#fun fact! today i learned that convertables were made in 1910

[marinerainbow]

@wicked1will0sparkles I know you suggested Grimhilde could be the Jessica to Poppy's Roger in an AU (and I'm definitely writing something for that!), but imagine if it was Shiny who got to be the Jessica of the relationship (I say that like she isn't already XD)

I'm thinking that maybe the weasels are looking into some case that the girls are somehow related to. Maybe Shiny is the one being convicted of murder after having to 'deal' with a particularly nasty patron from the club, and Poppy is trying to prove her innocence. And they get separated, just like Roger and Jessica did, while they're both trying to figure everything out, too; Shiny taking matters into her own hands, and Poppy teaming up with the people she thinks can help.

Also, just- in general, I can definitely see Popshine in Roger's and Jessica's scenes. Shiny explaining that Poppy makes her laugh. Poppy defending Shiny and finally losing her patience before getting hit by bricks. Poppy writing Shiny a love letter!!! I had to try re-writing some of the scenes with them XD

Warnings for some cursing. And murder mention.

~

Poppy watched from the side of the van as the weasels entered the building, worry written across her face as her fingers dug into her palms despite all the guns and knives the Toon Patrol carried with them. She definitely didn't want to be anywhere near whatever was going to happen to the guy they were after, the one who was supposedly behind Shiny's framing, but being out here on her own acting as a 'look out' didn't sit right, either.

What if Shiny was in there? How could she stay out here while the man who hurt the woman she loved was in there? She couldn't just stand here doing nothing!

'Deep breathes, Poppy.' The rabbit kept reminding herself, taking in the shaky breaths that didn't at all help her anxiety and brimming anger right now, 'They need a look out. You have to help them now... We're just one step closer to proving Shiny isn't a killer. Just focus on that...'

Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale... Stay calm. Stay rational. beep the horn twice if you see or hear anything. That was all she had to do. She couldn't flake now-

WHACK!

Everything went black for the horror toon, and her unconscious body would have fallen onto the concrete ground. If it weren't for the one responsible for her concussion catching her in her arms.

"I'm sorry, baby!" Shiny whispered, feeling her heart ache for her honey bunny as she carried her body to the red convertible parked around the corner, just out of sight from anybody who might peak outside the windows- which was a good thing, considering the commotion Shiny could hear from the building. She didn't need a stray bullet to hit Poppy, "I promise I'll make it up to you when this is all over."

After securing Poppy in the trunk of her car, the soft look in the performer's eyes turned merciless before she set her sights on the complex where that bastard was. It was high time to clean up this mess.

~

"Come on!"

It wasn't everyday that Smartass took orders from anyone, or let his patrol do the same. But it seemed like tonight was an exception as they all followed her out of the alley, no questions asked.

They all turned a corner, but came to a sudden stop. Shiny's eyes somehow grew wider and flashed a lime green when she saw the state of her wrecked car. Or rather, the fact that her trunk was open and empty, "Poppy? Fuck, where'd she go!?"

"Poppy?" The pink suited weasel repeated, looking at Shiny incredulously as she looked around her car in a panic, as if the rabbit in question was somehow hiding in the rubble, "That dame ran on us back at-"

"No, she didn't!" Shiny whirled around with an even meaner look on her face than before, causing Stupid to step back nervously while Psycho decided to take a sniff around the wreck. She was this close to popping that shrimp a new one, "I was keeping her in the trunk to keep her safe!"

...

"Keep her safe??"

Shiny narrowed her eyes at the smoker before huffing and looking away. She didn't have time to argue about her lack of options. Not with Poppy and the real murderer on the streets, "We ain't getting anywhere in my car. Where's your guys'?"

"Oh! It's gone!"

"WHAT!?" Whipping their heads towards the direction that Stupid was pointing, everyone could see that their van was not only stolen, but the street looked like an utter mess. More so than usual. Like someone was driving like a maniac. Or an idiot. Psycho cackled, finding this situation utterly hilarious for reasons mostly unknown, while Wheezy pulled out a few new smokes with a shaky hand. Greasy groaned and muttered some spanish curses to himself, and the proud smile on Stupid's face melted when he saw his boss' ear twitch, "... SON OF A!-"

"Calm down, Smartass. It looks like it was just Poppy." Shiny, slightly calmer now with her theory, sighed as she glanced to Psycho. To which the loon nodded as he recovered from his laughing fit; either that nose of his was somehow able to conclude this, or he just agreed with her theory. Either way, Shiny was willing to take it, "Pops isn't the best driver. She must be at her wits end if she's stealing."

"THAT'S SUPPOSED 'TA MAKE ME FEEL BETTER HOW!?"

"Mierda. You could say she's a better lover than a driver." Greasy, of course, couldn't stop himself from stepping beside the dancer and making such a comment. Though the lack of a perverse grin on his mug and the more sarcastic tone in his voice showed he was getting just as frustrated as his team was. And was the only reason Shiny only rolled her eyes at him as opposed to sending him a death glare.

"Better than you could possibly be, I assure you."

Apparently though, Greasy wasn't upset enough not to let out an offended huff and look down at the lady weasel incredulously, "I'll admit, senora, she's a cute one. But what could make you say such a thing?!" Was that rabbit not as innocent as she looked?? Oh, he was gonna have to get her secrets when this was all over... It could be part of her payment to all of them for doing this damn job.

For the first time that evening, Shiny's lips quirked up in a small but loving smile before she sighed and crossed her arms. Not at all bothered by Greasy's disbelief as she looked at him straight in the eye, "She makes me smile. That's what."

~

"Tie 'em up! We'll handle 'em later."

Despite Shiny's resistance and Poppy's attempt at a rescue- bursting into the building with the tommy gun she had found in the weasels' van, before getting yet another smack to the head- the two women were forced back to back and bound together. It was that God forsaken proof toon rope too, so neither of them could try to pull any toony tricks up their sleeves to get out of this bind.

Shiny snarled and even tried snapping her teeth at some of the goons, especially at the ones who seemed to enjoy subduing them a bit too much. That didn't stop them, of course, and Poppy's pleading of them to back off of the weasel was only met with mockery. But it wasn't taken any further than that, fortunately. And the two were left alone when the brutes walked away.

Poppy tried to control her fearful trembling. She knew that Shiny was terrified as well, even if she tried to hide it; she had to put on a brave face now while their fate was looking grim. Despite her efforts, though, the only thing that managed to calm her enough was when Shiny's fingers intertwined with her own, "It'll be ok, baby. We still have each other."

Poppy looked over her shoulder to face Shiny as best as she could, her brown eyes filled with dread and heart sinking for her lover. How could Shiny still remain calm and comfort her during this time? Why did any of this have to happen? Why... Why wasn't she able to save the woman she loved? "Shiny... I... I'm so sor-"

"Shh. Don't focus on that." Shiny insisted softly, regarding Poppy with the warmth and care she had just for the rabbit. Though she knew that Poppy must be able to see her own fear as well, and squeezed the rabbits paw lightly for both of their comfort, "... I'll be honest with you, Poppy. I'm not sure how we'll get out of this one. So we can't waste time with unnecessary apologies."

Her ears pinned back at the reminder, but she didn't try to finish her sentence. Shiny was right. She didn't want to spend their possible final minutes in self-pity. Right now, she just needed to take a deep breath, and she had to focus on Shiny now, "I'm sor- I mean... I-I love you. Shiny. You're truly the most amazing woman I've ever met. I mean it." There was no possible way to tell Shiny the depth of her love for her. Not in the small time frame they had at least. But this was a good start, at least.

However, instead of returning the 'I love you', Shiny just raised a single brow down at her, "Hm. That's funny."

"What's funny?"

"You just told me you've never looked in the mirror before, though I swear I've seen you do it every morning."

God. Even after everything, even despite the grim reaper knocking on their door, Shiny still had the time to make her heart sing and illicit laughter from her. Of course, it didn't make her completely forget their situation, but it was enough to get Poppy to look up into her eyes adoringly and let the rest of the world fade away, "How are you so charming and lovely all the time?"

"'Cause I've got the right gal, darling." Shiny's heart felt like it was melting, witnessing the pure joy and love Poppy had for her right now. It always did. But right now, it felt even more impactful than the first time Cupids arrow struck her. Thank God weasels were drawn with long necks; she still had to crane her head back, but it was worth it to be able to plant a kiss on Poppy's temple and hear her happy squeak, "You ready to find out what's on the other side for toons?"

Shiny already knew what Poppys answer was gonna be. Even with the serene look on her honey bunny's face, "No."

At that, Shiny let out a small, dry chuckle. She found no humor, nor was she trying to be sarcastic. It was just all she could do at this point while Poppy held tightly onto her paw. It was all either of them could do now, "Me neither."

~

This is all I've got. I wanted to write more scenes, but I couldn't figure out how to write them! (I STILL don't know what the major plot happening behind the scenes in this AU is or why Shiny was framed. How could I write the scenes that involved all the exposition or Doom?? 😅) but these were still fun to write! ^^

[halsteadproperty]

My 3,000sqft: Power Broker Louise Phillips Forbes Shows Her Family-Friendly Upper West Side Home

By Dana Schulz, 6sqft Photographs by James and Karla Murray

Louise Phillips Forbes moved to NYC from Nashville to further her dance career on Broadway when she was in her 20s. When an injury forced her to change her plans, she fell into real estate, quickly realizing that not only had she found her home in New York, but also her true passion. For close to three decades now, Forbes has been a powerhouse in the real estate field; in fact, her sales team is the number one at Halstead with more than $3.5 billion in career sales.

But Louise has the highly coveted ability to truly balance her work and personal lives. At home, everything is about her husband and two sons and their time together. And when she renovated her Upper West Side apartment, this comfortable, welcoming feel was her number one priority. When she’s not closing sales or watching her sons’ hockey games, Louise can be found at her local Soul Cycle or serving on the board of Change for Kids, as well as the advisory committees for several non-profit arts organizations. To get a glimpse into how she does it all, 6sqft recently visited Louise, took a tour of her home, and got to know her a little better.

What originally brought you to New York?

I moved here from Nashville, Tennessee. I worked with special needs children, and I also had a scholarship to dance for two small companies. When I got to New York, I just knew I was home. The pulse of the energy, the mixing pot of people and experiences, and the why and how people get here.

And how did you get into real estate?

I injured myself [dancing], and it was not very long before I met somebody who said, “You’d be so good in real estate. Call my friend.” I did, and I met a young man in his 20s who had two desks, two phones, and not even a fax, and said, “Come on, let’s start in real estate.” I made $8,400 my first year, but it didn’t take long for me to really accelerate because I [realized] I was in a business that was built around people. I also realized very quickly that I didn’t like thinking of myself as a salesperson, but rather an educator. I was happy to put the work in to educate individuals so that a level of trust could be built. I got into the business in 1989, and after starting at the small firm, I went to Halstead for three years. Then I went to Douglas Elliman until 2002, when I came back to Halstead.

When I was at Douglas Elliman, it was a family-owned business, and I started with five other brokers. We started a residential development division, which was really amazing to specialize in that portion of the business in the ’90s because it was not really a science like it is today. I’ve probably more than 30 development projects since. Most of the projects that I got involved in were smaller projects that became a pivotal point in changing what a neighborhood is today.

Are you working on any development projects now that you can tell us about?

I have a few new things in the pipeline, a couple in Brooklyn and one on the Upper West Side, which is always such a pleasure because it’s in my backyard. I’m finishing up phase two of 498 West End Avenue, which is at 84th Street. It’s an old, grand 1910 building where we’ve completely reimagined all the apartments, and we’ve also added a two-floor penthouse, which is currently on the market.

The other one I just finished was 15 Hubert Street in Tribeca, a small boutique building with 12 units. It was four industrial buildings built in the 1880s that we combined. It was a very complicated transaction, but fun.

Do you find yourself now leaning more towards the development side of things?

It’s a strong piece of my business. In the early ’90s, I learned how a building converts from a rental building to a co-op or a condo, and I used to “flip” tenant rights. There are brokers today who wouldn’t even know what that means, but when a sponsor would convert a building, they would offer the renters, the insiders, a discounted rent. And I would then work with the tenants who were purchasing to flip their apartments and they would have the right to assign the contracts. Very rarely can you do that today, but it was a masterful way to create wealth for individuals. Those experiences really armed my ability to master trends and neighborhoods and understand the subtleties that gave me an insight and knowledge that I would otherwise not have today.

What would you say are the biggest differences in real estate today versus when you started?

Oh my god, technology. When I got into the business, nobody was in real estate who went to school to be in real estate. Now people are educated to have a profession in real estate. I think that’s interesting. The access to information and the transparency is amazing. But the truth is, you can’t decipher the texture of a market or why something happened unless you have the people touch. And so I feel that finding the right balance with technology and using it to interpret for the nonprofessional is something that is really an art.

Let’s talk about your home. Have long have you been in this apartment?

I bought 14A in 1993. I was showing a customer this apartment. The plumbing in the maid’s room was on the outside of the wall, the plaster was off, and the exposed brick was showing. The family had been here for 60 years and done nothing. But I backed out of the apartment going, “Holy Mackerel, I think I’m going to buy this.” Because all the tradeoffs were there–It was a diamond in the rough, and I wanted light and location. I came here to dance, as I discussed, and I used to dance at Steps on West 74th Street. So it was the neighborhood I knew best, and it was kind of full-circle.

I met my husband on a blind date, and we got engaged in 2002. Three years later, I was pregnant with my second son, and we bought the apartment upstairs and sort of reimagined it.

You must’ve had a fairly large renovation.

Most people with a two-year-old and giving birth weeks later move out to do their renovations. I was such a stubborn person and said, “I’m going to live through it and I’m going to save that money and make a great master bathroom,” which is what I did, but it cost me emotionally.

I moved out for two weeks and gave birth to my son. We lived downstairs and then we moved upstairs and we had no kitchen for six months. The refrigerator was in what is now my office area, and I had a hot plate, a microwave, and a coffee maker. We were luxury camping. I would not recommend that, but the end result was great.

Did that experience factor into your business?

Interestingly enough, I’m terribly dyslexic. I always love to have a voice around that because both my children are dyslexic, and I was undiagnosed until I was in sixth grade. But the amazing thing that I’ve come to learn as an adult, is that my spatial memory is like Rain Man. So [working] with developers, I’ll look at one apartment, and I’ll be able to reimagine it in an amazing way.

Did you encounter any hiccups during the renovation?

Yes. I found a riser in the middle of my kitchen; I thought they were further back based on all the renovations that I’d done, but I was miscalculating it. But these field conditions come up all the time, and you have to design around them. And that’s what we did, it became [the chalkboard wall]. I was so concerned that my pantry was going to be too tight, but it’s fine.

Were there certain must-haves in the renovation?

I really wanted a big kitchen. Every party ends up in the kitchen. I do pot lucks and buffets. I can have 50 people sitting throughout this whole floor, whether at the table or standing. We’ve had seven people at the island where we can have dinner and there’s a casualness to it.

It seems like a lot of your design choices were focused on your children.

They like being home. Everything they do, we try to do together. We all surf together. We’re a family of hockey players, a family of skiers. And then as it relates to their friends, we were hoping to create a place where the door is always open. When we entertain, often it’s with their families. They bring all their kids and we do dinner here. And so that policy is something that’s been important.

And the neighborhood is so family friendly, too.

My older son just went to boarding school, and my younger son is now navigating the subways by himself. So yes, being in this neighborhood is great because being able to be on their own is something we want. As long as they run in a herd, I’m happy.

What are some of your favorite spots in the neighborhood?

[It’s great] to live behind Fairway and Citarella. If you have the bandwidth for the whole search, then you go to Fairway. If you’re there for the quality and in and out, you go to Citarella.

For the years I’ve been here, the Upper West Side has not always been known for its restaurants, but I think that for us to get a Serafina [says something]. It’s a stopping point for every kid. So having teenagers, they love it. We have the whole corridor of what’s happening along Amsterdam in the last decade. It’s got these great mom-and-pop restaurants that it’s so nice to be able to support. You have neighborhood spots like Jacob’s Pickles, and if you know Jacob, he is one of the kindest, most festive people. It’s comfort food. And then you have Tessa, where we go at least once or twice a month. And Cesca has got great brunches. And there are some of these restaurants that have been there for many, many years, like Blue Ribbon for your sushi. For Upper West Siders who have had to travel for a long time, we don’t have to travel so much.

You also have a home in the Hamptons, right?

Yes. Because we’re all surfers, we have a place in Butter Lane that we end up renting out. But we go to Montauk, where we have a tiny postage stamp [home] that’s our slice of heaven. It’s right on the beach and right on a break. The kids would love to just park themselves there [all summer], but they have hockey and [other activities]. But we do try to take the month of August off.

Can you talk a bit about your art collection?

My very dear friend who passed away last year was the executive director of the Bronx Museum. And before that, she was the executive director of Art in General, whose mission is to support up-and-coming artists from different countries and give them space to work. I was on the advisory board at the Bronx Museum for many, many years and was on the commissioner’s circle for Art in General; I love supporting emerging artists.

One of the things that was nice for my husband and me was the idea of collecting art together. We traveled to Cuba and then went to Italy and we try to do Art Basel every other year. We also try to connect with artists who we actually know.

How did you get into Cuban art?

[While at Art in General], my friend met and fell in love with a number of Cuban artists. She wrote a book many years ago and really discovered most of today’s iconic contemporary Cuban artists, like Los Carpinteros and Sandra Ramos. So when we went to Cuba in 2008, before everybody went, we met these artists. We would go to their house and they would organize a dinner and we could buy the art right there and hear their stories and the history of their art.

(Source: 6sqft)