#and a whole one fragments episode! woo

[nights-at-crystarium]

2024 Tumblr Top 10

1. 4,614 notes - Jan 23 2024

2. 3,465 notes - Nov 20 2024

3. 1,842 notes - May 14 2024

4. 1,686 notes - Mar 20 2024

5. 1,326 notes - Aug 23 2024

6. 1,218 notes - Aug 10 2024

7. 1,089 notes - Feb 24 2024

8. 1,072 notes - Jul 18 2024

9. 1,071 notes - Apr 19 2024

10. 973 notes - Dec 4 2024

Created by TumblrTop10

[jakowskis]

s2 time! i'm not gonna be as thorough with it as i was w s1 bc i'm not a huge fan of season 2 ff but here goes

(this post's gonna be tosh/owen + some fragments talk, then i'm gonna reblog with a day in the death stuff, and then ill make a separate post for adam bc. woo nelly. that one warrants it.)

so lets start with the tosh/owen differences. a lot of their little scenes in s2 are markedly different - mostly as far as body language. there's a surprising amount of physical affection between them.

four separate occasions (eps 3, 4, 8, and 9) where there's physical affection between them in the script that didn't make it into the episode. i find this intriguing. tosh and owen are both very... non-affectionate people. both of them could be, with someone they loved romantically, but they don't strike me as the type of people who like to cuddle with their friends. they're both naturally very aloof and non-touchy, which makes that casual physical touch very ooc. i imagine that's why it didn't end up on screen. i figure the writers here knew the show was meant to push the tosh/owen angle in s2, but it's interesting to me that it ended up being a lot more subtle and... awkward in the show itself. i've already said i'm not a towen fan, for many reasons, but one is that there's just... zero chemistry between them (in s2, anyway). every interaction is forced and uncomfortable. it's weird enough that i was thrown off by it for a long time and couldn't figure out what the show was trying to do with them, lmao. i know that their awkwardness probably appeals to some people, and is cute or smth, but i dislike it personally. mostly i'm just petty the show reduced tosh down to that relationship tbh but whatever.

i can't help but wonder if they had this casual physical affection with each other, and if it fit in and didn't feel ooc for them, if i would like them as a couple more. but honestly i have thought about what the show could've done to make tosh/owen endear me, and i don't think uncharacteristic physical affection would be it. i do like that first scene, the way their communication styles clash a bit and they don't know quite how to talk to each other. i like owen awkwardly trying to comfort her, i love when he does that, how it's like a baby deer walking for the first time fhsdjfkds. im very endeared by the way owen's empathy is either out of nowhere and all-consuming, or something he has to force and is awkward about wielding. whenever he tries to be kind it's very tentative, because it doesn't come natural to him (anymore, at least), but he does care enough to try. i'm so fond of it. also hes sooo nd ehehe. tosh too.

will say this: i do appreciate owen getting hugs. he does need it. tosh needs it too. if the team WAS physically affectionate with each other they'd be better off, i think.

two more tosh/owen things...

see, this is what i mean when i say i couldn't tell what the show was doing with them. the SHOW can't even tell. this whole scene is written very vaguely, with little insight into owen's head, like the damn writer doesn't even know why he finally agreed. this is probably my, like, fourth favorite tosh/owen scene, which isn't saying much, 'cause i still don't really like it. it's cute in like, three spots, but mostly it just feels... weird. i don't understand what burn was intending with his acting choices, because owen comes across as insincere and slightly snide. it's weird and gross, and it rubs me wrong. i don't know if he's trying to be casual and play it cool or something, but the way he laughs at her makes me wanna punch him. the way owen treats tosh is just about the only place i legitimately can't stand him.

one last bit about it. see, 'fondly'. in the actual scene, i would describe the way owen looks at her in this moment as.... amused (at her expense) and slightly condescending. like he thinks she's laughable. it fucking bothers me. which sucks because i wanna like them, i do. i think they could be compatible. but the way he treats her in canon is nauseating and i can't get behind it.

right, and then two fragments moments i wanna discuss

all i really wanna say here is again (as mentioned in my end of days talk), chibnall didn't specify owen crying or anything, but he spends his whole segment of this ep in tears. point is i wanna thank burn gorman for the way owen constantly is teary eyed and miserable, with those big pretty brown doe eyes of his. it means the world to me. thats all

actually it's not all cuz i also wanna point out jack grabbing owen to stop him instead of owen collapsing into tears and sobbing into jacks chest while jack holds him. the dead man walking script similarly didn't specify the physical touch between jack and owen in the three places it appears, so i imagine that was largely something decided by the actors... i'm very compelled by the three separate instances where we see owen attack jack one minute / at one point in the ep and then sob in his arms the next. their relationship is sooo unhealthy fff

[psalloacappella]

SasuSaku Fanfic Index

{Organized by genre + tag types}

last update: 02/13/2022

Indulging in my desire to have everything organized properly, here’s an index of my SasuSaku fics. Non-SS fics, of which there are a few, will be in a separate post 🥰

Ao3 | twitter

⇣

Sections: 

AU - Alternate Universe

Blank Period

Smut

Heavy Angst/Character Death/Characters crushed by Shinobi Politics

Team 7 Dynamics

Complicated Relationships - SS&other pairings

Series Index

Snippets Index (coming soon)

🍅 🌸🍅 🌸🍅 🌸🍅 🌸🍅 🌸🍅 🌸🍅 🌸🍅 🌸🍅 🌸

[AU] Alternate Universe

Sirens | WIP - ongoing | Modern AU Rating: Mature (stretching to Explicit in specific chapters) Tags:  Haruno Sakura | Late Night Radio Host; Everyone has issues; Obsession; Drama; Crazy Clan Shit; Cat and Mouse; Mystery; Soulmate-ish

“So you’re his best friend.” A statement, not a question. “Crazy handsome, kind of a jerk?”

He only knows her as the voice that accompanies him while he works overnights; it’s akin to an obsession. The night she takes a seat at the bar, their lives will never be quite the same.

↠ 

show me how | Episodic - ongoing | bodyguard/driver!Sasuke; heiress Sakura Rating: Mature Tags:  In which Sasuke is a driver; and Sakura plays no games; and Sasuke thirsts for that ish; Dominant Haruno Sakura; Sexual Tension; Jealousy

“Don’t play coy,” she says. “Tell me what the quidnuncs on the street say, gossiping over their limp salads and lackluster lives.”

“I’ve heard you’ve run every driver out of town.”

“Yes, that’s fair. The last one quite literally; he was terrified, in the end.”

The first rule of fight and club and the first rule of crushing on your boss are the same; you don’t talk about it. 

↠ 

la fuga | twt timed writing challenge - ongoing | Partners in Crime Rating: Mature Tags: On the run; Experimental Style; timed fic; Illegal activities

Her sob cracks, splits as fire kindling, as glass underfoot. Incapable of love-story soothing, he runs fingers over the frayed locks left and murmurs reassurances like incantations, warding off the evil of the necessary deed.

“Is this the end?” she whispers.

↠ 

watch the world explode, from underneath your glow | Assassins AU | Smut

Rating:  Explicit  Tags: Assassins and Hitmen; Explicit Sexual Content; Shower sex; Closet sex; Cunnilingus; Unclear Motives 

Sasuke snorts, glancing up briefly at the barrel pressed to his pretty temple. “Is this your way of courting me? Seems aggressive.”

“I’m not going to kill you if you say no.”

↠ 

Chiaroscuro | Modern AU | Artist Sakura; Disillusioned Office worker Sasuke Rating: Mature Tags: Love at first fight

She’s marked him so the universe can see — she has marked him for change.

(n.) Chiaroscuro - in art: the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold, affecting a whole composition.

↠ 

the horses are coming, so you better run | Greek Mythology AU Rating:  Mature Tags: inspired by a novel

Their language of silence is legendary, spoken only in glances.

↠ 

sparks will fly, they ignite our bones | Modern AU | Festival Date Rating: Mature Tags: Pediatrician Sakura; Nervous Sasuke; First Dates; Wooing

Lips burning against his, mouthing soft words in the detonation din.

(In which Sakura has the better aim.)

↠ 

this city’s burning, it’s not my burden | Wartime AU  Rating: Mature  Tags:  Combat Medic Sakura; Soldier Sasuke

In these dim and flickering emergency lights, he says,

"Marry me."

↠ 

but I think I’m a believer, I believe in something new | Space AU | Rating: Mature Tags: Space Opera; Rebellion; Drama; Romance

"By the time this finds you, beloved, I'll be a fragment of a star."

↠ 

Blank Period:

à deux | death anniversary Rating: Mature Tags: Healing; Grief with a joyful ending

“Cold,” he croaks, like unhinging an old metal joint. Instead of the weight of unused years, it’s the weight of unshed tears. The strain in his voice zigzags, lost, falls into its baritone groove. “You always are, when it rains.”

↠ 

scherzo | SS traveling - Hangry Sakura, Amused Sasuke Rating:  Mature Tags: Bonnie and Clyde outlaw vibe

“You miss him — don’t deny it! You’re a softhearted man.”

“I plead the fifth.”

Quiet laughing, shared only in a small clearing at the edge of the world, filthier than they like but close to the salt and earth and sea, nothing in between them but love and a basket of peeled fruit.

↠ 

sotto voce 

Rating:  Mature Tags: Confessions; Hair-washing

Could he tell her that when she lays her hands on him, touches his scalp that tender way in which she unravels his hair soaked with salt and sweat and travels, he finds himself catching his breath? One of the few times his limbs find the level and tranquilize, luxuriate in the chillbumps that sweep from the base of his neck down the spine?

That he’s considered lifetimes in scattered astronomy-dimensions in which all they do is this?

↠ 

reprise | Sasuke is released from prison - acclimation Rating: Teen  Tags: Hurt/Comfort; Prison release; team as family

So then, so now. In the simmering tangerine heat, she stands waiting in knee-high boots and the skirt he’s glimpsed her in so often, and he commits her shape to memory through each stage of the return of his sharp sight.

↠ 

poco a poco | Lover’s Quarrel  Rating: Mature Tags: If it’s orange it’s poison yo

Underneath the dense foliage of a magnificent, custodial beech tree, they sit quiet for a bit, apologizing without moving their lips — in the buzz of insects, the nostalgic trilling of toads, the whispering of tree leaves.

Sasuke watches her in profile; then, with an unexpected tenderness, tucks her hair behind her ear, dark eyes on the split skin of her cheekbone.

↠ 

tenerezza | Headcanon: Sasuke does Sakura’s laundry Rating: Mature Tags:  Cuddles, bittersweet ones; head surgeon Sakura; Hurt/Comfort

He keeps his comments to himself: That she has staff for a reason, that their ex-sensei-turned-Kage works her too hard and he’d made a curt mention of it when reporting back, that perhaps someone could take the task of laundering bloody work clothes off her hands. Their responsibilities even in this delicate period they call peacetime still weigh heavy, principle baked into their bones.

In the future, their children won’t know the world quite like this.

↠ 

tempo rubato | They bring home a baby Rating: Mature Tags:  Falling in love; Love and Duty; Team as Family

They speak of scars, this one that one, from the one they called Sasori she breathes, his fingertips tracing a swift cleaving crescent, from him, he mutters, and he knows she’ll know which man simply by the smolder in his sloe and violet eyes.

↠ 

Perigee | Sasuke reflects on love, in 2nd person POV  Rating: Mature Tags: Experimental Style; post-war; Astronomy theme; existential musing

In the future you’ll emerge from pilgrimage as three, clutching a girl new and fragile marveling at it all, the love you never thought you’d have, of which you were so sure you were not capable.

But you don’t know this now.

↠ 

we’re in danger, sleeping with a friend | Of love and slugs Rating: M Tags: Blank period shenanigans; one night stands; gossip / eavesdropping; the kid are all dumb; and Sakura’s the least dumb; overpowered kids run this village

In the library, being lectured by a slug, plagued by a kinked neck.

In which Katsuyu speaks out of turn and Sasuke sulks.

↠ 

Smut (as the focus, or included heavily)

Red | Office Cunnilingus Rating:  Explicit Tags: Sakura gets a new office; shut up and love her

An old dress, a new office — Uchiha Sasuke offers regards to both.

↠ 

Pink | Office Blowjob Rating:  Explicit Tags: Orgasm Denial; they’re in love, your honor

Hems, hips — her hair, those lips.

↠ 

Gold | AU - College/University Rating:  Explicit Tags:  Art Class - live model drawing; Sakura in pursuit; Sasuke has issues; sexual tension; Deidara’s a teacher fresh out of prison Background: past NaruGaa; onesided NaruIno

Contrary to the urban legend, painting the body in full won’t cause imminent death for the model. Sasuke inherently knows this.

But as he watches her skin drown in shimmering gold, transcend the human shape in gentle whorls and bends, piercing green eyes daring him to move — he believes suffocation is still a distinct possibility.

(Alternatively: Sasuke’s sprung, Naruto’s in crisis, and their new art instructor just got out of prison.)

↠ 

Peril | Sasuke scared and horny  Rating: Explicit Tags:  Choking

Six months past a world war, two weeks post-prison, and all he’s been dreaming of are her dangerous, beautiful hands.

↠ 

and I came here to make you dance tonight | bars, jealousy, an ugly flower Rating: M Tags:  canon divergence; jealous Sasuke; wall sex

It’s garish, ugly, gold without its shine. Saffron without its luster. Clashes with her pink hair and appears to him to be craven semaphore bobbing in the dark sea of the dance floor, catching the light in a flippant way no nicer than giving him a crude gesture.

In the language of flowers, he’s so very sure Sakura is telling him to fuck right off.

↠ 

See Also:  watch the world explode, from underneath your glow ↠ 

Heavy Angst &/or Character death &/or #fucktheshinobi state

Embark | Blank Period Rating: Mature  Tags: Curses; Fate and Destiny; Angst

When he comes home from a mission or arrives after a debrief, he appears at her office window lingering as a beast, a bat. The lovesick trope, a tale as old as time.

I was gone too often. Again. I was given a second chance, and squandered it.

↠ 

Dun | SS as State Traitors Rating: Mature Tags: Post-war; Treason 

They reunite at the edge of the world, surrendering to the universe on the dark side of the moon.

↠ 

al niente | Blank Period Rating: Mature Tags: Starcrossed Lovers; Terminal Illness

Her breath catches as she rolls to face him, insides roiling and dizzy as the sea. From the floor she meets his dark eyes and whimpers,

“Don’t go. Not tonight.”

His mausoleum pause could halt the axis turn of the universe.

“Please.”

↠ 

I’m lost, so lost, I’m lost at sea you see | Blank Period | Shinobi Politics Rating: Mature Tags:  Canon Divergence; Angst; Bittersweet; Nod to Equilibrium

The sun's setting - it may never rise again.

↠ 

give me a long kiss goodnight, & everything will be all right | Shippuden  Rating: Mature Tags: Canon Divergence; Tragic Romance; Stalking

Copper tang between them, blood and sweat and salt. Both loathing the way they want each other, entangled, love and hate and the will of the state all in one divine knot.

grace note | post-war angst; Konoha falls Rating:  Mature Tags: Amnesia; Angst; Arranged Marriage

But now she purses her lips at the shadow left behind, the clear imprint of a ring previously worn. “Do you know where my husband is?” This is the way the world ends: With a man claiming his wife.

↠ 

Team 7 Dynamics 

Fare il Prezioso | Implied One-night stand; rumor!mill Rating: Teen Tags:  Team as Family; Jealousy; Bar room brawl

When Sasuke, looking drunk, angry, sick, or some combination of them all, recoils from the anticipated touch, Naruto changes tack by pointing at him, then at the back of Sakura’s head, and claps his hands together messily, like he’s squeezing an orange.

↠ 

Tremolando | T7 lives together, SS FWB, chaotic AF Rating:  Teen Tags: self-hating Uchiha; Angry Sakura; Drama; Jealousy

Placing her hands on the sides of his face, she whispers, “I’m scared. I’m scared of us, of this.” A beat. Her touch burns in the most wonderful way, but it doesn’t couch the awful way she finishes, speaking it into his lips like a secret. “Sometimes I’m scared of you.”

↠ 

Stretto | The morning after | T7 + Kakashi bonding Rating: Teen Tags:  Conspiracy; Jealousy; Disassociation; Unhealthy coping mechanisms

“I’m moving,” Sakura says abruptly, dreamily. She’s sunken into the couch, chin on her chest, staring into space. “Anywhere. A lonely underserved village. A castle. The bottom of a well. Change my name. I’ll kill someone otherwise.”

“That’s dramatic,” Sasuke says drily, without changing tone or expression.

“Did you just make a joke? Sakura, what did you do to him?”

Kakashi leans in closer, voice low. “Are all of you quite sure you haven’t taken anything funny?”

↠ 

Epoch | T7 officially gets back together | Mentor/Protege Rating: Teen Tags: Conspiracy; Drinking; Team as Family; Overpowered children; Implied/referenced Rape/Non-Con

Team Seven seals their fate and returns to active duty. Sakura keeps secrets. Tsunade prepares for next steps.

↠ 

Affrettando |  FWB mess | Shinobi Politics Rating: Teen Tags: Stalking; Trauma; Drama; Complicated Relationships; Belligerent Sexual Tension

If it’s half of what he feels, a touch could erupt them in an instant, a lit match to a tinderbox. She stays silent. Her movements reflect the dance, and he wonders if she thinks a detail ever escapes his gaze.

Arms unfolded now, his fingers signal something universal.

“Come.”

(Perhaps this is what you’ve been terrified of—how she breathes life into you, and holds you up to the light.)

↠ 

L’anima | Sakura’s attacked at the hospital

Rating: Teen Tags: Political alliances; Shinobi system critique; blood and injury

Defying him, at a time like this. In her worst moments, or perhaps her best, she is difficult to bend. A habit now ingrained, he rubs a thumb across her cheekbone, a fixation, like it will bind her to the earth and to him.

The hospital is infiltrated; they face the unknown specter of betrayal.

↠ 

Ostinato |  Sakura gets eaten out in a closet | Alliances falling apart Rating: Teen Tags: Lime; Closets; Shinobi politics; complicated relationships

Departing in mutual weakness, culminating in the end of the world, and returning to a hurricane. Always in the eye of her, some complicated but honest peace.

Sasuke and Naruto blow off steam. Sakura gets what she wants. Strangers come to visit.

↠ 

Fuocoso | Team 7 goes rogue & Sasuke falls in love (officially) Rating: Mature Tags: dai-nana-han, T7 has issues; Sakura is the glue of this team; shinobi politics; friendship

A crackle in the dirt, the energy of his dear children, he swears, prompting the earth to shudder underneath their feet.

"They'll come for you in seven days."

Time ticks away. Reunited, Team Seven prepares to depart for their first mission, but not without ensnaring one another, and those that love them, into their convoluted myths.

(In which they learn about what they've missed, and how to come together again.)

↠ 

Fics involving other pairings &/or complicated relationships:

fission | Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage | SS & SakuIno Rating:  Mature Tags: Drama; complicated relationships; POV 2nd person

The reception’s gaining steam and congratulations are coming soon. Your wedded is six champagnes deep and flickering her eyes at a handsome member of the event staff. All your cousins know you fought for a flower but in the end, bent the knee.

↠ 

Appoggiatura | Friendship, maybe, tilt your head and squint | Post-war Rating: Teen  Tags: ShikaSaku friendship; SakuIno friendship; a ton of pining from every corner; Drama; Shinobi Politics

In a moment she feels them trying, futilely, to fix it all. Everything they broke.

↠ 

Series Link Index:

Equilibrium Genre: Post-War; Blank Period; Canon Divergence Rating:  Mature

We bear the whispers of stories we didn't write, and the burden of becoming legends we never desired. All we do is keep chasing one another in circles, endlessly wanting.

Everything has changed; nothing has. Team Seven navigates life after war.

↠ 

Chromatic Genre:  Smut; soulmate stories.  Rating: Explicit

Love in every shade. SasuSaku.

↠ 

fix me with your grace Genre:  Blank Period Rating: Mature

All entries for SasuSakuBlankPeriod2021 event. peep hashtag - #SSBlankPeriod2021

↠ 

Particles Genre: Varies - check above for individual listings Rating:  Mature to Explicit - check individual story

Scraps of things that have no home. Loosely edited. A cemetery, a playground.

↠ 

this for the hearts on fire Genre: Varies - check above for individual listings Rating: Mature to Explicit - check individual story

All entries for SasuSaku Month 2021 Peep hashtag - #ssm21

↠ 

[imaginariaextraordinaire]

This episode really made me long for Viki's subtitling teams. Netflix has some crazy strict guidelines for subtitles (putting constraints on the number of characters, timing of subtitles etc), which are supposed to make the subtitles are viewer-friendly as possible. I appreciate that keeping subtitles crisp and short makes them easier reading but if you don't know "babo" in Korean means "idiot", then you really are missing out. (So glad I'm watching K-dramas in the age of the internet and grateful thanks to all those who make their knowledge and learning available for free on the world wide web.)

It would also have been helpful for viewers to know that the Korean word for sweet potatoes is also slang for being frustrating. There's a whole lot of sweet potato-eating in this episode, which also sees a lot of people feeling frustrated — like the Geumga gang who are searching for the hidden gold; Cha-Young and Vincenzo as they try to lure out the real owner of Babel; Jun-Woo with the public prosecutors and later with Cha-Young and Vincenzo because his brother's decisions help bring our OTP closer.

And of course, Vincenzo with Inzaghi the pigeon (I feel there's a football reference here, but figuring out that sort of thing requires a sportier mind than mine). Hard relate to Vincenzo's pigeon problem.

Back at Geumga Plaza, we get a hint that the pawnshop owner and self-proclaimed (but so far unvalidated) martial arts expert Cheol-Wook and his wife have secrets. First, there's this glimpse of Cheol-Wook's ear.

Then there's the revelation that his wife is super strong and he's actually a good fighter, even though for all this time his claims seemed false because he made it a point to make sure he didn't get into fights. Geumga Plaza seems to be teeming with people who have secrets. There's a chef who claimed to study in Italy, but hasn't been anywhere close to the country. There's an undercover agent. There was a hint during the celebratory dinner (after the ode to Delacroix) that the guy running the dry cleaning service has secrets as well. And of course Vincenzo, with his mafia background which only Cha-Young knows about at the moment.

Speaking of VinCha (why not? We know it's going to happen soon enough), I'm not usually a fan of the damsel-in-distress routine and Cha-Young has had to do a lot of it in this show, but I have to admit, this was cute.

Meanwhile, god alone knows what issue the Jang brothers have with ice hockey, but this time Jun-Woo turns the hockey stick into a murder weapon. There's a sharp contrast between Vincenzo being haunted by his nightmares of people he's killed and Jun-Woo's glee and careless bloodlust. It follows from the fragments we've got in earlier episodes, like when Vincenzo tells Cha-Young that the ones who live by hate don't deserve to have love in their lives. Obviously, this is setting up a redemption arc for Vincenzo, but it's worth pointing out that the drama isn't giving Vincenzo a free pass for his previous bad actions.

Cha-Young and Vincenzo have some adorable scenes in this episode and that slow burn relationship is slowly upping its chemistry ante. Like so many other shows, they play on the whole ramyeon subtext and while it's hardly original, props to the actors for still managing to make it amusing.

The mild twist in the tale came when we realise that Han-Seo is playing his brother as he gets back at Jun-Woo — who said Han-Seo was his Achilles heel — by attacking Jun-Woo's actual weak spot: Cha-Young.

I'm absolutely loving the minor characters in Vincenzo, like smol Si-Geok (I could have a separate account with just his genius reactions) and the gangsters-turned-travel agents' accountant.

If there is one thing this drama can will into reality, let it be goth accountants whose weapon of choice is a lilac feather duster.

[classified-bluerose]

WANDAVISION S1E5 SPOILERS ( & COMICS SPOILERS TOO ) !!!

—

here we go. this is very long, so. buckle up.

my original theory had wanda trapped within westview unknowingly - later episodes disproved that. however! i believe now that parts of my original theory are true. wanda is not in control. someone else is. she can alter certain aspects of her reality, and probably believes she’s in total control. she isn’t.

she notes that she can’t remember how it all began. she seemed taken aback during some of the episodes when the sitcom faltered and allowed reality to blink through. she didn’t summon pietro/peter - so who did?

behind every show is a writer, a director. wanda may be starring in her perfect sitcom, but who is directing it?

- agnes? is she mephisto? or perhaps she’s agatha, married to mephisto. her husband is mentioned several times but never shown.

- pietro/peter himself is mephisto in disguise. though why he would choose this particular iteration of pietro is uncertain.

- dottie is mephisto.

1. the sword director is shady a.f. why not share the information about wanda’s break in when he first sent monica out into the field? and, if part of vision’s will was to not be ressurected OR made into a weapon, then what the hell was sword doing with his corpse in the first place?

consider: the security footage from wanda’s break-in. vision’s body was disassembled. sword director immediately labelled wanda a terrorist. which was always going to happen - i mean, pre-endgame/infinity war, wanda was a wanted felon on the run from the government. which gives sword exactly the right ammunition to use against her. of course, monica was having none of it, and stepped up to defend her. hayword decided to use monica’s drone to launch an attack on wanda. he had no qualms about killing her - and potentially her children. he also chose to keep this information from monica, because he knew she would never have agreed. he is not to be trusted; and i think monica knows that now.

2. onto vision’s enlightening moment with norm. now, norm doesn’t ever name wanda as the one inside his head. instead, he refers to this person as ‘’her’’. not naming her has to be intentional. which means he may not be talking about wanda. of course, vision is going to assume it is wanda, having noticed how strange his life with her is. monica was shaken when she began to remember her life before westview. herb, when trying to tell vision about why monica was there, is visibly terrified. norm grows agitated and upset when vision lifts the manipulation. even dottie becomes freaked out when woo’s voice comes over the radio. who in the town doesn’t act disturbed or scared when the sitcom falters? agnes. she acts like a professional actor on a soap or sitcom. she looks to wanda for direction; but could it be she is the director of this whole thing? or perhaps she is an agent of mephisto, (or master pandemonium) who could very well be her unseen husband, ralph. that is, if she’s not mephisto herself.

3. now. the twins. the twins, whom i do not trust. they know too much. their powers and wanda’s powers combined could explain the aging up process. but i believe the twins are a product of the same thing as the comics: fragments of mephisto’s soul. while this storyline was rewritten to swap out mephisto for master pandemonium, it’s more likely that it’s mephisto behind this. regardless of mephisto’s identity within the show, it the twins were created using fragments of mephisto’s soul, they may be more like him than wanda or vision. i know in the comics they get reabsorbed into mephisto/pandemonium. i lowkey want that to happen because i don’t like them lmao. sorry wanda! but, we know that wanda is using whatever is around her to rewrite reality. so if mephisto is nearby, his soul would be powerful enough (even fragmented) to create two (semi) human children. agnes says you can’t control kids. maybe that’s why there’s no other children in westview?

4. and finally, the big moment. the introduction of evan peter’s peter maximoff. she calls him pietro, of course, as this is the name he used in this universe. there are plenty of theories to explain his sudden appearance. if mephisto is a resident of the town, and controlling wanda, they may be using her desires to keep wanda in westview. her mentioning him in the past 2 episodes would have had him in the forefront of her mind. mephisto may be aware that vision is beginning to fight the reality he’s in, that he’s ‘’waking up’’. so he/she/they bring in her brother to solidfy wanda’s fight to remain in her new home. what good does this do for vision, though? how will it convince him to stop fighting? he doesn’t even remember his own universes’ pietro. perhaps mephisto is hoping that with wanda now having her family complete will urge her to fully control vision. perhaps mephisto had to bring this version of pietro over from the x-men universe due to an inability to revive the mcu’s pietro? and another big question; is vision alive? if wanda was reanimating his corpse and making it seem as though he was alive, wouldn’t he just be whatever she made him be? surely he would have no independant thought, no capability to question the world around him. if he is alive - how?

working theory: wanda discovered that sword had taken vision’s body. heartbroken that the man she loves won’t get to rest in peace, she breaks into sword and ‘’rescues’’ his corpse. whatever her plan was following that, something happened that we haven’t seen yet. mephisto appeared, drawn to wanda by her pure grief, rage, and loneliness - and made her a deal she couldn’t refuse. bring vision back to life, place her in a familiar, comforting world where nothing changes (ex. a sitcom) and they can live a normal, happy life together. mephisto does not go into detail about wanda’s new reality; when she agrees, she isn’t entirely aware of what she’s signing up for. mephisto wipes her memory (and visions?) of the deal, and sits back in wait. the more wanda starts to realise that she can control aspects of her reality, she does what she can to protect it, not fully understanding what’s going on. only knowing that she isn’t willing to let go of her home. sword are panicking, because they’ve lost vision to a woman with exceptional abilities (who happens to be labelled, unfairly, a terrorist). hayward uses this to turn all heads in wanda’s direction, desperate to vilify her and keep the attention off of sword’s vision project. back to the deal - what would mephisto get in return for this exchange? my best bet is the children. although why he would want that, to lose 2 fragments of his soul for their creation. unless his soul was already in fragments and lost, and wanda’s creating her kids was one way for him to retrieve them? agnes is there to either help wanda, to take care of her, or to keep her in line.

the parts in italics and bold are linked to the evidence in the first paragraphs.

THE COMMERCIALS:

each commercial seems to link to wanda’s past; essentially retelling her path through the mcu.

1. first up, the toaster by stark industries. it was stark weapons that destroyed wanda’s childhood home and left her and her brother orphans. this is the inciting incident in wanda’s story.

2. the vonstrucker watch. following her parents demise, she is radicalised and volunteers for hydra, alongside pietro. she is experimented on by a hydra scientist named von strucker.

3. hydra soak soap. this could be another reference to her history with hydra. it could always be a hint that hydra is somehow involved in wanda’s current situation.

4. lagos paper towels. with no commercial in episode 4, episode 5 advertises paper towels by the brand name of lagos, the tagline is ‘’for when you make a mess you didn’t mean to.’’ at the beginning of civil war, wanda is part of an avengers mission in lagos. the mission goes wrong when wanda accidentally redirects a bomb and kills civillians. this incident is partially responsible for the sokovia accords - and we should also remember that wanda’s intentions with ultron were not the same as his. she didn’t mean for sokovia to be destroyed, or for her brother to die. she most likely blames herself for all of that.

the commercials are, essentially, a shortened walkthrough of her trauma, and there is plenty of it.

note: wanda is the defintion of traumatised. she has lost everything. she is alone. she has had no time to process the death of vision; those five years post IW never happened for her. she blinked, and five years had passed. she was then immediately thrown into a battle against thanos. for her it’s been about five minutes since she witnessed thanos crushing vision’s head for the mind stone. she then finds out natasha and tony have died, and that steve is out of commission for good. everything has been ripped away from her. there’s no avengers. no family. no boyfriend. no one. i want to see what happened in the three weeks between endgame returning the dusted and the beginning of wandavision.

[sepublic]

WandaVision Finale!

           Okay, that finale was AMAAAAAZING! Everything about it… Particularly, I love that with all of these references to American, black-and-white television shows, we got a bit straight out of what felt like The Twilight Zone! Let me tell you, when Dottie came up to Wanda and started begging to be with her daughter, bargaining, playing with the role and trying to appeal, even offering up her daughter for the antagonistic, demonized role of bully, just to be with her; That was INCREDIBLY messed-up and really shook me up, as did everyone else in that sequence! It was utterly wonderful, and really, the entire premise and set-up DOES seem like a Twilight Zone episode; Perhaps the final homage/allusion by this series?

           The Vision battle was great, some much-needed action and usage of Vision’s powers that we needed. I love how Vision manages to talk down the White counterpart with logic and existential thought… The philosophical, almost deconstructive way Vision deals with stuff and life isn’t cold, but rather appreciative, like someone taking apart a clock and marveling in how its put together; They don’t rage at the clock for no longer upholding the undefinable illusion it used to have… 

          And of course, the idea of ‘illusion’ I feel applies to Westview as well. The difference being that Westview’s mechanisms are inherently immoral, but the way Vision gets down to the basics and fundamentals of things in his almost wondrous, childlike curiosity- It’s great. He’s questioning everything, but in anticipation and acceptance of an answer, he does not view the world with cold disdain the way someone like Ultron would.

           The Theseus Ship paradox was a wonderful discussion, as was the suggested answer that either neither of them are the ship, or they both are! As is Vision’s constantly poetic talk of how the ship is more the experience and memories, so if they’re attached to either, then sure- They’re both the same! I love for a hypothetically cold android, this dude is so poetic and marveling at everything. He should be a writer, a poet… But that’s not happening anytime soon; But it doesn’t mean it won’t EVER happen, either! As Vision realized, they’ve said goodbye before, only to say hello again… I love his little way of looking through and exploring loopholes in apparent certainties, both at the end and with White Vision.

           Not gonna lie though, I half-expected/anticipated for White Vision to emerge with Ultron’s mind, once Vision reawakened those memories, and I have to wonder where he is. I was kind of hoping both Visions would merge together to complete a true one, given how both acknowledge that the other has something that they don’t. White Vision is still out and about though; And I like the clever usage of color, with blue representing the cold and mechanical Ultron side of him, and yellow being the Mind Stone, but most importantly Vision. And I LOVE the idea that Scarlet Witch has the last remainder of an Infinity Stone within her, preserved like her love for Vision; Some things you can’t truly eradicate, Thanos!

           That reference to the Darkhold from Agents of SHIELD was great, and I imagine it’ll come into play now that Wanda’s taken it from Agatha. How Agatha got it, I have to wonder; But that’s a story for another day, I presume. I guess she’s been brainwashed truly as Agnes and is doing her own thing in Westview, without anyone to realize she doesn’t quite belong; Or maybe they will? What a wonderfully poetic, vicious fate for her character- She faked it all, and now she gets to be real! The idea of playing a ‘part’ is just a fascinating motif in this show for me, and I’m sure there’s some philosophical stuff I could dredge up about that term, ‘stories’, from my Philosophy class.

           Wish we got some more resolution with Darcy, and Hayward kind of just left; But I do appreciate how we could’ve gotten a bit of an all-out brawl, with the SWORD agents targeting Agatha and how she alludes to the Salem Witch Trials! Also the allusion to the Sorcerer Supreme, AKA Doctor Strange, was great- And things are still complicated with how Wanda more maturely vouches to save those agents, even if they’re also against her… She knows that people’s dislike and hostility is pretty valid. It’ll be interesting how she’ll own up to the ‘role’ of Scarlet Witch now, as a lot of her vilification came from her own actions, admittedly. I imagine she’s going to try and it do it on her own terms, see what loopholes in the requirements she can exploit- Much like her husband Vision would! Also, Tommy and Billy having to dissipate when Vision at least understands and accepts IS messed up, so I can see why Wanda feels the need to rescue her children, who definitely don’t deserve this.

           I do have to wonder if that last scene is a hint that Wanda hasn’t fully moved on, or if she HAS, but of course Tommy and Billy don’t deserve to die just for her character development! Really that dilemma and sad ending was handled so well, I half-expected Wanda to isolate the Hex to just her house, or maybe focus all of the energy of the Hex into maintaining JUST Vision, Tommy, and Billy. Maybe she’s consulting her chapter in the Darkhold for info on that? Either way, I like how she’s prepared and kept all of her assets in place in case she ever needs them, such as Agatha, now Agnes! There’s a very spiteful and utilitarian way she handles herself now, reminiscent of a villain who keeps tabs on their friends and enemies; Wanda seems to be doing the typical steps of a villain, but hasn’t exactly committed to it; And maybe never will, again, it’ll be interesting how she exploits her role as Scarlet Witch. I love the callback to those runes, how a scene that could’ve been written off as magical world building foreshadowed and came back into play; Such a simple and obvious trick, but one I always fall for because I’m so invested and IN the world!

           Also, I think that lake Wanda lives by, might be the one where Sokovia’s remains landed? If so, then that’s incredibly fitting; A watery grave for her home and memories, huh? I wonder if Pietro, the real one, is buried here- It makes sense, Agatha alludes to Pietro not being buried in North America (nor South America if you want to get into technicalities), so of course their home country, or what’s left of it, is ideal! The site where he died, lowkey; Although that was arguably several miles above, but still. This third-world country that everyone dismissed and ignored has now had a major legacy that is felt across the world… It’s been heard, huh? I’m not sure why Wanda’s maintaining that illusion of herself, is she just practicing, maybe creating a front in case anyone notices activity, checks out, and then assumes it’s ‘just’ some random lady?

           I can only imagine how Doctor Strange will tie into this! Probably with the Nexus of All Realities and the Darkhold, and of course the Scarlet Witch’s role as a potential threat to the Sorcerer Supreme; And hopefully with what we’ve seen of Agatha making note of magic belonging to the ‘deserving’ and being able to take it from others… Baron Mordo, perhaps? Maybe he’ll make his return interrogating Agnes as he tries to track down the Scarlet Witch, seeing her as a threat… Dang, now Mordo’s reminding me of Emperor Belos from The Owl House, with the whole belief that after chaos and bloodshed, magic should instead be isolated to only the deserving who prove themselves, and whatnot! Now I’m even in MORE interested and hopeful for Mordo with this comparison!

           Likewise, the allusion to the Nexus in that commercial made me wonder if New Jersey would be the location for the Nexus of All Realities in the MCU, but now that Wanda’s left, it’s possible she’ll track down its location to Louisiana, just in the comics! Still hoping for Man-Thing in the MCU, maybe we’ll get a setup for him! I’m telling you Feige, this is your chance to make a Frankenstein/Iron Giant type of film, a misunderstood monster story to incorporate into the MCU, what with your exploration of new genres beginning particularly in Wandavision! Also iirc the Darkhold has a corrupting influence on those who read it… But the last people who did were regular humans, is Scarlet Witch above such things? Or will the Darkhold mess with her, too- An external force that disrupts her character development by corrupting her? I’m just in even more anticipation for Multiverse of Madness to be trippy and horrifying.

           Overall, what a WONDERFUL conclusion, and an incredibly satisfying finale to this series, while still paving the way for new stories! It seems Photon’s story has just begun, now that Nick Fury has sent a Skrull to invite her; Maybe for the Captain Marvel sequel? I’d assume the sequel deals with the fall of the Supreme Intelligence, which takes place before 2014; Nine years before Monica gets her powers! Something had to have happened to lead to the Kree’s peace treaties with everyone that angered Ronan…Well, we’ll see!

          And White Vision, we’ll see what happens with him, what existential crisis he’ll get into, poor dude; He’s arguably the original Vision, except traumatized and questioning himself! I’m surprised Wanda didn’t go after him, did she assume he was destroyed? Or has she just moved on, focusing on her sons? We’ll have to see… Vision did allude to him reuniting with Wanda, so perhaps Wanda can use her powers to gather the Mind Stone’s scattered atoms within the fragment she holds, and reform an Infinity Stone to truly resurrect Vision, from his white template! Perhaps that’s how the Nexus will come into play, as a place to draw together such cosmic power that was once scattered by the Mad Titan…

           Wish we got to see more of Darcy and Woo, as well as Fietro; Him being confirmed as Ralph was great, as was that little hilarious man-cave segment of his, fitting into what would’ve been his time period. I’m a bit disappointed he’s just some dude, but at least there’s the meta gag… I LOOOOVE Scarlet Witch’s new outfit, it’s such a stylish red dress/cape and crown, love how it’s repeatedly invoked as a symbol for her; Wanda finally gets to own her classic costume, her tiara! The bit where her ‘shirt’ meets the pants reminds me of fangs and the points on her tiara, I love that sharp and threatening visual cohesion! And with all that in mind, here’s hoping to The Falcon & Winter Soldier as our next installment into the MCU! And one day, we’ll finally get that Black Widow movie released… One day!