ready aim fire

Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

[juxtaphase]

@trickshxt​ really doesn’t need to call him out like this:           "So if we're just gonna leave the Coke can half sticking outta the fridge we should probably come up with some kinda story. Like funky magnet. Or somethin'."

          “I swear I’ll fix it,” he said immediately, the guilt hitting as soon as Barney said the words ‘Coke can’ and prompting him to get up to go examine the coke can in question.  “I got frustrated so I wanted to come back to it.”

[juxtaphase]

@fierceathlete​ is being way too cryptic for his liking:           “ you can know things all you like, and someday you might believe them. “

          “Every word of that was English and I have no idea what you just said.”

[juxtaphase]

@hawkinsgoth​ with the important questions that won’t get honest answers:            “ how badly does it hurt?“

          “That depends: you gonna laugh at me or defend my honor?” he quipped, which did nothing to help her with figuring out if he was going to be steady on his feet or completely useless in the next few minutes.  Maybe she didn’t care and that was just his own paranoia thinking she’d need to know that, or maybe it wasn’t paranoid at all and they were in deeper shit than his brain was willing to process.  

[bunchamemes]

THE WAR I FINALLY WON | STARTERS send a prompt or send ✉ for a random starter. triggers apply.

i love you. i’m sorry. i’m so sorry i didn’t tell you before.

is there a word for feeling nothing?

you’ll spend today being quiet and still. you will take naps.

pneumonia. that’s a sickness in the lungs.

you need your rest.

shh. settle down. it’s over. you’re fine.

have some breakfast. you haven’t eaten.

my arm hurts. it really hurts. and my head.

you get to be guarded now. you get to feel safe.

but i’m very hurt and very hungry.

you can know things all you like, but that doesn’t mean you believe them.

don’t move. help’s coming. you’re going to be okay.

you’ve been very strong your whole life.

i banged my head and broke my arm.

you’re so quiet. i know it’s a shock. what are you thinking?

it’s a friendship present.

you can know things all you like, and someday you might believe them.

however you feel is fine.

but don’t you have any family left?

i know you don’t understand, but i think someday you will.

you look awful. you need to take care of yourself.

you’ll be lucky if you haven’t hurt your recovery.

how badly does it hurt?

it was very scary, but everything’s fine.

this isn’t a happy ending. it’s not the worst ending, but it isn’t happy, and i’m sorry for that.

[vhsmeme]

* mini starter call

send a word for a starter. feel free to combine prompts.

‘ dial ’ for a phone call starter

‘ beep ’ for a texting starter

‘ silence ’ for a nonverbal starter

‘ sun ’ for a good morning starter

‘ moon ’ for a goodnight starter

‘ care ’ for a sick starter

‘ hurt ’ for an injured starter

‘ zzz ’ for a tired starter

‘ recovery ’ for a hospital starter

‘ heart ’ for a caring starter

‘ onion ’ for an angsty starter

‘ trouble ’ for a worrisome starter 

‘ boo ’ for a scared starter

‘ lull ’ for a comforting starter 

‘ balloon ’ for a happy starter

‘ rawr ’ for a silly starter

‘ grump ’ for a bad mood starter

[gunvolt]

im going to have a stroke

[prideling]

Instead try… Person A: You know… the thing Person B: The “thing”? Person A: Yeah, the thing with the little-! *mutters under their breath* Como es que se llama esa mierda… THE FISHING ROD

[artykyn]

As someone with multiple bilingual friends where English is not the first language, may I present to you a list of actual incidents I have witnessed:

Forgot a word in Spanish, while speaking Spanish to me, but remembered it in English. Became weirdly quiet as they seemed to lose their entire sense of identity.

Used a literal translation of a Russian idiomatic expression while speaking English. He actually does this quite regularly, because he somehow genuinely forgets which idioms belong to which language. It usually takes a minute of everyone staring at him in confused silence before he says “….Ah….. that must be a Russian one then….”

Had to count backwards for something. Could not count backwards in English. Counted backwards in French under her breath until she got to the number she needed, and then translated it into English.

Meant to inform her (French) parents that bread in America is baked with a lot of preservatives. Her brain was still halfway in English Mode so she used the word “préservatifes.” Ended up shocking her parents with the knowledge that apparently, bread in America is full of condoms.

Defined a slang term for me……. with another slang term. In the same language. Which I do not speak.

Was talking to both me and his mother in English when his mother had to revert to Russian to ask him a question about a word. He said “I don’t know” and turned to me and asked “Is there an English equivalent for Нумизматический?” and it took him a solid minute to realize there was no way I would be able to answer that. Meanwhile his mom quietly chuckled behind his back.

Said an expression in English but with Spanish grammar, which turned “How stressful!” into “What stressing!”

Bilingual characters are great but if you’re going to use a linguistic blunder, you have to really understand what they actually blunder over. And it’s usually 10x funnier than “Ooops it’s hard to switch back.”

[esper-aroon]

Pronouncing your own name with a foreign accent in mid conversation because you can’t switch the accent gears fast enough and then wincing at yourself as your ears scream bloody murder at you.

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          The panic was something she could easily curb, well normally she could and there had been that one incident in which she had totally lost her shit for a hot minute, but who could blame her when she’d been mere feet away from a very pissed off Hulk for the first time? This was something else entirely. Of course she knew the air was thin and breathing was difficult, but she also trusted Rafi enough to be able to reassure herself that he’d let go if she couldn’t take it any more. But as it stood, being able to walk through a fast moving and ice cold river without any trouble or getting wet was something of a huge bonus. It meant when they found somewhere to hide out that they wouldn’t have to contend with being cold and wet. A nod was all she could manage as a response because Nat wasn’t sure she could speak without passing out at this point, better not to risk it and just focus on getting out of dodge.

            Oh, he had the utmost faith in her ability to deal with anything that might get thrown at them, and that was without knowing even half of what she was capable of or had done.  By reputation alone, he understood that her chances of surviving this and anything else that might happen were higher than his, just as she’d already outlived most of the team that had been sent to get her out.  He also knew that the panic of being unable to breathe was a deep, primal thing, and that it would get all of them if they were left long enough, just as you couldn’t hold your breath indefinitely underwater - eventually, the lizard brain overruled the thinking part, and even if you knew it would kill you, you had to try.  This was still the easiest, and the smartest, way to go about their escape, and they both knew it.  They left no tracks and they used no additional energy fighting their way through snow up to their knees (or deeper in places, he didn’t know if there was frozen accumulation beneath them that would collapse under their weight), and they lost no body heat in the snow or making their way across the shallow width of the river.  It was when they made it to the other side that he stopped, dark eyes scanning their surroundings as he picked a direction that looked to have better cover and the most trees that he could use, then tugged her in that direction.  “Almost there,” he breathed to her, conserving his own breath as much as she was, since the long walk still made him feel like he was working too hard with the thinner air.  This was why he didn’t typically take a long walk while phasing, but extenuating circumstances had different demands.

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          It was the one thing Nat hated about doing missions in the ass-end of nowhere at this time of year; the weather was unpredictable and usually awful. Not that it was better in Russia, their winters could be harsh and bitter and it was the reason why she was happy to make America her turf. Hearing that their ride out of this snowy hell hole didn’t do much to lift her spirits, but knowing he was on the same page about finding somewhere to lay low and wait out the incoming blizzard gave her a sense of relief. But as he offered his hand to hers she found herself hesitating for just a moment. ❝ Warm up, lay low and wait this out. Sure, sounds simple enough. ❞ She said as she took a firm hold of his hand and braced herself for a repeat performance. If they could get over the river she could hear just up ahead, they’d be plain sailing, after that it was a case of finding somewhere secure and warm to wait stuff out.

          “That’s the ticket,” he told her as she summed up the plan in agreement, but he didn’t miss the hesitation before she took his hand. He couldn’t blame her, because the flight from their pursuers hadn’t exactly been enjoyable, but as he phased them both and started off toward the very same river she’d taken note of, he cut a much gentler pace.  The air as they phased still had that thin quality that made even him sometimes feel a little panicky, like he wouldn’t get enough air if he didn’t force himself to breathe steady and take it easy, which was why they couldn’t maintain this. They’d need normal air, just as climbers in very high altitudes struggled, but they’d get some more distance and resist the cold better like this.  It was the smartest move, until they found somewhere to hide.  “We can cross the river like this, that’ll help break the trail up more, then we’ll get somewhere going to hole up.”

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          The rush of air to her lungs had left her feeling dizzy, almost like she’d drank a whole bottle of something expensive after a long stint of being teetotal. Who knew you get drunk off of air? Seems even Nat learned something new everyday. But it was more than that, she’d learned that Rafi was more than he made himself out to be and part of her wondered if, like her, he’d been subjected to some strain of the super soldier program. Not that either of them really had time to discuss this. He was right, however, despite everything and how much ground they’d covered in their escape, they still had a long way to go and not much time for idling around. Pushing herself up from the snow covered ground, Nat extended her hand to him and gave him a smile that showed him she’d be fine to go again. ❝ Your way doesn’t leave tracks, just… when we get out of this I want an explanation. ❞ It was a fair request, or so she thought.

          There wasn’t really time to discuss it while they were standing in the snow, and since the rescue team’s efforts had been blown to smithereens with the unexpected arsenal that they’d walked into, their extraction wasn’t what it had been planned at.  He had a way of calling for a ride,but with the storm rolling in and this close to the base, he wasn’t counting on it.  He wanted shelter first, then he’d make a call out and go from there.  “Our ride is gonna be delayed, we’ll find ourselves somewhere to warm up and lay low,” he told her, and the part that he didn’t mention was that it meant they’d be conserving their strength and staying as healthy as they could as long as they didn’t have anyone on their ass.  He was sure that she’d find time to drill him about what he did in that time,and reached out to offer his hand to her, palm up.  As long as they took it easy on the walking so that breathing wasn’t too difficult, it wouldn’t be as cold while he was phasing them both, either.  He didn’t quite know why or how, but for as long as he could maintain it, they wouldn’t freeze.

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          Nat had been on some pretty wild rides in her life, well, lives would be a more apt description for she had lived many, but this one was something else entirely. Sure, she’d faced down aliens, gone toe-to-toe with gods and even been in a tight space with something big, green and full of rage, but this? This one was a new one for the books. It was utterly fascinating watching the snow beneath them not even kick up so much as a snow flake as they continued to run full pelt and part of her wondered why they weren’t sinking to the core of the earth but she put that one away to have some sort of fever dream about at a later date. the fact of the matter was that they were putting some serious ground between them and the people that wanted to put bullets into them. And when her lungs couldn’t take the strain any longer, she let go of his hand and dropped to her knee’s, a hoarse sound escaping her as she fought off the urge to dry heave from the sudden rush of air to her lungs.

          He was breathing just as hard as she was, if not harder, when he felt her yank her hand out of his, and he put on the breaks just as quickly, unphasing and trying not to suck in deep, greedy breaths too fast.  “Yeah, okay, now’s a good time,” he gasped, nodding like that agreement was necessary as he bent over with his hand braced on his knee.  He looked up again, though, scanning their surroundings for signs of a threat, but also for shelter.  It was possibly fortunate for both of them that the guy who survived this long with her was SERE trained, since it meant he was an asset in the wild and cold rather than a liability, and though he’d lost some of his gear in the rescue process, he had enough to get them by.  “We don’t have to keep going my way, but as soon as you get your breath back, we gotta move again.”  He’d prefer to go his way, since it didn’t leave any tracks, but it would wear them both down in the already chill air.

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          A little more warning for what was about to happen next would have been nice, but life rarely went to plan. As soon as their hands were locked together and he gave the command to keep her breathing steady and to move, she did as told and broke out into a run. The Red Room had taught her how to slow her heart rate, to keep the beat at an even keel so she could run for longer, but this? This was something else. She felt solid and yet entirely weightless all at once and there was a distinct lack of air. Not that there was no air at all, but like they’d hiked up a mountain and it was thinner because of how far above sea level they were. It was also interesting to note the expressions of the opposing side as they ran toward them at full pelt and then through them as though they were nothing. It was strange, running through a person and not feeling the impact and had she been anyone else Nat likely would have lost her cool, but instead she focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not letting go of Rafi’s hand.

          He’d have liked to give her more of a warning, but it wasn’t like he opened up anytime he met someone with ‘hey, I can phase through things, this is how it works and the rules for phasing with me’, and there wasn’t time or breath to explain it as they ran.  His only real advantage over her was that he’d done it before, many times, and was more accustomed to the sensation and the thinner feel to the air, but she was more than capable of dealing with it.  At least she seemed to understand that letting go of him was the last thing she wanted to do if she wanted those bullets to keep passing through her, and he realized very quickly that she’d also noticed that she wasn’t being held up by snow or branches.  It made the pair of them much faster than their pursuers, and far more difficult to track, given they weren’t leaving footprints.  It wasn’t sustainable, but they’d run as far as they could, wouldn’t they?

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

           Budapest was a story for another day, but if he were to take her word for it then he’d know that the situation was familiar even if the numbers were a little more thinned out. Not that she had time to tell him this before he was stepping up beside her and taking a hold of her. His question however had a brow raising. ❝ I sometimes go jogging with Steve. Good enough for you? ❞ What she meant was that she jogged and Steve lapped her several times before a sweat even considered the possibility of breaking. 

          The way the rifle lowered and he went from just leaning the slightest bit against her to actually taking hold of her arm. He didn’t want to keep either of their hands occupied, but it was about to be necessary.  “We’re about to find out.  Just don’t freak out or breathe too hard,” he told her softly, because that was the mistake people made most, not that he necessary thought she would.  Without knowing what he was about to do or what it would be like, she really had no way of being prepared for it, and he understood that, but it was either his way or they both were likely going to be captured.  “Move.”  He slid his hand down her arm to her hand, took a deep breath himself and then phased them both with a quick tug to set them off running directly through the wall of hostiles.

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          Of course she knew he hadn’t actually looked, just like he wasn’t going to now. But if it helped keep his heart rate down and his head level then she’d entertain pretty much anything right about now. And it also hadn’t gone unnoticed that he’d been firing an occasional shot at the rear and keeping any would-be ambushers getting the jump on them. Honestly, it was a headache she could be doing without. But her gut was telling her that they were going to be met with some kind of welcoming committee once they got outside and damn it did she hate it when she was right. The air outside was cold and it was dark; a stark contrast to the freshly fallen snow and it took the enemy infantry -of which her quick count gave her the number thirty- about six beats before they were drawing their weapons. Honestly, it looked like synchronised gun-pulling on both sides. Nat held out both of her arms and wondered which of the men in front of her would lose his nerve first and pull the trigger. ❝ Pretty sure this is how Clint remembers Budapest. ❞ 

          She needn’t have worried about keeping his head in the game, because he wasn’t going to be flipping his shit on her or anything of the sort, but he could understand where the headache was coming from.  Hitting the cold air outside the doors at a quick pace had him still scanning their rear, then up on top of the building, but his eyes made it around to her side swiftly enough.  That was where he stepped in closer to her, slowly and until he was touching her, because he didn’t trust someone not to open fire.  “The fact that you two survived whatever happened in Budapest sounds promising.  How’s your cardio?”

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          The smirk couldn’t be helped, Rafi was a funny guy and easy to shoot the shit with, both literally and figuratively and that made what was something of an intense situation just a little less stressful. Not that she really ever got stressed, but having something or someone she could use to divide her racing mind on didn’t hurt anyone… well, except the people that got in her way. But as they were engaging in banter and making progress, Nat saw no reason why they couldn’t continue, so far the enemy was scattering and heading to everywhere but where they were located and that meant making their escape that much easier. ❝ What makes me think that? ❞ She paraphrased before looking at him over her shoulder, her eyes giving him a quick head-to-toe before it was eyes forward again. ❝ Simple. The way you’ve been looking at my ass. Don’t deny it, I’ve been trained rigorously to spot things like that. ❞ And he’d hear the smirk in her voice, not that she was lying about her training, but maybe about him checking her out. Yeah, no, she was. ❝ Well, classy dame, you ready to make a break for it? I see an exit and I’m praying you can run in heels. ❞  

          He saw the smirk and one mirrored hers on his face, glad that the situation hadn’t gone so far to shit that the banter didn’t get a reaction, or perhaps it had and that was why the reaction was so important.  That they were the only two making this path to an exit wasn’t a good sign, considering he and his guys had been meant to be a rescue team, but he had a job and she was it.  It was what he did, and the rest he’d deal with later.  “Says the superspy who just appraised me like a piece of meat, I see how it is.  The fact that neither of us has been shot in the back is proof I haven’t been looking at your ass, but now that you talked it up, I’m gonna have to,” the told her, eyes back on the area to their rear despite his claims. He’d been firing in short bursts to eliminate any threats he caught behind them, but the fact that there wasn’t more trouble probably meant that there was a distraction elsewhere.  He glanced at her when she claimed she saw an exit, following her eyes and setting his jaw.  “Two older sisters, I can run in anything that ain’t stilettos, let’s go.”

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

          ❝ You wouldn’t be the first. ❞ She took the opportunity to check her Glock was fully loaded while they had a moment and her reply came with a tone that betrayed the concentration on her face. Not that she was lying to him, there had been times when she’d had to buddy up with someone to get a mission done and they’d taken it upon themselves to try their luck. Not that Nat minded, if it kept them relaxed and stopped them screwing things up for her she was willing to grit her teeth through it. Not that she was doing that now, as far as Nat was concerned this was nothing more than banter. Once certain the coast was clear she signalled for them to move, taking impossibly light steps as she lead the way forward for them both. ❝ If you’re a good boy and we get out of this in one piece, I might let you take me for a beer or something. ❞ 

          Okay, so when he made that comment about flirting in a hot zone not sounding like him, he was lying because he would totally do it, but he was also telling the truth about just being a friendly sort of guy.  He got irritable and sarcastic often, and the flirting was certainly not meant as anything serious, but it happened.  The difference was that he was just as likely to make the same kind of comments to literally anyone he was stuck in the shit with, regardless of gender or intent, so long as he liked them well enough.  Her comment had him hesitating, mouthing the words ‘let me’ like they were the shocking part of that statement, but he caught up quickly with a snort back at her.  “I’m probably not good enough for that and what makes you think I’m so easy that you can just pick me up in a warzone and let me buy you a beer?  I’m a classy dame over here, Romanoff.”

[juxtaphase]

rcdledger‌:

           Had she known what Rafi thought about her in regards to her status she would have scoffed at him and rolled her eyes for good measure. Superhero? Not so much, but she would take the world-class spy part; that was something she prided herself on even if it had left her feeling conflicted about her place in the world. On the one hand Nat wanted to be good, to do the right thing, but she knew that sometimes you had to do things that were considered a little bit more than shady to get the end result you were aiming for. Hence the conflict. As for the men in her life? Calling them men at times was a bit of a stretch, but they were her family so she’d berate and chastise in good nature to keep them on their toes. Once they’d made it past the area where Rafi had pulled his little stunt, Nat lead them down a corridor, keeping to the sides so that when a blind corner was upon them she could take a quick peek. ❝ Careful there, hero, keep talking like that and I might start thinking you’re flirting. ❞ 

          It would take a lot more than her scoffing to convince him that the things she’d done in the public eye,and however many things outside of it, had been heroic and a bit super.  It added up just fine to him, and unfortunately for her, she couldn’t control how people thought of her.  In this case, that meant she couldn’t stop him from seeing a superhero leading the way towards better cover, down an alley corridor and towards a corner.  “Flirting?  In a hot zone?  Doesn’t sound like me at all.  Just a friendly sorta guy.”  He ignored her making fun of him with her own use of the word ‘hero’, well aware that they were thinking it in two entirely different ways and not willing to argue the more serious points of it.

[juxtaphase]

trickshxt‌:

It was a depressingly familiar tale. His own skin crawling at parallels he was only just now starting to see. There would likely be far, far more than he ever wanted to know under the surface and that alone was enough to spook him slightly. Never had he wanted another to step through the murky hell of what he’d been through. Feet sinking into tepid water of ‘just this once’ and soft ground that began to stick far more than support. By the end he’d grown fetid moss and had been left for what he’d assumed he was…

(He still felt like it, to be honest. Remnants of what was once clear and bright, overgrown with so many exceptions there wasn’t anything left of the idealistic young man with expectations in his mind.)

The breath he’d taken in was long past due. Exhaled in a low whistle as he finally closed his eyes. Steeling the parts of himself ready to enact justice; that wouldn’t help them here. Now wasn’t the time to act emotionally. Not when he knew this enemy very, very well. They could afford to bide their time. They would, too, up to a point. What they did with that given time was critical.

“They aren’t gonna help ya if you go back, Rafi.” This he was insistent on. Eyes snapping open to hold Rafi down with a somber look. A knowing look. A pleading look. Please don’t buy their lies… “I know you know.” Or so Rafi said. But he knew, just knew how twisted things could get. “But…trust me, they’re gonna come at ya someday and promise you the world. Tell you they can fix it, will fix it, that you’re hurtin’ more people than you know. They’ll say just about anything to get you to go with them, will promise you freedoms and considerations. But please me, PROMISE me-”

He reached over then, grabbing Rafi’s hand with both of his. Less a comfort and more to ground them both in this moment. This critical, very crucial moment where his voice dropped and every ounce of lived experience seeped into his words. “You won’t believe them.” 

Self-consciously, he dropped Rafi’s hand. Glancing away even as he got up. Overcome. Hands rubbing his forearms, trying to chase away what lurked below. Taking a deep breath even as he watched the night air condense against the window.

Get a grip, Barns, get a damn grip.

“The advantage you’ve got is you know they’re lookin’ and you probably know ‘em better than they think you do.” He turned back then, small smile on his face. Panic of early carefully locked away again. “And you came here. Know more than a few ways to keep outta sight. Especially when you’ve got a microscope on ya. So guess the real question is, what are you wantin’ to do next?”

          There may come a point where Barney’s desire to enact justice would come to be needed, but the man before the redhead right then was tired.  Exhausted, if he was honest, right down to his bones, and the way he turned his head to look up at Barney when the man got insistent showed that plainly.  He nodded, averting his eyes when all of the reasons he expected to hear if someone willing to talk instead of shoot found him fell out of Barney’s lips, and then Barney had his hand in both of his, and he flicked his eyes back up to him.           “I know, Barney, I do,” he said, even if he also knew there would be truths in their lies, things he couldn’t argue with when he knew resisting them was causing trouble and even pain for people around him, and he knew just as well that he’d struggle with that part.  His family would be a mess when they were given a story, whatever it was, and he knew it wouldn’t be anything in favor of him.  Probably that he was dangerous, that he’d stolen something, that he was a fugitive.  Anything to give them reason to doubt him if he went to them for help, and though he didn’t think any of them would turn him in if he showed up, he also knew they’d be under surveillance.  The way to keep the people he loved safe was to stay away from them, and that was specifically why he’d gone to someone that the lab wouldn’t look for.  They had his records, but it would take time to find Barney’s name, if they ever did, because they hadn’t worked together in years and it was just the one team.             Some bonds, like surviving against the odds and digging each other through blood, dirt and bullets, had the deep roots to last even without regular contact to nourish.  “I won’t believe them, I promise,” he said, because that seemed to be a serious sticking point for Barney, and maybe saying it would help cement that truth in his mind.  He needed to figure something out, once he’d rested and could think straight, could work on a plan.             The question from Barney was a tough one because of those needs, if he was honest.  It came with a sigh out of Rafi, more of the exhaustion showing through, the pain that Barney wasn’t even aware of settling into his muscles and joints like winding down was the perfect excuse to become a problem, but he knew that he was lucky it hadn’t been as hard as it could have been before he’d found somewhere safe.  A point for willpower, obviously.  “I wanna sleep, if I’m honest.  Haven’t done much of it since I got away, too paranoid, and I was either drugged up to my eyeballs or hurting too much when they had me.  Then I need to come up with a plan, figure out how to get out of this.  It’s a private lab, so if there’s enough trouble, the government guys will probably want to cut their losses and leave the lab to take the full fall.  Might be able to take advantage of their panicked self-preservation, I don’t know.”