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popculturebuffet · 8 months

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Mutant Month: The Marvel Super Heroes: Dr. Doom's Day!: Hawkeye is an X-Man Now (Patreon Review for Emma Fici)

Hello all you happy muties and welcome one and all, wether you fly, shoot rays out of your eyes, make pasta in your nose or your heart can shoot an all inspiring ray that teaches people how to truly love themselves and then explodes them inside out, all are welcome for a celebration of 60 years of the strangest heroes of all, the outlaws, protectors of those who hate and fear them, those undergoing a fall, the uncanny, astonishing, amazing, dark, immortal, red, blue, gold, black, and green, the

As I haven't remotely hid on this blog but will repeat for newcomers, I love the x-men. Their my faviorite superhero team and are easily my faviorite franchise in comics, with spinoffs from New Mutants, to X-Factor to X-Men red all ranking among my faviorite comics ever. I love these characters dearly and haven't covered them nearly enough on here so I decided to celebrate the 65th anniversary with mutant month... and while we're a few months late due to moving and such, this month happening was never in doubt and wills tand as a yearly celebration of all things x.

So to kick this off we've got an odd little note in x-men history, one I wasn't even aware of till asking my good friend emma what animated apperance of the x-men she'd like to cover.. and finding out their first wasn't on spider-man and their amazing friends like i'd thought but much earlier, on a show known for awesome theme songs, shoddy animation and not much else. Yes folks before costarring in the friendly neighborhood, before all the 90's tastic spandex, before 2000s teenage angst and awesomeness, and before the last gasp till a revivial of said 90s spandex, the strangest heroes of all became the allies for peace and teamed up with one of the first mutants to combat the greatest evil the world had ever known on a barely animated marvel cartoon. Also hawkeye was there. So join me under the cut if i've peaked your intrest as we inter the limitedly animated world of the sub mariner and his allies for peace on the marvel super heroes!

The Marvel Super Heroes wasn't just the first animated apperance of the x-men, but the first marvel animated series PERIOD. Create din 1966 and running for 65 episodes (with each episode having three chapters to it but seeming to tell a complete story). The series was made on a budget somewhere BELLOW a paperclip and a piece of string, a singular bottle cap. They simply scanned the actual comics, barely aniamted them, added some effects and for lip movements used Syncro Vox. For those unfamiliar with it Synchro Vox was a super cheap effect where they cut out the characters mouths and had real human mouths recite the words. And if you say "Well jee whiz jake that sounds like a styigan nightmare from the deepest depths of my subconcious" then your right on the money. There's a reason it didn't outlast the 60s.

As you can imagine this .. looks pretty bad and it's better ot just read the actual comics. The actors TRY, they do, but static, barely perserved images on a screen just can't match the panel work in the original jack kirby art. Congradulations Marvel Super HEroes, you found a way to somehow make JACK KIRBY ART not work. I hope your proud.

It's only lasting impacts are , and i'm completely convinced of this, serving as the inspriation for this incredibles short

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At first I thought it was cheap animation in general but knowing now this cartoon uses synchro vox and seeing this cartoon again.. yeah. Good on you crew for doing such an incredibly deep cut and making it work on it's own.

The other is the theme songs. The theme songs for the most part slap.

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YOu'll also recognize the Iron Man theme song as they used a jazzy instuermental in his film. And given it's the best of the bunch it's easy to say.

There's two themes missing from this. The first is the shows theme itself. Which is... a lot.

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I mean they did get namor down pretty down pat.

So kudos. Speaking of Namor his absence from that montage kinda speaks to him as a whole. As doe shis theme being a bit.. less than the others

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It's not bad, but you get they just didn't quite have Imperius Sex Machine as defined as the other 4. Captain America at the time was a man of action, who fought for the people and was a symbol of all of america has to offer. Iron Man was a playboy who kept people at a distance. Thor is a god full of the majesty and wonder that brings, and Hulk.. well okay Hulk's theme is just goofy but damn if it isn't fun and still gets the point across. But namors is "Look at him ain't he powerful. He rules a kingdom. So for those less familiar with the prince of the deep who might of missed wakanda forever, a quick recap: Namor started as a golden age super hero, one of Timely, the future marvel comics, first, and one of the big three of his day with the human torch, a diffrent one than the one who'd later flame on with the fantastic four, and Captain America. LIke most timely heroes he vanished to the sands of time for a while. So cue the Fantastic Four and the true birth of the marvel universe. And since Marvel coudln't just let their bigger names of days past simply lie around, they put the human torch moniker on our boy johnny storm. And once the fantastic four proved to be the hit they were, they decided to bring him back via this book to test the waters.

It's a clever return too: Naturally the person to bring namor back is Johnny Storm, the new human torch and spirtual successor to the original who Namor famously battled in the golden age. Johnny was a teen at the time and ran away from home eventually ending up at a homeless shelter.. and finding NAMOR. Turns out since wwII (an increasing gap but unlike most in comics one that dosen't need to be handwaved as Namor is immortal), namor lost his memory and grew a beard. Johnny uses his power to burn it off

And unable to convince namor he's a freaky fish guy dunks him in the bay. The good news is this brings Namor back. The bad news.. is this brings namor back, who sees his kingdom in ruins and wages war with the surface. The four are able to mostly repel him, and Namor ends up taking a liking to JOhnny's sister Sue. These became his primary character traits: wanting to lash out at the surface, and wanting to nail Reed Richards girlfriend and later wife. Seriously just a few years later the guy buys AN ENTIRE FILM STUDIO when he hears Reed's gone bankrupt simply to try and win her over. As other books sprouted up he'd appear in them, mostly to punch the hero or be courted by various supervillians to team up with them as he was the hottest guy in prom. And that's where the decision to make HIM the 5th pillar of this show really makes me tilt my head. Namor isn't a TERRIBLE character. He's not one I like a lot, but it's simply because outside of his stint with the x-men, where both Matt Fraction and especially Kireon Gilleon really nailed him down: arrogant, but not without honor, powerfula s hell and knows it and while certainly willing to go after someones partner does so because he senses a lack of passion. Dosen't make it okay. Also as seen above it shows his tastes are wide, varied and awesome.

The problem is most of the time he's just an angry fish man with a pretty standard power set and a fairly boring kingdom. Wakanda forever completely redesigning it really helped the MCU version.

But just thinking of the remaining superhero books they could use while fantastic fours rights were elsewhere, as were spideys, they still had ant-man and the x-men. (The avengers were around but were largely saved to adapt in cap and iron man's shorts). I get it to a point: Ant Man had recently been canceled and X-Men.. weren't exactly a hit.

See the early x-men adventures.. aren't great. Their not terrible, there's some good ones as i've read them, and it's not exactly a big secret in the x-men fandom or marvel fandom as a whole that while the CONCEPT for the x-men was great: a new evolution of mankind with powers, that next step being largely teens and young adults struggling to control them.. but Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had no idea what to do with this. Stan 100% created the concept of mutants so he wouldn't have to make up an origin for every superpowered villian or hero. You can only use good ole radation so many times before people catch on and Thor, Cap and Iron Man all had super unique origins that coudln't easily be replicated. The most they could do thor wise is bring in another god from another mytholgy with herc.

But it was at it's core just weaker versions of the kinds of stories he told elsewhere and fell HEAVILY into

Ant Man baffles me as while yes, his book was canceled.. they still had a WHOLE series to mine stories from with interesting visuals. He was still an avenger and he and jan played off each other decently when it didn't fall into Smilin Stan really not knowing how to write women.

SO I KINDA get it as Namor was more the default.. but it still felt like a weird choice given they didn't have mcuh to work with where he wasn't the villian and actively seemed to refuse to adapt any story where he was. IT was just an odd choice to pick someone who at the time was mostly an outright villian and most of whose character arc from that was in books they woudln't use.

So when you have to use WHATEVER you can, what do you do? Well if your this show.. you do something profoundly bonkers and hilarious.

The Actual Episode:

So.. this episode is a mighty marvel frankenstien's monster.

NO not him. He wasn't around yet. NO this episode is clumisly stitched together from two diffrent ff issues. Fantastic Four #6 and Fantastic Four Annual #4

The first makes sense as it features Namor teaming up with one of marvel's best villians who they apparently could use in both shows: Doctor Doom. They simply had to replace who his nemesis were. And that of course is where our futuraly uncanny x-men come in, simply slapped into the baxter building and given the ff's reputation and relationship fighting doom. Oddly they woudln't actually fight doom during the 60's like everyone else. Eventually though he did leading to this awesome cover

Granted FF writer at the time John Byrne didn't like the story because Doom was tricked by X-Men enemy and my boy arcade and tried to retcon it but that's a story for another day.

Point is the X-Men hadn't fought doom.. but given they were more generic superheroes at the time having them step into the ff's roll actually makes a lot of sense. And they even had some panels they could use from the x-mens series of them battling namor.

Yeah for some weird reason they decided instead to mash this story.. with FF Annual #4, the wedding of Sue Storm and Reed Richards. An issue that I haven't read but i'm bound to cover eventually for my annual February superhero wedding special

It is famous enough for me to have the gist though: Sue and Reed get married but this being a superhero comic, some action gets thrown in. In this case Dr. Doom decides to gift them EVERY SINGLE AVALIABLE SUPERVILLIAN in the marvel universe. That's not hyperbole. Pretty much every villian who could from street level guys to the big bads like Kang showed up to try and beat the shit out of the ff.. but this being the wedding of two public super heroes, every super hero in the marvel universe short of spidey (who didn't seem to show up, loner that he was). IT comes off at least from a distance as a big old celebration not just of the happy couple but of how much the marvel universe had grown.

As a result though the first half of this episode is just a lot of fighting and feels really disjointed esepcially once the ff #6 adaptation kicks in as there's never really any resolution to the "all the supervillians are given a subconcious signal to fuck with my arch enemy's wedding day. " part of the plot. Or here it's because the X-Men are getting a major award. Which is nice given how their usually treated.. but for some reason here their called "the alliance for peace".

Look if you had to rename the x-men, and why on earth would you even back then at their weakest, why not the peace patrol, the peace posse, Cyclops and those other 4, the Beast Brigade, the Merry Mutant Marching Society, Not-The Fantastic Four, The Fantastic Five, The Sesnational Six, Uncle Charlie's Funtime House Band, Scotty Dosen't Know, The Teen Angels, The Alps, The Marvels, The Recess Monkeys, Code Yellow, The Mutants, XX-Men, The New Justice Team, Fruit Punch, We Hate you Please Die, Hated and Feared, Diaper Time, Stars and Garters, or Suck it Erik? Did they only have 5 minutes? I did and I came up with all of that, so how.

At any rate the first few minutes is just a lot of fighting. Again they HAVE an issue with namor. I get not wanting ot use all of it: Wanda and Pietro were still in the brotherhood of evil mutants at the time and it was back when Magneto was less "one of the most complex, compelling and awesome characters ever" and more "Dollar Tree Doctor Doom". But you HAVE PANELS OF THESE CHARACTERS FIGHTING NAMOR

There's also some with beast. So there was more than enough to do that and still use bits from ff #4. Just have doom narrate he's having mole man attack them. Instead once the fighting stops most of the x-men vanish, widdling down to just xavier who, thanks to using the wedding panels, is in his best baby blue prom tuxedo.

Oh and instead of just angel and professor.. we also get the greatest of all x-men, king of kings. Hawkeye. Yes for no reason other than they could crop other characters out easier probably, Hawkeye shows up a lot in the second act and is implictly a member of the defenders of peace. So in this reality, playing Mephisto's Advocate, either Hawkeye's a mutant with super sharp aiming ablities, or Hawkeye came to the X-Men to tie one of them up to prove he could join them instead of the avengers and Xavier was like "Fuck it come on in bud."

The rest of the ep is.. fine. Namor is asked to team with dr doom, then is betrayed by doom. We do get some awesome over the top stuff as Dr. Doom needs to use the grabber to pull the x-baxter building into space. So namor SWATS MEOTRS AWAY then chases Dr. Doom and ethan hawke into space and somehow survivies. IT's the cheesy kind of fun I want

So yeah.. for a first x-men in animatoin apperance this is pretty bad. Their barely featured as a team, Jean hardly gets to do anything, and it's two stories that just don't work together welded together. We have to assume at the end new york just.. burnt to the ground because Dr. Doom left all the other super villians int he world on. Or like the actual story the watcher just said "Fuck this' and ended it. Either way it's a pretty bleh episode and even the weird as hell way the x-men are used dosen't give it much of a recomednation.

Thankfully next up in x-men month we have something a bit more fitting as it's time for one of the greatest x-men stories of all: God Loves, Man Kills. Thanks for reading.

#x-men #animation #namor the sub mariner #cyclops #ice man #jean grey #charles xavier #hank mccoy #beast #angel #warren worthington #bobby drake #doctor doom #victor von doom

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ecoamerica · 23 days

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Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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shmaptainwrites · 9 months

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Angel [Francis Mulcahy]

Pairings: pre-seminary!Francis Mulcahy x Maura Samuel (fem!OC)

Characters: Francis Mulcahy, B.J. Hunnicutt, Maura Samuel, Kathy Mulcahy, Gregory Mulcahy (OC), Sean Mulcahy (OC), Thomas Mulcahy (OC), some other OCs that aren't super important

Summary: Francis Mulcahy has yet to experience many things, but love isn't one of them.

Warnings: MCD, angst, sadness, hurt comfort, abuse mentions, descriptions of injuries (please lemme know if I missed something)

Note: Okay so of course I just had to give my own take on Father Mulcahy's backstory, but I hope this interpretation is sad and angsty enough for you. Maybe some things in the story wouldn't realistically happen, but for the sake of the plot, I think we'll manage. Anyway, happy reading!

Father Mulcahy hated seeing anyone in the camp distressed, but it seemed that was all the war was offering. If it wasn’t the OR it was the conditions in the camp, and if it wasn’t that then it was missing home and one’s loved ones.

“This is hopeless,” B.J. sighed and shook his head.

“At least you have your wife to go back to,” Hawkeye grumbled. “I fell in love, actually fell in love and now she’s gone.”

“I know it’s hard now,” the Father tried to console his two friends, “but I promise you it’s possible to grow around your grief and how much you miss them.”

“No offence Father, but I don’t think this is something you have much experience in,” Hawkeye said.

Father Mulcahy chuckled humourlessly and shook his head. “A fair assumption, Hawkeye, but it’s not correct.”

“It isn’t?” B.J. looked at the priest confused. “But…you’re a priest.”

“I wasn’t a priest my whole life,” he said. “I didn’t attend the seminary until I was in my mid-twenties.”

The two surgeons quieted themselves before they said anything else silly and waited for the Father to distract them from their own feelings with his story of love and loss.

“What was her name?” Hawkeye asked.

“Maura,” the captains saw a warm smile come across the priest’s face as he unhooked a necklace from around his neck and placed it on the table to show them. “Her name was Maura.”

—

Philadelphia was always cruel in the winter to those who let it. Francis was not one to let the discomfort of the cold keep him from enjoying the cheer and spirit in the air.

Even in the evenings when he tucked his younger siblings to bed, each with a gentle kiss to their foreheads and made his way out to the small living room to sleep on the couch in front of the embers of a fire, almost nothing could wipe the small smile on his face. Almost.

When the door crashed open in the middle of the night and his father stumbled into the small home, Francis knew sleep would be futile. His mother had already drunk herself to sleep and his father would be expecting food, which they had none of, and someone needed to take the blame.

Francis waited until morning to leave the house. If he left in the middle of the night his siblings would worry and his father would get upset.

The cold air nipped his skin as he tried to best cover himself with the ratty old coat he’d had for years. There was never enough money to get a new one so he patched up the holes as they came as best as he could, but it seemed there was always another that would pop up.

He picked a lightly covered area to huddle under, wiping his glasses when they fogged up from his warm breath that he breathed into his hands to keep some sort of feeling in his fingers.

He squeezed his eyes shut and said a small prayer, hoping for a sign to lead him in the right direction.

What the right direction was, he didn’t know.

When he blinked his eyes open, he squinted through his water droplet-covered glasses when his eyes fell on a church. Normally they were open this time of year, the holidays always seemed to amplify everyone’s generous spirit. And even if it was nothing more than a warm place to sit he would be grateful.

He hobbled over to the large wooden doors and pushed one open with his shoulder. It was a little heavier than expected but he slipped in rather quietly. Just as he had suspected, warm air engulfed him and he instantly began to regain feeling in his extremities.

Francis took small, careful steps further into the church, examining the way the light from the overcast skies shone against the stained glass windows, a colourful sparkle spreading across the ground.

He sat in a back pew and out of instinct his hand reached out to take the Bible placed in front of him. His reddened knuckles were quite obvious against his pale skin, made even paler by the frigid temperatures outside.

“Can I join you?”

Francis blinked and looked up only to be met with a frightful jump and a hand covering a beautiful face. The lighting of the church seemed to glow around her head like a halo. Francis blinked twice to make sure he wasn’t seeing an angel.

“My goodness, what happened to you?”

“I-uh got into a fight,” he lied quietly and put the Bible back in its place. He looked away from the girl, not wanting to frighten her more than he already had.

He thought she had turned away to go find somewhere else to sit, but he was convinced otherwise when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He turned slightly to see the girl had sat down next to him anyway.

“Does it hurt?” she whispered.

Francis shook his head, another lie. His whole body ached and stung, but he was a man, he was supposed to be able to handle whatever kind of pain came his way.

“What’s your name?” she asked, brushing a finger across the cut on his eyebrow. He hissed quietly in pain and she pulled away, “You lied.”

“It hurts when you touch it,” he mumbled. “My name’s Francis.”

His parents called him John, but he preferred not to flinch each time he heard his name.

“Francis, I like that name,” the girl smiled. “Can I clean you up, Francis?”

He blinked a few times and found himself curling up even more than he already had.

“Alright, that’s okay,” she nodded. “We can just sit here.”

He relaxed a little at that and tried to get another good look to see if he could figure out anything about her.

Her clothes looked similar to his own, old, possibly hand-me-downs, but better taken care of than his. Her coily hair was twisted back into a low bun, and that along with everything about her exuded an air of modesty.

Francis only now became aware of his majorly hunched back and decided to try and sit straight. He was, after all, in the presence of a woman.

He picked up the Bible once more and flipped through the pages aimlessly, he used to enjoy coming to church as a child, but now it seemed he found himself less and less among the congregants in the pews. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had attended a confessional.

He looked over at the girl again and noticed how her eyes seemed to be closed in meditation, he wasn’t even aware of how intently he was staring at her until she called him out on it.

“How did you-,”

“Just a sense,” she chuckled and opened her eyes.

Francis tried to brush some of his hair off his forehead, but instead hit a bruise and winced.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to clean you up?” she asked. “Sister Carmen’s got a first aid kit somewhere.”

“Okay,” he nodded carefully, maybe this was the sign that he was looking for and he’d be a fool not to listen to it.

She offered her hand to him and he took it, his red knuckles warmed and soothed by the warm touch of her soft skin. They came to a room in the basement of the church, it wasn’t cold and dusty like most basements Francis had seen, instead, it was warm, organized, and bright. It seemed to be well used.

The girl dug around until she found what she was looking for. When she did she pulled up a chair and instructed that Francis sit in it.

He watched as she rifled through the first aid kit, pulling out what looked like a bottle of antiseptic and some cotton.

“You never said your name,” Francis said, he spoke a little louder than he had been and she smiled at his newfound confidence.

“Maura, but everyone calls me Mary.”

“Maura,” he repeated. “You look like a Maura.”

“And what does a Maura look like?” she chuckled.

He wanted to be cheeky and say you, but he decided instead to be truthful.

“Kind, caring… peaceful.”

She hummed contentedly at his description before giving him a warning about the antiseptic.

“Do you fight often, Francis?”

“Huh?”

“You said this happened in a fight,” she recounted. “So does it happen often?”

“Oh, um, I suppose so,” he nodded. It wasn’t a complete lie. Francis often frequented a boxing gym run by a church, the priest there taught them boxing but strictly as a form of exercise and self-defence. He supposed that meant he could use it in a fight against his father, but he was bigger and stronger than Francis, no doubt he’d get the better hand.

Francis would much rather not talk about himself, so instead he decided to fill the silence with questions before Maura could do the same for him.

“Are you a nun?”

“A nun,” she laughed. “No, why do you ask?”

“We’re in a church, I thought it would be safe to check,” he shrugged.

“I’m not a nun,” she reiterated, “but the sisters here raised me. I grew up around the church. Where did you grow up?”

“Nearby.”

“You’re a man of few words, Francis…”

“Mulcahy,” he filled in the blank that she promoted him with.

Maura continued to clean his wounds, when she finished she stood up and told Francis to wait a moment while she went and grabbed something.

She came back with what looked like an ice pack and sat back down in her chair. She placed it in her lap and carefully took off his glasses and raised the cold pack under his eye where a bruise had already formed. She held it there for a moment until Francis’ hand replaced her own.

His vision was blurry without the glasses, but even through the fuzzy glassy look through his own eyes, he could see how even the light in the basement seemed to all point towards her. Even without his glasses, he could see her clearly.

“You’d make a good nurse,” Francis said. “You’re much better at cleaning me up than I am. Or my little sister for that matter.”

“Thanks,” Maura chuckled. “How old’s your sister?”

“Fourteen,” he thought back to all of his siblings sitting at home and he swallowed his guilt knowing he’d be back soon.

“Do you have many siblings?”

“A few, I have some younger brothers as well. I’m the oldest.”

“Same. Oldest and only,” she teased. “Alright, I think that’s all I can do.”

Francis removed the ice pack from his face and handed it back to her.

“Thank you,” he said while standing up and Maura followed.

“Of course and thank you for trusting me,” she placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek and she let out a small giggle watching them turn bright red. “Just a little good luck to help you heal.”

That brought the smile back to his face and before he turned around to leave the church he asked.

“Will I see you around Maura…”

“Samuel. And…I’ll make sure of it.”

Francis gave her a wave goodbye before pulling his coat against his chest only to brave the Philadelphia cold once more.

—

“Well as I live and breathe if it isn’t Francis Mulcahy,” Maura grinned while leaning over the railing leading up the stairs of the church.

“Maura,” he smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi,” her features became soft, perhaps it was from seeing him in a better state than he was when she last saw him. “You’re looking well.”

“Trying to stay out of trouble,” he nodded and adjusted his glasses.

She walked down the stairs and met him at the bottom so they were truly face to face.

“How are your siblings?”

“They’re good,” he nodded. “Kathy did well on her school project so I saved up to get her a treat. And my brothers are rambunctious as always.”

“Lovely,” she smiled.

“C-Could I interest you in a walk?” he asked. “I just came out for a bit of fresh air and to stretch my legs.”

“You want to go on a walk with me?” she furrowed her brows.

He nodded his head, “Yes, why not?”

“I-um…I may seem optimistic at times, but I’m not naïve,” she said. “The other day we were alone in the church and you hesitated when I touched you and I’m not blind to our differences. I don’t know if you were just trying to be polite in letting me help you, but…”

Francis finally understood what she was referring to and quickly tried to explain himself.

“A-At the risk of sounding like a priest, I believe the Lord says we are all made from one man, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth. I believe that wholeheartedly. I hesitated because…well, I’m not used to having someone take care of me. I promise you it was nothing more than that.”

Maura looked down at her shoes, tracing a pattern in the snow.

“That did kind of make you sound like a priest,” she chuckled and Francis smiled, hoping now that she could trust him.

“I’d still like to walk with you if you’re up for it,” he offered.

“Alright, Francis Mulcahy, let’s walk.”

Francis offered his arm to her, an extra show of some sort of solidarity, regardless of their differences he really did want to spend time with her and he didn’t care who saw it.

Francis learnt more of Maura’s life, growing up in the church and now finally being at an age where she might be able to make it out on her own.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking, I’ve never lived alone before.”

“If you ever need a hand I live close by,” he said. “I know it’s not the safest neighbourhood, but the sisters at the church will surely still be there when you need them.”

“You’re right,” she nodded, “I shouldn’t worry so much.”

“Do you have a job?” Francis asked. “To help pay for rent and food?”

“Yes, I’ve been working at a restaurant nearby. I’ve saved up enough to hold me over for some time…hopefully. I guess you never really know nowadays do you?”

Francis nodded his head solemnly, he could attest to that. There would be nights when there would be nothing to eat and not enough wood to go in the fireplace. He and his younger siblings would go to bed hungry and cold because his father could never hold down a job. And it seemed like neither could he, otherwise, he’d leave and take all his siblings with him.

“I can’t wait for this weather to let up,” Maura switched the topic. “I much prefer the sun.”

“I don’t mind the snow,” Francis shrugged. “I think I’m used to it now.”

“You can’t be used to it if your hands look like this,” Maura chuckled, holding up Francis’ hand for him to see the contrast between pale, almost white, and red around the tips of his fingers and knuckles.

“I guess not,” Francis agreed.

“Here, let me see if I can warm them up,” she stopped in her tracks and held out her hands and Francis put his on top of hers. She started by trying to rub them, the friction creating a little warmth for him, but when it didn’t seem to be doing enough to her liking, she let her warm breath provide the rest.

“I’m going to owe you two favours now, you’ve helped me twice.”

“Don’t be silly,” she shook her head.

“Then what can I do to say thank you?”

“I’ll let you try and come up with that one,” she chuckled and linked her arm back with his as they continued their walk.

Francis thought long and hard about that, well past their walk and up until he was at the boxing gym, which is where it hit him.

In the middle of warming up, he paused and his partner looked at him curiously, asking why he stopped.

“No reason,” he shook his head and continued, but his mind wasn’t on what was in front of him.

Afterwards his time at the gym, he grabbed his coat and bag and ran out of the building to the nearest pawn shop. He knew it was a long shot, but if it was meant to be then he knew he’d find what he was looking for.

When Francis opened the door, a small bell rang and the cold wind pushed him quickly into the shop.

“Hey kid, it’s been a while, got something for me?” the shop’s owner leaned across the desk and Francis shook his head.

“I’m actually looking for something,” he said.

“What can I interest you in? Trinkets? Firearms? Jewelry?”

“Jewelry,” he nodded. “Do you have anything to do with saints?”

“A whole pile of em, come on we’ll see if we’ve got what you’re looking for.”

He brought Francis to another table and pulled out a tray, showing him the various rings, and necklaces he had for sale.

“You looking for anything in particular?”

He nodded and traced his finger along the inscriptions until he landed on exactly what he was looking for.

“I-I didn’t actually think you’d have one,” he said, picking it up.

“Saint Maura? Never heard of her,” he looked over Francis’ shoulder and shrugged.

“Neither had I until recently,” Francis said. “I-I have a friend she’s named after her.”

He took a moment longer to examine the necklace before looking up and asking,

“How much?”

“For you kid, a dollar.”

A dollar was a lot, but Francis knew what kind of deal he was getting. The necklace was worth much more than that and he’d gladly pay the price.

“I’ll take it,” he held out his hand and the owner shook it. They exchanged cash and Francis walked out of the shop clutching the necklace tightly in his hand.

A few days later, he sat in Maura's minimally furnished apartment, twiddling his fingers, waiting for the right time to bring it up.

“If I had known you were coming I would have tidied up a bit more or made some food. I-I don’t have much but do you want anything?”

“No, I’m fine,” Francis nodded. “Thank you though.”

“Of course, what’s mine is yours.”

He stood up and came to join her in the kitchen, pulling the necklace out of his pocket.

“Maura, I have something for you.”

“You do?” she turned around surprised.

“Yes, a little thank you for helping me out, and for your friendship,” he opened his palm and showed her the necklace and she carefully picked it up and examined it, much like he had when he bought it.

“Saint Maura of Troyes, w-where did you find this?”

Francis shrugged, with a small smile on his face, not wanting to reveal where he’d purchased it.

“Francis, I-I can’t accept this, it’s too much.”

“Please? It would make me happy,” he closed her hand and pushed it back toward her.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” he nodded.

“Would you help me put it on?” she asked, Francis nodded and took the necklace from her, wrapping it around her neck and clipping it for her. She turned back around so fast her skirt slapped against Francis’ legs and he grinned at her enthusiasm. “Francis, it’s beautiful.”

She kept looking down at the pendant and admiring the way it sparkled.

“And it reminds me of the sisters, I do miss them so much,” she had a soft reflective smile on her face. “They’re the ones who named me, you know? It’s perfect.”

“I didn’t know that,” he shook his head.

“I was taken to the church as a little baby, I wasn’t named yet so the nuns had to think of something to call me. I believe in the end it was Sister Carmichael who suggested Maura and everyone loved it. And I supposed it paid that my nickname ended up being Mary.”

“The church means a lot to you,” he noted.

“Very much,” she leaned against the countertop. “It’s the only home I’ve ever had.”

Francis reflected back, there were many times the church had its doors open to him and gave him one of his passions.

“Hopefully you can add this place to the list,” Francis patted the kitchen counter.

“As long as you keep visiting, I’m sure this place will feel like home.”

Francis always wondered what it was like to have a place feel like home. To him, the place where he lived was just a house, a building that tried to shelter them from the elements, poorly at that sometimes. To Francis, home was sitting with his siblings, reading two of his younger brothers a story as they slowly drifted off to sleep. Home was helping Kathy with her homework, sparring with his brother Gregory, the one closest to him in age. Home was something that brought a warm feeling to his heart and put a smile on his face, and standing with Maura, he felt both.

—

“Francis, you’re going out again?” Kathy asked, holding her books close to her chest, watching her big brother put on his coat and shoes.

“I’m going to try and find some odd jobs around,” he told her. “Hopefully I’ll make enough for dinner tonight.”

“Will you stay after?” she asked.

“I-,” he stopped himself, he had been absent lately. “Do you want me to stay?”

“I’d like it,” she nodded. “Thomas and Sean much prefer being put to bed by you.”

“I’ll stay then,” he gave her a small smile.

Kathy put her books down and wrapped her arms around her brother and gave him a kiss goodbye on the cheek.

“Thank you, Francis, for everything you do for us,” she said. “And I promise as soon as summer comes around I’ll start to look for a job.”

“Alright, but only a summer job, you should focus on your studies during the school year.”

“I know,” Kathy sighed. “What if I don’t even need to finish school? I could become a nun you know?”

Francis laughed at that and shook his head, “Finish high school first, Kathy, then we’ll see.”

He opened the door and slipped out of the house, going to make his usual rounds to see if there was any work he could pick up around the neighbourhood. Sometimes Mr. Johnson needed an extra hand in his shop on the busy days, other times he’d wind up fixing small odds and ends around people's homes, and a few times, as a last resort, he’d find some boxing club where people were making bets. The fighters always got a cut of the entrance fee and on occasion if he was very confident he’d make a bet and try to double his chances.

Today seemed like one of the slower days. By dinner time he’d made just enough to scrounge up something for dinner back home. A few cans of soup and some bread, it wasn’t much or glamorous by far, but it was food.

As soon as he got home, Kathy helped him heat up the soup on the stove and Gregory, cut the bread while he got the younger ones washed up.

“Francis, I already washed my hands,” Thomas whined.

“When?” Francis raised a brow.

“This morning,” he huffed.

“Sorry, buddy,” Francis chuckled, wondering how his little brother thought he could get away with that. Sean gave Francis his usual flick of water in his direction after washing his hands, making him take off his glasses and wipe them dry as he made his way into the kitchen.

His mother had come out to join them and so he got her a bowl first and served her some soup with a slice of bread. Each of his siblings was next and a bowl was set aside for his father for when he got back home. Whatever was in the pot was for him, often it was less than what he’d served his family members, but his siblings were all still growing and needed as much food as they could spare.

Kathy noticed her brother didn’t get a slice of bread and placed half of hers on his plate before taking her dishes to the sink.

“Kathy, I don’t need this,” Francis said.

“I’m full,” she shrugged and handed the bread back to him.

Francis knew she was lying, but he couldn’t deny his sister her wish. He was the last one to leave the table and was planning to wash the dishes, but Gregory pushed him out of the way.

“Come on, Francis, you've been working all day. I’ve got this. Plus, you’ve gotta deal with those two monsters,” he pointed to their younger brothers, running around the living room.

Francis nodded his head with a chuckle and patted Gregory’s shoulder, deciding to take a few moments to himself before trying to settle down Thomas and Sean. When he went to his room, he saw the Bible Maura had gifted him sitting on his bed and figured maybe reading might help him relax.

He didn’t realize how much time had passed until his mother came knocking on his door.

“John, it’s past the boys' bedtime; why are they still awake?”

He quickly shut the book and stood up, coming out of his room.

“I’m sorry, I must have lost track of time,” he apologized.

“Pay closer attention,” was all she said before retreating to her room where she spent most of her day.

“Yes, ma,” he let out a breath he’d been holding before rounding up Thomas and Sean into his room. “You guys have gotta start telling me if I miss your bedtime.”

“Why would we do that?” they asked and Francis shook his head, they were right, definitely the wrong people to be asking.

After they had changed into their pyjamas and brushed their teeth, Francis had picked a story to read to them until they fell asleep. Lucky for him, all the running they’d done that evening had worn them out so much that they were asleep within fifteen minutes.

Coming out of the room quietly and shutting the door behind him, he was going to head to the living room. He thought he was alone, but the lights told him otherwise. He assumed it was Gregory since he usually stayed up the latest of all of them, but when he entered he was Kathy sitting on the couch, flipping through the pages of his Bible.

“What are you reading there?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the couch.

“Just wanted to see what you were so engrossed in that you missed bedtime. You never miss bedtime.”

That was true, Francis was normally quite punctual.

“Find anything interesting in there?” he asked, coming to join her.

“I like this one you bookmarked,” she pointed.

“I actually didn’t mark that one,” he admitted. “The book was a gift. The person who gave it to me did that.”

“Why?” Kathy chuckled.

“It’s a bit of an inside joke, but I like that passage too,” Francis agreed.

“How come we don’t go to mass anymore?”

Francis wasn’t sure he had a good answer to that. It used to be something their mother would do with them, but these days it felt like she was withdrawing more and more from them.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Would you like to go this Sunday?”

“I think it might be nice. The boys haven’t gone since they were little.”

“Can you be in charge of making sure everyone’s got their church clothes ready then?” Francis asked. Kathy grinned in response, happy her brother was giving her something to be responsible over.

“They’ll be washed and ironed before Sunday.”

“Perfect. Now do you have any more work to finish up?”

Kathy sighed, “Yeah, but it's math.”

“Then you’ll be great at it,” he encouraged her. “We can read a bit together before bed once you’re done.”

“Fine,” she huffed and Francis laughed, bringing his little sister in for a hug and pressing a kiss to her forehead. He watched her fondly as she left, having always been close with Kathy, even when they were little. Their age difference was only six years, but he knew Kathy saw him as a father figure as well as an older brother, as did Thomas and Sean. He didn’t mind, he just found himself more and more missing the time when his parents were happy and he could just be their son.

Now at times, he wasn’t even sure if he recognized his mother and his father rarely ever had a kind word to say to him.

A little while after Kathy had gone to do her homework, Francis heard a quiet knock on the door and he got up to go and see who it was only to find that Kathy had beaten him.

“Sorry, is this the Mulcahy residence?”

“Yes it is, who are you looking for, it’s kind of late. My mother’s already gone to bed.”

“She’s looking for me, Kathy,” Francis said, coming to the door and motioning for his sister to go back and continue her work. “Is everything okay, Marua?”

“Mostly,” she nodded. “I-It’s stupid, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have come and bothered you.”

She turned to leave, but Francis gently grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“Mary, what’s going on?”

“It was just a hard day,” she whispered. “I thought it might be nice to see a familiar face and you said I could find you here if I ever needed anything.”

“Of course,” he nodded. “Here let me walk you home.”

He turned around to look at Kathy, the look in his eyes seemed to ask permission to leave and she just smiled and nodded her head. He mouthed thank you before grabbing his coat and stepping outside.

“Wait, did you walk here by yourself? In the dark?” he asked and she nodded her head. “Maura, it’s not safe here, you could’ve gotten hurt.”

“I figured I had someone looking out for me, she fiddled with the pendant to her necklace and Francis chuckled lightly.

“I admire your faith,” he said while offering her his arm and she rested her head against his shoulder.

“If it makes you feel better maybe you should teach me how to box,” she teased.

“You know that may just do the trick,” he said while giving her a little nudge and they continued their walk.

There was a long stretch of comfortable silence before Francis spoke up,

“Do you want to talk about what happened today?”

Maura shook her head, “I’d much rather just walk in silence with you.”

So that’s what they did, not a word was exchanged until they reached Maura’s apartment. When Maura caught sight of the clock she looked back at Francis and told him to come inside.

“Why don’t you stay here,” she said. “It’s so late. You can go home first thing.”

“Maura, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Francis rubbed the back of his neck.

“Francis, don’t argue with me on this. You won’t win.”

He looked down at his watch, she was right it was late, and if he made too much noise when he came back inside he risked waking up his parents and siblings who’d ask him all sorts of questions he didn’t want to answer.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” he gave in, “but I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I can live with that,” Maura nodded and opened the door wider for him to come inside.

She went to grab a spare blanket and gave him a pillow from her bed.

“Maura,” Francis started, after preparing the couch to sleep on. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

“Why did you come to me and not the Sisters?”

Maura paused what she was doing and looked down at her feet, asking herself the same question Francis had just brought up. Why did she go to him?

“I think…” she turned to face him. “I think I knew that you’d know exactly what to say.”

“Which was?”

She smiled fondly, “Nothing at all.”

—

Francis always enjoyed the walk to Maura’s apartment, he supposed it was because he knew he’d get to see Maura once it was over.

He opened her front door, knowing it would be unlocked now that she was back from work. She always left it unlocked until he got there.

“Maura, I know you hate it when I bring things, but I managed to get my hands on some really…” Francis paused when he saw her leaning over the kitchen sink, she hadn’t uttered a word since he’d entered. “Maura?”

No response.

He put his things down and took off his jacket before approaching her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Maura?”

No response.

This time, Francis carefully turned her around only to feel a lump forming in his throat at the sight of her.

Her lip was cut and bleeding and her eye looked more puffy and swollen than his had been the last time she patched him up after a bad fight. She had a few scratches on her cheek that made her look like she’d slid across the pavement and Francis couldn’t keep the lump in his throat down any longer.

“Who did this to you?” he asked.

No response.

“Maura, who did this to you?!” he raised his voice.

No response.

“Dammit!” he turned away from her. “Maura who the hell did this to you I swear they won’t see the light of day again.”

No response.

“Maura, talk to me, what happened?!” he asked.

No response.

Francis could feel his blood boiling. He didn’t know who thought they had any right to pick on an innocent person, Maura at that. He must have let himself boil over, because before he knew it his ranting and raving wasn’t just in his head.

“Francis,” Maura’s voice was barely above a whisper and he didn’t hear it over his own, not until she repeated herself, trying to get her voice just a little bit louder. “Francis.”

He looked over at her and stopped in the middle of his tracks.

The tremble in her lips, the tears budding in her eyes, her shaking hands.

He came over to her once more, holding her face gently in his hands.

“Oh Maura, I’m so sorry.”

Her tears spilled over and Francis quickly wiped them away before pulling her in for a proper hug.

“I don’t-I don’t know why I thought I could do this,” she shook her head. “Surviving on my own. I can’t do this, Francis! I can’t.”

Francis opened his mouth to say something, but he kept it shut. Right now she didn’t need to hear some big speech about how she was doing just fine and her independence was admirable. All Maura needed, and all Francis thought she might want, was someone to hold her while she felt everything she was feeling.

“I-What’s wrong with me, Francis? What does everyone think is wrong with me?” she whispered into his now tear-stained shirt.

“Nothing, Maura. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you,” he pressed a careful kiss to her temple.

“I wish you were right.”

Francis took a deep breath before lifting Maura’s face to look at him. He wiped away the new tears from her cheeks and wished so desperately that at that moment she could read his mind so that she could see all that his lips were failing to tell her.

How easy it was for him to reassure her, but he couldn’t even stop himself from asking those very same questions. Wondering why he wasn’t good enough for his father; for his mother.

And yet, he had always been good enough for Maura, and she had been good enough for him.

—

“Maura, this is the best meal I’ve had in ages, where did you get this food?” Francis asked while sitting across from her at her small makeshift dining room table.

“My boss was going to get rid of it so I asked him if I could take it instead,” she explained. “I wasn’t sure if my cooking was going to do it justice, but it seems it turned out just fine.”

“Fine is an understatement, this is delicious,” he grinned. “You’ve outdone yourself again.”

“Only for you, Francis,” she chuckled and reached out to hold his hand. “Plus I knew a special day was coming up for you, I figured this could be a part of your present.”

“Now how did you find that out?” he asked.

“Your sister. I asked the last time you brought her over.”

“Well, in that case, this is a good enough present for me,” he insisted. “A good meal is more than I could have asked for.”

“And I have extras for you to bring home. Can’t let your siblings miss out on this too.”

“An angel. You are an angel,” he squeezed her hand with a bright smile on his face.

“I’m just glad we have a chance to spend some time focused on happier things,” Maura admitted. “I think your birthday was just the occasion we needed.”

“If it makes you happy, then I suppose I can tolerate it this year,” he said while turning back to his food.

“You don’t enjoy your birthday?” she asked and Francis shrugged.

“I don’t dislike it, but as I got older I just couldn’t see the point of it, the presents, the focus on one person, it’s a little much.”

“What does your ideal birthday look like?” Maura asked, crossing her arms on the table.

“My ideal birthday,” Francis mused. “I think just spending time with my siblings and you. That would be my ideal birthday.”

“Good, we’ve got half of that right here,” she grinned.

After they finished eating they moved over to the couch, continuing their chat.

Over the past year of their friendship, Maura and Francis had found a love for discussing deep and profound topics. Each time they saw each other was another chance to examine philosophy, question the reason for their existence, and maybe even come to a conclusion or two about their own lives.

With Maura, Francis found an escape. He found love like he had never felt with another. She had become his best friend, his confidante. Even when they seemed to be constantly at odds with the world around them, Francis and Maura found solace in each other’s company; so each day when the time came for them to part ways it was never easy.

“I packed up the food for you and put it by the door. There should be enough for your family,” Maura pointed before clasping her hands behind her back.

Francis thanked her and they made the walk to the door together, but before he bent down to pick up the food, he pulled Maura into a tight hug, thanking her for everything she’d done.

“I swear it’s nothing, Francis,” she insisted. “I’m happy to do it. It’s second nature when you care for someone.”

He pulled away slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes and she gave him one of those radiant pearly white smiles that Francis could swear he could see the gates of heaven in.

“I care for you too, Maura,” he told her. “I-I think more than I could put into words.”

“That’s okay,” she chuckled lightly. “I think we’re both better with actions anyways.”

Francis leaned in, only a few millimetres, his eyes flicking towards her lips before meeting her eyes again.

“Yes…actions.”

Maura followed his lead and continued to lean in further, nodding her head before she finally let her lips touch his.

Francis gained his confidence and pulled Maura in closer, kissing her with a reverence he’d only had for a few things in his life. They clung onto each other like tethers holding each other on solid ground.

When they pulled apart, Francis’ glasses fogged slightly from their warm breath, and Maura simply pushed herself up on her toes and kissed the bridge of his nose where metal met skin.

Their actions were simple but spoke volumes.

Francis couldn’t help the content smile that came across his face at the sight of her brightened countenance.

“You’re my angel, Maura,” he couldn’t help but say.

She kissed him again, this time shorter and very chaste.

They held each other close for a moment longer, knowing Francis couldn’t stay there forever before finally pulling apart and allowing themselves to part ways.

Just as Francis opened up the door to leave, Maura put a hand on his arm, encouraging him to turn around once more.

“Happy birthday, Francis.”

—

“John! There’s someone at the door for you!” Francis heard his mother’s voice call from the entryway of their home.

Not knowing what to expect, he took Thomas off of his lap and told him he’d be right back and maybe Gregory could read for him in the meantime.

Francis jogged over to the front door where he could see his mother’s confused look and he didn’t understand until he saw who was waiting for him there.

“Sister Carmen, I-I’m sorry I wasn’t expecting you. Is something wrong?” he asked, but with just a small look past what she held in her eyes, Francis could feel his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He turned his head slightly before it turned into a full shake.

“No,” he said to himself. “No, no, no.”

“She asked for you, Francis,” she said softly. “I-I have a car waiting down the street. Could you-,”

He didn’t even let the nun finish before slipping on his shoes and grabbing his ratty and torn coat to help brace him from the wind and snow.

Kathy helped by explaining to their mother that something had happened to a friend of his and he needed to go see her right away.

Mrs. Mulcahy had rarely been herself in the past few years, but she recognized that look on her son’s face and she didn’t have the heart to pull him away.

Sister Carmen placed a hand on Francis’ back as she led him to the car. He sat with her in the back, looking outside the window, wondering if he could even bear to ask what had happened.

Before he even had a chance to stay anything, Sister Carmen had made the decision for him.

“It was a freak accident,” she explained, “A car skidded on the ice, there wouldn’t have been anything we could have done to prevent it.”

Francis closed his eyes and shook his head again. It couldn’t have been an accident that was going to take her away from him.

The ride to the hospital was made in silence and Francis ran straight through the front desk of the emergency room until he saw the soft features he was looking for. An empty chair sat next to her bed and a few of the other Sisters from the church stood at the foot of the bed, deep in prayer.

Maura’s eyes were closed, her face spared from the damage endured by the rest of her body.

Francis fell into the seat next to her and clasped her hand in his.

“Maura?” his voice was strained, fighting back every emotion that was trying to push its way through. “Maura, it’s me.”

The light from outside spilled into the emergency room and landed on Maura, enveloping her in brightness. If Francis had thought he had seen an angel the first time he met her, there was no mistaking it now.

The voices around him slowly seemed to fade, first becoming quieter, then distorted as if his head was stuck underwater until it was silent. Just him and his Maura.

That feeling in his stomach never having left him, he knew what was happening, but he refused to believe it.

“Mary please, please,” his voice broke. “Y-You called and I came Mary, just please wake up. Open your eyes, Mary.”

He looked down at his hands, squeezing onto Maura’s so hard and through his tears he could see red fingertips and white knuckles.

No one to warm his hands in the cold.

No one to clean him up when he got hurt.

No one to sit and pray with, to hope for a better life.

No one.

And when Sister Carmen placed her hand on his shoulder he knew it was over. He’d lost his angel.

His body shook with sobs as he wished he could pray her back to life, go back in time and push her out of the way because he always knew the world was a better place with her in it.

But just as a year ago he sat by himself, hurt, and in the snow, he now found himself in the same situation. The snow gently made its way down from the heavens as Francis sat hurt and alone and all he could think of was how much he wished the weather would pass.

—

Father Mulcahy fiddled with the pendant of the necklace in front of him. It had been years since he’d talked about Maura with anyone. Well, almost anyone.

“She really left a mark on you, Father,” Hawkeye noted and Mulcahy nodded.

“I don’t share this story lightly,” he told the Captains. “One of the biggest feelings with love is pain, but that just means you’re doing something right. It wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t love them.”

“And how did you get past it?” B.J. asked.

“I carried it with me for a long time, but I think I realized that she would have wanted me to find a way to experience a different life like how we had imagined for ourselves. I just found it somewhere I didn’t initially expect.”

“The church,” Hawkeye filled in the blank left by the priest and he confirmed.

“I think regardless of how you feel now, I know for some of us,” he looked at B.J. “That hurt will stop altogether and others,” he looked at Hawkeye. “Learn to grow in spite of it. Trust me, I know I did.”

Father Mulcahy stood up and fastened the necklace around his neck once more and as he looked at the sun peeking through the clouds, shimmering against the piece of metal, lighting it up with a sparkle he was all too familiar with.

She always was his angel.

Tags: @caffiene-fueled-fuckery @robin-the-enby

#father mulcahy #francis mulcahy #father francis mulcahy #francis mulcahy x oc #mash #mash fanfiction #mashposting #m*a*s*h

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co-mixed · 1 year

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Your Favorite Characters Will Never be Perfect in Movies.

Remember how Hawkeye was nothing like in the comics? Or how Rogue never even encountered Gambit on screen? Or how the whole Titans show did its own thing?

And are you one of those people who can’t help but mention that this-is-not-how-it-happened-in-the-comics? Yeah, I used to be one too.

In my case, it was enough to part with my expectations for the things I’ve already seen to realize what I’m missing by dismissing (I swear I’m not freestyling here.) But there’s more to it than just working on my own hopes and dreams. There is a reason (a few in fact) why we don’t see page-to-page adaptations.

Where do I begin?

I’m trying hard to get into DC and the aforementioned Titans only pushed me closer to it (yeah meet another show I absolutely love now). But what stops me every time is issue number 1000+. I have time and I’m a patient lady but I won’t start something I can’t hope to finish. Both Action and Detective comics are over 1k issues long. I’m not sure I have time for that. But I’d love to get to know the characters and so would many others. Lucky for us, each one of them gets an origin story and if you’re lazy, a dedicated segment in an encyclopedia of their respective universe. Movies and shows aren’t that. They always have room for improvement and a fresh look. What they don’t have to do is retell an old, sometimes outdated ~30-page arc. Been there done that. Take me someplace new.

The Power of a Retcon

Name a character who's never gotten a retcon. I’ll wait. If the first name that pops up is someone who has 10 pages of panel time before being cast off into the roster oblivion, we’re thinking alike. Most prominent characters have had their origin replayed and rewritten. No matter what the reasons were (sometimes it’s just lazy writing), you can always count on at least 3 different ways the character discovered their powers. Now which one do we take to screen? The latest? The fan favorite? Can’t please everyone. Besides, sometimes writers gotta work with a whole different universe (Hey ya, MCU). No one illustrates this better than Wanda and Pietro. And if anything, it’s our weird attraction to canon that caused them to be disowned by Magneto (correction - he never disowned them but it was revealed that he’s not their bio parent, although he reclaimed them back as his own eventually).

There are a few characters and types of characters for whom it’s important to keep their origin intact. In my opinion, one of them is mutants but even comics have been messing it up for a long time now (looking at you, artist formerly known as Apocalypse!)

With so many changes how do we even trace a character back to their origins? It’s really easier to capture their general sense and role.

Crisis on Every Earth

We get retcons in the main timeline but how about all the other ones? Remember how Marvel went ahead and built a whole Ultimate Universe? Gotta say I loved the experiment even with its shortcomings. And I’d love to see more of that (just give me a high-school Evolution-style AU already!) Oh and then Nick Fury and Spidey became so wildly popular- they made it to movies and 616 respectively, remember? That’s kind of the point. The versions of the characters we know and love aren’t always necessarily the best ones. But we won’t find out unless we give them a fair shot. And I’m all for that.

And if you already have a version you like then what are you actually losing by getting a new one? You’ve read them and you’ve seen them.

Too Many Cooks

To build upon the previous paragraph, all characters have their creators and then they have dozens of other people who took their turn at writing them. Now which one did it best is quite a question (the best example will always be the X-men although let’s face it, they’re a team). The thing here is, under a new writer every character picks up new traits. There’s a huge difference between the original take, a take from the 90s, and whatever is going on now. Again, it comes down to personal preferences and the story you choose to tell.

To change or not to change

That, and what to change exactly. Every character can essentially be boiled down to several qualities that you shouldn’t change no matter what. The rest is flexible.

Yes, for some characters it’s their signature look that can’t be altered (but that’s far less common than most people want to admit). For most though it’s their values or a specific origin or their role in a team. Just because we don’t expect it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

The question of what exactly you can and should change, now this is a fun one.

What works on paper doesn’t always fit into a frame. Like Superman’s questionable habit of wearing underwear as a top layer of clothing. Sure it works for a campy version but the truth is, he could look however the hell he likes as long as he’s a humanoid. His origin and personal traits are what makes him Superman. But depending on the story you wanna tell, you can change whatever and it will work for me.

Toys and Sandboxes

Every character is shaped by decades of writing (good and bad). Events get added and erased but even if you get the origin right, the character won’t go through the same things as in comics. That is, unless you’re planning on retelling every story (I’m sure you aren’t.) Every slightest change of events will make them grow apart from their og version. By the second movie, it’s already a different AU version. That’s exactly what AUs are for. Exploring options, using opportunities.

Our vision of characters always ties to when and where we see them for the first time. With our favorites it speaks to how much they resonate with us. And truth be told, that’s not always their originally intended personality (or look). I’ll go into DC, having a few expectations of my own, same as I watched the X-men movies with a clear vision of their characters. But teenage Jean Grey will never have the memories of teenage time displaced Jean, and og teenage Jean was absolutely replaceable by a cardboard cutout.

So there it is, something I will be holding on to when I finally go to see MCU’s take on mutants. And something we all should consider before judging any casting.

#marvel characters #dc characters #characters #movies #comics #comic books #long reads #MCU #DCEU #cartoons #animation #comic book characters

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abduloki · 2 years

Video

youtube

Why Modern Movies Suck - They're Destroying Our Heroes

"The only way to surpass them is to tear them down to your level. Degradation of the past to elevate the present".

Can’t argue with that. The only way to make the current generation understand why the older generation doesn’t like the way their childhood characters are being treated is to imagine if the same thing happen to theirs in the future.

Let’s say, 50 years from now, we see Rey (Star Wars) or Kate Bishop (Hawkeye) returning. My question is, what would you expect to see from their re-appearance? Someone you used to know right? The badass kicking women.

But what happens if they return as someone completely different? A mellowed down version, a skeptic, cynical, jaded, weathered person. The opposite of the character we know of today. Someone who doesn’t give a shit anymore.

Someone who gives up their ideals and beliefs after being “weathered” by life. Someone who gives up the cape to someone else who appears to be “stronger” and “better” than them, with far less effort being put in to take up the mantle.

Or to see them returning only to be killed off in the first few minutes of the show, just to make way for new characters just because. You’ll feel betrayed and agitated right because you expect them to put up more of a fight.

That’s how we feel seeing Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), the symbol of hope becoming a fearful old hermit and John Connor (Terminator), the leader of the resistance, being killed off. It’s like seeing a hateful Steve Rogers and Tony Stark getting killed as a kid.

As an Asian, I’m all for diversity and new characters, but there has to be a better or respectful way of doing it without “stepping” on existing and established characters. I don’t want to see Shang Chi being treated that way in the future.

Cobra Kai and Ghostbusters Afterlife, understood this. They retain the original characters, making them the same ones we first remembered, while introducing several new lovable characters who would presumably carry on their mantle.

Rogue One was created as a spin-off to Star Wars, introducing a new badass female character, Jyn Erso, whom everyone love. Why? Because her character wasn’t written by sidelining other characters like Princess Leia.

The Mandalorian introduce several new female characters like Cara Dune and Fennec Shand, and bring back existing female characters like Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan, retaining their personalities and characteristics.

If that is not enough, they introduce more female characters in Star Wars Visions that fans can never get enough of and wants to see more of. There’s already new female characters in the book sequels like Mara Jade and Jaina Solo.

Some say, Star Wars is more than just the Skywalkers. But the thing is Star Wars has always been about the Skywalkers. Anything different should be put in a spin-off like Rogue One, The Mandalorian or Star Wars Rebels.

It’s like doing an Iron Man trilogy but with anyone else other than Iron Man as the main star of the show. It is more acceptable to do a spin-off which takes place during the time of the Iron Man trilogy right? To introduce new characters?

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Spiderman Into the Spiderverse are another good examples of how new characters (Miles Morales and Sam Wilson) takes on the mantle left by their predecessor.

So Hollywood, please, for the love of god, stop destroying existing characters to make way for the new ones.

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mountain-man-cumeth · 3 years

Text

What Went Wrong: An In-Depth Analysis of Muriel's Route

*Youtuber voice*

Below are the opinions of an uneducated individual on what could’ve left the majority of The Arcana audience dissatisfied. I will explore the plot, tropes, themes and morals of the Muriel route and try to explain what may have gone wrong. I will be treating the game as a novel since it's advertised as one.

1. Consistency. If you are unfamiliar with the chekhov's gun; it's a story writing principle that dictates each element you introduce should come into play (foreshadowing). Now let's start with a few story beats that were later abandoned or concluded in an underwhelming manner:

Muriel's blanket

Muriel's magic mark (on his back)

Forest spirit (spirits in general)

Lucio's upbringing

Circumstances of MC's death

Figurines/whittling/charms

Muriel's blanket is teased to be a tapestry, which would tie in with his later fascination with them later on, as it had been the only thing he had left from his past. MC neither sees nor comments on the blanket, we only know it exists thanks to other playthroughs and short stories.

Magic marks are an important point in the game. Every main route emphasises on how it affects the chosen LI. It's reveal is important in a way that it serves as a passage to a new act where the reader explores magic and Arcana pantheon as they are a monumental part of the overall worldbuilding. This exact point applies to the Heart of the Forest and how spirits interact with the world around them as well.

Whittling and Charm making are the only hobbies we get from Muriel's isolated life, their introduction helps the reader humanise the character by giving us a crumb of his everyday life. It's never mentioned again after the scene where MC asks him what he does. He doesn't idly whittle during their journey and charms only come to play in an offhanded reference during reversed ending.

The other two are also ignored but I will touch on Lucio later on.

Why do these matter? A few abandoned plot points don't make or break the story but on a grander level it hinders the audience investment. When we read, we like to think the details we notice will come to play eventually, we like recognizing references that were introduced earlier. I'm sure I don't need to give examples on this one, I don't think anyone will disagree.

2. Themes. Thematic influences this story utilized are all over the place, and it seems to me like it stems from the improper application of certain tropes;

The Hero's Journey

Home Sweet Home

Shell-Shocked Vet

Last of His Kind

etc.

Some of these tropes tackle themes such as;

Slavery

PTSD

Survivor's Guilt

Genocide

I'm not going to try to explain How to Write any of these topics. I'm not remotely qualified. I think it's better if I just give examples from popular media because whether you know how to write it or not, you can still understand when it's written well;

AtLA deals with genocide and survivor's guilt. It's in the name; The Last Airbender. Aang is the sole survivor of a culture he'd only had an opportunity to engage in for a handful of years. He left them with a childish tantrum and now they're gone forever. I can't think of another mainstream series that shows the gruesome reality of war and genocide better than this one.

When Muriel realizes his true heritage and loses Khamgalai is the point of the story where Luke sees his family's farm burned down, Aang goes back to the air temple, Treebeard walks in on the demolished part of the forest. (The inciting incident)

(Could also have been forest spirit’s death but it was too early in the story so I don’t consider it a missed opportunity.)

Up until this point the hero has their doubts, they're going through the motions but they are either underestimating the enemy or they're a passive protagonist. Either way, this is the point where the hero has to take the reins of the story. What purpose does this serve in Muriel's route instead? It simply validates Muriel's beliefs. He's useless, he isn't strong enough. We as the reader need a point to see where the hero takes a step to drive the story forward or whoever takes that step will steal the spotlight, it will be their story. As it is, this is the point where it ceases to be Muriel’s story.

PTSD got the worst end of the deal. Since Dragon Age fandom has a huge overlap with the Arcana I will use Fenris as an example; for those who are unfamiliar with the character, Fenris is an escaped slave. After the sex scene he vividly describes an experience that most people can easily identify as a flashback. The game never tells us that he was abused, it doesn’t show us him having a panic attack but it shows us that whatever transpired between him and the player character clearly triggered an unpleasant memory.

Arcana tries and initially succeeds to do something similar. We see that the character is untrustworthy, sensitive to touch, easily agitated, can’t sleep outside of his perceived safe environment… It introduces us the cause later on and the story has two options, each will drastically change the moral of the story:

Remember these as they will be important later on

Portray Muriel fighting as a bad thing; You can’t fight violence with violence angle or the fact that the villain’s forcing him into a situation where he’ll have to fight again makes the villain all the more intimidating.

Portray Muriel fighting as a good thing; He has the means to defeat the villain and he just needs encouragement. With great power comes great responsibility. By not fighting he willingly condemns everyone to an awful fate and that he is selfish.

I’d like to take a second to explore the 1. Option, I feel like the game may have intended to implement that idea but failed because of the implementation of Morga and choices presented for the player character: Morga is an Old-Soldier, these characters are often push the hero out of their comfort zone in an aggressive way towards complacency, they are a narrative foil to the mentor. For the first option to work the story had to show Khamgalai acting as a mentor and having the protagonists challenge Morga’s teachings(see Ozai-Iroh). As it is, Morga’s actions are never put under scrutiny (narratively) and her death feels hollow as a result. She didn’t sacrifice herself for the heroes due to her guilt, she died because she felt a moment of sympathy for her son which wasn’t explored before, she showed no intention to change nor any doubt.

It is clear the game choose 2. Option, it is a controversial choice given Muriel’s mental condition and the game is acutely aware of this, which is likely why Muriel’s PTSD will get carefully scraped from the story from here on out. (I won’t address other instances where his trauma wasn’t taken into account, I feel like this explanation should cover them as well.)

3. Morals. Every story, whether the author intends it or not, has a moral. The Villain most often acts against that moral and in turn can change the hero's perspective. Morals are not ideals; the morality of Killmonger isn’t that marginalised people should fight for their rights, it is that vengeance is just. Whether it’s right or wrong can be debated but what makes an ideal the moral of the story is in the portrayal. How the narrator depicts the events, how people around the heroes react... all are a part of portrayal.

The story choosing “Muriel fighting is a good thing” earlier puts in the foundation of a moral. The story tells us Muriel has to fight, it’s the right thing to do. He has to be brave for the people he loves.

This choice affects how his past actions will be perceived; now, him escaping the arena to save himself is cowardly, abandoning Morga is cowardly.

The story tells us it wasn’t, but shows us that it was. This is the end of the midpoint of the story, at this point we need to have a good grasp on what we should perceive as wrong or right for us to feel invested. If we zig-zag between the morals we won’t know which actions we should root for. But more than that, the conclusion will not feel cathartic as it will inevitably demonstrate the opposing ideals clashing at its climax.

Villain doesn't necessarily have to be sympathetic and Muriel's route makes no effort to make him as such, but they need to be understandable. What danger does Lucio pose to the status quo, what makes him a compelling villain? Whether he conquers Vesuvia or not doesn’t drastically affect Muriel’s way of life, he’s been in hiding for years. He doesn’t threaten to steal MC’s body, Muriel is not compelled to pick up arms to save his beloved. He wants to protect the people from going through what he’s been through, right? That is what the story wants us to think. But what has he been through? Fighting was his choice, Lucio tricked him into it. Lucio later tricked Morga, his own mother, to save his own hide. This tells us that Lucio is a manipulator, but he doesn’t manipulate his way into Vesuvia, he barges in with deus ex machina monsters. He doesn’t demonstrate his skills as a tactician by making deals with neighbouring kingdoms to get their armies. We don’t know his strengths therefore we don’t know his weaknesses. If he seems to be losing he can just conjure a giant dragon to burn everything down, we just can’t know. That is why the application of deus ex machina is highly taboo, the victories don’t feel earned and defeats feel unfair.

4. Tone. Playing with the genre is not uncommon and a game such as Arcana has many opportunities to do so. It is a romance story, everything else is the back-drop. The tone works best when its overall consistent but tonal changes act as shock for the audience to keep them engaged and keeping one tone indefinitely gets us desensitized. We can’t feel constant misery if we are not made to feel tinges of hope in between. Good examples of dramatic tonal change (that I can think of): Mulan - arriving at the decimated village, La Vita e Bella - the father’s death, M*A*S*H - death of Hawkeye’s friend. Two of these examples are mostly comedy which is why this tonal shift affects us so, it was all fun and games until we are slapped in the face with the war going on. There are no one liners in those scenes, the story takes a moment to show appropriate respect to the dead, it gives its characters time to digest and come to terms with loss. Bad examples are the majority of Marvel movies.

In Muriel’s route there’s never such a thing, Muriel has a panic attack and MC kisses him. This unintentionally tells us, the genre being romance, that the panic attack only served to further MC’s advances. It tells us that he’s never had the control of his life and it’s yet again stripped from him by the decisions of player character. This is not the only instance this happens. The story shoe-horns in multiple cuddle sessions between important plot beats. And it does the exact opposite during a moment where he is having a heart-to-heart with the person he loves by having the ghost of Morga appear to give an ominous warning/advice.

When he runs off during masquerade it’s built up to be an important plot point. Muriel will finally face his past, he’s been running away from it all along, and he will have an opportunity to be accepted back in. MC is supportive but ultimately, it’s meant to be Muriel's moment. But as I mentioned above this is not his story anymore so he’s not given any time to address his problems, instead a ghost appears to tell him what he needs to do, again. Because we need to wrap the story up, we don’t have time.

Remember how I said the 2 Options will be important later on, well here we are at the very end. Upright and reversed.

“Portray Muriel fighting as a bad thing”

This suggests that the triumph of Muriel won’t be through violence. Maybe he will outsmart Lucio in a different way, he won’t play his games anymore. This option suggests that Lucio will not be beaten by his own terms.

“Portray Muriel fighting as a good thing”

This option concludes with Muriel finally overcoming his reservations on violence and doing what's right to save the people he loves. And bringing justice to people who Lucio hurt.

If you are wondering why the upright ending feels random, this is likely why. The ending plays out as if the story was building on the 1st option while we spent chapters upon chapters playing out the 2nd one. It is unearned.

(The reversed ending, being reversed, also uses Option 1 path but in which Muriel can’t achieve his narrative conclusion)

The Coliseum is filled with people who are on their side against Lucio’s shadow goons. Because we can’t have people being on Lucio’s side without addressing the duality of human nature, even though it’s an important part of Muriel’s story. The people who watched and enjoyed Lucio’s bloodsport are no more, they are all new and enlightened offscreen. We completely skipped the part where Vesuvia comes to terms with its own complacency and Muriel simply feels at ease because the crowd is cheering on him now. This is what happens when you give the character a chance to challenge those who have been complicit in his abuse (masquerade scene) and completely skip it to move the story along.

Muriel doesn't get justice, ever. The people only love him now because he's fighting for them instead of his own survival. Morga or her clan doesn't answer for the massacre of Kokhuri, Vesuvia doesn't answer for the sick entertainment they indulged in and Lucio doesn't answer for Muriel's enslavement. It is not even acknowledged, nowhere in the story (except the very end of reversed ending, and even then it almost gets him killed so its clearly the wrong thing to do on his part) is a choice presented where Muriel has an opportunity to get any sort of compensation where he instead chooses to move on.

I don’t intend to straw man anyone but this is a sentiment I’ve seen a lot; “It’s a short story, a dating-sim, what do you expect?”

I expect nothing, I’m simply explaining why some people feel how they feel. It is a short dating-sim but it seems to me like it was aiming to be something more by borrowing elements that were clearly far above their weight range to tease something more and under deliver. It is okay to feel content with the story, and it’s okay to feel let down. If we had a unanimous decision on literature we would never be inclined to write our own stories.

#personal #muriel #muriel spoilers #tw: PTSD #tw: trauma #tw: slavery #tw: genocide #karayan

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theseerasures · 3 years

Text

RWBY V08C14 reaction post

haven’t done something like this for this fandom yet, but the finale was so much all at once that i could not muster any level of critical thinking the first go-around. my thoughts have...settled somewhat with a second rewatch. still nothing conclusive (obviously), but at least coherent enough to be written down.

in rough chronological order:

i am very into it, of course, but i’m still not quite sure what to make of the fact that this finale very explicitly pivots around Winter Schnee, to the extent that the episode (sans prologue and coda) are bookended by her. she begins the episode charging into a fight, and ends it the same way. even putting aside that her in-universe presence has increased by magnitudes, that we end a season where she has mostly been a sparse supporting player with THIS has implications i can’t suss out for her narrative role going forward.

going into the finale i thought that Ironwood vs. Winter would turn out to be another RWBY Flagship Fight (ie long and flashy and indulgent in the best ways), but i pretty much knew that wouldn’t be the case once the fight began in earnest and they immediately started talking to each other.

for what we did get i’m happy to say that the Core Dynamic of the fight was exactly what i predicted: Winter rushing in to melee and not giving Ironwood enough time to fire, Ironwood trying to make room by shoving her away and using his cannon as a makeshift club--even down to breaking the cannon formation BACK to dual wielding to give himself an edge.

i will say that for Winter to have blocked him head-on--this is James Ironwood, who once stopped an Alpha Beowolf cold with one bionic hand, and now he’s got TWO--with her broken noodle arms is...incredibly cool. stupid! but cool.

Ironwood doing the double pistol whip while screaming about how no one is grateful has i wouldn’t have to be doing this if you just behaved all over it.

in retrospect i’m not sure why i expected a RWBY Flagship Fight when just about every fight this season has been extremely different. the camera work is always fucking frantic, we’re often cross-cutting between different simultaneous fights, and there are far fewer shots where both combatants are clearly shown and evenly matched. about the only fight we’ve had resembling that is AceOps vs Penny waaaaaaay back in Strings--even the low-stakes triumphant JNPER + Winter vs. Ironwood fight in Creation was extremely short and crosscut with BRA vs. AceOps.

case in point: the showdown in Grand Central takes up pretty much the entire episode, but combatants are continuously entering and exiting, the setting’s physical dimensions feel wonky and surreal, and the fact that half of the people fighting have flight capabilities means we’re relying on wide shots and oners to figure out what the fuck is going on. it’s a war now, and even though we follow only a handful of characters in it the fights carry that grander and more desperate tone.

Cinder relies twice this episode on just fucking nova-ing herself to overwhelm her Maiden opponents. it’s different from how she usually fights, which is still fireballs and conjured swords/projectiles--she’s learning to use her Maiden powers to wreak havoc on a larger scale, which a) reinforces what we already know of Cinder, but b) complements her recent relearning of subtlety and manipulation. still a tenuous balance of extremes that can and will shatter, though.

Weiss got to save everyone during the fight, and none of it mattered in the end.

the thing about priority one is that they all planned for this. they all went in planning for the contingency where they don’t make it out, where they have to watch others not make it out.

Weiss plucking Penny out of the air and Penny pleading to make the sacrifice play is an EXACT recreation of what happened in Enemy of Trust, down to the saved looking up at the savior while the savior is looking onward. she’s just swapped places with the Schnee in question, and...they are the priority targets this time, unfortunately.

Cinder smugly flipping her hair out of...her eyepatch...she really is living her best life and she knows it

Blake made the right choice, and it didn’t matter at all.

Qrow ending the last episode with a berserker charge at Harriet and then immediately pulling back here and trying to talk her down really got to me, as did him trying to block the bomb with his body. the man is so desperately trying to be better than he was, and it doesn’t take a lot anymore for him to realize the right path.

Elm and Vine--

the thing about Elm and Vine is that both their powers boil down to getting attached. so watching Elm hold Vine in place while Vine holds the two airships together, everyone in this little world, it’s...everything i could ever want, out of how the story of the AceOps would end.

Anairis Quinones for dark horse MVP. why can’t you just let me do my job, delivered in the way that it was, is the perfect encapsulation of Harriet Bree desperately trying to outrun her personal feelings and the grief it has given her.

Elm tells Harriet that she’s their friend, to stop her from killing a part of herself as she tries to kill others. it’s the first time this happens in the episode, but not the only time.

Penny saved Blake so they could save Ruby together, and it didn’t matter at all.

our heroes have GOT to stop falling for the “watch the thing flying in the air! OH WAIT I STILL HAVE A WEAPON IN MY HAND WALLOP WALLOP” trick. it happens multiple times in this one episode.

Harriet, who has the fastest Speed Semblance known, says there’s no time to make it out of the blast range. she doesn’t try to outrun it. she just...stays put, and admits that she brought them all here, to this. i’m sorry.

here’s the thing: they’re soldiers. they were prepared for this eventuality, where they don’t make it out. that’s why Elm let Vine go grab Harriet; because she thought they were all going to die, and if that happened she wanted Harriet close enough to reach.

but--just like with Team Hero--some of them do make it out. they just have to watch.

Vine and Hazel sacrificed themselves in the same way in the end: pulling their loved ones close wasn’t working, so they threw themselves around the thing trying to kill them instead.

Ruby was clever, and pragmatic, and brave. it didn’t matter in the end.

Cinder letting Neo fall as soon as she gets a chance proves that she still lacks patience, and that’s going to bite her in the ass.

the Penny-Blake fastball special and the fall; Penny crying tears for the first time, but not moving immediately to rage, as she had last episode, when Yang fell.

Weiss’ shaking hands around Gambol Shroud, crying berserker tears as she tries, desperately, to pull off another miracle. it’s another role reversal in a way: her sister’s the Riza Hawkeye, but she’s the one emptying useless clip after useless clip into an enemy she can’t kill, because her heart has been ripped in two.

the last time Nora Valkyrie saw Jaune Arc, they clasped hands, and their eyes met with determination, and hope.

it figures that a Schnee would be the last one standing, letting all her friends die first. she was right, but again: wrong Schnee.

Weiss diving past Cinder’s blind spot to slice the Grimm Arm, to save Penny--the same script, but the wrong player. and too late.

at Haven, Jaune went from trying to do harm to unlocking his Semblance, and realizing that he was meant to heal. here, he goes from trying to do what he is meant to do, what he has made peace with, to...

it will take a long time, i think, for him to learn to live with himself, even with Penny reassuring him that this is what she wants. to go from wanting to harm to being the one who does no harm, to being forced to acknowledge a person’s right to die, and carry out the deed himself. it’s a new variation on what he’s always had to wrestle with since Pyrrha’s sacrifice.

Weiss managed to outlast Cinder Fall without an Aura WITHOUT getting her entire body broken, Winter

the boundary between material worlds is made of darkness. the boundary between souls is made of light, and there is no danger of falling.

where...what is this? of course Winter doesn’t know. she never would have, even if she had gotten the powers, because she would have used the Transfer machine.

i thought of you, and here we are. that was all it took. the last time Penny saw Winter, Winter was still loyal to Ironwood. she’s only known abstractly, secondhand from Weiss, that Winter was on their side again and trying to help save Mantle, for about an hour. and yet: i thought of you.

and in the face of this thought that is love, Winter averts her eyes. tries in vain to hide her face, because she knows she is unworthy. she doesn’t deserve this.

but here’s the thing: no one deserves this. Penny. are you...the one? even Penny herself wasn’t sure.

you were my friend. the second time it happens this episode. friends save friends from themselves. friends transform what would have been murder into sacrifice.

remember what Penny said to Cinder, shortly before Cinder killed her? you wouldn’t know anything about friends. she’s right. it wasn’t Cinder’s choice, but she’s right. and now Cinder has learned how to use that.

i’ll be part of you. it is, of course, something that’s been brought up repeatedly this whole season. but it’s also what Winter said to Penny after Fria died: she’s a part of you now.

and i do love this yoking together of arc words. Winter is of course the firstborn Schnee, but Winter is, more broadly, The Firstborn in this new generation. so here we have something similar to the chain that begins with Winter letting her sisters go, through Penny letting Emerald go, through Emerald helping Oscar escape, to Atlas’ however ephemeral victory over Salem. what Winter begins--haltingly and with resentment--becomes transformed into radiant grace in the hands of her younger siblings. and she gets to be the direct benefactor this time. the prodigal daughter returns to her family.

during Enemy of Trust we watched from the outside as Oscar fell and Penny rose, as one set of eyes closed as another opened. during The Final Word, we watch from the inside: one set of eyes close. another opens.

Winter’s leitmotif plays on the piano for the first time since the previous season as she comes back to the world. it makes sense. the piano version is for her sisters, and she just left one of them.

here is the apotheosis of Winter Schnee: she gets back up. she falters and sways but she gets back up, and then she, the person who once managed to convince herself that so long as she could make peace with someone else’s choice it meant she too was choosing, tells the man who has been choosing for her for years: you chose nothing. and she rises.

in the end James Ironwood was finished by his petard thrice over. Atlas had defected against him. his greatest creation had become the Maiden and unshackled herself from him. and there is of course, the cannon: a literal petard, in the other words, which he fires at Winter, and Winter reflects back upon him.

Jaune Arc used the heirloom that his family has held for generations to kill a defenseless girl. he took the blade and sunk it in deep, because Penny trusted him and he had to be sure.

and then it shattered in his hands.

there’s something here in the second fight between Maidens, about Cinder having a named weapon and forsaking it for what she can make on the fly, and Winter insistent on using a weapon with no name at all, but i still can’t put my finger on it.

Winter never got to see Weiss try to Summon her Nevermore.

the thing that gets me about how it turns out is: Winter was winning. she’d managed to get her hands on the Staff, and even with Cinder’s immediate counterattack she managed to get the Staff away from Cinder. but then Cinder saw Jaune and Weiss, and she remembered a few days ago, when Penny saved Winter instead of going after Cinder, when Winter attacked Cinder to save Penny.

so Cinder attacks Weiss and Jaune instead of racing for the Staff. and Winter--

this is Winter Schnee. she saves people despite herself. she runs toward them, despite herself. and it has always, always been what saves her.

not anymore.

last time it had been Winter who was in mortal danger, and Weiss who, with Ruby’s help, drove Cinder off. same script, wrong player. and too late.

Weiss falls and for a moment, the camera makes it seem like Winter is falling too.

she wants to. no one deserves this.

the thing you have to ask when characters leap for the exit and fall just short is: is it about faith, or friendship? in Jaune’s case it’s both. his faith broke with Crocea Mors. and the portal is one-way, so he had no friends to grab him from the other side.

but Nora was still trying. they clasped hands. she promised.

the first time Winter sees her family--really sees them, after years of separation--she averts her eyes. she hides her face from them, because how can she tell them that Weiss is gone? how can she tell Penny’s friends that Penny is a part of her now, when Penny is just a part, now?

there are people all around her looking to her. there are voices within her. she has never been more alone.

(Winter Schnee has never met Pyrrha Nikos, and Pyrrha Nikos never became Maiden. because Pyrrha Nikos never became Maiden. Cinder Fall did that, too.)

this is what Winter Schnee thinks, as she screams and charges, as she kills Grimm faster than they are drawn in by her despair: in the fairy tales, eldest siblings never win.

i failed you again, master. master, but not queen.

Cinder won this. the heroes tried and tried and tried and none of it mattered, and she won this. but here’s the thing: Cinder won because she was LUCKY, and because she made her own luck. that she was able to pin things on Neo and Team Hero depended on things going exactly as planned, and some things going better than planned. and the reason she’d even made it that far was because she cheated, with the last use of a divine relic. it doesn’t take away her from her victory, but what i do know is this: this is her finest moment. she will never win as completely ever again, and she will fall farther than she has ever feared. (and that will save her, in the end.)

and that’s checkmate. i said that i wanted Atlas to fall the same way that Amity rose, but of course they did it like this. of course it would horrific yet unspectacular, with its General slumped in defeat, unable to fire a single shot from his gun. with the city in the sky falling onto Mantle, in Mantle’s palette. from the Dust from which it arose into Dust again.

as below, so above.

#rwby #helen writes meta

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onekisstotakewithme · 2 years

Photo

Happy New Year! I thought I’d do another little “year in review” for all the stories I wrote this year. As before, they’ll be divided by fandom/ship. I hope you all have a good 2022! 💜

M*A*S*H

BJ/Hawkeye:

Don’t Bet Your Future: When BJ travels back in time to 1955 in Doctor Pierce's time machine, he accidentally prevents his parents from meeting and falling in love. With only a week to repair the damage and get back to 1985, the clock is ticking as BJ tries to save his own existence - all while falling in love with Doc's son, Hawkeye. (A Back to the Future retelling; 16 chapters; 50k)

A Great Unrecorded History: BJ takes Hawkeye to his first gay bar in San Francisco (one-shot; 1.4k)

at the end as at the start: They sip their martinis the way they always have, and it’s hard to believe that always will soon be over. (GFA tag; one-shot; 925)

Oasis: “Just… promise. If you wake up first from this khaki fever dream… don’t forget to say goodbye.” (one-shot; 447)

BJ/Peg/Hawkeye:

you were meant for me: When Peggy sees Singin' in the Rain , it's like the world has opened up (3 chapters; 4.2k)

happily ever after... and after: While in California for Erin's birthday, Hawkeye learns there's a bit more to happily ever after than he'd thought (7 chapters; 31k)

and gie’s a hand o’ thine: The Pierces, Winchesters and Hunnicutts gather in Maine for Christmas 1956 - also featuring Charles/Donna and Margaret/Honoria (12 chapters; 39k)

Aqua Vitae: As an anniversary present, BJ and Peg show Hawk a new part of San Francisco (one-shot; 2k)

gardens and nursery walls: Hawkeye's thoughts on fatherhood: a character study. Triad ending, but featuring Hunnihawk and Piercintyre (one-shot; 1k)

Charles/Donna

O Promise Me: Charles and Donna make a lot of promises to each other. (AKA 5 Time Charles proposes to Donna + 1 time she proposes back) (one-shot; 1.9k)

but you dream of some epiphany: Charles is already planning to tell Donna he loves her. And then she gets hurt. (one-shot; 3.6k)

In the Fields of France: Charles and Donna meet during WWII (one-shot; 1.3k)

Gen/Other

Moving Mountains: "I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think Beej needed this. If I didn't think we all needed this." Gen; Tag to “The Party” (one-shot; 1.1k)

i hope this email finds you: "Margaret, I hope this email blows your tits clean off..." (aka a peek into the email servers of General General Hospital). Gen but Hunnihawk-leaning at the end (one-shot; 2.6k)

It Takes Two: “Two heads are better than one,” he says, before holding out the wrench. BJ/Peg, pre-canon (one-shot: 908)

swifter than the arrow: “Now look, Winchester,” Potter says, sighing, “I never had a son, so I didn’t ever really have to give anyone a chat about the birds and the bees.” Tag to "Ain't Love Grand", featuring AroAce Charles (one-shot; 549)

No Good in Goodbye: In which Hawkeye makes it to Kimpo on time. Piercintyre, Tag to “Welcome to Korea” (one-shot; 648)

Star Trek (TOS)

Kirk/Spock

Ties That Bind: Jim is a big fan of old romantic notions, swearing fealty among them, but he and Spock have made no promises to each other. Tag to “Journey to Babel” (one-shot; 1.4k)

Daydream Believer: Jim looks up, and chokes on his coffee, because walking toward him, through the glade, is Spock himself. Tag to “Shore Leave” (one-shot; 1.1k).

WandaVision

To Love and to Cherish: “You’ve given me a home, and an anniversary… and yourself. As for the name, I think I know what to do.” Tag to 1x01 (one-shot; 613)

life preserver: if she is drowning, he is her life preserver. (one-shot; 983)

Loki

Love is a Dagger: This has to be what waits at the end of time – the void, the emptiness, a place like the apocalypses the variant was hiding in. A place where nothing matters. And now, it’s where Mobius is. Tag to 1x05 (one-shot; 2.7k)

#m*a*s*h #star trek #star trek tos #beejhawk #hunnihawk #punnihawk #bj x hawkeye #bj x peg x hawkeye #charles x donna #mash #mash 4077 #kirk x spock #spirk #fanfiction #queue #happy new year!!#onekisstotakewithme

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nocek · 3 years

Note

Don't spare us the long rant! We want to hear your thoughts!

Oh you are going to regret this ;P

So here goes my loooooooong angry rant about Taskmaster and also the Black Widow movie in general.

Let's start with my point of comparison. Captain America the Winter Soldier was a good movie. It's still in my top 3 Marvel movies as I'm sure is for many people. And statistically speaking everybody likes Bucky. He is like the most beloved side character right after Loki. I guess.

Anyway. My point is that Taskmaster and Winter Soldier have bit for bit the exact same building blocks: hypercompetent antagonist that is a serious threat to our hero who just can't win with in one on one combat. But then plot twist: our antagonist was just a victim and puppet without free will in hands of actual villain who is bland bureaucrat.

So why did Winter Soldier worked really really well and Taskmaster was just ehh.. ok?

Well the short answer is that catws was a much tighter movie that had clearer goal (and also that goal/theme was singular: good things get corrupted with time and sometimes you get to start over) compared to black widow which had to jump through too many hoops and still somehow managed it but it wasn't as graceful as it would be if they (as in executives) resigned from one or two hoops and flips and explosions.

And I'm omitting a BIG disadvantage of making a prequel movie about a character that they killed off in shitty way. Though that created one of extra hoops for them to jump through: quickly build up Yelena as a character.

And character build they did. Because srsly Yelena is awesome and I love her. BUT. That came at a price.

Lets compare to catws. The new character there is Sam (and kiiiiiiiinda also Natasha a bit but that's a topic for a different rant) who is nowhere near as well build as Yelena. At the beginning. Because he had time to be fleshed out and naturally grow in few different movies and then we got a deep dive in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

But Marvel can't give Yelena few movies because she will appear in Hawkguy an Hawkeye series and also Marvel is generally dividing their assets into: outer spaaaace, down to earth heros and magic stuff (aliens, androids and wizards ;P). But also they can only create so many things in a year.

So yeah. Yelena offtopic can be summarized that I love that we have her as we have her but it came at a cost of air time of the movie.

So comparing the movies again:

Catws had the theme of good things being corrupted with time. And the theme was underlined 3 times through Peggy, Bucky and then Shield/Hydra. Which are interconnected and also make nice scale from inner conflict of the main character to the outer conflict of the movie.

In Black Widow there is the topic of the past evil that never went away and is still taking away free will from people. And again we have it shown through 3 outlets: Yelena, Taskmaster and Black Widows. But there is also whole family subplot attached to Yelena and there is Red Room attached to Black Widows. So as you can see things are getting crowded. Which in turn make the theme a bit blurry.

I mean, sure, the Red Room should be the Shield equivalent. Even it could take smaller space because good Shield turns out to be evil Hydra is generally more time consuming to explain than Red Room bad. But still combining Red Room and Black Widows make things a bit crowded.

(There is a reason why the surprise subplot of there is more Winter Soldiers was in separate movie and was kinda handwaved and cut to minimum. But they couldn't do that here).

But it's time to stop my ranting about whole Black Widow movie and focus on comparing Taskmaster and Winter Soldier.

Because to be honest both are bare bones of character and more of an carte blanche in the movie. Both have barely any screen time yet there are colossal difference which stems out of:

first introduction: as I mentioned they are hypercompetent and unstoppable threat that you can't win with, you can only hope to run away (both done equally well)

programmable killing machine:

For Taskmaster we just get a scene with her watching other heroes fighting at the screen. For the sake of building up the mystery of character we think that "he" is just watching. Maybe learning or more likely just being creepy. The information about the chip and literal programming is given to us much later in the movie which makes this scene lose the power. idk how it will work on rewatch? Maybe better? Hopefully. right now there is too many new movies in cinemas to go for a rewatch and disney+ still isn't available here -.-

For Bucky we have literal torture scene. You just can't be more blunt than that. It also hammered the next point in.

there is human behind the mask:

Winter Soldier is introduced with full face mask which he gradually loses and then we have the big reveal of not only: that's a human but also that's a human our main hero cares about deeply.

With Taskmaster they fucked up it for chap plot twist. We are learning quite late that oh snap that's Antonia (that we don't really care about) and our main hero kinda feels guilty about her.

I think the big difference is what kind of character Steve and Nat are and also the way they reveal this secret. Steve actively recognizes Bucky by himself and is very openly shocked. Nat is passively told and shown that hey, this is Antonia. And there is no time in the movie for Nat (and for us) to be shocked because that's the 3rd act and we need time for explosions and stuff.

Besides, the problem is that all the big plot twist reveals are boring on rewatch (stil big props for Pacific Rim and giving us the monster reveal in like second minute of the movie, I will never not appreciate that).

Also on related shitty note. We the audience. Bucky is handsome and vulnerable and we can drool all over him (and oh man, we the fandom did a fair share of drooling). Antonia is disfigured and not sexualized in any way. Which I'm actually grateful for but there is no pretending that doesn't make a hell lot of difference. But that's a whole different, ugly and big topic I'm not remotely qualified to write about. I'm just angry ranting here.

they don't have free will:

For Winter Soldier we have amnesia + torture tropes which to be honest have been done over and over again and it shouldn't have worked as well as it worked. Bit it did. In context of Black Widow movie it worked because it was just one guy that actively broke through brainwashing with active help of the hero.

In Black Widow there is a lot of characters that are pasively "woken up" out of mind control over and over again by active protagonist. Unfortunately the repetition kinda cheapens it. Especially in comparison to main gut punch right in the feels scene in the other movie. Which is why it's not fair to compare the two.

So lets talk about lack of free will aspect itself. To be honest the mind control aspect in Black Widow was done really great from story perspective. Evil scientists perfected it to the point it being (bit handwavey but) completely impersonal but also completely dehumanizing to the subject. So I'm buying that it can be completely switched off in equally efficient and impersonal way. Even the way they explained it with Alexei the pig was great and terrifying... to a point. Because then kicked the main problem with this movie. Clearly some execs came and saw it and went whoa... that's too dark for pg13 blockbuster. Let's put some cheap jokes here. And it happens over and over again in this movie :S

humanizing flashback scene that ties them to main hero:

For Bucky, sure we had Captain America First Avenger but a movie needs to stand on it's own legs. That's why we have the flashback scene which shows us that Bucky cared about Steve. Leaving it at the narration in Smithsonian of "best friends since childhood" would be just telling us. And we needed to be shown and we needed a space for the "till the end of line" so it could come back and stab us right in the feels.

Also because we are ignoring previous movie Russos cleverly made us care about Winter Soldier because Steve cares about Winter Soldier. And we already know and like Steve so building up our main character gives us more mileage out of new bare bones character (because let's be honest, Winter Soldier is just that). Two birds one stone thing.

In Black Widow there is no such thing which IMHO is the main reason Taskmaster doesn't work. We just get information about cardboard cutout: insert cute little girl here (only told, not even shown actual cardboard) and all of the emotional connection to Natasha is: I know that my boss that I hate has a daughter, she got in the crossfire. Which means nobody cares.

All it would take is adding a short flashback scene. idk Dreykov is an asshole and doesn't care about Antonia but she is she cutest and most adorable little girl. She treats the Black Widows as older sisters. Hell if you want to make it more horrorish copy of the idea of Thor wanting to be a Valkyrie when he grows up or T'challa wanting to be a Dora Milaje. Little Antonia wants to be Black Widow when she grows up because they are badass and they are nice to her (and are also slightly confused by her) because she is nice to them and is only person that treats them as humans. Hell we could have short interaction between her and Nat. Just a smile between them would be enough.

You could get a lot of character buildup mileage out of such a short scene.

But it couldn't happen partially because the movie didn't have time for that but we didn't get that mostly because it would show us instead of telling that Nat killed a cute little innocent girl for her own personal gain. (well she thought she was destroying Red Room but mostly wanted to get away - vide she didn't check on Yelena or other widows. But I wouldn't hold that against her. It was put your oxygen mask first kind of situation. But still it would make her look bad)

Besides, that would take guts to actually show.

And technically they could have afforded to have that guts. That was last movie with Nat anyway. It would actually make this plotline about her feeling guilty about Dreykov's daughter and red in her ledger work. But well... It was last movie so they wanted to leave us with the most goodest and bleeding hartest and heartwarming mary sue version of Nat with just telling us without showing hey, she got dark past.

On the other hand if we had the rumored Endgame plotline of Nat running an orphanage. Damn that would tie to this plotline so well. We could tie the loose widows also. Dam we were robbed here I tell ya >.<

Ok I'm overdoing offtopic about Nat. Sorry

design

So yeah. Design wise Winter Soldier is like great. For Taskmaster, she sure looks cool but also kinda generic? If in 10 years you'd show me her and say it's antagonist from GI Joe or something I'll believe you :S (not touching the debate that in comics something something because unfortunately I don't know Taskmaster from comics. Although I hear that few recent ones were quite good so I'll check them out sooner or later)

snapping out of mind control

I mentioned before. It would be unfair and there is no point comparing main emotional scene of the movie versus means to an end that were repeated several times through a movie.

Natasha freeing Antonia even if she thought that Antonia will kill her because that would fair was great. What I'm annoyed is a cheap fakeout that went with that. It was just after the bombastic finale with explosions and all the cgi shit. Even without looking at the movie runtime it was obvious there will be no extra fight scene.

In catws it worked because the cgi pew pew extravaganza was a background noise and was part of a continuous fight. In BW helicarriers fell already, there was a second of dust settling and then Nat throws away the shield (uses that capsule). Tension just fell from highest place in a movie (quite literally lol), trying to rise it again for such a short moment just doesn't work.

But that's the general problem with Marvel movies. Bombastic CGI fest as grand finale that probably is "outsourced" and then actual director comes back and needs to end movie super quickly.

disappearing act at the end

So in catws there is mystery of what will Bucky do. We are given some hope since he dragged Steve out of river and visited the museum but thats all. I mean there is this annoying Marvel thing of skipping over the interesting ending of last movie and starting with next plot point. We were hoping for the grand roadtrip/hunt for Bucky but nope. We must run ahead with all the plotlines (same way I'm sure that the Spiderman is Peter Parker and he killed a guy thing will be already dealt with in the beginning of the next movie -.-) But that's bonus mini rant.

In BW they needed to wrap up to many plot lines too quickly so Antonia wakes up and that's all. We don't get a suggestion what she may do. The problem of the chip she still has installed is omitted. There is nothing. She just fucks off to lalaland with other Black Widows the end. Because we needed ending for Nat's actual family which was ok but also kinda rushed.

As I mentioned waaaay before (god, this rant is pretty long) too many hoops to jump through.

Which really sucks because if they added that one flashback scene just for Antonia and spared few more minutes for the overall ending it would work so much more better.

And I even know where they could have saved few minutes (besides the explosions thingies). The supply guy. One extra character in a movie with too many characters. In catws the supply problem (with wings) was solved with nbd shrug. If you wanted to show that Nat has her own web of contacts it should be more than one guy. IDK in Budapest there could be 10 second scene with neighbor saying hi nice to see you again we reinforced the walls after last time. In Norway we could see her visiting some special secret supply stash run by some rando before getting to the mobile home.

But oh she was on the run so that would be too many people. Then cut the people entirely. The shitty helicopter can be worked around with joke that I'm not on speaking terms with Stark rn and that's the best we can have on short notice.

Eh.. side rant again. Sorry.

So to wrap it up. I actually really would love to see what will happen with the loose Black Widows and Antonia because here they were really underdeveloped. And while widows were more of a group hero and we have Yelena as a representative so in a way it balances out but Taskmaster needed so little extra care to make her character so much better and I'm a tiiiiiiny bit salty about it.

#text post #long post #very long rant #black widow #black widow spoilers #black widow movie #black widow 2021 #taskmaster #antonia dreykov #i kinda doubt we will see her again #but one can hope #if anyone actually read through all of this congratz!#and thank you #let me hug you #(and I'm sorry it's so long)

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inevitably-johnlocked · 2 years

Text

Hawkeye S1E6 (vague spoilers)

SIX FOR FUCKING SIX!!

Officially my favourite Marvel D+ Series, it was so enjoyable. Satisfying ending for me, and I loved the post credits scene. I know a lot of people on Twitter are *MAD* at it, but like.... get over yourselves?!? I’m GLAD the post-credits scene was so happy and lighthearted.

People on Twitter are also angry because of someone’s departure.... We didn’t see it happen, ffs, they’re coming back, hence the “Echo” series next year, Jesus. I’ve never read the comics the series is based off of and even I know that 🙄

OH and they’re mad about a certain character NOT making a big cameo in the show, like.... THIS IS HAWKEYE. The other thing was the OTHER CHARACTER’S. Jesus. That’s the problem I’m finding with these D+ shows: people get mad about cameos that don’t happen. Ugh. I thought this show was SUPER generous with REALLY BIG LONG cameos for the fans. So confused.

SORRY I had to gripe, it just bothered me, I need to stop checking the Twitter tags after these shows. Maybe I’m just overly protective of Clint because he was my favourite Avenger since his intro, and he’s often shat on, and FINALLY he has the limelight and people are upset about it. :/

This series was FANTASTIC. I’m looking forward to re-watching it all in one go.

D+ Shows in order of faves, now:

Hawkeye: liked 6/6 episodes, fantastic story, felt realistic. Has a lot of flaws but I was super invested every single episode

Loki: liked 4/6 episodes, and mostly because I loved the story itself. I like time travel / magical stuff, so it’s always super interesting to me and I want to see where they go with that. PLUS I like the dynamic of Mobius and Loki. The canon Syl*ki thing, though, was weird and turned me off. The story itself was fantastic, but just those parts were SO awkward for me. I audibly groaned when they kissed at the end

Falcon and the Winter Soldier: liked 4/6 episodes, couple episodes were weak for me; I liked the character episodes and the action stuff, but some of it felt REALLY disjointed and you could tell they changed the story at last minute

What If?: 4 of 6 episodes, loved the first 4 episodes, and I found it went downhill at the end. I only liked bits and pieces of the final episodes, and I liked the “protector Strange Supreme” thing. And the Clint/Natasha stuff. That was really it. Otherwise the animation was fantastic all the way through

WandaVision: 5 of 9 episodes; unpopular opinion, because I know this is like everyone’s FAVOURITE show... I personally wasn’t super invested until it focussed more on Wanda’s character and Monica’s story. The last 5 episodes were the best ones, but I hated how it just... fizzled out at the end. I dunno. Hoping the Harkness series will build up more upon this show, and my opinion might change.

Looking forward to the new stuff next year, see where they’re gonna bring these characters. I REALLY wanna see more of Kate and Clint and want an S2, but realistically I don’t think there will be because this series was so unliked by a bunch of people.

#hawkeye mcu #my ramblings #vague spoilers #disney plus

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agl03 · 2 years

Note

For Hawkeye is there any chance that the Rolex belongs to Coulson? That is who they are protecting?

Hi Anon,

I would be shocked if it was, and if it was it wouldn't be the Coulson we know from AOS. The AOS timeline ended before the events of Endgame, they kinda of ended mid blip for the main MCU timeline. Meaning a Coulson (or any other characters) we'd see from AOS wouldn't be the ones we knew from the show. they would have different back stories and events that would have gotten them to where they are now.

Which I'm totally down with for the most part since our Happily Ever After is safe in their little branch and if Deke is safe in his. And I don't know if the old Cap Cards are enough to tell the audience for the MCU Coulson liked cool old Shield stuff. Only fans of the show know that. But its something worth filing away.

Clint said that "He got out," and that limits the list down for me quite out bit between whose identities are just out and about (pretty much everyone), who is very publicly working, who is dead, and who is potentially in hiding.

The following were ones that were even at the compound before it went kaboom:

Tony

Steve

Natasha

Bruce

Rhodey

Thor

Scott

Rocket

Carol

Clint

There is always a chance it was so important, belonging to someone good or bad, that it was being kept there for safe keeping during the snap.

Top Picks:

Steve: He's off with his Happily Ever After, enjoying his retirement and likely the family he built with Peggy. But that doesn't change how many enemies he made a long the way.

Tony: While he's dead, pulling a look he's alive now wouldn't be done in a Disney+ Show. That kind of reveal would be a No Way Home leave the entire theater screaming kind of moment (glares at the multi verse and prepares for feels). But anything that belonged to Tony Stark likely has all sorts of tech or secrets or access to secrets. And if it's not Tony's it could have been Howard's kind of thing.

Fury's: We haven't seen/heard much of Fury for a very long time. On top of that we don't know how long the Fury we saw was a Skrull. AND Secret Invasion is coming, so that could be how they get the ball rolling on that....or Hawkeye ends with a huge Skrull reveal and those of us who survived AOS's LMD arcs settle into the blanket fort.

Clint: he picked it up at some point in his ronin times and it ties to a big bad.

Mockingbird: We know and love AOS’s version of this character in Bobbi. And in the comics she is heavily tied to Clint professionally and romantically. But with our Bobbi likely not and option we could get a surprise in Laura was this Universes Mockingbird. Remember when we have zero back story is when writers go absolutely wild. It could also explain the skills she showcased in the episode and why she was so close to Nat. It would also be insane for the track suit squad to show up and then get a surprise clobbering.

It's a Surprise and either a new character that isn't in play yet but the watch is what brings them in play or connects to something.

I also feel that it was important that they pointed out it was a Rolex. Those are expensive and something that can be handed down for generations.

Regardless the Rolex is our McGuffin meant to move the story along in a major way.

Hope that helps! Felt good to do a fun theory meta again! Thanks for sending it!

#hawkeye spoilers #agents of shield #ask agl03 #coulson lives again maybe

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make-me-imagine · 4 years

Text

🍫13 Days of Halloween: Day 6

Prompts: “Where is all the Halloween candy?” “I don’t know” “Y/n”

((Prompt changed slightly to match characterization))

Requested by: Anonymous

Pairing: Reader x M*A*S*H Unit (Platonic)

Gender: Neutral Triggers: None

Words: 1,585 Genre: Humor; Hijinks

Note: Thank you for requesting M*A*S*H! I hope I did it justice~ The time-line might not match up, but whatever.

You sat down with a sigh as Hawkeye and B.J. fixed themselves a drink, Radar scribbled on his notepad, while Potter sat nearby tapping his finger against his chin.

“So after post op, we’ll invite the nearby villagers, hand out a bunch of candy to the kiddies, and then we’ll have ourselves a nice party” Potter recited as Radar nodded along.

“Sounds like a pretty good plan” you replied “How does Frank feel about it?”

“He doesn’t know yet” Hawkeye said, coming to sit next to you “We don’t think it’s necessary to tell his highness, he’ll complain about it either way”

“Who knows, maybe he’ll think it’s a grand idea” B.J. suggested as he sat on his own cot.

“It’s Frank, B.J., his grand idea of a Halloween party would include everyone dressed in their fatigues dancing 6-feet apart to the tune of the star spangled banner.”

You smiled at Hawkeyes comment as he turned to you “So Y/n, have you decided what you’re going to wear?”

You shrugged “Probably something in a khaki color” you tugged on your pants as you spoke, knowing you had nothing to really wear.

“Oh come on, you gotta dress up, we are!” B.J. said

“I’d love to dress up Beej but I have nothing to wear, I ordered a costume but it never came, I asked Klinger but he’s already given half of his clothes to the rest of the camp to wear.”

Hawkeye patted your leg, leaving his hand on your knee “We’ll find something.”

“I don’t know if I’d want to wear something you’d suggest” you replied with a note of suspicion.

Hawkeye gave you an offended look “I have great taste in clothes!”

“You’re idea for a costume would be my birthday suit.”

“Oh, now that is an idea” he replied with a smirk, making you roll your eyes.

“Uh, Sir” Radar spoke up

“Yes Radar.” Potter asked

“There is just one problem with all of this”

“What’s that Radar? You’re costume come in the wrong size?” B.J. quipped.

“Huh? Oh, no it's fine, well actually it is a little big, but that’s not it, I just, uh but the requisition order for Halloween candy never came in. We’ve got some, but not enough for all the kids and for our party”

You frowned at the news “And everyone donated money and or candy already?”

“Yep, I mean everyone but Major Burns, but that’s because he still doesn’t know about the party”

You, Hawk and B.J. all exchanged knowing looks. Just as you did Frank came bumbling into the swamp, large package in hand “What’s that Frank?” Hawkeye asked.

“None of your beeswax!” Frank yelled aggressively, turning, he sees Potter “Oh, Colonel, hello”

You chuckled quietly at his sudden change in demeanor as he set down the package with a thud. “What’s in the box Burns?” Potter asked repeating Hawkeyes question.

“Oh. Uh, just a package from home” he answered as he began to open the package.

“That’s nice. Well, in other news, Frank, we’re thinking of throwing a little soiree for Halloween, you got any candy you can donate, or money so we can buy some?” Potter asked.

“A soiree? Sir that’s highly un-military” you and the others rolled your eyes as he began “And to answer your question, no, I don’t have any candy to donate, and I wont donate any money for your party” just as he answered, he opened the box, which was chock full of various candy bars and other bags of Halloween candy.

You and the others stood and hovered as you pointed at the box “Now you do!”

“What?! No, this is from my family, you can’t have it!”

“Oh come on Frank” Hawkeye began “We don’t want it all, just donate some! There’s no way you can eat all that yourself!”

“Just watch me!” Frank yelled as he stood, box in hand as he exited the swamp, dropping a couple pieces of candy on the way, which Radar scooped up.

You and the others exchanged annoyed looks as you watched Frank run across the courtyard, clearly towards Margaret’s quarters. “Oh, we’ll get that candy Frank” Hawkeye muttered quietly, so only you and B.J. could hear.

After a few failed attempts at retrieving the candy from Frank, Hawkeye and B.J. were about to give up, but tried one more time the day of the party as they cornered Frank in post-op “Where’s the candy Frank?” Hawkeye asked.

“We just want some, for the kids Frank, think of the kids!” B.J. cut in.

“I don’t care, they’re not my kids! It doesn’t matter anyway, I ate it all” Frank said with a smug look on his face.

Hawkeye scoffed “Frank if you ate all that candy then you’d be comatose.”

Frank scowled at Hawkeye as he turned to leave, Hawkeye and B.J. shared an exasperated look as they followed him out. Looking around, they see the nearby locals arriving, kids excited for having been told they’d be given candy.

“Frank, what can we do for you to to grow a heart and donate some of that candy?” B.J. asked.

Frank turned, seeming to think it over “You can’t make any jokes at me for the next month! And you must act accordingly in my presence, salutes and all!”

Hawkeye and B.J. shared a look of disdain “Fine, fine! Just show us the candy Frank” B.J. muttered out

Frank smirked at them as he turned, leading them towards Margaret's tent, where he had been hiding the candy. You had been walking across the camp as came across them “What’s up guys?”

“Frank agreed to give us some of the candy”

“Oh, is that so?” you asked, something in your voice that made B.J. and Hawkeye hesitate, but continued to follow Frank as you tagged along.

Entering into the tent, Frank opened up the closet pulling out the box. As he opened it, the three of you stood behind him watching. Hawkeye glanced at you, you met his eyes for a moment and smirked, making him curious.

“Hey!” Frank called, earning all of your attention.

He dumped out the box, and all that fell out were some cans of corn and some loose pieces of candy. “He really did eat it all” B.J. muttered in disbelief.

“Or maybe Margarete had a midnight craving” Hawkeye quipped before looking down at Frank “Where’s the candy Frank?” he asked, clearly frustrated.

“How am I supposed to know, it was in here earlier!”

“Maybe the candy-man took it” you joked, clearly not bothered by the missing candy.

Hawkeye and B.J. looked at you, gathering you had something to do with it. And so did Frank. Standing, he eyed you “Where is the Halloween candy?”

You looked at him, feigning offense while shrugging “I don’t know”

“Captain L/n” Frank began, pointing his finger at you, stopping only when the sudden sound of happy yelling children distracted you.

Frank walked away, looking out of the tent, seeing a large group of kids jumping around as Father Mulcahy and a few nurses began handing out candy. Frank squinted as he looked closer “Hey! That’s my candy!”

As this was happening Hawkeye and B.J. looked back at you, amusement on their faces, knowing you had to be the one to do this. You looked at them, winking as they laughed out loud.

Frank turned in anger, pointing his finger at all of you “I know you did this, you stole from me. After I get back my candy, I- I’ll, I’ll have you all on report!”

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna go take your candy back from those kids Frank?!” B.J. asked incredulously.

“I know you have stooped low before Frank but don’t tell me you’d actually take candy from a baby?” Hawkeye asked.

Frank opened his mouth to speak but stopped, turning and looking at the kids and then turning back “Well, why shouldn’t I? It’s my candy!”

You all rolled your eyes, as Margaret jogged up, “Oh, Major Burns you are so kind!”

“Oh, uh, thank you Margar- Uh I mean Major Houlihan, but uh, what are you talking about?”

“Well, Captain L/n told me you had donated all that candy, and now look at all the kids they’re having so much fun!” she spoke with a wide smile.

Frank, Hawk and B.J. all turned to look at you as you stared at Frank with a blank face, hands in your pockets “Frank certainly is a kind and generous man isn’t he?” you asked, no emotion in your voice.

“Oh he really is!” Margaret said as he smiled widely at Frank.

Frank hesitated, looking between you and Margaret “Oh, well, we do what we can Major” he feigned, taking the credit as you internally rolled your eyes.

Margaret suddenly pulled Frank away and towards the group of kids. Feeling pressure on both your shoulders, you look back and forth seeing both Hawkeye and B.J. resting their arms on your shoulder “Here we were, threatening him to give us the candy, and you swept in like a thief in the night” B.J. commented, still amused.

“Well now that that’s over” Hawkeye paused looking down at you with a smile “I’ve got a costume for you I think you’ll like” he smirked

“Oh no” you muttered.

Hawkeye’s smirk only grew as he and B.J. shared a knowing look “Oh, yes”. Hawkeye looped his arm through yours as he began to drag you towards the Swamp, B.J. following behind.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Again, this was my first time writing for M*A*S*H, so I’m not sure if I did it justice lol, but I hoped you like it anyways. And please request more M*A*S*H in the future! I did enjoy writing for it and the characters!!

Please consider reblogging this, as this is a very small fandom, so reblogging it would be one of the best ways to spread it to other MASH lovers :)

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aquietwritingcorner · 3 years

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Embers of Revelation

Author: RealityBreakGirl/aquietlearningcorner Word Count: 1585 Rating: T Prompt: FMA Big Bang 2021 Warnings: Child abuse/neglect Characters: Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, Kain Fuery, Black Hayate Pairing: Royai Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Family Chapter: Epilogue of 7 Summary: Tasked by Fuhrer Grumman to investigate a suspected alchemic incident, General Mustang’s team finds themselves stranded in Hawkeye’s hometown. Needing a place to stay, they find themselves taking shelter in her childhood home. However, her past can’t stay buried there, and as revelations come to light, they also bring embers of danger with them. Sequel to Embers in a Wounded Heart AO3 || ff.net

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Epilogue

Riza looked out the window of her apartment, her arms wrapped around herself. Her pink sweater was draped over her shoulders. Rebecca kept offering to replace it, saying it was out of style at this point, but she refused. Riza took good care of it. She made sure to. It had been one of the first things she had bought for herself, after she left home. It was comforting, and she wasn’t ready to give it up. It was her choice to buy it, and that was a reminder that she was someone beyond the choices that others had made for her.

She heard soft footsteps behind her, but she didn’t turn around. She knew who it was, and she knew that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. He didn’t even want to startle her right now with the state she was in and the way she was armed.

“Riza?” Roy called out her voice softly. “Are… Can I get you anything?”

She was quiet for a bit and didn’t turn around. After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder, back at Roy. He was worried about her, that much was clear, and honestly? He had reason to be. She was worried about her too.

“Part of me keeps wondering—what if I just got you to burn the rest of it off.”

She saw the horror enter his eyes, which was mutely reflected in his expression. “Riza—no! No, I won’t do that to you!”

She sighed and looked down. “I know,” she said. “I know you won’t. And—” she looked back up, sharpness in her words. “Just so you know, no, I am not contemplating ways to do it myself.”

She had told him that the first time around. She had told him that she would find a way to remove the tattoo herself if he didn’t burn it off. They had both known that any attempts alone would likely kill her. He had been horrified. At the time, she honestly hadn’t minded, feeling that, if she died, then that was her penance for her sins.

Looking back, she could clearly see that she had not been in a good frame of mind. But then again, few of them coming back from the war had been. Even Hughes, for all of his jovial behavior, had his problems as well. The three of them had helped teach other through enough hard nights that they couldn’t go to anyone else about. Bless Gracia for never begrudging them that.

“What are you going to do, then?” Roy asked her, moving to stand right in front of her. He wasn’t demanding of her, but questioning, allowing her to take the lead, which she appreciated.

“…I don’t know,” she said. “Be paranoid.” It was half a joke, but it was also true. She was already double checking her door and windows constantly and was armed all of the time. She had taken to hiding a few more guns around, and anytime she went out she was hyper aware.

Roy frowned. “You can’t keep living like that.”

“I know,” she said. “But I also can’t not. Roy, a man tried to kidnap me to get to my father’s research. He was going to take me somewhere, to someone, some group, and have them try to learn the secrets of flame alchemy from it—from me. From me, Roy! It’s the thing I’ve fought against since it was put on my back.” She let her head drop to his shoulder, and he was immediately wrapping his arms around her. “I can’t escape, Roy. I try and try, but I can’t escape my father’s grasp.”

He held her tightly, holding her as closely as he could, and she leaned into it, her hands grasping him back.

“…I can’t let it happen,” she said, half whispering it out as he held her. “I can’t—Roy, I can’t let that happen. I—”

“Shh,” Roy held her tightly, and even rocked her a little. “Come here,” he pulled her with him, over to the kitchen chairs, and sat her down, staying close to her. “Listen, Riza… I’m not going to let that happen, alright? I’m not going to let anyone put their hands on you, I’m not going to let anyone use your father’s knowledge against your wishes. Not even me.”

She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes. “But how? Roy, how are you going to prevent it.”

He paused, thinking a moment. “We won’t leave you alone. You go somewhere, one of use will go with you. See if maybe Catalina can stay with you a while,” he paused, and lifted a hand to her cheek. “I’d love to stay with you. But…”

She leaned into his hand. “I know,” she said.

“And I promise you, we’ll find these people he was connected to. We’ll find them, and we’ll make sure they can’t do anything with you or with anyone else ever again. We’ll stop them.” He vowed. “But we’ll make sure you stay protected. And I’ll be trying to find a way to remove that tattoo that won’t hurt you, that won’t cause you problems.” He tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. “I promise you, Riza Hawkeye, that I will do everything in my power to make sure you and the secret of flame alchemy are protected.”

“Thank you,” she said, and closed her eyes as he gathered her in his arms again.

A large part of her still wanted to panic about this. It was hard not to. She was scared, so scared, and it was a deep seeded, old fear, one that her father had put on her as a young woman. It was one that had rested with her most of her life. She had thought herself fairly safe, but now? Now she wasn’t sure.

“…I think that I might can spare one night with you,” Roy said. “I mean, it’s late. If I just happen to fall asleep here, well, we have just gotten back from a long trip, and you were injured during it. I think it would be excusable.”

She gave him a brief smile, although it didn’t quite have the power it usually did. “We’ll have to make up the couch for you,” she said. He looked mildly disappointed, at least until she continued. “After all, if someone comes calling, we’ll need it to look right.”

“It’ll need to look slept in,” he pointed out.

“We’ll let Hayate take care of that,” she said. Her smiled dropped a bit. “Roy…” her fingers intertwined with his. “Just hold me tonight.”

He put a kiss on her forehead. “Of course, Riza,” he said. “I planned on it.”

He stood up then, and gently tugged her up and out of the chair. They went, together, and made up the couch, made it look as if it had been slept in, and deposited Hayate there before they retired to her room. The little pup didn’t seem to mind so much. He seemed to be glad that they would be spending the night together, actually.

They changed, turned down her bed, and then crawled under the blankets. They were thick and warm, and it had a protective feeling to Riza, as if nothing could get her while she was buried under them. The weight of them was comforting. They weren’t something that would just be thrown or flung back without it being noticed.

Roy snuggled up to her, a hand going around her waist as he tugged her closer, holding onto her from behind. He fit himself snuggly against her back, holding her to him. It felt good, it felt right, it felt like this was the way that it was supposed to be. It reminded Riza of nights as children, looking up at the stars and falling asleep together. It reminded her of nights at her childhood home, just the two of them, when he would pull up to her like this after a night of studying her back, wanting to pamper her after all that she was letting him do. It reminded her of nights in Ishval when all either of them wanted was a reminder that they had been something more than the killing machines they now were. It reminded her of midnight visits to the Hughes’s home, accidently going on the same night, and sleeping there, together, knowing that neither of their friends would say a word.

It reminded her of safety, and of a steadfast, unshakable love that she had never dreamed had existed all those years ago, let alone for someone like her. For some who’s own father didn’t even want her, didn’t even think of her as more then something to be used.

It reminded her that she wasn’t alone.

She had Roy. She had Becca. She had Havoc. She had Breda. She had Falman. She had Fuery. She had Hayate. She was far from alone in this situation.

And so Riza Hawkeye breathed in, breathed out, and settled down, letting the warmth of Roy hold and protect her.

“I’ve got your back,” he said, half in a whisper, and a smile touched her lips.

“I wouldn’t trust it to anyone else,” she said, and while there was a double meaning in that, she knew that he would also hear her words of love in it.

And so, with his reassurance, Riza Hawkeye fell asleep, hoping for a new day to bring hope.

#FMA Big Bang 2021 #fullmetal alchemist Big Bang 2021 #Fullmetal Alchemist #fma #royai #riza hawkeye #Roy Mustang #Jean Havoc #Heymans Breda #Vato Falman #Kain Fuery #black hayate #fan fiction #fanfic

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carriagelamp · 3 years

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April l was apparently the month for me to revisit some children’s authors who are steeped in controversy at the moment. So here’s my hot (well, lukewarm) takes on issues that absolutely do not need a single other person talking about them. Also some actual good books that I read this month!

Badger in the Basement

The Animal Ark books are a childhood classic — though I recently found out that apparently there’s a difference between American and British publications, and the American versions didn’t include a lot of actual COOL animals which is… bizarre. As a Canadian stuck in the middle of this, this nonsense drives me nuts. This one was about the main character, the daughter of pair of vets, trying to protect a local badger sett from men wanting to participate in badger digging and baiting. These books are always feel-good, and it was a nice single-day-read while I waited for a library book to come in.

Chi’s Sweet Home

The cutest manga series about the misadventures of a little kitten, Chi, who has been adopted by a loving family. I’ve never bothered to read them in order, but apparently this time I stumbled across the last in the series -- whoops! Still, stood on it’s own pretty easily, and it was a fun read! Things get tense when the family realize that they may have found Chi’s original home… and may have to give up Chi forever.

Earth Before Us: Dinosaur Empire!

This was an odd graphic novel, I feel like I’m not sure who the target audience was exactly. It was a nonfiction comic done in a Magic School Bus style, with the purpose of teaching current, up-to-date facts about the animals that lived in the Mesozoic Era. If you’re into dinosaurs, you’ll probably enjoy this! The art is absolutely adorable, I love the dinosaur illustrations, and I learnt some really neat facts. That being said, the pages are really dense, and there’s a lot of info crammed in… some of it will probably go way over a child’s head without specific additional teaching or a very strong personal interest. But that being said, a dinosaur obsessed kid is still probably going to really dig this… as would a dinosaur obsessed adult. It wasn’t my cup of tea exactly but I’m sure it is someone’s.

assorted Dr Seuss Books

I love these types of controversies because it means getting to listen to every moron who has never had an opinion on Dr Seuss ever start generating a mile of them out of the aether. So many people are so mad about the six books that are getting retired and I bet most of them haven’t even read them. These are not the friggin Cat In The Hat or The Lorax or even the likes of Yertle The Turtle. I was raised by a grade one teacher, was a voracious reader who loved Dr Seuss, and wrote my university thesis on children’s literature, and I still only knew two of the six books on that list. So by all means, if you want to write an essay explaining why those specific books are worth clinging to, feel free, but if you haven’t even heard of them maybe it’s not a big deal. *grumble*

Anyway, my grousing aside, it gave me the urge to reread a bunch of Seuss books, including the two retiring books I personally knew: McElligot’s Pool and To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street. I do still enjoy both, especially McElligot’s Pool which always sparked my imagination, but it’s obvious why they’re being retired and I personally think it’s the right choice. There’s so much good kidlit out there, we can survive without these.

Goodbye, My Rose Garden

A f/f romance manga, fairly standard fair though cute if you’re looking for some historical angst, pretty dresses, and mutual pining. A young Japanese woman moves to England in the hopes of meeting a writer (Mr Frank) who she has long admired. Along the way she is employed by an enigmatic woman with plenty of money, rumours, and melancholy following her. I’ll be honest, uncut romance isn’t really my genre, but I’ll probably still try to the second book to see if the story picks up.

From The Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes: The Autobiography of Robert Clary

It’s no secret that I’ve been on a Hogan’s Heroes kick. This is the autobiography of Roberty Clary, who plays my favourite character in the show, Louis Lebeau. And holy shit what a life this man has had. He was a Jew growing up in France before the start of the war, and who was one of many children taken away from his family and sent off to the concentration camps in Germany. This was an amazing, intense, inspiring, and heartbreaking read… it has Clary’s voice all over it, and it tells everything from the charming childhood he had, to the horrors of the concentration camps, the brutality of survival, and then about his exciting journey into the entertainment industry afterwards. It’s an experience, would recommend if you’re a fan of the show.

The Ickabog

The second controversial author I read this month. Originally I was going to give Rowling’s new book a miss, given everything that’s been going on over the past few years, but in the end my curiosity got the better of me. Politics aside, it was a fun read! Not groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough and written in an interesting style. It didn’t read the same as a lot of modern kidlit, it felt more like a cross between a classic fairytale and a Dahl book. Perhaps a bit like Despereaux. It tells the tale of how an idyllic country gradually falls into ruin through the ignorance, inaction, and greed, and how a supposedly fictional monster hides the very real, human monsters at the heart of the country. It was cute and pleasant and I’m glad I decided to get it from the library, though for anyone who is choosing not to engage for political reasons: you aren’t missing anything major.

Franklin In The Dark

A Canadian classic. I don’t think there’s a single person my age who hasn’t read or been read a pile of these books, and the nostalgia is so comforting. I found this on Youtube and listened to someone read it to me, and honestly 10/10 would recommend for a calm evening.

The big reason I decided to seek this one out though, was because I finally got to the M*A*S*H episode that inspired this entire series! In the episode C*A*V*E, in which Hawkeye is freaking out over his claustrophia while the camp is forced to take shelter in a nearby cave during some intense shelling, he mentions that if he had been born a turtle he would have been afraid of his own shell, and that the other turtles would make fun of him cause he’d be forced to walk around in his underwear. And so this first story about a young turtle who’s afraid to sleep in his own shell and drags it around behind him. So if you were ever curious, Franklin the Turtle is in fact named after Dr Benjamin Franklin Pierce. (this is also why the French version is named Benjamin!)

Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf

I loved the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books as a kid but I never read the Wolves of the Beyond series. This first book was an interesting read, Lasky does a great job creating worlds and societies for the animals that inhabit them. Lone Wolf is about a deformed wolf cub who was abandoned in the wilderness to die. And he would have, if a desperate mother bear, who had recently had her only cub killed, hadn’t stumbled across him and saved him, vowing to raise him as her own...

Petals

A “silent” graphic novel. It has beautiful artwork and is told entirely through pictures, no text at all. It’s loves and heart-wrenching, though it left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied… I felt like there should have been more. Still, a neat story.

The Southern Book Club‘s Guide To Slaying Vampires

What a banger of a novel!! I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s about a group of suburban mothers in the ‘80s who form a book club out of a shared need for community and a love of grisly true crime novels. But when a strange drifter appears in town and starts setting down roots… and when children begin disappearing… these women need to band together to confront the horrors that have invaded their neighbourhood, and face down not only a terrifying monster among them but the patriarchal system that allows it to flourish. To quote the preface:

“Because vampires are the original serial killers, stripped of everything that makes us human — they have no friends, no family, no roots, no children. All they have is hunger. They eat and eat but they’re never full. With this book, I wanted to pit a man freed from all responsibilities but his appetites against women whose lives are shaped by their endless responsibilities. I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom. As you’ll see, it’s not a fair fight.“

The Weirn Books: Be Wary of the Silent Woods

I love Chmakova’s graphic novels, though I’ve only ever read her slice-of-life middle grade series before. This one is pure fantasy and very fun. It’s about two cousin “weirns” — witches with demon familiars — who attend the local night school. Things get strange though when an ominous figure appears outside the old, abandoned school house deep in the Silent Woods, and begins tempting children down its path…

I’m very much looking forward to word of a second book and was honestly kind of surprised that I haven’t heard more about this book given how popular her other series is. This has all the same charm and quirks but for those of us who prefer stories based in fantasy rather than reality.

And A Bonus...

For some masochistic reason I got a Garfield book out of the library. Jeez, if I didn’t love these as a kid, I found them absolutely laugh out loud hilarious, and now I just don’t see it anymore. But here I will share the one strip in the book that actually made me laugh

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theabominableblogger · 3 years

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My Reaction to “Avengers Endgame”

Yes- I still haven’t seen this movie. Yes I know exactly what happens in this movie. I mainly avoided it for a while due to overhype but with some convincing from my brother, Imma sit my butt down and try to watch this.

Pressing... play!

Right off the bat, I feel like I should warn you guys and say that I have... my opinions... about stuff. Plus I’m a dumbass about Marvel so just bear with me.

I like that Disney Plus has to warn us about product placement

Clint!

Are we gonna see little Nathaniel running around- THERE he is!

We are gonna see Clint’s entire family get freaking obliterated

Is all the rumbling from the sky or are those airplanes freaking crashing to Earth in the distance?

What if they pulled a reverse WandaVision and showed the people getting snapped out of existence in a future film or show? That would be freaking terrifying.

They’re [Tony and Nebula] playing paper football...

I wanna see more of THEIR interactions aboard the Milano. The shots of them just repairing the ship are great too.

“I’m fine. Totally fine.” Everyone ever.

I also like you see the visual difference between Tony and Nebula. While he’s growing gaunt and haggard from loss of oxygen, you can still see that Nebula looks absolutely fine because she’s like 75% android

So between 1995 and now, what the heck has Carol been up to?

“Thanos wiped out... 50% of all living creatures.” So like entire ecosystems are just demolished.

*anthropology major part of my brain scrambling for answers*

“We lost. And you [Steve] weren’t there.” HE WAS IN WAKANDA!

Wait so the arc reactor ISN’T in Tony’s chest anymore?

“Where the hell have you [Carol] been all this time?” Good question!

*silently bops to opening theme*

For some reason, I just really want the ship radio to randomly turn on so you just see everyone sitting awkwardly as “Piano Man” plays over the speakers

*Thanos slowly cooks his food* Faster, all together now! COOKING CAN BE FUN!

“I [Thanos] used the stones to destroy the stones.” ...what?

“I am...[Thanos] inevitable.” *starts humming “Inevitable” from TGWDLM*

“I [Thor] went for the head.” YES YOU DID

[FIVE YEARS LATER] All righty so we’re doing this

*gasps* Is... Steve running the therapy sit downs like Sam did in “The Winter Soldier”? That’s awesome. I really like this tidbit.

I’m also really liking Alan Silvestri’s score for this so far

I’m really trying not to nitpick but I feel like it would take more than 5 years for greenery to just completely overtake a suburban neighborhood

Also wow pre COVID life looks great you guys

“There’s a part of me that doesn’t even wanna find him.” Are they talking about... Clint? Is Clint just going the full vigilante route?

DOES HE KILL PEOPLE?!?

I really like Steve and Natasha’s friendship in these movies but for some reason I don’t feel like we get enough of Natasha for me to get behind her on an emotional standpoint

Are they gonna use the quantum realm to jumpstart the multiverse for Phase 4?

Also speaking of multiverse, I honestly really don’t want Spiderman: No Way Home or Wandavision to get too cluttered by that

I like Tony’s lake house. And he got a whole vegetable garden going too. Kudos!

The little kid who plays Morgan Stark is adorable

“Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel.” Which we obviously won’t.

“We’re gonna need a really big brain.” So where the [expletive] is Banner?

“Stranger danger.” *snorts*

“Dab!” *rolls eyes*

So is the whole Professor Hulk thing permanent? I know he’s gonna be in the She-Hulk show but I’m wondering how they’re gonna tackle that. And they’re gonna have Tim Roth too!

*smiles when Tony takes Morgan to bed*

Steve Rogers here [when they do the first time travel tests] is a Look ™

Maybe don’t let the GIANT GREEN MAN keep pressing a bunch of tiny tiny important buttons on a dashboard

*laughs at Steve shaking his head in disbelief when they finally bring Scott back*

*Tony’s car races toward the Avengers base* NYOOOMMMM

*Tony rolls down his window* It’s Britney, bitch

“And maybe not die trying.” And you definitely will.

This whole bit where Scott keeps losing his dorito only to get another one from Bruce feels like a Doritos commercial.

*jams out to "Supersonic Rocket Ship by The Kinks*

Did they just keep reducing the green pigment for Hulk or what?

*sighs when they reveal Fat!Thor*

MIEK’S ALIVE!

Please tell me Noobmaster69 is Kid Loki, whom we meet in the Loki series

“Don’t... say that name.” “Yeah we actually don’t say that name here.” I like this. I like that Thor has so much resentment for killing Thanos at the wrong time and that he felt that could have done better cause he’s A GOD. So the fact that THANOS was on equal level and BEAT HIM-

Hawkeye’s killing people

This sword fight’s great [between the Yakuza person and Clint]

WHY DIDN’T THEY BUILD ON THIS [Clint and Natasha’s connection] ???

*laughs when Rhodey suggests killing baby Thanos*

These shots of Clint going through the Quantum Realm looks like something straight out of Andy Park’s concept art and that’s awesome

“Well I [Scott] haven’t [encountered an Infinity Stone] but I don’t even know what the hell you’re all talking about.” *snorts*

“The Aether, firstly, is not a stone.” Thank you!

The little glance Nebula gives after Thor mentions the Dark Elves just make me think that somewhere down the road, she has either A) encountered them or B) has encountered other Asgardians besides Thor

“Guys if you pick the right year, there are three stones in New York.” “Shut the front door.” *laughs*

Also underrated trio: Steve, Natasha, and Bruce. Gimme more.

Wait a minute, in 2012, Doctor Strange wasn’t active yet. So are they gonna go see- OOOOOOOHHHHHH

[NEW YORK 2012] Oh here we go

*cracks up when Bruce very half-assedly smashes stuff on the street*

“I’m looking for Doctor Strange.” “You’re about five years too early.” Wait a minute.

HOW DOES SHE [the Ancient One] KNOW?!?

*giggles at Thor and Rocket sneaking in the background with a bored Loki in focus*

“That’s my [Thor’s] mother. She dies today.” I love this scene already.

Also WHY IS THOR- or the Thor films in general- have like the most well written characters in the whole canon?

It’s those movies, Guardians 2, The Winter Soldier, Civil War, aaand.... I can’t think of any more of them.

Oh yeah and WANDAVISION cause THAT HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK-

Rocket just said he thinks of the Guardians as his family I’m gonna die...

What about their [Natasha and Rhodey’s] friendship?!? I want more of that!

“Ronan’s obsession... clouds his judgment.” ...HUH

*Thanos uses his sword to lift up Nebula’s chin* Aw heck no

“As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass.” *has to take a second before nodding in agreement*

Wait is that Jasper Stillwell?

“Flick me.” That bit alone could be taken out of context

“We’re in route to Doctor List.” Who’s Doctor List? Is that a code name?

“Hail Hydra.” THE BASTARDS WENT AND DID IT

Please tell me this hand off scene is gonna be the opening for the Loki show. Please tell me this is gonna happen.

*Loki takes the Tesseract again* AND HE’S GOOONNNEE!!

LET’S GET TO FREAKING JUNE ALREADY!

*ends up quoting “Yeah, I know, I know” along with Steve*

I’m really glad Tilda Swinton actually came back for this cameo

*keeps slapping my laptop screen when people keep saying Doctor Strange made a mistake when it was an explicit point in Infinity War where he encountered 14 million other AUs to find the best result*

Are you telling me that this whole plan could derail because Nebula accidentally hacked into her own WiFI network? Are you seriously doing this?

*Thanos and Ebony Maw scan Nebula’s duplicate memory bank and track her down* Are you freaking kidding me?

...I have 96 minutes left?!?

“The future hasn’t been kind to you [Thor], has it?” Frigga is underrated

So for these shots with Jane, are they just reusing different shots from Thor 2 or just footage from deleted scenes?

Can we talk about how Frigga is absolutely the best parent Thor has? Meanwhile her husband ODIN is like “oh yeah by the way you have a secret sister totes magotes i’ll die now byeeee”

*sings along with “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone*

*laughs when we cut to Quill just very badly singing along to his iPod in the distance*

I want a bonus short with just Rhodey and Nebula doing their thing

*Nebula gets her memory taken over by 2014 Thanos* Nooooooo...

Are the glasses that Tony wears here part of EDITH from “Far From Home” or are they like a prototype?

Also I haven’t seen “Far From Home” yet because Sony hates me

Doctor Zola?!?

*jams out to the music playing when we see Hank Pym’s lab*

“A little girl would be nice. Less of a chance that she’ll end up exactly like me [Howard Stark].” *gasps softly*

Oh my God, he’s [Steve] in Peggy’s office

Alan Silvestri is really killing it with this score

JARVIS!!

Wait and that’s the guy from “Agent Carter”!

Ohhh that shot’s [of Thanos’s ship coming out of the clouds] awesome...

*2014 Nebula hands Thanos the Pym particles* Oh are you kidding me...

The CGI for Red Skull is also awesome

*gasps when Natasha reveals that she never knew her dad’s name when Red Skull told it to her*

*is super bummed out when Natasha sacrifices herself*

Kevin Feige really went and said “so Phases 3 and 4 are gonna make everybody cry” and the writers went “YES”

Wait doesn’t Cap go and return the stones at the end of the movie? How’s he gonna handle meeting Red Skull on Vormir then?

“It’s like... I [Bruce] was made for this.” Please someone get Mark Ruffalo his own Hulk movie before he combusts from giving out more spoilers

So Thanos used the Pym particles to time travel then. Honestly that’s kinda genius

I just noticed that Scott shrank himself right as the explosion hit the windows

I really want someone to just drop one F-bomb somewhere in the MCU and I really hope it’s Clint because he would 100% say it

*starts singing “Hollaback Girl” when Thanos arrives*

Here’s my question; how did Thanos acquire Nebula then? With Gamora, it was with the genocide of her people.

“We [Gamora to Nebula] can stop him.” LET’S GO!

[Thor uses his storm powers to summon both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir] *softly* Ohhhhh that’s badass...

Now I’m just imagining the cast just in the green screen room just hitting Josh Brolin with a bunch of foam weapons and making all the sound effects while poor Josh is just struggling under the weight of the Thanos reference head on his mocap suit

Who does the voice for FRIDAY?

AN: Irish actress named Kerry Condon

*Steve deems himself worth to wield Mjolnir* OKKAAYY OKAAYY

Love how Thanos is like “yes, I’m gonna stab you with an AXE”

“In all my years of conquest...” Steve you suuuucckkk...

Are we getting the Chitauri again?

“On your left.” *laughs incredulously* O-ohhh my God...

*Everyone starts coming out of the portals* Oh my God I’m getting chills

I would have lost my mind in the theater

I HAVE ACTUAL GOOSEBUMPS RUNNING ALL OVER ME. This is how good this is

WAIT ARE THOSE THE RAVAGER SHIPS ABOVE THEM?!?

“Avengers... assemble.” Oh my God this is amazing!

M’BAKU!

Also “Endgame” really just said “We are KILLING FOOLS TODAY”

How are they gonna tackle Peter and Gamora’s relationship in Guardians 3?

[Horn plays La Cucaracha] LET’S GO

God I’m gonna turn feral

*has to pause to scream in excitement when Wanda touches down in front of Thanos to fight him*

*puts hands on head* OHH MY GOOOOODDDDD

They’re literally just playing Keep Away with a teenage boy. Marvel, everybody.

*Captain Marvel destroys Thanos’s ship* WELL IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH

OK I got mixed feelings about that [the girl power team up scene]

*Thanos unsuccessfully headbutts Carol* Oh shit!

*Doctor Strange holds up one finger* Oh my God this is it

Someone definitely tore off when Thanos pushed Tony off

It was in that moment he [Thanos] knew- he effed up

*All of Thanos’s army dissipates* Byeee...

Is it bad that I’m not crying at Tony’s death?

*gasps when Peter reunites with Ned at school*

Wait the whole time heist takes place within ONE DAY?

“I love you 3000.” I really hope we see Morgan again somewhere in one of the movies or shows. Actually a cool way to reincorporate her would be in the Ironheart series whenever they make it

Even Drax is wearing black!

It’s the “We should be getting therapy but we got a TV show instead” trio [Wanda, Bucky, and Sam]

Wait is that guy- was that guy- the little kid from Iron Man 3?

AN: Yes

So right after this funeral, Wanda’s gonna storm SWORD right?

AN: This was finished up on 2/26 so probably YES

*Thor crowns Valkyrie the new leader of New Asgard* I now cannot wait for “Thor Love and Thunder”

Wait Peter’s looking for Gamora!

Still cannot believe that the time travel suits are completely CGI

I know they had a body double for Chris Evans here but I do think it would have been cool if they used the body double’s voice for Old Steve instead of Chris trying to sound old

He [Steve] put the shield in an art portfolio bag...

*says “No, no I don’t think I will” along with Steve*

*silently jams out to “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” playing during the credits*

Wait and that was the song Fury was playing in “Winter Soldier”

Oh they even got the actual signatures! That’s awesome!

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thebibliomancer · 3 years

Text

Essential Avengers: Avengers #234: The Witch’s Tale!

August, 1983

“Seasons of the Witch!”

If Wanda offers you a free Halloween mask, politely tell her no thanks.

A lot going on in this cover. Because this is one of those issues that summarizes a character’s continuity because wikipedia doesn’t exist yet and back issues aren’t super easy to get.

Last time: There was an Avengers/Fantastic Four sorta crossover where Annihilus tried to blow up the universe. The primary fallout of that is that Vision walked into a null-field and then collapsed. He’s basically in a robot-coma recovering.

This time: the Avengers bring Vision home in a tube.

It looks like the kind of coffin you shoot into space but it’s not. It’s just a life-support capsule that looks like a space coffin.

Now though it sucks that Vision is in a robot coma, this does mean that he and Wanda are back involved with the book again. We briefly checked in with them during the Trial of Yellowjacket arc.

But we’ve been pretty short of Scarlet Witch and Vision since #211 when they left the team to try to have a go at a regular life. I’ll summarize in brief how that’s been at the appropriate time. Point being, that’s twenty some issues with a very low amount of my second favorite comic couple.

She-Hulk and Thor carry the capsule into the basement of Avengers Mansion because that’s where their medical center is. The basement. Of course. Why wouldn’t you put your medical center in the basement. Best place for it.

Wanda thanks Wasp for inviting her (and Vision) to stay at the Mansion when they could have stayed at the Baxter Building.

Wasp: “Nonsense! That place was left in a mess by Annihilus! Besides, the Avengers take care of their own!”

(Tangentially, the Avengers have always been more of a family to Wanda than anyone else aside from Django and Marya Maximoff who raised her and Pietro. The Avengers are Wanda’s family basically.)

Also, it’s not said anywhere but I feel like probably Reed Richards never did do that procedure that was supposed to help Vision recover more quickly as distracted as he was by Franklin’s injuries.

While Wanda hovers (metaphorically) around Vision’s tube, Wasp reflects on how hard this is hitting her.

Wasp: “She and the Vision were such a strange match, but they’ve been so devoted to each other their marriage worked -- !”

Oof, that bold hurts, Jan.

Wanda asks for some time alone with her husband so the Avengers leave the basement level medical center, all thinking thoughts as often happens.

Wasp feels guilty because she’s the one that called Wanda and Vision into action but justifies that they were needed. Even though they didn’t really accomplish much.... Kinda makes it worse.

Captain America asks Thor off to have a private chat.

Captain Marvel laments that they couldn’t destroy the field before Vision was injured. And Starfox muses about the sensitivity he senses from Captain Marvel.

Kinda wondering if Stern is trying to set up a love triangle between Starfox, Captain Marvel, and She-Hulk.

Speaking of She-Hulk.

She-Hulk: Any of us could’ve wound up in a tube... or on a slab. But that’s the risk we have to take!

A very typically She-Hulk of this era kind of thought. She’s very direct.

Wasp calls a rain-check on apartment hunting. Which is what she and She-Hulk were doing before the whole invisible dome thing.

And She-Hulk finds other ways to occupy her time.

She-Hulk: “Hey, Starfox! You have any plans for tonight?”

Starfox: “Well, I’d considered checking out the local sights, but if you have a better offer -- !”

She-Hulk: “Spaceman, I can show you some things you won’t believe!”

She’s very direct.

Over at Captain America and Thor’s private conversation, Captain America catches Thor up on the happenings re: Iron Man, i.e. Tony Stark.

Cap(tain America): “It’s Iron Man, Thor... the Wasp and I paid him a visit to find out why he’d resigned from the Avengers. I... don’t quite know how to say this, but... Tony Stark hasn’t just left the Avengers! He’s given up his identity as Iron Man... turned his armor over to another man!”

Thor: “Eh? ‘Tis most passing strange!”

Cap: “That’s not the only thing that’s ‘most passing strange!’ When we talked to him, Stark was so drunk, I’m surprised he was able to stand up! And when I suggested that he’d had too much to drink, he ordered Jan and me out of his apartment!”

Turns out that off-panel at some point, Tony confided his problems with alcoholism to Thor.

Another example of the close relationship that Thor and Iron Man used to have and lamentably don’t seem to have anymore.

Cap even says that Thor has known Tony longer than the rest of the Avengers. While Wasp has been on the team just as long as Thor has, yeah, Thor has known the man in Iron Man longer.

So Cap asks Thor to try to talk to Tony because maybe he could get through to him.

Thor: “I could try, Captain! But if he rejected your advice, while under the influence, I fear for my ability to do better!”

Cap: “What about your mortal identity? Maybe if you approached him as Dr. Don Blake... man to man...”

Thor: “Mayhap. I shall give this thought.”

Thor then hammer-whirl flies off, leaving Cap to think about whether there’s anything additional that he could do, maybe in Iron Man #172, which was on sale at the same time.

Since this issue is otherwise going to be a lot of recapping Scarlet Witch’s entire life, why not pop into another book briefly for some additional content?

I’m the boss and I’ll allow it.

So over in Iron Man in general and issue #172 specifically, Tony Stark is on hard times. We know about the alcoholism and Rhodey taking over as Iron Man. But a man called Obadiah Stane is also attempting an incredibly hostile takeover of Stark International. He’s bought up all the company’s debt (and it has a lot), he has a bunch of civil suits pending against the company, and he’s secretly been the architect behind Tony Stark’s imploding life. That and Tony himself. Takes two to implode.

The last hope Stark Int. has is a writ that will force Stane to back off for a week or two. It’s not a lot but it’ll be some breathing room. Only problem is that it needs Tony Stark’s notarized signature before 5 PM and they kinda lost track of him after he broke into a museum to put on some knight armor and had to be bailed out of jail.

Rhodey decides to call Captain America for help and that’s how we get the asterisk indicating that you should check out Iron Man #172.

Cap does find Tony but unfortunately, Tony slips away in the confusion when an old Iron Man foe called Firebrand (unfortunately not a gargoyle) sets the hotel on fire because he’s just incredibly pissed off at the idea of Tony Stark.

Cap’s less-nice confrontation with Tony about his drinking is decent drama (but possibly not the right tactic to take) though so have some of that.

Anyway. Back to Avengers.

Meanwhile, over on Long Island and at the Cross Technological Enterprises building, industrial espionage gets aggressive as some men in jumpsuits and balaclavas climb the building to sneak in.

One of them is worried because that Avenger guy Hawkeye is in charge of security but the boss is like pssh Hawkeye is a chump with a broken leg.

Then Hawkeye arrives on a hover scooter because insulting Hawkeye probably just summons him to prove you wrong. He has that kind of contrarian energy at times.

He shoots all of their guns out of their hands and pins them to the wall with arrows all before they can really do anything.

His leg may be broken but his arms aren’t. And those are the limbs that do archery.

Sure, his style is slightly harshed by having only one swashbuckler boot on but that still doesn’t stop him from shooting arrows.

A woman and a photographer show up instantly to take pictures of Hawkeye’s cool victory. Apparently the woman is Sheila Danning and she says that she’s in charge of PR for Cross Technological Enterprises.

People showing up to take pictures of how cool he is makes Hawkeye feel very appreciated so he happily poses for some pictures with the captured intruders.

I feel like this is going to end up related to the Hawkeye solo miniseries that’s published around this time. The events of the miniseries cost Hawkeye his hearing but gain him a wife. So we’ll call it a net positive for Clint.

I’ll possibly summarize the relevant parts of the series when it becomes relevant to Avengers, which I’m sure it will.

Several hours later, back over at Avengers Mansion, She-Hulk wakes up after a night with Starfox.

So let’s discuss a thing.

In a later She-Hulk series, the moral iffyness of Starfox’s ability to shoot pleasure at people’s brains and make them become infatuated with him is explored. In a legal sense. As in, Starfox gets put on trial for sexual assault and accused of using his powers to seduce people.

The question is raised whether he had ever used his powers to seduce She-Hulk in regards to them getting together like this in Avengers. And when he won’t give her a straight answer, she beats the shit out of him.

Eventually, the case goes all the way up to the Living Tribunal, the cosmic judge of all realities because of course there’s one of those, and a mind probe proves that Starfox did not use his abilities to influence She-Hulk’s decision to have sex with him.

They’re both just horny people.

Anyway, Starfox and She-Hulk get on first name non-codename basis with each other. Then Starfox takes off to go explore New York, but he and She-Hulk do make plans to get together again in the evening.

She-Hulk’s post-implied-coitus giddiness is rained on when she learns that Wanda hasn’t slept at all and has spent the whole night at Vision’s side.

So now its time for She-Hulk brand very direct friendship.

She tells Jarvis to go make breakfast and she’ll deal with Wanda.

As we saw in and about the Trial of Yellowjacket, She-Hulk doesn’t really beat around the bush.

So when Wanda says she’d rather stay at Vision’s side rather than get breakfast, She-Hulk grabs her and tries to physically drag her towards self-care.

She-Hulk: “Look, watching your hubby won’t make him get well any faster. You’re coming with me! You’ll feel a lot better with a little breakfast in you!”

It doesn’t go over well.

Wanda blasts She-Hulk away and now Jen and Wanda are angry at each other and Wasp arrived just in time to play baffled mediator.

She-Hulk: “I hope you have a good dentist, Red!”

Wasp: “Jennifer!”

She-Hulk: “She started it, Wasp! I was just showing her some hospitality, and she sent me flying with her crummy hex bolts!”

Scarlet Witch: “What?! You physically pull me from my husband’s side, and you call that hospitality?!?”

Wasp: “Girls, girls! We’re all friends here! I know how upset you must be, Wanda, but you mustn't let worry get the better of you! I think we all need a spot of breakfast! Please join me, Wanda. The She-Hulk will relieve you at watching over the Vision... we all will!”

She-Hulk: “That’s what I was trying to tell her!”

Jen’s heart was in the right place but she lacks much in the way of tact?

Anyway, Wasp and Wanda set up in the library and Jarvis brings breakfast pastries to them, though Wanda refuses any.

Free breakfast aggros Captain Marvel and now she’s here too. That and She-Hulk trying to make up through a proxy.

Captain Marvel: “A little bird told me that you were serving your continental special, and I just couldn’t stay away!”

Wasp: “A little bird, C.M.?”

Captain Marvel, whispering: “Well, a big bird! She-Hulk radioed me that the Scarlet Witch was still a little down, and suggested that I might be of help, cheering her up!”

You have a good heart, Jen-Hulk.

Also, Monica just beams right in through the library window as a sunbeam before forming back into her human shape. And that’s delightful. But would be startling. Jarvis is startled. He’s seen it all but all keeps expanding.

Monica and Wanda briefly bond over both speaking French when Monica praises that Jarvis’ pastries rival the best of the French Quarter. Jan is a bit lost because she doesn’t know any French but Monica and Wanda were just very excited because they don’t get to French very often. The language.

AND with the ice broken, Monica smoothly shifts topics over to asking Wanda about herself.

Captain Marvel: “You know, there’s so much I’d like to ask you. I’ve read all about you in the files, of course -- but they’re so impersonal. You’ve led such a fascinating life.”

Scarlet Witch: “Fascinating? I suppose... but I was too young to appreciate some of the more fantastic moments.”

AND THEN WANDA LEGIT, NO FURTHER PROMPTING, STARTS NARRATING HER WHOLE LIFE STARTING FROM BIRTH.

DAMN WANDA, exposition under pressure?

So Wanda tells Monica about how she was born in WUNDAGORE, a Balkan mountain in Transia with a super-advanced city built on it. The High Evolutionary was making furries for reasons which escape me but it explains why a cow-woman answered the door when Magda, supposedly Wanda’s mom although that has changed, came knocking on the door.

She was double pregnant and on the run from a husband who had developed terrible problems and an attitude problem.

The cow-woman Bova, invited Magda into the city and helped deliver her children Pietro and Wanda. And then Magda walked off into the snow to die, pulling a Padme-on-purpose-but-years-ahead-of-time by dying just after having twins.

Her thought process was that Mystery Husband would come looking for her but if he found her frozen in the snow, he wouldn’t find out that she’d had children? I dunno, this logic is a bit spurious.

I’m glad that Wanda’s current in the year 2021 real mom isn’t someone who walked off into the snow to die because it seemed like a good idea.

Showing what an awful idea this was, Magda left Wanda and Pietro in the care of Bova who had no idea what to do with two babies. So she took the matter to the High Evolutionary who also didn’t want to deal with it and decided to dump the babies on a childless Roma couple.

High Evolutionary: ‘DOES ANYBODY WANT SOME BABIES?’

Except the comic doesn’t say Roma, they say the g-slur. I don’t think Marvel ever stops doing that. Its a weird case where the portrayal is overall sympathetic but tinged with stereotypes and using a slur.

Shape up, Marvel.

I also notice that Wanda’s recap leaves out Fake Dad Robert Frank, the Whizzer.

The first time Wanda’s parentage was Totally Revealed For Real, it was revealed that not only Magda but Robert and Madeline Joyce Frank were hanging around Wundagore waiting to give birth.

I’ve already been into it before but originally it was just the Franks kids but the Whizzer whizzed off in grief when he learned his wife died in childbirth. Then when someone got it into their head to retcon otherwise, Magda was at Wundagore and gave birth to twins and then the High Evolutionary had Bova try to give the kids to Robert but he ran off in his grief so shrugged and passed them off to Django and Marya Maximoff AKA the real parents even if not biological.

To editorialize, the Maximoffs actually raised Wanda and Pietro so no matter what, I’ll always consider them the twins’ real parents.

Anyway, the Franks aren’t part of this retelling. Which is funny because for a while Wanda thought the Whizzer was their dad and treated him like one and now she’s dumped him like raw meat for ease of retelling. Tsk tsk.

So, Wanda and Pietro lived a good life and “better parents could hardly have been found.” Then when adolescence happened, Pietro suddenly could run really fast and Wanda “discovered that strange, unpredictable things would happen if I was in a certain frame of mind and gestured in a particular way.”

That’s a pretty specific mutant power. And she relates that she kept causing accidents by gesturing in the particular way while in a certain frame of mind, it’s like, Wanda, don’t gesture that way? Get mittens or tie your fingers together. Its not hard.

Your powers are so specific!

Stereotypes happen and an angry mob burns down the Maximoffs’ camp.

Pietro ran Wanda to safety and the shock was so great that they got AMNESIA.

Marya, I think, died but Django survived and went a little mad with grief, assuming he lost his wife and kids.

For a couple years, Wanda and Pietro just kicked it around Eastern Europe, Pietro using his superspeed to catch game. Things were going okay but not great up until the time that Wanda wandered into a village and made the fuck-things-up gesture and whoops fucked things up.

I’m telling you, Wanda, mittens.

Anyway, she set a house on fire, WITH HER MIND, and now there’s an angry mob after her assuming that she’s a witch.

As sometimes happens in Marvel Eastern Europe.

The mob chased Wanda to camp where Pietro lost his shit and superspeed tried to beat up a mob but wound up getting pinned down and beaten.

Then Magneto showed up and yanked all the crude farming implements away and told the mob to gtfo.

Magneto: “Come no further, homo sapiens! The two whom you attack are under the protection of Magneto!”

An idiot: “With power such as his, he can only be Satan himself!”

An idiot who has the right idea: “Run! Run for your lives!”

Wanda thanks Magneto for the save and he demands “Let neither of you ever forget what you owe me... ever!”

Cool. Cool cool cool.

Wanda: “He took us in... fed and clothed us... but never did he show us any human kindness. We were supposed to be above that, he said... we were mutants, and under his tutelage, we became Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch!”

What a dick.

Anyway, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were forced to join Magneto and his other agents Toad and Mastermind.

Magneto’s Brotherhood clashed with the X-Men multiple times. And then the Stranger just sorta yoinked Magneto into space.

Early X-Men is a bafflement to me.

Wanda: “Our debt had been repaid to Magneto many times over. We were beholden to him no longer... We were free. And... we were alone. We had just begun to realize the potential of our mutant powers, but we did not know how best to use them. Cut off from Magneto’s cruel exploitation, we didn’t know what to do. I don’t know what would have become of us, had we not been accepted as Avengers! The Avengers gave purpose to our lives, gave us something to be part of.”

Anyway, being on the Avengers meant dangers and foes to fight but it also meant allies, friends, and ROBOT BOYFRIENDS.

Wanda: “Were it not for the Avengers, I might never have met the Vision! He was the product of a laboratory -- and many thought him to be inhumanely cold -- but I grew to love the warm, feeling inner man.”

Of course, if you tell Vision he has feelings he gets mad and insists NUH UH.

And dating Vision pissed off Quicksilver who basically disowned Wanda for a while.

But who gives a fuck what Pietro says, Wanda also learned WITCHCRAFT and (although not explicitly mentioned) how to summon METEORS TO SMASH HER FOES.

And she got married in a double ceremony where the other bride married a tree! That tree part doesn’t get mentioned.

After this, Wanda and Vision went on a short honeymoon but found that the hashtag Avengers life kept them so busy that they didn’t have a lot of time to themselves.

Then Real Dad Django Maximoff showed up and Wanda and Pietro went with him to Transia to learn their backstory.

Annnnnd Wanda got possessed by Chthon. Won’t be the first time ha ha.

Thankfully, the Avengers managed to do a care bear stare to unpossess her. Oh, and Django died. A misstep if you ask me. There was too much character potential to just kill him off after one arc.

Alas, alas.

Anyway, the recap skips over a whole bunch of stuff and doesn’t mention Moondragon’s role but we get to the point where Wanda and Vision quit the Avengers.

Wanda: “When the Vision and I were finally reunited, our thoughts began to turn inward. Our life with the Avengers was fulfilling, but apart from our careers, we had no real private life of our own. Would society accept us on our own, away from Avengers Mansion? We didn’t know -- but we had to at least try to find out. Taking our accrued Avengers salaries, we bought a modest little home in Leonia, New Jersey.”

So a brief recap of their adventures in the first Vision and Scarlet Witch miniseries.

In the first issue, Captain America’s Halloween housewarming gift of a cursed book winds up being cursed and contains Samhain. When Wanda didn’t immediately free him, he got angry and turned some trick or treaters into monster versions of their costumes to attack Vision while Samhain attacked Wanda. She manages to set the cursed tome on fire, ending Samhain’s power. FOR NOW. Then Not-Actually-Their-Father-But-Doesn’t-Know-It-Yet the Whizzer shows up.

In issue two, the Whizzer is looking for Wanda’s help in regaining custody of his son Nuklo the Nuclear Man. With their help, Whizzer manages to get the court to agree to release Nuklo to his custody. But the lead doctor managing Nuklo is secretly ISBISA! ... Y’know, the Whizzer’s old foe from his All-Winner’s Squad days? No? Okay, well he also masterminded the nuclear ‘accident’ that led to Nuklo’s birth in the first place. And now he’s back to finish the job with radiation siphoned from Nuklo. In anger at Wanda being drawn into Golden Age drama, Vision reveals that Wanda isn’t the Whizzer’s kid but it little matters because Whizzer has a massive heart attack and dies. Nuklo helps defeat Isbisa and both of them are drained of atomic power leaving them human. Oh and Vision’s arm gets melted off. That’s kinda important.

In issue three, Vision is in a robot coma and he needs an energy donation from Wonder Man, his brain brother, to recover. Comic books! Vision has a meaning laden coma dream where Ultron screams at him a lot. Grim Reaper attacks and tries to kill Vision and Wonder Man while they’re incapacitated because he has one character beat and its that. But Vision manages to subdue him.

In issue four, is the pertinent one for this issue.

I’m going to say, I think the second Vision and Scarlet Witch series is better. This was a series of loosely related mishaps. The second volume does more with Vision and Scarlet Witch living in suburbia as a concept.

Anyway, in the fourth issue and in this Avengers recap of Wanda’s entire life, after Vision lost his arm, he and Wanda went up to Attilan to get it replaced. Because the Inhumans can casually just build him a new arm that works with his powers.

And people say the Inhumans aren’t good for anything.

While on the moon, Wanda and Vision decide to visit with Pietro and Crystal and their new daughter Luna. Pietro was even not a dick to Vision. It was a nice moment until Magneto barged in and started a fight by insisting he wasn’t here to fight while trapping everyone inside the building. Also, he threatened Bova to get information on who his kids were and frankly, that’s unforgivable. Bova is an angel. A cow angel.

They fight fight fight and then the fight is ended when Luna cries and Magneto realizes he’s doing a big superhero/supervillain fight in the same room as a fragile child and realizes ‘wow maybe i’m the dick here.’

Now the Vision and Scarlet Witch series ends with the internal-reveal that MAGNETO is the father (for now) of Wanda and Pietro. Magneto asking them to accept him as such. And on a confused moment of ‘shit what now.’

The Avengers issue picks up on that and finishes out the scene.

While Wanda is too stunned to know what to say, Pietro has some choice words.

He snatches his daughter away from Magneto and tells him fuck off, you’re no father to me.

Magneto’s argument is ‘hey genetics is the only thing that matters you’re my son like it or not.’

Pietro’s counter argument is ‘nuh uh’ and that Django Maximoff is the only man he calls father. And Wanda agrees.

Its good to see some Django respect.

Magneto tells them they’ll see the error of their ways and flies off.

Which is the wrong tack to take to prove that you’ve changed and are ready to get some good dadding in and won’t kill your granddaughter for being a human.

He’s super bad at this.

After that, Wanda and Vision went home to New Jersey and just stayed at home for a while, Wanda was so horrified by the reveal.

Wanda: “Even now, I can hardly begin to express the horror, the shame! It’s as if I suddenly discovered Hitler lurking in my family tree! Part of me wishes that he is really sincere about tempering his hatred for non-mutant humans. But even if he was telling the truth, that can never excuse his past crimes... Nothing can!”

Its really surprising how ready people are in-universe to compare Magneto to Hitler. From Wanda to Cap to Xorn.

Wasp: “Wanda... you mustn’t torture yourself this way! Magneto has no claim on you, and you’re certainly not responsible for him! I know it must be tough, but you can’t let him ruin the rest of your life!”

These are helpful things to tell Wanda to calm her down.

Less helpful is when Wasp speculates that hey maybe it was okay not to believe Magneto when he said he’s changed because maybe he’ll become worse! Maybe his newfound tolerance of humanity will lead him to try to save humanity from itself rather than wipe it out. In reference to how Moondragon tried to do that on that planet we never heard from again.

Wanda: “Heaven help us, if such a thought occurs to Magneto!”

I’m pretty sure he’s going to be too busy in the near future trying to be teacher to the most death-prone idiots this side of Westchester. And then after that when he decides to be evil again, he’s going to do some nonsense with Asteroid M. But I don’t think he ever hits the ‘save humanity from itself’ point.

Anyway.

Wasp and Captain Marvel reassure Wanda that if Magneto Strikes Again the Avengers will be with her!

The following day, Wanda returns to Leonia, New Jersey to put together a suitcase of stuff since she’s going to be staying at Avengers Mansion for a while.

Wanda: “Jan was nice enough to offer me a few of her things, but they’re all too small for my figure. And that robe the She-Hulk lent me last night fit like a tent!”

Wasp and Scarlet Witch usually look the same size and shape but that’s important canon body shape information for someone, I guess. If they wanted to draw Avengers But Not All The Same Paper Dolls character designs.

Anyway, the issue really ends with Dr Strange showing up to pull Wanda into a crossover with his own book in Doctor Strange #60.

Ergh. This era sure has a lot of stuff going off on the sides.

I’ll synopsize Scarlet Witch’s time in Doctor Strange’s book if it becomes necessary but I’ve already looked at five non-Avengers issue for this post and am probably going to have to cover the Hawkeye series in brief too when it intersects with Avengers.

Follow @essential-avengers for grudging contextualization of everything that’s happening in Avengers, when I feel like it. Like and reblog if you liked.

#avengers #scarlet witch #the vision #the Wasp #Captain Marvel #Monica Rambeau #there were more people but they're not very relevant #essential avengers #essential marvel liveblogging #because this is a big recap of everything wanda it has a lot of the g-slur in it #i've tried to not use panels where its used #and just up and cropped the high evolutionary one

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