#get it clones because Sam voices in clone wars

[samaspic31]

These spot the difference games are getting harder

Bro that’s not lookalikes that’s clones at this point. They’re the same picture.jpeg

[kuwdora]

Star Wars audiobooks! I've been restless for new Star Wars since Andor ended. Been going through a handful of Disney era and Legends novels over the last few months. I have enough reactions to get down into an actual post. Mostly I'm just going to be foaming at the mouth over Marc Thompson and Sam Witwer's narration and falling over myself about the characters. I have listened to: Dark Disciple, Last Shot, Disney Thrawn trilogy, Heir to the Empire, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. Lots of these books I liked, some of them I didn't but the narration and characters are still amazing. Motherfucking MARA JADE. Asajj Ventress!!!!!!!! I have no rational mind about Maul and I am one of those feral stick figures chewing on Thrawn. Hnnghh.

First of all, let me start with Marc Thompson. He's been doing the audiobooks for years and years now. Here’s a great intro where he’s talking about the differences of doing character voices and learning the importance of bringing the right dynamic to the prose. He slips so seamlessly into his Star Wars voices reel, ahaha.

Here is a really cute Lip Sync Battle where Marc Thompson will say a line and then have a fan lip sync the same line back at the camera. His energy, his energy I love it so much. Everyone is having SO MUCH FUN. There’s also a cameo by Star Wars author Christie Golden in this video. Super cute.

First book:

Dark Disciple - Christie Golden Narrated by Marc Thompson

Alright I actually had picked this up ages go from my library and never read it but since I’ve been on an audiobook kick, Marc Thompson got me goin’ with alllll his voices.

I love Asajj Ventress so I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy something from this book. Apparently it was written based on some unfinished scripts for an arc that would have happened if the show didn’t get cancelled. Knowing this makes a lot more sense with regards to the pacing and I think I would have preferred the animated episodic for this since I think a lot of the early Quinlan and Asajj stuff dragged a little too much. However I did appreciate getting more of a deeper dive in Asajj’s head and it really made me want to go digging through AO3 for some amazing character studies that I know must exist at this point.

But yeah, I didn’t think I’d enjoy the eventual romance between Asajj and Quinlan but Quinlan was such a perfect set-up for a fall from the Jedi Order. I think I’m just really easy when it comes to whumping the fuck out of Jedi with torture and their own emotional repression.

I was really into all the Dathomir scenes and the history of Asajj with her sisters being touched upon again and how she managed to not “go crazy from the dark side” because of the balance she found because she was a Nightsister.

A++ for Asajj having to go to Boba fucking Fett to mount a rescue mission inside a fake heist.

Really I think I’m just so easy for murdery women with a rage boner. Fuck Dooku.

Marc Thompson’s narration was a delight and I definitely would recommend this for anyone who enjoyed The Clone Wars series and wanted to get a little more Asajj screen time. Here’s a scene where someone pulled Clone Wars clips and put Dark Disciple audio underneath. Marc Thompson bringing incredible Dooku subservience and Sidious danger, hhhngh.

7/10, would listen to again even though I'd rather see the finished episodes.

Last Shot (A Han and Lando Novel) - Daniel Jose Older Narrated by Marc Thompson, Daniel Jose Older and January LaVoy

This book was extremely disappointing. Normally I am a fan of seeing fan-favorites have their mid-life crises but I was extremely bored and over with Older’s take on Han having an existential crisis of who he was as a father an husband in this post-Empire world. Lando on the other hand, was having a crisis of genuinely having fallen in love and not knowing how to handle that. I fucking loved that.

This book had multiple timelines and jumped around a lot and I don’t know if I just wasn’t focused enough while listening but the timeline jumps were jarring and incomprehensible at times. The action plot ended up being rather unsatisfying.

It was also very jarring to have three narrators for the different timelines and I kind of feel bad because I went and looked and Older’s narration is just consistently getting panned across all reviewers—and for good reason. Thompson and LaVoy are experienced voice actors and with Older in the middle, Older just seems slapdash in his reading. If it was just Older all the way through I might have been more forgiving but going back and forth with everyone… it really was painful at times.

It was a slog to get through this book, really. What I actually really enjoyed was all the original characters: an Ewok slicer, a nonbinary hot shot pilot, and Lando’s love of his life whose name is slipping my mind even now, agh. I wasn’t fan of the villain character, unfortunately, and it was a bit of a letdown that the action plot was just… I don’t know, boring. It was a riff on transhumanism except with droids and a bit of droid supremacy to it and I was just... tired by it.

Marc Thompson was KILLING it tho. His performances always fucking delight me. January LaVoy’s narration of Lando and L-3 were also really great even though I just wasn’t into the scenes themselves.

3/10 - do not recommend, HOWEVER I would read fic about the lady ewok hacker Peekpa.

Darth Maul: Shadow hunter By Michael Reeves Narrated by SAM WITWER

I am, as the fannish parlance goes, Not Normal about Maul or Sam Witwer's performance as Maul.

This novel takes place just before the events of The Phantom Menace and it’s a Star Wars story that is very, very narrow in scope. The stakes are still very high because someone has gained information about the Trade Federation’s impending blockade and Sidious sends Maul to go and take care of it. The whole story takes place in the underbelly of Coruscant and I gotta say, it’s really refreshing after going through a bunch of Star Wars shows, books and films where it’s all galactic hopping whirlwind stuff to have that's in one place and happening in a short amount of time. I think it's something like 2 or 3 days that all the events happen.

Michael Reeves is a man of deep characterization and creates an amazing sense of place in the Black Sun alley of Corusant. We get very little Sidious and Maul interaction but what bits we do get are fascinating and haunting. I do like the ‘less is more’ approach here with these two...although I will say I’m not sure I would have picked up this book if I hadn’t gone through The Clone Wars and lost my goddamn mind over Sam Witwer’s portrayal of Maul.

And his performance here. In this book. I don’t know what it is about Witwer but when he does Maul my brain just lights up in a way that I haven’t really gotten outside of live theater performances. He brings this sense of ruthlessness and competence to Maul, his gleeful rage and oscillating mania as he ends up tracking an information broker and Jedi Padawan. Oh, Witwer is truly just. Fucking amazing, okay.

I would love this book even if it wasn’t Witwer narrating it but my god he elevates it to a whole new level. I got my copy from the library but it is immediately on my to-buy list once I can buy books again.

Michael Reeves also wrote for Batman the Animated series and Gargoyles which makes a whole lot of sense in the way he’s able to just create such lush sensory detail of place and people, oh holy fuck. He’s the writer who wrote the Gargoyles episode about Broadway accidentally shooting Elisa with her gun (this is an episode that got pulled from airing and I don’t think they have on Disney+ right now). Aw man, alright I definitely need to read more of his stuff now.

The action plot is Lorn Pavan is a down-on-his-luck fellow who got information he shouldn’t have and he is trying to sell it, Darsha the Jedi Padawan gets sent down to bring in a Black Sun informant and things go tits up for her in horrible ways. Darsha and Lorn’s paths collide and they try to survive Maul. I love everything about these characters, except for the end where Lorn started having romantic feelings about the Padawan. Blech.

Also somehow I think I-5 is now my second favorite droid character I’ve come across in the greater Star Wars canon (Chopper will always be my #1 grumpy cat droid). Witwer has the best dry delivery for the droid character. Like. It’s so fucking GOOD.

I’m also impossibly impressed and obsessed with Witwer’s performance of Sidious and the Jedi Council. His Qui-Gon is SO FUCKING GOOD. His Palaptine has my teeth rattling in my head oh my god.

Here’s the first 5 or so minutes of Shadow Hunter, hhnngh. You get Maul, Sidious a drunk Lorn Pavan, and my new droid bestie I-5:

I am 100% going to be reading Michael Reeves’ other Star Wars novels. Apparently he has a series that follows a Jedi-in-hiding post-Order 66 and I want to just dunk my head in all the Star Wars noir, I guess, yes please.

10/10 - I love, would heartily recommend to anyone wanting a kind of story that’s more heavy on character and setting and also SAM WITWER!!!!!!!!! Maul. Hnnghghghgh.

TIMOTHY ZAHN TIME.

Thrawn Trilogy (Disney era) Thrawn, Thrawn Alliances, Thrawn Treason Narrated by Marc Thompson

This was my second time through the Disney novels. I watched Star Wars Rebels first, then my friend jb_slasher told me about Thrawn having novels. I had vaguely heard of Heir to the Empire over the years and also my friend recommended the Disney trilogy so I figured I’d start with that since I was diving off from Disney canon anyway.

My god I love this trilogy so fuckin’ much. Marc Thompson out here nailing it. This Thrawn is the type of character who is always the smartest person in the room and I should get irritated by that like all the other characters but mmmm, I have a competence kink. And I am just over the moon with how he instills loyally and allegiance in his crew who can now have a commander who is not interested in politicking his way through things but actually is committed to strategy and whatnot.

Also fucking Zahn made Thrawn go back to space college. And gave him a little protege who he grew to admire. Eli Vanto is a great character, I am reading a lot of slash about them obviously but yeah, I loved seeing his growth throughout the trilogy. And THRAWN ALLIANCE. Y’all. Y’all. The Star Wars memes about Thrawn and Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are AMAZING and really do the hilarity so much justice. Here's a fantastic book trailer cut together with Marc Thompson' narration, hnngh.

This man absolutely knows who Darth Vader is and Darth Vader is like “oh fuck no you don’t.” And when Thrawn had met Anakin during the Clone Wars and Anakin had to try and work together with him? Perfection. Bonus Padme getting to be a ridiculous and foolish badass when she goes looking for trouble. And also her also having a competence kink for Thrawn, too. It cracks me the fuck uuuuuup, okay.

Thrawn absolutely hates politics so fucking much and I love to see how that is the primary way he gets thwarted or has to build his strategy around. Because people are fucking assholes and political everywhere. Seriously, have I mentioned how much I love Marc Thompson??

Thrawn Treason gave us more of Thrawn’s people and whatnot with the Chiss which I also liked but I’m really less interested in their motivations and experiences as a culture on the edge of the Empire. More here for Vanto now getting to be the fish-out-of-water and leveling up and getting all the respect he deserves.

MARC THOMPSON, y’all. He does a great Thrawn, an AMAZING whinybaby sycophant Ronan of the Starkiller Project, and his Eli Vanto Space Yokel intonation is 💋. Also I feel like the loyalty and trust that Thrawn earns from his subordinates really feeds into this praise kink thing that everyone develops by being around him. I love it.

10/10 will lose my mind and listen/read this trilogy again and also read all the fanfic about it.

Heir to the Empire Timothy Zahn

I am sorry it took me 30 years to get here but I AM NOW HERE FOR MARA JADE’S RAGE BONER. Let me repeat: MARA. JADE. !!!!!!!!!

Also holy fuck. Luke Skywalker getting to be smart, technically creative and able to navigate through terrible situations in spite of a Force-Blocking Macguffin is AMAZING. I was not expecting to be this into a post-Empire Luke but I really fucking loved it.

I also love all of the Han and Lando scenes in this (WAY MORE than Last Shot, sorry Daniel Jose Older).

Leia and Chewie!! On Kashyyk!! Talon Karrde was so great (Thompson made him kind of sound like Antonio Banderas??)

Thrawn and his bestie Pelleaon! What a fascinating dynamic.

I actually was not very into Thrawn’s vibes in this book as much as I was in the Disney stuff. I don’t know if it’s because of the vibes they wrote him in Star Wars rebels that got filtered back into Zahn’s take on him for the books (or if it was the other way around?) - Like, the calculating tactical and man of strategy is still there, but… hm, I’ve been struggling to articulate what about it that didn’t tickle me as much. He’s still playing the long game in every situation but I don’t know… I think there’s this more pragmatic view of people he has in the Disney books that he doesn’t get here in the first of this trilogy. I haven’t gotten to the other two books from this series yet so maybe I’ll feel differently later. The anniversary edition of the audiobook that I got from my library was narrated by Marc Thompson and he (you'll be so surprised) fucking nailed it all for me. Love love love.

10/10 timothy zahn, I love you. You got an amazing way of writing action. I gotta read more of your stuff. Anyway, I'm also starting the Ahsoka novella that I think (??) is not quite canon anymore since they got a final season for Clone Wars, but it's by E.K. Johnston and narrated by Ahoska's voice actor Ashley Eckstein. Don't have enough thoughts about it yet but I love Ahsoka so I'm sure I'll have a decent time.

[lifblogs]

Tagged by: @evilwriter37

Favorite video game?

The Sims 4.

Favorite video game character?

No idea. Probably my dad’s video game OC blorbos.

Favorite movie or TV series?

Movies

The Lord of the Rings

The Avengers

Megamind

Kung Fu Panda 2

How to Train Your Dragon

Star Wars

Harry Potter (no one @ me)

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (yes, I’m counting this)

TV Series

The 100 (in it for the whump, and some ships, only ever watch it up to the end of season 6)

Supernatural

Teen Wolf

Doctor Who

Rebels

The Clone Wars

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Lucifer

Never Have I Ever

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Legend of Korra

Trollhunters

Race to the Edge

Game of Thrones (season 8 doesn’t exist, okay?)

Reign

Favorite movie or TV series character?

I’m on a Frodo Baggins kick right now, but am still obsessed with a ton of other characters.

Hobbies:

Thanks to injuries, COVID stealing my singing voice 3 years ago, and my clarinet being broken my hobbies have definitely diminished. Right now it’s basically just reading, and watching shows and movies, maybe a smidge of writing. Does getting obsessive and anxious about the internet/social media count as a hobby?

Obsessions:

Sam Winchester, Star Wars, Supernatural, The Lord of the Rings, Never Have I Ever. Background obsessions are everywhere, like Doctor Who, Teen Wolf. Mention it and I’ll be talking for hours.

Favorite genre/type of background music for whump daydreams?

Cinematic alternative.

What is your favorite whump trope?

Captivity! Once read the second half of a book in a day because the main character got captured.

What is your favorite whump pairing?

S

A

M

I

F

E

R

Sorry, had to write it like that because I’m so excited.

What was (one of) the first time(s) you experienced whumperflies?

The first was probably either while reading the Gone series by Michael Grant, or watching Teen Wolf. I vividly remember some of my first whumperflies being from watching season 7 of Supernatural and realizing what Lucifer had done to Sam in the Cage. Now ANY of their scenes give me whumperflies.

What’s your favorite whump scene from a piece of media?

Episode 3x18 “Riddled” from Teen Wolf. Everything with Stiles in that episode!! I have watched this over and over again just to see Stiles missing and getting tortured in his sleep. His SCREAMS. I’d recognize them anywhere. He’s getting hypothermia, and there’s a fucking steel jaw trap on his leg!!!

GIFS INCLUDED

What’s a book you would recommend, whump or not?

Hmm, this is tough because I read so much. Probably the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas because of it being epic fantasy with most of the last book being battles, and there is definitely a lot of whump.

What’s your favorite whump fic?

Some of them are definitely my own. Sorry. But damn, can we praise Infernal Fascination? Would get a link, but you know, AO3 is going through it.

Added Question: Who is your favorite author?

Damn, too hard. Time to list a few:

Brandon Sanderson

J. R. R. Tolkien

Robert Jordan

Sarah J. Maas

Michael Grant

R. F. Kuang, apparently, since I have all her books

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Kristen Britain

Rick Riordan

Jim Butcher

And add your own question:

What is your favorite whumpy book?

Not sure who to tag. Maybe @suncaptor would be interested in this?

[clonewarsarchives]

MATT LANTER & THE RIGORS OF MORTIS! (#123, FEB 2011)

An exciting and revolutionary new view of the Force? Journey with Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Matt Lanter (voice of Anakin Skywalker) to the mysterious planet Mortis! Words: Jonathan Wilkins

Star Wars Insider: Can you recall your reaction when you first read the scripts for the Mortis episodes?

Matt Lanter: I was actually shocked when I first read the episodes. There are some revelations that we learn about the Force and the balance of the Force. I think it’s going to blow audiences away. How does Anakin play into that? Getting [the scripts] for those three episodes was a really cool experience for me as a Star Wars fan.

Playing Anakin, I get to take him on this emotional journey. There’s a lot for him to do, because there’s an emotional rollercoaster that he goes on. This has probably been the most challenging arc as a voice actor yet in The Clone Wars for me. I hear they came out great, and its going to be a game changer for fans when they see them. It’s a totally new reveal.

Anything that ties The Clone Wars into the movies is always going to be cool.

Yes. They do a great job tying it in with the characters and the stories. When you see film characters come in, it really solidifies that it is an extension of the films: it’s not something different, it’s an extension of the saga that we know and love.

It’s really unlike anything that the show or even Star Wars in general has attempted so far. Did you approach these scripts in a different way?

The cool thing about The Clone Wars is we’re able to have different tones to individual shows. Sometimes we’ve got a very light and fun tone, like some of the shows about Artoo. There was one about Artoo and Threepio finding fruit to go on a cake! They’re entertaining, but we also have episodes and arcs that are very dark, that give a lot of Star Wars secrets away. This is definitely one of those arcs, very dark and very intense. One of the fun things about The Clone Wars is that we get to explore all these emotions, and as long as they’re Star Wars, it works. As a fan, this has got to be one of my favorite arcs.

These are the biggest episodes yet for Anakin—what kind of direction did supervising director Dave Filoni offer?

Dave is always extremely helpful and integral in making these episodes. In dealing with the Force and higher powers, Dave was right there directing Sam Witwer [the Son] and me into the right emotional tone. He’s excellent at that. He knows exactly where it needs to be and he knows what its going to look like and the impact it’s going to have on the fans. Without his direction, it wouldn’t be nearly what it is.

These are particularly dark episodes—how far down the dark path do you think Anakin can go on the show? Does he have to remain a hero?

I think to a certain extent he has to remain a hero. We know how he appears at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith, so obviously he can’t go past that. I feel like in Revenge of the Sith he’s got these thoughts circulating in his head already. He’s already thinking about how Obi-Wan’s holding him back, but for the most part he’s still trying to be a good Jedi. There’s a stage we can’t really go past. It’s fun for me, as an actor, to see these dark flashes in Anakin. It’s a nice foreshadowing tool we can use. Anakin certainly does have these tendencies, and you can see why he goes to the extreme place he does in Revenge of the Sith. I think it makes the story much more tragic when we’ve got a character who is a hero, a likeable, loveable hero. Of course, he has these flaws. We see them come out every now and then. By the end of it these flaws take him over. It’s intense.

What appeals to you most about the character?

Anakin is probably one of the most complex characters in science fiction history. Right now he’s the fun-loving charming hero that every boy looks up to. It’s a lot of fun to play those dark moments, because that makes the character very human. To play both aspects is a dream job—being part of Star Wars and voicing Anakin. The saga is all about Anakin and Darth Vader!

Do you think these episodes are as dark as the show can get?

It was pretty dark in the script, but I don’t know how it came out, how it looks. Revenge of the Sith is very, very dark. I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t do the same, why we can’t go there. There’s endless potential.

When you signed up did you have any idea you’d be doing these kind of episodes? Did you expect anything like the Mortis episodes?

I had no idea the show was going to be this huge, worldwide. When I auditioned, we didn’t know anything. It was very secretive. I didn’t even know exactly what I was reading for!

We’ve got such a talented writing team and animation team, and George obviously tells some fantastic stories, so nothing surprises me. Something as big as this reveal, though, did shock me when I read the script. It really changes your perception of something as big as the Force, how you see it through all six films. That’s when I think The Clone Wars is at its best, when it reveals something, or changes something, or really adds to how we see the films. That’s when we know we’re doing a good job, when we fit right in and we’re changing the way things are thought about. That’s what the prequels did for the original trilogy—they changed the way we saw things in the original trilogy completely. That’s what The Clone Wars is doing. It’s pretty incredible.

Do you agree with the decisions Anakin makes?

I’m very close to the character. Up until the end, when his emotions get the best of him, Anakin thinks he’s on the right path. He thinks the Senate has been corrupted. He thinks the Jedi are corrupt. He believes he’s doing the right thing. Even at that point he believes that. At this point, he is brash and he does go after the enemy rather than take care of the wounded. I can empathise with Anakin, yes. He makes some brash decisions, but you can’t always go by the book. Sometimes you’ve just got to get it done.

You were at Celebration V last year. Was that your first big convention?

Yes, my first big convention. I did Star Wars Fan Days in Plano, Texas and I have done San Diego Comic-Con, but that was a couple of years back. We were not on the air then. The Clone Wars didn’t have as huge a presence at that Comic-Con as it probably would now. So Celebration was definitely the biggest.

What did you make of it?

I loved it. I’m a fan of the saga, just like everyone else. Everyone asked me about being a Star Wars geek and I’m proud of it, because it’s so much fun. Going to a convention like that—where there’s 30,000 people and everyone’s just there to have a good time—that’s what everyone enjoys. Everyone’s in a great mood, celebrating Star Wars. I think it’s a blast. Of course, I get the rare opportunity of being on the other side. I get to make Star Wars and then have that fan reaction and feedback. Everyone is really appreciative that you’re making Star Wars. It’s a great feeling.

Would you say that’s the coolest thing about being in Star Wars?

Definitely. The universe and the characters that George invents are awesome. They’re fun to be a part of and fun to play, but what really makes Star Wars is the fan base and the fan community. When we were down at Celebration, it felt like a huge family. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, seeing people they haven’t seen in a year or two. It’s a really cool way of connecting us to this worldwide Star Wars community that is so passionate.

People sometimes make fun of Star Wars fans as being so crazy-passionate and complaining about the stories, but that’s one of the fun parts. It’s a challenge to make Star Wars and to make it a live up to the films. It’s great when people love it and it’s Star Wars history.

Star Wars now spans multiple generations, with The Clone Wars bringing families together. I get fan mail talking about fathers watching The Clone Wars with their sons. It’s a special time for their family. It’s just a great thing to be a part of.

What do you think of Anakin’s new look on the show?

I’ve seen the pictures and I’ve seen the video on starwars.com, but I haven’t seen the character in action yet. These characters progress and change, and a change of clothing is kind of nice—a breath of fresh air. Of course, it looks a little bit more like Revenge of the Sith, which helps the continuity. As far as Anakin specifically, he’s a little bigger, he’s a little wider. I think his chest is a little bigger, so he’s a bit more intimidating. As he grows up I think his hair gets a little bit longer. It helps solidify that we’re filling in a gap between the two films. The starting point was one film and our ending point is another film. It really makes it feel like you’re watching the Star Wars saga. I’m excited to see it; I hope everyone else is too. And how cool is Ahsoka with her dual weapons?

Maybe next season you’ll get another weapon?

Maybe one of those double-bladed lightsabers? That would be a big Season Four reveal! He gets a double-sided blade, and then loses it in a fight, so we don’t see it in Revenge of the Sith! I’ll have to bring that up to Dave!

[undying-lilies]

a list of things to watch/read after finishing JFO but aren't able to get Survivor yet and the brainrot is too strong

a.k.a. me right now XD

there is a criminally low lack of JFO content out there, so I scourged the canon SW content we have for any CRUMBS of stuff related to it. Yes this is how deep the hyperfixation goes. Someone help me

SHOWS

Clone Wars

S3 E9: Hunt for Ziro (the only Quinlan Vos episode. why? because he's the only other psychometric Jedi we know, and honestly it's entirely plausible that Vos gave baby Cal tips on how to master his psychometry. hmm. that's good fic material right there)

S3 E12: Nightsisters (this one is obvious)

S4 E19: Massacre (also obvious 💀)

S5 E6: The Gathering (Ilum!! because everytime I see it in a show I'm like hey! Cal's been there!)

Bad Batch

S1 E7: Battle Scars (Bracca arc pt. 1, also coincidentally has the same name of the book I Refuse To Acknowledge)

S1 E8: Reunion (Bracca arc pt. 2)

S2 E6: Tribe (Kashyyyk because we've also been there. Also Gungi from The Gathering shows up too!!)

Rebels

S3 E11: Visions and Voices (Dathomir, Nightsister zombies, and possession. Sounds exactly like JFO)

Tales of the Jedi

S1 E4: The Sith Lord (BECAUSE DID YOU KNOW YADDLE WAS JARO TAPAL'S MASTER??? Yaddle is basically Cal's grandma I am so DELIGHTED by this knowledge)

Obi-Wan Kenobi

S1 E4: Part IV (if I had a nickel for every red-haired Jedi that infiltrated Fortress Inquisitorius and shattered the windows in a hallway so that the water outside would start flooding it, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice)

A bonus addition is rebel.resistance's JFO playthrough on YouTube because she's super funny to watch and I would highly recommend watching it if you don't want to play the game

BOOKS

Brotherhood by Mike Chen (but, Lilies, this is about Obi-Wan and Anakin, why would you put it on a JFO list? because there's apparently there's a cameo of Jaro Tapal and Cal Kestis in there that flew over my head when I first read it because I hadn't played JFO yet and I am SO DETERMINED to find it)

Dark Disciple by Christine Golden (if I had a nickel everytime a psychometric Jedi and a Nightsister fell in love -)

I was going to put Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs on here too, but you know what, don't bother. That book is a disgrace to my hyperfixation. If you read it then that's on you

[maulthots]

rate maul appearances

This is so difficult.

The phantom menace.

End of s2 of rebels, not because I think his design is good in that show (I hate it) but because of the absolute transcendental joy I felt when he showed up

The clone wars season 5 lawless arc

The clone wars season 7 when he's trussed up like a bug and he's screamin and the voice of sam witwer plays in my head: "that's what sith are like all the time on the inside."

The clone wars season 4, spider maul. See above.

Bonus: the clone wars season 5 when he gets his new shorter death watch legs. King.

[robotorion]

I’ve had some drinks so I’m back on my “SPN characters like the same stuff I like” bullshit (so let’s get into it)

Dean talks about having Scooby and the gang on tv no matter where they went, but it’s more than likely that there was another show he could rely on as well in the 80s; something that would’ve come out just after Mary’s death; something that would most definitely appeal to his interests…

TRANSFORMERS - robots in disguise

Dean obviously likes cars, and since he thinks of baby like a fifth member of the family, I think he would be intrigued seeing cars that actually do come to life. He doesn’t watch the show a lot, but he catches it when he can, and the thing that really keeps him coming back is Optimus Prime — the bot that every kid saw as a second father. Strong, brave, compassionate, funny; all the things that would’ve reminded him of his own father (or how his father used to be — ‘how he should be’ a part of him thinks).

Unsurprisingly, Bobby’s the one who notices Dean’s love for the show. He might try to get him one of the toys if he can, or show him cars in the salvage yard that resemble some of the characters, but the biggest thing would be taking him and Sam to see the movie in theatres in ‘86, an experience that would unfortunately be more traumatic than fun. Most of the original cast is killed off, including Optimus, and Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime, who essentially has to pick up where OP left off in the fight against evil (Dean isn’t sure why he thinks about it like that, and he refuses to spend any time unpacking that line of thinking, but it nonetheles makes him uncomfortable)

Dean appreciates what Bobby did for them, but he kinda stops watching the show after that. He may stick around if one of his favourite episode is rerunning, but he will not watch season 3, and all but refuses to talk about the show when anyone (mostly Sam) asks.

Once gets older he starts making small references again. He’s even been found humming or whistling the show’s theme song by himself, and has most definitely made the transforming sound while working on baby (carefully making sure no one’s there to catch it). Funnily enough he has no problem checking out the Michael Bay movies when they come out. He doesn’t expect them to be like the original (he doesn’t even expect them to be “good” so to speak), but if he can enjoy a few hours and a few beers while watching them, then they’ve passed in his eyes (this is the same man who willingly watched speed 2 for the same reason i think)

It isn’t until Jack comes along (and Cas comes back of course) that he really tries returning to the franchise. After Jack finishes off clone wars by himself, he looks for something new, and after hearing Dean make some allusion to it, he looks up Transformers. There are so many different iterations though that he isn’t actually sure where to start, but there is one that he notices has a similar art style (in that it’s 3D) that also came out around the same time as clone wars.

So Jack decides to start watching Transformers Prime (and when he learns that one of the kids is also named Jack, he knows he made the right choice)

Dean is walking by his room one day and only has to hear Optimus’s voice for a second to realize who it is. He walks in and let’s Jack explain the show to him (since he never really kept up with any other iterations of it), trying not to chuckle at his enthusiasm. But when Jack asks if he wants to stay and watch with him, he makes up an excuse to leave. It confuses Jack, because he seems more nervous than negative with his response. So he decides to ask Cas about it, assuming that he will know (which he does because “raised from perdition” and all that). Cas doesn’t explain exactly why Dean acts so weird about Transformers now, but does try to make Jack feel better by saying that “you can never truly fall out of love with something that meant so much to you,” and agreeing to watch the show with him instead.

So they set up a screening in the dean-cave. When Sam comes around he decides to watch with them as well. It isn’t too much later when Dean makes it to the room, thinking it was jusst a normal movie night. He hesitates when asked to stay, but figures it would raise more questions if he didn’t, so he sits down and starts scrolling through his phone. As the episodes go on, Sam watches as his brother starts paying more and more attention to them, even cracking a smile every so often. By the time they stop for the night, Dean is visibly more comfortable, and actually stays up with Jack to talk about the original show and the movies.

I have more ideas on how Dean would react to certain episodes of tfp and other iterations in the franchise as a whole, but I think the big thing with tfp for him would be seeing Optimus less in relation to his father, and more relative to himself (especially after the Orion Pax arc -- being forced into a leadership role he wasn’t necesarily wanting to be in, having to look out for everyone else more than himself, not really being able to display your emotions as authentically as they’re felt -- lots of angst). It would be a lot to process, but he’s happy to do it if it means enjoying something he once loved all over again, and getting to share it with his favourite people in the world

[stellevatum]

Kar’s synthetic companions:

QOSMA (Quantum Organization System Management Assistant): A true AI linked to Kar’s Greybox, similar to how SAM is to the Ryder Family (SAM could be seen as QOSMA’s cousin, part of Alec and Ellen’s research were given in exchange for hers after all). She organizes Kar’s information network and database, as well as quantum Blackbox for Kar’s memories. Some Void Agents opt to get a greybox implant to have a more direct connection to QOSMA, but it is not a necessity. She was still a baby AI during the Reaper invasion and has grown exponentially in the centuries after. QOSMA has her own personality separate from Kar, especially in later years as the AI grows into her own.

Doc : A 2-1B medical droid. More frequently used in her younger years, post Rebellion on Doc is around mostly to help those who need it more (ie friends and family, folks who are with her on a missions, etc). He is usually posted on the Enduring (Mal’s repurposed star destroyer and flag ship) with Mal in later years, though sometimes will be berthed on Kar’s flagship.

Artie: RT-D0 is an astromech droid given to Kar when she was in Republic Intelligence. Hasn’t left her side since. Hasn’t had a memory wipe since the start of the Clone Wars leaving him to be a very eccentric droid whose intelligence borders on the like of fully actualized AI. He is sometimes supportive of her crazy ideas, other times is her voice of reason. Acts like a curmudgeon-y old man by the time she reaches Andromeda and Eridian galaxies, but cares for her family. Still doesn’t mean he won’t sass you, and will if the occasion arises.

Aytchkay: HK-42 is a formerly junked ancient HK assassin unit Kar recovered from an auction. HK was repaired and serves as her occasional personal bodyguard– but more often deployed to guard her later children. It is unknown when he was purchased– just that he came to prominence working on Pandora. Like all HK units, he has a great dislike of “meatbags” and is a very misanthropic droid, barring his mistress. Given the amount of organics that need killing on Pandora, he doesn’t seem to mind his situation. Him and Artie have a shared bond over misanthropy and violence, the two of them seem to be confused and at odds with Bee’s more positive personality.

Beedee: Bee, Beedee, Buddy’s formal designation is BD-Y (not to be confused with BD-1, Cal Kestis’ companion). While both are BD explorer units, BD-Y was solely Kar’s and assisted her in many an adventure through the known universe.(That’s not to say both units have crossed paths at some point.) A gift from Bail Organa during the Clone Wars, Beedee was with Kar during her defection and time in the Milky Way, was with her on the Normandy during the Collector Mission and Reaper war. As such, he’s been modified with reaper code (like the geth on Rannoch), upgraded with a quantum processing unit/blackbox, and on top the things most of Explorer Droids can do, is also now a portable QEC.

Beedee and Artie have been her companions the longest (HK is the oldest being at least 3000 years old…), and as such are practically family to her at this point. Bee is a cheerful. inquisitive droid that is always ready for the next adventure. Bee has always been a playmate of children. He likes spending time with Nazar because of his affinity with the late Legion.

Teecee: Teecee, or TC-22, is a TC series protocol droid that is technically Mal’s valet and assistant. As such he is usually near Mal on his flagship, or residence helping Kar remotely than actually in person. Like many other of his kind, Teecee has a stiff, formal personality programming, which suits his master. He is one of the few protocol droids updated to serve in all six galaxies– although his Psycho-to-Galactic-Basic could use a little improvement.

[samspenandsword]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💙🤭

Aww, Julie!!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Honestly part of my brain is like "YOU MAKE SAM CHOOSE BETWEEN HER BABIES??????" and the other part of my brain is going "Literally all of them are garbage and even they know it" lololol so doing this was really hard for me. But I've chosen and I'm posting this before I can think too much about it and change my mind.

Kheresankh - I know I haven't exactly published much of anything for this story, so I linked the prologue of the first installment, but my OC Danai has been in the works for so long and I am honestly just so proud of what I have written for her. I can't wait for you all to go on this journey with her, all through the Clone Wars, to her meeting Rex, and everything that comes after. Also, my headers for this story slap 💅

Just This Once - This was the first smut piece I had ever published. In all my years of fanfic writing, this was the first smut piece I was truly confident enough in to publish. As someone who identifies as asexual, I truly wasn't ever sure if my smut writing was very good, just cause I have no personal experience with that sort of thing. What reads as "sexy" to me might be really weird to others. But, I'm a total whore for Cody, like, legitimately, so I went for it, and the response was just so much more than I could've ever hoped for. This piece genuinely does just hold such a special place in my heart and I'm very proud of it.

Welcome to the Faire - Okay this one only has a hint of a pairing to it (with Thrawn; I am unfortunately, unspeakably attracted to him 😔) but honestly, I'm proud of it. It's very narrative heavy, and I know that isn't for everyone. But I've been thinking about this piece lately cause I went to the Renaissance Festival again last weekend (where I spent a truly obscene amount of money and regret absolutely nothing), and the Ren Faire was the original inspiration for this piece. But people also told me that they felt I really captured Thrawn's voice in this, and honestly, there are fewer compliments better to receive than this one as a fanfic writer.

Midnight - My newest piece! This Boba smut fic really took me out of my comfort zone as a writer, because I just don't really have much insight into the d/s scene and brat-taming. But I still tried to do it and Boba justice while adding in some fun and feelings to the piece. It's new, I literally posted it last night, so there's not much feedback yet, but I'm still quite proud of it. It also ended up being longer than I intended, and I love giving you guys long fics to read!

The Coffee House - And of course, how can I not list the story that completely helped my blog take off. In a way I never expected or could've hoped for. Commander Fox was always underrated in my opinion, and I wanted to explore him a little bit more, but then I found @amikoroyaiart and her art of Fox is just so fantastic. I became obsessed. And I started wanting to write my own coffee shop story for him. Thus, The Coffee House was born, and six parts later, there's a plan for at least six more. It's kind of slow going, but I love this story with all my heart and I'm so glad to share some fluffy, coffee shop goodness with you all.

Thank you so sending me this, Julie!! Ily 💜💜💜

For more of my stories, as well as my moodboards and dividers, please proceed to my Masterlist! And don't worry, my Kinktober 2022 is going to becoming Kinktober 2022/23 lol.

For some of my favorite Star Wars art, my tag is #sam's favorites

For some of my favorite Star Wars fics, my tag is #sam's recs

[ilonga]

I posted 1,071 times in 2022

71 posts created (7%)

1,000 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@katierosefun

@royalhandmaidens

@parrot-parent

@gizkalord

@giggles-and-freckles

I tagged 950 of my posts in 2022

Only 11% of my posts had no tags

#star wars - 470 posts

#padme amidala - 130 posts

#star wars fanart - 123 posts

#anakin skywalker - 113 posts

#star wars gifs - 106 posts

#birbs - 96 posts

#cobra kai - 82 posts

#ahsoka tano - 73 posts

#gifs - 58 posts

#obi-wan kenobi - 54 posts

Longest Tag: 130 characters

#her stomach is still showing which is ehhh not practical at all but i get that they're still trying to keep ties to her first look

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

amidala’s rebellion

(so an AU where Padmé and co never found Anakin on Tatooine and consequently had a much more difficult time getting back to Naboo. The battle against the Trade Federation dragged out for years, and in the background, the galaxy fell to the Clone Wars with Palpatine rising to power as the Chancellor. In the chaos, Padmé ends up desperate enough to take on the proposed constitutional amendment to let her stay in power indefinitely and, when the Empire rises, Naboo becomes a lynchpin for the fledgling rebellion.

And Sabé becomes her assasin.)

ao3

~

"I know you," the Moff says. "I know what you are, girl. Do you think we do not hear the rumors? Do you think that just because we do not have the proof, we don't know what the Queen of Naboo truly is to the Empire? And you - " He spits - "her personal attack dog."

He laughs. "Doesn't it grate on you, handmaiden, to be nothing less than an animal at the beck and call of your precious Amidala? Have you ever done anything out of your own free will?"

Sabé lets the words wash over her like the waves of the lakeshore by the Naberries' villa. Lets herself remember the feeling of Padmé's painted lips brushing fleetingly against her own. There's this common misconception that the galaxy has: that Padmé is Amidala, and the handmaidens serve her unquestioningly. Padmé isn't Amidala. Amidala is Padmé's voice, Saché's poise, Rabé's gait, Yané's gaze, Sabé's heart. Amidala is a shadow, falling over the whole of Naboo, wreaking havoc on the Empire. Amidala is all of them, and Amidala is none of them. Amidala is their creation, and they are Amidala's prisoners.

And they wouldn't have it any other way.

At Sabé's cold smile, the Moff pales. He steps backwards. "Please," he says, and Sabé nearly laughs at how quickly he changes his tune. "I have a family. I have children."

It's a lie. She'd know; espionage was the first thing Sabé learned when she became a handmaiden.

But it wouldn't have made a difference.

So she really does laugh this time. "I thought you said you knew what I was."

She slits his throat like all the others.

64 notes - Posted July 15, 2022

#4

both relationships tory enters in the show (tory x miguel and tory x robby) start with her trying to turn x guy away from sam which is really funny to me because like. the first thing she thinks of when going after a guy is SAM. not “wow I really like this guy!” but “HA you know what sam would HATE take THAT”

and also the fact that when sam and miguel kissed in s2 she was furious at sam, who was so drunk she couldn’t stand straight at the time, but barely spared a second thought for miguel, her actual boyfriend, who was dead sober. tory. were you mad that sam kissed miguel or mad that she didn’t kiss you JUST SAYING 

76 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

#3

i think that after sam and tory become besties (manifesting s6 let’s go) they still fight each other for fun and the first two times it scares the hell out of miguel and robby until they realize that no, these dumbasses aren’t ACTUALLY trying to kill each other this time they’re just PRETENDING to and they give up yeah

94 notes - Posted October 12, 2022

#2

ANWAYS THE WAY SAM AND TORY BRING OUT THE ABSOLUTE WORST IN EACH OTHER THE WAY THEY DRIVE EACH OTHER ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!! THE WAY THEY TURN EACH OTHER INTO THE ABSOLUTE WORST VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THEIR RIVALRY!!! THE WAY MIGUEL AND ROBBY BECOME COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN THEIR WINDING PATH OF DESTRUCTION!! GO GIRLS GO

98 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

of disastrous proportions

Or, maybe Jedi General Anakin Skywalker is not as dead as the Rebellion thought he was. And maybe Luke and Leia, desperate not to be left out of the rescue, have inherited their parents' propensity for chaos. Just a little bit.

ao3

The Rebel Alliance briefing room is in chaos.

It always is, these days, but usually it's in a state of more affectionately-termed "organized chaos". Today is an altogether different madness. From far enough above that no one notices them, and actively shielding their presences enough so that none of the force-sensitives in the room feel the need to look up, Luke and Leia Naberrie-Skywalker hang on to every intelligible word.

"General Skywalker is dead—"

"—description matches him perfectly—"

"It's been well over a decade, even if he had survived then, it is impossible—"

"Anakin's always had a knack for the impossible—"

"—survived Order 66 then we would have known—"

"Agent Sabé's information has never been wrong before—"

"Enough."

The room quiets marginally. Padmé Amidala, Senator turned traitor to the Republic and General of the Rebel Alliance, steps forward. Ahsoka Tano and Obi-wan Kenobi, former Jedi dead on all official Empire records, stand steadily behind her.

Luke and Leia, perched in the vents, exchange an apprehensive glance.

"General Amidala, you must see reason," Mon Mothma says placatingly. "Obtaining the Death Star plans is of utmost importance right now. We don't have the resources to waste on such a treacherous rescue mission, not when it's likely nothing more than chasing ghosts."

"Or worse," Ackbar adds. "A trap."

"Rest assured," Padmé says smoothly, "that I have heard all of your points. But Sabé's information has been confirmed by multiple trustworthy sources. There is an extremely valuable prisoner on-board the Death Star, scheduled for execution, and he does match the allegedly late General Skywalker's description. Eerily well."

"And if it isn't him?" Mon Mothma asks. "We can't afford to send our best agents out for the sake of a 'maybe'. Not even for the father of your children, Padmé."

Even their mother, with all of her practice at keeping her expressions even and diplomatic, can't stop her gaze from narrowing sharply. Leia grips the bar she's pressed against more tightly, watching her knuckles whiten.

But it's Ahsoka that speaks this time, putting a steadying hand on Padmé's shoulder. "Any prisoner that valuable is worth our time, Skywalker or no."

"Ahsoka is correct," Obi-wan says. "Besides, it will be a simple reconnaissance mission, nothing more. Ahsoka and I will find the station and be in and out as quickly as we can."

"It's never that easy."

Obi-wan looks slightly affronted at that. "We are well-versed in these types of missions, Ahsoka and I. We will handle it."

But a puff of air besides her makes Leia miss whatever is said next.

"Shh," she snaps."I'm trying to listen."

Luke, attention torn away from the scene below, gives her an affronted look. "I'm literally just breathing."

"Well, you're breathing too loud. Cut it out."

"Oh, I'm sorry, your highness, I'll just stop breathing for your sake—"

Leia claps a hand over his mouth. Luke rolls his eyes at her.

Below, a murmur sounds.

See the full post

221 notes - Posted August 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[jsaunderswrites]

Transformers: Prime S1E01 Darkness Rising, Part 1

Watch free on YouTube.

This first episode was all introductions for the various characters, the the extent that the actual plot doesn’t really begin until the very ending.

We are introduced to our ‘Bots but aside from cool designs I don’t think we get much character aside from Arcee being pissed, and Optimus being… well… Optimus. You know that guy.

We are introduced to Cliffjumper (played by Rock “The Dwayne” Johnson) and they go to a lot of effort to make him seem as cool and tough as anybot ever was, so you’re shocked and horrified that he’s killed off by Starscream. Personally, I don’t know how, but I was never surprised even the first time I saw it. Maybe it’s the big celebrity VA or maybe the almost Poochie levels of how much you’re supposed to love him but I always pegged that he wasn’t gonna last.

This is a problem because the creators specifically put him in to show that in this show the characters could actually die! This isn’t your Dad’s Transformers! But because of the way it’s presented it feels so false and artificial. This guy, the one that we created specifically to be killed off, can die! But probably no one else.

We also meet the Decepticons. Firstly we are introduced to the Vehicons, the grunts of the series. I don’t believe the show ever got around to explaining them but apparently the intent is that they are actually mass produced to fill out the ‘Cons’ ranks. It’s a shame they never got a plotline exploring their views, possibly leading to their freedom. These guys deserve what the Clone Troopers got.

Also they look dope!

We also meet Starscream (voiced by Steve Blum) who does present a fun take on the character. He has the power that other Starscreams have always sought, but none of the respect. The troops consider him just a temp until Megatron can return and that clearly burns him but he can’t actually change that (yet).

Now let’s talk about the humans. Jack Darby (Josh Keaton) is our seeming main human. He’s responsible and put-upon and that’s pretty much it. Despite his voice he has none of the interesting drama of Peter Parker but at least he’s no scumbag like Sam Witwicky. We’re later told he has signs of greatness inside, but I don’t recall ever seeing them.

Raf Esquivel (Andy Pessoa) is that younger kid character who’s really nice and then they give a special skill to justify why they’re allowed on the team. I HATE this archetype. Usually they either have the ability to speak with animals or super hacking skills. In this case it’s kinda both, hacking and he can understand Bumblebee. He’s just not really notable outside of these traits.

And finally there’s MIKO NAKADAI (Tania Gunadi). We don’t get the full force of her character this episode but she already wants to be involved more than anyone else. I’m probably in conflict with the rest of the audience when I say she’s probably one of the show’s better points.

Now that all that is out of the way, the story.

It’s established that conflict between the Autobots and Deceptions on Earth has been quiet for the last three years. Why three years though? Why not 100 or 1,000,000? There are only the five Autobots on Earth, but seemingly more out in space.

The Decepticons gathering energon makes Optimus fear the return of Megatron. He explains to the kids that the war was initially over control of Cybertron’s energon, and that he and Megatron were originally on the same side. Let’s see how much that is retconned later!

I’m not a fan of “Optimus and Megatron were once friends” stories. It never feels like that history is used any differently than when they’re just rival commanders. Plus it usually diminishes whatever the actual cause of the conflict is over.

The look of the show works well. The general design style of the movies but incredibly refined into sleek and distinct and well coloured shapes.

The animation is generally good. The biggest issue is the lipsync on the human characters. It just doesn’t quite work. But textures and lighting all look fine more than a decade later when contemporary shows still struggle.

The action is visceral and hard hitting when the camera is zoomed in, but when it pulls back you realise how often the strategy relies on just not getting shot while you run up to punch a guy.

At the end Megatron returns through the space bridge (again voiced by Frank Welker) and I really like this take on his voice.

Hopefully next episode I can talk more about actual plot stuff.

This Day in History: 26/11/2010

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic S1E07 Dragonshy

So while Cliffjumper was being brutally murdered and innocent teenagers were forcefully dragged into a war they didn’t choose Fluttershy was being dragged up a mountain to confront a massive, fire breathing dragon.

[plowolffe]

Qi’ra, you and I will be working much more closely... from now on.

Darth Maul in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

[shurisneakers]

harmless (xiii)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader)

Warnings: cursing, frustrated bucky, dramatic reader, smidge of angst, guns, little bit of violence, obnoxious flirting, and kidnapping lol

Word count: 6.2k

A/N: welcome to chaos week >:) this is the first of three updates coming out this week (if i can finish the last one in time).  big thank you to my love @no-shit-sherl0ck for the kidnaped!reader idea, and that one anon who suggested the inator that’s used here. i know you wanted to see it in a zoo but i couldn’t really figure out a way to use that so i referenced it a bunch in previous chapters. oh and also @ginevranights​ for this specific imagery 

Previous Part  || Series Masterlist

Who the fuck kidnaps a villain in this day and age?

Saturday started normally enough.

Nat kicked Bucky’s ass in training, evening the score to 120 and 120. He blames it on the lack of sleep. She tells him that it’s his fault he stayed up late to binge watch 911 Lone Star.

He still thinks it was worth it.

The team’s sunshines and rainbows that morning. Someone had cooked up a batch of pancakes and fresh orange juice. Someone else burnt the bacon but left to feed his dog before anyone could complain.

Nat opened up the newspaper. Different sections went to different people until Bucky got stuck with the entertainment section. Fun, considering that he doesn’t even recognise half the names. He’d have to pretend to be interested until the next rotation.

He watches the orange juice levitate in front of him from the corner of his eye and just assumes that Wanda’s getting a refill even though she could have just asked him to pass it. He smells the next batch of bacon burning and figures that Clint is back.

Sam’s beside him, annoying him about how long it takes for him to read about which new celebrity relationship just ended and Bucky retaliates by reading even slower. Fuck you.

He’s on his second stack of pancakes absolutely drenched in maple syrup when the doors to the elevator open and Marie steps out, laptop in her hand.

An instant chorus of hello’s and invitations to have some charred bacon resound through the table. She politely declines them with a small smile, instead opening her laptop and placing it in front of Bucky without further ado. 

He looks at her questioningly, slowly swallowing whatever was in his mouth.

“An email for you.” She tuts her head towards it. “It has a video attachment of your friend.”

Bucky has plans to not watch the video in front of everyone, given that the content could range anywhere from you reading out fanfiction about him to a deep-fake of him singing a Whitney Houston song.

Both of which you have done before and would do again, without any hesitation.

“Aren’t you gonna watch it?” Wanda asks from across the table.

He slowly shakes his head no, cutting his stack into smaller pieces.

“If what’s in it is real, it’s important,” Marie stresses.

“What’s in it?” he inquires instead, hoping that the team would stop staring at him. If Marie was implying strongly that he needed to watch then something was wrong.

“Just watch it, man.” Sam’s statement has everyone agreeing with him. Bucky can’t refuse now, and if the team makes fun of him for the next month about how he looks good belting Greatest Love of All, he’s going to personally assassinate you.

He clicks on the email, noticing it came from a throwaway address. Probably untraceable, if the cards are played right. 

The video opens to grainy footage, which is stupid considering modern technological advancements. If this is one more of your stupid LARPing sessions, it could definitely wait till after lunch. 

But, he instantly recognises your silhouette strapped to a chair and suddenly the room feels very cold around him. His hand automatically clutches onto a bead from the bracelet you gave him that still remained tied to his left arm more often than not.

“Speak,” someone commands off camera.

“About what?” You sound annoyed, exasperated even.

“Why you’re here.”

“I’m here because you have unaddressed feelings of childhood insecurity.”

“I warned you to take this seriously.”

Bucky’s eyes widen slightly but his body relaxes the minute he reads the situation. 

The team’s crowded around him, he can feel it. His attention remains on the screen in front of him.

“Who even are you sending this to?” You don’t sound the least bit threatened. “My roommate’s not at home but my cat is and I don’t think she’d care.”

”You’ve made a complete joke out of villains everywhere. Fraternising with the enemies, the Avengers,” he spits the name with so much vitriol. “You’ve erased what it’s like to be truly evil. Turned us into a laughing stock.”

“If it takes one person to undermine your whole movement then maybe it wasn’t strong enough to begin with.” You look at someone outside the lens, face scrunching in distaste. “Also your costume’s ugly.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you trace this voice?” Bucky asks, receiving an immediate confirmation. “Figure out who it is.”

“On it.”

“Tell them. Tell them we are a serious threat and are to be feared.”

"No,” you say resolutely. “You’re an overgrown manchild. Go watch Teletubbies or something.”

“She does not give a shit,” Clint marvels at the situation, a piece of half eaten burnt toast between his fingers.

You didn’t. And if he knew you in the slightest, which he prided himself on at this point, you already had six different ways of getting out of there.

“She knows she’s going to be fine,” Bucky murmurs, returning back to take a bite of his pancakes. “She’s probably still there just to irritate him.”

He zeroes in on your wrist to see if the teleportation watch was still there but no, your wrists are bare. Guess you forgot.

“You have to.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s how a real villain does it.”

“A real villain- what are you, gatekeeping the villain community?” You scoff. “You sound like a fuckin’ incel.”

“Just send them a message,” the guy bellows, hitting a table.

“She’s going to frustrate them to death.” An accurate observation, Sam.

“Okay, jeez, fine.”

Bucky just knows that you rolled your eyes at that moment.

He had faith in you, or in your abilities at the very least. While every wisecrack could possibly inch you closer towards harm, you probably wouldn’t be making them unless you felt completely secure in your situation.

“Help, I’m totally kidnapped and in danger. Save me because I can’t do it myself. This man is too powerful and strong and sooo scary.”

“Do you think she has a strategy?”

“Definitely.”

“You’re not worried, James?” Wanda asks curiously. “I thought she was your friend.”

“She is my friend.” He reaches over to take the jug of orange from across the table. “That’s why I’m not worried.”

“Are you going to fight the Avengers?” you interrupt his endless tirade. “Because that’s a stupid plan. You get how that’s a stupid plan, right?”

“Let them come. I’m prepared.”

“With what? A stick you found outside? A Nerf gun? Man, you’ve tied my hands with fuckin’ zip ties, you can’t be serious-”

“Shut up,” he roared and the stand shakes slightly from where he stamps his feet. “Our army is enough.”

“Wow,” you exhale. “I wish I had your confidence, I really do. I want to study you under a microscope.”

“I have reinforcements.” It sounds like he turns to the camera to address it directly. “This is a warning. Your friends have an hour to find you or things are gonna turn ugly. This is what real evil looks like.”

“Evil dresses in a dollar store Speedo, apparently.” The man pays you no heed, instead picking up the camera. “Hey, sarge, if you’re watching this, don’t bother. I’m fine, it’s not even the real me-”

The camera cuts to black.

“When was this video sent?” Nat looks at Marie, eyebrows drawn together.

“About ten minutes ago.”

Bucky clicks out of the email, determined to get at least half his breakfast in him before he left to see what’s up with your situation. A notification pops up immediately.

evilkneival123@gmail.com just sent you an email.

A video attachment.

“We got another one,” Bucky informs the team, drawing their attention back to the screen from the informal conversation that had erupted between them about what they could do.

This time, there’s a subject line included.

Attack on the Clone.

"Ain’t that a Star Wars movie?" he asks, craning his neck to look at Clint.

"That's Attack of the Clones," Sam corrects. "Probably autocorrect."

Bucky narrowed his eyes in suspicion at him, jaw sliding outward before falling back into place. Enough times had Sam called him Fucky in the group chat and gotten away with it for him not to be wary.

“Or a code,” Wanda suggests, too many crime thrillers read and podcasts listened in her spare time. She occasionally brought them over to Self Care Saturday, introducing him to the world of true crime as a bit of light content while they snacked on chocolate chip cookies he baked. “Like the Zodiac.”

“For what?” Bucky peers over at her.

“All I remember from that movie is them rolling around a field together,” Clint mutters. “Maybe that’s how you’re supposed to save her.”

“I’m not saving anyone. Look at her, she’s fine.” Is he the only one who saw it?

When he’s met with skeptical looks and no other useful suggestions, he presses play on the video.

This time it's clearer footage. It hardly takes him a second to ascertain where it was.

"That's her lair." It showed the pathway leading up to the flat concrete building, exactly where the intercom should be.

There was a black Sedan parked haphazardly outside, engine still on judging by the sound of the radio blasting an AC/DC song. 

Within a few seconds, someone drags you from the entrance of the lair to the car, despite your very clear protests and opposition, shoving you inside before it takes off in full speed, tires screeching. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., track the car from that video. Check all the CCTV and surveillance footage from around the area that you can find," Bucky commands, taking a sip of orange juice.  

"Why would they send us that?" Clint pipes up. "They make their email untraceable but send us a video of the fuckin' abduction itself?"

"I don't know." Bucky shakes his head, setting his glass down. "She probably convinced them to."

It was an unusual scenario, he realised that. But his eyebrows lower in contemplation, his lip caged between his lip before a thought suddenly occurs to him. A laugh in disbelief almost escapes his throat ad he pushes it down with some freshly cut strawberries. 

"And they listened?"

"I don't think you realise how annoying she can be." He knows, though. He knows. "Bet they regret it, though. I should tell them to keep her for a little longer."

"Voice recognition registers voice to someone named Chad, better known by his alias Soul Crusher. Surveillance footage places the car about thirty minutes away. Exact location sent to your phone GPS."

Soul Crusher. That was worse than Dr. Strange.

"I can make that fifteen." Bucky shrugs, setting down his fork and knife. If his hunch is right, the team didn’t really have to get involved. “See you guys later.”

“Do you want any of us coming with you?” Wanda gestures to the crowd at hand.

“I got it.” He pushes away from the table, depositing his plate in the sink, dropping an extra piece of bacon on the ground for Clint’s dog. “She’ll be alright.”

They watch him trail out of the room briskly, heading up to his room to change.

“Is it just me or is he too casual about this?” Clint continues staring long after he leaves.

“Both of them are weirdos.” Nat pulls open the newspaper again, going back to the sport’s section. “Who knows what goes in their heads.”

“Can confirm that not a lot goes on in his.”

Without Bucky to retaliate or grumble, a Steve walking into the room, sweaty and shiny after training becomes the new subject of jokes that morning.

__

For the first time in months, he’s had to bring a weapon or two along with him. Two revolvers and a couple of knives kept out of plain view. He wouldn’t need more than that anyway.

True to his word, it takes only fifteen minutes to get there, thirteen if he didn’t stop for the chain of ducks that crossed the street.

He’s also dressed in a little more leather than he usually reserves for your meetings. A jacket that brings to act as a windbreaker and tightly laced up combat boots make him look like he either stepped off a runway, or more menacing than usual depending on who was looking.

The GPS points him to an old warehouse near a more subdued part of the city. It was abandoned by the looks of it, and had been for a while judging by the lack of upkeep. Prime real estate.

He pulls off his helmet, hanging it on the handlebar along with his backpack before kicking the stand into place. The bike’s a few metres away just in case they decide to blow something up.

Bucky looks up at the warehouse, assessing the most damage he could do to it if at all it was needed. That thing could barely stand on its own, a grenade would absolutely decimate it. That wasn’t good news for you.

He sighs once before putting on his death glare, straightening out his shoulders into a stature that screams stone-cold, and pushes the door open, gun raised.

A mini-army of people ranging from their early twenties to late thirties stood guard at the entrance, all with rifles pointed at him. He counts fifteen, maybe eighteen.

“Oh, hell no,” a voice erupts from the back, followed by the sound of his gun being thrown to the ground. “No one told me that he was coming.”

Bucky raises an eyebrow, his death glare not shifting and Glock not lowering.

“I’m out.” The same guy raises his hands up to show he meant no harm, slowly brushing past Bucky as he squeezed out of the building.

“You got five seconds to leave before I shut this door,” Bucky gives the rest of them an ultimatum. Not like there was a point anyway. SHIELD was sending down some people to account for the one day rise in new morons. 

They all looked at each other, swallowing thickly before raising their weapons.

“I hope he’s giving you good insurance.” The second he finishes his sentence they all cry out in what sounds like a fucking war chant, launching themselves at him. 

______

“They’re here.” Someone presses his ear to the door as if the gunshots and screaming weren’t enough. 

“Brilliant. We’re ready.” Chad picks up the knife, running his finger along the sharp end. You try to see if you can use your Twitter-ordained powers of manifestation for a paper cut.

“How much are you asking them for?” You put forth a query instead, when it disappointingly doesn’t work.

“Asking who for what?” Chad stops his dumb intimidation tactic for a second. 

“You know,” you insist like it was obvious, “my ransom. How much did you ask them to pay?”

“We didn’t-” He looks around at the other people in the room for confirmation. “-we didn’t ask for any.”

“Because I’m invaluable?” Your head droops to the side in mock flattery. “Aw, you guys.”

“We didn’t think of it,” someone from the corner behind you speaks up, coming to the aid of their boss.

“Now that’s just rude.” You tut, shifting maybe an inch or two in your bounds to try and get more comfortable. “Leaving aside your lack of preparation, let’s just assume he bursts in here, desperate and ready to bargain. How much would you ask for?”

“Three million,” Chad says confidently, gathering a nod and sounds of agreement from everyone else.

“Are you serious?” Your jaw drops, a scoff escaping you. “That’s all?”

His self-assurance falters a little bit, you can see it under his 5 Minutes Craft mask.

“Three mill-” You stop mid-sentence. “With this wiring? Ridiculous. Make it ten, I demand it.”

“We’ll ask for fifteen mil,” Chad proposes, his teammates agreeing again, a little more delighted than last time.

“Ask for thirty, you coward,” you argued. “Thirty million and a jet.”

“You’re not worth that much.” The dipshit diagonal to you pipes up with his unwanted and, frankly, useless opinion.

“And you are?” You whip around the best you can. “Henchman number four?”

“Megedagik,” he informs, standing up a little taller now that he was given some importance. “It means ‘killer of many’.”

“Did you just say your name was Mega Dick?” 

“Megedagik,” he corrects.

You stare at him hard before turning away. “Alright, other than Mega Dick here, does anyo-”

A knife lands right next to your feet, driven at least an inch into the ground. You look up at the guy you managed to piss off within four sentences, his face now a beet red. 

“These are brand new, asshole,” you barked, shaking your shoes around. “You’re gonna pay if there’s even a scratch on it.”

“Permission to kill her?” Meg growls, casting a side eye at Chad.

The boss man looks at you thoughtfully, assessing the repercussions of what might happen. You raise an eyebrow.

“Slow and painful,” he settles. 

A small smirk makes its way onto your face. 

“Title of your sex tape,” you quip as the man in the corner storms towards you.

_____

It’s all a flurry, really. A bunch of inexperienced newcomers versus one of the most skilled assassins the world had ever seen? Ten minutes tops.

Bucky doesn’t do any serious damage. A couple of broken bones but only out of necessity, a lot of concussions, and maybe a bullet wound, or three, here and there. 

Most of the time he spends thinking about things that have absolutely nothing to do with what was going on. He forgot to take his laundry out of the machine. There was a biscotti recipe he had been procrastinating on trying. His succulents needed watering but he could do that once he was back. Was he wearing his good combat pants or was it the pair that had a hole in the pocket?

His left hand thrust outwards to shove someone away while he stuck his right hand into his pocket to check if it had frayed away. The person he pushed slams into a wall with a loud groan and no, his pants didn’t have a hole in them. 

He stops to take a breather, assess what was going on. There are bodies scattered all around, mostly writhing in pain from minor injuries. Someone very bravely stands up, hands posed in front of him in a regular fighting stance.

“You sure about this?” Bucky asks, reaching for one of the concealed knives he hadn’t had a chance of using yet. It twirls rather nimbly between his fingers for something so dangerous, the hilt finally landing in his palm for a sturdy grip.

The man takes one look at the knife before sitting right back down on the ground. 

“Good choice,” his voice drops to an octave lower than his self-esteem. He’s tired of this old routine but it works like a neat little party trick, often getting him the result he wanted. “Where?”

A few fingers point down the hall to the only room whose door was closed.

He makes sure to step over everyone who was lying along the way, ears tuned in to even the smallest of noises just in case one of them decided to attack him from the back. It doesn’t come.

He doesn’t bother creeping down the hallway. With all the ruckus that just went on outside, he’s pretty sure it’s obvious that they had an intruder. 

Bucky kicks in the large steel door with ease, given that it was barely hanging on its hinges. His gun’s raised, muscles tight, and senses on high alert for any immediate threats. 

It lands with a large thud, reverberating through the room. He’s reminded of your first meeting with him.

There’s a chair in the middle of the room with a person tied to it by a mixture of rope and tape. Others found themselves slithering around on the floor in a similar fashion, trying to get out of their bondages.

“Hey, James,” you call out, drawing his attention to you. You were sitting atop a table, legs swinging back and forth without a care in the world, a blade in your hand. 

“You okay?” He tucks the gun into his waistband when he realises that none of the henchmen are going to be going anywhere soon.

“All good.” You hop off the table with a little spring in your step. “Did you bring your bike? I need a ride back to the lair. I think I left the TV on when I was, you know, getting kidnapped.”

“You coulda teleported back home before all of this even happened.” Bucky does a quick assessment of your body to make sure there weren’t any bruises or anything of the sort. “Avoided the whole thing.”

“Don’t have the watch with me.” Odd, since he knows you consider it one of your essentials but it just fuels his theory further. “Besides, if I just quit before we started, they’d keep messing with me over and over again.”

“Do you want me to punch someone’s face in?” He glances around the room at the ones wiggling about on the floor like fucking worms. “I’d be happy to.”

“Nah, I got a few in myself.” You rotate your wrist, other hand still holding onto the knife. “You know what, maybe I’ll have another go.”

He simply makes a noise in acknowledgement before he places a hand on the hem of your shirt, gently reeling you back. “I think you fixed ‘em up real good. That’s enough for today.”

“Fine but only ‘cause you said so.” You huff, looking past him and at the weirdos on the ground. “You hear that? This man just saved your life. Say ‘thank you’.”

A muffled chorus of what sounded like appreciation echoed through the room. Bucky awkwardly looks around.

“Damn right.” You walk over to the guy in charge of the whole event, bending down to his level. “If you ever try to fuck with us again...”

You stare straight into his eyes, unblinking. You hold up the knife to his Adam’s apple. Chad doesn’t dare to move other than the thick swallow.

You raise your finger and flick him in the forehead. “Get a better costume.”

The corner of Bucky’s lip quirks upward.

“Let’s go, sarge,” you announce, standing upright again and making a motion to follow you. “D’you have an extra helmet I could use?”

“Yeah.” He had brought one along in his bag, assuming that you’d need one once he noticed the watch was missing in the footage.  

“Yay.”

The only storage space on his bike was under his seat and it’s just enough for an extra revolver. Clint asked him if it was his way of flirting with someone, give ‘em a quick spin around the city and then show them his gun. If looks could kill, Clint would be 7 feet under. 

“You sure you wanna ride it, though?” He cringes immediately when he realises what it sounds like, waiting for you to smack the innuendo in his face. “We could wait for SHIELD.”

“Don’t really have another choice, Bucky,” you say absentmindedly, strolling out the room as you tossed the knife behind you.

He frowns at your indifference but turns around for a second to look at Chad. The man in question looks back viciously, his grandeur from that morning basically deflated and left to die along with his reputation.

“Might wanna reconsider the name,” Bucky remarks, doing a quick sweep of the area once more. “Soul Crusher.”

He waits until both of you are outside the cell and the door is shut on the ringleader and his circus clowns, handlebar twisted out of place so that they don’t escape for the time being.

“One second,” he calls, touch gently lingering on your forearm to stop you without even thinking twice about it. A famously uncharacteristic move for him.

"Hm?” You don’t even look like you notice his action.

“You sure you’re good?” he asks seriously, actual concern slipping through the question. “Do you need medical assistance?”

“They couldn’t hurt me anyway.” There’s something strange about the way you say it, almost assuredly. “I’m good.”

“Okay,” he concedes, his hand darting back when he realises it was still on your arm. His eyebrows furrow when he realises how instinctively he had reached out in the first place.  He didn’t touch anyone, ever.

“What are we gonna do about them?” you inquire, stepping over someone on the floor to get to the exit.

“Marie told Agent Hill. They’re sending someone over.”

“They’re sending SHIELD for these wannabes?” Someone groans in protest from somewhere and you elect to ignore them. “Ew.”

“Just to make sure confidential information isn’t compromised in any way.” There’s a large bang that comes from the room they just left. Maybe one of them shot their teammate by accident. They were more than capable of doing it.

“I would never,” you exacted a little more solemnly, pushing the door open with your elbow to let the sunlight flood in.

“I know.” He doesn’t realise how dark it was in the warehouse until he steps out into the noon sun. “I’m pretty sure this is more about the fact that you were abducted.”

“For me?” The smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes the way he kinda likes. Something definitely felt off. “I love being class favourite.”

He doesn’t reply, a small grunt as he twists the handle of the warehouse door upwards, effectively jamming it. 

“Can I drive?” You bat your eyelashes at him innocently, disregarding the loud screaming that came from inside as those less injured probably regrouped for a last ditch attempt. 

“No,” he doesn’t hesitate in replying, handing you a helmet and buckling his own securely.

“But I just got kidnapped,” you complained, watching him swing a leg over the bike and straddle it. Okay then. 

“All the more reason for you not to drive right now.” He mentions for you to get on, squinting at the warehouse a few feet away.

“Fine, but next time I’m driving,” you grumble, climbing on the back.

“Do you even know how to?” His head is tilted to look at you from the corner of his eye, voice heavier on account of the obstruction on his face.

The door starts shaking violently and he knows for a fact that it won’t hold up for much longer. Some of those who he had knocked out probably had been shaken awake again for manpower. 

“I can learn.” You take a pause, mischief seeping into your next words. “You can teach me.”

“No.” He didn’t exactly practice what was considered safe, law abiding driving. He just got from one point to another and that’s all he cared about.

“Then I’ll do it myself.” You sound determined. “I’m going to leave a note for us in the lair.”

“You do that.” He revs the engine when something solid hits the metal door. As guessed, their usage of props to push it down faster was coming into play. “Now, can you hold on to something? We need to go.”

If only those idiots just realised that the windows covered by newspapers were right there, ready to be broken.

“Only if you promise to let me drive next time,” you say defiantly, drawing this whole ordeal out.

“Whatever,” he urges. “I promise. Now can we go?”

“Wait for it...” There’s a devilish smile on your face. “One.”

There’s a loud creak as the door finally gives way.

“Two.” The same people you left tied up in the room burst out, almost stumbling over each other in the process.

“Three,” he completes it on his own, not waiting for you to finish because God knows how long you’d stretch it out just for the drama.

Your excited screech of laughter as he narrowly misses a rod that gets thrown at him like a fucking javelin temporarily distracts him from the brain freeze he gets when your arms wind around his waist to hold yourself in place. 

There’s angry screaming and bullets that whiz past in an attempt to get him to stop but a swift turn around a corner, pulling the both of you out of their sight is enough to get rid of them. 

“We should get a few weapons and go back,” you yell over the wind rushing by, barely audible.

“You do that in your own free time,” he shouts in response, yanking you through narrower lanes and less popular streets.

“Maybe I will, you bore.” 

Still, you shut up for the rest of the ride, only grumbling when he stops the bike to tell you that no, you cannot let go just because you want to throw your hands in the air like in the movies.

You hop off when he finally pulls up on the street outside your lair, adrenaline still pumping through your veins. He waits patiently as you unbuckle the helmet, switching off the engine. 

“You gonna drop me off at my door too, now?” You snicker, fingers pulling off the helmet.

He looks at you for a second before dropping the kickstand into place and dismounting from the motorcycle.

“I was kidding.” You laugh, handing him your headgear that he shoves into his backpack. 

“You’re pretty capable of gettin’ abducted along the way.” An absurd notion, considering it’s a short path from the road to the door. 

“Oh, how chivalrous.” You let him tag along anyway, for his peace of mind. 

“My ma didn’t expect any less.” A couple of sharp lessons from Winifred Barnes and Bucky was nothing short of a damn angel. 

You knock on the door three times, crossing your arms over your chest as you waited. 

“Aren’t you the one with the key?” Bucky questions, one hand on his waist. 

The door swung open in the middle of his sentence revealing... you.

Another you.

“Nah, she has it.” Ex-Kidnapped-You raises your head in acknowledgement at Doorway-You.

“Ah.” He fucking knew it. An unnatural sense of smugness blossoms in his chest. 

“Hey,” the both of you said at the same time.

Doorway-You looked way more relaxed, a little less grimy and dishevelled but exactly the same.

“Buck, I see you met my other half,” the you from the doorway greets him. “Or other whole, actually.”

“Sure did.” He sends a glance at Ex-Kidnapped-You.

“You can go on in. Big first day, huh?” Doorway-You refers to the you beside him.

“You wouldn’t believe,” Ex-Kidnaped-You mutters, pushing past the entrance and disappearing inside.

“She gonna be okay?” His gaze trails after your clone.

“Oh yeah, just needs to recharge.” You turn around to make sure she’s fine. “She’s made of some pretty strong carbon, technically almost indestructible.”

No wonder ‘you’ said they couldn’t hurt you.

“Heya, sarge.” You draw his attention back to you. “Always good to see you.”

“Can’t really say the same about you.” 

“Ever the emotional repressor, Mr Barnes. I like this little leather show you got going, did ya wear it just for me?”

He shifts his balance to his other foot, feet slightly wide apart. “Take it that the clone machine finally worked?”

“I was in the middle of celebrating.” You sigh, recalling the events of that morning. “Teleported home for a second to get some champagne and when I came back she was gone.”

“Irresponsible.” He tsks, head shaking in disappointment. 

“Sorry I didn’t take amateur kidnappers into account for my risk factor analysis, Bucky,” you shoot back, pressing on his name for added annoyance. “Anyway, I did the responsible thing. I sent all the evidence I had to you guys.”

“Real clever.” Bucky looks at you in dry amusement. “Attack on the clone? Really?”

“Hey, always make time for a good pun.” You finger gun, lopsided grin on your face. “Did the team like it?”

“They thought it was a typo.” Or a code. He really had Wanda to thank for his big revelation. “Your video didn’t help either.”

“Don’t tell me they couldn’t make out it was me.” You laugh, crossing your arms over your chest.

He doesn’t reply, pursing his lip inwards in sympathy, but more so to conceal a smile.

The happiness drops from your face slowly, horror taking its place. “Don’t tell me they couldn’t make out it was me.”

“Good job, your machine worked,” he adds helpfully.

“C’mon, there were so many differences,” you whine, the success of your endeavour the last thing on your mind. 

“That is your literal clone,” he points out, only to see you- clone you- walk into the giant box in the corner of the room, bright green light emanating from it like a xerox machine.

“How could they not tell the original apart from a copy?” You look genuinely offended. Insane. “Not even Sam?”

“Guess you’re not unique enough.” A rise and fall of his shoulders signify his attitude towards this whole thing. “Think I like your copy better, too, actually.”

“You’re so mean.” You puff in disbelief. “I’m a 100% original. How many mad scientist teachers do you know?”

“Two.” 

“I don’t mean now, that’s not even the-” You poke at his rock hard chest. “You are so much more annoying than when I first met you.”

He thinks it’s good relationship development.

“I have to deal with you every weekend.” He watches your finger drop from his chest. “Picked it up along the way.”

“Boo hoo, talking like you don’t have deep, deep feelings for me.” You roll your eyes. “I see right through you, Bucky Barnes.”

“Can you see the part that couldn’t give less of a shit?” He gestures to himself. “It’s all of it.”

“You think you’re such a comedian, huh?” You narrow your eyebrows. “How did you know she was a fake then, huh?”

Busted.

“Probably ‘cause you didn’t talk as much today,” he dodges. “Actually had some peace of mind for a change.”

“You knew before you got there, you liar.” You push past his fabrications. “You figured it out before everyone else.”

“You literally put it in the title.”

“Yeah, but the rest of the team saw it too.”

“Rest of the team didn’t know you were building a goddamn clone machine for months.”

“You remembered that?” You pulled away, palm over your heart. “Oh, sarge, you paid attention to me.”

His nose twitches.

“You said it, like, eight hundred times.” He could use both his hands to count the number of references you had offhandedly made in the last three weeks alone.

“Why'd you go save me when you knew it wasn't real?” you continue to challenge relentlessly, knowing fully well that he was fibbing. 

“Because you fuckin’ peer pressured me. Had the whole team around me when you sent your little video during breakfast.”

“Just admit it,” you coo, ignoring all his justifications. “You noticed it was fake me right away but showed up anyway because you’re wildly in love with me.”

“No,” he says stiffly. 

“No as in you won’t admit it you have a crush on me, or no as in you didn’t know it was fake me?”

There was no winning this. 

“Good day to you.” He pulls the motorcycle helmet on to hide the expression that plain as day screamed the former of your two options.

“Also,” you bring up indignantly, “she even got to ride the fucking bike and I’ve been asking to drive it for months now!”

“We-” he chooses his words carefully. “-compromised.”

“Oh, you did?” Your voice lowers at the newfound information, interest piqued. “I’m gonna hold you to that then, whatever it is.”

“Doesn’t count.”

“Absolutely does,” you huff. “A promise is legally binding. Blue’s Clues taught me that.”

“Bye, Y/N.”

“You’re my knight in leathery armour,” you swoon, switching sides immediately, “Kinda.”

“See you next week,” he says in farewell, determined to leave before you made it worse. “Try not to get killed by then.”

“Why, so you can do it yourself? Protective much?” You pull him back when he starts walking away, laughing slightly. “Wait a second, you weirdo.”

He sighs, staying put anyway, arms crossed impatiently over his chest.

You pull out the pen tucked behind your ear and slowly tap him twice on each shoulder in a makeshift knighting ceremony. “For your sacrifice.”

He rolls his eyes at the ludicrousness, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth.

You ignore his lack of enthusiasm, pressing your fingertips to your lips in a small kiss and then to his nose, given that it was the only part of his face you had access to.

“That was for your bravery.” You grin brightly at him and he sure as hell is glad he’s wearing the stupid helmet because he can feel his cheeks light up a bright crimson.

“Thanks.” His voice sounds gruffer than a second ago. He clears his throat.

“Now you’re my knight in leathery armour,” you fawn, nearly falling over yourself dramatically. “Let’s ride into the sunset together. I love you.”

“You’re ridiculous,” he calls out over his shoulder, turning away to return to his bike. “I despise you.”

“But you don’t.”

He really didn’t.

also i managed to fuck my phone up really bad so all proceeds from my ko-fi go towards getting it fixed

Next part

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

A collection of fics I’ve read (/reread) and thoroughly enjoyed in the past week-ish from all kinds of fandoms and genres.

BNHA

tell all the truth (but tell it slant) by carolinaa                

From: Maybe: Yoarashi Inasa 12:41 WHY is ms joke asking me about you 12:50--Missed call from Maybe: Yoarashi Inasa 12:51--Missed call from Maybe: Yoarashi Inasa 12:52--Missed call from Maybe: Yoarashi Inasa 12:53 PICK UP YOUR PHONE. ARE WE DATING??

Or: Todoroki Shouto covers up his father's abuse with...a different kind of abuse. He's never claimed to be smart.

(BTHB square 3: misunderstanding)

ATLA

blade of silver, forge of blue by MikkiOfTheAnbu  

“Blessed Spirit, we thank you for the gift of this child’s life. We are forever in your debt.” The whole village is kneeling now, even the tiniest toddlers flopped down on their stomachs doing their best approximation of a bow. “Please, won’t you give us a name to call you? We would like to properly express our gratitude.”

Oh.

Well shit.

(Where Zuko saves a little Earth Kingdom girl from drowning, the villagers think he's a Spirit, build him a shrine, and long story short, a fake story about the Blue Spirit who dances with dragons suddenly becomes very real.)

Customer Service Solidarity (sometimes means you have to kidnap the fire lord from his own party) by myrskytuuli

They had spent hours and hours drilling and preparing the servers upon the importance of everything being perfect for the new fire lord. This was fine. Jin was good at her job. She could handle one fire lord.

Expect that wasn't the fire lord. That was FUCKING LEE!

It Takes a Village by dancingstar

Zuko is dropped on the edge of the Earth Kingdom, burned, shorn, and banished. He's found again and again, and built up from ashes.

or, the earth kingdom takes a look at Zuko, asks “is anyone gonna raise that?” and doesn’t wait for an answer

Spider-Man

it's up to you, new york by JBS_Forever  

“Um, what am I –?” Peter starts, but doesn’t need to go on, because it's clear now what he’s meant to be looking at. There’s a live feed of Twitter posts already pulled up, videos and pictures and text flashing by, each one with the hashtag “WeAreSpiderMan” and moving too quick for him to process.

He blinks, confused. “What – what is this?”

Beside him, Happy breathes out a laugh. “That?” he says, and there’s an amused undercurrent in his voice, knowing and fond, “That’s New York.”

- - -

Or: after Spider-Man's identity is revealed, New York City steps up to support one of their own.

Danny Phantom

do not stand at my grave and cry (i am not there, i did not die) by blueh

“I just—” he hiccups down his ghost sense but feels the cool burning sensation crawl up his throat anyways. He has just enough time to throw a hand over his mouth to cover the blue mist, and sends a desperate look at the clock. There’s still five minutes left in class. He stands up anyways. “I have to go.”

“You have to go?” Sam says. Danny hears the accusation in her voice loud and clear. “Again?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t enough, Danny! You keep—you keep leaving us! You’re pushing us away!”

His tongue feels like lead and he knows, even if he wants to, he can’t tell them. He cant. So instead, he doesn’t meet her eyes, takes one step back, and repeats, “I’m sorry.”

Sometimes, it feels like it’s the only word he can say these days.

Or: When Danny goes down to the lab and enters that portal at fourteen years old, he goes down alone. This changes things.

Star Wars: Clone Wars

The Past Remains by otherhawk                

The war drags on leaving trauma and destruction in its wake. After a bereaved Master is accused of harming his padawan, Obi-Wan is sent to talk to her, dredging up memories of his own past.

These Things Happen by writehandman

Obi-wan Kenobi keeps promoting Cody. The promotion gets out of hand, and suddenly the balance of the universe shifts into the palm of a very competent, caffeinated man.

Care What It Cost by MissjuliaMiriam

Five years after Naboo, Obi-Wan becomes aware that things between Anakin and Qui-Gon have become... tense. The obvious solution is to mediate their difficulties if at all possible.

That is not what happens.

[clonewarsarchives]

CAST AND CREW ON… (#137, NOV 2012)

AS SEASON FIVE TAKES THE CLONE WARSTO ALL NEW HEIGHTS. THE TALENT BEHIND THE HIT SERIES GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE SHOW!

...”Revenge” being an Insider award-winning episode!

Sam Witwer [the voice of Darth Maul]: Darth Maul’s got the Boba Fett factor going for him. He looks cool, and has an attitude that was established in The Phantom Menace.

The big thing for “Revenge” was to describe the cost of what had happened to him—not just physically, but mentally. We also showed the unadulterated dark side of the Force. It isn’t just cool leather suits and red lightsabers. It’s madness, despair, and pain. He’ll get funnier as he goes along, trust me [laughs]

 ...the darker aspects of the show.

Dave Filoni [supervising director]: There’s stuff that we shoot that does not make it into the show at all. There’s a level where I say, “That’s kind of enough.” I try not to do stuff that goes beyond what you see in the movies. I fully realize that a lot of kids have not seen Revenge of the Sith, nor would you expect them to: It’s a very intense movie.

That clearly illustrates my problem: I’ve got Attack of the Clones on one side, which is the beginning of a downfall, and I’ve got Revenge of the Sith where it’s a complete downfall of the good guys. The Clone Wars is a hard place to be.

We’ve made the villains very powerful and very dangerous, but people are always hungry for the heroes to win. So I want to make sure that we show that they had a lot of victories, but the Jedi didn’t understand that Palpatine was controlling the whole thing. They just missed the one critical thing that could have brought them to victory. I think this season you’ll see that Palpatine’s plan is more perilous than even he thought possible. He has tried to control many futures to make it all happen, but it’s just not that easy to do, and there are many obstacles that could get in his way.

...34 percent of the audience being female.

Ashley Eckstein [the voice of Ahsoka Tano]: I credit Dave and his team for including so many strong female characters. It’s something I hoped would happen. We’ve talked about it all along: In the very beginning, I remember asking, ‘Was Ahsoka created to increase the female audience?”

Filoni: I felt very strongly that if we did another young boy character, it would just be repeating Anakin and Luke. I had a young cousin at the time, and watching her grow up was a big influence on me. I thought it’d be great to get a girl with a lightsaber out there. I think it’s worked out great. Ashley has been a great ambassador for fans. She’s a tiny powerhouse.

...Mark Hamill guest-starring on the show?

Filoni: I wouldn’t ask Mark to do anything on the show until I had something for him that’s really awesome and unique. There have been times when I’ve thought, Well, maybe this could be it, but than I’ve thought, Nah, it’s just not going to have the impact. I want to be able to cast Mark in a way that’s meaningful for him. It’s on my list of things to do. It won’t happen in Season Five, but, hopefully before the show ends, I will be able to get Mark Hamill back into the Star Wars franchise. It will be in a way that is unexpected.

...how the fate of these characters resonates with a new audience

Filoni: All these kids that watch The Clone Wars know Anakin Skywalker really well. When I was a kid and I watched A New Hope, I had no clue. So when Obi-Wan says, “Vader betrayed and murdered your father.” I said, “Oh, wow. That sucks for Luke.”

But if you play A New Hope for kids now, they’re watching our show, and that’s how they find out that their hero Anakin Skywalker dies—it’s that Darth Vader kills him.

...the look of the show

Joel Aron [CG and lighting supervisor]: We don’t light it like animation. Dave Filoni said to me many years ago, “Get it like Frank Miller; get it very graphic, do something different.” Then George came in and had us push it even further. Because of that, I’ve tried to push it even more. The Star Wars films are an influence, but other movies are, too. I’ll see Drive and then I have to use that look.

We see Anakin’s bedroom in Season Five, and I wanted it to be like Elliott’s room from E.T. because Anakin’s room should haw the feeling of a little boy’s room.

We used some of the Mustafar matte paintings from Revenge of the Sith, but we retained that animated edge because George Lucas was very clear with that early on. The shapes have to be hard; the paintwork always has to look like it’s been raked with a fork. Sometimes, when I go through the still frames, I forget which one was a lighting concept and which one was an actual rendering. That’s what we really wanted to achieve.

...what the show means

Filoni: you think of A New Hope and Obi-Wan saying, “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the keepers of peace and justice in the universe.” I think of that quote and I hear Alec Guinness. Then I look at our show and see these Jedi Knights, these guardians of peace and justice. I never would have imagined when I was a boy that I would be privileged to be a part of telling that story and working with George Lucas. That’s when it connects for me. That’s when I know that I’m playing with heroes who are giants and villains who are treacherous. We’re continuing a storytelling tradition that goes far beyond our show. That’s when you connect to what George was doing in A New Hope, and that’s when you connect to what Joseph Campbell [author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces] always talked about.

...George Lucas’ retirement

Dave Filoni: To us, his retirement means that he has more free time to come and watch the show! I always tell him that I don’t believe he is going to retire. When he stops showing up, then I’ll believe him.

But he’s taught me to make all these decisions without him. He told me when we started that one of the reasons that I’m here is to make sure that when he’s not around, things go the way he wants. And so I think it’s a compliment to myself, my crew, and to the different divisions of Lucasfilm. He feels confident in all of us to say that he can retire. He’s done a great thing for on as a company by bringing in Kathleen Kennedy to take over the reins.

...the future of the show

Filoni: I’ve always said that we’ll keep making the show as long as people are watching. Because of the demands of our production schedule to deliver this high-quality product, we work very far in advance. We have all of Season Five finished, and we’ve been working on the scripts and designs for a sixth season.

[wicked-mind]

Fast and Slow

Summary: Falling in love with Bucky was fast for both of you. Losing you, however, made time stop for him until he found you again. Word Count: 6.4k

Warnings: Swearing. Mentions of torture. Sad stuff. Russian translated through google translate.

Note: Wrote this pretty quickly so any mistakes are my own and parts that don’t make sense we can blame on 3 hours of sleep for the past two days. Contains a line from Clone Wars.

All Writings Masterlist

All likes, comments, and/or reblogs are deeply appreciated! I love that shit (:

*gifs not mine

Falling in love is fast. It feels like the whole world is spinning faster than it should and the only thing holding you there in place is the person you love. Without them, you’d be flying off the world with how fast everything seemed to move. And when you’re in their arms, that’s when the world finally just stops and fades away. It’s just you and them.

That’s how Bucky felt when he found you. His world suddenly went from moving too slow to spinning out of control. He fell fast and hard with the way your lips moved when you spoke, the way they’d curve into that wondrous smile just at the sight of him entering a room. It was like gravity no longer held him, you did. Like the whole universe had a meeting with all of the galaxies and decided it was his time for happiness.

The first time Bucky told you he loved you was when you were reading to him late at night. The sound of your voice always calmed him into sleep and kept the nightmares away. He had his arms wrapped around your waist, head resting on your stomach as you read the words aloud to him. He suddenly tilted his head up to look at you, reaching his vibranium arm to take the book away from your hands which made you smile down at him and complain you weren’t done with the chapter yet. Bucky just simply smiled up to you, crawling up your body until he could cup your face in his hands, “Sweetheart…” He whispered out to you before leaving a kiss on your forehead, “I think…” A kiss to your left cheek, “Maybe… possibly…” A kiss to your right cheek before he leaned his forehead against yours, staring into your eyes with a smile that had pure bliss, “I’m in love with you.”

You had smiled and tilted your head forward to press your lips to his, hands moving up his arms until your fingers tangled in his hair, “Just think?” You whisper against his lips as you pulled away, meeting those gorgeous blue eyes that were your world, “Because I know I’m completely in love with you, James Buchanan Barnes.”

The day Bucky asked you to marry him was the second best day of his life. He had asked Natasha and Wanda to set everything up because, let’s be honest, those two know how to get shit done. It was night time but candles and rose petals led you down a path to where Bucky was standing, waiting for you with that signature grin on his lips, as the rest of the team released glowing paper lanterns into the air from behind him. You walked up to him and he took your hand in his, “My love…” He began, the other hand going up to stroke some hair from your face, “I never thought I would find you, let alone deserve you. I tried to stay away from you thinking that you deserved better. But you turned that all around. Hell, you turned my whole world upside down. When I’m with you it feels like the whole world has stopped just for you and I. I love you with every piece of me and you taught me that even the broken pieces of me deserve love.” He slowly dropped to one knee, keeping your hand in his right while his other dug into his pocket until he held out a ring in front of you with a diamond in the center and rubies around the band, “I’ve waited for you for what feels like a century.” That comment made Sam snort but both of you ignored him, “Will you marry me?”

You bit your lip with a smile, trying to stop the tears that had mercilessly rolled down your cheeks at the proposal. You nodded and managed to squeak out a soft ‘yes’ before watching him slide the ring onto your left hand gently and as soon as it was secured, you flew into his arms leaving kisses all over your face.

When the day came for you to marry Bucky, Tony had gone all out with decorations in the garden. He was the biggest wedding diva out of everybody and you kept making jokes it was like he was getting married. He kept stomping around outside while you and Bucky got ready, making sure everything was absolutely perfect. It wasn’t often that two members of the Avengers got married so Tony was going all out to make this look good. When the music started and everybody was in their seats, Bucky stood up at the front with Steve at his side. You walked down the aisle after Natasha, Wanda behind you to make sure your train and veil looked perfect. Bucky could’ve swore his heart stopped when he saw you, not knowing he was holding his breath until a soft gasp escaped his lips as well as the tears that flowed freely down his face. This was it. His forever happiness he had been searching for was walking towards him to officially become forever his and him forever hers.

For three years, you and Bucky were happy. You two had your own apartment suite at the facility filled with pictures and reminders of how much you two loved each other. Not only was home life great, but the mission success record you two had was the one to beat. Every night you would read to him with one exception. On nights before missions you two would lay and stare at each other as if it was the last time you’d see each other, memorizing every feature on each other’s bodies and face. Bucky ran his fingers through your hair slowly, studying every expression that came across your face, “I love you.” He whispers out towards you, his voice breaking slightly.

You smiled gently over to him, your fingers brushing down his face to trace his lips, “Stop saying it like it’s the last time you’ll see me. I love you too, James, and I promise I won’t let them take you.” You whisper back to him. Bucky always had nightmares of Hydra taking him again, taking him away from you. Every time you two had a mission that involved Hydra, Bucky would always get lost thinking they were going to get him. That the night before the mission would be the last time he would remember you. It’s the reason why he would sit and trace every feature on your skin, trying to memorize every bit of you deep in his mind so if something were to happen, maybe deep down he would remember the way you smiled or how your lips looked when you told him you love him.

The mission came much too soon the next day. You gave your wedding ring to Bucky to put on his chain that held his dog-tags as well as his own ring as you always did, telling him to give it back to you after with a smile. Your mission was to capture one of the scientists of a Hydra facility, figure out exactly what they were working on. However, you, Bucky, and Steve were, not expecting the Hydra based to be so packed with agents. You and Bucky got separated from Steve while fighting off enemy agents but the plan was to just get out of the base as quick as possible and call it a failed mission. After fighting off enemy agents, Bucky had his arm around your waist helping you run down the hallway. You had hurt your ankle fighting off some enemy agents and couldn’t run very well and Bucky had his share of bruises and wounds across his face and body as well. You were almost to the door when a shot rang out and your body lurched forward, a gasp leaving your lips.

Bucky’s eyes widened as he looked behind the both of you to the swarm of agents chasing after the two of you. Then he heard the shot and your gasp. He stopped in his tracks for a slight moment and looked over at you, feeling your body going half-limp against him, “Baby?” He asks you in a shake voice before his eyes wondered down to your left shoulder. There was blood leaking down your tactical suite from a hole, splattering against the floor, “No no no, baby.” He says, pulling you firmly to his side as he resumed towards the exit.

“James…” You whisper out, swallowing hard. You could taste the tinge of copper in your mouth, realizing you must’ve bitten your tongue when the bullet entered your body, “Go, James. I won’t let them take you…You need to go now.” You tell him, trying to stop in your tracks to hold the agents off so he could escape. You could feel your body starting to get cold, knowing that wasn’t a good sign and the pain slowly subsiding, another bad sign. The door at the end of the hallway had an emergency shut button but one of you would have to stay on the other side to close it.

“Shut up, I’m not leaving you.” Bucky growled down to you, keeping a steady pace towards the door, keeping you upright and pulling you towards the exit. He was so focused on taking care of you that he hadn’t noticed he had been shot in the back as well, his super soldier serum not allowing him to stop. It’s not like this is the first time he had been shot before but he was damn determined not to let it slow him down from getting you to safety.

The Hydra agents were right on your heels, one grabbing your arm and pulling you from Bucky as another went to grab him. You grab the agent that attempted to grab ahold of Bucky, pulling him down to the floor. You thanked god you couldn’t feel the pain as you stood back to your feet, walking towards Bucky and shoving him out the exit before hitting the red button, causing a door to come slamming between the two of you, the only thing you could see through the small window was Bucky staring at you with wide eyes, pain across his features at you two being separated with you on the wrong side of the door with dozens of Hydra agents. You smile slightly at him, one hand on the wound to your shoulder while the other touched the glass, smearing some blood on the small window, “I promised you.” You whisper out, not knowing if he could hear you through the door, “I love you, James.”

“NO!” Bucky yelled, punching the door with his vibranium fist and barely leaving a dent, “Baby, open the door now!”

You took one last look at him before turning to look at the Hydra agents, lifting your hand to the earpiece, “Steve… Bucky needs immediate extraction and medical attention… Get him out of here.” You say into the coms before pulling the earpiece out and dropping it to the floor. You winced as you pulled out one of knives from the sheath on your thigh, ready to attempt to fight off the dozen agents approaching you slowly.

Steve ran up behind Bucky, looking through the window. He tried to help Bucky pry the door open, then both of them froze when another shot rang out and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Your body lurched again, Bucky watching as a bullet went through the right of your ribcage. He let out a loud, deep scream at the sight of your body stilling for a moment before you fell to your knees then you fell flush to the floor. Steve grabbed onto Bucky, watching the Hydra agents move around you to get to the door. Steve pulled the screaming and fighting Bucky away from the door with all his strength, eventually making it back to the quinjet they arrived on and sedating him so he wouldn’t go fight his way to recover your body.

The team went back to the Hydra base a few days later, wanting to recover your body but the base had been cleaned out and empty with all that was left of you was the blood. Bucky’s world had stopped. Every day he felt like he woke up from a bad dream of losing you just to enter the reality that he did. The empty space in the bed was haunting to go to sleep next to as well as wake up but Bucky couldn’t bring himself to switch rooms or beds. He needed you and you were gone. He tried to accept that but how could he when you were the love of his life. His person. You were supposed to be with him forever and instead he was left alone.

Losing love is slow. It feels like your world just decides to stop spinning around you. Everything seems wrong and different in a way you don’t want. It feels like a piece has been forcefully torn from your heart with no hope of it being replaced. It isn’t just a star that is taken, it feels like the whole damn sky has been ripped away from above you and you aren’t quite sure if the ground beneath your feet is holding you anymore.

Two Years Later

The team sat at the table, called in by Natasha. She was the acting head of the Avengers, an honor given to her by Nick Fury. He had told her that they needed to be lead by someone who understood and was apart of what they were, but also had a solid mind not to sway. Natasha sat, staring at the table. Obvious lost in her thoughts about this latest mission she was going to debrief the team about. It had been a while since they were all here together meaning it had to be a dangerous one.

The team took their seats, Steve watching Natasha closely in confusion of what may be bothering her. Only Steve, Bucky, and Clint were called to this meeting.

“Okay, let’s get started.” She spoke finally after a sigh, standing up and turning on the hologram to show video footage. “We have sent four teams of agents in to take down a threat we believe may be loyal to Hydra. Every time we send a team in, we lose transmissions and footage from an unknown attacker. It’s something that has never happened to us. Usually we find some sort of trace. We had no information. Until last night. Brace yourselves..” She promptly pushed play so the rest of the team could see what she meant.

The video was taken from a quiet drone, following the team of four field agents. Everything on the video was normal for the agents, clearing rooms in a building trying to find their target. But quickly, everything changed. Something came into the room, knocking the agents to the floor with ease. Then, whatever it was, paused, looking at one of the standing agents in the face. The person wore a black leather jacket, dark jeans, and combat boots. The agent pulled out his pistol, telling the person to stand down. But the person didn’t move, not even flinch at the sight of a gun pointed at them. They quickly pulled out a knife and threw it, landing right in the neck of the agent and watching him fall to the floor before turning to the drone. The person wore a mask blocking the features and the hair, unable to get recognition. The person picked up the dead agent’s gun and fired it at the drone, cutting the feed.

Steve looked at Natasha, confused, “What was that?”

Natasha sighed and turned to look at him from the screen, “I don’t know.”

“Can’t see her face.” Bucky muttered out.

“Every time we see whoever that is, they’re masked and they don’t speak. We can’t identify them.” Nat responded, placing her hands on the table, “The only thing we do know is that they have killed four teams, a total of 13 agents.” She paused for a brief moment, “I’m thinking it’s a super soldier. We have intel on a Hydra base in Russia.”

Steve looked over to Bucky, “Are you up for this mission?” He asks softly, knowing Bucky had been specifically staying away from missions to do with Hydra since he lost you. It was just too much of a reminder for him of what Hydra had managed to take away.

Bucky swallowed hard and sat back in his chair, staring down at his hands, “Yeah.” Was all he could manage to get out. It was time for him to face his demons, figure out what had happened to you. Maybe he could now finally figure out what happened to your body and bring you home where you belong, burry you so he would have a place to actually mourn. He would go through every Hydra agent until he got answers.

One Week Later

When the team arrived, they did a lot of recon. The bunker was so thick that Sam couldn’t get an accurate reading even with RedWing’s help. It was an obvious Hydra base, sometimes they would see agents coming out and going in, sealing the large doors behind them. Natasha and Steve quickly hatched a plan that when agents would leave, they would attack them and steal their gear and keycards used to enter the base.

That is how the team of Steve, Natasha, and Bucky ended up walking down the corridors of the bunker disguised as Hydra goons. It took everything in Bucky not to just kill the first agent he saw but he was here for answers and needed to complete the mission first before he could interrogate the enemy. Once they got the layout of the facility and a good idea of numbers, that was when they started their attack. The trio started at one end of the bunker, going through and eliminating agents while Sam and Clint came through the front of the bunker.

Bucky and Steve broke off once they met up with Sam and Clint, going on the search for the scientist they were looking for. They walked into a room to find the scientist, Arvloski, by himself and attempting to burn files. Steve threw his shield at Arvloski, knocking him back into the wall and this was when Bucky finally snapped. Bucky crossed the room, gripping onto the scientist’s throat with his vibranium arm and pushing him against the wall, “Two years ago you killed my wife.” He growled out, his eyes darkening near black.

“Buck.” Steve’s voice came from across the room.

“What did Hydra do with her body?!” Bucky growled out again, ignoring Steve completely. He was consumed with white hot rage, only seeing the images of you saying you loved him one last time before dropping to your knees.

Steve approached Bucky and pulled him away from Arvloski, the scientist hitting the ground gasping for air, “Buck, stop!” He said, snapping his friend back to reality, “Look!” He yelled, pointing over at a computer monitor.

Bucky frowned, looking over at the scientist before making his way over to the computer monitor Steve had pointed him to. He squints a little at the screen, it was recordings and the dates started at a year and a half ago. Bucky felt his blood run cold at the view of the monitor, his jaw dropping slightly. There you were, alive, strapped into the same type of machine they would use to wipe his memories. He watched as you were sat back up after screaming, the mouth guard falling from your mouth as you stared blankly ahead with sweat dripping down your skin.

Arvloski came into view of the screen, “Do you know who you are?”

You kept staring for a moment, a look of confusion on your face before you whispered out one word, “James…”

Arvloski shook his head, “This isn’t working. We keep running her through this her brain will melt. We’ll try something else."

Bucky’s fists clenched as the recording ended then started replaying again. He stood silent for a moment, trying to control his anger because if he didn’t then Arvloski would be ripped to shreds by Bucky’s own hands. His nostrils flared with anger as he took in deep, shaky breaths, “Where is she?” He demanded, not looking over at Arvloski.

Steve had positioned himself between the scientist and Bucky just in case things got more violent than they should be. He watched Arvloski get to his feet, brushing the dirt from his pants, “I’d answer him.” Steve said over to the scientist.

Arvloski raised an eyebrow at the two before holding up his arms as if to say he gives up, “I’ll take you to her.” He said, keeping his hands up and leading them out of the room and down some metal stairs to what looked like a containment area. He motioned down the hallway, “Third cell on the right.”

Bucky glared over at Arvloski, pushing him up against the wall and pointing a finger at him, “I’m not done with you.” He hissed out, throwing him over to Steve who secured him in an iron grasp on the arm. He took a deep breath before starting to walk down the hallway, looking at the empty cells until he reached yours. He paused, squinting in the dark of the cell to see a figure curled up in the corner. Bucky gripped onto the large padlock not he cell doors, ripping it off easily with his vibranium arm and strength before pulling the door open slowly with a soft creek, “Baby?” He whispered out towards you as he stepped into the cell. He watched your head turn slightly as if you were going to look at him but you didn’t turn enough to meet his gaze or let you see his face.

Arvloski reached into his pocket with his free hand while his other arm stayed in Steve’s grasp. He dug in his pocket until he found the small remote he was looking for, clicking the large button before speaking in Russian throughout the cell block, “солдат, атака (Soldier, Attack).”

Bucky heard the Russian words, looking over his shoulder for a moment before back to you. You seemed to flinch at first but then he watched as you slowly stood from the corner, cracking your neck on each side as you turned to face him, “Sweetheart you don’t want to do this.” He pleaded, watching you take steps closer to him. He wouldn’t fight you but he wouldn’t exactly just let you beat the shit out of him either. Bucky was caught off guard by the strength of your punch to his stomach before you landed a kick to his jaw, causing him to fly backwards into one of the stone walls. His eyes widened as he looked up at you, realizing they hadn’t just tried to brain wash you. They had done the same thing to you as they did to him. Give you some sort of super soldier serum that gave you extra strength and somehow controlled you without needed trigger words.

You walk past him out of the cell, eyes looking to the smirking scientist for a moment before up to Steve. Within moment, you moved from standing in front of him to advancing at a quick pace, throwing punches that Steve was trying his best to block. Arvloski took this chance to run up the stairs in an attempt to escape.

Steve managed to wrap his arms around you, vaulting your attacks for a moment, “Buck! Get the thing from Arvloski!” He yelled before you swung your head back into his nose, causing him to let go and stumble.

Bucky came flying out of the cell, watching you fight Steve, “What thing?!” He yelled, advancing from behind you and trying to get ahold of you through the punches and kicks you threw at the two of them, “Fuck that, you get the thing! I got her!” He growled out to Steve, gripping onto your arms and slamming you back against the wall. He could hear Steve scurrying up the stairs after Arvloski to get the remote that controlled you. Bucky stares into your emotionless eyes as you flailed against his grasp, “Baby, stop! This isn’t you!” He said to you, searching your eyes for any remembrance of him.

You frown at him, licking your lips before speaking, “хорошие солдаты следуют приказам (good soldiers follow their orders).” You tell him before lifting a knee and thrusting it not his stomach, causing him to release you from his grasp. You ran after Steve, watching him hold the remote to control you in his hands with Arvloski knocked out on the floor Your gaze darkened on him and you advanced once against the blonde super soldier, trying your best to knock him to the ground. You were able to wrap a hand around his throat, shoving him against a wall and lifting him slightly from the ground.

Steve gasped against the hold on his neck, one hand trying to pry your grasp from him while the other held the remote. He looked over to see Bucky coming up from behind you, “Buck!” Steve spat out between breaths, throwing the remote to him, “Say something in Russian!”

Bucky looked at the remote in his hand before clicking the button and watching you flinch again, releasing Steve as your hands went up to grip the sides of your head, “останавливаться (stop).” He said, watching you freeze and look over to him as if waiting for another command. Just as Bucky was about to talk to you again, he heard two shots and two needles went into your neck. You narrowed your eyes at Bucky before falling to the ground unconscious. Bucky stares at you on the floor before looking down the hallway to see Natasha, Sam, and Clint staring at the ordeal.

“What? You two weren’t going to knock her out.” Natasha said, putting the tranquilizer gun back in her holster, “Someone had to do it.”

Three Weeks Later

Much to Bucky’s dismay, you were kept in the detention center for two weeks upon your return while the team tried to figure out how exactly the remote controlled you. They had isolated you, Natasha bringing you meals and clothes. She was the only one allowed to visit you because of her ability to separate her emotions from the mission at hand. Once they figured out how the remote controlled you through a chip that had been implanted into your brain, Dr. Strange was called in to perform neurosurgery on you to remove the chip and threat you posed.

Bucky had to be physically stopped multiple times from entering the detention cell by Sam and Natasha which earned the two to feel the wrath and creative curse words that fell from Bucky’s lips. He needed to be there for you. He needed to know if you still remembered him. After the surgery to remove the chip and another week of observation, you were deemed no longer a threat but chose to stay in the detention cell as you pieced together bits of your memories. You sat in the open cell on the bed, flipping through some photos that Natasha had given you to help piece things together. The presence of Bucky made your head tilt up to meet his gaze. Your brow furrowed… You knew him. Knew everything about him- He was the one thing you couldn’t forget, “Hi.” You said softly to him before looking back down.

Bucky’s lips twitched into a smile at your greeting. It’d been so long since he heard your voice and he thought he never would again. He slowly entered the cell, leaving the door open, and taking a seat on the metal chair across the room from you, “You doing okay?”

You shrug slightly, looking over at him from the corner of your eyes, “I guess. Still trying to figure things out.” You said with a sigh, tossing the photos at the end of the bed and pulling your knees to your chest in frustration, “Everything’s all jumbled and lost. Can’t put the pieces together.”

Bucky stared sadly at you, wishing he could take you into his arms but he didn’t know if you remembered what he meant to you. Or what you meant to him. You two were each other’s worlds and now it seemed like you were worlds apart. He swallowed hard before speaking, “We were pretty close before.” He said, smiling slightly at the memories, “I can help you.”

You chewed on your bottom lip, focusing on the wall in front of you with a confused look on your face still, “I don’t remember much. Everybody has been calling me Y/N so I’m assuming that’s my name.” You pause, chewing again on your bottom lip. Your eyes slowly moved to look at Bucky, remembering everything about him. He was the only person you hung onto through the brainwashing sessions and once Arvloski figured out the device in your brain, you didn’t need the brain washing treatments anymore. You were completely complicit with the click of a button and words spoken in Russian when your chip was activated. Your eyes scanned over Bucky’s face. He looked sad, a tinge of guilt and pain behind those blue eyes you adored, “I remember you, James. I remember everything about you.”

Bucky’s lips part slightly in shock. He didn’t know what to say. You remembered him, and not just who he was, but everything about him. He quickly stood, going to cross the room but stops in his tracks when he saw you tense up and curl slightly away from him. That hurt deep in his core but he understood. More than anybody he could understand some of what you went through and how damaged it could leave you. Bucky moved to sit back in the chair, keeping the space he wanted to cross so badly but couldn’t for you, “I’m here for you.”

It took one month for you to finally agree to Bucky to move out of the detention block and back up to the apartment suite with him. The detention cell wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Bucky and Wanda tried to make it as ‘homey’ as possible, bringing down blankets, pictures, flowers and even a laptop to watch movies on when you got bored. You walked into the apartment suite and looked around, hovering around the door as you took everything in like it was all brand new.

Bucky wanted more than anything just to reach out to touch you but he still knew better. Every time he would try, you would tense up and suddenly your eyes would flash to a guarded state and he would back off and try his best to give you a half-hearted smile. He watched as you slowly walked around, looking at the pictures on the wall and all of the decorations that you assumed you had done because Bucky didn’t seem like the decorating type. He watched you walk down the small hallway and pause outside the bedroom door, staring at the doorknob, “You can go in if you’d like. It’s your room too.” He said softly from behind you.

You swallow hard at his words, your eyes still glued on the doorknob as the war in your head silently raged on to whether you should go in or not. Then you just got the courage to grab the doorknob and twist, pushing it open and stepping inside before your body decided you couldn’t. You took in a sharp breath as you looked around the room slowly. The dresser was littered with pictures of you and Bucky as well as fancy perfume bottles. Your eyes floated over to the bed, it was messy and looked like it hadn’t been made in a while. The red sheets made you blink and wipe small tears away from your eyes as memories of you reading to Bucky and laying in his arms promising you’d never let Hydra take him flood your mind. You slowly turned to face Bucky who stood in the doorway, the tears free falling from your cheeks.

Bucky slowly started walking towards you when you turned to him, seeing you cry. He hadn’t seen you cry since they brought you back, you’d usually just be staring off or have this look of frustration on your face but now it looked as if the floodgates had opened and you were about to break. He paused right in front of you, staring down into your eyes, “Sweetheart…” He whispers out, “Can I touch you?” He waited until you slowly nod to take another step towards you, one hand gently touching your arm while his flesh hand went up to brush along your cheek for a moment, wiping tears away before pulling you close into his chest with his right hand brushing through your hair softly, “I’m here, doll.” He said, pressing his face into your hair, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

It took another month for Bucky to have to stop asking for permission to touch you and eventually you found herself melting into his arms, searching for his touch. You almost felt panicked without him there to ground you now. But just because you craved for his touch didn’t mean you had your limits also. You wouldn’t let him see you undress and get dressed. You’d sneak out of his arms in the middle of the night once he had fallen asleep to go sit by yourself on the couch and stare out the windows until the sun came up and Bucky came to find you.

A few months after that, you attended your first Sunday movie night with the rest of the team. Bucky made sure you two sat in a corner close to the exit in case you wanted to leave early but to his surprise you sat next to him on the small couch gripping onto his hand tightly through the entire thing until the credits rolled and you smiled and thanked everybody for the fun night before heading back up the stairs with Bucky to head to bed. You slowly laid down the bed, watching him pull off his shirt followed by his pants leaving his chest bare. You looked at the dog-tags around his neck, noticing his wedding ring tangling on the chain as well as yours. You watch him crawl in beside you, laying his head down on the pillow next to yours so you could stare into his eyes. You could see the guilt behind his half smile towards you, causing you to lift your hand to run along his stubbled cheek softly, “James… It’s not your fault.” You whisper over to him.

Bucky turned into your touch, a smile set on his lips before turning to a soft frown at your words. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh before opening them to meet your gaze again, “It is. I always made you promise to not let them get me.” He whispers back to you.

You shook your head slightly at him, “No, it’s not. I promised I wouldn’t let them get you and I kept that promise, James.” You whisper back to him, “I made the decision to close the door. Anything that happened was my fault.” You swallowed hard before continuing, “Besides, I should’ve died but Arvloski had other plans. I’m sorry I’m not the same person you loved. I’m sorry I’m broken.”

Bucky crumbled at your words, “No!” He hissed out then sighs, “Don’t say that, baby.” He replies back to you in a softer tone, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you against him, “Don’t ever say that. When I thought you were gone it was like my world stopped spinning. I don’t know how I made it without you.” He cries out into your hair, “I’m so happy you’re here. I’m so sorry for everything that happened to you, and I will be here everyday to help you, but I’m happy you’re here with me now because I couldn’t go on much longer without you, Y/N. You’re my whole life.” He sat up, bringing you up with him and adjusting you to sit between his legs so your back was pressed to his chest. Bucky pulled the dog tags from his neck, unclasping it to slide your wedding ring off slowly before putting the chain around his neck again. He brought the ring out in front of you to look at, “You are and always will be my everything. I will always be here for you. I know what you’re going through, doll, and I’m here with you every step of the way because you’re my wife and I vowed to be with you through everything. You and I can be broken together and we will put ourselves back together, okay?”

You stared at the ring in front o you for a moment as you listened to his words. Through the months, things from your life had started to come back in more clear images and the one thing that you knew for sure that was never taken from you was Bucky. The way he would smile at the sight of you. The way lanterns floated through the air when he proposed to you. The way he would seem to savor every touch with you like he was memorizing every part of your body or the way when you two trained together he would pin you down and leave a soft kiss on your cheek with a chuckle before climbing off of you to go again. You slowly lifted your left hand up for him, watching him slide the ring slowly onto your left finger before wrapping his arms around you and leaning his forehead on your shoulder with a sigh of relief, “I love you, James.” You whisper out to him, “You’re the only thing I held onto for two years.”

Bucky tightened his arms around you, pulling you down to lay beside him so he could look into your eyes again, “I love you.” He says softly to you, “You’re the only thing I held onto for two years too.” He murmurs out before gently kissing your forehead, “And now that I have you back I’m never letting you go.”

_____________________________________________________________

Permanent Taglist: @buckypops @bibliophilewednesday @buckys2thicc @stcrryslibrary @princessnnylzays @redhairedfeistynerd