#franny has feelings about music

[pookiebearmick]

Aching for some slow dancing or touching their waist to move past them for the prompts 🙏

i just feel like ian would always be wanting to slow dance with mickey. like all the time. he'd be a little cheeseball and put on music and make mickey dance with him just because he loves him and wants to be close to his hubby <3

Mickey always lets Ian pick the music when they're cooking together, and Ian is always grateful. He loves Mickey's dad rock Spotify playlists, but after listening to them all day when they're out on the job, all Ian really wants to put on some slow, soft, indie music to help him relax.

He and Mickey jabber their way through making supper, Ian talking about some family drama happening between Lip and Tami and Mickey going on about Iggy trying to find a legal job. They keep yapping all the way through their meal, too, just enjoying hearing each other talk. Listening to the other's stories about what's going on with their respective in-laws, mostly, since they spend pretty much all day together.

Once they're done eating, Ian gets up and takes their dishes to the sink while Mickey reminds him that they need to kid-proof the apartment for Franny's stay this weekend. Ian chuckles and gives a quiet "I know, Mick, I remember" as he grabs his phone and changes the music.

He turns back to Mickey, a big grin on his face, as the strings start playing over the small speaker.

♫ At last...

My love has come along ♫

He holds out his hands for Mickey, who rolls his eyes, but still takes them and stands with a grin.

"Fuckin' sap," Mickey teases, shaking his head with a small chuckle and wrapping his arms around Ian's waist.

♫ My lonely days, are over ♫

"You know it, baby," Ian smiles, leaning in to Mickey's teasing and wrapping his arms around his husband.

♫ And life is like a song...

Oh, yeah, yeah ♫

Ian pulls Mickey close and Mickey leans his head on Ian's chest, letting him take the lead in swaying them back and forth to the music.

♫ At last

The skies above are blue ♫

They move back and forth together in their small kitchen and dining space, swaying along to the music and enjoying a soft moment made just for them.

This, Ian thinks, is the perfect way to finish a busy Tuesday.

[junedenim]

have lunch with the english

part 1 part 2

one day at home

warnings: fluff, smut, angst (the triple cocktail)

word count: 10.1k

The plane ride is rough. For the first hour, he zones out and watches the airplane-provided entertainment because that's what Lottie would do. It's episodes of Friends and it grows tiresome around the tenth laugh track. He switches to music in the second hour and in the third hour, after the cold but edible meal, he tries to fall asleep. He thinks he makes it an hour before a baby starts crying. Then, he thinks of Franny but then again everything reminds him of Franny.

He's in and out of sleep after that. The baby cries for the rest of the flight and Friends has switched to Planet Earth so he settles for listening to David Attenborough for the rest of the flight instead. 

The flight lands at 10 AM London time, but he feels like it's 2 AM. It takes him too long to get through customs as someone with a British passport but the guy is certain that his picture doesn't match his face. That's what he gets for updating his passport when he still had the goatee. 

He's still rubbing his eyes going down the escalator. At the bottom, Franny on her hip, stands Lottie. Bell-bottom jeans and that short-sleeve white blouse Franny loves so much because she gets to play with the buttons on it. A distracted Lottie coos Franny, bouncing her on her hip, which means he narrowly missed a crying Franny. Franny, dressed eerily similar to her mother (seriously, this kid ignored all his genes besides his brown hair), giggles ferociously. Lottie laughs back and it's cheesy to say but it mends something in him. Shoots him awake after any restless sleep.

"You look like you were woken by a toddler at 4. Wait, that was me." Lottie is the same as she's always been. She keeps her hair long because Franny likes to tug on it. Her eyes show no signs of tiredness like his do. Her smile, always bright.

Franny makes grabby hands at him as he approaches. Alex takes her, planting a kiss on her chubby cheeks. "I practically was. Baby crying the whole flight. Hi." He grabs the back of Lottie's head and pecks her lips.

Her hand lands on his chest, stroking his collarbone. She puckers her lips in reciprocation. "That poor mother." Lottie holds the belief that Franny likes Alex more than her because Franny never cries when Alex holds her. He finds that untrue but Lottie has always been stubborn in her beliefs.

"Why'd she wake up?" Alex asks. Franny tugs on his hair and falls onto his cheek, her lips slobbering over his cheek. He knows Lottie will likely use this in a later argument she has about who Franny loves more.

"Hungry. Always hungry. And whining 'Papa! Papa!' because I made her eat Cheerios."

Alex huffs. "She doesn't love me more than you, Lot, and since when does she call me Papa?"

Lottie sighs and practically stomps her foot. Sometimes it's like Franny isn't the only toddler. "It's bad enough she loves you more than me, she has to call you dad too. I can't have anything be French. So dull." Yeah, that argument comes up a lot too.

"She calls you maman."

Lottie rolls her eyes. "She calls me 'Ma.'"

Alex laughs. "She can barely get two syllables out. You want her saying se branler."

Lottie bolds her eyes and juts her head out. "Alex! Don't talk about jerking off and our daughter in the same sentence."

Her voice is loud and causes him to look around Heathrow for any shocked onlookers. "When did you become so stuck? I thought the French were supposed to be adventurous."

"She isn't even 2 and you want her to start talking about masturbation. I always knew you were a pig."

He chuckles and kisses her again. He's missed her. He thinks he'll spend his whole life missing her, even though he has her now. Franny just makes that ache even worse. "Where's her stroller?"

"I left it in the car. I didn't want to set up the whole thing if she was going to insist I carry her anyway. I can drag your carry-on."

"No, I got it."

She's got her hands on the handle before he can grab it. "I can manage the carry-on, Alex. You hold your daughter."

Alex wraps his arm around her and there's a crack down his spine where everything aligns again. "What'd my girls get up to while I was gone?" They talked every night—well, night for her, afternoon for him—but hearing it from her in person is always nice.

"Same old. I've got a last-minute opening I have to go to tonight."

"Really? Can I come?"

She looks over puzzled at him. "You want to come to some dumb uni student's gallery opening?"

"Yeah, we'll make a night of it."

"The last time we made 'a night of it' Francoise happened."

"I think Franny's pretty nice."

"Because Francoise likes you."

"Maybe if you called her Franny she'd like you more."

"It sounds like Fanny. I don't want my daughter to be called fanny."

"Shall I start calling you Charlotte then?"

"Ew, even my name is stolen by the English. Why can't she go by her beautiful French name? Is that so hard?"

He finds it's best to change the subject when Lottie gets caught in these knots. "Do you want to go to Bouchon Racine tonight?"

She's giddy and jumping—skipping toward their parked car. "Ooh, can we? Can we?" He laughs at her, so full of childish giddiness, a quality that has only expanded with Franny. "I want to bring home a bucket of their olives."

"You know they are probably the same ones they have at Tesco." They definitely are. When she was pregnant she insisted on olives, olives, olives, and he quickly realized she could never tell the difference between whether the olives were from a can or special-ordered from Bouchon Racine.

"Maybe we should name her Olive," he suggested one night. 

Lottie, who was balancing a bowl nearly overflowing with olives on her stomach, sat up quickly, which was a shocking sight; she must have been 8 months pregnant by that point. "She will not be named Olive. You English naming your children after food. We might as well name her Steak or Potato."

"No, they're not!" She insists. "They coat them in something different. You can't tell. You don't have a refined palette like me."

"Alright, I believe ya."

"Olive," Franny sounds, clapping her hands together.

Lottie points her hand at Franny. "See! Even she knows they're different."

"Do you want me to drive?" He asks.

She thinks for a moment. "Uh, no. I'll do it. I told Francoise we'd go to the park today." She reaches into her pocket and grabs the keys, twirling them around her finger.

"Okay, we can go after we park." They've reached the car and he opens the backseat door for Franny while Lottie places his suitcase in the caboose.

"You sure? I can just take her." 

"Nonsense. I've missed my girls."

"Nonsense," Lottie imitates like he's a ghastly old British man (something she would say he is). She slips into the driver's seat as he secures Franny in her car seat.

She's started the car before he's even in the passenger seat. "Should I call Laurie for tonight?"

"She can't. She has a date tonight," Lottie says as she backs out of the parking spot.

Alex chuckles. "You know when our babysitter has a date?"

"Yes, Alex, unlike you I talk to Laurie."

"I talk to her!" Alex insists.

Lottie snorts and shakes her head. "You pay her at the end of the night like 'uh, here's, uh, your money, miss, uh.'"

"I don't do that. Most women would be happy I don't talk to the babysitter."

"I should be happy you're not making out with the babysitter? What high standards? Especially considering how we started." Yeah, he should have seen that one coming.

"What? Like you regret it?"

"No, and I'm sure when you run off with the babysitter she won't regret it either. Meanwhile, I'll be sitting all alone, except I won't even have branded you, I'll just have a baby."

"If you want me to get it removed, I'll get it removed." Nowadays, the tattoo that sits on his arm is generally covered by his shirt. Sometimes Lottie stares at it in the dead of night.

Lottie rolls her eyes. "Why do I have to want it to be removed? Shouldn't you want it to be removed?"

"When I made the appointment, you told me not to do it."

"I would have told you not to get the tattoo in the first place."

"Well, where were you?"

She giggles and reaches out to fluff her hand through his hair. He gives her a boyish grin, the one that makes him seem a decade younger, traveling through Brussels. Franny erupts in giggles from the backseat and Alex spends the rest of the car ride babbling away with her.

They arrive home around a half hour later, luckily not hitting much traffic. Lottie gets whiny in traffic. The house seems the same as when he left it two weeks ago. Franny's toys scattered on the carpet in front of the TV, Lottie's laptop left open on the kitchen counter, his coffee mug that he left atop his piano still sits empty and unwashed. He's comforted that the painting on Lottie's mini easel is a different unfinished painting meaning she was able to do something other than working and caring for Franny while he was gone.

"Francoise, pourquoi ne montres-tu pas à papa ce que tu as fait?" Franny at nearly 2 years old is better at French than him, go figure.

She walks quickly, scuffing her feet on the wooden floor as she rushes off to her bedroom. "You didn't tell me you finished your painting?" Alex teasingly asks her. Lottie's still so overprotective about it, not wanting him to stare at her while she does it.

Alex sits with a tiresome sigh on the couch. Lottie kneels on the floor, trying to clear some of Franny's plastic kitchen items off the carpet. "That's part of your surprise tonight." She's moving toward him on her knees, closer and closer, until she leans over, placing her hands on his thighs. 

He raises his eyebrows. "My surprise?"

She smirks. "Yeah, you have a surprise tonight. I didn't tell you that?" She leans back on her feet as Franny comes toddling back in with a piece of paper. 

"Papa! Ah, papa!" He swears Lottie's smile turns into a wry Grinch smile.

"It's what you get for being gone," Lottie tells him. She might as well start taunting him with "Nana, nana, boo, boo."

"Look," Franny tells him, lifting up the piece of paper. It's abstract, to say the least. There are squiggles from crayons and a stick figure that has pipe cleaners glued onto its head for hair, which means Lottie did that part. There are paint imprints from flowers, which must be from the small garden Lottie has grown in the backyard. Franny enthusiastically points at these marks so he guesses Lottie let her do that part. 

"You drew this? Are you kidding me? Magritte could never, we're putting this on the fridge."

Franny does that excited squealing thing, claps her hands together, and then she clings to his leg. She looks over at Lottie and says, "Park."

Lottie giggles with delight because Franny really is the cutest thing. Big-eyed baby blues just like her maman and these long lashes that people would kill for. Lottie leans down and wiggles her nose against Franny making her giggle. "Papa might want to take a shower first and relax a little—"

"No, no, we can go now." Franny is jumping up and down.

"You sure?"

Alex stands up, readjusting his trousers. "Yeah, if I relax now I'm just going to fall asleep."

Lottie wrinkles her nose. "You sure you don't want to take a shower."

He reaches his hand down to help her stand up. "I will fall asleep in the shower if I do that."

"Alright, park time," Lottie announces, which causes Franny to repeatedly say "Park! Park! Park!" all through the house. 

"Should I get the stroller out?"

Lottie sighs. "She's not going to sit in it anyway."

"You want to carry her the whole time?"

"No, you're going to carry her the whole time."

Alex huffs a peal of laughter. "Franny." She stops her chanting and snaps her head in Alex's direction. "If we get the stroller out, are you going to sit in it?" She eagerly nods.

Lottie throws her hands at her side. "I had to carry her around all week and the second you come back she's all about the stroller again. I'm going to have hip problems because of this kid."

"Shall we get you a stroller too?"

"You're the one that can't sit on the floor because of your back."

London is quiet, at least, their little section of it. It's still early enough in the morning that the heat of summer hasn't caught them yet but late in the day to avoid work travelers. Alex pushes Franny's stroller while Lottie eats an apple. "I can't remember the last time I had a proper meal. Like a very proper meal." She amusingly tells him, "I think we've had mac & cheese for the past 4 nights." Life depending on it, Lottie can't cook. "I am going to go crazy at Bouchon Racine tonight. You're not going to like me when the bill comes." 

"It's my treat. I have to keep you healthy."

"I'd be a pile of bones without you."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Is it 'Will you marry me?'" That's their biggest problem.

"Lot, come on."

"What? You have to get around to it someday."

"Can we not fight in Princess Diana's playground right now?"

"You're avoiding."

"I'm not avoiding—"

"Yes, you are. You're an avoider, Alex, and it's fine. Continue." She's getting passive-aggressive. 

He doesn't want to ask now. It feels awkward and clunky. "I had this thought the other day. I was telling someone the story of how we met—"

"Were they dazzled?" She's obsessed with how people react to the story. It's the romantic in her. The story is a prize she won and she gets to taunt all the other school children that she has the best story out of all of them.

Alex can't lie either. The story is pretty fucking incredible but her excitement over it—the way she grabs his upper arm tightly and those dimples imprint on her cheeks—that's everything and more. "Yes, and they asked me if I hadn't picked up your book what would you have done?"

"You mean from the train?" He nods. "Probably nothing."

"Really?"

"You're shocked by that?"

"No, but I thought you'd indulge me a bit."

She shrugs. "I would have thought you weren't interested."

"I could never not be interested in you. What about me? You thought I wasn't attractive."

She giggles. "You were very adorable at 21."

"Only adorable?"

She looks over at him and downturns her head. "I did have sex with you. You've only grown hotter with age, Al. Not something all of us can say."

"What? Are you talking about you?"

"I've had a baby. You don't have to suffocate me with delusions of grandeur that I'm hotter than I've ever been. I was the hottest at..." she thinks for a moment "25. You would've liked me at 25."

"I like you now and you're hotter than you've ever been now."

"Please. I'm the only mother on the planet whose boobs got smaller when she had a baby. The only haircut I've had this year is when Francoise cut a chunk off with her play scissors. I was never really fit but now—"

"Hey, every you has fit for me. No version of you will fit better for the version of me I am right now. If I had 25-year-old you, sure you'd be hot, but I'd look like a total creep so this is really all for my benefit."

"Well, if it benefits you then we're fine."

"Exactly."

"Good." They laugh. "I'm plenty happy with my body. You don't have to worry about me. However, looking like you do now, I'd totally get with you at 25."

It's days like this when life feels perfect. The sun shone just right and Lottie looked over at him with that beaming smile. It's good for his ego too. "Yeah, I'd probably get with you too. You'd be more mature than me anyway."

Franny is itching to get out of her seat so they take her over to the slide. They've developed a method where Lottie will stand at the end of the slide to catch Franny and Alex will then pick her up and place her on top of the slide for her to go down once again. They do it because Lottie read that if you go down the slide with your child then you're more likely to injure yourself or them because your foot could get caught and break and your child will be flung across the playground. Alex thinks it's because she told him that when she was little she rode down the slide in a skirt once and exposed her knickers to the whole class, but he doesn't say that. It makes Franny more independent anyway, except for the part where she refuses to climb the stairs to take the slide, therefore insisting Alex pick her up or she'll throw a tantrum. She can barely walk upstairs so he gives in. 

"My maman wants us to visit soon. Start of July maybe."

He hums. "Paris in July. Will it be abandonment or a whole month of banging?"

"Shush. I don't understand why she won't just come here."

"You've been saying you want to go back for ages now."

"Yeah, not with a 2-year-old though. I'm going to be that poor mother trying to calm her baby on the plane."

"Franny is more well-behaved than that baby. We'll be fine. We could take the train."

"The train?"

"Come on. We've had fun on the train. We could go up to Brussels for a weekend. Stay in 505."

She's biting her lips, which means she's tempted. "You just want my maman to look after Franny so you can knock me up again."

"Precisely. We could get a private cabin. It's a quick train ride anyway. I'll make a fool out of myself on the metro for the thousandth time. You'll love it."

"Fine, fine. But you have to call her Francoise the whole time."

"That's fine. Franny can be Francoise in France and Franny in England and the rest of the world."

"No, in French-speaking countries she will be Francoise."

"Which means in English ones she'll be Franny. Franny Wanny Anny." He plays with her limbs making her giggle.

"Fine," Lottie concedes with a straight face.

"I'm going to have to go back out to LA again before that."

She scoffs, "Really?"

"If we're going to spend all of July there. I left some things there."

"You can't have Matt send them to you?"

"We just have to finish some things up."

"Oh, 'some things.'"

"What?"

"Nothing. Just curious," she says evasively. "I'll have to figure out what to do with work."

"You already work remotely anyway."

"I work remotely in London, Alex. You expect me to come up every weekend to attend a gallery in London."

"Tell them you'll do a Paris special."

"It's a London-based company. The point of what I write is for people to go see these exhibits."

"Tell people to take the train."

"Yeah, I don't think that'll work."

"It's not like you need the job anyway."

"I am practically already a stay-at-home mum, Alex. If I don't have a job, I will turn into Mommie Dearest. You need for me to have a job."

"Bill will understand. Your job will be waiting for you when we're back."

"Maybe if I didn't take the biggest maternity leave ever."

"Stop shaming yourself over the leave." Shockingly, pregnancy and birth weren't exactly easy, and nearly 2 years post, Lottie still guilts herself for the extended leave. As if she didn't have to recover from growing a full human being, having her cut out, and then caring for it. Alex thinks he helped the best he could at least when dealing with Lottie's stubbornness and insistence on 50-50, which luckily became 60-40 for her sake.

"It'll all work itself out. And Francoise will go to Brussels for her first time!" Lottie squats down and wraps her arms around Franny's stomach, squeezing her tightly.

"Fine. Franny can come too."

Lottie gasps. She says to Franny, "Papa was so mean. He wasn't going to let you go to Brussels. What a mean, mean man. But maman will take you anywhere she goes."

"What is this? Parental brainwash?"

"I'm simply informing Francoise of the plans. It's a great way to keep her involved and expand her vocabulary."

"Is she going to start burning bras next?"

"Francoise will be a smart activist. She's the smartest baby I know."

"You barely know any other babies."

"That's not true. Did you hear that, Francoise? Your papa just called you stupid. Maman would never say that about such a smart intelligent angel." She rubs Franny's nose, making her wrinkle it up.

"You're really good at this whole twisting my words thing."

"You're just catching on?"

They move over to the bench where Franny sits on Alex's lap, messily eating strawberries. Lottie tries to blot away at the juice that drips from her cheeks. "Gabriel and Brigitte are getting divorced," Lottie informs him.

Alex's jaw drops. "What?"

Lottie purses her lips and nods her head. "Yeah. I haven't gotten the full details from maman because he, of course, has not called me, but, you know, they've been on and off for the last couple of years so now it's—" She moves her hand across her neck to symbolize finished.

"I never thought they would call it quits though," Alex says.

Lottie chuckles. "I did. I'm surprised they lasted this long. They hated each other even when they got married."

"Another reason not to get married."

She drops her hands to her lap along with her face. "Alex."

He feels bad about that one. He kind of feels bad about all of it. Like there's some part of him he can't change. "Sorry. What about the kids?"

Lottie exhales loudly and shakes her head. "No clue. I can't even get him on the phone. I even tried calling her."

"Yeah, how'd that go?" He laughs.

"I'm pretty sure the second she filed for divorce she blocked me. No longer has to put up with me at family functions."

"I missed you," he says because he has to. She's sitting there, wiping her red-stained strawberry hands with an old McDonald's napkin after cleaning up their daughter's sticky face and sometimes he just gets hit with these waves. It usually happens in parks. Brussels Park, Luxembourg Gardens, Kensington Gardens. Ever since that flower behind his ear and that first kiss that sealed it.

She's sardonic as always. "Pft, it was only 2 weeks, Alex." She walks to toss the napkin out, which gives him a good view of her ass so he can't really complain.

When she walks back, she grabs his head, bends down, and kisses his cheek. "Love you."

She stands up and he grabs her hand, squeezing it. "Thanks, Lot."

She forces a smile down and slaps his arm playfully before putting the remnants of the food baggie back under the stroller. He just watches her. He's always loved doing that. 

"We should figure out the babysitter issue."

"Leah's gonna do it." Leah is one of Lottie's friends from university. She's lived in London ever since graduation and the whole reason Lottie made that train ride to Brussels was because she was visiting Leah in London. Leah doesn't know this, of course. Lottie says she'd get too big of an ego.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now."

"What time?"

"She's coming over at 4 once she picks Jace up from camp."

"When's the gallery start?"

"6, I think."

"So we get 2 hours to ourselves?"

"No, you get 2 hours to take a nap. I have 2 hours to get ready, get my notes together, maybe clean up the house for once."

"Oh, Lottie, we're never cleaning up the house."

"A girl can dream."

"Honey, your studio flat was a mess and you didn't have a baby to blame it on. Our house is never getting cleaned."

"I like a cluttered mess. I don't like mice in my house!"

"There's no mice in the house."

"I hear them in the walls, I swear to you, Alex!"

"It's an old house."

"So the house is falling apart. That makes me feel a lot better, Alex."

"Remember when we used to be fun? Now we're arguing about mice."

"Yes, but it's mice in our house and I like the sound of our house." It's been their house for nearly 3 years but Lottie woos about it like it's freshly done. He gets a warm feeling inside whenever she does.

Lottie tries to put Franny back in her stroller. She, of course, cries. "This child hates me. I'm not going to carry you." 

Franny just cries more, making grabby hands to be picked up. Alex can't help it. She's got tears streaming down her face, those blue eyes swelling. He blames Lottie for putting the curse upon him back in '07. He picks her up. Her cries soften to whimpers.

"Alex," Lottie warns.

"I haven't seen her in 2 weeks. I'm not going to stand her and watch her cry. Besides, she doesn't seem to like me anyway."

Franny reaches her hands out for her mother and it would be rude to refuse such a cute baby. Lottie places her on her hip. "I didn't want to push the stroller anyway."

They head off in no direction in particular. On empty days when they need to kill time, they walk around London with little care. They've never lacked in walking and talking. It seems like they've walked this area of London a million times. When Lottie was pregnant they walked around the area so much that it became a bore and they would take the underground to different parts of London to have another area to explore. Weekends they'd walk along the Thames for hours. The conversation never lulled, even if it had become as dull as I Spy, they'd turn it into a game of laughter. 

"I'm sorry I haven't been around," Alex apologizes. From the moment Lottie got pregnant—probably way before then—he was overcome with the fear of this occurring. Dashing around the planet and leaving Lottie & a baby for endless amounts of time.

Lottie sighs. "You were gone for two weeks. That's nothing."

"That's something. Enough for her to start calling me Papa. I'm missing things. I'm leaving you to eat apples and mac & cheese for days on end—"

Her laughter cuts him off. "Alex, I lived for about 32 years without you, I can manage two weeks."

"Two weeks for Franny's life is like 10% of it."

She can't stop laughing. "No, it's about less than 1%. You avoiding maths in college might not have been the best idea."

"Alright, alright. I just I'm missing it and I'm shoving it off onto you and—"

"Alex, you might want to sit down for this, but she's my daughter too. You spent nearly 2 full years at home while I went back to work."

"You left for 4 hours for a gallery opening. I'll be gone for...too long."

"Baby, my father wasn't even around. You're like ten billion points above him. Gabriel is there every day at his house with his kids and I don't think he once sat down on the floor and played dolls with them. Do you think I'm picking some loser to have a kid with?"

"Maybe for the royalty checks." He cracks a bit, a hint of a smile approaching. 

"Have more faith in me." She reaches up and tucks a tuft of his hair behind his ear. "It's okay to have a life outside of us."

And like always, she makes everything make sense. He takes her hand, the one pinching his earlobe and kisses the back of it with a tenderness they've always had. The one that makes him ache even when she's here to heal it. 

"I'll still feel bad about it," he says.

"Well, you better," she says bluntly. He's laughing and she's laughing and Franny just looks confused but she laughs too. "It's called parental guilt. It's what prevents us from eating the suckers."

Alex rubs his stomach. "But Franny looks so tasty." He leans over, chomping the air toward her. 

She's squealing, clutching onto Lottie with all her might, insisting, "No, no, Daddy, not me!"

Alex sighs and pulls away. "Fine, but all because you gave me one of your strawberries."

They're walking through Kynance Mews where Lottie does her usual musing. "I wish we lived here." She's slow, admiring each inch of wisteria and how it crawls over the buildings. She does this every time. It started when she was pregnant and she insisted Franny kicked harder when they were here. It has only persisted to a greater degree. Her enthrallment with nature is deep. It's why they have a garden in the backyard. She explains each inch to Franny in such a soft voice Alex has trouble hearing, but Franny's quiet. Her eyes follow where her mother points and her lips part in her usual way but she looks blown away.

"You're only about 10 minutes away from it," Alex points out.

Lottie rolls her eyes. "I know I can look at it. I want to live in it. With the cobble-stoned streets and nature overtaking architecture. It's so peaceful." As they walk, she gazes around the mew like it's the first time she's seen it.

Alex looks on at her, a smile perks his cheeks. "It reminds you of home."

She meets his eyes. "Maybe. With the arches and the way my feet click on the street." Franny is squirming in her arms so Lottie sets her down and she goes running off to a tiny plant that's about her height. "But I like it here."

"London or here specifically?" He questions.

"Well, I meant in London but, yeah, here." She puts her hands in her pockets finally able to rest them.

"Me too. Life makes sense, you know?"

She laughs. "No." Her eyes are away from him, watching Franny. "But I don't think it's supposed to. I think this is the closest we'll get. I felt that when Franny was born, you know?"

He nods. "I forgot what it felt like to be excited over nothing." Franny is hugging the plant.

Lottie turns to him and shakes her head. "It's not nothing. For her, it's the first time she's hugged a plant."

"I don't think I ever hugged a plant. I hated nature as a kid."

She's smiling wide, beaming. "Francoise, honey, papa is going to hug the plant now."

"Lottie." Alex chuckles and shakes his head. 

But Lottie has already got her hands on his shoulders pushing him toward the tiny plant. Franny is giddy and Lottie is giddy and he's a fool. "Come on, come on, come on!" Franny shouts, her tiny hands tugging on his fingers.

"Alright, alright. The person who lives here is going to think I'm a psycho."

"Plants need love too," Lottie defends.

"Yeah," Franny repeats, "plants need love too."

So, he bends down with a crack in his knees and hugs the plant loosely. Franny claps and Lottie is snapping a picture on her camera. "Adorable!" She cheers.

"Now let's get out of here before they call the police on me."

Franny tugs on his hand. "Shoulders, pweaseeeeeee!" Those eyes should be outlawed. Puppy dog ocean eyes gazing up on that cupcake face, begging him.

Alex looks over at Lottie and she understands. With a huff, she says, "I'll push the stroller."

Franny is already clapping her hands excitedly. Alex picks her up, lifting her over his head, and sitting her onto shoulders. She clutches the ends of his hair like she's stirring him. "Thank you!" She shouts.

"She's going to be such a spoiled brat," Lottie tells Alex.

"Hey, she said thank you," Alex reasons. Lottie is probably right. They give in—he gives in a lot to Franny's will but she's too hard to say no to and she's well-behaved for the most part so he'll give in and carry her on his shoulders and if she'll cry one day when he doesn't.

"Love you, maman," Franny calls down.

Lottie gasps and stops walking. A giant smile spreads across her face as she looks up at Franny. She shakes the little girl's foot. "Well, aren't you the sweetest girl in the world!"

"She's a very smart girl," Alex says as they walk again.

"She has your charm," Lottie says begrudgingly. She's too quick to fall to the smooth words he speaks. He's grateful for it. It might be the only upper hand he has with Lottie. It's probably the only reason he has Lottie. Tucked away in his songs leading them to meet again in Paris. 

They start heading home. Franny is tapping on his head and Lottie walks a step ahead of him with the stroller. "What should we do now?" He asks her.

She turns around, biting her lip.

He instantly knows what she's thinking. "You're such an art nerd."

"I am not!" She defends. Alex gives her a knowing look. "Maybe. But I want to go because Francoise gets so excited over the sculptures and it's the cutest thing ever and she's the cutest thing ever and you're the second cutest thing ever and you and me in art museums is always fun and it's free so let's do it."

"You make a convincing argument."

He stays silent as she slowly smiles and bats her lashes. "I'll give you a kiss."

"Fine, but I get a foot rub at the end of the night."

She moves closer to him. "Oh, just a foot rub. No other kind of rub. That's fine."

He laughs. "Shut up. Come here." He wraps his arm around her lower back and kisses her lips, strong and hard. The kind that would usually have them running home to fuck. But that was before Franny.

When they walk into the Victoria & Albert Museum, Lottie takes Franny to her hip, and Alex checks the stroller. As usually happens at museums, Lottie becomes a tour guide. "I love these altarpieces."

"It's the repressed Catholic in you," Alex says. 

Lottie chuckles. She leans closer as if they haven't stood before the St. Margaret altarpiece a hundred times before. "All that little detail."

"And it's from the 1500s!"

Lottie turns back at him with a face etched with annoyance. "You're mocking me."

"Never." She stares intensely at him making him feel apologetic. He mutters, "Sorry." He sounds like Franny after she spills her cereal. 

Lottie smiles, pleased by the apology. She bounces Franny on her hip, trying to keep her calm and interested. "They tried to kill her and couldn't," she tells her.

"I thought they beheaded her in the end," Alex states.

Lottie turns back, annoyed again. "I was getting there."

They slowly walk through the museum, into various rooms. They venture up to the stained glass section, one not often looked through. It's usually toward the end of their visits and feet are worn out or Franny is cranky. 

Alex, ahead of his girls, walks back to them and tugs on Lottie's arm. "I've got something to show you."

"What? Are you on display here?"

"While I might be the great find in your collection," Alex says, getting a laugh out of Lottie, "it's just a little thing."

"Okay." They walk past stained glass windows and sacred silver. 

They land in front of one. "I know it might be stupid but...you know."

She looks at the piece. A stained glass panel with an angel with a sword in one hand, a scale in his other weighing the soul of a woman. "It's very pretty."

"And you claim I don't notice anything. It's Saint Michael."

She looks back at him and it clicks. He's beaming with pride in himself like he discovered the Mona Lisa or something. "Do you want to steal it?"

"We could probably just take it," he jokes. "Nobody cares about him as much as we do."

Lottie giggles. "I think some Christians might argue with you." The saint had become a thing between them. On their one-year anniversary right before she got pregnant, he gave her a Saint Michael pendant necklace and she said, "Is this blasphemy?" She doesn't wear it often. It's tucked away in her jewelry box. She usually elects to wear one necklace at a time. Nine times out of ten, it's that shitty one purchased from the babushka. She fiddles with it, Franny fiddles with it, and Alex fiddles with it. It's like some unity stone connecting everything.

Later, when they've returned home, Alex takes a nap. Franny easily occupies herself with toys before Leah picks her up. The second the front door closes behind them it's like a siren sounded, alerting Alex who walks into the living room just like Franny does after a nap. He's rubbing eyes and yawns. He might as well be carrying a stuffed animal.

"I have to get ready!" Lottie instantly says, walking straight past him. 

"Oh, come on, we don't have to be there for another 2 hours."

"I have to shower. You have to shower. I have to get ready. You have to get ready. I have to get some notes together. No time."

He walks to her at a tortoise's pace and hunting stare. "So, let's do it together."

"What?"

Alex bends down at a hare's pace and throws Lottie over his shoulder, a screech coming from her lips. "I have to shower. You have to shower." Lottie's giggling, patting her hands on his ass, and kicking her feet.

"Fine but you have to wash my hair," she reasons. He knows she loves that without needing her to say it. He loves it when she does it, even if she always gets shampoo in his eye.

He plops her down on the tiled floor and starts the shower. She's already shed her clothes when he turns back around. He whistles. Lottie rolls her eyes. "Stop it, pig."

"I'm an admirer of art." He wraps his hands around her body, tugging her close. Her boobs up against his shirt. "Seriously, they should be writing pieces about this body."

"Isn't that what you do?" She's flirty, which is a good sign.

He's kissing her, close, tight, together. A true proper kiss. Lottie pulls away with a huff and enters the shower, which means Alex practically rips his clothes off to get in the shower.

"The last time we had a Francoise-free night was back in February when your parents came down." She hands him her shampoo and turns her back to him.

"No," Alex disagrees. "It can't be that long ago." His hands are soothing and meticulous in their kneading.

"Yes, they came down on the week of Valentine's Day, and when we've had Laurie watch her it's only been for nights out. We haven't had the house by ourselves overnight since February."

"Jesus. Then why am I shampooing your hair?"

"Because you're a good man."

"A good man? I thought I was a pig?"

She hums. "Your patience has changed my mind. Besides, I can call you a pig in a few minutes when you try to finger me."

Alex fakes a gasp. "What cruel man would try to please a woman? I would have you blow me."

She's giggling and sending vibrations through him, her back to his stomach. His cock is against her ass, growing harder and harder with each movement.

It starts with him kissing her neck and then she's turning around and getting on her knees. She takes him in her mouth. Her tongue is playing on his tip, swirling around getting him all flustered. She knows exactly what to do. They've done this a hundred times now and yet it still feels like he is experiencing it for the first time.

She takes him fully in her mouth. One hand playing with his balls, the other holding his thigh. It's wet and messy. The water from the showerhead beats down hard on his head and Lottie is giving good head. Every time she pops off, she comes back taking him an inch further and further. He nearly comes down her throat when he hits the back of it. 

He's a moaning mess. It's something about the environment. Probably knowing he can be as loud as he wants with no curious ears. Definitely because Lottie is licking up his shaft with such care. "Fuck, Lot," he says. He throws his head back and he's not sure if his cum lands on her or not, either way, it's circling down the drain when he's finally able to open his eyes. "Fuck, you're a saint."

She furrows her brows. "Then why am I on my knees?"

Alex raises an eyebrow. "You want me on my knees?"

"I want to take a shower," she says. She grabs his hand to help her stand up.

He scoffs, "God, how boring of you."

"You have to condition my hair," she insists. 

He listens and carefully applies the product just how she likes it, letting it soak in. He detaches the showerhead from its stand, moving it closer to her head, the conditioner slowly washing away. Lottie has always liked the showerhead, specifically the water pressure. She raves about it like it's some Michelin Star showerhead. 

Alex drops the showerhead to his side, pets her hair back, and wraps an arm around Lottie's waist. "Job well done?" He asks.

She's rubbing the water out of her eyes as she nods. He moves the shower head so it's right around her. "Alex," she giggles. She tries to move but his arm has locked her in.

"What?" He asks, moving the head closer to her core. 

"We have to wash your head," she insists.

Alex says into her ear, "Uh, no, no. I don't think we have to do that right now." She's squirming, which he knows means it feels so good and hits her just right. Her clit is beaten with the water and she's trying to hold her noises in. "Let it out."

She's groaning and rutting her hips in an effort to achieve her high quickly. The water is a torturous pleasure. A hands-free application for getting off. She isn't sure what to do with her hands so she hangs onto Alex's arm holding her in. It's the only thing keeping her upright. His body is a wall for her to thrash upon. Then, she's whining before she's coming in full force. It's enough for her body to shake and for Alex to feel pride in his innovative thinking. 

He keeps his arm around her to keep her steady as he returns the showerhead to its holder. "Good, huh?" He asks teasingly.

She's panting and can't say much, so she just nods. After she washes her and they dry off in their towels, with the remaining 45 minutes, he lets Lottie get ready.

Alex is lying on their bed, still undressed minus his underwear. He's always enjoyed watching Lottie get ready. The way she darts in and out of their closet, holding a piece up to her body in the mirror, putting it back, trying a piece on, putting it back. She'll mess with her hair, up, down. She'll dash off into the bathroom to do her makeup before redoing her hair all over again.

She's always particular about it. She told him once she liked the act of getting ready. She liked the chaos and her clothes thrown about on the floor. He thinks she especially likes it when he cleans the mess up for her. 

Now, she's settled on a little black dress. She said once she didn't think she had the ability to pull mini dresses or skirts anymore after Franny was born. He said that was idiotic and pleaded with her to never stop wearing her minis. She's continued the habit since. Mostly in this summer heat but it makes him a little happy to know that she's watching him watch her as she pulls on the dress and asks him to zip it on for her. Then, she goes over to their bureau and slips on her Saint Michael necklace.

When she catches his eye in the mirror, she asks, "When are you going to get ready, mister?"

He sighs. "Okay, I'm up." He hops out of bed and hides away in the closet. His daily attire isn't much different from what he's wearing tonight. Something he knows she'll make fun of him for. "Do you want to take the tube?"

"Do I want to take the tube?" She repeats like it's some shocking piece of news.

"Yeah." He steps out of the closet, readjusting his suit jacket. She's putting on a black-heeled Mary Jane and staring at him bewildered. "Don't have to deal with parking and it'll be like old time's sake."

She sighs, "Fine. If my feet hurt you have to carry me on your shoulders like Francoise."

He bends down and kisses the top of her head. "Deal."

Typically on nights out, they'll drive the car, and since they haven't had many nights out without Franny the car has always been the easy choice when it's all three of them. The District line is packed enough that they have to stand against the pole. Alex likes this, even if it's shaky and hurts Lottie's feet. He wraps his arm around her and gets to keep her close as a means of keeping them steady. 

"You didn't even get to tell me about LA. I just babbled about myself the whole time," Lottie says in between Embankment and Westminster. 

Alex sighs. "It was good. I told you most of it on the phone. Worked, hung out with people, the usual drill. Would've been more fun if you had come with me."

"One day maybe. I don't like leaving Francoise so far away and she's too young for that kind of trip. Maybe next year when you're on tour."

"Yeah." He smiles. He can picture it. Them by the ocean. Lottie in a bikini, Franny in her cute little sun hat. A walk up to Griffith Observatory. Lottie insisting they go to the Walk of Fame then calling it stupid after seeing all the tourist traps. Trips to the Museum of Art, The Getty Museum, The Broad, Hammer Museum, whichever one or all of them. "I'd like that. You'll have to pick your favourite cities you want to join us for."

"I'd want all of them." She stares up at him softly. A sad smile plays on her first for a moment but they still have months before he'll be away. They'll figure it out. They always do. "But I'll make a list. Maybe leave Francoise with my maman for a couple of weeks and join you somewhere nice."

"Like Boston?" She wraps her arms around his neck, tugging him close, and giggling into his neck.

The gallery is small but decently packed. The paintings are abstract in a Jackson Pollock way that he's never quite understood but Lottie explained it to him once and it made sense. She doesn't seem to be enjoying this one. Her face is stuck in a frown but she holds the free champagne in her hand in a relaxed way, which means it can't be horrible.

"I liked the first one," he whispers in her ear. Her eyes follow where his eyes have landed—an art piece made of shattered glass that sits at the gallery's front doors. She snorts and crashes her head into his chest. "What?" He chuckles.

She lifts her head, just enough for him to see her. "That's a mirror that broke."

"No, it's..." he trails off looking at the object.

"A mirror that broke," she finishes.

"God, this art sucks."

She loudly shushes him. "I agree with you but I don't want the poor artist to overhear."

They take a few more minutes, trying to observe everything as best they can. He leans down to her ear. "Bouchon Racine."

She lets out a heavy breath. "Yes please."

They shuffle through the crowd quickly, her heels can be heard hitting the wood of the floor. They leave their glasses on the front desk and Alex leads them out of the building. "I swear I was going to suffocate in there."

Lottie giggles. "You are aware you don't have to wear a suit jacket 24/7."

"I like how I look in a suit," he says, all sweet and innocently.

She grabs his upper arm, shelving her head on his shoulder. "I like how you look in a suit."

"Nah, it's got nothing on you in that dress." He tugs on her waist, urgent and needy. "Very hot, Madame Guess."

She rolls her eyes. "Mademoiselle," she corrects. A pit forms in his stomach. He feels bad. These unintentional slip-ups keep occurring. She ignores the misstep. "I'm glad Bouchon is so close by because I'm hungry."

Their table is in the back right next to a wall. They look over their menus but they both already know what they want. They get the olives as a starter but Alex only eats one and leaves the rest for Lottie. "I want a bunny," she says.

Alex laughs. "Who are you? Franny?" Franny has this little bunny she sleeps with every night. Alex's dad got it for her when she was born and they think she'll have it forever. Despite having it for so long, she cares for it so cautiously that other than some slobber and stains, it's in a near-perfect condition.

"I think we should get a pet or something."

"Or another baby," he suggests.

"I'm not having another baby," Lottie casually announces. She sips her wine and looks away like her serious tone is no big deal. 

"Lottie."

She ignores him. "I wish Cadbury Eggs were in season year-round." Their dishes come and the conversation drifts away. 

Lottie is cutting her chicken and tells him, "Last night, Francoise came into our room in the middle of the night. She had a bad dream and she was telling me about it and she was lying, you know, on your side of the bed, and the whole time I'm thinking I'm talking to Alex."

He smiles so big it turns into a laugh. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, she's so imaginative and she talks the same way you do—dreams the same way you do. She's got this active mind and she's so creative in the way she tells these things just like you. And she was so cute, you know how she is under those big covers, her body so small but so wiggly. She was like how you get in the morning when you stretch out."

"I'm glad she's a little like me. She looks just like you."

She shakes her head. "I don't think so. You should've seen her last night. You would've thought you were looking in a mirror."

"All that creative stuff is from you too. That drawing she gave me today. You know what it reminds me of."

Lottie lands her head in the palm of her right hand laughing. "No, it does not."

"Yes, it does. It looks exactly like that drawing you did of me. It even had the flower prints around it like the ones you drew." In the first month, when they hid out in her little Parisian apartment, she sketched him one morning while they sat near her little Juliet balcony, drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette between them. 

She concedes. "She's smarter than both of us."

And that he'll agree with.

After dinner, with an extra takeaway order of olives, they walk down the street for a box of macarons to cap off the French cuisine night. They take one each and put the rest away with the olives. 

"I wish I could bake," she says as she bites into her raspberry macaron. "Or you could bake. I wish one of us could bake."

"I'll learn for you," he says. "It'll be shit but it'll be better than whatever you make."

"I'd tell you to fuck off with that if it weren't true."

A lull of silence falls between them and he feels that questioning pit in his stomach. He finishes his vanilla one and once they cross the street he asks, "So, that thing about no more kids earlier."

"Hm?"

"We've never talked about it before but, you know, I'd like another one, maybe." He's trying to tread lightly. It's weird to not know where Lottie stands on something. He always figured she wanted more. Her words always seemed to be that way.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, okay."

"Why would we even have another kid if we're not going to get married?"

This neverending argumentative contention between them. "Lottie—"

"I just don't understand it," she's calm when she says this, unlike other times. The heat between them always tends to rise when they have this discussion that they never get to actually talk through it.

Before he can say anything, she boils over. "I mean, you want to have another kid but we won't get married."

"That's not it."

"That is it! How is it not it?" 

"Can we not fight right now?"

"You always do this! You always deflect everything!"

He grabs her forearm, stopping her from walking. "I'm not deflecting, I just don't want you to be screaming at me in the middle of the street."

The ride home is silent. He doesn't think that's ever happened before between them. Even when she was in labour they talked on the ride over. It's unnerving and he feels like something is lodged in his throat.

When they leave the underground, she walks five steps ahead of him and never gives him the chance to catch up so he figures he'll give her the physical space she needs. He walks with his hands in his pockets and looks down at his shoes. She walks with her arms crossed.

At home, she storms back into their bedroom without a word, slamming the door. "Can we talk about this? Come on." He stands in the living room. He drops to the couch, running his hands through his hair frustratingly. 

He hears the door click open and she comes rushing back out shoeless. She stops a few feet away from him. Her arms are crossed, her foot tapping the floor. "Well?"

Alex leans with his arms on his knees. "I don't know what you want me to do, Lottie."

"What I want you to do?" She's already firing up and he knows he can't stop it. "What do you want to do? It shouldn't be about what I want you to do. I'm not some control freak, Alex."

He scoffs, "No, you're not, but then you yell at me for every decision I make. You hold it against me like I forced you to do it."

She huffs, "No, I do not!"

Alex rolls his eyes and leans back against the couch. "Yeah, right."

"I moved to a whole other country for you! I had a baby for you!"

"Yes, yes, Lottie, in the ultimate sacrifice polls you're winning. Sorry, I've made your life so hard."

"Throw your own pity party, Alex. I don't want to deal with it." She's walking away, bitter and superior, and he can't take it.

"And that little display of yours. The poor French girl kidnapped from her home and impregnated against her will. Everything we've done has been mutual. We decided on London together. When you got pregnant we decided to have Franny. Don't act like I forced that on you."

"Then why won't you marry me?"

"I never said I didn't want to marry you."

"Are you kidding me?! You have shunned the idea completely. When I got pregnant and I wanted to get married you said it was because I had abandonment issues." He winces at that one. The last time they fought about this like they are doing now—full-out and acidic—he was mean, bringing up her dad. He's apologized for it ever since and he was right in thinking Lottie never forgave him for it.

"I didn't want you to think I married you because of Franny," he explains.

"I'm in this relationship too. I know how I feel about you and I was confident in the way you felt about me." Was. Had he really fucked up that badly? "You told me so!" He remembers. It was on the bathroom floor at her old place. A positive test sitting on the floor in front of them, everything felt right. 

"And I asked you then and you said that you didn't want me to be forced into it. Every time I've tried you've shut me down. I don't know what the fuck you want me to do, Lottie."

"I want you to want to do it. You ask me in the middle of a fight or when I've brought it up. It's a second thought to you."

"But it's not something I want to do." He just wants to be honest.

There are tears in her eyes and he feels like the biggest jerk ever. "Why?"

He shrugs. "It's just not my thing. But I'll do it if you want it."

She seems so small to him. Her hands are behind her back and she's looking down at her feet. "I want you to want me to be your wife."

"Lottie," he consoles. He stands up making his way over to her. "I do. I'm not going to shack up with some other chic—" he stops himself. Her eyes dart away from him, looking at the opposite wall from him. "Is this what this is about? You think I'm going to leave you."

She shrugs. "Once a cheater."

He's taken aback by it. He has to catch his breath for a moment. "Wow. You did that too, you know."

"What with my once-every-six-months boyfriend? You had a whole life with her—"

"No, I had a relationship with her. I have a life with you. I have a kid with you! Isn't that some sense of permanency?

"You have her name tattooed on your arm!"

"I thought we put this shit to bed years ago. Why do you have to dig it up? You don't think I feel horrible about that? I thought you were never a possibility. You know what it was like and if I could have done it differently I would have. If we got together in 2007 it would have never been an issue."

"You're going back to me not showing up in 2007. That's a new one, Alex. You're running on such low material you have to pull that out. You want me to be some housewife for you—"

He talks over her, "What are you talking about?!" 

"I was doing something for my career, for my life. Sorry, I didn't care about a stupid boy enough to mess with my whole future."

"It was a dumb comment. Why do you have to make it into such a huge issue? You're making a molehill out of a mountain." 

"I don't even know what that means but at least I'm better than you. You never even bothered with French."

"You're just bringing up every problem you have with me. What next? You don't like that I drive on the left-hand side of the road? You want to go through the problems I have with you, huh?"

"Yeah. Tell me how awful I am."

"That!" He points his finger at her. "You think everything is some attack against you."

"Right now it feels like it is."

"You're not a victim. Not against me. You're going to have a hard time getting rid of me, Lottie. I will be with you in whatever way you want but just because I don't want to have a wedding and I don't care about marriage that doesn't mean I love you any less. I loved you when I met you and that was that. Maybe I am a horrible guy that I was with other people and still thinking about you but I don't really think about everything else now that I'm with you. You and Franny are all I think about. You're all that matters."

She's got tears streaming down her face. He steps closer and wipes them away, holding her face in his hands. "You're a real sucker." She wetly giggles. "I love you. Did you know that?"

He shrugs. "I had a feeling." He kisses her softly and chastely. Some seal of love after a rough night. "Do you wanna go to bed now?"

"I don't want to have sex, Al."

He kisses her cheek. "I just want to lie with you. I'm really tired anyway."

She giggles. "Me too."

She wears one of his ratty old t-shirts and his boxers. He wears just his boxers and pulls her on top of him, skin-to-skin. They hold each other. No talking, just touch. She tucks herself in the nook of his neck and he rubs up and down her back until he feels her fall asleep. He falls asleep sometime after her.

Then, something wakes him up at around 4 AM. He thinks it's Franny at first but then he remembers she's not here. Lottie lies still beside him and he figures it must just be his jetlag. He thinks about getting up but doesn't. For a while, he hopes he'll fall asleep and then he starts to think.

He nudges Lottie awake. She stirs for a bit. She tosses and turns before finally opening her eyes. "What? What's wrong?"

"Do you want to get married in Brussels?"

She's sleepy and still gaining cognizance. "What?"

"In July, I'd like to get married in Brussels. We could do it at the Town Hall. Can you do it in the Town Hall?"

She shakes her head against her pillow. "I don't know."

"Well, if we can, I'd like to do it there."

"With Saint Michael looking down." He nods. "Who knew you were such a religious guy?"

"Do you want to?" He rounds an arm around her waist. "Please say you want to."

Lottie nods. "Yeah. I want to."

"Good. Should Franny be our witness? Our flower girl?"

"Aw!" She coos. "She'd be such a cute flower girl. I'm going to find her the cutest dress." 

"You can plan the rest. I just want my two girls and Saint Michael."

*

a/n: i really wanted to get this out there so it hasn't gotten the full read-through. hopefully, it makes sense or my mistakes gave you a laugh. this is probably the last full part i'll do for this series unless i get struck with inspiration again. i might do some vignettes from it. either way, thanks for reading it!

[lady-margaret]

bridgerton season 3 episode 4 screaming thoughts (unedited)

AW DEBLING THAT WAS SO CUTE 😭 colin step it up jeez

lol she likes that window cuz she can see the bridgerton house from there

oh ben is back at it again

CUTIE POMERANIAN

me and the queen thinking same thoughts cuz?????? how the hell brimsley reading all that from back there

i just know the queen is gonna hate the bridgertons when franny doesnt pick the marquis

HYACINTH 🤣🤣🤣

JOHN FCKING STIRLING JOHN STIRLING IS IN THE HOUSE YALL ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

VIOLET IS SO FUNNY WITH HER LOOKS LIKE SHE CAN JUST TELL RIGHT AWAY

wait theyre so funny 😭😭😭😭 not them literally sitting in silence

alice is gorgeous i cant wrap my head around their family storyline when shes onscreen

OMG IS THIS WHERE THEY’LL PLAY JEALOUS

eloise 😭 read the room 😭

o god colin

oh :((((((((((( oh lol nvm :>>>>>> theyre in agreement

hes so cute 🥹🥹🥹

hElp why am i rooting for debling COLIN DO BETTER !!!!!!! DAMN U COLIN what is it with him and 3somes

franny is so cute 🥹🥹🥹

pausing the ep to say that the visitor for cressida is def eloise

yep i was right

boys rly are boys at any period of time *sigh*

colin get out of there buddy … is he gonna wank it out

look okay portia does have a point but but but 🥺 love

did kate and anthony seriously go on an extended honeymoon 🙃 shes gonna be pregnant when they get back

violet knows what she’s doing and i love her for that

its the hairstyle of the queen the went viral

oh alice ur so beautiful

idk about this violet storyline 🥺 between me and her i feel like im the one who’s not over edmund 😭😭

i want eloise cressida and pen to be just friends and for cressida to say sorry to pen and grovel

LORD KILMARTIN BACK IN THE HOUSE i love him 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

philippa really selling the pregnant thingy 😭😭😭 o are they both pregnant

SNOW ON THE BEACH !!!!!!!!!!

eloise is back

O GOD COLIN ‼️

debling is connecting the dots

okay so colin, honey, listen. you will only resolve this if u like propose like rn

portia pls love ur daughter

AW IT WAS SHEET MUSIC??? 🥹🥹🥹💕

COLIN YES GO COLIN wait he ran after the carriage 🤭🤭

wait did they not play jealous at all yet? or have i missed it

COLIN SAY IT SAY ITTTTTTTTTTTTT

CARRIAGE SCENE PLS ‼️🤞🤞🤞

despite being the writer of the bridgerton family, and yes he is good with words, he has yet to have like a distinct monologue or line that becomes the pinnacle of the season

YES PENELOPE YES SPEAK UR TRUTH AND GET UR MAN

omg omg omg omg omg

i forgot what song title it is but omg its the pitch perfect song 😭

OH HES GOING FOR IT

seggs scenes are so awkward for me lmao

okay wait i love this

AHHHHHHHHH

oh no now he has to find out shes lady whistledown

OMG HE SAID THE THING HE SAID THE THING

[ananxiousgenz]

TPP HADESTOWN AU PART 4

ANOTHA ONE. i am so sorry guys, but the muse has possessed me and i literally cannot stop writing. this is no longer a flash fic. i am now a slave to the au. this time will be a direct continuation of part 3 because honestly i wanted to keep writing that but i also just wanted to post it so consider this a kind of part 2 to part 3 if that makes sense

tpp mutuals come get your juice!!! @smidgen-of-hotboy @ceaseless-watchers-special-girl @urjover @one-joe-spoopy @waters-and-the-wilde

when he said his name, juno heard it.

ringing in the background like the hum of a crystal wine glass.

the song.

when peter nureyev said his name, the song echoed with it.

"your name has the same melody," juno breathed, eye wide and searching for some kind of answers on the face of this strange, beautiful man. how could his name have the song of spring laced through it?

nureyev shot him a sideways look and took a sip of his drink. "so. what do you do for a living, lady who's going to marry me?" he questioned, leaning back in his chair and looking juno over with a gaze he could only describe as skeptical.

"oh! well, I work here at the bar with rita. she's over there. but you've met her already so I don't know why I'm introducing her."

rita gave a friendly wave from her perch behind the bar.

"I also, um. I, uh. I sing. sometimes. not all the time. i'm not bad at it. typically when I do sing, someone will give me a couple bucks. it's nice. oh, and uh, I can play guitar too, but I haven't done it in years, and to be honest, I don't really want to-"

nureyev cut juno off, looking away disinterestedly and downing the rest of his drink. "that's nice. so you're like all the other bar workers in existence. that doesn't exactly sound like something I'd want to marry."

suddenly, the butterflies that had been gradually building in juno's stomach began to unexpectedly drop dead.

"heyyyyyyy, that's not very nice, mista nureyev. mista steel isn't like all the otha ladies you eva met! he's a very supa awesome lady who I love workin' with and-oh oh oh! mista steel! you GOTTA tell him about that song you're workin' on! it's so pretty! and important! I'm sure mista nureyev would LOVE to hear about that!" rita cried, bounding off the bar and hustling over to deliver another drink to the table.

"oh, uh, yeah! I'm working on this song to bring spring back again," juno said, feeling mildly embarrassed that rita brought it up with this man who was still basically a total stranger. "it's not done, honestly, it needs a lot of work. but, when i'm finished with it, it will hopefully fix.....everything."

"wait just a moment." nureyev's brow furrowed and juno's stomach twisted at the sight. even when he was skeptical and defensive and bone-tired, he was still so damn attractive. gods, what juno wouldn't give to just kiss him right now- focus, steel, he's trying to talk to you-

"so you say this song will bring spring back again?"

"yup! at least it should."

"that's...." nureyev placed a finger over his lips in thought. "I haven't seen a proper spring in at least a decade, maybe more. the world has been so wrong in recent years... I shudder to think where it would all end up without the return of warmer weather."

"well, that's the idea with the song. I want to fix it. all of it. when the song is done it should put the world back on track. more sunshine, springs, falls, rain and flowers. you know. all the stuff that's just sort of been missing. maybe you could help me out with it!" juno grinned a bit sheepishly.

"and why would I want to help?" his eyes were cold, almost as cold as the biting wind and frost outside, but juno thought he saw the beginning of a thaw at the edges of his facade.

"because, mista nureyev. he's real good at makin' people feel like life is worth livin' again with that music of his. also, he makes the BEST chocolate cake i've eva had! and frannie agrees with me!" rita chimed in, cleaning the bar top as best she could with her short stature.

juno snorted involuntarily, marveling at rita's ability to constantly be focused on food. "it's true, I won a local competition a few years back for that cake."

nureyev's face had half a smile on it now, and the butterflies in juno's stomach turned into a hurricane.

"so you can make people feel alive again? that's quite a gift, juno. but what else can you offer me?"

"huh?"

"say, for example, if we were to get married. who would pay for the wedding rings? times have been hard, and gold is scarce. how would you do it?"

juno thought for a moment. "the rivers. they've got plenty of gold in them, and if my song works, they'll give it all to us for wedding rings."

nureyev's eyes glinted with something juno suspected was either curiosity or suspicion.

"what about a wedding feast? or a bed? good food and better beds are hard to come by these days. what would you do about that, juno?"

"the trees would take care of the wedding feast, and the birds would take care of the bed."

"with your song." nureyev cocked an eyebrow as though it was a question.

"well, yeah, of course."

"you talk a lot about that song. why don't you sing it for me?"

a wave of panic stuttered through juno's mind. "I can't. I told you it's not finished."

"you said you wanted to take me home and marry me, is that true?

a sly smile crossed nureyev's face, and goddammit it only made juno want him even more. "yes," he breathed.

"then sing the song for me, juno."

juno hesitated, then nodded in spite of himself. he shouldn't be doing this, he knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't help it.

he was in love.

and lovers need the spring like a flower needs sunshine. so he'd sing the sunshine back for peter nureyev.

he stepped back, breathed in, and let the notes flow from him like water from a faucet. the song flooded the room, hitting the walls and rushing back to his ears in perfect harmonies, and for a moment, he was back in that wheat field with benten, strumming guitar as he danced like a pheonix rising from the ashes, spinning around and around and around like he was the center of the universe.

and then the song ended. and juno was back in a shitty roadside bar, holding a perfect dahlia in his left hand, with peter nureyev staring at him now, eyes wide and sparkling.

"that's...... you...... how did you do that?" nureyev asked quietly, standing from the table on unsteady legs and taking the dahlia to examine it with shaking hands.

"i didn't do that, the song did," juno muttered as nureyev gently touched the immaculate petals of the dahlia, still damp with dew. rita beamed at juno from the bar and gave an overenthusiastic thumbs-up. juno just rolled his eyes again.

peter nureyev looked at him then, all of the previous frostiness gone from his eyes and something like amazement and love and hope spilling through them.

juno decided that he liked it when he looked like that. it made him feel like he really could fix the whole damn world with that song of his.

nureyev seemed to come to some sort of conclusion and slipped the dahlia into the buttonhole of his traveling coat. "so, what time does your shift end, my dear juno?"

juno thought for a minute. "uhhhh, the bar closes around 10. why?"

his eyes gleamed like a pair of stars as a smile twinkled on his lips. "didn't you say you were going to marry me?"

[pjunicornart]

Okay sooo ummmm I've been working on something in the background.

So like, I've been working on a Meet the Robinsons AU idea that I plan on making a ton of content for in the background, I even have some art for it already. However, I wanna see if people would be interested in it... so I'm gonna describe the main players of the AU and answer some questions here in this post because I've just been DYING to info dump about this! Okay, let's start with...

The explanation of everything! What even is this AU I'm working on? It'll be called "Lazy Days." Essentially, this is an AU where the Robinson family stays in their comfy clothes and bedheads all day while drinking tea and/or coffee and binging junk food while watching movies... to name a few activities. My vision for this AU is a super cozy and chill vibe. Sweaters, socks, sweatpants, sleep shorts, donuts, whipped cream cans, coffee mugs, pizza, lo-fi, and more await in this AU!

What are some key differences? Besides the comfy lounge wear? Well, for one, Neil and Franny have more kids. Wilbur is still the eldest, he just has three little siblings now! One of which is adopted! I'll tell you more about them later on in this post. As for another key difference? Neil is still a super genius and everything, however, all of his inventions have a noticeably more... cozy, aesthetic feel. All I'm saying is, Carl looks REAL different in this AU.

Will there be a story? Meh... I'm still debating that. For now, it's just kind of a thing I entertain when I want to/am prompted to. If it were to have a story, it would probably focus on Wilbur and his sibs.

What did you mean by the "main players?" Just what I what refer to as the "core" members of the family. So, Neil and Fran, plus their four kids: Wilbur, Freddie, Mazie, and Leo. Speaking of...

Cornelius 42 years old. Summary: Caffeine Junkie, Sleepyhead, Scatterbrain Owner of his own engineering company, and a pretty chill one at that. He baffles others in his field because on the surface, he seems to not be all there - his choice to show up to important meetings and talks in sweatpants doesn't exactly help with that assumption. However, nobody can deny his amazing intellect, even if it at first glance it seems buried under all the goofball-ness.

Franny 41 years old. Summary: Intense, Mama Bear, Prideful A global phenomenon for her music featuring her own frog band! She's made up her brand from the fact that she's the only musician in the world right now who makes music using little amphibians who miraculously learned how to walk and talk. Besides music, Franny also adores everything about her husband.

Wilbur 16 years old. Summary: Sheepish, Easily Bored, Bookworm When he's not sneaking snacks from the kitchen in the middle of the night, he's usually curled up in a chair reading the book he recently checked out from the local library. His parents are surprised just how much he mellowed out compared to three years ago. That being said... ADHD doesn't magically go away after you grow up a little.

Freddie 13 years old. Summary: Old Soul, Green Thumb, Foodie She was adopted into the family two years after Wilbur was born. It was a circumstance of her father not being able to take care of her at the time. She's the plant person of the family, opting to spend her days taking care of her little garden in the backyard. Which includes fresh produce!

Mazie 10 years old. Summary: Weirdo, Hypersensitive, Pouty She's absolutely OBSESSED with cryptids. Bigfoot, Night Crawlers, Aliens, Mothman... you name it, she probably knows a whole book's worth of information about it. Hell, she'll even watch cryptid adjacent stuff. For example, kaiju movies. Her ultimate dream is to see the Loch Ness Monster. Or Bigfoot. Or aliens. Or any cryptid.

Leo 3 years old. Summary: Non-Verbal, Picky, Loner Leo is the only one who takes after his father, sharing his blonde hair. Which couldn't have worked out better! You see, after Leo was born, Franny went on a massive world tour. So Neil was the one taking care of him during his early years, and so Leo got very attached to his daddy. Wherever Neil goes, Leo follows. He's very fussy and uncooperative if Neil is away at work or just out for groceries.

I'm super curious to see your thoughts on this, if any. I'm gonna make stuff for this regardless, but I still want to start some conversations! Ask box is always open! THIS POST HAS A SISTER POST NOW! This one has images! :o Here it is -> Lazy Days Character Busts.

[analogskullerosis]

4, 7, 42 !!!

4. what are you looking forward to?

Going back to school so I can enjoy my first full year as a high school library assistant and do all the fun things I have planned for the year (I started last December so I only got a half year).

I'm also planning on going to a few shows in September. I'm excited to finally get to see Magdalena Bay (a synth-pop duo I've loved for a while now) and I'm catching Electric Light Orchestra one more time in Philadelphia before Jeff Lynne hangs it up. I'm sure there are other things I'm excited for, but that's all that's coming to mind currently.

7. what was your life like last year?

I had just finished earning my master's degree in English Lit, I finally left retail for good (although it would be months before I would start my current job), and was enjoying the summertime. My father was still alive and little did I know that he would be gone in three months. Still strange to think about sometimes. But I was happy then and I'm still relatively happy now! Just some things are different now :)

42. favourite book(s)

Oh jeez! This is a hard one. I don't know if I have a definitive favorite, but I can name a bunch of ones I really love!

The book I've probably re-read the most is The Great Gatsby and it's my go-to example of a breezy story that's just easy to go back to and just holds up well. Very few people can be called "The Voice of Their Generation," but I think F. Scott Fitzgerald really captured the world around him and his specific moment in a way that few others could. I think The Beautiful and Damned also does that really well.

I've always loved J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey (to the point where I wrote my undergraduate thesis about it). The way he writes character dialogue is simply unmatched. Most of that book is conversation, but it never feels like it's dragging. You feel like a fly-on-the-wall listening in on two characters talking about heavy stuff that maybe you shouldn't be hearing, but you can't resist. I know Catcher in the Rye has a reputation and stink surrounding around it, but Holden Caufield is such a fully realized character by the end of the second page and his narrative voice just jumps off the page. Salinger's characters have always felt like real people to me and it makes for incredible reading.

Two recent favorites of mine have been Reaper Man and Soul Music by Terry Pratchett, two of the many books in his Discworld series. I love them for different reasons. Reaper Man explores why Death himself feels its important to give a shit about the humans he's tasked with taking to the afterlife ("What can the harvest hope for if not for the care of the reaper man?") Soul Music is just a great demonstration of Pratchett's humor, his ability to weave pop culture and music references seamlessly into his fantasy, and present a fun and heartfelt story that explores what happens when his characters are introduced to something from our world (rock n' roll in Soul Music's case). Terry's "Death" series of Discworld books kept me laughing and kept me going when my dad passed (don't ask me what attracted me to the "Death" series during that time hahaha). Different Seasons by Stephen King has always been one of my favorites (it got me back into reading in tenth grade). I fell in love with "The Shawshank Redemption", really enjoyed "The Body" (which became the movie Stand By Me) and loved the realistic horror of "The Breathing Method." I'm currently knee-deep in his Dark Tower series, but that's one of my favorite King works because the horror is understated and not supernatural based. He uses the four novellas in that work to explore realistic characters and real horrors (prison, how easy it is to fall into fascism, learning about your own mortality, and the fear that comes with difficult pregnancies and the unknown-ness of whether a mother will survive the delivery). I love it! I revisit it every couple years.

I could shoot your ear off about books forever, but I promise I won't do that! :)

Anyhoo! Thanks for submitting some questions! This was fun!

From this post. Feel free to submit a number, if you so choose!

[depressedstressedlemonzest]

Weekly Tag Wednesday! (actually on Wednesday)

It's that time again! Time for another round of Weekly tag Wednesday!! Today is all about music, food and fics!

Thank you @rayrayor @ian-galagher @mybrainismelted @lingy910y @energievie @creepkinginc@jrooc for the tags!

🔤 Name: Lem

🎶 Last song you listened to: La Vie En Rose sung by Emily Watts

🎵 Artist on Spotify giving you the feels : Can't really think of one.

👯‍♂️ Fave Blorbo Moment:

Sidenote when I googled "mickey getting franny a gun I got half shameless half disney results

🍟 Your guilty pleasure snack: Brownie batter. Everything all mixed in, then just not baking it.

🌮 What food are you craving today: charlies. Basically chili cheese fries from this drive thru from my mom's home town called Dairy King. We were able to try them before the place closed, but it's been a few years, and the family's recipe isn't the one the new restaurant has.

📖 Last fanfic tab you opened

If He's The Moon, I'm Eclipsed by Myfavoritesweater

🖌️ Favorite fic project you've created: God that's hard. Maybe The Upside? It's pretty challenging accuracy wise because I want proper disability rep and I have to be careful and consult people with the same abilities and limitations that Ian has.

👩🏼‍🎤 Next tattoo you want (or would consider if you're not a tattoo person): Different pansies and plants representing Good Omens and alpha centuri plus the "To The World" quote. Is the first one I have planned, and an appointment in January (@suzy-queued I keep meaning to update you with the appointment lol)

But since seeing the finale of OFMD I want to get a quote from Izzy, plus something significant botanical wise to fit my theme. But the quote it: It’s about belonging to something when the world has told you you’re nothing. It’s about finding the family to kill for when yours are long dead. 

🧐🆓 What's living in your head rent free this week

That this will be my third weekend in a row off and how fucking nice it is and i need to enjoy it because the next weekend is back to work every other. LAAAMe

Tagging @witchboywitchboywitchboy @suzy-queued @scurvgirl @m4ndysk4nkovich @flamingbluepanda and @mikhailoisbaby

[feldspursfiyero]

okay at least this ep doesn't have anthony in it so hopefully i'm not taking like 3h to watch it

3x08

mmm delicious. i love a desperate, alone cressida making bad decisions. what if there's an AU where she's a serial killer? WHAT IF SHE HAD TO RUN AWAY IN S1 AND SHE MET ANTHONY WHO HAD ALSO RUN AWAY BECAUSE MAYBE HE KILLED (OR THOUGHT HE KILLED) SIMON

LMAO I FELT THIS SO HARD

SKFJGNFDKGNJKG

what the fuck?

ehe this is somewhat similar to the speech anthony gave to daphne in 1x04 "it is more than just your honour at stake, it is your sisters' too; the entire family name. it has been decided" (eeee i went and double checked it and i only missed a lil bit; also anthony is so pretty there halp)

HAHAHAA

why the FUCK is colin making this all about himself? no one replied to him while he was travelling? wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll didn't he choose to travel?

shut up colin, you have no idea what cressida is going through

SAME, GIRL

cress why don't you just explain your situation and ask for money....... or maybe she wouldn't do that haha... aahfdkjgdkjg fuck

colin. shut the FUCK up

cress kinda needs an advisor in this lol i feel like she's showing her hand too much. but then, she's like, idk, 20?

uh, isn't colin also without a title?

CUNT

heyyy they playing the duel music :3

so... does eloise not remember that cressida's father is a bitch..... ohhh well i guess she doesn't know the details about sending cress off to wales..................

why did it sound like the drink's already hit violet skjfngfkgjgk

CACKLE

but violet was like. a kid then. lmfao

JKDNGKFGJ AND THE BIT AFTER SKJFGKG dying

heh benedict's having a good time

that bit of colin sitting up on the settee is the best he's looked all season (25:15:ish)

why did this man wink at portia

SKDFJNKFGJN why is this so funny

ohhh to be an actor like polly walker.....

🥺

i love this convo actually

oh yeah you two are REALLY alike, i've been calling this since like s1

A Thousand Cuts has a really good anthony and penelope chapter. and ... was it also that fic that had a really good anthony and fran chapter, or is that another fic...? "but franny, it is so far." maybe it was.

yeah it's really OOC that anthony skipped fran's wedding. hmm. but like, i get actor schedules get in the way... idk.

violet's speech to fran is....................................... is it not a bit out of nowhere? or is she just being like this bc she's in the honeymoon stage with marcus lmao

HAHAHAHAHAA JFC THE PRIEST FUCKING KNOWS HALP

so... is fran's look after the kiss like... ....... oh whatever

ehehe (also the moment before with b&e but that's already been giffed so i've already seen it)

benedict~

lmao

hey, the piece fran and violet are playing on the piano, isn't that mozart, one of the sonatas, 2nd mvt, but it's a little bit off, and ALSO in the wrong key... aah ... it's in F major... and in the show it's in E major........... anyway i'm not sure if it is that piece because the notes are off a bit. maybe they did that deliberately. idk

now to try find which sonata it is lmao, classical music is so hard to google

oh okay. k330. in the end i just googled the numbers i had played before lmfao. but yeah, in the show it's not exactly that. if anything it feels inspired by that.

it could be another piece entirely though, just that it has similarities to k330 2nd mvt. anyway

MAYBE THAT HE DOESN'T FEEL GOOD ENOUGH. HMMM SEEMS TO RUN IN THE FAMILY

IS THIS WHERE HE RUNS AWAY

yeah he but-ed XD

HE WANTS TO MEET MORE MEN

what if they genderswap sophie skjfng????

awww

haha skjfngkjdfng he went straight from the bed to the swings!

awww this season really made me like portia

lmfao finch's sneeze

okay so i guess pen prepared that speech lmao and forewarned some people. interesting lighting they put on her btw. and yeah i do think she got off a bit lightly, but honestly if they were to do it ... probably closer to honestly, it might've been quite harsh. but who knows. anyway

gosh i love portia

:3

awwww

awwww colin finally got off his high horse. yay. your wife is awesome. you should be pleased, nitwit :3

lmaoooo eloise inviting herself to scotland KSJDNKJFGNK

SKJFNGKJGN

okay, can benedict, eloise and francesca all be queer

i want them to genderswap sophie!!!! but i guess they won't. i guess.

eloise and michaela are holding hands!!

okay so it was only towards the end of ep 8 when it finally felt like bridgerton again. minus the costumes. the first half of ep 8 felt like... wildly off the pace.

imo they didn't need to do cressida THAT dirty.

anyway i'll save this stuff for a ep 5-8 round-up post

[somedaylazysomeday]

Winner Take All - Part One

Nathan Bateman x fem!reader (no use of y/n)

You're a biotechnology student at MIT. You aren't impressed by Nathan Bateman, especially when he shows up at your favorite trivia night.

Rating: Mature. Nothing too spicy in this chapter, but the next one will be. Minors, please do not interact!

Word Count: 4,600

Warnings: Mentions of bars and drinking, bad language and worse jokes, general antagonism.

Next | Masterlist

---

You came back from the bar, juggling four drinks in your arms. Two of them were pressed up close and personal with your boobs, but that was the price your friends paid for not helping you. 

As you handed them out to everyone, they continued their debate on teams. You raised your eyebrows. “Whose team am I on?”

“No one’s,” Frannie told you firmly. “You know the rules.”

“Come on,” you complained, though you were already smiling. “You’d win on my team.”

“That’s not the point.” Amber took a deep drink of her beer. “The point is that none of us would get to show off what we know.”

Your smile faded a little. You had a tendency to steamroll people when you were excited about something, and trivia always got you a little overzealous. “I’m sorry, guys-”

“Don’t be,” Talya assured you with a kind smile. “We all know what we’re getting into when we come here on trivia nights. We just want to give you a little competition.”

Her overdramatic wink cheered you up again. You settled into your comfortable armchair, taking a sip of your drink as you glanced happily around the room. 

The Estuary was, in your less-than-objective opinion, the best bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In fact, it could hardly be called a bar. It was more like a spacious pub, or even a tavern, if you were feeling particularly medieval. The interior of the main room was all dark wood, with shaded lamps that threw just enough light over the low tables and leather armchairs to keep the atmosphere from feeling oppressive. 

There were real books on the shelves that lined the walls, and the music was loud enough to fill the space without overpowering the conversations taking place around the room. It was a place that emphasized its guests rather than trying to control or overwhelm them. You enjoyed the occasional club or upscale bar, but the Estuary was somewhere you were willing to go every night. 

You damn near did, actually. You and your friends were students at the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all pursuing your doctorate degrees in various subjects. This far into your schooling, MIT felt like home, but the Estuary was still a welcome escape. 

It was a reasonably busy night at the bar. There were plenty of people huddled around, but if tonight were like every other trivia night, only a certain percentage would participate.

And, unless tonight was very unique indeed, you would beat all of them.

“C’mon, focus up,” Frannie ordered. “It’s starting in two minutes. What’s our name going to be?”

“I liked our old name,” Amber opined. “It always got a good laugh.”

“It’s outdated,” Frannie told her. “It stopped being funny three years ago.”

Amber pouted and Talya patted her consolingly on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Amber. PhDeez Nuts had a good run.”

You snorted into your drink and Frannie threw you a withering look. “Yeah, whatever. We all know what you’re playing under, Champ.”

“It’s short and sweet,” you said defensively. “Plus, no one has ever mispronounced it.”

‘Champ’ had been your go-to trivia name since the girls had kicked you off of their team. The reasons you had given for your attachment to the name were true, but there was one other reason you didn’t state aloud: the name made it clear that you were playing alone. It was a subtle show of authority, one of the few teams that was made up of a single person. You were certainly the only solo person to win trivia as often as you did.

So your ego liked the boost you got from winning bar trivia. So what? This was a harmless way to feed your need for appreciation. It was a need you refused to deny or downplay. After all, the desire to stand out from your peers had helped drive you to skip several grades in school and pursue a career in the sciences. It kept you on your toes at MIT and you were proud to say you were at the top of your class. 

All things considered, a weakness for trivia at a local bar was so minor as to be considered an amusing quirk.

When the trivia session started, you studied the names that displayed on the various screens around the bar. There was a good mix of familiar names and new ones. It would be a good game. 

When the Estuary had first switched to the automated trivia system, you had been hesitant. You didn’t come to the bar to spend an evening staring at your phone. But the system was cheaper than paying a moderator. Mira, the owner, had also told you that having people use their phones cut down on the number of players who tried to cheat. 

You actually liked this form of trivia a little better. The system showed how many points each question was worth, and you could track your score in real time instead of hoping the moderator wasn’t getting too drunk to do basic arithmetic. Plus, this system could track simultaneous answers, so if you got the correct answer, it didn’t matter if a louder party or one sitting closer to the front got it at the same time. Points were given based on how quickly and accurately you answered a question. 

The first five questions were simple: two were based on classic films, one was about geology, one concerned a French poet, and the fifth was over the Second Battle of the Somme. 

“Looks like Champ is in the lead!” Frannie said, scoffing even as she winked at you. “Someone save us from her tyranny!”

“How can you remember all of that?” Talya asked. “I swear, some days, I can barely remember basic coding, but you’re over there rattling off the greatest works of Jean de La Fontaine.”

“You think that’s bad?” Amber asked, draining the last of her beer and standing to retrieve another one. “I’m in her classes! I know she’s been studying for a test over recurrent network models - which she aced, by the way - and she’s still trouncing all of us.”

“Shut up, Amber,” you told her, tossing a napkin in her direction.

“At least we have manners in the Oceanography Department,” Frannie said, shaking her head at you as she retrieved the napkin. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to make a mess?”

“Maybe,” you said, squinting playfully. “You know, I just can’t remember. My memory isn’t what it used to be…”

Their collective groan made you laugh openly. They truly were the smartest people you had ever met, but they were funny, too. 

Talya was part of the Social and Engineering Systems Department at the Schwarzman College of Computing. She was a sweetheart and incredibly kind, but her pithy observations always managed to catch you off guard. 

Frannie was getting her PhD in Physical Oceanography, and she had the driest sense of humor of anyone you had ever met. You had always thought that, if she lived in Shakespeare’s time, she could have been the inspiration for Much Ado About Nothing’s Beatrice. 

Amber was pursuing the same degree as you: Computationally-Enabled Integrative Neuroscience. She liked to cut loose and have fun, but she was one of the most serious students you had ever met. You had seen Amber drag herself to class with the world’s worst hangover, take thorough notes on a lecture, ace a test, and go throw up… in that order. She was wickedly competent and working with her helped drive you to achieve more in your own studies.

You were all working toward earning your doctorate degrees, and getting toward the tail end of the process - one that took an average of five years. You were the youngest of the group, having skipped those years of elementary and middle school, but you were the closest to earning your degree. The others never treated you like you were any different than they were, which you appreciated. People had a tendency to talk down to you because you were young or act strange because you were highly intelligent. It was an exhausting duality, so you kept to your small social circle.

By the time the next round started, Amber had returned with a fresh beer. Mira was working behind the bar that night, and she always made sure you were all taken care of. 

You tied with your friends - playing under the name ‘The Tipsy Scholars’ - on the next question, mostly because Talya was holding the phone and the question was over the process of a Turing Test.

“Hah!” Amber cheered. “Better watch it, Champ! We’re coming for you!”

“Hang on, someone else tied with us,” Frannie said, squinting at the closest trivia screen. 

You followed her gaze. Frannie was right; there was another name beside Champ and The Tipsy Scholars. Someone playing under the username ‘The Conqueror’ had gotten the answer at almost the same time as you and your friends.

“Weird,” you said. “But I don’t remember seeing that name in the first round. Whoever they are, they have plenty of catching up to do.”

And they did.

It became a game you were playing beyond the trivia itself. You watched The Conqueror rise through the ranks of players over the standard ten rounds of questions. They continued to advance further and further until they were nipping at your heels. 

“Who is this person?” Amber demanded. “I might have to buy them a drink.”

You pressed a hand to your chest, acting playfully outraged. “You would cheer for the person who dethrones your friend?”

“Absolutely!” she agreed, saluting you with her drink.

The others laughed and Talya began singing Coldplay’s Viva La Vida as you waited for the final round of trivia to begin. When it did, you were holding your phone so tightly that your fingers ached.

A question about the artwork of Katsushika Hokusai. A question about the Pythagorean Theorem. A question about major cities on the Silk Road. A question about lobes of the brain that was insultingly easy. And finally…

Name one of the three main uses of the ‘final’ keyword in Java programming.

You were distracted momentarily by the incredible noise that exploded from beside you. Talya was shouting triumphantly as she typed in her answer while Frannie and Amber cheered her on. You pulled your eyes back to your own phone and typed in your answer - to prevent inheritance - but you knew the lag had cost you some points. The real question was: were they points you could afford to lose?

That became even less certain as the question’s scoreboard flashed up on the screen. For the last question, you had come in below The Tipsy Scholars… and The Conqueror.

The system always took a moment to calculate up everyone’s final score, especially when the Estuary was as crowded as it was that night. But when it did, you frowned in displeasure.

The winner is… The Conqueror!

“Wow, Champ loses her undefeated title!” Talya said, acting astonished.

“I was never undefeated,” you corrected, feeling a little flat. “I lose occasionally.”

“Yeah, about once a year,” Amber shot back.

Frannie shrugged. “Maybe this is her yearly loss, then. You’ll get ‘em next time.”

You smiled at her, but you were more bothered by your loss than you should have been over something as minor as a game of trivia. So much of your identity was wrapped up in being ‘the smart one’, even among some of the brightest minds in the world. Was a trivia game an accurate measure of intelligence? Of course not. Were you okay with losing? Also of course not.

Still, you forced a light laugh and stood up from your comfortable armchair. “Well, as the newly deposed ruler of the Estuary, shall I get the next round? I wouldn’t want to be another guillotine statistic.”

Your friends called their orders to you - ones you already knew by heart - and you walked up to the bar. 

Mira came over to you right away, ignoring the group of young students complaining on the other side of the horseshoe-shaped bar. “You doin’ okay, hun? I saw the way that played out.”

Her vague gesture toward the front of the bar encompassed everything, but you knew she was talking about the trivia. “Yeah, it’s just a game. You have to lose one every now and then, right? Makes the victories sweeter.”

“Mm hmm,” she hummed skeptically. “Another round of the usual, then?”

“Yeah, but make mine a rum and coke.”

You typically stuck to lighter drinks on trivia nights, mostly because they were always held on Thursdays, but you were going to treat yourself to something extra. It was a reward for a game well-played, even if you hadn’t ended up winning.

Mira’s eyebrows flew up, but she nodded. “Single or double?”

“Just a single,” you clarified. You were upset, but you weren’t that upset. “I have an early morning lecture tomorrow. We’ll be headed back soon.”

“Are you Champ?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

You glanced to your right, only then realizing that there was someone at your elbow. He was sitting at the bar, a beer resting neatly on a napkin in front of him. He didn’t look creepy or dangerous, so you nodded. 

“Yeah, that’s me.”

He stuck out a hand and you accepted it automatically. His fingers wrapped around yours, unexpectedly warm for someone who had been holding a chilled mug. “I’m The Conqueror.”

“Nice to meet you,” you told him, trying to make it sound sincere. You didn’t entirely succeed, and amusement flashed in his dark eyes. 

“Sure,” he agreed easily. “You said you have an early lecture tomorrow. MassArt?”

You frowned at him. The nearby Massachusetts College of Art and Design was supposed to be an excellent school, but nothing about you screamed ‘art student’. “MIT, actually.”

“Oh, cool. Same. I’m over at Schwarzman.”

“That’s great.” You turned back toward the bar, trying to signal an end to the conversation. Mira had been interrupted halfway through gathering your order when one of the patrons spilled a drink. She sent an apologetic look your way and you shook your head, silently telling her it was fine. Busy nights were what they were.

“You played a good game,” your new acquaintance told you. “If I’d come in a question or two later, you might have beaten me.”

You didn’t like this guy, but you consoled yourself with the knowledge that you probably wouldn’t have liked him even if he hadn’t just beaten you in trivia. He had a condescending sort of attitude you didn’t like. It wasn’t uncommon at MIT, but you carefully surrounded yourself with people who didn’t act that way. 

Unfortunately, you couldn’t quite keep your silence. “And if there had been slightly different questions, I might have beaten you. Or if your phone glitched at the wrong time. Or if you’d had a second beer. There are too many variables to make such a shallow assessment.”

His mouth twisted in a smirk. “Honey, I’ve never made a shallow assessment in my life. I always consider all of the variables.”

The way he emphasized that made it sound like some kind of pick-up line, but it was one that made no sense. Part of you wondered if you were supposed to ask for an explanation in order to fully understand, but you were beyond caring. 

Thankfully, Mira came back. You cut off her apology. “I changed my mind. I’ll take a double.”

She had your order ready quickly. The self-declared Conqueror moved as if to stand from his barstool. “Need some help carrying all of that?”

“Nope.” You wedged two drinks between your forearm and your ribs, carrying the others in your hands. “Thanks, Mira.”

If the guy said anything else, you didn’t hear it. Your full attention was on carrying all of the drinks back to your friends without spilling anything. That effort went unappreciated when you arrived.

“What took so long?” Amber asked, immediately gulping a third of her beer.

“Mira had to stop and take care of a spill,” you told her, flopping back down in your armchair. “I met The Conqueror, though.”

“Really? And we didn’t even hear any fighting.” Frannie shook her head. “That’s not how you’re supposed to treat a usurper.”

“Where are they?” Talya asked. You pointed the man out and her expression turned to one of recognition. “Oh, that’s Nathan Bateman.”

You frowned at her for a moment, but remembered something. “Yeah, he said he goes to Schwarzman, too.”

“Ooh, another MIT student?” Amber cooed. “Are you two gonna get together and make little trivia-genius babies?”

There was a loud snort, but it didn’t come from you. (At least, it didn’t only come from you.) Everyone turned to Talya, surprised to hear such a rude noise from the kind girl. “Sorry, but Bateman… Well, he isn’t the type of person anyone hits it off with. He’s brilliant, the smartest person you’ll ever meet, but he’s a total asshole. Very high opinion of himself, very low opinion of everyone else.”

Your mood, if possible, sunk lower. It sounded cocky and ridiculously petty, but you were used to being the smartest person people knew. The idea that you were losing that title was sending you into an odd, spiraling crisis of identity. 

“Wow, I have to meet this guy,” Frannie said. 

You shook your head. “Trust me, Fran. You really don’t want to do that. He’s bad enough as-is, but you’re not the most patient person in the world. It would end in bloodshed.”

“I’m just surprised Talya has run into him before,” Amber said. “He looks pretty young.”

“He is,” Talya confirmed. “Bateman graduated early and runs through degree programs like they’re nothing. He’s working on a PhD now. He’s a little behind us, but probably not for long.”

You finished your rum and coke. “I’m headed back now. Are you guys coming along, or are you gonna hang out here for a while longer?”

Everyone reluctantly agreed to leave, admitting that an early start the next morning would be easier with a reasonable amount of sleep. 

To your irritation, you continued to run into Bateman at the Estuary over the next few months. The Conqueror won almost every time. The only exception were games with a higher-than-average number of questions about biological processes. He might be a genius, but Bateman didn’t know shit about ossification. 

Unfortunately, he also seemed to take a savage pleasure in tormenting you. Every time you ended up at the Estuary on the same trivia nights, he came up to speak with you at least once. He had done his research after your first meeting. From that point on, he knew your name and your major, and made a habit of reading any papers you published. He wasn’t shy about offering his opinions on them, either.

“The idea of applying technological advances to medical treatment makes sense,” he told you one night, perched on the edge of the armchair next to yours. “But the idea of doing the opposite is ridiculous. Why would you ever inflict something like a biological process on a computer program? Take neural networks for example. Why are we trying to recreate our brains in a computer format? They’re capable of so much more. We can do better than that.”

You had managed to mostly ignore him up to that point, but the fact that you were alone didn’t make things easier. Frannie was doing a large-scale project that had taken her away from Cambridge, Amber was seeing a new girl, and Talya had taken up volunteering at a local nursing home.

That argument, however, drew your attention and made you engage more fully than you typically did.

“I’m sorry,” you bit out, turning toward him more fully. The gleam of triumph in his eyes warned that he had been poking you and hoping for a response, but you were beyond caring about that by that point. “Are you really suggesting that humanity is capable of inventing - with our human brains - something more effective than the same brains we’ve used to invent literally everything we’ve ever come up with?”

“Exactly,” Bateman confirmed. He peered over his glasses at you and pushed up the sleeves of his shirt. He had taken to working out lately, a fact you were bitter that you’d noticed and determined not to mention. “In fact, I’ve come up with several promising prototypes already.”

“Of course,” you snorted. “It’s not just that humanity can do better than our own, fairly miraculous brains. It’s that you in particular have managed to invent not one, but several examples of a better brain.”

“What did you expect, sweetheart?” Bateman asked, looking extraordinarily satisfied with himself. “I’m brilliant.”

“That’s what you keep telling me,” you replied, rolling your eyes. “And don’t call me that.”

He grinned, flashing white teeth against the stubble that shadowed his jaw. “I can’t help it. You’re so sweet with your whole… thing. You know, the whole ‘humanity will unlock its most profound potential when it learns not to compete with or seek to control the intertwined disciplines of computerization and robotics, but to learn as much from them as we hope to teach’.”

You gave him your best unimpressed look, though you knew the line had been lifted directly from your most recent paper. “Just because you’re a misanthropic egomaniac doesn’t mean you can infantilize my work.”

Bateman snorted, picking up your half-full glass and peering suspiciously inside. “However much you’ve had to drink, it wasn’t enough if you’re using words like ‘misanthropic’.”

The liquid in your glass threatened to spill over when you snatched it back from him, but you managed to keep it all inside. “And again with the condescension.”

He smiled, but protested when you stood up. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” you asked. “We’ve run through the entire Nathan Bateman conversational spectrum: gloating, patronization, and superiority. I’m not interested in starting over from the beginning.”

“You know me so well,” Nathan said, grinning.

You walked away, rolling your eyes. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong.

---

“I’ll get the next round!” Amber offered, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the crowd. 

You called a thank-you after her, receiving only the wave of her hand for an answer. When she came back, she handed you your go-to drink, beaming at you.

“What? What’s with that smile?” you asked. 

Amber shook her head, still grinning. “Nothing, I’m just proud of you.”

You narrowed your eyes at her, but smiled and accepted the drink anyway. “Thank you.”

“Attention, Estuary guests!” Mira announced, her voice emanating from the rarely used PA system. “In honor of our soon-to-be graduate, we’re having a special trivia game. Five minutes until the game begins!”

“You guys got Mira to hold a special trivia night?” you asked your friends, unreasonably touched by the gesture. “That’s so sweet!”

“We… didn’t,” Tayla admitted. “If we had thought of it, we would have, but that wasn’t us.”

“So, what?” you asked. “Mira just decided to do it?”

Amber shrugged. “Must have. You know no one can make her do anything she doesn’t want to.”

“It makes sense,” Frannie pointed out. “We’ve probably spent more time and money here than most of the Estuary’s patrons.”

Whatever the reason, you settled in to enjoy the game. Maybe it was only the graduation goggles kicking into overdrive, but even the username The Conqueror couldn’t kill your mood. Bateman could play if he wanted. You were feeling generous. 

Questions passed by in a blur of knowledge requested and received. Your fingers flew over the screen of your phone, entering names and dates and places, satisfied with the simple pleasure of your favorite activity in your favorite place surrounded by your favorite people.

Your time at MIT was finally drawing to a close. You had taken all of your tests, successfully defended your thesis, and filed all of the appropriate paperwork. The blue-trimmed hood was waiting in your closet, along with your graduation gown. Your relatives were flying into town in the next few days to watch your ceremony. 

Most importantly, you had received and accepted a job offer - a biotechnology corporation focusing on the treatment of autoimmune diseases. When your graduation was over, you would start the process of moving to the company’s headquarters in Texas.

Eventually, a discrepancy wove its way into your brain: you were winning. 

Ordinarily, you would have no problem with that. It was the ideal situation. And yet… Bateman was here, and very few of the questions had anything to do with biological processes. Even if they were, he had gotten better at them over the past few months.

Since your attention had been drawn to the strange situation, you paid close attention. When a question about binary came up, you and The Tipsy Scholars tied for first place… but The Conqueror showed up as number four on the leaderboard.

That irked you so badly that you struggled to remain gracious when you won. You smiled at your friends, accepting their congratulations and remarking on tricky questions they had known the answers to, but you were constantly keeping an eye out for Bateman.

When he finally made an appearance, he had the nerve to offer you a shallow nod. “Congratulations on your victory, Champ.”

You stood up eagerly, close to stumbling with a killer combination of irritation and alcohol. “I need to talk to you. In private.”

Before he could give any sort of reaction, you had started walking away. Behind you, Frannie snapped, “Stop smiling, you idiot. That’s not a good thing. She’s gonna tear you apart.”

Rather than being apprehensive in the slightest, Bateman’s voice sounded intrigued and a little salacious. “Yeah? You promise?”

Despite his side conversation with your friend, Bateman was right behind you when you turned to face him. 

“What the fuck was that, Bateman?” you demanded, folding your arms and glaring up at him.

His dark eyebrows shot upward, clearing the top frames of his glasses with ease. “What are you talking about? It was a fair game and you won. Am I not allowed to congratulate you for that?”

“You’re an asshole,” you informed him. When he opened his mouth, presumably to defend himself, you interrupted him. “But you’re an honest asshole. It’s your single redeeming quality. Don’t bullshit me. Just admit that you threw the game.”

Bateman was smiling, but made no other move to speak. You were too impatient to wait. “Well?”

“I think this is the first time you’ve admitted I have a redeeming quality.”

You sighed heavily. “One. You have one redeeming quality and you threw it away. I would rather have lost to an honest opponent than win against someone who let me beat them. Get it?”

“I think I can grasp the basics,” he said dryly.

“Good,” you said, giving him a firm nod as you took a step back. When had you gotten so close? Ah, well. It didn’t matter. “In that case, goodbye. I won’t say it was nice meeting you, but it was an experience.”

Bateman watched you closely, solemn until another smile dawned on his face. His teeth were bright against the short beard he had started to grow. “We’ll see each other again.”

“Probably not,” you told him, patting him twice on the arm before you toddled back to your friends.

---

Author's Note - I'll be posting the second part tomorrow! This is the first fic I've ever written for an Oscar Isaac character. I would love to know how you thought I did! Thanks for reading and have a great day!

I don't offer a taglist for explicit fics, but you can find other works on my masterlist!

[hannahhook7744]

Anthony Tremaine headcanons revised:

His full name is Anthony Francis Tremaine. He is named after both of his grandfathers (Cinderella's dad and His mom's dad).

He has a variety of nicknames including but not limited to; Tony, Ant, Anty, Red, Ton, Carrot top, Francis, Fran, Franny, Annie, Tremaine, Maine, Trem, and Lord Tremaine.

He's also called a variety of pet names by Harriet, mainly luv, Batty, Bats, and bat boy.

He is the Quartermaster in Harriet's crew.

His family is originally from France and nobility, and while he's outgrown the whole 'Lord Tremaine ' thing, he's still bitter about it.

He's also bitter about the fact that FG granted Cindy's wishes but not the kids of the isles'.

He used to wish and wish to be taken off the isle with his friends and family, hoping that FG would grant them. She never did.

He is very family oriented and would do anything for his mother, siblings, and cousins.

He longs to be reunited with his father (and admittedly his aunt and her family).

He hates his aunt and grandmother, which is funny because he's his grandmother's favorite.

He only has one thing from each of his grandads—a pair of cufflinks from his step granddad and a long broadsword from his bio granddad.

He loves cats—mainly black ones because they remind him of Lucifer and Lucifer's kittens. One of which he owns.

He named it lord. Don't judge him.

He has 3  brothers and 4 sisters in this order— Ellie, Aaron,  Colombe, Anya, Amara, Frankie, and Felix. Some of them are adopted.

He has 7 cousins in total—Dorothy, Daphne, Debbie, Dixie, Delanie, Dotty, and Dizzy.

His cousins can be a bit nasty—towards Dizzy (in good fun they claim) and others.

He doesn't always get along with the 6 of them (and his siblings on occasion), because of this.

He's really studious because he wants to be worthy of the title 'Lord Tremaine'— his favorite subjects are history, Geography, and Foreign languages.

He has a photographic memory.

He practices knife fighting with his cousins and siblings, and really likes the sport.

His main weapon is a baseball bat because he feels better and more confident using it than a sword.

He likes dancing and singing, and playing the flute and the piano.

He isn't the best fighter but he does give it his all. He's great a shit talking but he's not much of a swearer— that's more Harriet than him.

Anthony bonds with Chad over hair care, make up, shopping, dress up, and selfies. And modeling Dizzy's stuff.

He makes Chad apologize to Evie and apologizes to the core four for trying to feed them to crocodiles after Dizzy (and a pissed off Harriet) pushed him too.

He's into fashion and fixing his own clothes.

He also loves listening to music— especially with Harriet and Dizzy who he has danced with on the Queen's Fury and in the salon.

He and Harriet often quiz each other on random facts for fun. Oh and he has a thing for her and her for him.

They have experimented with their friends before but we're not gonna get into that

He goes to dragon hall— mainly to look out for his cousins and siblings, though he'll never admit it.

He gets all good grades in his classes without even trying.

He keeps a blackmail book. Only his crew and Dizzy know he keeps one. Only he has a lot more than one.

He's good at sneaking around—thanks to Harriet teaching him how to.

Speaking of Harriet, the two of them first met when they were young. He said something sexist and she broke his nose. He's been into her ever since, much to their friends amusement and exasperation. Mainly Sammy.

He's really into photography and vintage pictures— mainly when it comes to pictures of France and other places in the world.

He is allergic to roses like his mother and loves flowers,food, and jewelry like her too.

He's also into sailing thanks to Harriet.

He's also a handy man and the one who fixes things around their home and the salon.

He can be pretty impulsive and temperamental but is surprisingly good at calming others down.

He’s very resentful towards Cinderella and Prince Charming for not helping them, and because of the family tragedy that cost him his family.

He and Harriet eventually have two kids— Tommy and Katie.

His friends keep trying to come up with a ship name for him and Harriet.

He is very sarcastic and resentful towards most of the heroes.

He's great at cooking like his dad and loves tea parties and playing with his cay.

Finally, he has a habit of craving his name and the names of those he cares about into things. Seriously, his initials and name are carved into most of the buildings on the isle— Evie once found his name carved into furniture in her mother's castle and doesn't know how he managed it.

🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

Also I used some of @idontliketomatoesleavemealone 's ocs. Said ocs being Ellie, Frankie, Felix, and Colombe Tremaine. Check their blog out. Requested by: @eahravinqueen .

[alyss-kelly]

My opinion about Another Code : Recollection Part 1

First of all, I'm an old fan of the serie, so of course I compared the Switch compilation and the DS and Wii version.

I don't want to discourage people who are curious and want to play the game. If you're even a lil bit interested in them, play them, on DS, Wii or Switch, pick your poison and make your own opinion on it. Don't take my word as the absolute thing or whatever. It's not because I'm mixed about it that people shouldn't play it. Because I still think that a game that was, to me, very niche, from a studio that went bankrupt AND from 2005, is incredible. For a game like that to get a fully voiced remake almost twenty year after the release of its first installment, with most of the old crew working on them is to be celebrated ! Even if I didn't like everything, they still did an amazing job and I'm glad to see the franchise alive again in 2024.

I have strong feelings and I feel the need to share them to see if someone "relates" or not.

I may talk about spoilers but I'll try to limit them, be vague and put a warning before and after if I state it clearly.

Soo, now that this "introduction is over ~

In this essay I will

I have a LOT to say about Another Code Recollection. Good and Bad. Sadly, I have more things to say about the bad than the good. I have mixed feeling about it. I was very VERY excited when Recollection was first announced, I cried even, because I care about "Another Code Two Memories" and "Another Code R" A LOT, it's my childhood, they're in my top fav games list, they were very meaningful to me and I was sad it ended with Cing and with no hope of seeing the conclusion of Matthew's story. Even tho I was happy, I was still a bit scared about how they would adapt some of the puzzle on the switch. And I think I was right to have this fear. They did some cool things and others that I disliked.

I'll say my "+" and "-" and develop them further bellow each point.

+ Positive :

The graphism They're very nice, the characters's models are nicely done, the scenery and everything else is definitely a BIG glow up (mostly compared to the DS graphics)

The Redesign I like some of them a LOT, big glow up for almost everyone. I particularly love Charlotte and Janet. Charlotte finally looks her age! I kinda miss the old Matthew but his new version is also good.

Puzzles use the Switch motions thingy Just a few of them tho. I think that's cool, because they sadly don't use it very much in other games. And it's nice to see them try to replicate the same feeling you had with the DS and Wii games.

Confirmation of theories and new bits of story It's nice to see that after all these years. /!\SPOILER/!\ I'm thinking about Frannie's relative. /!\END OF SPOILER/!\

Musics They nailed the music; it still has that nostalgic and lonely vibe for Two Memories and the carefree with a hint of sadness vibe in R.

Voice Acting A very nice addition and very well done. I know there's English Dub but I played it with the Japanese voices. And being able to choose between them is nice.

Possibility to switch language That's maybe a very "me" + point, but the fact that I could change the game in every language available is cool. Even more for the jp, cause now if I want to I could try and practice my reading skills because there's an option to have katakana and hiragana on top of kanji. I just think that's neat.

Hint mode I just tried it in the tutorial but I think it's a nice touch for when you don't know where to go or how to resolve a puzzle.

Relationship between Ashley and D The way they would mimic each other poses was all I ever wanted. I love them a lot and seeing them being a little bit closer than I remember them to be in the DS version was great !

Art The new sprites are very pretty and it's nice to see the improvement the artist made. The endcredits was very pretty !

Flowchart & Map I like to see flowchart in any type of game, it's helpfull and pretty. I like that it was updated along with the story. And I also enjoy the map and the little commentary Ashley was "writing" on it.

End of Part 1

---

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

[splendontcore]

Disclaimer: this was originally to be a little animatic...but it would be kind of complicated because of the music, the illustrations and because original script was 24 pages long, so i decided to make a fanfic instead. Sorry for any misspelling/grammar error, im still learning!

Special delivery!

It's sunday at Happy Tree Town. June 18th, 2006, fathers day! The low population of this insignificant place with such impressive green architecture was surely celebrating this important date. Who wouldn't be grateful for their father's existence? They didnt just give permissions when mom's doesn't want to, but also carrying you in the good path. Guiding every instance of your life and helping you to take good desicions...However, its a whole spectrum. Theres good dads, for example Petunia's dad, Mr. Kirainai; a hardworking business man who always mind about his family and cares that much about her only daughter that he even created a spot for her in the company which she is going to run someday, what a great heart he has! A dad would do anything for their children after all! But there's also bad dads, Tommy's dad could nail the subjet really well; Mr. Graff... he's at jail, some people especulate the reason was some domestic disputee that ended up with Tommy's older sister taking care of what was left alive...that's awful. And then, there are just dad's...neither good or bad. Most of the town old folks would fit in this term. Perfection doesn't exist, everyone is quite aware of that, but the closest thing to that its the delicious smell that Happy Tree Bakery left in the town's air. It was run by a sweet southern lady and her husband, who were expecting a baby boy, just called Ma and Pop by the town folks. Time passed and at the time this sweet moment happened, it was just the husband who was in charge.

Francis Cooper and their squirrel pet Splendont, named after the Splendid's comic character and not the infamous antihero in disguise obviously, walked to the big ol empty tree stump reused as small bakery, greeted by the smell of freshly baked pastries and the sound of cheerful customers.

-Pop, happy Father's Day! I'd like to place an order for some special donuts.

Francis said, with a gentle smile.

-Thank you, Franny honey! What can I get for you today?

Francis glances at the menu board, pondering their choices.

-I'll have a box of honey drizzled donuts, a box of bacon and syrup donuts, and a box of jelly-filled donuts.

Pop starts preparing the donuts, skillfully drizzling honey, sprinkling bacon bits, and filling the donuts with jelly.

Francis gets s bit curious, wasnt today an important day to remember the importance of dad in their life? Why he was working in his normal schedule insted of spending time bonding with this only child?

-Pop, why are you working on Father's Day? Don't you want to spend time with your son?

Pop left escape a small sigh and keep working in the order as he speaks.

-Well, you see, Franny, my deceased wife always encouraged hard work. She believed that putting love and dedication into what we do is important. So, in her honor, I continue to bake and serve delicious treats on special days like this.

Franci's eyes widen with understanding and admiration.

-That's really admirable, Pop. Your wife's values live on through your dedication. And I'm sure your baby son appreciates it too.

-Thank you, Flaky. At the end of the day, I'll have some quality time with my son. It's all about finding a balance.

Francis smiles, feeling a sense of warmth and connection. Then they tooks their wallet and took some money.

-Here's the payment, Pop. I hope these donuts bring joy to whose receive them.

Pop took the money while smiling back at the them.

-Thank you, Franny. I'm sure they'll love them.

Francis bids farewell to Pop, carrying the boxes of donuts, ready to surprise the fathers in their life.

Then they walks along the quiet streets, a determined look on their face can be seen on. Splendont scampers alongside them.

-So, Flaky, why did you get so many boxes of donuts? Last time I checked, you only have one dad.

Splendont said, while raising one of his stupid squirrel eyebrows.

-Well, Splendont, these boxes aren't just for my dad. They're for the significant men in my life who have been like fathers to me.

Splendont looks intrigued, his curiosity piqued.

-Ah, I see. Pray, do tell, who are these lucky recipients?

Francis stopped for a moment, trying to explain Splendont the significant bonds they has.

-First, there's Stephen's dad. You know...when we were toddlers, his parents used to take care of me. They were like second parents to me when my own dad was still grieving for my mom's loss. Then there's Mr. Johnson, my history teacher. He moved next to my house a few years ago. His own children don't visit him, so my presence helps fill that void in his life. He's been like a father figure to me.

-Oh, the retired soldier with the thousand miles stare? Interesting. And anyone else?

Franci's gaze becomes more solemn as they speaks.

-Lastly, there's my real dad. Despite his struggles with drug problems, I still care for him and hope that someday he can overcome them and be like he used to be in my childhood. He may not be a perfect dad, but he's still my dad.

Splendont's eyes soften as he takes in Flaky's words. He lefts his sarcastic comments behind to speak his mind.

-I didn't realize how many people hold a special place in your heart, kiddo. That's quite remarkable.

Francis nods as they resume their walk.

-They may not be related to me by blood, but they have made a significant impact on my life. And I want to show my appreciation for them.

Francis stops in front of Stephen's house.

-Oh, and I also wanted to send something to my yayo in Spain, but I already sent him a postcard a few weeks ago, I hope he receives it.

Francis knocks on Stephen's door, ready to give the gratitude filled boxes. They stands at the doorstep, holding the box of donuts, as Sofia, Stephen's older sister, opens the door. Sofia rolls her eyes at the sight of Francis.

-Ah, genial, es otro de los amigos inadaptados de Stephen. Stephen, your little buddy is here!

Sofia walks away, heading to the dining room where the family is gathered for the Father's Day celebration. The aroma of Chilean cuisine fills the air.

Francis shifts uncomfortably, feeling a bit out of place, maybe they should planned this to happen earlier. Stephen appears at the doorway, intrigued by Franci's unexpected arrival.

-Hey, Flaky. What's in the box?

Stephen said while raising an eyebrow.

Franci's eyes light up, realizing Stephen is curious about the box. They holds it out to him with a gentle smile.

-Its just some jelly filled donuts, Sniffles, just the onesthat your dad likes. It's Father's Day, and I wanted to give something special to the significant men in my life. This one is for your dad.

Stephen takes the box, a mix of surprise and appreciation crossing his face.

-Wow, Flaky, that's really thoughtful of you. Thank you. You know that you are part of this family too and we all care for you.I'm sure he'll appreciate the gesture, Flaky. He's in the dining room celebrating with the family. Mom made completos, his favorite food. Do you remember them, right?

Francis nods as they recall the numerous timrs they used to eat those overstuffed hot dogs...so delicious.

-Yeah, lous coumpletous, moi gueno...

Stephen's laughs softly about their butchered pronunciation. At least they tries.

-Well, I have more boxes to give this day. Keep celebrating. See ya tommorow!

Francis turns to leave, knowing that their gesture of appreciation will be appreciated by Stephens' dad and the rest of the family.

Francis and Splendont walk side by side, heading towards Mr. Johnson's house. Franci's flipphone rings, and they takes it out to see that it's thei friend, Nathniel, calling.

-Oh, it's Nutty! I wonder what he wants.

Splendont smirks mischievously, nudging Francis playfully.

-Ah, that kid. I bet he's just bored and wants someone to entertain him. Better pick up, Francis.

Francis gives Splendont a playful glare before answering the call.

-Hey, Nutty! What's up?

Nathniel was just laying on his candy cane themed bed. The room was filled with candy envelopes as usual, just the normal panoram in his house.

-Hey, Flaky. I'm just feeling kind of bored, and Sniffles is busy. Thought you might be free to hang out or something.

Francis glances at Splendont, then to the boxes in their hands, feeling a bit torn.

-Oh, Nutty, I wish I could hang out, but I'm actually on my way to Mr. Johnson's house right now. We have some things to discuss.

Nathniel would be lying if he said he wasnt disappointed by the answer, but there's nothing he could do to convince them so he just tried to keep up the conversation.

-Oh, no worries, Flaky. I...I understand. What's going on with Mr. Johnson, anyways?

-Well, it's Father's Day, and I wanted to give him something special to show my appreciation. I thought we could have a little chat too so he doesnt spend this day alone.

Fathers day? Is today? How he could it forget? Oh...because his parents dont live with him, duh. At the time this call was ocurring, his both parents where at his dad's home country, Germany, they had a full schedule of conferences to give.

-Ah, got it. Father's Day. That makes sense. I hope he appreciates the gesture.

-I'm sure he will, Nutty. He's been like a father figure to me. And hey, speaking of Father's Day, I remember you mentioning something about sending a gift to your dad in Germany.

He did? OH, YES! He didnt forget it at all!

-Oh, yeah. I sent him some delicious box filled with fancy chocolates, the best of the best. I even get two boxes for myself! But, you know, I couldn't help but worry about them getting lost in the mail or, even worse, the postman eating them all! They are so sneaky, ugh!

Francis chuckles at Nathniel's humorous concerns.

-Nutty, I highly doubt the postman would eat your chocolates. I'm sure they'll arrive safely, and your dad will be thrilled to receive them.

-You're right, Flaky. I'm just being silly. Thanks for calming my nerves.

-No problem, Nutty. Don't worry too much. Enjoy the rest of the day yourself! I'm already at Mr Johnson's house so I guess have to hung up...Take care of yourself, bye!

-Thanks, Flaky. Have a great time with Mr. Johnson.

Francis reaches Mr. Johnson's front door, ghey ends the call and looks at Mr. Johnson's house, ready to celebrate Father's Day with their caring teacher.

Mr. Johnson was sitting on a cozy armchair, engrossed in embroidering a blanket while his favorite vinyl plays softly in the background. He's lost in his thoughts, trying not to dwell on the significance of the date - Father's Day. Giving a stare to some of his frame photos you could tell he used to have a family of his own. Wife, kids and even a cute puppy. Everything was gone. His struggle with PSTD left him living alone at his old age. He havent heard of any of his children since he got divorcied some decades ago. The only thing he hopes it that at least they dont commit the same error as him to join at the militia. The sound of the doorbell breaks the silence, and Mr. Johnson's face lights up with hope. He quickly puts aside his embroidery and rushes to the door, anticipation in his eyes. Francis stands outside, holding the box of honey drizzled donuts at top. They smiles warmly when Mr. Johnson opens the door.

-Cooper! What a pleasant surprise...I thought it might be one of my children visiting on this special day.

He said the last sentence with a bit of disappointment.

Francis tries to be upbeat and grins at him.

-Well, Mr. Johnson, I'm here to celebrate Father's Day with you! I brought these honey drizzled donuts as a small token of appreciation.

Mr. Johnson's eyes well up with emotion, touched by Franci's thoughtfulness.

-Cooper, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you for considering me an important person in your life.

Mr. Johnson's gets his eyes tear filled by the nice gesture of his best worst student. At least someone stills seeing him as an important person in their life.

-You've been more than just a teacher to me, Mr. Johnson. You've been a guiding figure and someone I can always count on. I wanted to show my gratitude on this special day.

They share a heartwarming moment, both feeling the connection between them, just like as a father with their child.

-Thank you, Francis Cooper. This is truly touching. Come on in, let's celebrate together.

They step inside, and Mr. Johnson leads Francis to the cozy living room. They sit down, enjoying the sweet treats and engaging in heartfelt conversation. The atmosphere is filled with warmth and gratitude. Mr Johnson resumes his embroidery session, now with the help of some extra hands to spent the rest of the day.

--------

Francis and Splendont walk back home after some hours, there's just one box left in Franci's hands. Splendont can't resist making a sarcastic comment, as usual.

-Wow, Flaky, I never thought I'd see the day you would spend time inside of that crazy old man house. What are you going to do tomorrow? Cut his grass and make his dinner?

-Oh, please. You're just jealous you didn't get to enjoy those delicious donuts.

They continue their walk, bantering back and forth, their friendship stronger than ever.

As they arrived the Cooper's residence, Francis and Splendont enter the living room, carrying the last box of donuts. But happens that Franci's dad is already passed out on the couch, surrounded by empty bottles and used needles.

-Looks like my dad beat us to it, as usual.

Splendont hops off Flaky's shoulder, transforming into his humanoid form. He looks at Francis with a mixture of amusement and sympathy.

-Well, Flaky, can't say I'm surprised. You should've expected this outcome.

-I guess you're right, Splendont. It's the usual scene around here...

Francis places the box of donuts on a small table near the couch. They leans down and gently kisses their dad's forehead, despite his unconscious state.

-Happy Father's Day, Dad.

They takes two donuts from the box, one for themself and one for Splendont.

-At least I can still honor the important men in my life, even if they're not perfect.

Splendont smirks and takes a bite of his donut, savoring the sweetness.

-These bacon donuts are way too much...but terribley fantastic Thanks, I guess.

Francis nods, content with the simple gesture of celebrating Father's Day in their own way. They walks towards their room, munching on their donut, with Splendont following close behind. Then they both enter, closing the door behind them. They takes a seat on their matress, feeling a sense of fulfillment. Frqncis gazes at the donut in their hand, reflecting on the day and the men who have shaped their life. They takes another bite, savoring the flavor, grateful for the opportunity to thank them.

[lady-margaret]

bridgerton season 3 part 1 opinion (as someone who has read all the books + is kathony biased so be warned)

after sitting and stewing on what i just watched for a few hours

i’d like to start this off by saying that due to my disappointment of the writing from the last season, i was way more gracious with this one. kate and anthony were great because of simone and jonathan; i’m not sure the writers had much to do with that.

anyway, what i’m saying is that i already knew not to expect the writers to be faithful to the source material (romancing mr. bridgerton), so i was able to enjoy myself more. additionally, polin’s book isn’t exactly a favorite of mine anyway, so there wasn’t a lot to be too disappointed with in my case.

what i liked:

penelope’s wardrobe; they hyped up the “transformation” so much and i’m glad it did not disappoint.

colin’s hot 😌

eloise’ wardrobe; someone pointed out that it had a lot of philip references, so yay 😀 (it has me worried that it’ll be her story next though, we need ben first)

eloise interacting with the other ladies of the ton was really cute and refreshing; she’s learning that despite them having different interests than her, they are still people of great value. the difference is eloise was raised in a loving and supportive family, unlike most of the others.

sibling’s g&h’s personalities coming through more (they are anthony’s children, truly).

featherington sisters as comic relief.

MARRIED KATHONY CRUMBS 💕💕💕 they carried episode 1 for me.

FRANCESCA 💕💕💕 gorgeous introvert representation.

FRANNY AND JOHN 💕💕💕 (i am both ready and NOT ready to get hurt 🥹)

book references (yay! the bare minimum!)

lord debling’s dope.

i actually do like that they gave cressida a legitimate reason to want to win the competition money to unmask LW in the second part.

the music choices haven’t disappointed yet!!!!!

colin’s line for the season is def the “well are you gonna marry me or not?” line HEHEHEHEHE i ALMOST screamed as loud as i did when john entered when he said that line to pen.

as an army, plus points for dynamite 🤭 i didn’t expect to like the orchestral version and didn’t see the vision of where they would even insert it, but i actually liveddd for it.

what i don’t really have strong feelings about:

mondrich plot; alice is beautiful but the addition of their family storyline didn’t make much of a lasting impact.

the queen; she was very meh so far.

the featherington storyline: the sisters are funny, but their whole situation mixed with the humor leads me not to take it very seriously.

violet x lady danbury’s brother: 🤷‍♀️ i don’t see it.

the “lady danbury’s brother” storyline in general is very forgettable.

what i disliked:

i think nicola and luke could use more chemistry; they fall short compared to daphne&simon and kathony (HEAVY ON KATHONY THIS IS WHY THEY REMOVED THEM FROM THE REST OF THE EPISODES SIGH)

they kinda mischaracterized colin (he spent the last two seasons being selfish and putting himself above everyone else violet, what the hell are you talking about “you never place yourself over others” 🤨)

the lack of ben time?? did he go back to the academy after taking over for anthony briefly??? what did he do besides dodging debutantes all season????

they glossed over benedict running the estate so quickly; this could have been an opportunity to draw out his storyline, especially since he mentioned that he liked having a purpose: WRITERS???? DO SOMETHING WITH THAT!

i also didn’t really care for the ben x tilly arnold plot; unless sophie’s actually a maid of her’s or something, i don’t see her point in the show besides just be another one of ben’s ever changing girl of the season.

im sorry but eloise would never SHOULD NEVER have befriended her (ex?) best friend’s bully, no matter what the circumstances. that is NOT eloise.

honestly, them revealing whistledown in the first season is really screwing with the writing; in this regard, i wish they stayed more faithful to the book and how colin finds out about LW. it all just seems so messy at this point.

so s3 starts when kathony end their honeymoon… how long was this honeymoon? math isn’t mathing cuz it couldn’t have been more than a week given that kate isn’t obviously pregnant yet in the first ep.

i know that colin and pen are longtime friends, but from how they’ve interacted with each other in the past seasons, it’s a bit harder to believe that they were close CLOSE friends; close friends to the extent of helping the other find a spouse through “lessons”? i don’t see it. that’s why i was a bit ??? when i first found out about the plot they were going with for the season (in the book, colin really just starts following her around cuz she was being sus)

i hate that they had to come up with an excuse to get rid of kathony for the rest of the episodes; i get that they’ve been running their separate households alone for most of their lives and want a break but… i don’t think they would abandon their responsibilities for an “extended honeymoon”. knowing them, running the estate isn’t gonna stop them from being wh0res!! they help each other out with the estate and are still sickeningly in love and have time for each other (in the books). i was also really hoping to see kate taking over the viscountess role. i swore they would have done something like that after that cute/awkward moment when they both respond to “lady bridgerton” in episode 1.

i get that it’s established that penelope’s one goal for the season is to get a husband, but as i know her character, she would NEVER get into races (?) or run just so she can talk to a suitor before anyone else does 😭 okay but it was funny.

i am kinda sad that they couldn’t have just let a mean character or a villain character be the villain character; yea sure, i did say that i liked that cressida had a legitimate and well thought out motive for wanting the LW reward money but, idk i could’ve lived without her storyline.

one of the BIGGEST THINGS for me is that i do not think they should have released so many clips/snippets of the show days or weeks before it came out. i understand like 1 clip, but i skipped SO MANY SCENES because i have watched them at least 5 times already on tiktok or twitter.

the two part season idea is dumb.

i’m scared for how messy part 2 will be (in terms of both writing and just how stressed i will be with the revealing of LW plot HUHU poor pen) but i’m still looking forward to it 😇😇😇 and despite all the things i didn’t like, i did still enjoy it. if i do rewatch it or not is still to be decided; s1 & s2 have such high rewatch value.

franny and john were TRULY a standout though. i cannot even begin to describe how loud i screamed when he finally said his name out loud 😭💕

verdict: the writing is getting messier, get jonathan bailey in that writer’s room ASAP

[askchammy]

DND success!

Hey guys! For those of who who follow @ask-dcf​ , y’all may have heard that I was doing a gaming session, and well, it was a success on both ends!

I’ve been meaning to try a DnD session for some time, but I do have problems with focusing entirely due to lack of visuals or auditory things, so as an autistic person it can be hard to concentrate fully. But my friend managed to help out with it by adding the appropriate musics and visuals per tavern!

We were playing the Twisted Taverns as a means of a chill session to show the ropes as it were, for the first session, the Wizards Wateringhole, gave me a chance to flesh out my first character: Laxar the Sorceress Rabbitfolk!

Born as orphans during a thunderstorm alongside with her twin sister Franny, she and her were taken in by a kindly human painter whom lived in a cottage surrounded by many animals and nature as far as the eye could see. For the time they were together, everything was peaceful for the most part, with the exception of Laxar getting into trouble most of the time by being a little prankster to some villagers far away from the cottage. However, because that Laxar was born with lightning magic, her powers were difficult to control. One day an incident went a little too far when Laxar’s powers would get her into more trouble than she already did. She doesn’t know where her powers come from, and neither did the wizarding school she was assigned to in order to try and help her with her powers. Eventually, after some time, Laxar decided this would be a personal journey for her to go on to learn more about the origins of her lightning powers. She was equipped with a lightning staff to help manage her powers better, and went on her journey not only to better herself, but to help support her founding family. It’s speculated that Franny herself went on her own adventures, but where the path takes her we have yet to unravel...

Which segways us into the Wizards Wateringhole! Laxar made her way here alongside with her bag that the human painter gave to her. It was just as magical as it can get! From Laxar making friendly conversation with the bartender and a half-tiefling warlock named Ferris, to helping Data craft a potion for his journey ahead, to Laxar forming an unlikely friendship with Dalla (methinks there might be more shenanigans with the two given Dalla’s mischievous behavior and how she ended up in Laxar’s bag XDD). There was a plant lady which Laxar met earlier in the lounge, and she seemed to be arguing with a tiefling of sorts in terms for a “quest for vengeance” as it were. The tiefling warns Laxar that this isn’t her path to take, but Laxar couldn’t help but feel bad for the plant lady in distress, she had to help somehow! On the way when trying to locate her room, she encounters Dalla again and a smiling purple spider-man (forgot his name-), whom checks her in to a room since the plant lady is asleep at the moment, and we paused where Laxar takes her sleep in one of the beds which will be able to take her to the land of dreams~ Will there be secrets along the way? Only time will tell!

And the 2nd one, the Grand Shanty, has us RPing as Conner’s characters Seeker and Cherry, which I took the role of Cherry as the two have a bit of father-daughter bonding time, since Seeker decided to bring her here as a means of help perking her up. Things are swell for the most part, though there was the giant crab that Cherry devoured but it made her sick in the process XDD There was also some intruders abroad threatening the ship’s commander, these pirates were led by this lightning dragonborn whom seems to be in league with a “Captain Gracey” of sorts. They took their leave for now, and this would also be the place where Cherry first met Felly, which the two had their bonding moment and when Cherry decides to crush BIG TIME, much to Seeker’s amusement and Cherry’s embarrassment XDD The next day the same pirates came aboard, about to finish off the ship’s commander, but Cherry made it just in time to stop them, but unfortunately this derives their attention to her as she tries to run off, but since she saw too much she was about to be finished off by the lightning dragonborn until Seeker came in the nick of time to save the day and go full on papa wolf! Felly was also accompanied by a party of her own, and there was a plasmoid and shark man that helped assisted their heroes in their brutal fight against the pirates! Once they retreated, all was well, though Cherry deep down felt a sense of regret in her on her father and whatnot...

All in all, ‘twas a fun session no doubt about that! And I look forward to what else will be in store for the future!

Until then, you guys have a good one, Ashy out~

[the-everqueen]

Hello! I’m interested in any book recs you have 💕

this is going to be some of my favorites, but if you want specific recs, let me know what things you've enjoyed/are looking for and i can tailor a shortlist (open offer):

fiction

mongrels, stephen graham jones - a coming of age story about an Indigenous teen descended from werewolves. jones is mostly known for the only good indians, which is also very good, but this book touched my monster-loving heart.

the sparrow, mary doria russel - a jesuit missionary is the only survivor of the first crew to travel to an alien planet. i read this book for the first time last year and i haven't stopped thinking about it. the sequel children of god made me even crazier (affectionate).

kindred, octavia butler - a black woman gets pulled back in time where she has to repeatedly save her white ancestor in antebellum maryland. time loops! the past as an actor on our present! what are you willing to do in order to survive! i think if you only read one octavia butler book, it should probably be either this one or dawn.

dead astronauts, jeff vandermeer - a trio from the future is traveling through loopholes in spacetime in an attempt to save the universe from latest-possible-stage capitalism. it's weird and experimental and more like a spoken word poem than a novel.

far sector, nk jemisin - this is a graphic novel about a black femme green lantern trying to prevent social collapse on another planet. gerard way wrote the preface. the art is excellent.

nonfiction

queer times, black futures, kara keeling - each chapter looks at an afrofuturist artist/art work to discuss black queer liberation. i read a lot of academic texts, so take this with a grain of salt, but i think keeling is very readable and if you're unfamiliar with the afrofuturist movement, this book provides a great starting point for artists to look into.

scenes of subjection: terror, slavery, and self-making in nineteenth century america, saidiya hartman - i'm not gonna lie to you, this book is dense. but hartman articulates how slavery in america shaped discourse around subjectivity and this discourse lives on. who gets to be recognized as a person, and under what conditions?

go ahead in the rain: notes to a tribe called quest, hanif abdurraqib - this is the Most Readable book in this section. it's part memoir, part music criticism, part archive. short but poetic. hanif is such a generous writer, and you feel his love for the subject. i'm so excited for his book on basketball that comes out next year and i have never seen a basketball game in my life.

poetry

postcolonial love poem, natalie diaz - this book aches like a bruise.

time is a mother, ocean vuong - like critical race theory but as poems. time is a flat circle and a spiral and a loop and a trap. (i actually like night sky with exit wounds better, but this one fits whatever theme i have going on here)

soft science, franny choi - robots are people, too. if you liked janelle monae's album dirty computer, you will like this book.

[ladykailolu]

I wanna talk more about Blondie

I feel like she and Mela would get along, they’re both total queens and Blondie also likes to dance, she also loves hot chocolate, ballet, flute music, smooth jazz and classical music, fashion* and fashion design, and afternoon tea parties

*she’d get criticized at her job because instead of wearing a police uniform she’d just walk around in her designer clothes with her badge in her coat or something

(once her name starts to really get out there, she gets quite wealthy, and she usually spends it on clothes or charity stuff, as she does believe in reformative programs preventing crime)

I can see her hanging out with the gang including Godot, cause like, one of them copes with his trauma and sadness by being cryptic and bitter, while she deals with her trauma and sadness by being a little silly

Black Coffee guy and hot chocolate with rainbow sprinkles lady

Home girl and coffee boy are both working in the prosecutor’s office late and as a kind gesture, she makes him a cup of extra dark hot chocolate, cause she thinks he’d like it [she doesn’t know how to make coffee cause she doesn’t drink it, as she’s an insomniac]

“Just something to help get through the night from one late shifter to another”

but I actually ship her with Franziska,

Cause it’s like the sun lesbian* + moon lesbian (*bisexual but whatever)

U know opposites attract

Franziska is this uptight, formal, thin and sharp young woman, who’s secretly cute

Blondie is this bubbly, soft and curvy, quirky slightly older** lady, who’s secretly a badass

** she’s like in her early to mid 30s

And both have near perfect records

Blondie can be Franziska’s pet detective (like got Gumgum is to Edgybaby)

Nah but really they’d be an interesting crime fighting duo, and make great gfs

They both classy hoes (hoes in an endearing way)

What do u think?

I was immediately picturing Blondie making a dirty chai latte or dirty hot chocolate for Godot in that there's coffee in it and she tries to make it dark and bitter to his tasting. And she might even bake him bagels with cream cheese to go with the coffee (or maybe that's just me projecting lol)

She sounds like the generous person who brings in sweets and the like to be enjoyed by the whole detective team, and Gumshoe is just taken by those gestures and has to stop himself from eating the whole thing.

Despite being a dark and bitter cryptid, Godot finds himself smiling more when Blondie's around. The coffee she makes is....well, there's always room for improvement 😊

God just imagine Blondie and Mela getting together over tea and confections, and Mela starts explaining about all the silly, shameful things one of her cousins has been up to. She spills the beans of Gyro's failed love affairs and the mess he's made of them, and Blondie has to stop herself from laughing or she'll get the hiccups. They just roast tf outta him and it is glorious lol!

But how does Blondie react upon seeing Gyro's little bastard girls? I feel like Sadie-Mae might like her. Maggie would like her because she seems fun and nice (much, much nicer than her father, that's for sure), and Paxe is a bit disinterested. As a side note, give Paxe a whip and she'd become a little Frannie lol

I was imagining that Mela would purposefully kick out Caesar and Gyro from the house for a day so she could host a little girls-only get together with Gyro's daughters, her gf Jodie and Blondie. There, Mela dances with Blondie and teaches her this Spanish dance she recently learned. And Blondie makes hot chocolate for the kids.