caracries

[caracries-blog]

「 Father’s Day 」

Father’s Day.

The day had always been a little different for Steve. He had never had a father in the traditional sense. Instead, his mother, Sarah, had been mother and father to him. She was the one who had taught him right from wrong. She was the one who gave him courage and hope of a better life. She was the one who taught him how to be a man.

But even so, when Steve was young, he and Sarah would celebrate Father’s Day. Every year on the day, she would make her late husband’s favorite meal, take Steve to visit his grave, and tell her son all her favorite stories about his father. She told tales of chivalry, courage, and honor and her face always lit up in adoration. Steve could always tell that she had loved his father greatly.

He has fond memories of these times, even though he now knows the truth.

The routine had remained the same up until the year of Steve’s 16th birthday. Now that Bucky was in the picture, he was always around the Rogers household. Which meant that Bucky knew a lot about the two of them and their little family. And as it turns out, he knew something that Steve didn’t.

The truth came out the day before Father’s Day as they sat on the steps outside of Steve’s house.

— 1933 —

“So,” Bucky said. “You doin’ anything tomorrow?”

Steve shrugged. “Same as every year. Church in the morning. Help Ma cook after. Then we go visit my dad and come home.”

“You go visit your dad?”

“Yeah, at the cemetery.”

There was a silence as Bucky hesitated. “You still visit him?”

“Yeah, ‘course. Why?”

The brunet shrugged and shook his head. “Dunno. I just thought… Nevermind.”

“You thought what?” The blond’s brow furrowed as he looked at his best friend.

Again, Bucky hesitated.

“Buck,” Steve said. “/C’mon/. What is it?”

“I’m not s’posed to say, Stevie. Your ma made me promise not to tell.”

“Promise not to tell what?”

Bucky took a deep breath and stared at his shoes, then exhaled slowly.

“Your dad wasn’t one of the good guys.”

“What?” Steve looked at Bucky in confusion as Bucky practically shrank where he sat.

“I mean he wasn’t good to your ma.” Bucky’s voice was softer now, almost a whisper. “He drank too much. Got real mean. He’d hit her.”

Steve frowned and leaned back and away from Bucky so that he could see the boy better. “What’re you talkin’ about? Who told you that?”

“I overheard Sarah talkin’ to your neighbor. Mrs. Kelly was askin’ why she still takes you to see your dad’s grave every year when he was so bad to her. After, I asked her if it was true, and she said it was.”

At this, Steve turned his gaze toward his own shoes and felt the world around him darkening. “She lied to me.”

“No, Stevie.” Bucky shook his head. “She said she felt bad that you didn’t have a dad. She wanted you to have one. That you deserved to have a dad. She made me promise not to tell you, so just—don’t let on that you know, okay?”

Steve was quiet. He didn’t answer Bucky for a few minutes. But when he spoke again, he said, “I have an idea. But I’m gonna need your help.”

Bucky looked at Steve with a soft gaze, then nodded. “What d’you need me to do?”

The next day, after church, the boys enlisted Mrs. Kelly’s help in distracting Sarah for the afternoon. She said it was an emergency which absolutely required Sarah’s help in resolving, so the boys had the house to themselves. They spent the afternoon recreating Sarah’s favorite dish and tidying up the little house.

So, when Sarah returned home, they greeted her eagerly.

“Boys?” She gave them a wry smile as she hung up her shawl on the hook by the door. “What’s all this?”

“Take a seat, Ma,” Steve said with a grin. “Dinner’s all ready.”

“You /cooked/?” She raised her brows at the boys. “Both of you?”

“Mhm, we made your favorite.”

Steve brought the main dish to the table as Bucky pulled out the chair for Sarah to sit.

“Thank you,” she replied with a chuckle. “It smells wonderful.”

Once the boys were seated, they prayed together and began to eat. When the meal was finished, Sarah wiped her mouth on a napkin, then sat back in her seat and smiled at the boys.

“So, are you two going to tell me what this is all about?”

Bucky shot Steve a look, then raised his brow as well.

Steve looked back at Bucky, then nodded as he turned to his mother.

“Well,” he said. “I know every year you make Dad’s favorite meal and then we go to visit him, but I thought we could do somethin’ different this year.”

“Why’s that?”

Steve hesitated and looked at Bucky, who nodded in encouragement.

“‘Cause I /know/, Ma. I know about Dad. How he was with you.”

“You do?” The woman looked to her son’s best friend, who seemed to shrink in his seat once again.

“Yeah. Don’t be mad at Buck, Ma. I forced it outta him.” The blond rose from his chair and stood beside his mother. He took her hand as he continued. “You don’t need to feel bad that Dad’s not around. And you don’t need to keep up some lie to make me happy. I /am/ happy. You’re all the parent I need.”

The woman’s face was blank for a few moments before it was flooded with emotion. Her eyes welled up as she pulled her son into a hug. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should’ve have been honest with you about your father.”

“It’s okay, Ma. I love you.”

“I love you too, my darling boy.”

— 2017 —

A lot has changed since that day in 1933. But, in particular, now Steve has a daughter of his own. She was created by HYDRA, unbeknownst to him, but he rescued her from them and found out the truth. Now, she’s practically his entire world.

After having spent the day with her, he leaves her in the care of his friends for about an hour before heading out to the cemetery where Sarah is buried. On the way, he picks up a bouquet of flowers to lay before her headstone.

Once the flowers are arranged, he takes a step back and draws in a deep breath.

“Hi, Ma. I know it’s been a while. You know how it is. Never any rest these days.” A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “Things are good though. The team’s doin’ well. Tony and I are great. But I think the biggest thing I’ve got to tell you is about my daughter.” He pauses and smiles down at his hands. “Her name is Sarah, after you. She’s eight, but I just met her. HYDRA created her from my DNA. She was so scared when I got her outta that place, but she’s doin’ better now. She’s so happy and bright.”

He lets out a soft chuckle as he runs a hand over his face. “I wish you could meet her. I wish you could meet all of ‘em. We’ve got a big family now. I think you’d like ‘em.” He pauses a moment, then lets out a sigh. “Anyway. I miss you a lot, Ma. It’s Father’s Day again, and I’ve just been thinkin’ about all the Father’s Days we had and it’s just… it wasn’t enough.” Again, he stops to run a hand over his eyes, then he sniffles and takes a deep breath. “So yeah. I miss you. I’ll come by and visit you again real soon.”

The whole way home, he’s quiet and lost in thoughts about his mother. It’s only when he returns home to the tower that he’s drawn out of those thoughts.

“Daddy!” The little girl called out and waved from her seat at the table, where various crayons are spread out before her. “I made you a card!” She hopped down from her chair and approached Steve, picture in hand.

Steve scooped the girl up and chuckled as he kissed her cheek. “Oh yeah? Lemme see it.” He accepted the paper from his daughter and grinned at the sight. She’d drawn him, herself, and their dog all with ice cream cones. “Is that Dodger eatin’ ice cream?”

“Mhm!” The blonde nodded proudly.

“Aw, well, it’s very good! Thank you, sweetheart.”

Little Sarah hugged her father and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

A wide grin spread across the man’s lips as he nodded at her. “I love you too, princess.”

[caracries-blog]

“My dad is cooler than yours.”

QUICK FACTS:

Sarah is 8 years old.

She was created by HYDRA as a way to replicate the supersoldier serum from Steve Rogers’ DNA. 

However, she was born with Steve’s original genes and is often ill.

She has a mild-moderate hearing loss and wears hearing aids.

She also has asthma, a suppressed immune system, a weak heart, and anxiety.

But she has Steve’s high intellect, making her highly intelligent in a few specialized areas. (e.g. art, spatial skills, kinesthetics, etc.)

She also has an eidetic memory, meaning she can recall sights, sounds, and events with vivid accuracy.

HYDRA trained her to fight from the earliest possible moment. For her age and her size, she is very skilled.

BIOGRAPHY:

In 2008, a HYDRA experiment gave birth to a girl with half of Steve Rogers’ genetic code. However, the half she received was mostly unaffected by the supersoldier serum, making her useless to HYDRA’s efforts to recreate it.

But instead of disposing of her, they raised her in captivity, hoping she’d excel intellectually. Much to their surprise, she did. She learned new skills and information quickly, and this kept her relatively safe from HYDRA’s wrath.

However, as she grew older, her handlers gained more pressure from agents higher up to get better results out of her. When they couldn’t, they were replaced with new handlers, and the cycle continued. Each set of handlers was rougher and meaner than the previous.

By the time Steve discovered her existence and rescued her, she was terrified of other people. Now that she’s under the protection of the Avengers, she’s adjusting to real life.

[caracries-blog]

“…I remember all of them.”

Bucky Barnes was born on March 10th, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the eldest of the Barnes children, but was always getting into trouble. He met Steve Rogers when bullies tried to steal the younger boy’s money. The two of them became best friends instantly. 

In 1937, Bucky was drafted into the US Army and became part of the 107th Infantry Regiment. There, he rose to the rank of Sergeant and was shipped out to England. 

While fighting at Azzano, Italy in 1943, his squadron was ambushed by Nazis and they were taken captive. When Bucky became too ill to work for his captors, he was experimented on by Arnim Zola, who infused a version of the supersoldier serum into him. However, he was saved by Steve before too much damage could be done. 

After returning to the US Army, Bucky became one of the Howling Commandos, led by Captain America. While they successfully completed many missions against HYDRA, Bucky fell from a train, which seemingly ended his life.

But he was found in the snow, arm severed, and dragged to a HYDRA facility, where scientists experimented on him further. He became “the asset” and “The Winter Soldier.”

For 70 years, Bucky was brainwashed and programmed to do HYDRA’s nefarious bidding, including killing his former friend Howard Stark and his wife. It was only after meeting Steve in battle that he began to remember his past life.

Once he was free of HYDRA, Bucky went into hiding in various cities in Europe. He was even nearby when the tragedy in Sokovia occurred. 

When Steve found him in Romania, he was reluctant to go back to New York with him, but was taken captive by the CIA. There, Helmut Zemo infiltrated the facility under the guise of a psychologist and reactivated Bucky’s Winter Soldier programming. Steve had to knock him out and hide him until he regained consciousness.

Following this, he teamed up with Steve to fight the Avengers who had signed the Sokovia Accords, and then escaped in a quinjet to Siberia in order to follow Zemo. In an epic battle against Iron Man, Bucky lost his cybernetic arm.

However, instead of going into a cryopod, Bucky followed Steve into hiding with the rest of Team Cap.

More about Bucky:

Bucky has very low self-esteem and is afraid that he’ll hurt people unintentinally due to his physical strength and damaged mind.

He has a service dog, a bullmastiff named Chewie.

[caracries-blog]

"I’ve hurt people too. They were bad people.”

Born as X-23, Laura was created as part of the Transigen Project in Mexico City. The project aimed to wipe out natural-born mutants and selectively produce mutant soldiers from scratch. To do this, they took vulnerable young women and impregnated them with samples they had collected from mutants. Laura was the result of an unknown woman and James Howlett, aka Logan / Wolverine. When the Transigen Project was terminated, Laura escaped the facility with the help of her nurse, Gabriela. 

More about Laura:

To make things easier, Laura was born in 2006, not 2018. (But if anyone wants to RP in the actual timeline of 2029, I’m totally open to that as well.)

Laura is bilingual. Her dominant language is Spanish. She began learning English early, but not simultaneously with Spanish. Therefore, her Spanish is much stronger and more fluent than her English. She does speak English fairly well, though she does make occasional errors.

She isn’t very talkative because Transigen conditioned her to be quiet. When she spoke out of turn, they would hurt her. 

Additionally, she doesn’t feel like her English is very good. When people speak English to her, she understands, but she is reluctant to respond in English.

She doesn’t care whether or not people understand her when she speaks Spanish. It’s her native language so it’s more natural to her and she’ll speak it whenever she wants to.

Note: The writer knows next to no Spanish at all, but is lowkey trying to learn. Often times, when she speaks Spanish, it will be written in English and noted in some way as Laura speaking Spanish.

[caracries-blog]

“I’m just a woman trying to make a name for herself outside of her family.”

Born on May 12th, 1993, Lena Luthor was born to Lionel Luthor and his mistress. She was four years old when her birth mother passed away, and this prompted Lionel to bring Lena into the Luthor family, much to his wife Lillian’s dismay. Growing up, she was very close to her adoptive brother, Lex, and their father. However, she was not close to their mother and the death of Lionel only fueled their estrangement. When Lex began his crusade against Superman, he and Lena grew apart as well. Following his arrest, Lena became the heir and CEO to LuthorCorp, which she renamed L-Corp.

More about Lena:

Lena is generally a loner, though not by choice. She is always cautious and waits to see how people act around her before deciding whether they are worth getting to know. This is due to her life as a Luthor. People tend to judge her by her name, so she’ll make the same kinds of surface judgments on them in return.

Though she and Lillian are estranged, there is a lot she probably doesn’t know about the nature of her family. Whether or not Lillian was trying to protect her by pushing her away, all Lena remembers of her adoptive mother is negative. It will be difficult for anyone to change her mind when it comes to Lillian.

Lena is bisexual, but has a preference for women. She’s 85% gay and 15% straight, basically. However, she may refer to herself as gay most of the time because she mostly identifies that way. This will vary between verses.

She is smol!!! Canonically, she’s about 24 years old. Which means she has been through a lot of shit in a short period of time. But also, she’s short (5′6″ / 168 cm).

Lena’s birth mother was probably Irish. Like, really Irish. Straight outta Ireland. It’s a bit of an explanation for why Lena’s speech can sound a bit foreign from time to time. Most of her linguistic input until she was 4-years-old was Irish-influenced English.

[caracries-blog]

「 THE BEST WAY OUT... 」

Silence. Save for the sound of footsteps against the floor, that’s all there is. But she’s lucky, she supposes. Her lawyer had gotten her a cell to herself. All she has to fear is the gossip, the upcoming hearing, her mother… Her mother. It’s only out of habit that she calls the woman that. Her mother was dead. Her real mother. The one with whom she shared the color of her eyes. The one who made her feel loved even after death. Lillian Luthor was not her mother. But even so, it’s natural to call her that. The last twenty years, she’d spent with her. That’s five times longer than she’d had with her birth mother. It wasn’t fair. Her birth mother would’ve loved her like she deserved, she’s certain. She never would’ve made her feel like a stranger. An outsider. Not like Lillian had. Though Lillian claimed it was Lionel that had kept them apart, Lena isn’t so sure she believes that. After all, she had idolized the man. He had been her hero. He and Lex both. They’d been there for her as much as they could be. It wasn’t enough, but it was something. It was more than Lillian had offered her. So forgive her if she isn’t inclined to believe the woman’s sudden confession. She has been manipulated by her too many times. And still, when they speak face to face, she feels compelled to offer the woman another chance. She knows not whether it’s due to her naive belief that people can change or if she’s simply desperate for a mother’s love. Sometimes, she thinks it’s both. But sometimes, she knows it’s not. Lena’s relationship with Lillian is a game much like chess. Each move is calculated and decisive. But unlike chess, she is unable to anticipate her opponent’s next move. Perhaps this is because the board is never fully in view for her. Only a few squares are visible at a time while the rest is shrouded in shadowy deceit. She never knows what danger looms next and that is what frightens her the most. Bearing all of this in mind, she allows herself a break from these heavy deliberations. They’re replaced with thoughts of her birth mother, and the things she’d say when times were tough. Her mother had always said, “What do we do when we can’t change the circumstances?” And she’d say, “We endure them.” “Why?” Her mother would ask again. And then they’d repeat together, “Because the best way out is always through.” Years later, she had discovered it was a line from a poem by Robert Frost, but it never held the same value coming from him. Now, with no conceivable way out of this situation, she lies on the cot of her musty cell with her knees pulled up to her chest. Twenty-four years old and she’s already been orphaned, outcast, and ostracized. None of it is her fault, but she endures because, “The best way out is always through.”

[caracries-blog]

“These voices won’t leave me alone.”

NOTE: If you don't have time to read the whole thing, use CTRL+F and type 'SUMMARY' to find a shortened version. 

「 FEBRUARY 26, 1996 」 When she was barely two months old, Elaine was found on the snowy doorstep of a convent in New Jersey. A woman named Sister Margaret gave her a name and a place to live for four years. But when the other nuns saw how attached she was becoming to the girl, they sent the child into the world of foster care. While they meant well, the next twelve years of her life would be filled with pain, anger, and heartache. 「 June 6, 2014 」 She was finally free. Though she turned eighteen three months before, she stayed at the home until graduation. After all, what could she do without a high school diploma? As soon as she had it, she packed up what little she had and headed for New York. It was crowded, dangerous, and expensive, she knew but she had to get out of New Jersey. 「 December 31, 2016 」 About three years later, she became mostly self-sufficient. She had an apartment, a job, a cat to keep her company. The apartment was tiny and run-down, but she made it home. Her job at the bookstore was twenty blocks away, but she doesn't mind the walk. The cat, while moody, had become her best friend. It was a lonely and quiet life, but it was hers. So she sat alone in her apartment on New Year’s Eve, sparkling cider in hand and with Merlin the cat curled up beside her. She watched the people celebrate in Time Square from the livestream she had running on her laptop. Though the connection was spotty, and her apartment chilly, she was content to be right where she was. 「 January 1, 2016 」 Though it was a new year, everything felt the same. She woke up, got ready for work, then headed out on her way. She had no idea what was coming. As she made her way to work, she minded her own business. Hands in her pockets, eyes scanning her surroundings, she let her feet lead the way. Then a man bumped into her, sending a glare her way, and suddenly she was very confused. She had heard him speak, but his lips never moved, nor did he ever stop walking. But she decided maybe her brain was still dreaming and brushed off the odd feeling, though it would not leave her. When she got to work, she spent her time shelving new shipments with a very pushy coworker she was never interested in. He made every attempt to flirt with her, though she had made it clear in the past that she really did not like him. When his hand touched her arm, she jerked it away. Not only because he was not allowed to touch her, but because she had seen something about him. She’d seen everything about him, all at once. How he was a good son and a better brother, but how awful he was to women. How he broke his leg when he was seven and beat a guy half to death at seventeen. It all came to her in flashes, chronologically, simultaneously, randomly. She avoided him for the rest of the day. Once she’d finished her shift, she headed back out into the streets, thoughts of confusion heavy on her mind. She was nearly home when the voices began to intrude her thoughts from every direction. It was suddenly painful so she gripped her head in her hands, trying to block out the noise. When she stopped on the sidewalk, people brushed past her like she was a stone standing in an unstoppable river. Thank goodness it was only one block more before she was home. As she stumbled into her apartment, the voices faded out. The only thing that got her through the many similar days to come was that she knew Merlin would never leave her. 「 SUMMARY 」 Elaine grew up an orphan and bounced from one foster home to the next. Once she finally aged out of the program, she set out to live independently. While it worked out for three years, she began experiencing strange phenomena beginning on her twenty-first birthday (January 1, 1996). These phenomena resemble superpowers like those of The Avengers or the Justice League. Though she doesn’t quite understand them or know their names, she has telepathy, psychometry, and empathy. She is terrified of these abilities and keeps to herself now more than ever.

More about Elaine:

Elaine does not like to be touched. Not even hugs, unless she initiates them. This is due to her fear of herself and because she is not used to physical contact. It also may have something to do with the fact that she is asexual.

Though she won’t admit it, she’s very lonely and afraid. She doesn’t want to be isolated anymore, but she doesn’t know how to be around people either.

[caracries-blog]

“Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”

NOTE: Most of this is just the plot of Captain America: The First Avenger. 

Steven Grant Rogers was born on July 4, 1918 to Joseph and Sarah Rogers in Brooklyn, New York. However, Joseph was killed in action during World War I, just before Steve was born. Raised by his mother, Steve grew up to be very resilient and strong-willed, though he was of smaller stature and weaker constitution than most boys his age. This tended to get him into trouble with people much larger and stronger than himself, as he was an easy target.

One day, when bullies tried to steal his lunch money, Steve was defended by James Buchanan Barnes --- commonly referred to as Bucky. This event led the two to become best friends over the following years.

Steve attended George Washington high school from 1932-1936, then Auburndale Art School from 1937-1938. However, in 1936, tragedy struck. Sarah Rogers, who was a nurse, contracted tuberculosis and passed away.

In 1939, when World War II was declared, Steve decided he wanted to join the United States Army. He trained himself (with help from Bucky) and visited several recruitment centers. But ultimately, each attempt was met by rejection. With his various health problems, Steve was unfit to serve.

But finally, after overhearing a conversation between Bucky and Steve detailing Steve’s desire to fight for his country, Dr. Abraham Erskine approached Steve to talk. After determining that Steve was the kind of man worthy of his project, Dr. Erskine approved his enlistment.

Steve was then shipped off to Camp Lehigh to train. There, he had difficulty keeping up with the other recruits physically, but he displayed great mental and moral strength. These were the qualities Dr. Erskine deemed worthy for project rebirth.

Once Steve had been selected for project rebirth, he was escorted to the experiment facility by Peggy Carter. Inside the facility, Dr. Erskine and Howard Stark prepared Steve for the procedure that would hopefully turn him into the world's first successful super-soldier.

The procedure was successful in turning Steve into a super-soldier, but Dr. Erskine was assassinated shortly after the process was completed.

Since Dr. Erskine was not able to oversee the project any longer, the government put Steve to work. Instead of sending him overseas to fight, he became an icon of propaganda --- Captain America. He encouraged people at home to buy war bonds and participate in the war effort any way they could.

However, Steve became very unhappy with his role in the war. While touring some base camps overseas, he learned that members of the 107th infantry, Bucky’s unit, had gone missing. Though he was told that Sergeant Barnes was presumed killed in action, he refused to believe it. So with Peggy and Howard’s help, Steve stole some weapons and infiltrated a hydra camp to find and rescue his best friend.

Once he frees the soldiers and brings them back to base camp, everything changes. Steve is asked to put together a team of men to fight with on the front lines, which would eventually be nicknamed the Howling Commandos. Together, the Howling Commandos went on to take down many hydra bases.

Unfortunately, during a battle on an armored train, Bucky was thrown over the edge onto the snow mountainside and presumed dead. This threw Steve a period of mourning.

Steve eventually led the charge on HYDRA’s headquarters and fought Red Skull (Johann Schmidt, the first man to be injected with the super-soldier serum) --- but he was unable to stop him from attempting to launch bombs at the major cities in the United States.

This led to Steve chasing Red Skull via aircraft. While the bombs were stopped, Red Skull escaped via tesseract portal, leaving Steve in the failing aircraft. To save New York City, Steve crash landed his plane in the Arctic Ocean, where he presumably died.

However, the serum kept Steve alive in the ice until S.H.I.E.L.D. Found him --- a total of 67 years.

TL;DR

Steve was small and scrawny until he was selected for project rebirth. The super-soldier serum made him stronger and he went on to become Captain America. At first, he was just an advertising icon. But then he became a real soldier. He saved the lives of many soldiers and civilians, but met his seemingly untimely demise in an emergency crash landing in the arctic waters. However, the serum kept him alive and he was found 67 years later. Now, he's adjusting to modern society while fighting crime with The Avengers.

More about Steve:

Steve is on the asexuality spectrum. He is biromantic, but does not feel sexual attraction often. When he does, it is because he has a deep emotional connection to that person. This is generally referred to as demisexuality. In verses where he has a romantic partner and they engage in sexual activity, he is demisexual. However, there may be verses where he is completely asexual.

In most verses, Steve is a virgin. He is not sex-repulsed, but he does get very flustered by the topic.

Steve sees a therapist for his PTSD and general anxiety.

His therapist recommended he get an emotional support animal, so he has a puppy! His name is Dodger, and you can read more about Dodger soon! (I’m working on his lil bio.)

Now, Steve works at the animal shelter where he adopted Dodger. He’s a volunteer and doesn’t generally have a set schedule. They basically call him in whenever he’s not busy and they need a hand.

BONUS: Stony Mixtape