#celia's reaction is really sweet

[ansonmountdaily]

Paramount+ FYC Red Carpet Event for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2

Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding and Strange New Worlds creatives attend the Strange New Worlds For Your Consideration Event in Los Angeles at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts - May 30 2024.

Source: Red carpet interview clips via Bionic Buzz and HOLLYWOOD FIRST LOOK

[bonzos-number-1-fan]

TMAGP 12 Thoughts: Nostalgia Bait

I have no real preamble on this one. I think it was a fun, straight forward, episode without too too much to really sink out not-soft teeth into here. Also please laugh at that subtitle, I'm very proud of it.

Spoilers for episode 12 below the cut.

A lot of office stuff here it feels like. Not a huge amount to really say on it as like with the rest of this episode it's more building on stuff we've already seen than it is adding new things to the show. Which is obviously not a bad thing but it's fairly straightforward. Celia and Sam are going on a date, which is cute, and Alice is very obviously jealous, which is also cute.

"You wouldn't be tempted?" "No" [bzzt]. Uh huh.

So first things first for the incident, this episode took places on 09/03/2024. 09/03/2024 is the date the incident in episode 10, Saturday Night, was filed. So everything that went down here was the same night that Gwen gave Bonzo the instructions and presumably he just killed whoever had their name in their. We don't really know who that was as of yet. Of the known characters I said it'd likely be Klaus but this was someone new. They're only identified as "Baz" in the episode, assuming the first victim was the main target, and we don't know any Bazs, Basils, or Barrys AFAIK. But if that's someone Gwen would know I think that only leaves two or three people it could be. I think most people will think Baz is a Bouchard or some other family member. I think it's possible that it's either someone on the corporate ladder that Lena eliminates as a show of "this is what it takes to move up in this company". There has been a lot of focus on Gwen's naivety in that area after all. The last main option I see is that it could just be someone fairly "random". Not someone Gwen is necessarily connected to but just some form of threat. Gwen "knows" them more in a general sense of "you know what I'm sending him to do, eliminate a threat". Hard to say just from the incident alone. The lunchbox and theme tune are "real" too, which is fun.

Outside of that not a load to say but it was a fun episode and it's nice to see Bonzo doing Bonzo things. It's really interesting that he appears to have either two "forms" or that he's got some sort of mental manipulation abilities. When Gwen saw Bonzo, despite being aware of him from TV, she reacted with abject horror. The party guests didn't. So either Bonzo didn't look like his current self or he's able to manipulate people's perception of him. Both would account for the reactions he got. Just a guy in a Bonzo suit. Not a sweaty meaty monster.

After that we just see Gwen horrified by the case. Which is an understandable reaction but I don't think its an elucidating one. I wouldn't say how she reacts shows anything beyond terrifying realisation about what the OIAR is. Her brief conversation with Alice also leans in that direction. So if it's a family member it doesn't look like one who's loss is felt as an immediate gut punch.

The only other comment I have on this is how refreshingly different Bonzo is being treated as a primary monster in this show. Unlike in TMA which did a lot of slow build up, small appearances, and things like that we've gotten two episodes very close together where he shows up and is a large focal point of the episode.

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

Incident/CAT#R#DPHW Master Sheet

DPHW Theory: 4728 all seems pretty reasonably for what we saw. Death and Helplessness were not major thematic factors but Pain and Weird very much were.

CAT# Theory: 1.

R# Theory: B is totally in line with my ideas on this.

Header talk: Mascot (Kids) -/- Frenzy is what I have been waiting for. Sweet repetition. Sweet, sweet repetition. Episode 10, Saturday Night, was CAT1RB2275 - Mascot (Kids) -/- Murder. An identical Section (Subsection) with a different Crosslink.

This largely confirms that Crosslinks impact DPHW gradings. It doesn't say much about how these things are calculated but I'd wager it's something like Section (Subsection) gets a rating that is then modified by a Crosslink. Rather than all those combinations being in the book. It's not exactly useful information but does give more clarity on the role of the Crosslinks. With both cases having the same CAT#R# it's impossible to say at the moment whether that can be changed by the Crosslink.

[jazzically]

the magnus protocol episodes 4 through 7 — my live reactions not clickbait

magp 4

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD IS THIS THE STATEMENT AND/OR ORIGIN OF ALFRED GRIFTER

omg i love how the literal only reason for hearing statements from the 1800s is gwen being behind on her work

ALSO I FRICKING LOVE THE MAGNUS PROTOCOL THEME

Oh my lord you know it's a good sidequel when you can already feel the itch to relisten to everything you just listened to

magp 5

Ok i do not know whether we say "a blast from the past" in America but i have heard that phrase like five times now from Brits all on the RQ magnus feed so im wondering if that's just an alexander j newall thing or !!! what (love it tho. i love it)

faith the unholy trinity referenced???? faith the unholy trinity!!!!!!?

aint no way he won the contest by coincidence LMAO

OOOH THIS IS SUCH A COOL FORMAT!!! ahh ... just how many ideas do they have for digital first-person storytelling mediums?? cuz with every new one i am fascinated

i wonder if jonny just flipped between soft speaker and robot while recording or if "[UNINTELLIGIBLE]" is a digital insert. if it's the latter i am VERY impressed although it's characteristic of jonny at this point lol

OOOooooOOoOoO personal relation is always extra spookyyy

i am also extremely impressed by the similarity in writing style. i can see it (in a good way) now that i'm looking harder, but i would never have guessed jonny didn't write all the episodes

also i just love how alex and jonny swap announcer roles sometimes (jonny as credits, alex as title/episode) for tmp

NOTE TO SELF: check out the cellar letters!!!!! omfg!!! it sounds fire!!!!

magp 6

aw that's such a sweet dedication message

URGH HAVE I MENTIONED I LOVE THE TMAGP THEME

i always wondered what the muffled falling-down-the-stairs noise at the end of the original theme was. it always put me in mind of the aesthetic of the beginning of portal 2 (and, later, the Buried coffin) idk why

I LOOOVE ALL OF THESEEEE none of them have been hard to get through at all?? which is rare for me bc i fail to pay attention to things for long unless they come in more than two forms of stimulus simultaneously (video + music, audio + fidget toy, video + candle)

AWIEE SAM AND CELIA 😭😭😭

Yes alice you do that matchmaking you are SUCH a girlboss

magp 7

OMFG CELIA DEFINITELY KNOWS SOMETHING

lmao jonny says ree instead of err ee now (for "re:"/regarding)

[ThEory time babes woooOoO]

heyyyy is this one of those other worlds that the fears got banished to. actually what happened to the dread powers? am not exactly clear on that (i hope it's on purpose). maybe the place where the dread powers exist alongside "our world" in tma is also adjacent to other worlds in exactly the same way?? like how a hexagon can be adjacent to six other hexagons??? that'd be sick and it would also explain why there wasnt an overwhelming amount of supernatural incidents in "our world" such that everyone was familiar with the dread powers and normalized safety procedures and such ... interesting au idea ... also the idea jonny proposed about a post-apocalypse world in the s5 qna... that one is cool too............ writers get on that (/j/j/j)

is tmp a separate world ??? they only said it was in the same universe as tma iirc

[wild speculation over]

RAAAAAA i LOVE the robotic voices' VAs' abilities to slowly transition into humanlike speech

cLaYtOn!!!!!? do i know that name or am i going crazy

perhaps i am yet again thinking of the worker of clay (see previous post)

LOOOLL "better than norris, whiny little toad"

OHMYGFUCKING GOD WAIT I RESCIND MY EARLIER STATEMENT!!!!!! THAT'S CANONICALLY JONATHAN SIMS' FRICKING VOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

hehehe ooooh you're evil writermen. how dare you use our constant uncertainty as to which characters you're referring to induced by your earlier repetition when naming characters (really there should be a limit as to how many michaels can be in one story) so that we are still unsure, even with prior knowledge, whether sam's mysterious "john" is actually the archivist or just some other john. good lord (im obsessed)

HOLY CRAP COLIN KNOOOWSSSSSSSS THINGSSS i just adore his role as the town crazy old man

omg alex's writing is incredible

[amusementofaprincess]

Ok! My thoughts on characters of The Magnus Protocol after listening to the 1st 20 episodes in less than a day:

1) Lena. I don’t trust the British government. I don’t trust most governments. But in this case I really don’t trust them

2) I like Celia. I’d love to know why she apparently sleepwalks for miles and I think she should chance a better childcare backup plan than “call Georgie when I wake up”. Plus her flirting with Sam is cute.

In my head her wardrobe varies wildly depending how close it is to laundry day.

3) Sam. Sam seems like a very intelligent,kind, sweet person who is either going get killed by an entity (external?) or go completely insane

In my head he wears a lot of sweater vests

4) I don’t know how I feel about Alice. Her personality is very… chronically online and I find that a bit grating. She also doesn’t see to completely be over Sam. She definitely cares about her friends and coworkers- trying to check up on Teddy, checking in with Collin, try to keep Sam and Celia from something that could get them killed.

She reminds me a lot of Tim.

In my head she wears a lot of galaxy prints

5) Gwen I think looks perpetually annoyed. She obviously is intelligent and curious with NO sense of dangers - that is a bad combination. She needs to be more careful around Externals. “Can he READ?” Is probably one of my favorite reactions to an entity.

In my Gwen always looks perfectly put together. Even if she’s just wearing jeans and a comfy top

6) Mr Bonzo. Again I say WTF. I assume, if the fears here follow Smirks 13, he is associated with the Flesh based on his description.

I don’t think about what he’s wearing. I don’t think about him at all if I can avoid it

7) Lady Mowbray. Rich. Probably associated with THE HUNT.

I bet she dresses like she’s about to hop on a horse at any moment 

8) Georgie! I love Georgie. I know she’s not the same Georgie but I don’t care. She is good friend to Celia, takes good care of Jack. I hope she has a cat. I feel like any reality Georgie needs a cat.

In my head Georgie was at Celia’s in something comfy. Maybe even sweatpants

9) the voices - Chester and Norris - not surprised they are voices in the computer. Also when they talked about the “jmj” error I just keep thinking it stands for Jon/Martin/Jonah since they were near each other in Ep 200 and we don’t know where they went. Jonah’s body might have gotten all swept up in it.

Augustus -at first I thought Jurgen Lightner was back but I checked the credits and he isn’t voiced by Jonathan Sims’ dad (I can’t remember his name atm) but he sounded so similar. So I am intrigued by Augustus

All in all I am very happy with the first 20 eps of season 1 and can’t wait for the next 10!

[starsoftheeye]

TMAGP Episode 15 Live Reaction

I'm destressing after an exam so we're doing this again baby wooo

Pre-Episode

My YouTube keeps not showing the episode, it's been like an hour since the release and its still not up for me

It's not even up for my laptop this is so annoying

I can't remember how I got it to show up last time as well

Bro I keep refreshing my page and its not there WHERE ARE YOU???

Screw it Spotify get over here

THANK YOU SPOTIFY

who is this man and why is he just doing the toffee/gum in mouth/ face stretching exercise from every drama rehearsal i've ever been to

this is oddly scary

as a physics student... probably

oh its a gum ad

oooh implications

this podcast sounds cool

hi simon!!

i'm gonna stop talking about the ads now this post is so long already lmao

i love it when people dedicate episodes to their friends its so sweet

Pre-Statement

sam and celia!!

:0 he got them tickets? thats so sweet i love him

Theatre tickets can be fucking expensive as well jesus he is down bad

ah yes, my favourite piece of theatre to bring a date to: The Pillowman

i love them

alice!!

oooh luke mention

every thursday i listen to a new tmagp episode and every thursday my samalicelia post becomes a little more plausible

she has really thought this through huh

okay this is probably alice meddling out of jealousy but seriously you cannot expect me to hear her basically asking these two to hangout after theyve been on a date and expect my samalicelia brain to not go insane over it

aw alice :(

jack mention jack mention

"babys are cool" shes so me

aw celia i love her

uh oh sam and alice conversation

oh so now youtube decides to work

i cannot understand what sam said there but i'm assuming it was funny and only a bit passive agressive

Statement

Ah another voicemail

this guy sounds like tim but not

oh god what fucked up dinner party are the rich doing now

"they wanted to know whos kill they were eating" oh this is gonna be interesting

oh no theyre watching

ah yes, very informative "prepare"

whos gonna die

ooooh a fucked up woman i love fucked up women

i know this is probably a very important character and i should be paying attention but i am a mere lesbian and i am finding this woman very attractive right now

thats when you realised something was up?

oh im so gay

theyre gonna aim for the caterers they are not safe

bingo

theyre gonna make them run methinks

they killed all the birds

oh are they gonna make the caterers kill something/someone?

oh no steven :(

these people are being very vague id be asking so many questions

each other?

EACH OTHER

PLEASE BE EACH OTHER THATS SO COOL

EACH OTHER YES

I LOVE HUNTING STORIES

this guys enjoying this a little too much

go on boris

oh no boris :(

is she following him?

OH NO HE GOT CAUGHT

AHHHH WOMAN

SHES HOT

HUH????

CELIA RUN

actually no dont you have a better chance if you stay i think

SLAY CELIA

lena what did you do

this is weirdly homoerotic

GWEN???

GWEN WHAT DID YOU DO

GWEN I LOVE YOU BUT WHAT

CHESIRE BOUCHARDS WHAT

GWEN?????

Post-Statement

ooooh is this lukes band?

theyre good i like it

awww these two arent gonna survive together

damn hes doing well

pfffft weedy git i love luke already

hello?? whos this??

lady are you okay??

alice run

ALICE RUN

ALICE HONEY WHAT HAPPENED

yippee more trauma for her to cover up with jokes

is she doing ellie the elephant oh my god

oh shes back

yeah alice you should run

im betting this was the stranger from the magnus institute

i shouldve paid attention to her little ramble lol

oh my god so much is happening in this show and we're only on episode 15

[miraculousmaker]

SPOILERS FOR TMAGP 6

LIVE REACTION

Alice Dyer has my heart

Sam just consuming coffee. Alice looking out for her ex bf

Yo Alice is either really deep or quoting lion king

Another new hire seems a bit strange

“What happens if we both stay?” “We draw lots and one of you gets eaten at the Xmas party” well, from what we can tell, maybe more assistants would be better to keep around. Just saying.

Sam really does make mlem noises

This dude sounds so cheery. Micheal feels, but more pokey

Yeah, sounds like fears has become desires.

“I enjoy the pain by now.”

“Not a safe place to walk at night. I take some pride in that.”

This dude sounds so fn happy. And it’s so infectious. A+ voicework

He sounds so pissed when the operator simply says he isn’t afraid of needles. So frazzled.

Ooh finding the operator through the phone like a bloodhound.

Sam being somewhat upset that “thats it”.

Alice: “Why, were you enjoying it?” Sam, wayy too quickly: “I wuldn’t go that far.”

Hold on. Did Jonny and Alex see how the fan base started loving TMAG and decide to flip the fears to desires just to punch us in the face? “Here you go, this is the world you live in, you love terror so much that you spend hundreds of hours listening, just like this.”

They all sound so happy to talk to one another when Celia (? Spelling) comes in.

They’re all so cute.

Celia being so confident that she’s fine with spooky stuff… oh, sweet summer child. I can’t wait for you to go insane.

Alice and Sam really seem like they’re going to be the glue that holds all these coworkers together. Whether that becomes another ‘until the end’ situation or not is anyone’s guess.

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 190 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: mowing the lawn.

LAVERNE: "Besides, you know that they sometimes go to a side tunnel for “private contemplation”. I think it’s sweet." CELIA: [Petulant] "They can contemplate privately here…" LAVERNE: "Can they? There’s not exactly many doors down here." CELIA: "No, I guess…" LAVERNE: "And the tunnels do have a tendency to echo…" Lol, okay, first I was like, how does Laverne know. But we know Melanie (and Georgie) occasionally gossip about sexuality, and with Laverne being Melanie's (former?) therapist, they probably just told her.

JON: "You can sleep here?" MELANIE: "You don’t have to, but it does pass the time." So not everything's unaffected by the Change in the tunnels if they don't need to sleep. Interesting, since this was definitely different at Salesa's. Georgie later says they do need food and water, but it sounds like the need has been drastically reduced. Also occasionally Watchers seem to come down into the tunnels as well, I guess? Since we'll hear about them also losing some of the people they saved.

MELANIE: "Yeah, I reckon it used to be a hideout of, um, you-know-who, uh, when he was living down here. It had supplies and everything." Hmm... I don't think we ever hear them talking about Leitner living in the tunnels. That seems to be something only Jon (and Elias perhaps) was aware of. The others only learned in MAG 92 that the dead guy was Leitner, and Melanie also wasn't even working at the Institute at that time this happened. Martin told her about the murder (of an to him still unknown person) in MAG 84. But it’s okay, things can of course happen off-screen and it makes sense that they talked about this at some point, since they started to use the tunnel to regroup in a way.

CELIA: "So, where were you two then?" JON: "Er… Pardon?" CELIA: "They saved you, right? From one of the nightmares? So, what was it?" This basically already establishes that everyone remembers what happened to them in their hellscapes. They would need to turn back time to avoid that.

GEORGIE: "Uh, no, they’re, they’re not – We didn’t rescue them." LAVERNE: "No? So where did they come from?" MELANIE: [Pointedly] "Great question. Jon, do you want to field that one?" Oh come on, Melanie, back to being an asshole...

GEORGIE: "Anyway… they’re passing through. They won’t be staying with us long." MARTIN: "Oh, er, right. Yes." I mean yeah, they’re here to try to change the world back and that won't happen here in the tunnels. Still, Martin's reaction says they didn't talk about their stay yet and is a bit taken aback by being already future-kicked-out.

LAVERNE: "Small world… Nice to finally put a face to the name." JON: "Uh, yes. Yes." Ohhhh, Jon is straight up not having a good time in London! Getting watched instead of doing the watching. Now getting judged by a person, who only knows him from stories told by a person who doesn't really like him... (And we saw in MAG 106 how that's going...) And he immediately gets it, first an awkward reaction, then a defeated one...

GEORGIE: "I see… Thank you Celia. Could you turn that off, please. [FOOTSTEPS] [Brusquely] Jon, a word?" God, Georgie still blaming Jon for the tape recorder is so painful to watch... (Adding that to the I-don't-like-Georgie pile...)

[REPEATED SOUNDS OF ENTHUSIASTIC TAPE RECORDER SMASHING] GEORGIE: "I can do this all day!" [JON SIGHS] Great comedy though XD

JON: "Look, the tunnels offer some protection, but clearly not enough to stop whatever is manifesting these recorders. If you smash this one, they’ll just make another one." That already sounds like the tapes aren't with the Eye <.<

GEORGIE: "… So what? You, just, want me to just leave the tapes running and hope?" JON: "I want you to accept that trying to stop them listening is only going to frustrate you." That some kind of wink to therapy? There are things you can't change. But you can learn how to deal with them.

JON: "They’re here for me. And maybe a bit for Martin. They seem to like him." Awww... Also no big surprise, since the Web also likes Martin. Has there ever been a tape recorder clicking on for someone other than Jon or Martin? I think the others either turned on the recorder and then got distracted or forgot to turn it off because they got distracted. Could be wrong though, I don't think I paid super special attention to this during a mag a day.

GEORGIE: "I, um… I think I owe you an apology." JON: "Oh?" GEORGIE: "I didn’t realise how bad things were for, well, all of you. I mean, I kind of knew, but seeing all this for myself, I… I cut myself off and… I’m not so sure that was the right thing to do any more." Nice to see that she now gets it. (at least a bit)

JON: "You had every right to." GEORGIE: "Yeah, but it didn’t exactly help, did it?" JON: "Georgie, you couldn’t have stopped this, believe me." Jon's right. Both times.

GEORGIE: "Well, obviously. Even Melanie doesn’t think you’d have been stupid enough to do this on purpose." That's... not that of a nice thing to say...

GEORGIE: "Also, uh, we found a pretty convenient nightmare that’s essentially just an endless supermarket." Gravity Falls S01 E05 The Inconveniencing, am I right?

JON: "… Georgie… Where’s the Admiral?" GEORGIE: [With difficulty] "He’s, uh… he’s fine. I guess. He’s enjoying himself, at least. He wasn’t immune, not like me and Melanie. And he’s a predator, pampered piece of fluff that he is. Turns out, there’s a place full of cats. And their prey." JON: "Poor thing." GEORGIE: "I go to see him sometimes. I think he’s happy, in his way. But, um… It’s hard to see him like that. He didn’t even know I was there." JON: "I’m sorry." Of course this is the thing most posts are about for this episode XD The internet is ruled by cats! (Or at least were to early internet days. I miss those days..)

MELANIE: "Then let it run. It’s just the two of us, and it’s not like we can attract any more attention to ourselves at this point, inviting the snoop-god’s favourite kid down for a chat." Asshole again, but I like “snoop-god's favourite kid” even more than the “Ceaseless Watcher's special little boy”.

MELANIE: "And? I guess the end of the world must’ve left me all snappy." MARTIN: "Well… I mean, y–" MELANIE: "Don’t. Don’t say it. I actually did a lot of work on my anger, you know?" Oh, and you think that gives you the right to be an asshole and forbids others from calling you out on your bullshit? Oh fuck you Melanie...

MELANIE: "Speaking of… uh, you and Jon, eh?" MARTIN: "Hmm?" MELANIE: "Congrats, took you long enough." It is kind of satisfying seeing people actually get together after you already prophesized it. Hm... I guess Melanie actually is a prophet. Just not for the thing people think her to be xD

MARTIN: "Oh yeah. I suppose, when you think about – I mean… Do we actually know each other? Really?" Uhhh, I didn't have the impression that they avoided each other during their time in the Archives. Melanie meets Martin in MAG 84, talks to him about finding Jude and the missing calliope in MAG 88, asks Martin where Elias is and Martin invites her to go out for drinks with Basira and him in MAG 98, Martin offers her the awkward I'm-sorry-you-got-tortured tea in MAG 110, she, Martin and Jon have been to Gertrude's storage unit together in MAG 113, and last but not least. She and Martin stayed behind during the Unknowing to pull off their plan to get Elias arrested. (Also pre-Peter time during Jon’s coma, I’d guess. They were all three, Martin, Melanie and Basira present for the Flesh attack.)

MELANIE: [Playing along] "Oh, um… [chuckle] I’m actually one of the prophets chosen to walk the end times unscathed." MARTIN: "Mmm. Mmm." MELANIE: "Yourself?" MARTIN: "Oh, I’m the antichrist’s plus one." They couldn't be more opposite xD And neither of them actually is what they claim to be (with Martin’s line referring to Jon not being the antichirst).

MELANIE: "I hate it. They just keep trying to interpret everything I do." Hahahahaha, feeling a bit called out here right now xD

MELANIE: "But don’t get me wrong… Georgie’s incredible. Um, and she’s, and she’s far, far too good for me. And I, I only hope she doesn’t realise that while there’s an apocalypse on. [HEAVY SIGH] Yeah. And what about Jon?" MARTIN: "Oh, you know Jon. He’s a complete mess. But, so am I and… I think we’re making it work. Communication can be… difficult when you’re on an unholy pilgrimage." Jon would probably say the same about Martin what Melanie said about Georgie and Georgie would probably say the same about Melanie what Martin said about Jon.

[MARTIN PAUSES, SIGHS AND THEN MAKES HIMSELF COMFORTABLE] MARTIN: "Ooooooh. Mmm, that’s nice." [FOOTSTEPS, AND WOODEN CREAK] LAVERNE: "Careful, she’s very possessive of that chair." Martin's journey to find a comfortable chair. This one sounds comfortable, but he immediately gets shooed away. Dammit.

LAVERNE: "But… you’ve got to have hope in something, otherwise there’s no point to anything." Ahh, yes. That's what I like to think as well.

GEORGIE: "I don’t think either of us is particularly comfortable with your use of the word “redeemers”." MELANIE: "Right." JON: "I thought it was quite a good rhyme." MELANIE: [aside] "Shut up, Jon!" Ahhahah, smug (bastard) Jon is back. Seriously, in combination with Arun I can totally understand him teasing. It's such an easy target. 

ARUN: "And, well, maybe your powers feed on hope? On trust and faith and… and hope." Pffff... He's so naive... (This reminded me a bit of Robin Lennox.)

ARUN: [Sharply] "And what would you know about poetry?" [GEORGIE GIGGLES] JON: "Oh, well, uh… I, um…" Hehe, Jon didn't expect that! Yeah, naive people often pick the wrong persons to fight with.

ARUN: "He doesn’t seem holy…" JON: [Archly] "And what would you know?" Oooooh, that struck a nerve... Jon blames himself enough for what Jonah made him do and made him to be.

ARUN: “I – Apologies, I meant, I meant no offence. Oh, I – Please forgive me!” [FOOTSTEPS AS ARUN LEAVES] GEORGIE: “You didn’t need to scare him like that. JON: “I didn’t mean to.” More nerves are being struck... Even down in the tunnels he keeps scaring people. He doesn’t even have to make an effort. It just happens. That’s what he is :( (or is afraid of himself to be).

@a-mag-a-day

[pbandjesse]

We just left five guys after seeing two houses. And it was fun! My voice continues to be gone but despite that annoyance, today ended up being great. I really couldn't have asked for a better day, all things considered.

And!! It is my husband's birthday! Congratulations James for joining me in being in our early thirties! I woke up a little early so I could sit with them and open one of the three packages I made for them.

We started with the card I made them. It's a victorian purse card and I don't have space to include it in this post but I will make a post if it's own. James said they could tell how long it took and really appreciated how I tried to emulate notes being passed as a child.

The opened the first gift and it was sock and a new hat but also the shirt I design for them. "Lucky to have the best wife" with a bunch of pictures of my face. They laughed so hard. I wish I got it on video it was such a sweet reaction. They wore it for the rest of the day and looked so cute. I'm glad they liked it.

I had to leave soon for work though. After a few extra hugs I headed to camp.

I got stuck in some traffic but it was okay. I got to camp and drove around making sure the last things were set and ready. Celia was waiting at the office and I would let us in so I could get some things printed. She was not sure if the eyrie was unlocked and so she wanrd to wait. Despite me saying we haven't been locking it. But it's fine.

Elizabeth was a great support today. I was nervous about my voice but I was also hopeful. I went to the hacienda to wait for parents around 9. And they slowly made their way in. I kept apologizing for my voice. I was trying my best to be clear even if I wasn't able to be loud. I know everyone was struggling to hear me though. We realized pretty quickly that while in person they couldn't hear me, on the walkie I was more intelligible. So I got the idea to use two walkies as a mic. Elizabeth was not sure because of feedback but I was sure I could figure it out.

After walking the parents around and getting them settled I went to get the last parent who was at the pool house still. I walked her up and went to deliver popcorn that was dropped off to the Pueblo. And then I went back to the office to ask Elizabeth to print more maps and schedules for me. Because my laptop was plugged into the screen at the hacienda so I didn't have time to go back and forth. She helped me out and I was off.

And then the bus was there! Except they went to the wrong place. Ah well. Once they got to me they all came in and sat down and were so sweet.

I told them I could not get louder and I had a plan. And we tired the walkie and it worked!! Elizabeth was standing at the door trying not to laugh because I was also just being funny with an the PowerPoint. I was pretending to be a stand up comedian with my timing.

And it honestly gave me to much power after not being able to talk for almost a week. And so I talked for a half hour and honestly had the best time.

Even though the school came 15 minutes late I was able to get us back on time and we were able to do the fibers program. But at this point my voice was dead dead. I couldn't even really whisper, you can't hear me if there is any other noise. So instead I wrote down some instructions on paper and held it up like a ring girl. Just walking through the space and stopping so the 2nd graders could point and finger read. And then they would go "got it.". Thumbs up. And they were just great.

I would have to give some announcements over the walkie but I was very squeaky and struggling. I tried my best.

During the first program I cleaned the room so that the other school that was there today could have a horse hair free lunch. Then I was dropping off the check and getting my book. I posted up on a log in between where my programs were happening and it was just beautiful and I was feeling good.

Mostly. I am still coughing. But once I'm out in the nice air I feel a lot better. Plus it was just a beautiful day.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Everyone was doing great. I had to type out what I needed to say on my phone because I was so quiet. And that's when the main teacher apologized for being a little scatter brained. And she let me know that the raven group has no chaperone. Which means 8 second graders had been following the map and schedule by themselves all day. I was just like. Oh. Well they did a great job. But inside I was face palming and just being like. How did that happen and how did it take us 2 hours to notice. They did a great job though and honestly I would have this group every day. Excellent kids.

At the end of the day I went to the hacienda to start moving chairs and while I quietly did that while the kids were packing up and finding their things some of the parents, and then the kids too, started helping carry the chairs outside!! I hate asking groups to help but man does it make it faster. And the chairs weigh nothing because they are aluminum. So even the kids carrying two got to feel big and strong but no one needs to be worried about them getting hurt.

Nick, Sarah, Celia, and Dachelle came and helped clean all the tables and swept while I got all my materials packed up and out outside. They would go do a trash run while I started driving around and collecting my stuff.

Celia would join me and helped me pack my car before she went to go feed the animals.

I went back to arts and crafts to unpack and start repairing things. That's the big plan tomorrow. Some stuff needs to be replaced but mostly it's maintenance. As this was my last feildtrip of the semester.

I was a little upset to find one of my space heaters for some deer fur on the prongs of the cord and was burning a little. So dangerous. So I got that handled but it was a little scary!

Once everything was inside I started repairing some fire sticks. But at 330 I decided that was enough for the day.

I went back to the office and Alexi let me know there was a child abuse training I needed to do. But it wasn't loading on my old laptop so I promised to do that when I went home

And that I was leaving a few minutes early so I could go and get a pumpkin pie for my husband.

I went to the grocery store so I could go to their bakery, which is always very nice. Camp goes there for everyone's birthday. I first found a pumpkin pie dip?? Apparently they are known for it, and I got the recommended swedish ginger snaps to go with it. Then at the bakery counter I apologized for my whispers and ordered a pie. Which looked great. The boy at the counter whispered back which I thought was delightful. I love that that is what people keep doing. Just "oh we are whispering!!" It just seems very kind even if it's not necessary.

I went home after that. Got stuck in some traffic. Had to drive directly into the sun. But it was okay. I got home a little after 430.

And I was so happy to see my birthday bean husband. I gave them the treats, they opened the other presents. They loved the rocket notebook and the fidget and keychain tools I gave them. They also really liked the sterling frisbee charm I got for their necklace. Which I think looks so cute.

I would have to go jump into that training course. Which was just an hour. I did it very quickly while I also was cutting my cuticles. And when I was done it was basically time to go.

We went to see two houses tonight. One I liked a lot, though it was small, and one that was horrible.

The first one I not only liked the house, I liked the block. It has a community association building two doors down with a really cool mosaic mural outside. And no broken buildings at all. The inside though was very funny to me. It was yellow! Almost every room has the walls and ceiling painted yellow. It needs work, but only a little. It does need appliances but that isn't unusual for the ones were seeing. Will just have to factor that all in. But I really did like it. It has the landing space like the first one. It didn't have a finished basement but it did have a little backyard and backs up to a green space. The floor upstairs had a slope and it only has a shower in a really small bathroom, but I could see us being really happy there.

The second house though. This was not good. While the bedrooms and bathrooms were bigger, it has so much water damage. On the ceilings of both floors. It was kind of a mess. Like it seems poorly flipped but then just not taken care of while they waited for it to see. Not good. I also didn't like the block as much. It was honestly to dark outside. Ah well. Was still fun. We're seeing another place on Friday!

James and me decided to go to five guys for dinner. Which was fun but also they put to much seasoning on the fries. Still good. And I enjoyed James's company even if I had to text them every time I had something to say because I couldn't be heard.

It is frustrating. I feel like I'm straining so hard to get my voice out. And while it was better today then yesterday I for sure did not help it by using it so much. I need to have a voice by Friday. It's going on the right direction, I hope.

We are home now. When we parked James ripped down the broke branch on the tree outside that kept scraping the roof of the car. Then we flipped it off and were very dramatic. Now we are eating pumpkin pie and James is playing a video game. I am ready to go wash my face and go to sleep. My cheeks are flush and I am a bit exhausted.

Tomorrow I have no groups. And I am hoping to work on my program materials and putting them in storage until the spring. And then working on some of the projects Heather asked us to do. I hope it is a chill day where I don't have to talk much. And then I have my ceramics class! I am looking forward to tomorrow. I think it will be a good day.

Sleep well everyone. Be careful out there. And send happy birthday wishes to my husband. Goodnight! I love you!

[illuxtre]

So I finished FHH yesterday and I couldn't even process it till today I'm jwhzjwjdjws

Incoherent thoughts bellow:

Orion lacking even an OUNCE of self preservation in face of Rosalind's life being in danger they're so. I can't

That scene with Celia arguing with Oliver and him just "This is going to work." JAIL. JAIL. THERE'S NO WAY BEING LIKE THAT IS LEGAL. THAT MAN. I SWEAR TO GOD. They're so sweet and he's so silly for her I'm going to actually cry

Alisa is such a menace she's my favorite

THE FINAL CONFRONTATION. ORION HAD ME SCREAMING LIKE BABY???? I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED THAT FROM HIM BUT MY GOD.

The most Siblings Thing he do be bleeding out but absolutely about to throttle Oliver and Phoebe for pulling the Priest thing (Btw I'm so offended we did not get a on screen reaction to Oliver revealing Priest to Celia PFTTT)

Lady Hong had me screaming and punching something bc what the hell. What the hell. That entire family. What the hell. I'm so sad for Phoebe yet again

AND SPEAKING OF. Phoebe and Silas are so precious I can't 😭😭😭 he really caught her when she broke down, and gave her a reason to keep going, helping Shangai, even if they're literally enemies ffs. Throwback to Romajulliete, specially in the first book, absolutely unmatched vibes,, I'd love to see more of them tho I know it's over fr

THE ENTIRE SCENE TRYING TO SAVE ORION. WHAT A ROLLERCOASTER. I was like "As you like it is literally a comedy there's no way there is NO WAY." The relief was so real when he woke up he's so silly for Rosalind istg istg

AND THE PROPOSAL THE PROPOSAL THE PROPOSAL AKZBWJJXJS that is literally the cutest thing in the whole world the fact he spelled it out in the sky ("The sky says I love you" I'M ON THE FLOOR) but he was concerned she disliked the attention of the papers AND HE BOUGHT HER A POISON RING I'M CRYING SO HARD

The set of siblings are usually bought together do not separate them!!! Chloe better give us the Oliver/Celia proposal too!!! That's so endearing

AND LAST NOTE BUT NOT LEAST. ROMAJULLIETE BABY. OH MY GOODNESS. MY CHILDREN ARE ALL GROWN UP.

[gnattyplayssims]

1952 Pt2 - The Spice Festival

Ava was growing far too fast for Sofia to keep up and it was inevitable for her to miss some milestones. Before she knew it little Ava was rolling over.

"Stop growing up so fast Little Bird, I can't keep up." She chided when she came home one day to Ava sitting in her crib.

Most mornings Sofia would come home and get a few more hours of sleep with Ava cuddled against her but once Ava started sitting up sleep became a thing of the past.

"Mama!" Ava would babble poking her mom with her little hands and wiggling around the bed until Sofia got up.

One morning Ava was playing with her toys while Sofia got dressed. Ava tumbled over as she tried to reach. Sofia entered the room just as Ava pushed herself to all fours. "Ava! Look at you!" Her mother's reaction startled her and she plopped back onto her stomach

"Oh. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. Good job, we'll try again later."

The door opened and her heart jumped until she saw it was only Nikolas. "Hey, you just about ready?"

"No. The nanny isn't here yet and I still need to shower. Would you watch Ava?"

"Uh...sure"

He noticed the omelets on the counter. "You cooked this morning?"

"Oh Celia made those last night. I forgot to put them in the fridge."

"You didn't eat them for breakfast did you?"

"I...won't now..."

"Good," He turned back toward them. "Dear Watcher. She's a mess."

Sofia smiled and handed Nik the jar. "I won't be long."

"Alright Ava, what do you say we try some of this cereal. You'll like these way more than that mush."

"NO!" Ava dumped the bowl of cereal on the floor.

Nik sighed, "Okay oatmeal it is. Sure hope your mom hurries."

By the time Sofia got out of the shower, Ava was a mess. "What did you do Nik?"

"Nothing! This child doesn't know how to keep anything in her mouth."

Sofia laughed, "I know! Oh she pushed herself up today."

She tried to show him but Ava was not having it. "Another day, Sof."

Celia finally showed up a little while later and the two made their way to the Spice Festival. The sights and smells were like nothing Sofia had ever experienced before.

"What's that?"

"A curry challenge to see if you can handle a little heat"

"Oh, I can handle heat."

They each took a plate and Nik took a bite without hesitation. He tried to keep a straight face but not even the Stoic Nikolas could hide the pain. He immediately broke into a sweat and Sofia laughed.

"Is it that bad?" She took a bite of her own. "Water! I need water!"

Sofia headed to the food stall to get a glass of water. "Sorry miss, no water without a purchase."

"But my mouth is literally on fire. You can't withhold water."

"Unless you're a plantsim, you don't need water to survive, so make a purchase or get out of my line."

Sofia felt a hand on her back. "Did you get the water, Dear."

"Are you her husband?"

"Uh yes. She was just getting free water."

"Free water with purchase. But she says she has no money."

"Of course not! I wouldn't let my wife carry the wallet. Here curry and somosas please."

"Thank you!"

"Of course. These vendors see a cute young lady and think they can get away with robbery"

"But you still paid him"

The man shrugged, "It was worth it."

Sofia took a big bite and instantly regretted it. "Maybe some smaller bites until you're used to the flavor"

Soon Sofia lost all track of the time. "That book sounds amazing!" Jamal handed her another plate "Here try these. They're just a little spicer but have a sweet undertone you'll love."

She took a bite and a smile lit up her face. "You have to put these ones in your restaurant!"

He took her empty plate and returned it to the vendor. Suddenly the air was electric. "I...guess I should get back. Nikolas is probably wondering where I am."

"Ah. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were here with someone."

"Oh! I'm not really. Nik is just a really good friend."

He took a step forward and she instinctively took a step back. "He probably didn't even realize I'm gone. There was this girl making faces at him when we came in any bets he's with her."

Jamal laughed, "Ah. Lucky man."

"I had a really good time talking with you."

"Me too."

Sofia looked over her shoulder, scanning for Nik. "I guess...maybe I could wait for him to find me. I don't really want to wander alone."

"That's probably a good idea." His voice was closer and she whirled back around as he lifted his hand to her face. "I'll stay with you

Her eyes widened in fear as he brushed the hair from her face. "Sorry, there was something in your hair." But his hand didn't leave.

"Please don't touch my face."

He dropped his hand back to his side. "I'm sorry. I felt a connection. I thought you did too."

"I do...I just..."

"It's okay, Sofia. You don't have to explain. I overstepped." He took her hand, brushing his thumb over the butterfly ring. "Maybe next time I see you, you can tell me some more."

"Next time?"

"If you'll allow it."

"I think...I'd like that...but I have a daughter."

He paused for a moment. "I guess that's another story you'll have to tell me." He placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned in brushing his lips ever so gently against her cheek. "If you're ever in Mirage Canyon come visit the restaurant."

"O-o-okay. I will."

"Sofia! Sofia!" Nik's voice finally broke her free of the spicy haze surrounding them.

"I should go."

Jamal nodded. "Okay I'll see you again."

"You will." She turned away, trying her hardest to contain her excitement. Jamal watched her until she was safely with Nikolas.

1953 Pt1 - A Flower in the Desert

[professorlegaspi]

Josh Rumbles and the Candy Grams

Otherwise known as: Josh Rumble’s love language is acts of service.

This is tangential, but before we begin I would like to point out that the only time Josh says “I love you” in the books is when Celia’s asleep, but he consistently goes out of his way, to significant personal detriment (and sometimes in peril of risking his very relationship with her) to help her in whatever way that he can. This man does not know how to communicate outside of his actions and it shows.

One example of this is the Candy Grams!

Josh sends one nigh every year, and this meta will be examining his reasoning and emotions, as well as Celia’s reactions to them (she’s the narrator, it’s kind of inevitable).

In order to lay out the groundwork for this, I would like to take a moment to harp upon one of my favorite Celia’s Journey tidbits: the fact that Josh Rumbles has been nursing his crush for Celia Fincastle since day one. He was halfway in love with in every. single. book. He’s the textbook definition of a goner.

My proof for this? Words straight out of the man’s own mouth (TGS, 430).

I’m going to add a disclaimer here saying that I personally believe Josh didn’t know he had a crush as a seventh-year. He was eleven, and probably only realized with the benefit of hindsight. However, we don’t actually know one way or another.

What we do know, is that as freshman at Renasci, the Mensaleon kiddos in Celia’s grade banded together to make sure they all got something for Valentine’s Day (BitA, 167).

It does say “at least one,” so it is still possible Josh sent a Gran that year, but if so, if wasn’t remarkable enough for Celia to comment on it.

The Key to the Past is were things really get spicy!

The passage in that book is significantly longer, so I’m not going to picture the whole thing here, but the gist is that they didn’t do group Valentines that year, but Celia still got one. It was unsigned (the card just said “Happy Valentine’s Day) and none of her friends admitted to having sent it (KttP, 206).

We all know it was Josh who sent it, but what we don’t know is why, and that’s a really big question.

He couldn’t have done it to see the reaction in her face. Candy Grams are delivered by a third-party, and it was left on her desk. He had no way of knowing when she’d come by and open it.

I see a couple of options here.

Option 1: he sent one to all of his friends, and Celia’s perspective just shields us from seeing that. Possible, but iffy because he didn’t come forward when she asked who sent it

Option 2: he did it planning to confess to his crush, but then changed his mind. He sent the chocolate knowing it would intrigue Celia but chickened out when she asked around. Sub option: he waited to see if he received chocolate back, and said nothing because Celia didn’t send him a Candy Gram (too sad to contemplate)

Option 3: he didn’t plan to come forward, but did send it with the assumption Celia would figure out who it was from. He thought he was obvious, and that Celia would confront him about it, but when he realized she was oblivious, he chose to stay in the shadows

Option 4: I’m overthinking it and this is an example of Josh acts-of-service Rumble’s love language. He just wanted to see her be happy and credit was irrelevant to him (sweet, but now as likely in my eyes)

Option 5: he had no idea what the fuck he was doing. There was no plan, no thought process, it was entirely spur of the moment, he regretted it later

We can’t know which it was.

But this is early years. Josh has only recently figured out he has a crush, and it’s probably one of the first ones he’s had. He’s still figuring out where he stands.

If I were to make an educated guess, I’d say that Key to the Past’s Candy Gram was a test - both of himself and Celia. A test to see if she felt similarly, a test to see how he wanted to proceed, a test to see if he had the guts to send it in the first place.

It isn’t, at this point, a tradition. This is Josh’s launching point. His story very much does not end there.

In Flash of Red he does it again (FoR, 263).

And in Secrets Letters and Lies, again (SL&L, 410).

By this point, it’s is certifiably a Thing for him. The fact that he didn’t stop when Celia got a boyfriend tells me this is more about him than it is about her.

Yes, he wants her to notice him, and every year is a new chance for that, but he’s also self-soothing. He’s reaffirming his feelings and recommitting to seeing them through.

If you’ll recall, Secrets Letters and Lies is the year he reveals he has a “secret crush.” He’s in it for the long haul, and knows it. And he’s not afraid of what that means anymore. Or in any case, is more willing to own it. He still hasn’t confessed.

And Searching for Clues makes it clear that he has no immediate plan to (SfC, 542).

This (let’s hand it to him, he’s good at acting) well-played cover-up is not the actions of a guy who plans to tell Celia he likes her. This is premeditated subterfuge. He knew that Celia would ask about it, and prepared himself to answer flawlessly.

This makes sense for the timeline. Josh doesn’t confess until the Summer Tournament in The Gathering Storm, and even that seemed like a somewhat spontaneous action.

Josh by all rights seems as if he plans to hold his feelings in reserve indefinitely.

But he still sends Candy Grams.

And, by Valentine’s Day as a second-year, Celia knows who they’re from. (TGS, 640-1).

Okay, a couple things to notice here.

One: Josh still doesn’t put his name on the card, even though he’s now “out” so-to-speak

Two: This comes in the midst of a fight, but is not acting as an apology, and Celia doesn’t interpret it that way

Three: Celia says that she “might be behaving the same if the roles were reversed” which lends credence to any interpretation that she has

(Also, side note - the fact that Celia is like ‘he’s being stupid…but also I would do the exact same thing’ is so them. They were made for each other your honor).

Celia’s interpretation is that this is a symbol of Josh’s continued care for her, a care that has been both long-lasting and unbroken by their argument. I agree with this assessment, and I have a few things to add.

It’s important, I think, that Josh doesn’t put his name on the card. It’s a continuation of tradition, a parallel with all the Grams he has sent in the past, and so draws attention to the fact that his feelings aren’t new. But it also downplays the need for reciprocation. He isn’t saying ‘now that you’re single I’m going to court you.’ He’s saying ‘FYI I still care about you.’ It’s not a bold statement, it’s a gentle one.

Also, this is the first year that Celia has any real reaction to the Candy Gram. She feels “a distinct warmth” when considering it, and that warmth is specifically because it’s Josh. (Which- adorable).

The final year at Renasci, no Candy Gram is mentioned (TFW, 555).

The context is she’s severely overworking herself to the point where she’s entered a sort of trance-like state, and has completely lost track of time. She breaks out of this unawareness the week after Valentine’s Day. No Candy Gram is mentioned.

There’s two possibilities.

The first is that Josh did send a Candy Gram. It either didn’t get to her, because she had heavy-duty blocks set up around her desk, or she just fully didn’t notice.

The second is that he didn’t send one.

While we don’t know one way or another, the lack of later mention means the second one is more likely.

Before you get out of you chair in outrage, let me remind you of the situation.

Celia has a boatload of important, consuming stuff to do, and all of it needs to be done by a hard deadline, with her family’s lives hanging in the balance.

She hasn’t been taking care of herself, has been overworking her gifts to avoid sleep and slow down time, and has been neglecting her relationships with her friends and mentors.

Josh not sending Celia a Candy Gram when she has so much in her plate could act as an expression that he recognizes her priorities. He’s willing to wait, and Celia has a very good reason to keep him waiting. He defers to her reasoning, and doesn’t want to distract her.

It could also be something completely different. Maybe Melissa Gunther just forgot. But by God, I am going to read everything Josh ever does as an expression of love, and you can’t stop me.

When it comes to Josh Rumbles, actions speak louder than words, and Candy Grams can say more than they’ve ever been able to get across in discussion.

Excuse me while I go lose my mind.

[likelyamused]

Beginning / Previous / Next

Transcript below the cut.

[Popcorn munching]

[Squeals and laughs]

Max: You had to see this coming...?

Celia: Duh! That’s not why I like these.

[Laughs and groans of disgust]

Max: Then why do you like these old horror movies?

Celia: For the reactions they get from people... without all the special effects we have access to today. It takes a lot of creativity to stir the right emotions.

___________

Joana: I need help in the dining room. Can I get a hand? Lucas. Chris.

Kensia: Where’s the bathroom?

Shanna: Upstairs. Second door to the left. Come, I’ll show you.

Naya: Wait for me.

Max: Where did they all go?

Celia: I think they’re preparing their surprise for the cake or something.

Max: Do you like surprises?

Celia: I do, especially when it’s done with good intentions. You guys did all this for me, thinking of what I would like. It's really sweet.

Max: Glad to be a part of it then.

Celia: You don’t seem to be into surprises.

Max: Nah! Had too many bad ones to count. I like to control what’s going to happen.

Celia: You can’t control everything, though. How about spontaneity?

Max: You can be spontaneous and still be in control. I see it more like seizing an opportunity.

Celia: And what would push you to do that?

Max: [Shrugs] Confidence, trust... or lack thereof.

Celia: How about me? Do you trust me?

Max: [strained chuckle] I-why?

Celia: [disappointed] I guess you don’t.

Max: No, I do.

Celia: [...]

Max: Wha-

___________

Chris: I think we should give them a minute or two before we light the candles.

Joana:  Yeah, let's give them a minute.

___________

All singing: Happy birthday dear Celia, Happy birthday to youuuu!

[mischievouslittlecreature]

@runnning-outof-time Oh my god, just look at themmmmmmmm

I know it wasn't really a date, but goddamn did it feel like one! The flowers, the wine, the light banter....they're so perfect for one another. And Celia's little dance when Tommy told her he liked her stew was the cutest thing!

Sophia is a wonderful friend, and I'm so glad you've given Celia other women to spend time with! She's clearly such a sweet and friendly soul, so it makes sense for her to have quite a few friends. Her scolding John had me cackling.

Celia has some of the more relatable reactions! I also would be nervous to go into a room I'd heard Tommy shouting in. It was sweet how he immediately seemed to soften when he saw it was her, though!

I cannot wait to hear what the letter had in it!

To Be Alone | Tommy Shelby x OC | Chapter 10

Masterlist

Next Chapter

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x OC

Summary: Celia invites Tommy over to her new home as a thank you. There, he meets one of her family members. Celia then has a run-in with another Shelby at the hospital. Later, she goes to the betting shop in order to get to the bottom of a mysterious letter that showed up at her house with Tommy’s name on it.

Warnings: language, smoking, drinking

Word Count: 3592

A/N: I’m SO happy that you’re enjoying the development of Tommy and Celia’s relationship as much as I enjoy writing it! As always, feedback is appreciated! :)

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

———

"Hello, Ms. Gray. Are you here for those pieces that you requested to be adjusted?" Celia greeted one of her favorite customers right after she walked through the door.

"Yes, I am," Polly nodded her head and off Celia went. She retrieved the few things that were needed before meeting the older woman back at the counter. "How is that apartment treating you, Celia?" she questioned then, bills ready in hand as Celia tallied the total on the register.

"Oh, it's lovely, Polly. I feel so much happier when I am there," Celia beamed, becoming instantly happier just thinking of her place that she had worked to turn into a home in just the two short weeks since she had been living there.

"I am happy to hear that," Polly smiled knowingly, handing over the bills before she gathered the items in her hands.

"Wait, Polly, can I ask you something?" Celia stopped her then, not even noticing that she called her by her first name until after it was out. Polly didn't seem to mind though.

"And what's that?" she questioned, an intrigued look in her eyes.

"Could you possibly ask Tommy to stop by later this afternoon? Around four, when I get off of work," she asked hesitantly hoping she'd be able to relay the favor.

Polly's mouth parted into a slight 'o' shape. "Why would you want Thomas at your place? Is something wrong with it?" she questioned, her words relaying one message while her eyes and features thought up another.

"I just wanted to have him by for dinner. To formally thank him for practically giving me the apartment," she explained herself, her cheeks heating up slightly.

"I'll relay the message," Polly nodded her head firmly then, "can't guarantee he'll follow through. Boy's always got business on his mind."

"Thank you, Polly," Celia smiled at her, feeling slightly relieved that she agreed to do what she asked.

"Fair well, Celia," Polly smiled once more before she left the shop.

——

Things were going well. Celia had the fire lit, the windows opened, and the vase of flowers sitting on proud display in the center of the table. She was humming to herself as she worked on the stew she planned on making, hoping that Tommy would be alright with something simple. Her heart just about stopped when she heard a knock on the door. Was that him? Already?

"Ma?" she sounded confused when she pulled the door aside to reveal her mother, standing with a basket in her hands.

"Hello, dear!" Eliza greeted warmly as she stepped in once Celia made enough room for her to enter.

"What're you doing here, Ma?" Celia questioned. It's not that she didn't want to see her mother, it's that she didn't want to see her mother right now.

"What, I can't come to my daughter's home?" she questioned incredulously, a teasing glint in her eyes. "I've even brought you a housewarming basket. It's got some loaves of bread in it from the local baker's as well as some hand towels I've sewn myself," she remarked proudly then.

"That's lovely, mom, thank you, and it's not that it's just..." Celia sighed, feeling rather embarrassed to be in this position. Why should she be though? This was her house. She makes the rules here. So why did she feel like a teenager who got caught sneaking a boy into her parents house? "Well I've got someone coming over. I was expecting them soon," she told her mother then.

"Oh? Is William coming? I'd love to see him again," Eliza smiled at the thought of seeing the boy who made her daughter happy.

"He's not who I'm expecting. It's actually, erm..." two sharp knocks on the door stopped Celia before she was able to reveal who was coming, because that person had decided to now reveal themselves. "I think that's actually them," she stated, placing the spoon she was using down on the counter beside the stove before she moved towards the door to open it. It was no surprise to her when she opened the door to see Tommy Shelby there in a fine suit with a bottle of red wine in his hand. Her mother, on the other hand, was completely shocked, her mouth open in the shape of an 'o'. "Hi, Tommy," Celia smiled, stepping aside for him to enter the apartment, which he did, taking his peaked cap off when he stepped across the threshold...the peaked cap that had razor blades sewn into it. Oh this wasn't a good idea.

"Hello, Celia. I've brought this as a housewarming present since you've so graciously invited me to dinner with you," he stated, holding the wine up into view and allowing her to take it.

"The flowers were enough, Tommy," she stated bashfully, accepting the wine anyway when he didn't move from his position, "now I'm going to have to invite you over again to thank you for this, what type even is this?" she said before examining the wine. She had never seen the regal looking label in her life.

"And I'd accept that also," he nodded, a smirk forming on his features that Celia rolled her eyes at. "It's imported directly from Italy. Polly drinks it. Gave me a bottle to bring. She said it's good. I wouldn't know though. Not much of a wine drinker myself," he explained the wine's origin then.

"Care to introduce your friend, Celia?" Eliza piped up before Celia could say anything, sending her daughter a suggestive smirk, to which Celia glared at.

"Fine then. Ma, this is Tommy. Tommy, this is my mother, Eliza Farraday," Celia then proceeded with the introductions, watching as Tommy stepped over to where her mother was sitting and reached his hand out to her.

"Thomas Shelby," he formally introduced himself, remaining straight-faced as her mother stood before shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Thomas," she smiled, shaking his hand before looking him up and down, "you own that betting shop on Watery Lane, don't you?" she questioned then.

"'S one of the ways I make a living," Tommy nodded his head, his hands going into his pockets then.

"My husband's been to your shop a few times," she started, making Celia tense up. Here we go. Tommy mumbled an 'oh' before she continued. "One of your men kicked him out for good. Joe said he was told he was being too brash with the bet-takers," she shook her head as she remembered it. Celia didn't know where she was going with this and it sort of scared her. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to give her houseguest a lecture.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but if they..."

"No, no, I'm not mad at that. If anything I wish there would be some of your men at the other places he goes to piss our money away," she cut him off, bitterness in her words as she talked about her husband's problems. She took a deep breath, composing herself before she spoke again, "I'm sorry for putting a damper on things," she sighed before smiling at the two, "I'll leave you two alone now."

"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Farraday," Tommy nodded to her as she moved towards the door, Celia following her.

"It was nice meeting you too, Mr. Shelby. Look out for my daughter, please," she responded, sending Tommy a look that Celia couldn't decode, but Tommy seemed to understand.

"I will," he nodded once more, watching as Celia gave her mother a hug and opened the door.

After promising that she'd still stop by her parent's from time to time, she shut the door once more, leaving her and Tommy alone. "I'm sorry about that," she stated, eyes shifting everywhere but to the man standing across from her.

"Don't be. It was nice to meet her. She seems like a good person," he brushed off her apology, shaking his head.

"She's the best," Celia agreed to his statement with a smile.

"If you'll excuse me..." he cleared his throat then, reaching into his pants pocket for his pack of cigarettes, "I need to smoke," he said then, moving towards the door with the intent to do it outside.

"There's no need for that, Tommy," Celia stopped him just as he opened the door. Frozen with the doorknob in his hand, he turned to look at her, "you can smoke in here. I don't mind," she told him, watching as he nodded his head and shut the door. She watched him then as he lit a cigarette and looked around the room.

"I like what you've done with the place," he spoke after a moment of silence. Celia smiled at his statement.

"What do you think of the flowers?" she asked with a grin then. Tommy chuckled, obviously knowing she was talking about the flowers that he had gifted her when she first moved in. How she managed to keep them alive for that long was beyond him.

"I think they tie the place together. Would've gotten you something else had I known you were gonna fill all of the window ledges with plants though," he responded, motioning to the substantial amount of greenery that was thriving thanks to the sunlight shining in through the windows. Ok, so she was a plant lady, so what? Seeing them lined up against the windows brought her happiness.

"I use them for cooking. They serve a purpose, but they're just boring and green," Celia explained the reason behind the vast amount of plants on the ledges as she looked over at them, "the flowers you gave me are beautiful. And I love them dearly," she smiled back at Tommy before she looked down at her stew again. "It's about finished," she stated then, moving the pot off the flame before grabbing two bowls, "I hope you're going to eat some."

"I came with an empty stomach," he grinned. Celia then moved to the table with two bowls, setting one down in front of each of the chairs before she moved the basket her mother gave her over to the counter.

"I've got some bread here too, compliments of my mother," she stated, cutting a few pieces from the loaf before she brought those over as well. They both sat down then, and Celia watched as Tommy tried a spoonful. He then looked at her, chuckling as he saw her intent expression. "So how is it?" she asked him the second he stopped chewing.

"It's good, love," Tommy answered, chuckling as she did a little happy dance in her seat before she started to eat too. Celia couldn't wipe the smile off of her face for the rest of the evening.

——

"I just don't know what to do, Sophia," Celia sighed, running a stressed hand through her hair.

"More trouble in paradise?" she questioned, her eyebrows raised.

"I think I've been out of paradise for a while," Celia started matter-of-factly then.

"Then maybe it's time to end it," Sophia suggested. Celia stopped the mopping she was doing and looked over at her friend, "I'm serious, Cel. You've said it yourself just now. If it's not paradise, then why are you wasting your time? You seem to be having more fun with Tommy Shelby, inviting him to dinner and whatnot."

"Tommy is a friend, and the dinner was me thanking him for the apartment," Celia stated sternly. Sophia gave her a look.

"I'm not commenting further," she shook her head, making Celia huff, her mind processing the things that had just been said. She wasn't wrong in saying that her and William were far from 'paradise' in terms of a romantic relationship. Sure, they still spent time together, but there was barely any physical aspect. Hell, he hardly ever held her hand or linked his arm with her's anymore.

With a sigh, Celia spoke again, "I don't know, Soph. I just wish...I guess I just want some proof. Some type of confirmation that he's feeling this way too. Cuz if he's just grand, and I'm stuck feeling like this, I'm not going to be able to be with him much longer," she tried to put what she was thinking and feeling into words.

"I understand that completely. I think you at least deserve an explanation from him. You want to know if the past two months meant anything to him cuz they meant something to you," Sophia affirmed what Celia was saying, and that brought her comfort. It felt good to know that there was someone in her corner.

Before anything else could be said, the doors to the hospital opened to show a woman with her head down, looking concernedly at the younger girl she held in her arms. The girl was whining and clutching onto her wrist. "Could you help me please?!" she asked frantically as she approached the desk. As soon as she looked up, Celia identified the woman as Esme...John's wife. Celia was now even more worried for the child in Esme's arms.

"Yes, ma'am, I can," Sophia responded, moving around the desk to take a closer look at the child, "what's happened?" she asked, focusing on the wrist that the girl was clutching.

"She was playing on a tree at the park and she fell onto her arm weirdly. I think it may be broken," Esme explained, now calmer after the initial rush into the building. The girl has also calmed down more too.

"Alright. I will get her checked in and we'll take her right back to a room," Sophia explained, directing the woman to follow her, shooting Celia a glance before she left. Celia just sighed and went back to mopping the floor.

Then the doors opened again. "Where the fuck is me daughter?!" a familiar voice boomed through the otherwise empty reception room. The loudness of it made Celia jump and turn around to see who its owner was.

"John Shelby, you cannot be screaming like that in here. You'll scare the patients," Celia scolded him slightly, setting her mop down for the second time that day. She laughed to herself when she realized that this wasn't the first time she had scolded a Shelby for yelling in the hospital's halls.

"Where's me daughter, Celia?" he asked her once he realized who was talking to him.

"Esme brought her in. They took her right back to a room, to treat her arm because they think it may be broken," she filled him in, watching as he drug a stressed hand through his hair.

"Are you a nurse here?" he asked her an unrelated question then.

"No. I just clean," she responded, motioning to the mop and bucket that were leaning against the wall just to her left.

"Then how do you know all this, eh?" he asked another question, eyebrows furrowed as his voice strained.

"I was out here when Esme brought her in. My friend is the nurse who's attending to her," she gave him more answers before sending him a sympathetic look. "She's gonna be alright, John," she told him then, nodding her head assuringly when he looked over to her.

"Am I able to go back with her?"

"Yeah, although I'd advise against running back there like a madman. Keep your wits about you, yeah?" she smiled at him, feeling slightly better when he let out a chuckle and smiled back.

"Yeah," he agreed, chuckling once more, "thanks, Celia," he said before going to walk down the hallway and find his wife and daughter. Celia, once again, grabbed her mop and continued going on the floors. She hoped that would be the last bit of excitement for the night. She really needed to get the floors done.

——

Celia walked down Watery Lane, which was now a familiar street to her, although she had a different destination in mind. Stopping at the door she was looking for, she knocked three times to have it opened by a man who dressed in a similar style to Tommy, although his suit did not look as high-end.

"Are you here for something, miss?" the man asked her, peering around her at first before he focused his eyes back on her figure.

"Uh yes...I'm here to see Tommy Shelby," she answered, attempting to peer around him then, seeing nothing though because his stature was so big.

"Do you have an appointment?" the man asked in a rather imposing way, eyebrows raised. Tommy Shelby must've been a well sought after man, Celia thought to herself.

"No, I don't," she started, rushing to continue before the man shut the door in her face, because he looked like he was about to, "but I have this letter. It showed up at my home and it's addressed to him," she finished her statement by holding up said letter, clearly showing that it was addressed to Mr. Thomas Shelby.

"I'll take it to him then," the man stated, reaching forward for the letter, but he was unable to grasp it because Celia had moved it away from him.

"I'm sorry, but I'd like to be the one that gives it to him," she was stern with her statement, her expression telling the man she wouldn't take no for an answer. The man sighed then, stepping aside to let her enter while mumbling something that Celia couldn't be too concerned to hear. He then pointed her in the direction of Tommy's office and she set off for it. Her next obstacle was a woman who had short, dark, almost black, hair, sitting behind a desk next to the door that had a placard that read 'T. Shelby' on it. She looked up from her paperwork, the 'what do you want?' expression clear on her face. So Celia explained herself once more: "I'm here to see Tommy Shelby. I received a letter addressed to him at my house and I'd like to give it to him."

"You couldn't have just mailed it?" she asked, propping her chin up on her hand after she rested it on the desk, an uninterested look on her face.

"I wanted to give it to him personally. I'm his friend and, well, uh..."

"Oh you're his friend?" the woman cut her off, a suggestive glint in her eye. Celia knew exactly what she was thinking. She didn't need this right now.

"Yeah. His friend," she responded, stressing the word, no double meaning to it in her mind although the woman didn't look to be so easily swayed. Letting out a huff of annoyance, which was building inside of her by the second, she glared at the woman, "is he in his office or not?" she asked then, hand on her hip.

"Yes he is. Go ahead," the woman waved her along and Celia didn't waste a second before she was at the door, going to knock before she entered, of course.

Before she was able to, she heard Tommy's voice, and he didn't sound happy. "It's not that fuckin' hard to understand. You're going to put the alcohol under the automobile parts and then you're going to fuckin' ship it to America." Celia hadn't heard him speak like this before and it made her hesitant to face him. She had to though. She had to get to the bottom of this note and the burly, intimidating man that delivered it to her.

"Careful," the woman at the desk spoke almost teasingly, a smirk on her face. That was all Celia needed to go ahead and knock. She’d do anything to get away from this witch.

"What?!" Tommy then yelled in response, obviously unhappy with the visitor, even though he didn't know who it was. This made Celia nervous again.

Soon enough the door was opened to show Arthur. "Ease up, Tom, eh? It's only Celia," Arthur called to his brother before greeting the lady waiting with a smile. "Come on in then," he waved her to walk past him and she listened, stepping into the rather elaborate office with the letter clasped in her hands. She still felt shy as she stared at Tommy, who was just finishing what was left of his glass of whisky, a cigarette perched between his fingers.

"Hello, Celia," he spoke in a low voice before he cleared his throat, almost like he was trying to compose himself, "why are you here?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Not that we don't wanna see ya, love," Arthur chimed in as he sat back down in one of the chairs that was across from Tommy's wooden desk. Celia sent him a smile before she focused on the task at hand.

"I have this letter for you," she started, happy her voice wasn't squeaky like a shy child because that's certainly what she felt like right now, "it's addressed to you and was brought to my house by a man." she finished, handing the letter over to Tommy, who studied it with furrowed eyebrows.

He then ripped the seal off of it and unfolded the letter that was inside. Celia waited with bated breath as his eyes scanned the page. "Fuck," he breathed then, dropping the letter to his desk as his hand came up to rub his eyes.

"What, Tommy?" Celia and Arthur said at practically the same time, both of them curious as to what the contents of the letter were.

"You're going to have to leave your apartment, Celia."

———

Post note: bit of a cliff-hanger!! What do we think is in the letter??

Tagged: @mootiemoose @theshelbyclan @alreadybroken-ts @cloudofdisney @stevie75

[bunny-lou]

Can you write a hevie fic where gil n harry needs tutoring for their chemistry class and evie helps them, but she has her attention on harry more than gil.

This has been sitting in my inbox for well over a year. Sorry it took me so long to get to @lumbarilion! I hope it's worth the wait :)

---

Auradon is very nice if you ask Gil. Which most people never do - ask him, that is. But that's okay because he likes to say what he's thinking. He likes to hear what other people are thinking too. They have big beds and warm food and grass that is soft under his feet. Auradon has really nice people too - like their counselors and the tourney team and Evie.

Evie is really really nice.

Uma didn't like it that Gil and Harry were spending so much time with one of Mal's crew at first, but she came around. Now, she and Mal even spend time together - making art and going into town. Sometimes they even hold hands and that makes Gil happy because he likes for Uma to be happy.

Evie likes to hold hands too, but only with Harry.

There's a chemistry book on the table in front of them. Evie is seated in between Gil and Harry, her hand resting on Harry's wrist. There's a lot of colors in the book and the pages are shiny and clean. This book is about the periodic table of elements, which are the things that make up everything else, even Gil.

"Ya must be made of copper and tellurium," Harry tells Evie as he points to two squares on the pages. "Because ya're CuTe."

Evie laughs and swats at him. "That's awful, where did you get that from?"

"I asked Doug for some pointers."

"Are you replacing me as your chemistry tutor?"

Harry places a hand to his chest. "Never!"

"No way!" Gil agrees and pats Evie's shoulder. "You're the best tutor ever, Evie."

She turns and bats her eyes at him. "Well thank you Gil. I'm lucky I have such eager students." She turns back to Harry and makes a face Gil can't see.

"I'm eager for a lot." Harry tells her with raised eyebrows.

Gil taps at the book. "So these guys at the beginning, these are the... Alky metals?"

"Alkali metals," Evie corrects gently. "There are the highly reactive metals."

"I'm a bit highly reactive mahself."

Evie giggles at Harry and tosses her hair over her shoulder. "You're more like an exothermic reaction." She leans closer to his face. "Because your spreading hotness everywhere."

"And the opposite is the..." Gil places a finger to his lips, "endothermic reaction...which is when heat is taken in, right?"

"Excellent Gil!"

"Atta boy Gilly!"

He grins at both of their praises. No one was ever this nice on the Isle, none of them were allowed to be. Now in Auradon, Evie and even Harry are nicer to Gil because that's okay here.

"Man, when I finally take a chemistry class, I'm going to do so good in the class!"

Evie cocks her head. "You're not in a chemistry class right now?"

Gil shakes his head. "No, I'm still in the general science class. That and algebra and chivalry and history of Auradon. I should take chemistry next year though." He puffs his chest out proudly. "I wanted to start studying now so I can show Fairy Godmother and Mr. Hamada how smart I am."

"Oh Gil, that's so sweet." Evie pats his arm, but it's different than when she touches Harry. "All of teachers are so proud of how far you have all come. They're all amazed by Isle kids."

"Good. Because you and Harry and Uma and Mal and Jay and Carlos and Dizzy and Celia and Squeaky and Sq-."

"We're all smart, Gilly." Harry grins at him. "We'll be upstaging these Auradon kids in no time."

"But if you don't have a chemistry class right now, how about you let Harry and I study, just the two of us?" Evie asks with a smile. "That way he and I can focus on...his chemistry homework together.

"It may not be homework," Harry rests his chin on her shoulder, "but it'll definitely be chemistry between us."

Gil feels just the smallest bit of sadness in his chest. Evie's right, Gil should let them study since Harry actually has to pass a class, he just wishes he could spend more time with both of them. "Okay, I'll go for a run or something." Because even if he's sad about not spending time with them right now, he still likes sunlight and warm air and the smell of fresh cut grass.

"And you can come join chemistry club with me!" Evie squeaks and claps her hands. "We meet every Thursday, Doug and Carlos are a part of it too, we'd love to have you!"

"Chemistry club?" Gil perks his head up. That sounds like fun. "Can Harry and Uma come too?"

"Of course!" Evie grabs his hand. "It's open for everyone."

Gil grins. "Cool! I can't wait."

Harry grins right back at him. "How about ya go find Jay for some tourney fun while Evie and I study?" He nuzzles Evie's cheek. "I hear chemists like to do it on the table periodically."

[imagineredwood]

Request: Coco and Reader being worried about telling Letti that Y/n is pregnant but Letti is actually supportive and even more happy than the parents to be and even starts planning the baby shower

Pairing: Coco Cruz x reader, Letty as an almost stepdaughter 

Warnings: Talk of Letty’s past and Celia, nothing graphic 

Word count: 1.3k

“I don’t know Johnny. What if she flips?”

Shaking his head, Coco huffed.

“What choice do we have? What, you wanna try and keep it a secret? Tell her you just swallowed a fuckin’ watermelon?”

You stared at him for a few seconds before choking out a laugh. He gave a small laugh but then went back to scowling. You continued to laugh but let it die down seeing the look on his face.

“I’m sorry for laughing. I just…I don’t know.”

Shrugging, you sat down on the side of the bed beside him, hanging off his right shoulder as you thought. Letty had had a difficult life, struggling through things still as a minor that most people never had to deal with in a lifetime. She was layered and at times difficult, but she was a sweet girl when comfortable and things had finally gotten to a relatively normal place in the house, or at least as normal as the Cruz family could be. She had settled down some, getting to spend time with Coco as a father. They went out for lunch and ice cream, he took her shopping and made sure she helped around the house. He did what he could to try and make up for lost time and provide some semblance of a normal family. Something the neither she nor he had gotten. Yet now that the dust had finally settled, one more thing came up and kicked it back up.

You were pregnant.

Letty had been enjoying spending time together, just the three of you. You never once tried to take the place of a mother in her life but that was more or less what you had become, even if no one was saying it. She thought of you as a mom and Coco as a dad and now that she was finally starting to get treated like she was supposed to, a baby was going to be brought into the mix. That fact had worried both you and Coco equally. What if she felt neglected? What if she felt the baby took her place when she just barely was getting into it? What if she felt she was being cast aside? Those were things that you and Coco knew not to be true. You would never allow her to feel unwanted again, no matter what the circumstances were, but how was she supposed to know that?

The worry ate at the two of you and you knew that you would have to tell her, as Coco had pointed out, she would find out anyway once you started to show and the last thing you wanted was for her to think you were trying to keep it from her. Heaving a sigh, you pulled yourself away from leaning on Coco and he looked over at you.

“What are we doing, babe?”

With a smile, you stood and held your hand out to him.

“We’re telling her. We’re a family and she deserves to know, whether she’s happy or not, she should know what’s going on.”

Coco stayed still but then nodded slowly, standing from the bed as well and taking your hand. The two of you walked out of the bedroom and into the dining room, Coco calling out for her.

“Leticia!”

“Coming!”

You both took your seats at the table in the chairs you always sat and waited for her to come. Soon enough she was walking out of the room, smoothing down the front of her t-shirt and looking for Coco. Seeing the two of you sat at the table, she immediately knew something was up and stopped in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?”

Shaking his head, Coco patted his hand on the glass table next to him.

“Nothing. Come sit down.”

Letty didn’t move, her eyes wide and shifting between the two of you, trying to read the room. She was nervous and on alert and your heart broke for her, no doubt her mind thinking that she had done something wrong and was going to be punished for it. Making sure to keep your voice low, you gave her a warm smile and held your hand out to her.

“Come, Leticia. You’re not in trouble. We just want to talk.”

You could see her shoulders relax some, but she stayed standing in the same place.

“Talk about what?”

Coco looked back at you and you glanced at him before returning your eyes to Letty.

“About our family and how we’re all growing together.”

That settled her some and she nodded, crossing the rest of the distance to sit in her seat. There was a beat of silence, neither you or Coco knowing who should start and Letty’s eyes were burning into you as the seconds passed. Coco cleared his throat and decided to start, seeing as he was her father.

“I know you’ve had a rough time up until this point. I know that a lot of that is because of me. I left you with a lie thinking I was your brother because I wanted to protect you. I thought Celia could give you a better life than I ever could, but I was wrong, and me being wrong left you to go through a lot of shit that you should’ve never had to deal with. And that’s on me, I fucked up.”

Coco looked at her intently, hand pressed to his chest as he spoke in earnest. Letty nodded, understanding what he was saying but not understanding why he was saying it.

“I know, Coco. We’ve gone over this.”

Her voice was unsure, and she looked over at you to see your reaction. A small smile is what you offered her. With Coco speaking again, she looked back at him.

“I’m trying to fix things and do them right. To make up for where I failed. And now we have a pretty good life because you’re a part of it.”

Letty looked down and tried to hide behind her hair to ease the bashfulness before looking back up.

“Ok, but what does this mean? Where is this coming from?”

Coco didn’t have an answer for that one and looked over at you, passing you the baton.

“We love you, Letty. We’re thankful for you and we’re happy that we have you here with us and we want to make sure that you always know and feel that.”

She nodded suspiciously and you figured it was best to just come out with it.

“We’re expecting a baby and we want to make sure that you’re here with us along the way, continuing to be as important as you always are.”

It took her a moment to catch up and her eyes widened when she did. She stood up from the chair quickly, the legs scraping loudly across the floor.

“You’re pregnant? Like for real? Swear to god?”

You nodded slowly, suppressing a wince as you feared the worse. Suddenly her lips were spreading into an ear to ear grin though and she clasped her hands together in joy, bouncing a few times on the balls of her feet.

“Holy fuck! You’re really gonna have a baby? That’s awesome!”

She laughed happily and walked around to where you and Coco sat, wrapping her arms around both of your shoulders in a quick hug.

“I’m so happy for you guys. Shit! We have to start planning a baby shower. We have to put a registry together. Make a list and start figuring out what we need and where we’re gonna get stuff from. Is it a boy or a girl? Or do you not even know yet? Oh my god.”

She took a deep breath then, trying to catch it and both you and Coco chuckled, the heavy weight of worry being lifted. Standing from the table, you walked with her to the living room as she motioned for you to follow, her phone already out and browsing through Target’s party decorations page.  

[scmethingsweet]

❝ i think it should have been you embarrassed of me. you're a woman of every man's dream , and i can't say i've exactly been many women's first choice. ❞ there are still days in which logan finds himself believing that maggie is too good for him. questioning how a woman like her had ever agreed to become his wife. there is no doubt in the male's mind that she could easily have any man that she wanted , but he would always be grateful she picked him. before maggie most of the relationships he had with women tended to only be a casual thing , and truthfully he hadn't even thought about the possibility of him or even maggie running into one of those past flings. ❝ maybe you don't see yourself as perfect but to me you're always going to be , and always be out of my league. so consider this as me admitting that i will count my blessings to have such an amazing wife. ❞ logan speaks with nothing but affection in his tone. a tone that has become his usual whenever speaking with her. he always made sure to go out of his way to make it known just how much that he loves her , and now they are going to be welcoming a human that is half of both of them. secretly he is hoping that they end up being more like maggie than himself.

he does greatly fear the reaction that they will get the moment that the news is out about maggie being pregnant. ❝ i don't want you to worry about celia , i will let her cool down before trying to reach out to her. i know i should be the one to tell her , but i am going to ask clay to break the news to her. he has a way with words and maybe he can make her see it differently. ❞ logan doesn't want to have maggie worrying about anything and that included whatever possibly feelings his younger sister may have. ❝ i know that you're right. just like i know that there is no point in worrying about things we don't know will or won't happen. for now i don't want to worry about them. this isn't a moment that should be ruined by the possible negativity of others. ❞ he speaks in a soft tone. ❝ well i would like to believe that we will be wanting more in the future? ❞ logan hadn't really thought about how maggie may feel about the idea of having more than one child. ❝ i will never look at you any different. if anything i will look at you in awe at the changes your body will make in order to house our child. ❞ finishing his words before his lips meet her's as he gives her a sweet kiss.

"That's what I kept telling her but she didn't believe me," Maggie said with a laugh. She had never felt like she was something to stay hidden, at least not for the same reasons her best friend seemed to think. She knew Logan wasn't ashamed of her or trying to keep her secret so he could sleep with many women in town. But the second they went out among others, what they had would became real, too real and he was not ready. Because going public with her meant that he suddenly had something to loose too, that he had her and could loose her. And the same was true of Maggie. They were not supposed to be anything serious, anything real but they were and it scared her for the longest time. It scared her up until the moment she told Logan she would follow him anywhere, when she made the decision that he was her future and what she wanted more than anything. "Stop, we both know I'm far from perfect. And that I could never be ashamed of you either." Maggie knew that being pregnant would complicated things with their family. Everyone had thought so, that they eloped because she was pregnant and they said it wasn't that. And it wasn't a lie, when they got married, she wasn't pregnant yet. But now she was and it was another gift from Logan, from life.

"It will be another shock for everyone," she sighed. "I'll talk to her, explain that we both didn't know. And if it matters to you, I wasn't pregnant when we got married. But that wedding night? That's when we really started our family." Their family, the sound of that made her smile bigger than she ever had before. "I don't have any doubts in you or in us. Our families will eventually see it our way. They're surprised but once they see us happy and raising our kids, they won't have anything to say about it." And if they did, it wouldn't be any of her problems. Maggie wanted to focus on what they were building, that was what mattered the most to her. "Hopefully a first of many?" It was ridiculous to think that far ahead but she couldn't help it. She wanted nothing more than to have a big family with Logan, to have a house full of chaos, screaming and laughters. "You better never turn it down," she teased him. "And when I'm enormous and swollen, you'll have to still look at me the same way."