So, I'll try to be as coherent as possible with this Friday's discussion - intro.

It's really amazing how "less is more" sometimes proves to be true. I've watched The Avengers at least ten times over the last few months and among several strong impressions the movie leaves me with each and every time, my favorite is the sense of connection between Hawkeye and Black Widow, aka, Natasha and Clint. Even though we don't see them interacting a lot (how much screentime does Clint have anyway? I read it's 13-ish minutes somewhere, but it feels longer) the director (we know you're brilliant, sir) made sure we don't miss the fact that these two people have miles and miles behind them, which they've crossed together.

While these two share a lot in common, I picked power and trust for today's discussion, and I'll try to keep this brief and somewhat coherent (it's not easy with ALL THE FEELS). One thing I love in my OTPs is the sense of equality. There is no doubt that both of them are powerful, in sense of things they can do, their skill set and the fact that they can hold the ground with four other superheroes, all of whom are somehow enhanced (while movie! Clint and Tasha are "ordinary humans".) One thing which I love (when I write or read about them) is when they're portrayed as equally matched (aka, both good and capable fighters, strong personalities, smart and resourceful people, but also flawed people, but I guess that's a whole different topic. I especially appreciate when fic authors don't write Clint as "weaker", less capable in physical fight in order to show how badass or strong Natasha is - they're both strong.) Power dynamics between equally matched partners is very interesting to discuss or write or read about. I've seen this portrayed in different ways, with one in the lead and the other following, one being in charge of one aspect of their lives and partnership while other handles other things. Or they shift the power between them in the way they see fit, or how the current mission requires it.

Which leads me to trust. They're not really designed to be trusting people, but that single scene they share in the movie simply screamed (mutual) trust. I'm always left with the feeling that Natasha, as scared after the Hulk - encounter as she was, didn't trust anyone else to go after Clint, and there can be many reasons. Clint is dangerous, even in his mind - controlled state (or especially while he was like that), and even more people could have been killed, but also, I like to think that she wanted to be the one who'll see if there is any Clint left in him. When he wakes up it doesn't take her long to decide it really is him now, and she unties him. There are lot of cues that subtly show the level of comfort between them (which implies trust) - from physical closeness and the fact that they briefly share a smile (and to me, it's an important clue, because they don't do this with other Avengers), to the fact that things don't have to be explained in detail. They obviously share a history, and probably secrets. As far as headcanons go (and I share most of mine with cybermathwitch who helped me out with this post so much!) - I like to think that they're each other's failsafe (and if one is gone beyond repair, the other will end their life), and that's, I suppose, the ultimate trust when it comes to people like them. But trust can (and does) expand to other areas of life and I love when it's explored, especially when it's a part of Natasha's reclaiming herself theme - for someone who couldn't rely on anyone, having a partner like Clint is a monumental thing, and I like to think that this mutual trust is the base of the loyalty we witness in Natasha, from the moment Coulson utters the famous words "Barton's been compromised".

Okay, enough of me! I can't possibly do this theme justice all on my own. The bar is open, share your thoughts, rec your favorite fics, discuss, flail, do the thing you do best - have fun! <3!