#smart property documentation

[gurutrends]

“PWAN Max’s Strategic Shift: Embracing Prop-Tech and Digital Innovation for Future Growth”

PWAN/PWAN Max is redefining its business strategy with advanced Prop-Tech solutions, digital transformation, and client-centered innovation to lead Nigeria’s property sector into the future. The Rise of Prop-Tech and the Real Estate Evolution The global real estate industry is undergoing a monumental shift. At the center of this transformation lies Prop-Tech—a convergence of property and…

[bunny-jpeg]

i got a fever and the only cure is more john price!!

he fucks nasty, you thought that age would slow him down. but, no. you are worn out before he even breaks a sweat. years of training to his body has given him stamina like a bull. and he had the breeding balls to prove it!

you didn't mean to sleep with your captain, but now that he had you in his grasp. he wasn't loosening his grip, not until that belly got round and those tits got fat.

"was a big baby." he said, his voice tense as he pressing his cock down into you. he had you pinned under his hefty, hairy wait as his impressive (huge) cock battered your insides. prepping you to accept his thick cum. he had his bicep around your head and kept you pinned.

it wasn't even a full doggy style anymore, he just laid on top of you with his cock plugging your sweet pussy. your moans were pathetic, you were powerless to him.

"price's are grown quite big, big head and wide shoulders. but don't worry, i'll be there the whole time. makin' sure my woman is taken care of. carry them at your hip while i got ya pregnant with another." his licked his lips like a hungry dog at the thought of it all.

you thought it was just sick dirty talk by the way it made you pussy slicker. but price was laying it out as it was. he was going to breed you, you were going to have his children.

he is egged on by your moans. he had convinced himself that you were his wife, even though you had never even gone on a date before. you thought this was simple, on-base, casual sex. meanwhile price was trying to very blatantly baby trap you.

he chalked up your ignorance to you having better maternal instincts than actual smarts. but, that was alright, you were meant to be a mother anyway! don't worry, price will make it all better for his precious wife.

price wanted to see and document all the changes to your pregnant body, he wanted to see his child grow inside of you. proof that he had laid claim to him. then he'll set you up in a sleepy town in northern england and you can be his little wife.

you, him and the kids. maybe a guard dog or two to protect the property. gotta keep the family safe!

the sick, pervert thoughts overcame him like a wave as he drilled his cock into you. a promise that he was going to finish very soon. even if you wanted to escape, the weight on top of you and the blissed out mess in your mind prevented you from getting too far.

not until he got you pregnant.

when he creams inside of you. it's game over (sorry)! you thought that due to age and his lifestyle that his swimmers were next to nothing. but he'd been saving up. a long time without a hole to fuck had made his biology desperate to pass his genes along.

so when he got you in a headlock while he rocked up into you, spearing your pretty pussy open, get ready for motherhood (yay)! because even trying to sneak off to get plan b will do nothing. you waited too long or the pills were ineffective.

as he rubbed your swollen middle on the couch of the sweet little home you (he) owned, his face brushed up against your side. his facial hair tickled your bare arms. he'd tell you that it was a miracle before he kissed your swollen mound.

"you are a better mother than you ever were a private." he cooed at you as he invaded your space once more, "good mothers make strong babies and i'm aimin' for the 99th percentile" <3

[cosmicpuzzle]

Negatives of Mercury in Each House

Mercury in 1st House: Overthinker, mental overload, takes things too literally, impatient, not a good listener, interrupts while talking, opinionated, critical, argumentative, fussy with details, nervous.

Mercury in 2nd House: Does not keep promises, mismanages money, financial trickster, bad salesman, lies about money matters, stammering.

Mercury in 3rd House: Too much into details, information gatherer, thinks but not acts, cluttered mind, breathing and lungs issues, smoker, loses the big picture, media addict, smartphone addicts.

Mercury in 4th House: Unsettled mind, emotional issues, analyses feelings than feeling them, not able to settle at one place /city, frequent mover, shy outside home, nervous, anxious mother, tension at home, sibling quarrels, property troubles, documentation troubles.

Mercury in 5th House: flirtatious, casual lover, critical of children's education, too mental in love and expressing affections, takes risk with speculation, poor gambler, worried over children, micromanages children's life.

Mercury in 6th House: Argumentative, picks intellectual fights, overzealous in health matters, troubles with co worker, gossips at office/ workplace, criticizes others work, perfectionist, makes mistakes at work, skin eruptions.

Mercury in 7th House: changes partners frequently, falls in love then discards, trouble with contracts, marries for documents purpose(like spouse sponsoring a visa), mental relationships, not serious in love, experiments new partners, falls in love with 2 people at same time.

Mercury in 8th House: Secretive, schemer, cold, sarcastic, suspicious, corporate frauds, abuses through words, foul language, trouble through inheritance, relatives, nervous disorders like paralysis, respiratory illnesses, obsessed about death.

Mercury in 9th House: Fundamentalist, thinks too optimistically than practically, can't see immediate consequences, focused only on the big vision but doesn't take practical steps, questions religion and faith systems, cannot believe without proof.

Mercury in 10th House: Changes career frequently for promotion or increments, too smart and then deceives oneself, lies at work, thinks only about gain, not emotional, works only for results, no imagination or creativity at work, works as per the letter of law than to the spirit.

Mercury in 11th House: Makes more acquaintances than true friends, social climbers, makes contacts for sake of it, deceitful friends or deceits friends, financial mismanagement, greedy for profits, attracted to quick rich schemes, cheats others financially, lies to others.

Mercury in 12th House: Poor concentration, poor focus, dreamy, impractical, poor memory, lack of action, forgets important things, does not solve problems, not good with details, does not speak properly, not responsive to others, over imagination.

For Readings DM

I post more on my twitter/X page . Follow me for more short and interesting post over there. (Eventually may shift there)

Magha Sidereal Astrology🌙 (@maghastrology) / X (twitter.com)

[darkmaga-returns]

Washington state Democrats accidentally leaked a document entitled “2025 Revenue Options” describing how they plan to hunt down citizens for additional taxes. An email containing the document and an accompanying PowerPoint presentation was sent to everyone in the Senate and entail exactly how they will wordsmith their way into extorting the people. “Do say: ‘Pay what they owe’ — but Don’t say: “Tax the rich” or “pay their fair share” because “taxes aren’t a punishment,” the graph read.

The proposal includes an 11% tax on firearms and ammunition. Storage units would be reclassified as RENTALS and seen as retail transactions. Amid the cost of living crisis exacerbated by shelter costs, these politicians believe that citizens should pay more in property taxes.

“Avoid centering the tax or talking in vague terms about ‘the economy’ or ‘education,’” the document states, instead opting to use positive connotations such as “providing,” “ensuring,” and “funding.” These lawmakers note that they must “identify the villain” who is preventing “progress.” That villain is the government, but the government needs to pin your woes on another source to create division. “We can ensure that extremely wealthy Washingtonians are taxed on their assets just like middle-class families are already taxed on theirs,” the slide reads.

The leaked document assures that this common rhetoric is intended to blind the masses into believing that tax hikes will not affect them but the dreaded “rich” who do not pay their “fair share.” In truth, no amount of taxation could ever be enough for the government as it spends perpetually with no plan to “pay their fair share” of debt.

Smart money has been fleeing blue states for this precise reason. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos notably fled Washington state for Florida, reportedly saving $1 billion on taxes alone. He moved his parents out of the state as well to avoid the death tax, which is among the highest in the nation at 20%. Governor Jay Inslee is wrapping up his term by insisting on a “wealth tax.”

The state is expected to face a $16 billion revenue deficit over the next four years and believes a 1% levy on the wealthiest residents could generate $3.4 billion over that time period. Businesses generating over $1 million annually would be in a new tax category called “service and other activities” and would be required to pay a 20% surcharge from October 2025 to December 2026. Come January 2027, successful businesses would be punished with a 10% tax. Why would anyone choose to conduct business in a state that punishes success? Innovators are not going to begin their businesses under these conditions and established companies will simply leave.

“Let’s be clear: there is a deficit ahead, but it’s caused by overspending, not by a recession or a drop in revenue,” Gildon said in a statement. “When the cost of doing business goes up, consumers feel it too. His budget would make living in Washington even less affordable.”

The state failed to manage its finances properly, and that burden now falls on the people. We see the same problem emerge at the local and federal levels. Governments feel entitled to YOUR money. Rather than correcting the root issue of spending and misallocated funds, governments believe the people they govern will foot the bill. The rhetoric is always the same as they insist they are “progressing” society by punishing the greedy and vilified rich. In truth, everyone suffers as a result of government mismanagement.

[xichilie]

Two sides of a Gem

Aventurine x (stoneheart)reader

Preview [ Part1 ]

Reader will be known as ruby, will appear as a male stoic and monotone. But it's actually just a puppet. No one knows where the real ruby is and what she's up to, she just let's her puppet do her work, and most people only know the puppet as ruby and not her true self, Aventurine will meet the real ruby known as Y/N:

A.N: it's not proofread, and English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes

Aventurine sat in the chair his office, playing around with a poker chip between his fingers while he let out a sigh seeing the stack of paperwork a colleague just dropped on his desk, he'd rather do anything else than that, he will have to take care of it eventually. After a few minutes of glaring at the stack of documents he reluctantly picked the first paper reading its contents as a knock on the door disrupted him, he looked up as the door opened and his secretary walked in "I'm sorry to disturb you Mr.Aventurine, but opal has called all stonerhearts to a meeting in 20 minutes"

Aventurine let's out a sigh, before showing his usual smile

"Alright, finally an excuse to not do this paperwork, thank you for informing me, your dismissed"

His secretary nodded and turned to leave the office closing the door behind her.

Aventurine got up and stretched, he checked his phone for any messages, before making his way out the office.

"AVENTURINE!" an angry voice came from behind

As he turned around he was met with an very angry topaz,

"You made me invest in this failed project on purpose didn't you!"

Aventurine held up his hand in mock surrender smirking "what makes you say that, I would never"

"Don't act all suprised you did this on purpose!" She pointed her finger at him

"I swear when I told you about the investment the project was doing well" he chuckled which made topaz even angrier, she opened her mouth but was stopped by jade " now now are you two fighting again?"

"Madam jade" topaz greeted her

"You two fight like little kids" a monotone voice chimed in.

Next to jade stood ruby, a tall man with red hair and redish eyes in his usual stoic demeanor, he just shook his head and walked past them towards the meeting room.

Topaz frowned "sometimes I'm asking myself if he's even human he's so ...cold..."

Aventurine chuckled "makes him kinda terrifying"

Jade chuckled, "well, good looking, strong, smart and terrifying, a good combination if you ask me, makes the job easier"

Everyone took their seats as opal entered the room.

"Good morning everyone, I'm glad you all made it" opal glanced at ruby then walked up to his seat and sat down.

"Let's begin, diamond and I looked over your recent projects, most of them have been very successful, aventurine and ruby, both of you managed high risk projects and completed them successfully". Aventurine smirked, playing with his poker chip. "Well, seems like I have quite the competition, completing high risk, and dangerous projects" he smirked at ruby who just stared back at him.

Opal cleared his throat and began assigning the new projects to each stoneheart

" Signal transmissions from Jarilo-VI have been detected by the IPC, Due to it's isolated and dangerous natural environment, Jarilo-VI lost contact with other worlds after the appearance of the Cancer of All Worlds."

He pointed to the documents he had distributed to each Stoneheart.

"We need someone to go down there and collect the overdue dept, and secure some properties for the IPC".

While the other stonehearts began to discuss the case topaz read the documents in silence, something about Jarilo-VI situation reminded her about her own home, That planet was extreme resource-poor. Therefore people need to worked laboriously, manufacturing product to created an export products to other civilizations in the universe. Most insisted on chemical and heavy industries. Which slowly turn planet to become a toxic environment. People with enough money buy tickets to leave a planet while the rest were waited for their death.

Until one day The IPC came to her home planet and use their technology to heal damaged environment. As an payment, all of the planet inhabitants become IPC employees. In only a few years after the contract, the planet biosphere is healed completely. She made up her mind "I'll take this case"

The other stonehearts turned to her in suprise. "That planet seems like a waste of time" Sugilite looked at topaz and closed the documents uninterested. "But it wouldn't be fair to simply ignore Jarilo-VI situation" pearl chimed in.

Aventurine leaned back in his chair "Jarilo-VI is is a high-risk, low-reward case, why bother to take it on. Your kind heart can be more of a liability than an asset in cases like this, dont you agree ruby?" Avebturni adjusted his glasses and smirked at ruby who's been quiet till now. The attention of the room shifte all gazes fell on ruby waiting for an answer "Jarilo-VI is indeed a high risk project, but, if topaz is confident in her abilities I don't see why she shouldn't try it"

Jade chuckled "I agree with ruby, if topaz wishes to take over the Jarilo-VI project, let her do it"

"Alright that settles it then, topaz will take over the Jarilo-VI project " opal declared "as for aventurine, we have an opertunity to reclaim what once belonged to the ipc, we received an invitation for the upcoming charmony festival in penacony, that seem like the right job for you don't you think?"

Aventurine tossed his poker chip in the air "quiet the risky gamble, high risk high rewards" he chuckled as he caught the chip.

Opal ended the meeting and everyone gathered to leave.

"Ruby, wait" called out to him as he stopped in his tracks and turned around. She walked up to him "thank you ...if you haven't spoke in my favor I probably wouldn't have gotten the chance to take the Jarilo-VI project"

Ruby stared at her for a moment "no need to thank me, if your confident in your abilities to handle this project there's no reason to deny you the opertunity, though, if you fail the consequences are on you" Tooaz smiled up at him "Don't worry I'm aware of the risks and consequences".

"Very well, good luck then" ruby nodded before turning around and walking off.

"I really advise against taking this project" Aventurines voice cut through the silence" topaz looked at him sharply "like you advised me to invest in this failed project" Aventurine chuckled "Oh come on your still mad about this".

............................

Later that night:

Ruby leaned against the wall of his living room gazing out the window as he recounted today's events to the other person on the call.

"Penacony huh?" A feminine voice mused on the other side of the line "so what are you planning to do?" Ruby asked "it's indeed very risky but I could ..."

He heared a chuckled from the other side of the line "no no, I'm sure they won't just let two stonerhearts check into the hotel, so leave this one to me, I'll be there anyways"

"Understood"

[iatrophilosophos]

My primitivism doesn't exactly extend to medicine in that i do actually think the past 100+ years of industrialization has resulted in some stuff that i would like to keep existing in the world but we also cannot deny that those things are only made possible by a relationship to the biosphere that is completely doomed and will change, one way or another.

In order to maintain useful tools we desperately need to retrofit an entire field of knowledge and all its base logics into one that is locally reproducible and sustainable without environmental destruction or coerced labor. Breaking apart the walls of intellectual property is one huge part of that & it also has the ability to offer massive relief to people right now while those industrial materials are obtainable. There's also so much else that needs to happen!

We need new methods, we need new drugs. We need new logics. We need to roll back the obsession with purified pharmacueticals for a system of effective standardization that gets reliable results. We need to break apart historical and modern medical methodologies that give actual cues for what to do when you don't have imaging and labs and integrate those ideas with other things we want--there's actually a HUGE academic extant field for this btwn industrial western medicine (iwm) and traditional Chinese medicine (tcm) but we can't just stop there because despite what a bunch of white ppl assume from the name, TCM is *also* an industrial medical system dependent on huge amounts of global trade

& I know I've already lost a huge chunk of people in saying that, because western chauvism and historical revisionism and the western medical progress narrative are so intense that mfers are out here thinking the "smart" position is believing that in 1800 a cold was a death sentence and it was a widespread practice to put cow shit on wounds in the 1600s despite easily readable English language primary source documents that contradict those narratives & the actual historical record representing something a lot more useful & pressing about the function of power and medical knowledge; let alone any willingness to engage with any more complicated or difficult source material or godforbid earnestly engaging with any nonwestern let alone Indigenous history of medicine. White leftists are out here saying we need to "respect" Indigenous healing traditions and in their mind it means "gracing people with my indifference because i don't want to be called racist for jumping down their throats"; not yknow...legitimately believing that someone else might *gasp* engage with the same basic reality you do and have some worthwhile interpretations & tools for navigating it.

In order to answer these questions we need a robust culture of common medical knolwege. We need interrogative vigor that goes beyond basic scientific literacy & the ability to vet a study design; we need the ability to engage with questions like "what assumptions about the world undergird what question was asked and how the parameters of an accurate answer are defined?"

No one is coming to save us. This field is in its infancy and optimistically the anglosphere division of it includes a few hundred people at most. It's not enough.

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 7: Have a Cow

From: You Catch More Bees With Honey Series

Pairing: Mob! Bucky x Farmer! Reader

Summary: You and Bucky are finding your stride until a surprise shows up on the porch

Word count: 2,750

Content/warnings: Light mob themes, farming, kissing, lap sitting, fluffy fluff

Author’s Note: It’s been a minute! Hopefully this kickstarts me to get a couple more chapters out soon. Please enjoy, be sure to drop any feedback, I love hearing from you!!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

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You sighed as you walked into one of your barns tucked toward the back of the property, recently transformed into what looked almost looked like a city loft apartment to accommodate for Bucky’s workers on the farm. You were carrying produce crates and one of Bucky’s henchmen, Peter, came to take them from your hands.

Ever since Bucky’s construction crew has been working in the mines, most of the food that you would normally be selling at the farmer’s market has been going to them. That makes it easy for you, though. A few of them have even been around the fields helping out to pick it themselves, too, giving you a little more time to sort through documents, contracts, and future plans, without having to stay up late like your normally would to fit in all the work.

All the men had been a great help, and exceptionally respectful, which surprised you. Sure, you expected them to be formal and well-behaved, but their actions seemed almost rehearsed, like they had been told exactly what to do. Peter, probably the one kid who you had taken a liking to, was the only one who would really hold conversations with you, though. You assumed part of it was due to his status in Bucky’s organization. He was young, but extremely smart, earning him a spot of minor authority. Although every time he opened his mouth, you were never quite sure what would come out. It could either be something honest and profound, or a weird nervous babble. Sweet kid, though, so no harm done. He was like the best parts of Jake and Curtis at that age.

As you handed the crate over, you looked around at the high ceilings, now lined with bulb lights and the cool tones that decorated the previously wood-heavy space. “I’ve always wanted a barndiminium, just never had an excuse to make it.”

Peter added your box to the stack in what appeared to be a makeshift kitchenette. No way they had time to hook up appliances and water lines already, right? “I know our men seem pretty gruff, but if there’s one thing they like, it’s comfort and luxury where they lay their heads.”

You laughed and nodded your head. Just like their boss, although he didn’t seem to complain as much anymore, laying on sheets that were probably about as old as him.

Peter continued shifting crates around, unloading certain items likely for whatever meal they had planned next once the next round of workers got off their shift. “And of course, boss wouldn’t want anything less than the best when it comes to you. Says this’ll increase the property value. And it’s all yours to enjoy as you please when we’re gone.”

Ah, there it was. The kinda thing Bucky wouldn’t say to your face, but Peter’s lips let slip like it was nothing. Like it was obvious. You tried to change the subject, unsure if you could confront those types of feelings to Peter when you hadn’t even built up the courage to discuss them with Bucky yet. You knew Bucky cared about quality, and had a little understanding of the extent he was willing to go for you. But you didn’t even want to think about a time when Bucky could be gone.

“Don’t you need permits for this stuff?”

He winked. “I won’t tell if you won’t. Plus, I’m sure the higher ups worked their smooth talking magic and their connections. They’re amazing with things like that.”

You hummed in agreement. You had seen and heard first-hand how effortlessly Bucky could have something done for him. The world was at his fingertips. Surely that rule stood true for most people around him.

“Don’t I know, Peter. But I’m sure you’ve got your own charms. Some of your own connections that Buck doesn’t.”

He gave you a sheepish smile and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess, sort of. But I’m not sure how much they’d really put me in charge of that stuff. Sometimes I just freeze up when I have to tell them things instead of them telling me what to do…I just get so flustered around Mr. Barnes.”

You nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. “Well, I’d say they trust you a lot for you to be in control of as much as you are right now. They definitely see through your nervousness. You’re doing a great job and I really appreciate you discretion and assistance around here.”

He gave you a soft smile. “Oh..wow, thanks.”

You nodded and turned on the newly laid floor, ready to head back to the house to continue your paperwork.

The mid-morning sun was at your back as you made your way inside towards the office. You were almost never inside at this time of day, so it was a wonderful pocket of time to be productive. You were greeted by Bucky sitting in your chair, shuffling though papers while he was on a phone call. He drew his gaze from the fan of parchment in front of him, smiling when he saw your face.

“Yeah, just keep an eye on her and increase security all around. Overlap shifts and monitor cameras 24/7. Thanks, Steve. Bye.”

You smiled as Bucky set the phone down. You had never heard him thank anyone before. As you took another step closer, though, you saw which papers he was looking through. Your own smile fell to see the contract from Cole for the hundredth time. Why was Bucky able to be so happy when this attempt at a forceful ‘offer’ was in front of him?

“C’mere, Honey.” Bucky gestured for you to come sit with him on your chair, but instead, you opted to take a seat opposite him, in front of your desk. There was work to be done and you couldn’t let yourself get distracted, even if he seemed oddly at ease.

You watched as his previously carefree gaze scrunched in on itself, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and lips in a slight pout. As you plopped down in the old cushion, you crossed your arms and legs.

“Bucket, I’m doing this for the good of both of us. Talk business with me first, then we can discuss…accessory ventures.”

You nodded in gesture to the papers, hoping he’d explain why this all needed to be looked over again. Was it not enough that it was constantly running through your mind? You had the power to just say ‘no,’ as long as Cole didn’t keep pushing or have anything over your head, but things were never that easy, so what was really going on?

“Honey, come on. We’ve got a little time to be close. This way we don’t have to flip papers back and forth to read them.” His voice had softened from his phone call, nearly reaching a whine.

“James…” oh, you weren’t messing around. You were taking this seriously. “I can read upside down. It’s fine. Just talk me through what’s going through your head.”

He sighed and his chin met his chest in defeat. “Ever since Curtis messaged me that Cole tried to get into the bar and Lloyd had been with him, I just want to be extra cautious, which is why I’m going through these. Again. I’ve already sent them to my lawyer in the city, so he’ll confirm for me.”

You nodded and stood up, finally walking over to him. “So is this what you’re really worried about? What’s not in the contracts, but real-life threats?”

You walked around your desk, hips swerving to miss the corners as you finally stood in front of Bucky. He swiveled the chair so you stood between his legs and threw his forehead against your stomach. You held him close and stroked his hair before he moved to look up at you, resting his chin on your sternum and wrapping his arms around your waist. “Yeah. I’m worried about you. And what’ll come when I have to leave. And just how involved Lloyd may be. I know I already told you about him, but I don’t think words can describe how much he truly doesn’t subscribe to caring for the well-being of others when they stand in his way. I know this is all that Cole has sent so far, but if Lloyd has anything to say about it, this won’t be the last push, but it’ll certainly be the nicest.”

You nodded down to him before gesturing for him to sit up so you could straddle his lap in the oversized leather chair. You held the sides of his face before leaning your forehead against his. You did your best to speak in a firm, yet placating tone.

“Jamie. I promise, I’m going to be fine. I was fine before you and I can take care of myself when you’re gone.”

He closed his eyes and sighed again. “I know, I know. But I just made the command to keep Peter here with you. He’s an extra precaution. You’ll barely notice him, and I’m sure having the help will be nice.”

You pulled away to smile and roll your eyes. “Bucky, he’s a kid. What’s he gonna do that I can’t? Plus, you know I like him. The last thing I would want is him putting himself in harm’s way for my sake.”

Bucky shook his head. “No, you know how capable he is. If I can see it, I know you sensed it from a mile away. He stays at least until it all blows over. Everyone is willing to do what is necessary to protect you. It’s what they signed on for.”

You knew that Bucky wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so instead, you simply kissed his temple and wrapped your arms around him, nestling against his neck. “Okay, fine. But he’s gonna become the buffest farmer you’ve ever seen when he comes back to you. I’m burning all his little suits. You’ll only ever see him in strictly flannel.”

Bucky let out a light chuckle as he rubbed your back, sitting in the chair and enjoying the moment with you before you mumbled against his neck in question.

“So you wanna tell me what Jake was really doing here? And what you did to make him into the same guy he used to be?”

Bucky hummed in thought at your question. He wasn’t quite sure if honesty was the best way to go here. Sure, you knew that everyone who knew about the mines had to come into town, but why have Jake help? And why didn’t Bucky hate him as much as you’d anticipated?

Bucky clicked his tongue before deciding on the diplomatic answer. “I just reminded him of his place and how valuable you are. Not much more than that. He’s smart if you direct the way he needs to think. I mean, he’s half the reason you’re in this mess, but he could help us get out if we do it right.”

“Yeah, okay Mr. Politician. Whatever you say. Just make sure you restock my duct tape. I’ve been running low lately and I’m not sure how that happened.” Bucky froze as you laughed at the reaction. Dang, he should’ve told the truth. You wouldn’t have asked if you didn’t already know, you were just giving him the opportunity to let you in. Noted.

The rest of the week on the farm was fairly easy as you and Bucky worked in tandem, sporadically getting updates on the mine reinforcements and spells of assistance from his men.

But otherwise, you got along well. Bucky was truly learning the farm chores and operations, catching on quicker than you had anticipated. He only ran the tractor into one ditch and his boots hadn’t gotten stuck in mud at all. Now you were helping, or at least trying to help, him reach mastery in what you thought he would’ve caught onto easily: barking orders.

The two of you were out in the pasture, as you finally taught him how to use your sheep and cattle dogs. Sure, they were practically self-sufficient, but sneaky little things sometimes with their own agendas. Bucky, in an attempt to boast about all the independent work he had done the previous week, revealed himself for the actual issues he had experienced with them, obviously not unbeknownst to you.

After a long day of running around and nearly a week since hearing anything from Cole, you and Bucky were spent, walking back up to your house to have a nice night in, just sitting on the porch and enjoying the peace. As you got closer, though, you could hardly make out a small brown blob waiting there next to one of the posts. Was it a package? You hadn’t ordered any new equipment lately….and then it moved.

You threw an arm out in front of Bucky, both of you stopping stark in your tracks.

“Wait. Hold on. You see that?”

Bucky grabbed your arm close to his chest when you stopped, leaning over it and squinting until it became clear. What was that doing on your porch?

The two of you cautiously kept walking towards it, finally deciphering what you were looking at: a brown, fluffy, baby… highland cow?

You could hear it moo more and more the closer you got, eventually seeing it tied to one of the porch posts with a rope and a ribbon around its neck: both Turner’s blue.

You walked up to the calf cautiously, holding out a hand and cooing at it to ease its evidently nervous state.

“Shhh, shhhh, hey there little thing. What are you doing up here?” Sure, you owned a plethora of livestock, but none of these. This was, for lack of a better term, a house cow. Something Decks had begged you to get for years, but you never had the need or the time for.

You pet the tuft of hair on top of its head as you squatted down, grabbing the piece of card stock attached to the ribbon before looking up over your shoulder at Bucky. You could already see the anger rising in his eyes and seeping through the rest of his demeanor, fists clenched and body rigid as he nodded for you to read.

“Peach, take a taste of what success could be. Here, have a cow. -Cole. P.S. all in good faith”

Oh, Bucky was gonna have a cow, alright. You rolled your eyes at another ridiculous note. This was very evidently not a dairy cow from his stock, so you weren’t sure why Cole was trying to pull one over on you by claiming it was. And he didn’t even leave it with any feed or water for who knows how long it had been there up until this point. The main question was: why didn’t Bucky’s men intercept? You guessed they were probably under specific instructions not to, as to keep a low profile.

When you looked back up at him, Bucky was already on the phone. Even before you had gotten to the porch, he had sent a message to Peter to check the cams and make sure no one had lingered on the property after the delivery. This new development instantly put him on high alert.

He held the phone to his ear now, though, as it rang only twice before you heard someone on the other side pick up. “Hey Barber, I know you’re busy with that other stuff I sent you, but what do you know about corporate gifting policies?”

Meanwhile, you had untied the poor baby from the post and scooped it up, carrying it inside and to the kitchen while Bucky slumped into the couch. You gave the calf—at least it was a girl capable of producing milk and not a boy-which you definitely would’ve roasted Cole for—some water before taking her over to the couch and setting her down next to Bucky. You ran your knuckles against his temple in a soothing stroke before petting through his hair and giving him a kiss on his hairline. When you pulled away, thumb moving to stroke his cheek, you mouthed ‘it’ll be okay,’ only seeing his jaw unclench slightly at the reassurance. You moved to sit on the couch on the other side of the calf and criss-crossed your legs, petting her and listening to Bucky’s lawyer walking him through corporate gifting laws, now on speaker.

Next >

Bonus A/N: highland cows are so cute. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been sent a video of one getting a little spa day🥰

Series Taglist: @scuzmunkie @openup-yourmind @vicmc624 @hawkeyes-queen @blackhawkfanatic @morgthemagpie @buckybarnessimpp @calwitch

[echojulietfoxtrot]

Okay, everyone's had a few days to be sad. But the world didn't end, so there is stuff to be done. Mid terms are in 2 years.

This post isn't going to tell you anything other people haven't done better or in more detail, and I'm not even American, so what the fuck are you listening to me for, but I think it might be useful to somebody as a place to start, and I think it's useful to keep in mind that none of us are helpless - no matter how much it might benefit somebody else to let you think so.

I'll add to it as and when I can.

NOW

Check your ballot. Tell everyone you know to check on their ballots. Spread the word to everyone you can possibly tell to check their ballots. The Presidential election is absolutely not going to be reversed, but local races and initiatives can be decided by twenty, a dozen, two votes. The window's closing on this by now, so check into this immediately if you haven't already. And if there is any possibility for a recount where it might achieve something, make noise for one.

You would be absolutely amazed how much harm can be spared and how much good can be done at the Parks & Rec level, no matter what's happening up top. Do not waste the chance to make friction for bad guys later on, or lay down some tools for the good guys in advance.

Then, if you have a Dem Senator, call their office and urge them to confirm all Biden's judicial nominees now, right now, ASAP. Here's a rough call script.

Btw mid terms are in two years.

NEXT

Spend the next two months -

Buying a little extra boring ass shelf stable food and water on your grocery runs, and build up as much food security as you can. You're probably not gonna need it, but it's good to have, even only as a hedge against inflation or unreliable weather/disaster relief responses.

Stock up on medication you might need if you can. Organize whatever procedures you might need done if you can, including contraceptive measures. And find a reason to need a Morning After Pill or two in the next few weeks, somebody you care about might be real glad you did.

Consider making any big ticket purchases that will be affected by proposed tariffs (electronics etc), or any... slightly less conventional things you want to buy, now - but otherwise it would be a good time to lay some money aside if you can.

Get in the habit of paying for things in cash, and limiting how much information on your habits are out there. Stash a little cash somewhere, for if you want to buy something less visibly in future, too.

Do your homework about your digital footprint. Accounts, posts, doxxable clues, data, behavioral info, browsers, wifi links, cookies, consumer history, always-on "Smart" speakers and devices, think about all of it. Your phone is telling everyone where you are at all times whether the Location stuff is on or not - get in the habit of leaving it at home, so that suddenly not having it is not, in itself, a sign of anything. Your fitness wearables are mapping your entire lifestyle - it is effectively recording where you work, what time you finish, what routes you take, what stores you go to, where your friends live, where you go for recreation, where your family lives and what your relationship is like with them (where's your fitbit at Thanksgiving, Christmas etc?). Don't use fingerprint or facial recognition for anything, ever, if you can help it - apart from cataloguing your biometrics, it is much easier for a third party, police included, to use these to access your stuff than a password. It probably goes without saying, do not digitally document your menstrual cycle in any way.

Figure out what channels you can use in future to retain access to as much as possible if someone decides you shouldn't have it, or wants to know if you look for it. VPNs are a starting point, but not the end point. Do your homework on this now, before you need to know it.

Look into securing documentation that might be of use in future, this includes property, legal stuff like Power of Attorney, passports etc. (Though that doesn't necessarily mean carrying it at all times to everything, just sayin'.)

What's your ACA status? Are you currently availing of absolutely everything you're currently entitled to? If not, work on it. Government resources are always harder to take away from you once you're getting them than to deny you outright.

If there's any gay shit you like or want preserved, it would be a good time to buy/download/back it up. This includes movies, fics, books. It would also be a good time to seek out and subscribe to independent and non-digital gay media, zines, etc, and get to know your in-person scenes. You might be surprised how much stuff still exists and happens in ways that are invisible to the internet, gay and otherwise.

Don't forget that mid terms are in 2 years.

THEN

The mid terms are in 2 years.

Mid terms are 2 years away. Which means the campaigns for them start in a year, which means the work for them starts now.

All else aside, Democrat flips elsewhere in the government structure at that point would make it way, way harder for them to keep smashing everything, and there is work that you can do towards making that happen. For better and sometimes worse, the American political system is a very big and very awkward machine, and King Dipshit and his cronies cannot wave a magic wand to get their way everywhere all the time as a result. Look into your immediate local political scene, and figure out what you can do for it.

You might be getting sick of everyone talking about "building community". What this usually means in practice is firstly, seeking out local or neighboring orgs and groups that are doing what you want done, and joining them; or else, starting them yourself.

That might sound daunting, but it's not hard to start an interest group, just very annoying early on. You'll have to do a lot more printing than you might expect. You're going to have to deal with some deeply irritating people who are, nonetheless, very good at getting good shit done, and you're going to have to learn that's a You problem to deal with.

I'm involved in a couple of local groups in my country and it is WILD how much even one person can get done purely because nobody else gives enough of a shit about boring small potatoes stuff to notice or oppose it. That can be a blessing and a curse, so make it the first one.

Apart from this stuff being generally good, it will stop you losing your fucking mind. No, you're not going to community garden your way out of this one, sure, but that community garden might stop you letting the bullshit beat you into the ground before you can do something more important down the line. And it might introduce you to the girl who knows somebody with the thing that can do the shit you need around then too; it might teach you a lot of practical and psychological stuff you'll be glad of sometime.

It might even teach you how to get much more important things done in your local political infrastructure, who is on your side, who isn't, how to get the best from either - some of the most valuable shit I've learned about my little universe was picked up in the course of volunteering for a haunted house.

I am as guilty as everyone else as looking at the outlook and saying fuck it, bad guys won, but that is legitimately irrational no matter where you live. They never win, not outside of stories, because real life doesn't end like a story does. There is stuff to be done to make life more bearable than it would be otherwise, more bearable until it's possible to make it even better. There is so much stuff to get doing, instead of just feeling bad.

[rubykgrant]

TMA AU in which little kid Jon just wandered off so FAR he walked right into a stretch of the Lonely, and popped out on the lawn of some Lukas Mansion on one of the rare occasions Peter was on land. He's just kind like "Hey, random lost child with a smart-mouth who is trespassing on my property, I also like wandering around alone. Would like to be adopted?". Which is a nice way of saying he kidnapped Jon, but the kid is convinced his grandmother won't miss him, and he doesn't have any friends/attachments to his home, so he's fine with this (his grandmother is in fact VERY worried about him, but Jon is never found... as an adult, known as Jonathan Lukas, sees old newspaper clippings about a missing child, and even though he knows it was him, he doesn't feel any connection to it)

He grows up sort of adjacent to the actual Lukas family, Peter takes care of money and school for him, and he still gets into researching history related to various "creepy" events, but he's very aware of what is REAL or not. He never takes trips out to sea, but he sometimes keeps track of cargo that are spooky antiques and such. The only family member he's especially close to is Naomi, but that's after Evan dies, and he's the only person who actually TALKS to her (ironically, he's less abrasive this time around).

A couple decades or so later, Peter sends him to the Magnus Institute to use their library and check on stuff in Document Storage. Everybody is told somebody from an important family is visiting, and he's a researcher himself, so they're a little on-edge to get things in order. Jon arrives 2 days early, in the middle of Tim/Sasha/Martin trying to fix the mess in the Archives (they just made a new one). They fail to notice him in the office at first (being all Lonely and good at fading into the background), and Jon just starts... helping them stack boxes. When they realize he's not another employee but the person visiting from the Lukas family, they're so embarrassed, but quickly recover and laugh about it. Martin gets them some tea, and everybody tries to help him find what he's looking for. Again, Jon is more "subtle" when it comes to being harsh, so he seems like he's quietly putting up with being annoyed... and then Elias comes down to try and "apologize" for how unprofessional his employees are, and Jon snaps at him for being rude; Elias is interrupting the lovely conversation he's having with Martin, and it is hardly appropriate or professional for a boss to bad-talk his employees like that.

It stuns him into silence, and also he gets a good LOOK at Jon, realizing THIS is somebody he COULD have used as his new Archivist, but Peter GOT HIM FIRST. He can't ever let Peter know what a gold-mine Jon is, and he also has to try and figure out a way to get Jon to work for him here, but Jon is just dismissive and unimpressed with anything Elias says (sometimes when Jon wants more time alone with his new friends, he redirects people into the Lonely... they don't get swallowed up forever, they usually pop up a few hours later, and are a little freaked-out over it. he has a tendency to lose composure if people threaten kids, maybe a little bit of his own trauma of being a lost child, and so he's more involved with rescuing Callum Brodie when that happens. he notices the Table pretty quickly, and he tries to send the Not-Them to the Lonely... which is a little bit like eating something rotten, making him sick for a while; what is more lonely than a stranger who steals another person's place? what is LESS lonely than something that can be anybody? Jon recovers, and learns a lesson that he has to watch who and what he tries to vanish)

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

25 to Life: Final Part

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.1k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Summary: You and Derek are responsible for determining if a man in prison is going to be released after twenty-five years. When he turns and kills someone just two days after being released, it's up to you and your team to figure out why he did what he did and if there is anything more about his situation.

Season Six Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

Don is taken to the briefing room where Penelope has set up a TV with the video in. Don has a remote that he can use to control the video, and he gasps emotionally when he sees his family. When the static comes, he rewinds it to the beginning of the video and watches it again. He does this over and over again.

You join the others in the bullpen and sip the iced coffee you had when you first came in this morning. It's mostly water now but you still drink it. Derek stays with Don in the briefing room.

"What we just watched was documented but not for a trophy. It seems to be from Tom's point of view. I mean, she's obviously an accessory. Why not just destroy the evidence?"

"She got something out of it. Her place was way more than she could afford. She never got married, and she had a son who went to private school."

"Do you think it's his kid?" Spencer asks.

"That would explain the bond and why he didn't get rid of her before today."

"You said her place was nice," Ashley says to you. "If he's covering his tracks, he's paying her in cash. Who can afford to do that?"

Derek gave Don five more minutes with the video before he had to go back to the interrogation room without it. You all gather in the briefing room to talk more about the case. The only ones who can afford Mary's place in cash are rich-rich men. Penelope is less than thrilled with this task.

"You want me to find rich and powerful men in DC? Explain to me how to narrow down this list."

"Start with men who grew up in the district and came from nothing." Penelope starts typing. "His ambition will define him. Whoever did this enjoys taking power away. He's been way too smart to keep on killing. So, what would satisfy a guy like this?"

"He's manipulative but trustworthy. Two other people witnessed that murder and they never turned on him."

"Guys, we have to think of this city as the unsub's comfort zone. He didn't leave for a reason," Derek says. "A target-rich environment. The damage he's done and continues to do is right here in DC."

"You think he's involved in politics?" Rossi asks.

"I think it's more intimate than that. He needs victims who suffer directly from what he's doing."

"Okay, I'll cross politicians off my list."

"Look into asset-based lenders like big money-making ventures where people would be left in his wake or some kind of corporate takeover."

"A business man as a psychopath?" Ash wonders.

"They have the same characteristics. They just use their skills differently. They both have narcissistic traits, such as a grandiose sense of self-importance, deceptiveness, and lack of remorse," you explain.

"I have thirty-six and counting of hard-core businessmen," Penelope says.

"That's way too many," Derek sighs.

"We can each take six and look for connections," Emily offers.

"No, no." Derek pauses. "Wait a minute. If we had this case twenty-five years ago, what would we have seen? How would we fight the physical evidence?"

"We'd look at what the unsub did the moment he arrived at the house."

"Right. They broke into the basement through a window with rusted-out bars. Garcia, who lived at the house before the Sandersons?"

Penelope types away. "Property records show it hasn't exchanged too many hands. The Barretts, the Kramers, the Stanworths."

"Any of those names on your list of businessmen?" Derek asks.

"No. Let me look at that longer list. Hold, please." She pauses and continues to type. "Hey, family of James Stanworth. They lost the house in '82 and then they moved to the outskirts."

"He knew the Sandersons and would obviously know that house. There was nothing random about that attack."

"He's a native Washingtonian, married with three kids."

"He has everything to lose," you say.

"Oh," Penelope gasps. "He's running for Congress. Check out his campaign slogan."

You look over her shoulder to see what he's claiming.

"'Let's do this'. He said that on the tape."

"This won't be easy," Rossi sighs.

Before you can just go and arrest this man, you have to talk to Strauss about it. You, Derek, and Rossi go to her office and explain to her what's going on, how you got to the conclusion, and what you want to do about it.

"You want to arrest James Stanworth? Are you out of your mind?"

"He's got motive. Mary had a tape. She was blackmailing him."

"I've seen it. It was a hooded figure. You can't prove it was him on that videotape."

"I can," you say. "Their energies were all over that house."

Strauss glares at you but doesn't say anything about it.

"He fits the profile, Erin."

"Forgive me, but your profile sounds like a self-made man, not the psychopath you claim he is."

"We said he'd be destructive. In 1998 alone, he fired six thousand people from one of his companies. Some of those employees took their own lives. This is the type of power and devastation that he enjoys," Derek argues.

"It's hearsay. Slander if you're not careful."

"Ma'am, he got into politics to be hard on crime. He would have access to keep tabs on Don," you say.

"Now you're sounding as paranoid as Don. You cannot accuse a man without a shred of physical evidence."

"Mary had skin under her nails. Maybe she left a mark."

"You cannot arrest a man based on the possibility of a scratch."

"We can't arrest this man. That's what you mean. Don't pull any punches now, Erin," Rossi glares.

"You don't understand what the politics are, do you, Dave? You never have."

"No, I do. I just don't care."

"I should have listened to Y/N before, and I didn't. She's been right this entire time whether you believe in what she can do or not. I passed her over like I didn't even know her. For that, I'm sorry." He looks at you. "I let my anger cloud my judgment, and you didn't deserve that." You give him a smile but don't say anything. "Ma'am, with all due respect, we have an innocent man in our custody, and the killer is still out there. It just might be James Stanworth."

"You don't have enough proof. The BAU functions without you... Both of you. Don't push it."

That's it. She won't let you arrest him. When you tell the rest of the team this, they're shocked.

"So, there's nothing we can do? This guy's gonna get away with it?" Penelope asks.

"No, not a chance in hell. Garcia, find me James Stanworth right now."

"Mary's his third victim. He's now officially a serial killer," Spencer says.

"What do you want to do?" Ashley asks.

"I want to expose this son of a bitch. If he did kill Mary, he's gonna have cuts on him somewhere. If we match that DNA, we got him."

"Guys, he's having a fundraiser at his house in Mclean," Penelope informs.

"When?"

"It started an hour ago."

"Text me the address."

"What if we're wrong?" Emily asks.

"We're not."

"I doubted Y/N once. Look where it got me. I'm not doing it again. Are you with me?"

"Hell yeah," you smile.

In order to protect the rest of the team, you, Derek, and Rossi are the ones who go to the fundraiser alone. If anyone will get fired for this, it'll be you two. There are a lot of people there, and you push past them to get to the front where James is. He is finishing his speech, and you clap slowly with Derek, gaining the attention of everyone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Congressman, Mr. James Stanworth. You sure have a way with words. It's mighty impressive."

"Thank you. May I help you?"

"My name's Derek Morgan and this is Y/N. We're with the FBI. Do your friends here know that you're a closet psychopath?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don Sanderson knows," you say. "Do you remember him? I'm sure you do. You murdered his entire family and got him put away for twenty-five years."

James is panicking. You can feel it. However, he's very good at masking his emotions, especially in front of an audience.

"Agent, if you've got anything on me--"

"It's not on you. It's inside of you. Killing Mary Rutka really got you going, didn't it?"

"I'm afraid I don't know who that is."

"Jim, what's going on?" the woman next to James asks.

"They were just leaving.

"I don't understand--"

"Don't worry about it."

"He's good at that, isn't he?" you ask his wife. "Anger. He's dismissive by nature. He can't show affection, though, can he?" You look at James. "You walk on eggshells around your wife and the children."

"Jim--"

"Shut up!" he yells at her.

"Here it comes," Derek says.

"Where was your husband today around 3:00?" you ask.

"These are ridiculous fabrications."

"Last I checked, we weren't talking to you," you glare at him. "Ma'am, I can tell you where he was. I held the hand of the woman he murdered. James, whoever did kill Mary left some DNA behind under her fingernails." You grab his wrist and show it to everyone in the room. There are scratches on his hand. "What's that?"

"Well, that would be a cut. I cut myself on a broken glass."

"No, Mary did that to you while trying to defend herself. You knew that Don was out after twenty-five years. He got to Tom, and you were afraid that if he got to Mary, he might find you and bring you down for what you did to his family all those years ago."

"You're delusional, Agent."

"You panicked and killed Mary," Derek says.

"I don't panic."

"I can feel it," you whisper. "You panicked. You're a killer. It's what you do. You destroy people's lives."

"I destroyed no one."

"You put a man away for life, you murdered his family, and today you killed a woman--"

"I killed no one."

"--who would never betray you because you panicked." Your voice rises. "You are a killer. You are a psychopath! You panicked and--"

"I don't panic!" James yells and yanks his hand from your grip. "I don't panic!!"

"There he is," Derek grins.

"Jim, what's going on?" his wife asks.

"Call Charles. Don't say another word. They've got nothing."

"We found the tape," you say.

James' face falls knowing you've got him.

"James Stanworth, you're under arrest for the murder of Mary Rutka," Bill says and makes the arrest. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you."

James is taken away in front of everyone. That video and the scratches are what Don needs to get out of all charges against him. He is finally proven innocent.

"Y/N, I am so sorry," Derek says after James is taken away.

"It's not okay but I forgive you anyway."

"Why?" he scoffs.

"You're my family. Family is supposed to piss you off, I guess. Also, I refuse to let something like this come between us."

"I really am sorry."

"I know," you smile and hug him.

The weekend comes faster than you'd think and Hotch brings Jack over as soon as he can. He looks tired when you answer the door, and Jack comes running inside with a smile on his face.

"Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it."

"No problem. Get some sleep, okay? You can pick him up on Sunday night." Hotch leaves and you turn to Jack who has a big smile on his face. "So, want to start the night off with a movie?"

"Yeah!"

"You two get set up. I'll make the popcorn," Spencer says.

You two get settled on the couch, and he snuggles up to your side. You know he loves Spider-Man so you put on the first one. Frank watches through the small computer screen as you get comfortable with Jack. Spencer comes back with the popcorn and joins you two on the couch like one big happy family. It reminds him of when you were growing up. You'd treat your younger foster siblings the same exact way. You were and are a very maternal woman.

Frank grabs a file and opens it, smirking when he sees Hannah's face staring back at him. He has loads of information on everyone in your life, including your daughter. He remembers the day you told your parents of your pregnancy. It was cute to watch how scared you've become. Your dad convinced you that it was something normal and like the stupid fool you are, you believed him.

Frank got so pissed when he found out you were pregnant because of the rape. If he knew what was going to happen, he would have never sent his friend after you.

He can't be too mad, though, because it made you who you are today, and Frank likes that he was part of that.

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."- Galileo Galilei

x

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[dystopiandramaqueen]

S6 E3 Alternate Ending Part 2

Nick and June drive in silence. It's familiar. Comfortable. Their relationship had always existed in dark, secret spaces. They could speak volumes in stolen glances. Touches they'd live off for weeks. Movements in the dark too dangerous to risk even the softest whisper. Their love had flourished under these conditions, and their bodies could still communicate without a single word spoken.  

June notes Nick’s tension. He’s rigid, coiled like a tightly wound spring. His breaths are tight and shallow. Not from fear. Nick's fear had a sharp edge to it. This was something else. 

Nick’s car slows to a crawl at the edge of the water park. The dashboard clock casts a blue light on their faces. Nick rolls the windows down, turning the car off but leaving the keys in the ignition.

June holds her breath, scanning for any signs of movement in the abandoned water park. They sit perfectly still, listening. All they can hear is wind in the trees. Night insects. 

Nick finally exhales. "Patrols stop at 11. We should be ok." His hand instinctively moves toward the glove box to retrieve his cigarettes, but he stops himself. Because June is here, in his passenger seat. It's surreal. He'd imagined this scenario countless times in the few moments a day he could steal for himself. But being here now, with her- it's more vivid, more perfect than even his most elaborate fantasy. 

They’re in a space beyond space and a time beyond time. Really and truly alone. June feels tension draining from her body. 

Nick, always concerned with business first, asks where she last saw her phone.  

June smirks. "Tuello's office."

Nick huffs out a laugh. 

June shrugs. "Didn't want anyone tracking me. Didn't want to get you in more trouble than you're already in." 

"Smart." Nick nods. He lets another sigh out, more relieved with each passing moment in her presence. 

"So, um..." June unbuckles, turning to face Nick. "What do we do with the bodies?" 

A gorgeous smile washes over Nick's features. Genuine amusement. "THAT's what you wanna do?"

June's cheeks flush a little. "I mean. You're not just gonna leave them there. I wanna help. It's the least I can do."

----------------------------------

Nick's first concern was the guardian's car. He slipped on gloves and went through the vehicle, emptying the glovebox onto the floor, removing documents, weapons, radios, anything rebels would have pillaged. They cut the brakes, removed the spark plug, and rolled it into the woods. Any property damage was a win for Mayday. So if the car was found, this ensured it looked like rebels killed the guardians. 

Next, Nick dragged the two guards into the snack stand. June wondered for a moment if she was going to learn to dismember a body, but no such luck. 

They removed the guardian's uniforms, boots, again taking anything the rebels would have. Nick gathered the stolen items and clothes into a trash bag, tossing it deep in the woods. 

It's past midnight by the time they get back to Nick's car. He heads straight for the passenger door, retrieving his cigarettes and lighting up. A few breaths later, the tension drains from his shoulders. June's watching him, drinking in every detail she can. She'd forgotten what it felt like to be this close to him. 

Nick scissors his fingers apart, taking a long drag.

June's staring at his lips. She holds her hand out. 

Nick hands the cigarette to her.

The glow flickers on her face. The red ember of his cigarette between her lips. He realizes how close she is, finally. And there's nothing left to do. Nowhere to be. No danger. 

June sees the change, her own body matching his vibration. She releases a long, smoke filled breath, lids low, eyes dilated. She holds the cigarette out to him. 

Nick doesn’t take it. There's a stronger drug available now. His favorite. He takes slow steps to her, until they’re close enough to feel the heat between them.  

June takes another drag off the cigarette as she drags her fingers up Nick’s holster, to the ribbed grip of his gun. Nick’s chest is so tight, it’s like breathing under water. 

She grips his gun firmly, fixing her eyes on his. Her eyebrow quirks up as she whispers “thanks.” She'd wanted it to sound cool, but her voice is shaky. She's flustered. Torn between wanting to rip his clothes off, and to savor this moment a little longer. “For saving my friends.” 

Nick scoffs, fighting to keep enough blood in his brain to think. He swallows thickly and nods. He's rock hard already. His skin painfully sensitive, screaming for her touch, anywhere. Everywhere. 

June’s fingers wander across Nick’s thick black belt, pausing at the buckle, as they had all those years ago in his room above the garage. 

Nick’s thighs tense, his hands clenching into fists at his side. He remembers the Globe - that night when June shoved her hand into his pants. He wishes she'd do it again and end his torment. 

June’s hands trace down Nick’s zipper, as if she were tracing every part of his uniform, his clothing. Nick wants it off. The way they'd stripped the guardians. He wants every shred of Gilead off his body. That's why he'd worn plain clothes today. He wants nothing between them. But he can't rush her.

He curses softly when she kneels, her soft, perfect lips inches away from where he needs her.  

June looks up, smirking as she drinks in the desperation in Nick’s eyes. The stars above her feel so normal. Like they’re finally somewhere safe. 

She drags his zipper down slowly, their gaze unbroken. Nick’s breathing is rapid and shaky. His jaw clenched hard.

June runs her fingers over the throbbing fullness straining behind his soft black shorts.  Nick bites his lip, unable to suppress a whimper. Just like at the globe that first night, he feels it starting. The takeover. Like a werewolf watching the full moon rise. Minutes, maybe seconds from now they’d be making love. Once he surrendered to it, the world could burn and he wouldn’t feel it. Death could surround them and all they’d feel is alive. 

June pulls his hard cock out into the cold night air.

Nick’s eyes clench shut, his head tipping backwards as June’s lips surround him. 

They’d only done this a few times before. His fingers tremble as they find their way into her hair, his thumb caressing her cheek. 

June kisses his tummy, whispering “I love you..” 

Nick pulls June up to her feet, both hands on her cheeks. They kiss deeply, passionately. 

June walks him backwards, pressing him against his car. She unbuttons his pants, shoving everything down off his hips. Nick does the same with her jeans, Moaning softly into her mouth, shuddering as she presses her hips against his, rocking into him. He kneads her soft ass in his hands.

Nick drags her panties down, kissing her neck as June kicks her jeans the rest of the way off. 

Nick turns them around, fumbling for the back passenger door. He guides June to lay down on the back seat, pulling her hips to the edge, and kneeling between them outside the car. He's kissing her everywhere, his hands and mouth worshiping every inch of skin. June's tugging at Nick's shirt, urging him to climb on top of her, but he ignores her, locked into his first goal. Make her cum with his mouth. Of all of his secret fantasies, this was his favorite. They'd done this a few times at the Globe, and it was among the most erotic experiences of his life. It was the sounds she made. The way she ran her fingers through his dark curls, pulling his hair too hard when she got close. The way her legs tightened around his head. It didn't take long at all for Nick to get her there. June came hard, and Nick never slowed his licking, his soft kisses, as his eyes burned, watching her pleasure unfold. 

Once June caught her breath, she sat up, pulling Nick into the back seat of the car. She guided him to sit in the center of the bench seat, and she climbed on top of him.  June guided him to her entrance, taking him inside and riding him mercilessly, the way she did at the Globe. Selfish. Ravenous. Nick buried his head in her neck, savoring her body with his hands. He knew he wouldn't last long, and he knew it didn't matter. 

Suddenly, Nick's hands grip June's hips, stopping her. "Wait." His voice is wrecked. Scratchy and deep.

June's eyes open. "What? Hear something?"

Nick shakes his head, trying to remember how to use words. "Are you... on something? For protection?"

June searches his eyes, a smile crossing her face as she realizes what he's asking. To answer his question, she sinks back down onto his cock, rocking her hips slowly and clenching him hard. Nick's jaw falls open. June kisses his lower lip, sucking it into her mouth. She moves her lips to his ear and whispers "Knock me up again. We'll make a brother for Holly." 

Nick's ankles are still bound by his bunched pants and underwear, but he's moving, fucking her the best he can in the cramped space, pulling her soft hips down into his thrusts, kissing her deliriously. June kisses him as waves of blinding pleasure explode behind their closed eyes. They hold each other, panting, foreheads pressed together, until the fireworks end.

They catch their breath. 

June leans her head on his chest. Nick tucks tendrils of hair behind her ear.

June smiles. “NOW you can take me back.” 

Nick smiles, pulling June close, kissing her hair, and thanking God under his breath for finally answering his prayers. 

[ban-styles]

💙 GRIZLOCK / FRYNOK 💛

(art by bestosunglass on tumblr+tiktok!!)

HI!!!

so, one of my fav oc x canon ships is with my oc grizznok & frylock!! im so absolutely obsessed w them ahaha lol so I’d like the time to write a short (?) ship analysis! bcus I would like to display their dynamic and a little bit of their backstory.. how they met etc and how they get along :3

LETS BEGIN RAAHHHHH

so!

grizznok heard about frylock through the grapevine from some of his other plutonian friends/acquaintances, as they have a knack for coming down to earth quite often and annoying the aqua teen hunger force lol - and by word, grizznok heard about how frylock was quite an intelligent scientist!

now, grizznok isn’t stupid - he’s quite smart himself (he just has a very silly and joyous personality) as he has his own ship and develops his own plutonian technology which helps him communicate with the different races throughout the galaxy, the only issue is that he wasn’t sure how to acquire a human form. this was something he was searching for a very long time as he wanted to investigate and document the human race without being drawn much attention to himself. hearing that this scientist - who was named frylock - had a lot of experience and was supposedly ‘one of the smartest beings on earth’, grizznok decides to pay him a visit!

landing outside the house of the hunger force (and destroying poor carl’s car in the process, you can’t have an episode where his car is in tact lol) in his spaceship, the group are immediately interested. frylock floats outside and instantly starts to question him. grizznok leaves the ship and introduces himself to frylock, telling him how he wants him to help produce the technology for a human form. frylock is instantly fed up because he knows exactly where grizznok received this misinformation and he isn’t happy about it, but frylock knows that the plutonian isn’t going to leave unless his request is fulfilled. since frylock is so busy, he tells him that his “assistants” will be able to help him out. frylock then turns to explain to shake and meatwad that they should just take grizznok out his sight and maybe take him to the mall for a “makeover” and claim that they’ve given him a human disguise.

obviously, the two are happy to oblige: 1. meatwad is able to get a new friend and have a fun adventure 2. shake is able to lie and transform grizznok into a punk-metal rockstar of sorts, just as he should be in his image. shake and meatwad take grizznok to the mall as shake goes on his whole tangent about how his buddy frylock trusts him with all this human disguise technology because shake is actually the smarter one out of the three. this ‘technology’, however, is a couple hundred piercings, spiked cuffs and black eye makeup. shake explains that grizznok himself isn’t going to be able to see the disguise - but other people will be able to see him as a normal human.

ecstatic, grizznok insists that the two take him back to their home so he can thank frylock for using this very special technology on him, and reassuring him that he will be careful and not hurt this human body.

on the side, frylock has been working on another particle accelerator machine and has also been having to listen to carl all day as he’s lecturing frylock to ‘pay and fix his car’ once more.

the group return home, and grizznok isn’t late to going up to frylock and absolutely showering him in compliments as he’s frantically shaking one of his fries. a little overwhelmed, frylock eventually thanks him sheepishly. grizznok has now gained an admiration for frylock. grizznok returns to his ship and leaves.

shake is holding back his laughter and meatwad is just happy to have gained a new friend. frylock gets mad at shake for gaslighting grizznok into believing he truly has a human form, but calmed down when he’s eventually reassured by shake that they haven’t destroyed any property and that grizznok won’t be in their hair anymore.

‘and how does their relationship develop?’

great question!

upon receiving one of frylock’s ‘pieces of technology’, grizznok is determined to come back down to earth and display his plutonian technology to frylock as any old scientist would wanna hear about space gadgets, right?

so, grizznok (being as annoying as usual), returns to his car-destroying breaking-and-entering antics.. but is is really breaking and entering if they just leave the doors open?- is grizznok’s exact mindset.

frylock, by surprise, is quite intrigued by these gadgets - it’s safe to say this isn’t grizznok’s last trip to their home. it eventually gets to the point where frylock insists that he comes down more often to show him more of this technology, or that he can show grizznok some things he’s working on/has invented. it’s becoming increasingly obvious that frylock is starting to enjoy grizznok’s company and that he’s spending a lot more time with him.

frylock has even offered to grizznok that he’s free to stay the night wherever, but has to sleep on the cushioned chair in front of the TV.. shake isn’t happy with this as he has to sleep in meatwad’s closet when grizznok decides to stay over.

time passes, a lot more interests are shared and a lot more ‘dates’ are went on and frylock decides to ask grizznok to be his boyfriend. grizznok obviously says yes!

‘headcanons?!’

ofc!?! why wouldn’t I stick them here!?

- ever since frylock has recognised his feelings, a lot of his research has actually gone into figuring out how to create a machine that can shapeshift species - so that he can give grizznok what he really wants.. a human form.

- despite the calendar barrier, frylock and grizznok have tried their hardest to celebrate each other’s birthdays.

- frylock has very easily picked up on grizznok’s personality traits, hobbies, habits, and so much more - most of which grizznok hasn’t even recognised in himself.

- with this, frylock has noticed that grizznok is quite the hypersomniac. he isn’t sure if this is a sign of grizznok overworking himself, or if this just comes with his species, but nonetheless he allows grizznok to sleep whenever he does doze off and occasionally carries him to his (frylock’s) bed or back to his sleeping quarters on his ship.

- grizznok occasionally cooks plutonian meals for frylock, even considering the fact that he’s awful at cooking..

- when grizznok got into playing the guitar, frylock taught him how to set up the amps/speakers.

- frylock is grizznok’s no. 1 supporter when it comes to his music! he’s also helped him produce it!

- grizznok likes to brag about frylock to all his space friends, giving a good word about frylock’s invention and to his reputation overall.

- grizznok gets into the things frylock likes in secret so he has an understanding on what he’s talking about, because he knows it makes him happy.

this is all I have so far - it I’d love to hear some headcanons you guys have for them!!!

they’re my favs hehe…

[dqmeron]

here's my quick tutorial for making layouts in photoshop! i'll be going over how to make this 4-panel square one! ↳ requires basic knowledge of photoshop

「 step 1: making your file 」 make a new file, 540 x whatever height you want (just make sure it fits within tumblr’s image size guidelines), and make sure the background is set to transparent. for this specific layout, i want the overall shape to be square, so my dimensions are 540x540!

「 step 2: mapping out 」 the best way to make sure your layouts are even and spaced equally is using guides! go to view > guides > new guide layout. the color of your guides doesn’t matter at all (i just like green so mine are green lol), and you can have as many columns and rows as you want. since this is going to be a 2x2 layout, i’ll have 2 columns and 2 rows. the general rule of thumb for gutter is 4px. 

once your guides pop up, select the rectangle tool by pressing U on your keyboard. make sure shape is selected from the drop-down menu at the top (right by the home button in the top left), and make sure that you have snapping on (view > snap). 

using the rectangle tool, trace out your layout panels! as long as you have snapping on, your path should naturally snap to the guidelines, making it a LOT easier to do this! when you’re done making your rectangles, you can turn off guides by going to view > guides > clear guides (i usually keep them on until i’m done adding in my gifs but this is up to you). i always name each shape layer after where it is in the grid to not get confused.

「 step 3: adding gifs 」 some quick things before i go over actually adding in your gifs: 1. make each of your gifs in their own individual files. you’ll be adding them into the main one later.  2. your gifs have to be the same length — you can cut them down to length in their own individual files or later in the main one. either way is fine, totally up to you!

now you have your layout set up, you can make and add your gifs! in order to make sure that they fit into the panels, check the dimensions of each shape you’ve created by selecting the layer and looking in the properties tab. my panels are each 268x268.

i’ll actually be making each of my gifs 270x270, just to make sure that i don’t have any weird gaps or anything (i’ll talk about how i’ll be getting rid of the 2 extra pixels on each side later).

once you have your gifs done, you can duplicate them into the main one. convert your gif and anything else (coloring etc) into a smart object (right click > convert to smart object), and then right click it and select “duplicate layer”. make sure the document you’re duplicating to is the one with your layout in it. 

layers automatically duplicate aligned into the top left corner. since this is where my first panel is, i can just leave my gif there, but for the other ones, drag your gifs into place using transform and your mouse (once again making sure that snapping is on). 

now to get rid of those extra pixels. this step also makes sure your gif is perfectly in line with the shape you’ve outlined the layout with. make sure your gif is right above the shape layer in the layers tab, and then right click and select “create clipping mask”. this makes sure your gif doesn’t go outside the limits of your guidelines. this is what it should look like in the layers tab:

「 step 4: exporting 」 exporting a layout gif is pretty much like exporting any other gif, but you do need to check your matte settings before saving. the wrong ones can make what should be the transparent dividers solid, which can throw off the look of your gifs. make sure matte is set to “none”, and then save as normal!

here's my finished gif:

happy giffing! feel free to send me an ask/message me w any questions!

[xiaolanhua]

your icons are soooooo so cute honestly!!! i wanted to ask if there's any way you can make a tutorial on how to make them? of course if you want, if you don't want to, that's okay :)

Hi! I really appreciate that you like my icons, thank you so much! 💖💖💖🥹

It's been a long time since I've done a tutorial so I hope I can explain it well haha

So I will explain how i go from the original picture and the final icon below:

I'm using Adobe Photoshop 2024 but you can use other versions too!

First, I create a 250x250px document and apply a random color fill layer to be the background color of the icon, you can do it by going on Layer > New Layer Fill > Solid color (the color in this moment doesn't matter because I change them later according to the picture I choose to edit).

Then I place the picture I want, adjust the size to make the subject on the center and apply some smart sharpen:

I apply some adjustments to try to color correct if the original picture using Levels, Selective Color and Color Balance to get something like this:

If you want to know the exact adjustments settings I used on this picture you can download the psd here.

To remove the background, I do the hack where I go to the Properties panel (Window > Properties) and click on the "Remove background" option. It's not always that I will get a perfect result but I think it makes easier for me to adjust the little details such as hair and accessories, etc. And I do that using the Lasso tool (shortcut L).

Now, with the background removed I pick a color that I think will match the icon in the Color Fill layer that I created before. To make the background more "fun" I like to add a Gradient Fill layer (Layer > New Layer Fill > Gradient) with a color that might go well with the one I picked earlier to make a smooth and light gradient.

My result until now:

Now it comes the fun: adding textures! I like to add some textures to make the icon more lively and I usually download them on deviantart or on resources websites. You can download some cool textures here, here and here. On this part I really test a lot of textures with different Layer blending. There are a lot of different blending options so you can try as much as you want.

Other thing I like to do is add a clipping mask above the subject layer when I want to color something specific in my picture such as the hair, the clothes or even applying some "fake" blush on the cheeks. I do this adding a new layer, then using the shortcut option (or alt) + command (or ctrl) + g to make it a clipping mask and then using the Brush layer to color what I want. For the blending mode I usually use Soft Light and sometimes Color if I want the color to really stand out.

And in the end I will have something like this:

And my layer tab will be like this:

For using on the dashboard I usually resize it to 100x100 to make it look more sharper and defined but it's really a choice, you can already start making your icon using the size you want, I just prefer doing on 250x250px because i'm used to.

To save it I use the shortcut shift + option (alt) + command (ctrl) + s to save it for web with these settings:

And that's it! Sorry for not going to deep in each step but I guess you can get the feeling when you try making your own icons! Is really about trying different methods and things until you became satisfied with your result.

[twobellsilence]

At the Colombian embassy to get some papers sorted out and it just reminds me of how stupidly strict the USAmerican embassy is when it comes to letting you in.

See, I've been to the Japanese, Argentinian and Colombian embassies before and they're so easy to access. You tell the guard what you need, you pass through the metal detector at the entrance, and congratulations you're in. I've even passed by the goddamn Russian embassy during opening hours and from the main door it seems as basic as the others. But the United States? Oh, the United States divides you into groups like cattle and the guards treat you as such, with them not hesitating to yell at people for arbitrary reasons. You are NOT allowed to go in with backpacks or messenger bags above an arbitrary size limit despite no indication of this in their webpage. Your documents are in there? Fuck you! Oh, you think there are lockers at the gate so you can store your belongings since they don't let you get them inside? No. You figure it out on your own when there's nothing but a highway and office buildings around and absolutely no place to leave your shit aside from tying it to the trees (which people actually do) in front of the embassy and hoping nobody likes your bag enough to steal it, lmao. I mean, there ARE lockers, but only for digital / smart watches because you're not allowed to enter with those either, but empty bags are too dangerous to store here, sorry.

Okay, you got through the guards treating you like pure shit to the point where you feel subhuman by the time it's your turn and you're now let into the lobby. Congratulations! You're now getting TSA'd, and because you're a filthy Latino, you're getting the FULL patdown. They literally have one of those things at airports that scan your bags! Except only for handbags. And your belt. And your shoes. And your documents. Did I mention that on top of the standard metal detector they also wand you down and pat your pockets?

And like, after the initial ordeal, the embassy itself is really pretty and the personnel inside is actually super nice. But you can't even feel good about it because you were just treated like a low-life terrorist at the gate for no reason other than weird USAmerican paranoia. And you know the funniest part? The outside walls of the property are actually tiny, as in "if you and a friend tried hard enough you could easily climb in" tiny, and they don't even have electricity so it's relatively safe. I assume trying to do it would result in getting your brains blown out by a sniper or something, but the fact that it's theoretically easier to sneak in than to go in legally is quite ironic, no?

[leikeliscomet]

When it comes to AI art discourse I will always put the needs, wellbeing and actual reality of workers over hypothetical scenarios of what AI art could be. In an ideal world, AI art would be a tool for planning concepts and nothing more. But we don't live in that world. If companies can profit off of the art of their workers whilst underpaying or firing them to boost profit they will always pick that. And that's exactly what's happening.

Is there anti AI art rhetoric from the Human Artists/Anti AI art movement I disagree with? Yeah. I don't support the intellectual property arguments because corps like Disney won't sue AI bros bc they care about artist rights they do it bc they want full control of their brand and they'll weaponise that against human artists that create anything similar to that too without AI (and like they already did that). I don't hate every single technological thing ever made just bc it has the words 'AI' in it. I will never support the idea that traditional western realism > everything else. I will never support the idea of 'degenerate art'.

That being said, exploitation is exploitation. Companies taking the work of artists without consent and profiting off it whilst underpaying and/or firing those artists is wrong. This is what the main focus should be. "Oh but with these anti AI folks what if companies restrict us from accessing their work?" That's already happening . With or without AI we're stuck in this dutty capitalist society but bc AI art is now a factor it needs to be addressed. Generative AI was never just about artists it bleeds into a consent issue too regardless of industry. Generative images don't just apply to drawings it applies to all imagery including of people. Yes 'but think of the children' is weaponised as a conservative talking point but AI child porn is a problem. Taking people's imagery and voice to create false images of them is a problem. Creating false images and claiming they're real historical documents is a problem. Not being able to tell if the images you see are real is a problem.

I hate the wokewashing of AI. I hate people claiming AI art pictures of Wakandan Black couples or the Slitheen holding a pride flag is supposed to support us little people meanwhile being LGBTQIA, a POC, a woman, disabled, working class etc. already puts barriers on barriers to get into the creative industry bc no one gives a fuck about our work in the 1st place. The creative industry's already crumbling bc of COVID, cost of living and the underfunding of the arts thanks to the tories. If people with masters who've been working for years are getting dropped like hot potatoes what hope is there for the rest of us? I'm rolling my eyes at every single leftist treating AI art as a fun quirky debate meanwhile making fun of the workers they're supposed to care about. Giggling about AI art sticking it to the bourgeois uppity twitter anime artists whilst AI corps rake in millions. Every single silicon valley AI corp doesn't give a fuck about class liberation I promise you. Rich people exist in every industry. There's nothing bourgeois about selling comms bc u can't afford rent and medical bills. Furry artists aren't the bourgeoise can you lot get a fucking grip?

And I'm tired of every clapped false equivalence you lot think is smart. Comparing digital art to AI bc you generally think Ibis Paint or some shit actually makes the art for you. Comparing AI art to photography as if photographers don't pay and credit the models they work with. Comparing AI art to fanart as if fan artists claim ownership of the characters they draw and the media they're from. Comparing AI art to piracy bc u think individual artists are the same as big conglomerates. Comparing being anti ai art to white supremacist moral panics are u clapped? This is what anti-art intellectualism gets us. Art as a product for profit and nothing more. Consume consume consume who cares about the people making it and how we get that end product right?

I'm gonna start softblocking/unfollowing some of u lot and I don't care if I sound extra cus I'm so tired. You can't ethically create false images of people without consent. You can't ethically use workers' labour whilst underpaying them. I don't think any group of workers I don't like deserves to be exploited just bc they said annoying things on the internet. You lot aren't progressives you're anti SJWs with hammers and sickles.