#i would need a whole ass barn yanno.

[brothfan1997]

i feel like being a dragon type trainer would be the pokemon universe equivalent of being a horse girl because the whole thing would just be so complicated and expensive. there’s just no way someone with a dragonite or a salamence is ever going to shut up about having a dragonite or a salamence. something about owning a huge beast

[desidarling123]

FATWS Episode 4: A Definitive* Rank Ordering of Most Interesting Character Arcs, from Yours Truly

(*And by definitive I mean completely subjective, but yanno.)

IF YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR FATWS. SCROLL AWAY NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT EM.

Now let's get into it:

1. John Walker

Let me start by saying -- the near-universal John Walker hate from fandom has always been largely undeserved, and that's a hill I'll die on. It comes out of, I think, a visceral sort of need to slot him into an easily understood black-or-white binary when, truthfully, he is neither, and I think this episode was the BEST example of that. The sheer range he exhibits in such a short time -- a handful of character moments and action sequences in the larger fifty minute episode -- serve to humanize him in a way that's messy and intense and very, very real.

Because MAN. Whether you were already sympathetic to John's plight or not, the death of his partner, Lemar Hoskins, is viscerally disturbing. There's no other way to put it. FATWS has not shied away from some pretty crazy onscreen kills, but this one was arguably the worst in how brutally mundane it was. Lemar was in the wrong place at the wrong time -- a man fighting amongst a whole room of super soldiers. He never stood a chance -- and yet, he still jumped in harm's way to save his best friend, a man in whom he saw indisputable goodness, even when the man could not see it himself. There's an obvious Steve/Bucky parallel here, but with a much darker and more realistic twist -- not all of us, after all, can be lucky enough to receive super strength that could save our lives. Lemar was always a regular mortal -- and for that transgression, he pays the ultimate price.

And then. What happens after. Oh. My. God. I felt Walker's rage and hopelessness through the screen. The death of that Flag Smasher -- at the hands of Captain America, no less, a man he'd admitted to admiring as a child not ten minutes earlier -- was brilliantly executed.

With the final shot of the townspeople recording the brutal murder it becomes overwhelmingly clear -- we are witnessing the tragic fall of a man who was, for all his previous missteps, trying to be a hero. But John's moral compass just died a meaningless, horrible death -- and without him by his side, Walker has become a man unhinged.

2. Bucky Barnes and Ayo

I debated putting this one at number two because I'd argue there were some weird elements to the writing choices made (more on that in a sec), but, nevertheless. Bucky and Ayo get slot #2.

That flashback to Wakanda got me excited, but I didn't expect my heart to get shattered almost right away. Oh. My. God. His interactions with Ayo BROKE ME. There's so much nuance in a scene that’s incredibly well-acted by both Sebastian and Florence — you see both of them in a moment that is incredibly pivotal for the former’s character, and we see the latter reacting with sympathy, strength, and enormous grace. I had expected a scene like this to be with Shuri (given that we last saw her with Bucky in the post credits of Black Panther) but, given the context of what was being performed (a final test of the trigger words) having Ayo there made a lot of sense. She could take him down if need be — but as the scene so wonderfully shows, thankfully, she doesn’t have to. Instead, she’s there to let him know that for the first time in almost a century, he’s free again.

Now, let’s get into some of the unevenness. I had hoped, at the end of the last episode, that Bucky had at least informed the Dora Milaje of his liaison with Zemo — that, perhaps, it had been Bucky’s intent to hand him over all along. Alas, that was not the case — Bucky, it seems, had broken Zemo out with little thought to — or perhaps simply silent acceptance of — the consequences that would come with it.

This is the part, again, where the writing felt a bit weak. We know from the opening shots of the episode that Bucky cares enormously for Ayo — they’re not simply soldiers in arms, but they’ve shared a moment of immense vulnerability together. We ALSO know that he cares enormously for T’Challa, for Shuri, and for Wakanda as a country (see Infinity War, where he says “I love this place” in reference to his new home).

So that begs the question — why? Why did he betray them in that way, besides sheer desperation for a lead? And it’s not one, I’d argue, that we are given a satisfying answer to. Bucky has been reckless to an alarming degree in the last few episodes, but not informing Wakanda of his intention to liaise with the man who killed their king feels like a MAJOR tactical oversight. Is he willing to burn everything down to win this battle against the Flag Smashers? Are these his self destructive tendencies kicking in? OR, is he just truly so blinded by his emotions surrounding his past that he’s willing to throw away what could very well be his future? Only time will tell. But I hope he’ll do right by Ayo and Wakanda, as he clearly has a LOT to make up for.

3. Baron Helmut Zemo

God. I love Zemo’s psychotic, problematic ass. Say what you want, but the man is the most efficient of them all and he isn't a super soldier or an Avenger. Over and over, he shows that he's truly smarter than them and always has been.

He doesn't get personal. He doesn’t get distracted. He knows exactly what his goal is, and he executes on it. Mans didn’t hesitate to unload several bullets into Karli, and as soon as he figured out what the vials were, he destroyed all except one. Like I said, the most efficient person on the team. Has arguably done more to forward the cause against the Flag Smashers/continued existence of super soldiers than anyone else and it’s only been a few days. Between that, his god-awful dancing skills and him shooting the eugenicist scientist without so much as a blink of an eye, I think he's a man after my own heart. I’m almost sad to see him get what’s coming for him come next episode. (Because y’all, he did still kill King T’Chaka, and there’s no way the Dora leave here without taking him out on a silver platter and an apple stuffed in his mouth). But again, let’s see how that pans out.

4. Sam Wilson

WHAT are the writers doing to Sam, I swear to God? We didn't get too much introspection into where his head's at during this episode, and when we did the treatment felt uneven at best. I think, in trying to have him create a rapport with Karli, the writers have created some areas of commonality that didn’t always translate as they’d like. It was also weird to see Sam swinging from the well-earned cynicism of the previous two episodes to the sort of wide-eyed optimism Steve used to portray. Perhaps that was simply to try and show Karli an alternative, but as the episode showed, she clearly wasn't buying (though, in Sam’s defense, he came pretty close).

Something about Sam’s characterization in this episode didn’t really do it for me — I would argue episode one and two were both stronger in that regard. Nevertheless, I’m hopeful that they’ll correct it in the next one.

5. Karli Morgenthau

Her treatment is arguably the worst of them all. She is young, yeah, but she oscillates at an alarming rate between spouting class discourse that, by this episode, feels largely derivative (like someone scrolled on Twitter and put a bunch of keywords together in hopes of evoking an emotional audience response) and homicidal tendencies that show a brutal yet fundamentally messy underpinning. Unlike Zemo, she is still too easily confounded, and that will come to bite her in the ass sooner rather than later. (See: The Power Broker)

Perhaps I'm meant to be rooting for her on some degree but I really can't -- she's cruel and sloppy, which I cannot forgive.

Oh, and she killed Lemar Hoskins and threatened Sarah Wilson. Yikes.

Overall Episode Takeaway: A lot of shocking moments and great acting beats for everyone involved (arguably some of the best of the series thus far), but the weakness of the writing does crop up in parts. Whether they'll be corrected for going forward is to be determined...

UP NEXT: Meta pieces for Sam, Bucky, John, and Zemo all in the works!

[justgrits]

Between Clint and Barney, they swore I had been a reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. In their minds Wyatt was here by a major miracle. Wyatt and I had moved into the family farm which was also where Clint’s mechanic shop was. In the long run, it was great for Wyatt to have all these men around despite his father never being there. The day I met Steven Grant Rogers he walked up on my front porch with two blonde-haired beautiful girls, Steve’s twins. They were just a few months older than Wyatt and then I knew I was in trouble

Clint was walking out of the Garage wiping his hands off on a shop rag as Steve got out of the truck. Wyatt ran out of the garage holding a wrench “I fix it, uncle Clint!” He had grease all over his face his big brown eyes smiling up at the two men standing in front of him. Clint shook Steve’s hand before looking down at his nephew “you fixed it already, well then you’ll be glad to know we got a bunch more to fix. So can you go get us some more towels from mommy?” Wyatt handed the wrench over to Clint and nodded his head “otay” Wyatt ran off towards the big white house off to the side of the shop. Steve stood next to his truck watching the interaction of Clint and Wyatt and smirked. He could tell that Clint loved his nephew. “Hey man the boat will be ready later today if you want I can just bring it by when I’m coming to pick up the car. I can just leave the trailer here and we can do a good swap” Steve leaned back a bit as clint walked over to look at the old car on the trailer. Clint grinned over at his friend “that’s fine. Hell if you want to you can stay for dinner. My sisters back and I know Wyatt could use some friends. The girls would love him” unloading the car steve walked over to help him push the classic mustang into the garage. “Sounds good to me you know the girls would love anything that I didn’t make. Dad and I try to cook but I’d be better at learning Chinese” Clint laughed “maybe that’s why you need to get a wife steve, someone who can balance you out a bit and make sure those girls have more than a ponytail every day”. Steve smacked his lips at Clint “whatever man you know I don’t have time for a girlfriend the twins are hard enough and dads getting old. I can’t ask him to do it all. I need to hire someone for the shop though. Between payroll and phone calls I barely get time to do the work myself anymore.” Wyatt came running back in the garage with two blue towels in his hands. Smacking right into Steve Wyatt began to cry. Steve looked down as Wyatt ran into his leg and picked up the small boy. “Hey it’s okay” sitting him down on a nearby workbench he checked to make sure Wyatt wasn’t hurt and wiped away his tears “hey little man it’s all okay” Wyatt sobbed into Steve’s chest as he picked him up and Clint hit his head on the hood of the car he was currently under “dammit” Clint held his head as he went over to check on his nephew Wyatt held onto Steve’s shirt sniffling and mocked his uncle “dammit” he huffed as steve rubbed his back. Steve held in his laugh as he looked over at Clint. Clint shrugged “Bubba we can't say that remember” Wyatt nodded his head and looked up at steve “I sowwie I hurted you too” wrapping his arms around his neck he gave steve a big hug and wiped away the rest of his tears. “You meet mommy too? She like you” steve nodded his head “yeah buddy I’ll meet your mommy later okay I’ll even bring some friends for you to play with okay” Wyatt nodded his head and looked over at Clint who had now moved next to steve to take Wyatt. “Come on let’s go get you back to your mom” Wyatt reached out for Clint and nuzzled his face into Clint’s neck as he waved to steve “bye-bye I sees you later” Clint patted Steve’s back “6:30 man, I’ll see you later” steve nodded his head “bye guys I’ll see you tonight” steve headed back to his truck as Clint headed inside.

Clint had put Wyatt down for a nap after cleaning him up. He really loved having them around again. As he walked into the kitchen he smiled as he saw y/n listening to music as she danced around the kitchen while getting lunch ready. Clearing his throat he went to the fridge to get something to drink. y/n jumped hearing her brother behind her. She turned and tossed the rag that she had been drying dishes off with directly at his head “asshole you scared the shit out of me.” Clint laughed as he took a swig of the tea and caught the towel in his hand. “Would it be a day around here if I didn’t?” he questioned as he leaned against the counter. y/n rolled her eyes as she glared at her brother “dude you suck sometimes.” Clint covered his heart “ouch! Mean ass.” he set his cup down and crossed his arms “so I invited a buddy over for dinner, I’m doing some work for him and he’s fixing the boat for us. He’s got kids and those poor girls have to eat his crappy cooking all the time so I figured the least I could do would be to feed them correctly for once” y/n laughed as she turned to face Clint with a sandwich in her hand to give him “well he better be more behaved than Bucky he literally threw his arm at you while playing poker two nights ago.” Clint took the sandwich and laughed “he had like ten beers that night, what do you expect, shit happens yanno” y/n shook her head “taking off your arm and throwing it can’t be a thing, Rocket is gonna end up running off with it and we will never see it again”

Clint tried to hide his laughter as he ate “what do you expect we are marines like honestly, we can move poker night to a different house” Y/n shook her head she loved Clint and his friends but she loved to give him hell for it. “I love that these are the people you choose to have around your nephew. He’s gonna turn into a heathen like you and Nat” Clint rolled his eyes “we behave when we want to, but honestly Steve’s a good guy and his girls are even better. Hell, he might even have a job for you.” y/n raised her eyebrows as he looked at her brother “is that so? And what are you and barney going to do around here? What about Wyatt? You do realize Barney doesn’t know how to pay bills let alone taxes.” Clint shook his head “I can get Nat to pick back up on payroll and managing the bills around here. Also, you know Nat and Wanda are always willing to watch Wyatt for you. Nat just wants to spend time with her nephew, and even better I was planning to have her officially move in anyways. Just hear me out on it” y/n crossed her arms “fine I’ll hear you out but no guarantees”

Later that night

Clint had finished the mustang up within a few hours with Barney’s help so he was helping Y/n get everything ready for dinner tonight which included getting Wyatt to wind down. Currently, Wyatt was spread out on top of Clint with his feet kicking Barney. Wyatt loved being with his uncles. Y/n and Nat were in the kitchen getting dinner finished up. Y/n had changed out of her old shirt and jeans and into a nice pair of jeans and a tank top. Her hair was down and had some light makeup on. Nat could tell that she was starting to get happy again. Nat nudged her as she plated the last of the chicken. “I’m glad you moved back here. It's been a long time since I’ve seen you with a smile on your face” Y/n grinned back at her “I’m glad I did too, for a while I was just scared, Clint and I said some pretty bad things to each other when I got with Dylan and then Dyan and I just didn’t work out but I had made my life out there. But when Dylan died I just kinda lost it. Barney talked me into coming back and honestly things are getting better. Wyatt has really come out of his shell and I think that Clint is helping me get a job too.” Nat pulled y/n into a hug and grinned “I’m so proud of you and just know I’m always down to keep Wyatt for you, my future nephew needs to get spoiled by someone so it might as well be me” she winked as she took the last of the food to the table. Y/n walked to the living room to check on Wyatt. Bending down she placed a small kiss on his head “I love you my sweet boy” Wyatt grinned up at his mother and nodded “love you too mommy” as Wyatt finished speaking there was a knock at the door. Wyatt jumped up kicking Barney in the process and ran to the door. Y/n held back a laugh as she watched her brother fall to the ground. “I’ll get the door” trailing behind Wyatt she helped him open the door. She looked at the two girls at first, both about Wyatts age, beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes looking directly at her. As her eyes moved over to the boots beside them her eyes raised to meet Steve's, his eyes matching the girls she felt the air leave her chest as their eyes met. Wyatt was the first to speak “hiii” he waved his hand towards the girls before tugging on Steve’s shirt “you came back!” Wyatt clapped his hands excitedly. Steve had his hands on the girls' backs Ellie was excited to be back at Clint's place and Amelia was too. She loved spending time in the barn playing with the animals. Steve knocked nervously; he suddenly realized he had never met Clint and Barney’s baby sister. Once the door opened his eyes brightened at the woman in front of him. Wyatt who was at her side spoke first which snapped him out of his trance. Steve’s eyes roamed her body and he was shocked. No wonder Clint kept her hidden so long. She is breathtaking and her son is too. Remembering that they were still outside he reached in front of him “it’s nice to finally meet you, in Steve and these are my girls Ellie and Amelia” y/n smiled at Steve as she shook his hand “it’s nice to meet you too, I’m y/n and it appears you’ve met Wyatt already. Bending down she waved at the girls “hi Ellie and Amelia it’s nice to meet you! Are you hungry I made a whole bunch of food for ya” Ellie spoke as she nodded her head “you’re pretty!” She grinned as she took wyatts hand and went inside. Amelia smiled and waved as she hid behind her dad's leg. Standing back up Y/n moved to the side to let the girls and steve in “come on in dinner is ready”