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vince-thrilligan · 5 years

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'Breaking Bad' Returns: Aaron Paul and Vince Gilligan Take a TV Classic for a Spin in 'El Camino'

The Hollywood Reporter | by Rebecca Keegan | September 18, 2019

In their first interview about the new movie, star and creator reveal why they risked messing with their defining show ("Is there another story to tell?") and how they shot the hot Netflix project in near-total secrecy.

One day late in 2018, the phone of an Albuquerque, New Mexico, man named Frank Sandoval started ringing off the hook. Sandoval runs a local outfit that operates Breaking Bad-themed tours in an RV identical to the battered Fleetwood Bounder that served as a mobile meth lab for Bryan Cranston's Walter White and Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman on the Emmy-winning AMC show. Five years after Breaking Bad went off the air, the distinctive vehicle had — suddenly and mysteriously — reappeared in town outside a diner on a main road. "People were calling us and saying, 'Is that your RV up there?' " Sandoval says. "We'd heard rumors for years that they were shooting. But nobody we talked to ever knew anything." Sandoval asked around about the mystery RV and eventually came across a printed flyer explaining that a New Mexico tourism commercial was shooting in town. He figured that explained it.

Not quite.

In fact, Jesse and Walter's old RV was in Albuquerque that day, as were Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and his cast and crew, engaged in a secret project. They were shooting El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which will premiere Oct. 11 on Netflix and in theaters in 68 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Albuquerque, before it airs on AMC early next year. Netflix only just announced the project in August, after Gilligan had wrapped postproduction. That's because despite the Virginia-born writer's gentle Southern manner and almost pathological humility, Gilligan, 52, is a showman at heart, and he wants to lift the curtain at the last possible second. "I don't want to open my Christmas presents a week and a half before Christmas," Gilligan says, explaining his insistence on a covert production. Gilligan's producers say they had nothing to do with the tourism flyer, but they did use other means to keep the project hush-hush, including waiting until the last possible minute to share the script with crew, obscuring locations with trucks and screens and relying on a private jet to shuttle a key castmember in and out of Albuquerque without notice.

The two-hour feature film, which Gilligan wrote and directed over the past 18 months, is premiering six years after Breaking Bad ended with Walter dying and Jesse driving an El Camino to freedom from his imprisonment on an Aryan Brotherhood compound. (A trailer set to debut during the Emmys on Sept. 22 will offer a detailed peek.) The Netflix partnership fulfills a long-standing wish of Gilligan's for a Breaking Bad theatrical experience and follows the formative role the streaming company had in the series' success — Breaking Bad was the first cable show to benefit from a so-called Netflix boost.

El Camino centers on what happens to Jesse after he drives out of that compound covered in physical and psychological scars, and it features more than 10 familiar characters from the show. In deference to Gilligan's spoiler aversion, THR will name only two: fan favorites Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) and Badger (Matt L. Jones), the Beavis and Butt-Head of the greater Albuquerque meth community.

Returning to the world of Breaking Bad comes with some risk for Gilligan — during the course of its five-year run, the crime drama about a mild-mannered chemistry teacher who transforms into a ruthless drug kingpin came to exemplify a new, golden era of TV, engrossing critics and audiences with its dense, character-driven storytelling, winning 16 Emmys and delivering one of the most satisfying mic drops in the history of television with a finale that more than 10 million people watched on AMC. In the rarefied club of early Peak TV auteurs, including Mad Men's Matthew Weiner, The Wire's David Simon and The Sopranos' David Chase, Gilligan is the first to take a leap and make a film from his signature show (Chase's Sopranos movie is due next year).

There also is the danger of dwelling indefinitely in the world — however rich — that Gilligan created. Breaking Bad diehards already have the show's spinoff prequel, Better Call Saul, which just finished shooting its fifth season. "I'm hoping when the movie comes out, people won't say, 'Oh, man, this guy should've left well enough alone,' " Gilligan says in his first interview about the film. "Why did George Foreman keep coming out of retirement, you know?"

***

Gilligan works in a nondescript glass office building in Burbank with a view of a dry cleaner and a parking lot. This is the "fancy" office he reluctantly moved to before his team started making Better Call Saul — superstitious, he didn't want to vacate the derelict space deeper in the San Fernando Valley where they had made Breaking Bad, a building they shared with a private investigator, a music charity and an hoc threading business operating out of the women's bathroom. Also, for reasons no one can recall, there was a guy in the building who always wore a kilt. Gilligan, who lives on L.A.'s Westside with his longtime girlfriend, Holly Rice, chose the location because it was convenient not for him, but for his show's editor. When it came time to select offices there, he picked for himself the room that didn't have a window and housed a giant humming server.

His newer, comparatively luxurious space is decorated with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul memorabilia — the special effects bust of Gus Fring's (Giancarlo Esposito) exploded head is next to Gilligan's desk, and bottles of Blue Ice Heisenberg vodka sit on a bookshelf. There also are model helicopters, tokens of Gilligan's other passion, aviation. At 50, he fulfilled a decades-long goal of obtaining his helicopter pilot's license. One of the locations in El Camino is a spot he used to glimpse while choppering with his flight instructor, 500 feet above the ground, en route from L.A. to Albuquerque. "When I'm flying a helicopter, I'm as happy as I ever get, which is not particularly happy, but still, as happy as I ever am," Gilligan says. "I'll never master it. It's one of those … Is that a Zen thing? When you have some sort of avocation that you're continually a beginner at. You're never going to perfect it. But in a weird way, that feels good, because you're never going to get tired of it either."

Gilligan first started ruminating on the story that would ultimately become El Camino before he finished making Breaking Bad. "I didn't really tell anybody about it, because I wasn't sure I would ever do anything with it," he says. "But I started thinking to myself, 'What happened to Jesse?' You see him driving away. And to my mind, he went off to a happy ending. But as the years progressed, I thought, 'What did that ending — let's just call it an ending, neither happy, nor sad — what did it look like?' " It was while planning events in 2018 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the premiere of Breaking Bad that Gilligan first told his inner circle he had an idea to revisit Jesse, perhaps a five-minute short film, he mused to his longtime producer, Melissa Bernstein. "He just started letting his mind run over that," Bernstein says. "And he started to realize, 'I have a lot to say about this.' "

Gilligan, who wrote the feature films Wilder Napalm (1993) and Home Fries (1998) as well as some unproduced feature scripts, found his comfort zone as a writer in the collaborative, deadline-oriented environment of TV while on the staff of The X-Files. "I was the laziest writer in creation," Gilligan says. "I'd piddle around. It took me two years to write a first draft of a movie script in the early '90s, just because I had no one holding a gun to my head. I just didn't have that work ethic. Working in TV changed everything for me." But on El Camino, Gilligan returned to the solitary lifestyle of a feature writer. "I had been working with excellent writers now for well over a decade, and I'd forgotten what it was like to write something by myself, and it was daunting," Gilligan says. "Suddenly I'm trying to write this and thinking, 'God, I really could use a writers room about now.' " Gilligan outlined the story using note cards, his usual method, and then began on his first draft at his time-share in the Bahamas.

As a business philosophy, Gilligan is a believer in the idea that you "dance with the girl that brung ya," and at a time when many other top showrunners are managing multiple productions and seeking nine-figure deals at streamers, he has remained at Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul studio Sony Pictures Television, re-upping with the company last year in a three-year, mid-eight-figure overall pact that includes his work on El Camino. When Gilligan told executives there about his idea for a Breaking Bad movie, "We all just fell silent in the room," says SPT co-president Chris Parnell. "It was one of the moments when you think to yourself, 'Did I just hear that? Is that something he genuinely wants to do?' " Together with his agent, ICM Partners' Chris Silbermann, Gilligan quietly walked the script into just a handful of offices in Hollywood before deciding to partner with Netflix, as well as AMC. Both companies represented a crucial part in Breaking Bad's history, AMC for picking up the show after FX passed on it and Netflix for building it into the binge TV era's first true streaming/cable hybrid hit.

In 2010, Breaking Bad was at a crossroads: With the show averaging about 1.5 million viewers a season despite being a critics' darling, AMC informed Sony and Gilligan that the series could end with season three. When Sony began shopping Breaking Bad to competitors — quickly finding a taker for two more seasons at FX — AMC reversed course. Netflix, meanwhile, was aggressively licensing shows for its nascent streaming service, and content chief Ted Sarandos made a syndication deal with Sony for Breaking Bad. Originally, the arrangement was for the series to start streaming on Netflix after its fourth season finished on AMC, but, with the show's future uncertain, Sony accelerated the plan, and new fans began discovering and bingeing Breaking Bad on Netflix in time to catch some of the fourth season and all of the fifth and final season on AMC. When season five premiered in 2013, the audience had more than doubled from its previous outing. "We felt that it was a virtuous cycle, where we were introducing the show to new fans, who were then going and experiencing new episodes on AMC, and then when we would launch a new season, we would again see another wave of new folks coming," says Netflix vp original content Cindy Holland. Since news of the movie broke in August, Holland says, viewership of Breaking Bad on Netflix is up, some from rewatchers and some from newcomers to the series. "We were a natural home for the movie," Holland says. "It wasn't a really long conversation. It was a simple, 'Yes, please.' "

Netflix also brought the theatrical component, which was crucial to Gilligan. "Every time we'd put out a new season of Breaking Bad, we would have a premiere in a big movie theater," Gilligan says. "We would watch this quote-unquote television show. I mean, I guess quotations aren't needed. It is absolutely a television show. But we would have this wonderful, very limited, one-time opportunity to watch our television show on a big screen with giant stereo speakers thumping, the image filling 40 feet across. I always thought, 'This thing, it looks like a movie. It doesn't look like a show.' I really want to be able to share that with fans." As with its other theatrical releases, Netflix will exhibit the film in independent theaters for a very limited period.

The secrecy on the project extends to the budget, which all interviewed decline to disclose beyond saying that it is significantly higher than what Gilligan had ever worked with on the show, including the $6 million for an episode in the final season. Gilligan's producers Bernstein and Diane Mercer went to great lengths to keep the film under wraps during production, shrouding locations from onlookers' view, covertly ferrying key castmembers to the set and warning crewmembers to be discreet around town. "Don't be sitting on a barstool somewhere and talk about the project you're working on, because God only knows who's sitting next to you" was the mantra, Gilligan says.

The movie, which plays like a coda to the series, is thick with details that will tickle the superfan base, which is its true intended audience, Gilligan says. One that only the most devoted may pick up on is a key address at the corner of Holly and Arroz streets — a wink to Gilligan's girlfriend (arroz is rice in Spanish). "If, after 12 years, you haven't watched Breaking Bad, you're probably not going to start now," Gilligan says. "If you do, I hope that this movie would still be engaging on some level, but there's no doubt in my mind that you won't get as much enjoyment out of it. We don't slow down to explain things to a non-Breaking Bad audience. I thought early on in the writing of the script, 'Maybe there's a way to have my cake and eat it too. Maybe there's a way to explain things to the audience.' If there was a way to do that, it eluded me."

Breaking Bad was particularly cinematic television, with its wide-angle shots of the stark New Mexico landscape, expressive lighting and deliberate pacing. At one point during the series, Gilligan and his cinematographer, Michael Slovis, made an unsuccessful pitch to Sony and AMC to shoot Breaking Bad in the CinemaScope format that Sergio Leone had used to shoot Clint Eastwood's Dollars Trilogy. On El Camino, Gilligan got his wish — Better Caul Saul DP Marshall Adams shot the movie on the ARRI Alexa 65 camera used for The Revenant and in a 2.39 wide-screen format that seems designed to showcase a gunslinger's squint across the desert.

Gilligan is perfectionistic in a way that television schedules rarely have time to indulge. El Camino proceeded at an even more leisurely pace than his shows. Instead of shooting six to eight pages a day as Gilligan had on Breaking Bad, he shot one and a half to three. Most of the 50-day shoot happened in the same Albuquerque locations where Breaking Bad is set, but the larger budget meant he was able to take advantage of some picturesque out-of-state locations, too. "This is my first movie as a director, and I have to say, it made me want some more of that," says Gilligan, who has directed five episodes each of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul and two of The X-Files. "You truly have time to get things right. It feels very decadent."

***

Returning to the character of Jesse Pinkman for El Camino was an unexpected career twist. While making Breaking Bad, Paul had grown as an actor under Cranston's tutelage and shed some fatiguing habits. "The first couple years were really torturous for me," Paul says. Often, after shooting had wrapped for the day, "I found myself in dark alleys in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at 3 in the morning, just to try to get more information, which was not a good thing. I just didn't want to mess it up, and so I stayed in that guy's skin, but I learned from Bryan it's OK to shake it off and wash up at the end of the night and just have time for yourself." When the finale aired, Paul says, "I really loved Jesse. I knew him better than anyone, but it was a big weight off of my shoulders to hang up the cleats and walk away. I thought it was goodbye, and I was OK with that."  In early 2018, while Paul was in New York shooting The Path, Gilligan called him and shared that he had written a movie about Jesse. "I'm like everybody else on the planet — I think Vince and the rest of the writers really nailed the landing with the ending of Breaking Bad, and why mess with that?" Paul recalls thinking. "But it's Vince we're talking about. I would follow Vince into a fire. That's how much I trust the man. I would do anything that he asked me to." (Gilligan inspires a fierce loyalty, and most of his colleagues have been with him for years, starting with Mark Johnson, who discovered Gilligan while judging a screenwriting competition in 1988 and has served as a producer on Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and El Camino.) Within months of answering Gilligan's call, Paul was back in Albuquerque's dark alleys, bearded and in scar makeup. "It was so easy for me to just jump into where Jesse's at mentally, emotionally, because I lived and breathed everything he went through and then some, and so, honestly, it felt like a part of me had gone through that as well," Paul says. "All I had to do was just memorize these words and then play them out when they yelled 'action.' "

***

Gilligan, too, grew up, in a sense, on Breaking Bad, and he has a wistfulness about how it has shaped his life over the last 11 years. "I'm about 25 to 30 years older than I was when I started," he says. "Yeah, I'm just worn out. I mean, part of what excited me about doing this was it was a movie, a closed-ended story of about two hours. If I was starting now, I'm not sure I'd have the intestinal fortitude to fight all the fights and expend all the energy."

Gilligan is not ready for retirement — not at all — but when he looks ahead to life after Better Call Saul, he sees something outside the universe of characters that have become his trademark creation. He plans to make another show after Better Call Saul ends, but what exactly that will be and where it will air, he doesn't know. "Personally, I'd love to figure out something different, which at this point would be, God, not another antihero," Gilligan says. "Is there something else I can do? Is there another story I can tell? But I've got to tell you, it's harder to write a really engaging good guy than it is a really engaging bad guy."

#el camino #breaking bad #BrBa #vince gilligan #i love himmm #i cut out some of the aaron stuff (like the mezcal business w/ cranston...and there's also a cute q&a video at the source)#hollywood reporter #aaron paul #.....his office. (why do you like to suffer vince?) it's like jimmy leaving davis&main to go back to the shitty nail salon closet #oh and marshall adams is the dp for el camino :))) i was wondering #i can't believe the guy in the kilt never came up on the podcast #el camino: a breaking bad movie

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generalfiremiracle · 2 years

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cadavercowboy · 3 years

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Resolute

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Everyone’s got a creepy, skeevy ex that they’d rather not see again. Not everyone has a beefy super-soldier at their disposal to protect them from that.

Word Count: 7.3k+

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, sexual assault, & past trauma. Violence. Me trying to write fluff.

A/N: I would love to say that this was a piece I had put together and didn’t get around to posting, but as per usual...my monkey brain is late to the party and decided to come up with a New Year’s themed story 10 days after the fact.

You don’t know whose grand and gaudy house this is, but you hope to someday make even a fraction of their income if this is among the riches that come with it. Based on the sheer size of their home, this person must be a millionaire. Maybe even a billionaire. That’s something you could only ever dream of.

Not that you can really complain about the decent money you make working at Stark Industries, however. Being a data analyst is the closest you’ll ever come to being an Avenger; on account of the unfortunate lack of superpowers, inhuman strength, or otherwise useful physical assets.

But you’re smart. You’re really, really smart. You’re the driving force behind each and every mission, spending hours poring over notes and data and conducting the extensive research to provide the requisite intel for all the upcoming assignments. Taking part in a role that makes you an absolute necessity is enough of an asset to make you feel like part of the team.

Being involved in get-togethers and gatherings also helps as far as making you feel included. You’ve grown quite close with almost everyone on the team — some more than others, for sure — but Tony is easily your favorite. He’d texted you on relatively short notice early this evening, apologizing for his usual forgetfulness and inviting you to attend some haughty New Year’s Eve party with him. When he’d asked you to come as his date, a second message immediately followed to clarify that you would be doing so strictly as a friend.

The clarification had earned a chuckle from you; Tony is more like a father figure than anything else, and though you’ve given him the nickname of ‘Playboy’, you both know you’ll never cross that line. Of course you’re going to say yes to the invitation — you’re willing to do almost anything for Tony — but the added bonus that everyone else is attending as well really solidified the decision.

It’s only been a little over a week since you’ve seen the team, on account of the recent holiday, but you’re still excited to get together with them. Without much of a family of your own, they’ve been a more than welcoming substitute; a little band of misfits that have each carved out a special place in your heart. You’ve kept in contact with Steve, Natasha, and Bruce; exchanging brief messages to wish one another a Merry Christmas. Thor had received your well wishes, too, though he mostly keeps to himself so you never really expect him to answer your texts. And Bucky? Well, you’ve barely said more than a few words to that particular grumpy Avenger since joining forces with Stark Industries.

You direct the luxurious town car Tony had lent to you — after a long-winded argument where he insisted on simply sending a limo for you — in front of a ridiculously lavish mansion; standing out from the darkened sky with it’s warm glowing lights and minimal decoration. Careful to keep your knees together, you thank the valet who opens your door and takes your hand to assist you as you climb from the vehicle.

From the vast stone staircase comes Tony, striding determinedly in your direction to meet you in the driveway. Dressed in a spiffy designer suit, Tony looks spectacular; he normally does, though. But with his beard trimmed just so and his hair slicked back in a tight, black coif, you can’t help noticing just how regal the man appears tonight.

“There she is,” he drawls, arms spread wide in greeting. “You look incredible, my dear.”

You duck your head in mock embarrassment, waving Tony’s compliment away with a dismissive hand and a demure giggle. When he repeats the compliment even louder so that anyone within earshot can hear it, you can’t help relenting and striking a playfully seductive pose. Your reaction prompts a dramatic round of applause from Tony as he takes you in.

The dress draped over your body is glitzy and glamorous, something much different than your usual professional skirts and sedate dresses. It’s blood-red and slathered in a layer of shimmering sequins that catch the light with every movement. Your breasts are tastefully on display with the deep sweetheart neckline and the slit along the side shows off one shapely leg. The thin-strapped dress is clingy, offering the necessary support to give you the dreamiest silhouette. Paired with your favorite pair of black pumps, you look ready to walk a red carpet.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Playboy,” you remark, leaning in to accept Tony’s hug and his chaste kiss against your soft cheek.

“We make a pretty snazzy pair,” he announces proudly as he takes your arm in his. “Every man here tonight is gonna be so jealous.”

You can’t help laughing at Tony’s cocky observation. “Oh, stop it. They’re all already jealous of you.”

Tony chuckles at your joking tone, reaching across with his free hand to lightly tickle your side. You playfully swat at his chest, demanding that he behave himself as he helps you up the steps, escorting you to the front door. You pass several faces that you don’t recognize, though you still greet them each with a warm smile. As you make your way into the foyer, you can’t help but marvel at the interior of the beautiful home; astoundingly tall ceilings, pristinely waxed marble floors, grand decorations in shiny shades of silver and gold. If not for Tony’s steadfast hold on your arm, you may have tripped over your own feet taking it all in.

A suited man meets you near the entrance, sweeping his arm in a wide arc to lead you down a long hallway illuminated with decorative strings of lights. He walks the pair of you towards a set of double oak doors and swings them open to permit you entrance into an expansive room. A waiter approaches, silently offering fluted glasses from his silver tray. Music pumps from high-quality speakers, filling the room with a thrum low enough to still hold a conversation over. Voices mingle, adding to the din in the throng of party-goers.

The first person you spot is Natasha, her gorgeous red locks pinned effortlessly atop her head and her lithe body swaddled in a metallic gray gown that complements her skin tone perfectly. She catches sight of you as well, smiling sweetly with a wave and a tip of her champagne glass. You and Tony return the gesture in kind before Bruce comes over to get your attention.

“Hey, kid…you look great,” he comments with a warm smile. “You too, Tone.”

You slip gently from Tony’s hold then, knowing that once he and Bruce get started on their tech-centric science-y talk, it would take an atomic bomb to separate them. With a whispered word to Tony letting him know that you’re off to go mingle, you delve into the crowded room. After only a few sips of alcohol, you place your glass on an empty table. You’ll have a drink when the clock strikes midnight, otherwise you need to refrain if you have any hope of driving home safely.

You’re surprised when you find Thor seated in a plush armchair, engaged deeply in conversation with a beautiful brunette woman. It’s rare to see him at parties like this and even more rare to see him quite so dressed up. His black button-down fits him snugly on account of his bulging arms and chest, and you can’t help worrying that one wrong move may send the straining buttons flying across the room. Thor’s blue eyes meet yours and he nods in acknowledgment when you wave shyly at him.

As you make your way around the room, you realize you don’t recognize most of the guests here. You stop here and there, engaging in polite conversation with several men and women who you find standing alone. Eventually, your feet begin to protest the uncomfortable choice of footwear you’ve made and you move to the center of the room where you settle on a buttery leather couch.

Before long, a young woman joins you, sharing with you her misery of not knowing a single person here aside from her boyfriend who has already had far too much to drink. You commiserate for a moment and share a pleasant conversation until the sound of the heavy wooden doors catches your attention and you instinctively turn your head to see the guest who is entering.

You recognize the spiky and obviously dyed black hair immediately. Hawke Devins. A man whose pretentious name perfectly suits his horrendous, douchebag personality. He’s someone you’d had a brief fling with last year; a relationship spanning only a few months before it died its ferocious, fiery death. The very sight of him has bile rising in your throat and panic constricting your chest. Beside you, your young companion prattles on, though you can’t hear a word she says over the thunderous buzzing in your ears as you try not to have a full-blown anxiety attack.

Things with Hawke had started off nice enough, but very quickly it got weird. Boundaries had been crossed, your wishes flagrantly ignored as you were pressured into things far outside your comfort zone. To say the least, Hawke’s treatment had left you with enough physical and emotional damage to consider filing a restraining order. The only reason you haven't yet is because of who he is. A rich and powerful businessman; a trust fund baby whose daddy would bury you alive if you ever even considered coming forward about what transpired or dared to besmirch his son’s impeccable reputation. Plus, you know it’s hard enough for women to be believed and someone like Hawke would never allow his lucrative career to be ruined by allegations of sexual assault, especially not from someone as insignificant as you.

So you were forced to swallow the memories of your trauma, keeping them buried deep inside. You’d hoped to keep it all to yourself…something you’d take to the grave, but — ever the perceptive protector — Tony had caught on that something wasn’t quite right with you. After much prodding, he’d finally convinced you to entrust him with the truth. The misplaced shame you felt had kept you from confiding in anyone, but you have to admit how good it felt to get it off your chest after the months you spent letting it eat away at you.

Still, no matter how much he implored you to reveal your tormentor’s identity, you refused to give that up. You’d hold onto that information with a deathly grip if it meant saving Tony from doing something incredibly stupid with it, like finding the man or killing him. Tony’s reputation isn’t worth losing over some entitled billionaire asshole.

As Hawke glides further into the room, you become dizzy with fear. Your hands shake and your heart races. You don’t want him to recognize you or speak to you, so you excuse yourself from the conversation — one which you mentally checked out of minutes ago — and rise from the couch to circle the perimeter of the room. Making sure to keep your back turned towards him, you obscure yourself behind the larger groups in the room in order to stay out of Hawke’s line of sight. Eyes scan the crowded room for a place to hide that won’t bring anyone’s attention to your shaken state.

In the corner of the room is an ornately carved bar and you’re surprised to find Bucky stood behind it. You had no idea he would even be here tonight, let alone playing barkeep. His outfit is much more casual than the rest of the fancily-clad people in the room. He wears a white polo shirt, the collar just barely peeking over the sleek black blazer that hugs his wide shoulders. His hair is much shorter than it was when you last saw him; swept back and looking soft as ever.

When you spot a young man with a sour look on his face, dressed similarly to the other waiters in the room, you can guess that Bucky had relieved him of his duties for his own purposes. Knowing Barnes isn’t much of a social guy or a mingler, you figure that’s why he’s chosen to assign himself the job of bartender; mixing drinks and whipping up cocktails is an easier task than talking, you suppose. It’s interesting to you to learn Bucky even has the skills to do so, but you can’t really say you’re shocked; the reclusive man possesses a wide range of well-honed skills that most people wouldn’t expect.

“Keeping yourself busy back here, huh?” you say as a means of greeting, tucking your body behind the bar with Bucky.

“Uh…yeah, I guess,” he stutters, not expecting your presence or your words.

Bucky knows something is up. You rarely ever speak to him and it’s out of character for you to be doing anything other than avoiding him. He’s used to people being intimidated by him, on account of his dark, quiet demeanor and the sheer size of him, however it’s been obvious since the day you met that you don’t particularly like him. Admittedly, you’re not exactly his favorite person either. Not that he wants or expects to be friends with everyone, but you could stand to at least be more civil with him.

The tension in Bucky’s broad shoulders gives away his discomfort. He’s not shy by any means, just reserved and solitary, but his body language is conveying the apprehension he feels as you stand behind him. You watch as he pours drink after drink, the steel of his left hand rattling against the metal cocktail shaker. Desperately attempting to appear cool, calm, and collected, you hope it’s not obvious that you’re distracted by the man across the room.

Bucky makes no effort to converse with you, though that suits you just fine. You’re not here to make friends with him. You can’t deny your typical coldness towards him makes this interaction a bit awkward, but you’re aware of his imposing and threatening appearance so you’re here because — as much as you may not care for him — something about Bucky makes you feel safe. You know he can protect you should the need arise.

As you watch on in silence while he works, Bucky confirms to himself that you’re not here to socialize. He thought maybe you were drunk and the alcohol had loosened you up enough to be affable, but he knows you’re not intoxicated; he hasn’t seen you drink more than a few sips of champagne and he hasn’t made you a single drink tonight. Not that he’s paying attention or anything. Running his fingers through his recently cut hair, he leans against the back of the bar and waits for the next guest to order a drink.

When he spots movement from the corner of his eye, he looks your way as subtly as possible. He sees the nervous way you wring your hands and when he turns to look more directly at you, he notes how your eyes flick frantically around the room like a trapped animal. Now he’s fully on alert. You look so small and timid, something that’s extremely unusual for you. It seems like you’re about to burst into tears and that twists something unfamiliar in his chest. Remembering his instinct from earlier, Bucky realizes something isn’t just “up”, something is wrong.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he wonders softly, trying to keep his voice calm and casual so as to distract you from whatever has you so worked up.

The sound of Bucky’s voice spooks you and you unleash a tiny, frightened gasp as you turn towards him. He wonders why you’re so jumpy, but he fears if he outright asks, you will actually start crying. Instead, he offers a kind smile and waits patiently for your response, taking notice of the way your widened eyes repeatedly drift towards one specific party-goer.

“Oh, yeah sure. I’m fine. I mean, it’s good…yeah,” you stutter. “Sorry. I’m having a g-good time.”

His heart clenches at the panicky sound of your words. He wants to help you, to take away whatever is scaring you, but he fears bringing attention to it will only make things worse.

“How much you wanna bet Tony gets shit-faced and makes an ass of himself before midnight?” Bucky jokes.

The words feel strained and awkward, but he’s positive you don’t even notice. Bucky slowly scoots closer to you — playing it off as if he’s just readjusting his stance — hoping his proximity will calm you a bit. You don’t even notice the slight movement, your eyes busy sweeping rapidly through the room, looking for anything else to focus on.

Suddenly, you wish you had taken Tony up on his offer for a chauffeur. At least that way you could also be getting shit-faced instead of standing here, well on your way to shivering right out of your own shoes. But no, of course you had to be your stubborn self and turn him down. Now you’re having to intentionally not imbibe just so you can drive later. Perhaps you can find someone to give you a ride home, but at this point you don’t even care about getting drunk; you just want to leave. As much as you wish you could stay and welcome the new year with your friends and coworkers, if you remain in this room a moment longer, you’re liable to spiral straight into a meltdown.

When Hawke joins in on a raucous game of beer pong with Bruce and Steve, you decide it’s the perfect opportunity to make your escape. Except you can’t seem to get your body to cooperate. Your feet remain rooted to the spot and your quaking legs refuse to move. Unable to control yourself, you begin breathing heavily as panic takes over. Bucky spots your distress and gently touches your elbow, leaning in to get your attention.

“Hey,” he coos with worry.

You flinch at the contact and the warmth of his whispered words drifting over your neck. “I’m...uh, I’m pretty tired. I think I’m gonna head out,” you announce, trying to laugh off the alarm coursing through you and the moisture glistening in your eyes. “Happy New Year, Buck.”

“Yeah, you too,” he mutters as you brush past him, stumbling towards the exit.

Bucky feels the overwhelming urge to come along and make sure you’re safe, but he doesn’t want to be intrusive or overbearing. It’s not as if you’re unsafe here anyway, so he allows you to leave on your own, his cerulean eyes glued to your back as you slip away out of the room. If you needed help, you’d have asked, wouldn’t you? He doesn’t have much time to think about it when a pair of women sidle up to order a long list of beverages for their group of friends. His mind lingers on you as he prepares a line of cocktails.

When another swarm of guests approach the bar, Bucky is no longer paying attention to anything around him. But as he glances up to read the red lips of the drunken woman who requests her fourth martini of the evening, his eyes snap to the man you couldn’t seem to keep your eyes off of. He watches as the suspicious man excuses himself from the beer pong game he’s in the middle of and heads for the doors you left through only minutes ago.

His veins prickle with inexplicable hostility; he can’t determine the reason for your preoccupation or why this man rubs him the wrong way, all he knows is that he doesn’t care for him one bit. Every protective instinct he has kicks in. He’s on the move in an instant, ignoring the slurring woman who calls after him. Bucky’s long legs take swift and aggressive strides as he fights the crowd and struggles to keep eyes on the man who he suspects is following you.

The clicking of your heels echoes in the empty foyer as you head towards the front door, which is swung open by the suited man from earlier. You offer a forced smile, willing your legs not to give out in front of the unsuspecting man.

“Goodnight, miss,” he drawls.

“‘Night.”

You wrap your arms around yourself to fight the slight chill that has seeped into the late-night air. The sound of your steps is quieter out here, swallowed up by the openness of the broad landscape. As you approach the valet, he greets you and asks for your name in order to fetch your vehicle. You provide him that information, but request the keys and insist that you’ll find your own car. He tries to argue, though you push the matter and assure him that you could use the fresh air.

With your keys in hand, you focus on each step you take, counting every stride to fend off the wave of panic that still fights to take over. In your head, you keep reminding yourself to listen to the sounds of your clacking shoes, to pay attention to your breaths as you try to calm them. Reaching the fleet of sleek black vehicles and boldly painted sports cars, you begin searching for the one with the Stark Industries plate. Thankfully, you remember the plate number too, in case more than one car here belongs to Tony.

You locate your car after a few minutes and click the fob, relieved when the headlights blink twice and confirm that it’s yours. Before you can reach for the handle of the door, you hear footsteps approaching. Assuming it’s the valet coming to check on you or perhaps Tony wondering why you’ve left the party early, you turn around. All you’re met with is the sharp, pointed features of Hawke’s distressing face.

Inside, Bucky practically sprints down an empty hallway in search of the man who has escaped him. He finds no signs of him anywhere, not even in the bathroom or any of the other empty rooms he passes. As he skids to a halt at the front door, he inquires with the man there to see if the person he’s after has left the party. After receiving that confirmation, Bucky wrenches the door open and heads outside. He asks the valet the same question, his heart beating wildly with anger as he closes in on the mystery man’s location.

Jogging jauntily down the steps, Bucky spots two people amongst the sea of cars parked in the driveway. His gut tells him that it’s you and he picks up speed. The first thing he notices is the way the man has you cornered where you stand against the door of a vehicle — clearly upset and shaken; a hand wrapped around one of your small wrists. Something about the way he holds you — in a grip that is so obviously painful — tells Bucky it’s not the first time he’s put his hands on you. That fact alone has Bucky seeing red. He’s already far beyond displeased with whoever this man is, but the fact that he dares to touch you is too much for him to handle; at least not calmly.

Bucky doesn’t say a word or do much of anything to announce his arrival, he merely approaches stealthily and punches Hawke in the face with incredible force, sending him sprawling across the stone drive. You’re astonished by Bucky’s display of violence, though you feel no sympathy for the man who writhes on the ground; he deserves much worse. Regardless, you’re relieved that Bucky had used the less deadly of his fists to hit Hawke rather than the vibranium one which surely would have killed the man. A murder charge is a terrible way to end a year.

“Are you okay?” Bucky asks, holding his palms towards you in a non-threatening gesture.

“I-I don’t know, I think so,” you whisper tearfully.

Just then, Tony appears from nowhere. He looks from your crying face, to Bucky’s enraged one, and then down to the man groaning in pain on the ground. You sniffle as you choke back a sob and Bucky turns to Tony, not an ounce of guilt or remorse in his expression.

“What the hell is going on here?” Tony demands.

“I was taking care of this fucking creep,” Bucky barks with agitation dripping from his words. “I don’t know who he is or what he did, but he’s got her scared to death.”

Tony lifts his gentle eyes to yours when Bucky gestures in your direction. You see the question shining in his eyes before he even asks it, hoping he sees the answer in yours and doesn’t. With tears trickling down your cheeks, you shake your head so slightly he almost doesn’t see it. As ever, Tony is too observant and intelligent for his own good, though it works out in your favor this time. He easily puts the pieces together, seeing your reaction and remembering how you’d described the man who assaulted you; you’d assured Tony whoever it was would be far too indomitable for you to ever get the justice you deserve.

“Oh, honey,” he breathes, lifting a hand to offer some sort of comfort before letting it drop unsurely back to his side.

“Give me your keys,” Bucky demands. “I’m taking you home.”

The words are rough and demanding, but you’re too emotionally exhausted to argue with him. Tony walks you to the passenger’s side of the car, a soothing hand along your spine. He opens the door and lets you climb inside before bracing an arm against the frame of the vehicle to lean in and squeeze your hand reassuringly.

“We’ll talk soon,” he offers kindly with a soft smile.

Tony slams your door shut moments before Bucky climbs behind the steering wheel and closes his own. He fiddles with the seat, aggressively sliding it back to accommodate his long legs and massive body. The tires squeal as he races out of the driveway and onto the dimly lit street, your body shifting limply as he takes the turn with more speed than necessary.

The first few minutes are tense and uncomfortably hushed, but you don’t have the energy to hold a conversation anyway. As the adrenaline wears off and the emotions of the night set in, you begin to shiver where you sit. Tears fill your eyes, though you try your best to fight them off as you wrap your arms protectively around your stiff body. Bucky seems to notice and with only his knees controlling the wheel, he wrenches the jacket from his body and holds it out to you. With the tiniest little peep, you thank him and take the proffered coat. You wrap the garment around your own shoulders, basking in the warmth and the comforting scent of Bucky’s cologne.

“Who was that guy? Did he do something to you?”

The seething rage in his voice frightens you and you’re terrified to answer. You know Bucky is trying to help, but his anger is doing the opposite. Though it isn’t directed at you, you can’t help feeling like it’s your fault. The more you blame yourself for this whole thing and Bucky’s rage, the more you begin to work yourself up again. Bucky’s head whips around in your direction when you remain silent, but when he sees the fresh tears that stream down your cheeks, it soothes the beast seething inside of him.

“Did he hurt you?”

His words are calmer now, but the wrath behind them still remains. The small sob you emit answers Bucky’s question for you and he knows he doesn’t need to pry any further; he doesn’t need a single detail more. He would hate to make you uncomfortable and it’s obvious you don’t want to discuss the upsetting subject. A weary hand drags over his pinched features as he carefully considers his next words.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Bucky murmurs, his hands holding the steering wheel with crushing force.

Aside from the few softly-spoken directions you give, the rest of the ride home is completely silent. When Bucky pulls into your driveway you’re quick to exit the car and take a deep, cleansing inhale of the cool air outside. You steady yourself as he climbs out as well, meeting you at the fender to walk you to the door. It’s not necessary, but you appreciate his chivalry nonetheless. You reach your front door and you fumble with your keys; not because your hands are shaking, but because you’re stalling. Because you’re not sure how to proceed with the words that hover on your tongue.

“I can stay…if you want,” Bucky suggests.

You’re nervous to ask that of him, especially considering your somewhat rocky history of general unfriendliness, but you want to feel safe. You need to. And you know without a doubt that Bucky can and will provide. There’s no real threat to your safety as far as you know, however, the dredging up of your traumatic past has you feeling a bit cagey and on edge.

“You can stay,” you affirm before correcting yourself. “I mean…can you? Please.”

Not wanting Bucky to feel as though he’s intruding, you make sure he knows that you’re asking. You’re not just letting him stay, you want him to. So you ask that of him, requesting his presence and not even knowing that he’s never going to leave.

You toss and turn under your silky sheets, too wired to even think about falling asleep. Glancing at the little silver antique clock on your bedside table, you see that it’s just past 11:30. You suppose you may as well stay up, anyway; at least you can welcome the new year, not that you care much about it anymore. Your phone vibrates beside you and you squint to see Tony’s name across the screen.

Make it home safely?

Quickly you tap out a response, letting Tony know that you’re okay and thanking him for his concern. As a follow up, you send a second message letting him know that you’re aware you need to speak to him the next time you’re in the office. You don’t want him to think you’re avoiding him, especially since there’s no getting away from the man’s relentless concern over your well-being.

Between the jarring events of the night and the thought that Bucky is just outside your room, asleep on your couch, you can’t imagine you’ll be getting any rest tonight. Wondering if Bucky is having just as much trouble finding slumber, you climb out from under your blankets and fix your rumpled tank top and sleep shorts to go check on him.

The floor creaks beneath your bare feet, but Bucky’s eyes are already fixed on the empty doorway before you even make a sound or step into his line of sight. You should have figured he heard you the second you stepped foot out of your bed. It shouldn’t be a surprise that you find him sitting up in the dark room; the serum pumping through his body makes it so he doesn’t need much rest and even if that weren’t the case, he’d be up all night anyway, keeping watch over you.

You feel safe with Bucky being here, but you know you’ll feel even safer if you’re closer to him. With that in mind, you cross the living room to join him on the couch. You don’t tell him you can’t sleep and he doesn’t ask. A long, comfortable silence stretches between you as you shift at his side, tucking your legs under yourself until you’re settled into an agreeable position. Pulling a blanket over your bent legs, you shove your arm beneath it too and wordlessly offer a bit of the corner to Bucky, though he declines.

“Tony texted. Wanted to make sure you’re doing okay,” Bucky murmurs, breaking the quietude between you.

“Yeah, I know,” you respond with a soft exhale over the man’s heartwarming worry. “He texted me too. I told him we’re good.”

Bucky doesn’t miss the way you say “we” and his lips lift in a secret smile. He lets the room fall silent again, enjoying the stillness that surrounds you both.

“Wanna watch the ball drop?” you suggest.

Bucky turns your way, the beginnings of a smirk lifting his plush lips. “Might as well, right?” he laughs.

Locating the remote, you switch the television on and bathe the room in a bright, blue light. It reflects hauntingly in Bucky’s clear eyes, though you do your best not to stare at him for too long. The way you reposition yourself is subtle, but it’s obvious to Bucky when he starts to feel the pleasant warmth that radiates off of your swaddled body. You watch on as the announcer on the screen interviews various members of the crowd; all clad in their hats and gloves, their smiling cheeks exposed to the biting cold and their eyes shining with excitement.

As the countdown grows near, it’s Bucky who moves closer this time. Your shoulders brush, the length of your forearms just barely touching. The heat of his body is nice, so comforting in fact that you find your eyes fluttering with the creeping tiredness that’s suddenly taking over. The energy in the crowd is growing and the anticipation is palpable. When the chorus of voices begins chanting the ever-dwindling numbers, you feel the urge to do something you never thought you’d dare to do.

Three…

Your eyes turn to Bucky, taking in his beautiful profile. His sculpted features softened in the colorful glow emitting from the television.

Two…

Your hand moves of its own accord, reaching for the edge of Bucky’s jaw as your fingers wrap gently up and around his stubbled cheek.

One…

You’re leaning over, craning your neck to reach him as you pull his face towards yours. Bucky’s soft lips meet yours eagerly, pressing with gentle force against your mouth. You remain still for a lengthy moment before easing away, though Bucky won’t allow it. His hand comes up to brace against the back of your head, holding you in place as he peppers your mouth with several slow, sensual kisses. His tongue sweeps along your lower lip and then he’s gone, pulling away to look down at you.

“Happy New Year, doll,” he purrs with a smile that could set you on fire.

“Happy New Year, Buck,” you respond breathlessly.

When you wake, it’s with a stiff neck and upon an extremely warm pillow. Given that Bucky’s normal temperature is that of a furnace, you’d discarded your blanket at some point during the night. The heat of the heavy arm wrapped around your shoulders is starting to make you sweat and the awkward half-prone position you’re in is killing your back.

With a groan, you shift in Bucky’s hold, suddenly remembering that you’d fallen asleep sitting up, with your head leaning on his shoulder. At some point, he’d tipped slightly to the side and you ended up in some sort of vertical-horizontal limbo. As you jostle Bucky awake, he unleashes an equally pained sound. His blue eyes ease open slowly, seemingly taking a moment to figure out his surroundings.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” you rasp, scooting away to give the large man room to stretch his bulky limbs.

“Is it?” he questions, squinting one eye at the watch around his wrist. “Shit, I guess it is.”

Bucky sits up slowly, his chestnut hair an adorable mess, sticking up in all directions. You can’t help laughing at him and he rolls his eyes, bashfully running his hands through the short tresses to tame it a bit. Before you have a chance to say another word, the sound of your doorbell chimes, breaking the early morning silence. Bucky’s muscles bunch when he tenses at the sound and he immediately rises from the couch with a scowl on his face before you stop him and assure him you can get it.

Making your way to the door you hear Bucky treading close behind, just like you expected he would be. You have no idea who would come calling at this hour. As you turn the deadbolt and open the door, your stomach drops. Before you stands Hawke, looking roughed-up and disheveled with the shadow of a purple bruise circling his badly swollen eye. Even with Bucky standing just out of sight of the open doorway, you can’t help the urge to flee that wracks your body.

Swallowing the customary rising bile that accompanies the sight of him, you step forward to slam the door in Hawke’s face before he can say a word. Only he prevents that when he enters the threshold to wedge a loafer-clad foot in the way as he slaps an open palm on the surface of the door. That’s all it takes for Bucky to spring into action. He moves you gently aside, safely out of his way so that he can grab hold of Hawke’s rumpled suit. He easily lifts the man clear off his feet and gives him a violent shake.

“Bucky…neighbors,” you warn before he can do anything unsavory.

It won’t do anyone any good for Nosey Nancy across the street to get an eyeful of Bucky’s brutality first thing in the morning. He heeds your warning, dragging Hawke’s body through the doorway to smash him against the nearest wall.

“I am going to tell you this once…and you should consider yourself lucky that you’re getting that much,” Bucky growls. “Do not come here again. Don’t come near her. Don’t try to contact her. Don't even think about her. Or I will fucking end you. Now get out of here before I give you a matching black eye.”

With that, Bucky kicks the door open and shoves Hawke out, sending him tumbling to the ground. The door slams shut so hard that your whole house rattles. A shaky sigh parts your lips and Bucky gives you a sympathetic smile, gathering you into his arms. You return his hug, thanking him and squeezing him with all your strength.

It’s been a year since you’ve seen or heard from Hawke. Though with Bucky around all the time, you’ve hardly thought of him even once. Your time has been filled with the beefy super-soldier; between work and leisure, you can’t seem to get enough of each other. Much to everyone’s surprise — and joy — you’re getting along better than they ever thought possible and they couldn’t be happier for you. Or for Bucky. There isn’t a single person at Stark Industries who isn’t elated to see him finally have what he deserves. Not to mention how relieved they all are that his grumpy and brooding moods have improved, if not disappeared altogether.

“Never seen that boy smile so much in his whole life,” Steve mutters over your shoulder one day as he watches you work on a research project.

“Me neither,” you agree.

“You’ve never seen him smile so much or you’ve never smiled so much?” he implores.

“Both,” you assure with a smile, spinning in your chair to see Steve’s inevitable disgust.

He doesn’t disappoint, crossing his eyes and imitating a stomach-churning heave as he holds his chest with feigned agony. Natasha glides past, loudly slapping the buff blonde on the back with a demand to grow up and “leave the lovebirds alone”. You smile even more brightly at her words. Love.

You kept your involvement a secret as long as you could, but Bucky hated having to sneak around all the time. He has an insatiable need to be near you, to touch you, to hold you, to be affectionate. You’d managed about one whole month of privacy before he could stand it no longer and begged you to tell everyone about your relationship. The revelation had made things much easier, admittedly; the stress of hiding things is something you don’t miss one bit.

As you finish up your work and reorganize a stack of folders, you hear the muffled sound of Bucky’s voice as Natasha stops him to speak just outside your office. When he peeks his head in the doorway, you can’t help the excited smirk that lifts your lips. He matches the thrilled expression on your face as he struts over, leaning over your desk to lay a loving kiss on your lips.

“Hi, doll,” he greets warmly. “You ready to get outta here?”

Nodding in agreement, you gather your belongings and take Bucky’s hand, allowing him to lead you down the hall to the elevator. He asks about your day, listening to you rattle off each and every detail on the drive home, eating up the stories you tell with rapt interest. When you reach your house and ease the front door open, you’re reminded of how much more it feels like a home. With little touches of Bucky here and there since he’s moved in, the space just feels so much warmer and more cozy. Like he was the missing piece all along.

“So, what are your plans for tonight?” Bucky asks, dropping heavily onto the couch.

“Hmm, well Tony invited us to his party,” you remind him. “New Year’s is always a big thing with him.”

Bucky laughs, knowing that Tony tends to go over the top with all of his celebrations simply because he can. He taps a single finger against his lower lip as if he’s deeply considering something. You watch him for a long moment, wondering what he’s up to before you have to ask.

“What if we celebrate here tonight? Just us,” he offers shyly.

You smile to yourself, knowing the motive behind his suggestion. Bucky has been bugging you for days about this night; insisting that it isn’t just a holiday, but your anniversary as well. Though it had taken a few weeks of hanging out and spending time together for Bucky to officially ask you to be his girlfriend, he assures you he had considered you his since the moment you kissed.

“Which makes New Year’s our anniversary,” he had whined petulantly. And who are you to argue with the adorably persistent man? You find it nearly impossible to not give him everything he wants. Besides, you’ll take a night with your man over a swanky party any day.

The glass of wine you cradle sloshes slightly as you bring it to your lips. You stand in the dark living room, dressed only in one of Bucky’s oversized t-shirts as you watch this year’s ball drop ceremony. Bucky rustles around in the kitchen, getting his own drink so you can toast to the new year in exactly 47 seconds. Taking another sip, you hear Bucky enter the room finally. He comes up behind you, wrapping a cold, steel arm around your waist as he cradles you against his hard body. His warmth seeps into you and you hum contentedly. Bucky’s hold gets tighter and tighter as midnight swiftly approaches, less than ten seconds away.

You hear Bucky’s deep, shaky inhale moment’s before the ball drops. When the crowd shouts “one!” in unison, he shifts behind you, pulling away just slightly and leaving an emptiness when he robs you of his heat. At the raucous utterance of “Happy New Year!” you notice something out of the corner of your eye. You completely miss what’s happening with the shiny ball on the screen in front of you because you’re too distracted by the glittering diamond ring Bucky holds out for you. The magnificent jewel sits nestled in a velvet box, shining grandly in the low-light and begging to be admired.

Had Bucky’s vibranium arm not still been curled around your midsection, your knees surely would have given out. You sway slightly, your back bumping his chest as he chuckles nervously and pulls you in close again. Lifting a hand to your face, you cover your gaping mouth as joyous tears drip from your lashes. Bucky presses a long, soft kiss to the side of your neck before his lips drift to the shell of your ear where his whispered words are hot and sweet.

“Happy New Year, my love. Whaddya say we make it the best one yet?”

Sebastian Stan Masterlist ✦ Writing Masterpost

#this fic was not supposed to be such a monster but i got carried away #i've never written so much at once #literally knocked this out in one sitting #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x reader fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes #bucky #marvel fanfiction

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origami-goblin · 6 years

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Complete Starfinder Theme Series - Creation Tips and Character Concepts

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Part 1 - Sculpting Your Backstory - Themes in Starfinder

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Creating characters in tabletop RPGs is an art. Before we even put a pen to the page, our minds might already have a vision of our character’s impulsive habits, their fatal flaws, and their love of honeyed candies. We pick up the misshapen ball of clay and sculpt details until our character is standing there, breathing on the page before our very eyes. To put it simply, a part of ourselves becomes attached to that player and we can usually see our own faces staring back at us. It can give us the opportunity to address shortcomings that we have or learn to see things from a different perspective. So, in a way, we level up in RL along with our characters.

But how do you start with a broad idea and hammer out the dents to end up with a fully-fledged character? In Dungeons and Dragons 5E we could start with a Background, like a Sailor or a Noble, and we also received prompts to determine flaws, bonds, and ideals to help breathe life into our newborns. Pathfinder didn’t have much specifically in terms of backgrounds to choose from, but we could choose specific traits that had some backstory to get the wheels turning. With Starfinder, we are presented with one word: theme.

Instantly I’m reminded of the scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie’s class is assigned the arduous task of writing a theme centered around what they wanted for Christmas (Red Rider BB Gun, anyone?). Starfinder doesn’t appear to leave us with a similar length of creative rope; only ten options? Really? How am I supposed to develop an original history and genealogy of my character when I’m shoehorned into a limiting background from the beginning?

That’s where I’ll jump in to say that you’re wrong to think that way. Honestly, I LOVE that we are limited to a single choice of ten themes. For one, we already know that there are an extensive number of Feats to choose from and having more starting options to memorize on top of those would simply be too much for a game trying to simplify the rules and character creation process. Secondly, I’m a firm believer that limitations and restrictions breed more creativity than rabbits at a carrot festival. They force us to approach our characters with a fresh perspective. Let’s look at the Icon theme, for example:

Icon Character Concepts

“Thanks to interstellar transmissions and Drift travel, the galaxy is smaller than ever, and this connectivity has facilitated your ascension to celebrity status. You might be a famous performer or a celebrated scientist, but either way, you get recognized on the Pact Worlds and in associated systems. Your reason for traveling to unknown worlds might be to further spread your acclaim or to escape the limelight.” - Starfinder CRB

Popular and respected celebrity who can leverage the public’s adoration for specific needs.

Alright, so this describes a character that everybody knows, for some reason or another. The way that it is phrased, it seems like notoriety isn’t completely out of the question, but it is definitely a gray area. So…for what reasons could somebody be famous on an interstellar level?

Pop Icon - Music, dance, special FX, etc. Maybe you’re part of a galactic Blue Man Group or you’re a Kardashian of the Pact Worlds.

Renowned Scientist - You’ve made leaps and bounds in the discoveries of other species and planets. You could be a geologist specializing in the terraformation of planetary features or an intelligent botanist who has cataloged countless samples from neighboring star systems.

Political Propaganda - Your face was used as part of a political campaign for your Home Planet and you are recognized everywhere you go - it’s kind of like being the Coppertone baby or Justin Long from Apple commercials.

Luxurious Billionaire - Part of a historic family, you grew up in the limelight. Every waking moment was scrutinized because you had to live up to your family’s name. Why you don’t have any of that wealth now…that’s up for you to decide.

Skilled Athlete - Having scored the winning goal in the Interplanetary Scrooving Cup, you brought honor, wealth, and fame to your previously unimportant home planet. It doesn’t have to be scrooving, of course (especially since I haven’t invented the rules…yet), but it could be a podracing variant or even a form of space-jousting.

You see, all it takes is a single word to have a canvas on which to build your character. On any of the examples above, you probably have a loose framework of how that person would act; the scientist might bravely charge into the unknown for the sake of scientific discovery, or the athlete might live a shallow life outside of their matches.

Be bold and stretch your imagination. We are no longer limited by the atmosphere.

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Part 2 - Starfinder Theme Focus - Ace Pilots and Bounty Hunters

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This week I’m going back to the scene of the crime to revisit the themes in Starfinder and offer some possible avenues down which you can direct your creative character-building energies. In case you’re completely in the dark on this topic, Starfinder introduces the concept of themes that you can use as a small puzzle piece in sculpting your character. In addition to providing some RP definition, each theme will give your character a boost to a specific stat and bonuses at 1st, 6th, 12th, and 18th level. As an aside, Paizo’s choice to have the theme progression remain identical throughout the possible selections helps to limit the min-maxing a bit, by ensuring that players aren’t choosing themes based on whichever ones grant them bonuses the soonest. Of course, the bonuses that each theme provides inherently enable some level of power-gaming, but that is going to be the case with nearly any pen-and-paper PRG.

Last time, as a part of my deeper dive into themes, I specifically touched on the Icon and listed several examples of character concepts that a player could use when creating a Startfinder character kissed by the Icon theme. The point of the post was to show that themes aren’t meant to limit creativity; they foster it. Just as there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s, there are countless interpretations to each theme and the characters that can be molded into existence. Today, I’ll be firing up my brain engine to offer some different charger ideas for the Ace Pilot and Bounty Hunter themes. Buckle up, we’re making the jump!

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Ace Pilot Character Concepts

“You are most comfortable at the controls of a vehicle, whether it’s a starship racing through the inky void of space or a ground vehicle zooming between trees, around boulders, and across dusty badlands. You might be a member of an elite military force, the recipient of intense courses of training. Alternatively, you might be a total amateur with innate skills that make you a much-admired hotshot.” – Starfinder CRB

Cargo Transport Pilot – You’ve been on the open road…er…space your whole life. Maybe you enjoy the solitude that comes with transporting outrageous quantities of goods across planets or star systems. These goods could be anything – weapons, construction materials, medical devices. Or maybe it’s a grab bag and half of the excitement stems from wondering what the next shipment will contain. The many laws governing tariffs & import/export taxes come second-nature, and your expertise in maneuvering an unruly behemoth transport ship is unrivaled. I’m sure you have some fantastic stories about the characters that you’ve met at depots and docks along the way. Have you operated with a crew or are you more of a lone wolf? Are you ‘by the book’ or are you known to bend the rules when regulations aren’t being followed? And hey, I’m not going to judge if you smuggle something every now and again – that’s completely up to you.

Mining Rig Operator – A specialist when it comes to operating heavy machinery, and someone who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty. Whether it be a massive drill, asteroid borer, front-end loader, or excavator, you have the honed precision required of someone who could easily level a structure or cause a fatality with a minor slip of the controls. You might harbor a deep love of geology, wealth, or the smell of space-diesel. If you’ve seen Disney’s Atlantis, Gaetan ‘The Mole’ comes to mind here, in all his grimy glory. Has mining been in your family for generations, or were you trying to make some credits in whatever profession was available? Have you pocketed any of your unearthed materials and sold them on the sly? What sort of role would you have on a starship that isn’t a dedicated mining vessel?

Stunt Driver – Inhabitants of the Pact Worlds crave entertainment, and you know how to deliver. From hologram tapes to over-capacity arenas, the lengths you go to appease your audiences is unmatched. How do you prepare yourself mentally to be fearless? Is there any stunt that you won’t do? Huge flames, steep jumps, free-falling acrobatics – you’ve done it all! Have you become an adventurer to satisfy a new craving that’s suddenly emerged deep inside? Are you an adrenaline junky with no care for your personal safety? Or are you THAT confident in your abilities that you simply must show them off at every opportunity?

Military Training Pilot – You’ve risen through the ranks of a military sect, but you figured that you’re done with combat missions. Instead, you are now responsible for grooming the fresh batch of hot-heads in the Academy to ensure that engagements end favorably at the minimal loss of life and equipment. You could be highly decorated and revered by all, or maybe you’ve never actually seen combat but have a brilliant mind for tactics and strategy. Did you develop a sophisticated training module for recruits? Are you a master of physics and can perform complex equations regarding acceleration, drag, and gravity on the fly? Maybe you’re not pleased about being given a non-combative assignment and yearn to be back in the fight, wherever that might be.

Getaway Driver – You’ll ‘wait in the car.’ You know the best nooks and crannies to hide in after a successful operation, be it a heist or a GTA. Apart from having nerves of steel, your ability to handle any vehicle makes you highly coveted in the high-stakes game of evading the authorities. Perhaps you have a catchy pseudonym, like “Leadfoot” or “Afterburner” that adds an edge of mystery to your growing legend. Are you available for hire depending on the highest bidder, or are you loyal to a dedicated group of criminals? Or maybe you’re not a criminal at all, and you’re an undercover agent networking to root out the top dogs of the criminal world. What drives you (pun intended) and keeps your foot on the accelerator? I haven’t seen Baby Driver, but I imagine that he would make for a fun Starfinder character.

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Bounty Hunter Character Concepts

“You track people down for money. It is a dangerous profession, as most of your targets understandably don’t wish to be caught. You wouldn’t have it any other way. You might have a code of ethics, never taking jobs that, say, target children or members of your own race. You might hunt down only escaped criminals. Or you might be completely amoral, taking any job that comes along—for the right price.” – Starfinder CRB

Great Mouse Detective – Maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself on this one, but a Ysoki Detective? Come on! Okay, we can drop the ‘mouse’ portion of this to generalize it a bit, but a detective makes for a great Bounty Hunter. Searching for clues? Check. Interrogating witnesses? Check. An independent free-lancer? Check, check, check. Now all we need is a mahogany pipe that functions while wearing an airtight, pressurized helmet. Are you a Private Investigator, helping people track down lost relatives? Do you offer your services on a contract basis, assisting the local authorities when your services are required? Maybe you’re exceptional at finding clues, or adept at making accurate deductions based on the information on-hand. Or perhaps your forte involves the canvassing of a crime scene to gather the word on the street, or you could be skilled at poring over historical documents and ancestry lineages.

Gung-Ho Repo-Man – It’s time to pay the piper. Whether it be collecting vehicles or ships that have defaulted loans, or shaking down debtors who are skipping town without paying back the credits owed, there are plenty of avenues to venture down as a repo-man (or woman). Are you employed by a roving band of outlaws or by a seedy brand of space mafia? Do you find honor in returning to others what is rightfully theirs? You can be cold and calculated, or a wild child with a smoking gun. Do you believe in using violence to get the job done, by obtaining the required items by whatever means necessary? Or do you have a strict code of conduct and will only resort to fighting if it is absolutely necessary and all other accessible routes have been exhausted? Either way, you get the job done and collect that paycheck, because if someone is going to get paid, it might as well be you.

Corporate Headhunter – Everybody’s looking for that perfect candidate to fill the shoes and help their company prosper. Sure, you’re a bounty hunter, but you aren’t collecting the reward on some beat-up Toyota Star-is or trying to bring in a fugitive; you are trying to find the right people and put them in the right seats. Corporations pay you top dollar (after six months) when you track down someone with the appropriate skillset and convince them to accept a position at their firms. You have an absurd eye for noticing talent, even when it isn’t a skill that people recognize themselves as having. These aren’t rush jobs; you know that the only way to scout ability is to dig in beyond the resume and get to know the person behind the paper. Whittling down long lists of candidates to a select few and engaging them in social situations is your true calling, and you truly want them to succeed. If they’re not a fit, it’s on to the next one until you find that diamond in the rough.

Pre-Gap Antiquarian – Not much is known about the Gap (that’s why it’s called ‘the Gap’), but you recognize that there is much to be learned about the past, and that the key to unlocking the secrets of what we’ve collectively forgotten lies in the relics that remain. You seek out machinery, trinkets, baubles, clothing – any odds and ends whose origins have long since been forgotten. Perhaps you scour through old histories and manuscripts, trying to locate legendary items of extraordinary power. Do you have magic at your disposal to aid you in your search, ala a dowsing rod? Do you gravitate towards items of a certain kind, like ancient weapons? What draws you to these items in the first place? Maybe there have been stories passed down through your family and you became attached to them, bringing nostalgia into the mix. Or maybe you believe that the way technology is progressing leaves people disconnected with nature or causes us to lack the stronger bond that comes in a slower-moving culture. You probably hoard some of your treasures and keep an exceptionally special item on your person. You could be a hoarder, or run a shop that deals in the sale and acquisition of oddities and antiques.

Zealous Proselytizer – Instead of being driven by the promise of gold or riches, you seek out the good fortune that comes from your deity looking favorably upon you. Whether it be Talavet, Weydan or any deity in between, you seek out others in attempt to show them the enlightenment that comes with becoming a follower. In a way, you are a bounty hunter of souls. Maybe you preach openly in front of large crowds and then try to personally recruit the ones who come up to your afterwards who show interest and promise. Or perhaps you spend more time watching and listening, following people whose dispositions align best with your deity’s tenets. You don’t necessarily have to be pushy, but you certainly could get aggressive if you become frustrated with your efforts. What if they don’t see the world as you see it? You might not be terribly high on the totem pole, either; you could be passing out leaflets in hopes that you ascend the ranks if you make your quota. Do you have a quota? If so, is it more of a personal goal or an appointed goal? What if you’re not aligned with a deity at all, but you hop between them depending on the one that grants the most benefits? After all, nobody’s perfect.

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And there you have it! Since I’ve already done the Icon in a previous post, our next stop will be the Mercenary and Outlaw themes. I’m really looking forward to these two, as they both have a negative connotation and I want to see if we can’t shrug off those predispositions and put a positive spin on them! The main problem I have with posts like these is that I want to start putting together a bunch of characters, most of which will never see the light of day. So, please - create! I shall live through your characters!

Until next time – the stars aren’t the limit; they’re only the beginning.

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Part 3 - Starfinder Theme Focus - Mercenaries and Outlaws

Three down, seven to go! I’ve decided that I might as well just knock out the remaining themes all in a row so that at the very least they’ll be crammed together on the blog in a loose semblance of order. Check back on the first two posts if you want a bit of background on the Starfinder Themes and the role they play in character creation. There isn’t much more I can expand on regarding themes specifically, so maybe I’ll just impart a few thoughts on backstories as little tidbits for you to ruminate on. Maybe I’ll sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. Maybe!

The point of a backstory is provide a framework and serve as a backdrop for your character - what do they believe? What quirks do they have? Why are they the way that they are? We are all products of our environments, and it is that environment that you are trying to envision. Leave spaces in the narrative to come out during the game; if you fill in every tiny detail then there won’t be anything for the GM to work with and incorporate into the story. Loose ends are the best! They can be woven into the narrative in order to enhance the game. Even if you’re playing a prewritten Adventure Path or Module, a good GM will use the gaps in your backstory to help engage your PC and keep them interested. And when you’re talking about the sheet expanse of the Vast in Starfinder, let your imagination run rampant on WHO your character is! Themes are a nice paste you can spread over your character to stick new things on top of.

Alright - now we are primed to talk about the Mercenary and Outlaw themes. There is a “bad boy” mentality that naturally comes into the conversation with each of these, by lets see if we can list out five brief theme concepts that stretch the boundaries of the basic definitions of these words.

Mercenary Character Concepts

“Whether you take jobs that match your ethical beliefs or you fight for anyone who can afford your services, you are a hired gun. You might take pride in your past accomplishments, proudly displaying trophies of your kills, or you might be laden with guilt over being the sole survivor of a mission gone terribly wrong. You most likely work with other mercenaries and are familiar with the methodologies of military actions all across the galaxy.” - Starfinder CRB

Security Officer - You’ve always seen yourself as a protector - whether someone needs a watchful eye to make sure they stay out of trouble, or if an estate needs to reprimand unwelcome visitors, you can answer that call. Your allegiance follows the flow of credits and you won’t let your personal beliefs get in the way of whoever’s paying. Nobody’s breaking Non-Disclosure Agreements, but you wouldn’t be dissuaded from providing your security services for a direct competitor. Do you run a small-scale Security Detail or are you a division of a larger corporation? Do you specialize in a particular type of work, such as being a bodyguard or providing cyber-security? Where is your base of operations, or do you require on-site lodgings in order to provide the best service? Were you a part of a specific military before becoming involved in security or have you never tied yourself down to a specific group in that capacity? I see Michael Weston from Burn Notice as a decent example of a Mercenary in this vein - providing assistance through the completion of odd jobs and using his unique skills to outthink his opposition.

Divine Crusader - You believe that the Divine shape the universe through the people that inhabit it. And after all is said and done, and your light goes out, you want to be sure that your deeds didn’t go unnoticed from the powerful beings above. For this reason you wear every divine symbol under your shirt, prominently displaying the current recipient of your unwavering homage and devotion. For you, it isn’t a matter of lacking faith; you are just covering your spiritual bases. Or maybe you have followed a strict belief to a single deity for your entire life, pledging your devotion whole-cloth from day one. Do you play a prominent militaristic role while professing your faith or do you sell your services in a more charismatic avenue? Are you convinced that your actions are tipping the doomsday scales in your favor, or is there a crack in your faith? Have you served in any divine-fueled wars or defected from a losing side? A character falling into this category should have their religious preference tied into their backstory, which had likely followed their interests, skills, and hobbies. I can’t stop thinking of medieval crusaders in this regard, but there is a lot of flavor to dip into here.

Corporate Consultant - In the Pact Worlds, corporations might as well be planets for all the power that carry, and they probably have a militaristic presence of some kind. A corporate consultant could specialize in offering recommendations to specific equipment and weapons, or perhaps they aren’t involved in a violent capacity at all. They could be ruthless and tactical, pulling the strings from behind the curtain or offering suggestions on where to shave off the excess fat of the company. I particularly like the idea of someone walking around with a clipboard and conducting interviews with employees ala Office Space. But how does that tie to a Mercenary? Maybe it’s the company itself - weapons contractor, thugs for hire, etc. Or, perhaps the war lies between a rival corporation and you are involved in espionage and marketing attacks to gain market share. Targeted advertisements, facilities sabotage, and staged product recalls are only the tip of the iceberg.

Intergalactic Lobbyist - You have connections. We aren’t talking about a guy who does your dry cleaning or a farm with the best space radishes; these are high-level, big-time connections that puts credits in pockets and shapes the political landscape of the Pact Worlds. The companies on the money side of the table tell you which babies to kiss and which people to schmooze. If your efforts lead to a political victory, lax taxation, or breaks in long-standing mercantile tariffs, then you get paid handsomely as well. Having the backing of a wealthy corporation is influential in the complicated game of thrones and your ability to reach across planetary lines to make hands meet in a mutual agreement is second to none. Are you employed by a certain company or industry, or do you represent the lawmaking bodies? Do you have morals where you would refuse to make connections that conflict with your personal beliefs? Are you sincere in your work? Have you been known to exercise a position as a double-agent or worked to tack on seemingly insignificant riders to laws that will add up to accomplish a more grandiose goal? You’re likely trained to handle yourself in case seals go sour, and can get out of hairy situations with your wit or your weapons.

Boisterous Revolutionary - The transgressions of the current government have gone far enough and it is time for someone to lead the charge against their injustice. That someone is you. Whether it be a local affair to overthrow a village leader or an elaborate scheme to Take Down an entire planetary government, you have the tactical mind and leadership ability required to gather people behind a cause. This might not even be your brainchild - perhaps you were hired to be the face of the militaristic front or to train the rabble that will be storming the frontlines of the fight. Is your identity a secret while you infiltrate the ranks of the very government you’re trying to unravel? Are you merely a voice blasting through the sound-waves, promoting action or demanding change? Why do you fight? Is it a personal grievance or is your reasoning more utilitarian than that? How is the revolution designed to be won and what are the conditions of a victory? From a grassroots movement to an all-out war, there are loads of potential for a character who wants things to be different.

Outlaw Character Concepts

“Due to the sins of your past or your current unlawful behavior, you are a wanted individual somewhere in the Pact Worlds. You might not even be guilty and are striving to clear your good name. Or you might fully admit to being a criminal but believe the laws you break are unjust. Whatever the case, boarding a starship headed to the Vast might be just the thing you need until the heat dies down—or until you’re dragged off to prison.” - Starfinder CRB

Escaped Convict - You weren’t about to twiddle your thumbs and patiently serve out your sentence. Through careful planning, tactical bribes, and a healthy serving of luck, you have broken out of prison and now you’re on the lam. I’m sure that the going hasn’t been easy - between hiding from the law, committing other crimes to stay alive, and disguising your appearance, it’s been a challenge. Did you have anyone waiting for you on the outside, or have you been begging, borrowing, and sealing to get by? Did your escape because you were wrongfully convicted or did you have some unfinished business to take care of? Were you a part of a criminal organization that lacked direction after you were locked up? What about going forwards - do you have a new identity that you’ve been working to build? Is this a backstory within a backstory situation? Were you partially rehabilitated? Did a couple screws get popped loose while you were in the clink, or are there any specific life-changing moments after your capture and sentencing? From the details of the escape, to acquaintances made behind bars, to plans for the future, this one has some long legs you can use to take some great strides.

Undercover Vigilante - By day you work a nondescript job behind a desk but once night hits you are something else entirely. Alternate personas, white lies regarding your whereabouts, and layers of complex secrets define your alternate exploits. In your primary life you might display yourself as completely average but your other identity has an astronomical bounty on their head. What sorts of activities do you participate in while you’re on and off the clock? Are you more of a Robin Hood character or an independent crime fighter who bends the rules and laws to bring justice to those who would normally get a slap on the wrist? Are your methods questionable? Do you kill? It’s hard not to use Dexter as a point of comparison for someone who uses illegal means to ensure justice is served. Does anybody know about your double life, or do you offer your services to law enforcement agencies? Is there a contact on the force that helps you plan out your next target? Do you wear a unique costume or uniform or do you think it’s unnecessary so long as your face is hidden?

White Collar Criminal - Blood is messy and it will spoil your freshly laundered clothes. Your crimes aren’t rooted in violence of the body, but in the acquisition of funds through discreet avenues. Accounting errors, financial repossession algorithms, malicious software - you alter the bottom line of companies to fill your purse with those sweet, sweet credits. Maybe you’ve forged documents to give yourself access to places you shouldn’t be, or perhaps you’ve run pyramid schemes that have created an almost-cult following behind you. What sorts of crimes have you performed and what sorts of groups do you typically target? How large is he typical score? Do you use an alias or leave a calling card to pump up your ego or would you rather not take those unnecessary risks? Did you have an inspiration or teacher for your work, or were your skills self-taught? Is this a full-time gig or do you have another job so that your extra-curricular activities are more of a supplement? Neal Caffrey from White Collar would be a solid source of inspiration for this one, and he really is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to these sorts of things. Think about how it translates to the world of Starfinder, where technology has progressed significantly and the possibility of scams is abundant - lemon starships, pre-Gap forgeries, and impersonations of diplomats who are literally planets away.

Petty Thief - You are small-time but that doesn’t mean you’re any less talented than the more infamous criminals who are making bigger scores than you. In your eyes, smaller is safer since people are less apt to notice and the manhunt won’t be as dedicated when a booster gets stolen off a personal starship or a couple hundred credits get swiped from a stray purse. Maybe you were raised on the streets and this has always been a part of you or maybe you’ve resorted to crime to rebel against an unfair system. Perhaps you enjoy the thrill you get from the act itself, or you like to cut it as close as possible without getting caught. Do you work independently or as a part of a team? Is there a special role that you fill? How much planning do you do before committing a crime or do you act within the moment? Are you skilled with a weapon or are your talents more in line with dexterity and a convincing tongue? Do you have a stash of Stolen Goods or do you turn around and sell the hot items right away? Is there anything that you’ve stolen that has developed sentimental value? You wouldn’t even have to have an evil alignment depending on your intentions and the severity of your crimes.

Contract Assassin - You have your target and it is your job to eliminate that target without drawing suspicion to yourself or your employer(s). Secrecy is the name of the game and nobody is more meticulous in plotting out the precise details of your operation. As such, your skills come at a high price, but people are willing to pay it knowing that you will be successful in fulfilling your end of the bargain. Your actions have ended wars and started them, reunited countries and torn them apart. From insignificant low-lifes to heavily guarded political figures, you fulfill whatever contracts are the most attractive. Are you driven by money or do you believe that the results of your actions will align with another agenda? Is there a list of prerequisites that must be fulfilled before a target becomes an acceptable contract? How do people get in contact with you? How do you provide your resume for the skeptical clientele without giving away your identity completely? My fallback isAgent 47 from the Hitman series, since he is practically more machine than man which provides an interesting dynamic for the rest of the party.

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Another two themes are in the books! Think about how you can add additional spins to these and how the other aspects of your character might tie into the Theme. Can you picture a Vesk crunching numbers and pushing papers all day just to hit the streets as a brutish enforcer at night? What about a Ysoki rubbing elbows with some of the most elite leaders in the Pact Worlds? Priests and Scholars are up next - stay tuned for more Starfinder goodness!

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Part 4 - Starfinder Theme Focus – Priests and Scholars

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As we continue our journey through the themes of Starfinder, let’s take a second to look back on what we’ve already covered. Things were unofficially kicked off in the startup article detailing each theme individually, in which we shined the spotlight on the Icon (something they’re well-versed with). We’ve discussed the daring Ace Pilot and their mastery over starships and land vehicles. Next came the bounty hunter, searching the vastness of space and overturning asteroids to unearth the location of their prey. After that we made a substantial payment to hire the Mercenary, who gladly offers their services to the party with the fattest purse. Which leaves us with our most recent acquaintance, the Outlaw, who would probably prefer that we mention them as little as possible so as not to give away their identity.

Before we get to today’s scheduled programming, I’d like to mention something about character creation that can be limiting to our creativity. It’s definitely a pitfall that I’ve succumbed to on more than one occasion, and Starfinder Themes can inadvertently recreate the situation. The problem with having specific themes or backgrounds in a tabletop game, is that by selecting one of the options we are essentially putting a label on our PC: Drake is a bounty hunter. Full stop. What tends to happen, is that we have a predisposed definition of ‘bounty hunter’ in our minds; it is a mold that we casually place our character into before we have rolled a single die. It can be limiting and stifling to our creativity, even if we don’t initially see it that way.

Try to get into the habit of generalizing the themes and backgrounds so that all of the stereotypical noise is stripped away, leaving you with a beautiful, hollow shell that you can shape as you see fit. Jumping back to the bounty hunter example: Start off with the bounty hunter definition as outlined in the CRB:

“You track people down for money. It is a dangerous profession, as most of your targets understandably don’t wish to be caught. You wouldn’t have it any other way. You might have a code of ethics, never taking jobs that, say, target children or members of your own race. You might hunt down only escaped criminals. or you might be completely amoral, taking any job that comes along—for the right price.”

Okay, that’s a good place to start but it’s wordy and fills in the gaps unnecessarily. Maybe a regular definition would suffice:

“A person who pursues a criminal or fugitive for whom a reward is offered.”

Better, but the normal definition is making some assumptions that we can generalize even further. Let’s try this:

“A FINDER, paid for FINDING.”

When it all gets boiled down, isn’t that essentially what a bounty hunter does? A bounty hunter doesn’t have to be exclusively searching for people; they can be tracking down objects as well, so long as they’re getting paid for successful completion of the job.

These posts on Starfinder themes have sought to generalize the definition of each theme to give us more creative space to mold and shape our PCs. Of course, your character might be the literal definition of a bounty hunter, and that’s perfectly fine too – fun is whatever YOU find most enjoyable!

Enough jabbering, it’s time to talk about the Priest and the Scholar! In the paraphrased words of Wolfmother, “So I’ll tell you all the story about the Scholar and the Priest of the night!”

Priest Character Concepts

“You are a member of an organized religion or similar association. Your belief, whether it has been a part of you since childhood or it came to you later in life, is an integral part of your character. You might travel the stars proselytizing your deity, or your church might have sent you out on a specific holy (or unholy) mission. No matter what obstacles life puts in your way, you always have the conviction of your beliefs to fall back on.” - Starfinder CRB

Dedicated Pilgrim – Humbled by your beliefs and wanting to strengthen the connection you have with your deity, you have dedicated yourself to a journey of enlightenment. Guided by your immovable faith, you will follow the call of your deity to the end of the Pact Worlds and beyond, if you must. Through the discovery of new planets, people, and technologies, everything serves as a connection to your higher power. Are you specifically travelling to commune with a group of believers at a revered historical site? Is there a tangible beacon guiding you in your pilgrimage, such as a holy relic or powerful artifact? Depending on your deity, you may be driven by or attracted to a multitude of objects, lifestyles, people, etc.

Faithful Preacher – Completely enveloped by your faith, you can’t help but to share the holy words of your divine patron wherever you go. Backing up your speeches with passages from deific texts and reciting countless stories of Even though you are aware that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, are you pushy about spreading your faith or do you focus more heavily on people who are more apt to be convinced? Do you have a specific audience that you are targeting, be it the elderly or are you shaping the young minds of tomorrow? What sort of demeanor does this character have? How do they handle conflict? Have they had an experience that made them question their faith, or is there a profound moment that filled them with their faith to begin with? Maybe you even have a conversion quota that you’d like to reach before you consider your purpose fulfilled.

Astute Theologian – The key to having a solid foundation in faith is to understand the texts and histories that were written to support and document all pertinent information on your deity. Whether you scribe events yourself or focus exclusively on the texts of theologians prior, you enjoy having concrete evidence available at your fingertips. Are you a bookish individual whose vision is damaged by years under dim lights, or are you a young theologian hoping to excel your tutelage under another? Do you collect stories of every deity, or do you limit your studies to a single divine? Are you accepting of other people’s beliefs? Do you have favorite quotes or passages that you constantly reference? Are there any particular ways that you communicate to those of a lesser intelligence? Or perhaps you’re not as intelligent as you initially seem!

Motivational Life Coach – Nothing pleases you more than using your gifts to help others solve their problems. In just five easy steps, anybody can change their life and turn their luck around! Centered around faith, you develop close relationships with others so that you can understand how they’ve gotten to where they are today. How do you encourage people to lower their guard and accept your proven-plan to enrich their lives? What does your enhancement plan entail? Does it have a cost? Have you done any seminars, published books, or organized any retreats to promote your program? Are you just in it for the money or is this a situation where you are the product of your own success? Buzz words and phrases likely leap from your lips – you’re developing a brand after all!

Secluded Hermit – You’ve always found that developing a deep connection with your deity involves peace, quiet, and a whole lot of R&R. You don’t feel a need to proclaim your faith from the rooftops because as far as you’re concerned, faith is entirely personal. By developing your beliefs in private, you can feel that you’re making progress in bettering your soul. How long have you been living alone and why did you choose that lifestyle for yourself? Was it even your choice? How will you assimilate into society and work closely with a party of adventurers? Have you been living a meager lifestyle? Do you have any important possessions that have centered your meditations? Any surviving family? Are you willing to share your faith with others?

Scholar Character Concepts

“You are an erudite intellectual, pitting your brain against problems and puzzles that others would find daunting. You might be an instructor of a specific topic at a large university or a dabbler in a number of fields of study. You could be exploring the galaxy in search of ancient artifacts or new scientific phenomena. Whatever your motivation, you are sure that the answers you seek are out there.” - Starfinder CRB

Eccentric Entomologist – Not limited to just studying the Shirren, you are heavily interested in anything that creeps and crawls throughout the Pact World System. Where others might cringe and crawl, you revel in the opportunity to uncover new species and the possibility of attributing discoveries to your name. What sorts of insects are your forte? Do you specialize in a certain genus? Have you developed any quirks or tendencies that could be attributed to the subjects that you study? Perhaps your studies are strictly limited to understanding the Shirren and their Hive Mind connection and you want to replicate it in another application. Do you keep your samples on you, or do you have a lab where the majority are stored? Any ties to a museum or research facility? Are you an accredited scientist or more of a glorified hobbyist?

Forensic Scientist – Understanding the complex intricacies that go into crime scene investigation, you have an analytical mind rooted in years of study. It’s important that you are familiar with anatomy, physics, and psychology in order to piece together the clues of a murder and figure out the story. Are you currently a part of a law enforcement unit or are you a contractor for hire? Are you an expert in specific types of crimes? Do you often visit the crime scene, or do you focus more on the laboratory side of things? Is there any particular crime that stands out in your mind as most influential or disturbing? What got you into this field of study? How does technology play a role in your investigations? Do you have any enemies that you’ve helped put behind bars that have threatened to make things difficult to you whenever they get out of prison? How will your services be best used out in the real world of adventuring and space travel?

Acclaimed Archeologist – Every planet tells a story under its surface and your job is to discover that story and share it with the world(s). Whether it is the bones of long-forgotten monsters or remnants of an ancient civilization, proof of the past is out there, ripe for the digging. What sorts of equipment or magic do you use to unearth these hidden riches of the world? Are you looking for signs of life, buildings, treasure, or something else entirely? After you find something, what are your goals for your discovery – sharing it with others or stashing it away for yourself? Are you a part of a small team, large corporation, or just working independently? Is there some great mystery that you’re trying to solve? Who are your key contacts in the industry and how do you determine your dig sites? Maybe you also investigate and search for destroyed ships or vessels that we lost in the Drift, hoping to bring closure to friends and family (or to scavenge the wreckage).

Environmental Engineer – Out in the far reaches of space, the environment is hostile and deadly. Maybe you’ve assisted in developing life support systems or you have assisted in the creation of sustainable housing that can stand up to the harshest of elements. Or maybe you are have studied other planets in-depth and understand the ecology, planetary make-up, atmosphere, and other vital statistics about them. Taking it a step further, maybe you’re involved in the preservation of resources and ensuring that the next generation will not be lacking in basic environmental needs. You might be a geologist, pedologist, or meteorologist. Are you focused on environmental usage or preservation? Is there a specialty that others consult you on, like water, air, or weather? Do you design structures? What about terraforming or reshaping existing planets to suit the needs of the people? Are you paid well for your efforts? Did you attend any schooling or are you self-taught? There is a ton of flexibility in this one because the worlds in Starfinder are incredibly diverse and allow for immense creativity.

Legacy Historian – The Gap has left a literal gap in people’s minds – what happened during the period of time before the present-day? Your research is meant to answer that specific question. You might be focused on the militarization of the Pact Worlds, investigating wars and battles that took place during that time. Or maybe you’re more concerned with cultures and race anthologies, trying to understand the people that existed before and during the Gap. Better yet, you might be a renowned historian on Golarion (leaving the player able to exhibit their Pathfinder knowledge). Historians can also be responsible for chronicling events as they happen. Do you write everything down or are you a ‘living’ historian who has an impeccable memory for reciting facts and figures? What level of history interests you the most – individual and familial histories or the rise and fall of empires? Have you ever tweaked a fact to better fit a desired narrative or are you unbiased in your research? Is your work published anywhere? Do you have any powers of foresight were you can recognize past mistakes and see events unfolding as the consequence to those events? Why do you record – so others can remember or so you don’t forget?

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And with that, we’ve detailed out seven of the ten themes. But wait! Aren’t there only nine themes? Do I even know what I’m talking about at this point? You would be correct in saying that there are only nine DEFINED themes, but I’m saving the final post in this series for a brief dive into being Themeless. Even though creating a character without a theme seems like writing a book and forgoing a title, themeless is the perfect solution to the problem of dreaming up a character who doesn’t seem to check off the boxes of a single theme, or one that checks off boxes of multiple themes and you simply can’t decide which one is most dominant.

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Part 5 - Starfinder Theme Focus - Spacefarers and Xenoseekers

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First of all, let me apologize. It’s been MONTHS since I teased the final article on Starfinder themes and leaving this series in a perilously unfinished limbo. I wish that I had a decent excuse to explain it, but unfortunately I don’t have that either. So please, accept my apology, and let’s get to the conclusion of this series!

We’ve covered a lot of bases - Ace Pilots, Bounty Hunters, Icons, Mercenaries, Outlaws, Priests, and Scholars, which means that today we will be talking about Spacefarers, Xenoseekers, and briefly touching on the Themeless concept. That’s still a ton of ground to cover, and I’m a bit intimidated even thinking about it. Concluding this intense detail into Starfinder’s themes will be bittersweet - not only because it’ll be over, but also because there’s no way to fully encapsulate the entire, endless spectrum of characters you can create within Paizo’s Starfinder universe. That’s what’s really great about the Themeless option; if none of the other themes do your character justice in describing their schtick, then you can always go Themeless and solve that particular problem.

Whenever I create a character, I will usually start by trying to find an interesting or obscure feat, characteristic, theme, etc and build the character around that. Some people are really creative and come up with amazing backstories first and build the character to fit their artistic vision. Although that’ll happen on occasion, I’ll generally determine a character’s backstory after I’ve fleshed out their vitals and statblock. The important thing for me is that my characters stand out. Not from a min-max perspective (if that’s what you enjoy then keep doing it!), but from a standpoint of going outside the norm and playing a character with abilities that people may have never experienced before.

Stone Warder Sorcerer? Breadth of Experience feat? Archivist Bard? All of these types of choices go leaps and bounds to hint and what the character is all about. A Stone Warder Sorcerer would be something like an Earth Bender from Avatar, gaining their powers from the rocky world around them. Characters with a Breadth of Experience are ancient, meaning that they’ve seen and heard nearly all there is to know. Bards with the Archivist archetype aren’t going to be dishing out much damage, but they are constantly scribbling down their experiences and every bit of lore they can get their hands on. And just like that, a single piece of your character’s statblock can literally define them.

That’s partly been the point of these posts about the Themes in Starfinder. Sure, you can come up with an absolutely AWESOME character concept and attach a theme that fits that character. No problem. But if you’re having trouble coming up with a character, the options listed in these posts are meant to assist you in launching off into the incredible Imagisphere to create a truly unique character.

Alright, I’ve babbled so much that I’ve turned into a brook. (Sorry if I’ve used that particular moniker already…it’s been a long time since my last Starfinder post). Time to finish off the series!

Spacefarer Character Concepts

“Your longing to journey among the stars can’t be sated. You yearn for the adventure of stepping onto a distant world and exploring its secrets. You tend to greet every new opportunity with bravery and fortitude, confident that your multitude of skills will pull you through. Perhaps you simply find joy in the act of traveling with your companions, or perhaps you are just out to line your pockets with all sorts of alien loot!” - Starfinder CRB

Clueless Tourist - Let’s face it. You saw a map of the Pact Worlds and immediately searched the best places to visit on each planet. Theme parks, monuments, parks - you want to visit them all and document your travels on a blog that you’re still coming up with a creative name for. Experiences are the best currency to be paid in, and your goal is to become filthy rich on them. Now, you might not understand all of the different cultures or customs in the places that you’re visiting, but in your eyes everybody else should be happy that you’re bolstering the economy in all of your destinations. Excuse me - could you please take my photo?

Deductive Meteorologist - Perhaps in the same vein as the Environmental Engineer concept from the Scholar post, this character would be all about the weather and is drawn to the varied climates and conditions present in the Pact World planets. Have you ever seen the sunrise through noxious fuchsia clouds or felt thick, oily rain land on your head? All of these phenomenon can be explained through science. Maybe you’ll publish a scholarly journal on your findings, or maybe your more of a storm-chaser bent on surviving the most wild and dangerous conditions. No matter how you spin it, you’re fascinated by the weather, whether your companions like it or not.

Hospitable Flight Attendant - Time to make everybody else’s travel experiences as enjoyable as possible. You’re an expert at socializing and keeping everybody’s minds off the baggage fees and severe lack of legroom. In your eyes, there’s no part of a space commute that can’t be made better by a tall glass of sherry or a delicious sack of Zeni’s Zesty Znacks. While traveling, you are sure to keep all the amenities nearby to heighten the enjoyment of those around you. You might have gotten into the gig because you wanted to see the universe, and maybe that itch is just beginning to surface once more.

Curious Explorer - Hardly anything fancy about this one. You love exploring. The mystery, intrigue, and discovery thrill you to pieces. Every time you come across a corner, you just HAVE to see what’s on the other side of it. This is known to get you into heaps of trouble and situations where you end up on the wrong end of a ‘No Trespassing’ sign. But, through your foolhardy actions, you’ve been able to experience things that very few other people have, and your stories are the things of legend. There are countless star sectors to visit and only so much time…what are you waiting for?!

Budding Photographer - Your goal? The perfect shot. You might be a movie producer scouting locations for your next sector-buster. Or maybe you’re an artistic photographer determined to capture the essence of the human (and alien) experience. You never miss a moment and you are incredibly easy to track based on the trail of snapshots that you leave behind. Whether your honing your craft or a complete amateur when it comes to lighting, focus, and apertures, space grants you the freedom to create magnificent works of art. Every horizon has another potential shot, and you’ll hitchhike your way around the galaxy if you have to if it means catching your elusive unicorn.

Xenoseeker Character Concepts

“The thought of meeting alien life-forms excites you. The more different their appearances and customs are from yours, the better! You either believe they have much to teach you or you want to prove you are better than them. Of course, the only way to accomplish your goal is to leave the Pact Worlds and travel to the Vast, where a virtually endless number of aliens await.” - Starfinder CRB

Captivated Anthropologist - This concept makes perfect sense. As an anthropologist, you live and love to study the differences between humanoid species. You can even take it a step further to be fascinated with specific aspects of each of the races. What are the secrets behind the Lashunta’s psychic abilities? How tough are the scales of the Vesk? So many questions and not enough time to find all the answers. You might become acutely interested in your crewmates, asking them all sorts of intrusive questions in order to develop an understanding for their specific gifts and talents. Beings with surgical enhancements might be particularly interesting to you as humanoids continue their never-ending quest for power.

Inquisitive Marketing Guru - If you want to sell something, you HAVE to know your market. Double blind surveys, focus groups, experimental expos…you will stop at nothing to understand the people buying the products you’re pitching. Whether you’re a part of an elaborate Ponzi scheme or a well-known enterprise, you are hungry to understand the psychology of buying patterns and habitual spending. If you can unlock those secrets, you will be the most valuable asset to whichever company decides to employ you. And, by developing an understanding for the beings around you, you’ll undoubtedly be an asset in any situation involving sweet-talking with honeyed words. Heck - maybe if you can find some delicious edible aliens, you will be the next great snack mogul in the Pact Worlds! Second only to Zeni himzelf.

Experimental Doctor - You embrace the uniqueness of yourself and encourage others to do the same. Stand out from the crowd, you say. Set yourself apart! Implant yourself with one of the many augmentations that you can provide! Your interest in the countless creeping aliens and obscure creatures skittering around the Vast stimulate your imagination and provide you with the necessary…tools to allow you to develop exciting new attachments for your adoring fans. Or maybe you’re more secretive and don’t think your work should see the light of day. Will you be a mad scientist or a renowned surgeon? The choice is yours!

Calming Zoologist - People will pay loads of money to see an exhibit they’ve never experienced before. There are countless numbers of mindless creatures out in the far reaches of space that would be welcomed additions to a zoological attraction. Your history in taming wild beasts and soothing the animalistic nature in the creatures you’ve encountered makes you the perfect person for the job. There is a fantastic space zoo that’ll pay top dollar for new specimens, and you’re itching to get paid. This isn’t to say that you are inconsiderate of the creatures’ feelings, however. The zoo that you’re working for is more akin to a resort, and they take great care of the residents that live there.

Talkative Space Taxi Driver - While taking fares, you’ve come across just about every type of intelligent being known in the sector. Long nights that turned into early mornings were a staple of yours, and you’ve delivered passengers to slums, clubs, and luxury estates, learning about them all the while. You love a good conversation; it helps pass the time and gives you an amazing repertoire of stories to share with your crewmates. Everybody comes from a different background, and you have learned to appreciate the intricacies and uniqueness that everybody brings to the figurative table. You might have a bit of a lead foot as well…but who doesn’t?

Themeless Characters

If you don’t fit the bill with any of the other themes, then you are probably Themeless. By choosing to forgo a theme designation, your statistical bonuses will suffer compared to a character who has a theme, so if you’re more concerned with numbers and maximizing your character, then this might not be for you. Choosing this option, however, will allow you to portray your character as a vast canvas, awaiting your masterful strokes.

Hopefully I’ve portrayed the wide variety of concepts that the Starfinder themes can cover. With a dash of creativity, you can morph at least one of the themes to fit the base core of your character. Try to think about each of the themes in new ways; don’t get caught up in the specific 'title’ of the theme. Read the blurbs about each one and search for synonyms that line up with the character that you’re envisioning in your mind.

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At the end of the day, play a character that you WANT to play. You should be excited every time that you portray your character, and play the game in whatever way is going to be the most fun for you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the Themes of Starfinder! See you in the stars!

#Starfinder #Themes #Paizo #Scifi #Science Fantasy #Overview #Character #Creation #CRB #Fantasy #Rules #Concepts

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