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#team civil war sucked
khentkawes · 1 year
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OMG, why do I keep watching Captain America: Civil War every time I find it on tv when I know that I'm just going to spend the whole time yelling at Team Cap!
Every time! My cat has to listen to me yelling at Cap and Comapny for their stupidity, their arrogance, their refusal to take responsibility for literally anything while spouting nonsense about how signing the accords would mean they weren't taking responsibility (seriously, how does Chris Evans say this dialogue? It makes no bloody sense!), and trying to murder Team Iron Man by crushing them underneath cars/planes/whole pieces of an airport/Scott's gigantic shoe. Team Cap escalted that fight almost immediately to possibly lethal levels. And then Scott acts like a child, relishing the destruction, when he literally almost KILLED Rhodey when he tried to step on him! Scott is a funny, lovable character in the Ant Man movies, but here, he's a frightening child with unspeakable powers and no limitations who is apparently willing to kill other avengers just to "be in the cool club"? And Team Cap is all like, "we can't call Tony, he'd never believe us and he'd never help us," when literally the first time Tony is presented with a shred of proof that they are right, he drops everything and puts himself at risk to help them--no questions asked. And Cap is all "my faith is in people" at the end of the movie, but earlier he complained that the accords were bad because the UN was "people and people have agendas." Um, dude, you have an agenda too. So you don't actually put your faith in individuals then? And hold up, Captain America should put his faith in the IDEALS THAT THIS COUNTRY IS MEANT TO REPRESENT! Ideals like justice, democracy, standing up to dictators, embracing immigrants, holding our leaders accountable, protecting the weak, etc. But the MCU's Cap doesnt care much about ideals. He cares about people... and only certain people apparently.
This time around I've realized that I only like two members of Team Cap: Bucky and Scarlet Witch. But I like Wanda mostly for her development in WandaVision, and even then, I like her in the same way I like Anakin Skywalker.... they are both a couple of hot messes always on the line between doing the right thing and committing mass murder / supporting nazis or facsiats because its convenient. Wanda was always a villain! A sympathetic and fascinating villain, but she's no less of a villain than Anakin (well, marvel is a little less murdery than SW... but still... Wanda has always been willing to do drastic things to get what she wants, no matter who gets hurt along the way).
I do have to hand it to the Russos... parts of this movie are compelling and nuanced... and then there are all of the Team Cap lines (which aren't). But either way, it makes me feel too many feelings every damn time. So... if they wanted to evoke feelings, they sure as hell succeeded!
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dear-ao3 · 3 months
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Sorry i tried to scroll past but, i know nothing about f1 other than max verstappen is fast, my dad doesnt like lewis hamilton, fast car goes in a loop and sometimes expodes. Could you give me a crash course in f1 drama? Im very intrigued. Whats the tea as it were?
a terribly loaded question, but i will do my best. i’ve talked about some of the drama before like the red bull second seat and the chronicles of haas but allow me to briefly try my hand at explaining the nightmare that is the upcoming silly season
under the cut we go
silly season is when the drivers go through contract renewals, extensions and switches. usually it’s confined to the first half of the season (march-july) but it has been known to extend all the way to the last race of the season and they like to switch people around at random sometimes. driver contracts are complex, there’s a lot of money involved and basically You Are The Face Of The Team so if you have a shit season then you make the team look bad. but at the same time you could have a shit season because you have a shit car. it’s sticky stuff.
so. there are only twenty seats in formula 1. 10 teams. each team gets two drivers. (there’s also reserve drivers but we’re not going to get into that). who ends up with a contract is largely up to the teams, they can pull the contract out from under people they can also cut you mid season. they’ve done it before.
of the 20 drivers on the grid, 14 of them have contracts expiring at the end of the year. yes. 14. you see how this could get complicated.
so let’s meet the teams.
red bull racing. they came first this year (and last year) in the championship. like aggressively first. like they won the championship by over 350 points. they are definitely the team to beat. but if you end up with a seat at red bull, you do have to deal with max verstappen being your teammate and he won all but three of the races last year. he’s the golden boy. red bull are also notoriously silly when it comes to contracts and famously swap people mid season who aren’t performing.
mercedes. merc is home to 7 time world champion lewis hamilton and they have won the championship a great many times, though not since 2021. they are kind of in their flop arc and their car the last 2 years has been pretty garbage, but they have still made it work because they were able to come in second last year.
ferrari. god help the poor little meow meows with a ferrari contract. ferrari is a notoriously great team and they’re trying to get back to the top again but their strategy every single time has fallen short. to the point where their drivers are the ones doing the strategy in their cars while driving. they came in third last year and have been decently consistent at getting first in qualifying and then getting beat by max verstappen on race day.
mclaren. they’ve definitely worked their way up over recent years. they ended fourth last year and have had some championship wins before but not nearly as many as say merc and ferrari. their team ceo (owner? director?) is a little interesting and their car started out a pile of flaming hot garbage at the beginning of the year but they did manage to get their shit together.
aston martin. they are owned by canadian billionaire lawrence stroll, father of lance stroll (one of the drivers for the team). they’ve undergone several name changes over the recent years (force india, racing point, etc). they positively slayed at the start of the season and then one day they sucked. they finished fifth in the championship.
alpine. the frenchest french team. they’re (i think?) still partially owned by the french government. both of their drivers are french. (their drivers also hate eachother but we’ll get to that. just know they’re in the middle of a modern french civil war). they had the opportunity to have a good rookie driver (oscar piastri) this past year but in a thrilling twitter battle, he publically flamed the shit out of them and went to mclaren instead (and slayed). they're usually solidly middle of the pack. they ended sixth in the championship.
williams. williams has been one of the back of the grid teams for the last many years but they have finally started to get their shit together and don’t quite suck as much as they used to. all of the points this year were scored by only one driver though (except one but we’ll get there). they came in seventh.
alpha tauri. they are the sister team of red bull. so technically redbull owns both teams (meaning they can swap drivers between teams. they like doing this.) they’ve just kind of been There for awhile but they did slay towards the end of the season when one of their drivers led the race for several laps. basically tho, this team is the gateway to redbull. they came in eighth.
alpha romeo. recently renamed to stake f1 team (but sometimes they are going to be called kick sauber. this is a whole other drama post and i’m not getting into it). they’re also just kind of there. generally unproblematic. seems that really great drivers who get ixed out of a contract for a younger driver end up here or young drivers who are in their early years are here before they go to a better team. they ended ninth this year.
haas. oh haas. goofy team. they suck. point blank they suck. they keep loosing sponsors because they suck, they don’t win ever (one time they came first in qualifying last year). they cursed themselves in australia in 2018 by not tightening their tires and its been downhill ever since. they came 10th. their team principle got let go (fired?) who’s to say today.
so those are the teams. it is important to note that:
-there is a cost cap. each team is allowed to spend no more than 135m per year.
-not all cars are equal. some things are standard. they all undergo the same testing. but the cars are all very different. so you can be a good driver but stuck in a shitty car. which makes it impressive if you are doing well in a shitty car.
let’s meet our drivers!!!
starting with the guys who’s contract is not ending in 2024:
max verstappen. 3 time world champion. 26 years old. general beast on the track. he dominated the whole season. he’s currently racing for red bull and has a contract with them through 2028.
lewis hamilton. 7 time world champion. 39 years old. he drives for mercedes. he will not leave mercedes until he retires. he really really wants to win an 8th world championship and is willing to stick it out a few more years as long as merc still believes in him. his contract expires in 2025.
george russell. the other merc driver. 26 years old. hes aggressively british and says thinks like blimey unironically. walking meme. got his merc seat in 2022 right when they entered their flop arc by getting his tractor of a williams to finish second in qualifying in the middle of a rainstorm. his contract expires in 2025.
lando norris. mclaren driver. 24 years old. he has notably never won a race in his five years of formula one (mostly because right when his car finally was good enough max verstappen was 20 seconds ahead of anyone) but he is regarded as Very Good. he has only ever driven for mclaren. and even though there is another year left on his contract there is mass speculation that he will not renew his contract with mclaren after it expires and he may move up to one of the top teams (red bull, merc, ferrari) (tho i think he doesnt hate himself quite enough to go to ferrari). his contract expires in 2025.
oscar piastri. the other mclaren driver. 22 years old. this was his rookie season and he positively slayed. like people compared his rookie season to lewis hamiltons rookie season. he also had the positively funniest start to his rookie year because alpine announced that he would be driving for them (he had been their reserve driver and in the alpine academy) and he posted a tweet that basically said yeah thats false i never singed anything with you and im going to race with mclaren instead (he dodged a bullet) and then alpine tried and failed to sue him for $4m USD. he signed a contract extension with mclaren this year and his contract expires in 2026.
lance stroll. aston martin driver and son of the aston martin owner. hes doing ok, tho there was conspiracy that he wanted to quit and have a tennis career awhile ago. but basically since his dad owns the team it seems that hes guaranteed a seat for as long as he wants one.
so now. moving onto the good shit. the people who have contracts expiring in 2024. hold onto your hats people.
charles leclerc. (everyones favorite slutty little soup can). 26 years old. he is currently at ferrari and he has been since 2019. notably, he was given the longest contract in the history of ferrari after a stellar rookie season at sauber (renamed to alpha romeo, renamed to stake f1) where he got the tractor of a car consistently into the points. having the longest contract in the history of ferrari was a flex at the time, but now its likely how he will introduce himself at therapy sessions. ferrari have fucked this man left right and center up the ass with a plastic lunchroom spork. hes talented, he can drive, and he can drive well. but the strategy that ferrari has absolutely sucks. either something is wrong with the car (see him blowing out his gear box on the formation lap in monaco, his car completely crapping out and spinning into the barrier in brazil before the race even started) or they fuck up his pit stops or put him on the wrong tires and honestly its just frustrating. but will he leave??? likely not. you'd have to pry ferrari out of his cold dead hands and at this rate that might be where this is headed though there has been some minor speculation of him going to another team like merc or red bull, but merc doesnt have any open seats and red bull is a whole other dumpster fire of drama. ferrari are going to have to pay him a boatload of money to make him stay.
carlos sainz. the smooth operator. 29 years old. ferrari driver. previously carlos was at toro rosso (renamed to alpha tauri), renault (renamed to alpine), and mclaren before signing with ferrari. he has been at ferrari since 2021 and has voiced that he would like to stay with them for however long he can. there is speculation that lando might replace him at ferrari (but landos contract is not up until 2025) and there is also some speculation that alex albon might replace him. while charles is clearly the golden boy at ferrari, carlos is slightly slower but also definitely consistent. he was THE ONLY non red bull driver to win a race this past year, in Singapore after max verstappedn was knocked out of qualifying by alpha tauri reserve driver liam lawson (more on him later) and because he basically came up with his own strategy in the car while he was driving.
sergio perez. aka checo. red bull driver. 33 years old. and oh boy here's where we open the can of worms. checo was previously at racing point (renamed aston martin) and it was very near the end of the 2020 (?) season and he was out of a contract. he had a bonkers race where he was knocked to the back of the grid and then overtook everyone and somehow ended up winning (there is more to that story but just trust me) and christian horner, red bull team principle, mr ginger spice and definite disney villain called him and said congrats sir you have a seat at red bull! well. fast forward. hes been causing problems. problems as in crashing a lot, generally not doing great and pissing the crap out of red bull. it is basically guaranteed at this point that he will not be getting a contract extension. there was actually talk this year of him losing his seat mid season to one of the alpha tauri drivers, because remember, red bull owns both teams and they can switch them whenever they want to (and they have!) but ultimately this did not happen. even though checo has a seat at red bull until the end of 2024, its mass speculated that he is going to get switched with an alpha tauri driver, probably daniel ricciardo (more on him shortly) mid season because there is a speculated clause in daniels contract that says that if checo isn't performing well in the first few races daniel is getting his seat.
daniel ricciardo. 34 years old. alpha tauri driver. man oh man what a guy. outside of being the prankster of the paddock, he has one of the most batshit careers of anyone currently on the grid. he started out at red bull and was showing real talent and skill and was on track to win things (and was!) and was there until the end of 2018 when max verstappen (his teammate) started getting preferential treatment and also red bull started having a lot of problems with their engines (which were being outsourced from Renault (now alpine) and another team on the grid) and well very very long story short he made the surprise move of the century and decided to sign with Renault (which makes no sense they're the one with the engine problems) and was there for 2 years before moving again to mclaren where he was reportedly not treated very well and had a hard time driving the car so they mutually ended his contract with them early and he basically retired at the end of the 2022 season and became a red bull reserve driver. then halfway through the 2023 season alpha tauri ixed one of their drivers, nyck de vries, because he wasnt doing well and promoted daniel back up to a full time driver at alpha tauri (which we know is only a step down from red bull) but then he broke his hand in a crash in zanvort (?) and then he was replaced for a few races by formula 2 driver liam lawson (who we will also talk about) and then he came back to finish out the season in alpha tauri after he was cleared. daniel has admitted openly that he never should have left red bull and he was given bad advice to do so. hes towards the end of his career at this point and its well known that he Really Really wants to finish out his career at red bull again. he and max have already been teammates before and they do work well together and daniel is great driver (see his comeback in texas (or maybe it was brazil?) this year). so. Pretty Sure that daniels going to get either an extension at alpha tauri or go up to red bull. thats what we all want. get this man in a red bull we need him there biblically.
liam lawson. now technically liam is not actually a formula 1 driver. hes a formula 2 driver, but he was daniels replacement for five races and there has been some speculation and some confirmed news about him so hes getting included. when he was racing for f1 he was at alpha tauri. hes 21 and looks like he belongs in the movie grease. no one was expecting him to slay in formula 1 and he positively knocked everyones socks off. the scene: Singapore. which, if you'll recall, is the one race that a not red bull driver won. this was largely because liam lawson slayed the absolute game in qualifying. the qualifying part of racing determines what order the cars start in on the grid for the race and theres three parts, the first two parts the bottom 5 drivers each time get knocked out and then the top 10 complete for the last 10 spots. liam lawson knocked BOTH max verstappen and checo perez out of qualifying in the second round by going very slightly faster than them, effectively fucking up red bulls race and allowing carlos to win. and he also scored points in that race, which no one was expecting. now thats all fine and dandy, but here's the speculation: hemlut marko (im pretty sure) (who is somehow decently involved in the decision making at red bull though i couldn't tell you how) said that he thinks that liam lawson will be in an f1 seat no later than 2025. meaning that he will probably get offered a contract this year. and hes already raced for alpha tauri. red bull have sunk a good amount of money into him. they clearly want him. so if he gets offered an alpha tauri seat in 2025, that means theres a good chance danny rics is going to red bull. do you SEE how the plot here is THICKENED
yuki tsunoda. age 23. currently at alpha tauri. and fun fact, the only alpha tauri driver to race there the whole year. he had three separate team mates. he is slaying and hes often slept on. he has a bit of a temper and likes to shout on the radio and also hates working out (they had to force him to move to italy or something to work out, long story) but hes been kinda killing it. he led several laps in the abu dhabi race this year and hes decently consistent. people think theres possibility that he could get moved up to red bull on account of the fact that he is younger than daniel and clearly has more years in him,, but there is also possibility that he might not because red bull like to make stupid decisions. and if he doesnt get moved up to rebel, will he stay with alpha tauri? we don't know.
alex albon. age 27. currently a williams driver. alex albon is another one with a batshit career. he started out his rookie year in 2019 at alpha tauri then got moved up to red bull halfway through the year when red bull decided that pierre gasley wasnt doing a good enough job (more on him later) and stayed with red bull for a solid year and a half until he lost his seat in 2021 to checo. he has been with williams for the last two years and is basically carrying the team. like. williams as a team scored 28 points this year. and alex albon scored 27 of those 28 points. and as we know, williams is still kind of in their shit arc (though they are doing much better. they didnt score any points for a solid 2 (?) years. so this is an improvement.) and if you can get a shit car to perform you catch the eye of bigger teams. now, alex has already been a red bull driver. and he was on the cusp of podiuming two separate times when lewis hamilton ran into him. this (among a few other things) basically killed his chances at getting resigned at red bull because he wasnt ""performing"" and red bull are bitches who love to win. but some people think that red bull should give him another shot. like daniel, hes already been max's teammate and he can definitely drive. but theres also talk he might go to ferrari because ferrari think that he might compliment charles's driving style (or something). but going to ferrari at this point is kind of suicide. so.
logan sergeant. age 23. the only american on the grid. the other williams driver. he just finished his rookie year. he scored a grand total of one single point this season, in texas, and it was because charles leclerc and lewis hamilton both got disqualified because the floor of their car had more wear (by literally less than millimeters) than it was allowed to, bumping him up from 12th to 10th. he has never done better than alex albon. he was also the very last driver to get a contract for 2024, with williams waiting until i think december of 2023 to announce his contract extension. clearly, hes on thin ice. but people have also said that he needs time to get used to formula 1 (other people have pointed out that oscar piastri slayed his rookie season this year and this statement about needing time is largely false). where logan ends up next year though will largely depend on how well the 2024 season goes for him.
fernando alonso. 42 years old. many people like to point out that oscar piastri is actually younger than fernando's racing career. he won tiktok creator of the year (somehow) and is also a 2 time world champion. he retired a few years ago, just to show back up again and slay. during the first half of the season when aston martin had a zoom zoom car he killed it, and then they had problems on top of problems and he didnt do well. except for that one race in brazil where he came in third, beating checo by literally .05 seconds. he hasn't really made any hints about retiring a second time and he is kind of carrying aston Martin right now (he scored 205 points this season, coming in 4th and tying in points with charles leclerc, lance stroll only scored 74 points this year.) and they did have their best year yet this year. (though they are relatively new).
pierre gasley. 27 years old. french. drives for alpine. the french team. previously he raced with toro rosso (now alpha tauri), then got promoted to a red bull driver in 2019, then halfway through the season they decided he wasnt doing a good enough job and he got demoted back down to alpha tauri. then he won a race with alpha tauri just to stick it to red bull. after the great oscar piastri contract twitter war, he was signed as alpines second driver, with Esteban ocon being the other driver (more on him soon). estie bestie and pierre (both french) were childhood friends and now hate each other for unknown reasons and basically feuded on the track for most of the season. french civil war at alpine. he scored 62 points in 2023 and came in 11th. not really sure where he will end up, it is possible that he will stick it out at alpine.
esteban ocon. 27 years old. also french. currently driving for alpine. another one with a silly bonkers career. he started out at force india and had a baller few seasons there but his teammate at the time was checo, and checo didnt really cooperate with him too much and caused some drama that cost estie bestie some places and some points. max verstappen also beat him up in the garage once. thats not really relevant but it did happen. anyway, after the owner of force india was arrested for .... i don't remember what maybe it was embezzlement or bankruptcy or something money related, the team was backed by lawrence stroll and became racing point. but all of that happened mid season and lawrence was basically like look ill back you guys for now but next year my son gets a seat (lance) so one of you two (checo and estie bestie) have to go. and ultimately they let estie bestie go even though he was more consistent because checo had more sponsors and they needed money. so he was out of formula 1 for a few years (but was a merc reserve driver) and then went to Renault, which then became alpine. he did come in 12th though overall this season, just behind pierre. so. will alpine keep both him and pierre and keep the civil war going? whos to say.
nico hulkenberg. 36 years old. haas driver. in his 200+ f1 races he has never been on the podium and he really really wants to be on the podium. unfortunately this will never happen in a haas because haas fucking sucks. and everyone knows it. he is getting towards the end of his career though. though! stake f1 will become the mario Andretti and audi team in 2026 (don't question it) and they have supposedly voiced interest in nico. so we will see if he hangs on that long to end up at audi. for now tough, hes definitely hating it at haas. though, haas are going to have a different team principle next year so maybe that will change things. i have a sneaky feeling through that haas will probably end up with another 2 rookie drivers because everyone else is smart enough to not race for them.
kevin magnussen. 31 years old. haas driver. hes another deeply interesting character. he has had one podium. in his rookie season. in his first race. and none since. kevin started at haas in 2017 and then left at then end of 2020 when he basically got kicked off because the team needed money and they wanted to bring in drivers with more sponsorships. these drivers were mick schumacher and nikita mazepin. so kevin basically was forced to retire after the 2020 season. this went decently well for haas. until russia invaded ukraine right before the start of the 2022 season and, well, nikita was Russian and it was never distinctly proven that his dads company (who was sponsoring the team) wasnt also funding the invasion. so nikita got fired and they were literally like 2 weeks out from the start of the season, down a driver. who are you gonna call? kevin magnussen! and hes been back ever since. but hes clearly getting annoyed with haas. there was one great clip from this year where his car caught on fire and he kind of just stared into to, clearly hoping it would burn for a long time. so the likelihood of him extending his contract is looking slim.
valtteri bottas. 34 years old. currently a driver for stake f1 (alpha romeo, kick sauber, whatever you wanna call it). previously, he was a mercedes driver and notoriously helped lewis hamilton win a great many championships, until he lost his seat to george russell in 2022. there was a rather awkward part of the 2021 season where valtteri knew that he was out of a merc seat the following year and kind of just chose violence. he slayed. then he went to alpha romeo, grew a mullet and made a calendar of his ass. quite the glow up if you ask me. hes also very interested in cycling. honestly though, i have my own personal speculation that hes going to retire at the end of this year.
zhou guanyu. 24 years old. driver for stake f1 (alpha romeo/kick sauber, etc etc). hes doing alright. he just finished his second season, in his first season he was majorly out qualified by valtteri but this past season he managed to out qualify him a good 6 times. which is decently good for the tractor of a car hes driving. its possible that he could get a contract extension, but like logan, its probably going to depend on how the 2024 season goes for him.
and thats all the drivers. theres also a few others i didnt talk about, like some other f2 drivers who want seats and mick schumacher, who is currently a merc reserve driver, all of which could be contenders for f1 seats. but one things for sure. this is going to be the silliest fucking silly season.
feel free to add on and peer review me
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ladykailitha · 17 days
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The Harrington Pattern Part 9
As you guys wanted, here's me doubling up on posting days. It will (hopefully) be twelve hours apart so that each chapter can get some love.
In this chapter we have a lot of flirting between Eddie and Steve. The Party being "meh" *shrugs shoulders* at Steve being bi. And Robin being the most soulmate a guy could ask for.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
MY TAG LIST FOR THIS STORY IS CLOSED!!!!
@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
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That night they were all gathered to watch the amateur theatrical society put on Much Ado About Nothing.
Even the ones who had been reluctant to join in were doubled over in laughter at the trick the Prince pulled on Beatrice and Benedict. The way they cried when Hero was accused of cheated on Claudio. And cheered when it was resolved happily ever after.
Mike complained about it all the way to the car. “We were forced to read this play in eighth grade and I hated it. I never knew it was funny.”
Eddie put his arm around his shoulder. “That is the unfortunate side effect of the education system. They suck the joy out of all of everything.”
“Normally I’m rolling my eyes at Eddie’s rants,” Robin said, “but I’m going to have to agree with him on this one. They just want sanitized versions of everything.”
Steve nodded. “Like what’s with the jump in American history when we stop in eighth grade at the Civil War and then all the way to WWII in eleventh grade, with only a brief mention of WWI as it related to WWII. Are they really trying to tell us that nothing happened in those eighty years of note? Like the fuck?”
Mike blinked at him. “Holy shit, I never even realized.”
The kids looked around at each other in shock.
“They push math and science,” Eddie continued, “but shit on everything else, except sports.”
He winced when realized what he had said. He looked over at Steve with an apology on his lips, but Steve was nodding.
“And they have to be the right sports, too,” Steve agreed. “Wrestling, swimming, soccer...anything outside the big three baseball, football, or basketball. Trust me, I got a lot of flack on being on the swim team. It was ‘gay’.”
“What?” Will squawked. “Why?”
Eddie licked his lips. “Little, teeny, tiny uniforms.” He emphasized the point holding his fingers not that far apart.
Dustin snorted. “Can’t be any worse than the basketball shorts.”
Steve looked upwards as he chewed on the bottom of his lip.
Dustin’s eyes bulged out of his head. “How much worse are we talking about here?”
“Speedo.”
Lucas frowned. “What the fuck is a Speedo?”
Eddie was practically vibrating in his skin. “Can I tell them, Stevie? Can I please?”
Steve let out a little sigh. The sigh the Party lovingly called his mom sigh. It was the sound he made when he knew no mater what he did it was going to end badly for him, so he just...let it happen.
He waved at Eddie to go ahead.
“Instead of swim trunks, that have a leg on them,” Eddie crowed, “Speedos are swim underpants. They cover the junk, the ass, and that’s it.”
“And you deliberately wore these things?” Max asked in interest. More interest than Lucas or any of the guys were comfortable with.
“I’m good at it,” Steve said, blush creeping up his ears and down his throat from the stain on his cheeks. “The uniform wasn’t as bad Eddie’s making it out to be.”
Gareth snorted. “Nope, they really are that bad. There was a period of time where–”
Eddie slammed his hand over Gareth’s mouth. “There’s no need to tell them about that, Gare.”
Steve looked over at Brian.
“Your senior year Eddie forced all of Hellfire to watch your meets.”
“Bri!” Eddie protested.
Steve looked over at Eddie and raised an eyebrow. “You like the...what was you it called it,” he said tapping his finger on his lips, “the ‘little, teeny, tiny’ uniform, Eds?”
Eddie threw his arms in the air. “I am but a gay man in a small town, so sue me!”
“I always preferred the lifeguard uniforms at the community pool,” Steve said. “Less wedgies.”
“Babe,” Eddie scoffed, “those shorts and tank left very little to the imagination. At least with the Speedo you knew what you were getting. With the lifeguard uniform it was all fantasy.”
Steve laughed. “I bet you were the kind who faked drowning to get CPR from their favorite lifeguard.”
“I can honestly say, I’ve never done that.”
“Yeah?” Steve asked all smiles. “Can you prove that?”
Eddie got up close to him and whispered, “Yeah, darlin’. I think I would have remembered you rescuing me before the Upside Down.” He winked at him and sauntered off. The rest of the band hastily said their goodbyes and hurried after their ride home.
Steve’s face was as red as his old life guard uniform. “Right. Let’s get home, yeah?”
Dustin eye’s narrowed at him for a moment. “Steve Harrington, are you crushing on my DM?”
The remaining eight looked at Dustin in shock.
“Dude!” Will hissed. “You can’t just ask that in public! What if someone overheard you?”
Dustin looked around and waved his hand around him. “There is literally no one here. I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t think it was a safe time to ask. But I’m going home with my mom as soon as she gets here and I will not be stymied.”
Steve ducked his head. “And if I did like boys, that would be okay with everyone?”
Everyone just looked around at each other and there was this collective shrug.
“Do you still like girls?” Max asked, genuinely curious.
Steve nodded shyly.
Lucas frowned. “You can like both?”
“Like David Bowie!” El said with her serene smile. “He likes both. Freddie Mercury from Queen, too.”
Steve snapped his fingers. “Exactly like that, El!”
Her smile grew.
“It’s okay if you like Eddie that way,” Mike said softly.
All the heads snapped to look at him.
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, okay. I have a lot to work on regarding the whole Lucas thing, but I’m not a complete ass.”
“Thank you,” El said and kissed his cheek. “You just have a lot growing up to do. We all do. We just need to give each other the chances to do so safely. Or at least that’s what Joyce keeps telling me.”
Steve gave her a hug. “Thanks, Supergirl.”
He looked out at all his friends. The people who were more his family then his own parents.
“I might have a small...” he raised his finger and thumb, “crush on a certain metalhead DM who recently joined the Party in March...”
Robin scoffed. “And by little he means huge!” She spread out her arms all the way out.
Dustin’s head snapped around to Steve. “If you two get together, he better treat you right. You deserve it.”
Steve blinked. Considering how Dustin had worded his original question, he had been sure that Dustin was going to him not to break Eddie’s heart.
He gave Dustin a hug and kissed the top of his head.
He really shouldn’t have doubted this kid.
Just then, Claudia pulled up in her station wagon and Dustin, El, Will and Mike all piled in after saying their goodbyes.
“He totally has the hots for you, by the way,” Max said dryly.
Steve blinked at her for a moment. “How do you know that? Does he spend all his days learning alt rock on his guitar or something for me?”
Max just blinked at him. “Huh. You aren’t as stupid as I thought.” And then she just started walking toward the car.
Steve scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “So to make sure I got this right, Max is saying Eddie has the hots for me because he’s been learning my favorite songs for me on his guitar?”
“That’s what it sounded like to me, man,” Lucas said with a half shrug.
“I’m with Lucas on this one,” Robin agreed. “So maybe you should do what I’ve been suggesting for the last three weeks and you know ASK HIM OUT!”
Lucas giggled.
“Shush you,” Steve admonished. “Get to the car.” He pointed at Robin. “You are spending the night with me to help plan out something cool.”
Robin saluted and Lucas just rolled his eyes and they all walked to the car to end another great night at the fair.
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“Let’s play to your strengths,” Robin said, sitting cross-legged on Steve’s bed.
“Sports, sewing, and history,” Steve said, ticking them off on his fingers. “Fat lot of good that’s going to do me. It’s not as though I can whip out something overnight as a token of my affection.”
She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t have to be something fancy. You could do something small. Like maybe use that fancy red thread you got at the weavers yesterday.”
He blushed. “I wouldn’t know where to start. Everything I know how to make is either winter stuff or something he’d never use.”
“He uses that handkerchief all the time,” Robin pointed out. “You could do something like that.”
Steve flopped dramatically on his back. “Not if he knew it was made from that fancy thread I got. He’d want to protect it.”
Robin had to give him that one. Because that would be an Eddie thing to do. And while the sentiment was sweet it would make Steve sad that he never used it.
Suddenly Steve sat up. “Oh!”
She blinked at him. “What’s ‘oh’?”
“He was telling me just last week,” he explained, “that the bag he used to hold all his dice for their game got a hole in it and it kept spilling the dice all over the inside of his backpack!”
Robin grinned. “Let’s pick out the best material to match that pretty thread.”
Steve nodded. “I just have to make a quick phone call to find out how big the bag should be and I can have this done in no time at all.”
He called Dustin and told him his idea. Dustin was ecstatic and told him everything he needed to know.
Robin and Steve then dug into his material stores and picked out a nice black felt and a satin red lining to make doubly sure Eddie wouldn’t lose the dice down the gaping maw that was his backpack.
He then showed Robin how to make patterns and cut them. Then he got to work.
Even with how easily Robin got bored, she watched the whole time with fascination. How he embroidered his pattern into what would be the front of the bag. How quickly and evenly Steve stitched the pieces of cloth together. He explained the process every step of the way and her eyes just lit up.
He turned the bag right side out and fitted it with silver draw string. He pulled it taut and held it up to Robin to see.
She reached out and gently took it from him. “That’s so cool. You do a bunch of these at work and send them to Katie as way to gauge reactions to your work, while you make bigger pieces.”
Steve licked his lips. “You really think these would sell?”
“And I think Eddie would be pleased as punch that he got the first official Harrington Pattern design.”
Steve took it back from her and smiled. “That would make it even more special, wouldn’t it?”
Robin grinned. “Yes, yes it would.”
He threw his arms around her. “You’re the best soulmate anyone could possibly ask for.”
She blushed but held him tight. “You too, Stevie.”
When Steve finally pulled back he tapped his finger on his lips. “Now what to make you.”
Robin squealed. “But you already made something awesome. The pirate costume was amazing, you don’t have to do more just because you made Eddie something.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Yes, but I just tailored the clothes. I didn’t make them. I want to make you something.”
She scoffed. “Like the only thing I need are gloves for marching band. Since I have to have hand-me-downs, they are either too tight or way too big.”
His eyes lit up. “I’ve never made gloves before. That would be fun and interesting to try.”
“How would you even measure something like that?” Robin asked, a small amount of hope creeping into her voice.
Steve grinned. “Do you remember those ugly ass hand turkeys they made us draw in elementary school?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Just. Like. That.”
Her eyes went wide. “Wait are you serious?”
Steve just grinned.
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Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
I'm not 100% sure my history experience in school is universal in the US, but in order to bridge the gap you actually had to an elective history class called Twentieth Century. Like it was straight up bullshit. And before you ask, you can bet your ass I took that class. It was taught by my favorite teacher. Of course I took that class.
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hattersarts · 8 months
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gomens s2 thoughts, all spoilers!
I spent 10 hours talking to my housemate about the season after we binged the whole thing in the morning but here are the highlights and the biggest takeaways from the season.
okay i did love the ending, i love that we get the conformation of love AND going into the divorce arc next season (if they're not properly together by the end of season 3 however, i am rioting) they're slow burn and a whole season of them getting to the final 10mins was tasty.
HOWEVER. it was an extremely clunky season when it comes to writing, lots of either set ups missed OR set ups repeated 4 times that they're drilled into out heads. there was also lots of dialogue that really needed to be tightened up. the lesbians were so poorly written i thought they might have needed to be cut BUT they just needed to have more bearing on the rest of the plot AND say things like real people would say things and LITERALLY SHOW ONE SINGLE REASON WHY THEY WOULD LIKE EACH OTHER WITHIN THE FIRST EPISODE.
gabe/bulz romance was the one that should have been cut, have them do more of a oh-my-god-my-boss-sucks kind of thing, lean into them complaining about having to avert a civil war after armageddon stopped and touch on the "structural problems" the angels mention later. Have gabe/bulz be super punished for working together which puts huge fear into az and crowley about what happens if you try to team up as an angel/demon pair (but an extra reason why az takes the job at the end so he and crowley can be the same)
imo it works more if the only mirror of their romance is the HUMANS which should lean into themes to season 3 of how they need to team up with humans (re:"us vs them" line at the end of season 1) to actually achieve their happy ending.
Nina and maggies best scene was their last one telling crowley he needed to talk to az but i think that was one that needed to be cut, it would have been far more satisfying to have crowely work out it out himself that he loves az and wants to tell him (still via maggie and nina but more subtle rather than them telling him to his face AND via spending more time with az in the season)
flashbacks were all pretty good, loved the jobe one and that final "lonely" scene. the nazi one needed some trimming the most (why did all three come back to earth, it made scenes too crowed, have them fight to be a zombie)
shax was disappointing, she was kind of just incompetent the whole way through which didnt make the stakes very exciting, (that whole scene of her talking to the legion was unfunny and pointless) i wanted crowley to mentor her more like when he gave her advice in the first few meetings we saw (kind of in a very non-demonic way, not expecting anything in return) and her to then meet him on equal footing in the finale. would have been a little accidental taste for Crowley to have his good deeds come back to haunt him while showing he's different to demons.
speaking of the finale fight, that halo had NO set up, it was sick as hell but ??? the fuck did that come from. the fight should have been won by az and crowley performing another HUGE miracle together, discorporating the demons (which then would alert heaven and hell something was up in the bookshop and the final scene can happen)
az taking the job from metatron was very good, its consistent with his character where he still hasn't let go of his faith in good/god, he's only been upset by the angels running heaven and still has faith in the system while crowley has realised none of it works and it's only them together that matters. it was nice to show he still hasn't truly accepted crowley for who he is now (tho imo he knows he loves him, he just hasn't quite unrepressed himself) and him not turning down the job after crowley confesses to him shows he still thinks he can fix it. Crowley on the other hand thinks he's now lost him, az has broken he the trust he had in him, he's going to be in big depression mode
few thoughts of good directions for S3:
finally delivering on what crowley said at the end of S1 I think is the most satisfying. the final showdown should be humans Vs heaven/hell with Crowley and az on the human side, helping them win the conflict. there would be suggestions that this is actually god's ineffable plan, this is a conflict she wants to happen and the things that Crowley and az went through are what make them perfect ambassadors to help the humans.
the set up for az in S3 to finally work out he and Crowley can't work out within the unfair rules of the system and for him to abandon heaven (tho not I think, becoming a demon) is good. a sucky ending imo for season 3 is if az somehow "fixes" heaven and via bureaucracy and not via blowing it all up.
growth moments for Crowley in S3 might be having more contact with humans since he's already abandoned hell and it would put az & crowley on similar footing (as az very much loves humans already) when they decided to side with humans for a humans Vs heaven/hell conflict.
anyway, gay people
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tanoraqui · 1 year
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key elements of Crownless (the Young Aragorn show that lives in my head and heart) season 1:
(Note that I will play a little fast and loose with timelines and for the sake of a better story. And/or take ruthless advantage of canonical slow Dúnedain aging to spread the timeline out over several decades)
First episode(s) is Aragorn (age 21, functionally late teens) leaving Rivendell to start wandering the wilds with the Rangers. I would do Elrond & his people dirty and say that Aragorn has been kinda sheltered growing up, a little because Elves tend to baby Men, especially young Men, and mostly because everyone wanted to be sure Isildur’s heir was safe as darkness grew in the world, especially after his father was killed when he was 2.
So Aragorn starts with significant book smarts, homely peace smarts—historical knowledge, animal friendship, herblore, diplomacy skills, technical sword/knife/bow skills…but he doesn’t know the dirty fighting tricks that win a fight. His tracking, hunting, forest stealth, etc. skills…suck at first. He’s prone to freeze in urgent healing (or combat) situations, because he’s never done this on his own before—though he has a natural talent for the ‘calling people back from death’ thing we see in LotR.
(This gives Aragorn obvious skills to pick up that demonstrate his character growth as a leader, while also establishing from the start that his real talent in kingship is, always was, diplomacy, strength of character & connection with his people, literal and metaphorical healing. Also, weirdass plans, often based on things he read, with success resting on luck/prayer/hope more than any reasonable thing…including a willingness to trust strange new and/or sketchy people…and they work.)
Maybe eps 1-2 is a double-length episode: opens with newly widowed Gilraen arriving in distress with a toddler 18 years ago, then first half is mostly restless late teen!Estel in Rivendell, ending with Elrond revealing his true name, broken sword, time to go forth… Smash cut to Aragorn tripping in the forest and falling in a stream while 2 other baby Rangers laugh at him and whoever’s stuck training these new recruits sighs heavily. There’s a lot of “this is the new Chieftain of the Dúnedain, Isildur’s heir?”
Format: 22ep 44min monster of the week (like GOD INTENDED) focused on the newest young Rangers: Aragorn, Halbarad, Dúnawen (OC: “maiden of the west”, don’t @ me for naming), as they range throughout Eriador learning how to be badasses guarding the boundaries of civilization. Monsters include orcs, wargs, mortal bandits, trolls, giant spiders, a small ice wyvern that made its way to northern Dale, barrow-wrights, unhoused fëa, rival clans of Men or maybe Dwarves who are about to go to blood feud war…
…and a slowly mounting season plot of the trouble of 3 Nazgúl reoccupying Dol Goldur, after the White Council forced the “Necromancer” out 15ish years ago. (Riling up ghosts throughout the countryside? Something something themes of moving on from the past. Also, can’t go wrong with an episode in which heroes must confront their literal personal ghosts.)
Repeat cameos from Elrohir & Elladan, cousins of all Mannish Dúnedain (and kind of older brothers to Aragorn in particular.) Are they helping him? Are they harder on him than on the other new recruits? Are they good cop/bad cop-ing it?
Arwen! Meet briefly ep1 and/or she’s a key feature of midseason finale; return in season finale to be badass. “Tinúviel! Tinúviel!” scene in Lothlórien casts a hiccup in a fledgling romance between Aragorn and Dúnawen
All combinations of Aragorn/Halbarad/Dunawen ARE welcome, nay, encouraged. They’re functionally in college and they’re all hot, and constantly in near-death situations. I advise the writers to have fun. Bisexuality is free.
Gandalf introduction early, ep2? Probably also in finale (something of a large team-up).
Late season bottle episode, maybe just before a 2-parter finale, in which due to a thunderstorm/mudslide/cave-in incident, Aragorn, Halbarad and Dunawen are trapped in a cave/small series of caves with a random assortment of other travelers on the road west of Bree: a pair of Dwarvish merchants, a few men, 1 elf (journeying to the Havens to Sail?), and 1 hobbit, Mr. Drogo Baggins of Hobbiton, who was making a perilous journey to Bree and back in order to fetch his beloved, very pregnant wife a particular kind of cheese she was craving. No loss of air threat, but they’re stuck. Obviously getting Drogo home is of utmost importance (and everyone else needs to get home safe, too). Tempers run high! Only once the Junior Rangers sort out their late-season interpersonal drama can Aragorn rise to the occasion and organize/mediate this microcosm of Middle Earth’s populace to dig their way out of this cave.
Aragorn is exceptionally good at facing down Nazgúl and their weaponized despair because he has—indeed, he is, by name!—hope. This show is about hope first and teamwork second, and looking badass in a beautiful landscape while Howard Shore music swells third.
[s2 in notes]
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theresattrpgforthat · 2 months
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hello! I've played the fallout ttrpg (the one they had to pull the rights from when it was pretty much done so they called it Exodus instead), I wish it didn't suck so bad! Is there any system I could borrow that would fit with Fallout's setting? I love the world in itself, but Exodus was rushed and published half-baked
THEME: Fallout
Hello friend, I have quite a few games for you to check out today! Some of them are direct homages, while others simply just have elements that might remind you of the video game.
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Rebels of the Outlaw Wastes, by Nerdy Pup Games.
Play misfit outlaws fighting against the authoritarian Powers That Be in a hyper-saturated, film-grained, retro dystopia. Save the future with the power of friendship, whoopass, and explosions! Features sticker-based character advancement, effortless cinematic vehicle action, and player-driven Ride-or-Die system usings d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, and d12s.
This game is a bit more colourful and punk-rock, and a little less morally grey than some of the more popular Fallout games. The designer cites some pretty colourful inspirations, such as FLCL and Six-String Samurai, but also concedes that you can make the tone fit that of Borderlands, Fallout, and Mad Max. It depends on how you build your world - what tech was there before? What kinds of weirdness persists? What beliefs have survived?
You’ll make skill rolls that can be boosted by gear or your personal style, with anything above a 4 granting you a success, with bonuses for rolling even higher at an 8 or a 12. Badges are the representations of character growth, tied to the skills that you choose to improve, somewhat like how concentrating on certain skills in Fallout gives you access to perks. If you want a stripped-down basic idea of the rules for this game, the designer has a Pay-what-you-want playtest that you can download for free, just to dip your toes in the water.
Earth: After Death, by Hammer City Games.
Boasting deep and crunchy mechanics reminiscent of the golden age of 90s TTRPGs, Earth, After Death focuses on OSR-style gaming, dungeon and hex crawling, fast-paced combat, high lethality, and a unique and fascinating setting to explore.
There’s plenty to do: kill mutants, explore ancient ruins, get lethal radiation poisoning, find a gun that has infinite ammunition, use psionic powers to blow up peoples heads, replace your legs with tank treads, and more!
This is a chunky, old-school style game that takes care to mention that your level-up system is just like the advancement system in Fallout games. You’ll be dealing with mutations, ghost machines, bartering for gear, and hex-crawling through dangerous wastelands. The character sheets point to a lot of moving pieces, so if you like wrangling together a character that does exactly what you want them to do, you’re going to have a lot to play with here. It looks like mutation is also a pretty big deal in this game, with over 100 different kinds advertised on the game’s store page.
Right now just the Wasteland’s Handbook is available to purchase, but the kickstarter for this game will be taking off later this year. If this sounds like your kind of game, then maybe hop over to the website to get in on the first full edition as it releases!
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, by Modiphius.
In 2077, the storm of nuclear war reduced most of the planet to cinders. From the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization will struggle to arise. A civilization you will shape. How will you re-shape the world? Will you join with a plucky band of survivors to fight off all-comers and carve out your own settlement? Will you team up with pre-existing factions like the Brotherhood of Steel or Super Mutants to enforce your own ideals on the Wasteland? Ghoul or robot, paladin or raider, it’s your choice - and the consequences are yours. Welcome to the Wasteland. Welcome to the world of Fallout.
Utilizing Modiphius’ celebrated 2d20 cinematic role-playing system, the Fallout RPG will take players on an exciting journey into the post-apocalypse! Create your own survivors, super mutants, ghouls, and even Mister Handy robots. Immerse yourselves in the iconic post-nuclear apocalyptic world of Fallout, while gamemasters guide their group through unique stories and encounters. The 2d20 edition of Fallout is as close to the bottlecap bartering, wasteland wandering, Brotherhood battling excitement as you can get.
Modiphius gets the license to make a lot of games for different properties, so a Fallout game fits in alongside other big titles like Dune, John Carter of Mars, and Alien. This company uses their own 2d20 system, with a focus on inventory and Perks in an effort to make the game recognizable to any typical Fallout fan.
That being said, the game has come under fire for being poorly edited and inconsistent when it comes to finding the right rule. The company updated the game last year and released a Settler’s Guide book, so this might be something that’s a bit more read-able now. But if you want something set directly in the Fallout universe, this is your game.
WASTELAND, by MaelikGames.
WASTELAND is a simple tabletop RPG about adventurers in the world that has only recently became hospitable after a War that might not end all wars, but almost ended the world. You and your friends decide whether this world is bleak and hopeless, like the one in Metro, or somewhat whimsical, as in Fallout. 
Much of the inspiration from Fallout appears in the character options of this game. Arkanites are homages to Vault-Dwellers, Radkin are inspired by Ghouls, and robots are, well, robots. The talents also look like they are directly inspired by Fallout perks, such as Animal Friend, which allows you to turn hostile animals into allies. Gear and inventory are both very important in this game, which is something that I never find surprising in post-apocalyptic games, since having to track inventory feels like a pretty important thing in a game about scarcity. Your skills are also based on a percentage of success, because you’re rolling a d100, with the goal of rolling under your target number. If you’re looking for a game that can mechanically reflect much of what’s available in the Fallout video games, this might be for you!
Dystopia Rising: Evolution, by Onyx Path.
No one knows how long it’s been since the world was blasted with nuclear radiation and became infested with the undead. The survivors of the Fall were the first strain of deviation of the human condition and were able to make it through the rapidly spreading epidemic. Finding a community of decent size in this world is rare; finding one that has any concept of equality or morality is rarer still.
Oh, and people have the unnerving ability to come back from the dead, regrown from the very virus that destroyed the world.
This is a completely different world from Fallout and yet I think it might still be worth talking about in this rec post. Dystopia Rising has a rich, detailed world, with various factions and faiths, and your characters are differentiated by the Strains that have helped them survive. There are plenty of conflicting beliefs that can be the seeds for unlimited conflict, including various faiths in things like evolution or the preservation of humanity, strains that give you psychic powers, and a universal ability to come back to the dead so many times before you’re turned into a mindless zombie.
There’s plenty of opportunity to fight things hand-to-hand, but there’s just as many possibilities to politic your way out of tough scenarios, which is a hallmark of Fallout New Vegas. Not only that, there's no clear "good guys": this is a complicated world with complicated people. If you want a game that carries a lot of similar themes of Fallout but puts you in a new setting, maybe check out this game.
Games I’ve Recommended in the Past
Extinction Punk, by Extinction Punk.
Wastoid, by Jason Tocci.
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magical-oppas · 4 months
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Now that the season is over, here are my predictions as to what will make it into Drive to Survive.
!Disclaimer! DTS was my entry into this sport. I think the show is great in its own way and an excellent way to reach new fans, this is mostly just for fun. (If you can't make fun of the things you love I'm the wrong person to have on your dash)
Here is my list in no particular order
HAAS: They love a HAAS focused episode, partly because it brings Steiner into the picture. I personally never got why people like him but if it works it works I guess. Expect many "Suck my balls" jokes. Otherwise we are scheduled for our regular viewing of HAAS being absolutely washed on track with Guenther calling Gene every five minutes.
Qatar: Things they WONT cover about Qatar; the drivers collapsing and passing out from heat exhaustion, the tracklimits and tyre fiasco. Things they WILL cover about Qatar; the mercs crashing into eachother on lap 1 (with THAT clip of Lewis playing like 50 times), Oscar winning the sprint. I imagine them spinning it in a way that makes the sprint a huge deal (cue clip of Will Buxton talking about how essential the sprint is for F1 as a sport and almost more important than the grand prix itself). This brings me to my next point
Civil wars: We have the real civil wars and the fake ones. I imagine them using the Qatar gp to make up a war between Oscar and Lando, framing it as Oscar as a rookie getting a win before Lando. Not sure who they are gonna make the villain here, probably Lando. They could also fabricate one at Ferrari given how this car suits Carlos more than Charles, will probably blow Monza out of proportion. Merc civil war might get a whole episode(be honest, we all know that one is a competitive car away from blowing up). The french civil war is the one I'm looking forward to the most because BOY do those two like to play it dirty. I'm frothing at the mouth already to see the backhanded compliments, the jabs, the shady comments they have probably been giving in the dts interviews. Speaking of Alpine
Alpine vs Mclaren(Oscar): This is a must because they made that whole thing last season. Episode will start out with a really smug Alpine team but we will get to witness the horrible car crash of a season they are having with the amazing dts editing. Can't wait to see the Silverstone part where they show the double DNF side by side with the Mclarens celebrating a p2 p4.
Singapore: The only non Redbull winner so I will be surprised if they don't feature it. They also love a dramatic crash and Lance's one in Singapore qualy is probably the most intense one we had this season. Will probably also use the onboard footage from Lando to show the tyre skirting by him to really amp it up.
Red bull: Will it be about their amazing achievements as a team this year? No. Will it be about Max and his fantastic race craft and the way he hasn't put a single foot wrong? No. It will be about Checo and his struggles. Will also have interviews of Christian defending him that become fewer and fewer the longer into the season we go. The win streak and the domination will be mentioned only in contrast to Checo. I also have a theory that red bull might drop checo and if they do I promise you the reveal in the show will go exactly like this:
Christian: We have given him time and patience, but at some point we need to start looking elsewhere, Mclaren have an amazing pairing, Mercedes have an amazing pairing even Ferrari have really started to get into their groove. He really left us no choice.
*Dramatic music, cut to black*
"Hi I'm Daniel Ricciardo and I'm a driver for Red Bull racing. Fuck, that felt so good to say *big Daniel smile.*"
Las Vegas: Will be shown as the most epic race this season with all drivers hyping it up (Might be able to include Max in that one with enough editing). What they WONT cover: all of the thursday/free practice shenanigans. What they WILL cover: The fact that the race was a banger.
Alpha Tauri: They have the perfect angle for this set up already. Nyck was talking himself up big time last season so they are just gonna overlay that with Nyck having a mare on track. They're gonna make whole "I'm back bitches" thing with Daniel. Then they're gonna make his accident real tragic (they could also make it into a Thing that it was Oscar that Daniel tried to avoid when putting it in the wall). Not really sure what they're gonna make out of Liams short stint.
Ferrari vs Mercedes fight for p2 is gonna be HELLA dramatic. They are going to drag out that race and insert radio messages where they don't belong. I also think they are gonna make it look like Carlos was closer to Lewis in the race than what he actually was.
As I said, these are just my speculations. based on the way the show has been and are mostly just for fun.
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tEaM cAp BaD, tOnY gOoD
The fact that takes like this are still being spewed 7 years after Civil War maddens me.
OMG where do I even start... You know, maybe this is the result of the MCU not knowing where they stand in regards to heroism. In the past we used to watch superhero movies that were very clear on defending the heroes and keeping the villains accountable, but for some reason the MCU seems to enjoy questioning their heroes and framing them in a negative light while justifying the bad guys - so I'm not surprised to read these takes.
OP says "Hydra didn't hide themselves after the reveal". Uh, yes, they did, actually. And with good reason. If you have been infiltrating an American intelligence agency for decades and you're finally outed, why exactly would anyone go out there and happily advertise they're Hydra? That... makes no sense.
I honestly have no interest in talking about "Did Wanda and Pietro know or not?". I'll just leave this here.
In the same comment OP shows his anger at Wanda for not facing any consequences for her actions, he defends Stark "not selling more weapons" as enough accountability for his. So he can spend his whole life willfully ignorant of where his wealth is coming from, he only decides to stop selling when those weapons kill Americans (he didn't give a fuck if they hurt other people), he can literally tell the government to suck it when they request his tech (which I'm okay with, but damn, nice display of hypocrisy right there when these stans claim the heroes are awful for not signing the Accords in CW)... and all this shit is enough for Stark to be off the hook?
They want Wanda, sometimes even Steve, to be jailed and punished but when it comes to Stark, if he pouts for a while they call it a day and that's enough accountability for him 🤦‍♀️
OP's line about Edith is even worse: "Edith is designed as a planetary defense system." I always think of Zola's line in TWS whenever I read a take like that one: "HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security."
More control doesn't equate more safety, it tends to cause the opposite thing, actually. But of course NWH never addressed the morality of this device so many fans think its existence okay. If they had handled it like Nolan did their ideas would be different. Edith is another Project Insight and Stark was still defending this "control is safety" years after CW 👇
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That's Hydra rhetoric. I couldn't care less if it's a so-called "hero" saying it, that line could be said by Zola or Red Skull or Rumlow, that's how messed up it is. But all of a sudden it's Stark saying it and that makes it okay?
OP: "Steve Rogers [...] solves problems by punching things [...] He has no fucking idea how to handle a situation involving a bioweapon or a terrorist." Tell me you don't understand Steve's character without telling me you don't understand him. This stan is one of those who thinks Steve is just a buff guy with no brains who can only punch his way out of things, which is hilarious because he has been shown to be the exact opposite of that.
A guy who figured out how to take that flag from Camp Lehigh, who could easily tell he was being deceived after being defrosted when that Shield woman approached him in the med bay, who figured out Loki's sceptre worked like a Hydra weapon (linking the space and mind stones & how they worked), who knows military regulations well enough to know where a building is built in the wrong place, who can figure out he's going to be attacked in an elevator after only a few seconds...
Sure, he only knows how to punch things 🙄
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theconstantsidekick · 11 months
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Captain America: Civil War ft. Static (6) | s.r
Pairings: Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader, Tony Stark x Stark!Reader (siblings), Bucky Barnes x Stark!Reader (future)
Genre: Angsty city babyy!
Summary: Steve and Y/n try to hash out their different stances on the Accord, in a small car, with Sam and Bucky right there in the backseat. It goes as well as you would expect.
(These scenes incorporate y/n, codename—Static, into the pre-existing story as a character without making drastic changes to the plot or mythos. All the major plot points from the MCU remain in place with the addition of the reader as Static, who is not only a Stark but also enhanced. Whatever events from the canon aren’t mentioned, take place without much change.)
Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Past Trauma, Mentions of Traumatic Political Events (Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, The Chernobyl Disaster), Mentions of Gory Deaths, Mentions of Violence Against Animals.
a/n: this was gonna be a lighthearted chapter to act as an interlude from all the angst... that is not what it ended up becoming. If anyone wants to correct me on something, hit me up. If I have said something cruel or hurtful, let's talk it out. I assure you that was never my intension.
Captain America: Civil War ft. Static (5) | Captain America: Civil War ft. Static (7) | Series Masterlist | Age of Ultron (Static Origin Story) | The Avengers (ft. Static) | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (ft. Static) | Static Verse Masterlist
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“You can ask,” she says calmly.
The sound of the old yet sturdy Volkswagen hums calmly in the background. It’s not harmonious or anything but it does provide a sense of comfort, he thinks.
And you best believe he does need a whole lotta comforting right about now. 
“Ask what?” Steve asks, playing dumb and failing at it.
“Whatever it is that you want to,” she answers simply. She’s looking out the window of the passenger seat. Steve can’t see her face to be able to read it… Well, that’s not completely fair. Even if he could see her face, he’s almost certain he wouldn’t be able to read it. 
Ever since Ultron, ever since she opened up about her past, he’s noticed her change. She’s different now… or maybe, he thinks, maybe she’s more herself than she has ever been before. This isn’t to say Steve was great at reading her before but she seemed easier to grasp, closer in a way. That’s not all, though. He always knew she was a competent fighter, but now he’s entranced by her every move. It’s a dance. He used to be awed by her skill before, the motions were quick and effective but now? Now watching her fight, he can see the fluidity and ease. No one on the team has that. No one Steve has ever fought has that. There is a sense of comfort in the way she handles herself in battle. The movements are precise and practiced, like she’s done it countless times before… she probably has. 
All this sucks for Steve because ever since Tony suggested the accords be signed, every single conversation with her feels like a battle. And he’s not ashamed to admit it, the woman he loves is a better fighter than him. 
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“Just ask what you wanna ask, Steven,” she cuts him off swiftly.
See? 
Better than he’s gonna get any time soon.
Sighing he asks, “Why are you here? With us I mean? I thought you didn’t agree with us.”
“Common man! Don’t drag us into this!” Sam protests from the back seat. “We’re very happy to have you here,” he adds politely while looking at Y/n. “The Frosty Fighter agrees, doesn’t he?” He looks over to Bucky next to him, urging him to agree. When there is no response, Sam elbows him in the chest.
“Ouch!” Bucky exclaims. “What?”
“We’re glad Y/n is with us, aren’t we?” Sam prompts.
In the rearview mirror, Steve can see Bucky sit up awkwardly, every move a sign of his discomfort over the situation.
But Sam’s insistence is inescapable, so softly he replies. “Yes.”
And somehow that makes Y/n chuckle.
Huh, he thinks.
“Fine,” Steve concedes. “Why are you here? With me?” He asks again.
“Because you can’t handle Sergeant Barnes alone,” she replies.
Uhh, what?
“I was able to contain him back at the headquarters.” Steve might not have had as many hours on the field as her but he’s not incapable of taking care of his friend!
She, to his surprise, chuckles again. “It wasn’t a comment on your capabilities, handsome… You just have a habit of letting your emotions take charge when it comes to the Frosty Fighter.”
“And you don’t?” Steve challenges abrasively.
She finally takes her eyes off the passing scenery outside the window to look at him with what he, with his poor reading skills, determines to be controlled rage. His challenge is met with a daunting stare. 
“I do too,” she answers. “That’s why you’re here.” She looks away again.
Okay, maybe he needs to reassess his approach. He adjusts uncomfortably in the driver’s seat, bracing himself to come at the situation from a different angle; a more tactical one.
Before he can though—
“But you don’t think Tony’s right either?” Sam asks. 
“Nope,” she replies.
Bucky beats Steve to the punch, asking, “Then who is?”
“Me.”
“We should all just give up?” Steve questions, incredulous. “Stand by and watch while people need our help? When we can do good?”
“No…I suggest you look away, Steven. Take a vacation maybe, somewhere warm—considering your history and all,” her replies are so painfully nonchalant, it puts Steve on edge.
“Damn it Y/n, I’m being serious!” He explodes.
“So am I.” Her seeming lack of interest in the conversation irks him unfathomably. “Didn’t you hear what Vision said?”
“You believe we’re the reason behind all this?” Steve’s beyond incredulous at this point.
“I believe in escalation,” she counters. “If there is someone out there who wants revenge, who wants to stop us—like this psycho fake doctor we’re currently dealing with—they can’t just use the usual methods.” She turns to him then, “You have to understand putting down any of us isn’t easy. If someone wants to stop you, it’s not gonna be as easy as a knife to your gut. You’re a superhuman, my guy. Tony is packing a fucking arsenal on his chest. And Wanda??? Do you even know the extent of what she can do with her powers?”
“No, but—”
She cuts him off, “Neither do I, but from what little I understand, she’s as close to unstoppable as it gets. Same for Vision. And that’s to say nothing of Hulk or Thor! I mean he’s a God, can he even DIE??” She sounds almost as if she’s about to explode.
But at some level, he does understand where she’s coming from. The Avengers are dangerous… but only to their enemies.
Exhaling loudly, he tries to gather his patience to respond with some sense of consideration. “So what? We just give up because someone out there is waiting to be instigated? Have you thought that maybe that is inevitable? If there are people like us, itching to become heroes, the inverse must be true as well. There have to be people out there ready to exploit the system through whatever means necessary. Correlation does not equal causation. Not always.” He looks at her then, “If we all take a collective vacation and stop helping people is there a guarantee that the violence dies down?”
“I am not saying we quit helping. I am not inclined to think in extremes like you or my brother,” she answers, her voice calm once again. “I just think we should pick and choose our battles.”
“That is all the more reason for us to oppose the Accords—”
She cuts him off again, “Yes, yes. That’s why I didn’t sign them!” Her head falls back, she closes her eyes and adds, “But when I say we pick and choose I mean threats that cannot be handled by humans… I mean that the Avengers should stop shoving their noses in political matters—human matters. If another giant hole opens up in the sky, I’ll come running, till then? Avengers are better off taking a vacation.” She looks out the window again. “Maybe Tahiti? I’ve heard it’s a magical place.”
“How is that fair? Why should people who are suffering because of their governments or insurgents, or terrorists be excluded? Why don’t they deserve our protection?” Steve challenges.
“You’re oversimplifying again,” she says calmly. “It’s not about them, it’s about us.”
“How?” Sam asks. Belatedly he realizes, for a minute there Steve completely forgot Sam and Bucky were in the car with them. 
“The Avengers, as a team, predominantly comprises of American citizens… And even the ones who aren’t Americans are led by a man who wears star-spangled tights and goes by the name Captain America. Do you seriously not see the issue in that?” She looks back at him.
“You think our actions reflect on our country?” He questions.
“You don’t?” She throws back. “You seriously don’t see how us, flying around different nations, doing whatever we want without giving a shit about their laws and their needs isn’t going to seem like an act of showcasing dominance by a nation that is a global superpower?” 
“I’m not blind to the implications, Y/n. I understand what it looks like at a cursory glance. But there’s a lot more to it. We are not just agents of our country; we surpassed that title a long time ago. We are so much more than that. Countless humanitarian missions, assisting during natural calamities, providing aid to refugees, all of that cannot simply be overlooked in favor of what it says on our passports. As a team, the Avengers are a symbol of hope,” Steve argues.
“You cannot be that naive, man. You wear the American flag like a costume, you don’t think the other countries might see your actions in their land as interference from a foreign nation? You think they care about the semantics? You think any common person would?” 
“I’ll ditch the uniform.”
“Sure, Captain America”
“I’ll ditch the name too.”
“Are you acting dense to piss me off, or did the Frosty Fighter get a good hit in there somewhere?”
He rolls his eyes. “I want to help people. I don’t need a title or a suit to do it. I just want the freedom to help the ones in need.”
“That sounds sweet and all, but it’s as ignorant as it gets.” 
“You’re confusing ambition with ignorance.”
“You think if you change your name, and pick a new outfit, it will stop? You think that’s all it’ll take? You’re a fucking weapon, Steve. We’re all weapons. That’s the cold hard cocksucking truth. People might see us as heroes but at the end of the day, they all know that is what the fuck we are. I am not saying that’s a bad thing… or a good thing either. I am just saying that when other nations see you, going around, breaking bones with a light punch, they will also want one of you, all for themselves. You’re Mattel’s best selling Barbie, Stevie boy; everyone wants one for themselves to dress up, play house with and command armies with. There will always be a dumb fucker out there trying to recreate whatever the fuck you are.”
“It’s not my fault you are the way you are, Y/n,” he bites back, just as fierce as her. “You’re an alien, you could’ve been set off sooner or later even if Hydra hadn’t gotten around to it.”
He can hear her jaw clench. “Yeah, maybe,” she says dismissively. It’s an act, a defense, he knows it. It’s gonna be followed by a punch in the gut, an offense. “But can you say the same thing about Frosty Fighter back there?”
The car screeches to a halt on the empty backroad they’d been sailing through. Steve can smell the burnt rubber on the road, but it’s hard to care about it right now.
Slamming the door upon exiting, Steve walks over to the sidewalk. Pacing a little, he waits for her to follow suit.
The moment she does, “You know Y/n, sometimes you say shit to be right, to win an argument without weighing the consequences of your words.” His words are fuming, just like him.
“Is that a threat?” She asks, almost jovially.
His steps halt with his back to her. “You’re crossing a line, Y/f/n.”
Despite all his claims of not being able to read her, in this moment, he knows exactly how she’s reacting despite not looking at her. While his eyes are set on the patch of sparse greens, he can almost feel her provocation leaving her body.
“You’re right,” she relents. “I’m sorry.” He knows she means it. “I went too far with the last two, I shouldn’t have,” she says calmly, so he turns to look at her. She kicks the ground, looking surprisingly similar to a kid caught with an orange tongue when explicitly told no more juice pops. “It’s frustrating. I never thought there would come a day where Tony would ask me to sign away my freedom.”
“I think,” he looks up at the sky, “I think he’s just trying to make amends somehow. It’s not the best way to go about it but he’s trying. I can’t blame him.”
“I can,” she counters. “He knows what it would mean for me. He’s still proposing it. I blame him completely.”
“And yet, you keep insisting you’re not on our—” 
She promptly cuts him off, “Before you start your shitty little spiel about how that is why I should stand with you, I’d like to let you know, you are only doubling my said frustration. It is beyond me how you cannot see how much damage the Avengers have caused—are capable of causing still!”
Hands on his hip, her frustration mirrored on his face, he says, “Why did you even join the team if you think so?”
“Because of Tony.”
“That’s all? That’s all it ever was? You never, not even for a second, believed in us? In what we do?” He’s desperate right now.
She shrugs. “I know we are capable of good, Steve. I am not saying we aren’t. But you cannot overlook the impact. The Superhero game is a hair’s breadth away from privatization and if that happens, we are all doomed.”
Exhaling loudly, his head falls.
The sun’s too bright, he thinks. 
“I don’t think heroes, real heroes can be bought off,” he counters. “If there even came a point where there could be heroes for hire, they wouldn’t be heroes, not really. They’d be—” he can’t think of a word.
“Soldiers?” 
Somehow, the challenge in her eyes is brighter still.
Before either of them can say anything to that, Sam gets out of the car and comes to stand in front of them. “Did you guys forget we’re wanted fugitives? Or having this couple’s tiff in broad daylight is just like a death wish I wasn’t told about?”
Couple’s tiff?
“This is not a couple’s tiff.” He runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “This is a discussion about Y/n’s fundamental lack of faith in us as heroes,” he accuses. 
“No,” she counters. “First of all,” she looks at Sam, “This is a blind spot, Steve might be naive but he’s not an idiot. And second of all,” turning to him she adds, “this is not a discussion, this is an intervention for Steve, the jerkface who supports capitalism.”
“What?!” Steve’ completely lost by this point.
With carefree steps, Y/n walks over to a boulder and sets herself atop it. Slowly then, she begins to stretch. “Do you know about the Nuclear-Proliferation Treaty?”
Completely confounded by the change of topic, all Steve can do right now is respond, “Yes. Signed on 1st July 1968, the treaty was negotiated to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” 
She nods in acknowledgement. “Do you know why it was signed?”
“I just told you why.” It’s been a long, long day and it’s barely the afternoon. So yeah, Steve relaxes, leans back on the car. He lets his body fall loose. He isn’t entirely relaxed, not really. He’s just a little too tired to keep his guard up in front of his friends and his girlfriend, despite knowing for sure whatever comes next will be just as hurtful as any enemy attack . 
“No, you told me what the treaty’s function was supposed to be… or tried to be. I’m asking you why it was signed. Do you know why?”
“I’m guessing you’ll tell me.”
And that, out of all the things, makes her chuckle, “Fear.” Their eyes meet. “When The Manhattan Project started, it scared the shit out of every nation that was aware of its existence. Then on 6 and 9 August 1945, when the 509th Composite Group of the United States Army Air Forces dropped those newly minted bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, everyone and their mothers collectively shat their pants. Which, I mean, can you really blame them?”
“What’s your point?” Sam chimes in.
She looks up at the sky. “The point, Samuel, is that any weapon that strong will instill so much fear in the hearts of men, that it will either result in an all-out relinquishment of the weapon or—”
“Everyone’s gonna want a weapon of their own,” Sam surmises.
Sam receives a wink and finger guns for his correct answer
Then she looks at Steve. “Those bombs were so fucking scary that the only defense these fucked in the head politicians could come up with was creating one of their own. Which obviously led to multiple countries testing and developing a nuclear arsenal of their personal collection. It got bad enough that they needed to come together and be like, ‘Yeah ok. We fucked up. These are way too many weapons and if they get in the wrong hands we’ll end up never needing a sequel for Planet of the Apes cause we’ll be living it.’” She sits up straighter. “We’re just like these weapons, Steve; that’s what I mean when I say we’re nuclear. We’re incomprehensibly powerful weapons and the accords are like a (not so) pre-emptive NPT.” Shaking her head she adds, “Now, I’m not trying to negate or diminish Japan’s war crimes from that period. I never will. It was a war. There were crimes. Not much logic to it than that. All’s I’m saying is that the justification for the use of such weapons, of us will always be shaky and terrifying.”
His jaw clenches.
He understands. He isn’t so naive that he cannot see where she’s going with all this but, if he doesn’t believe that people like Sam, Natasha, Tony—if people like them weren’t going to fight for they believed in, if they didn’t fight for people who can’t fight for themselves the world would be a much worse place for it. The Avengers are capable of a lot of bad but he knows they are capable of a lot more good. They haven’t been able to save everyone but they have always given their all, on every single mission. They have always been ready to lay down their lives for what they believed in, and that kind of faith cannot be bad. That kind of pure devotion cannot be evil.
He knows it.
“Just because you are not capable of seeing the potential we have to do good, doesn’t make us weapons. Just because you don’t believe in us, doesn’t mean we’ll forsake our promise to help people, Y/n.” He stands up straight. “We aren’t that easily swayed.”
She nods halfheartedly. “You know about Chernobyl?”
“Another history lesson?” Sam chides. 
She smiles again. “Something like that.” She looks at him, “Do you?”
He nods. “Yea, I read up on it.”
“I was there,” she says easily, as if she’s talking about some concert she attended back in the day.
“You were at Chernobyl?” Bucky’s question comes as a surprise to both Sam and him who were otherwise too focused on Y/n. However, she seems to have been expecting it almost. Walking over, Bucky comes to stand right opposite her, an arm’s length away from him.
She shrugs just as easily and says, “Howard, Peggy and I thought it would be wise. Someone with…my ‘set of skills’ was ideal to assess the damage, understand the situation, and help if necessary. It wasn’t a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission or anything, we were just worried. If it had been a mission, there would’ve been motives, and we didn’t want that to be the case for a situation that sensitive.” She pauses for a second. Despite the heavy subject matter, there is a hint of a smile on her face. She’s reminiscing, Steve realizes. It makes his stomach churn. “But yeah, I was there. I saw all of it. I saw the people that were affected, the children that were born, the first responders who were brought into the hospitals for radiation poisoning because the officials didn’t have the guts or common sense to admit to their fuck up.” Closing her eyes, she sighs. She is done reminiscing. “They were rotting away. Not slowly, not graciously; they were rotting away from the inside out in the most painful way imaginable. It was the most gruesome thing I had ever seen, and it wasn’t even an act of war. It was a mistake, an error, something that was overlooked due to lack of resources.”
The moment is too heavy for anyone except her to be able to break it.
“Did you read about the units sent out for clean ups, to minimize damage?” She asked.
“The units to clean up the spill—”
She shakes her head. “There were units sent out to the neighboring areas around Pripyat. These were soldiers who were ordered to exterminate any and all living accelerants.”
“Living accelerants?” Steve asks.
“Their job was to hunt down all the wildlife in the area. Whether it was farm animals, stray cats or pet dogs; they were all collected and… put down,” Bucky is the one who answers, surprising the group.
“Ten points to Frosty Fighter,” Y/n comments, still seeming a little astounded. “It was nowhere close to being the worst tragedy to come out of the incident, but it was the most unassuming one. They were in the blast radius and were suffering from radiation poisoning as well, but it’s not like they could do anything about it.” Sighing once again, she pauses for a second, before continuing, “The impact the Avengers tend to have is similarly severe, it too leads to completely unassuming tragedies.”
“I don’t think that’s fair,” Sam speaks up. “Chernobyl was built in secret, hidden away from the U.S. as well as their neighboring nations which is why their Government refused to ask for aid. If they had been open about it, countless lives could have been saved but they were too busy trying to save their own asses.” He crosses his arms and levels her with a look, “Whatever we do, we do it to save people. We do it to make things a little easier, more manageable. It’s not the same”
“No, it isn’t,” she admits. She seems… he doesn’t even have a word for it—worn down? That’s the closest Steve can get to describing her right now. “But the reactor blew up because of negligence… human error. The devastation was a result of hubris… we know a little something about that, don’t we?”
“We made one mistake,” Steve contends. “I am not trying to diminish it, but we slipped up once. And we rectified it immediately. Shouldn’t we at least be given a second chance?”
“Why?” She argues. “And honestly, that one mistake was more than enough. The repercussions of that one mistake will be felt for decades.” Exhaling audibly, she shakes her head. “Look, we live in a carefully crafted system. Human society as a whole is a result of ages and ages and ages of strife and discord and compromise. It’s a delicate structure, disrupting which doesn’t take a lot. The mistake we made… It sure was disruptive, seeing as multiple nations came together to impose the Accords onto us.”
He feels a distant desperation now, to prove to her that he’s right. “We cannot overlook the destruction we caused. We have to be held accountable for it, of course. But we have done a lot to protect this society as well; we fought off Loki and his aliens, we are still dismantling HYDRA but bringing their existence to the light wasn’t exactly a small task. We are capable of helping this system flourish,” he tries. “We just need another chance.”
“Despite our extraordinary powers, at our core, we are just human…ish. We are more than capable of repeating our same mistakes,” she says easily, calmly, almost as if she knows there is very little point to this debate. Why is she fighting me then?
“But we are also capable of learning from them,” he states with full faith. “This can be an opportunity for us to step back, reassess, and get better.”
And that somehow seems to be the last straw. 
“Listen to me, okay?” She’s instantly on her feet. Her tone has changed all of a sudden, to something more urgent, more earnest. “The system that we currently have isn’t the best… There are flaws in it, fundamental ones, but it works. It works well enough that we’re not inciting a nuclear war. It’s functional, not perfect but functional; and people had to fight for it to become what it is today. It took countless revolutions, inventions, wars, civil disobedience movements and about a million protests to get where we are right now… And people did that. They did it all by their lonesome, without any help from us. What I’m trying to say, what none of you seem to want to listen is that people will always, always keep fighting for what they believe in. They will succeed in making things better.” She’s vibrating with sheer confidence. “Utopia might not be achieved by next week, but people will keep at it till the day they do… Isn’t that enough?”
Now what you have to understand about Steve is that even though he is technically a hundred years old, he hasn’t lived for a hundred years. Everyone knows that but not a lot of people understand it. He hasn’t lived through every decade leading to this one. He was stuck on ice. When he went in, the world functioned a lot differently than when he came out. And that is where he and Y/n are complete opposites. 
While she is, for all intents and purposes, younger than him, she has lived a lot longer than him. It makes him feel a sense of disconnect to her… maybe he always will.
“It feels fairly insincere for us to have the power to help them speed up the process but choose instead to sit back and watch, don’t you think?”
“No! No, I don’t think so.”
Steve’s at the end of his rope. “Come on, Y/n! Do you have so little faith in us that you cannot even imagine that we might be able to make the world a better place? Do you believe in us at all?”
She chuckles then. It’s followed by a pause. Her hands are on her hips while she looks down at the ground. “You know about a week after the reactor blew up at Chernobyl, they realized that the nuclear material was melting through the concrete and was about to make contact with a pool of water underneath. The water was supposed to act as coolant but in this case would cause a fucking radiation-contaminated steam explosion upon contact. So what’s the plan, right? How to stop it? They needed people to dive into 20 million liters of poison water and turn a couple valves to drain it.” She looks at the three men then. “And before I could even think of breaking my cover to volunteer, three men—three normal, everyday men stepped up.” She’s smiling. She looks… proud? “Funny thing is, these were men who knew exactly what could happen to them. Of the danger this mission posed to them. Going in there was like inviting Death over for dinner and they did it without a single ounce of hesitance. They weren’t superhuman or of alien origin, trust me. I checked. They were just… people. Normal people who knew what needed to be done and decided to do it.” She clicks her tongue. “It’s not that I don’t believe in us, Steve. I do. I just believe a lot more in them.”
The words hang in the air. They stay there with nothing but the sound of the cars whizzing past them on the road.
Their silence is only broken when Steve's phone chimes.
Pulling it out of his pocket, he looks down at it. “It’s Sharon. She gave us a location, it’s 15 minutes from here.”
“We should head out,” Sam suggests.
“Yeah. Yeah, we should do that,” Y/n agrees, already getting back in the car. But before she can—
“You know, Steve’s just like them, right?” Bucky speaks up from where he stands behind her.
“What?” She asks, a little lost.
He meets her eye to eye. It’s the first time he’s had the courage to do so. “The scrawny little kid from Brooklyn—he’s just like the people you say you believe in so much.”
She nods. “He was… And most of his fundamentals still are… But power changes you. It changes where you stand. He has a good amount of it now,” she looks over at Steve, “unlike the kid from Brooklyn.” Her eyes fly back over to Bucky before she adds, “I believe in him more than he believes in himself, I just don’t think he understands the fact that his stance has to change with him.” Pointing back at Sam, “Now that one’s a whole different story. If he were the one opposing me, I would’ve lost by now.” With that she gets in the car.
Read the next part here. Find the series masterlist here. Find other Static Verse works here.
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the-path-to-redemption · 11 months
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Why the Faunus storyline sucks ass: the personal/character level analysis
This is just my opinion, but to put in perspective how absolutely dogshit RWBY’s Faunus narrative truly is, I’m just gonna rant for a while and compare the storyline to another narrative that I think handled the topic of systematic racism and the cycle of violence due to racism very well: Full Metal Alchemist’s Scar and the Ishvalans. 
Preface: The latter two do so well, in my opinion, because they never truly portray racism as a straight-up allegory in the premise of a fantasy world. By separating a fantasy narrative from completely writing it as a reflection of any specific civil rights movement, it becomes a universal message that everyone can understand and make connections themselves to real-life injustices without inaccurately and/or offensively portraying a sensitive topic such as racism like how RWBY did.
Extremely Long Post Below the Cut. Spoilers for RWBY, Full Metal Alchemist, and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Trigger warnings for: graphic character deaths, depictions/reference of character deaths, ethnic genocide, war crimes, mentions of abuse, racism, slavery, depiction of a hate crime (branding), reference to child slavery, mild gore, and depictions of violence. 
We shall begin on a personal level, then perhaps move on to the systematic level of how these storylines are so different in the portrayal of racism in another post. Let’s start with the bad: Weiss Schnee and her racism against the Faunus.
I’m gonna be front with ya’ll here: I actually didn’t mind Weiss’ initial behavior at first; it’s obvious where they were going with her character and story: she started off as an entitled, racist and cruel person because of many factors in her life. Weiss came from the wealthiest family in Remnant, with a unique and versatile Semblance that can easily grant her a high status in Atlesian society, However, she is also from a broken and abusive household, with a neglectful mother and a father who was willing to put his heiress through a dangerous trial for her to leave to another nation to find her own path, which resulted in a permanent scarring on her face. 
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[A screenshot from RWBY White Trailer. Weiss Schnee in a dark room, eyes closed in a painful expression while blood trail down her face from a wound from the Armor Gigas]
However, Weiss has expressed quite vocal and malicious racism towards the Faunus, especially Sun during Volume 1 Chapter 15 “The Stray”
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[RWBY Vol 1 Chapter 15 “The Stray”. Team RWBY gathers around an irate Weiss, who refers to Sun as a “riffraff” following his escape from authorities after stowing away on a ship.]
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[RWBY Vol 1 Chapter 15 “The Stray”. Weiss holding up a caricature drawing of Sun Wukong to Penny, depicting him as a violent individual while referring to him as a “filthy Faunus”.]
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[RWBY Vol 1 Chapter 15 “The Stray”. In response to Blake’s demand as to why she was degrading Sun for being a Faunus, Weiss gestures to a trashcan, insinuating that she equates him to being trash/referring to him as “filthy” due to his status as a Faunus]
Narratively speaking, these are condemnable behaviors for a character to possess, let alone one of the main characters of the show. Blake, another protagonist, even criticize Weiss for her racism and defended the Faunus, stating that people like Weiss and Cardin are the reasons why Faunus such as the White Fang have to resort to extreme measures to gain their rights. 
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[RWBY Vol 1 Chapter 15 “The Stray”. Blake angrily declares that it’s people like Cardin and Weiss, in their discriminatory behavior, have caused the White Fang resorting to extreme measures in their civil rights movement]
So, narratively speaking, we should see that Weiss would reflect on her actions later on, and aim to remove herself from such toxic mindsets and redeem herself from her bigotry, right?
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[RWBY Vol 1 Chapter 15 “The Stray”. In response to Blake’s anger, Weiss snapped back, declaring herself a victim in the ordeal with her family and the White Fang. She then recounts the deaths of the supporters of the SDC, the Dust robberies committed by the White Fang, and her father’s reaction, claiming that it had made her childhood difficult.]
Not even close. 
Call me heartless, but while I’m not condoning Jacques’ abuse of his family, I find it insulting that Weiss would see herself as the victim over an entire race of people who are still enslaved by her family, and exploited by those same board members causing them to fight back. 
Sun’s entire kingdom was drained of its resources by her grandfather and the Atlesian kingdom. Ilia, another member of the White Fang, lost her parents in Weiss’ family’s Dust mines after a collapse, then find herself without empathy from her human peers who mocked their deaths. Adam, who was another Faunus character, was enslaved and branded, permanently disabling him for life. 
To compare their lives, knowing subjugation for the majority of it because of the way they were born, to Weiss’ is straight-up stupid. She’s a victim of abuse, but she also perpetuated the cycle of hate on a group of people who were still being used by her father, instead of placing the blame at Jacques’ feet.
What’s even worse? Weiss never apologized to Sun or Blake for being cruel to them in the show canon. You know what’s even more insulting? 
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[RWBY: The Official Manga Chapter 8 by Bunta Kinami. Weiss admits her wrongdoings, and apologizes to Blake.]
That apology was written in a secondary source material, by another author not directly associated with the main writing team at CRWBY. And guess what? This decision will never have any impact on Weiss’ canonical character or the main storyline. This is the same as fanfic, and we will never get that closure in canon. 
Weiss then continued to not apologize, and in Volume 7 seemingly developed a “white savior complex” towards the Faunus racism in her own home kingdom. She told Blake that she wishes that she could “take back all the years of abuse her family committed against the Faunus”, but then went to a movie with Jaune and Oscar instead of a rally in support of a candidate running against her father in the Atlas council election, who was supposedly pro-Faunus. 
Why? Why not have both of them be at this event? Sure, it went to shit, but to show the audience that Weiss has truly changed and Blake wanted to continue to fight for Faunus’ rights, it’s logical to have them go to this rally right?? No, Weiss went to a movie with a guy she dislikes, and Blake went to a club with a team she doesn’t like. Neither of them took initiative to actually change the systematic racism against Faunus in Atlas, the infamously most racist kingdom in Remnant. 
Matter of fact, Weiss and Blake rarely have any development with this conflict between them save for sparse moments that don’t amount to anything and came out of no organic progression at all. They never talk about the ongoing discrimination anymore, Blake blamed her own kind for the way they were treated and placed the responsibility of Adam’s White Fang at their feet, and Weiss never truly did anything to change the Atlesian people’s mindset on the Faunus citizens there. Hell, Marrow, the token Faunus in the most elite unit of the Atlas military, never has another conversation with them about what it’s like being a Faunus in Atlas. It all went to waste. 
Now, let’s compare that to FMA 
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[Full Metal Alchemist. A young Scar faces his people during the Ishval Civil War]
The character Scar is a fascinating one; he’s a survivor of the Ishvalan people who were massacred by the Amestrian government and their State Alchemists to create a philosopher stone (a great form of alchemic power) in exchange for their lives following torturous experiments. 
Scar also lost his brother in the war, who before passing away gave Scar his own arm tattooed with a transmutation array as a legacy. Understandably, Scar was enraged by this chain of events and went on a killing spree to eliminate every State Alchemist as revenge for what they did in the war, even if they weren’t involved at all. 
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[Full Metal Alchemist. A heavily injured Scar awoke to see that his arm has been replaced with his brother’s, who died in the war. His face was twisted in an expression of horror and shock at the revelation.]
But perhaps one of the most interesting differences between Scar’s story from Blake’s, and even to the rest of the Faunus storyline, was that even though Scar’s actions were extreme and he himself acknowledged it with great guilt, especially after murdering a doctor couple who did nothing but saves innocents in his grief, FMA’s narrative never invalidates or demonized his anger. 
Scar was allowed to be angry, to be hateful, to be in emotional pain after a traumatic event in his life without the narrative ever condemning such emotions. The narrative never fully condones his rampant extremism either, especially after the murder of Winry’s parents and orphaning their young daughter in his grief. And despite all of this, Scar was given more to his character than just a man consumed by wrath and blood. 
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[Full Metal Alchemist. Scar places his hand on the amalgamation that was Nina Tucker and her dog Alexander, with the intent of mercy killing them after they were forcibly fused by Shou Tucker, Nina’s father, and a State Alchemist.]
Scar exhibits mercy, sadness, understanding, and empathy towards other characters throughout the series. He was allowed to be a fully fleshed-out character, with more than just the drive for vengeance and the need to destroy out of fury. And once again, he fully acknowledges that his actions were wrongful and do not excuse himself for killing innocents such as the Rockbells. And this is where another important character in his story comes in: Winry Rockbell, the orphaned daughter of his first victims. 
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[Full Metal Alchemist. Scar was surrounded by the Elric brothers while Winry Rockbell aims a gun at him, racked with grief after learning that he was her parents’ murderer.]
When face to face with Winry, Scar never blamed her for hating him. He fully understood her pain and told her that he wouldn’t stop her from trying to shoot him out of vengeance for what he did to her parents. But he claims that he would not just let her, because he has a mission to complete, just like she does. 
But then, Scar’s entire ideology was flipped on its head after this sequence of events:
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[Full Metal Alchemist. Scar aimed to attack Edward Elric, who threw himself in front of Winry Rockbell to protect her. Scar was reminded of how his own brother protected him and hesitated.]
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[Full Metal Alchemist. Winry approaches a bleeding Scar after he told her that she can enact her vengeance. However, Winry surprises everyone by offering to bandage up his wound, claiming that he would bleed to death if he doesn’t tend to it.]
Scar was shown an alternative to end the cycle of violence from the girl who he had wronged, altering his previous mindset of only stopping the cycle by completely destroying a side in the conflict. Winry, instead of continuing it out of retribution like he did, chose mercy and compassion. But at the same time, she refuses to forgive him for the atrocities he had committed.
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[Full Metal Alchemist. Winry declares that while she doesn’t want to kill Scar, he should not misunderstand her actions as forgiveness.]
Compare this to how the characters in RWBY reacted to this sort of conflict; an in-universe minority acted with extreme measures against an oppressive and murderous system, causing them to commit atrocities against innocents that affected another important character in the narrative in major ways. 
What FMA did right was not invalidating either Scar or Winry’s pain and anger, the narrative of FMA never condemned Scar for fighting back for his people, the narrative never judges Winry for not forgiving him, the narrative of FMA did not sacrifice either of their characters to progress the plot and the conflict. 
RWBY did not do anything like that. Blake lost all of the sparks that marked her as an interesting character, who aimed to fight for her people’s rights and calls out bigoted actions, even when it came from her teammates and someone who she will see as a friend. Weiss never apologized to the Faunus she had hurt, nor did she substantially change anything about the way she or her fellow Atlesians think about the Faunus. Weiss did not add anything to Blake’s story, and she never even met the greatest sin her family has committed that we, the audience, saw on screen. 
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[RWBY Volume 6 Chapter 11 “The Lady in the Shoe”. Adam Taurus with his signature White Fang mask off, revealing a branding scar across his left eye spelling the initials “SDC”, permanently disfiguring and disabling him.]
Weiss never saw Adam. 
Adam, arguably the character who underwent the most racial abuse at the hands of humans, at the hands of WEISS’ FAMILY LEGACY, was made into a caricature of an abuser. Despite the fact that this proves that he was a slave, the fact that her family continues to exploit an entire race of people and treated them like property or dirt, despite all of the possibilities of these characters having more to them.
Weiss never saw what her family’s name has done to Adam. And Adam himself was made into someone the audience hated, instead of having the respect he deserved. The respect that Scar had. 
His anger was demonized, even by Blake who knows he has this brand on him, his fury was condemned by the narrative and the characters in said narrative (Ghira, Blake, and Sienna), and his trauma was mocked by the writers when Miles motherfucking Luna referred to his torture as “grab a branding iron and let him have it”. 
And the conclusion to these two narratives cannot be more different. Scar, having gained the knowledge of what truly happened to his people, aimed his anger at the one who was deserving of it the most. King Bradley, better known as the Homunculus Wrath, was the ruler of Amestris and the one who ordered the massacre of the Ishvalan people. 
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[Full Metal Alchemist. Scar, using the arm with the Construction array, delivers a fatal blow to the Homunculus Wrath.]
This outcome was both narratively and symbolically satisfying for Scar’s story, as well as the Ishvalan narrative. Wrath was the one who spearheaded the ethnic genocide of Scar’s people, creating a seemingly endless cycle of violence and pain, giving birth to the man known as “Scar” who was willing to throw himself into hell to enact vengeance for his people. 
But Scar defeated him after altering his view on the cycle of violence, no longer just depending on mindless destruction but to truly changing for the better while never compromising on his righteous fury for his kin. But he aimed it at someone who deserved it, instead of innocents. And it started with a girl who showed him another way to live with grief. To move on. 
So he killed the Homunculus named Wrath and symbolically separated himself from that version of the wrath inside of him. Scar the Ishvalan got the respect he deserved as a character, and subsequently his story, the story of the Ishvalan the fantasy race who underwent horrific treatments that we the audience can see happening in our own real-life history, was given that respect it deserved. 
What did Adam Taurus, the civil rights fighter and the child slave, have in his story’s conclusion?
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[RWBY Volume 6 Chapter 12 “Seeing Red”. Adam Taurus was stabbed by Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long during their conflict with the severed halves of Gambol Shroud, Blake’s weapon.]
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[RWBY Volume 6 Chapter 12 “Seeing Red”. Adam Taurus collapsed onto his knees before the waterfall’s mouth, while Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long watches him.]
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[RWBY Volume 6 Chapter 12 “Seeing Red”. Adam Taurus succumbed to his injuries and fall into the basin to his death.]
This. 
This is what Adam was given as a conclusion. Let it speak for itself. And let it speak for what RWBY truly sees about a racism storyline that the writing crew chose to write in their narrative. The narrative that they themselves claimed to be a direct allegory to the African-American civil rights movement in the U.S. during the late 60s-70s. 
This is what RWBY gave to their narrative of a racism plotline. 
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talesofsonicasura · 9 months
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Like I said in this post, I do have some ideas with rapper!Reader. Here's one of them.
Stereos and Truck Horns
A peculiar music shop lays at the far edge of Jasper's city limits called "Newsground Jam". No one knew when it been fully established but the place is known for various music and odd customers. Although the giant robots that lurk in Nevada better watch out. The shop owner has ways of handling troublemakers. And will the damn truck stop being nosy!
Optimus Prime is Reader's guardian since he accidentally got into a fight with the Decepticons when they were in the vicinity. The guy feels guilty about putting them on the enemy's radar hence the arrangement. He and Reader are gonna clash for a bit at the start due to difference in opinion.
They don't really care about the Autobot/ Decepticon civil war. All Reader wants to do is enjoy life and make an earnest living. Newsground Jam is neutral ground so either side can visit if they don't cause trouble. You can say it wasn't viewed positively by Team Prime but these are the rules.
This leads to all sorts of shenanigans especially when Reader's "crew" tend to pop up at random times. Friendly oddballs such as basketball loving old school robots, pint sized maddening mercenaries, whacky rappers and even dangerous soul stealing killers. Every visit to Newsground Jam is guaranteed to be quite an experience.
(Reader's gender is preferred gender or neutral to suit preferences. They become close to Optimus but you guys can interpret their bond as whatever. Reader is relatively the same age as the Autobot leader, basically an adult.)
Here's what to expect:
Reader is a bundle of sass done with everyone's shit. Try to baby them and expect to be bitten in return. Danger isn't anything new to them. Optimus has difficulty understanding that.
Cybertronians fully experience humans being space orcs. It's absolutely terrifying especially when one of them can become an eldritch horror through rap music. Humans are crazy in their own ways.
Beep boops is a cheat sheet to speaking Cybertronian. Ratchet doesn't understand how this little blue haired human is so fluent in it. Boyfriend just wants to rap and has no clue why the Autobots are fixated by his comfort language.
Soundwave constantly visits as he is a little too invested in Reader. Convict and a few others aren't willing to share their rapper like usual. Reader just wants to manage their music shop than deal with this nonsense.
A blanket burrito war between an Autobot Leader and a completely done rapper ensues. Pure hypocrisy since both suck at taking care of themselves. Team Prime are both surprised, relieved and scared as this goes on.
Do NOT attempt to intimidate or piss off Reader. Megatron learns that the hard way when the "puny fleshie" turns into an a reality bending eldritch clown monster and proceeds to beat the shit out of him. They are pure neutral chaos who just wants a break.
Reader curses an alien god into submission, Vehicons follow them like lost ducklings and Breakdown gets put into forced medical bed rest at Newsground Jam. Everyone is so confused about the weirdness this human carries everywhere. There's a betting pool on whether Reader's an eldritch god or not.
That's it for now! Until next time folks, I'll see you back in Nevada. Now transform and roll out!
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PROPAGANDA
Tony Stark
The whole fucking point of this character is that he is an arrogant billionaire arms dealer who realizes that he Kind Of Sucks and consequently spends the next fifteen years trying to Not Suck to mixed but ultimately decent results. On one hand you’ve got the people who act like hes terrible and like I get it I would hate him in real life too but this is a fictional character and you have to admit theres more going here. On the OTHER hand are his legions of fans who insist that he has never done anything wrong ever, he is the smartest nicest little boy who isn’t actually even a little arrogant, and actually everyone who ever went against him even for understandable reasons (incl. very morally upstanding Captain America) is Evil, actually. I say this as a fan of the character: PLEASE you can like this man and have him suck a little at the same time!!!!! I am begging you!!!! Help!!!!
Literally a millionaire who started out manufacturing weapons for the military. Was then chased by the consequences of his actions while not making any sort of reparations. Of course stayed a millionaire the whole time. Then did not communicate with the team about making a sentient "suit of armor" that turned into a massive slaughter bot. People claim that this should be excused as a result of PTSD but is his responsibility to seek out help and he most certainly had access to whatever treatment he could choose as a -in his words- "millionaire playboy philanthropist". Then supported an accords rife with human rights violations that he was of course exempt from - and refused to hear any of the others rebuttals to it - like they were not millionaires and did not have access to entire legal teams that would work to exonerate them. Then exposes Clint's family and farm which he had revealed to Tony in confidence and kept secret from any authority to protect them. Then Tony spends the rest of Civil War trying to straight up murder Bucky - ignoring that it had already been established that Bucky had no agency nor autonomy in his time as the Winter Soldier, in doing so ignored the Accords he had advocated for. He then kidnapped a 16 year old child - who he did not tell why he was taking him - in direct contradiction with the accords and then allowed for Steve's team to be held in a maximum security prison with no trial. He then proceeded to refuse any sort of communication with Steve, resulting in a delay of him defending Earth from Thanos' invasion. After this - despite his failure playing part in the deaths of half the universe, and the child in front of him he treated as a son - he refused to rectify his failure because he had a family now - ignoring the literal entire universe who had lost their families. Upon his death he was treated as a hero and the one who saved the universe, despite his actions being that of hubris.
The Darkling
Okay so this guy is the main bad guy of the series. He made “the fold” this barren wasteland of darkness and monsters dividing the land, causing like hundreds of thousands of people to die. He killed his mom. He psychologically manipulated his girlfriend (like, he caused her to hallucinate and a whole bunch of other crazy stuff). He made one of his followers (a young girl) use her body to slowly poison the king over time. He started a cult. He did a LOT of crazy stuff. However, we do see his backstory of him as a kid, and learn that he did all this in the name of equality, so people would stop torturing and killing the ‘grisha’ or the witches/magic users. Later, he fakes his own death and starts a cult worshipping him and acts as the leader of the cult, going by his old name Aleksander. He is a very complicated character. So tell my why everyone thirsts after him and is like “he did nothing wrong” HELLO?! He is NOT your poor little meow meow he is complies please please don’t sanitize him
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ro-is-struggling · 2 years
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Road trip
Pairings: platonic!Bucky Barnes x Reader, platonic!Steve Rogers x Reader, platonic!Sam Wilson x Reader (i think this is gender neutral but if it isn't please let me know so I can fix it)
Summary: you annoy the shit out of Steve, Sam and Bucky— especially Bucky—during a long road trip.
Warnings: crack fic, humor, sharing beds, kinda fluffy
English is not my first language
Word count: 3400+
Notes: I don't know what this is. I had this stupid idea after watching civil war again because that tiny car with two super soldiers in it it's so funny to me. I'm sorry if it's sucks, I have a shitty sense of humor
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Being on the run wasn't as cool as it sounded. The movies always made it out to be this grand adventure in search of truth and justice where the stakes were always high. But in reality being on the run involved crappy motels in the middle of nowhere and hours of driving through back roads. There was nothing glorious or epic about it, it was just boring. Especially when you spent days trapped in the world's smallest car with two super soldiers. 
Steve, Bucky, Sam and you had left the motel where you had spent the night first thing in the morning, hoping that would give you a head start. The plan was to get to the next stop before dark, but fate had not been on your side. Now it was almost dark and you still had a long journey ahead of you, having to drive through the middle of nowhere. Literally. You were so far away from any trace of civilization that you weren't even able to pick up any radio signal, so the car was plunged into the deepest of silences. The only noise you could hear was coming from the old engine, which was threatening to break down and leave you stranded there with every rumble it made.
At least that was until you proposed that you play some road game to pass the time. The guys weren't very enthusiastic, but you insisted so much that they ended up agreeing. They knew that entertaining you for a while would be better than having to put up with your boredom.
"We've been trying to guess what it is that you saw for over 15 minutes, why don't you just tell us?" Bucky spoke with annoyance beside you, tired of playing 'I spy with my little eye'. He felt like he was trapped in the car with a five year old and honestly didn't know how much longer he could put up with you. 
"But that's not fun! You're supposed to guess!" you complained pouting.
"We give up," Steve said from the driver's seat, your eyes meeting momentarily in the rearview mirror. 
"Fine! It was the doodles I made on Bucky's arm while he slept," you admitted with a grin as you watched Bucky's expression change upon discovering the doodles on his arm.
"How were we supposed to see that?" Sam complained from the passenger seat, interrupting Bucky before he could let out any curses in your direction.
"Okay fine, you're right! Let's play something else."
"Why can't we just sit in silence for a while?"
"Because that's not fun, silly!" you said, tapping Bucky's nose with your finger. "Let's play 21 questions."
"I'm going to sleep," Sam stated, leaning back in his seat and resting his head against the window. He was tired, having spent the last few hours awake driving after having the worst night's sleep of his life. Normally he wouldn't have found your attitude so annoying, half the time you guys would team up to annoy everybody—especially Bucky—, but this time it was different. He was exhausted and the last thing he needed was to deal with your boredom.
"Nooo! C'mon it'll be fun! I'll think of something and you guys have 21 questions to guess what it is. Got it?" You explained the rules a little too enthusiastically. None of your teammates responded, but you took their silences as a signal to continue. "Okay guys I'm ready, start with your questions."
"Are you thinking about hot dogs?" Bucky spoke in an annoyed tone. The smile disappeared from your face and for the first time in hours you remained silent. How had he been able to guess in the first round? Did he have mental powers that he had never told you about?
"... no," you lied in the hopes that the game would last more than five seconds.
"Y/N!" the super soldier next to you complained, knowing full well that he was right.
"Fine, you won! I was thinking about hot dogs. How did you know?"
"Because you haven't stopped talking about it since lunch."
"Well maybe you wouldn't have had to listen to me complaining if Steve had let me eat that hot dog when I had the chance."
"It was a half eaten hot dog in the garbage!" Steve defended himself, raising his voice a little. He still couldn't believe that you were actually willing to eat that. It was so wrong on so many levels, though the worst part was that you kept blaming him for saving you from your own stupidity. 
"It was fine! I had worse," you said in a casual tone that made Bucky shake his head in disapproval.
"IT WAS IN THE TRASH!" Steve exclaimed, raising his voice and earning a smack from Sam who despite all the noise was still trying to sleep.
"Whatever, man," you shrugged. "Let's play something else!"
"Why don't you take a nap, Y/N. It's an easy way of making time pass by quicker" Sam spoke from the front seat without moving or even opening his eyes. He tried to tempt you with the promise that time would pass by faster, that all your boredom would be forgotten in the dream world, but you didn't fall into his trap. You couldn't even if you wanted to. You weren't comfortable enough to sleep in that car, trapped between the door and Bucky's muscular body. Your brain refused to shut down even if it knew it was best for everyone. 
"I can't, I passed my window of opportunity and now my brain won't shut off. I have to wait another few hours for my next window. And you guys better pray for it to come quickly because this silly mood I'm in is only gonna get worse the more sleep deprived I get." 
"Well, maybe you aren't tired, but I am and I would like to rest," Sam complained. "I've been driving all morning so please let me sleep."
"I'm sorry but I'm so bored," you pouted, looking at Bucky with innocent eyes trying to convince him to take your side even though you knew that was impossible. He was a man of little patience and you could read in his expression that you were beginning to drain him of it. 
"Then find something to entertain yourself in silence."
You let out a huff, sticking your tongue out at Sam before turning to focus your gaze on the window. The view was shitty, you really were stuck in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but road and land all around you, and you couldn't even enjoy that because the sun was starting to set, making everything fall into darkness. However, it was enough to keep you silent for a few minutes. Bucky closed his eyes, reveling in the peaceful atmosphere. For a moment he thought he had defeated you, that you had finally understood that no one was in the mood for your bullshit. But then he heard your voice once again and knew that the battle was far from over. 
"Oh I know, I know!" Your excited exclamation broke the silence. "I should drive so I can get tired like Sam."
"NO!" The two super soldiers shouted, making you frown.
"Why the hell not?"
"Because you haven't had a proper night of sleep in at least two days and you have been surviving purely on chips and energy drinks," Steve explained and you rolled your eyes. "I wouldn't trust you with anyone's life right now."
"Whatever," you muttered angrily, letting your back hit the back of the seat with a loud thump. You crossed your arms over your chest, digging your eyes like daggers into the back of Steve's head. He was being irrational, denying you the only activity there was to do in that damn car to keep you bored. He was conspiring against you and you would make him pay for it. 
Choosing to save your revenge against Steve for later, you turned to look at Bucky. "Can I keep doodling in your arm?" You asked him and you sounded so cute that he almost said yes. Almost.
"No."
"Then give me your hand."
"What? No!"
"C'mon man, give me your hand!"
"What for?"
"I want to play thumb wars with you."
"But I don't."
"Play thumb wars with me or I'm gonna start singing and you know how annoying I can get."
"Jesus, Buck just do it" Steve pleaded and he let out a sigh of defeat. He grabbed your hand reluctantly, rolling his eyes as you let out a chuckle of victory. 
"One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!" You barely had time to blurt out the rhyme before Bucky crushed your finger under his. "Hey! I wasn't ready," you complained, your angry eyes meeting his expressionless face. "Best of three."
This time he let you make the first move before attacking. His thumb charged at yours, but you were quicker and moved it out of the way just in time—letting out a squeal of happiness as you did so. However, the joy didn't last long because two seconds later he managed to catch your finger under his once again.
"I won," Bucky stated inexpressively, although you were able to notice in his eyes a spark of joy at having beaten you at your own stupid game.
"One more time! I want to see if I can beat you at least once."
"You said best of three."
You looked at Bucky with narrowed eyes for a moment before you opened your mouth and started singing the first song that popped into your head in the most off-key way possible. In the background you heard Sam growl and Steve curse under his breath, but that didn't stop you.
"Okay, okay fine!" Bucky gave in and you grinned like a bratty kid who had just gotten their way—and in a way you kinda were.
You took his hand once more, giving him a defiant look before trying your luck once more. You were much more careful with your movements this time, trying to predict what Bucky would do to use it against him. You concentrated and eventually managed to catch his thumb under your finger for a brief two seconds. You didn't even have time to smile in victory before he turned the tables, beating you for the third time. 
"Oh you completely suck!" You exclaimed angrily, letting go of his hand. 
"You're the one that wanted to play this with a super soldier," Bucky laughed and you realized you hadn't taken his super senses into account. "It's your fault, not mine."
"You're supposed to let me win sometimes, you know."
"Why because you suck?"
"No! Because it's not fun if you always win" you said, hitting his arm, fully aware that he didn't even feel a slight tingle. "Sam, play with me!"
"Sam is sleeping and you should do the same" Steve interjected using that disappointed father tone he sometimes used with you.
"I can't, I'm uncomfortable. There's no space back here."
"Bucky, move over so she can have some space."
"I can't, there is no more space" Bucky mumbled through his teeth. "There would be if we have taken a bigger car like I suggested-"
"There wasn't a bigger car," Steve interrupted him, "So figure things out!"
The car fell silent, the tension tangible in the air. Everyone was tired, hungry and in desperate need of a bath. You had spent too much time together in the most uncomfortable situations so it was normal for Steve to be a little grumpy.
Deciding that you had done enough to fuel the tensions, you settled into your spot to try to get some sleep. You tried to mirror Sam, leaning your head against the window, but the vibrations from the engine rattling on the glass were distracting you and making you a little dizzy. So you opted to slide down the seat until you could rest your head on the backrest. That solved the vibration problem, sort of, but it was an even more uncomfortable position than the previous one. Turning your head to your left, you found Bucky leaning against the seat and enjoying the silence. Then an idea popped into your mind.
"Can I cuddle with you?" you asked him in the softest voice you could muster, trying to persuade him to agree. 
"What? No!" he exclaimed, his cheeks turning a soft pink. 
"C'mon, I can't sleep like this and you're taking half of my side of the seat with your big muscles anyways so you owe me."
Bucky hesitated, looking at you with a frown. He wasn't in the mood to put up with you on top of him. Not only was he tense and tired, but he was angry at you. You had spent the last few hours doing nothing but irritating him and now you were asking him to be your mattress. Nope, he wasn't going to do it. You would have to find another way to get comfortable, just like he and Sam were doing. He wasn't going to help you after you entertained yourself by testing the limits of his patience and sanity.
But then you pouted, looking at him with puppy dog eyes, and Bucky knew he couldn't refuse. Letting out a sigh, he opened his arms to make room for you. "Fine," he said. "But only because I want you to shut up." You smiled at him, knowing full well that wasn't the only reason. He could never resist your charms, you were too cute to deny you anything. 
You settled on his chest without any shame, wrapping your arms around his body to cling to him. His muscular chest felt firm against your cheek, but the warmth he emanated was enough to compensate. The new position was much more comfortable, allowing your body to stretch in a different way after hours of sitting in the same position. You could feel his breathing, his chest rising and falling beneath your face. It was nice, peaceful. You could fall asleep like that.
"Hold me," you said when you noticed that Bucky had let his arm rest on the back of the seat. "It's weird if you don't. Besides, you have to protect me in case we crash while I'm sleeping. If you don't hold me I'm going to fly out the windshield." Bucky rolled his eyes, but didn't protest, wrapping his arm around your shoulders as he pulled you closer to him. You let out a long yawn, the built-up tiredness finally winning out over your energy-drink fuelled brain. You closed your eyes, snuggling more against him as you let his breathing and the movement of the car relax you. "You're comfy," you murmured against his chest. 
"Just try to get some sleep," he said, relaxing beneath you. Without realizing it, Bucky began to stroke your shoulder with his fingers. He traced imaginary shapes on the exposed skin, awakening a gentle tingle in his path. It was a subtle touch, but it was enough to help your body relax. For a moment you tried to concentrate on it, trying to figure out if his fingers followed any specific pattern or drawing, but you lasted only a few short minutes before you gave in to exhaustion. Steve's soft voice saying “finally" was the last thing you heard echoing in the distance.
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You didn't know where you were or what time it was, the only thing you knew was that you were hugging something soft and fluffy, like a giant pillow. In the distance a voice called your name, and when you looked up you found a marshmallow three times your size. It had a face, two big cartoonish eyes and a kind smile that it was dedicating to you. The world around you was full of pastel colors and fluffy clouds. It looked like the fantasy of a little girl who was obsessed with unicorns and forest fairies, but you didn't question it. You were too comfortable using Mr. Marshmallow as a pillow to think about anything.
But the voice in the distance calling your name grew louder each time, becoming clearer in your mind. A constant annoying sound that distracted you from the pure happiness you felt in that strange fantasy world. You tried to ignore it, but it kept persistently increasing in volume until it was the only thing you could hear.
When you opened your eyes you felt completely disoriented and disappointed. The world around you was much darker than the one in your dreams and the body underneath yours, although comfortable, was not half as soft as Mr. Marshmallow's. It took you a few seconds to realize that you were in the car curled up next to Bucky and that it had all been a dream.
"What time is it?" you mumbled as you sat up straight, rubbing your eyes to shake off the sleep.
"Late," Bucky replied. "C'mon, Steve found a motel. Let's get you in a proper bed."
It was only when he opened the car door to get out that you realized he was parked in the driveway of what appeared to be a cheap motel. The neon light sign, though malfunctioning, was working enough that the glow hurt your eyes. You followed Bucky across the parking lot with your eyes glued to the floor, the last thing you needed was to get a migraine. He led you to Sam and Steve, who were coming out of the lobby with room keys in hand. Or rather, the key, singular.
"They only had one room available," Sam explained, waving the keys in his hands. They had a sticker on them that read 06 in messy handwriting, warning you that it was probably the worst place you could have chosen to stay. But you were tired of being trapped in that damn car, so you didn't complain. As long as the sheets didn't have bugs on them you'd be fine.
"It has two queens so we're gonna have to share," Steve announced as you walked to the room.
"I call dibs on Bucky!" you were quick to exclaim as if you were a toddler fighting for the front seat of the car with their siblings. "He's comfy," you added, clinging to his arm so he wouldn't escape your side. Bucky rolled his eyes, but you were able to notice the pink flush on his cheeks.
When you reached your room you barely took the time to change into more comfortable clothes before throwing yourselves on the beds. Everyone was tired and aching from hours of sitting in the same position, so lying on a bed was a dream come true. Sure, it wasn't the most comfortable and fluffy mattress in the world and yes, you had to share the space, but it was still an improvement after spending days sleeping in a tiny car. 
You settled in on the side of the bed facing the hallway. If for some reason you had to get up in the middle of the night you didn't want to have to wake Bucky up—you didn't want to have to put up with his grumpiness in the morning. He laid down next to you a few seconds later, the mattress dipping under his weight. You fought for the sheets for a bit, wanting to keep yourselves tightly covered while leaving as much space between your bodies as possible. When you realized that wouldn't work, you put the courtesy aside and snuggled together. 
You closed your eyes, letting the warmth of Bucky's body help you relax once again. But this time it didn't seem to work. You could feel your muscles relaxing on the mattress, your eyelids heavy with sleep, but your mind was elsewhere. The voice inside you kept talking, asking questions and imagining situations that distracted you and kept you from sleeping.
"Hey guys," you whispered in the dark. "Guys... are you awake?"
"Huh?" you heard Bucky mumble, accompanied by a grunt from Sam from the other bed.
"Do you think fish can see water?"
"What?" Steve spoke, a mixture of annoyance and confusion in his voice.
"Like, we can't see air, right? So do you guys think fish can see water or it's just like the air for us?"
Instead of answering you with words, Sam picked up one of the pillows he had set aside and threw it at you. The object hit you in the chest before bouncing off Bucky, who threw it across the room in annoyance. 
"Y/N, please go to sleep," Steve implored tiredly.
"Next time I'm carrying you to bed like a kid who fell asleep in the car on the way home," Bucky warned you in frustration, regretting waking you up in the first place.
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letsgolando-4 · 6 months
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Formula 1 explained (I think)
Here is a not-so-brief explanation of some of the important things in formula 1. Enjoy!
Free Practice
Free practice is drivers remembering how to not suck before they have to go and not suck in front of a lot of people with a lot more cameras. Whoever goes fastest gets people to momentarily hope (on the rare occasion that it is not Verstappen) that someone other then Verstappen will win a race. To put things into perspective, this never happens. Takes place on a Friday.
Qualifying
Qualifying is like a race but not a race. It’s short and if you suck in qualifying, unless you’re god (or again, Verstappen) you’re gonna suck in the race as well because however you finish is however you start in the actual race. If you manage to finish first in qualifying your on pole. Unfortunately, it no longer matters if anyone other than Verstappen is one pole because the guy somehow manages to clinch a race win anyway. Takes place on a Saturday.
Grand Prix (the actual race)
Finally, we have reached the actual race. There’s a lot of panic and stress for nothing and they make a big show of five lights going out and then people race. A lot of people go out in turn 1 so try to keep your head screwed on for the first few laps. If Williams are higher than P20 and P19, look outside because the world may be ending. Alfa Romeo disappear out of the points and tend to just suck in general. McLaren will either do really shit or really good but they can never actually WIN a race, just get onto the podium. Ferrari will occasionally let their fans sniff the air in P1 before either crashing or getting taken out by Verstappen. One of the two. The Mercedes will probably be nice and comfy having not moved from their cemented P4 and P5, and the Redbulls? Well, Checo doesn’t really get a lot of limelight but the aforementioned Verstappen will be winning. Not a negotiable fact. The other teams will be somewhere in between. Takes place on a Sunday.
Sprint Races
Occasionally the FIA are feeling quirky and they decide to have a sprint race which is like a race but not a race. It’s short so you don’t need to pit. Sometimes when they decide they don’t want blood on their hands they’ll stop a race halfway through if the conditions are dangerous and then resume it when the weather dies down. These are also technically little sprint races. They do regular qualifying on a Friday and then on Saturday they have what the FIA like to call a ✨sprint shootout✨ which is qualifying for a sprint race. Same rules apply. Then they have some fun with a sprint race and when they’ve calmed down a bit, have a normal race on Sunday.
Teams And Drivers
The current formula 1 grid has 20 drivers, two drivers per team, and in case you suck at maths, that makes 10 teams. Teams have first and second driver. This is a way of saying who is shit and who is not without hurting their feelings. These teams and their drivers are as follows:
Redbull: Max Verstappen (first driver) and Sergio “Checo” Perez (second driver)
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. No first driver because the team principal likes Leclerc more but Sainz’s father realised this.
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton (first driver) and George Russell (second driver)
McLaren: Lando Norris (first drivers) and Oscar Piastri (second driver)
Alpine: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. Again, no first driver because the French civil war is too intense. At least I think.
Alfa Romeo: Valtteri Bottas (first driver) and Zhou Guyanu (second driver)
Alpha Tauri: Yuki Tsunoda (first driver) and Daniel Ricciardo (second driver) although Ricciardo had a bad crash and broke his arm so as of October 2023 Liam Lawson from F2 is stepping in.
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso (first driver) and Lance Stroll (second driver)
Haas: Kevin Magnussen (first driver) and Nico Hulkenberg (second driver)
Williams: Alexander Albon (first driver) and Logan Sargeant (second driver)
So that’s the low-down on the bare bones of an F1 race. Tell me if I’ve missed anything or got anything wrong!
Danny out.
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bohemian-nights · 8 months
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What do you think about Aegon’s characterization thus far? Do you think he had the potential to be interesting? Likable? Or was he (and to a lesser extent all Team Green kids) doomed from the start? What about his relationship with Helaena? I remember someone saying that the writers intended for the fan base to be split 50/50. Personably I don’t think this was ever going to be achievable for a few reasons 1. Team Black had an objectively more sympathetic cause 2. HOTD set Rhaneyra up as not only a main character but a protagonist and 3. they made Aegon a rapist.
His characterization is a mess which isn’t surprising considering how they’ve framed Rhaenyra’s arc in the show. I agree with you that for that reason Aegon was never going to be portrayed in a sympathetic light.
Honestly book!Aegon isn’t very likable to me (although he does have his moments after he’s crippled) and he isn’t a “good guy,” but then again none of them are.
Book!Rhaenyra is an awful human being. She’s who’s a self-centered racist* who believes she and only she should be the exception to the rules. She won’t even uplift other highborn women(see her passing over the ladies Rosby and Stokeworth to make their younger brothers lords which bit her in the butt in the end).
I will keep bringing up Missy Anne’s racism because as a Black woman, I hate how fans try to act like it’s not a big deal or dismiss it and say she isn’t a racist when she justifies murdering a young possibly pregnant woman using racist language. She’s the only one in the Dance who tries to commit a racially motivated hate crime in addition to her saying “f*ck all women except me.” Acknowledge that.
However, the show has so far given her more grace and the latter half has tried to force down our throats how she’s a woman “wronged by the patriarchy.”(See Ser Vaemond calling her a whore to delegitimize the case for wanting House Velaryon to stay in Velaryon hands or even Daemon choking her out).
Show!Aegon on the other hand has been portrayed in the worst light possible. I.e. going with the tale that he’s a rapist/child predator when the only source who calls him that is Rhaenyra’s #1 fan Mushroom:
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Ignoring Mushroom cause he’s not a legitimate source if his clown behind is the only one saying it, Aegon’s worst crime is being a drunken cheater. Which sucks for Helaena. I do think he cared about/loved her because she was his sister and I don’t think he abused her, but with the way their relationship is described, it wasn’t like they were a “loving” couple.
Moving on, Aegon has legitimate reasons to “usurp” Rhaenyra(which is something that he originally didn’t want to do) because even if he pledges his loyalty and support to her he(his sons, Aemond, and Daeron) will always be a threat to her and her sons(especially the Strong boys) reign.
If the lords ever felt she “got out of line” they’d want to replace her with Aegon. A civil war was inevitable with the choices that Viserys made. So in the books when Criston tells him that if he doesn’t accept his crown they’ll all die, yeah, he was right to have himself crowned as king.
If the show writers truly wanted to spilt the fanbase right down the middle they would’ve shown that instead of the drunken rapist who likes to watch his bastard children fight each other like dogs. That tall tale by Mushroom would’ve been scrapped altogether.
(And while I do like show!Alicent, her being aged down is another reason why Aegon’s characterization is so messed up. She’s the main frontman for Team Green because they are going for a more “feminist” approach. The show in actuality is anything, but feminist since they won’t let the women have any agency whatsoever, but that’s another conversation. Plus it's clear Ryan has a hard-on for Aemond so that's also spilling over to Aegon’s characterization).
Show!Aegon would’ve/should’ve been portrayed as the reluctant king who pulls himself together to protect his family. That’s an interesting story. That’s the sympathetic angle. The show writers failed him(and I think they know they screwed up since Sara Hess tried to say that he was still likable despite them choosing to make him into a child predator 🤦🏽‍♀️).
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cloudinterlude · 8 months
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I get to dump all my Steve Rogers takes here!
I barely know where to start! I guess in general, Steve's character arc in the MCU is straight up depressing. Like, I didn't fully realize until I re-watched the movies how tragic his story is. I mean, the end of his first movie is him sacrificing himself for the world, freezing to death and waking up 70 years later where his entire world is completely gone and everyone he knows is dead and only TWO WEEKS LATER he has to suck it up and lead the Avengers into battle in Avengers 1. That's insane! We don't really get a lot of superhero character-centered movies with such hopeless endings like that. His last lines are "I think I missed a date" - That's dark when you really think about what it was like in that very moment to realize what's happening to him.
And going into his second movie, his current world is tilted once again. He's been unknowingly working for HYDRA who he lost his life fighting against, who he hates more than anything and everything quickly goes to shit when he realizes that his absolute best friend was alive but being tortured for the 70 years he was asleep. The only person in the entire world who could possibly relate to him a little bit - the only person who knew him before he was "worth" knowing doesn't even remember him because Steve dropped him. All that guilt and horror is way too hard to imagine. There's a lot more to say about TWS but God...yeah, horrific.
And Civil War...His world is tilted AGAIN. I cannot explain to you or anyone else how absolutely gobsmacked I was when I came out of that movie loving Steve Rogers just to find out everyone fucking hated him. I am very obviously team Cap, but only because I agree with his position, his actions and his morals. Imagine you just found out the government is HYDRA and now some rando (Ross) walks in with your teammate in tow to tell you to sign over all your civil rights to the government that will not only put you in danger but also set a dangerous standard for how enhanced people can be treated. I read what was in the Accords (and Steve was the only character on-screen looking over it). It's beyond reprehensible. I wouldn't sign it either especially since it was sprung up on the whole team with only 3 days to review it. Despite that, Steve was open to the idea of signing it as long as safeguards were put into place (he explicitly states this)...until he found out that they were somehow already enforcing the damn thing by keeping Wanda in internment. So, since the only two options are sign this or retire - he leaves. During all this he learns that Peggy dies, goes to her funeral, deals with Bucky being framed.
[I just found this deep in my drafts and realized I'm never finishing this jkdshfkjsdf, so here y'all go! <3 TLDR Steve's life is a big ball of pain and he deals with it better than any other character or person would and honestly, I don't blame him for any of the deicions he decided to take because he deserves the space, time, and freedom to do whatever tf he wants after his tragedy we call a life.]
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