#roger taylor college au

[cannedapricot]

untitled. || ljn

in which you and lee jeno were definitely friends but you were also definitely more than just friends. frankly, your friend group has had enough of the not so subtle flirting and unbearable tension.

word count: 1.4k

genre, warnings: fluff, slice of life, college!au, friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, mutual pining, profanity, mentions of heartbreak, mentions of alcohol consumption, suggestive themes but nothing 18+ happens they just make out, mentions of minor car crash

bgm: message in a bottle by taylor swift, 1 2 365 4 me by kennen, oh shit...are we in love? by valley

a/n: something small so i can get over movie jeno. bro was glorious. i've also listed some songs i listened to while writing and i think listening while reading would be a vibe - lmk how you guys feel about it!

It was a cozy Friday evening. The rain was pelting against the glass windows and you could faintly hear the shouts of your fellow students below as they hurried back to their dormitories. The candle light flickers and shadows dance along the walls. Jeno had his head on your shoulder, faintly humming along to whatever was playing on his Alexa. You were sat on his bed in one of his varsity hoodies, scrolling through social media in a desperate attempt to keep up with your acquaintances' lives.

"Wait, Dejun broke up?!"

Jeno perks up at your small exclamation, craning his neck to peek at your screen.

"How can you tell?"

"He deleted all his posts with them and is listening to glimpse of us. What a shame, I was rooting for them."

"You and your personal celebrity couples." Jeno teases, jokingly shaking his head. "Who's next?"

"Maybe if Mark grows a pair and asks his lab partner out they could be next." You snort, leaning so your head was against Jeno's.

Enjoying quality time with your friend was one of your favorite ways to spend any free time you had amongst your chaotic schedule. Between due dates and classes, you and Jeno always managed to make time for each other. Although, most times just involved one of you showing up at the other's door without prior notice.

"Jeno, have you seen my jacket anywhere? The blue denim one?" Jaemin, Jeno's roommate and self proclaimed best friend asks, opening the bedroom door without knocking. The rest of your friend group insisted on still going out for drinks, even though its raining cats and dogs outside.

"Hn, no?" You feel a weight come off your shoulders as Jeno raises his head to address the question. "Wouldn't it be in your stinky pile of laundry?"

"Hey, I did my laundry yesterday, it's not stinky." Jaemin sticks his tongue out. "Y/n, if you see it in Jeno's closet let me know okay? I swear he steals my clothes."

"Roger that."

Jaemin nods happily, closing the door before Jeno manages to land a pillow throw. As Jeno returns to his place on your shoulder you hear the rest of your friends through the thin walls.

"Did you find your jacket?"

"No. But I did find Jeno and y/n snuggling against each other."

"We should start charging y/n rent."

"Isn't our rent included in tuition though?"

"Wasn't it a separate payment?"

You choose to ignore the conversation as the boys start to argue about dormitory rent. A calm vibration comes from your shoulder and your heart skips a beat from the proximity.

"For your information, Jaemin steals my clothes."

"Whatever you say, champ."

Chenle holds in a laugh as the group bid goodbye to you and Jeno. Upon reaching the ground floor, he allowed himself to finally let it out.

The six boys didn't leave the two of you alone without purpose. They all knew about your little crush on each other. It was so blatantly obvious. The way Jeno constantly checked his phone for updates when you had gone out with an old friend, the way he paces around the common area when he expects you to come over, and, not to mention, the untitled song he wrote for you.

It was all amusing to them. How could he miss the way you looked at him with hearts in your eyes, the way you would happily spend all night in the library with him when he had an assignment due, the way your arm always found its way around his.

"They really are idiots." Jaemin had said, a fond grin on his face.

Really, it was cute, but got frustrating. Slow burn and mutual pining were never Donghyuck's favorite tropes. Watching you hide your embarrassment as Jeno fixes your hair made him want to push the two of you in a closet and scream for you guys to just kiss already.

So in order to prevent Donghyuck from committing a crime against romance, Renjun simply suggested that they give the couple more "alone time". Which leads the boys to this situation on a Friday night, heading to the pub in the rain.

"They better be dating by the time we're back." Donghyuck mutters, attempting to stay dry under Mark's hazardous umbrella holding.

"What do you even call their relationship right now?" Jisung voices over the rain, "not friends, obviously."

"A situationship?"

"No. That's what Yangyang had a while back. Remember how toxic it was?"

"Friends with benefits?"

"Chenle... Do you know what that is?"

"Guys, just leave it untitled for now. They're going to be dating soon anyway."

Jeno met you on the first day of classes. You had turned up ten minutes late, breathing heavily as you stumbled into the free seat in the last row. The seat next to him. Red in the face from running and hair messy from the wind, you looked so loveable to him. Never would he have imagined that you would be by his side like you were now. Though regretfully, as a friend. He wasn't sure how you'd react if he told you he wanted to be more.

You had your head in his lap, phone forgotten as you rambled to him about how stupid Yangyang's situationship partner was. He gently raked his fingers through your hair, reacting accordingly to your story, gaze never leaving your face.

A guitar melody meets the end of the last song and a familiar voice sounds through the room. Your story stops abruptly and confusion dons Jeno's features before he realizes what's playing through the speakers.

"No, wait, don't listen to this! Close your ears."

"I can't physically do that! And why can't I listen? You're singing! Did you write this song?"

As Jeno frantically attempts to scramble to stop the song, you wrap you arms around his torso, pulling him back on the bed. To prevent him from moving, you lie on top of him. Jeno can feel your laughs through his own body and he wonders whether you could feel his heartbeat through yours. With his strength, he could push you off and turn the song off if he really wanted to. But when it comes to you, he strength somehow never works.

"Jeno, this song is so cute. Who's it about?" You smirk down at him, "you have a crush on someone?"

You weren't asking because you were purely curious. You were asking because you had a big fat crush on the man and needed to know if he liked someone else. Though, you didn't know if you were ready for the answer. You've heard the heartbreak horror stories. They were always worse when the couple weren't dating but you couldn't help it. Somewhere along the line, you had fallen, and by that time, a platonic relationship had been established. Somehow, you convinced yourself that you'd rather stay friends than potentially losing what the two of you already had.

The rest of the friend group knew. You knew they knew. Hiding your feelings weren't your strongest point and you definitely caught Chenle making kissy faces behind you and Jeno once.

So, to say you were nervous about his answer was an understatement. But you weren't about to let him know.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Huh?

Jeno turns his head away, avoiding eye contact. A redness creeps up his cheeks and his throat feels dry.

"It's about you."

The cat's out of the bag. Jeno wants to scream in embarrassment. He can't believe he leaked his own embarrassing song about you. He can't believe this is how you find out about his feelings.

"Oh." A matching redness creeps up your own cheeks. "You think my eyes have stars in them?"

"Shut up."

Laughter settles over the both of you before your eyes meet. Jeno's eyes move down to your lips and his tongue darts out to wet his own absent mindedly.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Just our luck."

"I can't believe we witnessed a car crash?"

"At least it was a minor one. Nobody got hurt which is great news."

"Hang on, we have to tell those two we're going to be home late."

Jeno pulls away as his phone alerts him of a message received. You glance over at the screen, giggling at the content. Mark had sent a photo of the six of them posing with the police.

Just witnessed a car crash. Gonna be home late.

"Great, we can continue making out then." Jeno mumbles, throwing his phone aside and pulling you back in.

[rcsejunie]

mistaken fate; mark lee [social media au]

in which, the word forbidden was only one way to describe their love.

pairing—idol!mark x fem!oc, nct member, ex-smrookies

genre—social media au, fluff, angst, childhood friends to lovers, idol romance, intergroup romance, fictionalized depiction of mark and other nct members

summary—han ara, the 6th member of NCT's newest unit has been constantly scrutinized under a harsh light by the public. she was a trainee for two years back in 2015 and left SM to continue her studies. but after she graduated college early, SM scouted her again. resuming her Idol life and being the only girl that debuted under NCT hasn’t been an easy challenge. thankfully, she has her members to fall back to. especially, one particular boy.

preview | public | private

[🎵] winterbreak - muna | priority - changmin, taeyeon, winter | labyrinth - taylor swift | 1999 - beabadoobee | autumn - niki | sleep tight - holly humberstone | one the drive home - niki | that way - tate mcrae | what do i call you - taeyeon | to my feel something - clairo | buzz - maddie medley | shatter - maggie rogers|

PARTS. coming soon…

ON HOLD.

taglist. request open!

✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡* ✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ .｡✱

rcsejunie masterlist

other smau – Jaemin; Afar | Jisung; Cross The Line | Haechan; Just us.

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

CURTIS COUNCE, LA TROP BRÈVE HISTOIRE D’UN GROUPE D’EXCEPTION

‘’While it lasted, the Curtis Counce Group was one of the most exciting ever organized in Los Angeles. Counce picked four men who almost immediately achieved a togetherness only long-established bands seem to have. Today, Carl Perkins is dead, and the members of the group have gone off in different directions... It would be difficult under the best conditions to recapture the feeling of the 1957 quintet. Without Perkins whose unique piano style was basic to the group’s special sound, it is impossible.’’

- Les Koenig

Né le 23 janvier 1926 à Kansas City, au Missouri, Curtis Counce s’est installé en Californie en 1945. En Californie, Counce s’était fait la main en se produisant au célèbre club Alabam aux côtés de grands noms du jazz comme Johnny Otis et Art Farmer. Il avait aussi joué avec Wardell Gray, Hampton Hawes, Benny Carter, Shorty Rogers et Buddy DeFranco.

Counce avait commencé à enregistrer en 1946 avec Lester Young. Dans les années 1950, Counce avait enregistré avec d’autres grands noms du jazz comme Shorty Rogers, Stan Kenton, Shelly Manne, Lyle Murphy, Teddy Charles et Clifford Brown.

Après avoir fait une tournée en Europe avec l’orchestre de Stan Kenton en 1956, Counce avait formé son propre quintet en août de la même année. Le groupe comprenait le saxophoniste Harold Land (un ancien membre du célèbre quartet de Max Roach), le trompettiste Jack Sheldon (parfois remplacé par Gerald Wilson), le pianiste Carl Perkins et le batteur Frank Butler. Le groupe avait fait ses débuts dans un célèbre club bebop de Los Angeles, The Haig. Le groupe se produisait aussi dans un club appelé la Sanborn House. Land expliquait: ‘’There was another pot down on Sunset: the Sanborn House. We played there quite a while, longer than we did at The Haig, and the group built up quite a following. The Haig was very small, but this was a large club.’’

Seul élément blanc du groupe, Sheldon était né à Jacksonville, en Floride, le 30 novembre 1931. Après s’être installé à Los Angeles en 1947, Sheldon avait étudié la musique durant deux ans au L.A. City College. Après un séjour de deux ans dans l’armée de l’air, Sheldon avait joué avec Jack Monrose, Art Pepper, Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon et Herb Geller. Il avait aussi fait partie des membres fondateurs du groupe de Joe Maini et Lenny Bruce.

En plus de Counce, la section rythmique du groupe était composée de deux musiciens d’exception, le pianiste Carl Perkins (sans lien de parenté avec le chanteur rock du même nom) et le batteur Frank Butler. Né à Indianapolis, en Indiana, Perkins avait fait partie des groupes de rhythm & blues de Tiny Bradshaw et Big Jay McNeely avec qui il avait développé un solide sens du blues. Doté d’un style peu conventionnel, Perkins jouait souvent avec le bras gauche parallèle au clavier. Né le 18 février 1928 à Wichita, au Kansas, le batteur Frank Butler avait joué avec Dave Brubeck, Edgar Hayes et Duke Ellington, entre autres.

Aucun des membres du groupe n’était un musicien vedette, même si Land avait acquis une certaine célébrité durant son séjour avec le groupe de Max Roach et de Clifford Brown. Même si l’initiative de la fondation du groupe revenait à Counce, il s’agissait surtout d’un groupe coopératif où chacun des membres était un partenaire à part entière. On pourrait même dire que la formation était une sorte d’anti-groupe, en ce sens qu’il était beaucoup plus que la somme de ses parties. Harold Land expliquait: ‘’We were all close friends within the group, so it was a good idea for all of us, because we all liked each other personally as well as musically.’’

Fondateur des disques Contemporary, Lester Koenig avait toujours eu le don de dénicher des nouveaux talents. Dans la seconde moitié des années 1950, Koenig avait donné sa chance à une vaste gamme de musiciens prometteurs, dont Ornette Coleman et Cecil Taylor. Le 8 octobre, seulement un mois après que le groupe de Counce ait fait ses débuts au club The Haig, Koenig l’avait invité à entrer en studio. La chimie du groupe avait été évidente dès le départ.

La première pièce que le groupe avait enregistrée était ‘’Langslide’’, un thème de hard bop de Land. Perkins et Sheldon avaient également collaboré au répertoire du groupe avec deux compositions: ‘’Mia’’ et ‘’Sarah.’’ La session comprenait aussi une reprise de la composition ‘’Big Foot’’ de Charlie Parker que le saxophoniste avait enregistrée sous le titre d’’’Air Conditioning’’ et de ‘’Drifting on a Reed’’ pour les disques Dial. Le groupe était revenu en studio le 18 octobre pour enregistrer une dernière pièce: ‘’Sonar’’ de Gerald Wiggins et Kenny Clarke.

Publié sous le titre de The Curtis Counce Group, le premier album de la formation était paru au début de 1957 et avait remporté un succès immédiat. Le critique Nat Hentoff du magazine Down Beat était si enthousiaste qu’il avait accordé quatre étoiles à l’album. Mais le groupe ne faisant pas de tournées et se produisant surtout dans la région de Los Angeles, il était demeuré très peu connu sur la scène nationale. Même si Land se rappelait que le groupe s’était déjà rendu jusqu’à Denver, au Colorado, il ne s’était rien produit à son retour dans l’est. Bien que la formation soit très populaire à Los Angeles, elle n’avait pu rivaliser avec son principal concurrent, le quintet de Chico Hamilton.

À la fin de 1957, le groupe avait publié un deuxième album qui est aujourd’hui considéré comme un classique, You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce. D’abord publié avec une blonde pulpeuse portant un décolleté plongeant sur la pochette, l’album avait été réédité plus tard avec une illustration beaucoup moins provocante. L’album avait été enregistré dans le cadre de différentes sessions tenues en 1956 et 1957. En plus de la pièce ‘’Sonar’’ qui faisait partie des sessions de l’album précédent, le groupe avait enregistré une version swing de ‘’Stranger in Paradise’’ lors de la seconde session du 15 octobre 1946. Outre la pièce ‘’Big Foot’’ mentionnée plus haut, l’album comprenait également deux pièces qui avaient été enregistrées le 22 avril 1957: ‘’Too Close for Comfort’’ et ‘’Counceltation.’’ Cette dernière pièce était une composition de Counce. À l’époque, Counce étudiait la composition avec Lyle ‘’Spud’’ Murphy. ‘’Counceltation’’ était une pièce expérimentale basée sur le système à douze tonalités de Murphy. La pièce était intéressante, même si elle était un peu trop cérébrale et académique pour être appréciée par un large public. L’album comprenait également une autre composition de Counce intitulée ‘’Complete’’ qui avait été enregistrée en mai. Une version du standard ‘’How Deep is the Ocean’’ faisait partie de la même session. Quant au classique ‘’Mean to Me’’ souvent associé à Billie Holiday, il avait été enregistré en septembre.

Lorsque l’album avait été publié à la fin de 1957, le groupe semblait promis à un brillant avenir. Malheureusement, une série d’événements malheureux avaient contribué au déclin du groupe: la mort du pianiste Carl Perkins à l’âge de vingt-neuf ans en 1958 d’abord (il avait été remplacé par Elmo Hope), puis la baisse de popularité du jazz dans les clubs de Los Angeles à la fin de la même décennie.

Expliquant le déclin du jazz à Los Angeles à la fin des années 1950, l’historien Ted Gioia écrivait dans son ouvrage West Coast Jazz: Modern Jazz in California, 1945-1960, publié en 1998:

‘’The great flowering of modern jazz on the West Coast, which had begun in the mid-1940s on the street of Central Avenue, had reached a dead-end, financially if not creatively. It’s place in Southern California music culture was now taken over by innocuous studio pop records, the nascent sound of surf music, and the steadily growing world of rock and roll. In retrospect, the music being played by Harold Land, Sonny Criss and Teddy Edwards... {and that had been played by the Counce groups}, and the few other straggling survivors of the modern jazz revolution stands out as the last futile effort to hold onto the grounf painfully won over a decade and a half of jazz proselytizing in the Southland, of attempts to spread the gospel of a rich, complex and deep music, a music now on the brink of being drowned out by the amplified sounds of garage bands, three-chord wonders somehow made into media stars.’’

Le groupe avait enregistré un dernier album pour les disques Contemporary avant de disparaître en 1958: ‘’Carl’s Blues.’’ L’album était particulièrement bien nommé, en particulier parce qu’il contenait une composition de Perkins intitulée ‘’C Blues’’ qui avait été une des dernières pièces que le pianiste avait enregistrée avant sa mort. La pièce était également un des faits saillants de l’album.

Le matériel qui faisait partie de l’album avait été enregistré en trois sessions. Parmi les pièces figurant sur l’album, on retrouvait aussi une composition de Sheldon appelée ‘’Pink Lady’’, et des versions des standards ‘’I Got Rhythm’’ et ‘’Love Walked In’’ ainsi que du classique d’Horace Silver ‘’Nica’Dream.’’ Les dernières pièces de l’album avaient été enregistrées le 6 janvier 1958 lors de la dernière apparition de Perkins avec le groupe. Pour l’occasion, Gerald Wilson avait remplacé Sheldon sur deux pièces. Les autres pièces étaient un solo de batterie de Butler intitulé ‘’The Butler Did It’’ et une performance mettant en vedette Land avec la section rythmique du groupe sur une pièce intitulée ‘’I Can’t Get’’ dans lequel il démontrait ses talents d’improvisateur. L’album comprenait également la pièce ‘’La Rue’’, une composition que Clifford Brown avait écrite pour sa femme, Emma La Rue Anderson.

Carl Perkins est mort le 17 mars 1958 cinq mois avant son 30e anniversaire de naissance. Autre victime d’une consommation excessive de narcotiques, Perkins était l’âme du groupe de Counce. Sa mort avait éventuellement entraîné la disparition de la formation. Lorsque Les Koenig avait publié le troisième album du groupe quelques années après que les pièces aient été enregistrées, il avait déclaré:

‘’While it lasted, the Curtis Counce Group was one of the most exciting ever organized in Los Angeles. Counce picked four men who almost immediately achieved a togetherness only long-established bands seem to have. Today, Carl Perkins is dead, and the members of the group have gone off in different directions... It would be difficult under the best conditions to recapture the feeling of the 1957 quintet. Without Perkins whose unique piano style was basic to the group’s special sound, it is impossible. It is tempting to wonder how the band would have been received had it been based in New York; certainly it would have give some of the more famous groups of the fifties a run for the money.’’

L’album ‘’Carl’s Blues’’ n’avait cependant pas été le dernier album du groupe. Un mois après la mort de Perkins, Counce avait tenté de refaire surface avec une nouvelle édition de son quintet dans le cadre d’une session pour les disques Dootone de Dootsie Williams qui avait donné lieu à la publication d’un album au titre plutôt ambitieux intitulé Exploring the Future. Seuls Counce, Land et Butler faisaient partie de l’édition originale du groupe. Le trompettiste Jack Sheldon avait été remplacé par le Suédois Rolf Ericsson. Né à Stockholm le 29 août 1927, Ericsson s’était installé aux États-Unis en 1947 et avait travaillé avec plusieurs groupes, dont ceux de Charlie Barnet, Elliot Lawrence et Woody Herman. Il avait également été membre des Lighthouse All Stars d’Howard Rumsey en 1953. En remplacement de Carl Perkins, on retrouvait un pianiste de New York nommé Elmo Hope qui avait joué et enregistré brièvement sur la Côte ouest à la fin des années 1950.

Né en juin 1923, Hope était un ami d’enfance de Bud Powell. Il avait aussi participé activement à la scène du jazz new-yorkaise dans les années 1940 et au début des années 1950, même s’il était demeuré très peu connu du grand public. Même si le jeu de Hope n’était pas aussi orienté vers le blues que celui de Perkins, il excellait dans le style hard bop dont le groupe de Counce avait fait sa marque de commerce.

Malheureusement, l’album Exploring the Future était d’une qualité d’enregistrement nettement inférieure à celle des albums précédents du groupe. De toute évidence, la mort de Perkins et le départ de Sheldon avaient grandement altéré la cohésion de la formation, même si la qualité de la production aurait pu être rehaussée si certaines pièces avaient fait l’objet de quelques prises supplémentaires. Quatre des huit pièces de l’album avaient été écrites par Hope et étaient indéniablement de style hard bop.

La première pièce de l’album, intitulée ‘’So Nice’’, comprenait des solos d’Ericsson, de Land et de Hope. L’album comprenait également une reprise du standard ‘’Move’’ de Denzil Best, qui était essentiellement composée d’un solo du batteur Frank Butler. L’album comprenait aussi deux ballades, le standard ‘’Someone to Watch Over Me’’ sur lequel Counce interprétait un magnifique solo, et ‘’Angel Eyes’’, sur lequel Ericsson, Land et Hope avaient également livré leurs propres solos. Malgré ces prouesses techniques, on avait un peu l’impression que le groupe vivait sur du temps emprunté et que l’enthousiasme des débuts n’était plus là.

Il s’agissait du dernier enregistrement du groupe sous la direction de Counce. Deux autres sessions avaient été organisées avec sensiblement le même alignement par la suite, mais sans Counce, qui avait été remplacé par Leroy Vinnegar. La première session était dirigée par Hope et avait eu lieu le 31 octobre 1957. Le Elmo Hope Quintet, qui était composé de Stu Williamson à la trompette, de Land au saxophone ténor, de Leroy Vinnegar à la contrebasse et de Butler à la batterie, avait enregistré trois pièces pour les disques Pacific Jazz: ‘’Vaun Ex’’, ‘’St Elmo’s Fire’’ et ‘’So Nice.’’ Les trois pièces étaient des compositions de Hope. Que le producteur Dick Bock ait décidé ou non d’enregistrer un album complet avec le groupe, aucune autre pièce n’avait été enregistrée (ou à tout le moins publiée). Deux des trois pièces de la session avaient finalement été publiées sur des anthologies au cours de l’année suivante. Au début des années 1960, les trois pièces avaient été publiées sur une réédition des oeuvres du batteur Art Blakey. La qualité d’enregistrement de ces trois pièces était de loin supérieure aux enregistrements du groupe de Counce avec les disques Dootone.

Sur ces enregistrements, Land et Butler avaient souvent démontré une complicité déconcertante qui donnait parfois l’impression à l’auditeur qu’ils communiquaient par l’entremise d’une sorte de télépathie. Il faut dire que Land et Butler faisaient partie du groupe depuis les débuts. Comme Land l’avait expliqué plus tard: ‘’We’ve always been close friends, and we were born on the same day of the month in the same year {Butler le 18 février, et Land le 18 décembre 1928}... and even our wives get sick and tired of our talking about how ‘’in tune’’ we are with each other {rires}.’’ Le fait saillant de l’album était la composition de Perkins ‘’Grooveyard’’, une pièce qui était très influencée par le gospel et le blues.

En réalité, pour avoir une meilleure idée du talent du groupe à cette époque, il est sans doute préférable de se référer à des albums de Land comme ‘’Harold in the Land of Jazz.’’ Comme l’écrivait Bob Gordon dans son livre ‘’Jazz West Coast: The Los Angeles Jazz Scene of the 1950’s’’publié en 1986:

‘’Perhaps the definitive recordings from this period came under the leadership of Harold Land for Contemporary records. Harold in the Land of Jazz (reissued later as Grooveyatd) is significant both as the first album released under Harold Land’s name and as Carl Perkins’s last recording. The sessions were held on 13 ans 14 January 1958, and the musicians were Rolf Ericsson, Land, Carl Perkins, Leroy Vinnegar and Frank Butler. These Contemporary recordings combine the fire of the Dootoo recordings and the recording quality of the Pacific Jazz Session.’’

En 1989, grâce au dévouement d’Ed Michel des disques Contemporary, un cinquième album du groupe avait été publié sous le titre de Sonority. Dans ses notes de pochette, Michel écrivait:

‘’I always feel like I’m being given a treat when I get to work in materials from the Contemporary vault (not only because one of the things I’d hoped for in my salad days was to grow up to turn out something like Les Koenig): but this batch of Curtis Counce previously-unreleased takes strikes some sort at special nerve. They were all recorded around the time I was starting out in the record business (for Contemporary’s down-the-street rival Pacific Jazz, run by the estimable Richard Bock), and featured players I was hearing with great regularity at the time on the active and exciting L.A. scene. And ‘’active’’ and ‘’exciting’’ are appropriate words to describe things.’’

Les quatre albums du groupe de Counce qui avaient été publiés à l’origine par les disques Contemporary, ont été réédités en 2006 dans le cadre d’un double CD publié sur étiquette Gambit Spain. Le groupe avait aussi enregistré un album dans le cadre de la Craft Recordings Acoustic Sound Series, mais il n’avait jamais été publié. Décrivant la production du groupe, l’historien du jazz Ted Gioia écrivait dans son ouvrage West Coast Jazz: Modern Jazz in California publié en 1992: ‘’The Curtis Counce quintet is one of the great neglected jazz bands of the 1950s. The reasons for his neglect are difficult to pinpoint.’’ Dans son livre ‘’Jazz West Coast: The Los Angeles Jazz Scene of the 1950’s’’, Bob Gordon dressait également un portrait du groupe de Counce. Gordon précisait: ‘’Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Harold Land on tenor saxophone, Carl Perkins on piano, Curtis Counce on bass and Frank Butler on drums made up the original powerhouse group whose aggressive and hard-hitting style of jazz certainly belied Grover Sales wrap that ‘’many West Coast Jazz... recordings... today strike us as bloodless museum pieces...’’ Tentant d'expliquer l'échec, ou du moins la disparition, du groupe de Counce, Gordon poursuivait:

‘’It is hard to understand why the Curtis Counce Group failed to achieve the recognition - either popular or critical - it deserved. Perhaps it’s because the group was so difficult to piegeonhole. As a Los Angeles-based group it couldn’t remotely be identified with the West Coast school. Stylistically, the Curtis Counce Group fit quite naturally with such groups as the Jazz Messengers or the Horace Silver Quintet, but such a comparison tended to upset the East Coast-West Coast dichotomy that then figured so prominently in jazz criticism. So, stuck as they were thousands of miles from the centre of editorial power, the musicians in the group turned out their own brand of hard-swinging jazz in relative obscurity. It wouldn’t be fair to say they were totally ignored by the influential critics, but they were seldom evaluated at their true worth.’’

Victime d’une crise cardiaque le 31 juillet 1963, Curtis Counce se trouvait dans l’ambulance qui le transportait vers un hôpital de Los Angeles lorsqu’il avait poussé son dernier soupir. Il avait seulement trente-sept ans.

Ont survécu à Counce son épouse Mildred, sa fille Celeste et un fils. Le fils de Counce, qui était né le 10 avril 1961, avait été placé en adoption par sa mère biologique. Curtis connaissait l’existence de son fils, mais en raison de sa façon de vivre, il n’avait jamais fait partie de sa vie. Le fils de Counce, dont on ignore le prénom, est décédé le 23 janvier 2022.

Contrebassiste remarquable, Counce était également un excellent soliste. Malheureusement, sa mort prématurée l’avait empêché de réaliser son immense potentiel.

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

CERRA, Steven. ‘’Remembering The Curtis Counce Group.’’ Steven Cerra, 26 mai 2018. ‘’Curtis Counce.’’ Fandom, 2024. ‘’Curtis Counce.’’ Wikipedia, 2024. SALVUCCI, Richard J. ‘’Curtis Counce: You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce!’’ All About Jazz, 18 novembre 2023.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (3-9 Dec 2023)

just fucking spatchcocked him

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 The Late Mrs. Willoughby (Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney #2) (Claudia Gray, author; Billie Fulford-Brown, narrator) - another perfectly serviceable, decently entertaining historical cozy mystery feat. Austen characters and their progeny. Plot's pretty basic but it's still cute to see Jonathan Darcy (autistic king) and Juliette Tilney (mom's adventure sense, dad's common sense) solving murders again. The 'obstacles' to their romance are typical for a series like this but still annoying [tbh in more deft hands they might be more angsty and less annoying but it is what it is]

😍 The Charming Man (Zenaidamacrouras1, author; Late_to_party_81, artist) - 65K, shrinkyclinks no powers AU - just a delightful fic with adorable art (TEXTILE ART!) - I'll let the author's summary speak for itself: "Tldr: Steve has an eventful three weeks. Longer version: Steve Rogers is quite happy with his pleasantly simple life working as a graphic designer, chatting with his best friend Sam who has the desk next to his, eating the same gluten free sandwich for lunch every day, and staring out his office window hoping to catch a glimpse of The Charming Man walking by. Unfortunately, life has a tendency to get complicated without our permission, particularly when Steve begins to suspect that a certain evil corporation is doing criminal things that decidedly grate on his nerves." Great banter/hilarious lines - even the secondary characters get great lines plus some fine quality angst.

😍 Proper English (England World #1) (KJ Charles, author; Bella Lowe, narrator) - reread, love love love. The origin story of fluffy Fen & practical Pat getting together and solving a country house murder.

😍 Think Of England (England World #2) (KJ Charles, author; Tom Carter, narrator) - reread. Another country house mystery featuring blackmail and treason being resolved by Daniel Da Silva (poet & spy) and Archie Curtis (blond viking himbo, about to have a gay awakening) with secondary but crucial support from Fen & Pat

😊 Lessons In Chemistry (Brenda) - 42K, stucky no powers college AU - I’m not often in the mood for a college AU but this hit the spot

💖💖 +46K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Cupid's Rugby Ball (softestpunk) - The Sandman: Dreamling, 5K - h/c meet cute with instalove, as is only correct for this pairing 😆

you'll never be blue ([currently anonymous]) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): Peter/Caleb, 3K - "Caleb and Peter, adjusting to living together." Perfectly captured the character voices! {written for the Fic In A Box 2023 exchange, authors not yet revealed}

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

D20: Fantasy High: Sophomore Year - e4-7

Dirty Laundry - s3, e7

D20: Burrow's End - "Evolution and Revolution" (s20, e10)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Welcome to the Honk Honk Club" (s15, e10)

Dimension 20 Interview: Siobhan Thompson Talks Jaysohn's Near Death In Burrow's End & Fantasy High

Doctor Who: The Star Beast (2023 special #1)

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (2023 special #2)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Welcome to Night Vale #239 - Sister Cities: Vermillion Falls

What Next: TBD - They See You When You’re Shopping

Desert Island Discs - Lea Salonga, singer and actor

⭐ The Sporkful - Rise Of The Foodie Bro (The Year In Food 2023)

Cautionary Tales - The Dunning Kruger Hijack (and Other Criminally Stupid Acts)

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Julia Gets Wise with Amy Tan

Vibe Check - Nostalgia, Ultra

99% Invisible #562 - Breaking Down The Power Broker (with Conan O'Brien)

Endless Thread - "Extremely Online" with Taylor Lorenz

Ologies with Alie Ward - Syndesiology (CONNECTIONS) with James Burke

NPR's Book of the Day - Norman Lear's memoir recalls a life and career that shaped American television

Cautionary Tales - Demonizing Dungeons & Dragons

⭐ Switched on Pop - Hear the Year: The music we loved in 2023

One Year - 1990: Bush vs. Broccoli

Song Exploder - Raye - Escapism (feat. 070 Shake)

Today, Explained - Get the lead out

What Next: TBD - Spotify Unwrapped

Today, Explained - Are movies too long now?

Dear Prudence - My Friend Won’t Stop Buying Me Gifts. Help!

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Super Museum

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Fred Schneider

Strong Songs - The Band: The Last Waltz

Endless Thread - What Is That?!

⭐ Cautionary Tales - How the Radium Girls Fought Back

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

'90s R&B Girl Groups

Presenting Etta James

Pop Motivation

Victoria Monét

Troye Sivan

Laufey

[letssee2468]

Neteyem

Smoke over sun lilies

Love shack

Miguel O’Hara

Sweet Girl

Tom Holland

Countdown (soulmate au)

College fake dating Au

Peter Parker

James Potter

The fake date plot

I thought you were different

Steve Rogers

Kick-Ass

Masked

Chris Evan’s Characters

All of the characters I like

Clark Kent

[wkemeup]

hi kas, i’m so sorry to brother you but is there any chance that you ot any of your followers know a steve rogers x reader fic inspired by taylor swift’s gold rush? it was a college au if i remember it correctly, and wanda was a side character in the story too. it’d make my day if any of you knew where i could find it. either way, thanks for the help! <3

I don’t think I do but if anyone knows it please comment! It sounds familiar!

[themculibrary]

Fic Titles That Are Based On Lyrics Masterlist 2

Links Last Checked: May 13th, 2024

part one, part three

Aye Oh- Let's Go! (ao3) - FrozenHearts wanda/vision T, 12k

Summary: Flash knows something is up with Peter.

He sets about to prove it to the Decathalon Team.

Carry on Wayward Son (ao3) - TinyButFierce G, 9k

Summary: Five times the Avengers didn’t meet Tony’s kid and the one time they did.

don't throw out my legos ( what if i can't let go ) (ao3) - kissthenova loki/mobius T, 2k

Summary: As friends, they loved each other in the way where they almost hated each other but couldn't quite. They realized they couldn't be without each other, so they stuck together. But not romantically. Never romantically. Mobius was seemingly ( but metaphorically ) romantically inclined towards his work. Loki was convinced he couldn't be romantically inclined towards anyone. His relationships, however short they had been, were often mutual hatred instead of mutual love.

And thus it was a shock to him when one day on a lunch break at the TVA, a coughing fit suddenly overcame him, and when it ended a singular white flower petal lay in his hand, pure and clean as snow.

if i can’t be close to you (i’ll settle for the ghost of you) (ao3) - theyarenotfree steve/bucky T, 6k

Summary: Steve is pretty sure he’s being haunted by his dead best friend.

It Felt Like Home Somehow (ao3) - orlandoblueberry wanda/vision G, 5k

Summary: After a dinner where the Avengers all come out as Taylor Swift fans, Vision seeks Wanda's help to understand the appeal of this kind of music. Romance ensues, obviously.

I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) (ao3) - those_who_run_with_wolves darcy/steve T, 6k

Summary: College AU for Halloween Darcy is head over heels in love with Steve Rogers but he doesn’t notice her. Maybe tonight is the night that things finally change. Dressed as Captain Marvel, Darcy heads to the Halloween party that Bucky Barnes is throwing.

one single thread of gold tied me to you (ao3) - vegetativestate druig/makkari G, 1k

Summary: Makkari and Druig decide to take a vacation after the Emergence and before they leave Earth, where they talk and stargaze. Sensibly.

should i hang up my coat and call it a day? (ao3) - starlesbian steve/bucky G, 14k

Summary: Peter Parker has done a pretty good job thus far of hiding his superhero identity. He moved into the Stark Tower with all of the other Avengers, and shortly after Tony adopted him.

But, of course, his school has to plan a field trip to the Stark Tower. His own house. This'll be fun.

so give 'em all to me (and i'll give mine to you) (ao3) - biggrstaffbunch nakia/t'challa, t'challa/sam T, 2k

Summary: So. The thing is. Wakanda is an issue for Sam. More than an issue. An outright crisis. (Or, the one where Sam develops a crush or two in his time with the Wakandans.)

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart Now, Baby (ao3) - blue_jack steve/tony M, 27k

Summary: “I think we should get married,” Tony announced as he let himself into Steve’s apartment, plopping next to him on the couch.

that’s what you get for waking up in vegas (ao3) - haveufoundwhaturlookingfor clint/sam G, 1k

Summary: Sam knew Vegas was going to be crazy, but he didn't think his trip would end up with him being married to Clint Barton.

the more you say the less i know (wherever you stray, i follow) (ao3) - notcaycepollard sam/bucky M, 22k

Summary: It starts in the desert.

there's your coffee cup (the lipstick stain fades with time) (ao3) - shrinkthisviolet T, 1k

Summary: Peter struggles with being "within and without" his friends' lives, while mourning May. But after a complication, it all nearly comes crashing down.

Tonight, We Are Young (ao3) - thebrightestbird peggy/steve G, 4k

Summary: “I might have made a wish on the Tesseract that could have had something to do with Peggy getting younger.”

Steve and Peggy get a second chance to live a lifetime together. There are a few details to work out first.

We Got A Lovin’ Thing (ao3) - MacksDramaticShenanigans steve/bucky G, 6k

Summary: Steve’s trying to think of a good response that doesn’t make him sound pathetic in front of Brock when a flash of leather catches his eyes. His Sandy. The man is only a few feet away, and before Steve can think his actions through he’s striding towards the man and sliding an arm around his waist, pulling him into his side.

Sandy looks like he’s about to say something— probably ask who the hell Steve is and what he’s doing, which would blow the lid off of Steve’s lie. Brock doesn’t need more to taunt him about.

So Steve does what any normal person would do. He pulls Sandy in by the waist and leans in to lay one on him.

You look like my next mistake (ao3) - littlemissstark315 loki/tony M, 3k

Summary: based off Taylor Swifts "Blank Space", Tony beds the wrong woman for the weekend, barely escaping with his life intact.

[xpoken]

Freddie Mercury est né le 5 septembre 1946 sur l'île de Zanzibar

Ses parents étaient Parsis.  Le nom de Freddie est resté avec le garçon quand il a commencé à fréquenter l'école St. Peter.  À l'âge scolaire, dans sa biographie, Freddie Mercury aimait le tennis, tout autour.  Il a bien étudié, s'est engagé dans la peinture et la musique. 

Pendant ses études à l'école, il suit des cours de piano.  En 1958, Freddie Mercury, avec ses amis, a organisé le groupe "The Hectics", qui a joué lors des soirées scolaires.

En 1962, Freddie est retourné à Zanzibar, mais sa famille a rapidement déménagé en Angleterre.  Là, il a commencé à étudier dans une école polytechnique, mais s'est intensivement engagé dans la peinture et le graphisme.  Pendant son temps libre, il travaillait comme porteur, car sa famille n'était pas riche.  Après avoir été diplômé de l'école, Mercury entre au Ealing College of Art de Londres, où il étudie l'illustration graphique.  Freddie a cessé de vivre avec ses parents, louant un appartement.  Bientôt, un événement important a eu lieu dans la vie de Freddie Mercury - il a rencontré le leader du groupe "Smile".  Puis il a commencé à assister aux répétitions du groupe, à mieux connaître Brian May, Roger Taylor.  Après avoir obtenu son diplôme d'une université d'art, Mercury a ouvert sa propre boutique avec Taylor.

[likesomekindofcheese]

Hey!

Could I request a capricorn reader with John and Roger? And it's a study date with each of them?

I love your writing <3

OOOOoooooo. that sounds adorable!!! I have already written a Capricorn headcanon, but here is how I imagine a study date would go...

John Deacon:

He would be the one that would want to study “smarter, not harder”, meanwhile you want to spend at least 2-4 hours a day hitting the books and even have it blocked out in your planner-a planner you always have by your side.

John would just show you about flashcards “ere, Y/N, just spend twenty minutes with these! And try it-try the red ink!” He pointed to a little box of black and red pens. You scooped out a red pen and wrote your information onto the card.

Like some kind of magic (heh heh) it worked. The information stuck to your head like glue.

If you go to one of your flats or a dorm or something like that, Deaky insists on music playing. He likes to play more bouncy stuff and you find yourself tapping your foot along. You even shimmy a bit as you read, finding your smile growing subconsciously.

At some point, Deaky goes “c’mon Y/N, let’s dance.” He closed the bok aside. The tune drifting from the vinyl was irresistible.

“What, John!? What about the-” you shook your head. 

You knew this test was a make or break situation. And so help you, you would get a high score.

“We’ve been working forever, let’s dance!!” Deaky begged.

 His eyes went big and he gave you the gentlest smile. The desperation to complete your degree at top marks melted at the sight of it. 

He reached out his white hand and you accepted it.

Of course he swoops you into his arms and you begin swaying and moving, spinning like a mad dreidel. When he dips you back, only to pull you back up again. Both of you giggle in the swiftness.

“Y/N...is it alright if I kiss you?” he asked. His face a bit pink and his jaw tight.

There was a slight pause as you mulled it over. Your heart racing, still processing the words in front of you. You seemed to be dreaming.

“Ye...yes!”

He went over, his breath smelling of coffee and his lips delicate and soft. He smelled of the old pages of his text book and his hand was placed on the side of your head as you leaned into it mid-kiss.

Once he pulled away. You both burst into a small laugh, releasing that tension.

“I...I don’t normally take breaks like that, John...”

“You always work so hard, Y/N...”

“I think I need a break like that again...”

He leaned in for another kiss.

Roger: 

Roger was not the type to hit the library too hard. Not that he wasn’t getting good grades. He made time for good grades and studying. He was in there browsing some books when he saw you. Your coffee was cooling as you were reviewing your notes and planning for an essay to write. Your pencil scribbling away, your hair lovely, your eyes bright and focused, your sweater color making you pop like a flower in that drab library.

Roger made every excuse to go there, to admire you. Also it was nice to have a change of place. You noticed him and gave him a smile.

He shoved away any thoughts of hesitation or shyness at the sight of you. He huffed his chest, his typical drummer self and walked up to you.

“I’m sorry...but what’s the best pastry at the library?”

“Oh! The carrot cake!” you say.

“The what?”

“Come, let me show you...”

You ran over to the coffee shop and showed him the array. There were strawberry and chocolate muffins that looked inviting, but Roger gave a sneer in spite of himself.

“Carrot cake?”

You could tell he liked you. And with a face like that, who were you to resist?

“If I get you one, you can study with me...”

“Okay...it just sounds a bit...”

“A bit what?”

“Aren’t others more exciting, you know?”

Handing over a couple pounds (Roger chipped in to cover half), the barista handed you the pastry. Getting a napkin and two forks, you went over to the table.

“No, the library!”

“What! What if someone catches us?”

“No one will! C’mon!” he insisted

He extends his hand and you accept it. So in between your textbook, you take bites of the cake. And Roger melts at the taste of it.

“Oh go-this is delicious!” He took a bit of the cream cheese filling on his finger and licked it off.

“Shh, someone might hear you!”

Once it’s devoured, Roger offers to stay.

“It’s just this essay, it’s driving me crazy...what other point can I make...”

Glancing over your notes, Roger suggests one thing. You blink. In shock that he brought up that point.

“What, really?!” you gasped. You tilted your head.

“Yes, I do mean it!” he nodded, his delicate fingers circling a note you had written in your worn notebook.

You added it, both of you talking furiously. He gave you a nice smile that flashed when you discussed the class and your degree and the determination you had to succeed in it.

Lo and behold, when your essay was graded, you passed with flying colors. Although you already had Roger’s phone number memorized, and you called him to meet you to study again...only that time, there was less focus on the books.

Taglist: @seraphicmercury

@queenlover05

@rhapsodyrecs

[freddie-mercurial]

queen + modern social media au

a.k.a. four penniless students really want to be rockstars.

[sazc94]

The Three Times James "Bucky" Barnes Broke your heart.

This was inspired by @msmarvelwrites 2k Writing Challenge because I'm a sucker for Taylor Swift especially sad Taylor Vibes. I chose the all too well lyrics.

Apparently, I can't do anything small so it's in two parts. Pairs Bucky x Reader and Pietro x Reader. (Not at the same time)

Part 1 Here

No smut but mentions of sex so 18+ Themes: highschool, cheating, college/uni. Friendship

Words 3368 it's Suburban AU.

2015 You finished up Uni staring in the school's production of Rock of Ages, Playing Sherry opposite Loki’s drew. Loki also moved to New York staying with his half brother Thor Oddinson. You stayed in touch with Loki and Pietro. The thing that took you by surprise however was six months after moving to Detroit, whilst working for Bruce Banner's start-up you received a DM on Instagram from Bucky. He heard from Sam and Jane that you were now living in Detroit and he was moving to the area after being scouted by the Detroit Lions. Hey Y/N, I hope you’re good. I know this is random and please feel free to tell me where to go, but I was wondering if you wanted to get a drink sometime? It would be great to see you again and catch up. Let me know. So you replied feeling like maybe after all this time it might be good to finally hear Bucky’s apology. Pietro and you had stayed in touch but you knew he was dating someone else. Her name was Sue Storm, she seemed like a nice girl, very smart and could easily give Pietro a run for his money. After hearing Bucky’s apology, you two started to become friends again, he invited you along to his games always offering to secure you two tickets if you wanted to bring someone. He was a machine on the football field, earning the strange nickname The Winter Soldier.

2016

Everything changed in the summer of 2016 though when Bucky’s mother passed away suddenly in June. She had practically helped raise you, so you attended the funeral with Bucky. You stayed with him in the guest room in his childhood house, helping him sort through belongings and paperwork. Bucky’s dad had died when you were 8 and Bucky like you was an only child. You took in food from neighbours wanting to pay their respects. You held his hand squeezing it in comfort during the funeral, assuring him you were there for him. Two days after the funeral you and Bucky had finished packing up the final boxes, you were upstairs, and he was downstairs being awfully quiet. You went looking for him only to find him sat on the living room floor. He was crying holding a picture of you and him one Halloween when you were 9, Bucky had gone as Superman and you as Supergirl. Your mums stood behind you, both of them chuckling whilst you and bucky tried to out pose one another. Your heart swelled. Your Grandad had died in November and god how your heart had ached, but to lose your mum, you couldn’t even begin to imagine. “Hey, hey. It's alright I’m here Buck”, you said cradling his head to your chest whilst he sobbed. You stayed like that for an unidentifiable amount of time before Bucky’s crying eased. He looked up at you blinking away the stray tears, the familiar blue in his eyes pulling you in. Your not sure who kissed who first but that was how you and Bucky ended up sleeping together.

You and Bucky officially got back together in July. Your Grandma passed away in September, the start of football season. Bucky was unable to attend the funeral, he tried god he tried. Pietro made it though. He and Sue had broken up not that he told you. By the time November rolled around things were good between you and Bucky. Wanda’s fashion label Scarlett Witch was taking off and she invited you and Bucky out to join the rest of the old gang at the official launch in December of 2016. You accepted and for the pair of you assuring Bucky, there would be no awkwardness. Pietro was casually dating and was bringing a date called Crystal.

You arrived at the party in NYC completely blown away. Wanda had asked you to wear a piece from the evening wear collection, a Black strapless dress, the top if form-fitting made from chiffon fabric, the skirt cut out the front made of black tulle sparkled with the touches of glitter. It felt like you were wearing the Milky Way. After stopping to pose for photos for the press you made your way inside. The party was being held inside a beautiful gothic building. “Y/n! You look absolutely amazing, thank you so much for wearing this and of course for coming” Wanda practically pounced on you the minute she spotted you. “Bunny! I agree absolutely amazing. Bucky, you don’t look too bad yourself” Pietro said kissing you on the cheek. Pietro was wearing a deep blue suit, it made his hair and ice-blue eyes pop. Bucky had opted for the simple black tux to match you and your dress. He almost looked good enough to eat. After grabbing a glass of champagne, Wanda and Pietro took you to the rest of the gang who had made it. Jane was here with a date, Thor Oddinson you recognised him from the few times he had been to see you and Loki in shows. Carol was here too. Peter Parker was working the event as a photographer he had brought a date a lovely young lady called Mary Jane Watson. After about 45 minutes of schmoozing and catching up, you went to the ladies room. When you exited you were a little taken aback by the sight that confronted you, a redhead was hanging of Bucky’s arm chuckling away with Thor and Jane. You could only see the back of her from where you were standing. You decided to walk over and introduce yourself. However, when you got closer to the group the woman started to look vaguely familiar.

“Hey babe,” Bucky said as you approached quickly removing his arm from the redhead. Babe. That was weird he never called you babe. His blue eyes looked like they were hiding something. “Lady Y/N. This is Lady Natasha” Thor said introducing you. The redhead turned to shake your hand smiling at you with a knowing look. “Lovely to finally meet the infamous Y/N,” she said. “I told Bucky how disappointed I was not to meet you when I was in the City in September. I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of your grandmother. Bucky kept me company whilst I was around on some Business” her voice sounded harmless, sweet and pleasant. Genuine. Her eyes and knowing smirk told a different story. Bucky looked at you, the familiar betrayal in his eyes, pleading with you. “I was just telling Bucky, I’ve been offered this amazing opportunity in Detroit so Ill be moving there in February, isn’t that wonderful?” she asked. You smiled taking a swig of your champagne. Jane looked at you, then Bucky. You shook your head.

That was the second time Bucky Barnes broke your heart. He assured you that they hadn’t slept together, however had admitted that he had kept her visit from you and that she had kissed him. “Did you kiss her back?” you asked pacing around your hotel room. “Doll, please what does it matter,” he asked reaching out for you. His calloused hands once again burning your skin with his betrayal. The fact he had chosen not to answer was all the confirmation you needed. You had left him in the hotel room. Loki had been unable to make the event due to being in a small play off-Broadway, but you had texted him asking if he wanted to get a drink. You had told him everything and he had walked you back to your hotel room. You were drunk and distressed. Bucky had opened the door his blue eyes flashing with jealousy when the handsome black-haired gentleman had his arms around you. “Easy James, if anything was going to have happened between us, it would have happened in freshman year of college,” Loki said helping you into your room. After you and Bucky returned to Detroit you guys took a break for a few months.

2017

Natasha’s job conveniently happened to be working as a fitness instructor at the Detroit Lions. After 4 months you and Bucky got back together in March of 2017. Things were going great, Natasha seemed to have released whatever hold she had on Bucky. Bucky was performing well with the Lions, his new teammate, Steve Rogers nicknamed Captain America seemed to have caught the eye of many ladies including Natasha. He however didn’t seem that interested in her and had his sights set on a girl from his home in Brooklyn her name was Peggy. Steve and you hit off due to your mutual disinterest in Miss Romanoff, he had come up with a nickname for her, he called her Black Widow because she seemed to devour the men in her life. Banners start-up tech company had taken off with thanks to your ad campaigns. You were also performing in the local summer show of Mamma Mia playing Sophie. In the summer of 17, Peggy Carter came to visit Steve, turned out she was from Britain originally. You liked Peggy and her no-nonsense approach. During July, the four of you went on lots of double dates like you were high schoolers again. For Steve’s birthday which happened to be the fourth of July, the four of you attended an event being put on by the Detroit lions. You had a great evening mixing with various teammates and their families. You even warmed to Natasha a bit that afternoon.

As the evening rolled around a giant cake was brought out to celebrate Steve’s birthday. Followed by a firework show. Everyone made their way to various blankets and cushions set out at the opposite end of the stadium. Somewhere along the way you and Bucky got separated. You didn’t worry too much, to begin with as you’d both drifted off to interact with various people throughout the event, however by the time the fireworks started Bucky was nowhere to be seen. You started to think the worst until you spotted Natasha’s red hair on the other side of the stadium flirting with a gaggle of players from various other teams who were invited. Confident Bucky would return shortly you turned your attention to the sky watching with a goofy grin, things were finally settled between you and Bucky. As the fireworks went on you decided to snap a few shots on your phone loving the way the sky lit up with bright colours. The Detroit Lions didn’t do things in small doses, so the firework display ended up going on for about an hour and a half. After about 45 minutes Bucky returned from wherever he had been slipping down behind you pulling your back flush to his chest. He stroked small circles on your arms. His rough calloused skin making you shiver from the contact.

In September you were approached by Tony Stark’s PA Pepper Potts, they had seen your campaigns for Bruce Banner and Tony was interested in headhunting you. Your contract with Bruce was up in October. You initially shot the idea down. Why would you want to leave Michigan? Your family home was a short 20-minute drive away, Bucky was doing well with the Lions. Peggy Carter was moving here after Steve had proposed at the end of Summer. It seemed ludicrous. After initially shooting down the offer. Pepper contacted you, doubling their initial offer. The offer was tempting, so you told Miss Potts you would think it over the weekend. There was no harm in bringing it up with Bucky, maybe a move would do you both good, Natasha seemed to have gotten under Bucky’s skin again. You left the office early that day. You didn’t bother to text Bucky figuring you could surprise him when he got home from training with a home-cooked meal. You stopped off to get some supplies to make Lasagne before heading over to his apartment figuring you could just let yourself in. You had called Wanda on the drive over through your cars Bluetooth. She and Vision were engaged, and she wanted you to be one of her bridesmaids. Partway through the call, Pietro had walked into Wanda’s office so you had told them both about the job offer. When you got to Bucky’s you immediately recognised the Black Widows black Mercedes. “huh, that’s weird, I wonder what she’s doing here,” you said out loud “who’s where?” asked Wanda. “oh um nothing, look I got to go I just got to Buck’s and I’m cooking dinner, going to talk to him about Tony’s offer,” you said before hanging up. You were so blind-sighted by Natasha’s car you didn’t clock Bucky’s Motorcycle parked in the corner of the small parking lot. You grabbed your bags walking up to Bucky’s figuring that you could invite Natasha in if need be whilst you waited for Buck to come home.

If you had noticed Bucky’s bike, then just maybe you would have been more prepared for the following events you unlocked Bucky’s apartment and you found clothes strewn everywhere, his jeans. A white Blouse. His boxer trunks. A Black lacy bra, that definitely didn’t belong to you. At first, you were so shocked by what you saw that you didn’t hear the moans coming from the bedroom. It was like you were possessed you carried your bag of groceries as you walked in a daze to the bedroom, you opened the door and found Bucky once again cheating on you. He and Natasha were in the throws of fucking each other, you found Natasha with her back to you, wrapped around Bucky’s waist. Bucky sat upright facing you however his eyes closed whilst he drank in the pleasure. You felt your heartbreak as you dropped your bag of groceries. The bag made a thud as it hit the ground, alerting Bucky to your presence. His eyes flew open connecting with yours. Natasha however didn’t stop riding your boyfriend’s cock. Bucky tried to push her off him, but you were already storming out the door. You grabbed your bag and left Bucky’s spare key in the door. Bucky grabbed a pair of joggers and slippers before chasing after you. Bucky’s apartment was on the second floor. All the apartments on the second floor opened outside to a walkway.

“Really James?!?” you turned round to face him before he could even say your name. “Was once not enough? Did you not hurt me enough the first time?” You asked. You could feel the anger threatening to burst in the way of tears. Bucky went to speak, his blue eyes once again filled with guilt. “How long?!” you asked quietly. Bucky moved towards you tugging on your wrist. “Come on Y/N, come back inside it’s starting to rain, we can discuss this inside,” he said, his eyes pleading with you. At that moment Natasha appeared in Bucky’s open doorway. She looked pleased with herself, wearing Buck’s shirt. The site made you want to vomit. “How. Long?!” you asked again through gritted teeth. Bucky faltered. “Since July. Since the 4th of July event,” he admitted rubbing his hand over his face. At that moment you felt completely and utterly broken. “I’m done, James. Do you hear me? I am done. We are through. You two.” You pointed to Natasha. “You two are welcome to one another”. That was the third time Bucky broke your heart.

You took the job working for Stark Industries. Your contract had ended with Bruce but your lease on your apartment was up until January so you stayed working for him until December of 2017 You said your goodbyes to Steve and Peggy in January and moved across the country to your new life in the big apple.

December 2018

The unknown number flashed up on your phone for the third time that day. You sighed before answering it. “Hello, Y/N Speaking how can I help?” you asked fiddling with your jumper. “Hey Doll, it's me. Don’t hang up.” Your breath caught in your throat. James Buchanan Barnes. You hadn’t spoken to him in over a year. He hadn’t even attempted to reach out to you after you split up mailing your things back to you, well all but a scarf. In January shortly before you’d moved to NYC you’d seen a magazine article saying the Winter Soldier was dating Natasha Romanoff. It confirmed what you already knew deep down, which was that you might be okay but you were not fine at all.

You’d worked so hard to forget about him long enough to forget why you needed to. He had better have a damn good reason for calling you. “You have 5 minutes,” You said getting up from the sofa you were sat on. “look, I know I fucked up with you. In more than one way on more than one occasion. I think it was the pressure to be the perfect couple, you know lifelong friends to more. And well I guess I just freaked out, and then I fell for her, but she didn’t want me, and when you gave us another shot, I thought I could convince myself to love you the way I did her, the way you had loved me. But truth be told, it was always Natasha after that summer. I know you deserve better, and I truly am sorry for hurting your doll. But I wanted you to hear it from me before you read about it in the news. She’s pregnant and also, we’re getting married.” Bucky said. You stood in the middle of the apartment stunned. “So, you call me up again, just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest?” you whispered. Squeezing back the tears. “Well fuck you, James.” With that, you hung up. Of course, Bucky tried to ring right back, you declined the call, falling to your knees in pain. You had never asked for any of this, you had been quite happy being Bucky’s best girl as his friend. He was the one who kissed you at that prom.

You weren’t still in love with Bucky, you had moved on, forgetting about him and the pain he caused you. He hadn’t needed to call you, he could have given you a heads up through one of your mutual friends, but no. he had to go and stick the knife in. After lying there like a crumpled-up piece of paper and letting the tears fall. You picked yourself up. You washed your face and made yourself a mug of hot chocolate grabbing a Christmas cookie from the tin before making your way over to the bay window. You sat down taking in the view. The traffic had eased off a bit as things wound down for the evening. The snow had been falling pretty much all day. After about 15 minutes of sitting peacefully the key in the lock turned. You didn’t move you were incredibly content where you were, even if you could use a refill in the hot chocolate department.

“Hey handsome how was your day?” you asked not taking your eyes away from the street below. A group of kids were throwing snowballs at one another. You smiled to yourself enjoying their innocence. “It was good, busy” he replied taking off his coat and walking over to join you at the window seat. Wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close. “How about you Bunny? I saw a news alert. I’m guessing you know about the engagement?” he asked. You hummed a response. Before shuffling yourself around to face him. His floppy silver-blonde hair covering those beautiful ice blue eyes, they looked at you with such love and endearment, they also spoke a silent promise that he would never hurt you the way that Bucky had. You kissed him gently on the lips before standing up. “Come on Quicksilver let's shower before the Stark Christmas Gala,” you said pulling your boyfriend along behind you shooting him a knowing grin. His nickname may be Quicksilver for athletic reasons but there were some things he liked to take his time with.

A/N If you stuck with me through all this, I am truly sorry. I'm gonna go cry

Tagging the bestie @lannycleave

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (2-8 Apr 2023)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 jsyd extras (not playing a part #2) (biblionerd07) - 105K of alt-POV/extra/post-epilogue scenes

😊 The Edification of Steve Harrington (ChronicRabbit) - 44K, steddie post-canon divergent everybody lives slow burn

😍 One of Many Great Fires (delgaserasca, author; , narrator) - 126K, spirk AU; Jim shows up on Vulcan for an arranged marriage with T'Pring to solidify a treaty & Spock ends up tutoring him on Vulcan culture. Excellently written, absolutely DELICIOUS slow burn

🥰👂‍ Cabin Pressure: Molokai (John Finnemore, author; Stephanie Cole/Roger Allam/Benedict Cumberbatch/John Finnemore, cast)

🥰👂‍ Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 3 (Newcastle to St. Petersburg) (John Finnemore, author; Stephanie Cole/Roger Allam/Benedict Cumberbatch/John Finnemore, cast)

🥰 Put Down in Words (paintedrecs) - 203K, sterek college AU - very slow burn, angsty, lots of emotional depth, plus an adorable dog

💖💖 +109K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

The Adventure of the Opal Necklace (beautifulduckweed) - KJ Charles: multiple ships, 9K - rollicking KJC mashup crack featuring some cursed opals

A Sense of Identity (DaaroMoltor) - DCU: SuperBat, 21K - love love love a good identity porn fic

Deep Sea Diving (AidaRonan) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 5K - reread, forever fave - never not in the mood for fat thirst trap Bucky & besotted Cap!Steve

🖋️🖋️ plus these articles/essays that were really good 🖋️🖋️

How an Alleged Con Man Tore Apart One of the Nineties’ Biggest Bands

Tracing the Affinities Between Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and C.S Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Maine Cabin Masters - s7, e14-16

Moana

Ted Lasso - s3, e4 [x2]

Great Art Explained: A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat

Dirty Laundry - s2, e1-4

Hot Ones - Kieran Culkin Fires Sean While Eating Spicy Wings

Game Changer - s1, e4

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

It's Been a Minute - Fighting back against spams, scams and schemes

Richmond Til We Die - Maximilian Osinski • Zava on Ted Lasso

Welcome to Night Vale #225 - Renegotiations

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Museum of Clean

You Must Remember This - 1989: sex, lies and videotape: Rob Lowe and James Spader (Erotic 80s Part 12)

⭐ The Sporkful - Are You Eating Chipotle Bowls Wrong?

You're Dead To Me - Atlantis

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Arrows Across America

Shedunnit Book Club - The Golden Age Autopsy

Switched on Pop - The Shakira Conspiracy

Reformed Rakes - No Love Lost: Romance BookTok's Dubious Reputation

99% Invisible #531 - De Fiets Is Niets

Vibe Check - Go Outside and Touch Some Grass

Richmond Til We Die - Tackling Homophobia in Football (with Lou Englefield)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Yellowstone Zone of Death

Ologies with Alie Ward - Chickenology Part 2 (HENS & ROOSTERS) with Tove Danovich

ICYMI Plus - Buying Concert Tickets Online is Still a Hellscape

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Lady Liberty’s Little Sister

Song Exploder - Yaeji "Passed Me By"

Our Opinions Are Correct - Silicon Valley vs. Science Fiction: "Difficult Geniuses"

Into It - Are We Into the 'Barbie' Trailer, Fading Taylor Swift Merch, and a New 'Moana'?

Endless Thread - The Lullaby

You're Dead To Me - The Jacobites

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Fun & Funky

Guitars & Good Times

She Bop: '80s Ladies

Classic Feel-Good Pop

my Greatest Showman playlist

Classic Disco Hits

Presenting Kelly Clarkson

Presenting Miranda Lambert

Elle King

[promenadewithme]

About me ✧ ˚ · .

ꕥ basic info

Ana | 22 | she/her | straight | ☀ Virgo 🌚 Pisces ↑ Aries | Multifandom | INFP

╰─▸ My messages are always open if you want to talk

╰─▸ I was sorted into Ravenclaw, but most people say I'm a Ravenpuff

╰─▸ I'm a Healer Grisha, belong to the Dawn Court, Erudite and Daughter of Hipnos

╰─▸ I'm currently in med school, so I don't have time to write all the time, but it's one of my favorite things to do

╰─▸ I love chocolate, cakes, coffee and tea

ꕥ more info

╰─▸ date of birth: 3 September

╰─▸ languages I speak: English, Portuguese and Spanish

╰─▸ height: 5'2

╰─▸ light academia/cottagecore/soft girl

╰─▸ I'm known for daydreaming, being a swiftie, an incredible memory and drinking insane amounts of coffee

╰─▸ my biggest dreams include finding love, creating a family with that love, being a doctor, and writing then publishing books.

╰─▸ nicknames: none that I can think of, if you want to give me a nickname that would be cool

ꕥ what I'm up to

╰─▸ reading: a witch's guide to fake dating a demon and normal people

╰─▸ writing: ON SEMI HIATUS

╰─▸ watching: criminal minds

╰─▸ listening: fruitcake (sabrina carpenter)

ꕥ favorites to write for:

╰─▸ Harry Potter [George Weasley] [Fred Weasley]

╰─▸ MCU [Steve Rogers] [Bucky Barnes] [Pietro Maximoff] [Loki Laufeyson]

╰─▸ Grishaverse [Nikolai Lantsov] [Kaz Brekker] [Reader as one of the crows]

╰─▸ Bridgerton [Anthony Bridgerton] [Benedict Bridgerton] [Colin Bridgerton] [Reader as Bridgerton sibling]

╰─▸ Stranger Things [Steve Harrington] [Eddie Munson]

╰─▸ Criminal Minds [Spencer Reid]

╰─▸ AUs [Greek Gods] [Coffee Shop] [Soulmates] [College] [Modern]

ꕥ Things I love

╰─▸ Coffee, tea, chocolate, and anything sweet.

╰─▸ Reading, writing, crochet, music, solving all kinds of puzzles, spending time with my dogs, traveling. (I'm an old soul. I don't say that as a good thing... I'm an 80 year-old stuck in a 20 year-old's body.)

╰─▸ tall nerdy men who look like they've never felt the touch of a woman

╰─▸ Taylor Swift

╰─▸ Old songs

╰─▸ Old movies

╰─▸ 80/90's Rom Coms

╰─▸ Themed diners and parks, libraries, book shops, coffee shops, museums, picnics and the beach

[kyber-crystal]

pop the question || s.r.

summary: steve goes to his old love to ask her for advice on making the most important decision of his life. 

words: ~2.5k

warnings: really nothing, just fluff and cheesy steve as always :)

a/n: this was an old oneshot and it’s poorly written i’m so sorry. post civil war au where everyone is happy and peggy is still alive hehehehe let’s keep in mind this is unedited so there’s a lot of errors. 

Upon hearing that your boyfriend was going to go visit Peggy, you immediately jumped at the opportunity and begged him to let you tag along. Hearing countless stories about the fearless woman who helped found the very organization that you had been a part of for so long made you want to see her in person. So after several days of convincing, he finally caved in and allowed you to come with him.

The room she was staying in was brightly lit and minimalistic, mostly uncluttered with the only thing on the wall being a framed black-and-white photo of her back in the 40's. A grey-haired woman lay peacefully in the middle of the bed and as you took a step forward, she stirred slightly and for a moment you were afraid you'd woken her up in the middle of her sleep.

Her eyes opened and a bright smile lit up her face, softening immediately upon seeing the two of you side by side. "Oh, do come in...And who is this beautiful lady you've brought along with you, Steve?"

"I'm Y/N. Former SHIELD agent, currently an Avenger," you explained as you made your way over to her. She reached out and gave your hand a quick squeeze, returning your warm smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

"And I've heard plenty about you as well," she replied kindly, "You're even lovelier in person."

You laughed nervously and rubbed the back of your neck. "I don't think so."

"I've always wanted to get to know the woman he's fallen so hopelessly in love with."

"Peggy..." Steve felt his cheeks heat up at her statement. "stop, you're embarrassing me—"

"I can tell why he chose you," Peggy smiled, "He's a good man...I know he loves you more than anything."

"Actually, I beg to differ, he loves Bucky more than me," you raised an eyebrow in suspicion at the super-soldier. "He wouldn't pay attention to me after he got roped into an Uno deathmatch last night."

"Classic Rogers," she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief as he pulled up a chair to sit next to you, by her bedside, "a true child at heart. I see you haven't changed much over the years."

Steve took your hand in his, intertwining your fingers together and soothingly rubbing circles across your palm with his thumb. Peggy noticed the softened look in his eyes when he glanced over at you and you felt your face grow warm.

"So how long have you been together for?"

"Almost two years," Steve replied, with a light pink shade tinting his cheeks. "Our second anniversary will be on..."

"May 20th. Two weeks from now," you finished his sentence.

"That's wonderful," Peggy laughed again, "I wish you two the best in your relationship."

"You're too kind," you thanked her, "I've been a huge fan of yours for so long."

"And I, you. He always talks about you every time he visits. He never shuts up about you, so I was dying to meet you from the moment he first mentioned your name."

"What did he say?" you looked over at your boyfriend to see that he was now flushing a bright tomato red, much to both yours and her amusement. "It was all good things, I assume?"

"Of course. He tells me he's never been this happy in his life until he met you...I honestly couldn’t be more proud."

"Aww, Steve," you nudged him in the side as he grew an even deeper shade of red, "you're so sweet."

"He is a hopeless romantic," she added on. "Captain America is great with the ladies."

"Peggy!" Steve exclaimed.

"Aw, you're making him blush," you giggled.

"He is the easily flustered type, if I'm being completely honest with myself here, though one might not see that right away when they first meet him," she agreed, but then her face fell. "Y/N, would you be a dear and get me a glass of water and some yogurt from the cafeteria? You just have to head straight down the hall, then turn right. You'll know it when you see it."

"Yeah, of course," you nodded as you stood up. "Just a minute."

Once you were out of earshot, Peggy gestured for Steve to come closer so he could hear her speak better.

"I'm glad you found a woman like her to stick by your side," she said quietly, "All these years, I waited for you, and I was completely, utterly heartbroken at the idea of not being with you ever again. But after hearing you talk about her frequently and seeing your face light up every time her name was mentioned...I didn't want to take that away from you. You're still that good man with heart from Brooklyn I met so long ago, Steve, and I hope you'll continue to treat her well. She’s a real keeper. Promise me you'll keep her close."

"I will," he promised, reaching over to gently squeeze her hand. "I love her more than anything, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to make her happy."

"Good," she nodded with a smile, "you make the perfect pair with her."

After you returned with Peggy's yogurt and water, you stayed for about an hour and a half longer before a buzzing sound from your phone indicated a new text message.

Natasha: Hey, love. I'm in the parking lot right now, where do you want to go for lunch? I kicked Bucky out before he dragged us to shawarma for the third time this week, so it's your pick today. Thank me later.

You: I'll be out in a sec. Meet you outside.

Natasha: See you in a bit.

You looked back up at Peggy after sliding your phone in your purse, giving her an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I have to go now. I have a lunch date. Natasha doesn't like to be kept waiting, especially when there's food on the line."

"It's okay," she reassured you as you stood up and shook her hand again. "It was absolutely wonderful meeting you. I hope you can come and visit again soon."

"Of course."

After exchanging one last round of goodbyes with her and Steve, you slung your purse over your shoulder and pushed the doors open to head outside, where Natasha was awaiting you in Tony's Audi.

"Hey, girlfriend," Natasha sent you a flirty wink and wave. "Get in."

You slid into the passenger's seat, buckling on your seatbelt as she stepped on the gas pedal. "Hey."

"So, how'd it go?"

"It was pretty nice. She seemed to ship it pretty eagerly," you chuckled. "Oh, also, Thai food."

"Got it." She typed in the directions to the restaurant into the GPS. "That's cute, having another person who's an avid shipper of Y/N x Steve. You guys have any plans for your anniversary?"

You shook your head, "I have no idea. Usually, it's him who makes the move and goes all out for the night, but I'm not sure what either of us have in mind this year."

Oh, he definitely had something in mind.

There was a burning question sitting in the back of his head and had been doing so for as long as he could remember. Right as he was prepared to leave half an hour later, he decided to ask Peggy and get it off his chest.

"Could I ask you something important?"

"Of course."

"I, uh..." he fiddled with his thumbs nervously for a few seconds before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a tiny, cubic box encasing a gorgeous diamond ring inside. "Because our anniversary is coming up soon...I wanted to pop the question. How should I do it?"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Peggy clasped her hands together excitedly. "Well...I'd suggest you go over-the-top for this occasion, it's a big, life-changing moment so why not? Don't be afraid to go all out, be romantic."

"What should I do, then?"

"Hmm. What are some things she enjoys?"

"Laser tag, crushing her opponents and beating them to a pulp in fights, Tom Cruise, Italian food, and Taylor Swift. She’s a popular pop singer these days."

"Ah, I see," she laughed, "She's a woman who enjoys variety."

"Exactly."

"A nice candlelit dinner would help set the mood very well, but if you're not wanting to pop the question in front of a crowd, you could always set that dinner up at home. Are any of you good cooks?"

"Bruce makes good pasta, and Vision's the baker of the compound."

"Back when my husband and I were still dating, he'd always surprise me with nice little fancy dinners at home. I believe that is the way to a girl's heart; sometimes you do not need to be extravagant to win her over. And you said she likes Taylor Swift, yes?”

“Yeah...”

“Take her to a concert! I heard from my niece that she’s in town right around the time of your anniversary...so you’re in luck. Get tickets, and take her there.”

"Thank you so much, Peggy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Anytime, Steve."

...

"So," Natasha spoke up as you were on your way back to the compound after lunch, "it's been two years since you finally got off your asses and admitted you were in love with each other, how do you feel?"

"I honestly don't know," you shrugged, "but I guess I have you to thank, right?"

"Damn right you do," she smirked, "I've been rooting for you two since we were called in to take down SHIELD, and I started suspecting things during the Battle of New York."

"That was three years ago! And New York was five!"

"I know!"

You let out a long sigh, a wistful look appearing on your face. "I wish Mom and Dad were here to see where I am right now. You know, they always pushed me to get back into the dating game once I got over my nasty breakup in college...before I got my level 8 SHIELD promotion."

"Didn't they always tell you that they wished you'd date Cap?"

"They did, actually," you chuckled, "and here I am now. Their dream has become my reality."

"I always loved your mom. Remember when we were having dinner at their house? She snuck me extra cookies under the table. Being your best friend for over six years has its perks, you know."

"And she'd fangirl over Thor."

"Ho, boy. Yup," she shook her head as she thought back to that chaotic family dinner.

Two weeks went by in a flash, and before you knew it, it was the day of yours and Steve's anniversary. Strangely enough you'd been prevented from seeing him all day, with the team making extra efforts to keep you separated.

After a fancy home-cooked dinner, you found yourselves curled up together on the couch as you absentmindedly watched Tangled - one of your favorite Disney movies of all time. Your head was resting on Steve’s broad shoulder as he traced patterns on your arm, feeling his breath gently  fanning over your head. 

But partway through the movie, you noticed he seemed to be fidgeting a bit as well, glancing between you and his pockets frequently.

"Hey," you placed a gentle hand on top of his, still staring ahead, "are you okay?"

"Huh? What? Yeah, I'm fine," he blinked a couple times before snapping out of his daze.

"Okay..."

Several more minutes passed in silence before he decided to speak up again. “...If I recall, you’re into Taylor Swift.”

“Oh yeah! Why do you ask?”

“An insider told me she’s going to be in Brooklyn this weekend for a throwback tour. I managed to snag last-minute tickets for the two of us...what do you say?”

“YES,” you practically squealed, jumping out of your seat and throwing your arms around him. “You’re the best! I love you.”

“I know, darling, I love you too,” he laughed, one hand rubbing your back as the other was absentmindedly fiddling with the box in his pocket. You blew it, Rogers...

...

You were nearly bombarded by paparazzi as soon as you stepped out of your Audi with Steve by your side, reporters flooding your path. The guards at the main entrance were quick to notice, however, and led you aside so you could enter through a different route. 

“This feels so surreal,” your voice echoed across the walls as you made your way down the hall hand-in-hand. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment ever since I was a kid.”

“I’m glad I was able to make that dream come to life.”

“This is why you’re the best person ever.”

“Not because I always have your back during missions?” he raised a brow.

“That too, but also because of the fact that you got me tickets to the concert of one of my favorite artists ever.”

He chuckled. “I get that.”

You ended up standing right in front of the stage - so you had not only a close-up view, but could hear everything beyond fantastically. As Taylor came out on stage and began to sing, Steve couldn’t help the look of adoration that crossed over his features at the sight of your brightened eyes and glowing complexion. You truly looked like an angel - and he knew for sure in that very moment, you were the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. 

His train of thought was interrupted at one point by you grabbing his hand and squealing excitedly. “My favorite!”

Steve recognized the familiar, soothing tune as Love Story. He recalled you and Natasha drunkenly dancing around on karaoke night to this very tune - heads thrown back in laughter as you exaggerated your movements, making everyone laugh. You’d explained that the reason why you were so attached was because listening to it made you long for a happy ever after - a perfect future. A girl could dream. 

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone I keep waiting for you, but you never come Is this in my head? I don't know what to think He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring And said, 

You were too busy jumping around and singing your heart out to notice the spotlight was now shining down on you, and it was only when the crowd started shrieking in excitement that you turned around to see-

Steve was down on one knee, holding up a tiny velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring nestled in the very center. Taylor was grinning down at you two as she continued to sing, the audience chanting for you to say something.

"Marry me, Juliet You'll never have to be alone I love you and that's all I really know I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

“Yes! Yes,” you nodded, choking on a happy sob as you put a hand over your mouth, letting him slide the ring on your finger. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He stood back up and wound his arms around your waist, pulling you in for a passionate kiss to your lips. 

Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh 'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

...

if your name is striked out, that means i couldn’t tag you for some reason

general tags: @yoomum @captainchrisstan @sandystoriess @naomiiiiiiiiiii04 @patzammit @rynhaswritersblock @capcapcapsicle @wheresmyjae @thinkingofbuckybarnes @carryonmywaywardbucky @musicalkeys @buckybarnesthehotshot @zaddychris @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho @sylvie-writes @sis-it-dont-add-up @tonystankschild 

permanent tags: @sandwitch-god @renaissancecherub 

steve/chris tags: @marvelfanatic16 @angrybirdcr @speechlessxx @epiphanybucky @smokeandnailz

[omgsquee2001]

Here We Go!

So, for this “You Have My Blessing” Series, I am going to try something a little different. I am going to write some on one page, and then add the fake social media part after and see how I like it. If I don’t like it, I’ll do the same thing I did with Gwilym’s and add the fake social media things at the end of the writing. 

Anywho, some background information on the reader. I will try to make this where this is a gender neutral reader. 

The reader is the grandchild of John Richard Deacon and is taking photography classes in college. The reader is 23 years old. They are the God Daughter of Freddie Mercury and the pseudo niece/nephew of Brian May and Roger Taylor. Yes this is an Au where Freddie was able to get treatment for A1DS and it was effective and he is still alive today. Also, look at this photo I found of Pinterest! 

If only 😭😭

Anywho, I hope you like this and I will add the “chapters” of the series so you know what’s going to be featured. 

[xpoken]

Freddie Mercury est né le 5 septembre 1946 sur l'île de Zanzibar

Ses parents étaient Parsis.  Le nom de Freddie est resté avec le garçon quand il a commencé à fréquenter l'école St. Peter.  À l'âge scolaire, dans sa biographie, Freddie Mercury aimait le tennis, tout autour.  Il a bien étudié, s'est engagé dans la peinture et la musique.

 Pendant ses études à l'école, il suit des cours de piano.  En 1958, Freddie Mercury, avec ses amis, a organisé le groupe "The Hectics", qui a joué lors des soirées scolaires.

 En 1962, Freddie est retourné à Zanzibar, mais sa famille a rapidement déménagé en Angleterre.  Là, il a commencé à étudier dans une école polytechnique, mais s'est intensivement engagé dans la peinture et le graphisme.  Pendant son temps libre, il travaillait comme porteur, car sa famille n'était pas riche.  Après avoir été diplômé de l'école, Mercury entre au Ealing College of Art de Londres, où il étudie l'illustration graphique.  Freddie a cessé de vivre avec ses parents, louant un appartement.  Bientôt, un événement important a eu lieu dans la vie de Freddie Mercury - il a rencontré le leader du groupe "Smile".  Puis il a commencé à assister aux répétitions du groupe, à mieux connaître Brian May, Roger Taylor.  Après avoir obtenu son diplôme d'une université d'art, Mercury a ouvert sa propre boutique avec Taylor.