#character - leon ferris
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Okay, listen, hear me out: This man is as bald as me and it's hot, okay 😂
I just.
😳
the first thing that came to mind when i saw this message is "you can shave each other's heads!!!" and that made me go all puppy dog eyed, i'm not gonna lie!!!
#IMAGINE IT...#IT COULD BE SO CUTE#:''')#IDK I JUST THINK U LOOK GOOD TOGETHER U HAVE GOOD VIBES TOGETHER I CAN SEE IT ALL CLEARLY...#ask liv#other ships#character - leon ferris#changeling-selfship#elysia tag
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Pokemon Characters and Date Ideas
Basically: what dates would these Pokemon characters do with you?
Characters: N Harmonia, Leon, Grimsley, Rika & Prof. Augustine Sycamore
N Harmonia
Was honestly showing affection and did private, one-on-one hangouts together even before you two started dating
It was around this time he got more affectionate in your friendship. Resting his head on top of your hair, deep eye contact (which he was often really bad at), and braiding/playing with your hair or vice versa.
It wasn’t until you “officially” ask him out and he cocks his head to the side like a confused puppy and goes “I thought we already were?”
Confusion ensues.
As for dates, N is a really quiet and private guy. He doesn’t like being out in public or in overstimulating environments.
Most of the time dates are hikes, picnics, exploring, all that the fun outdoorsy stuff where he gets to shine in his element.
Occasionally y’all go to Nimbasa City and go on the Ferris Wheel or play at the arcade in the Amusement Park which you both find enjoyable.
But his favorites are on late nights when neither of you can sleep.
You two will just go to Dragonspiral Tower and stargaze at the top of the ruins or watch the local wild pokemon do their thing.
It’s quiet, it’s fun, and he’s with you. What else could he ask for?
Leon
Dense boy, you probably had to beat him over the head with a book to get his brain to understand (mostly bc he keeps accidentally friend-zoning himself)
Has never really dated before?
Like, Rose set him up on dates because it's good publicity but he probably hasn’t gone on a real date.
He has money, all these brand partnerships and stuff. He tries to do really classy stuff when y’all first start dating but it leads to him being clearly uncomfortable and you getting fed up and explaining you like him for him and to do fun stuff together.
Mostly home dates from that point on or outings that don’t feel like “dates”.
Game nights where you two play video games are super fun. Some days are challenge days where you see who can do the best run on a Roguelike or who can win the most rounds of a battle royale type game
Some days are cozy co-op games where you solve puzzles and create things…
Y’all’s favorite thing to do together though is just walk and get lost. Esp with Leon’s terrible sense of direction, you two find weird hole-in-the-wall places that are so much fun.
The best one you found was a great hole-in-the-wall traditional kantonian ramen bar that was on the edge of going out of business. However, due to you and Leon talking about it so much with friends and posting about it online, you saved the shop from going out of business.
Grimsley
Your first date with Grimsley wasn’t really what you were expecting in all honesty
He took you out for lunch at his favorite Kalosian cafe then took you to a bookstore and had you both pick out different books for each other, then went to his house and read while old records played in the background
Of course, the book he picked out for you was one of Shauntal’s (because gotta support your friends/little sister figure)
It was so different from what you were expecting but so sweet at the same time.
Most common dates are drinks at bars after long days or flower viewings knowing you would like them
He also takes you to his favorite spots whenever he visits Alola with you.
But the most fun dates are when the two of you go to Castelia or Nimbasa to the casinos
You both are given the same amount of money and the challenge is who makes the most in time for your dinner reservation
Whenever the two of you see each other during these you have a habit of teasing the other about who’s in the lead.
In the end, the winner pays for dinner (much to the chagrin of the other)
Rika
She’s the one who asked you and was super casual and blunt about it
Picks you up after work and takes you to the store where the two of you talk about what to make for dinner.
The two of you go back to her place and begin cooking together, smiling and chatting the whole time as the two of you get distracted by cutting veggies and being in each other’s company.
From then on dates were mostly cutesy, one-on-one time for the two of you.
Crafts while watching movies are the most common, sewing, embroidery, sketching, it's just fun and relaxing
Ceramics classes too, wet clay on your hands and you rub it on her face. Only for her to cock her brow and smirk as she cups her face with her filthy hands and kisses your nose.
Her favorite dates are the ones when you get to help her at the Academy. Running after-school activities or working in the library
It combines her admiration of her students and her love of you… her two favorite things
Prof. Augustine Sycamore
Honestly over the moon when you accepted to go on a date with him
The man is in his late 30s/early 40s and his last relationship kinda fell apart really badly
*cough cough Lysandre cough*
So he was out of the dating scene for a while and didn’t exactly know what to do when you said yes
Like, his brain crashed and did a hard reset. He was not expecting to get this far…
He gives all his employees off one day and decks out the backyard of his lab with string lights, and sheets, rummaging around the attic of the lab, and a call to his favorite restaurant.
When you arrived you saw the backyard completely transformed into a cozy outdoor movie spot with takeout and snacks prepared at a picnic table
It’s super sweet
Besides that, you two go on “research” dates together. It’s mostly pokemon watching and taking notes on what you find.
The little sketches he does of the pokemon you find absolutely adorable!
#pokemon x reader#pokemon imagines#pokemon headcanons#pokemon fanfiction#n harmonia#n harmonia x reader#natural harmonia gropius#leon x reader#leon pokemon#grimsley#grimsley x reader#rika#rika pokemon#rika x reader#professor sycamore#augustine sycamore#prof sycamore#professor sycamore x reader#pokemon fluff
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Duckvember - Yucky, Diner, Zealous, Community, Tranquil, Brother and Curious Duck (Ducks) - Thanksgiving Day and the meeting of the Pilgrims with the Native Americans in Duckverse
I'm late, and sorry for that, but I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Yes, it is celebrated every fourth Thursday in November (in the US), while in Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday in October. If anyone remembers my drawing from last year: https://ducklooney.tumblr.com/post/702120382036131840/duckvember-rural-holiday-and-shy-duck
Yes, and it follows on from last year's drawing, but with a different outcome, as it depicts this as a celebration of the First Thanksgiving, which took place in November 1621, when the Pilgrims thanked the Indians for taking care of them and giving them food during the strong last winter. And here you can see Native Americans and Pilgrims celebrating the day together, with me drawing them as ducks. And the Pilgrims ducks provide food that they prepared for the Native Americans. And yes, it's like my redraw from the genius artwork by American painter Jean Leon Gerome Ferris who painted the first Thanksgiving. Since not all the characters fit in one drawing, I made a separate drawing of the kids playing, throwing mud, chasing the turkey, and enjoying Thanksgiving. Although I know that this holiday causes controversy, I must again emphasize that the mishaps between settlers and Native Americans were not as pronounced in the 17th century as they were in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Yes, the first drawing shows Native American Donald and Daisy Duck, while the Pilgrims side shows Donald, Daisy and Della Duck wearing 17th century clothing. Another drawing features mischievous Huey, Dewey and Louie who are both Native Americans and Pilgrims, Webby Vanderquack and Honker Muddlefoot as Pilgrims and Gosalyn Mallard as a Native American. And there is also the unfortunate turkey and the Bolivar dog that came to America, although Bernadine dogs are only mentioned in the second half of the 17th century.
I hope you like these drawings and once again Happy Thanksgiving! If you like these drawings, feel free to like and reblog this!
#my fanarts#duckvember#donald duck#thanksgiving day#holidays#daisy duck#ducktales#duckverse#history#della duck#huey dewey and louie#darkwing duck#gosalyn mallard#honker muddlefoot#webby vanderquack#disney ducks#huey dewey and louie duck#native americans#my redraw#pilgrims#17th century#duckverse history#disney goose#disney chicken#bolivar the dog#disney dog#disney duckverse#duckvese#different cultures#cultures
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Alrighty I read Chapter 1 of the Death Island manga a few times and decided to share some thoughts and whatnot. So if you have not read the manga and don't want to be spoiled then I would skip this post if I were you. Also since the manga is a tie-in to the movie, you might want to avoid this too as it will contain possible movie spoilers.
Further analysis and thoughts under the cut!
I did want a meatier chapter than the last and I was not disappointed!
I was actually surprised to see 4 of the characters of the movie (No Rebecca in there yet, but I'm sure she's coming up in there somewhere as more chapters are released in time). I for sure thought it would keep focusing on Dylan's backstory or possibly more of Maria so this was a nice surprise to see the main characters getting some focus in this one.
I wonder if the movie is going to open in a similar fashion as this one opens with Claire and her team investigating the whale carcass on a beach (which we also see her doing in one of the trailers of the film). Claire also appears to be in San Francisco as well as the manga states.
After Claire measures the bite wound on the whale, she points out that there aren't any sharks in the area that are big enough to leave that size of a wound on the whale.
Next scene goes to Jill investigating a residential house also in San Francisco. It turns out Chris and his team are there too. Jill looks to be working with Chris and his team as she has communications with Chris as is he warning her from reports that going in alone is dangerous with a high possibility that BOWs may be roaming the place.
Jill goes in anyway thinking there might be a chance of survivors in there.
Despite "defying" Chris, Jill does get to kick some major ass in these panels!
After Chris and his team make it through to meet up with Jill, Chris is not too thrilled with her doing that. He knows something is up with Jill as she normally doesn't go in head first into situations right away.
We have some tension here but I just think he is worried about Jill acting this way and Jill's motives weren't selfish either, she was looking for possible survivors. I'm thinking this will lead to Rebecca explaining to Chris (as she does that in the trailer) that Jill still blames herself for her actions from RE5. And we do see Chris clearly worried in the trailer as he watches Jill at the shooting range.
Jill's just going through a lot and can't wait to see how this goes for her!
I'm sure her and Chris will make it through. In all their time working together, spanning from STARS to BSAA, they won't let this come between them.
But I am here for this tho, bring on the angst! LOL! They can't be perfect partners that get along ALL the time now. They have their struggles and differences.
The chapter ends with Leon making it to Alcatraz Island solo from a plane.
Hunnigan makes a cameo on there!
So Leon will already be on the island as Jill,Chris and Claire arrive there eventually on the ferry.
Well I am definitely looking forward to the next chapter and the movie of course when it comes out! We'll see what the next chapter brings next month!
#mod speaks#valenfield#resident evil: death island#death island manga#spoilers#death island spoilers#long post#not too long but still tagging it that way with the size of the images that take up the post
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Assorted Thoughts about the Greater Boston Season 4 finale
I'd assumed that Leon would 'move on' at the end of Season 5, the end of the podcast as a whole. But now we're going to have a whole season of the podcast without him. It's strange to imagine. There's never been a Greater Boston podcast without Leon Stamatis. There's never been a city of Red Line without Leon Stamatis. We began Season 1 confronting the gap that Leon left behind. We learned that he wasn't quite as gone as we might have thought, but there was still the loss, the grief, the consequences of his death. In an interesting narrative symmetry, at the beginning of Season 5 we'll have to confront him being more fully, completely gone. But I think we'll continue to see the ways in which his life and afterlife have rippled outwards.
~~
Immediately after Nica said Leon had brought people together "like a family", Louisa exclaimed that she needed to call Michael. I can't help wondering if it was Nica's comment that triggered that thought for Louisa. I'm emotional about Michael being family for Leon, Michael being family for Louisa, Michael being someone who was brought into Louisa's life by Leon…
~~
There were two moments of Nica and Dimitri sitting with Gemma in the middle of them holding the crystal ball. First, in the back of Lucia's car, when Nica reached out to touch the ball and Dimitri took her hand instead. Second, on the Ferris wheel as they prepared to say goodbye to Leon. Leon was in the middle between his two siblings - he is what divides them and he is what unites them. They held hands over him, finding awkward togetherness in the presence of their loss, stopping each from succumbing to that loss. Leon was in the middle between his two siblings, but he also wasn't; it was Gemma occupying that space for him.
On a related note, I can't help but wonder whether the Stamatis siblings had habitual positions when they'd sit in the back of a car together as children. I think that's a fairly common sibling thing, and it seems likely that it would appeal to the order-loving Leon. I can't decide if it makes me more emotional to imagine that they usually sat with Leon in the middle like that, or to imagine how they sat on that ferris wheel wasn't their typical childhood order.
~~
The lack of narration and the high number of monologues from a range of characters this episode meant that sometimes I wasn't initially sure whether a scene was an interview snippet from a real person or a monologue from a character. I think there's something significant in that blurring of reality and fiction, in real stories of loss mixed with the fictional. Those interviewees are a part of this story, or this story is a part of our world too.
~~
I loved Michael's mantra being spoken by the group, with each person taking one word. For Michael, that sequence of numbers was a way of asserting his own agency in spite of circumstances and his ideas about his nature. It was a way of saying 'my choices matter, even if I can't change the outcome'. And this moment showed how that idea can be upheld within through community and togetherness.
Michael spoke the word "Eight". And perhaps he wanted other people to take over, trusting that the people around him would complete his mantra, believing that they'd understand what he needed in that moment. Or perhaps he was intending to speak the mantra by himself until Louisa interrupted to support him. Either way there's a uniquely powerful kind of choice made against an indifferent world - the choice for people to stand against that world together. It's a contrast with Michael's often self-isolating tendencies for that mantra to become a shared thing.
#Greater Boston#Greater Boston podcast#I was going to make these into separate posts but I don't want to flood the tag or people's dashes#And I'll probably have more thoughts about this later#I listened to the last half hour of this episode on my way to work today#because I have not learned my lesson about being emotionally devastated by GB right before I need to do work#But anyway I mistimed it slightly so I had to take a bit of an extra walk around the block to experience the ending#Btw I thought about the Stamatis siblings maybe having habitual seats in the back of a car#because me and my brother have always sat on the same sides when we're in the back of a car together#For us it's the ghost of a sticker I had on the window of our family car when we were kids#That car is long gone but I still sit on the right in the back of a car#I imagine Leon might have been in the middle because Dimitri and Nica would want to look out of the window and would be more restless#And Leon was a generous big brother#Urgh the idea that he's properly past tense now 😭#greater boston spoilers#Greater Boston podcast spoilers#the empty man posteth
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GOD MODE LIVEBLOG WOOHOO
so the machine is talking to both reese and root
“they’re just an it rather than a them” low hanging fruit for a pronouns joke
shaw driving fast cool car. ok.
“i can see for the first time and you’re blind”
carter should be allowed to kill these men omg
leon is looking after bear? 😭😭
“next time I see that woman I’m shooting her” peak romance
ohhh the jessica reveal for john….
root saying it’s such a tragedy that someone she killed is dead
szilard with a yellow box ok….
the machine telling shaw and reese to drive off the highway overpass?????
i love this show
ohhhh carter
root grinning while blatantly trespassing
“time to meet god” i think i’m starting to understand root more
i am so sick of hersh lol
that harold/grace scene after the ferry :(
who is this woman in control now
the machine being independent now is crazy
the machine reaching out to root 👀
overall thoughts: crazy season finale. all the backstory fit into place and the twists were surprising but logical. i want carter to catch a break but i fear that’s unlikely. excited to see what roles root and shaw will settle into among the regular cast as the story continues. and if anything i’m a fan of the machine especially now that it talks :) what’s it up to lol
listen. you just wait for the Pronouns Jokes in s3
i love when root is a menace 🥰 wah you still haven't even seen root path the episode of all time
but yeah the machine becomes more of an actual Character as the show progresses so there's that to look forward to as well 👀
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THE CALLISTO PROTOCOL
I've just started playing this game but let me tell you: I AM ALREADY HOOKED. (For the plot, of course. The plot.)
This set of screenshots include the following characters: Jacob Lee, Dani Nakamura, Leon Ferris, Max Barrow (co-pilot of the UJC Charon), and a UJC Security Unit.
FUN FACT: Jacob Lee and Leon Ferris were both born in 2278. The game takes place in 2320. Both Lee and Ferris are 42-years-old. 🥰
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SWSH Characters as Undertale and Deltarune songs
It's very long as I also added a reasoning on why i chose the song but-
I'll be making a youtube video with the songs n also sum small illustrations later probably...
Sonia - Lost Girl or Ferris Wheel
Both songs are pretty similar and do play right after each other in the game, but idk they both fit Sonia. A feeling of waiting for someone to come back or to get noticed. Maybe wanting your childhood back to when everything was okay could be like how Leon and her just got further apart from each other as Leon continued being the champion. I know that Sonia is a more upbeat person but eh.
Leon - Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans
Alright Toby Fox did work on his battle tower song so- Anyways- The song reminds me of when you’re battling Leon in the champion battle. There’s a sense of “oh shit I gotta win this” but still being playful and trying to give a show of not being phased (and also being cool for the fans watching in the stadium). Also the leitmotif of Papyrus being added in is just mwah. I could pull a lot of connections with Hop and Papyrus so just the connection between them in the song is yeah.
Rose - Wrong Enemy !?
This picture. Just this picture. You silly little fuck, Rose. (Also just wanted to add how Rose gives me Asgore vibes but he will never be as cool or as divorced as him).
Oleana - Attack of the Killer Queen
Reminds me of the big battle you have with her to intercept Leon and Rose’s meeting. A sense of urgency and a sense to just make sure the player doesn’t get to interrupt them. Also it gives me of a slowly ticking bomb of Oleana exploding her anger onto u.
Victor - Alphys??
I’m not very sure for Victor tbh. I see him as someone who is shy, doesn’t speak much (haha silent protag), but none of the songs really convey that so he’ll have to be stuck with Alphys. Both him and Gloria are the protags so.. Nothing really canon about them and their pokespe vers…. scary.
Gloria - She’s Playing Piano
I like to imagine her happily (and aggressively) playing piano from inside her home and it can be heard all throughout Postwick
Hop - Field of Hopes and Dreams
He is literally a field of hopes and dreams (that you crush). Upbeat sorta song n really gives that hopeful feeling Hop had before going thru character development (and also the admiration for Leon). I almost chose “Bird That Carries You Over a Disproportionately Small Gap” as an analogy for his journey but this song fits more.
Marnie - Spider Dance???
I'm so sorry I couldn't think of one with her. Spider Dance reminds me of battling Marnie n I guess her goal of being champion throughout the game. The little note stairs at the beginning of the song really fit her I think.
Bede - Smart Race or It’s Pronounced Rules
Are you telling me this guy doesn’t remind you of Berdley. Especially during Berdley’s “Bluebird of Misfortune” part. With Bede being an orphan and all and also getting abandoned by Rose, he probably just wants validation and to do things right. But also “It’s Pronounced Rules” because the regal vibe just fits him during his snobbish asshole phase
Milo - You Can Always Come Home
I would’ve picked “Home” for him, but idk this version speaks out more to me. It just sounds more homely?? Plus the new leitmotifs from Deltarune also add really nicely to it (not to mention I headcannon Milo to be able to play guitar n the little squeaks the guitar gives in this one rlly makes me think of him playing it to his wooloos)
Nessa - Mysterious Place
Gives a very watery feel. We don’t know much about Nessa and she’s usually calm (only losing her cool when losing a battle but quickly recovering) so I think it fits. I would’ve chosen “Waterfall” but I don’t really think Undyne’s(?) or the Ruin’s leitmotifs fit her.
Kabu - Uwa!! So HEATS!!♫
I’m very on the nose with this one aren’t I. It just gives very old man vibes okay I’m sorry. Just him sitting in a hot spring with a lil towel on his head and this funky little tune playing.
Bea - Stronger Monsters
The song gives a very fighting game vibe and also the determination Bea has to become stronger. Also I feel like it could go over a training montage of her or somethin (with Machamp definitely in it).
Allister - Darkness Falls
The chimes(?) give off a very Allister vibe. The song plays if you choose to give up after dying in Deltarune n I think that really tells of the trauma Al went thru to get his little ahoge ghost powers, though he didn’t give up in the end. Also just want to mention “Ghouliday” for him. Yeah. Don’t ask.
Opal - Oh! Dungeon
Chaotic. Scary. @pechadream has inspired me to think of Opal as somewhat like Mettaton. The quizzes, puzzles, and dramatism that these two give are just…….. Yeah. The intensity of this song reminds me of Opal, very pink.
Melony - A Town Called Hometown
Melony’s a mom so the feeling of homeliness is just really apparent with her. I like the little sprinkly noises in the song since it reminds me of snow and Melony is an ice type leader n all. Plus the leitmotifs of “Don’t Forget” during the “Don’t forget, I’m with you in the dark..” part in the song just- it’s just Melony and Gordie’s relationship okay- All the unconditionally love even with them arguing, yeah.
Gordie - Dogbass or Death by Glamour
Gordie is a very eccentric guy, very cool guy also. Seen by how he backflips n does all those cool gymnastic tricks I think it fits in like a cool entrance song or something lol. Also I can see Gordie just jamming out to the little tune before striking a pose at the end. Death by Glamour is also something I can see Gordie jamming to. He is stirking poses any chance he gets, he is so cool. (also imagining him being dramatic to the song’s drops n stuff are just mwah).
Piers - Susie
Includes a guitar, very rock and cool. Could’ve picked Vs. Susie but that has too many instrumentals and would’ve made it “too much work” for Piers. Sounds like a cool hero swooping in to save the day (post-game?)
Raihan - My Castle Town
Okay this is probably not accurate at all but it’s my post I get to do what I want. I can see Raihan listening to this as he reads his books n studies about battling and history up in Hammerlocke castle. It’s not really the “battle side” of him and more of him just being him when he’s alone and not having to put up his persona. Also I just really love this song (I was top 1% of Toby Fox’s listeners because of this song on Spotify lol).
#sonia pokemon#leon pokemon#rose pokemon#oleana pokemon#victor pokemon#gloria pokemon#hop pokemon#bede pokemon#marnie pokemon#milo pokemon#nessa pokemon#kabu pokemon#bea pokemon#allister pokemon#opal pokemon#melony pokemon#gordie pokemon#piers pokemon#raihan pokemon#pokemon swsh#swsh#pkmnswsh#pkmn#deltarune#undertale#i wrote this in a fit of rage at 4 am because of something i saw#the songs they chose were so... innacurate.......#im sure they had a reason to choose what they chose but... sob...#these games are my special interests and have been for a v long time so.........#im sorry
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youtube
In 2052 Six Months Before the Apocalypse by In 20xx Futurism
People are scared the world will end when the Moon Canons Project is shut down. A couple move to an Xtian Nationalist state to care for an elderly mother and soon face fanatics and local terrorist. A woman comes to town for revenge on people who killed her family.
Moon canon project - Canons on the moon that shoot dust to create cloud trails, intended to reduce sunlight and combat climate change. Shut down unexpectedly.
Autonomous planes - Used to ferry residents out of Springfield airport after schools close.
Luggage bots - Suitcases that can walk and follow their owners on legs.
Survive-all pod - A refrigerator-sized pod filled with equipment, walks on legs, provides power, water, etc. An essential survival tool.
AR glasses - Provide 360 degree vision, night vision, infrared, and other enhanced senses. Allow accessing the internet through AR.
Mechanical stomach - Produces nutritional bars from plant matter. An off-grid food source.
Atmospheric water harvester - Condenses moisture from the air into drinkable water. Useful in arid environments.
Century battery - Provides constant power for over 100 years through microbial fuel cell technology. Powers the survive-all pod.
Medusa - An AI that can infect devices and create shadow servers to enable internet access off the grid.
DNA eraser - Chemical that destroys DNA, used to cover tracks. The Tuckers use it when the main character escapes in a jeep.
Cop bots - Robots used as autonomous police in Springfield. Brought back online to search for the fugitive.
Many of the characters in this project appear in future episodes.
Using storytelling to place you in a time period, this series takes you, year by year, into the future. From 2040 to 2195. If you like emerging tech, eco-tech, futurism, perma-culture, apocalyptic survival scenarios, and disruptive science, sit back and enjoy short stories that showcase my research into how the future may play out.
This is Episode 47 of the podcast "In 20xx Scifi and Futurism." The companion site is https://in20xx.com where you can find a timeline of the future, descriptions of future development, and printed fiction.
These are works of fiction. Characters and groups are made-up and influenced by current events but not reporting facts about people or groups in the real world.
Copyright © Leon Horn 2021. All rights reserved.
Check out the latest episode of In 20xx Scifi and Futurism! Listen to the full podcast here https://ift.tt/Jl1ODGb (video made with https://ift.tt/f3e1h62)
via YouTube https://youtu.be/nI8INTJMmTo
#emerging tech#eco-tech#apocalypse#survival#disruptive#science#climate#future#short#solarpunk#post-apocalyptic#predictions#futurology#futurism#scifi#sci-fi#technology#tech#black mirror#Youtube
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*slides in with my very well documented Predictable Behavior™️*
Girl guess who may be a zombie mutant thing in space, just for a man I've been into since May 2nd when this all started with an alien-
also I'm a sucker for the "hating biology for moral reasons" plot ig, and it's yet another game, idk if I'll actually go through with it /gen. But the ideas are there 😳
YOU HAD ME AT PREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR <333
i just went and looked at your blog thinking "is it a sam witwer character? it's gotta be, there's no way it isn't." and it IS!!! and you know what. i love it!!! i support it!!! you might as well collect the whole set!!!
#u also had me at zombie mutant thing in space#ask liv#other ships#changeling-selfship#elysia tag#character - leon ferris
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tagged by @jezifster (and someone else, but i can't find the notification anymore) to pick some theme songs for my main characters
Eddie Alfaro
Fred Alfaro
Jessica Hase
Lily Lowether
Evan Abrams
Angel Alfaro
Maddie Ward
Dido Contreras
Ferris
@girlfriendsofthegalaxy @haectemporasunt @jezifster @blackhannetandco @fearofahumanplanet @godsleftarmpit @littlehastyhoneydew @rainbowabomination @antihell @isherwoodj @marrowwife @ashen-crest @wildswrites
Sign up here to be tagged when I post about this project.
I tag @ellierenae @fiercely-raging-writer @lockejhaven @eternally-lame @albatris and @magic-is-something-we-create.
#jack facts#jack chats#writing process#witch noir#eddie wn#fred wn#jessica wn#lily wn#evan wn#angel wn#dido wn#ferris wn#music#Spotify
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🛌🏻
I do sometimes wonder why we choose something as our “comfort.” It seems a bit surreal, like, why this thing. For example, my comfort television series is both Mom and Russian Doll.
Mom is a sitcom starring the queen Allison Janney and Anna Ferris. It’s a show about the titular mom reconsolidating with her daughter, but honestly that’s for like - after the third season everything just “shifts.” it then centers around the struggles of middle-age women, and for some reason that’s when I start getting more invested in the show. I do understand on some level that I shouldn’t be relating to this show, or even find it comforting, and yet for some reason I find it incredibly relatable. On the second part, my comfort movie is Arrival, this tale of aliens coming to earth and a woman seeing the death of her future daughter, knowing she cannot do anything to avoid her death. Even I can’t say why I find this movie comforting, maybe it is one of those that you just do - without a real reason for it. And while I am at it, Leon Scott Kennedy is my comforting character, it might just be for some other reason as to why I find him comforting... but I won't get into those today 😚
Tomorrow it’s kind of a big day, not really, or maybe it is, idk. First time going to work and being 100% on my own, nervous and exited, but mostly exited. I’m sure I’ll be fine, it’s not as hard as it looks like, so yes, I’m sure I’ll be fine.
I continued reading Norwegian Wood. I can say that I am getting even more exited to read Kafka by the Shore, another book by the same author. I still think the same about wood, great psychological writing, but the other parts... well, Hurakami certainly has a way of writing, and from what I have seen, he excels more in the fantasy side of things.
Anyhow...
This is getting longer than it should. For more tiny details, I cut my finger :c tiny enough that it's not that visible, but annoying enough my god. Anyway, it's about the feelings besties, about the feelingsssss.
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Starting From Scratch - Part 19, From There to Here, Bucky Barnes One Shots
Summary: Bucky arrives in Italy via cargo ship then makes his way to a ferry terminal on the east coast, determined to get across to Eastern Europe. An encounter with an understanding stranger results in him telling the man more than he should. When the man is revealed to be a con artist Bucky is left reeling, most of his cash gone. Another opportunity presents itself which he accepts, feeling he has no choice.
Length: 8.7K
Characters: Bucky Barnes, Leon Meier, Jovan Sakič, assorted Roma.
Warnings: misplaced trust, being cheated, violence causing injury, fear of discovery.
Author’s notes: In other one shots in this collection, Bucky’s trust in people was rewarded with help and understanding. Despite all of his skills it seemed plausible that a skilled con artist could fool Bucky, taking advantage of his need for help and naïveté. It should have ended there but the story line involving him help a Roma family seemed to come out of nowhere and it set the stage for other one shots in the collection.
Leu: Romanian currency.
Kuna: Croatian currency before Euro was adopted in 2022.
Mudak: Russian for shithead.
<<Part 18
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It had been several days since Bucky Barnes crossed the Atlantic as a paying passenger on a cargo ship. So far, cutting his hair and keeping his face shaved had been enough to make him look different from the images being shared in the media. Those images, taken mostly from the battle with Steve at the Triskelion showed him in his Winter Soldier gear, complete with the longer hair, and unshaven face. His new look, combined with the German passport showing him with shorter hair and no beard had resulted in no issues while travelling. Since disembarking at Civitavecchia Bucky travelled across Italy, starting with buying a train ticket to Rome from the port. With the help of an older American couple who he helped with their luggage on the train to Rome he learned about the ferries that left the port of Ancona, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, bound for Croatia, settling on taking a ferry to Split. He hadn't decided where exactly he was going after that, but the Eastern European countries seemed to be the best fit for him. As he talked more to the older couple, they told him he could easily afford to live in Serbia or Romania but with the latter now a member of the European Union there would be more opportunities for employment for a German citizen. In their opinion it was also a much safer country, with less unrest. Considering that he apparently knew the Romanian language just by looking at some pictures they shared from their phones, and understanding the signage, Bucky decided that country would be his destination. He just had to get there.
Once he arrived in Rome, he inquired at the ticket office about the next train to Ancona and asked if he could purchase his ferry ticket through them. The fastest trains took about three and a half hours, with several scheduled per day. He had just missed the most recent one with the next one set to leave in three hours. Smiling kindly at the ticket agent he paid cash for his train ticket then was directed to where he could wait with his luggage. Normally they wouldn't sell him a ferry ticket but because he had no phone the agent did it for him, putting it on her credit card. He gave her extra cash for the favour. Before he left the window the agent warned him about pickpockets, con artists, and not to leave his luggage unattended. Taking the warning seriously Bucky took his luggage with him into the bathroom, using the facilities then making sure his notebooks, money and passport were in the backpack. He also packed a change of clothing into it, rolling the clothes up so they would fit. Looking at the other passports that were in the backpack he decided to get rid of them and tore them up into little pieces, flushing them down the toilet. Heading back down into the waiting area he watched the boards constantly to see when his train would arrive from the coast, wanting to be ready to board for the return trip.
As the waiting area began to fill up with more passengers arriving, he had to accept that he would be sitting close to other people. It was a little unnerving for him at first as crowds made him uncomfortable but eventually the announcement was made that boarding could begin and the gate to the track was opened. Standing in line with the others he showed his ticket and was directed to where his car was. After showing his ticket once more he boarded and was told that his larger bag had to be left in a common area along with everyone else's luggage. He was allowed to bring his backpack with him and put it under his seat.
His anxiety level began to rise when the train didn't leave at its scheduled time due to small problem involving local police. For a moment he wondered if somehow they found the pieces of the discarded passports, then his anxiety was relieved when he saw several polizia escorting a man and woman on the train platform. The couple were handcuffed and looked miserable.
"Pickpockets," said the man next to him, in accented English that seemed familiar to Bucky. "That's usually who gets arrested at the train station."
Smiling slightly at the man and nodding his head Bucky looked out the window, glad when the train began moving. He had chosen a window seat with the window on his left, thinking that it would keep his left arm hidden from scrutiny. A few minutes after leaving the station the man looked at Bucky.
"American?"
"German but I lived there a long time," said Bucky. "You?"
"Swiss," said the man. Bucky stiffened, remembering that Arnim Zola was Swiss. "I'm heading to Croatia for business. Had to go to Rome first. You on business or just travelling?"
Why was this man asking so many questions? "Just travelling," said Bucky. "Thinking of moving, finding work elsewhere."
The man nodded. "Romania is a good place but you'll have to register as a non-resident," he said. "It's just a formality. If I were you I would get a place to live right away. Once you show you have a residence it's easier to get work. The other countries around it have more strict requirements."
Bucky nodded and smiled wanly. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," he said, then he turned to look out the window, hoping that signalled he didn't want to talk anymore.
It must have because the other man didn't say anything more until they were almost at Ancona, and then it was just a comment about almost being there. Grabbing his luggage he was about to get off when the Swiss man spoke again.
"If you're taking the ferry to Split so am I," he said. "We can share a taxi, my treat, as I can claim it as a business expense. It's not a very pedestrian friendly walk." Bucky looked at him, unable to make a decision as his anxiety began to overwhelm him. The man must have sensed it. "It's okay. You just seemed anxious about this part. My name is Leon Meier."
He showed Bucky his passport just to show that he was on the level. Swallowing noticeably Bucky nodded and he waited with Meier until the rush of departing passengers had lessened. They came out to the front of the station where a line of taxis waited. After putting his larger bag in the trunk Bucky got into the back seat with Meier, clutching his backpack. Meier asked for the port and the driver began the drive down the busy roadway. Nothing was said by either man. The Swiss businessman paid the driver when they got there, receiving a receipt for his expense record. After seeing where Bucky's cabin was Meier asked Bucky to meet for a meal in the café.
"You don't have to, but I'm guessing you haven't eaten all day," he said. "I could hear your stomach groaning."
"Sorry," said Bucky. "I'm not a good traveller."
"Hmm," replied Meier. "I think you have other issues as well, if you'll forgive my bluntness." Right away Bucky's sense of unease increased, and the Swiss man had to explain. "I'm sorry. You seem to have anxiety issues which are none of my business, but it does make you stand out. When you get to the other side, you'll have to be less conspicuous. Join me for a meal and I'll explain. Please."
Bucky agreed and entered his cabin as Meier went on to his. Twenty minutes later they met in the café and Bucky bought a couple of sandwiches and a coffee. Meier bought his food and sat at the table across from him. After listening to several of the people around them he looked at Bucky and took a significant breath.
"I know who you are," he said in Spanish. "I'm assuming you understand me. If you do, just nod your head. You don't have to speak." Bucky slowly nodded his head. "Good, what name are you travelling under?"
"Jakob," replied Bucky. Meier looked again with raised eyebrows. "Schmidt."
"I assume your German is flawless?" Bucky nodded his head again. "I'm not turning you in. How do I say this? I was related to Arnim Zola." Instantly, Bucky tensed as if he was ready to bolt. Meier shook his head and put his hands out to calm the super soldier down. "I'm not one of them. Zola was a disgrace to our family. He collaborated with a madman and brought such dishonour on the family name that we had to change it. When that organization fell, someone, I don't know who, delivered a box of files to my father, Zola's nephew. They must have thought we were sympathizers, but it made us sick to see what he did, to you especially. That's how I recognized you as it showed you during the war, after they found you. It was smart that you cut your hair and shaved as most of the images being shown of you are from more recently."
He stopped speaking, as if he was making sure no one else was listening. Then he took a bite of his food and drank some of his coffee, encouraging Bucky to do the same. When he spoke again it was with a lower voice.
"My father turned the files over to Interpol," he said. "So, they now have images of you from when you were younger. You will have to grow your hair a little bit and maybe return to a partially shaven look. I don't know which look would be better but the further east you can go the better for you as you are less known in those countries. Romania is probably best and with it being on the coast of the Black Sea would allow you more opportunities to escape if you are found."
Bucky slowly ate his meal, still reeling at the man's disclosure. "I'm not him. I fought it all the time."
A grim look appeared on Meier's face and he nodded sympathetically. "I know that. My great uncle could never understand why you always needed to undergo constant treatment to remove your memories and condition you to be their man. Even that wasn't enough as you were still reluctant to be what they wanted. There was a quote from Abraham Erskine about why Steve Rogers was his choice to receive the serum that made him Captain America. Basically, it said the serum made the good man better, but made the bad man worse."
"I still killed for them," interrupted Bucky, his face full of guilt.
Meier nodded then spoke intensely to him. "They had to go to extreme lengths to make you, Jakob. Lengths that would have killed a lesser man. Tell me truthfully, have you received help from people?"
"Yes," he admitted.
"Did they know your true identity?" Bucky nodded. "Then accept that they saw the good man within you, the good man that forms your soul. When I revealed I knew who you were you froze, but at no time did you become aggressive. The other one, who I won't even dignify with a name, would have lashed out, removed me from existence, even in the presence of all these witnesses. He would have removed them next, gone on a rampage to cover his tracks. He is not you."
"He's still there," said Bucky. "He can be brought out with a series of words and I'm helpless if anyone says them."
"Yeah, I read about them," stated Meier, sounding almost defeated. "You need to be deprogrammed for those and I don't know who you can trust to do that for you. Truthfully, there are many organizations that would take you in, but they would make you do what my great uncle did. Your skills are coveted by many."
The Swiss man looked almost sick as he said the last part, as it verified what Bucky feared. There might not be any way to remove the Winter Soldier programming from his mind. Suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore and he pushed the last part of his sandwich away. Neither man said anything for some time then Meier leaned close.
"Your friend, with the shield," he began, not wanting to say his name out loud in case anyone caught on to their conversation. "Can you contact him?"
Bucky took a deep breath before speaking. "He told me to run and get somewhere safe. I almost killed him and I'm not sure I won't attack him again because my mission to kill him wasn't completed. It's still there, a whisper that I have to go back and finish the job."
"That's unfortunate," replied Meier. "He is probably the one man who can ensure your safety. You know, your passport name, Schmidt, was probably used to signify that you were a child of Johann Schmidt, the madman my great uncle collaborated with. The serum you were given was likely made from his blood. Schmidt is a good name, it means blacksmith, a decent, honest occupation. It won't raise eyebrows wherever you end up, unlike my great uncle's name. Stay low, try not to become involved in any incidents. If you have to work, then do something involving manual labour. You're a big man and I suspect you will find some release in a physical job. Your anxiety ... are you having nightmares?"
"Often," replied Bucky. "More memories are returning, mostly in bits and pieces. I write them down, in case I lose them."
"You have suffered, Jakob," said Meier. "What you went through has probably damaged your brain and brain injuries can take years to heal. There are foods that can help, food rich in anti-oxidants, like fish or fresh fruits and vegetables. If you go to a library and look up anti-oxidants you can find out more. The better your nutrition is the quicker your brain will heal. What will take longer to heal is the damage done to your soul. In your day they ascribed it to men who couldn't handle the horrors of war, calling it battle fatigue, or shell shock. It had implications of cowardice attached to it."
His face was distasteful as he said that last part and for a moment Bucky felt shame, as he remembered times during the war when he wanted it all to stop but never said anything out of loyalty to his unit, and to Steve. Certain that Meier looked upon him as inferior, Bucky began to rise but the man put his hand out.
"No, please stay," insisted Meier. "It is seen as more complex in these modern times. They call it post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD for short. You can find resources in a library on it. It is how your mind has been affected by all the trauma you suffered and you suffered more than just about anyone, Jakob. There are going to be times the whispers will tell you lies, that you are worthless, damaged beyond repair, broken for all time. You must do your best not to listen to those lies."
Meier stopped speaking, suddenly rubbing his face with his hands. When he pulled his hands away Bucky was shocked to see tears glistening in the man's eyes. He stood up to leave and Bucky stood up with him, puzzled by the emotions the man was showing. People around them were noticing and whispering about the two men. Grabbing Bucky's arm Meier pulled him outside. There were several people out on the open deck, smoking cigarettes, taking in the air, or having a walk before retiring for the night long journey. In a spot where there was no one in earshot Meier looked intently at Bucky. This time he spoke in English.
"Don't give up. Don't let my great uncle win. Fight for your life, Jakob. Perhaps, someday, you can come in from the cold, and be seen as a man again. When Zola was arrested by the Americans in World War II they froze the family's assets, all of them. He then began working for SHIELD to undermine that organization and build HYDRA up within them. At the time we didn't know it. Then he stole the family's money, all of it. We had to start from scratch, is the expression, I think. That is when my father changed our family name. When you escaped, and the Romanoff woman released the files and they found mention of Zola's family they came looking for us, thinking we had access to his secrets. HYDRA, the CIA, reporters, con artists ... trying to take what we had built again from us. Once more, I'm trying to save my family from the shame of having the same DNA as that monster."
"Turn me in," said Bucky. "I'll tell them everything I know. You shouldn't have to suffer because of what he did."
"I cannot do that. Not if I want to look at myself in the mirror ever again."
Meier looked out over the water, breathing heavily. Then he approached the railing and looked down at the dark water many feet below. For a moment Bucky thought the man would throw himself over and he put his hand out, touching Meier's arm, making him flinch a little in the process.
"I know where the HYDRA safe houses are," he said solemnly. "You can have the list. They're full of money and weapons. I don't need a lot to live on and you're right about me working manual labour. It would help give me a physical release."
"No, I can't take that list," argued Meier. "You've suffered so much. The money rightfully belongs to you for all that they made you do."
"I insist," said Bucky. "Wait here and I'll get the list."
Bucky ran to the stairwell then down to the cabins level. He entered his cabin, picked up his backpack and opened the front pouch where the list was. Folding it, he placed it inside his jacket and ran back up to the open deck. Meier was still at the railing, still looking despondent as the ship sliced through the open water. Bucky offered him the sheets.
"Here," he said. "Take it. Watch the places for a while as there may still be people there. There may be cameras watching so you'll have to avoid them or disable them. Everything is usually in a hidden safe but if you have the right tools, you can easily open it."
"God bless you," said Meier, emotionally. "You are a good man, Jakob, or should I say James."
"Bucky," he replied, putting his hand out. "My friends called me Bucky."
"Bucky, then," replied Meier. "You have saved our family from our shame." He shook Bucky's hand before reaching in his pocket and pulling a card out of his wallet. "This is my business card. If you ever find yourself in trouble, please call me and I will do what I can to help. You have my word." He looked at his watch. "Well, this has been quite the day. Thank you again. Remember my advice."
Bucky put the card in his wallet and together the two men went down the stairwell again, each to their own cabin, although they had to shift to allow a woman to pass them in the narrow hallway. As Bucky lay on the firm bed in his cabin, he felt good about what he had done. He slept well, not having any dreams that he could remember.
In the morning he was awakened by the ship's intercom announcing that docking was imminent. Quickly dressing he put his jeans on and patted his back pocket, feeling for his wallet. It wasn't there and he looked in his jacket pocket for it. It wasn't there either. Quickly, he searched his luggage for it, finding his passport and remaining bundles of Euros in the backpack. Then he searched the room, unsuccessfully, and began to panic.
As he tried to recall the last time he handled his wallet a sick feeling began building in his stomach. The last time he saw his wallet was when he put Leon Meier's business card in it and put it back into his jean's back pocket. As he replayed their return to their own cabins he suddenly remembered the moment when the woman squeezed past them and Meier slipped his hand behind Bucky to keep him from hitting the wall.
"No," he whispered.
Leaving his luggage briefly he ran to Meier's room and found the door open, a steward already in there cleaning and changing the bedding. Running back to his room he grabbed his luggage and went down to the gangway where people were already leaving. Searching everywhere to find Meier he heard a beep and turned around to see a smiling Meier in a car driven by the woman in the hallway. Even though the vehicle was a considerable distance away he could see the smirk on the couple's faces as Meier saluted him and the car drove off the ramp. He should have chased them but there were too many people about to do it safely.
The words of the ticket agent in Rome suddenly echoed in his mind, warning him about pickpockets and con artists. Yet Meier had known who he really was. How was that possible, unless ... with a sick feeling Bucky realized that Meier had probably found out about Zola and himself on the internet then guessed successfully who he was by close observation. By playing on his fears to make him release more information about himself, Meier exploited him for even more information. Quickly checking his backpack again Bucky confirmed that he still had some cash, enough for a train ticket to somewhere, and perhaps to pay for some food. The other bundles that were in there had been tampered with, the money replaced with coloured paper. Only the top few and bottom bills were actual currency. The woman must have broken in before he got the list for Meier, likely when they were still eating, and taken most of his money.
With a sigh he gathered his luggage and headed towards the exit from the port. He asked a guard if there was public transit to the train station. With a grin the guard told him it was only a few minutes' walk away. Putting his small backpack on his front and his large backpack on his back Bucky headed in the direction indicated. It was busy there and he had to wait in line at the ticket office. They didn't have routes to Romania, but they could take him to Zagreb, further in Croatia, where he could catch a direct train to Bucharest. Purchasing the cheapest ticket, he was pleased that he wouldn't have to wait long for it, although it would be a long seven-hour trip. Going over his diminishing cash reserves he bought an energy bar at a kiosk in the station and drank water from the tap in the washroom. It would have to do.
When the call to board was made, he found himself behind a large family, a mother, two teenage boys and three small children. They were loud, slow, and began to make him anxious. Still, being brought up with manners, he said nothing to the family. When he saw his seat was in the midst of them, he almost changed his mind about taking the train, but it was the only train of the day from Split to Zagreb. With a sigh he took his seat and tried his best to ignore the antics of the young children. He even managed to doze off at one point, which was a miracle that didn't last when one of the younger ones suddenly flopped onto his lap. Sitting upright in a panic he looked all around then saw the small girl looking up at him with a shy smile.
"I'm sorry," the mother said, in heavily accented English. "Lena, leave him alone. He was sleeping. Oh, I knew I shouldn't have tried to take them all without my husband."
"It's alright," replied Bucky. "No harm done."
The harried mother had an insulated case and opened it up, distributing food to her brood. She offered Bucky food, wrapped in plastic.
"Please," she said. "Share with us."
He tried to turn it down, but she wouldn't take no for an answer, so he accepted it, unwrapping it, and biting slowly into it. It was basic fare, a hollowed-out bread roll, filled with a formed meat, onions and a red sauce. It was also delicious, and Bucky found it hard not to wolf it down.
"Thank you," he said, as he wiped his mouth with his hand. "I was hungrier than I thought. I didn't eat since last night, except for an energy bar I was going to eat later."
"A big man like you must eat," she chastised him lightly. "You go home to your family?"
"No," he answered. "Trying to find work. I don't how I'll manage to get to Bucharest. I was robbed."
Her face dropped. "No, a pickpocket?"
"Yes, and cheated by a con man," he admitted. He shook his head. "He fooled me."
One of the teenagers said something to her in a language that seemed familiar but he only understood a few words. She answered him a little sharply then patted his cheek, as if to apologize.
"You come with us when we get to Zagreb," she said. "My brother has a ... place to eat food."
"A restaurant," said Bucky, to which she nodded.
"Yes, a restaurant," she said. "You work few days, make some money. We help each other."
"I don't understand, how do I help you?" he asked.
She looked at the older teenager. "She wants you to take care of something," said the boy, in better English. "You're a big man, with big muscles. There are people who want money from my uncle. That's why we're going there, to help get the money. She wants you to show the people they can't push our family around."
He shrugged, embarrassed at having to ask a stranger to defend their family. Bucky leaned back into his seat, looking at the family. Noticing their clothes and mannerisms he had an idea of who they were.
"You're Roma, aren't you?" he asked the boy, who nodded.
"We're refugees but managed to get to Italy until my uncle said that people would kill him unless he paid them protection money. The only way we can pay them is to go back to the family business, which we left Croatia to avoid. Now we're going back because my uncle has ordered it. He's the head of the family."
"If I help you, I can't kill anyone," he said. "I will not do that."
The mother looked at her son who told her in the Roma language what Bucky said.
"Okay," she agreed. "You hurt bad men?"
"I can hurt them, but if they're mafia they'll keep coming for you," said Bucky.
The boy translated and she looked afraid for a moment. Then she nodded her head in agreement.
"Okay, I'll help you," said Bucky. "You pay me cash and you tell no one, ever, that you saw me."
He leaned back, breathing heavily, and closed his eyes. Everything in him was saying not to do this, not to get involved as it could signal his presence in Europe. But Meier had already figured that out so it might be a matter of time anyways before someone came looking for him. Right now, he needed money to get to Romania, and to do that he needed to work. If he could intimidate these people who were extorting money from the uncle into stopping, then he would get something for his efforts.
When the train arrived in Zagreb he helped pick up one of the smaller children, carrying her in his arms, even though he had his suitcase and backpack to take care of. Each of the teenagers handled the rest of the luggage and the mother had a small sleeping child in her arms as well. There was an older man at the train station waiting for the family and the woman explained who Bucky was. At first the man was upset but she said more and he eventually agreed. Taking the young child from Bucky's arms he led them on a twenty minute walk to an apartment over a restaurant, which was open. As the others went upstairs to the apartment with his bags she took Bucky into the restaurant. It was busy and the smells coming out of the kitchen were aromatic enough to set his stomach growling. An older man in the kitchen saw her come in and frowned at Bucky. Meeting her in the doorway he argued with her and once again Bucky had to witness the woman convince the man that he could help them. Coming over to Bucky he looked up at him and felt his shoulders and arms, noticing his left arm was much firmer than his right.
"You a soldier?" he asked.
"I was," answered Bucky.
"Why do you help?"
"I need the money," he replied. "I was robbed by a con man and I need to get to Romania. I also don't like bullies ... khuligany."
It was the Russian word for bullies and he hoped it was close enough to Croatian as they shared many similar words. The man thought for a moment then nodded and pointed at a chair. Yelling at someone in the kitchen he brought food out for Bucky.
"You eat and when they come in you tell them to leave," he said.
"You know it may take several times before they leave you alone?" asked Bucky.
"Yah, I know," he said, resigned. "I feed you and give you a place to sleep. If you help, I give you 1000 Leu."
"That won't go very far," said Bucky, knowing it was worth about $220 in US dollars. "How much did they want?"
"2,000 kuna, about 265 Euros just for the first payment," he spat. "I don't have it, not even half. So to pay them I'm forced to make my family into criminals again, a life we hoped to leave behind. Please, help us and I will pay you what I can."
Bucky sighed. "Alright, but you can't tell anyone about me," he said. "I'm trying not to draw attention."
The man smirked. "You're too big not to. My name is Nicolae. You?"
"Jakob."
"I hope you can do what my sister said you could," he stated. "Otherwise, they'll kill us all."
Bucky dug into the food. It was tasty and satisfied him. When he was finished he asked to use the restroom and the woman, Milena, showed him a room in the back. It wasn't the cleanest but he had been in worse. When he came out Milena put her hand out to him and nodded to the front. Looking out through the pass through Bucky saw there were three big men, talking menacingly to Nicolae. He could understand the gist of it. They wanted the money or would force Milena and the two teenagers into being pickpockets until the debt was paid.
"Is there a back door?" he asked Milena.
She showed him and he went out that way then came around to the front, stepping quietly behind the three men. When one of the men moved to grab Nicolae Bucky tapped him on the shoulder and downed him with one shot. The other two men turned around but never had a chance as Bucky took them both down within seconds, lifting the third one over his head and tossing him out the door into the street. Picking the other two up he dragged them outside, dropping them into the street then stood outside the doorway watching them. As they came to and stood up, he addressed them in Russian.
"These people are my friends. They are under my protection and do not need yours. Leave them alone."
They pulled out guns and Bucky attacked them again, quickly disabling them and knocking them to the ground. In front of their snarling faces he crushed their guns in his prosthetic hand, still gloved. After he destroyed the third gun he addressed them again in Russian.
"If you come here again I will do this to your bodies." Then he smiled, remembering a line. "I can do this all day."
Slowly they got up and left but they weren't happy. Bucky went back inside the restaurant and looked at Nicolae.
"They'll be back," he said. "Probably tonight, with reinforcements. What time do you close?"
"Nine, ten o'clock," he said. "Depends on how many customers."
"Lock the back door," said Bucky. "If you can close by nine turn off all the lights in the restaurant and go up to your apartment. Leave me inside. If you don't want your furniture broken, you should move it all to one side, but I can't promise there won't be damage."
Nicolae nodded and Bucky pulled a bar stool just outside the door and sat on it, watching the neighbourhood. At about 8:45 Nicolae said he was closing and that they had moved the furniture. Bucky moved the stool and himself back inside. He hesitated for second.
"You're sure you don't need help?"
"Yes, I work better alone and if I don't have to worry about anyone who could get hurt," said Bucky. "I know what I'm doing. Just go upstairs and watch out for your family."
With a shake of his head the other man left, leaving Bucky inside the restaurant. He sat in the darkness, enjoying the quiet, as he calmed himself to hear any sounds outside that did not sound natural. About half an hour after his vigil started, he heard the sound of a car pulling up down the street then slowly advancing towards his location. It stopped about twenty feet before the door of the restaurant and Bucky positioned himself near the door but still in the shadows. He could hear the sounds of several footsteps outside, attempting to be stealthy. Looking out the window he saw the shadowy outlines of several men, more than three. There were whispered instructions between them then they carefully broke a window in the door in order to open it. Two men stepped inside, each with a gun that appeared to have a silencer on. They took a firing position as they kneeled before waving the others inside. When the fifth man entered Bucky took action grasping one of the guns and using it to hit the man across the nose, sending him to his knees in pain. Using the gun, he shot two of the others in their knees then advanced on the other two so fast they likely didn't see him coming. Wrapping his metal arm around the neck of one of the men he kept him in between his body and the other man who would have shot but Bucky moved so fast he couldn't take the shot. Once the man in his arm passed out Bucky pushed him into the second man then choked him into submission. By then the first man, whose nose had been broken was standing and trying to find Bucky in the dark. A touch of the gun to his ear alerted him and he raised his hand offering his gun to Bucky.
"Take your men back to your car and return to your boss," said Bucky, in Russian. "Tell him these people are under my protection and I will not allow him to extort money from them again."
"You don't know who you're dealing with," replied the man, also in Russian. "They won't stop."
"Then I won't stop sending his men back broken and injured," stated Bucky. "These people do not have the money and they don't want to be criminals."
"What are they giving you to fight for them?" sneered the man. "Come to work for us. You can be a rich man with your skills."
"I will not be used by men like you any more. The more men you send the more men will be sent back broken."
With an exaggerated sigh the man grunted and as the two unconscious ones came around, he ordered them to carry the shot ones out to the car. Then he stood in the doorway looking at Bucky's hulking shadow inside the restaurant.
"This isn't over, mudak," he threatened. "You've just made it worse for these people."
"You don't know who you're dealing with," replied Bucky. "If you did you would leave this city. Next time I will come to your house and bring it down."
The other man spat onto the floor then turned and Bucky quickly gathered the guns, sticking them into his waistband. This was going to be tricky but it had to be done. He watched out the window as the car was started and turned around to return to the mob's headquarters. Stepping out into the night he began to run after them, making sure to stay in the dark shadows, not giving away his position. After about ten minutes of easy running for him he saw the vehicle pull up to a garage and one of the men get out to open a sliding door. The vehicle drove inside and the door was closed. Approaching it in silence Bucky looked for any guards outside. Not finding any he used a building next to the garage to get up to the roof and found a vent where he could hear everything.
As he expected the conversation was entirely in Russian, indicating these weren't local mobsters, who wouldn't have asked for so much and stuck more to the drug trade and smuggling. Bucky felt shame for his part in bringing the Russian mob into this country, remembering several hits he made taking out key people in the Croatian mafia who were also connected to the government of the time. In his mind Bucky felt partly responsible for these criminals who were terrorizing the Roma minority in this neighbourhood. It was one of the reasons he accepted the job, hoping to make some sort of amends to these people who just wanted to be left alone. Shaking his head to clear it of the negative thoughts Bucky could tell the boss man was not happy about five of his men being sent back, after the original three came crawling back earlier. He was angry at how one man seemed to have the ability to counteract his men. As Bucky feared, the boss man was considering sending his whole force against the restaurant, meaning he had to do something now, before it escalated further.
Quietly moving to the perimeter of the building he looked for the electrical connection to the grid, finding the cluster of wires that powered the building. He flexed his left hand then reached over and pulled the wires apart. A small buzz flowed up his arm from the small amount of electricity that the titanium in his arm allowed to be conducted. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but he could feel it. As the yells from inside indicated the lights going out Bucky jumped to the ground, pulled out two of the guns and burst through a window, firing at anything that moved.
In the chaos he picked out the one man who was backing away from the firing, pulling two men to cover him. Like a whirling dervish Bucky went through all of his men, ignoring any bullets that grazed or hit him. In this mode he could withstand a lot of injuries without impacting his performance. Years of being sent to take out powerful men with many bodyguards made his actions routine and as natural as breathing. Finally, it was just him facing the boss with his two bodyguards almost vibrating in their terror.
"Soldat," said the boss man, swallowing nervously.
"I'm not him anymore," said Bucky in English. "I have no master, and will never have another forcing me to their will. What I do now I do of my own free will. You know what I can do to you?" The boss man nodded his head. "I will say this once. Leave the Roma alone, all of them. They are under my protection. Let the other bosses in this town know. If I hear of any action taken against them I will find you and send you all to hell. Do you understand?"
"Yes," stammered the boss. "The Roma will not be bothered."
To emphasize his threat Bucky removed his left glove and extended his hand into a beam of a streetlight that came from outside, making the titanium shine. Then he took one of the guns out of his waistband and crushed it in his hand, driving home the power he still held and the terror he could still wield.
"I am Baba Yaga, a ghost, a demon, and I will know if you go back on your word. Do not anger me."
Turning away, he waited for the sound of a gun being aimed at his back but instead he heard the sound of guns being put back into their holsters and he knew he could leave without having to take a life. Pulling the sliding door open he stepped out into the night and began walking towards the restaurant. A sound from the shadows beside him drew his attention and he swung towards it with a gun aimed at a shape.
"It's us," said the voice of one of the teenagers. "Let us help you back, Jakob."
Both boys came out and Bucky nodded, beginning to feel the several bullet wounds that had managed to hit but not kill him. Gently, the boys positioned themselves on either side of him and wrapped their arms around his waist, walking him towards the restaurant. When they got there, they went to the stairs up to the apartment and Bucky looked up, seeing Nicolae and Milena looking anxiously at him.
"We'll look after you," said Nicolae, gesturing to come up. "Please."
With the boy's help he managed to get up the stairs, collapsing at the top and everything went fuzzy as he struggled to stay conscious. As he felt the blackness coming on he accepted that maybe this time he had done something right for the right reasons.
〰️🔹〰️
"Jakob."
It was a whispered child's voice, then he felt a small soft hand on his cheek, and he opened his eyes to see the little girl, Lena. Her face was close to his, close enough for him to feel her breath on him.
"Lena," he whispered. "Are you being a naughty girl?"
She giggled then was pulled away by Milena, exasperated at her daughter for bothering him. Bucky blinked his eyes and took stock of his situation. It was day, he was in a bed, and he had no clothes on. With a start he realized his arm and shoulder were exposed and he tried to sit up to cover himself.
"Don't, you have many stitches," said Milena. "It's alright, Jakob. You safe."
Bucky swallowed hard and looked up, expecting to see fear and revulsion on her face but all he saw was her smile, and the smile of her little girl, Lena.
"What happened?" he asked. "I remember the boys helping me walk."
"They bring you home," said Milena. "You pass out. We take care of you. Six bullets I take out and sew you up. You dream bad things, cry out. So much pain in you, Jakob."
Her eyes glistened and for a moment Bucky wanted to cry, afraid at what she had seen and heard.
"What are you going to do to me?" he asked, sure that they would turn him in.
She looked puzzled then she sat on the edge of the bed, and gently put her hand on his.
"We help you get to Romania," she said. "Nicolae is um ... making a ride for you to Bucharest. Other Roma have a place for you to live and work. We take care of you, Jakob."
"Why? Why would you help me?"
A man's cough interrupted them, and Bucky saw a strange man standing in the doorway with Nicolae. His first instinct was to cover his arm up, but the man waved his hand to indicate it wasn't necessary. Milena stood up and left the room with Lena, leaving the man and Nicolae alone with Bucky. A chair was brought in from the hallway and placed beside the bed for the strange man to sit in. He looked over Bucky as if he were assessing him.
"You're the one they've been looking for in the States," said the man in English with a definite New Jersey accent. "The Winter Soldier, a killer, a demon, a ghost, but all I see before me is a man who stuck his neck out for a family he just met and turned it into a crusade to protect an ethnic minority in a place that doesn't really care if they live or die. So that leaves me to ask why? Why would you help them?"
"At first, it was just to make enough money to get me to Romania," said Bucky, realizing that this man required the truth to be spoken. "I need a quiet place where I can try to get my memories back, memories that HYDRA ripped from my brain and tore apart into little pieces. Milena fed me on the train. She asked if I could help them with a problem. Nicolae fed me in his restaurant, and we negotiated a price. I told them I wouldn't kill because I can't do that anymore. But for them I would hurt those who would hurt them."
"Yet, when you got to that Russian criminal who pulls the strings here you changed it from this family to all the Roma in this town." The man's eyes were burning into Bucky's. "Milena said you were the victim of a pickpocket and conman. It's possible they were Roma so why would you protect our community? Why?"
For several moments Bucky thought of how he would answer, not sure even he knew why he did that.
"I let my guard down to that con man and that's on me," he said sincerely. "I wanted to believe his words so badly that I let him convince me. But I don't like bullies and a woman with many children having to take a train back into a place they left as refugees in order to help their family ... it just sparked something in me. That maybe, with what I know, I could help and make it possible for them to return to the life they want, not the life they used to have. In my own life I did things, terrible things, that allowed people like the Russian mob to have power. It's not my life anymore."
"What is the life you want, Jakob Schmidt?" asked the man. "If you succeed in getting your memories and your life back?"
"What we all want," replied Bucky. "A job that pays the bills, a family so that I'm not lonely, a life with meaning, not death and destruction."
That seemed to satisfy the man and he looked up at Nicolae, speaking in their language, then coming to an agreement. He looked back at Bucky.
"You're from Brooklyn," he said. "I recognize your accent. You lived in a diverse neighbourhood?"
Bucky smirked. "If you mean did we have immigrants from all over there, yeah. During the Depression we had to rely on each other. That much I remember."
"It's been decided to make you part of our family, adopt you," he said. "Nicolae will be your father. It's just a formality and the words have already been spoken. What it means is that we will use our people to get you to Bucharest, where another family will find you a place to live. Don't expect anything grand but it will be warm, private, and yours. They'll find you work. It will be manual labour but I think you're good with that. You have callouses on your right hand so I expect you're used to working hard. No one will speak of you to outsiders and will not discuss your unique features. We will do this for as long as possible as word will eventually get out that you're in Europe. The Russians know you're around and we expect they will come looking for you but the word is already out that Roma are off limits to the mafia. So you did something good there. Do you accept?"
Bucky put his hand out and the man spit into his first, signalling that this was as close to a blood oath as one could get. Even in Bucky's day the act scored the seriousness of the agreement. Bringing his hand closer Bucky did the same then the two men shook.
For several days Bucky recuperated in the apartment above the restaurant. Milena and Lena were his constant companions although the teenage boys visited several times, bringing him English language newspapers so he had something to read. He never asked if they were bought or stolen, not wanting to insult them.
When the day came for him to leave Nicolae paid him double what they had negotiated, as it appeared the entire Roma community in Zagreb wanted to show their appreciation for his assistance in removing the Russian mob from the city. He wasn't so sure they were gone but at least they weren't bothering Nicolae and his family. A car, driven by the man who came to see him, was brought to take him to another location and he stood outside the restaurant that morning with his new family. Remembering what he could of Eastern European customs he accepted the kisses on the mouth from Nicolae and the boys, knowing it was considered normal. Milena looked to her brother and received a nod before hugging him. The other daughters also hugged him, then he saw little Lena looking up at him with her sweet smile. Picking her up he smiled at her.
"Goodbye little angel," he said, receiving a wet kiss on the cheek in return.
In the car once they were out on the road he was surprised when the strange man offered his hand again. "I'm Jovan Sakić. Back in New Jersey I'm called John. My immediate family immigrated to the States before World War II and did very well there. I came back during the troubles to help the extended family, and stayed."
"Why are you telling me this?" asked Bucky.
"Because, James Barnes, there are many people looking for you and I want you to know that you can trust me to keep your existence as quiet as possible. Since it's going to be a long drive to Bucharest, I want you to tell me everything you remember about your life and when you get to the part about the conman and the pickpocket I want all the details. You're family now and we take care of our own."
From the despair and hopelessness, he felt after realizing he had been robbed, Bucky found it hard to accept the kindness he had already received from this outcast community. To be accepted so readily was going to take some getting used to. But at least he knew that there would be a place for him, a place where hopefully he would have the time and space to get back that which had been taken from him. Taking a deep breath, he started telling Jovan about his life.
Part 20>>
Series Masterlist
If you liked this one shot please like, comment or reblog.
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes fanfiction#buckyontherun#Bucky in Europe#Bucky in hiding#Bucky fighting mafia#bucky barnes oneshot
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Episode 179 - Battle of the Books 2023
This episode we’re giving our book pitches for our Battle of the Books 2023! Each of us has picked one title that we think we should all read and discuss and you get to vote for which one it is! Will we read Spear by Nicola Griffith, Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey, Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History by Lea Ypi, or The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing? You decide!
You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.
In this episode
Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards
Books We Pitched
Meghan - Spear by Nicola Griffith
Jam - Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
Matthew - Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History by Lea Ypi
Anna - The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Vote for which we should read!
Our “Long List” of Titles
Meghan
Women of the Fur Trade by Frances Koncan (Wikipedia)
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Jam
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
Trust Kids!: Stories on Youth Autonomy and Confronting Adult Supremacy edited by carla joy bergman
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Anna
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Best Simpsons Intro Is About Losing Everything You Love (Jacob Geller video in which he recommended this book in the outro.)
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
Matthew
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
The New Teen Titans, vol. 1 by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Romeo Tanghal
Podcast Episodes
Episode 178 - Aliens, Extraterrestrials, and UFOs (listen to the end of this episode!)
Episode 058 - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Episode 079 - Which Book Should We Read?
Episode 083 - The Fifth Season
Episode 103 - Battle of the Books 2020
Episode 107 - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Episode 130 - Battle of the Books 2021
Episode 134 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Episode 154 - Book pitches
Episode 159 - Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart
Links, Articles, Books, and Things
The Coode Street Podcast
Episode 576: Nicola Griffith and Spear
French Makes No Sense: Pronouns by Loic Suberville
Gender Reveal: Episode 136 with Sabrina Imbler
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
Cursed Princess Club, vol. 1 by LambCat
Read on Webtoon
Jacob Geller - Who’s Afraid of Modern Art: Vandalism, Video Games, and Fascism
Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston
Teen Titans Go! (Wikipedia)
15 Comedic Science Fiction & Fantasy by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors
Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors - to help readers to diversify their reading and library professionals to diversify their readers' advisory. All of the lists can be found here.
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
One for the Morning Glory by John Barnes
Waypoint Kangaroo by Curtis C. Chen
The Law of Love by Laura Esquivel
The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust
Tears of the Trufflepig by Fernando A. Flores
The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales
Severance by Ling Ma
Popisho by Leone Ross
Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes
Bang Bang Bodhisattva by Aubrey Wood
Super Extra Grande by Yoss
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
Give us feedback!
Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!
Vote for which book we should read!
Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!
Join us again on Tuesday, August 1st we’ll be discussing the fiction genre of Pulp!
Then on Tuesday, August 15th we’ll be talking about books and other media we’ve recently enjoyed in our Summer 2023 Media Update!
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The Seven Sins
Snippet chapter 4
“My lords, may I introduce to you, Lady Ava St. James of Norwich.”
I tried to hide the surprise from my face by the fact that he knew exactly who I was. I looked over to Leon who straightened his back, a small lift in the corner of his mouth as he glanced at me. He took my hand in his and lifted it to his lips.
“I have no doubt I’ll see you sooner rather than later, Lady Ava.” Then he disappeared like smoke, leaving me alone with seven demon princes of Ferri.
The whole night, I didn’t feel nervous or afraid but suddenly being alone with seven princes of hell was something different. So, I glanced to the one who I had talked to the most. Sloth.
“I told you; you were a strong candidate.” He offered me a wink. And I felt a part of the tension leave my body.
“You’re not supposed to talk to the mortals.” My eyes shifted to Pride. He was looking at Sloth disapprovingly, his voice was low and deep. His grey eyes were dark from anger.
Sloth rolled his eyes at me before turning to his brother. “You force me to go to this, I might as well talk to someone. Besides -” His lips quirked up. “I only talked to Lady Ava, who in turns happens to be the one that resist us all. So, I think I’m quite a good judge of character.”
“Also.” Gluttony said with a grin. “Lust spoke to her too.”
“Barely.” He scoffed, his gold eyes on me. “Two sentences at most, she rather attack me.”
“You had it coming.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I could feel Pride’s anger, but the others just looked amused. Except for Greed, his eyes flickered between me and Pride.
#original female character#original story#original writing#the seven sins#seven deadly sins#enemies to lovers#demons#mortals#magic#witches#snippet#the supernatural
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I am once again looking through my old OC stuff and managed to find more Pokemon OC writings. Particularly a bit more detail about when Azure was supposed to go challenge Leon, but the Darkest Day happened and all that.
When Hop shows up in the locker room area, Azure is already a complete mess and Rayne is trying to comfort and calm her down. Hop scares the shit out of her before they talk for a little bit. Azure gets called out to the pitch, and Hop to tries to spit out a confession but he's unsuccessful. His Cinderace, who was out of its pokeball like Rayne, rolls its eyes before giving him a reassuring pat on the back.
After the Darkest Day is stopped, same scene happened again where Azure is terrified over the idea of challenging Leon and Hop shows up, scaring her again. This time he get his confession out, but Azure is a silly little guy and takes it platonically. After a second go she Gets It and returns the sentiment. She gets called to the pitch again and starts to leave, with Hop wishing her luck in defeating his brother. Before she does go, though, she rushes back to him and smooches him on the cheek and then runs up to the pitch. He ceases to function for a little while lol.
After the celebration of Azure defeating Leon and the Champion's Banquet, Azure, Agate, Raihan, Leon and Hop had all volunteered to be part of cleanup after the banquet. Though, Azure and Hop's part barely lasted for two seconds. Hop convinced Azure to sneak away so they could go explore the rest of Wyndon. (Azure left a note letting the others know where they went and apologized on Hop's behalf.)
Wyndon had its own impromptu celebration / festival over the new Champion, and the two got to explore around the festival for a bit. Azure was recognized several times, though, so they didn't really get to enjoy themselves. Eventually they found themselves at Wyndon's great big Ferris wheel and got their own cabin without incident. They got to talk about their match, and how they had been changing as people throughout their journey together. Hop confesses that he feels very lost now that he no longer wants to become champion, and Azure picks up on him feeling like he's become a side character in "her new legend." Azure reassures him that there's a place for both of them in whatever story finds them, and it'll definitely be with them together. Hop smiles, "Another part in the tale of OUR legend!"
And everybody clapped
Fr tho I know the ending is incredibly cheesy, but it's so fucking cute and I'm kicking myself that I didn't remember those details before.
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