#I really like this more critical framing to Bucky’s training when he was a kid and have been wanting that for awhile

[daydreamerdrew]

Winter Soldier (2012) #15

[howdoyousleep3]

you lean into me like you know

A/N: Hi so I’m feeling super wack right now and it’s really hard for me to write or to even get to that point, but this is something I wrote a while back and didn’t have the courage to share and then never finished it entirely to the extent I wanted to. There isn’t explicit smut but it’s implied or glossed over. The vibe I had in my head was very retro, not modern day, “The Outsiders” vibe. It is very different than what I normally post but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

After his second year of college Bucky comes home for the summer. His heart desires to stay in the city, yearning for the chaos, but he acknowledges how important it is to come home for his Ma. It’s a mild June morning, air already growing sticky, and it’s the first time Bucky sees Steve Rogers. 

Seeing Steve makes him realize he’s never seen sunlight before. Looking at Steve makes Bucky hopeful again, makes him want to smile, makes him want to be a good person. He’s the most beautiful thing he has ever set his eyes on and Bucky wants to fucking break him. Perfect little Steve Rogers with his rosy cheeks, golden blonde hair, his seemingly-always broken glasses, his full-ride scholarship, and his perfectly-keen artistic eye.

 It’s disgusting.

 Bucky’s pretty sure he’s in love. 

The sight of Steve makes Bucky short of breath and that isn’t even because of the cigarette between his lips. He sucks more nicotine into his lungs to shove down the growing ache in his chest and throws it to the concrete so he can stomp on it like he wants to do his own heart.

Once Bucky sees him coming out of the library that afternoon he sees Steve Rogers everywhere. He most definitely doesn’t blame that on the fact that Steve takes up every empty space in his mind, fantasizing about every which way he can make Steve cry. He sees him in the grocery store, walking down the road, at the local diner; Bucky sees him everywhere and it feels like he is drowning. 

He’s never been in love, not even close, never wanting to do more than fuck and move on. The foreign feeling in his chest and brain makes him comprehend why history is full of people who go mad over love, spend their days mourning, harm themselves, even die, for love. Bucky’s a tough kid. No one messes with Bucky Barnes. But one Steve Rogers is slowly cracking him open and Bucky’s doing what he can to protectively keep all the pieces of himself together.

The first time Bucky talks to Steve is a critical moment. If he’s shattered inside without even having heard Steve’s voice, he can’t imagine what hearing it will do to him. It isn’t planned. Bucky has no warning. He is standing outside the diner sucking down another cigarette, his date for the night (Sherry? Sarah? Stacey? Shit.) waiting far too patiently inside. It’s a decent summer night aside from the rain that’s been meandering down from the sky nearly all day. Bucky registers the bell on the door signifying the entrance or exit of someone, but he has no intention of lifting his head to acknowledge them. People usually like it more when Bucky doesn’t notice them.

“You know those things are awful for you,” a deep voice says to him and he’s ready to square up with the person who belongs to said voice when he looks up and—

Ah fuck.

He’s looking over at Steve, perfect little Steve Rogers. If Bucky felt like he was drowning before, he’s dying now, hanging on by a thread. Bucky opts to not immediately respond and instead takes in the kid and savors the moment. Steve is so small up this close and Bucky wants to squeeze him, wants to hurt him, wants to touch him. He swears he can smell him but that’s incredibly unrealistic given the distance between them and the humidity. 

He can see a smattering of summer freckles starting to form across the bridge of Steve’s proud nose and he aches inside at the sign of youth. He just knows that that smooth creamy skin would bruise like a peach, all sweet, under Bucky’s chaotic grip. Bucky’s palms begin to sweat and once again he finds himself flicking the butt of his cigarette to the ground, blowing out smoke into the heavy air between them, smashing and grinding what’s left of the cigarette unnecessarily into the pavement beneath his feet.

“No shit, kid,” Bucky manages to bite out before heading back inside the diner, narrowly avoiding brushing shoulders with Steve, bell ringing, hands shaking, breaths rushing. Bucky’s core, his equilibrium, have completely been compromised. If Bucky imagines that the body beneath him later that night, the one he’s fucking into, is comprised of bony joints, a strong jaw, and eyes that take him to oceans he’ll never in his life visit, he can’t be blamed. This is Steve Roger’s fault.

The next time Bucky talks to Steve he is more prepared. He knows it’s coming because he is the one who initiates the brief conversation. He needs to get his feet back under him, needs to be the one with the upper hand, needs to hear Steve Rogers’ disproportionately husky voice hit his ears again. 

He finds himself at the local market indecently early all because his Ma wants fresh green beans from Mr. Walter. He is very aware of the fact that Steve sells his art at a rickety old table, simplistic and pure, sitting behind it all in a near-broken wooden chair. He’s so compact that the splintered chair sees no strain and Bucky’s heart does that achy pull when his eyes land on him. He swears to himself he’s in one of those romance films they show at the drive-in on weekdays for cheap. It makes him nauseous.

He pretends to pick and sort through a barrel of peaches, fingers barely detecting the fuzziness of their skin, eyes trained on the soft blonde. Steve Rogers looks just that, so soft, so gentle, plain white t-shirt and faded jeans, knees tucked to his chest to balance the worn sketchbook on them. Bucky bites the inside of his cheek to feel pain, to counterbalance the warm twinge beneath his ribs but it barely works. Bucky realizes with a wave of panic that he could watch Steve Rogers draw and sketch and focus for the rest of his life.

Bucky has a plan, knows what he is going to say, can only hope what little Steve Rogers replies with. Thick shaky legs take him right up to Steve’s table and before his lips can even part the wind gets knocked right fuckin’ out of him. His words die on his tongue as his eyes rove over the worst thing he could have ever seen—himself.

Amongst all the sketches and drawings, even a painting, there to the left lies a rough sketch of Bucky. He’s standing outside the diner, the point of view of the sketch drawn from within it, and a cigarette hangs between his lips. He looks brooding, dark on the paper, side profile gutting. He’s never seen these emotions splayed across his face before and how dare Steve Rogers, of all fucking people, showcase it to the world.

His brain tries to catch up with his limbs and mouth as he listens to himself mumble, “What the fuck, Rogers?”, fingers reaching to touch at the paper reverently. That wasn’t what Bucky was supposed to say. Bucky’s supposed to make Steve Rogers blush and stammer, conceal an erection, think about Bucky when he closes his eyes at night. He gets the blush and stammer, cerulean eyes wide as he damn near falls out of his seat in an attempt to snatch the sketch from Bucky’s reach and view.

“Fuck, I didn’t…Bucky…” he mumbles and a noise bubbles up in Bucky’s chest at Steve saying his name. Steve is quick but Bucky is quicker, pulling the sketch out of reach. Steve’s small arms are no match for Bucky’s longer ones. Bucky takes a second to appreciate the sketch up close before blinking over at Steve who looks like he is about to burst into tears. He’s fidgeting where he stands, arms crossed over his wisp of a chest, both face and neck a splotchy red mess. His eyes are downcast and Bucky can actually hear Steve wheezing. Bucky wants to wrap him up in his arms and kiss his cheek, to press his lips right there on Steve’s temple like he’s almost damn sure would make him blush. Bucky has absolutely not ever done that or felt this way before. His fingers twitch.

“How much?”

Bucky watches as Steve’s head shoots up, a look of sheer surprise and embarrassment flowing over his features. He stammers and chokes on his words, the strong crease between his brows prominent.

“Fucking Christ, Rogers—how much?” Bucky says in as much aggravation as he can muster, which is a miracle considering his veins feel like thick honey full of adoration. Steve quickly shakes his head feverishly.

“No, it’s…no. Nothing, s’free.” He still won’t look up at Bucky, picking at the hem of his shirt, and Bucky already wishes he could see those eyes again. How can he long for something, someone, when they’re right in front of him?

“I-I usually sell them for like…t-twenty dollars. It’s cool though, I—”

Bucky raises his hand dismissively, Steve snapping his mouth shut with a click, and he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet. He tugs out a fifty-dollar bill and tosses it on the table. Steve doesn’t look up at him. Bucky wants to cradle the sketch close to his chest, to show it to the world, to frame it in glass and get it signed. Instead he turns and says, “See ya later, kid,” and walks away. 

He walks away a fluster of emotions. 

He’s still uneasy and off-balance, angry, but his entire being feels like it’s letting out a sigh of relief. Bucky refuses to think of why his thoughts are forming the way that they are and instead folds up the sketch and places it in his back pocket with shaky hands. He’ll keep it on the table next to his bed and smooth out its creases as he looks over it every night before he sleeps. Bucky doesn’t think about how it’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for him. 

[awesomerextyphoon]

Something New - Part 1

Paring: Stucky x Black!OFC (Chidema “Chi”)

Words: 3164

Rating: 18+ 

Summary: They expected Bucky to be hungry, they didn’t see him devouring two-thirds of the menu.

Warning: Talk of implied torture. Read at your own risk!

A/N: This is my second story. It will most likely be in five parts with a few drabbles. Tell me what you think. Haters will be blocked! Constructive criticism only! Please comment if you want to be tagged! Gif not mine!

Bucharest, Romania

Steve looked at his watch. It’s precisely noon and they were following a lead from a kind plum stand owning lady from the market. The target was pretty nonchalant in his movement typical for a civilian. To the outside world, Steve was cool and collected, but Chidema knew better. Steve was getting antsy.

—————————————

It’s been eight months since the aftermath of Utron. Thor returned two months later with four alien ladies and an incredible story.

Not only did Thor have an older sister that Odin never bothered to tell him that was imprisoned in Helheim, but a whole other family in a realm far, far, away called Cykuuans. Well, the family decided to come and collect an admission and apology from Odin.

The aftermath was as follows: Odin was forced to admit that he hid another family from everyone including Frigga and that he imprisoned Hela after he did a brutal colonization of the nine realms (he wasn’t going to admit he more realms). He was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of Thor (Loki was still in prison and Baldur kind of wanted it but not really (Baldur is a thing in my stories)), and left on a self-imposed exile.

The leader of the Cykuuan delegation asked Chidema and twelve others to stay behind while they got the first draft of the treaty ready. She was a bit apprehensive, but she agreed to stay.

Chidema quickly say Frigga as a grandmother figure saying that Frigga and her actual grandmother would get along swimmingly.

Chidema and the other delegates had to ‘make nice’ with Thor, Baldur, and Loki at Frigga behest because of what he’s going through. It went okay for most of the remaining members, but Chidema got along more with Loki than Thor and Baldur. It was mostly because she was aware of Loki not being Odin’s biological son. They discussed various forms of magic, history, literature, and how horrible a father Odin was (the last being to Frigga’s dismay).

Sif was finally able to spar with other women who grew up fighting. The results were a mixed bag but all in good fun.

This all came in handy when Malekeith tried to destroy Asgard in search of the Ether which was inside Jane Foster (Chidema didn’t particularly care for her). They were able to thwart his plans without any major casualties (Frigga doesn’t get the fridge treatment) .

A few weeks after making repairs, Thor asked Chidema, Amaka, Nkolika, and Ozioma to investigate infinity stone sightings and lend a hand in helping avoid climate catastrophe. They agreed to both on the condition that they were able to address the UN first.

The team loved them for different reasons. Tony remarked that it’s good that he got with Pepper much to Thor’s and Pepper’s annoyance. Nat asked if they knew of any interrogation and fighting techniques that incorporated their tails and they hit if off. Wanda liked that they had emotional magic like she did and she loved their singing voices (they put the best singers to shame). Vision liked that they were also curious about what Earth had to offer. Clint liked that they were great with the kids and treaded tips on marksmanship. Sam and the girls traded lighthearted military and demon slayer corps stories. Bruce liked that they were interested in Earth’s advancements in science and their offer to assist both him and Tony in the lab.

The other girls remarked that Steve would be great for their grandmothers to date, not their granddaughters, them.

Chidema saw him differently. She saw the pain in his eyes, the sadness of losing a life of what could’ve been. Her heart ached for his pain, but was moved by his never-ending drive to fight for others despite his own demons.

She soon fell in love with him. And everyone knew it…except Steve.

Well, Natasha and Amaka weren’t going to have any of it.

So, they said fuck it and set the two lovebirds on a blind date.

At first, Chidema and Steve wanted to bolt, but after a few ‘encouraging’ texts from the matchmakers, they stay and talk about happier times in their childhood. After that, the date went off without a hitch. A few dates later and they were officially a couple.

Tony owed Natasha $2,000 which she split with Amaka.

A few months later, Steve got a lead on Bucky possibly being in Romania and Chidema went with him.

—————————————

Steve and Chidema were following the target down an alley when they got spooked and made a run for it. The couple raced after him with Chidema creating a portal cut him off before they could turn into the crowd.

The target landed chained on top of a building. Two seconds later they saw two figures come out of what seemed to be thin air walking towards them.

“Where is the Asset?” Steve asked/demanded.

“Nu vă spun niciodată, nici curva ta!” They responded.

Steve’s lips made a thin line and Chidema just smiled and replied with, “Într-adevăr? Deci, ai vrea să-ți pierzi limba și pula pentru HYDRA?”

“Nu ai vrea!” They shouted.

Chidema pulled out a rusty carving knife from a portal and said, “Vrei să iei acel pariu?”

They looked shocked for a minute and then put their head in defeat. “Amenda. Este într-o cabină chiar în afara orașului.”

“Mulțumesc foarte mult” Chidema thanked the target and in a span of blink both she and Steve vanished leaving the target alone and chained on the rooftop.

—————————————

“Don’t worry. I contacted the authorities about them. They won’t be on that rooftop indefinitely.” Chidema reassured Steve as they stepped outside of the portal in front of their fourth cabin.

Steve was able to make quick work of the guards around the cabin. “Well at least this one isn’t a dud.” Steve stated as he took out the last guard.

“Look baby, I said I was sorry” Chidema replied with a pout.

Steve chuckled, “I’m just teasing you, Chi.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go get your best pal!”

—————————————

The cabin’s interior was a little too clean. There was no dust, but nothing to suggest that it was lived in. The only thing that seemed out of place was the door at the opposite end of the cabin next to the kitchen. The doorknob was well worn with marks on the wood.

So yeah, they were going to go through that door.

They opened the door and went down the stairs. It led to another door which opened up to a room that was lit like it was an asylum in a horror movie. On the far side of the room was a bed laid-

“Buck!”

—————————————

First thing he registered were loud steady beeps of a heart monitor. Slowly Bucky realized that he was in a different setting and he panicked.

“Shit, he’s trying to move!” Amaka yelled as she used her targeted Narcoleptic Pheromone Magic to get him to back to sleep.

Amaka was near the waiting room while Steve and Chidema got some rest. They were by Bucky’s side for past ten days. Well, Chidema was by Bucky’s side for the past eight days. Steve was constantly being called away for meeting with the team, so Chidema stayed to reassure him until Amaka badgered her to get some rest.

—————————————

“Okay…so I just shot your boyfriend’s lover boy with some sleep pheromones to keep him from going on a rampage. You need to get here stat!” Amaka rasped over the phone as to make sure that Bucky didn’t wake up.

“Alright I’ll be on my way,” Chidema said as she rushed out of bed.

Chidema knew of Steve’s feelings towards Bucky for some time now. It was cruel that they couldn’t be together in the world that they lost, and she was glad that time changed for the better.

But at the same time, she didn’t want to lose Steve. She knew that in the end, it would be up to Steve. It’s just that Steve was first person to get through her defenses and make her truly feel wanted.

You could call her selfish, but she didn’t want to lose that feeling.

—————————————

The first thing that Bucky saw when he woke up was seemed to be a woman smiling at her, but she was so much more.

Her black hair cascaded past her shoulders and her back in long, thick, smooth and defined curls that framed her face perfectly. Her eyes were (a little wider than a human’s) filled with gold and blues as if she held the stars in her eyes. Her ears were delicately shaped like the top parts of faerie wings. Her lips were full and pouty in a way the actresses in his time would’ve killed for. Her rich brown skin was radiant even in the shitty lighting of the medical bay. Her body seemed to be made for sin with her full toned curves that would’ve been heralded in his day. Her tail was wagging languidly hypnotically behind her–a TAIL?!

Bucky shot up with a wince while the vision put a hand on his shoulder as if to calm him, but it had the opposite effect. Because what kind of beauty would want to be near a monster like him?

—————————————

Steve raced to the medical bay as soon as he got the text from Amaka about Bucky.

He loved his best pal and for awhile and he was ashamed that he couldn’t protect him on that train. It haunted him ever since he got out of the ice. Sure, he was saddened that he missed his dance with Peggy, but Bucky hit him in a deeper way. He didn’t know when he first started loving Bucky, but once he did, he knew that he couldn’t live without him.

It seemed that he got a second chance when Bucky reappeared as the Winter Soldier. He just had to save him…again.

Chi (Chidema will be referred to as Chi from now on) came in at a good time for Steve. She was the piece that was missing for him, and one day Bucky as well.

She made him feel whole again.

Now it was time to see to the missing piece of his puzzle.

—————————————

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you, James.” Chi soothed. Big mistake. Really what is her deal?

Bucky was both enraptured and annoyed by her voice. Enraptured by how she sounded, annoyed by her words. Seriously, does she not know who she’s talking to?!

She chuckled at his reaction and said, “I supposed I should try a change of approach. My name is Chidema.”

Chidema…beautiful. It suited her.

“Well, Steve should be here soon. It took awhile to find you. Do you want some water?” She asked.

Bucky nodded his head and she grabbed a cup and slowly brought it to to his lips. The water was cool and soothing as it went down his lips.

Right as the last of the water went down his throat, the door swung opened to reveal Steve.

—————————————

Steve almost stumbled into the room in anticipation in seeing Bucky again.  Instead, he saw his two missing pieces together, one taking care of the other.

It made Steve’s heart swell.

“So what do we have here? A punk and a troublesome dame acting all caring as to not rouse suspicion.” Steve said as he sauntered up to Bucky’s bedside opposite of Chi.

“Could be better.”

“I gave him some water after my failed attempts to calm him down.” Chi explained

“I’ll give you some time to talk.”Chi said as she exited the room.

—————————————

“So, how long have I’ve been out since you found me?”

“Ten days which surprised everyone because the doctors said that you should’ve been out for weeks. Are you hungry?”

Bucky’s stomach chose that exact moment to loudly grumble in agreement.

“Yeah, they said that HYDRA took your metabolism for a ride. I’ll see if Chi is still outside and get you some food.”

“Was that the dame that gave me water? She’s…” Bucky started but stopped as if he didn’t want to start something with Steve just yet.

Steve cocked an eyebrow at him and said, “Yes. She’s my girl. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you when you get out of this joint.”

Steve then exited the room leaving a slightly perplexed Bucky alone with his thoughts.

—————————————

Steve spotted Chi talking with Amaka near the corner of the hallway. They were talking about something in their native language, so he decided to give him some space but not before overhearing some of their conversation. It did help that Chi taught him some of their language while they were alone.

“You need to talk to him Chi. This will not end well for you if you don’t.”

“I know, but…Steve!”Chi exclaimed as she hugged and pecked his cheek.

“Hey babe! Would it be possible for you to get Bucky some food? He’s famished but I don’t want to leave him alone for so long.” Steve asked as he returned the hug and peck.

“Of course. I’ll be back soon.” Chi said as she departed with one last kiss and swivel of her hips that drove Steve crazy.

Steve turned to Amaka and inquired, “What did Chi want to tell me?”

Amaka sighed and replied with, “That’s something she needs to tell you.”

Steve just stared at Chi retreating form and pressed his lips into a thin line.

—————————————

It took another five days until Bruce and the rest of the Wakandan medical team (After the UN speech, Chi and the girls convinced T’Chaka and the rest of the Wakandan royal family to participate in the international community on their terms in exchange for the girls’ knowledge on tech, science, and some non-Earth metals. They shared more with them than with Stark.) said that Bucky was good to go.

Since then, it was a hodgepodge 21st century Earth terms and tech all of which was fascinating and a bit overwhelming to Bucky.

Steve commented how it was hard for him to adjust. Sam kept trying to give Bucky some grief, but it almost never landed due to Bucky giving it right back and more.

It seemed that the 1940s Bucky was finally making a comeback. The only areas that he had yet to conquer was his nightmare and lack of eating.

—————————————

One night, Chi was making herself some Maharaja Chai Oolong & Samurai Chai Mate tea when she heard a scream coming from Bucky’s room.

Steve nearly sprinted out of his room to Bucky’s, but Chi stopped him.

“Let me handle this. Go back to bed, love.” She gently coaxed her boyfriend as she glided into Bucky’s room with a serene smile.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Tea?”

“No thanks.”

“May I sit down?” Chi asked as Bucky nodded and she sat at the edge of his bed.

“It seems that ghost of HYDRA has yet to finish its haunt. I know it well.” Chi lamented.

“What do you mean?” Bucky nearly demanded.

Chi sighed and continued, “I was not always with my family. I was taken from them and turned into a killing machine when I was but a babe. I spent my first nine years in an organization not unlike HYDRA. An organization that thought that they were the only ones to peace and order but instead they wrought chaos and called it love for the people.”

Bucky’s eyes started to fall in sadness and pensiveness. He never thought someone this close to him went through similar circumstances and so young.

Chi noticed the shift in Bucky demeanor, and went on, “When I was six, they turned me into this, ” Chi paused and her blood out and watched it turn into the unnaturally hard and sharp substance that she was known for. “The procedure required them to do a near complete dissection. I remember that cursed day. I screamed for hours. It wasn’t until my great-grandmother received a tip from a friend when I was nine that my nightmare got a shred of light.” Chi added with a small smile and a tear.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you know that it will get better and it will always be a struggle. I’m not perfect or what could be construed as well-adjusted, but I’m still here.” Chi then pulled Bucky into a hug and started rubbing his back,“I want to know that you’re not alone in this. You never are.”

They stayed like that for what felt like hours until they fell asleep, both wearing small smiles. Chi’s from finally being able to get through to Bucky and Bucky’s from not feeling like he was alone and maybe something else deep in his heart.

—————————————

The next day, Steve decided that it was time that Bucky finally eat real food and not just soups and protein shakes. So decided to take his best friend and girlfriend to a diner that somehow survived the 1940s.

—————————————

“I thought this place got demolished right before the war!” Bucky exclaimed.

“It almost was, but the owner decided to let one of his workers carry the mantel. Now, it’s in its third generation with some modern touches, but it’s still the same at it’s heart.”  Steve reassured.

Chi just looked around with a content smile happy to see something reminiscent of her boys’ childhood.

Wait, her boys? Hmm…

Their waiter gushed a little too much and too closely at the super soldier duo for Chi’s liking, but she let it slide. It wasn’t the first time she had to deal with this and vice versa for Steve. She was quite popular for giving the planet another chance in avoiding climate catastrophe. Also, she was easy on the eyes as Tony and various modeling agencies (Chi was 5’9”) have mentioned…much to Chi’s and Steve’s annoyance.

They led the trio to a booth in the corner and gave them a few menus and left with a wink. Really? I’m right here!

Granted, both men didn’t register the wink, but still.

Bucky looked at his menu with a renewed exhilaration as he reviewed the items. He hadn’t been this hungry in who knows how long.

“Don’t be shy Bucky” Chi said with an encouraging smile.

“Yeah Buck, order whatever you want. I’m paying.”

They expected him to be hungry, but they didn’t see him ordering two-thirds of the menu.

When the food arrived, he practically inhaled it with gusto. By the time he was done, the waiter and a few other patrons stared at him in shock.

“What? I was hungry.” Bucky uttered while rubbing his stomach and suppressing a burp. Well, trying to. A pointedly loud one escaped his mouth and spooked an old woman.

“Alright Buck, let’s get on out of here.” Steve suggested while ignoring the heat in his lower abdomen.

—————————————

—————————————

Nu vă spun niciodată, nici curva ta! => I’ll never tell you or your whore!

Într-adevăr? Deci, ai vrea să-ți pierzi limba și pula pentru HYDRA? => Really? So you would like to lose your dick and your tongue to HYDRA?

Nu ai vrea! => You wouldn’t!

Vrei să iei acel pariu? => You want to take that bet?

Amenda. Este într-o cabină chiar în afara orașului. => Fine. He’s in a cabin outside the city.

Mulțumesc foarte mult => Thank you very much!

—————————————

Taglist: 

@chixkencxrry​ @cherienymphe​ @sherrybaby14​ @drawandread​ @victoriastefanie04​ @fuelforcreativity​ @justamezz​ @run-you-clever-boys​ @life-of-yn​ @aalyshia​ @opheliadawnwalker3​

[aion-rsa]

2016 Fred Van Lente Day Chat Transcript

Brian Cronin: Welcome, everyone, to the Fred Van Lente Day chat!

Brian Cronin: Some quick Fred Van Lente Day links for everyone to take a look at when they get here.

Brian Cronin: An exclusive preview of “Comic Book History of Comics” #3!

Brian Cronin: And a cool look at some weird connections in comic book history, using a lot of awesome Ryan Dunlavey art to illustrate a bunch of them!

Fred Van Lente: I like how you added not one, not two, but THREE random Jack Kirby + Celebrities encounters to this list

Brian Cronin: When we started talking connections, I couldn’t help it. It’s amazing that he really does have these connections to these super famous people. And that doesn’t even count his CIA connections when his art was used for the fake movie that they were filming that was made into the film “Argo”!

Fred Van Lente: I will never get tired of looking at his expression here:

“If I get closer, will he bite me”

Brian Cronin: You would have thought that Zappa would have prepared Kirby for Alan Moore. It should have taught him that long hairs could be his friend.

Fred Van Lente: This is before Moore became a wizard and expending all that mana really drained him (I don’t know why I bust on Alan Moore so much, when I was 16 I basically wanted to be him). _________________________________________________________________________________________

Brian Cronin: Was “HerStory” something that you and Ryan considered having in the original “Comic Book History of Comics”?

Fred Van Lente: It was. “Comic Book History of Comics” is unusual for us in a lot of ways structurally because both “Action Philosophers” (and soon “Action Presidents”) are biography based. But “CBHoC” is structured more around particular ideas or genres or movements. So I could never figure out how to get “Women in Comics” in there as a story without it smacking of raw tokenism. Then when the book came out and the biggest criticism was “Where are the women?” I was like, well, that was a missed opportunity.

Brian Cronin: And there, you’re obviously hurt by the very nature of patriarchal history.

Fred Van Lente: Yeah, exactly.

Brian Cronin: When IDW said they wanted to bring back the book I realized this was my chance to right that wrong.

Wayne Hotu: I watched “Carol” for the first time the other week… I thought it was great. I think I heard about Patricia Highsmith doing comics, but not which ones

Fred Van Lente: Yeah, I need to see “Carol.” I am on a big Patricia Highsmith kick right now as a result of doing that story. Tore through “Talented Mr. Ripley,” and halfway through “Strangers on a Train” which I don’t like nearly as much. But then I think I’ll do “Price of Salt” (which was made into “Carol”).

Brian Cronin: I’m fascinated by how she was able to be so ruthless with her own history. Just excising the part of her past she didn’t want to discuss anymore. “If I said it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen.”

Fred Van Lente: Yeah. Highsmith, by all accounts (particularly her girlfriends’), was a real character. It’s not hard to see how she could really get into the mindset of a sociopath like Ripley. The info in the Patricia Highsmith piece comes mostly from “The Talented Miss Highsmith,” a good if rather … elliptically written biography. The author actually talked to Timely editor Vince Fago, and that’s how we know about this disastrous date with Stan Lee. _________________________________________________________________________________________

Wayne Hotu: The “Comic Book History of Comics” “HerStory” format kind of reminds me of those old Big Books that… Vertigo? Paradox Press? used to come out with… where they devote a page to a topic/person.

Fred Van Lente: The Paradox Press Big Books were a big influence! I have almost all of them on my shelf. Geez, maybe I should try and complete a collection of that. I’ve already lost interest in bobbleheads.

Wayne Hotu: Which other famous women will you cover?

Fred Van Lente: Highsmith is #3, we do Nell Brinkley in #1, Tarpe Mills in #2. Jackie Ormes is in #4. _________________________________________________________________________________________

Dennis Calero: Give us your top reasons that you love Dennis Calero.

Fred Van Lente: Why I love Dennis Calero: 1. He joins my live chat. 2. His “Six-pack” 3. I can’t remember

Dennis Calero: Airplane vodka bottles come in 6 packs

Fred Van Lente: “My abs look like airplane vodka bottles” was my opening line to girls in college. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Brian Cronin: When “Generation Zero” was being previewed, one of the hooks for it was “Archie Meets Authority”. If you had to write an “Archie” Comic, which one would you go for? You better say “Jughead.”

Fred Van Lente: “The Shield”. “Vic Mackey Infiltrates Riverdale”

Fred Van Lente: Sure, Jughead, I guess?

Brian Cronin: Good, I got the answer I wanted. Let’s close this chat down now!

Fred Van Lente: My grandfather had this cabin by the lake in Holland, MI and he had all these comics in a box up in the attic where we had to sleep. There were a lot of 1970s DC stuff, some real gems like “Brave and the Bold.” But then my dastardly older cousins stole them all for their personal collection. All that were left were the “Archies.” I learned a lot about Archie during that long, sad, hot summer. But in my mind he makes me think…of failure. [END SCENE] [APPLAUSE]

Brian Cronin: Hey, 1970s “Archie” comics had some great work in them. Frank Doyle, Dan DeCarlo, Samm Schwartz, George Gladir, some great creators on the books back then.

Fred Van Lente: Actually, no, “Betty and Veronica” are pretty cool. I like the idea of doing a whole comic about two high school girls trying to backstab each other. My first meeting with the editor it would be like: “Look, they brought back Bucky back, why can’t Betty FINALLY kill Veronica? I mean you know she wants it. Or maybe Veronica can kill Betty? I know: PHONE POLL! LET THE READERS DECIDE!!”

Dennis Calero: What about a “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” type scenario?

Wayne Hotu: I’ve always been Team Veronica… why are so many other people wrong?

Fred Van Lente: I think I always liked Betty just because Veronica’s wealth is slightly intimidating.

Dennis Calero: I prefer Veronica because Betty’s poverty is crap.

Fred Van Lente: “Mr. Dennis Lodge”

Brian Cronin: The best character is clearly…Glenn Scarpelli, from “One Day at a Time”!

Brian Cronin: His father, Henry Scarpelli, was a long time “Archie” artist, so Glenn would appear in the comics when he became kind of sort of famous in the early 1980s.

Fred Van Lente: I hope Reggie and Archie kick that guy’s ass. __________________________________________________________________________________________

BikeTodd: Fred, you’ve worked for a lot of different companies just in the past year, is there a favorite among them?

Fred Van Lente: My lawyers tell me that it is bad business practice to name a favorite client on a chat forum that will later be posted on a public blog like “Comics Should Be Good.” But! Everybody’s got their strengths and weaknesses. I’ve worked for Boom, IDW, Dark Horse, Marvel, Valiant, Dynamite, and I’m working for most of those now and plan to keep doing so in the future. So they can’t be that bad, right? __________________________________________________________________________________________

Taimur Dar: I don’t suppose we’ll be seeing another Sebastian Greene mystery in the near future?

Fred Van Lente: No plans at present. I really liked how “Weird Detective” came together as a stand-alone trade paperback. Someone told me today the trade will be out in Feb 2017, so I am psyched for that. __________________________________________________________________________________________

Brian Cronin: Any plans for “Generation Zero” to cross over with any other Valiant titles?

Fred Van Lente: Generation Zero will remain in the wild, weird town of Rook, Michigan for the foreseeable future. I imagine they’ll be involved in “Harbinger Wars 2” (since they debuted in the original “Harbinger Wars”) but that’s not until 2018. __________________________________________________________________________________________

ZKrishef: Greetings, sir! I just wanted to say that I’m going to be reviewing Slapstick for a website called Critical Writ. I’m incredibly excited to review it. Everything about it looks marvelous. Have a wonderful day!

Fred Van Lente: Thanks! Reilly, Diego and I have such a great time doing that, I feel almost guilty.

Brian Cronin: Tell us something about this…Slapstick, that you speak of.

Fred Van Lente: Slapstick was named “Wizard Magazine”‘s Best New Character of…I want to say 1992? Slapstick is a living toon superhero, a kid from our world — well, the Marvel Universe — who gets transformed into Roger Rabbit, basically.

Dennis Calero: Isn’t there another Marvel cartooneqsue character? Tell me my mind, Fred Van Lente!

Mark Weisenberger Calise: I loved Slapstick.

Fred Van Lente: In our comic, he is a headcase who thinks he is a gritty, realistic superhero in the vein of the Punisher and tries to get work as a hero for hire but he ends up killing everyone because his cartoon physics actually horrible murder flesh and blood people.

Taimur Dar: I’m amazed Marvel let you do something involving Slapstick and his missing “dingus.”

Fred Van Lente: Like, I had never heard of Slapstick when Marvel asked me to do the book all I knew about him was literally: 1) He was like Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a hero 2) And he has no dick So we kinda had to expand from there you know? In our comic crazed toons from Dimension Ecch invade Earth and only Slapstick can stop them because they’re only attacking New Jersey and no one else gives a shit. And…uhmmm…Ms Marvel is…uh…in space…yeah, she’s in space.

BikeTodd: Well, it is Jersey.

Dennis Calero: Is this something to do with Crossroads of Dimensions like in that Man-Thing thing with Howard the Duck and the hot chick!

Fred Van Lente: The Nexus of All Realities doesn’t play a role here but A.R.M.O.R., the inter dimensional defense agency I created for “Marvel Zombies 3,” does (they were first seen defending the Nexus in “Marvel Zombies 3”)

Fred Van Lente: In the first four issues of “Slapstick” alone we have Bro-Man Master of the Multiverse, the Taurs (My Little Pony/Smurf centaurs) and WAR D.O.G.S., America’s Best Friend.

Brian Cronin: Like Dennis mentioned, will we see Madcap meet Slapstick at all? That would be an epic battle, much like Jesus vs. Socrates.

Dennis Calero: Madcap! Thanks, Brian, I thought I was going crazy!

Fred Van Lente They made Madcap into Deadpool’s arch-nemesis (which I think is a pretty good choice). So I think, if anything, he’s a tad over-saturated at just this moment, believe it or not.

Albert Ching: Madcap being overexposed is probably the most surprising thing to happen in 2016.

Dennis Calero: Yes. Madcap is definitely the most SURPRISING thing this year (COUGH COUGH)

Fred Van Lente: So yeah, buy “Slapstick,” it’s amazing, and there’s no movie attached to it so it’s not exactly going to burn up the sales charts. __________________________________________________________________________________________

p_keely: You have had a varied career in genres. Is there a genre you want to try?

Fred Van Lente: I’ve been doing a lot of mysteries a lot lately. My first prose novel, “Ten Dead Comedians,” will be out in July (random plug). So I’m hoping to do more of those. I love historical fiction. I had a great time with Dennis doing our Shanghai story in “Assassins Creed: Templars.” That’s a fun period of history. __________________________________________________________________________________________

Mark Belktron: Who would win in a fight, Jesus of Nazareth or Socrates?

Fred Van Lente: Mark, Jesus came back from the dead and Socrates didn’t, so I think you have your winner right there.

Dennis Calero: Even Jesus from 169th street would kick Socrates’ ass.

Mark Belktron: That is such a good answer. Thank you, Fred. __________________________________________________________________________________________

BikeTodd: Is there planned number of issues for “Generation Zero”? There has been some grumbling from the Valiant faithful over the apparent sudden end to series.

Fred Van Lente: In this instance, the fans’ fears are well-founded, looks like “Generation Zero” will only last two storyarcs. But there are two good storyarcs and I’ll be able to wrap the storyline the way I want. __________________________________________________________________________________________

RyanDunlavey: Happy Fred Van Lente Day, everybody! I am just here to let you know that Fred’s latest “Action Presidents” script did NOT make me tear up in the dentist chair yesterday. ALL LIES!

Fred Van Lente: Kind words from super-cartoonist Ryan Dunlavey!

Dennis Calero: Hey, it’s the fall me!

RyanDunlavey: Gotta go help my kid with his homework. Give him hell, Dennis!

Dennis Calero: On it!

Fred Van Lente: Yeah, that was the Theodore Roosevelt one, looking to see Ryan tear that one up.

Dennis Calero: Is there one on James Buchanan?

Fred Van Lente: Buchanan appears in “Abraham Lincoln,” does that count?

Dennis Calero: Sure, why not? __________________________________________________________________________________________

Dennis Calero: How did you feel about the musical portrayal of Hamilton? From the John Adams biography, he seems like a dick. What’s your verdict? Hero or dick?

Fred Van Lente: Oh, dick. Definitely dick. But he’s way less of a dick than Jefferson. Hamilton was OUR dick. “The People’s Dick.”

Brian Cronin: Okay, rank Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison and Hamilton in dickery.

Fred Van Lente: Well, I’m not going to lie I don’t know too much about Monroe and Madison. Monroe was kind of Jefferson’s toady. Madison basically wrote the Constitution and eventually outgrew Jefferson’s shadow. Hamilton was a horndog and pretty arrogant, to the point where not apologizing to Burr when he really was kind of a dick to Burr literally got him killed. Jefferson was a racist who wrote “All men are created equal”, go figure that one out. Adams was not really someone you would want to hang out with because he was pretty headstrong and full of himself, but on the other hand he didn’t own any human beings and actively try to keep them in slavery. And despite Jefferson having written the Declaration, the intellectual foundation of the Revolution really came from Adams.

So Adams: Least Dickish, Jefferson: Most Dickish, Hamilton and Madison: Tied for second-least Dickish and Monroe= Just meh. I expect this to be a listicle on CBR tomorrow, Brian.

Wayne Hotu: Which one did William Daniels play in that movie?

Brian Cronin: Adams

Mark Weisenberger Calise: William Daniels played Adams in the original Broadway cast of “1776” too, I believe

Brian Cronin: Yep.

Fred Van Lente: I saw Brent Spiner play Adams in “1776.” He was rad

Dennis Calero: Brent Spiner should have chosen one night to play Data playing Adams.

Brian Cronin: That would have been too much awesomeness for the audience to handle

Fred Van Lente: “SIT DOWN, JOHN, SIT DOWN” “All right” (Data sits)

Fred Van Lente: I really like “Hamilton,” but it’s no “1776,” partly because it’s a straight-up biopic and not about this very specific drama of trying to get the Declaration out. So it’s a lot more … flabbier is the wrong word, but because a guy’s life story can’t be as dramatically structured.

Brian Cronin: Absolutely agreed. “Hamilton” is a great musical. I just like “1776” even better.

Fred Van Lente: Seconded. __________________________________________________________________________________________

Brian Cronin: How do you and Reilly write Slapstick? Co-plot and then you script?

Fred Van Lente: Reilly and I go to a bar and drink for like a sold two hours. I write out what we talked about semi-legibly on a single piece of paper. I tear off this piece of paper and give it to him and he types it for our editors because I was, like, “If you want to be co-writer you’ve got to like actually type some shit.”

Brian Cronin: Seems fair

Fred Van Lente: Marvel approves/disapproves/comments. Reilly draws out rough layouts — they’re called “storyboards” in the credits but they’re really more like regular comics thumbnails. And then Diego pencils and inks over them. Once all the pencils are done, I do lettering script that Reilly approves/comments on before I give to Marvel. So it’s kind of like regular Marvel Style just with a breakdown/co-writer component (Reilly)

Brian Cronin: It sounds a bit like how Giffen and DeMatteis did “Justice League International.” Although I think Giffen plotted solo.

Fred Van Lente: Yeah, Giffen/DeMatteis on “JLI” was my inspiration.

Brian Cronin: Well, it certainly worked out for a hilarious comic when Giffen and DeMatteis did it.

Fred Van Lente: I am super happy with it. I hope people check it out. __________________________________________________________________________________________

Taimur Dar: I know before “Slapstick,” Reilly did an “Incredible Hercules” story. Was that first time you worked together or was there something else before that?

Fred Van Lente: You know, I think that was the first time, the Thorcules arc of “iHerc.” He lives nearby and we became fast pals after that __________________________________________________________________________________________

Fred Van Lente: Wow, that hour flew by … last licks anybody?

Brian Cronin: Plug “Action Presidents”!

Fred Van Lente: I will plug “Action Presidents” on the THIRTEENTH Fred Van Lente Day chat because it will not be out until Presidents Day 2018. But it will be glorious and awesome. All four hardback books of it.

Dennis Calero: Plug the “Templar” trade!!!

Fred Van Lente: “Assassins Creed Templars: Black Cross” is 5 issues of Jazz Age Shanghai mayhem by Mr. Dennis Calero and myself currently available from Titan. It’s great historical adventure/mystery in the AC world, check it out.

Brian Cronin: Plug other stuff!

Fred Van Lente: “Generation Zero” is currently on-going from Valiant (at least for the next five months).

Fred Van Lente: Coming soon: “Z-Nation: Black Summer,” written by the show’s co-creator Craig Engler and me from Dynamite not too far into 2017. A NEW Marvel project that they wouldn’t let me announce today because they didn’t want it to get lost in the X-Rollout (which made sense to me) “Ten Dead Comedian” A Murder Mystery from Quirk Books next July. “Weird Detective” trade paperback from Dark Horse in 2017. That’s it … I think!

Brian Cronin: Plug something for Crystal!

Fred Van Lente: Come see my wife Crystal Skillman’s new play “Open” in February in NYC!

Fred Van Lente: Dennis is writing/drawing “Assassins Creed Templars” right now. Go get it!

Dennis Calero: Thanks, Fred!

Brian Cronin: Thanks, Fred for another awesome Fred Van Lente Day chat!

Fred Van Lente: Thanks, Brian. And most importantly….thanks, Glenn Scarpelli. Wherever you are.

The post 2016 Fred Van Lente Day Chat Transcript appeared first on CBR.com.

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