'"You got a phone? Look up local B&Bs," Sam said to Bucky. "Or whatever Canadian is for B&B."
"I think it's just B&B. They literally speak the same language, Sam."'
Yes, this is a The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) fic.
In my defense: I've been totally open that I am trash 😅
And! Also! This fic might be TFATWS, but it's a lot different to the sort of stuff I usually rec from this fandom.
This fic walks the hazy line of morality around imprisonment and sympathetic villains.
Because Sam and Bucky don't really like the way Zemo is treated on The Raft (the villain prison,) - but they also know that Zemo's done terrible things, and shouldn't just be allowed to roam free and unmonitored.
There's also a limit on their power to improve his circumstances, since he's very much In The System™.
I mean, Zemo's awesome, as a character. I love him. But dude is a terrorist.
And that's pretty damn morally conflicting, right?
So, much as Sam and Bucky are like: we kinda like hanging around with this dude. They're also like: but he killed innocent people of his own free will, and may very well do it again if given half the chance.
...which, like I said, conflicting.
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| Via Giphy |
And this fic does a fantastic job of showing Sam and Bucky attempting to skirt that line - between justice and humanity, and between punishment and compassion.
It's also not overly-heavy though!
It doesn't lay it on with a trowel, but neither does it avoid the uncomfortable truths of the way that Western society, and the USA in particular, treats people it has deemed enemies.
A few content warnings for this one, then:
- imprisonment/incarceration
- implied physical abuse by prison guards
- injuries - bruising, etc.
- references to terrorism and murder
- references to human rights violations committed by the US government
This week's post, then, is:
Birds of Nova Scotia by Sholio
Do you think Zemo is a morally conflicting character?
Does Bucky see some of himself in Zemo (oooh, deep! 😅)?
Talk to me! 😎💬
Related Reading:
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I think Zemo is an extremely well-written character, and the morally conflicting elements of him make him such a fascinating character. I loved watching his development in TFAWTS and how Bucky and Sam interacted with him. The fact that he is such a challenging character to work with, and yet Bucky and Sam had to work with him to serve a greater good really opened up an interesting discussion of the sacrifices people make for "the good."
ReplyDeleteIt also raises the question of *who* decides whether the trade is worth it? Because Zemo carried out his attacks for a cause *he* thought was the greater good. He used Bucky as a means to an end in Civil War, just as Bucky uses him in TFATWS, after all...
DeleteHa, I love the deep convos hiding in plain sight ;) <3