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lokiinmediasideblog · 7 months

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Myth!Loki's Hair Color: Common Depictions

Because the AI user that just annoyed me also claimed myth!Loki's canonical hair color is blonde and that's why they did that crappy blonde MCU!Loki AI art, and I am feeling spiteful cus fuck AI and that eyesore, and I need to wash that off my brain.

AND I KNOW this claim came from those people that interact with THAT ONE VERY obnoxious Sigyn stan that pretends to be a Norse mythology expert despite never providing proper citations or citing modern myth re-tellings and whines about children's story books not being accurate. Ask her to cite her claims and actually look at the sources, for the love of Loki!

LOKI HAS NO KNOWN HAIR COLOR IN THE MYTHS! THERE's NO SOURCE FOR THAT! Loki's also a shape-shifter! Loki can have their hair look like whatever the fuck they want. To my knowledge, the only gods that have confirmed hair colors are myth!Thor, who is said to a red-head, and myth!Sif being a blonde who gets a wig of magical gold to substitute her chorn hair. There's also a description of myth!Heimdall who is said to be the "whitest" god, implying blonde/white hair? Loki's only mentioned to be pretty, assumed to be Aesir -sized rather than gigantic, likely smaller than myth!Thor because myth!Thor can kick his ass and he can hold onto Thor's belt when crossing a river (Skáldskaparmál), and have scars on his lips due to them being sown shut.

Also from Gylfanning: "Loki is beautiful and comely to look upon, evil in spirit., very fickle in habit. He surpassed other men in that wisdom which is called 'sleight,' and had artifices for all occasions; he would ever bring the Æsir into great hardships, and then get them out with crafty counsel."

There's also the Snaptun stone, believed to be Loki due to the scarred lips, giving him a mustache.

The most common and widespread hair color depictions of Loki have red/ginger/orangey hair due to Loki mistakenly being thought to associated with fire because their name's too similar to the fire personification Jotun's name, Logi, because Richard Wagner fucked up in his Ring Cycle Operas and combined the two of them into "Loge". Arthur Rackham's illustrations based on Wagner's Ring Cycle are possibly the most influential in that regard because they're fucking awesome. Even GOW made their Loki depiction a red-head.

And here's a painting that looks like a ginger to me by James Doyle Penrose (1912):

The second most common hair color depiction is black hair, probably thanks to Marvel as it's most prevalent in modern depictions (e.g. Alan Cumming's Loki in "Son of the Mask", whom I fucking love).

There's also the Valhalla comics that started in 1979 (after Marvel, but I don't think that contributed AT ALL because Vallhala comics are way more myth-accurate and fucking awesome. I am just including it here because it's a black-haired Loki depiction).

There's also Eric M. Esquivel's Ragnarok n' Roll (have not read and I am not inclined to do so, but it kept showing up in my loki searches 10+ years ago and its existence was archived in my brain due to that). Is it me or does he looks like Cantinflas because of the mustache?

This is Cantinflas btw

There's also Jul I Valhall Loke (Thanks Scandinavian Twitter users for showing me this gem even if I can't understand the language. I am forever grateful.)

youtube

And surprisingly, Marvel was not the first to give him black hair. Marten Eskil Winge portrayed Loki with black hair in his 1863 painting "Loki and Sigyn."

Neil Gaiman has depicted Loki with a variety of hair colors, USUALLY as a literally "fiery" red-head (Sandman comics & American Gods book), whatever Johnathan Tucker's hair color is in the American Gods TV show, and black-haired (Norse Mythology graphic novel).

There's a brown-haired Loki depiction in Assassin's Creed (I have not played it btw).

And sometimes he's just some demonic thing with horns:

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tyrannuspitch · 2 months

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Assorted Thor comic recs

I recently combed through a LOT of fairly random Thor comics; these are the best ones I've found so far. I went in without much in the way of guidance or expectations, so I don't really know whether this is a typical list of universally agreed greatest hits, or slightly more unorthodox with some hidden gems, but either way, I hope it's useful to someone.

These stories are all recent (2010 or later), and pretty short (from 20 to 160 pages). The first three are self-contained and beginner-friendly; they could function as introductions to Thor comics. The fourth is a subversion, so you need some general familiarity with Thor comics, but continuity is still not very important. The last one works best if you have also read, at minimum, Agent of Asgard.

So, in no particular order...

Thor: Where Walk the Frost Giants (one issue, 20 pages)

This is a short story in which Thor has to foil a frost giant invasion of Asgard, with the help of a young boy who idolises him. I'll admit the plot is fairly generic - but it's the best side of generic. The art style is halfway between retro comics and a storybook, with gorgeous colouring. The cheesy Silver Age high fantasy dialogue is rendered lovingly and unapologetically. This is a love letter to quintessential Thor comics without the racism/sexism/etc that often weigh them down, and it helped me, as someone who first loved Thor in its self-subverting forms, to appreciate the straight versions at their best.

2. Thor: Season One (one issue, 100 pages)

This is a funny, clever, fast-paced retelling of Thor's origin story as Donald Blake. I love its take on Donald Blake - it makes him a compelling character of his own, and his identity/existential crisis is the most emotionally compelling part of the story. Donald/Thor's relationship with Jane is another highlight. The Asgard plotline is, in my opinion, a little bit shallow, but it is still consistently entertaining. The art is beautiful, highly expressive, and particularly good at portraying magic/wonder.

3. Thor the Mighty Avenger (eight issues, from 2010 - not to be confused with the 2011 run of the same name)

This is a Thor backstory more akin to MCU Thor, with no Donald Blake, but it takes place over much longer than three days, and it expands Thor and Jane's relationship beautifully. Its Thor characterisation is layered, incredibly charming, and easily some of the best: a noble, out-of-touch weirdo with no self-preservation instinct and some delightful "sad wet cat" moments, slowly learning to love Earth.

The art is simple, charming and highly expressive, reminiscent of a retro comic, but with more modern designs.

4. Thor: For Asgard (six issues)

This series follows Thor as a new king struggling to maintain order as the Asgardian empire is threatened by uprisings, civil war, and possibly the coming of Ragnarok. It's a very dark take on Asgard and on Thor himself, verging on horror at times, and featuring, among other things: gore, war crimes, discussion of rape, more than one ritual suicide, and a journey through Hel. It definitely won't be for everyone, but personally, I found it incredibly refreshing. ("They're trigger warnings to you; to me they're the reason it's on my reading list"...)

The art reminds me of 80s/90s fantasy movies - shadowy and rich with gothic details like furs, candles, and skulls.

5. The Immortal Thor (currently six issues, ongoing)

This series follows Thor's fight against the gods of Utgard, each of whom is essentially a darker and more powerful mirror of an Asgardian god. It's an ongoing series, part of a continuity I'm not perfectly caught up on, but I'm really enjoying it anyway.

The art is beautiful - very colourful, with an excellent sense of magic and wonder - and the writing is incredible, the best I've encountered in any comic. It's clever, funny, subtle, and emotionally compelling, and it succeeds in balancing them all.

Although it's Thor-centric, this story's Loki characterisation is also really good - what's it's doing with the God(dess) of Stories role is fun and, afaik, completely new; and it's leading to some really interesting explorations of Thor and Loki's relationship.

Thus concludes my list. I'm not sure how to tie something like this up, but I feel like it looks odd if I don't. Bon appetit?

#space viking tag #comic rec #wow this took longer than i expected it to.#oh no what time is it.#anyway if you put tfa and ttma in a blender you'd have my ideal thor characterisation. he's just a silly little guy. (guilty of atrocities.#UwU.

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buffyfan145 · 1 year

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I was thinking yesterday with the new footage of season 2 of “Loki” coming out again how Loki and Sauron are quite similar and it dawned on me that Haladriel really is similar to Loki and his wife Sigyn in ways. I always knew Tolkien was heavily influenced by Norse Mythology when creating all his stories as there’s gods, elves, dwarfs, men, and other similar creatures and Midguard being Middle Earth especially when I started reading it myself after the first “Thor” film having already been a fan of LOTR (and thanks to Neil Gaiman’s condensed modern English writing of it). But of course loving Loki I was always fascinated about the story of his wife Sigyn, who in Marvel Comics gets the title the Goddess of Fidelity for loving him and staying by his side through out all the trickery and mischief he causes. Sigyn’s normally depicted as an Asguardian with having blonde or red hair and blue eyes, while Loki is half Asguardian and Jotun but usually has the dark hair and green eyes but is also a shapeshifter too (and one of their sons became a werewolf). Not to mention Loki’s MCU costume resembles Sauron’s armor.

The big part that makes me think of Haladriel now too was he fell in love with her first and thought she wouldn’t love him as she was engaged to another. So he at one point shapeshifts into her fiance and tricks her into marrying him instead. She was angry at him for a while but the realized she actually loved him more than the guy she was supposed to marry and decided to stay with Loki as his real self. Then there’s also the story of how she helped him while he was imprisoned. Marvel Comics also gave Sigyn more story too as Loki taught her how to use magic similar to his own, and they did try to rule over the 9 realms at one point too as king and queen. Of course the MCU has redeemed Loki (and I love his relationship with his brother Thor) and while Sigyn seems to not exist they do seem to have given part of her story to Sylvie in the “Loki” series as she’s a female Loki from another universe and one of the MCU’s Loki’s love interests.

So do love having another ship of mine that Haladriel is reminding me so much of and that Tolkien would’ve known about as they were part of stories he grew up hearing and reading about.

#the lord of the rings #the rings of power #galadriel x halbrand #haladriel #galadriel #halbrand #sauron

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therenlover · 3 years

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Therenlover’s Official Fanfic Glossary!

Hey hey hey! This is the place where you can find all my up-to-date fanfics linked nicely, read about what projects I have upcoming, and learn what requests I’m taking at the moment! Cheers!

This post is massive so, for the sake of your dash, everything is under the cut

A NOTE ABOUT REQUESTS!

I will do my best to fulfill any requests I get while my ask box/requests are open! That being said, I cannot promise every request will get done, and that if they do, they’ll be done in a timely manner. I’m currently working on a long-form project that needs a lot of time and energy to come out consistently, so unless I’m doing a writing event most of my writing juice will be focused on that. That being said, if you want something ask! The worst I can possibly do is direct you towards someone else who might be able to write what you want if I cant.

If I choose not to do your request based on personal preference (it makes me uncomfy/I don’t write for the character at that time/I don’t feel I can write what you want/etc.) I will do my best to contact you and let you know! That being said, if you think your ask got buried/forgotten, feel free to message me again and let me know, but please tell me when you message me if I should be looking for a prior request.

Characters/Fandoms I will write for currently

💙 = I’m Currently Super Inspired To Write For This Character

Marvel/X-Men

Bucky Barnes

Loki

Peter Maximoff 💙

Pietro Maximoff

Helmut Zemo 💙

Hank McCoy

Ralph Bohner 💙

Vision

American Horror Story

Tate Langdon

Kit Walker 💙

Kyle Spencer (Pre- and Post- Death)

Jimmy Darling 💙

James Patrick March 💙

Kai Anderson

Fallout 4

Nick Valentine

Hancock

Star Wars

Poe Dameron

Armitage Hux 💙

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo

Finn

Han Solo

Assorted/Random

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne - FGO

Cu Chulainn/Cu Alter - FGO

Warren Lipka - American Animals 💙

Enjolras - Les Miserables

Grantaire - Les Miserables

Gabriel - Supernatural

Imagines - REQUESTS CLOSED

Songs From Musicals Y/N Would Sing To The Evans

Characters: Tate Langdon, Kit Walker, Kyle Spencer, Jimmy Darling, James Patrick March, Kai Anderson, Peter Maximoff

Rating: T

How The Evans (+ Quicksilver) Would React To Yoplait’s New Gushers Yogurt

Characters: Tate Langdon, Kit Walker, Kyle Spencer, Jimmy Darling, James Patrick March, Rory Monahan, Kai Anderson, Peter Maximoff

Rating: T

Would The Danny Bunch Survive A Holiday With My Family?

Characters: Laszlo Kreizler, Alex Kerner, Niki Lauda, Andrea Marowski, Ernst Schmidt, Helmut Zemo

Rating: T

Headcanons - REQUESTS CLOSED

Modern! AU Armitage Hux Boyfriend Headcanons

Zemo With A Well Dress S/O Headcanons

Zemo Getting Jealous Headcanons

Oneshots - REQUESTS CLOSED

Marvel/X-Men

Helmut Zemo

One Last Night In Madripoor

Synopsis: Baron Helmut Zemo is a lonely, wanted man looking for some fun, you’re a piss-poor bounty hunter in search of a connection before leaving your life of crime behind, and fate has brought you together at a party the likes of which has never been seen before. You only have one night left in Madripoor, so why not take a chance?

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 4200~

Still Some Catching Up To Do

Synopsis: As a member of the criminal underworld, people walk out of your life all the time. Some are killed, others kill themselves, most get caught and only a couple get out of the life unscathed, disappearing into the world never to be seen again. Very few walk back in. So when your supposedly incarcerated ex-lover, the Winter Soldier, and the Falcon waltzed through your door and made you murder your boss, needless to say, you were surprised and more than a little bit pissed.

Rating: 16+

Word Count: 6800~

Nine Years Starved

Synopsis: It had been a little over nine years since Helmut Zemo lost his family, his country, and his sanity. Nine years since his last kiss. Nine years since he felt like a human man. Finally, he was ready to start over again, but first, he had to pay his penance back where it all began; Novi Grad. That’s when, by the grace of the fates, he met you.

Rating: G

Word Count: 7000~

Daddy Dearest

Synopsis: Not everyone gets lucky enough to go from being a broke college student in New York to being the sugar baby to literal royalty, but not everyone is you. Most people would be worried about messing things up or losing him to someone else, but you knew he would never find another baby just like you. Besides, you knew exactly what to do to keep him wrapped around your little finger. He may have been the daddy, but you pulled the reins.

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 8000~

In Fleeting Touches & Airy Sighs

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

Synopsis: As a wanted man, Helmut Zemo spends most of his time jumping from place to place in the hopes of avoiding a trip back to prison. Unfortunately, that means he can’t always be home in your arms. When he is, though, in the rare moments of calm, you’re reminded of just how worth it it’s been to wait, even if that wait was only shortened by the arrival of your enemies.

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 35,700~

Two Bodies In The Rain

Synopsis: It was raining the day you finally had to admit your feelings to Helmut. You hated to tell him the way you did, under the grey skies as your blood pooled below you, but at least you knew, in the end, he had seen the real you, even just once. That was enough.

Rating: T

Word Count: 5600~

Rest

Synopsis: Living life on the lam with your escaped super-villain lover means things rarely slow down enough for a real rest. When the exhaustion starts to take its toll on you, though, he knows exactly what to do to ease the pain. He may not be a good man, but he’s a good husband when it counts.

Rating: T

Word Count: 3200~

American Horror Story

Jimmy Darling

Red Nights In Jupiter

Synopsis: At the end of another long day, you fall into bed with Jimmy Darling. The men you served throughout the day don’t matter then, nor do the coins in the mason jar by the door, or the women scheduled to attend Jimmy’s next Tupperware party. No, in that quiet darkness it’s just you and the man you love, bone-tired and happy to be home. Who could ask for more?

Rating: 16+

Word Count: 3000~

James Patrick March

Heartsick

Synopsis: When you fall ill, James is given a forceful awakening about how he’s been neglecting your needs and what he must do to prevent harm from befalling you again.

Rating: 16+

Word Count: 3700~

In Sickness And In Health

Synopsis: Normally people don’t have their wedding and funeral on the same day, but you and James don’t quite have a normal relationship, do you? Besides, you wouldn’t wanna go any other way.

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 5500~

Fallout 4

Currently Empty

Star Wars

Currently Empty

Assorted/Random

Currently Empty

Long Form Works/Series

Young Artist!Zemo AU

Chapter One: The Boy With The Easel

Synopsis: About a month into your first semester at Novi Grad’s top university, you finally meet the strange young man that you’ve taken to calling “easel boy” in the back of a bookshop. From a distance, he always seemed cold and aloof. As you get to know him, though, you realize things aren’t always what they seem.

Rating: T

Word Count: 7000~

Till Forever Falls Apart (A Peter Maximoff/Reader Series)

Chapter One: Welcome Home

Synopsis: As if getting thrown through the multiverse, trapped in an attic (albeit a cool one), mind-controlled to manipulate his grieving sister, and subsequently dragged out of Westview “for his own safety” by the FBI wasn’t enough, Peter Maximoff has now been shipped off to New York to live with a glorified baby sitter like some tragic orphan in a comic book until they find a way to get him back home. Things are not always as they seem, though, and this change might just be for the better.

Rating: T

Word Count: 2400~

Chapter Two: The Doctor Is In

Synopsis: Peter’s first few days in his new home are mostly uneventful, so he decides it’s the perfect time to dust off his running goggles and steal some shit. The building with the massive circular stained glass window seems like a great place to start! People with buildings that lavish are usually rich and weak, so what could possibly go wrong?

Rating: T

Word Count: 2800~

Chapter Three: It’s Always Been You

Synopsis: After a month of adapting to his new universe, Peter Maximoff can confidently say that he likes his new life more than his old one. Sure, he misses home sometimes, but he’s been far too busy flirting with his new roommate to spend time crying over the things he’s lost. Everything is smooth sailing until a strange journal in his roommate’s study leaves him with more questions than he knows what to do with. Now he’s on a mission to discover who he’s really living with before she has the chance to turn against him.

Rating: T

Word Count: 8600~

Chapter Four: Before You Go

Synopsis: Peter, after days of contemplation, has realized that part of him loves Y/N no matter what she is or what she’s been through. Unfortunately, he can’t find her anywhere. When she finally returns home with the intention of leaving again, Peter realizes it’s his last chance to tell her how he really feels. Will he succeed, or will he fail to be fast enough once again?

Rating: T

Word Count: 4000~

Chapter Four And A Half: Gimme Swayze

Synopsis: Now that the issue of Y/N leaving is out of the way, and Peter has finally kissed her, he falls into the motions of learning how to love someone for the first time. It’s easier than he thought it would be.

Rating: T

Word Count; 2600~

Cakes For The Evans: A Blogging And Baking Adventure!

Kai Anderson’s Disaster Cake

Hey you! If you’ve made it this far down the list, thanks for supporting me as an author! I’ll be linking my AO3 here. I post everything there shortly before I post it here, and there are some older fics there you might enjoy along the way! It’s also easier to drop comments over there and I keep them open for non-members, so give me a shout if you liked what I wrote!

I love you all, you make me so happy, and without you support I would never be motivated to write! Cheers!

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maxmagi · 3 years

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A List of My OTPs

because it's 11 and I can't sleep.

Enjolras x Grantaire a.k.a. Enjoltaire a.k.a. ExR- Les Mis

How I fell into this I don't remember now. I vaguely remember reading a crackfic of this and then everything just went sideways.

This was also the fandom that helped me realize that I wasn't exactly straight and that it's okay to not be loud about my sexuality, that I can just be.

I think that explains my attachment to this ship, not to mention just the movie's Grantaire (played by George Blagden) also shipped the characters and played his character like how he thought it should be, Grantaire loving and pining after Enjolras without the revolutionary knowing it.

Except in the fan fics, Enjolras returns his feelings and they work it out, even though it's not easy because they're both stubborn as mules. Ah, ultimate fantasy I guess. And the number of great fics here, *whistle*

Also, the Les Amis? Is amazing? Especially in the modern AUs? Like they're great friends? I love this fandom so much! Permets-tu!

Shen Wei x Zhao Yunlan - Guardian / Zhen Hun

C'mon, Zhu Yilong & Bai Yu's performance and emotions? Plus just the fact the fanfic writers of this ship are absolutely amazing? Please, escape from this pairing is impossible!

Best opposites attract trope for me. An academic by day, superhero by night in love with a roguish police chief who has no powers but whose charisma, wit, and heart can get him to toe to toe with the legends.

Also, Professor Shen Wei constantly acting like an innocent civilian and lying badly? Gold!

Loki x Tony Stark a.k.a. FrostIron - Avengers

How did I honestly get to this ship? I really can't remember what started it all. I think it must have been a Loki redemption fic where Tony Stark and Pepper broke up and something something happened. Let me tell you, the writers of this ship have written sagas and ballads of epic and sometimes confusing proportions, and that is why I fell deeper into the pit. I mean, they gotta give justice to two brilliant but chaotic characters, right? Angst. This ship has sooooooooo much angst.

Eiji x Ash - Banana Fish

My god, if you want to keep your heart intact and not be reminded of all that's ugly in the world, DON'T WATCH OR READ BANANA FISH. YOUR HEART WILL NEVER HEAL!

If you're gonna watch/read it anyway, make sure to watch something fluffy and sweet after. There's a reason that people from this fandom go, "If you've seen Banana Fish's ending, then you can handle whatever angsty show you're watching now." ~ or something to that effect. Another thing we like to say in this fandom is, "Other fandoms: Let's write a Mafia AU! Banana Fish fandom: We are the Mafia AU." Yes, all of us in this fandom is dramatic af.

Yuuri x Viktor - Yuuri!!! on Ice

Uh, does this really need an explanation? Aside from the fact that you will surprisingly find a lot of Mafia AUs here because we all know that hiding behind that beautiful face of Viktor Nikiforov is a devil capable of... tearing down your self-confidence, like WTF Viktor, don't make Yuuri cry! Also, their dance together at the end, such beautiful love.

Magnus Bane x Alec Lightwood aka Malec - Shadowhunters

I never read the books and have no plans to in the near future. I just saw a video on Youtube about why Malec is life and now here I am, still reading some Malec fics from time to time.

Some stuff on the show were WTF but overall they were a really good couple who supported each other. Plus, they're a Power Couple.

Erwin x Levi aka Eruri - Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin

Not to be confused with Ereri, which is Eren x Levi, which I don't generally ship except for that one time when a writer wrote an epic fanfic series with Eren in his mid 20s and Levi in his late 20s/early 30s, reincarnation AU. Boy was that one a surprise. I did not expect that.

Anyway, I'm an Eruri fan through and through. Especially with that promise that Levi made to Erwin. And the reason he gave the serum to Armin. HE DIDN'T DO IT FOR THE KIDS YKNOW. HE DID IT FOR ERWIN. Plus, Levi, Erwin, and Hange are my special trio. Erwin's batch was really amazing.

Also, I really like the fact that the shorter and slighter person is the more badass fighter while the taller, bigger one is the more calculating and strategic one. Rocks the boat of stereotypes and all that. Bonus: how these two met. My god, what a meet-cute! 😂

Dani x Jamie aka The Au Pair and the Gardener - The Haunting of Bly Manor

It really is more of a love story than a ghost story. I dunno how to feel about this. I loved these two characters so much and I wished they had a better ending but I wasn't SO surprised because it was a horror series (Like, I was still hoping at the end that they'd be together forever but yknow...). In any case, Jamie was just awesome. And her nickname for Dani? Poppins?! God, what a lover and fighter. She was not afraid to cock a gun in a ghost's face.

... and now for my flexible BROTPs

Merlin x Arthur aka Merthur - BBC Merlin

Yeah, my brain is so chaotic multiple OTPs and BROTPs of the same pairing exist at the same time without clashing with one another or having major identity crises.

I actually really like BROTP Merlin and Arthur and also like reading OTP Merthur.

And when Merlin is paired with Morgana or Freya or sometimes even Gwaine, that's fine with me too. As long as his bromance with Arthur stays intact, because that's what drew me to the show in the first place. Personal preference. I see them as platonic soulmates.

*Shout-out to the Merthur writers though, you kept me sane during my "Post-Merlin Depression," which is actually a term thrown around in the fandom because of that horrid final season (not saying it's a good term but it's what it was called). A lot of amazing fics here, too, both Magic Reveal and Modern AU ones. Full of action and adventure too! I mean, there are boy-band-looking Knights and magic-wielding badasses!

Tim Drake x Conner Kent/Kon-El aka Red Robin x Super Boy - DC Comics

More like flexible otp. I dig Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake BUT I really really also dig Tim Drake and Conner Kent. When they're TimKon, it's like an entirely different entity from TimSteph. Ugh, hard to explain.

I mean, Kon telling Tim, "You'll always be my Robin" and Tim telling Kon, "And you'll always be my clone boy" is the shit. Also when Kon could pick out/recognize Tim's heartbeat. And when Tim nearly went mad scientist trying to bring his bestie back. Like, dudes, wtf. And at the same time, hell yeah.

Liu Kang x Kung Lao aka LiuLao - Mortal Kombat

- I see these two as more like ride or die best friends connected by fate/platonic soulmates. But also like their dynamic is so awesome, cute, sweet, badass, can't-live-without-you vibes.

Basically the same way I feel about Merthur. I like reading both romantic and platonic relationships between these two characters. Like, the LiuLao fan creators peeling off the layers of this relationship and exposing every raw nerve is beautiful.

They love diving into the characters' psyche, emotions, motivations, fears, and doubts and you get really amazed because... Aren't they just characters from a video game, you ask? Well yeah, but MK video game has several interesting storylines and the Mortal Kombat 2021 movie was just the perfect jumpstarter to this beautiful blaze.

I mean, "We swore that if we were to die, it would be together"? Hell no, you're not dropping that on us and not expecting us to create our very own spin-offs and 12-page essays on that shit. That's what we fans do, baby. And also, really, we need a shaolin monks/white lotus spin-off/prequel. We're starving here.

As this ship is the newest one on my list, it's the one I'm looking forward to the most. Not enough fan content, I tell you. Not enough. One of these days, I just might add my own.

But right now, it's past 1 and so I shall attempt to sleep.

***No images for TimKon and LiuLao coz apparently I've gone past my 10-images allowance 😤

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whumpapedia · 3 years

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The following have been added to the Whumpapedia:

TV Shows: 24 Chicago Fire Chicago Med Chicago PD Chicago Fire Clarice Downton Abbey Glee Heroes Legends of Tomorrow Loki Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries NCIS: New Orleans Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure Star Wars: The Bad Batch Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Thunderbirds Are Go

Movies: Now You See Me, Now You See Me 2

Anime: RWBY

Books: Vicious, The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4), Hollow Folk Series (1-4)

Comics/Manga/GNs: Let's Play, LUMINE

Video Games: Final Fantasy VII Remake Cyberpunk 2077 The Walking Dead: Season One (Telltale) The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (Telltale)

International TV: Alarm fur Cobra 11, The Rain

Thanks to everyone who contributed!!

Friendly reminder: we don't post whump for actors who were minors when they were whumped. (This goes for the live-action stuff like TV Shows and Movies. Animation/Books/Comics etc. are exempt.)

#additions #mod the wandering whumper

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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MCU Phase 4 and 5: What the Multiverse Means for the Future of Marvel Movies and TV

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains Loki spoilers and potential spoilers for the wider MCU.

The ending of the Loki season finale made one pretty substantial change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The introduction of a full multiverse, caused by Sylvie killing He Who Remains, is an enormous shift in the cosmogony of the MCU. And it opens up some fascinating story possibilities for Marvel’s film heroes. So what does the introduction of a full, unlimited multiverse mean for the future of the MCU?

Hopefully, everything. Literally.

There are obvious near-term implications to Loki’s finale. It answered questions that Spider-Man: No Way Home (with its purported multiversal Sinister Six) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness asked back when Loki first premiered. Specifically: “What do you mean there’s only one universe?”

The beauty of time travel is that now, there is and has always been a full multiverse in the context of the MCU. Because whatever Kang War happened far in Loki’s subjective past (because the timelines were left to run wild when Sophie killed He Who Remains), the entire history of the MCU is now potentially subject to retcons as necessary. So the strong implication from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse that that movie and all its various spider-people existed on Earths parallel to Tom Holland’s MCU can now be considered accurate, even though the movie came out years before Loki was even a twinkle in Kevin Feige’s master MCU spreadsheet.

Time travel is a trip, man. It’s also beautiful. Literally anything is possible now.

What Does the MCU Multiverse Mean for Marvel TV?

This sort of thing happens all the time in comics. The slang is “retcon,” comics-speak for retroactive continuity, where creators reach into their characters’ pasts to change something that impacts their present.

Loki’s infinite multiverse sets up the entirety of Marvel history for any number of retcons that the folks in charge might deem necessary. It allows current MCU casts and crews to cherry pick what they liked from old MCU projects and fold them into this new normal. All those times Agents of SHIELD didn’t quite line up with what the movies were doing? The show was on an alternate Earth! Want Ghost Rider back without the TV baggage? Blame it on a Kang!

And grabbing the stuff that worked from old projects means porting in the good actors, too. That means people like J.K. Simmons, the Platonic ideal of J. Jonah Jameson, can continue playing the role across from three different Spider-Men, or Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio can show up as Daredevil and Kingpin in Spider-Man: No Way Home while Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings nukes Netflix’s Iron Fist continuity from orbit. Wondering how Ms. Marvel could potentially deal with concepts from the Inhumans without ever mentioning that disastrous TV show? Now we know.

Could the MCU Multiverse Retcon Marvel Movies?

This same ability to pick and choose the continuity most appropriate for the story applies to decisions the movies made, too. A full multiverse lets future filmmakers bring back Chris Evans as Captain America or Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow (OK…maybe not ScarJo) without burdening the MCU with yet another time paradox. As far as we’re concerned, pre-Marvel Studios curiosities like all those crazy old live action Marvel TV shows or Howard the Duck or Dolph Lundgren’s take on The Punisher are now officially canon somewhere within the multiverse.

Phil Coulson could show up in Phase 6 leading a Squadron Supreme (just like in the comics), out for vengeance against the Avengers because they let his Earth 20085 brother die. Hell, if they really wanted to get dirty, Nick Fury could hire Deadpool to kill Coulson in retaliation, like in the comics. Wait, that was Secret Empire,wasn’t it? Never mind, don’t do that.

Anyway, you get the idea.

The possibilities are as infinite as the imaginations of the writers, limited only by Kevin Feige’s patience/sense of humor. Don’t expect anything too crazy: the time travel solution in Avengers: Endgame was wild, but before Loki, that was far and away the most ridiculous comic book science the MCU had trafficked in. Typical MCU adaptations include much more modest nods to comics’ wackier elements – Eternals pending – like secret societies that had taken over SHIELD or Kurt Russell being Chris Pratt’s dad. So that ultra-maxi series that starts out a movie, moves into a TV show, has a comic tie in that directly crosses over with the show, and wraps up in Avengers 6 that we’re all hoping will come to pass is probably not on the horizon.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths Problem

An infinite multiverse doesn’t just mean possibility. It has a trap built in, too. The biggest multiverse story of all time, probably the one that set the template for future interactions with the concept, was DC Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths. That book set the standard for multiversal destruction, collapsing DC’s infinite comics timelines down to one single Earth and one single timeline. Gone were the separate Earths for the modern Justice League and the World War II Justice Society, replaced by one, unified timeline. And while the comic itself was a masterpiece, miraculously balanced by Marv Wolfman and beautifully drawn by George Perez; what it wrought on the DCU was 30 years of explainers why the Green Lantern of World War II still looked 35, or why Batman has only been operating for five years but went through six Robins in that time.

The cautionary tale here is one of inward looking stories versus expansionary choices. Post-Crisis DC retcons were about fixing problems the writers and editors perceived with the new timeline, and not about telling the best story they could with the characters and continuity they had. This is an easy trap for a new, expanded (but not all the way expanded) MCU to fall into. There are key pieces of the comics that haven’t been ported to the films yet.

The Fantastic Four

The temptation is likely huge to use this new, beautiful, infinite multiverse to introduce the Fantastic Four and the X-Men to the MCU. That’s probably half of a good idea.

The cosmogony of the multiverse is ingrained in who the Fantastic Four are. Their story begins as explorers of the unknown – Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm are bombarded with cosmic radiation after an unauthorized space launch. That origin is very of the time when they were created, and would probably hit different now when the only unauthorized space launches are led by giant assholes. So why not take a page from the end of Secret Wars and have them get their powers exploring the new multiverse? It makes so much sense to do it that way that one is almost suspicious of this entire retcon. But that doesn’t make it any less cool.

The X-Men in the MCU

While introducing the Fantastic Four to the MCU by saying they’ve been off exploring the multiverse would make a certain elegant sense, if Marvel tried to introduce the X-Men that way, it would be hugely problematic.

The core concept of the X-Men is the mutant metaphor, the idea that mutants are hated and feared because of who they are. On a completely superficial level, this is nonsense: what’s the difference between Cyclops’ eye blasts and Captain Marvel zapping Kree ships with fist beams? Why are mutants singled out for scorn and bigotry when someone like Doctor Strange has MUCH more terrifying abilities?

The difference is the idea that mutants are humanity’s destiny. There’s no concern that the majority baseline human population is going to someday be replaced by handsome super-soldiers or radioactive Catholic lawyers. But that genetic distinction – the idea that Magneto and Apocalypse and Pixie and Skids all share a distinct identity, while Captain America and Daredevil and Dr. Druid and Tigra do not – creates tension that allows real world out groups to superimpose their struggles onto X-Men comics and makes them infinitely relatable.

As superficially attractive as the idea of plopping the mutants on their own parallel Earth might be (and trust me, this definitely seems like the simplest justification for keeping Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool in the MCU while jettisoning anything else that is less appealing for audiences or studio execs), putting the mutants on their own separate Earth strips that struggle from the story and makes them just another cape crew.

Worse, using the multiverse as justification that suddenly mutants are here because they came from a parallel timeline disrespects the marginalized people who identify with the X-Men who, like left-handed people, have been here the whole time. Whether society noticed or not.

The Sony Spider-Man Problem

What keeps me up at night about the new Marvel multiverse is the Spider-Man family. The Marvel/Sony relationship has always been…complicated.

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While the new multiverse provides creators with endless storytelling opportunities that could expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also sets up an easy out for the studios to separate the Spider-Man movies from the rest of the MCU. Cleaving off the Spider-family movies wouldn’t be great – I don’t need to be reminded of complicated business deals while I’m at the movies. Dedicating all of a future Spidey movie to explaining why Pete isn’t in the master MCU and can’t talk about Iron Man anymore would almost certainly be a nightmare.

But these inward-looking continuity fixes are the types of stories that Marvel, on page and on screen, has generally avoided (before you jump in the comments to shout “CLONE SAGA” please take into account how much work “generally” is doing in this sentence) with its big multiverse stories. Hopefully they’ll keep making those wise decisions going forward.

The post MCU Phase 4 and 5: What the Multiverse Means for the Future of Marvel Movies and TV appeared first on Den of Geek.

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iturbide · 3 years

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Please, share the chaos.

you guys asked for it don’t blame me

Remember the upcoming Loki issue of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller; get hyped again.

Think about the wedding crashing and where it fits into my personal ordering of the Norse myths, imagine domestic Loki and Sigyn things

Think about Loki’s various relationships through the myths (Angyrboda, Svadilfari, Sigyn), “pretty sure Loki’s genderfluid”

“Also feel like Loki’s allo/aro,” think about headcanon that Loki and Freya are friends with benefits

Get sad about how it all ends, think about the whole ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ aspect again

Think about Heroes and Loki’s involvement, get upset Book 3 again

Book 3 was where Gustav showed his face for the first time, get mad about that, too

“These kids deserve better,” a sentiment echoed through practically every FE game

Think about Chrom and Robin’s terrible fathers especially, want to punch them

Think about Chrobin instead, chill out

Domestic Chrobin...nice

Think about Chrobin modern AUs and all of the fluffy domestic stuff that goes with that

Think about Cardcaptor Lissa again and how they’re boyfriends

Cardcaptor Lissa includes Grima and Tiki bffs, which is something they both deserve

Grima and Tiki were also bffs in the whole conceptual planning for A House Divided, “wow I haven’t thought about that in forever I miss it”

Do I really want Grima to die and reincarnate or can I get away with him surviving and just being massively weakened?

Think about the Grima manakete design again, get happy

“I should draw”

Remember I wanted to do Day of Devotion Sharena alt (and possibly comic?)

Also remember the half-dozen things I have been planning to draw before that

Also also remember that idea I had about doodling for a HeartGold run I want to start

Haven’t planned team yet, need to do that, “I wanna Larvitar”

But I’m already playing AC: Valhalla with a friend

The control scheme is kicking my ass though I either need to figure out how to change up the controls or dial back the difficulty from normal to easy

I had this problem in Origins too which may be part of why I still haven’t finished it, I should go do that too at some point

Origins had great vibes for working on the Assassin’s Creed/Fire Emblem: Awakening crossover too because desert

Think about different ways to do crossovers and how a lot of times it’s either fitting characters and world from one thing into the narrative of the other, or adapting the narrative elements from one thing to the characters and world of the other

AC: Awakening is very much the latter, with the overarching concept of the Assassin/Templar conflict to suit the Awakening setting and characters

So are Cursed Fate and the Promare AU huh I really like that particular style of crossover

Promare reminds me that Life Goes On is gonna be such a monster haha

Think about Anankos‘ stuff again, get happy

Think about their Professor Sothis AU, get excited

Think about pre-timeskip fix-it and dragon!Byleth who is there almost entirely because Bany would like that

Think about dragon stuff, remember the comic I tried reading yesterday that advertised dragons and did not deliver, get disappointed

There are other comics that will be updating tonight, look forward to that instead

Have I checked the other comics I follow lately?

Get distracted temporarily doing that, yay for ✨focus✨

Focus lasts all of 5 minutes, now what the fuck do I do

#answered #alerawolf #look you guys asked #it's basically this #just cascading from one tangentially related topic to another #my brain has been all over since last night #please shut up and let me sleep brain

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yana125 · 3 years

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10 fandoms, 10 characters, 10 tags

Thanks @azorell for tagging me! :D

1. Supernatural – Dean. I’m not writing an essay again X’D

2. Bleach – Rukia. The first fictional character I ever related to (not the most, but as I said, I’m not writing an essay again). She was my… big sister figure as a teen. I love her and she’s beautiful and Kubo did dirty to you in the last few chapters, honey, you deserved better.

3. Star Wars – Ahsoka. She’s just the best. I remember watching the Clone Wars movie and thinking how annoying she was, but then the writing and the character development was so good, she quickly became my favourite character. What did we do to deserve you, Dave Filoni? You single handedly saved the prequel era and the whole franchise. (Also Rex, but one fandom-one character so…)

4. Stargate – Sam. My parents are big sci-fi fans, so Stargate was one of the first sci-fi series I watched as a kid (alongside Sliders), and I loved it the most. Sam was one of the first role models I ever had, because maybe she was the only female member of the SG1, but she was never less than them. She really was just one of the main characters who happened to be a female. In an interview Amanda Tapping said that the writers tried to make Sam more feminine, but Amanda told them to write her as they wrote any other character, she would add the femininity. She’s a soldier and a scientist and a badass who blew up a sun, she has no time for misogynistic bullshit X’D

5. Marvel -> Avengers Academy – Janet Van Dyne. I could’ve chosen MCU – Tony, but AvAc is (was TT_TT) THE healthiest Marvel franchise. The characters were well written, they actually TALKED with each other, and they were actively building bonds. I could also say Tony, Steve and even Loki with AvAc, but Janet. Jan. She’s THE character. Maybe I liked her so much because she reminded me of Stella from Winx. I even cosplayed her once. (No, there are no photos X’D)

Speaking of Stella…

6. Winx – Stella. Sunshine girl. Bit of an airhead. She may be a princess, but she’s princess-y in a very kind way. She doesn’t really care about status and she’s protective of her friends. (What the hell, Fate…) Maybe I liked her so much because she reminded me of Sailor Venus.

Speaking of Sailor Venus…

7. Sailor Moon – Minako. I think I have a Magical Girl type. (Should I also say that Cornelia was kinda my favourite from W.I.T.C.H., but I’ve only read a few chapters of the comics and only seen a few episodes of the cartoon series, so I can’t really tell?) I can’t decide which Minako I like the most. Manga Minako, 90’s anime Minako and PGSM Minako are all unique, can’t choose between them.

8. Mysterious Cities of Gold – Zia. Looking back, I think I liked her because she was a really strong character on her own unique way. Maybe she got captured a lot and fainted even more times, but she’s a proud Inka girl who would never betray her people and would do everything to keep her friends safe. I… have my issues with Zia in the new seasons, but that may be because I fixated so much on this series as a kid (I rewatched it like a hundred times until the VHS tapes lost their will to live) that I have a really hard time accepting the new seasons and their more modern way of writing. (I was honestly offended when Zia let that rabbit go in season 2 when they were hungry because ‘Oh! Poor rabbit!’, while old episodes Zia helped the boys hunt down a giant lizard that they then ate around a campfire.)

9. Voltron – Lance. Yes, Voltron. Legendary Defender. Only the first few seasons are valid, when the writing was still consistent. I still remember that sketch of Shiro and Lance holding up the LGBT sign, show runners! Damn you, show runners! They formed the wings of Voltron, you asses!

10. One Piece – Vivi. VIVIIIIII!!!!!!! TT_TT This scene will forever make me tear up. (One Piece tends to do that to me.) I am honestly afraid of what would happen to her in future chapters.

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opbackgrounds · 4 years

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Since you were talking about Lord Byron and character tropes and seem well versed in them, do you think Blackbeard actually fits into the common tropes or has a parallel from another series? I can't think of a villain quite like him, from the way he was introduced, to how he's cowardly yet strong, making complex plans while admitting that luck is a major factor, and even benefiting from the type of luck usually reserved for the protagonist at times.

You don’t see a lot of villains like Blackbeard because you don’t see a lot of heroes like Luffy, and Blackbeard is Luffy pushed to his logical extreme. If we look at Luffy’s vendetta with the World Government being an example of Chaos vs Law, then Luffy and Blackbeard is Chaos vs Chaos. They’re foils of one another, Blackbeard being a dark mirror of Luffy in every way.

You see his type of scheming more often in stories about politics. They’re pretty different characters, but he reminds me a bit of General Tarquin from the Order of the Stick in that they both believe that they’re going to get their way because The Story says so (this is a little bit more literal in General Tarquin’s case, seeing as how OotS is a D&D satire comic, but the point stands).

His strong belief in destiny — and the universe seemingly bending over backward to fuel his rise to the top — reminds me a lot of various mythologies across the world, where even gods and titans were bound by the whims of the Fates. The grey vs grey morality of One Piece also fits that a little better than the more traditional Good vs Evil stories we see in the modern age.

In a way he reminds me of Loki from Norse mythology. Tricky, powerful, malicious...and if the series is headed to a world-shattering war — which by all indications it is — I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was Blackbeard kicking off the One Piece equivalent of Ragnarok.

#sarc talks

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inknopewetrust · 4 years

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Hey! Still kinda new to asking on here but I saw the Old Guard pairing you did, and I had thought to ask for one! I'm 5' 10", I enjoy video games, comics, movies, and, if I ever got the courage, i think I'd definitely be interested in theater stuff. I also am really into music, and I try to make my own art sometimes. I care a lot about animals as shown by my dogs Loki and Astrid, as well as my three cats. I'm kinda antisocial to people at first, but then I'm actually really chill!

Hi Anon! Musical theater is awesome and I really hope you get the courage to be part of it one day. Theater in general is great too and you can meet some really wonderful people participating in it. I hope you like the ship!!

Reminder that I am no longer accepting ship/pairing requests.

Your pairing is...

Nile! I am unsure of which gender (not to label anyone on purpose) you are looking for, but based on the description you gave, I thought Nile would be a perfect choice for you. Nile is a modern woman and she is fully capable of taking care of herself and carrying out her own plans but when she met you, those plans changed a little. You are not immortal but she couldn’t stay away. She was fully into you the moment she met you and ever since then, there’s been little separation. Although she is a tough cookie and has spent the life she knew as a military kid and a member of the armed forces, she loves musical theater like you and is something she loves to attend with you on the weekends. She adores the time just simply chilling around and watching movies and hanging with your dogs but most of all, she loves comic books too. She imagined she could be the heroes in those books and has since become one, but she would throw it all away to have more time with you in this currently life if she could.

If you are ever interested to talk theater let me know! I’ve done plays and love musical theater too and would love to talk about it with someone!!

#the old guard x reader #nile the old guard x reader #nile the old guard #netflix #requests #request #answer #answered #pairings #pairing #ships #ship #original post #personal post #my posts

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thetygre · 6 years

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30 Day Monster Challenge 2 - Day #15: Favorite Great Old One/Monster God

1. Nurgle the Great Unclean One (Warhammer)

I think you can tell a lot about a person by knowing which of the Chaos Gods is there favorite. I’m not saying there’s a right answer, but I’ve always been a Nurgle man myself. Nurgle is more than just the daemon god of disease and entropy; he’s the god of the value of life. Nurgle loves all of his children equally, down to the smallest virus. It can be hard for people to accept that, to realize that they have as much cosmic significance as a single-cell organism, but that’s just because they don’t realize how much love the Urfather has for that little cell. In Nurgle’s phlegmatic embrace, all of us are equal, regardless of race, gender, or cell count.

Nurgle asks only that you spread the love he has so willingly given, so that all may be his children. Death and disease are natural parts of life; we struggle to fight them so, but they always come back to us. Through Nurgle, we may exalt in the power of pus and the greatness gangrene. We grow stronger with each infection, and every tumor is a sign of endurance. We do not die when the Plague Bearer calls us; we merely transform for the vermin and bacteria that consumes us, to be reborn in the eternal cycle. Truly, Grandfather Nurgle moves in wondrous ways.

2. Ithaqua the Wind Walker (August Derleth)

It should come as no surprise that the god of all wendigos is one of my favorite Great Old Ones. The Ithaqua Cycle is probably the best thing August Derleth wrote, for what ever that’s worth. Ithaqua is just such a chilling god; the image of some skull-faced giant thing turning around a mountain is the stuff of nightmares. Ithaqua is the primal urge inside life, the need to do anything to survive in an unrelenting environment. He walks in the cold places of the world, but also in that cold space between worlds, spreading his cannibalistic madness from world to world. Ithaqua himself seems hardly necessary, or the countless wendigos that follow him. It’s the chaos and horror he causes between people in a desperate situation, pitting one man against the other and breaking taboos until only the strongest is left. Ithaqua is the cold and brutality of the North personified.

3. Lolth the Queen of the Demonweb Pits (Dungeons and Dragons)

Lilith is so pastiche these days. You know where the real rebellious queen of evil action is at? Spiders, man, and Lolth is the Spider Queen. Lolth has been in Dungeons and Dragons since the beginning. Wherever the dark elves go, Lolth goes too, like any deity, and her absence from a setting is noticeable. She’s one of D&D’s greatest villains, and countless adventurers have lost their lives in the Demonweb Pits. Her entire realm is an arachnid hell crawling with spiders as small a mite to as big as her spider-golem palace. Lolth is an entity of contrasts; her priesthood is a strict matriarchy, but Lolth herself is absolutely insane. It’s hard to tell if there’s anything left of the elf goddess she used to be. Beneath the layers of scheming, beauty, racially motivated hatred, and plans to conquer the known multiverse lies a beating heart of blind hunger, an overwhelming instinct to survive by strength alone.

4. Saaitii the Hog (William Hope Hodgson)

Saaitii is actually what got this particular entry in the challenge. See, I wanted to do just ‘Top 10 Great Old Ones’, but then I was worried that not everybody would know what the Great Old Ones are and it’s kind of an arbitrary category that Lovecraft wanted people to change from story-to-story for fun, so then I just broadened the category to ‘monster gods’ and now here we are. Anyway, Saaitii is a monster that William Hope Hodgson’s occult detective Thomas Carnacki encountered in his monster-hunting stories. The locals tell Carnacki that Saaitii is the ghost of a boar wrongfully killed long ago, but Carnacki suspects that it’s an extradimensional something using the spirits of dead hogs to try and come through.

First off, I just want to know what William Hope Hodgson’s deal with pigs was. This is explicitly his second pig monster story, following the pig men from The House on the Borderlands. But the usage of that aesthetic is definitely refreshing a little unsettling. In an age of meme-tentacles, we need new and different cosmic horrors. Pigs can be disturbing; we think of them as cute at best and filthy at worst, but rarely evil or malevolent. Even the meanest boar has a kind of nobility to it. But the Hog brings up images of mindless, vicious cruelty, dark things in the forest and filth. The concept of a higher life form like some extradimensional whatsit coming into our world through ‘lower’ lifeforms strikes a little close to the karmic bullseye for some, turning the tables on humanity and reminding us that in the eyes of the cosmos, we’re just so much more food.

5. Ogdru Jahad the Seven Who Are One (Hellboy)

You’d think there’d be more dragons on the list, but so far it’s just the one. Seven. 369. Whatever. The Ogdru Jahad are the Hellboy/BPRD universes Great Old Ones, and the source of… a sizable amount of trouble there. Not all of it, but most of it. At the dawn of time, the Sons of God formed the mud of creation into seven great dragons that were filled with the shadow of the moon, for whatever reason. Things would have been fine and dandy there, but one little angel named Satan, for reasons that are still unclear, took the fire of God and filled the dragon with it, giving the Ogdru Jahad life. The Ogdru Jahad birthed their 369 offspring, and the angels had to fight them off before the whole Creation thing could get rolling. From that day on, every human culture has been warned about the Ogdru Jahad, and they have been ingrained in the human consciousness as the Dragon, from Tiamat to the Beast of Revelations.

It’s a nice fusion of Judeo-Christian Biblical lore and cosmic horror. I honestly don’t think it would work if it wasn’t for the fact that Satan is notably absent from the Hellboy series and, as of BPRD: Hell on Earth, the Ogdru Jahad are winning, where even their smallest children can cause natural disasters. I love conflating the image of dragons with cosmic monsters. Cthulhu as Leviathan, flying polyps as oriental dragons, hunting horrors as wyverns; it’s a direct play to the archetype that both types of creatures fill. The Ogdru Jahad illustrate that perfectly, simultaneously something the most modern of cosmic horror and the most ancient of monsters.

6. Flowey the Flower (Undertale)

Flowey’s final form gets in on design alone. There aren’t a lot of monster designs that actually freak me out, but Flowey is just horrible. Of course that’s also because it’s a genius bit of sprite animation, with the usage of textures contrasting so hard with the rest of Undertale. It looks like something that ate its way inside out from at least three Madoka witches. The claws, the eyes, the mouths; it all makes something perfectly awful and abhorrent. And, of course, the music. I actually think Flowey’s boss theme rates pretty low compared to other Undertale boss themes, but the title is just something else. How are you supposed to do better than “Your Best Nightmare”?

7. Rom the Vacuous Spider (Bloodborne)

It’s Rom. C’mon. Look, I know she’s not actually a Great One; she’s Kin, like Mergo’s Wet Nurse. But look at her. When I think, “What’s my favorite eldritch monstrosity boss from Bloodborne?” I keep coming back to Rom. Just look at her dumb, stupid face. One of her attacks is just falling over. That’s the most relatable a video game has been for me since I was an undergrad. Rom doesn’t want to hurt anybody; she’s just a giant, stupid bug/fungus thing. You could just walk away, man. You could just leave poor Rom alone. She’s doing her best trying to grant people eyes and you’re over here hassling her. In front of her kids, man. Just leave her alone.

8. Moder the Bastard of Loki (The Ritual)

Y’know, as a jotun, this guy could have been on the giant list, but I feel like its design and concept are too unique for that. This is a special monster, a kind of revelatory creature. Its design is just out of this world, blending human and stag and those creepy little eyes. But there’s so much more to it than just a great design. Its ability to create illusions essentially gives it access to shapeshifting, tying it to the actual mythology of Loki and Norse giants. The actual ritual to appease Moder, where it picks a person up and impales them on a tree, is reminiscent of the story in Norse mythology where Odin impales himself on the World Tree Yggdrasil to gain the knowledge of the runes. Before a person is killed, Moder shows them something precious to them, or a defining moment in their life; it is, in its own way, giving the person a revelation about what is vital in their own universe. Moder, like any good monster, delivers a message about the meaning of reality to the people it encounters.

9. Set the Slithering God (Conan the Barbarian/Marvel Comics)

I like this comic book version of a god. The actual Egyptian deity Set is fairly complex, and actually examining his character and divine portfolio gives insight into how Egypt’s culture changes over time. Comic book Set, on the other hand, is the god of snake villains. He is the snake villain to end all snake villains. Marvel cooked him up for their old Conan comics based off an offhand mention in one of Robert E. Howard’s stories because they needed Conan to have a nemesis. So Conan’s nemesis, the arch-wizard/priest Thoth Amon, worships the dark god Set, regardless of the fact that Thoth Amon appeared exactly once in the very first Conan story. Now, it’s fifty years later and Set is apparently one of Marvel’s Primordial Ultra-Deities.

It’s that mixture of traditional myth and the cosmic I like again, though this time it’s less H.P. Lovecraft ‘cosmic horror’ and more Jack Kirby ‘cosmic action’; new gods and a new mythology for a new medium, but still the same old story. Set is the Serpent, like the Ogdru Jahad, manifesting in human lore as everything from the serpent in Eden to Leviathan. He was the first murderer, able to absorb the power of any other god he ate, and even today he seeks reptile supremacy. Wherever there is Set there are snakes, enacting the cosmic cycle of death and rebirth while lounging in decadence.

10. Haos the Ultimate Bio-Weapon (Resident Evil 6)

… We’re going to do this now, and then we’re never going to do it again. Because we’re going to talk about something good that was in Resident Evil 6. One of the most infuriating things about RE6 is that it had some of the most incredible monster designs in the Resident Evil series. Great designs. The kind of monster designs that other games only wish they could achieve. And they were wasted on one of the worst games the series has produced. One of those designs was Haos, the apparent ultimate bio-weapon engineered by (ugh) Neo-Umbrella in a secret facility at the bottom of the ocean good lord I’m putting this on a list with William Hope Hodgson.

Haos deserves a better game; its design is unnecessarily fantastic. It looks like a ningen crossed with a jellyfish. It’s some far future stage of human evolution driven to its most extreme and bizarre form. There’s something forlorn and sad about it, but also beautiful and powerful. Its concept is purely apocalyptic; Haos will rise from the bottom of the ocean before it finally dies and dissolves into a gas that will spread across the world, turning humanity into zombies and monsters. Herald of a world of gods and monsters and all that. Even its name is kind of cool; ‘Haos’ is literally Siberian for ‘chaos’. And every day I have to wake up with the knowledge that this wonderful, horrible monster was stuck at the end of a Resident Evil 6 campaign. It’s depressing. So here’s to good old Haos; at least here you’ll get some respect.

#30 Day Monster Challenge 2 #30 Day Monster Challenge #Great Old Ones #Warhammer #Nurgle #Dungeons and Dragons #Lolth #Hellboy #Undertale #long post

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beyondthedreamline · 5 years

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You reblogged a post from my side blog about Thor! It made me happy because I’ve been following you for 2 years and I really respect your opinions. I was starting to doubt my righteous anger because I saw people say that those who didn’t like EG!Thor were fake fatphobic Ragnarok!Thor fans, no matter their reasons. I am glad to see we share the feeling of disappointment, even though I’m satisfied with Thor’s final development as a big bearded warrior and looking forward to the rest of his story.

Thankyou for that! I appreciated your post very much because itarticulated a couple of points that had bothered me a lot. ApparentlyI still have feelings on this subject, so be warned, you’re in fora bit of an essay now.

Firstoff, I care a lot about Thor as a character. I love Norse mythology,I love Douglas Adams’ The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, Ilove nearly every iteration of Thor as a character that I have everencountered and I love him as a superhero. I enjoyed all of thestandalone Thor movies very much. I have more mixed feelings aboutthe Avengers ensemble movies, but there was no member of the team Iactively did not like and I kept up with most of their solo moviestoo, because I enjoy superhero films as a genre and because theMarvel universe is a very rich playing ground for a whole range ofstories.

Therewas a lot of emotional investment in these last two films –Infinity War and Endgame are the conclusion to years ofworld-building and character development, weaving in dozens ofbackstories and in jokes, all the hellos and goodbyes and moments ofcatharsis that we have been waiting on for years. That is a massive askof any storyteller and there were always going to be disappointments,because with the best will in the world there is no chance ofpleasing every viewer. And this is fandom; perfection is unachievable and disagreement isinevitable. The best we can do is handle disagreements with grace and respect one another’s perspectives.

All.That. Said.

Forme, Infinity War andEndgame failed pretty much everycharacter, one way or another. Other people have written eloquent posts on theway these storylines failed the female characters of the franchise,whose motivations are mostly subsumed by the wants and needs of themen around them. Gamora ismurdered by the man who abducted and abused her, but her death isframed as hissacrifice, a way to advance hisjourney. ClintBarton becomes a grief-driven vigilante serial killer in otherpeople’s countries, but he gets absolution and Natasha ‘red in myledger’ Romanoff dies the martyr’s death in his place. PeggyCarter, furious brave Peggy Carter, becomes a literal trophywife in a goddamn Gordion knot of time-travel nonsense. SteveRogers brought war onto thesoil of a peaceful and well-defended African nation and a whole armywas sent out to fight because he couldn’t face losing a friend, butat the very end he ditches every single friend he’s got in the 21stcentury in order to experience a white picket fence of a happy endingthat erases all of his character development since TheFirst Avenger.

Andthen there’s Thor. Over the course of his three solo movies, he’slost his mother, his father, his brother (multipletimes), his girlfriend (thankgoodness she’s still alive, but it looks like she got Darcy andEric in the break-up), his planet,most of his peopleand all peace of mind.Throughout that litany of suffering, he is kind. He is patient. Hegrows as a man and as a leader, listening to the knowledge of thepeople around him in order to make decisions that benefit everyone,not just himself. He isintelligent, though often underestimated even by those closest tohim. He is capableand resourceful and a friendto anyone who needs him, the very definition of what a superheroought to be.

I’mgoing to talk about schema here for a second. A schema is a cognitiveframework. It’s a psychology term referring to how we organiseinformation based on preconceived ideas. Stories shape perception,telling us what is good and what is bad, what can happen and whatcannot. There is a very narrow pre-existing framework defining what asuperhero can look likeand it’s a shock to the system when that gets challenged. I wasshocked by seeing a fat Thor, and I’m glad of it – it means I hadto think more criticallyabout my personal preconceptions. Thiscould have been a wonderful storyline,dealing with PTSD, bodyimage and negotiating self-perception in the wake of grief andregret. It could have been apositive portrayal of a fat superhero, which outside of maybe comics– which I don’t read and can��t speak for – is absolutely anew and needed thing. It could have offered a vital reminder that howa person’s worth and strength and skill is not bound to theirphysical appearance.

Itdid not do that.

Asyou pointed out in your post, Thor was turned into a sidekick. Morethan that, he was turned into ajoke that revolved around his weight and his trauma, like he was notentitled be anything other than brawn.While Tony Stark gotan emotionally charged reunion with his long-dead father, Thor’sdialogue with Frigga soundedlike a badfirst draft, a scene rushed through with no respect for eithercharacter. He calls her ‘mom’; she tells him to ‘eat a salad’.He walks straight past Loki, the brother he wept over time and again,who died under absurd narrative contrivance about five minutes ago byAsgardian standards. Steve Rogers wasallowed the time to starewistfully at a woman he once lovedbut Thor wasrushed through his own reunion like he waswasting everyone’s time by being sad.

Thoris not permitted to contribute to the narrative in any meaningfulway; where every other lead Avenger hits a beat, however dubious orminor, that establishes theirpurpose in the story, Thoraccomplishes nothing of significance in strategy, battleor reconstruction. The powerdisplayed in Ragnarok and,in a more hit-and-miss style, in Infinity War, isabsent in Endgame. Hissignature weapon is actually handed off to another Avenger. He’snot even allowed to remain a leader of his people. And, look, I loveValkyrie as a character, but she spent centuries as a boozed-upmercenary enslaving gladiators for a glam-rock despot and it took theactual apocalypse to get her to give a damn about the fate of Asgardagain, so the idea that Thor taking a few years off to grieve in away that only harmed himself somehow makes him unfit to rule is atruly staggering double standard. Instead of continuing his growth as a king, he gets shoehorned intosomeone else’s franchise to bicker pointlessly over who gets tomake any decisions at all. I don’t know if Chris Hemsworth is upfor making more movies with Marvel, but I do not trust them to give Thor ameaningful arc any more. Where can he go from here?

Thiswas not an ensemble movie – this was the last Iron Man movie, withCaptain America taking second billing and every other characterscrambling for scraps of narrative significance. Endgamemademe resent characters I usedto like. Italienated me from a series that used to be a source of comfort.It hurts. Not as muchas it did, because I’ve emotionally checked out of the MCU for now,but apart from any other consideration, that level of storytellingfailure offends me.

Iwill acknowledge that Thor’s hair was very good in the big battlesequence. That’s one of the few positive things I have to say aboutEndgame. Great braids.

Youknow what I’d have loved? I’d have loved Wakanda to offer asylumto Asgardian refugees and for a miniseries to revolve around theircross-cultural community building. Two advanced civilisations reelingin the wake of recent upheaval but working together to build a sharedfuture, and Wakanda actually getting something out of it for onceinstead of taking a hit on behalf of the Earth. Shuri would adoreAsgardian tech and she might get to ride a flying horse, whichshe deserves; T’challa andThor would have a lot of common ground what with the disappointingfather figures and modern warrior king lifestyle. Thorwould get heavily involved in agriculture and have fun playing crashdummy for Shuri’s wilder experiments. He’d arrange a travel visaso that Jane Foster could come and play with all that beautiful shinytechnology and they wouldn’t get back together but they would befriends, like they always were underneath the first glow ofattraction. Loki would be there, because to pretend he’ll stay deadat this point is just an insult to our collective intelligence, and he wouldimmediately imprint on Queen Ramonda like an extremely defensive,resentful and heavily-armed duckling.Valkyriemight get to talk through her complicated feelings about duty andbetrayal with the Dora Milaje, particularly Okoye, who couldempathiseafter the Wakandan royal family’s disastrous power struggle.Wakanda could send outintergalactic ambassadors, headed by Nakia, to start playing a rolein the wider universe. The other Avengers could visit sometimes, ifthey behaved themselves.

Soif you’re wondering where Thor goes next for me personally, that’sthe answer.

#asks #superheroes #thor #meta #endgame negativity #that turned into a rant and actually it feels really good to have channelled all my frustration into something approaching coherence #fatphobia #sexism #racism #storytelling

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mdizonjr · 5 years

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AVENGERS ENDGAME

You don't have to read all of this, feel free to read just one paragraph and respond only to it, each new paragraph is a different subject.

In the comics, Stark dies but keeps his character around via an AI he uploaded himself into. Anyone else want to think it's a little interesting that his "recording" hologram at his funeral was able to look directly into his daughters eyes and say "I love you three thousand"? There is no possible way in hell he would know where they would set up the hologram or where his daughter would be sitting. I think that was his AI and he will be back in this form in future movies. But other than that I loved this movie & the ending made my cry since Ironman was my favourite was perfectly written to send him off… loved the cheeseburger scene with tony starks daughter Morgan Sark.

Does it make sense to anyone else that when Loki picked up the tessaract, he would have ported directly back to Thano's ship that ultimately came through time into the prime timeline? I mean...he was dispatched to new york by thanos command, and eventually we saw he returned there in later films. Where else would he have gone but back to Thanos ship.

Thor's character was just bad in this movie. His quote about becoming what he's always wanted rather than being what he should be is incredibly worthless. He was ALWAYS wanting to be King, he was NEVER being pressured into it unwantingly. His weakened transformation was charming and comical but they needed to kick out jack sparrow halfway through and get the god of thunder back. We all assumed it would happen during his talk with his mom. We all know what we wanted. The writers didn't.

With Tony's speech about Cap not being there during his fight with thanos in infinity war, we should have seen the 3v1 Thor/IM/CA vs Thanos have thanos on the ropes to confirm Tony's criticism; it would have carried more weight to know that if Cap and Thor were there during the first fight, they would have prevented the first snap. The fight could easily be interrupted by others butting in, though, and carry on with the rest of the sequence.

I was hoping Hulk, being smarter now, since Bruce Banner & Hulk have been fused together to become Professor Hulk so I was hoping for a rematch with Thanos.

There was no lead up to Sam getting the shield. Unearned torch pass. I really wanted Cap to pass the torch to Bucky Barnes which he truly deserves in my opinion after what his been through

The female team up I didn’t love it one bit because from my point of view it felt forced reminded me of modern politics.. Like, give me a break that all the women just show up in the same place on this war field, And why is a human-with-a-spear thinking she can do anything to help defend captain marvel? Because Captain Marvel could’ve easily flew with the gauntlet by herself without that forced team up of the females plus it showed also Scarlett Witch didn’t need the other women she nearly destroyed thanos herself and this forced team up is where they should’ve put Hulk vs Thanos and let them duel it for a bit.

And to end this the humour was also forced in this movie don’t get me wrong it was great overall movie Rockets humour was great as always and was the only one that worked for me. I just hope going forward the MCU doesn’t involved time travel because it will literally mess up if not done right because it didn’t help the comics.

credit artwork: ULTRARAW26

#Avengers #endgame #avengersendgame #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #ironman #Captain America #thor #iloveyou3000

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kuiperblog · 5 years

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I recently watched Mary Poppins (1964) in anticipation of the remake next month (it’s got Lin-Manuel Miranda in it, don’t you know!) The film is mostly as I remember: a tribute to whimsy. But for all its love of play and childlike wonder, the film is still pretty sympathetic to the archetype of the male stoic, as manifested by Mr. Banks. And that’s even before he achieves redemption in the final act of the film by deciding to go and fly a kite with his children.

Bert: Let's sit down. You know, begging your pardon, but the one my heart goes out to is your father. There he is, in that cold heartless bank day after day, hammed in by mounds of cold heartless money. I don't like to see any living thing caged up.

Jane: Father in a cage?

Bert: They makes cages of all sizes and shapes, you know. Bank-shaped, some of them, carpets and all.

Jane: Father's not in trouble. We are.

Bert: Oh. Sure about that, are you? Look at it this way. You've got your mother to look after you and Mary Poppins and Constable Jones and me. Who looks after your father? Tell me that. When something terrible happens, what does he do? Fends for himself, he does. Who does he tell about it? No one. Don't blab his troubles at home. He just pushes on at his job, uncomplaining and alone and silent.

Mr. Banks does seem to hate fun. But he’s doing what a man does, and not only is that something that we can forgive him for; it’s something that he ought to be lauded and appreciated for. The problem isn’t that he works; it’s that he has forgotten life’s basic pleasures. Mr. Banks plays the role of antagonist in this film, but fundamentally the children “win” just by reminding dad how to have fun.

It feels like it’s been a long time since I last saw a story like this.

One some level, this doesn’t seem like it ought to be a novel thing. A lot of shows and movies for kids operate on this premise that the bully doesn’t really have to be defeated, they just have to be converted. Part of my reaction to Mary Poppins might just be that it’s been awhile since I’ve seen one of those stories: we adults with our adult prestige television shows like our antagonists bad and our protagonists morally ambiguous.

And yet there are plenty of modern stories about villains with redemption arcs. Loki was the antagonist of the first Avengers movie, and by the time we got to the third Avengers movie he was one of the good guys! (You could make a list of comic book villains-turned-heroes as long as your arm.) So how is it that Mr. Banks learning how to stop being a stick-in-the-mud and spend an afternoon having fun with his kids feels so novel?

I think it has to do with the method of conversion. Which is to say, I don’t think that most modern antagonists are really “converted” so much as they just decide to stop being bad guys. The plot of the first Avengers movie does not involve the team getting together to persuade Loki to stop terrorizing New York. Loki comes at them with violence, and they fight back with violence. Then, after he’s been defeated by the Avengers, Loki goes back to Asgard, and he bonds with his brother during Thor Ragnarok, a film where he isn’t the main antagonist; Loki can’t really become a good guy in a vacuum; he can only become a good guy in the presence of greater villain who has been narrative positioned as the real antagonist of the story. Loki does sort of make the transition from “imp” to “impishly helpful,” but they had to strip him of the “Big Bad” title before they could do that.

Fundamentally, these stories aren’t really about the good guys persuading the bad guys to stop being bad. They’re about the good guys beating up the bad guys, and the bad guy at some point deciding to stop being bad. It’s rare to see arcs that are about actually becoming friends with the bad guy in an effort to turn them, it seems more like these “redemption arcs” are really just a coda of “okay you beat me and now I can be your friend, good thing I decided this after we had a cool fight scene where you got to demonstrate how you’re capable of violence, because that’s what a hero really is.”

The conversion is even more starkly apparent with villains who are merely under the influence of some temporary “corruption,” like briefly happened with Hawkeye and Bucky. There, the arc literally is as simple as “beat them in battle and then you can flick the switch to make them join your side.”

#narrative

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my-heart-in-his-teeth · 6 years

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Mischief and the Maiden(Mature)

Thank God For Fan Fiction!

Maaaan, after seeing Infinity War I felt I needed to resurrect Disney Prince era Loki and walk around in that world for a while so I wrote a whole goddamn short story with the guy. Hope you like it!

Loki x OFC

Author’s Note: A sort of modern fairy tale that takes place a few years before the events in the first Thor- before everything went wrong for our favorite brat prince. There’s plot all up in this smut! (x-posted)

Summary:A couple of Asgardians take an awkward girl for a thief and steal her away to their realm to face justice from the prince himself. But nothing is as it seems when the God of Mischief is involved, it turns out being kidnapped might be the best thing that ever happened to her and her life will thankfully never be the same.

The tree had stood for centuries undisturbed as life rose and fell around it. Birds did not come to it. Animals circled long to avoid it's path and any man that happened to see it grew uneasy and continued on swiftly without wondering why. Moonlight broke through it's leafless branches casting a long. wirey shadow down the steep hillside. No one heard the wind that breathed out from inside of it as it's bark peeled open wide to allow two men to step out from it's shimmering depths.

The larger of the two men produced a small spherical mechanism from his cloak and raised it up in his palm, Light grew from within it and the golden pieces and gears began to move. The man eyed it's workings for a moment before closing it in his hand."We should not have to linger here long. It looks as though what we seek is just East of us."

"I hope you are right Eirik. I remind you that if we are caught on Midgard -" The other man began to chide before being cut off with a dismissive wave of his friend's hand.

"The amount of gold the prince is paying us to retrieve this trinket is far larger than the risk. He assures us this portal is hidden from even Heimdall's sight. Just think, if we finish this simple task , we will be in his favor. It is no small thing to be in the favor of a prince, Ivar" He winked and put the device back into the folds of his cloak.

"Yes, but all this secrecy.... "

"Even princes make mistakes." Eirik shrugged. " Can you blame him for not wanting the Allfather to discover one of his? Besides he made it very clear to me that he strongly abhors those who act in such a clandestine matter, but that at times it is...what did he call it? Oh yes: a necessary evil."

Ivar's eyes narrowed a bit and he nodded. When he'd learned of Eirik's errand to Midgard he had asked to join him and Eirik agreed readily. He didn't care about the promise of gold, his family had more than enough wealth, but he was keenly interested on the missteps of a prince of Asgard. However, he was not a very brave man and knew that Eirik wasn't a very wise one.

Seeing the look of concern on his friend's face, Eirik laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "Come Ivar, let us get on with it. You will see that you can truly trust the word of Prince Loki!"

At that, a touch of dread wafted through Ivar's being. He shook it off and continued on.

~~~

If there had been one thing Elaina could wish at that moment, it was that the world would abruptly come to a fiery end before he could speak again. But she wasn't one for wishing and he wasn't one to dance around what he wanted to say, and so out it came.

"I think we should see other people."

She wasn't really in love with him, but her stomach still dropped and a familiar coldness spread out from it leaving her physically numb yet unforgiveably focused on his words. He said nothing she hadn't heard before, but it still cracked at her heart. It just seemed they wanted different things, moved at different paces, he really liked her and hoped they could hang out soon, and so on and so on.

In her experience, when a guy told her that he wanted to see other people, half the time it meant he was already seeing them , but still wanted to keep his foot in her door, just in case.

He said he would call her next week and she said that would be great. They both knew they were lying, but this was just how these things seemed go.

She leaned against the door that she had both literally and figuratively shut on him and sighed. "Well."

The sudden soft drag of her cat's body against her ankle called her hands they and scooped him up, stroking his midnight fur. " That could have gone worse I suppose, Byron. I'm really getting better at being a complete romantic failure. " He purred and gazed at her through content, half lidded eyes. "Besides, you didn't like him anyway."

No, this wasn't heartbreak, but disappointment. Defeat. Of course she had thought he was different or she wouldn't have bothered trying. But the problem was that she was always the same. She wanted romance and didn't want to be rushed about it. She knew she was weird and too bookish for a lot of people's liking. She knew all about mythology and nineteenth century fairy tales but she couldn't tell you which Kardashion got fat sucked out of or injected into their body that week.

She didn't mesh well with the general public and attracted similar socially awkward types, yet the spark was never there with any of them and the relationships fizzled after a while. She still tried. She was early enough in her twenties that she hadn't given up on finding whatever she was looking for in someone else, but each dead end made her a bit more tired and apathetic about it.

She lowered Byron so he could step on to the green damask sofa where she would likely end up sleeping tonight after some wine and a good chunk of some book she'd already read. She crossed the room that was lined with cheap shelves overstuffed with books, half dead plants and the odd shrunken head and articulated bird skeleton. The books were hers, the oddities she had inherirted from her grandmother, who had owned a little curiosity shop and filled it with the many strange things aquired from her travels. Much of it had been sold off, but what wasn't took up residence here- including a small silver wine rack that always had at least one bottle of red in it.

As she poured herself a glass, she thought she saw light flicker from the shelf above her. She glanced up and it was gone, but there was something odd. Half hidden behind a pair of antique Matroyshka dolls and resting on the spines of a stack of Neil Gaimon paperbacks, a broken bit of carved stone caught her eye. It was nearly oblong, smooth on one side and jagged on the other and the only thing keeping it from being just a bit of broken rock were the reddish runes engraved there. Just then they looked brighter.

She raised up on her toes and squinted. Yes, they looked brighter, as though they had been shined up. But she hadn't dusted in...she had never dusted. She picked up the stone, it's cool weight covering her entire hand. She brought it to the couch and looked at it for a moment more before setting on the coffee table.

"Hmm." She eyed it suspiciously one more time, but as it didn't do anything more interesting than look cleaner, she picked up her book and eventually read herself asleep in the soft glow of a parlor lamp.

Her skin prickled under the cool brush of fingertips down her throat, across her breasts and up her thighs. The heat of breath was just behind her ear as a hand cupped her sex and another gently gripped the back of her neck, long fingers tilting her head towards the mouth that she kissed eagerly, allowing his tongue to slip gracefully over hers as she moaned softly into him. She was burning, the throb of desire between her legs almost painful as she wrapped her leg around his waist and pressed herself tightly against his hand, hips rotating until his fingers found her entrance and began to slide in-

Her eyes blinked open and she groaned in frustration. "Every fucking time!"

"Well, Eirik, this one has quite the mouth doesn't she?"

She made a small scream as she snapped up and spun off the couch and onto the floor. Two tall men dressed like they'd just come from a high end Ren faire were standing just behind the coffee table, inches from where her sleeping face had just been.

They were both tall and muscular, one was blonde and looked to be closer to her age, a greedy smirk sat above a patch of smooth hair that covered his chin. The other was older with reddish hair streaked with white that hung in waves down his back and shoulders He had a long beard of the same coloring with two impressive braids woven into it- he was also smirking, but only with his eyes. Christ- did they just watch me have a filthy dream? She may have blushed if not for all of the adrenaline.

"Get out!" She awkwardly yelled and scootched back until she hit a shelf and scrambled to her feet. The men made no move but to raise their eyebrows

The door to her apartment was open behind them and led directly outside. Her phone was on the table in front of them. She decided she couldn't get close to either quickly enough, so she bolted for her bedroom just down the hall behind her. She couldn't feel her legs as they propelled her, what felt like comically fast, into her door , flinging it wide open with the force of her shoulder before her hands had time to raise themselves in front of her. She slammed it shut and turned the lock on the handle, hoping that would grant her enough time to escape.

The windows seemed large enough to fit through, though she'd never once opened them. From there she could make it to the street and maybe a neighbor's house. She looked down at her bare feet. No time to remedy that. Her black dress dotted with red flowers stopped a few inches above her knee and likely wouldn't hinder her efforts to climb out.

There were two other apartments in her building, but they were both empty. No one was around to hear her screams as was murdered. Or maybe they just wanted to rob the place. Good luck with that, she thought as she unlocked the window and strained to push it open. I'm sure you guys will get loads of cash for my 8 year old laptop. Please enjoy that taxidermied squirrel as consolation for breaking into the house of a poor person.

She just managed to realize that the windows had been painted shut when she heard a loud CRACK. She turned in time to see the door, frame and all, land on the carpet. The blonde man looked down at it and then to his hands, holding them up in mock surprise. He lowered them slowly and met her wide eyes. "Apologies. I forgot that everything is so frail here." he looked her up and down tauntingly. "Come here, girl."

His face was actually quite handsome, but when he beckoned her with a smile, she froze. Nothing about him was friendly, especially that smile. His voice was coated in a strange accent and she started to realize that everything was off about him. The clothes he was wearing weren't just that of an obsessive Tolkien fan, they were completely foreign. What he wore looked more expensive than anything she owned. The fabrics, the boots, the sword- wait. SWORD? Yes, there sitting in a gilded scabbard attached to his belt. An actual sword.

The other man stepped into the room glancing down to the door and then to her. His eyes twinkled ever so slightly and she remembered to breathe. He seemed at least less menacing, but her heart was racing and her mind was trying desperately to rationalize what was happening. Her hands gripped onto the windowsill as though it were the only thing keeping her sanity tethered. He turned to his companion. "Ivar, perhaps we should leave the mortal. we have the stone. She would only be a burden."

"Nonsense, Eirik!" He approached her casually, that smile never fading and his dark eyes locking on to her, proclaiming her his prey. Every bit of her tensed the closer he came. He stopped inches in front of her and bent his face close to hers. "You aren't going to be a burden are you?"

Being that close to him made her skin crawl with his every word. She snapped then and pushed off of the windowsill, diving for the door, knowing she wouldn't make it.

His arm easily wrapped around her waist and she screamed and punched and clawed at him, to absolutely no avail. He laughed. "She's got fight!" And flung her to the bed.

The red-bearded man moved quickly to place his arm across her torso, pinning her in place, and covered her mouth with his hand. His eyes were calm as they looked into hers. " No harm will come to you. but you cannot fight us, and will only hurt yourself trying." His voice was even and slightly scolding. "Now I am going to take my hands off of you, but you must compose yourself or you will force my friend to tie you up." He leaned closer to her, his beard tickled her cheek and he winked. "And he would probably enjoy that far too much."

He released her and she sat up, tugging her skirt which had fallen far up her thighs. Unsurprisingly, when she looked over to Ivar he was watching her, licking his lips. She didn't hide her grimace and that seemed to amuse him.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Mortal. Redbeard-the one the other called Eirik, he had used the word 'mortal'. Who uses that word outside of an Anne Rice novel? Then things began to click together. The door. Knocked off it's hinges at the touch of his hand. They were too strong. Too strange. It was dark out. Holy shit.

"Ohhh," She slid off the bed and stood up cautiously and turned to face them. "...kaaay." Her hands instinctively went to her throat and her eyes quickly went to the wall next to her dresser where she kept her necklaces hanging neatly on several tiny hooks. One of them was a cross that held no actual spiritual value to her, but she began to inch towards it anyway. the men paid her no mind.

"Ivar, let's leave the girl. I'm sure the stone will suffice." Eirik again urged his friend. He held up the broken stone with the now glowing red runes and examined it. " Hmm...I thought it would be bigger."

She stopped inching and her eyes widened with realization. "That stone! I knew it was acting strangely! That's what this is about?"

"Yes" Ivar answered. "We were sent to bring it back," he leaned down toward her and lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "Along with whomever stole it."

"What?! I didn't steal anything!That thing belonged to my grandmother." She pointed an defensive finger at him. "And don't think of saying that she stole it either! She was far more Antiques Roadshow than Tomb Raider.' She paused at the mental image. "Look, take the stone, just please leave me here. Alive."

"It's not us you'll have to convince, girl. Besides, we have come a long way and I would very much like to enjoy your company on the journey home." He clapped his hands together. "And perhaps if you are found innocent , the prince will let me keep you."

Nausea rolled into her stomach. Prince?

Eirik regarded Ivar with a knowing smile. "So that's why you were so eager to accompany me on this journey despite you known loathing for the prince. You wanted a wee bit of plunder for yourself."

"Well," Ivar sighed. " I do enjoy my baubles. And this one is quite pretty, do you not agree? Midgardian slaves do still find their way to our realm now and then. No one would even notice or care that she were there. And as for the prince, my opinion on him matters not. The throne will never be his."

The stone disappeared into the fold's of Eirik's cloak and he chuckled. "You seem so certain of that! But I do not wonder why. tell, me how many spies do you have employed to keep a watch on him? What is it you expect to uncover?"

"Oh, don't be foolish! He has been scheming against his brother and the realm for ages. there have been whispers but never proof. My family has employed dozens to gather information to expose him. Once I have that I will go to the king."

"It is no small thing to be in the favor of the king." Eirik said, raising an eyebrow. "But I do hope you will not include this little adventure in your report."

"Of course not, my friend." Ivar's smile said.

She watched their exchange and her abhorrence for Ivar grew. Even she could see he was lying, but unfortunately for her, Eirik seemed to be the more trusting and passive of the two.

Ivar started toward her and she felt a scream involuntarily begin to rise in her throat.

"No , no. Let me." Eirik strode in front of him, holding something small and glowing amber in his hand. "If she is for the prince, then it is my duty to make sure she is unscathed." He held her fast around the waist. his eyes were still calm, and still twinkling as he looked down on her, his face otherwise unreadable beneath that great red beard.

"Wait," she whispered. "Just please tell me..." she swallowed hard and forced her brain to override how ridiculous her next question was. "Are you a ...vampire?"

She saw Eirik throw his head back and heard the start of his bellowing laughter, then the light in his hand grew bright, entering her eyes and enveloping everything in it's glow until there was only silence and the dark.

#Loki #fan fiction #Loki fanfic #loki x ofc #marvel #myth #god of mischief #TGIF #Thank God For Fan Fiction #AM I DOING THIS RIGHT?!

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