[ WHAT IS A GHOST ? ] a tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again ? / a moment of pain, perhaps. / something dead which still seems to be alive. / an emotion suspended in time. / like a blurred photograph. / like an insect trapped in amber.
#READAPT. a study in : stubborn survival. identity, memory, and how deeply the two are entwined. a white blank page. wearing a face warped through a fun house mirror. freedom at a cost. do you blame the weapon or those who wield it. second chances. the innate cruelty of humanity vs. the innate capacity for compassion. friendship enduring.
heavily headcanon based interpretation of james barnes of the marvel universe. loosely follows the mcu timeline, is extremely canon divergent post captain america : the winter soldier. plot-centric, with an emphasis on character dynamics.
β€· private + mostly friends only. unlikely to follow first.
i have been writing bucky since 2014 ( π ) and it's taken many years to get to where he is in his development. i'd appreciate a read of this post which details my divergences from the mcu and those characters that have shaped who he is in his main verse. this isn't to sound elitist or cliquey, more-so that everyone's on the same page about how little of the mcu i acknowledge, and how much bucky diverges from the character many have seen on screen. anything past ca:tws is retconned.
i am heavily plot based. bucky's characterisation has been extensively influenced by the dynamics i have established, and i am always open to exploring more. this comes with a caveat : plotting is a two-way street, which applies to myself as much as it does my writing partners. i am slow. Β i am also not consistent with my replies, which applies to writing as well as answering messages. tumblr is one of the first things to be dropped when life gets busy β i want to be here, but sometimes i can't be. my reply speed β my interest.Β as my time is limited, i will be prioritising keeping a small following and developing plotted dynamics.
in order to not burn myself out immediately, i'm going to keep this blog quite private. again, not to be elitist, but because realistically i can't write and develop dynamics with everyone. i am also going to require plotting, at least a little, so i have a base dynamic to go off of regardless of verse.
if you've read this far, then know i'm not as intimidating as these rules might make me seem. if you want to reply to a thread 6 months later, go for it. if you've changed your mind about a plot, come talk to me and we'll figure out something new. need something tagged, lmk and i'll do that immediately. as long as you respect other writers and understand we're all playing barbies with fictional characters then we'll get along just fine π€
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sighs loudly i got way too carried away and was far too optimistic at making solo blogs before going back to work full time π bucky's back on my multi for the time being, pls excuse the indecision π€
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i am entirely headcanon based post ca:tws, and will not follow the mcu timeline after the events of ca:tws end ( aka no civil war, no wakanda, no thanos ). below the cut is a brief outline of my divergences, which will come into play in bucky's main verse regardless of if adapted to fit different canons.
this post also details a base for mutant interactions, and important affiliates who are a part of bucky's main canon, and are therefore built into every interaction within his main verse.
PLEASE READ IF WANTING TO INTERACT.
MAIN CANON VERSE : OUTLINE.
[ click on titles for a more detailed write up. tw for mentions of mind control, bombing, murder, hydra. ]
ORIGINS β spans 1917 to 1945. follows captain america : the first avenger where steve and bucky are childhood friends.
HYDRA ( NOT WRITTEN IN ) β spans 1945 to 2014. follows bucky's transition into the winter soldier at the hands of hydra and their collaboration with the red room.
ON THE RUN β spans 2014 to 2016. follows the fall of shield and bucky's freedom, where he goes on the run and tries to figure out who he is.
he is still framed for a high profile murder that takes place at the united nations, steve is still the one to find him in bucharest but this is where canon diverges.
it's not zemo that is behind the bombing, but hydra, who want to flush him out of hiding so they can take back control. they also use the prominent un meeting about the superhuman registration act as their target, hoping to destabilise the heroes they're working against long enough for them to regain power.
ON TRIAL β spans 2016 to 2017/8. follows bucky and steve ( and their allies ) on the run for almost a year, keeping ahead of both government authorities and hydra while trying to find evidence to clear bucky's name.
after they believe they have enough evidence, bucky turns himself in. thus begins the trial of the century, an incredibly publicised case of the united states vs. james barnes. there's more security around the courtroom than any case in recorded history β protestors gather at all hours, condemning and exonerating in equal measure.
his is the first case ( a special case ) to use mutants in the proceedings, overruling laws and lobbyists who argue that mind readers go against human rights. the government expect it's a way for him to hang himself by his own admission, but no one fathoms the depths of torture and dehumanisation until they see it first hand. two days feels like an eternity, and he comes out of it feeling a hollowed out husk of who he was, just waiting for the executioner's swing. the last thing he expects is to be cleared of all charges.
this verse isn't a tony vs steve storyline, although sides will undoubtedly be taken. very open to those who would ally with steve and offer help, whether that's while they're on the run or during the trial that follows. or the reverse : those that would testify against him.
see here for a graphic i found which encapsulates the vibe i'm going for.
SECOND CHANCES β spans 2018 onwards. follows bucky starting a new life in brooklyn, adapting the 'second chances' comic arc to my own headcanons. default verse unless plotted otherwise.
bucky is based out of new york, setting up his own venture that sees him helping criminals / ex-hydra that want out of their current situation set up new lives in another state. his own witness protection program, of sorts.
he is very anti-agency, will refuse work for government and avengers alike. team-ups are either situational or working towards a common goal, and he must feel like he has autonomy. there is no version of him that would ever pick up the mantle of captain america, even if steve asked.
in terms of thunderbolts / the new avengers, if interacting with muses that adhere to that canon, then bucky follows the film events with the exception that he is freelance β not working for the government β and has been trying to gather evidence against valentina by himself. heΒ will notΒ join the new avengers, but may be called upon in a consultant capacity.
MAIN CANON VERSE : BUCKY + MUTANTS.
in an effort to come up with a base for mutant / x-men interactions i have expanded on bucky's past interactions with mutants HERE and HERE. the details below can be used in future plotting / threads with mutants and non-mutants alike.
a new client gets in contact through his network β someone who whistleblows on an underground government organisation who are experimenting on mutants β young, only kids β in order to manipulate their powers into weapons on a grand scale. by the time bucky gets there the informant has been murdered and a small group of x-men are there in his place. what begins as accusations of working for the enemy turns out to be working for the same cause, and they manage to free the mutants together, burning down the facility in the process. the kids are taken back to the mansion for protection, this being bucky's first proper introduction to the x-men as a group.
this mission has the unexpected consequence of remembrance, a memory buried so deep it makes him physically sick upon recollection. a mutant from his past, one which he was responsible for capturing. a mutant he spends days without sleep trying to track down, calling in every favour possible and only hitting dead ends. this is when desperation overrules self-preservation and help is sought out from new allies. he is willing to expose himself to telepathy once more β despite a visceral hatred of anyone being inside his mind β in order to find the girl lost like the ghost stories that dominate his past.
they find her, but there is no gratitude in her salvation ( you can't show up here like a hero when you were the one who put me in here in the first place ). she's free, but he will never see her again, the x-men and the mutant parting ways with him outside the hydra compound in novosibirsk.
he has avoided the x-mansion since, although is open to collaborating with the x-men if called upon specifically to help save mutants in danger. he feels indebted to help mutantkind β not only because of past experiences being made into a weapon and labelled monster for it, but because of his own deeds, whether or not he was in control of them.
i am open to keeping particular comic dynamics with the x-men in my portrayal, but not without prior discussion as my canon is very much my own.
MAIN CANON VERSE : AFFILIATES.
the below dynamics have become integral to my portrayal and are built into my canon, meaning they are all present in the same main verse. this means exclusivity on my part, and i will only interact with duplicates within au verses ( for oc's this means no writing with others that have similar backgrounds / character traits ). i am also single ship with wtrss in this verse, and am not open to other romantic connections unless discussed with us both.
i am always looking to build deeper dynamics, but i will be very particular about who gets added to this list as there needs to be mutual enthusiasm / energy put into these connections. it's also a way for me to limit burnout, and focus more on developing bucky's world with few people rather than many. affiliates for other au verses can be found here ( to be updated ).
BYANKA STARKOVA : @belayadeaths
he doesn't remember letting her live, the decision wiped upon returning to handlers empty handed. but the action causes a ripple, an unexpected ally when his own shackles break. she gives voice to his freedom, and ally turns to treasured friend, to family that brings meaning to the new world they share.
MARI DAI : @religun
they meet on the run, fleeing their respective ghosts. not long freed from hydra's control, he is a wounded animal baring teeth β hers reflect back in a pointed smile, jagged edges mirroring his own, and one traveller becomes two.
PAIGE SWANSON : @wtrss
it begins with an offering, a place to stay, a kindness that is almost too sweet to bear for someone so unused to the taste. but bar visits and late night walks turn into routine, into something sacred he would kill to protect.
PETER PARKER : @wrathbit
they meet as peter and james in the laundry room of a shared apartment block ; a relationship built slowly, in moments of the mundane, of shared humanity. a spider-man revelation only deepens their connection, new york a shared love.
NAMES : IMANI GREENE + OLIVER HARRIS. both telepaths who were hired by the government to assist in the united states vs. james barnes case. imani β a well-renowned psychiatrist β is very vocal about her mutation, having written numerous papers on how targeted telepathy can help improve patient welfare when struggling to process difficult memories, especially when linked to trauma. she's also very vocal about human-mutant integration and mutant rights, and has come under fire more than once by far-right groups who accuse her of medical mistreatment despite having no evidence, her patient reviews always glowing.
the first day is harrowing for everyone involved. both imani and the jury need to take multiple breaks, static-filled tv screen yielding horrors none have ever witnessed before. imani is professional throughout, her questions β assisted by both the defence and the prosecution β clear and to the point. but he can see how much she's affected by being the conduit to his memories, how her hands shake near day's end when she's preparing to enter his mind once more. he isn't surprised when the next day she's been replaced.
oliver is young, a twenty-one year old student at nearby nyu studying a masters in psychology. also a history buff, it was curiosity that lead him to the crowds outside the courtroom, seeking out any information he could find from a case closed to the public. it's there he spots imani : a guest lecturer on his course, the two are on friendly terms and it's her who he confided in his own mutation a year prior. she seeks him out after the first day of testimony, imani proposing a way for him to gain experience unlike any other as long as he understood the risks. she would be in court to support him, but she couldn't be the one projecting the defendant's thoughts. not again.
he accepts β more so to satisfy his own interest than any professional gain [ captain america was his favourite, after all ]. his telepathy is different : warmer, less surgical precision and more uncertain hands, but there's still a relentless grating at the very fabric of bucky's person as memories are sifted through for discrepancies. the second day is quicker, and by the end he's certain he's not the only one who feels hollowed out from the inside.
NAME : REDACTED. misson report, april 17th 1994. subject taken without issue, witnesses eliminated. even at five, she exhibits the incredible ability to manipulate the senses of others, completely incapacitating a group of agents upon reawakening. further mental manipulation is needed, but there is high hope for her use in the field.
october 3rd 1997. subject has a high emotional reaction to the soldier when put together, possible memories resurfacing of his part in her capture and the death of her caregivers. without prompt sedation she could have caused permanent hearing and sight loss β precautions must be taken in future to prevent damage to the asset.
july 29th 2001. although successful in subduing the soldier after his disappearance in new york, the subject's mental instability after seeing the asset's face cost us unnecessary casualties. a permanent separation is needed : subject will be moved to a different division and the soldier's mental implants will be solidified. [ NO MORE FILES FOUND. ]
NAME : PJOTR BONIKOWSKI. ten months after the fall of shield and bucky finds himself on the outskirts of gdaΕsk, hidden within a small village that see few tourists, even fewer those badly injured. he'd managed to destroy the nest of hydra agents secreted in the city's port, taking out a well-used shipping route, but it had come with a cost ; leaving gdaΕsk had been a priority, the miles between him and the wreckage he'd left behind quickly built on the back of an unsuspecting freighter.
truck's driver is oblivious as he dismounts, seeking refuge in the cluster of buildings off of the road. church steeple pierces the sky, worn walls pockmarked with evidence of a long history β it's here he finds shelter, and it's here a young man of sixteen, pjotr, finds him. [ WHY ARE YOU HELPING ME ? polish is rusty from disuse and it trips ungainly from his tongue the first time he speaks : expects an answer related to religion, to family values, never the dog-eared comic pulled from a backpack, finger pointing at the drawn rendition of a too-familiar face in a too-familiar costume. BECAUSE HE WOULD ].
pjotr's powers of healing are a show of unfaltering compassion, outing himself a mutant in order to help a stranger in need. it's a gesture bucky's never forgotten, no matter that he's never seen the boy again.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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