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flamehairedwritings · 5 years

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okay babe, any headcanons about steve and nat and their early days and shield partners before “the winter solder”? i have a few definitive scenes i always imagine happening, like them grabbing food in a diner or nat seeing steve’s sketchbook, but i’m always curious what other people think!! what they imagine their little friendship moments would be that will eventually leas to more, because duh.

A n y t h i n g for you. 💖

The first time they were partnered together, Nat actually laughed as she read the notification message. Then she forwarded it to Clint, who video-called her immediately and laughed with her.

Whose wild idea was this? Fury’s, obviously, but really?

They couldn’t have been more different in their styles.

Was this some kind of a message from Fury? Was she to learn from Steve, or was he to learn from her?

She always did missions alone, the majority of the time even without back up, it was too risky and, hell, she could always handle herself. If she ever did have to work with someone, it was Clint, who knew her so well and she him that they barely had to communicate.

Steve was different.

Steve liked to make plans.

Steve was a leader.

Of course during the Battle of New York she’d seen what he could do and was naturally impressed, but that had been a time when a team and leadership was needed. That was a big, wild open battle where subtlety wasn’t needed at all.

Natasha usually did subtle.

When they met at the appointed time for their briefing, he brought with him a notepad. A notepad.

Maria gave them the details and then left them to it, probably at Fury’s request, and Nat looked at Steve, who looked at her.

Well, she had expected him to dive right in as the Captain, but he just smiled and said,

“So, how would you usually go about this?”

That’s when Natasha knew she had underestimated America’s golden boy.

The mission went surprisingly smoothly, and Nat glanced at him as they stepped off the aircraft that had collected them.

“Do you want to go and get some ice cream?”

“Pardon?”

“Ice cream? Is that what you called it back in the day? Or did you call it something charming like icies?”

He gave that quiet, exasperated, mock-sigh she was beginning to delight in hearing as he smiled and nodded. “Sure. Let’s go get icies.”

It was their first in-joke that they were relentless in it.

“You know what would cheer you up?” “What?” “Icies.”

“Oh, some icies would help with that bruise.”

“Let’s see if there’s any offer on icies at the store.”

“I would just kill for an icie right now.”

Nat was rather surprised by how quickly they became comfortable around one another.

They became paired with every mission and would always unwind after it by going to his apartment, the Tower, or one of her many apartments. They’d sit on the couch with a take-away or whatever was in the fridge and just talk or watch a documentary he’d read about.

She helped him get through his list of things he’d ‘missed out on’ and recommended a few things herself, most that got a resounding ‘no’, such as silent raves, a normal rave, and starting a YouTube channel.

Sometimes when missions didn’t go as smoothly as expected, they would sit in silence, each turning over in their mind what had gone wrong and how they could have prevented it. Then, when they would realise the other was doing the same thing, they’d look at them and smile faintly.

“… Let’s go get an icie.”

Depending on the weather and time of day, they’d take with them two spoons and go to the store, buy a big tub of ice cream and sit in the park, or go to a diner, sunglasses and hats on, and sit in a corner. They’d order something extravagant and talk or just watch the people around them, people who had no idea of the real dangers in the world, despite what had happened in New York, and quietly feel a small sense of pride that they were protecting people.

They soon began to read each other exceptionally well.

If Steve was sketching or painting, he wanted to be left somewhat alone, so she would sit close by, reading or writing up a report. Sometimes she would just glance up and watch him, watch him concentrating and working. A few times, once he’d sat back and was in the room once more, she would ask if she could see what he was working on. He’d give a slight shrug and say ‘sure’, and she’d stand beside him, looking over every single detail. She liked his drawings. A lot.

If he noted Nat was frustrated or too in her head about an issue, he would offer to go a few rounds in the training room, helping her silently work out whatever was going on.

If Stark was having a party that they’d been invited to, they’d suddenly both be far too busy and would hide in one of her apartments, taking it in turns to pick a film or play board games.

Despite their external appearance of closeness, though, Steve could still feel… something. Some kind of a barrier that stopped him from really getting to know Natasha. He knew it when he saw how she was with Barton, how there was something between them that he didn’t have with her. At first he thought it was romantic affection, but after somewhat awkwardly asking her about it and she’d laughed, for what felt like a very long time, he knew he was very wrong.

Then she told him how she and Clint had met, and it had all made sense.

He’d known there was something about her past, Loki had mentioned a few things when he’d been imprisoned, or so they’d thought, on the helicarrier, but he hadn’t wanted to ask, hadn’t wanted to pry.

He easily could have. He could have asked Barton or Fury but it hadn’t felt right to.

That part of Natasha was for her to tell.

And when she did, the barrier came down a little.

She hadn’t felt judged when she’d told him. She hadn’t really expected to, this was the kindest man she’d ever met after all, but she thought there might have been something, a look in his eyes, or a shift in how he behaved around her, even minutely. But… nothing.

That’s when she thought, quietly, hopefully, that for the second time in her life, she’d made a true friend.

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Tagged: @jobean12-blog, @chalantness, @im-not-great-at-making-up-names

#ask #chalantness #steve rogers x natasha romanoff #romanogers #u are blessin me today #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #my writing #hcs #flamehairedwritings

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forksofwisdom · 6 years

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What do you think witches and mermaids would have been like in the Twiverse? Do you think SM should have included other species?

Despite being a very pragmatic person, I am obsessed with mythologies of any kind, and I loved this idea so much that I took the time to do some research! And BOY did it get out of hands!

Note that I’m not a professional and most of my knowledge comes from scouring the internet, which is fraught with misinformation and I barely scratch the surface for the sake of brevity. I do mention things from my own culture - Icelandic folklore to be exact - but I encourage you to tag onto this post if you have something to add or want to make a correction! :D

I think SM kept a very narrow scope because she never intended Twilight to be anything more than a teenage romance between Bella and Edward. I for one am happy that she didn’t branch out beyond vampires, wolf-shifters, and the Children of the Moon because she was already on thin ice with her appropriation of the Quileute Tribe’s creation story.

I also think that including more too many species and characters would have overwhelmed SM. Her side characters have spotty backstories, and I have a feeling that she wrote most of their history as an afterthought. Why else would SM have only mentioned Esme’s past in the Official Guide and not included the crucial information that Esme met Carlisle while she was STILL human in the story?

If I’m honest, I would have loved to see different ending for New Moon and have SM do more character development in Eclipse. Bella’s quick recovery from her crippling depression was unrealistic in my opinion and her desperation to spend the rest of eternity with the Cullens seemed so shallow considering the fact she knew next to nothing about them and their past.

That being said, I still have some headcanons now that you got me thinking about this. I’m fascinated with the idea that some myths and legends around the world were born from encounters with real supernatural beings.

Shapeshifters

Based on SM’s idea about the Quileute spirit warriors, there should be more types of shifters in the Twiverse since the Quileutes weren’t the only ones who founded their belief on having descended from wolves.

Therianthropy is the mythological ability of human beings changing into animals via shapeshifting. This concept has been around for centuries, dating back so far that there are cave paintings that depict the transformation of men into animals. (x)

One of the most popular types of shapeshifting seems to be changing into wolves, and subsequently, there are a LOT of werewolf myths or The Children of the Moon as SM refers to them. (I’ve already written an entire post dedicated to them so I won’t talk about them here.)

I won’t go much farther into Origin Stories than I have above since it’ll take over the entire post. There are so fricking many different tales, especially about randy gods - seriously, it’s wild - that it’s difficult to decide what would lead to becoming a Shifter and what would be considered fables in the Twiverse.

For the sake of clarity, I have made a short list below which includes a few types of shapeshifters from different cultures that people may be familiar with:

· In Chinese Mythology, it is believed that all things are capable of acquiring human forms through shapeshifting. There are the Huli Jing, which is a nine-tailed fox spirit, from which the Japanese derived their Kitsune (any fellow Naruto fan here???) and the Korean Kumiho.

· Selkies are a favorite of mine (Please watch Song of the Sea - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cried during that movie) since they sometimes feature in Icelandic myths. Selkies are primarily thought to be women who live in the sea as seals but shed their coats and turn into humans on land. They aren’t able to shapeshift without their coats. Most of the tales aren’t happy and are about men who steal the selkie’s coats and hide them to coerce the woman into marriage.

· Nāga from Indian religions are thought to sometimes shapeshift from snakes, most often King Cobras, into humans.

Witchcraft

Witchcraft is tied to many religions, but as an atheist, I only have a layman’s knowledge of the practices that are still in use today. I’m highly skeptical when it comes to spiritual healing in real life, and I’m not at all a fan of the cult cultures that frequently surround religion.

Here’s a brief history lesson:

Witches were the women who served the goddesses in the earliest centuries of human civilization and were revered throughout their communities. In the ancient civilizations of the Middle East, priestesses trained in the sacred arts and partook in the holiest of rituals. They were seen as benevolent, and wise women who helped deliver babies, and saw to people’s health.

What’s interesting about them is that they are so clearly understood to be positive figures in their society. No king could be without their counsel, no army could recover from a defeat without their ritual activity, no baby could be born without their presence. (x)

The fear of witches stems from the deep-seated misogyny born from male-centric and monotheistic religions such as Christianity and Judaism. The panic spread to Europe and spiked to a level of hysteria with the outbreaks of plagues. (x) Witch-hunts, especially in Central Europe, resulted in the trial, torture, and execution of tens of thousands of victims. About three-quarters of whom were women. (x)

Witch-hunts still claim thousands of lives every year, especially in developing countries that have an inadequate education system. (x) I recommend watching this documentary if you’re interested in learning about a Tanzanian witch-hunt that happened in 2017.

Keeping this gruesom history in mind, I think there would be hidden communities of witches and warlocks in the Twiverse. I’m not here to dictate what sort of magic they would use - I’ll leave the world building up to the writers!

Here are just a couple of examples of witchcraft:

· Shamanism is a practice that involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness to perceive and interact with a spirit world and channel these transcendental energies into this world. (x)(x)

· Druidism is a spiritual or religious movement that generally promotes harmony, connection, and reverence for the natural world. (x) You can learn more about modern Druidry here: (x)

· Wicca is contemporary witchcraft and is one of the fastest-growing religions in the Western world today. (x) Wicca spirituality is earth-based enlightenment. Note that not all Witches are Wiccans. (x) I’m not a practitioner myself, but I quite like the idea of being more in tune with yourself and nature. You can take a test here if you’re curious to see whether Wicca would work for you.

In Iceland, we had what we called Völva (seiðkonur or seiðkarl, depending on the gender) who were seers. Most of their practices were based on herbalism and the use of runes.

For those of you who are curious about Norse Mythology which hasn’t been altered by the likes of Marvel and Hollywood, I recommend reading Völuspá, which literally translates to Prophecy of Völva. It’s the fundamental source for the study of Norse Mythology because it tells the story of the creation of the world to Ragnarök (end of the world). You’ll also have the chance to learn some freaky shit about Loki - like that time he gave birth to a eight-legged horse - and see that he wasn’t really that much of a dick compared to the other gods *cough* Óðinn *cough* - also Þór once gatecrashed a wedding by dressing up as the bride.

Mermaids

· Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drownings. In other folk traditions, they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.

The Little Mermaid (the H.C Andersen version) happened in the Twiverse and that is a fact!

· Sirens! (You thought I could go through an entire post without mentioning Greek Mythology??? Think again!) They were beautiful but dangerous creatures that lured the sailors with their beautiful voices to their doom, causing the ships to crash on the reefs near their island.(x) This connection to the sea is why many confuse them with mermaids when instead they were believed to be a combination of women and birds.(x)

I can totally see them chilling on Greek islands singing their songs and luring horny sailors to their demise.

Miscellaneous

· Huldufólk (hidden people) played a crucial part in Icelandic folklore. They were the spirits of the land and shouldn’t be confused with fairies. Huldufólk wore normal Icelandic clothing and used the power of words to cast spells on people - either blessing or a curse, depending on how they judge the person’s behavior. They lived inside the stones. To prevent any naughty behavior, it’s said that Huldufólk would kidnap infants and replace them with wizened old elves that pretended to be normal children. They would behave like wild brats, kicking and screaming, and nothing but a good beating could bring back the human child.

These oral tales were used to prevent many children from wandering away from human habitations and instilled fear and respect for the harsh powers of nature. (x)(x)

Contrary to popular belief, Icelanders don’t actually believe in the existence of elves, or anything tbh, we just like to mess with foreigners. So if you’re a tourist then “YES, I am a believer in elves. HoW DarE yOU qUeSTioN my FAith! You dare sit on our precious boulders? Tainting the sacred houses of our elves by touching them with your filthy behind!”

· Tröllskessur (mountain trolls) are usually female, hence skessur. Trolls turn into stone if the sunlight hits them and their tales were used to explain the natural phenomena in Icelandic nature, f.ex. a stone caught between two pillars or the outlines of a face on the side of mountains. (x)

Tröllskessur are extinct in my headcanon but I just think it’s nifty if these stories were true in the Twiverse.

· DRAGONS!

Don’t fight me on this!! I have no idea how they would be kept hidden in the Twiverse but they’re out there!

· Spirits (as in the soul) and Yōkai

I’ve watched Spirited Away too many times to leave them out of the Twiverse. They’re probably out there chilling somewhere in a Supernatural Spa Resort…

This was a fun question to answer, anon! Thank you for sticking with me to the end of this post! The sleep deprivation got to me in the end… ಥ∀ಥ

#THIS TOOK ME WEEKS I AM SO SORRY!#anon #ask #the twilight saga #my headcanon #mythology #my answer

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twh-news · 7 years

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The Frustrating Perfection of Tom Hiddleston | Bustle

Tom Hiddleston likes to eat dessert before lunch. I know this because I've just watched him finish a piece of chocolate cake before diving into a plate of chicken and vegetables. We're sitting in a makeshift room — composed of heavy fabric walls, a couch big enough for two, and a short table that holds his meal and "morning sugar rush," as he calls it — inside of a grandiose ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles. Hiddleston's here to promote his latest, Kong: Skull Island, and I'm here to try to uncover a yet-to-be-discovered layer of the man that is Thomas William Hiddleston — beyond his dining preferences.

Because Hiddleston isn't your average actor. Sure — many performers have something unique to offer — but Hiddleston represents something more than his rolodex of impressive performances. He has a ravenous fan-base, recently dated Taylor Swift, could very possibly step into the shoes of James Bond, uses words like "predilection" and "cognoscenti" in casual conversation, and is somehow, despite it all, entirely unfazed. It's an odd cocktail — one that has ignited a maelstrom of media interest, including my own. Because here I sit, a member of the aforementioned press, begging for Hiddleston to drop a seed of wisdom, a charming childhood anecdote, a reference to Swift (yeah, right) or some such pearl that will send readers into a tizzy. But so far all he's done is impress me with his memory.

Upon entering the shoebox of a room (if I can even call it that), he tilts his head to the side and says, "Have we met before?" And we had, actually — very briefly during a group interview promoting the Hank Williams biopic I Saw The Light nearly a year ago. I tell him as much, and he smiles — "yes, that's right," — offering me both a seat on the couch and a slice of chocolate cake.

I politely decline the latter — given my penchant for clumsiness I'd prefer not to interview the British heartthrob with a blouse covered in frosting. He asks me again (Hiddleston is very generous, it seems) and I again, decline. So we settle into the couch and I begin the conversation by relaying a message. Earlier in the day the film's director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, asked me to tell Hiddleston this: "It's only forever." I assume the sentiment is a reference to the lyrics of David Bowie's "Underground," (as any Hiddlestoner knows, the man loves Bowie) yet the actor assures me it's not.

"The thing about making movies is that you're constrained by time and daylight," he tells me. "When you're assembling the jigsaw puzzle with all its intricate pieces you want every piece to be perfect. We are both perfectionists, and when I would ask for another take because I knew it could be better, he would say, 'I think we got it,' and I would say, 'It's only forever.' It became a kind of comradely slogan that was our call to arms every morning."

Vogt-Roberts elaborates later, telling me: "Tom is really frustrating to be around because he’s tall and handsome and knows a lot about everything," the director jokes. "Tom ascribed the right philosophy of 'we’re making this forever.' He’s a total dream for a director because he gives a f*ck. He might care too much at times, but you have no choice but to like completely love him."

The simple sentiment, it's only forever, seems to be more than an on-set mantra for Hiddleston. The Englishman is a perfectionist — this we knew — but he's also, in every way, an intentional man. He chooses his roles carefully, he determines his words with a sense of responsibility, and he aligns himself with people he continues to champion (even if the relationship is no more). "It's only forever," may be, in Hiddlespeak, his own version of YOLO.

"It's such an honor to be making a Kong film. The character has been around for almost 100 years. I wanted to contribute to the legacy in a meaningful way, and knowing that it's forever is a very motivating force to get you out of bed and to do your best."

Hiddleston simply wants to put his best foot forward at all times, and being the best requires dedication, precision, research, and patience. It's part of the reason he took it upon himself to help craft his Kong character, Captain James Conrad, into something he's proud of.

"Part of the satisfaction I get from the job is cobbling together strands of academic research, ideas I've had while I'm running around the park..." he says. "The character that was presented to me was an adventurer, a tracker, and a hero. He was someone with a previous military history."

With these details in mind, Hiddleston went to work. "I got to build the idea that he was a British SAS, he was a specialist in reconnaissance and the recovery of lost soldiers," he says, rubbing the short stubble around his chin. "I did some research into a jungle warfare school in Malaya with the British Army where they trained soldiers, the SAS — the Special Air Service — who are the most highly trained Special Forces unit of the British Army."

At this point in our conversation I do the unthinkable: I interrupt Tom Hiddleston. You see, I'm in the middle of reading a book titled The Complete SAS Survival Manual, a handbook published by a former member of the SAS, and this seems like too much of a strange coincidence not to mention.

Hiddleston is thrilled to hear of our shared interest, and recommends another book to me — The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. ("I believe it's something of an American classic.") — but when I ask how he'd fare in his character's uncertain situation, an uncharted jungle in the middle of nowhere, he just laughs.

"I am not like him," he says, full stop. "When I watch documentaries about the indigenous tribes of the Amazon or read stories about the first western explorers of the Amazon base… I’d be dead in a day," he admits. "I mean, OK, I’m getting better."

He references The Tracker, saying: "Tom Brown grew up in the Pine Balms of New Jersey. His best friend was Native American, and [his friend's] father was a tracker," he says, then describes this outlandish activity Brown would attempt: "They used to call it 'bear smacking.' The tradition was to get close to a wild bear, smack it on its bum, and run away before you got eaten."

At this point I consider interrupting Hiddleston for a second time, not to deliver any personal "bear smacking" anecdotes, but to get our conversation back on track. (Every passing minute is precious, after all.) But, I remind myself that this is Loki I'm talking to, and if the God of Mischief wants to muse upon slapping a bear on the bum, then by God I'm not going to stop him. Luckily, Hiddleston has a point.

"Tom Brown was trained by this tracker in essentially living in complete harmony with nature — surviving off the land, understanding the behavior of wild dogs — I think something about that is appealing," he says. "I’m not very good at that, but I think it’s information that 100-200 years ago all of us would have understood more deeply because it would be handed down. Our connection to nature was more alive before people became inhabitants of urban cities."

Hiddleston, who was born in London and attended both Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, does not appear, at first glance, to be someone who has spent much time in the often unpredictable outdoors. But that's where I'm wrong.

"I feel like I need to get into nature every day, and I go slightly mad if I don’t. I love running in the rain," the 36-year-old admits. "A healthy connection to nature makes us all more human, not less. As a race we are so overdeveloped. We’ve invented so many new technologies to make our lives easy, but to just recognize on a regular basis that you are flesh and blood, that you are an animal, is a really healthy thing."

Hiddleston sees the importance of constantly connecting with nature, even when he's working. As someone who grew up in the woodsy Pacific Northwest and reads survival manuals in her free time, I appreciate the sentiment.

"I spent a lot of time in Australia last year and on the Gold Coast in Queensland," he says, referencing his time shooting the latest Thor film. "That’s part of the pathways that the humpback whales travel through on their way to The Arctic. From the beach I saw these whales breach. It makes you feel so calm because you know that out there, there are things that are bigger, more ancient, more compassionate, more intelligent than us. It’s a very cool thing."

As an actor who is exceedingly in-demand, it's heartening to hear Hiddleston speak of things bigger than himself. And as our conversation comes to a close, and after I've packed my bag and vacated our small respite, he calls after me. "It's only forever," he says through the cloth wall.

The notion follows me throughout the day. Sure, it sprouted on a film set, but these three words hold a powerful message: Carpe diem, seize the day, live life to it's fullest, etc. Because what you do in this life matters, and Hiddleston knows this; Because people can create real change; Because our time on this planet is limited; Because, let us not forget, it's only forever.

#kong skull island #kong: skull island #tom hiddleston #interview #Article

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