#loki moon knight crossover

[sortofanobsession]

Of Hunters, Gods, and Hooded Vigilantes (Moon Knight/TVA Hunter Reader)

Author's Note: I have been sitting on this one since (and a few other loki ri) since Loki ended. @selfryed suggested I post it . Hopefully it doesn't disappoint. I know not everyone likes Reader Inserts. But you all know how much I love Moon Knight crossovers. I'll write those boys into anything. Suggest away if you wish. Unbeta'd and Posted on mobile so please forgive any errors.

Sylvie, B-15, Casey, and OB pop up but no Loki or Mobius in this one. Sorry guys. Random letter and number combos for non important hunters.

Content warning: canon typical violence, some swearing, mentions of death, crying,

You track the rogue variant that had been messing with time, not quite as dangerous as He Who Remains. But somehow this guy had an artifact that he couldn't be allowed to keep. B-15 had sent a team that consisted of you and two other hunters.

It turns into more of a scuffle than expected. Hunter L-24 was calling for backup as you gave chase. You hated the fact you weren't in your actual armor. You had been trying to blend in. But you regret that now with the cut on your temple, dangerously close to your eye, and probably bruised rib. It hurt but that's the job. And you had the guy in the ropes until… until you didn't. Time was iffy with what this guy had taken and one second you were running through a side road through the highly populated area, but thankfully sparsely-filled street in what you knew of consisted of public housing. Next, you are cut off from your team in an alley. A manic laugh has you turn on your heels. You had really hoped you wouldn't have to use the pruning stick. This was supposed to be easier. Your hands move as if on their own with practiced movement of charging the weapon.

“Listen, buddy,” you said with false confidence to hide your unease. “We tried doing this the nice way, but you’ve forced my hand.”

“You still think you have the upper hand,” the man laughed, pulling a pistol. Oh that was not good. Those weren't even allowed in this country, you knew that. You hear the click of the weapon. But out of nowhere, the gun is knocked out of his hand by a metallic object. You lunge towards the weapon. And you can't reach it, but you do the next best thing. You pruned it. It disappears. Let the Void Lokis or Alioth have it. You turn towards the scuffle behind you, expecting to see your team. You are surprised to see a masked figure easily taking down the variant. You watch as the figure knocks the guy out.

“Uh…thanks,” you say as the vigilante turns to you as you power down your weapon.

You can feel eyes on you as you go over and pick up the artifact. The masked figure hasn't said a word. Just watching you. The wind kicks up as you place a pair of cuffs on the variant.

You grab your tempad and report in. “Variant secured, B-15,” you say. You look back and the hooded hero is gone. You hear the sound of rushed boot falls as your teammates meet you. You pick up the curved blade that had saved your life. You admire it as a timedoor appears.

None of you noticed Moon Knight in the shadows watching you.

— ◍☾ —

Marc couldn't believe what he was seeing. You were supposed to be dead. Everyone had said you were dead. It had torn him up not knowing what happened to you. What you went through. He always wondered if you suffered. If you had missed him. If he could have saved you if he hadn't left. But he had pushed that pain away and forced himself to move on. But that pain tended to pop up at random moments. He did not expect it to come up now. And it had Marc pulling back and letting Jake take over. But he kept watching. You looked so young. Like he remembered. Like time had barely touched you. How was that possible? Then again, they hadn't really aged much since Khonshu. But you weren't an avatar. He would have known or the bird would have.

And any doubt Marc had was gone when he heard your voice again. It was one he still heard in his dreams. One he couldn't forget. But Jake was wise enough to be cautious. If something seemed impossible and too good to be true, it probably was. So Jake removed them from the situation.

The next time Moon Knight was better prepared. There were too many questions they needed answered. So he started by seeing if you were you in the simplest way first. He called your name. And something in Marc shifted when you reacted by turning towards them. But his heart aches when you look at him and ask if they knew you. Even more so when you said you didn't even know you. And that was enough.

— ◍☾ —

The next time you are in that part of the timeline after you spent a few days working with the others at the TVA. You were in Eastern Europe tracking down a secondary artifact that was created alongside the one you collected in London. The same group of rogues. The same branch. Your ribs still ache from the last time. You were in full gear this time with a larger team. But you weren’t the only one with increased numbers. The variant had friends with the new artifact you were pursuing. Mid-fight again, out of the night drops the figure you now knew was called the Moon Knight. You hadn't read the hero’s file but you knew where he got his powers now. What you hadn't expected was what the caped hero did next.

He called your name. Well, not your name. It was what had been your name before you were taken from the timeline. You knew it was your name, but it didn't really feel like yours. Most everyone just called you by your hunter designation.

“You know me?” You ask because when you had skimmed your file to make an informed decision on staying at the TVA you think you would have noticed if it had mentioned a hooded hero with the power of a literal god. Then you laugh at your own statement. “I don't even really know me.” And before you know it you feel arms around you and with speed you couldn't even comprehend you find yourself somewhere else. You stumble back as you look at your new surroundings.

“What…what did you do that for?” You reach for your weapon.

“I'm not going to hurt you,” Moon Knight says, his mask disappearing to reveal a face. One that seems oddly familiar, but you didn't know for sure.

“Then why did you take me from my team?” You glare.

“I just want to talk,” he says.

You say nothing as you reach for where your tempad is secured.

“Don't you remember me?” he says. The whole suit vanishing now. He stands in front of you in jeans and a henley.

“I'm sorry,” you tell him but for some reason there are tears in your eyes. You don't know why but the look on the man's face breaks your heart. “I’m not…I'm not who you are looking for. I'm…I'm just a hunter.”

“But you are, you answered to her name, you're-” He's cut off as a slight woosh and shimmer of a timedoor appears. Moon Knight’s suit is back and he moves between you and the door. You actually find it rather amusing. As if he was protecting you. Too bad he is protecting you from your team. Your friends. Your work.

The timedoor opens and you are stunned to see Sylvie walks out in the god's fully armed glory.

“Sylvie,” you say in shock. Last you knew she had returned to her fast food life.

“B-15 called,” Sylvie states. And that tracks.

“How long?” You ask wondering how long had actually passed at the TVA if Sylvie was called in.

“Long enough,” Sylvie says and you sigh.

“Who the hell are you?” Moon Knight snaps at Sylvie.

“She already said who I was. I'm Sylvie. And you took my friend here against her will and I hoped that avian god of yours would know better. Stupid bird,” she spits as she summons her sword.

“What the-”

“He didn't mean it, Sylvie. He's confused he-”

“You defend this broken puppet?” Sylvie asks in amusement. And Moon Knight clearly didn't like that because you notice a slight shift in his stance and suit as a fight breaks out. And it's an interesting fight.

“Your bird god is weak, his hold is pitiful,” The silver tongued variant snides, “To need a human puppet.”

“Avatar,” Moon Knight corrects.

“Same thing, a human shield to hide behind,” Sylvie grins.

You gasp as Sylvie gets close enough to put a hand against Moon Knight's chest. And she sees it.

You hear a deep growl and Sylvie is shoved back. “Stay the fuck out of my head!” Moon Knight snaps.

You expect Sylvie to return to the fight but instead she appears next to you.

“Now, now, lover boy, no one is going to hurt anyone.”

“Speak for yourself,” he hisses.

“Your anger is misplaced, puppet,” she says before looking at you. “He does know you, knew you, the timeline you.”

“What?” You look between the female god and the hero. You see the masked hero’s shoulders go tense.

“I can show you,” Sylvie grins.

“Wait, hang on-” Moon Knight says, his mask dropping.

Sylvie takes your lack of a refusal an answer, her hand touches your temple.

You gasp as your mind is flooded with images. A history you didn't remember. It brings tears to your eyes and steals the breath from your lungs.

Moon Knight shouts your name again as you stumble back against the wall.

You’re overwhelmed. You hear shouting and the recognizable sound of Sylvie’s laugh.

“I did you a favor,” the female god of mischief says, her focus back on the unmasked man.

“No one asked you to,” a voice you now recognized as a version of one you knew lifetimes ago. You knew his name.

“Marc,” you don't even realize you say it out loud. You really did know him. His head snaps to look at you as you say it.

“You're welcome,” Sylvie says before she and the timedoor vanish. Marc curses Sylvie as he moves beside you in an instant.

“You're okay,” he says, his eyes full of an emotion you can't pinpoint. “We’ve got you.”

“Marc?” you say again, needing confirmation. Your hand raises but is hesitant to touch.

“Do you remember me now?” he asks, a slightly hopeful look on his face. His gloved hand grips yours.

“I…I do,” you tell him.

“Okay,” he says. “Good.” The suit drops away. His hand squeezes yours and he leads you into a building. An apartment building you realize. You follow him into a studio apartment with a large fish tank drawing your attention. Two goldfish swimming around. You approach it with amusement. You almost forgot that people really do keep pets. Pets aren’t really a thing at the TVA. No time. Not really.

You hear Marc moving around behind you, then his voice, hushed as if talking to someone. But when you glance at him through your periphery he doesn't seem to be talking to you.

“Make yourself at home,” he calls over to you, but his accent is different. You look at him with amusement. All your years, centuries, eons maybe, of hunter training has you fully turning to observe him. You had seen him change in flashes as Sylvie showed you what she deemed important. Conversations with mirrors. Changes. Shifts. He was like a variant with variants of his own in his mind. This is what she had meant by him having a broken mind.

“You're not Marc, are you?”

The man looks momentarily stricken. And you wonder if you should have phrased that differently. “Sorry, that sounded accusatory.” You carefully remove your helmet and move to set it on a nearby table. Your weapon too. “Sylvie didn't show me everything, so I…I don't know your name.”

“Steven,” he says without hesitation, now knowing that you aren't too afraid. Knowing that him fronting hadn't ruined things.

“Okay,” you nod. You activate your tempad and send a message to B-15 that you were okay and that if they needed you to just let you know. You contemplated leaving it with your weapon and helmet but you were still unsure what to expect. So you kept it secured in its spot.

“What do you remember?” Steven asks.

“Bits and pieces,” you admit. “But honestly, it's more like watching an old movie with some of it. It doesn't feel real.”

“I know the feeling,” his voice is kind and there is a sympathetic look on his face.

“I'm sure you do,” you nod.

“You're not afraid?” He asks.

“I mean, I have spent an unknown number of years, maybe millennia, lifetimes, as a hunter. No name, just a letter and a number. Reporting to superiors that worked for a lie. Made to believe I was always like this.” You say. “It's more jarring than anything to have real memories again. To think I had childhood. A real life.”

You sense a shift and his old, more familiar accent is back.

“What happened to you?” He asks.

“It's a very long story,” you say. “What's the last thing you remember of me?”

“While I was gone. You vanished, they said you ran away, but that was bullshit. You would have told me. Left a letter. Something. Then I come back to missing persons posters all over the city. But it's Chicago. No one was confident they'd find you. I couldn't find you. They wrote you off as dead when no traces of you were found anywhere. It was like there was nothing to find.”

“They wouldn't have, still won't,” you say sadly.

“What?” He frowns. “The hell does that mean?”

“It means I read my file, well, skimmed it. My nexus event was before that point. But the sacred timeline me. The me you knew, I'm sorry Marc but she’s gone.”

“But you're right here,” he states.

“Like I told you, I'm not actually her. I'm…from a different point in time. Before you left. Before…”

“What do you mean a different point in time? How is that possible?”

“Because the people I work for, the place I was, it's like a city outside of time.”

“How can anything exist outside of time?”

“How can a man fly and survive death?” You ask. “The details are complicated and honestly, I understand it less now than I thought I did before. We exist to protect time from those who tamper with it.”

“So you can time travel?” He asks.

“Yes, but,” you know you need to draw the line in the sand now. “But whatever you are thinking, please don't.” And he studies you. You look so tired. And sad. Very sad.

“It's not as easy as you would think. Changing time has horrible consequences. The things I've done. The people I sent to that monster. I thought what I was doing was right. That I was protecting the timeline. Preventing something terrible. Turns out. We were the terrible ones. All those branches. All those people. Feed to Alioth.” You were crying now. It was the first time you ever let yourself think about the all devouring monster you had sent so many to face.

“Oh darling,” you hear the British accent back. “You didn't know. We’ve all done things we regret. Especially us,” he glances at the reflextion of Marc. “You didn't know what you were doing, you said so-”

“You don't get it,” you tell him. You dug out the engraved token and placed it on the table. A coin, a momento Dox had given you once as a reward after a partially difficult mission. It looked like a souvenir coin. Embossed edges. You ran your fingers over the seal and motto.

“For all time. Always,” you repeat the motto you had molded your life to follow. The atrocities you helped orchestrate. “Anything any of you have done in your life is a fraction of what I was part of. I shouldn't be here. I don’t deserve to have this.” You grab your weapon and open a timedoor, you rush though. The door closes behind you.

Steven walks over and picks up the helmet you left behind and the coin you had placed on the table. Time Variance Authority. He looked at the others in their reflections. They all agree. They were determined to find out everything they can about time, especially time travel.

— ◍☾ —

Marc was angry. That woman just showed up, literally out of nowhere, and then nearly ruined everything. First she fights them. Then she gets in their mind, and Jake had violently objected to that. Having Khonshu in their head was bad enough. And it was already crowded with three of them in there already. But the real line was crossed when the woman that you considered a friend showed you the painful history you guys had. You had been so mad at him for leaving. Your tears were like ice picks in their heart. And he just got more angry with himself as you broke down over what you had been through. Everything he couldn't save you from. He didn't know what a nexus was but if it was anything like the turning point in their life, namely slowly dying in the desert until Khonshu stepped in, it couldn’t have been pleasant. So Steven takes over to let Marc process while someone tries to help you. The British alter had tried to comfort you but it hadn't worked. You explain a bit more and then like a switch flips, you panic. And you leave. Marc pulls further away to brood. They can't let this be the end.

— ◍☾ —

Time passes and your heart hurts less but you cannot forget them. You are helping look through pages of readings you were still not the best at analyzing. You were a hunter, not an analyst. But with fewer people now that many had left to live in the timeline, you had offered to help. To stay busy. You looked up from the file as Casey hurried towards you.

“We have a problem,” he says.

“Let me grab my gear,” you say.

“No need, no time anyway,” he says as he opens a timedoor. You follow him into the main monitoring bay. And the monitor is tracking a branch growing dangerously fast.

“I thought we didn't prune branches anymore,” you say.

“This isn't your normal branch,” OB says.

“Then I should get my gear, where's the team,” you look at B-15.

“You’ll be fine,” OB says as he opens a timedoor. You make sure your tempad is in its place. “Hold on, a solo mission but i-”

“Only you can handle this one,” OB says and guides you to the door. “You'll do great.” A gentle push and you are through the door. There is a large open tunnel before you.

“Oh, Loki, what did I get into this time,” you mutter looking up at the sky. “You'd probably enjoy this mess.” A woman walks towards you in the tunnel. You had seen pictures of her when you had been at Marc’s.

“I'm Lilah, come with me,” she says. You look at her outfit.

“You’re an avatar, right?”

“I am, and a friend of Marc and Steven,” she says.

“Are they okay?” You ask.

“Why don't you see for yourself.”

You follow her until you are in a giant temple. Statues and hieroglyphics surround you. You see Marc in front of a number of people on a dais.

Your footsteps are louder than you would want them as all attention turns to you.

Marc's eyes go wide for a moment and he calls your name. But before you can answer him. You are greeted by name by the woman in the middle.

She introduced herself as the goddess Isis. And you do your best to bury your nerves and act appropriately. You lower your gaze out of respect.

“At least this one knows respect,” a man says. He is scolded by another.

You are made to kneel beside Marc.

“I'm sorry,” he says.

“You did this? You made the branch?” You whisper. You can't believe it.

“You must be curious why you are here,” Isis states. You lower your head again and stare at the floor. She seemed to be expecting an answer.

“I…was sent to the timeline by my superiors, they said that I was the only one.”

“Your companions are not wrong, but it was more we believed it was only fair you had a say in your fate.”

“My fate, your grace?” You cringed. The only god you knew was Loki, and he hasn't made you act in servitude.

The goddess hums in amusement. “Spector here cares very dearly for you it would seem. Even willing to travel forbidden planes to find you again.” You look over at Marc but he is starting a hole in the floor.

“Why?” you ask him.

“You left, and we didn't want to lose you again,” he admits.

“Osiris, Thoth and Horus are not pleased with your meddling, Spector,” the goddess says. “Be glad it is me before you and not my beloved.” She grins. “The passage of time is not yours to hold, Marc Spector, Khonshu knows better.”

“He wanted no part of it,” Marc admitted.

“The only reason you are not facing harsher penalties for your actions is because you have honestly done worse. And your heart was in the right place. Love makes fools of most mortals.” The goddess grins. “But you step outside your station, Marc Spector, once more and your punishment will not be so lenient.”

She dismissed everyone.

You turn to find Lilah is gone.

“I'm sorry,” the recognizable voice of Steven says. “I am so sorry. I didn't know they would care so much. It wasn't like we moved the stars again. Not that noticeable.”

You turn to look at him. “I told you guys that messing with time is dangerous. Then what do you do, you go and mess with time. Have you lost your mind?!”

“Well, by typical diagnostic specifications, technically we did a long time ago, when I came into existence,” Steven notes.

“Steven!” You shout. “You can't just change reality because you missed me. That’s not-”

His expression changes. His tone and accent too. “And you can? Do you have any idea what it was like to have you show up years after being told you were dead and then you just leave. Gone to somewhere we couldn’t follow. And you thought we would just let you go? A heart can only break so many times. We failed last time. We weren't going to fail again, not when we could actually-”

You silence him with a kiss.

“Take me home,” you tell him when you separate for air. They don't have to be told twice.

— ◍☾ —

Marc hadn't thought he could have happiness like this again. Even after he had found you again. The three of them had agreed that having you in their life was important, but he couldn't have anticipated having you literally in their bed.

You snuggle closer and bury your face in the warmth of his neck. Whining at being woken. So abruptly. You feel the laugh from the body beneath you as he turns off the alarm.

“Rise and shine, sweetheart,” Marc says.

You grumble incoherently as you try to bury yourself in his warmth.

“You keep squirming like that, sweetheart and we are going to have a problem.” You giggle. “I'm serious, baby.” He moves the hair off your face so he can see you. “Donna will kill Steven if he's late again.”

You weigh your options. You shift your weight again earning a groan from Marc. “I could just use a timedoor and get him there on time.”

“Lo siento, mi amor,” Jake says as he takes over. “But you always say we shouldn't mess with time.”

You groan but don't stop him as he gets out of bed. You settle for stealing his pillow.

You yelp at the playful swat to your sheet covered behind. His hand rubs the now stinging skin through the sheet as Jake laughs. You glare at him but the face that greets you is one far too soft to be Jake Lockley.

“We’ll make it up to you, darling,” Steven says as he leans in and kisses your forehead. You pull him in for a proper kiss.

“Do we have time for pancakes?” You ask against his lips. And how could he say no to that?

You let him go and he looks at you like you hung the moon. Extra funny considering the lunar deity they serve. “We can make time for pancakes,” he assures you.

“You still want to watch that movie tonight?” Steven asks from the kitchen as you get dressed. You didn't have much other than your uniform so you had really just stolen a shirt that was far too big on you, his clean boxers, and a pair of socks so your feet wouldn't get cold on the hard floors.

You laugh as you remember you had stumbled upon one of Brad Wolfe’s schlocky films on a streaming service.

“Gods yes,” you laugh again. “X-5 was such a prick. Mobius said I have to watch them. They are hilarious, and they aren't supposed to be.”

“Are they scary?” Steven asks and you know in some reflection Marc or Jake is probably rolling their eyes, or laughing. You couldn't be sure.

“I'm sure Jakey will take over if it's too scary,” you wrap your arms around him as he cooks. He scoffs slightly but grins as you kiss his shoulder. “We've both fought worse than whatever monster Brad deals with in this one.” You grin. “Besides, we could take ‘em.”

“I'm sure we could, love,” Steven grins.

[villainboygirl]

Casey listening the same tape of Steven Grant😍

[traveller-of-the-knight]

Behold! Marc and Thor talking about their dead brothers!

Thor: Heh, this reminds me of my Bother, Loki. I saw him die that way right infront of my eyes.

Marc: Oh, ehm... I'm sorry for your lost.

Thor: Nah, it's ok, he came back after all... He got stabbed a year later, trying to help me. That funeral was the best of all yet.

Marc: Uhhh... Yet?

Thor: Yes he wasn't dead after all.

Steven: Oh, that's lovely to hear!

Thor: Heh, yeah the sneaky bastard.

*awkward silence*

Thor: Thanos kill him.

Steven: And how did he get back this time?

*awkward silence*

Steven: Oh, I'm so sorry-I didn't-!

Thor: Yeah...

Marc: Don't you think he'll eventually come back?

Thor: *crying* No! He's dead! He's actually dead!

Marc: I... Get it. I lost my brother too and it was my fault-

*steven yells at him from the headspace*

Marc: I mean... It's not your fault... Thor.

Thor: Really?

Marc: *nods*

*Thor transforms into Loki*

Loki: So how do you think he'll take it when he finds out I'm alive? Was that accurate, is that how he's feeling now?

Jake: ¡pero que mierda !

[lokisgoodgirl]

oh i loved oscar as moonkight and I would have paid all my money to see a loki and moonkight crossover 😍 having two sexy and talented men like tom hiddleston and oscar isaac would be worth it. I also really hope tom comes back as loki in the future😘

I would absolutely die if there was a Moonknight x Loki crossover 🤣 never say never! Loki trying to set himself up as an Egyptian god (those phone or whatever adverts kinda did that already!) and Moon Knight's having none of it. 🤣

[ink-and-blood-goddess]

Phantom of the Opera Character Fanfic Crossover Poll

ATTENTION FANFIC READERS! I REPEAT, ATTENTION ALL FANFIC READERS!!!

Since requests have been open for almost two weeks now, I want to try something new. I want to do a Phantom of the Opera crossover with Character x Reader fanfic. Basically, reader would be like Christine Daae and your favorite character as the Phantom.

Here's a catch. There's a poll for each character to vote for this. You only get one vote for one character. The character with the most votes will be the winner and I'll write for that character.

Everybody have fun :)

[lokiondisneyplus]

After the climactic release of the historically successful Avengers: Endgame – the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the penultimate release in their “Infinity Saga”, the culmination of 11 years of brand-building, the second-highest-grossing film of all time – Marvel decided what the world really needed was more Marvel.

Armed with classic Hollywood hubris – the misguided conviction that the public would never tire of what they were selling – Marvel Studios rolled television production into their main business model, with “Phase Four” delivering more television shows than movies. The effect was a flooding of the market and a dilution of the brand, not to mention the release of the worst MCU movie, Eternals.

Forcing narrative crossovers between television shows and movies had the adverse effect of turning the former into homework and the latter into ads for the former. This practice was an act of artistic self-sabotage, ruining what could’ve been Marvel’s most sublime film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, by burdening it with a host of tonally-off, studio-obligated B-stories crowbarred in to promote upcoming television titles.

After a run of disappointing films that weighed down once-fun franchises with po-faced gravity – Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – and a slew of ordinary television shows – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion – we’ve officially reached a state of Marvel fatigue, with questions looming around the state of the superhero industrial complex.

It’s in this cultural moment that Loki, the acclaimed solo show for the titular character, arrives for a second season. It doesn’t just have to live up to an inspired first season but also has to push back on all the bad vibes, a difficult task given the heavy presence of Jonathan Majors, the breakout star who was arrested in March on domestic violence charges.The great charm of this season is that it cultivates the feeling that it could head anywhere and be anything. Loki doesn’t just explore free will as a theme, it actually feels as if it artistically possesses it.

The good news is that, whether or not it can be spun as state-of-Marvel narrative correction, season two is a worthy successor. Blessed by the fact its titular character, Tom Hiddleston’s charismatic God of Mischief, remains a slippery figure, Loki is allowed to move forward with no clear lines drawn between good and bad, protagonist and antagonist, hero and villain. Characters hold convictions until they don’t, make choices that will have ramifications, agitate for themselves, then for the greater good, and try to navigate a world whose rules shift beneath their feet.

It’s largely set, once again, in the Time Variance Authority, a comic bureaucratic labyrinth charged with policing multiversal time lines. Offering obvious symbolism at a time when Marvel is struggling to retain coherence in the midst of its “Multiverse Saga”, the TVA prizes the one true “Sacred Timeline”, pruning infinite possibilities back for the sake of cosmic narrative purity.

The TVA is an inspired retrofuturist space steeped in Eastern Bloc mid-century design and early Terry Gilliam films, satirising the pernickety dictums of workplaces and government offices – “limit your lunch break to 17 minutes!” proclaims one poster. From its dated tech – ’70s-style computer monitors, reel-to-reel tape machines, chrome hi-fis – to its curved surfaces, coloured floor tiles and lurid-emerald key lime pie, it’s a rare work of inspired production design by a studio otherwise synonymous with green-screening its way to rush-job eyesores built by an army of non-unionised offshore digital effects artists.

Everything in the TVA looks shabby and neglected, evoking its place as an office lost to time. The plot machinations of season one found an Avengers-adjacent Loki commandeered by the authority – Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), upper-management Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and others – to pursue a variant of himself, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), through time and space.

It ended with an explosion of multiversal time lines and revelations about the true history of the TVA: its top-down system of authority a matrix of illusion, its mind-wiped employees existing in a state of suspended limbo, its time line-culling operation seeming a lot like a morally questionable act of mass slaughter.

In the fallout from that climax, season two finds characters questioning whether the TVA is an entity worth preserving or destroying, not to mention the meaning of their own existence and the ramifications of choice. It’s a study of free will and moral responsibility, housed in 45-minute episodes of action-oriented television. Its chief writer, Eric Martin, both lionises liberty and weighs up its gravity, while happily dealing in the all-American fear of governmental oversight.

The collapse of the TVA’s artificial reality – “everything you’ve been doing is wrong and all your gods are dead”, Mobius deadpans in classic Wilson fashion – leads characters to their own convictions. Mobius seeks peaceful resolution. Renslayer seeks to preserve her power and the authority’s agency (“all that matters is order versus chaos”). The once-bellicose B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) has a moral reawakening. The dogged Dox (Kate Dickie) is more committed than ever to the cause. The weaselly X-5 (Rafael Casal) wants to explore his new-found independence and maybe become a movie star. The oddball tech guy with the on-the-nose name, Ouroboros (Ke Huy Quan), is there to both provide comic relief and to save the day from a temporal calamity that may destroy all worlds, or something to that effect.

Loki’s playful riffing on time means every benign use of the word pops – “it’ll take some time”, “remember that time”, “take your time”, “time to go” – and its first four episodes dance along the Earth’s time line at various points of history – 1868, 1893, 1977, 1982 – with plentiful hijinks, dabbling in genre tropes, meta use of Loki’s skills of illusion and misdirection, and creepy fast-food-franchise sponsored content.

Looming over all is the presence of the big bad of Marvel’s Phase Five, Kang the Conqueror, played still, to this point, by Majors. He’s seen here in two variants: a squirrelly 19th-century nutty professor named Victor Timely and the all-powerful end-of-time figure met at the end of last season, He Who Remains. These twin characters are connected but separate enough that they symbolise the series’ focus on free will. One may be fated to become the other, but does that mean that he – and the future – can’t change?

The great charm of this season is that it cultivates the feeling that it could head anywhere and be anything. Loki doesn’t just explore free will as a theme, it actually feels as if it artistically possesses it. While it may not be enough to combat the waning influence of comic-book screen output, this season does feel like a disarming counterpoint to recent Marvel Studios product. Rather than feeling conscripted or forced, a puzzle piece that exists solely to build a bridge between branded content, Loki remains its own thing: a nimble exploration of big themes in a colourful, comic, oddball package.

This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on October 21, 2023 as "Changing times".

[crossovershipstournament]

CROSSOVER SHIPS TOURNAMENT BRACKET

(Please full-screen for an easier time reading)

Finally, the bracket for the Crossover Ships Tournament is here! I'm so excited to finally get this tournament going, so I'll keep this short and get to the match-ups, with a quick reminder that will be included on the polls themselves as well:

That being said, let's get to the match-ups:

SIDE 1:

Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera (Ducktales 2017)/Clover Ebi (RWBY) VS Gregor (Star Wars the Clone Wars)/Harley Quinn (DC Comics)

Dib Membrane (Invader Zim)/Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) VS JD (Heathers the Musical)/Nathan Prescott (Life is Strange)

Charlie Bradbury (Supernatural)/Rose Tyler (Doctor Who) VS Reagan Ridley (Inside Job)/Toriel Dreemur (Undertale)

Ange Ushiromiya (Umineko no Naku Koro Ni)/Rin Tohsaka (Fate/Stay Night) VS Max Goof (Disney)/Yakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Dimentio (Super Paper Mario)/Jevil (Deltarune) VS Astro Tenma (Astro Boy (2009))/Wilbur Robinson (Meet The Robinsons)

Damian Wayne (DC Comics)/Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug) VS Michelangelo Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)/Miles Morales (Marvel)

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)/Jim Hawkins (Treasure Planet) VS Jimmy Neutron (Jimmy Neutron)/Timmy Turner (Fairly Oddparents)

Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine)/Cuphead (Cuphead) VS Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo)/Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack)

Mogar (Xray and Vav)/David (Camp Camp) VS Dewey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Whitley Schnee (RWBY)

Ash Williams (Evil Dead)/Crawford Tillinghast (From Beyond) VS Skales (Lego Ninjago)/Starscream (Transformers Prime)

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (How To Train Your Dragon)/Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians) VS Jane Porter (Tarzan)/Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)

Isabelle (Animal Crossing)/Wolf O’Donnell (StarFox) VS Webby Vanderquack (Ducktales 2017)/Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Chibiusa (Sailor Moon)/Kid Trunks Briefs (Dragon Ball Z) VS Kokichi Ouma (Danganronpa)/Venti (Genshin Impact)

Applejack (My Little Pony)/Hol Horse (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders) VS Jake Long (American Dragon: Jake Long)/Juniper Lee (The Life and Times of Juniper Lee)

Princess Peach (Super Mario)/Samus Aran (Metroid) VS Kefer (Egyxos)/Shiryu (Knights of the Zodiac)

Alex Mercer (Prototype)/Desmond Miles (Assassin’s Creed) VS Gandra Dee (Ducktales 2017)/Winter Schnee (RWBY)

SIDE 2:

Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio)/Timothy Q. Mouse (Dumbo) VS Max (Camp Camp)/Phineas Flynn (Phineas and Ferb)

Wirt (Over the Garden Wall)/Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) VS Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony)/Shockwave (Transformers Prime)

Daffy Duck (Looney Toons)/Donald Duck (Disney) VS Commander Peepers (Wander Over Yonder)/Wilt Michaels (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends)

Jigglypuff (Pokemon)/Kirby (Kirby) VS Merida (Brave)/Rapunzel (Tangled)

Leonardo Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)/Yuichi Usagi (Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles) VS Megaman (Megaman)/Pit (Kid Icarus)

Floyd Leech (Twisted Wonderland)/Kanata Shinkai (Ensemble Stars) VS Adrien Agreste (Chat Noir) (Miraculous Ladybug)/Berry Shirayuki (Mew Berry) (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Ben Tennyson (Ben 10)/Rex Salazar (Generator Rex) VS Bayonetta (Bayonetta)/Palutena (Kid Icarus)

Gyro Gearloose (Ducktales 2017)/Hazel Rainart (RWBY) VS Sally “Thorn” McKnight (Scooby Doo Franchise)/Skwisgaar Skwigelf (Metalocalypse)

Blossom Utonium (Powerpuff Girls)/Dexter (Dexter’s Laboratory) VS Angus McDonald (The Adventure Zone)/Shigeo Kageyama (Mob) (Mob Psycho 100)

Selina Kyle (Catwoman) (DC Comics)/Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe) VS Apollo (Percy Jackson)/Clark Kent (Superman) (Superman)

Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)/Cinderella (Cinderella) VS Huey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Wakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)/Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) VS Gaz Membrane (Invader Zim)/Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Sam Winchester (Supernatural)/Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds) VS Phone Guy (Five Nights at Freddy’s)/Wally Franks (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Ditzy Doo (My Little Pony)/The Doctor (Doctor Who) VS Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)/Nepeta Leijon (Homestuck)

Bowser (Super Mario)/Dr. Eggman (Sonic) VS Beastman (Masters of the Universe)/Lifeweaver (Overwatch 2)

Luca Paguro (Luca)/Maisie Brumble (The Sea Beast) VS Dewey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)

The tournament will begin proper sometime over the following weekend (07/01 - 07/02). I should have a more specific day and time by tomorrow!

[soft-girl-musings]

20 Fanfic Questions

ty for the tag @virtie333, sorry for the delay!

How many works do you have on AO3?

7, so far!

2. What's your total AO3 words count?

17,707 (that number makes me unreasonably happy)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently: Moon Knight (2022) previously: The Arcana (dating sim, pre-Dorian butchering), The Hobbit franchise (I'd like to continue this one tbh!!) potentially: the Lokiverse (mans has been in too much), Spiderverse

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

An Unexpected Proposition (Kili x Fem!Reader - 43 kudos) Strawberry Cordial (Muriel x Apprentice OC - 37 kudos) Last Night (Jake Lockley x Fem!Reader - 26 kudos) Perks of Being a Wallflower (Jake Lockley x Plus Sized Fem!Reader - 17 kudos) Unfamiliar Territory (Muriel x Apprentice OC - 15 kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

ABSOLUTELY, it makes me happy to do so. I love telling writers how I feel about their works (all good things i promise). and i love when folks take the leap and share their feedback.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh golly, technically Frankincense & Myrrh (The Arcana, Muriel x Apprentice OC). bc it's 1) unfinished and 2) will deal with a lot of the post-resurrection trauma Tamar (my Apprentice) will go through. it'll still be fluffy and more comfort than hurt if i ever get back into it, but man i really miss seeing her go through it.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i'd have to say Perks of Being a Wallflower! no angst, just insecurity leading up to the ending lol

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'm not popular enough to attract the haters

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind?

i don't <3

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i feel like the closest thing to a crossover i'd attempt is something in the mcu, since every major event affects everything else in some way

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

great heavens i hope not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nah

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

not in the strictest sense of the word. but in the future, i plan on crediting the folks i share hcs and thots with, they've had a huge hand in shaping the world of my stories.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

the only thing that comes to mind is Matt Murdock x Claire Temple but i 1) have not finished Daredevil and 2) fully respect her for distancing herself from that disaster boy

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Frankincense & Myrrh - the Arcana fandom was spiraling when i entered in 2020, and while i love all the research and outlining i did for that story, it would take a lot for me to dive back into the game/lore to flesh out that story. Tamar Ufam you will always be famous to me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'd have to say dialogue and my attempts to make the stakes believable

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

(actually writing lol) in all seriousness, taking the time to string together the little story pearls i come up with. i burn myself out sometimes and end up not writing anything.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i enjoy seeing it! what i don't like is people going "lol no hate on my google translate spanish/whatever language" (mostly when the language is poorly applied) bc we not only have the technology/better websites to use, but real people online willing to assist with translating/contextualizing. if you're going to do it, give it its due diligence. fingers crossed i can follow my own directive on that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Cats the Musical. I don't want to talk about it.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

published: tie between Last Night and Perks of Being A Wallflower. the first 2 fics i've published for my new fave Jake, and i see a lot of myself in Reader. these two will always be near and dear to my heart. unpublished: Relic to Relic (Loki x Fem!OC), outlining that story got me through my junior year of high school. while i'd need to rework some aspects of my OC's arc/abilities, i wouldn't mind writing for these two again.

tagging @cchickki @hon3yboy @mrs-lockley if you'd like to brag on yourselves!!

[mthofferings]

Messypeaches

See Messypeaches’s existing works here and here.

Preferred contact methods: Email: messypeaches@gmail.com Discord: messypeaches Tumblr: messypeaches

Preferred organizations: - Anything from the list of approved organizations

Will create works that contain: chaos, happy endings, AU's, smut, crack, fix-it's, crossovers

Will not create works that contain: Angst, character death, angst, Bucky Barnes/Brock Rumlow, Bucky Barnes/Pierce.

  -- Fic or Other Writing --

Auction ID: 1126

Will create works for the following relationships: Bucky Barnes/Any - 616, X-Men movieverse, MCU, Venom movieverse Venom/Any - 616, X-Men movieverse, Venom movieverse Avengers fandom any gen and ship - 616, X-Men movieverse, MCU, Venom movieverse Remy LeBeau/Any - 616, X-Men movieverse, Venom movieverse X-Men fandom any ship - 616, X-Men movieverse, Venom movieverse

Work Description: I like happy endings, and if you pick a ship that is usually angsty in nature, I will warp the universe itself to get my happy ending. Just a warning. One fictional work of the characters of your choosing in the situation of your choosing from the universes listed. At least 10k of probably snarky prose.* I will forcibly stop myself at the 20k word mark.** *I'm good at snark. And I like footnotes. **seriously, I'll set an alert for 15k to make sure I wrap it up in 20.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature, Explicit

Can pods bid on this auction? Yes - Podbids welcome!

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

-- Craft or Merchandise --

Auction ID: 2062

Will create works for the following relationships: Avengers fandom any gen - Any Universe Captain America fandom any gen - Any Universe Captain Marvel fandom any gen - Any Universe Hawkeye fandom any gen - Any Universe Agents of SHIELD fandom any gen - Any Universe Deadpool fandom any gen - Any Universe Guardians of the Galaxy fandom any gen - Any Universe Loki fandom any gen - Any Universe Moon Knight fandom any gen - Any Universe

Work Description: One custom My Little Pony made into the character of your choice. I feel like I can make any character into an MLP, so I'm open to other Marvel characters outside of the fandoms listed above. Please refer to my Instagram. I've done more than are listed there, but the Deadpool mini-pony and the chuthulu are good examples. If you want it to still be shippy, I can make the cutie mark match a different character or be symbolic of the ship in some way. We'll talk. I have several 2nd generation ponies available to pick from as well.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature

Can pods bid on this auction? Yes - Podbids welcome!

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

The auction runs from October 22 (12 AM ET) to October 28 (11:59:59 PM ET). Visit marveltrumpshate.com during Auction Week to view all of our auctions and to place your bids!

[pleinsdemuses]

𝑾𝑰𝑺𝑯𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻 𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑷𝑺 👀

Frank Castle x Karen Page

Frank Castle x Natasha Romanoff

Joel Miller x Maggie Rhee Smith

Joel Miller x Alicia Clark

Grant Ward x Daisy Johnson

Marc Spector x Lara Croft (a Moon Knight x Tomb raider crossover omg)

Marc Spector x Katherine Pierce

Brock Rumlow x Sinthea (ofc ofc my fav toxic couple)

Brock Rumlow x Sharon Carter

Bucky Barnes x Brock Rumlow

Bucky Barnes x Dominika Egorova

John Wick x Dominika Egorova

John Wick x Natasha Romanoff (just imagine these two meeting on a mission)

Leo Barnes x Sidney Prescott (where he is her bodyguard in Scream 👀)

Dr Chris Beck x Ellen Ripley (in an Alien verse)

Shane Walsh x Judith Grimes

Aleksander Morozova x Mary Stuart

Aleksander Morozova x Morgana Pendragon

Aleksander Morozova x Yennefer of Vengerberg

Geralt of rivia x Daenerys Targaryen

Loki x Lady Sif

Loki x Yennefer of Vengerberg

Loki x Morgana Pendragon

Dean Winchester x Katherine Pierce

Dean Winchester x Rebekah Mikaelson

Billy Russo x Harley Quinn

Ragnar Lothbrok x Lagertha

Rollo x Gilsa

Jamie Fraser x Claire Beauchamp

Rick Grimes x Claire Redfield

Leon Kennedy x Claire Redfield

Yennefer of vengerberg x Stephen Strange

Darcy Lewis x Stephen Strange

Jane & Loki

Katniss Everdeen x Oliver Queen

Yennefer of vengerberg x Daemon Targaryen

Most wanted | Muse list.

[solar-beam-me-up-scotty]

Apparently they put a Moon Knight reference in Loki, and people are trying to figure out the implications*

Meanwhile I'm out here wildly swinging a bat around, trying to keep the MCU canon away. Part of what made MK so enjoyable, in my opinion, was that you didn't need to know jack fucking shit about literally any other property to know the whole story of MK. I don't want to have to watch fucking 3 separate movies and Loki and I don't know She Hulk and some kind of Eternals/Miss Marvel crossover TV show. I only want to watch MK. If they make a MK season 2 and it requires hours of homework to watch in order to understand the whole sotry I'm gonna fuckung cry

*This is in no way a statement against people who find enjoyment in the interconnectedness of MCU canon. This is me saying I personally don't enjoy it and want the thing I like to stay it's own singular existence.

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

My DCCU Interlude: The Legion of Super-Heroes (Part Six)

Part VI: Starting the Story AKA The Pilot

So, with the set up of the last five goddamn essays done...now what? You probably won't be terribly surprised to hear that I'm not a writer by trade. A rambler, kinda, but not really a writer. But I'm also an avid watcher of television, especially superhero series. So, I have a general idea of what I'd like to see in this series. Not sure still whether it'd be animated or live-action, but I'm aiming for hour-long episodes (dependent upon streaming or ad-time) either way.

This post will be a basic layout of plots for a first season of this show, with the plan to set up a second season as well. As for what I'm using as a sort of basis, well...that's tricky. This is a series with a large ensemble cast, dramatic character-based storylines, and a literal universe of worldbuilding, meaning it should feel like a lived-in universe that the audience can get invested in. So, when I was thinking about the most beloved and successful television series of the past decade or so, I landed upon two answers. Two...extremely controversial answers.

Man, oh MAN, is The Flash the biggest disappointment of my life.

Look...The Flash was a really bad show...for the last 4 seasons. Seasons 4 and 5 were not horrible (not amazing, but not horrible), season 3 was pretty decent, and the first 2 seasons were honestly quite good! It has a large supporting cast, great antagonists, recurring dramatic storylines (for better or for worse; looking at you, Iris-Barry romance), and it was a superhero show based on a DC Comics character! So, good, right? Well, the first seasons are definitely good models to base this Legion series off of...but the series as a whole is a big fat warning sign, especially writing and plot-wise.

It's pretty obvious that the series creators didn't have a great plan for 9 seasons of this series, and even the first three seasons are more repetitive than you'd expect or want. I could talk about the massive wasted opportunities of this series for a LONG time (and I will, don't worry; might devote an essay to it, honestly), but it had a lot of problems. Also...yeah, the budget for this Legion series has to be higher, whether it be animated or live-action. I want the world to feel real and lived in, not to not be fueled by crossovers for that sensation.

And sure, there are much better superhero shows to use as a basis here, especially during the renaissance we're currently in. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk are some of the recent best. And hey, let's not discount DC completely, either. Doom Patrol is pretty fantastic as comic-book adaptations go, as is Peacemaker, and I haven't really watched Titans past season 1, but I hear it got better as the series went on. Oh, and Stargirl and Superman and Lois! But using the Flash as a basis is...personal.

That said, I do think The Flash also works as a basis because of the wackier nature of the source material. For the messiness of the series, it's never been afraid to go to some crazy places, adapting storylines and characters from the comics with little hesitation...and sometimes little accuracy, but that's a different story as well (lookin' at you, Zoom). But OK, that's one inspiration. What's the other?

Game of Thrones' first season is, genuinely, some of the best television I've ever watched. The wide scope of that series, both dramatically and story-wise, is a great model for a Legion series. With the first season so eloquently showing the fall of House Stark from grace, foreshadowing the rise of Daenerys, and the various struggles within two battling houses. It combined political intrigue with medieval fantasy, and did so masterfully. It gave us memorable characters and storylines, which generated a faithful fanbase for a reason. Seriously, it was amazing television.

But both GoT and The Flash had their myriad issues, especially when it came to sticking the landing. Honestly, the former lasted as long as it did because it at least had the books to go off of. But once that material ran out, the series suffered heavily until the end. The Flash, on the other hand, took from its source material a lot, but never really had a good endgame in mind, and completely lost its focus by the end of the series.

So, looking at both series, the main lessons they have to give are:

Strong protagonists (e.g. Barry Allen or the Starks, Lannisters, and Danaerys)

Strong and memorable supporting cast (e.g. Team Flash, or...shit, so goddamn many)

Threatening and memorable antagonists (e.g. the excellent and unmatched Eobard Thawne, or...well, the Lannisters again, to be honest)

Character-based storylines (for protagonists, support, and antagonists alike)

An actual plan (The Flash had one until season 3, and GoT had one until the books ran out and they had to make shit up...badly)

I originally elaborated on this more, but this is all pretty basic stuff, when you think about it. I'm not exactly breaking ground here. I'm just pointing out where these shows succeeded or failed, and how.

So, with all of that said, it's time to talk about this prospective Legion series, huh? I'll be breaking it down by storyline, which are centered around the protagonist or protagonists involved. I've covered these guys in previous posts, as well as touching upon their storylines, so check those out for more information on individual characterization. OK, let's do this!

Prologue: Plans Unfold

On a dark planet, in some forgotten corner of the galaxy, a dark cult meets within stone catacombs. An obsidian spire stretches towards the depths of space, surrounded by a large and perfectly circular arena, in which the cult gathers. Runes cover the chamber, written in a language thought abandoned long ago. This is, of course, the home of the Dark Circle, the underground antagonists for the season. The robed cultists gather in this ancient place to foment their coming plans.

While the true nature and history of this place will be revealed by the end of the season, the seemingly ancient surroundings immediately set it up as a part of the endgame. Four of the cultists, egged on by the triumvirate of leaders, are sent out into the universe at large to seed their plans, as well as the season's conflict. They enter the obelisk, which acts as a beacon for Zeta Beams, which the Circle can aim and control. They send their emissaries to the next location: Luna, in 3038 CE.

Episode 1.01: Debut

The Moon, in this universe and timeline, is a large mining colony. It's here that one of the cultists arrives, to make their way incognito onto Earth, which will act as the true staging grounds for their plan. Their contact on Earth is a nomadic gang leader and criminal contact known as Cadis Thar-Ok, who will be a major player in this story. Also looking for Thar-Ok, and also on Luna, is Garth Ranzz, a farm boy from Winath here to search for his brother Mekt Ranzz, who was a part of Thar-Ok's gang when they wandered through Winath not too long ago. While the cultist heads towards Knighton, a neostate known for its (literally) underground criminal empire, Garth heads to Metropolis, the City of Hope. Here, he hopes to speak with the Science Police, and to find clues to his brother's location.

Also on this shuttle is a traveler attempting to escape her homeworld, and possibly find a temporary new one. This is Imra Ardeen, an outcast from the Moons of Saturn, specifically Titan. Escaping persecution from her people, and recruitment by the Titanian cult known as the Espers, Imra is attempting to remain hidden. In fact, she is dressed similarly to our cultists, but in brighter colored red robes, rather than the dark robes shed by the cultist. Wearing a circlet meant to mask and suppress her abilities, she is sleeping on the shuttle, and doesn't sense the danger of the cultist. However, she hopes to arrive in Metropolis to answer questions about herself by seeking out the Temple of Mars there.

A quick note about our passengers, in terms of casting. After some thought, Garth is remaining ginger and Caucasian, rather than the darker skin of the current comics. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, there are way too many Black electrokinetics. Check out my second essay in this series for more about that, but it's ridiculous. Honestly, it's basically a stereotype at this point, and I'd rather not contribute to that. Secondly, though, there's a weird Ginger erasure happening in media, specifically when it comes to racebending characters. And while I'm very much an advocate for racebending, but even I have to admit that this is...really weird. So, yeah, let's keep one iconically Ginger character in this series, shall we?

But what about Imra? She's canonically a Caucasian blonde, but there's no canon reason for this choice. Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, Imra could be any race, and I actually sort of like the idea of a dark-skinned Imra with blonde hair. I tinkered with this idea previously, but I'm actually sort-of digging it now. Especially because...well, name a Black female true telepath in media. No cybernetic enhancement, no magic, just telepathy as a primary and innate power. Go on. I dare you. You can't. Now, that's a trend I'd be down to buck.

We'll get to our third member in a second, but I'll spoil now that I'm thinking AAPI for him. That's flexible, though, so throw whatever image you want in your personal headcanons. Now, back to the story!

Once the shuttle arrives, Imra and Garth depart, and we see their initial reactions to this beautiful and futuristic city. Imra is mostly nonplussed, but Garth is very much into it, before quickly being overwhelmed. We then change to our third major focus: Rokk Krinn, a citizen of Braal and locally notable athlete, here to speak with the United Planets on behalf of his impoverished world. He meets Marla Latham, assistant to his sponsor, R.J. Brande. Marla goes over details of Rokk's stay, then offers to take him to meet Brande, who's currently in his favorite place: the Hall of Heroes.

The Hall of Heroes , a relocated and restored Hall of Justice, is an attempt to revitalize one of the older districts in the city, specifically located next to the historic Steelworks building, which has fallen into disuse in recent centuries. The Hall was moved from Washington D.C., after a historical event known only as Godfall nearly destroyed it and the rest of the city. Housing a massive amount of historical artifacts, the Hall has been expanded upon and restored over the years, until becoming the predominant collection of artifacts from the First Age of Heroes.

As a major feature of the city, Garth and Imra are also headed here. Garth's journey led him to the Science Police, but he stopped at the museum after being turned away from the busy station. Imra, on the other hand, went towards the Temple of Mars, only to find that they had no solid connection with the one she sought, the legendary J'onn Jonzz. Instead, she came to the Hall of Heroes to find more information on him, so that she may herself be helped. And, of course, there's one more person headed here.

In Darkham, the crown city of Knighton, the cultist has found Cadis Thar-Ok, who contacts one of his men in Metropolis to assassinate R.J. Brande for the Dark Circle. The purpose of this is to eliminate a driving force for planets to join the United Planets, which increases order in the universe. Braal's membership is tenuous at best, hence Rokk's visit here. Were Brande or, even better, a Braalian celebrity to be assassinated, this would foment chaos in the UP, and further the goals of the Dark Circle.

As planned, Thar-Ok's assassin makes their way to the Hall, following Rokk and Marla inside. Here, the DC fanboys are fed with artifacts that we haven't seen yet in this fledgling DC Cinematic Universe, as well as hints of battles to come in future projects. It's one of those Easter egg-filled scenes that fans love to dissect for all they're worth. We also get a view of the museum through the eyes of our main characters, which gives us insight into their desires and characters.

Garth, for example, is focused on finding his brother, and meting out any needed justice (or vengeance) against Thar-Ok and his crew. His focus is, therefore, on crime-fighting, so he heads towards a controversial wing of the Hall: Batman's. Now most of the artifacts about the Dark Knight are actually in Knighton, which includes the place once known as Gotham City. Here, though, the Hall focuses on Batman's role as associated with the Justice League. As such, this is a slightly more sanitized version of the character, more akin to Bronze than Modern. Garth, therefore, is interested in the legend of the character, moreso than some of his darker realities. He doesn't want to be Batman. He does want to fight crime of the same caliber, however.

Imra, for her part, goes to the area devoted to Martian Manhunter, as well as the other Martian visitors and heroes that have visited Earth. We can get a look at Miss Martian here, as well as possibly even Jemm, Son of Saturn. However, unsurprisingly, this exhibit is somewhat sparse as well. Mars has reclaimed much of this exhibitry, and other pieces are found in other exhibits or museums. So here, Imra doesn't quite find the answers she's seeking. However, as she's realizing this, she also gets a sense that something is wrong. This drives her to head towards the most popular exhibit. Which, of course, focuses on...

Understand me. No hero is revered more in the 31st century than Superman. Period. There cannot be any doubt about this. The legacy of Superman has lived beyond the ages. However, because of this, there are a lot of misunderstandings about him as a person, outside of being a hero. Put it this way. You know Hercules, right? His labors, his history, that one little time he murdered his wife, you know? But, like...what was his favorite color? Favorite food? Was he a morning person, or a night owl? Do you really know anything about him personally? Hell, what was his actual name? Yeah, I see you nerds with your hands up in the front of the room. To the rest of you, though...did you know his name isn't Hercules? Or Heracles? It's Alcides. But people tend to forget that fact.

What I'm saying is, that while the knowledge that Superman was Clark Kent is technically public knowledge...nobody gives a single shit about the person he was. And so, this exhibit is to all the flash, pomp, and circumstance that is Superman's deeds and legends. We see his villains, his greatest fights, his triumphs. But what Rokk and Brande see, as they walk around this portion of the Hall, is the hope and love and inspiration he gives to everyone that sees him. And that is what brings them together. Superman is the centerpiece of this portion of the franchise, and we should see some of the stuff that he's going to get up to in the future of this DC Cinematic Universe.

Brande and Rokk meet, they have a conversation about Superman and the Hall, as well as the personal strife they've seen and suffered. It's the beginnings of an important conversation, but both are continually distracted by their surroundings. As they have their talk, Garth and Imra walk into the exhibit, sort of in the background. Maybe Garth's reaction to Superman (which should be notably in awe) is noticed by Brande as a part of their conversation. Imra should come here sensing something wrong, but pause in the visage of this figure of legend. Yeah, I'm hamming it the hell up, that's the point.

But of course, in the background, we should see the assassin enter, ready to take Brande out from the shadows. The dark thoughts and influence he's exuding start to overwhelm Imra, which gets the attention of a nearby Garth. She points out what's going on, just as the assassin is readying a weapon. Garth, acting on instinct, fires of a wild lightning bolt at the guy as he sees the weapon. This loud and bright burst of energy gets the attention of the entire Hall, causing them to panic. The Science Police are called, while Brande and Rokk are also made aware of the situation. Hectic action sequence takes place, and Rokk uses his better-honed abilities to disarm the assassin. Imra, unable to hold back her power at this point, uses it to paralyze the assassin as they flee, in an impressive-if-terrifying feat. An extremely haphazard, if effective, display, from all three.

The Science Police take their sweet time to show up, and question the trio in their actions, as well as speaking with Brande and Marla. We meet two members of the police in particular: Gigi Cusimano and Director Ryna Norg. The former is impressed by the action of this trio, while Norg is not a fan of vigilante justice. A common problem in a post-Justice League world, this is a major sticking point for her, so she acts to suppress it as best as possible. In fact, she's about to arrest Garth for damaging the museum, before Brande steps in.

I should stress, by the way, that Ryna is meant to come off as a hard-ass, but also as a great cop and decent person. A bit harder than someone like Commissioner Gordon, but with the same dedication to her job. While she'll be an antagonist, she's not a malicious one. After this misunderstanding, Garth tries to get her ear about his brother, only for her to brush him off and tell him to go through official channels. Not encouraging. When he insists, although he's already on her bad side, Norg agrees to get his info and send an officer to speak with him later. As for where he's staying, he has no answer to that...until Brande steps in and offers to put up him and Imra. Both accept.

Now, at this point, the episode is coming to a close. Other stuff has filled in this episode to extend it to the appropriate amount of time, whether that's flashbacks or extra scenes that I, as a non-writer, haven't come up with. But, at the end, as the trio are settling in and introducing themselves to each other, Brande begins to come up with an idea. And from this, we cut to our final scene.

Typical Science Police interrogation, where we get to see the inside of headquarters. Officers Ryna and the reptilian Howkun try to get information out of him, but he reveals nothing. His role was, of course, as a gun-for-hire that knows nothing about the larger operation. He only knows that he was sent money by someone who wanted Brande eliminated, but has no more information to give. After a while interviewing him, the two officers exit the room and report to a watching Ryna Norg.

Suddenly, the criminal starts to scream, as if being attacked by someone. And before the Police can gas the room or otherwise intervene, the man explodes into body parts, as if sliced apart cleanly by an unseen knife. The officers intervene, but too late to catch anyone. They quickly spread out on Ryna's orders, and the police station is locked down. As this happens, the body parts lie abandoned in the room, with the prisoners head on the table.

Said head then begins to look around, and his body parts start to move.

This man is hapless criminal Cory Belkin, AKA...nothing, actually. You may recognize a character like this from James Gunn's fun and crazy movie The Suicide Squad. In the film, he's known as "The Detachable Kid", or TDK, and he's meant to be a version of another character from Legion lore. Only problem it, he's about 1000 years too early. So, I'm changing two things. One, this is a racial ability for this alien species, from a planet I'm calling Zerpitz. And two, they have the ability to completely separate parts of their bodies, rather than just their limbs. Problem is, it'll take a bit for Cory to come back together.

Either way, Cory takes his time to escape from the poorly secured room, with the help of a device hidden within the vents by one of Thar-Ok's criminal allies. By the time the officers return, his body is gone. With an untraceable weapon and no criminal, the secrets of this crime will remain unsolved by the Science Police. Their first L of the series.

Oh, and yes, this person is absolutely related to Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, for anyone who was wondering. He'll show up later on.

As the cops scramble to figure out the next move, the body parts of Cory Belkin also scramble out of the station. While it takes a while, Cory manages to pull himself together (maybe sans a digit or three), and makes it to Knighton. He reconvenes there with Thar-Ok, who's flanked by other members of his gang. There are, in fact, multiple powered people in this group, many of whom are young, and all of whom faithfully serve Thar-Ok. He congratulates Cory on getting away from the Science Police, but also recognizes that it's only a matter of time before they figure out something's up. Which means that Cory is now a liability. And so, Thar-Ok sends Cory away with cheers at his back, and certain death at his front. A Dark Circle member follows him through the shadows of Darkham, and actually kills Cory Belkin.

Thar-Ok recieves a message that the ugly deed is done, and that a new mission will come soon. We also get confirmation that Thar-Ok, because he can't help himself, used his connections to commit a few robberies in NuMetropolis while the police were on lockdown from Cory's escape. He's somewhat intelligent, he's very brutal, and he knows how to take advantage of a situation. Thar-Ok is our first major boss for the season's first arc.

Well, that's the pilot! I really wanted to devote one full essay to this story launching point, but that won't be the case for the rest! As this essay series moves forward, I'll be putting episodes into bundles, summarizing overall story beats and storylines, as well as establishing characters and their development, if any. And, of course, I'm only covering the first season of this proposed series. After that? Eh, I have other essay series to finally write.

Next post, I'll be putting up the first major arc, in which the Legion is officially established, the other core members are introduced, and the first scuffles with Thar-Ok and his gang lead to the introduction of the next threat: the assassins. See you then!

Next: Birth of the Legion (1.02 - 1.05)

Index: Legion of Super-Heroes

[davosmymaster]

@loki-hargreeves and I got an AWESOME idea that has us yearning until we made each other cry. What about a moon knight and tlou crossover??? Marc would be Joel's son and they ABSOLUTELY despise esch other because Joel blames Marc for Sarah's death. They can't stand the sight of the other, cant even be in the same room.

UNTIL they both fall for the same woman.

WE ARE DYING WITH THIS.

Should I write it???

Presenting... MARC MILLER

😭😭😩😩😩🥵🥵🥵

[ao3feed-moonknight]

Of Hunters Gods and Hooded Vigilantes

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/2cXt8sI by JustATemporarySetback (the_scarlet_01) As a hunter for the TVA that opted to stay after the dust settles, trips to the timeline are very different. Less armor and pruning, more disguises and tracking. The fighting more desperate, because you can't just send someone to Alioth. That was not the way the TVA works. Tracking an artifact that distorts time around it to benefit the holder, a hunter gets separated from the team only to be saved by the hooded Vigilante that dwells in London, the Moon Knight. Things only get more complicated when the hunter's past is more complicated than anyone knew. Moon Knight/TVA Hunter Reader. 2nd person POV read the tags for more info Words: 4293, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Moon Knight (TV 2022), Loki (TV 2021) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Marc Spector, Steven Grant (Marvel), Jake Lockley, Hunter B-15 (Marvel), Casey (Loki TV), O.B. | Ouroboros (Loki TV), Reader Relationships: Marc Spector/Reader, Steven Grant/Marc Spector, Jake Lockley/Reader Additional Tags: Crossover, MCU TV Crossover, Moon Knight and Loki Crossover Reader Insert, Reader-Insert, not everyone's cup of tea but I was encouraged to post it, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Behavior, Mental Illness, Dissociative Identity Disorder, hunter reader, TVA Hunter Reader, POV Second Person read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/2cXt8sI

[thatonetimetraveller]

Unpublished fics game

wasn't actually tagged by anyone but I really want to do this cuz it looks fun

be warned some of these are extremely niche so much so that probably I would be the only one to read them lol

Fics I started writing and has a notebook

Durin/Elrond timetravel - where Durin timetravels into the 3rd age and joins Thorin's Company on their quest. He manages to drag Elrond into the mess as well.

Last Year's Barduil Month prompts - yes I will eventually get to them lol

Faramir/Pippin Flowershop/Firefighter au that I got promoted for last November - featuring flower language pining and depression

Decisions to change - Pippin/Faramir what if Faramir went to the council of Elrond. featuring child abuse

The silmarillion/ full metal alchemist crossover - Maedhros gets transported into the transmutation circle of Ed and Al's attempt to resurrect their mother. Other elves related to Maedhros get transported too. Maedhros sees two children in need and practically adopts them instantly lol

The Road to El Dorado the gay rewrite - what if the gods Miguel and Tulio were pretending are married in the pantheon, so to sell the deal they have to pretend to be married. featuring fake/pretend relationship with a fuck ton of mutual pining and internalised/period typical homophobia

How did Mobius M. Mobius became fascinated with Loki? - Season 2 au the TVA Loki travelled to at the beginning of the season was in the past so that means Mobius became obsessed with Loki as he tries to find that exact variant again. Basically a Mobius backstory

The Moon and the Spider - After the memory incident of No Way Home Peter changes his name and moves to London done being Spiderman. He goes on a date with Steven Grant and gets pulled into the events of Moon Knight

Fics that live in the idea book eventually to be written

All the days to remain - Stargate Jack/Daniel - season 6 au dealing with Daniel's death and the repercussions of unsaid feelings.

Stargate/Lotr crossover - there's a Stargate in Moria. SG1 gets stuck there because of a time dilation field. They join Thorin's company. Part 2 of the story sees SG1 come back when Ori places a distress call during the failed attempt to take Moria back. Due to the time difference SG1 arrives just as the fellowship is passing through Moria.

Rush Hour Carter/Lee - Case fic where Carter gets framed for some crime and Lee is the only one to believe Lee so he goes and finds him. The two of them in an effort to clear Carter's name bust an international crime organisation. Featuring movie level shenanigans.

Exploring the Cleonic Dynasty - Foundation - The Foundation through the various Cleons' perspective

Stargate/House MD crossover - During the events of 10x8 Vala finds herself in Princeton Plainsboro with severe amnesia. House meets her during one of his rare occasions of doing clinic hours and gets interested when he feels the scarring of the Goa'uld Vala was host to. Vala gets recruited as a fake nurse to avoid getting detained by the fake air force also because House thought it was funny lol

These are the ones I plan to write in the future. Please send me asks about them if you want to know more. I'll be happy to ramble on about any of them lol

No pressure tags: @oakenting @nocompromise-noregrets @scary-grace @tathrin

[lapseinrecs]

Marvel Cinematic Universe tag

Comments: I’m a definite Tony Stark stan over Cap, which may colour the fics that I recommend. Spidey’s my second favorite hero after Nightwing, though, so he’s probably never going to appear in a negative light. Been getting into Matt Murdock a bit so he's liable to show up. Due to the nature of these posts, there may only be one fic for any given character, but whatever.

There is a Marvel tag with a directory post here that's mostly just to organize alternate worlds. But like most things are tagged under MCU idk what to tell you it's what I'm most familiar with.

Jimmy Woo, Wong, Shang-Chi, Katy Chen, Yelena Belova, Odin, Frigga, Sharon Carter,

The Avengers has its own tag for Avengers related fics.

Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Thor Odinson, T’Challa, Sam Wilson, James Buchanan Barnes, Nick Fury, Loki Laufeyson,

The Defenders is a tag that exists under MCU if you’re more into them specifically, but for example, if it’s just Matt Murdock, it’s not going to be there.

Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Claire Temple, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, Ward Meachum, Trish Walker,

Guardians of the Galaxy has its own tag now tho it’s pretty empty.

Peter Quill, Rocket Raccoon,

The Moon Knight System has a tag for the system and also tags for each alter and also Layla because we love her.

Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, Layla El Faouly,

Spider-Man is it's own tag seperate from the MCU although both tags may be listed. You might find the Peter Parker tag helpful though if you don't care if it's the MCU Spidey.

MCU crossovers:

Power Rangers, Percy Jackson, X-Men, Batman, Supernatural, Bleach, The Man From Uncle,