#this as opposed to Loki who will say the proper thing but in such a way that even when you know it’s true you’re doubting it now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-chaotic-neutral-pansexual · 3 years

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Planned Works/Ideas for October

Hello everyone, as I mentioned previously I’ve been working on some stuff. I also have been feeling very inspired as of late and will be writing some more. I wanted to get this October started off right so here is a list of some things that will be coming your way hopefully sooner than later. I don't feel comfortable giving exact dates because as I've mentioned before certain factors can cause my writing schedule to be sporadic (also why I will not be participating in kinktober) Since some ideas are more developed than others his list will be separated into three categories:

Full ideas

People/characters who will be getting works

Ideas/tropes that I want to write about

Let's Begin!

First up here are the fully developed ideas that are in progress.

Yoon Hyunsuk (Cix)

Nerd!Hyunsuk x Popular!reader (college au)

The tall, shy, handsome, boy who sits behind you in every class you share has a secret. Like many other people on campus, he was hopelessly in love with you. It began three years ago, freshman year, and every day it only got stronger. Over the years this has led him to do some… questionable things he's not a bad guy by any means he's just an awkward college boy in love. At first, it was innocent just sitting behind you in classes that you shared. He hoped that this would give him some time to gain some confidence to talk to you while still remaining close to you. He really didn’t mean to begin eavesdropping on your conversations or reading your texts over your shoulder, he just wanted to learn more about you before he approached you. But as time went on the worse he got from smelling your hair to following you around campus to lurking your socials to finally finding your dorm room. He told himself that he was just trying to return a jacket you left in class so he racked his brain for all of the information he “gathered” and remembered your room number. It was just supposed to be a quick drop off of the jacket he played out the scenario in his head a thousand times. knock on the door, tell you he picked it up when you forgot it, give it to you, and leave. But, when he knocked on the door it opened slightly you weren’t there but you left it cracked indicating that you would be back soon. The change in circumstances caused him to panic and so he decided to just go in and drop it on your bed as opposed to waiting at your door for you. As soon as he fully entered the room the door closed behind him and after folding your jacket placing it on your bed he goes to leave. Turns out you left your door cracked for a reason, he twists the knob and pulls with all his might but he can’t get it opened. The door jammed and he’s stuck in your room. Before he even gets the chance to panic he hears you right outside the door.

Request

Klaus Mikaelson (TVD/The Originals)

Cursed!KlausxSoulmate!Reader

Klaus kills a woman. Unbeknownst to him, this woman was the soulmate of a powerful witch. In revenge the witch curses him vowing that the day Klaus finds his soulmate they will be made immortal but their soul would be removed leaving an eternal one-sided soulmate connection where Klaus is completely connected to them ( can only love and desire them, unable to hurt or kill them, able to see their thoughts and feel their emotions/pain.etc) but they have no connection to him. The witch finally takes the only reverse to the spell to the grave with him and his wife leaving nobody else to break the spell. The story will center around an interesting toxic yet slightly romantic relationship between Klaus and the reader where over years they are continuously on and off again. Klaus does everything to get the reader to love and stay with him and the reader uses this to their advantage. When they’re together its great but when they’re apart things never go well. In the end, the reader can always leave him but he can never leave them so he takes any measure to keep them by his side.

Choi Soobin (TXT)

Sub!SoobinxDom catgirl!reader

The Cat Owns You Part 2

After returning home from the café Soobin you’re finally able to transform. Now being human you keep up a nice façade for the evening eating dinner and watching television peacefully. Having you around for these few hours has him believing he made the right decision after a while he took you to your room before retiring to his own for the night. He drifts off to sleep happily thinking that he found a simple way to fix his loneliness issue a cute catgirl who resides in the room beside his. Nothing could have prepared him for what would happen a few hours later. Waking up to feel his hands and legs in an uncomfortable position he tries to adjust himself but he can’t, opening his eyes to look he realizes that he’s tied to the 4 sides of his bedpost. Before he can question what’s happening he sees you making your way toward him with the collar he purchased earlier in your hands. You notice that he’s awake but continue on fastening the collar around his throat before positioning yourself to sit on him, straddling his spread body “(Y/N) what’s going on” he asks trying to sound stern but it comes out as more of a whisper as the reality of his situation really begins to set in affecting his body in a way he didn’t expect. “Shhh don’t worry I’ll take care of you” you whisper in his ear sending a shiver through his body. Every second that passes he can feel his resolve fading he knows that he wants whatever is about to happen and soon he won’t be able to say no you know this too. He quickly yet unconvincingly rushes out “ no you can’t do this” causing you to chuckle “ Yes I can, I can do whatever I want you signed the papers” before he can ask what you mean you continue “I own you”

Up next here are some muses that I will be writing about once I find the perfect ideas for them:

Garou (Genshin Impact)

Nejire Kamado (My Hero Academia)

Mina Ashido (My Hero Academia)

Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)

Kazutora Hanemiya (Tokyo Revengers)

Choi Beomgyu (TXT)

Choi Chanhee (The Boyz)

Jeong Jaehyun (NCT)

Park Seonghwa (Ateez)

Wonho (Soloist)

Sunmi (soloist)

Sana (twice)

Beelzebub (Obey Me)

Loki Laufeyson (MCU)

Buckey Barnes (MCU)

Hela Odinson(MCU)

Wanda Maximoff (MCU)

And finally here are some ideas for works (I’m thinking of making a proper prompt list but for now you can request any of these ideas with a muse from above and I will try to fulfill it. Just make sure to specify what type of story you want (fluff, smut, angst, general hcs, drabbles, etc):

Reader is an evil sorcerer and the muse is their loyal familiar

Reader is a succubus and muse is a charge that keeps summoning them

Reader is like Hades and muse is like Persephone

Female Knight reader saves prince muse

Criminal reader goes yandere for normal muse

Opposites attract the big, scary, cold reader and soft cute muse

Muse who is a twitch streamer by day and a camgirl/boy by night

Reader is a Sugar mommy and muse is one of their many sugar babies it starts off fine but then muse falls in love and wants to be readers only one

Dom reader x fem switch muse x sub male muse

Ruler reader x harem

Reader is mean to everyone but muse

Smart tsundere reader dating clingy affectionate himbo/bimbo muse

Fem Joker type reader x male Harley type muse

Reader is an engineer who finds robot muse and fixes them

Vampire queen reader and yandere muse servant who wants to be readers walking blood bag

Hero reader saves muse from a yandere and muse becomes yandere

Demon reader x angel muse

A muse who keeps trying to kill a reader that they don’t know is invulnerable reader knows muse is trying to kill them but doesn’t stop them because they think it’s cute.

#dom!reader #sub!idol #sub!kpop #cix fluff #cix x reader #hyunsuk x reader #sub!cix #txt x reader #soobin x reader #sub!soobin #catgirl #the vampire diares imagine #the originals #the originals x reader #klaus mikealson x reader #upcoming #wips #yandere scenarios

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wolvesandpetals · 3 years

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Loki x Sylvie Playing House Part 3 (Humor, Romance), Rated T. Full on Sylki hijinks, as promised!

Masterlist of my Sylki fanfics here.

---

The first thing she does when Thor leaves is Google herself. Apparently, she was a child actor and made a fortune there, before transitioning into modelling, and later into a successful influencing career.

"That makes perfect sense to me", Loki comments. "If I was not a prince, I would have chosen to be an actor too. Just imagine, legions of fans screaming your name, begging for your attention for just one moment, hanging onto your every word, willing to worship the very ground you walk on. Now, that is the dream." He pauses, cherishing the image in his head. "There's also the money. Looks like you and I will never have to work a day in our lives. We can just live off your money."

[[MORE]]

Sylvie feels the muscles in her laws instinctively tense. This is not her life, or her reality. She can't imagine spending eternity here. She looks at Loki sternly. "We can not. We have to return to the TVA."

"Yes, of course." He agrees immediately. A part of him likes this life. But another part of him knows there is never a gain without a loss. The universe finds a way to make him pay for every bit of happiness he ever gets. Who knows what the price may be if he chooses to stay, with his family, and with Sylvie right here?

Sylvie sets down the laptop on the bedside table, ignoring the danger of Loki's glass being knocked over and drenching it. She cannot let herself be concerned with such simple things. Ignoring them is the surest way to covince herself she hates it here. "I was wondering, if Thor can get into this town, and if he remembers us leaving this town in the past, does it mean we are free to leave?"

Loki studies her features, the resolute glint in her eyes and the defiant stance of her chin. It is clear that she will stop at nothing to get back to the TVA. "We should test it out." He says, trying to sound as calm as possible. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Maybe we can go to Oklahoma? See my supposed parents?" She attempts to play it off like it's nothing, even though she knows exactly what it means- temptation. The urge to see what this life looks like is ever-growing.

"Why can't we go to Asgard and see my parents instead?" He counters immediately.

Sylvie purses her lips, trying not to reveal her emotions. She doesn't remember her Odin or Frigga at all. A part of her longs to meet this version of them, but another part wonders how overwhelming it would feel, watching Loki occupy her place, have her life, her "parents" in this timeline. "Fine. How about we pick a neutral location first?"

"Fine." He replies curtly.

"Fine!" Her irritation escalates. She grabs the laptop again, opening up a tab to a travel website, ready to book a flight.

"LA?" He suggests.

"You just want the paparazzi attention, don't you?" She points out, but doesn't resist. "Alright."

September 1st. The date is set. They will be off to LA within three days, and if whatever being that has placed them here does not want them to leave, they will know by then.

---

"Do you really need all of these sunglasses?" Sylvie asks, after Loki stashes the fifth one in his backpack.

"Of course, I do." He defends. "Style? Remember?"

"Travelling light, remember?" She hits back, taking out two random pairs and throwing them back on her dresser. "Just take what you absolutely need."

"I absolutely need my sunglasses." He says stubbornly.

She can either give in on this trivial matter, or she can dig her heels in and fight it out with him. A stupid pair of sunglasses is not worth the effort. "Fine." And in return, there's something that he has to compromise for her as well. "Only if you help me get my swords past security."

"With pleasure." He says with a grin, and with a wave of his hand, the newly arrived swords from eBay are magically cloaked.

Sylvie looks at her own luggage. She has never really owned anything. She jumped from one apocalypse to another, with only her life, and sometimes food supplies for a few days. It feels surreal to look at the clothes in her wardrobe now. The thought of carrying them with her feels even more foreign.

She looks at the tons of products on her dresser, skin creams, lotions, toners, cleansers and heaven knows what else. All the luxuries she never had.

All the luxuries she does not want.

"I'll just pack a change of clothes." She says finally.

"You don't want anything else?" He asks, surprised.

"These are just things, Loki." She explains. "They can be replaced. I have no attachment to them."

---

She regrets not booking first class. She has been on planes before, using crashing aircrafts as a temporary hideout spot to regroup when the TVA was on her tails. As a stowaway, she never realized just how annoying a plane journey can actually be.

Loki graciously offers her the window seat, noting her unease as soon as they board. She thanks him with a smile, and they nod in mutual understanding.

She stares out of the window, at the town that is supposedly her home, and for the first time ever, she feels a pang of homesickness for a place that is not Asgard. She has been here for just five days now, yet, the thought of sleeping in her own bed is so tempting.

Sylvie notices how she is thinking of the bed as her bed now, but tries not to dwell on it too much.

The plane takes off without incidence, and she dozes off quickly. When she wakes up, she notices a thin comforter wrapped around her shoulders. Turning to her side, she sees Loki sleeping as well, his mouth slightly agape. She snuggles close to him, suddenly needing the comfort of his warmth, and the woman on the aisle seat gives her a dirty look. There's a baby crying somewhere in the back, and what feels like the beginning of a massive headache. But all that fades away when she lays her head on his shoulder.

---

When the flight arrives at LAX, they are both a little scared to leave its comfort. They are about to find out if they are free to travel wherever they want, or whether the action had any consequence. Sylvie is the first to take a step out, and they are both relieved to see nothing happens. The baggage claim goes smoothly, though slowly, and they get a cab quickly. Sylvie hides her grin when she sees Loki put on his sunglasses.

"So we're here." He says, staring at Sylvie, while she stares out of the window.

She only hums in response.

"Is this your honeymoon?" The driver asks.

Loki laughs nervously. "No, no. We've been married for quite a long time. This is just... a vacation."

The driver recommends them a lot of tourist places. Sylvie tunes him out. This is just a test. She has no interest in touring LA. They have their return flight scheduled for the next day.

They check into their hotel room, and she plops down on the bed immediately. "It seems we are free to leave the town. Just not the reality, I suppose." She runs her hands over the silky sheets, amused. "I must say, whoever placed us here has taken every measure to make this prison comfortable."

Loki follows suit and takes a seat beside her. "I suppose that is indeed generous of him. Or her."

Sylvie turns to the side to look at him. "So how do we get out of here then? Got any plan?"

He shrugs. It's not like there's a book called What to do when you find yourself trapped in an alternate universe with your alternate self for Dummies. "Right now, the plan is to get some dinner, then some sleep. Then perhaps in the morning we can see a bit of LA?"

"You want to play tourist?" She asks in a neutral tone.

He replies in kind, testing the waters. "We are here already, and we have the time, so why not?"

"Okay." She replies, a little unsure, but not entirely opposed to the idea. The weariness of the journey starts taking its toll on her. She messages her temples with her fingertips. "Should we order room service?"

Loki contemplates for a moment. On the one hand, she looks really tired, and she could use a good night's sleep. On the other hand, she has been completely on edge and razor focused on the mission since they got in this mess. Well, since they met, actually, and probably for centuries before that. She could also use a bit of fun and relaxation.

With that in mind, he carefully voices his proposal. "I was thinking maybe we can go down to the restaurant and have a proper dinner."

Sylvie looks up, grinning mischievously. She's about to call his bluff. "What, like a date?" His deer-in-the-headlights reaction makes her laugh. "Calm down, I'm just teasing you."

---

It's not a date, but it kind of is. It's a four course meal and a fine bottle of champagne over candlelight, after all.

"Was it like this? Back at Asgard?" Sylvie wonders.

"Mostly. But Asgard was grand, elegant. This is..."

"A cheap replacement." She completes.

Loki smiles. "Precisely."

They talk about their Asgard bedrooms, the similarities and the differences between their safe haven in the palace. An hour passes swiftly.

"The wine is good." Sylvie comments, sipping on her first glass of wine, when the champagne is drained.

"Yes, quite good." Loki agrees, on his first glass as well.

The tiniest buzz starts to take root in him, and his mind wanders into the realm of possibilities, the future he can have, here and now. His eyes focus on the brighest object in front of him- Sylvie.

She feels her cheeks flush under his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You are just so..." He blinks. What is another word for Asgard's Sun when it disappears into the azure lakes? "Breathtaking"

Her lips curve into a shy smile. This is the beginning of the same foolishness he showed on the train in Lamentis-1 that almost got them killed. But right now, their life isn't in imminent danger. Right now, she is just amused. "Wow, you really can't hold your liquor, can you?"

"Of course I can. I am Loki, Prince of Asgard." He declares proudly.

"Yes, yes, I've heard the speech." She says it with a smile and an eye-roll. "We should get you upstairs."

He objects immediately. "But I'm not done yet."

"Oh, I think you're quite done." She beckons the nearest waiter. "Can we get the bill, please?"

He can still walk surprisingly well, but she holds his hand tightly, just in case he decides to take a detour, and drags him into the elevator.

"Blonde looks good on you." He comments out of the blue. "Maybe I should go blonde too."

She grins. "Like Thor?"

He glares at her. "You're a buzzkill."

---

Sylvie opens the door after fumbling with the keys for a minute. She is starting to feel the effect of the alcohol as well. She takes off her shoes and her earrings, while Loki runs to the loo.

"Why did you book a room for two?" He asks in a serious tone, leaning against the door-frame of the bathroom.

Sylvie freezes, her hand hanging mid-air for five uncomfortable seconds before she awkwardly drops it to her side.

Why did she book a room for two? She could have just rented separate rooms, or at least ones with separate beds. It's not like she and Loki are actually together.

But they have been. At least for the past few days. Why do they need separate rooms here when they share a bed back home?

Home. Sylvie realises with alarm that she's thinking of her prison as her home.

Is this reality starting to mess with her mind now?

"It's okay, I don't want to leave you either." Loki's voice pulls her out of her inner monologue. She turns around quickly in his direction. He's still drunk, and it shows, but he has a look on his face that she has never seen before- a mix of resolution and fondless. His eyes whisper silent vows of loyalty, and something else, something he can't quite express yet. "I will never leave you."

Sylvie smiles, closing the distance between them and standing next to him. Her hand finds his by sheer instinct. "Good to know."

"I mean it, Sylvie." He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, before he tugs her along with him as he sits down on the bed, unable to stand any longer in his inebriated state. She is grateful to be seated too, and she's unsure whether it is just the alcohol. "I know you hate it here. But I like this." He indicates at her, then at himself, then back at her. "I like falling asleep next to you, and walking into the kitchen first thing every morning to see you cursing at the microwave. I like how you hum in the shower and scream at the TV."

Sylvie listens quietly, her eyes focused on the feeling of his hand in hers. She is trying to memorize this moment, burn the shape of his fingers and the feel of his touch into her brain, so that when it's gone- when he is gone- like everything in her life always is, she will have another good memory to relive again and again.

Loki continues. "I like the way you burn the pasta every time you try to cook."

"I don't burn the whole dish." She retorts playfully. "Just the bottom part."

He shakes his head to show he disagrees. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Her heartbeat quickens. Is he going to confess that he has feelings for her?

Does he have feelings for her?

"Sure." She barely whispers back.

Loki double-checks. "Promise me that you will never tell yourself?"

She laughs softly. "I promise."

Loki tenses, suddenly looking sober. He lets go of her hand, to rest his by his side, his fingers clenched into a fist. Mastering all his courage, he finally speaks. "I don't want to leave. Ever. I like it here."

Sylvie looks away, suddenly needing air. Hearing Loki say that makes her feel irrationally angry. He promised to be on her side every step of the way, but the minute he finds a life he likes, he's ready to throw in the towel.

A part of the anger stems from the fact that she knows, a major reason he wants to stay is her, this life he has with her. Two Lokis on any other timeline will cause Nexus events. But here, they are free to be together. Timelines don't start branching off like a growing vine on timelapse video every time they touch. And he wants that. She knows this because he has all but said it with his words and his actions.

And because she wants it too. Damn it, she wants it so much. She is getting sucked into this reality, indeed.

But she knows she has to finish what she started- she owes it to herself, and to the people out there who need her help, who will be robbed of their lives if she doesn't stop whoever is doing this.

She wants to-

- But she can't.

"Loki, I-" she stops when she turns around to see he has already fallen asleep. Wordlessly, she wraps the comforter over his sleeping form, before crawling under it herself. Turning to her side, facing away from him, she wonders what's next for them.

#loki disney+#loki x sylvie #sylvie x loki #pro sylki #sylki #sylki fanfic #fanfiction

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ad1thi · 4 years

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princely duties | AU-gust Day 9: Royalty AU

AU-gust masterlist

i know this is a bit late but ive been really busy all of yesterday and today. but it’s here now so enjoy!!

“Royal balls are such a bore, aren’t they?” (from this prompt list)

Thor Odinson, Crown Prince of the Realm of Asgard, Brother of Loki the Silvertongue, son to Frigga the Kind and Odin the Great, was known for a great many things.

He was known for his great looming stature, stranding tall and proud even for an Asgardian, with muscles that rippled and tensed as he walked. He was known for his illustrious hair, a thick blond mane that he'd taken a vow to never cut, braided and cascading down his shoulders in thick waves. He was known for his might on the battlefield, for the terror he struck through the heart of his enemies when he called lighting itself down to rain fire on those who dared oppose him.

He was known for being a gentle prince, for always having an ear open and the time for a pitcher of ale. He was known for the bond he had with his brother Loki - how the two of them had curled around each other at birth, his tiny fist clenched around his brother's equally tiny pinky, and never let go.

But more than any of that, Thor Odinson was known for never taking a Consort, in all his years.

"Mother," he says in a tone that attempts to belie how frustrated Thor was that the topic of discussion was yet again, his potential marriage, "I do not want a consort. I need no person by my side. I am perfectly equipped to lead Asgard on my own. What use do I have of a snake who's only wed me for the sake of climbing the social ladder?"

"Thor!" Frigga admonishes, even as Loki attempts to disguise his smile behind his pitcher, for their mother's sake more than Thor's. "I've raised you better than to talk like that."

Thor shrugs, biting into the wild boar that the Brothers Three had hunted earlier in the day, "It's the truth Mother, and you know it as well as I. I'm to sit on the Throne of Asgard, I cannot reasonably believe that anyone who sits by me is there because of me and not because of what I represent."

"I certainly didn't marry your father because he was to be King," Frigga says, and Thor instantly feels guilty for his words, even though he makes no move to take them back, "and someone out there will do you the same courtesy. You just have to be open to the possibility."

Next to him, Loki chokes on his food, and Thor extends a leg to kick him into submission. He didn't need his Mother to know of his various proclivities. The fact that she suspected he had multiple partners warming his bed at night was more than enough.

"You should listen to Mother Thor," Loki wheezes, his voice raspy from the coughing fit, "It's always good to be open to opportunities. You never know who might be the right fit."

Frigga beams at Loki, and Thor manfully resists the urge to pull a childish face at his brother.

"Enough of this talk" Odin booms, and both Thor and Loki turn as one to face their Father, "You have had many a year to find a Consort of your own, and you choose to squander your time. It is unbecoming of the Crown Prince to be unmoored, and it is only proper that you find a Consort. Since you continue to be a child and dig your heels in about this, we shall go about this the old-fashioned way."

Odin fixes his one good eye on Thor, "There will be a ball in the Palace, a week from now. People from all over the Nine Realms shall be invited, and by the end of the night - you will have chosen someone to court."

"And if I don't?" Thor asks bravely.

"Then I will not name you my Heir."

Thor pulled at the ends of his sleeves, shifting this way and that in front of the expansive mirror in his chambers. It wasn't that he was a stranger to the need to put on garments from the more extravagant side of his armoire, but he'd never quite gotten used to it.

He much preferred being in his breeches and covered in mud, sweat and blood. Being a warrior was in his blood, when he felt rooted and centred, and everything else felt like a farce.

There's a knock on his door but before he has so much as say, "Come In!", Loki has turned the knob and extended his own initiation.

"Had you been anyone else," he huffs, looking at his brother's reflection rather than turning to face him, "I would've had you beheaded for the arrogance to enter my chambers without my permission."

"Now that's not true," Loki says demurely. There's a flash, and where Loki was standing, is an image of his last bedpartner, a shapely woman with brunette hair that curled around her shoulders.

"Had I been this fair maiden," he continues, and even though the voice is feminine, it is still distinctly Loki, "I don't imagine I would've been mistreated so."

"I don't imagine you would be amenable to taking my cock in your mouth either," Thor says dryly, and Loki shudders predictably at the thought, "there's always exceptions to the rules." There's another flash, and Loki is back in his true form - glaring at Thor.

"You always take the fun out of everything," Loki says mulishly, "I didn't need to know what you and she did together in these rooms."

Thor shrugs, because as much as he loves his brother, he is not in the mood for a battle of wits tonight. Loki must realise this, because he softens, and walks over to place a reassuring arm on Thor's shoulders.

"If all else fails Brother," he says in complete seriousness, "I can always seek off to Jotunheim and light a fire under their asses, create enough destruction so that you may use War as an excuse to delay your search of a Consort."

Despite himself, Thor chuckles and leans his head against Loki's hand, "you would do that for me Brother?"

"I would," Loki nods, "It wouldn't be a hardship too. I've always wanted to know whether Frost Giants would truly melt under fire or they just look ice-y."

"When I am to be King," Thor says, reaching for his cloak, "Remind me never to allow you to meddle in foreign affairs."

Loki makes a face, like he wants to disagree, but can't find a good enough response for Thor's statement.

The Palace itself is resplendent, and it is clear that Mother has gone all out for the special occasion. Thor ordinarily would've loved it, had he not known what the purpose for tonight's ball was. A quick scan of the crowd proved that Father had indeed not been lying - people from all over the Nine Realms had attended. In the corner of his eye, Thor thinks he recognises the familial glimmer of Frost Giant magic, so he nudges Loki with his shoulder and points surreptitiously.

"You might get your desire after all brother," he says in a whisper, "It appears that Laufey has sent ambassadors of his own for tonight's ball."

"Now wouldn't that be a scandal?" Loki murmurs back, "if you were to take back a Frost Giant tonight? Maybe you should just to piss Father off."

Across the room, Mother is gesturing for Thor to mingle, and with a sigh - he bids Loki his leave and walks more purposefully into the hall, greeting guests of all manner. He even takes a couple of women for a spin on the dance floor, dipping them and flipping them and engaging in polite conversation before he begs off.

It goes on for close to an hour, until the monotony threatens to rot Thor's brain, and he hides away in a corner of the ballroom with a pitcher of ale, hoping that the shadows will provide him some break before his princely duties restart.

"Royal balls are such a bore aren't they?" says a voice next to him, and Thor jumps. He turns and his voice gets caught in his throat, because standing next to him with a cheeky smile, is possibly the most attractive person that Thor has ever laid his eyes on, in all of his years of existence.

"It's been a while since I've been to one," the man continues, oblivious of the thoughts currently running through Thor's head, "but I somehow convinced myself in Nidavellir that I missed this whole dog and pony show." He wrinkles his nose, and Thor is overcome with the urge to reach out and kiss it, "I can't tell if it's comforting or depressing that I've been proven wrong."

“You were on Nidavellir?” Thor says, his tongue feeling like lead in his month, “I wasn’t aware that Eitri let anyone visit the star?”

“Ah but I’m special," the man says, and there's a twinkle in his eyes, "Besides I wasn't visiting. I was there to learn." He extends a hand, and Thor reaches out to grasp it on instinct, noting how small it looks in his, "Anthony Starkison. But my friends call me Tony."

"Thor Odinson," Thor hasn't let go of his hand yet, "I'm afraid my friends don't have many creatives names for me. Although my brother does call me a brute and an idiot on occasion."

"I know who you are," Tony says, and it’s a simple statement, yet Thor feels a shiver run through him. Perhaps Father's inane idea of hosting a royal ball, wasn't so inane after all.

Fin

#my writing #thortony #thunderiron #thor odinson x tony stark #thor odinson/tony stark #thor/tony #thor x tony #adi does AU-gust #AU-gust #Royalty AU #Asgardian Tony Stark #meet cute #pre slash #princely duties #i have wanted to write more for this pairing for AGES #and now i finally have!!#so enjoy please

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arrow-guy · 4 years

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The Lighthouse (6/??)

Summary: The town is sleepy, the people are nice enough, but life gets turned upsidedown when the God of Thunder literally falls out of the sky.

A/N: Alright, I promise to start answering some questions as soon as I can get through this and the next chapter. I’m really excited to share this story with you guys now that it’s all planned!

Page dividers by @carryonmyswansong

Pairing: ThorxReader

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: None

Part 5

“You seem more confident today.”

“Can we not talk about that right now?” I ask. “Trying to do magic with your instruction is hard, but it’s nigh unto impossible with you commenting on irrelevant stuff.”

“You’ve improved immensely over the last week, and I’d hardly say it’s irrelevant.”

“I don’t think confidence has anything to do with it,” I mutter.

“Then what is it?”

“We need to find Loki and I don’t want to scare Thor again if I have to use magic.” I shake my head and forget trying to focus on the spell. “The fact that I can even do magic still blows my mind. There’s still a lot that I have to process on top of all of trying to train with you.”

“What makes you think you need to find Loki?”

“You don’t know where he is and Thor’s worried about him. I’d say that’s cause enough to want to find him.”

“You really care about him.”

“Of course I do.” I shake my head and flop down on my bed. “Of course I do. I thought that was obvious.”

“To you, perhaps.”

I scowl. "Am I not allowed to experience my feelings privately? I've barely had time to process the fact that an actual god seems to have a crush on me, let alone sift through my own feelings on the matter."

“I’d say you’ve had a fair amount of time.”

“I’ve had barely more than a week. I don’t think you understand the kind of brain power it takes to even contemplate Thor wanting me.” My face flushes and I cover my cheeks with my hands. “I don’t want to process that right now. I just want to finish my projects and keep going with these lessons so I can be more helpful.”

"I think you're mistaken to believe that you're not helpful, (Y/N). You've done more for all of us than we'd have been able to accomplish on our own."

"But I've got all this… this energy inside of me. I want to understand it. I want to use it. Maybe if I can, we'll be able to find Loki."

"You're not going to drop that, are you?"

"Not a chance. I have a gut feeling that he'll be able to help us."

"How?"

"I don't know, it's just a feeling. But I want to act on it before that feeling goes away."

Thor knocks on the door frame and pokes his head into the room. "Am I interrupting?"

I smile at him and shake my head. "Nah. What's up?"

"I was hoping I could start on dinner."

"Oh?"

"I'd prefer to do so with supervision," he explains. "I'm sure I can do it, but I'd rather not burn down the house."

I laugh. "I'll be right down."

“Thank you.” He grins and disappears out into the stairwell.

“You still there, Heimdall?”

“Yes.”

“We’re going to revisit this Loki thing tomorrow,” I say. “This is non-negotiable”

“Fine. I’ll make preparations.”

“Thank you.” I haul myself up from my bed and head for the stairs. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make sure he boils the pasta instead of setting it on fire.”

I kiss Thor’s cheek as he dishes up the spaghetti. “Thanks for cooking tonight.”

His grin lights up his face. “Happy to. Though I must thank you for your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I’m sure you could’ve figured it out..” He raises his eyebrows and I laugh. “Maybe not just yet, but I’m sure you’ll get it eventually.”

“With you as a teacher, I’m sure I will.”

“Aw, you’re sweet.”

He hands me my dinner and dishes up his own. Thor watches in confusion when I move to the living room instead of sitting at the kitchen table. I gesture for him to follow me and he does so with some reluctance..

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“Look, I’ve been proper as long as I can manage it,” I plop down on the couch and pull my legs up onto the cushions as I pat the space beside me. “But right now, I just want to eat dinner on the couch.”

The cushions dip as Thor takes his seat and I tip to the side and fall against him. He looks concerned until I laugh and right myself enough that I can sit up, but my arm is still pressed against his. I jokingly jab his side with my elbow and he laughs. We eat in silence, occasionally having to fend off Daisy when she comes begging and Charles when he tries to stick his little paws in our pasta.

Daisy eventually manages to distract Charles long enough that he decides playing with her is better than getting marinara sauce on his paws. I sigh in relief and lean heavily against Thor and he hums softly.

"How is your training going?" he asks.

I shrug. "It's alright. Way more exhausting than my day job, but I think we're starting to see some improvement?"

“I had a feeling you’d be a quick study.”

“Really?”

He shrugs. “You’re a very determined person. It doesn’t surprise me that you’d apply that determination to everything that you take on.”

"O-oh," I say dumbly.

"What is it?"

"I guess I just didn't expect you to make that kind of assessment."

"I may not be able to cook, but I'm not stupid, (Y/N)," he jokes.

"No, I know you're not. I just mean that I sometimes forget that you pay attention to me. Being known like that is… it's nice." I look up at him and smile. "It's really nice."

"I want to know everything about you, eventually," he says softly. "If you'll allow it."

“Of course. But only if you’ll allow the same.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up into a small smile. “I’d warn you against it, but I know you’re well aware of how much there is to know.”

I nod. “Yeah, I know. But, like you said, I’m a very determined person.”

He laughs. “Yes, I know you are.”

I smile at him and wipe a bit of marinara sauce from the corner of my mouth with my thumb.

We finish dinner and do the dishes. Thor tries to start a water fight and I grab his wrists and he allows me to hold his hands to his chest.

“You’re cute, but I’m not gonna do this with you tonight.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Perhaps a different night?”

I shake my head, unable to stop myself from smiling. “More like never. Maybe we go to the beach next week or something. Make a day of it.”

“(Y/N), are you asking me on a date?”

“I’m asking you to go to the beach with me,” I poke his chest. “Anything that happens after that is unplanned and spontaneous.”

“Spontaneity isn’t really your thing.”

“It is sometimes.” I place the bowls into the dishwasher. “Infrequently, but sometimes.”

“Alright,” he says softly. “We’ll go to the beach.”

I smiled up at him. "Cool."

We finish with the dishes and round up Charles and Daisy to cuddle while we read on the couch. Daisy has a hard time staying put and Thor moves to the floor where she flops down in his lap. I lay on the couch and Charles curls up on my stomach. I doze off with my book on my chest and Thor gently shakes me awake.

We say goodnight and I kiss his cheek before heading upstairs to get ready for bed. I turn back to look at him and find him sitting on the couch with pink cheeks and a lopsided smile, gently touching his cheek. I smile and my heart flutters at the sight. I duck into the bathroom before he can catch me staring.

"I am not sure you’re ready for the magic it will take to find Loki."

"I mean, it's gonna have to be a sheer force of will type of magic, right? Based on what I know about my magic, spells aren't really my thing. Maybe I can work up to finding him by finding little things first."

"That could work… though I wish there were an easier way to focus your power. Compacting magic and forcing it to do what you want can be very dangerous."

"Then I'll practice outside."

“You’re not going to let go of this, are you?”

“I told you yesterday that this was non-negotiable. We’re finding him and that’s that.”

Heimdall sighs audibly and I know that I’ve won. “Fine. You will not tell Thor about this until we have his location.”

“Obviously not. I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

I head downstairs and Thor pokes his head into the kitchen when I reach for the door.

“Where are you off to?” he asks.

“Working on bigger magic today. I can’t really use spells so I kind of have to force the magic to do what I want which is,” I mime an explosion. “Explosive.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, don’t really want to blow up the house.”

He laughs. “Alright, let me know if you need any help.” He grins and adds, “Or a test subject.”

I shake my head. “I would never use you for that. You’re too pretty.”

“Thank you, (Y/N).” He hesitates before heading back to the living room. “I’d still trust you to, if you needed me, though.”

I smile. “I gotta go. I’ll let you know how it goes after.”

“Yesterday definitely didn’t go as planned,” I mumble.

“That is not your fault,” Heimdall says. “From what I could tell, his location kept changing. There was no way that either of us could keep up with him at the rate he was moving.”

“How can he be moving that fast?” I shake my head. “It makes no sense.”

“I’m puzzled as well.”

“Well, he’d have to be moving through space, right? If he were anywhere on Earth, he’d at least be easier to pinpoint. More like a Pachinko machine than Pinball.”

“I’ll assume what you just said to be gibberish and move forward,” he mumbles. “But yes, he would have to be moving through space as opposed to being stuck on a stationary planet.”

“All of you are experiencing memory issues, correct?”

“To the best of my knowledge, yes.”

“Alright, what if you’re the one who sent Thor away?”

“There’s a possibility that I did.”

“Is there any way to mess up that kind of magic?”

“Only if the subject of the spell was knocked off course.”

“What if you tried to send Loki away and he was knocked off course?” I begin pacing, biting at my thumb. “There has to be something pretty powerful to mess with the memories of literal gods. Maybe Thor was subject one and got away clean, but Loki was subject two? Maybe whatever attacked you went after Loki before you could do anything, and he was already sent away, but knocked off course.”

“If that’s the case, then finding Loki is a matter of waiting.”

I groan. “That sounds awful. Is there no way to pull him closer?”

“Unless you’d like to completely destroy yourself, I would advise against it.”

“Ah, well… I guess I can wait a little while.” I paused mid-step. “Is there any way to more accurately pinpoint where he is?”

“It may be possible to determine his general position.”

“Then we’ll have to work on that, if there’s nothing else that we can do.”

“It would be prudent to practice on other spells while you are looking for Loki. I’m sure that this runs deeper than poor memories and displaced godlings. You may be getting yourself into something that you’re not ready for.”

“Fine. I’ll train and look for Loki during breaks. Does that sound good to you?”

“It sounds… acceptable.”

"Great, where do we start today?"

“Are you sure that you’re alright?” Thor asks.

I nod. “I’ll be fine. I just need to sleep off this magic hangover.”

“I’m worried that you’re pushing yourself too hard, (Y/N),” he admits. “There’s no reason to kill yourself over magic.”

“I’m not going to, I promise.” I take his hand and smile up at him. “It’s like exercise. I have to build up my stamina and I’ll eventually get stronger, and I’ll be able to cast better and longer than I was before.”

“I don’t know…”

“What can I do to ease your mind?”

He holds our clasped hands to his chest. “Take a day off. You finished with your last project for the week two days ago. Just… take some time for yourself and rest.” He reaches out and cups the side of my face with his massive hand when I frown. “In the time that I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you this run down, (Y/N). I just want you to take care of yourself.”

I nod. “Alright.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Will I have to wrap you in a blanket and make sure you stay in one place?”

I roll my eyes. “You won’t. I’ll take the day off.”

“Thank you.” He gently kisses the top of my head. “Do you want clam chowder for dinner?”

I try not to laugh. “Why clam chowder?”

He shrugs. “I saw a couple of cans in the pantry and it looks good.”

I laugh and pull him towards the kitchen. ”Okay, we’ll have clam chowder for dinner, but we’ll do it with a twist.”

“Oh?”

“In my family, we add bacon, heavy cream, and fancy white cheddar cheese to our clam chowder,” I explain. “Makes the flavor a little more rich. I like to add a little Tabasco on top of all that, but that’s just a personal preference.”

“Wow.”

“Mhm, it takes a little extra time to prep, but it’s worth it.”

“Then I’ll help.”

“Hmm?”

“You say it takes extra time. If we work together, then it won’t take as long.”

I press my lips together to keep from laughing. I don’t have the heart to tell him it’ll take just as long to make dinner, even with two people in the kitchen, so I don’t say anything.

We cook dinner and Thor enjoys it just as much as he hoped he would.

“You’re supposed to be taking the day off.”

“I know, I’m not doing anything.”

“Where are you off to, then?”

“We need groceries. You looked like you were really deep in your book, so I figured I’d go by myself.”

He perks up slightly. “I can go with, if you’d like.”

“No, it’s alright. You stay here with the beasts and your book. I won’t be gone all that long anyway.”

He sighs and agrees to let me go and settles on the floor just as Daisy trots into the living room. She flops down on his lap as I’m grabbing my purse and keys. She stretches as far as she can and licks Thor’s mouth and I laugh as he splutters and wipes away her slimy, doggy saliva.

“Are you sure that it’s wise to leave him on his own?”

“He’s a grown man, Heimdall, he can take care of himself and a dog for half an hour,” I mutter.

Thor looks up, silent question on his face, and I wave him off as I close the door behind me. The drive to the grocery store is uneventful and I’m able to get in and out of the store with relative ease. I just barely manage to escape having to talk to Sheriff Green as I’m climbing back into my car.

“I’ve been trying to find Loki,” I admit.

“I’m not surprised. You don’t seem the type to do what others tell you.”

“Look, I tried to take the day off, but there’s only so much TV I can watch and so many hobbies I can fiddle with before I get excruciatingly bored. I’m a fan of doing things that yield some kind of result.”

“So you decided on magic that will drain your energy unlike anything naturally found on your planet.”

“Thor doesn’t need to know.”

“I won’t tell him if you won’t.”

“Much appreciated.”

We lapse into silence, but Heimdall is just as eager to find Loki as I am.

“So, you said you were looking. Did you have any success?”

“I don’t know for sure, but it feels like he’s getting closer. Like he’s closing in on Earth.”

“I see.”

“More Pachinko than pinball, finally.”

“You still have yet to explain what you mean by that.”

“Okay, so with Pachinko you launch a ball into the board and hope it falls in the hole that you want, whereas, in Pinball, you want to keep the ball in the air as long as you can.”

“And the hole you want, in this instance, is Earth.”

“Exactly. If not Earth, then at least our solar system.”

“I see.”

“You should, you’re the one who’s supposed to see everything,” I joke. Heimdall says nothing and I shake my head. “You have no sense of humor.”

“It wasn’t funny.”

“Thor would’ve laughed.”

“Thor is in love with you, he would laugh at any joke you tell.”

“He’d laugh because I’m hilarious, not because he’s in love with me,” I retort. “And he is not in love with me!”

“You say that, but you’re half in love with him yourself. You are hardly in any position to argue about love.”

“I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell me how I feel. You don’t know how I feel.”

“I see all, (Y/N). Remember?”

“Yeah, not as cool when you’re peeking into someone’s emotions.” I park the car in the carport, but don’t immediately get out. “But, as I was saying, I’ve been looking for Loki. I think he’s getting close to the solar system. I don’t know how close he is to Earth, but I plan on keeping an eye on the situation.”

“I see. I’ll do what I can to find his specific location.”

“Alright.” I grab up the groceries and reach for the door handle, but pause. “No telling Thor.”

“You seem to forget that I couldn’t, even if I tried.”

“Just making sure.”

I walk into the house and find Thor spread out on the floor with Daisy hugged up against his chest. The two of them are snoring softly and I laugh quietly and shake my head. I don’t wake them, and instead decide to get started on dinner on my own. The smell of cooking ham eventually rouses Thor and he wanders into the kitchen and wraps his arms around my middle. He kisses my temple and tucks his chin against my neck as he asks what I’m making.

“Breakfast sandwiches,” I answer. “Quick and easy and way healthier than McDonald’s.”

He hums softly and I pat his cheek before turning my attention back to dinner.

We curl up on the couch and watch a couple of episodes of a forging show. Heimdall’s accusations from earlier ring in my ears and I can’t help thinking of how I feel about Thor. I refuse to put too much thought into it, though, and settle against Thor’s chest.

---------

Part 7

I know this chapter has probably left you with more questions than answers, but I promise all will be revealed in due time.

As always, if you liked this chapter, please like, reblog, comment, or shoot me an ask! I always wanna know what you guys are thinking.

If you’d like to be tagged in future chapters, please let me know!

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@ghostlyhamlet, @claws-of-vibranium, @creaturefeatures101, @buckysendoftheline, @imagine-assembling-the-avengers, @ptprocrastination, @1950schick, @amayasymone23, @arfrona-and-marvel, @ek823, @fanaticfangirl001, @furrywerewolfcollector, @kissofvenom922, @dawn-phantomhive, @fangirlwtihasweettooth, @mairhof1, @starryeyesbadguys, @trap-house-homiecide, @buckywhitewolfbarnes, @kaepm981, @howdoesoneadult, @pcdmesamidala, @thefandomplace, @sian22redux, @skeletoresinthebasement, @lady-thor-foster, @jazzcutie, @gaytonystark, @geeksareunique, @nyxveracity, @breezy1415, @feelmyroarrrr, @darling-loki, @lemonadeorange73, @princess-unicorn124, @hermionie-is-my-queen, @tofeartheunknown, @queenoftheunderdark, @avengerscompound

This fic:

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#thor odinsonxreader #readerxthor odinson #thorxreader #readerxthor #thor x reader #reader x thor #thor odinson #thor #the golden boi #reader insert marvel fic

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margridarnauds · 3 years

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So, I’m trying to articulate my thoughts on Valhalla and gender, which is sparked by the fact that, while Lagertha is prominently mentioned as the mother of the Ragnarssons (and you can find her axe), we never hear so much as a word about Aslaug/Thora, who is pretty much the real protagonist of Ragnar’s saga.

On one hand: Lagertha is pretty much at a high of popularity right now, courtesy of Vikings (derogatory). On the other hand: Aslaug is in Vikings (derogatory) too. We see her AS THE MOTHER of most of Ragnar’s sons. There’s no reason for her NOT to be recognizable enough to be included. (Lagertha’s inclusion is also problematic - Instead of being able to divorce Ragnar and have her own life, they went the cheap route by having her being shot by a Finnish arrow.) But, at the end of the day.....it feels like, while Valhalla DOES include a diverse range of women (including our protagonist), ultimately there is....some sort of hierarchy involved, where women who fight, or at least wield weapons are automatically seen as better?

Of our two longterm romantic interests, neither one wears a dress, both of them in traditionally masculine clothing, likewise for Ciara in WOTD. With Randvi, we’re first really invited to pity her/consider her as a really viable romantic option when we hear that she COULD have been a Jomsviking....had she not been married off to Sigurd. We see her taking down bandits, drinking ale, and we’re supposed to think, at that point, that she’s a worthy love interest.

There’s this rather confusing line from the artbook, which says:

“As a strategist, Randvi does not dress in a warrior’s outfit, but neither does she wear the typical women’s clothing of her time.”

Which...seems to imply that being a strategist (a role that primarily involves her being behind a table), is automatically at odds with wearing a dress. Even if 9th century Scandinavian clothing was restrictive (it isn’t - We’re well, well before the days of tightlacing here, and women had to be able to go about their daily chores, and even IN the days of tightlacing as the peak of fashion, plenty of women didn’t, or went about their daily chores), she’s not doing anything that involves intense manual labor. Putting her in pants is simply a way of saying “Look! Look at Randvi! Look at how independent she is!” which....actually doesn’t work, when almost EVERY OTHER major female NPC is ALSO in pants. Including Valka who, as a völva, ergo a non-combatant role that mostly involves eating shrooms in her huts, has no practical need for pants, even if, once again, the clothing was impractical. If I didn’t know What A 9th Century Norsewoman Should Look Like, I would just assume that this was something that all noblewomen did.

It’s very rare to see women actively weaving, as I’ve discussed before, with Eivor only weaving as one of the disguises that she can take to blend in. As a shieldmaiden who’s up and about constantly, I honestly wouldn’t expect Eivor to devote that much time to weaving, but it is a little jarring when the women who are constantly at the settlement don’t so much as mention it, since this was a great opportunity for women to get together, share gossip, tell tales, talk shit about the men, etc. in their own spaces. And there was a bit of an anxiety around it, because, while this was a necessary function for the creation of clothing (which, in the game, seems to just materialize in chests over the game world), it also was tightly associated with magic and sorcery. (Hence why there was a stigma against men practicing magic....unless you’re Odin, in which case Loki will talk shit about you but is anyone else? No. Because you’re Odin.) I want to emphasize that my issue here isn’t “STAY IN THE KITCHEN AND BE A PROPER WOMAN, EIVOR”, it’s more....erasing what the vast majority of women in the Viking Age DID.

The closest we get to more traditional, more conventional women would be in the form of the religious women, but, from the Anchoress to the one murderous nun in the mysteries event to Frideswid in the Lunden Arc to Acha in the Lincolnscire arc, they tend to be portrayed as either zealous and evil or confused and easily manipulated, which ignores the reality for many medieval women, which is that, for many women who didn’t want marriage for one reason or another (whether it was that they were facing the possibility of a forced marriage, or they had no dowry, or they were lesbians, or they were ace, or they were any combination of those things), it was their one chance at a life of their own. I’m not saying that it was IDEAL, or that the medieval church was ideal, but it did give them options (that, incidentally, in the pre-Christian times....you didn’t have. Which is why I don’t attach any real sense of horror to Christianity coming to Ireland, at LEAST from the standpoint of women’s rights. There are other aspects to that, but we’re here, in 9th century England, so I won’t go into it.) No, it has to come from some moral defect, otherwise, they would be independent, like Eivor, like Randvi, like Petra, like Eadwyn, like Valdis, or even like Fulke, who is a religious figure referenced, extensively, as mad and heretical, but who makes a large impact on the plot and at least earns some level of respect, as opposed to the others who make relatively brief appearances.

Now, when discussing women warriors, there tends to be some moral value attached to it: “Women warriors DIDN’T EXIST, and if you argue that they DID, you just want women to be men, ignoring that non-femme women might find comfort in the knowledge that they aren’t alone”, often with a sense of moral guilt-tripping over “Erasing women’s suffering” (which also falls into the trap of assuming that being a woman = suffering, or that that’s the defining experience of being a woman) VS “Women warriors EXISTED and they were #NotLikeOtherGirls and that’s ALL we’re going to talk about as far as women at the time, as well as ignoring any potential evidence for trans or otherwise nonbinary identities”. Both options have the potential to erase or diminish what either option can mean to people. I hate both options equally, and I find that the way they’re brought in is incredibly manipulative. I’m not interested in saying that putting an axe in a woman’s hand = setting back feminism for twenty years. I’m not interested in saying that having essentially no more conventional women in the main cast = feminism. Both are bad, but what I’m concerned about is the lack of nuance in Valhalla and how it seems to assume that there’s ONLY ONE WAY to have power. (I’d hoped that Lady Eadwyn would be cool, and she is....even though we only see her in armor, she’s kind of what I would expect from a medieval woman, in the sense that her husband was Ealdorman and now she’s following in his footsteps, defending her rights as his widow, but then we replace her with a dude.)

As someone whose relationship to gender is Weird, I actually really, really enjoy playing a female character who has the kind of independence that Eivor has - I enjoy getting to jump around, killing things in a gloriously rendered historical environment. I enjoy that, with the exception of Dag, no one really questions it (though I would have been down for a more in-depth examination of gender in the Viking Age). I enjoy that Eivor is compassionate, clever, and aggressive, and that she’s able to have romances with both sexes. I’m not trying to nuke her via historical accuracy here (especially since the historical reality of shieldmaidens is SUCH a hot topic, I feel like wading into either end of the historical accuracy pool is a recipe for disaster) because I actually really, really like her as a character. There are relatively few times where I really, really identify with and love a main female video game character, especially since, so often, even into the present, when things are supposed to be better, I can still TELL that they were made by and for straight men, and this is one. What I AM saying is that I hate that it comes at the expense of basically every woman who ISN’T a warrior or otherwise “independent” by the game’s standards. You do have merchant women, the tattoo artist in camp, Valka, as mentioned before, but it all goes back to that point - We never really see a prominent woman running the household, managing the money, giving orders, which was an immensely important, powerful job, and as a result, it always feels kind of halfway done, that we’re over-representing one relationship to gender at the expense of another.

#playing valhalla #long post

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orihara-infobroker · 4 years

Text

Seclusion Day Twelve

“What’s on the menu tonight?” Akabayashi inquired as he entered the apartment, sniffing the air. “Something baked?”

“That’s dessert,” Shiki replied from the kitchen. “Dinner is just seared tuna steaks and barbecued vegetables.”

“Just?” Akabayashi snorted in amusement. He settled on one of the stools, glancing around. “Where’s Izaya?”

“He appropriated my office. Something about a job he just couldn’t turn down.”

Akabayashi arched a brow. “What kind of job could he possibly do when he’s not supposed to be socializing?”

Shiki gave Akabayashi a slight smile. “Research related. He didn’t give me specifics but if I were to guess, I’d say it has something to do with history, mythology or some mix of the two.”

“Why?” Akabayashi asked as he watched Shiki searing the tuna steaks in a pan.

“Izaya majored in folklore and mythology in college.”

“I thought he did psychology.”

“I did both. Double major.” Akabayashi and Shiki turned to look at Izaya as he padded barefoot across the floor to join them, sniffing the air with curiosity. “Something… Apples?”

“Baked apples? Pie?” Akabayashi followed up, shifting his gaze back to Shiki.

“Close.” Shiki handed Akabayashi the plate of steaks. “Izaya, plates.” He ordered the raven as he took the vegetables off the small raclette grill. Izaya’s eyes settled on the tuna steaks and he grinned and moved to the cupboard.

“So, what kind of research job did you take?” Akabayashi asked as he took the tuna to the table.

Izaya followed with the plates while Shiki turned off the stove and brought the vegetables and rice. “A client who wanted a comparative summary of various folklores that would fall under the general category of human shapeshifters. Basically the client wants categories of anything involving people who turn into animals or vice versa; werewolves, kitsune, Native American skinwalkers, Celtic selkies or even gods who were known to take on animal form, like Loki or Zeus.”

Akabayashi stared at Izaya in confusion. “I regret asking.”

Izaya sighed as he filled his plate. “This is why you ended up in the yakuza,” He observed sagely. “No education and too much anger.” He shook his head, affecting an air of disappointment.

“Even if I’d been able to go to college, I wouldn’t have studied mythology,” Akabayashi replied with a shrug, smirking at Izaya’s attempt to tease him.

“What would you have studied if you’d had the chance?” Izaya asked, curious.

Akabayashi thought about it as he filled his own plate and began eating. “I don’t know. I never gave it any thought because I knew it just wasn’t an option. Business maybe? What about you, Haruya?” They both fixed their gazes on Shiki.

“History,” Shiki replied without having to think about it. “Unfortunately, it’s not really a major that has a lot of job potential so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t go to college.”

“Ooo you could have become a history professor,” Izaya smirked. “I wonder, would you still wear white suits?”

“Of course he would.” Akabayashi grinned. “He’d be the most hated prof at the university. All the students would complain that he’s too much of a perfectionist and he marks too hard.”

Izaya laughed at the suggestion, nodding aggressively. “Definitely fits.”

Shiki arched a brow. “I was never interested in teaching. What would you have done with a business degree?”

Akabayashi shrugged. “Maybe open a bar? Run a pachinko parlour?” He joked.

Izaya gave him an amused look. “You could open a bar without a business degree.”

“Good point. No need to spend all that money on school. What about you, Izaya? If you hadn’t gotten tangled up with the yakuza, what would you have done?”

Izaya smirked. “If I had to have a proper career? Maybe I would have become a criminal psychologist. That might have been entertaining.”

“Not a regular psychologist?”

Izaya shook his head. “Listening to people talk about their boring day-to-day problems? No thanks. My wife won’t sleep with me. My husband is never home. My boss keeps passing me over for promotion. Having to sit there and pretend to care every day… Sounds tedious.”

Akabayashi chuckled. “I never figured you for antisocial.”

“I’m not antisocial.” Izaya sounded offended. “I just prefer the company of interesting people.”

“Like professional criminals?”

Izaya smirked. “Anyone whose moral compass is skewed enough to consider criminal activities as a good career choice is guaranteed to be interesting.” He paused, gazing at Akabayashi. “Well… the ones who aren’t just thugs anyway…”

Akabayashi gave Izaya a feral grin. “Thugs have their place. Not all of them are boring or stupid. Some of them just like the violence.”

“Like you?”

“I get the feeling you’re not as opposed to it as you like to pretend.”

Shiki gave a hint of a smile at Akabayashi’s observation, watching Izaya’s gaze slide away from the redhead. “I don’t think anyone with a genuine dislike of violence would be working for the yakuza.”

“Violence has its place,” Izaya replied with a grin. “Like in ridiculous superhero movies. Which one are we on?”

Shiki rose and collected the plates, stacking them by the sink. “I thought you were the one keeping track.”

“Last one we watched was Thor.” Akabayashi supplied.

“Avengers next, then. Coffee with dessert?” He rose and moved to the coffee maker while Shiki removed the dessert from the oven.

“I’ll set up the movie.” Akabayashi moved to the living room, settling on the couch to set up the movie. Shiki and Izaya followed with plates of apple crisp and cups of coffee. Shiki settled on the opposite end with Izaya in the middle, leaning into Shiki as he pressed his bare feet against Akabayashi’s thigh. Akabayashi arched a brow at him but he just grinned back.

“Start the movie. This is where things start to really pick up.”

#durarara #fanfiction #akashikizaya talk about career paths #this wasn't exactly where I was planning to go #but it's what came out #my writing

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dandelionpath · 4 years

Text

my breathing has finally slowed to an acceptable pace, and i feel the cold air on my face. it grounds me somehow. as i listen to the stream chatter, i burrow deeper into my winter coat, trying to keep warm enough to be comfortable but not stifle myself.

i'm perched on wet hillside, curled up across a tiny pathway - more of a deertrail than any proper path. i doubt many people come down this way, since it only leads to the stream. i'm hidden from the road, and i don't think many people are going to come through the main pathway i walked here by, so i feel safely hidden away from the eyes of the world for now.

i breathe quietly for a while, trying to stifle my occasional sniffs so i dont draw any attention to myself. i wonder where the drake and his mate got to? i hope that i didn't scare them too badly. i feel a bit guilty for disturbing their afternoon swim. it must be cold though, there's ice on the moving water of the stream!

i suddenly feel a warmth wash over me, and i sigh. "Hi," i say slowly, nervously.

Loki just smiles sadly, and pulls me towards him. "You're okay," he finally says.

I lean into his comfort, grateful that he's shown up even as I fight those feelings back. "I'm sorry," I sigh.

"Nothing to apologize for, dearheart. You're doing what you can with what you have in each moment."

We sit quietly for a bit, just enjoying each other's presence and the nature around us.

"I know I'm not supposed to be relying on you so heavily, but I'm grateful for this comfort right now. I don't really know what to say." I shrink back a bit as I say this.

Loki sighs heavily and says, "No, I know. It's fine. We'll figure it out. I just... don't want anyone getting hurt. Either of us."

I scoff. "I'm already hurt! How much worse can it get?"

Loki grimaces, and I know even as I was saying the words how childish they are. "I'm sorry, that was dumb. I know that I've got it good compared to a lot of people, and there's so many other ways I could be hurting right now. That was immature. I'm just... frustrated, I suppose."

"I know. There's much worse ways off to be, and that's not to minimize any of what you are going and have gone through. But... things could get so bad. And I don't want them to. I'm trying to help us through whatever this is. There's big things coming up and I'm... I don't want anyone getting hurt."

Familiar words, the same ones I've heard so recently. "Can you tell me about it at all? Other than it just being a 'big change'?"

We talk. I learn a bit, but not enough. It wouldn't ever be enough, I know, but I'm still nervous. Comforted, though. The sun decides to show itself a bit, and it's pleasant, warming me a little more. The ground is starting to grow quite cold beneath me, though.

I feel all of a sudden that there is someone nearby. I turn around to look back at the main path, and no one is there. I cast out my spirit sensors, and there is a small impish creature looking at me curiously. But that's not what I'm sensing... I turn around and there's an entity in front of me, large and imposing, but not malicious. Just... curious.

I sense that this is the patch of land's guardian or caretaker. "Ah, hello! I am so sorry to intrude without introducing myself first, and I appreciate that you've let me stay here safely so far. I'll be moving along soon, or I can just leave now if you'd rather? And I'd give you an offering of some sort, but unfortunately I don't seem to have anything on me and I didn't really expect that I'd be needing one today... Everything just sort of happened and-" I scramble about slightly, looking in my pockets for anything that might be suitable as an offering, and I silently chide myself for not even bringing a waterbottle with me.

The entity looks softly amused and still curious. They feel quite powerful, but I don't think that they're going to use any of that power against me. "No need to worry about that. We don't have many of your kind come through here." His voice is deep and rumbling, reminding me of dark, rich soil.

"Humans? But... there is a trail just a few feet away that is quite popular... well, maybe not so much now with everything happening with the pandemic and all, but-"

"Human, yes, but also one who can communicate with us. We have many humans, but it is rare to have one who can and does take notice of us." He interrupts my rambling, and I'm grateful for that.

I feel Loki's thin body curl around me slightly more tightly, protective and wary, watching this stranger's every move. It's endearing, honestly.

"I, uh, I'll just be on my way if you'd like?" I can't tell if I should be going or not, and I'm pretty much ready to head back home anyway.

"You may stay a little longer if you'd like. Nothing will harm you here at the moment. It is interesting to chat with you, anyhow." The entity cocks his head slightly, something twinkling in his eye, and a soft interested smile on his face. I am glad he is not upset.

I relax, and settle back down into my jacket. "I won't stay too much longer, I promise. Just a few minutes more, and then I'll be on my way. Is there anything I might offer you, though? It feels rude to not give you anything, especially since I have had such a nice time here." I wiggle my astral fingers around a little bit, and small bits of earthen energy fly off of them, letting the entity know that I can spare a bit of energy by way of offering if he'd like.

"No, it's not necessary. If you'd like to come back again and visit us every now and then to converse, though, we would not be opposed to it."

Interesting. "I can't promise anything in that regard, but I will keep it in mind. I'm Juno." Every warning of giving out your name to strange spirits echoes through my head, but it doesn't quite feel like it applies here.

They say who they are, but it just sounds like a lot of words in one, with energies and images attached, so I nod and take note mentally of what it all is. Spirit identities are difficult, especially when they don't translate well, and it can be easy to mis-"speak".

I ask about the forest and its inhabitants, and at some point crows start becoming quite curious about the small human wrapped in so many layers sitting by the stream, and they circle the area and caw at each other. It feels comforting, somehow. A reminder that these birds are everywhere and are watching me, noticing me.

A few minutes pass with discussion off and on with this forest guardian. Eventually, the entity tells me it is time for me to go, as another spirit has entered the area and it is not so friendly. I tell the forest I appreciate that I was able to spend time there safely, and I slowly step back up to the main path, and begin to head back home.

My mind feels clearer, and Loki and I hold hands on the way back home.

#I tried to edit this and like... take bits out but idk I just am tired and want to dump this here #its very long I know but again - I tried to edit it down and I just couldnt #I keep zoning out every time I try to make it shorter or read it thru so i'll just post it as is and if I need 2 come back later then I will #but for now... should be fine!#anyways I think i'd rather u didn't reblog tho idk why anyone would rb this ansghdsdjkl but just in case!!#comets path #comets posts #comets spirit work #comets deity work #I need a tag for my deities that wont show up in their main tags.... hmmm lets do that righ tnow.#flames can make a hearth #how about that? just for now at least i'll change it if I need to though #comets journals #the stream

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imagine-loki · 5 years

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Speculations Galore

TITLE: Speculations Galore CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: One Shot AUTHOR: MaliceManaged ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine people speculating on your and Loki’s relationship, saying you’ll end up together if not outright assuming you are already. You both hear about it so much that you start to wonder if maybe they’re onto something and you just haven’t figured it out yet, so after some debate you kiss… and feel no romantic spark whatsoever because sometimes friends are just friends. You are both very relieved. RATING: G NOTES/WARNINGS: Sequel to There Was A Process

__________________________

“Did you hear the news?” Maribel said by way of greeting as she walked towards him along the top of the ridge he was leaning against.

Loki eyed her curiously. “What news?”

“We’re getting married!” she replied cheerfully, throwing her arms up and almost toppling off to the side before she managed to catch herself.

His eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Married? Is that what they’re going with now?”

“So it would seem.” She reached him and he picked her up by the waist and set her down on the ground before him. “Sometime in the spring, if I heard right.”

“Norns have mercy,” he heaved a frustrated sigh, “I hope my parents do not pay too close a mind to court gossip.”

She snorted amusedly. “If they did; either you’d be dead or we’d already be married.”

He slapped a hand to his forehead. “Of course; I forgot, you are carrying my child.”

“Some father-to-be you are!” she huffed, hands on her hips.

He fell to his knees, grasping her hands and holding them between them. “I can only beg your forgiveness, my love,” he declared melodramatically.

It lasted all of five seconds before they burst out laughing, with her unable to stay upright and dropping to her knees as well. When they managed to stop, they moved to sit on the ground side by side leaning against the ridge, her head on his shoulder.

“You know, as annoying as this can be; I prefer these kinds of rumours,” she spoke up after a while, absently taking one of his hands in her own to toy with his fingers, “They assume we’re already together, as opposed to the other half of them, circling like vultures hoping to catch us at it.”

“It certainly is less invasive, true,” he replied, conjuring one of the many puzzle cubes Frigga had gotten her from her bedchamber and replacing his hand with it. “It is doing no favours to my actual love life, though,” he huffed in annoyance, “Do you how hard it is to find someone worthwhile when everybody thinks you are already taken?”

She raised her head to stare at him blankly. “No. No, I do not.”

He looked down at her and smiled apologetically. “Apropos of nothing; how goes your quest?”

“Aborted,” she replied with a huff, “He got hands-y after the fourth drink.”

“Shall I turn him into a slug?” he asked conversationally.

“Don’t tempt me.”

Loki chuckled then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a half-hug. “I’m sorry.”

“S’okay,” she replied with a slight shrug, “Always better to know the assholes from the good ones before you get too involved.”

“Too true.”

“How’d it go with What’s-her-face, anyway?” Loki grimaced in response. “That bad?”

“I truly have no idea how her family managed to slip her past mother’s screening process, but it was most definitely to my detriment. To call her a vapid brat is an insult to vapid brats everywhere.”

“Ah, the perks of nobility. Sucks to be you.”

He scoffed and shifted his arm to pull her face closer to his. “Keep that up and I really will marry you and take you down with me.”

“Oh, hell no; get off me!” she cried, bringing a hand up and pushing his face aside, earning a laugh.

Letting her go, he sat back again, prompting her to do the same. After a moment of silence, he spoke up. “I do know someone who has asked after you…”

“Oh?”

“She works with the kitchen staff, and has brought my breakfast on occasion. She asked about the rumour that I was courting you, but you had already accepted Reigar’s invitation.”

“Aw.”

“She might still be interested, though. You should ask.”

Maribel tapped her lips in thought then looked up at him. “What did you think about her?”

Loki breathed a laugh. “She is a palace servant and I have a reputation; do you truly think she would be herself around me? I’m shocked she even approached me about it at all.”

“You’re really not a very good wingman, you know that?”

He rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it time for your lessons?”

Maribel’s eyes widened and she took her phone out of her pocket, glanced at the screen and swore before leaping to her feet, bidding him a hasty good-bye and rushing off back to the palace as he laughed.

****

As it turned out, his would-be prospect did not take his rejection very well; raising a fuss and attempting to turn the court against Maribel, who she maintained was the reason for Loki’s lack of interest in her. Granted, the higher positioned ones knew better than to even hint at going against the All-mother’s protégé, but the whole thing still had him putting out metaphorical fires for the better part of a month. Maribel, of course, was completely oblivious to it, though it had largely been by his design. She had other things to worry about that an idiot’s misguided jealousy.

Plus, the less she knew about the situation, the less she could reveal about his revenge against said idiot if asked.

As he dismounted his horse, having just returned from a quick trip to his favoured apothecary in the markets, he noticed the conversation a group of stablehands nearby were having abruptly stopped, and he rolled his eyes, having a fairly good idea what they had been discussing. He pointedly held out the reins with a raised eyebrow and one of them hastily broke away from the group and rushed to tend to his horse. He looked at each of the rest as he passed them and to a one they looked away; as he left the stables, he decided their fear of what he’d do to retaliate would take care of the matter for him.

As he made his way to his chambers to finish his current work, he ran into Maribel. Or rather, she ran into him, and it was only his quick reflexes in wrapping an arm around her waist that saved her from the floor. “How many times must you be told to watch where you are going?”

“All of them,” she replied uncaringly, practically vibrating with excitement as she grabbed hold of his shoulders, “I did it!”

“Did what?” he asked bemusedly, wondering what she had been up to this time and how concerned he should be about it.

“It!” she replied unhelpfully, too lost in her accomplishment to bother with proper explanations, then ducked out of his hold, grabbed his hand and tugged him in the direction she had come from, “Come see!”

“Bel…” he made a token effort to resist, but curiosity had already blown past any defences he might have thought to put up, and he allowed her to lead him.

She took him all the way out to the gardens, and to a greenhouse that Frigga had set aside for her personal use, which was currently filled with dozens upon dozens of orchids of every colour, and he fully understood her excitement. He had snuck off to Midgard some time ago and brought her back a potted white and red orchid to cheer her up, as she’d been feeling a bit down, and she had later expressed curiosity over whether the flowers could be grown on Asgard. Neither Frigga nor the palace gardeners had any idea if it were possible or not, and so it had become a project of hers to find out.

“Impressive,” he praised, earning a delighted grin. He walked up to one and touched its petals – pure black with green spots – then looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I may have gotten a tad carried away with the magic…” she admitted, blushing a bit.

He chuckled, shaking his head, and let her lead him around the room, showing off her work and rambling about her process, half of which he didn’t even understand. Green magic was never really his forte. When he finally got her to stop long enough to learn she had predictably worked through lunch on the finishing touches of the Working, he dragged her back out to the gardens and to the private dining area where they often ate with the queen, sending word to the kitchens for some much needed food and glaring at the less than subtle looks they got from the servants who brought it.

****

Maribel wasn’t sure what the feast was for. She’d been told, of course, she just couldn’t remember. It hardly mattered, in any case. She ate and drank and made fun of others with Loki until duty took him away to pretend to be interested in another potential match, after which she mingled for a bit before getting bored and wandering outside. A glowing moth caught her attention, and she followed it across the grounds and up into a tree, which was where Loki found her when he finally managed to escape.

“Dare I ask?”

“Moth,” was all she replied.

“Naturally.”

She looked around her for a bit. “Umm… I have a problem…”

“Just the one?”

“Ha.”

“You are stuck, aren’t you?” The silence that met the question was more than telling, and he chuckled then moved to stand under her, holding his arms up towards her. “Come on, then.”

She shifted carefully on the branch she was perched on, making sure the skirts of her dress weren’t caught on anything, then took a breath and jumped down into his waiting arms, clutching him tightly until her feet were safely on the ground again.

He picked a twig out of her hair with a chuckle. “You, my dear, are an absolute disaster.”

“Hey, at least I’m cute,” she joked with a shrug, earning a soft laugh.

“That you are.”

He brushed her hair back from her face with a fond smile and she smiled back, before noticing some movement behind him, and a look of irritation settled on her features. He turned and found a group of Ladies watching them with looks ranging from smugness to disapproval, and he hastily took a step back from Maribel, wondering just how long they had been there.

Maribel, for her part, stepped around him to glare at them. “Don’t you have anything better to do?” she snapped, startling them and sending them scurrying off back inside, “Vultures!”

Loki sighed frustratedly. “Well, that certainly won’t help the rumours.”

“No, it won’t,” she agreed with a huff. There was a heavy silence and she looked up at him, noticing something was clearly on his mind. “What?”

“Bel, I have been… thinking…” At her questioning look he glanced away. “What if… they are right?”

“What do you mean?”

“About… us,” he looked back at her “What if they are right? This has been going on for so long; what if there is something and we are just not seeing it?”

“I mean, they’ve also speculated everything from you abducting me to keep as a pet to me bewitching the entire royal family, so…” she reminded him.

“Well, yes, but…Well, I do care for you.”

“So do I, but it doesn’t really have to mean that… Does it?” she asked dubiously.

“But what if it does?” he pressed.

“I don’t know; I never really thought about it.”

“I cannot say I have either, really.”

She frowned, giving it some thought. “Well… I guess… Maybe we should just… kiss?” she suggested uncertainly, “Y’know, just to be sure?”

“Yes; I suppose it would be an easy way to know,” he reluctantly agreed.

They moved closer, facing each other nervously, then he took her face in his hands and leaned down, hesitating a few millimetres from her lips before closing the distance. For a moment neither of them moved, simply pressed their lips together rather awkwardly, then she parted hers and kissed him properly, causing him to reciprocate.

When they parted, they simply looked at each other for a long moment, expressions nearly identical in their anticipation bordering on fear, until finally she broke the silence. “I got absolutely nothing.”

“Oh, thank the Norns!” he breathed out in undisguised relief.

“Nothing?”

He shook his head. “Whatsoever.”

She let out a relieved laugh. “Oh, good!”

“It’s nothing personal,” he quickly added.

“Oh, no, absolutely!”

“We are just-”

“Not that,” she finished for him, and he nodded.

They looked at each other for a moment then laughed, at themselves and the entire situation. “We are utterly ridiculous.”

“Yes, we are,” she agreed. She brushed down her skirts then held out her hand. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” he replied, taking her hand and leading them back inside.

They fell right back into conversation with Thor and his friends, neither paying any heed to whatever gossip was blooming around them this time, or aware of Frigga eyeing them from a distance with a knowing smile.

#Loki #God of Mischief #Others #Submitted one shot #submission #speculations galore #malicemanaged

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winterheart17 · 6 years

Text

How To Intimidate A Writer

TITLE OF STORY: How To Intimidate A Writer

CHAPTER NUMBER/TITLE/ONE SHOT: Part 27

AUTHOR: winterheart17

WHICH TOM/CHARACTER: Loki

STORY GENRE: Romance, Drama, Erotica

STORY SUMMARY: I think we can all just agree this has turned into a proper series even though it started off as a compilation of one shots for my story ‘How To Love A Writer’! What happens when a struggling virginal historical romance writer and the God of Mischief are thrown together, locked in a mansion and agree to a game of love and seduction?

STORY RATING: M

STORY WARNINGS/TRIGGERS/AUTHORS NOTES: None for this!

FEEDBACK/COMMENTS: Whew, sorry for the long break! I initially wanted to make this chapter longer - but as I was writing it, it kinda took a life of its own and I figured the part I had in mine (after where this one ends) would be better as another chapter. That’s the one I’m hoping all of you will feel proud of Little Writer! Until then, consider this as a build-up for an interesting chapter ahead (sorry, I know this chapter isn’t super jam-packed with things happening, but trust in the process! This build-up was needed). Feedback would be wonderful and ever inspiring for writing updates! <3 Do let me know if anyone would like to be on or of the tag list.

Tagging @devikafernando @ureyesonly21 @nuggsmum @queen-sands @ihatespoilers @say-my-name-assbut @hsvbabe @jrubalcaba @dandelionlady96 @ashleyloveslots @kiera-auroraborealis @alexakeyloveloki @damageditem @lokilvrr @cuteandnerdythings @everythingeverywherelistening @wildest-dreams-at-midnight @tfwqueenidjit @xxxprettydeadgirlxxx @noplacelikehome77 @vertdragain @jessiejunebug @toaster-strudel-witch @a7xlizardqueen @starscreamloki @tinchentitri @prettyjewel93 @chantimoondancer @dangertoozmanykids101 @winterisakiller @humbleslvt

Masterpost of How To Love A Writer

Alternate link to Masterpost of How To Love A Writer (in case the above doesn’t work)

Well, fuck.

My fingers ran across the tines of the three forks placed to my left as I sat there, having ruminated for the past ten minutes, trying my best to recall if proper dining etiquette dictated I started with the utensils going outwards in, or vice versa.

Did they even adhere to the dining etiquette we had on Earth?

The placement of their utensils certainly alluded to so.

And the last thing I wanted to do was to give them any cause to mock me or look at me with their downturned snobbish expressions.

How typical of a Midgardian.

I could already taste the disdain that would roll so easily and loosely off their tongues if the shifty and really, not-very-subtle gazes from various Asgardians seated at the long table – stretched from one end of the hall to the other – were anything to go by.

I winced, shifting in my seat. The high back of the chair was hard and stiff – made from pure gold, I was certain, what with the flamboyant theatrics the entire Hall was decked out in tonight.

It appeared… this King Ehrendil was someone to be impressed.

Though why, was absolutely beyond me as the minutes continued ticking away and he was nowhere to be seen.

If there was anything I detested, it was someone else who would take someone else’s time for granted – as if he or she had more important things to attend to instead of keeping an appointment. And judging from the amount of people seated at the table – I don’t think I did particularly well in Math in highschool, but I’d be damned if there weren’t at least 30 of us waiting with bated breath.

10 minutes? I could deal. Half an hour?

What was he doing?

Counting every single strand of eyebrow hair for his subjects to fawn over?

Well, it was no wonder his daughter turned out to be such a piece of work, whom, might I not-so-snidely note wasn’t present at the table either.

My eyes flickered to the figure sat across me and I berated myself for feeling my heart shrivel a little further with deflated hope as he sat there as he had for the past half hour – jaw locked in stoic silence with his eyes trained in every direction except the one where I would interrupt his line of vision.

What had I been expecting?

“I think I love you.”

My heart beat furiously in my chest – like a little hummingbird, drained and exhausted, but refused to be silenced.

Even when his arms around me tensed.

Even when I manoeuvred myself, tilting my head upwards only to see his jaw harden and his eyes sewn shut.

Even when my heart thudded dully in my chest – the little claws of doubt sinking into it – all flesh and blood as the thrumming grew louder and louder in my ears as seconds ticked past, melding into minutes.

Say anything.

I wanted to shout.

Wanted to scream.

Wanted to yell and shake him alive until my throat was raw and the colour of crimson red that splattered my insides.

Suddenly, all went quiet.

Silent.

And in that little space between the soft and even expelling of his breath and the loosening of his grip around me, I found my answer.

It was painful and it was damn near impossible to face, but it was the truth.

Rejection resided there.

Existed and grew tenfold until it filled every nook and cranny in my body – crushing my lungs.

Wheezing.

I gasped.

I couldn’t help it – couldn’t quite find an outlet for the stab that quietened into an ache that spread across my body, twisting and turning in my veins.

And still… still I could not bring myself to regret the words.

Even though I knew they were a mistake.

Even though I felt him pull further away than he had ever had before – placing brick after brick between the both of us to erect that infinite barrier he was walling himself into.

Even though a voice inside of me screamed that I had just single-handedly destroyed all that I had worked so hard towards.

And what was that?

A voice echoed in my head.

Just what had I been working so hard towards that I had sacrificed everything that should have mattered to me: the truth, my dignity, my heart.

To keep him by your side, you silly little girl.

And my throat began to close up – could feel the threatening prick of tears in my eyes.

The words had come out so effortlessly, so bravely… I’d be damned if I allowed myself to be shamed for them.

My fingers dug into his skin, unconsciously – leaving behind little red crescent marks.

He cleared his throat.

“I think we should sleep now.”

“You start with the outermost fork,” a gruff voice jolted me out of my painful recollection of the previous night’s happenings.

Of course, we hadn’t had a chance to since then speak.

When first light broke out across the sky, I had turned after a fitful night of sleep only to find his side of the bed cold, empty, and wanting. I couldn’t quite remember how long I had laid there, curled up in a ball, waiting for the tears to come.

Except they didn’t.

Not this time.

There was no sobbing and no theatrics, just numbness that chained my limbs and kept my eyes to the ceiling for hours on end until I dragged myself out of bed.

My head whipped to the right, in search of the owner’s voice.

And I found myself staring straight into a pair of familiar blue eyes.

“Thor!” the single syllable slipped out, carrying surprise.

Both seats that flanked me had been vacant prior to me spacing out – nobody had deigned to sit next to the lowly Midgardian, it appeared. Even if it was close to their King who sat at the head of the table next to Queen Frigga. There were two opposing empty seats right next to them and I could only deduce that they were reserved for the royal asses – literally and figuratively.

He gave me an impish grin and a wink.

“Ah, just as I suspected, the Pompous Prick has yet to make an appearance. It was just as well I had slipped into the Royal Kitchens for some sustenance given his predilection for tardiness,” he quipped, before giving his taut belly a light but firm pat.

My eyes widened.

“The Pompous Prick?” I reiterated, slowly and carefully just to ensure I hadn’t misheard.

Unless they associated another sort of meaning with ‘pompous’ and ‘prick’ here on Asgard.

He raised a brow, before leaning in with slight tilt of his chin in agreement.

I followed suit.

“He’s a difficult to take a liking to being who thinks everyone is beneath him. Only Father would deem him worthy of such prestige. You have met his offspring, I presume?” he continued and I almost chocked.

Offspring.

He uttered the word with enough of a shudder and a tinge of revulsion, I couldn’t help but feel a kick of smugness in knowing I wasn’t the only one at the table who saw through her fake ass bullshit.

“Halwen?” I asked in hushed tones.

He wrinkled his nose.

“I take it you don’t like her?” I prodded.

He let out a derisive snort.

“If she had something to take a liking to in the first place,” he threw back.

“Oh, thank God,” I breathed, the prayer slipping out mindlessly and he raised a brow, quizzically.

“Which one?” he asked, and I had to stifle the urge not to burst out laughing like a maniacal woman.

Between torturing myself with unrequited feelings for a man who clearly derived satisfaction from using me and the outlandishly charming but buffoonish naivety of his brother – I could slowly feel my sanity slip out of my grip. Perhaps if I acted mad enough, they’d lock me away in their equivalent of an asylum.

“I’m just relieved you aren’t out to kiss both their asses like the rest of the goons here,” I explained in haste.

His eyes widened immediately for a fraction of a second, before his features contorted in absolute disgust as he shook his head, violently.

“Is this customary of you Midgardians? Twice now you have referenced what I may only imagine as a gesture and fascination Midgardians may have regarding… that area of… anatomy,” he forced out, making another face at what I could only imagine as garish imagery in his head.

If I hadn’t felt like choking then – I certainly felt like it now.

“That is not what it means!” I sputtered, straddling the line between exasperation and laughing.

He held up his hands as if in defence.

“While it may not be a tradition us Asgardians observe, far be it for me to pass judgement on the cultural exchanges of other beings,” he said in a non-committal response.

That earned him a thwack on his shoulder.

Which frankly, probably did my hand more harm than it did him.

“You didn’t tell me you were Thor, his brother,” I hissed.

He paused for a moment, looking genuinely flummoxed as to what I was referring to before a grin broke out wide across his face.

“Ah… that…” he muttered beneath his breath.

My eyes widened and I jabbed my finger into his forearm.

“Don’t you ah, that me. You knew exactly who I was and kept your identity a secret that night,” I admonished.

At least he had the decency to look sheepish as he ruffled his hair in an apologetic manner.

Almost.

“I thought it best lest you should mention to him of our encounter…” he started, his voice trailing off as his hand gestured as if expecting me to fill in the blanks.

I leaned closer, shaking my head at him – because if he was throwing a bone at me, I definitely wasn’t catching it.

He cleared his throat.

“Perhaps you have yet to notice, but my… brother doesn’t take too kindly to anything that involves my name. In fact, I am perhaps inviting his wrath just from my proximity to you right now,” he continued.

I glared at him still.

He winced, resting his hand on the back of his neck – his expression one reminiscent that of a guilty puppy and I felt my consternation budge.

God damn it.

I blew him a raspberry, throwing my hands in the air as I shrugged.

“Fine. I’ll let you off the hook this time. But in case you haven’t noticed, your brother and I… aren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment. I hardly think he’d be bothered where I am concerned,” I hissed, trying to quieten the ringing truth I heard behind the words.

He paused, a brow slightly raised – disbelief clouding his eyes.

“I find that rather… difficult to believe,” he murmured, slowly.

And there it was – that little prick in my chest that had me torn between wanting to believe in the conviction he had in me and wanting to scream at his misguided trust.

My eyes narrowed on him.

“Oh, believe me. I wish it wasn—,” I started to say, but he cut me off.

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since the second I sat down,” he muttered his breath, so quickly and softly, it stunned me for a second.

“Wh—what?” I stuttered.

He met my gaze – his pupils sliding ever so subtly to the figure seated opposite us.

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since I sat down next to you,” he repeated, a little more solemnly this time.

My lips parted, eyes hazy and unfocused as I instinctively began to turn my head – as if his mere presence was the centre of my gravity – until Thor grabbed my forearm, firmly.

“Don’t look,” he bit out, snapping me back to reality.

He leaned in closer – so close I could feel his body heat emanating from his clothes as he blocked out whatever peripheral vision I had to whisper into my ear.

“There we go,” he mumbled and I didn’t even have to look at him to hear the smile in his voice.

“What?” I queried, not quite exactly sure what was going on.

“If I know my brother, and I believe I know him well – he should be roiling in his seat,” he continued, his words tinged with the low rumble of a chuckle.

Why?

Why bother?

The self-sympathetic question dancing on the tip of my tongue.

I wanted to tell Thor that it didn’t matter – that I had torn out my heart and given it to him, but he didn’t want it anyway.

But instead, I cleared my throat.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, a lump lodged in the middle of my chest as he began to pull back, slowly.

Our eyes met and his twinkled.

“Because… sometimes… anger is needed to realise what is important in front of you,” he answered with a wink.

And in that very moment, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the warmth that bloomed in my chest, trickling into my veins.

How different these two brothers were – day and night.

I leaned back a little, studying the gruff figure in front of me – noticing the way his hair shone and glinted in the warmth of the light as his skin glowed golden.

The Golden boy.

How different he looked in comparison to skin that came alive under the pale silvery light of the moon with hair the shade that disappeared into the night.

I felt a twinge.

But before I could part my lips to utter a reply, the doors to the Great Hall were flung open, the creaking and groaning filled the space – taking over the low thrumming din that had been background noise as it dimmed into nothing but pin drop electrically-charged silence.

“Here we go,” Thor sighed, that denoted the next few minutes of my life weren’t going to be exactly pleasant, before he pushed his seat back slowly to stand in honour.

The sound of chair legs scraping against the floor multiplied – echoing across the Hall as I followed suit, my eyes resting momentarily on Loki.

If he had been, as Thor had described, staring at us with venomously the entire time – he certainly wasn’t now.

His face was turned firmly away from me to his right and I followed his line of vision.

King Ehrendil.

Dressed in robes that called to mind the midnight sky laden with the twinkling of a million stars, I could only make out his profile as he strode past the entire length of his table – flanked left and right by guards with Halwen following close on his heels.

He was tall – that much I could make of and commanded a regal presence.

When he finally stopped about three seats away from us as he bowed his head ever so slightly as a gesture of respect towards Odin – in a manner that denoted he knew he was arrogantly that of higher ranking – I had to blink thrice to ensure the vision of the man in front of me was real.

His hair was that of starlight, long and straight that ended at his waist – his of that from another world with its soft and ethereal luminosity. A stark comparison to Halwen who seemed to gleam with the light from the sun.

“Asgard welcomes you, King Ehrendil,” Odin greeted with a bow himself.

I hadn’t even realised it was as if someone had hit the pause button on this entire scenario – I had barely even noticed how still everyone had become until both King Ehrendil and Halwen took their respective seats and it was almost as if every single individual let out a collective breath of relief, before the sound of chair legs scraping the floor resonated in the air once more as everyone settled back down.

“Thor,” I heard the sickeningly saccharine voice carry over to me as she sat down next to my only friend at the table… hell… in all of Asgard.

I didn’t have to turn to imagine the forced smile plastered across his face – could hear the reluctance in his voice as he returned her greeting.

“It has been far too long,” she remarked as I decided to return my concentration to the cutlery in front of me.

Keep my head low.

That was the game plan.

And not to speak unless absolutely required to or addressed.

Quite frankly, I swallowed, as I snuck another glance at the figure across the table who had started leaning in towards his left – his entire body tense and alert as he tried to make bits and pieces of the conversation between Odin and Ehrendil – the only thing that was weighing on my mind was the dreaded confrontation I knew was coming after all this was over.

I couldn’t…

I couldn’t keep living like this.

In limbo and in shame.

I tried to steady myself even as my hands began to shake at the very thought – if he didn’t want me, I would leave.

“Not nearly long enough,” I heard Thor mutter beneath his breath and it was difficult to stifle my smile.

“How have you been?” another question came and I wondered why in the world was she trying so very hard to win over someone who was clearly making his distaste for her evident.

Perhaps she was the sort who needed the adulation and adoration from everyone.

“Fairly well… until a few moments ago,” he answered, hesitating as he drew out the last few words so slowly, there was no mistaking the meaning behind those words.

There was a pregnant pause.

The tension palpable in the air and I only thanked the stars that he sat there separating the both of us.

“I see you’ve not lost much of your charm over time,” came the jab upon realisation that there was no need for such niceties.

“If only the same could have been said of you,” he jabbed right back.

A little bubble of mirth burst from my lips – I couldn’t help it. A reply as snide as that deserved a reaction.

It didn’t miss her ears and I only hoped to whatever higher power that was up there that it would grate further on her nerves.

“If I were you… I’d be showing a lot more respect to someone who may soon be a part of your family,” she growled.

Wow.

This woman took delusional to another level.

He let out a little snort.

“Well, then it is with much fortune – mine not yours – that you are not me, nor I am you,” he retorted and it took me all my willpower not to give this God a medal.

I could have sworn I heard a choking sound – perhaps the eek of her internal struggle of descending into incandescent rage and the awareness of not being able to blow her top off right there and then in front of so many.

I heard her clear her throat again, an underlying hitch that denoted a sense of purpose – a signal of sorts.

And from my peripheral vision, I saw King Ehrendil pause – filling my stomach with dread as the chatter between him and Odin slowly died down.

I knew what was coming next.

And with the rest of the Hall’s chatter coming to a halt as the atmosphere began to climb electrically once more – it appeared that everyone else knew too.

“I believe an explanation on the breaking of the betrothal is required?” he queried.

God damn, even the man’s voice was out of this world – smooth and silky, caressing every nerve in my body as I froze, eyes still glued to the cutlery in front of me.

Don’t look up. Don’t look up.

It was quickly becoming clear that this would be my mantra for the night.

Prickly, uncomfortable silence spread across the Hall and I could only imagine the exchanging of awkward and concerned glances all around me.

“King Ehrendil, perhaps this conversation would be better suited in the priva—,” I recognised the timbre in Queen Frigga’s voice – a salve meant to soothe the thorny words and lingering hostility.

But he was having none of it.

A first thumped the table – the move reverberating throughout the Great Hall – causing my plate and cutlery to rattle. I jumped in my seat – almost jumping out of my skin at the unexpected display of anger.

“With all due respect, Queen Frigga…” his words meted out, cold and stony – even her name sounded derogatory coming from him.

“… this betrothal had been meant to be the unification between our worlds. Should the discussion of the breaking of it then not include both worlds? Or has years of peace lulled you into a false sense of impression that Alfheim would take such humiliation quietly?” he snapped.

Well, clearly, this was someone who got his way frequently.

“You misunderstand us, King Ehrendil,” Odin jumped in.

I snuck a glance up quickly at his face and there was no mistaking the displeasure he was openly displaying for the world to see. He arched a sardonic brow.

“A misunderstanding,” he repeated, slowly – rolling the words off his tongue, mockingly.

Quiet rage simmered beneath the surface – as if one tiny spark would be enough to set him off on a course of war.

“And was it a misunderstanding when Halwen delivered the news to me – the breaking of the betrothal… a treaty years in the making – instigated by your son, Loki, with no other explanation other than a… Midgardian girl is involved?” he growled, another fist to the table.

Well, shit.

Right.

My heart thumped in my chest.

That’s my cue to look down.

Look down.

He turned his head, slowly.

Look the fuck down.

But it was too late.

Starlit eyes locked onto mine.

#htlaw #how to love a writer #lokixreader #lokixoc #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki fic #loki #how to intimidate a writer #tom hiddleston #hiddles #hiddlestoner #jealous loki

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lovedsammy · 5 years

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All right, ya’ll, I saw Endgame! Major spoilers will be under the cut so if you’re on mobile and it doesn’t work, SCROLL, SCROLL, SCROLL. Also, blacklist ‘a4 spoilers’ and ‘endgame spoilers’!

Overall? I loved it. There are a few things that REALLY bothered me/disappointed me, which I’ll talk about. As a star rating, I’d say 9/10.

First for the things that bothered me so I can get that out of the way...

Complaints:

- Thor & Loki: It’s no surprise to some of you that Loki is my favorite character (with Tony in 2nd place), and I adore the Thor & Loki bond. So I wasn’t happy at ALL that Loki remained dead, nor the fact that the Loki and Thor bond was completely erased/forgotten. Thor didn’t mention him ONCE, and instead focused only on the bond with his mother, which was, admittedly, beautiful. But the fact that he didn’t think of his deceased brother at all really felt like a disservice. I think it was supposed to be inferred that that what’s Thor’s so depressed about during the film, but it wasn’t TALKED about and instead was played for laughs. Thor’s PAIN was made to be humorous because he let himself go and had a beer belly. And yeah, I can see how at first that can be slightly funny, but it’s really not, if you think about it. Thor was so consumed by depression that all he did was drink himself almost to death. He was a wreck during the whole film and was made to look like a drunken idiot, except for the ending. Making him gain weight just to make him ‘funny’ also rubbed me the wrong way. Being ‘fat’ is nothing to be ashamed of, or funny. Thor’s characterization this movie was a big minus for me, which was disappointing. Him leaving at the end with the GotG made some sense, though, and I’m hoping this will lead him on a path to maybe trying to find Loki, in the past or otherwise. Quill trying to find past!Gamora... maybe it was a hint.

- Going back to Loki, he showed up in flashbacks from Avengers 2012 which really made my heart swell. Him rolling his eyes at the Avengers, waving ‘bye bye’ to the Hulk sarcastically when he had to take the stairs, taking the opportunity to snatch the Tesseract, not once but twice, and disappearing to God knows where? LOVED IT. It was so nice to see him again, no matter in what capacity. Though I still wish he’d come back for real, ESPECIALLY in that battle at the end. It wouldn’t have taken much more screen time, honestly. They could’ve just shown him arriving with the others at the return, have him fight side by side with Thor, and address Thanos. Maybe hint at some possible control, imprisonment, torture from Thanos? It could’ve paved way for the Loki series. Although, I guess this 2012!Loki disappearing with the Tesseract can achieve that, too, but it would erase all of the development Loki has achieved, and I loved the development. I loved his path to redemption. If they do this, I want a redeemed!Loki, who has a place among the Avengers, not a villain again.

- Gamora not coming back. I mean, I loved seeing her as her past self, but again... she died by being killed by her abusive father. It leaves a bad taste.

All right, on to everything else!

Things that I loved:

- Nebula and Tony’s friendship! I loved their dynamic a lot. Nebula taking care of Tony, and sitting him upright? My heart. <333

- Tony’s reunion with Steve. Omg their dynamic was FANTASTIC this movie. No leftover resentment from Civil War. It really made me love their friendship that much more.

- Tony’s reunion with Pepper!

- “I lost the kid. I lost the kid.” The first part I got choked up, of many.

- omg Scott coming home to see 5 years have passed and his daughter is a teen? omg I couldn’t even handle that. I loved older Cassie, though!

- THOR GETTING TO KILL THANOS FOR REAL. OMG I CHEERED. It didn’t help his vendetta, though, and once the revenge was complete, he had nothing left, which makes sense. His hate for Thanos was what drove him in Infinity War. He fell into a huge depression once that was taken from him. And why I wish, again, that this hadn’t been used for laughs!

- TONY AND HIS DAUGHTER!!! omg dad!tony was the CUTEST AND SO WAS MORGAN. Tony’s my 2nd fave character in the mcu, so seeing him happy, living life with his wife and daughter? perfection. The “shit” scene was both hilarious and sweet. “Go to bed or I’ll sell or all your toys” and Morgan laughing because she knows he won’t. <3333333333

- “I love you 3000″

- Clint and his family!

- Natasha saying that her family is the Avengers.

- the time travel was well utilized, even if it makes my head spin a little. XD

- LOKI LOKI LOKI

- “that is america’s ass” lmao

- steve saying ‘hail hydra’ and it WORKING

- tony and steve just KNOWING how each other thinks and using that to formulate the same plan, of going back to grab the tesseract? genius!

- There was so much foreshadowing in this movie at the beginning and middle of how this was going to end. Tony was unwilling to help at first because he didn’t want to lose what he had gained, and Steve kept saying he was over Peggy but by looking at her in the past, it was clear that he wasn’t, and that was where he wanted to go. I’ll touch on both those things more later.

- Tony getting to talk to his father, and finally come to terms with that relationship, and understanding/loving him... ow my heart. That hug was amazing.

- Thor getting to talk with his mother, getting that closure as well. This movie centered a lot on family.

- Clint willing to die to get the soul stone, but Natasha also willing to, and fighting over it, who had the strongest will to sacrifice themselves for everyone else. Their dynamic is also one of my favorites, and even though Clint is happily married with a family, part of me still ships them, and I loved those final moments together.

-”Let me go. It’s okay.” Natasha’s death was one of the first scenes that got me outright bawling. I adored her, and her death hit me hard because I was NOT expecting it. And for her to die as she did, willingly, with no restraint.... she wiped the red out of her ledger for sure. :( R.I.P Natasha. I’m so sad that they couldn’t even get her body to give her a proper burial. And everyone’s reactions after... devastating.

- I didn’t think Bruce using the Gauntlet was going to work at first. But once Clint’s phone started ringing, I breathed a sigh of relief and just waited. Then past!Nebula had to ruin everything by getting Thanos to blow up the Avengers HQ.

- Touching on this, btw: Thanos really is the Avengers strongest opponent. He was too clever using the two Nebulas (UGH) as he did, and he almost won again without even breaking a sweat.

- The. entire. fight. Literally, all of it. Thor using both of his weapons, Tony and Steve giving it their all... omg.

- The second Steve used Mjolnir, my entire theater screamed, and same, tbh. Thor’s “I KNEW IT!!” was everyone. It was nice continuity with AoU when Thor’s expression hinted that Cap was worthy. YES.

- It took me a minute to realize that Sam was back, and when it did, I sat there going “IS IT REALLY IS IT REALLY IST THIS HAPPENING OH SHIT”

- AND IT DID!

- Everyone coming out of that portal, focusing on each of them. Omg the theater erupted.

- “AVENGERS.... assemble.” cHILLS

- WANDA GETTING BACK AT THANOS’S CRAZY ASS, HELL YES! “I don’t even know who you are.” “You will.” YES, QUEEN.

- THE WOMEN TEAMING UP!

- Tony and Peter. The hug! The shock from Tony that this boy that he looks at as his own son, the relief that he’s alive, okay.. hi i’m crying again.

- The second Stephen raised that single finger, and Tony knew what it meant. And we all knew what it meant...

- “I am inevitable.” “I am... Iron... man.”

- Tony’s death hit me like a ton of bricks, and I was sobbing before he’d even collapsed to the floor. Watching the color drain from his face, and his body become so badly damaged.... I knew it was over for him.

- “We won, Mr. Stark. Come on, you did it, sir, you did. I’m sorry, Tony.” I CANT EVEN HANDLE THIS. PETER DIED IN FRONT OF TONY, AND NOW TONY DIES IN FRONT OF HIM. This surrogate father/son duo hurts me and I feel so much.

- PEPPER AND TONY. THEY DESERVED BETTER, DAMN IT. THEY DESERVED TO BE HAPPY AND TONY DESERVED TO WATCH HIS DAUGHTER GROW UP. ;A; “We’re going to be okay. You can rest now.” Rip out my heart. Just rip it out.

- As painful as Tony’s death was, it also felt.... perfect, in ways. He gave up his chance to keep things as they were to save everyone else. He did tHAT. He gave everyone else their families back. He died a hero, a true hero. I feel more at ease with Tony’s death, despite how unfair it was, because unlike Loki, Tony had achieved everything he meant to. He had a little girl who he loved so much and was an amazing father to. He had a son, who he taught to be a hero, too. He had a wife who will go on to keep Stark Enterprises alive. They’re Tony’s legacy.

- The funeral was SO heartbreaking, I was a crying mess. Happy and Morgan... :( </3

- ok so I’m 50/50 on Steve’s ending. He goes to return the stones to their proper time, and then stays behind to have a life with Peggy. Which, I mean... I’m not opposed to, and I think Steve deserves his happy ending too, but... it also hurt because not only was he leaving Bucky behind, he also left his friends behind. Friends that were already hurting from losing Natasha and Tony. And then to leave them like he did.... it felt... I don’t know, not wrong, but insensitive, considering what had just happened. Everyone had lost enough, and then they had to lose Steve, too. Although, I see his frame of mind. He’d lost so much as well. He wanted to have something for once, something happy, and he took it. I can’t blame him for that. I just wish his timing had been better.

-Bucky just knew that Steve wasn’t coming back as himself. He knows him so well. And his nod at Sam to let him take up the mantle... I knew it was going to happen, but I thought it’d be different. I’m fine with this, though. Steve’s retired. He can rest now.

- Tony’s voice over at the end was beautiful and perfect. That is all.

I loved this movie a lot, and can’t wait to see it again eventually! I had complaints and things I wish they’d done/fixed, but overall, the good outweighed the bad.

#marvel #avengers: endgame #endgame spoilers #a4 spoilers #avengers endgame

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evitcani-writes · 6 years

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Transphobia is a New Concept

Based on this post going around, I get the idea people don’t know being trans wasn’t really an issue until Hitler made it one during WW2.

History has about zero examples of trans people being treated poorly for being trans up until WW2. There’s a lot more examples of the opposite. Ancient heroes from Heracles to Achilles spent significant periods of time as another gender, with some gods like Loki transforming fully into another sex and this not being treated as out of the ordinary.

In fact, there’s a lot of evidence this may have been considered unusual, but not taboo and may have happened common enough historians didn’t find it significant to record. We are belatedly finding many cases of female skeletons buried as men or male skeletons buried as women. Archeologists have decided the extremely important rituals of death for most human cultures must have been forgotten briefly by the persons who buried these people. Obviously, it makes more sense for cultures whose lives revolved around burial (eg Egyptians) to have made a mistake instead of these being skeletons of trans.

Ribbing at the predominatly cishet field of archeology aside, we do have some historical accounts of trans persons as far back as the 1700’s. Those of Dr. Hart were only notable because of modern medicine being used for transition, but it’s clear by all accounts that he was largely accepted and supported.

Brief History

Before Dr. Hart, we know of people like One-Eyed Charley Parkhurst (1812-1879).

He was the toughest, meanest stage coach driver in the old west. The best driver of the time, in fact. He voted for the first time in the presidential election of 1868. He retired a few years before his death and with enough fame they gave him an autopsy. During that autopsy, they found out Six Horse Charley was anatomically female and had given birth to a child at some point in his very, very busy career as a driver.

Going farther back, we see individuals such as The Chevalier d’Éon (1728-1810) who no one is sure what sex they were. They presented as a man and woman interchangeably throughout their life, being nonbinary from what accounts we do have.

Even farther back is Elagabalus (203-222), an extensively decadent Roman emperor who would wear both men and women’s clothing on any given day.

Without getting into it too deeply, trust me when I say the Bible supports transgender persons in transitioning. (Here’s an article that covers the basics if you’re really curious.)

Is there anything older? Yes.

Archeologists have confirmed a transgender woman. She was buried in Prague between 2900 BC and 2500 BC. Due to the extremely strict burial practices of her culture, archeologists have no doubt she was transgender and buried with all the proper rites.

What Happened?

A lot of things. Mostly? Hitler and his Nazis.

Hitler hated gay people. While the most prominent targets were cisgender gay men, the trans community in Germany was almost eradicated. Prior to Hitler’s rise, a prominent German doctor named Magnus Hirschfeld was an outspoken advocate of the LGBT+ community, but his research largely benefited trans people. He opened the first clinic to specifically help transitioning in the world called The Institute of Sexology.

After Hitler rose to power, he targeted Dr. Hirschfeld who sought refuge in France in 1933. He died of a heart attack in 1935 and the Nazis converted The Institute of Sexology into a Nazi propaganda center.

They seized all the books, research, and archives the Institute had acquired during its years of operation. This included the addresses of the LGBT+ people who sought help from or supported Dr. Hirschfeld. It led to a swift round-up and incarceration of most of Germany’s LGBT+ population. This may have also aided Hitler in purging gay men from the SA wing of the Nazi party who had been instrumental in his rise to power. These gay men were murdered in their sleep on the Night of the Long Knives along with hundreds of other SA leaders who opposed Hitler.

Hitler’s Youth burned all that the Institute of Sexology had, Dr. Hirschfeld’s scientific heirs too fearful to continue his work.

But All Was Not Lost

Charlotte von Mahlsdorf was a transwoman born in 1928 to an abusive, fervent Nazi. She fled to Prussia with her mother at age 14 after learning to despise the Nazis and causing enough tension for things to grow violent. Still, her father used her kind heart against her. When Charlotte returned to Germany to help create shelters for homeless Germans, her father threatened to kill their whole family and then himself. She was forced to kill him and was shortly arrested by Nazis. They labeled her an “anti-social delinquent” (Nazi terminology for an LGBT+ teenager) and she was committed to an institution.

After two months, the Third Reich collapsed and Charlotte walked free. She used what she had learned to recover things stolen from Holocaust survivors. She dedicated her life to the lives she could not save from her father. The government tried to seize her museum multiple times, but she was not deterred. Even at age 63, Charlotte chased neo-Nazis from her museum with a hatchet.

We Have Always Existed

We have always existed and always will. From Charlotte to the unnamed woman in Prague or woven into our stories of heroes and gods, we have always been a part of humanity. There’s nothing new about us except the discrimination we must face.

#lgbt+ history #trans history #transgender history #history #text #nazi germany #hitler #trans #transgender

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starscreamloki · 6 years

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Strange Adventures

Chapter One - First Meetings

Summary: A certain Sorcerer Supreme seeks contact with the God of Mischief to maybe gain an useful ally against other worldly mystical dangers. But things never go as planned and the both of them are ending up with quite some animated conversations. Loki being the mischief-maker he is tries to trick Strange on every corner he can, Strange on the other hand just wants to survive the conversations.

Warnings: The Loki in this story is a little evil.

Words: ± 5000

(Artwork by Bengwings)

A/N: This fanfic is based on the role-play between @loki-the-predator and @dr-stephen-v-strange and thus it is written as such. The POV constantly shifts between Strange and Loki and although I took some time to take out spelling-mistakes, some are still in there. I also want to mention that only Loki’s side is mine and Strange’s side belongs to dr-stephen-v-strange, therefore I also have no control whatsoever on Strange’s behaviour or actions. I just collected it all. I have no clue if you like this but if you do then I’ll post the next chapter next Sunday.

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Strange

So we did some research and apparently you can duplicate or something, so we don’t really know whom to contact or who is trustworthy (Thor is not acting like a reliable source). But we are kinda getting desperate. Mordo has been killing off magic users and with the Sorcerer Supreme gone, we could use someone with a bit more experience than the novices who keep creating portals to random places and then walk through them into walls or falling down hundreds of feet.

Ps: Sorry for the incident during your last visit, by the way. I am not really sorry, but Wong told me I could’ve just locked you away, so… not gonna happen again. Probably.

Loki

“Well, well. Look who suddenly comes knocking at my door without some proper groveling.” Loki’s jaw was set tight and a fire gleamed in his eyes as he eyed you with disdain.

“Pray tell me, why would I indulge you, sorcerer?” Loki smirked. “And don’t play the brother-card, I don’t do well with that one,” he hissed between his teeth, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

Strange

Well, we got the time stone and some other things that have proven to be rather “efficient” against you in the past and as I have heard Asgard is kinda “burned down” and Jötunheimr doesn’t seem like a place you would be very welcome right now, assuming it’s still habitable, Earth seems to be your best choice. But if you want to stay there you will have to cooperate and protecting your “home” seems like a thing that might have benefits for you, too.

Also I hope you remember: I don’t make empty threats.

Loki

Loki’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared at the blatant words. He tried to keep a smooth face while he could feel the rage simmer under his skin, the hot coil screaming to be released and lash out, but he refrained himself from it. With a clenched jaw he spoke, “fine!”

He grunted in the back of his throat and was silent for a moment before he plastered a smile on his face which looked more nasty than inviting. “Tell me, sorcerer, who are you and what do you exactly need from me?”

Strange

Stephen raised his eyebrows. “That was easier than expected”, he thought.

“First of all, I need you to come with me. Once we are in the Sanctum we can talk about what steps need to be taken. I’d say it’s because of privacy, but truth is I don’t want you running around here. Your face is basically a big red sign for all vigilantes, former SHIELD agents and pretty much anyone you have met so far in this universe and I’d rather not have to deal with an intergalactical manhunt just because you angered some strange alien.”

He opens a portal and turns back, fully aware of the dramatic pose he is striking. “Also, Stephen Strange.”

Loki

Loki cackled a laugh, the mock in it quite apparent and a grin spread across his face. If this low-level sorcerer was thinking Loki was going to make it easy on him, he would be in for a wild horse-ride.

Loki eyed the portal with disdain. “As you might imagine I’m not overly fond of your portal.” Loki tapped his index finger on his lips. “And SHIELD agents aren’t a problem for me, neither should they be for you, sorcerer,” Loki spat the last word.

A wild look spread across his face, his eyes gleaming with the unrelenting anger that still crawled under his skin. “On top of that, I don’t mind a little hunt!”

Strange

Stephen rolled his eyes. “And Wong calls me a Diva.”

He took a step forward, the Cloak moved around his back recklessly. They had been on the streets for too long. People were already staring, taking pictures. Someone else would be there soon.

“If there are SHIELD agents, the Avengers will follow and if they do, they will bring Banner.” He smirked. “Did you even know that he is back on Earth? As far as I am informed he still doesn’t like you and neither does the ‘other guy’.”

He gestured to the portal. “So my advice would be, you find a way to overcome your distaste for my portals, right now. Because otherwise I will leave you here and search for an other magic user who is less of a drama queen and then return to lock you up one day, “your majesty”.”

Loki

“Sorcerer, your information is outdated,” Loki smirked on his turn. “I do not fear Banner nor his little anger-management issue. Do you even know how he got back to earth?” Loki winked.

Loki straightened his back and his eyes narrowed as they fixed themselves on Strange’s. “And yet you cried out to me for help.”

Loki shrugged. “Suit yourself.” With a whisk of green magic he disappeared.

The low-level sorcerer had apparently been stuck with his head in a portal for too long, otherwise he would have know these things. Loki completely ignored the little jabs he had made on his behalf, making a mental note to shove them down his throat later if the moment would suit for it. He wondered if Strange was aware of the little mistakes he had made in the past around the Trickster and had given him more information that he probably would have wanted. One wouldn’t fall down through portals for half an hour without learning something, especially not a God.

“Are you coming or what?” Loki asked from the other side of the portal where he had manifested while eyeing the interior of the place with utter disgust, prying curios at some objects and snorting derisive over some of them.

Strange

“Maybe.” Truth was he wanted to lock the ice queen up and to let the SHIELD psychiatrists have their fun. God, he could just put him in a cell with his brother for a week or all alone. Someone with such a narcissistic streak wouldn’t be able to last a day without an audience.

But if Dormammu had taught him one thing it was that his pride was not worth the lives of many. So he shook his head, telling the cloak to keep calm for now, and went through his own portal into the actual room and not into the magical trap he had opened before.

“Would you like something to drink?”, he asked.

Loki

“I’m going to decline your offer on the beverage,” Loki said to him without deeming him worth a glance as he had his head tilted and studying the backs of the many books that covered the racks.

He could feel the sorcerer’s eyes burn in his back and he had to muster every nerve not to lash out at him or that ridiculous colored piece of clothing which reminded him very vividly of his oaf of a brother. Every fiber in his body screamed he needed to be careful with this Stephen-guy but Loki was sure he could best him if needed - especially since he wouldn’t be trapped in an endless portal-fall again. Though Loki had some great fun with some insight knowledge Strange had just given him.

Loki abruptly turned to address Strange, “and if you would be so kind to indulge me with the reason you brought me here so I can quickly move on and continue my quest to conquer your meager Midgard, you would please me greatly,” Loki taunted with a mischievous smile.

Strange

The pretend Asgardian was up to something and the cloak seemed to know it, too. Stephen sat down to keep it from moving. At the same time he called a chair from the sanctum and said:

“Please take a seat. And don’t touch anything. Even I don’t know what’s inside all this books, but there are spells on them strong enough to seriously harm an immortal, no matter if Asgardian or Jotunn.”

The way the green eyes of the other wandered across the interior, assessingly was something that made his fingers twitch. It was better if he got this behind him as fast as possible.

“Okay, let’s start with what you know about the Nine Realms and the Dark Elves.”

Loki

Loki raised his eyebrow and gnashed his teeth at the blatant command from the mortal. Without even looking he held up his hand and a book from one of the racks flew to his hand and he licked his finger to casually flip through the book whilst speaking. “Half of these books are filled with half-truths and broken spells, some of them are nothing more than laughable and only a rare one between this-” Loki looked around before continuing, “-vast collection are of some meager interest. And I’m quite sure that if a mortal witch such as yourself can handle such an item, it won’t oppose a threat for a God.” He snapped the book shut with a smile and it flew back to the rack.

Loki hoped Strange hadn’t noticed the quick illusion he had casted over the book and that the real thing was in one of his dimensional pockets now. The content wasn’t of great value but he very much would love to use the thick tome to smack it on the back of Strange’s head, especially when he irked him so much by mentioning Loki’s Jotun heritage.

Loki’s eye twitched at the mention of the Dark Elves, making old wounds burn and fuel his rage further. The twitchy drape on which the sorcerer was sitting didn’t make it any better either.

“Just who do you think you are, Mortal, that you imply I know naught about these realms and what it contains.” Loki summoned a dagger and played with it while continuing. “Do I need to remind you that I am a God and that my knowledge exceeds yours with hundredth of years?”

Loki scrutinized the wizard with utter hatred, the knife in his hand still twitching and begging to be lodged in the man’s throat, but Loki kept a lid on it…. For now!

Strange

His fingers formed into a fist at the blatant insult of what had given him purpose. But the thing about surgeons is they are used to stress. He reminded himself that he was the best at what he did and relaxed his hand again, as much as was possible.

There was an air of magic surrounding the other man and he knew that he had done something, other than calling the book to himself, but what it was he was not sure, yet. Stephen made a mental note to cast a disillusion spell later, but at the moment it was better to let the other think he had the upper hand. But he couldn’t stop himself from provoking him a bit more.

“I have wondered, since I read about Jotunn and their reputation as Frost Giants, why exactly it is that you are so small?”

He wanted to see the other twitch just as he had made the cloak twitch underneath him, and indeed, the arrogant “boy”’s hand moved. He might have been old, but he had the hidden impulsiveness of a child.

“But that’s beside the point”, he continued, trying to avoid a fight for now, “Do I need to remind you, that I am here because I want to protect Earth, which is more or less your home as well and that there are lots of reasons you should support me in my efforts?”

He sighed. “We are trying to form a group of magic users, something to balance the Avengers or rather the loss of the Supreme Sorcerer when it comes to tackling mystical threats.”

It was time to play it up a bit. How he hated that part.

“Now, while you are clearly not a group player, your knowledge, as you have said yourself, exceeds ours by far. We need to know what happened to the Dark Elves. How can we know if they are all gone?”

Loki

Loki noticed the wizard’s clenched fist and briefly licked his smiling lips, his eyes glinting with knowing his remark had hit home. But the next comment the other man made about Loki’s heritage irked the Trickster so much that he flicked his wrist and the knife he had been holding flew past the wizard, cutting a strand of his hair. “You sure you want to go there, glorified veterinarian?” Before the dagger hit a wall it flashed back into Loki’s hand, a menacing scowl on his face. “My next dagger will pierce a nice hole through that piece of cloth you call a cape,” he spat.

Loki took in a few shuddering breaths as he once again tried to control his rage. “And do I need to remind you that you asked for my assistance! On top of that, I never said that ‘Earth’ is my home.” Loki looked down and fidgeted with his free hand, his index finger scratching at his thumb as the word ‘home’ evoked more memories than he cared for.

Loki whisked the dagger away and started to pace, his own green cape fluttering dramatically behind him with each turn he made. “So you are asking me to join your little group of-” he turned to the other man “-what you want to call them? Ugh, you Midgardians and your ‘hero’ names,” he rolled his eyes whilst speaking and continued his pace hoping the movement of his body would deprive the hot anger in his veins.

Loki sighed. “Malekith is dead, their forces are reduced to a bare minimum and scattered, their realm is almost entirely dead and the last time I checked Svartalfheim was empty,” he lied, his tone exasperated, and purposely not telling about the pretty red gem that he had had send off to another realm.

Loki stopped his pacing and narrowed his eyes as he seized the wizard up. It hadn’t gone unnoticed to Loki that Strange had indulged him with some kind words and he figured that he might return the act of kindness even though - of course - the act would work in Loki’s favor as well. “I might know of a few… creatures who might be willing to help with your ‘noble’ quest.”

Strange

Okay. That was it. He got up and moved his hands, letting a golden string of power appear. It was enough of a distraction for him to open the mirror dimension around them before the other one could do any more damage. If the alien was labile enough to throw knives after a few petty insults, there was a risk of human casualties. Wong and the others would know where he was and if he did not leave the other dimension soon enough, they would probably intervene.

“They don’t have a name. And I don’t want you to join at all. I‘d just like some informational assistance. For example you could tell me when you last checked, because as far as I know there was an infinity stone roaming about.”

The other was lying, but that had been expected. Though Stephen had hoped he wouldn’t. “I don’t think we could trust a single creature you name.“

The cloak, curled around his ankles, eager to float and to attack, since the trickster’s threat, stilled for a moment. “Diplomacy”, a voice that sounded a lot like Christine, whispered in his thoughts.

“But don’t hesitate to tell me. Maybe you can convince me that I am wrong.” Stephen smiled, as charmingly and innocently as he could.

He deserved an A+ for effort.

Loki

Apparently his little knife trick had put the man back on his heels enough to seek a form of protection and Loki gnashed his teeth. There weren’t many subjects that irked him so quick, but Strange had just chosen the wrong subject and ruffled Loki’s feathers to much. Loki could sense the magic the wizard had concocted but he couldn’t quite grasp at what it was or how it worked and his little back-up trick suddenly didn’t work anymore. He wasn’t concerned but it bothered him on some level.

The hot angry coil didn’t unwound any further as Strange admitted he didn’t want Loki to join their little team - something he was glad about because the Trickster hated it when people got in front of his feet and they usually ended up on the tip of his dagger when they did.

“If you don’t trust any creature I name, then when would you even trust what information I provide you regardless it’s content?” Loki rolled his eyes while his mind ticked of some possibilities and the fact that the other man had mention the infinity stone. He truly wondered why the man had called upon him if he already knew this. Surely he couldn’t be hoping the God of Mischief would spill all his cards? Would he really be that stupid?

Loki watched the sorcerer’s cape tug at the man, it’s color still a thorn in his eye, and he asked with a voice smooth as silk, “how would you feel about it if your drape was green?”

Strange

Stephen knew he had said something wrong, but he wasn’t sure what it was, yet. Maybe implying that the Jotunn was unfit for an other group was a sore point, or maybe he could sense the spell of the mirror dimension.

“Green? Not really my colour”, he said, trying not to sound too exasperated. The cloak seemed to agree with the way it stayed still again. “I would trust any information, that I could gain proof of myself and I trust enough in your wish to preserve this planet or at least realm that you will not lie to me when it comes down to saving either or the universe. With everything else, you are right, I can’t trust you.”

He had a small step towards the other man, his hands hold high in a reassuring motion. He had made the same gesture a hundred times before when he talked to an aggressive, drunk or panicked patient.

“Let’s make a deal: I show you something and you tell me what I want to know.”

Loki

Loki eyed him warily as he approached but he stayed his ground. The puny gesture of the other man’s hands in the air meant nothing to the God for he knew very well that magic could be summoned to one's fingertips without as much of a thought. Loki narrowed his eyes as he looked at the hands of the wizard, noticing a weird piece of metal and it briefly made him reconsider his previous statement.

“Well, at least we’re on the same page regarding ‘trust’,” he bit at the sorcerer. “And in that light I’m not overly fond of something you want to ‘show’ me.”

On this very moment Loki hated what weird trick the man had played with the magic that shimmered around him, making the Trickster blind to something he relied heavily upon in his dealings with this wizard, and he quickly tried to cover up his uneasiness. “Ah, of course green is not good enough. How about gold? It would look great on full-tilt Diva such as yourself and match that shiny object on your hand perfectly,” he grinned while nodding to the Sling-ring.

Strange

Stephen realized too late that he had shown him his Sling Ring. It would be naive to hope that the other would not recognise it, but he doubted that he could use it, or at least not to escape this special kind of mirror dimension that existed only within the Sanctum. If the alien overpowered him, they would both be forced to stay here.

“We should not enter an ego contest. We both know you would win it, oh God who wanted to rule all humanity.” He smirked. “And attachment to the material is detachment from the spiritual.”

He made an step forward, the diplomatic gestures replaced by a self-assured smile. “Believe me when I say that you want to see what I want to show you. It’s something no-one else in this Galaxy and beyond could give you, not even your brother Thor or the king of Jötunheimr.”

Loki

“Good thing you know your place, Mortal,” Loki grinned, completely ignoring the jest and quite reveling in the words that were actually meant to sting him.

Loki licked his lips and paced around the room again. He didn’t like this man but he appreciated the effort the other put in this to try to stay one step in front of the Trickster and attempting to jest him - a game not many were able to play with him on this level, especially not the average mortal that threw itself at his feet daily. The God found it very humorous and if he was honest with himself, he liked it.

Loki fixed Strange with a brief glare and started talking, pacing back and forth in the confined space which made him feel like a caged animal. “So let me get this straight; you want to make a deal with me where I tell you what I know, even possibly direct you to some… creatures who can help you, while you offer me something in return I might want to have, or see, without having any hint at its contents, assuming that what you offer is I want. Something that is beyond anything that my oaf of a brother or the king of Jotunheim can gift me - again assuming I hold any value in that - and you ask me to believe you on your words while we just established mere seconds ago that I don’t trust you.” Loki raised his eyebrows in a very teacher-like manner followed by a scrutinizing glare filled with disdain. Then he held up his finger before the Wizard could interrupt him. “On top of which I can still sense your magic to which you desperately cling to keep you safe and with which you try to coax me like some animal. Tell me, oh great sorcerer-” he said in a mocking tone, “-how in your mind was this going to work?”

Strange

He had him. Maybe not in the way that Wong would have preferred, but an alliance had been a ridiculous idea to begin with. Still, the ‘ice queen’ had lost a bit of his composure, giving away ar least some level of interest, if not even that he had been impressed.

“You misunderstand”, Stephen said smiling, knowing now that the mirror dimension was really able to hold the other. Even if he had been sure of himself, it was good to have definitive proof.

“I make no secret of what I could show you. I just wanted to make sure I have your attention first.”

He moved his hands and the Eye of Agamotto started to glow.

“I think you know what this is. And before you ask, there is no way for you to take it from me, not from my living body and if you kill me, then this”, he pointed at the green light, “will be moved by magic to the next worthy Sorcerer in line and that’s probably not you.”

He was bluffing a bit, but Thor had hardly even known of the Infinity Stone’s existence. Surely his ‘brother’, no matter how old he said he was, could not know all the details of its power.

“Tell me, would you like to see a part of your future, maybe even change your own fate?”

Loki

Loki bared his teeth and scowled. He really didn’t like that the Wizard just ignored his little speech and it set the other a point back straight away. It was also ridiculous that this second grade sorcerer thought he didn’t have Loki’s attention in the first place because the Trickster would not even have stepped into the Sanctum if he hadn’t been curious at all.

When Strange revealed the Time Stone Loki had to fight the urge to pounce the man and kill him to pry the gem from his cold dead fingers. Oh, how he would love to kill the other to put him in his place and then throw him in a time-warp to relive his death over and over again - for at least a good solid half hour! But probably longer.

“I didn’t know you held me in such high regards that you presume I would ask,“ Loki said to gritted teeth, his eyes flicking between the gem to the man’s face.

The only thing that kept the God in check for now was the fact that he almost felt the Tesseract burning in his dimensional back-pocket, and there had been a reason he had send the Ether away from Asgard when he ruled as King.

“You want to put that statement about not being worthy to the test?” Loki grinned his hollow threat, for he actually had no interest in fighting the man. Yet.

Loki started to advance on Strange, summoning his battle-armour in which he hid a little of his Seidr to pry around at the magic the Wizard so heavily seemed to depend on for his defense. Just a little spell to give Loki some insight and he grinned as he found a work-around to his little trick that the man had deprived earlier.

“I find your offer quite lacking, Sorcerer, and you assume I know nothing about time.” He kept his steps small while still advancing. “Because you and I both know that showing me a future is not something that is written in stone, that it changes by the choices one makes - the butterfly-effect - and therefore your offer is quite hollow.” Loki smirks and stops two paces before the man. “I hoped you had to offer something better than that but you disappoint me!”

Strange

Stephen took a deep breath as the magic shimmered around the other, forming an unnaturally clean, shining gold. The mirror dimension was shaking and gliding from his fingers like ice turned water. For a moment he felt like he was back, facing Dormammu or an actual God and he had to remind himself that he had died before. There were few deaths the alien could put him through, that he was not acquainted with.

“I would not call it high regards”, he said, trying to ignore how the other’s eyes flicked to the Eye of Agamotto. As long as he had something the other wanted, as long as the other was curious, Stephen would not have to die.

“But if you really want to test it, feel free to attempt spilling blood on the floor. We both know it will not do you any favors.” He summoned his magic and clapped his hands together.

The time stone stopped became invisible, disappearing into a cosmic hole, where even a Titan would not be able to find it. “Try to see this as a disappointment”, he thought to himself.

“However, I do not offer to show you ‘a’ future, but ‘the’ future. The future, that you want to see. And by doing so I will show you how to get there.”

Loki

Loki smirked. “Oh, how I’d love for us to go round for a bit,” he snickered. “To test your mettle so to speak, but I don’t think this is a good time to do so.”

Loki had felt the magic around the other shake and a wicked grin spread across his lips. Oh, how the God of Mischief was itching for a fight but he wasn’t one to plunge himself head-on into it with this Wizard. Not until he had some information about the powers of the man and Loki thought he was doing a very good job at gaining more information by the minute. Just prying, keeping the other on his toes, making him dance. But the hot angry coil never deprived and especially not as the Time Stone flitted away of to the Norns know where.

“How can you be so sure it is ‘the’ future?” Loki asked while he started to circle the Sorcerer. He turned sharply on the man, opening his hands in a gesture when he spoke, “and how are you so sure I want to see it?”

But as Loki had to admit to himself, he started to get more curious by the minute.

Strange

Stephen felt no reassurance by the words of the ‘God of Lies’. Even if he believed that he was not willing to fight right now, he could not help, but feel his eyes like a shadow on him, wrapping him in ice cold darkness. There was something entirely mad in the alien’s grin and it vaguely reminded him of a psychiatric patient with prosopagnosia who had managed to steal a syringe from a nurse. But this was worse than being threatened with a syringe.

“Maybe I know, I am good with brains after all.” Stephen smirked. He was keeping his cards close to his chest.

“But if you want to make sure, you could just tell me what future it is that you want to achieve”, he winked,”If you want to, we could even say doctor-patient confidentiality applies.”

Loki

Loki momentarily stopped his circling to give the man a confused look and resumed his pacing again. He wasn’t familiar with a doctor-patient confidentiality, they didn’t have that type of thing on Asgard, and if they did have, he knew naught about it. He had had his ability to self-heal his entire life and it had only grown stronger with time, what would he need a healer for? He pushed the weird thing from his mind before he would dwell too long on it.

The Trickster stopped circling the other man until he was in front of him, tilting his head slightly and his teeth gnashing as he briefly seemed to mill on something. The God of Mischief had never been one to play on the safe side and he loved to play on the edge of a knife, though he must admit, this knife was very sharp, but in the end his curiosity always got the better of him.

“Then show me Wizard,” he spoke ice-cold, the little crazed glint still in his eyes. “Show me your so called ‘the’ future.”

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writingjusttowrite8 · 6 years

Text

Golden (Chapter Four)

Hi friends! I probs sound like a broken record when I say this, but thank you so much to all those who have liked and reblogged these post and given kudos! And a SUPER HUGE thank you to those who’ve commented! I’ve gotten some people who want to be tagged in this, so I’ve started a tag list! If you want to be tagged, just let me know and I’ll add you. Thanks again loves!

P.S.: This is a secondary blog, so whenever I reply to comments on here it’ll pop up as coming from my main one (@galvanator). I’m not really sure how to adjust it and tumblr’s FAQ is, at best, unhelpful. I’m a technologically challenged millennial, so, from the bottom of my heart, my bad.

You can also read this on AO3!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

I had turned in my paper the following day and had been about to avoid going into his office. Mrs. Peters made some comment of how it was ‘good Mr. Laufeyson finally had a student to challenge him,’ but I’d mostly ignored her. After that, I really hadn’t had much to deal with him. I did the readings, took the quizzes, and kept my distance. It did make my heart soar just a tiny bit, when I got my paper back with a large 99 written at the top, and a note that read ‘Always room for improvement, but it is nearing perfection’. I wanted to forget about everything that had happened prior to us in class, but it was so difficult. More than once, a tall, dark, black-haired stranger invade my dreams and filled me with a lust my hand couldn’t provide for my body. I wanted to forget how his skin felt against me, about how perfectly our bodies collided, but my mind didn’t let me.

Professor Laufeyson’s class would have most certainly been my favorite if we hadn’t met previously. He was so articulate and well-informed; he made myself and every student get caught up in every word. It didn’t hurt that he looked the way he did. His wardrobe consisted solely of clothing that fit him to perfection. His tall frame was seemingly thin, but he was so strong and hard. I really couldn’t blame any of the other women who had a crush on him; after all, I’d probably have had one too.

I did my best to be as little noticeable in his class as possible; only arrived exactly on time, turned in all that I needed to turn in, and left promptly as class ended. Everything I finished early, I turned into Mrs. Peters, and narrowly avoided seeing Professor Laufeyson whenever I could. I had nearly memorized his schedule so that I wouldn’t run into him; unfortunately, that meant running into Professor Jinks quite frequently. His leering eyes always made my skin crawl. I could never quite shake the way Loki had warned me about him on my first day. He usually lost interest in my once I was past him, or another girl with better cleavage walked past. But there were instances in which I wasn’t so lucky.

“You know, dear,” Mrs. Peters started, “Professor Laufeyson will be in shortly. Why don’t you just wait for him and you can give your paper in person. You miss him so frequently, I’m afraid he’s not giving you the proper respect a star pupil like yourself should be given.” A small, hysterical laugh escaped my lips at the irony of her words.

“Trust me, Mrs. Peters, Professor Laufeyson is giving me the exact amount of respect I require.” I said. She narrowed her eyes at me, not fully understanding what I meant. Luckily (or unluckily), we were interrupted by the loud, obnoxious voice that could only belong to one man; Professor Jinks.

“My goodness, you come to see Laufeyson so often I’d say you had a crush on him,” Jinks said while walking over to Mrs. Peters and I. I was stunned into silence, my cheeks immediately turning beat red. As it turns our, Mrs. Peters couldn’t stand him either.

“Professor! You really are too much! Mrs. Alavan is here for academic purposes only. Something you should strive to do as well,” Her condescending tone made me feel a bit better. Jinks merely rolled his eyes, and leaned against the counter where I was standing, effectively blocking me in.

“You know if you really wanted to stand out in Laufeyson’s class, I could tutor you. I offer private tutoring sessions to those… outstanding students,” Jink’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, as they trailed down to my chest.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need tutoring,” I said, tugging my books close and crossing my arms across my chest. Jinks scoffed.

“My tutoring could be of a great service to you; you sure you want to turn that down?” He stepped closer to me and I continued to back up. His intimidating glare made it hard to figure out the right thing to say, so I struggled with words for a moment. But then my savior appeared.

“If anything, Mrs. Alavan could give you some tutoring lessons,” Loki said, standing across the office. I let out a deep breath I wasn’t aware I was holding. Jinks turned to acknowledge Loki, then snapped it back towards me.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Jinks said, finally stepping away. I took my opportunity to quickly walk out of the office, but not without giving Loki a quick nod in thanks. I saw the recognition in his eyes, as well as something else…

It looked like rage.

Since I couldn’t forget, I did the second best thing; avoid. I ended up getting an internship at a publishing company because my classes weren’t filling up enough of my time. I worked, and wrote, and refused to go out with Kate. I didn’t need her abandoning me again, and I didn’t feel like explaining what was so disastrous about last time. Three weeks since I’d gone to his office, had passed, and I was actively minding my own business. Kate, however, didn’t like how filled my schedule was and was growing tired of me refusing to spend time with her.

“Oh, for god’s sake, Aurelia, its one measly Friday night! You’re literally the smartest person I’ve ever met, going out for 5 hours isn’t going to lower your IQ!” She pleaded through the phone. I sighed deeply, and contemplated just hanging up.

“I’ve been though this; my work is the most important thing to me. Just because you enjoy going out every night doesn’t mean that I do. I like being able to get ahead in my school work, especially since I’ll be starting my internship soon!” I told her. She whined through the phone. “And I really don’t see how it matters if I go with you or not. Literally every time we’ve gone out together, even back in the states, you found a guy within 5 minutes of being in a bar. You’ll just ditch me anyways,” I said.

“That not true! Well… not entirely. Last time we went you, I very clearly remember you winding up with a handsome stranger who, quite literally, fucked you into oblivion,” She said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. I cringed, my mind flashing back to that night. “I know you’ve thrown yourself into your work to avoid thinking about him, but I have a much better idea than that,” She taunted.

“Continue…” I egged her on. At this point I’d accept nearly any opportunity to get my mind off Loki.

“Come out with me tonight and find a new guy! The best way to get over a man is to be reminded that there are so many others to choose from! If you’re able to find another handsome stranger to rock your world tonight, I guarantee that you’ll forget all about Mr. Tall, dark, and insatiable,” She taunted. Highly unlikely, but I understood her reasoning. I had been left… unfulfilled for a month now. It might be nice to fuck my way out of the hole Loki created.

“Fine,” I heard Kate squeal when I spoke, “BUT, we can’t go to the same place. I don’t want to run into him once more.”

“Oh, I’m way ahead of you. Theres a bar a few block away from there, that’s a little more catered to students. I’m sure you’ll be able to find exactly what you need there,” She insisted.

I smiled to myself. This is a good thing; in a few hours, Loki will be old news.

A slight knock on the door alerted Loki that there was a presence in his doorway. He looked up from his papers seeing Jinks in the doorway with an evil glint in his eyes. Loki checked his watch, seeing that it was just past 5:30.

“Plans tonight, Laufeyson?” He asked.

“Not currently. I’d imagine you’re here to change that,” Loki said, leaning back in his seat. Jinks came in, looking around at some of the loose papers on the usually pristine desk.

“A couple of us are going out to celebrate the first month ending. You’ll join us, won’t you?” Jinks framed his words as a question, but Loki knew he wasn’t working his way out of this one.

But, he had to at least give it a shot.

“The end of the first month means the beginning of exam season. I need to prepare a bit. I’m not sure its the right time to be going out,” He countered.

“Oh, come on!” Jinks said, not persuaded by Loki’s words. “You’re the most prepared lad in all of Great Britain, surely you can afford one night of fun? All of the fun ones are going, even Candice from history, and she’s always had eyes for you…” Jinks leered. Gross, Loki thought, Candice had eyes for anything with a pulse. Loki huffed for a moment, trying to think of a good excuse before something dawned on him.

“Where would we be going?” He asked Jinks. He seemed to light up at the question, sensing he was getting closer to his goal.

“Sullivans, uptown. You’ve been there?” Jinks ask’s Loki. The name was familiar, but what really mattered is that it wasn’t where he’d met Aurelia. The chance of him running into her again would have prompted a much harsher rejection.

“Fine, but I’ve got to go home to change,” He said, standing up to put on his coat. Jinks slapped his hands together.

“Fantastic! I send you the address and you can meet us there. This will be fun! Even us esteemed professors need a night for ourselves,” He leered in the door way, with a facial expression Loki could only describe as disturbing.

Loki quickly made for his house, not really needing to change clothes, he just wanted a minute to himself. Thinking of Aurelia always threw him off, and he needed a minute to shake the thoughts out of her. But his idea to go home to get her out of his mind probably wasn’t the best plan of action. He’d washed his sheets 4 times since she was there, but every night, without fail, he’d swear he smelled her scent. It was engrained in his head; her smell, her eyes, how she’d exhaled when he’d touch her, like she was burning without his touch. It was too much to forget; not that Loki had done a good job of attempting that. He’d look at other women, and instantly compare her to Aurelia. He’d accidentally brush against a girl and sensed how different her warmth was from Aurelia. Everything reminded him of her, and it was eating at him. Her tiny, black-lace underwear were hidden in the pages of a hollowed out book he use to store sweets in as a child. They were a sweet in their own right, just a different context behind it.

Loki had built up a catalogue of things he regretted in his life, but the morning he left Aurelia was the one that stood out most. He hadn’t been able to sleep, but rather, watched her intently after their night together. Her dark hair fanned out across the pillow, her sweet lips parted slightly, how her hand was so tightly gripped with his; all of these thoughts were burned into his mind. It wasn’t until the early morning he was able even to look away from her. He didn’t have a huge stock in his kitchen, so he didn’t think there would be any harm in stepping out for a few minutes to go pick something up. It was only when he returned to his empty house, her scent already infused in his entryway, he realized what a mistake he’d made. That evening he’d even gone back to the same bar to see if he could find her, but after no sightings and three over-zealous women, he’d left.

Loki didn’t want to feel this way; he hadn’t even wanted to go home with somebody that night. But when he caught her gaze, something drew him in. It was like a rubber band pulled him to her until the collided, making an irreversible mark in his heart. That same rubber band that pulled them together, snapped from the tension and hit him right in the face the day he saw her in class. She was looking down, obviously panicking, but her unmistakable tendrils of hair had given her away. To every other student, he was just taking stock of who was in his class, but the slight clinching of his fist and deep swallow in his throat almost gave him away.

He knew when he saw Aurelia in class that whatever pull he was experiencing was would need to be squandered, but it wasn’t completely gone. Despite him not wanting to go out, Loki couldn’t help but think this was a good way to finally remove whatever tug Aurelia had on him.

My short, velvet skirt didn’t provide a ton of warmth for my legs as the cool wind hit my body. London is such a beautiful place, but its temperature left a lot for a native-Floridan to be desired. Kate walked briskly, her long legs forcing my short ones to nearly run. I looked around at the people standing near the bar and noticed, pleasantly, that this crowd was much more college-friendly. Despite her promising not to abandon me again (I made her recite the mantra ‘I will not abandon you’ in the cab over here), we weren’t two steps inside until she saw someone familiar and ran to the other side of the bar. Great.

I found myself in an uneasy and familiar situation one again and vowed to myself that this was the last time I accompanied Kate to a bar. I noticed some girls that I vaguely recognized in a few of my classes by the bar, and decided that standing near them was better than standing on the wall by myself. Another girl who was in a situation similar to myself, was also seated at the bar, and looked at me curiously when I ordered a drink.

“You’re in Professor Laufeyson’s class too, aren’t you?” She asked, slurring a bit. I nodded my head, taking my drink from the bartender. She stuck out her hand and I shook it.

“Daisy McGee,” She said.

“Aurelia Alavan,” I told her.

“Where are you from?” She asked, clearly recognizing my accent.

“Near Miami, but I go to school at NYU. I’m just doing a semester over here,” I explained. She nodded. “What about you?” I asked.

“Near Dublin. Got a nice scholarship to come over here, so…” She shrugged her shoulders and I laughed a bit. “How are you doing in his class?” She asked.

“Not bad; he’s a little stingy on grades though. Gave me a 99 on the first paper because there’s ‘always room for improvement’.” I told her. She looked at me with wide eyes.

“You’re actually able to pay attention? Good god, more power to you. Every time he opens his mouth all I want to do confess my love to him,” She said, resting her head on her hand and looking away from me. I laugh a little bit; partially out of her words, partially out of how ridiculous the situation was. “Even now, there are plenty of eligible bachelors here, but I can only focus on him…” She said, sighing. I looked at her confused.

“What do you mean?” I asked. She pointed into the direction she was looking, and lo-and-behold, Loki was there. His sharp facial features pressed into a stoic expression while he watched the man I’d come to know as Jinks. Jinks was clearly drunk and hanging on the arm of a fake-looking woman, but Loki seemed to be unimpressed. I, on the other hand, was fuming. ‘Would it ease your worries if I told you that I don’t often do this as well?’ his voice rang so clear in my mind from that night. I believed him! Even after everything, I believed that this wasn’t a normal occurrence and that he wasn’t some mid-thirties perv who uses his prowess to influence young women.

I felt stupid, humiliated, and entirely heart-broken. There was something very comforting about the fact that I was the exception, and now… I felt tears clouding my eyes and my skin burn bright red. Daisy had said something to me, but I was too wrapped up in my furry to notice. It wasn’t until his bight blue eyes cast themselves in my direction, that I felt my body unfreeze. His expression faltered only slightly, but his eyes didn’t leave mine, and I didn’t have the heart to turn away. Finally, I was able to hear over the blood pounding in my ears to see what Daisy had to say.

“Those eyes could peer into my soul. Isn’t he charming?” She said.

“Yeah,” I hopped off the stool, grabbing my bag, “A real charming son-of-a-bitch.” Maybe if Loki hadn’t been captivating her, she would have noticed me stomping off, but thankfully she was too enamored with looking at him. I tried to navigate my way through the still-growing crowd, but a large, pale hand grabbed my waist and began pulling me in a different direction. I turned back to yell at whoever it was, but when I saw his face, my voice fell silent. He gripped me a little tighter when I stopped fighting him, and very delicately pulled me through a door near the back. The cold air of the outside hit my over-heated skin like a ton of bricks. I turned to face the wall to collect my thoughts and make sure we were alone before tearing into him.

“Aurelia,” he started, but I cut him off.

“How dare you! How dare you tell me you don’t do this often! You’re even worse than that Jinks character; at least he has the decency to wear his creepiness on his sleeve. You hide behind that cool exterior and pretend to be one of the good guys, but all you really are is some sleaze!” I huffed. My fist were balled up at my sides and I was stomping around, trying not to look directly at Loki. His firm hands grasped my shoulders, forcing me to stop and take a breath. His eyes were wide and his mouth was set in a firm line. “What!” I yelled at him.

“Jinks made me come; I didn’t want to. And the only reason I allowed him to choose this place is because I couldn’t risk seeing you again at the other bar. I don’t come here, not to places with students. I would never do anything to make you feel uncomfortable, you must know that,” His piercing blue eyes bore directly into mine.

“You… came here to avoid me? Ha…” I said, somewhat hysterically. “I came here to avoid you,” He finally let me go and I slacked against the brick wall.

“We really are a pair, aren’t we?” He breathed, mimicking my actions. I slid against the wall until I was seated on the ground, and he followed me as well.

“Why can’t we seem to stay away from each other?” I asked. I didn’t know if I was asking him, or just the universe in general.

“Maybe we shouldn’t…” His voice was barely above a whisper, but it rang in my ears.

“No…” I got up and started pacing again, trying to hold back tears and not let him see the one’s that had already fallen. “You can’t say that to me! You hurt me so much; letting me wake up alone like that! I thought it would be easy to just have fun and not get attached, but you woke something in me that just won’t go away now! You left me, Loki, you’re the one-“

“I didn’t leave you!” He yelled. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. He stalked over to me and gently slid on large hand on my cheek. “I didn’t leave you, not like that. I wen’t to get breakfast and when I came back, you were gone. I figured you didn’t feel what I felt that night and just left. I wanted to come back and ravish you for the rest of the day and take you on a proper date that night, but you were gone! I didn’t want you to go, I never would have left if I thought you’d taken it as a sign to leave,” his usually strong voice was pleading and soft.

I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t resist gently pressing my lips to his. He felt so cool and soft, making my beat red skin tingle at the contact. It was a gentle, momentary kiss, but it felt like hours. When I realized what I’d done, I tensed up and quickly broke away. His eyes were closed, and his lips were slightly parted, and he slowly opened up his eyes to me.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done-“ His lips were back on mine, but this time it was feverish. His mouth was hungrily devouring mine, while his hands went to grip me too him. I clawed back at him, pulling him as close to me as possible. He pushed us against a wall and hiked up my leg around his hip. His tongue dove into my mouth and tangled with mine. My arms wrapped around his neck and my hands played with his soft hair. After a while of an intense make out session, he pulled back and rested his forehead on mine, catching his breath.

“Give me one more night with you… please” He said quietly, letting his warm breath fan across my face.

“Yes.”

Forewarning for the next chapter... prepare for Da Smut™.

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#Loki #Loki Laufeyson #Loki Odinson #Loki x OFC #Loki x reader #Loki x OC #Loki Fanfiction #Loki fanfic #loki (marvel)#Tom Hiddleston #Loki Imagine #Golden #Chapter Four

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sol1056 · 6 years

Text

vld S3/S4 story structure: braided, reset, and broken

And we have the last of these three, why did I ever say I’d explain this. Someday I’ll learn, I swear. Part 1 is story structure and how doing it wrong can mess things up, and Part 2 is about VLD’s story structure in S3/S4 specifically.

Behind the cut: braiding elements vs a full-on story reset, the broken structure hiding in S4, and some easy ways (no seriously, real easy) to fix it.

S3′s braiding vs resets

With both Shiro and Zarkon on-screen again, we have a structural reset, and we’d just need to make sure we come out of it having learned something. Character development especially needs to be clear (and really obvious that it couldn’t have happened any other way), or readers will get irritated that their time was wasted. Truth is, a reset’s not automatically bad. It’s just not the most graceful way to do it.

(but if you do the ‘he woke up and it was a dream’ bit, that is absolutely a bad reset and will piss people off)

After the Shiro-return and Keith-leader elements, we get ‘Zarkon returns’. But if we see Zarkon as being undefeated -- y’know, he just took a short nap in the middle -- that means the original ‘defeat Zarkon’ element never ended.

It did get suspended, though, and that’s a really... bizarre thing, in terms of how VLD presented it. From the start, the goal has been explicitly ‘defeat Zarkon’. Not ‘defeat Zarkon et al’, nor even ‘defeat the evil empire’. That tight focus is the root of S3′s early aimlessness, since Zarkon -- the main goal for two seasons -- is gone. Add in S3E1's title, ‘changing of the guard’, and it’s reasonable to infer the ‘defeat Zarkon’ arc has ended.

One key about braiding is shifting the element across the story, in gentle nuances as it’s explored. Take ‘become a team’: we could say this overarching element is actually composed of three contiguous parts -- ‘shiro as leader’ in S1/S2, ‘keith as leader’ in S3, and ‘shiro as leader’ in S4. Despite positional shifts, the braided element itself is intact.

In the same way, if it’s not ‘defeat Zarkon’ but ‘overthrow the Galra’, then we have ‘defeat Zarkon’ in S1/S2, and ‘defeat Lotor’ in S3/S4, again keeping the braided element intact.

I’m gonna add a caveat to that, though. What we’re talking about here is when a role shift becomes a plot point. Allura is a protagonist from the start, as is Keith. But Allura’s growth is part of the structure (via a plot-point) when she moves from princess to paladin, just as Keith does when he goes from paladin to leader to blade.

Similarly, the character role behind ‘overthrow the Galra’ is ‘antagonist’. Zarkon moves from ‘tyrant’ to ‘main antagonist’ when he takes an active role blocking the protagonists, and the same for Lotor. In other words, if Lotor is not an antagonist, then this braided element is truncated for the duration of Zarkon’s long nap.

That might not make sense right now, but just keep it in the back of your head in the next section. Hopefully you’ll see where I’m going with that.

S4′s broken structure

Continuing from the previous post, by S4, we’ve got a lot of tangles. Taking the explicit order of events in the story, the structure might be:

<shiro v2> OR </here is shiro> <can Keith co-lead> <zarkon returns> #6 <black lion refuses> #7 [ open/close: backstory, pidge, etc] </black lion accepts> #8 <keith leaves> #9 [ open/close: matt, allies, voltron show] <finale battle> </lotor threatens> </finale battle>

We have a new event element of #7 ‘Black refuses Shiro’, and its resolution overlaps closely with #9 ‘Keith leaves team’. The writing implies a cause-and-effect: “Keith isn’t here, please accept me", which means #8 ‘Black accepts’ doesn’t trigger #9 ‘Keith leaves’ -- but is instead triggered by Keith’s implicit absence. In other words, Black doesn’t wait for Keith to make it official.

That said, I’m tempted to say #8 ‘black accepts’ is not resolving #7 ‘black refuses’ -- but instead is a new event, an opening of ‘black accepts’. This depends on whether the ‘Shiro returns’ character is returning or new; if the same Shiro, then it’d make no sense to end this #8 probationary acceptance, switch Keith back to Black as part of closing #9, and then switch Black back to Shiro again, to close out #7.

I mean, I guess you could do that. But I think it’d take a damn good writer, and even then some readers will want to pry open your version of Black and ask some serious questions. Characterization is the key --remember what I said about stakes driving the hard choices, which in turn drive the plot points, which in turn become the story structure.

If Black has no consistent motivation, then plot’s driving, not character. If Black is a character, too, then closing the element becomes even more important because that demonstrates growth or change in the character.

The other tangle is that ‘defeat Zarkon’ re-emerges before ‘defeat Lotor’ is resolved. We could say it’s a parallel: where Shiro returns and shuts Keith down, Zarkon returns and shuts Lotor down. The problem is that stories are fundamentally about protagonists -- so while this is a lovely parallel, Lotor is not a protagonist. He cannot be both the continuation of the antagonist and a parallel protagonist.

However! Let’s say the story was super-clear that we’re dealing with a Shiro v2, who is also explicitly a Haggar puppet -- then the parallel might work (or at least, be less failey). As Zarkon shuts down Lotor, Hagar (via Shiro) shuts down Keith. I still find it awkward, and it’d require groundwork (and a lot less being coy), but given the other reflections between Lotor and Keith, it could work.

Well, it’s still kinda ehhhh... Between Lotor’s abrupt fall from grace -- out of sight, mind, or influence of any of the protagonists -- along with Zarkon’s complete disinterest in his former agenda (”lion, what lion”) -- I can’t get past the sense that it just doesn’t work. The protagonists never actually protagged; the resolution of the ‘Lotor threatens’ element was basically as deux ex machina as Thace or Allura’s magic.

fixing the antagonist issues

There are two ways to address the disjointed sense of Zarkon playing the protagonist’s role in taking out Lotor. One way is to let the protagonists actually protag, and strike a severe enough blow to Lotor.

Cut that military propaganda filler episode, and give the protagonists something resembling a victory. Lotor goes down, the team prepares to strike a final blow on the empire, and Zarkon rises in time to rebuff the heroes (in another echo of S1, but fine). With the event element (’lotor threatens’) thus ended, Lotor’s re-appearance marks a new character element (’lotor plays nice’).

This might be the oldest Char in the book, but hey, some people still fall for it -- and you can reverse it just as easily. Lotor and team break up, closing out the ‘lotor plays nice’ element, and wham, Lotor reappears as an obstacle. You still get the same result, but without the dissatisfaction of seeing an antagonist beaten while the protagonists were busy filing their nails.

The other way is to make Lotor clearly a contagonist, rather than an antagonist. It’s an archetype from Dramatica, with these core behaviors:

hinders (if unwittingly) rather than helps the protagonist

not directly opposed to the protagonist’s goals (unlike the antagonist).

may ally with the protagonist in the overall conflict, but still gets in the way, prompts the protagonist down the wrong path, etc.

(Frex, done right, Loki is a far more interesting contagonist than antagonist.)

The reason I don’t see the story trying this is because while Zarkon's napping, there’s no active antagonist on the screen other than Lotor. If there's any one thing that gives S3/S4 its strangely disjointed and choppy structure, it’s having a contagonist play antagonist for, oh, most of S3.

That’s the biggest reason for a sense the story had stalled: the protagonists weren’t actually fighting an antagonist. And that means no headway on the ‘defeat the antagonist’ goal.

However, if we’d had Haggar as a defined and active antagonist, we’d be having a different conversation. Rather than appear randomly to goad Lotor into being a proper antagonist, if Haggar had instead said, ‘kid, wave to the people while I crush these puny rebels’, we’d have an interesting contagonist clashing with Voltron -- and we’d have a sense of forward movement, with Haggar as a legitimate stand-in for Zarkon.

On top of that, the parallels of Zarkon-to-Lotor and Shiro-to-Keith would be much more stark, and feel less like an antagonist did the dirty work on behalf of the protagonists. We could still have Keith fascinated, but the whole ‘lotor threatens’ element wouldn’t even exist, and S3/S4 might outline like this:

<where is shiro> [ open/close: keith as leader, new roles, comet, etc ] <shiro v2> <can keith co-lead> <black lion refuses> <black lion probation> <keith leaves> [ open/close: matt, allies, etc] <finale battle> </finale battle>

If contagonist is Lotor’s character role, then he’s not a plot device, and isn’t part of this structure. For that matter, even being stripped of resources, friends, and whatnot, he’s still a contagonist. He should have a structure to his own part, and an impact on the structure we see above, but not as a true antagonist. More importantly, he wouldn’t have the story-burden of carrying that braided element of ‘defeat the empire’.

That element would instead rest on Haggar, as one-half of interchangeable faces of the evil empire. Again, characters, not plot devices; even then the switch might not be an element of structure, unless it comes with a radical shift in strategy.

In which case, resolving the elements becomes quite straightforward:

#writing #story structure #voltron #voltron meta #sol thinks about stuff

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