#s: thor vol 2

[ntshastark]

“That’s no robot -- He’s my pal, Iron Man”

Thor Vol 2 (1998) #80

Writers: Michael Avon Oeming and Daniel Berman. Penciler/Inker: Andrea Divito. Colourist: Laura Villari. Letterer: Randy Gentile.

#marvel comics #stony #stevetony #superhusbands #superfamily #i found my tweet abt this from when i was reading it and wanted to post it here #the last panel single-handedly started the superfamily headcanon i'm sure of it #f: marvel #g: marvel comics #u: 616 #e: avengers disassembled #s: thor vol 2 #p: steve rogers #p: tony stark #r: stevetony #c: kids

[philsrosesweatshirt]

hello (one of the) resident phannie data analyst(s) here with some parasocial stats on dnp’s movie tastes! following: distribution of dan and phil's ratings overall, movies they each rated 5 stars, their lowest-rated movies, and the similarities + differences in their tastes

(lore moment: yes i am a data analyst in my real job. yes i surprised myself with wanting to do this in my spare time. but then i remembered when we read dracula in college (yes i was an english major) and i graphed like, how many times dracula was referred to as vampire versus monster or something. so i shouldn’t be surprised.

first up, their overall rating patterns and by ~special status~ (i.e., wall-e, kill bill, avatar, lmao, plus big hero 6 for the fun of it)

dan’s rated 304 movies and phil’s rated 305. both of them have mean and median ratings of 4 with min 1 and max 5.

both rated kill bill vols. 1 and 2 a 5. wall-e got a 4.5 from dan and a 4 from phil (phake phans). both gave avatar a 3.5. and big hero 6 3.5 (dan) and 4.5 (phil)

rating distribution:

i did analyses here by genre but i need to fix the output (i’m writing all of these based on the markdown document from my phone on the subway, but i need to fix the outputs and i don’t have my computer. so those are pending but there are other genre analyses that i could do & haven’t yet!)

while i was sorting through the data i got the impression that dan overall rated movies higher than phil. so, among movies that they've both rated, here's some information

number of movies dan rated higher than phil: 65

Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, Phantom Mence, Donnie Darko, Attack of the Clones, Finding Nemo, Oldboy, The Notebook, Batman Begins, Brokeback Mountain, WALL-E, (500) Days of Summer, Up, The Hangover, Drive, The Cabin in the Woods, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Life of Pi, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Whiplash, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Room, The Hateful Eight, The Force Awakens, Manchester by the Sea, Deadpool, La La Land, Moonlight, Rogue One, Call Me By Your Name, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, I, Tonya, Thor: Ragnorak, Phantom Thread, Roma, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Toy Story 4, Midsommar, Ad Astra, Knives Out, Soul, The Green Knight, No Time to Die, Don't Look Up, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Turning Red, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion, Beau is Afraid, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

number of movies phil rated higher than dan: 55

Star Wars (New Hope), Blair Witch Project, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Ocean's Eleven, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Moonrise Kingdom, Iron Man 3, Gravity, Prisoners, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, John Wick, Gone Girl, Big Hero 6, Jurassic World, The Martian, The Revenant, Nocturnal Animals, Split, Get Out, Baby Driver, The Disaster Artist, Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, The Greatest Showman, The Last Jedi, Ready Player One, Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born, Rocketman, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Joker, The Rise of Skywalker, The Invisible Man, A Quiet Place Part II, Greenland, Tenet, Malignant, Eternals, The Matrix Resurrections, Scream (2022), Nope, Prey, Talk to Me, Avatar: The Way of the Water, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

number of movies they rated the same: 99!

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Se7en, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Spider-Man, Lost in Translation, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Mean Girls, Howl's Moving Castle, Children of Men, The Dark Knight, Pontypool, Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Toy Story 3, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Black Swan, The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, The Conjuring, Snowpiercer, Her, Thor: The Dark World, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Boyhood, It Follows, Guardians of the Galaxy, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Interstellar, Ex Machina, The Witch, Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Inside Out, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Your Name., Arrival, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, mother!, It, Blade Runner 2049, Hereditary, Black Panther, Annihilation, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Us, Avengers: Endgame, Parasite, It Chapter Two, Marriage Story, Uncut Gems, 1917, Black Widow, The Suicide Squad, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, Last Night in Soho, The Batman (2022), Everything Everywhere All at Once, X, The Northman, Top Gun: Maverick, Bullet Train, Barbarian, Pearl, M3GAN, Dungeons and Dragongs: Honor Among Thieves, Evil Dead Rise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., No Hard Feelings, Saltburn, Priscilla, Society of the Snow, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

i didn't analyse this by genre or anything, but i could -- so if you're interested lmk!

the 5 movies with the most different ratings between dan and phil

- Iron Man 2 (dan: 2, phil 3.5)

- The Greatest Showman (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Malignant (d: 3, p: 4.5)

- Scream (2022) (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Beau is Afraid (d: 3, p: 1.5)

Interesting that even though dan has more higher rated movies, 4/5 of these ones phil rated higher.

next, their 5-star movies

dan's five stars: 80

Alien, Empire Strikes Back, ET, Blade Runner, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Jurassic Park, Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler's List, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Toy Story, Fargo, Scream, The Fifth Element, Hercules, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Fight Club, Magnolia, The Emperor's New Groove, Donnie Darko, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Finding Nemo, Kill Bill, Oldboy, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Shaun of the Dead, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, Revenge of the Sith, Brokeback Mountain, No Country for Old Men, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Tree of Life, 21 Jump Street, The Avengers, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Under the Skin, Whiplash, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Sicario, The Hateful Eight, La La Land, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, First Man, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Parasite, Midsommar, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

phil's five stars:

Star Wars (New Hope), Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Arrival, Dunkirk, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, Little Miss Sunshine

overlap: 39

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick

& their lowest rated movies...

dan: matrix resurrections (1) , thor: the dark world (1.5), the rise of skywalker (1.5)

phil: crimes of the future (1), attack of the clones (1.5), thor: the dark world (1.5), don’t look up (1.5), the matrix resurrections (1.5), doctor strange in the multiverse of madness (1.5), beau is afraid (1.5), black bear (1.5)

not even chris hemsworth could save thor the dark world, i guess (kat dennings, though…)

movies they logged on the same date:

note that this is like, non-exhaustive, because this is only based on their diaries that list the date. i think in reality they've watched most of these movies together. frequently dan logged a couple days after phil which aren’t shown here. procrastination queen

Pontypool, Eternals, The Northman, Nope, Barbarian, The Banshees of Inisherin, Glass Onion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Beau is Afraid, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Saltburn, Poor Things, Priscilla, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

movies that one logged and not the other:

dan but not phil: 85

The Exorcist, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Home Alone 2, Schindler's List, Fargo, Romeo & Juliet, Hercules, Men in Black, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Mummy, The 13th Warrior, Fight Club, The Emperor's New Groove, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Legally Blonde, Monsters, Inc, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scooby-Doo, 28 Days Later, Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, School of Rock, Matrix Revolutions, Saw, Shaun of the Dead, Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Revenge of the Sith, The Devil Wears Prada, Borat, Casino Royale, No Country for Old Men, Death Proof, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, There Will Be Blood, Tropic Thunder, Slumdog Millionaire, Moon, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The King's Speech, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Tree of Life, X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, Argo, Les Miserables, Django Unchained, World War Z, Pacific Rim, Under the Skin, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Babadook, The Lego Movie, x-Men: Days of Future Past, 22 Jump Street, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Theory of Everything, Green Room, Sicario, Spotlight, The Big Short, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Conjuring 2, Train to Busan, Hacksaw Ridge, Doctor Strange, Hidden Figures, Logan, You Were Never Really Here, Game Night, Isle of Dogs, First Man, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Suspiria, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Glass, Hustlers, Pig, Violent Night

phil but not dan: 86

Jaws, The Terminator, Beetlejuice, Die Hard, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Groundhog Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Leon: The Professional, The Usual Suspects, The Frighteners, The Sixth Sense, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Green Mile, Gladiator, Catch Me if You Can, Elf, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth, The Prestige, Zodiac, Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, Juno, Lake Mungo, Twilight, Zombieland, Kick-Ass, Brave, Evil Dead, The Great Gatsby, Now You See Me, Monsters University, Man of Steel, About Time, Dallas Buyers Club, Edge of Tomorrow, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Boy, Raw, Finding Dory, Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, John Wick: Chapter 2, Lady Bird, The Ritual, Happy Death Day, Deadpool 2, Ocean's 8, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Bird Box, Booksmart, Crawl, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Platform, Black Bear, Palm Springs, The Empty Man, The Innocents, Titane, Old, Free Guy, The Black Phone, Fresh, Watcher, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Ambulance, Aftersun, Crimes of the Future, Fall, Bones and All, The Menu, Sanctuary, Do Revenge, Smile, Hellraiser (2022), Mr. Harrigan's Phone, Plane, Missing, Infinity Pool, Past Lives, Knock at the Cabin, Scream VI

i’m interested to see how this varies by genre!

miscellaneous non-statistical things that made me parasocially emotional and/or laugh during this process:

they watched nope together on christmas eve 2022 <3

dan rated moulin rouge a 5 <3 nature boy <3

he also rated shrek a 5. of course. (valid).

4.5 from dan and 4 from phil from the notebook

5 from danny for brokeback mountain <3 and a 4.5 from philly

cmbyn, yes, has its issues, but dan rated 4.5 and phil 4

the shape of water got a 4.5 from monsterfucker phil lester (dan gave it a 4)

surprisingly phil rated rocketman higher than dan! surprising because dan liked so many musicals

dan gave hustlers a 3.5. i don't know why i think this is funny, but i do. phil doesn't have it logged or rated, lmao.

a 4 (d) and a 3.5 (p) for barbie!

phil gave twilight a 3. lol.

phil also gave do revenge only a 3.5. tragique.

phil watched a LOT of horror alone in october 2022 (aka while dan was on tour). anyway he's just like me <3

#dan and phil #dnp #phan #dan howell #phil lester #twitter says letterboxd should have been gatekept i say 1) know your phannie history! 2) this is nothing their usernames are so obvious you #think they didn’t know this would be found? be fr!

[mantizimus]

hello I would like to ask for headcanons for twisted wonderland specifically riddle, azul, vil, malleus, kalim and jamil reacting when their mc decides to teach them about marvel ( even creates a power point explaining it and then shows them the movies) also to explain how these heroes and anti heroes are not perfect and many of them have problems like normal people, they swear, etc, but even so they are loved and admired by many uvu (I ask for this, since I see that in twst they talk about a concept of a "pure hero" because surely they don't know marvel or dc where the concept of a pure hero hasn't existed for a long time ;) ) tenkiuu and I'm sorry for making the request so long ndjdjs have a good day ^^

Tbh, Malleus part was hard one for me.

S/O introduce them to Marvel Universe

Riddle Rosehearts

When you decided to introduce him to one of the fictional universes of your home world, he was intrigued.

Was a little surprised when you prepared the presentation.

He is a little confused by the fact that people still love heroes, despite them heroes having their flaws, as well as the fact that the actions of some of them are not entirely legal.

However, after some time, Riddle simply decides to just roll with it and not bother himself.

When it comes to movies, he prefers to ignore everything that came after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. And he never says why.

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul was very interested in your proposal. Partly because it was something new, partly because he could, at least in theory, benefit from it.

Your very decision to use the presentation made him silently raise an eyebrow.

The fact that heroes have their own flaws and weaknesses didn't surprise him too much. After all, no one is perfect.

The fact that the heroes, despite this, still enjoy popular love, on the contrary, slightly surprises him.

However, he quickly decides that this is caused by a difference in mentality.

Expect him to be interested in the box office performance of films.

He doesn’t have any favorite films. Although, he wouldn't mind watching a movie about an underwater superhero.

Vil Schoenheit

In a sense, it was Vil who initiated this idea: he invited you to introduce him to one of your universes.

The presentation confused him a little, but he didn’t attach much importance to it.

When you start explaining that people still love heroes, even despite all their flaws, he reacts with slight skepticism.

As obvious as it may sound, his favorite characters are the most attractive ones.

He's also quite interested in what happened behind the scenes.

It is possible that he will draw inspiration from this universe in case he needs to write a script for a film.

Malleus Draconia

As with Vil, this was his idea. What can I say, Diasomnia's housewarden is very interested in your world.

The very fact that you decided to explain using a presentation intrigued him.

If something seems strange to him, questions will follow.

Finds it admirable that some superheroes use technology to help innocents. Although, considering how bad he is with technology, that's to be expected.

While watching “Thor”, Malleus really wanted to slap the protagonist a few times on the back of the head.

Overall, he really enjoyed this time.

Kalim Al-Asim

He was enthusiastic about your idea.

The fact that you prepared a presentation made Scarabia's housewarden curious.

He absorbs all the information received from you like a sponge.

Expect a lot of questions about things he finds strange and/or interesting.

Kalim likes the films that have a comedic element the most.

The only exception is Avengers: Endgame. In his opinion, it's too dark.

Jamil Viper

Most likely, Kalim dragged him there.

He frankly didn’t care about the form of the explanation.

To be honest, the very concept of heroes who have flaws, but are still loved by the people, seems quite interesting to him.

Gradually becomes involved in the discussion, even putting forward his own theories.

Prefers those films where the hero has magical abilities.

Jamil's favorite superheroes are those with troubled pasts. They remind him of himself.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst #twst x reader #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader #malleus draconia #malleus draconia x reader #kalim al asim #kalim al asim x reader #jamil viper #jamil viper x reader

[anika-ann]

Seven Minutes (S.R.) - pt.2

Type: TWO-SHOT, independent, canon-ish, part 1 here

Pairining: Steve Rogers x reader    Word count: 10 900 cause I have no chill

Summary:

You weren't obliged to go to that party, but you went anyway. You even had fun.

Until you and Steve were left to pick up the pieces after your seven minutes in a closet together, so graceful having been pushed into it by Tony's stupid idea, Loki's magic and a game of chance where there might be more losers than winners.

Warnings: SMUT, 18+, NSFW, (unprotected sex, fingering, glimpses of size kink and praise kink, soft hints of D/s, mirrors, possessiveness;cumplay, overstimulation and edging if you squint really hard), alcohol, a drop of angst, language (a lot), STEVE (he is a warning in this one)

A/N: written for @jtargaryen18 and her Halloween challenge. Prompt in the final notes. I toyed with it so much that it might have been cheating 😅 dividers by @firefly-graphics 💕

Part 2: Seven Minutes in Heaven

“Secrets are the prisons we make for ourselves.”

― Joe Hill, Locke & Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega

The party had died down; or as Tony said, only the fittest had survived.

Sam, Bucky and Rhodey had challenged Natasha, Maria and Helen to a lazy game of beer pong. Bruce was still asleep. Thor and Vision started some sort of a special game of pool, wordlessly watched by Wanda and Steve, while Thor and Loki argued in hushed voices about what only gods knew – literally. Tony got some genius idea despite – or thanks to – the killer levels of alcohol in his blood and sneaked off into the corner of the room, working with holograms of graphs and other simulations graciously supervised by Pepper.

Needless to say, the spacious room still looked every bit a warzone in an autumn aesthetic. And yet. It still looked better than your heart; a wasteland.

You avoided Steve ever since you stumbled out of the stupid closet, from which he oh-so-kindly helped you, supporting your weight before you could faceplant on the floor – and he graced you with a sweet even if a little shaky smile as he did so. God, you hated him for it. You hated you could still feel the heat of his skin, taste his breath on yours, an echo of the reality of the closet; what more, the memory of his skin on your bare body, lips mapping every inch of you, teasing touches and thick fingers, dark gaze as he made you his in every way possible… this memory of your fantasy was somehow fading, as if it wasn’t even yours.

And it wasn’t; because Steve himself was never yours to have. Fantasies like these were futile.

The loneliness in your chest despite being surrounded by friends hit you harder than ever; and you should have known better. You could blame Loki and Tony and Steve, even yourself for your past shortcomings, but the trigger for your mood was all on you. You shouldn’t have been drinking. You knew you often toed the thin line between a cheery drunk and a miserable drunk. Tonight, it seemed you very much tripped and stepped over the line by a mile.

You nursed a bowl of candy, staring at the repetitive sequence of scary images projected on the wall. The only person you’d be willing to join was Tony; but the reasonable thing to do would be retreat to your room and sleep it off. You even felt sleepy; except your brain was wide awake at the same time. Body exhausted, brain hazy but alert, eyes burning with tears born not only from your loneliness, but also from being awake for too long. You were never going to another of Tony’s stupid parties ever again. You’d promise to never drink again, but your job sometimes required dumbing your mind in a way therapy never could.

The skeletons on the wall blended into a graveyard again; the image was almost soothing. Peaceful. A pile of bones that couldn’t hurt anymore a blessing. And you really should go to sleep, because your thoughts were getting morb-

The yelp erupting from your throat was pitiful – but thankfully drowned in the hooting from the beer pong table. You nearly jumped out of your skin as you found Loki suddenly sitting next to you on the couch, the corners of his lips now twitching in amusement.

Jesus.

“Don’t sneak up on me!” you complained, your body suddenly very awake too. Jerk. “Jesus, Loki!”

“I believe you Midgardians say that if one becomes easily startled, it is because they have impure thoughts or intentions,” he hummed, but had enough decency to control his smirk a bit. Still a jerk. “What is it, søster? You appear upset.”

Anger and humiliation flared up in your achy chest since it was him of all people pointing that out. As if it wasn’t his stupid magic that created the closet in the first place, feeding your misery further. You shot him a glare.

“And you are to blame. Piss off, Loki.”

He retreated a bit, showing off his bare hands as to tell you he meant to harm, a slight pout to his lips.

“Now now. There is no need to get hostile, is it? I simply noticed you were… rather isolated and the party did not please you anymore, nor did the company. I came here as a concerned friend.”

You sighed, eyes roaming his face; he appeared genuine. He might be a god of mischief, but he had proven a friend on numerous occasions indeed. An annoying sibling, if you willed; there was a reason why he called you a sister.

“Don’t you always…” you murmured, sighing again and working hard to try and smile. “Sorry, bror, I am not in a festive mood nor in a friendly indeed. You do not indeed deserve my hostility… much.”

His eyes flashed with understanding, a smile spreading on his lips as he tilted his head, inquisitive.

“Has something happened during the seven minutes with your precious Captain?”

To protest was an instinct at this point. “He isn’t m-“

“Yes, he is, but that is not the point,” Loki interrupted you, rolling his eyes theatrically before his gaze bored into yours, the blue of his eyes almost burning. “What did you see, søster?”

It hit you like a train – the realization that should have hit you long moments ago. God, you were an idiot. Such an idiot, trusting, naïve, too good-hearted idiot, who-

You slapped Loki’s bicep hard – or tried to, your hand passing through the illusion of his body he had created, your hand only meeting the cushions. Of fucking course; he wasn’t even here. He was a trickster, after all. Case on damn fucking point-

Your face burned almost as much as the tears of anger in your eyes – anger and embarrassment. God, he hadn’t- he couldn’t have possibly--- had he seen?

“You did do something to the closet, didn’t you? I defended you when Steve suggested it, you know! Did you make up the damn illusion I saw? You fu-“

Loki’s hand, materializing as his whole body now, caught your hand when you tried to hit him again, his long fingers gentle as they wrapped around your wrist. If you had any more energy, you’d fight his hold and send him to the floor in one of the fancy moves Natasha had taught you. But you didn’t; too weak. To stunned.

The asshole.

“I did not make up any illusion nor did I see what you saw, my little Midgardian,” Loki responded calmly, for once appearing sincere – and unless you imagined it, there was a shade of regret in his expression too.

He’d better be telling the truth about not seeing at least – but how could believe a word he said? He tricked you. Like a trickster. Gods, you needed to retake your IQ test if he had got you so easily.

“I simply offered clarity to everyone who walked into that closet… incidentally, it was only you and him,” he added.

“Clarity?” you echoed, an unamused erupting from your throat as you yanked your hand free. “I don’t think so, Loki. Whatever it is you did was a damn low blow. So do take it personal when I tell you to piss off – wherever your actual body actually is--- or one of your bodies or whatever.”

You rose to your feet, determined to leave him – and this whole cursed party – behind and sleep for a week.

He caught your hand again, stopping you; you shot him a murderous glare, gritting your teeth as you failed to keep your tears at bay, a few rolling down your cheeks – a mix of of humiliation, anger and bewilderment, because were you really crying? Christ, you were never drinking again.

Loki’s gaze softened at the pitiful sight you had to make; he gently tugged at your hand, so watching you so kindly and pleadingly that he might have as well tugged directly at your heartstrings.

Gods, why did you have such a glutton for punishment and pain? Why were you such a sucker for redemption? Why were you so weak to give people and gods the chance to apologize just so they could feel better about themselves?

You sat down with another sigh, willing to give Loki one more minute to explain himself and say sorry – but not more. You blinked in surprise when he frowned, slowly raised his free hand, his fingertips brushing the tears from your cheeks away.

“I am sorry to upset you,søster. But you should slow down in jumping to conclusions,” he said, making you already regret your decision; he wasn’t apologizing. Of course he wasn’t. Men. You wrenched your hand free again. You were out of here this very- “Ah-ah. Here it is again. I am sorry. But… what is that figurative expression you Midgardians have? Say, what do you hide in a closet, søster?”

Clothes, usually, you thought, annoyed. Clothes, unless it’s empty and you’re lucid-dreaming about enthusiastically getting railed by one of your closest friends. You had a distant feeling this was not the answer the trickster was looking for.

“Loki, I’m tired, drunk and miserable,” you said matter-of-factly. “I really don’t want to play any more of your games and I think you had done enough, so I’d appreciate if you-”

“Skeletons, søster. Secrets,” he whispered conspiratorially, a slow smirk spreading on his face. “Dark, dark secrets you do not share with anyone else, those you do not dare to share. In that closet… the darkest one concerning the person you were in there with came out.”

Your shoulders sagged, annoyance biting at your gut. Loki was saying these things as if he just revealed to you the secrets of the universe and not a well-known fact.

“Gee, thanks. I knew about that ‘secret’ already.”

Loki’s right eyebrow arched as he smiled deviously.

“Did you, now? Did you know your Captain’s best-kept secret?” he pried, eyes sparkling with the mischief worthy of the god he was, confusing you in the process.

You were too lost to his mysterious message to correct him again – that Steve was not yours. Loki knew and apparently, he knew that that was exactly part of the problem. Hell, that was the whole problem at the moment, but-

“Huh?”

Loki’s other brow arched as well at the bewildered sound you let out, his gaze measuring you from head to toe with distaste almost as if you insulted him by not praising him for his supposed brilliance.

You didn’t feel bad for it – you had no energy for that. And his ego could use a little blow.

“…you truly are exceptionally drunk if you get slow like this, my dear Lady Speedy,”he emphasized, shaking his head like a disappointed parent – or older brother. “You did not see your secret. What kind of lousy trick would that be?! You already know your secrets, they are in your head! That is why they are yours! No, no, no,” he lamented, shaking his index finger before he pointed it at you, his proud grin widening. “You, my little Midgardian søster, stepped into the Captain’s head. You saw his secret. And he saw yours. Do we understand now?”

All blood drained from your face, annoyance replaced by a mask of pure horror that seized you the moment Loki finally explained. You stared at him blankly, mind suddenly completely sober and whirling. You were fucked. You were utterly, utterly fucked, because if Steve saw your secret, he knew. He knew you wanted him; he knew how you wanted him and how much. He knew what you craved him to do to you.

“Loki, this isn’t funny,” you heard yourself say, almost soundlessly. He tilted his head, that irritating grin still present as he looked right back at you, waiting for you to process the bullshit he was trying to feed you. “This is a very, very bad joke.”

Please tell me it IS a joke, you added mentally, only to be very disappointed.

“That it would be, but it is not, for I am not joking,” he retorted, expectant.

Expectant of what? Of praise? A thank you? For putting you into this insanely vulnerable position, for basically stripping you bare and revealing—

Your mind came to a screeching halt as another realization finally slammed into you like a freight train.

“Holy shit.”

Loki straightened in his seat, his grin now almost maniacal – and so goddamn smug.

You saw Steve’s secret. You saw Steve’s fantasy. Taking you over and over in front of a mirror, all the praise, sweet nicknames and affection he showered you with in your vision – that was him. He wanted you too. These weren’t only your desires, these were his.

But that was impossible. Steve didn’t--- he wasn’t- he would have said something. He would have acted differently. You would have known. This, whatever Loki was saying, couldn’t be true, Steve would have asked you out again if he wanted to, he’d-

Except he wouldn’t. Because unlike many men, Steve understood the meaning of the word no. If you rejected his initial advance two years ago, he had no reason to try again, because he would respect your choice.

You could kiss him for that. Or smack him. It that were true.

The hope rising in your chest was a dangerous thing. Hope was the thing with feathers; it would fly you high so the fall lasted longer and the landing hurt more once it dropped you out of the sky. If you allowed yourself to hope that the absolutely wonderful gorgeous human being Steve was was still interested in you romantically…

Instinctively, you glanced the direction of the pool table, hoping to see a hint of Loki telling the truth – and worried Steve might hear your conversation due to his enhanced senses – but Steve was no longer there. Swiftly scanning the room, you found out he was no longer there at all. It seemed he was the only one having made the sane decision of going to sleep.

You gulped as your gaze focused the trickster again, still afraid to believe even for a minute this could be real.

“Loki…”

“Now. You know his and he knows yours… the question is, are you willing to act on it? Are you willing to admit what is it that you want out loud now when he already knows anyway… even if he does not, for I entrusted the power of the closet only to you so far?”

You swallowed loudly, heart hammering in your chest wild. Were you? Willing to admit it out loud? That was one insane risk to take. One you weren’t sure was worth the consequences.

“Loki, if you are lying-“

“Bleh, I am not!” the Asgardian spitted out, offended. “What could I possibly gain from that?!”

“Fun?” you suggested automatically, because that was what he was all about, wasn’t it? That was why he created the insane magical closet in the first place.

Could Steve really still like you? Like like you? Now you were back to being thirteen indeed-

“Your idea of my idea of fun is rather strange. Go talk to your Captain. Or… communicate your thoughts in whichever way you prefer.”

You felt your already hot face burn at his suggestion. As much as you’d like to do that, the thought of even confronting Steve was scary – it would be much easier to be sure you wouldn’t mess up your perfectly good friendship, a friendship you cherished. Alas, you only had Loki’s words to go on. You could imagine more reliable sources, but none of them you’d dare to approach either.

“Oh shut your face, bror. If this is another idiotic prank, if you are lying, I’m going to tell Bruce to smash you—no, I’m going smash you myself, reduce you to the size of atom. Without breaking a sweat,” you promised him as you rose to your feet and you meant it.

If you were going to find Steve now – and you were, because there was not a universe in which you would simply fall sleep after what Loki did and told you – and if you were going to mess up, if Loki was truly just toying with your heart, you’d make sure he’d suffer for it.

“So feisty,”Loki praised, eyes lit up. “The Captain will like that, I am certain.”

Oh you were sure he would; Steve liked a drive in a person. He’d like it if you were brave enough not only to find him now, but also tell him how you felt. The idea was so damn intangible even as you had thought of it thousands of times, so terrifying that you just might go to bed and stare at the ceiling for the rest of the night instead because you could not take that risk.

“Loki… this is a personal thing. And if I go and fuck up what Steve and I have-”

“You mean two years of fruitless pining-“ he interrupted you again.

“-based on your bullshit, I---”

You felt tears in your eyes again – and god, you were truly never ever drinking again, even as you felt very, very sober now – and the God’s mischievous eyes softened once more.

“I shall never repeat it again, but I grew quite fond of you, my little Midgardian. Despite what the over-righteous Captain believes, I have no intention to hurt you,” he assured you kindly.

“…I will still smite you if you’re wrong.”

His grin returned. “Looking forward to it, my Lady Speedy. And you’re welcome!”

“Don’t push it, Loki.”

As expected, your brief surge of bravery ran out by the time you stood in front of Steve’s door. Your hand shook as you raised it to knock, counting to three. Then, you simply did it – better to get it over with, right? With what you learned from Loki, awkwardness was about sneak between you and Steve anyway. At least you would know.

That wasn’t a terrifying thought as all, was it?

Steve appeared in the doorway, already in pyjama pants and a white t-shirt, looking at you as if he wasn’t sure whether he dreamed you up or not. His special nickname for you slipped from his lips, surprised and questioning.

You felt like an idiot; you probably looked like one too, your outfit in a pitiful state as well as your make-up, but here you were about to have one of the most important conversations in your life. An agent for the Avengers Initiative, supposedly one of the strongest and most capable people of the planet; yet, you felt like a teenager about to confess to your first-ever crush.

“Can I… can I come in?” you pipped up nervously, wondering whether your heart could actually jump out of your chest – and guessing that yes, it could, when Steve smiled automatically, stepping back to let you into his room.

“Are you alright?”

No, you wanted to say, your sweaty palms twitching to curl into fists briefly, because of course he would ask that. Beautiful, infinitely good man. Sweet and caring. Golden boy. Golden boy who wanted to fuck you in front of the mirror and watch.

You shook off the last thought as your stomach fluttered, coming to a stop in the middle of the room, trying to ignore the large inviting bed and spinning on your heels to face Steve instead.

“Yeah. No. I mean,” you stuttered, shaking your head. “I… Loki, he--- he said something.”

There was no mistaking the flash of cold steel in Steve’s eyes, the way his relaxed body straightened and stiffened, shoulders squaring at the mention of the God. He really didn’t like him, did he? After the emotional turmoil of tonight, you couldn’t say you blamed him.

“What did he say?”

“He said… you--- this is so stupid, I can’t even--- did you have, uhm, did you have a certain… vision? A dream maybe? When we were in that closet?”

Your face was set aflame at believing he had, that he had the kind of vision you assumed; a vision that would make most people blush. And Steve did blush a bit, discomfort clear in his face.

“I--- maybe,” he admitted reluctantly, earning a raised brow. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes. Did Loki…” His gaze found yours again, searching – and worried. There was something in his expression you couldn’t quite decipher too, something you weren’t sure if you wanted to understand. “Did he tell you--?”

You shook your head.

“No. If you’re asking whether he told me what you dreamed about, then no.” Because he didn’t have to. I just know. If Loki wasn’t lying, that was. “But I… I had a vision as well. And Loki, he… told me what it meant. He said--- he said-“

You gulped, a dull weight in your chest as Steve observed you with silent wonder and a mixture of emotions you couldn’t hope to understand. Patience. Concern. Apprehension. Affection? Definitely confusion.

This was absurd. What were you even doing here? It was utter non-sense. Loki was just pulling your leg, that was what he did, a friend or a bror or not, he just decided to have some extra fun during Halloween and make it his personal April Fool’s Day. You were but the victim of his over-the-board prank-

You chuckled at your idiocy, shaking your head and stalking to the door.

“You know what? Forget this. This is so stupid, I can’t believe I fell for that-“

A gentle hand, the gentlest touch, stopped you in your tracks, disappearing as quick as it appeared on your wrist.

Reluctantly, you turned back to Steve again, truly loving him and hating him at the same time when his tone softened as if you hadn’t brought up Loki, his personal thorn in side, at all.

“Hey now. This, whatever it is, is clearly making you upset. Upset enough to knock on my door at three a.m.,” he noted, hand twitching towards you again – but not touching.

That was what he would have normally done – comfort you by touch. A warm hand on yours; the warmest hug. Touch was Steve’s love language for friends and no doubt lovers alike. But he didn’t. Because you had said no – you had pushed him anyway, you had pulled back in the closet. You had broken him; you had broken you two already.

Damn Loki and damn his stupid jokes and painfully unhelpful interventions. You already hurt Steve and now you were here, at three damn a.m. indeed, robbing him off his well-deserved sleep on top of everything.

God, what a farce.

“I’m sorry-“

“That’s not the point, you know the door is always open for you,” Steve interrupted you, eyes roaming your face with determination now. He was on a mission. He had noticed your body language, whatever it was trying to say. He noticed your hesitance. He read you like a book and he was going to read it through to the last chapter to get to the bottom of things. You were in trouble; there was no going back now. “What did Loki say? I saw you two earlier, he--- did he make you upset?”

Your heart seared, your lips parting on instinct.

While spoken on a normal volume, the question was a battle cry. If you said yes, Steve would release the wrath of Gods – of an angel, a guardian angel and a warrior – on Loki. It didn’t matter Loki was the god, the entity from another planet. He would tremble in front of the anger of a righteous man defending you.

“No! I mean--- no. He just…” you stumbled over your words again, shaking your head and taking a deep breath. You closed your eyes, because otherwise you’d never get it out, not with the way your throat felt so tight you could barely breathe, let alone speak the bare truth. “He said that what we saw in that closet was each other’s secret. Something we secretly want. Supposedly, I saw yours… and you… you saw mine.”

Your voice trailed off into a shy whisper, but you had no doubt Steve heard your words clear as day. The silent shock settling on the room told you as much. Hands curling into fists, nails digging into your palms, you squeezed your eyes shut tight, before you gathered enough courage to open them and look at Steve’s reaction.

But Steve wasn’t looking at you, much to your relief and frustration. He was staring over your shoulder, the smile on his lips absent, appearing just a little broken. You dug your nails further into your skin, not daring to even breathe in until Steve released a wavering breath of his own.

His voice was quiet as he spoke, so very soft and warm, a note of gentle wistfulness. “I’m not sure I can believe that, Shines.”

You nodded, licking your lips and bracing yourself. Now or never. No take-backs.

“I’m not sure either… but that depends. What do you want, Steve?”

“I…” he sighed, finally meeting your gaze, an unreadable open book. He observed you carefully for a moment as you tried to stand tall, stand your ground and pretend you didn’t feel like it was shaking under your feet. Like you wouldn’t feel like the Earth was splitting beneath you if his answer would be anything else than you were hoping for. “I want you, Shines. But I don’t see how that’s a secret.”

Fresh tears sprang from your eyes; but this time happy ones, the shock and relief and joy finding release.

You had hoped. You had prayed on your way in here. You wished upon the stars. And yet nothing prepared you for the reality of Steve saying this. You were certain your heart was about to explode any second, your pulse thundering in your head. He really said ‘you’.

A small part of you wanted to remark that if Loki was right about everything and you had indeed saw what was in Steve’s head, there were a few secretive details that Steve had failed to mention, but you kept your mouth shut, because that was not the point.

He wanted you. He truly wanted you. He still… you still had a chance. More than a chance, apparently.

“Oh,” you let out quietly and oh so wittily, probably making your IQ scores appear like a joke again, but this time, you didn’t give a damn. You smiled weakly at Steve who stared at you expectantly and resigned at once. “Good. Because I want you too.”

A single deep breath. Eyes full of wonder, soft confusion lacing his voice. Reluctant hope, as reluctant as your own had been. “But you said no.”

You nodded, lowering your gaze and smiling tightly on the floor as you wiped away the few tears.

“I--- I was still new and you were… you were this idol of all things good, intimidating and untouchable. I mean, in many ways, you still are, but I was just crushing on you so hard even if I barely just met you. The longer I knew you, the more it… changed into something much deeper than a crush, but when you asked me out back then, I just… panicked. And I wanted to take that answer back later, but I was scared it was too late. And the longer it got… the harder and more awkward it felt to ask you if you were still interested in me, if you’d want to be more than friends after all this time, especially since you dated someone else in between.”

A few beats of silence followed your confession, words hanging in the air.

“That was never a good idea,” Steve admitted lowly, causing you to look up to his now sheepish face. “I thought I was ready for someone else, but I wasn’t. My mind was still on you. And still is, which really shouldn’t come as a surprise to you or me,” he noted, lips curling up in a smile that would make your heart beat faster hadn’t it been already racing like mad. “You’re beautiful and brilliant. You could do anything you’d put your mind to and would still stay humble enough about it. You’re capable, you’re passionate, you’re kind. You make the world a better place… and you take my breath away. You always have.”

You stood frozen, momentarily stunned.

It seemed when Steve went for something, he went all the way. You knew that about him already; and still. His declaration took you by surprise. A pleasant one, much like two years ago; but this time, you knew better. You were ready. Or at least ready enough.

At three a.m. after a damn Halloween party, you were ready to accept you and him felt the same.Steve liked you. Liked you a lot more than a friend, if his words were sincere and you would never doubt they were anything less.

The world was a beautiful place and you adored Loki’s shenanigans.

“Well…” you said as you stepped closer, basking in Steve’s soft gaze set firmly on your face, hopeful and incredulous. “I think you are pretty damn brilliant, handsome and overall amazing too, so that works out well… and I guess maybe we should do something about that.”

“I guess,” he echoed, his smile slowly widening when you took another step. He reached out this time and took your hand, enveloping it in his larger one.

It was just holding hands, it should not have such an effect on you, but Christ, you could die a happy woman right there. Especially when Steve carefully lifted your joined hands, dropping a kiss to your knuckles, eyes never leaving yours. When you smiled wide at the tender gesture, Steve’s gaze lit up with a familiar and yet so different spark. “You think I’m intimidating?”

A surprised chuckle erupted from your throat, the tension you hadn’t been quite aware of melting from your shoulders. You could smack him – now he was a cheeky fella, wasn’t he?

“That’s what you took from me pouring my heart out? Really, Steve? Wow. Just wow.”

He laughed as well as he erased the last distance between you so you stood chest to chest, hand moving to cradle your face instead and angle it up, his eyes full of wonder still as if he couldn’t believe this was happening. Humour and absolute delight blended into one in his expression; you imagined yours most have looked the same.

“Well, I kinda poured mine out too to make it even. But I’m just a guy, doll. My ego needs a good rub every once in a while.”

You couldn’t help it. You snickered at his choice of words. A good rub, huh?

“Just your ego?”

Something flashed in Steve’s eyes, his smile earning a wicked edge that had your stomach flutter; or perhaps that was just his strong arm wrapping around your waist, pulling you flush to his front, your palms catching against his chest. So warm. Warm and wide and real, and it was yours to touch.

“Aren’t you a cheeky little thing…” he mused.

“You know it. What you’re gonna do about it, Captain?”

His gaze roamed your face, searching for an answer to the unspoken and yet completely clear question. He found it in the challenge written in your smartass grin, his lips soon gravitating towards yours, suddenly close enough you could feel his breath on your own. His voice dropped but to a whisper.

“Depends… what would you let me do, Shines?”

Anything. Everything. All at once. Forever.

You licked your lips, painfully aware of the firmness of Steve’s body against yours, so pliant to accommodate his strength. “I’m pretty flexible.”

The corners of his lips twitched at the double entendre.

“Is that right, sweetheart? Let’s see how you like what have in mind then…”

A lot. The answer was a lot. You loved it the very second his lips touched yours at last, causing you to shudder and melt into his embrace. The kiss was even more tender than you imagined; gentle lips moulding into yours, thumb stroking over your cheekbone softer than silk. Lingering and brushing yours even as he released you to do something as mundane as breathing.

“I like it so far,” you muttered, eyes closed to absorb all the sensations enveloping you. The warmth, the masculine scent, the faint taste of mint tooth paste and Steve, the thundering heart under your palms, the hot skin as your hand slid up Steve’s throat to his nape, the soft strands of his hair as you pulled him to another kiss. “What else do you have in mind?”

He hummed against your lips, smiling, hand angling your head to kiss you deeper, parting your lips with ease, so naturally as if it was always meant to be. And perhaps it was; kissing him was two years due. The thought of a lost time had your fingers flex against the material of his t-shirt, squeezing his nape; his chest rumbled with a silent groan, arm tightening around your waist, heat pooling at your stomach.

You knew this groan. You knew the feeling of hardness building against your belly and you knew exactly what it meant; and you wanted it. You wanted it real this time and there nothing in the world that would make you resist Steve inching you walk backwards one small step after another as his mouth dominated yours, his hand moving to your hip to steer you the direction of the bed.

Or you thought so until his arm softened the impact of your back against a wall, your eyes snapping open with a gasp. Your gaze met Steve’s just as his fingers tangled in your hair, eyes roaming your face attentively, taking in every detail of your flushed face and already swollen lips. You feasted your eyes too, hand instinctively moving from his chest to his bicep, nearly whining at feeling the power humming underneath.

He could take you. He could take you in whichever way he wanted and you’d simply have to hold on and survive it, because even with your fancy moves and normally sharp brain, you were no match for his strength. But you didn’t need to be; you didn’t want to be. You were actually perfectly fine with Steve making love to you tender or fucking you against the wall all the way across the room from the no doubt comfortable bed.

“What else is there?” you heard yourself ask breathily, rewarded with Steve’s gaze darkening, his hips pressing against yours, palm sliding from your cheek to your throat, thumb caressing the soft skin.

He was trying to kill you. He was, there was no other reason to show off those large paws of his in comparison to your body, no reason to remind you he could crush you without much effort.

He petted the sensitive skin lovingly, licking his lips as another shudder ran down your spine, his middle finger inching under the shoulder strap of your dress.

“Can I?”

You only panted as he already hooked his finger under it and sent it sliding down while still being able to touch your throat, the hoarseness of his voice awaking the heat inside you having been sleeping ever since your dream encounter in the closet.

“Y-yes,” you whispered, hoping he’d understand that that consent applied to everything. Everything he wanted he was free to do. You needed him to do it.

He must have understood. He must have, because when his lips locked with yours, the heat behind the kiss was otherworldly, his body caging yours against the wall in the most toe-curling way.

It was like a switch flipped inside him, because it finally dawned to him. He had seen you fantasy; the filth he had experienced came from you and he could take full advantage of that. That previously frightening thought that Steve knew now, knew how you wanted him and how much, was apparently exactly what he needed to see; that you wanted him. All of him. No filter.

You mewled when his fingers tugged at your hair with the slightest pressure, guiding you to expose the column of your throat for his mouth to explore and nip at, his other hand squeezing your hips and following the curve of your ass appreciatively. Your already damp panties turned completely useless by now and in the very back of your mind, you realized that with Steve’s slightly enhanced senses, he could probably smell how riled up you still were from your imaginary closet experience. You could be embarrassed about that; but when his hand brushed up the back of your bare thigh over your hip under the hem of your dress, stroking over the lace of your panties at the apex of your thighs, you decided you were beyond caring.

Especially when you could feel his muscled shift with the minuscule movement of his fingers tracing the hem of your underwear, so close to where your core screamed for his touch and attention.

“So, doll…” he whispered to your skin, groaning minutely when you grabbed at his nape and pulled his mouth to ours, feeling it was way too long since you tasted them. He didn’t seem bothered at all, his fingertips brushing oh so lightly against your heat at last, a barely-there brief touch gone too fast. “I saw your dirty secret, is that right?”

Alright, he needed to stop talking and teasing you and get to work before you could spontaneously combust. Your only satisfaction was the fact that he too was far from indifferent to what was happening, his hardness pressing against your thigh.

So why wasn’t he doing something about it?

“Doll?” he hummed against your lips, expecting you to answer, clearly.

“Y-yeah? I guess?”

“Hm…”

You cried a discontent noise when his hands untangled from your hair and disappeared form under the skirt of your dress, long fingers curling around your wrist, one and then the other, soothing your disagreement with a filthy kiss.

Next thing you knew, your hands were pinned to the wall by your head, carefully, but firmly, Steve’s body pressing against the rest of you; his lips released yours just in time for you to let out a gasp as startled as pleased.

Your heart turned into one of a hummingbird when you realized your predicament fully.

Trapped against the wall by Steve’s large body towering above you, hands locked in a grip unmoveable upon you testing it. Caged. Utterly helpless. Dominated. The surge of need into your belly was so acute your brain turned into a blank screen with static noise for a moment.

Steve was playing out your fantasy. He was replaying what he must have seen. He was giving you exactly what you wanted and you were not about to protest; less so when your heart felt like giving out when his teeth grazed your pulse point, your knees bucking a bit, a silent mewl escaping you and that loveable bastard smiled with absolute glee against your skin.

“Love the sounds you’re making, doll. Love how your body responds to me.”

“You’re playing dirty,” you whined, not quite complaining, but still causing Steve to look up. The glee you had assumed was most definitely in his smirk and hungry gaze.

You swallowed loudly, gaze trailing up his bulging bicep when his hands manipulated yours above your head, one hand easily gripping both of yours.

“You want me to stop?” he asked, long fingers running over your bare arm indulgingly slow, over the swell of your breast, over your waist, until they slipped under your skirt again, following the hem of your panties to the junction of your thighs and pushed it aside at last, feeling the pool of slick in your underwear. His voice grew huskier as he spoke again. “Fuck. Doesn’t feel like it.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“I won’t,” he promised, latching onto your mouth as his thick finger slipped into your heat at last, causing you to moan at the blissful intrusion.

He pumped his finger a few times before he added another, the soft stretch sending hot pleasure through your veins, having you chase the feeling in the limited space he made for his hand between your bodies, trying to rock into his hand as he set a maddeningly slow pace.

“Steve, ple-ase-”

The plea melted into a gasp when he curled his fingers, finding your most sensitive spot, your hips jerking forward as the ripple of pleasure he elicited.

“There she is…” he murmured smugly, swallowing your noise of complaint when he pulled his fingers out right then, spreading your slick all over your lower lips and circled your clit only to neglect it right after.

Empty and strung tight at once, you tried to move and chase the much-needed friction, only for Steve’s hips to pin you in place again, palm spawled over your ass.

You wanted to shoot him the dirtiest look for denying you, but all you managed was a soft accusation in your hooded eyes as his still wet fingers tipped your chin up, his intent gaze dark and hungry.

“God, you’re perfect, doll,” he rasped, thumb brushing over your swollen lips. “You have no idea how beautiful you look right now.”

You had no time to be embarrassed; not when the words from your dream echoed in your head – except it was not a dream. This was all Steve – his fantasy, his reality too. He liked to watch. He liked to tell you were beautiful. He clearly liked your fantasy too – to have you in his arms, at his mercy.

You wanted to pull him for another kiss, to guide his hand – his cock for god’s sake – where you needed him so much you could barely stand it at this point, but the thrill of the not being able to, not being allowed to, felt almost as good. He was breathing heavy too, yes, but otherwise, holding you down posed no challenge for him, not even with one hand, the other sprawling over your hip again. Your core clenched at the casual display strength, a tiny noise escaping you against your will.

And bless that it did. Steve’s fuck it was the most beautiful song you had ever heard, because it was the sound of breaking.

So fast he battled the speed of light, his hand was back, tearing away the soaked fabric of your panties, mouth stealing the blissful moan from your lips, body letting just an inch of space for you to arch into his touch when his fingers slid right back into your heat, pumping and assaulting your g-spot, this time with his thumb pressing against your clit. Small rhythmic circles, dextrous fingers filling you up over and over and he had you chanting his name as you clenched on his fingers hard, warm release overtaking your body, muscles spasming, your vision blurring for a moment.

And Steve didn’t stop. The back of your head hit the wall with a silent protest as his fingers continued to fill you over and over again, mouth latched onto your neck and sucking a bruise, grasp on your hands firm and you struggled against the hold no longer sure if you wanted to stop him or keep his hand exactly where it was, because despite the overwhelming sensation and overstimulation, your body screamed at you to take it and enjoy the flames licking at your insides, so painfully delicious.

You clamped on his fingers again with a wordless cry, gasping for air as your eyes snapped open, meeting Steve’s impossibly blown pupils drinking in the sight of you overtaken by utter bliss. The wet squelch filling the room was pure filth as you soaked his hand, but you had no capacity to feel ashamed, you body buzzing with adrenalin and white-hot pleasure, Steve’s gaze making you feel like the eighth wonder of the world.

The second he released your shaky hands you were on him, holding onto his shoulder and pulling him in for a bruising kiss, his talented fingers slowing down to bring you down from your high. Once he let you get your fill, his kiss softened, short pecks to your lips, to your cheek, to you closed eyelids.

“You okay, Shines? Was that too much?”

You shook your head with a breathless laugh, the action of checking that you were alright familiar, matching the faint memory of seeing the images of his desires. Fuck you so good you’d forget your own name, but in a very respectful and caring way. It had Steve written all over it, alright. You should have known.

His forehead rested against your sweaty one, his nose nudging yours, his body more holding you up rather than restricting your movements now.

“I’m gonna need words, Shines.”

“Yeah,” you whispered obediently, pecking his lips for a good measure.

His hungry eyes sparkled with mischief as they met yours, beautifully red lips curling up in a smirk and causing your racing heart to stumble.

“Good… because I don’t think that’s how the fantasy ended…”

You yelped when his hands slipped under your ass without a single warming and lifted you with ease, your own hands gripping at his shoulders, legs, while rather jelly-like from your mind-blowing orgasms still, wrapping around his waist on instinct. You felt his hardness press against your core, hard planes of muscle without as much minute tremble under your weight as you stared at him, excitement stirring in your belly anew. With laughable ease, one of his arms shifted so he could use his other hand on you as he pleased.

You bit down the squeal ripping from your lips, but not quite successfully. He was carrying you. On one hand. And he didn’t even break a sweat yet.

“Better?” he asked smugly and it shouldn’t be attractive, you hated arrogance, but goddamnit cocky Steve seemed the hottest thing ever at the moment. Even when he was still fully clothed and your dress was loosely hanging over your bra, skirt ruffled up. Christ, his shoulders were so wide-

“I don’t think I can survive better…” you admitted, gulping, but letting your hands roam his exquisite body and gods you could come again just from touching all the delicious power you knew were locked in that body. “But I wanna try.”

Steve’s grin was the thing from your filthiest dreams; and his cock pressing against your core, the annoying fabric of his sweatpants in the way, was too.

“Atta girl…” he praised, hand curling around your nape to pull you in for a kiss that had barely any resemblance to the one he graced you with to bring you down, oh no. He licked into your mouth with indulgence, taking what was already his. “You’re gonna be so good for me, aren’t you? Take everything I give you?”

“Yes.”  

“Let me fill you up, again and again until I’ve had enough? Until you’re so completely mine that all you can think of is my name and the way it feels to come on my cock? You’re gonna let me do that, sweetheart?” he whispered to your ear, sin dripping from every carefully spoken syllable. He pulled at your dress, revealing your bra and groaning when he palmed your breast over the thin material, your own hands sliding down his chest and finally under his t-shirt to feel the heat of his skin.

So good. Gods, he felt so good.

“Yes. Wanna feel you. All of you.”

Steve rutted into you and you grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and tugged, wordlessly begging him to reveal your playground. He chuckled, pulling at his t-shirt himself to help you, quick to hum a promise to your lips that had your core clench around the painful emptiness.

“Oh you’ll feel me, Shines. I’ll make sure you’ll feel me for days. That what you want?”

One palm sprawled over his chest, the other laid over his abs, you weren’t sure you could answer beyond an absent nod. Steve did not find that satisfactory.

The nips of his teeth combined with the rumble in his ribcage had you release something between a mewl and a gasp, his abdomen shaking with a silent laugher.

“Oh that was a pretty noise. Can’t wait to hear more of it.”

“Steve, please, just-“

He heard out your plea at last, kissing you, free hand going to the laces of his sweats, undoing it way too slowly. Impatient, you knocked his hand away and did it yourself, feeling Steve’s lips curl in a grin against yours.

“Do you need me so much, doll? Need me to make you mine?”

You barely had time to breathe a yes and shove his pants down, hand wrapping around his thick length, drawing a breathy sound of pleasure from him and an unnecessary confession of the obvious.

“Yeah, need you too.”

He allowed you barely a few seconds of pumping his cock before he coaxed your hand away, the head of cock nudging your slit, quickly coated in your slick. His groan was delicious to hear, your hips bucking on instinct.

Yeah, need you too. You did this to him.

“Fuck, Shines, you’ll feel like Heaven.”

It was inappropriate. Completely and entirely inappropriate but you chuckled, a cheeky retort about seven minutes dying on your tongue when Steve entered you, a little too fast and straight to the hilt before he gave you time to adjust to his impressive size and grith. The stretch was a lot; a lot more than his already thick fingers, but you had never known you could be filled so well and it could feel just this good.

He was made for you, he had to be. Or maybe you were made for him.

Little droplets of sweat pearled on his forehead, gaze firm on yours, dark and amused at once as he slowly retreated and pushed inside you again, your lips dropping open because you had been wrong; he stretched you further and a shy glance down told you he still had a way to go.

“I could hear that pun before you said it, doll. You’re thinking too much,” he husked, setting a pace and pushing just a bit further and further with each thrust, hand sprawling over your lower back to angle you to his liking – for you to take him even deeper. The burn and fulness felt impossible, but Steve’s intent gaze on your face was even more so. “Let’s fix that.”

“I thought you liked me brilliant?” you hummed as if you didn’t feel your toes curl in pleasure, your hands grasping at his shoulders, at his arms, anywhere to keep him closer, closer…

Wind knocked out of you with ne sharp thrust, you finally took all of him; your lips parted with silent oh god, eyes slipping shut as the sensation of utter fullness. Distantly, you could feel his gaze on you, drinking in the sight; the artist in him admiring the visual, no matter how plain you thought you had to look.

“I do, Shines… but now I need you to think about one and one thing only.”

There was no space for words after that. Once he had you, he set a punishing pace, claiming your lips as much as your silky heat, overwhelming all of your senses all over again. The onslaught of sensation – his warmth, his strength, his musky scent, his lips, his grip on you, the fast but deep drags of his girth against your walls, stretching you to your limits – it was all too much, too much when his fingers sneaked between your bodies and ripped the dress away to give the much-needed attention to your clit.

“Steve-“

“That’s it…” he spoke against your mouth, teeth grazing your lower lip even as his pace never faltered, building you towards the skies again, “you really are perfect, Shines, gripping me so tight. So perfect and mine, aren’t you?”

“Yours… yours… yours,” you promised with every thrust until you couldn’t, your lips falling limp, your nails digging into Steve’s back when you came with another shout of his name.

And soon, he followed, whispered praises and mine over and over as he made you exactly that. Thoroughly his. Keeping you close even when he pulled out, keeping you close when his spent drippled out of you and he simply gathered in on his fingers, pushing it right back, dark gaze never leaving yours, your stomach making wild somersaults.

Mine. So completely mine. Aren’t you, Shines?

You were. Completely his, deeply sated and utterly exhausted. You were grateful he carried you to bed, because your legs were beyond functioning; as he laid you down, you couldn’t see the clock and you thanked heavens for that, because the time had had to tipped over from too late to too early. But you couldn’t care less. Not when Steve’s fingers caressed every inch of bare skin of your body they could reach, the rags of your clothes in a messy pile by the door a proud reminder of how exactly he had got it off.

And got you off.

You mentally snorted at the bad pun, another one you didn’t have a chance to share since Steve had been too determined to stop you from thinking returning to your mind.

“Steve?” you smiled lazily as he was lying next to you, propped up at his elbow, smiling down at you softly – so softly in contrast to how he had railed you into oblivion. Lovingly, of course.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I think this was what we should call Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

He groaned, falling on his back and drawing a full belly laughter from you, throwing his arm over his face as if he couldn’t bear to look at someone who made such a terrible joke. With effort, you propped on your elbow then, looking at the gorgeous length of his body for a change, cheeks hurting from grinning so wide. He was a work of art; Michelangelo’s David had nothing on him. Superb balance of size and function in every muscle, every tendon, as hard as stone when needed and carved into perfection. Alive and warm under your gaze and touch, its utter superiority proven by countless missions and work-out you had witnessed. It wasn’t just how large his body was, the contrast of the width of his shoulders to his waist, the lines of his abs with soft treasure trail; it was the knowledge of what his body could do. What that brilliant mind behind those sweet blues could come up, the kind heart humming contentedly under your palm now. You had met enough dumb jocks in your line of work, big almost as Steve, handsome too; but they could never compare.

He moved his arm when your fingers walked down his sternum, heading for the treasure trail; his cerulean eyes observed with a mixture of mischief and warmth, wide awake despite the ungodly hour. You stopped, fingers hovering just above his skin, the heat it radiated tickling your fingertips.

It didn’t escape you – it was literally hard to miss that – that Steve clearly hadn’t had enough. You didn’t ask why, whether it was the serum or something else, but you knew you didn’t want to leave him unsatisfied.

You had promised, hadn’t you, even if it was in the heat of the moment. Until he had his fill, he said? You could take it.

Leaning down to kiss him, you were welcomed by the sweet taste of his smile; your wandering hand continued your path at last, wrapping around his still very hard length. He didn’t protest, only reached out to pull you closer, practically lying on top of him.

The kiss was lazy; half-hearted desire, reluctance and indulgence at once. Steve tangled his fingers in your hair, pushing it out of the way, caressing your cheek.

“You sure you can take more, sweetheart?”

You nodded without a second thought, a wordless ‘yeah’ whispered straight into his mouth, a slight twist of your hand causing him to groan.

Steve might be caring to a fault, but he was only a man – as he had said. Who was he to refuse your offering? He sat up and pulled you to his lap with ease, your body obedient and pliant, a gasp elicited from your throat when his lips moved to suck on your nipple, your fingers gripping on his hair.

“Steve…”

“Did I mention you were perfect?” he muttered into your soft flesh, kneading your ass and your breast.

You had never felt so utterly adored; body, mind and soul. How could you be anything else than his when this was what it was like?

“Once or twice. You’re not too bad yourself, Cap-tain,” you stuttered when he pinched your other nipple for the cheekiness, a breathy giggle escaping you.

He released your nipple with a wet pop, gaze having turned hungry again.

“Good. Turn around, sweetheart.”

You looked at him slightly confused, but obeyed. You’d do anything, even kneel in front of him, the prospect of him taking you from behind like this stirring something deep inside you. You glanced over your shoulder as he positioned himself behind you, a glorious god prepared to claim the sacrifice of those who worshipped him; and god, would you do exactly that.

He grasped at your chin softly, capturing your lips with his, his hardness nudging the globes of your ass; and released your lips all too soon, fingers pushing at your jaw to look forward.

Heat flooded your body, teeth sinking into your lower lip. Kneeling on the bed, completely bare and exposed, you were facing the mirror.

His fantasy. His turn.

“That okay?” Steve asks, voice husky as his lips attached to the flesh above your collarbone, his arm sneaking around your waist and pulling you to his front. He was hidden from your sight for most part, a true shame; you were on full display.

For you. For him.

You gulped, gaze set firmly on his face in the mirror, not daring to stray it elsewhere even as you could see his eyes appreciating his view.

“I… I think so?”

His smile was warm, a little boyish and entirely devious. You sunk into it as much as you sunk into his firm body, his fingers tweaking your nipple, drawing your gaze to the movement of instinct. Heat spread in your insides at the sight of his large hand over you, barely an edge of shame nudging your consciousness. Filthy. Vain. Wrong. Thrilling.

“Good… ‘cause I think we can do better than seven minutes,” Steve hummed with a trace of humour in his voice, free hand sliding between your thighs to tease you and make sure you were ready for him still – or again. When he spread your lips for the head of his cock, you instinctively bucked into his hand, gaze flickering to the sinful image. “In fact… I wonder how long you can last until you’re begging me…”

He pushed into you in one swift movement, strong hand keeping you in place, the tendons on his forearm dancing, a breathless oh falling from your lips.

“…to stop. Look at yourself, sweetheart. Look at us.”

Almost in a haze, like a new dream on its own, you did. With the strangest and most tickling glee, your gaze trailed from where you and Steve were one between your spread thighs, over his arm draped over you, his hand spreading softly over your throat to keep you looking straight into the mirror, lips attached to your temple curled in a smile.

“Your mind is way more filthier than I thought,” you managed to say before he started thrusting into you, his smile earning a wicked edge as he nuzzled your hair.

“Shh… that’s my best-kept secret. You’re not gonna tell anyone, are you, doll?”

Powerful. Adored. Desired.

His.

The next words rolled off your tongue before you could think twice, Steve’s hypnotic gaze on your body enough of an encouragement.

“Keep my mouth busy and I won’t--- oh god.”

The fingers of his left hand circled your clit, sending an almost painful pleasure through your veins, while his right hand angled your head to capture your lips indeed.

“Now who’s filthy,” he murmured, pressing his thumb against your mouth, dark pupils blown wide as you sucked on it obediently. He pushed into you so deep at the action you thought you’d feel him in your throat and you finally understood the expression of la petit mort. The feeling of bliss washing over you was so strong it could kill you and yet you’d never felt more alive. “Fuck, Shines, you’re gonna be the death of me. But first… let me show you how beautiful you look when I make you mine.”

And he did. Oh, he did.

And he’d stand by his promise that you’d feel it for days too, you were sure of it, even if only time would tell.

The sun was already rising and peeking through the blinds when you finally laid your head on the pillow to sleep at last. Successful revels Thor would say, you thought lazily.

You walked the fine line between consciousness and dreams, cradled to Steve’s chest, closer than you ever thought you could be. Idly, you let your mind wander; despite the absolutely mind-blowing sex that only probably happened to a person once in a lifetime, you couldn’t but believe that this wasn’t a one-time thing. No, Steve didn’t do one-night stands, he even said so; his mind was on your for quite some time. This was but a start and you loved the idea of that. Not just because of the promise or experiencing this again, the pleasure still flowing through your body as an echo of what had been almost too much bliss to bear, but because of love.

You had been more than a little in love with him for almost two years – and you couldn’t wait to fall harder. Because besides being a sight to behold, Steve’s arms provided comfort, safety and sincere affection. You didn’t have to be scared of that fall, because they’d catch you. You didn’t have to fear for your heart if you gave it to him, because you knew Steve Rogers to his core; he’d cherish the gift and guard it with his life.

And he’d deserve it too, your whole heart. He deserved to be loved deeply and unconditionally; and on occasion, filthily.

With a sleepy hum, he nuzzled into your neck almost as if he could hear your thoughts and approved of them, pressing a soft kiss there. You drifted off to sleep with a little sappy but entirely adoring smile.

“You did something to the bottle, didn’t you? Some fancy physics trick?” Bucky said, more an announcement than a question, just before he decided to finally follow Steve’s and your example, ready to retreat to sleep – most of the group did anyway.

Tony was a picture of genuine innocence for once at the accusation. “Me? Please. How would I even do that?”

“I dunno. Magnets? Electric pulse? Flying invisible bot? What do I know…”

A nearby chuckle caught both Tony’s and Bucky’s attention, their suddenly knowing gazes finding Loki with his arms crossed over his chest. They didn’t bother to pretend to be irritated, even as at any other time, they would have been. For once, they were just grateful; Friday had silently informed them that the agent known as Speedy had been last seen outside Steve’s suite and wasn’t seen leaving for at least an hour.

If the two clueless dumbasses figured their shit out at last, Loki’s mischievous involvement was worth it.

“Oh no, I cannot possibly take the credit for that part.”

Bucky’s eyes narrowed. “What part can you take the credit for?”

“You could not handle the truth, Sergeant,” Loki smirked, causing Bucky to roll his eyes. “But not the bottle. I swear. I admit that I wanted to – but I did not have to.”

“So you want me to believe that after two years of Steve and Speedy needing to pull their head out of their asses and at least half of us trying to talk some sense into one or the other, a stupid game an even stupider coincidence finally did it for them. Really?”

Tony nodded, watching Loki with searching gaze. “Yeah, I’m with Buckaroo on this o-“

The sudden soft dragging sound and a clink drew the gazes of all three men. The bottle, having spun a bit, came to a slow stop under their watchful eye.

“Dammit, Loki-“

The trickster raised his hands in defence, chuckling again. “I did not do anything!”

“Yeah, right-“

The bottle shifted again, this time spinning fast – and stopped abruptly at once.

“But-“ Bucky froze mid-sentence. Then, his head snapped in the direction the bottle was pointing now. His eyes found the young redhead witch, walking out of the room hand-in-hand with Vision. As Tony followed Bucky’s line of sight, his mouth fell slightly agape.

Loki only smirked harder. “I must say, it is always a pleasure to say this: I told you so.”

“No way,” Tony breathed out, incredulous.

“Stark, give that girl a raise,” Bucky muttered, shocked as well; but completely sincere in his request. Bless magic. Bless that girl for pushing the idiot of his friend into what Bucky couldn’t convince him to do for months.

Wanda only smiled at them over her shoulder and walked out of the door with a silent ‘good night’.

Steve Rogers masterlist 

Complete masterlist

The prompt was Only when you and your significant other are locked in the closet for 7 minutes, you’re transported somewhere else. and well. Yeah. I transported them into each other’s head – specifically, into their filthy fantasy. I am not even sorry anymore for that cheat if it is a cheat🫡 Though I am a little sorry for the length because this was supposed to be a one shot (story of my life).

Well, this was a LONG ride. I hope you enjoyed it 🤭

Let me know if did and if you can🥰

Thank you for reading!

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers lemons #captain america x reader #captain america x you #captain america imagine #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fanfic #steve rogers #captain america #agent reader #seven minutes #anika ann #jamieshalloween2023

[spokewar]

A study in Obi-Wan's homeworld, Stewjon, Vol. iii:

vol. i: a brief overview of terrain, seasons, inhabitants, and culture

vol. ii: the known history of stewjon

Stewjon has four main deities:

Spirit of the Hearth

Spirit of the Water

Spirit of the Below

Spirits of the Skies

Each of these deities have their own respective lesser spirits, but the worship of these lesser spirits is on a much more personal and private level. The four main deities are usually celebrated with family and community-wide events. None of them have formal places of worship (churches, temples, ect), but villages will have public shrines dependent on their population and the main export/business of their community (Hearth shrines are most common in farming settlements, Water at combat training grounds, Skies at trading outposts, ect).

The spirit of the Hearth is a being made of stone and gentle flame, and is the most powerful of the deities on Stewjon. They represent home, harvest, family, and fertility. There are many ways to honor the Hearth, but the most common is to just keep a fire lit inside the home at all times (which is no hardship given the cold climate of Stewjon). The second most common method is to leave a gift, usually carved wood, at one of the public Hearth shrine(s) found within most communities. These shrines are also commonly seen along travel lanes so people can make offerings for safe passage to and from home.

(Hearth spirit is most comparable to Thor, Crom Cruach, or Hestia)

The spirit of Water is the deity of the warrior, they represent strength, exploration, rebirth, bravery, and battle. It is found in every naturally formed circular pond or lake and is marked by a mossy obelisk to indicate it as a place of worship. Stewjoni are not known for their skills in battle, nor do they have a formal military, but there are still those who choose to train to fight, whether it be against invaders or the predators that roam the planet. For ranged weapons, they use imported blasters (usually mismatched so there are no records of bulk shipments) and the most common close combat ones are spears and naginata-like weapons.

(Water spirit is most comparable to the Sea Mither)

The spirit of the Below is both a deity and a way of being. They represent community, protection, and working together to survive against the odds. This spirit is usually depicted as a glowing jellyfish-like creature who shifts in color and lives in the deepest of the underground tunnels.

(Below spirit is most comparable to Parcae or Cailleach)

The spirits of the Skies are wisps of starlight. They are the ancestors, they represent life after death, miracles, travel, and connections to the past. Those who are Force sensitive on Stewjon are referred to as Star Touched and are respected members of society.

(Skies spirits are most comparable to fairies/ghosts)

Notably, Stewjon does not have deities dedicated to health nor weather. The Stewjoni worship old religion, but they do not ignore modern science. They do not believe spirits will heal the sick or revive a drowned crop.

The most celebrated holiday on Stewjon is Fire Nights (see vol. i), which includes the worship of all four deities. During this week, the spirits of the Skies come down and touch the planet's surface to celebrate and then help move people to their underground homes. It is said the spirits then stay on the surface through the harsh season to aid the Hearth and Water deities in protecting the planet.

Other holidays throughout the year include:

a harvest festival at the start of the season

waterside celebrations on the dates of significant battles

the date Stewjon fucked off from the rest of the galaxy

and a 2 week period where Stewjon invites their Kage cousins to come visit so the rest of the galaxy remembers their alliance and shared history (threat)

#stewjon lore tag #i didnt mean to ever make more than 1 of these

[meidui]

i'm answering all 30 fic writer asks as seen on kelly@fohatic's blog 😽 HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

1. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again? fool's gold was a 1872 fic and it was one-sided dialogue but with no quotation marks, so it was supposed to read like somebody from timely was telling you about what happened! i liked it but i don't know if i would do it again because it's just stylistic, i think it worked for 1872 because it suited the small town setting

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) i have too many wips but i posted 56 fics on ao3 this year!

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer? that i dilly dally a lot to avoid writing smut scenes and that the discord sprinting bot is my best friend

4. What piece of media inspired you the most? probably endgame because we had the @stevetonyisendgame exchange and prompt fest this year, so i rewatched it a lot and ended up writing lots of endgame-adjacent/post-endgame!! they're so soft in that movie i can't help myself

5. What fandom(s) did you write for this year? all marvel except for one fic for game changers! i foresee house md fic in 2024

6. What ship(s) captured your heart? stevetony has always had my heart does that count

7. What character(s) captured your heart? i love steve rogers even more than i did last year

8. Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year? new ships!! i wrote steve/thor and steve/natasha for the first time for captain bottom bingo and steve/peggy for the first time for steggy secret santa

9. What fic meant the most to you to write? nobody saves me, baby (the way you do) because kristina@samcky had an unposted draft of it that she let me rewrite 🥺 so it meant a lot to me because she's all over that fic and i just love her with all my heart

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? i think it's a tie between winged and how porcupines kiss because they're so fluffy! although this might a little biased because @capnstars drew the cutest winghead!steve art you've ever seen in your entire life for winged and @itsmaybitheway drew THIS PRECIOUS PORCUPINE!STEVE AND ARMADILLO!TONY for how porcupines kiss 🥺

11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing? probably hell and high water because i worked on it slowly for months which usually doesn't happen, and it might even be one of my favourite fics that i've ever written so i was really proud

12. What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it? i don't think anything was difficult to write but new york is a hell of a town (and i'm brooklyn down) was so silly of me because it's set in august, but i wrote the first part in april and the second part in october and didn't really work on it during the actual summer 😶 like what was that?? why did i do that?? i'm so sorry

13. What fic was the easiest to write? into the forever and beautiful sky! it's a rocket-centric fic with rocket & steve friendship, i wrote it right after watching gotg vol 3 and it's just feelings vomit ahahah

14. What were your shortest and longest fics this year? my shortest fic was fool's gold which was 546 words and the longest fic that i wrote by myself (not just this year but also ever in all my life) was a rose by any other name which was 11.6k words! without caveats the longest fic is heartbreak prince, which i wrote with @areiton and it was 12k words!!

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023 a beast of a burden is really special to me so i want to rec that one! because i wrote it for the endgame exchange that i loved so much and it was for mrsgingles, who is my favourite stevetony artist, and it reminds me of this summer, and it also feels like the truest love letter to endgame that i've ever written

16. What were you go-to writing songs? i don't have any! usually it's whatever i'm already listening to or a movie or show that i'm watching, but i listened to exo's lotto on repeat when i wrote hit the lotto because that's what the fic sounds like in my head and taylor swift's timeless when i wrote once in a lifetime because it was based on that song

17. What were your go-to writing snacks? NO TIME FOR SNACKS WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED TO KISS

18. What was the hardest fic to title? maybe lovelorn and nobody knows? i started working on it before 1989 tv came out and it didn't have a title for way too long, the google doc was literally just called "there are still beautiful things steve pov" and then it took me like 20 minutes of comparing 1989 vault lyrics to pick one 😭

19. Share your favourite opening line from the ice is getting thinner under me and you (a hockey au)

Steve is supposed to be at a bar downtown with the rest of his team. Steve is not supposed to be back in the emptied out stadium, his back slammed against the lockers with Tony's tongue in his mouth.

20. Share your favourite ending line i added the second last line for context but this ending line is my favourite because time has always been against steve and peggy, so i feel like the best show of how happy and safe they feel together is that they finally don't have to watch the clock or worry about time slipping through their fingers anymore 🥺 this is from from we were born to be national treasures

When she laughs, eyes glittering, he has the most peculiar feeling that he was always meant to end up right here, kissing the maroon lipstick off Peggy’s mouth, swaying under the sprig of mistletoe they never took down from Christmas as someone starts to shout a countdown to New Year’s. She cups his face and he smiles into the kiss, and neither of them bother watching the clock.

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue from if my wishes came true (buckynat)

“You got that written down in your notebook?” “I don’t need to write you down to remember you, Natasha Romanoff.”

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene there were so many close contenders aahh but my favourite scene has to be the one from catastrophic blues when tony finally catches steve!!

“Then don’t make me hurt you,” Tony says, raising his palm and lighting up his repulsor. “I know you know what this does. You’re unarmed and backed into a dead-end alley. You’re not winning this one, kid, I can tell you that for free. Take off your mask.” The Vigilante glowers and stands his ground. “My whole life is dead-end alleys. I’m not taking off my mask.”

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out? the whole end part of near-death cliché took some wrangling just because i was trying to make it sound like something kang the conqueror would say haha

“I’ve killed a lot of Avengers and it all starts to blend together,” Kang says, “but I remember you because you always end up fighting for him. I admire the consistency. It’s rare.” “Him?” “You could be with Steve Rogers,” Kang says almost empathetically, and it’s like he has gently wrenched Tony’s heart out of his chest. When the repulsors on his palms falter, Kang continues in the same disarming tone. “I could send you back to the battlefield. You’d open your eyes and he'd be there.”

24. What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story? this is hilarious to me because the recurring motif in but saving what we love was supposed to be steve and tony calling each other's bullshit over the years but it ended up being overshadowed by star wars. so much star wars, in fact, that it warranted a "star wars references" tag

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.) google docs

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? all of i thought the plane was going down (how'd you turn it right around) for two reasons! one is that i feel like maleness informs a lot of their lives and experiences and for a while i didn't really get the appeal of genderbending them, but then i read all of isozyme's lesbian stevetony fics and i had an epiphany about genderbending being an opportunity for character and relationship study, and two is that once i had said epiphany i realised i actually had a lot to say so i wrote captain eve rogers in one go and now i love her so much

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? hmm i don't think so!

28. How did you recharge between fics? i don't think i really do that either

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank? oh my gosh. with all the sincerity in my heart, every person who gave me a kudo or a comment or is subscribed to my ao3, recommended my fics or my blog, said in a reblog/tweet/discord message/dm that they liked one of my fics or it made them happy or they were excited about reading one, follows me on tumblr or looks at my gifs or likes/reblogs my posts, runs fandom events, shares their beautiful fics or art or edits with us, all the members of the steve rogers defense squad, truly everyone who i've had an interaction with (except the steve antis and bots in my block list 😠) because i'm so grateful to have this community and that we met because we love the same thing and we can make each other's days better. deactivating for 10 months was the right thing to do but i'm so happy to be back this time because of you

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024? some of these have been cooking in my head for so long that they have TITLES

that famous happy ending (enchanted au)

play house (wandavision au)

plausible deniability (rival lawyers au)

wild and beautiful (feral/tarzan steve au)

yoga instructor steve and discharged air force pilot tony

prequel to kristina's beautiful ocean's 11 au, Give me a kiss before you tell me goodbye

#the header is from the scene in catfa right before steve marches back onto the base with bucky and all the other soldiers he saved in tow #* #text

[callmearcturus]

aw yeah lets do this

S-Tier, AKA the Legitimately Good Tier:

HAWKEYE: Maybe my favorite MCU thing I have ever watched.

+ If you let Jeremy Renner actually act and give him a script, he's fucking great. + Kate Bishop is a perfect mess and I love her, I love she's young and excitable but also takes things seriously, she feels like she's a work in progress, I love her. + MAYA. Holy shit the gravity well of this character, how her presence dictates any scene she is in. Truly stellar. + This entire miniseries is like an extended apology for Hawkeye in every other appearance. "Sorry we dropped the ball with this character so consistently, we will bring the A game here." + The importance of disability. I'm among the ppl who was upset that Hawkeye's disability was dropped, so the way it is centered over and over and over in this, how its practical, how it's funny, how it's sad, how it gives us the most devastatingly emotional scene in all of the MCU yes I am talking about the phone call scene, finally. Fucking finally. + Florence fucking Pugh and her entire charm offensive. + The car chase scene.

- The first episode is unfortunately REALLY slow. - Nah that's all I got. I love this one.

THOR: RAGNAROK

+ "Asgard isn't a place, it's a people" is maybe the most poignant message any MCU film has ever managed. + Literally the funniest movie, but also basically a repair job of character building for everyone in it. + The camerawork in this one makes me so happy. + Tom Hiddleston is given so much to do and he's there with heels on, spectacular. + The giant turret/pegging visual pun, god bless. + Cate Blanchett can kill me.

- uuuuuuuuh. It's not as good as Hawkeye. Yeah.

GOTG Vol 2

+ Sorry but I am a GOTG Truther, I really do think its the one storyline in the MCU that is allowed to get away with really fucking intense character drama because it's not considered "main line." There is a reason ppl rioted when they tried to remove Gunn, and I'm with them. + The only good thing Chris Pratt has done since Parks and Rec. + The way this storyline centers on death and grief is devastating. + Rocket Racoon is the best character in the MCU and we all know it.

- I think the initial treatment of Mantis is REALLY rough even though in the end I think it works, but that's a hell of a hump to get over.

A-TIER, AKA the Great for a MCU Flick Tier:

BLACK PANTHER

+ My biggest problem with the MCU is the creative desert of its set and costume design, the way it feels like nothing is given time to breathe in the creative process. BP is the antithesis of that. I would watch a four hour documentary just on the visual design of this movie, from the architecture to the costumes to the make-up, everything. I don't want to hear from the director or writers, I want to hear four hours of just the craftspeople talking about their work. It's monumental. + Best Villain in the MCU, bar none. + Only MCU film to move me to actual tears in the movie theatre.

- I loved this movie! For the life of me I could not tell you the plot. I understand the plot of every Mission Impossible film but I don't know the plot of this movie. - If this movie was allowed to cut, like, 20 minutes of action and replace it with more character drama, it'd be the best MCU film.

IRON MAN 3

+ The MCU Movie That Pulls Exactly Zero Punches About Being About Mental Health And PTSD Holy Shit + Rhodey and Pepper get so much to do and I like an ensemble piece so much + Shane Black is in love with RDJ and I'm so happy for him + Pepper gets to be a lil monsterfied and that's hot

- Doesn't have Sam Rockwell. - The plot is kinda fully secondary to the character work, which imo is fine, but yanno.

GOTG Vol 1

+ All the stuff I said about GOTG Vol 1

- It's not Vol 2, which benefits from having all the bedrock foundation built by this movie to spring from.

B-TIER, AKA It's Fine I Guess:

IRON MAN 1

It's good! It invented the wheel! Part of it are fucking agonizingly painful to watch in 2023 but it also has more heart than 80% of the franchise so.

IN A CAVE. WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS.

LOKI

Okay it feels shitty of me to judge this one on its technical faults bc apparently it was shot during the pandemic and that causes a lot of the issues with the camerawork, the awkward editing, and just how Weird everything was put together. But also it's REALLY stilted and awkward, which butts up against the good script and the better acting, so IDK man.

Owen Wilson is amazing. Even my mother thought the way they canonized Loki being bi was a cop-out. And the final twist pissed me off. I hope Season 2 is better.

THOR 1

I DUNNO WHAT TO TELL YOU, BUT KENNETH BRANAGH UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT.

DR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

This movie is a mess but once i figured out it was trying to be The MCU Does Gothic Horror, I was a lot more on board. It has all the flaws of the original Dr Strange and is hard to visually follow like most MCU films, but also has America Chavez, who I adore.

IRON MAN 2

It has Sam Rockwell, I don't give a fuck.

C-TIER, AKA I wish I cared but I do not 8C

DR STRANGE

I dunno I like the actual character of Strange weirdly, I like what a complete fucking asshole he is, I like his god complex and how he reacts to his disability as a surgeon. On the other hand what the fuck is Tilda Swinton doing here, this is just awful. My biggest issue with this film is that it didn't have to be this terrible but every decision made about it feels so fucking thoughtless and myopic.

WANDAVISION

yanno. i cannot even explain why i fell off this so hard. Like, this one Had Me all the way up to and including the Agatha reveal, but like the final episodes after that reveal somehow left me completely cold and uncaring. it's genuinely weird.

D-TIER, AKA Oh my god no thank you

AVENGERS

I hate the writing. Like, I haaaaate the writing. I feel like the only likeable relationship in this is Tony and Bruce, and that does not carry this movie. The quip-driven writing, the way the need for a joke supercedes naturalistic voices and dialogue making sense, it pisses me off. I hate the writing. Heartless movie.

BLACK WIDOW

oh my god i'm actively angry at this movie okay because for the first 20 minutes, I was like "wait, is this going to be a real movie," because it felt smaller, the action felt more realistic, that fight between the Widow and Yelena in the beginning felt like it could have been out of MI: Fallout, and the other fight between Natasha and Yelena in the safehouse was also good, I really thought for a few moments that this could be Good

and then it just took a hard right into The MCU Tries And Fails To Make MI: Fallout (They Even Stole The Mask Gag, What The Fuck Was That) and not only was I disappointed, I was like retroactively pissed for the 20 minutes when I had hope in my heart. If not for David Harbour's character, I would have just left in the middle of this movie.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Its not at bad as Infinity War! Nebula and Rocket carried this movie on their fucking backs. But what do I know, I liked Renner's mohawk of sadness.

F-Tier, AKA Fuck This Movie

INFINITY WAR

Fuck this movie with a rusted steel dildo, fuck this entire fucking movie, I despise it. The writing is so actively fucking terrible I want to fistfight whoever is responsible. I fucking hate the attempts to humanize Thanos over how sad he is about the daughter he abused and then murdered, boo fucking hoo, I hate the joylessness of the superhero combinations, I hate the quip-driven writing, I hate this movie with a burning passion. This might be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Soulless and destitute.

#long post

[mimamongbusowg]

CUSTOM CONTENT LOOKBOOK (2023)

so in 2 months, we will be turning 1 year in custom making content, so allow me to show you a little trip down the memory lane on what we've achieved so far in 2023! here's a little lookbook on the cc I released and will be released for 2023!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3

ADAM WARLOCK

GAMORA

STAR-LORD SHIRT

MANTIS

ROCKET (get the tails and head from @aralenorimaki01)

NEBULA

THE MARVELS

CAPTAIN MARVEL(THE MARVELS)

KAMALA KHAN (THE MARVELS)

MONICA RAMBEAU / PHOTON SUIT (THE MARVELS)

THE SCARLET WITCH

WANDAVISION 1950's DRESS

SCARLET WITCH COMIC SUIT

SCARLET WITCH HOUSE OF M

MARVEL COMICS (1)

POLARIS (SCARLET WITCH COMICS)

QUICKSILVER (SUMMER DAYS)

CAPTAIN BRITAIN (BETSY BRADDOCK)

MARVEL COMICS (2)

MS. MARVEL (INHUMANS)

SILK (SUMMER DAYS)

MEGGAN BRADDOCK (EXCALIBUR)

CAPTAIN CARTER (REALM OF CHAMPIONS)

MARVEL STUFF

SYLVIE (LOKI SERIES)

SATANA (SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE)

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (1)

YELENA BELOVA

SUPREME STRANGE

DRUNK THOR (ENDGAME)

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (2)

US AGENT

CASSIE LANG

GWENPOOL

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

JESSICA DREW

PAVITR PRABAKHAR

MIGUEL O'HARA

PENI PARKER

DC'S BLACK ADAM

ATOM SMASHER

CYCLONE

#ts4 #ts4cc #sims #sims4 #sims4cc #sims 4 download #sims 4 superhero #sims 4 marvel #marvel #marvel sims #marvel sims 4 #mcu sims #sims 4 cc #the sims 4 cc #the sims 4 #sims 4 custom content #sims 4 cas #show us your sims #scarlet witch sims 4 #gamora #black adam #captain marvel #kamala khan #sylvie sims 4 #sylvie laufeydottir #SPIDERVERSE #ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE

[signalwatch]

Marvel Watch: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Watched:  05/21/2023

Format:  Theater!

Viewing:  First

Director:  James Gunn

On Friday night I watched the mostly panned Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, and on Saturday spent an ungodly amount of time discussing the film with Danny for the Superheroes Every Day podcast.  Spoiler: it wasn't my favorite movie.  And so it was that here, deep in Marvel Phase 5, that I finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).  

You'd have to listen to the podcast and read between the lines on other posts to know how I feel about Marvel these days.  It's an affection, but one that knows where we're at in the scheme of creation and the realization that what always worked will not always work, and that they're now on to properties that have always struggled within the Marvel portfolio, while still not dishing up a Fantastic Four movie that we all know is coming.

As has been largely agreed upon, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy solidified the lessons of Iron Man (and to a lesser extent, Thor) and re-positioned how Marvel designed its films into action-comedies with heart.  GotG somehow, against all odds, managed to make you care about a tree with one line of dialog, an asshole space-raccoon, a manchild with knives, a mass-murderer, and a slacker with delusions of grandeur.  Plus a redneck pirate!  The heart part was a bit surprising as we watched our leads kill a ship full of pirates, etc... Not the usual side of superheroes.

Bit, dammit, if I wasn't weepy at the end when Groot did his thing.  And in the second one when we all worked through whatever we call found family and family.  And who didn't like the Christmas special?

When I was 12 and getting into comics (circa 1987), I picked up a bundled four-pack of the 1986 Rocket Raccoon mini-series from a spinner rack at my local comic shop (and still my shop!), Austin Books and Comics.  I was wildly enthusiastic about what I read, but also understood - apparently this series was not popular and I was going to have to love Rocket alone.  

In truth, Rocket was deeply changed by the time he got to the GotG films.  In the original series he was a gold-hearted law-man in an insane world (literally), with an otter girlfriend and a Walrus uncle.  They'd been placed there to help keep an eye on "the loonies", crazy humans who needed looking after.  The series is bonkers and has nothing to do with anything that would come up later in the comics or movies featuring the now gruff and ready-to-rumble Rocket.  Over time, these things happen in comics.

I was also very aware of the High Evolutionary from late 1980's/ early 1990's comics, and in-particular a really fun summer event called "The Evolutionary War"* that gave me insight into his whole deal.  He's a Grade A villain, but I wasn't sure how one would use him in a Marvel film.  But here we are.

SPOILERS

Full stop - it was nice to see Marvel firing on all cylinders again.  They're taking too long between sequels and re-appearances of fan-favorite characters as they litter the MCU with new characters, but mostly it's been 6 years since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.  Snippets of them in in big crossover films is nice, or doing some day work on Thor is cool, but... come on.  

Luckily it doesn't feel like anyone missed a beat.  Even if the audience who saw the last one in middle school is potentially now in college (that's too long, Marvel).  

After multiple movies of Rocket being a bit rough around the edges, we get his origin story - even if the Guardians don't.  And that's okay.  But after being wounded in a fight with the newly hatched Adam Warlock by the Sovereign, Rocket is injured and its discovered his cybernetics include a kill-switch, which in turn points to the legitimate and illegitimate affairs of the MCU-space-freighting High Evolutionary.  

Turns out this movie is about vivisection and animal testing, and puts a face to the whole affair, while creating Ani-Men along the way.

It's clear Gunn read and appreciated the groundbreaking comic We3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, a three-issue story about a dog, cat and rabbit given cybernetic enhancements as a military experiment.  Set free by their keeper when she realizes the military is going to euthanize them, things get very dark, very fast, but it's also an emotional rollercoaster.  (Talk about the comics that live in your head.  It's still one of my favorite comics of all time.)  

Pretty clearly Gunn took the characters from the whimsical 1986 comics, overlaying them on ideas and concepts seen in We3, creating something new and utterly heartbreaking in ways I was not expecting.

Meanwhile, Peter Quill is working through his grief at living in a world where his new Gamorra has rejected him, Nebula is trying to make the best of her situation and move forward, Mantis is coming into her own and Drax is... Drax.  

Our villain this outing is the aforementioned High Evolutionary, recast here as a galactic-level type, played with tremendous effect by Chukwudi Iwuji - a "visionary" who is endlessly working his way to building a utopian society by trying to create new species through an endless parade of grotesquries.  But maybe he doesn't know what he's doing?  And/ or is more into the process itself than the end goal?  And who jealously sees a true, inherent genius in his creation of Rocket that he, himself, lacks.

I can't say how remarkable it is that Gunn works in multiple arcs across multiple characters, and, arguably, those arcs all work.  It's possible the overall story that's an excuse for spending time with his characters is a little messy - but I didn't really think so.  Gunn is mostly responsible for his own scripts, and he manages to keep things tight.  But nothing sacrifices the journeys we've been on since the first film - the characters continue to grow, reflect, refract and change.  

And this is Gunn.  He absolutely knows how to push the buttons to make you laugh, cry, sit on the edge of your seat, make you love a character instantly and care about them in ways that few other filmmakers can do.  All of this is wrapped up in one of the more violent corners of the MCU where life really is cheap, and the devastation of whole planets is something that happens along the way.  Characters we just met meet swift and terrible ends.  

But violence isn't the point.  Unlike many-a-superhero movie, GotG doesn't reduce itself to a slog of equally matched foes making a light show.  Here in Volume 3, we have a finale during which the last 1/3rd isn't just when things get crazy, it's also when character arcs come to a head and work through to completion.  And not just "if I beat that guy, I can go home".  It's all fairly legitimate third act resolution, which is really something when you consider it's also the 9th to 15th act we've had for some of these characters.  

Gunn creates amazing scenes.  It's worth noting that he does use practical sets when he can (Knowhere's business area is one massive set), and he doesn't rely on dark or haze to cover up what he wants to show.  His characters are buyable in their insane spaces - making our own world and reasonable facsimiles of it - look like the alien thing on screen.   And he knows that intersplicing events is the real action in many action movies (thanks, Star Wars, for that lesson!).  But he's also not above an astounding but reasonably paced hallways fight giving our re-teamed heroes their moment.  

And, of course, Gunn's soundtrack was typically on point.  I assume Gunn and I must be within a few graduating classes of each other, because I see him.

This was the first movie since probably February of 2020 that Jamie and I have seen together in a theater, and the first for me in an Alamo since, I believe, Birds of Prey.  So of course I'm almost predisposed to like this one on principle of the cinematic experience.  And, sure, I am certain I missed an error or ten.  I am sure the anthropomorphization and cruelty shown to Rocket and his friends was disliked, or seen as manipulative or sentimental.  On that we'll have to part ways and ponder the very nature of fictional narratives.

As with all of Gunn's output from the past decade-plus, the rollercoaster of experiences and emotional whiplash - while maintaining a coherent story - is mind-boggling.  For comparison/ contrast, one need only turn their eye on the recent-to-Disney+ Quantumania, which just keeps hitting the same notes over and over.  

I don't mind that Gunn essentially killed characters I'd hoped to see on screen one day since the appearance of Rocket.  In a way, I'm disappointed, but I do feel it's earned.  I may actually be more cheesed that this eliminates the possibility for a We3 movie, but that was never going to happen properly, anyway.  And I am delighted that Rocket did get so much spotlight this film, and that the story felt meaningful.  

I have no idea what will become of Marvel Studios over the next five to ten years.  Not all signs point to another twenty years of non-stop success, and some bad choices have been made here and there in a way that seemed impossible once Marvel started firing on all cylinders.  But it's great to send off at least this little corner of the MCU with a sequel worthy of the goodwill.

Sunday afternoon I was asked what I thought of Gunn on Superman: Legacy, and while I won't get into why, specifically, watching a non-Suicide Squad film settled for me that he's the right person of the job at this moment.  I think he's got it.  

*I've always held this up as "how comics cross-over events should be handled".  There's a main story and the individual summer annuals tie-in, and you can opt in or out, and it gives everyone time to mention that it happened later in the year in their ongoing titles.

  https://ift.tt/qpV3mL0

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/NyRxbmf

#Guardians of the Galaxy #Rocket Raccoon #marvel #mcu

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

AMERICANA INCARNATE -- TRIPLE FLAGSHIP CHARACTERS OF THE MIGHTY MARVEL UNIVERSE.

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on published & textless Heroes Reborn/Avengers Variant cover art to "The Mighty Thor" Vol. 2 #703. March, 2018. Marvel Comics. Artwork by Rob Liefeld (and major props to RL for bringing his A-game on this cover).

Resolution from largest to smallest: 1750x4175, 1005x1525, & 827x1207.

Sources: http://leoarts.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-mighty-thor-703-marvel-colors.html & www.previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL069936

#The Mighty Thor #Mighty Thor Vol. 1 #The Mighty Thor Vol. 1 #Captain America #Iron Man #Shellhead #Heroes Reborn #Marvel Heroes Reborn #Marvel Comics #Marvel Universe #Mighty Thor #Thor #Rob Liefeld #Rob Liefeld Art #Avengers #The Avengers #Tony Stark #Steve Rogers #Norse Mythology #Invincible Iron Man #Marvel #Starktech #Iron Man Armor #American Style #Cover Art #Cap

[xbuster]

I know that you didn’t like Guardians 3 (I personally loved it even though I don’t really like superhero movies anymore), but I’m curious as to what your thoughts on James Gunn’s work with superhero stuff before it.

To be more specific, brief thoughts on Guardians Vol. 1 and 2, but more about your thoughts on The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.

I did watch Guardians 1 and 2, but I actually haven’t seen The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker despite being a DC fan.

I really loved Guardians 1 when it came out, but I was also like 15 and I was at my height of MCU interest. Since I never rewatched the movie, I don’t know how well it holds up or if I was just in the right mindset to enjoy it. I’m sure it’s still a fine movie, but the comedic parts of the movie might not be as enjoyable now that I’m tired of that kind of humor. Like Guardians 3’s humor was genuinely awful, it was one of the least funny movies I’ve seen in a while and it makes me wonder if Guardians 1 actually was like that too. The villain was forgettable, but Star-Lord and Rocket were fun. I liked Groot too. Didn’t like Drax or really care for Gamora though. So I’ll say that I DID really like it when I saw it, but that was nearly a decade ago and I’d have to rewatch it to give my updated opinion. It set up Thanos, which I thought was cool, until they really introduced Thanos in Infinity War and I realized he was nothing like his comic book counterpart, so I stopped caring about him.

I have less to say about Guardians 2 because I don’t really remember much about it besides Ego. I can’t remember any of the jokes besides a vague feeling that I found Drax even less likable. I also couldn’t be bothered to care about Groot anymore. I thought the baby Groot thing at the end of Guardians 1 was cute, but I was hoping he’d be normal again. The new Groot was lame. Idk Ego was alright, I guess. The twist that he killed Star-Lord’s mother was a good one and the most memorable part of the movie. I just… don’t know why they called him Ego. Ego is a living planet, not a Celestial. Like… just make a new character at that point. I used to be really interested in seeing how the movies would adapt Marvel characters, but that’s just not Ego. At all. It was just a more forgettable movie over all besides the Ego stuff.

Now, I didn’t watch The Suicide Squad because I didn’t really like the first one. I realize it’s completely different and Starro’s in it, so maybe I should give it a watch eventually because I would like to see Harley Quinn done right for once. If she’s actually handled well in that movie.

On the other hand, I didn’t watch Peacemaker because I don’t really watch any live action superhero shows. I tried watching Agents of SHIELD when that happened, but it was so boring that I gave up quickly and never bothered with other Marvel shows or even the DC ones for that matter. Like I’m a huge fan of the Teen Titans (from the comics), but I didn’t even watch Titans despite that having my favorite hero, Nightwing, in it. Neither have I seen any of the recent Superman shows despite being a big Superman fan. Maybe I’ll try one if someone can really sell me on it, but I just never bothered with Peacemaker for that reason.

So over all, I have like a middling opinion on James Gunn. Like Taika Waititi. Some of the stuff they make can be entertaining, but there’s just as much stuff they put out that I just don’t care about and it mostly stems from an over reliance on a style of comedy I just don’t find funny anymore. Like oh the subject of Waititi, I tried watching Thor: Love and Thunder because, despite not really liking Ragnarok or any of Thor’s movies, Thor was one of my favorite superheroes from Marvel when I was reading more Marvel comics than DC, but I couldn’t finish the movie because it was just SO. BAD.

Sorry this was a lot, but there’s just a lot that goes into how I feel about Gunn’s stuff after about a decade of watching his Marvel movies. I just really hope he doesn’t fuck up Superman. I’ll never forgive him if he does. Don’t just make Krypto a vehicle for unfunny jokes…

[agentnico]

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) Review

Am I the one who thought of that Britain’s Got Talent contestant Stavros Flatley when Russell Crowe popped up in this film? With the accent and the general demeanour? No? Just me? Fair enough.

Plot: Thor's retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who, to Thor's surprise, inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late.

Thor: Ragnarök is still to this day my favourite Marvel Cinematic Universe film. It perfectly reinvented the titular character by seamlessly blending Taika Waititi’s energetic comedic timing with the mythology already built by the franchise prior, and truly that movie felt as if it came out straight from a comic book. The many colours and the inclusion Mark Mothersbaugh’s synthetic heavy 80′s techno pimped music score really made this entry a stand-out. So naturally I was looking forward to Thor’s fourth outing, especially since the entire Ragnarök creative team were coming back. Of course there was also concern, as since Avengers: Endgame the MCU has seen a dip in quality, as the lack of narrative direction has made most of the newer films very mediocre at best. But hey, in Taika we believe, so scurried into the cinema I did on opening day, ready for some Thortastic madness! By the way, did anyone know that Ben & Jerry’s now do ice cream shakes at the cinema? B&J SHAKES!? I mean c’mon, I’m trying to budget here and then Ben & Jerry’s come and pull this stunt. They taste rad though, not going to lie. Anyway, with a mighty fine shake in my hand, I sat in the cinema, ready for Thor’s next adventure. What could possibly go wrong?

I’m so glad I had that Ben & Jerry’s shake, at least I got some good out of this cinema outing. It is to my huge disappointment to reveal that Thor: Love and Thunder may just be Taika Waititi’s first real flop. The movie is a rushed mess and a half. It feels similar to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 where Marvel gave James Gunn full creative freedom after he proved himself with the first Guardians film, now Taika to has been given full creative reign and the result is waaaaayyy too many cringey jokes, a lot of which don’t hit, and a very weak narrative plot, especially as the movie rushes through all the events, instead focusing on trying to fit in as may gags and humanly possible. 

First and foremost, they dumbed down the character of Thor to the point that we behold a bumbling idiot doing stupid things for the sake of jokes. In Ragnarök, yes Chris Hemsworth lent more into the comedic side of the character, with the innocent child-like outlook on certain things, however he was still cool. He still felt like a Norse god who can kick butt and lead an army. In Love and Thunder however, he is just silly to the point that you don’t see him as the hero anymore. What’s worse is that the movie reminds you of the good times, as there are a couple of dramatic scenes between Thor and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, where Hemsworth actually shows signs of tender serious emotions, but then within minutes that is lost again in favour of some unfunny gag. And speaking of Portman, her return is actually one of the few highlights. Previously in the franchise Jane Foster didn’t have much purpose other than hey, Thor is a beautiful man, so he needs a beautiful woman to rub his face against. There was no chemistry or care for their relationship. However in Love & Thunder props given where props are due, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is utilized really well. Her relationship with Thor felt much more believable, and a certain flashback featuring their love backstory to the accompaniment of ABBA was one of the few successful sparks of humour in the film, and her story in the movie actually tackles some deeper subjects that I do wish were given more time to explore and delve into. 

In regards to other characters, there are a few, but again, due to the rushed plot where the movie seems to be racing against time itself, a lot of characters are heavily under-used. Valkyrie and Korg basically serve no purpose, other than the latter over-staying his welcome by cracking eye-rolling jokes. The Guardians of the Galaxy that are heavily featured in the marketing are in the movie for 5 minutes at best, if that. There are also a bunch of cameos throughout, some of which work, others not so much. I do want to talk about Christian Bale though, who plays the villain Gorr. As expected, Bale brings a powerhouse performance filled with gravitas and depth, however one that also has a bit of whimsy to it, and actually he was one of the best parts of the movie. Again though, not used enough. You have an A-list actor like Christian Bale and give him such a short role, that’s naturally disappointing. But in the moments he’s in he does magic. Metaphorically speaking but also physically, as he has this magical death sword which he spews out shadow monsters from. You know, typical evil bad guy shenanigans. 

Thor: Love and Thunder comes off as a big fat joke. It’s a self parody of itself essentially, opting to act as a 2 hour long stand-up show, only that the comedian didn’t bring any decent material to the stage. Don’t get me wrong, it has a good few entertaining moments, and visually its good to look at, especially if you want to see Thor’s butt cheeks, but all in all it’s an underwhelming experience. Especially if you’re someone like me who is a big fan of Thor, with not just Ragnarök, but the previous films too. I’m sad to say, no matter how much Guns N’ Roses hits Taika sticks in this film, it doesn’t save it from being nothing more that mediocre and forgettable. Ah heck, at least I had that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shake. That’s the only thing that’s keeping me going right now.

Overall score: 4/10

#thor love and thunder #thor #marvel #disney #marvel cinematic universe #thor love and thunder review #comedy #fantasy #superhero #taika waititi #chris hemsworth #natalie portman #christian bale #chris pratt #tessa thompson #russell crowe #guardians of the galaxy #action #adventure #2022 in film #2022 films #2022 #cinema #movie reviews #film reviews #movie #film #guns n roses #romance #science fiction

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

A superhero story should be judged on the merits of its non-action moments, less so than its fight scenes.

Like, I could make a list of non-action superhero scenes that I remember and I still wouldn't hit all of them. Whether that be things like:

The Amazing Spider-Man: Peter (Andrew Garfield)'s dinner with Gwen's family

Daredevil: Matt kissing Karen in the rain (or their first date), every scene with Father Lantom, etc.

WandaVision: "What is grief, if not love persevering? 😍"

Avengers: Age of Ultron: The party, Vision establishing he's worthy

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Every scene with Yondu (and his funeral)

Thor: The Dark World: Loki's first scene

And so on...

I wholeheartedly agree with you and omg I love those scenes so much! Just adding a few of my own here:

I love Matt and Frank's entire scene in the rooftop when Matt is chained

In GoTG2, Nebula and Gamora yelling at each other + Mantis feeling Drax by the fountain

Steve's whole scene with Fury in TWS looking at the helicarriers

Natasha confronting Dreykov with a smile on her face

The argument between Stephen, Mordo and the Ancient One in DS1 when Stephen is freaking out after killing a zealot

When Thor explains the 9 realms to Jane in the first movie

Marc yelling at Steven after he realizes the truth + Steven telling Marc it wasn't his fault

Maria comforting Carol as she finds out what the kree had done to her

Andrew's Spidey talking to that kid who was being bullied and taking him back home

There are so many! We need more.

#I can't say it's easy to admit this but as the very anti-catholic woman that I am... I really like the scenes of Matt with the priest #a lot of propaganda....... like........ so much of it.... #but still they're pretty good #the priest is a great character

[wendjohnson]

So, I wanna talk about Eternals

So, I decided to make some posts discussing movies I feel like talking about, for some reason. Some sort of diary, but to dissect my thoughts. I think I’ll rarely dedicate my time saying bad things about films, because it’s just something I don’t enjoy doing. But today, I wanna talk about a movie I didn’t quite like, and that movie is Eternals.

First, let me just make a small introduction.

So, yesterday, I watched 3 movies. The 1902′s La Voyage dans la Lune, or A Trip do the Moon, known as the 1st science fiction movie. You know... This one, I think everyone has seen this very specific still SOMEWHERE:

And I also watched Enola Holmes 2 and Eternals. A Trip to the Moon was quite interesting, I have some thoughts on that, but not gonna elaborate them a lot. It’s only 15 minutes long, it’s free to watch anywhere, if you like very old movies, give it a try. Enola Holmes 2 was a cool little movie, it didn’t do anything, let’s say, wrong (except for some of the editing, holy damn). I just didn’t think it did anything quite remarkable to call my attention, but it’s definitely better than 1st. It’s fun and harmless. Go watch it.

And then... Eternals. I didn’t watch it when it came out and I took more than a year to gather the patience to finally watch it... AND I CERTAINLY HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT IT. I don’t wanna make a huge text ranting on anything (which is exactly what I did), just dissecting some of my feelings regarding this movie.

So, I used to be a huge MCU fan. But then, after Avengers Endgame finished, I just had this huge sensation of exhaustion. I loved what I watched but I just wanted it to stop for at least 5 years. But no, they kept releasing them and now, when they announce 10 more projects for the future I just feel tired just by looking at the logos. I still haven’t watched any of the TV shows, and I still need to watch Black Widow. But I can’t have that burning sensation of wanting to watch every single one of these movies when they come out, in some ways, watching them feel like a cultural obligation to be a part of a larger conversation. The only ones I was looking forward to when Phase 4 was announced were Shang-Chi, Thor Love and Thunder and Black Panther Wakanda Forever. And now, the only one I’m interested to watch is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So yeah, I’m quite tired of superhero movies. I still enjoy them, but I don’t feel that excitement to watch them anymore.

So, Eternals. People were talking about it as if it was this sort of anomaly, the 1st truly bad MCU movie. And now, after watching it, I gotta say that I really didn’t think it was a bad movie, but I also didn’t think it was good either. It’s definitely a movie that tries to do a lot of things, but doesn’t know how to properly comit to most of them, which is unfortunate, because damn, this movie is really fucking long, and it DID have the time to develop at least most of it right... But it didnt.

Though I could tell that Eternals IS a different movie. It feels different, it looks different, it sounds different from previous MCU movies. I’d say that it even feels experimental (but only by the MCU manufactured standards), that they indeed tried to do something more of its own. The thing is that... I could also tell that there was the hand of a studio executive of the size of a Celestial looming over the entire production of this movie, demanding for it to constantly remind itself that it’s a part of a huge franchise and to not go too far from its paramaters.

And in the end, that's what bogs most of this movie down, because, under the surface, Eternals is a truly great and unique film held down by the compulsive necessity of the MCU to constantly set-up future movies.

Chloé Zhao’s attempts to make this movie something more genuine is really noticeable, and that’s the main reason that, while not enjoying it as much, that I respect this movie a lot. She tries, and tries a lot, as if her artistic vision as a director was trapped inside this thick, but transparent blanket, keeping her from creating something truly special. She even manages to squeeze some very, very interesting themes and characterizations that would enrich this movie a lot, but most scenes where there could some truly meaningful character moments and development are just interrupted by a necessity to dump a lot of information and worldbuilding through some painfully pedantic expository dialogues setting up elements that are only gonna be relevant in future MCU movies. And that’s a huge shame. It truly is.

The idea of these very powerful beings sent by what are essentially gods to protect and help humanity to progress through the ages, but being forbidden to intervene in conflicts and all the horrible things human beings would do to each other and the planet, and then feeling guilty and responsible for everything that happened in our history and not being allowed to do anything about it is an awesome idea! But then... They have to connect all of that to what the MCU did so far, and the only way they can express that for most of its runtime are through some really short dialogues, and because of it, not a lot matters in the end, because nothing feels earned, just underdeveloped. A MEH of the size of a Celestial.

The necessity to constantly remind itself as a part of the MCU results in a lot of very forced references and even some plot holes on the franchise’s overall narrative. So much so that they even try to adress the reason why they weren’t present when Thanos came, and they come up with a very silly explanation like “We just couldn’t intervene”... Which ends up making them part of the problem, since they COULD have helped, but didn’t... Not to mention that the movie kinda made Thanos unintentionally save the earth with the SNAP thing, because it delayed the birth of a new Celestial and so on... It was just very silly and if felt like a plot hole. I might be wrong, but who knows?

Anyway, saying all this stuff, it feels like I freaking hated this movie, which is not the case. It just didn’t affect me in any way. It’s very forgettable. But one thing I can’t say is bad or leaves to be desired are the visuals. DAMN! This is one of the most visually stricking MCU films. Chloé Zhao and Ben Davis did a great job at capturing the feel each scene wants to have. When really big things appear on screen, such as the Celestials or the Domo, they achievied this incredible sense of scale, putting the characters before them like tiny ants, or putting these huge things against the horizon to show how much of space these elements overshadow on screen. And also, while I missed this heroic feeling from the characters themselves, they made several some really neat shots where the characters are positioned against the sun and the sky, giving this true sensation of seeing something truly heroic and mythical. In that visual sense, the movie truly shines.

But I can’t say the same for the action scenes... Like, some of them look cool and you can feel the speed and the punches but... Why they always happen at night... AND WHY I CAN’T SEE SHIT?? The Deviants looked really cool, but I couldn’t define their appearence for most of the time. I know that they do it when they want to hide de VFX imperfections, but damn, I legit couldn’t tell what was happening for most of the action scenes, because it was too dark.

By the way, another thing I enjoyed is that, while the movie lacks the capacity to fullfil the potential it stablishes, I really dig each character having this ambiguity in regards to howthey want to help humanity and how they feel with the consequences of their actions that influenced the future since they arrived on the planet. Shame that they couldn’t delve more into that, it would’ve been pretty thoughtful if they didn’t have to deviate from these elements to give overexpository dialogues. And speaking of deviating, the Deviants subplot feels like a true waste of time. At first they make us think that they are the main threat, only to put literally huge stakes for the characters to fight, and once they are revealed, the Deviants are just thrown into the corner and done with in 2 minutes.

In the end, Eternals could’ve been truly great, it had the potential, the right artists to make a thoughtful story about super heroes that truly cared about humanity, and how their intereference with it ended up leading humans to their  self-destruction, and not being allowed to do anything about it. But Marvel’s necessity to push a schedule in every movie kept all these great ideas under a blanket, which only Chloé Zhao’s artistic vision and style could go through; forcing her to insert unnecessary references and exposition to things that the story itself doesn’t seem too interested to explore, shoving to the side some very interesting characterizations, themes and plot to leave place for several worldbuilding elements that would only be fully explored in later films, leaving this one holding a flag that no one would grab.

Maybe if it was its own movie and didn’t need to set up the future of the MCU, it would’ve spent time developing what it wanted to develop and ending up being great. Shame that they left it for Chloé Zhao, right after winning the oscar for Best Director. Even feels like a dick move from Disney to sabotage the history of her career (even though IT’S DEFINITELY NOT THAT, it’s just the feel it gives). Hopefully, this movie won’t keep her from getting more projects that allow her to express her very distinct creative abilities.

#movie #movies #eternals #mcu #marvel #review #thoughts #rant #just ranting #opinion #film #filmmaking #cinematography #comics #comic books #marvel cinematic universe #diary #talking about stuff #long reads #long #long text #long post

[that-shamrock-vibe]

MCU's Post-Credits Debuts - Saving The Best For Last?

Disclaimer: I am going to be discussing post-credits scenes as a whole for the MCU over the past 14 years, including the ones from this year's instalments. So if you still have not yet seen Eternals, Doctor Strange 2 or Thor 4, be warned that while I won't spoil the movies I will be spoiling those scenes.

The History of the MCU's Post-Credits Scenes:

The MCU's 2022 slate of movies have been mostly about debuting new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This isn't a new technique for Disney and the MCU as far back as 2012's The Avengers, they have been introducing characters every now and again. But while introducing the likes of Thanos, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were met with overwhelming hype, the likes of Starfox, Hercules and even Clea haven't even reached the radar for most fans.

Now this could be a case that the former three were more well-known in the mainstream whereas the latter three are more niche. But surely then it is the job of the movies to give the niche characters a proper introduction that isn't a 2-minute tease.

But it's not just debuts that these post-credits scenes tease, because that's what they are at the end of the day teases. Way back when with 2008's Iron Man, the movie that started it all, it's post-credits scene was the spark that helped ignite the flame of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the introduction of Nick Fury and the tease of the Avengers which Phase One threaded through for 4 years following.

That one 30 seconds scene kicked off a strong tradition of post-credits scenes not just in the MCU but other franchises trying to match their success.

Ultimately there is the business reason for post-credits scenes and the fan reason for post-credits scenes. From a business perspective they are a way to expand the cinematic universe of the franchise and from a fan's perspective it's fun to see what or who is coming into the story down the line.

Characters Introduced in Post-Credits Scenes:

Phase One introduced 2 characters into the MCU, firstly Nick Fury in Iron Man and then Thanos in The Avengers. These are polarising examples of how effective post-credits scenes can be. Both characters would be known to fans of Marvel Comics, however Nick Fury introduced himself and was obviously portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson which makes him a bad-ass character just from that 30 seconds.

However Thanos, who may not be as well known to mainstream audiences, had mentions throughout The Avengers until ultimately being shown briefly in the post-credits scene but not being named nor even portrayed by the actor who would eventually portray him.

Phase Two had a slough of post-credits character debuts. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were teased as "The Twins" with a mini power display at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World introduced Benicio Del Toro's Collector who would go on to have a bigger role in Guardians of the Galaxy which itself introduced Howard the Duck who has only ever had cameos in the movies.

Phase Three wasn't so much about debuts as it was about teases and setups. Captain America: Civil War set up both the then upcoming Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming movies. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 only teased the introduction of Adam Warlock without officially showing him and this was just one of 5 post-credits scenes that, like the movie, were mainly just about fun. Meanwhile after a harrowing snap twist at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel was introduced via a pager symbol which was later paid off in Captain Marvel.

Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel meanwhile all tied in with the overarching Infinity War/Endgame story and thus helped progress those movies with backstory.

The final instalment of Phase Three, Spider-Man: Far From Home, introduced and reintroduced JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson in the MCU. This proved to be both a shock and delight for fans who love seeing the actor in the role, while the scene also setup No Way Home's plot by revealing Spider-Man's identity to the world.

As for Phase Four, this is where the controversy has come in as while 2021's Black Widow and Shang-Chi's scenes teased the future of the MCU with setups for the Hawkeye series and Shang-Chi's future in the MCU overall, 2022's slate of movies, as well as 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home have characters introduced to the MCU only as a soft introduction.

Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom was transported over from the Sony Spider-Verse at the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, leading to fans believing he would be a major part of Spider-Man: No Way Home similar to the other Spidey villains. However, rather than any physical interaction with other villains or Tom Holland's Spider-Man, he only appeared in the latter movie's post-credits scene with somewhat of a tourist reaction to the MCU before being transported back to his universe, only to leave a piece of the Venom symbiote behind.

Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder all introduced new characters in their mid-credits scenes and while Starfox and Hercules got formal introductions while Clea and Blade either just appeared or had their voices off-screen, it seems Disney and Marvel were relying more on the star power and shock factor behind the characters introductions rather than the importance of the introductions themselves.

We already knew Mahershala Ali had been cast as Blade and that he was getting his own movie, so it was a surprise to have him involved in the end-credits scene for Eternals that was about setting up Kit Harrington's Dane Whitman on his future as Black Knight, but what wasn't surprising is nobody knew who's voice it was while watching, I even had to look it up afterwards because they don't do even to cement that yes that is Mahershala Ali's Blade and yes this does probably mean that Kit Harrington will appear in his movie.

Introducing Harry Style as Starfox was actually ruined for me going into the movie, I think it got out at the premiere so then the internet already knew going in. I wasn't a massive fan when I heard the news but seeing him in the role actually makes sense, but again I question anyone who isn't a die-hard comics fan to know who Starfox is.

Clea is a fan-favourite of the comics who eventually married Doctor Strange. she is also considered to be the female counterpart of Doctor Strange similar to Jane Foster's Mighty Thor. She also has a very visually striking look which is probably why Feige thought fans that knew would know. The real importance of her introduction for me at least was that Charlize Theron had been finally cast in the MCU after not being cast as Captain Marvel despite fan campaigns.

Then as for Hercules, I guarantee you people are going to think of either the Greek demigod or the Disney version before they realise there is actually a Hercules in Marvel canon, yes it is still based off the Greek myth but he is a Marvel variant character. I personally don't know the actor, I just about remember him from an episode of Doctor Who but it was a completely different character to Hercules...and again I think the main purpose of this introduction was to push the Thor franchise forward with the promise of more Olympians.

But none of the Phase 4 debuts are really paying off, and honestly for the likes of Hercules and maybe Clea they could have been introduced in the main movies and gotten proper introductions. Particularly with the upcoming MCU slate being so crowded currently, who knows when we'll next see Starfox or Clea or Hercules, and if Feige wants us to be excited for these new characters we need to see more of them.

Going Forward:

I genuinely feel the post-credits scene should be about teasing the future stories more than debuting new characters, by all means expand on those characters in the post-credits scenes but having them debut and that's it in the post-credits scenes is getting to the point of being a waste with no foreseeable pay-off.

Not knowing everything about Marvel Comics, the only upcoming MCU movie I could see introducing new characters in the post-credits scenes is the as yet undated Fantastic Four movie. If the movie focuses on Doctor Doom as the main villain then the scenes may introduce or tease Galactus and/or Silver Surfer, or vice versa.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or The Marvels could introduce Phyla-Vell or Nova, but that remains to be seen. I would however recommend they be introduced in the movies as opposed to post-credits scenes.

So those are my thoughts on the current state of MCU post-credits scenes, what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more MCU spotlights as well as other posts.

#mcu #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #the avengers #iron man #clea #starfox #guardians of the galaxy #post-credits

[captainmdhridoyhossain-blog]

[ad_1] Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hasn't beginning capturing simply but, in spite of considered one of its stars showing to substantiate that it had.Taking to Twitter on October 20, director James Gunn set the document directly after Megastar-Lord actor Chris Pratt prompt that essential images had begun at the MCU film.Gunn did, then again, trace that filming would start within the close to long term. Check out Gunn's tweet beneath:Regardless of tales on the contrary, we've not began capturing #GotGVol3 but (however we're beautiful shut).October 19, 2021See extraTalking in a Twitter video on Monday, October 19, Pratt had reputedly showed that manufacturing on Guardians 3 had begun. The actor stated: "I am at the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Quantity 3. That is day one, which is why those sick-ass mutton chops are again."Gunn, even though, adopted up his preliminary tweet to give an explanation for why there have been crossed wires over Pratt's revelation. In a separate tweet, Gunn stated that the Parks and Rec. celebrity is "rehearsing and doing digital camera assessments and stuff" ahead of including that "capturing is some time off".Guardians of the Galaxy 3 can be filmed along with the Guardians' upcoming Vacation Particular for Disney Plus. The latter challenge is slated for unencumber in December 2022, whilst Guardians 3 will arrive in theaters on Might 5, 2023.Guardians 3's unencumber date is safeguarded(Symbol credit score: Surprise Studios)Guardians 3 would possibly not have entered manufacturing but, however that is confirmed to be a blessing in conceal for the impending Surprise flick.At the identical day that Pratt seemed to ascertain its filming get started date, Marvel Studios announced that a number of of its upcoming motion pictures' release dates had been being driven again. Doctor Strange 2, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Marvels, and Ant-Guy and the Wasp: Quantumania have all been behind schedule by way of 3 months – a call that leaves each and every manufacturing with extra construction time.Guardians 3 was once slated to reach in 2023 along Ant-Guy 3 however, in contrast to its fellow threequel, its unencumber wasn't shunted again by way of Surprise. Why? Just because it hasn't began filming. Most important images started on Ant-Guy 3 in July 2021, whilst the opposite motion pictures indexed above are both of their post-production segment or are these days being shot.So the truth that Guardians 3 is but to go into complete manufacturing has been a blessing in conceal. Positive, it seems like it's going to be some time ahead of filming starts, however a minimum of Guardians enthusiasts would possibly not be pressured to attend longer to learn how their tale ends.Something we do learn about Guardians 3 is that it's going to after all introduce fan favourite hero Adam Warlock to the MCU. Will Poulter was recently cast in the role, so it is been a hectic time for the movie forward of it going into complete manufacturing. [ad_2] #Guardians #hasnt #beginning #filming,[email protected] (Tom Energy) , 2021-10-20 09:20:19 ,