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themidnight-ghost · 4 years ago

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If we had 5 more minutes

Kate Fleming moves in with Jo Davidson under witness protection. Feelings are discovered, they get a dog, host Jo's first (proper) Christmas, and Kate finally realises what it's like to truly love someone.

“You can live the life you should have lived. Be free to be the person that you really are.”

“Where do you plan on going next?” Steve took another sip of his beer; god knows what was going on in his friend’s mind. Kate Fleming had been confused ever since she met the infamous Jo Davidson, and after the conversation they just had, he knew Kate would be crazy to let her go.

“Home, probably.”

Steve could hear the uncertainty in Kate’s voice, and he placed a reassuring hand atop of hers, “If you want her, go get her, mate.”

“I’m afraid.” Kate ducked her head, “I know she has witness protection, but something tells me it won’t be enough. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Follow your heart. If I deserve a shot, so do you.” He gestured to the harsh autumn air drifting through the slit in the doorway. Kate felt like it was calling her. She knew exactly where she wanted to go and who she needed to see, “I’ll text you.”

Steve Arnott smiled as he watched his best friend grab her jacket and flag down a taxi, “I know you will.”

By the time Kate arrived at Jo’s safe house, it was already 3 am. She felt terrible leaving the woman alone after everything that had happened, but who could really blame her. After knocking on the door 6 times, doubt started to rise in the DI’s chest. What if Jo had forgotten about her? What if she was asleep? What if something terrible had happened?

Fleming knocked again, this time with more urgency.

“Jo? It’s me, Kate. Can you open the door?” After no answer, Kate started becoming illogical. She was never a rational person, often acting on impulse and facing the consequences. It never even occurred to her that Jo could’ve been in the shower. Kate automatically presumed the worst and started looking for a way to scale the building.

Using her detective skills, Kate located a web of ivy stretching up the side of the house. She tugged on it gently at first, then with a little more force before pulling herself up, gasping slightly as a branch gave way but continued to climb, unaware of the approaching figure.

“I didn’t know you have a double life.” A tired Scottish accent echoed through their street, and Kate almost lost her footing, “You look like you’re about to rob me.”

Thankful that the darkness hid her reddening cheeks, Kate began to make her way down to the former DCI who wore matching sweatpants and sweatshirt.

“Then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the woman who saved my life.” Jo twiddled her fingers as Kate approached, not wanting to cross a line.

“It was nothing, don’t worry about it.”

It wasn’t nothing.

Kate still remembered when Steve pulled over the van, how she froze after seeing Jo in such a dangerous position. The DI wanted to say something when they switched places, caress her hand as a sign of good luck, kiss her goodbye or reassure her that everything would be okay. Instead, she waited in silence as Jo was taken away from her yet again.

Unable to take the stillness, Kate spoke again, “How are you feeling?”

“I can’t sleep,” Jo admitted with a sad smile, “I’m constantly locking my doors, checking behind me and closing curtains. I want it to end, Kate.”

The DI wasn’t ready for such an honest confession, but she presumed it was because Jo had nothing left to lose - everything she had was now lost or a lie.

Kate automatically stepped forward, “It will end. The Gaffer’s picked out a place for you, somewhere in the country but still close to this place. You’ll be under witness protection. It’s like I said: you can live the life you should’ve lived.”

“Alone?” Jo’s accent was unusually weak. Alone was the harsh reality Jo didn’t want to admit true. She wanted nothing more but for Kate to come with her and live out a life together free of AC-12 and the OCG, but both women knew that wouldn’t be possible. Kate had a son and her job. Besides, Jo wasn’t worth loving.

Kate Fleming felt the same way. Every instinct in the DI’s body was begging to run to the smaller woman and hold her tightly in her arms, never letting go. It wouldn’t be practical. No one was supposed to know about Jo’s location, not even Hastings.

“I’m sorry, Kate. Forget it; I’m the last person you’d want to be stuck with.”

Jo clearly still felt guilty about leading Kate to her death, but all of that was in the past. Kate didn’t care, and driving off into the night regardless of previous events was the best decision Kate had ever made.

“Jo, wait.” The DI instinctively grabbed the smaller woman’s wrist, stopping her from leaving, “Hear me out. I’ve never considered myself as anything other than straight, but that’s changed.”

Jo liked how Kate’s hand felt, securely wrapped around her wrist and never letting go. It felt safe like nothing can hurt her anymore.

“Christ, I’ve never been good at wording things or forming sentences, but I’ve never felt this way before, and I feel like a child.”

It only just occurred to Jo that this could be a confession.

“You’re so perfect. And even with everything you have going on, you’re still perfect even if you don’t think it now. And in the un-weirdest way possible, I want to follow you.” gentle drops of rain fell from the sky, “I want to follow you to the country, to England, to France, to wherever. Just so I can be with you. And I feel guilty that it took me this long to tell you because if something, anything happened in that prison, I don’t know what I’d do.”

At first, Jo thought this was a sick joke set up by AC-12 to get revenge, but the only thing in Kate’s eyes was honesty.

“You mean that?” The former DCI mentally cursed at her answer.

Taking both of Jo’s hands, Kate pulled her close.

“Of course I mean that. I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.” Something clicked, “I’m going to do everything I can to go home with you.”

And for the first time in ages, Joanne Davidson smiled. Too absorbed in the DI’s presence to consider anything else, she hesitantly cupped Kate’s face, pressing their foreheads together in the rain.

“Come home with me, Kate.”

☁️ ------------------- ☁️

Even though Kate doubted witness protection, she’d pulled a couple of strings that allowed her to move in with Jo. Initially, Kate had used Jo’s history with the OCG to convince AC-12 to let her move in, but as more truths became unearthed, Kate outed herself to Carmichael and was given the nod of approval.

It wasn’t the way Kate wanted it to go, but it still worked, and the DI wasn’t complaining. She still kept her job, her best friend, all whilst getting to live with the woman she... loved? Kate was still wavering about that word.

“I didn’t think it would be this big,” Jo spoke over the radio as the pair pulled into the driveway of a rural cottage.

Kate smirked, “Only the best for the best.”

Matching Kate’s humorous tone, Jo pointed to the ivy snaking up the trellis.

“Just in case you feel like climbing into the house again.”

“I was worried, yeah?” Kate gently nudged the smaller woman in the passenger seat, “Besides, I didn’t feel like waiting around all night.”

“Thank you, Kate.” Jo took the DI’s hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, “For everything.”

“You really need to stop thanking me for everything. Give yourself some credit, Jo.”

“Let’s not go there just yet.” Jo unlocked the car door, becoming Kate to follow.

The DI knew Joanne still had problems with her role in their relationship. She believed that everything she did was selfish and wrong, refusing to see the good aspects like when they got drinks together or walked back to Kate’s drunk and free. Free from AC-12 and the worries of life outside and inside of work. When they walked hand-in-hand, looking at the moon whilst convincing themselves this was a totally platonic thing. Jo was yet to know that she helped Kate discover who she truly was and where she belonged.

Unlocking the little red door, Jo’s mind started to buzz. What colour would the walls be? Where would the kitchen go? Is the wall big enough for a tapestry?

“It’s a tad… plain,” Kate commented.

“That’s the point!” Jo enthusiastically hugged the DI, “We get to choose how to live. For once, we are in control.”

Witnessing Jo so excited made Kate’s heart flutter. Consumed by euphoria, Kate picked up her lover and spun her around in their new living room, their laughter bouncing off the walls and filling the space.

The pair ended by facing each other, breathing heavily through bubbles of laughter.

“What colour should the kitchen be?”

“Green,” Jo tucked a strand of hair behind Kate’s ear, “With a gold tint.”

Kate smiled at Jo’s newfound confidence, “Sound good, boss. Ever thought of getting a dog?”

“Please, Kate,” Jo became solemn, “You don’t need to call me boss anymore.”

Kate took her hand, “But, I thought that was our thing? If you want me to stop, I will.”

Jo inhaled deeply. There are certain things she didn’t want to address, especially after the moment they just experienced. That being said, Joanne Davidson knew the key to any healthy relationship was communication.

“Can we just start again?” Jo fiddled with her fingers, something she always did when anxious, “I don’t want to remember what I put you through or the pain you faced because of my mistakes.”

“I’m sorry, Jo, but I don’t want to start again.” Kate touched the older woman’s shoulder, “Those experiences, they make us who we are; it’s why we’re so close. The universal experience we share with AC-12 and the OCG: it’s us, and I don’t want to forget that.”

Witnessing the walls of Jo’s mental castle crumbling, Kate continued.

“You made mistakes, we all do. It’s what makes us human. We learn from them, adapt, overcome, and that isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Even if forgetting was possible, we can’t pick and choose to get rid of the bad and keep the good. You must find good in the experience. To me, that good is you, Jo.”

Jo buried her head into the crook of Kate’s neck, “I don’t deserve you.”

“I could say the same.”

The pair stayed like that for what seemed like hours. Jo cried it out into Kate’s chest, gripping her shirt as the DI whispered honest words of comfort.

☁️ ------------------- ☁️

After adjusting to their new life, the couple decided to take that exciting yet predictable step and get a dog. It was something Kate Fleming had wanted to do for a long time, and Jo was in no place to stop her. The agreement was that if Jo designed the house, Kate could design the dog… or something as such.

After rolling down the windows, taking many wrong turns and singing Taylor Swift at the top of their lungs, the couple eventually reached the pet shelter.

They held hands as they walked through the kennels.

“What are you looking for, Kate?”

The DI hesitated, spoilt for choice, “Something with personality and spirit.”

“Sounds like a tough one-”

“Christ, what the hell is that!” Kate abruptly pulled away, running over to one of the kennels, “It’s some sort of hairless rat.”

Jo tried her best not to laugh at her girlfriend’s antics, “Kate, you can’t just say that. You’ll hurt its feelings!”

The DI kneeled over in a fit of laughter as the hairless rat-dog chirped towards them, and this time it was Jo’s turn to laugh at the little dog as it spun sporadically in circles.

“Look at the tufts of hair poking from its chin!” Kate mocked before focusing her attention elsewhere, “What have you seen?”

Jo wordlessly pointed to the kennel housing a golden labrador. His eyes were kind and gentle, and he greeted them with a waggy tail. Both women crouched by the glass, Kate resting a hand on Jo’s shoulder for support as the former DCI pressed the palm of her hand against the kennel bars. The dog was cautious at first but started licking Jo’s palm delicately.

“He reminds me of myself,” Jo murmured, and Kate wanted her to continue. The DI never expected Jo to relate to a dog. A hawk maybe but never a dog, “In prison, I mean.”

“He reminds me more of Steve; look at his mug.” The quip Kate made to lighten the mood worked, and soon the couple had signed the papers and were driving back home to Taylor Swift, Steve the dog accompanying them in the back seat.

Jo’s first rule was that Steve wasn’t allowed on the bed. The second was that he couldn’t chew anything of value in the house. Unfortunately for Jo, Steve and Kate ignored both of them.

It started when Kate heard Steve crying in his bed, so she naturally felt sorry for the animal and brought him upstairs to sleep with the couple. All was going well until Steve the dog slotted himself between the pair, separating them for the entire night.

“Come on, mate,” Kate whispered as she pulled the dog back, “I’ve spent enough time without her already.”

After about 10 minutes of trying to move the labrador, Joanne Davidson’s tired voice muffled into the pillow: “I told you the dog shouldn’t be allowed on the bed, Kate.” The DI knew Jo was smirking from how she said her name and decided to get her own back. She refused to spend any more nights without Jo wrapped in her arms.

Climbing past Steve the dog and over the blankets, Kate adjusted herself in the darkness, so she was lying comfortably on Jo’s back. Rolling her eyes, Jo shuffled upwards, letting the DI snake her hands around her waist and cushion her head in Jo’s neck. Jo seriously considered letting Steve sleep on the bed every night.

☁️ ------------------- ☁️

With no recent actions from the OCG, AC-12 gave Kate the go-ahead to release details of her and Jo’s location to 2 people maximum. It wasn’t a debate. Fleming approved Steve and Ted in a heartbeat, making sure they knew the pans for Christmas eve.

Jo Davidson had never spent Christmas with someone before, never mind someone she loved. Even with Freida, Jo had been alone, never fully able to relax or enjoy the rainbow lights and festive music, but as she sat snuggled in front of the wood burner with Kate, she was entirely able to absorb the atmosphere:

Their Christmas tree in the corner, Steve the dog chewing a candy cane, stockings over the fireplace, the unfinished gingerbread house on the kitchen counter, Christmas music outlining the walls and being curled up in the arms of the love of her life as she breathed gently on her neck whilst reading a book.

“I know you’re unsure about the L-word….” Jo trailed off, once again twiddling her fingers.

Kate kissed her cheek, “Lesbian?”

The former DCI wanted to be as honest as possible, “You know what word I mean, Kate. And I know it scares you.” A beat, “You are in no position to say it back, but I need to tell you that I love you, Kate.”

Kate reassuringly rubbed Jo’s side.

“You love me?”

At that moment, Jo felt a wave of embarrassment overtake her. She felt like a child in a playground handing their crush a dandelion. The former DCI tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded shyly.

“You mean a lot to me, Jo,” Kate admitted with a smile. She had been brainstorming how to say the L-word without actually having to say it, “More than most people and you need to know, you’re the most important person in my life.”

Content with the answer, Jo snuggled into her lover’s side, drifting away to the sound of carol singers and church bells.

Forgetting to send Steve and Ted a text not to ring the bell, she was thankful to see them (mainly Steve) making ‘lovey dovey’ faces through the window. Kate rolled her eyes at her friends’ antics, cautiously prying herself away from the smaller woman and opening the door, pressing a finger to her lips.

“We didn’t mean to wake you,” Ted said sincerely, placing the bag of Christmas presents on the table.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Kate admitted, “It was mainly Jo anyway, her nightmares are on and off, and last night wasn’t the greatest. But you-” She turned to Steve,

“Finally got the girl I see?” Her best friend greeted her with a witty remark and a hug.

Ted peered into the couple’s living room where Jo slept to admire their tree.

“No star?” He questioned.

Kate assessed Steve’s Christmas eve takeaway, “Jo said her mum had a tradition where they put the star up on Christmas day. I figured we’d keep it alive.”

“You should go wake her, mate. God knows how she’ll react to someone in her house. Nevermind us of all people.” Steve mentioned, not wanting to make a bad impression.

“Just don’t break anything.” Kate quipped.

Steve the dog and Steve the person got along surprisingly well, and when not being interviewed about the OCG, Jo and Ted actually had a lot in common. All four shared Steve’s Christmas eve takeaway whilst watching ‘Love Actually’ and, much to Kate’s dismay, started on her trifle during ‘A Muppets Christmas Carol’. The night ended with an excitable game of charades in which Steve and Jo had to act out Scooby and Shaggy - Steve gave Jo a piggyback around the cottage, both adults screaming with glee as they paraded around.

To be honest, Jo didn’t have high hopes of keeping a relationship with Ted and Steve, especially after Operation lighthouse. It was unfortunate because Kate cared so much about them, and despite not knowing them, it automatically made Jo care about them too.

Christmas day passed too quickly. They started by opening presents. Kate got Ted a ‘Worlds Best Dad’ mug, and Steve bought him a customised top saying: ‘Not H’.

As well as last night’s takeaway, Steve bought Kate a sign he stole from AC-12 whilst drunk (don’t ask how he didn’t get caught) and an Alexa. Kate went for a more classy option: a framed photo of them wasted at a karaoke bar.

Finally, it was Jo’s turn. Due to Kate’s last-minute planning, the former DCI had no chance to buy Ted or Steve anything, but they didn’t mind; they hadn’t formed enough of a bond yet. However, Kate insisted she presented her present first. The DI could hear her heart thumping in her ears as she handed Jo the small jewellery box containing 2 necklaces, each with a personalised pendant: a small silver gun, the other a golden car. Jo admired them with adoration; every detail had been etched into the metal, even the make of Steve’s getaway vehicle.

“A matching set?”

“To remind us of how far we’ve come.”

Jo wasn’t sure how her present could top Kate’s but proceeded with the gift-giving. It was a weighted blanket, a set of bond touch bracelets for when Kate went back to work and a cute little photo book personalised with added newspaper clippings, annotations, dates and locations relating to their relationship.

Jo’s act of love deeply touched Kate’s heart. A series of small yet meaningful presents was definitely her speed, and Kate couldn’t stop herself from flicking through the photobook and admiring all the small details like her favourite colour, preferred flowers and location coordinates which Jo had marked in.

“It’s adorable. Thank you, Jo.”

Jo simply nodded as she sat in Kate’s lap, fiddling with the silver gun around her neck. Kate Fleming had the car, of course.

Unable to move after the Christmas dinner, the group spent the rest of Christmas relishing each others company. Jo and Kate started by carelessly putting up the star, the former DCI needing a lift from her girlfriend to reach the top of the tree. Human Steve was with dog Steve, Ted had a cuppa and a newspaper, commenting on various political events, occasionally uttering a ‘mother of god’ making Kate, who was now squashed under Jo Davidson, chuckle.

That was the first Christmas where Jo had properly smiled.

☁️ ------------------- ☁️

Kate Fleming had been married once, and it was a disaster. Let’s just say she wasn’t ready for it. She had too many regrets, doubts and problems in her own head. That marriage put her off love for a while. Not only that, but the universal experience of being heartbroken was enough to make her want to stay single forever. That was the plan until Joanne Davidson arrived. Jo Davidson helped Kate discover who she was and become comfortable with her sexuality. The woman who helped her embrace the demons, who humbled her whilst building her up and never tore her down.

The DI was on the fence about her feelings until she almost lost Jo at the shootout with Ryan Pilkinton. On that night was when Kate decided to take Jo and run, the city wasn’t safe, and the pair wanted out. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t work.

That’s why Kate was standing by the door, ring in pocket, dog lead in hand, ready to propose to the woman she loved.

“Ready to go?” Greeted the Scottish accent she loved so dearly.

“I’m the one waiting for you, boss.” Jo lovingly ruffled the DI’s hair as she stepped out of their cottage, taking a freeing breath of air; she grinned when Steve bounded behind her and Kate linked their arms.

It was autumn again. The couple proceeded to the nearby hill path, through the arching oak trees, across the wooden bridge kate thought how nice it was to see Jo free from all those layers she used to wear at work. The former DCI swished her legs through the sea of leaves, and Kate did the same, both women snickering like toddlers when they flew up in her face.

Kate knew Jo would want something intimate and private rather than exotic and loud, so she planned to propose at the top of the hill which overlooked the city. Kate had timed the walk perfectly so the sun would set, and she could properly see the golden tones reflecting on her lover’s face.

Finally reaching the top of the hill, Kate admired how perfect Davidson looked as she gazed contently at the sunset, contrasting against the flushed sky. Steve the dog sniffing around for squirrels Kate realised they had the perfect family.

“Jo?” Kate looked calm, but inside, she was terrified of rejection, “Forgive me for not saying this earlier; I just didn’t know how to word it.”

Aware that she had Jo’s full attention, she swallowed the nonexistent doubt and continued.

“I love you. I love how sweet you are with kids. I love how you get sleepy when it rains. I love how you fiddle with your fingers when nervous. I love how you’re obsessed with skittles but only the yellow ones. I love how you turn your head into my hand when I play with your hair. I love how insanely ticklish you are. I love how you adore being the little spoon, even if you won’t admit it for anything. I love how you drive so. So carefully when someone else is in the car. I love how you can’t pass a field of cows without saying ‘cows’. I love how you hug every dog you see. I love how you scrunch up your nose when you feel like you’re going to sneeze.”

Kate knelt down on one knee.

“I love your fear of fireworks. I love how cuddly you are when you’re tired. I love all of that and everything else too, and I could keep going all day with listing all the millions of things that make you Jo. I love you, Joanne Davidson, and I am always going to love you.”

She pulled the box from her pocket, presenting it to her lover.

“Joanne Davidson, will you marry me?”

Jo looked starstruck, but after what seemed like hours, she shook her head. Kate went numb, her face fell, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The DI didn’t even feel Jo take the box from her hands’ nevermind see Jo taking a knee.

“You seem to be giving all the speeches lately.”

The Scottish accent pulled kate out of her daze, and the taller woman tenderly gasped at the sight of Jo Davidson, down on one knee and offering her a ring.

“I don’t think you realise the impact you’ve had on my life, Kate. You saved me. Not just from the OCG but from myself, and I don’t know how to ever thank you for that. Through the time we’ve known each other, you’ve been my knight in shining armour. You stormed the tower-like Flynn Ryder when Rapunzel needed help, risked your job just to get us out of the city. You intercepted the transport vehicle, and without you, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Jo couldn’t contain her grin as she witnessed Kate's reaction.

“The only time is smile is when I’m with you, Kate. I can be myself around you, and I’ve never been more thankful to have someone in my life. When we first arrived, you told me that we shouldn’t start again because our story makes us who we are. I’m ashamed it took me so long to realise this. We’re here today because we made choices we can’t change, and even though it’s broken me and built me back up, there’s no one else I’d rather go on this journey with. You, me and Steve, of course.”

Kate felt like she was on top of the world and the following sentence was everything she wanted to hear and more.

“Please, Kate Fleming. Will you marry me?”

Obviously, Kate said yes.

☁️ that ending honestly makes me feel sick so I wrote my own. I'm glad Jo found happiness - she deserved it. but we all know it should've been with Kate. thank you for reading bestie x 😔 ☁️

#flemson #joanne davidson #jo davidson #kate fleming #katherine fleming #jo x kate #jo davidson x kate fleming #line of duty #line of duty season 6 #alternate ending #line of duty flemson #flemson ending #line of duty alternate ending #kelly macdonald #vicky mcclure #ted hastings #steve arnott #bbc

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teaandatale · 4 years ago

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Hello I’m late to the party but pls tell me more about SteggyDiplomatic???

Late Reply to WIP Game

Hehehe, I thought you might be the one to ask me about this one. SO, it’s not quite what you were thinking I’m sure, BUT congrats, you picked the one SUPER SECRET STEGGY FIC IDEA that I put on that WIP list.

Why super secret? Idk, my brain decides some fic ideas need to stay super hush hush until they are fully realized. Also because in my head this one is a saga, where I have literally have it in mind that there will be 3 Parts to this long fic. As is the preview here.

Also this one kind of goes real dark, so read on at your discretion.

Basic Synopsis: Peggy & Steve are both children of Diplomatic parents. Steve’s father is a particularly powerful politician. That’s how they meet, as children in some Diplomatic Day Care while at some UN Conference or Summit, or similar. Steve gets picked on by some of the other kids (Gilmore Hodge in particular) and Peggy, who is already a mouthy wise-cracking 6 or 7 year old, has paid attention enough to her brother and parents using big words to use them to her advantage. Because their parents work closely, they end up crossing paths more and more as the years go on. They also start sending each other pen pals letters when they are separated, developing their own code. They’re each others first crushes, and in their teens, while the Carters are in NYC for UN meetings, the unsaid things between them becomes an understanding. They go on a museum date and Peggy gives Steve his first kiss in Central Park. By the time they graduate high school, they’re pretty serious, to the point where Peggy decides to move to New York to attend college. The fic would follow their lives into adulthood, and their growing relationship.

Because Steve’s dad has a military background along with his political work, Steve ends up following in the “Family Business” in a somewhat SHIELD like organization... But one that definitely is quietly overrun by Hydra. Peggy also follows into Diplomatic work, and creates her own ties to SHIELD. There they meet Howard Stark much as we know him in canon, as well as the Jarvises. Steve & Peggy start to think about the future, carving one out for each other -- starting a family away from the Diplomatic life, away from NYC.

But then a series of tragic and mysterious events occur. Bucky’s unit gets targeted and he’s KIA. The organization’s Steve’s father runs, dark side begins to come to light. Then Steve’s mother contracts a mysterious illness and passes away. While Steve is grieving, Peggy starts to put together some pieces of intel, especially from her side of SHIELD. She knows something isn’t right about Steve’s father. And once she’s onto him, Steve’s father starts to sow seeds of doubt and poison Peggy’s image in his son’s eyes. Peggy fights it. Until she finds out she’s pregnant. But she never gets a chance to tell Steve. Whatever his father’s toxic influence strength, it’s taken hold in Steve, to the point of him saying he could never love her. Peggy, at her wit’s end, needing to regroup and figure out how to move forward with becoming a mother, leaves him a letter with the sonogram. Steve never opens it.

Flash forward to Part 2.

The Rogers men have done their part to isolate Peggy, Steve having been successfully radicalized by his father, taking his place as second in control, engaging in the heinous side of SHIELD. Months and months go by... And Steve eventually, away from the influence of his father, happens upon Peggy’s letter. He reads it, and whatever hate his father created melts away. She was pregnant. That’s what she had been trying to tell him that last time they met. Steve reevaluates everything Peggy had been trying to tell him about Steve, about his father. He confronts his father, carefully avoiding mention of the baby.

“You think I don’t know you knocked her up? If my efforts to make sure that bastard child isn’t miscarried didn’t work, she’ll still be stuck with the bastard of a bastard. Unmarried and a stain on her family. You will never see them. Never,” his father says. “Besides, do you really think she would want anything else to do with you? Not once she hears all the horrible acts that Steven G. Rogers took credit for. Oh yes son, I planned for all contingencies.”

It’s the first time Steve fights him directly, physically leaving scars on his father’s face and has the flee, branded a fugitive from justice now that his father has falsified Steve’s involvement and blasted it through all media.

Steve doesn’t care. He’s done with the family operation. Done with the toxic family that turned him against the love of his life. That was pregnant with his child. If he still had a child... He hopes so. He’s lost too many people already.

With Natasha & Sam’s help, after shaving his face and head and overall changing his appearance, he leaves for the UK, in hopes of tracking Peggy Carter down. Only there’s no trace of her. Or a child. Anywhere. She’s become a ghost.

In the middle of nowhere England, alone, tracking any lead he can find, he clutches Peggy’s letter to his chest, and hopes he can rectify this one day, to make amends for betraying the one person who always saw him for who he was. He keeps a low profile in shitholes in London, trying to find the Carter family, while avoiding his father’s radar. He starts to realize even Peggy had secrets he didn’t know about.

Years go by without a trace... Until there’s a scent on the trail...

Peggy’s kept this particular fake public safe house for years. And though she doesn’t really live in it, even in the dark, one night she knows something is not right. She fakes taking off her coat, setting down her purse until she’s got her weapon loaded. She can’t deny that her heart is in her throat. There, in the dark of the kitchen, a split second after she flips the light on, is Steve sitting at her table, hunched in the chair, jaw tight, and eyes of a wild animal. He’s grizzled, and looks dangerous. Even if she’s expected this to come, fearing this the second word got out that he went missing, she’s terrified. His mouth turns into a grimace letting out a single sound.

“Wh-”

Peggy aims her hidden weapon and shoots. His eyes go wide and he’s crying out in pain. She remains standing, tall and steady, gun at the ready. His fingers come up to feel the dart embedded in his neck.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Peggy,” she hears, each subsequent word more slurred than the one before. What shocks her most is his tone, hardly mad that she shot him, more annoyed than anything. It was the tone of Steve, her Steve, not the monster. He slumps over the top of the kitchen table. She blinks, watching him for a moment, hesitating until finally, a minute later, she calls Stark for reinforcements. She doesn’t cry, does not move an inch, not until the vehicle pulls up in the drive.

And... I’ll leave you there ;)

#about fic #steggy #my brain has many ideas just little time #thesokovianaccords

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altumvidetur · 5 years ago

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MCU: Stucky Fic Recs

MCU FIc Recs Masterpost

So, I was thinking about the coronavirus pandemic and what I could do to help people out. I’m isolated because I’m at higher risk, so I can’t really offer to go out for my elderly neighbors or my family… but I thought I could try to help keep people entertained.

Because I don’t have an AO3 account right now, I’ve been compiling fic recs for my own amusement for a year or so. And I thought – maybe that’s the time to share these with everyone? So everyone will have plenty of things to read while they have to stay at home, or even to escape anxiety a little bit if you’re forced to go out.

Of course, these cater to my own tastes, so you may find stuff you don’t like around here. I never include works in progress. The Mature and Explicit works will be in italic. I ask you to READ THE WORK’S TAGS before continuing, so you won’t find anything that makes you uncomfortable.

I’m not even close to reading the whole Stucky tag in AO3, and I lost my wind a little bit with Endgame, so this is an incomplete list at best. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Not Easily Conquered, by dropdeaddream and WhatAreFears

Summary by me: AU in which Steve wasn’t frozen and Bucky wrote letters to him during the war confessing his love.

Induction, by windsweptfic

For a prompt at Livejournal's capkink community: 'pre-serum!Steve/Bucky, hypnosis'.

In Love and War, Don’t Seek Counsel, by sinuous_curve

Most of being Steve’s -- or Captain America’s, really -- right hand man entails busting into Hydra weapons factories and blowing them to hell with stolen Hydra weapons, making sure that Cap has room to use his superpowers to the greatest effect while no one on their side gets killed in the process. Bucky used to be afraid every single time he heard the sharp report of gunfire, but since Cap came and pulled him out of a very literal hell, there isn’t much room left in Bucky for something like fear. Dying can’t be worse than what Schmidt’s pet scientist did for kicks. And being a part of a team as special as the one he’s on now keeps him feeling like he’s varnished in heroism. It’s more brilliant explosions and less humping it through sticky mud in the rain.

The Soft Darkness, by sinuous_curve

He’s not going to tell Steve that of everything that got lost between docking in England and where they were, he never lost the packet of letters Steve wrote. He understands, now, the oddity to them that he could never place. The reason it seemed like Steve was talking around his life rather than about it is because he was. Bucky wants to ask about the chunks he neglected to mention, but won’t. Can’t. Has no reason, to, because there are things Bucky omitted in his letters back.

Beneath a Blue Umbrella Sky, by victoria_p

Steve's been to Coney Island before.

That Heart of Yours Could Crumble Kings, by CallMeBombshell

But then, Steve’s always been a better man than Bucky, always been the better of the two of them, and Bucky thinks that Steve can handle it, can handle the weight and the pressure and the responsibility of it all, because for as much as Steve carries the world, Bucky has always carried Steve.

It Wakes The Seeds, by Sharksdontsleep

They still call him a sharpshooter, even if they let Bucky bring his own rifle, not a Sharp, a nine-pound breech-loader that feels like certainty when he slings it across his back.

Bucky and Steve, becoming who they become. Civil War era AU. Thanks to figletofvenice for the lovely and thoughtful beta, and to the long-suffering marycontraire for hand-holding and head pats. See end notes for (slightly) spoilery warnings. Title from Wilfred Owen's 'Futility.'

The Spin I’m In, by victoria_p

Five times Bucky kissed Steve because of ~reasons~, and one time Steve finally believed he really meant it.

Alarm, by pollitt

Despite the vast and mind-boggling technological advances that happen in the 60 years that Steve had been frozen, there are a lot of things that make sense. Security doors, codes, things like that.

Cell phone alarm clocks, though, not so much.

A Place Called Home, by Renne

New Years Eve. Suits. Party at Stark's place. Honesty happens.

The curves of your lips rewrite history, by victoria_p

Five times Steve was distracted by Bucky's mouth.

i like my body when it is with your, by unfinishedidea

Steve is jealous of the people Bucky goes to visit at night.

space!military au, by Renne

Fics set in an alternate future universe with the queer-friendly space military. The Allies vs. Hydra. Steve is the poster boy for humanity, Bucky is a flying ace. It all unfolds as it has before, with pain and loss and a slow, difficult return. For the full rambling plot full of ridiculous angst and pain see here.

Nothing But the Rain (The Quit Your Grinning and Drop Your Linen Overdub), by victoria_p

We have to get out of these wet clothes.

Our history is just in our blood (history, like love, is never enough), by victoria_p

Steve is sure the guy working the morning rush at Starbucks is Bucky. Unfortunately, the guy doesn't seem to know that.

People and Things, by quigonejinn

Steve, Natasha, the past. The smell in the room is indescribable; the way it looks is indescribable, too.

The Finish Line., by quigonejinn

Your best friend comes back from the factory camp, walks thirty-five miles next to you, and you aren't sure what is wrong with him.

Flesh Seven Ways., by quigonejinn

Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes walk into a brothel. Seven variations.

Beast of Burden., by quigonejinn

There is a SHIELD response team all over the apartment. Steve rubs his face with both hands, asks if he can go ahead and use the kitchen. They say that he can.

Avengers, reframed.

Why Then Oh Why Can’t I? (or, 5 Times Steve Rogers Felt Awkward Talking About Sex, and One Time He Stopped Talking Altogether), by ladyblahblah

“You really never did grow up all the way, did you, Steve? Of course it changes things. But hey.” He lifts his glass, and Steve reluctantly lets go to join in the toast. “Who says change has to be bad?”

Here Where We Stand, by orphan_account

Steve helps Bucky acclimate to the modern day era.

Our Carnival Life, by victoria_p

Bucky is the best gift he's ever gotten, every time.

Kind Men, by quigonejinn

D/s-ish-verse retelling of Captain America: The First Avenger. When the time comes, Erskine doesn't throw a grenade onto the training ground.

Fortunate Son, by orphan_account

Bucky wakes up in the future to a world that needs Captain America; meanwhile, a Cold War-era supersoldier assassin emerges.

Counting Backwards, by honeypuffed

It's not exactly friends, but it's not exactly more than that either.

eye of the beholder, by attice

Bucky doesn’t like Steve’s drawings. Not the way everyone else does, at least.

Pictures of You, by Sarah K

Bucky wants a souvenir to take to war with him.

Беда́ не прихо́дит одна́ (trouble never comes alone), by postcardmystery

There’s a tracking device beneath his skin, wrapped around his carotid artery, and if he pulls it out, he’ll die in seconds. They’ve got a wolf on a leash and he’s never heard them so pleased with themselves, so sure that this is the only weapon they’re ever going to need. They did not win the first war in Chechnya, but a second time and the story is rewritten. (He knows that this is a thing they truly believe. He’s lived more history than they have. He knows better.) He rides on tanks, jumps from helicopters onto ground solid with snow. He stands, ringed by ruins, in a capital that burns. He lost his last war in Grozny. This time, he slings his rifle on his back, breathes smoke, knows what it is to watch history being made.

but hey, you’re all right, by beardsley

'This is not my fault,' Tony lies. 'It was supposed to be a joke! Christ.'

'Thanks to your joke,' says Coulson, 'we now have a code three-four-delta, with the variable being a Russian immigrant. We're checking his background right now, but it might take a while. Meanwhile, I suggest you civilian-proof the Tower. If any SHIELD intelligence is compromised, I will hurt you.'

Yes, this is the story where the Winter Soldier is a Russian mail-order bride. Everything goes about as well as you'd expect.

he likes a boy in uniform, by lazulisong

Bucky's always been better than Steve at things like this; at pulling his collar just so and making his tie sit right. Bucky always looks sharp, a real dapper dresser.

Gone Quiet, by victoria_p

Three times Steve and Bucky comforted/quieted each other.

in my fortress alone until you came, by haipollai

Steve murmurs Bucky's name. He wants to list off every time Bucky woke up feeling like he couldn't breathe because of Steve, but he knows Bucky wouldn't listen. The metal arm is between them and Steve doesn't touch more than necessary. He knows Bucky doesn't like it being touched. Doesn't like Steve touching it; he's seen Bucky and Natasha grapple enough to know that Bucky doesn't mind when others touch it.

It's just Steve.

Eisner Award for Best Writer and Artist, by orphan_account

(Summary by me: ComicWriter!AU, with actual ray of sunshine artist!Steve and grumpy, disillusioned writer!Bucky.)

with the lights out, it’s less dangerous, by victoria_p

Bucky says it's what friends do, they help each other out, and it's their little secret, right?

i’m no angel, by haipollai

His first instinct is to tease Steve for jerking off to one of his own drawings but then he sees what the drawing is.

Who it is.

You’ve Got Me In Between, by Renne

In a gross lapse of judgment, Professor Rogers takes one of his students home. Sex (and guilt) ensues.

#mcu #stucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #fic recs #please warn me if any links are broken #and reblog it if you can so more people will see it #otp: not without you #arghhhhh #there's nothing like the pain of an otp destroyed

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literarytrashcollection · 5 years ago

Text

The New Recruit (4/?)

AN: This story is kind of slow moving, but there’s a reason for it all! It will all come together soon! I hope y’all are enjoying the snippets of Bucky as the Winter Soldier between Steve going down in the ice and Steve coming back up!

Thor shared his information with the rest of the Avengers. That brought on a whole new slew of questions, ranging from the ones I’d already asked (��Is she your niece then?”) to some questions that I hadn’t even thought to think (“Is it possible that she’s actually Loki in disguise?”). Tony and Bruce’s testing became even more in depth. Loki was supposedly dead, but if it really was his blood in my veins, it gave them something to look for, no matter the quantity.

Steve seemed to thaw a little the more time I spent at the tower. We reminisced about the war and the time before it. I helped fill him in on the time he missed between going down in the ice and coming back up, stuff that the Avengers were either too young to know. Bucky would never admit it, but we both knew he was always lurking, always listening.

It took me telling another story of one of his abduction attempts for him to finally come out of the shadows, stalking towards me slowly until he finally just sat down next to Steve quietly. He looked mortified as I told Steve about the different times the Winter Soldier had tried every different tactic in the world to get me to come home with him.

“Well, enough of this darkness for one night,” I laughed nervously. Bucky was all but physically restraining himself from breaking the arm of the chair he was in. Steve bid us a good night and I stood to head to my room when I fully took stock of Bucky. “Buck?”

He glanced up at me sheepishly. “I hurt you, so much.”

I nodded. “Yeah, the Winter Solider did. I hear he’s gone though. This new guy, Bucky, I hear he’s pretty nice.”

He looked back down at the floor. “I guess.”

I held my hand out, despite my monkey brain telling me that he was still dangerous. “Come on, where’s Steve’s Bucky? The ladies’ man, the adorable idiot who let me escape the SHIELD facility over a glass of water?”

“Wiped from my brain, thanks to HYDRA.” He chuckled darkly, ignoring my hand. I huffed a sigh and physically grabbed his hands, hauling him to his feet. “Who’s this? Just yesterday, you would’ve lit me on fire for shits.” It was meant as a joke, but there was nothing but sadness and self-loathing in his voice.

“Yeah, maybe I was a little callous with you.” I mumbled, pulling him with me to the kitchen. I sat him on one of the bar stools and started rummaging around in the cupboards and fridge until I had everything I need. I leaned over the counter with my back to him for a long moment before turning to him. “I told myself that you were still him. The Winter Solider, turned good. I didn’t stop to think that instead of them just changing your programming, they actually took it out. I wanted to believe that you were tangible evidence of the bad guys who hurt me. I was wrong, okay? And you don’t deserve that.

“Steve and I have been talking a lot and he talked to me a lot about your recovery. I should have been more understanding.” I said, holding his gaze. “I fell for you hard in the sixties, when you pretended like you left HYDRA. You were faking, or maybe they’d just programmed you to believe that you had and all of this other shit. They turned you into old Bucky. I harbor a lot of heartbreak from that.”

His face seemed to age in front of me, like this information took years off his life. Tentatively, like he still wasn’t sure of his own strength, he reached across the granite island and held my hand in his flesh one. “I remember. They would have gone to any measure to get you.”

“I…” I sucked in a deep breath and started mixing ingredients together for a pie crust. “I went a little crazy when you flipped a switch and were suddenly the Winter Solider again. That’s when I swore love off. That’s when I changed my identity, moved to some tiny Canadian mountain, just hid out. When you came out of hiding again, I had to see you for myself.

“That’s part of why I’m here. A big part is because I want to use my powers for good and the way things have been the last few years, it seems like the Avengers need all the help they can get, but a small part of me, a sliver of my heart, just wanted to see you.” My voice cracked a little on the last word, tears welling up in my eyes.

He pulled my hand across and pressed his lips to my knuckles lightly, despite the flour that dusted them. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. You deserved better.”

“We both did.” I sighed, taking my hand back so I could knead the pie crust to within an inch of its life.

He was quiet for a long time. “Do you bake when your stressed?”

I looked down at the flour coated counter and the rolling pin I’d rolled the crust out paper thin with. “Yeah, I do.” I huffed a hysteric laugh. “Raised when women belonged in the kitchen and all that.”

He stood slowly, stiffly, and walked to the fridge. He got out a bag of plums and started cutting. “Don’t tell the others, but I do too.” He smiled shyly, bumping my shoulder with his. “Therapist said that a non-violent form of stress relief could be right up my alley, might help get my head back on straight.”

I watched his fingers do the nimble work for a few moments before I went back to my own work. We made a spiced plum pie that we shared in the living room while we watched bad Lifetime movies.

London, England. June, 1963.

I puttered around my apartment, tidying up. Dishes had begun to accumulate and laundry was starting to pile up. So I rolled my sleeves up and began to clean, no longer willing to live in the filth that my depression had allowed me to revel in. Each day, watching the mess build hurt me to the core, but I couldn’t physically make myself clean it. I would watch the flies circle half eaten sandwiches in disgust and yet never raise a finger.

Today, I finally fixed that.

Halfway through the dishes, the doorbell rang. I was happy to ignore it. It was probably just some door-to-door salesman or a missionary or something. I stopped only to turn my music up louder and continued my cleaning, singing along to the Beatles.

The doorbell continued to ring though. After the fifth chime of it, I dried my hands and opened the door, ready to level the annoying guest with a rant to end all rants. As soon as my eye settled on a neatly combed, nicely dressed Winter Soldier, my throat closed. I slammed the door on him before he had even said a word. I knew it wouldn’t help anything, if anything, just make him angrier. But it would buy me enough time to pack a go bag and get a head start.

“Y/N! I need your help, please!” His voice cried through the door and I hesitated, my hand freezing over the bra I was ready to shove into my bag. “I escaped. But they’re after me.” He sounded like he was leaning on the door now, his voice broken and tired.

I grabbed my gun, holding it behind my back as I slowly pulled the door open again. Upon secondary inspection, I realized that he had a fat black eye, his lip was split, and his suit jacket covered a growing red stain, centimeters from his heart.

“Y/N,” he breathed and I could see hurt in his eyes. Hurt and fear. I stepped back and waved him in slowly, tucking the gun into the waistband of my trousers. I closed the door behind him and stared, not speaking. “I promise, I’m not here to hurt you. I broke free. I…” he took a deep breath, head tipping back like he was trying to contain tears. “Yours was the only name I could remember, the only person I could think of who could help me.”

“Strip.” I spat. He blinked at me and a tear or two did fall down across his stubbly cheeks. Slowly, he removed his clothes until he was down to his underwear. I didn’t hear the heavy weight of a gun or any other weapon as he sat his clothes down. “Sit.” I was a little gentler this time, gesturing to the couch behind the coffee table.

I walked to the kitchen, retrieving the first aid kit I kept on hand. When I returned, he was leaned back against the seat cushions, eyes closed and mouth agape, snoring lightly. I heaved a big sigh and cleaned up the wound on his chest. He was still a super soldier and would still heal much faster than any human, but I sterilized what appeared to be a knife wound and dressed it. I threw his clothes in with mine to be washed and finished the dishes.

Bucky woke up as I finished preparing supper, meat loaf and mashed potatoes. He stumbled into the dining room in his underwear, plopped down in a chair and stared at me with bleary eyes. He didn’t speak through the meal, but by the end, his eyes had opened more and he was sitting up straight, rather than the slumped shape he took as he shoved food into his mouth without tasting it.

“How’d you escape?” I asked as he stood, rinsing his dish in the sink. I followed after him, mostly out of nerves. The kitchen held lots of weapons, weapons he could use to bring me back to HYDRA. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I poured us both a stiff drink.

“I was sent on a mission. Here in London. I saw you in town and all of… a lot of my memories came back. Trying to kidnap you nearly a decade ago. You, during the war. Steve. It was enough for me to get away, enough for me to remember all the bad that HYDRA has done and break their bond on me.

“So, I followed you. Made sure you were still uncompromised. One of their agents caught up to me and roughed me up, but I still beat him and then I came here.” He leaned against the counter like it was the only thing holding him up. His gaze out the window never faltered, he never even blinked, like the second his eyes closed, he was back in that hell he came from.

“What was your mission?” I asked, pushing the glass towards him. He accepted it gratefully and took a testing sip. He licked his lips, collecting the extra alcohol off them as he decided he liked it, then knocked the rest of it back in one swallow. “Well?”

“You. Again.” He mumbled, head falling in disappointment. I felt my muscles all tighten, flames erupting across my skin as I clenched my glass so hard, I felt it strain under my fingers. “But, I’m not him anymore,” he said quickly, eyes snapping to mine as he stepped closer to me. He was still in his underwear, still vulnerable and weaponless. Not that he needed a weapon. The glinting metal arm would be enough to grab me, hold me, kill me. “I’m not the new fist of HYDRA. I’m not their Winter Soldier. I’m just… I’m just Bucky again. It’s like waking up flipped a switch and now I’m myself again.”

“I want to believe you.” I mumbled, the flames receding slightly.

He took another step forward and I tried to step back, blocked by the pantry. This close, I could see that his black eye was completely gone. I could see the dark smudge of eyelashes that shadowed his icy blue eyes that were full of emotion and fear and loneliness. I could feel the air stir as he breathed, the warmth from his skin. He felt real again, not like the robot sent to abduct me from Berlin. “Then, please, Y/N, believe me.” He whimpered, his flesh hand coming up to touch my face.

My anger melted. My fear took a step back and I allowed Bucky to touch me. He stroked my cheek, caressed my hair, ran his fingers over the fabric of my blouse and then my trousers. He took another half step forward and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me against his bare chest. It took me a moment, but I slowly coiled my arms around him too. He broke down against me, sobbing pitifully about the sheer torture he was submitted to at HYDRAs hand.

He told me about the beatings and the eletro-shocks used to wipe his memory. He told me about how every day was a fight for his life, a fight to come out on top so he wouldn’t be killed. He wanted to live, he wanted to be a man again, not just a tool. We ended up on the floor of my kitchen, limbs tangled together as I comforted him.

“Your face kept me alive, Y/N.” He whispered after a long twenty minutes of him hiccuping through the last of his sobs. “I was… enamored by you during the war. You were a hero to me. Your face, the thought of you and your strength, it kept me alive.” His eyes were puffy and rimmed red from the tears, but I could see the truth in them.

“You can stay here, for the time being.” I finally told him, my fingers stroking his hair as he rested his head against my shoulder. “We’ll need to leave soon though. If you tracked me down here, if an agent found you, then they’ll find us both.”

He nodded slowly. “America. It’s mostly off their radar. They’ve got a few agents out there but it’s not enough to cover the whole country. I know where to go.” He spoke softly and my heart thumped brokenly in my chest for him.

“We’ll go to America.” I nodded, tucking his head under my chin. We would go to America and I would protect him from ever being hurt by them again.

Let me know if you would like to be tagged!

Tags: @jsmith509 @xvoezx @almostpsyche @33rie33 @sarillee @bucktitybarnes @chipilerendi @kiraauu

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lailannajacobs · 6 years ago

Text

The Distance

Pairing: Bucky X Reader

Request: Y/N's job involves a lot of traveling, she organizes massive events all over the world. Her boyfriend, Bucky, saves the world, traveling for his missions. She's scared that with the little time they have for each other, he will start resenting her, given that his job is clearly more important. He doesn't even realize that she could ever fear that he could leave her.

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: tiny bit of violence

A/N: Thank you anon for the prompt, I hope this is at least a little bit what you were hoping to see! Tried writing this in third person instead, what do we think? Anyways, hope you enjoy!!

Last week was Madrid. This week, England. Next, Tokyo. She had no idea where Bucky was though. It was classified. She figured she might eventually see it on the news but for now, all she knew was that he was risking his life for the world’s safety. Trying not to worry too much about him, she flipped through her guest list binder, skimming the names.

But trained soldier or not, she would always worry about his safety. She couldn’t help it.

She brought her attention back to the list. She had to stay focused. She was in charge of organizing the big reveal of a newfound painting stolen by the Nazis during the second world war. The British Museum had paid heavily for the painting and intended to create a new exhibition celebrating another discovery. They would spare no expense to make sure everything was perfect, which is why they had come to her to organize the unveiling. She was one of the best. But even after years of traveling the world as one of the most renowned event planners, she still felt the pressure of trying to pull off a seamless night.

She should have been doing something more productive like checking in with the catering company to make sure that the hors d’oeuvres were exactly as she had ordered but, phone in her hand, the only person she wanted to call was Bucky.

The last time they had seen each other had been weeks ago. It had been one of those few lucky breaks when they were working jobs in the same city at the same time. It hadn’t been so lucky when they realized they had barely had two days together. They would have had longer if she hadn’t had to jet off to New York. One of them always had somewhere else to be. But at least whenever he left, it was because the world needed him. She only left for glorified parties.

Before (Y/N) had met Bucky, work had been her sole focus, booking jobs left and right so that she never spent more than a couple weeks in the same city. She had been to so many countries it was hard to keep track of where she was. Her apartment had been empty for so long, she doubted it was worth it to keep it, especially that whenever she did have time off, she was usually wherever Bucky was. But she loved her job. She had always believed that these events, no matter how superficial some of them might have been, were perfect for forgetting the world’s horrors, even for one night. Her favourites were the ones that paid tribute to something greater than just one person. They were her hardest jobs because she didn’t dare let anyone down but once they came to life, they were what she was most proud of.

But at the end of the day, she couldn’t help but compare what she did to what he did. He saved the world. How could he think that what she did was worth making their relationship so much more complicated? The longer they were apart, the more and more the thought echoed through her head.

Sure they could call each other or video chat whenever they had time but more often than not, something else got in the way and they were cut short. When it was the sound of an alarm it felt necessary. When it was her assistant asking her what colour she thought the napkins should be it seemed a little trivial.

She never wanted to compromise what she loved for a relationship by giving up her job, which constantly made her wonder if Bucky thought she prioritized her job over him. Did he resent her for that? Logically she knew he wasn’t that kind of guy but if she had already thought about it, what were the chances he hadn’t?

She shook the thoughts out of her head. It was the day before the exhibition. She needed to get to work. (Y/N) stood up and walked to the full length mirror in her hotel room, checked her make-up and smoothed out her dress.

“He doesn’t care that you don’t always have time to see each other.” She lied to the woman in the mirror. She needed to reassure someone. “This is what it’s like being an adult. You just have to deal with it.”

The woman in the mirror smiled. It was obviously forced but at least it was there. Maybe if she repeated those words often enough she would come to believe it.

“Did you hear?” Bucky asked Steve as they ducked behind an empty transport container. “They found a painting stolen during the war.”

They were in a shipyard off the coast of Denmark and, like the few other times James Buchanan Barnes had been to the country, it was cold and muddy. Why more criminals couldn’t hide out on sunny beaches was beyond him.

Steve glanced back as they made there way along the edge of the rusted metal, guns out. “Sure it’s not a fake? I always get weirded out when something like that just appears out of nowhere.”

Bucky smirked. “It’ll be in London, you can see it for yourself. (Y/N)’s organizing the event.”

He couldn’t help but bring her up. Just the thought of her put a smile on his face and right now, soaked through from the rain, he could use something to take his mind off of things.

“Nice.” They paused at the corner, making sure the space was clear before sprinting to the next container. “Do you think you can make it?”

“Depends how fast we get this over with.”

He put a hand on Steve’s shoulder and pointed to the crouched man on the top of a nearby container.

The had been following a trail of goons in the hopes that they would lead to a far right scientist, Ketch, intent on blowing up Leftist political leaders. They hadn’t yet confirmed who Ketch was working with but stopping him was their top priority. Any other information they could gleam was important but not imperative. Getting him alive was even better.

They trailed the man from below, Steve keeping a eye out on ground level while Bucky directed their course. They were two containers from the water when they ran into a soldier. Steve had him in a headlock, chocking the air out of him before Bucky had even taken his eyes off of the figure in black above. They had to be close. If he was lucky, it would be quick and he would be in London before tomorrow evening.

Everything was perfect. For now. This was the part of event planning (Y/N) hated the most. It was the calm before the storm. It was the one moment where everything was going right before, something, sometimes many things, went wrong. Most people assumed that this would be her favourite moment because of how perfect everything was but she hated it. She wanted to get it over with so she could get to fixing whatever was going to inevitably need fixing. Fixing things and planning things, calmed her. Knowing there was a flaw - knowing he probably resented her for prioritizing her job - made her insides twist into knots.

She forced her thoughts back to her job but there was nothing she could focus on. Everything was perfect. All she had to was wait for the guests to arrive. She tried not to pick at the dark red nail polish and smiled at a passing waiter. When the event planner looked worried, everyone under her employ worried too. They had no way of knowing that it was her relationship and not the exhibition that was driving her crazy so she couldn’t let any of her emotions show. Everything needed to be perfect.

She had thought about calling Bucky last night but didn’t. It wasn't like she could anyways. He would never be stupid enough to have his phone on him while doing something that dangerous. At least he had better not be.

It was hard to tell whether or not she was getting in her own head. She wanted to tell herself that she was overthinking things and that it was the distance that was making her inspect every conversation she had had with Bucky while they were apart. She wanted to say that she was crazy. But what she really was, was scared. Scared that every worry running through her mind was real. Scared that he resented her for spending so much time on her job. Scared that it wouldn’t be long before she was single again.

Being single had never bothered her. Actually, she had liked it. She had expected to stay single, getting by with casual relationships. What she hadn’t been expecting was Bucky.

“I don’t need you wandering around the halls wasting my time. The lead chef needs you in the kitchen. Now.” (Y/N) barked, placing a hand on her hip.

This was one of those jobs where nothing seemed to go right. She didn’t need her waiters wandering around the halls, analyzing the paintings. They had plenty of other things to be doing. When he didn’t answer she went to tap him on the back. This was the last time she was hiring this company.

He turned, a strand of chin length hair falling across a stubbled jaw. His lips spread slowly, the corner of his blue-grey eyes crinkling. He cocked his head.

“Oh.” She tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “You’re not a waiter…”

“No, not a waiter. But I can’t imagine that you’re anything but the boss around here.”

She crossed her arms. “Why do you say that?”

He quirked a brow. “You ordered me into the kitchen like an army general.”

“I did n-” She saw the look on his face. “I did.”

He chuckled and extended his hand in the little space between them. “Nice to meet you general.”

His hand engulfed hers. “Nice to meet you?”

“Bucky.”

Bucky ran his hand over the array of papers strewn across the desk. They hadn’t found Ketch but were in his office, combing through the plans he left behind in his hurry to escape.

“How’d he know we were coming?” Steve asked, flipping through blueprints for something neither of them could really decipher.

Ketch had taken his laptop but Bucky rifled through the drawers hoping to find something they could use to find him. “The fact that we killed a bunch of his body guards probably gave him a pretty good heads up.”

Steve thought about it for a second, pursed his lips and nodded his agreement. They continued their search, hoping to find anything useful. They were about to leave when Bucky spotted it. “Wait!”

Steve froze, a stack of papers in his hand, a brow raised.

He stalked over in a few quick steps and grabbed the stack. Flipping it around he saw the painting he had looked at more than once in the last week.

He raised his eyes to Steve’s, “This is the stolen painting.”

Steve grabbed the papers. His eyes ticked from side to side frantically. “Buck, it’s a fake.”

“What’s a fake?”

“The painting. The painting’s a fake. Britain’s Prime Minister is gong to be there. It’s not a painting, it’s a bomb.” The papers crumpled in his hands.

“That means…”

Bucky couldn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t have to. They were out of the office, Steve barking orders into the coms. London was an hour behind Denmark but the event was already started. They wouldn’t make it in time. His heart hammered in his chest. He gripped his gun but there was nothing he could shoot. There was nothing he could do.

“Somebody call her.”

“Barnes we don’t contact civilians in situations like this. It would-”

“Call her.” He growled into the com.

The sound of laughter and clinking of glasses mixed with the orchestra playing in the corner of the exhibition hall as (Y/N) watched from her spot in the back doorway, a smile on her face. So far, the night was a success. Men and women decked out in their finest formal wear mingled, glasses of champagne in their hands, awaiting the star of the night. It was a celebration. They had recovered another one.

She knew she couldn’t stay here much longer. As much as she might dress and look like one, she wasn’t a guest. She had a job to do. She opened her clutch and reached for her phone but there wasn’t anything in there other than her lipstick, credit cards and cash. She fumbled around in the bag, her heart pounding. On a perfect night she only needed to use her phone a couple of times after the event started. You couldn’t get better than perfect. She needed that phone.

Assuming that she had dropped it on the floor, short of crawling on her hands and knees, there was nothing she could do. She hurried into the kitchen, to check on her caterers before going off to find the Prime Minister. (Y/N) cursed the long red dress she wore, annoyed by its restrictive material. After weaving through the endless crowd, she stopped beside the Minister and some celebrity, and waited for a break in their conversation. She glanced at her watch. As long as she had the painting unveiled in the next ten minutes, everything would be fine, regardless of the lost phone.

“Mrs. Prime Minister, if you could follow me to the painting, we’re ready for you for the unveiling.” She pasted on a smile, one she knew looked more genuine than it felt.

Happy event planner, happy event.

The minister nodded and followed her to the centre of the room where the painting lay roped off. Her assistant, mercifully on time, handed her a microphone to give to the guest of honour. “Whenever you’re ready m’am.”

Before she could step into the roped area, two body guards surrounded the prime minister and whispered something into her ear. The microphone was handed back to (Y/N) and they left without a word, the prime minister in tow. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. Something worse than what had been on her mind for the past few days.

A museum guard jogged up to her, “we need you to tell everyone to evacuate in an orderly fashion.”

“I will. But wouldn’t an alarm be more effective?” She pointed out. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be the one to disappoint her guests and send them home but she would do it if she had to. After all, she was in charge.

“Alerting the… paparazzi” his eyes darted to the painting. “Is the last thing we need at the moment.”

She nodded and tapped the microphone twice, “Good evening everyone. We’re experiencing difficulties at the moment and would need everyone to evacuate in a quick and orderly fashion.” She took a step towards the crowd. “for everyone’s safety we ask that you do so immediately.”

As people starting filing out, the buzz of their chatter filling the air, a crashing sound sent a jolt through her body. She whipped around. He was in the doorway, his eyes scanning the room. Why was he here? Bucky’s eyes found hers. They were filled with fear. Her heart dropped. He shot towards her. She took a step towards him but a massive boom knocked her off her feet and sent her colliding with something hard.

She couldn’t focus on anything, her ears ringing as she lay dazed on the ground. She was faintly aware of the screaming. Her entire left side felt like it was on fire. Something touched her face but everything was spinning. Somehow she managed to lift a hand to her cheek, only to feel it coated with something sticky. Something was heavy on top of her. She was so tired. She just wanted the ringing to stop. Piercing blue eyes blinked into focus but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. He might have been saying something. She didn’t know. She was so tired.

A slow, constant beeping welcomed her back to the world but she kept her eyes closed even though the pain was mostly gone. A flimsy sheet felt scratchy on the bare skin of her lower legs and arms and did nothing to keep her warm. The only warmth she was aware of was in her hand. She heard mumbling, a deep, familiar voice. She squeezed his hand.

“(Y/N)?”

Though they felt glued together, she managed to crack her eyes open. The room was bright, midday sun streaming through the window, making his eyes look so much bluer than usual. They searched her face and she wasn’t sure what they were looking for but when he let out a long sigh, she figured he must have been satisfied with his search.

She could hardly believe he was here. Where he was supposed to be, she couldn’t remember. She knew it wasn’t supposed to be here. She wasn’t supposed to be here either. She was supposed to be…London. The beeping sped up. He wrapped his other hand around hers and brought the bundle to his mouth. It was an apology and a reassurance in one gesture. His thumb stroked her palm, back and forth until the beeping slowed to what it had been when she awoken. She had a feeling he was waiting for her to speak. She was okay. She would be okay. She would be okay because he had been there.

“Hi.” Her voice grated like sandpaper as if she hadn’t spoken in days. Maybe she hadn’t. How long had she been here?

His lips turned up slightly. “Hi.”

“What happened?”

“There was a bomb…We didn’t think…We tired to call…” He ran his fingers through his hair. Judging by its messy state, he had been doing it a lot while sitting there. “I’m sorry for blowing up your event.”

She tried to shrug but winced at the movement. “That’s okay. I’m okay. It wasn’t important.”

Despite having him here, her earlier fears came rushing back. Was he only here because he felt like he had to be?

“I know it’s not as important as the fact that you’re safe,” Her heart dropped. “But I know it was to you so I’m sorry.”

“Yeah but it’s silly…” She didn’t want him to have to hide the fact that her job was making everything so difficult. She was tired of being scared. Having seen what truly terrifying was, she realized she needed to talk to Bucky. Really talk to him. No matter the inevitable outcome. She had to do it.

He furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you blame me?” She couldn’t look at him.

“Blame you for what?” He sounded genuinely confused as if it hadn’t been what he had expected her to say.

“You know what.”

“I really don’t (Y/N), what?”

“The fact that we never see each other!” Her shrill voice echoed in the room as she ripped her hand from his. She gulped in a deep breath. She couldn’t do this if she wasn’t thinking straight. “I mean… if I just gave up my job for local ones then we could see each other more often. You can’t tell me you don’t realize it’s my fault this relationship is so hard.”

He stayed silent, almost long enough for her to lift her eyes and tell him that he didn’t need to stay. “Do you blame me?”

The question surprised her. “No but-”

“But it doesn’t matter what I do and it doesn’t matter what you do.” He interrupted, once again taking her hand. “You love what you do. It’s incredible how much you love it. I love that about you and believe me, I would never hate you for it, you need to believe me.”

“You don’t?” She raised her eyes to meet his.

“Never. I’ve seen you work (Y/N). I’ve seen the little smile you get on your face when you know exactly where you’re going to place something I wouldn’t have thought was important or would have forgotten. It puts a smile on my face, even when I’m in the middle of hell somewhere, to think that you’re knee deep in fabrics in your hotel room, in one of my old t-shirts, trying to figure out…whatever it is… I don’t know exactly. If I knew you were bored, but with me, I wouldn’t forgive myself. And honestly, most of the time, I’m glad you’re safe somewhere else.” He rubbed his neck sheepishly.

She could see the sincerity in his eyes. His words eased the tension that had been eating at her for weeks. Their jobs wouldn’t tear them apart. Maybe one day they would drift apart - she prayed that never happened - but if it did, it would be because they became different people, not because they couldn’t make it work.

“Well you know, I was somewhere else but I wasn’t exactly safe.” Her poor attempt to lighten the mood made the corner of his lips tilt slightly. “So you’re okay with this?”

He cupped her face, “It never even crossed my mind that it wasn’t.”

#Bucky Barnes #bucky imagine #bucky x reader #bucky x you #fan fiction #fanfic #MCU fanfiction #bucky fanfic #prompt #writing

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parf-fan · 6 years ago

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Followup: Blackfryars!

Mount Hope, I’m begging you. 👏 Hire 👏 a 👏 copy 👏 editor. 👏

As always, visit the Faire’s website for headshots

Estelle Angrist : Millicent Goodnestone – Apprentice Stone-Carver

Inside every stone is a piece of art, so says Millicent. All you need to do is listen to the rock and take away the unnecessary pieces. Now, the artistry comes in the patience with which one removes the extra bits of stone. Patience, hammer, chisel, and a light touch are all that are required. Otherwise, a good piece of stone can become a dust pile very quickly. Thank goodness today is a festival day, because Millicent has been sweeping piles of dust for a while.

Alessandra Appiotti : Bernadette Albright – Matchmaker

The shire is being visited by the World’s most famous Bachelorette: Queen Elizabeth! If Bernadette can find the one for Queen Elizabeth, she will go from rising star to full-on supernova! She’d better get started lining up eligible bachelors! Or Bachelorettes! She hasn’t met Her Majesty yet, so who is she to judge her tastes?

Andréa Barton : Lady Blanche Parry – Lady in Waiting

This devoted Lady has served the Queen from the time our monarch was in nappies! They are boon companions, sharing court life and all its intrigue and frivolity. While she may look like the marzipan on the cake, her skilled organization of the Queen’s library and fondness for a good jest keeps her wit sharp enough to cut like a knife. Just ask the fool that attempts to play with her heart strings or guitar strings!

Kristin Bauer : Frances Newton, Lady Cobham – Lady in Waiting

Lady Cobham is thrilled to be on progress with the Queen. After all, this busy mother needs some time with the Ladies. With her soft nature and quick smile, she can often times be found with the children of the Shire, telling stories, rhymes, riddles, and playing games. Her sense of mirth does not leave her without a streak of mischief, as she does love to put her finger in the pot, give it a stir, and see what happens! Naughty or Nice? You be the judge!

Lauralette Bernard : Tolly Muneford – Harbor Master

Nothing comes in or out of the shores of Mount Hope that Tolly doesn’t know about. Her web of knowledge reaches far and wide, and she does it all in the service of the Shire. If only she wasn’t so keen on sharing all this knowledge with literally everyone, she might be able to use it for personal gain.

Jennifer Blackwell-Yale : Emily O. Bales – Fire Brigade

It has been 15 years since a monarch last visited the Shire of Mount Hope. Coincidentally, it has also been 15 years since the last fire in the shire of Mount Hope. Emily is always ready for action, but no one is quite sure she would know exactly what to do should action arise. When in doubt: stop, drop, roll, and have some wine. It seemed to work out just fine for the Old Dun Cow!

Karen Rose Bitzer : Rosie DuLait – Milkmaid

This milkmaid typically spends her day milking the cows and goats on the farm; carefully churning the butter; separating the curds from the whey; making the precious cheese to sell at market; all the time, singing and talking to her fine, generous, milk-laden friends! Is it any wonder that Rosie’s dairy products are highly sought for their sweet, creamy nature? It is even said that her happy cows seem to prance in the fields, as if dancing to a jig. Is that even possible? With Rosie, one never knows! Today she was up early: the Queen is expected and she wants to offer the sweetest cream and the finest butter to lay upon the Queen’s table.

Tabitha Borges : Abigail Montgomery – Governess to the Lady Mayor

Abigail has always had a way with children, and has taken care of all the Lady Mayor’s progeny, which means she is quite resilient! Of the many duties, trials, and tribulations the Penburthys have put her through, her favorite activity is still telling stories, and she is a masterful storyteller. Now that the Penburthy children, Calvin, Penelope, and Danforth, have all grown up, she is experiencing Empty Nest Syndrome far more than Delores is!

Elizabeth Burkholder : Paraffin Dyson – Bellows-Mender

Paraffin is a fan. She is a fan of fans. Her bellows will blow you away, that’s how big of a fan she is. Sometimes she can be a bit of a blowhard, but usually she can play it cool. And yet, even the coolest of bellows-menders may have a difficult time not having a meltdown with our Queen on the Shire. Time will tell if Paraffin maintains her composure or has a blowout, but one thing is for sure; she will certainly enjoy this festival day!

Jasmine Crist : Mary Robin Richland – Shire Ne'er-Do-Well

Every shire has one, ours is Mary Robin! While good-natured and always seen with a smile, it is known that one must keep a hand on your purse and an eye on your goods, for you may come up short when the back side of Mary Robin you see! Slight of hand, quick of feet, and always with a jest to share, it is her good nature and sharp wit that keeps her just on this side of the law, for now! It has been heard that she has high aspirations, but for what? Ask her, she may or may not share!

Ashley Crowther : Ira Roth – Actuary

Everyone’s heard of mad scientists, but a mad actuary? That’s much rarer. If you stare at numbers all day long, apparently they start staring back. Eventually, everything starts to look like a ledger, and you can see the numbers everywhere. Sure... that adds up...

Josh Dorsheimer : Jakob Werner – Landsknecht

Professional mercenaries fight the wars of the Kings of Europe. Professionals like Jakob. He does his level best to never think about any of that, though! He would rather spend his time gallivanting around town, spending his hard-won gold on drink, friends, and frivolity. The oldest of the family, Jakob is sometimes mistaken as the decision-maker of the clan. While he won’t outright deny this, the three siblings all know who really calls the shots: their baby sister!

Elisia Freeman : Agnes Lambourne – Apple-Monger

Apple cider, apple butter, apple sausage, apple crisp, apple cake.... Just ask this happy-go-lucky lady what you can do with all those apples, and she will tell you! Be prepared, her list is LONG! Apple juggling, apple carving, apple tossing, apple dicing, apple bocci. Do not be fooled, she knows that man does not live by apples alone; everyone knows you need a little cinnamon and a lot of laughter!

Corey Graff : Wagner Werner – Landsknecht

Wagner travels all over Europe fighting battles with his brother and sister for one reason: he loves them both dearly. Honestly though, he would much rather be laying down in a meadow watching butterflies. Sometimes suffering from middle child syndrome, Wagner’s gadabout ways certainly make life interesting for all the Werner siblings.

Steve Hager : Rip Skeleton – Gravedigger

There are two things certain in this world: Death, and Taxes – and Rip ain’t no accountant. Its always nice to have a friendly face build your final resting place.

Jeremiah Halteman : Ronald P. Eversmeyer – Yeoman Guard

They say history is written by the victors. Ronald has every intention of ensuring that our good Queen’s name goes down in the history of the world as the greatest victor of them all! He is always prepared to put himself between Her Majesty and danger, wherever it comes from, in whatever form it takes, and at any personal sacrifice! His extensive training in the art of personal security has rendered him one of the elite of the yeoman guard; as long as Her Majesty is not attacked from the air. Unfortunately, Ronald has a fear of butterflies. Something about the wings just throw off his rhythm, but no worries....butterflies in Mount Hope? Never!!

Jonathan Heise : Sir John Giffard of Chillington, Minister of Parliament, Knight – Nobleman

This Minister of Parliament felt it his duty to be present during the Queen’s progress at Mount Hope. Concerned that perhaps this tiny village would not be up to the task of hosting our Queen, he would be quick to move the festivities to Chillington. Upon arrival he realized his foolish mistake; never had he seen such a shire, and thought perhaps ‘twas time to move Chillington to Mount Hope! However, for now, why not enjoy the festivities?

Brianna E. Holmes : Mary Hill, Lady Cheke – Lady in Waiting

This gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber is well loved by all. Her husband, John Cheke, a gentleman of the court, encourages her in her service of the Queen. The Queen has blessed them often with gifts, grants, and an estate or two. Even at this show of opulence, Lady Cheke takes it all in stride. She finds joy in the simple things in life; her children, her rose garden, and her love of arachnids. Their homes, their legs, and loving little eyes; can you ever have enough? I think NOT says Lady Cheke.

Anastasia Keno : Louise Weaver – Shepherdess

A diligent if mischievous shepherdess, Louise has a passion for all things fluffy! Why should sheep be the only animals allowed to graze free? Let the cats graze free! Let the puppies graze free! Let the mice graze free! Free the animals! Sorry... she can be very passionate.

Jennifer Litzinger : Cherie Piquant – Spice Merchant

If the first pinch of salt is free, be prepared to pay dearly for everything else. A shrewd business woman, do not let Cherie’s smile fool you. She was born to barter, and barter she will! Well-known on the shire as the woman who can get what you need, do not be afraid to ask; as long as its cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, or cardamom, by day’s end, it will be in your kitchen. Ask for a song, and you could be in for a treat.

Dana Micciché : Katherine Champernowne, Lady Kat Ashley – Lady in Waiting

Appointed governess, tutor, friend, and confidante, Lady Kat Ashley ensured that her Queen had all the necessary tools to rule England. Well versed in astronomy, geography, history, Latin, Spanish, Italian, and Flemish, this unassuming woman is also trained in the art of swordsmanship, axe-throwing, archery, and caber tossing! Think you know a little about a lot? Lady Kat knew it first!

Traci Mohl : Olivia Charnwood – Huntress

The family tradition of hunting and tracking lives on in the guise of Olivia. Like her mother and grandmother before her, ear to ground, sniffing the air; hunting prey is in her blood. Mount Hope’s finest archer, Olivia never fails to bring home the meat – just don’t ask her to cook it!! On this festival day, she plans on showing off her tracking skills by sniffing out a merry time!

Beverly Newton : Charlotte Seaswift – Shipwright

This buoyant aquatic engineer helps keep the Harbor of Mount Hope afloat. An eye for design and a passion for innovation drive Charlotte. She knows that the fine line between sink and swim is just a patch away, and she is always ready to keep things floating on.

Jared Nocella : Miles I. Gore – Professional Henchman

Some people are natural born leaders. Miles is not one of those people. Miles is a natural born lackey, and he’s the best there is at being second fiddle. Always down for doing the dirty work, and he does it dirt cheap! Miles is a sidekick with a smile and has a flare for following.

Alexandra Pentz : Dorte Werner – Kampfrau

The youngest of the Werner siblings, but make no mistake: she is the one that keeps the family together. From designing the boys’ clothes, managing the family finances, and fighting her share of battles, she is as clever as she is dangerous. And after all that, she still has the ability to be the most mischievous of the three!

Lianna Pike : Rosalind Anne Uxbridge – Gardener

Rosalind has had her hands deep in dirt, up to her elbows, preparing for the Royal visit. The gardens must be perfect! Simple details like stone placement can be so critical, yet every time she plants, those chipmunks and rabbits have a feast . That is why Rosalind has a bed in all of her garden plots. She sleeps in a different flower bed each night. Thank goodness the festival is finally here, she can finally get out of the beds and enjoy the beauty of her work with the rest of the shirefolk.

Nicolas Rainville : Grayson Thomas Hemplewhite – Squire to the Master of Horse, Sir Robert Dudley

What an honor to serve the horse that carries the saddle that seats the man who serves the Queen so closely! To say that Hemplewhite is a hard worker is putting it mildly. His work is never done. Clean the tack, muck the stall, check the hooves; not to mention ensuring that Tinker, the horse, is always sweet-smelling for his Master to ride. But today is a festival day. Tinker smells sweet, now its time for Hemplewhite to have a bit of merriment.

Jessica Reesor : Holly Teacake – Baker

Everyone likes sweets at a festival, and Holly has made sure the shire is stocked with confections to please any palate. Fruity, chocolatey, savory – whatever your taste, Holly has you covered! An obsessive planner, Holly loves the order of a recipe. It is a mathematical equation for pleasing people. If only everything else was that simple!

Laura Reesor : Pearl Topstitch – Tailor

A visionary designer with an eye for style. Never satisfied with the same-old same-old; when something works once, she’s done with it! Her appetite for new and exotic is matched only by her skill. She can look at a piece of fabric and see the hidden...pearl...of genius within. Now it is time to show off her skills to the Queen.

James Riley : Adam Cringer – Yeoman Guard

A newly-minted member of the Yeoman Guard following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father before him. Legend of Adam’s monster-hunting exploits have already preceded him. Now it is time to see if the man can match the Legend.

Victoria Sangston : Dorothea Anne Heartley – Etiquette Mistress

Today is a big day for the shire of Mount Hope, and the Lady Mayor has tasked Mistress Heartley with making sure everyone puts their best foot forward. Of course, is that the right foot or the other right foot? Joyfully surveying the shirefolk, she knows everyone will be on their best, smiling, bowing, hat tipping, formal greeting behavior – or else!

Michael Sheffield : John Dee – Royal Astrologer

A good ruler has good advisors. Time will tell what kind of advisor John Dee will be. He says he talks to angels. Perhaps he does. Perhaps he’s just a brilliant con man. One thing is for sure – eccentric only scratches the surface of describing this stargazing man.

Jessie Smith : Polly Lynne Pickering – Apprentice Rag-picker

Polly Lynne has been following in her mum’s footsteps for as long as she can remember. Mum does have a keen eye for bits and pieces, but Polly Lynne is impatient! When she is THE Rag-Picker, she will be much more efficient! Would anyone REALLY notice if a bit was snipped off a gown here and there? Bushes and scissors are a picker’s best friend. She has heard of the fine fabrics worn by the Nobles of the court and is hoping to snip.... errrr....snag a piece or two of those fabrics for herself!

Mary Smith : Penelope Ann Pickering – Rag-picker

Some call it rag-picking, but Penelope prefers to call it fabric repurposing opportunities. Opportunities abound in the shire of Mount Hope, all you have to do is look around! And look she does!! With a keen eye for bits of fabric, lace, gossip, and good will, she has a kind word for everyone and perhaps a bit of scrap for those in need; and, really, who doesn’t need a bit of scrap now and then? And now, with the training up of Polly Lynne, she’s busy busy busy! Thank goodness for the Festival. Mirth, merriment, and fabric scraps!

Evelin Stayner : Buttercup M. Rosehips – Scullery Wench

This young lady is happy when surrounded by a pile of dirty anything. Beginning, middle, end! That is where she finds her joy. Every day has its adventures, and they all start when the sun comes up and last throughout the day. You may find her dancing, singing, or generally making herself an asset to the Shire of Mount. Hope. Some might even call her a fledgling pillar of society; probably more like a fence post. But everybody has to start somewhere!

Katrin Stayner : Eva Froman – Sausage Queen of the Shire

Blessed with infinite patience, and a lithe mind to keep up with her husband. The Fromans are nouveau riche, and happy to flaunt it. Eva is the true brains of the operation. Her wurst is the best, and her husband is the best at being the worst. [the Sausage King is being played by one of the improv directors who doubles as an independent act.]

Jordan Taft : Dorothy "Dottie" Brooke – Lady in Waiting

This Maid of Honor is a seasoned Lady of the court. Certainly Lady Dorothy has done it all, seen it all, and has the bodice to prove it. However, Mount Hope intrigues her. After all, it is time for her to settle down and have a family of her own, and the matchmaker of the Shire is famous throughout the land. She may leave here betrothed, or at least,with several good prospects. Love is in the air, or, is that TURKEY???

Robyn Thompson : Fiona Erin O'Donald – Personal Foot Post of the Lady Mayor

When Fiona came to Mount Hope, the first person she met was the Lady Mayor, who had just lost her third foot post in six months. Fiona needed a job; she had no idea what a foot post was, but she knew she could do it! She is Irish after all! As it turns out, she is the best foot post the Mayor has ever had!! Messenger, she’s the Lady Mayor’s personal messenger!

Sandi Trait : Becky Billingsly – Town Crier and Lady Mayor’s Official Letter-Opener

Becky Billingsly, the voice of the shire, knows full well the weight her proclamations carry. As Official Letter Opener for the Lady Mayor, she is at the forefront of all the news that is news in the shire. Of course, nothing beats today’s happenings! The young Queen makes her way to the gates of Mount Hope. How thrilling to share her news and tidings with the court of her Majesty!

Ariel E. Urich : Kathryn Bridges – Lady in Waiting

This Maid of Honor is on her first progress with the Queen. She has lived her entire life in training for this very time and now that it is here, she realizes that something is missing. She knows how to carry the cup with grace and style; the basket is a simple matter; smiling at the proper time, sitting, standing. So, what is the problem? She has this deep desire to make people laugh! So far, she has shared a bit of her talent with the Ladies of the Court, but perhaps this small shire is where she can be a bit more free with her jests and merriment. Oh, the festival day could not get here soon enough!

Brianna Yale : Lydia der Schlachter – Butcher

Leaving home to work for the Fromans was a tough decision but one she is happy she made. Butchering brings her such delight. From the time she begins to sharpen her blade to the beauty of well-cut chop, this butcher knows her way around a slab of beef, pork, and lamb. However, never ask her for a capon! She has been squeamish since the capon incident of 1552. Enough of that! This is a festival day, and she plans on celebrating with the shire folk and perhaps even catching a glimpse of the new Queen.

Darrell E. Yoder : Sylvan Farelight – Tinker

If it needs mending, this is the man to do it. If it needs replacing, step right up, he has it. If you need a bit of magic in your life, having Sylvan on the streets ensures that your needs will be met! Always popular when he arrives on shire; Sylvan can be counted on to share a bit of news from afar; a bit of wisdom from within; and a bit of magic from, well, from where magic comes from!

To the newcomers, welcome! To those returning, welcome back!

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wiener-soldiers · 7 years ago

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hallelujah (i) - steve trevor

summary: Learning how to steal from a young age, you used this skill to help provide for your family. However, after trying to steal a watch from a certain Air Force Pilot/Spy, he comes to with a proposal.

pairing: Steve Trevor x Fem!Reader

words: 2,080 (whoop im back in the +2k zone)

warnings: stealing (dont steal kids), mentions of drinking

taglist: @sebastianstanfoundmymixtape

a/n: it’s been a while, sorry guys. but we finally have an imagine other than marvel! this is gonna be a mini series, im thinking like three parts. i’ll try to have this series finished before school. remember y’all that imagines are open and so is tagging if you wanna be on the tag list!

I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord.

But you don't really care for music, do you?

Well, it goes like this; the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift.

The baffled king composing: Hallelujah.

You didn't care how dangerous your job was, it was important. Not many people, let alone women, would grow up to become a spy.

However, you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), are different from other women.

Before the war broke out, you and your family immigrated from (Y/H/T) to London. In your hometown, you were quite the scholar, despite you being a girl. You learned a lot about science in school, but you also learned how to steal, fight, and survive in the streets.

That's how Steve Trevor found you. Or rather, you found him.

After immigrating to England, your family sacrificed more than you could've ever imagined. Long story short; promises were broken, money was lost, and the landlord evicted your family from your small apartment. Now, both of your parents and your younger brother Jack lived on the dingy top floor to the three story building that housed a bakery that both your parents worked in on the bottom floor. They didn't bring much loot home, only whatever they were tipped, the nearly stale loafs of bread that weren't sold the past three days, and a couple of fruits if they were lucky. They don't even get paid regularly, but the bakery owner assured your family that you could stay on the third floor of their building as long as they worked.

Believe it or not, that was the most generous anyone has been to your family since you've arrived in London.

So, being the scrappy, deceiving girl you were, you sneaked out during the day while your parents were working and your brother was learning to read from some old books you brought from your old house, and during the night while everyone was asleep to steal whatever you could find.

Like today.

After double checking that your parents were asleep in their small room, you tiptoed to your brother who lays on his cot in your shared room. Snuggled in his cheap, ratty sleeping bag, his head pokes out to look at you as you pull own your long khaki coloured trench coat, thrifted from a thrift shop down the street. Jack was the only person who knows what you do while you sneak out of the house. The first time you brought home goods (a couple of dollars and a pocket watch), your mother had questioned the source. You told her that you were working as a tailor's apprentice.

As you put on a wide brimmed hat to cover your eyes (it was stolen of course), Jack props himself up with his elbows.

"What are you gonna come back with this time?" Jack says with wide, innocent eyes.

You walk closer to him and press a soft kiss on the top of his forehead. You whisper back, "Dunno yet, Jack. I actually got someone's extra change, so maybe I'll get you some more ink so you can practise writing. I might even stop by the pub and flatter some of the lads up and maybe get a few bucks, maybe a watch."

He frowns a bit, "But your coming back, right?"

You smile at him before slipping on some plain black flats, "I always come back, don't I?"

You blow a kiss to Jack one last time before sliding open the window and hopping onto the fire escape. You slide the window shut behind you and you begin to climb down the creaky steps of the fire escape.

After reaching the ground, you head in the direction of the market. During the day, it's filled with vendors selling goods, but at night, it's pub's are filled with people of all ages, very drunk. It's not the safest place for girls, but it was the perfect place to coax a few drinks out of some younger men and pick up some extra cash, or some watches. You walk into your first pub, one of the nicer pubs on the block. The dimly lit pub was filled people of all ages; some seniors having drinks with their friends, couples going on late night dates, and of course, lonely, moping men.

That's how you had met Steve.

He was sitting in a table alone, head hung low while he rolled a glass of whiskey on rocks. Your heart ached for him, as he looked very sad. But you needed the money.

So you approached him.

You slid in the seat in front of him, placing your arms on the table. He doesn't notice you at first, so you decide to speak. "Are you all right?" you ask in a mock British accent. After trial and error, you found that using an accent makes people trust you faster.

The man looks up and you stare in a pair of the bluest eyes you have ever seen. His dirty blonde messily falls on top of his forehead as he moves.

He's very handsome, you note.

The man looks at you, dumbfounded. "Who are you?" he questions.

"Megan Danning. At your service," you blurt out. It was the first fake name that popped into your head.

"Steve, Steve Trevor. What's a pretty dame like you doing in a place like this alone at night?" he inquires while leaning forward.

"Well Mr. Trevor, who ever said I was alone?" you say while smirking slightly. You had silently wished you had applied some of that cheap red lipstick you had stolen from the store on the corner of the block. You rest your hand on top of his and bite your lip. You fiddle with the clasp on the his watch. You manage to unclasp it and you slide it into you coat sleeve without him noticing.

Steve scoffs, but stares you down anyways. "Late night, pretty girl targeting a lonely lad like me, hand on top of mine. You think I'm stupid, but I know what you're doing." He finishes while pulling his hand away from underneath yours. He pulls down his wrist and reveals empty skin where a watch would normally be.

He smirks a little, "My watch please, Megan Danning. But that isn't your name, is it?"

Shit, you think to yourself. No one has caught you before, so you were beyond surprised.

Without warning, you stand up and bolt. Without looking back, you sprint out of the pub. You can't tell if Steve (if that even is his real name) is following or not. Your flats make a little tapping sound as you sprint down the cobblestone streets, trying to avoid cars.

"Hey!" you hear someone call out from behind you. You immediately recognise it as Steve's voice.

Quickly, you slip into the alley closest to you, hoping that he didn't see you. You slightly peak your head from the wall of the alley that your back is pressed on to see Steve standing a few blocks away in the middle of the street. You watch as he cups his hand around his mouth and lets out a scream.

"I'll find you, Megan Danning! I promise you," he finishes, getting strange looks from passersby.

You furrow your eyebrows and watch him turn around and walk back to the pub. Only after he became out of sight, you slip back onto the road and saunter in the shadows until you reach the house. You silently climb the fire escape, slipping the watch into your coat pocket. Once you reach the third floor, you slide the window open and step inside the room. Jack is still wrapped in his sleeping bag in his corner of the room, but this time he is asleep. You place a kiss on top of his head before stripping yourself from your attire before changing into sleepwear and climbing into bed.

You lay wide awake for what seems like hours, still high on adrenaline. Finally, you succumb to your exhaustion and fall asleep.

When morning came around, you found yourself groggy. You sat up on your ratty cot and rubbed the sleep from your eyes.

"Morning (Y/N)," Jack says from the other side of the room. He had put on some trousers and an old blue button up.

"Morning Jacky," you say while rolling out of bed.

"Ma and Pa went down to the bakery already, but the brought up some jam and bread for breakfast." he says before walking out the room, probably to get food.

You find a plain yellow dress made from old fabric. It's the only thing left in your closet so you slip it on along with your flats. You pull your (Y/H/C) in a low ponytail as you walk out of the room into the kitchen.

"I made some toast for you," Jack says.

"Thanks, Jack."

As you munch on the nearly stale bread with the strawberry, Jack finishes his slice and asks, "Did you get anything last night?"

You nearly choke on your bread.

"No, I didn't," you lie. You didn't want your little brother worrying about you.

"That's too bad. Are you going again this afternoon?" The afternoon was usually the time were you would usually go into the market and slip fruits and vegetables into your purse and jacket.

"I don't think so. We still got a little bit of potatoes from yesterday. Besides, I haven't read with in a while."

Jack's mouth goes wide, a smile forming on his face. He leaps up from his seat and hugs you. "That would be nice," he mumbles into you. You laugh at the boy's enthusiasm.

"I'll clean this up, and you go find a book to read." He nods and runs of to the bookshelf in the corner of the room, eyes scanning for a book.

You finish washing up the dishes as Jack already begins to read his book. As you dry the dishes, you hear someone knock on the door. Assuming it's your mother (she makes visits throughout the day) you yell out, "Coming Ma! Just finishing up the dishes." Instead of a reply, the person at the door knocks again.

You sigh but walk to the door anyways and open it. "Sorry Ma, if you were in a rush. I was ju--"

"Hello."

Your eyes widen in utter shock and your jaw drops.

It was Steve.

Steve Trevor.

"(Y/N)? Who's at the door?" you hear Jack say from behind.

Steve smiles a little, "So your name is (Y/N), huh?"

You push him into the hallway and call out, "Jack, stay inside."

You slam the door shut and spin to face Steve. "How do you know where I live? Did you follow me home? If you like your watch so much, I'll give it back to you. Just, don't hurt my brother."

Steve furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head rapidly, "No, no! You got it all wrong. I'm not here to hurt anyone! You can keep the watch, you probably need it more than I do." he says while gesturing to you.

You scoff, "Excuse me?! What's that supposed to mean?!"

His eyes widen, "Nothing! That's not the point. The point is, I have a proposal."

"I don't care about your damn proposal! Is your name really Steve Trevor? How do you know where I live!?"

"Listen, I'm Captain Steve Trevor of the United States Air Force."

"Then what are you doing in London? I don't know if you've noticed, but a war is about to break out."

"That's why I'm here. They sent me here as a spy for the British, that's how I found out where you lived. They needed all the help they could get."

"So?!" you screech. "That doesn't explain why you're at my house."

"Like I said, they need all the help they can get. That's where you come in."

"Huh?"

"You're really skilled. You almost sneaked away with my watch last night without me noticing. We could really use someone like you, they'd never see it coming."

You cross your arms, "What's in it for me?"

"Security for your family when the war breaks out, a stable job and income, serving your country, y'know, the whole nine yards."

"One request, though."

"Huh?"

"I have one request, and I'll do it."

"Your not really in the position to request anythi--"

"Put my brother in school. Not a bad one, a private one. He deserves an education."

Steve inhales deeply, "I'll see what I can do."

You smile a little, "Great."

Steve smiles slightly and sticks his hand out to shake, "Let's try that introduction again. Steve Trevor."

You smile back and shake his hand, "(Y/N) (Y/L/N). Nice to meet you."

That's when it all began.

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lokiandbuckyaremine · 7 years ago

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I’ve Missed You

Summary: Living in England is hard. Especially when you are an Avenger and your boyfriend is Bucky Barnes. You decide to surprise Bucky one day, since you miss your Super Soldier so much. ~ Requested by @thatbitchsaidhi

Warnings: Some language and fluffiness. (Can never get enough of it)

A/N: I want to thank @thatbitchsaidhi for all of the awesome requests she gives me. Please feel free to request ideas to me. I have a prompt list that you can bounce ideas off of. I enjoy writing SO much!

“I miss y/n so much.” Bucky said, as he was preparing for a mission. Steve patted his best friend on the shoulder. “I know Buck, but she has a life in England and is looking after her parents.” Bucky sighs. “I know, but I wish she was free to travel over here whenever she wants to. Maybe her and her parents can live here.”

Steve chuckled to himself. “Yea, ok. I’m sure Tony would greatly accept her and her parents in his tower.” He picked up his bag and looked at Bucky. “Well dammit Steve. I have a girlfriend…I should be able to see her whenever I want to.” He huffed and picked up his bag. He not-so-gracefully threw it over his shoulder and stared at Steve.

Steve sunk his shoulders. “I completely agree with you Buck, but you need to see it from her standpoint. She has parents that really need protection. It is not that she doesn’t love you, she just has a lot of things on her plate right now.” Bucky sighed and shrugged. “I guess you’re right. I’m being a little selfish.” Steve placed his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “It’s ok Bucky. You’ll see her soon. Now let’s get going before the quinjet leaves without us.”

The boys both left the room, until Bucky halted. “Wait, Steve! I forgot something.” He ran back to his room and went over to his nightstand. He opened the drawer, and fished out a picture of you and him on the beach. In the picture, he was kissing your cheek while you smiled and took the selfie. He smiled to himself at the memory before jogging back to Steve.

——————————————————————————————————

“I really miss Buck, mum.” You said to your mother on the porch of your house. She sipped on her tea and looked at you smiling. “I know, dear.” She paused looking down at her cup. “You should go to him.”

You looked over at her and shook your head. “But mum, I need to stay with you. You can’t be left alone.” She reached over and placed her fragile hand on yours. “Darling, he loves you and you love him. As much as I love you, you have to do what is best for you. If visiting Bucky makes you happy, then so be it. Don’t let me get in the way of you being with him, y/n.” She smiles softly at you and you start to tear up. “But mum, what if something happens and I’m not here to protect you.” She giggles to herself. “Oh y/n, nothing will happen. You are an Avenger and can teleport quicker than I can snap. I’ll be fine. Go see him.”

She stands up from her chair and walks over to you. You stand up and wrap your arms around her. “Thank you mum. Thank you so much.” She places a soft kiss on your cheek and pats your arm. “Oh and y/n, tell your friend Steve I’m still waiting for my dance.”

You giggled. “Ok mum, I will.” You gave her a small kiss on her head before leaving to your room to pack up. As much as you badly wanted to visit Bucky, you were so worried about your parents. Being an Avenger had its perks, but it also had its dangers. Staying in England was the only thing you could do to keep your parents safe from Hydra or anyone else. You were called frequently for missions and had to teleport to New York. Your mom especially needed protection because she was going through the early stages of Alzheimer’s. She was fragile and with your dad working all of the time, you needed to look after her. But she was right….you needed your freedom. And you needed Bucky.

—————————————————————————————————–

When you arrived to the Avengers’ Tower, it was morning. You teleported yourself into Bucky’s room, hoping to find him still asleep in bed. To your disappointment, his room was empty. You looked at his alarm clock and it read 6:30 am. He was probably on a run.

None of the team was up at this time, so you decided to go to the kitchen and make pancakes for everyone. The tower was so quiet, except for the muffled snores you heard coming from what you believed was Thor’s room. He was a loud sleeper.

As you began to flip some pancakes, your mind drew to thinking about what you were going to do when Bucky arrives. Should you jump out and surprise him or should you walk around the kitchen, normally, and wait for him to notice? You mind raced back and forth between the ideas, until you were snapped back to reality by a voice. “Hey, y/n! What a nice surprise.”

You turned around to see Wanda and Nat standing in the kitchen. “Hey guys! I thought I’d make you loves some pancakes.” Nat giggled, “I can never get enough of your accent.” You rolled your eyes. “Natty, darling, I’m from England. I didn’t choose to have this.” She giggled back and walked over to where you were hovered over the stove. “Oh and if you are looking for Barnes, he is on a mission. He left last night.”

You banged your spatula on the edge of the pan. “Bloody hell, do you know when he’ll be back?” Nat shrugged. “I think Steve said they should be back this morning.” You sighed and went back to your pancake-making.

Next thing you know you feel tight arms around your waist, lifting you off of the ground. “Dammit, THOR! I’m baking here!!!!” He spun you around and placed you gently back on the ground. “Sorry Lady y/n. I haven’t seen you in a while. Thought I’d give you an Asgardian hug.” You punched his arm. “More like an Asgardian chokehold.” You giggled and returned back to your pancakes.

You began to butter them when Bruce, Tony, and Clint shuffled into the kitchen. “Well if it isn’t my favorite Brit!” Tony walked over a kissed your cheek. You smiled to yourself. “Nice to see you too, Tony.” Clint walked over to you and pushed aside Tony. “Oh, if Barnes saw you do that, he’d pull those lips right off of your face.” Tony chuckled. “Oh come on. It was a friendly kiss.”

You giggled. “He’s right, Stark. My soldier would have you pinned.” He shrugged and walked away. Bruce walked over to you and gave you a side hug. “Since you’re here, y/n, I’d like you to try on your suit. I made modifications to it so it will easily teleport with you instead of falling off.” You smiled at him. “Thank you, Bruce!!!!! Ugh, you are a lifesaver.“

You stacked the pancakes on a few plates and walked them over to the table. You heard a knock on the door and looked over. “The boys are back from the mission. Prepare yourselves.” Nat said as she opened the door. Steve came in with not a single scrape on him. That damn serum. “Hey everybody! Whoa, something smells good!” Sam walked after him. “Yea, I’m starving.”

Steve saw you standing in the corner. “Hey y/n! It is so good to see you. How’s my favorite girl?” He wrapped you up in a hug. “She still wants her dance. She wanted me to remind you.” He grinned widely. “Well then, I’m just gonna have to make a little visit to England then. And by the way, you are going to make someone a very happy boyfriend.” You smiled. “Where is he anyways?”

Steve began to take his gear off. “Oh, he is just packing up the quinjet. He’ll be right in.” He and Sam walked into the kitchen and sat down. A few moments later Bucky walked in. “Hey gu–” He saw you standing in the kitchen, smiling at him. “Y/N!!!!!” He dropped his bags and walked toward you, as you ran to him, and jumped into his arms. “Bucky, I’ve missed you so much!!!!”

He smothered you with kisses and you enjoyed every one of them. “Oh, doll….I’ve missed you too!” He hugged your waist and legs tightly around him. He set you down and grabbed your hand. “I have a little surprise for you in the bedroom.” Bucky whispered to you. You looked up at him and saw deep lust in his eyes. You bit your lip and kissed him again. He took that as a ‘proceed’ and dragged you to his room. Steve called out to you and Bucky. “Hey! Breakfast is ready, you two!”

Bucky hollered back. “WE’RE MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME, STEVE!”

It was good to be back with your super soldier. :)

————————————————————————————————-

And the rest is up to your imagination! Gotta love the fluffiness. Like, reblog, and leave comments! And don’t forget, I am still taking requests.

TAG LIST (OPEN) - Let me know if you want to be tagged

IMY Tag List:

@thatbitchsaidhi ~ For you, love. ;)

Permanent Tag List:

@littlenerdgirl16

@jobean12-blog

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky imagine #british #england #request #requested prompts #marvel #avengers #pancakes

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buckywintersoldierbarnes2017 · 7 years ago

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Bucky x Reader One Shots/Series Masterlist

An Unexpected Reunion (Bucky x Steve x Sister!Reader) - Bucky and the team raid a hydra base and they find a teenage girl in a cryo tank in a hidden basement room. Bucky remembers her and gets emotional cause they were so close growing up. Once she wakes up they share a moment and he shows her around and he’s so happy to have his baby sister back.

A Friend Like Me - Bucky has finally cut his hair since becoming part of the Avengers and after surprising you with his new image he askes for you to shave his beard off.

Happier Without Me? (Song fic) - Based on the song ‘Happier’ by Ed Sheeran where you and Bucky have recently split but he can’t stop watching out for you secretly. That’s when he sees you laughing and joking with another man....a man that seems to bring out your smile more than he could.

Dance Into The Night (Song fic) - Based on the sone ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran where you and Bucky have loved each other from day one of High School and yet the only person who seems to have noticed is Steve....so he goes about setting you up to get the two of you alone to confess your feelings for the other.

Words Can Break You - Dating James ‘Bucky Barnes’ is the best thing to have happened to you and should have your confidence at an all time high but you hear some nasty words being spoken about you by some agents, stating that you shouldn’t be with him, and you quickly hit rock bottom. A locked door doesn’t stop your boyfriend from trying to get through to you though.

A Jealous Heart (Jealous!Bucky x Steve Rogers x Reader) - Bucky likes you but he has never found a moment to tell you because he always sees you with Steve. Steadily his jealousy begins to grow and one day he catches the two of you goofing around and assumes it is because you’re in a relationship...you soon prove him wrong.

Clueless - You and Bucky are together and one morning you wake up to find you have come on your period. Needless to say that a guy from the 40′s who never stayed with a girl for more than one night doesn’t really know how to handle it and only makes your mood worse.....so Nat gets called in to help!

I Should Have Been There - The Avengers are sent on a misson to England to infiltrate a Hydra compound but while there Bucky starts to suffer flashbacks the closer they get to a young girl frozen inside a cryo unit. There is something about her that the super soldier feels connected to and when they get her back to Shield headquarters it is soon discovered why.

You Won’t Cry Another Tear - After settling into The Avengers properly and gaining the trust of the public once again Bucky finds a why to utilise his spare time and runs self dence classes. It is during these classes he comes across you, the quietest one in the class, and discovers your home life is both destuctive and abusive. His protective side kicks in and he makes sure it can’t happen again.

I Will Protect You - You are under the protection of The Avengers after an attempt on your life by Hydra agents. Bucky uses his charm on you and when you can’t sleep you often meet in the kitchen and one night he finally asks you out.

New Beginnings (Bucky x Pepper Potts x Reader) - You and your boyfriend have split up and you have nowhere to go so your sister, Pepper Potts, persuades Tony to allow you to live in the tower. Jmaes ‘Bucky’ Barnes himself develops a soft spot for you and offers to show you around before getting tou a room next to his.

You’re Worth The Danger - You’re an ordinary civilian but you have been dating Bucky Barnes for months. Hydra agents have been watching you and try to kidnap you when you are home alone. You manage to run away and hide inside a store where you call Bucky to come and get you. After he picks you up he has you move in with him at the tower where you’ll be safe.

Complicated Hearts - Bucky Barnes. You can’t get the ridiculously attractive male off your mind but when you try to flirt with him he is horrible to you, rejects your feelings, and leaves you heartbroken. Can you find it in you to forgive him when he reveals that he lied and actually does have feelings for you?

Fire Burns Brighter In The Dark - Being the daughter of Ghost Rider wasn’t fun growing up but having the same powers as him has earned you a place on the Avengers team and when the team faces a surprise attack and your powers are unleashed they are in awe of what you can do.....one person in particular finding you absolutely fascinating.

Two Different Worlds. One Love - You are an Asgardian, sister of Thor and Loki, but you have fallen for one of the Avengers and neither one of them seems thrilled about it. Both try to stop you from being with him but you are determined to prove you don’t need protecting from him.

Winter’s Children (Bucky x Kidnapped!Child) - Not a reader insert. Two Shield agents are murdered by Hydra leaving their young child vulnerable. When she is found in her hiding place she is taken away to be experimented on. The Avengers are called out and it is Natasha and Bucky (who are together) who find the child and end up taking her under their wings.

Sing From The Heart - You and Bucky are close but you refuse to openly admit the true feelings you have for each other. One day he hears you singing in the shower and is amazed by your voice, having not known you had such a talent, he doesn’t tell you that he heard you but when he comes back hurt from a mission you are the first one he calls for. He is hurt, bad, and it isn’t looking good.....so he asks for you to sing to him. Feelings come out soon after, can there be a happy ending?

Worth More - Break ups are always hard to take and having a whole group of people you live with hearing it happen? Even worse! But the one and only person you can bear to be around during such a time comes to comfort you and assures you that you deserve better....and soon reveals his own feelings towards you.

A Tortured Mind - Bucky keeps having nightmares about Hydra torturing you and when he wakes up he goes to your room to make sure you are safe. But one night after a nightmare, he goes and you’re not there. Panic ensues.

Don’t Hide Who You Are - You are Tony’s daughter and you are just starting to date Bucky Barnes but he discovers that you flinch a lot when he comes near you or raises his arms for some reason. He asks Tony if you have been hurt by someone in the past. He tells him how you refuse to wear your glasses because you’re embarrassed by them. Bucky talks you into wearing them and when you put them on he finds them attractive and he’s speechless. You finally get the confidence to wear them in front of people.

No More Nightmares (Bucky x Reader x Adopted!Daughter) - Bucky and you are married and you have a daughter from a previous relationship. While you are away on a mission Bucky suffers a nightmare and your daughter goes to comfort him.

You Smell Like Cupcakes - Bucky falls for you, the owner of a small bakery, and after spending your first night with him he doesn’t want to let you go and enjoys the smell of cupcakes that radiates from you. Fluffy!

A Fish Out Of Water - Bucky has been visiting the aquarium repeatedly and for only one reason....you. You are part of the mermaid show they hold for the public but you are different. He knows right away that you are enhanced and he wants to know more about you. One day he finds himself getting the opportunity to.

Soldier Of My Heart - You are a nurse during the war, one who takes pride in her job, and when two members of the Howling Commandos require your medical expertise you don’t expect to see America’s Poster Boy himself Captain America or to find yourself falling for his best friend....a certain Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.

Mistaken Identity - Part 1, 2 - You have a twin sister and unknown to you she has been working with Hydra for years and was part of the team that helped to keep the Winter Soldier trained to kill. One night he comes looking for her but mistakes you for the person he truly wants. Will he realise before his grip on you proves fatal?

You Will Always Remember Their Faces (Bucky x Platonic Teen!Reader) - Bucky is the closest thing to family you’ve had since the death of your parents, you always look out for each other, but when you are kidnapped by the same man that murdered your parents can the strong bond between the two of you stop you from doing something you may regret?

Becoming The Person You Needed Me To Be (Soulmate AU) - You have had visions since a young age of the person who is destined to be your soulmate; to everyone else it is a joyous thing to experience but not for you...not when all you saw was a cold-blooded killer eith each and every vision.

So Close, Yet So Far (song fic) - Based on the song ‘Friends’ by Ed Sheeran you and Bucky have an incredibly close friendship, one that often extends beyond being just friends but his insecurities constantly prevent him from acting on his feelings.

So Dark, So Deep, The Secrets That You Keep (Bucky x Depressed!Reader) - You are having a hard time working alongside Bucky on missions and feel like you are completely useless. When he gets hurt yet again because of your actions you fall into a depression he later vows on helping you out of.

#bucky x reader #one shot #requests #answered #buckywintersoldierbarnes2017 #masterlist

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shmosnet2 · 5 years ago

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The Curse of the Crying Boy Painting

A writer from the north of England, Ann enjoys writing about the unexplained and the paranormal, as well as historical crimes and mysteries.

Image supplied by Wikipedia When I was a young child in the seventies, I became fascinated by a painting in my grandmother’s house. The painting was a cheap print of a well-known piece, and was hung on the living room wall of her small terraced house. The reason I was so fascinated was that the picture depicted a child. The boy was a similar age to me and for some reason looked sad and downcast, tears brimming from his troubled eyes. I was so attached to the painting I even gave the sad child a name. A few years after the painting went up on the wall, there was a devastating kitchen fire in the house. While the kitchen was destroyed, the rest of the house was undamaged. Despite this, the painting of the boy was removed and thrown into a skip along with the contents of the kitchen. For years it puzzled me why my grandmother did this until I read a series of articles about a cursed painting. That painting was ‘The Crying Boy’.

Image supplied by Massimo Polidoro Giovanni Bragolin "The Crying Boy" was one of a series of paintings by artist Giovanni Bragolin completed in the 1950s. The series depicted young, teary-eyed children. While it may seem strange to want an image of a weeping child on your wall, the pictures proved popular all over the world. In the UK alone over 50,000 copies sold. The children represented were often poor and very beautiful. One boy's image particularly tugs on the heartstrings, his eyes a sad reflection of his soul. He became known as "The Crying Boy." In total, Bragolin painted over sixty paintings, and up until the early eighties, prints and reprints of his images continued to be mass produced. The Blazing Curse Is Born In 1985, the most popular tabloid newspaper in the United Kingdom printed a story that caused panic and ended the popularity of Bragolin’s work. The Sun published an article entitled "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy." The story described the terrible experience of May and Ron Hall after their Rotherham home was destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire, much like my grandmother’s, was a chip pan that overheated and burst into flames. The fire spread rapidly and destroyed everything on the ground floor. Only one item remained intact—a print of "The Crying Boy" on their living room wall. Distraught at their loss, the devastated couple made the bizarre claim that the painting was cursed and it, not the chip pan, was the cause of the fire. A Child Is Blamed The tale would have disappeared into the archives of the strange and mysterious stories that peppered The Sun, except for one thing. A firefighter claimed that he had attended at least fifteen house fires where everything was destroyed. The only thing left complete in each home was the picture of "The Crying Boy." Before long, the story gathered momentum, and a rash of fires all over the United Kingdom were blamed on the cursed child. In subsequent articles The Sun went onto claim: • A woman in Surrey lost her house to fire 6 months after buying the painting. • Two sisters in Kilburn had fires in their homes after buying a copy of the painting. One sister even claimed to have seen her painting sway backwards and forwards on the wall. • A concerned woman on the Isle of Wight attempted to burn her painting without success and then went on to suffer a run of bad luck. • A gentleman in Nottingham who possessed a print of the painting lost his home and his family were injured. • A pizza parlor in Norfolk was destroyed including every painting on its walls except for "The Crying Boy." When 'The Sun' reported that even rational firefighters refused to have a copy of "The Crying Boy" in their homes, the reputation of the painting was damned forever.

A Halloween Bonfire In all these cases, and many more that were reported, the painting of ‘The Crying Boy’ remained unharmed. Eventually, if there was an image of a crying child by any artist in a house that went on fire, the painting was blamed. Some claimed that they experienced bad luck if they attempted to destroy or get rid of their paintings. Others were convinced that it was only a matter of time before disaster struck them. After printing more articles and scare stories, ‘The Sun’ offered a frightened public a solution. On Halloween 1985, hundreds of the paintings were collected together by the newspaper and burnt under the supervision of the Fire Brigade. The Curse So why would this seemingly innocent series of paintings be cursed? Before long speculation was rife. Theories ranged from the little boy being a gypsy child whose family placed a curse on the artist. Some claimed that the child had died in a fire and his spirit was trapped in the painting. The most enduring story claimed the crying boy accidentally set fire to the studio of the artist who had painted him. The child’s parents had also been killed in a blaze. Wherever the little orphan went fires mysteriously followed, earning him the nickname Diablo or Devil. The boy supposedly survived to early adulthood but was tragically killed when his car crashed and burst into flames. From then onwards it was his image that carried on his cursed fascination with fire. Debunked In a bid to debunk the stories that grew up around the painting of ‘The Crying Boy’ various experts offered their own theories. A frustrated Fire Brigade pointed out that in all cases where there had been fires, there was a rational explanation. The fires in almost all cases could be traced back to human carelessness or electrical faults. What they couldn’t explain was the evidence that the paintings often remained intact when everything around them was destroyed. In a 2010 video made by Steve Punt and available on YouTube, a painting of ‘The Crying Boy’ is set alight in a bid to decide the matter once and for all. By the time the fire burns out, the corner of the painting is scorched but it remains largely intact and the face remains untouched. Yet ‘The Sun’ who first published the story of ‘The Crying Boy’ had no trouble incinerating hundreds of copies. Possibly the simplest of explanations is that the picture is printed onto fire retardant materials. Quite simply, the manufacturer of the print created a fire-resistant product that became a victim of its own success. The debate continues. Punt PI tries to burn cursed Crying Boy Painting My grandmother was not a superstitious woman. Indeed, she went on to have another much worse fire some years later when her refrigerator overheated. Was she right then, to throw away her painting of my little friend because of unsubstantiated rumours? I think so. While there is probably a very rational explanation for the phenomenon of ‘The Crying Boy’ painting, where curses are concerned I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. Or is it? You decide. You May Enjoy Reading Sweet Fanny Adams: The Tragic Death of an Innocent Child Sweet Fanny Adams is used by the British to describe anything worthless. It is also the name of a pretty young girl murdered in Victorian England. This is how Fanny's name became slang for worthless. The Curse of the Delhi Purple Sapphire In 1857, an insignificant gemstone was stolen from an Indian temple. The story that followed the theft is a fascinating tale of misfortune and tragedy. Was this stolen jewel haunted by its true owner. Would you hang a painting of 'The Crying Boy' in your home? Questions & Answers Question: I recently received a "crying boy" framed print. Since I have put it up in my house, a deep depression came upon me. I tried to take my life. My mental state of mind has not been the same. I do not believe in old wives' tales, but this is very weird. Could this print have something to do with it all? Answer: I am very concerned for you. The painting has not caused your depression, but it does show a sad child. Take the painting down, give it to charity, then forget about it. Replace the painting with a beautiful, happy image, something that makes you feel good. Please make sure that you see a doctor or at least phone a friend. We all have dark times, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. I am sending you my very best wishes and hope and pray you feel better very soon. Question: Is the curse of The Crying Boy painting real? My Nanna had an exact painting like this, I too was always was drawn to it. Answer: Opinions are divided. There was a lot of hysteria over the painting in the UK in the seventies and eighties but people continue to seek a logical explanation for the phenomenon. Question: I have put a picture of the crying boy in my book at school. What do I do? Answer: Don't worry it will be fine. Most people think that the paintings were made of a material that wouldn't burn and the fires were coincidence. You are not in any danger at all. Please don't worry. I'm sure your book looks great. Question: I had the Curse of the Crying Boy Painting twice with no problem. It seems people are just trying to make it sound spooky. I wonder how many are left? Answer: I think you are probably correct. It seems to be a UK phenomenon, I doubt there are many left here. Question: Is there a story to The Crying Boy, or did the artist just think to paint it? Answer: The picture is one of a series of paintings, all of young children. It has been suggested that a lot of the children are orphans or poor children who the painter used as models. There is a story that the little boy depicted perished in a fire when he was older, but this may just be a tall tale.

https://ift.tt/34mqNwc . Foreign Articles November 01, 2019 at 01:34PM

#. Foreign Articles The Curse of the Crying Boy Painting

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aleatoryalarmalligator · 7 years ago

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Life Story - Part 24

Ava joined our group of friends in the winter of 02′ and for some part of my life, she became my best friend. She had spent the last year since she had moved from Moscow being a part of the popular group of girls in our class and i had never said anything to her at all. She was bored of those girls I think, or had gone through them all one at a time till they were done with her. She never fit in with them, since she was heavy. We were all amused as she told us all about how strange and insecure the popular girls actually were when they were home. It made me feel normal. Ava was incredibly funny and energetic, almost too much. She was an addictive character you don’t meet everyday and could really throw you off course – in a good way most of the time, but if you were around her too long, your identity would begin to disappear. She could break people's resolve very easily, which is why I became friends with her so quickly, when ordinarily I am the sort of person who takes a lot of time to make new friends. She would give you that feeling you might get when you have been laughing hysterically for hours with people, and everything seems funny to you and you have kind of lost grip of yourself and something feels wrong but your brain is filled with happy dope.

It had it's pros and cons. We ended up getting along great since we were both very strange. I would come up with some insane comedy routine and ideas - i would make up characters and scenarios, and Ava would just pull out this insane impromptu reactions and additions i would never think of or would not imagine being acted out in such a way to what I had said, and people legitimately thought we were both completely insane. Something was always greedy and gleeful in her eyes - a little crazy. She had a way of demanding attention. I remember I was quite nervous to reach out and try to befriend her, but I called her and she instantly took well to it. I don’t think i had ever gotten so close to another person that fast.

Ava lived in the hills above Kendrick, miles away from civilization, close enough to where she could have gone to the Moscow high school instead. For whatever reason she decided to attend Kendrick's school. Her father was a well known geologist. He worked at the University of Idaho, and the other half the time he was down in Brazil or Argentina or someplace doing rock stuff. The house they owned was pretty nice. It was old like my house was. But it was in the middle of a field that stretched as far as the eye could see. Going off the highway. You would drive onto one gravel road, that was really more of a farmer's road. You would drive for ten miles out into this field, and then you would take yet another more gravelly gravel road and drive another two miles, and you would be at her place. The surroundings were bleak. The home was well furnished. She had one older sister named Ana, but she was in college. A few dogs.

Her mom was kind of distant and moody. I never really did understand that lady. She never seemed to leave the house, instead she would sit outside and look out at the fields listening to NPR until the sun went down. She was a retired social worker and she was unprofessional in that she told people her client’s secrets because she was kind of judgy that way.. In her youth, she had partied with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Then she had moved to England for ten years, and eventually came back and settled in Moscow, before retiring to look out over the barren wheat fields. It didn't seem like she had any visitors. Once every couple of years she would travel to France or Italy. And maybe once every three months, she would attend another rich person's party. Ava always bragged that her mom was friends with Steve Miller. Yet, as much as I don't understand why she was here of all places, I suppose it really was a good thing elite liberal families to move to rural places like this. It fights back the culture of red solo cups, conservative values, and Kid Rock and the like.

Their home had two living rooms, and a sitting room. And all these other rooms. It was really a nice place. Ava had a lot of Italian and Greek in her blood, and their kitchen had a lot of Toulouse-Lautrec paintings and the like. There was also a smaller home off the property, a barn for her two horses, and this other little building that looked like a tattered barn, but inside it was actually an opulent mini mansion that was her father's study. It had bookshelves up to the ceiling, classy lighting. Years later I was watching the television show Hannibal, and it looked a little like Hannibal's office. And past that, there was this pond that was actually slimy and disgusting but I ended up swimming in it anyway that summer. It was filled to the brim with bold catfish who would try to eat you if you stayed still for too long. One of Ava's horses was named Molly. She was old, and pretty nice. The other one was this Arabian horse named Chimo. Chimo was the fucking devil. When Ava was showing me her barn one time, he galloped up to me, and he tried to bite my face with his big awful teeth. Ava always had to shove him away roughly for him to not try to hurt people. And then she would always tell you that he didn't mean it, and he would never hurt anyone – but yes, yes he would. He was the devil.

Despite Ava's nice house, I always grew bored and weary up there. For one thing, it was far out of the way of anything remotely fun. The store was twenty five miles back into Kendrick. There were no trees. The nearest neighbors were three miles away, and they were old farmers. Ava and her mom had a strange relationship. I didn't get it at all. Ava's mom might come up and ask Ava if she wanted some ice cream, in a very calm voice. Ava would fly off the handle FUCK YOU MOM! And then her mom would calmly walk away and say Okay Avaaaaah. She always said Ava's name really long. Then, Ava would make a small mistake like accidentally rip a page in a book, and her mom would freak out at her, call her a fat cow and fly into this rage over something that seemed to me as incredibly petty. But then, if Ava accidentally burned down a barn – she didn't do this, but she was very unruly and did a lot of things like this – her mom would just sigh and would not reprimand her in any way. I didn't get it. I think it made Ava a little crazy. On one hand, she was spoiled rotten, and on the other, her mom was at random intervals, verbally abusive.

Ava's dad was nice when he was around – which was infrequently, but very loopy to me. I had heard that he had some kind of mental disorder that had made him dangerous, but was now treated so long as he took his medication. He always seemed a bit off, but I understand it's the price you pay when you have a mental illness sometimes. He had had a rough life. He had been disowned by his family. They had made all their money on illegal cheating on horse racing back in the early 20th century, and had sided with Hitler in Nazi Germany, and were a part of the Nazi party themselves when WW2 happened. His mother had been a Nazi youth who had met Hitler. And they still agreed with the Nazis to this day. Ava's dad had tried to become a painter, and they had scoffed at him and took his funding away. He hated his family, understandably and never spoke to them again. I think he probably had Bipolar. I can't say for certain, but he seemed to be that way. Ava was larger like him, she had his dark hair, and his thicker build.

I would get uncomfortable at Ava's house because she would ask you what you wanted to do, and then when you said something she didn't want to hear she started getting aggravated and upset and before you know it she would start calling herself a stupid bitch over and over. So, you would feel nervous, stuck up in the hills, not being able to casually go home, with Ava, her mother and father all in their strange modes. Ava was also OBSESSED with Orlando Bloom. Ava jumped from crush to crush pretty frequently, but Orlando Bloom was god to her. She had posters of him all over her wall, some as Legolas and others not, as well as one of Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale. She went to see Lord of the Rings herself probably forty times. And she wrote Orlando Bloom about three times a week. He never wrote her back. Over the course of that winter, she was becoming more and more depressed, as though he were her husband and he was willfully ignoring her. In her mind, she was meant to be with Orlando Bloom. There could be no other way. When Ava didn't get her way, or felt bad about herself at all, this dark cloud would descend and she would begin accusing everyone of hating her. It was strange to be accused of hating her because Orlando Bloom was not writing her back.

As it happened, there was this senior in the school named Brandon who looked like Orlando Bloom in the vaguest of ways. He was probably the coolest kid to have gone to Kendrick high school. He ended up meeting an Irish girl and moving to Ireland. Ava liked him also, but it was really just a surrogate kind of deal. His mother had a party one time, and she and her mother had been invited. At this party, she met this guy who knew some of the people who had worked on set with the LOTR cast, and he himself had auditioned for the role of Legolas. He had seen Orlando come on set. She was absolutely crazy about this connection and was dearly hoping it would bring her closer to Orlando Bloom.

She ate a lot. She actually ate more than me. She would eat three bowls of cereal, an omelet, two sandwiches, a wheel of cheese, three large cups of milk, ten cookies, and a gallon of ice cream in one go. I felt awkward and tried to eat all this with her but despite the fact that I had a large appetite myself, I was floored at the end of the omelet. But if you stopped eating, she would start calling herself fat and being really awkward and start saying you were calling her fat, so you had to eat. And sometimes at school, she would get really upset about how heavy she was. She would throw tantrums at Sarah and Katie because they were tiny and didn't understand what it meant to be fat. Eventually, I remember in an attempt to even things out, I was like 'Ava, I am fat too. I think if I was going to lose weight I would probably need to go on a diet. We aren't born with the same bodies'. This was the first time I had ever suggested to myself that I needed a diet, and it also made Ava furious at me for a short time.

She also had a few ingrown hairs (often happens to girls with course dark hair) on her legs, and she would pick at these ingrown hairs till they were scabs. Any blemish that was on her body, besides her face she would pick at till they bled. So for a time, she was covered in scabs. And she thought she had a disease. But we all watched her pick at them. I think Ava was suffering from a personality disorder at the time. And she would call herself ugly, and she wasn't ugly in the least. She had a gorgeous face, and in a certain angle she could look like Gwen Stephani a little bit. It really was hard to be her friend sometimes. I really liked her because she was very fun, and dynamic and interesting. She was probably the most likeable person I had ever met up to that point. Adults hated her because she was unruly and she would always accidentally break things. She got complained about for yelling. But it was so funny you really could not tell her to stop.

Ava first befriended Katie, and this was the beginning of the eventual undoing of Katie. Katie was gullible. Ava and Katie hung out a bunch together. There was one time where Katie chewed Ava out, when Ava foolishly grabbed Katie's rifle and began pointing it at everyone. Katie took the rifle away and was very angry. To Katie's credit, she was and probably still is as responsible as a person can be with a deadly weapon. But other than that, she sort of singled Katie out, and befriended her for about a month. They ran around learning Middle Earth language. When she got Katie alone and in a trusting situation, she started telling Katie that Samantha and Sarah were against her, and probably me too, but honestly nobody ever went against me because perhaps I was too small a fish. Nothing was actually going on of course. Nobody hated Katie. Ava was taking small things and making them huge and embellishing on them to turn Katie against us and make her act out. Ava was in her own way, intentionally wrecking the group so she could dominate it. Katie was a gullible trusting person and she believed every word of this nonsense. So there was this bizarre weekend where Katie and Ava were together and sending angry emails to Sarah and Samantha. I sat drawing at the table, not really sure what the hell everyone was so mad about.

When Ava had Katie good and upset, she then turned on Katie and came back to Sarah's side. I really didn't see it like this then. It took me a few years later to track all of Ava's moves and fully realize the game. This left Katie feeling mistrustful and permanently alone. Poor Katie stopped smiling and would sometimes walk away from us upset. I tried to talk to her, but she would just say she was depressed. I don't think she even understood what had happened, or ever questioned Ava's intent or that she might have been lying.

Katie also started getting mad because she felt that Ava and Sarah had both at times drawn realistic art, and Katie felt that realism was hers. This only made her seem more ridiculous to Sarah, who wasn't really interested in realistic art at the time. We couldn't help but make jokes when we turned on Public Television and Bob Ross would be painting something realistic. 'Oh look, he's stealing from Katie. He can't do that!' Katie's mom also didn't want me to come over to visit ever again when I accidentally tracked mud on their carpet. So it was hard for me at least, to get Katie alone so I could ask what was wrong. Ava in the mean time was now going to befriend Sarah. Samantha wasn't really buying any of this. She didn't think Ava was as funny as we thought she was, and Sam at this time was starting to care more about boys (will get into this later). So now Ava was kind of the dominant leader of Sarah and me. Not completely, but kind of.

Honestly, sometimes I just kind of wanted it to just be Sarah and I again. Neither one of us really started problems that bad. Since Sarah had stopped insulting me, we got along great. We would spend hours playing Final Fantasy 9 or Zelda for 64, eating popcorn and chocolate covered raisins or draw and talk about our comics. We would stay up late and ask each other questions about the boys we liked. There was never any conflict. It wasn't easy, but I would generally try to tell her if I was upset with her. And we both pondered about life just a little more thoughtfully, and had the same strange experiences. One time, Sarah and I were talking on the phone and someone in her basement picked up the basement phone and said something to us. It was a man's voice. We could tell it was her phone because there was this certain way that it clicked when it came on that was distinct. But there was nobody downstairs. The doors were all locked, and you could look and see the doors from the upstairs. Things like that always happened to Sarah and I.

Samantha had become very infatuated with some guy named Samuel who lived in Texas. She had met him on a chatroom. She was intent on marrying him. Andy no longer meant much to her. Around this same time, there was an assembly, because we had this guest theater group from Lewiston come to do a show. Basically, it was like, three stories of twenty-odd year old actors and actresses acting like they were teenagers in 'teen' situations. One took drugs, one drove drunk and the other got pregnant. They were these highly emotional, highly charged scenes of fighting and internal dialogue until the worst of the worst was upon them. And the actors would scream and cry. In the end, the druggy one overdosed and almost died, the drunk driving teen accidentally got into an accident and killed someone, and the pregnant teenager was all well, pregnant. And in the end, the actors/actresses would cry out THIS IS REAL! This Is Real Life, and they would convince you for a few moments that they were just acting out what had actually happened. We were all blown away at the time, but it was actually rather corny.

Anyway, after this, they basically said at one point that teenagers were not capable of being in love. Which is bullshit. But that was their argument for abstinence. So, Samantha did something I did not expect. She stood up and boldly argued that they were wrong before the whole school. It really became a debate that the actors and actresses lost. Sam really broke it down. At first, I had just kind of assumed the actors were right, and then she addressed it by breaking it down to what they meant, and in a way that made me realize that I had been wrong. It was really an interesting moment for me, and I really admired her bravery. So I called Sam after school to tell her what a great job I had thought she had done, and also that I really believed in her relationship with this Samuel fellow. We got to talking, and we had not been that close since kindergarten, honestly. She started complaining about Sarah though. And once she started, she could not stop. It was really strange. All these years, Sam had disliked me, and liked Sarah. Now, she was fond of me and she hated Sarah secretly. It was all very strange to me. She complained about some really small stuff. There was one time where Sarah's breath had smelled, and she had told Sarah, and Sarah had said she had eaten garlic that morning. Sam was adamant that Sarah had been lying, and had in fact, not brushed her teeth. She was REALLY mad because she felt that Sarah had scratched her Eminem Show cd. After awhile, she was starting to sound obsessed with bashing on Sarah. And of course, I was told not to tell anyone

I kind of broke down and told Sarah. I felt like it was only fair for Sarah to address herself to Samantha. It didn't seem healthy for Sam to vent at me, and I didn't want to hate Sarah. So I told Sarah, who would talk to Sam about it, and I knew that Sam would be furious at me for having told Sarah what she had said (that might be the most 8th gradery sentence I have written in awhile). And so for that very brief time, Sam and I were friends again, but it was over before it ever really began, and we went back to mild tolerance for the rest of the time I knew her. I probably did the right thing, but heck, it doesn't matter anymore. And who but I would hold onto such pointless information?

School dragged along. There was a Drug Free after school club that was started for the seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. Kyle joined, my friends did, and so I did too. We had to take a pee test to prove we were drug free. The class was mostly an excuse for all of us to get together and cook up fried Twinkies and snicker bars every two weeks. Mrs. Kerrick had started it. I liked Mrs. Kerrick, though we were never really all that close. She taught both my math and earth science classes. She was pretty competent when it came to teaching. But people laughed at her because she was very heavy, and she dressed somewhat provocatively. I never really cared, but she also flirted with the teenage boys. It got to be pretty carried away. She would insinuate things. Anyway, I eventually got kicked out of the Drug Free thing.

The reason for that was, that in earth science we were all supposed to group up with the person sitting nearest to us and take chemicals and make them crystallize. It had something to do with learning about the earths molten rocks that dried. Everyone was kind of rowdy. I ended up with Karlie (as you will remember her as the unwell girl from 7th who used to talk to me). Karlie and I paired up, and Mrs. Kerrick told us all very seriously that we were not for any reason at all, to drink or eat any of the chemicals in the box. But as we all worked on making our crystal things, I looked over, and there was Zack, taking spoonfuls of this stuff and drinking it in the hopes I imagine of getting high. I thought that was pretty funny, so for shock value, I pretended to Karlie that I had drank the poison as well. Obviously it wasn't poisonous else Zack would have keeled over, and I just was making a joke. I hadn't taken any of it in, I just moved the spoon away from my mouth to make it seem as though I had taken a bite.

Karlie said OH MY GOD! YOU DRANK IT! And I hadn't. I assured her I was joking, but she ran up to the desk and pointed at me and told Mrs. Kerrick something, and then Mrs. Kerrick looked fatigued and panicked and she ran me into the hallway and said we were going to have to call some poison control people and take me to the emergency room. It took everything I had just to convince her that I had been joking. She barely believed me, but gave in due to it being her worst nightmare. It really gave her a fright, and I felt very embarrassed. She gave me a detention anyway – which I took, because it would at least be a new packet other than Ten O'clock Tim or whatever, and told me not to come to the next Drug Free party. I suppose I could have gone anyway, and she would not have kicked me out. I could have gone to the one after that, but I just decided to quit. I wasn't mad at her at all. She was just honestly panicked, quite understandably. The joke was harmless, but it was dumb. And as far as I know, Zack never died, despite eating the stuff like pudding. I never knew if he got high off it though.

I asked Karlie why she hadn't told on Zack. She didn't say much. I think it was probably because she had a crush on him. Rumor has it, she had written this twelve page fan fiction of Zack having bizarre standing up sex on the beach with her. Someone had stolen it from Karlie and gave it to Zack. I could tell that she was sort of crazy about him by the way that she looked at him all the time.

If you would like to read my whole life story so far, here are all the parts i have written

PART 23 - http://tinyurl.com/yac6sk3g

PART 22 - http://tinyurl.com/yat6cfnw

PART 21 - http://tinyurl.com/y783egno

PART 20 - http://tinyurl.com/y8jskymt

PART 19 - http://tinyurl.com/rfhbms8

PART 18 - http://tinyurl.com/ycrznrwk

PART 17 - http://tinyurl.com/y77unlng

PART 16 - http://tinyurl.com/yadpsv8c

PART 15 - http://tinyurl.com/yb3lt6k5

PART 14 - http://tinyurl.com/yb4cfedq

PART 13 - http://tinyurl.com/yalanq9s

PART 12 - http://tinyurl.com/yc79mw94

PART 11 - http://tinyurl.com/yc9qhj84

PART 10 - http://tinyurl.com/yb734w24

PART 9 - http://tinyurl.com/yc2t6vfw

PART 8 - http://tinyurl.com/ybl37utq

PART 7 - http://tinyurl.com/ybvo283g

PART 6 - http://tinyurl.com/kbc9dwu

PART 5 - http://tinyurl.com/msnz4am

PART 4 - http://tinyurl.com/k9x8esg

PART 3 - http://tinyurl.com/mwp9atx

PART 2 - http://tinyurl.com/lbt6xq2

PART 1 - http://tinyurl.com/l8xbvg8

#text

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elevenhoursinfront-blog · 8 years ago

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7th April 2017

Our alarm went off at 0800. I was doing this all for the pancakes. We got ready and went to the kitchen. There was about 4 people in the queue so I just thought I need to go now or I'll never do it. The staff make the batter and put it into a jug. There's three grills in a row which people use to make their pancakes. You get a jug and pot of butter next to each one. You have to put the butter onto the grill to melt rather than oil. You pour the batter and make as many pancakes and whatever size you like. I went with 5 small ones. They look exactly like the pancakes in Matilda. After my delightful breakfast, we went upstairs to get ready for yet another beach day. My happy place. Brighton beach (named after England, obviously) is specifically known for their beach huts. There's 90 huts along the sand painted in the owners own way. We got onto platform 13 - Sandringham line to Brighton Beach. About 20 minutes / 11 stops. We got to the beach and it was so quiet. It was lovely to be out of the city because there wasn't any noise, any rushing about. It was just so calm. We walked along the seafront looking at the views. The water was so clear you could see the rocks at the bottom. There were shells all mixed in the sand and the sky was a perfect blue. We eventually got to the beach huts and they were so colourful. My favourite one was a painting of a camper van with 'life's a beach' on it. We got some photos before finding a spot to lay down. It was only about 1030 so the only people around were locals walking their dogs. The dogs were running in and out of the water, some swimming further out. It was fairly windy which was annoying but hey ho. We spent the next few hours chilling out. We walked into the water when the tide was out. There were loads of flat rocks and some sand islands that didn't have any water covering them. The sun was making the water glitter. I love that. I made jam sandwiches to bring with us. Not exactly gourmet but I 'borrowed' the bread and jam from breakfast like a genius. Steve magically managed to find an ice cream van that sold hotdogs too. Luckily we didn't have any cash so he couldn't buy any. That was, until he went on a wonder and found out that they took card. X2 hotdogs were ordered. This man... We went for a stroll around 1430. It was getting really windy to the point sand was being flicked up into our faces. We walked along the cliff edge watching the wind surfers. We got the train back home at 1530. I was absolutely knackered, I had to have a nap before we went out tonight. We both showered and got into bed. I dried my hair and straightened it before having a nap so that it didn't go frizzy. Steve, Cherry and I napped from 1700-1800 even though our alarms were on for 1900. The guy in our room was making so much noise - constantly in and out of the door. We woke up to Mel knocking on the door asking for toenail clippers. When she was finished, we all went downstairs to buy some goon. We walked into Liquor Land opposite the hostel but we were refused entry... They ID you at the door but we could only get in with a passport. We had locked ours away and I wasn't getting it out to just buy some alcohol when my drivers license is another proof of identity. I am a liability - I will lose my passport. We bought a box of goon from another shop, $14 between 3 which is cheap as. 4.5L of wine and this time, it had been in the fridge so it was cold! Even better. We went to the kitchen to start prees and I made some pesto pasta. Steve is sick of pasta apparently (although I think it's just him being lazy and wanting fast food). We sat with Mel, Cherry, Aimee and Imogen. He went to get McDonald's... By 2000, we started getting ready. The girls came up to my room and we put our makeup and clothes on. Mel bought her friend from another hostel along too, Lily. Steve was promoted to photographer as we wanted to get some nice photos. We took a fair few but I didn't like any of them. The girls went to Joint Bar for more pre drinks but Mel stayed behind with me and Steve. We stayed in the room chilling and chatting until 2300. We met the girls in Joint and went straight outside, Cherry ended up having an argument with the bouncers over a misunderstanding. Her dad phoned her so she went outside but forgot she wasn't allowed drinks outside. The bouncer told her off so she apologised and went to go back in. The bouncer told her no. The argument developed from then on and the bouncer was swearing so much. We walked away. The next thing we saw was two men physically fighting outside our hostel but across the road. It was getting dangerous as there were 2 lines of car traffic and 2 lines of tram traffic. The men were fighting brutally and one girl was screaming trying to get them off. I see Steve fly across the road to intervene which I wasn't happy with so obviously there I went, to also intervene. We tried pulling them apart but luckily the Police turned up. One guy ran into the hostel and the other laid on the floor. The guys were topless soaked in blood. As Steve and I walked away, we realised we had blood all over us too. I told the officer that the other guy ran into the hostel and we walked in together. I let him in with my card and then went to wash the blood off. After all that, the girls grabbed pizza on the way to the club. We were going to the Crown Casino as there's clubs inside. Today was R&B night and we put ourselves onto the guest list earlier on. We walked to Southbank to the casino and managed to lose Cherry, Aimee and Imogen. Mel, Steve and I spent the next 15 minutes trying to find the right nightclub. The casino is absolutely massive and extremely posh. All the big celebs stay there in the hotel rooms. We found the nightclub and got in after passing 3 loads of security. Aimee, Imogen and cherry got refused typically so it was just us 3. We spent the next few hours dancing, laughing and drinking. We only bought 2 drinks inside because they were $10 roughly each. We left at 0200 when we had enough and took the long walk back. My feet were killing and I was more drunk than I thought. We got in and I took my makeup off and got into bed. I was out quicker than I've ever fallen asleep before.

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aier-quotes · 8 years ago

Text

Switch (Part One)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word count: 3215

Notes: Avengers AU (Canon divergence)

Summary: You are a mage, a magick user with great potential, that has spent the majority of your life locked away in study or gallivanting across the world. But after years of the world facing catastrophe after catastrophe you find that you can no longer ignore it. Though it is against everything your family has taught you, you find yourself wrapped up in the Avengers and become drawn to one in particular.

Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three

May 2015 - one week later

It didn’t make any sense.

He had run and rerun the calculations. There was definitely another player on the field in Sokovia. There was no way for so many of the civilians to escape before the helicarrier arrived. Yet that was what had happened. Not to mention what the civilians themselves had reported. They claimed a woman swooped in and whisked them away to safety.

Tony and FRIDAY had worked with the only data available to them but there was no surviving security footage, only some satellite imagery and nothing left of that floating city to work from. It was easy to tell there was someone else there. Likely enhanced. But they were never still long enough for a viable image to be captured.

Eventually, after a week of dead ends Tony took what little he had to the ‘new’ Avengers, seeing as this could really only benefit their ranks. Steve seemed unsure about spending time and resources looking for someone that may or maynot be on their side, though Tony had a good idea what he would prefer to spend those resources on finding. The twins were also adamant that they were the only survivors of Strucker’s experiments.

After a lot of back and forth he finally convinced them that they could have powered individual on side, and that was worth exploring.

October 2015

After the incident in Sokovia you had tried to return to your life.

You travelled, Hawaii, Mexico, France, Kenya. It became so erratic that after some months you began to wonder if you were exploring the boundaries of your freedom or running from the decision you had made. Running from yourself, your family, your world. You had risked the exposure of everything you held dear on a whim.

But the longer you ran, the more you began to wonder if you had gotten away with it. That you had been careful enough to avoid detection. You had yet to face any consequences from the either side.

Had the Avengers been so focused on their enemy? Had your family been unaware of your actions?

With this thought in mind you decided to take a break from your travelling and to settle, at least temporarily, in your flat in Brighton, England. That had been two weeks ago and no bad had come from staying in one place.

It was peaceful there, a beautiful sea view, a comfortable home, it was almost like you had no cares in the world.

One of the best things about the flat was that it had been renovated by your family. So if one were to walk in all they would find would be a little hallway, one bedroom, one bathroom and an open plan kitchen/ living room. However, hanging on the wall in the hallway was a picture of a small room that resembled a medieval apothecary more than the modern design of the rest of the apartment. It was through this picture that you accessed the secret room built into your home.

You were in this room when there came a knock at your front door. Unfortunately you had not made any effort to get to know your neighbours, or anyone really in the area. Anyone you knew would just appear to you. There was no evidence of this room on any floor plan or schematic and no doorway that lead into it. No one could find you in here. It was your safe space.

Loud music blared from the headphones you wore as you stood in your secret room. The scent of incense and dried herbs a familiar comfort as you ground a mixture of ingredients in a pestle and mortar. It was as you were leaning over the desk for more dried lavender that you felt a presence behind you. No, not a presence, a power. Pulsing. Loud. Dangerous.

You spun around to find a tall figure stood in the room with you. It took you a moment to realise that it was… the Vision. Your eyes were momentarily drawn to the beacon of power upon his forehead before you realised what had happened.

They had found you.

Your eyes darted to the picture of the living room hanging on the wall behind the intruder. In an explosion of noise you were there and you weren’t alone.

Panic flooded through you as they quickly became aware that you were there. Fumbling, you rushed for the photograph you always kept in your pocket in case of an emergency. You snapped the image up to your eyes but before you could focus on it it was gone from your fingers. It was late, the curtains drawn and too far away to open and escape. Instincts kicked in as you felt the pressure mounting. A cornered animal. Your palms began to glow, magick pulsing through the runes tattooed upon them, as you prepared to defend yourself.

“Woah, woah.” One of the intruders stepped forward attempting to calm the situation, Captain America. It took longer than it should have to recognise him as he was out of uniform. He still bore his shield but he did not seem dressed for combat, none of them did, you realised as you took a moment to look over at the heroes in your living room. “Hi… I’m Steve.” He said a little awkwardly as the tension finally began to defuse. The Vision phasing into the room drew your attention from the super soldier and gave you a moment to realise the others in the room were the Maximoff twins. You also noticed that it was the silver speedster that held, and was examining, the photograph you had pulled from your pocket moments before. “Do you mind if I sit?” Steve asked, drawing your attention back to him before you could make any comment.

“I’d say make yourself at home but clearly you already have.” You snarked, the power in your palms lessened as you listened to what they had to say.

“Sorry about that. You were quite hard to find, we didn’t want to miss you.” Steve apologised awkwardly as he raked a hand through his neatly trimmed hair. “Clearly.” You deadpanned.

“It was not my intention to startle you but there were no other viable entrances into the room.” The android chimed in, as if his explaining it to you would somehow excuse the home invasion.

“That’s kinda the point but, hey, you ignore locks why not walls?” Sarcasm flowed effortlessly from your lips. You were on the defensive, you had no idea what they wanted from you and what they were willing to do to get it.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” The soldier soothed as he gave his companions a look that told them to let him handle this.

“By all means put the better one forward. I’d love to hear your validation for breaking and entering.” You crossed your arms in front of you and waited for the excuses to begin. All the while in the back of your mind a growing dread began to formulate.

“We know you were in Sokovia six months ago. That you helped and that not all of us would have made it if not for your efforts.” A significant looked passed between Steve and the Twins.

“And you’re in my home because?” You inquired impatiently. The longer they were here the worse it would be if they were to find out.

“You did not exactly stick around long enough for us to thank you.” A mild Sokovian accent drew your attention to the left of the room, to the man that clasped your escape route and looked at you oddly. He seemed vaguely familiar.

“So, what, this is some kind of belated surprise party? You shouldn’t have. Really.” You sighed, this conversation felt like it was spinning in circles.

“No…” The speedster responded as he fiddled with the now crumpled photograph.

“You must understand you were an unknown quantity.” The Vision piped up again, trying to reason with you.

“I helped you!” You said exasperated.

“Yes, you did, but we had no idea who you were or what your intentions were.” The captain told you sternly.

“So… now that we’ve had this heart to heart, what do you think?” You just wanted this all to end, for them to leave and prey nothing more comes of it.

“Honestly, I think that you wanted to save lives. You helped evacuate civilians and took down a quinjet.” The veteran told you.

“And?”

“And that tells me you have the power and the inclination to do some good.” Even he started to seem frustrated with your continued hostility.

“Ok… starting to get it know… this whole welcome wagon was your way of getting me to join you? No offense, but I think you need a new strategy.” You felt incredibly slow on the uptake as you to realised why they were really here.

“To be fair, it was going to be just me, but as far as we could tell no one was home. I thought we hit another cold lead. So they came up to help me figure out where you’d gone. But, you’re right, that’s why we’re here.” He finally conceded the truth as you allowed the words to settle in your head. The Avengers wanted you to join them. This… this was definitely not good.

“Well, sorry to disappoint after all the effort you must’ve put in to find me but, I can’t.” You informed them as flippantly as you could.

“Can’t? Not won’t? Something stopping you? Someone? We could protect you.” Mr Stars-and-stripes immediately caught on, offering aid you didn’t need for a problem he could not understand.

“Look, you wouldn’t understand-” Your arms uncrossed as you rang your fingers together nervously, your words were quickly interrupted.

“Explain then.” A much softer Sokovian accent chimed in. You regarded the young woman in your home, absently you noted that she definitely had it.

“Seriously? You being here is gonna get me into enough trouble let alone telling you anything more.” Your hands stopped fidgeting as they soon gripped into tight fists of frustration. They had no idea what they could be risking.

“Alright, but if you change your mind, you know where to find us.” Steve finally conceded that this was not working. He signalled for his team to leave with a sharp nod in their direction. But he left the offer open to you, in case you ever changed your mind, as if it were your choice.

“I’m sure it will be a big building with ‘Avengers’ printed on the front.” You sassed one last time before the door closed and you were alone in your flat once again.

You collapsed on your couch, your head in your hands, the worst part was a part of you was excited by the idea of joining the Avengers. Of being a part of something in the outside world rather than just being a passer-by.

But you knew deep in your bones that could never happen, and you had an awful feeling that the consequences of your actions in Sokovia were only just beginning.

October 2015 -The next day

A deep pounding at the base of your skull was what you awoke to. Your eyes opened slowly, blearily as you started to get your bearings. You bolted upright as you became awake enough to realise what the ache meant. You had been forcefully teleported.

Looking around the room you found the surroundings awfully familiar. You knew where you were and it was definitely not good. Especially seeing as they had summoned you here. Bad sign.

Trepidation coursed through you as you rose from the soft bed, the bed of your childhood, and made your way to a large photo set hanging on the wall. In this image set were photographs of various rooms in the house. You focused on the image of the dining room, when you were there you walked up to an identical picture set and focused on your father’s study.

Each room in the house had one of these picture sets, each with a different assortment of room son display. This was your family’s estate. The building was built by your ancestors, it had been designed to keep your family safe and part of that design meant there were only three doors in the entire structure. The front door, a guest living room door and the guest toilet door. They were primarily there for show if non-magickal guests were ever to be permitted.

When you appeared in the study you found that it had not changed in your three year absence. The familiar figure of your father stood before the cold fireplace. Seemingly staring into absence of flames. You cleared your throat, alerting him to your presence. He turned, and for a moment his expression showed his delight in seeing you again before becoming stern as he remembered the reason that you stood before him. He gestured for you you to sit in the plush armchair opposite his desk. You do so.

“Last night the wards placed on your flat were broken.” Your father began without preamble, he was rarely one to waste time with pleasantries.

“Y-yes, there were some unexpected-” You stumbled, feeling a child trying to explain why your hand was in the biscuit tin.

“The Avengers.” He deadpanned.

“I-”

“We know about what you did in Sokovia. It was allowed because you successfully disguised your presence from those involved… or so we believed.” He informed you, disappointment resonating in his tone.

“I know and I’m sorry, but dad-”

“Hush. You risked the exposure of your family and your people!” His voice was sharp as his presence dwarfed your own.

“Have you seen the world today? It’s full of gods and monsters!” You snapped back, becoming defensive at the tone he was using on you. You were not a child.

“And since they revealed themselves the world has become more dangerous.” He said, his words a mixture of condescension and indignation.

“Yes but-”

“What would happen if magick were to be thrown into the already volatile mix?!”

“Dad! Magick has already been thrown in!” You finally managed to say without interruption.

“Explain.”

“One of the New Avengers, the Vision, he is in possession of an Infinity Stone.”

“Are you sure?” He stood from his seat behind the desk and began to pace the length of the room.

“There is no doubt, I could feel the power of it.” You confirmed, understanding the seriousness of what you were telling him.

“This is more serious than we first thought. I need to talk with the others.” He told you as he returned to his desk. His hand waved over the polished wood, a pulse of magick skimmed the surface, as the top of the desk began to shimmer and showed the image of a place you had never been. Nor wanted to go. It lead to the meeting place of the heads of the mage families. The Coterie.

“Of course, but you should know the reason they came to me last night.” The words rushed out before he began to focus on his teleportation.“They wished for me to join them.”

“Did they now? What do they know of your power?” He looked at you sharply, he was clearly calculating something.

“I’m not sure.”

“Very well. You should go find your mother while I confer with the others, she has missed you.” His gaze softened for a moment as his thoughts returned to how glad he was to see you. Before he returned his focus to the image in front of him and he was gone.

Several hours later…

You sat in the sunroom with your mother. You had been amicably discussing your travels when your father appeared in the room, a grim expression on his face.

“Did it not go well Dear?” Your mother’s soft voice seeming to sooth your father’s turbulent thoughts.

“The news of another Infinity Stone being kept on our world did not go over well with the other families.” He informed you both as he took a seat beside your mother on the sofa.

“What was their decision?” You asked cautiously, feeling, knowing, that this was your fault.

“They felt this was a unique situation.” He began, his hands clasping together to stop them from fidgeting.

“What does that mean?” Your mother asked, concern lacing her voice.

“It means that they have decided to allow your joining these Avengers, should you so choose.” He said slowly, like the words were difficult to form due to the strangeness that they meant.

“What restrictions do they propose? I assume they wish for me to spy for them?” Immediately you were suspicious, this was definitely not how you expected the Coterie to respond. Though the news of an Infinity Stone certainly changed things.

“Your travels haven’t dulled your wits, good.” Your father allowed a small smile, pride in his words, despite the gravity of the situation you found yourselves in.

“Father, their membership include the best spies in the world!” You exclaimed. You were a decent liar, after years of keeping you people’s secret, but lying to people who dealt in secrets seemed impossible for you.

“We don’t want anything invasive, we care little for their politics. We want only for you to report any dangers we need be concerned about and that you watch this ‘Vision’. Be sure he is capable of protecting the Cosmic Gem.” He said trying to calm the panic he saw bubbling within you.

“And my power? Are they not worried about exposure?” You asked almost incredulously. You had never heard of the families making such a decision.

“Within the team we leave the truth to your discretion but as far as the world is concerned you are… what do they call themselves… Inhuman.” The trust that your people had placed upon you suddenly dawned. They were leaving it to your judgement what you choose to tell the Avengers. It seemed ridiculous. This whole situation.

“But our power is inherently different-” You said, the first of many flaws to this plan popped into your head.

“We know this but the rest of the world is not so enlightened.” He smiled, an inherent pride that was rife in most mages flashed in his eyes.

“This is all well and good but my offensive abilities are extremely limited, what if I can’t handle it?” Your voice became small as you looked at your hands. The runes tattooed on your palms shimmering up at you, even when you weren’t channeling magick through them they still hummed with power. The arcane blasts that they channel being the only offensive spell you could successfully cast.

“You have this, if you find yourself unable to escape and the danger imminent, we will come for you. Do not use it lightly.” As he said this your father presented you with a silver pendant, carved runes encircled the small gemstone embedded in the centre. It was a little like a magickal distress beacon that the Coterie would sense. This was really happening.

“Of course.” You intoned as your father secured the chain around your neck.

“Very well, and (Y/N)… be safe.”

Part Two

Tag list: @not-you-30 @bovaria @marvelousfiction13 @marvel-ash @sebbys-girl @sebby-trash @writingbarnes @writing-soldiers @buckywithdagoodhair @writingfortheavengers @jarnesbrnes @blueinkblot

Tag list open

(Comments and critiques welcome)

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #reader #the winter solider x reader #the winter soldier #avengers #avengers x reader #avengers au #marvel #fanfic #magic #witch #witchcraft #superhero #fanfiction

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injectionmoldchina · 7 years ago

Photo

New Post has been published on http://www.injectionmouldchina.com/cool-fitting-mould-maker-images/

Cool Fitting Mould Maker images

A few nice fitting mould maker images I found:

memories of 1976

Image by brizzle born and bred It saw the birth of punk and the death of Chairman Mao, it was a time when Britain was at its financial peak, even though the country was bailed out by the International Monetary Fund. THE SIZZLER OF ’76 – one of the hottest summers on record

1976 Inflation continues to be a problem around the world. Concorde enters service and cuts transatlantic flying time to 3 1/2 hours. One year after Microsoft is formed Apple is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Nadia Comaneci scores the first ever perfect score in Gymnastics. In South Africa Riots in Soweto on June 16th mark the beginning of the end of apartheid. In music the first of the Punk Bands appear The Damned release New Rose classified as Punk Rock Music.

It was the year in which Harold Wilson resigned and Jimmy Carter became US President, a space probe landed on Mars. These were simpler times – fear of crime was low, people were less suspicious of others, and "traffic flowed freely and, by and large, British Rail was just wonderful".

There were fewer lager louts and it was safe to go out clubbing on a Saturday night. There was less pressure for children and teenagers to live up to their peers -‘keeping up with the Jones’. Children played in the parks and streets instead of becoming couch potatoes or computer geeks.

The economy was in desperate straits. The reservoirs were empty. The government was in danger of falling apart.

Youth unemployment was rising. And British sports people were preparing for an Olympic Games. There was a national water shortage, inflation reached 27 per cent, there were widespread strikes and the West Indies cricket team left us grovelling for mercy. Amid many strikes in public sectors, there was also raging inflation. Britain was forced into the humiliating position of asking international bankers to lend it billions of pounds, revealing the full scale of the economic failure the country was facing.

It was a turbulent time for Britain, we agreed to keep trawlers out of Icelandic waters after a third “Cod War”. In the heat of the summer, riots broke out at the Notting Hill carnival. 100 police officers were taken to hospital after they tried to break up rioters armed only with dustbin lids and milk crates. It was a good year for technology, for 1976 saw the first commercial Concorde flight, the unveiling of the first space shuttle, Enterprise, and the start-up of a new business, the Apple Computer Company, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. And Matsushita introduced the VHS home video cassette recorder to compete with Sony’s Betamax system.

Cost of Living

Strikes in public services were just something people had to deal with. The standard rate of tax stood at 35 pence in the pound. Inflation raged at around 17%. The industrial unrest and economic crisis led within a few years to the winter of discontent and then the Thatcher revolution. In terms of individual wealth, we were certainly poorer. The average wage was around £72 a week. Only half of us had phones – landlines, that is. No-one had a computer. Far fewer of us owned our own homes and it was much more difficult to get a mortgage. There was less crime and lower energy consumption because there were fewer cars and centrally-heated houses.

In terms of quality of life, only half the country had a telephone, no one had a computer and just over half of homes were owner-occupied compared with seven in 10 today. Our quality of life was improved by an affordable cost of living – petrol was 77p a gallon, a pint 32p and a loaf 19p – low crime levels and fewer cars on the road.

There was also a large investment in the public sector and a narrowing in the wage gap between the sexes. For the really wealthy there was a chance to travel on Concorde, which started flying from Heathrow to Bahrain that January. And for the rest of us we could book a seat on the first InterCity 125 trains or save up for one of the new Ford Fiestas or Mark IV Cortinas, costing £1,950. It was also the year of the Ford Fiesta, Rover SD1, Ford IV Cortina and the Hyundai Pony.

There was less traffic on British roads in 1976, but far more people were killed on them – more than 6,000 deaths compared to fewer than 2,500 annually now. Cars now have better brakes, airbags, side-impact bars and drivers are less likely to be drunk and it is now illegal not to wear seatbelts, even in the back. It was actually far more risky to be a child cycling round 1970s Britain than it is today and greatly more dangerous to be a child passenger in a car.

In 1976 we earned less money and we paid more tax (the basic rate then was 35 per cent rising to a pip-squeaking 83 per cent on earnings over £20,000 (about £110,000 today) and things largely cost far more than they do now. Travel abroad was still something of a luxury (currency restrictions were still in place meaning it was hard even if you had the cash) and largely restricted to the middle classes and above, although the era of the cheap package to Spain and elsewhere was beginning. Things that we think of as essentials – televisions, stereos, kitchen white goods and so forth were hugely expensive. In the mid-1970s a colour television cost two months’ salary; today, like all electronic goods prices have dropped in real terms by 80 per cent or more.

Far fewer of us owned our own homes and it was much more difficult to get a mortgage. Interest rates hit a whopping 15 per cent in October. Yet despite all this the new study, the first-ever global snapshot of quality of life over time, reckons 1976 was a golden year for Britain.

Clothes, travel and eating out were all significantly dearer back then, but university education (free, and you got a maintenance grant as well), public transport and some basic foodstuffs were cheaper. Petrol was cheaper too, although not by as much as we usually think. Adjusting for inflation, a litre of four-star in 1976 cost about 89p (£4 a gallon) but adjusting, again, for earning power (how much people actually had to spend on things like petrol) the real cost of motoring has fallen quite dramatically in the last four decades. As to the price of cars themselves, in 1976 a new, mid-range Ford Cortina cost around £18,000 in today’s money compared to about £16,500 for a Ford Focus in 2012).

The major dent in our finances today is not the cost of petrol but the ludicrous price of housing, especially in South-East England. In 1976 even the wealthiest parts of London contained a number of lower-income householders; there were bits of Chelsea and Kensington that were actually quite shabby. Now, the most desirable parts of the Capital (some wards now have average house prices over the £2m mark) have become effectively sterilised by money, with housing so expensive that only offshore trusts, crooks and oligarchs can afford to buy it. But this is a local phenomenon; across much of England, Wales and Scotland housing is still relatively affordable.

In most measurable ways things were no better in 1976, and in many ways worse, than they are now. We were poorer, paid more tax and most things cost more. We died sooner, smoked more and suffered more illness. We were less likely to be burgled, take drugs or have our car broken into but no less likely to be murdered, raped or robbed. And we mustn’t forget that in 1976 large sections of the population really were dramatically worse off than they are now. This was an era of casual racism and sexism, where women, gays, blacks and Asians could be openly discriminated against, where snobbery was still rife and where police corruption was so serious and widespread that 400 Metropolitan Police officers had to be quietly sacked.

But what we are REALLY nostalgic for, of course, is not the weather, the clothes or the alleged freedom but our youth. And that we can never get back.

Sport

And in sport, it was hardly a year of triumph to be cherished as a golden era. On the cricket field England were walloped by Australia and the West Indies. Our much vaunted athletics team at the Montreal Olympics came back with just one bronze medal between them.

Only dashing racing driver James Hunt saved the day somewhat by winning the Formula One championship. Lawrie McMenemy’s second division underdogs Southampton beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the FA Cup. This was one of the biggest upsets in cup history.

Highlights included one of the hottest summers on record, the Montreal summer Olympics, and John Curry winning a gold medal for ice-skating in the winter Games. Southampton won the FA Cup. Other sporting triumphs in 76 came from British figure skater John Curry, who won Olympic gold in Innsbruck, and on the cricket field England we were walloped 3-0 by the West Indies and our much-vaunted athletics team at the Montreal Olympics came back with a single bronze, won in the 10,000 metres by Brendan Foster.

Music

It was also the year that, for many, the music died, with Abba and Elton John being elbowed aside by the rude young men of pop, including the Sex Pistols and the Clash. Fears of a younger generation with a safety pin through its nose stalked society; what punk might do to the country was a serious concern for many – not least the punks themselves. Punk rock group The Ramones released their first album, U2 got together and the Brotherhood of Man won the Eurovision Song Contest with Save Your Kisses for Me.

Top selling singles of the year were ABBA with Dancing Queen, Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody – whose video more or less changed the face of pop music – and Chicago with If You Leave Me Now. Many outdoor festivals and shows were held in the U.S. as it celebrated its bicentennial – Elton John, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top all drew huge crowds. Music fans bought Dancing Queen by Abba or Forever and Ever by Demis Roussos.

Meanwhile the Stones were in full flow, with a 33-year-old Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, both now 69, playing in front of a reported 200,000 at Knebworth Fair. The band are still on the road, packing out Hyde Park and Glastonbury 37 years on. In the charts Brotherhood of Man’s Eurovision winner Save All Your Kisses For Me and The Wurzels’ Combine Harvester were firm favourites.

Classic albums Hotel California by the Eagles and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life were released in 76 but there were signs of a shift in musical tastes.

A shocked nation saw the Sex Pistols’ foul-mouthed TV interview with Bill Grundy and The Damned released New Rose, widely regarded as the first punk single. Some saw punk as the death of pop but to others it was bringing music back to life while raising two fingers to the establishment.

Sex Pistols swear on live TV 1976

Punk rock band the Sex Pistols achieve public notoriety as they unleash several swearwords live on Bill Grundy’s TV show, following the release of their debut single Anarchy in the U.K. on 26 November.

Punk group The Sex Pistols cause a storm of controversy and outrage in the UK by swearing well before the watershed on the regional Thames Television news programme Today, hosted by Bill Grundy. Grundy, who has goaded them into doing so, is temporarily sacked. Today is replaced by Thames at Six a year later.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0IAYFh0CaI

Film & Television

Filming began on George Lucas’ first Star Wars film. Among the films released that year were Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky, the original Freaky Friday, starring Jodie Foster, and John Wayne’s final film, The Shootist.

On television, we were watching The Muppets, Starsky And Hutch and The Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, The Muppet Show, Starsky and Hutch. At the cinema, Sylvester Stallone captured everyone’s heart as gutsy boxer Rocky and the film clinched the best picture Oscar. But perhaps the most chilling performance of the year came Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. On TV wheeler dealer Mike Baldwin, played by Johnny Briggs, started his 30-year stint on Coronation Street.

THE SIZZLER OF ’76 – one of the hottest summers on record

Many people fondly remember the year when the mercury topped 28C (82F) for a record-breaking 22 days… and for once the nostalgia is not misplaced.

It was the driest summer since 1772 so hours of sunny outdoor fun made 1976 a favourite. It’s the weather that stands out in most people’s memories. Day after day of temperatures in the 90s, as people rolled up their flared trousers to sunbathe in the park. That had its downside, of course, with a drought leading to scorched earth and hundreds of thousands of people dependent on standpipes for their water supply. There was even a Minister of Drought, Denis Howell, who within days of his appointment became Minister of Floods, as the heavens opened.

Henry Kelly, who was on the radio even then, recalls the heatwave: "As a radio reporter I covered the old chestnut of a man frying eggs on the pavement near Oxford Circus."

With the sunny weather here at last, We turn back the clock to the now legendary summer of 1976 – a year when the heat was really on Rationed: With water supplies running dry, many families had to rely on standpipes Heatwave: During the long, dry summer of 1976, even the mighty Chew Valley Reservoir virtually dried up AFTER basking in the sun for the last couple of weeks, let’s hope we can look forward, with the help of a little global warming, to some long, hot summer days.

We’re certainly due them after a dismal winter and cold spring. But how many readers, I wonder, recall the record-breaking long, hot summer of 1976, now an unbelievable 30 years ago? If you do, you’ll have memories of what a summer should really be like, with day after day of unbroken sunshine and temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Weathermen said that it was the hottest year overall since 1826, though it was just a little cooler in the West. But Bristol certainly had the hottest June on record. Readers of the Post were asked to ‘cool it’ as ice cream was rationed, kids stripped off and jumped into the pool in front of the Council House and tempers became frayed. The outdoor swimming pools, like Portishead and the old Clifton Lido, came into their own and shops reported shortages of suntan oil and sunglasses.

Wildlife had a field day, with a plague of ladybirds descending on the seafronts at Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare. The local authorities started spreading sand on the roads to stop the tar from melting (which didn’t work) and the water authorities became so stretched that they considered bringing in extra supplies to Avonmouth from Norway. Pupils at Winterbourne school were forced to attend lessons as the temperature topped 37.8 degrees in the classroom. But in more sensible Somerset, some children started school at 8am and finished at 1pm – missing at least some of the heat of the day. Despite constant warnings, youngsters just couldn’t be stopped from diving into the area’s many rivers and watercourses to cool off. More dangerously, many Bristol people started jumping into the icy, deep waters of the docks.

By the end of June it was official – Bristol was England’s hottest spot, with a temperature of 91F (33C). By this time many people had had enough of the heat – but amazingly it just went on and on, right throughout July and August. With temperatures at night remaining very high (63 degrees) people found that they couldn’t sleep. In fact, you could still feel the heat wafting off the pavements at midnight. The weathermen tell us that it did rain, but amounts were very small, and soon drought conditions set in.

Then, after over a month without rain, the brewery draymen went on strike – so we soon had beer rationing as well as water rationing to add to our misery. A hosepipe ban was implemented and the washing of cars was outlawed. There was much goverment advice on water-use, including the suggestion that only five inches of water was to be used in a bath, and that baths, it was daringly suggested, should be shared). A minister for drought, Denis Howell, was appointed. Just to prove he meant business a hastily conceived Drought Bill, implemented on July 14, allowed for fines of up to £400 for water misuse.

On June 28, the record for the hottest June day was broken when 32.8C (91F) was recorded. August was a record month with an amazing 264 hours of sunshine – more than eight hours a day. But not everyone lapped up the sun. There were casualties. In July, a local woman died from hyperpyrexia – caused by not drinking enough water or having enough salt in hot weather. It was something usually restricted to countries with very hot climates. Wildlife suffered, too. Thousands of salmon and trout died in the region’s rivers as the water became starved of oxygen. Many trees, especially those which had just started to recover from Dutch elm disease – started to wilt and die. Dust clouds covered the land as firemen strugled to cope with up to 20 grass-fires a day. In the Cotswolds, so-called dust-devils were reported.

These were small whirlwinds which only occur on fine, hot days. Brooks and springs which had never been known to dry up, even in the hottest weather, did just that and bowling greens and golf courses closed their doors to members as their ‘greens’ turned to ‘browns’. Water was being lost by evaporation from the Mendip reservoirs at an alarming rate – nearly six million litres a day throughout August. The level in the vast Chew Valley reservoir fell so low that visitors could actually walk on the exposed baked earth and make out the old road bridges and skeletal remains of long-since drowned farms.

As temperatures stayed in the 90s, many country areas came to rely on standpipes and buckets of water. Some, with very limited supply, or even none at all, had water delivered by tanker. Finally, on August 28, the worst drought since 1921 came to an end with violent storms and flooding. Strangely, many people stood at their back doors and welcomed the rain back with open arms.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRk_Oc_PjAI

1976 The Murders of the Yorkshire Ripper

20 January – 42-year-old married woman Emily Jackson is stabbed to death in Leeds; it is revealed that she was a part-time prostitute. Police believe she may have been killed by the same man who murdered Wilma McCann in the city three months ago.

Sutcliffe’s assaults on Rogulsky, Smelt and Tracey Browne were puzzling random attacks on women but not regarded in the same mould as the murder of Wilma McCann in Leeds or indeed of Joan Harrison in Preston. Wilma’s killing was the first linked Ripper murder and was probably motivated by Tracey’s desire to rob her, a prostitute nearly at home after a night on the town, with extreme violence, rather than a planned commencement of a series of ritual murders. Harrison was also robbed.

‘The well-described stocky bearded Irishman seen with Emily Jackson was never traced. Mrs Jackson was never seen alive again and her van lay parked in the Gaiety car park to which she never returned. This man was always believed to be her killer by the police and his description is quite different to Peter Sutcliffe. This man or a similarly described man was observed at the scene of two subsequent Ripper murders. These fact along with many others shows that Peter Sutcliffe didn’t commit the murder of Emily Jackson.’

9 May – 20-year-old Leeds prostitute Marcella Claxton is badly injured in a hammer attack.

Marcella Claxton, aged 20, and a prostitute, was attacked in Leeds in the early hours of Sunday, May 9 1976. The police did not link the attack to the Yorkshire Ripper series, though they did re-examine the file after the next murder in February 1977.

1976 Timeline

January – Korean cars are officially imported to the United Kingdom for the first time, as Hyundai launches its Pony family saloon on the British market.

2 January – Hurricane-force winds of up to 105 mph kill 22 people across Britain and cause millions of pounds worth of damage to buildings and vehicles.

5 January – Ten Protestant men are killed in the Kingsmill massacre at South Armagh, Northern Ireland, by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, using the cover name "South Armagh Republican Action Force".

7 January – Cod War: British and Icelandic ships clash at sea.

18 January – The Scottish Labour Party is formed.

21 January – The first commercial Concorde flight takes off.

29 January – Twelve Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs explode in London’s West End.

2 February – The Queen opens the new National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, situated near the city’s airport.

4–15 February – Great Britain and Northern Ireland compete at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, and win one gold medal.

11 February – John Curry becomes Britain’s first gold medalist in skating at the Winter Olympics.

19 February – Iceland breaks off diplomatic relations with Britain over the Cod War.

March – Production of the Hillman Imp ends after 13 years. It is due to be replaced next year by a three-door hatchback based on a shortened Avenger floorpan.

1 March – Merlyn Rees ends Special Category Status for those sentenced for crimes relating to the civil violence in Northern Ireland.

4 March – The Maguire Seven are found guilty of the offence of possessing explosives and subsequently jailed for 14 years.

6 March – EMI Records reissues all 22 previously released British Beatles singles, plus a new single of the classic "Yesterday". All 23 singles hit the UK charts at the same time.

7 March – A wax likeness of Elton John is put on display in London’s Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.

The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention is formally dissolved in Northern Ireland resulting in direct rule of Northern Ireland from London via the British parliament.

9 March – The Who’s Keith Moon collapses on stage ten minutes into a performance at the Boston Garden.

16 March – Harold Wilson announces his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to take effect on 5 April.

19 March – Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon announce that they are to separate after 16 years of marriage.

26 March – Anita Roddick opens the first branch of The Body Shop in Brighton.

3 April – The United Kingdom wins the Eurovision Song Contest for the third time with the song "Save Your Kisses for Me", sung by Brotherhood of Man. It remains one of the biggest-selling Eurovision songs ever.

5 April – James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom upon the retirement of Harold Wilson, defeating Roy Jenkins and Michael Foot in the leadership contest. Callaghan, 64, was previously Foreign Secretary and had served as a chancellor and later Home Secretary under Wilson in government from 1964 until 1970.

7 April – Cabinet minister John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party leaving the Government without a majority in the House of Commons.

9 April – Young Liberals president Peter Hain is cleared of stealing £490 from a branch of Barclays Bank.

26 April – Comedy actor and Carry On star Sid James dies on stage at the Sunderland Empire Theatre having suffered a fatal heart attack.

1 May – Southampton F.C. win the first major trophy of their 91-year history when a goal from Bobby Stokes gives the Football League Second Division club a surprise 1-0 win over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

3 May – Paul McCartney and Wings start their Wings over America Tour in Fort Worth, Texas. This is the first time McCartney has performed in the US since The Beatles’ last concert in 1966 at Candlestick Park.

4 May – Liverpool F.C. clinch their ninth Football League title with a 3-1 away win over relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers, fighting off a close challenge from underdogs Queen’s Park Rangers.

6 May – Local council elections produce disappointing results for the Labour Party, who won just 15 seats and lost 829 that they had held, compared to the Conservatives who won 1,044 new seats and lost a mere 22. This setback came despite the party enjoying a narrow lead in the opinion polls under new leader James Callaghan.

9 May – 20-year-old Leeds prostitute Marcella Claxton is badly injured in a hammer attack.

10 May – Jeremy Thorpe resigns as leader of the Liberal party.

19 May – Liverpool win the UEFA Cup for the second time by completing a 4-3 aggregate victory over the Belgian side Club Brugge K.V.

20 May – Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is involved in a car accident. Cocaine is found in his wrecked car. Richards is given a court date of 12 January 1977.

27 May – Harold Wilson’s Resignation Honours List is published. It controversially awards honours to many wealthy businessmen, and comes to be known satirically as the "Lavender List".

June – British Leyland launches its innovative new Rover SD1, a large five-door hatchback that replaces the ageing P6 series.

1 June – UK and Iceland end the Cod War.

14 June – The trial for murder of Donald Neilson, known as the "Black Panther", begins at Oxford Crown Court.

22 June–16 July – Heat wave reaches its peak with the temperature attaining 26.7°C (80°F) every day of this period. For 15 consecutive days, 23 June–7 July inclusive, it reaches 32.2°C (90°F) somewhere in England; and five days – the first being 26 June – see the temperature exceed 35°C (95°F). This is contributing to the worst drought in the United Kingdom since the 1720s.

28 June – In the heat wave, the temperature reaches 35.6°C (96.1°F) in Southampton, the highest recorded for June in the UK.

29 June – The Seychelles become independent of the UK.

2 July – Benjamin Britten is created Baron Britten of Aldeburgh in the County of Suffolk, less than six months before his death.

3 July – Heat wave peaks with temperatures reaching 35.9°C (96.6°F) in Cheltenham.

7 July – David Steel is elected as new leader of the Liberal Party.

10 July – Three British and one American mercenaries are shot by firing squad in Angola.

14 July – Ford launches a new small three-door hatchback, the Fiesta – its first front-wheel drive transverse engined production model – which is similar in concept to the Vauxhall Chevette and German car maker Volkswagen’s new Polo. It will be built in several factories across Europe, including the Dagenham plant in Essex (where 3,000 jobs will be created), and continental sales begin later this year, although it will not go on sale in Britain until January 1977.

17 July–1 August – Great Britain and Northern Ireland compete at the Olympics in Montreal, Canada, and win 3 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze medals.

21 July – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the UK ambassador to Ireland, and a civil servant, Judith Cooke, are killed by a landmine at Sandyford, Co. Dublin.

22 July – Dangerous Wild Animals Act requires licences for the keeping of certain animals in captivity.

27 July – United Kingdom breaks diplomatic relations with Uganda.

29 July – A fire destroys the pier head at Southend Pier. August – Drought at its most severe. Parts of South West England go for 45 days with no rain in July and August.

Government and Trades Union Congress agree a more severe Stage II one-year limit on pay rises.

5 August – The Great Clock of Westminster (or Big Ben) suffers internal damage and stops running for over nine months.

6 August – The last Postmaster General, John Stonehouse, is sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud.

14 August – 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland.

30 August – 100 police officers and 60 carnival-goers are injured during riots at the Notting Hill Carnival.

September – Chrysler Europe abandons the 69-year-old Hillman marque for its British-built cars and adopts the Chrysler name for the entire range.

1 September – Drought measures introduced in Yorkshire.

3 September – Riot at Hull Prison ends.

4 September – Peace March in Derry attracts 25,000 people in a call to end violence in Northern Ireland.

9 September – The Royal Shakespeare Company opens a memorable production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench in the lead roles, directed by Trevor Nunn.

12 September – Portsmouth football club, who were FA Cup winners in 1939 and league champions in 1949 and 1950 but are now in the Football League Third Division, are reported to be on the brink of bankruptcy with huge debts.

20 September & 21 September – 100 Club Punk Festival, the first international punk festival is held in London. Siouxsie and the Banshees play their first concert.

23 September – A fire on the destroyer HMS Glasgow while being fitted out at Swan Hunter’ yard at Wallsend on Tyne kills eight men.

29 September – The Ford Cortina Mark IV is launched.

4 October – InterCity 125 trains are introduced on British Rail between London and Bristol.

8 October – The Sex Pistols sign a contract with EMI Records.

15 October – Two members of the Ulster Defence Regiment jailed for 35 years for murder of the members of the Republic of Ireland cabaret performers Miami Showband.

22 October – The Damned release New Rose, the first ever single marketed as "punk rock".

24 October – Racing driver James Hunt becomes Formula One world champion.

25 October – Opening of the Royal National Theatre on the South Bank in London, in premises designed by Sir Denys Lasdun.

29 October – Opening of Selby Coalfield.

16 November – The seven perpetrators of an £8 million van robbery at the Bank of America in Mayfair are sentenced to a total of 100 years in jail.

1 December – Punk rock band the Sex Pistols achieve public notoriety as they unleash several swearwords live on Bill Grundy’s TV show, following the release of their debut single Anarchy in the U.K. on 26 November.

10 December – Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan win the Nobel Peace Prize.

15 December – Denis Healey announces to Parliament that he has successfully negotiated a £2.3 billion loan for Britain from the International Monetary Fund on condition that £2.5 billion is cut from public expenditure: the NHS, education and social benefit sectors are not affected by these cuts.

Inflation stands at 16.5% – lower than last year’s level, but still one of the highest since records began in 1750. However, at one stage during this year inflation exceeded 24%.

Opening of Rutland Water, the largest reservoir in England by surface area (1,212 hectares (2,995 acres)).

First purpose-built (Thai style) Buddhist temple built in Britain, the Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon, London.

Television

3 April – The 21st Eurovision Song Contest is won by Brotherhood of Man, representing the United Kingdom, with their song "Save Your Kisses for Me".

5 April – Patricia Phoenix returns to the role of Elsie Tanner on Coronation Street after an absence of three years.

7 April – Margot Bryant makes her last appearance as Minnie Caldwell on Coronation Street.

1 July – US Sci-Fi series The Bionic Woman makes its debut at No.1 in the ratings – an almost unheard of event for a Sci-Fi series.

1 December – Punk group The Sex Pistols cause a storm of controversy and outrage in the UK by swearing well before the watershed on the regional Thames Television news programme Today, hosted by Bill Grundy. Grundy, who has goaded them into doing so, is temporarily sacked. Today is replaced by Thames at Six a year later.

Dennis Potter’s Play for Today Brimstone and Treacle is pulled from transmission on BBC1 due to controversy over its content, including the rape of a woman by the devil. It is eventually screened on BBC2 in 1987, after having been made into a film starring Sting in 1982.

BBC1

6 January – Rentaghost (1976–1984) 8 January – When the Boat Comes In (1976–1981) 8 September – The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–1979) 2 October – Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976–1982)

BBC2

17 February – One Man and His Dog (1976–present) 20 February – Open All Hours (BBC2 1976, BBC1 1981–1982, 1985, 2013)

ITV

1 July – The Bionic Woman (1976–1978, 2007) 1 September – Star Maidens (1976) 6 September – George and Mildred (1976–1979) 27 September – The Muppet Show (1976–1981) Chorlton and the Wheelies (1976–1979) 19 October – The New Avengers (1976–1977)

Music

This year saw the emergence of disco as a force to be reckoned with, a trend which would hold for the rest of the decade and peak in the last two years. This was also the year which truly established ABBA as the top selling act of the decade with them achieving their second, third and fourth number ones (as well as releasing the biggest-selling album of the year).

The ABBA formula was also replicated in the biggest-selling song of the year – the Eurovision-winning "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man, who began a three-year run in the UK charts from 1976. Other acts to achieve notable firsts were Elton John, who scored his first UK number one single this year (albeit as a duet with Kiki Dee), Showaddywaddy had their first and only number one and long-standing hit-maker Johnny Mathis also scored his biggest hit this year.

The album charts saw TV advertising become a major factor in changing the landscape of big sellers with non-regular singles artists achieving high sales with compilations. Among these were Slim Whitman, Bert Weedon, Glen Campbell and The Beach Boys, who remained at number one for ten consecutive weeks.

Also emerging this year was a new trend, which became known as punk rock. This was little evident on the charts as yet, and was more a lifestyle choice, but would become much more significant the following year, as many new acts who typified the trend came onto the scene.

Overall, 1976 is not considered a vintage year by music critics, with its overwhelming dominance by pop and MOR acts. Certainly, many consider 1976 to be the nadir of British music and hold the year’s charts up to be the very reason why Punk and New Wave music emerged with such force the following year.

Britain’s foremost classical composers of the late 20th century, including Sir William Walton, Benjamin Britten and Sir Michael Tippett, were still active. Sir Charles Groves conducted the Last Night of the Proms, and the soloist for "Rule Britannia" was contralto Anne Collins; the programme included Walton’s Portsmouth Point overture.

Number One singles

"Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen "Mamma Mia" – ABBA "Forever and Ever" – Slik "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" – The Four Seasons "I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)" – Tina Charles "Save Your Kisses for Me" – Brotherhood of Man "Fernando" – ABBA "No Charge" – J.J. Barrie "The Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)" – The Wurzels "You to Me Are Everything" – Real Thing "The Roussos Phenomenon EP" – Demis Roussos "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart" – Elton John and Kiki Dee "Dancing Queen" – ABBA "Mississippi" – Pussycat "If You Leave Me Now" – Chicago "Under the Moon of Love" – Showaddywaddy "When a Child Is Born" – Johnny Mathis

The side of William Powell & Sons, Carrs Lane – clear wall – “J C & J Pool” (Travelodge Carrs Lane site)

Image by ell brown Almost didn’t get this update, but when I noticed that the steel girders had been removed, I knew that i had to get new shots. I even dropped my camera case on the ground (lucky that it is padded and the camera is ok).

Saw a drill in the middle of the site next to the former William Powell & Sons.

Wonder if a new building will go up here?

Now the steel frame has gone you can read the lettering "J C & J Pool".

Powell’s Gun Shop is a Grade II listed building.

Gun shop, workshops and living accomodation [now offices] of 1861, designed by Charles Edge [f.1827-1867].

MATERIALS: Red brick with diapered patterns in black brick and painted stone dressings. PLAN: The street frontage is three storeys with attic and the rear, L-shaped workshop range has five floors.

EXTERIOR: The street front is rendered to the ground floor and first floor levels. The ground floor has three doorways at centre, right and left and between them are set shop windows. All of the openings have four-centred arches with deeply-incised hood moulds and label stops. The lower part of the shop windows are of C20 plate glass with modern fascia boards above, but the upper portions of the windows retain their two-light tracery and the surrounds are untouched. The left doorway has been converted to form a shop window and that to right leads to the staircase of the office chambers on the upper floors above the shops. The five first floor windows alternate between single and double-lights and have moulded surrounds and arched tympana beneath the black and red brick voussoirs. The piers between the windows have been encased in wooden panels. The four second floor windows are paired and have projecting figureheads to their tympana. Those to the third floor are sashes. A heavy cornice supports two gabled dormers with crow-stepped profile and polychromatic voussoirs to the relieving arches. The rear L-shaped workshop wing is of diapered brickwork with large windows above the work benches.

INTERIOR: The former central corridor which led to the rear courtyard has been incorporated and now forms a central arcaded colonnade, entered by the central door, to either side of which the shop interior can be reached. This has been largely re-fitted with replacement panelling to the walls and a suspended ceiling to the rear room at right. The offices are approached by an open-well staircase with stick balusters and shaped tread-ends. These upper floors retain their plan form relatively unaltered with two principal front rooms to each, although fireplaces have been removed. The architects drawings show these marked as drawing room etc. to first floor with bedrooms to the upper floors. The workshop wing at the back has ranges of large windows facing east and south and below these are work benches. There is a small forge to one room at first floor level.

HISTORY: The gun making industry in Birmingham was started in the C17 and expanded steadily through to the start of the C20. Firearms for the East India company and for slave traders were made in large numbers and guns for the army were a staple of the industry and led to the founding of the Government Viewing Room in 1798 and one of the two Proof Houses in the country for authorising guns. Powell’s trace their history to the partnership between William Powell and Joseph Simmons established in 1802 and were amongst the most prominent of the C19 gun makers. William Powell was elected Chairman of the Guardians of the Proof House where he also engaged Charles Edge to design the Proof Hole [proofing shed]. The firm made guns for the Napoleonic wars and for the American Civil War. They patented a number of inventions, including, in 1864, the Powell Snap Action and in 1866 a half-cocking mechanism.From 1861 William Powell gave his address as Carrs Lane, which implies that the acomodation was for his use. Gun-makers" did not usually manufacture the individual parts of their guns. Pieces were made by independent specialist sub-contractors. Some of these worked within the gun quarter and Showell’s Dictionary lists some fifty specialists. Assembly was done by "fabricators" or "setters-up" and the finished product was then sold by the "maker". It seems from the juxtaposition of shop and workshop at Carrs Lane that Powell’s assembled the guns themselves and then sold them through the shop, enabling them to better monitor the quality of the finished product.

SOURCES: Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell, Showell’s Dictionary of Birmingham (1885); Andy Foster, Birmingham, Pevsner Architectural Guides (2005).

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: This building was designed in 1860 by the noted Birmingham architect, Charles Edge, whose other listed buildings include the extension to Birmingham Town Hall [Grade I]. It houses a gun shop and associated workshops as well as accomodation [now office chambers] on the upper floors. The building has a good street front in a continental Gothic style which is little-altered, and a shop interior and accomodation which retain the essentials of their plan form. The juxtaposition of gun shop and associated workshops, where the parts made elsewhere were assembled, or "set-up" is rare and the degree of intactness in the workshop wing, with work benches and hearth still in situ, is remarkable. The building provides telling evidence of the specialist gun trade which was once such a vital part of Birmingham’s industry in the C19.

Powell’s Gun Shop – Heritage Gateway

Powell’s Gun Shop dates from 1860 – 61, a late work of Charles Edge in Italian Gothic. Four storeys and dormers, rendered below red brick with blue brick patterns above, stone dressings. The ground floor originally two shops with a central rear access, has four-centred arches. Above the window arrangement narrows on each suceeding floor, creating upward movement. Many sculpted heads. The first floor projections are recent. At the rear a narrow five-storey contemporary workshop wing.

From "Pevsner Architectural Guides: Birmingham" by Andy Foster

Another Travelodge hotel will be built here next door to the old Powell’s Gun Shop.

#Cool #Fitting #images #Maker #Mould #Injection Mould

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