Not then. I was a child; I did not yet understand the horror of war. [he pauses, then continues with what went through his head a second ago -- or at least part of it] I was naive and arrogant.
I think we all were guilty of that once upon a time. I certainly was.
[She offers a small smile.]
I was convinced once that evil was something men had forced upon them, rather than it being truly their choice. It took being thrown into a war myself to learn the difference and the delicacy of it.
If only it were that easy. [and the smile fades again] Though, there are exceptions. My brother ... [what can he say about Loki? there's a reason why his brother was known as the God of Mischief, but he was -- different, somehow, when he attacked New York, and then different again, and for the better, when they fought Malekith, when he ended up on Sakaar, back to his old self. he's pretty sure what Loki did in New York wasn't his fault, whether he was controlled by the Mind Stone, like Barton, or he just had no choice, thanks to Thanos, but either way, that evil was forced on him] ... was a complicated man. He did terrible things, in his time, but very few of them were a choice.
In the end, yes. [a beat] He stood for Asgard, when it truly mattered. For the whole of the realms. [in challenging Thanos, at the end. it was -- stupid, but noble, heroic. it bought time for Banner to get away, at least]
[he manages a smile at the touch, though the expression is more grateful than mirthful -- he appreciates the physical contact, especially right now. he even squeezes her hand a little, without turning it, edges of his finger catching the tips of hers just briefly before he lets go, and as he does, he nods again]
Stark was wise to name us Avengers.
[he'll get Thanos back for Loki, for everyone they lost]
[he nods once more, seriously, and is silent for a moment, before:] Have we anything to drink for all this food? [he could really use a drink, never mind how little Midgardian alcohol will actually do for him. maybe he'll have several hundred drinks]
[shame he can't go home, right now. shame he doesn't have a home to go to. if he could, did he'd raid his father's wine stores for something old and good]
[Yes, she feels the same. But she does have some very old, very strong liquors that she's been holding on to for a rainy day, and they will do some good old fashioned drinking. And maybe we can skip to a new timeline point in a new thread?]
[ I ... haven't actually seen Endgame. I've been spoiled like crazy for just about everything, but ... yeah. So, you might have better luck picking something you'd want to play with, and then expecting it to go completely off the rails. :P ]
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veneratia) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
self_inflictedexhile2018-07-17 08:59 pm
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You don't think you would have been an asset?
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Not then. I was a child; I did not yet understand the horror of war. [he pauses, then continues with what went through his head a second ago -- or at least part of it] I was naive and arrogant.
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[She offers a small smile.]
I was convinced once that evil was something men had forced upon them, rather than it being truly their choice. It took being thrown into a war myself to learn the difference and the delicacy of it.
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If only it were that easy. [and the smile fades again] Though, there are exceptions. My brother ... [what can he say about Loki? there's a reason why his brother was known as the God of Mischief, but he was -- different, somehow, when he attacked New York, and then different again, and for the better, when they fought Malekith, when he ended up on Sakaar, back to his old self. he's pretty sure what Loki did in New York wasn't his fault, whether he was controlled by the Mind Stone, like Barton, or he just had no choice, thanks to Thanos, but either way, that evil was forced on him] ... was a complicated man. He did terrible things, in his time, but very few of them were a choice.
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[The world is a grey and complex place. And in many ways, they're probably better for it, even if it makes the things they have to do harder.]
I hope he was able to find his way off that path.
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In the end, yes. [a beat] He stood for Asgard, when it truly mattered. For the whole of the realms. [in challenging Thanos, at the end. it was -- stupid, but noble, heroic. it bought time for Banner to get away, at least]
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Then we will not let his sacrifice be in vain.
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Stark was wise to name us Avengers.
[he'll get Thanos back for Loki, for everyone they lost]
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[As she is now one of them, this is her fight too, she is ready to do a lot of punching.]
It is a very fitting name.
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I'm sure I can find something. Something quite strong, I'm assuming?
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[shame he can't go home, right now. shame he doesn't have a home to go to. if he could, did he'd raid his father's wine stores for something old and good]
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