#But Peggy is slept on by the fandom in general so I like taking about her because I care about her. She's literally me fr. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

commenter2 · 3 months

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King of the Hill sequel series ideas

A while ago I made a post going over an idea for the confirmed King of the Hill sequel series, and how the confirmed time skip it will have could be a possible excuse to make the least liked episodes of the old show non canon. This has got me thinking of other ideas for the show and thus I made this.

One thing a lot of people are bringing up is how sadly the VAs for Luanne and Lucky are no longer with us meaning the characters likely won't be in the show, but its been suggested that they could live on through their daughter Gracie who should live with Hank and Peggy similar to how Luanne lived with them. I love that idea, plus Hank and Peggy did talk about the idea of having another kid from time to time, so I could see Gracie filling that desire while also giving Hank and her a relationship similar to the one he and Bobby did in the original show but having to deal with the modern problems of another generation. Same thing goes with GH, Good Hank for non KOTH fans. Maybe something happened to his mom and now he also has to live with the Hills, where he could try and learn about the father he never knew from his half brother Hank and nephew Bobby. Heck having them together could be like Hank and Peggy living with Bobby and Luanne again.

With the characters being older I could see the writers having a chance to do some interesting things with an older Bobby, like what if Bobby and Connie rekindle their relationship in the sequel and during the show they get married, making Hank and Khan in laws! Imagine the insanity coming from that XD. I also could see minor characters like Junichiro having bigger roles. Junichiro is Hank's other half brother who lives in Japan and works in robotics. With how robotics are more common now, maybe during the time skip his company opened a factory in the U.S. making him live kind of close to Arlen, allowing him to appear once in a while. We saw how he and Hank got along in the 2 parter so it would be interesting to see them interacting/conflicting more in a sequel series not to mention seeing Junichiro interacting with the other characters.

However out of all the ideas for the sequel series, I believe most of the KOTH fandom can agree that there DEFINITELY needs to be a 2 part episode where Dale FINALLY learns the truth about Jospeh being John Redcorn's biological son. The first episode could have a plot point like Joseph needs to take a medical exam to get a certain job or John Redcorn needs blood for a surgery but Joseph is the only one who can give it. Either way everyone realizes that the situation would make Dale realize that Joseph and John are related, and they debate about if they should tell Dale or not fearing the worse. Dale eventually finds out the truth and in a twist, reveals HE ALWAYS KNEW!

Yeah that is a popular KOTH theory and it would be funny if the writers made it canon, of course they would add in other things in the moment like while at first mad and using the knowledge to get back at John, over time Dale was glad he had Joseph as his paranoia would probably make him fear the idea of the government getting info about him through any of his actual biological kids. He also could admit that he knows he can be difficult to deal with and thought Nancy having a kid with someone she liked was a sort penance for his behavior. Heck when Hank was "Dale" for a time it was implied that he would have been okay if Hank slept with Nancy. Yes I know its an odd idea, but this is Dale we are talking about and I think this would be a very "Dale Gribble" way of showing how mature Dale is about the situation.

Besides real consequences would happen when Joseph finds out, as he goes berserk because he was never told about this, especially from his parents. This leads him going off the rails like maybe he plans on moving away and cutting ties with all his parents, or he uses his job to get revenge on everyone for never telling him this. Of course he doesn't go through with it and maybe we could see a nice moment with the Gribbles and Redcorn without all that tension there.

What are your thoughts on these ideas? What would you like to see in the KOTH sequel series?

#king of the hill #king of the hill sequel #adult swim #tv sitcom #tv

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nettlestonenell · 5 years

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If you don’t like Peggy Carter, you don’t like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Buckle up, Gentle Readers. You may have thought this blog was done vomiting Peggy Carter meta, but you’d be wrong.

It’s still out there, you probably know, this concept that Peggy Carter is [just] Steve Rogers’ girlfriend. It doesn’t even have the sense to lurk in the shadows of the fandom. It’s front and center whenever she’s brought up. And whether that’s because those posting and perpetuating it think the notion weakens whatever/whoever they ship with Cap, or comes from a place where it’s only supposed to be men that matter in fandom/comics/Marvel/the universe at large, it’s simply, aggressively wrong.

If you don’t like Peggy Carter, you don’t like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Why would I say that? I’m so glad you asked.

Peggy Carter, as portrayed in the MCU (that’s all we’re going to be talking about her representation in, here), was introduced in CA:TFA (we know that, if we’re reading this we know that). That film was not an origin story for her character. She had already originated, and her character came to that film fully-formed (insert Athena reference).

(and what a form it is)

She had a job, at which she was very good. She had a sense of self and service, she had (as close as anyone could get to it) the respect of Tommy Lee Jones’ character. She already had a moral compass and a mission.

In fact, it could be supported from the narrative that Steve had to take the super-soldier serum to complete his origin so that he could become Peggy’s equal (at least physically) in both the fight and in love. CA:TFA doesn’t show that Peggy needed to change in any way.

And here’s where some people seem to start to feel rubbed the wrong way. Marvel wasn’t finished with her. In fact, Marvel decided that actually, they wanted to take Peggy Carter and craft from her the actual freakin’ bedrock of their cinematic universe.

How many MCU films/series has Peggy been in? Six. (I count Civil War, even though it’s only her picture.) Sure, some of those are merely cameo appearances. Cap scores eight by the same counting, but two of his appearances are cameos. Cap has three films in which he’s the main character (I could debate that in Civil War with you, if you like, but not here), roughly six hours of film. In three Avengers movies he’s one of many characters, we’ll give him two hours (though his screen time is likely far less). We’re up to eight hours. His three cameos account for 15 minutes. So, for Cap The Literally Freakin’ First Avenger, we get 8.25 hours of film with him.

And for Peggy? Her five cameos equal about 30 minutes. Her time in CA:TFA gets her about, 45 minutes (maybe a little less). BUT Marvel, in using her as the foundation of their cinematic universe (Peggy’s existence and skin in the fight pre-dates Cap’s) they gave her a series. It ran two seasons. She was the main character. It started with a short. Add fifteen minutes (we’re up to 1.5 hours, now). The series aired thirteen hours of footage. That’s 14.5 hours on-screen about Peggy Carter. That’s an awful lot to develop and write and shoot and produce to be dismissed as merely fan service, or (as it more frequently is claimed at least on tumblr) to solely try and establish that Steve Rogers is Straight-y McStraighterson b/c Peggy Carter.

Fourteen and a half hours across multiple plot lines and platforms. There’s the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D cameo. (Forgot about that one, didn’t you?)

Her appearance in Ant-Man.

Hours and hours and hours of plots and storylines that don’t deal with Steve Rogers at all, in any way. [Caveat: Some of S1 does masterfully deal with the loss of Captain American AND Steve Rogers--for both her and Howard Stark* (*also more than Cap’s boyfriend)]

Do you know who founds S.H.I.E.L.D.? Howard Stark and PEGGY CARTER. Are we gonna argue now that S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t foundational to the MCU? Are we gonna handwave Coulson and Fury, Maria Hill b/c “they just work for Cap’s girlfriend”?

Marvel’s Agent Carter spent literally AN ENTIRE SEASON schooling us on the fact that dismissing Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers’ Liaison (she’s his handler, he’s her asset) as ‘Cap’s Girlfriend’ was not only reductive but wrong-headed. Six hours of listening to bonehead boys-club agents at SSR belittling Peggy for being female, claiming her entire professional existence was courtesy Cap.

And yet Peggy is already in the military when she is assigned to Cap’s unit. She’s already giving orders, and working for Tommy Lee Jones—don’t think she wasn’t getting told she was probably sleeping with HIM--(and dealing with idiots who can’t yet dismiss her for being Cap’s girlfriend, so they’re glad to sneer at her for being a female in power).

Peggy Carter doesn’t work under Steve Rogers, she works for people above him. She’s the one who, as they say in the spy world, ‘brings him in’ by encouraging him to break-up with the USO and use what Dr. Erskine gave him for a greater good. She works alongside Howard Stark, possibly the brightest mind on Earth at the time.

And let’s not forget the fact that Steve and Peggy are not ACTUALLY dating. They’ve never been on a date. Once, she visited a bar where he was, and then left after a short period of time. Alone.

It is actually illegal in the Midwest to leave this dress out of any posts where it can feasibly be used.

They may have spent hours together in work-based situations, but insofar as we’re shown, they never even so much as brushed hands. Yeah, her picture’s in his compass. And they look at each other like they’re ready to make love despite the full room crowd around them, but recall: There’s kissing, and only Tommy Lee Jones there to witness it.

What’s that mean? Well, I doubt it means TLJ’s character was interested enough or indiscreet enough to get that event posted in the base newsletter. What it means is that even if she had not been, Peggy’s sex immediately (long before anything happened between her and Steve) caused people to assume she was Steve’s girlfriend. Her grief following his loss? Not allowed to just be grief for a colleague, a lost asset. Nope, had to be love (even though to those making that qualification of their relationship little evidence existed to reach that conclusion). Peggy had no chance to be seen as other.

And had Steve lived/not crashed—she never, ever would have been able to extricate herself in-story from people assuming and tagging her with that label, negating all her personal triumphs as “Cap’s girlfriend’s” un-earned accomplishments.

But you know what we’re shown instead? Steve on ice—able to save the world later, but Agent Peggy Carter saving the world NOW. She’s ground-zero for dealing with the superpowered. If we’re told Cap’s the First Avenger, then Peggy Carter is the First Avenger’s handler. She writes the textbook for dealing with superpowers, and the supernatural showing up on earth. She builds the agency designed to deal with items like the Tesseract and people like Cap. Gate-keeper of what becomes the MCU.

I just love Dum Dum. Did I need another reason to use this photo?

In fact, there’s only one MCU character with more screen time than Peggy Carter. It’s the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. In his series, where he’s the main character, he clocks about 31 hours of time (roughly twice Peggy’s). And he’s in The Defenders ensemble as well. (I’ll generously award him two hours there, for a total of 33 hours in the MCU). But Matt Murdock stays in Hell’s Kitchen, and his adventures occur there. He’s not been allowed to run around in the broader mythology. He’s contained. Claustrophobic, even.

But Peggy Carter has been deliberately given vast MCU connections, and developed as a thread that runs through every earth-bound MCU journey (save Spider-Man thus far). In addition to her connection to Nick Fury, Black Widow’s Red Room training (via early Widow-prototype Dottie Underwood), SSR/S.H.I.E.L.D., the Howling Commandos, Howard Stark, and the original human Jarvis. She’s even dealt with Zero Matter, a similar entity to Thor’s Aether. She’s connected to Hank Pym, and personally knew Bucky Barnes in WWII. And almost certainly has an unexplored-in-canon connection to Tony Stark.

Arguably, Peggy Carter also wins Most Well-Developed character in the MCU. We’ve been shown Peggy has:

Parents who have appeared on-screen

Multiple named friends and acquaintances (many not even there to advance the plot!)

- Two significant frenemies (Dottie Underwood, Jack Thompson)

- Close confidantes with whom she shares multiple scenes

- A backstory/origin story given in her series that pre-dates her appearance in CA:TFA

- An ongoing narrative that laid the basis for the MCU

- A funeral attended by lots (a whole church-load) of people

- A broken-engagement fiance

Dated a man NOT Cap, following Cap’s ice dive

A husband

A brother

- Children

- Grandchildren

A niece

- A rich, whole, life outside her brief time with Cap

CONCLUSION: You know who dismisses Peggy Carter as Steve Rogers’ girlfriend? (And also suggests that she’s slept with Howard Stark, her former co-worker?) Loser SSR Agent Krzeminski.

Do you know what happens to him? He gets shot in the head. By a girl.

Who he probably just thought was some guy’s girlfriend.

#agent carter #marvel's agent carter #peggy carter #mcu #steve rogers #cap won't mind #is my marvel superhero #girlfriends #only a girlfriend #i grind my teeth in disgust

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dyslexicsquirrel · 5 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, James "Bucky" Barnes, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: Mistaken Identity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Light-Hearted

Stony Bingo 2019 round 2 fill (square T5) Prompt: mistaken identity

Steve was not sure how he ended up in this mess. And it was a mess because the people surrounding him had been expecting… a model? Or something, he still wasn’t sure. There was a lot of arguing going on. All this because of some man at the airport holding a sign that said ‘Rogers’.

Steve had been on his way out of the airport after he hit baggage claim to go flag down a cab or see if he could get a Lyft or something. The guy holding the sign had been wearing a suit, looking bored, and checking his watch and Steve had thought maybe his friends had gotten him a car home as a surprise? It wasn’t like it was so far out of the realm of possibilities. He’d been gone for the majority of the last four years in the army. They could have wanted to do something nice, so Steve walked up to the guy. “You waiting for Rogers?”

“Yeah, that you?” He looked relieved at the possibility of getting to leave the airport. Steve hated to disappoint the guy, but he also wanted to make sure he wasn’t stealing someone else’s ride.

“Steve Rogers?”

“Eh,” the guy said with a shrug. “I didn’t get a first name. You coming or not?”

“I guess I’m coming?” So, he’s followed the guy out of the airport, into the summer heat, which was a completely different type of heat than the type he’d gotten use to after three deployments to the Middle East.

He was led to a limo, and the man opened the door, holding out his hand. “I’m Happy, by the way.”

Steve switched his duffle to his other hand and shook Happy’s. “Nice to meet you.”

“You want to keep your bag with you are you want to throw it in the trunk?”

“Um.” Steve bent down to get a look at the inside of the limo. “Think I’ll keep it. Thanks though.”

“No problem. Hop in, I know where you’re going so just relax. I hear it was a long flight.”

“The longest,” he said with a sigh. It was what it had felt like at least. He slid into the limo, Happy shut the door behind him, and then got into the driver’s seat. The partition was up, so Steve pulled his phone out of his pocket to send a message to the group chat.

Steve: omw. Flight was fine. So tired

Bucky: great! Cant wait to see you. Nat made the thing with the pasta

Nat: Nat can talk for herself. But I made the alfredo thing is what he means. Also there’s garlic bread

Steve: you’re a saint and not just for putting up with Buck

Bucky: haha you think youre so fucking funny. I dont care youve been in the army I can still kick your ass punk

Steve shook his head. He’d missed them. He let out a slow breath, letting his loll against the back of the seat. This felt like the longest day of his life. He wanted a nap so badly. And why not? There was enough room for him to stretch out back here and the drive from LAX to Pasadena would take a while. Steve laid down across the seat, not even caring about the fact that it wasn’t all that safe, and closed his eyes.

Steve felt as if he’d just closed his eyes when someone started nudging his foot and he went from asleep to awake in a second. Pushing up in his elbows he could see Happy leaning in the open door of the limo frowning at him. “Come on, buddy. We’re already late. The boss is gonna have my ass.”

“Boss?” He asked, but Happy had already pulled his head back out and was standing by the open door, waiting for Steve to get out presumably. He shoved his phone, that had fallen onto the floor back in his duffle and slid out of the vehicle.

And froze.

“Where the hell are we?” His eyes scanned his surroundings. This was not Pasadena. This was not Nat and Bucky’s house.

Happy was still frowning at him. “The studio. Come on. Pepper and the makeup and wardrobe guys are waiting over on lot B.”

“I think there might be some kind of…” Steve started, but trailed off when Happy set off at a brisk pace, weaving through the crowd of people. Steve shut the door of the limo since Happy hadn’t and it seemed like he should then set off after Happy before he lost him and maybe his only hope of finding out what was happening.

“This is not the guy,” a red haired woman said to Happy for the fourth time, pointing at Steve, talking about him but not too him. That had been happening a lot since he followed Happy onto the lot.

“Pepper, he said his name was Rogers.”

“Ian Rogers, Happy. You were supposed to pick up Ian Rogers not—” ‘Pepper’ broke off and looked at Steve. “I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“Steve Rogers, ma’am.”

“Right.” She paused for a moment, staring at him, but shook her head and went back to her conversation with Happy. “Not Steve Rogers. You need to go pick up the right guy. He’s still at the airport. His agent just called me, because Ian called him, and I don’t like getting yelled at for things I wasn’t aware were a problem.”

“But traffic is going to be murder,” Happy attempted to complain, but Pepper cut him off in a business-like manner that would have made some of his drills sargeants proud.

“I don’t care about the traffic.” She pulled something out of the folder she was carrying and handed it to Happy. “This is him. Please, go pick him up.” The words made it sound as if Happy had a choice in the manner, but her tone left no room for arguments. Happy looked at the picture Pepper had handed him (Steve took a peek and the only thing he shared with this guy was a last name) and slunk off. Steve felt a little bad for him. It hadn’t been completely Happy's fault, but Steve was a little too tired to work up full blown concern that the guy had to battle LA traffic again.

“Now,” Pepper said, pulling Steve’s focus pack to her. “Mr. Rogers, I’d like to apologize for this mix up.”

“It’s alright, ma’am. If I could just get a ride home, that would be great, though.”

“If you don’t mind waiting a bit longer I can have Happy give you a ride when he gets back,” Pepper said, and Steve did mind a little because he wanted to go home (to Nat and Bucky’s home where he was staying for the time being anyway), carb load on fettuccine Alfredo and garlic bread and then sleep for a week.

He was trying to think of a polite way to tell her he would just get a cab when someone behind him said, “Why is Happy leaving again?”

“Oh, Tony, there you are.” Pepper looked off to a point past Steve’s shoulder and he turned to see who she was talking to. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a Rolling Stones t-shirt and a pair of crazy looking sneakers that made Steve blink. They were bright orange hi-tops that looked like they had paint splatter all over them. His hair was gelled into one of those purposely messy styles that Steve could never pull off, but this guy made look both like he just rolled out of bed and right off a runway, and his goatee was precisely trimmed.

He should have looked like he was trying too hard, but he didn’t. The look fit him somehow and the fact that he was one of the most gorgeous men Steve had seen in a while didn’t hurt. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell wasn’t a thing anymore, but Steve still hadn’t spread it around that he was bi-sexual. And except for a brief fling with a British soldier he’d met in Afghanistan that ended when his deployment did, Steve had dated anyone since.m, if you could consider what he’d had with Peggy ‘dating.’

He hadn’t slept with anyone since either and that had been… more years than he cared to admit. Steve blamed that for the overblown reaction to the man in front of him.

“Sorry, I’m late, hun,” this Tony guy said, kissing Pepper’s cheek when she walked over to him. “Traffic from Malibu was crazy.”

“Yeah, I’ve been hearing all about the traffic today,” Pepper said with a sigh. “But there was a mix up. Happy picked up the wrong person at the airport.”

“What?” Tony’s gaze landed on Steve and he pulled his sunglasses off, a frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. The weight of his dark eyes only rested on Steve for a moment, but it was enough for him to still feel them when he turned away. “How did that happen?”

“Same last name. Tony, meet Steve Rogers.” Pepper gestured to Steve with one hand. Tony was looking at him again and Steve cleared his throat.

“Huh,” Tony murmured. He gave Steve a quick once over and pivoted back to Pepper. “Maybe we could—”

“No,” she interrupted. “Ian has a contract, Tony.”

“Ah, well.” Tony shrugged, tossing Steve a crooked smile. “Had to try. You would have been perfect.”

“I—thank you,” he stuttered. “Where am I? No one has told me.”

“I’ve had plenty of days like that,” Tony told him in a conspiratorial tone. Steve stares at him blankly. “Anyway. Welcome to Stark Pictures. Sorry about this whole mess. We’re usually more professional.”

“It’s… fine.”

“I’m sure.” Tony didn’t sound convinced and Steve really didn’t want to try and convince him. The other man clapped him on the shoulder. “Listen, why don’t I drive you home. Where do’ya live?”

“Tony,” Pepper started, but Tony ignored her.

“Glendale? Burbank? What’s that one place from that one show?” He snaps his fingers a couple times, looking at Pepper expectantly.

“That’s not helpful,” is all she says.

It doesn’t seem to matter because Tony turns back to Steve. “West Covina. That’s it.”

“Pasadena.”

“Really? You don’t look like someone who’d live in Pasadena.”

Steve doesn’t know what that means. “I’m staying with friends.”

“Ah. Well, grab your stuff. I’ll take you home.”

“Tony, you should stay—”

“Pep, my favorite producer, light of my life, person who allows me to function.” He gripped her shoulders. Steve was really trying to figure out their relationship. “Happy isn’t going to be back anytime soon unless he runs all the red lights between here and LAX. Plus, you don’t need me here. I was just stopping by to stand around a look pretty.”

“Yeah, but Tony—”

“I’m just the owner of the studio, Pepper. You make the real magic happen,” he said, walking away backwards. “Come on, Steve.”

Steve’s desire to go home won out over anything else. “It was nice to meet you,” he tells Pepper, picking up god duffle from where he’d dropped it and double timing to catch up with Tony who was already halfway to the back entrance where he’s walked in.

When they made it outside, Steve stopped in his tracks because damn, this man had a nice car. Attractive, owned a movie studio, and he had great taste in cars? “Is that a—”

“Nineteen sixty-five Shelby Cobra? Yes, it is.” He popped the trunk and Steve stowed his duffle. “Did the restoration on this baby myself.”

“She’s beautiful,” Steve lightly ran his hand along the trim. Bucky was going to be so jealous.

“Thank you.” Something in Tony’s voice had Steve’s eyes popping up. He found Tony watching him. “This might sound a little crazy…”

“Yeah?”

“But did you want to get some dinner?”

“I’d love to,” he found himself saying before he could really think about it.

“Perfect. What are you in the mood for?”

“Honestly?” Steve and Tony climbed into the car. “I’d kill for a burger right now.” Coming almost directly off his last deployment, he hadn’t had a decent one in months.

“You’re in luck, I know where to get the best burgers in Hollywood.”

Tony started the car and drove out of the lot, the car purring. Apparently Tony’s hair hadn’t been styled that way; it was from driving with the top down. Steve could get used to this.

#stony bingo #cap-ironman bingo fill #stony #stevetony #stony fic #ao3 fic

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unsealedpaints · 5 years

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Endgame: The Tale of Two Steves

(Un)Popular opinion: Steve's ending is garbage trying to hide itself behind a candy coating of nostalgia. The mess that we got was a poorly-planned, cop-out ending arising from a combination of misplaced good intentions and multiple, non-story serving outside factors. *coughcontractscough*

tldr: one major issue I have with Steve’s ending is that there’s a disconnect between the story that I thought they may have wanted/were planning to tell and the story they ultimately told.

I had some time to digest the movie and why I absolutely hated the ending we got for Steve.

Full disclosure: MCU!Steve Rogers is my favorite.

I loved his through line. From the second he stood in the center of Times Square and realized he missed Peggy by an entire lifetime to his utter devastation as one of her pallbearers, I wanted so bad for him to find his peace. I loved that he was an imperfect man living in an imperfect world, just trying to do his best. I wanted him to find himself in this strange and crazy new world he’d been forced into. I wanted to see that he was going to be okay in the end.

Steve Rogers was a man out of time. He was a man who loved and lost. He found it hard fitting in to the present. Of course it was. It wouldn’t have been believable if he just slipped right into the new century without so much as a hiccup. Who wouldn’t find it hard to fit in? He slept for 70 years. He might as well have been on an alien planet for all that has changed.

But that was just the set up. The first act.

Yes, Steve’s biggest regrets were in what could’ve been, but that’s not something unique to him. We all have things we wish we could change, but as Peggy herself said, “None of us can go back.”

Steve Rogers is also a man who could adapt. He can change with the times. He didn’t fit in initially, but who is to say he never had the potential to find a place for himself eventually? He wasn’t shutting himself off from the world. He was trying. He caught up on books, watched movies and listened to the evolution of music. He was exploring his new world. He slloowwwly met new people - his heartfelt friendship with Natasha, his quick camaraderie with Sam, his going to comfort Wanda when she was doubting herself. He wasn’t close to being okay yet, but it was a start.

Through each successive movie, they were slowly setting him up for the possibility of moving on. The complete fuck up of Sharon’s character arc aside, they were trying to move him towards the path of finding his place in the future. He said himself, “I don't know, family, stability. The guy who wanted all that went in the ice seventy-five years ago. I think someone else came out.” And even in the inevitable scenario that he wasn’t ultimately going to be just a soldier, they were exploring his place in the world - the one he was already in.

Headed into Endgame, I honestly thought the worst possible scenario was his death. What I got was a different kind of disappointment.

I thought he wasn’t going to make it by the end. I walked into the theater ready for Steve Rogers to die a martyr and never get the quiet epilogue he so deserved. I was prepared to weep. I braced myself for it. I was so ready to say goodbye that when the second dusting cleared, I first felt a little hollow. He’s alive. And as the seconds ticked by and he still wasn’t dead, I felt a little hope creep in. HE’S ALIVE. The possibilities are endless. He’s got his whole life ahead of him so he still has a chance to be happy in this world.

But then, he didn’t move on. He did the opposite of what Peggy asked him to do and he looked back on what he couldn’t have and he was not able to let it go. He couldn’t do what Peggy could. He didn’t think the things and people he actually does have was worth as much as the person he never got to have. He didn’t bother trying to find himself in his actual time line. He fucked off to play house with Peggy’s identical twin sister (who I staunchly believe is not HIS Peggy, because his real Peggy married another man, had kids and found her own happiness and has already died).

I left the theater feeling nothing. Because otherwise, the only other emotion I had was anger, but at first, I didn’t quite understand why I felt that way. It had nothing to do with shipping, because Steve has always been my fandom bicycle. I had my preferences, but I didn’t care who he ended up with as long as it made sense to the story and he was happy. I loved Peggy. I should be glad he got the happy ending he always wanted. There are so many people who say that it’s the PERFECT ending for him, that he deserves the life of happiness with Peggy so we should just be happy for him.

But I wasn’t.

I eventually figured out why I couldn’t be happy for him the way everyone else seemed to be: I never got a real conflict resolution. I was following a different story.

Regardless of the original plans for Steve’s through line, his story had to end. They were obligated by contract to do so. They couldn’t do a story about him moving on because they didn’t have the time, not unless they recast Steve Rogers, but that was not going to happen lest they wanted riots in the streets. So they had to do something to end it. What was the next best thing? Certainly not a heroic death. Tony took that. Certainly not a huge self sacrifice. Natasha was tossed into that role. No, they can’t be all doom and gloom, lest they be accused of being DC dark. Somebody needed that fairy tale happy ending. So that left Steve.

But the thing is, for me, getting what you “deserve” was never the point of Steve Roger’s story. For me, I had been following what was actually a pretty solid through line of needing to find the strength in yourself to move beyond the tragedies of your life and building your way in a future that you can grow into and be happy.

But that’s not the story that was told in Endgame.

They were so busy cramming him into the fairy tale they were obligated to tell that they forgot the story they had been telling in the first place. They were so busy drawing rainbows and sunshine that they forgot to consider what it all would mean for the story they were already building.

Whether intentional or not, Steve’s story ends with the implication that your ultimate happiness will never be found in the potential of the future you actually have, but that your ultimate happiness can only be in a fantasy world where you got that one prize you thought you deserved but missed out on. What happiness could Steve find that was outside of the Peggy he’s already lost and will never get back? The answer: nothing that was worth even trying to find.

As an aside, again, whether intentional or not, I really didn’t like the subtle implication that the very real family you have now - the adopted brothers, sisters and children you collected through the blood, sweat and tears of experience over the course of your life - are somehow worth less than the pipe dream of a pretty little house you’ve never lived in surrounded by a white picket fence with a woman you’ve known for less time than your actual family and 2 and a half unnamed, faceless children whom you’ve never met. But that’s another dissertation entirely.

You can argue that this is just a comic book story and we’re getting reading too much into it and who cares? It’s not important. You can argue that there’s nothing wrong with a fantasy, people should be able to have their greatest happy ending. That’s all fine and dandy, but that’s not the point I’m making.

Generally speaking, paying off the conflict is necessary in a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end. The conflict I wanted resolved was around dealing with personal tragedies and the struggles of moving past them, but that never actually got addressed. The “resolution” to the real pain of losing important parts of yourself was to not deal with it at all. It was a flaccid: sike, it’s all fine because *hand-wavy magical time travel*. It rings hollow because it was a cop out. Steve didn’t have to grow. He didn’t have to be stronger like his actual Peggy was. He was a good person and he deserved happiness, no one will deny that, but he didn’t actually have to deal with the loss of his actual Peggy for too long because he was given a new, younger, hotter Peggy as the trophy for all his hard work.

And don't get me wrong, if people are satisfied with a simple "and he got the toy he always wanted and he lived happily ever after", then it’s fine. No one has to think about a story beyond what they want to take out of it. There’s room in this world for fantastical, consequence-free happy endings. Nobody is obligated to interpret a story in any way other than their own.

But that’s why I’m personally not satisfied. I wasn’t following a fairy tale.

I was following a story of a man who lost everything, a man who was broken by his loss, but a man who was also strong enough to maybe, eventually, find his own happiness in the wake of it all. What I got was the first half of the set up that was abruptly cut off by the complete 180 change to some fairy tale with a tacked on ending about getting what you think you deserved.

At the end of the day, I’m not owed anything but the story I got. It wasn’t my story to tell. I know that. No author or story teller is obligated to change his or her story because an audience member wanted a different ending. Unless they’re getting paid for a job, no storyteller is obligated to even finish a story at all. I don’t want a do-over. What’s done is done.

I can only take the story we got for what it is, mourn for the story we never got, let go of it, and move on.

#endgame spoilers

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demonsonthemoon · 6 years

Text

We Shall Rule - Chapter 11

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Comics Pairings: Platonic Bucky Barnes & Clint Barton, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers Word Count: 2644 Note: A shorter chapter than usual, but you’ll get treated to additional nice things once #AggressivelyArospecWeek starts at @aggressivelyarospec (on the 24th of June).

Also available on AO3.

Clint was still asleep when Bucky woke up, and he took a second to appreciate the sight. Clint slept on his side, and right now he had one arm stretched above his head and the other lying near Bucky. From its position, it had probably held onto Bucky at one point during the night. Clint also apparently slept with his mouth half-open, and had an impressive case of bedhead. It was confusingly adorable.

Bucky stood up softly. He considered putting the prosthesis back on again, but felt like it wasn't necessary. So he simply walked out of the bedroom, careful not to let the door creak. He had a pee, then went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. He had just settled down on the couch when he noticed his phone, abandonned on the coffee table. He remembered texting Steve that he wouldn't be home last night, but also that he hadn't actually waited for a response. He quickly opened the message he'd received in return.

Okay, thanks for letting me know. Tell Clint I say hi, and take care!

Bucky smiled, feeling warm and at ease in a way that felt fundamentally right. The kind of rightness everyone always promised life would be full of.

He closed his eyes and sipped some of his water. He had nothing to do, nowhere to go, and for once the prospect was more comforting than terrifying. He could enjoy this moment, and take the time to pretend it would last forever.

He had stepped into a state that could almost be called meditation when he was interrupted by a loud yawn.

This just made him smile harder, and he looked over the back of the couch to where Clint had just emerged out of the bedroom, hair a complete mess. Clint didn't seem to notice him, making a bee-line to the coffee machine and setting a pot to brew. He stretched his arms above his head, and Bucky found it easy to stare, like the strip of skin revealed by Clint's t-shirt was already familiar territory.

It took two more minutes for Clint to finally look up at Bucky. His eyes widened. “Oh, shit,” Clint said, immediately darting back to the bedroom.

Bucky frowned until he saw Clint come out with one of his hearing aids in hand, having already put in the other one.

“Sorry about that,” Clint started again, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “I'm very bad at anything involving cognition if I haven't had a cup of coffee first. Which includes remembering when I have someone over and that it's generally seen as appropriate to be able to hear people when you're having them stay at your place.”

Bucky laughed. “It's okay. You already did me a favor by letting me stay, I'm not gonna push my luck and start criticizing your morning routine.”

“You wouldn't be the first one.” Clint frowned, then pointed an accusing finger. “How is your hair not a mess? This isn't fair.”

Bucky laughed again, louder and more freely this time. “I'm just that lucky. Doesn't seem to be your case though.”

Clint resorted to showing him his middle finger, turning around to pour himself a large mug of coffee, and Bucky cackled.

The blond actually came back with two mugs, putting the largest one on the coffee table and handing Bucky the other. “Do you take anything with this? I've got sugar. And I think I've got milk? I'd have to check if it's still good but... yeah.”

“Black is fine.”

Clint looked relieved. He picked up his mug and sat down on the couch next to Bucky. The latter was about to take a sip of his coffee and return to the serene thinking-about-nothing he had been doing earlier, but was interrupted by Clint asking if he was okay with cuddling.

“I'm asking because it's polite but also like... warning you that I am basically an octopus in the morning and that you can kick me away at any time if it starts getting annoying, and also feel free to just say no because obviously not everyone is into cuddling even if we...”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Had sex?”

“Yeah. Even if we had sex.”

Bucky took a second to consider things, especially because Clint was sitting on his left side. Then he shrugged, and turned his shoulders towards the man invitingly. “Cuddle away.”

Clint beamed at him before snuggling into his side and closing his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee and sighing like there was nowhere he would rather be in the world.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, in silence. Bucky could feel his stomach start to grumble, and knew he would have to ask for some food pretty soon, but he didn't feel like dislodging Clint right now. The couch was comfy and soft, and the other man was warm against his side. Food could wait a little longer.

Although, thinking of eating did make him remember something.

“Hey,” he said softly, receiving an inquiring hum as a response as Clint kept drinking his coffee with his eyes closed. “You still okay with coming over to my flat and meeting Steve?

Clint pulled away at that, looking him in the eyes. “You know, the way you keep insisting on this, it really sounds like we just got engaged and I'm about to meet your parents.”

Bucky shook his head. “Nah. You're gonna have to wait a while for that still. I'm not really in touch with my mom much.”

“You didn't say we hadn't just got engaged,” Clint pointed out, smiling.

And Bucky found himself laughing again. “You might have to wait a while for that too.”

Clint gave him a look that he guessed was supposed to be suggestive, although his bedhead made it look more ridiculous than anything. Bucky raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

“I'm serious though. Are you sure you're okay with coming? Because... well, I really want you there. But I'm not sure how it's gonna go, because I really don't know Peggy. Steve would be happy to meet you, though, I think. No pressure though. I mean... it wouldn't be a big dinner or anything. Just a way to spend an evening together. Get to know each other.”

Clint ran a hand through his hair. “I'm... Yeah. I mean, yeah, if you want me to come I'll try to be there.” He paused. “I just... Do you think it'll be okay with your roommate? I'm not...”

“You're not what?” Bucky frowned.

“Well, you already sound nervous and I... I'm not usually the kind of person people want to introduce to their other friends.”

Bucky was at a loss. “Why? Why wouldn't I... introduce you to my friends? I love spending time with you. You're funny, you're considerate, you make me feel at ease. Why wouldn't I want other people to get to know you?”

Clint pulled away almost imperciptably, folding his arms around himself. “Well, I don't know. I'm kind of a mess of a person. I'm unable to stick to the schedule of any normal futzing person because of insomnia and, like, my only close friends are either people I work for or kids nearly ten years younger than me and I don't have any of the goals people are supposed to have in life so that kind of limits the subjects of conversation and... I don't know!”

He raised his voice on the last word, then turned away, seemingly realising how defensive he had been acting. Bucky didn't know if he should reach out with one hand or leave Clint alone as he processed things.

In the end, he put his nearly empty cup of coffee on the table, and turned more fully towards Clint, trying to show that he was there and attentive without actually intruding on the other man's personal space.

“I don't know what other people have told you, Clint, but I like you. I like spending time with you. And who cares about regular life goals? I exchanged my arm for a shitload of PTSD after joining the army to run away from my problems, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to work again. I don't give a fuck about regular life goals. Neither does Steve. He worked super hard for me to let him be my friend again, just so that he could take care of me. We don't care. And neither should you. We're not gonna judge.” “Okay,” Clint said.

It threw Bucky off, has he had expected to have to fight much more than that to make himself heard. “Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. I'll come have dinner with you and your roommate.”

His tone was carefully neutral, which made something hurt in Bucky's chest. “Clint... I'm sorry if the way I said things made you think that... that you have to come. I don't want to force you to do anything you're not comfortable with.”

Clint shook his head. “No, no. I'll come. I'll... I'll try to come. If I can. I didn't mean... I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm not... like I don't want to.”

“Okay...” Bucky kept silent for a moment, unconvinced, as Clint downed the last of his coffee. Then his stomach grumbled. Apparently his inner clock was telling him it was time to change the subject. “Any chance of you having something I could eat before I head off?”

Clint smiled easily, as if the strained conversation that had just passed was already but a distant memory. “I can look. I know I've got cereals because Kate keeps some around for when she crashes here. I probably have some leftover bread we can toast and... eggs? I think? Though I can't promise not to burn them.”

“I can cook the eggs if you want. I don't mind.”

“Sure,” Clint replied, standing up. “Do you need to... uh...” He faltered, hesitating, then tilted his head towards Bucky's left shoulder.

“Uuh...” Bucky felt himself blush, which wasn't a reaction he had expected. “Nah. I can manage without if it's just cooking eggs. It's more comfortable if I don't wear the prosthesis too long.”

Clint nodded. “Well, follow me, then.”

The grandeur of the order was completely unnecessary considering Bucky had been here before and that the kitchen was more a half-closed off area in a corner of the living-room than an actual other room, but then again. This was Clint Barton.

The dinner was planned on a Saturday two weeks from then, because Peggy worked during the week and couldn't free herself up before then. Both Steve and Bucky were vibrating with anxious energy as they prepared the food, orbiting around one another without actually talking more than strictly necessary. It was tense and painful and the opposite of what this evening was supposed to be. Bucky felt almost physically sick with it, but he didn't know how to tell Steve, didn't want to admit all that he was scared of. He was scared of meeting Peggy, of not liking her and breaking Steve's heart. He was scared that Peggy wouldn't like him, that she would take one look at him and see right through everything, see how much of a burden he was on Steve, and that she wouldn't stand for it. Scared that she would take Steve away. And he was scared about Clint, because although he had meant every word he had told him, Clint's own doubts had started creeping into Bucky's brain. What if Steve didn't like him? What if Steve thought he was wasting his time? What if they fought and it ruined everything?

It was awful. Everything was awful and Bucky found himself gripping the countertop and staring into the pot of carrot and orange juice soup that was starting to bubble ominously.

“Hey,” Steve said softly. Bucky forced himself not to jump, and turned to face his best friend.

“Hey.”

Steve smiled tensely. “We need to talk.” His expression looked like a flinch put on hold, which would have been hilarious if Bucky didn't feel how serious the moment was.

“Yeah. Yeah, we do.”

“Couch?”

“Okay.” Bucky turned down the power of the stove so the soup wouldn't boil over and finally pulled himself away from the counter.

They both sat down on the living-room couch, an old thing that had belonged to Steve's mom and that that none of them would even consider getting rid of despite how lumpy it was.

“This evening is supposed to be nice,” Steve began. Bucky stiffly nodded in response. There was a pause. “It's not looking like it's gonna be nice, right now.”

Bucky looked down at his lap. “Yeah. Sorry, I...” He faltered, too scared of what he was going to say to find the right words.

“No, I'm sorry too,” Steve said then. “We've both been... cagey. It's definitely not just you.” He fiddled with the edge of his shirt. “I've been... worried. Scared. Of how this is gonna go.”

“Me too,” Bucky replied, voice low and eyes still cast low. “Clint as well.”

“I know you like Sam. And I'm afraid you won't get along with Peggy in the same way, and that you'll get mad at what I've wasted with Sam and...”

“You haven't wasted anything. Sam hasn't answered yet.”

“I know. I know but... It's been...” Bucky looked up, but it was Steve's turn to turn away. “I don't want to get my hopes up.”

“I'm scared that Peggy and I won't get along, and that she will make you choose between the both of us.”

Steve opened his mouth, ready to protest the idea, but Bucky kept talking.

“And I'm scared you won't like Clint, because he's scared you won't like him, and I don't know why that's actually so scary, except that you mean a lot to me and that I like Clint a lot and that I would really love it if you two could become friends. So yeah.”

Steve ran a hand through his hair, then across his face. “Urgh. What a mess. Do you...” He looked up, uncertain. “Do you want to call the dinner off?”

Bucky froze for a second. Did he? Then he shook his head. “No. I don't think that's a good idea. I think that if we did that we wouldn't ever be able to do it again. We'd be even more scared. I think this is a pull-the-band-aid-off situation.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. I think you're right.”

“We'll just... We know each other.” Steve nodded again. “We can trust each other's tastes, right? And even if... if something happens. We can talk it out.”

“It won't... it won't come between us. It can't. It's just... she's just my girlfriend.”

“And Clint's not even my boyfriend.”

Steve smiled tiredly, then reached out slightly. “Can I...?”

Bucky closed the rest of the distance, wrapping his arms around his best friends. Steve melted into the embrace, hiding his face against Bucky's shoulder. They both focused on calming their breathing down, letting the warmth and calm wash over them.

“Should we make sure everything's ready?” Steve whispered against Bucky's shirt.

“Yeah. Let's do that. Let's be perfect hosts and make our mothers proud, shall we?”

The joke was bad, but unexpected enough that it surprised a short laugh out of Steve. He got up and gave a hand to Bucky, which was funny in and of itself, since Bucky probably weighed twice as much as Steve even without his prosthesis on.

In that moment, it looked like it could still be okay.

#Meeni writes fics #Winterhawk #Clint Barton #Bucky Barnes #Steve Rogers #Fic: We Shall Rule

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