#wanda was so fucking unhinged in this movie and i love it

[jjeangrey]

wanda: why don’t you just bring america here

dr strange:

wanda: you didn’t tell me her name did you

dr strange: …no

wanda:

#wanda was so fucking unhinged in this movie and i love it #i support wanda’s rights but i also support wanda’s wrongs #multiverse of madness spoilers #spoilers #dr strange #doctor strange #doctor strange and the multiverse of madness #wanda maximoff #stephen strange #america chavez #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #avengers #marvel headcanons #hcs #headcanons

[reneesbooks]

Damn I really feel you on that one Stephanie Meyer book with the parasitic aliens, like that premise was so interesting, why did she have to focus on the stupid love triangle?!

ok here’s the thing. i could fix her

edit: i'm putting this post under a cut bc it got SO LONG lmao. read at your own risk it's messy and obsessive and a bit unhinged

the movie got so close in some ways and fucking missed in so many others. on the one hand, ian in the movie was imo a lot more likeable than he was in the book. I’m attributing this to less dialogue written directly by stephanie meyer and the actor's face. on the other hand. jared was awful. movie did not fix him even a bit. only thing they fixed was the age gap but not even that was explicitly addressed in the movie. it was just assumed bc the actors looked similarly aged

I should mention at this point that I haven’t actually read the book in a few years but I read it so many times at age 13-14 that it was an intensely formative experience despite being a generally terrible book. I could still probably quote entire passages from memory. I’ve seen the movie definitely more than 50 times, including in theaters w my mom the week it came out. I watched it last week just for something to play in the background while I crocheted. I can and will 1000% quote along with the movie. fucking brain parasite book got me I guess

the book delves so deeply into the genuinely fascinating world building that tbh has influenced me to this day in terms of depth and creativity. that’s where the movie set itself up to fail bc the ONLY redeeming quality of the book was the world building. its perfect for a tv show so that there is time to explore what it’s like for Melanie to live among the souls instead of focusing exclusively on wanderers time among the humans.

ok the love triangle. here's the thing. it didn't have to be Like That. BUT. i remember my edition when i was younger (that has since disappeared but i have a new one on the way bc i miss my stupid parasite book) had a bonus chapter or smth from melanie's perspective after she wakes up without wanderer in her head for the first time and runs into ian and they both have this moment where they reach for each other and there is that moment of horror on ian's part when he realizes that she is not wanda and melanie being so used to wanda reaching for him that she doesn't realize that her body is doing it automatically. and it was just so interesting to think about how that duality affected them and i think the movie kind of tried to do that with the conversation that ian and wanda have on the cliffs but it just didn't make it happen in the right way. so like. having the love stories there are important for why wanda is even willing to learn to be human but the focus on them in the movie and its general failure to properly execute the most interesting parts of them are what kneecapped it imo.

anyway getting back to why despite that the love triangle is literally the least interesting part of this book. starting with the thing that drives me the most up the wall. the fact that the movie didn't include walt at all and glossed over wes's death makes me chew drywall bc that plotline made me SOB. wanda's time sitting at walt's bedside and comforting him through his illness is one of the things that really teaches her about the gentleness of humanity despite their perceived cruelty, and what makes much of the humans actually start to trust her. they see how she treats walt and realize that she has a huge heart and capacity for kindness. so when jared gets mad bc the seeker looking for her has caused problems, and she has the whole compound backing her up anyway, it actually has some weight to it. the movie flattened wanda and her relationships to the others so much it's so disappointing!! she feels grief in a way that's different from how she's ever experienced it before, despite knowing and understanding grief from her previous lives. she is devastated and forever changed by walt's death, and similarly by wes's. i don't remember exactly if he had a partner in the book but i think he did so wanda also had that experience of seeing his death devastate someone else so completely (and for her to be able to connect that to how jared feels about her being in melanie's body). so when she asks doc to let her die at the end, it's go so much more significance because she specifically asks to be buried WITH walt and wes!! she finds peace with death and understands it and wants to be with the people who taught her about grief and love and that just. i'm so unhinged about it. and it wasn't in the movie. chewing drywall.

this isn't like. a big thing. but it's forever a little disappointing to me that it wasn't in the movie either. bc the movie went a more "ethereal being made of light" direction for what the souls' actual bodies look like instead of the book's "segmented body with thin tendrils that attach to the brain of the host" description. this matters to me for a sad reason and a funny one. the sad reason is because when wanda sees the souls that the humans tried to cut out, she notes based on the vestigial feelers of one of the dead souls that it was a baby. horrible and sad detail that makes that scene 100 times worse. the funny reason is because since the humans know what the souls look like for the above sad reason, they refer to them as worms. which essentially leads to them calling ian a worm fucker and that's hilarious on a lot of levels the least of which being that it's true. like while melanie and jared and jamie go looking for a new body for wanda he literally doesn't care what it looks like and just sits holding her containment tank the entire time. worm fucker and proud of it good for him

i could write a whole other essay on the worldbuilding but i don't have my copy yet (and all the library copies are checked out who ARE y'all who else has read this book???) and i can't remember enough of it to really get into it. but wanderer's job was to be a teacher because she'd been to almost all the different planets (hence her name) so there were some glimpses of the fascinating universe of this world. the stories that she tells about the other planets?? unparalleled. wanderer tells this story about an ethical dilemma (among parasitic aliens lmao) because their host species on one planet burns another alive for its food source BUT they had recently discovered that the food source species was also sapient and intelligent so they were trying to figure out a way to handle the situation. that entire thing could be more interesting than the love triangle but instead it was like. a maximum of two pages about that planet and a one-off appearance from another soul that used to live there at the very end of the book. wanda tells the people at the compound about the underwater planet, and the one with the giant blind flying creatures that they call the Bats, and she mourns using the ritual from that species after the whole seeing the corpses incident. all of this gone completely to waste and for what!! for what stephanie!!!

another funny thing that i think might be better left in the book--when they take the seeker out in the book the human that was in there in the first place is so nasty and awful that everyone is lowkey mad at wanda for not just letting them kill her. top tier comedy ngl

ugh i also remember a scene where wanda is going on the long supply trips and sees a couple of souls with a human child who isn't occupied and is like. huh. that could be really indicative of a beautiful direction for humanity to go. could souls and humans live in peace in a real way? and then it's never really addressed again bc sexy feelings about two men oohhhh

so. is she fixable?

yes. i could fix her. a tv adaptation is what she needs. bc then there's actually time to delve into the thoughts and feelings of melanie and wanderer (and you could do that really well if you made a visualization of their shared mindspace--the book talks about how they put up walls against each other, and how they can block each other out or grab at control) as well as the worldbuilding and ethical questions. i have a whole three-season plan for fixing her so buckle up.

season one starts with wanderer waking up in melanie's body and the first half explores their time as a uni professor and the seeker's insistence on trying to find the human resistance through melanie's memories. this is where we really get a chance to see wanda's perspective--not because she's right, but because it's interesting. she is a huge pacifist and is horrified by violence, whereas melanie is used to using violence to get what she needs and tends to jump directly to it as a solution. so before they run off to the desert, when the seeker is still constantly checking up on her, as wanda gets more annoyed, melanie keeps suggesting that they kill her, and wanda has a harder and harder time holding her back. finally at the midpoint, wanda snaps and attacks the seeker, not because melanie made her do it, but because she's finally reaching that point in her journey towards humanity. and of course everybody blames it on melanie and they have to run because they're going to be separated.

then the second half of the season starts with the wandering through the desert. btw. book jeb my beloved. unhinged grandpa didn't get to be nearly as unhinged in the movie. the second half of the season is wanda acclimating to the human environment. i am of the opinion that romance should not happen until the second season at LEAST. obv melanie is pining for jared and wanda is dealing w that but it's not a romance. she doesn't love jared she's just comforting her dramatic roommate. maybe ian is starting to show interest in wanda but she hasn't noticed yet because she's still getting used to being human. season one ends with walt's death, since that's one of wanda's biggest turning points.

so season two opens with wanda understanding humanity a little better. and now she notices that ian likes her. melanie rightfully puts up a fuss about this (because it's her fucking body, steph meyer why did you almost make a convincing bodily autonomy argument and then fall short you almost had it--) and we can have that drama still while setting it up against the backdrop of wanda's journey to understanding humanity and ultimately becoming human herself. this is the first half of the season, and then there is the turning point--discovering that they've been trying to cut out the souls even as she lives among them. this is her major fracture with ian and is when she realizes that she can actually push melanie out of her head entirely and has to scramble to get her back. season midpoint cliffhanger is melanie being gone. and that finally brings jared around about her when he sees how hard she works to get melanie back and help jamie. so the second half of the season starts with healing jamie and how jared being ok with her changes the dynamic. now she's going out on raids, seeing how humanity and souls can live together, starting to come around to being in love with ian maybe, and generally settling into a comfortable existence. and this is when the seeker comes back into the picture at the end of season two, killing wes and being captured by the humans.

and season three. where it all comes together. the seeker represents the biggest obstacle to humanity and souls living in harmony--she is a mirror and a foil to wanda and melanie, two people too stubborn to let the other take over, unable to coexist. when she's captured by the humans, they want to kill her and her host, forcing wanda to come face-to-face with what she hasn't wanted to admit--she has to tell the humans how to remove a soul from a body. and in doing so she has to admit that she's been selfish and cruel by not telling them before. because by now they've more than proven that they can accept her kind under the right circumstances. so she's able to lay that out with the seeker and the first half of the season shows them starting to do it--to take souls out of humans and send them to different planets. the book does so many interesting things with this, showing how some people come back right away, some come back very slowly, some don't come back at all. there's a lot of material to work with (looking at you jodi and kyle and sunny) but eventually we get to the midpoint which is wanda asking doc to remove her and bury her with wes and walt. and then he does.

so the second half of the third season begins with melanie alone. and for the first time ever we don't hear from wanda at all. because she's in a cryotank and unable to have thoughts. so now we have what didn't get a chance to be really explored by the book--the aftermath of wanda's removal and the ethical debate of violating her wishes to put her in another body as well as the fact that when they do put her in one, it's one of the people who never woke up. it starts to get fuzzy here bc there's less original material to work with (and what is there is...not great the body they find for wanda is a 17 year old and ian is like 27 throwing up) and because there are so many directions to go after the book ends-- they find other human groups like they do in the book that also have a soul like her living among them, they try to work with the soul government to reach an agreement for peace, etc etc etc--and they're all so interesting! but the book ends because the love triangle has been resolved and it just doesn't address any of that. shaking steph by the shoulders and screaming

anyway the point of all of this is that this book and movie have been living rent free in my head for over a decade and i would simply like to make the good version of it that lives in my head real.

tldr i could fix her. steph meyer wya.

#listen i could fix her. i could fiX HER-- #if i had the money and time i would be breaking down steph meyer's door begging her to let me do this. it's such a passion project for me #indie tv companies willing to work w the unions hit me up bc i'm not a scab <3 #the host #the host (2013) #rb original

[darkcrowprincess]

Ok my thoughts on the doctor strange movie multiverse of madness *beware spoilers ahead*

The number one thing that I am most happy about is that the white washed, hydra nazi mcu wanda maximoff is finally the fucking villian! I mean after all the horrible things she's done ( mind rape, help create an evil robot that killed people and let Tony take the fall for all of it, set the hulk off on civilians, killed more people, willingly joined nazis/ anti freedom terrorists group, kidnapped a town and forced them to play into her fantasy, attacked a women of color, brought vision back to life againt his wishes and gaslight him) marvel doesn't pretend anymore. She is evil, she is crazy, and she is hurting people! And she is still playing the victim card!

Like her whole plan is basically continuing what she did in wandavision. Play into a her fantasy so she doesn't have to deal with reality and karma. Only this time she's kidnapping children that aren't hers. She's killing people and kidnapping kids( and killing another kid to achive all this, great step into being a mother wanda great step) to play mommy. She is risking destroying two univeres so she can play mom. Not be an actual mother because she was never an actual mom that was all part of her fantasy from before. She never raised kids because her kids were fake and whenever things became difficult she she used magic to make everything better. I just love her being evil ( how unhinged, terrifying, and self centered she was) I love hating her. I love rooting for Dr Strange and America. And I cheered when she lossed. And I cheered when she died.

Will talk more about everything else. But this is my absolute favorite part of the movie. And I hope she stays dead. Karma's a bitch Wanda. (Also don't care what the movie said. Wanda was in complete control. The book might of tempted her, but she knew what she was doing. She knew. Book just enhanced what was already there. Overpowered her. But she was in control)

#Mcu #anti mcu wanda maximoff #anti nazi wanda maximoff #anti wanda maximoff #Marvel #multiverse of madness #dr strange #america chavez #anti wanda stans #anti wandavision #anti mcu wanda #Villian wanda #mcu scarlet witch

[outlawadvocate]

look away, MoM soilers ahead!!!

OKAY i have to. HAVE to rant about the case of unwitting misogyny and wonky, warped feminism in the mcu. (by no means hot takes or anything new but GOD IM SO ANGRY I CANT LET IT GO)

please for the love of god cant they stop ruining female characters? any female character worth loving, they find a way to destroy with their icky sense of what womanhood is, im so fucking sick of it. hey, hey marvel!!! it’s not the 1600s!! LEAVE YOUR MADONNA-WHORE COMPLEX BACK WHERE IT BELONGS!! THERE’S NO MORE ROOM FOR ANGEL OF THE HEARTH AND MADWOMAN IN THE ATTIC!!! WE AS A SOCIETY ARE PAST IT!!!

its like, all their portrayals of famous female characters boils down to 3 things: mother, sacrifice, villain. are you fucking jokingggg how many times are they going to write and rewrite the same fucking formula im so tired of it. either they’re “feminist” in a hyper-masculine way, (captain marvel) wherein you deem a female only worthy of being a hero or powerful if she emulates classic masculine traits OR you turn her into sheep for slaughter, sacrifice for the greater good, gives up her own life for the sake of a man who has a family because APPARENTLY hers isnt worth more or at least as much, because she’s a single woman without kids. (natasha my angel) AND THEN, when they’re powerful enough to threaten their male counterparts, marvel makes them unhinged in the worst way possible. the only way to stop and fix everything is for them to die (jean grey my beloved, wanda baby but we know she’s not dead)

like!!! my dudes!! a woman CAN exist and STILL be a woman without wanting the white picket fence family!!! they made black widow feel like shit in every movie cause they kept bringing up how she’s fucking barren. SHE FELT LESS THAN. EXCUUUUSEEE. what does that say??? what are you saying??? and then, of course, sacrificial womanhood, took her fucking life.

captain marvel??? ya’ll know why she flopped?? because they tried SO hard to make her a man. and now fucking wanda, THE most powerful witch in the universe, and she’s been reduced to soccer mom. like, that’s her only motivation. are you fucking joking. 

give female characters more reasons, better motivations to be heroes AND villains. none of this my daddy didnt love as much as you so i’ll wreak havoc (hela) or i want my babies so i’ll fuck up the world (nevermind the overabundance of trauma she has suffered her entire fucking life)

and at the end of the day love saves the day!! no. absolutely not. do better mcu.

#i am tired #i cant turn my brain off

[greatghuleh]

My friend barely saw the movie and asked me what I thought about it and my response it's fine...and that that's kind of the problem. It's just a fine movie. And that No Way Home dealt better with the multiverse and with cameos that were worth it.

My friend is also from Europe so they didn't grow up with the Sam Reime movies, and in general aren't that big of a horror movie fan. I'm not either. So that was also another setback for the movie. It was banking on nostalgia, which some of the other movies have done too but this one on a even MORE specific niche. Like, to genuinely LOVE the movie I think you had to have skipped Wanda vision, but a HUGE horror movie buff and enough of a fan of Sam R to really appreciate a lot of what I keep seeing videos point out. Personally, I only know Bruce Campbell from his role in Burn Notice so like...I knew who he was but a lot of people didn't, and so the end credit felt as even more of an FU rather than a funny Deadpool like quib.

It was an okay movie but you're right, that's all it was.

"my response "it's fine"". honestly. Agree. That's basically what I'm telling people. Which bums me out... being such a huge Dr. Strange fan. Bummed that we don't yet have a really balls to the wall amazing Dr. Strange story yet. Both his movies are middle of the road, especially if you're not already a big fan of the character.

That's kind of just like where I am coming out on it. I was hype when I walked out of the theater because it was fun to watch and of course the Clea tease. But the movie is just... okay. It's there. It has some really cool moments and some really amazing set pieces. Does it like... really accomplish anything??? not really. Does it explore any truly new interesting aspects of the characters??? not really.

I did know we were going a more horror-esque route even from the first movie. When they hired Scott Derrickson, a horror director, and he was all pumped to be doing multiple Doctor Strange movies.... and early on constantly teasing Nightmare on his twitter. I KNEW that Feige or MCU higher ups wanted to push a horror element into Doctor Strange at some point. So, getting Raimi in to replace Derrickson made complete sense to me.

A bit too bad all the horror elements were Wanda Maximoff and not a truly scary Doctor Strange villain. With Wanda, I felt she was obviously powerful enough and apparently unhinged enough, but the horror story coming from her and around her felt a bit forced, if i'm honest. It was cool and entertaining to watch but like... why are here in this semi-horror movie with WANDA?

(Side note: I feel like this movie was supposed to be Nightmare or some other Dr. Strange big bad that dabbles in horror before Feige shifted gears and wanted it to be a larger Multiverse story featuring villain!Wanda. and I truly believe that's a big part of why Derrickson took off.)

I'll also be honest, going into this I expected WAY more cool Multiverses and variants. Wow, was I hugely disappointed in that respect.

Also, I didn't stay for the second credits scene because I needed to get the fuck out of there with Clea and Stephen walking into that portal being the last thing I saw. I DID NOT care what else it had to show me. Even Raimi and Bruce Campbell fans left feeling a bit insulted by that second credits scene. I feel like they meant a joke but it left people frustrated, being used to getting teasing content in the credits scenes.

#anon #long post #doctor strange #multiverse of madness #mcu!strange #dumb magician

[alexackrman]

ALEX I DJDJDJFH I saw Dr strange and I gotta say I have such mixed feelings about it fjdhdhfhffh like some parts were SO GOOD and then others I was like 😬😬 excuse me whAT fjdjfjf

SPOILERS AHEAD FHDJDJ

Omg I literally don't hold any attraction to his character but my daddy issues were BLARING every time he and America interacted OML!!!! And man I'm negl the chemistry between him and Christine at the end of the movie made me fucking SWOON and when he said I love you I wanted to SCREAM IN THE THEATER AND HIM BEING VULNERABLE????? 😭😭😭😭😭😭 STOPPPPPP

Idk how I feel about America like it's not even her acting I think it's the directing but HOLY SHIT WANDA CARRIED THE MOVIE FOR ME OKAY. I LOVED her unhinged shit holy fuck they really went in on the horror hello????? I was TERRIFIED but it was so good. I just wish some of the cheesy/attempts at comedy were cut down tbh fbfjfhvh But yAAAAA omg It wasnt terrible like some of the cinematic shots were CRAZY but I don't think the movie as a whole could top the first one for me 😭😭😭😭

I’m going to say even more spoilers so I’ll make a cut and if y’all read more, then that’s your own doing 🤷🏻‍♀️

I hold no attraction to Benedict either but this movie for some reason just had me wanting to freaking sCREAM OVER HIM!! I think it was the hair honestly… maybe even the beard, idkkkk but I was losing my mind :)))) and the end scene with him and Christine omg, I may have shed a tear or two ???? like I get super emotional real quick over these movies but that specific part just STABBED ME right in the gut

I wanted to like America, I really did, especially cause she’s one of the first main characters I know of in a marvel film to represent Hispanics and as a Hispanic I was so excited to see her and she was great, Xochitl is a pretty good actress, but the writing for her character just wasn’t it for me :// not sure if it was the way she was written specifically for the film to flow the way it did or just a bit of lazy writing for her, but I think they could’ve made her character a bit better

and Wanda, HOLY SHIT I WAS WANTING TO JUMP OUT OF MY SEAT AND CHEER HER ON EVERYTIME SHE WAS ON THE SCREEN!!!!! I was like, “that is both terrifying but attractive 😀” Elizabeth Olsen did such an amazing job in this film and it wasn’t even HER film, it was part of the DS movies but jeezus I LOVED HER AND SHE WAS THE DAMN MOMENT (I did cry a little when she just snapped Charles Xavier’s neck, I wasn’t expecting that at all!!)

but yeah the cinematography was great, it had me very dizzy in some parts but the first one in terms of effects and storyline and whatnot was so much better for me, this one seemed a bit try hard at the comedic relief that most marvel movies have, especially cause this one was so much darker than others and I jumped a few times in some scenes.. like no this didn’t meet my expectations, but it wasn’t terrible either, and I’m sure it was made the way it was to set up the later films and shows to connect things later…. I just wanna see Wanda again *sigh*

#doctor strange #doctor strange spoilers #<<just a fair warning #but AHHHH OVERALL I STILL ENJOYED THE MOVIE #Wanda carried the entire time and she was just trying to reach her kids #I honestly understand her though and don’t blame her so much for her actions #sure there were better ways to approach the situation but other male characters do what she did and they’re praised for it soooo #it’s only fair Wanda is still understood and justified despite the mass murdering hasjkdkdjd

[crackedoutwalnut]

Never Quite Free (Natasha x Reader)

Summary: Natasha grows concerned after you start ignoring her and decides to check on you.

!TW WARNINGS: Implied sexual assault, PTSD, and panic attacks! (lots of fluff near the end to make up for it i promise)

A/N: just a vent fic,,, as a treat. The song referenced in the fic is Never Quite Free by The Mountain Goats, in case you want to listen to it for context though you don't have to.

--

It's all good to learn that right outside your window There's only friendly fields and open roads And you'll sleep better when you think You've stepped back from the brink And found some peace inside yourself Laid down your heavy load It gets all right to dream at night Believe in solid skies and slate blue earth below But when you see him you'll know

For the longest time, going out into the world was like maneuvering across a field of landmines. The bombs could be set off by nearly anything, from minute details that had latched themselves to the back of your mind to glaring reminders that were almost impossible to ignore. Anything and everything that reminded you of him had seeped its way into the cracks in your brain, leaving irreparable stains and water damage in its wake. From the smell of cedar and pine aftershave to the brassy sound of a jazz trumpet on a passing radio, these reminders were minuscule as thumbtacks, and yet they felt like railroad spikes being hammered into your chest and skull.

In the past, you would bury yourself in work or drink yourself nearly to death to escape his ever-present grasp on your mind. Your life had been filled with you shoveling meaningless noise into your routine in attempts to block out the alarm that always seemed a pin trigger away from sounding in your head. Then, you met Natasha. You learned that she knew over seven languages and almost exclusively cussed in Russian when she was pissed enough. You memorized her favorite shows and books and how she snored like a lawnmower when she laid on her left side- a fact she vehemently denied. Natasha Romanov was caring, smart, strong, and oh so protective.

It's okay to find the faith to saunter forward With no fear of shadows spreading where you stand And you'll breathe easier just knowing that the worst is all behind you And the waves that tossed the raft all night have set you on dry land It gets okay to praise the day Believe in sheltering skies and stable earth beneath

These little bits of information filled your mind and heart with endearment and love, thoroughly pushing the smell of cedar aftershave and rot to the far back of your mind. And that was where he stayed for the longest time. For a whole two years, you filled your days with movie dates, forehead kisses, and late-night cuddles. She introduced you to her friends, Steve Rogers, Carol Danvers, Wanda Maximoff; you even befriended Tony Stark- though Natasha never explicitly refers to him as a friend. Everything was going so well for the first time since before you met him. But, like a cockroach, your past is not so easily killed.

But hear his breath come through his teeth,

Walk by faith Tell no one what you've seen

You were at a local coffee shop when you noticed him. He was sitting at the table adjacent to yours, scrolling through his laptop, briefcase at his side. When you beheld him, it was as if your muscles were turning to concrete slabs. They were dragging you down, below the faded wooden floorboards, below the concrete foundation, until you were choking on dirt and rocks. It took you nearly five minutes to realize it was not him. However, him or not, the damage was done. Because you had seen his well-kempt mustache and graying sideburns, had seen his eyes the color of a lethal tundra. You could have sworn you felt those eyes watch you as you rushed out of the café and into the crowded streets.

From that day on, he was back. He visited you in sleep and trailed you all throughout work—a hefty shadow. However, it was not until you were in bed with Natasha that it came to its tipping point.

Your fiancée, having noticed your peculiar attitude, had decided to surprise you with a night of candles and wine. Not wanting her to be more concerned than she already was, you played along. You forced yourself to reciprocate every kiss and caress despite the acid in your throat and the timpani in your chest. Eventually, Natasha swept you off your feet into a bridal style carry and led you into her bedroom. Gently setting you on the bed, she quickly straddled your hips. Leaning down, she cupped your cheeks and pulled you into a heated kiss. You swallowed down bile and half-heartedly opened your mouth to allow her tongue space to explore. She groaned and tore off her shirt as she pulled away from you.

"God, you're so sexy," she murmured, grinding her hips further against your abdomen. Natasha grabbed at your shirt, pulling it off your torso before chucking it across the room. You felt your throat tighten as your upper body was exposed to the elements. Your fiancée set about yanking off your sweatpants, murmuring bits of praise under her breath as she did so. Her gentle lithe hands seemed to grown more masculine and rough the longer they touched your bare skin. Her body morphed into the familiar form of a naked man. His sickeningly familiar graying mustache and coarse chest hair set flares of frigid panic through your body. He was here, he was here, hewasherehewashere.

Your body convulsed and kicked out at your assailant; flashes of his rough hands forcing your legs apart fueled the strength behind your attacks as you lunged to your feet. You shoved him off of you with a borderline unhinged snarl.

"Get the fuck away from me, Castor!" You screamed before hurriedly shoving on your clothes and sprinting out the door of the apartment. He was following you. You could hear his heavy footsteps thudding behind you. Your thighs burned from the sudden exercise, and the roaring in your ears drowned out your surroundings. You shoved your way into the elevator, nearly punching the first-floor button with your fist. Sweat dripped down the nape of your neck as you struggled to suck in breaths of air. Clutching your chest, you allowed your knees to collapse.

When the elevator slid open, you shot to your feet and ran through the lobby, out into the cool night. You clumsily pushed people aside, his voice clawing through your ear canal. You wildly waved down a taxi and slid into the back. Your voice was as flimsy as tissue paper as you gave the driver your address.

When you got home, you slid all three locks into place and snapped your curtains shut. You huddled under your blanket and slowly succumbed to a sleepless night.

--

Natasha was many things, but a worrier was not one of them. Why should she spend all her time fretting when she could just get up and solve the damn problem herself? However, after three days of complete radio silence on your end, she was sorely tempted to break into your apartment. That night, you had rushed out of her apartment as if the Devil himself had been at your heels. The look in your eyes had been that of a wounded animal. Natasha felt her stomach clench with anxiety as she stared down at her phone. 37 texts, 10 calls, 10 voicemails, and not a single message answered. You were always a punctual texter, which only made her worry worsen.

Natasha shoved her phone back in her back pocket and took a long sip of her coffee. What the hell could have caused you to run out of her apartment mid-sex? Not to mention, who the hell was Castor? Natasha finished off her coffee and set her red and black spider mug in the sink. The cup had been a 6-month anniversary gift, and she made sure to drink out of it every chance she got. After cleaning up the last of her breakfast, Natasha pulled out her phone once more and typed out another message.

Nat: darling I've tried giving you space but its been 3 days and I'm worried. I'm coming over.

Natasha moved to put the device away; however, after a second, she reconsidered it and unlocked it once more.

Nat: I love you <3

Pushing the phone into her pocket, she rushed out the door. When Natasha arrived at your apartment door, she immediately pulled out her phone once more. Nothing. She huffed a shaky breath and pulled out her copy of the apartment key. You had given it to her after you almost burnt down your apartment trying to cook for their date that night. She had to rush over to your apartment to clean up the damage done by the small grease fire and cook you both last-minute spaghetti.

She twisted the key in the lock and quietly pushed the door open. The apartment felt akin to a tomb. The curtains were drawn, and all the lights were off. Dirty dishes were piled up Tetris style in and around the sink, not to mention the empty takeout containers strewn throughout the living room and dining table. The TV was quietly playing It Chapter 2, yet you were nowhere in sight.

Worry continued to grip the assassin's chest as she called out, "Y/n, kotyonok are you here?" Being cautious of the numerous fast-food containers and clothing items thrown about, Natasha made her way towards your bedroom door. She hesitated for a moment before steeling her nerves and carefully knocking on your door. For a moment, she heard nothing, only the faint sound of Pennywise's voice coming from the living room. Then, just as she turned the knob to open the door, she heard whimpering. Her heart ramped up to a gallop as she quickly opened the door to your bedroom.

Natasha was certain she had seen war zone's tidier than this. Clothes covered nearly every inch of the bedroom, mattress, and wardrobe. Not to mention the numerous crumpled tissues and fallen picture frames. However, the state of your room was hardly her first concern because in the center of it all, huddled in shaking ball, was you. Painful sobs were rasping from your lips as you burrowed your face further into your knees. Your hair was tangled and greasy, and you were wearing one of Natasha's sweaters with a food-stained pair of boxer shorts.

The assassin felt sorely tempted to sprint across the rooms and scoop you into her arms. Instead, she went for the safer route, which was carefully wading through the mess over to your side of the bed. Tutting quietly, Natasha swallowed the urge to cry alongside you as she quietly cleared her throat. "Mon trésor, can you hear me?" she whispered, setting a hand next to your own, cautious not to make contact.

Instead of a relieved smile or a tired 'yes' like Natasha had expected, your entire body flinched away as if you had been punched. Your eyes snapped open as you scrambled across the bed, looking around hysterically. "Castor?" you called out, eyes wild with panic.

Natasha furrowed her brows and backed away from you. "Y/n it's me, Nat. I'm not here to hurt you; I just needed to see if you were okay."

Slowly, your eyes shone with recognition. Your body, however, remained as taught as before as you studied your fiancée carefully as if she was a trick or a mirage. Natasha felt her heart fracture slightly at the display of fear. "Nat?" Your voice was quiet and raspy; if she had not seen your mouth move, she would not have registered that you were speaking.

"Yes, kotyonok, it's me."

You furrowed your brows and brought your knees back up to your chest. "Wha-what're you doing here?" You asked, your voice slurred and shaky from the sobs racking your body.

Natasha carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, "I have been so worried about you. After you ran out on me a few days ago, I have been trying to check to see if you are okay."

Your face crumbled once more as you buried your face in your knees, "I-I'm," you hiccup, "Sorry, Nat."

Natasha tutted dotingly and slid back so that she sat beside you, still cautious not to touch. "Hey, hey, it's okay, darling. You're okay; just breathe for me. Can you do that, sweetie?"

You inhaled quick stuttering breathe, which quickly dissolved into hyperventilating. You clutched at your hair and squeezed your eyes shut.

Your fiancée watched with a heartbroken expression, "You're okay, you're okay, just keep trying. Can I touch you?" You nodded shakily as she pulled you onto her lap. Gently, she pulled your fists from your hair and replaced them with her own. She stroked your knotted locks and quietly cooed sweet nothings into your ear. She guided your fist to rest atop her chest as she whispered, "Copy my breathing okay, mon trésor?" Sucking in exaggerated breaths, she held her hand atop your own to keep it in place. After a few tries, your breathing eventually settled, and you let out a long whimpery sigh.

It's all good to learn that from right here the view goes on forever And you'll never want for comfort and you'll never be alone See the sunset turning red let all be quiet in your head And look about, all the stars are coming out They shine like steel swords Wish me well where I go But when you see me you'll know

Natasha smiled and kissed the top of your head, "You're doing so well, my love. Nothings going to get you while I'm here, I promise."

You burrowed further into her lap and placed your head atop her chest, letting the sound of her steady heartbeat soothe you into a lull. The two of you sat there for what seemed like eons as you soaked in the feeling of safety and warmth. Natasha hummed quietly, placing chaste kisses on the crown of your head every once in a while.

Sucking in a breath, you spoke, "He was a family friend." Natasha's humming stopped as she looked down at you. "His name was Castor Davids, and my dad met him at work. He was nice at first, sort of like a goofy rich uncle. He would always buy me new toys and books. He would even take me out for ice cream. Even when I got into fights with my parents, I knew I could always talk to him when I was upset. But then..." you gulped, your voice breaking. Natasha continued stroking your hair. "But then one day, he was babysitting me while my parents were out at a baby shower. H-he..." Your words broke off into a sob, and your fiancée quickly shushed you.

"You're safe; you're here with me. No one can hurt you, I promise. Just relax, darling. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that you're safe now." Eventually, after a few more minutes of comforting words and protective hugs, the phantom hands that had been grasping at you for days disappeared.

You burrowed your head further into her chest and huffed, " 'm sorry I ran out on you the other night. I shoulda texted."

Natasha chuckled humorlessly, "Darling, that is the least of my worries. What I am worried about, however, is the last time you had an actual healthy dinner." You looked down at your lap sheepishly and shrugged. Natasha playfully pinched your side and untangled herself from your hold. You whined at the loss of contact and looked up at her accusingly. "I am going to make you a proper dinner, and we are going to sit down and watch stupid TV shows."

You huffed, "Can we watch House Hunters?"

Natasha sighed and nodded, "Fine, only because I love you, though." You grinned and slid out of bed. Your fiancée inspected you with a grimace, "First, we're going to take a shower."

--

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@midnight-lestrange

#black widow x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow #natasha romanov #avengers fic #marvel fic #avengers x reader #wlw #gay #pls read the tw before reading

[phynali]

If given the chance, how would you rewrite the MCU?

Anon. Anon. Anon.

How wouldn’t I?

I mean - okay, there’s a lot you have to keep the same just for the sake of like, continuity, clarity, and keeping the bones there.

I’d probably keep all the original movies in Phase 1 as they are with only minor tweaks. I’d fix the mess that was Iron Man 2. I’d give Black Widow and Hawkeye a movie of their own to establish their characters. Hmm, I can see that coming after the first Avengers, possibly.

The first Avengers film though, that’s where I would make the first major changes. 

Loki’s characterization is a mess and not properly explained in canon. I’d put him more obviously under Thanos’s thumb. I’d fix Cap’s messed up characterization. I wouldn’t have Thor show up when he does because, hey - bifrost issues. We’d see him and Heimdall from Asgard trying to work on that problem and let them find a cogent way to get Thor to earth. So, he’d show up for the final battle and to take Loki home. He’d be the ace in the hole that helps allow the Avengers to assemble and overtake Loki.

Okay, so fix Iron Man 2. I can barely remember it but I know it needs fixing.

Cap 2 I’d leave intact. I might give Hulk a follow-up movie tbh, or rather, probably tie him in to the Black Widow and Hawkeye movie that would follow the first Avengers.

Also put more female heroes front and centre earlier on. And especially WoC. 

Big issues arise by the time we get to Age of Ultron. Fix that hot mess of a movie.

Hawkeye doesn’t have a family and a farm. That was weird. Erase that shit. Don’t set up a romance between Nat and Bruce. Don’t - 

Look, I mean no disrespect to Tony stans - 

Don’t make every problem in the MCU something that was inadvertently caused by Tony. Because like every Iron Man movie involves a villain who felt scorned by him, and then AoU was caused by him messing with the Mind Stone (Bruce too, okay, but Bruce isn’t the one with the narrative trend here) and all the villains in the Spider-Man movies, and then there’s how shit played out in Civil War and - 

Okay so fix AoU. Have the Mind Stone literally take on a life of it’s own and don’t fucking make it the fault of Tony’s hubris, okay. Make it more accidental and incidental than it was. Don’t make it something that happened overnight from tinkering. 

And for the love of god, make it so that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver did not sign up to be experimented on, but rather keep their comic origins. They’re Jewish Romani PoC. Give them a narrative that’s authentic to those identities.

I also would not fucking kill off Quicksilver, what the honest fuck?

Actually also don’t just make up a random country and code it a given way and then destroy it. I know it’s an MCU movie and therefore actually needs a giant CGI battle at the end, but okay - Age of Ultron. Stretch that shit out. Make it more clever. Show some more subtle and almost… guerilla tactics from the Avengers, taking down Ultron’s armies? Instead of a single battle in a country we don’t know about and haven’t been told to care about from a narrative standpoint, have Ultron go after their friends and families, have them fight smart and mean but no less visually pleasing to watch. The Avengers don’t have the numbers on Ultron’s army, but they can (and do) recruit Wanda and Maximo and they fight their fight using all their resources - not just their fists.

Okay so let’s move on.

iron Man 3 was great, but the whole bit with Pepper being kidnapped? Not that into it, personally. Also not into her getting powers and then getting them taken away. There was a lot to love about that movie, but so many Iron Man movies tease at this idea of Tony wanting to retire, or getting out, and they need to just back off that and let him own his heroism. That movie navigates so much so well so let it be.

Okay - 

Thor 2? Don’t fucking kill Thor’s mom. Friga deserves better. Stop motivating male characters by killing women. Let Loki and Thor come together by Friga being injured, by their dad dying, by a desire to bring their mother joy - whatever. Just - don’t kill her. I’m still pissed about how much they take from Thor over time.

I’d keep Cap 2 the same, and the only changes I’d make to GotG would be - 

Okay wait actually. There are huge glaring issues with that movie. Gamora is poised to be the hero of these movies and finds herself as the damsel in distress or incapable whenever the narrative needs her to be. I fucking hate it. Let her shine more. Show instead of tell. Let each character develop in their own right rather than dropping some random backstory notes in expository dialogue. Build up to the notion that it’s super weird Quill can hold the Stone and actually like… acknowledge it in the movie. You can keep the story basically the same but fix things with Gamora’s narrative, please please please.

Okay Ant-Man is great. There’s a huge narrative issue within the entire MCU with how they exclude Janet Van-Dyne though, and how she isn’t introduced until now even though she should be a fundamental member of the Avengers. I would almost like, at some point in Phase 1-3, a movie with Janet at the helm, possibly (to keep their timeline intact), her working with Peggy, working with SHIELD, with a young Fury or something, and laying the groundwork for the Avengers. A lot of what Captain Marvel eventually did, but situated fully on earth, and coming much sooner in the MCU itself.

Civil War was a hot mess. They needed to actually explain and detail both sides and the problems with them. It functioned amazing as an introduction to Black Panther and I love it for that, but it wasn’t a Cap movie, not really, and I’m bitter about it. This movie should have focused around the Black Panther, Cap, Bucky narrative, and dropped the whole Civil War with the other Avengers stuff entirely. 

Actually - Civil War needs to be either an entirely separate movie on its own or else… drop it. Deal with it differently. That airport fight was an embarrassment. Let the Avengers break down during Cap 3 if you need do, but make it more interpersonal and tense, and less throwing punches and locking each other up. Make it more human, more relatable, because those were the best parts of that whole divide. Make it real for the viewer, for fuck’s sake. Don’t have Tony (seriously what’s with them making him do villainous things and painting them as heroic) blackmail a literal child into a battlezone???? 

Okay - and Cap issues, they need to either set up Agent 13 aka Sharon Carter as a proper love interest sooner, or else drop that. They drop breadcrumbs of her in a few movies but that’s it. It feels hollow between them by the time they actually kiss. They should either keep their dynamic as “could have been but whoops, nope” or have done more to set them up together in Cap 2. 

(Totally honest, total bias here - take out love interests altogether or let Cap be the bi icon that he should be and let him and Falcon hook up in Cap 2. Let the fact that he was in love with Bucky be canon but you don’t need to set them up as a couple. Let it be recognized that they love each other but god there’s too much there, too much mess, they don’t need to be together in the present to acknowledge that history. Either way keep the Bucky and Sam dynamic because it’s amazing).

Doctor Strange - fix the casting. The racism, appropriation - just - wow. Use this as an opportunity to introduce more Asian and East Asian characters and actors into the MCU rather than it being the appropriative mess that it is. Keep the cool visuals though, and the cape. The narrative itself isn’t bad, but spend less time establishing this asshole character and more time establishing the side characters and the dynamics between them because those are far more interesting.

GotG 2 - uhhhh… okay what was this? Peter Quill is Ego’s son, but how does that really advance anything in the MCU or about the character or … ? Just fix the whole goddamn plot, I don’t even know. Tie this shit into Thanos way better. Introduce that better. Make this movie more interesting, make Nebula the Big Bad of it, honestly. Dive into the other members of the Guardians and give them their backstories and plots that they deserve. Is this the Guardians or the Peter Quill show? I don’t know I just - just fix this, okay?

Thor Ragnarok and Black Panther need no fixing. Remember that in this version of the MCU, Thor’s mom is alive, so that’s there. She’s still on Asgard and with Heimdall and being awesome, and we get some awesome interactions between her and Hel because we fucking deserve that, okay? Also Valkyrie’s bi scenes aren’t deleted (fuck you, Marvel execs). I would love love love for Killmonger not to die at the end of Black Panther, personally, but I wouldn’t change much more than that.

Oh wait I forgot - with the whole Bucky in Wakanda thing? Fucking take that out or do something narratively with it. It’s the weirdest brushed-aside thing that serves no genuine narrative purpose. I’d err on the side of taking it out entirely, personally. 

Infinity War is fine, leave it as-is more or less, except for - 

Okay, so we need textual discussion and canonical pushback against Thanos’s ideals. Because so many people came out of that movie all “oh but he’s got a point - population is expanding blah blah blah” and it was such fucking bullshit. We needed Gamora to point out why Thanos was fucking wrong - why her people were not actually better off after he killed half of them, thank you very much. We needed Tony to point out “population doesn’t work that way, it’ll bounce back in 50 years - do you plan to keep doing this each time? why not double resources?”. We needed people to tell the audience not just that Thanos was bad, but why he was bad, and that there is no ‘random’ and he needed to be a monster and selfish and it needed to be way more clear that his was not a sublime ideal of a detached idol, but rather the ravings of an entitled man whose gone unhinged and hateful.

Okay. So that. And don’t make the final battle just decimate Wakandan soil and its army? Why do they have to fight Earth’s battles for it? Let that be a joint effort and not just a Wakandan one, jfc. I get that you had the set ready and all, but no, don’t treat Wakanda like that, it deserves better. If ever there was a time to blow the budget on a final fight, this would be it, so freaking do it and have that battle be in space and over earth and at many different locations but then zeroing in on where Vision is (which itself can be in Wakanda because it’s safest but yeah).

And honestly I wouldn’t make it so Gamora died, like wtf. I hated that. I hated the whole bit with the Soul Stone. I could swallow it if what they did was have Gamora turn into the Soul Stone - so that she could, as the stone, set up a sabotage to Thanos.

Okay - more on that. Let’s talk about Endgame. Endgame needs so much goddamn fixing. Holy fuck does it need fixing.

Okay - okay where do I even start. I make myself mad whenever I think about it. 

Five years? Five fucking years? What the fuck is wrong with you, Russo brothers? Time travel? What - just - 

I hated that movie with a passion.

Okay - so the Snap happened. Pick up right after. Give us the fucking shock and horror. Give us the attempt to regroup, just quick, the intense emotions - people punching walls. Show us snippets of the world quickly, news casts etc. This is a horror, let it be one. Own the shit that you did.

Give us a time skip-montage. A month out, the pressure is on to the Avengers to fix this. The Avengers are all traumatized. Clint doesn’t have a family in this version, and doesn’t go all terminator. Thor - he wouldn’t have as much time to spiral but let him get there, let him be unwell, unkempt, let him own his suffering because goddamn he’s lost so much. (oh I forgot, I actually wouldn’t kill Loki and Heimdall because wtf wtf I hate you Infinity War, but let’s move on - )

Five months - people are losing hope. There are therapy sessions. Cap is a mess. Everyone blames themselves. Tony “if I’d only made the call to Cap sooner, we could have worked together” (also he and Nebula make it to earth fast, none of that lost in space and starving stuff), Cap “if only I hadn’t been so arrogant as to not trade lives”, Thor “if only I’d gone for the head”, etc etc. let it be clear that it’s not just Thor’s fault and not just Peter Quill’s fault - that all of those in charge of decision making fucked up.

Ant-Man isn’t freaking saved by a rat, thank you. He comes out of the quantum realm on his own merits, some safeguard, only to realize shit’s messed up. He and Janet work together with the remaining Avengers. maybe Janet saved him from the quantum realm this time? what a nice parallel to him saving her. anyway, they use the quantum realm to find thanos. Or - fuck that, they use Nebula to find Thanos. She knows shit. What they use the quantum realm for is to realize that all the souls that were lost in the snap aren’t ‘dead’ dead, they’re in stasis. They’re in a liminal space - they’re in the Soul Stone. Because Gamora is the stone and she sucked up all those lives and is holding them, holding for dear life but she can’t hold on forever (make sure the stakes are high, they feel real, the clock is ticking). Captain Marvel teams up with them of course. they track down thanos.

“but Phyn” you say, “thanos still has all the stones? how can they defeat him?” great question! difficult to answer! i’m not sure! with the power of love! 

okay but really - they have an awesome team. they need to work smarter than the enemy, not harder. they can take out thanos’s generals. they can use nebula to slip past defenses. if loki were alive, which he should be, they can use his magic. if friga were alive, which she should be, they can use hers. if heimdall were alive, which he should be, they can use his eyes. they can use the magic of all the magicians in the doctor strange films. they have captain marvel.

but they will never win on might alone, or magic alone - not against a full complement of infinity stones. not unless - 

have you seen Avatar: The Last Airbender? if so - you know how Azula gets a little unhinged toward the end? she’s just a kid, i feel for her, but the point for here is that she does enough shit and gets what she (thinks she) wants and it takes a devastating toll on her. using the stones, clearing half the life in the universe - that took a toll on thanos. it was a terrible choice. he’s in denial, in self-deception about that. he’s coming apart at the seams. he’s not all chill about it, he’s spiralling hard. he lost half his army too, after all. and life doesn’t seem improved. he can hear the cries of the souls locked in the soul stone (not that he realizes what he’s hearing nor acknowledges it) and it’s like the beating heart under the floorboards. his crimes have left scars. he’s not well. physically, from the toll of the Snap, nor mentally, from everything else it took out of him.

let gamora save the fucking day. let her and Vision and their stones - hell, let Loki (maybe he’s fused with the tesseract and maybe thanos did kill him to acheive that, or maybe something else) - let the stones respond to people. to quill. to freaking Jane Goddamn Foster. let the stones’ connections to life undermine and corrupt thanos and his connection to death.

is it cheesy? maybe. is it better than time travel bullshit? definitely. because it uplifts. because it draws from heroes in all the movies, even unlikely ones. people who’ve touched the stones, held them, melded with them. it assumes that the stones aren’t static entities, that they are just as alive as us, in a way we can’t comprehend, and so much more. they resonate with the universe, and thanos has done something that scarred the universe. let this be rectified, not through the actions of a man’s sacrifice, but through the actions, big and small, of a ton of people, of unlikely heroes, of those who suffered personally at his hand, at the hands of the stones - let it be the will of half the goddamn universe to see thanos fall.

let the snap-back happen when thanos loses control over the stones (he’s been holding on tight this whole time, can’t let it slip, the stones have a ‘mind’ of their onw). let it happen again right before the final battle against his armies. let him not have the power to immediately re-snap, hand burnt by the force of the snap-back, and let thor take off his fucking arm this time. let nebula take off his fucking head. let there be a huge final battle with everyone alive and ready to go down swinging once again.

and okay, i’m okay with tony dying. i’d be game for him to die by destroying the stones, tbh - taking them out of existence henceforth so they can never be used like this again, even though it kills him. i think that would honestly be a really fulfilling conclusion to the narrative set up in the first Iron Man film - the reformed arms dealer destroying the ultimate weapons in the universe.

by this way - there’s been 5-8 months or something like that, not 5 years, but why not have Pepper be pregnant, why not have a little child who’ll get to live on after he’s gone, even if that kid won’t remember him? she’ll get to live in a universe that exists and is safe because of him.

i’d be okay with cap dying in this movie too (much better than him going back and stealing peggy’s life from her by changing her history, wtf wtf wtf). i refuse to accept nat dying in clint’s place, that was bullshit and totally not necessary in this version. gamora is also back, not from the past but from the present, and with her sister again. this time nebula got to save gamora, isn’t there some poetic justice in that?

okay okay that’s all that. whew.

I forgot about Captain Marvel. It was decent, I liked it. It wasn’t my favorite in the sense that it was laid out odd when it came to falling in love with this character. Like I wouldn’t change much of the plot but I’d change the… storytelling? The emotions used to connect us to Carol. Give us more of her past from the start, before you introduce her. Give us her childhood. And let Maria be her girlfriend, fucking please.

Okay - now we’re at Far From Home. I didn’t mention Homecoming before but the problem with both of these movies is one I mentioned earlier - that the villains are byproducts of choices made by Tony Stark. That’s a problem. There’s just so many goddamn movies in which that’s the ultimate villain and it fucks with Tony’s characterization so much. How am I supposed to love Tony (which I want to?) when he’s got satellites with drones that can attack anyone he names, tech not that unlike the tech Hydra was aiming to make. Sure, he won’t use it the same, but why the fuck does he have it? Giving it to Peter is all well and good, but - they have interacted maybe a grand total of 5 times? 

The relationship between Peter and Tony is cute but if you stop for a second, it’s annoying as hell that it’s built up to what it is. Peter gets recruited by Tony, mostly works with Happy and not Tony in Civil War, and then gets ignored by Tony for months and months on end, then Tony shows up and scolds him and takes his suit, and then invites him to be an Avenger when he doesn’t fuck up, and then they go off to space and Peter dies, and then everyone comes back to life and Tony dies. Why the fuck would Tony entrust Peter with this Edith system that allows him to kill anyone on Earth? Actually, fuck that, entrust is the wrong word - why the fuck would Tony put that weight on the shoulders of a child?

Far From Home is great but Tony’s post-mortem role in it makes almost no sense. Let Peter’s movies be about Peter and not about the shadow and then the ghost of Tony Stark. Please. I love Tony, I do, but if you stop and think for one second, you have to jump mental hoops to absolve the shit Tony does in Peter’s movies, and for many of us, it leaves a really awful taste in our mouths.

anyway - i probably missed stuff. that’s just what’s currently top of mind. #whoops

#i spent too many hours of my life on this #marvel #mcu #walrus #you said you wanted to read this when i got around to answering... #here you go #marvel critical #mcu critical #ask to tag #comics etc #Anonymous #long post #long post for ts

[roguelov]

Note: I know this is super cheesy but screw it.

“I don’t get it. Dad said it would be good for us. ‘One last family vacation before you go off to college’ as he put it. So far it’s be nothing but fun or exciting. Just me and my family stuck in a cabin with hardly anyone else around. It’s boring.”

“I guess this place is growing on me. Dad took me and Michael on a hike through the woods and we had a picnic along the way. Cara had to stay back. As dad put it ‘your too little pumpkin. Bears will think your one tasty snack’. She cried about it but mom swore they would have their own picnic. Hopefully it went well. But I still can’t wait for this month to be over. I miss my friends. I love my family but I can only take so much of them.”

“Cara is acting weird. Ever since she stayed home with mom when we went hiking. I knew something was wrong when we got back but I thought she was still mad at us. Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

The teenager flipped her journal shut. The pondering thoughts of her younger sister still on the forefront of her mind. Why? Why was Cara so … distant? Quiet? Cara was a bubbly little girl with a wild imagination, yet now she was a stranger. A husk. She doesn’t talk. Only stares. More than ever, she doesn’t allow anyone to go into her room. But why?

The teenager carefully hopped off her bed causing the floorboard to groan under the weight. She need to check on her sister. To put her mind at ease. Her bare feet padded down the hallway. The old floorboards creaked and whined under every step. She winced at each noise. The house was quiet. Not a peaceful quiet – no – a quiet that hung on the edge of suspense. She wondered if she was projecting or if it was always like this. Tiptoeing slower, the aches of the house ceased. Now, the only sound was her pounding heartbeat. Why was she so nervous? This is her little sister.

Down the hall, she crept. Carefully. Each step brought her closer and closer to her sister’s room. Stickers stuck all over the paint chipped door. Cartoon animals once lively in the sun, looked unearthly in the dark. Eyes wide and black in the shadows. Alien. Demonic. Standing at the door, the teenager continued to question her reason for doing this and her growing fears.

Until she heard a low mumbling.

Her heart leapt to her throat. She pressed her ear against the door. Words still undecipherable. Yet, she clearly heard two distinct tones. Her sister’s. And someone else’s. Without thinking, the teenager pushed open the bedroom door.

In the middle of the room, her little sister sat perfectly still. Legs crossed with a single light from a rolled over flashlight. The room that had bright colored flowers on the walls now covered in strange symbols written in marker. Different symbols from top to bottom. As well as on construction paper that littered the floor and was taped to every piece of furniture. The little girl’s back faced the teenager. However, when the door flung open, the younger sister’s head snapped in a complete 180 turn. Her eyes black, emotionless, as her jaw unhinged sending out an unnatural scream.

You flinched shoving your face into the pillow. Said pillow was also being suffocated in your unbreakable grasp. The scream vibrated in your head and the demonic face of the little girl burned behind your eyelids.

Stupid horror movie. Stupid movie night.

Peeking up, you watched as the teenager scrambled away while the little girl crawled after her. The teenager screamed for help only for the girl to jump on top of her dragging back in the haunting bedroom. The teenager struggled but the little girl’s strength was unimaginable. Once in the room, the door slammed shut by itself as the teenager’s screams – pleas – cut off instantaneously.

Fuck these movies.

You glanced to the others. To your right on a couch was Natasha draped across Clint and Bruce while Thor sat in his own recliner. To your left on another couch was Vision and Wanda with Tony also in his own seat. On the couch – directly in the middle of the room facing the holographic projector head on – was yourself with Steve and Bucky, on your left and right respectively. On the table in the middle of the semicircle of furniture was popcorn, candies, and drinks. Popcorn littered the floor along with wrappers.

It was movie night. A weekly tradition that was a nice treat compared to what you typically deal with. However, this week was a horror movie marathon unlike the typical comedies, actions, or sometimes musicals. Much to your displeasure.

You never liked horror movies. To be blunt, you hated them. Ever since you were a child to now. You never found amusement of watching something intended to scare you. As a kid, your friends would drag you to sit through any horror movie which would leave you scarred and with more nightmare fuel. You knew it was fake. You knew that. But that didn’t stop your mind from imagining the worst possible scenarios of ghosts, demons, killers, monsters, and anything that lurked in the dark waiting to strike. You would lay in bed wide awake staring as shadows flickered on the walls or listen to the thuds and creaks of the night.

You liked to think that being older you’ve out grown this childish fear. Which you have. Only to a small degree. You still hated horror movies and their cheap jump scare tactics. You could only watch these movies with friends, a handy comfort pillow in your grasp, and preferably in daylight. However, the worst part for you was that you were now an Avenger. A hero that protects the innocents and deals with true horrors, yet these silly movies always seemed to get to you.

God, this is only the first movie of like five. What the hell am I going to do?

You peered at the movie once more. Your curiosity was a devilish thing. Despite hating the jump scares and the demonic plot, you simply had to know what was going to happen next. And your curiosity cursed you as your peered up finding the little girl holding hands with a demonic entity chanting together as teenaged protagonist tried to wriggle free from the ropes tied around her.

“Come on, (Y/N). We know that you know where the others are. You simply have to tell us and nothing will happen to you,” the HYDRA agent stated. She encircled your bound body. Hands and legs cuffed to a chair while a cloth was shoved down your throat. Your heart raced as panicked seeped in. The onset of tears welled up, but you willed them to stop.

You squeezed your eyes shut as you forced your face back into the pillow. Fuck this movie. Fuck scary movies. Fuck me. I hate this.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Steve whispered.

You turned your head. “Yeah?” you whispered back.

“Are you okay? You know you don’t have to watch this.”

“What? I’m fine, phsst, no worries.” You really did not need everyone else knowing how much of a coward you were being. Despite all the obvious signs.

“Liar,” Bucky leaned in whispering.

Your head snapped to Bucky. Eyes glaring. “I am not.”

He hummed sarcastically, “Right.”

“Hey, chatty Cathys why don’t you keep quiet and watch the movie,” Tony scolded the three of you.

You mouthed ‘sorry’. Your attention back on the movie. For like a few seconds. The teenager escaped to find her family. Only to find them also bounded in the dim lit concrete basement. She tried to run towards them reaching out when a demon appeared in front of her growling. Another jump scare.

“Guys! Can you hear me!” you shouted into your ear piece. Soldiers charged after you as you weaved in and out of tress. It was a trap. The enemy was everywhere. “Someone fucking answer me!” You sprinted away wondering where your team – your family – went. They couldn’t be captured … right? I can’t be the only one left. I … I can’t do this alone.

You immediately buried your face back into the pillow. You listened as the teenager screamed and run away. The haunting music made your skin crawl. God, I am so screwed. How much longer?

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bucky whispered. “Steve’s right, you don’t have to stay and watch.”

“I’m fine, see.” You stared directly at the movie unwavering. “Totally fine. No need to – What the fuck is that!” You chucked the pillow at the holographic screen which passed right through. Other demonic entities popped on screen.

Everyone jumped at your reaction rather than the things onscreen. They laughed at their reactions as well as your own. You laughed once. Embarrassment coursed through you. Cheeks red as you glanced down. You wanted to hide your face with your pillow. But it dawned on you that you just threw away your safety net.

Shit.

Everyone focused back on the screen. You tried to. Pulling your knees to your chest, you tried to substitute your pillow. Again, like all the times before, you didn’t last long. Bug crawled out of the protagonist’s mouth as demons stalked closer.

Blood dripped out of Steve’s mouth. He was out cold. You glanced over to Tony and Clint finding them in similar conditions. Tony’s suit in pieces surrounding him. Clint’s bow broken in his grasp. Blood and fresh wounds nearly covered them. You lifted your shaking hand to your ear connecting to the comms. “Um, h – hello, is – is anyone there?”

“(Y/N)? What seems to be the problem?” Nat asked. Her voice so calm.

“It’s” – you choked back a cry – “it’s Steve, Tony, and Clint. They’re … they’re covered in blood. They’re unresponsive. They – they need help. Quick.”

Alright that’s it. I’m out. “Hey, I’m going to go to the bathroom. Does anyone want anything? Cool, cool, I’ll be back.” You spewed out then leapt over the couch.

Tony called out. “Hey, do you want us to pause the movie?”

“No!” you shouted. Then blinked clearing your throat. “No, no, it’s fine. Keep watching without me.” You darted off to the kitchen. You didn’t need to use the restroom nor were you hungry. You simply needed to get out of there. You leaned against the kitchen counter taking a breath of relief. The movie could still be heard in the distance. You shivered. The nighttime atmosphere did not help your erratic nerves. Or you wondering thoughts.

Every noise seemed to be heightened. Creaks groaned. Footsteps echoed. Footsteps? Your rational mind attempted to state that it was probably one of the Avengers, however, your emotional mind screamed over the rational side. Something was coming. Coming for you. You opened a random cabinet and pulled out the frying pan. Lifting up, you were ready to strike whatever was coming. Rounding the corner, Steve and Bucky appeared.

“Fucking shit! What the hell guys?” you dropped the pan onto the counter. “You guys nearly gave me a heart attack.”

A faint smirk twitched on their lips which they quickly wiped it away. “Well, you looked pretty disturbed as you ran off,” Steve said. “We wanted to check on you.”

You forced a smile. “Thanks, but I’m all good. Like I said I needed to use the bathroom and I was … going to grab a drink.”

“Uh, huh. And the frying pan was for, what? Making eggs or something?” Bucky asked.

“… yes?”

He shook his head. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Would you like to tell us why you’re really in here?” Steve pushed.

You crossed your arms. “Like I said to get a drink.”

The two men glanced to each other shaking their heads. “(Y/N), were you scared of the movie?” Bucky questioned.

“Um, what? No, no way.”

Steve drawled out, “(Y/N).”

You puckered your lips. You didn’t want to fold. You didn’t want them to know. You’re an Avenger. You have to be strong. Not crumble so easily at a silly horror movie. Even if there was more to it. But then again, these two were your best friends. Your crossed arms shifted as you hugged yourself. “Fine. I was scared. Okay? I just never liked horror movies. And I know it’s stupid because I know it’s all fake. All staged to scare you. But I do get scared. Which is absolutely ridiculous seeing how I’m an Avenger.” You sighed dropping your head. “Truth be told, sometimes the movies and my life experience blend together. Soldiers I fought become actual monsters in my dreams. The line constantly becomes blurred. It’s dumb, I know.”

Steve and Bucky frowned slightly. They knew all too well how the night can become unbearable. How missions replayed in the mind driving one crazy. How the enemy can become more monstrous in the veil of night. They’ve learned how to cope. They’ve learned how to brace the night. You, however, have not. Bucky and Steve noticed early on how after a particular mission you would hardly sleep, hardly eat, and become reclusive. Movie night was a way to help not only you, but everyone. A way to distress. To laugh. To smile. Although, maybe, horror movies wasn’t the best idea in hindsight.

“It’s not dumb.” Steve stated. You head perked up seeing Steve’s and Bucky’s warming smiles. “Everyone deals with the stress of the job differently. Every single one of us know how heard this can be.”

“Yeah, but everyone else is so strong –“

“Because we’ve been on the job longer than you. You’re the newest member. Everyone out there have learned how to cope and attempt to move on. And sometimes we still struggle.”

“How about we go watch something else? Just the three of us,” Bucky suggested.

You shook your head. “No, I want to go back out. It’s just a silly movie anyway.”

There it was. The one quality that everyone admired in you. Despite how scared you were, despite the odds, you continued to try. Continue to fight. That’s what made you a great Avenger even if you didn’t know it or quite believe it.

You marched out of the kitchen only to pause and spin around. “Just don’t tell the others.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Bucky said as Steve nodded in agreement.

“Thanks.”

“And, hey, if you need a pillow me and Steve can be it.” Bucky smirked. “We can sit on your lap if you want.”

Your cheeks warmed slightly. “Very funny, Barnes.”

“Bucky’s right. I mean I know I’m way more huggable than Bucky, but chose whoever,” Steve remarked.

“You can go fuck yourself, Rogers.” The two men chuckled and you couldn’t help but laugh along with them. “You two are the worst,” you huffed.

“You know it, doll face,” Bucky winked.

#marvel #marvel cinematic universe #MCU #marvel imagine #marvel one shot #Avengers #avengers imagine #avengers x reader #Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes #steve rodgers imagine #steve x reader #steve imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky imagine #bucky barnes imagine #captain america #Winter Soldier

[lucifers-trash-stash]

EG anon here; after GotG in 2014, I fully expected Thanos to be kinda indestructible and super powerful after he schooled Ronan and didn't even flinch when the latter threatened him with the POWER stone. Instead they turned Thanos into a bruiser without ranged attacks that was hurt by Iron Man and nearly defeated by Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel in a 1v1. Like, what was even the point of IW and EG, when one person was just enough to beat him?? Ridiculous.

Anon I love u lmao and also I’m gonna leave some thoughts below the cut cause while I agree I also got some Opinions I want to share and I know not everyone cares to read them and also preemptively I’m going to say that just because I’m about to go into some critical territory doesn’t mean I’m bashing the movie or anyone who enjoys it because while it isn’t a 100% slam dunk movie for me in execution at least I still got enjoyment out of it but aNYWAYS THE TEA

So one of the things I absolutely loved about Thanos in GOTG is that he just does not give a single shit if Ronan has the power stone. He’s pissed, sure, but essentially I saw Thanos as biding his time because he knows how Ronan is and he knows either he will eventually fuck up or will get too big for his britches so Thanos can swoop in and take that shit back. But even if Endgame Thanos is in GOTG Thanos’ timeline, I think just seeing that he got the stones in the future threw that shit out of the window and made him cocky instead which is dumb but okay that’s the only reason i can give for that. Oh how the turntables...

ALSO So my favorite thing in IW was how Tony was the ONLY one who was able to make Thanos bleed. That was a huge moment and showed just how strong of an adversary he was to our heroes. And Wanda faired well in holding Thanos back temporarily as well. But as soon as we get into Endgame territory Thanos’ strength is gone and the build-up gets let down. Especially because in Endgame all of the stones are pretty much in the gauntlet and Thanos didn’t take the time to capture and learn how to use each one so Endgame Thanos is just fucking winging it trying to just do the snap.

And while we are kind of on the subject, I don’t mind Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel having the strength they have. While I prefer Carol more than Wanda, I thought both of their powers were capable of trying to stop Thanos, Carol especially considering her film. But the problem comes with when you have OP characters in a shared universe like this, it’s hard to utilize them in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re going to easily wipe the floor with the villain. That’s why Carol was absent for most of the film. It was kind of the easy way out but it was a way to keep her away while everyone else struggled to fight Thanos. Not saying it’s exceptional writing but I get why they did it.

My problems with Scarlet Witch are more like... it seems like they’re linking the fact that the only reason her powers are to the level they are in Endgame is because she lost Her Robot Man and so it seems very much like they’re saying the only reason she is that strong is because she is getting revenge for her man so while I’m not going into full feminist critique here I’m just like... come on guys for real? The Unhinged Woman trope is my favorite in the horror film genre because the film centers around the woman but Wanda is such a minor player that her character arcs are very fast-paced in regards to the MCU. Can it be done? Of course, it’s just SO difficult for the MCU to actually take care to develop each and every character fully in an extended universe.

Now I’m not defending the MCU or anything because while I do enjoy many of their films, the fact that they have so many characters to deal with is always going to be a problem. Hell, I feel like even the characters who get a ton of screen time and character development still have issues. But I think a lot of the MCU can be summed up as being enjoyable films but as gigantic world-encompassing stories, maybe those don’t hit the right story beats. Films like GOTG1 and 2 are my favorite MCU movies because they are allowed to have complete stories while still being a part of something bigger.

So IDK if I even made sense cause I’m sure my thoughts were all over the place but man I know I just love talking about film and storytelling cause i legit just analyzed film and books all thru college so I live for this shit lol Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about this stuff lol

#asks #anon #Anonymous

[g0dtier]

infinity war spoilers

n my thoughts

that was a ride for sure

im really glad marvel got braver when it comes to killing off characters. imo GotG2 sucked ass (i genuinely hate that movie lmao) and thor:ragnarok was good but i feel like theyre starting to lay on the Funny Man(TM) act a little TOO much so this was a welcome change

im eternally glad they killed off loki. i dont like tom hiddleston or loki and i never have im sorry. i thought he was cool in ragnarok but thor 2 was just all around bad imo and lokis shit got old hella quick. also it immediately showed they were serious

peter was def my fav char in this entire movie. ive been waiting for an eternity for ANYONE to make spiderman more spiderlike and his new suit was just delicious for the aesthetic geek in me. hes also one of the few characters whose humor never starts to annoy me. with the GotG, the 2nd film was such a turn-off for me that every time they had another thickly laid on joke they shoved into your face i just couldnt laugh about it. the only GotG jokes i laughed about were drax’s “ive been standing here an hour” scene and his “WHY IS GAMORA” thing

speaking of Gamora, im so glad they finally let her actress....act lmao. she wasnt remarkable to me at all in the first 2 movies bc it always seemed like she wasnt allowed to show ANY emotion at all, but the crying for thanos scene was cool. i kinda wish she’d showed as much emotion when thanos threw her down a fucking cliff but alas

i disliked the constant dick measuring contest between characters. quill and thor, strange and stark, some of the useless banter was placed at moments that just seemed completely unlogical to me. like ok thor you literally just watched your brother die and lost the only person you had left but you DO have the emotional capacity left to have a bitch-off with quill? :/

Wakanda was an always will be amazing and i have literally no complaints 100% approve of anything and everything t’challa and crew will ever do. 

woulda liked a bit more emotion (doesnt matter what kind but at least EMOTION) between bruce and natasha bc everyone should know that i stan their relationship and i hate the constant turn-arounds natasha’s char goes through. doesnt matter who writes her, one movie shes opening up to people and the next she’ll be an emotionless ass again. also pissed abt the little amount of screentime tasha got in general

Wanda and vision were surprisingly cute but i wouldve preferred a little less heavy drama-like shit to show us they were together. i wouldve preferred to have a short scene of them sitting in their underwear together watching a movie and joking about it or w/e instead of the whole....”are we together or arent we” thing they did

i loved basically everything else tho. nebula’s torture scene actually scared me a bit, thanos really wasnt a bad villain like i thought he was gonna be. i really thought he was just gonna be another “wuh wuh world dominashun” type of guy but his motivations are surprisingly deep and his character was unhinged in a really balanced way. like he is grounded and psycho at the same time.

also wasnt as annoyed by bucky as i was in previous films, turns out not having steve give up literally all his values and friends in order to save him makes him a much more likeable character and the whole “steve?” death scene felt a lot less forced that way, to me at least. i much prefer it when a movie isnt constantly shoving in my face how much steve loses his goddamn mind whenever bucky is in the picture

the iron man/spiderman scene fucking killed me, as did all the other death scenes. also iron man was a lot more likeable in this film than in previous ones, you can really see some character growth. or maybe hes just tired idk. being the passivist understanding dude for once instead of a condescending douchebag is good

the scene where wanda has to kill vision was really cool to me, bc i never cared much about either before but the acting made it so that i actually felt really bad for them even tho the whole time stone thing was so obvious. visions empty robot body was cool

also the fighting scenes were fucking AMAZING. i love how wanda finally became a really good fighter and how shes a lot more agile and dynamic now. thors new axe is cool. Caps beard looks good and his entrance scene was amazing. the strange+spiderman portals “MAGIC WITH A KICK” thing was hardcore. tony’s nanotech was hardcore. bruce finally fighting for himself and using his wits while in the iron man suit was awesome. the wanda+tasha+okoye fighting scene was so cool too!

honestly tho my gripes arent really anything to write home about and are more like nitpicks because i lovedddd the movie. the only BIG gripe i have is that i knoooow theyre all gonna come back. it wouldve been a lot more believable to me if cap/tony/idk the original avengers crew died because theyve all had a bunch of screentime and them killing off peter parker and t’challa just shows theyre gonna come back bc no way marvel is not making them like 3 sequels each at LEAST

i also liked how much the after-credits scene was just another slap in the face. i know many people wanted it to be a “dont worry its gonna be alright!!! saviors are coming” moment but seeing hill and fury die gave me a weird sense of “hell fucking yea” because it shows they were trying to be serious about the “shit is fucked” thing

also im sad they showed the ant man + wasp trailer before the movie because it really lessened the blow of the deaths lmao

#infinity war #infinity war spoilers #spoilers

[not-close-to-straight]

Coming Home (Chapter Five)

ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS HERE

Enjoy :) (or cry, which is probably more true)

*************************

(Day Sixty One)

(The Tower)

“Steve.” Clint slid his arms around Steve’s broad shoulders, burying his face in the back of his neck, and Steve shivered, dropping his wings when Clint brought his deep brown ones around to cover him. “Have you taken a break recently?”

“No, I haven't.” Steve rubbed at his eyes and turned away from the computer, tilting his head to nuzzle against the other Omega. “But I'm fine.”

“You can't do any good if you’re too tired to see straight.” Clint scolded. “Please come upstairs and rest for a little bit. I'll stay with you, if you want?”

“Thank you.” Steve turned further and kissed Clint gently, drawing his fingers down his jaw and smiling at the stubble on his chin. “But I can't stop, Clint. I’ve got to find something that will lead us to Tony.”

“I know baby, but again-- you aren't any good to us if you are too tired to see straight. Have you heard from Bucky?” Clint pulled up a chair next to Steve and took his hand, blue eyes flicking over the computer screen. “What is all this?”

“I haven't heard from Bucky in four days.” Steve scrubbed at his face tiredly. “Rhodes called me last night though. Apparently they are starting to catch up with Bucky, he says they are coming across villages where the children describe a soldier with knives instead of feathers.”

“That's Bucky.”

“Right. He also says the women they come across have been crying, telling them that the Soldier came back to save them this time.”

“This time?” Clint repeated and Steve swallowed hard.

“Apparently, several years ago, the Winter Soldier was sent to Afghanistan with Hydra and his visit was--” he cleared his throat and Clint squeezed his hand sympathetically. “His visit was not good. Rhodes has had women who remember their father being murdered by the Winter Soldier, all the sudden having their sons saved from combatants by the same Soldier. They are calling it a miracle.”

“Do you think Bucky remembers being there? Or do you think since he broke his programming he is rescuing people because it's just...right?”

“I don't want Bucky to remember it.” Steve said quietly. “I hope he isn't retracing his steps through some horrible, bloody mission. I don't want him to have to go through that. Don't want him to have to relive all that horror and then be desperately trying to fix his mistakes.”

“Me either.” Clint was quiet for a minute. “Well, come take a break, Steve. Sam dragged Tasha down to the gym to kick her ass so she would finally sleep. Pepper is with Bruce in DC and Wanda and Pietro are finally on their way back to Russia, so it's pretty quiet upstairs.”

“It was good of the kids to come and be with us.” Steve murmured, ignoring Clint’s suggestion. “They certainly didn't have to.”

“Tony’s missing.” Clint stated. “It took everything I had to convince them not to move right in and set up camp. I also had to convince Wanda not to tell the UN to go fuck themselves and fling herself and her speedy bastard of a brother over borders and wreak havoc themselves. They aren't very happy with me. I think Pietros exact words were “dad you’re no fun.” and Wanda’s were something colorful and furious in Russian. I asked Nat to translate and she refused. Can't get no respect from those two.”

“Hm.”  Steve rolled his neck, flinching when it pulled uncomfortably. “I gotta say, I don't envy your sudden adoptive parenthood of completely dangerous, possibly slightly unhinged, super powered orphans.”

“You don't want to have a kid?” Clint sounded surprised. “Captain America doesn't want a house with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids with his loving Alpha? I find that hard to believe.”

“Clint.” Steve finally smiled. “It wouldn't be a house with a white picket fence, it would be a compound somewhere upstate where Tony felt like any child any of us had biologically or adopted would have plenty of room to run and play. A huge dining room to fit everyone, a bigger kitchen to make sure we could cook all we wanted. A dozen bathrooms, at least, a movie theater for movie nights, a garage that I feel like would constantly expand as the kids got old enough for bikes, and then ATV’s and then their own cars. It wouldn't be a white picket fence so much as a security and privacy fence because heaven help the reporter who tries to get into the family’s house. A dance studio for Tasha, an archery range, a shooting range, a special lab for Bruce.--- should I continue?”

“A park for the kids.” Clint added. “With some ridiculous jungle gym and swing set. A play house for the girls that's more of a regular house and a tree fort for the boys with trap doors and it's own version of JARVIS.”

“Boys and girls, huh?” Steve sounded wistful. “You think both?”

“Well yeah.  The two or three you and Tony have together, the eight or nine I'm planning on having. One for Bucky, right? Just a little girl with bright blue eyes and a terrifying scowl? Maybe a set of twins for Nat. I'm sure Sam wants a big strapping boy to carry on that family name…”

Steve laughed. “Eight or nine for you?”

“I've already got two.” Clint grinned. “I'm sure Wanda and Pietro can bring me six or seven more little orphans who all speak Russian and can sign to me. Tony would be completely fine with it.”

“He would be fine with it. If he would just believe how badly we want to mate with him-- fuck. Fuck I miss him.” Steve looked away, and Clint crooned softly, settling his wings over Steve's shoulders again and sliding onto his lap as Steve’s breath hitched. “I miss him, Clint. What if he never comes home? What if we never get the chance to have our compound in upstate and let kids run around?”

“Tony is too stubborn to not come home.” Clint argued, pressing their foreheads together. “We will find him, and then I'll kick your ass for doubting him.”

“Please do.” Steve wrapped his arms around Clints waist and breathed in deep, letting the scent of the familiar Omega comfort him, distract him for a few minutes. “Thank you.”

“I want you to sleep in my room tonight.” Clint tipped Steve’s chin up. “I know you like to sleep in your bed because it scents like Bucky, and I know none of us can stand to sleep in Tony's bed without him, but I'm tired of sleeping alone. Sam and Tasha have been sharing a room for weeks now, why aren't we doing the same thing?”

“I know. And Bruce and Pepper are staying in her apartment or a hotel room when they are traveling.”

“So?”

“Yeah. I'd like that.” Steve nodded and Clint kissed him again, soft and sweet and slow, drawing it out until Steve’s golden wings lifted in interest, and he whined in his throat. “Definitely. I'd love some time with you.”

“Good.” Clint kissed him again, nuzzled into his neck. “See you in a few hours okay? Promise me you’ll come to bed.”

“I promise.” he smiled when Clint growled playfully, then moved away, running a rough hand through Steve’s blond hair. “Just a few more hours.”

************************

Afghanistan

************************

“Anthony Edward Stark.”

The deep voice cut through the fog in Tony's mind, but it was the sudden spotlight on his face that brought him startling awake, and he hissed in agony as everything pulled. “What?” he spat, fucking tired of tasting blood in his mouth every time he came to. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Rude.” the voice sounded amused. “Would your mother let you speak to people that way?”

“Don't you talk about my mother.” Tony warned, and struggled to sit up, keeping a hand firmly on his chest to keep the wires still. “She was a saint, and you have no right to even mention her. You didn't know her and you can’t--”

“You don't know who I am, do you?” Now the stranger sounded surprised. “They erased me from your life, didn't they?”

“Wh-what?” Tony squinted against the bright light, lifting his hand to touch at the bruising on his face. “What do you mean? How would I know you?”

“You look like her, you know. Like Maria. She was a beauty. I was surprised to hear you presented as Alpha, looking like you do. It is natural, right? Daddy Stark didn't pump you full of something else to force you from Omega to Alpha?”

“What are you talking about, something else? My dad never did anything to me.” Tony sat up straighter, straining to look beyond the bright light to the shadowed figure sitting against the wall. A quick glance around the cave showed Yinsen nowhere to be seen and that was unnerving. “Where’s Yinsen? What did you do to him?”

“He doenst matter right now.” the man answered, and Tony took as deep a breath as he could, pulling in the scent of Alpha, the stale aroma of expensive cigars, and something tinged with anger that made him uneasy. “You have more important things to worry about. You have taken the Winter Soldier into your home, correct? That Tower that houses that ridiculous group you call a family?”

“Don't talk about my family!” Tony's dark eyes blazed, red bleeding in through the brown. “You don't know half of anything about us!”

“That is where you are wrong.” A computer that Tony hadn't noticed clicked on, a grainy video filling the screen. “You in fact, don't know half of anything about the ones you bring into your secure little world. You welcomed the Winter Soldier with open arms, and didn't think twice about it. But tell me, my boy. What kind of Alpha lets this sort of man around the ones he loves?”

Tony opened his mouth to protest, to scream for him to shut up, to defend Bucky down to his last breath--

--but then something on the video caught his eye.

“I know that road.” he whispered, and he glanced down at the date on the bottom of the screen.

December 19th, 1991.

“I know that road.” he said again. “What is this? No no no, what is this?”

“You know what it is.” The voice answered. “But keep watching anyway.”

**************

New York

**************

Steve couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen, and even though he had seen the video four times now, it still shook him to his core.

It had been an accident, finding it. He had been systematically searching through every threat on Howard or Maria Stark’s life, using JARVIS to hack through SHIELD’s databases, trying to find some connection to the Middle East, any crumb of anything that would lead him to Tony. Thanks to Natasha’s data dump when they had discovered SHIELD being all but run by a new arm of HYDRA, there was bits and pieces of everything out there, and once he had found what seemed like a trail, he just kept digging.

It had taken hours, and he was way past when he was supposed to crawl into bed with Clint, but he had come across a name, Obadiah Stane, and a reference to the Winter Soldier, and a date- December 19th 1991- that shouldn't have existed outside of an obituary.

And then he had found the video.

“JARVIS tell me this is fabricated.” he ordered, his voice shaky. “Tell me it's...altered. They can do all sorts of stuff like that now. It's fake, right?”

“I'm sorry, Captain Rogers.” The AI sounded distressed. “This is an unaltered video. I'm afraid what you are seeing is true.”

“No.” Steve shook his head adamantly. “There’s no way Bucky would have---” he hit pause, unable to watch it again. “Tony can’t ever find out about this. It will destroy him. I can't let him know.”

“What if he already knows, Captain?”

“Dammit.” Steve fisted his hands in his hair. “Dammit JARVIS, what if Tony already knows?”

****************

Afghanistan

*****************

Stane waved the television away after Tony had watched the whole video, after he had cried out for his dad, and then sat there with tears rolling down his face watching his mother be strangled by the Soldier.

He turned off the bright spotlights, throwing the cave into darkness, and lit a cigar, taking a deep, satisfying pull off it before blowing the smoke in Tony's direction.

“Are you ready to build my bomb, Tony?”

Silence for a long time, then Tony's voice from the dark, sounding empty and flat and so void of life it was nearly unsettling.

“I'm ready to build your bomb.”

*******************************

#ncts fics #coming home #alpha tony stark #omega steve rogers #Winter Soldier

[words-writ-in-starlight]

Marvel (you must do some that don't involve Xmen, I see you) FOR ALL THE MEME QUESTIONS

JUST LET ME TALK ABOUT X-MEN FOR THREE HOURS WOMAN

For this list

name ur politically correct ship that no one ever questions

I SHIP NICK SPENCER WITH THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL RESERVED FOR TRAITOROUS BIGOTED SCUM.  But I mean other than that…Natasha/Clint, Vision/Wanda, Rogue/Remy, and my much-maligned-by-movies-and-ignored-by-the-internet OTP Kitty/Colossus.  There is no order of preference here.  Also I recently got sold REALLY HARD on Steve/Bucky (recently, ha, like three years ago Jesus Moran get your shit together) so like, also Steve/Bucky.  And any marriage that makes Storm happy and a queen of a country, so by default Ororo/T’Challa.

now name ur trash ship

I do ship Natasha/Bucky, but I think the circumstances confirm me for a bad person, because I only ship them in the context of ‘I don’t remember you and you barely remember me but you can’t bring yourself to kill me so you shot me and saved my life and I woke up in your safehouse while you wiped my wounds with a gun in your other hand and I’m not sure which one of us you’re going to shoot first.’  So.  Like.  In the single most unhealthy available context.  In a whole universe of unhealthy contexts.

Also I feel like Bobby had a crush on Hank when they were both kids and sometimes still jerks off to his best friend but I DIGRESS.

and ur really trashy im-going-to-hell ship

Elektra the unhinged murderer/Matthew Murdock the desperately earnest crusader.  Fuck brutally against a wall and piece each other back together with trembling hands that smear your skin with blood.  Cling to each other in your dying moments and stand over each other’s graves feeling guilt for not saving each other and guilt for not killing each other.  Throw words like knives and hate yourselves for every hit even as you gloat.

Good.

who is your cinnamon roll fave who everyone loves

KITTY GODDAMN PRYDE, @EVERY MOVIE PERSON EVER COME HERE AND FIGHT ME.  Also Warren and Storm, I would die for Storm.

Also Steve Rogers.  I have this reoccurring daydream where Steve punches Nick Spencer in the face.

who is your sinnamon roll fave who everyone loves to hate/hates to love

I genuinely would not even know if I had one of these, Marvel has been in my blood and bones since I was too young to be on a computer unsupervised.  I like the FF more than most people seem to?  I really like Professor Xavier and I get really defensive when people talk shit about him?

who is your trash fave who is so problematic they probably have hate tumblrs dedicated to them

I…do not know.  I think Loki makes a pretty compelling villain, but I think I’m in the majority there.  I low-key want to fight whenever someone suggests that Warren joined Apocalypse of his own free will, but I AM STANDING BY COMIC CANON COME AT ME.  So yeah, don’t think I have one of these.

what is ur  guiltiest guilty fave fandom

Okay, listen, I will be an eighty year old woman who is made entirely of salty, salty attitude and brittle bones and I will STILL be reading my campy ridiculous 60′s comics with terrible dialogue and circus-performer villains.  I know it’s not a fandom, but still.

OH I really love X-Men: Evolution and I have a whole lecture about why it’s the best adaptation of the X-Men that I’m aware of to date, but I never tell anyone that I like it for some reason, does that count?

what is the fic you want to write/read but can’t because it is too full of Sin

…so.  I actually started this one (this one) and it was Good but then I realized it would be months and months of work and I got pre-emptively tired, but basically, first words soulmate AU where Natasha and her Black Widow trainee peers all got programmed to brutally murder anyone who said their words. So then Clint shows up and of course says her words and she tries to kill him before he pins her to the wall with an arrow, and they have a really terrible brutal few months where she begs him to just kill her a lot.  And Clint keeps a taser on his person for survival reasons.  And at least once Natasha tries to stab him to death in his sleep just to end the struggle.  And Clint has a terrible awful no-good very bad conversation with Coulson about the appropriate time to cut his losses.

what is the most sinful fic you have ever read/written

G O D D A M N

what is the worst thing you want to become canon (character death, trash-ship etc)

…listen…it’s Marvel…it’s all already canon babydoll…all of it…everyone is dead…everyone has had bad relationships…everyone has been resurrected…there’s no answer here…

what is your most sinful headcanon

Do not look me in the eye and tell me that Remy LaBeau has not figured out a way to have sex with someone without touching her skin.  Whether he’s put it into action or not, that’s another story, but he has DEFINITELY figured it out.

what is your cutest headcanon

Clint watches a lot of Disney movies (he looked it up, it’s called reparenting yourself) and so consequently during that couple month period where he and Natasha are basically locked in a warehouse waiting for her to fight off the worst of the brainwashing, Natasha watches a lot of Disney movies.  Now they’re Avengers and they watch Disney movies after missions and shit. Steve gets invited to join them because Natasha decides that They Will Be Friends (Natasha’s grasp on how to make real non-mark friends is heavily influenced by the fact that her first real friend shot her, handcuffed her, and locked himself in a warehouse with her for a couple months, and also was a circus performer with a dubious handle on the friendship thing himself).

what is your heart-breakingist head canon

…I mean…canon…

I have others that are non-canon or fit within canon but like that shit’s a longer post that would need to be broken down fandom by fandom

what is ur crackiest crack ship

HA, Storm/Arkon, because the idea of Storm as the queen of a campy-ass warrior world makes me laugh

what is ur marginally less cracky crack ship

Fury/literally anyone, because he would be SO BITTER about growing feelings

what is ur favourite ridiculous au

It’s not actually that ridiculous, it’s kind of terrifying, but AU where Loki brainwashes Natasha instead of Clint in Avengers.

#xmen #avengers #mcu #kitty pryde #clintasha #asked and answered #idk other pertinent tags #ask meme #my dear laurens #long post #very #sorry about that y'all #but seriously for real there have to be at least two other kitty/colossus shippers in the world #literally anyone who would read a fic i wrote for them #anyone