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hamliet · 3 years

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The Crows Summon the Sun

Or, Hamliet’s review of Shadow & Bone, which gets a 4.5/5 for enjoyment and a 3.5/5 in terms of writing.

The true heroes of this story and the saviors of the show are the Crows. However, the problem is that the show then has an uneven feel, because the strength of the Crows plotline highlights the weaknesses of the trilogy storyline. But imo, overall, the strengths overshadow (#punintended) the weaknesses.

I’ll divide the review into the narrative and the technical (show stuff, social commentary), starting with narrative.

Narrative: The Good

It’s What The Crows Deserve

I went into the show watching it for the Crows; however, knowing that their storyline was intended to be a prequel, I wasn’t terribly optimistic. And while it is a prequel, the characters have complete and full arcs that perfectly set them up for the further development they will have in the books (which I think should be the next season?). Instead of retreading the arcs they’d have in the books, which is how prequels usually go, they had perfect set up for these arcs. It’s really excellent.

Jesper, Inej, and Kaz are all allowed to be flawed, to have serious conflicts with one another, and yet to love each other. They feel like a found family in the best of ways. Kaz is the perfect selfish rogue; he’s a much more successfully executed Byronic hero than the Darkling, actually. Inej is heroic and her faith is not mocked, yet she too is flawed and her choices are not always entirely justified, but instead left to the audience to ponder (like killing the girl), which is a more mature writing choice that I appreciated.

Jesper is charming, has a heart of gold despite being a murderer and on the surface fairly greedy, and MILO THE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GOAT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. I also liked Jesper’s fling with Dima but I felt it could be better used rather than merely establishing his sexuality, like if Jesper and Dima had seen each other one more time or something had come of their tryst for the plot/themes/development of Jesper.

Nina and Matthias’s backstory being in the first season, instead of in flashbacks, really works because it automatically erases any discomfort of the implications of Nina having falsely accused Matthias that the books start with. We know Nina, we know Matthias, we know their motivations, backgrounds, and why they feel the way we do. It’ll be easy for the audience to root for them without a lot of unnecessary hate springing from misunderstanding Nina (since she’s my favorite). Matthias’s arc was also really strongly executed and satisfyingly tragic. Their plotline was a bit unfortunately disconnected from the rest of the story, but Danielle Gallagan and Callahan Skogman have absolutely sizzling chemistry so I found myself looking forward to their scenes instead of feeling distracted. Also? It’s nice seeing a woman with Nina’s body type as a romantic and powerful character.

Hamliet Likes Malina Now

Insofar as the trilogy storyline goes, the best change the show made was Mal. He still is the same character from the books, but much more likable. The pining was... a lot (too much in episode 4, I felt) but Malina is a ship I actually enjoyed in the show while I NOTP’d it in the books. Mal has complexity and layers to his motivations (somewhat) and a likable if awkward charm. Archie Renaux was fantastic.

Ben Barnes is the perfect Aleksandr Kirigan, and 15 year old me, who had the biggest of big crushes on Ben Barnes (first celebrity crush over a decade ago lol), was pretty damn happy lol. He’s magnificantly acted--sympathetic and terrifying, sincerely caring and yet villainous in moments. Story-wise, I think it was smart to reveal his name earlier on than in the books, because it helps with the humanization especially in a visual medium like film. Luda was a fitting (if heartbreaking) backstory, but it is also hard for me to stomach knowing what the endgame of his character is. Like... I get the X-men fallacy thing, but I hope the show gives more kindness to his character than the books did, yet I’m afraid to hold my breath. Just saying that if you employ save the cat, if you directly say you added this part (Luda) to make the character more likable (as the director did) please do not punish the audience for feeling what you intended.

I also liked the change that made Alina half-Shu. It adds well to her arc and fits with her character, actually giving her motivations (she kinda just wants to be ordinary in a lot of ways) a much more interesting foundation than in the books. Also it’s nice not to have another knock-off Daenerys (looking to you Celaena and book!Alina). Jessie Mei Li does a good job playing Alina’s insecurities and emotions, but...

Narrative: The Ehhhhhhh

Alina the Lamp

Sigh. Here we go. Alina has little consistent characterization. She’s almost always passive when we see her, yet she apparently punches an officer for calling her a name and this seems to be normal for her, but it doesn’t fit at all with what we know about her thus far. Contradictions are a part of humanity, but it’s never given any focus, so it comes across as inconsistent instead of a flaw or repression.

I have no idea what Alina wants, beside that she wants to be with Mal, which is fine except I have no idea what the basis of their bond is. Even with like, other childhood friends to lovers like Ren/Nora in RWBY or Eren/Mikasa in SnK, there’s an inciting moment, a reason, that we learn very early on in their story to show us what draws them together. Alina and Mal just don’t have that. There’s the meadow/running away thing, but they were already so close, and why? Why, exactly? What brought them together? The term “bullies” is thrown around but it isn’t ever explored and it needed to be this season. If I have to deal with intense pining for so many episodes at least give me a foundation for their devotion. You need to put this in the beginning, in the first season. You just do.

A “lamp” character is a common metaphor to describe a bad character: essentially, you could replace the character with a lamp and nothing changes. Considering Alina’s gift is light, it’s a funnily apt metaphor, but it really does apply. Her choices just don’t... matter. She could be a special lamp everyone is fighting over and almost nothing would change. The ironic thing is that everyone treating her like a fancy lamp is exactly the conflict, but it’s never delved into. We’re never shown that Alina is more than a lamp. She never has to struggle because her choices are made for her and information is gifted to her when she needs it. Not making choices protects Alina from consequences and the story gives her little incentive to change that; in fact, things tend to turn out better when she doesn’t make choices (magic stags will arrive).

Like... let’s look at a few occasions when Alina almost or does make choices. For example, she chooses to (it seems) sleep with Kirigan, but then there’s a convenient knock at the door and Bhagra arrives with key information that changes Alina’s mind instantly despite the fact that Bhagra’s been pretty terrible to her. If you want to write a woman realizing she’s been duped by a cruel man, show her discovering it instead of having the man’s abusive mother tell her when she had absolutely no such suspicions beforehand. There’s no emotional weight there because Alina doesn’t struggle.

When she is actually allowed to carry out a bad choice, the consequences are handwaved away instead of built into a challenge for her. Like... Alina got her friends killed. More than once. I’m not saying she’s entirely to blame for these but could we show her reacting to it? Feeling any sort of grief? She never mentions Raisa or Alexei after they’re gone, just Mal, and I’m... okay. They were there because of you. Aren’t you feeling anything? Aren’t you sad? The only time Alina brings up her friends’ deaths is to tell Kirigan he killed her friends when they were only there because she burned the maps. She yells at Kirigan for “never” giving her a choice, but she almost never makes any, so why would he? Alina has the gall to lecture Genya about choices, but she herself almost never has to make any.

Which brings me to another complaint in general: Alina’s lack of care for everyone around her when they’re not Mal, even if they care for her. Marie dies because of her (absolutely not her fault of course) but as far as we know she never even learns about Marie. She certainly doesn’t ever ask about her or Nadia. Alina seems apathetic at best to people, certainly not compassionate or kind.

The frustrating thing is that there is potential here. Like, it actually makes a lot of psychological sense for an orphan who has grown up losing to be reluctant to care for people outside of her orbit and that she would struggle to believe she can have any say in her destiny (ie make choices). It’s also interesting that a girl who feels like an outsider views others outside her. But the show never offers examines Alina’s psychology with any depth; it simply tells us she’s compassionate when she is demonstrably not, it tells us she makes decisions when it takes magical intervention to do so. It’s a missed opportunity. This does not change between episodes 1 and 8, despite the episodes’ parallel structures and scenes, which unintentionally reinforces that Alina had little real development.

Inej and ironically Jesper and Kaz embody the concept of “mercy” far better and with far more complexity than Alina does. The Crows have reactions to the loss of people who even betray them (Arken, etc), learn, and course-correct (or don’t) when they are even loosely involved in having strangers die. They’re good characters because they change and learn and have their choices matter. When they kill we see them wrestle with it and what this means even if they are accustomed to doing so. Jesper can’t kill in front of a child. Kaz wonders what his killings do to Inej’s idea of him.

Narrative: The Mixed Bag

Tropes, Themes, Telling vs. Showing

So the show’s themes in the Alina storyline are a mess, as they are in the trilogy too. Tropes are a very valuable way to show your audience what you’re trying to say. They’re utilized worldwide because they resonate with people and we know what to expect from them. The Crows' storyline shows us what it wants us to learn.

Preaching tells, and unfortunately, the trilogy relies on telling/preaching against fornicationBad Boys. It’s your right to write any trope or trample any trope you want--your story--but you should at least understand what/why you are doing so. The author clearly knows enough about Jungian shadows and dark/light yin/yang symbolism to use it in the story, but then just handwaves it away as “I don’t like this” but never does so in a narratively effective way: addressing the appeal in the first place. If you really wanna deconstruct a trope, you gotta empathize with the core of the reason these tropes appeal to people (it allays deep fears that we are ourselves unlovable, through loving another person despite how beastly they can be), and address this instead of ignoring it. Show us a better way through the Fold of your story. Don’t just go around it and ignore the issue.

The trilogy offers highly simplistic themes at best--bad boy bad and good boy good, which is fine-ish for kid lit but less fine for adult complexity, which the show (more so than the books) seems to try to push despite not actually having much of it.

Alina and Mal are intended to be good, we’re told they are, but I’m not sure why beyond just that we’re told so. Alina claims the stag chose her, but in the show it’s never explained why at all. Unlike with Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and hell even Matthias and Nina, we don’t see Alina or Mal’s complex choices and internal wrestling.

Like, Inej’s half-episode where she almost killed the guy they needed was far more character exploration than Alina has the entire show, to say nothing of Inej’s later killing which not only makes her leaps and bounds more interesting, but ironically cements her as a far more compelling and yes, likable, heroine than Alina. We see Inej’s emotional and moral conflict. We can relate to her. We see Kaz struggling with his selfishness and regrets, with his understanding of himself through his interactions with and observations of Inej, Alina, the Darkling, Arken, and Jesper.

We don’t explore what makes Mal or Alina good and what makes them bad. We don’t know what Alina discovers about herself, what her power means for her. We are told they are good, we are told she knows her power is hers, but never shown what this means or what this costs them/her. Their opportunities to be good are handed to them (the stag, Bhagra) instead of given to them as a challenge in which they risk things, in which doing good or making a merciful choice costs them. Alina gets to preach about choices without ever making any; Inej risks going back to the Menagerie to trust Kaz. Her choices risk. They cost. They matter and direct her storyline and her arc, and those of the people around her.

Production Stuff:

The Good:

The production overall is quite excellent. The costumes, pacing, acting, and cinematography (for example, one of the earliest scenes between the Darkling and Alina has Alina with her back to the light, face covered in his shadow, while the Darkling’s face is light up by her light even if he stands in the shadows) are top-notch. The soundtrack as well is incredible and emphasizes the scenes playing. The actors have great chemistry together, friend chemistry and romantic when necessary (Mal and Alina, the Darkling and Alina, Kaz and Inej, Nina and Matthias, David and Genya, etc.) All are perfectly cast.

The Uncomfortable Technicalities Hamliet Wants to Bitch About:

The only characters from fantasy!Europe having any trace of an accent reminiscent of said fantasy country's real-world equivalent are antagonists like Druskelle (Scandinavia) and Pekka (Ireland). When the heroes mostly have British accents despite being from fantasy Russia and Holland, it is certainly A Choice to have the Irish accent emphasized. The actor is British by the way, so I presume he purposely put on an Irish accent. I'm sure no one even considered the potential implications of this but it is A Look nonetheless.

The Anachronisms Hamliet Has a Pet Peeve About:

The worldbuilding is compelling, but the only blight on the worldbuilding within the story itself (ignoring context) was that there are some anachronisms that took me out of the story, particularly in the first episode where “would you like to share with the class” and “saved by the horn” are both used. Both are modern-day idioms in English that just don’t fit, especially the latter. The last episode uses “the friends we made along the way.” There are other modern idioms as well.

IT’S STARKOVA and Other Pet Peeves Around the Russian Portrayal

Russian names are not hard, and Russian naming systems are very, very easy to learn. I could have waved “Starkov” not being “Starkova,” “Nazyalensky” not being “Nazyalenskaya,” and “Safin” not being “Safina” as an American interpretation (since in America, the names do not femininize). However, “Mozorova” as a man is unfathomable and suggests to me the author just doesn’t understand how names work, which is a bit... uh okay considering a simple google search gets you to understand Russian names. They aren’t hard. I cannot understand why the show did not fix this. It is so simple to fix and would be a major way to help the story’s overall... caricature of Russia.

Speaking of that... Ravka is supposedly Russian-based, but it is more accurately based on the stereotypes of what Americans think of Russia. Amerussia? Russica? Not great.

The royals are exactly what Americans think of the Romanovs, right down to the “greasy” “spiritual advisor” who is clearly Rasputin and which ignores the Romanov history, very real tragedy, and the reason Rasputin was present in the court. The religion with all its saints is a vapid reflection of Russian Orthodoxy. The military portrayal with its lotteries and brutality and war is how the US views the Russian military. The emphasis on orphans, constant starvation, classification, and children being ripped from their homes to serve the government is a classic US understanding of USSR communism right down to the USSR having weapons of destruction the rest of the world fears (Grisha). Not trying to defend the Soviet Union here at all, but it is simplistic and reductive and probably done unconsciously but still ehhhh.

However, I’m not Russian. I just studied Russian literature. I’ve seen very little by way of discussion of this topic online, but what I do see from Russian people has been mixed--some mind, some don’t. The reality is that I actually don’t really mind this because it’s fantasy, though I see why some do. I'm not like CANCEL THIS. So why am I talking about this beyond just having a pet peeve?

Well, because it is a valid critique, and because it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. The Grishaverse is heralded as an almost paragon for woke Young Adult literature, which underlines itself what so frustrates me about how literary circles discuss issues of diversity and culture. Such praise, while ignoring its quasi-caricature of Russia, reflects a very ethnocentric (specifically American) understanding of culture, appropriation, and representation. All stories are products of their culture to various extents, but it bothers me on principle what the lit community reacts (and overreacts sometimes?) to and what people give a pass to. The answer to what the community reacts to and what it gives a pass always pivots on how palatable the appropriation is to American understandings and sensibilities. There’s nuance here as well, though.

I'm not cancelling the story or thinking it should be harshly attacked for this, but it is something that can be discussed and imo should be far more often--but with the nuance it begs, instead of black/white. But that’s a tall ask.

#s&b #hamliet reviews #shadow and bone #six of crows #kanej #jesper fahey #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #the darkling #darklina #malina #aleksander kirigan #netflix shadow and bone #s&b review

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superhusbands4ever · 3 years

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I don’t want Crosshair to have an Anakin Skywalker redemption arc.

I want Crosshair to have a Bucky Barnes recovery arc.

I don’t want Crosshair to do a bunch of dark, evil things, get the chip out or have a change of heart or realize what he’s doing is wrong, do one good thing or save someone’s life, and then die for it.

I want Crosshair to do a bunch of dark, evil things, get the chip out or break through the chip and realize what he’s doing it wrong, do something good and/or save someone’s life, and then survive to have to deal with the repercussions and face the consequences.

Not legal consequences. Crosshair is, at the end of the day, a victim of the Empire. He’s being mind controlled. He’s been brainwashed. He’s been Winter Soldier-ed.

Yes, he’s killing civilians. He’s hunting his brothers. He’s hurting people. He’s ruining lives. He’s killing people. But his actions are not his fault. He’s just the puppet, the Empire is pulling his strings. He has no control. He’s being forced to commit these crimes. However… he’s still the one doing them. And he has to face the emotional repercussions of doing that. He has to redeem himself to the people he hurt in able to recover from that trauma.

I could go on and on about the parallels between Crosshair in just the first 3 episodes alone, and the Winter Soldier. There are direct, scene for scene parallels between the two characters. I want so desperately for them to continue that trend.

To talk about Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier for a second: obviously, Bucky is not to blame for what he did during his time as the Winter Soldier. Hydra was the one in control - they tortured him, they hooked him up machines and wiped his mind, they took away his free will, they made him fight and kill and torture strangers, friends, foes, the guilty, the innocent, civilians, criminals, politicians, etc. As an audience we know this, we understand it and we sympathize with him.

But… he still did all those things.

One of my favorite Bucky scenes (and honestly probably the scene that really made me fall in love with him) was in Captain America Civil War when Bucky and Steve are on the quinjet to Siberia to fight the other Winter Soldiers.

Bucky: I don't know if I'm worth all this, Steve.

Steve: What you did all those years... it wasn't you. You didn't have a choice.

Bucky: I know. But I did it.

Bucky is able to acknowledge that while he didn't have any control over his actions and what he did, he still did bad things to innocent people. And those innocent people are still going to look at Bucky and see the man who caused them pain, hurt, and suffering. Sure, they might understand logically that he wasn't in control, that he wasn't the one who did those things. But we don't always think rationally when we are angry and scared and hurt.

We can see this later in Siberia when Tony attacks Bucky. Immediately after watching the video he turns to Bucky. We can see the resigned look on Bucky's face. Bucky understands. He understands that in that moment, Tony isn't thinking rationally. He is thinking with his emotions. And his emotions are blinding him, in that moment, to the fact that it wasn't Bucky who did those things, but Hydra using Bucky's body as a puppet. "It wasn't him, Tony." "I don't care. He killed my mom." Was Tony right to attack Bucky? No. Did Bucky deserve it? No. But we can see on Bucky's face right before the fight starts that he understands why Tony is doing it and honestly? Probably doesn't blame him. He understands that even though he wasn't in control when he killed Tony's parents, he still did it. He still caused Tony real pain that doesn't pay attention to things like fairness or blame. All Tony can see is Bucky's hands killing his mom, and they both have to face the emotional repercussions of that.

Another great (and less discourse-y) example of this is in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. We see Bucky continue to have to face the emotional repercussions of his time as the Winter Soldier. He's making amends for his actions and working through the psychological pain of it. He may not have been in control when he killed Yori's son, but it was still his hands that pulled the trigger. That is why he's so afraid to tell Yori the truth through the whole series. He thinks he's protecting Yori from the pain of knowing what happened to his son by not telling him, when in actuality he is protecting himself from that pain of what Yori might think of him after Bucky tells him. He's aware enough to know that Yori might hate him, never speak to him again, that he might lose a friend. Because while he wasn't in control when he shot Yori's son, at the end of the day, he died by Bucky's hands. Yori's son is still dead because of Bucky. It's not fair, but sometimes life isn't always rainbows and butterflies with a fairy tale ending.

Back to the Bad Batch: I want Crosshair to get his chip out and go back to the Batch and have to face the repercussions of what he did with the Empire. I want the Bad Batch to be distrustful of Crosshair at first. I want Crosshair to be afraid to be left alone with Omega. I want Crosshair to not trust his own mind. I want Crosshair to be hurt or get frustrated after the 15th time he moves too suddenly and Tech flinches. I want Crosshair to have nightmares. I want Crosshair to have to recover from his own trauma while also redeeming himself after the trauma he caused the Batch. Not just... die. Sometimes recovery and redemption is messy and ugly. But it's necessary and it's more interesting narratively than killing him off.

Do I think the show is going to do this? No. It's a children's show and they've already shown they aren't going that deep into the emotionality of everything. I just think this would be a much more interesting and complex way to carry on Crosshair and the Bad Batch's storyline while also providing opportunity for character development in the Batch outside of Hunter and Omega. They've already shown they know how to write a redemption arc - they managed to write a redemption arc for Kallus successfully and, while I love Kallus, he did work for the Empire and commit war crimes and participate in genocide of his own volition without a chip in his brain. If they can do it for Kallus, they can do it for Crosshair.

If they kill Crosshair off I'm going to be genuinely angry because it seems like such a waste of character and also a waste of good content and character development for the entire Bad Batch going forward. With the confirmation of season 2, I don't think they're going to kill him (yet). Right now my worst fear is that they'll get the chip out and he'll stay with the Empire or he'll reveal the chip has been kaput for months and he's doing all this because he wants to, which would make no sense based on what we've seen of him in season 7 of tcw and throughout this show. But that's for a different post. I guess we'll see with tomorrow's episode.

#the bad batch #tbb #bad batch #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #character analysis #tbb analysis #star wars #commander crosshair

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perfackles · 4 years

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Notes from Jared’s virtual panel 22 Nov 2020 - Typed live so sorry for some small mistakes!

Jared talking about Sam’s ending -

"No matter how Sam had his ending, it would have been difficult for me to wrap my head around. Once I did digest it and spent hours, days, weeks and months, over a year, with it, I did truly feel it was the best way to tell Sam's story. And Sam tried to live his life the way Dean would have wanted him to live his life. In honour of Dean, his request and his sacrifices. Sam tried his best to honour him. If Dean had come back 40 years later to find Sam hunting, Dean would have been pissed."

Jared talking about the script changes due to Covid -

"The biggest deal with the post Covid scripts is that when Covid happened and we got back to Canada there was a mandatory 2 week quarantine. [...] There was going to be a lot of beloved characters that were in heaven with us. But that was just a scene or two. So when you think about a lot of the other cast that's been a part of the show forever and ever, they have kids and spouses and jobs of their own, so you couldn't ask Rob, Kim, Jeffery Dean [nb. I'm missing some names here] to come sit in a hotel by themselves for two weeks just to film. The heaven that Dean deserved was filled with a lot of people from Dean's past."

Then Jared talked about from a story point of view he thought it worked perfectly that it was just Dean and Sam in the end, as it brings the story back to the start of the show.

- Sam was wearing Dean’s watch when he died.

- They dedicated one day of their three-day barn shoot to the post fight stuff, so Dean’s actual death was given a separate day. Jared would cry every time he read the script of the death scene. “That was Jared crying, and I didn’t want Jared’s emotions to get in the way of Sam’s journey and Supernatural’s story.”

- The working in the barn scene that echoes back to the pilot was all Jensen and Jared’s doing, the original lines were different. They’re the ones that changed it so that it paralleled the pilot. And it sounds like their final lines on the bridge and their final words being like their first words were also due to Jensen and Jared’s interference. Jared was the one that asked the wardrobe to get the pilot outfit, but that outfit is long gone so they tried their best to recreate it.

- It was a difficult scene for him to film and to watch. Jared’s watched a few reaction videos, and hearing the scene in the background made him cry.

- Did Sam tell his son about his Uncle Dean and the hunters, and after all this, his son wanted to get the tattoo? -- which sounds to me personally like Sam’s son wasn’t a hunter then?

"Who are the people Sam would want to see in heaven? Obviously Dean, Bobby, Mom. Sully (he laughs). I think Sam's heaven is mostly Dean. That's another reason why when I read the script that I asked our wardrobe department to get the outfit from the pilot. Because for me, I think Sam's heaven and his happiest moment, was when he made that commitment to get back on the road with his brother. He had a rough childhood, and then he went off to do his thing, but his happiest moment was getting back on the road with his brother, even if he does make fun of his tapes." But he talks again about Sam’s heaven being mostly his brother.

"I will get a chance to work with Jensen again, that's not the last of us. Hopefully sooner than later."

#Jared Padalecki #You're lovely sir but I fully disagree with so much of what you said #read some meta yo #15x20 #Sam Winchester

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amarienne · 4 years

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Long and tired 15x20 rumblings. Beware of spoilers and the F word.

It’s been 10 hours since I watched the episode and I still can’t believe that was real and not a prank episode.

Let’s leave aside the destiel of it all, alright? We all knew getting a huge and proper destiel scene was not gonna happen, no matter how much we clowned the last few days.

But that was a shit show of writing and plot. Fair enough, they felt like a MOTW episode was very fitting to be the last and you know what, I agree. That first 10 minutes of a simple life jogging, making breakfast and petting the dog? I am all for it. Pie Fair? Perfect, who doesn’t like pie? And Dean surely deserved to eat to his heart’s content with no worry in the world.

But at the same time you are trying to tell me that Dean didn’t even blink while Sam mentioned Cas being dead? And that we didn’t even see Sam at least texting with Eileen who just one episode ago vanished in thin air and Sam, had to perform some pretty heavy self control and restraint so he didn’t break because of the loss? How am I, the audience, supposed to believe that??

Still, I was happily going along with it all still keeping hope (lol, what a fool) until they entered the barn. I saw that freaking rod while they were fighting. Don’t believe it if you don’t want to, but I saw the freaking metal rod and I saw Dean being attacked and I was like fuck no he’s gonna end up on it. And surely enough a second later he was. And being the naive person I am I thought ‘huh, interesting. maybe that’s how we see Jack in this episode, or we see Dean in the hospital fighting for his life because he realises he doesn’t want to keep doing this.’

Buuut nooo, ofc not. We get 10 minutes of Dean hanging from a nail making an otherwise lovely speech and Sam standing there listening to it. We get a *w*nc*est* aura with the hand holding and forehead touching? REALLY? I couldn’t fucking believe it. And then Dean dies.

Dean, who just last episode did not take vengeance on Chuck because ‘that’s not who I am’. A fact I am betting my life on comes of course, of course, from Castiel’s confession. So we finally get to see Dean accepting the fact he is not just a killer, but actually he is made of love and for love and he deserves to be happy. Guys, you can see it in his face, he starts to believe it. And he chooses to walk away with his brother and Jack and to simply leave Chuck behind to have the thing he is more scared of- the thing Dean craved more than anything: a normal life.

Enter a sad excuse of a funeral, a pathetic montage of Sam in the bunker and then a call for another hunt. And Sam leaving (forever? who the fuck knows) the bunker. And just as I feared we get to Heaven. And Dean is welcomed by Bobby. That scene was actually fine. At least we get to fucking know Cas is no longer in the Empty- that presumably Jack saved him and they are now together or were together to build Heaven. And the fact they all share a heaven is sweet, okay? Baby is there, Dean goes for a drive, Kansas is playing. Cheesy but lovely.

Montage of Sam living a normal life? A toddler with ‘Dean’ stitched on his clothes? Enter me losing my fucking mind on the turn of events. So Sam named the kid he had with a *faceless* woman Dean in honour of the brother that died like 3 days after saving the world. Huh?? Really? I mean really? What the fuck happenned to Eileen?? She was too precious for this episode and this fucking story.

At this point I am like, I wish I had not pressed play on this mess. But the God awful montage continues. We see Dean Jr (*retching from disgust on the cliche*) telling Sam it’s okay, mirroring the first death. Also what’s with the tatoo? Is he a hunter too? Did Sam continue hunting and pulled his son into it as well? Or was it just a general precaution/tradition. Fuck knows of course. Heart monitor goes beep (the fucking cliches will be the death of me) and we see a bunch of pictures. The faceless wife remains faceless because *who cares* let’s just show the parallells between the two brothers’ deaths.

Oh I forgot all this is to the sound of a pop cover of Carry on my Wayward Son. They didn’t even have the decency to keep the original playing.

And here I am thinking, wishing, being ready to make a crossroads deal that all this is not actually real. It’s a dream, or a nightmare, or an alternate reality or - my biggest hope- Gabriel’s playing a prank somehow.

But as we all now know, dear strangers, that was not it. Nope. Dean stops in a lovely bridge (after apparently a couple hours of driving) and Sam appears. They hug it out. And they watch the sun set over the fucking mountain top.

Oh and then we have the god awful goodbye message. The final blow so we stay on the ground.

Un-fucking-believable. That was like the worst fanfiction, wrapped in a last minute essay you’re writing that is due in six hours, dipped in a diary entry from when you were 9 and dusted with a touch of *who gives a fuck let’s just finish this*. Also let’s blame *COVID*.

All the beautiful scenes and moments of the past 15 seasons. All the character progression we thought we were witnessing. All the symbolism we thought we were seeing. All the secondary characters we got to love to just not see if they actually made it back after 15x18. All the blood, sweat and tears our four boys went through in the last few episodes. All yeeted out the fucking window. It was all for fucking nothing? For an ending my four year old niece could come up with on the spot?

They all die and live happily ever after in Heaven?

Betrayed does not begin to cover how I feel. I was not a hardcore fan of SPN by a long shot. But I know stories. This is not how a good story ends. And SPN was a good story. It deserved better. We deserved better. Our boys deserved better.

I am standing and slow clapping for the actors though. They were truly brilliant, they worked with this shit writing and managed to get to the other side of it. I would sell my left kidney to find out what they actually thought of that ending and to also ask the showrunner what kind of drunk dream made the basis of this finale. Oh, and also ask the folks at CW who green lighted this shitstorm how they’re feeling? The 1 star ratings at IMBD are raining like the fallen angels, bitch.

God. This was long and awful but even if noone read it, it made me feel better.

I can’t even begin to form coherent thoughts regardging the lack of Cas and destiel. Maybe on another post.

#supernatural #spn #spn 15x20 #dean #sam #destiel #supernatural finale #supernatural spoilers #shitshow #supernatural betrayed us #mine

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pi-creates · 3 years

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If tfs had multiple endings (like something like clementine dies or even aj) what kind of endings do u think would be really cool to have? Personally dam now that I think about it an aj death ending is so dam sad but so interesting at the same time 🤧🤧

I'm with you, anon - as sad as more "bad endings" can be, it is more interesting to have those options be there and exploring the consequences fully. And this is the kinda thing I really like exploring - the alternate paths and how those things can play out if you just tweak the little things. So yeah, I hope you don't mind reading, I have a lot of thoughts on this one.

As for what kinda endings I would have liked to see, I'm a fan of having a diverging point in the last episode as you leave the cave after choosing if you trust AJ, and after James' fate is set as cooperative, pissed off with you, or dead.

You exit the cave and I want your level of friendliness with your saved companion to matter - you know how the game lets you BFF or romance the characters regardless of if you're an absolute dick to them? Yeah, well, I would prefer if at this point they only came to help you out if you were nice to them - if you were a dick, then even if you are their romantic partner they don't feel more obligated to help you over the other kids that got rescued. It’s not an act of cruelty on their part, but one of basic numbers - they have several friends to look out for right now.

In that situation you're a man down and Tenn is the one to mention the bridge - you get a scene more focussed on Tenn and AJ talking and get to hear AJ's attitude change towards Tenn based on whether you trusted him more or not. It could be AJ lecturing Tenn about survival stuff and how AJ wants to teach him, or it's them being more childish and maybe talking about Science Dog - just some fluff that makes us happy to see that AJ has a friend.

The bridge plays out mostly the same, and Clem cannot avoid her leg being damaged in the fight if it's just her and Tenn on that side of the bridge - I bring this up because I would like there to be a scenario where Clem can save her leg.

In theory, I would like it if a Clem who has earned cooperation from all of her companions and James has the ability to have another person on her side. James coming up on the bridge in the herd Minnie brings? Him having a character arc where if you pushed that sometimes the peaceful option might just lead to more death? Can you just imagine for a second that he sneaks up on Minnie as she's about to swing that axe down?

So let's say you have 4 theoretical combos happening with how many characters you have on the bridge:

Clem + AJ + Tenn = Clem is injured and Tenn's fate is determined by AJ being able to convince him to let his sister go (through mutual trust between them) or if AJ fails Tenn follows Clem's lead and also feels like AJ is too young to make decisions and therefore trusts his sister's manipulation more.

Clem + AJ + Tenn + Louis or Violet = same as canon. Clem is injured, Tenn and Louis or Violet are determinant on if AJ is trusted.

Clem + AJ + Tenn + James = Clem is not injured, but James will die in his struggle with Minnie - he saves Clem from the axe moment but without the extra backup he gets shoved through the hole in the bridge and falls to the rocks, Tenn's fate is still determined by AJ being able to convince him to let his sister go.

Clem + AJ + Tenn + James + Louis or Violet = Clem is not injured, James stops the axe moment and with the added backup of Louis or Violet he doesn't fall off the bridge, and Tenn's is saved by Louis or Violet while James keeps Minnie back. Louis or Violet also get off the bridge unscathed with James’ help to throw Tenn over. BUT James will always be the last person on that side of the bridge and his fate is determinant on trusting AJ (did you trust AJ to go with his own thoughts? And does AJ still think James wants to hurt them, or have you instilled enough thoughts that people can be redeemed into his head?) - AJ may choose to shoot James if he still views him as crazy, or irredeemable for his actions in the cave - this will still be a point of contention amongst the rest of the survivors.

So going over all that, you could theoretically end up on the other side of the bridge with these combos:

Injured Clem + AJ Injured Clem + AJ + Tenn Injured Clem + AJ + Louis Injured Clem + AJ + Violet

Clem + AJ Clem + AJ + Tenn Clem + AJ + Louis + Tenn Clem + AJ + Violet + Tenn Clem + AJ + Louis+ Tenn + James Clem + AJ + Violet + Tenn + James

And now the combo you get is important, because an injured Clem can't climb that gate, she's stuck going for the cliff climb since she has more time to climb that before the walkers surround it. But an un-injured Clem has the choice of going over that gate - and that is the no bite route.

Going over the gate is shown to be a safe way home for a single kid to manage, so this group is safe at least from walker bites. There would need to be another emotional high point to this route that's the equivalent to the bite, though... and I'm not entirely sure what that would be. Maybe this is the route where that original thing where they wanted Sullene to chase Clem down as revenge for killing Yonatan can happen and Clem and AJ end up separated. I dunno... it's not the same parallel to season 1, but if they are desperate to have a similar feeling of dread maybe they can have another fake out where Clem gets shot in the scuffle and you once again switch to AJ panicking and trying to patch her up but the scene ends with Clem passing out before we know if he did a good enough job before either the rest of the group finds them, or AJ has to leave Clem and find the school. Or perhaps AJ can get shot here and we have another divergence. And to keep things sort of level with the amputation route, let’s call the shot a really bad shoulder hit that will result in that arm no longer having proper mobility even if it heals.

So in that scenario, let's say you can get 4 endings out of it. If you have friends you ended up separated from, then they're searching for you and can help with the medical emergency - they can save the person in time before they succumb to blood loss. But if you have to get to the school because you didn't have friends left here, then maybe it's too late. So Clem can die, Clem can be injured but recovering, AJ can die, or AJ can be injured but recovering. Then you have to incorporate all those other options into the "back at school" moment. So on this route, death situation of Clem or AJ also means Tenn is always dead and Clem's Saved friend is still alive, but they didn't come to find her after the cave, so you have that added tension to explore. Maybe you can even explore if AJ or Clem even wants to stay at the school if that was the end results - I dunno, it’s just an interesting thing to ponder. But the recovering situation can theoretically mean that no one died in the last episode, which is a marvel in and of itself.

But if you have an injured Clem who need to climb the cliffs, or an uninjured Clem who simply decided the cliff was a better option... this is where things get a little more complicated.

I would like it if in this scenario you could ask your Saved friend to either climb the gate (with Tenn and James if they are still alive) or come with you for the cliff. If they climb the gate, then they’re safe, it’s the same as canon and they get back to the school fine on their own. But if you ask them to stay, then there’s another option at the base of the cliff to determine the order in which the characters climb up. If it’s just you and AJ, then AJ always goes first, and everything proceeds as it does with canon.

The problem is that an injured Clem is going to climb slower, so who goes last? If Clem is last, she gets bit, there’s no avoiding it - but if her Saved friend is climbing ahead of her, now they are there for the rest of the scenario watching a bitten Clem desperately keep AJ and them safe.

But if you make your Saved friend climb last, then it’s them who gets bitten, they go through a similar drama to a bitten Clem and plead to at least try to get them back to the school so they can make sure that Clem and AJ get back safely before they go. Same drama as canon, but happening to a different character... the difference being that an unbitten Clem in this situation who didn’t trust AJ to make his own decisions... well.... this one is on her shoulders, AJ’s not going to intervene. Does Clem make the choice to give their leg the axe, or does she kill them so they don’t turn, or does she just leave them there and take AJ to safety? And does the amputation option even work for them? Ehhh, let’s just say it does, Clem can’t be the only example of that working.

But finally... for like an ultimate downer moment, what if Clem is injured and climbs slower, but also asks her Saved friend to climb the cliff last? Well, we’re in for a double whammy. In this situation, your Saved friend is getting bit, and so is Clem. You both struggle to the barn, poor AJ is trying really hard not to break down while keeping the both of you moving, and you end up in the barn with Clem and her Saved friend debating what to do. Do they lament that this isn’t how they wanted things to go, or do they thank you for making sure they don’t leave the world alone? Do they make the suggestion that AJ does about being left as walkers, together forever and all that? And again, I wish there was some divergence here.... like, I get the want to surprise the player with Clem still being alive - but does AJ still make that call when there’s more than one person telling him to just leave, or to kill them? I wish this was another moment where if you built up trust with AJ, then he saves you both by trusting in himself to try to save you, but if you didn’t trust him then he follows your word.

So on this route, you could have Clem die (potentially with the Saved friend as a witness), Clem could have her leg amputated (potentially with the Saved friend as a witness) , Clem could die with her Saved friend, Clem and her Saved friend could both be amputees, the Saved friend could die alone, or the Saved friend could have their leg amputated.

So in total, we’re looking at... 10+ endings if you want to count in all those minor variations on who was romanced, saved, betrayed, etc.

And looking at it all.... I know it’s a lot. But in a world with all the resources, time, and motivation, I would have loved to have that many variations on the ending. It makes a happy ending in a choice based game feel so much happier and deserved when we know a “bad” end was so nearby too. Plus I really like when games provide “middle of the road” endings where they are varying levels of positives and negatives and it’s up to you to interpret if such a thing is good enough to still be considered an overall good situation.

#twdg #twdg talk #twdg s4 #twdg clementine #twdg aj #twdg james #twdg tennessee #twdg tenn #twdg louis #twdg violet #twdg minerva #twdg minnie #long post #i may have gone overboard #but i really like exploring plot divergence stories #and how tiny changes could lead to drastically different results

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nelavili · 3 years

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I'm still processing Season 6 and as an unpopular opinion I'm not too happy about it as a whole. I feel horrible for not enjoying it as much as the Cast/Crew would like me to, but I just can’t change this feeling I have.

Just to clear my head I'll write the things down that irked me. I don't want to start any discussion, they're only my thoughts on stuff ‘n thangs. Huge spoilers ahead, please don’t read if you haven’t watched.

Michael

I admit it, I have probably more sympathy for the bad twin than I should. And after the whole S5 I thought we get a bit more closure with him. I didn’t expect a redemption arc, after Michael killed Remiel, Dan and Chloe it would have felt wrong. But after the “Everyone deserves a second chance” the dude is down in hell, scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush. Really, Lucifer? That’s cruel after such a righteous line.

When Luci realized he could help everyone, even if he hated them, I hoped for a dive into the twins’ relationship but it was like Michael didn’t even existed anymore. And if someone needed therapy it would be the twin with the huge inferior complex. That could have been so interesting. (I had hoped that he'd sat on the couch at the end, but noooo we get the Frenchman.. such a disappointment.)

Maybe Tom Ellis didn’t want to play 2 roles again, or there was no time, but I feel that was a huge opportunity wasted.

What even was the plan of Michael? To get God to retire and wreck havoc on earth to get Dad back, so Mickey can take over as the new God? And then what? Wipe out humanity? I see no endgame here.

Ella

I liked Ella’s Story so far. But she stole the personal file of Carol and even broke into his house.. and everybody is cool with this? Carol might be crushing on Ella pretty hard but if somebody tells you they broke into your house, because they feared you were hiding something bad, You run for the hills. But the dude isn’t even phased.

I’m glad Carol is a good guy, though. Even if he’s kind of bland.

Ella finding out the truth on her own came out of nowhere. I would have found it better if they would have her act a little suspicious over the whole S5. But since they wrote S6 while S5 was shot, a little to late for this.

The scene at the wedding was amazing. I had so much fun with her outburst there.

Dan

Ghost!Dan was my favorite by far in this season. And I really liked how he wanted to help and tried to find out what he still felt guilty about.

I am so glad he got to spend his afterlife with Charlotte and I laughed so hard with the pudding. Didn’t expect that, in a positive matter. :D

The scene with Trixie killed me. Bawled so hard as soon as Kevin got teary eyes. That really gripped at my heartstrings.

But how could he go to heaven while in a body of a killer when his daughter stands right next to that killer?

Comedy-wise Dan is top notch

Trixie

I missed her so much.

It felt like she was an afterthought with everything. She recently lost her Dad and Chloe spends most of the time with Lucifer. I really missed the scenes with her and Luci, they always were so adorable.

They explain it later that she’s at a science camp, but I honestly thought Chloe chooses Lucifer (and later Rory too) over her.

She wasn’t at Chloe’s deathbed but here I’m not sure if the scene with Rory isn’t placed somewhere at the threshold to heaven where only celestials are able to enter. But if she wasn’t there because Chloe sidelined her in favor of Rory, then I can understand her absence.

Linda

I love Linda, she always gives good advice but nobody’s ever took it.

Her book probably would fly under the fantasy tag if she ever published it. Still, it felt cringey.

It was so sad that she thought she was a bad therapist.

Apparently she wants to keep helping celestials because it’s better than helping humans. In the end, celestials have the same problems as humans just on a bigger scale. But okay.

Amenadiel

Amenacop was good, and a nice nod to Dan who put in the application.

It made him realize that he only can change things when he has more power. I’m white and no american so I don’t know if the BLM theme there was well enough executed. Got me wondering.

The apocalypse just being Angels who are incompetent was a letdown. Like this whole season.

I really like him as god. And I am glad he took the position in the end. Even if he could have decided this a bit earlier.

Rory

I like her sarcasm and her character.

Didn’t like the whole time travel, time loop and daughter spiel. I’m not a big fan of time travels or couples getting a kid just for the sake of a happy end or to add extra drama. I could have lived without a Deckerstar baby. Instead they could have focused on Trixie for a change.

The time she spent with Lucifer on the 4th August was precious though.

How in hell did the Frenchman capture her? How did he even know how she looked? IIRC Dan hasn’t seen Rory while in that body. Dan just went over to Trixie that’s why I thought he’d capture her and not Rory.

Lucifer

He found his calling to help the souls in hell only because Rory traveled back in time? No man, he already took the step with Jimmy Barnes in preparation to take over as god. I don’t think it’s far fetched to believe that he would have the same epiphany without Rory there.

But without Rory, he wouldn’t have been helping Ghost!Dan to go to heaven. Though, before Rory traveled back in time, Lucifer was already trying to help Dan. They probably would have needed more time to figure out about what Dan felt guilty about, but figure it out anyways.

How did he even got Chloe pregnant? Was it his subconscious deciding he was ready to be a father? Amenadiel had to believe that he was human to get Linda pregnant. Or maybe it’s because they always thought they couldn’t impregnate a human and self-actualized it that way. Anyways, it’s a tiny hang-up I have with it.

Somebody else besides me thought that the scene in the panic room was awkwardly long? I know they thought Lucifer would vanish somehow, but it seemed too much to me.

His singsong while the magician talked about the trick. :D

I don’t want to even get into the whole time loop thing because I think it’s ridiculous(ly bad).

It took a lot of time for him to realize that he didn’t want to be god, after he put it on hold for a second time. Even Chloe could have asked him if that is really what he wanted. Could have spared us an episode or so. Why is the communication on this show so bad? Q.Q

I loved that he helped Maze with Eve to get the wedding back on after their fight.

He didn’t say goodbye to Trixie - again. What a nice step-devil..

It’s been Chloe, Rory and his family since he found out she’s his daughter. Not even mentioning the one kid who probably loved him before even Chloe fell for him.

For someone who is all about free will and led a rebellion against God for it, he was quick to accept that he has a “fate”. I thought he’d find another way, or at least try to. Nope, he just did what his child wanted. And they disguised it at his “choice”. Doesn’t look like a choice to me if your daughter begs you for it and you have to promise it. Just getting along with what your child wants.

Why does everyone need to shoot him? Just cut him until he bleeds. The Americans and their fixation on guns. Nice parallel to Chloe though.

Lucifer trying to fix the relationship to Rory with gifts was so cringey. I don’t know why but I couldn’t watch him sing/dance in that scene.

Both him and Amenadiel didn’t want to become like their Dad because of the reasons stated in S5, yet Lucifer exactly did. Another letdown.

Chloe

As soon as she knew Rory was her and Lucifer’s daughter it was all only about Lucifer and Rory. No thought of Trixie? I understand she was worried about being a bad mother to Rory, but come on, you’re being a bad mother to your first child right now.

She was ready to go to heaven with Lucifer. And Trixie does what exactly without her parents? Living with her Grandma because one of her parent died and the other one is abandoning her? It’s like the writers forgot about Trixie while forcing Rory on us.

The addiction to the necklace got old pretty fast.

And that whole fight against Lucifer felt unnecessary just to add more drama.

She gets mad at Lucifer for not telling her everything while not telling him that she went back to the LAPD. It’s Lucifer, he always has things on his plate. Double moral, pretty much.

She looked so gorgeous at the wedding, oh my god.

Most of the Deckerstar scenes were good. I got tired of the obvious naked cuddle times, surprisingly. Somehow it felt not like the ones in S5 and it bothered me.

I thought Chloe would finally get to know about everything Lucifer did for her, but I didn’t expect her to read it in Linda’s book. And that she only took away that he left her every time they had an emotional breakthrough.

They spend Lucifer’s last day at the beach and once again, no thought of Trixie. I’m sorry I repeat myself here so often. But this whole season wronged Trixie so much.

They face the baddie without any backup. At least get Amenadiel with you.

Other things

The use of music between scenes was too much for me. Got annoying at some point.

I appreciate that they wanted to show us snippets of past Deckerstar scenes but here too, I felt like it was too much.

Couldn’t really follow the timeline. Maybe it were the cuts.

What’s been the point of bringing Adam into the mix? Just to wrap up Maze and Eve’s story? For Linda having another celestial to therapy?

The animation in the Jimmy Barnes Hell loop was AMAZING. I laughed so hard.

I’m not saying that Deckerstar shouldn’t have sacrificed everything for the time loop to stay intact, I say that the whole daughter-time travel plot shouldn’t have had happened. They never even talked about having kids, and then ignore the whole existence of the one kid that’s already there.

I really need all the Michaella fanfics, please. My first ship that’s actually a raft, because they never officially have met. RIP lmao

The acting was great as usual, all my problems come from the writing and the plot.

In the end, I really feel frustrated, underwhelmed and disappointed by the whole season. I didn’t have high expectations other than the same writing quality like S5. My excitement for that Season died as soon as Rory told Lucifer that she’s his daughter, to be honest. I waited for a plot twist that never came. Then the whole time loop shit. I’d rather have waited one more year for S6 if the plot would have made more sense, since this felt like a first draft of a whole other show. And now I wished that S5 would have been the last season. If I could travel back in time, I’d rather not watch S6.

I can honestly live with the fact that Luci and Chloe are in hell, trying to help souls to get to heaven. (But hello, not the murderers perhaps? Or I want Michael sitting on that couch right now.) But the fact that both “chose” to sacrifice their time together with their family and friends just because it’s fate now and parents have to make sacrifices for their children; and anyways there’s an afterlife because (human) life is just a blip in our existence… nah thank you. I do not want it.

I’m probably not gonna rewatch S6 anytime soon.

#lucifer spoilers #lucifer s6 spoilers #lucifer netflix #deckerstar

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variousqueerthings · 4 years

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About Daniel & Miyagi & Grief’n’Stuff

I commented underneath this awesome gifset that paralleled KK3 and Cobra Kai about some interesting depth of feeling that so far has only been hinted at in the latter in relation to Daniel.

Lots of people are watching the tv show first and either going back to watch the films (like I’ve done) or deciding to get the story purely from CK, so there’s a small tangent where I mention that I think it’s some pretty cool writing that means depending on what you’ve watched when you understand the story differently, which is just neat meta storytelling (there’s Daniel’s side, there’s Johnny’s side, and there’s the truth).

Spoilers for the Karate Kid movies (but they’re 30 years old, go watch’em)

I mainly focused that little comment on Cobra Kai and Daniel’s trauma, which never really seemed to be about Johnny himself, but rather his presence bringing back unpleasant Cobra Kai memories, but there’s something else I found having watched the three movies after watching the show and it’s sort of related to that and sort of related to Miyagi and sort of related to Daniel’s need to honour his memory perfectly - mainly it’s that Daniel probably needs help processing some grief and guilt + some Moments from those movies that I hope to see in coming seasons.

when I was watching the show (even with a knowledge of the trajectory of the films) I had a sense of Daniel as an avid student of Miyagi’s whose life was deeply affected by his presence in it. Clearly emotionally attached to him and his teachings, but still very much in a mentor/student space, with an allegory of fatherhood attached to it - this did start shifting in season 3 after Daniel returned to Okinawa, but there were still some pieces missing that I needed to actually see their interactions to get.

After watching the movies, I now understand that Daniel was actually very textually Miyagi’s adopted son in everything but name (and that he probably feels like he’s failed him and can never make things right, because he’s dead now and that’s yet another interesting parallel with Johnny in terms of his mother) and that makes every decision he makes in relation to Miyagi slot into place in a much more heart-breaking way.

- the intensity of his devotion to his teaching style (even though it’s not actually a natural fit to his own temperament and in some ways might be a detriment - there’s a not-quite-tangent here about how combining elements of that style with elements of Johnny’s is what both of them need), his bitterness about Cobra Kai (in tandem with the events of the third movie), his not-at-all Miyagi-like response to the attack on the dojo and theft of Miyagi’s medal of honour, his emotions upon returning to Okinawa, even the more “slanted towards a bit of humorous white people don’t get appropriation” stuff like the scene with the fish and Kyler etcetc. (Although idk how Miyagi would feel about the karate-ads)

Miyagi was his father. Not just a father-adjacent, or a metaphor for fatherhood, no, he just straight up considered Daniel to be his son. And that sentiment was returned. No wonder Daniel’s emotionally compromised when it comes to anything that might tarnish his memories of him.

There are a few scenes in particular that I’m interested in whether they’ll show -

1. First movie Miyagi gets drunk and speaks to Daniel about his past - while he was fighting in WWII winning his medal of honour, his wife died while pregnant in an internment camp, because she didn’t have access to a doctor (which... there is so much within that little piece of backstory). Daniel tucks a now sleeping Miyagi in and studies the medal, realising that his presence means as much to Miyagi as Miyagi’s does to him. He bows in respect before leaving for the night.

2. Second movie (while they’re building a room for Daniel to stay in at Miyagi’s instead of going with his mum to Fresno, which is unbearably cute. We see him living in it in the third movie) Daniel makes a frame for the medal of honour as a gift - Miyagi isn’t exactly dismissive, but there’s that overtone of how it connects to one of the most painful moments of his life. Still, he’s happy that Daniel took the time to do this for him, even while using it as another teachable Moment about bravery. - in the third movie the frame (same frame as in the tv series) is hanging on Miyagi’s wall.

3. Later on, while they’re in Okinawa, Miyagi’s father dies and he goes to sit at a spot that looks over the sea to mourn him. Daniel finds him there and sits down with him, telling him about his own father’s death, about how he felt guilty as a son that he couldn’t do more for him, but the most important thing was that he was there, held his hand, and said goodbye (cries for the 100th time).

4. Third movie. Before realising that Silver has deliberately manipulated him Daniel’s basically suffering a mental breakdown, comparing himself to a very special Bonsai tree that had earlier been destroyed, describing himself as “broken and twisted” - Miyagi takes him into the garden to show him that he fixed the tree and tells Daniel that he has strong roots and I... cry...

5. In general during the third movie we see Daniel pushing Miyagi away several times (one time after which Miyagi is standing alone with tears in his eyes, fuck ooooffff), because he thinks he’s let him down, while Miyagi is just worried. For his son. And yeah, we have them training again and replanting the fixed Bonsai tree and there’s a sort-of catharsis in that, but it never feels like the core of Daniel’s anxieties in that film are dealt with in the text.

We know the Bonsai Tree Shop (which Daniel gave his college fund for and was meant to be Miyagi’s retirement) failed. We know that he was terrified of Silver until the end. We know he was beaten half to hell, even if he did win his match in the end. We don’t know what happened to Silver or Barnes. We know that Kreese is back and that Silver at least is likely about to come back.

Daniel towards the end of that movie feels like he failed Miyagi and the show hasn’t really stated whether or not that feeling ever went away - from the clues so far, I’d say not.

Quite apart from the fact that the acting in these is fucking stellar (the first of them earned Pat Morita his oscar nod and the third is just... wow. Probably my favourite out of all of the scenes in the franchise), they speak so much to the depth of their relationship and respect for one another and to the theme of parenthood and chosen family that the series later expands upon.

In a story of terrible fathers, Miyagi was a great one, and with Cobra Kai back - and likely to get worse from here on out - the lack of Miyagi’s presence weighs pretty damn heavily on Daniel, especially if he never dealt with any of these things - of course, now he has Amanda and Johnny, if only he’d ask (Manifests For Season Four).

The series has so far skewed more towards Johnny, which makes a lot of sense, since there were more unknowns about him to play with going in and it’s at first about building him into the more fully-realised character that Billy Zabka had in his head (+ he’s delightful), but with Terry Silver almost definitely coming into the picture, and Daniel and Johnny finally in the position to really start maybe sharing more of their inner selves with each other, I just really really hope that we get to see these moments as framings for Daniel’s story, not just for Johnny’s perspective of him to start opening up, but so the audience can see and/or remember where Daniel’s coming from.

This show is very good at deciding when we get to see whose perspective and the creators are interested in exploring more of that aftermath + have used the medal of honour within the plot already + love Silver as a villain, so all of this is my vague... not really prediction, more of an excitement.

Daniel’s journey is partially one of realising that Miyagi was always proud of him and that the lessons he taught him mean he’ll always be there to protect him, and I’m just excited for Daniel to understand that.

He’s not as alone as he thinks he is.

#daniel larusso #nariyoshi miyagi #cobra kai #the karate kid #kinda predictiony kinda stuff #kinda an emotion i didn't expect to have AS intensely after the movies as i did #kinda feeling intensely about miyagi #kinda lowkey wanting to write a series of parallels between daniel and johnny #my meta #cobra kai meta

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buckybarnesthehotshot · 4 years

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v: i hate you but allie doesn’t (bucky barnes x reader)

i hate you but masterlist

summary: bucky and y/n can’t stand each other, but y/n needs help with her sister’s kids (enemies to lovers au)

word count: 1903

warnings: swearing, arguing, death, and this is not proofread

taglist is CLOSED

A/N: HOLY SHIT 730+ FOLLOWERS?!? My tumblr’s gonna surpass my personal insta and i’m honestly not mad abt it ily alll

“I can help you with that,” Bucky insisted as y/n pulled several plates from the cabinets under the counter. y/n gave him a questioning look, as though asking him why she was helping him, and he continued, “if you explain to me why you have a teenager and two kids in your apartment.”

“Touché, but it’s actually two teenagers, so ha! You were wrong about another thing,” y/n chuckled before her features softened as her gaze wandered to the closed acacia door down her hallway, “My nephew, Ethan is sulking in his room. Honestly, I can’t blame the kid,” y/n explained. With every word that spilled from her lips, Bucky found himself growing more and more curious over y/n’s current situation.

“How’d you end up with them all in your apartment?” Bucky questioned before adding a quick, “I’m not going to say no offense because that would be a lie, but you look really tired.”

“Gee, thanks. You sure know how to charm a lady,” y/n rolled her eyes, shoving the plates in Bucky’s hands.

“I was quite the ladies’ man back in my time,” Bucky winked, placing the plates on top of the place mats y/n had already set on the glass table.

“I almost forgot you were an old man,” y/n snickered, setting the silverware on the table with one hand and placing Allie in her highchair with the other arm.

“Didn’t your parents teach you to respect elders and learn to answer questions?” Bucky raised a brow, referencing his previous question.

“What question?” y/n spoke in confusion as she buckled Allie into the seat. The toddler giggled whilst slamming her palms against the plastic table. y/n made a note not to leave the bowl of baby food there.

“The one where I asked how you ended up having to take care of two kids and two teenagers,” Bucky chuckled awkwardly, watching y/n struggle to open a jar of baby food. Who knew it would take one jar of baby food to defeat one of SHIELD’s greatest agents?

Before y/n could reply, Bucky didn’t notice the kid from earlier, Jackson as he would soon learn, was seated at the table and responded for her, “Mommy’s on a trip with daddy and Livvy and Ethan are sad about it,” came his petite voice.

Bucky, knowing damn well “on a trip” was most likely a code for something he’d encountered quite a lot, gave y/n a look. She only responded with a sad smile as she poured the contents of the jar into a bowl.

“Jackson, tell Olivia and Ethan breakfast’s ready, please,” y/n requested, earning an eager nod from the boy before he jumped out his seat and rushed to his sister’s side.

Bucky approached y/n, looking for more answers regarding the kids. He knew this might have been the only opportunity he had to ask y/n without the kids—with the exception of Allie who could barely understand a thing—about what happened to the kids’ parents and what role she played in the kids’ lives.

“Please don’t tell me you killed their parents and took them in as your own. I think I saw a movie like that once. It was pretty fucked up,” Bucky chuckled but immediately stopped when he saw the way her face dropped at the mention of the kids’ parents.

“Their mom, she was my sister. I found out a few days ago she died in a car crash and the next thing I knew, the kids were being dumped on me,” y/n spoke, eager to finally explain her situation to somebody even if that somebody was Bucky, someone she clashed with more often than not.

“What about their dad? Surely, he should’ve been the one to deal with the kids,” Bucky questioned, his brows furrowing.

“I don’t know where that ass is right now or what he’s doing. That deadbeat killed my sister,” y/n growled, gripping tightly onto the marble counters. Bucky had no idea what to tell her. He’d never been in a situation where he had to comfort his teammate who not only lost their sister, but had to take custody of the kids too!

Due to Bucky’s inability to speak, and y/n having nothing else to say, they stood there in an awkward silence as y/n stacked pancakes onto the plates one-by-one and topping them with a big scoop of gelato.

Their mother used to make the best pancakes and top them off with gelato. She and Cassy got the exact recipe which really came in handy when Jackson asked for “Pancakes, please? The way mommy makes them” when y/n asked him what he wanted for breakfast.

After a few moments of silence, Ethan, Olivia, and Jackson joined them at the table, all silently pulling themselves a seat. Jackson didn’t know why, but whenever his big brother was in the room with his Auntie y/n, there was a somber mood cast upon the room as though there was a rule telling them not to utter a word.

Ethan sat at the farthest end of the table, Olivia took the seat parallel to y/n’s, while her little brother took the seat next to her. Bucky, not really knowing what to do, stood there awkwardly by the countertop before y/n motioned for him to take the seat next to him where she’d also set a plate of pancakes.

He took the seat next to her as the table fell into a state of silence while he ate away at his pancakes as y/n turned to Allie and fed her. He would never admit it to y/n, but her pancakes were beyond amazing. Never in a million years did he think to top ice cream with gelato or ice cream until that day.

“Auntie y/n, is he your husband?” Jackson was the first to break the silence as he stared curiously at Bucky.

“What makes you think that, buddy?” y/n chuckled awkwardly as Bucky kept his gaze to the plate of pancakes in front of him.

“Well, daddy always sits at the table beside mommy and he’s her—” Jackson tried to explain only to get cut off by his sister sobbing, “Livvy, you okay?”

“These pancakes taste just like mom’s! It’s the same fluffiness, same taste, and same brand of gelato for god’s sake!” she sobbed, shooting up from the table and staring down bitterly at the plate of pancakes in front of her.

“Damn it, Liv, she’s trying to replace mom, can’t you see?” Ethan snarled before turning to face y/n, “You will never be as good as mom ever was. Yes, these pancakes taste like hers, but you won’t replace her just because she’s dead and dad’s in prison!” he cried out before bolting down the hall and back to the room he was previously shutting herself in. Olivia’s features softened a little as she saw the look of hurt on y/n’s face,

“It’s okay, aunt y/n. I know you’re not trying to replace mom. He’ll come around,” Olivia tried to reassure y/n that through the sobs as she wrapped her arms around her. y/n just nodded slowly in response to the hug.

“God, I wish grandma and grandpa got custody of us instead!” Ethan’s voice boomed from the room as both Allie and Jackson began crying.

“Mommy’s dead and daddy’s going to jail?” Jackson cried, a broken expression on his face. y/n rushed to his side, wanting to lie to him and tell him Cassy was coming back, but she couldn’t. She was going to have to explain it all to Jackson some time; she just didn’t expect that time to be at 9:49 in the morning.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” y/n’s voice broke as she wrapped her arms around the crying boy. Bucky knew he couldn’t just sit there and watch the scene unfold. He knew he had to do something; anything! He hesitantly got up from his seat and moved to the highchair where the baby—Allie—was seated as he unbuckled the seatbelt keeping her on the chair as he hesitantly lifted her up with his flesh arm.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay. Your auntie y/n’s going to be here and your older siblings are going to be okay,” he whispered as he began cradling Allie against his chest. He didn’t know whether or not he was holding the baby right or if he should’ve been rocking her, but it worked. She calmed down as her cries turned to quiet babbles.

Bucky nearly panicked at how quickly she became quiet in fear that he’d knocked the toddler out. He held her out again to see if she was—well, alive. She smiled up at him, her big doe e/c eyes piercing into his baby blues. Bucky Barnes was never one to care for kids—not since he became the Winter Soldier—but this was different. A baby, who he was holding in his arm, smiled up at him as she reached for his metal arm? His heart melted at the sight.

“Otie?” she questioned him, her brows furrowing. He took a seat on the chair, not sure if he could trust himself with a baby while he stood up, before chuckling.

“I’m not your otie y/n, kid. She’s a little busy at the moment, but I’m her much better teammate, Bucky,” he smiled down at her.

“CKY!” she exclaimed excitedly, trying to jump up. He readjusted the way he carried her, seating her onto his lap while his hands—both metal and flesh—supported her weight to keep her from tipping over.

“Close enough, kid,” Bucky chuckled, “So, what’s your name?” Bucky didn’t think his morning would lead to this; witnessing y/n trying to console a kid while he talked to a one-year-old.

“Ayee!” she exclaimed, a wide smile on her face.

“Ayee?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at her, making Allie laugh.

“A-yee,” Allie repeated slowly.

“Al-lie?” Bucky questioned, his brow still raised as Allie reached for his face, smacking her hands against his eyebrows.

“AYEE!” Allie exclaimed happily, clapping her hands to celebrate getting Bucky to correctly say her name.

“Allie, huh? Is that your name, kid?” Bucky questioned as Allie slammed her hands against his face excitedly.

“CKY!” she giggled as he continued making faces for the girl. Never in a million years did he think a baby would feel at ease with his present. He was learning new things that day, he shrugged.

“You can’t be Bucky, I’m Bucky” he chuckled as Allie found herself pulling against his beard.

“Cky!” Allie insisted.

“No, you’re Allie. I’m Bucky,” Bucky chuckled, poking at her squishy cheek.

“I Ayee, you Cky?” she repeated, a smile on her face.

“Exactly,” Bucky smiled.

“So, you’re Cky now, huh?” he turned to see y/n standing there, her nephew—whose sobbing was coming to an end—in her arms as she grinned at the sight of Bucky with her niece in his lap.

“Only because you stink at your job here too,” Bucky scoffed.

“Rude,” y/n mumbled to herself as she set Jackson down on his seat with a ‘you’re going to be okay, buddy’ as she picked Allie up from Bucky’s lap and set her back onto the highchair so she could continue feeding the toddler. As a matter of fact, Olivia’s sobbing even calmed down a bit as she downed the stack of pancakes her aunt prepared for her.

a/n: this chapter was brought to u by my gelato (my mom kinda got made because it was expensive but yknow a girls gotta treat herself) and me wanting ice cream

i hate you but taglist: @sarcastic-britt / @kmuir1 / @shower-me-with-roses / @justab-eautifulmess / @thomasthetankson / @x-abi-sharp-x / @intovert-gone-wild / @brittanymcsharry / @leaving-the-past-behind / @xoxabs88xox / @mylifeiscrazy0423 / @howliebucky / @i-cry-so-much / @witchything / @naimalove143 / @simplybarnes / @kseniiafirebrace / @buckybarnesishot310 /

Forever tags: @spatium-viatorem / @sxphiiwrld / @strangersstranger / @nerdy-bookworm-1998 / @cutie1365 / @valeriiaaass / @adorkably / @whatinthyworld /

MARVEL TAGLIST: @captainamerica-is-bae

BUCKY TAGLIST: @missmidnightxo / @tinymalscoffee / @howliebucky /

#bucky #bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes x teammate! reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes au #winter solider imagine #winter solider x you #winter soldier #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier imagine

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babylooneytoonz · 4 years

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Warnings: Just fluff, and implied confessions, a lot of baby stuff, mighty heroes being softies at heart with a baby on the way

Link to the Masterlist.

Bucky kept glancing at you, shielded from your direct gaze as you were facing the side. You didn’t know he was standing there by the entrance to the recreation room, watching you from the corner of his eyes, as Wanda leaned over you, giggling to herself, running her palm over your stomach.

“Why’d you hide this from us, Y/N?” Wanda asked you, but you kept mull, because the truth was, you didn’t have the answer to it yourself. It was many things; the fact that you didn’t want to burden Bucky, knowing very well that he wasn’t ready for this, and maybe he never will. You didn’t blame him though, it wasn’t his fault. Maybe in a parallel world, if this was the man that he used to be in 1940s, he would have been happy. Also, you were scared of this; you had lost a child once, and you were scared of losing this one too, and this time, you didn’t want to break down in front of these Mighty Heroes. Then there was the fact that you wanted to hunt them all down, one by one, that HYDRA scum and you had thought you would be able to do it since you were a freaking avenger, but this baby, with the super serum of its father running through its veins, was proving to be more difficult than you had imagined. This child kept you on your toes, and hardly let you get any sleep, it was always kicking around and squirming inside you and you were tired, sleep deprived and so exhausted, you couldn’t even tell them.

Bucky didn’t know what he was feeling; was it anxiety, fear, paranoia or elation? Perhaps it was a mix of it all. He had lost hope of living a normal life; of starting his own family, watching them grow up and have grandchildren one day. Maybe this was the beginning of it. But there was a deep rooted fear inside him. He wasn’t the same man he was; he had been a cold blooded killing machine. A monster. He was scared for the first time ever since Winter Soldier was linked to him. He was scared of the kind of life this child was going to have when they grew up. How safe would they be? And would they hate him for the things he did? Worse of all, will he even be able to be a father? It was a different thing to father a child, but an entirely different thing to be a father to a child. Worst of all, he was scared of the effect his serum would have on that child.

Bucky kept watching, his index finger resting on his chin, his hair messily falling over the side of his face. He noticed how beautiful you looked; how divine, and you were glowing. Your face looked ten shades brighter, although he did notice that for some reason, you looked exhausted, and your eyes looked strained and droopy. Bucky’s eyes trailed over your body, moving along your curves and your tresses until it landed on your stomach. He loved the way you looked, especially right now, and the fact that it was his child in there, it marveled him beyond imagination, and somehow, it pumped blood into his body, his pants already growing tight at your sight.

“You still haven’t spoken to her yet, have you?” His thoughts were broken when Steve stepped next to him, fixing himself where he was standing and the super soldiers stared at the tiny little homely scene in front of them. Who could say that the mighty Avengers could not be softies? Sam was sitting on a stool, painting your toenails, and you were laughing at a joke that Natasha had cracked. If it was any other scenario, Bucky would have wanted to smack Sam Wilson on the back of his head, but watching that soft smile draped over your lips, he didn’t want to.

“Spoken to her about what?” He asked dryly, turning towards his best friend.

Steve almost deadpanned, giving him the look, his eyes narrowed almost in disapproval, “About what this means for the two of you.”

“Punk, I don’t see how this changes anything,” Bucky mumbled, his voice cold.

“This changes everything, Buck. If this was 1940s, you would have been over the moon– "

“that’s the problem, Stevie. This ain’t 1940. And that man died that day when he fell off that fucking train.”

Steve Rogers' eyes looked like they might pop out second, and it was rare when he got angry. However right now , he was fuming. He was tired of Bucky running away from things, things that could give him a normal life. His fists clenched, his hard staring eyes glaring at the other super soldier.

“This is your problem, James. You don’t even want to try. And guess what? It’s not her fault she got dragged into this with you. Now, if you’re not going to be a man, and take responsibility for what you’ve done, then I am.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“We are going to be uncles to that kid, be there for Y/N even if you refuse to.”

“Fuck, Steve. When did I say anything about not being there for her? I brought her here, so she could be cared for.”

“And that exactly is the problem here. Only, you don’t see it,” Steve walked off, before Bucky could even ask him what he was supposed to understand from that little Captain America outburst.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

It wasn’t easy growing a freaking super soldier baby inside you.

You huffed in annoyance, propping yourself up in bed, wiping the mild layer of sweat that had formed on your forehead. You had tolerated brutal punches and kicks to your ribs, and walked off with a smile on your face. You had gotten your nose broken, and you had cackled like a lunatic at the person who had broken it, but for some annoying reason, the way your back was throbbing relentlessly, you were finding it hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

So you slid out of bed, wrapping a robe around your swollen body, pushing your glasses over the bridge of your nose. You crept out of your apartment, making sure to close the door as quietly as you could so you didn’t wake up Bucky or Sam, who had apartments on the either side of yours. You tiptoed up to the kitchen, turning on the lights, throwing open the fridge.

You growled in frustration, pulling out items from the fridge and randomly tossing them away, on the slab, trying to look for what you were craving – Pretzels.

Annoyed, you slammed the fridge door shut, ignoring the fact that you weren’t exactly being discreet enough and dragged yourself out into the recreation room. It didn’t look like this little spawn of his father was going to let you sleep much tonight. Like father, like baby. The both of them were messing with you and your mind; the father because he was a dick, and the kid because they weren’t even here yet and they were already keeping you on your toes. You slumped in front of the TV, grabbing the remote when a drowsy figure emerged out of the shadows, her hair standing like mohawk on top of her head.

“I woke you up, didn’t I?” You asked, only to get a groan in form of a reply as Natasha propped herself next to you.

“Not really, I just woke up, thought I’d raid the kitchen but saw that the lights were on. What’s up?” She eyed you.

“Don’t even ask. That bed is uncomfortable, my back hurts like a bitch. I thought I’d satisfy these really annoying Pretzel cravings but we have none. I don’t know why this kid even likes pretzels. His dad likes pancakes and I like tortillas,” you muttered, while aimlessly flipping through the channels.

“Barnes likes pancakes? You seem to know a lot about him, well.”

You shrugged, feeling a sudden heat creep into your cheeks for no reason.

“Its nothing like that, it’s just something I’ve seen him munch on.”

“Whatever, Y/N. He’s your man, I don’t even want to comment on it. Anyway, I’m off. You carry on, I’ll see if I can ask Tony to get you pretzels tomorrow,” she hopped off the couch, stretching her arms once before she started walking away when you called out, “Nat?”

She stopped walking, turned around partly, and glanced at you.

“What was he like when the two of you were, you know – “

“You mean the Red Room.” She froze, and her arms came to cross against her chest. You saw her lips part and she was trying to find the right words, but none came out.

“He was much more colder than he is with you. You are good for him, Y/N. I was just someone that he felt solitude with. Because he was alone. But now he isn’t alone and yet, he looks at you like you’re the only one for him.”

“His words say otherwise though.” You only chuckled, and watched Natasha Romanoff leave, and your attention went back to watching the TV and you couldn’t help but wonder if Bucky still felt the same way about her, given the fact that they had history.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

You slept almost all day the next day, making up for the sleepless night you had, and it was almost midday when you woke up, stretching your arms in the air. When your eyes adjusted to the lights, you noticed a maternity pillow laying on your bed. It was a bright yellow in colour, and it looked comfy as hell. You hurriedly reached out, clutching it in your palm until you had it pulled towards you. You curled up against it, nuzzling your face against its soft fabric and relaxing into the comfort that it gave you. Natasha might be a cold hearted spy for the rest of the world, but she was a softie at heart, and you loved her dearly.

You straightened your loose fitting frock, pulling it down against your thighs as you got off the bed, stroking your bump in a slow, soft motion.

The recreation room was buzzing with energy today, and the minute you stepped in, you were greeted by Natasha, and Bucky, already dressed in their uniforms, speaking to Steve. You squinted your eyes in confusion, watching the two of them, trying to listen to what they were taking about when Bucky turned towards you, meeting your gaze. You didn’t look away, and instead, gave him just the tiniest of the smiles, and much to your amazement, he reciprocated it, although it wasn’t much. You walked up to Sam, grabbing his arm and pulling him up.

“What’s going on?”

“The two of them are going on an undercover mission. Afghanistan.” Sam informed, biting into what looked like a pretzel.

“Okay, is that a fucking pretzel in your mouth?” You reached for his plate that still had one pretzel left, grabbing it before Sam could protest, and flung it into your mouth, munching on it, savoring it against your taste buds. Suddenly, you sat straighter, and again turned towards him, “Are the two of them going on the mission? Alone?”

“Whoa, hey. That’s the freaking Winter Soldier and the Black Widow. They don’t need anyone else if they’re together.”

“Really Sam?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way of course.” He winked, and you turned back to watch Bucky smile slightly at something that Natasha had probably said to him, which was funny. When you looked over at Natasha, you got a jab in the arm from Sam and he chuckled, “Jealousy ain’t pretty,”. He stood up and bending down to grab the empty plate, started walking off. “More pretzels?” He called out; but you weren’t listening anymore. You were walking towards Bucky and Natasha, and you didn’t know why.

“Hey, Nat? You’ve got a minute?” You chimed in, the minute you were close to the two of them.

She stopped speaking to Bucky, and her head, and his too, snapped in your direction, and she nodded, “All cool?”

“Yep.” You grabbed her arm, and pulled her away from Bucky, rather rudely and pulling her aside, you motioned towards Sam, “You got me that pillow and those pretzels, I wanted to thank you. At least there’s someone who understands.”

“Uh, Y/N, what pillow and wait, are there pretzels in the kitchen? Hey, Sam, don’t you finish them all alone – “ She left you standing there, startled, and in a daze as she scampered off, running after Sam, and you didn’t notice Steve watching you with a smile on his face, until he cleared his throat.

“Ah, Cap, I didn’t see you there.” You smiled, awkwardly.

“the lot can be a handful, especially when you get Sam and Natasha and Buck under the same room.”

Again, Natasha and Bucky.

“It was you, wasn’t it? That pillow in my bedroom, the pretzels in the kitchen.” You raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to reply, your hands resting on your back.

“I did have a part to play in that, but it was all him. The poor fellow didn’t have any clue so he dragged me through a lot of pillows. Until he settled on the one in your bedroom.”

“Who?” You asked.

Steve just pointed towards the door, and you turned around, noticing Bucky standing by the exit, his foot resting against the wall, as he scrolled through his phone.

“He did this? How?” You swallowed the lump forming in your throat, trying to blink away the tears bubbling in your eyes. Fucking pregnancy hormones.

“Probably heard you and Natasha talk about this. He’s been dragging me out ever since he woke up.”

“Steve, you know what.. I think I need to talk to him.” Steve only smiled, his smile reaching the crook of his twinkling eyes and nodded. You turned your tail, waddling all the way to where Bucky was standing, and when he looked up at who was approaching, he slid his phone away, nodding at you.

“I, uh, Buck, I – Thank you? For the pillow? And the pretzels and –“ You were blabbering, ignoring the smirk that had paved its way to his lips, the smirk that was tugging at your heartstrings.

“Its alright, doll. It’s my fault this happened.”

“Is the mission important? Can’t no one else go ?” you blurted out, and it was too late to take your words back.

Bucky dramatically tilted his head to one side, shuffling the weight of his foot from one side to another as he blinked, “Sort of. Don’t know. Clint can go. Why?”

You averted your gaze, and if it was easier for you to look down at your hands without having your tummy blocking your view , you would have noticed the way your fingers were nervously toying with each other.

“Its nothing. I just, well best of luck.” You gave him a fake, half hearted smile, and started turning away when Bucky reached for your arm, grabbing it, and pulled you to him. Your eyes closed for a split second, and when you opened them again, his face was dangerously close to yours, and your heart was strumming mindlessly against your chest. You didn’t know what to call this feeling; and the nearest that you could name it as were butterflies. Or maybe it was just your baby doing a somersault inside your tummy.

“Is everything alright with you?” He asked you, his palm flying up to your face so that he was cupping your chin, his thumb stroking your cheek.

Your tear betrayed you, and you mentally cursed yourself because James Buchanan Barnes had caught you crying, for your tear had rolled down against his thumb, “you’re worrying me now, doll. Is the baby okay?” His eyes fell to your stomach, and then back on your face.

You nodded, wiping your tear away.

“You’re going on a fucking mission with the Black Widow. And you two would be alone, I– “

You braced yourself for him to snap at you, and find words to insult you. You were so foolish. What the fuck were you thinking that you said that to him? Only he didn’t. Instead, a wide grin formed on his face and he just pulled your cheek. Wait, did he just fucking pull your cheek? You had killed people, point blank, looking them in the eye. And this man right here had just pulled your cheek like you were a fucking two year old. But then again, you should have been angry, yet you weren’t.

“Is that what’s gotten you like this? You think there’s something left between me and Natasha?” He only smiled, shaking his head.

“Natasha is beautiful, she is amazing, but.. “ he took a step away from you when he saw Natasha emerge from inside and tossed a gun in the air that Bucky managed to catch while taking backwards steps away from you, “There’s someone else for me and although she can be a pain in the ass, I can’t stop thinking about her.”

You suppressed your smile. He could tell from your blush that you felt the same way for him, and your actions, your little display of jealousy had just proved it for him. He didn’t want to admit to himself; he found the rosiness in your cheeks cute, and he definitely didn’t want to admit that he was head over heels in love with you, and you coming back into his life had only made the feeling stronger. Although it wasn’t in the most conventional way for the two of you, for people usually fell in love, got married and had babies, for the two of you it had been hate, one time sex, an unplanned pregnancy and now love. He didn’t mind it.

"Do me a favour Barnes," you smirked, as he stepped into the elevator, with Natasha, who was smirking too, her eyes flying from you to him, and then back, "And get your ass back in one piece, yeah?" Before he could reply, the elevator doors closed, but not without you having seen that nod of his head.

Now all he wanted to do was get on that fucking quinjet, get done with the fucking mission, and get back to you.

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twdmusicboxmystery · 4 years

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TWD 10x17: Home Sweet Home - First Thoughts

All right, I can finally post my analysis. Actually, there will be several. So there’s a LOT to go over for this episode. As I usually do for episodes, I’ll just talk about broad themes I’m seeing today, and then I’ll do a details post tomorrow.

***As always, spoilers for 10x17 abound below. Don’t read until you’ve watched. You’ve been warned!***

It was all fabulous! It was a really great episode even independent of the TD stuff. Raises lots of questions about these new villains that has me super intrigued.

But let’s talk about the important stuff first!

So, there were the four mentions I talked about based on spoilers, and I was pleasantly surprised to find another that kind of trumped them all.

The two by-name mentions came in Daryl and Maggie’s conversation. I have no idea why the screener said Beth wasn’t mentioned by name. She totally was. Twice. Maggie first calls her “Bethie.” It’s when she says, “After Bethie died, Glenn and I talked about going there [to the ocean].” Then a minute later she talks about telling Hershel stories about his family. She says “Beth and Shaun and his granddaddy.” So yeah, two times.

Then there are mentions that we picked up from the spoilers, when Daryl says people are just gone and when Maggie and Kelly talk about their sisters. In the Maggie/Kelly convo, there’s not a huge smoking gun or anything. The thing that stood out to me was Kelly saying, “you had a sister too, right?” I feel like that’s a very blatant example of the writers reminding us of Beth. That Maggie once had a sister. But beyond that, they didn’t talk about Beth specifically.

The other one I noticed that trumped them all was during Maggie and Daryl’s convo about Connie. Maggie asks if Kelly’s sister is still out there and he says his “some people are just gone” line. (Which is obviously an exact callback to him saying this same line about Beth in 4x16).

And then Maggie says something that can really only be about Beth. She says, “even if you find them, you don’t always get them back.” Which is a reference to finding someone but they “die” anyway. And originally, I was thinking that this could point to more than one person. Glenn, Merle for Daryl, and the main reason to connect it to Beth is that they’re talking about Connie’s sister.

But the more I think about it, it can really ONLY apply to Beth. Because while plenty of people have died, they were never really missing, either. Merle left, and Daryl went to find him, but just before his death, he wasn’t missing or separated from Daryl for a long period of time. Same with Glenn and everyone else they’ve lost. Maggie wasn’t with Glenn before he died, but she didn’t think he was missing, either. She didn’t even know he’d been captured until she saw him in the clearing. The ONLY person who was missing, found, and then lost again, was Beth.

So, we literally have Daryl and Maggie talk about Beth the night before, and then again the next morning with this convo. And then Maggie and Kelly reference her near the end. So great!

But that’s not by far all the great stuff in this episode. Lydia doing the voice-over recap at the beginning was super interesting. Most of it is just recapping the Whisper War, Alpha and Beta’s deaths, etc. But then at the end, she says, “But we were on the verge of something else. A bigger world.” And as it says that, it shows first Michonne on the boat, heading to look for Rick, followed by Eugene’s group being captured. So, both those storylines, in other words, are leading to this “bigger world.” We might have figured that with Rick, given the CRM and all that. But it kinda proves Eugene’s group is about to stumble onto some part of it, too. So bigger world for Michonne is Rick/CRM. Bigger world for Eugene’s group is Beth? Here’s hoping.

There were some minor changes to the opening credits, as we might expect. There is a burning ship in the background at once point. And at the end, when we see the walkers that have Whisperer masks on, there are a lot more walkers around them. Not all Whisperers or anything, but just a much bigger group of walkers. But I noticed the one that is a Whisperer was still there, which is interesting. And given that the Whisperers left a hole in the Alexandria wall when they left, we might have to deal with some stragglers at some point. Everything suggests they aren’t completely gone, even if the war is over.

Lots of great dialogue, most of which we’ve already mentioned from spoilers, but I’ll go over that more in my details post tomorrow.

So, obviously my TD brain was working overtime and I noticed a lot of sequential callbacks to earlier seasons. For one thing, when Maggie and Daryl’s group is walking through the woods, it started showing them each walking in slow motion as they traveled.

Remember in S5, when we got the slow motion walking from each member of TF throughout the episode? I think it was in 5x02. It reminded me of that. Like they might be calling back to that. So once again, it would just make sense if they’re doing this at the beginning and Beth shows up at the end.

There was a green preying mantis that was an obviously-placed symbol. I had to look that one up. Yes, we saw a preying mantis in Still. Or was it Inmates? It was around Beth either way. And check out this post on praying mantis symbolism.

They actually use the term “stillness.” And of course it’s bright green. Yeah, I’d call that a purposeful symbol.

The cargo containers they stayed in overnight were very reminiscent of Terminus. Oh, but this is interesting. I’m seriously probably the only person in the fandom who would even notice this. There’s a sequence where a bunch of walkers are trying to come out of the container, but there’s tons of them and it would be bad for them to break out.

So Maggie tries to hold the door shut. Daryl runs up to help her but here’s too many in there for just the two of them to overpower them. Finally, Elijah comes to help and there’s a super-gnarly moment where one of the walkers is pushing its head through the door and they squish it. But the point is they work together and actually do get the door shut and lock the walkers inside, so they aren’t overwhelmed.

Two things I think this calls back to. The first, perhaps most obvious one is 5x10, Them, when the entire group held the barn doors shut against the walkers. And once again, the music box woke up RIGHT after that. So it could be a harbinger of Beth.

The second thing it reminded me of was in 4b with the school bus. Remember Sasha and Bob tried to hold the back door to the bus closed but couldn’t and all the walkers got out? There’s a blond walker that falls at Maggie’s feet in that sequence and Maggie stabs her in the forehead. I always thought it was a Beth foreshadow. This almost feels like the opposite of that. In this case, they were able to get the door shut and didn’t have to kill all the walkers. So, if that sequence foreshadowed Grady, maybe this foreshadows the opposite? Things going better this time around? Just a thought.

Oh, Maggie hurts her forearm, though. I won’t say much about this except that we’ve seen other characters with this same injury and I’m sure it’s significant. I just haven’t entirely figured out what it means, yet. It’s not exactly the same as Beth’s because it’s on the wrong arm. But just keep it in mind. I’ll probably mention it again in the future.

When talking to Daryl, what she says about Georgie is interesting. I think we got most of it via spoilers and the Q&A. But she says Georgie went out west. I can’t help but wonder if she’ll be part of the New Mexico symbolism.

One thing the spoilers really didn’t do justice to is how upset Maggie is about what happened to the community she and Hershel were living in before. She’s REALLY upset about it and you can tell she’s barely holding it together. Daryl asks her what happened, but she says she can’t talk about it, yet. She told him the other stuff about Georgie, and says it’s nice to voice some of it, but she can’t voice all of it just yet. So whatever happened must have been pretty bad, because she’s really messed up about it.

I got the same vibe from Elijah. When he takes off his mask and him and Kelly bond, it’s because the Reaper sniper is hunting them. And it’s obvious that he’s terrified of these people (the Reapers). And that’s surprising because this is gray ninja guy who throws knives and had no trouble killing walkers and Whisperers, but he’s super afraid of the Reapers. We also know he lost his sister to them, so it may have a lot to do with that.

But still, I definitely want to know more about these Reapers. The sniper really is pretty creepy.

We see a lot of sunlight filtering through the trees. We had a small dark tunnel moment. Looking for Connie, Kelly is looking into the back of a truck and we see her from the inside, like someone looking out from the inside. Nothing really comes of it. She doesn’t find anything or crawl into it or anything. She’s just looking in as if to see if Connie is in there, but she isn’t.

In this same scene, she opens the cab of the trunk and looks into the front seat, which is empty. And then she sees a coat on top of the truck. That’s when Maggie and Daryl find her, and Elijah jumps up on top and throws some stuff down. The only other interesting thing is a little notebook (the one mentioned in the Q&A, I think). It’s not really a journal and there’s not much color to it. They don’t show us what’s actually in the notebook, but it’s obviously not Connie’s. I’m assuming it’s blank.

But think about all the callbacks there. This truck looks a lot like the one Bob slept on in 4x13, which was obviously a Beth parallel. We have an empty front seat. Now, we’ve mostly seen representations of a walker being in the front seat, right? And this is the opposite of that. So, much like Maggie managing to hold the door shut against walkers, I feel like they’re purposely showing us the opposite of what we’ve seen before, which just tells me Beth is about to appear.

There’s the notebook, which calls back to Connie, Beth, and the wolf trap in 5x16. The coat they threw down wasn’t a huge thing, but it looked vaguely blue. But the fact that it was on top of the truck (which was white) shows that someone slept up there. Also, when Judith and Maggie talked about looking at the stars, they specifically talked about going up on the roof to do it.

Oh, another interesting line that I’m wondering about. It’s back when Daryl and Maggie are talking about Connie. Maggie says the thing about how even when you find them you sometimes don’t get them back. Daryl says maybe it’s better that she doesn’t know that yet. (He means Kelly. Maybe it’s better if Kelly doesn’t realize that’s often the case.) And Maggie says no, Kelly should know. She says her daddy always said a wound couldn’t heal until air hits it. And Daryl says, “You know that’s not true, right? Medicine-wise?” And Maggie just kind of laughs and said her dad made it sound like it was.

So, I’m not sure what to make of that, but it’s obviously a purposeful line. And a medical reference.

Okay, so when Maggie gets back to her group, they’ve been attacked and scattered and two of them are dead, burnt to death in the fire. We had lots of X shapes in the burnt beams of the shack where they were staying.

The two burnt bodies reminded me of the burnt walkers in 6x06. And as the episode went on, it occurred to me it was kind of a replay of the prison. This place burnt down and her entire group scattered. They were all out looking for each other in the woods. Also, the reason they knew it was burning is that when they got close, they could see smoke rising into the sky. It looked EXACTLY like the smoke from the moonshine shack in S4.

They eventually face off with the sniper guy. At one point, we see his one eye staring at them from where he’s hiding. Creepy, but also maybe a Sirius thing?

Maggie steps in a rope trap (one of those things that pulls you upward by one foot. The guy almost kills her while she’s trying to get lose. Daryl shoots him with his crossbow but drops it after that and goes after him with a knife. (This is why Kelly gets the crossbow. We don’t really see him drop it but I assume he did because the guy was really close to killing Maggie and he knew he didn’t have time to reload.) This guy is huge and throws Daryl against the tree like a rag doll.

Then we get this really interesting thing where we see the camera looking up at the sniper from Daryl’s point of view. We even seem the camera sort of “blink” which is supposed to be his eyes. And it’s interesting because 1) the guy is taking off his disguise. Yeah, this sniper kinda looks like a swamp thing when we see him. He’s covered in camouflage and that brown netting special ops guys wear to blend in with their surroundings. But at this point, he takes it off. I felt like it was him taking off his mask, as it were. 2) It’s blurry and in slow motion. That’s because Daryl is hurt from being thrown against the tree, but it just struck me as a foreshadow of something. We’ve always said that when he first sees Beth he’ll probably think he’s hallucinating. I have no idea if that’s what this is about, but it really jumped out at me as an intentional thing.

And about the Kelly/bow thing, it’s nothing. People were really freaking out about the picture of her with Daryl’s bow, but it was seriously small potatoes. Daryl recovers and Maggie gets free and they both attack the sniper at the same time, but then the rest of Maggie’s group shows up with Kelly. One of them shoots the sniper with an arrow before Maggie or Daryl can, and Kelly shows up holding the crossbow. I think she just picked it up from where he dropped it, but she doesn’t even shoot it or anything.

So then Maggie asks the sniper who he is and why his group bulldozed their community. He won’t answer her and then pulls out the grenade.

And this is another thing that’s really interesting. I almost want to connect this group to the Wolves. Not literally but symbolically. Because from what they said, this group didn’t just attack them to take their supplies or because they were bad guys who wanted to take over their community. After their community went down, they’re actually hunting them. Trying to pick them all off. Why? That’s weird. And the Wolves are the only other group I can think of that actually hunted people just to kill them.

The sniper does say, “Pope marked you.” I don’t know if that’s a name or a title, but it has religious implications. So, someone has marked Maggie’s group for death, but we have no idea why, and neither does she. See why I say this was a great episode even aside from TD stuff? It’s just very intriguing and raises lots of questions moving forward.

Then there’s little Hershel. Not only does he look like Glenn, but he’s practically wearing Glenn’s S1 outfit. Complete with blue and white shirt and baseball cap. So. Stinking. Cute.

Not tons to add about Maggie and Kelly’s convo aside from what was in the spoilers. But I will say that there’s a huge “coming home” theme in this episode. Maggie says she almost came home after Knoxville. Daryl asks her to come home. At the end, he asks if this means she’s coming home. (She says yes.) They just say it like half a dozen times through out the episode.

So, let me just mention my biggest takeaway from this episode. Hershel Jr. is a type of Beth or Beth proxy. It took me watching a couple of times to put this together, but here’s the short version. The building Maggie’s people were in that burnt down is a lot like the prison going down. Her group scatters into the woods into several small groups, much like TF did after the prison. And little Hershel goes missing. Now, Maggie doesn’t really think he’s dead or anything, but she just doesn’t know where he is or if he’s okay. Then, at the end, she finds him. It’s kind of a return, you know?

And once I realized that, I started seeing all kinds of parallels and callbacks. For one thing, when Daryl was tracking him, he recognized Hershel’s tracks because they were kid tracks, rather than adult. That’s a parallel to Beth and Daryl tracking Lizzie and Mica’s kid tracks in Inmates.

Maggie had a “we don’t know that” line, which is exact Beth dialogue. For Maggie, it was about whether or not any of their people were still alive in the wake of the attack. Beth said it about whether anyone from the prison survived in the wake of the Governor’s attack. And there are tons of those. But I’ll go over more of them tomorrow.

And finally, they find Hershel sitting in the tree. Tree/trunk is a Beth symbol, as @frangipanilove has show us. But the tree is also in the shape of a giant cross. So this isn’t just a return. It’s a Christ, resurrection symbol. See why it parallels to Beth?

So yeah, I’ll go over more template details tomorrow and later in the week. But there was SO much good stuff in this episode!

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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thechildofstark · 3 years

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Fuck John Walker (and also some other stuff): A Response To Episode Four

WARNING: some bad language, death mentions, violence mentions, blood mentions, racism, spoilers for for ep 4 of tfatws

DISCLAMER: I have some Opinions about various characters. These do not extend to the actors, who I’m sure are lovely and should be treated with the dignity, privacy and respect that they deserve.

“Fuck John Walker” was originally meant to be the subtitle. I decided on it when he screwed up the op for Sam. It got ungraded during the final scene, because nothing else could possibly compare as a necessary title to this post.

Essentially, some (out of order) thoughts on episode 4:

~*Sam and Bucky, working together*~ (pretend this is a musical jingle)

The contrasting ways that they interacted with the displaced

While the incredibly valid argument can be made that Sam is the least privileged of the group (I’ve made it) it is obvious that he has had the most structured civilian life: approaching the people he comes across openly. Yes, he is polite and calm, but the closest thing to this he has personally come across in the past (that we know of) would be the war vets he worked with and the critical difference is that they wanted to be there. From what I remember of Sam’s groups they didn’t seem to be a sort of mandatory requirement: you came because you chose to. Or at least, you came prepared for the situation. Here, Sam is an outsider and an unwelcome threat. These people are not going to open up to him.

Bucky is quieter, but still quite straight forward in the way he presents himself. I think he may show a little more care for the environment he is in than Sam but that isn’t saying much. Yes, he has experienced much worse things than Sam but we still see his unfamiliarity with this sort of situation paired with some less than stellar social skills really not working in his favor.

Look, I love both these 2 to death. But this is not what they know.

Zemo on the other hand quite likely lived in a place similar to this after his family was murdered. He shows an understanding of how this sort of situation would work, going to children who:

a) wont necessarily peg him as an outsider

b) are bribable

also I think he was genuinely super glad to give those kids that candy and money. He would have been such a good dad. now I have Zemo feels. somebody help me.

The inclusion of the Dora Milaje was incredibly awesome, and not just because I simp for powerful women. Narratively, this was the perfect place for them to join the party and assert their right to apprehend Zemo.

Bucky speaking Xhosa (i think it was?) is very cool

I would like to take this moment to formally state that Caption John Walker is a motherfucking asshole.

It was also really nice to see Sam’s therapist skills, that worked against him earlier really help him here.

I liked seeing that more human side of Karli, and having her interact with the “enemy” and have serious conversation about what everyone is doing.

Until Captain Insecurity has to destroy the op because he doesn’t trust the people he chose to work with, no one has comms or anything I guess?

Also Walker deferring to Bucky for team decisions over Sam, talking over Sam and acting like he knows better than Sam?

I smell racism in this Chili’s tonight

It was also really interesting to get a more in-depth look at how Zemo views supersoldiers. Nearly all the ones that he has either heard of or interacted with (destroyed) had either volunteered for the serum or were so brainwashed that it didn’t make a difference. These people are a dangerous enemy to be eliminated, alongside people like Dr. Nagel. His entire worldview is focused on their destruction that the idea that one of them could be a normal person is impossible to him. The only exceptions acknowledged are Steve (paragon of saintly virtue) and Bucky.

And the fact that after his family died and his country devastated he would most likely have fixated on both the Avengers and the “concept” of a superhuman being as something to blame for his loss. His refusal to concede his position to Sam isn’t just arrogance, although that seems to be a part of it, but the fact that he has spent so much time and energy in destroying both the Winter Soldier program and most likely other similar operations, along with the Avengers that this hatred and belief in the danger has most likely become one of his core beliefs. To change this would be to question his vendetta against the Avengers, to question his actions against the Winter Soldier program which he knows was a horrible thing, and to question why he has spent the past seven years in maximum security prison. This isn’t something he is ready to do yet.

The fact that Bucky is a noted exception is something that stands out to me. Zemo knows that Bucky is a good person, regardless of the serum.

Bucky is also the only main character (that I can think of) that was injected with the serum against his will. The fact that he didn’t seek it out could quite likely be part of the reason that Zemo doesn’t look down on him for it - it is framed that the sort of person that seeks out that sort of strength/power would be a “supremacist”, someone who would use their abilities to harm and subjugate others.

And while we are at the apartment may I say how funny it is to see Zemo just. Literally being Sam and Bucky’s sugar daddy. He transports them and houses them and makes them fancy tea. It’s possible he’s providing them with clothes. Either way, love it. Cannot wait for the boys to work it out.

Sam and Lemar’s responses to being offered the serum are an interesting juxtaposition to how they view the concept of supersoldiers. They have both experienced hardship and survived war but Sam is the one that has gone up against Gods and monsters and he wants none of that, thank you.

And Lemar is so comfortable with saying yes because it isn’t actually being offered to him. Walker expresses some hesitation in their discussion because for him, it isn’t hypothetical. This is something real that can and will effect him for the rest of his life and he wants to make the “right decision”.

The return of Erskine’s belief that the serum not only effect the physical but the mental, emotional and (possibly?) spiritual. This isn’t something that’s really been touched on outside of The First Avenger and I liked that it turned up here. But the fact that it was the reason Walker felt comfortable taking the serum? Eww

The Dora Milaje kicking names and taking ass is super awesome. They are so incredibly skilled and have such amazing teamwork and are also super beautiful I love them

Sam and Bucky just. Watching. Enjoying the show. Absolute kings.

Zemo being the sneaky little sneak that he is :)

One one hand, Bucky losing his arm in the fight was very awesome. One the other hand, he has a long history of complicated bodily autonomy in relation to that arm so........ Neutral opinion it is then

Karli, honey, I really want to like you but can you please keep the mans family out of it. Okay?

And another thing that this show made me think about: kids left to fend for themselves after the Blip (uuuurrrggh it hate calling it that. stupid canonical name). I think it’s good that at least some people took it on themselves to take these children in, to give them good lives and families.

The way that Sam has incorporated his wings into his combat style is very cool

Okie dokie can’t avoid it forever lets get this over with.

LEMAR MY BEAUTIFUL SON NOOOO

those fuckers (the writers i mean)

Side note: did they really have to make the first main character death of the series a Black “sidekick” character? No. No they did not.

Side side note: I understand that this is a perfectly valid way (ew) to “advance the plot” but I can and will be annoyed about it

And now we really get into the shit. But...........................

As much as I absolutely unequivocally hate John Walker I actually like the thematic parallels of how they did this. All throughout The First Avenger Steve is adamant on how he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, he just wants to stand up to the bullies. It’s only after Bucky dies that he says he wants to kill all the Nazis and really get into the horror of it all. The fact that John, who has absolutely been on the edge for the entire episode if not longer, only loses it after Lemar dies?

Because Lemar is arguably meant to be that stand-in for Bucky in the eyes of the public, and they are obviously close friends..........

Just -

I feel I may have accidentally been slightly nicer than I planned to Walker in this post. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

But C****** J*** W****** is NOT Captain America. Up until now I’ve been calling him “Fake Cap” in my head and to my family, but he doesn’t even deserve that honor.

And the blood on the Shield. Dear god that was horrible.

And the fact that, as it was pointed out in this very episode, this man fully represents everything that is Captain America, to the world. He isn’t only tarnishing his own legacy, he is also destroying Steve’s. And to some extent, Bucky’s. The whole reason that Bucky Barnes is considered a “Superhero” is because, at least in America he is known as “Cap’s Best Friend”. He was marketed that way for over half a century, and after the whole “Winter Solder” thing, goodwill or no, brainwashing or no, this could end very ugly for him. Not to mention that Steve Rogers is most likely to be forgotten to history in favor of this freak.

And on that note, where the fuck is Steve? This is set only 6 months after Endgame, if he had died we would know. So what the hell is he doing? Because I know he got perpetual brainrot going back in time to be str8 and boring but dear god if the show tries to tell me that he’s just chilling in some senior’s center in Alaska I will actually call bullshit. Steve Rogers would never. Okay this is a whole separate post on my thought on Steve. Watch this space I guess.

And while we’re all here, Bucky Barnes needs a goddamn boyfriend. I’ve done some thinking, and here is a compiled shortlist:

Sam

Zemo

De-aged Steve (he would be higher but I’m still mad at him for the whole “vanishing without a word to relive Jim Crow and the Lavender Scare. :/ )

IN THAT ORDER.

That’s all folks.

Feel free to send me asks if you want clarification or extra details on anything.

And finally -

the thing we all came to see:

FUCK

JOHN

WALKER

fin

#john walker #steve rogers #captain america #sam wilson #bucky barnes #helmut zemo #zemo #tfatws #the falcon and the winter solider spoilers #karli morgenthau #dora milaje #tw blood #tw violence #tw death #cw racism #thats all folks

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haileymorelikestupid · 4 years

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i rewatched blake’s de*th scene and lemme tell you there’s so much to talk about

first of all, i wanna talk about the pilot. i actually looked up the script to read it because i’ve read small parts from it whenever people post it on here but that’s it. in the script, it’s written that, while scho is getting the water, blake is trying to comfort the pilot and calm him down, and the pilot is speaking in german. according to the script, he says, “please help me, i don’t want to die.” when i watched the scene this time, i turned subtitles on to see if i could catch it, but the only thing i hear and that pops up in the subtitles is “nein”. i’ve talked about this before with @softschofield, about what the pilot may have been thinking and why he stabbed tom. this honestly raises new questions for me – he doesn’t want to die and asks for help (or does he, since he seemingly doesn’t say the words in the film, at least not that we can understand), so why does he stab tom? that is honestly a fascinating concept i’d love to analyze more, but for now imma continue.

next thing – the way scho cradles blake’s head. when he first presses his hand to the wound to stop the bleeding, his hand goes to the top of tom’s back, likely for leverage more than anything. then, as tom cries out and begs him to stop, he moves his hand to cradle his head instead. so much is said in that one gesture. it’s his hand that stops tom’s head from going back any further, making sure he doesn’t hit his head on the ground, which is so so caring in and of itself. and of course, it’s an attempt at comfort. the way his fingers splay out and his touch is so gentle while his other hand keeps a constant pressure that is absolutely needed if there’s any hope of stopping the bleeding. the whole thing is paternal in its care yet also that of the affection of a beloved friend and it makes my heart ache.

you know what else hurts? scho’s absolute desperation as he tries to remind tom of what they need to do. you can just tell that he can’t think of anything else to say that would encourage tom to try and get up other than the thought of his brother. it’s not a cheap shot, per say, but it is scho grasping at straws to try and get tom’s attention and keep him lucid.

that only adds to the absolute devastation as tom seems to accept his fate, and in doing so, ends scho’s tiny bit of hope that tom could stand a chance. “you’ll recognize him,” he says, and scho wilts (though not in the way you might expect). his breathing changes, and though he’d been frantic for the past few minutes, he becomes frantic in a different way. his attention constantly diverts from his hand on tom’s wound, making sure there’s still pressure, to the barn when it collapses, and his gaze switches all around them for a few moments after that. it’s like, after the fight leaves tom, it starts to leave scho, too (well, this particular fight, the one that urges he save his friend. he recognizes now that that won’t happen). as tom loses lucidity, will loses his hope of keeping his friend alive (physically, anyways. tom never truly dies, in his heart, but that’s for another day). all he can do now is be honest with him and comfort him in his final moments.

but honesty, in this moment, does not exactly come easy for will. he doesn’t even think of lying to him, no, but it takes some thought to consider what he should say and how he should say it and some effort to get the words out. his chin drops to his chest, and he can’t look at his friend as he tells him he’s dying. but he looks at him after. he waits to see how he’ll take it, ready to do whatever he needs to comfort tom. and i think tom’s reaction just hurts him even more. you can see it in that motion he does when tom starts to tremble even more and the sobs bubble under the surface. i don’t quite know how to describe it, but it’s this little breath that makes his shoulders rise up and down noticeably, and he pulls blake closer. it makes me wonder what scho would have done if blake’s reaction was different, or if he had wants or expectations for how he would react.

i’ve talked about the photo before, so i won’t touch on that much this time, but what i really notice at this point is tom’s breathing. it’s wheezing and rattling and wow i don’t like thinking about it much. oh, and don’t think about how scho moves his hand around so much and how tom is laid in his lap but it seems like it isn’t close enough given how much scho keeps pulling him closer, little by little.

next up on the pain train is tom’s “i wish that… i wish…” do you see the look on scho’s face while he waits for whatever will come out of tom’s mouth? he’s clearly hanging onto every word, because he knows any of them will be blake’s last, but it’s like he doesn’t want to hear this part. because what could follow, “tell my family i love them and i wish…”? what does a dying man wish for in his final moments as it concerns his family? usually, their presence. their comfort. but i don’t think tom would want will to tell his mom, “he wishes you were there when he died.” that isn’t what tom wanted. the only thing i can really think of is that maybe tom wished he hadn’t enlisted after all. i think he was finally wishing he would have just stayed home with his mum. but, even then, i don’t think he fully wanted that – that’s why he didn’t say it.

but that would explain why scho suddenly can’t look at him, though he’s undoubtedly listening. does he wish tom stayed home? yes, mostly, because a boy like tom doesn’t belong in a war like this, doesn’t deserve a death like this, caused in part by his own kindness. it means that he wouldn’t have met tom though, and i think he struggles with figuring out whether that would have been for the best.

we’ll never know though, will we? and boy doesn’t that hurt

and here’s where i’d like to finish – what i think tom’s final thoughts consisted of. not fully formed, no, he was nowhere near lucid enough for a stream of consciousness, but he could still conceptualize things. the last thing he sees is scho, since he looks up at him to meet his eyes when he begs him to talk to him, and then he closes his eyes as he listens. scho’s grip is the last thing he feels besides the pain, pulling him ever-closer to comfort the both of them in some infinitesimal way. the last thing he hears is of his brother. at first, i was so caught up in the parallelism of scho’s description (“just like you, a little older”) that i didn’t immediately take tom into account. the last thing he hears and acknowledges is “brother”, based on his little nod. after that word, i don’t think anything else registers, even as he takes one last, shaky breath. tom blake dies with the vision of his best friend and the conceptualized image of his brother as the last thing on his mind (two of the things, the people he loved most in this world).

there you have it folks. a nearly 1300-word analysis of tom’s final moments. i can see myself out now, if you’d like.

#1917 #1917 film #will schofield #lance corporal william schofield #tom blake #lance corporal tom blake #george mackay #dean-charles chapman #film analysis #these always hurt me but i also love writing them #come cry with me!#i love this movie so much its not even funny

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honestlyhufflepuff · 5 years

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Mr. Universe Breakdown

I just had a lot of feelings about tonight’s episodes, so come with me while I attempt to process them.

Ice cream and pie for dinner is great, but you can kind of tell Steven is eating it more for his dad’s sake than his own.

The entire "Dear Old Dad" callback is so sweet, imma cry.

I love how Steven is this nearly adult drool-snoring with his mouth wide open in Greg's van and Greg still looks at him like he's the cutest child ever.

Alright, this expression with that weak laugh was the first hint we get that Steven is not totally into this. He's trying, but it's getting wearing.

Trying on tacky convenience store sunglasses and Greg noping out of the bathroom were peak moments.

Matching icons, anyone??

Greg, you live in a van, how are your standards that high?

Also, I wasn’t expecting Guacola to have a callback. No redemption arc for that abomination of a beverage.

“Dad, you’re rich, you don’t have to steal!”

I love how Steven just immediately assumes his dad is taking him to steal stuff. I’m doing this react on my second watch through, but I immediately knew this was the house Greg grew up in.

There’s a picture of the barn in the hallway! And a “Love Lives Here” sign. Oh no, is that this Universe’s equivalent to “Live, Laugh, Love?” Here I thought Greg avoided his parents because they were toxic or abusive, but it turns out they’re probably just super lame and cramped his style.

“Sorry for breaking into your lovely home. You seem like such nice people, with excellent tastes.”

First watch through, I totally thought this was a sarcastic little teen snark comment. Because come on. This decor is the quintessential representation of dated-grandparent-mild-hoarder-chic. On my second watch through, this seems utterly genuine. This house represents a peaceful, happy, stable life that Steven’s never known, and that he thinks he never will. He has so much longing to take in every single detail, before he even knows the people who live in that house are related to him. I had to take a break after writing that sentence because I got emotional.

He is more than strong enough to forcibly stop his dad from “stealing,” or to demand an explanation from him, but instead he goes off to write an “i’m srry we broke into ur house lol” note. Seems like he wanted a justifiable reason to explore this house.

Steven thinks later in the ep that Greg rejected a perfect life, but why would the parents not open any of Greg’s letters? Do they know about Steven? Do they care? It seems like they would care quite a bit, given that all of Greg’s memories have been preserved throughout the house, and yet no pictures of Steven, which tells me they don’t know about him. It’s not lost on me that Greg uses a PO box so they can’t find him (also because he still lives in a van). Is Greg repeatedly sending them checks so he feels he doesn’t owe them anything, and they are just refusing to cash them? I have so many questions.

Alright, so Steven is SO EXCITED to see Greg’s childhood memories. So excited to see his roots. To see his own connection to his human heritage. And Greg just shuts it down.

Way back in “Gem Harvest,” Greg saw how desperate Steven was to make a relationship with Uncle Andy work. And yet Greg did nothing to expose him to other human relatives.

In his attempt to grant Steven “freedom,” he just bound him and lived through him in a different way than his own parents did. If Steven’s upbringing was really about freedom more than Greg projecting his own issues, then Steven would have been given the option to have grandparents in his life. He would have gotten to decide if he liked meatloaf every Thursday and been given the chance to take road trips to their warm, lived in little house. It is a huge, glaring mistake that Greg never gave Steven that chance, especially after seeing how much he loved Andy.

“Leave that junk behind.”

Greg found the one memory he was looking for, and paid no attention to what Steven was drawn to.

“I get it, Steven. When I was just little Gregory Demayo I was going through the motions. Doing what everybody else wanted.”

And yet that’s exactly what he’s having Steven do. He’s literally having Steven walk in his footsteps to find himself in the same way he did, and he’s so lost in his own nostalgia that he’s not understanding that the reason that path worked for him was because he chose it. Steven’s way of breaking free and finding himself might end up being horribly boring and domestic to Greg, since that was something he never knew growing up.

This song is pretty tight, but Steven is not feeling it. Read the room, Greg. It’s like that “who wants to go a ROAAAAD TRIPPP??” line all over again.

“I don’t need this song, I need what you had...they can’t have been worse than mom’s family. I went half way across the galaxy for them, and THIS was right here??”

PREACH, Steven! He has always been so desperate for family. I’m getting so frustrated with Greg for denying him that choice because of his own hangups with authority figures.

Steven: You’re just like mom!

Greg: You grew up with actual freedom!

Steven: I grew up in a van!

Oh geez, stuff is about to go down. The leak did not prepare me for this moment.

“My problem isn’t that I’m a gem! My problem is that I’m a UNIVERSE!”

And here we see Steven shift from blaming his mom for everything, to blaming his dad for everything. And it’s so cathartic, honestly. It’s hard to be mad at Greg because he’s just so sweet and gentle, and rarely gets angry back at someone even when they are angry at him. And he genuinely loves the crap out of Steven. Even with all that, however, he is not blameless. And Steven has a right to call him out on that.

Scene breakdown: The driver’s side is totally crushed. The impact is enough that Steven was unconscious while Greg pulled him out of the car, and while he called for a tow truck. Think of all the impacts Steven hasn’t been knocked unconscious for, including all those hits from Jasper in the very next episode. If he was a normal human, Steven would have died on impact here. His gem probably was working overtime rapidly healing multiple fractures and internal bleeding in his brain.

And here’s where Steven starts to tune Greg out. I can’t help but see a parallel to when Aquamarine/Bluebird gets so annoyed with Steven’s relentless positivity.

I guess the talent of delivering all those cheesy motivational pep talks came from Greg. You know what, though? Forced positivity is just widening the divide between them at this point. Steven is not in a positive place right now, and he did his best to express why, but instead of owning up to anything Greg is just chalking it up to him “going through a hard time right now.” On the surface he appears sympathetic, but his response is ultimately condescending and invalidating.

And in the background he just talks about eating ice cream for more meals, like that’s going to fix everything. Like Steven didn’t just tell him that was the opposite of what he needed.

Even at this moment Greg never offers to connect him with his human family, when Steven has very clearly stated that’s what he wants.

I never would have thought a simple scene deleting a photo would be so tense. The building music, continuing to make Greg seem further away. The tired, bitter look in Steven’s eyes. This is like a villain origin story wtf.

Steven is slowly running out of people who he feels he can connect with. At the start of SUF it was the gems, and then it was Connie, and now it’s Greg. With that deleted photo he’s decided that Greg is no longer worth confiding in. He’s just another person who won’t listen.

I thought this scene would be the most painful one I saw tonight, until I saw Fragments...

#mr. universe #suf spoilers #su meta #su analysis #su reaction #steven universe

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monicalorandavis · 5 years

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Let’s all quit fucking around and give Renee her Oscar for ‘Judy’ now

I am several months late to the ‘Judy’ party. But due to a trip getting cancelled last minute I’m having a staycation instead of a vacation. (Tomato, tomahto!) Needless to say, I’ve got time on my side and I’m watching movies, baby. Time for Judy Garland, baby. Because that’s showbiz, baby!!!

I regret even joking about the razzle dazzle of show business because for Judy Garland show business, the very business she adored, also destroyed her. And that whole journey through the dark, twisted roller coaster of entertainment is sort of the thesis statement of this whole thing.

“The biz” was a cruel bitch to the greatest entertainer of all time. Her nic-name was Miss Show Business for crying out loud and yet when we meet Zellweger, playing the title character in ‘Judy’, she’s in the final year of her life, struggling to keep a roof over her children’s heads. She’s gaunt, exhausted, addicted to pills, alcohol and can’t manage to meet a decent man to save her life.

And instead of nitpicking every wrong choice that led her there, director Rupert Goold allows us into the plodding sojourn that was Judy Garland’s final tour in England. She’d lost custody of her children to ex-husband no. 3 and finally went across the pond where her fans were still willing to pay top dollar for the Hollywood legend.

But when she gets to England we peer into the sheer loneliness that encompasses the lives of the super famous. No friends to share dinner with, kids thousands of miles away, and vulturous men always lurking on the sidelines. It’s grim and bleak and you can’t imagine things ever getting so bad. And yet they were. But, again, and I have to stress this because some power of Judy Garland compels me to underline this as a fellow woman in the arts, this is not the story of how Judy Garland ended up broke. It’s the story of how she tried her damnedest to make enough money to get her kids back because we actors are tryers.

She was a relentless performer who tried. Over and over again. She tried and tried and tried. She tried to put on a good show every night and we watch Zellweger lose the battle to those cloying pills and that seductive martini until she quite literally falls on her face. No, she doesn’t pretend like it didn’t happen. She gets up and is booed off stage and she barks back. And then she gets fired and gets word that her children want to stay with their father in Los Angeles. The final twist of the knife. Zellweger delivers that final conversation to her youngest daughter with aplomb and grace. The Judy Garland we wanted to know - Judy Garland, the mother. Tortured, flawed, generous and loving. A sensitive, soulful singer who had to fight for every scrap of dignity she ever got.

And I kept finding myself wanting to change how things turned out. She was so, so good. So talented. So kind. So willing to give herself to the audience, to new friends. She deserved more.

In one scene, that gives me chills to even think about, she asks two male fans to dinner and they can’t believe their luck. Only after dragging Judy Garland around the streets of London all night in hopes of a meal do they agree to host her at their home just blocks away. She obliges graciously and, of course because a living legend is in your home, they totally ruin the meal. And she couldn’t be a more gracious guest. She eats the terrible, soggy eggs, then, sings while her new friend plays the piano and, then, comforts him when he crumples into a ball of tears, overcome by this grand situation he finds himself in. She knows, and we know, that these two men are gay and the point is not belabored or sentimentalized. Instead, Goold treats us, the audience, like grown-ups with enough context to understand how important Judy Garland was to the gay community. She was their patron saint. Be it all the struggle, the pain under the surface and the resolve to put one foot in front of the other and sing her heart out in spite of it all. A metaphor for being gay, perhaps. Her life and legacy meant something to the community and still does. (The Stonewall Riots occurred on the day Judy Garland died and I think it played no small part in pushing things over the edge that fateful day.)

What a fight it was to be Judy Garland. A star who’d been spit out by Hollywood. Any actress over 40 will tell you their version of the story. And maybe no one understands that today quite like the star of ‘Judy’, Miss Zellweger.

I don’t think Renee Zellweger’s ever been better. She fucking soars. She sings her ass off (and I didn’t know the bitch could sing, not like this). In some instances, the resemblance is so striking between Zellweger and Garland it baffles the mind to reconcile that you are not looking at the original Judy, herself. Somehow, Zellweger completely transforms even the expression in her eyes as if the thought process, or the experience, or perhaps even the torment, is the same between both starlets. How else can an actor arrive at the exact same place as the person they are imitating? How do you achieve not just a version of a person, but the person, themselves?

I do not know what spiritual voodoo Zellweger achieved (move over, Christian Bale!). But this performance is an achievement of the highest order. I imagine Garland herself, at times her toughest critic, would be thrilled to watch the film even in its hardest moments.

Because Judy, and I suspect Renee, are consummate performers. Completely engrossed. Not engrossed. Obsessed. No, not obsessed. Addicted...

Judy Garland was completely addicted to the stage. Yes, Lady Gaga coined “I live for the the applause” but that’s only because she did her homework. Any diva in training gives their respect to the o.g. Judy Garland devoted her entire heart and soul to her performances. Often to her detriment, and to the detriment of those around her.

To be so completely talented, I imagine, is a curse to the performer. And when you’re a mother, a curse to your children. The performer’s gift has the power to kill them. It can drive them to the brink of self-destruction. The pressure and the anxiety of not performing at the same level again and again, night after night, drove Judy to the brink. The pills and the booze became absolutely necessary.

Years ago, I recall news stories about Renee Zellweger suggesting addiction and anorexia. She had wasted away, rumors swirling of drug abuse chased her - she’d been branded with a scarlet letter.

And then, I saw her in person, in Santa Monica. I was inside a Barnes and Noble bookstore (a rare occurrence nowadays in the era of dwindling brick and mortar). She was skin and bones. I barely recognized her. She looked...deranged. Her eyes were bulging nearly as much as the veins in her neck. I didn’t know why she was so distraught but my eyes fixed on her like a cheetah staring down a gazelle. She was just on the other side of the glass, and then she locked in on me. Suddenly, she was the cheetah. She stared at me, then a sour look fell upon her and she dashed away. I was shaken. I had never felt so judged by a famous person before. I had never shared such a fraught moment with a star of her caliber. But then, I wondered, maybe she hadn’t been looking at me at all. What if the glass was opaque and she wasn’t staring at me at all? What if she was looking at her own reflection that whole time? Could it be that she stared at herself that way, with that loathsome look in her eyes?

And now my heart breaks because I do believe she saw herself. She saw something in herself that she couldn’t stand and she fled from the reflection. Just like Judy would’ve ran. Just like Judy.

I’ve asked so many questions and I apologize but I must ask a few more:

What if Renee Zellweger doesn’t win an Oscar for ‘Judy’? Oof. Yes, I remember that she won for ‘Cold Mountain’ in 2004 but it was sort of payback because she’d been nominated for ‘Chicago’ in 2003 and was a shoe-in (but lost) and even that had been a sort of a gimme nom since she’d been nominated in ‘02 for ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’ and lost even after she stole the entire world’s heart.

In a parallel way, Garland was famously snubbed for a ‘Star is Born’ in 1955 when she gave the performance of her life and lost to the quintessential Hollywood beauty, Grace Kelly. After a lifetime of comparisons and cruel remarks about her looks, it had to feel like a stab to the heart to lose to the pretty girl, the princess. Poor Judy. She just wanted to be beautiful and thin. But instead she was talented and charming. And that’s not to say she wasn’t beautiful and thin, she just didn’t fit the stupid, totally arbitrary model of beauty. And she eventually wasted away to a skeleton. Why did we do that to her? Why do we do that still?

I don’t know. But I do know that Renee Zellweger should win this god damn Oscar.

#judy #judy garland #wizard of oz #renee zellweger #oscars #oscars 2020 #grace kelly

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