swim through the fires to stay in this world

This Wednesday's Black Widow and Hawkeye were so epic and perfect and amazing that there really is nothing left for me to say.

This is a modified version of a meme linked to me by stainofmylove - I basically edited it around so the questions it asked fit answers I had:

( wow that was a fuckton of typing and linking good lord )

Also, when I was talking about favorite movies with a RL friend earlier I actually initially forgot about pacific rim so please, feel very free to comment if you think I forgot something or want further details.

Some random things:

• So, the winter soldier trailer happened and I am so excited.( Read more... )


• I read the second volume of morning glories and you should all start reading it too. kidiots has a great rec post here, although to be honest, I am kind of temped to just tell you all to just trust my taste and read without any prior info.


• I don't think fandom gives Alfred Pennyworth credit for what a sick, twisted sense of humor he has.


• This picspam made me really hope that someone requested unrequited or partially requited Art/Beth for Yuletide this year. I always thought that Art, at least, had a bit of a thing for Beth.

"The point of fics set in alternate universes are to show that no matter what setting or circumstance, these two people will always find each other. I will find you. Every me loves every you."

I came across this great quote on tumblr and it reminded me of that fantastic scene between Derek and Jesse in TSCC, where they realize that they came from different futures where they were both in a relationship with slightly different versions of the other person, where Derek says basically the above. To me, I felt like it was clear he wasn't telling the literal truth, but what he wanted to be true (that in all possible futures, they were with each other) which is just so fucking romantic.

And thinking about AUs reminded me of a conversation I had with backtothesea where I was talking about how the thing that really frustrated me with AUs, is when people didn't bother to translate pivotal characterization details into the new universe and how often it would be so. easy. My example was Artemis Crock, and how if her father wasn't a bad dude in whatever new universe we're in, it pings me the wrong way. Same with Natasha Romanoff. A childhood trained/used as a weapon is a requirement, imho.

How picky I am about this stuff is why I'm not a big AU person, really.

“You silly little girl, you think you’ve survived so long that survival shouldn’t hurt anymore. You keep trying to turn your body bullet proof. You keep trying to turn your heart into a bomb shelter. You silly thing. You are soft and alive. You bruise and heal. Cherish it. It is what you are born to do.”

— Clementine von Radics

I came across a meme on tumblr, which asked you to list your favorite characters from least cynical to most. And then I ended up having to retype the whole effing thing about three different times. So here it is, finally:

Male Characters:

Zuko> Han Solo > Clint Barton > Mal Reynolds > Jack Bristow

Female Characters:

Kate Bishop > Cameron > Faith Lehane > Natasha Romanoff > Adelle deWitt

I really liked thinking about this question ‘who is more cynical?’ but it actually wound up being way too easy.

The men are a slow, consistent slide from heart-of-gold dude with a shell of cynicism and anger to heart-of-gold-dude with a MUCH THICKER shell of cynicism and anger.

The female characters were pretty evenly divided between an optimist (Katie-Kate) and my violence, morally compromised ladies (Faith, Natasha, Adelle) right at Cameron, who I would argue is neither cynical nor optimistic.

For anat_astarte, I wrote Bucky/Natasha Winter Soldier fix-it not!fic.

There are some new promo pictures of the Avengers circling around and I just want to make sure everyone has seen this one of Black Widow, which is my favorite of the lot.

Also, this promo of Kat Dennings makes me want to write a Steve/Darcy 1940s detective AU so damn bad. Darcy is the detective, obvs, and Steve is the good man who's just returned home from the war and hires Darcy to [do something detective-y!] and there is banter! and Darcy smokes cigarettes like a sexy, sexy dame and plays both the role of the femme fatale AND the hard-boiled, wise-cracking, gumshoe while Steve falls in love.

If I was really going to be accurate to noir, the fic should end with them walking away from each other but FUCK THAT - instead, after learning THE TRUTH about [*waves hands* the whereabouts of Colonel Phillips! the names of former nazi generals hiding on US soil! Oh, I know, I know, the details of Howard Stark's war profiteering!] they kiss passionately in the rain before ~The End~ appears.

Speaking of things that should exist, this AU image for a Steve/Darcy Weird Science AU made me desperate for fic on the subject!

A year ago I listed my top ten favorite male and female characters, in order.

It was brutal.

And even at the time, I knew that there was no way that list was going to stay static.

So may I present, Redbrunja’s Top 10 Male and Female characters, 2013.

(To save time, I’m only providing commentary for characters who are either new to the list, or have moved up or down it in noteworthy ways.)

( Drumroll, please. )

Coming up, Top Ten Pairings and Top Five Friendships.

Restless: Hayley Atwell. Michelle Dockery. Lady!spies. WWII. Mother-daughter relationships. USED TO BE RUSSIAN.

THIS IS LITERALLY %60 OF MY NANO RIGHT THERE.

ALSO, SO MANY THINGS THAT I LOVE.

I FUCKING NEED THIS IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW.

JUST LOOK AT THIS FUCKING GIF SET SWEET LORD ALMIGHTY.