#lena franci

[transilvaniaroots]

Michael Hermann was from Hungary…but where in Hungary?

This was chapter 1 of my booklet, "Unwinding the Mystery of Johann Hermann from the Land of Transylvania to the Shores of Baltimore: Documenting the Hermann Lineage," which was an early Father's Day present in June 2017. While I now know that Michael Hermann was NOT born in Hungary, and his exact place of birth, but I still see this as worth reprinting here.

The Necktar was one of the first ships to arrive at Baltimore's Pier 9 in 1904. This ship was made by the same company that had created the passenger ship Michael would travel on across the Atlantic and would dock at this same pier. Courtesy of the Maryland State Archives.

The year was 1906. Michael Hermann was a simple farm laborer who had just come of age. On April 2, after a long train ride to Bremen, Germany, Michael boarded the Karlsruhe. Those recording the manifest, who were not immigration officials, described his nationality as “Hungarian” and race as “German” and name as “Michael Herman” which is not far off from Hermann. [1] This distinction would explain why in stories told years later, after the marriage of Lena Franci and Raymond Hermann (the son of Michael), the Hermann side of the family would be called “German” and the Franci side called “Italian.” Technically they were Hungarian, or to be more precise, Transylvanian, but nitpicking isn’t the point here. Instead, it is worth digging more into this record.

Originally posted on my WordPress blog on Jan. 25, 2021.

When he boarded the ship to the United States, Michael had a ticket to his destination, which was East Pittsburgh. His passage was paid for, and he had no mental health (or other) issues. He may have had only $40 on him at the time. He would arrive in Baltimore, “Charm City” as some call it today, on April 17. Years later, in his Petition for Naturalization and the Declaration of Intention he would say that the ship left on March 13, 1905, and arrived on March 30, 1905, but his dates were mixed up. Perhaps this is because he was applying for citizenship in 1913 and later, once he was more established in the US. By then, coming over on a ship may have seemed like a distant memory. He may have remembered stepping off the boat, perhaps even going into a tavern for a meal, but it soon became a blur, and he didn’t remember the date precisely.

On April 17, Michael was on a journey to East Pittsburgh. But he was there for one simple reason: to visit his half-brother Johann within the same town. Along with them was a woman named Sara (or Jara) Wenzel who was going to join her brother-in-law, which happened to be the same person, Johann. This could indicate that the Wenzel and Hermann families were intertwined, since, Michael’s father had married a woman named Marie Wenzel. So, it is possible that a member of the Wenzel family would have felt secure going to the United States to the home of a cousin. One could also consider the possibility that Sara or Jara and Michael planned this trip together and came over as friends, since they were on the same ship, but no documentation supports or refutes this possibility. Regardless, Michael likely took the daily Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad to Pittsburgh from Camden station, then within Baltimore’s port area, with a direct ride to Pittsburgh starting at 10 AM. [2]

Some may be asking why this was not mentioned before. After all, in the previous family history, I said that he was a German farm laborer going to Pittsburgh with a possible servant woman named Jara Wenzel traveling with him and a relative named Johann Hermann, guessing it was his father. That supposition was not correct. However, I was right to say that the Hermanns may have been established in Pennsylvania by this point. I’ll explain why that is the case later on.

Once Michael stepped his foot likely on a pier at Baltimore, he was one of many who entered the city in that way. With direct connections to St. Louis and Chicago, and contracts with immigrant passenger lines such as those run by Norddeutscher Lloyd, of which the Karlsruhe was part of, Piers 8 and 9 were run by the B&O railroad at Locust Point. This area played a major role in “receiving the millions of immigrants” coming to the US in the post-Civil War period as former Maryland State Archivist Edward Papenfuse points out. Michael was arriving two years after the B&O inspection center had opened at Locust Point, which was documented in great fanfare in company literature and in the Baltimore Sun. In later years, thousands would use the port to come to the US, with their final destination as Baltimore. But, by 1913, the pier was seeming worrisome as it was built out of shoddy materials and to replace it, some of Fort McHenry’s land was re-purposed into “a new immigration reception station which included a hospital facility” while the rest of the fort became a public park.

Articles in the Baltimore Sun shed further light on Michael’s journey to the United States. He was not alone on the passenger ship. There were 1,610 in steerage and four in the cabin, with a 6-month baby body dying of enteritis on the journey, and Captain Francke in charge. [3] The twin-screw steamer ship was scheduled to leave the port that Friday, April 20, at 2 PM and sail back to Bremen, one of two ships (the other Gneisenau) sent over to the US bringing immigrants, the latter to New York. Cabin rates ranged from $45 to $50 depending on the cabin selected.

Beyond his journey, the minute he stepped onto Pier 9 of Locust Point, where the Karlsruhe docked, he was leaving behind his homeland in the “Old Country.” His Declaration of Intention says he was born in “St. Ivan, Hungary” and his draft registration card in 1917 says he was born in “Yohanisdorf” with other documents saying he lived (or temporarily stayed) in Segesvár/Sighișoara before he left on a train headed to Bremen. Perhaps he was born in a village named Johannisdorf, two of which are near Sighișoara and in Romania today, with a church also with that name, but on the fringe of Transylvania. [4] There is even a St. Ivan, called Pilisszentiván (Sankt-Iwan in German) which exists but it is within Hungary, not in Romania.

There is one town which has names in Hungarian and Romanian that literally mean Saint John. It is 133 to 145 kilometers by foot from Sighișoara. [5] There likely was a railroad between that city and the city he was born and raised in.

Other records give further clues. The East European Genealogical Society has some answers, although their results should be taken with a grain of salt. [6] They list the “Herman” surname as within three villages in the Galicia province (Mezhirichi, Pischatyntsi, and Radomysl Wielki) and in the Volhynia province (Mezhirichi). It also lists the “Hermann” surname in Gau Warszawa village within the Warszawa province and the Neuborn village within the Volhynia province. From these results, two are of those living within the Russian Empire and three are within the Austro-Hungarian empire with those with the Herman surname. Any of those families could have been those from which Michael’s parents originated. Narrowing this down would require on-the-ground research.

Other information on Michael is not clear. While there are passenger records for the Karlsruhe assembled by the Bremen archives, they only date back to 1907, one year after Michael was a passenger on that ship which sailed across the Atlantic. [7] The available censuses are no better. An all citizens census in 1869 lists 22 people with the surname of Hermann, two with the surname of Hermann in the assorted census records of Hungary from 1781 to 1850, 11 with the surname of Hermann in the 1848 Jewish Census in Hungary, and one in the Jewish Names in the Property Tax Census in 1828. None of these provide any leads. There are a number of “Genealogical Guides and Handbooks” for those who are Hungarian or Romanian provided by the National Archives. [8] There are also “Maps of the Austro-Hungarian Empire” assembled by the Foundation for Eastern European Family History Studies (FEEFHS) but this is also of no help. But there are other sources which provide more insight into Michael’s immigration to America.

Gradual immigration of Romanians commenced in 1880 and increased by the turn of the 20th century. [9] Many of these immigrants came from Transylvania, Banat, and Bucovina, which were territories under Austro-Hungarian rule, where “political ethnic and religious persecution” and precarious social and economic conditions had forced them to leave their homes. These immigrants “found employment in the factories, the mines, and on the railroads” and in 1906, the “The American Newspaper,” the organ of the Union and League of Romanian Societies of America was founded. Furthermore, as a result of “ethnic and economic repression,” Romanians emigrated from their homeland to Canada and the US in search of better lives. This short bit provides more background than a number of other varied sources, such as a website dedicated to covering certain Romanian villages, and the Morton Allan directory of steamship arrivals from 1890 to 1930.

© 2021-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Michael Herman, 1906, Immigration, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, NARA microfilm publications M255, M596, and T844 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL film 833,019 within Family Search database titled “Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948.” Accessed in April 2017. Specifically see this page of the document; “List of Alien Passengers for the U.S. Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival,” Passenger Lists for vessels arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, 1891-1909, Record Group 85, NARA, NationalArchives, INS, Reel 53, Vol. 205 (Apr. 1, 1906-apr. 30, 1906), p. 474-475.

[2] “Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,” The Sun (1837-1991): 13. Apr 21 1906. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017.

[3] “Immigrants Coming,” The Sun (1837-1991): 12. Apr 18 1906. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017; “Port Paragraphs,” The Sun (1837-1991): 12. Apr 04 1906. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017; “North German Lloyd. Baltimore—Bremen,” The Sun (1837-1991): 5. Apr 13 1906. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017; “Activity among Immigrant Ships,” The Sun (1837-1991): 12. Apr 17 1906. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017; “To Sail for Bremen Today,” The Sun (1837-1991): 6. Apr 20 1906. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017; “North German Lloyd. Baltimore to Bremen Direct,” The Washington Post (1877-1922): 1. Apr 14 1906. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017.

[4] “Sajószentiván, Sântioana, Johannisdorf,” Place, Genealogical Gazetteer (GOV), Accessed Jun. 2017; “Vajdaszentiván, Johannisdorf, Voivodeni,” Place, Genealogical Gazetteer (GOV), Accessed Jun. 2017; “Johannisdorf,” Evangelical Church, geographic position estimated, Genealogical Gazetteer (GOV), Accessed Jun. 2017.

[5] “Sajószentiván, Sântioana, Johannisdorf,” Place, The Genealogical Gazetteer (GOV), Accessed Jun. 2017. Distances stayed on maps provided by Google Earth and Google Maps; “European Transportation Maps of the 19th Century” provided no answers on this question, but is a good start.

[6] East European Genealogical Society, “Surname Index for H,” Surname Index, index last updated Mar. 29, 2017. Accessed in June 2017; Result 1, Result 2, Result 3, Result 4, Result 5, Result 6. All courtesy of the East European Genealogical Society’s database. Accessed May 2017.

[7] “The ship ' Karlsruhe ' run the following passages,” Bremen Passenger Lists: A Project with the Bremen Chamber of Commerce and the Bremen Staatsarchiv, copyright 2003-2009. Search on passengerlists.de. Accessed June 2017; Cyndi’s List, “Eastern Europe » Census,” Cyndi Ingle, CyndisList.com, Accessed June 2017. Lists numerous censuses. It is not worth naming these individuals as they may not be related to the Hermann family.

[8] See Edward R. Brandt, Contents and addresses of Hungarian archives: with supplementary material for research on German ancestors from Hungary (Minneapolis, Minn.: E.R. Brandt, 1993); Emil Lengyel, Americans from Hungary (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1974); Jared H. Suess, Handy guide to Hungarian genealogical records (Logan, Utah (P.O. Box 368, Logan 84321): Everton Publishers, 1980); Steven Béla Várdy, The Hungarian-Americans (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985); Vladimir Wertsman, The Romanians in America and Canada: a guide to information sources (Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research, 1980); Vladimir Wertsman, The Romanians in America, 1748-1974: a chronology & factbook (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications, 1975).

[9] “Romanians in America,” from the “History of the 'United Romanian Society'; Istoria Societatii 'Unirea Romanilor,’” put online by the Foundation for Eastern European Family History Studies (FEEFHS). Accessed in June 2017; “Concise History of the Romanian People,” from the “History of the 'United Romanian Society'; Istoria Societatii 'Unirea Romanilor,’” put online by FEEFHS. Accessed in June 2017; See  “GenealogyRO Group”; “Donauschwaben Villages Helping Hands”; and the Morton Allan directory of European passenger steamship arrivals for the years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York and for the years 1904 to 1926 at the ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore.

[diggingforitalianroots]

Welcome!

Recently, the wonderful (and dedicated) Becks Kobel from Washington State, a death positive genealogist (and historian), asked Italian genealogists to name their surnames, noting that she was working "on an Italian line." Many people, whether family historians like Chris Russo, Josh, Wendy L. Callahan, Renee Pizzo, Ina Neugebauer, Zoe Krainik, Ashley Senske, and Chris Ferraiolo, professional genealogists like Derk Doran Wood, and other individuals (Olivia Meikile, "Ms Redacted," and Florian Straub) shared their surnames. But, for me, the idea to create this blog was born, along with the sharing of various resources on immigration in the 20th century (see here, here, and here), writing that "I've been thinking abt a new genealogy blog that focuses on my dad's side of the family, including one on my Italian ancestors." This is that blog! I've already briefly mentioned this before on Twitter, noting how "my great-grandfather worked on the S.S. Grand View Point Hotel (otherwise known as the Ship Hotel) with an Emilio Rosso," adding that "it's so important there us [sic] even a Wikipedia page on it (which I made extensive edits too, of course)." I've also tweeted a photograph of my ancestor, Annetta Rose "Nita" (or "Anita") Baccarini, who was born December 20, 1909 in Kiskiminetas Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, and went to college. However, her life was short-lived as she died on August 31, 1932 in Avonmore, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, of pneumonia, after she had graduated, at the age of 22! Here's the photograph:

Originally posted on Jun. 16, 2019 on the WordPress version of this blog.

I then shared a photo of my grandmother, Lena Adelaide (Franci) Hermann (1922-2005), who was 100% Italian, considered "second-generation" (I'll talk about that in a later post) and sent the following photo to my grandfather when he was building bridges in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1946-7:

And with that, the blog is off!

-Burkely

© 2019-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[sims-half-crazy]

Lena was not naïve. She knew that stepping into the role of wife and mother so quickly was going to be a challenge, but she loved Gordon and his boys. It took some time, but the boys got to know Lena and they enjoyed the attention she doted on them. Her skills in the kitchen were a constant battle with them, though. They did not like a lot of the traditional dishes that Lena loved to prepare (it couldn't be that Lena was a terrible cook as her mother told her she was), but Lena was determined and eventually they would eat what she served.

[anouchard]

hey! “Redistribution of matter” is a Secret History by Donna Tartt reference isn’t it? That is my absolute favourite book!

Who would the Protocol gang be if they were the TSH gang? And, out of the OIAR crew, would be most likely to perform a baccahanal?

Mine too! Nearly took Classics at uni. Realised I'd have to do an extra year to learn Ancient Greek. Took English instead. Am now learning Ancient Greek anyway. Always the way.

I've really had to ponder this one!

I feel like Sam is a fairly obvious Richard, Celia is Camilla, Lena is Henry, Gwen is Francis ... which I guess makes Alice Charles or Bunny? Neither feel quite right, but maybe some combination of the two?

As for a bacchanal ... Gwen would approach it like Henry, looking up the weather and whatnot. I might throw this one open to the other actors, actually. I feel with the Greek Gang it definitely took that specific combination of people for events to unfold as they did.

Gosh, I've missed talking about this book.

[noh07]

list of mixed name ideas (october 29, 2024)

i sorted them into three categories: androgynous, feminine and masculine.

in this list, there's any type of names (mostly for english-speaking people though): typical first names, noun names, mythology names, etc.

if you have more ideas of names for trans folks, writers, etc, just lemme know! (Can also be not-so-cool names for the writers, we need them for the asshole side characters :3)

i will update the list every time I have a lot of new name suggestions. this is not the newest version, but you can find it under the tag #updated name list on my profile.

(alphabetical list with 553 mixed names under the cut)

--- androgynous ---

Addie/Eddie

Aki

Alex

Alexis

Alli/Allie/Ally

Ares

Ari

Artemis

Aster

Azure

Bennie/Benny

Beverly

Billie

Blair

Charlie

Chrissy

Crimson

Edie

Eli

Ellori/Ellory

Emerson

Emi/Emmie/Emmy

Evie

Finn

Forest/Forrest

Frances/Francis

Gray/Grey

Hayden

Hunter

Jackie/Jacky

Jamie

Jess

Jessie

Jupiter

Lark

Lenny

Lori/Lorie/Lory

Lou

Louie

Mag

Maggot

Mars

Max

Mercury

Mika

Miko

Mizu

Neptune

Noah

Paris

Ollie

Quinn

Rafa

Reg

Robin

Ronni/Ronnie/Ronny

Saturn

Shilo/Shiloh

Skye

Val

Venus

Vin

Vinny/Vinnie

Wilson

--- feminine ---

Abby

Abigail

Adelaide

Adeline

Aileen/Eileen

Aimee/Amy

Alana

Alena

Alessia

Alexa

Alexia

Alexandra

Alice

Alissa

Alli/Allie/Ally

Alura

Amalia

Amber

Amelia

Amelie

Amity

Angie

Anna

Ann/Anne

Annie

Anastasia

Andrea/Andreea

Antheia

Arabella

Astra

Atlanta

Audrey

Aurora

Azura

Bailey

Becky

Bella

Belle

Bettie/Betty

Beverly

Billie

Brenda

Brie

Candace/Candice

Carla/Karla

Carolina

Caroline

Catherine

Celina/Selena/Selina

Celine/Selene

Charlotte

Christina/Kristina

Christine/Kristine

Claire

Clara/Klara

Chloe/Cloe

Cora/Corah

Daniela/Daniella

Danielle

Dalia/Daliah

Debbie

Debora/Deborah

Delilah

Diana

Dianne

Dora/Dorah

Eburia

Eda

Elena

Eleanor/Elenor

Elisa/Eliza

Elizabeth

Ella

Ember

Emerson

Emery

Emi/Emmie/Emmy

Emilia

Emilie/Emily

Emma

Euphemia

Euphoria

Esme

Esmeralda

Eva

Evie

Evelyn

Felicia

Fenya

Finya

Fia

Fiona

Francisca/Franziska

Freya

Gaia

Georgia

Gina

Ginny/Jeanie

Hanna/Hannah

Harmony

Heather

Hecate

Hera

Hestia

Hope

Iana

Irena

Irene

Iris

Isa

Isabel/Isabelle

Isabela/Isabella

Ivonne/Yvonne

Ivory

Ivy

Izzy

Janice

Jasmin/Jasmine

Jenna

Jenny

Jolene

Julia

Julianne

Julie

Juliet/Juliette

Katarina/Katharina

Kathy/Katy

Lana

Lara/Larah

Laura

Lauren

Laurel

Lena

Leia/Leya

Levina

Levinia

Lia

Liara

Lili/Lilli/Lilly/Lily

Lilian/Lilien

Lilith

Lisa

Livia

Liz

Lizzie/Lizzy

Loanne

Lola

Lorelei

Lori/Lorie/Lory

Louisa/Luisa

Louise/Luise

Luce/Luz

Lucy

Luna

Maggie/Meggie

Meg

Madeline

Maira/Myra

Margaret

Marge

Marla

Marlene

Maria/Mariah

Marie/Mary

Melanie

Melissa

Mellie/Melly

Mia

Michelle

Milly

Mina

Minerva

Minnie

Miriam

Mona

Naira/Nyra

Natalia

Natalie

Natasha

Nellie/Nelly

Nessie

Nina

Nora/Norah

Nori

Oliv/Olive

Olivia

Ollie

Paris

Pascale

Patricia

Paula

Peggy

Penelope/Pinelopy

Penny

Petunia

Philippa

Pia

Polly

Poppy

Ramona

Rebecka

Regina

Robin

Rose

Roxanne

Sara/Sarah

Sofia/Sophia

Sofie/Sophie

Stella

Stephanie/Stephany

Tara/Tarah

Tatiana/Tatyana

Tess

Tessa

Tia

Tiana

Tina

Valerie/Valery

Vanessa

Venus

Veronica

Victoria

Vivian

Viviana

Willow

Yana

Yasmin/Yasmine

Zoe/Zoé/Zoey

--- masculine ---

Aion

Alex

Alexander

Amon

Anthony

Anton

Arcturus

Ares

Ben

Benjamin

Bennie/Benny

Benson

Bill

Billie/Billy

Bob

Bobby

Brendan/Brendon

Brian

Bruno

Calvin

Carl/Karl

Chad

Chase

Chris

Chrissy

Christopher

Conan

Damian

Dan

Daniel

Dave

David

Davon/Devon

Dionysos

Don

Donald

Dorian

Dylan

Elia/Elijah

Elio

Eliot/Elliot/Elliott

Emerson

Emilio

Erion

Evan

Felix

Fred

Freddie/Freddy

George

Gian/Jan

Hannibal

Harald/Harold/Herald/Herold

Ian

Icarus

Jack

Jackie/Jacky

James

Jamie

Jimmy

John

Johnny

Jona/Jonah

Jonas

Jones

Julian/Julien

Julius

Jupiter

Justin

Kevin

Larry

Laurence/Lawrence

Lenny

Leo

Linus

Lori/Lorie/Lory

Louis/Luis

Louie

Lucc/Luke

Lucas/Lukas

Luigi

Marc

Marco

Mario

Mars

Max

Mercury

Michael

Mickey

Mike

Milo

Nathan

Neptune

Nick

Nico/Niko/Nikko

Noah

Oliver

Ollie

Orion

Paris

Pascal

Patrick

Paul

Pete

Peter

Philip/Philipp/Phillip

Raymond

Reg

Reginald

Regulus

Remus

Rob

Robbie/Robby

Robin

Ron

Ronald

Ronni/Ronnie/Ronny

Saturn

Sean/Shawn/Shaun

Sebastian

Sirius

Steve

Steven

Theodore

Tim

Toby

Tom

Tommy

Tony

Valentine

Victor

Wilson

Yan

Zach/Zack

Zeus

If you want me to add meanings, origins, etc., just tell me! ^^

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Okay, folks, the mini-tourney is inching closer to the finals, so I'm going to give a list of the competitors in the Miss Billboard Tourney in order to give everyone a chance to submit more propaganda. The nominees are:

Lale Andersen

Marian Anderson

Signe Toly Anderson

Julie Andrews

LaVerne Andrews

Maxene Andrews

Patty Andrews

Ann-Margret

Joan Armatrading

Dorothy Ashby

Joan Baez

Pearl Bailey

Belle Baker

Josephine Baker

LaVern Baker

Florence Ballard

Brigitte Bardot

Eileen Barton

Fontella Bass

Shirley Bassey

Maggie Bell

Lola Beltran

Ivy Benson

Gladys Bentley

Jane Birkin

Cilla Black

Ronee Blakley

Teresa Brewer

Anne Briggs

Ruth Brown

Joyce Bryant

Vashti Bunyan

Kate Bush

Montserrat Caballe

Maria Callas

Blanche Calloway

Wendy Carlos

Cathy Carr

Raffaella Carra

Diahann Carroll

Karen Carpenter

June Carter Cash

Charo

Cher

Meg Christian

Gigliola Cinquetti

Petula Clark

Merry Clayton

Patsy Cline

Rosemary Clooney

Natalie Cole

Judy Collins

Alice Coltrane

Betty Comden

Barbara Cook

Rita Coolidge

Gal Costa

Ida Cox

Karen Dalton

Marie-Louise Damien

Betty Davis

Jinx Dawson

Doris Day

Blossom Dearie

Kiki Dee

Lucienne Delyle

Sandy Denny

Jackie DeShannon

Gwen Dickey

Marlene Dietrich

Marie-France Dufour

Julie Driscoll

Yvonne Elliman

Cass Elliot

Maureen Evans

Agnetha Faeltskog

Marianne Faithfull

Mimi Farina

Max Feldman

Gracie Fields

Ella Fitzgerald

Roberta Flack

Lita Ford

Connie Francis

Aretha Franklin

France Gall

Judy Garland

Crystal Gayle

Gloria Gaynor

Bobbie Gentry

Astrud Gilberto

Donna Jean Godchaux

Lesley Gore

Eydie Gorme

Margo Guryan

Sheila Guyse

Nina Hagen

Francoise Hardy

Emmylou Harris

Debbie Harry

Annie Haslam

Billie Holiday

Mary Hopkin

Lena Horne

Helen Humes

Betty Hutton

Janis Ian

Mahalia Jackson

Wanda Jackson

Etta James

Joan Jett

Bessie Jones

Etta Jones

Gloria Jones

Grace Jones

Shirley Jones

Tamiko Jones

Janis Joplin

Barbara Keith

Carole King

Eartha Kitt

Chaka Khan

Hildegard Knef

Gladys Knight

Sonja Kristina

Patti Labelle

Cleo Laine

Nicolette Larson

Daliah Lavi

Vicky Leandros

Peggy Lee

Rita Lee

Alis Lesley

Barbara Lewis

Abbey Lincoln

Melba Liston

Julie London

Darlene Love

Lulu

Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Barbara Lynn

Loretta Lynn

Vera Lynn

Siw Malmkvist

Lata Mangeshkar

Linda McCartney

Kate McGarrigle

Christie McVie

Bette Midler

Jean Millington

June Millington

Liza Minnelli

Carmen Miranda

Joni Mitchell

Liz Mitchell

Marion Montgomery

Lee Morse

Nana Mouskouri

Anne Murray

Wenche Myhre

Holly Near

Olivia Newton-John

Stevie Nicks

Nico

Laura Nyro

Virginia O’Brien

Odetta

Yoko Ono

Shirley Owens

Patti Page

Dolly Parton

Freda Payne

Michelle Phillips

Edith Piaf

Ruth Pointer

Leontyne Price

Suzi Quatro

Gertrude Rainey

Bonnie Raitt

Carline Ray

Helen Reddy

Della Reese

Martha Reeves

June Richmond

Jeannie C. Riley

Minnie Riperton

Jean Ritchie

Chita Rivera

Clara Rockmore

Linda Ronstadt

Marianne Rosenberg

Diana Ross

Anna Russell

Melanie Safka

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Samantha Sang

Pattie Santos

Hazel Scott

Doreen Shaffer

Jackie Shane

Marlena Shaw

Sandie Shaw

Dinah Shore

Judee Sill

Carly Simon

Nina Simone

Nancy Sinatra

Siouxsie Sioux

Grace Slick

Bessie Smith

Mamie Smith

Patti Smith

Ethel Smyth

Mercedes Sosa

Ronnie Spector

Dusty Springfield

Mavis Staples

Candi Staton

Barbra Streisand

Poly Styrene

Maxine Sullivan

Donna Summer

Pat Suzuki

Norma Tanega

Tammi Terrell

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Big Mama Thornton

Mary Travers

Moe Tucker

Tina Turner

Twiggy

Bonnie Tyler

Sylvia Tyson

Sarah Vaughan

Sylvie Vartan

Mariska Veres

Akiko Wada

Claire Waldoff

Jennifer Warnes

Dee Dee Warwick

Dionne Warwick

Dinah Washington

Ethel Waters

Elisabeth Welch

Kitty Wells

Mary Wells

Juliane Werding

Tina Weymouth

Cris Williamson

Ann Wilson

Mary Wilson

Nancy Wilson

Anna Mae Winburn

Syreeta Wright

Tammy Wynette

Nan Wynn

Those in italics have five or more pieces of usable visual, written, or audio propaganda already. If you have any visuals like photos or videos, or if you have something to say in words, submit it to this blog before round one begins on June 25th!

If you don't see a name you submitted here, it's because most or all of their career was as a child/they were too young for the cutoff, their career was almost entirely after 1979, or music was something they only dabbled in and are hardly known for. There are quite a few ladies on the list whose primary career wasn't "recording artist" or "live musician," but released several albums or were in musical theater, so they've been accepted.

[fatsamsgrandslamspeakeasy]

Justice has been served on November 5th and 6th, 2024!

Congratulations to our true POTUS, Donald J Trump, on your rightful win as POTUS #47!

A huge FUCK YOU to a huge list of crybaby so-called "celebrities". The list is so huge, I apologize to anyone who I may leave out: Taylor Swift, Harrison Ford, Cardi B, Jesse The Nobody Ventura, Mick Foley, Robert DeNiro, Stephen (Pedo) King, Jennifer Lopez, Whoopi Goldberg, Quentin Tarantino, Mark Hammil, Christina Applegate, John Cusack, Wendell Pierce, George Clooney, Katy Perry, Cher, Mark Ruffalo, Meryl Streep, Rob (Meathead) Reiner, Miley Cyrus, Lena Dunham, Alec Baldwin, Amy Schumer, Chelsea Handler, Zendaya, Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, Rosie O'Donnell, George Takei, America Ferrera, Madonna, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jack Black, Will Smith, Barbara Streisand, Trevor Noah, Charlie Sheen, Johnny Depp, Stephen Colbert, Susan Sarandon, Jimmy Kimmel, LeBron James, Ben Stiller, Samuel L Jackson, Bette Midler, Jane Fonda, Ellen (Degenerate) DeGeneres, Eminem, Harpo, Richard Gere, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Evans, Alyssa Milano, Chrissy Teigan, George Lopez, The View hosts, Pope Francis.......

No true patriot gives a flying fuck what y'all think. Go back to your perverted Hollywoodland, and keep y'alls MF-ing mouths shut while y'all cry rivers of tears. Y'all and y'alls' sick demented fans and followers should crawl into a hole and disappear forever. Better yet, if y'all ain't totally full of shit, and wish to leave America, the Great....I would be only too happy to personally pay for y'alls 1 way ticket the hell out of here! Good bye and good fuckin' riddance........

An even bigger FUCK YOU to: Alvin Bragg, Letitia James, Fani Willis, Juan Merchan, Arthur Engoron, Lewis Kaplan, Merrick Garland, Mehdi Hasan, Tanya Chutkan, Jack Smith, Shenna Bellows, Jena Griswold, George and Alex Soros and of course.... Joe Biden. Y'all led a witch hunt against an innocent man, tried unconstitutionally to get his name off of state ballots, convict him of bullshit crimes, imprison him, empower the DOJ as a weapon against him, simply because he dared to love our country's freedom by opposing your NWO Globalist masters. Because of the rhetoric that y'all helped spread, y'all are directly responsible for the attempts by the crazy leftists loonies who tried to take this great man's life. Thank God that you failed in that attempt. Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves, but when y'all look in the mirrors, y'all must recognize the true Fascists that have been in power for way too long.....yourselves! Each and every one of y'all is an indelible stain on the American Way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. History will NOT be kind to any of y'all. Y'all do understand that your un-American actions were crucial in getting DJT re-elected. Live with that knowledge daily, as it burns a hole in each of y'alls miserable stomachs.

FINALLY: a well-deserved FUCK YOU to Kamala Harris, puppet extraordinaire to the Globalist regime. It turns out, darlin' that YOU were at the wrong rally, all this time!!!!! You don't get to diss our Lord Jesus and not suffer the consequences. You and your fellow Satanic followers will be finding that out for eternity someday soon, one can only hope! But really, sweettums.....your whole platform was a complete sham and a slap in the face to all hard-working, intelligent, decent Americans. Any true public servant... which you clearly are NOT..... would know that, in order to secure my vote, you need to convince me why I should vote for YOU, not why I should NOT be voting for your opponent. All you had in your arsenal was "Don't vote for Trump, because....". Never once could you say "Vote for me because....." and come up with a legitimate, valid reason why I should cast my vote for you. A lesson that you should have learned long ago! The fact that you didn't, shows you for the charlatan that you are, have been and always will be. The fact that your supporters could not see that is testimony to their brainlessness and/or their indoctrination. Now, please just do the American people a great big favor and pull yourself into a huge hole, go off into oblivion, and leave the adults to clean up the big mess that you and your partners-in-crime have created.

Thank you truly to my friends, family and followers for putting up with me the past 4 years in my time of indignation, depression and rage. While I still plan to keep my blog's finger on the pulse of political events, and especially, any and all injustices that may ensue this historical win, I really need to make this blog more fun and relaxing for myself, the way I initially envisioned it to be. Thanks for putting up with my craziness and for being my support when I felt that the world was going to Hell in a hand basket. I respect and love you all, patriots! Have a blessed day and a great life!

Finally, Thank you to Donald J Trump for being an inspiration to myself and for being a great POTUS for all Americans. Your mantra of FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT will forever be my blueprint of action for future navigation thru turbulent waters.

[kwebtv]

Secret Army - BBC One / BRT - September 7, 1977 - December 15, 1979

War Drama (43 Episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

Bernard Hepton as Albert Foiret

Jan Francis as Lisa "Yvette" Colbert (series 1-2)

Christopher Neame as Flight Lt. John Curtis (series 1)

Angela Richards as Monique Duchamps

Clifford Rose as Ludwig Kessler

Michael Culver as Maj. Erwin Brandt (series 1-2)

Juliet Hammond-Hill as Natalie Chantrens

Valentine Dyall as Dr Pascal Keldermans

Ron Pember as Alain Muny

Eileen Page as Andrée Foiret (series 1)

Robin Langford as Cpl. Veit Rennert (series 1-2)

Timothy Morand as Jacques Bol (series 1)

James Bree as Gaston Colbert (series 1)

Maria Charles as Louise Colbert (series 1)

Gunnar Möller as Hans van Broecken

Marianne Stone as Lena van Broecken (series 1-2)

Henrietta Baynes as Yvonne (series 1-2)

Stephen Yardley as Max Brocard (series 2)

John D. Collins as Insp. Paul Delon (series 2-3)

Hazel McBride as Madeleine Duclos (series 2-3)

Nigel Williams as François (series 2)

Paul Shelley as Maj. Nick Bradley (series 2-3)

Neil Daglish as Wullner (series 2-3)

Trisha Clarke as Geneviève (series 2-3)

David Neilson as Jelinek (series 3)

Terrence Hardiman as Maj. Hans-Dietrich Reinhardt (series 3)

Michael Byrne (series 2) and Ralph Bates (series 3) as Paul Vercors

Stephan Chase as Capt. Stephen Durnford (series 3)

Hilary Minster as Hauptmann Müller (series 3)

[lenaperseveranceoxton]

Cheers, love! It's time to save the world.

About Me

I'm Kushion55!

This is a self-indulgent secondary blog for all things Lena “Tracer” Oxton. I’ll post or reblog anything from character analyses and memes to fan art and fan fiction, and I’ll sometimes rant about lore inconsistencies or fan interpretations, so long as it ties into Tracer. Emily is the one exception to this rule, but they ARE frequently bought together. Do not separate. During the height of Overwatch’s popularity in 2016, I felt an inexplicable connection to Tracer that I have never experienced with any other fictional character. I guess some people might call it kinning? It all started when the “Alive” cinematic showed up in my YouTube recommendations. Several obsessive replays later, I would go on to watch many videos about the game itself, and I could not get Overwatch out of my head during my eighth-grade classes. Ugh, how time flies. Anyway, I think Tracer made past me realize I wasn’t allosexual or cisgender. Whoopsies! The open beta for Overwatch eventually rolled around on May 5th, and my brain chemistry has never recovered since.

Tags

My posts could be better sorted, but there is a method to the madness. They will always be tagged with "#overwatch", its mentioned offshoots (e.g. "#questwatch", "mirrorwatch"), and other related topics (e.g. "#lego" if I talk about the LEGO Tracer minifigure, "#fortnite" if I talk about wanting Tracer in Fortnite).

Then, I'll tag Tracer skins when applicable, followed by "#tracer" and "#lena oxton" (such as "#overwatch 2 #tracer #lena oxton" if the post contains their Overwatch 2 design).

I'll tag other relevant heroes with their in-game names and most used canon names afterward. If their in-game name includes their real name, I'll only tag them once. Soldier: 76 is tagged with both "#soldier: 76" and "#jack morrison" (as opposed to "#john francis morrison"), and Kiriko is tagged with "#kiriko kamori" (as opposed to "#kiriko yamagami").

Any relevant ships will be tagged after every hero relevant to the post is listed. "#lemon tea", which will always be tagged after Lena and Emily, is the one exception to this rule because they are very important.

Lastly, I'll sometimes tag posts into a category. The two most frequent tags of this type are "#meme" and "#art". I've never bothered to tag most of my posts similarly because I can never decide how to categorize them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Headcanons

I headcanon Lena as a sex-repulsed asexual lesbian. Emily is the only person they've ever had romantic feelings for, and they are soulmates. (I do not ship Lena with anyone else, and I am Widowtracer's #1 hater.)

I also headcanon that Lena falls somewhere under the non-binary umbrella and primarily uses they/them pronouns. I used to feel "wrong" for having such a headcanon, so my older posts might not reflect that.

[mydailyvintagephotos]

Leading Actresses

Louise Brooks and Francis Lederer

Pandora’s Box ~ 1929

Jean Harlow and Edmund Lowe

Dinner at Eight ~ 1933

Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh

Gone with the Wind 1939

Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford

Gilda 1946

Lena Horne and Bill Robinson

Stormy Weather (1943)

DANA ANDREWS and GENE TIERNEY

Laura (1944)

Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea

Sullivan's Travels ~ 1941

Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner

The Killers ~ 1946

Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Lawford

Julia Misbehaves (1948)

[inkedroplets]

1, for rich girl; 10, 14, 29? :D

1. Share a song that makes you think of [fic title]

I think Francis Forever is just so very much Lena in this fic.

I don't need the world to see

That I've been the best I can be, but

I don't think I could stand to be

Where you don't see me

Lena's journey began as something self-destructive. Her desire to salvage the Luthor name is well and gone and you're left with someone who wants to do good and regardless of whether her and Kara reconciled she always wanted her to know in the end. Our friendship may have been a lie. All the things you said and what I thought of myself might not have been true but I was able to be a force for good.

Tiny spoiler for the last chapter but I think it sums it up quite nicely

“But it’s only a helmet,” Lena said when she finally looked back. Her voice was so low that it was little more than a soothing hum. "Only a suit….” She touched the side of her head as if to adjust a pair of invisible glasses and smiled. “Just like it’s only a pair of glasses… It’s still me underneath it all.” Lena’s hologram looked down and away. “And I wanted you to know that in the end I was able to do something good.”

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

I've absolutely talked to you about this before but that would have to be Maybe I'm Too Afraid to Admit It. I don't think I write fluff particularly well and I don't think the story is all that good? It's a bit too cliche for my taste but it's quite popular and I don't really know why? Not that I think it's written particularly badly but to me it's nothing special.

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

I think it would have to be Rich Girl. If only because it would be well suited for either. Let me see Lena and Diana gabbing on the big screen.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

I actually have a few chapters of this weird Lucifer crossover done but I've kind of lost the voices for the characters so it's difficult to continue. I still might because it is quite fun but no promises.

"Why did you fake your death?" Linda asked. She folded her hands nearly in her nap and leaned slightly forward in her chair.

"I told you already," Lena said, trying to keep the impatience that so desperately wanted to seep into her voice at bay. "I wanted-"

"To start over, yes, I remember," Linda said. "What I mean is why go to such lengths to do so? Clearly, you have both the means and ability to remain under the radar if you wanted to, so why fake your death? Why do something so-"

"Drastic?" Lena offered.

"Yes,"Linda said slowly, sounding as if it were her turn to try and keep herself from sounding impatient. "Most people would consider faking their death extremely drastic, so why do it? Was it to hurt the people who had lied to you?"

[rjjameshiii]

RJ's Platinum Collection #9: The Artful Escape

Achieved on 9/5/2022 at 6:53 PM

I saw this game on PS Plus and thought the cover art was cool, so I decided to play it. I didn't actually know it even had a Platinum at the time, but I ended up greatly enjoying my experience with this short, weird, psychedelic, but ultimately fun and captivating game about being the best and truest version of yourself.

Ok before I say anything else, can we take a second to talk about the fucking VOICE TALENT this game has? The main character is one of the guys from Teen Wolf, but the main intergalactic rockstar guy is voiced by CARL WEATHERS aka APOLLO FUCKING CREED!!!! And then another one of the aliens is LENA HEADEY aka CERSEI LANNISTER????

Like damn.

ANYWAY you play as a boy named Francis who's uncle was a famous folk musician and everyone expects Francis to continue his uncle's legacy but Francis is more into rock and roll and is insecure about it. Then Francis gets talked into joining a spaceship full of music loving aliens and go across the universe and perform concerts on different planets, all in the goal of impressing the GlamourGonn, the most harsh judge in the cosmos.

The gameplay pretty much consists of controlling Francis and running through the gorgeous alien landscapes while freely playing notes on your guitar, and occasionally stopping to do Simon Says-style jam sessions on stage. Simply play the game and you will get all 8 story trophies and possibly a lot of the miscellaneous trophies as well.

1/13: Made It Home - Arrived at Francis' house.

2/12: The Journey Begins - Leave Lightmans' workshop.

3/13: Complete Heliotromms - Jam with Tromms.

4/13: How'd You Get Up There? - Land on top of the archway after the Big Jelly.

5/13: New Threads - Create a custom outfit.

6/13: Complete GlimmerDimm - Jam with Glimmer.

7/13: Amp Jammer - Complete all amp landa jams.

8/13: Complete Hyperion - Jam with the GlamourGonn.

9/13: Guitar Legend - Complete the game.

Once I completed the game, I used chapter select to go back and get the remaining trophies.

10/13: Snowman - Jam with the snowman.

11/13: Light It Up - Light up every building and area of Calypso.

12/13: Stage Fright - Don't do anything for 3 minutes during a jam.

And that is that! I got the platinum for The Artful Escape.

13/13: All Done - Unlock all trophies.

I wasn't expecting a lot from this game, but the art style is awesome, the story is actually quite interesting, the designs of all the aliens is unique and are all inspired by different music eras/genres, and the message of being true to your own artistic vision and doing art for yourself instead of popularity are well translated. I definitely think this is a fun little game to platinum!

Rating: 8/10

[sims-half-crazy]

In Memoriam of Francis Edward Gosnoll 1925 - 1997

Francis "Frank" Gosnoll was the second son born to Gordon Gosnoll and Evie Delgato. He had a twin brother, Everett, who he was quite close to until Everett's untimely death at the age of 8. Frank's childhood was shaped by the loss of his twin brother, but also by that of his stepmother, Lena. Lena doted upon him from the moment that she and Gordon became a couple. Frank learned responsibility and duty from his parents and joined the fight against Germany in WWII. Surviving the war, he came home and immediately joined the Del Sol Valley police department, where he remained until his retirement. His career spanned decades and he was a decorated detective within the force. His methods helped shape the department into what it is today.

Frank met his wife, Jacklyn, while on duty and he often said that it was the luckiest day of his life. He and Jacklyn lived in Del Sol Valley their entire marriage but often vacationed in New Orleans, which became their home away from home. Frank could often be found with a mug of hot chicory coffee and a fresh beignet while reading the paper.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, Gordon and Lena Gosnoll; his twin brother, Everett; his younger brother; Pvt. Thomas Gosnoll; and his wife, Jacklyn. He is survived by his brother, Norman Gosnoll, and numerous nieces, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

[dom-guilfoyle]

Hello - thank you for making this absolute gem of an audio drama! I’m reaching the end of Season 5 right now and I’m really enjoying the evolution of the show from its first season to now. I was wondering if there was a cast list available for the voice actors featured in the show?

Yeah it should be on my website but here ya go:

Guide, Wish Engine, Beast, Stranger: Me!

Head of Restoration: Elizabeth Best

Head of Retrieval: Zane Weber

Eagle/Francis: Kell Andersen

Head of Research: Aurelie Roque

Astrid: Lena Moon

Walt: Ben Russell

The Queen: H.R Owen

And a few more to come.....

[noh07]

list of mixed name ideas (oct 27, 2024)

i sorted them into three categories: androgynous, feminine and masculine.

in this list, there's any type of names (mostly for english-speaking people though): typical first names, noun names, mythology names, etc.

if you have more ideas of names for trans folks, writers, etc, just lemme know! (Can also be not-so-cool names for the writers, we need them for the asshole side characters :3)

i will update the list every time I have a lot of new name suggestions. this is not the newest version, but you can find it under the tag #updated name list on my profile.

(alphabetical list with 398 mixed names under the cut)

--- androgynous ---

Aki

Alex

Alexis

Ares

Ari

Artemis

Aster

Bennie/Benny

Blair

Charlie

Chrissy

Crimson

Eli

Evie

Finn/Fynn

Frances/Francis

Hayden

Jackie/Jacky

Jess

Jessie

Lou

Louie

Mag

Maggot

Max

Mika

Miko

Noah

Ollie

Quinn

Rafa

Robin

Shilo/Shiloh

Sky/Skye

Val

Vin

Vinnie/Vinny

Wilson

--- feminine ---

Abby

Abigail

Aileen/Eileen

Aimee/Amy

Alessia

Alexa

Alexia

Alexandra

Alice

Alissa

Amalia

Amber/Ember

Amelia

Amelie

Angie

Anna

Anne

Annie

Anastasia

Andrea/Andreea

Antheia

Astra

Audrey

Bailey

Becky

Bella

Belle

Bettie/Betty

Brie

Carla/Karla

Carolina

Caroline

Catherine

Celina/Selena/Selina

Celine

Charlotte

Christina/Kristina

Christine/Kristine

Claire

Cora/Corah

Daniela/Daniella

Danielle

Dalia/Daliah

Debbie

Debora/Deborah

Delilah

Diana/Diane

Dora/Dorah

Eburia

Elena

Eleanor/Elenor

Elisa/Eliza

Elizabeth

Ella

Emery

Emilia

Emilie/Emily

Emma

Eva

Evie

Evelyn

Fenya

Finya

Fiona

Francisca/Franziska

Gaia

Gina

Hanna/Hannah

Harmony

Hecate

Hera

Hestia

Hope

Irena

Irene

Iris

Isa

Isabel/Isabelle

Isabela/Isabella

Ivory

Ivonne/Yvonne

Ivy

Izzy

Jasmin/Jasmine

Jenna

Jenny

Jolene

Julia

Julianne

Julie

Juliet/Juliette

Katarina/Katharina

Kathy/Katy

Laura

Lauren

Laurel

Lara

Lena

Leia/Leya

Levina

Levinia

Liara

Lili/Lilli/Lilly/Lily

Lilian/Lilien

Lisa

Livia

Lola

Lorelei

Louisa/Luisa

Louise/Luise

Luce

Lucy

Luna

Madeline

Maggie/Meggie

Meg

Marlene

Maira/Myra

Margaret

Marge

Marlene

Maria/Mariah

Marie/Mary

Melanie

Melissa

Mellie/Melly

Mia

Milly

Mina

Minerva

Minnie

Miriam

Naira/Nyra

Natalia

Natalie

Natasha

Nellie/Nelly

Nessie

Nina

Nora/Norah

OIiv/Olive

Olivia

Ollie

Paula

Peggy

Penelope/Pinelopy

Penny

Philippa

Polly

Poppy

Rebecka

Robin

Roxanne

Sara/Sarah

Stella

Stephanie/Stephany

Tara/Tarah

Tina

Valerie/Valery

Vanessa

Veronica

Victoria

Viona

Vivian

Viviana

Willow

Yasmin/Yasmine

Zoe/Zoé/Zoey

--- masculine ---

Aion

Alex

Alexander

Amon

Anthony

Anton

Ares

Ben

Benjamin

Bennie/Benny

Bill

Billy

Brian

Calvin

Carl/Karl

Chad

Chris

Chrissy

Damian

Dan

Daniel

Davon/Devon

Dorian

Elia/Elijah

Elio

Eliot/Elliot/Elliott

Emilio

Erion

Evan

Felix

Finn/Fynn

Icarus

Jack

Jackie/Jacky

Jona/Jonah

Jonas

Jones

Julian/Julien

Julius

Justin

Kevin

Leo

Linus

Louie

Louis/Luis

Lucc/Luke

Lucas/Lukas

Luigi

Marc

Marco

Mario

Max

Michael

Mickey

Mike

Milo

Nathan

Nick

Nico/Niko/Nikko

Noah

Oliver

Ollie

Paul

Pete

Peter

Robin

Sebastian

Steve

Steven

Theodore

Tim

Toby

Tom

Tommy

Tony

Valentine

Victor

Wilson

Zach/Zack

If you want me to add things like meanings, origins, etc you can just tell me!!

[xaviernottheprofessor]

A Drive with Chance.

Who: Xavier. Mentions of @fletchervanhall @riley-francis-moore and everyone

What: Xavier arrives in NYC but it ends up in tragedy.

Where: midtown, NYC

When: 7 PM EST

A/N: Xavier goes to NYC for work and ends up in an accident so major trigger warnings.

Leaving California this time felt different. Xavier had already started spending time with his friends and family and he had gotten used to all of that. After hugging his kids tight and cuddling Phoebe, he showered his boyfriend with plenty of kisses as a gentle reminder of how much fun they’d have once he returned in just a couple of days. He had plans to get his big tattoo, work on some writing for his paramount show, go on actually holiday to see his family and Disney was in the cards too. He had promised Riley they’d catch a few movies over the summer and Xavier wanted to spend time with his friends and their families as well. Winter and Henry had a list of their own and he knew he’d fulfill it expeditiously.

But it still felt different and Xavier had felt spoiled by the short time off he had already enjoyed. When he had fostered Winter and Henry, he was sure to adjust his contract at SNL to include a bicoastal clause that allowed him to travel on film days and write from home. As time passed and as he realized this would not be a temporary home for the kids, his kids, Xavier started to wonder if this was his last season. Or perhaps he’d hang on to the fall or only come on as a guest writer/star. He had seen others do it and eventually break out in their careers. Maybe it was his turn. With the Oscar’s, his Emmy win and Paramount deal, Xavier was starting to feel like he was gravitating toward a gig that kept him anchored at home. He had a real family now that included his children, Fletcher, and Drew. He wanted a future with them in it and he knew that in order to have that, he needed to be where they were.

“Mr. Mitchell?” The driver cleared his throat, pulling Xavier from his thoughts. “So sorry, sir. I wanted to make sure you were well. We were talking about how La Guardia has chanced and you seemed off somewhere far.”

“Sorry, Chance.” Xavier smiled and reached over to pat the driver’s shoulder. He had been with the staff at SNL for so many years that the two had grown close. “I was thinking about matters I have to get to when I get home.”

“Understood! You’re probably feeling homesick with those cute kids of yours and your little step daughter too,” the driver smiled at the red light.

“Yeah, the three of them are pretty perfect. I’m very lucky, Chance. How’s married life treating you ?”

“You are! Lena and I want to have kids as soon as possible so hopefully we will right there with you. It’s going great! Oh and thank you for the wedding gift. We are looking for a nice place in queens and Nassau border so that’ll help a lot. So is Ben Barnes gonna be proposing anytime soon, sir?” Change laughed as he decided to take an emptier route than staying on sixth Avenue. “So much traffic!”

“Summer in New York City. The oiré welcome, man! You and Lena better invite me over once you get that home.” He laughed at the Ben Barnes reference, enjoying the fact that everyone was in on the biggest Internet trolling joke in history thanks to Frankie. “Well, we’ve been together for half a year. So I don’t know about that.”

“Mm hmm mm hmm but you want him to.” Chance smirked and stopped at another red light on a tree-lined side street just blocked away from the hotel where he’d meet DJ.

“Listen. I’m a huge romantic and I know that he’s definitely the one. But time will tell. “ Xavier smiled, looking out the window and then looking up at the thunder. “Well shi—-“

There were screeches and loud sounds, the sheer panic in Chance’s voice and the seat belt wrapped around Xavier’s neck. The music in the car played in Xavier’s ears as he tried to free himself and call out for his friend. It wasn’t long before the car was dragging upside down along the road and Xavier’s face smashed against the passenger window on the other side from where he was sitting. The seatbelt pulled away and off and everything turned dark.

Chance kicked his door open, not caring about his injuries and crawled out as he witnessed people calling 911. “Xavier!” He shouted from outside the car, pleading for help from onlookers who tried to get close but the mess was too dangerous. The fire department arrived first and before he could check on his friend, Chance was pulled onto a gurney. “That’s Xavier Mitchell!” He yelled out so they knew who they were dealing with.

The Range Rover was going about 86 MPH and slammed into the passenger seat. Are you okay? What is your name? Is he alive? Do we have a pulse?

The other driver is intoxicated. Chance, is there someone we can call? Who do we call?

Blood pressure is low, take him to Weill Cornell on 68th!