#Let me know if you guys like this format and I may ask other friends if I can post our more angsty talks

[feeder86]

Feeder 86: The Top Ten

Can you believe that the Feeder86 ‘Orginal Gainer Stories’ blog will soon be posting the two hundredth story? I thought of many ways to celebrate. But then I stopped and realised that I would probably be best using the time to address one of the questions I get asked about most frequently. Which of the stories do I personally like the most?

This was not an easy list to make as I very rarely go back to re-read my own work after I have finished editing and posting them. This is not because I do not like them, but because I always see bits that I want to change. Nevertheless, this project was the perfect opportunity to revisit a few oldies that I remember being very proud of at the time. 

Hopefully you will see this list for what it is: a glimpse into how I write, my motivations and drive; rather than just a self indulgent pat on the back for myself. Yuck!

So, with that being said, let us begin...

#10 The Feeders’ Formula: This tale certainly had to be placed into the list. After all, it is the one that kicked off ‘Original Gainer Stories’ all those years ago. There are many amazing examples of instant body weight transformation stories out there. I felt that I needed to write this one as my contribution to the genre. It went down well at the time. I swiftly wrote a Part Two, then followed it up with others (The Feeders’ Formation, The Feeders’ Formalities, The Feeders’ Foreclosure, The Feeders’ Forecast, The Feeders’ Former Years), becoming something of an ongoing saga in recent years; focusing on the different Feeders from that very first meeting. As a writer who sometimes struggles to find the ending, these are wonderful to write as they all have the same inevitable conclusion. There is also so much freedom to be had when you’re working with characters who are pretty much pure evil. I know so much more about the Feeders than I’ve ever written down, so it is great to tease out those little details with each new installment. The newest of these tales (The Feeders’ Foreplay) was the darkest yet, but seems to have provoked a very favourable reaction from many. Who knows what the Feeders may get up to next? I do! And you can find out too, once we start a whole new sweeps season of stories this April! Come with me into The Feeders' Fortress!

#9 Only One: Where do I start? Only One has my absolute favourite type of feeder. Ben is big, sexy and very in control. He’s one of those rare types of guys who always stays on top and is a step ahead of absoultely everyone he meets. Who wouldn’t fall for him? I certainly did! In fact, I loved him so much that I wrote an entire prequel for him (and none of you even noticed!) Check out Rewire if you want to see how Ben became the man we know and love.

#8 The Wright Boys: The idea of a weight gain that cannot be stopped or controlled is a tempting one for many. How much easier would it be if you didn’t have to second guess your choices or face the pressure to lose weight? This was the first tale of what I see as ‘The Curses’ saga that eventually bled into many other stories (including another one on this list!) and culminated in Wright vs Beckett. However, this story remains my personal favourite of these. If you’re a fan of looking for crossovers between my stories, these are some of the most explicitly linked. I followed it up with a spin-off tale (The Wright Boys: DNA), but continue to have ideas about how I could go back to these boys in the future. Watch this space.

#7 Making Monsters: The title of this story really does give away how I felt about it at the time. This is quite the saga, spread over into not just two, but three parts! It began as a story that was very similar to Blackmailed; a tale that I had written previously about a guy voyeristically enjoying seeing his friend fatten up her boyfriend. However, this story evolved even further for me, with Tommy’s love of eating and gaining weight being both his greatest love, and his biggest shame. His denial only heightened the tension for me, and, when he does eventually give in, the gains feel all the more satisfying as a result.

#6 The Pig Feed: It’s not easy to write a gainer story where there isn’t another character spurring the events along and encouraging things. In this tale however, that role is given to a very tasty and surprisingly addictive pig feed mixture that Steve gets himself hooked on. It’s a story that I really enjoyed writing and still feel very happy with. I have considered writing more stories around this interesting feed. However, I am yet to do so; deciding (for now at least) that things are perhaps best left as they are. But, feel free to let me know your thoughts on this.

#5 Farm Boy: Whether you grew up in a big city, or a small rural community, like Hayden in this story, we can all relate to having desires and attractions that those around us don’t understand. And, thanks to how well connected we are these days, we now know what it’s like to realise that you’re not actually alone, and the whirlwind of excited emotions that follow. I enjoyed writing this story because I, quite simply, fell completely in love with Hayden. As kinky as he was, he still retained that fresh faced innocence throughout. If any of my characters were destined to be together forever, I imagine that these two would be my top choice.

#4 Keeping a Crush: This is one of those stories that I wrote in a matter of hours, and I was so pleased with it when I was done. Getting the train to go to work is not necessarily something that many Americans have to do, and so the location had to be switched to the UK (quite refreshing, I thought!). For me, it’s one of those really rare instances where placing very solid restrictions on the structure of a story (In this case, having it all take place during the commute to and from work) and finding that it actually elevates the sexual tension and mood. All scenes take place in public settings. All conversations could, in theory, be overheard. These days, so many people meet online and flirt for weeks by messaging back and forth, before they even see each other for the first time. Nowadays, for better or for worse, the actual, real fantasy is finding a connection with someone you just see in the real world; perhaps with a person you literally just met on the way to work...

If you’ve not read this one, I really would highly recommend it.

#3 To the Max: Stories with a magical element to them are either loved or hated. However, I find that this tale walks that line very successfully. Ned gets his hands on a love potion and makes straight guy, Max, fall for him. I’m sure we’ve all been there with that fantasy! However, it is in the consequences of inviting someone into your life, someone that you actually know very little about, that the entire eroticism of this story is based. I won’t spoil it for those who have not read it, but believe me when I say that things soon start getting very interesting indeed…

#2 Tommy’s Two Hundred. Don’t recognise this one? Well, that's because none of you have read it yet. 

Now, I’m not just saying this because I want you all to come back for the two hundreth story, but this is genuinely one of my absolute favourites. For my big milestone stories in the past, I have written something specifically for that event (Wright vs Beckett, The Seven Feeders of Finn). However, this is just a tale that I adored writing and decided to hold back for you all, especially for this occasion. It’s a story of domination and submission within a fairly open, but very kinky, relationship. Strapping Hunter plays the part of a very controlling feeder, making me break many of my own rules and stretching my boundaries to the absolute limits. You’ll either love him, or you’ll hate him. That’s all I’m going to say…

Also, this story is going to be the first Feeder86 story that will be fully illustrated. It’s all thanks to the amazing talents of Spellwell9 who was given an advanced copy and asked to imagine the characters in four different scenes. I cannot wait for you to see this!

Put it in your diary. All will be revealed from Friday 5th April…

#1 F80 Control: This is perhaps a controvercial choice (especially as my #1). I have previously admitted that this story strays a little from its purpose of being a gainer story. In other words, I get very caught up in the background story that is being told. However, I feel that the science fiction genre is surprisingly underused in tales of weight gain. Yet, the combination of Aritificial Intelligence and submission seemed, to me, to be the perfect blend. It really is a beast of a story if you can follow it all the way through to its conclusion. 

With the advent of improved artificial intelligence software in recent years, I felt the time was right to develop the world further, with the addition of F80 Ctrl Alt Del; a spin-off tale set slightly before the main story. Then, unable to help myself, I followed this up again with another companion story, F80: Kidnap and Control. 

The reason I chose this universe as my favourite is because this is where I am happiest writing. With AI, I don’t need to consider the morality or motivations - I know exactly what their aims are and I can see multiple ways in which it will cause conflict with humanity (and their waistlines!) I would also love to write more for this world one day, and I even left a little unused subplot in the last story that I think would provide the perfect starting-off point for another chapter. Will I ever write it? Well, we’ll have to wait and see…

So, there you have it! The the complete list!

This was a much harder exercise than I expected when I first embarked upon it. Stories like: Jiggle the Jock, Meticulous, Rule Number One, Freaks, Leftovers I and II, Ethan: The Secret Feeder and, not fogetting The Consequences I, II and III all crept in and out of the list, unfortunatley missing out on the final cut. There are many, many others, of course. But this list cannot go on forever...

So, why not tell me which ones were your favourites? Feel free to write in the comments and post a link to any other stories that you have enjoyed from myself, or from other authors. Hopefully, if we all work together, this could become a great resource for people in the future, filled with signposts and reccommendations.  

Also, don’t forget the Feeder86 Contents page where you can find links and descriptions of all the 200 stories posted so far (as well as plot outlines for upcoming tales as well). Please continue to enjoy the vast catalogue of stories, and even have a go yourself! I love supporting the many new gainer fiction writers who contact me. So please do get in touch if you need advice, or to talk through your ideas. Let’s all encourage a whole new generation of people to get typing away! I’m sure you will cheer them on just as much as I will.

Thank you to everyone who supports the stories blog here on Tumblr. Keep checking in every Friday througout April for a whole new sweeps season to celebrate this milestone. Stories will include: Tommy's Two Hundred, Train for a Gain, The Feeders' Fortress and The 1% (a companion story to The 5%). For now, I thank you all for taking time out to sit and read the very bizarre tales that sprout from my mind. You are all wonderful.

Happy 200 stories!

Feeder86

#gainer fiction #gainer stories #gainerstory #gayfeeder #gainerfic #gainer story #gayfeedee #gay feedee #gainerstories

[taylorswiftbutsimp]

༊*·˚Tell Me Why

~Requested

~Characters: Reo MIkage, and Nagi Seishiro

~Genre: Angst To Comfort

~Format: Headcanons and drabble

unedited

✧Reo Mikage

Dating has reo its pros and cons.

which means always going on a luxurious date unless you tell him you want a simple one.

He has all the love language you can ask for, but of course, relationships have their ups and downs.

He is the son of a businessman, which means the duties will be passed on to him.

It was supposed to be your alone time together tonight and the next few weeks, but instead he has to cancel. Just as you were getting ready, he texted you that something came up with work, etc.

which leaves you to change your beautiful dress to a pajama one and remove the make-up you did a few hours ago.

You were mad and sad at him at the same time. You didn't even reply to his messages, leaving him on his own.

Now here you are outside in the pool of your shared home, laying on a sun lounger with a bottle of wine and a headset on your head, listening to music while drinking the wine.

You stare at the sky, collecting your thoughts on what you should do.

If a breakup did come to mind, you may have thought, Reo is out of my league, and it won't work.

Reo was mad at himself; he doesn't like overtime, and it was the middle of the night. He knows you're mad at him; he can tell by the fact that the message he sent was only left on read and the others were just delivered.

Imagine his surprise when he got home. The lights were all on, and there was no trace of you, which made him panic. The bouquet of apology flowers he held was put on the ground. He rushed to the bedroom and called out your name. You won't leave him, right?

Then, when he was out of the bedroom, grabbing his phone from his pockets and deciding to call you, as he was waiting for you to answer, he saw your figure on the sun lounger with a bottle of wine in your hand and a headset, staring at the sky like some psycho.

He then grabbed the flowers and opened the sliding door, approaching your lying figure. "Baby, he let out. You noticed he was catching his breath. His tie was messed up too. I'm so sorry, please. I know I promised.'' He stopped talking when he looked at you again. You were still focused on the night sky. The bottle of wine was almost empty.''Baby, please hear me out.''

''I can hear you the first time, Mikage'' you said, your face a little red due to the wine you were drinking. You stopped the music from your headset and looked at him.

reo swore he felt his heart stutter when you called him by his last name his eyes widen "look baby here i bought you flowers and i promise this the last one i will ditch our date i bought us a flight to Switzerland we can have a one week vacation please I'm so sorry'' he said getting close to you begging on his knees 

''Make it two weeks'' you said, standing up from your position a little tipsy and accepting his bouquet of flowers. ''You have a few hours to change my mind about why I should forgive you''

He can work with that. You might not forgive him fully, but talking to him is enough to make him calm down for a little while.

✧Nagi Seishiro

Nagi is a chill guy.

the chill guy who's always warm, comfortable, and smelling like baby powder or perhaps laundry detergent because of his clothes

You understand he needs attention and likes to be spoiled, which you gladly give him.

But of course, you can also crave that feeling from time to time.

At first, you shrugged it off and continued playing the game he asked you to play.

The thing is, sometimes he's always busy playing games and always on his phone.

You started giving your lover some signs that you hoped he might notice and do something about.

Days passed by and nothing happened. You were helpless at this point and started giving up.

For the first time in your relationship, you thought to yourself, I'm a bit tired of giving.

which leads you to a cafe with his best friend, Reo asking how you, and Nagi. are doing

You didn't mean to overshare, but you couldn't help it anymore. You burst out like a bubble.

then assured you it was fine.

What you didn't know after meeting up with Reo was that Reo was scolding Nagi at practice for not making an effort. "Nagi, you're the one who showed interest and liked them. Why are you not making an effort? Something might go wrong and you might lose them for the better. Step up your game, bro.''

That day Nagi got home and thought things through. Reo was right; he should also give what you deserve and step up his game like the man he is.

''Welcome home, sei baby,'' you said, sad putting down the soup ladle and approaching him, giving a soft, warm hug and a tiptoeing to give him a peck on the lips.

the kitchen smells like home things that nagi seishiro would never trade for the world ''dinner will be ready for a few minutes you should rest sit down on the couch and get some rest'' you said pulling away from him  

He then gave you a soft hum, dropping his gym bag on the floor of the living room, but instead of grabbing his gaming console and sitting down to play, he got back to the kitchen, approaching your figure while you stirred the soup you were making.

You felt a soft tug at your waist. You let out a soft hitch due to shock. Then your lover proceeded to give you a tight hug. His arms gripped your waist, pulling you closer to him as he rested his head on your neck, giving you a sniff and kissing your neck. ''Don't want to rest, I want to stay here beside you,'' he lazily said.

You swore you were fine giving affection, but boy, receiving affection leaves you breathless. It's another level. If Sei were seeing your face, he would point out how red your face is.

©taylorswiftbutsimp

#ᗯiᒪᒪoᗯ #blue lock x reader #reo mikage x reader #blue lock x you #bllk x reader #nagi seishiro x reader #nagi seishiro fluff #reo mikage fluff #bllk angst #bllk headcanons

[kangnina]

Hi Nina (did I address you right?),

I'm in the mood for warm, fluffy fics and was wondering if you take requests for them?

If you do, I'd like to request a fic about Y/N as Han's elder (and favourite) cousin who visits him during practice when she's in town. One of the boys becomes enamoured with her and he asks her out for coffee the next day and lunch the next, then dinner another week and a movie after that, etc. Y/N is oblivious to his feelings and treats him platonically, while Han confronts his friend about catching feelings for his cousin. He's torn between wanting his friend and cousin to be happy (because he can't help but admit they're good for each other), and fearing the dynamics of his relationship with them to change (especially that his cousin may not have time for him anymore).

(Sorry for the long request. I'm working abroad, and my emotions have been craving beautiful familial / friend relationships these days.)

No obligations though, especially if you're not comfortable writing this.

Hope you have a nice day!

What a beautiful request my friend! I hope I can do it comforting and fluffy justice. It will have a few parts, just because it’s easier for me to write that way. Still haven’t decided on a title but I’m sure it’ll come to me. Enjoy!

--------

“LOOK WHO IT IS EVERYBODY!” Han’s voice echoes through the dance studio as he walks in the door with you trailing behind him. The members all turn their heads to look at you. Minho, Seungmin, Changbin, and Jeongin wave from the seats on the floor. Felix runs over to give you a big hug. “HEY! So good to see you!” He says, smiling brightly before stepping aside to let Hyunjin hug you as well. Chan also comes over and hugs you. “What brings you to town?” he asks. Han answers before you can open your mouth “...because she missed her fav little cousin. OBVIOUSLY Christopher!” Chan rolls his eyes and you giggle. A notification makes your phone go off: “YOH!” The guys look at you as you pull your phone out of your hoodie pocket. “Is– Is that Changbin?” Han, raises an eyebrow. You nod your head as you look at the screen. “Why do you have him as your notifs tone?” Han crosses his arms. “You never made any sound bites of me for your phone.” Changbin jumps up and runs over, absolutely beaming. “I guess she’s got a new bestie Jisung,” he says, putting his arm around your shoulders. “I just think it’s really funny. Everytime I’m in the middle of a conversation like this or even if I’m just sitting there quietly. Suddenly, there’s Changbin going “YOH!” and it cracks me up,” you say laughing. “Well, he is a joke. That’s for sure,” Hyunjin chimes in. “Ay!” Changbin yells, puffing his muscular chest as if he wants to fight Hyunjin. “Alright. Break time is over, let’s get back to it,” Chans says, clapping his hands. Changbin waits until the others move away from you. “I found this cafe not too far from the dorm that sells those fancy little scones and European teas that you like. Wanna check it out tomorrow?” he asks. “Sure,” you nod your head, taking a seat on the floor to watch them practice. Changbin grins as he cutely skips to his place in the formation as the music starts. 

Changbin Masterlist

---------

a/n: That’s totally my notif sound and I love the looks I get from confused people who don’t know what’s happening.

#changbin #seo changbin #han jisung #jisung #skz #stray kids seo changbin #stray kids han jisung #skz seo changbin #kpop imagines #skz scenarios #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #seo changbin scenarios #seo changbin fluff #han jisung fluff #skz fluff #stray kids fluff #stray kids imagine #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #skz changbin

[violetmina]

Chokehold - Ch. 1

Chokehold Masterlist

Tagging @roundroald, since they asked so nicely.

Pairing: Billy Butcher x Fem!Reader

Word count: 3,574

Summary: After stumbling your way into the boys crew, you quickly realize you're a little out of your depth when it comes to protecting yourself. You thought you could be sly and take some self-defense classes without telling the others. But Butcher has a nose for secrets and demands to take over your lessons. Learning a bit of jiu jitsu from one Billy Butcher can't be that terrible...can it?

Warning: Mentions of injuries and The Boys level of violence, swearing, slight implication of domestic violence. Smut to come in future chapters.

A/N: This was originally supposed to be a one shot, but my brain kept adding to it. Just this part alone took longer for me to write than I wanted, so this may be slow going. But it is in motion! Takes place in some vague space between end of S2 and early half of S3. This is the first fic I've shared in years, first attempt at writing Butcher, and my very first fic in 'x reader' format. It's not the most creative title but it's what my brain can manage right now. I'm open to constructive criticism, but please be kind. I hope you guys enjoy!

Sometimes, you questioned your decision-making skills. If the last few months were any indication, it was a skill you didn't have, period. After all, who goes from a normal, anonymous life to joining your old friend Hughie and his weird, motley gang of former vigilantes? Originally, you had only joined Neuman's team as a project to fill holes in your resume and to reconnect with Hughie. You'd heard he had gone AWOL after Robin's untimely death, but what a shock it'd been when you finally met for coffee and caught up on his new life. Maybe it'd been that sense of shock and awe over his stories, or maybe your innate slight distrust of supes and Vought that he had once teased you about in your younger years. But you'd been curious. And that adorable puppy dog look he gave you when he asked for a little help on one of his group's missions hadn't hurt either.

It was supposed to be a little favor, a one-time thing for an old pal. But then you'd met the boys, this rag-tag lot he was with now, and for all their dysfunctionality, you'd been oddly charmed by them. You'd been swayed by their mission, to finally hold those super-roided celebrities accountable, and the adrenaline of an unexpected car chase during your favor must've jolted something loose in your brain. Pushing flyers and setting up calls in Neuman's call-center wasn't nearly enough after that. You wanted to be part of the growth that had altered Hughie so much. To watch the quirky banter of MM and Frenchie, to get to know the woman Kimiko was, and give her the friend she'd been denied growing up.

And then there was Butcher.

You would have been a liar if you had said that you didn't have mixed impressions about him in the beginning. To say you found him attractive would have been an understatement, though you'd be damned if you'd ever let anyone know that. While his brusque sarcasm and biting temper had been slightly off-putting, it was his smarmy charm, flashes of quicksilver intelligence, and that indomitable will that kept you from walking away altogether. Ever since you had joined the crew, you had given up counting the number of times he irritated the shit out of you. And the number of times you'd caught yourself a little too drawn to Butcher in those briefest glimpses of a softie in him. Like when you'd fallen asleep in the flatiron office and woke with that battered coat draped over you. Or he'd given you the last of his food with a grumble when your stomach protested loudly at you for working too long on a lead.

Hughie had always said that your favorite color was "red-on-a-flagpole". And for your sanity, you'd deny as stubbornly as the day was long that you liked the bastard.

But the new eventually wears off, and the deeper you dove into their world, the darker the waters became. You learned quickly that adrenaline wasn't just a fun little rush in this life - it was a necessity. A lifeline when dealing with supes and their equally narcissistic associates. You learned the hard way how easily you could drown…

Now, leaning against the cool wall of the elevator as it rose to the flatiron office, you were certain your decision-making skills were poor. Well-intentioned but poor. You wiggled the fingers of your right hand slowly, wincing at the jolts it sent in your arm. Trying to bend it per usual sent pain in either direction out from your elbow. It was far from broken but it wasn't comfortable either.

"Damn," you cursed under your breath. This was going to be a lot harder to hide than your previous injuries. If your assumptions were correct though, the others had long left the office and were out about minding their own little businesses. Hughie with Annie, MM had his daughter for the night, Frenchie and Kimiko out for whatever little pleasantry that would make her smile for a while, and Butcher…Well, probably still sniffing out a lead on a supe, tirelessly plotting.

When the elevator announced its arrival, you shrugged the bag on your left shoulder back up from a slouch and stepped out. You would touch up on some paperwork you had left behind earlier to "run your errands", then head back to your place. The evening plans consisted of a hot shower, some leftovers for dinner, and tossing the items in your bag into the laundry. If you were lucky, you would get a full five hours sleep before rolling out of bed again for another long day of supe hunting. Or convincing Hughie and Victoria to let you back out in the field again after your mishap a while back.

A couple of the desk lamps had been left on in the office space, and some of the city backdrop bounced rays off the walls, but it was still a little dim for your liking. You switched your own desk lamp on, perusing over the files of most recent cases now cast in the amber glow. So much damn paperwork.

"Who winged ya, little birdy?"

You manage to only slightly jump at the voice just in front of you. Instead of out plotting, Butcher sat at the desk on the other side of yours, arms crossed and an inquisitive curl at his lip. His eyes, however, screamed interrogation. How had you not seen him in that audacious Hawaiian shirt, even in the dark?

"Christ, Butcher," you groaned. "You normally just sit in the dark like that? You could have given me a heart attack."

"Like we'd be rid of you so easily," he chuffed, rising from his seat. "Now don't avoid the question. It'd be terribly rude if you did that, wouldn't it?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." You shrugged, feigning ignorance. You had a strong feeling he wasn't buying it. "I'm good."

"Oh? Really?" He quirked a brow at you as he picked up one of the files from your desk. "Just here for a little light reading then. Don't let me keep you waiting." He held it out to you with a nod. You slid the bag off your shoulder onto the floor and reached with your left hand. He snatched it back just out of reach, then extended it to your right hand with a pointed look.

You tried to play along, even managed to lift your arm without a wince. But the shock in your elbow made your reach noticeably slower, and the twitch in your fingers brought that all too familiar smirk to his face. You sighed in defeat, dropping the file back on the desk. "It's nothing," you muttered.

"And the bruises on your legs? Or the ones on your arms? Those all nothing?" When you blinked at him in surprise he continued, "C'mon, Y/N. Hughie sees you everyday at Neuman's and he ain't blind. Even if he was, you've walked into this place stiff as arthritis for a while. So…" Butcher's smirk faded as he took a step forward, just enough to fill your space. "...Who did it? There a heavy-handed Romeo you ain't told us about?"

"What? No! Butcher, it's not like that," you sputtered, nearly laughing at the idea of him hunting down said imaginary Romeo. But the look on his face killed whatever humor you had. "I'm either working at this office with all of you, or I'm at the other one with Hughie. Like I have time for anything else."

"But for weeks now you got time to run supposed errands and slink back here long after hours? Conveniently when everybody would be gone?" Before you could blink he yanked your bag off the floor. "You gonna tell me this ain't an overnight bag? That you're not avoiding your place?"

"No, it's not. I don't have a - HEY!" He ignored your protest as he quickly unzipped the bag and dove a hand in to pull out some of the contents. Butcher's face quickly shifted from a scowl to confusion when he pulled out not regular clothes or toiletries, but a thick white belt with a black tail. Pulling it open further, a white gi stared at you both. He wagged the black tail of the belt at you. 

"You gonna tell me the fuck this is about? Karate, really?"

"It's not karate. It's jiu jitsu," you replied, trying not to grit your teeth at how he rolled his eyes. "Now can I have my stuff back, or are you suddenly into my sweaty clothes?"

"What you doing this for?" He tossed the bag to you and you glared in response. "You gonna grapple those bloody files into writing themselves, eh? Maybe turn Hughie into a pretzel for a laugh at the bureau?," he leers.

"I'm trying to get out of here!," you snapped, surprised at how loud your voice echoed back. You took a deep breath before gingerly shoving your stuff back into your bag. "I'm trying to get out of both offices. I want back out there. Out in the field with you and the rest of the boys. I'm cooped up here but Hughie won't even think of talking Neuman into assigning me to an operation. Not since…" You stopped, swallowing back frustration.

"Since that cunt got the drop on you and took you hostage," Butcher finished flatly.

As he nodded in realization you knew he was remembering it as much as you. You'd ignored Hughie's orders and went in as backup when bringing in a supe and their accomplice on human trafficking allegations. It had gone sour and you had tried to sneak into the warehouse to help. Instead of saving them, the accomplice had snuck up on you, nearly resulting in a trade off for the arrested supe. You had been so sure you could handle your own, save the day. The only thing that had saved the day was Butcher dropping from a balcony onto you both…and promptly emptying several rounds into your captor's screaming mouth. Sometimes you wondered if there was still one of their teeth hiding in your hair.

"So what?," he asked, tearing you from the memory. "You thought a few hours at a gym and you'd just skip back out there?"

"You know Hughie will never let me on another operation unless I can prove that I can handle myself."

"Little shit would wrap your ass in bubble wrap if he knew he could get away with it, and roll you out the door from it all!," he snapped. "For starters, what the hell is jiu jitsu - or any self-defense combat form - gonna do you when a supe get their hands on you? Like A-Train? Black Noir? Or that star-spangled cunt?"

"Like we're even close to going after any of the Seven right now! We're stuck with B, C, and D list assholes and you know it! And how would it be any different than the rest of you with all your training?"

"Which brings me to my other point, " he cuts you off. "The lot of us are knee deep in experience, at least. Military, terrorism, gang shit. We all have gotten our hands bloody. We're killers, love. Even Hughie, or did you forget? So why the fuck would you stroll into a dojo that's probably sponsored by Vought anyway, instead of coming to one of us, eh?"

You scoffed, couldn't help it. "Right. I'm supposed to just assume that Mr. Billy Badass is gonna have the will or time of day to teach me self-defense?"

"Now that hurt me feelings, " Butcher replied, holding a mocking hand over his heart. "Oh ye of little faith. I suppose whatever bloke you rolled with tonight is far safer than yours truly. Oh wait." Here he glanced at your arm with a jeer and a nod. "Lemme guess - sparred with someone who likes it a little rough?"

You rolled your eyes. "My rolling partner was fine," you grumbled before admitting, "I did it to myself. He…He caught me in an armbar and I thought I'd try toughing it out a little longer before I'd tap."

He made a tsking noise of disapproval. "Stupid, wasn't it? Is he white belt or color belt?"

"White, four stripes. I think he tests for blue soon."

"Then you're fucking lucky. There's a reason they say spazzy ass white belts cause the most injuries. If you ignore your limits in a safe, cozy class setting, why the fuck would any bad guy out there hesitate on your behalf?" He steps forward to lift your bad arm up, not too fast but it still smarts.

"Straighten your arm all the way out. Slow." You try to do so but hiss in pain just shy of the mark, leaving your forearm at a slight angle. "You'll live. Strained, maybe a slight sprain, that's all." He shuffles past you to the mini-fridge tucked in the corner and tosses you a half empty bag of pizza rolls. You almost laugh at the impromptu ice bag and apply it to the protesting joint.

"You're not going back," he says, as if commenting on the weather. And before you can say anything he's herding you across the room to the couch by the TV. "Keep that on for about fifteen minutes and we'll get started right after." He gives an unceremonious push and you plop onto the cushions with a huff.

"I'm sorry, wha-? Butcher, I'm not quitting! I need to-!"

"I didn't say quit," he answered over his shoulder with a slight grunt as he begins shifting a couple of the desks outwards. "What I said was you're not going back to that bleeding dojo. But knowing your stubborn, annoying ass-" He shifts the coffee table past the TV. "-you're just gonna find another bastard ready to take your money and give you a false sense of security. You really wanna roll that bad..?" He slides the rug out far enough to his liking before sitting back on his heels with a little nod. Then looks up at you with that trademark, crooked smirk.

"You're rolling with me now, love."

You blink at him, your stomach doing a little flip at his words. Sure, when you started jiu jitsu it had been a bit uncomfortable having strangers literally on top of you. In your face, up in your little bubble. After awhile though, you adjusted and you had actually started looking forward to class. But the implication of what Butcher had just said, realizing that he was going to be the one up in your personal space, shifting and heavy and pinning -

You immediately cut off that line of thought. "I-I-I've already rolled. And I don't wanna make my arm worse."

"You're right. You've caught me in a rather generous mood. We're not rolling together now. But you…" He moved and stood over you with a grin. "You're going to drill tonight. Nothing that requires your arm and I'll see exactly what I'm working with. From here on out, I'll be the one to train you, teach you the kinda shit you can actually use when shit goes sideways. If I'm lucky, as short a time you've been training, I won't have to do too much de-programming of whatever the fuck they taught you."

"Butcher-" You go to stand but when you reach your feet he gives you a look that almost has you wobble back on your heels.

"I ain't asking. It's me or nothing." It comes out as a low rumble that will not be questioned. "Do you want back out there or not?"

It's immediately clear that this situation isn't going to be backtracked now. The cat was out of the bag and you had to choose. Spend your days in mind-numbing paper stacks, shoved off on the sidelines but relatively safe. Or try to mold yourself into something more self-reliant and capable…by putting yourself at the mercy of one Billy Butcher.

There's a heavy beat, as he still stares at you, unblinking. Then finally you nod. "Teach me."

The heavy, steely look finally slides off his face. "Good choice. Now come over here." He waves at the open floor space he's created and uses the other hand to steer you into it. "Sit your ass down here and pay attention. It's a simple mobility drill. I'll show you only once. I'm not here to do fucking jazzercise. You'll start once we're done icing your arm."

Butcher settles down to sit straight legged on the hardwood floor, a heavy hand on your good shoulder bringing you with him. You barely manage to not fall on your ass and mimic his stance. "Make a figure four." He pulls in his left leg so his foot is next to his right knee and you do the same. "We'll change your arm position later but tonight you're gonna cradle that wing of yours to your chest. Point is to not use your arms to get up, but your hips. Shift your ass forward." He crosses his arms and moves up into a kneeling position, left shin and knee posted under him, right foot flat in front, his knee just past a 90-degree angle. "See?"

You mimic him again, cradling your elbow like he said and stop once up off the floor. A small pat - almost a swat - on your back startles you, and at your look of confusion he says, "Up straight, don't roll your back. If your back ain't straight, you're not using your hips." When you straighten up he settles the same hand into the small of your back and slowly pushes you forward. "And that's about as far as you should be putting yourself on that front foot. Combat stance. If I tell you to hold that position, you hold it till I say so. Got it?"

You nod. Seemingly satisfied, he continues. "Alright. Now go in reverse back the way you started." He rewinds, sitting back, straightens his legs and you follow suit. It dawns on you as you do so that moving on bare, hardwood floors is nothing like moving on the padded mats in class.

"Then switch legs and do the same thing." This time he doesn't move, just watches you slowly follow his instruction. You mind your posture this time, pause for a second and glance at him before reversing back to sitting on the floor again.

Butcher stands, taking the bag of pizza rolls out of the cradle of your elbow as he does. "When I tell you to do combat hip drill, this is what you're doing. Understand?" You give another nod and he walks to the mini-fridge to shove the bag back into the freezer. When you shift to stand up he shakes his head. "Nuh uh. You start now. Go."

He moves past you, back to the couch behind you as you start to go through the motions of the mobility drill. "Pick up your pace, move," he says as he sinks down onto the cushions. You pause at the top of the move to look back at him with a bit of a scowl.

"How many am I supposed to do?," you ask, already noting the protest in your tailbone, knees and shins from the contact on the floor.

"Till I tell you to stop," he grins, stretching his arms out across the back of the couch. "And I didn't say that yet, now did I? Chop, chop!"

You glared at his too-happy grin before rolling your eyes and continuing the drill. Back down, switch legs, up. Back down, switch legs, up. Once or twice he has you pause, hold the pose. But the drill continues. Back down, switch legs, up. After only a few short minutes, feeling his eyes on you the whole time, you begin to notice that you're already feeling some fatigue. Clearly, you hadn't fully recovered from class earlier. You feel a little embarrassed that you're already starting to huff. And you can't help but wonder just what the hell did you sign up for?

After another moment or two, you sit up once again, not quite as forward, not as high. You start to sag back down when there's a sudden pressure just between the small of your back and your tailbone, almost throwing you forward and off balance. You totter over the forward knee for a brief second before restabilizing and whirling round with wide eyes. Surely he did not-! 

Oh but he did. Butcher's boot is at your belt line, keeping you posted up. "Hold. When you start again, you keep the pace and move all the way through. You better not half-ass or slouch again. Otherwise…" He taps his toes on your lower back and smirks.

For a brief moment you consider grabbing that damn boot and giving it a good, friendly twist. But the ache in your elbow, and the look in his eye that says he's pretty much read your mind, tells you it's a no-go. You dampen down the urge and he pulls it back as you face forward and hold the up position. A few moments pass before he finally tells you to resume the drill. It's in that moment you know you have your answer.

Hell. You're pretty sure you just signed up for hell.

#billy butcher #billy butcher x reader #the boys fanfic

[lucid-daydreaming-art]

intro post whoopee!!!

hi guys im lucid :D you can also call me daylin i don’t really care but i may be like woah how do you know my name (i will forget about making this post 2 seconds after posting it) also I AM AN ADULT im 22 and i do not use pronouns just use my name pleaseeeeeee if you have a disability that makes words hard to process i understand if that’s difficult you can just use they/them instead

first off just getting this out there if youre proship, zoo, pedo, incest supporter, endo system supporter, any kind of discriminatory against protected minority groups, and anti-otherkin, shoo. dont want you here youre not welcome. bye bye my content isnt for you.

immmmm an infp-t 4w5 sanguine-melancholic existential-intrapersonal-visual learner seer of heart prospit dreamer true neutral rogue shifter airbender and dragon type trainer for all you personality label freaks

i like to DRAW!!!!! this is an art blog!!!! i will only post art here, all of my reblogs will be on @trickstergemini save for the posts my close friends make that i want to support here. sometimes i will post just text but thats only if i really need to let you guys known something or im answering a question

my commissions are OPEN!!!!!!!! right now they are strictly on emergency status, which means you choose the price and what i draw and ill agree if its not ridiculously unfair. check back soon for it to be changed to fixed price commissions though

im AUTISTIC i am on that mf spectrum been diagnosed since i was three. for me this means im not naturally fluent in social norms or what’s expected from an interaction or how to read others very well. i also have heavy special interests and find it really hard to turn the conversation away from something im fixating on or specially interested in. i also have extremeeeee sensory issues and a hard time being completely flexible when im comfortable in a routine so just be patient with me man adjustments are hard for me. my empathy is also extremely low and im a really really high masking person so if i come off as well versed or allistic just know that i either took a million years to format the right way to say things or i am entirely going off a predetermined script and will fumble if caught off guard. other important stuff ive got adhd bpd cptsd and major depressive disorder which all those combined makes me really flaky when it comes to responding or follow through. i may not reply to you for like 500 years or maybe i will be gods speediest most motivated soldier. just don’t expect me to be a readily available fully capable robot ok?? ok.

i am one half of @ask-kas-n-lamp the other half is some guy i don’t know he just hacked himself into the account and now i have to deal with him

in all seriousness mod dum, aka @unoriginal-and-dumb or unodum or unoriginal or whatever u know him by, thats my best friend my number one my pal my buddy my servant i keep locked up in my basement and i feed him cement and staples for every meal and for dessert maybe he gets rust shavings. he will be featured in my art like a lot or in my comments and reblogs and i will also be present in his stuff sometimes. if im drawing kasper im drawing his design, that design is not made by me its made by him sooo you should check him out and support him if you like that style or how about instead we get a mass unfollowing going there and you all come to my page and i exclusively will draw his design of kasper and get all the credit lets do that instead

if my requests are closed that means theyre closed EXCEPT for lampert requests those will always be open please ask me to draw him and i will take like three weeks but will happily draw him

uuueeehhhmmm my special interests are pokemon homestuck regretevator geography disney parks and personality psychology. i guess i also am specially interested in dragons but its less of an ill infodump to you interest and more of an i want to be surrounded by this thing because it brings me extreme comfort because it feels like me. i am otherkin im a dragon and i look like this:

i will also represent myself like this if im feeling it:

yes i know i am not actually a physical dragon and im not a spiritual kinner i kin for identity purposes and the fact that i feel some pretty intense crippling species dysphoria idk ive been like this since i was 5 i don’t really have memories of my life where i wasnt experiencing animalistic behaviors and instincts

my favorite music artists are s3rl twenty øne piløts onerepublic imagine dragons of monsters and men thefatrat glass animals ajr queen nine inch nails and muse my favorite medias are httyd movies pokemon homestuck regretevator invader zim our flag means death infinity train gravity falls rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead doctor who my little pony fim dont starve and the mcelroy brothers content

heres some more characters i represent myself as:

ok BYE

#me #about

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Maze runner chapter nineteen

Previous chapter

Masterlist

Newt walked with you to the med tent where Thomas was sitting inside. The doctor was talking him through the immunity process having taken some of his blood, processed it and administered it to Brenda.

“Sorry Doc, we were just wondering if you check y/n’s arm.” Newt said sheepishly, concern filled Thomas's eyes.

“Sure, come here.” She patted a stool for you to sit on.

“She was…bitten about four days ago.” Newt said. The doctor looked at him and then you, suddenly very worried. Having removed your coats you hold your arm out to her and she gawks at it. She takes hold of your arm and twists it a little really taking in what she was seeing.

“You were bit by a crank?” She asks and you nod, “and nothing, no symptoms of turning?” You shake your head. “This is remarkable. You're healing wonderfully. Even with other immunes I've never seen this.” She uses some medical equipment to clean up the wound a little and ensure no other infections could get in before wrapping it in a clean white bandage.

“Usually, with immune kids we see them turn to some degree, they get the anger but after a few days it subsides. Do you mind if I take some of your blood? Just to take a look?”

You agree and she draws the smallest amount before putting on a glass slide to check below a microscope.

“Fascinating. Your blood is actually killing the virus.” She laughs, “wow no wonder she wanted you.”

“In the maze, well the control room I saw a list of the kids. Me, Newt, Minho and Thomas were highlighted. I'm not sure why.” You say.

The doctor thinks for a moment, then darts from the tent, leaving you all alone.

“Why didn't you tell us, y/n?” Thomas asks.

“I was scared, after Winston I just…” meets hands rubbed your shoulders and he kissed the top of your head. It seemed like now he had done it once there was no way he would stop kissing you, any part of you.

The doctor came back in with a folder of things in her hands.

“Here, look, the four of you scored the highest on all the tests, Minho a little lower but you three, you were her hopes. She put you two in early to try the breeding experiment.”

“The what?” You gawked, “what are those?”

“Thomas sent them to me, it's a copy of Ava's notes. Ava was convinced if immune kids had children together it would yield more immunes and better results. A master race of guinea pigs.”

“That's why they did the pregnancy test.” Thomas interjected.

“The what?” Newt looked between you all.

“At the facility.” You say quietly. Newt thought for a moment and then said, “I need to go.” He turned on his heel and left. You weren't sure what to do so you just sat there awkwardly.

“Come on, let's get you some food.” The doctor led you out.

The rest of the day seemed almost uneventful as you all settled into this new life. You ate and talked with other immunes and finally started to feel like you might be safe. The boys and you all take a seat on top of a small rock formation. Mai Mai sat beside you and Newt on the other side. The sun setting over the idyllic setting.

“I wish Alby could've seen all this.” Newt said.

“And Winston.” Frypan agreed

“And Chuck.” Thomas played with the small figure Chuck had made.

“He'd be proud of you, you know, Tommy.” Newt said to him.

“Yeah.”

“And Gally.” You sigh. Newt pulls you closer to him, wrapping his arm around his face. Thomas looked at you with his eyebrows drawn in.

“He was my friend, all he wanted was peace and safety for all of us.” You try to sniff away the tears.

“Yeah, yeah he did.” Minho agreed with a sigh.

“Hey, Aris!” Frypan called down to him

“Hey, guys!” Aris waved back, he was sitting between Harriet and Sonya. In a way it felt like he should've been sitting with you.

“I kinda like that kid.” Frypan laughed.

“Yeah. I still don't trust him, though.” Minho joked. You all laughed for a moment. Newt removed his arm from you and blew onto his gloves hands. He shuffled himself slightly away from you so you weren't touching anymore.

“Hey, where's Teresa?” Thomas asked.

“She went up there.” Newt pointed to a higher Rockford where Teresa was standing looking out to the horizon. As he walks away you turn to Mai Mai and stroke her. The tiger puts her large head on your lap and the warmth of her seeps into your skin.

“Guys, I'm really glad we all made it.” You say to them.

“Yeah, us too, y/n” Minho reached across and patted the tiger. You look at him but are distracted by two lights in the distance.

“What is that?” You ask standing up. The others turn and look. Several burgs were flying in and the noise that had been creeping up, now deafening.

“Run!” Frypan shouted as he grabbed your hand.

The chaos was instant, with people running around in every direction you got separated from the group. You trip on a rock and hurtle to the floor. Before you could stop him a man was kneeling above you. You struggle against him and manage to kick him off but as you scramble to your feet an explosion goes off beside you. It sends you flying into a pile of boxes. Your head smacks against the floor.

“It's the girl, get her in the burg.” you hear a voice you recognise commands a soldier.

You're too weak to fight back. In the distance you see Mai Mai defending Newt before being stunned by an electric shot.

The next thing you feel is cold metal against your face. Your hands are bound and then Teresa is standing above you but you can't hear what she is saying. A sharp scratch in the side of your neck has your eyes dropping and then, nothing, darkness

Next chapter

@fandomfan-102 @deanstolemydragon @afalls14universe @akilaporu001

[sjsmith56]

It Takes Two

Summary: Recently divorced Jillian meets up with friends at a bar then changes her mind. Bumping into a handsome man he convinces her to go inside. They dance then he brings her a drink and learn they have a surprising connection.

Length: 2.35K

Characters: Jillian, her friend Marla, Bucky Barnes, his friend Steve

Warnings: self-doubt, worry about weight, still hurting from divorce, talk of suicide, hint of alcohol abuse.

Author notes: Set in AU, told in third person. Main female character is named and described (sorry, I’ve tried but I just can’t write worth shit in x reader format). Except for Bucky’s admission of contemplating suicide and the pain both characters still feel about their divorces the mood is pretty fluffy by the end.

🩵

Ever since Jillian’s ex, Brent, had announced he was leaving her for her personal trainer she had tried her best to move on. It hadn’t been easy as Karin was everything Jillian wasn’t. Tall, blonde, fit and tanned versus short, brown haired, a little plump and likely to burn if she was out in the sun for longer than 15 minutes. Already plagued with self-doubt after gaining weight in the first two years of their marriage, Jillian’s self-esteem took a hit when Karin, the woman who said she would do all she could to help her get fit, betrayed her instead.

Standing in front of the door to the bar where she agreed to meet her other friends, Jillian decided she wasn’t ready and turned around to leave, only to walk into the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

“Whoa, darling,” he grinned, gently grasping her arms as she shrieked from the impact. “You’re not going in?”

“No,” she blushed. “I changed my mind. I can’t….”

“Well, that’s a shame,” said the man, his blue eyes flickering to her lips. “A pretty lady like you makes this place better. You’re not standing a guy up, are you?”

“No, I’m just not ready to put myself out there yet.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re going to make a clean getaway,” he noted, pointing to her friends who were at the window screaming at her with excitement. “Friends of yours?”

Jillian rolled her eyes, “Never saw them before.”

He chuckled then opened the door for her, waiting for her to enter before him. With a sigh, she entered and went towards her friends as he waved to some people at the back.

Her friend Marla pulled her into the booth. “Who was that?”

“I don’t know,” replied Jillian. “I literally walked into him when I changed my mind about coming in here.”

“That is one gorgeous man,” gushed Marla, to the consensus of the others. “He was checking you out. He still is.”

It was true. He was sitting in the booth at the back with a full view of Jillian and her friends. Whoever was talking to him seemed to be asking him questions, but he kept looking over to Jillian repeatedly. When the band started playing and couples began drifting onto the dance floor Jillian smiled as her friends were asked to dance until she was left alone at the booth. Taking a sip of her beer she looked out the window, feeling the hurt of being ignored.

“May I have this dance,” said a familiar voice and she turned her head back, seeing those blue eyes gazing at her. She said nothing at first and the man offered her his hand. “If you take my hand, I’ll lead you to the dance floor and we’ll kind of sway back and forth. That’s usually how this works.”

Blushing, she took his right hand, feeling the calluses on his fingertips. When he offered his left hand for her to take, she noticed he wore a leather glove. Before she could say anything, he began to move but he didn’t sway. Instead, he guided her around the dance floor, his hands gently pressing and pulling her in the direction he wanted to go. At first, she didn’t know quite what to do and her natural instinct was to try and anticipate which way he was going. Several times she bumped into him, until he grinned and lowered his face close to her ear.

“Sweetheart, you have to let me lead you,” he said, loud enough for her to hear over the band. “I won’t steer you wrong. Honest.”

He smiled then and Jillian thought she had died and gone to heaven as he was so damned handsome. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not much of a dancer. My ex-husband didn’t like close dancing.”

“That’s terrible,” said the man. “It’s the best way to get to know someone.”

As if to prove his point he brought her closer to him when the band shifted the tempo of the song to something slower and more romantic. At that point she became aware of his aftershave which smelled of sandalwood, cedar and citrus. He lowered his face close to her ear once again.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” he asked. “My name’s Bucky.”

“Jillian,” she answered. “Do you come here often?”

“Once or twice in the past couple of months with my friends,” he replied. “Haven’t seen you here before.”

“It’s my first time. My friends said I have to get back out there.”

“How long has your ex-husband been your ex-husband?” His lips were close enough to her ear that she could feel his breath on her neck, making goosebumps run up her legs and thighs.

“Eight months since the divorce,” she answered.

She sniffed and was surprised to feel a tear fall down her cheek. Pulling her hand out of his she wiped it off, trying to stop the others from falling. Bucky stopped dancing and gently guided her off the dance floor then outside to the cooler air. As she looked apologetically at him, he pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket, offering it to her.

“Sorry, it just still hurts,” she sniffed, taking the handkerchief and dabbing at her eyes with it. “He had a yearlong affair with someone I thought was my friend, and I’m still dealing with the betrayal.”

“It does hurt,” he agreed. “Went through my own divorce two and a half years ago. Except it was my wife who cheated on me. We were living in the next town over when it happened. I didn’t handle it very well, kind of dropped off the radar for a while then my friend Steve opened a custom cabinet maker’s business here and invited me to partner up with him.”

“How long did it take before it stopped hurting?” asked Jillian.

He smiled sadly. “I’m still working on it but tonight I feel better.” He leaned close. “I met a very pretty lady.”

Jillian could feel her cheeks get warm and smiled shyly. She offered Bucky his handkerchief back and was pleased to see him open the door for her again. The band was playing a fast song that neither of them felt like dancing to, so he dropped her off at the table, then walked back to where his friends were sitting. She watched him walk away, liking how he filled out his dark wash Levi’s. When he turned around to look back at her he grinned at catching her watching him and waved so she waved back. Marla was the first to come back to the table and grasped her hand.

“So?”

“His name is Bucky, he’s divorced, and he’s a cabinetmaker,” said Jillian. “I got upset and started to cry so he took me outside, gave me a clean handkerchief and he smells wonderful.”

“He’s one fine looking man,” replied Marla. “And he’s coming back with two beers. I’m going to the ladies’ room.”

“No, Marla, don’t leave me,” pleaded Jillian but her friend was already gone, and Bucky sat down across from her, placing a beer in front of her space.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “The server told me what you were drinking.”

He held his bottle towards her and looked at her expectantly. Marla took her bottle and tipped it towards him before sipping from it. His eyes focused on her as he drank from his beer then he put the bottle down and leaned forward.

“May I ask you something personal?”

“Okay,” nodded Jillian. “As long as I can ask you something in return.”

“Goes without saying. May I ask the name of your friend who hurt you?”

“Karin Barnes,” she replied. “Why? And that’s not my question.”

He breathed out heavily. “My other friend Sam saw you on the dance floor with me and said my ex-wife broke up your marriage. She must have moved on from the guy she cheated on me with. I’m so sorry about her.”

Jillian didn’t say anything for some time, wondering what the chances of this gorgeous man were being connected to her worst nightmare. She took another drink of her beer, a longer one this time before speaking.

“She was my personal trainer. I gained weight after I got married and my ex said I should work out. She would show up at 6 am and we’d run for an hour then go to the gym and work out for another hour. Then I’d run home, shower, eat breakfast and be at work for 9. I forgot my work keys once and came home to her in bed with my husband.”

Bucky drank from his beer, his eyes never leaving Jillian’s, shaking his head with empathy as she talked, then he put his hand on hers.

“She said I was changed after my accident.” He gestured to his left arm. “I lost my arm in a construction accident then got into a clinical trial for a new type of prosthetic. I have almost full sensation with it, and it allowed me to continue doing fine carpentry work. But she didn’t like it, said it was too artificial looking. She was working as a personal trainer then, as well, and she started an affair with one of her clients. What a toxic person she turned out to be. How your husband could cheat on a beautiful woman like you is beyond me.”

Jillian smiled and squeezed his hand. “You’re very handsome and there is no way Brent is better looking than you. You said before that you fell off the radar. What did you mean?”

“I got on my motorcycle and rode across the country, working odd jobs, living in dive motels, drinking too much.” He smiled grimly. “It wasn’t a healthy way to deal with the betrayal and I hit rock bottom when I thought of ending it.”

“What happened?” asked Jillian.

“I bought a bottle of sleeping pills and a big bottle of scotch then sat in a cheap motel for an hour looking at them, trying to get the courage to begin taking them.” He took another drink of his beer. “This is all that I drink now. Two and I’m done. Just so you know. I opened the bottle and poured a dozen pills out into my hand and my phone literally rang at that moment. It was my friend, Steve. That’s him over there, the big blond guy and he’s dancing with your friend.”

They both looked, noticing her friend Marla and his friend Steve on the dance floor, watching them then ducking behind another couple. Both Bucky and Jillian put their hands on their mouths as they suppressed laughter.

“I think we were set up,” said Jillian.

“I think you’re right,” he replied, grinning. Then he got serious again as he finished his story. “I was that close to throwing everything away. Steve told me he was starting up his dream business and he wanted me to be in on the ground floor as his partner. I was falling apart, and he was giving me a second take at life. For another hour I looked at the pills then I flushed them down the toilet and the next morning was on my way here.” He took another drink of his beer. “It was important to me that you knew that before I asked you out.”

“You’re asking me out?”

“Well, yeah,” he smiled, and Jillian felt warm inside. “I mean look at you. You’re gorgeous. Maybe we’re supposed to go out if our friends who are still trying to watch us have anything to do with it. It takes two, Jillian. I’m willing to give us a try if you are.”

This incredibly handsome man sat across from her, his dark hair just a little on the long side, his eyes meeting hers in a level but soft gaze. His broad shoulders were impressive and she already knew how wonderful he smelled, and how good he looked in his dark wash jeans. She gave out a big sigh then looked at his gloved hand before looking him in the eye.

“May I see your hand?”

For a moment Jillian wondered if she had offended Bucky as his gaze flickered to the black leather glove. Then he smiled lightly and pulled it off, revealing a metallic hand, mostly black in colour but with lines of gold between the different plates and pieces that formed the hand and fingers. Despite herself she touched it then looked up at him for permission. Bucky nodded and she took it in both of her hands, running her fingers over the smooth surface, while tracing the sections. It’s coolness surprised her but the longer she held it the warmer it seemed to get.

“It’s incredible,” she said. “Such workmanship and precision went into this, and you can feel my touch?” He smiled and nodded. “This is a work of art and you are the canvas. If Karin used this as an excuse to hurt you then she was a horrible person.”

“So, you’ll go out with me?” asked Bucky, leaving his hand in hers.

“Yes.” She leaned forward over the table so that his face was just inches from hers. “I’d go home with you right now, if you asked, and I’ve never ever done that before.”

His soft smile became broader as he slid his right hand around her neck, pulling them closer together. As their lips met and their first taste of each other was felt, the kiss deepened into something they both knew was just the beginning.

Steve and Marla watched from the dance floor as Bucky switched to sit next to Jillian, his arm around her shoulders. It was obvious the new couple’s attention was only on each other, with their heads close together, already giving off the aura of an intense attraction. A huge sigh escaped Steve’s lips as he looked at his girlfriend of a few weeks.

“You were right, they’re perfect for each other,” he said. “Now, what about Sam?”

One Shots Masterlist

Tumblr Masterlist

Please support the author by reblogging. Comments appreciated.

#bucky barnes #buckybarnes original female character #steve rogers #divorced #still hurting #atthebarwithfriends #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes au

[nineliabilityrisk]

“ i don't know who i am anywhere else. ”

[[ this specific prompt triggered Something in my brain pardon me while i go wacky over it for a sec /pos (also formatting change bc the hellsite has decided to remove the option to edit ask replies, at least on mobile) ]]

-- [ asked by @mute-call ] --

To say Michael knew the feeling would be an understatement. What he didn't know – or, he supposes, hadn't realized – was that other people felt it, too. Fazbear Entertainment ... it had always been the Aftons' and the Emilys' burden to carry. Their creation, their story, their tragedy. Sure, others had been dragged into the mess in the past – Jeremy, those poor kids, their families – but he hadn't even stopped to consider how some of the other employees had been affected by the company.

Mr. Bell — Steven ( he keeps forgetting, they're more or less on equal ground now, and even if they weren't, they've been casual acquaintances long enough that he doesn't need to keep using honorifics for the guy ) especially. He'd been with the company nearly as long as Michael could remember, and, granted, that wasn't all that long, minus a few key events he would rather forget, but the point still stood. God knows the kind of shit he'd seen in his time here.

Michael was struck with the sudden urge to wrap the guy up in a hug. The kind with a few firm, comforting thumps on the back. Or at least clap a hand on his shoulder. Or something.

It'd been a long time since a real human person had earned an emotion other than mild annoyance from him, but Bell had done it.

Even still, he did exactly none of those things. Because those weren't things he did, and it would be weird if he did them at all, let alone to Mr. Bell of all people, the guy he's kind-of-sort-of-known for years now and only in a professional capacity. He'd probably explode from embarrassment. Or get asked if he needs to be drug tested. Or both. Maybe not in that order.

So, narrowly avoiding that absolute fucking nightmare, ( god, that would've been horrible, this is only their third or fourth time interacting outside of work and it's only because someone fucked up their schedules, Bell seemed like he was having a bad day, and Mike 'had nothing better to do' — he felt bad and wanted to help out but don't tell Steven that ) he just inclined his head and gave him an affirmative hum. If a small smile came with it, then, well... Can't blame him.

"Yeah, I... Yeah. This place... Hasn't really been the best, for me. But it's not like I can leave, y'know? Fazbear's is my home... Whether I like it or not," he said, ending it off with a soft chuckle as he remembered that Steven may not be as... Disillusioned with the company as he was.

Michael's reason for staying may be entirely different from Steven's, but... Steven doesn't need to know that. Better to keep him from knowing all the shit Michael's tangled himself up in with this company. Better to keep him from worrying. Safer for him, too, probably.

"Just, uh... I know how you feel. I'm here for ya, buddy." God. This is why he doesn't have friends. Not because it's hard, but because he sucks absolute ass at it.

#m | ic: threads ; michael #others | ic: threads ; steven #interactions ; michael & steven #mute-call #[[ replies tag ]] #timeline is a little fuzzy on this one just. yknow. fuck it no timeline just 2 bros hanging out #failbesties. i love them already.

[lume-nosity]

nerdy bf kazuha hcs !! (ugh yk kazuha is so yk like he's 🥰🥰 and like kazuha is so 😍😍😍😍 and then when he 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

contains: highschool au, mentions of other characters, mentions of getting high lol, kazuha wearing glasses 😋😋😋 (i hc that this man is blind. thick glasses, like a 200+ grade on his glasses.)

notes: here in the philippines, you just sit in one classroom with all the same people. so basically you and kazuha are in the same section, and he sits riiiight beside you. aside that this is vv messy lol, and my first time writing a hc format !, this was to make up for that kazuha fic for valentines that i didn't write lol

how is he like before classes?

he's running with you, why? he woke up late and rushed to class with you 💀

you're probably bugging him while he's spending free time in the library !!; "i need to study, dear..", he says, as he continues to be favored by most teachers...

of course — you have your own things to do and such so, you and him may just be staring at each other... until he's caught off guard by a mutual friend.

since kazuha and you decided to make your relationship public, kazuha has been suffering a few stolen haikus. you two have very few fingers to point, yet not a single one has been recovered.

how is he during class/in the middle of the day?

he's insufferable and cute, but mostly insufferable in the good way.

he's good at studying. he is smart, very, but when it comes to his "deep poems" it's probably something he scribbled while he was high lol.

in your row, (from left to right) you have kazuha, you, ayato, and yoimiya. whenever the other two aren't paying attention, kazuhas definitely teasing you.

...

"why don't you understand? it's quite simple..."

"just let me copy a few missing sentences??"

"no 🥰"

"little shit."

...

and oh man when you're daydreaming infront of him??? and he sees it???? AND YOU'RE STARING AT HIM FIXING HIS GLASSES?????? damn bro he's so fine

kazuha, while being a good student and never causing any fuss (at least nothing serious), might be reprimanded by teachers for paying attention to only you. jesus, it's a miracle you two have not been separated away just yet.

good lord he's honestly so demonic 😭, like you'll ask him "hey 'zuha, can i get some notes from you? i didn't copy fast enough.." and then he'll deny you for a bit before letting you copy 💀

and yk whats sexy and cool? volunteering to answer — you get nervous each time he raises his hand though...

does he bring you back home?

you bet your ass he does, and he's on time too. your poor boyfriend (not really, he does this willingly) multi-tasks while walking you back home, he's writing an essay or something 💀

maybe he might've been writing a haiku that'll be stolen if he doesn't put it away, but who knows? because it certainly isn't you.

...

"what 'cha writing?"

"a haiku, why?"

"can i see? please? just one, tiny glance.."

"as much as I'd like to, no sadly. i'm not finished oka-"

...

you proceed to a) attack him verbally, asian mom style b) keep staring in hopes that you'll be able to see it or c) snatch it away from him (never been successful)

...

i made this to deny and cope because i have a crush on my guy friend now because omg i... i think i... like him 😟 pssst some of the teasing kazuha does is very much based on my crush 🤯

i'm so disappointed in myself

my goodness

this is really good… i can clearly picture that whole thing in my head. kazuha with glasses… so fine tbh. (aha i have glasses too we could be twinning then)

kazuha please let me copy your notes fr like i’m too tired for school HDHAJC

also… did i read that last part right 👁️? another mutual has a crush on someone too?

wow, interesting, seems like a bunch of my mutuals have crushes that i wasn’t aware of? it’s cute, really. (not in a teasing way but in a more genuine way because i’m audibly going ‘aww’)

if you really do feel that way towards your friend, and would like to end up with him, (or you’d like to shoot your shot) i answered an ask similar to that here

either way, no matter what you do, i hope it works out well <3

#📬 lume answers #💛 lumes mutuals #🤍; riri! #genshin impact x reader #kazuha x reader #love this kazuha prompt sm <3 #it’ll live rent free in my mind #and also #dude if another mutual tells me that they have a crush too #then i’d be the ‘wingman mutual’ GSHSJCI

[leggerefiore]

I Hope You Like poorly worded angst! Also, this was all done in mobile, I’m super sorry if anything is formatted strangely or misspelled.

Imagine you and your fiancé Ingo fall into Hisui together.

Sort of.

Because Arceus has deemed you the favorite faller, Ingo is dropped and becomes a part of Pearl Clan as the game normally dictates. A few years down the road, you find yourself on Prelude Beach with your memories intact.

You start working for the Galaxy Team, making strides and building a powerful team as soon as possible. But you remember all the advantages and technology the future held; the trainers, the beauty contests, the bonds people and Pokémon shared. You recalled these memories openly at the beginning, but once other members started calling you crazy, you decided it was best to keep mum.

The rumors about how Galaxy Team’s newest recruit is an loon quickly spread, but because you have already built a formidable Pokémon team and solved several issues Jubilife Village was plagued with for the longest time, your positives outweighed any negatives.

The whispers and pointing were inescapable, you found peace in working on the Pokédex and letting Professor Laventon do the talking.

He asked about the ring on your finger, you tell him it is from a dear friend you are looking for.

And then one day, your friend knocks on your door, and you are speechless. He looks worn and tired but it is Ingo! Alive! You find your voice and practically launch yourself at the man, he catches you with the most bewildered look his hard face will muster and holds you out at arms length.

You must be mistaken, this is Warden Ingo of Pearl Clan. Not this Subway Boss Ingo, you have the wrong guy.

Your heart drops to a cold place. Leader Irida introduces you two properly, you apologize for the misunderstanding and he forgives you. You see he no longer has his ring.

You give a small smile but excuse yourself to prepare for the next mission. Behind the closed door of your home, you break.

But the game goes on! You have to quell the frenzied noble, and Ingo leads you up the mountain. Maybe Jubilife Village thought you crazy, but he is also from the future. Maybe if you can just jog his memory a little, he’ll remember everything! Unova, his twin, the subway line, you! This nightmare can be over and you two can work together to get back home!

Your plan hit a snag when you see a familiar glint in a torch hold. Ingo’s ring, smashed and used to keep the hold in place. He stops reminiscing of muddled memories and watches you in utter confusion as you rip the unsteady hunk of metal down and retrieve the item. You see that Ingo looks unnerved at your actions; you apologize for your second outburst but you fear he might leave you if you keep acting crazy.

Dutifully, Ingo gets back on track up the mountain. Fighting back tears you listen to him and mentally connect the dots, and as gently as you could with the time you had together, offered hints and tidbits so he may do the same.

A man that looked like him? Could that have been a twin? A Pokémon that wielded flames with mastery, maybe like your Typhlosion! Oh wait Hidden Moves? You know what those are!

Once you defeat him in your battle, and see a spark in his eye, you feel as though you might have made a break through with him! Was that recollection? Did he remember you?

Your over eagerness betrays you, his face drops into concern and now he is the one apologizing, “I’m sorry, but your comments .. Do not sit right with me. I know you mean well enough..”

He doesn’t remember you.

Ingo finishes up his duty to bring you up the mountain in distant silence and then quickly excused himself, clearly weirded out by what you had said to him.

And all you can do is look at the flatted ring and remember what he can not.

You dedicate all your time and energy into what Arceus promised you. ‘Seek out all Pokemon, and thou shalt find me once more’. Surely it can fix this problem. You plunge yourself into saving the land of Hisui at all costs, and a mantra begins to march strong in your brain.

Every strained muscle, every callous, every cut, bruise, and scar, it was to get to the God of all Pokémon so you can ask to go back home and bring everything back to normalcy. You have Pokémon and friends who no doubt miss you, you had a life put on hold that you had to get back to.

When you fixed Ingo’s ring back into something that vaguely resembled a circle, you put it on a necklace with it’s twin, and stay out of the Warden’s way to save him peace of mind.

And the game still goes on! You quell the remaining noble and for your troubles, you are banished from the village you worked so hard to protect. A break from the rumors of the ‘strange crackpot outsider’ but the real work begins while searching for the Lake Trio and obtaining the red chain.

Not even Palkia and Dialga could keep you from your goal.

The months or maybe even years are hard, but you have your new Pokémon team, Professor Laventon and Rei to keep you sane. You stay quiet in public but you have hope and new friends.

And then Volo leads you on the quest to retrieve every elemental plate, and reveals that he was behind everything. The frenzied nobles, the space time rifts, Giratina’s appearance, all of it.

Incensed by this news, you lead a Pokémon battle that even in his wildest dreams Volo could have never hoped to win. Your bond with your team has them feeling just as enraged as you are. Giratina’s second form falls not long after the battle ends.

But it is not without flight.

As you make your way to confront Volo, the renegade Pokémon lashes out in escape, it’s claw burying itself deep in your front. Before the pain hits you, you see your necklace snapped. You see your ring next to Ingo’s, now cracked and broken as well.

Before you hear calls of your name, you gather the damaged rings and let the dark swarm and swallow you up.

When you finally, finally come too, you are in a completely unfamiliar place. There is a beeping at your side from some kind of machine, and the lights buzz over ahead while someone in a white coat talks to you about how you were found.

Shows you your new facial and chest wounds and scars, and how to treat them.

The nurses allow visitors and you are surprised you have any; a fashionable young woman and two similarly looking men come in. As the group gently talk and try to bring you out of your shell, you see one of the men is holding the misshapen rings and your eyes go wide.

You lunge and plead for him to give those back.

You have no idea why, you can’t explain it, but you need to keep those safe. They are so important, please just give them back!!

The stoic looking man finally breaks at your words.

You don’t remember him.

can the egg boy quit causing problems for one minute lol

really nice read though!!!

also ingo was devastated when he remembered everything and realised he used his wedding band in such a way. the malewife won't forgive himself.

#ingo.ima #long post

[aspiring-holistic-otaku]

Season 2 Ramble#4 - A is for anime (solo reprise) ver.2

Hello Hello Hello and welcome to another episode of MM..MANGA, the podcast about getting more people into more manga.. Incidentally, as you may have guessed from the title, this episode isn’t about manga at all, as this month I focused on manga’s seemingly more popular younger sibling, anime.

Before we get into it, a couple house keeping matters/points of information:

Last season I had some friends on the cast cause I don’t really watch anime like that and different perspectives are invaluable when it comes to any media. Plus I really fw them and the more the merrier. Sadly I won’t be having them on this episode, as again, you probably guessed from the title. Reason being, we had fun and everything but back then a lot was going on, I was just moving in with my then girlfriend and for one reason or the other I didn't put in as much effort as I could have into quality assurance. I definitely had fun but I really think I did them a disservice attaching their names to some mish mash of a ramble.

Those guys are some of the coolest people I know, and I really wanted to solidly improve the quality of the cast before getting anyone else involved in my ramblings.

Anna, Asha, Adley, Ashina, thanks again for being on the cast. Shout out stevaughn and daniel as well for being there and bringing vibes, always a pleasure. And a huUUge shout out to katastrophe kat for letting us use her house as the location. This was during peak covid n everything so I know having a bunch of folks in your house to make a podcast of all things could not have been ideal, but you supported the homie when all he had to offer was vibes and pizza. Many many thanks, and I hope to have you all back on one day.

All that being said I'm still just a guy recording on his phone at his house so if you hear stuff like people, animals or vehicles that's just my environment, give thanks for hearing and give thanks for the world around you.

That’s housekeeping.

Now some points of information

Firstly, I’ve come to understand that when it comes to anime there are 4 main release formats:

- Theatre releases which are usually movies

- TV releases which are usually series

- Original Video Animations or OVA for short, which are either movies or series made specifically for home video releases like dvd, blu-ray, etc.

- Original Net Animations, ONAs, which are either movies or series released directly onto the internet.

…of course here in the west I think alot of us just call everything anime,, or at least nobody's ever asked me if I've watched such and such OVA or ONA…

Second point, the average length of any series mentioned here is 23 minutes unless otherwise stated.

Lastly, if you’re completely new to anime and don’t know where to find stuff, all the series mentioned are on 9anime, zoro.to or you can ask a weeb friend. You probably have one or two and they would likely love to share if you’re interested.. You can also try for movies on those sites but I personally recommend torrenting them. I’m generally an advocate for supporting creators where we can but some of this stuff just isn’t on streaming services and if we’re being really real we can probably chalk up any “losses” to Japan paying for their war crimes…

Alright. with that out the way, let’s get into it.

THIS episode's format is different from the usual, list of stuff consumed this month then stuff consumed before that,, this time it’s all stuff watched this month but split into series and then movies. Also the order isn’t any sort of ranking it’s just the order I happened to watch them in.

Again I haven’t really done too much anime and I already mentioned my fav older watches in Season 1’s Anime solo reprise.. Fairly certain that if i went with that format again It would pretty much be the same lists except most of what I watched that month would move into this month’s older top 5 or so. I also really didn’t want to have to try and balance between series and movies for a top 5 list,, or do any type of ranking tbh,, plus seeing as i haven’t watched all that much anime I feel like my perception’s bound to be changing rapidly at this point..

When I add more to the stack I'll probably make another list but for now you can check out that ramble or read the writeup if you're interested.

[SERIES]

- Gunsmith Cats (1995 OVA, 3 episodes, 30 minutes each)

Picked this up for the shits because I liked the name and wanted to see if it had any relevance to the plot,, plus I'd always seen some 90s anime lofi type beat gifs of it and that made it seem pretty cool. Only 3 episodes. 90 minutes total, and if there was going to be predictably gratuitous fan service then that seemed a fair and tolerable length.

Not bad,, pretty enjoyable even if you don't mind or just wanna see some pulp., As anilist user Wilza put it, girls + cars + guns = fun.

Personally though I prefer media I consume to look good, be enjoyable and also be filling in some way,, but I pretty much knew what I was going into, and again, 90 minutes total. Not a bad appetiser for a whole month of anime.

Spoiler alert. The only relevance the title had to the plot was the main characters owning a store with the same name.. A gun store… idk what I expected…

- Riding bean (1989 OVA, 45 minutes) & Bean bandit (2021 OVA, 8 minutes)

The 1989 Riding Bean is actually the parent of Gunsmith Cats and the 2021 Bean Bandit is supposed to be a kickstarter for a new anime,, if i’m understanding my google search results correctly….

The mc of Gunsmith Cats, Rally Vincent is the partner of the mc here, Bean Bandit. Mostly watched for the Gunsmith Cats relation and the fact that there was less than an hour total length between the two. Also the name, again, had a strange pull on me cause I just still can’t fathom that naming sense and needed to actually see what was up.

Unfortunately I can't say there's much worth mentioning,, The mc is supposed to be a badass courier that has a cool ass car and drives anywhere anyhow but with basically one episode and an advertisement, neither of which were spectacular in any fashion, I couldn't find myself picking up the anything they were putting down. My only real comments are; cool car ig, the main character's chin is insane, like google the guy, bean bandit,,, and it was nice to see Rally again but in a different style… ig…

I encourage everyone to evaluate stuff for themselves but… you can probably let this one pass you…

- Digital juice(2002 OVA, 6 episodes, 3 mins each)

Very cool anthology, no real relation between each episode besides an effort being made to transport you to a different, usually high fantasy world.

Not too much to say barring going into each of the 6 shorts but ain't nobody got the time for that + they were mad short fr. Not even 20 mins length total, so I feel like I literally can’t start speaking on any of them without just about spoiling it entirely.. I will say that I definitely enjoyed all of them though.. Like a 7 on average if I was pressed for a score...

Really diverse animation styles throughout and, at least for me, it was a pretty decent shakeup of my preconceptions as to what anime, meaning Japanese animation, looks like. Highly recommend if you're bored of the same old same old and want a quick shake up.

On that note, this is one of three cool looking unrelated anthologies I wanted to watch this month. Sweat Punch and Short Peace are the other two. If anyone can find them please send them my way.

- Sonny Boy (2021 tv series, 12 episodes)

Wasn’t expecting much going into this, if anything I was expecting some lord of the flies, kids slowly going insane and picking each other off type beat, but I was so off the mark and in the best of ways.

The gist of the story here is that a high school has drifted into another dimension and at the same time, some of the kids start developing powers. With that setup I don’t think you can blame me for thinking this was gonna be another pseudo death game type beat, plus the title Sonny Boy, literally gives nothing away about the show,, but as I said the show went in a completely different direction.

For the most part the students are actually working together to try and get home albeit in their little factions, each having their own ideas about how they should go about that. Their situation was anything but normal and shit never really hit the fan like i expected but shit definitely got weirder and weirder.. But keeping the kids actually behaving like normal kids for the most part was a pretty good choice as it was way easier to relate and empathize with stuff like a class spat leading to people being isolated or god complex student council members, rather than dudes killing each other over who gets the best part of a fucking deserted island or something like that yk?

On that note the cast was great, pretty brilliant actually. Loved pretty much all the dialogue and despite the heavy scifi setup, it was more slice of life leaning a bit into psychological. Kids being kids, they’re gonna have issues yk? Put em in a different dimension, give em powers, kids are still gonna have issues. I think the main thing, was trying to find the place where you belong and the journey to get there, but honestly there was so much going on, so much cool social and existential commentary before and after that became clear, it was phenomenal. All wrapped up in some of the most dope visual direction I’d ever seen in anime.

Definitely highly recommend, honestly feel like i must have missed when it was buzzing cause it’s just so good in every direction I can think of,, my last ditch attempt at selling it would be to say it’s like a cross of the magic school bus and doctor who.. I think watching this as early as I did in the month was a big driving force for me actually trying to watch a bunch more stuff and I'm super thankful…

- Bus gamer (2008 TV series, 3 episodes)

Series about death games are about a dime a dozen but usually an okay time.. You know what you're getting and sometimes they can actually be really good and if not, what's another gratuitous chainsaw massacre?

The story, as with most death games is pretty simple. Different corporations/businesses hire teams of three strangers to steal and protect each other's data for huge sums of money.. As opposed to just getting a safe or investing in tech.. who knows why rich people enjoy toying with the lives of poors.. In any case, outside the games I like the plot point of teams made of strangers as it usually makes it more interesting to see how they pull stuff off.

Just 3 episodes, not that good in any sense plainly speaking. Very abrupt ending as it's based on a cancelled manga so that should tell you… I will say it did have a few cool lines I saved for future use though.

In any case I wasn't expecting much going in, the name just intrigued me. idk even know how I chanced into this. I just saw the name and was just like “are they playing games on a bus? in transit? what's going on?” but no they just play the games wherever..

Very sick op and ed tho I’ll for sure give it that,, and yeah it wasn't great but as hanma yujiro said in Baki son of ogre, if you only consume the good your body will become vulnerable, you have to take the good and the bad in their share to become stronger.

- The Tatami Galaxy series

So so so so so good, and without powers or anything really, just pure brilliance. idek what else to say… Tbh after watching Sonny Boy I thought I’d be lucky to see another series even half as good but I was thankfully blessed with another masterpiece and I’m so grateful.

The Tatami Galaxy series is actually 3 different series and a movie. Not really clearly related in plot but moreso the characters and themes, with each series showing those off in their own way. All thankfully and wonderfully brilliant,, but 4 items is a lot to squeeze in without turning a ramble into a lecture so i’ll try to speak on the general first then brush on the differences of each.

At its core, tatami galaxy is a romantic comedy that we never truly get to see the fruit of as the mc's ceaseless cyclical efforts are barely enough to start up a conversation with a woman…. Felt my dude…. :’^)))

Our mc is a freshman college student hoping to have a rose coloured college life as he's wasted his highschool years, and to that end he tries to join a club for their social circle, and hopefully even find a girlfriend. Sadly for him, but pivotal to the plot, he fails miserably at finding the ever elusive ideal girl and even worse, finds himself with only one so called friend he could call close after two years.

Another common thing were the absolutely stunning visuals which were so beautifully dynamic, in so many ways, it doesn’t even make sense to start listing. (breathe)I think this worked really well with the anthological feel the series gives off as a whole, and even within each individual part. Like the visual direction was almost too perfect man like i know some folks just don’t do slice of life but fr just look at the thing man it’s so beautiful.

btw, having watched all of them I’d say you don’t have to watch any particular one to watch any of the others, or in any particular order. I just read the summaries and decided to watch it in the order i’m about to talk about them in and yes I’d recommend that order but it’s not any strict thing.

Tatami Galaxy (2010 tv series, 11 episodes)

I’d say this is the definitive main branch but again, not something I’d say you have to have to watch before the others.

Here we follow our mc as he thinks back on his past two years of college. Unsatisfying, living alone, and with only one so called friend who he blames for being the cause of his failure to grasp a rose coloured college life. I really liked the gimmick of the story telling where basically every episode he would decide he’s going to join some club for their social circle, find he didn’t like the club’s activities for some reason or the other, meet that same one friend, then end up wasting time for two years. This makes it so that at the end of pretty much every episode he finds himself in some dire social situation that makes getting friends, not to mention a girlfriend, virtually impossible. He curses his fate and wishes he joined a different club because then everything would be different and everything would be awesome, most of all he wouldn’t meet that one guy and he would definitely get a girlfriend. Then the next episode his college life starts all over again and he chooses a different club.

Personally I really love strange loops, and I just couldn’t believe how fun it was to watch the story progress even within said loop. All brilliantly wrapped up and I have to say the second to last episode is some of the greatest episodes of anything I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.

Tatami Galaxy specials (2010 dvd, 3 episodes, 7 min each)

These are side stories that have virtually nothing to do with the main branch and if nothing else, just gave more screen time to a cast I was completely in love with by this time. I think it could also be first in your watch order if you don’t want to jump into 11 episodes of the main branch, or even in between episodes tbh, as it gives little tastes of the main cast and the kind of antics they get up to. Thankfully keeping the killer visuals I'd come to associate with the series. It was like they knew they already did everything right and just wanted to have some fun.

Tatami Time Machine Blues (2022 ONA, 6 episodes, 17 min each)

Same main cast, same main character having the same problems, but completely different like nothing from the main series ever happened,,, or was somewhere in between, time machines are involved so who knows man, such is life.

This was more on the nose actual time travel as the name implies, as opposed to the original’s recursive reminiscive storytelling,, The art was a little different than the first two i mentioned but the direction was still chef’s kiss. getting into the story of how and why they’re time travelling in the first place would spoil the wonderful ridiculousness of it all and despite everything I’m aware ramblings aren’t usually well received, so I simply highly recommend this..

Night is young, Walk on girl(breathe) (2017 movie, 1hr 30 mins)

This one is completely completely different from the rest as though they all balance the vantage points of the main cast reaaaaally well, this one actually has most of the story coming from the main heroine’s perspective which was reeeaaalllly cool to see after all this time. Also the art is again a little different from the rest but thankfully still with the same utterly beautiful yet playful charm.

I think I'm getting a little repetitive now and I have other things to get to so I won't even give the synopsis but just know, as with all the others, this shit is flames. Source: dude trust me.

Speaking generally on the series again, I loved how the main character’s narration was very like fast and clean cut, almost mechanical as opposed to how he and really the story were actually very whimsical and unstable. Fair warning, the dialogue could be very cutting emotionally and psychologically despite that whimsy, which almost always somehow managed to come from left field, but it all just blended so well, especially with the amazing visual direction. Also absolutely loved the main cast btw, from just their designs to their individual eccentric oddities,, easy 10/10 man

- Ayakashi: Japanese classic horror (2006 tv series, 11episodes)

Not a big horror fan in general, but I can’t deny enjoying the occasional dash of gore and body horror in my media, but something about Japanese horror, specifically their supernatural realm stuff has always been very appealing to me. The diversity, creativity and folklore usually present is just so wild it always makes me wonder, wtf are the Japanese on and how long have they been on it.

That being said this wasn't all that great but it was an anthology of 3 stories, max of four parts each so nothing dragged on too long for me to hate anything. On average the stories themselves weren't bad or anything, actually they were solid enough and to the point but the age in animation showed through in a way that made me feel like I was watching a homemade project or something. But on the other hand, as I'm getting older myself, it did give me a bit of nostalgia for the days of searching through YouTube videos for hours to watch one anime episode split into four parts just to find out they only had 2. Also I thought each story was better than the last tbh, ending with an amazing three parter called Bakeneko, which was just so much different and also better than the first two in every sense, it's almost hard to believe they're from the same series.

If i’m being honest, even though I really dig japanese horror in general I actually mostly watched this series to see that last story as it actually ended up getting its own series called mononoke the following year.. I knew they weren't related but as a completionist I like to complete things yk? For those wondering, no you don't have to watch this series or even the last part, Bakeneko, to watch and enjoy mononoke.

- Mononoke (2007 tv series, 12 episodes)

Technically a spinoff of the previous series but definitely stands out on its own.

Honestly went into this almost to hate watch, for two reasons. One, for the most part I'm a manga purist so my hater self was like "fuck all those fancy shmancy colors n shit, all you need is the good ol black and white and a good story". Secondly I'd never actually seen anyone talk about it outside of thirsting for the mc and aesthetic blogs posting the same few clips so I thought it would’ve just been eye candy, but just from what I saw in Bakeneko I knew I was wrong and was actually really excited to get into this.

The story here is that the mc is a "medicine man". Medicine man in quotes cause we never see this dude sell medicine and tbh it seems like wherever he goes people are about to be or already getting fucked.. But he calls himself a medicine man. Though in reality what he does is exorcise supernatural beings called mononoke. All together the show is split into five multi part stories, each focusing on a particular mononoke.

Now you might be thinking "ohhh brother, not more demon slayin". Trust me I get it man.. I get it… but it's different in that the mononoke are said to come into being because of the misfortune of humans, so they really focus more on solving the mystery of that first creation step for most of the story, rather than physically fighting demons,, which does happen but usually more to the climax of each part., I was expecting to find it getting more and more predictable with the same general outline for each; mc shows up, mononoke shows up, shit hits the fan, MC saves the day, different day, different mononoke. But every story felt so richly unique, less so because of the obviously different mononoke and underlying themes but moreso I think, because of the mix of lengths and pacing which made it hard for even the general layout I described to feel predictable.

The main character was honestly just too brilliant and pretty much everyone, in this very shuffled cast mind you, played their parts so well. Also I said what I said but the eye candy was there and cannot be understated. Loved the horror aspects of course, more creepy than scary though, and really most of the time, the most horrific things were the sequence of events that caused the mononoke to come into existence.

Also a movie should be coming out this year so that's another reason I decided to check this out.

- Yokohama Shopping Log/Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (1998 OVA, 2 episode, 29 minutes each) & it’s sequel, Yokohama Shopping Log: Quiet Country Cafe/Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Quiet Country Cafe) (2002 OVA, 2 episodes, 32 minutes each)

Actually read the manga just over 2 years ago when I was on a slice of life binge and really dug the vibe, was so strangely peaceful I really wanted to see it in motion.

There's no real story tbh, it's literally just vibes, as it comes from a slice of life subgenre called iyashikei, apparently meant to have a healing effect on audiences by showing characters in a calming environment, living out peaceful lives. There's no real grand happenings, but that's really the point. As anilist user c00kiemaster puts it. Finding peace in the mundane, seeing beauty in the damaged.

The setting is one of those very rare post apocalyptic ones that aren’t all sad and hopeless. a little melancholy but that's just the personal disposition of the mc, which makes how healing it is all the more wild.

The two parts cover different parts of the manga but you don't really need to see one to see the other, as I said the plot is minimal and it's more about the setting. They don't cover as much as the manga but I really enjoyed just hearing the wind and watching it blow over the fields, watching the waves crash here and there.. a lone engine revving up then hitting an abandoned road… and the soundtrack is just… so peaceful..

If you want to see stuff happen then this probably isn't for you but it's a great wind down.. The reason I watched it last… If you're trying to get cozy then this is it.

[MOVIES]

- Roujin Z

The plot here is that the ministry of health has developed a new machine to automatically take care of the elderly who can't do so themselves.. Generally a movie needs conflict, so needless to say that didn’t go quite as well as they planned.

This is a Katsuhiro Otomo movie. Fairly certain Otomo’s most popular, or at least his most commonly referenced movie is Akira, but he's also been involved in quite a few other films. I had the pleasure of watching a few anthologies he worked on last year; Robot Carnival, Meikyuu Monogatari and my personal favourite, Memories. These all pretty much stand toe to toe with Akira so I had pretty solid expectations heading into this and they were pretty well met.

Solid cast and great aesthetic as I think most anime fans do, or usually come to expect from Otomo, and also pretty funny. I don't think Otomo's comedy gets enough credit tbh, especially for pulling it off in these usually sci-fi, end of the world, high tension situations. If you check out his anthologies you’ll see he can be a pretty funny guy, and though Kaneda provided a bit of that in Akira, I’d definitely recommend checking out his other work, Stink Bomb, from the Memories anthology to really see what I mean.

- One Piece movies, Stampede and Red

Stampede was sort of cool because we got to see the worst generation all in one place again, though I don't really care for most of them, so it wasn't THAT cool to me. Honestly I find it hard to care for them when it's not like the main story, or even this movie seems to either. Cool looking main enemy with a simple mindset and characterization that plays their role. The only thing I didn't really like is this thing where the main baddie had some connection to Roger or is from that generation. Another movie that did this was One Piece movie Z.

Let me just put out there though that I liked it when they did it in the Strong World movie, because the antagonist there, Shiki, was actually canon and one of Roger's greatest rivals besides Whitebeard. So being the first movie post time skip, it really hit to see Luffy go head to head with someone like that, but also because of that,, pulling any other character from that era doesn't make much sense to me seeing as Luffy beat THE Golden Lion Shiki and has only gotten stronger since then. That being said I recognise Luffy's win over Shiki was a once in a lifetime ass pull but it's a movie you know,, cool once in a lifetime shit is kinda supposed to happen.. unlike his asspull win vs a certain Katakuri… which I'm evidently still salty about to this day.

One thing I really appreciated though was usopp's role in this movie. After spending 2 years on such island during the timeskip, being trained by a dude named Heracles, he's supposed to be a real yute now yk, but in the main series we haven't gotten it all that much.. Thankfully he was for really really real here, like all real ones know god usopp to be… also shout out warlord turned yonko genius buggy one time…

Red

Wasn't expecting much from this movie tbh. If you're a One Piece fan then you know Shanks is the biggest tease in franchise history, so despite all the ads and previews alluding to his supposed involvement, I knew he would show up for like 5 minutes, say a few words and maybe swing his sword once. Which was pretty on the mark,, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did nonetheless. Probably the second most emotional one piece film after one piece movie 6: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island.

- Lupin III: The First

That might be a little hard to follow for folks who don’t know the character but his name is Arsené Lupin the third and the movie title is The First.

Gonna just go with the anilist description here and say the story centres on Lupin teaming up with a woman named Leticia to steal the Bresson Diary, a treasure that even the first generation Arsène Lupin could not steal., Simple heist plot but this shit was so damn cool, the craziest thing is that Lupin just looks like kinda dorky idk but he just so smooth with it. Not to be outshined by his gang that’s not quite a gang, all utterly killing their respective roles of sword, charm, gun and somehow funnily enough the law.

I had unreasonably high expectations heading into this tbh, firstly because of the crisp animation I'd seen in trailers. Secondly, because after watching my first lupin movie last year, the blood spray of goemon ishikawa, and being absolutely blown out of the water, I unreasonably expected them to easily produce another master class. Thankfully I was not disappointed in the least, all my expectations were far surpassed and I'm even more excited to watch the rest of the movies and get into the main series.

- Millennium actress

A Satoshi Kon movie. If his name doesn’t ring a bell his other movies, Perfect Blue and Paprika usually do for anime fans and regardless i’d recommend them.

The story here is that a documentary film maker is interviewing a legendary actress that disappeared at the height of her career. Like most Satoshi films I've seen till this point, it neatly blends the lines between illusion and reality but this is still the first normal Satoshi Kon movie I've seen until this point. Very touching and ironically down to earth given the intentional blurring of reality by the characters themselves. I definitely preferred this to both perfect blue and paprika, I think mostly because of how whimsical the fantasies of the characters were here, as opposed to the darker more dissective nature of Perfect Blue and Paprika. I mean those were pretty solid movies but I guess that’s how it usually goes? Like yh what a wicked and ironic comment bro, now try saying something true and beautiful… still solid movies but yh..

- Angel’s Egg

This was actually my 3rd attempt to watch this movie in like 4yrs. Still don't know what I watched so I couldn't even give you a real synopsis. And I still can't figure why it seems so highly rated.. I definitely get that it's aesthetically pleasing, Yoshitaka Amano having done the art. but there's like 10 lines of dialogue,, and sure there's some cool existential bits but that's like 3 out of the 10 lines. To each their own but man… idk…

- Tokyo godfathers

Another Satoshi Kon film, actually didn’t realise until I started it and saw the art and was like, “is this Satoshi?” And yh it was Satoshi.

The plot here is three homeless folks find an abandoned baby girl on Christmas eve and try to reunite her with her mother. No fantasy or anything really, just some very real shit, teared up and almost cried at one bit tbh. Brilliant visual direction as expected but I actually found the sound direction a bit odd idk,,. Still, it easily became my fav Satoshi Kon movie like half hour in.

And that’s it for stuff watched this month, much love and thanks if you're still here, I'm gonna ramble a little bit more after this but the main part of the episode is done now so,, love and peace and safe travels 🤞🏿

#just another day #mm..manga #writeup #A is for Anime #late but we're here!!! #check it out check it out!! #Spotify #lots of wind cause I ended up having to just go on my roof for some quiet

[moth-yknowtheartist]

okay here you guys go here is the result of me putting my highest highest interests into a mixing pot for my own self indulgence and serving it as a meal to you. this is kinda just to get the concept out there but if you guys like it let me know I might make more content for it!! (if I did do anything with it I'd probably do ask blog format storytelling because y2kvr is one of my greatest inspirations and it informs a lot of my ideas for this au)

presenting:

myProfessor: Your new desktop pal!

myProfessor is ready to become your new virtual assistant, tutor, and friend!

-Use his essay-assistance features for help with spelling, punctuation, grammar, and avoiding plagiarism!

-Learn something new every day with his fun fact feature!

-Ask him to tell you a joke!

-Sit back and relax as he manages your emails and downloads and helps you navigate the web!

All of this FREE to download NOW!

At the expense of a few potentially unwanted programs, a bit of malware, and no peace ever again.

Premise: Ryan Bergara downloads myProfessor, a helpful virtual assistant... ish. This program is unfortunately a dropper for several PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) and malicious programs ranging from annoying to downright sinister. Also the programs are a little bit sentient like a little bit don't worry about it.

Attempts to get an antivirus and rid himself of these programs is... Unsuccessful. Hey who knew downloading supposed free antivirus programs from untrustworthy sources is how you get trojan horses and such on your computer hahaha ha.

Our major players:

myProfessor (aliases: Professor): Virtual Assistant, Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), Trojan (Persistent Dropper)

(inspirations: Clippit, BonziBuddy)

myProfessor, while not actively malicious software, acts as both a dropper for other malware and is generally annoying on a user experience level. His daily "fun facts" are closer to lectures, detailing sometimes horrific historical events in excessive detail; he routinely blocks important parts of the screen at a rate that comes off as intentional; and while he CAN be helpful, he and the programs that come with him are a nightmare to remove, with files scattered across the system and self-healing capabilities.

DevSec AntiVirus (aliases: Devkit, Devware): Trojan (Persistent Dropper), Rootkit (Kernel-mode)

(inspirations: BakaSoftware, ZeroAccess)

Advertised as a free antivirus/antimalware, DevSec is unfortunately exactly what it claims to protect against. Upon installation and launch, DevSec buries and cloaks itself in the Windows kernel and infects the computer with other malicious software (particularly serving as a host/dropper for the Genie and Asmodeus viruses).

Asmodeus (aliases: DevHelper): Virus

As part of DevSec's payload, the Asmodeus virus is introduced to the system. It immediately begins infecting files on the computer, specifically targeting self-healing files associated with the myProfessor program (ie parts of the program or its associated programs meant to detect if parts of myProfessor is removed and reinstate them). Once it infects all known self-healing files, it triggers logic in the Genie virus for it to begin its payload.

Genie (aliases: ProfeSeek): Virus

(inspirations: Reaper)

As part of DevSec's payload, the Genie virus is introduced to the system, working seemingly in tandem with the Asmodeus virus. The Genie virus, as it infects files, will remove any files it recognizes as part of the myProfessor program or associated with it (ie, the malware it acts as a dropper for). Because of the earlier work of the Asmodeus virus, Genie is able to fully remove myProfessor and all associated programs, which seems to be its primary payload.

Also to be added in the au once I have the time to put more thought into them/we get the rest of puppet history season 5: All the puppet musical guests (ALL of them... pray for me), NotProfessor

The stuff above may also be subject to change depending on how the rest of s5 plays out and if I learn more computer stuff that happens to inspires changes! All content will be tagged with #puppetware including this post!

Feel free to ask any questions (either on this or shoot me an ask, inbox is open) and lmk if you like it!! If not don't feel bad I am content enough sharing this as an act of pure self indulgence this stuff makes me happy :]]

#puppet history #puppetware #the professor #puppet history au

[chibi-pix]

Chibi watches V3D 10!

Well, time for another episode of Voltron: The Third Dimension!

“Descent into Madness”. Title is catching my attention. I have high hopes for this episode.

Starting the episode with Keith pissed with that calculator amuses me. And. Honestly? My knowledge of Voltron with VF and DotU? I’m with Allura on the spirits of the lions. They aren’t just machines and I feel like they should research more. Research means understanding.

Oh ho ho! Keith is witnessing Zarkon being the traitor! And Zarkon figured it out. “Your mother should have told you, snooping is very unhealthy.” Not my mom. My mom taught me to always pay attention and it’s not really eavesdropping if someone is too loud and don’t notice you there. “Miserable excuse for an offspring!” A good insult. But. Zarkon? The offspring is only as good as the parent in this case.

Ah, Doom forces expecting the team. At least they don’t waste time to try and form Volt-oh. They got attacked before they could actually form. That’s actually impressive on the enemy’s part to attack fast enough to prevent the formation of Voltron.

“The rest is up to Haggar.” Almost seven minutes in, seeing Haggar’s green magic glow, Keith being knocked down in Black, and the title of the episode? Keith is gonna lose his mind and descend into, well, madness. I think I’ve seen a scene in this episode in a discord server I’m in. I probably asked “What the quiznak is this? That’s Keith?!” and was so confused because, let’s face it. Knowing what I know and seeing the characters look a certain way in other versions? It threw me for a loop. Okay, preliminary musings and deductions over. Time to continue the episode.

And. Oof. Seeing Black down on the ground, poor baby. She’s gonna need some fixing. Oh hey! It is that scene! And actually better quality than what my friends on discord showed. Better lighting, too. And now I know what’s actually going on. Both in image and in context.

Oh. Did not expect to see the “skeleton” of Black. She really needs her outer shell. She looks eerie and naked. It’s unnerving.

“As cold as it sounds, Princess, Keith is replaceable.” Yeah? Well so are you you glorified calculator! Jeez, rude much? This is why we can’t leave it to robots to run the universe when they don’t have proper AIs that allow them to understand or learn to understand emotions of biologicals. It doesn’t go well. You get things like this and next thing you know, people are considered expendable. It may be obvious? But I really hate that guy.

Oooh, Black refusing Lance. Nice! Further proof that she has a spirit and she doesn’t want any other pilot except Keith. She’s chosen him for a reason. This makes me think of VLD and the lions choosing their paladins. And even in VF at the mention that the black lion there rejected Wade when he and Coran were younger. THESE LIONS ARE SENTIENT! They aren’t just machines. And I love this about them.

“And pray that Keith recovers soon.” Yeah, you’re gonna need more than prayers for this one.

Oh shit, Zarkon’s in Keith’s holding room. Preliminary thought? Dude’s gonna set the feral boy free to cause issues and worry. “Commander Keith’s just lion around.” I hate Zarkon, but I appreciate good puns. Oh, I stand corrected. Keith got out on his own.

Oh hey, falling into Black seems to have healed Keith. Cliche, but it works. Now time for him to go and join up with the team.

“Now to go back to Castle Doom!” Apparently not. That quick retreat was actually amusing.

Finally, the calculator is allowing the research into the lions. Not that the team should have to have his permission.

Poor Keith doesn’t remember that Zarkon’s not their ally. Well, he’ll remember in time. Hopefully.

Anyway, that's it for the night! Until next time!

#chibi watches #v3d #chibi watches v3d #voltron the third dimension #chibi writes

[unseededtoast]

Rectify | Bucky Barnes

Part 7/37 | Part Six, Part Eight

Summary: I've lived every day for the past five years looking over my shoulder. I knew they'd come for me, it was inevitable. I was foolish to think I could outrun my past. It's followed me everywhere I go, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Never would I have anticipated that the shadows would lead me to the light.

Bucky Barnes x OC

Series Warnings: Discussion of human trafficking, alcohol consumption, graphic depictions of violence, sexual content, discussion of suicidal thoughts.

a/n: Hi everyone, thank you for checking this out, I appreciate any and all support! This series is also posted on Ao3 and Wattpad if you prefer those formats/platforms! This is a completed series, and it's going to take some time for me to transfer it to Tumblr, so please bear with me!

"You know, she was the only one at Hydra to ever tell me they were sorry, she treated me like a human, not a weapon."

The water stops trickling down the drain as I shut off the faucet and pat my mouth dry. Today's the day and I know Steve is more excited than I am. I hear him knocking on the door and go to open it for him. He walks in and I return to the bathroom, untangling my hair from last night's restless sleep. I've been eager for this day to come, I couldn't get my mind to rest very well.

"Do you think it'll go well?" Steve asks anxiously, picking at the skin on his thumb. I look at him through the mirror, poor guy has been stressed out for two weeks over this. If I had a hard time resting last night I bet he didn't even sleep. I turn to face him,

"If I didn't think he could handle it I wouldn't go through with this. He's done exceptionally well up to this point, it'll be okay Steve. I'll be there for you both. It's going to be emotional just remember to let yourself feel the emotions." I say and lay my hairbrush down on the vanity. I go to put my shoes on as Steve sighs,

"I just hope he remembers." His voice tapers at the end, worry clearly evident in his voice. I lace up my boot and look to Steve as I put the other one on.

"I'm fairly confident he will remember. It might not happen all at once, it may take some time. Just have patience." I say, hoping to ease some of his nerves and bring his high hopes down to something that is more realistic. I don't want Steve's hope to be crushed if things don't go exactly the way he wants them to. 

He starts tapping a foot on the floor and runs a hand through his hair. I can't imagine what thoughts are going through his head right now. He's about to be reunited with his best friend who he thought was dead for the past sixty or so years.  It has to feel unreal.

I lace my other boot and Steve goes to open the door, eager to get to Bucky's room. I follow Steve into the hall and down to the room we spend the majority of our time in now.

Things have smoothed out over the past two weeks for the most part. Bucky isn't as apprehensive as he first was and I think that's because we have a similar experience we can relate to each other with, along with the fact that he knows he's not in any imminent danger. Steve and I are practically joined at the hip most days, he's been one of the most welcoming and supportive people since I've arrived and I'm most grateful for him. Tony still isn't fond of me, but he tolerates me better than he first did, so I can't complain too much.

Steve stays in the hall as I walk into Bucky's room to explain what's going to happen today. Bucky sets the book he's reading aside as he sees me walk into the room, a smile on his face.

"Good morning." I smile and greet him back, not sitting in my usual spot. He looks confused as to why I don't have coffee cups in my hands and why I'm not settling in like I usually do for our morning talks.

"I have someone with me that I want you to meet. I think you two will have a lot to talk about. If it gets to be too much or you need a break, I'll be just outside the door and you can call for me." I say and take some steps backwards as Bucky nods. I walk out of the room to observe from the hall, and Steve is standing right by the door. I give him permission to go into the room and he takes one big breath before he enters. I shut the door behind Steve and cross my arms as I watch from behind the one-way glass.

Bucky stares at Steve, a mixture of emotions on his face. Steve walks slowly, approaching the grey armchair that's been placed next to the couch in Bucky's room. After Bucky was freed from the cage, Steve made sure that he had a bed and some other furniture placed in his room to make sure Bucky was comfortable.

Steve sits in the chair, the two are silent as they study one another. Steve looks nervous and Bucky looks like he's seen a ghost. I see Bucky blink a few times and tilt his head to one side.

"Steve?" Bucky asks and Steve nods his head,

"It's me, Buck." I can hear the smile in Steve's voice, and I know he's beyond ecstatic. Bucky takes a few moments, he's probably remembering something. Bucky gets a certain look on his face when he remembers things, it's a mix of confusion, anger, sadness, and sometimes, happiness. Bucky licks his lips and looks Steve over.

"You used to be small. I remember you used to put old newspapers in your shoes." Steve laughs and nods his head,

"Yeah, I used to be small. You'd have to bail me out every time I picked a fight." Steve says and I see Bucky's eyes light up, a smile on his face,

"In the alleyway at the movie theater." I see the humor between the two, their chemistry is natural. They continue sharing small moments here and there, Bucky sharing what he remembers though I can tell he's having trouble remembering some details. Steve laughs a few times, and then the room falls silent.

"You were there when I fell off the train." Bucky states and Steve somberly nods his head, running a hand over his face.

"Yeah, I was there. I thought I had lost you for good. I tried to save you, Buck." Steve says, looking down at the ground. The silence stays in the room, neither of them knew what to say. I watch as Bucky shifts around on the couch,

"Have you been out there while Adalyn comes?" Bucky asks.

"I've been out there every day." Steve confirms and Bucky nods his head.

"I have to admit, seeing her again was weird, especially at first. I really thought she had been killed, I never found out what happened to her once she escaped. You know, she was the only one at Hydra to ever tell me they were sorry, she treated me like a human, not a weapon." Bucky looks towards the glass, knowing I can hear what they're saying. It hasn't been easy for Bucky to open up about his feelings, he sometimes has a tendency to bottle it up, so hearing him say this is profound and heartwarming to me.

"She's been on the run ever since she left." Steve says. I haven't told Bucky everything that happened after I left, but I figure we'll get there in time. Besides, the mission is to get Bucky back, not recount my nomad days.

"When I first started remembering things, the first thing I remembered about her was that she put my brain in a blender. I didn't remember everything else she did for me, but when I did, it was like everything came flooding back all at once." Bucky says, and I listen intently to what he's saying, trying to understand how his memories are coming back more in depth, even though I have a pretty solid understanding already. No piece of information is too small.

"She was worried you would never forgive her, she has a hard time forgiving herself." Steve says, glancing at the glass. I chew on my bottom lip as they talk about me. Bucky shakes his head,

"It's hard to forgive yourself when you do bad things against your will." His voice is soft. Steve reaches over and places a hand on Bucky's shoulder, to which Bucky makes eye contact with Steve,

"Neither of you should blame yourself." Bucky looks at the glass I'm standing behind and just shakes his head. Not blaming ourselves is easier said than done, I'm afraid. But if anyone should be blameless for their actions, it's Bucky, not myself. Silence fills the room once again, and I decide to go in there with them. The door shuts behind me and I sit next to Bucky on the couch.

"You know, I'm really glad you two are able to reconnect. It warms my heart knowing you have this chance." I say, feeling an overwhelming sense of happiness for the two of them. Bucky smiles shyly and Steve nods his head. Steve stands from his seat as I see the watch on his wrist light up with a message.

"Adalyn, I'll catch up with you this evening. Bucky, I'll be back tomorrow morning. There's something I have to go do." I nod my head as Steve exits the room. I wonder what that's all about.

I turn my focus to Bucky who's watching Steve leave. Bucky and I look at each other, and I feel tears of joy fill my lashline, one of them running down my cheek. The moment between the two of them was beautiful, they both deserve this reunification. In those moments they were who they were back in the '40s. Two best friends with undying loyalty and love for one another. Never did I think a day would come when this would be possible. 

Bucky looks frazzled and panicked as I wipe away the stray tear and sniffle. I smile slightly, 

"I am so happy that you're able to remember, you have no idea." I say and the worry fades from his face. 

"I remember something new each day." Bucky says quietly as our eyes meet one another. 

Bucky and I have kept our conversations fairly light over the past few weeks, I've been letting him guide the conversation and talk about the things he's remembered if he wants to. I don't want to pressure him into talking about things that might be hard to process, and I don't want him to feel like he's being forced into therapy. My goal is to make our interactions beneficial and comfortable for him so that he feels confident confiding in me. 

I turn my body so I'm fully facing him and decide to give him some insight about my past. He knows relatively nothing about what my personal life was like in Hydra. He has a general understanding about my family and the dynamics there, but I've held off on speaking about my tasking related to him. 

However, I think he's strong enough to know the truth, and it's what he deserves. He deserves transparency. Plus, by telling him more and opening up I think it helps establish more trust between the two of us. I already trust him, I have no reason not to. On the other hand, he has hundreds of reasons why he shouldn't trust me and I need, and want, to erase each and every one of those reasons.

"When I was tasked with perfecting the programming in your mind I was told to make you a blank canvas. Apparently Zola had left too many holes in his programming and it wasn't enough for my father. He wanted me to wipe your mind of everything but the basic functions of life. I couldn't bring myself to do it, I couldn't erase who you are, who you were. I saw the look in your eyes and when I pressed that button on stage that night, I knew I had done something awful. I saw how they treated you and it was all because of me. And now seeing you remember things from the past is just so surreal to me, I am so grateful you have this opportunity." I see him process the information. It can't be easy hearing these things, and truth be told they aren't any easier to say out loud.

"You didn't have a choice. Please, don't blame yourself for what they made you do. It's because of you and the choice you made that I can remember." He says, looking into my eyes with his baby blue ones. I let the silence take over, though it's a comfortable silence. I don't know what to say to that, I'm not sure the words exist to convey what I feel. 

He's told me I shouldn't blame myself for what I did on more than one occasion but it never gets easier to accept those words or forgive myself. The hatred I have for my past actions runs far too deep for me to be able to forgive myself. 

"What records did they bring you?" I break the silence after a few minutes and walk over to the record player that sits on the table. 

Steve requested that it be put there, saying it helped him adjust to modern life while still having a piece of the old days. Bucky follows me over and places the needle on the record that's already in place. There's a light crackling sound that fills the space as the record rotates. I hear the guitar and piano start, followed by a man's low voice that fills the room. It's a slow, rhythmic song. Bucky takes my hand and leads me to the middle of the room. I look at him confused, not understanding what he's doing.

"Back in my day I loved going out to dance." He places his right hand on my waist and intertwines my fingers with his metal ones, though I can tell he's being cautious about grabbing my hand with his metal one.

"I've never danced a day in my life." I admit, feeling nervous about this. Bucky and I had grown closer over the past couple weeks, but not physically. He smiles as he places my left hand on his shoulder.

"Just follow my lead, I promise it's easy." He says and I have no choice but to listen to him. He begins stepping in time to the music. He steps left, keeping a firm, yet gentle, grasp on my waist as he leads me with him. The music plays comfortingly in the background as I focus on not stepping on his toes, knowing I would embarrass myself.

"Relax, you're doing just fine." His raspy voice says quietly as the next song starts playing. I look up at his face, and see that his eyes are closed, he looks at peace. I've never seen him truly at peace until now, his features are soft and relaxed. I follow his steps, becoming more comfortable and confident with each stride. We continue dancing until the record stops, and Bucky untangles our fingers from one another and takes a step back.

"That was nice, I've missed dancing." He says and lifts the needle off the record. He turns to face me,

"You know when Steve and I went dancing together, sometimes I'd end up dancing with his date. Poor guy, he was always so polite to them." He shakes his head, recalling the memory. I smile,

"So you stole your best friend's dancing date?" I ask playfully and he shrugs.

"I wouldn't say I stole them, it was more of a brief borrowing." He tries to justify it and I roll my eyes,

"I'm sure Steve saw it differently." I say, trying to envision Bucky back in the '40s sweeping Steve's date off her feet. Bucky starts flipping through a few different records, and I remember I have to meet Bruce in the lab.

"Hey Bucky, I'll be back tomorrow, I have some lab work I need to do." I say and he nods, giving a small wave.

"See ya tomorrow, bring your dancing shoes." He smirks and I shake my head,

"We'll see about that." I walk out of the room, content with how the day went. I make my way to the lab, and wonder where Steve went off to. I open the door to the lab and see Bruce sitting there, working on a pair of sunglasses.

"Hey Adalyn." Bruce pauses from his work and I sit down across from him.

"Hey Bruce, any luck?" I ask and he shakes his head. He places his glasses on top of his head and rubs his eyes.

"No, to be honest I don't know if it will work. We've been trying for the past week and a half, but Tony won't give up." I glance at the glasses that Tony has named BARF, which stands for binarily augmented retro-framing. 

The idea was to take control of one's hippocampus to alter aspects of a memory. I successfully discouraged Tony from replacing his traumatic memories, and after days of convincing, he finally agreed to not try to wipe out his memories and settle for alteration instead. I agreed to help them with this project on those terms and thankfully Tony hasn't tried to steer away from them.

"Let me see." I say and walk over to where the glasses are. I look at where the lasers are pointed, and try the glasses on. I look at the computer that the glasses are synced to, and notice that the measurement is off. I place the glasses on the counter and look at Bruce.

"Well, the issue here is that these are aimed at the amygdala, not the hippocampus. If you tweak the lasers to aim half an inch back, I think you'll be right on the money." I say and Bruce looks at me incredulously.

"But we checked and double checked that it was aimed at the hippocampus." He says, joining my side and picking up some tools to adjust the lasers. I shrug, not knowing what else I can offer,

"I don't know Bruce, maybe you need to take a break." I suggest, knowing he's been working tirelessly on this project. Since Tony and I are on better terms, he's agreed to let me use this project for my use as well. I think once Bucky's free from the room it can help him work through some of the more difficult memories and emotions, but only if he wants to try it.

"Maybe you're right. I'll make the adjustment and then call it a night." Bruce says and I nod my head, deciding to head out for the night. I walk back to my room and take my boots off. Today went better than I had anticipated, I'm glad Steve and Bucky were able to reconnect. I'm happy that Bucky's memories are coming back with ease, I can't say as though I anticipated it happening as easily as it is.

I get ready for bed and turn the light off in my room. In the morning I'll meet with Steve before we go to see Bucky since he never got around to meeting me this evening. I think we can start talking about bringing Bucky out of the room. 

I think he's stable enough to be out, there have been no instances of him phasing to the Winter Soldier or even showing Soldier tendencies. He's doing a phenomenal job at handling the memories that come back and I don't think he poses any sort of threat. However, I know that convincing Fury of this is going to be a daunting task, and I'll need Steve's support in it.

#bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky fanfic #bucky #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #steve rogers #the winter soldier #winter soldier #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes fic #marvel #hydra

[apex-academy]

Chapter 6: The Decay of Our Lives (#5)

Quarantine or not, I haven’t heard from Mahavir at all lately, and I can’t help but be concerned. Plenty of people around to take care of him, but I won’t feel right until I’ve at least attempted to check on him. We’re friends, aren’t we?

Not sure if I’ve thanked him for saving my life, either.

I set out to track him down. Not exactly difficult in the circumstances.

I listen for a moment—nothing loud enough to get through the door—and then knock. There’s a cough, at least, but no further response.

“Mahavir?”

Quiet again.

“.........”

Just when I’m starting to think I’ll have to pull the “I need your help with something” move, I finally hear a response.

“Kogamino?” His voice is rough enough I make a mental note to see if we’ve been bringing him enough to drink. Not that he doesn’t have a sink in there, but...

“That’s me.”

“I am not permitted—” a cough—”to allow you entry.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

“Little hard to hear you through the door, but...”

“...You can always open it a crack. Enough to hear better, but still a solid barrier.”

Silence.

“I’m not going to force my way in.”

“I’m sure...”

“...”

I only have so much patience today, so when the door doesn’t open immediately, I take out a piece of paper and write.

“How’s this? Door stays closed and we can still talk.”

I finagle a corner under the door and push the paper through. I at least hear a rustle before Mahavir coughs again.

“.......”

I assume he has a writing utensil in there somewhere. But if not, there’s not much I can do to help without him opening the door.

Eventually I hear the shuffling of paper on carpet, and the note peeks back through the door crack.

“What would you like to talk about?”

“Good question...”

As far as the trial, I’d rather thank him to his face than write it out on a sheet of paper. Granted, I probably don’t have to worry if my voice is making it through the door, but... Not sure how much that helps. Seems awkward, somehow, to not be talking in the same... format? So I can put that aside for now, I guess.

I press the paper against the door for a writing surface—remind me to wash my hands after this—and continue.

“Guess this is an unwelcome flashback to your sickly kid years, huh?”

I push the paper back through. I can’t tell if he kind of laughs or just coughs again. The paper returns before long either way.

“I suppose so. I should think it isn’t quite so severe, at least.”

“That’s good. The others have been taking care of you, I guess?”

“Yuukei, primarily. She doesn’t enjoy it much.”

“Yeah...” But somebody’s got to do it,. And at this point, we don’t have a lot of options. Even with a broken ankle, she’s probably in the best shape of all of us.

Well, there’s Ichiriki and Tsunyasha, but...

...Actually, she’s probably injured now, too, isn’t she? Thanks to the guy I’m talking to.

“..............”

If I’m going to reprimand him, I’d rather do that to his face, too. But I get the feeling he’s ready to punish himself far more than any of us will. He’s already in solitary confinement, anyway. Don’t know what you usually get for assault and battery, but...

I pick the paper back up.

“Need any books or anything?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just to pass the time? Do you read much?”

“There isn’t a lot I do ‘to pass the time’. Though training is off the table for the time being.”

Then, scribbled at the end, a hasty afterthought:

“I may not be picking that back up regardless.”

Hmm. “Why is that?”

The paper stays on his side for a good while. I’d wonder if he fell asleep if it weren’t for the occasional cough or scratch of pen on paper. Eventually our little class note makes it back to my side.

“........”

“Clearly we have different definitions of ‘only’.”

I pass him a clean sheet of paper without bothering to write myself. It still feels impersonal, somehow. Even if I can’t get him to open the door, I can at least use my own voice. I’ll try to let him get a word in edgewise if he wants, but...

“You remember the part where you saved my life, right?”

“Or helped with... any number of other things. Whether it’s your strength or just being willing to lend a hand, it’s—You’ve done good, okay? You’re a person who does good things. No amount of physical training is going to change that.”

I pause long enough to hear writing, but the paper doesn’t return.

“Do you have something to say?”

A sigh and a “no.”

“...”

Still my turn, then, I guess.

“Look. I won’t say you haven’t done anything wrong. You did try to kill someone. Which...”

“...I mean, as far as bad things go, murdering people has to be on the top tier of things that you really should not do.”

“But you still stopped yourself. That counts for something. You were just trying to protect your mother. That counts for something. I’m not going to say it magically evens out perfectly, I just...”

I lean back against the door and let out a long breath.

“We’re in no place to decide that. Everything is too fresh and too personal, and we’re too badly hurt to make sense of who should be punished and how unless we want to go full Tamiko on each other, and—”

“It’s just not the time. I promise we’ll sort out what everyone deserves when we can. I don’t plan on letting anybody off the hook. But right now we just have to survive to reach that point—where we’re rational enough to piece together what really happened, and whose fault anything is, and what can be forgiven, and...”

“We just have to make it that far, okay? You have to hang on that long. Get better so we can face whatever we have to to get out of here, because it won’t be easy and whatever strength you do have—any of us have—I know we’ll need, and I...”

“I need you to be okay. Please. I can’t lose you, too.”

I trail off, burying my mouth in my sleeve to muffle the stupid little sobs that I can’t force down any other way. Between that and the pseudo-fetal position I’ve tried to take up against the door, there’s not a lot of easy breathing going on right now.

“Haah... Came to check on you and somehow made it about me, huh.”

I can’t hear anything from Mahavir’s room, but I eventually see the torn piece of paper that came through. I nudge it with my boot to try and get it at a readable angle. And...

“We’re friends. It can be about both of us.”

“Hah. Thanks...”

I let some time pass until I’m reasonably settled down, at which point I realize I didn’t give him the paper back. 

Whoops.

I nudge it back over.

“Okay, well, sorry for the meltdown. Was not my intention.”

“The point is...”

“We are friends. I want you to get better. I know you want to help out, and I know you will if you can.”

“You’ve made mistakes. Okay. Maybe you can make bigger ones if you have enough power to. Okay.”

“But you can do plenty of good, too. And I know that’s exactly what you’ll do, every time, given the slightest chance.”

“I trust you. Strength or no strength.”

“.......”

It’s a long time before I hear anything from the door. I’m not even sure what it is—something spoken. Maybe a thanks.

“...”

A click, and the door opens, just a crack. I still have to grab the carpet to not succumb to vertigo. 

Mahavir peeks through, very little of him visible. But I have to wonder now—how much of keeping the door barred was the possible infection precautions, and how much was just not wanting to look me in the eye?

He does now. It’s still a minute between his mouth opening and any words coming out.

“I’m...”

“...going to get some rest.”

Makes me wonder what he was doing before, but... Maybe this is just his way of saying he’ll really, genuinely try. In as few words as possible. Can’t feel great to talk when he’s been coughing for who-knows-how-long. But this was still important enough to tell me, huh?

“Okay. If there’s anything I can do for you, let me know.”

“Or let someone else know, and they can tell me. Gives poor Kanagi a break, right?”

“Mm.”

He holds my gaze a moment longer before clicking the door shut again. I’m left alone in the hall, the fragments of our little pen pal escapade at my feet.

Okay. I... feel like that went well? Things seem a little lighter, at least.

Oh, I'd better wash my hands before I forget. Last thing any of us need right now is more sickness.

I gather the papers, tear them in half straight through “having strength,” and head back to my room.

[BACK] [NEXT]

#apexplot #apex6 #fanganronpa

[remedywriter]

Till The End Of Time

Issue 1

(Steve Rogers x fem!OC)

A/n: It's been awhile since I've been on tumblr. Hope I got the format right.

Warnings: murder, mentions of terrorism.

Brooklyn Barlowe was assigned to a new murder case. Being a detective, it wasn't unusual for her to be dealing with stuff like this. But she was a little intrested in how she ended up solving a murder case for a failed S.H.I.E.L.D. mission. When arriving on the scene of the crime, she was shocked to see Captain America. Brooke knew he worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. before, but she thought all of that ended when it was discovered that H.Y.D.R.A. infiltrated them. He looked depressed. Truly upset at the scene before him. She could've just started working kn the case, but she had a heart. She just couldn't bare to see him that upset with himself.

Brooklyn walked over to him and pat his shoulder. He turned up and looked at her.

"Was this your case?" She asked.

Steve nodded. "I didn't make it. It's all my fault."

"Don't blame yourself. I can guarantee you it wasn't your fault. Just because you didn't save him, doesn't mean you should blame yourself." Brooklyn stated.

"I know. I just can't help it." Steve sighed. "I know I can't save everyone, but I still have to try."

"A good start would be telling me what happened?" Brooklyn suggested. "My name's Brooklyn Barlowe. My friends call me Brooke."

"Steve Rogers." Steve smiled.

"I know." She laughed. "So can you tell me how we got to this?"

"I got an assignment to rescue a captured S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. I tracked the bad guys down and figured out they were here. They must've found out I was coming. The agent was dead when I arrived."

"I'm sorry." Brooke said. "You said you could track them down. How?"

"They were spotted coming here after purchasing illegal weapons from the black market. S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to track down the dealer, but I couldn't save the agent." Steve explained.

"A weapons dealer." Brooke repeated. She grabbed a notepad and started writing things down. "These 'bad guys'. What exactly... makes them 'bad'? Who are they?"

"Terrorists from the middle east." Steve explained. "They're known for bombing schools. They started doing it in the Asia, then they became a S.H.I.E.L.D. problem when they attempted to do it here."

"But they failed?" Brooke asked.

"The agent. He was undercover as a weapons dealer. He got caught when they realized the bomb was a dud." Steve sighed. He still couldn't get passed the fact that he let someone die.

"Thank you, Mr. Rogers. I think I have an idea." Brooke smirked. "And," She tore off a piece of paper from her notepad. "if you need some cheering up sometime, here's my number."

Steve took the note. "Thank you, Ms. Barlowe."

"Please, call me Brooke." Brooklyn smiled. "I'm too young to be Ms. Barlowe."

Steve laughed. "Guess I'm just a little old fashioned."

"Maybe that's a good thing." Brooklyn smirked before she left. She went over and took a look at the crime scene.

The body of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent was in pretty good condition, other then the fact that he was dead. He had a bullet hole in his forehead, but nowhere else. For terrorists, they really didn't seem to treat him that badly. Even his death was quick and easy. It seemed a little suspicious for people who would be so willing to kill innocent children.

"What do we know about him?" Brooke asked the Forensic Examiner.

"Name's Mr. George Skinley. S.H.I.E.L.D Agent. Went undercover and got caught. No wife, no kids, no family." The man answered.

"Do you have his wallet?" She asked. The man nodded. "May I take a look?"

The man nodded again. Brooke put on some gloves before analyzing the wallet. She opened it and found a picture of him and a woman. She looked Middle Eastern.

"No wife, eh?" Brooke asked. "Well he liked someone enough to put her in his wallet."

She went back to looking through it. There were receipts for purchases made out of country.

"Did Mr. Skinley happen to visit the Middle East for this assignment?" She asked. The Foresic guy didn't know, so she asked a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigator.

"If he left, it wasn't for this assignment. As far as our records go, he was never given an assignment that would involve him leaving the country." The S.H.I.E.L.D Agent explained.

"Well I know what happened." Brooke announced. "He was a double agent. S.H.I.E.L.D. thought he was working for them, the terrorists thought he was working for them. His kidnapping after the weapons deal was a fake. They needed to get him away from S.H.I.E.L.D. for awhile. But they found out he had given them up when Captain America was sent to rescue him. So they killed him and left."

"And how do you know this?" The S.H.I.E.L.D agent asked.

"His wallet. He made purchases out of the country not too long ago. He has a picture with a Middle Eastern woman in a location that's not in America. Not to mention his body." Brooke explained. "No rope burns. No marks. Not even a single bruise. If he was their prisoner, that wouldn't be the case. Besides, why would they kidnap him? There were no demands, no ransom. They would've killed him. But he was on their side. Or so they thought. If he was truly on their side, he would've left with them. He didn't. They killed him. The only reason? He really was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. after all. Therefore, the only possible solution is he was a double agent."

"Wow." Steve gasped.

"I'll get some people working on confirming this theory." The S.H.I.E.L.D agent said. "Thank you for your help, Miss Barlowe."

"You're welcome, but I'm not finished." Brooke replied. "One of the receipts in his wallet is for a real legitimate weapons dealer. He even has the phone number, meeting place, and date written in a code on the back. I'm ex military though. I know a code when I see one. Have this deciphered, intercept their trade, and you've caught both the buyer and the dealer."

"I'll have people working on deciphering this code immediately." The S.H.I.E.L.D agent nodded.

Brooke was about to leave when Steve approached her.

"That was something." He laughed. "Ex military you say?"

"I was in the army for a couple years. I fought in the War of Iraq. I put together that there was going to be an assassination attempt on one of my commanders. I stopped it. He said I had a talent and should become a detective. So I did." Brooke explained.

"Thank you for your service." Steve smiled.

"Thank me? Captain America just thanked me?" Brooklyn laughed.

"Just because one soldier saves a thousand men, doesn't mean the soldier that saves one is any less a hero." Steve replied.

"You've saved a thousand men?" Brooke asked.

"It was an analogy." Steve laughed.

"But... have you?" Brooke pushed.

"I guess you'll have to ask me that another time. Perhaps when I need you to 'cheer me up'." Steve smiled.

"Ok." Brooke smiled back. "But I wouldn't feel guilty about not saving a guy who was working with terrorists."

"Don't worry." Steve chuckled. "I won't."

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x oc #captain america #captain carter #winter soldier #female oc #detective au #female detective #steven grant rogers #james barnes #crossbones #avengers endgame #infinity war #brock rumlow #till the end of time #captain america the first avenger #captain america trilogy #captain america the winter soldier #marvel cinematic universe #mcu