the entire season they've shown sylvie perpetually being okay to just walk away from the fray and getting no consequences whatsoever. which would be ok since she doesn't rlly care about them like loki does. but in the end she just moves on so fast after she watched loki isolate himself and go off JUST to fix her mistake.......

meanwhile mobius is there, frozen in that time, left behind by the person he's an "expert" on not only bc of his job but bc of their friendship, him quitting the job that was his entire life, because loki has left and his previous purpose didn't have loki anymore

it's just fucked up how everyone else got their happy endings (good for them) except for loki and mobius. they're apart, separated once again, looking miserable in their last shots. just like last season.

seriously, if you're going to have a character arc come full circle in terms of fulfilling goals that they'd had in the beginning, do it like Loki, not like Our Flag Means Death.

Loki fought the whole season to prevent the inevitable, but then acknowledged that his wants were ultimately selfish even though the motivation was altruistic. He tried absolutely everything he could literally time and time again, trying to save the timelines and the TVA and his friends, and preventing the time war.

He even spent centuries with his friends off screen and there was a significant reason for the time skip! (looking at you, infinity war and endgame! fuck that five year time skip! we knew everything would ultimately stay the same except for the fact that Loki learned theoretical physics and what he needed in order to move the plot along. Fuck, they even just acknowledged there were several times he lived through certain circumstances because of how he acted and what he said in that final attempt at the Mulitplier. They managed to both show and tell in a way that fucking worked for the pacing.

essentially, loki tried so hard to achieve what everyone thought would save them, and when they finally succeeded, it still wasn't enough. and as opposed to choosing between time no longer existing or killing sylvie, he asked people for advice. Everyone essentially said "kill the one to save the many" and we know for damn sure that old Loki would have done just that. He would have killed Sylvie and been done with it.

But he had character growth! he wanted people to have free will! he wanted his friends to be able to choose between life on a timeline or life with the TVA! he didn't want to kill a person he cared about, even if that was the only answer! so he took their opinions and ultimately said "fuck that" and sacrificed himself.

he wanted a throne and a purpose in the very beginning, then he learned he didn't want any of those things - he wanted to be loved! and THEN he realized that he would have to sacrifice that love in order to save existence and the people he cared about. sacrificing those things was the last resort. so he ended up alone. on a throne. burdened with a terrible purpose. but it was for selfless reasons.

now! how am I making this about izzy, you ask? well! season one, izzy was incredibly selfish! but even then, we have the first divergence of character arcs.

Loki spends his first season learning that people deserve free will and sometimes he needs to relinquish control. he learns he needs to trust people.

season one izzy basically doesn't have a character arc! he begins and ends the season wanting blackbeard. then season two comes along and they speedrun his character development in what, two episodes? and half of it happens off-screen between the seasons!

but both loki and izzy learn that what's important to them is community, love, and the freedom for everyone to be who they want to be. where loki fights tooth and nail to hold onto these things before he must sacrifice himself, izzy's choices of self-sacrifice throughout the beginning of the season are motivated by selfharm and suicidal ideation - he believes he deserves punishment for what he has done in the past.

then, Izzy's last choice of making himself the target is less for wanting to die and moreso trying to give the others the chance to live. arguably, this is a step forward in his narrative? idk, putting yourself in the line of fire is still putting yourself in the line of fire, regardless of motivation. but, oop! he doesn't die here, no. he survives the talk with Ricky. huzzah!

however! he dies moments later due to being shot as a result of 1) no one checking to make sure Ricky was disarmed, 2) stede's suicide mission, which was literally the only plan they tried, and 3) even though people in this show can survive falling from the crow's nest onto the deck or being stabbed multiple times through the torso where there actually are important organs, the show wanted to tell us that "people die for real sometimes."

but it doesn't stop there! izzy then refuses any attempts to save him, and then apologizes to his codependent for... being codependent... yet this act of his dying is thus reinforcing that very codependency... and he "wants to die"...

like. if loki could have it any other way (and trust him! he's tried!) he would. he would choose life with his friends and loved ones. but he chose self-sacrifice as a literal last resort because it was the only way.

if given the chance, would the izzy that existed at the end of season two have chosen to live? not only was his death the result of someone else's plan, but it wasn't even a matter of the plan going to shit and THEN izzy sacrifices himself. no, his death was simply a byproduct of the plan going to shit. and then it was turned into a metaphor for the very character he was codependent on.

loki's motivations changed, he fought for any and every other possibility, but his end result was ironically what he had sought in the very beginning. it is tragic and beautiful.

izzy's motivations changed, but he never tried to keep what he had. he never forgave himself. he forgave literally everyone except for himself. he reverted right back to being willing to die for blackbeard. it isn't even tragic, it's just poorly written.

Okay Loki thoughts on the season two finale specifically because I watched the season too spread out to remember enough details from the other episodes. And I need to get these thoughts out!!!

So my thoughts kind of go into two “categories” as we’ll call ‘em. The first is more about the actual plot and stuff of the episode, and the second is the cinematography (idk another word for it) aka just how the show was shot and like vague analysis from someone who doesn’t know all that much about this subject lol. But anyway, this season finale was absolutely fantastic. Having waited like a literal month or so to watch it I did get spoiled for the ending, BUT it was vague enough that I really had no idea what would happen or what it meant, so I wasn’t really sucked out of the viewing experience and was just as excited. Also as I’m writing this I’m just now realizing they started and ended this show with an episode titled “Glorious Purpose” holy shit. Mm. The way this show has depicted Loki’s character arc from someone who was certain he was destined for greatness that he had to force others to let him have to then becoming someone who really just wanted a simple office life surrounded by his friends, but ultimately chose to sacrifice his greatest want just for the overall greater good of everybody??? Ugh??? Anyway back to the episode itself. So, the section when Loki keeps time slipping back and back and back to try and get everything to work perfectly, the mounting desperation in his actions just becomes more and more apparent. I mean, he was pretty desperate when he started, but you have to be REALLY really desperate to spend 100 years learning complicated ass science and math. And then there’s also the fact that before the century of learning (which btw where did he even go???), he had to experience failure over and over again, countless times that we definitely didn’t see. And i know he’s experienced failure before but this is definitely different right? This isn’t failure for a purely selfish goal, this is failure of a goal to save everyone that also happens to be a bit selfish. AND Timely does over and over which cannot be nice to see/hear.

And then ya know as the episode goes on the desperate acts just continue as he goes to try to stop Sylvia from killing He Who Remains, and may I just say this scene was pretty fucking interesting actually?? Like not just the fact that Loki apparently learns to pause time but just the conversation that they have, the way that Loki here’s all these points of views, all these different things of people saying what should be done, what exactly is the bigger picture all that. And then he makes a conclusion of his own. He takes He Who Remains’s points about the inevitability of it all, Sylvie’s arguments that every timeline should get to exist and have a fighting chance, and also just the fact that he wants his friends to stay alive, he’s like okay well. If this is what’s wrong, and this is what I need to have done for everybody to be safe, then I need to do something that benefits everybody even if it means I don’t necessarily benefit. Which then leads me to his talk with Season 1 Mobius. And the fact that he literally becomes this essentially all powerful god that sits on a throne and literally is the fucking tree of life from Norse mythology. Don’t even look at me I need a minute.

And don’t even get me fucking started on Mobius in this episode oh my god. He’s getting his own paragraph. Like dude!!! My man was the only one to say something every time Loki would go back to rush the whole fixing the time loop scenario, and then when Loki is faced with this ultimatum of killing Sylvie or letting HWR dies and leading to the destruction of the TVA, what does he do? He fucking goes and talks to Mobius oh my god??? He asks Mobius for advice, and he completely takes that shit to heart. I actually have way more thoughts on this specific scene but that’ll be for another time this is already suuuper long. But anyway yeah like Mobius was just fucking wonderful this episode. Skipping to the end because honestly that’s where the heartbreak is, I a hundred percent agree with others about Mobius getting on the timeline so Loki can see him. He was so adamant about not seeing what his life could’ve been like I don’t think just because the branches were saved he would’ve been like “ya know what maybe I do wanna see it!” Like no I’m sorry. And also i dunno if this is necessarily how it works but he went to a timeline that already HAD a Mobius. So that wasn’t even his timeline. Or maybe it was I’m honestly not sure but ANYWAY. The way the rest of that scene plays out where there’s just so much space beside him, the close up of his face against this bright blue background like it MEANS something I know it does. It’s giving foreshadowing ya know? I might just be blowing smoke though. I just think it’s interesting that THIS is what Mobius decides to do. “Let time pass”, in a timeline where one of him already exists. There’s gotta be more to it right? Is he gonna try to get to Loki somehow? Is he just gonna hop around but stay where he knows Loki will be able to easily see him? God I hope so.

I think we’ll end it there if any of this made any sense then congrats and also I’m sorry 😭. If I post further thoughts I promise to make them more coherent and less rambly.

I find it hilarious and honestly sad how a lot of people claim marvel is trying to give woman representation in superhero movies while they mishandle their main female characters so much. They constructed such amazing wanda motivations in wandavision with a whole backstory just to ignore and take the most surface level thing from the description and make it her entire character in multiverse of madness( and im ok with villain and mad with power wanda it makes sense but not in the way it was presented like when you know the people didnt watch wandavision everything makes sense). Loki season 2 has two other examples unfortunally: Sylvie and Ravonna. Sylvie was such an important and well contructed character in season 1 she challenged Loki and others to change the status quo. In this season she saw the consequences and yet my girl was not proposing a alternative she was basically set in the same plan that was not working. She had 1 choice right that was not kill Victor Timely because she feel he could change and not become he who remains why isnt she fighting for the change she wants when she was warned again and again that without anything no tva or alternative everyone dies. Girl if you wanna die that is your issue dont drag the rest of the multiverse with you and speak for zillion of people i though not letting people die was the whole motive for this. She was NOT the voice of reason in season 2 like she was in season 1. Like you can not put me on her side this time with what she is saying and honestly i dont think you should be trying to do that at all. She shouldnt be. Maybe it was better if she wasnt in most of season 2 and have the life she always wanted to have i think she could do way better than spend most of her time on mcdonalds now she could actually form relantionships without worrying she was being hunted and just come back in the last episodes and then we end uo with the "should i kill you?". Also the fact she move on could help make the case of loki dont want to move on and dont want his friends to like they were trying to push with one of their last conversations when clearly he was trying to save the multiverse. Honestly by the amount of time they gave her and the way she was thinking since the beginning you would guess she would arrive in the conclusion Loki had and be the one to sacrifice herself( the scenes of her working at mcdonalds her car and being atormented at the music store dont make a case that you are too happy to give your life for the better quite the opposite) but since it was about Loki and he couldnt be free to mess up with the mcu( the irony) she couldnt arrive at this conclusion first so they just stopped her at we cant do this so lets just die until Loki already sacrificed himself.

Im still trying to understand what Ravonna plan was Miss minutes is crazy and i dont care about that but Ravonna is a character that had such potential and she end up not doing anything at all just killing some TVA agents for no gain at all. When i finished season 2 i was sure she was gonna be one of the persons He who remains was talking about his variant. What she expected to do with a He who remains variant without the tva tech why not help Mobius and Loki seriously at the point they were with no more He who remains team up with tva was the best for her she could try twist things later from the inside. Also she was rejected and she got super mad like? People talk a lot about strong woman get crazy but as a trope it makes sense with characters like wanda and Jean Grey because their characters are superpowerful and power demands a price such a ultrapowerful character need a character weakness that is almost as strong as its power. Ravonna payed the price with her humanity like she said so she could control everything with order but then she barks in mad when that should be the moment we saw her control her coldness Loki Sylvie and honestly everyone at the Tva are now emocional shaken with reason of course but she claims its not her way. She was suppose to be the one claiming she does the tough choices like He who remains her invading the TVA was basically because she doesn't like loki and friends so she wanted to antagonize them completely emotional. Just as Sylvie she didnt have a solution she was just a obstacle without much to add. Such a waste. Maybe is because she is so dependent on Miss minutes and the TVA tech to do anything maybe she could had awaken some power she had before not like loki/He who remains but similar something that at the time helped He who remains at the war or something that made her more powerful so at least she would be a bigger difficult when they met.

Tom hiddleston his Loki and Ke Huy Quan delivering so much and B15(Wunmi Mosaku) finally having her sweet moments unfortunally couldnt shake the bittersweet sensation of more than 2 episodes with Sylvie and Ravenna being so pointless and underwhelming and honestly kinda stupid.( i didnt even need to mention a lack of inteligence in the end of the fightbetween these 2 they could had made it make sense somehow)

Time Travel Stony Fanfic

Character from the Future travels to the Past 

A Shadow Hanging Over Our Fate by CaptainDean13

Summary: The Avengers get sent back in time to WWII where they run into the Howling Commandos... complete with Bucky and Steve. Little hard to explain that away, especially when you are trying to keep some major secrets. Secrets like how you ended up in the future and why the hell Bucky is now a scary (reformed) assassin with a metal arm, not to mention that you married your friend's son.

Note: A 1000/10 READ. THIS IS SO FREAKIN’ GOOD THAT I READ IT 3 TIMES SINCE I FIRST FOUND IT LAST YEAR. It’s a nice and well written time travel fic with the howling commandos and past Steve and Bucky!!

A New Way For Us by ann2who

Summary: They fight Thanos—and they’re losing. And before Tony knows what’s happening, he’s standing with Doctor Strange in front of the Eye of Agamotto and gets send back in time. Can he find a way to fix things this time around, or are they doomed to fall apart all over again?

Note: This is where Tony went back in time to fix everything that went wrong and prepare for the arrival of Thanos! Due to an unexpected twist of fate, he found himself getting closer to Steve of all people!  

Two More Miracles (To Be A Saint) by queenpenthesilea

Summary: “Get up, Stark, you sleep too much. You said you would teach me paper football.”

Tony’s eyes snapped open. No. No. Had it all been a dream? Had he just imagined five years – five years - of an idyllic life, complete with a beautiful, wonderful daughter? He pushed himself up, looking around; he was on the Milano – he was on the fucking Milano, and either this was a really weird version of hell or everything had been a dream. Or, a little voice whispered, something had gone horribly, horribly wrong with the infinity stones.

Note: A nice and juicy post-Endgame Time Travel fanfic!! Though, this one held a few what ifs. 

Saving the World is a 12 Step Program by janonny

Summary: Tony and Steve fall to pieces when Thanos’ wins.

Then they pick themselves up, and find a solution. They also find something infinitely more precious in the process.

-

“It’s going to sound pretty outrageous,” Tony admitted, rubbing a hand over his brow. While he had put on some weight and wasn’t as gaunt anymore, he was still easily tired nowadays.

“More outrageous than talking racoons and a purple villain traveling through space to collect magic stones?” Steve asked drily.

Note: This is another post-Endgame fanfic but with a twist and different take on the whole time travel!

Oh, Snap by wedelia

Summary: Peter wakes up, and he’s simultaneously five years too early and right on time.

Or, Post-Endgame Peter goes back in time and accidentally-on-purpose gets Steve and Tony together before the initial snap happens. And, oh, yeah—he also recruits a former-Air-Force-pilot-turned-galactic-hero, has lunch with Black Widow, and somehow befriends Nick Fury. This changes things.

Note: It’s Peter who time travels this time around!!

If We Never Got This Second Chance by Pookaseraph

Summary: When Tony and Steve’s son from the future, Jake Jensen, arrives at Avenger’s Tower, the two of them are forced to confront some hard truths: Tony that he might not actually become a horrible father, and Steve that he might not be able to set aside his discomfort with sharing a child with another man. When they both get a second chance at a first try at fatherhood, it’s up to the two of them to learn from their own future's past.

Note: Anyone up for some future son time travel? Enjoy this nicely written fanfic of Stony’s future son traveling and meeting the past versions of his parents! Past versions that are not even together yet! Things are about to get weird for Steve and Tony. 

Your Name on Every Wall by Sineala

Summary: The Time Gem throws Steve into the past rather than the future, and in doing so, it gives him the opportunity to undo his past mistakes. But when it turns out that all of his mistakes involve Tony Stark, Steve begins to wonder if he's ever going to be able to mend things between them.

Note: A unique plot where Steve travels to the future and realizes what he is missing on!

Together, At Dawn by RoseGoldAmpersand

Summary: Steve returns the Infinity Stones to New York and finds himself in conversation with Tony of the past. More mature and willing to listen to Tony he realises that what he previously thought were taunts was actually Tony flirting with him.

In light of this new discovery and alone in Tony’s workshop after the battle of New York, one thing leads to another...

Note: ohhhhh, some juicy smut anyone?

  Don't Look Back, You Can Never Look Back. by iL0Vsuperman

Summary: Tony Stark: billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and, now, superhero.

It’d only been a few months prior that he’d revealed to the world he was Iron Man and life couldn’t be better.

That is…until he stumbled upon an old abandoned Hydra lab and kinda set off one of their machines by accident. A blast of blue light later and he found himself in the same lab…only it is seventy years earlier and it is full of Hydra agents.

Cue the entrance of the Howling Commandos led by Tony’s childhood hero, Captain America.

Suddenly, Tony is living out a dream. He’s joining up with the Commandos in the search to get Tony back to his right era. It’s the adventure of a lifetime and, at first, it’s amazing…but then he and Steve connect in ways more than just friendship and he finds that he is torn between wanting to stay with him or go back home.

In the end, whatever the result, he loses.

Note: Tony meets his childhood heroes-the Howling Commandos and Captain America! 

The Future is Yet in Your Power by FestiveFerret

Summary: "Now." Wong leaned back in his chair. "What would you do to save this world from Thanos' attack? What would you sacrifice?"

"Anything," Steve said. "Anything at all."

Wong considered him for a moment, expression unreadable. "There's one thing, maybe."

Note: This is nice fanfic about Steve putting everything on the line to hopefully make a change. 

The Good or Bad Thing by petreparkour for SeetheSea

summary: “It’s the metal suit,” Thor informed Steve, his normally-booming voice tinny over the SHIELD comms. “What did Stark call it—Iron Man?”

“But he’s down here,” Steve protested as the Hulk roared in Stark’s face, startling him into waking with a shout. “How could—”“It’s damaged,” Thor reported. “But it looks different. More advanced. And he—ah. He’s carrying you, Captain.”

“Please tell me nobody kissed me,” Stark breathed out, and then Stark’s voice suddenly came over the comms, but the man lying next to him hadn’t moved.“

Guys, come on, you’re killing me here. What is it, 2012? God, I hate time travel. First, I'm fighting Thanos. Now, I have to deal with my past self and Thor's bad haircut? Oh my God, Cap, yes I hacked their comms, they’re my comms.”

Steve nearly opened his mouth to protest that he hadn’t said anything when he realized that this replica of Tony Stark wasn’t speaking to him.

Note: Future Tony and Steve accidentally traveling in the past!

  Character from the Past travels to the Future

hold the things you wanna say by SailorChibi

Summary: Tony is still a consultant, and between SI, the team and SHIELD he's overworked and exhausted. That's okay.

He and Steve have been having sex for weeks but that's all it is, just sex, and Tony wants more but he'll never get it and that's okay. Really.

What's not okay is the fact that Howard Stark has somehow appeared in the future and is the same as always.

This is definitely going to fuck up his schedule.

Note: ANGST! READY YOUR TISSUES.

Twice Upon a Time by TsaritsaElena

Summary: Tony Stark has never had an easy relationship with his father, but when Howard Stark circa 1983 time travels to the future in a freak accident, things get even more complicated, especially since Tony is dating his dad’s idol, Captain America, and Howard doesn’t know. As they work toward a solution that will restore Howard to his own timeline, will Tony get a second chance at a father-son relationship with his dad, or is he in for more of the same unforgiving treatment from Howard? Time travel, Avengers missions, and a secret project of Howard’s: things at Stark Tower are about to get a little crazy.

Note: SOME MORE ANGST AND HOWARD TRAVELLING TO THE FUTURE. 

The Future Is Ours (Whether We Want It Or Not) by ann2who

Summary: After a hit from the Time Stone, Steve switches places with his future self.

Note: Another of Steve traveling to the future! Though this time, it features both timeline! Both POV of the past and future! 

Ordinary Men by RiaRose

Summary: "Aren't you at all happy to see me?" Howard shot back, holding his glass out and pointing with his index finger. At Steve's stony face, he dropped his arm. "Want a glass?" he tried, picking up an empty tumbler, "This is good stuff."

"Tony doesn't skimp on - well - anything. And no, thank you."

"Was that Tony?" he queried, gesturing toward the hallway the other man had disappeared down. Steve nodded but didn't give any more information, so Howard repeated his earlier question, "Aren't you happy to see me?"

It took Steve a moment to answer. Howard could see his jaw working. 

"No, not anymore."

OR

In which Howard travels to the future and just messes up everybody's day, Steve is conflicted, and Tony is a piping hot mess, as per usual. It's not going to be easy, but Steve and Tony have to somehow navigate through Howard's arrival and the strain it puts on their relationship.

Note: From the summary alone, you can tell that THIS WILL BE ANGSTY. 

To Have My Time Again... by WilmaKins

Summary: It's been two years since Siberia, and Tony Stark is still dealing with the fallout - personal and political. Life is quite complicated enough, without Bruce falling through a wizards roof yelling that Thanos is coming.

Thor and Loki are stalling, but time is running out. The fate of the universe is at stake. Steve Rogers is back in the picture. Really, the last thing Tony needs is for their plan to go horribly wrong and bring Howard Stark forward in time.

But his Dad *is* standing in his office, whether he likes it or not.

So, it looks like Tony will have to fix that mess too.

Note: There is just something about Howard-travels-to-the-future fanfics. 

Howard Stark Meets The Avengers by SerlinaBlack

Summary: Howard Stark unknowingly travels to the future with his son and wife. Luckily the heroes of the future were somewhat ready for it. Unluckily , they don't seem to like him very much

Alternative summery: when will Howard learn? Not now lmao.

Note: ANOTHER ONE.

Into The Thick of It (1)

Loki x Female Reader

Chapter 1: The Cult

Series Summary: Her work as an agriculturist nearly takes the readers life is not for a stranger (and his weird looking dog) who later turns out to be the God of Mischief. Thrown into a completely different realm, you want to figure out a way home while trying to stay out of the way of this literal God. But fate has its own plans for the two of you.

Written for @tarithenurse and her #Taris1Kchallenge

Warnings: torture, sacrifice, undertones of rape

Word Count: I am on a break. It feels good to just breathe without dreading the rest of the day. Why is work so punishing?

MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)

One single machine whirrs in this dull laundromat. The light above you flickers at intervals so regular you have already made a beat out of it. The only other sound distracting enough is some old music playing on the radio at the front desk where no one sits at this hour. And that fan that seems to be breathing its last over your head. "Yeah, it's unbelievably quiet here," you mentioned in a soft tone before looking around the empty space. "I guess I'm glad I only had to stop for three days here." "What? Are you not going to explore this place?" your friend, Zaira's voice crackles through the phone. You shrug despite knowing she cannot see you. "I don't know, Zai, this place gives me the creeps for some reason. I am only hanging around here because Prashant wants to revise the reports I sent him of the soil composition before he gives me a green light to leave this place." "Damn! That bad?" "Oh! You have no idea!" You look around once again. The front desk guy has just come back in his old Chevrolet and the clock has struck nine. "Zai," you whisper in the lowest tone possible, watching the man whistle as he gets out of his car without closing the door, "there are no kids in this village-slash-town." He walks to the back to open the trunk of his car, whistling a somewhat familiar tune. "That's...not haunting at all!" Zaira's sarcasm can be heard in her surprised tone. "Well, what's more haunting is the fact that the youngest person here is an eighteen-year-old boy who keeps showing up anywhere I go and keeps staring at me funny." The man shuts the hood with a loud thump and you can see a fresh bundle of store-bought rope, a baseball bat, a bottle of some chemical-probably for cleaning- and a pair of rubber gloves as he starts walking to the entrance. "Allah-" Zaira takes the Lord's name in surprise- "no wonder they have The Sacrifice playing somewhere there." The man sets everything on the front desk, still whistling the same tune, which you now come to realise is the song that is currently playing on the radio. "The...the what?"

"The thing playing in your background," Zaira comments, "it's playing on a two strong instrument with a looping chorus. It's a pagan ritual song that is sung by some orthodox communities that still present a sacrifice to their pagan gods. We learned this in the summer session for cult studies, boo. Oh, wait. You were back home that time. The chorus basically says 'here's your sacrifice, now pay my dues'." Not a word of what Zaira said is heard after the pagan ritual song because suddenly all the materials resting on the front desk are making sense. So is the creak of the back door that opens to let the only teenager of the town in. Your body is frozen in place, your mind has gone blank. One moment you are running for the exit. And the next, you are lying on the floor with the two men hovering over you while the song calling for your sacrifice slowly fades away. . It is the discomfort from the heat that wakes you up. The sweat and stickiness all over your body slowly registers in your brain that alerts of a throbbing ache at the back of your head with a bang. Everything is a blur for a few moments; till the lights morph into fire beacons and the sun transforms into a bonfire, the figures moving around you become humans with faces smeared in blood. Your clammy skin shines in the light of the bonfire, your hair sticking to any part of you. Tears are rolling down the edge of your eyes while your brain is registering this new pain altogether from the gag in your mouth. You try to move your hand to touch your skull where it hurts, but are unable to do so. My hands...I can't move them. Your dizzy brain gives your body the command again but in vain. "She's awake!" a raspy voice pierces through the air.  And within a speck of a second, all the memories start rushing in. Y/N? Hello? Babe, can you hear me? Adrenaline shoots up in your system and your senses are heightened. The smell of kerosene is heavy in the air along with the crippling stench of burning flesh. You have been bound to a pole with your hands behind you, the bonfire in front of you, the forest surrounding you from every corner and the moonless sky on top of you. The faces in the fire are all familiar. The residents of this town, all staring at you while you struggle to get out of the ropes cutting through your skin, stop their movement to pick up the bowls kept in front of them and drink its contents. Your cries are muffled; partly because of the gag and partly because of the sobs that want to escape your throat just like your tears. Your already broken body jumps when the oldest woman in the group starts shouting phrases in a language unknown to you. And just as she begins, everyone around her takes out a dagger and starts moving in your direction. Your heartbeat seems to drop for a moment. They can see the horror in your eyes. But that does not stop their moments. The woman's chants grow heavier as her hand moments grow more vigorous. The youngest of them all skips a step or two to straight away jump on the platform where you are kept on display. He looks around once and turns to you to move your sweat laden hair strands away from your face. His pale fingers are cold, almost icy to the touch. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," he whispers close to your ears. Your sobs turn to sniffs to hear his words and look into his eyes. Those grey irises are trying to dig straight into your soul. "Trust me." Your instinct- which has never been wrong in your life- is already moving your leg to bend the knee and get his balls. And you do. Watching him writhe in pain for one long satisfying moment as he curses you from heaven to hell. But he gets back up, with the eyes of a madman ready to kill. You are crying out still, for anyone who will listen, in heaven or hell, as he takes you by your throat. The venom in his hold is enough to take your life. "The only way out-" he says close to your face- "is through, you cunt." One last prayer comes out of you as a whimper before you wait for his dagger to meet you.  In the next heartbeat, everything turns white. . Everything is blinded by a white light. It does seem to be the end. Why did I have to die like this dammit?! A Buzzfeed Unsolved episode?! But something does not sit right.  The white light should be the end, right? Then why can feel something wet under my h- Before you realise you are tumbling down the steepness of the forest. Your body can feel every rock and every pebble on the way down the seemingly endless slope. It seems like a long while when your limbs finally skid on flat rocky terrain, bringing the ringing pain to a halt before it can bounce all over your body a bit louder in the deafening silence. The first thing your senses do is look for any sign of danger around you. The forest is dark. And apparently different than the one you were in before. The trees are taller and with trunks that would not fit in your hugs. You cannot see their ends in the sky from where you lay. Not weird at all. The silence too sends your wounded heart into an anxious stir. Not even the cicadas speak here. Am I...dead? Now that definitely stirs something out there. A twig breaks in the distance. You pause your breath and shush your racing heart. A soft rustle of leaves can be heard somewhere that lets your sweat run cold all over the body. It is hard to breathe through the gag as it is, and you are standing nowhere near a hiding spot, making your basic instincts run wild with any shadow you see in this treacherous night. So all you do is stand as still as a trembling mouse and wait. And that wait isn't long. Call it nature's mysterious ways or just a random event happening at the right time, a cool breeze stirs the air for the first time in this place. From where you stand, the breeze hits your back, tickling those sweat beads on the nape of your neck before letting you smell the odour of blood it carries with it. All the neurons inside you make you turn around and face a familiar figure emerging from the shadows with a dagger in his hand. The basic instincts inside you are already making your body break into a run in the opposite direction. The rush of the flight instinct is overpowering all the injuries and you forget for a second that your hands are still tied behind you as you speed straight ahead. But that devil of a man is fast. He has already closed the distance and his hands are grabbing your hair, pushing you both to the ground. He presses you down with his body, not giving you any room to get up or free your limbs. But he does untie your gag before turning you around and holding your neck in a choke-hold. "Please, please, please..." Nothing else is coming out of you at this point; except for hot tears streaming down the side of your face.  "Well," the bastard sighs, pressing down his pelvis on your abdomen while having the audacity to smirk when looking down at you, "we had to sacrifice a virgin. But surely it's going to work the same if I put that mouth to work." The dread of his words does not set in till his free hand reaches for the button on his pants to undo it. The more you try to push away from him, the tighter he grips your throat. Oh, Gods! Just let me die instead. He is halfway undoing his zipper when a sound cracks through the air. It almost sounds like a very quiet motor either just starting or just stopping. And the closer it gets, it starts taking the shape of a growl coming from the throat of an animal. The man is distracted now; looking for the source of the sound. Loosening his grip a bit, he turns around to let his vision get as far in the dark as it could to look for anything out of the ordinary. And while he is busy, it is you who notices its presence and choose not to make a sound. The man turns around to look right into red eyes gleaming at him from a distance of three inches, sending him jumping up and crawling back on the ground as far away from you as possible. Huge white canines visible even in this darkness are on display as this four-legged creature growls in your captor's direction. A twisted horn rests majestically on each side of its head. Paws as huge as a lion's, but claws twice as big and dark as the night are resting on either side of your shoulder. The fur seems dark and dense except for where pointed bones are protruding out on its back. The growl revving in this creature's throat is enough for the predator to crawl back further with his heart stuck in his throat. And before he can figure out what demonic hell this creature had walked out from, he comes to discover another wave of fear when he sees a shadow behind it in between two trees. That shadow seems human. Human enough at the very least until he thought he was hallucinating that figure with gleaming green eyes. "Wh-who's there?!" the man's voice starts in a scream ends up in a squeak. "Get that ugly dog away from here!" The 'ugly dog' shifts from your side to take a few steps towards the bastard, metaphorically pinning him in between the roots of the trees he was sweating in. "Hey!" he shouted again at the shadow, "can't you hear me?!" You sit up, watching the creature slowly ready itself for attack mode. Turning around, you too are able to see a figure. It looks tall and is evidently clad in something heavy. Is that a sword in his hand? But that sword is not as concerning as those illuminated green pupils. "You son of a bitch! Get the fuck out of here before I stab you and your filthy farm ani-" "Rífa hann í sundur," is all you hear in a low hum from that figure's end one second. The next, there are growls and blood-curdling screams emerging from behind you; haunting enough to make you jump and curl up where you sit but never move your eyes away from that shadow that still stands as still as a rock. Tears still fall from your eyes; your legs pulled as close to your chest as possible. The screams continue to come out for a long time...long enough for you to notice a snowflake fall on your knee. More snowflakes come after the first one. And once the screams die down, you feel something brush your hands, almost making your heart fall out, only to realise that creature standing right behind you nudging at your ropes to gnaw your hands out of them. The adrenaline rush has diluted now. The pain and exhaustion that comes with it now lie heavy in your bones. Your eyes cannot take it anymore. But they still want to see that figure which now takes the liberty to walk out of the shadows underneath the clear light of the nearest moon. Your body is ready to fall but the creature provides some support to your lifeless limbs. Its fur feels so good on your cheeks. And that pale face coming to a stop in front of you feels almost angelic. Those green eyes are looking at you with both concern and judgment but what your brain registers first is the moonlight falling on those otherworldly cheekbones framed with clean braids. You want to keep looking at that face for a few more minutes. But there is only so much your wounded body can take before everything is a blur. . You have already hit deep slumber when the God comes to stand before you. He gets down on his knees to get a close look at your face buried in the hound's face.  "What do you think she's doing here, Agni?" Agni huffs and shifts enough to let the God have a better look at the face marred with wounds and bruises. A face that still looks so serene after putting up such a fight. The long pale fingers move those few strands of hair away that are blocking your features under the light of the moons. Calculations have already been done in that mind. What's left is to figure out whether to leave you here in the depth of the endless garden or... "Agni-" that voice commands with zero emotions, still studying your features- "call out for help. We are taking this one back to the camp."

Loki x Reader: Apocalypse ch 2

Loki's POV chapter, I'll do 2 cus it's so short. Oh I'm gonna regret this. I'll do the next one tomorrow

rebel4fandom

-

Loki knelt before Odin, his teeth grit angrily, his thoughts racing. He risked a glance up at the throne, his eyes flickering from his so-called father to Frigga. His jaw clenched tighter.

They would pull him from the dregs of space, revive him, nurse him back to health, and now call upon him once more for punishment.

Finally unable to take the silence anymore Loki stood up, removing his crossed arm from his heart. “What?” Loki snarled. “What charade am I playing this time?”

Odin blinked.

Frigga tilted her head softly and touched her hand to her mouth. “Loki, my son.”

Loki shot her an angry look, though it did not hold. He quickly turned from her and looked back to Odin.

“We have all been given a second chance it seems, even Asgard, thanks to the working of Thor and his mortal friends, through the power of the Infinity stones. A source of power older than the universe itself.”

“Yes, the Aether, the reality stone, something you spoke about so many times.”

“Hold your tongue!”

Loki rolled his eyes, “You rescue me from the dredges of space, you nurse me back to health, and now you call me before you as a judge for some sort of charade, why?” Loki spat venomously.

“To teach you humility, boy!” Odin roared.

Loki blinked, though he held his ground, instead tilting his head. “I know humility.” He whispered.

Odin ignored him, “Thor learned humility when I banished him to Midgard. Perhaps you will learn the same.”

Loki groaned. “Honestly, is this necessary? After everything I’ve been through, even Thor. He’s going to think I faked my death somehow if he sees me.”

“Well that will be for you to explain. I wanted to have you locked away in the dungeons. I meant as I said, you bring ruin and death where you go, I will have that no more, I will strip you of your powers.”

“How can you do that? Mother taught me what I know.” Loki crossed his arms.

“Hah!” Odin barked pointing to two of the guards to grip Loki’s wrists.

Loki tugged loosely at their grips, but they held fast. Unsurprising. There was a noise behind him and he twisted his neck and upper body around, shifting the guards with him. It was just another guard. Then something cold and sharp was being pressed into his neck from the front and Loki winced, hissing in pain as he turned once more to the front.

Now he began to really struggle.

A metal cage like collar with vicious spikes digging into his collar bones clasped onto his neck, the other spikes digging into his jaw. It seemed to be made of blue metal and made the process of turning one’s head difficult. It dug into Loki’s leather and metal armor, which offered just enough protection to prevent it from piercing his skin.

Loki tugged wildly, viciously, much like a caged animal, thrashing about at the guards as he kicked and lashed out, fear rampant in his eyes as he tried to free himself. The guards did not even shift. Loki could feel a part of him being locked away, shifted within him into this blue metal lock, both to inflict pain on the wearer, to inhibit the wearer, and to weaken the wearer.

“Release him.” Odin ordered.

Loki fell to his knees, scrambling to step upright. His armor weighed him down and he was grateful that he wore the lighter gear that he wore now than he had when he visited Midgard. Gasping for breath, he reached for his throat. Loki waved his hand, a dagger should appear, fireworks, a flower, anything.

Nothing.

“What have you done to me?” Loki hissed.

“Just as I took the hammer of Thor from your brother, I have done what I can to take your seidr away. When you prove yourself worthy, it will be returned to you.” Odin replied.

Loki tried to touch his throat. “Worthy by your standards.” He snarled.

“Loki…” Frigga began softly, “I did not want you to go mad in the prisons again.”

A single tear fell down Loki’s cheek.

“Asgard is weak, we have no standing army, we have no soldiers. We have no bifrost. The humans need our help. The frost giants have found something to increase their power tenfold, and they have the Casket of Ancient Winters.” Odin explained.

“My rightful kingdom.” Loki spat, still reaching for his throat but barely able to graze it despite his long fingers.

“You are an enemy to them as any Asgardian, you killed their king. They are attacking Midgard, another eternal winter. We cannot assist as we did in the past. Go. You must save the mortals.”

“You wouldn’t even ask Thor to do that unarmed.” Loki muttered.

“You will have your daggers.”

“Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.” Loki shook his head bitterly, then stopped when the spikes dug into his skin. He grit his teeth.

“Thor told the mortals of your heroic sacrifice, you are not an enemy to them. In fact, if you may recall, some of your recovery took place on Midgard.”

“I recall.”

“Then good. Find the source of these frost giants’ power, destroy them, restore your honor, and regain your powers, just as Thor did. Return to us in glory.”

Loki exhaled a soft and sardonic laugh. “I live to serve.”

There was a blast of darkness, and he was flying through the cosmos.

so I wrote most of this...four days ago, and then somehow didn’t get around to finishing it until just now, which feels super weird because after writing this I started getting worried about future episodes again for a variety of reasons, and of course now we’re at T minus 10 minutes? (honestly if I’m somehow late for my own funeral I’m pretty sure no one will be surprised.) but I still wanted to post this to go over some of what I liked so much about episode 4, even if...I am no longer anywhere near as confident as I was a few days ago about where the show might be going. whatever.

***

I’ve done almost nothing for the past day or so except chew over episode 4 some more, partly trying to figure out why I liked it so much when it was broadly very divisive, and I realized that a lot of what I’ve been feeling from this episode is relief.

the thing is I’ve been paranoid since at least Infinity War about Marvel doing setup that looks like it’ll lead to a big payoff and then nothing (Loki’s death, but also Gamora’s and maybe Vision’s, and the general fact that the “fix” to IW was convoluted, took place much later, and caused as many problems as it solved, and just, Endgame in general), so I don’t really trust Marvel that way anymore. plus Marvel has pretty badly fumbled a lot of different things in the past, especially on various social issues, by introducing unfortunate implications that apparently didn’t occur to them even though they’re obvious to literally everyone else...stuff like Thanos’s “sacrifice” of Gamora, or how the Flag-Smashers were portrayed and Karli was a villain for no real reason, or how it would’ve been so easy to add a couple lines in WandaVision that would fix the whole thing where the Maximoffs weren’t just whitewashed but they also voluntarily worked with Nazis and they whiffed that too. 

so, while I’ve been enjoying the show, a lot of that enjoyment has been based on meta I’ve seen and me sort of going “this interpretation is really cool and it makes a lot of sense, but at this point I can’t know if it’s something the showrunners are doing on purpose or if they sorta accidentally implied depth where there wasn’t any and it’s not actually leading anywhere” with things like the TVA being very clearly authoritarian but also supposedly the good guys, Loki being constantly described as an awful person, Loki sometimes being manic or incompetent, etc. etc. etc., along with the similar interpretation of “sure, we fans know all this stuff about how Loki is not an awful person actually, thanks, and the people who arrested him aren’t automatically Good Guys just because they’re in opposition to him but casual viewers--including not-casual-but-not-fannish viewers who should really know better--have not figured any of this out and so the show needs to go out of its way to demonstrate things that are obvious to us” but I wasn’t sure. the second half of episode 1 made me feel pretty good about where the show was headed as far as Loki’s characterization and emotions were concerned, but the more lighthearted aspects of 2 and 3 had me wondering again.

so then what happens in this episode?

the TVA goes fully mask off. the Time-Keepers are in fact fake, the Sacred Timeline by extension is also basically fake, the people who work there are all variants, the ones we know (C-20, B-15, Mobius) show grief and anger over the lives that were stolen from them, Sylvie is arrested as a child who did absolutely nothing wrong (and then put through the same process Loki was in episode 1, which is cool because a lot of it was kinda played for laughs then but showing the same things happening to an innocent child also serves to reframe what happened to Loki as, hmm, not that funny after all maybe!), Renslayer is willing to prune innocent people--friends and coworkers, even--just because they learned too much, all the sinister propaganda WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SINISTER

Loki gets very serious very fast in this episode. he displays a lot of genuine emotion and trauma but he mostly does it in a calculated way that shows just how fast his brain works and how he’s always, always thinking about what other people want/expect from him. (like--even the complaint about too few guards seems to fall into that category, given that he only says it after Mobius insists he must be wanting to make some kind of quip!) his self-image is garbage but through Sylvie he’s starting to maybe work on that. he goes up against multiple armed enemies while completely unarmed and holds his own until he gets a weapon. he pushes back when it matters and doesn’t just accept everything Mobius throws at him. he lies, pretty competently (the fact that Mobius doesn’t believe him is...really not his fault, considering Mobius wouldn’t believe him at first about the truth either, so I’m pretty sure he wasn’t planning to believe anything Loki outright told him), when it actually matters, primarily in what sure seems like an attempt to protect someone he cares about.

and Mobius. says that Loki WAS RIGHT. ABOUT THE TVA. FROM THE BEGINNING!!! I would still love to hear him say explicitly, look, I said a lot of shitty things to you and tossed in some actual physical torture at the end there oops but the vast majority of it was stuff I didn’t really mean and was only saying to get a reaction and/or information and of course it turns out I was wrong about all the TVA stuff, so I want to say for the record that I was wrong about you personally in many different ways and I’m sorry. (which, honestly, would probably be very awkward for both of them because I doubt Loki has much experience receiving genuine apologies.) but I’m mostly okay with it if he doesn’t, because I feel like you were right from the beginning, and by the way you can be whatever you want does a decent job of implying most of that. (...enough for casual viewers to pick up on it? well, I’m not hoping for miracles but sure, probably some of them.)

in other words? all that stuff the casual viewers were missing (not helped by misleading statements from the showrunners), about the TVA so clearly being bad guys, and Loki being a pretty decent person who presents different versions of himself in different situations and also has some shitty coping mechanisms, and the other Loki variant also not being evil just because they were trying to take down the TVA? we were right. that is, in fact, how the showrunners intended all those things to be taken. they didn’t want to come right out with that stuff at first because they wanted to tell a story and have some twists, and the fact that these things were twists for casual viewers is exactly why it was frustrating to a lot of fans, because it felt like obvious things were being misrepresented or overlooked. I still think that’s reasonable, because see above on why Marvel doesn’t necessarily deserve that trust, but at this point I’m a lot more comfortable believing that this specific show more or less knows what it’s doing.

I mean, yeah, there were some cool fan theories that went nowhere, like the whole thing with the broken TemPad, and I agree that was dumb and it’s very annoying that it really was just sloppy writing, but I guess specific things like that just...don’t bother me as much as more systemic, overarching elements like the characterization of Loki and the TVA. and yes, of course I’ll always be annoyed that we’re apparently never going to get explicit confirmation that Loki’s alliance with Thanos was coerced at best. but, you know, what we got isn’t nothing. 

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. CVIII

It was a love story from the very beginning

Another Destiel Separation

(12x23)

Hello my friends and welcome to the last meta from season 13!

I would love to see the script from this episode because I always said they robbed us the goodbye scene between Cas and Dean, but well...

Let's start...

Mary and Bobby, Destiel mirror and the calm before th storm

First, we had a random werewolves hunt. In which we had a little of comedy and a sneak peek to what Jack's training is. Dean says it's a werewolves hunt and let the kid to answer they will need silver bullets. Just like a resident to his doctor in charge.

Team Free Will 2.0 working together with great results, is showing us the calm before the storm.

Jumping now to the scene between Mary and Bobby, we have here another Destiel mirror. With Mary (Dean) and Bobby (Castiel).

They come from different worlds, and once Boby starts to walk in this new universe, with Mary, he begins to embrace it. Just like Castiel did with humanity, asking in season 8 to be a hunter and to stay in Earth with Dean.

BOBBY: (...) Anyways...without an archangel, it's not like we can go back home. And I'm not sure I'd want to. I...I like it here.

We've been robbed: 1

Remember that scene in which Dean shows Sam so much faith on Jack (the faith that he took from Castiel) and thought about retirement? A happy ending? Yeah, let's cry here and struggle with the idea that we've been robbed...

DEAN: Hey, you remember...remember when you asked if we could stop it? All the evil in the world?

SAM: Yeah.

DEAN: If we could...really change things? Well, maybe with Jack, we can.

SAM: Maybe you're right. But then what will we do?

DEAN: Mm. Yeah. This. (Dean holds a beer he has been carrying and Sam looks down at his) A whole lot of this.

But on a beach somewhere, you know?

Can you imagine?

You, me, Cass, toes in the sand, couple of them little umbrella drinks. Matching Hawaiian shirts, obviously. Some hula girls.

SAM (scoffing) You talking about retiring? You?

DEAN: If I knew the world was safe? Hell, yeah. And you know why? 'Cause we freaking earned it, man.

Gif set credit @inacatastrophicmind

Dean thinks in a happy retirement with his brother and Castiel. Because this was in his heart. This was Dean's wish. And this should be his ending. He is the one saying it. They deserved that ending because they freaking earned it. Dean didn't mention Jack, because this is played as a foreshadow in which Jack will have a very important role to keep the world safe as Dean wants: Jack will be the new God.

The scene in which Jack has a nightmare and Dean goes to calm him down, we hear him talk about his own nightmares about people he couldn't save, this shows THE GUILT HERITAGE inside of him, and how this will lead him to say yes to AUMichael.

Jack follows Dean's toxic behavior

Jack goes to avenge Maggie's dead by his own, just like Dean did to face Loki. (Following Dean's toxic bwhat and not his advices).

Then we have Dean shooting at Jack by the back, as a foreshadow of how he will deceive Jack to out him inside the Ma'lak box in season 14.

The manipulative speech Lucifer gives to Jack is a parallel to the one that will give fem!AUMichael to Jack in episode 14x09. The words are similar: talks about power, their difference with humans, their supremacy over humans, and how they should be together to conquer the world because they're family.

The comparison with Star War Anakin, is to place doubts about Jack's future, because everyone knows Anakin turns into the dark side.

But then Sam praying to Jack (just like Dean to Cas) is showing us the faith Sam has on him too.

Jack revails Lucifer's true intentions and true self in a very spectacular show of his powers.

A Sacrifice for family love

Lucifer kidnaps Jack and Sam because he knows about their bond: Sam occupied in this season Lucifer's place as a father. Lucifer knows it and that's why he decided to took them with him and play a sadic game.

How Sam and Jack were willing to give their lives for each other is the same scenario of Dean giving his life and body to AUMichael to save them. Both sacrifies are for Love, FAMILY LOVE. As Michael will tell Sister Jo in 14x02.

The scenes are mixed between the church in which Jack and Sam are deliberating who will do the sacrifice and Dean about to offer his own life like the sword to Michael.

And Jack saying...

JACK: I love you. I love all of you.

Third time we see it int he show (Castiel and Mary in season 12), is telling us that had always been a family love confession. Just like Dean saying yes to Michael.

Gif credit @bennylafitte

Gif credit @hallowedbecastiel

We've been robbed: 2

The scene in which Dean starts saying he is Michael's sword, is short but very meaningful. Castiel flicks his eyes to him surprised about the offer Dean is making to that monster. He tries to stop him but Dean feels he is trapped and he has to make that sacrifice for Jack and Sam.

The fandom were heartbroken by then about Castiel's feelings, and maybe writers should make it even more noticeable in the script: I'm talking about the fact that Castiel's fall was because he fought against Heaven's Orders, that implied DEAN SAYING YES TO MICHAEL. It means, he went against destiny and embraced free will, following Dean and looking at him as a role model.

He was really angry when Dean almost say yes in season 5, if you remember that scene, Castiel literally kicked Dean's ass.

But this Castiel is different from that one in season 5. He is against that decision but even so, he remains quiet, to a side, watching the man he loves and the one for who he left everything he was for millennials, being snatched by Michael from his side.

When Michael takes control of Dean's body, Castiel can sense it, because they're bonded.

But you know, I still feel there was a scene missing: the one in which Dean says goodbye to Cas. (And I really thought there would be a kiss scene erased there... I explained this here.)

This was another lovers separation, my friends... Sighs...

To Conclude

The last episode from this season was messy and sometimes confusing. It was written by Dabb, and he tends to do that.

In the middle of the messy plot, we can talk about Destiel parallel (Mary and Bobby)

Jack mirroring Dean's toxic behavior and another lovers separation.

Hope you liked this meta, see you in the next one!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-d @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@destielle @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @2musiclover2 @madronasky @anon-non2 @cea1996 @lisafu02 @asphodelesauvage @deancasgirl777

If you want to be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you wanna read the previous metas from this season here you have the links:

XCIII, XCIV, XCV, XCVI, XCVII, XCVIII, XCIX, C, CI, CII, CIII, CIV, CV, CVI.

Reader would like to apologize for the decision Steve Rogers is about to make. No smut just sadness.

Small Time Witch (24)

F I V E Y E A R S L A T E R....

.....And so far you’ve survived. Your days are not without moments of melancholy. Your thoughts meander back to the days when the two of you would sit quietly in your loft reading the day away. The music of old book pages turning and tea cups clinking onto saucers filled the air. The song still plays but it only plays for you.

You’ve become somewhat reclusive over the years. You’ve stopped going to the bar and haven’t talked to Jason. It’s just as well. Hopefully he’s found someone to help him move on. Maybe he’s happy.

Despite your official hermit status you are happy. You have a routine and just enough human contact to keep you from going completely insane. Friends come and go. Some stay the night sometimes longer. You welcome human contact in controlled doses. Some you welcomed more than others. Mostly you enjoyed your self imposed solitude.

Sometimes you take the trip to visit Hilde. She is taking care of the day to day business in New Asgard since Thor doesn’t come out much. She is always exciting and happy. When you need that she is happy to give it.

Today you are heading up the coast to meet her. When you hit a certain spot you put down your windows so the salt and brine of the ocean can fill your car. It smelled like Hilde. The air is crisp and the wind biting. Your hair whips your face as you sing loudly with the radio. She meets you at the entrance to the city with a big smile and a bigger kiss. With her you feel reborn.

“Your timing could not be more perfect. Thor has guests.”

You narrowed your eyes, “Guests? Who?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” You jumped back into your car and drove as close as you could to his hovel. You knocked on his door and Bruce answered. Though, it wasn’t Bruce. It was like Bruce and Hulk somehow merged to form a super Bruce.

“Y/n! Good to see you.” He wrapped you in his big green arms taking care not to crush you. “Angry girl!” He high-fived Hilde who smiled at you with immense amusement. “This is Rocket.” You shook hands with a raccoon. A freaking raccoon.

Thor glared at you, “I suppose they sent you in to bring me back as well.”

“Umm no. I was just here to visit Hilde. This was a pleasant surprise. I’m sorry bing you back? Is something happening?”

“We found a way to undo it all.” Bruce said with a cautious tone.

“Yeah but not Loki though so...” Thor looked was pretty drunk and smelled like he hadn’t bathed in weeks. Guilt rose from your chest and burned your throat. You should have pushed harder to see him.

“He wasn’t snapped so we don’t know. We’re going to try, Y/N.”

Your were filled when righteous indignation. No one bothered to even fill you in on their plan. If there was even a slim chance Loki could be brought back they should have told you.

Thor saw your balled fists crackle with electricity. “Y/N should come back with us. It’s the only way I’ll go.”

“I don’t know, Thor....”

“Bruce, I’m coming.” You looked back at Hilde who smiled though you could feel you were hurting her feelings. “Don’t leave without me. You..” you dragged her outside.

“You don’t have to explain yourself.” Tears shimmered in her eyes though she did her best to play them off.

“Yes, I do.” You pressed your lips against hers. She pulled you closer and deepening the kiss. Everything you had to say to her was in that kiss. I’m sorry. I love you. Goodbye. I’ll miss you. It was all there. Hilde was not one for flowery words. She was a physical person and that’s how you had to show her how much she meant to you. You pressed your forehead to hers giving a few more gentle pecks. “Thank you.”

“It was most definitely my pleasure. When you see him, tell him I kept you warm and promise me you’ll take a picture of the scowl on his face.”

“I love you:”

“I love you more.”

———————————————————————

Bruce’s words churned in your head the whole way back to the compound. They were “going to try”. You were sure that Loki wasn’t a huge priority. The thought made you angry all over again.

The Avengers had no problem overlooking his past discretions when they needed him. He was mostly tolerated because of Thor. Now there may be a chance to bring him back and they were “going to try”. It was going to be really hard not to melt someone today.

When you pulled up Tony was outside waiting for you. He opened the car door and took your hand. “Y/N. Good to see you.”

You sensed a lecture so you leaned against the car and folded your arms so he could speak. “Did Banner fill you in?”

“Not really.”

“We’re going back to get the stones. Like back in time. We’ve tested it. It works.....just as long as there are no fuck ups. So I guess it begs the question: are you going to fuck it up?”

“Not intentionally?”

He sighs frustrated, “Look, kid. I know Loki means a lot to you. We have to bring everyone back and if that means your boyfriend not coming back...”

“Husband.”

“No shit? Huh. If that means your husband. We have to sacrifice something.”

You were beyond yourself. Your magic jumped through your fingers wildly. He watched you eyes wide holding his hands up in surrender. “Kid. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like it sounded.”

“How many times did he save your asses? Yet you continued to punish him. Was his repentance not enough for you?! He sacrificed his life for that stupid stone. I don’t see anyone sacrificing you.” You raised your hand to knock him on his ass when Thor bear hugged you and dragged you away.

“Little sister you must control your temper. I will let you go if you promise not to kill anyone.” You struggled for a moment then relaxed against his chest. He spoke softly against your hair, “I want him back too. I miss him. If you can control yourself there is a way.”

He told you the plan to retrieve both the space stone and mind stone at the point of Loki’s arrest in 2012. “When they create the diversion you help him escape.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“You’re clever. You’ll think of something.”

Neither of you were thinking clearly. This was a stupid and not at all thought out plan. Neither of you accounted for the fact that he would be under heavy guard. The 2012 Avengers wouldn’t know you so they would be far less sympathetic to you if you were caught. And the biggest risk of all was that 2012 Loki was going through some things and was definitely not the same man you felt in love with. In fact, you wouldn’t be surprised if he figured out a way to use you and kill you when you were no longer needed. None of that mattered to you.

He waited for you to simmer down so he could bring you inside. You were met with sympathetic eyes and knowing smiles. You wanted to rip them all apart. The last eyes on you were Steve’s.

He gave you a quick hug hello and beckoned you into the other room.

“I haven’t heard from you in a few weeks. You doing ok?

Eyes closed. Count to ten. Deep breath. Don’t explode at the man. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because if we couldn’t bring him back I would have to watch you lose him all over again and I can’t do that. Tony ran the possibilities, honey. He’s not coming back. I’m sorry.”

“Mhmm. Well I’m here so can I help?”

His lip quirked up on one side, “You sure can, Princess. You can watch the platform and electrocute anyone who comes near it.”

Condescending prick. “No. I want to come with you.”

“Nope” he said with a pop of his lips.

“Steve, please! I just want to see him again. I’ll stay with you the whole time. I promise. And don’t tell me it’s dangerous. You know I can handle myself. Please.” You grabbed his hands and forced him to look at you. “I just want to see him. What would you give for that chance? What would you give to see the woman you love again?”

His eyes softened, “I’m looking at her.”

Your cheeks flushed. “I’m not talking about me.”

He knew you were talking about Peggy. And, you were right, he’d give anything. He couldn’t deny you this one time chance.

“Fine. But you stick by me and you do. not. do. anything. Promise me.”

“I promise. Thank you. You’re a good man, Steve. I love you.” You hugged him around his waist and he felt in his bones that this was a bad decision. He considered this his final declaration of his adoration.

“I love you too, Princess. Always.” He pressed the two pieces of Yggdrasil into your palm. He had kept them all this time locked away in a box inside of his sock drawer. Your eyes started to get a little misty. He kissed the top of your head and spoke softly in your ear, “Always.”

You all suited up jumped on the platform and hit the buttons. You landed in a alley littered with rubble from the attack. Hulk ran by smashing everything in his path. You split up into your predetermined teams and went to your positions.

Once you were in your new gear you joined the other men and women guarding Loki.

The closer you got to him the stronger the pull. You were falling apart inside. Every muscle in your arms trembled forcing you to reach out. To touch him. Your breath hitched in your throat and came out like a quiet sob. They all heard it. You shifted uncomfortably in your suit and your body propelled itself in his direction.

“Y/n, you good?” you heard Steve speak. He held his breath when you got closer to your husband. “Y/n keep it together. We are so close, baby” You held your finger to your earpiece and a high pitched ringing filled your ear. You cut your comms. “Shit! Tony, stop her!”

You were close enough to him now that he would be able to feel you. He had to know that you meant him no harm. You spoke softly so only he could hear, “Don’t look at me. When I say ‘go’ grab the tasseract and go. Blink twice if you understand.” He blinked twice and you moved away.

It all happened so fast. Scott triggered the arc reactor to short out. Present day Tony escapes with the Tasseract. You were supposed to follow behind him which you did. You felt Hulk’s rage emanating from the stairwell. In one fluid motion you pushed Tony towards the door and kicked the case which opened at Loki’s feet. He reached for the cube when he felt your hand on him. “Go!” and you followed with him.

Scott Tony and Steve made it outside with the spear. They argued for a second before Tony realized you weren’t with them.

“Where is she? Steve! Oh I’m going to kill her!”

Steve smiled and shook his head. “Come on, Tony. We’ll find another way.”

When they went back to the base in Jersey Steve began to feel all of the things he suppressed for so many years. He was a man out of time and felt like he had no place in it. He just wanted to get it right. Right now he should be old and surrounded by grandchildren. He was done fighting.

He never expected to see Peggy but there she was. Peggy wanted those things too. His eyes followed the curve of her crimson lips that he dreamed of kissing for years. He thought about your words. What would he give? Everything. When this fight was over he would give up everything. He made his decision right then and there.

I wanna take a moment to appreciate Thor’s character development because it’s so good and I feel like it’s overlooked.

He starts out, in “Thor,” as an arrogant prince. Thirsting for war and power- much like Odin did before changing his ways and casting out Hela. He is reckless and stupid, getting he and his friends into trouble. Odin has enough of this and exiles him to earth. This is, of course, where his development takes place. He is humbled in his time on earth, learning to accept himself without the powers of Mjolnir, and taking time to appreciate the smaller things that life has to offer. Fulfillment isn’t granted by how many riches one owns or realms they conquer- it’s granted through love for those around you. By the end of this journey he has changed, and he is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of people that aren’t even his subjects. Once he gets back to Asgard he fights Loki not because he craves battle, but because it’s the only way to protect everyone. Thor learns to protect people that aren’t his responsibility- Jotunnheim, earthlings- and in doing so risks his own life. He sacrifices his life to protect the people of earth, and destroys the bifrost to keep the frost giants from going extinct. The Frost giants are the very people that Thor had sought to destroy at the beginning of the movie. Over the course of it, Thor became worthy. Who once was arrogant and reckless becomes became humble and selfless.

This change prepares Thor for his next big journey in “The Avengers” which brings him to save earth from Loki once again- only this time the whole planet instead of a small town. By this time Thor has already changed a lot- as I just covered. His next character improvement? Teamwork. Though Thor’s obviously fought alongside friends before- the Avengers are different. Frankly, they’re a mess. Just a bunch of broken people with powers strong enough to save the world. Thor’s completely different from all of them- he’s from a whole other planet. Now he has to join them to fight his own brother. Not to mention the fact that he has to cope with the fact that he had believed Loki to be dead, only for him to come back hellbent on taking over a planet that Thor had grown to love. Yet Thor adapts and perseveres like he always does. He befriends this chaotic group of heroes- and though it takes a while, it pays off. The all work together beautifully by the end of the movie, and have formed an alliance that will be very important to Thor’s story going further.

In “Thor: The Dark World” Thor goes through a lot of character development. Truthfully, I overlook this fact a lot, considering that out of the Thor movies it’s probably the one that I watch the least, and the one I think of last when thinking about character development. However, it is crucial to setting the stage for both “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Thor: Ragnarok.” In this movie Thor has to learn that sometimes the right thing to do is to disobey orders. He goes rogue a bit- even resorting to getting Loki out of prison. Yet it manages to work out in the end. Thor suffers from the guilt of not being there in time to save his mother, Frigga, from the dark elves. This guilt drives him to realize that he can’t let anyone else die like Frigga did- pushing him to take risks and disobey Odin in order to stop the dark elves. Frigga’s death is also what leads to Thor and Loki working to mend their relationship. It’s because Thor needs Loki’s help that he gets him out of jail. Yes, Loki fakes his death again. Yes, they argue a lot. But at the end of the day they’re brothers. Brothers who have just lost their mother. And this brings them back together, working to restore their bond. Trusting Loki is a huge risk for Thor. He’s sacrificing everything to go after the dark elves. He’s putting the protection of Asgard over his own needs- and he learns to bend the rules to do what’s right. Odin may have forbidden Thor from going after the dark elves, but Thor disobeys his father and commits treason to save Asgard. And it works- the dark elves are stop. Thor’s actions, disobeying Odin, freeing Loki- no matter how risky, they paid off. By the end of this movie, Thor has totally let go of his ambition for the throne. He’s offered it, but refuses. His adventures thus far have taught him that he doesn’t need the throne- only to protect those that need help. That’s his purpose. This brings us to “Age of Ultron.”

“Age of Ultron” is a an important change of direction for Thor. Wanda’s hallucinations play a key role in his story going further. We see that he fears Asgard’s destruction- and that he may be responsible for it. He decides to investigate further. He discovers the infinity stones, and thus tasks himself with finding them. This is big for Thor because moving forward, he will be spending the next two years looking for the stones. This search for the infinity stones brings Thor to his greatest time character development thus far.

”Thor: Ragnarok” is a huge turning point for Thor. After a two year search for the infinity stones, Thor learns that Asgard’s destruction may be imminent after all, despite all of his preparation. It doesn’t help that his brother had faked his death yet again, his father dies, he has an evil sister that’s just been unleashed, Mjolnir is destroyed, and he’s flung to another planet where he’s made a prisoner. Meanwhile, most of his people on Asgard are being slaughtered. This leaves Thor with a feeling of hopelessness. He feels utterly powerless- especially without the powers of Mjolnir. However, throughout this movie, Thor discovers that he doesn’t need Mjolnir to harness his powers. It was simply a tool to assist him. He is strong enough without it. He learns to better understand and wield his powers. He also learns to embrace his responsibility as king of Asgard- not because he craves the throne, but because his people need him. Finally, he learns to face the destruction of Asgard itself, something he’d been trying so hard to stop, for the sake of protecting his people. This is something incredibly difficult for him to face- something he surely blames himself for- yet he does what he has to do to protect his people.

“Avengers: Infinity War” is unfortunately much more of a downwards spiral for our hero. It starts off with Thanos wrecking Thor’s ship and leaving most of the Asgardians to die in space- as well as killing his best friend, Heimdall, and his brother, Loki. Thor makes it his mission to get Stormbreaker, a deadly weapon, so that he can avenge his people and prevent anyone else from dying. He has to- he has nothing left. However, despite all of his efforts, Thanos still wins- and Thor feels like it’s all his fault.

This guilt brings Thor to his low point in “Endgame.” He struggles with the belief that the failure in “Infinity War” is his fault, all because he didn’t “go for the head.” His entire family is dead, and so are most of his subjects considering Thanos murdered many of them, including Loki and Heimdall, even before half of the universe got wiped out. This leaves Thor in a state of self-hatred, depression, and PTSD. Not a good mental state for someone being tasked with once again saving the universe. However, as he always does, he steps up to the plate and gets the job done for the sake of his people. If he can’t bring back the ones that never made it to earth in the first place, he can at least save the people that died in the snap. And after a talk with his deceased mother(through the power of time travel) Thor is motivated to pull himself together, get the reality stone, and face Thanos. And he does. He makes it out from the rockiest place he’s ever been and plays a critical role in helping saving the universe. He’s a mess and he feels like a failure, but he still manages to push through all of his pain and suffering to protect other people- because his whole life his priorities lay with putting other people first. His guilt has dragged him down- the knowledge that he’s still alive when so many people that he had dedicated his life to protecting are dead burdens him. Yet at the end of the day, he always rises up again. Why? Because that’s what heroes do.

So, I’m writing Marvel now…

The thing is, Marvel is a special interest for me. Has been for a long time. The MCU while it has its downsides (I will never forgive them for what they did to Steve Rogers.) is one of my favorite movie franchises of all time. It’s a crime that I haven’t written any fics for it yet, honestly.

This isn’t nearly finished, and I have no idea when it will be or how long it’ll be. It doesn’t even have a name or full plan yet. But it’s a fun project for me. I want to explore the fact that Captain America is from the 40’s, however when he wakes up he is still in his twenties. He’s technically the youngest on the team while simultaneously being way older and being treated as way older than everyone around him. It picks up during the first Avengers film and is written from Tony’s POV. (Again, so far. It’s not done and I could still switch POV’s every once in a while.)

All that being said, enjoy!

Steve hates him. He hates Tony. Tony Stark. Son of his old friend, Howard Stark.

The old bastard was right, isn’t that just ironic.

Endless fights over Tony being a disappointment. Being nothing like the Greatest Man Howard Ever Knew. Howard never shut up about the great Captain America, so of course Tony knew this was coming.

Tony had tried when he was younger, he did. He’d tried to be better, braver, stronger, faster, witty in a way Howard would appreciate. But after a while he’d realized that no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, he’d never live up to what Howard wanted from him. Howard said daily that Captain America, Steve Rogers, would be disgusted by Tony. And Tony had just about recently decided that he was moving on from all of his daddy issues and metaphorically telling Howard to shove his criticisms very far up his ass. And, isn’t this just the kicker, Steve Rogers is right in front of him confirming it all.

“Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”

Exactly what everyone thinks I am, obviously.

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”

What? He’s not about to make it easy on Captain America of all people. If anyone can handle his sass, it’s the so called bravest man who ever lived.

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

Wow, okay. He’s really laying it on, isn't he? He must be really pissed. In all honesty, Tony hadn’t thought it would be so easy to get to him. Or, rather, to get him to a point where he’s actually making personal, cutting blows.

Still, Tony doesn’t want to cause an actual fight. If he wanted that he’d have started off a little more strong, like how Rogers is. What with all the steam coming from his ears. Howard hadn’t mentioned the potentially problematic short fuse in all his ramblings. Whatever, just keep deflecting and find a way to defuse, then. He’s been around long enough to know when the right time to fight is. Currently they have a volatile, murderous psychopath who obviously wants them all fighting on board, so now is not a good time.

“I think I would just cut the wire.”

There, nice and simple. There’s no way Mr. Short Fuse can turn that into-

“Always a way out... You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”

Now he’s done it. He’s honestly tempted to say ‘Or what?’. Just curiosity speaking, what would Rogers do? And, another thing, Tony has never claimed to be a hero. Sure, he’s saved a few people, and yeah, he’s trying to save the world currently, but the hero label was all but thrown at him the moment he came out to the world as Iron Man. He doesn’t want to be a hero, all he wants right now is for Rogers to get off his damn high horse.

“A hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!”

He hadn’t meant to say that. Truly, he hadn’t. He’s supposed to be actively diffusing the situation. But honestly it was an achievement he’d gone that long without actually retaliating. You can only push a man so far-

“Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds.”

He’s not succeeding in his endeavor to not fight Captain America. His dad is likely screeching from his penthouse in hell.

He moves away from Rogers just in time for the locator to go off, signifying that they’ve found what they were looking for. This is followed by an argument about who is going to get it, a rather horrifying revelation that his new best friend besides Rhodey, Pepper and Happy, (Yes, he has claimed this already, he just has to convince Bruce.) has tried to kill himself, and then suddenly Captain America is trying to fight him, again.

“Put on the suit, let’s find out!”

“I’m not afraid to hit an old man.” He replies calmly, though a little heated.

It’s just oh so ironic, (This whole conversation has been filled to the brim with irony.) that as Tony says that he laments how immature they’re acting. Seriously, the guy’s in his nineties, why is he pulling Tony into this? The irony strikes him then and there, as he’s watching Rogers get all riled up. Captain America is practically a kid.

It’s kind of funny to think about. Captain America, the man out of time, he’s only in his twenties. Tony is twenty years older than him, mentally. Now it’s not about fighting his fathers old friend. It’s not even about the fact that this is Captain America, and how anti-patriotic it would be to deck him.

No, Tony wont fight a twenty-something year old. It’s not dignified. It wouldn’t even be fair. Rogers hasn’t had the time to fully develop patience like Tony has. His brain hasn’t aged just as his body hasn’t. No wonder he has such a short fuse, Tony was the same way when he was young.

Something explodes while his brain is having this revelation, and he realizes that this is an attack. Good thing they weren’t fighting each other, then.

Steve helps him up after they’re both thrown across the room from the blast.

“Put on the suit.”

Tony nods, finally agreeing with the man on something.

“Yep.”

-

Of course they would end up working together to fix the turbine. That’s the way the world works. Rogers hates Tony, and Tony won’t fight him, which seems to be making Rogers more angry. But now all of that has to be put aside for the greater good. Hopefully they’ll be able to do this before another turbine goes down and the whole boat falls from the sky.

“What’s it look like in there?”

Tony really needs this to go well. Surely Rogers can’t be too inept with technology. He’s young, young people are the future of technology! He even understood the Wizard of Oz reference earlier, so he’s sort of up to date, right?

“It seems to run on some form of electricity!”

So much for his optimism. Despite the feeling that this is going to end horribly, his mouth quirks a bit. That’s why it had taken him so long to put together how young Rogers actually is.

Still, this has to be tough for the guy, he’s clearly out of his depth here and is trying to help.

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

He teaches Rogers how to fix the relays, which takes some time given that he can’t personally guide the project. He’s a bit busy clearing the debris from the turbine and trying to keep up with the flying boat’s speed enough to stay beside it. You would think they’d stop moving so he can just hover and do repairs, but no! Although he does suppose that there is quite a bit of commotion happening inside too. Enough to warrant not slowing down, maybe.

“Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won't re-engage without a jump. I'm gonna have to get in there and push.”

“Well if that thing gets up to speed, you'll get shredded!”

Aw, he’s worried. Asshole.

Does this count as laying on the wire? Is this technically superhero-ing right now? Is this enough to prove to Rogers he has the right intentions? He hopes so.

“Then stay in the control unit and reverse polarity long enough to disengage mag-“

“Speak! English!”

Tony nearly laughs. He hadn’t realized how charming Rogers actually is, underneath all of the high and mighty hero stuff.

“Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect”.

“Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet.” Bruce responds, understanding every word. Oh, Tony might just be in love.

“Finally, someone who speaks English.”

“Is that what just happened?”

It was a sly little comment, but it was there. He should have picked up on it at the time. Captain Rogers is funny.

“See that red lever? It'll slow the rotors down long enough for me to get out. Stand by it, wait for my word.”

He watches the man jump over to the lever, landing a little too close to the edge for comfort. Then instead of dwelling on the fact that he was concerned for Captain America’s safety, he goes into the turbine and starts to push.

While he’s pushing, there’s some gunfire. Also some rushing coming from Director Fury in his earpiece. He wonders if anyone has come out to help Rogers, and then realizes that obviously Rogers can handle himself, so why would anyone? Eventually the turbine feels like it's moving faster than him, so it’s time to get out.

“Cap, I need the lever!”

“I need a minute here!”

Uh oh. That won’t do at all.

“Lever! Now!”

This is so not how he wanted this to go. He falls into a rotor, and slides down into the bottom part of the turbine. He is so screwed. He’s going to break his spine, or his neck. He’s going to die fixing a boat engine. Engine’s are his bitch, he can’t die fixing an engine!

Suddenly the rotors let up, and it only takes Tony a split second to fly out and assess his damage. His suit’s going to give out on him. Any second now surely. He should get out of the air-

Loki’s men are on Rogers with guns, how is that a fair fight?

At least, that’s what he thinks before he tackles one and takes them right through the side of the boat with him, finally hitting the ground and letting the suit turn off.

He can’t quite see anymore, and he can’t quite tell if it's the suit or his eyes that are damaged. He was knocked around quite a bit. Maybe it’s a concussion? He hopes it’s temporary, he can’t work if he’s blind.

Actually, scratch that. That sounds ableist. It also sounds like he’s doubting himself, which he’d never do. He very much can work if he’s blind. Plenty of people do it every day.

He feels tired, a bit hazy. He’d been knocked around maybe too much. Is Steve okay? He looks up, and the captain is jumping back into the ship. Good.

Definitely a concussion, he thinks, letting his head fall back and passing out.

-

Coulson died. Loki killed him.

Tony hasn’t been on this boat for too long now, but he’s starting to think this is a suicide mission. Agent Coulson was Pepper’s friend; how’s he going to tell her? How will the news reach the cellist he was involved with?

“There was an idea, Stark knows this, called The Avengers Initiative-”

He hasn’t been listening, and was honestly okay with the numb indifference of his thoughts. Anything not to hear Fury’s words. Lies, honestly. There’s no excuse for the arsenal that was being built, regardless of if Fury hadn’t bet on it in the first place. And now- what? He wants to use Tony and the others as the replacement arsenal? They can’t even save one agent, let alone the world.

“…to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes.”

Tony stands, unable to hear anymore of this. Tony’s no hero. If Coulson was smarter, he never would have believed in heroes in the first place.

-

“Was he married?”

He looks at Rogers, at his attempt at starting a tough conversation. He sees why everyone likes the guy, really. Even after their almost-fight he comes to attempt to comfort Tony. Tony, for his part, isn’t even sure why he’s taking Coulson’s death so hard. It’s not like they were friends.

He just- well, it feels like this death is on him.

“No. There was a uh...cellist, I think.”

There’s no one to inform about his death. No one to send condolence flowers to. Pepper might mourn, his coworkers may also. The cellist… well, she won't be able to pick up their fling again.

.

“I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man.”

Steve Rogers has a good heart. He may be quick tempered, but he has a good heart.

“He was an idiot.”

“Why? For believing?”

For believing in them. Believing in this stupid, sorry excuse for a team.

“For taking on Loki alone.”

“He was doing his job.”

Oh, yes, defend the dead guy. Make this argument harder. It was easier to hate Rogers earlier, when he was being irrational.

It circles back to there not always being a way out, and Tony thinks that’s bullshit. He doesn’t take well to being told things are impossible or unavoidable. If something isn’t going to work, he makes it work. Coulson should have thought ahead. He should have waited. He should have-

Better not go down that avenue.

He starts to walk away, and Rogers compares them to soldiers. Right, that makes sense. That’s why Rogers took the death so calmly. He was a soldier in a war. He’s used to losing people and having to move forward immediately. He probably has already figured out how not to blame himself for every death he’s ever witnessed.

“Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list…”

Tony briefly wonders if it's healthy to compartmentalize like that. It can’t be. But then he spots the blood on the wall and his brain moves on to another thought. Rogers is right, anyway. They need to focus.

“He made it personal.”

“That’s not the point.” Rogers replies, not catching the point just yet.

“That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?” He needs to explain. The man will get it if he explains. Sometimes he forgets that not everyone’s brain does the jumps his own does.

“To tear us apart.”

“Yes! Divide and conquer is great, but he knows he has to take us

out to -

win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience.”

“Right,” He’s catching on, thankfully. “I caught his act at Stuttengart.”

“Yeah. That's just previews, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered…” Tony stops, revelation forming. Steve looks fully interested in wherever this is going.

“Son of a bitch!”

“What?”

“Big ugly building in New York!”

Rogers’ eyes go wide, “Let's go.” He orders, Tony already moving.

-

The battle was terrifying. There were aliens, gigantic half mechanical half flesh monsters flying around, and a murderous Norse god intent on taking control of the chaos and coming out on top. Tony wonders why NASA or SHEILD has never claimed to have seen the species this army is made up of before. These guys don’t seem very low key, what with all the planetary destruction. He doesn’t believe for a second that no one knew these things were out there.

He makes a mental note to hack the department of defense after he’s eaten his shawarma.

Tony never prepared for this. The only people who were even remotely prepared tried to nuke New York. And then Tony the not-hero, thank you very much, had to fix that problem on top of the other very pressing one. The other problem being aliens. Aliens invading the earth.

Aliens, Jesus Christ.

Afterwards, Loki gets taken to Asgard with Thor via Beam Of Light™️. Fury says the Avengers are all free to go. But Tony does extend the offer for the others to stay at the tower. They can if they need to, not forever or anything. But, if they want to stick around and help clean up the mess. Someone’s gotta, you know?

Romanoff took the offer. Then Bruce because he wants access to a lab like Tony can offer and totally not because he’s excited about their new friendship. Then Clint, who would like to stay close to SHEILD; then begrudgingly, Steve Rogers, who admits that he can’t quite afford life in New York City but would like to stay here. And suddenly the Avengers are piling into Tony’s penthouse, exhausted but still helping get rid of all the broken glass.

He goes to his lab as soon as sleeping situations are settled. (Natasha takes a guest room, Bruce gets another one, Clint and Rogers take the living room.) There’s no need to stick around. The superhero’s crashing in his guest rooms and living room are cleaned and fed, New York is saved (and subsequently the world.). Besides, he needs to start working on better living arrangements if these guys are going to stay. He gets half way through Natasha’s layout for her floor, when Jarvis lowers his music.

“What gives? I was just getting into a groove here!”

“It seems you have a visitor, sir.”

His head whips around, expecting Pepper, but instead he finds Steve Rogers standing on the outside of the glass door looking like a lost puppy in designer hand-me-down sweatpants. Tony sighs, Pepper won't be in until tomorrow. He’d had to do a lot of bribing to get the New York Airport to let his jet land. They have to clear some debris from the runway, fix some of the landing gear, that stuff.

“Shall I let him in, sir?”

“What? Yeah, yeah. Yes. Let the captain in, open the door.”

The door unlocks, allowing Rogers to step into the lab. He looks around in wonder, the exhaustion from the day being covered by the inquisitive nature of humans.

“What’s up, Cap?”

Rogers startles, having gotten distracted by the tech in the room. Then hesitantly, he speaks up.

“This place is really swell, Tony.”

He sounds like he means it so genuinely that Tony doesn’t make a remark about the outdated word choice.

“Well, it’s no flying boat, but it’s home. Speaking of, you’ll love this. Dum-e! C’mere boy!”

If Rogers looked amazed before, he looks absolutely awestruck now.

“Did you make him?” He questions as he reaches out to pet the robot. Dum-E nuzzles his hand and Tony smiles a bit at the sight.

“Yeah. Made Jarvis too, right J?”

“Yes, sir.” Rogers jumps at the sound of Jarvis’ disembodied voice.

“See? They get along too well though. They’ll surpass their old man one day. Too much plotting happening while I’m gone.”

Rogers laughs, “See, now, I would have thought you'd be all for the minds of the future.” He comments sarcastically.

“And usually I’d agree, but I don’t think I’d be happy if the new robot overlord was Dum-E. And hearing you, a twenty-something year old, tell me that the flying boat engine ‘runs on some kind of electricity’, settled it for me. I have no faith in the future of technology.”

The other man snorts, “I’m not exactly a prime example of the youth, man.”

Tony puts up a finger, “Ah, see, I’d believe you if you didn’t just call me ‘man’. I’m gonna start calling you kid.”

Rogers rolls his eyes, ignoring how that prompted a mock scolding on rolling his eyes at his elders. He then sees the current work in progress on Tony’s work space.

“Is this what you’ve been doing down here?”

Tony’s eyes follow Rogers as he walks over to the plans and starts reading them over.

“This is so nice. There’s a floor for each of the Avengers in here! Even Thor and I!”

“Yes, God’s need sleep too. At least I think they do. I’ll have to ask, actually. -And, also, why wouldn’t you have one?”

Tony watches the man's eyes widen as if being caught saying something he hadn’t meant to say out loud. Although as soon as the look of panic shows it’s gone, Rogers turns to hide himself in the plans again.

“Look, I know we didn’t start off on the right foot.” He starts, quieter than before.

Is… is Rogers attempting a reconciliation right now? Tony thinks back to all the thoughts he had earlier, where Howard may have had a fit. And how fitting he thought it was that Captain America hated him, although he wasn’t entirely happy about it. But this might be worse, actually.

“I believe you were being beaten up when we met, actually. And then I swooped in and saved you.”

Rogers immediately regains his volume, “Swooped in and saved me doesn’t sound entirely right.”

“This. Coming from the guy who still calls things swell? I think I’ll keep my phrasing.”

“I had him! You can't save someone who is in control of the situation!”

“You call being beaten up being in control? Please elaborate.”

“I was not getting beat up. I was holding my own.”

“Sure, kid. Is that a bruise?”

Rogers immediately starts feeling around his face. This is hilarious for a number of reasons. One, he has super healing and any bruise would have been gone by now. Two, Captain America looks far more worried about a bruise on his perfect face than when he was saving the world.

“Where?”

“Right- yeah, right there. Where Loki absolutely had the upper hand!”

That comment startles the older/younger man into stunned laughter.

And thats all I’ve got!! Thank you if you made it this far.

Hi! Btw love ur blog💖 could you please like totally write a Bucky x ace and bi!reader where she is best friends with Loki who is also ace and when she gets into a relationship with Bucky she is afraid it’s going to end because she is ace, but Bucky reassures her that he loves her more and is willing to make sacrifices 💖

home is here (in your arms)

pairing: bucky barnes x ace!bi!reader, bestfriend!loki x ace!bi!reader

warnings: a bit of angst

a/n: i’m back!  this was such a wholesome request, and i hope i did it justice, anon!!  i was honestly so nervous writing this 👉🏻👈🏻 i’m so sorry this took so long!!  hope you enjoy!

permanent taglist: @kaitlynmalikisnotonfire​ @just-another-loki-fanblog​

** TO MAKE A REQUEST -- please check the status in my bio **

masterlist

----

The moment Bucky kissed you and pulled you close, there were a thousand flags of caution in your mind.

It wasn’t that you were disgusted or anything at all, but you felt extreme guilt, knowing you couldn’t give him everything he deserved and more.  You couldn’t be there for him or become one with him, though his presence was ever inviting, but you definitely couldn’t give him what he eventually wanted.

You sat on the couch, thinking about the feeling of his lips on yours.  His touch nearly seared into your skin.

“Why the long face?” Loki asked as he sat down next to you.  

You sighed.  “Nothing.”

“Darling, we all know that ‘nothing’ means ‘something’,” he chuckled, amused.

You twiddled your thumbs.  Of all people, you didn’t really feel like confiding in Loki.  Sure, he was your best friend, but there were some things you just couldn’t talk about.  In fact, how could you subtly bring it up without being awkward about it?  You’d rather shut it away.

That definitely wasn’t going to work in the long run.

“Let me guess, you’re what humans call ‘asexual’.”

You looked at him with wide eyes, and he chuckled.

“How --?”

He shrugged nonchalantly.  “I guess I know you too well,” he said.  “I’m the same way.  It would be a shame if I didn’t see that in you.”

You averted your gaze.  

The god gave a heavy sigh.  “So Barnes made a move on you,” he concluded.  “Why don’t you tell him?”

“It’s not that simple,” you huffed with frustration.  “Bucky’s only barely just become part of my life.  I don’t want to scare him off or make him hate me.  He’s the first person who has actually seen me for me in a long time.”  You shook your head with defeat.  “I really need him, Loki.  He makes me feel whole.”

Loki nodded slowly, taking in your words.  “You’ll hate me for saying this, but you’ll have to tell him sooner or later.  When you’re ready, of course.”

You laughed.  “I’d never hate you,” you admitted.  “You’re a bit of an ass sometimes, but you’re a good friend, Loki.”

“I’m honored,” he answered sarcastically with a small bow.  “If you need any help...”

You raised an eyebrow.  “You’re offering me help?”

Loki sighed heavily.  “Yes, that doesn’t feel right, does it?” he said with a small laugh.  “You humans are making me soft.”

He squeezed your shoulder reassuringly before getting up and walking down the hall, probably to annoy his brother.

Though you were happy to have quiet peace at last, your mind was still being tormented with doubt.  Even if Bucky could look past your concerns and accept you, how could that possibly last?

At the same time, you didn’t want to let what you had go.  It had been a long time since you were able to find someone who understood your past.  If you broke things off, you didn’t know when that would happen again.  If you broke things off...

You shook your head to rid yourself of the thought.  You couldn’t.

As afraid as you were to admit it, you loved him.

“There you are.”

You turned with wide eyes to see Bucky at the counter, a glass of water in hand.  “Y-you were looking for me?”

“I haven’t seen you all day.  Of course, I was,” he chuckled.  “Loki told me I’d find you in here.”

You made a mental note to punch the god later.

Seeing your expression, Bucky furrowed his brow.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.  “You’ve been acting weird ever since I kissed you last night.  Am I really that bad --?”

“No!”

The silence that followed was deafening.  All you could hear was your heartbeat pounding underneath your skin.

You cleared your throat.  “I mean, no.”

He let out a small nervous laugh.  “I can’t blame you.  Getting a kiss from a 100-year-old man is definitely out of style.”

“It’s not that,” you said, pushing past his joke.  “It’s just...well, I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

His lips were slightly agape before pressing themselves into a thin line of thought.  “Okay,” he said quietly.  “So you don’t feel the same way?”

Panic flooded your body.  “No!  I love you.  I love you so much, more than anything.”  You let out an exasperated sigh.  

Bucky set his glass down before walking over, sitting on the couch beside you as he offered his Vibranium hand.  You placed your shaking hand into his, and as you felt the cold metal against your skin, you relaxed a little.

His eyes coaxed you out of your silence, watching patiently for every move.  

“I’m ace.”

The words came out all too quickly.

You watched his thoughtful expression for any sign of disgust and found none.

“Okay,” was all he said.

You frowned.  “Okay...?”

“It’s just another part of you,” he said simply.  “And I love you.  Every single part of you.”

Involuntary tears welled in your eyes.  “Really?”

He gently squeezed your hand.  “Of course,” he replied.  “I love you, and I'm willing to do anything for you.  I just wish you told me sooner.  I would’ve understood.”

You shook your head. “I didn’t want to take that risk and lose you,” you whispered.

“Well, unfortunately, sweetheart, you’ve got me wrapped around your little finger,” he chuckled.  He continued to wipe your tears.  “Hey, it’s okay...”

“I love you so much,” you cried as you hugged him.

He carefully wrapped his arms around you, letting you sob into his shoulder.  “Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?”

“Just be here.”

He hummed in response.

“And maybe some ice cream.”

He laughed.  “As you wish.”

Tony Stark Is An Emotional Man - My Unpopular(?) Take

So, I’m rewatching the MCU - because of course I am - and I just realized something watching The Avengers for the first time in probably 10 years.

While everyone believes Tony is a prick - and don’t get me wrong, he is 60% attitude in a small package - until he saves the damn planet; the statement he gives to Banner about the Hulk saving him is very heartfelt. He opens up about his own condition with the shrapnel, which is a rare moment of him being openly vulnerable - especially in the earlier phase of the MCU. He is being genuine, and he is trying to make Banner see the positives and understand that perhaps, the situation isn’t as bleak as he’s been thinking.

Tony is trying to provide help, to comfort Banner; not for his own gain but because he recognizes himself in Banner, in spite of their very different ways of handling their inner demons, and their wildly differing personalities. Because he knows what it’s like to lose your way and your self worth, and he wants to see Banner regain some sense of himself the same way he has.

It’s nice to see the kind side to Tony, and for him to expose it willingly to help a fellow team mate - and eventually friend - accept himself and his inner struggle. Tony does not get credit enough for the fact that he always did have that side to him, he just didn’t know how to show it. Even his jokes and snarky sarcasm get less “mean spirited” as he evolves, and grows as a person.

I feel like Iron Man 2 coupled with The Avengers (and of course Iron Man 3 added onto that) are a perfect portrayal of how Tony’s more outward sense of caring for people, despite his awkward sense of socializing, was already beginning to shine through the cracks.

To me, Tony Stark is by far the most compelling character because while I am not entirely like him, I recognize so much of myself and my own hardships. It’s never too late to reinvent yourself, and Tony is the perfect metaphor for that. He even directly likens himself to a phoenix in Iron Man 2, although played for laughs at the Stark Expo.

But not only that, later on in the movie when Steve insinuates that Tony is not a hero, that he would never sacrifice himself on behalf of another; that he fights for himself alone, and tells him he's basically nothing without the suit - you can see it's hurting him. Tony never really holds eye contact unless it's worth while; unless it's getting to him and requires his full attention coming from someone he truly trusts, unless it means something. You see him keep his eyes off of everybody in social situations before he knows them or they have earned his respect; you see him avoiding getting in neck deep, avoiding and brushing off comments on his distant persona.

But that insult right there; from the man his father would rave about, that's taking. You see the pain in his eyes, you see the fact that he's being torn open. You see that he's brought right back to who he once was, reliving the guilt of every mistake he ever made. All because of Steve's judgmental, misguided perception of him. Tony hides his true self; hides his suffering, and his internal grappling with his shame and guilt over every problem and death he's directly or indirectly caused. The fact that Steve Rogers - of all people, as the revered Captain America - cannot see through his surface disguise is really getting to him. I believe Tony had assumed Steve would be superhuman, and he's struck by the realization that Steve is no more human than he himself is. He has imperfections, and flaws, and jumps to conclusions.

And the fact that it is Steve, of all people, making these assumptions of him and taking these jabs at him makes it all the worse. You need only watch for Tony keeping eye contact throughout the verbal onslaught to know it's hitting home; and to know that Tony feels, Tony knows this is what people all initially think of him. He had just hoped that somebody as subjectively righteous and morally good as Steve would have the ability to see through the facade. The fact that he doesn't, and that he doesn't hold back on his opinion, is what hits the hardest.

Another point is when Fury informs the remaining team of Coulson's (faked) death. Tony doesn't look at anyone, he sits turned completely away from the conversation. You can see he's close to losing it, and if he were to speak, if he were to look up, were to make any sort of eye contact directly - he would crack. That's one thing I love about RDJ's portrayal of Tony; the fact that he is so terrified of showing his vulnerable side in front of others, even when he is grieving or blaming himself for any mishap. He feels like he has to be the strong one, like he has to keep it together. Not for himself as much as for everyone else - because if the unfeeling, arrogant Iron Man breaks, how are any of the other team mates going to make it?

If Tony of all people reveals he takes it harder than almost anyone else present, how are they going to see him as the same man? I love how it is only later in the MCU, that he exposes this side of himself more willingly and freely - like in Endgame where he mentions how he lost “the kid” while referring to Peter. He not only maintains eye contact with Steve as he admits that, he chokes up. This same theme is prevalent between them in Civil War when Tony asks Steve to lay down his guard and hand over Bucky, “because it’s us” - which is a testament to the fact that Tony has now accepted Steve as a friend and ally, and this betrayal of his hard earned trust is breaking his heart. But this early on, none of this has become a valid option to him yet. So he keeps it inside; refusing to show his true colours.

And in this moment, what does he do when it gets too much? When he's required to speak up, to acknowledge Fury's mention of The Avengers project? He ups and leaves. Because if he speaks; judging by the eyes alone (which is yet another credit to Robert) he's going to tear up. And hence, he walks out to get it under control, to reil himself back in. It’s a habit he throughout the franchise will begin to display less and less; as he learns to be more comfortable with the team as friends, as well as openly displaying his own emotions.

We see another side to this later when Steve approaches Tony alone one on one; and Tony initially attempts to make quips about how Coulson shouldn't have gone alone, how he was an outgunned idiot. Steve cuts straight to the core, and Tony snaps. You see him nearly tear up, you see how upset he truly is deep down and how he was only doing his best to play it off the only way he knows how. But as soon as he is spoken to, is forced to make an assessment, to actually talk about it; to look Steve in the eye and defend himself - that's the exposed vulnerability that is the real Tony Stark.

Behind the snarks, behind the facade, behind the charade of the arrogant, nonchalant prick he’s been trying to make the world see him for. He's as human as he could ever be; and I believe this is also the first time Steve notices that there is more to Tony than he had presumed. He too, had assumed Tony is too wrapped up in his own ego and lavish life resume to care for the smaller man. But here, he sees that Tony feels, Tony sympathizes, and Tony is deeply traumatized by the fact that he - as he feels - allowed this to happen. He sees that Tony believes this is on his conscious.

Tony's glassy eyes and emotional turmoil betray him, and even though he jumps right back to his intellect and brains as a safety net and a defense mechanism - addressing Loki's plan to hit them at home and split them apart - this is the first time Steve is exposed to Tony's determination, ability to assess and deduce the situation, as well as his belief in doing the right thing (another theme seen later in Age of Ultron regarding Tony’s creation of Ultron himself, as well as in Civil War where Tony is adamant that the Sokovia Accords are the right path to take to pay for the critical mistake Ultron turned out to be.) And as they assemble, you're struck with the realization that this has been enough of an eye opener for Steve to realize that there is more to Tony Stark than meets the eye.

And who is first to the tower, leading the charge if not Tony?

And despite his blind faith in his own skill and ability to stall Loki just long enough; there's the epitome of the courage Tony possesses. He knows that without the suit, he has no fighting chance. He knows Loki could snap his neck in the blink of an eye. And still, he never backs off. Indeed, there is an underlying death wish or at the very least a sense of him subconsciously feeling he deserves and is fated a grim deminse - but it does take unprecedented bravery to put yourself in such clear danger.

Tony Stark could be called many things; but a coward is not one of them. Sure, he does have the untested suit on hold, but he did not know 100% it was going to work as planned. He was counting on it, but you know a part of him knew it was a long shot and might not work out in the end. The suit could have been faulty, Loki could have cracked his head open; the cavalry could have been running late. Still, Tony gambles with his life and luckily barely comes out on top.

At last, we have the finale. What can be said about it, except the fact that it shows exactly who Tony truly is? He knows he's going to die - indeed he doesn't - but he is intent on that, he is accepting death and welcoming it. If it helps save the world, if it will keep Pepper and everyone he loves, everyone he knows; everyone alive safe.

Here, the decision from the first Iron Man to actually show us Tony's eyes and face behind the mask is a godsend. Seeing as RDJ is an actor who communicates so much of his emotional range with his eyes only; we are given an easy access to see everything Tony is experiencing flash through them. We see the fear, the pain, the uncertainty; the acceptance of the inevitable. We see his eyes convey the jumbled mass of conflicting emotions speeding through his mind, we see how he finally just relents and gives in to what he thinks is going to be his time of dying. His final moments.

And he has made them worthwhile, he has already achieved what Yinsen begged of him in that cave in Afghanistan - he has made his survival count. He has saved numerous lives, and if his death is what it takes - so be it. Cue the parallel to Endgame. Hell, even Age of Ultron has elements of this as previously mentioned; although that one was on Tony himself, and his irrevocable fear and flaws as a human being. However, here the team sees Tony's will to sacrifice himself firsthand, for the first time; and contrary to Steve's initial assessment that Tony would never put his life on the line for anyone but himself - he does just that.

This is what makes this movie so powerful.

Sure, it builds upon every team member’s arc; even Fury's. But it is Tony who proves himself above all; who shows the team what we the audience already knew. That he is a hero, that our past does not define us. That Tony Stark feels, that he knows right from wrong although he's still stumbling blind half the time - just like the rest of us. And it proves to Steve - to the entire team - that he is not merely the selfish, arrogant asshole only sticking up for himself. He is a man, albeit a flawed one, who cares deeply. Who feels, who mourns, who appreciates life and the people around him; and who is - behind the barrier he's placed between himself and everyone else to avoid getting hurt - extremely insecure. He is fearful, apprehensive, sensitive, and well aware of his shortcomings.

And Tony Stark is, first and foremost, a good man.

Repost from my previous blog.

Azula into the Multiverse

Chapter One: The TVA

No Trigger Warnings Apply.

Word Count: 2,557

Hi! I want to make a quick note about the characters, the TVA characters from Loki are swapped with characters from Avatar and The Legend of Korra. I was going to reveal which characters are swapped with who, but thought it would be more fun if I just gave their descriptions and revealed their identities later.

Although, I think they’re very easy to figure out.

Also this turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. I had to split episode one into various chapters.

PS: I know this is kind of exactly like the show Loki, but it’ll start to change once Azula meets her male variant. Still, it will have many parallels.

It was really fun to write this! n.n

Prologue 

Support on AO3

Azula felt like her heart wanted to get out of her chest. She had tried to fight them, tied and all, which resulted in them hitting her again with the staff that made her lose her agility and her dignity.

She was being tightly held by two guards and chaperone by three. She couldn’t use lighting because her hands were completely tied and hidden in some sort of cylindrical apparatus. Running would be difficult with both her feet being practically immobilized. Not that she didn’t enjoy a challenge, but she knew it wasn’t wise.

She tried to heat up the thing that kept her hands from blowing up the building, but she couldn’t. She also took several deep breaths trying to draw fire from it, but had no success either.

Azula sighed with frustration. She still couldn’t make sense of it all. 

One moment they were in the Agni Kai Arena back at her home on the Fire Nation and the next they were in some sort of office with lots of devices that she had never seen before in her life. They beeped and displayed different colors and patterns every few seconds. Some even displayed images as if they were taken from someone’s memory. 

Was it a set up? Did Zuko knew he couldn’t beat her and was the Agni Kai only a distraction for these guys to get to her?

It did seem like Zuko to sacrifice himself, but use himself as bait?  Who would be the Fire Lord? And why didn’t they care at all about Zuko dying and the water tribe girl being killed if they were working together?

No. They’re working for themselves. 

She kept scanning the room, but there was nothing about the place that told her where they were. No spirit drawings or element images, the clothing didn’t give away anything either. The people dressed with the same muted colors tops and dark bottoms. Not even a hint of where they were from or if any of them were benders. 

There's too many of them. Azula observed to herself, she knew when she was outnumbered. She was not outmatched, it was nothing The Fire Lord couldn’t handle, of course, but she wanted to save her energy. If there were this many security guards just in a Lobby, she could imagine that the one they were protecting was very powerful.

The receptionist looked up from his monitor and stared in horror as he laid eyes on Azula. She grinned in return.

“Oh no, you have another one of those.” He said, standing up and taking a step back.

The head agent chuckled, “Another one of these, no evidence for this one.” 

“Thank god.” The receptionist sighed with relief.  “This one looks scarier though.” He added, as he nervously passed a hand through his hair and let a single curl fall on his forehead.

“You have nice judgement.” Azula complimented him as she passed by.

The head agent dismissed the other guards and let Azula’s hands and feet free. She smiled with her head down. She didn’t thought they could be stupid enough to let her go, let alone when they just managed to miraculously catch her. 

“Prepare to meet your doom!” Azula nearly screamed as she pointed two fingers at him and tried to fire lightning through the chest of the young man. He stared at her with one eyebrow raised.

“What the..?” Azula tried again and again, people were stopping to stare at her and her failed lightning bolt attempts.

“Are you done?” He asked, seeing how Azula refused to give up.

“What the hell is happening to me?” She said as she examined her hands and then clenched them into fists. “You did this to me.” She spat at him.

“No, you did this to yourself.” He replied as he pushed her to the room behind her and shut the door.

Azula got up from the floor and screamed out of frustration. Not even a small flame came out of her.  She grunted annoyed and was about to kick the door open when she heard a buzzing sound coming from behind her. She turned around and saw some kind of machine with what appeared to be a terrifying smile on its screen.

The appliance extended some of its mechanical arms and tried to grab Azula’s robes, but she slapped them away.

“What are you doing? Didn’t they teached you that you do  not touch The Fire Lord’s robes?” She waited for the machine to reply, for some reason, but it said nothing. “You’re banished. Get out of my sight.” she ordered it as she crossed her arms.

The machine smiled at her once more and shot her with a laser that stripped her naked. 

Azula gasped. “How dare you?!” She took a step forward without any hesitation, but before she could destroy anything, the floor beneath her feet opened and made her fall through. As she fell she felt a rough fabric on her skin. 

The firebender groaned as she looked at her body with the beige suit. “So now I’m an Earth Kingdom peasant!?” She was boiling with anger and yet, could not produce a single spark of lightning.  

Azula had never been this angry in her life. Not even when Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her. They were both rotting in a prison cell and would never get out of it. However, this was humiliation after humiliation. People didn't seem to care who she was, her title or the fact that she was just plain scary. Even without her bending.

“Please sign to verify this is everything you ever said.” a man told her in a monotonous tone.

“What?” She spat.

Another device started making  a buzzing sound and a piece of paper came out of it.

“Sign this too.” The clerk instructed without any change on his expression.

“I’m not signing anything.” Azula spat, speaking each word carefully.

*BuzZ.*

“And this.” The clerk placed another document on top of the stack.

Azula stared at the man like she was about to end his existence and then smiled suddenly. She grabbed the pen in a calm manner and jumped onto the counter with the intention of stabbing him. But when she was about to do it, she found herself in front of the man again with no pen in her hand.

Azula narrowed her eyebrows and tried again and again, but the clerk kept throwing her back without even laying a finger on her.

“How are you doing that?!” She demanded, exhausted and out of breath.

“The faster you get over with this process, the quicker you can go home.” He told her in  the same bored tone as before while he put another piece of paper on top of the others.

Azula swallowed all her anger and took a deep breath. When she exhaled, she expected blue flames to come out of her lips, but  of course they didn’t.  She straightened her back and pulled her loose hair strands behind her ears but they were so short they fell back into her face.

“Of course.” She answered with a smile.

The machine made the annoying sound that made Azula greeth her teeth and another paper came out for her to sign. She signed everything without saying another word. The floor beneath her feet opened again but this time she landed perfectly on her feet. 

“Please confirm to your knowledge that you are not a fully robotic being, were born an organic creature and do in fact possess what many would call a soul.”

“A robotic being?” She thought carefully. “You mean like a weapon?”

“Thank you for your confirmation. Move through.”

Azula took a step forward but hesitated. “Well, I've been a firebender prodigy since I was in the womb. What if I’m a weapon and didn’t know it?” The clerk ignored her and kept his vision on his documents.  “That would explain a lot of things.” She added quietly to herself.

“The machine would melt you from the inside out. Please move along.”

“Do  not rush me.” Azula spat suddenly, not being able to keep her anger at bay. She stepped into the door arc and closed her eyes as a flash of light greeted her. The machine printed a piece of paper and the clerk took it, his neutral expression changed immediately to shock. 

“What’s that?” She asked.

“It’s your temporal aura.” He said, his voice trembling.

“Oh, are those real? TyLee was always offering to cleanse it, I thought it was a waste of time.” She said, folding her arms, unamused. 

“Through the door, please.” He motioned her forward.

Azula followed the instructions and stepped through the door, grateful that they didn’t throw her to another floor beneath.

“Take a ticket.” A guard instructed her.

“No.” She replied and continued walking casually.

“Take A Ticket.” He instructed louder, grabbing her forearm.

Azula slipped out of his grip.

The Fire Lord does not wait in file.  She wanted to yell at him. But this was just another low rank guard, just like the rest she has encountered before. It was a waste of energy.  She took the ticket and made sure to  show it to him.

She felt her anger grow more and more with each step she took. She could’ve breathed fire at any moment but somehow her firebending was taken away from her. The staffs that these people used were more powerful than Ty Lee’s chi blocking fists. 

She shivered at the memory of being betrayed by her only friends and stopped walking. 

“Please move along.”

“Quit ordering me around!” Azula yelled. “and if you want to keep living, I suggest you take me to whoever is in charge of this dump and inform them that this was all a mistake and that The Fire Lord shouldn’t even be here.”

“Hey there! You’re probably saying, “This is a mistake! I shouldn’t even be here!” A youthful female voice said. Azula turned and found out it was coming from one of those square devices they had everywhere. 

“Welcome to the Time Variance Authority. I’m Miss Minutes and it's my job to catch you up before you stand trial for your crimes.”

Azula narrowed her eyebrows even further.  Trial? Crimes? 

“So let’s not waste another minute. Settle in, sharpen your pencils and check this out.”

The device showed a lightning bolt striking. 

It’s like they’re mocking me.

“Long ago, there was a vast multiversal war. Countless unique timelines battled each other for supremacy, nearly resulting in the total destruction of, well everything.

“But then the all-knowing Time Keepers emerged, bringing peace by reorganizing the multiverse into a single timeline, The Sacred Timeline. Now the Time-Keepers protect and preserve the proper flow of time for everyone and everything. But sometimes people like you veer off the path the Time-Keepers created. We call those  Variants .”

“Excuse me?” Azula said out loud.

“The TVA has stepped in to fix your mistake and set time back to its predetermined path. Now that your action has left you without a place in the timeline, you must stand for your offenses. So sit tight and we’ll get you in front of a judge in no time. 

“For all time, always.”

Azula kept staring at the screen.  What are these people on?

“Ticket please.”

“I-I don’t have a ticket, sir! I don’t even know what I’m doing here! I’m just a humble old man from the earth kingdom who sells papayas for a living.” The old man said. He was trying to sound intimidating, but Azula could tell, he didn’t have it in him. “Your-your coworkers destroyed my wagon!” He added, with a louder and steadier tone.

“Ticket Please.” The guard instructed louder.

“I-I told you-”

The guard took out his staff and turned it. It started to glow an orange hue and he touched the old man’s chest with it. The old man started to disappear from the center of his body.

“But my papayas!” He screamed.  Azula watched in awe until there was nothing of the old man left. 

These are not benders for sure.

The guard turned to Azula and gave her a death stare. “Ticket please.” 

She held her ticket in between two fingers and handed it to him without breaking eye contact, almost as if she wanted him to threaten her with his weapon. She was up for the challenge, but she knew he wouldn’t dare.

  “Next case please.” A female judge screamed in the courtroom. She was dressed in brown instead of the standard black uniform of the guards and she had a scar on the right side of her face. 

Finally, someone above all these idiots.

“Azula from the Fire Nation, Variant A1130, is charged with sequence violation number 72089. Has already tried to escape on several occasions and…  tried to kill an office clerk with a pen…” The judge read the allegations with one eyebrow raised, she looked up to Azula. 

“How do you plead?”

Azula laughed.  “The Fire Lord does not plead.”

“Are you guilty or not guilty?” The judge insisted again.

“The only guilty are all of you. You have not only disrespected The Fire Lord,-”

“You are not The Fire Lord Azula, Zuko is.”

Azula laughed hysterically. “Zu-zu? He’s probably dead by now.”

“No, Lord Zuko has done a lot for the world alongside the avatar. More than you ever did as a princess. How do you plead?” She spoke each syllable of her question carefully.

Azula scoffed, this woman didn’t know what she was talking about. “If anyone’s guilty is Zuko and that water peasant. He interrupted my coronation and she interrupted an Agni Kai! And not just any Agni Kai, a royal Agni Kai.”

“What they did was supposed to happen, you defeating them did not.”

“Excuse me? I, the firebending prodigy, the conqueror of Ba Sing Se, was supposed to lose against a banished traitor and a water peasant?”

“Yes.” The judge said without a hint of sarcasm.

“According to who?” Azula demanded, crossing her arms.

“The Time-Keepers.”

“Right, the Time-Keepers.” Azula screamed at the judge.  “Well, I’m the Fire Lord, my father is the Phoenix King, we do not follow orders from anyone.”

“Yes, well here you do. The court finds you guilty and I sentence you to reset.” The judge slammed her gravel. “Next case please.”

“What? You  sentenced  me?” The guards started to grab her by her limbs. “No! Don’t touch me!” Azula managed easily to get out of the grip of the guards and place some distance between them, but found herself in their grip again within seconds and without any explanation. “You do not know what I’m capable of.” Azula muttered.

“I think I might… have an idea of what she’s capable of.” A man said suddenly as he got up from the audience.

“Approach the bench.” The judge told him.

The judge and the man, also in brown clothes, started whispering. Azula grew more and more impatient each second, but she couldn’t do much with the polar bear dog collar around her neck.

“Fine!” The judge yelled suddenly. “Next case please!”

The man approached Azula and motioned the guards to let her go, they obeyed him.

“And who are you?” Azula asked.

The man smiled at her, but didn’t answer her question.

Morpho: Clint Barton x OC

LIZA’S POV

2012

“Explain to me again, what exactly do you want this reactor to do?” I asked my lovely father as he showed me the blueprints to an underwater reactor he was going to build, presumably soon. He and I both knew I understood his plans, but just wanted to hear him say it again, and so he did. It was no question, I shared my fathers brain, his wit, but I was more skilled than he was. That was his own fault though, since I could walk I was in various combat training classes, having high ranks in most, I was a trained marksman and I could hack the most secure buildings in the world. I also had my powers, I forget about those sometimes though.

As he finished his explanation of the reactor, my phone rang, usually I’d ignore it but Phil Coulson doesn’t call people unless it’s important. “Hey Dad, I have to get this.” I stood up from the computer in the lab, my tone slightly worried. He nodded and went back to checking the prints a millionth time.

“Agent Stark.” I answered, a standard greeting for any SHIELD calls I got.

“Stark, we need you to come in.” Phil sounded panicked, and Phil Coulson never panicked.

“Phil, I’m in New York, with my dad, can’t work wait until my week off--” I was cut off.

“Barton’s been compromised.” That sentence was all it took to cause anxiety and panic to course through my body. “And please, ask Tony about project TAI. He’ll know what to do.”

So I did, and not even an hour later, I was in a Stark Industries helicopter, landing on the bridge of a SHIELD helicarrier. As I got out of my ride, I was greeted by one third of my crew, Natasha Romanoff, and Doctor Bruce Banner. “Nat!” I was a mess, ever since Phil told me Clint had been compromised, I’d been crying, just pulling myself together the last ten minutes of the flight. I ran over to my red headed best friend and threw my arms around her. I was one of, maybe two, people in the world she would hug. “Have you seen him?”

She hugged me back, “No. I haven’t, but we’ll find him and we’ll get HIM back.” She pulled away from the hug, “Agent Stark, this is Doctor Banner,” She introduced me to the man, who just witnessed me be vulnerable. I instantly put on my ‘Agent Face’ and greeted him.

“Agent Elizabeth Stark, your work on anti-electron collisions is...unparalleled.” I stuck my hand out for him to shake, internally I was fangirling. On top of being one of SHIELD’s top agents, I had degrees in Thermonuclear Engineering, Physics, and Literature.

“Thank you, Doctor Bruce Banner,” He shook my hand, “Stark as in…?”

“Yes, Doc, my father is Anthony Edward Stark, and my does he know it.” I giggled slightly. The three of us started walking along the bridge, coming up on a quinjet that had just landed. Out stepped my favorite awkward man and America’s first super soldier. “Phil, I see you’ve called in..” I trailed off, knowing what he was doing, why he was bringing us here.

“That I have Liza. That I have.” He smiled and gave me a side hug. It wasn’t a secret how close the “three assassins” were, especially me and Clint.

Nat approached us from talking to a fellow agent, “They need you inside, they’ve started running the face trace.” She directed at coulson.

~

Third Person POV

Captain America was on the ground fighting with Loki, while Black Widow and Morpho were in the quinjet, manning the jet and trying to get Loki to drop the sceptre. Eventually, with Iron Man’s help, they contain Loki and head back to the helicarrier from Germany.

All of a sudden, Loki is in the hands of his brother, Thor. A fight ensues, and Morpho wonders if she should teleport down to help contain Loki, but decides against it.

~

Morpho freezes when she sees Hawkeye for the first time since getting that dreaded phone call. Morpho and Black Widow fight Hawkeye until he gets knocked out, Morpho staying with him and eventually taking him to the medical wing after the fight, which got the Hulk to come out, ended.

~

A day later, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Morpho are fighting Loki’s army of the Chitauri. Black Widow is about to close the portal when Iron Man cuts in, “No. Wait.”

“Stark, these things are still coming!” Captain America warns.

“”I’ve got a nuke coming in, it’s gonna blow in less than a minute and I know just where to put it.”

“Dad..that’s a one way trip.” Morpho stands in the middle of the street, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I know. I love you, my little butterfly.” He says as he disconnects his comms and flies the nuke into the portal.

~

Liza’s POV

Once we had fought, and fought, we had finally sat down to eat some shawarma at this little place in Queens. We were all just talking amongst ourselves, I was currently going off on my dad for trying to sacrifice himself, while casting an illusion to hug Clint, Nat and Bruce, we all needed it. As soon as my illusions dropped, Thor cleared his throat.

“Lady Liza, I have an announcement to make that will interest you, most of all.” He started, “There is a reason I was on Midgard, other than my little brother. I was to come find my long lost sister Tyr, tell her of her origins, and bring her home so the Allfather and Allmother can explain their actions.”

“I love you Thor, but how does this involve me?” I questioned, being genuinely curious about the whole predicament. There was no way in heaven or hell I was Tyr...it would explain my magical abilities and why I healed faster and whenever I got sick I was only down for a couple of hours, but no..I couldn’t be.

“Liza, You are Tyr. I was sent, with an image of who and where you are. Heimdall has been keeping tabs on you for years. I understand if you do not wish to talk this over here, but rather somewhere more comfortable.” Thor slightly explained and I simply just nodded, everyone, including myself in a state of shock.

~

That night we all decided to stay at the Triskelion Barracks, where everyone had a room connected with one big common area. We were The Avengers now, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, we needed a place to stay after long world saving missions, though my father was already in talks with Fury, to change Stark Tower into Avengers Tower.

Thor, Clint, my dad and I were all sitting in the common area waiting for a more lengthy explanation from Thor, Clint and my dad being there for moral support. I looked at Thor, “Please, explain how I’m a norse goddess.”

“It was merely 25 Midgardian years ago, my mother Frigga got pregnant, unexpectedly, as she had not been pregnant since she had me, roughly 28 Midgardian years ago. When my father heard the news, he was ecstatic, but made a political decision for the unborn baby my mother was carrying.” He started, looking at me to make sure I was following, “He decided to send Frigga to earth, have her meet and sleep with Tony Stark, later convincing him she was pregnant with his baby, then she was to leave him, aged 18, to care for the baby until she was ready to take on her royal status.”

“Hold the FUCK UP.” Tony started, “You’re telling me, Carrie wasn’t Carrie, that--my whole relationship was a lie?” He was fuming. I was just as shocked as he was. No matter what though, Tony Stark was still my father.

“I’m sorry, but yes, I hated my father’s logic and wanted to stop him, but I could not.” Thor was genuinely sorry, and I grabbed my dad’s hand to assure him I needed the rest of the story. “As I was saying, the baby girl was to be named as Tony wished, but her Asgardian records were to have her as Tyr.”

“Okay, that explains my powers and extreme strength, but uh-- What-- what am I the goddess of?” I inquired, curious.

“Oh yes! How could I forget, Tyr is to be the Goddess of War, Justice and Law!” He was excited. “I do have a question for you, little sister.” It felt weird to me, Thor calling me a sibling.

“Shoot.” I faked a smile, overwhelmed at the information I had dumped on me, the fact I knew I’d have to talk with this alone with both Tony and Clint, so many things.

“Loki and I leave for Asgard tomorrow, so he can get the punishment he deserves, please come with us, meet your Asgardian family.” He looked hopeful. What would it hurt to meet my actual creators?

“I’ll go.” I answered. With that he stood up and excitedly wished a goodnight to the three of us left.

“Hey, Clint, Can you give my dad and I a couple minutes? I’ll come talk to you when I’m done.” I started and Clint went to his room, leaving Tony and I.

“Dad..” I started, and when I finally looked at him, I saw THE Tony Stark crying.

“You--you’re not--I didn’t make you.” He stuttered over his words.

“I do not give a flying fuck who my biological parents are. You’ve been my dad for almost 25 years now. You. Are. My. Dad. Always have been, always will be. I’m 24, you’re 42. We have the rest of our lives to be father & daughter. I won’t leave you because of this new found ‘family’. You and Pepper and Happy and Nick, you guys are my family. That won’t change.” I went on a small tangent.

He pulled me into a hug, gave me a kiss on the cheek and muttered a ‘thank you’ into my hair. He felt reassured, I knew his anxiety would get the best of his brain after that revelation. He got up and went to his room after that, and I made my way to Clint’s room.

I knocked on the door, he opened it and I instantly walked to him, gave him a hug and started crying. I was exhausted and overly emotional, I wasn’t as closed off as Natasha so me showing Clint my emotions wasn’t weird.

He just held me and listened to me rant about everything that had been dumped on me in the last two days. I almost lost my best friend, found out I was a goddess and I’m not technically human. I kept coming back to almost losing Clint. I couldn’t lose him. He was my rock, my person. I was in love with him, and god damn it, one day I’ll tell him, just not right now.

Once he got me to calm down, he walked me back to my room, and once we got there, “Stay. Please. I leave for another realm tomorrow and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.” I asked my best friend. We’d cuddled and slept in the same bed multiple times, platonically.

So he did, we both crawled into my bed, I laid my head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. I wished I could stay like that forever. Slowly, we both drifted into sleep.

~

The next morning after everyone had woken up and got ready, we headed to Central Park to have a send off. Thor and I had taken Loki out of SHIELD custody and were heading to Asgard. Apparently, my magic was the only magic in this realm that could counter Loki’s.

Thor was addressing the group, but really the information was for me, “We’ll be in Asgard for about a week, which is roughly three weeks Midgardian time.Time moved weirdly between the realms as one year here is 53 on Asgard.”

With that, Thor, Loki and I stood on a bridge overlooking a little river, holding a contraption that held the tesseract. I said my goodbyes and gave everyone a hug, spending a little more time on my dad and Clint. When I walked over to my brothers, we twisted the contraption and were off to Asgard.

(BONUSSSSS: THIRD PERSON POV)

Clint and Natasha were walking away from the group when the assassin turned to the Archer, “So when are you gonna tell Liza?” She asked.

“Tell her what?” He looked at his best friend, a quizzical look on his face.

“Oh god, you don’t think I’m stupid do you? Even the Iceman can see it, You’re in love with Elizabeth Stark.”

“I--uh-- what--- I don’t”

“Just tell her before it’s too late.”

_________

A/N:

GAHHHH I HOPE YOU LIKED IT.

Also, if I decide to incorporate movies into this book, it’ll happen like this chapter did, the plot skimmed over in third person. I’m not sure if any other movies are gonna be canon in this, but this one in particular was important to the plot.

-Izzy

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