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is-it-madness · 3 years

Text

Metal Fingers

A/N 1: This fic is for my lovely beta/bestie @wowjeena Heyyo, would you be up to writing a soulmate au with Bucky? You can choose which type of soulmate au but can you make the reader a normal person (so not an Avenger or anything related)?? Thanks girl and if you don’t wanna that’s chill 👉🏼👉🏼 So... it’s not exactly a soulmate au, but I hope this is okay instead ☺️💜💜 I’m also so sorry it took so long. I hope you like it, my dear.

A/N 2: The Bucky Barnes Exhibit states he was born in 1916, but at the bottom where it gives his life span, it says he was born in 1917. I googled it to find the correct year, and it said 1917… I don’t know what to do with that information, other than to tell you guys there’s a mistake in the movie.

A/N 3: I apparently couldn’t make this a one shot, so it’ll be a multi part story. I’m aiming between 3-5 parts

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x single mom!reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.5k+

~~~

Part 1

A Fallen Comrade.

James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes

Born in 1916, Barnes grew up the oldest child of four. An excellent athlete who also excelled in the classroom. Barnes enlisted in the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After winter training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, Barnes and the rest of the 107th shipped out to the Italian front. Captured by Hydra troops later that fall, Barnes endured long periods of isolation, deprivation and torture. But his will was strong. In an ironic twist of fate, his prison camp was liberated by none other than his childhood friend, Steve Rogers, now Captain America.

Reunited, Barnes and Rogers led Captain America’s newly formed unit, The Howling Commandos. Barnes’ marksmanship was invaluable as Rogers and his team destroyed Hydra bases and disrupted Nazi troop movements throughout the European Theater.

He knew these words. He read and reread them dozens— if not hundreds— of times. He wrote them down in every one of his notebooks as he was scrapping, searching for his memories that were just out of his reach. He could nearly taste them. They fluttered teasingly in front of him: close, but not close enough for him to snatch out of the air of uncertainty.

He pulled a fresh notebook from his bag and a pencil, worried away from teeth and words.

Start with what you know…

My name is James Buchanan Barnes. I was taken captive by Hydra and was used by them. I know a man named Steve. He was my friend.

He trailed off. This is where he always was left floating in a sea of not knowing. He was left grasping for more. He was a starved man, empty without his memories. The few he managed to uncover did little to tide him over from insanity. He bit at that familiar indentation on his pencil, trying to think of something, anything at this point that was more than those four simple sentences he’s written everyday for the past several weeks. Sighing and pulling his baseball cap lower in frustration, Bucky returned his supplies to his bag, stood, and swung it over his right shoulder. Eyes low, and clutching his bag, Bucky made his way towards the exit of the crowded museum. Ever since the Potomac, this section of the Smithsonian was more packed than usual.

Nearly there. Nearly there.

It was an understatement to say that Bucky Barnes didn’t like crowded areas. Too many bodies, pressing, and pushing against each other, loud noises, pointless conversations discussing mundane things.

Nearly there. Nearly ther—

“Oof!”

He wouldn’t have noticed the boy that ran into him if his bag hadn’t slipped from his hand, spilling out the contents onto the floor. Bucky hurriedly crouched to retrieve his precious memories. He barely registers the boy picking up the items that had strayed a bit further.

“Here you go Mister! I’m sorry for bumping into you like that.”

Bucky silently takes his belongings back from the little boy standing in front of him.

Bucky unintentionally begins to analyze him.

Probably seven or eight. Bright eyes. Tousled hair. Skinny. Doesn’t clear 100 pounds soaking.

He shakes his head. Stop. No more.

“Whoa, cool! Metal fingers!!”

Bucky quickly retracts his fingerless-gloved hand.

The boy pulls his hand from his sweatshirt pocket. “Yours are cooler, but I have metal fingers too! Well, actually it’s a metal arm because the doctors had to get rid of my real one because I got hurt super bad, but I think it’s really cool.”

The boy said this all extremely fast, Bucky had to blink a few times to register what he had said. A compliment? For his hand? A hand that’s maimed, killed, and caused so many people to suffer?

“Uh… I… I have a metal arm too.”

The little boy’s eyes widened even more. He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but Bucky took off his glove and showed it to the boy.

He took Bucky’s hand in his and stared at it, looking back and forth at Bucky’s hand and his. Bucky stood there stiffly, unsure how to respond. The boy looked up at Bucky solemnly.

“Do you have super powers?” he whispered.

Bucky couldn’t help but crack a smile at his seriousness, but before he could answer, a woman came running through the crowd.

“Noah!”

The boy turned to give her a lopsided grin. “Hi Mom!”

“How many times have I told you to stay by my side, young man?”

The boy, Noah, dropped Bucky’s hand and took a step closer to the woman. “Sorry. But Mom!”

A raised brow silenced Noah. The woman looked up at Bucky.

“I’m so sorry if he was bothering you. He’s very social.”

Bucky forgot how to speak for a minute. The woman standing in front of him was… well, he’d never seen anyone as beautiful as her. Bright, sparkling eyes confirming where Noah got his from, a soft voice, and a sweet smile.

“Oh, uh, no. I mean, he is. I mean‒” When was the last time he had gotten tongue-tied?

Bucky cleared his throat, forced himself to try to ignore the sweet smile that was widening, and tried again. “He wasn’t bothering me. We were just talking about‒”

“His metal arm! Look at it, Mom!” Noah hurries back to Bucky’s side and holds his mechanical hand. “Look how awesome it is! And it’s huge!” He started poking Bucky’s upper arm and gasps. “And so are his muscles!! I bet he could crush anything!”

Noah began miming picking up heavy objects or crushing imaginary things, complete with sound effects. Bucky doesn’t miss Noah’s mother’s eyes widen slightly when Noah pointed out how massive his biceps are.

“Noah, honey, why don’t we go check out the exhibit?”

“Oh yeah! Let’s go, Mom!” He nearly takes off again before giving his mother a sheepish smile.

“What did you do?”

“I… I turned our map into a paper airplane.”

“And?”

“And... it… flew out of my hands?”

“Mm hmm. I see. Well, I guess we’ll just have to come back another time.”

Noah gasps and clutches his mom’s hand. “No! Please Mom! Don’t do this to me!!”

Her laugh causes Bucky’s heart to skip a few beats, and it frustrates him that he doesn’t know why.

“Which exhibit are you looking for?”

Noah looks at Bucky and salutes. “We’re here to see the Mister Captain America exhibit.”

“I could take you guys there.”

What. On earth. Gave him that idea?!

“Woo! Let’s‒”

Noah’s cheer was cut off by his mother. “Oh, no that’s okay. I’m sure you’re busy and you probably have something to get to you.”

She’s right… Why did I even offer in the first place? I can’t‒

“It’s not a problem. I was heading over there right now actually.”

Jesus! What’s wrong with me?

Noah grabbed his mother’s hand and followed Bucky to the famed exhibit.

~~~

“So, I take it Noah’s a fan of the Captain?”

The beautiful lady standing next to him nodded. “Yeah, Noah loves him; really looks up to him.”

“Makes sense, he’s a good guy.”

“Sounds like you’ve met him before.”

“You could say that.”

They were pulled away from their conversation when Noah ran up to them, grinning.

“Mom! Look how skinny Steve was! And, and his friend? Um… Bucky? Yeah! Bucky! He would always help Steve out because Steve would always get in fights! So Bucky would come and have to save him!”

Noah then proceeded to animatedly tell his audience how Steve became the Captain and fought in the War. When he went to go read the display in front of Steve’s motorcycle, Bucky turned back to the woman.

“Is this his first time here?”

She nodded and smiled. “I promised I would take him when I had a day off. He’s been waiting for weeks.”

A pause.

“How ‘bout you?”

“What?” Damn that smile! He got distracted.

“I take it this isn’t your first time here?”

“No, ma’am.”

Her giggle caused his firm expression to slip into a small smile.

Bucky spent the rest of the afternoon showing Noah around. He learned that Noah and his mother had been in a terrible car accident two years before. The injuries Noah sustained to his right arm were irreversible, thus leading to an amputation, a prosthetic arm, and even though she didn’t say, expensive medical bills burdened on his mother.

When the museum closed, Noah was asking his mother when they’d be able to return.

“I’m not sure baby. How about next weekend?”

Noah did a little dance showing his affirmation. Then he looked at Bucky.

“Will you be here too, Mr. James?”

“Uh, yeah sure kid. I’ll be here.”

Noah fist pumped as his mother said goodbye to Bucky.

~~~

Holy shit. Holy shit!

You had been trying to keep your cool ever since you found Noah with James. You were eating dinner and you still hadn’t gotten over him. That man was fucking stunning. Blue, blue eyes that were filled with such sorrow, a smile that made your insides flutter, and a deep voice you were willing to listen to for hours on end. Soft and sonorous. And he was so sweet and kind with Noah. That alone had you taking a liking to him.

“Mom?! Mom!”

“Oh— sorry, baby. What’s wrong?”

“Thanks for taking me to the museum.”

You ruffle his hair. “Thanks for being so patient for me.”

He smiles as he shovels pasta into his mouth.

~~~

My Ride or Die:

@lehuka123 @thejournalman @myraiswack @loki-yoursaviourishere @rebloggingeverything @just-the-hiddles @confetti-its-an-imagine-blog @thehumanistsdiary @fanfictionaries @astheworlddturns @bbarnestan @buckyfan12

#bucky fic #bucky barnes #bucky fluff #Bucky Barnes fic #Bucky x you #Bucky Barnes x you #Bucky Barnes fluff #bucky x single mom #Bucky Barnes x single mom #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x y/n #Bucky fanfiction #Bucky Barnes fanfiction #Metal Fingers #thea writes #Metal Fingers part 1

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amarits · 5 years

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F for the fanfiction asks

F. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

[Spoiler Warning if you haven’t read Common People]

Oh man, this is hard. I have to remember something I wrote.

I tend to go through trends of liking something when I first write it, liking it less each time I reread it, entirely forgetting it exists, and then reading it months later and liking it again. I was just rereading part of the second chapter today to remind myself of something for the chapter I’m working on, and this part made me laugh:

“What?” Tim asked. “I’m just checking to see if he has street cred.”

“Okay, look, squirt," Jason said. "You can’t say street cred while wearing that shirt.”

“What’s wrong with it?” he asked.

“You look like an Ivy League freshman on their way to their first lacrosse meet.”

Tim looked down at his button-up plaid shirt, khaki pants—seriously, what kind of asshole puts an eleven-year-old in khaki pants?—and loafers, and said, “I think you have no idea what people wear while playing lacrosse.”

But I’ll probably reread it on my blog tomorrow and be embarrassed by it because that’s the kind of person I am.

More after the read more because I ended up having way more on this than I expected.

I do like writing Jason and Tim scenes because I can just let their personalities play off of each other and they can be weird kids together. This scene makes me laugh too:

He turned his head so his ear was against the door. There was a quiet shuffling noise he couldn’t place. "Doing okay in there?" he asked after several long minutes dragged past.

"No, I'm dying." The response was immediate, but sounded distracted and far away.

"You are not." He pressed his ear harder against the door. The noises had to be from the far side of the closet. There was a quiet grunt followed by a thump.

"I'm having a heart attack." There was another grunt and then a rattle. What the hell?

"You can't actually think I'd fall for that, can you?" he asked, moving along the door to try to hear better. It occurred to him that he had no idea what was stored in that closet. Little Timmy could be doing anything in there. In the Alley, that probably meant he had a weapon. Maybe even a hastily assembled bomb, but he couldn’t imagine the rich brat assembling anything more dangerous than a bubble blower.

But if he was up to something, Jason wasn’t going to just sit around and wait for him to finish.

"It's not a trick,” Tim said. “I'm having a heart attack and dying."

Jason swung the door open on the last word, fists clenched and body braced for an attack. Instead Tim stilled and stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. He was surrounded by boxes, another small one in his hands. What looked like a decorative coat rack had fallen behind him, the top of it pointing at Jason’s feet.

“What the hell?” Jason asked. Had he been making a fort?

“This is what having a heart attack looks like,” Tim said.

I also really enjoy anytime Bruce and Jason talk because of the way it tends to go a little bit wrong despite best intentions. They’re bad at communicating, so just about everything turns into an argument, but I think you can usually see that Bruce is trying. I like this scene after the gala, for example:

“Jason, can I talk to you for a minute?” Wayne asked, inclining his head towards the hallway.

Here it comes, Jason thought as he stood up and followed. The smug told-you-sos and maybe a punishment for leaving early. Sure, Tim left early too, but Jason was the one with something to prove. His shoulders hunched more with each step until he was practically the hunchback of Notre Dame.

Wayne turned to face him in the hallway, expression serious. “You did well,” he said.

What the hell? Jason straightened up so quickly to stare at him he got a crick in his back.

“Much better than I expected,” he continued, because of course. He couldn’t just compliment Jason. He had to append an insult onto the end there.

“What did you expect?” Jason asked. “For me to yell at a few people and then go streaking through the ballroom?”

Wayne gave him a pointed look. “I don’t think yelling would have been out of character.”

“Fuck you. You don’t know me.”

Wayne rubbed a hand down his face. “This isn’t supposed to be an argument. I’m trying to say that you did well and I’m proud of you.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. He was sure there was still an insult buried in there somewhere. Proud for what? Not being himself? Not embarrassing the family?

“I know that couldn’t have been easy for you,” Wayne continued, “especially with some of the things people were saying, but you handled yourself well.”

“So, what?” Jason asked. “‘Handling myself well’ is not standing up for myself? Just letting people walk all over me?”

“No,” Wayne said sharply. Jason flinched, then quickly schooled his expression. He didn’t want to show Wayne any weakness. “It’s not rising to the bait. People are going to talk badly about you. Heaven knows they talk badly about me. It’s only going to get worse if you try to fight them. That doesn’t mean you can’t stand up for yourself.” A smirk danced across his lips. “I thought you handled ol’ Ronny boy perfectly.”

Oh. Apparently Wayne had heard what Ronny said. And then greeted him with a huge smile. He didn’t know how he felt about that. At least when people were yelling you knew where you stood with them. The idea that all those people were just constantly talking behind each other's backs while smiling to their faces made his guts twist uncomfortably. How was he supposed to ever know who he could trust?

“Yeah, well, maybe they deserved to be yelled at,” Jason said.

“They often do,” Wayne said with an obnoxiously sage tone of voice. What, was he going for a wise-man-on-the-mountain act? Trying to appear understanding? He couldn’t understand. He was one of them.

“Stop it,” Jason spat out. “Stop trying to act like you’re better than them. You were right there with them.” Wayne opened his mouth to respond but Jason steamrolled over him. “This was supposed to be a charity event, but nobody cared about anything except looking rich, acting rich, and getting along with the other rich people. Every person there could feed all of Crime Alley for a year without sacrificing a single luxury, but they don’t care about anything but themselves. You included.”

Wayne was silent. Good. Maybe he’d go away and Jason could get back to figuring out how to beat Tim.

“The gala raised 2.3 million dollars,” Wayne said, voice even. Jason knew that tone. It was the one people used when they were right on the edge of lashing out. He braced himself, but stood his ground. “We have a charity division that handles the distribution of funds, but perhaps you’d like to sit in on the meeting where they decide what to do with the money from this gala?”

That. Was not what he expected. He faltered, and Wayne seemed to notice. His voice softened.

“I know it might not have looked like it in there tonight, but we are… I am trying to help people.” He raised a hand as if to put it on Jason’s shoulder but stopped when Jason stiffened. He slowly lowered it again. “You have a better idea than me what would help people the most. You’ve lived it. I’m sure the charity division would appreciate your input.”

He shrugged, not meeting Wayne’s eyes. “Yeah, okay. Maybe.”

He thought he saw Wayne smile out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked fully it was gone. “Good,” he said, as if he’d completed a business deal. Fucker.

Probably my favorite conversations though are the ones while they’re climbing the fire escape in the 7th chapter. First, Tim and Jason’s conversation about Tim’s mom. I wrote, or imagined, so many versions of Jason learning about Tim’s mom. The first was actually as far back as the third chapter when Dick was telling Jason about how he came to the manor. Then when Tim mentioned his mom in the fourth chapter. Then when they were on the roof in the fifth chapter. Then after the gala in the 6th chapter. But it never felt right. It was too much information to give unprompted or Jason didn’t feel comfortable asking. Instead you get little references and Jason wondering, so I really enjoyed finally having the conversation.

“You should talk to Dad, you know.”

“I don’t think that’s ever true,” Jason muttered.

“I mean it,” Tim said. He stopped at the next landing and waited for Jason to catch up. He didn’t seem at all out of breath, which was terribly unfair. Jason needed in on whatever exercise routine Dick had him on. “I don’t know what’s going on with him and your mom and—” He waved his hand in wild circles. “But I’m sure he’s not keeping you from her on purpose.”

“Then what is he doing?” Jason asked harshly, breaking the sentence halfway through to breathe. Fuck, he didn’t want to talk about this when he was too out of breath to argue.

“I don’t know,” Tim said. “But he wouldn’t do that.”

Jason sneered. “I don’t know about that, Timmy. I haven’t seen your mom around.” He hadn’t asked. He’d kept not asking because it wasn’t his business, and it was clear nobody wanted to talk about it, but hell if it wasn’t relevant.

Tim’s eyes widened and he took a sharp breath. Then his face closed down. It was like he was trying to mimic Wayne’s robot act, but not quite succeeding. Tears bloomed at the corner of his eyes. “That has nothing to do with dad.”

“You sure about that?” Jason asked. Because he wasn’t. Tim was a baby when he came to the manor. He didn’t know what happened behind closed doors when he was too young to remember.

“Yes,” Tim spat vehemently.

“So, then where is she?” Jason pressed.

“I don’t know,” Tim said. He turned and stomped up the steps to the next landing. “Somewhere in South America, I think,” he said loudly enough to be heard over the percussive metal ringing. “Enjoying not having a kid slowing her down.”

Jason followed slowly after him. Tim stopped halfway across the landing and stared out at the thin sliver of road they could see between buildings. Jason stopped beside him and leaned on the railing. Headlights passed by in eerie silence. Up here, they couldn’t hear anything but wind whistling through the narrow alley.

“Everyone tells me she’s just busy,” Tim said, talking out into the night instead of to Jason. “Or...I don’t know, something. She owns her own company. She works hard. She travels a lot. But I know the truth. She never wanted me and I got in the way.” Jason wanted to say he was sure that wasn’t true, to reassure Tim in some way, but he got the idea Tim was tired of reassurances. And the truth was, he wasn’t sure that Tim’s mom cared. He knew better than to think every mom was good.

Tim slowly started walking up the stairs again, no longer stomping, but not bouncing either. So softly Jason almost didn't hear it, he said, “At least your mom had a good reason to give you up.”

Jason had to say something. He had to say something. It had already been too long, and the silence weighed heavier with each step he took. Finally, he croaked, “Tim.” Tim twisted to face him, one foot up a step. “Fuck her. She doesn’t deserve you.” Elegant Jason, real elegant.

Tim laughed roughly and wiped an arm across his eyes. “Thanks.”

And then, of course, Robin showing up. This is one of those scenes that I wrote a dozen times in my head because I love it so much. I mentioned in an earlier ask that one of my favorite things in any story is the reveal or realization moment, and this one has so many layers of who knows what that it amuses the heck out of me.

Then the whole fire escape rocked with one of his steps. He clung with both hands to the railing and stared at his foot wondering what he’d done for a good three seconds before he heard Tim say, “Oh,” and looked up.

Something very brightly colored was perched on the railing of the next landing. Someone very brightly colored was perched on the railing, head jerking back and forth between them at an alarming rate. Jason couldn’t see his eyes past the mask, but the way it was stretched taught from cheekbones to forehead suggested his eyes were wide.

“What?” he said. “What are..? How..? What?!”

Jason had never met Robin himself, but he’d always gotten the idea from people who had that he was better spoken than this.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, finally managing to sputter together a full sentence. Jason was already creeping back down the stairs, but he didn’t think he had much of a chance of running down fifteen flights of narrow stairs before Robin could catch him, and Tim wasn’t even making an effort to move. He’d hiss at Tim to follow if he thought he could without Robin hearing.

“Oh, hello,” Tim said. “It’s nice to meet you. Um. We’re good, thank you.”

Did he think he was at a cocktail party refusing service from a waiter? Robin wouldn’t care that they were “good, thank you.” He’d care that they looked like they were breaking into a building.

“You’re good? You’re on the outside of a skyscraper! On the… the… the seventeenth floor! At one in the morning!”

“I did say we should take the elevator,” Jason said before his brain caught up to his mouth. Robin’s full attention immediately turned on him. And God, did he look ridiculous. If Jason hadn’t heard more than one story of people getting their asses kicked by this fashion-blind monstrosity he’d probably be in danger of laughing himself right off the fire escape. As is, he stood very still and tried not to look like he was resisting arrest.

“Shhhh,” Tim said, and Robin’s gaze immediately swung back to him. It was both a relief and nerve wracking. He’d rather Robin’s attention be on him than Tim. Tim was smaller and really, really stupid sometimes.

He braced his shoulders. “We’re not doing anything illegal,” he said. He didn’t actually know if that was true. Was climbing outside buildings illegal? It might be trespassing. He tried to sound confident anyway. “Leave us alone. Go stop a crime.”

Robin’s mouth opened and closed a few times like a creepy ventriloquist doll. “I’m not worried you’re doing something illegal. I’m worried you’re going to get hurt!”

That sounded suspect to Jason but he went with it. “We’re fine.”

“You’re eleven and thirteen!” Jason blinked at him and Robin immediately added, “Roundabouts, I assume.”

This all made way more sense suddenly. Robin knew who they were. Read the tabloids, probably. No wonder he was worrying about them instead of beating them up.

“Right,” Jason said. “Well, we’re all good and kind of busy so shoo.”

Tim had a hand over his mouth and wide eyes. Jason couldn’t tell if he was amused or horrified. Maybe a mix of both. That was probably the same way Jason was going to feel in about two hours when this was all over, assuming it didn’t end in them falling to their deaths or jail.

“I… okay, no. I’m taking you two home. Right now. Immediately. I am not leaving two children out here on their own. At one in the morning!” He was really sticking on that one in the morning thing, which was fair, Jason supposed, except he probably would have been more concerned about the seventeen floors up thing himself. Then again, this was a guy that regularly jumped off buildings.

He saw Tim out of the corner of his eye sneaking backwards to position himself more behind Robin and really hoped he wasn’t going to try to knock Robin out or something equally stupid. Then he realized Tim had sneakily taken out his camera and was snapping pictures of the two of them. Of course he was. That kid had no sense of self-preservation.

“And if we refuse?” Jason asked.

“I’ll call Batman,” Robin said.

Jason scowled. It was a good threat. Batman would be way more likely to beat them up and leave them hanging from a light post for the police. He’d seen it happen, one guy dangling from his ankle, swinging and screaming while a buddy tried to help him down. Everyone ran and abandoned him to his fate when the sirens started though.

“Jason just wants to see his mom,” Tim said. He looked nervous at the mention of Batman. Maybe he had some survival instincts after all.

“What?” Robin asked.

“His mom,” Tim said, pointing up. “She’s on the twenty-first floor. Room 2112.”

Robin turned to him slowly. Jason couldn’t tell what he was thinking behind the white lenses. His face was still, barely moving. “You haven’t seen your mom?” he asked.

Jason didn’t see why it was any of Robin’s business. Tim must have thought it made them more sympathetic though. He shook his head.

Robin’s face stayed completely still for thirty more seconds before deteriorating into a look of pure fury. Jason took a step back. He was about ready to grab Tim and run, but Robin said, “Stay here,” and jumped off the fire escape.

He’d just left them there. Did he actually think they’d stay? Jason immediately started back down the steps but stopped when he realized Tim wasn’t following.

“What are you doing?” he hissed. “Come on.” Tim just stood there looking at him confused. “Now’s our chance, you idiot.” He jumped up the steps two at a time to grab Tim’s hand and pull, but Tim pulled back.

“He said stay here.”

Jason had to remind himself that Tim had no idea how the world out here worked to keep himself from snapping. “This is our best chance to escape.”

“We’re just going to get in more trouble if we run!” He lowered his voice. “He’ll tell Batman.” He said it like Batman finding out was the worst possible scenario, and Jason was prone to agree.

Thanks for your interest! If you want to know about specific scenes, feel free to ask about them. I seriously had to scan through the first few chapters to remind myself of some of the earlier conversations. I was just saying earlier today that I should go back and reread everything. Some of this I wrote over a year ago. (which is crazy to think about)

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gojaimas · 6 years

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Late Comments

Hello people. It’s been four months since I finished I Wanted What I Saw That Day, and I’ve received many more comments since then. I figured I’d do some more responses, and give you all a quick update on what my plan is for writing more in the future.

So, I’ve been taking a bit of a break from writing, but I’ve been mulling over ideas for my next story and I think I’m ready to start planning it out officially now. It’s gonna be set in the Legend of Zelda universe, and it will be mostly centered around original incarnations of pre-existing character archetypes that have appeared throughout the series. But just so you know, it will still be a long time before I start posting again, so please be patient with me.

Now, onto your comments:

EternalWisdom: “I just gave a standing ovation for a fanfic of a cartoon from my childhood: That's how good you are. I've already praised much of the technical work such as your pacing and understanding of the characters, but I'd be lying if I said this Final Chapter didn't just play my heart strings like a golden violin. I intend for my own work to (eventually) convince readers of my characters having 3-Dimensional, 'clicking' personalities like the masterpiece you just bestowed upon our nostalgic, incest-supporting fandom. Best of wishes from an avid reader (with a somewhat pretentious name I came up with years ago), yours sincerely, EternalWisdom.”

Wow, thanks! It’s very nice to hear people found my depictions of the characters to be that well done. And don’t worry too much about your name. I’m already hoping I don’t live to regret choosing a broken japanese phrase for mine.

Anonymoose: “Sneaky how Lucy suddenly became the main character. Loved it the ending. I wouldn’t change it or create an alternate. It was perfectly bitter sweet.”

Lucy’s always been sneaky, after all. And thanks, I plan to leave the ending alone for now. I will still consider continuing it in some way in the future though.

justanaverageguy: “"I wanted what I saw that day."...I would pull a CinemaSins and say "Roll Credits," but I would also say it was well used in this work (Plus, it was in the last chapter, after all). I had always thought the "I" in the title was Gwen, but seeing that it was actually Lucy was a great reveal. Lucy truly was the star of this fic. Her character makes this one stand out among anything else (that I've read at least) from this community. I've always seen Ben and Gwen as a great duo ever since I first watched the show, and I will always enjoy fics and episodes focusing on those two. But seeing these three work as a trio was quite a unique take on the characters, and they work so well together. Hats off to you, my friend, for what might possibly be my favorite Ben 10 fanfic. I look forward to checking out what else you may do. I am a Zelda fan too, so I'll probably end up seeing your work again at some point. Until then, ciao!

I couldn’t resist the title drop! It was really fun holding onto the secret of the title’s true meaning for nine whole months while everyone else tried to figure out what it meant. I’ve said before that I’ve probably done more for the Lucy fandom than I have for the Bwen fandom at this point. I would certainly like to see her appearing in more stories. Thank you for your compliments, average guy! I look forward to your reactions to my Zelda story in the future!

jairoesme: “wow that was epic I wasn't expecting the title to show up in there as I read that part it felt so strong. Great story”

Thanks! Seeing everyone reacting to the title drop like this seriously has me giggling. I love it!

Spazbulba: “That was pure magic - it has been years since I was simultaneously both so happy and so sad with the end of a story. Gojaimas You truly are a Legend!”

Truly.

armandaza: “I wanttt moreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, no wayyyyyyy T_T”

More??

Guest: “Well, it took me 17 and a half hours to do it, but I finished it. All 300,000 words of it. I gotta say, this has been one of the best bwen stories I’ve ever read in my life. I was so excited to see that there was a new story to read after not looking for months, I read it all in one day! I was wondering something though. Since you basically have the market cornered on Ben 10 fanfic now that everythings died down so much, I was wondering if every now and then, you could post another story about it. Not necessarily long ones, just a one-shot every now and then and maybe a longer one if you’re up to it (maybe even a few stories with Lucy and Ben or even Gwen). It’s been ten years since Ben 10 ended, so there isn’t much more new material out there for the community to enjoy. I know you said you were planning on moving on after this, but maybe every now and then, when you’re stumped with writers block or you’re just bored, maybe you could throw together a little story for us. If it’s even a fraction as good this story was, it would honestly make everyone’s day to have something new to read, especially if you’re writing it. :) Cheers man, happy writing. -Just another fan”

Wow, 17 and a half hours? Damn, dude. I hope you got some sleep after that. But also, wow, that’s really flattering! I’m glad you liked it so much. Doing little Ben 10 one-shots set in my story’s canon every now and then as I work on my Zelda story is something I’ll consider. I grew really fond of working with those characters, so it’s definitely something I’d love to do again some time.

Guest: “Beautiful. What a journey this was” Dark Ace Demon: “What a journey. Thank you for posting this masterpiece up, truly.“

Thank you! Alexa, play “Don’t Stop Believing.”

Guest: “Just as an FYI, a werewolf is a man-wolf. Wer being the old english word for man." (Context: Chapter 12)

That was based on a real conversation I had with someone back when I was (even more of) a little know-it-all. Gwen is smart, but she’s still a kid. She can make mistakes too. I was the Gwen at the time. I was corrected by Snape when I watched the third Harry Potter movie.

GoodScottish: “That was an amazing read and well worth staying up all night to finish it but its just left me wanting so much more. There is just so many things that i want to know what happens next to. Like what happens to Lucy does she find that special someone? What do Ben and Gwen get up to on this summer vacation? Does grandpa Max find out? What happens when they get back can they keep hiding it? And most importantly for me what happens when their parents find out?”

Many thanks, good scotsman! I know there’s still a lot left unanswered, but that’s how Ben and Gwen feel now too. They still have a long road ahead of them. Maybe I’ll write more of it one day, but I think that was a good place to leave it for now. Also, today I’m finding out a lot of my readers have terrible sleeping habits.

Mason: “Your country is proud of you son.”

Fuck yeah!

Kira Sema: “Anyone else reread this in the span of a couple days and start crying all over again? Because here come the waterworks all over again. I know I reviewed, but had to review again after a reread. I think I've said this before, but I relate to Lucy so much. It's hard not to be considering how she felt. Great story once again. Even though it's 48 chapters, all those chapters were worth it and all as much in character as they could be.”

Thank you once again, Kira Sema! I’ll admit I often cringe too hard at my own writing to reread too much of it, but I’m glad you enjoyed it as much the second time around!

Guest: “I read through this everyday... it’s a bittersweet ending. It was like waiting for an anime episode every week and you feel sad when it’s over, so you go through it again holding onto hope for a season 2.”

I know that feel.

“I’ll even wait as long as for an incredibles sequel if I have to.”

Um. I have some good news for you on that front, buddy.

“I had no idea the story would stop there though so it kinda threw me off guard... I was all “wait it’s really over?!” I thought we’d deal with more of having their relationship bloom, being exposed and we’ll have a year 4 summer trip before coming to an end. I mean having the epilogue near the end of a summer trip would really match the beginning of where Ben and Gwen started off in the story but show us how much has changed between the two of them. But I guess it depends on how we look at it, we could also view it as the “Start of Something New” with Ben & Gwen going to their trademark summer trip as a couple then they were as kids who couldn’t wait to get rid of each other at the end of it in the beginning, so maybe it’s a sign that their story isn’t over yet. Lucy was one of the most breathtaking and heartbreaking characters in this story, kind of like menma, a bit of an airhead. always happy, puts other people infront of her feelings.”

She probably was one of my minor inspirations for Lucy’s character. I think I watched Anohana at some point while I was writing this story, hence the inspiration for the title. I love that little cutie.

Thank you for the rest of your comment too, kind guest! I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a glowing review of my work. I’m glad I was able to give you another Bwen story to read!

Guest: “Mr. Gojaimas, I don’t feel so good...”

I love how Infinity War came out during the time I was posting this. I’ll always associate my story with this meme because of my fans, and I’m very happy about that.

TargaryenFire: “Hey Just came here to say i am loving this story, one of the best i have ever read with this ship. Not wanting to be a bother, but will Gwen's anodite blood come into play in the future?”

Thank you! You’ve probably seen your question answered in a different chapter by now, but just in case: Anodites don’t exist in my story, Gwen is completely human, and a lot of other stuff from the sequels is ignored.

Guest: “Your legend will live on...”

Hopefully in the form of oddly specific fandom inside jokes.

Shirokokuro: “You did an excellent job on this-especially in keeping within the 4-year timeline you had set! It was all so sweet, and that ending of them going on a summer trip together was amazing! Here's to you on being such a dedicated and awesome author!”

Thanks so much! I’m pretty happy with how everything turned out, and I’m glad you liked it too.

Lost: “I think I just binge-read this whole thing. Uh. It was riveting, to say the least. The final connection between Lucy's actions, her memories and the title was very powerful. Thanks for writing this! :)”

You are very welcome! Once again, Lucy steals the show!

Guest: “I read the entire story in a week. I loved the character development and how you effectively gave some deeper understanding of the characters not just Ben and Gwen, but also Lucy, Natalie, Joel, Emily, and Julie. I love you so much for creating this fanfiction and your undeniable talent in writing a story. That is why it pains me even more for how the chapter ended and contiualy wished that Proffesor Paradox or even Gwendolyn could just come up from the future and change Lucy's ideas or yours so that the three could be like a three- man couple. I am just so heart broken right now bailing my eyes out and just hoping there is a continuation (not a different ending) where it can be from Bwen to Bwency (I don't know if that's a word).”

Giving minor characters more development is something I’m a huge fan of, as you can plainly see with Lucy. I’m always happy to hear from binge-readers! Bwency is most definitely a word, and if I ever do a continuation, I very well might make it happen! But for now, Ben is simply following this sage advice from yours truly:

Slykke: “Beautiful shit here. Binge read this in 5 days. Really liked how this was wrapped up and how you turned someone that I forgot even existed in the OS into a favorite. Lucy was amazing in this story and now holds a special place in my heart after this. Thank you for the wonderful read and I cant wait to see your next work.”

“Yes, yes! Praise me more!” -Lucy

Amin: “This has such solid plot that every other fanfic seemed inferior. I kinda wish this story was real.”

Thank you! If any Ben 10 writers are reading this and wanna retroactively make it all canon instead of the sequels, that would be just fine by me.

Guest: “when are we gonna get the Lucy route?”

Not sure. Maybe someday. I am very interested in how I could make that happen.

Guest: “Gojaimas is... GOD. He does a miracle and then leaves us. This was the second coming of Jesus Christ.”

I’m flattered, but I’ve never made a tree.

Well, that’s all for now. Bye, everybody! I hope to hear from all of you again someday!

#Comments

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