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tarnishedxknight · 10 months

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Mantis shook her head reassuringly when Basch apologized. “No, it is okay.” That was a lie. “It is not your fault.” That was true. “After everything this world and many others have gone through, things no longer really end well for anyone, do they?” That was… what was that? She wasn’t sure if that was a lie or a truth, but she knew the universe had been changed, for the worse, forever. People would struggle to recover from this for many, many generations. No one would ever be overwhelmed with joy again, and if they were, it was an illusion; she had been overjoyed just now, and reality slapped her in the face so hard she saw stars. It served her right for clinging to the hope that life could be anything other than all the death and misery Thanos brought.

She listened when he said he knew the pain of grief and hope. The empath shook her head again. “You do not need to apologize, really. You did not hurt me, my own expectations did. It is not your fault… I am sorry you are familiar with that kind of pain, too.” As full of pain as she was, Mantis felt she had been lucky. She had been frozen in time for five years, missing all the destruction those who were left alive had to face. All the Guardians had been gone except for Rocket and Nebula. But then, they all came back… except for Gamora. They had a second chance at life and she didn’t. Mantis often cried herself to sleep thinking about it. Her friend deserved better.

With a small sigh, Mantis wrung her hands, looking down before her eyes widened when Basch asked what lands the legendary Star-Lord ruled. What? She tried to answer it the best she could. “Um… well, he is from the land of Missouri, but he does not live there. I am not sure if it counts as land, but we reside in Knowhere… and ships Benatar and Bowie. He owns a Zune, too, but we all use it. You know, to make life more bearable, listen to music, dance…” she explained, pretending to know what a Zune was, even though she knew nothing about it other than it was useful to play songs. “Do not worry! I should be able to find Kevin Bacon myself. Thank you.” Things were relatively easy when you could extract information from people’s heads. Her curiosity was sparked after he said he was not native to this land, however. “Where are you from? If you do not mind me asking.” She wasn’t overly familiar with Earth and its places, and to be fair, neither was Quill, since he was eight years old when he left. But she noticed Basch spoke and behaved in a way that was different from other Terrans, so she wasn’t too surprised upon learning the place was new for him. She also wondered if he had been turned to dust and if he felt as left behind as she did. As half of all life did.

(Omg yeah IW is hard to watch. The symbolism in Loki’s death is so well done though; he dies with blue skin because he can’t breathe and red eyes because they’re bleeding, and that’s his true form, blue skin and red eyes. I didn’t notice until his mun pointed it out to me and I was like OHH SHI- I love symbolism. But yeah, FrostBug works? Two green-wearing, dark-haired people with mind manipulation skills, raised away from their species by gods who didn’t really love them, and with himbo brothers. And despite all these parallels they can’t escape the ‘opposites attract’ dynamic XD And YEEES, it’s so cool when your interpretation is appreciated. You’ve told me once or twice that my Mantis is canon for you and it’s so gratifying <3 I would argue that any Mantis written by anyone anywhere is good. It’s Mantis.)

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{Yeah... Loki’s death was rough. I don’t dislike him, but he’s not a favorite of mine... and it still hit so hard, so I can only imagine actual fans of him, oh man. And I didn’t think about the symbolism but now I’ll never be able to unsee it, heh. I also never considered FrostBug before you mentioned it, but I’m so here for it. Add it to my list of never-happened ships that I love, haha. And yes, I stan your Mantis, always. <3 But I agree, the world needs more Mantis in general. I haven’t seen most things she’s in, but the moment she said, “Kick names, take ass” in IW, I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER COMPLETELY. XD I actually gigglesnorted and I loved it. }

“Whether or not 'tis my fault, I am nevertheless... truly sorry,” Basch said sincerely. As Mantis told him that things rarely ended well for anyone nowadays, his eyes fell. “Aye... they seldom do...” he lamented. “I was... not awake when the warlord Thanos brought about his devastating cull upon this world. When I awoke, the people of this time were already struggling to cope with the long-term effects of it, and in truth, of what was done to reverse it as well. The reversal was not perfect, as I understand...” His words were very gentle, respectful, for he wondered if she had lost someone very important to her who had not been returned. It was just a sense he got from her.

He understood, of course, that feeling of disappointment, of one’s stomach dropping so fast they felt ill, to hear that what was lost could never be regained. Basch had lost everyone and everything dear to him, his entire world, his way of life, his identity, his purpose... so he understood how deep the scars that loss carved into a person’s soul could be. “Hope is still worth having,” he said for it was something he believed in fully. Hope and love were Basch’s religion, and no amount of times they had both slapped him in the face would ever shake his faith in them. They were worth believing in. They were. “Even as painful as it is, hope is what keeps the soul alive in times of strife. The pain we feel when hopes are dashed... is only love, denied. And love is never wrong,” he offered, attempting to comfort her. “I take comfort in that, whenever hope causes me pain... for I would not feel such pain if I had not first loved.”

“Alas, I am unfamiliar with the lands of Missouri and Knowhere,” Basch replied, “and I do not know what a Zune is either. Forgive me, I am very much unfamiliar with contemporary cultures and geographic locations. But I do wish you luck in your search for Lord Bacon, and I am sorry I could not be of greater help to you.” He thought she was about to leave, and so he was prepared to wish her well and continue on with his day, when she asked him where he was from. Basch was not certain how to answer that. He knew any answer he might give would only stir up more questions in his mind, but since he had no qualms about answering them...

“I was born in the Republic of Landis, but I lived the majority of my life in the Kingdom of Dalmasca,” he replied. “Both... perished some five thousand years ago.” Or so he’d been told. He’d lived through the destruction of Landis, but the fate of Dalmasca... that he’d found out from his brother, who was an immortal revenant and had lived through all the years that Basch had been in magical slumber. “Magic... caused me to be frozen in time, until recently. I now serve as an Avenger.” He was not certain if any of that would make sense to her since they seemed to be from very different walks of life as far as places and people they knew, but he was truthful nonetheless. He had no reason to lie. “All I have known, many I loved... all lost to antiquity. Gone.” That last word was whispered, emotional. “I may not have experienced the devastation that Thanos brought about, but I understand staggering loss. I live with it each day. So when I say that I am sorry, it is with great understanding and deep commiseration that I say it.”

#main muse: basch #{LORD BACON... I AM DEAD}#{R.I.P. ME 2023}

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worstloki · 4 years

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instead of actually showing people moving on from their mistakes and choosing to follow a more heroic path the MCU gives heroes who have already been through their “worst” behaviour before they’re even introduced on-screen and as a result they’re framed as heroes from the beginning.

Its hero-framing and there is nothing wrong with that but its why marvel is unable to present an actual complete character redemption arc where people change for the better or worse: they forget there are things between good and evil, and that a change from ‘evil’ to ‘good’ is possible without having someone go from ‘villain’ to ‘hero’ to do it.

examples of hero-framing are:

- tony as the merchant of death is where tony’s journey to becoming a hero begins. he isn't shown as the person carelessly approving weapon deals or flippantly signing off weapons of mass destruction after his transportation is attacked. the only glimpse into his earlier actions which he strives to make up for with good deeds is assuming comments such as “I'd be out of a job with peace” and his proud display of the Jericho and glimpses at previous one-night stands are regular behaviour, of which none are immediately morally ‘bad’ on his part with all things considered. As the audience we aren't shown how low of a person Tony started off as, making him easily forgivable because from what we’ve seen his few acts of on-screen bad were minor acts and that outweighs the good we see him do once he gets the suit functioning.

- black widow’s dripping ledger is brought up multiple times as she tries to make up for her past as an assassin. meanwhile, the closest glimpse into any of what she did was loki listing things. there were no details, only that she did bad things and she feels guilty and is trying to make up for it. she is introduced as ‘good’ with her ‘bad’ past self being referred to as a different person, since the audience has not actually seen proof of her actions.

- thor is the closest thing to an exception to the hero-framing as he is introduced as brash and arrogant and it is shown in action. Even if only due to loki, thor’s flaws and unsuitability to rule are brought up and his journey to heroism begins after the audience has glimpsed him as ‘bad’, which means thor’s character development would need to be more comprehensive to further him into the role of ‘good’ as well as ‘hero’ after being shown happily committing genocide but then refusing to stand and watch it occur later in his debut film. His character development regarding his ‘bad’ traits never occurs on-screen, and he is regarded as a hero regardless of any actual change.

- Gamora is introduced as the most dangerous woman in the galaxy and working under thanos since childhood it is unquestionable that she has killed/had no regard for innocents. rocket groot and peter start off as criminals too, but in showcasing them together their past selves are easily disregarded for their new team dynamic and action sequences, where they’ve all committed crimes and are okay not mentioning them and instead focusing on the stopping the bad guy part. With the past Gamora being brought to the future her previous establishment as a hero influences the audience’s views on her.

Prime examples of the reverse where characters are initially framed as villains are Loki and Ava, with Wanda and Nebula being framed as ‘good’ but acting evil conditionally:

- Loki scenes which humanised the character when he was being introduced to the audience were intentionally removed to establish his change in Thor 1 as going from ‘slightly evil’ to ‘full-tilt evil’ as a natural reaction even before he had been proven to have done anything bad. marvel was unable to show loki ‘redeeming’ himself after New York and sought to kill him off doing a good act and apologising for his previous bad actions instead of actually becoming a ‘good’. After that he is withheld from becoming labelled as a ‘good’ person because of his past actions which keep being brought up especially in Ragnarok. Despite being implied a victim he is framed as the villain throughout his appearances and is made to ‘redeem‘ himself, dying before he gets to exercise actions other than his own sacrifice as an actual ‘hero’.

- Ava was trained as a weapon, and even when no longer under contract sees no problem with killing others to achieve her goal and fix herself. Even though she was willingly ‘bad’ her actions were seen as negligible once she achieved her goal and the problem was solved, with her switching to a ‘good’ individual without any moral changes. She is presented as a victim to the problem.

- Wanda, although introduced as a villain who messed with the heroes minds (cruelly) and unleashed the hulk with knowledge of what he would do this close to civilians (intentionally causing the unnecessary deaths of innocents??), regardless is accepted as a hero after switching allegiances after realising she would be dying along with the rest of the planet if she did not switch sides. She was introduced as a victim/prisoner despite consenting to the experimentation with the gem and results in an arc similar to loki’s in thor 1 where she (and Pietro) become circumstantially evil due to the events around them, except instead of dying and returning on the villain side she notices her mistake and puts aside hate to join the good side again. her journey, although appearing to take her from bad to good, actually starts with her as a good person who became bad but simply became good again.

- Nebula is introduced as being overshadowed by Gamora who is favoured. she is presented as a victim, even if her hostile reactions are witnessed more directly by the audience, and she is shown as not ‘bad’, simply trying to be ‘good’ where the only example to follow is the favoured Gamora. While her change from ‘bad’ to ‘good hero’ is partially shown, the changes in her morality are naturally presented, implying the changes happened off-screen, if not a one-time thing.

tldr; marvel’s character arcs are incomplete and basically all of them lack portions of the beginning or end, leaving gaps in the development of the characters. all the redeemable characters are explained as already being ‘good’, and are victims in their own rights, even if it isn't addressed. They have yet to present someone who actually changes from ‘evil’, although Loki is the closest they have come, even if he’s only a villain because he believes himself to be.

#no reasons for the moral changes or the sudden gained value of life #except for tony i guess #but he wasn't shown actually committing bad actions #he was shown suffering for those actions and then changing #loki was framed as a villain despite being a victim but marvel never got around to addressing that #everyone else either pulled a 180 or actually secretly had morals and the ability to love being hidden deep down #the closest thing to an actual on-screen bad person becoming good was Ava #Loki was bad but if the mind stone was involved it wasn't his fault #he still took the blame and worked on building himself back up so he gets second place for successful arcs with tony in first place i guess #no one kill me for attempting to comment on marvel's presentation of people who are 'bad' and 'good' i don't normally write stuff like this #mostly because articulation is only my forte if i get to be dramatic about it #nebula and wanda aren't framed as villains when they're introduced but loki and ava are ( with Ava not getting the WHY explained till later)#but since Ava isn't shown after she's healed we don't know enough to comment on her goodness #MetaAnalysisForTheWin #MAFTW #TPILTMLSP #ThisPostIsLongerThanMyLifeSpan

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sserpente · 5 years

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Another chance (SPOILERS!)

Synopsis: Five years after Loki’s death, your life in New Asgard is all but miserable. You miss him. You mourn him. And you would do anything in your power to get him back. So when Rocket and Bruce suddenly show up at Thor’s doorstep to recruit him for a mission to undo the damage Thanos has done, you take your chance and join them. You travel back in time only to come face to face with the man you love so dearly--back in 2012. Back when he was still alive. And when things go wrong and you suddenly find him snuffling the Tesseract, you selfishly throw all of your plans overboard. You cannot lose him. Not again. So you jump out the moment he opens up a portal, disappearing and taking you with him. You had only one last shot at bringing the man you love back. Now, you have one last shot at convincing him not to kill you. You have one last shot at saying your goodybe. You have one last shot at telling him you love him. Only what will happen once the Avengers have defeated Thanos and return the Infinity Stones where they belong? Will you stay trapped in the past, with a different Loki who does not know you yet? Will the man you were going to marry be lost forever? Or will there be another chance?

Pairing: Loki x Reader Chapter: 1/1 Words: 5842 Warnings: SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME, angst & fluff

You hated the sun. Hated how hopeful it looked when it crawled over the horizon and filled your surroundings with light and warmth. You longed to rip it out of the sky and drown it in the sparkling water to your feet.

Five years. Five years had passed since Loki’s death and your heart still felt like it had been crushed only yesterday. Not one night passed in which you did not wish for him to be back by your side, to wrap you in his strong arms and let you fall asleep against his chest, listening to his soothing heartbeat. Never again would you hear that calming sound. Never again would you hold his hand, kiss his lips and see that mischievous and playful smirk you had fallen in love with.

Your lips parted when the first tear drop escaped your eyes and united with the sea. You watched it draw circles on the surface. Over the last years, you had cried so much you were surprised there were any tears left in your body at all and yet here you were, getting lost in your undying grief and mourning once again.

Back when you had decided to come to New Asgard, as Thor had named the small village the remaining Asgardians settled down in, you had hoped it would help you feel closer to Loki. Your Loki. Your fiancé. Your almost-husband.

You had picked a wedding dress already. A green, strapless piece of silken fabric sparkling with one thousand golden gems—a ball gown fit for a princess. And a princess was what you would have become upon laying down your vows.

Sobbing quietly, you glanced down at your left hand, fondling the golden engagement ring with the green jewel and the tiny diamonds Loki had given to you.

Valkyrie had suggested you took it off. The ring held a promise Loki would never be able to fulfil now and it would be pointless, cruel to keep wearing a reminder of what you had lost, holding you back and keeping you from seeing a new future.

But there was no future without Loki. You had known the day you had stood on the edge of the pier, only a week after his death. The ring had felt heavy in your hand when you had attempted to toss it into the sea, angry at the man you loved for leaving you behind. You couldn’t do it. You couldn’t move on. You never would.

Thor was no help. He only ever made it worse and you avoided him as best as you could. The strong, brave and self-righteous man you had once known was gone. And ever since he had chopped off Thanos’ head, he had turned into a shadow of what he had once been, drinking too much ale and playing silly video games with Korg and Miek. Loki would have laughed at his appearance.

You lazily turned your head when heard the truck approach. While you expected it to be another delivery of goods for the village, you were all the more surprised to see the Hulk jumping off the load area, accompanied by a raccoon carrying a gun. A courtesy visit?

Frowning, you stood, following the two inside. It took you a moment to realise they were looking for Thor. Your heart sank to your boots once you were close enough to listen, leaning against the threshold of Thor’s door.

Quantum realm. Time travel. Infinity Stones. Thanos. One more chance. What you picked up made little to no sense at first. You had never understood all that science talk Tony Stark regularly turned your head with. But you didn’t need to. All that mattered was one more chance—and that you would have a shot getting your Loki back.

“I want to come too.” The words came out of your mouth before you had a chance to stop them, let alone consider what you were getting yourself into.

“Who’s this?” The raccoon threw in, earning him a dismissive glance.

“(Y/N).” Hulk… or was it Bruce… greeted politely. You nodded.

Thor only glared at you. You hadn’t exactly been on good terms lately. Loki had laid down his life for him, sacrificed himself for his only brother and he repaid him by getting drunk, threatening nerds online and refusing to remember him at all. One month ago, you had thrown a glass bottle at him.

When Thor still didn’t respond, Rocket shrugged. “We can use all the help we can get, (Y/N) whoever-you-are.”

Good. Because if Thor had already forgotten Loki, that was the least you could do. You owed it to him.

“Thor. Thank you for coming. What the hell happened to you?” It was Steve Rogers who greeted him first, pulling him in a friendly hug. You spotted Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff as well as Clint Barton in the room.

“Who’s your friend?”

Your smile was restrained. There was at least one thing Thor and you had in common. Your emotions were no longer in your control.

“I’m (Y/N). I am… was… Loki’s fiancé.”

The room went silent so fast you could have heard a needle drop. Rocket, the raccoon, had no idea what was going on, yet out of the people in the room, it was only Thor and Nebula who remained unsurprised.

“This is awkward. What’s happening?” Rocket said.

“Nothing except for she was the fiancé of a war criminal and murderer.” Clint shot back, eyeing you down angrily. You sighed. You had expected this reaction. The Asgardians had come to terms with you already. The Avengers would take a while longer. “Why are you here? If you expect we’re going to bring him back of all people, you’re really wrong.”

“I know him. I met him. Loki didn’t attack your planet deliberately,” Nebula interrupted suddenly. “Thanos threatened to kill him if he didn’t comply. My father can be very convincing.”

Nebula. You knew her, Loki had told you about meeting her and Gamora when he was with Thanos. You were the only one he had told about the horrors and tortures he had gone through after his alleged deadly fall from the Bifrost. He had told you he had survived and come back as a different man and in return, you had told him that you loved the man he was now, that you would love the man he would one day become and surely, that you would have loved the man he once was. You almost smiled fondly at the memory. Without expressing it in words, you knew Loki could not quite believe he had found you.

You didn’t nearly spend enough time together before he had to die. He didn’t nearly experience as much happiness as he deserved. Nebula’s words brought tears to your ears—a gesture the Avengers did not fail to notice.

Natasha was the first one to lose her ice-cold demeanour towards you.

“Clint, if we want to do this, we need all the help we can get.” She repeated what Rocket had pointed out already. “Whatever it takes.”

You nodded, swallowing thickly to scare away the tears. “So what’s the plan?”

The past doesn’t change the future. Was that what Bruce had said? Your hopes collapsed in on themselves like a house of cards and still, you refused to curl up and believe he was supposed to be gone. Five years was not a long time then. He was Loki. The Trickster. The God of Mischief. There had to be a way. Somehow.

Your suit was tight. Scott had attempted to explain to you just how the quantum realm worked and why you had to dress like a domina in order to travel through time but you had shut down after two sentences. As long as you made it back and… back… alive and preferably, with Loki by your side, you would accept feeling like head cheese.

It was Natasha who had suggested you did not team up with Thor. Instead, just so both Tony and Steve could keep an eye on you, you were to go with them. Back to 2012 when Loki had attacked New York. Back to when Loki and you hadn’t met yet. Chewing on your lower lip nervously, you took a deep breath in a desperate attempt to stay calm.

Regardless. This was your one shot—and if Thor thought the same, he did not show. You wondered whether the idea of bringing his only brother back even occurred to him. For years now, you had thought you knew him—now, you were not so sure anymore.

Next thing you knew you flew. If you had to name the odd feeling cursing through your entire body, you would compare it to travelling by Bifrost—yet at the same time, it was completely different, like being sucked somewhere you did not belong. A different time.

And as fast as it had started, it was over again. It felt no different, like nothing had happened at all. You opened your eyes, not realising you had closed them in the first place only to come face to face with the streets of New York City—destroyed, full of debris and destruction. Loki’s work.

Swallowing thickly, you breathed out audibly to calm your rapid heartbeat.

“You know what to do. Let’s split up.”

“And don’t forget we have only one shot at this.” Scott brushed against your shoulder when he walked past you, ripping you from your paralysis. Stark Tower was close, too close. Your heart was aching at the very thought of the man you loved being safe and sound in this reality, this time.

Did you have a plan? Yes. But not in 2012. If you were going to bring Loki back, you would have to distract them just long enough to steal one of their magic vials to travel through time on your own. Was it sneaky, selfish and would you risk the entire universe crumbling to pieces, with billions mourning the loss they had to endure because of Thanos? Yes. But so were you. You were not going to live without Loki any longer. You could do this.

So, arriving at Stark Tower, you sat down and waited, knowing that the man you loved was only a few floors above you.

“You alright there, kid?”

“Don’t call me kid, Stark. I am (Y/A) years old, for Heaven’s sake.” Truth be told, however, you did not care what the billionaire called you. All you wanted was to distract yourself from a panic attack—or an emotional attack—or whatever the hell you professionally described travelling to the past to meet your now dead fiancé when he did not even know you yet. You doubted somebody had already invented a term for that tragic phenomenon.

And then the elevator doors opened and out of the lift stepped much younger Avengers than those you had met only a while ago. Your lips parted when you saw him. Shackled and muzzled, Thor dragged him along through the vast lobby past security guards and employees. There was only a hint of defeat in Loki’s blue eyes—the rest was mischief, triumph and undying arrogance.

It was the tiniest of smiles forming on your lips, for no matter how many setbacks he received, he never lost his confidence, at least from the outside. Behind closed doors, it had been your shoulders he had, for the first time in decades, cried on.

Your heart was beating so fast it physically hurt and skipping beat after beat all the same. You wanted to jump, rip that muzzle off his mouth and kiss him, wrap your arms around his strong body and hold him, telling him that everything would be okay, that you would fix this. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t, for you did not know what consequences such actions would hold and you couldn’t because Loki, in this very moment, had no idea who you even were. Your lower lip was shaking. Fuck. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to come after all.

Tony took action when Alexander Pierce stopped the whole lot of them to hand over the Tesseract all the while you turned around panicking, desperately trying to stop the hot tears worsening your sight from streaming down your cheeks. Suppressing a sob, you pressed yourself against the stone pillar.

“Stark… I can’t do this.” You choked out, glancing back to Loki.

“What? Of course you can.”

“No… No, I can’t, I thought I could but I can’t. He’s right there, Stark. Loki is right there and I can do nothing and it’s fucking ripping me apart from the inside.”

“Do it!” He whispered into his ear piece, turning his attention to you only reluctantly when Scott began wreaking havoc among the young Avengers. “Stay where you are, I’ll come pick you up, alright?” Surprisingly, Stark sounded a lot more understanding than you would have assumed—perhaps because by now, you were breathing heavily, sobbing relentlessly.

It was just then that Scott kicked the suitcase with the Tesseract in Tony’s direction, catching Loki’s attention. You immediately retreated even further, eyes darting back and forth between the suitcase and your fiancé right until Stark grabbed it and marched straight towards the elevator—that was until the Hulk burst through the door and knocked the billionaire off his feet.

Flinching, you stumbled back, hoping the green idiot would fail to notice you. Selfishly, you didn’t care about Tony. Instead, your eyes frantically searched the slippery floor for the Tesseract. You gasped when you found it, right at Loki’s feet who was looking at it promisingly.

You knew him well enough—and you were very well aware of what he was going to do next. You were not going to lose him again.

Next thing you knew you had already sprung into action and started at the man you loved, clinging on to him the moment he opened up a portal and disappeared. And you with him.

Stark had blown it but so had you. You were selfish, stupid and too impulsive for your own good. And don’t forget we have only one shot at this, you recalled Scott’s words. And you had wasted it, wasted it because you could not get your own, numbing emotions under control long enough to save Loki’s life. Because you wanted to be with him no matter the cost.

All air was knocked from your body when you collided with the hard ground, rolling over quickly to avoid any major injuries. You winced at the pain cursing through your limbs, yet it subsided rapidly when you realised what you had done.

Panting heavily, you turned over only to face a suspicious and mistrustful Loki glaring at you quizzically. The Tesseract had disappeared—most likely he kept it hidden inside one of his inter-dimensional pockets—you would never understand this kind of magic, after all.

It took you a moment to comprehend he was puzzled not just because a stranger had latched onto him during his sneaky escape but also because you were still crying. It only got worse when your eyes finally met, filling your belly with excited butterflies.

“Who are you?” He had gotten rid of the muzzle too. Abandoned, it lay on the ground, leaving only the shackles a problem. Well, you could help him with that. And yet, it felt like you had lost your voice entirely. Your lips parted in a desperate attempt to reply but what would you say? You couldn’t possibly tell him you were from the future… or could you? Would he believe you? You knew that this Loki right in front of you was a different man, more vulnerable and weary and you knew that he would not hesitate to kill you. You had to be careful. You had to try and elicit those feelings he had for you in your time right here, right now. Only one shot. And you would do what Loki always did—draw an advantage out of the situation presented to you.

“I-I… I… I shouldn’t even be here.” You finally uttered breathlessly, pausing briefly to take in your surroundings. You were in a forest. Dark, with rich trees and evergreen grass to your feet. “W-where are we?”

“Asgard.”

Under different circumstances, you would have smiled. Loki had always wanted to take you to Asgard. Before it was destroyed, he had raved about the library and the secret pathways he had found. He had raved about the beauty of the golden realm—some of the few memories he was still fond of.

“Tell me why I should not just kill you now. Your fellow agents would never find you here, after all.” He was right, they wouldn’t. Trapped in a different time, you were lost to Stark and Scott pretty much forever unless you found a way back on your own. But that was not the point.

“I’m not… I don’t work for SHIELD. It’s… it’s a long story.”

Sobbing once more, you rubbed your eyes to stop the tears to no avail, realising only now you were still kneeling on the ground. By now, Loki was towering above you—just like the first time you had actually met. It hurt incredibly, knowing he was right there in front of you and yet so far away.

“You will have to convince me with the short version, I’m afraid.” He mocked. Only because you knew Loki better than you knew yourself did you overhear the almost gentle undertone in his smooth voice. Loki was many things but he had never been cruel. His threat was but empty as long as you, alas involuntarily, showed him how broken you were.

From somewhere, you took the energy to nod submissively and stand, daring your knees to support you. No broken bones, no sprains, no blood. That was at least something.

“L-let me help you with those.” You said, pointing at his shackles. Loki frowned, not moving when you took a step toward him without showing any fear and reached for the Asgardian metal cuffs. You had been taught how to open them by none other than the man in front of you himself. Loki’s frown deepened when they fell off his wrists and onto the ground.

They had distracted you from your tears for a bit—but now that you were standing this close to the man you loved, meeting his stunning blue eyes and that flawless profile, you were taken instantly by another heart-breaking wave of grief, mourning and affection. The most painful combination of them all.

Crying silently, you studied him, meeting his still confused gaze.

“Loki…” You couldn’t help it, your body would not obey you. Your hand, trembling slightly, came up to cup his cheek, your thumb caressing his skin. Loki did not jerk away but neither did he lean into your touch the way he did in the future. No. The way he used to in the future. He froze when you leapt forward and buried your face in his chest, your arms wrapped tightly around his middle. For a few both painful and wonderfully soothing seconds, he let you hug him—then, effortlessly, he pushed you away firmly but meekly.

“Who are you?” He repeated, more intently this time.

Again, you hesitated. But if anyone could help you figure out a plan, it was Loki himself. Yes, you decided quickly. You would simply tell him. “I… I’m from the future. Now… now I know this sounds crazy but it’s true, look. Stark, he gave us this device—“ You pointed at the little gadget on the back of your hand. “—and… and we used it to travel back in time. He… he did it, Loki. Thanos. He found all the stones and he snapped his fingers and…” Holding back your tears, you recalled, reluctantly, how Loki had faced the cruel Titan one last time. How his dead body had dropped to the floor, broken. Another sob interrupted you, making your words nearly incomprehensible. “We… whoever’s left… this is our only chance so we came back here, to different time periods, collecting the stones before he can to reverse it all.”

Loki must have known by now you had lost someone as well, that you were grieving and hurting. But not in the way he thought you did. Or maybe he did. Loki had always been so incredibly perceptive he had figured out you were in love with him before you had done so yourself.

For an agonising moment, he said nothing, pondering. Then, eventually:

“If I let you return with the Tesseract…” You shook your head before he could even finish, albeit almost dazed by his words, but then again… Loki knew Thanos only too well. Like hell he would try and find him again, hence this lonely Asgardian forest. “I am stuck here. Now that I got separated from the others.”

“Then why did you hold on to me in the first place?”

Your lower lip wouldn’t stop shaking, your eyes never stopping to spill tears like heavy rain drops to water the earth. “Be-because I’m selfish,” you choked out. Once again, the God of Mischief frowned. Slowly, it appeared to dawn on him.

“When will I meet you?” He asked quietly, all hostility now vanished from his voice entirely. But what scared you about his question wasn’t if you were going to do any harm by telling him—it was the fact he must have known by now that he would die and relinquished to learn how and when it would happen and instead first asked at what point in his life he, out of all people, would find love and for once, be truly happy and feel cared for and secure.

You smiled despite your tears. “We meet on Earth. Five years from now.” Loki let your words sink in. Then, he nodded.

“There is a cabin not far from here where an old friend of mine resides. She will let me take shelter.” You nodded mutely. Angrboda. It had to be her. The sorceress was as stubborn as she was cunning which was why Odin had a long time ago banished her and young Loki, curious and mischievous, had then one day found and befriended her. The tricks he had been taught by this woman went beyond even Frigga’s capabilities. Loki had told you about her once.

He asked you several more questions about the future, about Thanos, the stones and what you knew about time travelling on your way to the cabin. His injuries had healed completely by now, you had watched them all disappear slowly. Your heart was beaming, your cheeks burning red. How could you convince yourself that this was not your Loki when he was as mischievous, charming and intelligent as yours? This Loki… he was merely a little more restrained, a little more scornful and simply… younger. Your both sad and relieved smile faded away quickly when you remembered that this Loki had no knowledge of his mother’s death. No knowledge of his own brother and father locking him up in the dungeons to rot in chains. No knowledge of how he was going to sacrifice his life for a man who now refused to even speak his name and acknowledge his fiancé.

Where were you, right now? No, that was the wrong question. When. When were you? If what Bruce Banner had said was true and changing the past would not directly affect the future, then what would happen in this reality, in this time? Now that Loki was here and far away from a cruel trial and verdict by the Allfather, how would his story continue? What if you… stayed with him?

Loki had fallen in love with you once. Could he possibly fall in love with you again? Could you be happy in this time, hiding away on Asgard? What would happen once the Avengers had reversed the snap and returned the stones to their original time periods?

You winced in pain when you felt the headache coming, both from all the unanswered questions tumbling through your head as well as all your tears. Loki noticed every move you made. One look at you sufficed to tell what was wrong—and he didn’t even need to know you yet.

Finally, the bedraggled cabin came in sight. He opened the thick wooden door without knocking, startling a beautiful woman whose human age you would estimate to be around forty. Still, she was breath-taking, her long black hair framing her face and falling over her shoulders like black gold.

“Loki. You’re alive.” Angrboda simply whispered, her grey eyes widened in shock. “I heard the queen was mourning. You fell from the bridge.”

Loki lifted his chin. It was clear to both of them that this was not the time to explain. “I need a place to stay. Odin, or anyone else for that matter, must not find me.”

“You are always welcome in this house. As is your mortal companion. It is (Y/N), am I correct?”

Your lips parted. You did not care how tear-dimmed you must have looked. “How do you know how I am? We never met. I mean… Loki hasn’t…” Angrboda raised her black eyebrows, stopping you mid-sentence.

“Take the room upstairs. Oh and… you both look like you need some strengthening potion. I will have some brewed for you.”

Mutely, the God of Mischief nodded, heading straight for the stairs. You hurried to follow after him.

You would never get enough of watching him. And as long as he was alive, you could live with the fact you were a stranger to him. Loki had barely acknowledged you ever since your arrival in the cabin but mainly because he had gone back downstairs and talked to Angrboda for what had felt like hours. You had attempted to eavesdrop but given up quickly once you realised she had cast a spell on the room.

Now you sat there on the huge double bed and black bed sheets, drinking your strengthening potion the sorceress had poured into a cup of tea. It tasted horrible but you gulped it down anyway, feeling better with every sip. Loki had returned ten minutes ago.

Silently, he stood by the window with his back turned to you and stared outside, pondering. You knew he could look into your mind if you let him, only now, however, were you desperate to touch his forehead with your palm instead.

Your tears had dried for now. There were boiling just underneath the surface, ready to drown you in a sea of pain and loss once more. You would speak quickly before they came to overwhelm you again.

“Loki.”

Slowly, he turned his head. Your heart almost stopped when he looked you straight in the eye. During all the time you had spent with him, you had learned to read his emotions through his eyes. This Loki was no different. But was that really appreciation sparkling in those blue irises? Was it longing and affection?

“I… I don’t know what’s going to happen. If I can just… stay in the past without doing any harm but I just…” There they were, betraying you. Hot tears burning in your eyes and rolling down your cheeks. “When I joined the Avengers on this mission, all I wanted to do was find a way to bring you back. I wanted to save you. Loki… no matter what is going to happen to you in the future, please know that none of it will be your fault and I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I was too fucking selfish to take my chance and bring you back to me. I…” You paused, shaken by a heart-breaking sob. “I love you so much.”

Loki seemed frozen in place but you could tell he was touched by your words, even if he could not possibly understand what they all meant just yet. The moment you broke out in tears was the moment he sat down on the bed and pulled you into his arms. Awkwardly. Like he did not know how to deal with your affection for him. But right now, it was all you needed.

“Did I give you this ring?” He asked quietly, glancing down at your nervous fingers playing with your engagement ring. You snuffled, nodding.

“It held a promise,” you responded. Loki seemed to understand immediately. A few seconds passed.

“How will I… how will it happen? And when?” He inquired then.

You swallowed. “Thanos. Six years from now.”

“I see.” Loki took a deep breath. “You should get some rest. Tomorrow is another day and Angrboda might just find a way to send you back to your own time.”

Oh. He did not want you to stay with him, then. Of course not. Why would he? This Loki didn’t love you. This Loki knew you had spoiled your chance to save his life and disappointed him just like everyone else.

He had left. When you opened your eyes the next morning after an almost sleepless and terrifying night full of bad dreams, fear and mourning, the other side of the bed was made and tidy. He was gone. You knew that your Loki would never leave you behind. But then again this had never been your Loki, after all. It would be unfair to blame him. He deserved freedom. Happiness. If in this reality, timeline, whatever Stark and you had created, he would find it, you would let him. Even if he found it without you. You should be grateful. Thanks to the Avengers, you had been able to talk to him again. You had been able to tell him how much you loved him.

Fighting hard not to start the day by crying yet again, you threw back the covers and frowned.

Angrboda had not owned any carpets last night. Where did they come from? Frowning, you took in your new surroundings. The blinds were still closed, it would be too dark to make out where you were until your eyes had gotten used to the almost-blackness around you.

You gasped when you bumped into someone’s solid body, stumbling backwards but a few steps—and then biting back your tears of both joy and grief when you recognised Loki standing right before you.

“I thought you…” You shook your head quickly. “Where are we, all of… a… sudden?” He did not need to answer you. You blinked, finally getting used to the lack of brightness. This was your little house in New Asgard.

“What happened? Where is Angrboda? Did you… did you bring us here? But… New Asgard was after…”

Loki smirked, letting you ponder for a few more moments.

“I am offended. Do you not recognise me, my sweet?”

“L-Loki? M-my Loki?”

“In the flesh…” Explanations did not matter, nor did letting him finish. Sobbing uncontrollably, you wrapped your arms around him and held him so tightly your muscles started to shake. It took him some effort to lean back a little to press his lips against yours—a gentle kiss which soon turned into a passionate, desperate battle of love.

Only when you were out of breath did you pull away reluctantly, still grasping his shoulders and looking into those blue eyes you could get lost in.

“You’re back… you’re alive… Loki… I’ve missed you so much…”

“I have missed you too, my sweet. I must admit, I do prefer Midgard over Hel.”

“But… but how? How can you be back? How can you be here?”

Loki smirked once more. “Come. Sit down.” Quickly, you obeyed, impatient for him to explain to you what in the nine realms had happened. You couldn’t stop touching him. Desperately, you reached for his hands, fondling them tenderly as he spoke.

“Angrboda explained it to me like this. I must admit, the Avengers have outdone themselves. When they took the various Infinity Stones from different moments in the past, they created separate timelines, one for each stone—and one in which I… or much rather… another version of me… could escape—with you.”

You nodded, eagerly. You loved the way he explained things. Loki’s voice was incredibly soothing. Even more so now that he told you the story of how he had cheated death yet again and come back to you.

“They succeeded. Thanos is gone.” He went on relieved. “But they had to return the stones to their respective timelines. Now… when they did that, each of the created timelines, including the one you had gotten trapped in, re-converged with the one you came from. The one in which I… died. And since the timeline was altered and I got away instead of being taken back to Asgard, I existed… twice.”

“But… you were dead.” You breathed.

“That I was. But I am also a god, my sweet. I continued to exist in Hel.” Only now did his words sink in. Loki did not go to Valhalla despite his heart-breaking sacrifice for Thor. He had been damned to spend his afterlife in Helheim. Quickly, you blinked your tears away.

“As there cannot exist two versions of one person at the same time—not in different time periods—when the timelines re-converged, so did I.”

“W-what does that mean?”

“My two timelines melted together. It means I lived two different lives. I have memories of meeting you that day… and I have memories of being sentenced by Odin. I died but I also… didn’t.”

“B-but… but how are you here? In New Asgard? I mean, you couldn’t have known where I was or… and how am I here? How did I not remain stuck in 2012?”

“Thanks to Angrboda. She indeed found a way to send you back when the timelines re-converged.” He paused, letting you recall how she had known who you were. “I knew we were headed to Midgard before Thanos attacked our ship. I knew where Thor intended to settle down. All I had to do was find you. You never left this place.” He said, knowingly. Still crying, you leaned forward and pulled him into another kiss.

You had missed him. You had missed him so much it physically hurt. His touch, his presence, his scent, his mischievous smirk. Sighing, you enjoyed his hands rubbing your back soothingly. Your Loki… you had your Loki back.

“I love you, my sweet (Y/N)…” He breathed into your mouth. It was one of those rare, cherished moments Loki voiced his feelings for you—he did not do so often. Not anymore. But he did when he was with you.

“I believe I gave you a promise.” He mumbled when he pulled away, caressing your cheek and smirking naughtily as he did. You grinned through your tears, realising with a start that you were going to be a bride. “And I want to marry you right now.” That you could be happy again. That everything was fine.

A/N: You remember Tom’s words? That everything’s fine? Honestly, I’m not sure how logical my time travel theory is but that’s something I’d love for to happen. I hope this “little” story helped a little. ♥

If you liked this story, I would be flattered if you supported me on KoFi! ko-fi.com/sserpente

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gamoraspeter · 4 years

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The problem with really awesome vacations is that they have to end at some point.

Even the trip to Disney with his mom had, and that was pretty much the best trip ever, even compared to the things Peter’s done as an adult. Though that first trip to the beach with Gamora had been a very close second -- just seeing her reaction to the beauty of the ocean. Not to mention seeing her in a bathing suit for the first time. That had been during the honeymoon period -- for lack of a better term -- just after they’d defeated Ego. His relationship with Gamora had been new, they’d been settling in as a family together, and they’d had plenty of units courtesy of inheriting pretty much everything from the Ravagers.

They had all actually toyed with the idea of retiring at that point, becoming two-time Galaxy Savers and leaving it at that. Doing nothing but taking awesome trips and eating candy for the rest of their lives. But it had turned out that those things stopped seeming so awesome after a while, when there was nothing to contrast them with. Plus there’d been the continued -- if distant -- threat of Thanos to put a damper on it.

Now they don’t even have that, but they’ve still found themselves restless after only a couple weeks on Xandar. They had nothing to do except relax, or do literally whatever else they wanted, which sounds nice, but it turns out that none of them are really the type of people who are good at doing nothing; at least not for long.

So now they’ve found themselves back in the cockpit of the Quadrant, Fynn along for the ride as well for an undetermined period of time, her ship docked in the bay by the Benatar. She’s sitting next to Nebula, working on some little mechanical gadget that fits between her hands. Sparks fly from it occasionally but it doesn’t worry Peter at all, considering how much worse he’s dealt with from Rocket.

Speaking of the little jerk…

Read more on AO3!

#rock me gently #starmora #peter and gamora #peter x gamora #fic

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magicmastered · 5 years

Text

Evidence that Loki was Tortured

There’s plenty of evidence that Thanos tortured Loki between Thor (2011) and Avengers (2012), and there are lots of posts about it. But I’ve never seen all the evidence (gifs, movie quotes, and interviews) gathered in one place, so I made this for reference and convenient linking. Additions are welcome. (I’ll reblog my own addition because only ten images per post. Ugh.)

(That was really short....I hate writing introductions.)

Gifs:

(Gifs by @tomhiddleston-loki)

Loki holds himself very still while the Other raised (his? its?) hand to his head. His eyes are visibly watering, he blinks rapidly, and he swallows hard in the first gif. He’s terrified, he knows it’s going to hurt, but he doesn’t fight back. He knows better. He’s learned better.

It looks like his face is burned or bruised here (credits scene for Thor (2011)). Given how much you have to do to leave a mark on his skin, that’s...pretty frightening. (I will add evidence for this in my self-reblog; only ten images per post.)

(Gifs by @cannonballonfire)

(Gif by @tomhiddleston-gifs)

Note how much worse he looks here than he does at the end of Thor (2011). (I’ll also address this in the self-reblog.) He’s very pale. There are dark circles under his eyes as well, most notably in this last gif, but visible in the previous three as well. He’s really sweaty, which you can see most clearly in the top two gifs. And then....

(I have no idea who made this gif; if anyone recognizes it, please let me know and I will add credit)

(I got these from @nikkoliferous)

He doubles over when he’s walking out of the lab with his mind-controlled people. And then his back gives out on him when he’s climbing into the Hummer, and he looks desperate, tired, and scared when he looks up, shivering. None of which makes sense unless he was previously injured.

Gifs 4-10 (of all gifs on this post) speak of heat exhaustion/heat stroke, considering....

The most common signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

Confusion (will include a gif of this in my addition)

Dark-colored urine

Dizziness (cause of doubling over)

Fainting (cause of doubling over)

Fatigue

Headache

Muscle or abdominal cramps (cause of doubling over/back giving out/trembling)

Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea (cause of doubling over)

Pale skin

Profuse sweating

Rapid heartbeat

(From https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/heat-exhaustion#1-2 )

Consider, now, that Loki is a Frost Giant. Consider how much worse that’d make either of those already serious conditions.

Quote(s) from the Movies:

“You think you know pain? He will make you long for something sweet as pain.” —the Other

“You think you know pain?” The Other knows that Loki knows what pain is. How would he know exactly how much pain Loki’d been in? How would he know that he can make it worse than any pain Loki’s felt before unless he’d been there, maybe even caused it?

And Thanos doesn’t shy away from torture; actually, it’s more or less his M.O. when it comes to indoctrinating recruits/his “children”:

“He tortured me, turned me into a weapon.”—Gamora

“Thanos pulled my eye from my head, my brain from my skull, and my arm from my body....”—Nebula (I omitted the rest of the quote because it wasn’t strictly relevant)

“As a child my father would have Gamora and me battle one another in ‘training.’ Every time my sister prevailed my father would replace a piece of me with machinery, claiming he wanted me to be her equal. But she won, again and again and again. Never once refraining. Because of them, I am this. So after I murder my sister, I will buy a warship with every conceivable instrument of death. I will hunt my father like a dog and I will tear him apart slowly, piece by piece, until he knows some semblance of the profound and unceasing pain I know every single day."—Nebula

While we’re on the subject of Thanos’ children...recall Ebony Maw’s speech:

“Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Thanos. You may think this is suffering, no. It is salvation. The universal scale tips toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. For even in death, you have become children of Thanos.”

Doesn’t that sound sort of like Loki’s speech....

(After demanding that a crowd kneels) “Is this not simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity....You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

Both have similar undertones of “you think this is bad for you; no, it’s actually good. It’s what you really want.”

Incidentally, Ebony Maw also happens to be a master torturer (as is evident when he tortures Doctor Strange, which I can’t include a gif of until the reblog).

How convenient.

Links to Interviews + Relevant Quotes:

From http://collider.com/the-avengers-tom-hiddleston-interview/ :

“I think somewhere between the end of Thor and the beginning of The Avengers, Loki has been to the Marvel equivalent of the 7th circle of hell.”

From https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=VdfobYiZsVk&t=1050 (it’s at around 17:35 if the link doesn’t take you there):

“I think he went, like with everything else to—Joss Whedon and I discussed it...[...]—it was just, like, the worst place imaginable. I think he went to sort of all the darkest recesses of the universe. I’m sure he had a brush with—several brushes with death. I think he ran into the shadiest characters you can find in the Nine Realms. I think he had to rely on his wits to protect himself. It was really, really, really unpleasant, I think. I don’t have any frame of reference for that except for imagining what it might be like to be kidnapped by a terrorist cell or something and have to survive a very, very frightening and precarious existence. But whatever it was, it was important that when Loki came back for the Avengers that whatever compassion he had left was absolutely shriveled to a minimum because of the experience that he had. Harrowing, I think, and scarring for life—in a way that Thor and Odin and Frigga find very, very difficult to understand.”

(Please don’t reblog without my reblog immediately below; it’s important!)

#marvel #mcu loki #loki meta #loki was tortured #nebula #thanos #my post #my meta #tw: torture #gamora #the other #my posts

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waitimcomingtoo · 5 years

Text

In Case You Don’t Live Forever - Chapter Fifteen

Pairing: Peter Parker x Venom!reader

Warnings: Endgame spoilers, language

Authors note: every time I wrote “Thor”, it autocorrected to “thot” and honestly that’s fitting. Also, I changed a few things from the canon story. Enjoy and feedback is always appreciated:)

Masterlist

“Hello?”

A beat of silence.

“Hello? My name is Y/n. Is anyone there?” You pressed the buzzer again. You looked around above you and spotted a camera. You waved your hands in front of it.

“Hello? Is anyone inside? My name is Y/n. Please, someone answer.” You tried again.

You were met with more silence. You were completely and utterly sick of silence.

“Is anyone there? Please. I’m friends with Mr. Stark.” You shouted. You continued to wave your hands in front of the camera. Finally, you heard the buzzer crackle.

“You’re Tony’s friend?” A voice asked. He sounded desperate and older than you. His voice was followed by a series of shushes and disagreement. You heard multiple voices, one definitely belonging to a woman.

“I say we let her in. She’s hot.” A cocky voice suggested. It was followed by more shushes.

“She could be dangerous.” The woman’s voice said. She sounded authoritative but kind.

“Does she look dangerous? Quill could do more harm and he was a tub of lard.” The cocky voice said again. If you weren’t so confused and lost, you would’ve laughed.

“Um…the microphone is still on.” You said awkwardly. It was followed by a moment of embarrassed silence before the first voice came back.

“Come in.” He finally said. The door stirred and opened and you quickly went inside the Avengers tower.

You were met with a group of people you slightly recognized from newscasts and magazine articles. You knew they were the Avengers, or at least what was left of them. They were very popular when you lived in New York but you hadn’t heard from them in a while.

“What did you say your name was again?” A blonde man stepped forward. You recognized his voice from before.

“Y/n. Y/n L/n.” You stammered. Everyone was staring you down so intensely. Everyone except a broad man in the corner, who sat slumped over a desk with a blank stare on his face.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/n. I’m Steve.” The man stuck out his hand and you shook it. He had an impossibly firm grasp. His voice was horse and though he tried to put a positive look on his face, he looked defeated.

“You’re Captain America right?” You asked calmly. You didn’t want to geek out at such a trying time, but you knew exactly who he was. He gave you a slight smile.

“I am. This is Natasha.” Steve gestured to a lady with an icy blonde bob. She gave you a warm smile and shook your hand.

“You can call me Nat.” She said kindly. You smiled for the first time in days. You definitely liked her.

“How do you know Tony?” A different man asked. You also recognized him from the news. He was Tony’s right hand man, Rhodey.

“He made me my suit. And he knew my boyfriend. Neither of them came home last week and I didn’t know where else to go. All my friends disappeared.” You admitted out loud for the first time. The Avengers looked at each other and sighed.

“What about your family?” Nat asked. You shrugged.

“My family disappeared long before any of this happened.” You told them.

“Mine too.” Came a deep, brooding voice. The man in the corner stood up and made his way to you. You tried to ignore the surprised faces the rest of the Avengers made at his movement. The man was huge and you felt yourself tremble. He reached out a hand towards you and you flinched, but he gently rested it on your shoulder.

“I lost my family too. But not by the snap. Who did you lose?” The man said sadly. He had a mixture of anger and sympathy in his two different colored eyes.

“My sister.” You answered him. “And you?” He gave you a sad smile.

“My brother, Loki. And my parents.” He told you. You relaxed under his touch.

“Me too.” You said, almost excitedly. You had never met another orphan in your life. You weren’t sure why you were telling this stranger all your personal information but something about him made you feel protected and safe.

“I like this one.” He announced to the group. Murmurs of approval rang through the crowd. You felt your cheeks heat up. The man turned back to you.

“Its a pleasure, Lady Y/n. I am Thor.” Thor said. You felt dumb for not recognizing him sooner. But his hair was cut and he was in regular clothing. And most of all, he didn’t have a hammer.

“Back up. Why did Tony make you a suit?” Rhodey asked. The rest of the Avengers looked at you with the same question on their minds.

“Well I have, um, had this Symbiote named Venom. She came from Klyntar and lived with me for over a year. I, um, I lost her in the dusting.” You admitted painfully. You had only lost her a week ago but you already felt completely empty without her. To make matters worse, you hadn’t heard a word from Peter. You worried for his safety every second of every day.

“Oh Klyntar? I love that planet. Bunch’a babes over there.” The cocky voice from earlier spoke up. Your eyes landed on where the voice had come from and you screamed.

“Did that raccoon just talk?” You pointed at the raccoon that was fully dressed, armed, and standing on two feet. Well, paws.

“Don’t call me a raccoon! Quill says I’m a trash panda so everybody better call me a trash panda or they’re getting shot.” The raccoon threatened.

“Somebody take Rocket into another room before I barbecue him.” Rhodey sighed. You were shocked at how casual everyone was about the damn talking raccoon named Rocket.

“It was no dusting, Lady Y/n. It was a snap.” Thor told you.

“A snap? What snap?” You asked, very confused.

“Thanos collected all the infinity stones and snapped. That’s why half the population turned to dust.” Nat informed you.

“Thanos? Who the fuck is Thanos?” You asked, suddenly furious since learning the reason your beloved boyfriend and Symbiote vanished.

“Language.” Steve said sternly. You felt your anger melt into embarrassment.

“Sorry. Whom the fuck is Thanos?” You repeated. Steve pinched his nose bridge as snickers spread throughout the group.

“Thanos is a Titan. He’s big and purple and…and that’s about it. Oh, and he just killed half the population.” Rhodey explained. You felt your blood go hot.

“So Thanos killed my best friend? Did he kill Tony too?” You asked, almost terrified of the answer. You were desperate to know about Peters whereabouts, but no one here knew Peter Parker. They knew Spider-Man. And you didn’t want to risk revealing Peters identity.

“We don’t know. He went to space with a few of the others to fight Thanos. We haven’t heard from any of them in a week.” Steve answered, his voice thick with disappointment. “Our only lead is this pager that won’t stop going off. We don’t even know who it’s calling.”

You looked at the pager and saw a star in the middle of a red and blue background. You didn’t know who it was for either.

“Who are the others?” You asked, your heart fluttering hope and anticipation knowing there was potential information about Peter.

“Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and a couple of the Guardians.” Nat told you. You smiled upon hearing Spider-Man. There was still a chance that he was out there.

“Who are the Guardians?” You asked suddenly. Rocket stepped forward with a smirk. You didn’t know raccoons had the ability to smirk.

“My gang. We’re the frickin’ Guardians of the Galaxy. Quill, Nebula, Gamora, Drax, and the weird one with the antennas. They were all getting their jollies off space while Groot and I did the dirty work. Now Groot is gone and I haven’t heard from any of them. Not since Quill said he was with glowy hands-“

“-Dr. Strange.” Steve corrected.

“Tin man-“ Rocket went on.

“-Tony.” Nat sighed.

“-and little tin man-“ Rocket continued.

“Spider-Man.” Rhodey groaned.

“-on a spaceship. But Quill said they were heading to Thanos’s home planet.” Rocket told you. You heard most of what he said. You were mainly focused on trying to comprehend that a whole ass raccoon was speaking to you.

“Why haven’t any of you gone to that planet to look for them?” You asked. You didn’t want to seem rude but there seemed to be an overlooked opportunity to find everyone.

“Because none of these ding dongs have a spaceship.” Rocket sneered. The Avengers rolled their eyes. You figured the week spent with Rocket was a long one.

“What if I can get you a ship?” You asked. Steve and Nat immediately perked their heads up.

“You can?” Nat asked.

“How?” Steve finished.

“I don’t want to get into detail but the Life Foundation back in San Francisco owes me a few favors after nearly killing me several times. They own a bunch of spaceships. I’m sure I could get you one.” You said. It was true. In exchange for not suing the crap out of the Life Foundation, they offered you an endless debt of gratitude. That debt included a spaceship.

“Call them. Now.” Rhodey demanded. You, as well as Steve and Nat, looked at him.

“Call them now.…please?” Rhodey repeated. You nodded and dialed their number.

After two weeks of aimlessly searching space with Rocket, you found what resembled a gigantic donut.

“That’s the ship. I’m sure of it. Quill’s fat ass said it looked like a donut.” Rocket told you. You nodded as he steered closer. You went because you were in charge of the ship, and Rocket went because he was the only one who had been to space. Nat, Steve, and Rhodey stayed behind and waited for your arrival.

Rocket pulled up next to the ship as you put your suit on. It would protect you since it was made from Venoms skin and she was from space. You slept in your suit most nights, missing her terribly. Rocket gave you something that you didn’t recognize to wear over your face so you could breath. He put it behind your ear and pressed it. An invisible blue mask covered your face and you went outside.

You circled the ship until you found the front. There was a giant window and through it, you saw Mr. Stark fast asleep. You almost didn’t want to wake him, but you figured after 22 days in space, he was ready to come home. You excitedly knocked on the window and waited. Tony jumped and his eyes fluttered open. He caught sight of you and you smiled happily, knowing if he was there, Peter was too. You were also thrilled to see him alive and well after losing every familiar face you knew. Tony unbuckled his seat belt and leaned forward, looking at you in disbelief. You pointed to the right, where your ship was. Rocket had extended a bridge so Tony and everyone else could get on. Tony followed your finger and sighed in relief.

Within a few minutes, Tony was on your ship and in your arms. He gave you a tight embrace, much tighter than you thought he would. You were friendly with him, but not that friendly. He pulled away and kissed your forehead in a fatherly manner.

“I missed you Mr. Stark.” You told him. You felt emotional all the sudden. You hadn’t seen him in so long and the past three weeks were traumatizing.

“I missed you too, kid. I missed everyone. And food. I really miss food. You’d think Astronauts were smart enough not to pack their food in little cubes.” Tony joked. 22 days stranded in space and he was still cracking jokes. You smiled warmly at him.

“There’s plenty of food on the ship. We’ll be home soon and you can see everyone then. Rocket, take us home.” You called.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Rocket called back. You looked at him and noticed he was with a blue and purple girl with no hair. She was holding one of his paws.

“That’s Nebula. She was my only companion on my little space-cation.” Tony told you. You felt your heart drop.

“Only companion?” You looked back at him and asked. Tony’s eyes filled with sadness as he nodded.

“I’m sorry. Believe me, losing him was the worst part of all of this. I did everything I could to stop Thanos.” Tony apologized. You pulled him into another hug. You cried onto his shoulder and he cried onto yours.

“No tears on my ship! I don’t want you sissies making the floor all slippery.” Rocket sneered. Your wiped your nose on the back of your hand.

“This is my ship.” You answered. Nebula looked at you with amusement and you gave her a shy smile.

“I lost Venom.” You told Tony sadly. Tony rubbed your arm.

“I’m sorry, kid. I’m so sorry. Is Pepper-“

“Pepper’s alright. She’s waiting back at the tower with everyone else.” You told Tony. His tired eyes filled with relief. You finally noticed how skinny he was and how fragile he looked.

“This will probably take a few hours. Why don’t you eat something and sleep? There’s a bed right through there.” You pointed down a corridor and Tony thanked you wordlessly. You went over and sat with Nebula and Rocket once Tony had fallen asleep. They were in the middle of a conversation about who didn’t make it back.

“What about Gamora?” Rocket asked. He sounded hurt. You had only ever heard him sound cocky, annoyed, sarcastic, or angry. Never hurt. Your heart went out to him.

“My father killed her for the Soul Stone.” Nebula answered. Her voice was monotone and metallic. You looked up at her sadly and put a hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry about your sister. My sister is dead too.” You spoke up. Nebula looked at you with her jet black eyes.

“I am sorry to hear that.” She said robotically. You could tell she wasn’t human. Mostly machinery. You gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Thank you. Is your father still alive?” You asked her. Nebula turned away.

“Unfortunately.” She said while looking ahead.

“Unfortunately?” You questioned.

“Her father is Thanos.” Rocket said as if it were obvious. You retracted yourself from Nebula. You felt white hot anger towards the daughter of the man who killed Peter and Venom.

“I hate my father as much as you do. You have no reason to be afraid.” Nebula told you. You immediately felt back and put your hand back on her arm.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have judged so quickly. I’m just really hurt over losing Venom and my boyfriend.” You said. Nebula nodded in understanding.

“My father is cruel. But he isn’t infallible. He had brought me great pain. I won’t rest until I make him pay for his crimes.” Nebula said assuredly. You nodded in agreement.

“As you should. Girl power.” You said extending your fist to her to bump.

“What is “girl power”?” Nebula stared at your fist in confusion. With your other hand, you picked up her arm and molded her fingers into a fist. You carefully pressed yours against hers.

“Girl power is the power all girls have inside them that allows them to do incredible things. And that was a fist bump.” You explained to her. Rocket groaned loudly.

“This is painful. Truly painful.” Rocket uttered. You shushed him.

“What does it mean? Does this make us friends?” Nebula asked as she examined her fist. The word sounded foreign to her. You smiled widely.

“Friends? Pshh. I’ll do you one better. We’re sisters.” You stated. Nebula smiled at you for the first time.

“Ohh gross. You got smurfette to smile. What’s wrong with you Y/n?” Rocket whined. You shrugged and scooted closer to Nebula. You talked for the rest of the flight home.

You watched from a distance as Tony reunited with Pepper, Steve, Nat, a man you hadn’t met in glasses, and a woman you also hadn’t met. The woman came up to you after greeting Tony. She wore a blue and red suit and had shoulder length blonde hair. You recognized the star on her suit as the one on the pager.

“Nice to see another girl around here. My name is Carol.” The woman introduced. You were a little taken aback by her sheer confidence and authority. She was beautiful, no doubt, but that was the least interesting thing about her. You shook her hand and were a little shocked by how strong she was. She was almost glowing in the moonlight.

“Hello Carol. We are…um, I am Y/n.” You corrected yourself before you told her you were Venom. You had gotten so used to saying that and it felt strange to go back to just Y/n.

“Y/n? Are you sure about that?” Carol teased you. She obviously heard the hesitation in your voice when you said your name. You laughed in embarrassment.

“I’m sure. I used to to go by a different name is all.” You explained. Carol nodded in understanding.

“So did I. I was Vers for a long time. If you call me that now though, I’ll burn your hand off.” Carol laughed, only you had a feeling she wasn’t kidding. You laughed awkwardly and walked back with her to join the group.

Within another week, you had gotten to know everyone. Nebula and Nat became like your sisters. Tony and Steve were like the dads and Rhodey and Carol felt like your aunt and uncle. And Thor, Thor felt like a friendly golden retriever. You learned that the man you didn’t recognize the day you came back from space was named Bruce Banner. He didn’t talk much but when he did, you could tell he was highly educated.

The week came with hardships as well. Everyone had gotten into a fight over the next step to take with Thanos. A few of the Avengers has gone to find him and the Infinity Stones, but came back empty handed. You felt yourself losing hope in seeing Peter again. More fights broke out and everyone eventually went their separate ways. You hadn’t left Avengers tower since you came back from space and didn’t plan too. It’s not like you had anything to go back too. Nat had moved into the tower and asked you if you wanted to stay as well. And so, you packed up your apartment and moved in with Nat.

Steve, Rhodey, Carol, and Rocket checked in every now and then. You hadn’t heard anything from Tony or Bruce in a long time. Nat told you stories of a man, Clint, who was also an Avenger. You didn’t recognize the name but from the way she described him, he was important. To her, at least.

“Why don’t you just ask the man out already?” You giggled. It was two years later. Nat was telling you yet another story of her and Clint’s adventures in Budapest while you watched a movie on the couch. It was one of those relaxing, make up free nights with Nat.

“It’s not like that. He’s my best friend. I’d die for him but I wouldn’t date him. Plus, he has a wife and kids.” Nat shrugged. You rolled your eyes.

“That’s what they all say. You think I wasn’t calling my boyfriend my “best friend” before we started dating?” You teased. Nat chewed on her straw and laughed as well.

“Speaking of dating, when are you getting back out there?” Nat nudged you. You suddenly felt uncomfortable with the topic.

“I have a boyfriend.” You said simply. And you did. He was just in a million pieces and floating around space.

“You had a boyfriend. I know it hurts but it’s been two years, Y/n. We all lost people and it sucks but now we have to move on. And I think it’s time you move on, Y/n. You are way too beautiful to be sitting on the couch with me every Friday night. You need to go out and get some, girl.” Nat said playfully. She meant well but her words hurt you. You couldn’t imagine moving on from Peter. Where would you go? Who could possible replace him?

“I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate me moving on.” You kept it short and sweet. You really didn’t want to push the subject any further.

“Damn. I’ve known you two years and you still won’t tell me his name.” Nat changed the subject, noticing your reluctance to discuss dating. You felt a pain in your heart at the topic and looked down at your hands. You busied yourself by playing with the ties of Peters sweatshirt that you slept in every night.

“You know it’s too painful to say his name.” You said quietly. It wasn’t a total lie. You had talked about Peter with her before. You just never actually told her his name. Everyone knew Peter Parker worked for Stark Industries. You swore you’d never let his identity slip. It was the least you could do for him while he was away. That was another thing. No matter how long he was gone, and it had been two years at that point, you’d never believe he was gone for good. You held on to hope that he was still out there, clawing his way back to you. In your mind, he was still your boyfriend, no matter what.

“I know, sweetheart. But you’ve told me everything else about him. Why not just say his name, just this once?” Nat said softly. You looked up at her with tears in your eyes.

“I can’t. I can’t bring myself to say it when I know his head won’t perk up when I do.” You said in a strained voice. “He won’t answer if I call his name. I can’t deal with that. I can’t handle the thought of him not being there to hear it. I don’t want to say his name until I can say it to him.” You confessed. Nat took your hand in hers. You studied her features. Her hair was significantly longer. Red roots faded into her bleached tips. Her face was one you had come to recognize as family.

“I understand that. But it’s been two years. It might be time to accept that they aren’t coming back.” Nat said softly, not wanting to upset you further. She wiped your tears with her thumb and pulled you into a hug. You rested your head over her heartbeat. It reminded you of when you’d fall asleep to the sound of Peters beating heart.

“Peter. His name was Peter.” You whispered.

Tag List 🏷

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helihi · 4 years

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The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty: RWBY Vol 6 Ep 8

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT BEING WORRIED. PLZ KELIN BE SAFE.

Overall rating: 5/10

Spoilers Ahead

The Good

One thing that the CRWBY had gotten right since day 1 was the family dynamics and the depiction of abuse in the Schnee household. I don’t say this lightly: I personally know what is to grow up in an abusive household. When I heard Weiss be so hard on herself in Forever Fall during those first episodes, I knew she likely had an abusive parent.

When analyzing a show, especially when one touches on very delicate subjects, it’s a huge sign of disrespect not to dive into them and extract everything you can from the themes. In this case, it gets personal.

Tumblr is an odd place: a site where anonymity and honesty blend together in an odd way. For years, I used this username as a way to put myself out there without endangering myself, but as I grew up and started using the internet to find a job, it was hard to separate this personal little hole I dug for myself and the projects I had in mind for the future. Today, I make choice while doing this review, and that choice is sharing with you part of my childhood, and the reason behind it is to state my bias: I don’t feel empathy for Willow, even before she was introduced I felt she was the worse mother in team RWBY. That, in the short future might change, but here are the reasons why:

Jacques Schnee is an awful person. He’s a terrible businessman, an abusive husband, and an abusive father. He left a mark on all of his family members: his wife turned to drinking, his oldest daughter joined the military to escape him and put herself in harm’s way to protect her younger sister, her second daughter hated herself and didn’t trust anyone around her, and his son mirrored his behavior to protect himself.

However, an abusive household can have more relationships than just “an abuser and his victims”, it can also be “an abuser, an enabler, and their victims”. I don’t mean to say the enabler is not a victim themselves, but their secondary role has an important impact in the life of children.

So here’s my truth: my mother is abusive and my father is an enabler. I don’t know how it happened, but my mother’s violent and hurtful behavior was first downplayed by my father, then it was dismissed, and, in odd times, it was mirrored. A while ago, Lindsay Ellis made a video about Guardians of the Galaxy 2. There’s one quote that always resonated with me:

“The dynamic between Gamora and Nebula might read as familiar for people who grew up in households with abusive or addicted parents, and that is the displacement of anger from the abuser (...) to an older sibling or parent that failed to stop the abuser or the addict. (...) It can be even harder for people to forgive a sibling or a parent who failed to stop abuse than it is to forgive the abuser.” - Lindsay Ellis on Gamora and Nebula’s relationship.

That being said, I don’t, in any way shape or form, believe that Willow is worse than Jacques. However, before you’re quick to defend her or “protect her” remember that she allowed her husband to harm their children as much as he could. At no point did she ever stand up, or seek help; maybe it was because of shame or the need to uphold an image to the outside viewer, but the truth remains: she failed her children.

I’m not saying that Willow was in an easy position, due to her dependency on alcohol and her lack of confidence in herself, we all know that she’s a victim herself, but that will never excuse her behavior in my eyes. When my grandfather became dangerous to my mother and aunt, my grandma packed everything and disappeared with her daughters despite her fear. She made a very risky choice: to move to another province with no job offer and without knowing anyone, but she kept herself and her daughters safe.

My father never put a stop to my mother, and if he ever did, he never was there to make my brother and I feel better or to tell us that we weren’t at fault. I never knew my household was toxic until I started spending more time at my friends’ house (something that my mom wasn't a fan of). It was then that I realized my friends were not scared of their mother’s “wrath” as I was with mine. It was after years of learning this that I realized the reason why I suffer from an anxiety disorder and had suffered from several panic attacks.

Now, I want to draw your attention to a very important scene of this episode, the most important for me: Winter breaks and shouts at her father when under pressure. We’ve never seen her like this. Even her petty quarrel with Qrow didn’t have the same weight to it, and I can tell you why because I’ve lived through it myself:

When you can recognize your abuser’s tactics, and see how they try to gaslight/hurt you or the people you care about after being outside of that toxic environment, you go back to the child you were when you had to live through that. It was like time had never passed. You may get scared or, like me and Winter, you explode.

Winter might have found a surrogate father and a plan outside the Schnee name, but in reality, she’s still at Jacques mercy, more so than Weiss, like I said before. Though it feels great to be right, I cannot describe how miserable seeing the Schnees makes me.

With that finished, I want to move on to what Willow said to Weiss about her and Whitley:

She’s able to recognize that’s better for her children not to be at home, but just like time and time again, she’s an observer, not an active player. She likely saw Weiss leave with the help of Klein, but at no point in time was there for her daughter. So, thanks Willow, for nothing.

Willow is right about Whitley, however it is infuriating that she’s putting his life on his sisters’ shoulders. “You left him here with us.” For fUCKS SAKE. I am doing my best not to go on a rant here, but this whole phrase truly angers me. WHITLEY IS NOT WINTER OR WEISS RESPONSIBILITY, IT NEVER WAS.

I always tried to shield my siblings from my parents’ wrath, but this is not a responsibility you should put in a child. I don’t fucking care if Winter and Weiss are adults, they are victims dealing with their trauma, and though we are all sure Weiss is going to help her brother, that’s not her job. It shouldn’t be her fucking job.

For me, if there was any way for Willow to be somewhat “redeemed” in my eyes, it would be by protecting at least 1 of her fucking children. Say what you want about Raven, she’s an asshole, a manipulator, and a coward, but at least she was there to protect Yang when Neo was about to murder her.

Also, Imma add this here: A kind anon informed me that the vodka that Willow drinks is labeled “Six Swans”, which is a fairy tale written by the Grimm brothers in which a Princess (later Queen) works in silence for years to set her family free from a curse.

If that’s true, then Willow’s cameras will bring Jacques down for treason and the Schnees will be free of him.

So, after all of that, I’m fucking delighted that Winter spoke out during the meeting. People pointed out that Robyn was happy at that, which means that she likely now knows that Ironwood doesn’t trust Jacques, and she will trust on the bees word more than she did last episode.

Don’t think I miss the flirting between Qrow and Clover. It’s so good to see Qrow opening up and refusing alcohol.

The Bad

Fancy dinner everyone! Except no one in the gang is dressed for the occasion. It makes sense for Ironwood, Winter, and Clover to go in uniform, but the kids have no freaking excuse. Everyone was wearing dresses/suits, except for them. Was it too expensive to suit the gang up, CRWBY?

I don’t like the exaggerated movements of the whole JN_R operation. They could’ve gone the classy spy way, but I guess we need cheap laughs.

Unfortunately, after having a steady episode duration, the writers pull a move from their old books and cut a possible whole episode/special into two for cheap cliff hangers. There’s no reason this episode had to be only 15 minutes and end in the middle of the dinner party. It’s just stupid. This episode only has buildup, no middle, and no end.

I’ve taken a lot of points off this episode because of that cheap trick, I can’t believe they went back to it after doing so well previously.

The Dirty

A long as table and barely anyone there, the fuck???!!!!!!

Also where the fuck is KLEIN IF HE’S NOT SAFE I FUCKING QUIT.

Overall rating: 5/10

AN: We don’t talk about the Schnees.

#rwby #rwby7 #the good the bad and the dirty #Jacques schnee #Winter schnee #Willow Schnee #me

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dilfdoctordoom · 8 months

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I like Rocket but I don't understand how Gunn didn't think it would be appalling to let Thanos murder Gamora and then have vol 3 be all about how Rocket shouldn't be allowed to die as a result of his abusers actions. Worse he doesn't have anyone talk about Gamora being murdered, rather than the stupid lines about how she can't remember anything for whatever reason they won't explain, except for one time. That one time is Peter talking about it like her being thrown off a cliff was some silly little joke of an incident. I don't understand how people can't see how awful that was.

Also I really wish there was more space to talk about how even if unintentional it does matter that the only female character who ended up with consistent development from beginning to end and a solid arc was Nebula who is played by a white actress. And the character seemed to benefit off of Gamora because Zoe talked about how Gamora was always guiding the team and keeping them on task and that's Nebula's job in vol 3. This may seem like no big deal but it becomes one because the movie says nothing about 2018 Gamora having those responsibilities. We only get Peter mentioning Gamora formed the team and no other characters back him up on this or offers their own thoughts on Gamora's time with the family. Instead they stand around like they barely knew her and never heard or experienced anything Peter talks about. In this context it frames it as if Nebula has always had the role on the team and Gamora did nothing. Then with Mantis she never gets much authority and her arc isn't well developed. Her arc also leads to her leaving the team and while going off isn't inherently bad, it does leave Nebula as the only woman allowed to stay close with most of the family on Knowhere. Plus Peter's teased as returning so it really is Gamora and Mantis left not getting to stick around or have a continuing story.

I don't know what happened with all the choices and decisions between vol 2 and what we ended up with in vol 3 but Rocket getting the love and attention he deserves doesn't make up for other characters not receiving the same writing and treatment. Particularly Gamora. There needs to be more space to discuss that vol 3 does some things well while doing other things not so well or even terribly. Especially because race and ethnicity are already factors in how people are viewed and by extension how the characters they play are viewed. It does matter when canon acts like this is how it should be and vol 3 is written as if 2018 Gamora was never that important and should be forgotten while 2014 Gamora is sidelined, underwritten and given very little purpose or nuance to her characterization.

This! Literally all of this!

It's not just that Gamora's story is unsatisfactory; it's that the leading woman of color was diminished in every aspect of the story, the other woman of color had her character arc skipped over, and dead Gamora was reduced to just being Peter Quill's girlfriend.

It's not one issue, it's several combined. I adore Rocket Raccoon but I think it's insane to act like him getting a good story was worth shafting the WOC of this franchise, especially when the Guardians franchise already has issues with sexism and racism and was just coming off the fridging of their leading female character.

And you're very right to critique that Nebula comes off the best out of all the women in the Guardians. I'd argue she has the best treatment out of every female character in the franchise and when she's getting prioritized over women of color, it feels... icky, to say the least.

Vol 1 & 2 managed to balance this large cast-- so it doesn't make sense when Vol 3 doesn't even try to do the same.

Gamora's ending also feels... ill thought out? I don't think there was any consideration of intersectionality, either behind the scenes or in the fandom. Fandom makes it out as a feminist win that she doesn't end up with her love interest.... despite the fact that such an ending perpetuates the trope that the black woman doesn't "need" love.

The fandom has shown a really ugly side at the idea of discussing the racism and sexism in this movie, which isn't surprising, but is still disheartening.

Nobody's saying these movies are devoid of anything good. Liking them can coexist with acknowledging their flaws-- and there are a lot of flaws.

At the end of the day, this is a franchise that failed women (women of color & queer women in particular) at every turn. It took until the second movie for the Guardians team to officially gain a second female member; it's adapting a run that operated on a minimum of three women in the Guardians at a time. Heather Douglas gets her existence written away, as does Cammi. Phyla-Vell is introduced as a child, separated from every single thing related to her character. Mantis is a racist caricature. Gamora gets fridged. Even Nebula suffers under this writing; her abuse is downplayed and treated as a joke in Vol 3.

#q & a #gamora mantis nebula babies im so sorry james gunn ever looked at you

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boyo44-ao3 · 5 years

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Avengers Endgame first impressions SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Starting with cons, because they need to be expressed.

Cons:

- Thor’s characterization. There’s explanations that sound reasonable, but Jesus Christ I don’t think I’ve ever seen an established characterization get ruined this badly ever. The drinking I’m mostly fine with, but fucking Fortnite? Not staying on New Asgard? Someone call Taika, the old white men broke Thor again.

- Where the fuck was Carol the whole movie? I get that people were afraid she’d overshadow everyone, but the solution to that was not to restrict her screentime to all of like, 15 minutes. Out of a three hour movie. Speaking of...

- This movie did not need to be three hours long. If I could I’d take the lengths of this movie and Infinity War and swap them, because this movie has some really boring filler and nonsense scenes i.e. Cap v Cap.

- Steven fucking Moffat could write more consistent rules for time travel. They couldn’t be seen by their past selves, except Present Nebula literally killed her past self and there were no consequences? What the actual hell? Steve went back in time to be with Peggy which both raises questions about how he allowed SHIELDRA to be a thing, and how he didn’t break time.

- Peter Parker’s writing annoys me endlessly, but that’s nothing new. What was evident was the fact that Holland had no proper script for Tony’s death, so he was using the same performance as when he died in IW. Spoiler paranoia culture is fucking dumb.

- Hulk’s CGI was weird and freaked me out, but you know what was worse? Skipping the entire character arc Waititi started with Banner and Hulk starting to unite. Oh no, no need to do the hard work of actually writing the relationship developing properly, just timeskip!

- If you’re going in for the supposedly canon queer character introduction, don’t. It’s a male extra with about two lines who mentions going on a date with a ‘he’.

- Undoing all of Loki and Gamora’s character development is just gross.

Pros: - Morgan Stark was adorable.

- Rhodey got to shine once again. He was hilariously deadpan. Give me the War Machine Disney+ show, please.

- The performances were all good, but special shout-outs to Karen Gillan, RDJ, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Bradley Cooper.

- Extra special shout-out to Paul Rudd. I’m lukewarm on the Ant-Man movies, but he was utterly stellar here.

- The final battle was incredibly climactic. I may have issues with the length of the battle, but what was there was fantastically epic and felt like a grand conclusion to the Infinity Saga.

- The effects were all gorgeous. Special shout-out to the time travel effects, they were just plain cool.

- Cap with Mjolnir was awesome. I’m not the biggest Steve Rogers fan, but I can admit this felt properly earned and was properly incredible.

- Sam’s Captain America! I love it and I can’t wait for Falcon & Winter Soldier. Although now it should really be called Captain America & Winter Soldier.

- The five year timeskip aging up Cassie means Young Avengers might happen! Vision’s dead though, so I do wonder how they’re gonna pull off Tommy and Billy.

- SHORT HAIR CAROL. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I’m a gay man, but hot damn she looked good.

- Music throughout was great. Alan Silvestri will go down as one of the greats.

- It was great to see Valkyrie again, and putting her in charge of Asgard is great.

- The mechanics may have made no sense, but the time travel was great fun. My theater erupted when the big NEW YORK - 2012 title card popped up on screen.

- The portrayals of grief were great while they lasted. Natasha burying herself in work, Clint’s murder spree, Steve trying to move on through group therapy, Thor drinking himself to death - though this was almost completely ruined by how much it was played for laughs, the beginning of this film was about grief and I love that.

- Natasha’s death scene. Best death in the MCU, by far. Just her and Clint on Vormir, trying to die for each other’s sakes. Her ending was heartbreaking, although killing off the only woman OG Avenger? Hmmm.

- Tony’s death. Despite the aforementioned issues with Holland’s performance, everyone else was great. RDJ, Don Cheadle, and Gwyneth Paltrow all broke my heart.

All in all, I really liked this movie. Not quite as good as other MCU movies, but definitely worth watching. I’ll see if my impressions change on a second watch. For now, my rankings go Avengers 1>Infinity War>Endgame>AoU.

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mymarvelbunch · 4 years

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Different Roads... Same Destination: Part Three

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader (established)

Summary: When the Avengers went back in time to get the Infinity Stones, new timelines were created. By not delivering them back to their exact same spots, you and Steve created major changes in those timelines. What happened? (Non-American!Reader)

This is a sequel to “Be Your Own Hero”. I highly recommend you read it first, since it features many major changes in canon that are addressed here.

Notes: Y/N = your (first) name; Y/Co = your home country; Y/Ci = your home city; Y/N/L = your native language (to be ignored in case you speak English).

Warning: this chapter features major characters deaths and violence. Proceed with caution.

Masterlist

Part Three

Titan, 2018

In an ideal world, the team would have taken advantage of Thanos being knocked unconscious to defeat him once and for all. However, they were all too stunned by what they just saw to do anything useful.

Why did Thor suddenly show up? When did he get fat with long hair and beard? Who were the women who showed up with him? Why did they only get two Stones and left? What happened in those few minutes?

It was confusing as hell and, by the time any of them figured out those questions were not important at the moment, Thanos had already woken up and realized two Stones were missing. Enraged, he attacked the team viciously with the Power Stone, giving them little time to react.

They tried to fight him, they really did, but soon it was clear it was suicide to keep going, especially after Drax was brutally killed. Strange opened a portal and gave the Time Stone to Tony as he, Parker, Quill, Mantis and Nebula ran. Thanos ran to the portal, and all there was left for Strange was to close it without getting in. No one saw it, but everyone knew the sorcerer didn’t make it.

They stepped in Wakanda, mid-battle. Thanos’ army was bigger than any of them (except Nebula) had anticipated. “The other Avengers must be here”, he said as he placed the Time Stone inside one of his pockets and suited back up. His tone was oddly calm. “Follow me. We need to get a clear perspective on what’s going on.”

Parker followed him with no further words; Quill, Mantis and Nebula exchanged glances and did the same, concluding they had no better options. Killing a few monsters on their way, they reached Captain America. Steve’s surprise was obvious. “Tony? You’re... you’re back.”

Something in his voice made Tony smile despite everything. “Yeah, I’m a tough thing, Rogers. You should know that by now. What’s our situation?”

Steve looked behind him, frowning as he saw Spider-kid, a young man and two female aliens (they looked no weirder than the aliens Thor brought a few moments before, however). When he turned back to Tony, though, he saw his former friend wouldn’t divulge further details any time soon, so he just debriefed the group on their current predicament.

"I’ll fetch Vision”, Tony said. Then he turned to the others. “Parker, Quill, Blue Meanie, Praying-Mantis, help our Cap over here with whatever he needs. Thanos may come at any minute now with the Space Stone still in his possession.”

“Fuck”, Parker cursed, but obeyed anyway, positioning himself on Steve’s back. The other three split around the field, doing what they could.

He found Wanda and a young girl leaning over Vision. Maximov hugged him briefly upon seeing him, and the girl introduced herself as Princess Shuri, not taking her eyes away from the screen she was using to work. “Wanda”, he said softly, “you should help them down there. I’ll protect Vision and Shuri.”

“I have to be here to destroy the Stone as soon as it’s taken out of him”, she replied, tense.

Steve had not told him that; then again, he was busy fighting and speaking at the same time. “Well then, maybe you could practice your Stone-destruction abilities in the meantime.” Then he dropped his suit to get the Time Stone out of his pocket.

Wanda’s eyes widened, silently asking how, when, where, why. He shook his head. Her expression softened. “Put that on the floor, near the glass window”, she instructed. “It’ll be safer that way.”

He suited up again and raised a shield to protect Shuri and his robot. It took time and energy, but she managed to do it. Shortly after that, a bunch of monsters jumped inside, breaking the glass window, but she and Tony quickly defeated them. Wanda sat down on the floor, seemingly unwell.

“Are you okay?”, he asked, expecting an elaborate answer.

“I feel something missing”, she replied quietly. “It reminds me of what I felt when Pietro died.” He gulped, but said nothing. They had to focus on their task: enable Shuri to do her job.

She did it, eventually. Vision did not shut down after she carefully removed the Mind Stone from his forehead, and Wanda destroyed it faster than her first time. She collapsed afterwards, drained from all the effort. Vision quickly stood up and fetched her from Tony’s arms. “Do you still feel something for her?”, he asked.

The AI was hesitant. “It’s... weaker, but yes. I suppose the Mind Stone played a big part on my ability to have emotions, though it clearly wasn’t the only factor.”

He nodded. It was a relief. “I’ll go to the field”, he said at last. “I trust you two to protect Wanda and one another.”

“We can defend ourselves”, Shuri said with a small smile. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

The room was silent. Out of all Guardians, only Thor, Sif and Nebula were present, so no one looked for Drax, but they’d glance at Strange every now and then.

“I did what I had to do”, he said eventually. “In my line of work, one must be prepared for sacrifices.”

“I’m glad you didn’t have to die for real in our timeline, wizard”, Tony said, quieter than his usual tone.

A brief silence. “Wanda saved me in the field”, Natasha whispered. “Along with Okoye. If she stayed up all along...”

“We’ll found out soon enough, I guess”, you whispered back.

“I think it’s better for us if we skip to the battle’s aftermath”, Wong said, and they all agreed.

Thor still didn’t aim for the head, which still allowed Thanos to escape. This time, however, he didn’t snap. How could he, with two lost Stones and other two destroyed?

He still possessed Space and Power Stones, which cause more than enough damage. After Thanos’ army retreated, shortly after noticing their leader’s own departure, they assessed their losses. Without Wanda, they struggled a lot more to stop the huge wheels, and many died in the process - including Natasha, Okoye, Rocket and M’Baku (who, they later found, was Okoye’s husband).

Steve and Sam had been heavily injured while battling Thanos. Sam couldn’t feel (or move) his left side, and Steve was comatose. Shuri assured them Wakanda had enough resources to treat all injured, but asked to care of their own dead.

“We have two bodies to retrieve in Titan”, Tony told Thor. “One from Earth and one of the Guardians. If you could teleport yourself and one of us to get them...”

“Of course”, he said, voice weak. He clearly was shaken by his ‘failure’ (not that anyone else saw his efforts as such).

The infamous Gamora was found. She had stayed on the borders, and only Nebula saw her before the end of the battle.

“Two humans rescued me in Vormir”, she explained. “I was revived after they returned the Soul Stone. They claimed to be allies from the future, but didn’t give me any further details, or names.”

“Can you describe them?”, Rhodes asked.

“One was a man with white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes. Tall and muscular, a little less than Thor, but enough to draw attention.” Quill snorted at that. “The other was a woman with [your physical description]. They were wearing identical uniforms. It was red and white. They looked like a couple.”

The remaining Avengers exchanged glances. Gamora’s description of the man fit Steve’s, but the woman’s didn’t remind them of anyone they knew. How far from the future those two were?

“Mr. Stark”, Parker spoke up. “Do you think that... the other Thor we saw was from the future too?”

Tony frowned. “It... makes sense, kid. That Thor and those two women took Soul and Reality Stones. Then, not much later, the Soul Stone is delivered back to Vormir by other two people, one of which resembles our Cap.”

“Wait”, Thor said, “what do you mean you saw another me?”

Tony, both Peters, Mantis and Nebula told them what happened in Titan. Tony concluded, “It was all extremely confusing, and by the time we went back to our senses, Thanos was back up, angrier than ever. That’s how we lost two of our team.”

Nebula managed to project what they saw for five seconds. The white woman was unknown to them, but Thor recognized the brown-skinned one as Valkyrie. “It matters little, I’m afraid”, he said somberly. “Whoever those people are, whenever they came from, they are unlikely to be helpful. We need to focus on here and now. What do we have, aside from losses?”

“Time and Mind Stones no longer exist”, Wanda said. “I destroyed them.”

“That’s a relief”, T’Challa spoke for the first time. “Even if small. Thanos cannot achieve his goal without all Stones, if I understand it right.”

“You did”, Thor agreed. “We know the Soul Stone is back in Vormir, and according to lady Gamora he has no means to obtain it right now.” He turned to said Gamora and asked, “Did they give you any clues on where the Reality Stone might be?”

She shook her head. “They had no Stones in their possession when I woke up. At least not that I noticed, but Infinity Stones are hard to miss.”

“Well, either they returned it to a ruined Knowhere, or hid it in an even harder place to find”, Quill interjected. “We the Guardians can search for it after we go to Titan. Our ship is still there.”

“I am Groot.”

“I agree with the Tree”, Thor said. “If the Reality Stone is well hidden, it should stay that way. Things might be worse if we go after it.”

“We need to find Thanos”, Tony said. “Kill him if possible, retrieve the other Stones if it isn’t. Remove the threat. And we need to tend to our injured and dead.”

That was something they all agreed on. Shuri excused herself to go to the hospital, to see on the injured, and T’Challa left to prepare a collective funeral for his fallen soldiers. The Avengers and the Guardians left to the open field. “I’ll bring half of you now”, Thor told the remaining Guardians. “I’ll return with the wizard’s body, and then I’ll take the rest. Does anyone else want to take part on our quest to find Thanos?”

“You should come”, Nebula told Tony and Parker. “You were useful for us in Titan.”

“Peter is not going”, Tony answered for the teenager, who didn’t object. “As for me... my suit was greatly damaged in battle. I don’t think I’ll be as useful.”

“I’ll go”, Wanda offered. “You’ll need me to destroy the Stones anyway.”

Vision offered himself as well, which earned a tiny smile from Wanda. Thor raised Stormbreaker, taking Groot, Nebula, Mantis and Vision with him.

Deep down, Tony had hoped Strange would still be alive. When Thor came back with a broken corpse, he closed his eyes, unable to look at it for longer than a second.

“Fuck”, you heard Bucky whisper. You snuggled even closer to Steve.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye to you”, Clint said, sniffing. You turned to see Natasha holding his shoulder.

You looked up at your husband. His face was unreadable for most, but you knew how much it pained him to see so many fallen friends. “I hope this version of you will recover”, you whispered.

He kissed the top of your head. “I hope so too. Even if just to get a chance to meet you.”

Turning your head, you could see Parker trying to comfort a teary-eyed Shuri, while Wanda and Vision held hands. Rhodey’s hand was on Sam’s shoulder.

“I’ll go with another time skip”, you heard Strange say.

Thanos was found and killed, and the Stones he carried destroyed. Reality Stone was never found, and Soul Stone remained in Vormir, under Red Skull’s watch.

Like in the other timeline, you traveled to Wakanda to study in 2020. What you found there was slightly different, however. “Tell me, Y/N”, Shuri began one day, “how much experience do you have with traumatic memory loss?”

“A little more than most”, you admitted. “I had quite a magnet for this kind of patient last year.”

“Then I suppose we could use your help with a particular case. But I ask your discretion. He’s a... special patient.”

You nodded. “I’ll keep any secrets that won’t go against my profession’s ethical code.”

“I expected nothing less. Follow me.”

Soon you found out why the patient was special: he was Steve Rogers, Captain American himself. You hadn’t heard about him since the Avengers split in 2016.

“There was a battle here in Wakanda, two years ago”, Shuri explained as you made your way to the tiny house he lived in. “Against aliens. We managed to keep it a secret, though it meant the Avengers had to make something up to justify Black Widow’s tragic death. The Falcon has also stayed here, but his injuries have long healed.

“Rogers was knocked hard on the head and only by miracle didn’t die. He woke up four months ago, with few memories of his life, and so far he hasn’t made much progress. I’ve dealt with brainwashing victims before, but this is quite different.”

Captain lived with Wilson and Barnes (you supposed he was the brainwashed person Shuri had dealt with in the past). He had a beard you had never seen on him before (but looked extremely good on him). The princess introduced you two, and she, Barnes and Wilson left you alone to talk.

“That’s rough, buddy”, Parker said.

“Please, no ‘The Last Airbender’ references”, Scott groaned. “Cassie is obsessed enough already with it.”

Quiet laughter was heard. “I hope at least this part has a happy ending”, Sam said. “Though I have to say, it must have been weird for Bucky to be the one trying to help Steve get his memories back.”

Bucky chuckled. “I’m already used to take care of this punk anyway.”

“Jerk”, Steve replied, but you could hear his smile.

A year went by. Your stay was prolonged first due to the national lockdown in response to covid-19, but then you got quite attached to the friends you have made.

You and Steve had gone past the point of just being doctor and patient, and befriended over the months. Your heart would skip beats every time you met (which was quite often, given you still had sessions with him), but you’d never admit that to anyone in Wakanda, even if Bucky and Sam often teased you two as a couple.

It didn’t help that, when the Guardians of the Galaxy (whose existence was unknown to you until a day before their arrival) paid a visit, Gamora claimed to recognize you immediately. It took an hour for the group to explain the story behind that, but the guys’ teasing only increased after she insisted future you and future Steve resembled a couple from the way they acted around one another. At night, alone, you allowed yourself to imagine that alternate future could repeat itself in your reality.

One day, Tony Stark came, with his wife and his daughter. You had heard about Morgan Stark long before you came to Wakanda. You were in the guys’ apartment when he arrived, and played with Morgan while the adults caught up with one another.

“You seem to be good with kids”, Steve mentioned in passing, voice soft.

You chuckled. “I wasn’t always. Had to learn for the job.”

“You did get better with kids after your residency program”, Steve mused. “I remember when we met some mom friends of yours, and you almost killed the babies you tried to hold.”

“Don’t remind me”, you groaned. “I indeed had to learn for the job. I’ve dealt with kids with ADHD, psychosis and personality disorders, not to mention a five-year-old sociopath. Any other kid after that was a walk in the park.”

He laughed, along with Bucky and Natasha. “You know what’s also funny?”, he said after the laughter died down. “We weren’t dating yet when we met Gamora.”

“It’s not like either of you were good at hiding your feelings for each other”, Carol snorted from behind. The whole crowd laughed, even Strange and Wong.

Tony had brought old pictures of Steve, Bucky, the Howling Commandos, Howard Stark and Peggy Carter. Your patient and friend (and crush) had regained most memories of the 21st century, but his war times were still lost to him. He vaguely remembered his pre-serum times, thanks to Bucky’s stories, but not much.

He wanted to remember, you knew that, even if his anxiety about it relieved after he got back memories regarding Bucky, Sam and Wakanda. It was heartbreaking to watch him grieve over Natasha two years after her death, but it was necessary step. He'd also been overcome with a desire to make amends with Tony, something the man was happy to provide.

A week after the Stark family left, you two took a walk in the forest. He still couldn’t remember the battle that led to his injury, and he likely never would. It was for the best, you supposed, considering what you’ve heard and read about it.

“I remembered Peggy Carter”, he said suddenly. You stopped on your tracks.

“Really? That’s great, Steve.” Carter had been the love of his life, according to Bucky. Sam attested that he had never loved anyone like he’d loved her, even if he had kissed other women in the 21st century.

“It’s not much. From what Bucky said, I still have a lot to remember. But I remember loving her.” He shook his head. “It’s strange. I can’t bring myself to love her today. Not like Sam claims I still did, even after she died.”

You did your best to give him a gentle look. “It’s okay, Steve, you are a different person now. Agent Carter lived a good life, and you two rekindled before her death. You are allowed to move on.”

He didn’t reply at first, busy looking at the horizon. Then his gaze turned to you. “I know. I remember not being good at moving on from things I’ve lost, but it doesn’t seem so hard now. Maybe this whole amnesia thing was good, after all.”

He bit his lip and looked down briefly. When he looked back at you, his gaze was inexplicably intense. “What I do know, is that those memories of Peggy made me realize that... I’m love with you, Y/N.”

Your eyes widened. “Me?”

He nodded, closing his eyes. “I know I shouldn’t. You’re my doctor, even if we are friends now. But I guess it can’t be helped. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I’m thankful for each moment I get to spend with you, and I don’t wish for anything you are not comfortable with. We can pretend I never said anything if you want.”

You melted inside. You knew Steve was the kindest soul you’ve ever met, but hearing those words... You closed the distance between them and kissed him. It took a couple seconds, but soon he circled his arms around your waist and kissed you back.

You only broke your kiss when your need for oxygen was greater than your need for his lips. His voice was hoarse when he said, “I’m... glad.”

You chuckled as your foreheads touched. “So am I”, you whispered. “But we do have to find you another psychiatrist now.”

He chuckled and kissed you again.

A/N: I had to watch and re-watch the battle scenes from Infinity War to write this. I wrote and rewrote the battle in Wakanda, and killed and un-killed characters. At different points, Bruce, Sam, Bucky, Groot and Mantis would die. Even Steve was almost killed, until I remembered this story’s pairing haha

Next chapter will be the longest, because I want to write a bit about alternate Steve’s life after being rescued in 1945 instead of 2011. Will he and Reader cross paths?

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #marvel imagine

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dalekofchaos · 5 years

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My problems with Avengers Endgame

For the most part, I like it. Could’ve been better. But here are my problems with the movie

The bad taste Thor fat jokes and mocking jokes about Thor's PTSD and depression....like really? Also nice of the Russos for throwing Thor's character arc out the window and abandoning his people....TWICE. Instead of taking responsibility and rule with Valkyrie as his equal, Thor just abandons his people just to be a Guardian....for reasons??????

Sidelining Carol. WHAT IS THE FUCKING POINT OF TEASING HER ONLY TO LEAVE HER ON THE FUCKING SIDES. NO SERIOUSLY, FUCKING WHY??? Why does Wanda get to unleash on Thanos, but Carol gets knocked around by Thanos? Fucking seriously? What kind of fucking bullshit is this. What kind of actual fucking disrespect is this horseshit?

Not making Carol and Maria married and being the representation fans wanted. Carol’s butch lesbian look was more representation than a nameless guy saying he was seeing another guy.

Fridging Black Widow before her fucking movie even comes out, jesus fucking christ, they really went "you're getting a Black Widow movie lol lmao bitch you thought" it’s not just that. Natasha isn’t even given respect after her passing. She isn’t given a goodbye. All she gets is the men turning into whiny pissants and Bruce tosses a bench into the lake. Natasha sacrificed her life for her family and to stop Thanos and THIS IS THE FUCKING THANKS SHE GETS???

Gamora is still fridged. Past Gamora is loyal to Thanos. That makes no fucking sense. Did the Russos even WATCH Guardians Of The Galaxy? Gamora in 2014 was working AGAINST Thanos. She plotted on hiding the power stone away from Thanos. Present Nebula didn’t even need to convince her, she should’ve helped Present Nebula from the beginning. There was no need for it. Even worse, Strange couldn’t just bring Gamora from a time before she went to Vormir. Gamora couldn’t have been spared her fate. And even worse. Both Gamora and Nebula are denied the revenge of the man who has abused, manipulated and gaslighted them their whole lives and they couldn’t be allowed the opportunity to kill Thanos? Fuck you.

Hank and Pierce's bad toupees

Not making Loki the rat who frees Scott and having it revealed and having Loki's grand dramatic slut return entrance. Loki just escaping with the Tesseract and not doing anything with it is just dumb. But what’s really dumb is not having Thor and Loki escaping together in Infinity War while Thanos is fighting The Hulk. He had it and he didn’t use it. It just feels like Loki’s death was ultimately pointless now. And apparently Loki escaping with The Tesseract was pointless, Loki is seen in his cell in Asgard....how the fuck is this supposed to make any sense at all? So honestly I would just have Loki be the very last one to return and reveal himself as the rat who freed Scott. It would make more sense than anything. Loki is the very thing that started The Avengers, it makes sense that he returns to help them against Thanos.

That fucking Hydra Cap reference, he needed to stay in cover, I know but we wanted to forget it ever happened

Once again the shows are screwed over. No Quake, Ghost Rider or The Defenders

Nebula does not kill Thanos.....fucking bullshit fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. Nebula should’ve killed Thanos. Nebula by far suffered the most and the hand of Thanos. She was abused, manipulated, and isolated because of him and he killed her sister. Additionally, all of her movies, but especially Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Endgame flesh out and develop her character quite well, giving the audience ample time to connect with her. Furthermore, a great portion of Nebula’s body has been replaced with metal, which we already knew from previous films but was highlighted in Endgame itself, when Nebula simply sticks her hand in the energy field surrounding the power stone to retrieve it, destroying the “skin” on her hand but leaving her “skeleton” intact. Because of this, it is likely that Nebula had a better chance of surviving a snap than any other Avenger (except for maybe Bruce), and the cinematic payoff of allowing her to be the one to kill Thanos would have been far greater than letting Tony kill Thanos. You could even have Thanos say “I am inevitable daughter” Nebula could have a Eowyn moment “I am not your daughter” and finally Nebula would kill him. Nebula deserved to kill Thanos. And since Nebula was the one who snapped, we know Gamora would return, maybe since they worked together, Nebula would bring back Natasha. Like they all fought to bring an end and bring everyone back. Gamora and Natasha deserved to return and reverse the bullshit fridging. Tony could return to his family and once again they didn’t have to make Far From Home of making Spider-Man be “the new Iron Man” Tony could retire in peace and tell Peter “the world is in safe hands of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man”

Steve Rogers abandoning his found family and the horrible implications of Steve staying in the past. Before I talk about the implications, I just need to say it makes no sense. Steve made peace with his life in the new world. Peggy wanted Steve to move on, Steve grew as a character. He even saw Peggy was happy in Endgame(however I would’ve had Peggy be seen with her wife Angie, yes fuck ABC I am still bitter) and Peggy herself said she was happy with her life. It makes no sense for Steve to just abandon Sam and Bucky just to be with someone he kissed once. I honestly would’ve been happy if he chose to sacrifice himself to bring Natasha back. I would even be happy if Steve came back, married Sharon and chose to retire, and pass on the Shield to Sam. Just anything is better. It’s not a satisfying conclusion to Steve Rogers’ character arc. A satisfying character arc means more than giving the character a prize at the end of the story. Women are not prizes. Peggy Carter is not a prize. Peggy Carter would slap the shit out of Steve Rogers if she knew he threw his life away just to be with her and ruining her own life in turn. Even if I didn't like how they paired Peggy with Daniel, even I understand that Peggy moved on and found love and married a man who lost his leg for his country without superstrength or fame, and they had kids. Steve took away Peggy's agency, destroyed her family and ruined his own journey. Even more insulting is the fact that Bucky Barnes was brought back to life and Steve barely acknowledges him. Ever since The Winter Soldier, Steve’s journey has been focused on Bucky and he barely even acknowledges him. He fought a fucking war that split The Avengers for him and he STILL does not even have one last moment with him? What the fuck? But you know the real stupid thing about this? Tony and Natasha died just so to make the world a better place. The better place that Steve then leaves at the end of the movie. Steve’s entire character arc throughout the MCU would be opposed to altering the timeline for his own selfish desires. This is not the Captain America I know. You’re seriously telling me that Steve Rogers didn’t value his present friends, possible girlfriend and life even a little bit? What has been done to Steve Rogers is unforgivable and I would rather Steve dies sacrificing himself in bringing Thanos down. That would’ve been a better send off than ignoring everything about his character arc. As for the implications about going to the past? He knows about the future, he knows HYDRA infiltrated SHIELD, he knows Bucky is being used as their weapon and will kill the Starks, he knows that Peggy, Howard and Hank are surrounded by Hydra, he even knows about the civil rights fighting. it’s a little alarming Steve Rogers’s idea of a retirement plan was to go back to the jim crow era to cuddle up with his old flame. Apparently a happy ending for Captain America is a white man in the US. He went back to an era where a cis het white man would feel very safe and comfortable. He doesn't choose to fight for Civil rights in the 60's(how is Sam supposed to feel that Steve did nothing for the movement?), Steve and Peggy don't crack down the Hydra infestation and there isn't a Bucky rescue. Like really bad implications

#anti mcu #anti endgame #thor odinson #captain marvel #carol danvers #black widow #natasha romanoff #Loki Laufeyson #loki laufeyson #captain america #steve rogers #gamora

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randommarveler · 5 years

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My Long List of Thoughts About Endgame Cuz IDK Who To Talk To

I’m happy about:

WE GOT THE FUCKING HUG WITH PETER & TONY I’M SCREAMINGGIGNGINGIGN

How they implemented the old movies really well

The jealous look Steve gave Pepper like omg Stony stans unite.

Joe Russo having a cameo as gay omg.

Lil Doctor Strange’s hand being all shaky like benedict really went all out with the nerve damage

How Nebula was a huge part of it and not a minor character

“I…am…Iron Man” LIKE FUCK YEAH YOU ARE. Just Tony alone holding all the infinity stones STRONGEST AVENGER RIGHT HERE THAT’S WHY THOR WASN’T ALLOWED TO DO IT.

I think when Steve had Thor’s hammer was when the entire audience was cheering and fuck yeah, it doesn’t look normal I’m not used to it but fuck yeah.

How emotional and impacted everyone was but the dusting. Like Nat was still crying after 5 years. Wait, does this mean everything is like set in 2023? Or at least around that time?

That bit where all the females were basically together protecting baby Peter

Quill’s really bad singing omg.

Morgan. That’s it. That lil bean has stolen my heart. The moment I saw the little chair I was crying (ok I was crying the whole time, not an exaggeration, I got emotional a lot during the beginning dusting, Nebula + Tony playing, E V E R Y T H I NG) I can’t wait to see her grow up x 3000. How dare they take tony away from her. If I wasn’t crying in a scene, I would probably start crying in it even if it wasn’t sad because omg Tony got his baby Morgan. “Mom told me to go save you”

Pepper fucking Potts. I saw the lake and knew that Tony was there (Gwyneth lowkey spoilt that) and like her in that suit was everything.

Tony’s death. I’m actually, in a sad way, happy that’s how he died. I wish he could’ve grown old like Steve but for the way he got killed, I’m happy. He saved the universe. He saved so many people

America’s Ass.

The montage of them trying to figure out how to get the stones.

“On your left” Sam was done so well for the movie. He got like a solid 7 minutes but it was really good. How he was the one to let the whole audience & Steve know that they were back, was everything. I sobbed some more (I was crying the whole time ok? Leave me alone) when I saw the lil case with the shield.

Putting in Peggy, Howard, Frigga, Jane & 2012!Avengers was so emotional and hilarious

Valkyrie was great and amazing

Loki being featured made me really happy

The smirk on Steve’s after he got the sceptre. I can’t believe he said “Hail Hydra” that literally was so much.

The amount Carol was shown. It wasn’t “OMG SHE’S THE HERO AND WILL KILL THANOS OUR QUEEENNN” like, she showed up when necessary. When it worked. Also, she was helping out another planet so it makes sense.

Steve & Peggy finally getting that dance. Like I saw the car, heard the music and cried. Because I knew that was the dance they wanted.

How little Bucky was in it. It did piss me off because he didn’t have enough scenes with Steve, but at least we get a show right?

The whole Howard exchange.

Wanda being a total badass I can’t.

Tom Holland’s performance and part of Endgame was utterly amazing. The instant kill mode was great. How he reacted to Tony dying. Like omg this time it was roles reversed except Tony was gone for good.

The funeral was perfect? The lake, the people there. The flowers. Proof that Tony Stark Has A Heart.

I’m pissed at:

I FUCKING KNEW THEY WERE LYING ABOUT THAT SCENE. ANTHONY’S FACE SAID IT ALL. THEY DID HAVE THAT FUCKING SCENE YOU LIAR.

Thor was basically a joke for being fat. I know that it’s just a shock that he doesn’t have rock solid abs now, but it’s sort of being rude to people with that figure (honestly, it made me feel worse about myself, because everyone would laugh about it). I get that he’s depressed and he has every reason to be fat but like using it as a joke all the time was a lot.

They only used some lines or bits for fan nostalgia or other things. It seemed forced (some bits more than others)

“You used the stones two days ago” ok but when? Like literally Tony was in space for more than 20 days, the maths doesn’t add up.

We barely saw Bruce, just Hulk-Bruce, which is disturbing

The beginning song with the opening credits

I couldn’t actually tell that it was Stan Lee and that was his cameo

When talking about time travel stuff, DOCTOR WHO wasn’t even mentioned?

Killing Tony, Steve & Natasha.

Carol’s haircut…honestly no. I wished the sides were cut a bit more so it’s more like the comics.

Shuri coming with the outfit she didn’t even have in Infinity War pissed me off because everyone had the same thing from when they were dusted.

Cassie being older. Like, I’m not ok with that? She kinda looks 15 instead of like 13 though.

All of that…is canon. Like Tony is actually dead. Steve actually is old and gonna die soon. Gamora, Nat & Vision aren’t there.

That beginning was so quick. With Thanos being killed so quickly. Just I was shooketh.

Thanos can actually cook? Like woah. Didn’t see that coming.

The film was…a lot. You could easily cut out a lot of scenes that weren’t even necessary? I’m sad, happy & pissed at the film. There was so much that was probably there because Steve & Tony were going to DIE. Like steve holding thor’s hammer, check. Tony having a kid, check.

No end credit. Like why the fuck wasn’t there one? The cinema people told us to clear out because there wasn’t one. I wanted to stay but wasn’t allowed to.

How unrealistic was that ending dance though? Steve would’ve stepped on Peggy’s toes omg.

How convenient it was to be able to time travel with the quantum realm and that shit.

What the fuck did Loki even do with the space stone? Where is that sneaky boi now?

Where does the MCU go now? You can’t top that.

I’m sad about:

Everything, this whole film

The cheeseburger bit

There’s so much more but my mind has only remembered these details.

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imagines-dreams · 5 years

Text

Endgame Fix It - Fanfiction

aka I watched Endgame and I need to recover, so I rewrote it, for mental health... reasons....

also aka ENDGAME SPOILERS

Rating: PG-13 for you know... Endgame.... spoilers

Warnings: ENDGAME SPOILERS

Summary: Steve, Loki, Tony, Nebula

Word Count: 3131

When Captain Marvel slashed through the ship in less than ten seconds, the tide of the battle changed immediately. She held Thanos’s hand open, and he couldn’t snap his damned fingers again. Thanos may have hit her with the Power Stone, but Captain Marvel had seen worse. She got back up and got him in a headlock easily, and before he could shake her off again, Thor was back on his feet again, and he held back his gloved hand. Thanos reached to remove him or Captain Marvel or anyone, but Tony and Steve got back up and held back his other arm.

For a few seconds, Thanos was subdued, but what now? They couldn’t hold him forever. Sure, Captain Marvel was very powerful, and sure, Captain America held back his hand with his own for a while, and yeah Thor hit him hard and killed him once, and ok, Tony made the Titan bleed, but still, this was taking a toll on all of them, and they couldn’t hold him back much longer.

But it wasn’t them who decided what to do next.

It was Nebula, his daughter. Thanos smiled a little. “You’ve come back.”

Nebula tilted her head and smirked ever so slightly. “Nor for you.” She sauntered over to Thor and took the infinity stones in her marred hand.

Thor stared at her, but he said nothing.

Tony grunted. “Nebula, no.”

“Daughter-”

“No.” She carefully placed each stone on her opposite hand with such delicate care. “No, you used me as a weapon, so now” -the stones were all on her hand now and she smiled up at her father- “I’m a weapon.”

“Our plan,” Thanos begged, as his daughter’s mercy, “it’s inevitable. It’s-”

“No.” She spoke so softly compared to the Titan, but her words held more weight, and it silenced him. “No, for once, I get to decide what I do. And I decide that you lose.”

Tony screamed his head off, nearly letting go of Thanos’s hand. Steve faltered, but he stood strong, and Thor closed his eyes and thanked her in his mind. Carol watched and smiled at the strong woman in front of her. She deserved this, an honorable death and vengeance against her father.

The army faded to dust. One by one, they fell and disappeared, and Thanos, too, turned to dust, not sparing a glance at his daughter.

“Nebula!” Gamora leaned over her sister and pulled her into her lap.

Nebula turned her neck, so slowly, so mechanically, and said, “Hello, sister.”

Tony rushed to her side and observed the damage. Friday calculated and assessed and in less than a second, he smiled, “You can be fixed. You have time.” The damage her arm sustained from the stones was fixable and replaceable. The part of her face that was marred and burned was mostly mechanical, and the part that wasn’t… It was beyond him

“T’Challa” Tony yelled. “Where’s T’Challa? He can help.”

Dr. Strange created a portal, and T’Challa walked through with two other women. “What do you need?”

Tony clarified, “I’ve read about your tech. Vibranium-based medicine.”

The younger girl tilted her head and approached Nebula.

“Do you have any on you? Can you help her?”

T’Challa just smiled. “I can’t help you.” He looked to his sister. “But Shuri can.”

Shuri was already getting to work. Her mind filled with everything that needed to be done. “This is amazing. Organic life with mechanical implements, beyond prosthetic.” She gulped as realization set in as to what the woman had to go through to become what she was. “Could be smoother,” Shuri commented, “Less painful.” She reached out, but Gamora flinched and held her sister close to her.

Shuri just smiled. “I can help her. I promise. I’ve fixed people before.”

Gamora stared at all the new faces around her, still not sure what was going on and who these people were to her future self or to Nebula, but her sister convinced her. With one look and the word, “Sister,” Gamora understood. She let the girl look over Nebula.

Shuri smiled and took out a metal ball. She placed it on Nebula’s head, where the scarred, organic skin met scarred metal. The metal ball transformed into liquid when it touched her head and wrapped itself around the wounded area of her head. “You will need more medical attention. I can provide that back home.”

Nebula looked to her sister.

“She can come, too.”

“Me, too.” Tony raised his hand.

Shuri stared at him and his suit. Nanotech. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Tony shook his head. “You need an extra hand.”

Shuri beamed. “Exactly.”

T’Challa turned to Dr. Strange. “May we?”

“Of course.” Dr. Strange created a portal, and they went to Wakanda. Tony said asked his wife how Morgan was, and after hearing Happy was watching over her, he kissed her and told her that he’d see her soon. Then, just before Tony left, he requested, “Hey, Strange, can you make sure the kid gets home?”

Dr. Strange stared at the kid, who was currently right behind Tony, probably planning on sneaking into Wakanda.

Peter gasped. “Wait, but it’s Wakanda!”

“Yeah, I can bring him home.”

“But-”

“No, buts, kid.” Tony put his hand on Peter’s shoulder and reminded him, “I’m sure your aunt would be happy to see you.”

Peter immediately nodded. “See you soon, sir.”

“Yeah, kid.” Then, he was gone.

Dr. Strange patted Peter’s back. “Come on, kid.”

Suddenly, a blue smoke puffed in front of them. Everyone still remaining got back into fighting positions. Peter got his mask back on. Captain America groaned and put up his fists. Captain Marvel just crossed her arms and waited.

“I’ve returned! Prepare to…” The man blinked a few times. “Did I miss it?” He stared at his wrist, a very much broken contraption on it. “This blasted thing. Curse that man in iron, he said it was-”

“Brother?”

“Yes, what is it? I’m busy here.” The man tapped his wrist thing furiously.

Thor stared at him. Then, he picked up a rock and threw it at the man’s face.

The man caught it and scoffed. “Really, was that necessary?”

Thor lit up, not with lightning, but with pure joy. “Loki!” He jumped right onto his brother, and the two nearly fell because of him. “You’re back! I thought you’d died. Thanos-”

“Is an idiotic titan who needed stones to defeat people.” Loki rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you thought he could defeat me?”

Thor’s eyes narrowed. Then, he threw another rock at Loki, which he caught. “Honestly, Thor-”

“You faked your death again?” Thor screamed and threw another rock. Then another. And another.

“Stop that.” Loki dodged the first two, but the third hit his shoulder. “Stop it!”

The two brothers continued throwing rocks at each other, and everyone else just stared confused.

Bruce whispered, “Isn’t Loki, you know, evil?”

“Apparently not?” Steve said, unsure of himself. So far, however, the god of mischief wasn’t doing anything bad. Except for making duplicates of himself for Thor to hit and scream at.

Valkyrie dismounted her pegasus. “Evil, kinda. A pain in our ass, definitely.” She smiled at the two. “But, I’ll keep them in line for you guys.” And so, when Valkyrie and her pegasus walked over to the two brothers and started yelling at both of them, no one questioned it.

Steve smiled at himself as he picked up the hammer again. Seriously, he had a sliver of hope that he could, but he never thought it could be true. He’d have to return that first. Then the rest of the stones.

And after, maybe visit someone.

Someone he really wanted to see.

Her name changed though. Peggy Carter was now Peggy Carter-Sousa. She was married to Daniel Soussa, and both of them still actively worked for Peggy’s organization, SHIELD, which was with no doubt named after him.

They were at a restaurant when Steven finally found them, rings on their fingers, and the first emotion Steve felt was happiness. Happiness for her. Because he knew she moved on, that she would become an amazing wife, mother, and leader. But seeing it was different.

She smiled so brightly with Daniel. She was going to be ok.

Then, her eyes caught his, and before he could escape, Peggy Carter was in front of him, eyes wide and expression unsure. She gulped, and it only took her a few seconds before she narrowed her eyes and said with certainty, “You’re not my Steve.”

Steve felt like he should’ve cried, but he didn’t. He did miss her voice, though. The soldier nodded.

Peggy crossed her arms. “And what are you doing here?”

“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. Even if I tried.” He smiled a little. “I’m happy for you.”

Peggy blushed and glanced back at the table inside where her husband was waiting patiently. She told him who was out here with her, and he knew it was better to stay out of it. The woman sighed. “And your family?”

Steve laughed a little. “They’re waiting for me.”

“Well,” Peggy smiled, “you shouldn’t be late.”

“You’re right.” Steve smiled even wider, because even though a part of him will love her, and a part of her will love him, they were different. They had different lives, and they shouldn’t waste it.

She kissed his cheek. “Go home.”

Steve sat next to Sam and sighed. “I think I’m done,” he said. “I’ve been a soldier all my life, and I don’t want to die a soldier.”

“So, what are you going to do, then?”

Steve smiled at Bucky, his oldest friend and maybe something more, and sighed. “Well, T’Challa offered me a place.”

Sam looked back at Bucky and smirked. “I see.”

Steve sighed. “I will always be there if you need me, but for now, I need some peace of my own.” And with that, Steve set his shield down and set it between them. “Try it on.”

Sam’s eyes widened. He had his title. Falcon and Captain America’s best friend. He stared at the shield, then at Steve, then at Bucky, and when nothing responded, he gingerly picked it up. It was a tad big on him.

“How does it feel?”

Sam tightened the strap on his arm. “Like it’s someone else’s.”

“It isn’t.”

He smiled at his friend, his role model, and said, “Thank you. I’ll try my best.”

Steve nodded. “And that’s why it’s yours.” He patted Sam on the back. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m retiring.”

Sam laughed.

Steve nodded at Bruce, then he turned to Bucky and smiled.

“You saw her?” Bucky asked.

Steve nodded.

Bucky stared off into the distance. “I kinda thought you’d stay there.”

“No, I couldn’t.” The retired captain nudged his friend. “Hey.” And when Bucky’s eyes met his, Steve said, like he had said so many time before. “I’m with you til the end of the line.”

Bucky just shook his head, and with tears in his eyes, he managed to say, “Punk.”

Tony opened the door and was met with a high-pitched scream. It wasn’t of his wife or his daughter. No, instead it was one of his other, well, kids.

Harley, now nearing twenty-one, screamed and as he tried to hide his hand from Tony, Tony easily saw the poorly hidden hand, which was covered in metal. Like his own Iron Man gauntlet.

His wife, who was across the table from Harley, smiled politely. “Well, I’ll leave the two of you to talk. I’ll go check on Morgan.” She kissed his cheek and left.

Harley smiled brightly, one of his hands still behind his back. “Hi, Mr. Stark.”

“Mhm.” Tony leaned over, trying to get a glimpse at what Harley had. “And that is?”

“Nothing.”

“Harley.”

The boy held up both his hands, and sure enough, there was nothing on his hands. “See. Nothing to see here, Mr. Stark.”

Tony eyed Harley’s wrists. Two Stark Industries issued watches, one on each wrist. “Right.” Tony nodded and grabbed Harley’s right hand. It was the second to newest model, not the newest model that Tony had given him two years prior. And the condition was very worn down for a two-year-old watch. Too many scratches. That, and there were a few noticeable changes only its creator would recognize. An extra dent here, a bit too light.

Harley gulped.

“Show me,” Tony said, stepping away.

Harley scoffed. “Show you what.”

“Come on, kid. You really think you can lie to me?”

The boy sighed. “Don’t be mad,” he reminded his mentor. Then, Harley inhaled deeply and swiped a finger across his right wristwatch. A hologram appeared above it, and with a few touches and clicks and drags of metal across skin, Harley’s hand was encased in metal, and in his palm sat a repulsor.

Tony opened the front door and pointed at a nearby tree. “There.”

“Mr. Stark?”

The mechanic grabbed a pack of trail mix. While eating, he pointed at the tree again. “Go on.”

Harley blinked, but still, he aimed and fired. A bright blue beam shot out of his hand and struck the tree. It wasn’t perfectly centered, but it was close.

“Not bad.” Tony sighed. “But no.” He walked past Harley to his office.

“No?” Harley followed him. “Wha-”

“I mean, no, you’re not becoming Iron Man.” Tony approached his desk, and the tabletop came to life with holograms and files. “That’s why you came here, right?”

“I mean… kinda?” Harley sighed. “It’s not just that, Mr. Stark. I wasn’t there for anything. I wasn’t there when the Avengers split up or when Thanos first arrived. I was on the sidelines. I can’t do that if something bad happens again.”

“Have you thought it through?”

The boy tilted his head. “Thought what through?”

“Thought all of this through.” Tony spread his arms and files upon files of his own superhero career appeared. From the rumors before he announced Iron Man to clips of his more traumatizing moments to files of the deceased. Yinsen, Phil Coulson, Pietro Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff and so much more.

Harley stared at those files and flipped through them. He stared at Natasha’s file. He missed her. He met her before, a few times, and she was remarkable. He bowed his head. “I have.”

Tony nodded. “What about them?” Tony swiped his arm, and files appeared in front of Harley. His mom and his sister.

Harley smiled. He pulled his sister’s file. “Rosa’s in college now, studying art, and Mom?” Harley picked up her file. “Mom’s fine on her own, and I know she still needs me, but…” He sighed. “Mr. Stark, I need to be out there. I can’t let other people fight my battles. Not when I’m qualified to do the same.”

Tony nodded. “Show me all of it.”

“All of what?”

“Your suit. I saw the two watches.”

Harley smiled. He excitedly swiped and tapped and clicked and dragged, and the metal transformed and covered his hands. It spread to his arms and his chest, to his head and to his legs, and the familiar whir of a suit almost made Tony smile.

Soon, Harley was protected by his own suit, silver and red accents. His mask flipped up and revealed a brilliant smile. “How does it look?”

Tony saw the tiny details. The color change and the different arc reactor. The way the metal hugged Harley in a way his first suit couldn’t. He knew Harley was smart, but, shit, he never realized how hard this kid worked.

“Looks pretty good, kid. Pretty good.”

Harley smiled and packed his suit back into his watches. “So, am I an Avenger now?”

Tony took his time to chew and swallow his trail mix. “No.”

“No?”

“No, because” -Tony pressed a few buttons on the holograms and suddenly a building appeared between the two men- “you will train here first.” Tony pulled up some files and presented them in front of Harley. “Sam’s leading the training, with Wanda and Clint. We got some good names here. Peter, Shuri, Cassie, Lila.” Tony nodded. The four kid’s profiles were in front of him, and it looked good. Especially with Harley smiling with them.

“And you, Mr. Stark?”

Tony shrugged. “I’ve wanted to hang up the suit a long time ago, Harley. I thought I’d never be able to sit around just watch, but with the new Captain America and you guys taking care of the world.” He smiled up at the profiles. “I think I can at least take a little break.”

“So no interfering?”

“I never said that.” Tony returned all the files to the table and turned it off. “I’ll come in when I get worried. But for now,” he smiled fondly, “I’m going to take care of my girls. Before Tony could get more emotional, I mean the kid already saw him have a panic attack, Tony clicked his tongue. “Come on. I’ll drive.”

Harley grabbed his bag. “You know, Peter’s younger and he technically is an Avenger. So maybe-”

“Harley, I know what you’re doing.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“You mean guilt tripping?”

Harley groaned. “It was worth a shot.”

A week later, there was a funeral for Natasha and Vision. Everyone was there. Their family. They set off memorials in the river and watched as they floated away. They would forever be remembered. A few years later, Steve and Bucky adopted a little girl with red hair and brown eyes. They named her Natalie, in Natasha’s honor. Clint cried when he held her.

The Young Avengers train, picking up kids who were qualified and had good heads on their shoulders and a good heart. The new Captain America led them well. They made names for themselves. Spider-Man not only protected New York, he also was the most experienced in the multiverse. Shuri goes back to Wakanda every now and then, but focuses most of her energy advancing technology and on training to become better and stronger. Lila becomes an amazing archer just like her father and never misses a shot. Cassie comes in when she’s needed, finding more interest in engineering than superheroing, but she loves her team. Harley soon becomes their leader, helped by Peter, and his name… Well.

“Iron Lad!”

Harley tilted his head. “What was that, Morgan?”

The girl giggled and pointed at his arc reactor. “Iron Lad.”

“Not the name I was looking for.” Harley laughed, brushed her hair back, and kissed her forehead. “But, in your honor.” He put his hands on his hips and put on his mask. “Iron Lad.”

The girl squealed as her older brother attacks her with tickles and kisses, and when she’s tired, she whispered, “I love you.”

“3000?”

“3000!”

I may or may not edit this, cause there’s still a few things I want to “fix,” but give me suggestions, give me feedback, and I might just post a second version! aka this is also me asking for reblogs and comments because i’m super nervous about this fic so please please please

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