Holy freaking...*flails* I SHOULD NOT HAVE SAT DOWN TO READ THE ENTIRETY OF THIS VERSE AT ONCE. I am having serious problems here, Bee, on account of my brain. being. destroyed. You put Natasha reclaiming herself in this thing and you. You.

Right, did I just say the relgious dynamic came out more clearly in Bob's fics in this verse than yours? Should have kept my mouth shut lol. I added some thoughts on relgion in a comment to Bob over here but yours has slipped right into it now as well with the ritual washing, the cleansing, and "It can't work like that," he says. "Not here." like this is a time and space about, sacrisanct.

Which sends me back to: Sometimes the blood is the only thing that can wash it off. Because ritual murder, scarfice as cleansing, blood on the altar. Now Clint is almost showing her a new form of religion, so, okay, bear with me here: Clint's in love with Natasha. That's been clear. But she's been devoted in her own way, the pair of them devoted to this trust between them, she's joined him in worshipping that, but he's also at many times been worshipping her and she hasn't been doing that, so it's almost like she's one religion, she has the faith, but it's this harsher thing from an old time, an old world, and here he shows her another, doesn't ask her to convert, but worships her in his own religion. And she doesn't 'convert'. It's not a language that she understands, but when she tries to translate it she isn't really translating it into her religion, of blood on the alter, but back to the ropes and the worshipping of the trust between them, the middle ground. Then at the end she kisses him, with the (holy) water like a blessing, which isn't his ritual, because his is one of no contact like this, and it isn't her ritual, it is again a middle ground and THAT becomes a habit, a new ritual, or a new part to Clint's ritual. Again with them building something between them and together. Yeah, if that makes any kind of sense *grins*.

Also, I LOVE this line: You can't remember if this shade of lipstick is yours or meant for someone else and that Clint can just tell when she's herself again and that he has that power, that she gives him that power to bring her back to herself (and to him, but to herself). (She's been reclaiming herself in blood, in the red of ledgers, and here's Clint and he's, what, offering another way? Yeah, hazy on how this fits in the reclaimation theme, brain getting frazzled, but it's there.)

(She's been reclaiming herself in blood, in the red of ledgers, and here's Clint and he's, what, offering another way? Yeah, hazy on how this fits in the reclaimation theme, brain getting frazzled, but it's there.)

I'll respond in detail when I get more than a few seconds but yes-- he is showing her another way-- a way that washes out the red. It's an image of baptism as well as ritual cleansing. :)

Yeah, I get the ritual and the cleansing, but I'm seeing something else in here I think, of Natasha reclaiming herself somewhat seperately from Clint. I couldn't put it into words at this point, but it comes through in the later fics and it starts here. I've get wordy later.

Anyway, don't worry about speedy replying. I've just finished reading through the whole series in order and I've tossed out thoughts all over the show, heh, it's a mess of thinky. Gimme some time (and some sleep) and I'll try and organise some overarching stuff and poke you and Bob about it For now: seriously damn good stuff. Like woah. With added WOW. And does tie back to Bait, the whole thing of beauty <3 I would love to give you thinky thoughts and see if/how they tie in with what you guys were actually thinking when you were writing.

Oh yeah-- there's something totally going on here beyond that, that just has to do with her. Hell, I haven't even been able ti articulate it yet. But I fully believe in you mad meta skills to suss it out because you are that friggin' awesome. :D

Also? The comment have been epic tonight my friend. EPIC. I'm rolling in the feels. All the thanks.

ut I fully believe in you mad meta skills to suss it out because you are that friggin' awesome. You make me blush :D I don't know, I think I have something and I think it starts here. I took a shot at it, anyway.

I was going to go through them a few at a time, a couple per night, but you TOOK MT BRAIN AND PLAYED WITH IT. Commenting had to happen. And now I seem to have too many thoughts to fit inside a comment box, so, um, I posted on my journal here a bunch of thiny thoughts, including on Natasha reclaiming herself.