#actual russian brides

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about to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event (reread my favourite series for the first time in 2 years and have my perception of it irretrievably change)

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I haven't read any STEVE/BUCKY FIC in the last five years or so (Endgame really burned me hard), BUT I can at least offer what I read up to that point! Most of my recs are from around when Captain America: The Winter Soldier first came out (some from before, so there's a few speculation fics) and then I was ready semi-regularly up through Inifinity War, so these may be a bit dated but also the fandom had some ABSOLUTE BANGER fics from that era! I mostly read from about 2014 to 2019 and I can't say how well many of these held up, but I know my tastes haven't changed that much, so there should hopefully be something for anyone interested here! Anyway, I think I'm finally Not As Mad As I Once Was enough to read fic again/celebrate the 10th anniversary of TWS, but also let's be clear. I will forever hold a grudge about what Marvel did with Steve and Bucky post-TWS, that was bullshit from start to finish. ESPECIALLY the finish, oh my god okay so I'm still Actually That Mad and-- NO, OKAY, HAVE SOME FIC RECS BEFORE I MELT DOWN AGAIN.

CAPTAIN AMERICA FIC RECS YOU'LL FIND HERE:

STEVE/BUCKY SHIP FICS

STEVE/BUCKY - PRE-THE WINTER SOLDIER SPECULATION

STEVE/BUCKY - POST-THE WINTER SOLDIER

STEVE/BUCKY - POST-INFINITY WAR

STEVE & BUCKY-CENTRIC FICS (WITH A LITTLE OF EVERYONE ELSE, TOO)

STEVE&BUCKY&CAST - POST-THE WINTER SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE/BUCKY FIC RECS: ✦ Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Take Me In by victoria_p (musesfool), steve rogers/bucky barnes + natasha romanoff, reunion fic, 4.1k Bucky finds himself, and then he finds Steve. ✦ you got blood on your hands (and i know it’s mine) by nighimpossible, steve rogers/bucky barnes + natasha romanoff + brief mention of sam wilson/natasha romanoff, suicidal ideation, 2.9k Bucky refuses to see Steve after his deprogramming. ✦ take all you can carry by havisham, steve/bucky & cast, 2.4k    Bucky Barnes reassembles himself to a reasonable degree and makes romantic overtures to one Steve Rogers. It’s happened before and will happen again. ✦ I’d Know That Face Anywhere by Shay081793, steve/bucky, NSFW, divergent timeline, 2.7k The 107th never got captured. Instead, Bucky Barnes is in the audience when that clown "Captain America" performs to rally the troops, and holy shit, that clown is Steve Rogers. ✦ and we are finally home by springsoldier (ladydaredevil), sam & bucky + steve/bucky + implied sam/natasha + implied bucky/natasha, 7.3k The Winter Soldier shows up in Sam's kitchen, one morning. He deals with it. (Natasha helps. Steve would, if they let him.) ✦ Capture the Flag by Shiny_n_new, steve/bucky + sam, dark au, 9.4k wip Bucky has always been willing to do Captain America’s dirty work. This was no different. Sometimes, the day isn’t won by high ideals or bravery or compassion. Sometimes, it’s won by monsters. ✦ Memories are Made of This by eleveninches, steve/bucky & natasha & sam, 13.2k Nearly a year after turning himself into SHIELD and the Avengers, Bucky struggles to find himself in the 21st century. Unfortunately, no one told him about the aliens.

✦ but hey, you’re all right by beardsley, steve/bucky + other marvel characters, 5.5k Yes, this is the story where the Winter Soldier is a Russian mail-order bride. Everything goes about as well as you’d expect. ✦ I Left Myself in 1943 (Who the hell is Bucky?) by originalblue, steve/bucky + sam + natasha + other marvel characters, 21k You have a mission, but your mind is being split in two, and there's a man on the bridge, and you know him. You don't know why, but you know him. ✦ sam deserves better than these assholes by lazulisong, steve/bucky + sam + natasha + other marvel characters, 18k IM SORRY BUT SAM WILSON STARING IN BAFFLED WONDER AT STEVE AND BUCKY AND HOW WEIRD THEY ARE ABOUT EACH OTHER ✦ broken pieces (the rough edges remix) by legete, steve/bucky, 2.1k It’s wrong, he knows it’s wrong, but sometimes Bucky prefers the nightmares that actually happened. ✦ Talk Dirty to Me by PeetaPan, steve/bucky, NSFW, wall sex, 2.5k Steve spends months tracking Bucky down, and when he eventually find him, it’s in a nightclub in Europe. ✦ the body adrift by Febricant, steve/bucky + sam, mildy nsfw, 4.2k Steve has no drawings of Bucky from before. Those are all gone, destroyed in the war or by his own hand; it wouldn’t do for anyone to see how easily the details came from memory, how often Bucky was in his thoughts. ✦ Tony Stark and the Illegal Cross-Country Road Trip from Hell by ActionAddiction, steve/bucky + tony + sam + clint + natasha + fury, 21.8k wip A stir-crazy genius, a secretly sentimental assassin, two soldiers lost in time, and an undercover archer without an identity zigzag across the continental United States in Fury’s stolen van. Or: How Bucky Met Steve (Again)

✦ Didn’t know I was lonely till I saw your face by gunboots, steve/bucky + bucky/natasha + sam + bruce + tony + xavier, 2.9k There are words on paper, actors in movies, and a grand story that fills a whole corner of a museum defined by history. There are words, there are pictures, there are movies, but they’re limited, fragmented. They can’t do justice to the sniper that Captain America trusted, the man that grew into a boy in the streets of Brooklyn with his best friend at his side. The man that could be James Buchanan Barnes leaves a legacy that is barely defined. The man that Steve Rogers says he is. ✦ the inaccuracy of historical wartime dramas by Mici (noharlembeat), steve/bucky + sam + natasha, 3k (or: Steve has feelings, and shouldn’t ever watch television) ✦ The Shape I’m In by radialarch, steve/bucky, 2.6k [AU where Bucky never fell.] They win the war. Steve and Bucky come home and deal with their feelings. ✦ дорогой by smilebackwards, steve/bucky + other marvel characters, canon divergence, 1.8k “Are you goddamn kidding me?” Fury asks when Steve shows up to the rendezvous point in Fredericksberg with the Winter Soldier. ✦ have you ever thought just maybe by Desdemon, steve/bucky + tony/pepper + other marvel characters, humor, 4.4k “JARVIS,” Tony called thoughtfully. “Yes, sir?” “Those young people are in love,” he said. ✦ Use Your Damn Words by wilddragonflying, steve/bucky, NSFW, omegaverse, 4.2k There’s murmuring, indistinct voices, all around him; all he catches, at first, are the occasional words. “—mated.” “—no difference—“ “—make him forget—“ That’s when Bucky starts fighting. ✦ It’s an Adequate Life, Bucky Barnes by what_alchemy, steve/bucky, it’s a wonderful life fusion, 10.2k This is a world without Bucky Barnes.

✦ and it starts just where the light exists by caughtinanocean, steve/bucky, mildly nsfw, 3.4k In which Bucky can’t admit the things he needs, but Steve knows them anyway, and Steve and Bucky are definitely a couple, even if they don’t know it. ✦ tango till they’re sore by sciencemyfiction, steve/bucky, nsfw, 4k Four shorts about Steve and Bucky, and romance, and sex, and dominance, and grief, and forgiveness. ✦ Permission by derekstilinski, steve/bucky + other marvel characters, 2.5k After Bucky’s captured by SHIELD, they put him in a holding cell, and strip him of everything but his clothes. He’s dirty, damaged, and Steve can’t just watch him like that, protocol or not. ✦ Milkshakes & Penguin Suits by TheLocket, steve/bucky, fluff, 2.9k At the latest Stark party, Steve and Bucky share a milkshake — and spend the evening together. ✦ Practical Mathematics by Grey_Bard, steve/bucky + steve/peggy + steve/peggy/bucky + tony, 1.7k After a hard shift saving the world, Stark - in his infinite wisdom - has decided to bond with Steve by talking about his favorite subject. Well, third favorite, after building things and smart-mouthing people. Steve is pretty sure none of his experiences really count. Tony is starting to wonder what Steve’s definition of “is” is. ✦ how happy must be angels thus employed by lanyon , steve/bucky + clint/coulson, mildly nsfw, humor, 2k It begins entirely accidentally. Clint walks in on Bucky and Steve in a compromising position and then Bucky escalates by tapping a private line between Clint and Phil. Also known as The One With The Cock-Blocking Competition (and it’s all fun and games until Phil and Steve find out.) ✦ Fate by grumpyowls, steve/bucky + peggy, 2.1k Bucky finds a drawing and it turns out to mean something more than he thought.

✦ One More Time by DevBasaa, steve/bucky, pre-serum, ~1k Steve’s clueless and Bucky’s not yet ready to acknowledge these feelings. But that doesn’t stop him from having them. Set before Bucky ships out, but after Steve receives his A1. ✦ Bucky and Bear by fromgoodbones, steve/bucky, fluffy, ~1k Steve gets Bucky a cat. ✦ Size Isn’t A Problem by bondboy68, steve/bucky, NSFW, 1.8k It’s the first time Bucky has seen Steve naked in some seventy-odd years, and things have definitely changed.

STEVE/BUCKY - PRE-THE WINTER SOLDIER SPECULATION:

✦ devil’s gonna follow me (wherever I go) by Lyaka, steve/bucky & natasha & cast, the winter soldier speculation, 63k The man who used to be Bucky Barnes lined up his shot. His finger twitched, only once, very precisely. Help me, the bullet sang. Ninety-eight floors below him, the bullet glanced off a vibranium shield with a musical ping. And Steve Rogers looked up. ✦ And it felt like a kiss by orphan_account, steve /bucky & natasha & sam, the winter soldier spoilers, ~1k We can’t stop feeling Winter Soldier feelings. And neither can Bucky or Steve. ✦ testament by paxlux, steve/bucky + other marvel characters, the winter soldier speculation fic, 10.6k His memory runs backwards in crooked bright flashes, hard as the noise flare of an assault rifle. ✦ persistence of memory by hollimichele, steve/bucky/natasha, NSFW, the winter soldier speculation, 11.5k It’s a nondescript sort of a Wednesday morning when the Winter Soldier walks into SHIELD headquarters, bold as brass, and announces his intention to surrender. ✦ To Be Modified As Necessary by ignipes, steve/bucky & bucky/natasha & clint/natasha & thor/jane & avengers, the winter soldier speculation, 5.9k They only need ten rules to ensure (relatively) peaceful cohabitation. ✦ lights at two dollars a strand by legete, steve/bucky + tony, the winter soldier speculation, 1.4k They don’t mean to decorate for Christmas. It just sorta…happens.

STEVE/BUCKY - POST-THE WINTER SOLDIER: ✦ Out of the Dead Land by orphan_account, steve/bucky + sam + natasha + nick fury + other marvel characters, nsfw in one scene at the end, 62.7k Someone is building machines that look and act like people. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier tries to be Bucky Barnes. ✦ this is a back alley by saintsideways, steve/bucky & natasha & sam, the winter soldier spoilers, 14.2k Here is the only thing you know: the body remembers. ✦ your blue-eyed boys by Feather (lalaietha), steve/bucky & cast, 123.3k Steve has no plan. Not because he hadn't tried to make one. He'd tried to make lots of plans. Plan, adapt, plan again, tried to think of every contingency. [post-Winter Soldier recovery fic] ✦ The man on the bridge by boopboop, steve/bucky & tony/pepper & clint/natasha & cast, 107.5k Steve Rogers turning up at Tony's door with an amnesiac assassin - who may or may not have some of Tony's personally designed hardware attached where his arm should be - well that's just far too interesting to turn away, even if Tony is trying to avoid all things S.H.I.E.L.D these days. ✦ Soft Spot for the Hell Raisin’ Boy by ifeelbetter, sam & bucky + steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, (some) humor, 1.9k The Winter Soldier takes an interest in Sam Wilson. Bucky Barnes wants to tell him how to be Steve Rogers’s best friend. ✦ Reconstruction Site by EmilianaDarling, steve/bucky + sam, the winter soldier spoilers, 7.6k He is the Winter Soldier. He is James Buchanan Barnes. He’s not one and he’s not the other, and he’s not sure if that makes him anything worth saving. In which the Winter Soldier leads Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson on a wild goose chase through Eastern Europe so that he can learn more about the man who actually thinks he can be saved.

✦ hold me tight by hollimichele, bucky/steve + sam + natasha, nsfw, the winter soldier spoilers, 11.1k In the old days, before the war, Steve got cold at night. That was all it was, at first. ✦ A Bullet in the Barrel (of your best guy’s gun) by lc2l, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, canon divergence (sort of), violence, 6k You return to the concrete hole in the ground where the mission is not dead and not in the sewers and is looking at you. “Bucky,” says Rogers, Steve (deceased). ✦ Sleeperhold by Argyle, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 3.2k He’s hardwired to disappear. ✦ lost my fear of falling by ftmsteverogers, steve/bucky + natasha + sam, 1.8k “It’s been two weeks,” Natasha says, pressing a coffee cup into Steve’s hand. “How long are we going to do this?” Steve watches the steam curl into question marks above his cup. “I know he’s still in there,” he says, and that’s that. ✦ but the fires are coming by stitchingatthecircuitboard, steve/bucky + bucky & natasha, the winter soldier spoilers, 4k He does not remember, except that is better than being made to forget, again, and again, and again. He does not go to Brooklyn. ✦ we did not make ourselves by M_Leigh, steve/bucky + sam + natasha + tony, the winter soldier spoilers, 25.1k It is like steel, the determination inside of you that tells you you will achieve this, that you will find him. Nothing will stop you. You are two sides of the same coin, you and he: he cannot escape you forever. Bucky runs. Steve follows. ✦ measured my life in cooking lessons by FoxGlade, steve/bucky + clint + avengers, fluff, the winter soldier spoilers, 4k He knocks on Clint’s door, sharp and loud, and half a minute later Clint is standing there in boxers and a baggy Army Rangers shirt. “Morning,” Steve says shortly, before Clint can say anything. “You up to teaching me how to make those French toasts? I think I need to talk.” Clint yawns and stretches. Something in his back makes a loud cracking sound and Steve winces. “Yeah, I’m up,” he mumbles, then squints. “This is going to be a long cooking lesson, isn’t it?” “I found Bucky sitting outside the tower on the street when I went out for a jog and he remembered me but I’m pretty sure that’s all he remembers.” Clint just waves a hand and heads for the kitchen, Steve shuffling in his wake.

✦ and we are finally home by lastembers, sam & bucky + steve/bucky + sam/natasha, 7.3k The Winter Soldier shows up in Sam’s kitchen, one morning. He deals with it. (Natasha helps. Steve would, if they let him.) ✦ Circling Back by chaya, steve/bucky + sam + natasha + tony, the winter soldier spoilers, 59.6k Steve looks for Bucky, Bucky finds Steve, Steve tries desperately to put Bucky back together. Bucky tries desperately to let him. ✦ your favorite ghost by augustbird, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 21k It’s harder than Steve ever expected to bring Bucky home. ✦ Green-Eyed Monster by storiesfortravellers, steve/bucky + steve & tony + steve & sam + bucky & natasha, humor, 1.9k The Winter Soldier has joined the team and is slowly recovering, but he goes into a jealous rage whenever he sees that Steve is close friends with Tony, Sam, or Natasha. Past Steve/Bucky. ✦ Castor and Pollux by StringTheori, howard stark & steve + steve/bucky, mild the winter soldier spoilers, 2.9k A fic where Howard is emotionally constipated, a terrible human being, catches someone doing something, and brushes off friendships because he can. ✦ Find My Way by Brenda, steve/bucky + oc pov, the winter soldier spoilers, 4.6k Well, someone had to write the post-Winter Soldier fic where Bucky gets a decent meal and some homemade apple pie, right?

✦ Parallel Constructions by freshbakedlady, steve/bucky + sam + natasha, the winter soldier spoilers, 13.6k In the absence of orders, the man wearing the face of Bucky Barnes must figure out who he will be. The answer, mostly, is “somebody Steve Rogers can love.” Nothing so easy should ever take this much work. ✦ five people bucky barnes never was. by rhllors, steve/bucky + bucky/natasha, the winter soldier spoilers, 1.9k Five lives that never came to pass. ✦ no heart to recall by KiaraSayre, steve/bucky & sam & natasha & tony, the winter soldier spoilers, 15.3k He’s been in Steve Rogers’s company for less than twenty-four hours and he’s already losing sight of his mission. ✦ Bring Us Back a Souvenir by newredshoes, steve/bucky & sam & bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 1.5k Even with all his hair hacked off, he doesn’t look like a Bucky, Sam thinks. Maybe as some sort of stupid joke, like naming your most vicious dog Sweetpea. Steve’s told him the stories, and he’s seen the old newsreels; he knows what this Barnes guy used to be like. But it’s not like knowing what to look for is going to magically make some spark rise to the top. This isn’t an excavation. ✦ i will be your ground by misprinting, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 4.7k A character study. The subject: Bucky’s hair. (Also, a Bucky comes in from the cold fic.) ✦ Debts by vestigialwords, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, ~1k Steve’s life is a collection of debts, and the balance does not work out in his favor. ✦ Five times Steve kissed Bucky by paragon, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 16.5k (+ once, finally, it was the other way around) ✦ Run Until the Road Runs Out by ignipes, steve/bucky + sam & bucky + natasha, the winter soldier spoilers, 5.2k Sam’s along for this ride because he’s not about to let Steve Rogers go it alone, but Steve’s not the only one who needs a friend.

✦ And you that shall cross from shore to shore years hence, are more to me by ifeelbetter, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 4.4k The Captain woke quickly and tested the chain before he saw the Soldier. All the tension in his body evaporated once he met the Soldier’s eyes and he slumped downward, back up against the wall. “Oh, thank god,” he said. He repeated it twice, quiet. Like a secret. ✦ Your Mind Rings by Amberly, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 1.2k You aren’t Bucky. You’re not the Winter Soldier anymore, either, but you’re not Bucky ✦ tabula rasa by dance_at_bougival, steve/bucky + natasha + sam, the winter soldier spoilers, 10.3k Bucky Barnes screamed himself hoarse on that table and screamed falling off that train. He screamed when they programmed him and screamed and screamed until he isn’t Bucky Barnes anymore, not really. He is still screaming, a trapped rat running around a labyrinthine machine, clawing at the doors and running into dead ends. He has been screaming for seventy years. ✦ The Age’s Most Uncertain Hour by dewinter, steve/bucky + peggy, the winter soldier spoilers, 1.8k Five times the Winter Soldier remembered (and then forgot). ✦ The Steven G. Rogers Guide to What You Missed the Last Few Years by what_alchemy, steve/bucky, humor, 5.1k Steve’s got the hang of this 21st century thing. ✦ All the First Times by Vera (Vera_DragonMuse), steve/bucky + other marvel characters, the winter soldier spoilers, 9.6k Bucky starts over and finds new ways to survive. ✦ Me Against Your Memory (It’s a Two-Step Recovery Process) by thisiswhatthewatergaveme, steve/bucky + steve & natasha + steve & sam + natasha & sam, the winter soldier spoilers, 56.5k wip The Soldier needs answers. It’s the only mission he has left. And the mission is all he has.

✦ Make It Up as We Go Along by hannahrhen, steve/bucky + natasha + sam, mildly nsfw, the winter soldier spoilers, 1.6k Steve’s a terrible liar when he opens his mouth. ✦ What’s in a name by Ark, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 3.4k Steve doesn’t resist. He is dipped back: a dance. “Bucky,” says Steve. The severely serene surface does not stir. “You will answer the questions I ask.” The Soldier’s voice is Bucky’s but the accent is all wrong. His face is Bucky’s, perfect, and all wrong. ✦ Drawn From Life by littlerhymes, steve/bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 2.5k “I remember,” Bucky says, but that’s not entirely true. Set after The Winter Soldier.

STEVE/BUCKY - POST-INFINITY WAR: ✦ Coming Back by Emotionallyunstabl, entire cast (some steve/bucky), infinity war spoilers, 1.9k    Fixing Avengers: Infinity War. ✦ How ya been, Buck? by dvorahbee, steve/bucky, NSFW, infinity war spoilers, 2.3k    A fix-it for Bucky and Steve’s reunion because I wasn’t too happy with that half-assed reunion we had. ✦ hold some dirt with those hands by magdaliny, steve/bucky & cast, infinity war spoilers, 3k    It had sent him to his knees. ✦ To Never Have Loved At All by hitlikehammers, steve/bucky & cast, infinity war spoilers, 2.8k    Steve will say they had work to do, and a universe to put to rights. They had people to find and hearts to unbreak. They had a mission. There was no time for any of them to mourn. Steve, as it turns out, says a lot of things that are mostly bullshit.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE&BUCKY GEN FIC RECS: ✦ This, You Protect by owlet, steve & bucky & everyone else, humor, 64.3k The mission resets abruptly, from objective: kill to objective: protect ✦ By Choice or By Habit by Sholio, steve & bucky & natasha & clint & tony, 6.4k He is useful. He holds onto that. He is useful and a useful tool will not be thrown away. (For illumynare’s request: How about something with Bucky realizing the Avengers actually think of him as a person? And off I went to the utterly shameless h/c place.) ✦ 5 (+1) Times Bucky Was Already a Supersoldier by chaya, steve & bucky, 1k Erskine made it plain for Steve - the serum makes you stronger, faster, harder to kill, and it amplifies your existing qualities. Barnes, though, didn’t get any such heads up. ✦ Thaw by danveresque, steve & bucky & sam & natasha, 7.5k The Winter Soldier tries to find Bucky Barnes. ✦ Brothers In Arms by copperbadge, steve & bucky & sam & sam & tony & pepper & clint + background tony/pepper, 11.4k Bucky Barnes gets a tune-up, a new pet, and a home. ✦ You Know How I Feel, aka, The Adventures of Bucky and Muffy the Dinosaur by ifeelbetter, bucky & avengers, fluff, 4.5k Bucky saved a tiny dinosaur and took her home to Avengers Tower and on the way remembered how to laugh and sleep in soft beds. ✦ Strawberries in Wintertime by Sholio, steve & bucky & sam & natasha & sharon, 3.2k Or, how Sam’s apartment turns into a hangout for superheroes, spies, and rogue assassins. ✦ This Lonely Hour Before Daybreak by cheesethesecond, steve & bucky + sam + natasha, 2.9k Steve knew there would be good days and bad days. That’s how this sort of thing worked. Except sometimes, the bad days go like this.

✦ Almond, Clavicle, Orchid by kvikindi, steve & bucky & sam & natasha, 4.5k You say, “I don’t know what I am.” “It’s okay not to know,” Steve tells you. His face is very careful. But you know. You know that it’s not okay. ✦ you can’t fly on dinosaurs, bucky by scorpionbythesea, steve & bucky & clint, humor, 1.2k Based off the tumblr post by embracingthemadness and the tag that followed: steve and bucky making up random stories from their past and convincing the other avengers that it actually happened (◡‿◡✿) #there’s no way you guys fought nazi dinosaurs ✦ Fly on the Wings of Love by Omnicat, steve & bucky & sam & natasha & tony & clint + some background pairings, domesticity, 13.2k The Wings: Bucky just wants to show his appreciation for everything Sam has done for Steve. Of course, Tony Stark’s middle name is ‘needlessly difficult’. The Love: Bucky tries to set Natasha up with Sam. He’s a bit late for that party, but he managed to find Steve’s shield and replace Sam’s wings: he’ll come up with something for her. ✦ Swap by sparkles_stars, steve & bucky + avengers, body swap, 1.2k Steve and Bucky switch bodies. Nothing of substance happens from that moment on. ✦ Escape by Sholio, steve & bucky, 2.4k Missing scene for Captain America: The First Avenger – freeing the prisoners was just the start of getting away. ✦ think of it as personality dialysis by KiaraSayre, bucky & darcy, humor, 1.4k “I strangled someone with a shoelace once,” Barnes says. “Does that count as expressing myself through clothes?” “Uh, no.”

✦ Name, Rank, and Serial Number by forthegreatergood, steve & bucky + other marvel characters, 1.5k A Nazi peeling off his skin and declaring himself beyond human doesn’t even get a rise out of him anymore, but Bucky doesn’t think he could stand it if Steve ripped off his face, too. ✦ The Dawn of That Last Great Day by ignipes, steve & bucky + avengers + minor pairing references, the winter soldier speculation fic, 13.8k The Winter Soldier has a mission: kill Captain America. ✦ All The Leaves Are Brown (And the sky is gray) by AvocadoLove, bucky & tony + some tony/pepper + very mildly implied steve/bucky, 17.4k The Winter Soldier's mission is nearly complete. Howard and Maria Stark are dead, leaving him to dispatch their four-year-old child. One quick twist of the neck is all it will take, but the Soldier finds he cannot do it. So instead of killing Tony Stark, the Winter Soldier takes him away to raise as his own.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE&BUCKY&CAST - POST-THE WINTER SOLDIER: ✦ so this is how it is by sciencemyfiction, steve & bucky & sam, the winter soldier spoilers, ptsd, 29.1k Following the events of the Winter Soldier film, Steve and Sam finally find Bucky, and work to get back to a good place. ✦ On Your Left by TravelingRoses, steve & bucky & natasha & sam & tony thor & fury peggy, the winter soldier spoilers, 12.9k Five times someone told Steve to give up looking for Bucky and two times someone didn’t. Alternately, five times someone smacked Steve on the head and said “Don’t do the thing” and he continued doing the thing and two times he listened so he could keep doing the thing. ✦ and i have fought (in flesh and blood) by ChristinasInferno, steve & bucky, the winter soldier spoilers, 1.1k “He is Bucky Barnes and his best friend is Steve Rogers, and Steve Rogers is Captain America.” Bucky, post-Winter Soldier. ✦ The Care and Feeding of Traumatized Ex-Assassins by Sholio, steve & bucky + natasha + sam, the winter soldier spoilers, 6.6k Steve starts to notice someone’s been in his apartment while he’s not there. Set after Winter Soldier; spoilers. ✦ Glass of Milk by Lauralot, bucky & avengers, the winter soldier spoilers, 6.6k In which in the Winter Soldier is in the care of the Avengers. He has yet to regain his memories, but he has developed a fondness for dairy products.

[ultralightpoe]

The Bride - Bucky Barnes

Authors Note: Happy Halloween! I am so excited to kick off the Halloween event with a new take on one of my all time favorite novels, though if we are being practical then the Bride would never actually make it to life. But she must, for she served too much cunt for everyone not to adore her.

Warnings: Being brought back from the dead.

Word Count: 3,621

Requests: OPEN

~2024 Halloween Event Masterlist ~

[Thank you for the gif @evilmatt762 ]

ENJOY!

It’s a loud crack of lightning that wakes the soldier up, the small metal frame creaking as his body moves into an upright position. He had just gotten back from a 3 day mission that required all his energy, so every movement was a bit of a struggle but he couldn’t help it. Every instinct in him roared in preparation for something, the tight feeling locking into his spine as he focused in to listen. 

One beat of silence passes, nothing but the small drops from the crack in the corner of the cell ceiling, hitting the stone of the floor with a rhythmed “plop plop plop”. Its easy for his ear to tune it out and narrow closer to the hallway. 

Another beat of silence, he can feel the sweat at the base of his neck and the grimy feeling of his hair that he hadn’t washed. He hadn’t noticed how dry his throat was until this moment and does his best to fight off the cough threatening to escape. He couldn’t pinpoint the threat, he sure as hell didn’t want the threat pinpointing him. 

Another beat of silence passes and he begins arguing with himself mentally. He might have had a night terror, it wouldn’t be the first, and it might be influencing his reality right now. But was he willing to believe that? There could be a threat and he’d be a fool to trust-

The silence is ruined by another large crack, loud enough to rumble the stone floor beneath him and send him to his feet in a desperate search for a weapon. He feels an odd pulse, the metal arm shifting enough that it’s almost like he can’t control it as a surging sound marks the air. It all stops at once with two beats of silence in between as he realizes that the power had been blown. This sends him into soldier mode, preparing himself for the enemy as the backup generators start up with a whir and all the emergency lights flicker on. 

The once dark cell was now lit up with the emergency lights and it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust before he reached for the thigh that he normally kept his weapons on, a wave of disappointment filling him as he remembers that they were taken when he returned. Protocol. Always something to keep him in check. 

  He didn’t have to wait long for answers though, soon enough the blocked cell door was opened with a devastating whoosh, and he could do nothing but watch as the guards in charge of him entered with snarls already placed on their faces. 

  The Russian came easy to him as he asked what the matter was, trying to keep his voice as dark and sinister as possible even with it being scratchy, but the guards gave no answer to him and instead stomped forward quickly. 

It wasn’t like the soldier thought he couldn’t beat them, in fact he knew he could beat these two within seconds. Dreaming about it quite often on days where they took their liberties with him a bit too far. But the Soldat knew he would never be able to escape the compound alive. And even if it would give him such great satisfaction to kill the two who currently dig their nails into him, it would only make for further punishment. 

A good soldier is a civil soldier. 

He had been stitched together too many times to actively search out punishment. He died and was brought back and given an arm that wasn’t his own but no proper name. He went on missions and came back for his skin to be stitched up and his bones to be reset. He was a Soldat made and unmade every single day, his mind in scrambles and his body a stranger. He was a stranger. 

So he doesn’t fight back, for if he loses this fight that means he won’t lose more later on. A simple trade. 

 He lets them drag him through the halls, mentally trying to prepare himself for the chair that we was used to,only they pass the room it’s kept in, instead leading him down the hall three doors down. A wave of panic crosses him as he tries to think of all the things that could be behind the door fill his mind. 

A bride was not one of those ideas. 

The second the door opens she’s the first thing his eyes land on, his body tightening for a fight as the guards shove him in. He half expects them to come in with him, but when he drags his eyes to find them he sees that they both remained firmly outside the doors with wide eyes and green faces. But it’s the slight pity in the second man’s face that unnerves the Soldat the most as the doors shut, trapping him in. 

  There is no choice but to look back to the bride strapped to the metal table in the center of the room, not that it was a struggle to do so. There were so many details to take in all at once. 

Her feet were dark, and there were scrapes along them as well as stitches along her ankle, the dress that had once been long now sat at different lengths. The left side still had the long train whereas the right side had been torn enough that he got a good sight of the stitches making their way up her leg until the dress covered her hips. There were red stains on the fabric and her arms were strapped down tight enough that they were pressing into her skin. 

He fights off the urge to reach forward and rip them off once he sees just how tight her fists are rolled up, and the claw marks and stitched up her arms. The most jarring of her stitches lands on her chest where the wedding dress had swooped low. An autopsy scar. 

“Behold.” An odd voice speaks out from the corner of the room, and the Soldat turns to see one of Hydras newest scientists walking closer. “My test.” 

 The air between them becomes stale as the man stops at the corner of the table, not bothering to look at the body laying there, but instead waiting for Soldats response. But then he realizes that the Soldat won’t respond and huffs with a look of anger. 

“I make you a gift, and this is how you repay me?”

  Once again the Soldat doesn’t waste his voice, but rather tilts his head to the side ever so slightly for the man to continue. 

“I was given the gift of research, in order that I reward my benefactors toy with his very own….. toy.” 

Realization slowly begins to creep in as he watches the scientist circle the table now, the finger tracing up the bodies scarred leg. “I can see the questions building. What would the Soldat want with a dead body? Right?” 

He flips a couple switches, shaking his head as the Soldat steps back the second the machines whir to life. “But don’t worry. I won’t be giving you a body.” 

They charge, and the Soldat steps back some more as the one hung right above the body lights up. 

“You’ll get a BRIDE!” The scientist yells out like a mad man, surging the machine with a crazed look. The room lights up with all the power as the rest of the building loses it, then at the speed of light it all goes dark and there is a loud crack of electricity. 

It smells like fire, and metal, and rotting flesh. The Soldat is desperate for an escape as he wrenches at the handle before the lights begin flickering. 

And once they settle and stay on, though half working, he sees the body sit up. 

Wide eyes, face drawn into pure pain as he tries the handle again. Then, to no one's surprise, the bride lets out a horrified scream. 

- 

The Bride, as the Soldat had called her since he first heard it, quickly became a pain in his ass. 

He had been given no clear directive of what to do with her, and no reason as to why she had been brought back. Instead they forced them into the same cell and left them. 

At first he couldn’t bear to look in her direction, to see there wretched stitches that sat swollen and uneven on her skin, but at the same time he couldn’t look away at the sheer beauty of her. Even dragged back from the dead he had to admit that his heart beat a little faster at every look he managed, stitches and all. 

He also quickly realized that she was confused, and scared. But there was no way for them to communicate since she obviously didn't understand a word of Russian and she didn’t speak at all. The only communication was through sounds she made and he had yet to make sense of them. 

It had been two weeks, and after they had moved in a small cell bed for her on the other side of the room it had been a little easier. He left her to her side and she watched him like he was a zoo animal. 

 In this moment she was watching him again, curled up on her own cot as he laid out on his tapping his metal hand against the stone of the wall in a sad attempt to remember a song that sat just at the front of his mind. It had been stuck crossing through his every thought and yet he couldn’t quite get it. So close. Yet so far. 

She laid in her curled up form, unblinking as he did so, and he was a little self conscious that her grunts were just laughing at his obvious frustration. But he couldn’t tell, and everytime he looked over the Bride had taken to blinking at him. Nothing but curiosity and fear filled her gaze, and it always made him sick to his stomach until he managed to look away. 

They did this routine over and over until the sound of guard change got his attention. Without thinking about it the Soldat stood and took three gentle steps to the door to get ready for anything, just like he did every day. The only difference is today the Bride stood up, so quickly he felt himself get ready for an oncoming attack, only to find her trying to mimic his steps to make it to the door herself. 

Her movements are choppy and before she falls he barely manages to snatch her arm and try to keep her upright without intruding on her space. It doesn’t work well because her legs give out and she lands on the floor with a slap and a yell of fear. 

“Easy.” He scolds in Russian, doing his best to ease her as she slaps his hand away and throws herself further on the ground. He watches in amazement as she staggers up like a doe learning to walk and reaches to slap her hand against him again until she hits the metal and a yelp of pain falls past her lips before a yell of anger. 

“Easy.” He repeats once more and this time her wide eyes focus on him and he sees her mouth the words. “Easy.”

She mouths it again, and he finally recognizes it. She is watching to learn. It’s amazement and fear that she is working on. He waits for her to finally say it but the sound never leaves her lips and a slight wave of disappointment fills him. 

“We’ll work on it.” He amends, the russian falling from his tongue smoothly. And even though he is sure she didn’t understand it, he sees her ease a little herself.

-

“The test subject is working well, acclimating well I should say. What a wonderful idea it had been to attach her to the Soldat.” The scientist mumbles, staring at the Bride as if she were a museum exhibit, poking and prodding at her without a care in the world. It made the Soldat nervous, and a little angry, watching the scientist slap her knee carelessly. 

He stood to attention, spine tight as his fists clenched, but no one else in the room seemed to bat an eye. 

“Though I hadn’t understood why you pushed so much for it in the beginning I can now see the appeal.” The Soldat wondered if the scientist even understood what he was saying or if he just liked hearing himself talk. “Two monsters, acclimating one another. Why, Mary Shelley couldn’t master it if she tried.”

“I’m glad you think so, Dr. Frank.” Pierce smirks, casting a quick look to the Soldat that told him Pierce hated the man just as much as he did. But he didn’t have time to look at Pierce long enough to try and map out the scheme his owner was setting, he had to watch over the Bride and keep Dr. Frank in check.

Over the past couple of weeks they had practiced walking, and she was finally getting the hang of it. But the talking was a mute point, no matter how hard he tried she couldn’t say a word. In fact the more he tried teaching her the less she grunted and yelled in general. She communicated through hand movements. 

One of them he knew well, whenever she tapped her side three times it meant she wanted him near and in this moment he sees her hand reach over to her other side to tap aggressively three times. Within moments he is moving over, a small wave of satisfaction filling him when the scientist backs away quickly. 

The Bride moves to grab at his arms, before the scientist tries to interfere. The Soldat has none of it though, pushing his arms away and helping the Bride off the table quickly. Pierce lets out a hum of approval. 

It’s then that the Soldat realizes the plan. Pierce wanted what Frank had, and he was using the Soldat to get it. 

“What’s the connection between them again?” Pierce asks, stepping closer as the Bride escapes his hold and moves to explore the lab. 

“They… they met back in- DON’T YOU DARE!” But it was too late for the doctors warning for the Bride already had the lever he hadn’t even seen her grab pulled down until water rushed in from a tank. 

The Bride looks to him with a look of excitement before reaching for the liquid, he stops her and drags her away from it, too fearful that the water had something in it. 

- 

Away from the lab and away from the cell was one of his favorite places to be, the shower room. Days where he got to properly wash his arm and sink into the water. 

But it was more enjoyable now that he got to see The Bride's excitement at the water. Just like she had in the lab her hand immediately reached for the water not running from the shower head, a silent yell slipping past her lips as she pulls it back quickly. 

He’s quick to step behind her before she could make her escape, rubbing her shoulder in comfort as she shakes her head. 

“Trust me.” He mumbles, reaching past her to stick his flesh hand in the water so it can wash it. She watches for a moment before her fingers slide ever so gently from his shoulder down to his hand, and though the shower room was steaming he felt like every move her flesh made against his own was scarred there frozen. He wanted to remember that touch for the rest  of his life, especially when her forefinger traces over the top of his hand until she flips it to trace along his palm. 

The warm water bounces off both hands as she traces, and soon enough she turned slowly to face him and kept her hand in his. But when she looks at him there is something different there. 

It’s not just the Bride, but suddenly he sees you.

- 

Four months, 6 days and 12 hours. 

That’s how long it had taken the Soldat to see you, behind the stitches and the dress that had now thankfully been removed. 

He saw the woman you had once been, and could imagine it well. The tint your cheeks would have gotten when you blushed, now something that would never happen since the blood in your body wouldn’t rush. He could see the way you would style your hair, the way it would move when you danced and the many styles you would have it in. But one thing that was altered in his mind was that he couldn’t see you without the stark white streak, something he reached for to play with between his flesh fingers quite often. 

He could see the happiness in the way you moved, a graceful way about you. But he loved the awkward way you moved now. 

“Do you remember where you were before you got here?” He asks, leaning against the wall the day he got back from his most recent mission, watching you from where you sat. Since he returned you had made sure to keep a hold of him, and right now that was his ankle. 

You tilt your head at his question before shaking your head no and patting his ankle as if to ask “You?”

“No. But I’m sure I was somebody.” He whispers, leaning forward a little. “And I am sure you were too.”

You lift your hand, showing the stitches of your ring finger to him and he huffs out a laugh at what you are saying. “Yeah. But you were more than a bride too.”

Then you shock him by using your forefinger to touch his own ring finger on his metal arm. A silent question he didn’t have an answer to. “I don’t know if I was married.”

But, not that he would confess it out loud, he knew that if there was a chance he had been married it would have been to you. No doubt about it. 

“Just like Frank said, monsters made for eachother.” 

A small huff is his only answer, and he finds it just as endearing as anything else. 

- - -

“I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I can not satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.” The Soldat whispers, rubbing the pad of his thumb along the scar of your ring finger, bringing it up to kiss softly before continuing to quote Frankenstein. “How sweet is the affection of others to such a wretch as I am.”

A smile breaks across your lips as you rub along the new scratch made in the metal of his ring finger before tapping your lips twice to signify that you would repeat what he had said. 

It wasn’t common, he knew, to be married by yourself in the dark cell of a compound he was sure he didn’t belong in. But it felt right. 

And when he kissed your lips he let himself melt into the pure love behind it, and he could hear the soft melody of a song he once knew start in his head. So he hummed it for you, laying in the small cot together. 

- - -

Extra expert 

You couldn’t keep up. 

You had the fear of being late to your own damn wedding and you still could not keep up with the pace your mother was setting. 

“Movin a wedding.” She mumbled to herself. “I have never heard of such a thing in my damn life.”

“They had the Stark convention, Ma,” You explain, completely out of breath as she drags you even faster, your heel snagging in the ground. You are just about ready to meet your fate when another shoulder collides with yours and you are driven back from falling forward, your eyes landing on the most gorgeous pair of ocean colored eyes you had ever seen. 

“You alright there Darlin?” He asks, his touch burning you through your dress as you could only blink at him. 

“Bucky, come on we gotta go.” The blonde behind him laughs as the diner begins playing music through their juke box. 

“I’m confessin’ that I love you..” You blurt, your cheeks heating up as his head tilts. 

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m confessin’ that I love you. The song. It’s a good song.” You rush to amend your mistake, shaking your head wildly. “My favorite.”

“It’s a good one.”

“Buck come on! Don’t try to steal someone elses bride.” The blonde laughs again and the man in front of you, Bucky, rolls his eyes before letting you go. 

“You best be careful.” He warns. “It’d be a mighty shame if something happened to you before you ruined your life.”

And though you knew he meant it as a joke your heart practically dropped, the fear you had been feeling for months catching up to you as he begins to walk away. 

“Oh! Your name?”

“Mine?”

“No the other bride I just saved from death.”

You mumble your name, and he silently repeats it to himself before walking away and leaving you to be dragged once more by your mother. To a fate you weren’t quite ready for. 

Little did you know that running for it would end up with you being caught and killed by scientist, frozen for years before you would be brought back the night of a thunderstorm.

[Thank you for the gif @bill-weasley ]

[thenightling]

Things we learned about the character Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Spoilers below: 1. He's actually Italian. 2. His cause of death was poisoning. 3. He told the truth about having lived through the black death. 4. He's six-hundred-years dead. Age at the time of death unknown. 5. He married a soul-sucking succubus cult leader and somehow thought it would be fine. 6. He was a grave robber (and apparently didn't wear shoes). 7. His plan for a "Green card wedding" has now grown into an unhealthy infatuation / obsession with Lydia. 8. He's multi-lingual. 9. He's familiar with Russian literature. 10. He knows how to open a portal to Hell or Hell-like dimension. 11. He now has minion who are apparently all victims of the witch doctor we saw in the waiting room at the end of the first movie. 12. Beetlejuice now canonically loves a good song and dance number in every incarnation of the character from the movies, to the animated series, to the Broadway musical, to his appearance on Teen Titans Go. 13. He is well-versed in the many corridors of The Afterlife Social services office. (Is the Netherworld all one building in the movies? It was an entire dimension in the animated series where it was called Neither World). 14. He's actually really good at dividing his attention. (See the Wedding scene). 15. Beetlejuice has a weirdly romantic side and really wanted MacArthur Park to play at his wedding. 16. Beetlejuice is familiar with the German legend of Faust. (Note the contract signed in blood. (Who would have guessed he actually has some sense of culture???) 17. There's a very high chance Beetlejuice was born Jewish. He says L'chaim at one point in the Beetlejuice Broadway musical and Mazel tov in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

18. Beetlejuice's mortal marriage was definitely not Christian or Hebrew. The ceremony had him and his bride drink each other's blood, bite the heads off chickens, and sacrifice a goat. 20. Beetlejuice has a sense of justice, as twisted as it may be, going out of his way to show Lydia Rory's true nature, and sending the ghost to Hell (or a Hell-like dimension) that tricked Astrid. I'm starting to feel like the version of Beetlejuice from the animated series is the most "accurate" depiction of the character, as weird as that sounds. Since the movie version has shifted to be more like him and the Broadway musical version feels like a prequel to the cartoon.

[pa-pa-patato]

Bendy and cuphead headcanos (bendystraw?)

•cup hates reading cause his dyslexic so when he dose read it’s not a fun experience to him but he will absolutely listen to anyone reading out loud

•every time he has black outs he has dream of his family ( it used to be only elder kattel and mugs but after starting the quest it grew)

•bendy doesn’t know how he learned to dance he knows someone taught him he couldn’t have learned himself while on the streets but ….he just….doesn’t .. remember

•bendy was actually very well behaved at the orphanage at the beginning….but he soon realized that if he was quiet and obedient he would be an easy target so he little by little he changed so he wouldn’t get hurt

•( TW SA child bride) Bendy once believed that a sweet old man wanted to adopt him so he went with him for few days to try and convince him to also adopt Boris But he quickly realized that he was actually trying to marry him he was dressed in a small dress that looked like a wedding gown and when the man tried to do something bendy hit him with a lamp and ran…. At least he thinks he did….his brain forced him to forget but after that day he realized how much everyone would actually look at him like that They would feel less guilty to since bendy was a demon and whenever he would point it out everyone would accuse him of seducing them so he learned to be loud and angry so no one would try anything

•(TW SA) Cuphead is popular with both ladies and man sometimes but he learned to be careful on his 18th birthday when he went to a bar to celebrate He chatted with a girl and didn’t realize she put something in his drink he blacked out and when he woke up she was on top of him trying to undress him he managed to quickly get out of there luckily Now he always pays attention to not only his drink but everyone else’s ( one of the reasons his so protective of everyone)

• whenever they have to share a bed cuphead without fail always manages to cuddle up to bendy and snuggle him his always embarrassed when they wake up but bendy doesn’t care since Boris dose the same so he figured it’s a normal thing

•bendy has a month where he just keeps baking and can’t stop unless he has no more materials Everyone loves it when that month comes

•bendy would curse in Sabrina and cuphead would start cursing in Russian even if his not the one being cursed at Felix hates when this happens because both of them have a very different arguments

•bendy would sometimes just remember traumatic stuff he had gone through and would quickly leave to not worry anyone when they got contacted cuphead would always follow him and just stay outside his room while bendy cried it out

[pingurusama]

Day 6 - Traditional Clothes

Russian Traditional Wedding attire

Here comes the groom~! I make it as if it's the bride/groom POV looking at him! Found the inspo about the attire on google and pinterest, i do apologize if i get it wrong or something doesn't actually aligned with the reality of Russian wedding attire:<

[enlitment]

N°2 for the book asks

Thanks for the ask kind anon and sorry for taking forever to answer! (this one was not easy!)

Top 5 books of all time?

In no particular order:

1. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Set in an interesting historical period (Canada in the 1800s) + partially based on real events + focuses on women's issues + from a female perspective + includes complex, morally grey characters + unreliable narrator trope + criminal (sub)plot + weird historical psychoanalysis & psychiatry + some really great writing. Need I say more?

(Also the show is actually really good as well, if you don't feel like reading the book!)

2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I mean, it's a classic for a reason. Gay yearning. Corruption. Murder. Beautiful descriptive prose. But hey, this is Tumblr, so I feel like I'm preaching to the choir here.

(Still need to get my hands on the uncensored version at some point!)

3. The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy

I've reread this one more times than I can count. Duffy draws on the classics (mostly Greek mythology, but also fairy tale characters and even Faust) but reimagines them through a more contemporary, as well as female perspective. That could go wrong really easily, but this book in fact does a stellar job in my opinion.

Just read Eurydice, my favourite (I don't think I've ever felt quite as represented by a poem before). Or Medusa. Or Pygmalion's Bride.

Or, you know, and poem that is not Mrs. Tiresias - I like to pretend that one is not there.

4. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Very much my teenage obsession. It's a gripping read written from the point of view of a teenage criminal that speaks in a strange mix of English and Russian that is at first barely coherent. It's raw, it's brutal, but it also asks some very interesting questions about the nature of morality and free will in a way that does not feel forced.

Oh, and the movie's great as well. Possibly the best soundtrack of all time. So good and so problematic that it's been banned in the UK until the 2000s.

5. The Great Cat Massacre (and Other Episodes in French Cultural History) by Robert Darnton

A collection of essays focusing on the microhistory of 18th century France? It's a real mystery why I like it so much, huh.

It's actually a bit insane how much I owe to this book. It arguably helped to spark my Rousseau and Diderot (and, in general, enlightenment era) obsession. I also sneakily reapplied Darnton's argument to justify my thesis (it's totally necessary to study 18th-century mental health approaches, give me all the funds now, please! /s).

Darnton is not only a hilarious author, but you also get a sense that he truly cares about the people he writes about. If you get your hands on it, I recommend reading chapter 4 (includes police description of the key enlightenment figures, like V, Rousseau, and Diderot!) or chapter 6 (the Rousseau stan culture analysis).

Maybe skip the titular chapter, especially if you are fond of cats. I'm afraid the name is, in this case, quite literal.

[orchideous-nox]

what kind of books/movies do you see everyone reading/watching???

I love yapping about books and films, anon, how did you know?

Okay AHHHHHHH so many thoughts. I'm going to include modern films though

Remus - I think he loves Lord of the Rings (both the films and the books) and some Greek Mythology classics like The Odyssey and The Iliad

Sirius - Boy doesn't read. What's a book? Films though, I think he likes a good action film. Maybe something like Bullet Train with some comedy in there, or like John Wicke and he spends who whole time like "Keanu looks so good in a suit, don't you think?" and stares until you agree.

James - James says that he likes films like Blade Runner, but when he's home alone he's watching Krrish. I could see him being into Star War too. In terms of books, I think he prefers non-fiction or maybe like a sci-fi book, idk too much about those.

Peter - As a kid, he was reading Goosebumps like there was no tomorrow and loved the Swiss Family Robinson. I think he'd also like Star Wars with James and maybe Indiana Jones. I could see him enjoying Stand By Me and The Goonies as well, he's be really into classic 80s movies.

Lily - Anne of Green Gables all the way. I think she got called Pippi Longstocking when she was younger and has refused to have anything to do with it since. Lily would love the tv show Anne with an E. I think she likes watching the LotR films with Remus because she loves the women but would complain that they don't have enough to do. She's also a lover of Wuthering Heights, I feel. And The Princess Bride.

Mary - OUR ROMCOM QUEEEENNN!!! Her favourites are Clueless, The Notebook, The Proposal and whenever she watches Love Actually she gets irrationally angry at Harry before he's even done anything to hurt Karen, it's just a vibe. She reads those smutty romance books with the cartoon covers, but also loves Janes Austen like Emma and Pride and Prejudice. She's also into Eve Babitz and Joan Didion I feel.

Marlene - She reads a lot of biographies and autobiographies. One time someone caught them reading Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and they hated all men for two weeks, even James who she was normally friends with. I think films...I want to say Bend it Like Beckham but that feels so obvious. She can also recite a lot of The Devil Wears Prada but that's their girlfriend's fault. Marlene could probably be a horror film buff? That seems kinda fun.

Dorcas - Like I just mentioned, The Devil Wears Prada. I think she also likes period romances like the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. She'll also watched Bend it Like Beckham...and there is absolutely no link between those three films that would explain why she likes them. In terms of books, I think she would enjoy some Stephen King, her and Marlene have a joint love for The Shining and Carrie.

Pandora - I've been thinking about this and I think Pandora would be a big fan of Guillermo Del Toro's film Pan's Labyrinth. Maybe also The Dark Crystal? In terms of books, I think she let Marlene borrow her copy The Bloody Chamber but she also likes Maya Angelou.

Regulus - Motherfucker is so pretentious. He is reading Russian novels and glares at anyone who calls him out for it. I think if Regulus watching films, he's watching very deep and thoughtful films, ones that either aren't particularly popular but are good for discussion. I couldn't name one though so 🙃

Barty - No.

Evan - I think he could be into horror novels or like psychological thrillers. The first one that came to mind was I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid, but I think he could fuck with The Picture of Dorian Gray which doesn't fit the same vibe but it makes since to me I think. Also medical journals and books about the human body. I've said previously that I think Evan would really like films like Martyrs and The Idiots and I stand by that. Maybe also Un Chien Andalou.

Xenophilius - I mentioned earlier in this post that I think Xeno fucks with folk stories so that's what he'd be reading. Maybe like a classic dystopian such as 1984? I am struggling with films though, I genuinely have no idea.

[myrskytuuli]

While looking for an official translation of the epigraph of the 6th chapter (Aino Kallas, Wolf’s Bride), I've found not one, not two, but three werewolf-fucking novels of the same name, and four more that were almost the same, but described the wolf with an adjective. Seven in total. I just wanted you to know that.

But the translation of that book was not one of them, so I was curious, what's it about?

Oh damn, did quick googling and it would seem that that novel doesn't have a russian translation. The English translation seems to be available in this extremely insufferable website

But to summarise: It's a Gothic story written by Finnish author Aino Kallas in 1928. The story takes place in mediaval and magical Estonia during the 1600s. The main character is a young woman named Aalo, who in the start of the story marries a forest ranger called Priidik. Aalo is extremely beautiful and kind and also a werewolf.

Lycantrophy in this story follows the medieval rules, which means that Aalo has a hidden wolf-pelt she keeps as a secret and whenever she wants, she takes off her human clothes and dons the wolf-skin to turn into a werewolf. The problem here is scheduling, because she is a wife and a mother to a young child, and she is trying to balance out her duties as a wife with her desire to run around the forest as a wolf, running free, hunting and devouring wantonly.

Priidik eventually ctaches on to the fact that his wife doesn't stay in their bed during the nights. Aalo tries to explain the overwhelming need she has to run around the forest as a wolf from time to time, but claims that despite this she still loves her husband. Priidik cannot accept a compromise where his wife would also turn into wolf sometimes and threathens Aalo with a gun. Aalo escapes into the forest, turning into wolf full-time. The rest of the village finds out that Priidik's wife has therefore chosen a life as a the wolf's bride over her human husband.

The men of the village try again and again to hunt and kill Aalo, but she is too fast and cunning to be caught.

Some time later, during the winter, Aalo comes back to her old house at night, to check up and nurse her child. When Priidik doesn't try and kill her, she is also happy to see him and they make love. But in the morning, Aalo is again gone and Priidik isn't sure if Aalo actually visited or if he dreamed up the whole thing.

He finds out that it wasn't a dream 9 months later, when Aalo appears again, in need of a midwife. A midwife is called and Aalo is taken to the family sauna, where she gives birth to a baby. The entire village has by now heard that the werewolf is back and gathered around the sauna, calling for the death for the wolf's bride. Aalo begs her husband to tell the people around that he is the father of this baby and to protect her.

But doubt and jealousy take over Priidik, who is afraid that the baby is not of his seed, and who is bitter that his bride ran into the woods to live with the wolves. He calls out to the crowd outside that the wolf's bride has given birth to a wolf's cub and that he renounces them both.

The frantic crowd of people set the sauna on fire, burning both Aalo and her newborn baby inside. The werewolf has been sent to hell to her master.

But Priidik never gets to sleep a good night's sleep again, haunted by a wolf he swears is following him around, which he is sure is the ghost of his werewolf wife. With a silver bullet he finally kills the ghostly wolf, and prays that it means that his wife's soul has finally been saved, and even more importantly that his soul has been saved from its guilt too.

The moral of the story is that if you have a hot werewolf wife, you should let her frolic at the swamps, instead of being a massive piece of shit.

[kumeko]

A/N: For the For Eternity wedding zine, which was sadly cancelled. ☹ I took a look at some Russian wedding traditions and thought the bride’s ransom would be rather fun. In an exaggerated, genshin way.

…

…

…

…

A strong gust of wind ran through the sea of grass, sending ripples through the field. Childe’s scarf flapped in the breeze, the red contrasting brightly against the green backdrop. The bouquet in his hands ruffled, the white flowers bending but not breaking. His long bangs flopped over his eyes, almost hiding his opponents across the open field. 

Not that it would have mattered. Childe knew just how Aether looked when he was tensed up for battle. His long braid swayed in the breeze, his feet digging into the ground as he prepared to leap forward. Paimon clenched her fists as she hovered next to him. While this wasn’t their usual weekly battle, they were still taking it as seriously as that.

This was, after all, a fight. A fight for Lumine’s hand. 

Childe smirked darkly. After he won, he’d get to spar with Lumine. Two battles in one day? Maybe he should buy the lottery while he was at it. Perhaps there was a use for wedding traditions.

“Hey, hey, what are you smirking like that for?” Paimon asked, trembling as she recoiled. Somehow, Mondstadt’s infamous winds didn’t blow her away. She held her hands in front of her defensively. “You don’t get to murder us! That’s not in the rules!”

“What rules?” Childe asked glibly, craning his neck slightly as he peered past the dynamic duo. Just behind them was a floating white teapot. As expected. It was an old Snezhnayan tradition for the bride to hide in her home, and there were two places Lumine called home: Mondstadt and the teapot. The most intense game of hide and seek was waiting for him, all he had to do was make his way inside.

“This isn’t an actual fight, right?” Paimon asked desperately, glancing at Aether. She nibbled her fingers. “We’re just making a deal. Right?”

“It depends on him,” Aether replied with a grin. While he wasn’t quite as blood-thirsty as Lumine was, he wasn’t one to turn away from a good fight. His sunny disposition hid a surprisingly aggressive warrior. 

“Well, I’ll try it the old-fashioned way. For Lumine.” As tempting as it was to just bulldoze his way to his fiancée, Childe knew exactly what she wanted. Or rather, what his romantic-of-a-sister Tonia had wanted when she’d told the twins her favourite wedding traditions. By the book, he had to pay a ransom to reach Lumine. 

And if that didn’t work…well, there were less traditional ways to get what he desired. 

“Hmm, should I just guess your price?” Childe asked teasingly, stroking his chin as he leaned forward. “Or should I force it out?”

“No forcing!” Paimon flinched. She flew closer to Aether, as though to gain courage through his presence. “And we’re not telling you anything.”

“Well…” Aether scratched his chin sheepishly. “We have to tell him.”

“Are you on Paimon’s side or his?” Paimon snapped, her ire turning to him now.

“Lumine’s,” Aether replied easily with a disarming smile. Despite the banter, it was hard to tell how he really felt about all of this, if that nonchalance was an act or reality. 

“If you’re really on her side, you’d just let me in,” Childe suggested, stepping forward. 

“She said to make it hard,” Aether replied, his expression unchanging as he shifted to hide more of the teapot. “We need the right price.”

Well, Childe hadn’t served the Tsaritsa for years to turn away from a little roadblock. He leaned forward slightly, making a show of turning his ear to the pair. “And that would be?”

Paimon puffed her chest. Clearly, she had spent days planning this. Clearing her throat, she said, “A golden egg as big as Paimon, all the jewels Paimon can carry, as much mora as—”

For all of her extravagant requests, she was an easy handle. Childe couldn’t resist teasing as he hummed and suggested, “Candy?”

“Ha.” Paimon snorted, more amused than angry at the interruption. “As if.”

Childe tapped his chin, pretending to think about it. “How about…” Paimon’s eyes brightened in anticipation and he enjoyed watching her smile twist as he finished, “10 mora?”

Paimon stomped the air angrily. “Cheapskate!”

“You’re right, that’s far too little…” Childe smirked as he prodded her again. “20 mora?”

“Childe!” Paimon’s jaw dropped incredulously, and she stomped the air multiple times now. “Seriously?!”

“Alright, alright.” He held his hands up in surrender. It was time to get serious. There were only two things that motivated Paimon: mora and food. And fortunately, despite her ambitious desires, she wasn’t able to resist present earthly temptations for future promises. “I’ll treat you to a buffet.”

Paimon flinched and he knew he’d hooked her. “P-Paimon’s not that easy,” she stuttered.

He just needed to give the right bait and she’d fall apart. “At the Xinyue Kiosk.”

She gasped, her hand covering her mouth. When Aether glanced at her curiously, she paled and trembled as she tried to keep up her bravado. “You can’t buy—”

Childe yanked the line. “Twice.”

Paimon clutched her chest, falling for it hook, line, and sinker. Slowly, she drifted down till she was barely hovering over the ground. Hanging her head, she nodded weakly. “Yeah.”

Childe chuckled. Fishing was fun, regardless of what he caught. Though, he was still left with the hardest prey. During their entire exchange, Aether’s expression had given nothing away, neither boredom, interest, nor annoyance.

People often called him the sun to Lumine’s moon, and while Childe didn’t disagree with the simile, it didn’t feel entirely accurate either. Every week, he battled the twins, and while he could easily read the joy in Lumine’s expression as she swung her sword, Aether had always been impossible to understand. Did he enjoy the fights? Did he want them? It always seemed like he just went along with Paimon’s and Lumine’s whims.

Lumine had once scoffed when he’d told her that, telling him that her brother was as straight-forward as they came. Maybe that was what made it hard. There were few in Snezhnaya who Childe would call ‘straight-forward’ or ‘honest’. Fewer still that he met in his line of work. His siblings were the only ones he could think of, with their childish innocence.

“I don’t suppose you’ll let me through now?” Childe asked half-heartedly, crossing his arms as he considered Aether.

“I would, but I promised Lumine.” Aether grinned. “You like challenges, right?”

“Only from the right person.” And that person was in the teapot. Childe bit back a sigh. He’d have to start with the basics. “20 mora?” Aether raised a brow and Childe chuckled. “I guess not.”

“No, I want…” Aether reddened, embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he reluctantly said, “Proof that you love Lumine.”

That was unexpected. Childe stared at him before laughing. Who came up with that? Lumine? Aether? He didn’t know which would be funnier. It sounded like something his sister would suggest. “Oh, is that all?”

“Yes,” Aether ground out, flustered. His blush didn’t fade as he clenched his fist and blocked the teapot entirely from view. “It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

Paimon perked up, sensing a chance for redemption. She floated higher, until she was at eye-level again. “Yeah! We need hard proof!”

“I don’t know, it sounds very simple.” Childe smirked. The hook was back in his hand once more and he knew just what to bait it with. “I’ll cut off my arm.”

There was a long silence as the pair stared at him, flabbergasted. Aether’s jaw dropped, his eyes wide as he froze. His long scarf fluttered in the wind. With his smile finally gone, it was suddenly easier to see him for who he was. Lumine was right; Aether wasn’t as complicated as Childe thought. Only different from his usual fare.

Paimon was quicker to recover. She tumbled backwards through the air before screeching, “WHAT?”

A disturbed Aether shuddered and shook his head. “I don’t want your arm.”

Childe chuckled. He stroked his chin, carefully picking his words. “If I ever break her heart, I can cut off more than that.”

“WHO WOULD WANT THAT?” Paimon screamed, clutching her head. She turned to Aether. “That’s weird, right? He’s really weird, right? We shouldn’t let him in. We should cancel the wedding.”

“I…I wouldn’t go that far but…” Aether shivered again. He rubbed his wrist as he tried to keep his tone polite. “I don’t want any of those things.”

“Ah,” Childe drawled, nodding understandingly. He crossed his arms as he hummed. “You want something more…Let’s see…”

“No, nope, nothing like that,” Aether snapped back immediately, cutting Childe off before he could say something even more ridiculous. He shook his hands as though to physically push away the thoughts. “Something a little….”

“Less bloody,” Paimon filled in quickly, her tiny body trembling. “Less scary. Why would you immediately jump to that?”

“Yes. That. I agree,” a flustered Aether blurted out, nodding his head quickly. “Lumine would prefer something like that. Something normal.”

Well, Childe was certain Lumine actually did like seeing him bloodied and bruised. At least, if their weekly spars-turned-make-outs were anything to go by. Still, that was beyond the point. He was done with waiting—every muscle trembled with anticipation for the next part. And though he couldn’t see her now, he was certain Lumine was the same. Her patience was as bad as his. “What to give…what to give…”

“Is it really that hard to think of something normal?” Paimon asked weakly, her shoulders drooping with defeat. “Why is Lumine marrying him again?”

“Good reasons, I’m sure.” Aether scrunched his nose as he thought about it. “He helped us. I think.”

Childe pouted as he continued to ponder what to offer. “That wounds me, I’ve been very helpful.”

“You also unleashed a sea god on us,” Paimon pointed out, scowling.

“That—Oh!” Childe grinned, inspiration striking him. The answer had been so simple, how had he not seen it before now? He hummed as he delicately pulled a single flower from his bouquet. Despite the sunlight, the white flower seemed to glow, drops of dew still clinging to its petals. Confidently, he held it out to Aether. “How about this?”

“A flower?” Paimon snorted and turned up her nose. “Like a measly—”

“No, Paimon.” Aether’s eyes crinkled, his expression softening as he accepted the flower. “This’ll do.”

Paimon froze. “Huh?” 

“Don’t you recognize it?” Aether held it up to her so she could see it better. “It’s the Inteyvat. Lumine’s favourite. It’s hard to find them.” He twirled the flower gently. “I’m sure Dainsleif would approve too.”

Paimon frowned, not quite buying it. “If you say so. But Paimon still better get her buffet—”

“Just send me the bill.” Childe was already pushing past the pair, ready for his reward. With a wave and a wink, he touched the teapot. He could hear Aether’s laughter as he was whisked away, time and space distorting before he landed in the middle of a small, floating island. 

“Lumine?” Childe said. In the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of gold and white, a momentary glimpse of his wife-to-be. He smirked, spinning on his heel before chasing after. 

It was time for round two and it seemed Lumine wasn’t interested in a bribe.

That was fine. Childe liked it rough himself.

[estrellami-1]

Weiter prompt: fluffy platonic Stobin pls & thank you

Literally a month later and I still have so many more of these (mainly from you lmao thanks babe)… we’ll see how many I can churn out!

Also I should probably be sleeping right now. I’m not. Also I should work on “If I Should Stay” sooner rather than later because I’m running kinda low on prewritten parts but ADHD has decided the deadline is not close enough yet.

Anyways… I hope you enjoy! ❤️

“Tammy Thompson,” Robin had whispered, high on Russian drugs and shaking. Terrified and brave.

Steve doesn’t understand how she just said the words. He’s choking on them now, on any words at all.

He’d dragged her into his bathroom as soon as she’d gotten to his house. It seemed fitting, and Robin hadn’t seemed to mind. But now his ass is going numb, and his leg is cramping, and his heart is going crazy, and he can’t look at Robin.

“Okay,” she finally murmurs. “C’mon, come sit next to me. Clearly you can’t look at me for whatever you have to say.” She manhandles him over against the wall and sits next to him, shoulder-to-shoulder. She grabs his hand and squeezes it, and he squeezes back.

He finally finds words. “Y’know Bowie?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

It takes her a second, but she’s smart—a genius, really—so it isn’t long before she’s pulling him into a hug. “Thanks for telling me,” she whispers, then sits back and looks at him with a huge grin. “So?”

He frowns. “What?”

“Who is it?”

Steve groans, puts his head in his hands. “You’re gonna tease me.”

“Only a little,” Robin agrees, laughing.

He leans forward, rests his forehead against her shoulder. Loses tension in his own shoulders when she cards a hand through his hair. His next word is quiet. “Eddie.”

Her hand stutters, but doesn’t stop. “As in Munson? As in the kids’ Dungeon Master? As in the Freak of Hawkins High?”

“At least he can sing,” Steve grumbles, smiling when Robin squawks indignantly.

“Low blow, dingus,” she says, but her hand is still in Steve’s hair, so he knows it’s okay. “Tell me about him. Why?”

“I dunno, Robs. He’s just… so unashamed to be himself, y’know? I didn’t learn how to start doing that until I met Dustin. He’s so passionate about the things he likes and he’s really good with the kids.” He sighs. “And I know we’re probably completely incompatible and he’d never want me anyways, so it’s all a moot point.”

“I dunno,” Robin says thoughtfully. He leans back to look at her. “I mean, there’s that whole opposites attract thing for a reason, right? Like yin and yang. And I could see him being your yang. Passionate and excitable where you’re more even-keeled. He’s definitely the dad of the group, and I think I’ve actually heard Dustin call you mom before.”

Steve snickers. “He did. He was so embarrassed.”

“Beet-red, I know. He’s off in fantasy land half the time, and you need someone to transport you like that. And he needs someone practical to tell him when it’s time to land.” She shrugs a shoulder. “It’s not the craziest thing I’ve ever heard, at least.”

He leans his head against the wall and regards her. “I love you,” he says softly, and strangely enough this is when the tears come. He looks away, tries to wipe them quickly, but more come the second they’re gone and he knows it isn’t going to work, not when they’re already trailing down his cheeks.

She leans into him, gathering him close, putting his head back on her shoulder and wrapping both arms around him, squeezing. “I love you,” she whispers back. Doesn’t tell him to stop, that there’s no reason to cry, and he appreciates it.

“Thank you,” he finally murmurs, sniffling and leaning away, reaching for toilet paper so he can blow his nose.

“C’mon,” she says after he’s done, smiling wide and grabbing his hands, pulling him up. “Movie time. I have it on good authority that The Princess Bride is an excellent movie to watch after heartfelt confessions.”

Steve snorts. “Whose authority?”

“Mine.” She grins at him.

“Then I’m sure you’re right,” he agrees, chuckling. “Snacks? Chips? Popcorn? Ice cream?”

“All of the above,” she agrees with a nod. “I’ll get the movie started, you do the snacks?”

He snags her hand before she can walk away. He’s not ready to be alone, but he’s not sure he can say it. He pulls gently, not hard enough to sway her, but enough she knows his intention. She looks in his eyes, studies him, and nods. “Together,” she murmurs, tangling their fingers. Steve thinks he could cry again.

He walks into the kitchen instead, Robin by his side. They grab their snacks then make their way into the living room, where Robin proceeds to recite the entire movie. Steve attempts to throw popcorn in her mouth every time it opens wide enough.

The next day they have work. Robin doesn’t say anything, but gives him a look when she takes her break. He doesn’t understand it until the door opens less than a minute later and Edie walks in.

Steve realizes she must have seen him coming.

He’s never loved her more.

[princesssarisa]

Non-English "Cinderella" adaptations that might have influenced Disney's 2015 live action remake

Rossini's La Cenerentola (Italian opera, 1817). In the opera, the king has died, and the prince's search for a bride is motivated by his pending coronation. (The 2010 German Märchenperlen version also makes this choice.) In the 2015 film, the king is mortally ill, and later dies after the ball. Thus the opera's Cinderella and her 2015 counterpart both ascend straight to the throne in the end. Also, the opera's "fairy godfather" Alidoro disguises himself as a beggar and rewards Cinderella for treating him kindly, just as the 2015 Fairy Godmother does. (Although the Fairy Godmother also does this in Prokofiev's famous ballet.) The opera's Prince Ramiro also has a constant male companion, his valet Dandini, much like 2015's Kit has the Captain of the Guard (although many versions of Cinderella's prince have similar companions). Last but not least, both princes disguise themselves as a servant at some point: Ramiro switches clothes with Dandini for the ball to observe the true characters of the ladies, while Kit disguises himself as a guard to secretly observe the slipper-fitting.

Three Nuts (or Three Wishes) for Cinderella (Czech/German, 1973). In both this version and the 2015 film, Cinderella steals a few moments of freedom by riding her horse into the forest, and there she meets the prince on a hunt and stops him from shooting a deer. (Although in the 1973 film she throws a snowball at him, he chases her, and they taunt each other, while in the 2015 version they share a philosophical discussion about kindness and tell each other a little about their lives.) Both of these versions also hark back to the Grimms' tale early on, with Cinderella's father figure (the manservant Vincek in 1973, her actual father in 2015) going on a journey, and Cinderella asking for the first branch that hits his nose (1973) or brushes his shoulder (2015) as a gift. (In 1973 the branch contains the three magic hazelnuts that take the place of the Fairy Godmother in this version, while in 2015 it doesn't serve the plot, but is poignantly brought to her by the messenger who breaks the news of her father's death.)

Sechs auf einen Strech ("Six at one Blow"): Aschenputtel ("Cinderella") (German, 2011). Cinderella repeats a mantra that she learned from her mother: "You must never lose courage." In the 2015 film, she has a similar mantra, also from her mother: "Have courage and be kind." She also first meets the prince while he's hunting in the woods in this version, and the end sees them about to become king and queen, though in this case the old king is still alive, he just chooses to retire.

Zolushka (Russian, 1947). Cinderella has blonde hair, which she wears in fluffy shoulder-length curls at the ball, while the prince has wavy chestnut brown hair. (These could be coincidences, though.) The Fairy Godmother first appears as a humbly dressed old woman (although not as a beggar in 1947), then reveals her true, magical and glamorous form. The prince is also portrayed with boyish vulnerability as well as with courtly charm, and he even cries in one scene. (The '47 prince in the woods when he thinks he's lost Cinderella forever, 2015's Kit at his father's deathbed.)

When I posted my review of the 2015 film, @ariel-seagull-wings noticed the parallels with the 1947 Russian version. She suggested that Kenneth Branagh might have been influenced by that version, since British viewers are more likely than Americans to see the adaptations from continental Europe. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Branagh and the 2015 screenwriter Chris Weitz might have been influenced by more than one European Cinderella.

[redd956]

thoughts about worldbuilding wedding ceremonies/traditions?

:0! Why of course!

Worldbuilding Wedding Ceremonies

When I think about worldbuilding weddings in fantasy settings, I actually look for inspiration in IRL ceremonies from around the world. Things like engagements, weddings, and even divorces are strong moments of culture. They shine through a lot of gender-based ideology, religious beliefs, traditions, and family matters. So where to start...

Length of Ceremony

As a young adult it is my task to attempt to avoid weddings in the name of length of the ceremony. In the United States someone might consider a several hour long wedding as long, but what about a wedding ceremony that lasts many days or several weeks, maybe different rituals on different days

One could even argue that the common wedding in the United States does last several days due to the bachelor and bachelorette party.

Some things to think about

amount of days/time the wedding takes place

the time of day it's usually started/ended

how long it takes participants to convene to the ceremony

Depending on the length of the ceremony we also have to take into account things like food, the bride/grooms first night, the venue, etc.

how expensively is the venue decorated?

does everyone cook and bring food? or are caterers hired?

Is there any form of dance to pastime

Are recreational drugs or drink provided?

Garments

Around the world garments and/or accessories play a major role in marriage, divorce, death, and romance. Engagements already focus on a shiny ring.

In many cultures there is a focus on one gender's (usually women's) attire. Think about the beautiful wedding gown seen in many Western weddings. There's many cultures that also do specialized attire for both men and women (like India). In some ceremonies, like Russian Orthodox, the bride and groom are crowned before their vows and kiss.

We can make the attire special in more ways then just appearance/one day wearing

Some ideas here

Attire being passed down tailored to married participants generationally

Expensive, or magically enchanted materials being used

Being given magical artifacts such as necklaces, rings, or earrings with properties of protection, family abilities, or just luck.

Differing clothing for gender of the married participants versus the same clothing

Usage of sacred materials

Color symbolism (many wedding attires around the world are different colors based on the color symbolism of the culture)

It's also important to think about how garments can change based on species, gender, ethnic background, preference, and even sometimes age.

Here are some wedding attire small few examples from different places

India

Tibetan

Ghana

Traditions: The Married

Throughout history there have been many traditions for the married (most of which are frowned upon for very good reasons nowadays and include sexuality/child bearing or money).

Many are traditions or activities done during the marriage ceremony, many the following weeks to months afterwards (such as the honey moon). Most traditions centering the married are focused on the stronger blossoming relationship (portrayed) between the couple.

However even in modern times the traditions of the married are changing as queer relationships, and more diverse religious gatherings are becoming more and more common.

Some things to take into account

Are the feelings of all newly weds taken into account?

What kind of traditions are dying? What ones are continuing?

How do these things differ among income classes?

Are gifts exchanged? Any particular special speeches?

Any lewd activities?

Is marriage sealed with a kiss or another action?

Traditions: The Family

Marriage is often also celebrated as the combining of two families. Depending on how family oriented the culture is, the brides/grooms may not be the full center of attention on their special night.

Perhaps the parents receive gifts. Maybe only one of the married family are expected to appear. Do the married participants even meet each other before marriage?

Some things to think about

How important are the married participants' parents to the ceremony?

Is there gift giving? Dowries? Arranged Marriages?

Are participants forced to make any promises aside from marriage?

Do parents bring things for one another?

Traditions: The Guests

Next comes the guests. The very first thing to decide about guests when it comes to marriage ceremonies is who is allowed to invite them and how many commonly show up.

Guests can be expected to do a plethora of traditions, ranging from party-like participation to assisting the married participants. In many wedding ceremonies guests are broken into hierarchies/roles, such as the maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man, etc.

Religion & Other

However one of the second greatest influences aside from the married participants is of course religion in culture. Think about all the religious inspired or just straight up localized traditions appear in average American wedding.

Some things to think about

Are any sacred creatures, symbols, people, or accessories included in the ceremony?

How does the married participants' religion affect the ceremony?

Does sexuality or other queer features (polygamy, open relationships, etc.) play a major role?

Give me the tonal atmosphere of the culture in marriage. Does a warrior culture gift expensive weapons to the newly married? Does a militaristic people play an anthem in the name of the married veterans? Does a druidic culture always seal the married kiss under an ancient tree?

[dasha-aibo]

I really don't like the art that's like "it's incomprehensible ON PURPOSE. You get to decide what the meaning is" especially if it's something that's extremely cheap and simple to do.

Like, there's no craftsmanship, no blood, sweat and tears in it. You just half-assed something, gave it a pretentious name and then postured and made yourself look smart. The art, if there's any in it, is usually everything surrounding the work itself, the performance of the artist around it. Which is... Something, I guess. But I find it hard to admire.

There's a Russian author, who I really like: Vladimir Sorokin. He kind of does this. Only with purpose and intent and there's actual meaning behind it.

His most infamous novel "the Norm" is about an alternate reality late-USSR, where the state mandated that everyone must eat a portion of shit (called "the Norm") every day. The novel has no real plot, nothing happens in it, it's just scenes of life in that alternate reality. At one point the book devolves into pages of "Normal" followed by a seemingly random word, like "normal wedding, normal bride, normal groom, normal booze, normal celebration". And then it clicks in your head that it's a life story of a typical man in that universe.

That's not how you're supposed to write books, that breaks conventions, it's weird and off-putting, but there's already a meaning in it, the writer is not doing random shit and then inviting you to draw your own conclusions. All of this is absurd and weird and broken, but there's no need to play coy or pretend or waste your time. It's a fascinating read and it took actual effort.

Sorokin also ate shit IRL to figure out the taste and texture to put them in the book, but that's neither here nor there.

[im-outofideas]

know when to walk away. know when to run.

fandom: criminal minds

w/c: 1943

content: fluff very cartoony goofy fluff

summary: morgan bets reid he can't go a day without rambling. reid takes him up on it.

a/n: i got a little carried away with everything that wasn't the main course but i promise it is there towards the end. open to criticism ☝️, i am still new at this and looking to improve.

p.s the penelope rant was all me i am penelope.

~~~~~~~~

Derek was starting to feel guilty. To an outside observer, nothing seemed unusual. Reid was sitting across from him on the jet, reading some book in Russian. At least he thought it was Russian. When he asked Reid if it was, he made a face which indicated it was not actually Russian. Any other day he would've corrected Derek on the fact it was Ukrainian (which Derek had to find out after looking the book up on his phone - tedious.) Any other day Reid would passionately explain away a passage in the book that particularly interested him. But today he was completely silent.

It was really starting to get to Derek. And he could tell the kid knew he was getting to him. Spencer would check his watch every so often, glimpse at him with a smug ass look on his face, then go back to his book. It was infuriating.

-----

The unsub they had been dealing with was a bride-killer. He targeted women during their bachelorette parties days before the women were set to be married. The only reason for him to pick such high-profile, high-risk women is if it were a compulsion.

“Maybe he’d gotten cheated on during his own bride’s bachelorette party,” Rossi said.

“Wouldn't he have to stalk these women for weeks to know they were getting married?” JJ questioned.

“Not necessarily,” said Morgan. “Wearing a bride-to-be sash like the victims were would be like waving a red cape at a bull.”

“It’s a common misconception but actually, bulls are colorblind. So it doesn't really matter what color the matador waves - it’s the cape’s movement that elicits an aggressive charge response in the bull.”

“...”

Everyone stared at Reid in a silence that stretched for seemingly forever. He shrunk under their intense gaze.

“Um, Morgan’s metaphor still applies here, though.”

Derek laughed the way he always did right before he teased Reid.

“I bet he can’t go a day without saying some completely unrelated fun fact during the investigation. He just can’t help himself.”

“It wasn’t completely unrelated..” Reid mumbled shyly, before speaking to be heard. “I can. But where's the fun in that?”

“You wanna put money on that?”

"Ooh, careful Morgan. Gambling with a Vegas boy is bound to go wrong." Rossi joked.

“The stakes are too unclear. And there would be too many technicalities. We'd argue over what constitutes as irrelevant to the investigation, what counts as a fun fact..” he trailed off as he realized the stares and silence were back.

“Okay, pretty boy. New stakes. I bet you can’t go without talking for… at least twelve hours. About anything.”

“Can I make any noise?”

“Hmm. Nah.”

“How much money?”

“Reid, Morgan, focus up.” Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose indignantly. “We need Reid to talk until the investigation is over. Then you can wager on your own time.” Hotch brought everyone’s attention back to catching the killer. From over his copy of the case file, Reid mouthed to Morgan. You’re on.

-----

It started right after the unsub was processed. Immediately after. As in, while Morgan was putting the suspect in cuffs, he had turned to Reid and said, “50 bucks?”

“Sure,” he replied. “Starting when?” The local PD came to take the unsub away.

“Now?”

Reid smiled confidently in response.

“Great work, everybody.” Hotch walked up to the team huddled inside the killer’s home. “Let’s get out of here. I’m buying coffee. What does everyone want?”

Reid opened his mouth to say something before pursing his lips. This would be harder than he thought.

-----

On the jet ride home, Derek had been trying to goad Reid into saying something. He facetimed Penelope.

“Hey mama, I got a question for you. Here, let me put you on speaker.”

“Oh! I love questions. You know I know everything. What’s up?”

He looked at Reid smugly as he talked, even though the kid was fixated on his book. “Why exactly does ‘Doctor Who’ spend so much time in places that look exactly like Earth when he's got a whole universe to explore? There ain’t no way Earth is more interesting than the entire universe.”

Oh my. The look on Reid’s face was devastating. The only time Morgan would ever willingly discuss Doctor Who, he couldn’t join the conversation. Derek’s heart would’ve broken if he hadn’t found it hilarious.

“...okay. Sweetheart, first of all, he is not called ‘Doctor Who.’ He’s called ‘The Doctor.’ Okay?” Penelope sighed, agitated. Some relief washed over Reid’s face as if that was what he wanted to say.

“Doctor Who is the name of the show. His identity is a mystery and he just goes by The Doctor. So people and alienfolk all go ‘Huh? What do you mean? Doctor Who?’ and that’s why the show is called that. You wouldn't call Captain Kirk 'Star Trek: The Original Series.'" Reid was positively pouting.

"Second of all, I heard about the little challenge you placed unto our baby genius and I will have no part in his torture. Tata.” Penelope hung up the phone.

Derek frowned and put the phone in his pocket. “Damn… I really was curious. Do you mind answering my question?” he taunted Reid with a toothy grin. Reid scowled and returned to his book. A true miracle he had so much self control over his hand gestures.

-----

Two hours had passed slowly and silently. It wasn’t fun anymore. Morgan had seen Reid perk up at least three times to infodump about the books he’s read during the flight, before he caught himself. Each time he was stupidly dejected afterward. Morgan didn’t love it. He hated it. The kid had been shut up his entire life by his peers and bullies. And now by his friends. His heart was actually starting to ache seeing his friend’s gaze become more and more distant.

“Hey, kid. Let’s just call it off.”

Spencer met his eyes and raised a brow.

“I wanna hear about the story. Genuinely.”

Spencer looked down at his watch, then crossed his arms. Morgan scoffed.

“Seriously, you want the 50 dollars that bad? There’s still an hour left before we land.” He didn't want to see Reid be depressed for the entire remainder of the flight. And the longer it went, it seemed less likely he'd be up for talking even after the time limit. Morgan couldn't handle that.

“C’mon man, it’s unhealthy for a brain to store so much information without an outlet. You’ll explode.”

Spencer smiled and huffed out of his nose. His eyes went wide. He awkwardly looked over to the side at nothing.

“..Was that a noise?” Spencer frowned and shook his head. A figmental lightbulb went off over Derek’s head.

He walked over to sit side-by-side with Spencer, who eyed him cautiously. He sighed. Maybe it was inappropriate to play dirty, but Spencer wasn't exactly giving him an option.

“Listen, we can do this the easy way. Where you open your mouth right now and call me an asshole for ever suggesting this stupid bet in the first place. Or we can do this, uh…” he grinned impishly, wiggling the fingers of one of his hands. “..the hard way.”

Spencer’s jaw clenched at the implication. He braved a face of nonchalance and for a moment, Derek thought maybe he wasn’t even ticklish. Or maybe he didn’t think Derek would actually do it. They were in front of their boss after all, their unit chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Behavioral Analysis Unit. Not in grade school.

But then Derek saw the red of his ears slowly make its way down to his cheeks and decided he couldn’t help himself. Plus, the kid wasn’t talking.

"Okay, have it your way."

It was childish, Derek would be the first to admit it. But he’d kill two birds with one stone. End the bet, and get Reid to smile a bit.

He wiggled an index finger lightly at the side of Spencer’s neck, which immediately got trapped. Spencer reached up to pull the hand out, before his wrist was snatched and Derek clawed at his ribs.

To Derek’s surprise, Spencer stayed quiet. His physical reaction, however, made up for it. He jerked and contorted so hard his back ended up on the seat of his chair. One leg curled up to protect the attacked side, while the other sprawled over Derek.

He kept his lips and eyes shut so tight they quivered.

“You’re kidding.” Derek was indignant. This was the most stubborn he’d ever seen him. “You can’t keep this up for an hour.”

After spending some time there, he moved up into his underarm. Spencer broke out into an open mouth grin and another spasm. But still no noise.

Derek let go of his wrist - bicep burning from Spencer's struggle against him - to use both his hands to tickle. Something happened that completely bewildered him.

Spencer was laughing. He was trembling, his stomach was tense, and his throat bobbed as it always did when he laughed. But it was silent. How the hell was he doing that? Why was he just taking it? Is he really going to endure this torture for the rest of the flight?

If he could, oh man. There was no way in hell Derek would stop. This was a much better sight than the sad quiet Spencer from earlier. He just wished he could hear it.

Derek was broken out of his thoughts when he saw tears fall from Spencer’s eyes, which suddenly looked much more desperate. He was turning a concerning shade of red. The drawback of silent laughter finally registered in Derek’s brain.

“Woah Jesus, kid! Breathe!” Derek immediately stilled his hands, reaching instead to grab hold of Reid’s face. It was hot to the touch. He quickly wiped away Reid's tears, which felt a bit intimate, but he didn't want the team to see he had accidentally tickled their greatest asset into crying. He figured Reid wouldn't want them to see either.

Derek helped him sit upright. Spencer breathed hard, a smile gracing his face as he peacefully closed his eyes in relief and weariness. His lips shaped in a circle to steady his breathing.

Absolutely infuriating. He would have passed out before he lost. It was a battle of wills, and even when Derek held all the cards, he folded first.

He wondered why Spencer was going so far for something so dumb. If he was trying to prove something to himself, to his team, to all the bullies who shut him up, Morgan would never live down the guilt. He hoped it was as simple as Reid just being a competitive little shit.

He groaned. “Okay, fine! You win, Spencer. You proved your point. You know how to stay quiet. Hell, not even I could…" he cleared his throat. "..uh, the point is, you won. You can have the 50 bucks. Please just talk to me.”

Spencer was still panting, the smile on his face seemed permanent. “You're.. an asshole,” he breathed. “And a cheater.”

“Yeah, I know.” Derek laughed.

“I still won, though. Whew."

“Yeah, yeah..” Relief. He was a competitive little shit.

"Can't believe you couldn't take just three hours of me not talking! You must really love learning."

He scoffed. "Whatever." Alright. The kid was starting to get cocky.

“Hasn't anyone ever told you cheaters never prosper?"

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.” He pinched at his side and Spencer laughed. Audibly, this time. Garcia would call it a swoon-worthy sound. Maybe those were his words.

He pulled out his government issued wallet before his hand was stopped. “Oh. I don’t actually want your money.”

“A bet’s a bet, Reid. You earned it fair and square.”

“You wouldn’t take it if you had won.” Spencer smiled. “Just buy me a coffee when we land. I didn’t get any earlier.”

Derek shrugged. If he took any lesson away from this, it was that the doctor was stubborn. “Alright, fine by me.”

“And listen when I say the whole point of the Doctor’s archetype is to love Earth - specifically humanity - and for logistical reasons it’s just more convenient for the setting to be on Earth or on a planet that resembles Cardiff, Wales..” Here we go. Spencer rambled on, speaking quickly and more with his hands than anything. Derek rolled his eyes, but he sat back and listened.

[iolaussharpe-24]

So like, does anyone have any good Beauty and the Beast type movies to recommend? I've seen all four Disney movies (the original, the two DVD sequels, and the live-action remake), Belle (the anime), Blood of Beasts (a low budget Viking movie), Beauty and the Beast (the series starring Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton), I am Dragon (a Russian movie about a dragon), The Shape of Water (the Del Toro movie that everyone needs to watch at least once in their life), Penelope (Christina Ricci movie where the girl is actually the 'beast'), Corpse Bride (the stop motion musical about a dead woman trying to marry a living man), Warm Bodies (Zombie!Romeo x Survivor!Juliet), Edward Scissorhands (needs no introduction), Bram Stoker's Dracula (the sexy one with Gary Oldman), the Shrek quadrilogy (even if only the first one really fits the mold), and I'm going to include TAU on this list (a movie about a kidnapped girl, a sadistic scientist, and a tortured AI) because you can't convince me that it wasn't a love story.

I love Beauty and the Beast and stories that are similar, so any recommendations are appreciated.

(Also, if you want to count Phantom of the Opera as a Beauty and the Beast story, I've seen the 1943 version, the Robert Englund version, half of the Julian Sands version (it was really bad), and the Gerard Butler musical version.)