#but not marvel comics I know they’re better than this

[stackthedeck]

Can I ask why you're still reblogging Marvel stuff over here when you've been very vocal about the boycott on tiktok? I'm not judging, just confused

As I said in the most recent video about what the BDS is actually asking us to do, when it comes to pressure boycotts it’s about showing the company that people who oppose this genocide still want this product so they have an incentive to actually change business practices. On tiktok I have almost 20k followers on here I have about 100. I’m nothing but an advertisement on tiktok because of my platform and the nature of the app. I have no platform here but also the culture of tumblr doesn’t make me reblogging a comic cover an endorsement of the product. Also like the divide between fandom bullshit and politic posts on tumblr is nothing. A lot of us have a set it and forget mindset when it comes to boycotts but like this is a pressure boycott we need to talk about it. I’m not buying comics anymore but I’m still writing letters to marvel comics asking them about their stance in this genocide. Obviously they’re not answering them, but it feels like doing something. I think the best thing to do in this time is to pirate marvel content, comics movies tv shows etc. well really the best thing to do is switch to indie comics but I don’t have any money to buy them lmao. I do believe that marvel comics has been used to tell important political stories in the past, Jack Kirby did not kill nazis for us to write his work and legacy off as pure bigotry, and I believe they can be radical again. We’ve got to talk about the way the mcu has twister and contorted the comic characters to fit into their war propaganda. I don’t think literary analysis and critical thought are limited to writing argumentative essays, I think fandom can be a way to analyze media. It rarely does but it can.

I’ve chosen to not talk about marvel at all until Sabra is removed from Captain America 4 but I know others are talking about back issues and things out of print and actively encouraging pirating, showing that there are ways to engage with these politics presented by the comics without giving marvel your money. A lot of people are replacing Starbucks and McDonalds with other brands or at home recipes and that’s what I consider fanfic and pirating right now. Look at Star Trek, fans can save an entire franchise. Look at the sequel rewrites in Star Wars after bigoted fan backlash, we can also change franchises too. If we work collectively and scream loud enough, maybe we can change marvel for the better. I don’t think the solution in this time is to stop being a fan because Disney and Marvel will always exist, this is why the BDS has called for a pressure boycott on Disney not a no buy boycott, but it’s time to use the collective fan community to demand change.

[starkwlkr]

Omfg I need like early on in the relationship between Hugh and marvel!reader where their relationship isn’t public and their papparazzi of them on set together coz they’re visiting eachother and everyone’s thinking xmen X mcu when in reality it’s just them together dating

no spoilers! | hugh jackman

an: ok since their first son was born in 2000 (it’s canon idk what date but it’s canon now lol) and the mcu started in 2008 I’m going to change a few things JUST TINY THINGS like the mcu being in development early on and marvel actress!reader being casted in the early 2000s. does that make sense?? idk this is fanfiction

2005

Getting a call from Marvel was something you never expected. Like many people, you grew up reading the comics and watching the tv shows. But now you had the chance of a lifetime. You were being offered a role in the first movie in the Marvel cinematic universe.

After having a meeting with the marvel executives and your manager, you were asked to keep the news of your casting a secret. The media was already wondering who was going to portray what heroes on the big screen and your name was being thrown around.

While your relationship was still a secret, you often visited Hugh on set of X-Men with Alex and Reese. You tried to keep your little family from the media as much a possible. You would watch Hugh get into his costume and do his stunts. You were always amazed at how much fun it would be to portray a superhero and now you were finally going to be able to.

A few months after you met with Marvel, you found out you were pregnant with your third baby. A girl. Thankfully you weren’t set to film yet since the film was still in development. When it was finally time to film ‘Iron Man’, you were more than ready. Your kids were a bit older so they finally got to watch you beat up bad guys like their dad did.

It was during the filming of ‘Iron Man 2’ when your secret was finally revealed to the world. You didn’t really know how it even happened . . . Your guess was that paparazzi somehow snuck in. Hugh was always careful when visiting you on set. Rumors were already circulating on the internet about a potential X-Men and Avengers team up. It didn’t help that Hugh was sporting his signature Wolverine hair when he visited the set. At least the kids weren’t with you.

“You look much better than me,” Hugh looked at your costume. He couldn’t stop staring, it was starting to make you weak in the knees. “at least you get comfortable suits. Remember the black suits from X-Men? The most uncomfortable shit ever.”

“The kids thought you looked cool.” You reminded him.

“Okay, that makes me feel better.”

As you and Hugh talked, some paparazzi were secretly taking photos. All they could think about was how well they were going to get paid for the exclusive photos. The X-Men joining the mcu? That was big news!

When the photos were published on every magazine, you couldn’t help but laugh. What a way to reveal your relationship. You definitely didn’t want to share the news this way, but you also didn’t want to lose your job.

“Maybe in a few years it’ll come true. You, me, X-Men and the Avengers.” He told you, giving you your morning coffee. The kids were still sleeping so you and Hugh took advantage of the quiet morning. You set the magazine down on the table and drank the coffee.

“It would be nice. Imagine what the kids will think. Mom and dad beating up the bad guys together,” you smiled at him. He took the opportunity to give you a kiss. As he pulled away, you whispered to him. “or it could be me kicking the wolverine’s ass.”

You and Hugh’s characters wouldn’t share the screen until 2024 when Deadpool & Wolverine premiered. Your kids were more than excited to see their parents fighting together.

@kellyxo1 @barnes70stark @ru-kru @flyestvenustrap @evasmlp

[theodore-sallis]

“And When I Die…!” Man-Thing (Vol. 1/1974), #6.

Writer: Steve Gerber; Penciler: Mike Ploog; Inker: Frank Chiaramonte; Colorist: Petra Goldberg; Letterer: John Costanza

[captainwans]

AM ERA! (smau)

— ALEX TURNER

arabella series

pairing: alex turner x fem! actress! reader

summary: some iconic and memorable moments on social media during the am era.

timeline: 2014

note: to clear up any confusion, the song arabella in this universe/series is based on a movie y/n did. + and also this format / layout is heavily inspired by my love @ithinkimokeei 🩶

masterlist!

Liked by yourbestfriend, katiee_cook_ and others

yourinstagram she’s got a barbarella silver swimsuit … 🪽

 ㅤ View all the comments

username THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ‼️

username doing cartwheels across the highway- 🤸‍♀️ why are they so attractive

username mom and dad looks so hot

breanahelders looking beautiful wifey 😙

yourinstagram got it from you <3

elizabetholsenofficial because i love waking up in the morning getting hit by visuals 😩

username lizzie is so real for that

username mother

username alex looks so fucking good i wanna jump off a cliff

username the fact that y/n didn’t know arabella was about her until a fan told her during a comic con panel will forever not be iconic

username lmao even the mcu cast was shocked that she didn’t know 😭

username had to replay that funny moment between y/n and scarlett where scar almost had a whiplash bc y/n had no idea

username our baby is so clueless it’s so cute

mileskane who’s that sexy cinnamon bun on the left? 😏

yourinstagram definitely not your man

username IM CACKLING SO LOUD

username pls y/n is so savage i love her

mileskane and you’re claiming him as your man?

username ohh dramaaaaa

yourinstagram and what if i did? 👀

username GASP- does this mean that alex and y/n are dating?!!!

mileskane it’s okay luv it’s just a phase it will go away ❤️

username hahaahahahahah miles

username i’m crying this is too funny

katiee_cook_ this comment section is so funny me and jamie are dying from laughter

yourinstagram mileskane unfortunately it is not just a phase 🥲

username wait y/n does this mean you and al are together?!! hello??

username girl you can’t just leave us hanging like that 😭😭 we NEED TO KNOW

username wait so arabella is actually about her?

yourbestfriend those of you who haven’t watched arabella clearly shows

username fr the song doesn’t even make sense if you haven’t watched the movie

username CAN SOMEONE PLS CONFIRM IF THEY’RE DATING??

Liked by yourinstagram, marvel and others

enews to answer the question on y/n’s famous instagram post… the answer is YES! (📷: unknown)

 ㅤ View all the comments

username I KNEW IT

username IM CRYING HAPPY TEARS FINALLY

username idk if i wanna be him or be with her

yourbestfriend same

username y/bsf/n is so real for this

username they look so happy

username mileskane has been real quiet ever since enews posted

username i’m fine (i’m not)

username now who leaked these pictures of me and my man? 🤫

yourinstagram first miles and now i have to fight my way through fans 😭 this is a battle

mileskane yeah username get in line 🙄

username speaking of the devil… hi miles!!

username and he has arrived!!

username good luck dealing with seventeen year old girlies who want you dead 🥲

username bro what is marvel doing here liking this post i’m cackling

marvel don’t blame us we were just as curious as you folks 🙈

 ㅤ Liked by 34,4k users

username alex could do better than this pretentious hollywood whore

username who are you calling a whore???!

yourbestfriend say that again i dare you bitch

breanahelders if you don’t have anything nice to say then keep it to yourself.

officialelizabetholsen jealousy doesn’t suit you honey. keep that energy elsewhere and let us celebrate this beautiful couple ✨

mileskane yourinstagram do i need to kill someone? just say the word love

username username the gang coming at your bitch

Liked by breanahelders, yourfriend and others

yourinstagram okay… this is the last one i promise 🤭

 ㅤ View all the comments

username queen we don’t mind post all you want

username THE HAND REPLACEMENT ALEX

username bi panic

katiee_cook_ obsessed 😍

yourinstagram with you 😙

username the way this music video has a chokehold on me-

youtube the visuals, artistry, lyrics, aesthetics, cinematography is just *chef kiss* ✨✨✨

 ㅤ Liked by 99k users

username even youtube is speaking facts

officialelizabetholsen gorgeous gorgeous 💗 we miss you on set, babe!

yourinstagram miss you more, bug!! 🎀

username a match made in heaven

mileskane we get it you guys are couple goals 🙄

matthelders here we go again 🤦🏻

yourinstagram do i complain when you get to have him all by yourself on stage?

mileskane that doesn’t count!

yourinstagram you’re such a drama queen

username their dynamic i love them sm

username miles and y/n fighting over alex is so real bc same

username yourinstagram how does it feel to be a rockstar’s gf 😩 how does it feel to live our dream

yourinstagram it feels amazing 🙈💗

[genericpuff]

You should watch Jack vs. Webtoons video on Lore Olympus before it gets wrongfully taken down.

His video pointed out something I wasn’t able to put into words until now. Lore Olympus has a real bad dialect problem. One second the characters are talking like they’re in a Shakespeare play which makes sense, sense they’re gods or what not. The next second you’ll have characters saying shit like “blue balls” “clout chaser” and “you’ve got a young wife with a fat ass”. It probably wouldn’t bother me if certain people talked a certain way like how Hera doesn’t use any slang and how Hermes uses some but all the characters vocabulary are the exact same.

Honestly I can look past the art and it’s inconsistencies but having dialect jump from regal to tiktok facebook slang makes my brain hurt more than glossy lipped Hades and bug eyed Persephone.

I checked it out, it's pretty great haha and yesss this is something that's been discussed before but I haven't really ever made a post about, the dialogue is CONSTANTLY flip-flopping between royal talk and "hello fellow teens" quipping. Sometimes it feels like it's trying to be like Marvel and then other times it feels like it's trying to be Bridgerton. I can think of no better example than all of the "pedigree" talk, it makes me squirm every time I read it because in the modern context of LO, it SCREAMS eugenics. The whole B-grade goddess thing made sense, until they started talking about Persephone like a poodle:

But then you ALSO get INCREDIBLY stiff dialogue that makes it seem like the comic is either being written by AI or Rachel is actually a real life version of Michael Afton post-scoop:

And yes, there is a tinfoil hat theory that LO is being written by bots at this point because I don't know how a single person could write something so tonally confused. That said, I do think the more reasonable explanation is that Rachel is likely copying dialogue from shows and movies she's watching and just tweaking it slightly before slapping it into LO. She's not observing why the dialogue works in the media she likes, she just knows she likes it and slaps it in there without any regard for context, tone of voice, or personality.

And that leads to, as you said, all the characters sounding the exact same, and that metric by which they all sound the same changes all the time. I think at this point the only reason we haven't seen Hera dropping TikTok language is because she hasn't been onscreen long enough for her to get the chance LMAO That said, we've definitely gotten some weird inconsistent dialogue with Hera as well:

(like she's essentially saying the exact same thing across both of these panels but one is being said by an adult and the other is being said by a teenager lmao)

I think the dialogue is definitely one of the most glaring issues with LO, among all of its other problems. It just never feels like it's being written by a human, there are problems with this even as far back as S1 but it's become especially apparent in S2 onwards.

To finish off this ask, here's one of my favorite dialogue mishaps in the entire series, from S1, in which Apollo literally adopts an askew English accent:

[wander-wren]

sometimes i wonder about what fandom is going to look like in 5 or 10 years. i think we might have already started to see a shift.

because, look, most of the oldest, biggest fandoms are from tv shows and movies, in particular ones that go on for years and scores of episodes. star trek, star wars, stargate (is everything star?), doctor who, supernatural…even sherlock really got its biggest popularity boosts in the modern day from tv adaptations. marvel and dc were comics first, too, but movies made them more accessible; their “cinematic universe” tags are the biggest on ao3 by far.

but what tv shows are we getting now? short, 8-episode things that get canceled two or three seasons in, that are usually less-than-faithful adaptations of other media anyway.

what movies are we getting? well, marvel turns more to slop every day, and everything else is remakes and sequels no one asked for. the general populace will still go see them and find some good movies that they like, but there’s not much really for fandom to grasp onto.

the best shows for fandom that we’ve had recently, that i can think of, are stranger things, game of thrones, and maybe our flag means death. stranger things is dying off, especially since they’re looking at a 3-4 YEAR gap between s4 and s5. game of thrones’s popularity plummeted after its final season, we all know that. our flag means death is still chugging fairly okay, but after that second season a lot of the fandom dropped it, and with it now being cancelled, i don’t see it sticking around.

yes, we can chalk part of this up to a new generation to of fans having this growing idea that fandom is super temporary, to be abandoned as soon as its not on trend. but media used to be on trend for a whole lot longer than it is now. seasons were longer, we had filler episodes, things were lower quality sometimes but at least they came out on a consistent schedule. i don’t mind if supernatural isn’t an artistic masterpiece, but if i was a stranger things fan waiting until 2026 for the final season, i would be annoyed if it wasn’t damn near perfect. that’s assuming i watched it at all—we’re all so used to not getting endings and moving on, so why would i bother?

i think there are two types of shows doing sort of okay about this. one is procedurals—9-1-1 is a popular one i’ve run into, and it started in 2018, around the beginning of the decline, but it’s managed 7 seasons in those six years, most of them with 18 episodes. the other is, honestly, anime—though we can and SHOULD talk about the terrible working conditions that make the fast turnarounds there possible. look at how big some anime fandoms are.

judging by the relative fandom popularity of other procedural dramas (grey’s anatomy, law & order, criminal minds), i think that’s going to remain sort of niche. fandom likes fantasy and scifi best, and they just don’t tend to have as strong of an overarching arc to dig into. at least, that’s why i wouldn’t watch them. i think there’s also a good chance these will start to die out in the coming years as well.

anime could also die out a little bit. better working conditions would necessitate less/slower content, and it’s true that most of the popular anime fandoms have been around for years, even decades.

so, what, no new, lasting tv show or movie fandoms anymore?

what will the biggest fandoms be in 5-10 years?

podcast fandoms have a shot. the magnus archives is still going strong, and i’ve been seeing a lot about dungeons and daddies. i think we’re kind of almost past the golden age for podcasts, but i am an outsider, so maybe that will change.

book fandoms seem like a kind of obvious choice, but they just don’t get as big without, you guessed it, a movie or show adaptation. and the downsizing has hit them, too—can you think of anything from the last 5 or 10 years that rivals harry potter, percy jackson, warriors, lord of the rings, hunger games, acotar…even game of thrones (asoiaf) again? i can’t. the collapse of the publishing industry is another post entirely.

2020 is really what cemented these changes, though they were starting in the late 2010s, at least. with actual industries shutting down, there was room for indie creators making things alone in their houses to pop up, and people had more time on their hands to try new things out and get into them.

the two things that have really been on the rise since 2020 is rpf and video game fic—often both combined. we’ve got genshin impact, call of duty, minecraft of course being huge, rpf of various youtubers, and k-pop rpf. now, i think rpf is contentious enough that it won’t really become the main fandom, but video game fic…might be it.

even video blogging rpf can often be a blurred enough line that people are more comfortable with it. and the thing is…youtube creators are actually more reliable than mainstream television these days. they need to be, to maintain their platforms. they need to not cancel series and to live up to their own hype as best they can and to not abandon the channel for 3 or 4 years at a time. and again, you can talk about burnout and unrealistic expectations and all of those things, but it’s still true.

maybe i’m completely wrong. maybe in 10 years the film and publishing industries will all sort themselves out and we’ll go back to the status quo. but i think this position fandom is finding itself in is interesting, and i wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if what’s most popular (both in the specific source material sense and the medium/genre sense) is different some time down the road.

[7077070707]

best friend

feat — gojo satoru

contents & warnings — not proofread because im fucking lazy, mutual pining, friends to lovers, suggestive content, gojo being a dork as per usual

a/n — guys i’m sorry for writing ANOTHER gojo fic but he’s just so fun to write. this is slowly turning into a gojo blog (i hate him). ALSO, im actually a dc girl so i’m with my pookie on this one,,, but like at the same time i might prefer starwars… it’s hard out here, they’re both so peak. um!!! as you can tell i’m oddly passionate about all this comic and movie shit from my stupid rambling so im just gonna stop!!!

you and your best friend satoru trek indoors, both sweaty and fatigued from the blazing summer heat. you’re still finishing off the popsicle that gojo generously bought for you from the convenience store, for the whopping price of ¥180 (a true gentleman, he is). he claimed to be donating to charity, with you being a charity case – so in response you simply kicked him in the back of his knees which resulted him folding like a foldable chair. 

gojo was mindlessly chewing on the remains of his popsicle – that being the stick – and shoves his hands into his pockets. you were both passionately arguing over which franchise was better, and it was quickly becoming more and more heated. 

“dc is soo much better than marvel! what are you talking about?” he whines, pulling his hands out of his pockets and positioning them in a questioning, exasperated manner for the sake of exaggeration and his strong opinion. 

“no! no! no! marvel is cooler, and the movies are top tier. are dc movies as successful as marvel movies? no, i don’t think so.” you defend yourself, pointing an accusatory finger at gojo with some swagger. 

“well yeah, marvel movies are generally better but we’re talking about EVERYTHING, and everyone knows dc comics are superior. ‘cause, you know, the storylines are deeper and over all more interesting. and have you seen some of the art? arkham asylum’s art is insane! ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW ICONIC BATMAN IS?” 

“i could say the same about spiderman. and iron man–” 

he cuts you off, “okay then, joker too!” 

“shut up! alright, fine… one point to marvel for movies, and one point to dc for comics.” you announce, albeit begrudgingly. 

��hold on, y/n.” leaning forward and wagging his finger stupidly, “there’s still more to it! what about games? or merch? lego adaptations? or even cartoons! maybe we could even add star wars to the mi–” 

“enough! it’s too hot for this, satoru! we can settle this later, and maybe even bring suguru as well, to defend his case for star wars.” 

a flash of disappointment shines upon his face at the mention of suguru, but maybe you were just seeing things. could it be that he was possibly saddened at the thought of his close friend being here? but why? maybe it’s because he wants to be alone with yo– 

‘no, shut up y/n!’ you think to yourself, ‘that’s obviously not the case…’ a small, sad after thought. you blame it on the lingering crush you had on your bestfriend and inwardly sigh. 

after the disappointed face that you claimed to notice, he flashes you a dopey grin and leans back. “alright, fine! you’re on! and damn, it is getting hot. i mean, even hotter. hotter than it was before, like previously–” he stops, “am i.. am i rambling?” 

“well, no. i mean, er– yes, yes you are. but it’s–” you giggle, “it’s cool, satoru. don’t sweat it!” your chest suddenly fills with a warmth, a different kind of warmth to the one the surface of your skin was feeling. 

he recovers and starts, “well, anyway…” he then abruptly takes his shirt off and throws it over his shoulder, his chiselled torso being revealed to you which raises heat to your face.

inside, you're panicking, ‘ohmygod.. what is happening? why is he stripping? huuuh..?’ 

he retrieves a wet rag and drags it across his body, creating wet droplets on his skin which was way more erotic than it should’ve been. the cool rag relieves him of the uncomfortable heat and he groans lowly, tilting his head up.

at the sound, you flush an even deeper red and panic even more, ‘oh my god! why? why is he so casual about this? i mean, how would he feel if i were to suddenly strip and wash myself with a wet towel? and make erotic noises as well! or am i making this an even bigger deal than it is? curse me and my brain…’ 

you stare shamefully at him, averting your eyes every now and then as an attempt to protect your wavering dignity. 

he catches your eye, and a shit eating grin presents itself on his face, “y/n? you alriiight? why is your face so red?” he teases, elongating his words and taking the piss out of you. 

you position yourself into a fighting stance, and retort defensively, “what? my face isn’t red! what are you talking about?” 

“why are you getting so riled up then? i’m only pulling your tail, ya know! unless you're actually flustered?” he quipped, inching closer to you. 

“go to hell gojo!” 

“why are you so flustered anyway?” he inquired, as if he wasn’t displaying his god-like body in front of you like a piece of exquisite art, “wait!” he lets out an exaggerated gasp, raising his hand to his mouth and you prepare yourself for the ‘shocking’ revelation his stupid little head cooked up, “you’re staring at my body! heeeey!” 

you grind your teeth, about to swing your fist at him. 

“i mean, i don’t blame you. girls are crazy over me.” he boasts, making you feel even more idiotic, “but hey, i’m crazy over you too!” you halt your actions and pause. 

“wait… what?” you croak out.

“you best believe it, pretty!” 

“you… you like me?” stunned by this unexpected declaration, “you like me, too?”

the boy smiles fondly at you, “of course. i just didn’t know how to confess… so i simply decided to do it on a whim, ya know – when my heart felt the fullest and all that cheesy crap.” 

“awww. gojo, you like me! that’s so cute!” 

his face gains an adorable pink flush, uncharacteristically flustered from your comment, and he sputters out, “wait what? why are the tables turning? when did the tables turn? how are the tables turning?!” 

giggling behind your hands, you assured him good naturedly, “well, just so you know. i like you too.” 

deadpanning at you, “i figured.” 

giggling once more, you twirl towards him and place a sweet kiss on the cheek of your now ex-best friend.

(bonus)

satoru smiles at the contact, but a burning question arrises, “so wait, does this mean we’re boyfriend and girlfriend now?”

you ponder for a moment, scrunching your face — gojo copying your expression, “err yeah, i think so! is that how it works?”

“how about i take you out on a date, pretty?” he suggests, finger gunning at you and flashing his signature goofy grin.

[jackshade21]

I had a few issues with Endgame

In the wake of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 I watched all of the media involving the Guardians. This included Avengers: Endgame. This reminded me of the issues I had with the movie. (Leaving out the time travel stuff cause I’m not a big fan of time travel in movies)

First and foremost, the handling of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Their story up to that point had been about learning to open up and let people in. To be a family. Rocket lost every single member of that family. Nebula’s sister was murdered by their abuser. We got a single scene that conveyed their loss. Don’t get me wrong I liked this scene, but considering how much time we devoted to Tony Stark’s MANPAIN, I would have liked a little more that a scene that fits into a 7 second GIF.

The bigger issue was not giving them a proper reunion scene. They’re a family and they had been separated for 5 years. I think we deserved a little more. Especially since they took the time to do the Tony Stark & Peter Parker reunion.

But the BIGGEST issue was the handling of Thor’s entire arch. Thor failed to kill Thanos because he was consumed by vengeance, he WANTED Thanos to know who killed him which gave Thanos the time to snap his fingers and dust half the Universe. They took this man who lost his entire family, his home, most of his people, who failed to stop the “Blip” from happening out of his desire for revenge and you turned him and his alcoholism and depression into an in poor taste fat joke. 

This juxtaposed with the sincerity of how they treated Peter’s alcoholism and depression in Vol. 3 and it just makes me more disappointed. The Guardians showed concern for Peter, the Avengers mocked Thor.

Bonus nitpicks:

Rocket is smarter than Tony Stark. Plenty of comic evidence for this. Wanted to see Rocket dunk on him a bit.

Natasha deserved better. We got a whole funeral for Tony but nothing for Natasha in the film. So glad Ms. Marvel at least showed us that the general public know of the sacrifice she made for the world.

[physalian]

On the one hand I am sick and tired of nostalgia bait trying to make up for shit writing to convince you that the movie is better than it actually is, but there is something special about Deadpool & Wolverine, No Way Home, and DOFP that the rest of the MCU just doesn’t have (did not actually see DP 2 and haven’t seen DP 1 since it came out).

I think the obvious dividing line is that these cameos serve a narrative purpose they’re not just there tossed in with the kitchen sink. I know Spiderman’s movies were by Sony but they fit the same vibe as what happened with Fox—these movies can only exist because they’ve been re-cast and remade and rebooted so many times, and because of the nature of these characters, and when the writers understand that that is the essence of a comic book character, that their story will never end, there will always be a new issue, a new evolution of them, so let’s embrace it instead of trying to fit it into an adaptation that dismisses it, it just works so well.

NWH does ride the nostalgia train a bit too hard, but Toby and Andrew still treated their roles, getting to be on screen again, play these characters again after their dismissal from the canon, regardless of what the actual story was about, that was special. The heart and soul those two brought to those characters was special.

DOFP is still regarded as one of if not the best X-Men movie, and it goes beyond the “nostalgia” of seeing the original actors working with the next generation, that movie felt like a passing of the torch in a way that didn’t crack jokes at the OG’s expense, like so many Marvel movies have done—laughing at themselves before the audience can laugh at them and making themselves really insincere and unable to embrace the cheesy corniness of what comic books are.

You could have a movie where every single iteration of Batman comes back in some DCU multiverse of madness, but so many of his adaptations are grimdark and serious that the only movie that kind of pulled it off was Lego Batman, and those fourth wall breaks were just a couple jokes, not literally having a script with tiny Lego Batman on screen acting across from the Bale Batman.

Not only that, these three movies didn’t just bring in cameos and toss their actors a sack of cash for a couple days of filming. It really felt like all these actors, who’ve all had if not awful adaptations, but less than thrilling ones, and even some great ones, are getting the chance to show the world/Hollywood/whatever that they were given up on too quickly, that they still had more left in them—and Hugh Jackman acting his ass off in DP&W just goes to show it. Dude has played the same character I think more than anyone else in comic book history? If not, he’s very close, or at least spans the most years in his role. He could have phoned it in, showed up and did the bare minimum, but he didn’t, and he gave a version of Wolverine that is both so like the character we’ve seen on screen for 20 years, and something new, because this isn’t our Wolverine.

And of course all the other cameos—the oldest Fox movie I’ve seen is the first Spiderman. I recognized Wesley Snipes and knew that Jennifer Garner was important, knew her weapons were significant, but I didn’t realize who she was until they said her name. I just know that her movie was pretty bad. The meta narrative of a Fox send-off victory lap, giving these characters and actors one last chance to give it all they’ve got just felt like it was done from a place of deep respect for comics, cinema, and the legacy of these movies—X-Men ran so the MCU could fly. It didn’t feel like assembly line MCU schlock at all.

So while I really, sincerely hope that the higher powers at Marvel don’t look and go “oh so they do like nostalgia bait,” this felt like so much more than “nostalgia bait”. I do not need more of it at all, but if this was the send-off that Fox never got when Disney ate it, then this movie and the end credits BTS montage was, at least I think, the best they could have done with it.

[ladyloveandjustice]

I just watched Pop Culture Detectives critique as superheroes as reactionary and defending the status quo and villains as disruptors (even when their goals are wrong and authoritarian), and I think it did a fine job summing up the MCU, but I think it would lose something when if you’re doing a conversation outside that specific focus if you don’t acknowledge that there’s very significant times that WASN’T the case in early superhero comics.

For example, several early Superman comics have him actively disrupting society. He wasn’t a friend of the law early on. He destroys an entire “slum” and forces the government to rebuild better housing, and the police come after him for this.

He infiltrates a prison to expose its systemic abuse of prisoners.

He forces war profiteers to experience the terror of war firsthand until they stop.

But as the tweet thread I linked notes, this stops. Modern Superman often states he can’t interfere in wars because humanity has to sort out their own conflicts, that he can’t use his power against systemic issues because what if he becomes the power hungry god imposing his will on humanity? It’s interesting some comics posit that if Superman was more active about social change, he’s become the ‘invader’ Lex Luthor says he is. Especially if you consider Superman’s roots as an immigrant allegory, which makes it come off like he has to avoid being too disruptive or he’ll be labeled a ‘bad immigrant’.

There’s sometimes callbacks to the roots of Superman still, like the issue where he fights that cop probably (I was out of comics by the time that happened) but of course it’s pretty absent from the movies.

It’s also worth noting that Clark Kent is an investigative reporter (often exposing the crimes of billionaire CEO) which is an inherently disruptive job. PCD mentions that heroes do tend to be creative in their civilian identities but says it doesn’t seem to connect much to their superhero selves, but  I don’t think you can separate Clark Kent the reporter from his superhero activity, because they’re often closely tied together, I mean he literally took the job so he could get leads as Superman.

Then there’s Wonder Woman, who was definitely a disruptor in her early incarnation. She was absolute here to spread Marston’s idea of feminism and have others follow her. She wanted to make more Amazons. She wanted a society where women had power. She would literally take her female villains and introduce them to the pleasures of femdom and BDSM  reform them, convert them to her ideology, get them to join her ranks. The comic was CERTAINLY reactionary in other ways, and Marston’s feminism was flawed, but he wrote the comic explicitly because he was hoping for social disruption, that Wonder Woman would be the building block in the utopia he envisioned.

And there was some of that in SOME modern WW comics when I was into them- I was drawn to Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman because there was a huge emphasis on the fact she’s an ambassador for her culture, and diplomat actively working to change the world, someone who’s seeking social reform and has an ideology. However, it is true that even those comics were mostly about her reacting to threats in her superhero life. (And then in the movie’s that’s entirely absent- feminism isn’t bought up, she goes into hiding rather than mounting a social justice campaign.)

And then on the Marvel side of things. Cap fighting Hitler actually didn’t reflect the status quo of America when it came out. In-universe it did to a degree, because America had entered the war in the universe of the comic, therefore Cap was doing patriotism, but out of universe America HADN’T entered the war yet and it was controversial to take the stance we were definitely going to and sauy Hitler was bad. We all know the story of nazi-sympathizers coming to harass the creators and Jack Kirby declaring he would fight them. So there’s a very interesting dichotomy there!

Anyway, it’s interesting to see this discussion because it’s definitely a very minor theme in my own book about a girl who becomes a supervillain. Look forward to that, I guess!

[mrsstruggle]

The Lost Child - Chapter 33 // Teen Wolf x Marvel AU

Summary: Y/N Stark was taken from her family when she was three years old. It’s fifteen years later and her family believes she is dead. Then how is she living in Beacon Hills?

Warnings: Language, Mentions of Death/Injury/Grief/Torture, Possible Grammar Mistakes (please let me know if there is anything else)

Pairings: Derek Hale x Reader, Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner x Natasha Romanoff, Vision x Wanda Maximoff, & More To Come

Previous Pairings: Tony Stark x Pepper Potts, Scott McCall x Allison Argent

Words: 6.3k

Note: The last two chapters and epilogue are coming soon! 

Additional Note: While this is a Teen Wolf x Marvel AU, not everything is true to the shows/movies/comics. I had to change things for the story.

One Last Note: Y/N was adopted by Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. I did this so more people can see themselves in this story.

***I do not own Teen Wolf or Marvel or any related characters. This is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment purposes only.***

Masterlist

The Lost Child Masterlist

Previous Chapter

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"So, what do we do?" Peter asks.

"We need to leave," Tony states, while, at the same time, Derek says, "We need to get the others."

"Leave?" Scott looks at Tony with a confused look.

"You said there's an army gathering outside of town, and they've put a target on Y/N's head. We're leaving." The Avengers nod their heads in agreement around Tony.

Y/N steps in front of Derek, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not the only one with a target on my head."

"Yes, but you are the one with the biggest one. We just got you back and we still haven't been able to do anything about that. We've barely even spoken. We all thought you were dead for years."

"Look, I get where you're coming from but I'm not leaving. Leaving won't do anything, and it will only make it worse. I'd rather people think I'm a monster because I'm a werewolf than think I'm a monster because I ran and hid while innocent people got slaughtered."

Tony knows that the look of defiance on her face means she's not going anywhere, "Fine. We better ge–"

"No," Scott cuts him off. "We're in charge here."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you're the big Avengers and everything, but we deal with this stuff all the time. Beacon Hills is our home so we're in charge."

"No offense but how old are you? We might not be experts on werewolves or hunters, but we've dealt with much worse. This isn't our home like it is yours, but we know how to deal with things like this."

"Right, like how you dealt with the killer robot you created? Maybe we should ask the people of Sokovia to tell us how well you helped them?" Stiles looks at Tony with a slight smirk on his face.

"We don't have time for this!" Y/N interjects. "I'm in charge and that's final."

Tony looks like he wants to argue but decides against it. She's right, they don't have time to argue about who knows better. If people are getting ready to attack them, they need to focus on that and not on petty things.

"What do you want us to do?" Steve asks after Tony doesn't say anything.

"Stiles, you said we have two hours, right?"

"Right," Stiles affirms.

"Call Chris and put him on speaker."

Stiles quickly opens his phone and clicks on Chris's number before putting his phone on speaker. Everyone stares at the phone silently as they wait for Chris to answer. Y/N slightly paces back and forth as she thinks about what she wants to do.

"Hello?" Chris's voice rings out.

"Chris, you told Stiles that they're gathering outside of town. Where?"

"There's a safehouse about ten miles north of town. It's deep into the woods where no one can find it."

"But you know where it is?"

"Of course."

"Meet us at the old Hale house in 30 minutes. Bring whatever you got. We're bringing the fight to them." Y/N looks up at Derek for reassurance that she's making the right call.

"There's something else," Chris states.

"What?" Scott quickly asks, moving closer to the phone.

"It's not just hunters she's recruited. She's recruited something else as well. I don't know how she found it or if it found her, but she has an Anuk-Ite."

"What the hell is that? Is that some kind of weapon?" Stiles questions.

"It's an ancient shapeshifter that feeds off fear. It's already merged which means it's in its most dangerous form. Whatever you do, don't look at it in the eyes. If you look into it's eyes you will turn into stone and die. For humans, you would die immediately, but if you're supernatural you can survive long enough until someone kills it."

"What do you mean it feeds off fear? How can we not look into it's eyes if we don't know what it looks like?" Y/N asks. They can deal with hunters easily, but they don't know what this other creature is or anything about it. They don't have time to stop and research either.

Chris sighs through the phone, "It can amplify a person's fear and then feed off of it to make it more powerful. It can also implant illusions into your mind and trick you into looking into their eyes. It will take your biggest fears and use them against you."

"Great," Stiles states, "so we have to make sure the hunters don't kill us while also keeping our eyes closed so we don't turn into human statues."

The Avengers look at each other with worry and confusement in their eyes. They've dealt with terrorists, assassins, gods, aliens, and more but they've never dealt with something like this. Is this what Y/N and the others deal with all the time? They talk so naturally about people hunting them like it's just a normal thing they deal with.

"How do we kill it?" Scott asks.

"Trap it in mountain ash and it's powers will rebound on itself," Chris replies.

"Okay, thanks for letting us know. We'll call the others and gather as much stuff and people that we can." Y/N says. She rubs her temples as she starts to think about what they should do. Hunters and the Anuk-Ite are only the things that Chris knows about. Knowing Kate, she probably has more up her sleeve that they don't know about.

"I'll do the same. See you in 30 minutes." The line goes dead as Chris hangs up the phone.

Everyone stands silently staring at Y/N, waiting for her to tell them what to do. She said she was in charge, so they are ready to hear what her plan is.

"Stiles, call dad and tell him to block all roads leading in and out of Beacon Hills." Tony's face falls slightly hearing Y/N call someone else dad.

"Do I tell him why?" Stiles asks. He's not sure if he wants to tell their dad what's about to happen. They don't need him volunteering to help. Their dad isn't supernatural like Y/N or Scott. If he gets hurt badly enough or turned to stone, that's it for him. Stiles isn't supernatural either, but he knows he can take care of himself. He's been dealing with things like this ever since Scott got turned.

"No. Just tell him to close off the town and look out for hunters."

"Got it." Stiles walks away from the others to call the sheriff.

"What do you want us to do?" Bucky steps in front of Steve, ready for Y/N to give him an order. He never thought he'd see the day that little Y/N Stark would be leading them into a battle, but he can't hide the proud look on his face. While he never wanted her to know a life like the Avengers know, he's glad to see the woman she turned out to be. It's something he stopped believing he'd see after a while.

"You and Steve can go with Scott and recruit as many people as you can. There's a lot of supernatural people who live in this town. They need to be given an option to either fight with us or stay and hope we defeat the army before they burst into town and kill everyone they want." Y/N states, looking between Scott, Steve, and Bucky.

"Do you really think we can't defeat a mere mortal army?" Thor questions. This sounds like an easy win. Why do they need more people? Why are they putting so much thought into this? He can just go over there and take them all out with a single swing of his hammer.

"I think fear makes people do unexpected things and I've learned to never underestimate anyone. Even the weakest of people can take down the strongest with the right motivation."

"Yeah, like this one time we were almost taken out by a small creepy guy who also had an obsession with Scott's ex-girlfriend," Stiles states, coming back into the room. "He also had a giant lizard helping him but it's whatever."

"Or like Stiles." Stiles throws an offended look at Y/N as she says his name. "He's human and he runs around with werewolves and is constantly against hunters or other supernatural creatures and things. He's physically weaker than all of them and yet he's still here. Except for the time that he was the supernatural thing but that's beside the point."

"What about the rest of us? What do you want us to do?" Tony asks. He still thinks they should get Y/N out of here and let someone else deal with this issue. If she's the target, she shouldn't be here. They could take the quinjet and get her to the compound, but if she wants to stay and fight, and he can't convince her otherwise, he'll stay and fight with her.

"You, Peter, Stiles, and Derek should head back to the apartment." Y/N holds up her hand to silence the protest Stiles and Derek started to make. "Sneak back in and then go out where everyone who's gathered there can see you. Pretend like I'm with you and make sure they follow you. I don't care where you take them, just make sure they're away from the apartment. If any hunters get through the blockade, that's one of the first places they'll go, and we don't need more people getting hurt."

"Why do we have to go with them?!" Stiles exclaims, Derek nodding in agreement next to him.

"One, what four people will people be looking out for the most in the 'Y/N Stark's alive' story? Two, it's Derek's apartment so he has to be there to make it realistic. And three, because I said so."

"Then what are you and Scott doing?"

"Scott's going with Steve and Bucky to get others who want to fight."

"Then who's going with you? What are you doing?"

"I'm going with the rest of them to the Hale house to meet with Chris and figure out the best way to attack," Y/N states, looking at the rest of the Avengers to let them know that's what they were going to do.

Derek crosses his arms in a protective manner, "You're going with them. Alone." He knows that they are technically her family, but he doesn't trust them. He knows next to nothing about them except that the world's biggest heroes let Y/N be given to one of the world's biggest terrorist groups by one of their own.

Y/N rolls her eyes, "I'll be fine. I'll also text the others and let them know to go to the Hale house." She pulls her phone out of her pocket and checks the time. "We should go now since we only have two hours until they start killing everyone in Beacon Hills."

"Is everyone here supernatural?" Tony asks.

"No, but I doubt they stop and ask questions before pulling the trigger." Y/N turns to Stiles, Scott, and Derek, "Meet at the Hale house in about 45 minutes. An hour at the most. Got it?"

"Got it," Scott affirms while Stiles gives her a thumbs up.

Derek slowly walks over to her and slides his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. Their eyes lock as they silently communicate with each other. Derek's mind is swimming with things he wants to tell her but there's too much to say.

Y/N, noticing the scared and worried look in his eyes, leans into Derek and kisses him softly, "I'll be okay. I promise."

"I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too."

Derek places another quick kiss on Y/N's forehead before walking towards the front door. "Let's get this over with," he grumbles as he passes Stiles. Stiles huffs in frustration as he pulls his keys out of his pocket and follows Derek out the door.

"Steve, the keys to the car are on my dresser. You'll probably need them." Tony states before sharing a look with Peter and following Derek and Stiles.

Peter hasn't said much since they were told hunters are getting ready to kill Y/N and her friends. He wants to agree with their dad and say Y/N should get out of Beacon Hills, but his savior complex agrees with Y/N and knows they should stay and fight.

Steve runs up to Tony's room and grabs the keys to the SUV. He runs back down and shakes the keys towards Scott and Bucky, "Let's go."

"How are we getting to where we're going?" Sam questions, watching Steve, Bucky, and Scott leave the lake house.

"We'll walk there," Y/N replies.

"Walk there?"

"It's not that far from here. You should know that since we were just there."

"And there's the sass I remember," Natasha smirks, loving the exchange between Y/N and Sam.

Y/N doesn't comment or show any emotion to Nat's comment. She doesn't know how to feel when they make comments about who she used to be. "Grab whatever you need and let's get going."

---

No one has spoken a word since they got into Stiles' jeep. They sit in awkward silence as Stiles drives toward Derek's and Y/N's apartment.

Peter wants to say something but he's not sure what he should say. He has so many questions he wants to ask. He wants to know everything about Y/N that he can but he's not sure if they'll answer his questions or not.

Derek can feel the nervousness rolling off Peter. He can smell it too. He can't tell if it's because of the car situation they're in now or if he's nervous about what's to come. Derek wants to be nervous about what could happen in a few hours but he's just angry. He's angry at Kate. He's angry that Y/N, once again, has a big target on her head. And he's angry at the shit show their lives have become in just a few days.

While their lives have always been a bit of a shit show, this past week has been something else. His head can't seem to wrap around everything. Like, he's now sitting in Stiles' jeep with Y/N's other father and her other brother. He never thought that was something that would happen.

Stiles continuously glances over at Tony who's sitting in the passenger seat next to him. Maybe he should try to talk to him or get to know him. He's also Y/N's family and she doesn't plan on just cutting them out. Knowing her she's probably secretly coming up with a plan where everyone gets to be an equal part of her life.

Stiles will never admit it, but Tony was right. When he saw the photos of Y/N Stark's funeral, in the back of his mind he knew it was the girl he called his sister. He never fully dove into the case of the missing Stark because he was afraid that it would just confirm that the voice in the back of his head was right. So, he stayed away from it, locked it in the back of his mind, and never thought of it again. As he got older, he eventually forgot about the possibility of his sister being Y/N Stark.

"How'd you meet?" Tony's voice breaks the silence.

"What?" Stiles asks, confused about what and who Tony is talking to.

"Derek, how did you and Y/N meet?"

Derek clears his throat before answering, "Technically we met when she was trespassing on my property with Stiles and Scott."

"We were looking for Scott's inhaler," Stiles says defensively.

"You said technically. What do you mean by that?" Tony questions.

"We met more officially after she saved my life after my ex-girlfriend shot me." Derek answers. While they had technically met a few other times between meeting on his property and him getting shot, they never spoke much until she saved his life. That was also the moment that Stiles found out his sister was a werewolf.

As Derek was slowly dying from the wolfsbane-infected bullet wound, Y/N came rushing in and quickly got to work on burning the wolfsbane and getting it out of his system. While he could tell she was a werewolf when they first met, Stiles was in complete shock that she knew what to do. He wasn't even sure how she knew where they were.

After Stiles and Scott figured out Scott was a werewolf, they swore to not get Y/N involved. They obviously didn't know that she was already involved way before they were, but they just wanted to protect her from what was going on. After saving Derek, that's when she decided to tell them the secret she'd been hiding from them.

"Was it the same ex that's trying to kill you now?" Peter asks.

"The exact same one," Stiles answers with an angry smile on his face. Kate seems to enjoy fucking up their lives at any chance she can get. Every time they think she's gone, she comes right back.

"D-Do you think you could tell us about Y/N?" Tony asks quietly.

The quietness and the hesitation in Tony's voice startles Stiles. If there's one thing he knows about Tony Stark, it's that he's extremely confident and he never seems to be afraid of anything. It sounded like he was afraid to ask that question. Even looking at him Tony looks nervous.

"U-Um, what do you, uh, want to know?" Stiles questions back.

"Anything."

Stiles thinks for a moment, "Um, hmm. I literally have no idea what to say." What details do you tell your sister's first father and other brother who thought she was dead up until a few days ago?

"What's happened to her?" Peter asked, his voice full of emotion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she killed three guys and afterwards it didn't look like it affected her at all. This was before she got her memories back, so I know that wasn't Hydra's doing. When we were in the woods, and she got shot, she acted like it was just a normal day. What's happened to her where all of this is okay?"

This has been the biggest question on Peter's mind since he found out she is his sister. While he knows that she's going to be different from the last time he saw her, he doesn't know how it got to this point. Was it one specific horrible thing or have there been a lot of horrible things? He's assuming a lot since when they met she had people hunting her, now more people are hunting her, and the other Avengers have filled him in on the Deadpool situation and the other things they've learned.

He guesses he can't be too shocked about how she turned out because it's better than her being dead. She's also a lot better than he had prepared himself for. He's always had a weird feeling that she possibly wasn't dead, that they found the wrong body, but he never put much thought into it.

The last time he put any thought into Y/N possibly being alive was a year after they found her 'body.' He started thinking about it more and more at night because he couldn't shake the weird feeling. He started to prepare himself for what they could find if it was true. If she'd been with Hydra the whole time, they'd probably find her a shell of a human and being forced to do things she'd never do. What if they found her and she'd been held captive the whole time? He knows that with age she would change, but what if it was more than that?

"She's been through a lot. We all have. Everything changed after Scott got bit." Stiles says.

"We told you about Allison and Aiden and that they died but they weren't the only ones," Derek states, his jaw clenching in anger as he looks out the window next to him.

"Who are Allison and Aiden?" Peter asks. He wasn't there when they talked about them.

"Allison was Scott's girlfriend. She's also Kate's niece. She died after being stabbed by an Oni." Stiles explains. "Aiden dated Lydia at one point and he was an alpha with his twin brother. They could also merge and become this really big werewolf which was really freaky. He also died after being stabbed by an Oni."

"What's an Oni?"

"Oh, they're thes–"

"Look it up later." Derek interrupts Stiles. "If you ask him to explain everything, it will get confusing real fast."

"You said they weren't the only ones. Who else have you lost?" Tony asks.

"Well, there's Erica, who was killed by the alpha pack. And you also have Boyd, who was also killed by the alpha pack. That's exactly what it sounds like by the way." Stiles answers.

"Y/N was really close to all of them. She was there for Allison after her mom died and after her and Scott broke up. She was there for Erica and Boyd after they turned and when they needed help on full moons. She was even there for Aiden and his brother after they no longer had a pack and wanted to join Scott's." Derek says.

He remembers the sleepless nights that Y/N had after each one of their deaths. He remembers holding her tight while she wept for hours after finding out Erica was dead. He remembers her screams and cries of anguish when she ran into the loft to see Boyd dead. He remembers the night she finally broke after Allison's death after weeks of being strong for everyone else and the shoulder to cry on. He remembers how she shut down after Aiden's death and after Isaac moved away.

"The one that definitely hit her the most, even though she refused to ever let it show, was our mom's death," Stiles says.

"When did she die?" Peter's hoping he's not being insensitive or bringing up things he shouldn't be asking all these questions.

"Uh," Stiles clears his throat as he tries to keep his emotions in check, "she died when we were really young. She died of frontotemporal dementia."

"What else has happened?" Tony asks, changing the subject.

"The hunters have consistently been hunting us, so I won't bring up every instance of that. There was once a guy who was controlling a giant lizard and killing people. He eventually attacked us as well. Then Gerard took control of the lizard and that was a whole thing.

"Then there's the alpha pack who wanted Derek to kill everyone and join them. Then his other ex-girlfriend was committing human sacrifices and tried to kill our parents. There was also the time I was possessed by an evil spirit. And not too long ago, Derek was forcibly taken to Mexico and de-aged by Kate."

"De-aged?"

"Yeah, there's a lot there. I'd tell you but I think he'd actually rip my throat out."

"Wait, so not only do you have one ex-girlfriend who's a hunter and she killed your whole family, and she's now trying to kill you again, but you also have an ex-girlfriend who committed human sacrifices?" Peter asks, confusion evident on his face.

"I don't want to talk about it." Derek quickly states.

"Dude, you really do have terrible taste," Stiles says.

"What about Y/N?"

"She also has terrible taste," Stiles smirks as Derek slightly growls at him.

They go silent once more as Tony and Peter process everything they were just told. They know Stiles just gave them the short version of some of the things that happened, but they didn't sound good. Several people who were associated with Y/N and her friends have died. While the Avengers have had some close calls, none of them have yet to die.

Peter still doesn't understand what has happened to where she is how she is now. At what point did she feel comfortable killing others? While he knows she was given a choice between him and the three teens, and he's grateful that she saved his life, she acted like it didn't bother her. Maybe he just didn't see it. Even after she got shot, she was more upset by the thought of him driving Derek's car than the fact she was dying.

"How was she able to kill three people and not even blink?" Peter asks, nervously playing with the sleeves of his hoodie.

"What happened to make her kill them? We have our theory, but we don't know what happened." Derek questions back.

"They drugged me with something and told her I was going to die if I wasn't given the cure. They told her she'd get the cure after she killed them. They also said their mission was to kill us."

"So, she was protecting you and saved your life?" Stiles asks, confused about why Peter was questioning Y/N's choices if her reasoning was clear.

"I guess but why did it seem like it didn't affect her?"

"Let me tell you one thing about Y/N. She will never let you know how she really feels, and you will rarely see her mask falter. She uses sarcasm and jokes as a shield. While you see it as it didn't affect her, I promise you it definitely did. She doesn't even have to tell me anything to know it's true. She's also very protective of the people she considers family or even a friend."

"He's right," Derek affirms. He knows better than anyone how Y/N really is. She saw the walls he built around himself and helped tear them down, and he did the same to hers.

"Well, it looks like more people have shown up," Stiles mumbles, noticing that the number of people outside of Derek's and Y/N's building has doubled since they left as he pulls into the parking garage.

"What's the plan?" Peter asks as Stiles pulls into a parking spot.

"First we're going to go up to the apartment and go out onto the balcony where everyone can see us. They need to see that we're here. All of us except for Peter. Then we come back down but we throw a blanket over Peter."

"Why me?"

"Because I said so. Everyone will think you're Y/N and see us leaving together so they'll follow us."

"You know we aren't blood-related right? Why would they think I'm her?"

"They're just going to see us trying to get someone out of the building. They'll assume it's Y/N."

"They didn't see us leave earlier. They didn't even notice us pull in now. What makes you think they'll follow us?" Derek questions.

"I've got that covered."

"When did you come up with this?"

"When you were too busy having a disgusting goodbye with my sister." Stiles quickly gets out of the jeep before Derek could hit him.

Derek rolls his eyes at Stiles' antics and gets out of the jeep as Tony and Peter do the same. They stand in silence as they take the elevator up to the loft. Once at the top, Derek takes out his keys and opens the loft door for them to go in. Peter stays in the living room while the others walk out onto the balcony.

On the balcony, Derek and Tony look over the edge and look at the crowd below. Screaming and yelling can be heard when people notice them.

"Alright, let's go," Derek says, walking back into the loft to grab a blanket to throw over Peter.

Stiles and Tony follow Derek back into the loft. Derek grabs a blanket off the couch before walking out of the loft with the other right behind them. As they get into the elevator, Derek throws the blanket over Peter.

"This is stupid. There's no way this will work." Peter says.

"We're about to find out," Stiles mutters, texting someone on his phone. The elevator suddenly dings open, and they slowly start to walk toward Stiles' jeep.

"Oh my god, it's them! They're over here!" Derek looks towards the entrance of the parking lot to see Mason and Liam yelling and pointing toward them.

"Really?" Derek growls lowly to Stiles.

Stiles goes to respond to Derek before his eyes widen in shock as the group of people previously standing outside the building are now running toward them. They quickly rush towards the jeep and get in as quickly as possible. As Stiles slams his door shut, the jeep is surrounded by people yelling questions at them, taking pictures, and some of them banging on the jeep trying to get their attention. "If they bang up my jeep, Y/N's paying for it."

"I'll buy you a new jeep. Just get us the fuck out of here." Tony hisses, trying to shield his eyes from the bright camera flashes.

Stiles slowly drives out of the garage while trying not to run anyone over. Once they get onto the street, he starts to speed up and drive away from the apartment. He looks into his rearview mirror to see cars driving after them. People are also clamoring into cars and onto bikes to try and follow them. There is even a few running after them.

"Can I take this off now?" Peter asks, not enjoying being under the blanket.

"Not yet," Stiles mutters, trying to focus on where he's going and making sure they're being followed.

"Where are we going?" Derek asks.

"I'm taking them towards the edge of town. Not the one near the hunters but the other one. With the police block, I can make sure they either hold them back or send them out of town."

"What makes you think they won't just follow us back?" Tony questions.

"I know a back way."

---

Everyone Scott talked to decided to stay home and prepare for if the hunters get into Beacon Hills. He had Lydia text him pictures of the old Deadpool list, so he knew who to talk to. Some of the people he'd never heard of or didn't know who they were but most of them he knew.

"How'd you become a werewolf?" Bucky asks.

"I got bit by Peter. The guy who's Derek's uncle." Scott replies, looking out at the trees from the backseat as they drive towards the Hale house. It didn't take them long to contact or find everyone on the lists.

"What about Derek?"

"He was born one."

"What's he like?" Bucky ignores the warning look Steve gives him from the driver's seat. They had a conversation where Steve told him that he needs to be nicer to Derek if they want to get closer to Y/N.

"He's broody, a bit grumpy, and sometimes an asshole but he's also like an older brother I never had."

"What's the story with him and Y/N?" Steve throws Bucky a glare as Bucky continues to interrogate Scott about Derek.

"Um, I don't really know the whole thing. I know they've been friends for the longest time. She saved his life once and I think it just went from there. Stiles told me he caught her texting him a lot at night at one point when some friends of ours died. I think that also brought them closer. I don't really know how their relationship changed from being just friends to more." Scott knows a bit more than that but he's not comfortable sharing everything with them.

Scott knows they got together sometime after Y/N saved Cora's life and around the time their parents were taken by the Darach. Cora was dying and Jennifer refused to heal her, so Y/N did. They don't know how or what she did. Derek just left Cora for a second to go to the bathroom and when he came back down, she was awake and healed.

He doesn't know the exact moment or what the conversation looked like because a lot was going on at the time. He just remembers after the whole Jennifer/Darach situation and while they were trying to help Malia get out of her coyote form, she was tracking down Derek and Peter with Braeden. Then when they went to the loft to check on Derek, they caught him and Y/N making out on his couch.

Bucky sighs, "Does he at least treat her nice?"

"You've seen them. I'm pretty sure you can answer that yourself."

Bucky tries not to huff in frustration. He was hoping to get more information about Derek, but Scott doesn't seem willing to talk much about him. He just wants something to understand him. Steve says he thinks Bucky doesn't like him because he's exactly like him.

The car comes to a stop as Steve parks outside of the burnt-down Hale house. There are a few other cars already there, but the jeep wasn't there yet. They get out of the car and follow the voices they can hear into the house.

"We can't just kill them all!" Lydia's voice rings out.

"Why not?" Malia asks.

"What's going on?" Scott asks, stepping into the room where everyone is gathered. He notices that Liam, Kira, Chris, and Mason are also there.

"We're coming up with a plan," Y/N says, standing over and looking at a map with Chris and Bruce.

"I found out that the Anuk-Ite isn't the only thing Kate has. She also brought Berserkers." Chris states.

"Great," Scott mutters, walking over to the map they're looking at.

Y/N points to a spot on the map, "This is where they are. I think the best way to attack would be to lure them out into the woods and take them down one by one."

"Why do you say that?"

"We don't know how many of them there are. If we just go in and attack, it could end badly for us. They probably have hundreds of wolfsbane bullets ready to shoot them through our heads. Even if they just get us somewhere else, the wolfsbane will take us down. We can't risk that."

"Okay. What about the Anuk-Ite and the Berserkers?"

"Try not to run into them."

"I brought mountain ash for the Anuk-Ite. Someone will have to trap it." Chris pulls out a jar of mountain ash from his jacket.

"Stiles will probably want to do that," Scott says.

"I think we should split into groups and lure them out at all angles," Y/N says, staring intensely at the map of the woods. "If we can get them to break up into small groups we'll take them down easily."

"Do we get to call dibs on who gets to rip out Kate's throat?" Peter Hale asks, stepping out of the dark corner of the room and moving towards the group gathered around the map.

"No, and even if we did it wouldn't be you. You had your chance, and we all know how that went."

"What groups are you thinking?" Scott asks, ignoring Peter.

"We need a few people stationed closer toward Beacon Hills in case any of them get through. I think that should be Mason, Lydia, Bruce, and Thor."

"Why us?" Lydia asks.

"If you or Mason get shot, that's it for you. Bruce and Thor might be great for fighting aliens or killer robots, but we don't need them for who we're fighting. No offense but I don't want to kill people that we don't have to." Y/N explains.

Bruce wants to argue but he can see her point. If she thinks the Hulk isn't needed, then he won't complain.

"I think we're perfect for fighting the Anu-kite and the Zerkers," Thor says, laughing a bit at the thought that he shouldn't fight.

"She's in charge so if she says your backup then your backup." Sam pats Thor on the back in a comforting manner. "What about me? Where should I go?"

"You'll go with Malia and Bucky and take the east end." Y/N points on the map where they'll go. "Kira, you'll take the north with Natasha and Wanda."

"Who's going with Stiles?" Scott asks.

"Stiles will go with Liam and Peter."

"Why do I have to go with him?" Peter Hale asks with an annoyed look on his face.

"Other Peter. You'll go with Chris and Derek and take the south end."

"Who's going with you?" Everyone turns to see Derek walking into the room with Stiles, Tony, and Peter following him.

"I'll go with Tony straight to the house." Tony hates that Y/N calls him by his name.

"Why him?"

"His suit gives him the best advantage in getting into the house against the bullets."

"What's the plan?" Stiles asks, walking over to stand next to Scott.

"We're luring them out into the woods and taking them out in small groups. That doesn't mean we're killing them; it just means we're taking them down." Scott looks at the Avengers as he says that.

Chris holds out the jar of mountain ash toward Stiles, "You're in charge of taking down the Anuk-Ite."

"So, no pressure," Stiles huffs nervously, taking the jar from Chris.

"Scott, you and Steve take the west end." Y/N watches as Scott nods in confirmation. "If you need help or anything, call, scream, or howl. Whatever you feel like doing."

"And remember, don't look the Anuk-Ite in the eyes. If you're not 100% human and you look into it's eyes, you gotta hope we can kill it before you die. If you are just human, then you're dead." Chris reminds them.

"Wow, so no pressure at all," Stiles mumbles to himself.

"Is everyone ready?" Y/N looks around as everyone nods in confirmation, gives her thumbs up, or vocally lets her know they're ready. "Let's go then."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello! Only 2 more chapters and an epilogue to go! Thank you to every single person who has read and enjoyed this story! This has definitely been a year to say the least. Your kind messages and comments make it better though! 

While I have a few ideas for things after this story, I’d love to hear if there’s anything you’d like to see! If you want something new, if you want little mini spin-off stories of this, or if you want me to write another one that takes place a year after this or possible they go up against more Marvel villains. I don’t know. Just let me know! 

I hope you all had a wonderful year! If you did or didn’t, I hope next year is even better! XOXO

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@vicmc624 @mrspetxrs @freyathehuntress @fheresm @stefans-wife @llamaproblem @taketimeandappreciate @youralphawolf72 @ornella0910 @shedsblood @ts1mp0ne @beautifulgrungekid @emily-roberts @danielle-leah1997 @itmejado @me-unitentionally @iv3t @james-bucky-barnes-bitch @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @darkenwolfie @inyourmomsworld @lokiandbuckywife @xx-narcissa @elite4cekalyma @thecrazytealady @ladyjenjay @misshale21 @cevans-winchester @fayhay14 @wtfcas @spencerreidsbookclub @depressedsleepysloth @hinata7346 @randomhoex @mirakeul @n1ght5h4d3-24 @allthingsavenger-y @belovacc @speedy-object-dream @pepelachanel @dark-night-sky-99 @missnyxsblog @xoxoloverb @ilearnedthatfromethepizzaman @kingshitonly @isnt-itstrange @twsssmlmaa @navs-bhat @zealouspostwitch @saahmi @distantsighs @jayxxace @a--1--1--3 @cutelittlepurplesouls @mermaid--dreamer-blog @maliagurl @peterpangirl21 @kneelforloki @slutformaddyperez @teenybean @small-town-wayward-daughter @labellapeaky @dabria14 @geeksareunique @emma-is-a-nerd @teen-wolf-fan @zzsloth 

[gaycrittercentral]

I’d like to know where the Maxlings came from

Oh hell yeah I’d love to tell!! ok so I had the concept planned as a comic initially but it really got away from me and got too long for me to actually make, so what I’ve got is sort of a script-lookin thing that I would have used as framework for it. I hope that’s an ok format?? I considered trying to write it into more of a prose/fic format but honestly I like it best like this. Ok enough rambling I hope it’s funny to y’all lmao (also it got. Um. Very long)

First scene is in the middle of a beautiful glade deep in the woods, where Sam and Max are dancing in a crowd of magical-looking fairies, grinning at each other. It’s late and there are fairy lights (teehee) illuminating the area, tables of food and drink scattered around the outskirts of the crowd.

S: wow, quite the day we’ve had, eh little pal?

M: you can say that again, Sam! I mean, how often do you get to save an ancient fairy commune by beating up their evil warlock oppressor?

S: and on top of that they throw this little shindig in our honor! I have to say, I never knew lutes could play such great club music.

M: and I’m living for these hors d’oeuvres! We simply must get the recipe.

Behind them, a pair of fairies in big leafy crowns talk quietly.

Fairy queen: these strangers are so delightfully mischievous.

Other fairy queen (they are lesbians): quite! Truly a pair of mortals after our own hearts. How should we reward them for defeating our fell foe?

FQ 1: hmm…I have an amusing idea. What’s better than two chaos-causing mortals?

FQ 2: ahhh, I see! A marvelous idea!

The queens approach Sam and Max, with several other smiling fairies clustered around.

FQ 2: well, my friends, it has been a true pleasure to have you! Before you depart, my queen and I have a gift for you as thanks for defeating the dreaded warlock Snivellion.

(M: tee hee)

FQ 1: here, please take these.

She hands Max a little package made of leaves and tied with twine.

FQ 1: these magical seeds will grow into a wonderful gift if you keep them warm and safe.

M: well, we don’t have the best record with houseplants…

S: but we’ll happily accept your gift anyway! I’m sure they’ll be fun for the few minutes they manage to survive in the harsh climate of our office.

M: if they live through the trip back in my pocket, that is.

FQ 2: oh, trust me, I’m sure they will be every bit as hardy as the two of you.

Max stuffs the leaf packet in his inventory and he and Sam take their leave, waving to the fairies as they go.

S: so long now! Have fun partying eternally!

M: you know, we never did get introduced—don’t suppose I could get your names?

FQ 1: hah, nice try. Fare thee well, mortals!

FQ 2: farewell!

As they go, we see a shot of Max’s inventory, with his gun and maybe a hammer or something to show that’s what it is. The leaf package sits quietly for a moment, before releasing a tiny sprout.

Several months later…

Sometime in the dead of night, they’re both sleeping until Max stirs and sits up with his ears all lopsided, looking kinda disgruntled and tired.

M: I’m gonna go take a dump

S, not quite asleep yet and regretting it: you don’t have to tell me every time. I actually think I’d rather if you didn’t.

M: but what if I fall in? I’d want you to know what I was doing! :D

S: *half-asleep grumbling*

Max wanders off to the bathroom to perch on the can and read a magazine.

M: oh, Martha, you get me. Mostly because we’ve both been to the slammer

Suddenly a baby wail echoes from the toilet (thank you, mammalian diving reflex) and Max immediately screams, flings his magazine to parts unknown and runs for the hills.

M: Sam!! SAM!!! The toilet screamed at me!!!! I think that ill-advised bathroom exorcism we did instead of cleaning the shower drain didn’t work, we must’ve summoned some kind of toilet ghost instead!!

S: what are you talking about, numbskull? You interrupted a perfectly good dream I was having about a discontinued ice cream bar :(

M: just come help me get rid of it! I can’t go with some spectral peeping Tom shrieking at me!

They get to the bathroom and Max hovers by the door as Sam inspects the toilet.

S: Max, you cotton-brained dolt, there’s no ghosts in—GREAT GALLOPING GEYSERS TAP DANCING ON SATURN’S FURTHEST MOON!

He immediately reaches in to save the weird little wet rat almost glaring accusingly at him from the bowl (it could glare a little better if its eyes were functional yet). Max cringes at him.

M: Jesus, Sam, I know we’re both nasty, but I thought we agreed to leave this level of grossness to me! Wait what the fuck is that thing.

S: well, if my outdated recollection of mammalian biology and your horrifying baby pictures is correct, then I’d say it kind of looks like a neonatal lagomorph. Did…did this come out of you?

M: oh please, I think I’d know if I had something like that stashed away somewhere in here. (Vaguely gestures to himself) Now could you get outta the way? If it was just some weird naked rat that crawled up the toilet to yell at me and not a ghost, then I’d like to finish my business in here.

Sam stares at the little rat-looking baby. It has teeth. Teeth like Max’s. He grabs a towel out of the bathroom closet instead and tosses it in the bathtub, then nabs Max by the scruff of his neck and deposits him on top of it.

S: why don’t you just wait down here for a minute while I get this little thing cleaned up?

M: Sam what the hell I don’t need to be housebroken!! Ugh fine but you’re cleaning the towel if—oh my god there’s another one.

S: SWEET SAINT OLGA OF KIEV SINGING OPERA FOR AN AUDIENCE OF PUPPETS WITH A TIN FOIL SUIT AND TIE AND A CREAMED CORN CROWN

Several escaped kits later…

Sam and Max lie together in bed with the kits on top of them, all wiggling around and squeaking faintly. Sam looks vaguely shaken by the experience, but Max just kinda looks like it’s totally normal.

M: haha I thought you guys were just weird little turds! Well, aren’t all children though, come to think of it

S: and you’re sure they came out of your inventory and not some hitherto unknown reproductive system of yours?

M: Sam, at this point I think I’d be able to tell if they’d been up my ass, don’t you?

S: well, sure, but also that’s not where—

M: and besides, my pocket snacks have been going missing all day and this totally explains it. Look, that one’s still got Cheeto dust all over her face!

Sam looks down at one of the girls, who is indeed very orange.

S: ooh. Let me just clean you up there, sweetheart.

He licks her clean gently. She squeaks in approval.

S: huh! What do you know, that really is Cheeto dust.

M: see, I told you so! I still have no idea how they could’ve gotten in there, though…I mean, they look brand new. And also a lot like us.

S: well, mostly like you.

M: nah, see, this one’s got little floppy ears! And lookit their tails, mine’s not long like that. Oh! And this one’s got your nose!! Oh, Sam, it’s so precious I could just squish her like an overripe tomato! …um, but I won’t, obviously.

S: personally, I find myself rather enamored with their tiny little toe beans. Just look at that! They’re so little…

They both giggle delightedly over the kits for a minute, before relaxing back into the pillows. It’s still the middle of the night and they’re both exhausted.

S: so…if we don’t know how they got there, and they don’t look like they could be anybody else’s…

M: 👀

S: I mean unless we want to take them to the vet to check for microchips or something…?

M: too late I’m already coming up with names and dreaming of all the bad words I’m gonna teach them

S: oh, good, so am I. I guess it doesn’t matter how they got there, then…but you really have to wonder…

Something like a half hour ago…

The kits are sitting in a little pile in the middle of Max’s inventory, the opened leaf package below them and Max’s gun leaning against the wall beside them (it’s bigger than they are). Lacey’s face is covered in Cheeto dust and there are a few remaining Cheeto crumbs scattered around them. They have a brief conversation of squeaks, translated into pictures.

Maisie: >:/ *exit sign, there isn’t an emoji for it but just draw one*❗️(she’s bored and she wants out)

Lacey and Crowbar: :o ???

Maisie starts crawling around determinedly until she comes across some kind of rift in reality, through which the toilet bowl is visible. But not to her, of course, because she can’t see just yet. She immediately plummets out of the rift with a tiny shriek, and her siblings react like :0 there’s silence for a second, before Crowbar squeaks and is translated to:

C: dare you to go after her

L: 👀

And that’s it!! Hdkhsshsg here’s hoping it’s at least a little amusing to y’all because it’s very funny to me for whatever reason hdjshsjhddhdjhfjd

Oh! And as a reward for sticking around here’s one of the other first drawings of them I ever did :’> they were very much inspired by @lillylunala’s drawings of Max as a baby if it isn’t obvious, which you should absolutely check out if you haven’t seen them bc my god she really nailed it heheheeee

[sisaloofafump]

Marvel creates teams, DC creates characters.

Disclaimer: this is a gross over simplification and greatly limited to the comics that I have read. I can think of dozens of examples that do not fit these observations, but it's what I've been noticing as I (an X-Men kid) fell deep into DC over the past many months. TLDR at the end.

Marvel is incredible at writing teams. Look at how well balanced their x-men adjacent stories are—both within the individual groups and within mutantdom as a whole—and compare that to the absolute mess of the JLA or any of DC’s crossover groups above 2 members.

But, DC knows how to write individuals and (when they’re small) their support networks. Where as Marvel, with the exception of Peter Parker, consistently falls flat and struggles to write compelling individual arcs that don’t rely on external characters or world events.

So much of this has to do with how the franchises were created in the first place.

The JLA is a an awkward mismatch of individually created characters and franchises whose only justifications for working together can be massive multiverse-ending events. This leads to a never ending slew of crossover stories where each issue is 70% dense exposition of stakes that are too high to matter and 10% visually discordant fight scenes. The remaining 20% is split between the characters that bring in the readers (Superman and Batman) and the characters without a solo run—leaving all others as background fodder. The villains are only repeats of an individual franchises. There are no JLA-specific villains (aside from bland cosmic entities) because the JLA is not a team, it is a crossover.

Marvel, whose franchises centre on teams rather than individuals, can have a group (be they the Fantastic Four or the X-Force) focus on meaningful, local, character-driven stories. However, take a character out of their designated group and now you have one fifth of a whole acting as another team’s third wheel. Only long-time, well established characters (currently: Emma Frost), or those created as a solo adventurer (Deadpool), can break the mold. Ironically, I feel the Marvel Cinematic Universe betrayed the strength that Marvel’s comics have—by setting up each post-Civil War (and arguably earlier) Avenger as their own franchise it lost the balance of a team and became instead a crossover.

A point in DC crossovers’ favour, however, is that because all the world-changing events only happen when every major player is involved, they hit the whole world equally. Inner-franchise climaxes don’t become large enough that they should disrupt others. It’s believable (somewhat) that each hero family stays in their own city—a major event to Green Arrow isn’t effecting the Amazons, and vice versa. In contrast, because the groups in Marvel get so big, their problems and scope can get even larger. What happens in one stream (say, the mutants terraforming Mars) should have massive effects on everyone, but it rarely does. (To be fair, I think Marvel has been doing an overall good job at balancing this recently).

The individual based module also works great for minor crossovers. But, this only works so long as the pairing stays small—Superman and Batman can have many team ups against new and original villains, whereas mutant/Avenger duos rarely happen and when they do, they stay firmly within their established franchises' concerns. Again though, these pair ups only work when they're small: compare World’s Finest issues that focus just on Superman, Batman, and Robin, with chaotic ones that cameo the whole JLA.

This isn't to say the individual method treats characters better, in fact, it often makes it worse. Lead characters must stay stagnant, their circumstances and relationships never changing. Side characters must fit their original archetypal role and purpose—if not, they're erased (adult Lana Lang), put in limbo (Tim Drake), or added to an ever increasing support team for a franchise not written for teams (basically everyone). When the X-Men needs novelty, they can just rearrange the roster. If a character no longer fits, they can join another subgroup or (albeit rarely and awkwardly) join another franchise's team (just look at Kitty Pryde's whole history). DC will never let Jason Todd escape Batman's shadow, because he was only ever built to orbit him.

Their treatment of the characters over the course of decades however, is different than its individual stories, and I would much rather pick up one of DC's short side character features than Marvel's. Within a short timeframe, the dynamics switch. Aside from when they're introducing a new mini-franchise, Marvel's short solos often work to push the plot of an adjacent team and the characters are reduced to pieces in a grander puzzle. DC's short solos in contrast exist to spotlight characters, allowing the autonomy and uniqueness that they may loose in the long run.

I don't know which I prefer. I'd love to see the writers/editors of Marvel take over DC for a few years, and vice versa. Might solve some problems.

TLDR: Marvel’s franchises are centred on large teams, and DC’s are on individuals. These both have their strengths and downfalls when it comes to crossovers.

When it comes to teams: The Justice League is a crossover group of individuals, not a team, only focusing on world-ending stories with no room for character arcs. But, the characters have a lot more mobility for small team-ups, and the world feels more cohesive. In comparison, Marvel’s teams are true, well balanced teams. But take a character out of a team, or do small scale crossovers, and they float awkwardly under developed. As large events and characters stay locked in their group franchises, Marvel as a whole feels split into disconnected parts.

When it comes to characters: DC allows for more short term solos but very limited long-term mobility, whereas Marvel characters aren't as stuck in archetypes, but short solos focus on contributing to grander plots rather than fleshing out niche characters.

[newx-menfan]

Things I miss the most about Laura/Hellion…

The agency.

It was just frankly… plain fun seeing Laura DESIRE and pursue someone despite lacking the ability to voice that desire…😂🤣

We’re pretty used to seeing Male Desire/The Male Gaze in comic books….that when characters like Starfire, Rogue, or Wonder Woman showcase desire for Dick, Gambit, or Steve…it really stands out because it is unique…

Laura’s relationship with Hellion was more or less ALWAYS written from the point of view of Laura.

It’s why I heavily disagree when people voice that Laura is unable to be in a relationship with a male character; because I never felt like we “lost” Laura’s agency when she was with Hellion, until Liu came around.

Everyone hammers on about “How negative Hellion and X-23” were (I’ve seen CBR after CBR referencing Julian as the “Toxic Ex”…); when truthfully Hellion WAS her healthiest relationship narratively. He wasn’t toxic until LIU decided to make him toxic.

In comparison, even in-story, Angel and Synch FELT FORCED.

It didn’t focus on Laura’s attraction to them at all…but on the male character. Laura is more or less something to “win”; it’s more focused on the male characters CONVINCING Laura to be with them and how the relationship affects THEM…then it’s ever about Laura’s personal desires. Their relationship feels more or less like a “chore”…it’s never really clear HOW Laura feels on panel.

How Marvel went from iconic pairings such as “Gambit/Rogue”…”Destiny/Mystique”… “Cyclops/Jean”…. to the current POORLY developed relationships we are getting now…I don’t know.

I really wish some writer would bring back Julian/Laura, in part because Laura’s current romantic relationships JUST AREN’T fun anymore. They’re NOT fun to read. They don’t FEEL positive. It’s never about two people mutual desiring…it’s just Laura more or less being a “prop”.

Even with the case of Talon being “better written” than Duggan’s Wolverine-Laura; it’s hard to care about the character at all because ALL of her interactions are literally about BEING WITH SYNCH and written in a way TO FOCUS SOLELY on SYNCH.

[gilverrwrites]

Are you in other fandoms? Additionally, what is your opinion of the fall of the MCU ?

For fandoms I’m down for writing check out this post. I’m particularly into The Boy right now, and I don’t reflect it much on here but I am 100% a horror fanatic first and foremost.

Fandoms that I’m really into but don’t write include Scooby Doo, Monster High, Barbie, and Bobs Burgers. I love animation tbh.

As for the MCU, I don’t really have a strong opinion, they’re just bleh to me now. All the films just feel the same now. It’s weird you asked because I was thinking; do marvel still make films now cause other than Deadpool and Wolverine I haven’t heard about any upcoming marvel things and it’s normally everywhere. I kind of fell off the train around Spider-man: Homecoming, have maybe watched some newer ones with friends but don’t seek them out.

I don’t even really read marvel comics anymore cause I’ve just soured on the whole thing which is dumb, I know.

The shows are better but I’m way behind because I have 0 motivation to keep up with them, kind of like Star Wars (which I used to LOVE and now I just don’t have the energy for). Disney brought me so much happiness as a child but nowadays they just suck the joy out of stuff.

Plus, I am boycotting Disney atm so I’ll probably never catch up on any of their content.

[sineala]

Fic: Every Now and Then I Fall Apart

Every Now and Then I Fall Apart (6000 words) by Sineala Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Avengers (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff, Carol Danvers Additional Tags: Truth Spells, Secrets, Angst, Fluff, Chronic Pain, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Pining, Tony Stark Hates Magic, Love Confessions, Happy Ending, Avengers Vol. 3 (1998) Summary: When Tony gets hit by a truth spell, the consequences aren't what anyone expected. They're sure not what Tony expected. He wishes he could stop telling his teammates about all the medical problems he tries to hide. As long as he doesn't open his mouth and reveal his secret feelings for Steve, or all his secret inadequacies as a human being, though, everything's going to be fine. And Tony's good at keeping secrets... or so he thinks. But maybe Steve knows him better than he knows himself. And just because Tony believes something, that doesn't make it the truth.

I wrote this for @stevetonyzine and I finally get to post it!