#And day six is today so you're getting twice the art

[kalolasfantasyworld]

Familia smile!

I love these three little birdies so much 😍

Noureen got a bit embarrassed 😂

Art prepared for BCocweek on Twitter Day 6 - The loved ones

[another-lost-mc]

hi! I hope you're doing great today, ahem. do you have any more dilf karasu headcanons to share?? ♡

-definitely not steph *flees & drops a choso pic; ends up crying about it later*

— He’s a creature of habit. He knows what he enjoys and sticks to his routines. He works from home and enjoys the quiet comfort of his nest, which is more colourful and cozy.

— He still prefers quiet nights at home after working in his office all day. He likes to listen to cursed records while he reads or tries to teach himself various arts and crafts. He can’t draw or paint despite his best efforts so he wants to try knitting or crochet next.

— He hasn’t been to a club in a very long time but with the right company, a nice dinner at Ristorante Six is something he would enjoy on a regular basis. (His treat, of course.)

— He still doesn’t like sweets. There’s a nice little cafe near RAD that sells savory pastries that he likes. Mammon usually suggests meeting there to catch up once or twice a week (Mammon tries to get him out of the nest as much as possible).

nsfw below

— Like his OG counterpart, he’s still noisy in bed but in a different way. He’s more vocal but not necessarily loud - expect a lot of praise and dirty talk, even if he’s murmuring it so only you can hear.

— He’s less likely to want to be pegged/fucked but he does have certain moods where he’ll ask if you’d like to.

— Degradation is still not something he enjoys (giving or receiving). Same with anything too rough.

— His pool of potential partners for a threesome or polyship are even more limited. There aren’t many demons (or angels) he would be willing to share you with and only under very specific conditions.

[evermoredeluxe]

I think that if you're that successful as Taylor is in a capitalist society, you cannot not be a capitalist. I'm not saying she's exploitative of people or their work, but she is actively focusing on having as much profit as possible bc today success = profit. She wants her albums to not only be critically acclaimed, but also to sell well and be on top of the charts. So she makes 1000 Anti-Hero remixes. She makes 5 different Lover album versions and fans buy it like hot bread. There's no need for that many versions unless she wants to boost her sales. Now those CDs are sitting there unused bc ppl only bought them for the diary entries. Idk much about the ticket situation but I wonder what is the point of having six different VIP packages in your ticket variety. Of course, a lot of her revenue goes back to the people she worked with on creating an album or tour or whatever, and she donates a lot, but at the end of the day she has more money than she will ever need and she is actively trying to have more. It's NOT just about sharing her art with the world and getting paid for her work. I'm not saying she's exploiting her fanbase, but she knows damn well what she's doing with her business decisions and a part of her just wants to get that sweet money.

oh i agree with a lot of what you said so im not gonna fight you on it but there’s always 2 sides of the coin. every single one of us partakes in capitalism (that’s literally the major marxist critique of it). her demand is insanely huge, she could get a company to make a million vinyls but if they stop selling, she’d eventually have to stop ordering. marketing is a big part but it only works if the consumer wants the product. if the consumer doesn’t actually want it, then the incentives only work once or twice. but in her case, that’s not true; her demand is long term. do i wish there was a way i could absolutely make sure that every single factory that makes any of her products compensates their workers fairly? absolutely. but that’s not realistic and that’s not (directly) her fault, just like it’s isn’t an average fan’s fault for wanting a cd. the real culprit is always going to be the companies actually doing the exploiting. she is def partaking in capitalism but the affect she is having is nothing compared to the affect of what LOTS of other people are doing.

also, her having 8 variants for folklore was actually not a waste and a was actually a boon to the vinyl industry and the workers there. she brought a business back to life. now, at most, she has 3-5 variants for an album, which is so much tamer than other artists.

this is not a shot at you anon but in general, people expect her to be so extremely moral so that they can feel better about supporting her, all the while every single other artist they support is doing god knows what and no one cares! im all for criticizing celebs but she is held to an unattainable high standard that other people just aren’t. she doesn’t need the money ofc but i can’t stop her from doing her job, esp when everything she can control is being done the right way (she can’t control a factory and she isn’t gonna open one of her own). the only reason she is making money is because we are willingly buy the product.

[teddysmusings]

hello everyone! i'm linny (he/him, 26, est) and i'll be playing theodore here, as well as @kaialawson! i'm a little tardy to the party, but i'm here and i'm super excited to get to get to know everyone and their muses. underneath the cut you'll find all of teddy's background information, stats, and some connection ideas! if you're interested in plotting, just drop a like and i'll shoot you a message!

B A S I C S 

full name: theodore song. nicknames: theo, teddy. gender:  cis man. pronouns:  he/him. sexuality:  pansexual. age:  30 date of birth:  october 3rd, 1993. zodiac sign:  libra. birthplace: brooklyn, new york. current location: jongno, seoul, south korea. residence: share house in bukchon hanok village. occupation:  free lance artist and physical trainer. languages spoken: english, korean.

A P P E A R A N C E

faceclaim:  matthew kim (bm). height:  6’3. build:  muscular and toned. eyes:  brown. hair:  naturally dark brunette. piercings: standard earlobe piercings.  tattoos:  none. other distinguishing features:  n/a. style:  casual and comfortable.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

traits: (+) creative, humorous, friendly, loyal , affectionate. (-) finicky, eccentric, too friendly, jealous, clingy.  mental health:  good standing. physical health:  great physical shape. likes:  art, museums, literature, parties, working out, traveling.  dislikes:  intolerant people, rude people, bullies, organized religion.  fears:  death.  phobias:  the dark. hobbies:  sculpting, painting, drawing, photography, reading, hiking, working out. skills: cooking, art, tbd. quirks:  rubbing the back of his neck, snorting when amused or annoyed, being handsy and touchy with his closest friends.

F A V O R I T E S

ice cream flavour:  strawberry.  time of the day / night: early morning.  weather:  fall weather.  breakfast food:  eggs, bacon, pancakes  dinner food:  pizza, anything with meat. colours:  blue, purple, black.  music: flo, ayra starr, iu, park hyoshin, beyonce, twice, jay-z, j. cole, doechii, ariana grande, harry styles, troye sivan. 

M I S C E L A N E O U S

a cherished item:  a photo of himself, his younger sibling and his parents. first love ( celeb crush ):  iu / keke palmer / chad michael murray. usual mood:  happy. 1 thing they want to do / experience before they die:  have an art exhibit. 

B I O

Growing up without parents is something that no one should have to suffer through, but unfortunately for Theodore, he had no choice. When he was eight years old, his parents were taken from him too soon, due to a drunk driving accident. He himself was in the car along with them, but fortunately he wasn’t harmed in the collision apart from a few scrapes and bruises here and there. Despite being so young when he lost his parents, he remembers them with crystal clear accuracy. He was very close to his parents, especially his mother. He was what people would normally call a mama’s boy.

Unlike a lot of boys who cling to their fathers while growing up, Teddy found himself clinging to his mother instead. He formed a special bond with her that people couldn’t really understand and after a while stopped trying to understand. He spent a lot of time with her during the first six years of his life. She was an art school teacher, and she would bring him along with her to work, which was the jumping off point for his love of art. Everything he knows about art today stems from watching her teach her classes, and while he couldn’t really comprehend everything she was saying back then, he was exposed to it quite early, which made it easier for him to adjust to art and all its forms when he started to really study it.

When he was just a few years old, his parents had another baby. He was excited to have a younger sibling, one that he could take care of and have a strong bond with. His little sibling had a love for art as well, and that was something they both bonded over. Even though they were both very young, it was very obvious that the both of them wanted to be artists in some way, shape or form. Their mother surrounded them with art and they both took to it like fish to water. His younger sibling was incredibly close to him, and he loved the bond that the two of them shared. Despite the difference in their ages, they were practically best friends who did everything together.

When their parents passed away, the two of them were forced to separate from one another. They weren’t given a choice in the matter because they were so young. Almost immediately his sibling was adopted and he was placed in foster care, something that he hated with every fiber of his being. The foster family he lived with drove him absolutely crazy. They were diehard Catholics and always tried to enforce their views and religious values onto him, which he had no choice but to accept when he was growing up. As he grew older, the more they tried to force religion onto him, the more he rejected it. By the time he was twelve or thirteen years of age, he had already come to the conclusion that he would not follow through with any religion once he came of age. The idea of organized religion had already been tainted for him, and he no longer wanted anything to do with it anymore. Despite his conclusion that he wouldn’t affiliate himself with any religions anymore, his foster parents forced him to attend bible study, Sunday school and even made him participate in the church’s art classes for children. Although that was something he didn’t really mind in the slightest. Being a part of the church’s art class had somewhat revitalized the love he had for art when he was a little kid, and he found himself looking forward for church every Sunday, because that meant he got to do what he loved.

As soon as he turned eighteen, Teddy set off on his search for his younger sibling, wanting to find them and reconnect with them. His foster parents hadn’t allowed him to do so while he was growing up, but now that he was legal and officially out from under their thumb, he knew there was nothing they could do to stop him from looking for his lost sibling. His search for his kin led him to South Korea, where his parents grew up. Upon finding his sibling and reconnecting with them, he also fell in love with the country. It was the exact change of scenery that he needed and had given him a new incentive to continue on with his art. 

These days, Theodore works as a freelance artist and when he’s not making money doing commissions and projects for people here and there, he makes a living being a personal trainer. He hopes to someday kick off his career as a professional, full time artist, but until then, he’s happy having it as a side job and hobby.

C O N N E C T I O N S

his younger sibling: self explanatory, i'll probably send in a wc to the main for this one, but if you're interested and have a muse that fits or you want to bring in a muse in the future that might fit, just let me know!

ex ( multiple ): teddy is a lover through and through, so it's not surprising that he's had a few relationships here and there. some lasting longer than others.

fwb ( multiple ): a guy's got needs, and this person never fails to fulfill them whenever he calls on them and vice versa.

inspo: teddy's made art pieces about / for this person before.

best friend / platonic soulmate: the peanut butter to teddy's jelly. the patrick to teddy's spongebob. the milk to teddy's cereal.

bad influence: teddy, despite his appearance, is a lot sweeter and soft than he appears to be. this person is the one that talks him into tapping into his not so nice side. he's been taken advantage of for his kindness before, and this person is tired of seeing people use teddy like that.

tug-of-war: these two go back and forth. one minute they're going on outings and dates and are all cuddled up, then the next they're arguing and fussing. a hot and cold type of relationship that teddy can't seem to get out of. they care for each other, but whenever they try to be anything more than friends, it falls apart.

practically roommates ( multiple ): teddy has his own place and his own roommate, but these two are always hanging out at each other's places. teddy really enjoys their company and vice versa.

note: if you can't find anything to your liking here, we can always brainstorm!

[pocketstoriesstore]

Hey there. Sorry for my choice of words, I’m from BR and I love to write, but I write in Portuguese 🤭 this time I decided to do different so here we are. I hope you like this piece of story.

More coming soon.

————————————🫀—————————————

“SOUNDS FAIR”

Part I.

You're counting the minutes to finish the activities at the bar where you've been working the last few days.

You decided to accept the job just to be able to spend some time with your best friend since you arrived in her city to visit and, to be honest, you also needed to reset your thoughts and inspirations , after working for six years with different types of art.

Maybe it's true what they say about hard work being good for the mind, because the two of you spend the hole time laughing your asses off under your hands and behind the pillars so your customers don't feel uncomfortable with your inside jokes- and whining.

You both complain more than anything, but in your case it's not always a joke.

In fact, exaggerated jokes and lamentations helps you to get rid of memories from a past that you don't want to remember so soon, at least while you can't be strong enough to face it.

But that Tuesday promised more than any of the eight days of staying at Eliz's house.

Almost eleven o’clock. You two were ready to leave work a little earlier, so you decided to spend the last minutes smoking in the back of the bar (hidden from Eliz's father, who abhorred cigarettes although he also sells them to the costumers), complaining about the loneliness of the lack of a new love in your very difficult lives of endless work.

Elizabeth:“Could it be that it was easier to be a hooker than a bartender? “

You laughed out loud at the question.

You:”At least hookers are never alone."

E: "You see: they have sex, they are never alone and they parade around much prettier than the two of us, who smell like cigarettes and beer"

y:”Elizabeth, for god's sake!"

E:”Look at our hair! We need help!"

Y: “Any help is welcome. Anything, seriously, I’ll die one of this days, you’ll see.”

While you put out your cigarette and get ready to make your way to the bar again to take your bag, a motorcycle whose model you merely know as a road passes by you slowly, but you can't see the face of the blond rider. He seemed to be looking for a place to park among so many other motorcycles.

You strain to see his face without looking like an obvious idiot, and hope he's a bar costumer.

Well, he stops where you want. He looks around, so you can see his face. What a godamn face! You feel almost angry.

For a second he seemed to glance at you, but that would be too much for your sick mind. That was too fast, did he see you? You don’t know, but you saw him.

Goal.

E:”Oh, this guy is such a dream! They say he works for the police, but he doesn't talk to anyone so I don’t know. Once I asked my father about him and his name, but he told me that he was only sure that he would like me having all this interest in keeping the family business on tracks.”

You laugh.

E: Seriously, I've already made myself look ridiculous twice trying to get his attention, spent three therapy sessions confused as to whether I felt rejected or whether he really exists.

Elizabeth talks a lot, but that time you WANTED to hear a lot.

E: He literally didn’t look me in the face. NEVER. He always orders whiskey, reads some messages on the phone, checks his watch all the time, looks around as if he’s waiting for someone, and only talks to my father and Sebastian, the waiter who replaces us when we leave earlier. He smells so good! His helmet sits at my dad's feet at the till because my dad is afraid I'm going to grab it and give it back to the owner just to try to talk to him, cause I did that once but he just said "thank you". I hate him.

You laugh even more.

Y: He hated you first, he deserves all your hate, baby. And you know what? Today I’ll give back the helmet to him. After pouring him his whiskey, of course.

E: No way! Please avenge me! I'll pay you fifty dollars if you do this! My God, I feel hysterical, I'm going to die laughing!

Y: Well, let's find out his name, too. If you want to know his age, marital status, even if he is a police officer as they say, increase the value to one hundred dollars and I’ll give it all to you.

You live her at the corner of the bar door, laughing as she watches.

You get inside the bar at the same pace you usually work at, take the bottle of whiskey and pour it into the glass while chasing him around. But you don't see him.

you feel the frustration filling your lungs, because you made huge plans in a few seconds and even less meters away. You already wanted all that so much. Why? Was all that loneliness? What a ridiculous situation.

At least you tried to keep that little heartbeat you felt a few minutes ago.

With your melted face and the eternal seconds passing you by, you felt even more anxious, quitting the hole day like you've paid your karma for betting someone's personal informations for a few dollars.

Y:” Okay, that’s why I never play games.”

You rip off your apron, swallows all the whiskey from the glass at once, lights another cigarette with the bar lighter - because even your own lighter was gone, and goes towards the door, feeling your throat still burning with whiskey.

Suddenly he comes in and your heart stops.

He puts out his cigarette, takes your lighter out of his pocket, holds it out to give it back to you and says, in the lowest and calmest voice as it’s possible, with a hint of laughter:

"A hundred dollars, huh? Sounds fair. Name’s Leon."

[thebeeduo]

Ranboo: Do you want me to just reading random- Do you want me to just- I'm gonna just start texting you

Tubbo: Yeah, just start texting me random input on the space

Ranboo: *texts Tubbo*

Tubbo: "Microwave explode"? Yo, thank you. "This is awesome"? Ok, stop texting me now. You didn't even respond to my message I sent you this morning

Ranboo: That's 'cause I was asleep!

Tubbo: Yeah, but like.. *sigh* Maybe I should just go live on instagram

Ranboo: Eughhh!

Tubbo: What? Is that cringe?

Ranboo: Yes

Tubbo: Maybe I should just go live on TikTok

Ranboo: Ahhh! Ahhh!

Tubbo: Is that cringier? Is that- *laughs*

Ranboo: *laughs* You go "Is that cringe" to Instagram and your next one is TikTok

Tubbo: *laughs*

Ranboo: I can make fun of it 'cause that's where I was born

Tubbo: Pffft!

Ranboo: I was born there/on TikTok [?]

Tubbo: Do you ever look at someone and wonder what's going inside their head?

Ranboo: I was- I was born on TikTok [?]

Tubbo: *starts playing the piano* You gotta remember your roots

Tubbo: I want my grand piano back, electric piano is cringe

Ranboo: *coughs* [unintelligible]

Tubbo: He just- He just decides "Oh I'm going to spit my germs around the room"

Ranboo: Yep!

Tubbo: *giggles* Wow, wow. You're a bad- I suppose you're anti-vax as well while we're at it

Ranboo: I am literally- I am literally vaccinated

Tubbo: I'm not allowed to be vaccinated, leave me alone!

Ranboo: That's just a major L for you then

Tubbo: Ahhhh

Ranboo: You're/Keep on getting coughed on!

Tubbo: *starts to play the piano intensely*

Ranboo: That's what happens when you're not vaccinated, people will come up to you and cough

Tubbo: That is a terrible sentence. I despise everything about that sentence

Ranboo: *laughs*

Tubbo: *plays The Owl House theme song, then switches to City of Stars*

Ranboo: Ughhh

Tubbo: So..

Ranboo: Oh my gosh!

Tubbo: What?

Ranboo: I just found more food to order

Tubbo: Nooo! Oh my god, if I get one more Amazon box arrive at my door and it's like a 25 large sized bars of Rice Krispies treats or fucking those shitty cheese squares that you haven't even eaten I'm gonna lose it

Ranboo: It's ding dongs

Tubbo: What the fuck is a ding dong?! That sounds like slang for a dick! You're literally eating dick!

Ranboo: *laughs* I am not! Jesus Christ

Tubbo: Why!

Ranboo: That is so far from what it is

Tubbo: What is it with all this fucking BS American food! Twinkies? Oh yeah, let me just-

Ranboo: I didn't get those actually. I don't know where those came from

Tubbo: Where did the Twinkies come from!?

Ranboo: I'm gonna be entirely honest..

Tubbo: Where the fuck did they come from!?

Ranboo: ..I have no idea where those came from. I did not order- That is not what I ordered

Tubbo: Look, you've got your-you've got your Cheez-It's and your Twinkies and your fucking ding dongs. I'm gonna f- I'm gonna blow some shit up

Ranboo: Sorry, I'll make sure to order a plain cheese pizza the next time

Tubbo: Honestly, that would be so much- I'm actually- I've been really healthy. So far I've had a fruit pop for breakfast

Ranboo: That's good. I had.. *silence*

Tubbo: You haven't had breakfast yet

Ranboo: I haven't- I haven't eaten yet

Tubbo: You haven't eaten yet today, and your first meal of the day will be Taco Bell

Ranboo: No, it won't!

Tubbo: Will it not? Oh

Ranboo: Why do you think- Taco Bell doesn't even deliver here!

Tubbo: *sighs* Fair enough

Ranboo: Why would it- Why- Mkay..

Tubbo: American

Ranboo: I know that the algorithm on Amazon works too well because it was [unintelligible]

Tubbo: *starts playing City of Stars again* Oh no

Tubbo: City of staaars.. *laughs* That song- It kind of annoys me, I'll be honest

Ranboo: I'm looking at- I'm looking at the, um.. I'm looking at your- the Tubbo space hashtag and someone just sent this, like, chart of, like, eye colour but it is, like, the most low res thing that I have ever seen

Tubbo: But I don't know- I think my eyes change colour depending on what I'm wearing, I'll be honest. Is that weird? Because everyone on twitter asks me "Ah yes what is your eye colour" and I'm like "Uhh how the fuck am I supposed to know" and then

Ranboo: My eye colour is [?]

Tubbo: Then I went through a bunch of like- I went through a bunch of, uh.. like, old photos of me and they just change colour depending on how sunny it is, what I'm wearing.. like.. Yeah, so, I don't know

Ranboo: *laughs*

Tubbo: What?

Ranboo: Nothing

Tubbo: What?

Ranboo: *loudly typing* It's time to listen

Tubbo: Time to listen to what?

Ranboo: To my music, I'm just gonna listen to my music

Tubbo: You're not gonna listen to me? Listen to me. Stop dancing. Knock that off. Yo, keep your clothes on! Woah, why are you so- *laughs* sorry

Ranboo: Why do you do this!

Tubbo: 'Cause it's funny, 'cause there's no video

Ranboo: Why do you- why do you do this

Tubbo: and.. and there's no video

Ranboo: What did I- What did I ever do? Nothing

Tubbo: *laughs*

Tubbo: *reads something about chip shops?*

Tubbo: Why do people keep sending me, like, soviet bunnies as well? I don't wanna see bunnies from soviet Russia. What's with the soviet Russia bunnies?

Tubbo: Thoughts on him? Bill Cypher? Pretty fun loving lad- Why did you just mention me and write "awesome"?

Ranboo: I didn't- No, it's a response to a tweet

Tubbo: Oh

Tubbo: *sees Michael fan art* "Oink! Hello father" Oh, I see

Ranboo: Just buff Michael

Tubbo: Buff- *laughs* He went to prison from lack of parent supervision and he came out buff, oh no! Oh no! *laughs*

Ranboo: What do you mean lack of parent supervision? I'm gonna go brush my teeth

Tubbo: Oh ok.. Bye

[Video cuts directly to when Ranboo comes back]

Tubbo: Hello. You seem hollow. Your mother is here? Wait, I shouldn't have read that out. You just texted me that so I didn't read it- Ok, well.. She's here guys!

Ranboo: Ahhh! Why!

Tubbo: She's here!

Ranboo: There's a reason-

Tubbo: She's here! *laughs* Just thought I'd let you know! *laughs* She's raring to go! That's awfully exciting..

[Video cuts again to the next beeduo clip]

Tubbo: Guys, I want to- How does one get the- What is the max people that have been in a single space, like, ever?

Ranboo: I own the number two spot for that!

Tubbo: Do you? How many was it?

Ranboo: Yeah. It was during MCC, it was 36k I think

Tubbo: 36- guys, can we get 38k please?

Ranboo: *fakes being angry* Can't you let me have anything!? *laughs*

Tubbo: Wh- Ok, Mr. 100k subs, Jesus

Ranboo: I don't- I got that once

Tubbo: Twice

Ranboo: It was six times actually..

Tubbo: SIX TIMES!? Oh my god, ok..

Ranboo: Alright... Goodbye space people!

Tubbo: Bye!

Ranboo: Goodbye!

Tubbo: Bye! Leave

Ranboo: I'm leaving the U.K. actually

Tubbo: He's not

Ranboo: *laughs* I'm not.. Wouldn't that be just terrible?

Tubbo: You just said bye and left..

Ranboo: The whole time everyone thought that I was going in, like, October but then I actually just straight up just leave..

Tubbo: You wanna go home?

Ranboo: ..in the middle of August

Tubbo: You can just leave.. get out!

Ranboo: Ok..

Tubbo: Pffft

Ranboo: Bye!

Tubbo: Bye!

[Video cuts again to the next beeduo clip]

Ranboo: I'm back from the U.S.!

Tubbo: Oh, what did you forget?

Ranboo: My- my beloved locket

Tubbo: *mocks American Accent* and the AirPods *laughs*

Ranboo: Yes

Tubbo: Have you told them what you've called your AirPods? The name of them?

Ranboo: Oh yeah, no, it's because basically, right, if you put a slash and then an asterisk at the end of a word it will bleep it out, so, right, me of course being young I thought that was the funniest thing to have that. So whenever Siri said my name she would just go like "You [beep]" so I thought that was funny. So it's like beeping noise, yeah

Tubbo: Oh, I see. So is that why mine do that as well?

Ranboo: I guess so, yeah

Tubbo: Yeah

Ranboo: Yeah.. yeah..

Tubbo: I see.. So..

Ranboo: I'm gonna go now

Tubbo: Bye, again!

Ranboo: Bye! Back to the U.S. I go!

Tubbo: There's no "E" in Tubbo.. Just throwing it out there..

[buckyjamess-archive]

𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷 | 𝓫𝓾𝓬𝓴𝔂 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼

chapter six • want to be tagged? or shoot me a message • a/n: I'm going for the most posted chapters in one week record here, leave me alone. :') wordcount: 2.5k+ • warnings: man, reader deserves a break- fluff at the end though.

summary

once a test subject and once a weapon, you, better known as seventeen live a peaceful life in the shadows of society until an old friend drags you into the world you so desperately want to leave behind but at least you're not the only weapon.

masterlist- previous - next

"So, this is it." 

It's just the kitchen you'd stepped into, big, black and luxurious. A bar many pubs would be jealous of and a fish tank the size of your bathroom back in blue city, walls decorated in abstract arts and expensive looking vases and sculptures gathered around. A big chandelier hangs above the dining table a big bouquet of red roses in the middle. with a stunning view of Highgrove; dozens of lights coming from the buildings built around the ones you're standing in. A picture in a frame.

"I just moved in so you'll have to do with the couch," Jill chuckles "but it's big enough to fit all of you and ten others." 

Her hand waves in the air, there a couch for thirty, sunken into a pit, putting your lone chair ashame. A big screen hanging above a big fireplace, two succulents on each end of the mantel, a stack of magazines in the middle. 

"But make yourself at home," Jill speaks again, "I've got a bathroom, second door on the right of the hallway and seriously, my fridge is stacked so if you're hungry- dig in." 

You all nod, standing in formation a few feet away, taking in the new surroundings, in awe. Overnight bags hanging from shoulders. Heavy legs from the stairs just taken, the elevator not working- 20th floor. 

"I'll be off now, big day tomorrow." Jill smiles, thumb pointing backwards "end of the hallway if you need me; i sleep naked though so a knock would be appreciated." 

"Yeah, no- of course." Sam now chuckles, speaking for you all "thank you, again." 

"Don't mention it." 

With a slight wave and a nod, Jill turns around and let's her feet drag to the end of the hallway, door closing behind her. 

Zemo doesn't need to be told twice to make himself feel at home. Beelining to the couch and claiming his spot by dropping his coat on it before getting back in the kitchen to snatch a snack and bottle of water out of the fridge and it doesn't take long before sam and bucky follow in his footsteps, leaving you in the middle of the kitchen- solid to the ground.

Sam, fluffing up a pillow and standing by his spot on the black couch catches sight of you and let's his eyes fall on the figure making himself comfortable, like Sam, beating a bunch of pillows. A soft hey coming from sam gets his attention, sam nods and bucky follows his gaze which lands on you. Quiet and unsure, still in the same spot as before.

Bucky isn't sure if it's the right idea or if you're willing to talk to him or even bat an eye at him, things back at the station didn't go well and since then he hadn't said a word and neither did you. He rises back to his feet and walks around the couch, a knot forming in his stomach as he takes the three steps up to enter the kitchen again, slowly to make sure he doesn't startle you out of the daze you seemed to be in. 

Man, they really screwed you up back there. 

"Hey," Bucky places his vibranium hand on your arm to let you know it's him and not one of the others but that simple touch is enough to make the tears fall down your cheeks again "c'mere." 

Without hesitation bucky pulls your body flush against him, an arm tightly wrapped around you while the other makes its way to the back of your head where he gently strokes your hair, and places a soft kiss on your forehead. It pains him as much as it pains you– it takes a while but less than a minute before he feels your arms wrap around his waist. It's what he needed after today, it's what you needed after today and if you could stay like this forever, you would. 

Bucky knows it isn't all lovey-dovey yet, there's still a lot of talking to do, something he's willing to do, something he's eager to do but this right here is enough for now.

A pardon or for now at least, there's still a long way to go before Jill gets a green light to make it official. House arrest for now, stay in a three miles radius from the apartment building you'd been put in. Still considered a threat, a ticking time bomb ready to ruin someone's day but you don't deserve that pardon, right? You've caused nothing but pain and agony for the last fifty years. Tore families apart, ended lives, played for god- hurt. You did that. Your bare hands taking lives, loves you had no rights to end. Blood on your hands.

The burning spring sun warms your skin, the soft breeze a nice contrast and the sound of city life is surprisingly calming. A lone man dangling in a bosun's chair at 20 stories high, cleaning the big floor to ceiling windows, life hanging on a threat, literally. You're glad you're seated on a balcony, safe. Your plate with spaghetti on the table has run cold and the carton box with seventeen on it in black letter has been left untouched since Jill had placed it there. 

'Everything that's you.' 

But you know who you is, you know what you is- you are a monster, the machine, the weapon. You should no longer be here, living between and with the innocent.

That's why you've been pushing yourself away, avoiding the others like the plague, wafting away every word that's been spoken your way– they should be enjoying their worry free lives, have their happily ever after but instead there here, in the same place as you, all because of you. 

As you've been ignoring Jill for a few minutes now. Leaning against the doorframe of the door leading to the balcony, arms crossed in front of her chest and eyes squinted as she too shivered at the thought of the little man holding into a thin black line, sacrificing his life for a set of sparkling clean windows. 

Somewhere in the back of your mind you know her- the fruity scents from cups of tea, the arms wrapped around your neck, arms and legs whenever she used you as a jungle gym, that birthday card pressed against the glass of your cryostasis chamber and the endless stories wandering in the back of your mind. You know her and yet you don't. It's a blur, a single whisper from the person caught inside a body you barely knew yourself. 

A cause for the fallen and forgotten victims for hydra; let them into society, help them and let them be heard. Fight courts, defend the brainwashed little soldiers, give them a chance at life, make them feel again. Jill did that, fascinated by all things hydra, for the better, all because of you. Jill worked hard and for the last three years, she'd been trying to find you. 

"Look, I'm aware you might not know me," Jill starts, a sigh leaving her lips "but i know you and you've been a big part of my life and I owe you this." 

"I don't deserve this." You mumble back "you know what I did." 

"That wasn't you." 

"It was." You argue back 

Pushing herself off the doorframe, Jill makes her way to the railing and tightly wraps her hand around the edge before bending over, resting both arms on it, gaze never leaving the tiny man. 

"I moved to Russia when I was five. When you became my dads 'little project'." Jill air quotes "and even i knew it was wrong- I was five." 

You stay quiet but your eyes burn into the back of the woman standing a feet away. 

"They tortured you, they manipulated you, abused you and used you and you still dare to tell me you don't deserve a bit of freedom?" Jill scoffs "the things they did to you an-" 

"I didn't fight hard enough." You cut her off and it makes Jill scoff once again 

"You did!" Her voice raised, you're taken aback "that's the problem, you did but you don't remember- they had you wiped clean before you even had the chance." 

Frustrated, Jill turns around to face you. Tear brimmed eyes looking directly into your soul. 

"The good in you fought against that serum so fucking hard but you never had a chance." Jill breathes out "you don't remember but I do." 

Annoyed at the cold shoulder she's getting, Jill snaps her head back with a groan, blinking away the tears and runs a hand over her face before looking down upon you again 

"I'm just wondering why you don't want to accept any help?" 

"I've been doing it on my own for most of my life." You answer back, quickly, without any thought because it's the truth and nothing but the truth. 

"And you don't have to any longer!" Jill snaps back "there's people out there who want to help you, all you need to do is take their hand!" 

Funny you think the last time I let someone in to help me, he put me in jail 

and just the thought of him snaps something again, you even surprise yourself by the change and raise of your own voice

"Everytime I let someone in and trust them, he does something so stupid!"  

You're not talking about people anymore, you're talking about him. It's him you trusted the most and it's him who crushed it all. 

"And if he'd just told me, I would've been fine but it's always behind my back, everyone does." 

"Who is he?" Jill asks carefully and softly "you clearly care about what he thinks of you-" 

You do. You do care about what he thinks because it feels good to be liked by someone, cared for by someone, loved by someone. He made you feel that way with just two days of knowing him and made those feelings stronger with each passing day but he's the one to crush it all and it's confusing. You've been living without emotions and feelings for almost fifty years, and they're confusing and felt in ten fold the moment you started life. 

"Who is he?" Jill quips again "I'd like to have a talk with him." 

"Bucky." you breath out 

You're pacing back and forth, slowly. Head far in the clouds, not quite on earth. A piece of paper or something alike in your hand. The soft yellow light from the kitchen casting a glow behind you and from where he's laying on the couch and above the soft snores of zemo and sam, he can hear those gears in your head turning. 

He doesn't know how to talk this out, how to fix this one. He made a mistake, a big fat mistake as Jill told him earlier- storming up to him as if ready to kick him out of the window. What you thought– so he left you alone for the day, with effort. All bucky wanted was to see that smile again, her that voice again without the tremble or anger. 

Clearing his throat, he sits himself up on his elbows to get an even better look at you "Hey, you okay?" 

He's surprised that it's all it takes to pull you back to earth. A set of eyes on him the moment he finished his sentence. You're thinking. 

"What?" 

"Are you okay?" 

With knitted brows your gaze lands on whatever it is in your hands and back up at him, gears turning harder than before, you simply nod. 

"You sure?" Bucky quips

His eyes stay on you as you once again inspect the thing in your hand and watch around the place before your features soften on your face and shrug. 

"I don't know." You simply state. 

The features on your face flip through emotions, brows knitted together or raised, confusion, anger, sadness and he wants to invite you in again but he doesn't know how, but he doesn't need to know how. With one last look down in your hands, you find his eyes again and make your way to the living room and circle around the couch to where Bucky had made home and wordlessly sit down on the edge. There isn't much needed to know where this is going, you've walked this road before– bucky stretches his arm out next to him and shimmies his body closer to the back of the couch, effortlessly lifts up the thin blanket and watches patiently as you lay down beside him before dropping the blanket on the both of you. Your head on his bicep feels right and something he'd missed. You're close again. 

His eyes land on the square piece of paper in your hand, a small candid. It's you and it can't be denied, the little kid in the picture is you. With squinted eyes, a bright smile and a big birthday cake in front of you 'happy 7th birthday y/n!' And the date written underneath it in sharpie. 

"She looks so happy." You whisper softly

Taking the picture out of your hand, bucky brings it closer to his face and inspects every single detail. 

"looks like you won a fight with a kid who knocked your teeth out." Bucky grins, pointing out the gap between your teeth and a relief washed down from his shoulders when he hears you snort and sees the smile on your face. 

"Wouldn't be surprised." 

A comfortable silence falls between the two of you when you turn your head to face bucky- faces inches apart and noses barely touching. Staring right into each other's soul. 

"I'm sorry." Bucky mumbles "but meant every word I said that day." 

Taking the picture from between his fingers, you turn your head again to take another look at..you, yourself..another version of you and back to the men close next to you.

"I don't even know who i am." you whisper again as you search his face for any regret or pity but you can't. 

The vibranium hand that touches the side of your face to push hair out if your view, sends a shiver down your spine and in the first time in forever, you feel something in the depths of your stomach, something so familiar yet it's not but it makes the corners of your lips rise to your eyes. 

"We'll find out who you are." 

We'll. We. We will find out. Us. This.

"I like who you are now." Bucky confesses 

"I don't." You press your lips together in a small smile. 

"We'll find that person together then," Bucky now whispers "if you let me help." 

Like a fish on dry land, you open and close your mouth to say something, anything but nothing comes out. Taking a deep breath you smile softly and nod at the soldier next to you who copies your smile. 

Accept some help.

A minute of silence passes. A minute filled with tension, watching each other, inching closer and closer and for the first time in his life, bucky really takes matter into his own hands- his hand that pushed away the hairs out of your face earlier is now soft against your cheek but the lips that he meets in a kiss are even softer than that and the way your nose scrunches up when he pulls back and places a kiss there is the cutest thing he's ever seen

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[cindyyberman]

strikes and strike-outs. | nini salazar-roberts

synopsis ── when nini invited you to go bowling after exams finished, you weren’t expecting her ex-boyfriend to be there. but apparently she’s not as ready to face him as she thinks she is. ♡

── nini salazar-roberts x gn!reader

genre ── fluff

word count ── 1.7k

note ── i wrote a list with all the fics i want to write and decided to write one for every day of november. but me, being lazy, didn't get around to finishing this until today, so my bad.

♡ marvel masterlist ; misc masterlist ; prompts ; character list ; request rules

warnings ── none

It had taken weeks. So many sleepless nights, cancelled plans and cups of energy drinks poured into espressos. But I'd finally done it, I'd survived exam week.

Walking out of my last exam, I felt like I'd not just passed, but I'd actually done well. All that cramming must have payed off.

I was on my way back to my dorm, when I heard my name being called. Turning around, I was met with a slightly out of breath Nini.

Nina Salazar-Roberts and I had met on orientation day of freshman year. She may or may not have bumped into me, an accident that resulted in coffee stains all over my favourite sweater, but we'd got along incredibly well since then.

"Hey, Neens. What's up?" I brushed a piece of hair out of my face and readjusted my backpack.

"You just finished your last exam, right?" She asked, catching her breath. I nodded, and she fidgeted with a guitar pick on the edge of a silver chain. Taking a deep breath, she looked around, trying to seem nonchalant. "Great! I did too! Uh, so I was wondering if- I know you've been studying really hard lately, and I thought you might want to unwind and forget about school for a bit- it's just, me and a few of my friends were thinking of going bowling tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to come? We were going to grab some pizza after. You can say no, I'm sure you've got other friends you want to hang out with and- "

"Nini," I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and she opened and closed her mouth a few times. "You're rambling. I'd love to come with you, if I'm not intruding,"

"Great! Great, yeah, sure, I'll text you the details! See you tonight!" Her tan cheeks acquired a slightly more pink tone than usual as she nodded again. "Bye!”

Nini had texted me an hour later with a location and a list of people that were going. There was, Ashlyn, the girl who lived across the hall from me, Seb and Carlos, two boys I had spoken to a few times and Ricky, someone I'd never met but knew a little bit about from getting to know Nini.

Ricky and Nini had been best friends since kindergarden, her lifelong nickname stemming from the fact he couldn't say Nina. They had dated their entire sophomore year and then broken up on the first day of junior year only to start dating again six weeks later. It was the fairy tail romance every girl wished for, but it didn't work out.

Nini had left her high school in Utah to attend a performing arts school in Denver for her senior year. Ultimately, the school wasn't the right fit for her and she returned to Salt Lake City half way through the year. She and Ricky had done long distance for six months, but when she returned they both made a startling discovery.

While Nini had been off making memories and honing her skills and having amazing experiences, Ricky had spent the entire time moping around waiting for her to come back.

So the pair parted ways, and apparently Nini had been heartbroken with the breakup, and it had taken her a long time to get over.

I found it odd that Nini had invited the boy who broke her heart not once, but twice, but I decided not to question it.

Three hours later I was dressed up, not too fancy but fancy enough; one of my brother's black Wrangler t-shirts on top of a pastel yellow long sleeved top, tucked into some high waisted jeans with some black high top converse.

By the time I arrived at the bowling alley, only Nini and a guy I assumed was Ricky were there. He had curly brown hair and a skateboard tucked under his arm.

Nini brightened considerably when she noticed my arrival. Assuming it was due to the fact she was uncomfortable around her ex-boyfriend I took smiled and hugged her.

"This is Ricky," Nini blurted out after a few awkward moments of silence. I smiled, introduced myself, all the things you do when you meet someone new. He seemed nice enough, but i was still a little wary about him.

"Uh, Seb and Carlos texted me, they said Seb's parents are in town so they're skipping out," Nini said.

"That sucks, I was looking forward to seeing them," I said honestly.

"I think I'll go get some soda or something," Nini suggested suddenly. "You guys want anything?"

Ricky and I shook our heads and Nini flashed me an awkward smile as she speed-walked across the room to the snack bar.

"So how do you know Nini?" Ricky asked, clearly trying to make conversation.

"Oh she bumped into me at the activities fair last year. We don't talk much but I'd say we're friends,"

"Cool,"

There was another few moments of awkward silence. I subtly looked to my left to see if I could see how far away Nini was. I saw her gesture to a woman who walked up behind her; she was letting people in front of her to avoid going back to the sandpaper of a conversation she knew would be waiting for her with Ricky and I.

I was just about to open my mouth to ask another generic question in return, probably something about his major, when he spoke first.

"So, uh... how long have you and Nini been together?"

I blinked. Together? Like, together together? As in the kind of together that Ricky and Nini used to be?

I was about to respond truthfully, that we were just friends, when I remembered the relived expression Nini had when I arrived. Without thinking about it, I said "two weeks,"

"That's cool,"

I didn't think it was possible, but Ricky somehow looked even more uncomfortable after finding this out than he did before. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut, staring at the neon designs on the navy carpet.

"Uh, I think I'll actually get a drink," I said, standing up. Ricky nodded stiffly and smiled. I walked over at a normal pace, not wanting to seem like I was that desperate to avoid talking to him.

When I reached Nini, she grimaced apologetically. "I'm so sorry I left you alone with him, it's just the first time we've hung out since we broke up, and I thought I would be fine because I had a bunch of friends to act as a buffer, but then Seb and Carlos couldn't come and I just got a text from Ashlyn that she has to cover someone else's shift and can't come either, and Kourtney would rather die than bowl after what happened last time, and- "

"Hey, hey, Neens. It's okay, it's cool, I don't mind," I placed a hand on her shoulder. "I completely understand, everything's fine,"

It took a few more murmured words of comfort and some shallow breaths from her before she calmed down, a tear slipping down her face. She wiped it away angrily. "I am not crying over Ricky Bowen for god's sake, especially not when my foundation cost $48,"

"We can leave if you want?" I offered. Nini took a look over to where Ricky was waiting, before looking back into my eyes.

"Is that okay? I know this was supposed to be us celebrating exam season ending, I don't want to be a downer. I'll get over it, I think I just need a minute"

I grabbed her hand. "Neen, what you're feeling is perfectly okay, I mean I would probably be the same if I was in that situation. Let's go get some pizza, and we can just hang out. Don't worry about it, I just like spending time with you,"

She took another shaky breath. "Thank you,"

We shook Ricky off with some lie about my dog being sick, which I'm not entirely sure if he bought. To be honest he seemed just as relieved to have an excuse to leave.

"Do you even have a dog?" Nini asked as she climbed into the passenger side of my car. She immediately plugged her phone into my aux cord, having claimed for weeks that she had the perfect playlist that fit my vibe.

"Nope," I replied as I pulled out of the parking lot. "How did you get here anyway?"

"Uber," she explained as she pressed shuffle, the car filling with some soft guitar before the voice of Conan Gray spoke up.

I still remember

Third of december

Me in your sweater

You said it looked better

On me than it did you

Only if you knew

How much I liked you

"Oh I actually really like this song," I said, glancing at her. She had a smile smile that she was trying to hide. "Hey, did you know Ricky thought we were dating?"

Nini gave a little bit of a sheepish cough. "I maybe told him just in case something happened," her face went red, from what I could tell. Her darker skin owed to her filipino heritage, and also the fact I was driving down a highway made it slightly hard to tell. "I know I should have checked with you,  I didn't even plan to, I just panicked. We'd been alone for like ten minutes and he asked me about you because you two had never met and I said I was your girlfriend," she hurriedly explained. "Did he say anything?"

"Just asked how long we'd been together," I shrugged. "It's no big deal,"

Nini fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "What did you say?"

"About two weeks," I pulled into the pizza place's parking lot.

Neither of us had noticed the song had changed until I turned the engine off and Taylor Swift started singing.

The rain came pouring

Down when I was drowning

That's when I could finally breath

And that morning

Gone was any trace of you

I think I am finally clean

I got out of the car, about to walk towards the door when she grabbed my arm gently. "Thank you, thank you. I mean, Ricky's not a bad guy, the opposite actually it's just... I don't even know. I thought I was over him. I am over him!" She rugged softly on the guitar pick on the chain. "I just appreciate it. I thought we were ready to hang out again, but apparently not,”

“Well, I mean, you guys dated for like nearly two years all up right? That’s a long time. Especially in high school,” I reasoned.

Nini bit her lip and nodded uncertainly. “Yeah, I just, I don’t even know,”

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out, now come on, let’s come get some food,”

[voiceless-terror]

prompt request: JMart angst/hurt/comfort "you're not broken" + "i love you, no matter what your brain tells you"

Hey there friend! As requested, here is your prompt. I made it into a sort of season one/two au where Jon and Martin have already been dating. Hope you like! It can be a stand alone piece, but it is also the second in a series, the first of which is here: The Art of Conversation

“I was thinking…”

“As you do.”

Jon fixed Martin with a scowl. “Perhaps we could- that is, if you want-wouldyouliketospendthenightatmine?” 

“You’ll have to try again, love. Didn’t quite catch that.”

Jon sighed in the face of Martin’s open fondness as they strolled down the street, making their way back from lunch. Martin brought a happiness to his life that he never thought possible- a companionship built on mutual respect and love. He enjoyed every night he spent in Martin’s cozy flat, curled up on the couch drinking tea and talking about everything and nothing at all. That’s not to say they didn’t have their troubles- Martin was rather inexperienced with intimate relationships, and Jon didn’t have the greatest track record when it came to communication. But Martin held his hand the night he stuttered out his asexuality, patient and loving and kind. Jon wasn’t ashamed of who he was, never had been- but he knew that for others it was considered a deal breaker. He’d heard stories. But Martin nodded, thanked him for trusting him with his boundaries, and let him curl back into his side, as if it changed nothing.

If he could handle that, than why, for fuck’s sake, was he so worried about having Martin over?

His flat wasn’t that bad. In actuality, it was quite a bit bigger than Martin’s. He wasn’t dirty, he usually kept up with chores, kept it relatively tidy.

But there was something so intimate about it- there was a reason he never hosted any events. Martin saw glimpses of it when he picked him up for things, but he’d never actually been inside. It was just so...barren. Void of anything Jon-like. Sure, it housed his possessions, his favorite books, his grandmother’s salvageable furniture. But it was a peek into his mind that he didn’t like others seeing. What if the way he lived was wrong? What if he didn’t have the right things? Like the little things that Martin had- a proper strainer for loose-leaf tea, little jars of spices for cooking, a towel-rack instead of a plastic hook on the wall. A nice bed frame and headboard, a worn but cozy duvet. In comparison, Jon lived like a freshly-graduated college student. He should have his shit together by now, right?

But every time he thought of making it a bit more homey and lived-in, his mind blanked. Where were the lists of all the things you need to make a home yours? What would look best on the walls? And what if he bought all of those things and it just looked awkward, like puzzle pieces forced in the wrong place? So he kept his mismatched furniture and odd little piles of books. It’s easier to stick with what you know.

But it was about time he had Martin over- the man had accepted him in every possible way, this couldn’t be the thing that would make or break their relationship. That didn’t make it any easier, though.

“Would you like,” he started again, taking a deeper breath. “To spend the night at mine on Saturday?” That would give him enough time to prepare, it was only Wednesday. “I could- I dunno, fix dinner, we could watch that movie you wanted to see? Or whatever, really. I don’t mind.”

Martin beamed a bright, shining smile that always made Jon’s heart flutter when it was aimed his way. “I’d love that, Jon! I’ll bring over some wine, we’ll make a night of it.” His arm wound around Jon’s waist, bringing him closer. “Fix you an omelette in the morning.”

“With the green peppers?”

“Of course. Oh! We could go for a morning stroll; you’ve got that lovely park by your house, yeah?”

“Mhm.” It was nice seeing Martin so excited. His anxiety eased, though he still felt the need to qualify. “It’s- well, it’s not the nicest place, but I keep it clean and-”

“Jon,” Martin’s elbow nudged his side, and he bent down to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Any place is nice if it’s got you in it.”

“Sap,” Jon rolled his eyes even as his face flushed red. 

He could probably do this. Right?

______

Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

Jon was twitchy and nervous the rest of the week, his mind spiraling as he considered every situation, even the most ridiculous. Martin’s not going to care if your flat is ugly. Martin’s going to take one look inside and suggest going back to his. Martin will like your cooking. It’s perfectly serviceable. Martin’s going to spit it out and-

“You alright there, boss?”

Jon jumped at the sound of Tim’s voice, almost dropping the mug he’d been preparing to wash. “Christ, Tim! Announce yourself next time, please.”

“That was me announcing myself,” he hopped up on the counter, giving him an easy smile. “What’s going on? You’ve been in your head all week.”

“I have not.”

“You asked me about the Ling statement twice today. It’s Friday. I finished researching it on Monday.”

Well then.

Jon sighed, putting the mug in the sink and turning to face Tim’s friendly concern. “It’s- hm. I’m having Martin at mine tomorrow, and- well, I’m a bit nervous.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Jon dodged the condescending pat to the back. “Seriously, that’s adorable. What’s there to be nervous about? You’ve been dating for three months, and pining for much more besides that.”

Jon’s hands gripped the counter with a renewed force. “I just want everything to be okay. I want him to think I’m a fully-functional human being, not someone who panics over having his boyfriend over. We’re always at his place, he’s always cooking for me. He deserves- he deserves everything.”

Tim hopped off the counter, face suddenly serious. “Jon, you’re quite literally Martin’s everything. It’s sickening with you two, honestly. You’ll be fine.” He threw an arm around his shoulder and Jon allowed it, just this once. “Now, what’re you cooking?”

“Well, there’s this pasta dish he loves at the Italian place on Third,” Jon began, his hands fidgeting nervously. “But it’s a bit...difficult to cook. I found a few recipes and I think I can recreate it, it’s just going to take some time and I’ve never worked with some of the ingredients and I might not have the right dishes for it and I don’t want to just substitute things-”

Tim cut off his rant. “That all sounds really lovely, but why don’t you just stick with something you know? That penne you brought to Sasha’s potluck last year- now that was good. And Martin liked it, right?”

“Well, yes,” Jon bristled. “But you think I can’t do it? It’s just a recipe, I should be able to follow basic instructions, I’m not stupid-”

“I didn’t say that, Jon,” Tim grabbed his shoulders and steered him into a seat. “I just think if you’re already this nervous about having him over, maybe you should minimize the stress, yeah? Lighten the load.”

“I can’t,” Jon argued. “I already bought all of the ingredients- I can’t just let them go to waste. I can do this.”

“Well, that’s the spirit!” Tim put a hand on his shoulder as Jon slumped over, leaning into the table. “Look, it’ll go over fine. Stop worrying. Martin will love whatever you make because you made it, alright? And if you need help, just give me a call. I’m not so bad in the kitchen myself, y’know.”

“Tim, you once set the toaster oven on fire because you left a cheese toastie in there for two hours.”

“Fuck’s sake, you set an oven on fire one time and no one lets you forget it-” 

_______

The day arrives without much fanfare, besides a text from both Sasha and Tim declaring that “he had this!” and to “relax, it’ll go great!” Tim wasn’t very good at keeping secrets.

And of course, a text from Martin.

Looking forward to tonight :) Love you!

He straightens up his apartment and then un-straightens it when it looks too clean. He moves furniture to make it more centered, he studies the recipe a couple more times so when four o’clock hits he’ll be ready to start cooking. It’ll be on the table by six, right when Martin’s supposed to arrive. And everything will be fine. Everything will be fine.

But his books look wrong today. Messy, ugly, no sort of order. There are little piles and big piles. Even the ones on the bookshelf look bad somehow. He’s got authors and genres all mixed up. It looks stupid, laughable. Jon’s got to fix this.

He starts unloading them one by one, first in alphabetical order then later by genre, because that makes more sense, right? He switches them back to alphabetical after much consideration- that’s the easier one, of course. But then he gets online, sees all of these nice color-coded displays and wouldn’t that look nice on his bookshelf? He grabs the older, leather-bound books he keeps in his bedroom and brings them out to the sitting area. Now these should be displayed, these look nice. But then there’s no room left over and he’s surrounded by paperbacks he couldn’t find room for and Christ the place is a mess-

And then the doorbell rings.

Fuck. Fuck!

Of course Martin would get here early. Martin always shows up at least fifteen minutes early, but two hours is kind of pushing it. Maybe he wanted to surprise Jon with something, Martin’s very kind like that. Jon opens the door, hands shaking.

Martin’s standing there, looking flustered and harried. “Sorry I’m late!” he begins, giving Jon a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. Late? “The trains were running slow again and I practically sprinted down the street- hope I didn’t mess up your plans, love!”

Jon looks down at his phone, dumbfounded. It’s six thirty. 

It’s six thirty and there’s no dinner on the table. It’s six thirty and his living room’s a mess, books everywhere. It’s six thirty and Martin’s going to be so, so disappointed.

“Jon? Is everything alright?” He can barely make out Martin’s voice as his head swims; his arms wrap around his torso and dig into his body and all he can mumble is apologies.

“Sorry- I’m- fuck, I’m so stupid, I’m-”

“Hey, hey,” Martin’s voice immediately goes into that low, soothing tone that he uses whenever Jon’s upset. Whenever Jon makes everything about him when it should be about Martin for once. “None of that, now. Let’s go sit down, yeah?’ Martin immediately sets down his bag and his- oh God, he’s brought flowers and now Jon’s crying and everything’s wrong.

Martin’s steering him over to the couch with infinite care sits beside him, putting a hand on his knee and the other on his cheek, wiping his tears. It’s a gesture Jon loves but doesn’t deserve today. “It’s alright love, don’t cry. I’m here.”

“You’re- you’re here and I didn’t - I didn’t fix anything and nothing’s right, I’m so sorry-” Jon is well aware his words are barely intelligible, but that hardly matters now. Not five seconds in and he’s already ruined the night with his stupid, broken brain that just can’t fucking focus.

“You’re not broken, Jon,” He must have said the words aloud because now Martin’s got his face in his hands and is trying to make eye contact with him. “Don’t say that about yourself. You know it’s not true.”

“But it is,” Martin has to see that. What grown man can’t keep a schedule? What kind of adult loses three hours to a failed attempt at organizing books? Martin’s going to realize how messed up he is and he’s going to leave and Jon’s going to be alone again. “You- you deserve so much more than someone who can’t e-even make you dinner, can’t do one simple thing-”

“Jon, don’t- don’t say things like that. I know what I deserve, alright?” Martin pulls Jon to his chest and the pressure is good, stabilizing. “I love you, no matter what that brain of yours tells you. Okay?” He can only nod as the words bring on a fresh round of tears and he buries his face in Martin’s jumper.

It feels like hours before he calms down under Martin’s soothing hands and warm voice. He reluctantly pulls away to look the man in the eye. He deserves an apology that isn’t a breakdown. “I’m- I’m really sorry, though,” he sniffs, trying to keep his emotions in check. “It’s just- you’re always cooking for me and doing nice things and I wanted to pay you back.”

Martin’s brow furrows and Jon’s afraid he’s said the wrong words. “It’s not about paying me back, Jon. I cook for you because I want to, not because I have to. I like- well, it’s nice to finally have someone who appreciates it.”

Jon’s aware of Martin’s tempestuous relationship with his mother- he’s never brought Jon along on his visits, though he says that’s more to spare Jon than it is any judgment on their relationship. “She’s absolutely horrid sometimes, Jon. You don’t deserve that,” he said.

“Well, neither do you, Martin.” Jon never liked seeing Martin cry, though he insisted these were happy tears.

“You’ve got a lot of ingredients over there,” Martin murmurs, casting an appreciative eye over at the counter. “What were you planning on making?”

He pulls up the recipe on his phone, reluctantly handing it over to Martin. “I don’t think it would’ve turned out well, but I know how much you loved it when we-”

“When we went there on our first date,” Martin finishes. His eyes are watering- is he crying? “I’m sorry, it’s just- that’s so thoughtful, I think that might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“Martin,” Jon says incredulously as he winds his arms around the man’s neck. “I didn’t even make it.”

“It’s the thought that counts, Jon!” His voice is nasally and tight. 

“Don’t- don’t cry Martin-”

“I can’t help it!”

“You’re going to make me cry again-” Martin chuckles at this and leans back on the couch, taking Jon with him in a mess of tears and laughter.  “What a pair we make.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, love. Maybe we can make it together, yeah? Bond n’ all that.”

“That sounds nice,” Jon’s response is muffled by Martin’s jumper. “Would require getting up, though.”

“We’ve got some time. This couch is heavenly- you’ve been holding out on me, Sims.”

Later that night, after a few mishaps but an all-around good dinner, he’s back on the couch and back in Martin’s arms. He runs his fingers through Jon’s hair, a touch that quiets his brain for the first time all week. 

As it turns out, the only thing his flat was missing was someone to share it with.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27354958

Next in Series:

My Dearest

The Weight of Love

[pbandjesse]

My back is really hurty right now but today was a really nice day. Just long and rainy.

I was very tired last night. I'm very tired today. But it's all right. I slept okay last night. I woke up with James's alarm around 6 and fell back asleep until 7. He was gone when I woke up. He had gone to his parents house to get the car to get the last couple things for my other apartment. The plan now is for me to go on Saturday and Sunday and clean. Trying to make it as nice as possible. Then we will go in with are U-Haul when he has a day off. And get my bed and my bookshelf. I'm still stressed out about it all but it's fine. I think I'm going to bring some cleaning stuff and trash bags and things like that over this weekend. Try to just do as much as possible.

I felt okay when I got up. It wasn't thrilled about being awake. Are going to work but I had some positive feelings for the guy. Last night at around 10 p.m. Tiffany called me and asked if I would feel okay leading the older kids science class. And honestly that's what I thought we were doing from the beginning so I was fine with that. I left here around 7:40 and went down to the bus stop.

I got to work at 8:15 and went upstairs and sorry it's setting things up. My fabric was missing but I found it underneath I dropped off. No idea why it was there. It's all good. Set up and then I went to talk to Edina about changing the stem project. And then I went to go talk to Tiffany about the schedule. Because one of the reasons I am leaving stem is so that a Dina can see how the project should go. So having her do stem first doesn't make any sense.

But after some phone calls and stuff we were able to work that out and I got the schedule and I want it. My art is the same. Then we have reading lunch and recess. And then I go to stem with the older kids. While the little kids go to book arts. And then the little kids come to stem and then the older kids go to book Arts. And that worked really well. Today was so much more chill than it has been and it was great.

I set up some stuff for science. Mixed up watercolor paint in bottles. Made some examples. We were doing sneeze art. And it was very silly. But we started the day with some annoyances because I am very much all about organized chaos. And one of my kids ask to go to the bathroom while we were at breakfast and I told him to go ahead and he ran out the door like a first grader will do. And the new principal admonished me and Marcus for not watching our kids. And it was just very rude and the very first interaction I've ever had with this woman who has not introduced yourself to us yet. So I just felt some kind of way. But whatever. Hopefully she can redeem herself to me because so far is not looking good.

But besides that today was great. We went upstairs we did yoga. I did yoga with the little kids first and then went did with the big kids. With the big kids they also introduce some of my ballet stretches and that was really fun. Getting them to use their brains a little bit. Not all of them are participating but the ones that are I can tell her having a good time.

Art went really well. I was worried about Jeremiah for a while because he just did not understand that he was moving from beading to Patches. But really that was because yesterday he didn't actually do beading because he kept spilling the beads all over the place. But that's fine. He ended up sitting with our youth worker Trinity and he drew these little characters that he likes on a patch that we've been hot glued on. I was so proud of him I took that picture up there with him smiling all big. So sweet. I just wish that he would stop whining. That's my only thing that I cannot stand. We're working on it though.

Reading was great. We drew pictures on the computers of a book we've read recently. I drew some stuff from Flowers for Algernon. And then we talked about them and we had to have some conversations about critique and how you talk about other people's work. Even if you don't like it. You have to be kind. I doubt with some little kid tears but everything was okay. We were having fun.

Lunch and recess we're fine. I think I'm supposed to be having my break during recess now but that's very early for me and I don't want to have my break then so I just didn't. I stayed outside and just chilled. Then we went inside for stem.

It was very confusing for the kids because they had to go into a different room that they've been used to for the last 2 weeks. But we got everybody in the right place and then I had to take it sit down and I kind of gave them a mini introduction on myself and explain what we were going to do and my expectations for them. That if they did the project they would get free time. It's an incentive and honestly they need it. It's summer camp it's not school they should be able to have free time. Especially because I just read that article last night about how not having free play and free time outside of a structured adult activity is really detrimental for your kids and their ability to self soothe and self direct. They need to be able to learn how to do that. So it's very important for me to figure out places in the day where they can have that.

And it worked out really well. They were loud. And they weren't always listening but we explained the project. We talked about how you sneeze at a hundred miles an hour and you cough at 50 miles an hour. And then we got our watercolor paper and are smocks and we went outside.

For both classes it works very well. But the little kids were actually better at it because Miss Adina only left a little kids Spritz their paper twice. And I let the big kids do it as much as they wanted. So some of the big kids ones fell apart because they were so wet. But they were having a really good time and they were color mixing and they were being messy and exploring the medium. And they were learning but it wasn't like a lot. It was just fun. And that's what I wanted. You're outside and it's too hot and so after about 15 minutes we went back in.

We all later artwork down put her smokes away I check back in with them make sure they understood the two facts that I thought them. And then I told them guys you did the project you get 20 minutes of free time. So they got their laptops out and they got their phones out and they were having a good old time. And then at the end we close the laptops and cleaned up and they said thank you Miss Jessie and they headed out. It was so much smoother than every other day I have experience seeing the older kids. It was great. I hope that we can keep that momentum.

For the second half. When I had two little kids do it. I stepped back. I let Adina handle that. I only said a couple things. They all were smocks. They got four colors instead of six colors. Mr. Marcus was there to help. We went outside and we all did our thing. The kids work was much nicer than the older kids. They weren't as wet. You actually saw the spray pattern. It was good. Had them bring them all upstairs we laid them out too dry. I'm going to hang them up tomorrow probably. And then we went in. We watched a video and it was nice. I had a good day.

We finish up the day with some snacks and some hanging out on our yoga mats. Took the ball downstairs to go home. Hung out on the hill until everyone was picked up. And I was able to leave at like 3:45.

The bus took a little while and it was really hot out. Just so heavy and humid. And that's because rain was coming. When I was getting off the bus it wasn't raining at. And when I got to my bike it wasn't raining yet. But about two blocks down the street it was starting to rain. At first it was just light. And I thought I would be able to make it home. But then it started to pour. Just absolutely downpouring on me. It felt nice but there was lightning and a lot of wind. The few other people I saw outside trying to get stuff together and run in for looking at me with the same Panic I'm sure was on my face. I was soaked to the skin. But it was just funny at that point. There was nothing else I could do so I just went upstairs and told James to take my off of the day photo. Because it was funny. And then I took a shower.

James to pick up pizza for dinner. He seeing Hamilton with his parents and sister tonight. Which is great because it's the anniversary of the Duel at Weehawken. That's amazing. I don't know if it was on purpose but it's great. So he hung out with me for an hour and then went to go have dinner with them. And I've just been hanging out at home.

I worked on my Furby project for a little while. I've been watching videos and playing with sweetpea. Sweetpea loves pipe cleaners so he was very excited about those. I painted my toenails and now I think I'm going to get up and maybe go do something but I have no idea what my eyebrows? Play with my makeup? Who knows!

Tomorrow is the last day of camp for the week. 5 days is very hard. I do not like working 8 hours. I love my job it's very easy. But it is still a lot. I don't think I was built to work eight hours a day. I am a baby. But it's going to be a good day. I'm slightly concerned about the project tomorrow because I'm not positive we have the right materials for it. But still going to be fun. And then me and James are going to go see to Apartments. It was nice. But they're both of Mount Vernon and we're both really kind of committed to moving to Bolton Hill now. So we'll see what happens we'll make it work. I'm excited to see places because it gives us some good perspective of what the other wants. We both are pretty sure we want the same things and we know what the other one likes but it's still fun. Even if we're not going to rent these ones.

Hope you guys all have a good night. I'm sending you all Good Vibes through the universe. Sleep well. Be safe. Try not to get rained on.

[percymakesgamesnow]

Visual art is hard but I'm harder

I spent the last few days working on my drawing skills. Currently my art is --as the french say-- "really bad", and someday I'd like for it to be passable-to-great. I really enjoy drawing, and while I get a lot out of it it's just not something I'm good enough at to be willing to put out into the world disclaimer-free. So, in the interest of someday being a control freak GameDev who designs every aspect of her game, I figure I should start working on these skills now rather than be an expert programmer and ready to ship my game suddenly realizing it looks like doodoo.

"But Percy," you ask, lip trembling feebly, "how do you plan on doing this? What steps are you taking to summit this next great artistic peak? How can you, a subpar drawm'n possibly garner this remaining skill to toil Wagner-like and create your masterpiece???" Your voice breaks slightly and I turn in my chair. As I stand, your gaze scrolls up as though searching apartment windows for your greatest fear. All of a sudden, I tower before you, and I squat down into a frog pose to meet your eye level. Creaking forward, I whisper in your ear: "Y o u T u b e t u t o r i a l s."

So far I've done Saultoon's Aseprite Beginner's Tutorial which was super helpful, and I made these lovely little donuts :)

The process involved using all the main tools in Aseprite, as well as changing colour palettes. I did my first batch in the default palette, the second one as Minecraft colours, and to challenge myself I did the third one with GameBoy colours. In the end, Saultoon requested that I shade the big donut? which meant I had to break out of the GB's four colours and also I have no idea how to shade so that made it tricky. I'm proud of the donuts though I think they're cute! Pixel art is great because my hand motor skills are poopy bad and that's not a barrier here. Oh, I also bought Aseprite. I made this decision bc after much research I concluded that it was the cheapest and had the cutest logo.

I do want to get better at art theory stuff though, which is why I also started working my way through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, a book that I bought probably six years ago and cracked open twice. Holy shoot though it's such a good book. The writing is really engaging, if somewhat pretentious, and the content is succinct and inspiring. The first exercise was to draw a self portrait which I'm actually quite proud of. I showed it to two of the best visual artists I know and both said it looks "recognizably like me" which is huge tbh that's what I was going for. I'm not gonna post it here just because I don't feel like putting my recognizable mug on the internet today, but I probably will someday to show the improvement working through the book. Oh, also, the self portrait was apparently supposed to take half an hour, but I accidentally spent 3+ hours on it. This ate into my learning-code time, but it's all good bc I learned I really enjoyed trying to nail the details. The next exercises I'm definitely gonna set a timer for, because I think it's important to churn out lots of product when you're learning a new skill rather than being a perfectionist, but it wasn't wasted time and it made me really really excited for the day I'm good at this stuff. I genuinely think that once it's not such a chore I'll be drawing constantly. I love drawing bro oh my god lemme at em as soon as my hands do what my brain says to do and my brain can focus on understanding even the most basic principles of shading. Shading so hard y'all. I did an art class in high school and I've had art friends explain it to me like a thousand times and I just, , , , do not understand how to visualize light.

Anyways I'm off! I think today I'm gonna work on another project that requires me to draw and call that my art practice, and then either write a little music or do the next coding module. I haven't written music in ages and it fills me with such churning, freezer-burning anxiety and I'd really like to combat that considering it's the thing in my life that brings me the most fulfillment. This is sounding like another post rn though, so I'm gonna save my thoughts for when I write an update involving composition. I'm feeling good today, and I'm not gonna let my anxious little brain take up my precious time worrying about wasting my creative/productive potential when instead I could, idk, be creative and productive. Or do LITERALLY anything else. Get outta here you squirrely little guilt-soaked meat sponge, thanks for your concern but you're squandering my valuable minutes. I love you. Mwah <3

[thenoirblogger]

Trouble Is My Business" Pictures

Front cover

Back cover

Spine

Two Blu-ray disc collection

"Trouble Is My Business" Copy

"Trouble Is My Business" Review (Posted on 06-30-2018)

Jennifer Montemar (Brittney Powell) and Roland Drake (Thomas Konkle)

What a lot of people don't realize is how much energy, creative effort, time and money are required to produce a movie/film. Being a video creator myself, it's a ton of work....but the final results are incredibly rewarding. Producing movies is a natural passion; It's an art; It's a visual form of storytelling, be it true or fictional. Ever wonder why these made-for-web projects are getting all the viewership and praise? Peek through the over-hyped movies marketed every 6 yoctoseconds, and you'll find that there are a chock full of independent, low-budget and under-recognized movies that the film industry *wishes* they made. Ladies and gentlemen of all ages, I present to you this: Trouble Is My Business.

The story is about a detective named Roland Drake, played by Thomas Konkle, whose sexy client Katherine Montemar asks for help in snatching a diamond—the Orlov Diamond—that belonged to her family. Along with detering the corrupt, mob-laden black market, Drake contacts those who may have connections as to where this may lead to while keeping innocent and anonymous. During his journey are a bunch of people intercepting his path trying to get him killed, like corrupt police officer Detective Tate, played by Vernon Wells. The movie overall gives off that classic film noir—the early days when the story and the dark life of gangsterism were the goings-on (still goes on today).

There's a bunch of things that go on in this movie that mentioning some parts are enough to ruin the entire thing. While, yes, movie/TV/video game reviews generally contain spoilers, it is a rare instance that a movie this good challenges us not to spill the beans too much. A mention of one or two things can ruin the next plot, but however, if you've watched enough gangster films, murder mysteries and/or the James Bond series, you'll find that this isn't just another movie in contrast to those titles. It's a story with sudden twists and hairpin turns, it'll drop your jaw. I was in awe at the transition from scene to scene.Roland Drake played by Thomas Konkle

"Well, I can't say no to a lady."

— Roland Drake

This is likely one of the classic lines in this movie—a modest detective reluctantly accepting the meeting with a beautiful woman needing his help. This happened twice to Mr. Drake with two women who happen to be sisters. I won't say anymore beyond that.

"I don't like a man with a sense of humor. I find it almost as unattractive as a woman with one."

— Evelyn Montemar

This made me smirk, but should inform you the kind of people—family—who are incredibly serious protecting prized possessions in the underworld. Gangsters do not have a sense of humor, since their operations involve not saying anything to where CIA or FBI could spot suspicious activity going on.

However, in my world above, women love men with a sense of humor and vice versa. Laughter is the best medicine, and is part of the universal language around the world.

"Just because you read accusations in the newspaper doesn't make them true."

— Jennifer Montemar

I feel this should tie to the skepticism people ought to adopt in the real world. Ever wonder why some news reports are served as "distractions?" Think about that.

Jennifer (Brittney Powell) and her mother Evelyn Montemar (Jordana Capra).

Roland Drake (Thomas Konkle) and Jennifer Montemar (Brittney Powell) in bed.

Bert The Cabble (Paul Hungerford) and police officer Ostrowski (Steve Olson).

Lew MacDonald (David Beeler).

As for the movie, you can tell the budget put into making this. It uses a lot of green screen, but remember, that this isn't focused on special effects compared to, say, space movies or scenes featuring explosions and flying (hello, Transformers, Star Wars and Superman fans). This movie is heavily focused on the story giving homage to the old, black & white movies when technology was so limited, movie producers worried more about the story and the acting. It's not like that today—promoting A-list actors to give low-rated movies some financial leverage. Give me a break....

The story overall is like a roller coaster ride: Once you're in it, buckle up because there'll be some surprising twists and turns. Just don't fall off the ride.

Blu-ray Disc Features review:

There's only two options on the Blu-ray menu: Play Movie and Play Trailer. There's no option for Scene Selections which may bother some Blu-ray fans. Whether you want that option or not, it gives the viewer a requirement to completely watch the film from start to finish, and there should be nothing wrong with that.

Trouble Is My Business Blu-ray menu - Black and White and Color

You may wonder why there are two discs: One for color and one for B&W. Why not put the same on one disc? I figured that they wanted to preserve the video quality putting them in separate discs. Putting two of them in one disc sacrifices the quality of the film which, as you know, will turn off a lot of movie/Blu-ray fans (let's not forget that a Blu-ray holds 25GB of data and a DVD only holds 4GB). The Black & White version of the movie gives that authentic mid-1900s feel, catering to those who dig the classic film library. As for the audio, there is no option on the Blu-ray as it is strictly 5.1 Surround. Majority of movie fans, depending on your audio system, prefer 5.1 audio anyway, but if you have a simple stereo system, it works just as well.

A movie specializing in detecting lives of crime finding truth in-between the lines while extracting secrets from a bunch of sketchy people and a family is what makes this a unique story-telling experience. I really want to talk about the film but, again, it'll spoil too much. It was so good we screened the film twice (perhaps again, after this review).

I want you, the viewer/fan, to enjoy the roller coaster ride this film brings especially when you arrive at the ending. The best way to describe it—I can't believe I'm doing this—I'll quote the bridge and chorus from the hit song "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift:

And he's long gone

When he's next to me

And I realize the blame is on me

'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in

So shame on me now

Flew me to places I'd never been

So you put me down

— Lyrics from "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift

Enjoy that scene as it will raise eyebrows.

While this movie just released on Blu-ray as recent as this month of June (2018), some of you may have obtained this packaging:

Scanavo Blu-ray case packaging

I've personally never seen this packaging. From all the Blu-rays we own in our SHOWSOTROS! video library collection, this is a huge first. I thought it was an imitation but after doing research, this Blu-ray case is by a company brand Scanavo. I feel these cases are uncommon, but unveiling it on this review, expect studios and networks to invest and do business with them showing up more frequently at your local video and electronics stores. (Yeah, I was scared for a second fearing I got a pirated copy. You'd have to be a serious low life to still produce pirated copies in this modern age.)

It's been a long while, for me at least, to finally watch and enjoy something that grips you from start to finish. Now that we've brought this amazing piece into the spotlight, we'll likely see more of this story-telling style. Because of how much the story stacks up, it's good enough to turn into a TV series (you heard it from us first, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon and many of you TV writers/producers reading this). Actually, you know, turn this movie into a TV series because we'll definitely tune in.

This Blu-ray release is still hot, fresh and new. Grab your copy as we strongly recommend this movie!

Shop for more Blu-rays and DVDs like this at WBShop.com:

Official Shop of Warner Bros

© 2008-2019 written and reviewed personally by Kris Caballero.

"Trouble Is My Business" Ratings

Our Rating:

100% 0%

[lovelyirony]

TONY CANONICALLY HOLDS BABIES IN HOSPITALS YOU'RE WELCOME

I KNOW HE DOES I AM SUCH A FOOL...HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THIS

Tony Stark is known for many things. Among those things is charity. Tony isn’t gonna donate four million dollars to a hospital and not visit. That is what celebrities who just want to be known do, but Tony knows that this hospital needs recognition for it’s wonderful prenatal care and top research. Fact is, they needed way more funding. 

What Tony forgets is that this hospital specializes in babies. Well. Tony was never normal. He was talking before the age of one (even remembers some of it, eidetic memory and all that). So maybe Tony panics because Pepper these are babies and I am going to drop one and everyone will hate me and no I’m not being dramatic, PEPPER.

It’s safe to assume that Tony was being a little bit dramatic. Just a tiny bit. 

The first baby he holds is named Gwendolyn. They call her Gwen, because that name is a mouthful. Tony nearly cries as he holds her and she’s six pounds and she feels like he’s holding the world and her eyes are so pretty and

Maybe he likes holding babies. He holds twelve more babies before Pepper gently reminds him that he had a business dinner he promised to go to, and Tony will. 

But he visits. The hospital knows him by sight, and if Tony claims that he’s holding babies because there’s a study that if babies don’t get enough human contact, they die.

So yeah. Tony is probably being scientific and shit, so there’s that. He’s being scientific and a genius and oh my god that one is named Kendrick that’s such a nice, sweet name--

The Avengers cannot find out about that. They cannot find out that he sneaks out at three a.m. to go hold babies. They absolutely cannot. Clint would probably tease him about it for days and Natasha would have a freakout because she’d have to reassess his character, and Steve would want to tag along at a reasonable hour, thus ruining Tony Stark’s plan of being Totally a Playboy and All-Around Terrible Person. It would rip his plans to shreds. And Bucky, well--Tony’s not exactly sure how Bucky would react, but that’s because Tony has a gigantic crush on him and when Tony has a crush on someone, it means he backflips out of personal conversations and watches from afar and makes jokes and fixes things. Rhodey says it’s because Tony is bad at realizing that he’s a very nice date. Tony says it is because he is a trashcan that is unfortunately filled with things like feelings. 

Bucky is questioning Jarvis about the three a.m. sneak-outs that Tony does every other day. As if Bucky, Natasha, the entire tower wouldn’t notice. But no one else really cares because “we don’t have a crush on him, you do, so we mind our own business.” But Bucky is curious because he’s a professional ex-spy who has a job to investigate all of the goings-on and he totally does have a crush on Tony and wants to know if he’s okay. Bucky is a professional. 

Jarvis will not answer. He says that “Sir is out.” or “Sergeant Barnes, I am not at liberty to say” or deflects it with “Sergeant Barnes, Butterfingers has broken into the art room again” because Bucky has a protective streak a mile wide and three miles across, and if Butterfingers gets into the art room, his treads are gonna get caught on expensive paintbrushes because Steve never fucking picks them up because he’s a garbage can.

So yeah. Tony goes someplace, comes back looking happy, and Bucky is totally jealous not jealous. But maybe Tony has a boyfriend/girlfriend who they need to investigate. 

Bucky follows him. Tony is at a hospital, and Bucky freaks out because what if he’s dying again? (Tony has come near death twice since Bucky has been in residence. Once because he wasn’t watching Dum-E’s passive-aggressive smoothie-making and nearly drank antifreeze (Dum-E gets vengeance from his father, obviously) and the other time because he was a stupid, self-sacrificing idiot who wanted to protect Bucky.) 

But then he notices it’s one of the baby hospitals that Bruce was telling him about, and Bucky gets curious. 

It’s easy to bypass the security and cameras. Bucky knows every single thing about cameras and blind spots. Not because of Hydra. Generally because Bucky likes to mess with government officials and break into secure office buildings and threaten information. Steve says he has a gray streak in his hair. Bucky says that Steve has a lot of catching up to do ever since, oh, Bucky learned about every single thing that idiot did in the span of four years in the future and--so what Bucky is trying to say is that he’s good at this. 

He’s not expecting to see Tony holding a little baby and murmuring to “Freddie” that Iron Man saved a cat today (he did, Bucky realized that his crush had never been stronger) and that Winter Soldier dropped off the side of the building, and wasn’t he funny? 

Bucky makes one small mistake and lets out a small squeak because Tony is talking about Bucky like he’s...good. And Tony turns around, eyes furious, before changing. 

“Hi Bucky,” Tony says. He’s cradling Freddie in his arms, and the baby’s face is screwed up, about to cry. “No baby, sh...” Bucky just stares. 

“I thought you were doing something else at three a.m.” Tony faces him, smiling. 

“Like what? Partying? Drinking?” 

“No,” Bucky says. “You can’t start that stuff at three a.m., don’t be stupid. Besides, you don’t like any of that stuff anyway.” Tony’s eyes brighten at this. “I figured you were seein’ someone or something. Maybe working in a lab somewhere.” Tony nods. 

“Well to be fair, I have done both of those at three a.m. But nah, no. I donated four million to this place a while back and realized that...these babies know nothing about me. They don’t know my story or how screwed up I am. They just like being comforted and held. And I...I can do that. Without messing it up.” 

Bucky is in awe of him. 

“You are just...man. Tony, you’re something.” Tony looks at him, with something sheepish about his expression. “I mean, you hold babies at three a.m. because you like doing it, and that’s just...wow. No wonder I like you.” 

And then Bucky freezes up. 

Thinks about backflipping out of the window. 

Almost goes through with it. 

And then Tony says the unthinkable. 

“Wait, you like me?” And Bucky thinks he’s screwed this up, it’s gonna be so awkward, he can’t chase after the bots anymore or sit next to Tony at dinnertime and wow--

“I, um. Well. I like you. Too.” And Bucky blinks, before resettling as another baby starts crying. 

“Here, I got it,” Bucky says. He doesn’t even think. Goes over, sees the baby, Hannah, and holds her. 

His arm is metal. He’s killed so many before. And this baby doesn’t know about it. Tony grins as they sit in rocking chairs. Bucky is nearly trembling as he holds Hannah, who has settled down and dozed now. 

“Not so hard, yeah?” And Bucky thinks, yeah. 

As it turns out, everyone in the tower knew where Tony was going. “He would come home smelling like baby and antiseptic,” Bruce says. “Not hard. Also, he donates tons to that place.” 

“So, I was the only one who didn’t notice?” Bucky asks. 

“To be fair,” Clint says, “you also didn’t notice that Tony was desperately in love with you either.” Bucky squawks. 

The dates are at three a.m. They hold babies and talk about the future and the babies and (maybe they’d like to have a baby around the tower, one day) trivial things. 

babies are kind of nice. 

[iloveyoubuddy]

Surprise!

Bob Dylan followed up his recent going-against-the-grain summer tour announcement with a new single titled “Murder Most Foul” today. It’s chock full of imagery provoking lyrics and almost 17 minutes long....yep, his longest song ever released.

Always a genius lyricist, settle in (where do you have to go anyway in these crazy pandemic-centric times?) and check the lyrics out and listen at the link below:

Murder Most Foul

Bob Dylan - 2020

[Verse 1]

It was a dark day in Dallas, November '63

A day that will live on in infamy

President Kennedy was a-ridin' high

Good day to be livin' and a good day to die

Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb

He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am?"

"Of course we do, we know who you are!"

Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car

Shot down like a dog in broad daylight

Was a matter of timing and the timing was right

You got unpaid debts, we've come to collect

We're gonna kill you with hatred, without any respect

We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face

We've already got someone here to take your place

The day they blew out the brains of the king

Thousands were watching, no one saw a thing

It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise

Right there in front of everyone's eyes

Greatest magic trick ever under the sun

Perfectly executed, skillfully done

Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman howl

Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

[Verse 2]

Hush, little children, you'll understand

The Beatles are comin', they're gonna hold your hand

Slide down the banister, go get your coat

Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat

There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags

Pick up the pieces and lower the flags

I'm goin' to Woodstock, it's the Aquarian Age

Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage

Put your head out the window, let the good times roll

There's a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll

Stack up the bricks, pour the cement

Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President

Put your foot in the tank and then step on the gas

Try to make it to the triple underpass

Blackface singer, whiteface clown

Better not show your faces after the sun goes down

Up in the red light district, they've got cop on the beat

Living in a nightmare on Elm Street

When you're down on Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe

Don't ask what your country can do for you

Cash on the ballot, money to burn

Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn

I'm going down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride

The place where faith, hope, and charity lie

Shoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you can

See if you can shoot the invisible man

Goodbye, Charlie! Goodbye, Uncle Sam!

Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damn

What is the truth, and where did it go?
Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know

"Shut your mouth," said a wise old owl

Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

[Verse 3]

Tommy, can you hear me? I'm the Acid Queen

I'm riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine

Ridin' in the backseat next to my wife

Headed straight on in to the afterlife

I'm leaning to the left, I got my head in her lap

Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap

Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give

We're right down the street, from the street where you live

They mutilated his body and they took out his brain

What more could they do? They piled on the pain

But his soul was not there where it was supposed to be at

For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that

Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me

I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free

Send me some lovin', then tell me no lie

Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by

Wake up, little Susie, let's go for a drive
Cross the Trinity River, let's keep hope alive

Turn the radio on, don't touch the dials

Parkland hospital, only six more miles

You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with lead

That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head

I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline

Never shot anyone from in front or behind

I've blood in my eye, got blood in my ear

I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier

Zapruder's film I seen night before
Seen it thirty-three times, maybe more

It's vile and deceitful, it's cruel and it's mean

Ugliest thing that you ever have seen

They killed him once and they killed him twice

Killed him like a human sacrifice

The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son

The age of the Antichrist has just only begun"

Air Force One comin' in through the gate

Johnson sworn in at 2:38

Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel

It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

[Verse 4]

What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?

I said the soul of a nation been torn away

And it's beginning to go into a slow decay

And that it's thirty-six hours past Judgment Day

Wolfman Jack, he's speaking in tongues

He's going on and on at the top of his lungs

Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack

Play it for me in my long Cadillac

Play me that "Only the Good Die Young"

Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung

Play "St. James Infirmary" and the Court of King James

If you want to remember, you better write down the names

Play Etta James, too, play "I'd Rather Go Blind"

Play it for the man with the telepathic mind

Play John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back"

Play it for that strip club owner named Jack

Guitar Slim going down slow

Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

[Verse 5]

Play "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"

Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good

Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
Take it to the limit and let it go by

Play it for Carl Wilson, too

Looking far, far away down Gower Avenue

Play tragedy, play "Twilight Time"

Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime

Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust"

Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust"

Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road

Stand there and wait for his head to explode

Play "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery

The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree

Play it for the reverend, play it for the pastor

Play it for the dog that got no master

Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz

Play "Blue Sky," play Dickey Betts

Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk

Charlie Parker and all that junk

All that junk and "All That Jazz"

Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz

Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd

Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd

Play the numbers, play the odds

Play "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods

Play Number nine, play Number six

Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks

Play Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"

Play "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy

Play "It Happened One Night" and "One Night of Sin"

There's twelve million souls that are listening in

Play "Merchant of Venice", play "Merchants of Death"

Play "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth

Don't worry, Mr. President, help's on the way

Your brothers are comin', there'll be hell to pay
Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?

Tell them, "We're waiting, keep coming," we'll get them as well

Love Field is where his plane touched down
But it never did get back up off the ground

Was a hard act to follow, second to none

They killed him on the altar of the rising sun

Play "Misty" for me and "That Old Devil Moon"

Play "Anything Goes" and "Memphis in June"

Play "Lonely At the Top" and "Lonely Are the Brave"

Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave

Play Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille"

Play "Deep In a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel"

Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp

And "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harp

Play "Marching Through Georgia" and "Dumbarton's Drums"

Play darkness and death will come when it comes

Play "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell

Play "The Blood-stained Banner", play "Murder Most Foul"

Listen here: