#arc: nat / post rescue. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

silencedrage · 1 year ago

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like before, unstructured mostly incoherent thoughts while i rewatch. disclaimer for people who don't like nuance: none of this is supposed to read as an excuse for the shitty things all of these women do, just my thoughts on where their mental states are during these moments. obvious spoilers for the s2 finale under the cut

will there be anything more heartbreaking than travis' happy 'natalie!' only for him to understand what happened

a little bit obsessed with the way van walks back to camp. half of liv's face is covered up and you only see their eyes, and it's just so??? everyone else can't look at travis or looks apologetic or even regretful, and van is trying so so hard to keep stoic that she's practically glaring and for a second her eyes cut to travis, and whew liv hewson the actor that you are. now i'm even more upset they're sitting out of the emmy race because i think this is just the start of van's arc

'the wilderness chose' the way i audibly gasped when nat said this. it's the first time she's said anything about the wilderness being any kind of entity with power and it's certainly a way for her to try and assuage her guilt with travis because there's really no other option. to say anything otherwise is to admit that she let javi die in her stead and while she can admit that to ben, she can't admit that to travis

the way lottie just picked up that cup and was ready to throw it back.... homegirl is so ready to die and be free of all this and my heart hurts for her especially because we know so much of this trauma stems for what other people placed on her (and the way van and shauna were the ones to protest the loudest)

something about the way lottie is on her knees, looking up at shauna as shauna tries to stall and buy them time, and then how she goes in for a hug, which is so poignant given how simone said repeatedly that lottie puts physical distance between herself and shauna after the beating, but she's so fucking relieved that someone is (seemingly) believing her. like two things can be true at once: lottie is unraveling and going off the rails, and she's also a woman who has spent her entire life being called crazy and not being believed and that's the tragedy of it all

the way we were all clowning on shauna for being a shitty liar and she somehow manages to pull of the best lie all season, the jokes write themselves

i didn't notice this in my first watch but van's entire face during that scene speaks VOLUMES and lauren ambROSE THE ACTOR YOU ALSO ARE. from the moment that shauna reveals behind lottie's back that she's not actually believing her, and the look she gets on her face when tai 'agrees' and starts playing along. it's not agreement or acquiescence, it's discomfort and uncertainty about this plan. she is the only one who doesn't say anything while the rest of them are like "oh yeah, the hunt, we need masks and weapons and cards"

and after lottie leaves, they're all talking about what to "do" with lottie and start planning on committing her again, and you can see the coin drop for van. "this isn't just about her mental illness" like do you think van is reminiscing about the post-rescue, how they all abandoned lottie to be sent away to a mental institution to hold a majority of the blame for something that they all did? something that lottie didn't even choose to initially participate in?

and that literally spins right into the scene with young misty and lottie, where lottie outright says that she never wanted this. all she said was "if i die, don't waste my body". the others were the ones who decided to take that and turn it into the hunt, and i stand by the fact that's why van can't let this plan go on. the reality is that van was a key factor in all of this happening. she was one of the first to give lottie this kind of deference that she probably didn't deserve. she was the one who came up with the rules for the hunt. everyone else may have been able to convince themselves over the last 20 years that they all "got over it" but the whole show clearly depicts that they have not. that was the entire point of them hashing everything out in the sharing shack. they haven't healed, they haven't gotten over it, and locking up lottie isn't going to do anything for them other than be a bandaid

'why was travis screaming?' ugh she cares so much!! and misty twisting her words to the others, i 100% get it narratively, but god damn it makes me hurt knowing that this is what it spawns. misty understands that the others need lottie's blessing for the hunt because if they don't have it, this carefully-constructed facade they built up comes crashing down. if lottie says, no this is not what the fucking wilderness wanted, then they have to face the fact that the wilderness didn't choose, they did. and i fully believe misty did this to protect natalie, just like she protected natalie in the prior ep. because yes the others would break down, but natalie is already dealing with the guilt that she watched javi drown to save her own life, but then to hear that it's not actually what lottie meant? that would destroy the entire group so i GET it but also... i just hurt for lottie because she never asked for any of this.

"you started this. it's done" idk man, to say that she tried to get people to connect with nature in an attempt to keep people levelheaded in an extreme circumstance and that's what directly led to cannibalism? mm seems like a stretch but... the saddest part is that lottie believes misty when she says that. she believes that she is the cause for everything that's happened and that's so... heartbreaking for me because we as the audience know that's not the whole story. and i have to ask myself, how much of what happens in the adult timeline would be different if lottie had said "no this isn't right?" obviously then we probably wouldn't have much of a show, but to be able to see the different threads that lead to certain actions, it pains me that lottie is always suffering the brunt of it

the dried tear tracks on shauna's face during the butchering scene, god seriously emmy nominee sophie nelisse when?? like she is drowning in postpartum hormones, just suffered through a stillbirth, and now she has to carve up a boy that she had gotten somewhat close with. a boy she's had conversations with, maybe even a boy her son would've gotten along with if he had lived. and she's struggling so much. tai and nat don't really know what to do and it's van, again with both the pragmatic and the childlike, doing a simple act of turning his head away so shauna doesn't have to see. it prompts shauna to pull her headcover over her eyes. with jackie, they were delirious and hallucinating. there's no such comfort for this moment, not for any of them.

and once again, van cannot bring herself to look away. even when shauna tells them to leave, she lingers, watching the blood drain from javi because again, she owes at least that much to him.

"if she is, then so are you" the way van did not pull any punches with that line and the look on tai's face knows it. and i don't think she was manipulating tai here to try and save lottie, and i don't think she was trying to bargain with the wilderness to save her own life. i think she was calling the shots as she saw them. van has shown a resilience to death, but she also is ready to accept if things happen. after the wolf attack, she insists that tai let the others go back. she was fully accepting of her diagnosis when she spoke with tai a few episodes back. the others reveal that they have repressed their memories, enough that they're hazy and dreamlike, but van has always known what they've done. she may have run from it, but she's never forgotten it. and then she's sitting in the middle of the sharing shack, listening to how all of these people VERY CLEARLY still have elements of that darkness in them, how they never "got over it" like natalie claimed, and while denial can work for a time, van is tired of them clinging to that denial especially at lottie's expense

and at the end of that conversation, van calls back their pact, the same one that has linked them for years. shauna even alludes to it earlier. "it's just about us." "we handle this ourselves. we protect each other. didn't we all swear we would?" no one who wasn't there will ever be fully able to understand what they went through, and that is van's point. people can empathize without having to experience the same things, but this is so extreme, and something that has been festering for 25 years. and!! even if they do commit lottie, that literally does nothing re: the adam martin situation as far as they know! there's no way that van would've been able to know how things would play out, and i don't think that she actually wanted to participate in the hunt. i just think she wasn't ready to throw lottie away for the second time and let her take all the blame for something that their shared responsibility. van is making them look at the monster that they all had a hand in creating

something something natalie had the card first and then she brought it to shauna (not that she took it) but maybe that's the other way of 'choosing'?

jeff and callie daddy/daughter bonding over crimes, we love to see it

lisanat and natben parallels: the mentor telling the younger one that they don't have to be these people/they don't have to stay here. nat refusing ben's offer because of her guilt, but also her guilt being what pushes her to warn lisa to leave

that van and travis scene, just more of van being tired of dancing around what everyone already knows and telling it like it is. there is no room for guilt or shame in this moment because they can't afford for there to be. they are trying to survive, and human instinct on that front wins out over the emotional beats. van knows this especially well, just like natalie does. the two of them arguably understood long before this place that the world is cruel and the people who least deserve it are the ones who suffer. is it dark? absolutely, but it's fitting for where van's arc has been heading this entire time. she wants to live. she wants her friends to live. including travis. it's manipulative in many regards, but it's manipulating him to survive. for van right now, she has to believe in that. where she lands on that 20 years later, is another story

walter really was great ngl, i thoroughly enjoyed his scheming

i wonder what the heart was made of

i just have a lot of feelings about van's loyalty, misplaced as it may be. i think she would've done the same for tai, shauna, natalie, misty, any one of them if they were the ones in lottie's position. she has consistently reminded them over and over that this is not just lottie's mental illness, no matter how much they wish it was. they spent years pretending, but look at that, nothing has changed, so why continue throwing someone under the bus, someone you promised to protect? do i agree with her choice to continue on with the ritual and not tell the others about calling off the crisis team? not necessarily, i think that should've come out earlier, but at the same time, i understand why she feels so strongly about this and also natalie got jealous over walter again

but i do think the turning point came for van while they were standing around the fire. ptsd will evoke the same emotions and feelings that those original trauma memories held, and for this crew, that trauma is so complex. it's horrific what they had to go through, but also there was a freedom in it. there was something more grounding about life out there, at least for van who had a shitty home life and nothing she missed about wiskayok, and i think standing around that fire brought back those feelings of freedom for van. freedom from societal expectations, freedom from her diagnosis, freedom from the pain of having to suffer through this stagnant life. it's a heady feeling, and hard to fight against, and like van says in the younger timeline, she's not ashamed of wanting to live. i don't know if she's fully thought through the consequences of what it means to go through with the ritual, but i think she has found a glimmer of hope for the first time in 20 years and she can't bear to let it go. and as much as i hate to say this, i fear a part of her thought that the wilderness would take her because she was already living on borrowed time

the only thing i wish that had happened in this episode was that callie should've shot pornstache

those parallel looks from taivan in the card drawing scene hhhhhh and the little slump of relief that lauren gives, even though van's the one to prompt this. it's the exact. same. thing as 2x08

something about travis and misty both being the ones to pull the ace in the card drawing scenes and how they're left with massive survivor's guilt at the end of it

nat and misty both keeping their hands in their pockets, nat with her knife and misty with her syringe. we love murder gfs

okay but the second go around of the card draws, van is much... more hesitant, whereas tai is the one nodding? is that other tai? van's literally flinching as she draws the card and idk what to make of it

i also didn't notice this last night but during the card draw montage, they show shots of everyone drawing cards multiple times, but not van. like van draws a second time, they go around the circle, and then it skips from lottie to tai and everyone gets at least 1-2 more draws that we see, but we don't get one from van. i wonder if this is the show's way of subtly hinting that van would be safe this round? but who knows, it's just something i noticed

i really do think other tai is here in this moment. shauna draws the card and she goes straight for the masks and the knives, not even sparing a look for her best friend. maybe it was van's conversation earlier with tai that pulled her out? i feel like every time people reference adult tai getting help, an appearance by other tai is not that far off. perhaps this is other tai's way of saving van, but at the expense of real tai's relationships (like she's done with simone and sammy)? idk i'm just intrigued

"there was no it, it was just us." "is there a difference?" THE WAY I YELLED because this has been the ENTIRE POINT all along. it doesn't MATTER if there was something supernatural out there pushing along the way, or mental illness and trauma coming out at seams, or if it was just general teenage girl cruelty in a world that didn't live by society's rules? does it matter which it actually was? the consequences are still there, the actions were still made. people still died. pawning off that responsibility on some otherworldly being might work for a while, but everything since the start of the show has been repeatedly pressing the button that it's all gonna come out eventually. you can't repress these things without consequence

i see a lot of takes about how it was only van and lottie who were into the hunt but that.... is not really true. all of them were into it up until the point callie enters the picture. they were all running and whooping and i think that's critical to this. they all fall back into it, even if they want to say they're "over it"

"she's so powerful" baby daddy lottie matthews 🥰 but also just having heard about callie in the goat conversation, but her only frame of reference is a stillborn baby, but the she sees callie, righteous and indignant and yes, powerful. and she's honestly thrilled that shauna got that

"it's not right. she's like this because of us." THANK YOU VAN like yes lottie is literally going off the rails but they cannot just IGNORE the roles that they played to lead to this exact moment and the way lottie hears the wilderness again, going right into the scene where she crowns natalie as aq because she can't hear the wilderness anymore and everyone else does. it's coming back full circle and the way the narrative does this is so so good. she comes down, beaten and bruised and she doesn't even have to say a fucking word before they're all coming to her in relief and gladness and she's been stewing over this belief that she caused this. and she realized that what misty said in the attic, to some extent is true. the team needs her, or they believe they need her, and i think this is a moment of true lucidity and clarity for lottie, something stronger than the wilderness that has been whispering in her ear this entire time

storyteller van is so important to me. she's always been someone to fall into fictional worlds, to use stories as her coping mechanism. the others ask her to retell the synopsis of a movie and she instead chooses to begin telling the story of the wilderness. and it's just another coping mechanism. if she says 'once upon a time' and 'happily ever after' then that's what it is, right?

but lottie interrupts her because this isn't a story and this isn't a happy ending. and she voices for the first time that she never asked to be crowned the leader, and she's wondering whether she's completely misinterpreted everything. maybe what people say about her is true, and she is just crazy and someone that can't be trusted. and so she passes the torch to natalie. she still believes that the wilderness exists, but she believes that she's the wrong voice for it now. and maybe that's true. maybe she was necessary to get them the first step, but she's no longer the right leader for the job. passing the torch onto natalie is a nice idea, but the others only follow her lead because lottie insists on it. "you were always its favorite."

there is something about the reluctant leader who begrudgingly accepts admiration, and lottie and nat both fill that role. both of them are outsiders in some regards, opposite ends of those spectrum, but still two girls who grew up neglected by the people who should have cared for them the most. why wouldn't they appreciate people listening to them and paying attention to them? but with that comes the guilt that we see in both of them. it recontextualizes the way they talk earlier in the season. before i thought lottie acknowledging her role in the wilderness was just more of a growth thing, but now i think it directly ties into her passing that crown to natalie, as someone who intimately understands the burdens of it. and she finds natalie, 20 years later and ready to kill herself, and she has to save her. because she was part of the reason natalie lives with such guilt in the first place, and lottie is trying to own up to that.

i'm not overly going to get into what happened at the end of the episode as people have their own stances on it. i think that it narratively fit for natalie, especially in the context of the show. my main focus is that this is one of the few times in the series that natalie has agency and uses it for herself. she deliberately chose to step in between misty and lisa, because she's not willing to have another innocent person's death on her hands. natalie is well aware that death is inevitable, and often beyond our control, and i think that her making this deliberate choice is the type of ending the character would've wanted. she wants to believe in herself that she can be a good person, even when the rest of the world isn't, and she's been thwarted at every turn, and if anything, i like to think she found some peace in that final decision being hers.

last thing in this already way too long post: taivan's "we're gonna come check on you" to lottie. the naked terror in lottie's eyes, she knows exactly what she's destined for because it's what happened 20 years ago. and she doesn't know if she can believe them when they say they won't abandon her again. the difference now is that she hears the wilderness again. it's unclear whether it ever comes back to her in the rest of the 96 timeline, but again, talk about full circle.

i've honestly exhausted my last braincell watching this episode again so i know there's a lot more that i haven't fully touched on or parts that i want to dig into a little deeper, but in the meantime have this unnecessarily long post about the episode so i can maybe get some work done today.

friday morning means coffee + a rewatch of the latest ep. thoughts to follow here because somehow this ep was even more contentious than the last

#yj spoilers //#i'm gonna try and work on those starters later between work #this is... absurdly long but i'm a wordy bitch #this is really only for me #long post tw

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ashintheairlikesnow · 2 years ago

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“Those assholes think I can’t pick a fucking lock!” The rescue snaps from behind her, and Nat’s smile only widens. “That’s the first thing I learned, Nan-... my master taught me how to pick locks, my good master, the first one. He taught me so I couldn’t be locked up again, and these assholes think I, what, I just forgot that?”

A) I love that Jameson refers to Nanda as his good master. That just swells my heart. Especially now that obviously during this arc it’s been quiet a few years since Nanda’s passing and Jameson still speaks very fondly of him, and didn’t want there to be any room for any misunderstanding. My good master. I love it.

B) I love that Nanda trusts his pet enough to have taught him how to pick locks, for his own good.

C) I feel like that was an incredibly intimate moment between the two of them. The understanding that he wants him to be safe, but he can’t guarantee it, but he’s going to equip him with the knowledge of how to be as safe as possible should the need occur. Again. And especially if this was after Mafia Week, which I’m pretty sure is what Jameson was referring to “locked up again,” right?The intimacy of acknowledging that this was something that he had survived, and whether either of them would (highly unlikely) acknowledge that it was definitely Nanda’s fault, it definitely was, and probably was wordlessly communicated at this time, if at all.

Jameson loved Nanda. It was a complicated, sometimes painful, and often troubling love based on his status as a possession and not entirely a person, but he genuinely felt it.

He struggles with wanting to recover but simultaneously not wanting to feel pressured to remember Nanda only as a bad thing when he remembers Nanda as responsible for the only moments of real happiness and love he felt before Allyn. It's very difficult for him, and Nat has been good in that way because she has the experience to support him working through that complexity in therapy and out of it, and is able to provide the reassurance that it is normal to feel love for family even if they hurt you, and you don't have to try and forget or deny that love you felt in order to heal from the abuse and the damage.

But he also has a troubling habit of idolizing Nanda after his death just because of how horribly Brute and Robert tried to destroy him. By comparison, Nanda was amazing.

Yeah, he taught Jameson post-Mafia Week not only how to pick a variety of locks but also some basic self-defense and survival skills. Nanda understood HIS willingness to leave Jameson vulnerable led to this, and he decided that he would do his best to ensure Jameson would be able to defend himself if Nanda fucked up again.

He also taught Jameson how to get out of restraints - the ziptie escape is because of that training - and Jameson would occasionally escape his cuffs during time in the Specialty Room just so Nanda would 'punish' him after, although both of them understood it was really a reward for practicing his skills.

#nanda asks #jameson asks

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kaijusplotch · 3 years ago

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Ok there is something that really annoys me about people and the bad batch

Rant ahead you have been warned

[[more]]

Hunter is the SARGEANT of the Bad Batch. He IS THE ONE IN COMMAND.

People don't seem to understand what military hierarchy means, even in Star Wars.

So let's take a look here at the "ranks" of clones and the batch.

Cody: MARSHAL COMMANDER of the GAR and Third Systems array. COMMANDER of the 212 Battalion. Answers only to Palpatine (realistically) and Generals.

Wolffe: Commander of the 104th. Answers to Palpatine, Generals, OR the Marshal Commander (Cody).

Rex: Captain (later promoted to Commander) of the 501st. Answers to Palpatine, Marshal Commander Cody, Generals, Commanders (including Ahsoka).

Greggor: Commando Captain. Answers to Palpatine, Marshal Commander Cody, Generals, Commanders.

Hunter: Sargeant. Highest rank of the bad batch. Answers to Palpatine, Generals, Marshal Commander Cody, Commanders, and Captains.

Echo: ARC trooper. Now there are a LOT of ranks between Echo and Hunter. But there is some independence with ARC troopers. They are, as their name suggests, Advanced Recon Commandos. Echo answers to everyone above him, but he has some leeway in "respect"? He leads small squads of regular troopers or works with other ARCs in specialized units and missions.

Finally we have the rest of the batch:

Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair: all Troopers. Unranked officially, they are specialized but they are, to put it bluntly; Cannon fodder in the scheme of things. They are the "enlisted men".

Now why is this important for people to understand?

It comes from the many MANY posts I see complaining that Hunter is self centered and refuses to "rescue" his brother, and puts the batch over "regs". Saying he doesn't care about the others or about Crosshair.

These people are disregarding the fact that Hunter is THE HIGHEST RANKING CLONE IN THE BAD BATCH.

YES. The bad batch is family. But that is SECOND to them being a Squad in many aspects.

Hunter has his entire squad AND OMEGA'S lives in his hands every single time he takes a mission from Cid.

Being in command of a squad means you have to either prioritize the mission or your men. Hunter is far more compassionate than people make him out to be. He does not like putting his men, his brothers, into situations that would risk their lives.

Yes, he has "left Crosshair behind". But let's take a look at EVERY SINGLE ENCOUNTER THEY HAVE HAD WITH CROSSHAIR SINCE HE WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE BRIG IN AFTERMATH!!!

Crosshair has had MULTIPLE fully trained clone troopers, often double digits or MORE, align with the three/four? (rip man who got shot you were a good one for an empire brown noser) highly trained Nat born soldiers with him Every. Single. Time.

Crosshair is deadly on his own, but he has been fighting the chip. Look at how many shots he has MISSED! Or even took WARNING shots like on Bracca on Tech!! He could have sniped him through his open helmet gap and his goggles! But Crosshair DIDN'T. SO to people saying Crosshair is EVIL, no. He is fighting. But he is not the focus of this rant.

Hunter KNOWS the limits of his squad. And he knows without their lookout/sniper/eyes in the sky Crosshair, they are fucked. Add in the non-combatant Omega, A CHILD, and Hunter has to protect those under his command.

He knows that his squad cannot take on Crosshair and any troopers he is allowed to have without loosing lives.

The lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few l.

Hunter knows where Crosshair is. He knows that as of right now; Crosshair is an asset to the empire and Hunter doesn't think Rampart will decommission him.

Now what about Hunter not listening to Echo?

Echo has barely any rank. His advice and comments are advisory at the very most. But listen, Hunter DOES take Echo's thoughts into consideration. Echo has had FAR more training than Tech or Wrecker, he has seen things the Batch hasn't.

Echo technically is out of line, but Hunter NEVER pulls his rank on Echo. He listens he stores those comments away to think them over.

And in today's episode? He realizes that yes! Echo is right. Hunter realized yes, this is similar to Sako Minor. He took a risk and listened to his ARC trooper.

And they almost made it. But let's look at the order in which the group got into the Marauder.

Wrecker plays main cover for Echo and Gregor to get in. Gregor is injured and Echo does not has as much fire power and foghorn capability as he has one arm.

Next up? Tech. He is less armored, and although highly capable, with the fighters coming back, they needed Tech to pilot and hold the Marauder steady.

Hunter is LAST. He puts his MEN his BROTHERS ahead of his own safety.

And when he fails to get in? When he falls off the side OF A FUCKING MOUNTAIN while the Havoc Marauder is in a dogfight with what are basically Proto-Tie fighters?

He ORDERS them to LEAVE HIM BEHIND.

Hunter knows the lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few. Even his own. Greggor is injured and needs help. The Havoc has taken damage and will not survive a long dogfight.

Hunter makes the call to put his men, AGAIN, above the mission. To his own detriment. To him being captured.

And I don't think he is expecting a rescue. Because he expects his brothers to put the lives of themselves and Omega over his life.

#star wars clone wars #the bad batch #RANT #military in Star Wars

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rebelsofshield · 3 years ago

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Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett “From the Desert Comes a Stranger” - Review

The Book of Boba Fett tosses aside its title character for the second week in a row for a well directed episode that is filled with ambitious and questionable story telling turns.

Din Djarin has committed to joining Boba Fett in his standoff against the rising threat of the Pyke Syndicate. But, before joining in on the Tatooine gang war, he must visit his young friend Grogu, who is in the midst of his Jedi training. Meanwhile, the Pyke’s have recruited some muscle of their own.

If there was any doubt that The Book of Boba Fett has lost interest in its titular character, “From the Desert Comes a Stranger” should put the debate to rest. Sure, Boba actually appears in this episode, but he quite literally has nothing to say. At least some of the various plot threads from the first four episodes carry through here, but even the ongoing threat of the Pyke’s ends up getting lost in a sea of stories carried over from other media. It’s a truly head-scratching development for this series that slouched along for four weeks only to be subsumed by a primer for the third season of The Mandalorian and other upcoming shows.

On a larger storytelling level, I really wonder how this is all going to play out. It was always clear that The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Rangers of the New Republic (if it even still exists) were all going to play in an overlapping sandbox that would culminate in some major crossover event that is almost certainly going to be a remake of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, but just how much these shows were going to connect wasn’t entirely clear. If “Return of the Mandalorian” and “From the Desert Comes a Stranger” are any indication, it’s all going to be one continuous show with narrative threads that aren’t contained to any particular series. For all the faults of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (of which there are many), at least that franchise is able to maintain some form of individual identity for its properties even as they interact with other narratives or tee up new plots or characters. This is even the case for their often middling Disney+ shows (WandaVision being the shining exception). Yelena Belova may appear in Hawkeye but she functions as a complication to Kate Bishop’s mentorship under Clint and a way to challenge his guilt and grief over losing Nat. We may get our first glimpse at Kang the Conqueror in Loki, but his appearance does at least gesture to the themes of fate and self determination that the series was playing with. The Book of Boba Fett isn’t nearly that elegant. The appearance of the many (and I do mean many) other Star Wars characters in this episode don’t click in a way that serves Boba Fett’s character arc or, in several cases, even the criminal intrigue unfolding on Tatooine.

It’s hard then to really process the sequences of Luke and Grogu that take up such a sizable chunk of “From the Desert Comes a Stranger.” While Luke has the chance to be more than a fanboy wet dream here, it still can’t help but feel off. Sure, I like getting to see Luke getting to be the Jedi teacher he wants to be so badly at this point in his life and him passing on lessons to Grogu has a sweet symmetry to his own tutelage under Yoda, but is this really the time to get his story? I understand Din wanting to check in on Grogu and his training, and learning to let his surrogate son step into the next stage of his life on his own is an important part of Din’s character arc, but the sheer extent that we spend with Luke and his first apprentice feels misplaced.

There’s also just something off about these scenes and I don’t mean in the “why does Luke Skywalker look like a character from a video game” uncanny valley that undercut his appearance in “The Rescue.” Luke certainly looks better here. There’s just a certain stiffness to Mark Hamill’s performance that falls flat. There seems to be this willingness to write Luke post-Return of the Jedi as this serene, enlightened being that’s above human emotion, when that has never really been the case for the character. Luke has always been a man that lives by his passion and brashness. This is apparent throughout the Original Trilogy and one of the reasons I adore his controversial direction in The Last Jedi. He makes an attempt to appear above his emotions when facing Vader, but it doesn’t work. He still gives into his anger but also his compassion. Serenity is not a trait I would ever attach to Luke Skywalker. Sure, he may try his damndest to get there, but it’s not a state of being that sits naturally for him. To see him speaking in his relative monotone to Grogu here feels off. It also feels similarly weird for Ahsoka as well? Oh yeah, she also makes her appearance in this episode if you had any doubt that this was a Dave Filoni production. Ahsoka is a character that tossed aside the ways of the Jedi in part because of their impersonal detachment. To have her and Luke lecturing our two leads from The Mandalorian on letting go may make sense for Din and Grogu’s respective character arcs, but are these really the characters to do that?

On a related note, as much as it may hit an emotional soft spot to see Ahsoka compare Luke to his father, I was a bit let down by their meeting in this episode. Ever since we knew that Ahsoka survived into and past the Age of the Empire, fans have waited for the moment that she and Luke would meet. And while there is a quiet, understated quality to their interaction here, I can’t help but wonder at the missed opportunity of having their first on screen scene together be their first meeting in continuity. The emotional wallop of Ahsoka discovering Anakin’s son and Luke discovering this living connection to his father as his purest self has so much potential for all-time great Star Wars material. Slipping in this moment here isn’t bad, but it’s a teaser for some of other, better story that happened at some point prior to this show’s start.

Also, this show is about Boba Fett and Tatooine crime lords? I just wrote several hundred words about Luke, Grogu, and Ahsoka and I’ve barely talked about the actual narrative for this series. The Pykes remain a mostly empty antagonist. Sure, they have an in universe connection to the various forces opposing Boba Fett’s claim on Mos Espa, but they are a (almost always literally) faceless villain that doesn’t have much of a personal edge.

It’s why the appearance of another Star Wars legacy character is so welcome here. Yes, Cad Bane swaggers his way out of the Dune Sea to rain judgement down about Boba and his allies. Not only is it an actual thrill to see live action Bane be rendered in such a downright creepy fashion, but it’s also a relief to have a character arrive to challenge Boba that carries with him an actual sense of personality and menace. And it genuinely hurts to see him gun down Timothy Olyphant’s swoon worthy Cobb Vanth. Cobb is another character whose inclusion in The Book of Boba Fett makes sense and honestly feels overdue. (There’s a world where there’s a whole very solid episode of this series where Boba and Cobb have to build an uneasy alliance between crimelord and law man and also deal with the fact that they both wore the same armor for years. But that belongs in a better show.) Olyphant is such a charmer in the role of this old west style marshal that having him saunter onto screen at the episode’s start was already a highlight. To have him face down a character like Bane, especially after such a haunting entrance, is the most tension I’ve felt in this series to date.

Bane’s whole arrival sequence is so expertly tense that it’s fairly easy to forget that this episode is directed by the same man that gave us the absolute turd that was The Mandalorian’s season one low point, “The Gunslinger.” Despite my issues with the scripting, “From the Desert Comes a Stranger” is easily the best live action direction we have seen from Dave Filoni. Actors feel more comfortable. Shots feel more dynamic. There are strange moments of Star Wars like wonder like seeing a swarm of ant like droids building a hut of stone. I’m still not sure that Filoni is as suited for live action as he is for animation where his big ideas and sentimentality feel much more natural, but he’s at least learning to operate on the level of the other accomplished directors in the rotating live action Star Wars machine.

Next week’s finale is going to have a lot of ground to cover. There are still a lot of moving plot threads that are going to be resolved some how, and presumably Boba Fett has....some sort of character arc that’s going to need to be rounded out? I’m not completely pessimistic on the idea that this series will be able to pull off its big finale, but there is serious work to be done and very little time left to be sidetracked. But for all I know Han Solo will show up and send our title character careening back into the Sarlacc pit where Jon Favreau and crew seem to think he should have never left.

Score: B-

#Star Wars #The Book of Boba Fett #Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett #The Book of Boba Fett spoilers #review #reviews #Dave Filoni

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ironstrange-is-the-endgame · 2 years ago

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Hey, what do you want to say to people who say that hating Pepper is just internalized mysoginy? Personally I wouldn't have hated Pepper as much if she had a character arc or story outside of Tony and SI. Jane is a scientist and Christine is a Doctor they have their own personalities and lives.

I hope you have a wonderful - wonderful day!

I’ve been accused of being a misogynist after a comment I posted about her in the Killmonger rescues Tony What if episode at which I answered saying that first of all, I’m a woman, so nope, and second people are allowed to dislike characters just for how they are portrayed and not for some secret reason.

I agree with what you say: I’ve no problems with Jane, I love Christine with a burning passion, and don’t even let me start on Nat, but they are complex characters, even Peggy who’s written between the lines in the movies has her own storyline, Pepp*r’s is non existent and/or weak. She’s not a well constructed character, she’s more someone who serves a purpose for Tony’s narrative arc.

And thank you! Hope your day is going fine ❤️

#anti pepper potts #not pepper potts friendly #anonymous #asks

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shades-of-stony · 3 years ago

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Post CA:CW Fix It Stony Fanfics

Making Amends by TheseStoriesAreWrittenOnMyHeart

Summary: Everything about them happened in seconds. Their first meeting was quick, with Tony landing next to the Captain, each man giving a curt nod and name in greeting. Their argument on the hellicarrier took mere seconds to escalate. Until Steve was goading Tony into putting on the suit and going a few rounds and Tony not so subtly reminding Steve that he wasn’t afraid to hit an old man. It was only seconds of staring at Tony on that New York City Street, his arc reactor dark, no rise and fall of his chest, for Steve to know that inside the tin can, was a good man. Then Ultron happened, and it took seconds for their world to change, seconds for Steve to throw his shield at Tony and for the billionaire to send a repulsor blast back. They went from laughing and relaxing to standing on an edge thousands of feet above solid ground. And now…now everything’s changed. And all it took was a combination of seconds; of decisions made, actions performed and words spoken that they couldn’t get back. Just a few ticks of the clock for their world to shatter.

It’ll take more than that to make things right.

Note: This one deals with amending the accords. It is about how the avengers pick up after the civil war and how they learn to be friends again. It is an incredibly detailed and well written piece! Also, NO TEAM CAP OR TEAM IRON MAN BASHING. I was only supposed to re-read a few chapters to recall the story and give a few-word review but I ended up re-reading the whole goddamn thing. It’s a masterpiece.

maybe love is the reason why (we're seeing it eye to eye) by parkrstark

Summary: "I'm sorry. Repeat that again." Tony leaned forward in his seat from across the table. He even stuck a finger in his ear as if he was cleaning it out. "I don't think I heard you right."

Fury rolled his eyes-- or well, eye. "You and Rogers need to go undercover as a married couple in a community out on Long Island."

After Civil War, Tony and Steve are sent on an undercover mission as a couple to try and find Hydra informants. Somehow, they end up with Peter as their undercover son who decides to play matchmaker even if the two of them are doing their best to ignore their feelings after Siberia.

Note: My latest Fix It read! It just completed today. This fic is a phenomenal read, with its fake relationship, superfamily, undercover, and sexual tension elements! A definite 1000/10!

and this is the map of my heart by CydSA

Summary: The Avengers are splintered - spread out across the world.

There are many things to regret. The biggest one is what could have been.

Tony refuses to have any more regrets. Steve realizes that perhaps he made the wrong choice.

It starts from here....

Note: Here is some sweet, sweet, Civil War Fix It. It dwells deep into the Accords, how Tony fixes it, and the downfall of Ross.

floating point exception by ooka

There is something, he knows, to see a man as mortal. To see his fault lines and jagged edges instead of the smooth surface they present. Most people don’t like the illusion, whether it be good or not. They don’t want people like him to be human.

But that’s what he is, under the suit and the smile and the sunglasses. Under the bravo and the quick grins. He’s just a man, trying to hide his broken pieces, the dents in his heart, the washed out color of his soul. He’s just a man, trying to solve problems and make the world better. That’s why he’s Ironman, just a man in a suit. Nothing extra.

The place where the arc reactor used to rest in his chest aches so fiercely for a moment that Tony can’t breathe.

He takes in a few breaths and does what Tony does best - pushes it down and goes to work.

(Tony, after the Civil War. Post CA:CW)

Note: A 150k+ fanfic that is centered on Tony, his issues, and his struggles. PREPARE TO CRY.

Not Enough Scotch for this Matchmaking Scheme by desolateice:

Summary: After Civil War and a lot of healing the Avengers are fed up with the stubborn silence between Steve and Tony and try to take things in their own hands.

Note: A Fix It where the ‘kids’ play matchmaker to bring their fighting ‘parents’ back together!

Never Eye To Eye by vorkosigan for mrsgingles

Summary: After the Civli War, the Avengers were back together.

How is everything going, Tony? Pepper had asked in her email. It's fine (Tony had written back). I'm fighting with Steve all the time. Everything is going to hell. I'm okay (you know I'm always okay).

(Or: How Tony and Steve learned to be a bit gentler with each other)

Note: A 26k+ fic where Steve and Tony learned how to be friends again, and more. It deals with the struggles and frustrations they had just to salvage their friendship.

Fly One More Time (Alternately Titled--The Phoenix) by RavenLost2187

Summary: Steve couldn't see them before.

But then he woke up and there they were.

There's a small problem though.

One of his teammates doesn't have wings like he should.

And that's Tony Stark

Note: Some winged fics anyone? This has a bit of a Team as Family element and not to mention that glorious Civil War fix it theme!

What it’s worth by masterlokisev159

Summary: Tony's scent is off. Wanda realizes why.

Note: Here is a Hurt and Comfort fic for you with a dash ABO elements in it!

Sunrise Over the End of the World by Sapphic_Futurist

Summary: When Dr. Strange arrives at an Accords Committee Meeting and warns of the coming of an alien megalomaniac set on destroying the world, the Rogues are pardoned and Tony finds himself exactly where he never wanted to be. Back at the Compound with Steve, who still can't take a hint and won't leave him alone.

In which Tony is broken and Steve finds redemption.

Note: A Bad case of Tony acting like nothing happened and doing his goddamn best to avoid Steve. It’ll work all out in the end. Well, it will get worst first before that though..

We stand together (or not at all) by Jana_C

Summary: It’s so easy to hate this man, so painfully easy. He’s the embodiment of rich, white male privilege. He’s irritatingly arrogant, and he doesn’t always think before acting, and even when he does, he manages to twist his logic around and shape it into something that will always benefit him, and yet, here he is, building the guy who killed his parents an arm, without having been asked; working his way through diplomacy and politics, even though he hates it with every fiber of his being, just so he can correct the mistakes all of them made. She watches him go and sighs, small and tired, before texting a single line to Steve. Get ready to come home.

Note: Anyone up for some Tony Whump and Appreciation fanfic?

You Don’t Only Get One Shot by janonny

Summary: In which Tony voluntarily carries a tracker around, and learns how to talk to Steve all over again in-between and during kidnapping attempts.

“Leave you alone for two months, and you have an operation all set up to track wayward Hydra cells and rescue innocent billionaires,” Tony said, his tone skating the line of annoyance and admiration.

Note: a dose of Stalkerish!Steve (but not in an entirely creepy way because he just wants to keep Tony safe dammit).

You've Got A Sister Now by ZaraMelMercury

Summary: It's been a year since the events of the Avengers' Civil War. Tony Stark is trying to pick up the pieces of his life, while juggling his work, his remaining friendships, getting therapy sessions for Rhodey and dealing with government politics, as well as the Accords.

It is a bit rough, but he's got Pepper (always a steady rock by his side), Rhodey, Happy and the Kid- Peter Parker. Tony would never admit to it up front and center, but you could always catch a proud look on the man's face whenever the young Spiderling was mentioned!

Life seemed to be looking up...

Except for one, minor detail:

Steve Rogers.

The hope for one reconciliation, surprisingly, led to another!

A new bond that would form that Tony would ultimately always be thankful for.

"Oh, I wanna take it back!... " "No, no, no, you can't retract it!"

Who would've thought it?

Tony Stark has a sister looking out for him, after all.

Note: Here are some Tony and Nat friendship for you! This one isn’t exactly a solid fix it but one with a more of hopeful ending.

The Bro Code by Sullen

Summary: In a world where the Winter Soldier is found years earlier and is named Tony’s godfather, Zemo plays a different R-rated video and Siberia goes a little differently.Or –Steve breaks the bro code.

Note: This is just too cute and wholesome not to include.

WIP

Used to be Mine by Fangirlingmanaged

Tony can't even recognize himself nowadays.

Note: This one certainly deserves a place at the heavy angst category because that’s what it is. HEAVY ANGST AND HEARTBREAK.

#stony #stony fics #stony fanfic #steve and tony #stevetony #stevetony fanfic #stevetony fic rec #SUPERHUSBANDS #steve and tony fics #stony fic rec

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itchose · 5 months ago

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@lingeringscars [ from ] ━ ❝ how about i just sit here with you until you're ready. is that okay? ❞

#lingeringscars #lingeringscars: layla.#thread: nat.#arc: nat / post rescue.#okay you win

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alirhi · 3 years ago

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okay. let's do this shit.

Guess what, bitches? Mama bear's back and angry all over again. Remember when I said I might dive into a ragepost about how Bucky's treated after completing the one about Loki? This is it. This is the post. Welcome to fucking Thunderdome.

I will actually try to keep it civil. No promises, but I'll try. and I will not be accepting "constructive criticism" about my rage. Just so we're clear.

Got it? Good. Let's dive in.

In case you don't want to read the whole thing (I know I get wordy) here's what this whole post will boil down to: BUCKY NEVER HAD A FUCKING CHOICE. NEVER. NOT ONCE IN HIS ENTIRE ADULT LIFE.

Now, quick reminder: I don't read comics. I know nothing about Bucky's comic canon, except what Sebastian liked to bring up as often as possible during TWS/CW promotions: at some point, Bucky boned Nat. XD Since Bucky only exists as a Marvel property, I won't be bitching about other source material being disrespected like I did with Loki. This is all MCU, my dudes. And honestly? That's enough, because though we don't see nearly enough of Bucky for my liking, we do manage to get a rich, deep backstory to him in the material we're given, partly thanks to better writing in the early days of the MCU, and partly thanks to Sebastian Stan's phenomenal acting. Unlike the writers of the Loki series, Seb knows how to show, not tell. And gods, what stories those eyes show...

Let's start with the army. In an old post illustrating what an absolute BAMF Bucky Barnes truly is, I mistakenly said he enlisted, and a kind soul educated me on the incredible attention to detail Marvel used to pay - in this case, Bucky's ID number. 32557038. As this kind, eagle-eyed soul pointed out to me, the first two digits of that number - 32 - signify that Bucky was drafted, specifically from the NY, NJ, DE area (that last part is rather obvious, as Bucky and Steve are from Brooklyn lol). Bucky didn't choose to go to war. He was drafted. He was forced to fight, or go to prison.

Bucky was born in 1917, which means - again, as someone pointed out to me a while back - he came of age during the Great Depression. As a child, he would likely have seen his parents living comfortably and able to shower each other and him and his sister with gifts and fun memories, and then POOF. Stock market crashes when he's only 12-years-old, and life becomes brutal and painful. He manages to have some fun with his best friend Steve, and spends his teens/early 20s chasing girls and keeping his stupid, stubborn, tiny friend from getting beaten to death.

Steve constantly has something to prove. He's absolutely got what my mom always called "little man's disease", and Bucky's just doing his best not to roll his eyes too much at this asthmatic chihuahua constantly trying to beat up Tibetan mastiffs. While Steve keeps lying on his enlistment forms (an actual crime) trying again and again to get into the army and prove what a badass he is (definitely not), Bucky's had enough trauma and upheaval in his life and he just wants his stupid friend to calm tf down and live. Enjoy the fact that he doesn't have to go to war and get his limbs blown off.

And then he gets fucking drafted. This sweet, resigned realist who knows exactly how dangerous the war really is, is forced to put on a uniform and go fight strangers alongside other strangers thousands of miles from everything he knows. And on his last night of freedom, when he just wants to hang out with his friend, see some cool gadgets, and dance with a pretty girl, his stupid angry chihuahua friend feels the need to lie and try to enlist again.

Okay. Gotta get back on track. Ragepost about mistreatment of Bucky, not how much Steve annoys me. Sorry. Anyway...

Bucky's drafted, accepts his shitty lot with a brave smile, and is shipped off to Europe, where he is captured by HYDRA and presumed by the Allies to be KIA. Instead, he's strapped down, tortured, and given the HYDRA version of the super serum against his will. Steve rescues him, and Bucky knows he can't leave his idiot friend to his own devices to get his head blown off, so he dives right back into the fray. And then he falls off a cliff, loses most of his left arm, and is declared dead...again. This one's pretty damn valid, though lol. Without the serum no one knew he'd been shot up with, there is no way he would have survived that fall.

Here is where Bucky's story gets truly heartbreaking: His autonomy, his ability to consent is stripped from him through electroshock torture/brainwashing. The trigger words are conditioned into him during this process, and boom. Ten words in Russian, and Bucky Barnes is gone. Even the confused, hurting shadow of him is gone, leaving only a perfectly obedient killing machine, with Bucky's pretty face. He's strong as all hell, though, so they can't keep him fully under their control for long, not without more torture, when the disorientation of being fucking frozen wears off on longer missions.

I cannot stress this point enough, guys: Bucky. Had. No. Choice. Not like the draft, where his choices (go and get shot at, refuse and go to jail, or dodge and run to Canada) just suck. No, he literally didn't have a choice. He had his ability to choose stripped from him. If that's too complex a concept to really sink in, try this: His brain was fucking raped. Repeatedly. For decades. Nothing the Winter Soldier ever did was Bucky's fault. Nothing. Ever. Not remotely, no matter how you fucking slice it. Bucky is not an assassin. I almost said "not a killer", but he was a soldier, and a sharpshooter. He definitely killed when he was himself, but that was in a war, not a series of assassinations.

So far, imo, so good. This is just a rundown of Bucky's pre-show backstory. I don't love what he had to suffer, but I do love how it was treated in the movies. People were afraid of him, but when they knew the whole situation, Steve, Nat, and Sam rallied behind him. Natasha had plenty of reason to want the Winter Soldier dead; he'd tried to kill her multiple times and almost succeeded. Sam had no reason to help Bucky at all; he didn't know him, didn't trust him, and again, TWS had tried to kill him. But he stood by Steve, and when Bucky showed the clear difference between himself and TWS, Sam stood by him, too, and fought alongside him.

And it's very realistic, imo, that Tony didn't give a single fuck that Bucky had no choice. He watched this man murder both of his parents on tape. If TWS had killed my dad and I saw proof of it, I'd try to kill Bucky, too. Grief wins out over logic. Most emotions usually do. And that's a very important point we're going to come back to in a few minutes.

Bucky was really only in like ten minutes at most of IW and Endgame, and for multiple reasons I hate those movies, so I'm just gonna skip them, kay? Kay. On to the main event!

Here's where I get pissed off. Even if I didn't have an unhealthy attachment to this character, or the depth of appreciation for his tragic backstory that I do, the lack of continuity between the movies and the show alone would still piss me off. It always does. Don't even get me started on Joss "Continuity? What continuity?" Whedon and his (iconic, but flawed) shows. Ahem. Back on track...

Let me just get one little thing out of the way real quick: I fucking LOVE The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I love it. This show amazed me when I first watched it, and I still love it after many more viewings lol. I have only ever watched it all the way through without skipping over as much John Walker shit as possible the one time lol but I love how Sam and Bucky interact, and I fucking adore how Sam's arc was treated. I just wish they'd show the same care and attention to Bucky.

Because what they did to Bucky in this show is a fucking travesty. There was a tiny ray of hope in the pilot, when he called out Dr. Bitchface for being a terrible shrink. I thought that would be the start of him realizing he needed to find someone else and ignore the damaging shit that woman was telling him. But...nope. No such luck.

The show really had a strong start, I'll give it that. We see Bucky having nightmares of his time as TWS and struggling to hide how his traumatic memories are affecting him as he tries to live in the world again. He befriends the father of one of HYDRA's victims, which can't be good for Bucky (and we're shown it's definitely not when he sees the shrine in Yori's home to his late son) but it's sweet, how he's trying to connect and reach out to someone who's hurting and lonely.

They drop the ball a little with the whole... Bucky can hack a fucking car, but can't figure out Tinder thing. Had they just run with the fandom interpretation of the tiger photos line, that it shows that Bucky is bi and left it at that, I'd have been okay with it (and no, that is not because I ship Sam/Bucky. it's because Bucky is and always has been a certified nerd who loves technology and has consistently shown very little issue learning to use new gadgets). The outdated flip phone he handed his terrible court-mandated shrink was a burner; I liked that theory when I read it, especially since it's the only time we see him even holding a phone that old lol. This all could have fit the "Bucky is a sassy bisexual nerd" narrative and it'd be okay. Instead, the director was like "NOOOOOO that line was just to show how old he is and how he can't figure out all this newfangled technology!" Woman, you had him remotely driving someone else's vehicle with a tablet. That is NOT a man who can't figure out a damn smart phone!

But that's just a minor annoyance. What fills me with absolute rage is how everyone - not just the shitty therapist who lashes out at and purposely triggers her traumatized patients, but EVERYONE - Sam, Zemo, people who should fucking know better ALL treat him like he's a psychopath and a ticking time bomb. Like he chose to take the serum and he chose to kill for HYDRA, and he's just seen the error of his ways. *barf*

Bucky in the movies is established to be a victim, through and through. His guilt over what he was forced to do is natural, and that he sees himself as a monster makes sense... but that doesn't mean it's correct. The one and only thing I ever liked about Steve Rogers is at least he got it. He pointed out that none of it was Bucky's fault, he tried to show him that he was worth saving. That's the other reason I refuse to talk about Endgame. This post will get a WHOLE LOT LONGER and a lot fucking angrier if I open that door.

Zemo supposedly knows everything about HYDRA and super soldiers... So why does he treat Bucky like he's a corrupt serial killer? (this, for the record, is why I don't like Zemo) Why does he never point out that Bucky was given the serum against his will, or that his actions, when he had control of them, proved that he was never corrupted? Bucky never wanted to become superhuman. Bucky didn't even want to fucking fight!

Sam, despite constantly resisting the label, is shown very clearly to be Bucky's friend. By episode 3, he cares. He worries about how Bucky is getting lumped in with the other super soldiers in Zemo's speech... But he never really defends him. He says "what about Bucky?" but he doesn't point out that Bucky's a good man, he's fought so hard to help people, he does everything he can to avoid killing... And that fucking speech in episode 5. I was with him on "you gotta stop looking to other people to tell you who you are." I was like "YEAH! Tell him, Sam! Bucky, you're WORTH SAVING, boo! Your value does not hinge on someone else's opinion of you!" And then... Sam dropped the ball.

He not only continued the disturbing pattern of victim-blaming in this show, and in Marvel/Disney properties in general, but he gave really dangerously bad advice! No one in their right mind, mental health professional or no, would EVER tell a traumatized former assassin (whether he was responsible for his actions or not) to go confront his victims' families out of the blue with no warning and no one to mediate and keep things from going to shit. Yori already knew his son had been murdered because he was in the "wrong place, wrong time." How is it being "of service" to tell him you're the one who killed him?! Remember how I said Tony's reaction to learning the full truth about his parents' deaths was valid and would be an important point later? Hi! Welcome to later. THAT is the natural reaction to facing the man who murdered your loved one(s). And even if Yori didn't get angry and lash out, HOW IS IT "HELPING" HIM OR BRINGING HIM "CLOSURE" TO KNOW THAT HIS FRIEND KILLED HIS FUCKING SON?!?!?! This man befriended him, bonded with him, watched him grieve... And now he's learning this is the man who caused all his pain and heartache to begin with? That is so toxic and psycho I just... I can't even... UGH.

And then there's the equally toxic and damaging "deeply traumatized person just needed a stern talking to and a hug to be ALL BETTER AGAIN" ending. I loved seeing Bucky happy and socializing, but it was too soon, and it was unearned. And it sends a fucking awful message to people actually struggling with PTSD, and to their loved ones who don't know how to help them. Heaping more blame on them and then hugging it out is NOT helpful!

This show could have been damn near perfect with just two changes. That's all. Just two. 1) Someone, anyone, bringing up the reasons why Bucky was never a villain in his presence. Someone being in his corner and reminding him, like Steve did, that it wasn't his fault and he's not going to "snap". 2) More time devoted to Bucky's healing. Actual fucking healing, not the shit they tried to pass off as a magic fix-all. He can have his happy barbecue moment, just don't frame it as "everything's great now!" Healing isn't linear, and there will be both good days and bad. Some of the most fragile people in the world have the brightest smiles.

If we get a season 2, which this amazing show absolutely deserves, and they address this stuff, all will be forgiven in my book. Expanding on his story and his journey toward healing will help to reframe that "happily ever after" garbage as something more realistic. But as it stands now... Fuck Marvel.

#fan rant #ragepost #long post #bucky barnes #mcu #captain america #the first avenger #the winter soldier #civil war #tfatws #mcu spoilers #stop victim blaming #victim not villain #never a fucking villain #bucky deserved better #fuck marvel #fuck disney

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16woodsequ · 4 years ago

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Ramble about your favorite headcanons please!!

Okay, well you asked for it.

(Some of these headcanons I haven’t been able to write into fics, so if anyone sees anything they really want, let me know, and I might have a flash of inspiration.)

TW: discussion of panic attacks and PTSD and child abuse

First off, major headcanon that I have yet to be able to put in a fic:

I fully believe that – during CA:WS, after Steve learned who the Winter Soldier was, and after he and Nat got rescued by Hill – Steve excused himself quietly at some point and went and had a panic attack in the bathroom or something because he seriously hasn’t had any time to process what has happened the last two days. He’s had hardly any sleep, been attacked by SHIELD, lost Fury, found out he is still alive, almost died in the street and found out Bucky is still alive but doesn’t know him.

So yeah, I think in between the planning session and the scene with Sam on the bridge, Steve stepped out and quietly fell apart for a moment, before pulling himself together again.

Another fic I am dying to write, but haven’t been able to yet:

What if Steve and Howard weren’t as close of friends as everyone thinks they were? We always have fics were Steve remembers Howard fondly, and Tony hates it, but what if that isn’t the case? We know Howard cared a lot about the serum, so what if he saw post-serum Steve as better than pre-serum Steve, and that really grated on Steve and Bucky?

(Also what if it really bugged Bucky, but Steve asked him to just let it go - and then, when the Winter Soldier is sent after Howard, he has a flash of that memory for just a second? What if he had a flash of hesitation before his conditioning came back in?)

Anyway, if this were the case, I think Steve would have tolerated Howard, but he probably wouldn’t call them friends. And then he would wake up in a world where Howard had complete control of the narrative and everyone believes they were best friends... It would be alienating, especially if Tony came into it expecting Steve to wax poetical about his dad.

Steve’s dad was abusive and ableist:

Yeah, I know in the mcu they say his dad died of mustard gas, but that is a really easy fix. It’s a lie. Steve was already lying about his enlistment anyways, and if his dad came home a gas casualty, then he almost isn’t even lying. Anyway, I’m pretty sure there is a comic where his dad is abusive, and I just think that there are so many interesting dynamics that could happen between him and Tony because of it. Also, if he dad harped on him for his illnesses, that would feed into his need to be a strong, infallible leader later on.

Don’t know why it isn’t discussed more in the fandom, but if I have to make “Joseph Rogers’ A+ Parenting” a tag myself, then I will.

Headcanon for Tony in The Alternate Timeline:

Okay, so in this story, there is a scene where Bucky talks to Tony about wanting his arm off, and Tony suggests making him another - non-Hydra one. Anyway, we don’t know, since we don’t have Tony’s pov, but I imagine he relates a lot to Bucky then. Tony’s arc reactor was his own design, but he was still forced to make it under terrible circumstance, and, when he got back from Afghanistan, he made a whole new one. I can see him wanted to have something not made in pain to replace his old reactor.

Headcanon that I am writing right now:

So, we all know that Tony doesn’t like water because of what happened in Afghanistan. But Steve doesn’t like water either... and what if Tony is actually, you know, getting therapy and stuff, so he is dealing with his issues... and Steve hasn’t been doing that, so that when they both have to deal with water... it is Tony that is able to keep a level head.

I just really like the idea of Tony suddenly realising that he and Steve have the same issue, and that Steve is Not Handling it.

SHIELD’s A+ Parenting:

This is the best way that I can put it, but like, SHIELD really dropped the ball when it came to rehabilitating Steve into the 21st century. And I think it was on purpose. I think Hydra very much wanted the transition for Steve to be rough, and their influence is part of why everything is done so terribly. (I will make this a tag also, I swear.)

I almost forgot this major headcanon I haven’t been able to put anywhere yet:

I headcanon that Steve fought on the beaches at D-Day. I’m still doing research and stuff to learn more about what that would have been like, and why he would have been sent out there, (since it would have been a major risk), but I think that would have been a very tough battle, and waking up in the 21st century, people would probably say how awesome and heroic is was, when it would have been very traumatising.

Anyways, I think he would have been fighting on Utah beach (since he’s more likely to survive that one) and he would have been sent after several waves (also more like to survive.)

There’s a few for now! Let me know if any strike you, or if you have more to say about them, or if you want me to ramble about any individually. :)

Headcanon masterpost

#asks #headcanon #marvel #steve rogers #captain america #panic attack #ptsd #child abuse

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cruciatusforeplay · 4 years ago

Note

Do you know of a comprehensive list of Hawkeye appearances in the comics, with summaries?

So when I first saw this ask I thought "a comprehensive list of Hawkeye? With summaries? That is absolutely madness, who would have done that?"

I had a quick glance at Marvel Unlimited and found there was over 500 issues listed under Hawkeye (and that's not considering his time spent under other names, or alternative universes, or Kate Bishop doing her thing) and confirmed to myself that a comprehensive list would indeed be completely unmanageable. So obviously I decided to give it a go.

I absolutely cannot give you an entire rundown, because ya boy's been busy, but I can try to give you a little bit of an overview. (Head's up, I said "little" but that was a lie. This is a BIG post and I'm hoping it might give you some key points for Clint's comic career and his background which will hopefully be useful for figuring out which comics to read or anyone writing canon-based fanfic)

A not-so-brief history of Hawkeye in Comics (spoilers below the cut)

First appearance: Tales of Suspense #57 (1964)

We run into Clint working at Carson's Carnival, where he is being underappreciated by the audience and very unhappy about it. He's a proactive lad, so he makes himself a new costume and arrows to be utterly unforgettable. He accidentally gets himself implicated in a crime and meets the Black Widow. They become allies and he uses trick arrows and nearly manages to take out Iron Man, but must abandon his plans to save Black Widow from a blast of his own arrow. He kicks off as an enemy to Stark basically. There is also a bunch of Iron Man shenanigans happening here and it's a fun read.

He sticks around as a villain for two more issues in Tales of Suspense #60 and #64 (1964 and 1965).

First appearance as an Avenger: Avengers #16 (1965)

Clint shows up about halfway through and has determined that he'd like to be an Avenger instead now, thanks. He tells them a little about his doomed love with Nat and how she paid the price and they decide they're on board. He is introduced to the press. There's a bunch of other Avenger member swapping around in this issue (and if you want the most of it, you should start with issue 15 because it's a direct follow up story wise)

He's a key member of the Avengers from hereon in and features in most issues. He spends his time shooting arrows and having problems with authority (particularly Cap)

Key background: Avengers #19 (1965)

This issue gives us a bunch of background on Clint. The Swordsman shows up wanting to be an Avenger (because he wants an Avengers ID - yes really). Clint objects and we find out Clint's an orphan and that the Swordsman took him in and trained him at Carson's Carnival. Clint then caught him stealing from the circus and they fight where he leaves Clint for dead. It's a big old betrayal. The Swordsman then spends the rest of comic kidnapping and trying to kill Cap, so all round that's a no on the Avengers ID.

Hawkeye quits the Avengers: Avengers #109 (1973)

Hawkeye doesn't like that Scarlet Witch and Vision are in a relationship, and essentially he plays the jealous jilted lover who throws a tantrum (door slamming included). He quits the Avengers, immediately realises he didn't actually love Wanda after all. He spends his fresh downtime teaching The Champion archery, who then promptly betrays him. The Avengers come to the rescue.

His involvement in the Avengers is spotty over the next decade.

Hawkeye gets Hitched: Hawkeye #1-4 (1983)

This is Clint's first solo run. It's important for two reasons. He meets Mockingbird who he marries by the end of the run, in what can be described as an enemies to lovers speed-run. This is also the series where Clint is originally deafened; he has to make a sacrifice play with one of his own sonic arrows which is how he ends up deafened. There are some other classic Clint moments: he starts the run by getting dumped, he rides on the skycycle/sky-sled and he ends up with his outfit getting mostly ripped off more than once. We also get some background about him and his brother Barney running from the orphanage to join circus, how Barney got him to hospital after the incident with the Swordsman, and we find out that Clint didn't speak to his brother for years and that he's dead now. Honestly this run is great fun and I have a big soft spot for it.

The West Coast Avengers: West Coast Avengers #1-4 (1984)

Clint helps found and then leads the West Coast Avengers with his wife Mockingbird. This is another mini series, but it led to a much longer run starting the following year that ended in 1994. Real talk: I've only skimmed this iteration of WCA but what I've seen is campy fun, the skycycle is back, Clint really settles into being a leader and the sun is always shining. Special shout out to Tigra who is a bad-ass in this mini series. During the longer run, Clint and Bobbi's marriage is put through the ringer amongst other things, and they eventually separate. Truthfully there is a lot of other stuff going on regarding their relationship in that run and onwards. If their marriage is something you want to know more about I recommend checking out the full summary listed at the back of Hawkeye and Mockingbird #1 (2010) - it starts on page 22 of that issue - be aware it contains major spoilers for later stories.

Key background: Solo Avengers #1-5 (1987)

We get to meet Clint's other circus mentor here: Trickshot aka Buck Chisholm. You'll be shocked to hear that Clint gets betrayed. We kick things off with some circus shenanigans where his charity performance/showing off opportunity is interrupted by mercs sent to kill him, by Trickshot wanting to settle a debt. The second issue presents us with a lengthy flashback where we find out Hawkeye's dirty secret: it wasn't actually the Swordsman who taught him archery, but instead an actual archer called Trickshot. We see Clint get trained up only to be immediately pushed into a life of crime where he ends up shooting his own brother. Buck then shoots Clint when Clint wants to take his brother Barney to hospital. Trickshot is shown to have an unsavoury taste for killing for pleasure and promises to kill Clint when he's got something to lose. In addition we also get some flashbacks to Clint's abusive home situation and his time in care before joining the circus. The next two issues cover a side story that honestly doesn't lead anywhere or get resolved by the end of the run. Issue #5 (which is the first of this run available on Marvel Unlimited if that's how you're reading) then brings you into the real action. For reasons that aren't entirely clear, Clint spends this entire issue in only his undershorts. There's some fun archer Vs archer antics, before an emotional reveal where Trickshot begs Hawkeye to end his life because he has cancer and doesn't want a slow death. Trick has a cry, Clint refuses to kill him and instead they have a comforting cuddle on a beach under a sunset. It's an unusual run, but Trickshot will show up again later in Clint's arc, and it's got a lot of fun quips and action sequences.

Quick note on the 90s

In my opinion, the 90s weren't real good to Clint. He had a couple of solo runs, but imo nothing with major substance, or character development so I'm skipping them. If you want to know what you're missing check out Hawkeye #1-4 (1994) aka Clint broods in Canada and there are wolves, and Hawkeye: World's Mightiest Marksman #1 (1998) aka Clint is stubborn and goes head to head with Taskmaster.

Key background: Hawkeye #1-6 (2003)

This series, which has Clint travelling on a motorcycle in order to find the best chilli and sporting some 90s boyband hair, also gives us some really great insight into his and Barney's relationship. We get snapshots in amongst the rest of the story of Barney being the moral compass for Clint. We see Barney getting his GED while Clint works on archery, and later we see Buck encouraging Clint into crime and Barney telling him it's wrong. We get another retelling of the Swordsman story, this time with both Buck and Barney coming to rescue Clint. While Clint's broken leg is healing, Barney tells him he's joining the army and Clint should come with. Clint says no, then changes his mind, but ends up missing the bus. We again see Clint on a job with Buck where he shoots a guard only to realise it's Barney, and is subsequently shot by Trickshot for wanting to help Barney. They both make it to hospital. Clint asks what happened and Barney tells him "guess you are what you are." Years later we see Clint at Barney's grave and are informed that he was involved with the mob. Clint is upset, only to then be informed Barney was actually working undercover for the FBI. These snapshots are my favourite part of the entire series. The rest of the series focuses on Clint doing some detective style work and shooting arrows. If this is the first run you've checked out since the WCA or Solo Avengers runs, you'll note this is very different in both art and story style. There was a definite shift in the 90s that brought us closer to the style we have today.

Clint doesn't have any solo runs for a while, but he is involved in a bunch of bigger stories which we'll take look at in part two of this post.

The MCU push and key background

In the lead up to the movie premiere of Avengers Assemble (2012), Marvel produced a lot of content for the Big Six as promo to their preexisting market. Hawkeye and Mockingbird #1-6 (2010), Widow maker #1-4 (2010) and Hawkeye Blindspot #1-4 (2011) follow on directly from one another, though you could read any of them independently and the first two are less about Clint. Avengers Solo #1-5 (2011) also featured during this time. All but Blindspot are simple action comics without any lasting impact for Hawkeye. Blindspot has a pretty comprehensive rundown on Clint's history including his abusive dad, the circus, the Swordsman, Trickshot, his relationship with Cap and the Avengers, him becoming Goliath and some very important information regarding his brother and their relationship, all woven into a well paced plot. Additionally, he's going blind. There is a lot of story in these four issues. It also provides the foundation on which Fraction set his run, so it's a good story for anyone who had any unanswered questions regarding the start point for Hawkeye (2012).

The Fraction/Aja Run: Hawkeye #1-21 (2012)

This is the big one. Either you're here because you've read it and now you love this idiot, or you want to start reading Hawkeye. This is where you start. I'm not gonna summarise this one because everyone deserves to read it without spoilers. But I'll say this: this is Clint when he's not being an Avenger. He's messy and relatable and he loves dogs. This is a character defining run and it is one of my all time favourite comics. There is so much good stuff in here and I could talk for hours about it. Go forth and feast your eyes.

If I've missed anything major, or listed something incorrectly or you just have some Clint related opinions that I need to know about, do hit me up.

I've run out of images, so this post will continue in part 2 which you can read here.

#clint barton #deaf clint barton #hawkeye comics #marvel comics #let's talk about comics #comics #hawkeye #hawkguy #hawkguy and other costumes

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ageofgeek · 3 years ago

Text

Ok, rewatched Endgame for the first time since seeing it in theaters (also in preparation for Loki), and... 😬

Look. Endgame is an okay film up until the last 15 minutes, and it has some really great scenes.

Now, does the time travel make sense? No. Are the fat!Thor jokes ok? No. Is Smart Hulk kinda weird? Yes. Is the """"gay representation"""" and """"girl power"""" scene forced and uncomfortable and unearned? Yes.

BUT. I really, really like the Time Heist - that entire 2nd act was done so well. I really like the closure we got with Thor & Frigga, Nebula & Gamora, Tony & Howard, etc. I really like the 1st act too - rescuing Tony, the confrontation between Tony & Steve, the 5 year gap, Scott Lang!!!, the Avengers bonding over time travel, etc.

And the final fight scene??? 😙👌 Chef's kiss, amazing. Tony, Steve, and Thor fighting Thanos 3 on 1??? Iconic. King shit. The Big Three finally got a fight scene together and it's awesome!!! The PORTAL SCENE??? brings tears to my eyes every time. Wanda and Carol going 1 on 1 with Thanos (even though it's fucking ridiculous that they didn't kill Thanos right there, just bc of plot armor), Peter and Clint and T'Challa handing off the gauntlet, STEPHEN STRANGE BEING A BADASS? Yes. All yes.

HOWEVER. Will I ever forgive them for killing Tony Stark, when they easily could've had him survive and retire w/ his family? No. Fuck you. It's bullshit and I hate it. News flash - traumatically killing a character who has wanted nothing more than to be at peace and have a normal life isn't a satisfying resolution!!! It just fucking sucks.

Will I ever forgive them for RUINING STEVE'S CHARACTER ARC??? No. This still fucking infuriates me, even more than Tony's death. At least Tony died in character. They ruined Steve - and made Peggy a voiceless love interest with no agency, while fucking up the rules of time travel in the process. And rewatching the movie made me even MORE infuriated, because STEVE SAYS, in this movie, that we have to move forward, we have to move on, and thEN HE JUST DOES THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THAT. HE STAYS IN THE PAST WHERE IT FUCKING SUCKS AND SEGREGATION STILL EXISTS AND WOMEN ARE TREATED LIKE SHIT AND THERE'S NO FUCKING INTERNET AND BUCKY IS STILL A SLAVE TO HYDRA AND HIS ALTERNATE SELF IS STILL IN THE ICE??? LIKE, WTF??? HOW IS THAT A HAPPY ENDING??? Fuck, it infuriates me.

And lastly. Will I ever forgive them for killing Nat, even though all of the narrative and thematic signs point to CLINT being the logical person to sacrifice himself? No. Fuck you x2. They kill Nat on Vormir - where GAMORA also died, because apparently only women die on Vormir - and we're supposed to be happy with it bc, well, Clint has a family! Yeah, you know who also had a family? NATASHA. SHE SAID SO, IN THIS MOVIE - the Avengers are her family! But bc this movie is so fucking heteronormative, Clint's family - and thus, his life - is subtextually judged to be worth more than Natasha's, which is bullshit. Clint had the whole fucking redemption arc laid out before him - loses his family, goes on a killing spree, becomes semi evil, is brought back to the light by his best friend and is motivated by getting his family back at any cost, and then he's given the opportunity to redeem himself and they just...choose to kill Nat instead. For no fucking reason. Like, Clint had a full-on ANAKIN SKYWALKER redemption arc going on and they just said, "Nah, you know what? What if, in ROTJ, Luke died to save Vader?" YEAH, TELL ME HOW THAT'S SATISFYING, MARVEL???

...

I just.

So yeah. Turns out that 2 years later, I still have a lot of Thoughts™️ about Endgame.

However, watching the movie again WAS good to get a sense of the time travel/multiverse nonsense that we're going to (hopefully) get into in Loki, so I'm actually going to lay out my thoughts about that in another post.

#mine #marvel #anti endgame #avengers 4 #bad endings #i cried Again at Tony's death scene #it will never not hurt to watch that #sometimes I'll just be going about my life and I'll remember that tony is dead in the mcu #and I'll just get a wave of sadness bc it fucking sucks #rant #meta #avengers endgame

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