; you could feel it in your bones. But there was something else that bothered you. Tony seemed nervous. 

“What’s wrong, love? You seem nervous.” You whispered softly to him. 

“Me? Nervous?” He scoffed softly. “Never.” 

You raised your head to look at him. A smile poking through his nervous demeanor. 

“You know you can’t lie to me.” You breathed. Raising one of your hands from his lower back, you cupped his face in the palm of your hand. Your finger tips just brushing through the ends of his hair. He leaned into your hand, his much larger hand cupping your smaller ones. 

“Y/N, I have something I’ve been meaning to say...for a while now.” He pulled you apart from him. You remained where he left you, as you watch him move to his bar. He took a swig of what you would assume is whiskey then watch him come nervously back to you with one of his hands behind his back. 

“Y/N, we’ve been through a lot the last couple of years. Steve doing his thing with Bucky, that thing with Loki and New York, and now finding the Infinity Stones...” Tony sighed deeply, his free hand taking one of yours. 

“I have loved you since the moment you walked into me,” He teased, his eyes glimmering with playfulness. You scoffed loudly. “Hey it was fate, okay?” 

You went to rip your hand from his, but he tightened the grip around your wrist. 

“In all seriousness, Y/N, Marry me.” He blurted out. 

You stood there in shock. Your mind reeling with emotions. Then you started crying. Tony seemed taken back. 

“A simple no, not today would’ve worked better.” He pulled you close to him, the pain of rejection radiating from his chest. 

“N-no,” you bubbled out, “these are tears of joy. Yes, I’ll Marry you Anthony Edward Stark.” 

He flinched. “Why did you have to say my full name like that?” 

You looked up at him with wide, bloodshot eyes. The both of you started to laugh uncontrollably. His forehead resting upon yours as you resumed dancing in his arms once again. He slipped the very impressive rock on your finger. 

“I love you Y/N L/N. Always have, always will.” He whispered to you. 

The two of you shared a kiss just as thunder rolled in the night sky. 

Finally the time had come. Thanos was upon Earth. You spent many nights worrying if Tony was ever going to come home. It was futile. You trusted Stephen Strange even though he kept the events a secret. You knew his methods, you knew his magic. He did this to protect the timeline. Still, your heart was aching. You lost your best friend, and your lover all with one snap of Thanos’s fingers. 

You sat with Natasha in her office, watching her trying not to have a mental break down. The meeting had ended, the remaining Avengers were taking control of any minor problems that had arrived since Thanos wiped off half of humanity. Her emotions were well hidden but the sadness crept into your brain like a drug.  

“Y/N! Natasha! You guys may wanna come see this!” Steve shouted over the earpiece. The two of you shared a look, and immediately ran outside. The sight had you on your knees in tears. 

Flying down from the sky, was not only Tony’s ship but Carol Danvers herself. She was the first one you hugged, the tears pouring onto your shoulder as she clung to your body. 

“I have missed you so much.” You choked. 

“I’ve missed you too.” She mumbled as she let go of your shaking form. She brushed the tears from your cheeks, and hinted over her shoulder. 

“There’s someone else you may want to see.” 

Tony came wobbling down the platform. His weakened frame was supported by Nebula’s taller robotic frame. It didn’t even click in your brain he had no energy, no strength to support you but you ran to him anyway. He tried as hard as he could to keep you from collapsing on him. 

“You’re Alive.” You mumbled over, and over again. Tony said nothing. He held you close to him and to both of you that was enough. 

Five years would pass by. 

Five years of Thanos’s destruction. You and Tony were married now. You had a beautiful house in the middle of the woods far from society. You had a daughter, who may have looked like Tony but shared your affinity for magic. She was talented that much you knew. You couldn’t wait to train her in the Mystic and Practical Arts. 

Then the fateful knock came. You saw them arriving just before they came knocking at your door. An argument occurred that night. An argument that you knew would arrive sooner or later. You had hoped for later. Much later. 

“They need you, Tony.” 

“You need me. Our daughter needs me.” He struggled over his own emotions. The turmoil battled between his wants and his needs. Tony just invented time travel, the opportunity to fix everything had come. 

You stood and moved slowly over to him. His pacing was making you anxious. You placed his hands on the his cheeks, and smiled softly at him. 

“Stephen put his trust in you that you would fix this mess, and I trust him and you. We’re going to win this, Tony.” 

It took a lot of convincing that night but when morning came, the Avengers were loosely back together. 

The fight with Thanos was crippling but the odds were stacked against him this time. Steve became a broken bleeding mess, Tony was almost the same way. Natasha was dead, and you...you were clinging on to the last hope you had. Your powers swirled deep within your core. 

It was now or never. 

Just as you raised your hands to release the ultimate power that swelled within you, portals opened up behind you. Tons of them too. You looked behind you, and smiled the biggest smile you ever had in years. Your friends, the Avengers that once vanished into thin air, were now here along side you and your comrades. 

You looked to Stephen. “I found away.” You mouthed. You pointed to the chain around your neck. A single vial hung around the chain and laid on your chest. 

“I hope it works out.” Stephen would say to you. 

“I know it will.” You countered. 

During the battle, Tony found his way to the gloved hand that carried the infinity stones. You fought along side Wanda, and Peter, making sure no enemies would attack your reunited family. 

Noticing the end was near, you ran to Tony just as he snapped his fingers. The light was blinding and the force was felt across the multiverse. Thanos and minions vanished into nothing just as humanity did years ago. You caught Tony in your arms just as he crumpled from the burns that etched his body 

Peter joined your side, his face etched with worry. “Your going to be okay, Mr. Stark.” 

You smiled weakly at Peter. “Everything’s going to be okay, Peter. I promise.” 

Stephen placed a firm hand on Peter’s shoulders. The two of them back off a bit allowing you enough space to prop Tony up on the rock behind him. You took the vial from around your neck and clasped it in your hand. You focused your powers to the vial; a light blue light shimmered around it, engulfing your hand. 

Tony eyed you a bit wearily. “We’re going home together. All of us.” You told him firmly. 

You placed your hand on his cheek, and focused on the burned skin surrounding your fingers. The water flooded through his veins, glowing a warm white light as it healed the torched wounds. 

“I’ll need to take you to Sanitatem to fully heal your wounds.” You whispered to him. “But this should heal the worst of them.” 

Tony pulled you close to him. 

Peter  nearly sobbed as he raced to join the now group hug.  You gave a watery laugh as the three of you were smooshed into the bear hug. 

You helped Tony to his feet as the newly rejoined Avengers return to the current day Earth. 

“Lets go home.” 

[nomadmilk]

Why the God Isn’t Bored on Midgard - Loki x F!Reader Drabble - 6

Summary: With Ragnarok decimating Asgard, Thor and Loki and their people return to Earth searching for refuge. Everyone else has seemed to settle, except for Loki - the God of Mischief and Chaos - who isn’t willing to live the domesticated Midgard life, and getting utterly bored out of his mind... Until he discovered you.

Word Count: 2.6K 

Warnings: Rated M/18+. Loki being possessive. Foreplay and teasing the reader. Light smut. Intruding ex.

Author’s Note: Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! :D If you have just stumbled across this one, I do recommend reading the previous parts before going onto this. I hope this is okay! Enjoy :D

Here are the other parts to the series: Part 1     Part 2 Part 3     Part 4 Part 5     Part 6 Part 7     Part 8 (First Half)     Part 8.5 (Second Half) Part 9

Leaning behind the door, your head pokes out to see Thor. You greet him with an awkward grin, and he returns it with a raise of a gold brow. You open the door wider to Loki.

“Hello, brother.” His eyes narrow inquisitively. “You seem sulkier than usual.”

You clap your hands together, heels on and bag already around your shoulder. “Stark Tower?” You stride through the door, and past Thor, assuming that he had brought a ride to get there.

Thor was never one to shy away from confrontation and blundering situations, or even acknowledge events as such. But, as Loki shifted his collar, the soft click of the door made their eyes come into contact with each other. And Loki could see it; that knowing look that Thor seems to be getting every time he understood anything out of the ordinary.

Which was very rare, as a matter of fact. But nowadays, with you around, it wasn’t much so.

“Anything to say, young brother?”

“No.” Loki walks past him, treading down the stairs of the building.

The elder brother follows behind. “Are the both of you okay? There seems to be some tension.“

“As far as I know, we’re the same as we’ve ever been.”

Loki let the sound of their footsteps fill the gap within their conversation as they got into the car. You were already seated beside the taxi driver, which left Loki and Thor at the back of the vehicle. He sees you interact with the driver; it was light small talk, with nothing grounding the chat besides some laughs and giggles.

Loki stares straight in front of him. “So, what’s Stark’s jubilation this time?”

Thor cracks a smile. “The Asgardians have found a new home. They are all settled and happy on Earth. Stark thought it would be good to celebrate it, is all.”

It had been a loss since Ragnarök had struck upon Asgard. So, in the back of his mind, Loki was glad for his people surviving and being content with the chance to start anew in an environment that welcomes them.

However, the rest of his mind was occupied bitterly with your rejection of him.

“You couldn’t get us anything more extravagant for our entrance?” Loki felt in distaste of Thor’s decision of a cab.

Truly, he was hiding his spite, and transferring it to what he did best; being petty with his brother.

“You wanted to ride on some Pegasus?” Thor questions, the rhetoric tone resounding.

“Maybe something a little less cramped.” Loki attempts to stretch his legs but is locked within the space available.

A phone rings. Realising it’s yours, you answer it.

“Do you want to tell me what’s really going on?” Thor asks in a low voice. “Y/N is acting stranger than usual.”

The brothers hear you huff, seeing you stuff your phone back in your bag. It rings again, and you answer it once more. “What?”

“That doesn’t sound so good.” Thor whispers again.

Loki breathes. “Why is it any of your concern?”

“Because it seems to me that you made it yours.”

As the car stops, you handed the fare to the driver, and exit the car. You are met by a couple of security guards, and some people with suits and lanyards.

Although, you thought it pointless to have guards, when one can shoot lightning from his hands and the other was capable of almost beginning an extra-terrestrial war.

They escorted you through; Thor and Loki walk side by side, with you hanging back a little. It’s been a while since you’ve been to an office building. But it was nothing like the beige walls and old red carpets that you were used to; crystal clear floors where every clip of your heel felt like it was being cleaned itself, wide monitors displaying the Stark brand and snippets of their projects, and the high glass ceilings made you wonder at the evening stars just a little a longer.

You keep up with their strides towards the elevator, your attention lost to the surroundings; some plants even catch your eye.

“Lady Y/N.” Thor clears his throat.

You turn to him; everyone is waiting for you inside the elevator.

You scuttle in with them. “You don’t have to call me a Lady…”

The elevator doors slid shut, the room rising to an eventual jingle. The doors reopened, revealing a cast of faces and names, chatting and drinking and laughing. You freeze, but you feel Thor’s pair of hands pat you on the shoulders to encourage you to move forward. With a set of nerves, you do so.

You’ve been to parties before, but it was always at a friend’s house, or a small bar hired for the night. Usually there wouldn’t be much talking, and instead a lot of shouting because the music was too loud. Drinks would be in plastic cups, and if glass was ever offered there was a possibility of someone smashing them by accident…

But, no. The room was a large rooftop penthouse, martini glasses and wine glasses were in everyone’s hands, and the only music that filled the room was turned to a low volume. It wasn’t even anything with a heavy beat… It was jazz.

You’ve heard of Tony’s Stark’s parties, usually from gossip media… So, it seemed too surreal in being in one.

The night wasn’t as bad as you thought it was. It was true; everyone knew each other besides you. However, it didn’t stop anyone from approaching you.

“Wanna’ game of pool- Uh, sorry, what’s your name? Y/N, was it?...”

“Oh, hey, Y/N, it’s nice to meet you…”

“Would you like another drink, Lady Y/N?...?”

It might have been the alcohol talking, but you felt comfortable socialising and meeting new people this way.

As for Loki, being back at the Avengers compound was surprisingly bearable. He was welcomed by a few people at the party. Although, despite this, he did still receive the ever-expected glares. But he didn’t mind; flattery and attention comes in all forms.

But there was one person who hadn’t addressed his presence for the entire evening.

Loki stood beside the bar, passively listening to Thor as he spoke of his recent mishaps on Earth with Bruce Banner. Along the bar and past the two of them, he could see you smiling up at the people around you.

He saw you walk across the floor, joining in with a game of pool. Loki’s thumb presses tense against his wine glass as you exchange greetings with Steve, and even more so as James Barnes slides a hand around your back for an embrace, and Loki couldn’t scrape the feeling of being a little slightly unhinged of it all.

He sees you take hold of the pool cue, bending over to line up a shot. But in doing so, you make eye contact with him, locking into his eyes for a mere second. Your mouth parts slightly before gulping and blinking away. You take a shot on the table before you and pool balls split in all directions. He watches you straighten your posture, and pass the pool cue to someone else with diffidence.

You use your hands to feel the sides of your dress, to see if it could calm you down. You were feeling Loki’s gaze constantly. You could tell he was still pent up from his kiss with you. And you, with unashamed guilt, felt ripples of excitement when you recalled the events.

As he surveys you and your form, a rosy glow forms on your cheeks.

He smirks a little, taking another sip of his wine.

“I will make you regret it.”

He sees your mind wonder and suppresses a laugh when he sees you abruptly bump into Steve.

There was a radiating glow from within you; it had only been a few hours or so ago that you had been in his grasp. Loki could still smell the scent of your perfume… And he could still remember your sighs, and his name spilling from your lips…

Loki shifts. No mortal, no being, has ever made him like this. Was he vulnerable? Had he lost all self-control? He’s had lovers, but he’s never needed to chase one.

Your phone rings again, and you answer it once more.

His eyes follow you, seeing your expression morph into anger as you spoke into the phone. You put it away again, beginning to leaving the room. You looked… Sad.

He places his drink down on the nearest surface, his feet taking him, and leaving the room after you. He trails you down the hallway and into another room, and it wasn’t until the sound of the chatter dissipated that you heard the familiar clips of his shoes.

You halt and pivot to him. “Loki, if you’re going to enact revenge on me for not-… For not wanting to go further, I’m sorry. This isn’t-… I wanted-…” You weren’t quite sure what to say.

You sat down on a chair, a hand wiping your forehead.

He places his hands in his pockets. “You seem conflicted.”

“My ex has been calling me. I don’t know why. I don’t know why he’s calling now-“

“What do you mean?” He saunters to you.

“He wants to get back together.”

“And do you?”

“No.”

“Then tell him.”

“I-“ You take your phone out; a few messages and some miscalls are notified on the screen. You stand, placing a steady hand on the table next to you. You lean on the ledge, feeling the alcohol a little. Your thumb scrolls and taps on his number.

He stands in front of you. “Are you calling him?”

“Yes,” You sigh, nerves building as the phone is to your ear, “I’m telling him.”

As you wait for your ex to answer, his piercing eyes catch onto yours, and a word gets caught in your throat.

You hear the jingle stop in your ear to a voice.

Loki’s hands are drawn to your waist, his eyes roam. The entire action makes your mind scramble, and your stomach knot. With a light tug, you take a small step closer to him without thinking.

“Are you going to say something?” Loki says, looking at your supple lips.

“H-hi.” You blurt into the phone. “I-I don’t want to get back with you…”

Your ex says something in protest, but you were having trouble listening as Loki began to slowly raise your dress. And you could feel your heart pulse as he continues to bare your lower body. A thin lace covers you.

He glances at you, giving you an expression that encouraged you to continue your conversation.

“…Y-you’re right…” You resume. “We’re not really suited for each other…”

His thumb presses against your skin to hook the fabric, opening it slightly. He pulls on it, the slight friction makes your muscles tense, the feeling of intimacy a growing urge. Loki settles himself close to the side of you, and you take a sharp inhale as his hand slides beneath the cloth

“… I-I think – uh – I’ve been enjoying my life without you…”

His palm feels your skin, and his middle finger finds your bud. He explores further down; he finds your folds, and a slim line of wetness urging to spill.

“I’ve- I don’t- I don’t think it’s for the best…”

His lips couldn’t help but pull into a dark grin as a slender finger slips a little too easily between them. He groans, his chest rumbles through you, pleased with the state of your pussy. Your own lungs withhold you from breathing properly, causing you to pant as a single digit fills you.

Your free hand clenches on his sleeve.

He chuckles darkly. Were you this wet for him?

“… N-nothing! I’m-I’m just busy…”

The ex rambles on, and the fact that he’s so persistent irks Loki a little. That only motivates him more.

“… Y-you need to stop calling me…”

Your face heats as his finger pulls out, his finger covered in your juices from one push, pausing only to slip and fill you completely with two digits. You tighten around him, encompassing his fingers. He takes a moment in your warmth, savouring how you mould around him, the squeezes ingraining in his mind, and heightening his anticipation for something more. He starts to draw out, and then back in, and gets into a slow repetitive rhythm. It makes your toes curl, and you have to bit your lip from accidentally moaning into the phone.

“… I’m – ah – I’m…”

“If you end the call,” Loki presses his tender lips onto your ears, “you end the fun.”

You can feel his hot breath against your neck, as his fingers pump at a faster pace. You can feel him reach to the deepest end of you.

“… I-I think it’s best we-… Ah…”

His thumb lightly brushes your clit, and he feels your walls clasp taut around his fingers.

“… Ah… That we don’t speak- we shouldn’t speak to each other…”

Your thighs cross together. It only makes you feel more.

“We shouldn’t speak to each other anymore.”

You drop the phone. Your jaw slacks as he continuously rubs a spot that seems to render your body numb to everything else besides its bliss. You could feel a pressure build; the more it grew, the more your need to be sated it grew.

The feel of his cock bearing to keep itself in his trousers was painful, but Loki wanted to savour this moment. Your legs were quivering, your face was contorted with need and delectation. Your free hand flung to clinch to his blazer collar.

He wanted to pay the utmost attention to what it was like to make you undone.

“Loki, I- ah…” You were coming close. “Why-… Fuck…”

He snakes an arm behind your back restricting any further movement. It makes you whimper slightly; the sense of restraint was making you hot. You dared not moan as you hid your face into his neck, biting the skin.

He growls.

“Do you want to cum, my pet?” He challenges, his voice primal and demanding.

“Yes.” You sigh. “I’m-I’m so close… It feels so good…”

His fingers curl inside of you, continuously beckoning all the ecstasy to be released. All bordered on the edge, he massages your clit.

“Then cum for me.”

His name falls brazen from your throat. Euphoria convulsing your walls as you reached orgasm. It knocked the air out of your lungs and made your muscles slump. You swore your heart was ready to beat itself out of your ribs as you let yourself lean against him.

A last whimper leaves your lips as his fingers slip out of your pleasured walls. He chuckles under his breath as you continue to shudder from his touch. It overwhelms you as to how much pleasure he could give you. If this is what he could do with just his hands…

Loki clenches his jaw momentarily. He steps back, tasting you from the two fingers he had just played with, allured by its scent.

“Was-…” You try to appear confident and relaxed. “Was that your revenge on me rejecting you?”

“No, my darling.” He responds, the pet name mocking you and making you melt at the same time. “I’m just giving you what you deserve.”

He doesn’t even need to check himself; his hardness had dissipated in replacement of triumph. It’s like nothing happened. And, he had his well-trained composure to give credit for.

He leaves you in the room, his footsteps fading in the hallway.

You were pissed off; you needed more than minute to be able to walk.

[fuckheadwitha]

Listening to Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time

Rolling Stone released an updated list of their top 500 albums of all time and being trapped in the purgatory of covid quarantine this seems like the perfect moment to tackle what an almost completely irrelevant former counter-culture institution has to say about music (we can’t actually blame Rolling Stone for this list, a huge number of musicians and critics voted to make it). I am going to listen to every single one of these, all the way through, with a level of attention that's not super intense but I'm definitely not having them on in the background as simple aural wallpaper. Two caveats though: I can make an executive decision to skip any album if I feel the experience is sufficiently miserable, and I'm also going to be skipping the compilation albums that I feel aren't really worth slots (best ofs, etc.). In addition, I will be ordering them as I go, creating a top 500 of the top 500 (it will be less than 500 since we've already established I'm skipping some of these).

Here are 500-490:

#500 Arcade Fire - Funeral

I can already tell I'm going to be at odds with this list if one of the most important albums of my high school years is at the bottom. That being said, I haven't actually given this whole thing a listen since probably the early 2010s, before Arcade Fire fatigue set in and the hipsterati appointed band of a generation just kinda seemed to fade from popular consciousness. I actually dreaded re-experiencing it, since the synthesis of anthemic rock and quirky folk instrumentation which Arcade Fire brought mainstream has now become the common shorthand of insufferable spotify friendly folk pop. Blessedly, the first half of the album easily holds up, largely propelled by dirty fast rhythm guitar, orchestration that's tuneful rather than obnoxious, and lyrics which come off as earnest rather than pretentious. The middle gets a little sappy and “Crown of Love”, a song I definitely used to like, really starts the grate. And then we get to “Wake Up”, whose cultural saturation spawned thousands of dorky indie rock outfits that confused layered strings and horns with power and meaning. This song definitely hasn't survived the film trailers and commercials which it so ubiquitously overlayed, but the line about "a million little gods causing rainstorms, turning every good thing to rust" still attacks the part of my brain capable of sincere emotion. This album is probably going to hold the top spot for a while, because although so many elements of Funeral that made it feel so meaningful, that made it stand out so much in 2004, have been seamlessly assimilated into an intellectually and emotionally bankrupt indie pop industrial complex, the album itself still has a genuine vulnerability and bangers that still manage to rip.

#499

Rufus, Chaka Khan - Ask Rufus

Before she became a name in her own right, Chaka Khan was the voice of the band Rufus, and it’s definitely her voice that shines amongst some spritely vibey funk. That’s not to say that these aren’t some jams on their own. “At Midnight” is a banging opener with a sprint to the finish, and although the explicitly named but kinda boring “Slow Screw Against the Wall” feels weak, this wasn’t really supposed to be an album of barn burners. This was something people put on their vinyl record players while they chilled on vinyl furniture after a night of doing cocaine. “Everlasting Love” is a bop with a bassline like a Sega Genesis game, and the twinkling piano on “Hollywood” adds a playful levity to lyrics that are supposed to be both tackily optimistic about making it big out in LA and subtly realistic about the kind of nightmare world showbiz can be. “Better Days” is another track that manages to be a bittersweet jam with a catchy sour saxophone and playful synths under Chaka Khan’s vamping. This album definitely belongs on a ‘chill funk to study and relax to’ playlist.

#498

Suicide - Suicide

We’ve hit the first album that could be rightly called a progenitor for multiple genres that followed it. Someone could say there’s a self-serving element of this being on a Rolling Stone list (the band was one of the first to adopt the label ‘Punk’ after seeing it in a Lester Bangs article) but the album’s legacy is basically indisputable. EBM, industrial, punk, post-punk, new wave, new whatever all have a genealogy that connects to Suicide, and it’s easy to hear the band in everything that followed. But what the band actually is is two guys, one with an electric organ and one with a spooky voice, doing spooky simple riffs and saying spooky simple things. Simplicity is definitely not a dis here. The opener “Ghost Rider” makes a banger out of four notes and one instrument, and the refrain ‘America America is killing its youth’ is really all the lyrical complexity you need to fucking get it. “Cheree” and “Girl” have almost identical lyrics (‘oh baby’ vs ‘oh girl’) but “Cheree” is more like a fairy tale and “Girl” is more like a sonic handjob. “Frankie Teardrop” has the audacity to tell a ten minute story with its lyrics, but of course there is intermittent, actually way too loud screaming breaking up the narrative of a guy who loses everything then kills his family and himself. The song is basically a novelty, and I think you can probably say the whole album is a novelty between its brevity and character. But for a bite sized snack this album casts a huge shadow.

#497

Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto

The fact that this particular compilation always ends up in the canon has a lot to do with the cultural context it existed in, being America’s first encounter with South African contemporary music during the decline of apartheid (it wouldn’t end until a decade later in 1994 with the country’s first multi-racial elections). Music journos often bring up the fact Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the all male choir singing on the album ender “Nansi Imali”, sang on Paul Simon’s Graceland like their virtue is they helped Paul Simon get over his depression and not, like, the actual music. But also like, how is the actual music? Jams. Ubiquitous, hooky guitars propel the songs along with bright choruses over low lead vocals, but I didn’t expect the synthesizer on the bop “Qhude Manikiniki”, nor the discordant hoedown violin on “Sobabamba”. “Holotelani” is a groove to walk into the sunset to.

#496

Shakira - Donde Estan los Ladrones

So this is the first head scratcher on the list. It’s not like it sucks. And I think I prefer this 90s guitar pop driven spanish language Shakira to modern superstar Shakira. But I mean, it’s an album of late nineties latin pop minivan music, with a thick syrupy middle that doesn’t do anything for me. The opener and closer stand out though.  ‘Ciega, Sordomuda’, one of the biggest pop songs of the 90s (it was #1 on the charts of literally every country in Latin America), has a galloping acoustic guitar and horn hits with Shakira’s vocals at their most percussive.

#495

Boyz II Men - II

So, if you were alive in the 90s you know Boyz II Men were fucking huge, and the worst song on the album is the second track “All Around the World”, basically a love song to their own success, and also the women they’ve banged. You can tell it was written specifically so that the crowd could go fucking wild when they heard their state/city/country mentioned in the song, and I’m not gonna double check but I’m sure they hit all fifty states. Once you’re over that hump though you basically have an hour of songs to fuck to. “U Know” keeps it catchy with propulsive midi guitar and synth horns, “Jezzebel” starts with a skit and ends with a richly layered jazz tune about falling in love on a train, and “On Bended Knee” has a Ragnarok Online type beat. Honestly this album can drag, but you’re not supposed to be listening to it alone in a state of analysis, you’re supposed to have it on during a date that’s going really, really well.

#494

The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes

A singles compilation of the Ronettes, the only ones I immediately recognized were ‘Be My Baby’ and ‘Going to the Chapel of Love’, the latter of which I didn’t know existed since the version of the song I knew was by the Dixie Cups, which was apparently a source of drama since the Ronettes did it first but producer Phil Spector refused to release it. I feel like as a retro trip to sixties girl groups it’s full of enough songs about breaking up (for example “Breaking Up”) getting back together (for example “Breaking Up”) and wanting to get married but you can’t, because you’re a teenager (“So Young”).

#493

Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear

This album only exists because Marvin was required by his divorce settlement to make it and provide all of the royalties to his ex-wife and motown executive Anna Gordy Gaye. It’s absolutely bizarre, phoned in mid tempo funk whose lyrics range from the passive aggressive (“This is what you wanted right?”) to the petulant (“Why do I have to pay attorney’s fees?”). There is a seething realness here that crosses well past the border of uncomfortable. I don’t think it’s an amazing album to listen to, but it’s an amazing album to exist: Marvin Gaye is legally obligated to throw his own divorce pity party, and everyone's invited.

#492

Bonnie Raitt - Nick of Time

I have never heard of Bonnie Raitt before but apparently this album won several grammys including album of the year in 1989 and sold 5 million copies, which I guess goes to show that no award provides less long term relevance than the grammys. The story around the album is pretty heartwarming, it was her first massive hit after a career of whiffs, and Bonnie Raitt herself is apparently a social activist and neat human being. I say all this because this sort of 80s country blues rock doesn't really connect with me, but the artist obviously deserves more than that. I unequivocally like the title track though, a hand-clap backed winding electric piano groove about literally finding love before your eggs dry up.

#491

Harry Styles - Fine Line

I do not think I have ever heard a one direction song because I am an adult who only listens to public radio. I’m totally open to pop bands or boy bands or boy band refugee solo artists, but I don’t like anything here. It’s like a mixtape of the worst pop trends of the decade, from glam rock that sounds like it belongs in a car commercial to folky bullshit that sounds like it belongs in a more family focused car commercial. This gets my first DNP (Does Not Place).

#490

Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel

Another soft-rock blues and country album which just doesn’t land with me. But the opener “You’re No Good” is like a soul/country hybrid which still goes hard and the title track hits with the lyrics “And it's only love and it's only love / That can wreck a human being and turn him inside out”.

Current Ranking, which is weirdly almost like an inverse of the rolling stones list so far;

[xenonmalachite]

Speedsmoke ref

Name: Speedsmoke Nickname: Speedy, Speedster, Baby shark, Shark teeth, Shark bub, Bubba shark, Baby angel. Age: Around 17-18 aprox. as a human. Gender: Femme Faction: Autobot Alt. mode: Same as Smokescreen's but smaller Family: Smokecrseen (older brother) personality: Shy but clever, Speedsmoke is the innocent little sister of Smokescreen. She often hides from new people, most likely due to the fact that Knockout tricked her while still on cybertron and she is making sure it doesn't happen again. She has a very good memory (as a result of Knockouts experiments) and always stays close to Smokescreen. Speedsmoke has this sort of soft vibe about her, once she's sure you won't hurt her or her brother, and she gets to know you, she can understand you very easily. Speedsmoke has difficulty reading so she often listens to audio books to help her. Her favorites are teen dystopias, sci-fis and fantasy novels. She has an interest in earth's weather, and really wants to become a meteorologist. She has also gained interest in video games (she really likes splatoon, portal, legend of Zelda and super Mario). She values family over fighting and is always full of surprises. she does have problems with seperation and refuses to do misions alone. she has issues with balance and socializing as well. sometimes she trips over her own peds, especially when she is trying to partake in stealth missions. she's also not very talkative. while it's good she doesn't talk as much as her brother, it does effect her social skills. she'd rather listen to audio books than go to a party. she can also be a bit of a cry baby when things go wrong and apologises way too much. she's really reliant on others which can be a pain for solo missions. she's also no good at hand to hand combat so she's in serious danger with missions. however, when those things are put asside, she has the capacity to snap when insulted to a degree that should have never been there in the first place. her brother playfully calls this "Ragnarok Mode" or "Going Ragnarok", after the norse prediction of the end of the world backstory: Speedsmoke was born born and raised as the second sparkling of Smokescreen's family. Smokescreen actually didn't like her at first. He hated that Speedsmoke got all of the attention. He hated that she was in the way of his parents. Smokescreen would have hated her if it weren't for her first time walking. Speedsmoke was going to walk into dangerous territory when Smokescreen stopped her. He just hoped that the heroic act would make his parents love him again. Of course, Smokescreen kept up these helpful behaviours and found he was no longer doing it for the attention anymore. Slowly, he began to learn to love Speedsmoke. And Speedsmoke loved him back. Unless Smokescreen was around, Speedsmoke would always cry. When it came to talking, Speedsmoke couldn't talk until 1 and a half years human equivalent. Her first word was "Smokey", picking up on what everyone called her older brother. Reading was difficult for her too but Smokescreen accepted that Speedsmoke might have some sort of difficulty with things. As she grew older, Speedsmoke would always be close around Smokescreen, so school was difficult. Smokescreen once was crushing on someone in school, but little to his knowledge, the bots younger brother was bulling Speedsmoke because she read things slowly. Upon discovery, Smokescreen confronted the bot and told them that he will not fall in love with someone related to a bot bullying his sister. Speedsmoke and Smokescreen were the best brother sister duo in their school. Despite her difficulties, Speedsmoke got high scores on tests and reports. She was a bit reclusive but well behaved. Of course she let Smokescreen go out with his friends, but as soon as he came home, Speedsmoke was always the first to greet him Things took a turn when Smokescreen had to go to war. Before he left, he gave Speedsmoke a little pendent to remember him. A few days later Speedsmoke had an anxiety hit and wanted to be close to her brother again. So, she went searching. She did find him working in the archives but it lasted only a few weeks as Speedsmoke was separated from him again as guards quickly spotted her and took her away from the archives. Speedsmoke soon got lost and began looking for her brother again, Smokescreen looking for her as well. When the decepticons attacked iacon it got even more difficult. She had to look for her brother after it all ended Speedsmoke then encountered a decepticon scientist. He posed as an autobot, lying about why his optics were red to draw suspicion away, and offered to help Speedsmoke out. Speedsmoke agreed and followed him. He lead her to his ship where troops took her. She was in a medbay before she knew it. the scientist then began two experiments on her, knocking her into a stasis first. He had injected two syrups into her, one made her denta sharp and strong, changing their shape slightly. The other affected her memory, she got a better memory recall. Both effects were permanent. She woke up from stasis in a cell, chained to a wall by her servos. She was trying to escape by any means possible. She then bit on the chains and found that they snapped upon the impact of her denta. She bit her way out of the chains and cuffs and bit through the wires that powered the force field bars of the cell. From there, she escaped, slipping into vents due to her small size and being very quiet. She slip passed guards and soon found an escape pod. Of course, bad luck reaching her and it knocked her into stasis again, being long distance. However she woke up when she was close to earth, having enough time to set a course for where Autobot signals were picked up, but when she entered earth's gravity, a piece of space junk threw her off course sending her to Iceland Upon the crash, her signal was damaged and could not be picked up. She was luckily able to find a cave of energon in a remote area and that there was an energon processing machine in the escape pod. She also encountered a cybertronian puffin. She named him 'Nesti' and became her only friend. She tried looking for Smokescreen around Iceland. She, for that time, lived off the energon she found and made her escape pod her shelter. After months of this, she noticed she could send an emergency distress signal. So she began to send out on, hoping an Autobot would pick it up. It was very faint to the point Decepticon technology couldn't pick it up, but Autobot technology could. Ratchet sent out Smokescreen when the signal was picked up. Smokescreen was curious as to who this signal was, but doubted it was Speedsmoke as he assumed she was dead. He went to go investigate alone since he and Ratchet were the only ones at base at the time. Smokescreen had a weird feeling when he drove through the ground bridge to Iceland where the signal was picked up. Speedsmoke had hidden when she saw the ground bridge. when Smokescreen transformed Speedsmoke came out of hiding and walked to him. Smokescreen noticed her and they both got into a teary reunion hug. Smokescreen told her that he thought she was dead and Speedsmoke replied with her telling him that she never gave up, like he taught her. Smokescreen brought her back to base for the team to meet later on. When she arrived, Ratchet walked up to greet her and she hid. She was extremely shy. Smokescreen explained everything, how Speedsmoke and him were separated during the war and he assumed she was dead. Smokescreen then asked Speedsmoke what happened while they were separated. She explained everything and after she did, Smokescreen asked Ratchet to look at her. Ratchet took a CNA test from her and found that her memory recall had improved and her denta were now sharp. Smokescreen kept in his anger about what the decepticon scientist had done as he did not want to be angry in front of his sister. He instead told her how proud he was that she was brave and that she was so clever. He then gave her the nickname 'Baby shark', as she was so young yet so fierce. When the rest of the team came, Smokescreen introduced Speedsmoke to them. As she began crawling out of her shell, getting use to them her first few weeks with them, she felt like she belonged. Abilities: - Sharp Denta Due to an experiment conducted by a decepticon scientist, Speedsmoke has incredible strong and sharp denta (teeth), hence the nickname "baby shark". Her denta can allow her to bite through metal, especially chains and cuff, wires and cybertronian armor with a powerful force. But listening to Ratchet's advice, this is more a secondary or defense attack and can't use too much of this power or her denta will be permanently damaged. - Memory As mentioned before, a decepticon scientsit experimented on her. The other result was an increased memory and better memory recall. She can remember an event exactly how it happened, which is useful considering if she remembers someone saying something then noticing they are lying, she can do something about it like tell her brother. - Blaster (named "Angel's Heart") Speedsmoke's standard blaster is almost similar to smokescreen's. The only difference is the barrel and the handle that sticks out. The barrel is in a heart shape, but can still deliver the same amount of fire power as Smokescreen's. She's more familiar with rapidly firing her blaster from a distance - Cyclone Blaster Speedsmoke has upgraded herself with a very special blaster. The Cyclone Blaster is a rare blaster that can only be installed by a certain selection of feild medic. The blaster can produce very powerful blasts of air, enough to tear through cybertronian armor. The weapon could be used to offline bots, but Speedsmoke is too scared to do that. She has yet to fully get her helm around how to use the Cyclone Blaster as it only ever appears when she is furious, a side effect of first orginally aquiring the upgrade, but it's starting to appear at will. (Rounded barrel weapon) stats: Courage: 7 inteligence: 9.5 firepower: 6.5 speed: 8 strength: 3 Endurance: 5 rank: 3.5 skill: 6 Other Facts: - She's dyslexic - She rarely plays multiplayer games without Smokescreen - She always plays as king boo in Mario kart - Smokey is starting to introduce her to more mature games, but slowly - As soon as she gets the hang of overwatch, her main is mei - her main weapon in Splatoon 2 is the SplatCharger. - her favorite movie is "Legend of the Guardians; the Owls of Ga'Hoole" - There is a human equivalent age gap of 7 years between Speedsmoke and smokescreen - her racing number is Smokescreen's in reverse

[latent-thoughts]

The Pursuit of a Simple Life (Chapter 2 - Pizza My Heart)

[Co-Authored with @emeraldrosequartz​]

Rating : 18+ (there be lots of citrus here).

Warning: None

Pairing: Loki/Original Female Character

Summary: Three years after returning to Earth with the other Asgardians following Ragnarok, Loki finds himself working for SHIELD, truly just trying to fight the boredom. While on an undercover mission, he unexpectedly begins to fall for his co-worker, Gemma, and she seems to feel the same way…about Dave, his alter ego while in disguise. Can Loki continue a relationship with her while keeping his true identity a secret? How many lies can the 'God of lies' spin to keep his pursuit of a simple life?

[Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017); THOR IS A GOOD BRO AND TOTALLY NOT HOW HE WAS IN RAGNAROK, THNX; Infinity War Doesn't Exist; Everyone lives]

A/N: Gemma and 'Dave' get to know each other a bit more over 'doggy style' pizza. And then she discovers certain things about him which are just too-good-to-be-true.

_________________________________

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Bold Text = Loki's POV

Normal Text = Gemma's POV

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She took his hand, hoping he couldn’t feel her shaking. She felt like she was in a daze. Of Dave. A Dave Daze...

The restaurant - called “Pizza My Heart” (how awkward!) - was only a block away, so they walked over and found a booth next to the salad bar where the table wasn’t dirty or sticky.

After a few giddy minutes, Gemma finally relaxed enough to enjoy their conversation after her first slice of the “Doggy Style” pizza - Dave insisted he didn’t know what the term meant, but Gemma had her doubts. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to actually say what it meant.

And they talked...for hours. They talked about how stupid their jobs were, mostly. But he asked her so many questions about herself...she felt... special. Dave made her feel interesting and funny and cool. And as she got more comfortable with him...she started seeing him as less intimidatingly handsome and more...approachable. Like he might actually be more than just a distant infatuation.

Suddenly, the waiter told them that they were closing. Gemma looked around--they were the only ones left in the restaurant, and she hadn’t even noticed.

And it was two in the morning.

“Oh my GOD! I’m going to be a wreck tomorrow...” she groaned, but with a very happy smile on her face. “That’s ok. It was worth it. Best dinner I’ve had in a long time. Thank you, Dave!”

She raised her plastic soda cup in a toast.

Loki nudged his soda cup to hers, smiling widely. "I, for one, am very glad that I got to monopolize your time today. Finally got to know the girl who I only knew the name of. Though a beautiful name it is, I wanted more."

He watched the red creep up her peachy cheeks in response to his words. Really, making her blush was so much fun, it was almost like a game to him now.

What else could he say next to make little Gemma go red? It gave his overactive mind something nice to do, when it was not thinking about the mission.

Still, he knew that he couldn't afford to think too much about Gemma, or he'd... fixate. He had this odd habit of becoming near obsessive over things and people he developed a liking for. Moderation wasn't in his nature, Thor had once commented on it after settling on Midgard, seeing him develop an obsession over Midgardian climates and their corresponding architecture.

Oh well... for at least three years he had kept himself busy enough to not fixate on anything. The SHIELD missions were enough stimulation for his needy brain.

But now, seeing the smiling, blushing pretty face of Gemma, he was getting the feeling that his brain needed another type of stimulant.

Or was it his body?

Her brightness and endearing awkwardness contrasted him so much, it was hard not to be drawn to her. He was so full of dark thoughts, many of which had manifested during his rampage across Midgard not long ago, brought to the surface by the Scepter. While he was a churning storm, Gemma was like a fluffy fair-weather cumulus.

As they got out of their booths and headed back towards their company office, he briefly wondered how it would've been had he met Gemma back in 2012. Norns, he probably would not have shown the restraint he was showing now; he would've ended up doing something very, very bad.

Like abduct her and keep her with him. Like a pretty trinket.

But Gemma is not a possession, he reminded himself. Gemma is a person. She decides what she does, not me.

And yet, a tiny part of his psyche still wanted to possess her. He strangled that part quickly.

"So, I was thinking I should drop you home," he said, grasping her delicate hand as she headed toward the nearby, empty bus stop. "It's pretty late, and I don't want you traveling alone."

He used his very persuasive tone with her, knowing that it worked well with Midgardians and Asgardians alike. And his request was earnest as well. He actually felt protective of her and didn't want her to be vulnerable.

She was a good girl, after all. So sweet and well mannered, not a single blemish marred her gentle heart.

“But...I...it’s fine, really. I take the bus everywhere. And frankly, I’m still totally wired on caffeine. I think I’ll probably be up all night anyway...”

Oh, she knew what he was doing. But after the hours of friendly banter, she was feeling...secure. And as much as she swore she would never sleep with a co-worker...come ON. This was turning out to be the makings of a story she would remember for years to come, about how she --the humble, awkward little Gemma--slept with her hot British co-worker. And besides, the way he talked, it sounded like he was already looking for jobs at other companies, and she couldn’t blame him. This job sucked.

“Um...would you mind...if I came over for a drink? I don’t have anything at my house...”

Oh, that was a lame excuse. But she hoped it worked.

Loki grinned at her as she fumbled with her words again, still not letting go of her hand.

"Sure, I'm glad you mentioned it. I could use another drink as well, I think. And at my place, you'd be spoiled for choice."

He led her to his car then, while still mentally admonishing himself for taking this step. She was not a permanent fixture in his life, and he simply shouldn't take things in the direction he was taking them.

Alas, he was a selfish man, and he wanted to indulge himself.

Once settled in the car, he made sure to fix her seatbelt for her before getting started. Midgardians needed that bit of safety measure. Always.

As he pulled the car out of the complex, he decided that he'd probably share a drink or two with her, and then he'd... and then he'd let her be.

It was for the best.

Gemma slid down into the black leather seat of the nicest car she had ever seen. It was not just “clean,” but perfectly so, like it had been driven from a showroom. It was a beautiful white--even in the harsh yellow of the parking lot lights it looked amazing. The Jaguar XF had obviously been customized to his exacting standards, from the elegant emerald green trim on the interior, to the intricately carved details in the dashboard.

And he put her seatbelt on . She was vibrating with excitement as he walked around the car and got in, turned the ignition, and pulled out of the empty lot.

“I like your car,” she said, feeling dumb. What she wanted to say was Holy SHIT this is the fanciest car I’ve ever seen in my life! But, thankfully, she resisted. “You must be a pretty good salesman.”

"Thank you, I had purchased it back in London," he replied warmly, liking the fact that she looked as mesmerized by the interiors as she was with the exterior.

Loki was used to the attention that his cars received. He had chosen this one in particular for this mission, for he had to build a life for himself as marketing personnel, someone with a good lifestyle and a lot of extra income.

Not that he got a car for each of his missions... but SHIELD was pathetic in building this kind of a charade for the lack of funds on their part.

Loki certainly had no lack of funds, and using them on his missions was like a hobby of his.

"You have an interest in cars?" he asked conversationally as he maneuvered the vehicle easily on the now near empty roads.

“I do now!” she said, running her hand over the dashboard. It felt like silk under her fingers, and she noticed that the carvings were inlaid with gold.

Her mind drifted off, imagining what it would be like to fuck him in the back seat...

Woah, girl...it was just pizza.

She laughed silently to herself, then watched the streetlights pass over his face as they drove.

“What’s London like? I’ve never been there...”

“It's mostly quieter than New York, and parts of it really take you back in time," he replied, giving her a wink and turning his eyes back on the road. "I still have some ties to it. My family cottage on the outskirts and my house in West Brompton. I think you'd like it there."

Why was he talking to her about his life? Those actually were his properties in London, but he should not be imparting that information to her.

Well, it didn't jeopardize the mission in any way, so it was fine. Fury would never know, and even if he did, what could he do about it?

Loki knew that he was now a valuable asset for SHIELD. Fury would never do anything to change that.

As they pulled up to his apartment building, Gemma stared up and up and up the glass sides. It was massive, gorgeous, and right in the heart of downtown Manhattan. He glided up to the entrance, then got out and handed his keys to the valet before walking around and opening her door.

Gemma felt weak in the knees...and INCREDIBLY underdressed and out of place in her Avengers gym shirt and work skirt. If she had known asking to come to his place meant coming here...she would have at least wanted to touch up her make-up.

But then...he looked at her. He smiled at her! He held her hand gently and led her from the car into the enormous, luxurious lobby. Her expression probably made her look like an idiot, and if there were anything she could have done to stop it, she would have.

Unfortunately, she was well and truly dumbstruck by his apartment building. “What floor are you on?” she asked breathlessly as he led her toward the elevators.

"Oh, you'll see," he answered impishly as they entered the elevator.

He pushed the button for the penthouse, then turned to witness her reaction. She was already looking so nervous about being here, it was so very... cute.

Gemma hugged the walls of the elevator, eyes flicking rapidly between Dave’s face and the button he pushed. She honestly thought he might be messing with her, and she was waiting for him to laugh and hit the button for a lower floor. But he didn’t...and the higher up they went, the harder her heart pounded.

“Wow...I am in the wrong line of work...” She gasped, eyes wide as the elevator slowed to a stop. She heard a soft ding, and the doors opened.

Loki chuckled as he led her out of the elevator and into his penthouse apartment. Really, seeing her this impressed, he was very tempted to take her to France and to lead her into the castle he had there.

Her reaction to that would be something else...

"It's not all about the work, I come from a line of old money," he stated as he turned the lights on. "I've been very... lucky in life."

Well, at least in terms of having monetary stability and luxury…

Gemma hadn’t let go of his hand since he had helped her out of the car, but now she took a few steps away, looking at him suspiciously.

“Why the hell are you working at PAC & Co? Do they seriously pay you enough to keep doing that shitty job when you have all this?”

As impressed and amazed as she was, this just wasn’t making sense. A few hours ago they were stuck late in that crappy office with a malfunctioning printer...now she was looking out over the New York skyline from his penthouse.

Oh dear... he should've expected her sharp and curious mind to reach its own conclusions about him. This was why he had never fraternized or made friends on his missions.

This was why bringing her here was unwise. But now, it had been done, and he had to do some damage control.

It wasn't like his other missions, where he could just kill off an inconvenient loose end. Gemma was an innocent...

He let out a loud laugh at her suspicious question. "Gemma, why do you think I'm here, if not for a transitional job that won't break my job experience and give me enough time to find a better one?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, still unsure. But GOD, was she hoping he had a good reason, because she was definitely going to fuck him if he could convince her.

“What’s a transitional job? Transitioning from what?”

"I told you, I came here from London. That kind of move requires a lot of transition, no?" he asked, stepping up to her and grasping her shoulder gently. "I didn't want to be without a job during this time, for it would reflect poorly on my resume."

He had turned his voice deeper and deeper as he explained his situation to her, hoping to distract her with it.

"Do you feel differently about me now, than when we were at that pizza place?" He frowned as he asked that question, wondering why he would care so much if indeed she were to think him... what?... snobbish and obnoxious for being wealthy?

He WAS indeed wealthy. He was still a prince by his true title.

Also... if she was so suspicious of wealth, how much would she judge him if she learned his true identity? He was known all over Midgard as a wicked, unscrupulous and cruel man, after all.

“Of course I do!” she said, looking around at the luxurious furnishings. “I’m...I’m just...a little overwhelmed...” She touched the wall behind her just a bit to regain her balance.

“Maybe that drink would help?” She smiled softly, really trying to pull herself together. Dave was... amazing . Almost too good to be true...

"Sure," he responded, pulling away and leading her to his spacious, plush sofa. That monstrosity took up nearly half of the living room, and he hadn't used it much during his three month stay here.

From here, the view of the city was fantastic, displayed finely in the floor-to-ceiling windows that occupied the whole western wall of the living room. He loved watching the sunsets from here.

His bedroom was made in a similar fashion, but with east facing floor-to-ceiling windows. All in all, it was a nicely made apartment, by Midgardian standards.

"What would you like? Wine? Vodka cocktail? Beer? I'm myself going for a whiskey."

“Beer sounds great.” Her voice was small as she continued to look around the lavish apartment. So...he was from old money. In London. And this job was just helping him transition to living and working in New York. Ok. Cool.

She wanted to believe him so badly...and so she pushed down her other questions and that gnawing feeling in her gut that told her that there was more to his story.

He handed her a chilled glass of some sort of amber ale, and taking a sip of the cold beverage instantly relaxed her.

“Ahhhhh,” she sighed, settling back on the sofa. “You better be careful. I could get used to this.”

Loki could see that she was still doubting his 'old money' story about his wealth, and he had to praise her sharp mind for it.

Doubt was always healthy... especially when it came to him.

Still, he put the charm on her to keep her distracted. "Ah, then maybe I'd be tempted to spoil you."

He sipped his single malt and kept his eyes on her, which he knew, from experience, unnerved many people. For her benefit, he toned his gaze down so that she'd not feel uncomfortable, but still, made sure that she knew she had his full attention.

"So, tell me more about your family, Gemma. You talked very little about them. Do your parents visit you here? What about your sister?"

The way he looked at her over the rim of his glass sent shivers down her spine...and what did he mean he might be “tempted” to spoil her...was that...could this be more than a one-night stand? She decided not to think about it; better to just appreciate this crazy experience for what it was and not hope for anything more to come of it.

Then he brought up her family. Uuuggghhh...

“Oh, yea. They don’t...they’ve never come out here to visit.” She laughed nervously, rubbing her hand on the back of her neck, under her mousey blond ponytail. “They prefer my hometown...and they don’t understand why I moved here. My sister feels the same - she hasn’t even brought the kids over, even though I’ve invited them. But that’s how it goes sometimes, you know? Stupid perfect older sister...Mom and Dad just love her and her perfect husband and her perfect house that’s just down the block from them and her perfect life. Me, I’m just the weird one. I couldn’t wait to move out. I thought living in New York would be a lot more exciting but...well, I didn’t realize it would be so hard being on my own...”

Holy SHIT why am I SAYING all this? Way to kill the mood, Gem...

Loki couldn't help but relate to her. Younger child, perfect elder sibling, unrelatable family, loneliness...

Even though his life had its own complications, and he had contributed to his problems to some extent.

But really, he was quite surprised that Gemma's family was cold towards her. She wasn't even adopted!

"I must say, I'm very curious to know what kind of family it is that just... ignores their daughter. A daughter who is but a mix of sweetness and kindness," he murmured, putting his now empty glass away. Grasping her hand once again, he shifted closer to her to give her his earnest support. "I can see that you're taking it upon yourself, thinking that there's something wrong with you, but there isn't. You're perfect."

His sudden flattery took her by surprise, and her brain short-circuited a little. THE Dave just said she was... perfect?!

Even with all the red flags and warning bells going off in her head...she wanted him to keep saying nice things about her. It had been so long since she’d tried to flirt or gotten dinner or had drinks with someone...was he just playing with her, or...could he really mean that?

No, there were far too many layers of self-consciousness and doubt for her to accept his words at face value. She was sure he was trying to get into her pants--well, her skirt--but that wasn’t a bad thing. She appreciated what he said anyway.

And she flushed red, smiling shyly. “Stop it,” she giggled. Then she took another sip of her beer. “What about your family, Mr. Moneybags? Why did you move away from London?”

Loki sighed heavily, squeezing her hand as he looked down. Now, the lies would come pouring out of his mouth as usual. Par for the course...

"My parents died a few years ago. Rainy day, slippery road." He glanced up to see if she was going to doubt him again, but so far, she seemed to be listening intently, her beautiful chocolate eyes wide and dilated. "I have no siblings, and the extended family isn't very warm. The aunt I used to have a lovely relationship with had also died a long time ago, due to illness. So basically I was very alone and kind of depressed."

He laughed without humour, then, hoping that she'd buy his story, for the sadness in his eyes was real. He was indeed lonely. Had been for years.

"I knew that I had to do something about it before I just succumbed to it. Moreso, I knew I had more work related opportunities here in the US. So I jumped over the pond, trying to start a new life for myself."

His already frayed conscience screamed at him as he leaned towards her, locking his gaze with her intimately. She knew nothing about his true identity and he was drowning her in his charm, essentially fooling her. She'd hate him for it if she somehow learned the truth.

Oh... but she was so beautiful and pure of heart… he felt an inexplicable pull towards her.

His hand reached up and cupped her cheek.

So warm and soft...

He'd had no lovers in so long...

"I can now say that I'm glad I moved here." He moved in and nuzzled her neck, wondering if she'd pull away and reject him. Reject Dave, that is.

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[PREVIOUS CHAPTER]  Ch-1; [NEXT CHAPTER]

[misfit-among-the-angels]

Ah I love so many of those cute questions! And I know you like stuff to distract you, so how about you answer all of them? 😘 Can be in batches or all at once.

I hope you are talking about these questions c:

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?I don’t eat cereal tbh

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?YES! I loove cold, especially when it’s all snowy around, then I feel so alive!

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?I have two bookmarks so I don’t use any other objects as bookmarks

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?I take my tea with two spoons of sugar and sometimes with milk if it’s black tea

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?Oh hell yea, I hate my smile most of the time

6: do you keep plants?Nope, I’m not much into keeping plans

7: do you name your plants?Nope

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?I used to write... Now i barely use any artistic stuff to express them :/

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?Nope

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?I sleep on back and on my both sides

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?Oh, I had so many that are now dead because I don’t talk to them anymore. One of them was naming my bag after Janick (lol). That there is one where we call Richard Kruspe Diva, this is such an old inside joke that usually I’m not even saying his name, just saying Diva. 

12: what’s your favorite planet?Saturn probably

13: what’s something that made you smile today?That Tobi post on facebook

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?Oh it would be messy but with so many posters all around since we both love them

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!Mercury is still shrinking

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?Idk, I just love every kind of pasta

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?I’d love to try black and maybe turquoise 

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.Me talking only about Rammstein for 5 hours straight and my best friend had to listen to that and he did. I still say sorry every time we remember that

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?I have my travel journal where I write about every trip I went to

20: what’s your favorite eye color?Green and brown

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.Oh that’s got to be my red backpack. She’s been to almost every trip I went to since probably 2016. She is old but she is the best one but soon it’s gonna be the time for her to retire 

22: are you a morning person?Hell no

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?Sleep

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?Maybe my best friend, I mean he already know probably every secret I had

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?I haven’t broken into any place

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?Maybe my New rock boots?? I mean idk

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?Spearmint

28: sunrise or sunset?Sunset

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?She used to make necklaces and make it as a birthday gift. I still have two  necklaces that she made for me as a gift and I still wear them and I still love them

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?Oh yea

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.Socks are cool and I love them, only that I usually forget to buy them and then I’m like “damn it, I’d love some nice socks to this outfit but I don’t have any..”

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.I think it was 2015 summer and I was totally drunk with my best friend, we were both fangirling/fanboying over Tobi and I remember he did something really hot and sexy - he poured some whiskey on my neck and licked it. Idk if he remembers that but my gods, I still can remember that and yea lol

33: what’s your fave pastry?Pies, cakes, buns of various kinds

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?It was a big pink sheep, I loved it so much because it was so cute and big and yea. I don’t think I named it. Idk, I hope my mother didn’t throw it away

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?I don’t really use them, tho I have one for when I’m writing

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?Danheim and Wardruna

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?Totally messy

38: tell us about your pet peeves!This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I really hate those fans who are like “I’m gonna die if I won’t be in a first row and I’ll do absolutely EVERYTHING to be there”. Yes, I get them and yes we all live being in a first row but man, those fans are so damn annoying. Like sure, I always try to be in a first row but I don’t bitch if I’m not

39: what color do you wear the most?Black, bit of red and blue

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?My Mjolnir necklace. Well my old one was missing and till this day I haven’t found it so I bought the one I have now and well, it’s my amulet so it means a lot to me

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?Good omens by  Terry Pratchett‎ and ‎Neil Gaiman

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!I don’t really have favorite one

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?This makes me sad because I never did that

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?Last autumn when I was in Krakow

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?I dunno

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.I’m so bad and thinking of puns tbh

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?Beetroot soup

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?Darkness. Oh no, I loooove darkness now

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?YES, I love it. Last ones were the newest Rammstein album and Wardruna -  Runaljod - Ragnarok

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?I don’t think I collect any odd things

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?Sooner than now by Sin cos tan

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?I don’t think I have any???

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?I’ve seen Beetlejuice and Pulp fiction and I love both of them

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?Me

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?Cry

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?The way they talk about something they are passionate about, the way they blush or try to be modest

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?I always have goosebumps when listening to it and yes I do sing along 

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?Group of friends? hahah, it’s so bold to assume that I have a group of friends.. 

59: what’s your favorite myth?I love the myth of Ragnarok

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?Nope, I don’t like it

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?Can’t remember in both cases tbh

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?I don’t drink juice in the morning

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?I try to keep them organized 

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?Dark but almost clear with few clouds

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?YES

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?Maybe something like this

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?I dunno, sometimes I love it sometimes I don’t

68: what’s winter like where you live?We used to have cool snowy winters

69: what are your favorite board games?Monopoly

70: have you ever used a ouija board?Nope

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?Black

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?I guess, never thought about this much

73: what are some of your worst habits?Being lazy, kinda being hot head

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.Smart, pretty, tall, has a good heart, funny, serious, helpful, has their own strong opinion about a lot of things, stubborn 

75: tell us about your pets!I don’t have any :/

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?I dunno, maybe

77: pink or yellow lemonade?Neither

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?Neither

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?My best friend giving me a nickname which happened to be the one I use a lot now

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?It’s creamy color, well I had a small voice of choosing them but I’m okay with them 

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.Oh no, I suck at describing stuff like this

82: are/were you good in school?Noo, I was sooo bad in school

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?Yep, I have so many plans for them. I’m still planning on getting more band/lyric related tattoos, also Tolkien one and the one with wolf and triquetra

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?I tried to get into reading them but I can’t buy any of them here and I hate reading them online

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?Yep, well basically all Avantasia albums lol

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?The Matrix, Kill Bill, Intouchables, Wild tales, The legend of 1900, Scent of a woman, Wag the dog

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?Idk

89: are you close to your parents?Not really

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.Krakow. The city that feels home to me, not only because it holds so much history of Lithuania but also because there is something about it that I just can’t describe... As my dad said it is a king city and it feels so, Krakow has a Wavel castle and so many other ancient buildings, maybe that’s why I love it so much. Even it seems that the life in it goes bit differently from any other cities, but from small Old town streets to Jewish district and to beautiful cemeteries everything makes me so happy there.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?I do plan to travel to Poland, then to Czech republic and then to Germany

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?Cheese, yes I love myself a lot of cheese on my pasta

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?I don’t have any other hairstyles other than the one I have in all my pictures

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?My best friend

95: what are your plans for this weekend?Don’t have any

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?It depends on my mood

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?ENFP, libra and i have no idea of my hogwarts house and I don’t really care

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?Last autumn, yes, I love hiking

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Far From Heaven by Battle beast Dancing With The Beast by Battle beast So Good It Hurts by Lord of the lost Harvest by NightwishRunaway train by Avantasia Hoffnung by Doro I Wish by Battle beast Traust by Heilung Serpentine by Pretty maids Ich weiß es nicht by Lindemann

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?Definitely past, because I have so many mistakes to fix and so many moments to relive

Thank you and sorry if my answers suck

[smokeybrandreviews]

Cheeseburgers

The Infinity Saga is over. The MCU is moving forward into uncharted waters. Disney+ has pushed back certain shows and moved up WandaVision. Black Widow finally has a well deserved movie, postmortem. The future is wide open but, before we get on a brand new pain train, i wanted to take a look back and talk about some of my favorite movies from the first eleven years of the MCU.

Avengers: Infinity War

This movie, man, is probably peak MCU. There are better films in the series but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a film that walks the line of comic book and cinema to deftly. This is the penultimate tale for that first decade and what a f*cking climax it was. Holy sh*t! There was just so much good in this film, from character development to visual flair to legitimate stakes. I’m a massive Marvel fan and i am well aware of the Infinite Gauntlet saga in the comics but seeing this sh*t? Seeing Thanos actually Snap? I never though in a million years that would happen onscreen. And then it did. It was at that point i absolutely knew the MCU was about that life. I knew to expect the unexpected because , with the wealth of the Marvel universe to draw from, they were going to craft some motherf*ckers of stories.

Like, I f*cking cried when Pete got dusted. I shed legitimate tears and I’m not even embarrassed to say it out loud. For a film to move me like that? and it’s not Forrest Gump? Motherf*cker had to be on point, for sure. The entire theater was silent as those strings hummed and Thanos sat on his farm, smiling contently. I had never experienced that before The entire auditorium - completely silent. We were in disbelief. We were in mourning. I saw Infinity War in theaters four times and literally every time, the same thing happened. In two hours and some change, Marvel had gave a theater full of people straight emotional trauma. Your movie has to be absolutely on point for that to occur.

Speaking of Thanos, yo, how was this big ass purple grimace looking motherf*cker one of the best antagonists of film, period? How was this cat written so well? I lost my sh*t when they teased him at the end of Avengers and that little bit we got of him in Guardians was cool but i was not prepared for how goddamn formidable he turned out to be. Josh Brolin brought this character to life but the writing gave me real agency. I was flabbergasted by how great this character turned out to be. Thanos felt real. He felt flawed. He felt legitimate. Id have to put him up there with The Dark Knight Joker and Hans Landa as one of the best antagonists ever.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

I adore Spider-Man. Ive written at length about that love. He’s the reason i even picked up that Marvel comic all those years ago. I’ve seen every cinematic iteration of Webhead and i mst say, this portrayal is the truest to the source material i have ever seen. Cats get on the MCU about making him Tony Stark jr. but most people don’t understand that’s where he was going anyway. Most people don’t know that, in the comics, he’s basically Reed Richards jr. and since the MCU has no Reed, Tony is a pretty smart substitute. But that argument is inconsequential because the core of who Spider-Man is, the actual spirit of the character, has been captured so perfectly by this version of Pete, it’s borderline miraculous. I love Tobey McGuire’s take in Pete because he was the first to do it. Kind of like how i have such nostalgia for the 89 Batman. That version of Spider-Man felt like the old Lee/Ditko version from the 60s. Andrew Garfield was adequate. He didn’t get a fair shake though, mostly barbecue the writing in his run was so goddamn terrible. But this new kid? This casting was as perfect as RDJ was to Iron Man.

Tom Holland kills it as Spider-Man. His version of the character feels right. It feels modern. It feels like Ultimate Pete but grounded in the spirit of the 90s cartoon version. He’s this massive geek, this kid really, granted power in tragedy and it feels so goddamn authentic, i couldn’t believe it. The second he showed u in Civil War, i absolutely knew Underoos was about to be a star in these films and that is saying a lot considering how loaded this cast has become. Homecoming was the first film we got to see Pete stretch his legs and it was f*cking brilliant. Everything about this movie is what a great Spider-Flick should be and the MCU nailed it! if i never got another Spidey appearance, this movie was more than enough to sate my appetite. Homecoming is my second favorite MCU movie. I loved every second of it!

Also, how about that Aunt May stinger, though?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Look, i love the Dark Knight. For me, that is the pinnacle of a capeflick. That movie was a great crime thriller first, a Batflick second. Nolan approached it with a grounded sense of reality that left you, as an audience, breathless. It is one of the best films i have ever seen in my entire life and Ledger gave one of the most brilliant performances ever captured on celluloid. There is nothing as good as that film in the MCU. The Winter Soldier comes f*cking close, though. This movie made me sit up and realize that the MCU had some teeth. Until this thing came out, i thought we were going to get a bunch of flamboyant costumes and snarky Wedonisms. I wasn’t mad, mind you, Avengers was dope, but Winter Soldier took all that campy bullsh*t out back and murdered it. This movie was the MCU growing up and almost everything afterward has been brilliant. The Winter Soldier forced everyone to step their game up with how goddamn brilliant it turned out to be. I can’t say there were any performances as great as Ledger’s Joker but i can make the argument the overall writing was better than The Dark Knight, and that is stupid high praise.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This film has no right to be as good as it is. I went into this thing on a whim, mostly because I thought it was going ti be filler like Ant-Man or something, and then it wasn’t. It was great. Legitimately great. I had no idea the MCU could take a C-rate team like the goddamn Guardians and uplift them so beautifully. James Gunn took those characters and wrote the best Star Wars film since f*cking Empire and I didn’t think that was possible, not with this wayward branch of Marvel History. Seriously, if you do even a minuscule amount of research on who the Guardians are, they’re a joke. I mean, they have a f*cking talking Raccoon on the team! Gunn had the wherewithal to lean into that and he produced one of the best in the entire MCU. He took these loser clowns and injected so much emotion  and humanity into them, you couldn’t help but love their rag-tag asses. This was the first MCU movie to move me to tears. That stuff about Quills mom? I felt that. Both times. On an extremely personal level. I was the young Quill. I watched my grandma, the only person who i believe loved me unconditionally up to that point, die just like Quill’s mom; Cancer and everything. I was about his age when it happened, too. That sh*t f*cked me up. To this day, i have nightmares about it. Seeing that sh*t so accurately captured in a capeflick was the most for me and I legit had to leave the theater until the first part of the movie passed. To this day, i can’t watch that scene. I can just barely make it through the Dance of to Save Th Universe, but that opening gambit? No way. It hits way too close to home for me. Still, for a comic book movie to solicit such a response? It has to be special and Guardians is one of the best.

Iron Man

Boy, we’ve come a long way since Tony Stark uttered those fateful word, “I am Iron Man.” But none of these other films would even have the opportunity to exist if he hadn't said them. Iron Man had the tall order of being the first, proper, MCU film AND compete with The Dark Knight. N one thought a film about B-List superhero, narcissistic billionaire, and straight up lush, Tony Stark, would amount to anything. How wrong everyone turned out to be. I knew, from that second i saw the teaser and concept art by Adi Granov, that Marvel was taking this sh*t crazy serious. Then there’s the casting of Robert Downey Jr. That sh*t was a boon, for real. The entire cast of this first film was impeccable but RDJ makes this movie. He IS Tony Stark. Even before he got comfortable with the character like in the later films, fresh out the box with the scripts, you can tell he knows how to bring this tinkerer to life. You had to nail that aspect in order to have any chance to  build something great and Marvel hit a goddamn bullseyes, for sure. Revisiting this flick, Iron Man isn’t as good as the later films in the Infinity Saga but it still holds up against the vast majority of entries and that’s saying something.

I love these films, man. As a geek growing up reading these stories, reenacting them with their action figures, sitting glued to the television every Saturday as their cartoons aired, I never imagined id see such a berth of fantastic media brought to life on the silver screen. Seriously, some of my favorite interpretations of these characters appear exclusive in the MCU. War Machine, Thor until recently, Ant-Man, f*cking Hulk? i never gave these assholes the time of day in the comics but in the MCU? They’re fantastic! And it has everything to do with how well written they are in-universe. There are over twenty films in this run an i love all of them to varying extents. Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 all could have made this list. For sure, they’re 6 - 11 or whatever, but that speaks to the sheer depth of the MCU. I’m not even counting flicks i would consider B-tier like Captain Marvel or Avengers or Iron Man 3 or Doctor Strange; All of which are still dope in their own right.

There is just SO much great in these films and i can’t wait to see where we go next. With Disney acquiring Fox, Marvel finally has the full toy box to play with and i am absolutely a tizzy with the potential arcs they can adapt. Secret Wars? Annihilation? Age of Apocalypse? Avengers Disassembled? Dark Reign? F*cking Onslaught?? I have no idea where we are going but i am, for sure, jumping on this pain train once again.

[smokeybrand]

Cheeseburgers

The Infinity Saga is over. The MCU is moving forward into uncharted waters. Disney+ has pushed back certain shows and moved up WandaVision. Black Widow finally has a well deserved movie, postmortem. The future is wide open but, before we get on a brand new pain train, i wanted to take a look back and talk about some of my favorite movies from the first eleven years of the MCU.

Avengers: Infinity War

This movie, man, is probably peak MCU. There are better films in the series but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a film that walks the line of comic book and cinema to deftly. This is the penultimate tale for that first decade and what a f*cking climax it was. Holy sh*t! There was just so much good in this film, from character development to visual flair to legitimate stakes. I’m a massive Marvel fan and i am well aware of the Infinite Gauntlet saga in the comics but seeing this sh*t? Seeing Thanos actually Snap? I never though in a million years that would happen onscreen. And then it did. It was at that point i absolutely knew the MCU was about that life. I knew to expect the unexpected because , with the wealth of the Marvel universe to draw from, they were going to craft some motherf*ckers of stories.

Like, I f*cking cried when Pete got dusted. I shed legitimate tears and I’m not even embarrassed to say it out loud. For a film to move me like that? and it’s not Forrest Gump? Motherf*cker had to be on point, for sure. The entire theater was silent as those strings hummed and Thanos sat on his farm, smiling contently. I had never experienced that before The entire auditorium - completely silent. We were in disbelief. We were in mourning. I saw Infinity War in theaters four times and literally every time, the same thing happened. In two hours and some change, Marvel had gave a theater full of people straight emotional trauma. Your movie has to be absolutely on point for that to occur.

Speaking of Thanos, yo, how was this big ass purple grimace looking motherf*cker one of the best antagonists of film, period? How was this cat written so well? I lost my sh*t when they teased him at the end of Avengers and that little bit we got of him in Guardians was cool but i was not prepared for how goddamn formidable he turned out to be. Josh Brolin brought this character to life but the writing gave me real agency. I was flabbergasted by how great this character turned out to be. Thanos felt real. He felt flawed. He felt legitimate. Id have to put him up there with The Dark Knight Joker and Hans Landa as one of the best antagonists ever.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

I adore Spider-Man. Ive written at length about that love. He’s the reason i even picked up that Marvel comic all those years ago. I’ve seen every cinematic iteration of Webhead and i mst say, this portrayal is the truest to the source material i have ever seen. Cats get on the MCU about making him Tony Stark jr. but most people don’t understand that’s where he was going anyway. Most people don’t know that, in the comics, he’s basically Reed Richards jr. and since the MCU has no Reed, Tony is a pretty smart substitute. But that argument is inconsequential because the core of who Spider-Man is, the actual spirit of the character, has been captured so perfectly by this version of Pete, it’s borderline miraculous. I love Tobey McGuire’s take in Pete because he was the first to do it. Kind of like how i have such nostalgia for the 89 Batman. That version of Spider-Man felt like the old Lee/Ditko version from the 60s. Andrew Garfield was adequate. He didn’t get a fair shake though, mostly barbecue the writing in his run was so goddamn terrible. But this new kid? This casting was as perfect as RDJ was to Iron Man.

Tom Holland kills it as Spider-Man. His version of the character feels right. It feels modern. It feels like Ultimate Pete but grounded in the spirit of the 90s cartoon version. He’s this massive geek, this kid really, granted power in tragedy and it feels so goddamn authentic, i couldn’t believe it. The second he showed u in Civil War, i absolutely knew Underoos was about to be a star in these films and that is saying a lot considering how loaded this cast has become. Homecoming was the first film we got to see Pete stretch his legs and it was f*cking brilliant. Everything about this movie is what a great Spider-Flick should be and the MCU nailed it! if i never got another Spidey appearance, this movie was more than enough to sate my appetite. Homecoming is my second favorite MCU movie. I loved every second of it!

Also, how about that Aunt May stinger, though?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Look, i love the Dark Knight. For me, that is the pinnacle of a capeflick. That movie was a great crime thriller first, a Batflick second. Nolan approached it with a grounded sense of reality that left you, as an audience, breathless. It is one of the best films i have ever seen in my entire life and Ledger gave one of the most brilliant performances ever captured on celluloid. There is nothing as good as that film in the MCU. The Winter Soldier comes f*cking close, though. This movie made me sit up and realize that the MCU had some teeth. Until this thing came out, i thought we were going to get a bunch of flamboyant costumes and snarky Wedonisms. I wasn’t mad, mind you, Avengers was dope, but Winter Soldier took all that campy bullsh*t out back and murdered it. This movie was the MCU growing up and almost everything afterward has been brilliant. The Winter Soldier forced everyone to step their game up with how goddamn brilliant it turned out to be. I can’t say there were any performances as great as Ledger’s Joker but i can make the argument the overall writing was better than The Dark Knight, and that stupid is high praise.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This film has no right to be as good as it is. I went into this thing on a whim, mostly because I thought it was going ti be filler like Ant-Man or something, and then it wasn’t. It was great. Legitimately great. I had no idea the MCU could take a C-rate team like the goddamn Guardians and uplift them so beautifully. James Gunn took those characters and wrote the best Star Wars film since f*cking Empire and I didn’t think that was possible, not with this wayward branch of Marvel History. Seriously, if you do even a minuscule amount of research on who the Guardians are, they’re a joke. I mean, they have a f*cking talking Raccoon on the team! Gunn had the wherewithal to lean into that and he produced one of the best in the entire MCU. He took these loser clowns and injected so much emotion  and humanity into them, you couldn’t help but love their rag-tag asses. This was the first MCU movie to move me to tears. That stuff about Quills mom? I felt that. Both times. On an extremely personal level. I was the young Quill. I watched my grandma, the only person who i believe loved me unconditionally up to that point, die just like Quill’s mom; Cancer and everything. I was about his age when it happened, too. That sh*t f*cked me up. To this day, i have nightmares about it. Seeing that sh*t so accurately captured in a capeflick was the most for me and I legit had to leave the theater until the first part of the movie passed. To this day, i can’t watch that scene. I can just barely make it through the Dance of to Save Th Universe, but that opening gambit? No way. It hits way too close to home for me. Still, for a comic book movie to solicit such a response? It has to be special and Guardians is one of the best.

Iron Man

Boy, we’ve come a long way since Tony Stark uttered those fateful word, “I am Iron Man.” But none of these other films would even have the opportunity to exist if he hadn't said them. Iron Man had the tall order of being the first, proper, MCU film AND compete with The Dark Knight. N one thought a film about B-List superhero, narcissistic billionaire, and straight up lush, Tony Stark, would amount to anything. How wrong everyone turned out to be. I knew, from that second i saw the teaser and concept art by Adi Granov, that Marvel was taking this sh*t crazy serious. Then there’s the casting of Robert Downey Jr. That sh*t was a boon, for real. The entire cast of this first film was impeccable but RDJ makes this movie. He IS Tony Stark. Even before he got comfortable with the character like in the later films, fresh out the box with the scripts, you can tell he knows how to bring this tinkerer to life. You had to nail that aspect in order to have any chance to  build something great and Marvel hit a goddamn bullseyes, for sure. Revisiting this flick, Iron Man isn’t as good as the later films in the Infinity Saga but it still holds up against the vast majority of entries and that’s saying something.

I love these films, man. As a geek growing up reading these stories, reenacting them with their action figures, sitting glued to the television every Saturday as their cartoons aired, I never imagined id see such a berth of fantastic media brought to life on the silver screen. Seriously, some of my favorite interpretations of these characters appear exclusive in the MCU. War Machine, Thor until recently, Ant-Man, f*cking Hulk? i never gave these assholes the time of day in the comics but in the MCU? They’re fantastic! And it has everything to do with how well written they are in-universe. There are over twenty films in this run an i love all of them to varying extents. Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 all could have made this list. For sure, they’re 6 - 11 or whatever, but that speaks to the sheer depth of the MCU. I’m not even counting flicks i would consider B-tier like Captain Marvel or Avengers or Iron Man 3 or Doctor Strange; All of which are still dope in their own right.

There is just SO much great in these films and i can’t wait to see where we go next. With Disney acquiring Fox, Marvel finally has the full toy box to play with and i am absolutely a tizzy with the potential arcs they can adapt. Secret Wars? Annihilation? Age of Apocalypse? Avengers Disassembled? Dark Reign? F*cking Onslaught?? I have no idea where we are going but i am, for sure, jumping on this pain train once again.

[dmydfilmreviews]

MARVEL MOMENTS

 So what they really did, as well as making a good load of films, was actually make a vast tapestry of genius interwoven moments like flicking through a big comic book! Ten years! Twenty something movies! A load of rubbish images at the end of the list because the last three films weren’t officially out on Blu Ray! Avengers assssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Tony Builds the First Suit

 Really it was a stroke of brilliance to start the whole shebang with Iron Man the self-made superhero. The backbone of the whole universe is that of Tony making himself and that all kicks off here, in a sequence that’s hugely thematically satisfying given what comes later. There’s also the fact that back in the day all this construction stuff was just fucking cool, a Nolan-lite bedrock for a blend of realism and fantasy that comic-book cinema had never quite nailed before. Seeing Tony improve his tech step-by-step is a quiet pleasure of these movies, the suits getting more and more outlandish but staying absolutely believable, just like the films, and that all kicks off here with one guy and a non-magical hammer.

Pepper Pulls Out Tony’s Heart

 I noted these all down before Endgame, honestly. Sob. It was always his story really. The best example of the foundational relationship of the MCU: They finish each other’s sentences!

‘Truth is… I am Iron Man.’

 They knew what they’d got from the very first. This ballsy coda sets the tone for the whole MCU, one of backed-up swagger, a willingness to fuck with the source material in the name of story and the general feeling that Robert Downey Jr. was God. All in like two hours. That they flipped the egotistically iconic line into an era-defining declaration of responsibility, growth and heroism a decade later is nothing short of remarkable.

Hulk and Betty in the Rain

 It’s uh… it’s a nice comic-book visual of a classic comic book romance, I guess? Look, Hulk came a long way later, but his forgotten love for Betty was the closest they ever came to the source material outside of the Hulk generally smashing and being awesome. It was sweet!

The Bit Where Hulk Suplexes a Giant Zombie Wolf on the Rainbow Bridge of Asgard

 wait was this in the Incredible Hulk

I’ve Successfully Privatised World Peace!’ ‘Fuck you, Mr Stark.’

 They got Garry Shandling in these movies!

The Suitcase Suit

 Now that is a cool-ass adaptation.

Black Widow Kicks Asses

 Yeah, after a whole movie of being reductive eye-candy she was still reductive eye-candy here. But the scene as a whole’s basically a perfect realisation of her moves in the comics, and showed Marvel were capable of doing someone who wasn’t Iron Man. Then they did EVERYYYYOONNNNNNEEE bonus points for Happy taking out that one guy and yelling ‘I got him!’

Tony and Rhodey in the Japanese Gardens

 Look, they just look cool, OK? No one said this was going to be deep.

Tony and Pepper as the Stark Expo Explodes

 They haven’t managed a lot of great romance, but this one hella works: Tony’s overblown mess of a movie expo exploding behind the true love of his life is a visual so great that Shane Black nicked it wholesale for the climax of Iron Man Three: Christmas in Croydon.

The Frost Giant Throwdown

 Wait, what’s happening? I thought these were the movies where Jeff Bridges rode a Segway? Are we in SPAAAAACCCCCEEEE?

Thor Can’t Pull It Off

 Out of the big three Thor’s arc of mythology to humanity might be the deepest and most satisfying of all. That starts here with his tearful inability to be worthy of his father, his world and, crucially, himself, leading directly into the first great Thor/Loki exchange, then a whole host of movies that eventually put him through the emotional wringer to self-acceptance. Hopefully?

Thor and Loki Battle on the Rainbow Bridge

 Yeah, it looks kind of goofy, but this is pure sixties Kirby, shorn of the irony the series would develop later. Beautiful.

Erskine Points To Cap’s Heart

 That’s it. That’s the character.

The Star Spangled Man!

 Who’ll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berliiiin?

That Whole War Montage That Ends With Bucky Falling From The Train

 Just smash after smash after smash of wartime Cap goodness that we’d never see again, ending with the ‘death’ that’d define the rest of his story. Steve lost as much as Thanos in his quest for peace but, y’know, he wasn’t a total fucking intergalactic dick about it.

‘I gotta put her in the water!’

 Man alive he waited for that date... whether you think the ending of Endgame ruins the moment somewhat (it doesn’t. sort of), this was still the biggest heart-tugger in the MCU at that point, and defined the characters of Cap and Peggy for years to come. Watch Agent Carter! Just bloody watch it!

'Lemme Put You On Hold’

 The stand out moment of The Avengers is basically all of it, but let’s start with the moment Black Widow finally becomes a character, a sequence of broad-strokes skill from Scarlett Johansson and Joss Whedon that begged for a movie she finally got way too long later. Bonus points for possibly the greatest Coulson reaction shot in a history of great reaction shots.

The Helicarrier Ascends

 OK, shit – this is series is big now.

The Whole of Stuttgart

 Whedon’s love of classical posh entertainment is seen in Angel’s superior ballet episode and his fondness for Sondheim, and he even gets a bit of the ol’ jewellery rattling in here in a perfectly pitched Loki-loving sequence that culminates in some fantastic bits for Cap before Iron Man AC/DC’s all over the place. This is where the comic book stuff really kicks off.

‘YOU COME HOME!’

 This Hemsworth’s fella’s really got something...

Forest Bro Down

 Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. The first real Avengers mash-up is just wonderful. This is where the wish-fulfilment really begins, in a quiet clearing, where three superheroes nearly beat the shit out of each other in classic comic-book style. The Avengers assembled.

The Whole Fuckin’ Helicarrier Sequence

 An absolute masterpiece of blockbuster juggling that had never been done before, this could be the third act of any other film. Over what plays out weirdly like a piece of theatre we get terrifying Hulks, mewling quims and awesome heroics, all expertly laced with wonderful character mash-ups and action we’d never seen before. Then Coulson dies. This is what Joss Whedon does.

‘There was an idea…’

 Fuck shit yeah there was, and it made for a hell of an Infinity War trailer six years later.

ALL OF NEW YORK

 Yep, all of it, but if we’re being picky it’s Hulk v Loki for the comedy side, the tracking shot for the action. As a sequence it’s never been bettered in the MCU, even in the open-mouthed joy-gush of Infinity War and Endgame. FIGHT ME

Go Fish

 Iron Man Three is a wonderful movie that works best as the sum of its parts, but there’s one bit that’s up there with the pantheon: the sky-diving rescue above the bay is such a joyous subversion of the usual third-act super-fisticuffs that it’s like something out of a 70’s Superman movie, only with a hilarious capper at the end where Iron Man explodes under a truck. Beep beep!

Running the Lemurian Star

 The Russo Brother’s action calling-card for their incredible MCU run, this sets up their vision of Cap’s super-subtle-super-serum-super-moves. From the off it’s a game changer in the way action’s shot across the MCU, clean-cut raid-alikes becoming the order of the day. AND THEN HE FIGHTS BATROC ZE LEAPER

Elevator Throwdown

 Yeah, yeah, we all know the actual bit in the elevator that’s spoofed to tremendous effect come Endgame, but remember this sequence ends with Cap TAKING DOWN A FUCKING QUINJET SINGLE-HANDED. The look on his face at the end says it all.

The Winter Soldier Street Fight

HE FLICKS A KNIFE MID PUNCH

Come and Get Your Love

 We’d seen a lot of cool shit from the MCU by this point, but this was something else again. It’s funny! It’s funny as fuck! What the fuck is this movie? And again, they know their own best bits: the return to this in Endgame is top drawer. What a moron.

The Kyln Sequence

 This whole breakout is the Guardians at their very best; squabbling in space, reluctant teamwork, loads of cool shit and leg theft. The bit where it all goes anti-grav is a treat.

WE ARE GROOT

 That’s it. That’s the movie.

…Stark…

 It’s a shame they didn’t delve deeper into Scarlet Witch’s hatred for the man who murdered her parents, but her barely contained rage is the keystone for Age of Ultron: deeper, nastier, more questioning of it’s heroes and their heroism. This one they brought on all by themselves.

Sun’s Gettin’ Real Low

 Yeah, maybe it’s for the best the slightly bumbled Hulktasha relationship was forgotten about, but this moment was pivotal in the character development of both. Beautifully shot, and leads to a primo Ragnarok gag.

Lift That Hammer

 You genuinely could have made a whole movie of these characters hanging out at an open bar. The Stan cameo’s great, the War Machine story bit gets an Endgame alien planet boost much later, but it’s the drunken worthiness competition that’s the real highlight, a seemingly fun throwaway that actually almost single-handedly sets up the whole character of Vision and the most fist-pumping moment of Endgame, a movie nearly entirely composed of fist-pumping moments.

Hulk vs Hulkbuster

 Pure comic-book wish fulfilment again, and how. From Hulk spitting out a tooth to Tony desperately pleading ‘go to sleep go to sleep go to sleep’, this mad clash of science pals knocks every Transformers movie straight through a freshly-bought-building. Veronica!

Well Done.

 Alright, Vision’s no one’s favourite Avenger, but he’s one who’s the satisfying product of several movie plots, one beloved supporting AI and the combined brains, magic and cool red capes of his team. Whedon performs his own mad-skillz level script trick to make us accept this fucking weirdo, first by giving him Jarvis’ voice, then having him stare out at a world and see his reflection in it, then having him lift an unliftable character-establishment hammer. None of this could be done by any other film series.

The Geometry of Belief

 Ultron’s climactic church-a-maggedon is short but perfect, a swirling mass of splash-page insanity that culminates in a glorious trinity of Vision, Iron Man and Thor blasting the shit out of their mad son like a magic triangle. The Avengers at their peak.

Vision and Ultron Have a Chat

 Whedon pops out these gems of detached humanism from time to time, and his sundown final exchange between The Avenger’s success and failure is a doozy. The most poetic little scene in the whole MCU, voiced by two creatures who look like nightmarish dildos. ‘A thing isn’t beautiful because it lasts’ is an all-timer.

Big Bathtub

 Ant Man’s bedrock might be its family values, but it’s the shrinking that makes it stand out. The first time Scott drops into tiny-town is a Pixar-esque fun-burst akin to Stephen Strange’s nutso jump into infinity later, with deadly bath taps, thunderclap vacuum cleaners and mid-day apartment raves (?) all bringing a new level of threat and adventure to a series already teeming with variety. They should carry these ones on foreverrrrr

Cassie’s Room

 There’s something about this scene that sums up Scott’s whole character and hopefully sets up his daughter for future ant shenanigans: he is (was) unique as a hero with a family, and no matter how many Pym Particles he stuffs into his suit he’s always looked like a giant to his daughter. Plus, y’know, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Some Guy Crashes a Car at Night

 The catalyst for the great middle schism. Civil War is a masterclass of twisting, gut-churning reveals, and this is the quiet moment that starts it all.

QUEENS

 The perfect Marvel character, introduced into the perfect realisation of the Marvel Universe, perfectly.

Running Into Each Other At The Airport

LITTLE MAN IS BIG NOW I’M CLINT WE HAVEN’T MET YET I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU FROM KID QUEENS BROOKLYN I’M YOUR CONSCIENCE WE HAVEN’T SPOKEN IN A WHILE YOU GUYS KNOW THAT OLD MOVIE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK HOW OLD IS THIS KID ETC ETC OH MY GOD MY BRAIN HAS EXPLODED

Cap vs Iron Man

 ‘I don’t care. He killed my mom.’  

The Big Brain Burst

 They keep doing bits to expand themselves, and this is one of the best, with the most potential for the future. Fleeting, but dazzling.

New York Mirror Fest

 If the next Strange movies delve into this deranged nonsense then they could end up the greatest of all of them. This is the tip of the iceberg, and it’s still unlike anything else being done in mainstream cinema.

Mr Blue Sky

 In a movie that frequently reaches big and misses, at least it hits the spot at the beginning. This glorious celebration of family, space-craziness and genre subversion is everything Guardians does best. The Gamora / Groot bit is adorable.

Peter’s Civil War Adventure

 The perfect tone-setter for the story’s most-average joe, this ground-level view of the universe’s biggest clash acts as a whippet quick intro to Peter Parker’s world in the big bad MCU. It’s always a thrill to see him where he belongs.

The Homage to Getting Buried Under a Tonne of Crap

 Homecoming’s riffs on classic Spidey-lore are generally pretty subtle, but when it comes time to show what Peter’s really made of Watts rips directly from the best, first with the iconic Parker/Spidey face split and then with him holding up a whole fucking building like he’s nerd Hulk or something. The added ‘come on Spider-Mans’ are the adorable icing on the homage-o-cake.

Anytime That Immigrant Song Plays

Another!

Thor vs Hulk

 Yeah, it’s not perfect and it’s a little CGIey. But it’s Thor fighting the Hulk in a fucking galactic gladiator arena place run by Jeff Goldblum and it smashes and it’s full of fun callbacks to previous movies. Yes! That’s what it feels like!

Thor and Loki Do Get Help

 The perfect encapsulation of Waititi’s irreverent-but-with-tonnes-of-heart freshgasm on the story of Thor, this bit of hilarious dumb shit acts as amusing action beat and neat character resolution all in one. They’re friends again! They’re brothers! Thor throws him around like a rolled up carpet!

What Are You The God of Again?

 Oh right, so he’s the best Avenger now.

Killmonger in the Afterlife

 The bloody heart of the most emotional Marvel movie, when Erik Killmonger enters the Wakandan afterlife he finds himself in his own tiny Compton apartment, exiled with his father forever with the plains of eternity just out of reach beyond the window. Heartbreaking, and brilliant.

Thanos Arrives

 The opening of Infinity War is another example of their absolute mastery of tone; after the megaton funblast of Ragnarok we’re thrown into the end of that movie being ripped apart, before Thanos appears, dragging a battered Thor into frame, beats seven shades of green shit out the Hulk and murders two beloved supporting characters, all without breaking a sweat. If you weren’t excited before you were now.

New York Tussle

 The opening New York section of Infinity War is all very clever, acting as the only grounding Earthy moment in what’s a pretty out-there narrative in terms of existential stakes. You get Tony and Wong helping people off the sidewalk and Strange winking after halting the space-death-machine, but from there on out it’s full-bore comic-book smackdown fun, clashing characters who’ve never met and providing top-drawer banter about wizards and children’s parties. This is the page, up there on screen.

BRING ME THANOS!

 BRING ME THANOS!

The Thanos Fight

 Jesus fucking Christ. Up there with the end of Avengers and the Civil War airport battle, this is a perfect realisation of superhero action, with a bigger dose of high-level insanity courtesy of the Infinity Stones and Doctor Strange. Sublimely realised, incredibly satisfying, with real weight and thought put into the spectacle, it’s also fantastic in the narrative of the film, the culmination of its themes of desperation and inevitability. The first time you saw them try to rip off the gauntlet was unbearable.

The Snap

 Well, yeah. You’ll never get back the first time you saw this. And imagine seeing it as a fucking kid.#

Just a Girl

 Sure the big level-up CGI fest at the end is good, but it’s the comedy smackdown on the Kree ship that’s the most satisfying part of Captain Marvel, the shit-eating joy on Carol’s face as she discovers she’s way more powerful than the assholes who’ve been holding her back. It’s corny sure, but it’s hella fun.

Thor Goes For The Head

 Endgame is a shocking, disorientating blur to begin with, all the characters you loved acting in strange, desperate ways in a super-hero version of post-traumatic stress disorder. Tony’s meltdown is bad enough, but it’s when Thor just straight up fucking murders Thanos that you know this is going to get dark and serious. It doesn’t, it remembers it’s a Marvel movie, but the shot of him walking out into the blurred alien sun, cape aflutter, is a fitting goodbye to a more innocent time of heroics.

Ant Man and Cassie

 A moment that could be worthy of a whole movie itself, a desperate Scott Lang meeting his five-years-older daughter gives a joke character a serious moment in the same way Infinity War did for Guardians. It’s very odd, very sweet and very Marvel.

Love You 3000

 Morgan H. Stark is almost a little too on the nose as a wrap-up for Tony, but hell, she’s still sweet as all hell and a perfect capper to his story of fatherhood and responsibility. It’s a mark of the work they’ve put in that we’ll almost immediately accept the tired trope of kid-taking-over-mantle when she inevitably puts on the armour in a few years.

Steve and Peggy / Tony and Howard

 This is the bit in Endgame where I finally started tearing up: a lot of it is too-neat fan-service, but fuck it, they’ve put in so much effort that it works. This is the scene where you realise both of these long arcs are coming to an end, the resolution of Steve quietly making his decision to go back to Peggy and Tony getting the closer of discussing parenthood with his unknowing father. It’s corny sure, but so are comic books, and setting the whole bit at the height of seventies Marvel Comics mania is a loving nod to the imaginations that made all these crazy possibilities possible.

Widow and Hawkeye

 There’s a theme here. All of these moments are kind of cheesy and rely heavily on callbacks to previous bits… but at the moment it doesn’t matter because ENDGAME WOW. Maybe we’ll look back at it as a corny misstep, but for the moment, Clint and Tasha having one last, ludicrously overblown tussle for who gets to live is a sweet capper that never goes as deep as the others because they’re supporting characters. It still stings, and it’s a neat mirror to Gamora and Thanos in Infinity War. The red’s gone from her ledger! It’s on the rocks! Urrrgh

Nebula Kills Herself

 Again, they’re so good that they can spend a big chunk of time in what’s ostensibly the last big movie for their most beloved characters on making a lesser character beloved. Endgame spotlights Nebula even more than Infinity War did Gamora, using her self-hatred and fear of her father for compelling, wibbly-wobbly plot and character beats. The resolution of her story and her newfound place with her team should make for a whole different Guardians before we even get to Fortnite-Thor joining up.

Cap Wields The Hammer

 ‘I KNEW IT!’

Thanos’ Army

 One last escalation of scale. When Thanos’ army finally arrives it’s like something out of those apocalyptic Turner paintings, where the hordes of a ship-wrecked hell confront eternity under skies ripped from heaven. Only this time they’re facing one guy called Steve, and they’re fucked. Incredible.

Avengers… Assemble

 It almost lives up to what you always had in your head. The Marvel Universe, somehow done right.

Tony Hugs Peter Back

Awwww!

New Avengers Run the Gauntlet

 A surprising amount of Endgame’s grand finale is given over to the future hopes; while Strange gets stuck in with holding back a Biblical flood it’s up to Black Panther to grab the Infinity Gauntlet from Clint in a delightful callback to Civil War, before embarking on an intense relay race across the entire battlefield that begins with Scarlet Witch crushing the shit out of Thanos’ testicles and ends with Captain Marvel engaging the Mad Titan in a bone-crushing show of super-strength. And along the way if finds time to have Peter Parker dragged through the air by Thor’s hammer which was thrown by Captain America before landing on a Pegasus flown by Valkryie across an exploding sky of alien whales. Maybe the most satisfying run of action since the first Avengers.

I am Iron Man

 It was always going to be him really. Bonus points for Downey Jr. originally telling Thanos to ‘Fuck off’. Did anyone else keep thinking he was going to wake up and quip and everything would be OK? That’s how you make movies.

The Funeral

 It looks a little weird actually, like they weren’t all on set. But they were! The Marvel Universe again, holy smokes.

The Kiss

 Now that’s how you end ten years and twenty one movies. They’re movies! It was romantic! It was exciting! It was fun!

For TEN FUCKING YEARS.

Swing a Ding Ding Sir

 After five movies of fresh shit they've finally starting dumping some classic Spider-Man on us; the Euro stuff's fun and all, but it's Far From Home delirious climax that sees Spidey and MJ thwipping through the canyons of New York before bumping into ugly ol' J. Jonah JJ Jay Jay likes it's a freakin' comic book or something. Delightful, and also serves as a wonderful image of hope and joy post-Endgame.

What a fuckin’ ride. Here’s to the next... seventy six? Seventy seven?

wait did I leave any out