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cartoonfangirl1218 · 7 months

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Legend of the Dragon S2 Watch and Rewrite

This season already shows how intense it will be through the updated intro. If I haven't mentioned before, the intro music is great, and the clips are just awesome. Yes, it shows a animation shift and Jeff "Swampy" is no longer assisted supervisor which is sad. But again, the intro so awesome, I'm already hyped and the pilot just ups the ante so let's get started.

Temple of the Shadow Dragon: Animation is much more crisp and fluid. At least when in close ups. In midrange, the faces aren’t always consistent. The flash animation is more obvious in the fight scenes though. And the CGI is wow. Very dated. But I guess it shows they got a bigger budget. Or smaller depending on how much flash animation costs. Also a side note, the animation made the color palette less vibrant and the characters more pale in general. And Ang/Ling have blue hair now instead of black with blue highlights. Kinda weird, I prefered season one palette.

Voice acting feels a little stiff during fight scenes even when the dialogue is in character, it feels like they’re trying to be overdramatic.

Don’t remember as much monkey hooting from Xuan Chi in previous fights as he does now. Same with Bengail’s grunts and yells.

Master Chin helpfully delivers exposition on the emperor combining his ancient magic with technology, hence CGI.

Sadly, slo-mo has returned in a particularly egregious scene where Xuan Chi takes the blast for Bengali in a scene. But it is surprising that it actually turned Xuan Chi into a monkey, demonstrating that guardians who have taken the position long enough, have their powers in twined in their essence and thus when in danger, Xuan Chi went primal. Or primate in this case.

Probably to give them a cute animal mascot and to make up for the fact that the VA was probably unavailable for the second season.

But it is a big blam episode where the Emperor destroys the dragon shrine and dojo so the twins cannot recharge their armbands and become golden dragons. (Also I know they have no budget for extras but what about the other students at the dojo? Jungi? Their mom?!? I guess they’re dead, it was nice knowing them for one episode)

Luckily, there’s a shadow temple for every yang temple. But Ling warns that isn’t the corruptive yin power what led to their emperor problem in the first place?

It’s a risk they have to take, the same with Zodiac Master begging the group to take him with them. Apparently, the Emperor is the worst boss ever. Too bad he got caught and the emperor takes him away for punishment.

However, they do have a jet to fight against the Emperor’s in a brightly colored CGI dog fight that honestly my eyes could have done without.

Apparently one of the new bonuses is that they can create random machinery from their phones. Random but okay, gotta get toy merch somehow.

Anyway, Master Chin takes the fortune cookie route by not telling them where the shadow temple is even though he clearly knows. I swear, some may say he’s letting them figure it out themselves, I say he’s screwing with their heads.

Point is, the shadow temple is in Alacatraz (where else can you find mass amounts of yin than in prison) and their new dojo is in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Part 2 introduces a new villain. The ancient shadow rat guardian and the emperor’s sister, Yin We who has a slight British accent. I know it’s a british series but with the other characters have American or stereotypically Chinese accents (the emperor is the latter), it’s just weird that she’s British when she grew up in a time before British colonialism. Whatever, she sounds evil and loving it. Her moves are also very slithery and sinuous which is more snake like than rat like but whatever, she’s evil and loving it.

As for Zodiac Master, he’s clearly become the bottom bitch for lack of a better term that they’re only keeping around because he knows the modern era and newfangled technology. It’s a pathetic step down and he so deserves it.

As for the group back in the temple, Ling is wary of the shadow temple for good reason as she can already hear voices trying to corrupt her to fulfill her true destiny.

Long story short, they mercifully don’t put viewers through a repeat of the previous season and Ling is able to regain control of herself and have renewed confidence that she can fight her dark side.

I would improve this episode just a bit by giving Ang more of an arc to go through. This season he is a bit lacking in character growth. While I liked the idea of Ling being wary of her potential dark side, Ang can show that he's still getting over the events of the previous season by not being totally trustful of her. Yes, he says he trusts her but he is first to jump on her when she seems to be corrupted. It can lead to a real bonding moment of how they're both trying to act things are normal but they aren't and they need to rebuild trust.

Enter the Shadow Wolf: Apparently some days have passed and we’re jumping into the new plot that since the twins already know about the shadow dog temple and is checking up on the guardian to see if he'll join the emperor.

This case, they’re at the shadow dog’s temple or in this case, shadow wolf as fluffy and cute don’t scream yin as much as a giant man-wolf.

K-Ho is true neutral evil as he has no interest in “sides” but representing yin so the world may remain in balance. A concept that Ang can’t quite reconcile in his black and white thinking. He doesn’t trust the wolf unlike Ling who is absolutely charmed.

Ang’s negative impression is reinforced when Yin We comes out of the shadows to introduce herself and her alliegence to her brother. She also has shape shifting powers. Unlike the rat guardian, hers isn’t limited to just rats. She can turn into any person, making for some dynamic fighting your twin sequences.

Anyway, the episode is all about whether trusting K-Ho a good idea and after some shapeshifting misunderstandings, Ang reluctantly concedes that K-Ho can be trusted. Well, the others trust him, Ang is still watching him closely.

Yin We is a fun new character with her bratty sister dynamic as she says she’s more “with it” in understanding the modern era compared to her brother. But the Emperor asserts his dominance when he warns her against impersonating him again. Yeah, he’s “with it” too, he has eyes everywhere.

To continue with my giving Ang more character development idea, I would like this episode to also explore Ang adjusting to being co-dragon with Ling. He's used to being the leader with Xuan Chi and Bengail as support. Now he has to sometimes run his ideas by Ling and it just rankles him after being independent so long.

Cats and Dogs and Dragons: Turns out Master Chin had a life outside the temple. A potential love life at that as the teens learn he has an archeologist friend who needs their help.

So off they go to Egypt where the villains somehow already knew about Master Chin’s girl friend and have kidnapped her as bait to lure the dragons. Also to use as a bloodless offering to Bastet for anyone who brings Bastet back to life can ask the cat goddess for a favor. In this case, do their dirty work for them.

You can also see the siblings are getting on each other’s nerves as the Emperor remarks that it’s too bad Yin We is his sister because then he can't chop off her head for being a smartass.

Meanwhile, K-Ho is already at the temple as he literally sniffed out trouble which rankles Ang as he gets all territorial about the mission and not trusting him. Side note: I know there’s no budget for extra civilian designs but K-Ho looks prepared to explore the Artic rather than hot Egyptian pyramids.

Anyway, there’s some reluctant team work between the boys after Ling yells at them, they free Bastet from the Emperor’s command, they free archeologist lady and we learn that the goddess was the original tiger guardian too.

Which comes to what I’d rewrite in this episode which would be to give more focus on Bengail. As you'll see throughout this season is Bengail has been demoted from her badassery, often the first to be knocked out of battle. Same happens here even when Bastet has a real connection to the tiger guardian.

Bengail deserves some chracter growth too besides being mature supportive friend. So I would make this a Bengail episode, with her taking the lead on this mission, checking everyone for being unfocused with their crushes (Ling) and macho ego contest in K-Ho/Ang's case. I would highlight how Bengail has been working doubly hard, going back and forth between San Fran and Hong Kong to check her temple and help the twins and she wants some little acknowledgement for her hard work. Give her time to shine and save the time. Not just the golden dragons.

Shadow Tiger Take Two: The teens travel to a remote island to check on the shadow tiger temple where it turns out, Ang’s old superstar friend is making a new movie and he can be in it. (With only one camera man because budget problems. Hey, they can make meta)

Starstruck Ang immediately accepts as he can act opposite his celeb crush, Karen Kwan so Ling and Bengali go on a girls trip to the temple where the shadow tiger guardian, Sabre-claw lives up to his name by turning into a sabertooth-hybrid. The design is not unlike a low budget Sabretooth (hence name change). Bengail has a brief brush with corruption with how much she wants the shadow tiger band which I really wish they went through with. Show Bengail's dark side.

Meanwhile, Yin We has been impersonating Karen to get close to Ang’s armband but is foiled by Xuan Chi’s animal sense. Ang helps Ling and Bengail against Sabreclaw, they save Karen and the day is saved.

Pretty standard so to add some pathos, I would have Ang be attracted to it because he is starting to miss some normalcy. He's been all Golden Dragon 24/7, and this used to be one of his childhood dreams. Now Ling is his co-dragon, why can't he take a break? Yes, I mentioned that he should have an episode in season one over his normal life vs new responsibilities but he can backslide, and start an arc of Ang working on a dragon-life balance.

A Horse of a Different Color: K-Ho has been training the twins on how to access their power bands without having to go through the transformation sequence. A feat which they quickly turn into a competition cuz sibling rivalries never go away.

Anyway, before Ang gets turned into street pizza again, Master Chin’s Aesop gives him a brainstorm. All legends have a bit of truth in them so maybe they’ll find other shadow temples through the legends. Like England’s White Horse ruins sound perfect setting for the Shadow Horse temple. Ling’s Skeptical but Ang is quickly proven right when they find the temple and it’s defenses turn against them.

Quickly they find the Shadow Horse, I mean Shadow Stallion guardian who can turn into a centaur! So awesome! Anyway, Yin We tries to destroy the temple when the stallion refuses to join the emperor and the twins figure out how to use their power by working together.

It’s a simple episode so I would emphasize more of the competition part so their teamwork realization is more meaningful. In fact, I feel like the setting should just be changed to Scotland since they have so many loch ness jokes and a kelpie would be so much more of a yin legend-hello horse that drags unsuspecting mortals to their death just like the shadow horse draws people's destructiveness.

Rat Attack: Yin We has been breaking the teens’ defenses by attacking at all hours at random, making them lose sleep and leave no time to recharge. It’s a pretty wise strategy though I wish they did more with it as the episode goes beyond a few yawns here and there. To make it more urgent, just show the affects of sleep deprevetion on the teens, especially Ang.

But I found Bengail’s pep talk to Ang that it’s okay to take a break and he cannot be on guard all the time because he’s human to be sweet and just what he needed to hear. You can tell he puts a lot of responsibility on himself in being guardian all the time and needs to be pulled into focus as a season long arc.

So Yin We tries to pull a trap by kidnapping the rat guardian, Ming and impersonating her and the teens manage to pull off not one but two double crosses. The second one I didn’t even see coming. Plus Ming returns and the feisty girl never disappoints.

So it’s a good episode, it could have just done more with what they had.

Spellbound: Sabreclaw and Yin We are back and have dug up a mystical were-Jaguar jade to call in another god to double-cross. Apparently, Yin We has been itiching to prove that she can do a good plan without her brother's input.

Back in San Francisco, the show finally answers my internal question about the safety of the Tiger Temple with Bengail in San Francisco this whole time, apparently she travels back and forth. And she’s been gone for a long time, Ang and Ling are worried and they head there to find it totally ransacked.

Long story short, they follow the clues to Central America and Yin We adds conflict by shapeshifting to the jaguar god so the teens would think the jaguar god is behind all this and not Yin We.

It doesn't help that when they do see the real Jaguar God, he has hypnotized Bengail to be his future queen as he rebuilds his empire. Meanwhile, Yin We and Sabreclaw plan to ambush the god after he defeats the heroes so they can be double tigers.

Unfortunately, Bengail may be hypnotized but she's honest and tells the Jaguar god what backstabbing rats Yin We and Sabreclaw are, so he turns against Sabreclaw and Yin We and tries to sacrifice them in a pit.

While I enjoyed the change in location, the brief fighting the wrong enemy, and the return of feisty Bengail before and after she breaks out of her trance, her reasoning that she felt bad for him trying to rebuild his empire as some tragic bad guy didn’t work.

How did she know if she was hypnotized the whole time? I mean. the viewers knew but she didn't.

Also, I was waiting for some clear Ang not quite realizing why he’s so distressed about Bengail being taken. I’m not saying to put them together or he has some big hero moment, but like some more intense feelings on his side as Bengail has already shown for him.

So I would emphasize more of Ang's potential feelings for Bengail, and emphasize the god's tragic anti hero nature by having his empire be rebuilt after his tragic early death from conquistadors. Also give him a name, it will make him feel more human.

Friend or Foe: Since Yin We is weakened after their success in Rat Attack, the group takes advantage of Yin We’s state by setting up an irresistible trap-a seemingly abandoned temple. Yin We falls for it, and once they have her down, Sabreclaw nopes out of there like a coward. The Emperor watches this all from his all-seeing vision and while Zodiac Master suggests maybe it’s for the best, the Emperor turns on him for letting Yin We go without her band. Classic projection.

Now it’s a race against time for the group to get Yin We to the shadow rat temple and send her back to the spirit world while the Emperor sends obstacles to stop them.

And to make it a little more tricky for the heroes, without her band Yin We claims she’s good, no longer corrupted by the yin. That’s hard to believe and the whole group is skeptical of her innocent good girl act even as she begs them to let her help.

It all turns out to be a long con that Ang thankfully prepares for. I just wish it was a little more riveting and ambiguous.

But besides the Ang/Bengail ship tease, there’s also a thing going on between Ling and K-Ho. Like he makes a comment about how it’s always a wild adventure with them, and she just smiles like he called her pretty or some huge compliment. She’s got it bad.

While I think everyone could tell Yin We is faking, it could still add some conflicy by having Yin We observe the dynamics around her and pit the teens against each other like when she mentioned Ang and Bengail being together etc. It could also be another chance to have the twins discuss Ling's redemption.

They had a brief debate over whether Yin We could be held responsible if she was under the shadow rat power and if she is capable of change. Make it a real debate, and have the twins hash out why they (don't) believe in Yin We with Ling taking a more cynical stance to Ang's positive.

It could lead to a really dramatic climax when Ang asks Ling that if it was the smarter decision to not believe in redemption, than should he have not tried with her? And Ling says he shouldn't have. Reveal that past her nonchalant reaction to other's distrust, she still feels bad over what she did as the shadow dragon and feels she doesn't deserve redemption.

The Golden Babysitter Blues: After Yin We tries to steal the ox band from Robbie, he travels to San Francisco for refuge and Master Chin leaves the twins in charge of babysitting him while he gathers the other guardians to help.

This was pretty much a filler episode with some highlights Ang's indignation at Robbie calling him "his elder," he's not that old yet.and the little boy effortlessly taking out the teens with ease when they underestimate his martial arts skills.

But when they bump into the shadow-ox guardian in the park, it felt too convenient (he’s the town bully and can turn into a Minotaur) that Yin We could locate him and transport him so quickly just for Robbie to bump into him. Why not ambush?

And then the contrived "urgent" situation where Yin We kidnaps Master Chin so she could force a stalemate and get Robbie to give his band in exchange, you feel no satisfaction from Robbie's bait and switch since it was so predictable. They did it a lot better in Rat Attack.

To make it feel like a repeat of other episodes and maybe add some pathos have Ang and Ling really try to mentor Robbie as they were. Or even bring their mother in since she has more experience teaching kids only for her to be distracted in trying to bond with the twins and they're unsure of how to deal with having a parent in their life.

The twins could also have their own bonds with Robbie, reflecting in how they've learned and grown. Maybe ang realizes he wants to rebuild the temple and dojo. Maybe Ling even realizes she likes teaching kids and maybe Master Chin had a point that she has potential as a master like him.

Gone Shadow Ape: We return to the search for the monkey. Actually, it's the shadow monkey band. Master Chin and Ang head to Hong Kong at the behest of the previously helpful museum curator but Yin We and the Shadow Ape guardian get there first and turn into a beast worthy of King Kong (actually referenced within the show. Sadly, no tower homage)

Unfortunately, Xuan Chin gets wind of it back in San Francisco and steals the jet to fly to Hong Kong to retrieve it, ruining Ling's day off (Apparently, they've been there for almost half a year and they haven't ventured past their street like a permanent house arrest, what gives?)

Anyway, fights ensue, Xuan Chin gets sent to the pound for rabies, and it's really not a memorable episode. We spent most of the time watching the antics of a monkey trying to fly a plane and rescuing the monkey from the pound. The fight with the shadow ape took only 3 minutes and it was painful to see the twins get beaten down by generic throws.

Even the animation looked off in this episode, in character models and in matching audio with their mouths.

The only redeeming part is some of the snarky dialogue and yeah, that's it. It also ends the search for the monkey band on a cliffhanger!

To make this a more meaningful episode, I'd potential bring back Xuan Chin as a human again, give Ang and Xuan Chi a real bro trip episode after a whole season without their friendship. Oh, and finally give him his dang monkey band. We've already seen the shadow monkey band in the first season, just give Xuan Chi the powers he deserves.

As a B-plot, Ling can decide to work on easing her conscience and make amends to the other guardians she attacked in the previous year. This can turn comical to heartfelt and really show that Ling has grown for her selfish, entitled nature of before.

Lone Wolf: Ang and K-Ho get a bonding episode! Since K-Ho has a connection to all wolves, he immediately sets out to the cold north to save a wolf cub being terrorized by some hillbillies. Unfortunately, one of those hillbillies is Yin We and K-Ho gets injured in the resulting fight.

Now, it's up to Ang to care for a stubborn K-Ho and wolf cub in the midst of a blizzard while Yin We is waiting to attack them at their weakest. It made a great trapped among mountain lions scenario between Yin We and the blizzard and K-Ho rapidly decreasing energy. It was great to see Ang finally get the trust of the lone wolf and for K-Ho to finally admit he needs help and respect what Ang can offer in battle.

Meanwhile, Bengail and Ling have their own girls trip to fight at the Tiger Temple with Sabreclaw which they deduce as a distraction so the twins would be split up and easier to pick off. Nuh-uh, they're too smart for that and so the day is quickly wrapped up with a full team beatdown.

I don't have any changes or critiques to this episode even though it almost veers on a very special animal cruelty episode, I don't care. Animal terrorizers deserve to almost crash their helicopter.

Also Zodiac Master was here, utterly forgettable and useless. He was fine in the first three episodes but I don't see why they had him stick around. The Emperor should have turned him into stone if only to emphasize that he's a real threat and inject "Anyone can die" scenario.

Heart of the Black Dragon: Season finale time! With the help of the shadow snake guardian (who is promptly concussed cuz Yin We doesn’t share credit), the Emperor has the eye of the black dragon. A mcguffin never mentioned before because it in the time before guardians. Actually, it was why the guardians were created. To defeat the black dragon and then put the world in balance.

So we bring things back to Alcatraz since the guardians thought no one would go to the “new world” to find the black dragon’s heart. Too bad the Emperor figured it out.

So Master Chin ruins everyone’s day off (lowkey really nice to see them acting like normal teens, shopping, flirting etc. before it gets interrupted. Also Master Chin sarcasm is great) and they head to Alacatraz too late.

But if there’s a black dragon, there has to be a gold dragon and once again, Master Chin tells them they have to figure it out themselves even though he already knows everything!

I’ll admit the ending is cheesy as it’s inside themselves and after a brief moment of doubt, they turn into a double headed dragon. Something I’ve been waiting for and was disappointed at how cartoony it looked. Same with the final black vs gold dragon fight that was only 2 minutes long.

That’s the critique I’d give the episode as a whole. Great set up but the execution felt rushed and unearned and the fight choreography was a downgrade too. In season one you can see the martial arts moves that keep things dynamic and interesting, and the guardian powers had some relation to their animal. But here, it’s all kicks and colored blasts, it falls flat.

Even when it’s supposedly 10 terra cotta warriors against two, the urgency doesn’t feel real because the budget simplifies the action scenes. It makes them look lame honestly.

Give their unique powers and fight skills back like Bengail and her dart claws, I haven't seem them all season. Show the actual martial arts moves and inspiration.

Although, I did enjoy Bengail and K-Ho as the last ones standing and vowing to keep fighting like any last surviving soldier in the trenches. Even though they didn’t interact much in this season one on one, you can tell they have a completely platonic respect for each other as warriors. I like it and I wish the show did more to switch up the group pairings.

Final Thoughts: I really come to enjoy this show. The characters are what interesting and made me stay, the lore needs some work. As for the season, it started promising but showed cracks and budget issues in the end from color palette to fight chereography. It also got pretty formulaic by having the twins always being the one to save the day but the lessons felt too one-note. I wanted a season long arc as they did in the previous season.

Ang as I mentioned should get an arc on dealing with being a double golden dragon after being the lone dragon. Have him deal with sharing leadership, have him consumed with anxiety over his responsibilities, not giving himself time to rest. Learning to trust Ling again which is part of the reason he gives himself so much work because he doesn't believe Ling will care as much as he does.

Ling's arc would be complementary to his by having her take responsibility that she lacked. Yes, I want her to remain snarky but I also want her to be cautious of her own tendency towards selfishness and shortcuts. I want her to try to take accountability and make amends for the previous season instead of brushing off the other guardians' distrust of her (tho it is hilarious everytime. Guess there's no guardian newsletter update). Have her be a better sister by helping her brother acknowledge he is a good person but he needs to accept help and she wants to be someone he can lean on.

Master Chin shouldn't know everything. It makes him look like a jerk for not telling them basic information and warn them of potential dangers. Have him be just as unaware of the shadow temples since he's associated with only yang.

Give Bengail a focus episode as they did with K-Ho. K-Ho. . . K-Ho's cool. His VA reminds me of Greg Cipes the entire time which is so weird since its the same VA for Ang. I didn't mention before but the whole cast does double the amount of characters and its super impressive to me. They all did a great job!

The Emperor and Yin We were great as villains. I have no complaints, and Sabreclaw was nice attempt at giving Bengail a nemesis although it felt his indian accent got thicker in each episode he appeared.

As mentioned before, I would have just killed off Zodiac Master after the third episode. It would make the season darker and helps get rid of him since he was super unecessary and pathetic this season.

Upgrade everyone's powers. The only new thing the twins got was teleportation which eh. They can also "fly" but they did that in the previous season so I'm not sure why they were all surprised by that. It would be cool if the twin could breath fire though.

I would also up the ante with not just blowing up the dragon temple but forcing all the other guardian temples to move because they're not safe with Yin We and the Emperor on the loose. Displacement for all, and it can give the show a chance to show different Asian countries beyond Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Speaking of dark, I would have focused more lore on the shadow temples as mysterious as they are as not all of them are explored in the show. Just half. Make the teens face their darker natures or face the worst of humanity in a deadly sins-like way or yin-esque way. Put focus on the importance of balance and harmony and how they need to both exist in the world. Bring back some of the yang guardians since those cameos were fun like the Rooster guardian and Chow Chow and the twins' mom!

Really bring the zodiac into play by having the yang guardians show the animal's best traits and the yin show the worst and how destiny/the animal doesn't really control the person' fate but the person's actions do. Explore all the nuances of morality and redemption through the zodiac.

Overall, I would recommend the series for the characters alone and for its potential lore even if there are some big gaps. I really enjoyed it and will be in my mind for a long while.

#legend of the dragon #watch and rewrite #random musings #season two

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aqqleshiqqing-archive · 1 year

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Hey Jil I binged the entire anime in a night because I have no control

PLEASANT SUPRISE I HAVE A HISTORY WITH THAT MAN'S CHARACTERS

2. Might have a lil crush on Vash but idk yet

3. WOW THOSE WERE GORGEOUS VISUALS

4. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING WHAT THE FUCK IM CONFUSED AND IM MAD THAT IM CONFUSED

Anyway thanks for telling me where to find it

BRO IM TWIRLING AROUND AUSHOASIUSIWIAUWHAIEJAOEIIAJEJAIES I LITERALLY HAD THE SAME REACTIOM WITH JOHNNY YOUNG BOSCH

I HAVE HISTORY WITH HIS VA TOO. LOOKS AT HAJIME SO HARD AHBSDBJABEHAHEBA IF I HAD A CRUSH ON A VOICE ITS BOSCH'S VOICE AND THE FACT ITS NOW ON VASH IM CRYING SO BAD HAVE YOU HEARD HIS BABYGIRL SOUNDS IN THE FIRST EP AHDJSKSMSMSJSHSJSKSKS I CLIPPED THAT SHIT SO HARD

IMNOT EVEN DONE WATCHING THE REST OF TRIGUN SO WATCH OUT. I LITERALLY FINISHED WOLF'S DEBUT EPISODE AND IM NOT NORMAL hes so hot AND EVEN HIS VA I KNOW HIM. . I KNOW HIM AND IM PULLING MY HAIR AGAINFNBSH

VASH JS SO CUTE MAN I TOTALLY GET U.... especially with the holy mister Bosch blessing his voice for him. ily.

I'm glad you enjoyed watching it,,, maybe give the old trigun a watch?? fret not because stampede is getting season 2 so maybe your and everyone's questions about the ending will be answered HEHAHAJWBAJA

#IM VERY NOT NORMAL ABT HIS ENG VOICE I LOVE BOSCH SO MHCH OK......#SORRY I WENT HAYWIRE LOL

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builder051 · 2 years

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Adverse Effects (ch.4 Who's calling what now? No one signed up for this.)

A chasing Ghosts story. Last chapter. I promise. It will come to an ending.

Warnings: The usual: college drinking, drug use, alcohol, flashbacks to war/bad childhood/etc., seizures, emeto, migraines, photosensitivity, threats (mild, like calling the cops on a party), mentions of hospitals/ambulances, petty crime, bad choices... That should cover the basics. This one is tamer than the previous chapter.

___________________

Steve puts his arm around James's shoulders and approaches the bouncer from the head of the VIP line.

"You paid ahead?" He looks uncomfortable in his fitted black jacket. The bouncer sticks his finger between his collar and his neck. His tie's definitely a clip on.

"Um, no," Steve says. "But we're just here to look for our little sister. She might've come in with a football player?"

The bouncer narrows his eyes. "You trying to say I don't check IDs? That I'm not so good at my job?"

"No, sir." Steve answers, putting his free hand up, with his palm open and his elbow locked at 90 degrees. "Not at all."

James wonders if Steve wants him to pipe up, but he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his ability to speak. Plus, he's interested in what Steve will say next.

"She has a fake." Steve feigns shame, sucking in his lip. "I've been trying to get it off her, get her to lay off the partying. It's not like her 21st is that far away."

Laughter makes easy punctuation. Steve knows good and well that Tasha's barely tipped 19, but his... attractiveness, James guesses? Steve's straight nose and perma-cheery personality, and everyone just assumes he's telling the truth. James has never had that power, and he's still in the dark as to how it works.

"Your little sister?" The bouncer looks pointedly at Steve, then moves his gaze to James, who probably resembles a shaggy-haired scarecrow with the fold of Steve's jacket behind his neck. They probably look more buddy-buddy than pair mated.

"So, you guys, like, brothers?"

Steve shifts and pulls out his wallet. "It's not that important. Here, I have my ID. We're both over 21."

"What's with him?" The bouncer gives James a severe look. He probably thinks he's already wasted, which, honestly, isn't a bad guess. "Why's he not talking?"

James lifts his chin an inch or so. He's going for neutral. Battle casual. The way you're meant to watch the slide show and the commanding officer giving the brief at the same time. Interested. Respectful. But not oogling. Not creepy. He hopes his clenched jaw isn't too obvious. That would be a good baseline, at least.

"Disabled vet, man." Steve uses his powers again. Informing. Reminding. Putting people in their place. But not in a pushy, rude, ego-trampling way.

Steve doesn't pull that card a lot. A little strategic, maybe, but he and James don't play the system as much as they probably could. Steve care is much better than public accessibility and the VA. But, bus seating, the movie theater exit row, idling the car in the fire lane... They are benefits, and, as much as James hates admitting it, they are beneficial to him. There is a fine line between getting what he needs and losing his identity to the system, though. And crossing over is one of James's greatest fears.

Right this moment, though, he'll take what he can get. An explanation is definitely called for, because otherwise, his presence tonight makes no sense.

If Steve passes for the worried brother, James is sure he looks like that one embarrassing friend, the big-guy-lightweight, the shower-not-grower who gets wasted early and winds up at the literal mercy of his friends, lest he wake up naked in somebody's front yard, clueless, apologetic, and unaware that this is a serial habit.

It's almost amusing-- James has no alcohol in his system. And no drugs. Well, except caffeine. The prescription medications in his bloodstream, fading rapidly to levels far lower than therapeutic, probably aren't providing much protection from the migraine about to crack over his head, or a seizure grabbing onto autopilot at any moment.

Being out at would-be-bedtime is not a smart idea. But recharging with his next doses of meds brings on immediate hibernation. He's stuck between hell and, well, hell. Fuck Tasha and this goddamn mission. Whether James is the ride-along or the brother, the football player or the treadmill fixer, America's bravest on honorable discharge, or just a guy losing his shit, it isn't important. Steve's already said so.

The bouncer is forcing a stalemate, though. That's the thing about Steve. He protects his own, but he doesn't fight back. He builds walls. Agrees to disagree

It's James that has a crusty edge, bringing them together as a balanced team. Couple. Whatever you want to call it. James can't always stop the sharpness in his tone, but it comes in quite useful when the server needs to really, leave the spilled coffee, don't ask if he's ok, and don't dial 911. James will have his panic attack in the bathroom, then throw some napkins on the spill, and slink out the back door. There's a reason he doesn't like eye contact.

He has to, sparingly, look into the bouncer's face, though. James sighs, willing all parts of his body and bodily fluids into their respective places, if only for the moment.

"Look," James says. "We're trying to help you do your job."

The bouncer seems around James's age. Maybe a little younger. A little heavier. Not so much life experienced etched in lines around his eyes. Or perhaps he's always had oily skin and resided in a humid climate. James would take him on, one to nothing, in just about any contest of strength. Darts. Dash-n-grab. Probably not Greco-Roman wrestling, though. Then the dude would probably just sit on him.

"Tasha's a turd. It's just, like, what she does." James makes the mistake of shrugging his flesh-set in silicone-set in metal shoulder. It only sets off a mild tingling, and he didn't really mean to do it; it was just that his other arm was busy keeping him upright by wedging between two of Steve's upper ribs. If he doesn't think about it, it shouldn't set off all the bells and whistles. And phantom limb pain, really? That's left him alone for, what, a year? Now is definitely not the time.

James bites down on his lip and his tongue a few times. He tries speaking again. "You know, like the big brother and the guy friend, or the dad friend, or whatever? Checking out the new boyfriend? To see if he's cool? Like, clean?" Perhaps he'll catch the bouncer on a more personal level?

But that just makes the guy look torn. He glances to his counterpart, who is turned away as he deals with the sluggish non-VIP line. Then he looks back to James and Steve, brows lowered.

James, despite the chaos in his head, knows perfectly what the bouncer is thinking. It's fair, and it's probably what he'd do in the reverse of the situation. It's most definitely what Steve would do.

"Well," the bouncer jerks his thumb over the velvet rope. "Go to that line and show your IDs--"

They don't have time for that. More specifically, James doesn't have the patience for that. And the quicker Steve vacates his stupid parking spot, the better.

James nabes his lip with his front teeth and splits it. He tastes blood, anyway, which is marginally better than bile, though it will look worse when it all inevitably comes up.

James knows what they have to do. It's not among the 27 thousand slapstick solutions he and Steve talked through earlier, during the mission planning session, but this is better. And it's going to work.

A snort of wry laughter escapes through James's nose as he carefully chooses his words. Or, as it be, silent stand-ins.

James nudges Steve in the armpit, then points his gaze to the iPhone protruding a centimeter or so from Steve's pocket. On the way of raising his head up, James twitches in the bouncer's direction. Then, using as little energy as possible, he locks eyes with Steve. Just long enough to ensure he catches and returns the smile, nod, and flash of a wink.

"What?" The bouncer asks loudly, flatly, and with a spit spray of matching intensity. "You--?"

"Well," Steve clears his throat. "We could do that. Wait in the other line." He pauses. "Or we could make a call and have you raided for having and serving underage customers."

The bouncer goes a bit pale. He adjusts the back of his hat. Tilts his clipboard just enough so they can see the pages upon it are completely blank.

Steve makes a fine line with his lips. "It's the truth, mam. We gotta, you know, do the right thing."

The bouncer swallows heavily. Taps his blank pages. Maybe inciting a tremor.

Now it's James's turn. "Or, you could let us in, grab the fucking rascal, and get out of here. Maybe we won't call the cops." James stops to take a breath. "Or your boss. Main number's on the website, right? Google Maps pin?"

"Uh--" The bouncer stutters. He's nodding, whether he's aware of it or not. People tend to agree with agressers when they pose plausible threats. It's... just something humans do. They have to be trained out of it. Plus one for the Army. And Steve's and Tasha's behaviors? Only to be expected.

"Um. Yeah?" The bouncer's voice comes out higher than it did previously. Maybe he's truly frightened. It doesn't matter. They've already closed the deal.

"Just go. Be fast. And don't go back out through this door!"

"Cool." Steve claps the bouncer on the shoulder. "Thanks. You're saving our lives."

The bouncer waves furiously at them, as if to blow them into the building and far away from him and his responsibilities. Like cops on patrol still puff up and yell "Get out of here!" at young bicyclists, even when they can recite the bylaws back, word-for-word, and explain that non-motor vehicle tickets cannot go on one's permanent record.

But nobody's exceeding the speed limit by coasting down concrete hills in the hood. That weird, neglected, unsupervised place that used to be the burbs until it got trashy and someone built new burbs, but nobody could afford to move there. It's not like anyone can afford to live here, either, in the flat neighborhoods that swallow the college a good three miles in every direction. No one bikes because it's too dangerous with the traffic, and permanent records actually are at stake, seeing as foster care and all claims of juvenile status are up and vanished. Those days of kiddie freedom are gone for good. And it sucks.

Something, though has James's attention. The thud of the bass from the dance floor? Nah, it's crappy drywall vibrating with crowd and speaker systems. Their apartment does the same thing. But it's rhythmic, synchronizing with something deep inside him. Not his auto-adjusting hearing aids. Something in his center, like his heartbeat. Except that's stupid, because vintage punk does not sustain one's most basic body systems.

It's like the air outside. It's weird. Distinctly noticeable. Almost...nostalgic? James feels as if he's been here. Like he's allowed to belong here. Maybe it's something to do with one of his past lives, rising to the surface just long enough to provide him with a whiff of familiarity before he's lost again in the overwhelming mess of tonight's activities. But... this place exists. And he could come back. With Steve. Maybe Tasha. As long as she drinks Diet Sprite and cherries.

"Ok, she's wearing purple, right?" Steve cups his hand around his mouth and leans in close to James's ear, but he still has to shout over the music and general noise.

"Yeah, like a lace thing..." James decides to spare the diatribe about trendy womens' wear and sheer tops and whether or not Tasha understands the idea of undergarments-- at all, let alone pieces appropriate to the occasion.

"Oh! I see her!" Steve points to a blurry conglomeration of people who eep dancing in and out of James's blind spot. The aura goes swimmingly with the disco ball, providing both eyes with an assault of silvery stars.

"Is Maria tall, or can she just walk better in tall shoes?" Steve stands on his toes and squints.

"No clue. Tash is great en pointe, but sucks at drag."

Steve laughs uproariously. "There has got to be a story behind that."

"Mm." James has to let go of Steve's shoulder. There's a massive increase in the pressure behind the bridge of his nose, and, somehow, logic tells him to rub hard with finger and thumb jammed into the corners of his eye sockets. James's hand is clammy. So is his face. The urge to throw up is coming on again. Pressure builds in his body. Then... he has no body. He just feels his head, with excruciating pain in his ears. His jaw. An ax cleaving his forehead--

James's foot is stuck atop the manhole cover. His toe strikes concrete. Again. Again. Why can't he lift his knee?

But then the joint breaks, and he can't support anything on that leg. There goes the hip, and with it, the other knee. James's hips are rocking. He can't control the direction of the momentum, though. That's all he needs, and then he can stand up.

Where the fuck is Steve? Why hasn't he put James back on his feet? There's a wisp of frustration, passing like a shooting star, before it all goes to hell.

James can't hear; his head buzzes with white noise so loud it's surely making blood ooze from his eardrums. He can't see. It's too bright and dark and painful all at the same time, and he can't tell if his eyes are open or closed. James struggles to recall if he has more senses, and bats out with his hand. He hits something. Hard but soft? Pants? If that's what they're called?

James must've grabbed and pulled, because the shadow of Steve bends and squats. "No, you can't have that." Steve removes James's grip from his ankle and offers his wrist instead. "Lie down. Come on. On your side."

Movement happens. James neither initiates it nor approves of it. He cares less about the weightlessness than he does about the spasms of his pylorus, but it's all lost a second later when James seems to have forgotten how to breathe.

But-- oh. Clicky sounds. Steve's watch against his teeth. At least James isn't choking anymore. But all it's good for is making a passage for expulsive vomit, which comes out all over James's face, and his shirt, and the floor.

He can do nothing to hold it down. Just as he can do nothing to stop his arms and legs and spine from twitching and spasming and sending shooting pains through his body every time a bone or joint makes contact with the solid ground.

"Buck?" Steve's hand is cool against James's cheek. Spiking a fever, giving everyone a good spare. James is an expert, even though he never does so on purpose.

Steve tries again. "You with me?"

James blinks. Makes the effort to part his lips. Pulls his fingers into his fist and tries to sign. James catches a glimpse of steve's forehead, a dash of his fine blonde hair, but, like a streak of sun between rain clouds, he can't hold on. One of James's eyes begins rolling again, and that just makes him sick.

James has tried telling Steve how the seizures feel; how they combine the symptoms of severe nausea, the pain of lying on a bed of nails, and a night of restless leg syndrome. But even that doesn't quite get to it. The episodes of uncontrollable and barely senseable body movements and misfires undo him, tear him apart, and not on the seams that are visible and easily mended. He'll recover. He'll be fine. It just...happens sometimes. Personally, James suspects the strobe. He reacts to that rare trigger, and sometimes mechanical devices detonate and events unfold beyond his control... Fuck DBT and the whole radical acceptance thing, but. Well. James doesn't care to flip another coin.

Steve's watch makes mechanical sounds. Not in James's mouth. On the floor. Steve's taken the band off his wrist, and now he glances at the time, all whilst guarding James's limp body in elbow plank. James hopes he's on his knees, even though Steve can probably do semi and full indefinitely, keeping them safely side by side.

"That's time," Steve says, a worried note in his voice. "Three minutes are up. I've got to, you know, med you and call a squad? That's the guidelines and stuff..."

James fights to get the cogs turning. Comprehension has landed. Response... he's working on it.

"God," James croaks. "No. Fuck, no." He coughs and tries to move his head. All that accomplishes is bringing on a retch and a series of tremors down his arm, which have almost certainly distracted anyone and everyone from hearing his answer.

"Hey, breathe," Steve reminds him.

James reluctantly takes the advice. He's barely come around to realizing he has a body, and that there is a world containing not only him, but also Steve. The crowd of curious bystanders remain in the ether.

"I don't think you're quite back yet." Steve speaks slowly and gently. He gives James a pat down, which only brings to light the fact that he's soaked.

"Did you even bring a wallet?" Steve pulls his hand out of James's back pocket. "Where are your meds?"

It takes a hiccup and a spasm, but James has an answer for that, too. "Car."

"Bucky, hey, I'm really sorry." Steve's practically the one shaking now. James can sense his anxiety. "The ER is down the street, but going to get the car is going to take way longer than--"

"No!" James isn't sure if he's meaning to be loud or forceful or just heard. He's not so bad off now. He can open his eyes without feeling like they're being burned with a laser now. It's not proof he can walk, or that his brain isn't still playing the old Nintendo Tanks game with itself, but it's an improvement.

James actually feels like, once somebody pulls him off the floor, he could puke a couple more times, maybe off somebody's back porch, then hustle a glass of water and a clean shirt from a buddy and take up the offer to sleep it off on the couch and devour a frozen waffle in the morning.

He's not in base housing with the other kids, though, enjoying their last few days before shipping out. James has not, nor will he ever be, a college kid riding the freedom of a dark lawn and a few hours yet till sunrise to wildly waste his time. Like...friends dunking each other in the fountain. He would totally dunk Steve in a fountain, Mr. Swimmer and all that stuff. But James isn't sure their university even has one...

What is he even doing? Why is his brain even considering this shit? Steve is the one talking sense here. James might think he knows himself, but what the hell, he's had a migraine and suspicious flashbacks all evening, so shutting up and going along with Steve is probably the better move.

"What the- Jamie? What? And you?" The last part comes with far too much accusation, but Tasha's late arrival is nothing but comically adorable.

"Sorry?" Steve says with hesitation. "We're kind of late with your...ride?"

"Huh?" Tasha understands subtlety, at least James thinks she does. She's just not good at applying it when it's not her idea to begin with. "But what happened? Tasha makes a move as if to kneel down, but with her unsteady shoes and all the puke on the floor, she winds up staying upright.

"Aw, the usual," James says hoarsely.

Steve starts talking at the same time. "We were going to pick you up. And go to... the..."

James coughs loudly again. Mostly on purpose.

"Right." Steve picks back up. "Now we have to go to the hospital, so you should go in the ambulance, and I'll go get the car." A frightened look passes his face. "If I still have a car..."

"A what about your car?" Tasha looks blankly at him.

"I might've... parked in a bad spot," Steve admits, without completely spilling the details of his mistake. "But, anyway," he moves on quickly, "You'll have to sign the consent for them to administer Versed, put him in the MRI, and put him under observation until, oh," Steve checks his watch, then bobs his head as he counts silently. "9:30 tomorrow morning?"

"I gotta stay up all night?" Tasha asks, tone verging on complainey.

"Well, were you planning to go to bed early tonight?" Steve's beaming, but his joke doesn't land.

"Fuck you." Tasha crosses her arms. The tiny triangles of her bra are, in fact, neon pink.

"Hospital pancakes are not that bad," Steve insists. He digs the car keys from his pocket. "And you are legally the next of kin."

Tasha has to pull out her claws a little, just to prove she can fight, despite her usual needy cute kitten act. She hates looking like she's capable of caretaking. Regarding herself, and everyone else.

Thing is, though, that's an act, too. She's seen James in and out of the hospital before, and she knows it turns out fine. She can be in charge of James. Take his prosthetic on and off. Shoot disgusting medicated gel into his gumline. It's nothing. And nothing like it was an hour earlier when there was imminent danger for a different member of the party.

"I know this isn't exactly like we planned for it to end," Steve says. "But I'm pretty sure we're clear of danger, uh, mostly, and all that's left is the phone call." He looks amongst them, probably to ascertain understanding, but Tasha's clearly lost, and James isn't ready to let laughter out of his throat, lest more bile come with it.

"I gotta scram before we call the cops on ourselves and I get a ticket for self-sabotage." Steve points toward the back door and it's glowing exit sign. Then he raises his brows to Tasha. "You want to do the honors? You do know the phone number, right?"

It's clearly another tease, but Steve deserves the finger Tasha shoots him after she starts scrolling through her phone and answers him with a terse ASL "yes."

"Cool. See you guys soon?" Steve gives a last look or assurance before starting at a clip to the back door. James wonders if his paranoia will end up as beneficiary or overkill.

Once Steve's out of sight, Tasha rolls her eyes and gives James a sideways smile. "What do you want? The ambulance and the gurney? The non-emergency police help desk? Or CrimeStoppers?"

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epickiya722 · 2 years

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for the character ask: how you done present mic? 🤔

(if you have then how about mt. lady?)

I haven't done Mic! My favorite UA teacher, I'll be honest. (Aizawa, I still love you, too.)

🎤 Favorite thing about them: He is a loud man, but I like it! I like his enthusiasm very much! It's probably why he went up in my fave ranks now I'm thinking about it. I also love how they just decided he gives information about the quirks. Breaking the 4th Wall is his other quirk! I just know it!

🎤 Least favorite thing about them: His hair. Because I alwas I have to question HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE HIM TO PUT HIS HAIR UP LIKE THAT?! What, is he using the same hair gel as Kirishima?!

🎤 Favorite line: His "YYYYYYEEEEEAAAAHHH!" is hilarious to me.

"... freaky looking elbows!" (Mic, please!)

His commentary during the whole time Bakugou, Todoroki, Inasa, and Camie deal with the kids.

"I'll have a surprise karaoke contest with them..." That whole line, just had me go "Oooooh..." (I don't mean this in a horny way. I mean this in a "Don't get that man mad" way.)

🎤 BrOTP: Hands down, I love the relationship between him, Aizawa, Oboro, and Midnight during their high school days. I just love that. (PAIN) But I also like to think he and Ms. Joke could also work as friends.

🎤 OTP: I'm already going to say Erasermic. I know it, you know it, we all know it. But rarepair shipping me just thought about chaotic it would be if he and Ms. Joke went out. That I want to see!

🎤 nOTP: Don't really have one really. Just don't like him shipped with any of the kids.

🎤 Random headcanon: I firmly believe this man has great time management skills. He's a Pro Hero, a radio host, an English teacher and might as well throw in 4th Wall Breaker! I also have a feeling he and Midnight get their glasses from the same place. And one more! He's a great singer, I feel like he can hold some notes. I mean his VA, Hiroyuki Yoshino, is great at it! (I've watched those singing clips multiple times now.)

🎤 Unpopular opinion: Hmm. He's scary. He's literally that character you see so upbeat all the time and then it's just when he gets mad or things are serious it's scary. Season 1 gave us a taste when he didn't say a single word before blowing the villains' ear drums. And then, oooh, that scene where he confronts you-know-who. I can't wait to see that animated!

🎤 Song I associate with them: Omg, I just realize I don't have a song for Mic. I feel ashamed. Hmm... You know what? I feel like he would vibe with those remixes. Like when people take anime openings and hype up the beats. Those. He'll love iMarkkeyz mixes. Ooh! 'Holla at the DJ' by Coco Jones.

🎤 Favorite picture of them: Like I have one! (Third picture is me. Definitely.)

SEND ME A CHARACTER

#kiya answers #present mic #yamada hizashi #hizashi yamada #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

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casual--fridays · 1 month

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Yo I saw you got to meet Aki’s VA which is super cool!! I laughed v hard at introducing yourself as “New Mexico’s most insane Aki fan” 😆 also very cool about him recognizing the aki prayer candle, united in Saint Aki we stand LMAO

aaa sorry I took forever to answer this, life is kinda hectic atm 😭

BUTBUT YEAHHHHA it was the best and he was just such a super cool dude, same with denji and the future devil's vas too

he even signed my aki lookup figure and thought he looked like he's being lectured at school 😭😭

all 3 vas loved my 🔫 fiend cosplay too ehhrhdjs

aki's va was all "well I knew you were coming back today but I didn't know you'd be coming back with emotional damage"

denji's va said "oh well I didn't know I'd be crying today" and pointed over to aki's va and asked if I made him cry too 😭

and then me and the future devil's va kept going on a back an fourth of "the future rules" where I kept saying "*this* future doesn't rule" (but when I came back on day 3 as hair down aki I finally said the future rules back to him..)

aggaggg as a reward for reading my ramble here's a clip I got of aki's va at the panel ehee (sorry if my hands were a bit shaky, I was carring around the big 🔫 arm all day lmao)

bonus !! here's his (slightly smudged) signature on my aki lookup figure plus the picture I got with him !!

#aki balls

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buunbi-archive · 3 years

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i wonder if there are ppl out there who draw human!rook blonko white

#🐇.txt #(for context his va is black)#if so i’d love to study you #like. i’ve never seen it bu there has to be #*but #they’d be in the same category as ppl who draw human garnet white #or whatever the hell was going on with that person that drew b/lack panther white with blond hair n blue eyes #except he IS human so it’s even WEIRDER #anyways hi to the like 3 ppl that follow me for b/en 10 #i’ve been getting clips in my recs lately for some reason #and it’s making me wanna finally watch all of the original show and uaf #because i haven’t actually seen every episode of those #only o/mniverse

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wkemeup · 3 years

Text

Sunrise (8)

summary: After an explosion takes his arm and his only sense of belonging, Bucky is content to live out the rest of his days in the hollow comfort of the dark. This is, until Sam drags him down to the local VA and he meets you. (Modern AU) pairings: bucky x reader chapter word count: 5.3k warnings: sweet happy beautiful bucky, a unpleasant reminder of the past, whiplash of emotion, the angst I warned you about 🧡 series masterlist / series playlist

Bucky wasn’t quite sure how to hold onto this feeling without suffocating it.

It had been nearly a year since he’d felt even an ounce of the relief like what washed through his body when you walked through the door. All it took was a single smile from across the room, the soft brush of your hair over your fingers as you nervously tucked it behind your ear, and he was gone.

Enough for his cheeks to ache from smiling. Enough for his stomach to twist and knot from laughter. Enough for the wrinkles by his eyes to draw long and pronounced— the physical embodiment of joy upon his face.

He wasn’t walking on eggshells, waiting for the carpet to be dragged out from under his feet, for the paralyzing darkness of an empty void to consume him whole. The shadows weren’t lingering in his wake, itching to clench their claws into his spine and drag him away from the one thing that finally drew light back into his life.

For the first time since he stepped back on American soil, Bucky Barnes was happy. Truly and honest to God, happy.

“So! What do you think?” your voice called to him, breaking the trance he’d been in.

“Hmm?” Bucky blinked a few times to adjust to his surroundings. You were laughing at him, a hand over your lips in an effort to muffle the sound. Behind you, a woman directed a pointed stare in your direction despite the busy chatter inside Luciana’s.

“The book, Bucky,” you grinned, tapping on the edge of the binding.

He glanced down. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue sat propped in his right hand, the clip you’d given him the first day of book club nestled in at the center to keep the pages open. Truthfully, he hadn’t read a single word of it since he sat down with you an hour ago. His attention had been better kept watching how you tugged your lower lip between your teeth in concentration, how your eyes widened at a particularly suspenseful part of your chapter, how you clicked your nails against the coffee mug in perfect rhythm with the café music.

“It’s good,” he said, though you pouted at him.

“Bucky you’ve been on the same page for twenty minutes!”

Busted. He shrugged, a laugh in his breath.

“Guess there were better things to look at.”

Your lips parted for a second, caught off guard, before you settled back into your seat. Your hands wrung out in front of you, eyes darting down the floor. It wasn’t easy to make you flustered, but damn if it was Bucky’s favorite feeling in the world.

“Don’t insult my books like that, Barnes,” you teased, lingering smile upon your face.

“Wouldn’t call it an insult,” he said simply. “There’s not much that can hold a candle when you’re around.”

The stun didn’t leave your face for a few seconds. You stared at him, then glanced around the room nervously as if he’d said something incredibly intimate. He couldn’t remember the last time this came so easy to him – the flirting, the charm. It was something he’d thrived on before the war and now, it seemed you brought that side out of him again.

“You’re a charmer today,” you observed, laughing through the nervous energy. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing.” Bucky shrugged, reaching across the table to break off a piece of your pastry and plopped it into his mouth. “I’m happy. Can I be happy?”

You nodded quickly, almost a little too enthusiastically, with a smile so wide on your face he wondered if it were possible for it to touch your ears.

“Yeah. Yeah, you can be happy.” The words left your lips almost breathlessly. You were looking at him like he was the goddamn sun and damn if that didn’t tug straight at his heart. “I like you happy.”

“I like me happy, too,” Bucky chuckled. He glanced up at the clock. “Come on, we should head over to the VA.”

You downed the rest of your coffee in a single chug and set the cup on the counter. Luciana waved at you as you moved towards the exit, Bucky in tow, and she winked at him as he passed by. He nodded, offering her a tight-lipped smile as he stepped out into the cool Autumn air. Your hand naturally slipped into his and you tugged him along the sidewalk.

“Promise me you’ll actually pay attention to Steve’s spiel instead of staring at me the whole time,” you teased him as you walked over the crosswalk, nudging his side.

Steve was giving a presentation at the VA for the open house; explaining the benefits, the groups, different opportunities, and the respite rooms. It was a big deal apparently and helped to bring a lot of former soldiers into the fold. It was one of your favorite days because there was usually an increase of members at book club for a few weeks after.

“No guarantees,” Bucky replied, face as even as he could manage it. That was, until you swatted his chest and he burst into laughter, drawing the attention of a group of teenagers who eyed him as they walked by. Their lingering stare meant nothing to him when he stood at your side.

When you reached the VA, you pushed open the door, considering his hand was otherwise occupied, and led him inside. There were dozens of people in the lobby, certainly more than he’d ever seen inside. Men and women were mingling around the tables, some sitting on the couches, with paper plates of cheese and crackers from the grocery store.

Tony stumbled by carrying about four boxes filled with cookies, barely keeping his balance.

“I could use a little help, kid!” he called, eyeing you as he frantically made his way to the kitchen.

“Coming, Tony!” You turned to Bucky, smile still present on your face as you ran a hand along his arm in comforting sweeps. “Will you be alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Go.”

Maybe if he looked close enough, he might have seen a well of pride on your face, but you didn’t give him the chance before you leaned up and pressed a kiss straight to his lips— no cares for the crowd in the room or the fact that Sam and Steve were lingering around the VA somewhere. Bucky couldn’t find it in himself to worry about the stares because, hell, maybe he wanted people to know you were the woman he had the privilege of kissing.

“Go,” Bucky said again, pulling away from you reluctantly as a clanging could be heard from the kitchen, followed by an aggravated moan which could have only belonged to Tony Stark. You pouted, stealing one last kiss before bolting down the hall and out of sight.

Bucky spent a few extra seconds staring down the end of the empty hallway before he turned back to the room. The crowd didn’t bother him as much as it might have a few months earlier. He didn’t feel the same rush of anxiety in his veins as he felt on busy streets, but it didn’t mean he was explicitly comfortable either.

So, he kept to the outskirts of the room, standing along the wall and observing quietly from the corners.

The event seemed to be going well. He’d spotted Steve mingling with a group of older guys with long white beards and biker jackets, laughing as they told him about their adventures biking cross country. Sam found his way over to the couch beside a few of the guests who had busied themselves with the food instead and even found a way to get them talking to one another. Bucky kept his hand pressed into his pocket, a semblance of a smile on his face as he watched Sam pick a chip of the plate of the woman he was talking to without reservation.

It was a good place. A respite. Just like Sam had told him it would be. Bucky found a sense of normalcy in this building he couldn’t have hoped to find out in the real world alone— a belonging – and he knew a lot of that had to do with you.

He was just about to head down to the kitchen to see if you needed any help when he heard a voice that ran like ice through his veins. What it had said was indistinguishable, but Bucky could recognize the thick grovel of the tone almost anywhere. Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder, trying to remain as small as possible, as he spotted Jack Rollins emerging from the entrance.

With slicked jet-black hair, hardened angular lines upon his face, and a permanent scowl etching down on his features, Jack Rollins was not a man Bucky ever wanted to see again. He spoke with the two men in his wake, gesturing to a woman who was standing quietly by herself, reading the flyers on the bulletin board, as if he were stalking prey.

Bucky’s heart was thunderous as he took a step back. His black slammed against the wall, catching the breath in his lungs. His fingertips brushed over the chill of the pealing wallpaper, trying to find his grounding before Rollins noticed he was there. But luck was never so kind to him.

It only took one scan of the room before Rollin’s eyes landed on Bucky. He stilled, just as surprised to see him, but then, something dark twisted upon his features.

“Sergeant Barnes!” he called over the crowd, a jeering sort of laugh in his voice.

Bucky gritted his teeth, forcing himself to meet Rollins in the eye. “Jack.”

“Been over a year, man. How you been?” Rollins was conversational only in statement. His tone was near threatening, his men following behind him like a shadow. Dark eyes trailed down along the empty sleeve on Bucky’s side, a smile rising on his face.

Bucky tried to pretend as though he didn’t notice. “Recovering. You?”

“Yeah, I bet you are.” Rollins chuckled. Then, he puffed his chest up. “I’ve been working for the private sector.”

That didn’t surprise him. Rollins always had an affinity for the darkest parts of the job overseas. He took too much pleasure in the use of his weapon, paid no mind to the destruction left behind in his wake. Rollins was exactly the sort of man the military hoped to produce; follow chain of command without question, find purpose in your mission, execute without remorse. Seemed he found more of the same when he returned home. Only this time for a bigger paycheck.

Bucky could still picture him dressed in army camouflage with the weight of near forty pounds of combat gear on his back, finger always on the trigger. It felt a bit like that now, Bucky realized, as Rollins narrowed his eyes as if he were going in for the kill.

“You know, Barnes,” Rollins shrugged, exchanging a snide grin with his friends, “I’m a little surprised you’d even show your face around here after what happened. Takes guts.”

Bucky swallowed as though there weren’t blades in his throat. He tried not to let the hitch in his breath show or how his stomach dropped about ten feet below the surface. Instead, he pressed his lips together into a thin line, holding Rollins’ stare as if he were made of stone.

“You should leave,” Bucky said, his voice low enough to break gravel.

“Me?” Rollins mocked, laughing as he turned to his friends. Then, facing Bucky again as a darkness clouded over his features. “That's rich, coming from you.”

Bucky held his breath. He tried to draw on images of you sitting across from him at Luciana’s, how you smiled at him, how you made him feel like he didn’t carry such a heavy weight upon his back. He pictured you curled up next to him in your bed, imprints of the pillow on your cheeks and the covers pulled up tight to your chin. He imagined how your hand felt in his, how it brushed along his back, how your lips felt on his cheek, on his mouth.

But those pictures started to fade the longer Rollins stared at him, that devilish smirk upon his face as he ran a hand along his jawline, cracking his knuckles against the bone. Those comforting images of you sunk into the darkness, pulled from him somewhere far beyond where he could reach and suddenly, he felt like he was standing on a pillar at the center of the ocean, nothing but violent waves surrounding him for miles. Alone.

“I mean, what the fuck are you doing here, Barnes?” Rollins jeered, picking up a cookie from the table, inspecting it for a moment before he tossed it back on the platter. It crumbled on impact. “You think you even deserve to step foot in this building after what you did?”

“It didn’t go down like you think,” Bucky shot back, his voice uneven, wavering, as if he didn’t quite believe it himself.

He tried to repeat the words that Sam had worked to instill in him again and again for months after he came home. They never seemed to stick until the last few weeks but now – now they felt as far away as ever.

I did everything I could.

Some things are outside of my control.

It wasn’t my fault.

He wasn’t sure he believed that with Jack Rollins circling around him like a vulture, amused by the distress quickly forming against Bucky’s features.

From across the room, Sam stood up from his place on the couch, a hand gesturing over to Steve as he caught sight of Rollins. Bucky retreated in his stance, feeling as though Rollins was towering over him, his chest caving in. Rollin smirked, teeth bared and ready to strike.

With venom like precision, Rollins spat, “You’re the reason half our unit is dead, asshole.”

It hit like a sucker punch to the gut, made him stumbled back a few paces as if he were clocked in the chest. The initial blow only lasted for a few seconds before the overwhelming sense of shame seeped back into his veins, slipping through his blood like muddied waters and stealing away the careful, steady progress he’d made.

Then, a lingering acceptance as it cleared him to the surface.

A numbness took over, casting back to the shadows inside his mind. It was what he’d been waiting for since the day he’d stepped foot off that plane – for someone to confirm all the destruction and self-loathing he’d felt since that day.

Rollins was right.

I could have saved them.

I could have prevented all of it.

It was my fault.

He’d been foolish to convince himself otherwise.

“Hey!” Sam barked, jutting out in front of Bucky and shoving a hand to the middle of Rollin’s chest as he attempted to draw closer. “What the fuck is your problem, man?”

“My problem? My problem is you’re letting just about anyone walk through those doors!” Rollins shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Bucky. “Your buddy here is responsible for eight of our own coming home in caskets!”

Bucky flinched, visibly recoiling as if something had burned him, and it seemed to be the reaction Rollins was looking for because a snide grin slid up along his cheeks.

Steve was suddenly on his left, a hand pressed to his shoulder. He was whispering something in his ear, but he couldn’t quite hear him. He could hardly make out what Sam was shouting as he attempted to push Rollins towards the door. A crowd was gathering – standing in watch to observe the shame of a soldier who should have burned in the desert with his friends.

“What’s going on?”

Bucky’s heart dropped at the sound of your voice as you appeared on his right. He didn’t know how long you’d been there or what you heard, but it was the first time he ever regretted allowing himself the luxury of your presence, of your warmth and kindness. You should have been an anchor beside him, but he could feel the rope slipping from his grip, letting him sink down into the ocean or float high into the clouds – somewhere far away from where you were.

You ran your hand along his arm, trying to thread an ounce of comfort back into his body, but he was rigid as stone. The touch was paralyzing. It was a reminder of his emptiness, of his ill attempt to be worthy of your affection. You seemed to notice as you stared up at him, worry filling your eyes.

“Ah, so you’ve got a girl now, too?” Rollins sneered towards Bucky, shoving Sam aside.

“Leave her out of this,” Bucky warned, his voice returning to him only in your defense. He stepped out in front of you, shielding you from Rollins’ gaze.

It only seemed to amuse him more. “Tell me, sweetheart. What’s it like? I mean, can he even get the job done? You wanna try being with a real man again?”

It was Sam that roared in response. “Watch your fucking mouth!”

Your hand rested on Bucky’s shoulder blades as if you were trying to ease him but he felt like he was on fire. Rollins shoved Sam aside to get a better look at you, a predator going in for the kill.

Rollins’ cold eyes stared directly into yours and Bucky felt his breathing stop.

“Did you know half of our unit died under his watch?”

Everything became white noise after that. Bucky didn’t dare turn to look at your reaction, nor could he hear Sam’s defense or Steve’s angry shouts as Rollins continued his taunts. He didn’t know how it happened, but suddenly, Rollins was on the floor. Sam was shaking his hand out, holding his fist against his chest.

Rollins stumbled his way back to his feet with a vengeance, folding his hands into fists as he charged at Sam.

“Get him out of here!” Steve’s muffled voice called to you as the crowd began to swarm in. Former soldiers joining the chaos, cheering or barreling fists. A man bumped into Bucky’s shoulder, but there was no trace of a reaction on his face. He was empty. He was numb.

Bucky could vaguely feel your hand as you slipped it into his pocket, drawing his own to intertwine between your fingers and you tugged him down the hall. He knew better than to look over his shoulder at the mess he was leaving behind.

***

You took Bucky into the empty library, quickly closing the door behind you to muffle the sound of the shouting down the hall. Bucky stood at the head of the couch, his eyes downcast.

“Are you alright?” You knew there was no good answer. It was a foolish question. And still -- you asked.

Your hands slid along Bucky’s chest, up to his shoulders to try and draw some of the tension away, and for the first time, he recoiled under your touch. Your hands quickly dropped down to your sides as you took a few steps back, hands held tightly in front of you. A flash of remorse covered his features as he looked at you, but then the stone swept back in its place and hardened the softened edges you adored. You pushed aside the splinter inside your chest.

“Who was that guy anyway? He seems like a real piece of work.” You laughed, though it was tense and forced. Bucky didn’t so much as crack a smile.

It was silent for a moment. The only sound coming from the low hum of the radiator in the corner of the room. Bucky’s gaze was fixated on the carpet, staring at the years’ faded stains and the dust bunnies at the foot of the couch. A terrible aching tugging down on his lips, on his eyes, on his cheeks, and he barely resembled the man who had teased you over coffee at Luciana’s just an hour earlier.

“He was right, though.”

You swallowed, daring to ask, “what do you mean?”

“I'm the reason half my unit is dead,” Bucky replied flatly. When he looked at you again, you found his eyes were red, his lips swollen from chewing on the edges. His right hand had indents in his palm from where he’d dug his nails into the skin. Your stomach lurched.

“Oh, Bucky.” Your heart broke at the sight of him. “That... That can’t be true.”

He didn’t say anything, but the grit in his teeth was enough to tell you that he believed it. You’d only seen glimpses of how the war had touched him, how it cast shadows over the man he’d been before he stepped on that plane and adorned the uniform, but now – now, it felt like those shadows had consumed him whole. He couldn’t so much as see the soft rise of the sun over his shoulder. He was too swept up in the embrace of darkness. The light couldn’t touch him where he stood shielded by night.

“Why don’t we go to my place?” you offered, inching a step closer. When he didn’t retreat, you gathered his hand into your own. While he didn’t pull away again, you could feel the reluctance in his grip, the rigidity in his stance. “I can make dinner and we'll throw on a movie, okay? Let’s just get out of here.”

Your right hand slid along the side of his face, cupping at his cheek. He usually leaned into the touch, pressed a kiss to the inside of your palm. Instead, the most he could force out was a tight-lipped smile that did not touch his eyes. You could practically feel how hard he was clenching his jaw, the muscle tired and aching. Still, he nodded.

As you led him out the back exit of the VA, you glanced behind you to see Rollins sitting on the floor, nursing a bloody nose as a police officer stood over him, jotting down notes as he spoke with Steve. Sam caught your eye for a second, nodding in your direction. A relief washed through you and you tugged Bucky outside before anyone could notice him slip out.

It was silent the whole walk to your apartment. It wasn’t entirely unusual, but it was the first time the air carried a lingering sense of discomfort in it. You wondered what was going on in Bucky’s head, how badly he’d construed whatever Rollins had said to him, even before you arrived. Sam had told you of Bucky’s self-destructive habit of carrying guilt far heavier than he could carry, guilt that didn’t belong to him. He seemed to welcome it like it was made for him. He didn’t mind if it ripped him apart and left him broken and empty when it was done. He seemed to think it was what he deserved.

You squeezed his hand, hoping it might draw back a sense of comfort, but he kept his eyes forward on the empty streets ahead. His hand was little more than limp in your hold.

***

Bucky was just on the edge of sleep when it began to creep up on him. Slow at first, and then, sudden, in violent flashes.

Sweltering heat. The low rumble of a jeep. An infectious laugh on his left and the cold compress of a gun in his hands. A sudden stop.

Bucky gritted his teeth, trying to turn away from the images attempting to draw him under, to sweep him beyond the current, to drown him in the darkest parts of the depth. But the riptide caught hold of his leg and forced him underwater.

Heavy equipment on his back. Sand under his feet. The sun blinding in his eyes.

He swallowed, but his throat was lined in rust. It burned. He couldn’t breathe.

A reflection over a valley. Someone shouting. Screaming. Warning. Frantic.

The kid. Get to the kid!

Then – the heat of a fire scorching his skin. Ringing in his ears. Muffled. Agonizing silence. Blood on the sand, on his shoes, dripping down his side and soaking into his uniform.

Pain. So much pain. So much pain. So much—

Bucky’s eyes shot open. He sucked in a breath of air and it came in short and shallow, barely filling his lungs, and he was panting for more. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, gasping for breath until he took enough in that the dizziness started to subside. His forehead was lined in sweat, his right hand shaking uncontrollably as he gripped at the sheets.

It was as mild as it’s ever been – the nightmares. Usually, he woke up screaming, his voice so raw it ached until morning. He thrashed and kicked and drew blood until something finally jarred him awake. He’d broken the lamp beside his bed four times in the weeks after he came home. It was violent and messy, and it was a damn miracle he’d only felt a sliver of it tonight.

But it had been so long since he had one. He almost thought they had finally released him from their hold before Rollins showed up. For a while, they let him be happy. He should have known better than to expect it to last.

The mattress dipped slightly behind him and with a sharp hilt, Bucky suddenly remembered where he was.

He turned over his shoulder to find you laying on the bed beside him, hair cast up and around you against the pillow, eyes closed, the steady rhythm of your breaths indicating you were still fast asleep. He stilled for a moment, watching the gentle rise and fall of your chest, the light scrunch in your nose.

You’d tried so hard to get him to smile the whole evening after what happened at the VA. Constant touches to his cheeks, along his arm, playing absentmindedly with his hand. You made him dinner and curled up against him as you put on a movie that you were certain would turn his mood around, but he remained stoic and cold until you finally resigned to the bedroom.

He could tell how exhausted you were. Even reaching for his hand, there was a helplessness in your grasp, but you’d begged him to stay, insisting you didn’t want him to be alone after what happened at the VA. You held him tight to your chest, told him over and over again that you didn’t care what Rollins said, you knew he was a good man and that was all that mattered.

Bucky wanted so badly to believe that.

But here you were – so beautiful, a light, something good in his life he didn’t deserve.

Sam would kill him for giving into those thoughts again, but all he had in his head was violence and agony and there you were – so peaceful and soft and kind. He'd taint you with all the mess threatening to break through his seams. He’d hurt you. He'd break you. You couldn’t hold him together no matter how hard you tried. He didn’t deserve such kindness. Today reminded him of that.

Bucky leaned in and pressed a short kiss to your temple. It was feather light and still, you sighed in your sleep. He tried not to notice when the corners of your lips curved up into a smile.

Then, he crept out of the room, stealing one last look at you as you turned onto your side, arms crossed over your chest protectively. Something tugged inside his chest, begging him to stay. He could feel it pushing him back toward the bed, to your embrace and the comfort it brought, but he turned his back. He ignored his every instinct to return to your side and dragged his feet of the bedroom instead.

Despite his reluctance, he found himself lingering on the photograph in your hallway of the Air Force pilot; sandy blonde hair, a tight-lipped smile, features that made him look younger than he probably was. A pang of jealousy wretched into his stomach at the sight of this nameless man. Shame quickly followed.

You never spoke of the man in the photo – the nameless Air Force pilot who stood at your side in front of your parents. The way you pressed out a smile despite your tears, the position of your stance angled closer to the pilot as if to preserve your last remaining moments together, made Bucky question what had happened to this man. This was clearly a man you had loved. Might still love.

Bucky didn’t dare allow himself to wonder if he had ever measured up. He supposed now he would not get the chance.

Bucky let out a sigh as he turned away from the picture. He made it all the way to the door before he heard the squeak of the floor boards behind him.

“Bucky?”

Sleep was still etched in your voice. You yawned as you folded your arms, squinting at him to adjust to the dim light in the kitchen. Bucky clenched his jaw, reluctantly turning to face you.

“It’s the middle of the night,” you said, eyes flickering to the clock above the stove. It was then you must have noticed the jacket draped over his shoulders, boots on his feet, hand begrudgingly releasing the door knob. Your face fell. “Where are you going?”

He didn’t know what to say. Was there an easy way to break your heart? Was there any excuse that could allow both of you to walk away from this unharmed? There was no good answer, but his silence certainly was worse.

“Bucky?” you tried again and he could hear the inflection of concern etched into your tone. You took a step closer to him and he held himself firm. He was stone now. It was what he had to be.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered out, voice low, though he met your eye. “I can’t do this.”

If you were still half asleep a moment ago, you weren’t anymore. Your eyes widened, lips parting. Your arms fell down to your sides.

“What... What are you talking about?” you exhaled, barely above a whisper. He could hear the hurt in your voice, the confusion, and he hated himself for it. You stepped closer, reaching out for his hand. “Please, just come back to bed. You look like you haven't slept for—”

Bucky pulled his hand away the moment you touched his fingers. It forced a hitch in your breath, a step back. You hadn’t expected him to recoil from you like that. Two times in the same day. You were losing him, the realization clear in your eyes. He was slipping and he would not take the tether as you threw it to him.

“This is about what that man said at the VA, isn’t it?” you asked timidly, your lip quivering. You shook your head, trying to hold back tears though Bucky could practically hear the tension from the lump in your throat. “He was... he was just being cruel. I don’t believe a word of it. And neither does Sam or Steve – the people that love you, Bucky. Don’t give in into him. Don’t let him win.”

Bucky didn’t say anything, rendering his reaction colder than you deserved.

You reached out for him again, a habit, though you pulled your hand back to your chest before you could touch him. It was shaking.

“Honey, please,” you tried again, unwilling to give up on him like you should. “Come get some rest and maybe you’ll feel better in the morning. Just... don’t go. Don’t be alone with this.”

You were begging. He could hear it in your voice. The desperation. And still—Bucky offered you nothing in return.

He sank so far inside himself you couldn’t reach beyond the cliffside to offer your hand. All it took was a single push. He was already standing so close to the edge. Rollins had set a hand on his back, like an old friend, like an enemy, and shoved. Bucky didn’t even try to catch his fall.

“Whatever this is...” Bucky murmured and eyes focused down at the tile, unable to look at you as he broke your heart, “it’s over.”

His heart was splintering as he said it and still, he turned and left without another word. He didn’t wait for your response, didn’t wait to see whether his cruelty had ended in tears, and closed the door behind him. You didn’t attempt to follow.

You’d understand eventually, he convinced himself. Even a woman as compassionate and loving as you couldn't possibly love a man so broken, with jagged edges and open wounds, with shards of glass embedded inside him and poison in his touch. Empty and hollow. Broken.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes

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itsjustmyfantasyroom · 3 years

Text

T shirt and panties.

This is for my dear @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo who planted this seed with her yummy Hank story this morning.

Miguel is first and after the ****** is Bishop, same idea but different characters.

Warnings: Hint of the smut to come and just fluff.

WC: 1742

Enjoy x

The only things that were missing when Miguel walked back through the door was strobe lights and smoke machines. You loved the old house till it burnt down, but you had two requests when you were looking for a new house, a walk-in wardrobe and blue tooth sound system through the house. Miguel laughed to himself at your request but the real estate came through for you and you were happy and that’s all he could ask for after you lost so much in the fire.

You were known as the first lady of Santo Padre, you were very hands on with the town and very well known, not just as Mrs. Galindo but also as a good charitable person, always willing to help out whenever anyone in the town needed it. You came from humble beginnings and it was just by chance that Miguel crossed your path, but it was the best chance encounter of your life. You were always dressed to the 9’s out of the house. Very well groomed, hair and make up always done and cloths immaculate.

Miguel made his way up the stairs your voice almost as loud as the music pumping through the house. He rounded into the bedroom and found you dancing in the walk-in wardrobe. The Spanish beat and words filled the room and Miguel stopped, looking on with his arms crossed in front of himself and a smirk on his face. As much as he loved you in your fancy cloths, he loved how you were dressed now; One of his old college t shirts, a pair of black lace panties and your hair half up, half down pulled back with a claw clip.

“Mamita, yo sé que tú no te me vas a quitar (¡duro!)

Lo que me gusta es que tú te dejas llevar (¡duro!)

Todos los weekenes ella sale a vacilar (¡duro!)

Mi gata no para de janguear porque”

Miguel bit his bottom lip listening to the words coming out of your mouth loud, at how you sang the words, his eyes sparkling watching as you dent down picking up pairs of shoes from the box in front of you putting them on the shoe rack on the back wall. His eyes scanned down to your hips, at how you moved them to the beat of the music. Shaking them from side to side and dropping down low. How the rest of your body moved like a snake to the beat. The music was too loud for you to hear the growl that rattled through his chest.

“A ella le gusta la gasolina

(Dame más gasolina)

Cómo le encanta la gasolina

(Dame más gasolina)

A ella le gusta la gasolina

(Dame más gasolina)

Cómo le encanta la gasolina

(Dame más gasolina)”

Not taking his eyes off you, he toed off his shoes, shrugged off his jacket and walked into the space, he came up behind you, his hands going to your hips. You let out a giggle as his big warm hands moved down your thighs and back up again. The beat taking over both of you. Miguel pulled you back onto him and you grinded back into him, your clothed ass grinding back into his crotch. One of your hands came up to hook on his neck. You both danced together for the remainder of the song, your hips moving together and your bodies pressed together, his solid chest pressed into your back. Miguel’s lips and beard brushed over your neck. Miguel’s hand ran up the arm to the hand that was on his neck, he grabbed onto it pulling it away from him, taking it into his hand. He rested his other hand on your hip and spun you around.

Miguel winked at you, pulling you into him and dipping you down at the end of the song. You broke into giggles as he lifted you back up, his lips meeting yours as you stood back up on your feet. Miguel’s hand sliding down to latch onto your lace covered flesh, giving it a squeeze and then a slight slap,

“Those hips don’t lie, Amor” Miguel rested his forehead on yours as you both started to sway along to the next song.

“Nor do yours, my love” you peaked his lips.

Miguel gave you a grin that was filled with nothing but sexual desire. He started to back you into the shoe rack till you were pressed into it. Miguel hooked his fingers into the waist of your panties and pulled them down as he sunk to his knees. Miguel pushed your legs apart slightly, lent forward and licked a strip straight up your core, your legs trembling at how good it felt,

“You know what else doesn’t lie, my love? The way you scream my name when your about to cum”

********************************************************************************************************************

You weren’t living together yet and hadn’t been together for that long, but it had gotten serious quite quickly and you were both happy with how it was going. Bishop had been out for a run for nearly four weeks and you wanted him to come home, just relax and not worry about anything. He telling you previously that he would lock himself away for a couple of days after a run to clear his head and relax. You did a quick grocery shop and picked up a case of his favourite beer, driving over to his house, finding the hidden spare key and letting yourself in.

As soon as the door opened, a damp smell hit you, making you crinkle your nose at the ugly smell. You sat everything on the kitchen table and rushed around the house opening all the windows to let in fresh air. You walked back into the kitchen putting everything away where it needed to go. You went into the bed room stripping the bed and throwing the sheets in the washing machine for a quick wash.

Sweat was dripping off you, you walked into the lounge room turning on the aircon to try and cool down, it made a big bang and the green light turned off. You swore under your breath wiping your sweaty forehead with the back of your hand and ringing a repair man that was going to come out the next day to look at it, you writing a note and putting it on Bishop’s fridge. You couldn’t handle the heat so you kicked your flats off and pulled off your jeans, leaving you in your panties and t shirt, as you continued to move around the house, cleaning and tiding.

It was later in the afternoon, you had vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, did another load of washing that was in the drier, made a pasta bake that was cooking slowly in the oven and had just remade the bed when you laid on top of it just to rest for a moment till the pasta bake was done and you were going to go home and wait for Bishop to come and see you when he was ready.

Your eyes shot open when you heard the front door close and you heard foot steps on the hard wood floor in the hall way, you had been asleep for an hour and you jumped up rushing to the doorway, when you came face to face with Bishop, a big smile on his face,

“Hey sweetheart” his arms came around you pulling you to him, yours around his neck and his lips met yours, his hands running along your lower back “Sorry I was away so long, I missed you” Bishop kissed your shoulder.

“Missed you, so much” you kissed his cheek. You heard the bell on the oven and you pulled away from him walking to the kitchen “Let me get the pasta bake out, I’ll open you a beer and I’ll get out of your hair. I know you like to relax after a run”

Bishop looked around the house as you walked into the kitchen, after his eyes were glued on your pantie covered ass, till you were out of sight. His eyes went to the living room, clean blankets draped over the couch, floor clean, then he looked in his bedroom at the clean sheets and a basket of clean folded up cloths sitting on the end of it, he then walked into the bathroom looking at how tidy it was and smelling clean, then walking into the kitchen to you pulling out his favourite pasta dish and walked to the fridge opening it and his eyes blew open at how full of food it was and his favourite beer stacked up on the bottom shelf.

You sat the hot tray on the stove, closing the oven and turning it off. You walked to the cupboard reaching up on your tippy toes for a plate when Bishop came up behind you, his hands running up your thighs and moved around, squeezing your cotton covered flesh, kissing the middle of your back,

“How did you know I was coming home today?” Bishop whispered into your ear as you stood back down flat on your feet.

“I didn’t, I thought you were coming back tomorrow. I just didn’t want you to worry about cleaning or food shopping or cooking. I just wanted you to relax once you walked through the door”

You turned to face Bishop and he pressed his body onto yours. His lips kissing along your neck, your hand coming up to rest on the back of his head, the hairs on your body standing on end at the feeling of his beard and warm lips. Bishop wrapped his arms around your middle, lifting you up off the floor and walking you into the bed room, dropping you on the bed. Bishop shrugged off his vest and started to undress himself,

“You know something sweetheart? Your right, I do like to relax after a run. But I like to relax in a different way now” Bishop pushed down his jeans, leaving him in just his boxers “I have you and there is nothing more I want to do then to fuck you into this mattress and then sit with you on the couch, stuff our faces with that amazing pasta, drink beer and watch our show” Bishop moved to settle between your legs that he pushed apart “Sound good to you, baby?”

“Sound amazing”

Tags: @beccabarba @alwaysachorusgirl @frattsparty @withmyteeth

#miguel galindo #miguel galindo x reader #miguel galindo smut #miguel galindo x you #bishop losa #bishop losa x you #bishop losa x reader #manyans mc #mayans mc #mayans fanfic #mayansmc #mayans fanfiction

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nobamakination · 3 years

Text

Jujutsu Kaisen Special Event (JujuFest 2021)

idk if anyone cares but i just want to post (unorganized & might be uncompleted) translations during this event...

All seiyuu cast doing a live dubbing of a scene that they choose for each character.

• Yuji scene (chosen by Gojo VA): when yuji was asked the reason he wants to enter Jujutsu High

• Megumi scene (chosen by Yuji VA): megumi's domain expansion

• Nobara scene (chosen by Megumi VA): nobara vs momo

megumi va comments abt nobara vs momo scene: "it's really amazing. can I call you 'ane-san' instead of asami-chan?"

• Maki scene (chosen by Nobara VA): nobara and maki talking abt the reason maki wants to be a jujutsu sorcerer

after dubbing this scene

nobara va: I choose this scene as my favorite scene bcs that's scene when I fell in love with maki. (she's) so handsome.

maki va: im also like nobara the most

nobara va: *smile (she also said something but i don't remember)

• panda (chosen by toge VA): when panda threw nobara lmao

• toge scene (chosen by Maki VA):

Megumi, panda-senpai, toge vs todo

megumi, itoge, vs hanami

• Gojo scene (chosen by panda VA): Gojo's domain expansion

Gojo's va was fired up talking abt how unrealistic gojo's hair with or without blindfold. he said gojo's hairshould be messy when he remove the blindfold, but his hair is silky and smooth lol

toge va: is it okay for me to speak today?

there's a clip of todo va playing jenga. everytime he claps, he disappeared from the screen bcs of "boogie woogie" technique

• there's live dubbing of juju sanpo! in the story, they going to kawaguchi for meeting gojo. (btw kawaguchi is the place where the jujufest taking place)

• the 1st year students talking shits abt gojo when he's not around (seriously, this event is gojo slander party lmao)

• the 1st year very excited for spending their times there, but (obviously) gojo crush their hopes

the 2nd year students also going to kawaguchi. they thinking abt the way to take panda on the train. they thought panda must pretend as a stuffed toy. they asked who would carry him and everyone look at maki hsgcshdghsgfhsdgfhsgfhs

but she refuses it.

toge suddenly has an idea.

toge: mentaiko mentaiko

maki: i see!!

toge: tuna mayo!

maki: you're a genius, toge!

panda: i don't understand. what did toge said?

maki: he said to put you inside a suitcase

panda: but im too big

maki: first, we must remove ur insides

panda: stop that!!!

in the end, they decided to pretend panda is a mascot, so they can take him on the train lol

after they arrived at kawaguchi, gojo announced that they'll be doing (silly) QUIZ GAME BETWEEN THE 1ST YEAR VS THE 2ND YEAR AND YUJI IS THE ONLY ONE WHO EXCITED LMAOOOOOOOOO. the winner would get a prize while the other would get a penalty.

nobara breaking the 4th wall. she yelling into the sky to stop the noises when her answer was wrong

nobara teasing megumi as todo's new brother bcs he was able to answer the question abt takada-chan. maki join in and said "if you like idols, just say it fushiguro.

megumi: I JUST HAPPENED TO SAW IT ON THE TV!

the last question

"what's The Great Teacher Gojo's fav food?"

yuji: *says all sweet pancake sauce

and gojo only answer it with "sweet food~"

btw the 1st year and 2nd year have the same score, so gojo decides all of them would do the penalty jakljdakjdklajd

im almost forget!! mahito va also playing jenga and he keeps saying a lot of mahito's lines lol

they also announced jjk movie's release date (December 24, 2021) and jjk game (phantom parade)

I might forget to add something when writing this... and im sorry bcs this translation is unorganized (I just write what comes to my mind lol)

#i love this event #so many funny moments #and not to mention my nobamaki agenda go brrrrrrrrr #jujufest #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #yuji itadori #megumi fushiguro #nobara kugisaki #maki zenin #nobara x maki #nobamaki #maki x nobara #to/ge inumaki #panda senpai #gojo satoru

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lilyginnyblackv2 · 3 years

Text

Translation of the Yashahime Special:

There was no mention of a timeline. Outside of one reference to Moroha having been born 14 years ago. So, that “apparent” timeline confirmation is false from what I saw and heard.

The translation is a bit long, so I am putting it under a Read More. I didn’t translate absolutely everything, but pretty much everything and all the major stuff:

Demo, okaa-san wa dare? - Takechiyo when talking about Towa. He mentions that she is Sesshomaru's daughter, but then says, "But who is the mother?" This gets repeated with Setsuna too.

They open the interview segment by having the VAs talk about their "Recommended Scenes." Moroha's VA talks about the Beniyasha scene in the episode with Jakotsumaru. Then about Moroha being a shihanyou (quarter demon) and Beniyasha and such. Inuyasha is her father (a child from a union of a demon and human) and her mother, Kagome, is human. So she is a shihanyou (quarter demon).The "beni" in Beniyasha is an "important keyword." The beni here is written like this: 紅, which is the kanji for "deep red, crimson," but means "lipstick, rouge" when read as "beni."

Then Jaken's voice appeared out of nowhere and the VAs and host all acted surprised when Jaken's VA goes "WAIT! It's me, me." And then they start talking about Jaken mentioning how "he's always with Sesshomaru." And then they all talk about how Jaken is short. Then Jaken starts explaining about Moroha and stuff. (Lol, why Jaken?). He talks about how the rouge came from Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi. How Kagome gave ”Inuyasha's mother's memento" to Moroha when Kirinmaru and the others, show up. With Kirinmaru it specifically attaches たち (tachi) to his name, which implies him + other characters, usually this implies like, within a group - like Inuyasha-tachi, would be Inuyasha and his gang of friends. So this is probably talking about Sesshomaru, but may be implying other characters as well.

After that, Jaken's VA asks "Who raised Moroha?" That leads into the question of why Moroha has debt/is a bounty hunter. This leads to a clip of Moroha with that light haired character seen in the opening. They have a tail. She asks if she has to go into this cave, and they say that she does and has to fight (something like that). We also see this character at the Corpse Shop, handing Jyunbei some kind of weapon. Then the VAs are like "Will Moroha's past come up?" Moroha's VA mentions how Jyunbei gives her a bad feeling because he like uses people.

Setsuna's VA recommends the scene from Ep. 14 when Towa and Setsuna are confronted with Homura, the Mountain God that caused the fire that separated them. Then they talk about how Homura was the "criminal" who started the fire, but that the one behind it was Zero. Jaken summarizes these points again, and refers to Zero as a "mysterious woman." After that, the question "Why didn't Sesshomaru stop this?" pops up on the screen (as Sesshomaru walks away from Zero and Homura). Then Jaken is like "Aren't you curious why the girls were in the forest? Aren't you curious about the relationship between Kirinmaru, Sesshomaru, and the Mysterious Woman?"

For that last question, it shows a scene of Sesshomaru walking into a room where Kirinmaru and Zero are. And Sesshomaru speaks! He says, "It's been a while, Kirinmaru." (Or, "Long time, no see, Kirinmaru."). The text それぞれの目的は… (Sorezore no mokuteki wa...) or "Their individual goals are..." (Or, "Each of their goals are..."). After the clip segment, Towa's VA asks, "What did you do, dad (Sesshomaru)?" And Setsuna's VA is just kind of voicing these same thoughts, like just what kind of connection do these three characters (Sesshomaru, Zero, and Kirinmaru) have with each other.

The host jokes that maybe it's like Fujiko, this is in reference to the character Fujiko Mine from Lupin the Third. I don't really know enough about that series to fully comment, but a quick wikia search says that she "is a professional criminal, burglar and confidence trickster. In The Castle of Cagliostro Fujiko states that she and Lupin had been lovers, but also that she ended the relationship. She routinely makes deals with Koichi Zenigata or Lupin's current enemy in an attempt to gain freedom or loot, which causes Jigen and Goemon to distrust her, since they know that she will obviously double-cross them in a heist to claim what they're after for herself. While Lupin normally can outsmart Fujiko, she can make off with some or all of his loot on occasion."

Setsuna's VA goes, "Huh, that kinda relationship!? Dad...!" Towa's VA talks about how for Yashahime's story, she would like to know who is married to who and such. Since the relationship between Lupin and Fujiko isn't clear cut, they aren't lovers, but they aren't husband and wife either, just a man and woman who like to have fun. That's paraphrasing from the Wikia page, which I'll link below. The subject changes back to why didn't Sesshomaru stop the fire, and the host wonders if he is an accomplice. And he wonders what Sesshomaru's goal is.

Towa's VA recommends the scene where Towa and Setsuna are separated, but specifically from the Ginka and Kinka episode. She talks about them for a bit, about how they have to be separated. Then they talk a bit about the lore of those demons (like how they have to fight, etc.). She talks about how the scene where the two of them (Ginka and Kinka) are separated is a very important and heavy scene for Towa and Setsuna. Also, Towa's VA's hair and makeup for this special was done by her older sister! That's cute.

We get a little recap of the Ginka and Jinka episode, with Jaken explaining. The question: "Why do Towa and Setsuna have Rainbow Pearls?" is put across the screen. Then we get a preview scene with Jaken! Jaken stabs the ground with his staff and there is white light and wind (some kind of magic, probably). The scene of Sesshomaru looking at the twins at the base of the tree. He bends down and opens his palm. The two pearls are in his hands. Both baby Towa and Baby Setsuna have the red streaks in their hair (so they were born with them). The pearls then disappear into the skin (in the area just above their eye, left eye for Setsuna, right eye for Towa).

The host then says, "I see. So Sesshomaru had them [the pearls[." Then Jaken's VA tells off the host for not referring to Sesshomaru as "*Lord* Sesshomaru" (Or, not referring to him as Sesshomaru-*sama*). The host responds with "So sorry, how rude of me." The host goes on to ask Jaken how many pearls *Lord* Sesshomaru had...and Jaken responds with "I don't know." Then the host and VAs wonder how many rainbow pearls there are all together and start listing off all of the different colored jewels. And Towa and Setsuna's VAs are like, "If they all come together, something bad might happen." So the host concludes that you don't want to collect them all.

Moroha's VA confirms that when a demon (youkai) takes a pearl into their body, then their demon (youkai) powers increase. She also mentions how it turns the them brutal, so what kind of danger would it be if all of the pearls were gathered together. This then leads into the topic of Riku and how he wants to collect them. Moroha's VA: "Oh, scary!"

The host states that he is a bit curious about Riku. The VAs agree. And he wonders just who Riku is. He calls for Jaken to explain who Riku is. We get the clip of Riku with Kyuuki, stepping on her hand while she was reaching for the pearl. But Jaken admits that he doesn't know. This goes into a preview clip of Riku talking with Kagome. Riku calls her "Kagome-sama" and in this scene he introduces himself. And the text on the bottom reads: Riku and Kagome meeting! Another scene shows Riku with the demon Housenki, who shows him a pearl. Jaken ends the segment by saying, "Truly, who *is* he?"

This transitions to a scene of Sesshomaru just taking off into the sky, with his mokomoko blowing behind him, and Jaken saying "Ah, Lord Sesshomaru, departing already? I will as well" And grabbing hold of Sesshomaru's mokomoko. It sounds like that may be the voice over for this special segment though, and not dialogue from the actual clip. And so, Jaken's VA departs from the special, the VAs and host all thank him. They go back to talking about Riku and Setsuna's VA mentions that Riku has interacted with all three of them, but that he has the most connection with Towa. So Towa's VA talks about how their meeting kind of popped out of nowhere.

Moroha's VA then talks about how Riku met with Kagome and how it's "a bit scary, like, what happened." Also, we learn that when Riku met with Kagome, Moroha wasn't born yet. She goes on to say how Moroha was born 14 years ago. and that *14 years ago* Riku looked like that (lit. more like "had that form"). And then the host goes, "Ah, so...Riku isn't human!?" And they are all like, "His appearance hasn't changed." Then Takechiyo comes back to narrate a bit and the question comes up.

That one. "Who is Towa and Setsuna's mom?" Followed by "What is Moroha's past?" "What's Setsuna's past?" "Where is the Dream Butterfly?" "Why were Setsuna's dreams stolen?" "Just what are the Rainbow Pearls?" "Who is Lord Riku really?" "Who is Zero?" "Where are Inuyasha and Kagome?" "Where is Sesshomaru?" (They show the clip of him turning and leaving behind Rin in the tree and the Tree of Ages spirit from Ep. 4). "What is Kirinmaru's goal?"

They show an animation clip (WIP) of Kirinmaru, Towa, and Setsuna in fighting each other. And Sesshomaru appears. This results in Sesshomaru and Kirinmaru clashing their swords with each other. The host: "Ohh, how will things turn out? It looks like Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru are battling each other." They wonder who will win, they hope Sesshomaru wins. And wondering what the winner plans to do when they win. Towa's VA wonders what will happen to the world. Moroha's VA just mentions how Kirinmaru is cool looking, lol. They all agree though.

Sounds like it is said by a woman, probably Zero.

The Past Revealed

"I heard you had daughters...Half-demon twins." (This sounds like it is said by a woman, probably Zero.) - This is over the image of Rin, the twins, and Sesshomaru.

Kagome: "This child, Kirinmaru..." Inuyasha: "Leave this to me!"

Moroha: "Half-demon this, half-demon that, don't be stupid!" - Over a clip of Moroha getting very angry and a clip of Konton and the white haired demon connected to Moroha.

"An unprecedented cataclysm is headed this way." (He uses very polite speech, and is talking about a natural disaster, so probably the meteor. This is over the clip of Kagome and Riku meeting).

"It's been a while, Kirinmaru." - Sesshomaru, over the clip shown earlier with Kirinmaru and Zero in a room.

Towa: "Because we aren't alone." Over Towa looking upward and Setsuna playing the violin.

Setsuna: "You can always change your way of living...No matter what you do. How you live is up to you." (This is over images of Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha with I believe Kirinmaru? It looks like more of the unfinished animation clips. The last clip shown is Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru clashing swords from the earlier WIP animation clip).

The Lupin the Third Wikia page: https : // lupin . fandom . com / wiki / Fujiko _ Mine

#hny #hanyou no yashahime #yashahime #anti-sessrin #anti sessrin #translation #English translation #long post #Yashahime Special

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