@jasperbel - Tumblr Blog

"No, I can't say that I blame you there," Jason didn't have any such rooms to himself, no space in his house where he wouldn't let anyone enter; mostly because there was nothing like this in his life, that needed a space of his own. But if he did? He'd have rules. And letting kids or animals into that space would be one of those rules that he would be firm on. As he walked further inside and looked around the room, he asked the question while taking in the different pieces of art, "have the kids ever made a mess of the space?" But then he was turning back towards Jasper as he talked about a painting on an easel, explaining that he planned on finishing it, laying out the vision that he had in his head for when that would happen, unable to hide his smile as he listened. "Does that mean that's the mood that the painting evokes to you the most?" he asked, stepping a little closer to it, so he could examine what was done so far, what needed to be done yet, "summer peace?"

“Surprisingly no, they haven’t,” Jasper chuckled. “They know how I feel about this studio. It’s kind of like my sanctuary, you know? Sometimes, when they’re asleep, I come in here with wine and just have a glass or two while I paint. It’s oddly soothing,” he smiled and glanced briefly towards the painting again. “Yeah, summer peace. Like, yeah, it might get super hot and shit but…at least I’m more productive. Are you also more productive in the summer?”

xiomara-c

who? open (0/4) where? what's the tea when? early june

Xiomara stared at the wall of tea options, a little stunned. They understood tea, and liked black, green and herbal options. But that was just making it harder to pick one. "You know, I'm not actually sure what a tisane tea is, or if I'm saying that word correctly." Xio admitted, squinting at a group of teas that seemed to consist mostly of fruity flavors. They never got that deep into the world of tea - they mostly just knew what was typically available in backstage catering when they worked on tours. "What do you normally get here?"

#( threads. )#( ft. xiomara. )

Jasper looked over, smiling slightly. “I can’t say I’d know what it is either, unfortunately. I don’t normally come here,” he admitted. “I’m more of a coffee drinker, and I wanted to switch it up. But I mean, I feel like you can never go wrong with plain green tea. It’s soothing in a way, no?”

bradleyxnewman

As Bradley rushed over to the other, he was highly aware that not everyone enjoyed animals. Thankfully Wally was friendly and wouldn't harm the other, but Bradley still knew the risks. "Sorry if he startled you. He's not exactly the quiet type. Not does he realize how intense he can be," he scratched under the golden retriever's chin. "He's a handful but he is cute so it's hard to reprimand him for sure. I hope you're not allergic."

#( threads. )#( ft. bradley. )

“I’m not allergic at all,” Jasper smiled. “I have a dog myself, actually. A beagle, not a golden retriever, but he’s still very curious and energetic, so I understand the whole ‘being a handful’ thing. Energetic dogs are just too adorable to be upset at,” he laughed. “It’s kind of the perfect weather to bring animals out in. I kind of regret not bringing my dog.”

jj-hayes

"Hey, I'm feeding my kid the same sugary pancakes... But I'm adding some scrambled eggs on the side, you know, for the protein. It's always better to add things to your meal to make it more balanced than to restrict yourself from having the foods you do enjoy. Fuller meals mean more stable energy." JJ shrugged. "And pancakes are also a food for the soul, not just the body."

Mia giggled, as if she were agreeing. He laughed, turning back to her. "That's right, Princess. Pancakes are food for the soul." He nodded, flagging down a waitress and placing their order. "Oh, right... School's out in a few weeks. Any big plans for the summer?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee once the waitress walked away. "Oh, no... I'm afraid my summers are very different from yours. With school being out, kids are always home and running around. They're always getting sick or injured when they're all at home with nothing much to do, so the summer months are some of the busiest times of the year for me."

#( threads. )#( ft. jj. )

“I’m planning on visiting my parents up north at some point,” Jasper replied after having placed his (and his kids’) orders. “North meaning Quebec, not the north of Maine. It’s roughly a five-hour drive, so it’ll be either that or a couple of flights up since there isn’t a direct flight. I could…probably manage a five-hour drive with a car full of little ones and a dog,” he grimaced slightly at the thought. “Oh, right, yeah, I could only imagine what kind of things occur for you every summer. It must be difficult.”

"Either that or you were an absolute hellion as a kid and you've managed to somehow repress those memories," he said with a grin on his face, clearly teasing him, but… the memory eventually slipped as people got older, didn't it? Jason knew that there were things about his childhood that he had forgotten, although he was pretty sure that was on purpose. Jasper would probably remember if he had a habit of ripping the heads off of dolls he found. "Mm, fun," he scrunched his nose and shook his head, "I've heard horror stories about Barbie shoes being left around the house and being stepped on like Legos."

Stepping into the space as Jasper opened the door, Jason lifted his gaze to take in the walls, the supplies, the essence of Jasper and who he was as an artist, smiling to himself. Although Jason loved to draw, he didn't consider himself an artist in the least, did his work on his porch with a sketch book on his lap and the forest laid out in front of him. This was different, it was nice. "Understandable," he said with a laugh as he looked back at Jasper. "It's a good space, I can see why you would be inspired while you're in here."

Jasper couldn’t help but beam at the praise. Even if it was a simple compliment, it weirdly meant a lot to him, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint why. “Thank you,” he replied. “I mean, yeah, even my kids, as rowdy as they can be, know they shouldn’t be in here unsupervised. I put a lot of time and effort into doing all this, you know?” He glanced over at a half-finished watercolor painting of an ordinary sunset that he’d left sitting on an easel for…a while, probably. “This is one I definitely plan to finish when I get more free time. I can just envision myself painting this while having wine on a random summer evening when my kids are asleep. That’s probably why I like the summer so much,” he turned back to Jason. “I get plenty of free time. At least, when my kids don’t insist that they want to go out constantly.”

jj-hayes

"You and me both, Jasper. As much as I like to think that I've been in charge of my schedule since leaving my position at the hospital for the medical complex, Mia still seems to run my schedule." JJ could not help the laugh that escaped his lips as he spoke, watching as his daughter tried to wiggle out of her high chair. "I only work nine hours a day, five days a week now... and that is after cutting down the hours considerably. But she takes up all of my time." Not that he was complaining.

"Hey, I may be your pediatrician. But I'm the last person who's going to dad shame you for bringing your kids here," he pointed out as he motioned towards Mia. "Mia likes to have scrambled eggs and pancakes in the morning, and I was in no mood to cook or do dishes when I've barely gotten enough sleep. So, here we both are, bright and early."

#( threads. )#( ft. jj. )

“As long as you wouldn’t shame me for letting my kids eat sugary pancakes this early in the day, it’s fine,” he joked. Although then again, he wasn’t too certain what his kids wanted. He looked over, seeing his children skim through their menus without fully being certain they were comprehending what they were looking at. Well, his daughters likely were, because they could read at his point in their lives, but his son was a different story. Perhaps the boy just liked looking at the pictures.

“The school year’s almost over, anyway,” Jasper added. “I’ll have ample free time to be with my kids after that. I feel like we actually get things done in the summer, and I quite like that. Is that the same for you?”

Making friends had never really been Jason's forte. In high school, he had been competitive, often pushing potential friends to the side, and living in the middle of nowhere, it was often times easier to just keep to himself, not worry about having a large social circle. But the people that he did consider friends, he wanted to keep close, liked to spend time with -- and Jasper was becoming one of those people. On the surface level, they were vastly different: Jasper a teacher with a talent for art and kids that he loved, and Jason had a dog and drew sometimes and often smelled like pine trees. But they could talk, and they could appreciate art, and that was always a good foundation.

Pushing his hands into his pockets as they walked, he let out a low laugh when Jasper mentioned asking the kids to pick up the toys, opening his mouth to ask how well that went over before his eyes widened a little bit. "So just the head, then, the body ends up somewhere else?" he asked, unable to help himself. But he could understand it -- that creative, chaotic energy had to go somewhere, and at least it was being taken out on the dolls.

"So just us tonight, then?" he asked, moving his eyes along the hallway of Jasper's home, taking in his surroundings. It always fascinated him to see the places that his friends called home, figure out if they felt like them, if they took him by surprise. The home felt like Jasper, though, and he knew that the studio would feel even more so like the other man. "Babysitters brave enough to risk doll heads all over their place?"

“Just the head,” Jasper confirmed with a slow nod as he neared the door. “The body could end up anywhere. I love him to death, don’t get me wrong, but…I’m not exactly sure where he got this phase from. Maybe one of his friends is similar.” At the mention of the babysitter, Jasper let out an amused laugh. “She’s used to it. I mean, I did tell my daughters that if they were going to bring their dolls, they should remember where they leave them. Otherwise, it’ll be a rather messy car ride home, I imagine,” he grimaced.

He opened the door, revealing his pristine art studio. Of course, he had made an effort to clean it well before Jason arrived, but normally, it wasn’t as neat as it currently was. That was, admittedly, his own doing, but between juggling three kids and his actual job, his art studio’s neatness was a sort of once in a blue moon thing. “This is my other office,” he explained. “My…more fun office, you could say. The other one’s just my desktop and a swivel chair, that’s not nearly as fun.”

jj-hayes

STATUS: OPEN (0/5)

LOCATION: Cul-De-Sac Diner, Suburbs.

JJ found himself at the Cul-De-Sac Diner much earlier than usual. Perhaps it was one of the downsides of sleep-training his daughter. Although she was now sleeping through the night, she always woke up at five o'clock in the morning. Before he adopted Mia, he never would have assumed that a baby monitor could serve as the most effective alarm clock in the world. However, that seemed to be the case for him now. He could not complain.

Nevertheless, he slipped into the booth after strapping Mia onto one of the high chairs, wondering how his little girl managed to have so much energy when the rest of the world was just waking up. As he flipped through the menu and stiflied a yawn, he heard the chine of the bell as the door open and looked up to see a familiar face. "Mornin'. Glad to know I'm not the only early bird in this town."

#( threads. )#( ft. jj. )#// i’m gonna assume he’s maybe seen jj around the medical complex when he’s with his kids?#// or jj can be his kids’ pedatrician maybe? idm either way

Jasper had relatively no weekend plans, and frankly (though surprisingly), neither did his kids. He realized that none of them had any playdates or even extracurriculars, so he decided to go out early with them and be productive. Perhaps the earlier they did things, the more they could all sleep later. An afternoon nap would be ideal. But for now, he needed to feed his kids (and himself), and it’d been a while since they dined out for breakfast.

That’s how he ended up in a booth at the Cul-De-Sac diner with three hyperactive little ones. He glanced over at the man in the booth beside him, chuckling a little. “My kids practically run my whole schedule,” he smiled. “This is like Christmas morning to them. We never go out to eat this early in the day.”

tordenvejr

i don't even find perfection that interesting, like if you polish and prune something too much it can lose its soul and charm. art and people need to be a bit imperfect in order to be captivating

#( musings. )

bradleyxnewman

Who: Bradley and OPEN (0/5)

Where: Aster Playground

When: May 2026

As soon as the temperature crept up to a comfortable level, Sadie had been wanting to outside to the playground to play with her friends. So of course Brad would give in, the weather and sun would do him some good anyway. Bringing Wallay along leaving Sailor at home, Brad and Sadie headed to the park, finding a nice shady spot under a big tree. Just as he was getting settled in, opening the book he was currently reading, Wally decided to insert himself into the conversation of the person sitting next to them. "Dude," Bradley gasped, "where the heck are your manners?" He asked the golden retriever, and getting up to pull the dog away a bit. "I am so sorry for him. He really loves all people."

#( threads. )#( ft. bradley. )

Since the pleasant change in weather, Jasper had realized it was time to take his kids to the playground. Of course, he had taken them during the colder months, but there was just something far better about being outside when the weather was more tolerable. Case in point, he opted to bring his laptop with him to hopefully get some grading done while his children played. He could multitask by watching them and watching his screen at the same time. When he noticed a golden retriever in the corner of his eye, he winced, slightly startled by the unexpected animal, but looked over regardless. “Hi there,” he smiled at the dog, before looking up at its owner. “No worries at all, man. I don’t mind. He’s adorable.”

who: jasper & @jaceeverett

where: jasper’s home, the coast

when: early may 2026

Jasper had grown to enjoy Jason’s company over the past few months. He truly hadn’t expected that one spontaneous night in a bar far from home would lead to an unexpected friendship, but life was full of surprises. In the months since their first meeting, there had been four birthdays in three months within Jasper’s immediate family including his own, and while he didn’t necessarily feel much older nor much wiser, he did feel more motivated to work on more art than he did at this time last year. Granted, the school year was coming to a close, which meant that because he had less work to do, he had a bit more free time on his hands in between parenting.

Case in point, he decided to leave his children with a babysitter and invite Jason over to show off some of his latest creations. Did that sound incredibly boring on paper? Sure, and frankly, he figured it would be boring to most people. But part of it was an excuse to just have an actual get-together with the other man. Not that they hadn’t, but perhaps this was different.

“I told my kids to pick up their toys before they left,” Jasper explained as he started walking down the hall towards his art studio. “They said they did, and I hope they did, but…I wouldn’t be all that shocked if there was a doll’s head lying somewhere on the floor,” he chuckled. “That’s a more recent development of my son’s. He’s in a bit of a ‘chaotic destruction’ phase, unfortunately.”

#( threads. )#( ft. jason. )#// hope this is okay!

dancerdarcyj

Darcy smiled looking over at the guy and nodded, "Well I appreciate it, it was very much an off day for me I do apologise." She looked at the guy and then at the bag and handed it over to him, "You're welcome. Hopefully this will make your little girl happy to see." She smiled, "Well I feel like your daughter will be teaching you all the trends in the world. So maybe sooner rather than later you will know more then you thought you would."

#( threads. )#( ft. darcy. )

Jasper nodded, smiling. “I’m sure it will. She’s been looking for it, and I just felt bad, you know? Father guilt and all that. She’ll definitely be one to teach me trends and such, yeah. I’m not even good with the whole social media thing now, so I can only imagine what I’ll be learning in the next few years,” he shrugged. “I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself to you, have I?” he held out his hand. “I’m Jasper.”

"I'll protect you," he promised with a laugh, knowing that he probably could chase off a few wild animals. And, if nothing else, he was at least up to date on his shots to keep the dangerous ones away. But he understood it. Not everyone was cut out for life in the wilderness; some people craved a semblance of community, having people nearby. Not to mention convenience. Literally. There were times when Jason had to drive pretty far just to get a gallon of milk, and he couldn't say that he really loved that, even if the solitude was worth it ninety percent of the time. "It is," he agreed with a nod, "and perspective is important, whether you're talking about art or people. What we think, what we feel… we all have to see the world a little differently, otherwise how fucking boring would everything be?"

Letting out a soft, low laugh when Jasper said that he could come around whenever, he let his head fall to a tilt, "I don't know that you want to make that offer, I could show up at three in the morning." He wouldn't dream of it, but he could still tease a little bit as he reached for his beer to finish off the last few drops, nodding his head, "But that does sound like a good idea. Get some art around that you think I would like after you've talked to me here tonight, then call me, and we'll make some plans."

#( threads. )#( ft. jason. )#// that works! we can maybe wrap this up here as well?

“You do seem oddly philosophical,” Jasper mused after the other man gave his thoughts about perspective. “Which isn’t at all a bad thing, don’t get me wrong. I did just sound that way myself, anyway,” he laughed. “People are fickle, but I think that’s what brings people together, you know? Whimsicalness and all that.” He nodded swiftly, then unlocked his phone and typed a note to himself to gather as much art as he figured would be suitable. His styles did tend to vary, but he wanted to make a good impression. “I’ll definitely call you when I get a chance to. This was quite fun.”

nathanxames

"Mother nature is brutal lately anywhere but we're not gonna go there," he chuckled. "My kids are here occasionally, partially because I'm here most days. Thankfully they know to behave and be responsible." It was still fair enough that most parents wouldn't be taking their kids to the store, especially the younger kids. He saw teenagers occasionally and they'd just get what their parents asked them to get and left immediately. "I appreciate it. Anything else I can help you find?"

#( threads. )#( ft. nathan. )

“Mine behave too, this just isn’t the kind of environment they’d really be interested in seeing,” Jasper chuckled. “They wouldn’t try to mess anything up, but they’d probably just groan about being bored the whole time,” he laughed. Having kids with a three-year age gap meant that his daughters often influenced their younger brother, much to Jasper’s dismay. He glanced down at the paint can, then back up at the man. “No, this will be all, I believe.”

"Somewhere in between, for you," a nine to five to cover for his real passion, sure, but at least it still related to some extent. Still, when it wasn't what you wanted to do with your life full-time, it wasn't quite a dream come true. "I couldn't live anywhere else," he admitted with a small shrug, "it's quiet, I don't have to worry about anything but the occasional coyote or raccoon." He didn't have neighbors, which meant there were no unwanted, unwarranted noises, he could live his life on a day to day basis without any worries or anxieties… it was perfect for him. "It's all about perspective, you know?"

"No, I get it," he nodded his head. Some people craved the attention -- needed it, even. Other times, people created because they loved to create, because that was what mattered the most. "Tell you what," he said with a small smirk, lifting himself up from the stool to reach across the bar, finding a pen that had been discarded by the server, and shooting her a reassuring look when she started to protest. Settling back onto the stool, he picked up a napkin and scrolled him number across it, holding it out for Jasper. "Why don't you call me? When you have some free time to show off your art," or maybe he just felt bold enough to give out his number.

“I’d probably freak out if there were a raccoon near me, personally,” Jasper laughed, though there was a hint of seriousness behind his tone. While he did love the majority of animals, he felt differently about raccoons. Maybe it was him being a paranoid parent, but then again, he lived nowhere near the countryside. Still, he did wonder how people managed to just go about living where there were bugs and wildlife scattered around. Props to them. “Perspective is important, that’s actually what I’ve taught in my art classes recently. Well, related to art, it’s obviously different, but I feel like perspective is a broad thing. People are different, and it’s nice. Not to get all philosophical-sounding, though,” he smiled.

He glanced at the napkin, his eyes widening slightly as he took it from the other man. “Sure,” he replied, moving to take out his phone and type the number in his contacts, saving it as ‘Jace from bar.’ It was a little vague, sure, because there were just so many bars in Merrock, but it would suffice for him. “You can come ‘round whenever,” he suggested without thinking much of it. “I can show you my art. Or perhaps I can swing by yours, I don’t mind.” He wasn’t so certain why those words were coming from his mouth, but he didn’t feel like there was a point in stopping himself. “The latter might be easier,” he added. “There wouldn’t be small kids around.”

"Unless they're an artist at heart that's working a nine to five to get by," Jason mused, looking sidelong over at Jasper. After all, art wasn't always an easy thing to break into. But still, he could relate to an extent, a lopsided smile sliding across his face. "But I get it. Whenever people tell me that they love being outside, I have to fight the urge to tell them I live in the woods and studied 'being outside' in school." When something was your passion, there was that chip on your shoulder, that boost to the ego that made you feel like it was your thing. Maybe tunnel vision, in a way. "There's a lot of festivals and markets here in town, like the holiday market, Creek Fest, a lot of people set up booths to sell art at those, and I've definitely seen people walking around with some nice pieces," which meant that there had to be a market for it. Finishing off his beer, he offered him a grin. "I'd buy. I'm still decorating my house."

“That’s…kind of my situation. I mean, my nine-to-five is art-related, so it isn’t quite the same thing,” Jasper chuckled. “Is it nice where you live? I mean, the beach is obviously so different from a woodsy area. I just could never imagine myself willingly living there. I feel like I’d get bored quickly, no offense.” While he certainly was a ‘go with the flow’ type of individual, he had grown to enjoy Merrock’s coast far more than he’d imagined. His beach house was rather cozy, a nice change from Canada and France.

“I might take those sorts of things up,” he replied. “It’s not that I’m self-conscious about my art or anything, but I’m certainly not the kind of person who demands people admire my art, either. But I think it would be nice; it’d add to the community atmosphere.” His eyes widened slightly at the other’s comment. “Would you?” he echoed. “I mean, wow, thank you. I’d totally be willing to sell to you.”