#I’m at the crossroads where I see the potential (if I treat it seriously)

[phoenixtakaramono]

The Name of the Game

There’s too much on my plate presently so I won’t write this brainworm right now but imagine this Enemies-to-Lovers Butchlander AU premise: Butcher transmigrates into different worlds where every identity he assumes pits him against its “virtuous hero” (Homelander).

The catch? Butcher has to somehow win his enemy over—or it’s death.

So, for context before I start going into detail, what the heck is “quick transmigration” you ask? It’s essentially world-hopping through various worlds in one story (think multi-short stories that all somehow connect together in a bigger narrative).

The original world this Butcher hails from is an alternate reality where Vought International has expanded all across the globe—and he himself is a Supe affiliated with Vought UK.

On a PR visit to Vought-American (Homelander would have to be tied early into the story here somehow), Butcher’s inner circle gets ambushed by “Supe terrorists”/ “supervillains.” One of those Supes has the power to temporarily banish a person from their plane of existence (or whichever power it is that’d jumpstart the “Quick Transmigration” system)—and Butcher gets caught in that.

He wakes up with a splitting migraine, and a “Conquer System” that explains his return conditions. He’s allowed to go back to his world as long as he fulfills his mission task in each world.

His mission? Fulfill the dying wish of each “soul” he’ll transmigrate into. Fight fate.

The caveat? Whatever identity Butcher assumes, he’ll be the natural nemesis of that world’s equivalent of the “Favorite Son”/ “Golden Child” (the meta equivalent of each world’s main character/ male protagonist/ rival).

Most of all, Butcher CANNOT kill that person. Or it’s automatic erasure.

At this point, Butcher doesn’t know who that person is yet so he’d naturally snap, “You expect me to know who the bloody hell that’d be?”

System: “Oh, you’ll know.”

——————————————

There are 3 main twists:

The first twist is each body Butcher takes possession of is an AU version of him so we can play with 5-6 (or more?) different settings.

There’s full (medieval) fantasy, modern showbiz/ entertainment industry, A/B/O, interstellar (sci-fi), etc.

What’s important is the world before Butcher returns to his original world is ‘The Boys’ (TV or comic) canon universe; it’s so that this AU Supe version of Butcher lands himself in a reality where he’s, once again, powerless—but this time he’d apparently married this American woman called Rebecca Saunders. Essentially the canon events of the show or comic.

But with the same win conditions set by the System, Butcher has to tackle the situation differently from his counterpart. It’s the hardest challenge to pass (it’s the world most similar to his reality but the body he’s inhabiting has burned many bridges).

The second twist is “the Homelander” of each world somehow always falls for Billy.

So we’re talking King Stillwell’s greatest and most loyal knight falling under the charm of the dragonkin he was under orders to slay/ subjugate.

The prince of Hollywood—Vought Entertainment’s top A-list moneymaker—falling for this English chav paparazzo.

An Alpha falling for another Alpha.

Their names—and age—will always change in each world. For example, in one world Homelander is called “John Gillman” and in other worlds he’s “Johnny, J'onn, Jon,” or whatever is the appropriate variation of his name.

Butcher, for example, can isekai into “William, Will, Bill/y, Wilhelm,” etcetera.

And the last twist is, when Butcher accumulates enough “points” to return back to his reality, kick ass and chew bubblegum, *his Homelander* has experienced the longing and affections his alternate versions had felt for the Butcher through his “dreams”—even though they’ve never met.

Homelander and Butcher meet for the first time officially in their world, as strangers (competitive rivals because of their different divisions), yet they’ve both “experienced” worlds where they’d somehow become companions. Partners. Lovers.

And we end this story hinting it’ll be the same.

#billy butcher x homelander #butchlander #billy butcher #homelander #the boys #the boys tv #fanfic ideas #just a brainrot idea I had to share #I’m at the crossroads where I see the potential (if I treat it seriously) #…the thing is we’d be looking at 45-135 chapters minimum if I took this project on (like all other QT novels of this genre) #…it’d be a big commitment #ask #phoenixtakaramono #phoenix talks #technically not an Ask but I’d like to tag it as such to make it easy to find in my profile

[zuzuslastbraincell]

Give me a character and I will answer: Azula

here we go

why I like them

absolute queen and absolute loser at the same time. the intimidating, confident #girlking persona she projects is extremely compelling to watch, the lines she makes e.g. "you were never really a player" are just so cutting, she's clearly having fun trouncing everyone and seeing the gaang struggle against that is a good challenge, she's just good *fun* as a screen presence and just immensely entertaining to watch. she's also just extremely fucking funny. like as much as I felt the writers over-leant into '14 year old girl is the most terrifying creature on the planet' as humour, to the extent that Ursa and Iroh end up saying some very fucked-up lines (which the series compensates for by taking seriously and exploring the consequences for Azula's psyche in S3), I do think the joke *is* genuinely pretty funny. Seeing Azula make grown men, soliders, leading officials, just panic and lose it is *funny* on some level cause she's just a 14 year old kid. Like she's a very good second season villain that ups the stakes.

but like, she's more than who she pretends to be, they give her a lot of depth in s3, you really very much see that at the core of it she's a dsyfunctional 14 year old who has been abused by her father, trapped in a toxic competition with her brother for the crown, and taught that weakness of any kind is utterly unacceptable. The show doesn't ask you to forgive her for who terribly she's treated others but it does present her as worthy of sympathy, as someone complex, made who she was by the conditions of her upbringing.

she's absolutely terrible but she's tremendous fun and you really do feel for her.

why i don't

she was just utterly awful to zuko, ty lee, and mai. she does just manipulate people. she is just unapologetically pro-fire nation and never questions that or has the chance to question it. But arguably these are things, weirdly, that I also like about her because she's just such a compelling example of a deeply flawed character - flaws make characters interesting. (really do wish she'd give zuko a break though.)

favourite episode

I thought about this for a moment but it's the beach. of course it's the beach. the volleyball scene. the petty jealousy. her inability to flirt. 'that's a sharp outfit chan'. the whole campfire scene from 'here we go again' to 'my mother thought i was a monster'. Finally burning chan's house down? Like ugh. Really showed Azula both at her most fun, her funniest, and her most vulnerable at the same time. Really made it clear how she's really lacking social skills from how she's been brought up as a little soldier - like it's made interacting with peers as equals just impossible for her and she really *struggles* outside of the hypercpmpetitive environment that her father brought her up to dominate.

favourite season

don't ask me this. I love s2 hyper-competant azula and s3 disaster azula equally.

favourite line

'Isn't it obvious? I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!' always fucking cracks me up but it's like HOW dramatic can you be, and the ruthlessness here I think indicates some kind of desperation really. southern raiders azula is a really interesting azula imo (as we have discussed a lot recently)

favourite outfit

oh definitely the earth kingdom outfit in crossroads of destiny. she looks great in green!

OTP

azula/therapy azula/meaningful amends and redemption azula/working through her shit in order to become a better-adjusted adult

but azula/katara is good in an AU where it’s less messy and there’s less intergenerational trauma. 

brotp

azula & any kind of genuine parental affection PLEASE can iroh or ursa step up thanks or just ANYONE please adopt this child

but also i am very fond as sokka & azula as pai sho rivals in their early 20s who snipe at each other but eventually over time become almost-friends, and i like toph & azula having chaotic life-changing adventures together

a headcanon

azula is equally as knowledgeable about the theatre as zuko, she just hides her interest. I think artistically she's also quite skilled - though it's downplayed. I can see her being a great singer (in the same way zuko is apparently a good musician) or potentially very good with inks, as it requires a great degree of precision. post-redemption i imagine though she lets her work become more messy, more abstract, less precise. she sings off tune. she joins an amateur players group and lets herself be a hammy actor. she learns to dance and isnt perfect at it first try. I can see the arts as being really fundamental to her recovery quite honestly.

unpopular opinion

honestly don’t think i have any, unless 'an abused 14 year old child soldier is NOT irredeemable' still counts as unpopular. I think opinion has softened towards azula over time though and i think more people nowadays recognise she needs help & can better herself with the right support network.

I suppose what could be counted as unpopular is that, while azula may love zuko 'deep down', the olive branch she offers him in s2/s3 to return home is also a self-interested move that puts the harsh light of scrutiny on him and ensures he'll be blamed if the avatar is rediscovered (see their convo in s3e1), and zuko is well within his rights to reject and want better than azula's 'love' when it is clearly also a self-interested and manipulative ploy. Love isn’t and shouldn't be manipulative and it's tragic that Azula can't open herself enough to build something based on trust and instead has to manipulate the people she cares for in position.

OH wait - actual unpopular opinion 'do the tides command the ship?' never landed as a line for me, the whole time i was just thinking about how ignorant she appeared to be of like, how boats work... how the sea works..., and her confidence just came off as arrogant stupidity. azula you cant argue with the dudes they’ll just wreck your boat dude.

a wish

wrote a post about this which I'll link but azula joining the ember island players is really my favourite recovery arc for her:

read here

oh I would also just azula, as part of her recovery-redemption process, to just go full anarchist on us, i’d really love to see a dramatic political shift in a moment of “fine! i’ll be everything my dad doesn’t want to be!” spiralling that ends up with her genuinely adopting that position.

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen

become the fire lord. azula needs a life outside of politics. she clearly cares for her country on some level and wants to do it right but there are other ways to fulfil that need. imo she needs to give up the crown, because, as with zuko (who travelled as a refugee in the earth kingdom and grew because of it), the elevated sense of superiority she has due to being royal prevents her from extending her sense of compassion, prevents her from seeing the cost that imperialism and monarchy has caused, she needs a new perspective, and that will require stepping away from the crown. like becoming the fire lord would create more distance rather than reduce it and she very much sees becoming the fire lord as a continuity of old practices - in contrast to zuko who breaks from them.

five words to describe her

precise, deadly, hard-working, theatrical, and dearly in need of a hug from her mother

#azula #long post #wrote this on my phone excuse spelling #there's some personal resonance r.e. azula too about being a golden child and sibling rivalry #but id rather not go too deep into that in public tbh

[thosekidswhohuntmonsters]

Seriously Hurt 

Summary: This time when Wade Wilson breaks into the Avenger’s Tower it isn’t just to piss Tony off, it’s to save the readers life. As the team, especially Tony, learns more about the reader they reach a crossroads. Can a person’s past be forgiven? Is it who you are now and not who you were then, that matters? Do people deserve a second chance? Bucky seems to think so. 

Word Count: 2708

Authors note: This will be a mini-series! I’m so excited!! If you want to be tagged either comment below, or go to my ask! 

For my “spicy ;)” content click: here

***if you reblog/comment on my fics there’s now a 110% chance you’ve made my heart flutter****

Tony rolled his eyes as he watched Wade enter the room. This was the third time Wade had broken into the tower, despite the top of the line security system that he himself had programmed.

“Well aren’t you the gift that keeps on giving”. Wade was unfazed by Tony’s sarcasm, besides he knew Tony secretly love their little game of cat and mouse. Stepping to the side Wade revealed the true reason for his visit.

He looked to Tony, “Don’t get your panties in a twist R2D2, I ain’t here for me today”. As Wade nudged your side you knew this was your turn to talk. Now, not only was Tony looking at you but both Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.

“I’m (y/n), and don’t worry I’m not nearly as much of a dick as Wade is”, you said before turning to wink at Wade. The room remained silent, everyone trying to understand where you fit in all of this.

Tony sipped from his coffee, “If he’s holding you against your will blink twice”. It was kinda strange to have all eyes on you, especially the eyes of such impressive people. You felt almost like an animal on display.

Wade began to double over in fake laughter, “Wow I didn’t know robots could make jokes! As much as I’d love to continue comedy hour, I’m going to cut to the chase here. I have a bad guy to fuck up, think the love child of Bin Laden and whoever made the ‘What does the Fox say’ song, and I need to know (y/n) here is safe”.

It was entertaining to see everyone try not to smile at Wade’s jokes, but fail miserably. As much as people loved to say that Wade was a lot of handle, it seemed as though they secretly felt that he was a lot better than most.

Placing down his mug Tony joked,“So I’m now a bed and breakfast? Stark’s Suites?”. You watched as Steve Rogers placed down the newspaper he’d been reading, obviously annoyed. He began to reason with Tony, “We can keep her safe Tony, why not?”.

The man you knew as the Winter Soldier began to smirk, “and besides she already told as us she’s not as much of a dick as Wade”. You began to smile yourself, they were being so welcoming to you.

Tony was still weary, “And why can’t she accompany your ‘lovely’ ass?”. Wade refrained from making a joke, even though Tony had kinda set himself up there. Instead he explained, “Because she’s what the twisted fuck wants, and I ain’t gonna allow that”.

It was a long story, and if it was told by Wade, it was even longer. He loved being dramatic. A picture is worth a thousand words, so you figured that showing would be better than telling.

You closed your eyes and slowly summoned your powers. Feeling a little dramatic yourself you decided to give them all a show. You began to feel the electricity in the tips of your fingers.

The men hadn’t yet realized, but you were changing the very makeup of the air around you. If you wanted you could make it thunder, you could engulf the room in flames, or you could make the room crumble to brick and ash with the snap of your fingers.

In order to not destroy the very place you were hoping to hide out in, you settled on your manipulation abilities. When you can change the manifestations of energy down to an atomic level, controlling minds is a piece of cake.

With only your mind you pulled Tony forward until he stood a few feet in front of you, conjured up an electrical current, and surrounded him in circle of electricity. Steve and Bucky both tensed, until they realized that Tony looked as calm as ever.

You’d placed him under a trance, in his mind he was on the most peaceful beach the world had to offer drinking mimosas with Pepper. For effect you slowly began to turn the electricity into flames, allowing them to flow downward from the top of the circle you’d created.

It was strangely beautiful, as the flames flowed like water, and it was like nothing anyone in the room had seen before. The men watched in amazement as you turned what looked like lighting into fire, and then let it fade completely before the flames could reach the floor.

With the flick of your wrist Tony awoke, “Okay.. F.R.I.D.A.Y. run back the security footage of the last minute please”. Tony projected a screen from his wrist, and watched your little show.

For a moment his mouth hung open, you’d rendered the man who always had something sarcastic to say, speechless. While he’d been out cold he’d had the most vivid dreams, but in reality you're engulfed him in a ring of fire and electricity that was nearly as high as the ceiling.

He turned to you, “You play with elements as if they’re nothing….I can see why someone would want to take advantage of that”. It was true, when they wrong people knew what you were capable of it had the potential to be catastrophic.

“Control the party in your pants, just let me know whether she’ll be safe here or not.”. As much as Wade loved to joke around, he was honestly concerned about your well being. He’d wanted you as far away from the fight as possible.

Of course Tony knew he was going to let you stay the moment after Wade first asked, but true to his nature he liked to bush buttons. He smirked, “With her Jedi mind-tricks, I don't think I have a choice”.

That was Tony’s version of a warm welcome. Immediately Wade pulled you into a hug, “Alright dickhead, give daddypool a nice goodbye hug”. And that was Wade’s version of a heartfelt goodbye.

Much to his dismay you kissed his cheek, “Tell Domino I say hi, and to make sure your uglyass doesn’t die on me. If you’re gone, who’s gonna scare the kids on halloween?”. You could hear Bucky try to stifle a laugh, and it cut through the tension of the moment.

Wade began to make his exit, “We could always show the kiddos what you look like before your morning coffee, that’s enough to make Trump crawl back to the hellhole he came from with his tail between his legs”.

That time it was Steve trying to hold back a laugh. Letting out a sigh you put on a smile and tried to pretend that Wade wasn’t about to get himself possibly killed..and all for you. Tony surprisingly came to your rescue, “Steve and I have a debriefing to attend, but Bucky can show you to your room”.

You gripped the straps of your backpack a little harder, “I was expecting a couch, knowing you a couch that costs more than both my kidneys, but a couch”. Tony smirked once again, he was really liking your sense of humor.

He placed his now empty coffee mug in the sink, “You’ve spent the past couple of months living with Wade Wilson, I think you deserve an actual bed”. Knowing went to quit, you simply nodded your head and thanked him.

Steve got up from the table, “It was nice meeting you (y/n), if you need anything don’t be afraid to ask”. So they weren’t just rumors, Steve Rogers was an actual angel sent down from heaven itself.

“And if you ever need any marshmallows toasted, I’m your girl”.

This time Steve didn’t hold back his laughter, and you realized that he was even more beautiful than people said. You could feel that the way everyone had been treating you was genuine and it made a world of a difference.

Once Steve and Tony left the kitchen, it was just you and Bucky. For a moment you just stood there unsure of what to say or do. It had finally settled in that Wade was off to go fight and you were left with strangers, kind and generous strangers, but strangers nonetheless.

Bucky got up from the table, “Why don’t I show you your room so you can put your things down, and then if you’re up for it we can have some real breakfast. No pressure”. You let out a sigh, that did sound like a good offer.

“Only if there’s waffles involved, yes pressure” you teased. Bucky smiled and you felt your heart begin to flutter. Between both him and Steve you’d have a heart attack by the end of the day.

Bucky began to lead you out of the kitchen, “There’s a reason waffles and win both begin with a ‘w’ doll”. Slowly but surely you felt yourself getting more comfortable. You couldn’t tell if you were flirting, or doll was 40’s slang for dude, but it was definitely distracting you.

As you walked through the tower you felt like you were in the most luxury maze the world had to offer. Everything looked too expensive to ever breath on, but it somehow managed to also feel cozy.

Suddenly becoming an avenger sounded more and more appealing. After what felt like forever, Bucky stopped in front of a room labeled “Little Witch”. Slowly he opened the door, “It used to be Wanda’s but her and Vision moved out”.

You’d heard about Wanda before, and in all honesty she’d sounded kickass. Her room was the perfect mixture of cozy and minimalistic. There was a tv, artwork on the walls, a guitar, a beautiful bed, and a desk.

“Well this sure beats sharing a bed with someone who snores like a fighter jet”.

While you weren’t completely lying, you knew that in reality you’d miss the company of sleeping next to Wade. He was the only one who could make your nightmares vanish with one bad joke.

Bucky walked toward the window, “How long have you and Wade known each other?”. It was half curiosity, and half wondering if he’d been flirting with a taken woman. He watched as you laughed to yourself.

You began to reminisce, “Too long...but not that long..everything after the lab just feels like a whole new world”. Bucky wasn’t sure if he’d heard you correctly. Had you both been more connected than he’d thought?

Reading your body language he could tell that you’d felt as though you've shared too much and let something big slip. So maybe he had heard you correctly. Anyways, he’d never pry, he’d experienced enough of people poking and prodding to ever do it himself.

Trying to switch subjects you placed your bag down onto your new bed and asked, “So I was promised waffles?”. Bucky let things smoothly transition, and internally you let out a sigh of relief. He grinned, “You’re looking at the best waffle maker in all of Brooklyn”.

Bucky was going to cook you breakfast? Maybe you’d really went to the fight with Wade, died, and gone to heaven. You could feel your stomach beginning to grumble with the mention of food, “Wow, I didn’t know I was in the presence of such royalty”.

Teasingly he bowed, “It’s okay doll, I’m not holding my diamond-encrusted spatula so how were you supposed to know?”. To have the conversation flow so smoothly calmed your nerves.

You’d been afraid that the avengers were as uptight as Wade joked. Humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, was the key to handling all the complete and utter bullshit life threw your way.

If there was anything you’d learned from Wade it was that jokes were like a liferaft in a sea of despair.  Either you can let sadness swallow you whole, or laugh in its face. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth trying.

“Well your highness, however shall I repay you for my ungracious naivety?”.

Bucky grinned, were you flirting with him in old english? He found you surprisingly intoxicating. He tried to look regal, “Hmm since it was an honest mistake, and clearly not out of malice, I believe all would be forgiven over a movie ”.

You both were back out into the hallway now, “A movie?”. Was he already asking you on a date? For the first time in a long time you felt butterflies in your stomach. Bucky continued to lead you back toward the kitchen, “Preferably Disney”.

Although the world knew him as a trained assassin, his closest friends knew him as a huge disney fan. Bucky secretly blamed Steve for it, but the movies were so good that he couldn’t truly complain.

You jumped up and sat on the kitchen counter, “Lilo and Stitch?”. Bucky had begun to get the various ingredients from the fridge, and as his back was now to you, you couldn’t see his smile.

“Good choice”.

The kitchen was filled with laughter, the both of you enjoying how it felt to get along so effortlessly. It was rare that Bucky could feel comfortable around someone he’d just met, let alone really begin to like them.

You watched as he began to make the mix from scratch. You were amazed, “Wow so you’re not just a pretty face”. It was somewhat forward of you, but you were testing the waters. Bucky took the bait, “Just you wait and see doll”.

He’d matched your forwardness, and thus you both knew how interested the other was. Plus, now you knew doll was the same thing as babygirl or princess. But it sounded a lot better leaving his lips, as if he knew exactly how to drive a girl wild.

“I’m starting to think you’re a huge flirt and that whole cold and aloof assassin vibe is just a front”.

Bucky’s smirk grew. He enjoyed your teasing, “Oh doll, you should’ve seen me back in the day”. As he reminisced he started to laugh softly to himself. It was nice to feel like that part of his life wasn’t so far away for once.

Flirting with you had rekindled something deep within himself. You watched in delight as he finally poured the mix into the maker. Your stomach was louder than Wade’s snoring by now.

“If that waffle tastes as good as it smells, then I can only imagine how much of a lady killer you were”.

With the sound of footsteps you were both awoken from your little love trance. Sam hadn’t meant to ruin the moment, but he’d needed to find Bucky. He apologized, “Sorry, but Steve said he needs both of us in the conference room asap”.

Bucky turned to you, “Guess I’ll need a raincheck on that movie then (y/n)”. You nodded your head and smiled, trying to ignore how much you hated the thought of Bucky already leaving.

Sam looked truly sad, “It was nice to meet you (y/n)”. You told him the same and allowed him to leave the kitchen with Bucky. Although you were now alone, at least the waffles would be done in a minute or so.

With a sigh you tried to pull yourself up and remind yourself how great of a start this had already been. Bucky was more wonderful than you could’ve imagined, and he seemed to really like you too.

As much as this situation sucked, it seemed like the beginning of something good. Maybe the universe had finally felt bad for constantly handing you the shit- end of the stick, maybe for once things were about to change for the better.

“Steve, we can’t keep her here and you know that. She was in Pierce’s back pocket and in case you’ve forgotten that was the man who infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. in the name of HYDRA”.

Steve sighed, he wished that Tony had never done that digging because it had changed everything. It had revealed that you had some skeletons in your closet, some big ones, and that you possibly weren’t as innocent as you seemed.

They had reached a crossroads and were left wondering if you were just another Hydra assassin, or just an innocent person caught in the crossfire. Things were about to get serious, and some people were about to get seriously hurt.

if you enjoyed this fic please leave a comment! Or reblog! It lets me know that I should keep doing what I’m doing! Thanks for reading!! 

#Bucky Barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky imagine #BUCKY AU #Sebastian Stan #bucky x reader #bucky x reader au #bucky fic #Steve Rogers #Chris Evans #Iron Man #Robert Downey Jr #wade wilson #wade wilson x reader #deadpool #deadpool x reader #ryan reynolds #sam wilson #falcon #anthony mackie #wanda maximoff #marvel