#... this is why i hate people defending the show sidelining some characters on grounds that 'well they're boring' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ramblian · 4 years

Text

Jericho Thoughts

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhh

okay so. i’m rewatching jericho. i first watched it sometime around 8th-9th grade, I think maybe somewhere in the first half of 2014. I basically remembered this: the main character was the black sheep of the family, he came back to town, and atomic bombs destroyed most of the US, and the show was about the town dealing with the aftermath. the guy from continuum and one ep of flashpoint played a character i liked named dale (eric knudsen) who liked a popular girl who ended up befriending him, and the asking-for-flowers flashpoint ep guy was the responsible brother. Someone used to be a teacher. The main character looked like Skeet Ulrich, but i didn’t know who that was, just the name.

turns out the main character WAS Skeet Ulrich, and 2 characters (heather and emily) used to be teachers, and i apparently forgot almost all of the major characters. I’ve been rewatching it with the knowledge of which characters die, so that’s good. the show is really good, and it’s really intense. I’m almost done, and it’s tough to keep watching both because it’s so intense and because i know a character i like is about to die tragically.

watching this show makes me so TENSE. i think it really got bad when goetz showed up and i knew bonnie’s death was coming up. i’ve been watching the same episode for like an hour and i started 6 minutes in from another viewing. i don’t know why i’m so stressed. well actually i do it’s because things in this show are AWFUL but i know that no one dies after bonnie.

i also really like that the plot is very much what drives the show. romantic relationships somewhat matter (eric/april/mary, dale/skylar, and stanley/mimi in particular get screentime, while jake’s relationships with emily and heather are there and meaningful but not something that drives the story or gets a lot of attention. dale and eric’s relationships have also been less important in season 2) but they are regularly sidelined while the character deal with the latest crisis. characters have backstories that aren’t always super expanded on, like johnston’s chaotic neutral dad or stanley and bonnie’s parents, because they don’t have a meaningful impact on the plot- how mimi grew up isn’t going to change how the Greens deal with food shortages.

also, i love that it’s a post-apocalyptic show where there’s a lot of fighting and lawlessness and not once have they used rape as a plot device. the closest it ever came to being mentioned was when maggie, a survivor pretending to be military to get towns’ supplies, said that ‘out there, men only want women for one thing’ and that’s IT. i respect that so much. way too many shows and books and movies are like ‘things are bad... and we can only express that through rape’ but this show never does

also the grey morality is very well done in season 1 (the bad guys are clearer in season 2). characters fight and do shitty things because everyone is just trying to survive. Constantino was wrong to start a war with Jericho, but i also understand where he was coming from. Ravenwood ransacked New Bern and left them with almost nothing, and Jericho never bothered to warn them. There were some people considering not honoring the deal to repay the windmills in food. New Bern was on the brink of destruction and Constantino tried to get the resources for survival where he could, by force. The thing with the refugees too. There isn’t really enough food for everyone, and it’s true that Jericho’s been getting a lot of refugees when it’s barely managing to sustain its own population. Some of the refugees have been stealing from them, and sometimes you have to make tricky decisions to survive. But the refugees are also probably going to die if they get sent away, and understandably they cannot accept that. they’ve been stealing food to prepare for this possibility, and they are willing to be violent to secure their place because jericho is much better off than just about anywhere else and they don’t want to die. Roger gets in a fight with Gray and accidentally shoots him, but then actively chooses to hold him at gunpoint and refuse him medical help unless he guarantees the safety of the other refugees. That’s obviously awful- but he’s also trying to protect the lives of the 50 innocent people he brought here. In the end, the refugees get to stay because some Jericho residents volunteer to share their rations, but Roger does not because he obviously committed a terrible crime. He’s not a bad person, but of course he can’t just be forgiven and integrated back into Jericho like nothing happened, and he accepts that and leaves with only a gun from Jake to protect himself because at least the others and emily will be safe.

also that emily and roger’s relationship wasn’t made meaningless in order to further her relationship with jake even despite their history as high school sweethearts.

oh god i just watched the scene where stanley’s talking to bonnie in the morgue and it’s so well done and i’m just in bed crying- not sobbing or anything, but plenty of tears. i don’t know what the last show to make me cry like this was; i’ve been watching so much youtube that i haven’t been watching a lot of hard hitting shows lately i guess. Barry was extremely Fucked Up, that might have made me cry, but it might not have- it had me fucked up for weeks, but i don’t know if i cried.

anyway the scene with stanley and bonnie in the morgue is so good. Stanley talking to her like she’s still alive the way they always did for their parents, and talking to her sign language bc that’s her language. Telling her to say hi to their parents. Letting her know that mimi is still alive, that she succeeded in protecting her, and thanking her for it. Still joking around a little even though he’s obviously heartbroken and just being so genuine with her. Neither of them deserved this.

wow can’t believe heather is a fuckin bootlicker, knowing that the government is extremely corrupt and that she and beck are destroying new bern and choosing to continue to work for that government.

oh beck just has to be some sort of a stupid son of a bitch. absolute goddamn buffoon. siding with the govt, arresting jake in the shadiest way possible in the middle of a crowd, choosing to torture jake (which if he knew a goddamn thing like hawkins did he would know was ineffective), and then thinking that after everything this town and those rangers have done to protect themselves and their loved ones that it was just going to work out for him like the others aren’t going to come for jake immediately and efficiently. i liked beck well enough before but any fondness or respect for him is fucking absolutely gone.

at least eric is really getting to show off his leadership skills now. johnston’s dead, jake’s been arrested/kidnapped, hawkins is busy with other shit. eric’s always one of the second-in-commands but this is one of the few times he’s just plain in command.

“your friends have escalated this to a level i will not tolerate” right but you dragging jake to a fuckin blacksite to torture him was fine???? YOU ESCALATED THIS YOU DUMB STUPID SON OF A BITCH. you have really been given so many chances this season to not serve an evil government and try to protect these people and you’ve failed almost every time, huh? he’d also have to be some sort of an idiot to think that a clearly faked note with jake’s signature saying ‘this bad’ would stop anyone. god i haven’t escalated to hating someone this much so quickly in a long fuckin time.

love how beck is leveraging the entire town of jericho and choosing to oppress them in order to get the rangers to turn themselves in <3 i love punishing innocent people to use them against others just like goetz did last episode <3 what a good guy

i dont know why there are so many beck fics on ao3 because this man fucking sucks. like, can you imagine refusing a whole town food, power, and lights as a bargaining chip, blaming someone else (”don’t forget, you caused this”) and then still thinking you have the moral high ground? incredible mental gymnastics when will beck be in the olympics

heather: your actions are so blatantly terrible that i am just now beginning to consider not defending you to everyone. take responsibility for what you do

beck: hmm. no. my choices are jake’s fault

i know beck is probably going to ‘redeem’ himself by the end of the episode but i don’t fuckin care. too late for him now he can’t just say ‘oops’ and pretend he hasn’t done all of this shit. wild how his actions are now literally being compared to those of nazis during wwii and people still like this guy.

hey do you think beck is an idiot asshole or just pretending to be one for fun

commanding officer: go ahead and destroy everything in the area

beck: 🤔 is killing all those people wrong?

oof rip eric sure is rough when you have to ally with the guy who tortured you and killed your dad to protect ur city but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. also where the hell has dale been? i’ll let it go bc the show isn’t consistent on when he shows up and is a major part of town but in universe it sure is fuckin weird, and you know beck would have dragged him in for questioning too

oh wow beck finally decided to actually try thinking critically and addressing the obvious evidence about cheyenne’s corruption. that makes up for everything and i can stan now /s

‘i’m no longer taking orders from the cheyenne government. i believe it’s corrupt at its core. its actions are criminal’ oh so like everyone’s been telling you this whole time? the actions like the ones you’ve taken, not even at anyone’s command? idiot.

lmao i’m not as opposed to constantino’s methods as the show thinks i’m supposed to be. a revolution against a corrupt, oppressive government is not peaceful. it cannot be. the only good fascist is a dead one.

#jericho #jericho spoilers #in case this shows up in the tags and someone sees it or smthn

3 notes · View notes

sunset-spring · 5 years

Note

Hey, I'm kind of scared to ask you this, but I wanted to know what you thought of the epilogue in Season 8. I'm terrified of what you'll say, but you seem to be a very logical and clear-headed thinker, so I am kind of curious. If the answer isn't good, then please respond privately. Thank you.

It’s ok, I’m not gonna lie I’m nervous about a lot of questions related to season 8 just because so many people have such hard line stances and opinions on it. I have a lot of the same fear talking about it for the same reasons I’m sure you were scared of even asking. Whether you like or dislike s8 or like it, it’s not a big deal to me - no judgement either way. Opinions are varied and everyone has their own reasons for either.

On to the actual epilogue, some context I wanna give is that I had seen spoilers for the season even though I couldn’t watch it til a few days later. I had a prior family thing and I was stressed and I went to tumblr on my phone to look at some art to keep me calm. So I saw a lot of reactions to the season as a whole, but I couldn’t tell what reactions were genuine problems or what were over dramatized hate when I didn’t have full context.

So when I watched the season, the expectations I went in with were “there might be some things that I’m not going to enjoy, and some that are overblown.” And when I watched it… that was pretty much what I got. There were definitely some problems, but there was also a lot that I think was made out to be way worse than I personally found them to be.

The epilogue itself gets a lot of weight and importance put on it. And personally I wonder if it’s in part because it was leaked before the season aired. When I watched it, I felt very neutral to it. No super strong feelings either way, mostly just “oh, that makes sense for this character, but this doesn’t work very well and is not a great fit.”

Which I guess is a segue to talk about the individual bits in detail. This is going to be long and I’ll do my best to organize it for ease of reading, but I want to go into all my thoughts and logic as best I can and that might result in a bit of a lengthy read, so if it gets a bit ramble-y and confusing, I apologize:

Pidge and Hunk ended up in a place that I felt was very natural for both of them.

Pidge using her passion for technology to help defend the universe alongside her family was something that felt like it was true to her personality and something that’s a very good world-building aspect for what would happen after the story took place. The concept was something I interested in all the way back in season 3, and is part of what inspired my cadet squad AU initially. So seeing that happen didn’t feel out of place to me.

Hunk as well had always had his passion for cooking as a big part of his character. Seeing him become a chef and using that passion in a way to bring cultures together is a really good and is very in line with his character. We’ve seen him using that skill in other meetings, such as in season 3, and the way he uses cooking to bring people together is a big thing in the final season, as well as for his character overall. Space Mall is another good example, because while it’s mostly for fun and antics it also showed Hunk connecting and changing Sal for the better.

Keith, Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid slowly turning the Blade into a humanitarian organization is something I’m a bit neutral on. On the one hand, seeing them come together to change a rebellion group that was no longer necessarily needed into an organization to help others has logic to it, and is a very good thing for them to do. But I’m not sure how I feel about it based on their characters and arcs:

We didn’t get a lot of time to get in depth with Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid, so the grounding for them is a bit iffy. I can sort of see it since they were in a sort of similar position as Lotor’s generals as that Blade of Marmora is in terms of role: a rebel group that is based on taking down the old empire. And due to what we know of their backgrounds, they were people who were in an “us vs them” mentality based on how they were treated. The conflict of Ezor and Zethrid as warlords vs Acxa who chose to go on a separate path was supposed to show how the damage of that mindset could escalate into something harmful, even with people who had genuine reason to have it - I think that could even be applied to Lotor at least to some degree with how he broke down in season 6.

I personally think Ezor is probably the best example of this based on her personality, specifically in season 7. We see the fear she has over being hurt and tracked down by others, and then we see her taking joy in the concept of hurting others who she has power over. Because of that fear, whenever she has security and power, she uses it in a very sadistic and spiteful way. That trait is a very natural thing that can occur in situations like her own, and is very understandable. But it’s also very damaging to herself and others.

So having them shift from a mindset of hurting others in order to protect themselves to helping others on a personal level isn’t a bad road to take; in fact it’s one that I think works really well. But because we didn’t get a lot of time to explore their characters more in depth and get to see that transition, I don’t think it works for just a single shot epilogue sequence. It would’ve worked better as it’s own plotline, but with how much already going on and a limited number of episodes to work with I have no idea where they’d fit it.

Meanwhile for Keith, while he has a basis for being in the Blade already, I don’t really see a strong foundation outside of that. And I think for me, the reason it didn’t have that grounding was because we didn’t get as much with Keith outside of his familial arc with discovering his heritage and mother. That was his sole character focus outside of becoming a leader and Black Paladin, and his arc with becoming a leader was sadly sidelined in season 4 for the other. Which I can understand from a character perspective too - his heritage was an important thing he needed to connect to and understand. But as a result the other sadly didn’t have as much to go on.

And I think that’s why this was his spot, because had he gotten more development in terms of leadership, I think he would’ve been in that Galactic Coalition leader spot with Krolia and Kolivan. Because with the scene of him with the two of them prior to the feast in the final episode, I feel like that’s where the story wanted him to be, but they also knew that they couldn’t get him there and make it seem earned. So him being the leader of the Blades as a new humanitarian organization feels like a compromise of that. He’s in a leadership position, but not on as big of a scale as the coalition. Which isn’t necessarily that bad, it’s working with what they had to try to get a good medium of what they wanted and what could be done. But it leaves it feeling a bit lacking in terms of personal motivation for Keith. It doesn’t scream “this is Keith making a choice and committing to a cause,” it feels much more like a structured narrative decision rather than an in universe motive for the character.

The final two are the ones I’m most nervous about talking about, because they get the most strong reactions from others. But I’m going to do my best to explain my thoughts.

I can see some of the logic in Lance’s end, but I ultimately think it didn’t convey the message they wanted with his arc very well and as a result ended up with some bad implications.

One of the things with Lance’s arc is that he starts off being a character who talks himself up a lot. He plays himself off as someone really awesome and cool, is very flirtatious, etc. As he continued to progress, we started seeing some of his insecurities. Season 2 introduced the fact that he was worried about not contributing to the team in a way that was substantial, and in season 6 while Pidge and Hunk did their tech and Lotor and Allura were working on the Sincline ship, he was left with little to nothing to do.

Even with those insecurities, though, the way he responded to them was to actively take steps to improve himself. He doesn’t feel like he has a thing? He trains himself in a specific skill: Sharpshooting. Upset that Allura has chosen to be with another guy? He talks himself through it using the mice as a way to communicate what he’s feeling.

And I want to draw attention to what I feel are some of his biggest defining character development moments. In season 3, when he accepts Keith as the leader, when he talks to him on Thayserix, and when he talks up Allura in season 4 as the heart of Voltron. Moments where he builds others up. And Allura multiple times has talked about those moments with Lance. And her talking about him drove what I believe is his actual character arc, based on those insecurities and the way he plays himself up.

He is enough as who he is. He isn’t contributing any less by not having a niche like Pidge or Hunk, he isn’t supposed to be a grand hero who gets all the glory. He’s Lance, and he’s enough as he is. It’s that simple.

But the way they choose to show that simplicity in the epilogue is… not the best. They set it up a little with the farm scene in season 4, but overall the choice to make his simple life be living as a farmer has a lot of bad implications based on stereotypes. Which is why so many people have such negative feelings towards it, which is totally understandable and completely valid.

The idea of him settling in a more simple lifestyle isn’t something I’m apposed to, but I believe that choosing that instead of another type of occupation or lifestyle is a very poor choice, and as a result doesn’t convey his arc well or in a positive light. Which is unfortunate, because I really think that arc is good otherwise.

As for Shiro’s, there’s a lot going on with it and a lot of factors that play into it, which makes it difficult to talk about.

The marriage is, I believe, a small step in terms of representation, as it’s the first time in western cartoons that a mlm wedding has appeared. But I also admit that because of it being such a small scene with no build up and no relationship to build it up, that it is very flawed. Others have talked about their distaste for it and I understand why, and I also understand those who enjoy it for being there at all. There are also aspects like his retirement that people aren’t fond of, and that’s understandable too, but that’s where I have my own feelings to talk about personally.

The events of season 7 with Shiro and Adam upset a lot of people, and I myself wasn’t that fond of it. I didn’t feel as strongly as others, but the trope of “Bury Your Gays” is something that has been in media for a long time with a long history. So being upset by it is absolutely valid. The reason I personally didn’t feel as strongly as others was because Shiro, a main character who has fought and survived through the show, was still there, and still a gay man on screen whether he was in a relationship or not.

The on screen break up I personally didn’t have a problem with either due to the fact that I have personally seen a lot of framing of relationships with abuse and unhealthy dynamics as “straight culture” and gay relationships as inherently free of those types of scenarios. I personally identify as asexual or questioning, but know I’m at least not straight from my own self reflection. And seeing this kind of mentality is very harmful and something I wish would stop because it pushes people within the community to stay in relationships that might potentially be dangerous based on pressure that such dynamics are impossible to occur within a wlw/mlm relationship. There’s also a factor of validity of orientations being erased due to relationship status, such as many people who identify as bisexual having their identity erased by others while being in a m/f relationship, which is also harmful. While having a healthy and thriving mlm relationship on screen would have been great and a very good thing, I don’t believe the break up itself is a terrible choice because it shows that relationship status take away from someone’s identity.

Not only that, but Adam was not the only character within the show to die on screen, so it was not as if the fact that he was gay was a deliberate target on his back in context. Ulaz, Thace, and many other characters have had on screen deaths from seasons 2-7 before Adam. But as I said, the history behind the trope of “Bury Your Gays” does make Adam’s death sting in a much more personal way for a lot of people, which again is a very valid feeling that I don’t want to brush off.

So with all that in mind, when the epilogue came and showed Shiro marrying Curtis, that leads to some flaws. Namely the fact that the relationship with Curtis is non-existent, and Curtis himself doesn’t really have much of a character to speak of. The marriage itself is good in the sense that it showed a gay marriage on screen, thus opening the door for other shows to do the same.

But in the context of showing a relationship, there was no relationship to be shown. And if Shiro and Curtis had developed a relationship over the course of the season, it would have been much better for both the story and characters, as well as for showing representation for the LGBT community. Without that, it feels like a last minute addition, which it admittedly was, instead of a genuine show of love and wanting to include a mlm couple. Which in the end, while good intended, it leaves it heavily flawed. Which no hate to anyone who enjoyed it for what it was either. I can genuinely see reasons on both sides why someone would dislike or enjoy it. Personally, the flaws outweighed some of the good for me and keeps me from enjoying it.

As for his retirement, this is where I get far more subjective and into how I personally relate to Shiro, which I know others may disagree with because this is very personal to me specifically I admit.

When I first started watching Voltron, Shiro was my favorite character. He’s still up there among my faves even with Lotor swooping in after season 3. I loved Shiro’s personality; strong willed leader, open and still fun with the other paladins while still stern when he needed to be. The reason the fan name of Space Dad stuck was very obvious. He was put through hell, continued fighting and came out of it still kicking. And he still had that fun and supportive nature for others as he continued to keep going.

A lot of people focus on him as mlm representation now, but he’s also representation for those with PTSD. And that’s where I started with him.

The reason I like Shiro so much is because he reminds me - to an uncanny degree - of my older brother.

He’s helped raise me my whole life, he taught me how to draw, and he still does so much to support me to this day. And in order to get help paying his student loans, he went into the military and was stationed in Iraq for a short time. He’s back now, and he’s totally fine! And I know many people have opinions on such wars and military, and I agree, trust me.

And that’s why I don’t have a problem with Shiro’s retirement. After everything he’s been through, while him being a hero is great, I also feel like him stepping back, even if it’s in like a Miyazaki back-in-a-few-years way, is a good thing to show as healthy. Him retiring doesn’t mean he’s not allowed to be a hero, because in the context of the story in hindsight, he has always been gay and has always been a hero. And retiring doesn’t mean he never was, or has stopped being a hero.

At least to me, but again, this is a very personal opinion and I absolutely understand why people would disagree. But these are just my feelings on the matter.

That was a very, very, VERY long explanation of my feelings on the epilogue as a whole. I’m pretty sure this is the longest post I’ve ever written.

But hopefully this has done a good job of explaining my feelings on the epilogue. I’m not really sure how I’d compress it all into a tl;dr, just because there was so much to talk about, so apologies for those who can’t sit and read it all at once. But overall, I was very neutral to it all things considered.

But thank you @thenorthernphoenix for asking this! I’ve been sitting with these thoughts for a while in my head being nervous about putting them out there, but this helped me really collect them all and hopefully articulate it in a good way.

And again, if you liked the epilogue, more power to you, and if you didn’t more power to you. Everybody’s different with their own feelings on the matter.

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #vld spoilers #vld s8 #vld epilogue #long post #read more #thenorthernphoenix #answered asks #Q&A Fridays

9 notes · View notes

orionsangel86 · 6 years

Note

I totally agree with you on the meta writer drama. You guys don’t write the show, you just analyze it and come up with varying opinions so it’s not fair that ppl place such high expectations on you all. Also to everyone who reads, while this show is very special to many ppl and we all hold it close to our hearts, at the end of the day... it’s ultimately just a tv show guys. It is not worth fighting and stressing over because it’s just art meant to be enjoyed. Hope you have a good day!

PREACH

I hate bringing up wank. I really do. I’m one of those really annoying people who just wants everyone to get along and everything to be sunshine and rainbows ya know?

But sometimes people let their emotions overtake any logical thought - well, it happens a lot, even to me - and when that happens they fail to realise that what they are posting about is actually really misguided and in those cases, especially when I think it feels like a personal attack against me and others I care about on here, then I wanna say something.

I literally read a post not 10 minutes ago that someone linked me to, where this person was bitching about meta writers for being happy that Cas had died at the end of season 12. They were saying that we can’t be true Cas fans because we were happy about his death. It made me laugh tbh, because of course we weren’t happy for the character to have died and gone through that pain, but this is what I mean when I say that these people cannot separate their emotional response to the characters with the logical, analytical meta response.

Cas’s death made me cry ALOT. 12x23 had me balling, 13x01 has consistently had me in tears every. single. time. I watch it. Even now. If I was to put it on right now, I would be crying my eyes out because I am MOURNING my FAVOURITE CHARACTERS DEATH.

HOWEVER, from a meta perspective, Castiel’s death was the best thing to happen in SPN for a good few years. WHY? Well, here are some reasons:

1. Because we knew he was coming back. I have to stress this point. The ONLY reason I was so happy about Cas’s death was because I knew he was coming back. If I didn’t know that for certain, I wouldn’t have been happy.

2. Because it symbolically makes him a phoenix, and the symbolism around Cas is that he has fought his way out of death, depression, PTSD, and a complete lack of self worth. Cas has come a HUGE way from that scene in 8x08 when he told Dean he was suicidal, to fighting against the cosmic entity DEMANDING to be sent back to earth because Cas had something to live for. It was fucking glorious. I obviously couldn’t have predicted 13x04 at the time of 12x23, but I KNEW from a meta viewpoint, that we were in for a treat.

3. Because it would mean a shit ton of beautiful mourning of Castiel from Dean. Because it would have shown Cas haters that they are SO WRONG when they say Dean doesn’t care. Again, I didn’t know exactly what to expect from Dean at the end of 12x23, other than the hint we got from his DEVASTATED expression. But I knew we would be in for something glorious. What we DID end up getting, was better than my wildest imaginations.

4. Because it would be HUGE brownie points for destiel. Now I know for a fact that meta haters are gonna come along and jump on me for saying that - “aahh look at her she’s such a cas hater, she only sees him as a plot device for destiel *angry shouts and yells bla bla bla*...” But lets be honest here, Cas dying was one of the best ways the show could have given Dean the kick up his ass he needed. Perhaps we aren’t quite done with this plot point yet, but my god the destiel exposition we were given from Dean’s grief over Cas was fucking perfect.

5. Because I knew that by killing Cas off then, it would mean that he would get a happy ending for endgame. Lizzy said something (and got hate for it) back shortly after the season 12 finale, she said that she was still struggling to process how great it was that Cas died when he did, that the show went with that story line when it did, with at least another 2 seasons to go before the end, because Dean kneeling over a dead Castiel with burnt wing prints in the ground was literally Lizzy’s worst case scenario idea for how destiel would happen - in a “kill your gays” kinda way. Make it canon, but steal Cas away for the angst and manpain, leaving Dean alone. Its like the ultimate HORRIBLE ending right? So by giving that ending to us NOW, at the end of season 12, it TAKES AWAY THAT POSSIBILITY. From now on, we know that the show can’t repeat this. They can’t repeat that story line again. So by doing it when they did, and by then bringing Cas back, they have effectively killed off the worst case scenario ending. This makes me live.

6. Because it lead to a summer of glorious PR that was extremely Misha and Cas heavy and basically everyone rallied round to show their love for the character and for the actor and I have never been happier seeing so much Cas and Misha love in fandom and outside of it. It was fucking amazing and I had tears in my eyes so often I’m surprised they didn’t dry out. Plus it really pissed off the bibros/Cas haters. I mean, they were CONSTANTLY on the war path and it was so fucking hilarious. They even speculated that Misha would only come back as Jimmy or some shit like that and when I got told about that I once again had tears in my eyes but for a different reason.

Basically, Cas dying was a fantastic thing to happen at this point in the show. From a meta perspective of course. Also from a story perspective, because the wealth of character development that came from his death was almost astonishing.

From an emotional point of view, yes, it was painful for me, as a Cas fan, to watch my fave die, to watch his body burn on a pyre, to watch his loved ones mourn him. It was so fucking emotional I struggled, but the meta kept me sane. Because I knew it was all worth it. Think of the wealth of Cas positivity we had both in-show and out of show. When for years we have been upset that Cas is always sidelined, always left out of PR, promo’s and photo shoots. Not anymore. Cas’s death made him front and center. I have never had a happier summer as a Cas girl than I did in 2017.

Anyway, sorry for going off on a tangent that was totally irrelevant to your ask, but reading that persons post got me annoyed. People that don’t understand meta and then go and hate on it really piss me off.

You are right though. It is just a TV show. I wish people didn’t get so upset about things - I say this knowing full well I fall into this category myself. I think I am overly protective of other meta writers though, because I see them as my online “family”. They think the same way as me, they obsess over the same things, and pick apart the canon and discover new things about it that make it richer and more colourful. Meta brings so much more depth to the canon TV show, and for me, I guess, it is more than just a show for that reason. It’s a community, a passion, a family and a big part of my life. I love it. I always try not to let wank stress me out, but sometimes I feel I have to defend my turf ya know? Especially when the arguments being made against us are just completely without merit.

#meta meta #wank for ts #fandom problems #castiel #destiel #12x23 #season 12 #season 13 #suicide for ts #asks #anon #Anonymous

86 notes · View notes

even-strangerthings · 6 years

Text

Wish You Were Here. Billy Hargrove imagine.

(Pictures inside of the edit are NOT mine. The edit is mine)

Warning: A lot of sadness (I’m sorry), mentions of death, cursing

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X OFC Character, Vanessa

Word count: 6,311 (It’s super long.)

A/N: Normal text is present time, italic text are flashbacks.

Based off the song “Wish You Were Here” by Neck Deep

I had to repost this because somehow the one I posted this morning got deleted. Don’t let this flop because I worked really hard on this.

Cause a picture is all that I have to remind me that you’re never coming back

Before Vanessa and Billy had started going out he was infatuated with her, and she was infatuated with him as well. She was the happiest, most bubbly person he had ever seen. She was always so friendly to everyone, even Billy. As much as he tried to walk around school and act like he was a tough macho man, Vanessa saw through it. She was a people watcher, and she would see Billy by himself every once and a while and she could see that he had a vulnerable side. He would watch her too sometimes in class, the way she would play with the ring she wore on her middle finger during class. He would see her walk home some days after school and he wanted to offer her a ride, but he didn’t want her to reject him. She wanted to figure out what made him tick and what went on in that head of his. One day after school she had to pass through the gym to get to her P.E. locker to get something out of there, when she opened the door she saw Billy by himself on the court dribbling the basketball. She walked along the sidelines watching as he shot the ball up toward the basket, making it in the hoop. He turned to grab the ball and saw Vanessa walking, stopping what he was doing and watching her instead.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to disrupt you.”

She said, bending down to pick the ball off the ground as it rolled to her. Billy smiled cockily at her, shrugging his shoulders and began to walk over to her.

“Oh, you’re fine. You’re Vanessa, right?”

She had no idea he knew who she was, he never gave her a second look that she had noticed, so she was surprised that he knew her name. Vanessa nods her head, throwing the ball to him. Billy smiles at her, looking at her longingly.

“You have really pretty eyes, has anyone ever told you that?”

“I could say the same about yours.”

She responds, nervously playing with her hands.

“Why are you here by yourself? It’s it easier to play basketball with another person?”

“Yeah, we can play together, if you want to.”

He says, dribbling the ball against the hardwood floor. Vanessa smiles, putting her stuff off to the side on the bleachers, tying her hair up.

“Alright Hargrove, you’re on. Let’s make it interesting why don’t we, hmm? The first one to get to let’s say… 15 points gets to pick a punishment for the other.”

The two were laughing up and down the court as they both tried to block each other’s shots and steal the ball. Vanessa had ended up getting the ball from him, both of them only needing one more point to make it to 15. She sprinted across the court, dribbling the ball, she feels herself getting picked off the ground, a pair of arms wrapping around her waist. Vanessa squeals as Billy puts her down, stealing the ball from her. He runs in the opposite direction and throws the ball, making it in the hoop with ease. Vanessa laughs, shaking her head and putting her hands on her hips. Billy cheers, throwing his hands up in the air in victory.

“That was a foul and you know it.”

“We never said we had to play by the rules, sweetheart. Now if I’m not mistaken, I have to pick a punishment out for you.”

He says, rubbing his hands together.

“I’m not doing anything that has to do with me getting naked, Hargrove.”

“Damn, well now I got to think of something else… I got it, you have to go on a date with me.”

He says, looking nervous for suggesting it.

“That’s not a punishment, but I would love to go on a date with you.”

Billy looks at her with wide eyes, almost in disbelief.

“Really? You really would go on a date with me?”

“Yeah? Why do you sound so surprised?”

Vanessa asks, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“You don’t find me intimidating like everyone else does around here. You’ve never not smiled at me when I walk into class, or when you see me in the hallway.”

“I see through your tough boy facade, thats why. I know you put up a front for everyone here, so no, I’m not scared of you. I know there’s more to you then the hot car, hot body, and good hair.”

Billy softly smiles at her. Vanessa walks back to the bleachers and rips out a piece of paper out of her notebook, scribbling her phone number and address on it, handing it to Billy.

“Pick me up tonight at 8?”

He takes the paper and nods his head.

“I’ll see you later beautiful.”

“Looking forward to it, hermoso.”

He watches her walk away and out of his view before he jumps in the air and throws his fist in the air because he got her to go on a date with him.

Vanessa looks at her clock sitting next to her, saying that it was already 3am. She puts her notebook down after she had finished writing down the story of her and Billy’s first encounter. She looks out of her window seat in her room at the stars twinkling in the sky, her eyes were dry, impossible for anymore tears to escape her. Her chest tightened as she tried to catch her breath. She clung onto the chain of Billy’s necklace that he had given her that night, lacing it through her fingers on her right hand, the pendant resting in the palm of her hand. Vanessa missed being with Billy this late at night laying out at the school football field watching the stars and trying to point out the constellations in the sky. She missed resting her head against his chest while he would be playing with her hair, twisting random strands around his finger.

“That can be our star.”

Vanessa says, pointing to a cluster of stars in the sky.

“Which one?”

“The brightest star up in the sky right now. I’ve read about that one it’s called Vega. The story is that her parents liked the person she was with, but didn’t like how much time she spent with them, and they both started to neglect things that were important to them. So the parents arranged to separate the two by a river. They only got to spend one night a year together.”

She explained, turning onto her stomach, caressing Billy’s face. He smiles over at her quickly, looking back up at the sky. She looked at how beautiful he looked, the way the moon casted light against his soft face.

“Hmm, sounds familiar, except your parents barely tolerate me, my dad hates you, and if he had it his way he wouldn’t even let me see you once a year. I’m lucky I can sneak out of the house as often as I can to come see you.”

“Only 7 more months until we can get out of here mi corazón. And we can go to New York like we’ve been talking about.”

Vanessa says, getting up and straddling Billy’s lap, he sits up and wraps his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. She hugged him back, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. She picked her head up and rested her forehead against his, playing with the collar of his shirt.

“Alright, that’s our star. On nights we can’t come out here and do this, I’ll look up in the sky and think of you.”

“Who knew that the keg king of Hawkins is so romantic and deep?”

Billy rolls his ocean blue eyes at her, trying to shield his smile from her.

“And if you ever tell anyone your ass is grass, Nessa.”

She laughed at him, shaking her head because she knew that she could murder someone in cold blood and he would still think she was an angel.

“Sure thing tough guy. I won’t let anybody know that you have other feelings other than being grumpy.”

“I have a question. Would you ever marry me?”

Her mouth hangs open, surprised at his question. The two of them talked about a lot of things, but marriage was something they hadn’t really touched on.

“Shit, I shouldn’t have said anything… sorry.”

“No, no, no. I was just kinda blindsided because we never talked about it. But to answer your question, I would marry you in a heartbeat.”

Billy smiles is almost to big for his face once he hears her answer. He reaches over to his denim jacket and pulls something small out of his jacket pocket, playing with it in the palm of his hand.

“So, will you marry me?”

Vanessa laughs nervously, cupping her hand over her mouth.

“What? Are you serious? Billy… I didn’t know you were serious… oh my god.”

He flashes her the ring, diamonds weaved through the silver band. His hand was shaking as he held his hand out.

“It was my mom’s. One of the many things I stole from my dad after she died.”

Vanessa looks up at him, meeting his blue eyes. She laughs, hugging him again.

“I can’t believe you. You’re impulsiveness is showing hard right now.”

“Sooooo… is that a yes?”

Billy asks.

“Yes. But not until we get out to New York. That way our parents can’t stop us.”

“Trust me, nobody is going to stop me from making you my wife. I love you, with all my heart.”

Billy takes Vanessa’s left hand and slips the ring onto the fourth finger.

“I love you too, siempre mi corazón.”

“Hold the bag of peas on your face while I wash the blood out of your shirt..”

Vanessa says, handing him the frozen bag and taking his light blue shirt with her to the sink in the kitchen, filling it up with water and submerging it into the cold water to let it soak. Billy holds the peas to the skin on his face, wincing feeling the cold against his eyebrow.

“This wasn’t my fault this time, Nessa. Evan put his hands on me first so I defended myself. My mom didn’t raise no bitch.”

Vanessa holds in her laugh, rolling her eyes. She wets a rag in the running water, wringing out the excess water, walking back to Billy and wiping the half dried blood from his nose.

“I know. But you have to cool it with your temper just a little bit. I don’t want to be bailing you out of jail because you got in a fight. Let me see your face.”

Billy moves the bag of peas from his eye, surprisingly he wasn’t going to be left with a black eye, but he was going to have a nasty bruise above his eyebrow.

“Is it bad doc?”

“No, you’ll live. Maybe he Evan knocked some sense into that head of yours.”

She jokes, kissing his forehead and walking back to the sink to clean his shirt. Billy comes up behind her and rests his chin on her shoulder.

“He was talking bad about you.”

He explains, wrapping his arms around her. She rests her head against his, knowing how sensitive he was when anyone talked bad about her.

“He said that you were a nice piece of ass and that I needed to watch where you were because someone else was going to end up snagging you up. I told him to shut his mouth, he grabbed me by my jacket, so I punched him in the jaw.”

Vanessa can’t help but laugh at him, shaking her head again.

“I appreciate you defending me, but you can’t go around punching anybody who has something to say about me. If I went around and fought everyone who talked bad about you I would be fighting people all day everyday.”

“I do it because I lo… uhh.”

He picks his head up quickly, his eyes wide. Vanessa knew what he was about to say but she was just as shocked as he was.

“I um… I do it… I did what I did because I like you… I umm…”

Billy quickly walks back to the chair at the kitchen table, putting the peas back on his face. Vanessa beams hearing him almost say he loved her, she wanted to say it back but she was nervous to make the first move. She turns around and slowly walks over to him, straddling his hips.

“Oh you just like me? That’s all?”

Billy cocks his brow, taking a deep breath and taking the bag off his face again and resting it on the table. He rests his hands on her hips and licks his lips.

“Yeah, I like you a lot.”

“Hmm, that’s weird because ‘lo’ doesn’t sound like “like”. It sounds like a different word.”

She shakes her head and kisses his cheek, getting off of his lap.

“Sorry, never mind.”

Billy grabs her hand, pulling her back to him and helping her sit back on his lap.

“I love you. I’ve loved you since our first date. Obviously I couldn’t tell you that on our first date because that’s creepy, but it’s the truth. I love you, Vanessa.”

He says, cupping her face with his hands, his rings cool against her cheek. She smiles sheepishly, her cheeks turning dark red.

“I love you too, Billy.”

“I can’t believe that the girl of my dreams loves me.”

Finally Vanessa’s eyes close after hours of her tossing and turning, not being able to shake Billy from her mind. Her mom was already getting home from work and decided that Vanessa could have one more day off from school since she didn’t get any sleep. As she fell into a deep sleep, the sound of her dad getting ready in the room next to hers subsided and she drifted off to sleep.

Vanessa grabs her bag off of the floor in her room, shutting her lights off and walking into the kitchen. Both her mom and dad were sitting at the kitchen table, which was odd because her mom was usually asleep because she worked graveyard shift at the hospital in town, and her dad was getting ready to go to work.

“Good morning. Why aren’t you sleeping mom?”

She asks, leaning down to give them both a kiss on the cheek. Her mom sighs shakily, looking up at her daughter, worry written all over her face.

“Mija, I need you to sit down for a second.”

Vanessa looks at her parents with concern, slowly sinking into the chair next to her mom. Her mom grabs Vanessa’s hand, rubbing her thumb over Vanessa’s knuckles.

“When I was leaving this morning around 5, Billy was brought in by ambulance because he was in a serious car accident. His car was a mangled mess, and it took the fire department a long time to get to him because he was trapped so badly… I don’t think he’s going to make it mija. He broke a lot of his ribs, he’s bleeding internally.”

Vanessa’s heart began to race, her hands becoming clammy. Her mind was racing a mile a minute while she tried to process all the information her mom was telling her.

“They can’t go in and do surgery on him? Help him stop bleeding? They can’t do anything for him?”

“If they operated on him he would bleed out in seconds. I think it’s a good idea for you to go down there and go see him… before…”

Vanessa jumps out of the chair, grabbing her car keys and rushing out the door. She tried to keep herself together the car ride there, trying to think positively so she didn’t freak herself out. Once she got there the lady at the front desk directed her to Billy’s hospital room, she was practically sprinting to the room, she rounded a corner and saw Max standing in the hallway up against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Max? Is he…”

She asked, not wanting to ask the question because she was afraid that she was too late at this point. Max’s eyes were puffy and red, dried tear marks on both sides of her cheeks.

“He’s conscious. My mom is in there right now. I can’t see him like this right now, that’s why I’m out here. He’s been asking for you though.”

“What happened?”

Vanessa asks, realizing she didn’t get the chance to ask her mom.

“He went to that girl Tina’s party and he had been drinking. He thought he was fine enough to drive but he was going too fast and took the curved road too fast. He spun out, some old lady side swiped him once he stopped spinning and pinned the car into a tree.”

Vanessa was mentally kicking herself. She told Billy he could go to Tina’s party because he wanted to go, but not without her. She insisted that she didn’t want to go and she would be fine with him going.

“I’m going to go see him, okay? I’ll be back.”

She says, giving her a tight hug. Vanessa knocks on the door lightly, hearing a female voice from inside telling her to come in. She pulls the door open, slowly walking in. Her eyes meet Susan first, then at Billy, the sight of him making her breath hitch in her throat. She turned back behind the curtain, covering her mouth with her hand, not expecting him to look as bad as he did. Tears filled her eyes almost instantly, biting her lip to suppress the sob she wanted to let out. Susan walked over to her, bringing her in for a hug.

“He’s been asking for you. He’ll be happy to see you. I’m going to go check on Maxine, and I’ll leave you two alone.”

Vanessa nodded her head, noticing that Billy’s father wasn’t in the room.

“Susan, where’s Neil?”

“He’s meeting with people from the funeral home, he wanted to get things ready early.”

Susan saw the displeasure in her face that his own father wasn’t here to say goodbye to his son, and quickly exited the room. Vanessa took deep breaths and walked back past the curtain, looking at how small he looked in the bed.

“Billy?”

His head moved toward her, his face not even looking like his face because it was so disfigured by the cuts and bruises on it.

“Hey beautiful.”

He croaks out, trying to sit up. Vanessa rushes over to him, trying to help him lay back down.

“Hey, you can’t be doing all that. You’re fragile now. They told me you crashed your baby?”

“Yeah, don’t remind me, I’m pissed. Totalled my fucking car.”

He sighs, looking up at the ceiling. Vanessa sat next to him in the chair, taking his hand into hers. Tears began to fall from her eyes, realizing this was going to have to be her goodbye to him. He looks over at her, squeezing her hand weakly.

“They told you I’m on my way out huh?”

“Yeah, my mom told me… I thought that if I ever had to do this we’d be like 90 years old.”

She stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to swallow the lump in her throat so she could speak.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this Billy. How am I just supposed to let you go, I didn’t have you as long as I wanted with you.”

“I’m sorry, Nessa. I really am. Fuck baby I’m so sorry. I’m an idiot. I screwed up everything.”

They both openly sobbed, looking each other in the eyes.

“My medal. Bring it to me?”

Pointing his finger over to the corner of the room where there was a bag full of clothes. Vanessa got up off the chair, wiping tears from her eyes as she dug through the bag until she found the chain with the pendant on it. She walks back to Billy, placing it in his hand.

“No, I want you to have it. To remember me by.”

“Billy, I can’t. It was your mom’s. You should be bu… you should take it with you.”

He shakes his head.

“What good is it going to do me? I want you to have it. As long as you have it, I know that you’ll be safe. It kept me safe up until this morning… but I guess my mom missed me too much and wants me to come home. I want you to do good in your life, babe.”

“Billy…”

She sobs, not wanting to have this conversation with him.

“Vanessa, listen to me please. I don’t want you to dwell on this forever, I want you to go out and enjoy your life, meet someone else, start a good life with them, make sure they treat you like a queen because it’s what you deserve. I’m going to be watching over you, I won’t be far away from you, ever okay? Thank you for giving a piece of shit like me a chance to be with someone as beautiful and wonderful as you. My mom would have loved you, I know it.”

He lifted his arm high enough to reach for her face to wipe the tears away.

“I love you Vanessa. With all of my heart. I love you.”

“I love you too Billy. Mi corazón.”

She stared at his face as his long eyelashes began to close for longer periods of time. Her vision became more and more blurry as they filled with tears. She knew he was hurting, and she wished she could stop the pain in his body. Billy blinked one last time, his eyes remaining shut. She watched the monitor on the other side of his bed as the beeping slowed.

“I love you.”

She repeated over and over again, rocking back and forth in the chair. She felt one last squeeze of Billy’s hand before the beeping flatlined. Violent sobs emerged through her body once he was gone, covering her face with the sleeves of her jacket. The door opened, 2 nurses walking in and checking his pulse. Vanessa felt someone wrapping themselves around her, patting her back. She removed her hands from her face to see Max’s red hair in her line of sight, low sobs coming from her too.

“Come on girls, let’s get some air.”

Susan says, wiping tears from her own eyes. Max stands up first, sinking into her mom’s side as Susan helps Vanessa out of the chair.

“I’m going to call my mom. I don’t think I can drive back home right now.”

“Okay, Maxine, honey walk with her.”

Max follows her to the desk on the floor, asking one of the nurses if she could use the phone. Her mom answers and tells her she’ll be there right away to pick her up. Max waits with her out in the parking lot until Vanessa’s mom drives up, both of them hugging each other the whole time.

“Will you call me once you find out details about the funeral?”

Max nods her head, waving as the car drives off. Vanessa’s mom pulls out of the parking lot only to pull into the parking lot next to it, holding her as her daughter cries.

Her eyes open frantically, her body quickly launching up from the mattress. She looks around her room, realizing she was all alone.

“Fuck. Get it together Vanessa. Pull yourself together, you can’t do this to yourself.”

She says to herself, rubbing her eyes.

Vanessa sat in the car in the parking lot of the cemetery for the first time since the funeral. She had been staring at the entrance for almost 20 minutes trying to work up the courage to get out of the car, but she couldn’t figure out how to move her limbs. She saw red hair, the all too familiar red hair of Billy’s step sister riding her skateboard through the parking lot and toward the entrance. Finally Vanessa had snapped out of her mood and opened the car door.

“Max!”

She yelled out, running to her to catch up. Max hopped off the skateboard, turning around to see Vanessa, a smile appearing on her face.

“Hey you. Long time no see.”

Vanessa says, hugging the girl.

“Yeah, I go straight home after school, my mom and Neil freak out if I’m a minute late. How… how are you?”

Max asks, her demeanor changing. Vanessa sighs, not even sure herself of how she was having one of her bad days or one of her even worse days.

“I’m… getting through it. Slowly. I’m hoping that me coming here helps with things. Maybe we can get through this together?”

Max nods her head. Vanessa wraps her arm around Max’s shoulder and walks with her through the cemetery, talking about how school was going and how things at home were going. They reach the row Billy was located at, both of them going silent as they walked past the random headstones in the row until they reached his. It had only been a month so he didn’t have a headstone yet, only a plastic plaque that read:

“William Hargrove. November 15 1968 - March 20th, 1986.”

There were still flowers on the mound of dirt from the funeral sitting there. Vanessa’s eyes well up with tears, choking back tears as she stares at the grave. She hears Max sniffle next to her, Max taking a seat next to the top of the grave.

“We might have had our problems, and I might have told him how much of a dick he was, but him and I had good times, occasionally. I still loved and cared about him.”

Max says, looking up at Vanessa. Vanessa sits next to her, rubbing her nails up and down Max’s back comforting her.

“I know, I saw him be nice to you a few times. He cared about you, deep, deep down he did. He just had an awful way of showing it.”

She laughs softly, pulling her knees into her chest.

“It’s not fair. He knew he shouldn’t have been driving while he drank, but he did. If he hadn’t gone to the party that night he would still be here. If I would have just went with him he would still be…”

Vanessa trailed off, the lump in her throat making it hard for her to continue. She sobbed harshly, wiping her tears with the sleeves of the sweater that used to belong to Billy. Max looks at her sympathetically, tears filling her eyes as well.

“I’ve been writing about him a lot. Like about our good memories and stuff, my mom said it should help me with grieving, but I feel like it’s only making it worse. I had a flashback to the day he died. I didn’t think we would only have a short time together. I thought we still had forever. We had so much planned Max. He wanted to marry me. I told him yes, but not until we graduated. We wanted to move to New York after we had road tripped there last summer. Ugh, I’m sorry.”

Vanessa says, holding the fabric against her eyes to soak up the tears.

“At least you have those memories with him. If you ever start to miss him you can just think about all the good times you had together. Your memories of him won’t ever fade.”

Max says, now comforting Vanessa. She nods her head at her, wiping more tears from her eyes. The girls sit in silence, the wind blowing through their hair.

“Neil has been pissed since the funeral. I can hear him yelling at my mom some nights. He’ll throw things around the living room or their bedroom, he’ll tell her that if it wasn’t for his screw up of a son that he wouldn’t have had to transfer out here and he wouldn’t be in a hole in the ground.”

Vanessa bites the inside of her cheek, trying her hardest not to get angry over what Max is telling her.

“Does he ever yell at you? Because if he does you need to tell me. I won’t let him do what he did to Billy for so many years.”

Max had no idea about Neil beating the shit out of Billy like clockwork, but that was because he would do it when Max wasn’t around. She didn’t know until she saw a huge cut on Billy’s back from his dad throwing him up against the full length mirror Billy had in his room, shards of glass breaking into his skin. Max had called Vanessa telling her to get over to their house because he was hurt. Billy finally told Max all about the abuse he had been suffering since he was 7.

“No he usually waits to blow up until I’m asleep. Or until he thinks I’m asleep. Neil boxed up Billy’s stuff the day of the funeral and he started to throw away the stuff that had to do with you and Billy.”

Vanessa rolls her eyes, she knew how much Neil disliked her even though he never said it to her face. He was nice to her face, too nice where Vanessa felt like he was coming off fake. Billy would relay the things that his dad had said about her while his dad argued with Billy about breaking up with her. The more Billy had refused the more Neil would talk negatively about her, especially about her ethnic background. Vanessa was somewhat immune to hearing it because growing up in a predominately white, republican community, with parents who were more comfortable talking in spanish than in english, she heard her fair share of comments in her lifetime.

“I managed to get a lot of the stuff out of the trash though. I have pictures, mixtapes you made him, letters you had written him. I’ve been wanting to give them to you, but I haven’t seen you.”

“Really? Thank you so much Max. I really appreciate that. How about we go into town and get a bite to eat, and I’ll drive you home?”

Max smiles softly, nodding her head. She says her goodbyes to Billy, leaving Vanessa by herself to say hers. Vanessa stands up, cleaning the dirt off herself.

“I’ll see you later mi amor. Come visit me in my dreams later please. I love you.”

The sun had started to come down by the time Max and Vanessa had gotten out of the diner. She drove along the street to Billy’s house for the first time since he had passed away. If her grip on the steering wheel wasn’t so tight she knew that her hands would be shaking at this point. She pulls up to the white house, parking in the street. It made her heart hurt that the blue Camaro wasn’t parked in its usual place. Max ran into the house to retrieve Billy’s belongings for her, Vanessa obviously not feeling comfortable enough to go in the house for more reasons that one. A minute or two later Max comes back out of the house with a small box in her hand. Vanessa gets out of her car and meets her halfway up the walkway.

“I know it’s not much that I managed to save but…”

“This is more than I thought I was ever going to get. Thank you so much Max. I’m going to head out, but if you ever need anything from me, you have my number, you know where I live, and you know that I’ll be there for you for whatever, okay?”

She gives Max a tight hug before saying bye to her and walking back to her car and driving off. The box sat in the passenger side seat on the way back to her house. Her dad greeted her once she got inside telling her that dinner was almost ready. She went up to her room and started to take things out of the box one by one. There were polaroid pictures scattered around on the bottom of the box, a few of Billy’s favorite books, 2 mixtapes she had made for him, some of his rings that were way too big to fit, but she would just keep them in her jewelry box. Max had managed to sneak in 2 of Billy’s t-shirts that still smelled like him, his cologne, and his silver lighter. Max was definitely going to get a call later thanking her for putting this stuff aside for her. She pulled out one of pictures from the bottom of the box that was of herself smelling a flower that Billy had given her for her birthday. On the white part of the picture he had scribbled “Beautiful girl, beautiful flower.” The next one she picked out was of the engagement ring he had given to her. And the last one was one that Vanessa had taken in the school parking lot. He was in his denim jacket and denim jeans, a look she was always a fan of, with his signature cigarette between his lips. “Mi corazón. December ‘85 written in her handwriting. Vanessa had a copy as well so she was glad that she now had 2. The other two made Vanessa blush because they were such intimate pictures that she was embarrassed Max had to see. She taped the pictures on the wall next to others that were already there. It was going to take a long time to forget about the love of her life, but she was glad she had some things to remember him by.

It was the first night in a month that she had actually fallen asleep without crying. She didn’t struggle at all, and she was relieved because she desperately needed it. Once she fell into a deep sleep she noticed she was in Billy’s car in the passenger seat. She looked over at him and smiled at Billy, throwing her arms around his neck, laughing and crying in disbelief. She couldn’t make out where the car was parked exactly, but she knew for sure it wasn’t Hawkins.

“Oh my god. You’re here. You’re really here.”

Vanessa wept, her hands cupping around his face, bringing their foreheads close to each other. Billy smiles and kisses her nose.

“Only for a little while babe. I came to see you because I saw you at the cemetery with Max. And I know you’ve been having a hard time letting go.”

He responds, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“I can’t help it, I miss you. This wasn’t part of our plan, Billy. We were supposed to get out of Hawkins together, I’m not supposed to go by myself.”

Vanessa cries. Billy sighs, hugging her into his chest once again, softly shushing her.

“It’s time you move on, baby. You can’t mourn over me forever.”

“I have to go on living the rest of my life without you, without going through with the stuff we had planned for our lives. How am I supposed to do that?”

Billy touches the pendant on the necklace that used to be his resting against her chest.

“I’ll always be here for you when you’re going through a hard time. As long as you have this I’ll always be close to your heart. That’s why I gave this to you. My mom told me the same thing before she passed. You might physically go through your life without me, but I’ll always be with you. When you graduate next month, when you go off to college in New York, when you get married one day and have beautiful babies, I’ll be there watching over you.”

“It’s not the same. I don’t want anyone else. I want you. I’m not going to be able to see your face everyday, hug you, smell your cologne, hear your voice, have you annoy me everyday.”

Vanessa was full on sobbing at this point, a lump in her throat forming throughout every word she speaks. She didn’t want to let go of this moment, she wished she could stay in his arms forever because that’s where she belonged.

“Stop crying, baby girl. Look at the bright side, I’m not hurting anymore. My dad can’t hurt me anymore.”

Her body shakes with her loud hiccup. His grey shirt was soaked from her tears, she could feel his finger twirling around her hair, his other hand rubbing circles around the back of her arm.

“Why did you have to be driving so fast that night? Why did you have to be drinking?”

She asks through her cries, she picks her head up and looks into his eyes, sorrow filling them.

“I’m an idiot, that’s why. I knew I shouldn’t have been, but I thought I was good, my house was only a mile away… I didn’t see the curved road sign. I’m sorry baby. I’m sorry I put you through all this heartbreak.”

“Te amo siempre mi corazón.”

Billy smiles and kisses her lips.

“You know, I was right. My mom loves you.”

“I’m glad. I can’t wait to meet her one day. She did a good job raising you.”

Vanessa says, running her hand over Billy’s cheek.

“I’m going to go now, okay? No more crying. I’ll come by and see you every once and a while.”

Vanessa nods her head and smiles, kissing him one last time before she wakes up. She sits up in bed and touches the necklace around her neck.

“I love you Billy.”

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove headcanons #dacre Montgomery #dacre montgomery fanfic #dacre montgomery imagine #dacre montgomery headcanons #stranger things #stranger things fan fiction #stranger things imagine #stranger things headcanons #dacreoos #my imagine

91 notes · View notes

shamelessnerd · 6 years

Text

I just want to say the following headcanon thing LEGITIMATELY was inspired by this thing I saw on a random Google search I don’t even know how it was there, Google is watching me. I typed it all out in a caffeine-fueled frenzy. If you know who made this pic/headcanon thing, let me know so I can give credit. This is the offender:

OKAY SO I NEED TO ADD TO THIS THING ABOUT HOW JASON WAS DIANA'S FAVORITE ROBIN. I NEED TO ADD TO THIS, AND IT'S GONNA BE REALLY FAN-DORK-TASTIC AND IT'S FINE, EVERYTHING IS FINE.

We need to examine this more. Brace yourself for the headcanon feels train. Choo choo, bitches.

I don't think Jason just adored and was respectful to her, no no, he fucking worshiped her. When every Robin has met the others of the Trinity it's always said something about them. When Jason met Superman, he was appropriately awed and flustered, you know, as boys do. It's Superman for shits sake, he's like a myth. How do you talk to a mythical freakin' god?

But Diana? Now she's a bit different. Sure, she flies, she's fast, she's got super strength and sword skills no one can touch, but she doesn't shoot lasers from her eyes or sneeze and make a tornado. She talks to kids, she treats them with respect, as equals. Jason likes that. He grew up fast. He hates being talked down to.

But this really didn't start with Diana being his favorite just because she doesn't ruffle his hair and ask if his studies are going well. No, this goes back to long before he was a Robin. When he was just a little kid with an abusive father and a mother that loved him but couldn't fight back.

Jason has always been a tootin' masculine character. Look at him, he's got all the traits, up and down. Bad boy look, check. Guns, check. Fast cars, check. Street rat punk, check. He's the tallest out of the Robins, and so much goddamn muscle he's got fifteen pounds on Bruce. (Suck it, old man.) There's memes about his thighs ffs. But on the same token he's always related to and sympathizes more with women than any other Robin. Why would that be?

Because his mother loved him. Really, deeply, adoringly loved him, even if he was adopted. She probably always wanted kids and a family but she just chose the wrong man to do it with. Things probably weren't always so bad, they never are when you start out but it got worse steadily, it snuck up on her and by the time Jason was five, she was a convenient punching bag whenever Willis Todd had a bad day at work.

It didn't take long before every day was a bad day at work.

So Jason grew up in a place that started out as pretty nice, they were poor as hell but he never lacked for love from his mom. She made games for him so he wasn't afraid. Charity clothes weren't shameful, they were adventuring gear and he could be anything he wanted, even a wizard or a ninja. She didn't eat her portion of dinner because a spell had been put on her and the only way to break it is if he ate everything instead, and then defeat the dragon guarding her and give her a kiss before bedtime. Then she would eat. When they couldn't pay the utility bills, the candles were the only light they had and they were adventurers exploring ancient caves and had to be very careful to sneak around and find the magic stones she'd hidden everywhere.

Catherine Todd loved her little boy and always sacrificed whatever she could to make sure he wasn't afraid at night. While he slept, she'd cry very quietly.

But no amount of pretend and stories could really hide the fear in her eyes when his father came home. Jason had to hide under the table his arm the around a street mutt, Sparky, and a phone clutched to his chest while his mom tried to hold back her screams as the leather belt, then the fists and the boots came down on her again and again.

His mother ALWAYS took the beatings from him. When Jason was getting a little older and taller and starting to outgrow his clothes faster than they could steal or trade from the charity banks, he started looking like a target. But she never allowed his father to beat him, she wouldn't have it. She made a deal, she'd take the beatings and he wouldn't touch Jason dammit, not him, not her little boy.

Afterwards, when his scumbag father sat down in front of the TV with a beer and some food while his wife cried on the floor, Jason would crawl out of his hiding place and put band-aids on the cuts and bruises. Then she'd hold him in her arms, sobbing, and tell him it's okay, she loves him and she'd never let anything bad happen to him.

But things always got worse for Jason. He loathed his father, he felt furious he couldn't fight back but he knew if he did, his mother's sacrifice would be for nothing. He learned to control his rage early, he had to. But that doesn't mean it didn't burn.

The look of defeat and apathy in her eyes is what hurt him most. He wished she wouldn't just lay down and take it all the time. He wanted her to get up. Fight back. He'd have these dreams where his mom beat down her husband and told him if he ever touched her or her son again, she'd kill him. But he always woke up.

Catherine Todd was Jason's first real hero. Even when she started taking heroin to get through the day, to not feel hunger and not feel pain.

And then there's Wonder Woman. Princess of Themyscira. Amazon Warrior. She was the best fighter in the world and she fought with a grace like poetry and a savagery like vengeance. She was amazing. A woman that was strong enough to throw monsters through walls. Monsters just like his father. He wanted his mom to be more like Wonder Woman.

He wanted Wonder Woman to be his mom.

Now lets fast forward a bit. When his father abandoned them, Jason became the man of the house and his mother was so deep into addiction she could barely function. She'd lost so much weight over the years, pushing her food onto his plate. She'd always cared for and protected him, now he could finally return the favor. He was an 11-year old with a baseball bat and zero tolerance for any assholes that wanted to hurt his mom. She couldn't fight anymore but he could. Any drug dealer stopping by learned that the hard way.

But he couldn't protect her forever. The will had been beaten out of her for over a decade. While he was out stealing food, she overdosed. The pain had been too much. He failed her.

Fast forward again. He's Robin now, he's learned to survive on his own before now, he's not shy about sticking up for himself because dammit, he's not going to sit on the sidelines ever again. That was a helpless feeling he never could get away from. He meets Wonder Woman for the first time and he's just struck dumb. Alfred and Bruce are amused, because this Robin has never held back what's on his mind or given any ground. But after he gets over the awe of meeting his childhood idol (nevermind the fact that he's still technically a kid) he can't stop talking to Diana. He chatters eagerly to her.

Soon it's clear he's something of a fanboy. He asks how she threw this punch from this battle and how she disarmed that villain in that fight. She's more than happy to show him. Then he asks other things, like if she can be such a great fighter, other women can too, right? What if the best way to defeat crime is by preventing it? Like giving women and other common targets of criminals the ability to defend themselves. Couldn't women and children's shelters offer training and classes for free? She loves the idea and promises to see what she can do.

Jason probably writes letters to Diana whenever he can and she responds when she has time. It's not often because they're both so busy, but it's a slow sort of pen-pal thing they have going on. She's easier to talk to than Bruce and learns more about his family from before.

Even though he loved his mom, he also resented her. She let herself become a victim and he'll never quite forgive her for that. He's bitter about it, the idea of 'What if she'd fought back?' always in the back of his head. He'll never know and it's her fault and he misses her but he misses what they might have had. One day he accidentally lets this slip in one of his letters and Diana sends him two pages back, all of it laying out that a mother's love thinks nothing of sacrifice and it's okay for him to be angry but he shouldn't let it taint the good memories he has. He was loved right up until the end. Instead of being angry, be inspired. It wasn't fair, to her or to him, but he can still make his mother proud by making sure no one else has to go through what he did.

How would she know his mother is proud of him? Because Diana is proud of him. Very proud. And she knows what mothers want for their children.

Had she not been off-planet at the time, Diana would've noticed the lack of his letters when he started feeling displaced and needed family to connect to. When he found out he was adopted. When he left to go search for his real mother -- maybe a mother more like Wonder Woman.

When Jason died and Diana found out several weeks later, she was furious with Bruce. Absolutely. Livid. She refused to work with him or speak to him for a month. It was a major cramp in their relationship, as friends and as colleagues.

She did go home and cry in her mother's arms because he was such a fine boy, dammit. Man's World was cruel and savage and did the worst things to the most innocent people and it turned them into beasts. It broke their hearts and twisted their minds. But not Jason. He came out stronger and more determined than ever to be better. Yes, he was lost and hurt and didn't know where to direct his righteous anger but he was learning so fast and she was so proud of him for it. Crime wasn't a vague thing to him, he grew up in it, lived in it, and he knew exactly why it should be put down. Just like she knew the stakes of war and why it must be fought. He was a warrior. And he died because he was still a kid that wanted a mother who loved him.

She blames herself a little because if she'd been there more for him, given him the mom he really really wanted, he might still be alive. She neglected him, just like everyone else and she will never forgive herself for that.

When Jason came back as the Red Hood, she'd only heard vague rumors from Gotham. It was years before she found out who it was and that's only because Dick was struggling with a guilty conscience for putting 'Jason' into Arkham Asylum. When this 'Red Hood' turned out to be the young Robin who had her action figure and always ran to say hello to her, she gave Dick a look that could kill a chimera. For the first time, he realized why Bruce could fear her so much.

She sat down and started to write a letter to Jason but didn't know where to start.

It hasn't happened yet. She's often run ragged with all her duties, and she hasn't figured out how to tell Bruce she wants to see Jason for reasons too many and complicated to put into words without seeming rude to the other fine boys he's mentored.

But when she does finally meet her favorite Robin she'll hug him and not let go for a long time. Then they'll spend the whole night talking about everything, and for tonight, crime and missions and duty can wait. She'll tell him about the countless women that have fended off their abusers because of the ideas he came up with so many years ago. And he'll be confused at first because doesn't she know he's insane? A killer? A psychopath? Well, she's killed too and she knows why he's doing what he's doing. There are as many battlefields as there are battles, in the mind, in the streets, in the long history of a life. She knows that this is his battle. She's proud of him for fighting what he believes in because that's what he's always done. His methods may not be her own but that's okay. Life has given him the tools and insight to do what he does and she must respect that. War is never pretty.

For a while, Jason is so damn unbalanced by all this, he can't really speak because there's a knot in his throat.

Then she drops another bomb on him by apologizing. For not being there for him, for not realizing that he needed more than a pen pal and for neglecting to tell him all these things before it was too late. There's tears in her eyes and he starts to panic a little.

The next day, she gets a letter from Jason.

So there. There you have it you ugly heathens, feels headcanon train! I think this is why Diana has Jason as her favorite Robin and why he has always looked up to her. I think the fandom somehow recognizes the neat and fitting parallels here. Maybe not ever put down in words like this (or if it has been, I haven't found it yet) but definitely there in the back of the brain. You don't see fanart with Jason wearing a Wonder Woman shirt, or pajamas, or coffee mug for no reason. It's not just because it's funny that the bad boy punk of the BatFamily is a huge Wonder Woman fan. It's because she means something to him that the other Robins never needed in their lives like he did. She was a role model early in his life and still is today.

Jason likes Wonder Woman because she's overcome and proven herself in a world stacked against her. Women can't fight? Wrong. Women can't be strong? So wrong. Women can't hold important positions in government? She's an ambassador. Women must be sexual, they must defer to their male compatriots, if they do fight they're butch and can't be feminine and beautiful, and if they don't fight they have to stand back and sit in the kitchen.... You might wanna shut up now.

Wonder Woman has defied every single unwritten rule the world tried to put on her and she's broken every single barrier that her 'superiors' have put in front of her. She gives society's expectations an amused little smirk before she breaks them in half. She doesn't let anyone define her. She does what is needed and she doesn't apologize for it. She's a rebel like that. She's powerful but feminine, she's a warrior but also motherly, she fights for peace, but she will fucking kill to protect her loved ones.

Diana's story and Jason's story are so much alike and that is why these two have this unspoken, undefined bond. They know the gritty realities, they know that ideals won’t stop hunger and abuse and exploitation, they know fire sometimes can only be fought with fire. I think the fandom understands that, even vaguely. They recognize she would naturally be his #1 role model. And it would genuinely put me on cloud 9 if DC recognized that too and decided, 'Know what? Let's go for it. Let's make this happen.'

'Let's make this impossible and bizarre idea seem wonderfully human.'

Isn't that what comics are really about?

#headcanon #feels train #Red Hood #Jason Todd #Wonder Woman #Diana of Themyscira #did not expect this to go all out #I would look up panels to support some of this but I chickened out

133 notes · View notes

theheavymetalmama · 7 years

Note

So no one is shocked about Inhumans but despite a positive reception from critics and fans alike The defenders is not doing well compared to even Iron Fist. So as a fan of that series I have to ask "Why?" Care to share your thoughts?

As strange as this is going to sound, I think the Netflix branch of Marvel has made the mistake that the Marvel movies avoided; investing way too much in continuity. Again, I know that sounds like barking madness, but hear me out.

As we all know, the pacing of when the Marvel movies come out and what we hear about them during production can be summed up in the lyrics of that one Foghat song; slow ride. Sure, the movies themselves are action-packed and bursting at the seams with quips, one-liners, and witty banter, but the actual makers of the movies take their time not just with making them, but how to make the next one. They wait and see how audiences react before they start rolling cameras for the next flick, just in case there’s something in the newly released movie that just doesn’t quite work so they can work around it.

Look at Ant-Man, for example. It’s obvious that movie was intended to be the start of Phase Three rather than the end of Phase Two, but when Age of Ultron ended up being a fun action movie that failed to live up to the first Avengers, it wasn’t too late to rework some scenes and aspects in Ant-Man so Phase Two didn’t end on an “Oh, okay.” Or all those loose ends the Incredible Hulk left because Edward Norton had a temper tantrum and Universal tried strong-arming Disney into making another Hulk movie where the House of Mouse does all the work but gets half the pay. On one hand, yeah, it’s kind of annoying that we still don’t know for sure what happened the Abomination or that guy who was clearly intended to become the Leader, but at the same time their ultimate fate has yet to be sealed so them coming back at some point isn’t completely out of the picture.

That’s where the Netflix shows dropped the ball, and shows a pretty galling flaw with releasing the entire season all at once for the binging crowd. It’s obvious that Perlmutter et al had this big plan from the start for all these shows to be connected and build up to a greater event, and it’s also clear that they were banking on Daredevil and Iron Fist to be the main leads while Luke and Jessica were clearly intended to be along for the ride because hey, variety and all. And in theory, it makes sense. Of the four Matt and Danny have the richer and more storied backgrounds and lore, and in Matt’s case better villains. So on paper, it sounded like a good idea for Matt and Danny to lead the show with their stories and their villains being the basis for the plot.

But then something happened.

Over the years, their plan began falling apart. Luke Cage and Jessica Jones ended up being more interesting characters and connected with audiences more than the execs clearly anticipated, all the best parts of Daredevil season 2 had almost nothing to do with Daredevil because Shane from The Walking Dead completely stole the show as the Punisher, Elektra and the Hand ended up being too boring and nebulous for anyone to care, and while the Iron Fist show is better than many give it credit for Danny Rand just completely sucks. If nothing else, at least The Defenders acknowledged that.

youtube

It’s also not helped by the fact that in terms of powers and abilities, there’s just not much variety in terms of powers and abilities with the Defenders. Look at the Avengers. You got Captain America who has real-life war experience plus accelerated healing, strength, and agility, Iron Man who’s a genius and wears a high-tech suit of armor that shames an F-22 in both speed, durability, and weapons, the god of thunder, big super strong green rage monster, and finally modern day Legolas and “what if James Bond and the Real McCoy had a daughter?” to keep things varied and interesting. Now in terms of personality and motivation, the Defenders certainly aren’t interchangeable, but powers and abilities? Not so much. There’s super strong, super strong, super strong sometimes but only in one hand, and knows kung-fu with super-enhanced senses because some shit got in his eyes.

So now the Defenders was stuck with the more interesting characters being sidelined while a Daredevil that’s pretty much run its’ course and an Iron Fist nobody likes lead the show. Only unlike the movies where if Thor ended up being a complete dud and everyone hated Loki, no problem! For the Avengers they could have used someone else like the Leader, or brought back Red Skull, or just use someone completely new like Kang the Conqueror or they could have used Ronin the Accuser earlier or whatever. Point is, they could have worked around it. Netflix couldn’t, because by the time people rejected Iron Fist they were practically finished with The Defenders and it was too late to go back and change anything significant. The same thing happened to Warner Bros. when they bet it all on Batman for their extended universe to adhere to the tone, aesthetics, and sensibilities of Batman v Superman and went full-steam ahead with that plan only to find themselves right in the middle of making Justice League right as Batman v Superman was being torn asunder by critics and fans alike while also getting buried alive in news that they alienated Superman fans, but by the time they got that news it was too late to change anything and they had no choice but to scrap almost everything they had planned and rework it from the ground up. Even if we’re being generously optimistic and Justice League ends up being good, they still have to go forward with a cinematic universe where Jimmy Olsen is dead, the Joker totally sucks, Superman can’t go back to being Clark Kent because he had an obituary AND an open casket funeral, there’s no room for the Teen Titans to come into the picture because they jumped straight to Cyborg joining the League, and Batman belongs behind bars just as much as any of his villains do.

In any case, that’s my take on why The Defenders isn’t doing so hot. Granted, I wasn’t there on set so I’m just spitballing as to what actually happened, but that’s my best guess.

#Marvel #MCU #Netflix #Iron Fist is a thundering dumbass

6 notes · View notes

rate-out-of-10 · 7 years

Text

THE DEFENDERS REVIEW

After three independent shows, with a total of four seasons in all, we finally see Netflix’s MCU heroes come together in the team-up series The Defenders. It’s an ambitious undertaking, even after the lackluster last series before the team-up, Iron Fist, and this show had to fire on all cylinders, and while it didn’t hit every mark, it gave you plenty to enjoy.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS / PERFORMANCES

The stars from their respective series return in The Defenders. Charlie Cox (Daredevil) continues to impress as the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen”. Matt Murdock is a character that we’ve seen the most of compared to the others, so it makes sense that he’s one of the more well-rounded people on screen. Season 2 of Daredevil brought out some of Matt’s worst fears and his inner turmoil between the two lives he lives. In The Defenders we see him making real strides to be an example good guy, without the red suit and horns. But of course, The Hand comes back around and throws him down the same hole he’s been trying to claw out of. Charlie Cox puts on an impeccable performance throughout this series. After not seeing her for a while, Krysten Ritter returns as Jessica Jones. The hard-headed PI with super strength and a drinking problem. Krysten puts on a good performance as Jessica, however her persona feels a bit tried here. Much of her dialogue feels so cheesy, and like she says the same thing like twenty times throughout the show. I was also a bit sad for a time that her ability was never properly showcased. I felt as though she was just there to throw in some aggressive comic relief and be the one in disbelief through the entire series. She did have some shining moments throughout though, like her kicking that SUV into the Chinese restaurant, toppling Elektra. Mike Colter (Luke Cage) was a standout performance in this series, and he needed to be. Some of the criticisms of his series was the stoic acting from the cast and the cheesy “tough guy” dialogue throughout. Of course, there was more of the same here with Luke, however Colter felt more comfortable in his role especially around the other main heroes. The last to join the Netflix crew, Finn Jones as Iron Fist redeems himself in this series. Iron Fist had its flaws but by the end there was some content to be excited about and I think Finn rode those coattails into The Defenders rather well. He’s still somewhat stubborn, but his personality is fleshed out a bit more around these other characters, and he became much more likable, compared to his solo series’ first season.

The connector to every series, Claire Temple played by Rosario Dawson, makes her appearance, however she never feels needed. For a good while she’s treated as Luke Cage’s baggage, especially since the writers made the strides to rekindle Luke and Jessica’s relationship. Rosario just felt a bit lost to me, and I felt disappointed by her interactions with everyone. There wasn’t anything there between her and Matt Murdock. I was excited for her to play a bigger role in connecting everyone, but sadly she wasn’t as needed as I felt she was. Simone Missick returns as Detective Misty Knight from Luke Cage. Misty felt utterly behind and clueless throughout the show. She always has a strong presence on screen (props to Simone), however she was portrayed as somewhat arrogant, even when she’s right. It wasn’t until the finale that she isn’t as glanced over. Jessica Henwick returns as Colleen Wing, one of the few saving graces from Iron Fist. In The Defenders however, she is barely given anything to do. Until the finale she’s on the sidelines, and I felt so bad for her, and not in a good way. She should’ve been given more to do, it felt way too inorganic for her to be as sidelined as she was. I’m glad to see her struggle with Bakuto finally resolved, but she wasn’t used properly as a whole. Then there’s Stick played by Scott Glenn. He’s as stoic as ever in this appearance, but leads our heroes down the right path, despite his controversial means. He’s not any more likable than his past appearances, but he stays true to what he’s always been. There are a bunch more familiar faces in this show, but that’s generally all that they are. The likes of Foggy, Karen Page, Jeri Hogarth, Malcolm, and Trish all take a back seat. They have small arcs, I guess, but none truly integral to the series. Just the familiar faces we know from separate series finally making it into the same room.

The Defenders did an admirable job bringing together all five fingers of The Hand. And it was interesting to watch their dynamic playout on screen with everyone there: Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver), Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho), Bakuto (Ramon Rodriguez), Murakami (Yutaka Takeuchi), and Sowande (Babs Olusanmokun). To see the in-fighting between them, their clash of personality, and their individual goals kept me interested in their side of the story very well. Weaver specifically put on a great show. She approached the character with grounded-ness and with a realistic worldview. I enjoyed seeing her play out on screen. I was happy to see them all portrayed as formidable opponents as well, however it was whenever necessary. Much of their arcs felt cut short or flat, plus some deaths felt inept for people of their stature, Sowande’s and Murakami’s for instance. Too quick, too easy. Elodie Young returns as Elektra Natchios, or the Black Sky as we’re lead to believe. She had an interesting role to play, however predictable it was (the whole getting memories back because of the love she has for Matt). I enjoyed her performance overall though. By the end, she turned villain again and I just couldn’t put my finger on why it all played out that way. It felt all too much for the sake of plot.

WRITING / DIRECTION

Bringing these characters together is a tough game to play, but Marvel has made good on team-ups so far. Bringing these heroes together to fight The Hand, the enemies that only Daredevil and Iron Fist seemed to concern themselves with was the natural direction to go in and I was excited to see it all unfold. The series only being eight episodes felt a little disappointing upon hearing of it. However, the Daredevil series was the only one that could competently handle a thirteen episode arc. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all could have benefited greatly from shorter seasons, ten episodes maybe. Especially Iron Fist. The Defenders felt competent enough with the eight episode season. It allowed the show to endorse itself and not push too much. I hate a prolonged storyline, filler episodes and scenes, I think they’re garbage. I’m glad to see the series take off running as fast as they could, and bring these characters together in the simplest of ways, and have it be entertaining throughout.

There were a lot of great action pieces, plenty to catch your eye, but some felt all to cliché and disingenuous. Some characters were overpowering one minute, the next they could barely stand their ground. I understand that they were facing highly skilled and trained people, like Elektra, or The Hand leaders, but I don’t see how Luke Cage can be knocked out by a basic roundhouse. In Jessica Jones we saw he couldn’t be stopped until Jessica shot him point blank in the temple with a shotgun. Some character capabilities were simply at the mercy of where the plot needed to go, and that’s a shame to misuse these characters like that. But even still, there was a lot of action to marvel at, it was badass much of the time. Dialogue was a hurdle yet again. I never felt like the dialogue in the Daredevil series was as close to as horrendous as Iron Fist was, and throughout Luke Cage. The Defenders isn’t the worst offenders, but there were cringe-worthy lines that felt all too “tough”, some too “comic-book”, and others were just annoying or irrelevant. These pieces just clash with the entire feel of the world we’re meant to be immersed in.

As a general note, the writing and direction did do a good job keeping the pace strong with the plot. The show didn’t feel like it dragged too long, not too much filler, or slower boring pieces. And that’s great. It was clearly the eight episode mark that benefitted the show. There were definitely parts that could’ve been delved into more, and with more episodes I’m sure we would’ve seen those things, but it would’ve ultimately detracted from the main point of the series. I was happy to see the show take a definitive direction and stuck with it throughout.

FINAL RATING: 8/10 – Good Marvel Fun.

It’s not groundbreaking, as Daredevil was, but it does its job very competently. It gets you excited for the team up and I think it delivers on its promises. Would I have liked to see more? Definitely, but not if it would just convolute and detract from the story unfolding. There were some underwhelming bits like the dialogue and some over-looked characters, as well as non-character driven events and decisions that hurt the overall fluidity and enticing nature of the show. But The Defenders is a good show. We see our Netflix Marvel group come together, we watch them kick ass and save the day. Sometimes it does need to be as simple as that.

#marvel #mcu #netflix #the defenders #defenders #luke cage #daredevil #jessica jones #iron fist #television #tv #comic book #comics #review #film review #movie review

2 notes · View notes

veliusthewanderer · 7 years

Text

White Supremacy, Charlottesville, and Trump...or Why I’m Disgusted With My Fellow White People

(READERS NOTE: This is NOT an attack on all white people in America. This is meant to be an attack against those sicko, deranged, and disturbed white people who not only had to show up in Charlottesville last weekend armed as if ready for World War III, but who also attacked the decency of the victim, Heather Heyer, killed by one of your kind with a vehicle in what is by all definitions a hate-inspired murder. To my fellow white people who have taken a stand against the racism and hate, as well as the murder, please continue to do so. To my fellow white people who have taken no sides, believeing that its not their problem, SHAME ON YOU for not taking a stand! What kind of moral lesson are you teaching your children by sitting on the sidelines??)

I probably said the bulk of what I wanted to say in just that little paragraph, but as it is my job to rant, rave, call out and shame the conservative establishment and especially the “too-far-right” or alt-right if it helps, then obviously I will do what I set out to do.But before I throw down on the alt-right and the various hate-groups out there who likely have members with Tumblr accounts, let me first review the events of the past weekend.

In Charlottesville, Virginia it was decided by a city council vote to take down a statue of a Confederate general, very likely moving it to a museum ground for display, though information about its ultimate destination have not been very forthcoming due to the recent episode I will go into. On the day the statue was set to be removed, three groups of protestors arrived on the scene, each for various reasons. I will not go into detail about the other two groups, as they were protesting in a nonviolent (or nonviolently threatening) way. The group who arrived, and who merits this rant, a motley mix of Neo-Nazis, Neo-Confederates, and militiamen, were the ones most threatening of violence, for they came armed for a major battle. You’d think World War III was just seconds from starting as you seen they walking, brandishing army knives, pistols, AK-47s, AR-15s and other semiautomatic and automatic weapons out in full view as if daring ANYONE to tell them they weren’t allowed to the site. This was the result of the previous night’s acts of violence near the Va Tech campus. There was the usual shouting protests and counterprotests, and there were name-calling, personal attacks, and shouts of derogatory and inflammatory rhetoric by the militiamen, and on several occasions this threatened to spiral into a full-blown bloodbath. Thankfully, law enforcement was there to keep the cauldron lid locked tight.

Fast-forward 24 hours later, to the scene of the nonviolent protestors, the militiamen who remained ready for a fight, then a single Dodge charged into the crowd of peaceful demonstrators. At least 29 people were injured, which was horrifying enough, but there was one fatality: Heather Heyer. The 32-year-old was crushed by the wheels of that Dodge, driven by a teenager who had been corrupted by the doctrines of the white supremacists and under the illusion that because their chief ally Donald Trump is now the 45th president of the United States, they could get away, literally, with murder. I refuse to use the individual’s name as I feel it would give him fame he doesn’t deserve. If you thought this story couldn’t get worse, then think again...

Within 12 hours of the incident, “President” Trump is informed of the situation in Charlottesville, including the death of Heyer and two law enforcement officers who died in a helicopter crash while trying to protect the demonstrators. Trump went before the cameras to offer his sympathies to the people who were injured, the families of the victims, and to condemn the acts of violence. BUT HERE’S THE THING, he did so in such a manner that it could best be described as “half-hearted, generalized, and ignorant of the entire situation”. In simple terms, he accused ALL SIDES of having a role in the violence and the deaths, while not even making any attempt to single out the white supremacists who were truly responsible. Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke even had occasion to remind Trump that his “election” couldn’t have been possible without the vote of loyal white Americans, i.e the very white supremacists responsible for the atrocity.

But even as Trump was sent reeling by the backlash from Democrats and even many Republicans for his lackluster condemnation, and as tributes to Heyer began pouring in thru facebook and Twitter, them damned white supremacists began to denounce Heyer as a 32-year-old “slut” who was “useless” because she was doing “what women were intended to do, reproduce”. I cannot go into more detail on the things they said about her because its just too f**king stupid to even want to relive even if for the benefit of writing this blog. Needless to say, they got a backlash almost as bad as Trump got, but the threats against family and friends of Heyer was so bad that a planned vigil at the location where she died had to be canceled out of concern those white supremacists might try and harm or kill more people. The vigil took place on facebook, though some brave people did go to the location despite the threats and hold vigil there.

Without having this turn into a Family Guy style “What Really Grinds My Gears” foray, what actually grinds MY gears is both the way in which the white supremacists attacked the character of the person whose death by one of their own caused such outrage, and the fact that Donald Trump once again did a half-ass job of condemning the heinous actions by calling them out by name. Mike Pence (None The Smarter), Vice President of the USA actually DEFENDED Trump’s statements..or tried to at least. But the backlash had gotten so severe that in a rare moment of realization that he was in serious doo-doo with public opinion, Trump finally came out and condemned in full the actions over the weekend, even calling out the various hate-groups involved. But these facts remain: 1) an innocent person died, killed by an act of domestic terrorism more serious than anything ISIS could dream up for the very fact that the terrorist WASN’T EVEN A MUSLIM, he was as “red-blooded American” as you or I 2) Donald Trump is STILL taking flak for his abysmal condemnation Saturday despite his more straightforward Sunday statement, and 3) Alt-right shock-jocks like Alex Jones are STILL trying to convince Americans that the entire incident, including the murder of Heyer, was staged by Jewish agitators working for the liberal left and Hillary Clinton (why the hell is SHE being dragged into this horrible situation only Jones himself can answer, if you can stomach it).

So now you wonder why I hold Trump personally responsible for the incident and others like it that have happened in the last six months? Go back to the very day he started his presidential campaign, and follow it all the way through, and the answer should be as plain as the nose on your face (unless you’re such a fan of his that what he says wouldn’t matter to you at all. Hell, let him announce World War III. You’d still cheer his speeches). Many of his fans and sycophants would call that “tough talk”. There is a WORLD of difference between “tough talk” and inciting rioting on a grand scale. What Trump did was unleash the forces of racism which we’ve managed with some degrees of success to keep contained, and sat back and watched while America ripped itself to pieces. What’s worse? Many of my fellow white people either openly support Trump’s efforts because they believe it’ll “Make America Great Again” as his slogan goes, or are uncaring about the entire episode for the reason that “it didn’t happen here”, or “its not my problem.” Let me tell you something: IT IS YOUR PROBLEM! How long do you think it’ll be before that poisonous rhetoric spreads into your neighborhood? Your schools? Your communities? You do nothing by choice at the risk of doing nothing by inability because it became too ingrained to risk your own safety to speak out.

For those among my fellow white people who have gone out to protest racism, and the doctrines of Trump, I salute you. Continue to stand firm against bigotry, hate, and prejudice. For those of you who remain uncaring and/or unconcerned, maybe its time you become more caring and concerned because it could be the difference between a united America and an America torn asunder. And to those who support/agree with/endorse the rhetoric of the white nationalists, Steve Bannon and Donald Trump..I can only say...SHAME ON YOU. Maybe you should remove yourselves from this country and travel somewhere where you might be more appreciated....

...like perhaps Hell.

#dontgiveintohate remembercharlottesville impeachtrumpnow

1 note · View note

lovefollowsknowledge · 7 years

Text

The Feminine Hero

Last night, I watched Wonder Woman, and to my surprise, it was an explosion of truth! I’m not sure what the comics say about her, what the intent of the author was, or what the intent of the director was, but it spoke so many levels of truth, and the one I want to focus on is that of femininity. I don’t know what people’s impression of her is, but to me, she represented beautifully what the feminine genius is. I’ll try to limit myself to 3 reasons why I found this movie so awesome, and I’ll do so using quotes from a couple of Greats in the Church.

1) “Perhaps more than men, women acknowledge the person, because they see with their hearts. They see them independently of various ideological or political systems. They see others in their greatness and limitations; they try to go out to them and help them” - Pope St. John Paul II

What struck me about Diana (Wonder Woman) was how her heart cried out for mankind. Her whole mission was to get to the heart of the War, where the battle was at its worst. When she gets there, she arrives at a village where she meets a woman who says they have been enslaved. Upon entering the village she sees tortured animals, a child crying for his mother, wounded soldiers laying on the sidelines. Her heart instantly breaks for these people, and she’s quick to jump into action. But Steve, her male counterpart I guess you could say, stops her and says there’s no time to save everyone. Throughout this scene, Steve is constantly telling her she can’t save everyone, almost implying they’re in an impossible situation - there’s no getting past No Man’s Land. There’s another part where Diana is shocked at the violence the men are so drawn to, how they’re determined to fight to the end out of hatred for one another. She expresses her concern to Steve and how they have to do something about this, but he tells her, “Maybe some people are just bad,” again implying that they’re in an impossible situation. But every time, Diana refuses to give up. When Steve says, “we can’t save them all,” she replies “that’s what I’m gonna do,” and she runs into battle. When Steve says it’s a hopeless cause trying to save these men from their evil actions, she refuses to let that be the end. She refuses to give up on mankind because she knows they are just being corrupted (by Aries). She knew that deep down that they were still good. She saw their intrinsic worth when everyone else only wanted to see the evil they've done. JP II teaches that women have this innate sensitivity to see the goodness of the human person, and you can see that so clearly in Diana’s example. She just shows the true beauty and gift of the heart of the woman.

2) “In all these areas, a greater presence of women in society will prove most valuable, for it will help manifest the contradictions present when society is organized solely according to the criteria of efficiency and productivity…” - Pope St. John Paul II

What I feel like he’s saying here is that when solely men are put in charge, things are organized by efficiency and productivity, but when women come into play, we see something else. He says women “bring the richness of [their] sensitivity, [their] intuitiveness, [their] generosity, and fidelity.” They see beyond productivity and efficiency. So with the corruption of mankind, Steve saw little reason to save them because they appear to no longer offer anything good. But Diana saw more than that, she saw more than their evil actions; she saw goodness beyond productivity and efficiency. And what I mostly wanted to point out about this was a specific moment when one of the men on her team wants to give up because of how afraid he was in the last battle, how he appeared to not be as strong or useful, and how because of that he almost seemed to hold them back, thus making him less efficient and productive for the betterment of the team. But Diana’s response was, “But, Charlie, who would sing for us?” I just love that! She saw worth that most people wouldn't see, wouldn't deem worthy and necessary. But she saw his specific gifts, the goodness of his heart and saw that even in his weakness, he still had value and a role to play. I just think that’s so beautiful and something so unique to women. We don’t just see the strict skills needed for a certain task, we don’t just see if someone checks everything off a check list. We see the beauty of their heart, their unique gifts, their particular strengths…at least we have the unique capacity to do that. Haha because I for one do not have the most tender and compassionate heart…yet ;)

3) “To a great extent the level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood. When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more noble her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness – the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.” - Venerable Fulton Sheen

Finally, one of my absolute favorite parts was when Diana ran into No Man’s Land. Just as she was ready to run in, Steve explained that it’s called No Man’s Land because no man makes it past the enemy lines. Once you enter the battlefield you’re pretty much shot dead. But this does not discourage her in the least bit. This was the same scene when Steve says, “We can’t save them all,” and she responds, “That’s what I’m gonna do,” and she runs into the battlefield. As predicted she was shot at right away, but Diana had no fear, no hesitation, she just went forward with all she had. And to their surprise she was more than safe. She was strong and brave and more than holding her own ground. And in that moment the rest of her team, which was made up of men, looked at each other and were not just encouraged but were called on by her heroic actions, and then jumped into battle right behind her. It was Diana’s bravery and devotion to “truth, justice, and goodness,” that calls her team on to be better men, stronger men, to be men of greater courage. Diana’s strength didn't demean her men, but rather it called them on, it held them accountable and even empowered them to be greater, to be the men they were called to be.

I loved Wonder Woman because she was a feminine hero. She was a hero without having to become manly. She was still beautiful, still wore clothes that fit and complemented her body type. She didn’t try to look or act like a man. She didn’t hide the sensitivity of her heart. One of my other favorite parts was literally one moment that could easily be overlooked; in fact, it was probably mostly for comic relief. But when she arrived to the city and got all dressed up to look more professional, as they’re walking to the offices, she gets distracted and says, “A baby!!!” and almost instinctually goes straight for the baby, but of course Steve said there was no time for that. And though he was right, I just love that DC didn’t take that feminine side out of her, because what woman can resist a cutie patootie baby?? I just love that they didn’t compromise her femininity in order to make her a hero. Even when they explain the creation story of the Amazon Women! They say Zeus created them because the world needed peace and love, and the Amazon Women would provide that, which is such the feminine heart! But that wasn't their only job. They were also created to protect! Which yes typically is a masculine feature, but there is also a certain fierceness in the heart of a woman that will stop at nothing to protect her children, be it biological or spiritual.

I love Wonder Woman because she’s a hero that embraces her femininity. And that didn’t mean being anti-men! Which I feel like is so crucial because in feminism today there’s like two extremes. 1) In order for women to have equal pay and equal treatment, they feel they have to act like a man. They have to be tough and ruthless, and they even have to dress like a guy, the whole power suit and shoulder pads thing (not to say there’s anything wrong with a woman in pants, but I’m just saying that was started so women could better fit in with men). 2) In order to affirm the strength and gift of womanhood, they feel they have to put down men, degrade them and make them feel almost useless, like they’re in the way of women (which is ironic because that’s the exact attitude we fight against for women). So it’s like we either totally imitate men to exert fairness or we declare they’re basically useless, and we can do it all without them to illustrate our true strength. But the truth is, as JP II said, “Woman complements man, just as man complements woman: men and women are complementary. Womanhood expresses the “human” as much as manhood does, but in a different and complementary way…Man and woman share equal responsibility from the start.” AKA Man needs woman just as much as woman needs man, and Diana totally recognizes that! She recognizes their importance and how much she needs them to win this battle. She never once resists the idea of having to work with men on her team.

And finally, my absolute favorite line was when Aries was trying to convince Diana of the uselessness of mankind because of how horrible they are, how evil and full of hate they are. He tries to convince her that it’s better they destroy them because they don't deserve gods like them, they don't deserve to be saved and cared for. And Diana’s response (which is actually inspired by Steve, hence the complementarity) goes, “They’re everything you say and so much more. It's not about what they deserve. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love.” Boom baby! No matter what, for the sake of love, a love we’re all called to, a love that is full of truth, beauty, and goodness, a love that is full of mercy, hope, and life, in the name of Love, mankind is worth defending, saving, and redeeming. Boom. Freaking. Baby. Wonder Woman is an unexpected, beautiful example of the feminine genius because even in her strength and heroism, she brings a heart that is tender, compassionate, fierce, and unrelentingly loving and ready to fight for the goodness of mankind’s heart.

...Ok so I didn’t quite stick to 3 points but whatever, it’s an awesome movie for our times and you should go see it! #femininefreakinggenius

All Glory to God through Mary!

2 notes · View notes