#they paid the local news to advertise that if you sign on as a trucker right now you’ll get a $1200 bonus

[perfect-jerry-blossom]

seeing all these companies falling all over themselves trying to get new employees with a $1000 sign on bonus instead of just actually raising wages is hilarious

[moonlitdesertdreams]

Honky Tonkin'

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Summary: After the events of TFATWS, the reader, Sam, and Bucky go out to a Delacroix dive bar to relax. You drink, dance, and discuss Cardi B with a hundred year-old super soldier.

A/N: This has no point at all whatsoever. I was out with friends a couple nights ago and this entered my brain so I wrote it for you. Enjoy ;)

Tags: Bucky Barnes x reader, Marvel Imagine, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, bucky x reader, What is a WAP, sam wilson, TFATWS, Hank Williams, reader-insert, Winter Soldier x reader, bucky x oc, james buchanan barnes

WARNINGS: None :)

Word Count: 1471

After Bucky and Sam had tied up the day’s chores,

the boys decided a night bar-hopping was appropriate to celebrate their accomplishments.

Content to lean against Bucky’s side in the middle seat of Sam’s truck, you hummed mindlessly to the radio as Sam steered to the closest honky-tonk. Your skin was heated by a day lounging with Sarah in the Louisiana sun, but a comfortable cooling sensation crept across your shoulders where a familiar artificial arm sat.

“You’re gonna love this place, man.” Sam began, “it’s gonna feel like the 40’s all over again.”

Bucky snorted. “You’ve said that about a lot of things, Sam, and you have yet to be right.”

“Oh come on, the dance club wasn’t old fashioned enough for you?” You teased, referencing an admittedly humorous trip to a New York City club where the Winter Soldier had appeared scandalized by the clothing choices.

Bucky’s blue eyes turned to you. “People wore a lot more clothes in my day.”

The three of you continued with the idle chit chat until Sam wheeled into a parking lot a few miles off the main highway. It was a long way from the New York bars you were used to visiting with Natasha and Maria Hill while Bucky was frozen in Wakanda. The parking lot was red dirt, marred by tire tracks and full of vehicles of all sizes. Motorcycles lined the small curb, and trucks were parked on the grass all the way to the nearby treeline.

The building itself was small and sported several banners with liquor advertised on them. Your head tilted towards Sam as you unbuckled your seatbelt.

“I’m getting serious Dukes of Hazzard vibes from this.”

Bucky furrowed his brow at the reference, but slid out of the pickup without explanation. He held the door open, and you made sure to do an exaggerated curtsy in his direction.

“How gentlemanly.” You comment. Despite the years you had known both Bucky and the Winter Soldier, the chivalrous gestures never ceased to warm your heart.

“And how ladylike of you.” Bucky answered, using your hand to tug you into a short kiss.

Sam chose that time to circle the truck. “Do you two ever quit?”

“You just have bad timing, Sammy.” You chirped, tucking your hands into the crook of Bucky’s vibranium elbow.

No one in the bar paid attention in the slightest when your trio entered. The walls were lined with fishing and hunting memorabilia. Local school banners were tacked around the walls haphazardly, and witty signs appeared here and there.

Sam looked relaxed as could be, though you could feel the instinctual tension in Bucky’s body. He tucked his metal limb closer to his side and seemed to make himself smaller however, his face remained neutral, a small smile tugging at his lips as Sam greeted the bartender.

“Roy, how you been?”

“Better now that you’re here!” Roy remarked.

You smiled. Roy was a familiar face from the docks, and it seemed to relax Bucky beside you. His plaid shirt and trucker hat were tattered and dirty, and a rag was firm in his hands as he cleaned up the counter.

“And if it ain’t Dorothy and the Tin Man. Good to see y’all!” Roy reached across the counter and shook Bucky’s hand, giving yours a swift kiss to the knuckles. “You better keep her happy, Barnes. I’ll take her off your hands if you can’t handle it.”

The joke elicited a laugh from your counterpart. He nudged you with his hip and his eyes drifted to yours. “I don’t reckon you’d wanna keep her.”

“Well I’m not very happy when you talk about me like that,” you teased, turning your gaze to Roy, “Got any plans tonight?”

Sam playfully wrapped an arm over your shoulders, effectively loosening Bucky’s grip. “If anyone’s keepin’ this one, it’s me. I need someone to keep my wingman in line.”

A guffaw came from the Winter Soldier. “Wingman? I think that’s a better description for yourself.”

The easy bickering continued as they ordered drinks, and you relished in the soft burn of whiskey as the mix drink slid down your throat. “Mm. That’s good.”

Bucky and Sam tapped their beer bottles together, and you wrinkled your nose at them equally. Settling into seats at the bar, you greeted passersby as they sent fleeting glances of recognition at your group. Most recognized Sam, though word of his and Bucky’s partnership had spread around since the Flagsmasher’s defeat in New York. They were popular figures in the main circles of Delacroix, but it was nice to sit in the hazy bar and be the same as everyone else.

“You seem pretty at home here, Y/N. Care to share?”

Your gaze locked onto Sam. The dive bar scene was not an unfamiliar one, and his words brought a smile to your face.

“Well, Rob was a Senator from Michigan. The northern part- there wasn’t much to do besides bars and McDonald’s.” You paused, “And for med school I went to Virginia Tech, so Appalachian parties and bars were kind of the scene after lectures.”

“You call your father by his first name?” Sam asked.

Bucky gave the Falcon an incredulous look. “He was a HYDRA operative that committed treason.”

You cocked an eyebrow and took a long swig at the words. They didn’t hurt anymore, it was just the truth. “Eh, I called him Rob before he was arrested and even before Buck showed up.”

You were fixing to continue when a familiar twang blasted over the speakers and a smile broke out over your face. “Buck, come on. You gotta dance with me. You’ll love it!”

Bucky set his beer bottle down rapidly as you tugged him off balance. “Woah, sugar, slow down. I haven’t-”

Rolling your eyes, you finished the sentence. “Danced since 1945, yes I know. Who cares?”

“Not you, apparently.” Bucky grumbled and shook off his leather jacket. The blue henley underneath hid most of his prosthetic, leaving only his hand exposed.

“Nope.” You popped the ‘P’, smiling as other couples swayed around the smoky dancefloor. “This song is from the 40’s, you should like it!”

Begrudgingly, the Winter Soldier followed your lead. Familiar faces from the dock greeted you, and Bucky relaxed as the music picked up. You two appeared to be the youngest couple on the dancefloor, and you smiled at all the others dancing. Bucky surprised you by taking your hands and beginning to move, mimicking the movements of others as they moved about the floor. The beat of Hank William’s ‘Honky Tonkin’ was perfect for dancing and still enjoying yourself.

“You like it, don’t you?” You called over the music, squeezing his shoulder where your hand was anchored.

A grin tugged at Bucky’s lips. “It’s closer to what I’m used to. A little newer, but close.”

“Well, this isn’t a song to Charleston to by any means, but I figured you’d like it more than WAP.” You told him as the song pulled to a close. The pair of you wandered back to the bar where Sam sat clapping loudly.

“There were more dances than just the Charleston, doll.” Bucky pointed out, and scrunched up his nose shortly after. “What the hell’s a WAP?”

You paused, glass halfway to your mouth, while Same actually choked on his beer.

“You told him about-”

Shushing Sam immediately, you climbed onto Bucky’s lap and perched on his leg. “It’s a song that we definetly can’t request in this bar. I’ll play it for you later.”

You kissed his cheek, but as per normal when it was a sensitive topic, he couldn’t drop it. “W-A-P, right? Wicked Apple Pie? Warm and Pleasant?”

Sam cackled beside you. “Oh boy, Y/N, you did it now. I hope y’all have a hotel room, ���cause you ain’t havin’ this talk in my house.”

“I bet Sarah likes WAP.” You muttered, downing the rest of your drink. “She’s more fun than you anyway.”

“I take offense to that.” Sam interjected. “I like Cardi B.”

“She’s a singer!” Bucky said, poking a finger into your ribs. “That I know.”

“A+, babe.” You kissed his cheek. “Keep it up and I’ll explain to you what WAP is.”

Sam threw his hands up. “That’s it! I’m out.”

You snickered, thanking Roy as he refilled your glass. “You can’t leave, Wilson. We’re gonna need a ride to that hotel.”

“I’ll be happy to dump you there.” Sam prodded, but there was no heart behind it. The banter came easy as normal, and you were all content to sit and tap your feet to the 40’s twang on the speakers.

“Wild and Persistent.” Bucky tried again after a few moments, eliciting a snort from you and a bout of laughter from Sam.

“Keep tryin’, old man. Keep tryin’.”

Marvel Masterlist || Send me ideas

[terselylove]

30 Weird Careers You Never Knew Existed That Might Help You Find Your Calling

1. I work in QC (Quality Control) for media.

In one company they occasionally paid me to watch porn to make sure it was in sync and in good quality for video on demand distribution.

In another company I spent years watching movies before release in secure theater-like rooms, to make sure the files are ready for distribution (subtitles and audio in sync, no picture corruptions, stuff like that). I always got to watch the biggest movies of the year in a giant screen weeks before they were released (sometimes months!).

I got the job by going to film school.

2. I spend about 80% of my day designing those large overhead signs you see on the highway.

3. I design water parks. I went to college for Graphic Design and Advertising. In my last year I had to do an internship, so I took one at an aquatic engineering firm to help organize photos. 10 years later I am a project manager and create resort deck and water park programs.

4. My boyfriend is a high rise window cleaner. There are only 4 in our city. He loves his job! Sometimes when he is working, I will go to the city to the building he is cleaning and look up at him on the street. So cute.

5. I used to work on a lavender farm! It’s totally unrelated to my field of study and incredibly difficult in terms of manual labor, but man was it a beautiful place. I tended to the plants, took care of goats, and did processing for the herbs and honey. My grandparents are farmers and so I grew up with mediocre knowledge of field work and beekeeping and when a friend’s mom decided to start a business centered around lavender she asked me to help out for the summer.

6. You know when you’re watching a sports program and you see the little pop-graphic in the corner (ie. a baseball players stats, or an advertisement for easy-mac, or “stay tuned for Saved By the Bell @ 9!”)? Yeah. That was me.

7. I work in a lab where I raise moths! I got it by telling my lab partner that I love bugs and he hooked me up.

8. I’m a chyron operator. I trigger motion graphics on live TV. I was an art student and also was in stage crew in high school. These things got me jobs backstage in theater, which got me a job in TV doing normal stuff like cameraman and stuff like that. Since I was an art major I asked if I could do graphics and they let me on the weekends, and my specialty eventually turned to the chyron which ingests the graphics that artists make and plays them back through the switcher that controls the news broadcast. It’s not technically an art position but at my job specifically I could make the graphics in after effects and photoshop during the day (if I have a computer free) and in the afternoon I play the chyron. Usually you are one or the other, because chyron operators don’t need art skills, it’s just another tech job like audio operator or camera operator or stage manager or whatever. These kinds of jobs are getting rarer because they are being automated. But since I’m also an artist I get to keep my job because if someone leaves I can take their job.

9. I used to be a hand model.

Apparently I have really really good looking hands. Although they look completely normal to me.

People were always asking me how I got into it so it was fun to bullshit people I was “discovered” on the street, now I moisturize 15 times a day and sleep with my hands in plastic bags….

The money was great but I’d have to spend long days on set being careful not to wreck my manicure. (Which they paid for of course! Also paid for the time it took to get the manicure.)

Mostly did TV commercials.

Now I tell people at parties I’m a retired international hand model but gave up show business for the much more worthwhile and rewarding career of teaching kids to read….

10. I’m a Hostage Survival Trainer.

I was working in international development within IT, and was asked to go and sort out the finance system in Iraq back in 2007. The ministry I was working in got attacked by a militia and myself along with my 4 guards got captured.

Over time the guards were killed and I got released in an exchange deal after being held for over 2.5 years.

11. I spent a year on a team reclassifying the Duke University Library system from Dewey Decimal to Library of Congress. Had to learn like four different alphabets just to label them properly.

12. Official court stenographer. I type everything everyone says in court. I was told about it in high school and thought it sounded cool so I went for it. Took 5 1/2 years in college, but I’m nationally certified to type 260 WPM and regularly push above 300 WPM in court.

13. Cameraman for Live PD. Went to film school to make movies then slowly worked through Ice Road Truckers, Ax Men, Boston’s Finest, and Nightwatch. Found out I have a perfect blend of art and athleticism that can be hard to find.

14. I make whiskey. It took a shit load of time, luck, skill and perseverance to get where I am.

15. Stagehand. I set up everything from huge concerts and Broadway shows to small private events and interviews. It’s a wonderful job and I love the people I work with.

16. I was a puppeteer for many years and I actually got that job from an ad in the classifieds. It cracks me up that there is a scene in Being John Malkovich where he tries to find “puppeteer” in the classifieds and fails.

17. I have been an online Community Manager for over 20 years.

I started in video games and moved into technology companies. I’ve worked on everything from Star Wars to telecommunications networking equipment and software that help companies move data fast.

It started as a hobby. I was a web developer so very fluent with the web. Started a fan site and grew up it large. Moved on to volunteer for another game company who eventually hired me full time.

18. My parents are escape artists and escape consultants. My dad started as a magician doing birthday parties as a teen, then got really into escapes, then became the #1 guy designing and consulting on escapes for famous top magicians.

19. I have a job tracking rodents in restaurants. I set up cameras, movement sensors, IR sensors and other gear, and get an idea of the problem and how to fix it.

20. I used to cut pictures of weewees and hohas off packaging of adult toys. All day every day. I got the job by being able to pass a drug test.

21. I mix fire retardant for fighting wildfires. A lot of people know that airplanes drop retardant on fires but don’t think about the millions of dollars of infrastructure that is behind that operation. Everyone who works at my base started by working at the local ski resort. It’s a good way to earn enough money in the summer to coast all winter so we keep the jobs among fellow ski bums.

22. In the summer I guard and clean the toilet units (not the toilets) for festivals. I got the job trying to find a cheap way to go to the big festivals and this organization was looking for volunteers.

So all I have to do is stand in front of the units, make sure the ground stays clean, everyone had toilet paper and clear a block of units so the cleaning team can do their job.

Another part of the job is making sure no one dies or passes out in such a unit. You can’t imagine how many drunk (often naked) people we need to get out of these units and escort them to the First Aid.

23. I’m a potter. I used to be the manager for a museum art school, and began taking classes there years ago. Eventually transitioned into being a full time potter and pottery teacher.

24. I work as an Air Traffic Controller. Not weird but not many of us around.

I pretty much fell into it after passing an aptitude and it’s just been swell since.

Albeit, the classic phrase from strangers: isn’t that the job with the most suicides?

It might be, but I don’t know anyone. It’s actually super chill and rewarding when you get it right. (We always try get it right, but when you get it super right you’re dead pleased.)

25. I’m a welder. But what I do isn’t very common. I build Virginia Class Submarines.

26. Water Quality testing. I go around and collect samples for various testing to ensure the water meets the state standards. I got lucky and met someone who was volunteering at my previous job and she told me to apply. Was not the direction I saw my career going but it was definitely worth it.

27. I cleaned grills for super rich people in Palm Beach. Even got to clean Michael Jordan’s at one point. And it was recommended to me from a friend who was in sobriety with me after I got clean.

28. I’m a House Manager for a family of four, basically I’m a female butler. I’ve worked for them for 14 years starting as the kid’s Nanny, they’re my second family pretty much! I organize trades people, holidays, birthdays, daily meals, dinner parties, housekeeping, the list goes on… It’s challenging at times but keeps me on my toes and I enjoy that.

29. Concrete petrographer. I just started this month. I studied geology in college and now my job is to look at concrete using petrographic methods I learned at school and conduct ASTM tests to determine quality of concrete. Very interesting work because concrete is engineered rock and there’s A LOT more to it than you think.

30. I work in a clinical lab where I get to play with baby sweat for a bit of my day. We are testing for chloride level. Increased chloride in sweat is one of the diagnostic markers for cystic fibrosis. I am a clinical laboratory scientist. Not all clinical labs perform this test but I am lucky enough to work at a lab where we do a couple interesting low volume tests.