#the great hospitalisation of 2017

[magicmalcolm]

Lines that hit a little bit harder after my run-in with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

[pugh-bug]

No.42 Chapter 6

Art Donaldson x reader slow burn

I’m sorry for the long wait, I’ve not been feeling very motivated and I’ve been busy with a lot of personal things. Anyway, as always my taglist for this fic is open and I really hope you all enjoy this longer Chapter! ✨🫶🏻

Part 5

———————————————————————

It was the morning of Liam’s party when you woke with a particularly vengeful headache, one not unlike the great Zweig plague of 2017. You didn’t know why he called it a plague, it had only been a hangover coupled with a bad cold but Patrick was nothing if not theatrical.

You rolled over, groaning slightly from the effort, to check the time: 11:43am. Before you could think about food a knock at your door made you jump, sending your free arm thrashing into your phone. It hit the floor with a dreadful smashing sound. ‘Shit!’

‘Everything okay?’

Art.

‘Yeah, just … fucking smashed my phone.’

One of the many things you and Patrick had in common was your ability to break just about anything: laptops, mugs or phone screens it didn’t matter. A week in your so called ‘care’ and they’d be hospitalised. After grabbing the nearest hoodie you owned you let Art into your room to show him the damage. He tutted at the sight.

‘What? I guess you don’t break anything.’

He only smiled at your comment before Patrick chimed in from the hall stating that ‘the prick’ not only never broke ‘shit’ but that he was incapable of ‘messing shit up either’. Shakespeare be damned.

You rubbed your face a little, still half asleep and focused your eyes on the blonde above you. ‘That true?’

Art looked down at you, the sleepiness apparent on your face but somehow just adding to your charm, and thought about his games. He’d once lost to Liam after a - not so surprisingly - rageful argument with his ex and smashed the racket so hard into the grass that it had broken in nine pieces. Then he grinned: ‘Yes.’

——————————————————————

‘What time did Liam say to be there for?’ You yelled from your room, whilst trying not to rip your lashes out with the flimsy curler you’d stolen from a friend years before. They replied that the three of you needed to leave in half an hour. Where the fuck had the day gone?

As the fan in your room whirred incessantly, you lent your face to its subpar coolness for a breather. No matter how many Summers you endured it was still your least favourite season. Hayfever was a bitch.

‘Is this okay?’

You turned you head at the sound of Art’s eager voice. He was stood in your doorway wearing a navy shirt, that brought out his eyes, with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Even his soft curls were looking bouncier than usual, just begging to be tousled and pulled on.

‘Yep. Fine.’

It took you forty minutes to finish your makeup. Having Patrick and Art argue over tennis in your ear was distraction enough to cause your eyeliner to be uneven. You redid it. From the corner of his eye, without arousing suspicion, Art watched you in awe. He found the concentration on your face and the detail and care you took with your makeup - no your art - fascinating. It reminded him of himself, his perfectionism with all things tennis.

‘Y/N, let’s gooo!’ Patrick launched at you, playfully shaking your shoulders from side to side while you went limp like a rag doll.

‘You done?’

His eyes widened at your sass.

‘Are YOU done??’

Art chuckled to himself, before the inevitable ‘you’re the third wheel’ self doubt came simmering in.

——————————————————————

‘We’re Ubering back right?’ You asked, as Patrick parked at the end of Liam’s street. The only way you were going to survive a house party of people you barely knew was through drinking enough cocktails to fill a pool. ‘I refuse to be the designated driver.’ And no amount of ‘it’s not a tennis thing’ reminders were going to change that.

Liams house was undoubtedly the largest on the estate, with its imposing double door entrance, obnoxious lawn ornaments and light up pool. God a light up pool? ‘Jesus Christ…’ you mumbled to yourself, catching Art’s attention.

‘He’s fond of it. Don’t say anything.’

Liam was still dressed for tennis, no surprises there, and holding a keg when he greeted the three of you. His smile was as welcoming as ever but his friends floated around him without giving you so much as a glance. They belonged in a house this grand, as did Art and Patrick. You, however, felt like the unwanted pest no spray could rid the house of.

‘You never told me you were The Great Gatsby.’

Liam scoffed at your dryness, stating that Art’s house was ‘much much bigger.’ Since your attraction and care for Art had grown it hadn’t escaped your notice, despite all the daydreaming, that there was a class difference between the two of you. You were no stranger to this of course it was the same with Patrick, which had caused issues in the past, but the sting was as strong. In fact it was strengthened by the fact that Art wasn’t just a friend to you and any future you imagined with him was tainted with the knowledge of that divide.

With Patrick’s Grandma’s line: ‘Don’t stare or they’ll smell poverty’ in your head, you walked past every expensive item with forced indifference. The smell of sandalwood, Chanel and Chardonnay filled the air with the twenty foot ceilings never halting their potency. Patrick had found the kegs too inviting to ignore so as you lost him to the party you glanced, not so subtlety, at Liam’s ‘not tennis friends’ guests. You clocked several sporting Louis Vuitton and felt the overwhelming urge to leave.

‘Drinks are in the dining room, if you were wondering.’

Liam’s younger brother, you presumed it was he had the same nose, had a much higher voice than you’d expected. The boy couldn’t have been more than sixteen, so what on earth was he doing talking to you?

‘You’re-‘

‘Danny, Liam’s brother.’

‘Oh! Yeah, Art just mentioned you.’

At the mention of Art, Danny flinched involuntarily. His eyes, much less sure than his brothers, darted around the room. ‘Liam invited Art?’ Without letting you answer, he widened his eyes and rubbed his face in genuine confusion. You were suddenly intrigued. ‘Yeah, they hang out almost as much as me and Pat. Why the surprise?’ Danny shrugged, refusing to make eye contact with you for several moments. What was his issue?

‘I shouldn’t say.’

The two of you watched Liam and Art for a moment, drinking alarmingly quickly in the centre of the room enjoying the blaring speakers. As Art looked down and wiped his mouth, grinning, you noticed Liam’s smile drop. His eyes suddenly narrowed and bore into the side of his friend’s head. It was brief but unsettling.

‘You know how Liam’s girlfriend dumped him last week?’

You shook your head.

‘Well, she said he was holding her career back or something and she kicked him out. He’s not just here to throw this party, he lives here again with us Mum is furious but anyway - he’s …’ Danny bit his bottom lip, struggling to find the right phrasing. ‘Liam’s still in love with you.’ For a moment you just stared, glass eyed, not taking anything in. What? Liam had just dated a tennis star, a national hero, a Gucci model and not once had you thought he was hard done by. That he needed you instead, that he needed to go back to his little crush on his even richer friend’s roommate. What was wrong with him?

‘Just, don’t say anything.’ Danny suddenly looked horrified at his confession and before you could ask him why he’d said anything at all, he’d scurried to some wing of the house you’d never find.

——————————————————————

After Danny’s strange departure you had found Patrick and Art and caught up to their drunkness. Quickly. It hadn’t taken you and Art long to clean out Liam’s fridge and varnish Art’s pretty braincells with a layer of stupid you’d yet to see. Before long you’d switched to Pepsi but the same couldn’t be said for Donaldson.

‘Y/N….’

The party wasn’t close to dying down but luckily in a house so obnoxiously grand there were plenty of empty rooms. You and Art had taken refuge in one of many spare bedrooms to listen to his drunken ramblings without interruption.

‘I could have smust loved here.’ Art huffed, suddenly looking like a petulant toddler sat on the floor with his ninth beer. He was the lightest light weight you’d ever met, in fact… ‘Do you normally drink?’

‘Huh? … OH DRINK?!’ He looked confused, as if he’d just lost something but couldn’t remember what. You had to admit to yourself it was hilarious to see such a put together man so incompetent. ‘No…never I never drink ever ever Y/N.’ His starry gaze hardened and suddenly, whilst looking comically serious, Art pulled you close with force. ‘Want to hear a secret?’ You blinked slowly. ‘I’m not drummkk at all!’ Bless.

Both of you erupted into giggles at his mistake, although you weren’t sure if Art knew what he was laughing at. His face lit up, like a child on Christmas, and you actually felt sad for a moment thinking this was the happiest you’d seen him in a while.

Somehow, Danny’s voice had wormed its way into your head spelling ‘Liam invited Art?’ over and over. You knew it was wrong to pry but you wanted to know more. ‘Art?’ He was drinking his tenth beer with conviction. ‘How’s Liam?’ Art suddenly sighed, quite loudly, and set his beer on the ground. He almost knocked it over but you caught it with ease, only to catch him smiling at you dreamily. Drunk, he’s drunk shhhh brain.

‘He’s fine just really smi,’ he coughed suddenly before correcting himself. ‘FINE!’ You giggled, almost feeling sad for Patrick that he wasn’t there to witness Art’s childishness. It might have been the first time since meeting the future tennis star that you’d felt like the together one, although you weren’t exactly sober either.

‘You two okay then? No issues?’ You heard your own voice but it wasn’t yours it was high school you. The girl who craved gossip and details, the girl who could barely keep a secret for a lesson let alone forever. Art was peeling the sticker off his bottle when he answered you, eyes still glazed over and confused like a newborn. ‘He’s been a bit dick since she,’ you noticed him rock slightly on ‘she’. ‘Broke up with h- him. Broke up broke up broke up. He likes youuuu though.’ His confused face suddenly hardened and he frowned only for a moment but you caught it.

Knock knock

‘No one better be fucking in here!’

Liam.

‘Okay? 3,2,1 get your clothes back on sluts I’m coming in!’

Liam’s face fell when he saw it was you and Art alone, you watched his eyes gage the close proximity between you but then the unused bed. He tutted. ‘Donaldson who let you drink this much?’ You raised your hands innocently as if to say ‘not me!’ as Liam helped his friend up. Using his best dad voice, that didn’t mask his impatience, he took the weight of Art’s slack body and walked him to the hall. They’d barely walked four steps before: ‘Y/N? Y/N’s coming right? She … she hast to come!’ If he hadn’t have been completely gone and yelling, you might have found the moment romantic. Instead you just felt concern.

‘We’ll get you some water okay?’ Art nodded eagerly at you, ignoring Liam’s huffiness. It had been a long night already and you weren’t planning on spending the rest of it watching Art get his stomach pumped. God he was a light weight. When the three of you made it downstairs, with great difficulty and lots of swearing from Liam, you were greeted instantly with a lipstick kissed Patrick grinning ear to ear. ‘Someone’s had fun.’

‘More than you.’ He raised an eyebrow at Art, who was quickly melting into the depressive stage of drunkness babbling about tennis losses under his breath. The alarmingly expensive speakers were blasting Nelly whilst you waded Art through the gyrating crowd to water. It was like babysitting without the pay.

It took Patrick threatening to break all of his rackets before Art drunk any water. Liam’s patience had expired much quicker and lead him to depart to party room 26? There were too many rooms to remember. The three of you were alone in the looming kitchen but there was a speaker nearby disturbing the peace.

The kitchen tiles were cool against your warm legs when you sat with Art, his head against the fridge door. Patrick wiped the lipstick aggressively from his cheek before shouting over the music ‘Does anyone have a cig?’ You shook your head and Art - well Art was falling asleep slowly but surely, his head lolling as he fought to stay awake.

‘I know Liam has a thousand rooms but I think we should take him home.’

Patrick sighed in response, his head throbbing from the music and shots already. ‘Art honey?’ You always called drunk people honey or sweetie, it had started when you were sixteen and never quite stopped. ‘Do you want us to take you home?’ He opened his eyes wearily to meet yours. ‘You can get some proper sleep.’ Art simply nodded and held his arms up for you to help him. The poor boy was hopeless when he was hammered and you found it equal parts adorable and concerning.

——————————————————————

In the Uber home Patrick called shotgun, as usual, so you sat with Art in the back. His head had gradually, over the course of the journey, lent more and more on your body until his head was resting in your lap. Every so often you’d look down to check he was still breathing but you needn’t worry. He was fast asleep.

‘Y/N?’ Patrick craned his neck towards you. ‘Thanks for looking after him tonight.’ He smiled a classic Zweig smile but slightly more tired. You ran your fingers through Art’s curls without thinking and mumbled ‘You took care of him too.’ Patrick turned back in his seat and sighed ‘He might need you more.’

Chapter 7

Masterlist

Taglist: @gatorgirl007 @imblushingrn @soy-garbage @blahhucantmakeme

[justforbooks]

The actor Matthew Perry, who has been found dead at his home aged 54, brought a wry sense of humour to the role of Chandler Bing in Friends, the American sitcom featuring six twentysomethings in Manhattan facing the ups and down of everyday life.

“Chandler’s a guy who’s just not comfortable in his own skin – he’s got a great excuse to be funny,” said Perry of the sarcastic, neurotic character in the programme that ran from 1994 to 2004. “He’s an exaggerated form of me.”

The neurosis partly came from Chandler experiencing the divorce of his parents when he was nine and using humour as a defence mechanism. It echoed Perry’s own life, with his mother and father splitting up by his first birthday.

Through his work in “statistical analysis and data reconfiguration”, the character pulled in more money than the other friends – Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Ross (David Schwimmer) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) – although he hated his job.

Chandler had already met Monica Geller at college before they became neighbours in Greenwich Village, where he shared an apartment with Joey. By the end of the fourth series, the relationship had gone from being close friends to lovers and, three years later, they were husband and wife. Unable to have children of their own, they adopted twins, with their birth as a central storyline, alongside Ross and Rachel reuniting, in Friends’ final episode, which attracted more than 50 million viewers in the US.

By then, the programme’s impact on popular culture had spread well beyond its homeland. Joey’s “How ya doin’?” and Chandler’s “Could I be any more …” broke into the language of its young audience. The part earned Perry worldwide fame that continues with Netflix bringing the sitcom to a new generation.

Nevertheless, stardom did nothing to help the actor to overcome his own vulnerabilities. In 1997, Aniston said: “His feelings get hurt. He cares what people think. He even bruises easily.”

Perry’s battles with his personal demons first hit the headlines halfway through the sitcom’s run. In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry recalled a journey to alcoholism that went from beer and wine at 14 to drinking vodka by the quart, as well as getting addicted to prescription drugs.

In 1997, he checked into a Minnesota rehab clinic for 28 days when he became hooked on a painkiller and appetite suppressant after a jet-ski accident and a 35lb weight loss. Three years later, he was hospitalised with pancreatitis. In 2001, he abruptly left the set of the film Serving Sara (released the following year) to go into rehab again.

Perry reflected that by 2018, at the age of 49, he had spent more than half his life in treatment centres. That year he suffered pneumonia and an exploded colon caused by opiod overuse, resulting in time on life support and two weeks in a coma.

He converted his Malibu home into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, Perry House, in 2013, but closed it two years later, citing expensive running costs.

He had been drug and alcohol-free for 18 months before the screening in 2021 of Friends: The Reunion, a one-off special bringing back together the programme’s six stars.

Born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Matthew was the son of Suzanne (nee Langford, later Morrison), a Canadian journalist, and John Bennett Perry, an American actor. He grew up mainly in Ottawa when his mother returned to her home country and eventually became press secretary to the then prime minister, Pierre Trudeau. In 2017, Perry revealed that he and another pupil at Rockcliffe Park elementary school had beaten up Justin Trudeau, Pierre’s son and current Canadian premier. Trudeau responded on Twitter (now X): “I’ve been giving it some thought, and you know what, who hasn’t wanted to punch Chandler? How about a rematch @MatthewPerry?”

While studying at Ashbury college, Perry became a top-ranking junior tennis player. He practised up to 10 hours a day, but switched that determination to acting after travelling to Los Angeles when he was 15 and being reunited with his father. “I wanted to be famous so badly,” he told the New York Times in 2002. “You want the attention, you want the bucks, and you want the best seat in the restaurant.”

He made an impression with leading roles in sitcoms: Chazz Russell in Second Chance (1987), retitled Boys Will Be Boys for its second series in 1988, Billy Kells in Sydney (1990) and Matt Bailey in Home Free (1993) before Friends came along.

Perry’s big-screen debut came as River Phoenix’s best friend in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988), but he never became the film star he hoped to be despite appearances in Fools Rush In (1997), Three to Tango (1999), The Whole Nine Yards (2000) and its sequel, The Whole Ten Yards (2003), both alongside Bruce Willis.

He stuck with television. Switching to drama, he had a short run as Joe Quincy, a Republican lawyer, in The West Wing in 2003, and starred in another Aaron Sorkin series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-07). His own sitcom idea, Mr Sunshine, with him playing Ben Donovan, a San Diego arena operations manager, was dropped after a short run in 2011. The following year he starred as Ryan King, a sportscaster, in Go On and later played Oscar Madison in a revival of The Odd Couple (2015-17). He also wrote and starred in the play The End of Longing, which debuted in London’s West End in 2016.

He had relationships with many high-profile actors including Julia Roberts, Minnie Driver and Lizzy Caplan. From 2020 to 2021, he was engaged to Molly Hurwitz, a talent manager.

His parents survive him.

🔔 Matthew Langford Perry, actor, born 19 August 1969; died 28 October 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[pestagon]

Amalgamated Pest Control Is Now Flick Anticimex

Are rats and mice chewing on wires in your home, spreading disease, infesting household garbage and contaminating food? Then it’s time to call the professionals in Ballina pest control. Rats and mice are unsightly, unhygienic pests that have wreaked havoc in Ballina and the surrounding area, causing damage to homes and businesses and putting people’s health at risk. They have a habit of chewing on cables and other household items, which can cause fires. They also spread bacteria and contaminate food supplies, which can lead to serious illness. Two people in Wardell have been hospitalised after suffering from severe diseases caused by rat infestations.

Amalgamated Pest Control is now Flick Anticimex

As of June, 2017, Amalgamated pest control Ballina has merged with the leading Australian termite and pest control company, Flick Anticimex. This is great news for all of our customers, as it means we can offer the best of both worlds: local expertise in Ballina combined with Flick’s industry-leading pest control technology.

Our local technicians are continuing to provide pest and termite control services in rural and city regions in Queensland, including Archerfield, Atherton, Bioela, Burdekin, Bundaberg, Calliope, Caloundra, Casino, Charleville, Charters Towers, Chinchilla, Gladstone, Gladewater, Hervey Bay, Ingham, Innisfail, Mackay, Maleny, Maryborough, Mount Isa, Moranbah, Maroochydore, Mareeba, Longreach, Roma, Rockhampton, St George, Toowoomba, Tully and Warwick.

Our Ballina team is made up of highly-trained and experienced professionals who understand the challenges that come with treating a residential or commercial property. They are accredited Termite Management System installers and experts in termite treatments, as well as accredited Integrated Pest Management (IPM) contractors. Their methods meet strict health and safety standards and are approved for use in aged care facilities.

Pest-A-Gon is 100% Australian owned and operated. Over 35 years of industry experience. Proudly servicing all suburbs in and around the Far North Coast and Northern Rivers area.

[thelastdaysofanalogue]

06.03.17 - Sum 41 at O2 Guildhall, Southampton

This was my second time to date seeing Sum 41, the first was a decade earlier in 2007, that itself being a long while after they entered the UK charts at number 8 with their single Fat Lip in October 2001.

In the ten years that had passed since the show in 2007, the band had veered to a more metal inspired sound. This wasn’t an entirely new direction for the band, they’d always had moments that leaned that way (incl. the 2004 album Chuck), it’s just that nowadays the balance has shifted with a track like In Too Deep sounding more the wildcard in the set.

During this decade, Deryck Whibley suffered with alcoholism issues. In 2014 he was hospitalised with severe liver and kidney damage. I reference this because by the show in 2017, you’d have no idea that the poor guy was in such a bad way just three years earlier that he had to learn to walk again.

It was great to see Deryck back up on stage, looking totally re-energised and playing with the enthusiasm of a band on their first tour rather than one in their 18th year. Also returning for this tour was Dave Baksh (a.k.a Brownsound) who had left Sum 41 about a year before I first saw the band in 2006, which was a welcome return, particularly following the departure of another founding member Steve Jocz in 2013.

The production for this tour was fantastic and included a full 3D giant skeleton as the band’s backdrop with red glowing eyes, the sort of thing you might see at an Iron Maiden show. During the first part of the band’s encore Deryck was escorted through the crowd and appeared on a second stage in the the sound desk area. He passed where we were stood in the crowd and I can confirm, he is a very short bloke.

All in all, a good fun show and despite a lot of heavier material, I think it may be my favourite of the two times I’ve seen them.

No memories of the support for this one, I don’t even recognise the name I’m afraid.

[444meat]

i can definitely try to give you advice, considering that i am a chronic journal keeper.

it took us until october 2023 to start journaling consistently, after we'd already been diagnosed — i bring that up because doubt has always been a major struggle for us and got worse as we got older for undisclosed reasons, and being diagnosed did wonders to lessen our doubt, hence making things like system discovery significantly easier.

for reference, we first recognised we had alters — for what they were, alters, not just "voices in my head" — in 2017. one of the first things we tried was using some sort of notebook to communicate. not that i remember this well, but from the info i've gotten, it worked a solid One Time. this is a huge difference from nowadays, where we wrote over 100 pages last month, huh?

i do believe a lot of it just has to do with environment and other factors that are much harder to control. even with how intently we journal now, there's a fuck ton of pages in there with handwriting i don't recognise and no names written down. at the moment, i physically cannot read through most of our journal entries because the mind won't let me, i either start dissociating or get Mystically Distracted by another topic. i can see they're there, which is still great, but they're Not Mine to look at. that's just how it is.

anyways: once it came to us, it did so naturally. there was no forcing it, as much as we wished there was — one day, 🍷 went, "we should try journaling again," and bought a notebook, and that time around, it clicked.

that being said —

prior to this time that it clicked, the best experiences we had ever had with journaling for system discovery were while we were hospitalised and had literally nothing else to do. we had a journal that we kept on us 24/7, just sitting around and writing or doodling most of the time. the biggest piece of advice i can give you is that — have a journal and keep it with you. start writing in it on your own, without any expectation for alters to write in it. for us, making a habit out of journaling was what led different alters to contribute. it wasn't like they were writing their A/S/L in the book but they were writing something, and we could see the handwritings, and that was already a great sign. this is something we kept in mind when we bought our first journal last year — we found one that fit in the bag we kept our medicine in, that way we'd always have it, and we kept that bag on us.

a second piece of advice when it comes to journaling is try to keep the stress low when it comes to organisation or neatness or what have you. we try to put in dates, times for entries, and names — if the alter is comfortable. some of them aren't, and that's fine. when we've tried to make the journal look neat, none of us want to spend our time on it. keeping our expectations open about what's going to be in the journal has been a good move for us. the more comfortable we've gotten, the more we've started organising certain things — adding little notes of the songs we're listening to while we write, doing a daily tarot card draw and writing it down — but it's all integrated slowly, and without pressure.

my next piece of advice, which is something we're personally newer to, is just to have some sort of private chat online with only you in it. we've done this via monthly discord channels in a totally private server. pluralkit is useful for us when it comes to this, but you could even do it without that. sometimes writing in a journal is a hell of a lot of effort, and you can feel pressured to make things neat and tidy and put together. in a discord chatroom? hell no! we've got gems like "(incredibly loud incorrect buzzer)" with literally no context and shitty one-liners that nobody finds funny but us. (retrospectively, too. you've got a shitty one-liner from six months back and then another alter later going "that was funny as hell.") it's not all funny, obviously — some of it does end up being serious or thought-out messages — but it's just easier to access for a lot of things. having somewhere to dump your thoughts that doesn't have some level of pressure to be neat can be useful. similarly, i would recommend you make a bit of a habit of yelling into that void on your own, since (in my experience) it can encourage others to join in.

those are proooobably the best pieces of advice i can give you. all-in-all, patience is definitely something you'll have to have, as OP noted. these things are things that helped us, so they might be worth a shot, but you'll have to be kind to yourself and patient with the process of things either way.

(sorry this is so long! did i mention we write too much? lol.)

heya! i’m a new system and i’m honestly really struggling with denial and communication mostly. nobody really wants to use the journal I bought or the apps I’ve used :( any recs? also no worries if not :)

Honestly it just takes time, especially when in early system discovery

We still struggle with communication and all using the apps and our journals, it was a lot worse when we were in early discovery. It's gotten a better, but it took a while

It sucks, but it really does just take time and patience. Not everyone in your system is going to want to communicate right away, sometimes other alters won't want to communicate at all

It's hard to figure out, but our biggest advice is just to be patient honestly

[deanseths]

Hi, idk if you’re still reading asks but I wanted to say I’ve read your series “the things I never told you” on AO3 and i loved it sm. Do you have any ambrollins fanfic recommendations? 💕

Hi!! Yeah I still reply to asks every now and then haha oh and thank you so so much?? I’m so happy to know someone enjoyed my fics :,) You really made my day!

Anyway, i’ve been asked this question so many times that i finally decided to write my ultimate ambrollins fic rec list. Just so you know, I favour oneshots and I’m a sucker for dean and seth’s post-breakup dynamic, so it’s mostly old works or recent works set during their three feuds between 2014 and 2016. There are many other beautiful fics I keep in my collection esp from their reunion arc in 2017, but the ones i listed below will always have a special place in my heart.

⸻

・Where have I seen your face before by aistic

one of the few multichapter stories in this list, where authority!seth loses his memory and dean is there to pick up the pieces (the author has recently uploaded a refreshed version of this beautiful story)

・Watch the world cave in by Lucha_Pseud

dean (now mox) and seth are quarantined together after meeting again + heartbreaking confessions about unsaid things that never fail to hit right in the feels

・There’s a song yet to be sung by AshSPN

authority!seth is hospitalised and dean is still listed as his emergency contact  

・It isn’t what I wanted by blessedbethefallen

(aka the great AshSPN with a new pseud) it’s actually a recent work but it’s about dean’s night after seth’s betrayal

・And I know we won’t make it out alive by candesgirl

dean and seth slowly discover things about each other right up to the shield breakup

・What if they did meet? by Cezet

a very well explored moxler AU, where young mox and tyler black meet for the first time before joining wwe

・Always around by Collidinthegskies

a bittersweet post-brand split oneshot where seth suffers an injury and dean is there to support him despite everything

・Dean was wrong by CrazyCollectionDuck 

angsty fluff if you will? set during the night of the infamous slime prank in 2014

・Fade into you and Until the night turns by demonjeans

one of the best ambrollins AU writers. The first one is a oneshot about them camping in the woods, the second one is a prohibition era!AU where dean is a felon and seth an undercover cop

・Judas and Shallow is as shallow does by greymon 

the first one is about the shield guys post-breakup but as wrestlers playing their characters, the second one is a traditional ambrollins oneshot featuring tragic!dean and his past ⟶ literally my #1 kink

・Somewhere you can meet me by HarlemMarxx

one of those ‘we’re enemies but still we can’t let go of each other’ oneshots that I won’t ever get tired of re-reading 

・It’s in the carrying by hellonik

a beautiful attempt at imagining a reconciliation between dean and seth before 2017

・Hangman by Luces

a short, sweet highschool!AU where dean and seth are classmates (it has nothing to do with hangman page lol)

・“These wounds, they will not heal” by MoxFirefly 

post-betrayal dean reflects on his consuming relationship with seth

・All roads by mxjoyride

old married couple!dean and seth are retired wrestlers and share beautiful life moments

・Somebody to love by pann_cake | @pann--cake

the queen of ambrollins fluff <3 It begins with dean and seth spending a fun night together like two perfectly straight buddies (they think lol)

・The love you’re given by Picturemedrowning

a short but intense AU oneshot. Their beautiful tragic!dean made me stomach the top!seth / bottom!dean implied dynamic which is still my biggest pet peeve

・This is the fate you’ve carved on me by simplyprologue | @ofhouseadama

set during dean’s turn in 2018 with tons of tragic!dean doing tragic!dean things and seth coming to the rescue 

・Vices and A million little times by softambrollins | @softambrollins

the first one is a very good ���enemies with benefits’ oneshot set around 2014. The second one is probably my favourite fic ever and it’s still about dean dealing with seth’s betrayal (whatever i might say here would be a spoiler so just read it if you haven’t yet)

・Even if you’re broken by solskatering

aka seth & dean & their repressed sexual tension leading to the shield breakup. It’s basically a kayfabe AU where things take a different turn from what happened between 2016 / 2017

・Fortune and glory by NerdyAdjacent | @xshieldsterx​

an amazing ambrollins indiana jones!AU that I still consider a must-read despite it was discontinued (I didn’t get over it yet?? last update is from 2018 but i’m still waiting for the next chapter //sighs// )

[kildarecoots]

i dont know a lot abt kildare, but i love your drawings of him and would love to know more abt him/ur version of him ! also some good comic recs with him in them would be appreciated if you got em :vD

hello!!!! thank u sm!!!!

my version of him is basically; if og comic kildare was rebooted and appeared in the ducktales 2017 reboot:

this image comes from the ducktales comic countdown to termination (2018). this background character isn't offically confirmed to be Kildare but after seeing this character listed as Kildare on a wiki i completely ran with it & as others have said, the resemblance seems more than intentional (eyes, beak shape, hair, the way he's drawn, even the clothing choice makes complete sense to me personally).

-------

i've thought about him so much that tbh its hard to like dump everything about him because its just so much lool but here r some main points i think

• Kildare is the son of Cuthbert Coot.

•During his childhood he mainly spent time with his cousin Fethry. they were really close and played all the time despite them living quite far away from each other

•in his original source he is never given any specific diagnosis despite mental illness being a central part of his initial characterisation. i interpreted this as like.......not every random needs to know yknow. it's kinda private. He has an illness that involves experiencing psychosis and irregular moods but you don't really need to know unless you're Fethry or Donald or Della or Gladstone or Gideon or one of his close people yknow? I hav my specific headcanons and u hav urs <3

•he practices natural horsemanship, loves the family ranch's horses and horses in general. He thinks they are so cute and wonderful. He hates seeing them & animals in general get mistreated. it upsets him so much. he truly has a real friendship with the horses. His favourite and most trusted horse is called Sweetheart.

•he loves making music!! music is so important to him. Him, Donald and Fethry were in a band called "Ducking Work" when they were like 18-20. he has always enjoyed writing and composing music, finding it a great outlet! he loves rock and country. he's a good drummer.

•he is Fethry's best friend and i cannot stress this enough

•never lost his southern accent

•super extroverted and loves to make friends, meet new people and explore new places.

•he is also rlly close with Della and the grief he felt after she disappeared & was presumed dead definitely contributed 2 one certain hospitalisation.

•he has always helped out as a ranch hand as expected and even when he's an adult he still helps his dad out with the ranch despite not living there anymore

•Gideon is Kildare's favourite uncle!

•He often stays with his grandma Elvira and cousin Gus and helps out there as well....even though they tell him he doesn't have to. But he literally finds it so fun. Who are they to stop him feeding every cow and learning their personalities and hauling bails of hay on his back every day.

•he is very compassionate and empathetic and is always there for his family and friends. he has been through a lot in his life and it's made him super good at comforting others and understanding people and is always ready to sprint to try & cheer his family + loved ones up. they love and appreciate Kildare so much.

•Gideon McDuck had partial "guardianship" over him. Kildare also works at Gideon's newspaper The Cricket as a reporter!

• ↑ Cuthbert wasn't able to cope with looking after Kildare alone

•a lot of the original comic content involves his family just endlessly getting annoyed with him & that's one thing i love to reverse with my version of him. Donald especially i feel would be way more understanding of Kildare and not treat him anywhere near how he's written treating him in the original comics. Donald in Dt'17 literally starts going to therapy himself. like. Kildare would probably wear Donald down a lot at times bc of his energetic nature/mania sure but he would never be ableist to him on that level ever like being ashamed to be related to him & badmouthing him to the triplets. trust me i know him personally

•he also loves cooking. and baking. he learned from the best (Elvira Coot).

↓

the best collection of kildare featured comics is here compiled by @fethrybestduck !!

[selflovewarrior]

Would you like to tell us your love story? <3

yes of course :D

in 2017 I was hospitalised (since may 2016) for severe anxiety and depression. A lot of people at my unit used Tinder as a form of comic relief. I did so too in the beginning, but after a couple of months of just seeing how many matches i could get, i deleted to whole thing and started over again but that time i really took it seriously and only approved people i thought i could really bond with.

That way my fiancé and I got matched. He had to be really patient with me though, because it often took daaaaays for my to answer, or even longer, because of notification errors and being busy learning a new way of living and loving myself.

Finally in February 2017 we met up and we immediately hit it off. We planned on going to eat crêpes and then watch a movie, but instead we stayed at the place we ate until i had to get back to the clinic. We talked for hours on end. I hadn't had such a great conversation partner in like ever. I already knew that he was the one, but we planned a second date a week later in the city where he went to uni (and where i used to go to uni). On the second date we walked around for a bit, visited a huge second hand bookstore, went to a tiny vegetarian restaurant and then walked around some more and he told me about stars and planets we could see that night (venus was especially bright) as he was in his last year of studying astrophysics.

As the date ended I felt too shy to kiss him and make a first move and i had a feeling he was too, so after the date, as i was on the train bound homeward, I texted him asking if he wanted to be my partner. I was sooooo nervous. And he replied in the cutest most exciting way.

Since then things have gone only upwards. I spent most weekends away from the clinic at his mom's place with him and he visited me in the clinic bi-weekly and the other week i went to his student place.

After a little over a year we moved in together in a rental appartment and a year and a half later we got the keys to our own house with garden.

We love travelling together, watching cooking shows and fantasy shows on television and just chilling on the couch together.

This summer we're getting married and i'm so excited to be able to call him my husband :D

[dtrhwithalex]

TV | The Good Fight (501)

501: PREVIOUSLY ON...

D: BROOKE KENNEDY. W: ROBERT KING & MICHELLE KING. Original Air Date: 24 June 2021.

Non-spoiler-free recap and review of episode one of CBS' THE GOOD FIGHT (2017-) season five.

You know, I came to this show when my rabbit hole consisted of MICHAEL SHEEN's entire filmography, and I decided to watch the entire thing instead of only S3 which he appeared in. I've stuck with the show, because I find it incredibly fascinating.

Last season got cut short due to the pandemic, and this episode serves to remind the viewer where we left off a year ago, and fills in the gaps of this past year.

This show has always had a great talent at incorporating current events and news into the goings-on of the episodes, and so does this season premiere. Being a legal drama that came out of THE GOOD WIFE and started its run early in Trump's first term as president, the tie to the real world events are strong and important, and I've felt this show does a fantastic job at creating a story around and including them.

This first episode really serves to make up the missing year in short time. ADRIAN (DELROY LINDO) announces he will be leaving the firm because of the Democratic Party's offer he got at the end of last season, to be a presidential candidate in 2024. The death of George Floyd and the following protests stand as a conflict between who the Party wants Adrian to be (the token Black candidate), and who he actually is as a Black man. At the end of the episode following Biden's win and the insurrection of January 6th, Adrian tells LIZ (AUDRA MCDONALD) and DIANE (CHRISTINE BARANSKI) that he will be moving to Atlanta and try to help facilitate change there.

Diane, meanwhile, is still engaged in her fight against Memo 618 and serves as JULIUS' (MICHAEL BOATMAN) lawyer against the bribery charge. Using intel from Adrian against JUDGE HAZLEWOOD (TAMBERLA PERRY), Diane gets a new judge assigned to the case -- who turns out, is a worse choice, and eventually sentences Julius to seven years in prison. Trump's last ditch pardoning effort before his term is over also extended to Julius, as Liz informs the others at the end of the episode. Diane is also engaged in a Supreme Court gun law reform case.

With the pandemic, the show also deals with the firm having to shift into online mode and what that means for job security of its employees. Liz and Diane see this as the moment they had been waiting for to finally comply with the order to lay off 20% of their employees. While MARISSA (SARAH STEELE) is one of the first to go -- she is now attending law school to become a lawyer --, Liz is concerned that many of those 20% are Black associates, meaning the firm may soon not be a Black firm anymore. In order to fix this problem without having to demote Diane, they offer LUCCA (CUSH JUMBO) a position as equity partner on the firm. Being in London on behalf of BIANCA (CHASTEN HARMON) who offers her the post of CFO and much more money than her old firm can afford, Lucca eventually decides to leave the firm as well.

While Marissa is let go, the other investigator JAY (NYAMBI NYAMBI) is hospitalised with Covid. At the hospital he begins hallucinating Frederick Douglass, Karl Marx, Jesus Christ, and Malcolm X, who advise him on how to deal with the rise in police brutality on Black people and the question of resistance vs retaliation. Even after he is healthy enough to leave the hospital, he still sees these hallucinations around him.

This episode, while structured around the individual character beats, makes sure to stop a moment at important key dates of the past year. We have the beginning of Covid and the first lockdowns in March, followed by the death of George Floyd and the demonstrations against police brutality which are strongly tied to Jay and Adrian's character beats. We have the announcement of Kamala Harris as Biden's vice-president, and also the death of Supreme Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which are found in the beats of our female main characters. We have election night and the following days -- and may I just say, Diane watching the election is a damn mood -- and finally, at the end, the Capital riots on January 6th.

I quite liked this episode as a season-opener. I think the creators did a great job book-ending the last season and working in certain moments that had been meant for the end of season four. We get a proper goodbye for Adrian and Lucca who are leaving the show, goodbyes that were cut short due to the pandemic. The episode tied in all the important points we have had throughout the last season, and reminds the viewer nicely where we left off, where we still have unfinished business, and where these characters are currently situated in their lives. It's very nicely done. Looking forward to what this season brings.

[still image taken from the j99news article breaking down the episode with the showrunners]

[aftgficrec]

I gasped so aggressively when I saw the ask box open 😭😭 theres this one fic that I read about a year ago and never found it again, it’s where they talk about andrews having issues with eating, and like Allison understands what andrews going through and helps him?? Sorry that’s not a lot to go off I only really remember the vague plot 😭✋

Might it be this one? I hope so because it’s the only one I could find! If anyone else knows of a fic that matches this please drop a line in the comments!  -F

HEADCANONS BECAUSE WHY NOT by @i-want-delfeur [Tumblr, 2017]

• Andrew and Allison become close

• ok so we all know Allison was hospitalised due to bulimia at some point in her past

• and Andrew’s relationship with food isn’t great

(tw: eating disorders)

[wickedwitches]

— INSTANT PUB // recherche de pré-lien

(tw: décès, maladie)

Je recherche avec (im)patience Morgan Chambers, le frère aîné de mon Avalon avec laquelle la relation est difficile, un peu conflictuelle. 

Background --

Les Chambers c’est une famille us typique, conservatrice et classique. -- Le père était militaire et souvent absent, ce que les enfants n’ont eu de cesse de lui reprocher. -- Morgan est l’aîné, Avalon celle du milieu et Evan le petit dernier. -- La mère tombe malade en 2011, hospitalisation d’urgence mais ils savent que c’est sans espoir. Le père reste injoignable et arrive finalement trop tard. La famille éclate alors. -- Morgan et Avalon ont refusé d’avoir le moindre contact avec leur père tandis qu’Evan tentait encore de faire le lien. -- Evan s’engage dans l’armée en 2014, fissure entre lui et Morgan. Avalon tente de les réconcilier mais ils sont tous les deux entêtés. Morgan en veut encore davantage au père. -- Avalon finit elle aussi par s’enrôler et Morgan et elle cessent de se parler pendant deux ans. -- En 2017, Evan décède lors d’une mission. Avalon et Morgan tentent alors de recoller les morceaux pour se soutenir l’un l’autre mais ils sont maladroits et ne savent pas comment s’y prendre.

Les liens --

AVALON // ils ne se le sont jamais dit, mais ils ont l'un pour l'autre, un grand respect. ava, elle n'a jamais été du genre démonstrative, toujours un peu trop sur la retenue, le caractère du père chambers bien dans les veines pour ce qui est de montrer ses émotions ; mais son frère aîné, toutefois, il a toujours eu son admiration. une âme forte et juste avec quelques instants plus immature pour sceller leur complicité et ainsi rivaliser avec sa propre compétitivité. ils n'en ont jamais trop parlé, persuadés que l'autre le sait, malgré les piques et les disputes et, avec le temps, l'éloignement. ils ont tous les deux soufferts de ne pas s'être adressé la parole pendant ces deux années (avalon a essayé à quelques reprises, au début et morgan a bien été tenté de l'appeler plusieurs fois mais ils ont vite arrêté, trop effrayés peut-être ce qu'ils auraient à se reprocher) et tentent à présent de réparer les morceaux de ce lien qui les unie. ils se considèrent l'un comme l'autre comme la seule famille qu'ils aient, à présent. le père toujours en vie, devenu général, oublié depuis longtemps et rejeté depuis plus encore. mais ils sont maladroits et peu habiles avec les mots, leurs visites l'un à l'autre plus souvent ponctuées de silence que de véritables conversations et ils n'osent pas se dévoiler entièrement, dire ce qu'ils ont sur le coeur, les peines, les séparations, les chagrins ou les colères. ils voudraient, tous deux, mais c'est long, et peut-être qu'ils n'essaient pas assez.

LAUREN // ils se sont rencontrés lors d'une soirée karaoke, chacun invité par leurs amis respectifs. tous les deux inscrits pour chanter la même chanson, ils ont fait un duo étonnant sur la scène du petit bar. (lien à développer avec la joueuse)

Les + --

Lauren et moi, on est plutôt tranquilles sur nos attentes. On aime beaucoup beaucoup Matt Czuchry pour le rôle qui colle pour la tranche d’âge mais si vous pouvez vraiment pas, y a maybe moyen de négocier ça héhé. Mise à part le background familial, tout le reste est libre, du métier à la situation familial (en prenant en compte le fait que le lien avec Lauren est plutôt tourné pour un lien love mais faudra voir avec la joueuse pour ça), niveau activité le minimum du forum nous convient. Perso, je préfère juste qu’on me dise si le perso inspire plus plutôt qu’on disparaisse soudainement (juste mes angoisses vraiment) ou que vous vous forciez. Et j’aime papoter par mp/discord/whatevs même si j’suis pas douée pour ça mdrr (mais je mords pas et Lauren non plus). Le vrai ++ c’est que si vous le prenez, en plus des deux cocottes, vous aurez une ouverture pour un lien avec Román, Declan, Corey et Jake which is pretty damn great je trouve 8) 

Et comme jsais pas vendre un pré-lien, hésitez pas à venir dans la section invitée du forum ouuuuu me voir en dm pour discuter, poser des questions, tout ça, tout ça :3

[sparklysung]

noot noot renjun moodboard is here!

so UH guess what lia. you can take this as a request if you want to. i suddenly had a fic idea? 👀

nct dream exists. set in 2017 when jaemin was on hiatus. at the hospital he’s sad that he can’t come back with the dreamies on comeback day and on that day a really nice girl his age was volunteering at the hospital and kept him company. he almost immediately falls in love with her because she’s so sweet and caring and she let him share his troubles and sadness and frustrations while soothing him and making him feel comfortable. after that day, jaemin never sees her again. until two years later, at the dream show, when an emergency happens to jaemin backstage and the paramedic girl who’s helping him happens to be the same girl from when he was hospitalised. and this time, he takes her hand and asks her to let him see her again.

EEEEHHH OKAY YEAH I- HAHAHA

also update on lele fic - gonna start writing new chapters soon!! i just need to get my own study habits in order so i have time hahah 🙈

i’m so glad i chose such a great penalty for you😭 i love the pics you send♥️✨

dude once i finally get to finish writing the fics i start, i’m DEFINITELY writing that cause the idea is just so cute, i love it👀 you have so many great ideas, me is jealous😔 jk but really, big brained sof is my fav😎✌️

HELL YESSS, I’M PUMPED! this is so exciting djwjidyjsg😭 i wish i could stop procrastinating and also write faster, cause damn, by the time i finish my fic it’ll be 32k words long and i’ll be 36💀 i just have to say, i’m kinda crushing on both the idol and yn👀 so i’m taking my time and enjoying them and their relationship

–lia:)

[jedivszombie]

HI! For f1 asks - 5 (+9 if you could give me some recs), 12, 13, 23, 28, 32, 33 sorry if its kinda a lot you dont have to answer all of them!!!

HI ANONYMOOSE! Thank you for the ask, I hope you see my answers and I apologise for replying a few days late! I once again ended up writing essays so you will find my answers under the cut! I hope you enjoy them!

it’s hump day: let’s talk about F1 baybee

5. Are there any movies or documentaries you would recommend to understand F1 better?

So I actually have not watched loads of F1 films or documentaries but I have watched a few that I think give an interesting and varied perspective on some things. 

Grand Prix (1966), this is a film and a very good film at that! It has a lot of drivers from that era who make cameos and comprise the background drivers - so it’s really cool to see them. The story is interesting and the direction and cinematography is top notch! It gives you a really good idea of what older cars and circuits and safety used to be like, albeit in a dramatised way. There are also a lot of nods to how teams like Ferrari etc used to be at the time. 

Race to Perfection (2020), this is a recent documentary mini series that is made up of a bunch of different episodes that cover different aspects of F1 and its history. There’s stuff about how the cars have developed since the 50s, there’s episodes about Schumi and Ayrton and all sorts. Also a lot of ex drivers and people who were involved with teams are interviewed so it’s interesting to hear from them about how situations unfolded or to reflect on some of their glory days. It is worth mentioning though that some of the people being interviewed have a vested interest in coming across a certain way (I’m looking at you Ron), or are choosing to remember things in a certain way. BUT it’s a great starting point for a good overview of different aspects of the sport and how it has evolved. 

Grand Prix Driver (2018), is a really good insight to McLaren starting to rebuild under Zak Brown. It follows Fernando and Stoffel during the 2017 season and gives some interesting insight to how one of the most successful and well known teams in the sport started to change their image and rebuild to how we know them now. 

I would also recommend trying to watch as many Ted’s Notebooks and Weekend Debriefs as you can find - Ted Kravitz hosts both of these shows and they cover a lot of interesting aspects from races that have happened and explain a lot of technical and complex concepts in a really accessible way. They talk about the drivers abilities, the way the cars are developing, the politics of the sport and other very interesting and key aspects of F1 to be aware of if you would like a broader understanding of the sport outside of just the racing and drivers personalities. 

There are definitely loads more documentaries and things you can watch but these are the ones I have personally watched and enjoyed. I have a few more on my list that I would like to watch, such as Grand Prix: The Killer Years and the McLaren doc about Bruce McLaren. 

9. Could you recommend anyone?

I think this is related to F1 YouTubers? I pretty much only follow Chainbear on YouTube in terms of F1 YouTubers. Out of Context F1 has a lot of good little clips and snippets of older footage from drivers - a lot of it is more on the meme side/funnier side but there are sometimes interesting clips from interviews there as well. 

The other F1 YouTube content I look at is the team’s socials or the stuff from F1 itself and older interviews/features with drivers etc that I can find. 

12. Which was the first driver you supported?

The first driver I supported was Schumi - my Dad is a MASSIVE Schumi fan and I have been watching since I was very very small and Schumi was very much involved and on a climb upwards. 

The first driver I actually chose to support myself was Fernando Alonso, it was my minor act of rebellion when I was a child. I still loved Schumi of course but for some reason I latched onto my man Flonso. I also absolutely loved Jenson too, but again so did my entire family. But those are the first three that I supported and remember supporting. 

13. Which was the first team you supported?

Ferrari baybee! Once you’re in, you can never leave!

The first team I chose to support was BAR Honda though - thank u Jenson.

23. Is there a driver that you think is underrated?

I have written a very long answer to this question here. 

28. Do you have a least favourite team? Which one and why?

Yes I do have a least favourite team. Red Bull is my least favourite team. I mean no shade to the engineers and mechanics and people working for the team because they are doing their jobs and doing their best. BUT I do not like their management in the slightest my god. I could rant about Red Bull for days but my main issue is the extremely toxic duo of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. A lot of people talk extensively about the long list of Red Bull Juniors they have fucked over or passed over for the next big thing or not given proper chances to or actively fucked over (e.g. Buemi, Hartley, Sainz Jr, Gasly, Albon). But really you only have to look at the insane treatment that Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat endured during their time there. JEV was hospitalised trying to keep his weight down. Marko actively trashed him in the press and said he was lazy. There were jokes and comments about Daniil being on ‘shoelace watch’ after his demotion from Red Bull. Sure, if they drop you from the F1 team they will usually still sponsor you in your other series or help you find somewhere to land or even keep you on as a development/test/sim driver but at what cost? 

I know it’s F1 and I know the sport is brutal and to an extent there is always someone getting fucked over in teams or by the sport. I don’t expect drivers to be coddled but I do think more should be discussed about drivers mental health and the ways in which teams either help or do not help with that. Personally I would rather the guys behind the wheels of the super fast cars are actually feeling comfortable in their position in the sport and not super desperate because that’s hella dangerous for them and everyone else on track. BUT with Red Bull it’s more than a worrying pattern, it speaks to an entire culture and is downright neglectful at best and abusive at worst. 

Also fuck Haas, they fall under a similar toxic culture from management in my opinion. 

32. Which one is your favourite team principle and why?

I wrote my answer out in a previous ask here.

But I also just wanna do an honourable shout out to my man Franz Tost, he’s been putting in the work with the Red Bull Juniors and managing to nurture quite a few of them to success over the past decade and keeping a rather chaotic ship running - sure he’s not perfect but he’s been doing a pretty dope job, their treatment of Daniil aside.

33. Do you have a favourite team principle duo or ship?

I also answered this question here.

[notyourmoderate]

Re: your recent comment on compromising one's values to vote Biden—or not, I'm not U.S.ian, I hail from Frogland, where we had a pretty similar dilemma back in 2017 when E.Macron ended up in a duel against extreme-right (national-liberal) leader M. Le Pen; the entire establishment was up in arms about it, heralded ultraliberal Macron as the saviour of mankind, last bastion against Nazi terror, etc. 1/2

-  Results? We're losing universal healthcare and other public services, transport is almost entirely privatised, 10k+ people die from unemployment each year in the world's 7th economy, 2k+ were hospitalised after protesting the government (a handful lost a hand, a dozen lost an eye) and the coronavirus crisis was a great pretext to restrict freedom after exceptional, temporary measures mysteriously ended up in common law. We feel oh so democratised right now. 2/2

I think that’s a pretty on-target comparison. Macron is not anyone’s Great Savior of the People, but when Real Fascism was in the race everyone jumped hard to paint Macron as exactly that. People like to believe in moral balance. When they see that there is Obvious Blatant Evil running for office, they want to believe that whoever is running against that Obvious Blatant Evil is by default a Shining Benevolent Saint. But you don’t need to be a saint to file as a candidate in a political race, even if the person you’re running against is visibly a fascist.

Macron’s government has pushed France to the right and has made the nation more vulnerable to fascist takeover than it was. The next election, it will be harder for the French people to keep National Rally out of power. One could argue that electing Macron at least slowed the process of the French slide into ethnonationalism... but it would be a difficult argument. Since, any fringe-right government that takes power in 2022 is going to have an easier time pushing hard fascism thanks to the actions of the Macron government. So, if you push the problem back by five years but make the problem worse by five years, that’s not really a benefit.

The danger here is pretty straightforward. If you’ve got a government or official or candidate who is cynical, ambitious, divisive, repressive, callous, exploitative or venal but is seen by their constituents and their media as being a glorious, noble and saintly defender of all virtue and ideals, then it’s really easy for that person to go ahead and seize for themselves and their office a degree of power nobody would ever sensibly allow. Take the Obama presidency: by any scorecard his tenure was right-wing, with bailouts for megabanks and mass deportations and harsh crackdowns on domestic protest, expansion of endless wars and austerity measures for the needy masses. With a “healthcare reform” bill that benefited profiteers more than anyone else. But Obama was viewed as a populist progressive who was here to help the people and would never betray their trust. And so he was able to sign off on NDAA 2012, which basically destroyed habeas corpus protections for American citizens and opened the door to the Trump administration’s policy of kidnapping political dissidents off the street and holding them outside the normal judicial process. Nobody would have allowed a visibly conservative president to do that, George W Bush was not able to grant himself that power even with the uber-patriotic boost of 9/11. But the trust that people had in Shining Liberal Savior meant that this bill slid through with almost no fuss or trouble at all. And now Trump has all the tools he needs to re-enact Hitler’s rise to power verbatim. 

If people need to elect Biden, then that’s their situation. But they need to understand that what they are electing is a cynical, ambitious, divisive, repressive, callous, exploitative and venal man. A man who pushed Clarence Thomas into the Supreme Court, that has backed every challenge to abortion rights. A man that pushed segregation before that was disadvantageous, a man who literally wrote the book on prison-industrial complex. If they need to vote for him, they should vote for him based on who he is. Because if they vote for him as Our Savior and they get E. Macron, the next four years are going to be a quiet hell and the next election will be a hell that is not so quiet.

[all-the-love-harold]

Chapter 20 - Earth Side

Master post 

Come and Talk about Harry and Poppy 

November 3rd  2017 – 29 Weeks

Harry walked into his house, chucking his keys on the table beside the door and bounding upstairs to take a shower. It felt nice to finally peel his suit off after having it on all night, through an hour-long flight and in the hospital with Poppy. Once he had it off, and scattered across the bedroom floor, he climbed into the shower, without waiting for the water to heat up, and let it wash it over him dripping down his side as his mind flooded with fears. He knew that for now, Poppy and the baby were okay, but her labour could start again any minute and he couldn’t bring himself to leave her alone for that, but he also knew that thousands of people had bought tickets to his remaining shows and he didn’t want to disappoint them either. He shut the water off, not wanting to leave Poppy alone in that hospital for too long.

“Fuck” he whispered to himself, realising that he’d forgotten to take a towel from the linen cupboard in the hall. He shook his hair dry and walked out of the bathroom. “Oh god” he used his hands to cover himself as he ran into Poppy’s mum in the hallway “Hi Linda”

She grimaced at him “Hello Harry” she answered bluntly looking him up and down “Left your wife alone again I see”

His nostrils flared as he wrapped a towel around his waist “I needed a shower and some fresh clothes” he ran his fingers through his hair, in frustration “she’s fine by the way, and so’s the baby, but you’re obviously more concerned with me than you are with your daughter and your grandson”

Her jaw dropped, not expecting him to retaliate like this “Don’t turn this around on me, I’m not the one that left her for months”

“I was gone for 3 and a half weeks” he snarled “and a few days here and there not months, but at least I didn’t leave her last night when she was terrified about what was going to happen. I was there for that. Where were you?”

“She didn’t need me then, she needed you”

“And I was there”

“But you weren’t there when it started, you weren’t there when she got that email from your lawyer, you’re only there when it’s convenient for you”

“You think getting back here last night was convenient? It’s not easy to get a flight from Glasgow to London that late, I had to cut a show short, leave all my things in Scotland, inconvenience the entire crew and venue staff, it wasn’t a walk in the park, but I got there Linda, because she needed me”

“Maybe if you never left, you wouldn’t have disappointed so many people”

“Christ” he sighed “how was I supposed to know? Touring is my job, Poppy knows that, she knew that before she married me, she’s always known that, she isn’t upset that I wasn’t there when it started, all she cares about is that I’m here now- so why does it bother you so much?”

“Because she deserves someone that doesn’t have to leave her all the time!” Lind yelled “Her family lives halfway across the world, if you’re not here, and I’m not here, who does she have?”

Harry wanted to yell back, but he could tell this outburst from Poppy’s mum wasn’t coming from a place of malice or hatred, but fear for her daughter, so he calmed his tone and spoke back softly “She has a lot of people here Linda, my sister lives only a few blocks away, my mum a few hours but she’d get here as quickly as she could if Poppy needed her” he sighed “everyone at radio 1 would drop everything for her if they needed to, she’s never going to be alone, if she doesn’t have her family then she has her friends”

Linda nodded, too defeated to say anything else on the matter “How is she? Were they able to stop the labour”

“For now” he answered “but she’s on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy, so they’re keeping her in there, I came home to shower and get her things, I’m going back soon- are you coming?”

“Of course, I am” she smiled “I’m sorry Harry, I shouldn’t have been so rude to you, I just want the best for her”

“So do I” he said, walking into the bedroom and closing the door behind him so that he could get dressed.

***

November 4th  2017, 29 Weeks.

Harry strolled down the street outside the hospital, on the phone to the manager of his PR team, trying to work out the best way to tell his fans that the rest of the tour will be cancelled because he can’t leave Poppy. It had taken him a long time to make the decision, it wasn’t something he took lightly, but neither were Poppy and the baby, and right now, that was his main priority.

“You think a tweet and an Instagram is too insincere?” He asked, walking into the nearest café to get Poppy a peppermint tea because the hospital didn’t have any.

“I don’t think so, they’re going to be upset obviously, but there’s nothing we can do, and you’re still doing Victoria’s secret and the ARIAs, so there will still be some chance for fan interaction at both of those events”

“Ok” he nodded “I’ll write out what I’m going to say and send it through, so you can check it over before I post it”

“Great, send Poppy our best, we’re thinking of you both”

“Thanks” Harry said hanging up the phone and stepping up to the counter to order “Hi, could I get a large peppermint tea and a black coffee please”

“Sure” the boy at the counter said, “Take away?”

“Please” Harry took his wallet out of his back pocket and paid for the drinks, stepping back from the counter so the person behind him could order.

“Harry?” a voice said from behind him and he reluctantly turned, not really in the mood for fans today

“Hi” he muttered softly

“Oh it is you, I wasn’t sure” she blushed “I thought you’d be around this area though, is Poppy ok?”

“Uhh” he sighed, not wanting to seem rude but annoyed by the invasive question “yeah, she’s doing alright”

“I got her some flowers” she handed him a bunch of yellow daffodils

“Ahhh” Harry said, happily surprised by the gesture “Thank you, she’ll love those”

“I hope you don’t think this is creepy” she added “I work in the hospital she’s in and I saw you running in the other night in your suit”

“Not at all love” he lied “I’m used to it”

She smiled “I’m glad Poppy’s doing ok, I’ve been listening to radio one a lot, hoping that someone would say something”

He nodded “We’re not really sure what’s going to happen, so we’re staying quiet for a while”

“The peppermint tea and the black coffee” the barista called, and Harry went over to the counter, taking the two cups and thanking him, the girl following him as he did so.

“Well I hope everything’s ok” she said “Give Poppy my best”

“Will do” he said walking out the door. He pulled his hood up and walked quickly back to the hospital, keeping his head down so he would be seen by fans or paps. It was very sweet of that girl to buy flowers for Poppy, and it certainly wasn’t something that he expected, but  it left him feeling a little like his privacy had been invaded, and that was the one thing he hated most about being Harry Styles.

***

November 13th 2017, 30 Weeks.

Harry and Poppy’s lawyer had submitted a petition for Harry to take Poppy’s place at the court date on the grounds that she had been hospitalised, it was granted and now Harry found himself sitting in a courtroom, opposite Danny, waiting on the Judge to decide on the custody arrangements for their baby boy.

In the weeks since Danny had applied for parental responsibility, They’d both been visited by a law guardian, whose role was to speak on behalf of the baby, she inspected Poppy and Harry’s home, to see what they had done to prepare for Oli’s arrival and she’d done the same for Danny, asking them all extensive questions about parenting and caring for a newborn.

The case was unusual, most custody cases weren’t usually opened until the child was born, but in this case, where it was likely that the child would require medical decisions to be made for him from birth, the courts felt it necessary to have any parental responsibility disputes settled before the birth.

“All rise” the bailiff said from the corner of the room as he opened the door for the judge to walk in and take her seat. The knot in Harry’s stomach twisted as he stood, feeling the tension in the room rise he focused his eyes on the front of the room, avoiding eye contact with Danny.

“I understand we’re here today to settle a custody dispute for an unborn child, am I correct counsellors?”

“That is correct your honour, my client here, Mr Daniel Watts, is seeking custody of his son who he has been denied rights to thus far” Danny’s lawyer answered the judge

“Give me a moment to understand the facts of the case” the Judge said, filing through the papers in front of her “As I understand it, Mr watts has submitted to the courts, a Child Arrangements order where he has requested part time custody and parental responsibility for his child”

“Yes your honour” Danny’s lawyer said

“And Mrs Styles wishes to dispute this on the basis that Mr watts, in his current situation, is unfit to care for a newborn baby”

“My client, as the mother of the child, feels that Mr Watts will be unable to care for what may be a very sick little boy”

“And where is Mrs Styles today, Mr Tanner?”

“She has been hospitalised due complications with the pregnancy, her husband is here on her behalf, I’ve already had that cleared”

“Right, yes, I did see that somewhere” she looked at Harry over her glasses “At this stage in the pregnancy, is there any uncertainty as to who the father of the child actually is?”

“No, your honour” John replied “Both parties agree that, biologically, Mr Watts is the child’s father, but we’re not here to discuss biology”

She drew her lips into a sharp line “Clearly.” Her tone was blunt, and Harry could tell she was annoyed by the case “What are Mrs Styles objections to Mr Watts?”

“My client believes that Mr watts is unable to support the child financially, and has concerns about the effects that the instability that comes with unemployment, would have on her child”

“Your honour” Danny’s lawyer interrupted “perhaps if Mrs Styles is really concerned about instability, she would have thought twice about marrying a man that travels for a living”

“The case has nothing to do with Mr Styles, he is merely here on behalf of his wife” John said in retaliation “your honour, if you look at the home studies conducted on both my client and Mr Watts, you’ll see that Mr Watts is in no way prepared to look after a child”

“I have reviewed the home studies Mr Tanner, and in the interest of keeping this short, Mr Watts, I’d like to see you in my chambers please” She stood from her seat and turned towards the door behind her as the bailiff escorted Danny and his lawyer to her chambers.

Harry let out a deep breath as he turned to John “Is this good news?”

John shrugged shuffling through his papers “It’s hard to tell at this stage Harry” he sighed “I would hope that she’s reviewed Daniel’s home visit and wants to talk with him to see what he really wants from this because it’s pretty clear from that study that fatherhood is not for him”

“How long will this take?”

“Could be hours, could be any minute now, but we haven’t been given a recess, so we just have to wait here until they come back”

Harry looked at his watch, worried about leaving Poppy alone in the hospital for so long. He’d already been gone for hours and anything could have happened by now. With the rest of his tour cancelled, Linda had decided to go home, they were getting on each other’s nerves and with Harry home, Poppy didn’t need her there, but that meant today, she was alone again, and Harry couldn’t wait to go back, with good news.

“How’s Poppy doing?” John asked, bringing Harry out of his trance

“She’s ok, I think being stuck in that room is dampening her spirits a bit, but if I can go back with good news today that will help”

He nodded sympathetically “no more signs of labour?”

Harry shook his head, checking the time on his watch again “C-section is set for December…” The door to the judge’s chambers cracked open and a disgruntled Danny and his lawyer shuffled out and took their seats opposite Harry and John. Harry cleared his throat and straightened his suit jacket brushing his hands through his hair and resting his ringed fingers on the desk, feeling the butterflies rise in his stomach once again.

“All rise” the bailiff said, opening the door for the Judge once again.

She took her seat quickly and shuffled her papers, before speaking “After speaking with Mr Watts, I have unfortunately had to come to the conclusion, that, at this time, he is unfit to parent a child.”

Harry breathed a huge sigh of relief

“After much deliberation, it has become evident to me that it is in the best interests of the child to reside with his mother and her husband, in a family environment. So, it is with great regret, that I will not be granting Mr Watts petition today. With that said, as the biological father Mr Watts has asked that Mr Styles, is unable to adopt the child.”

John looked at Harry who shook his head in disbelief “With all due respect, your honour, if Mr Watts hasn’t been granted parental responsibility, then he is not the parent, and has no right to block the adoption”

“You said yourself Mr tanner, biologically, Mr Watts is the father”

“I also said that we weren’t here to discuss biology, it is clear that Mr Watts does not want to be a father, otherwise he would have made the necessary preparations, he wants to make Mr Styles as miserable as possible, and you’re allowing him to do that”

“If you let me finish Mr Tanner, I was going to explain my decision” she looked at him sternly

“Sorry your honour”

“At this moment in time, Mr Watts does not and will not have parental responsibility, or any contact with the child, however, if in two years’ time, Mr Watts is able to demonstrate his ability to parent appropriately, then the case will be reviewed, therefore, Mr Styles, will not be allowed to adopt the child, until that time. If, by the child’s second birthday, no applications for parental responsibility have been submitted to the courts, then the adoption will be allowed to go ahead”

***

December 22nd 2017 – 36 Weeks

Poppy hadn’t slept a wink in the last 24 hours, this date had been set for weeks now, and barring any complications, or emergencies that the doctor had to attend to, she’d be meeting her baby today and she was too excited for sleep. Harry was much the same, he’d spent the night tossing and turning on the hard hospital couch and woke with a sore back, but he chose not to complain too much considering that in a matter of hours, Poppy was going to have her stomach sliced into while she’s awake on the table.

“I hate you” she glared at Harry as he ate his full English breakfast on the table in front of her. She wasn’t allowed to eat because of the surgery but her stomach was growling, and she envied him with every fibre of her being as she watched him eat his baked beans.

“I’m sorry” he said, mouth full of food “but we get to meet Oli today, and once he’s here you can have biggest meal you’ve ever had”

“Make sure I get breakfast for dinner yeah? I want bacon”

He giggled, “You can have all the bacon in the world”

“Good” she sighed, rubbing her belly “we’re having a baby today H”

“You’re having a baby today love” he smiled “I’m just watching them slice into you”

Poppy winced “Don’t say that”

“Slice” he said emphasising the end of the word, cheeky smile spreading across his face as he ate his last mouth full of breakfast

“Stop” she nudged him playfully “I’m nervous enough”

“Sorry” he pouted “but at least you don’t have to go through proper labour”

“True” she nodded “But I think this will be bad enough”

The rest of the morning creeped by slowly, Poppy couldn’t stop checking the clock, and watching the door waiting for the nurse to come in and start getting her ready for surgery. She knew she had to wait for Dr Marshall to finish her morning appointments in her offices, but it was 11:30 and she was starting to get more and more anxious as time passed. She wasn’t hungry anymore, that feeling had passed hours ago and she was left with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she waited. Harry tried his best to keep her distracted, but by the time lunch time rolled around, there was no way she could think about anything else. Which is why, when the nurse walked in at 12:25 both Poppy and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

“We’re having a baby today!” she exclaimed, it was Leah, who, throughout Poppy’s stay she’d become quite close to. She always knew how to bring her spirits up and when Harry was away for those few days for the ARIAs and The Victoria Secret show, she would spend hours with Poppy in her room, keeping her company, which she was forever grateful for. “Dr Marshall is on her way now, so things will be getting underway pretty soon, I’ve been sent in to put in your IV, to keep your fluids up for the surgery”

Poppy nodded and stuck her right arm out, “Stick me Lea” she giggled as she got all her things organised

She laughed too “Well, I’m glad to see you’re happy today, most mothers that are about to have a C-section are nervous as hell”

“She gets like this when she’s nervous” Harry added, sitting on the bed next to Poppy, so she could look at him instead of at the needle she was about to put into her.

Leah wrapped the tourniquet around her upper arm and used her middle finger to find a viable vein to stick the needle into “You have junkie veins” she noted screwing her face up in concentration

“I’ve had a lot of failed blood tests in my time” Poppy said

“Well I can see why, your veins are awful, but I’ve found one” she turned and grabbed the IV kit from her tray, keeping her finger on the vein “Alright, deep breath, this is the easiest part of today”

Poppy took a breath and buried her face in Harry’s shoulder, so she didn’t have to watch it go in. she felt the sharp pain in her inner elbow and let go of her breath as she finished.

“All done” she smiled, and Poppy lifted her head, and watched her connect the bag of fluid to the tubes that were now hanging from her arm. “Ok, so Dr Marshall will be in soon to give you the rundown of procedure, and shortly after that you’ll be taken down to theatre, where you’ll meet Kevin, who will give your epidural” she pressed a few buttons on the IV Machine to stop it from beeping “Harry, I’ll see if I can find you some scrubs” she walked out of the room and left Poppy and Harry in nervous silence.  Poppy kept her head on his shoulder and waited for Leah to come back.

***

“Ok, are we ready to go?” the hospital orderly asked as he unhinged the breaks on the bed. Not waiting for an answer, he began pushing the bed out of the room. Harry walked beside Poppy, until they got down to the operating floor, where he was told he would have to change into his scrubs and wait until after Poppy  had the epidural to go into the operating theatre with her.

“I’ll see you soon my love” he said placing a kiss on her forehead and squeezing her hand as a sign of comfort “real soon”

A few stray tears escaped her eyes as she kissed Harry goodbye. The orderly the rolled her bed into the operating room, leaving Harry on the other side of the door. The room was bright and filled with unfamiliar faces there was nothing reassuring about the space, it was harsh and cold, and her heart raced at the thought of what was about to happen.

“Poppy” an unfamiliar doctor said to her as she lay in her bed “I’m Kevin, your anesthetist” he held his hand out for her to shake “Once the table is fully prepped, we’ll get you to move over there and I’ll give you the epi and once that’s all done and everything is set up, your husband can come in and Dr Marshall will get started with the delivery of your baby”

The rest of the time in that room alone was a blur, she had the epidural and the scrub nurses had put the plastic curtain up in front of her as they brushed antiseptic all over her belly. She was basically naked on the table, with only a light blue sheet covering her lower half for modesty. When things were just about ready to get underway, Harry walked in, dressed in salmon pink scrubs and a blue hair net that covered his curls. Poppy could only just move her head enough to see him as he made his way over to her, but she was glad he was there.

“Hi love” he said softly, sitting down on the stool right next to her face “you good?”

Poppy nodded “Yeah” she whispered, burrowing her face into his hand.

“Alright Poppy” Dr Marshall said “are we ready”

A small “yep” escaped her mouth as she felt the slight pressure of the scalpel cutting through her stomach

“Look at me love” she heard Harry say, trying to get her to focus on something else. The midwife, Julie, was standing next to him, telling him to keep her distracted, so that she didn’t watch as her stomach was sliced into. Poppy turned her head and looked straight into Harry’s eyes, as he stroked her head “You’re doing great” he smiled.

Poppy could feel a slight tugging sensation in her lower abdomen, and she could hear the doctors muttering, the words didn’t reach her ears, but the expression on Harry’s face fell, and she guessed something was wrong.

“H?” she whispered, “what’s happening?”

He looked through the clear plastic and back at Poppy “It’s alright love, they fixed it” he kept his eyes fixed on her until Dr Marshall spoke.

“Poppy, you probably want to be watching for this bit” she smiled and her and Harry both turned their heads as they watched the doctor, lift their son from inside Poppy’s belly.  He screeched as he hit the cold air of the operating room and the tears were falling down Poppy’s cheeks while she watched the nurses pull down the screen in front of her so that he could rest on her chest.

“Dad” Julie said to Harry “We need you to cut the cord” she handed him a pair of sterilised surgical scissors and he stood from his seat, moving closer to where Dr Marshall held Oli, who was still screaming, so that Poppy could see what was happening.

“Just between the two clamps” Julie encouraged, and he snipped the cord, smile spreading across his face feeling like a dad for the first time. “Poppy, are you still wanting skin to skin?”

She nodded squirming a little as she tried take down her gown, forgetting that her arms were tied down to the operating table. Harry stepped in and gently lowered the front of her gown and Dr Marshall laid Oli down on her chest. His cries settled the moment he touched her skin, her arms were freed and  she placed her hands over his back, peppering kisses over the top of his head as the tears streamed down her face.

“Hi baby” she whispered, and he let out a little squeak “I love you so much little man”

Harry sat back down next to Poppy and placed his hand over hers on Oli’s back, the pressure, calming him even more “hey buddy” harry cooed “welcome to the world” he placed a kiss on Poppy’s cheek “congratulations love, I’m so proud of you”

“Merry Christmas H” She smiled feeling the slight tugging of the doctors putting her back together and behind her, she could hear the nurses getting everything ready to have Oli cleaned up and weighed, but she couldn’t stop staring at him. She couldn’t quite believe that this was real, that she’d just had her first baby, who she was now holding in her arms. This was never supposed to happen to her, but here she was, baby on her chest, and best friend by her side, she couldn’t be happier.

***

Harry sat on the couch in their hospital room with Oli in his arms as Poppy slept soundly in her bed.

“Hey little man” he whispered “you don’t know this yet, but that lady in the bed over there, she’s your mum, and she’s the best woman in the world, so us boys, we’ve got to stick together yeah? Make sure she’s ok, because she’s wanted you her entire life, and we can’t let anything get in the way of that” Oli, twisted his face into what looked like a smile, but Harry knew better “You’ve just pooped haven’t you?” he chuckled “You are on fire little dude- that’s three already, you’ve not been here for more than six hours” He stood and walked Oli over to his crib so that he could change him before he started to cry and wake Poppy up. He placed him down gently, but the minute his body touched the mattress and he felt Harry’s hands disappear he let out a loud cry, which jolted Poppy awake.

“What’s going on” she mumbled

“Nothing love” Harry said softly as he pulled a nappy out of its bag “he just needs a change, go back to sleep, we’re all good here”

She blinked a few times adjusting to the harsh hospital light “I want to cuddle him” she pouted

Harry cracked a smile as he unwrapped the baby “Alright love, let me change him and then we can all have a cuddle” he grabbed the nappy and unzipped Oli’s Babygro, changing him without a hitch and attempting to wrap him again as Poppy watched on.

“You gotta pull it tight over him so he feels secure” she instructed from her bed, pain in her belly reminding her that she had a large cut there.

“Swaddling is hard” he said as Oli’s little arm escaped from the blanket

“Bring him here” she reached her arms out and Harry picked him up gently handing him to Poppy.

“Hiya” she smiled taking the baby from Harry “daddy’s not doing a very good job is he?” she cooed “Lay the blanket down H” she motioned towards the space on her bed and Harry did as he was told, putting the blanket next to her. She laid Oli down on it and he let out another cry, which calmed as she pulled the blanket tight across his chest.

“Can you pick him up again” she asked “Stitches”

“Yeah” he nodded, picking him up and gently transferring him into her arms.

“That’s better isn’t it little dude” she said, pulling the blanket away from his chin “Daddy tried, so we’ll forgive him this time”

“Heyy” Harry said, sitting down on the bed and wrapping his arm around her shoulder “How many nappies have you changed so far”

“Zero” she smiled, rubbing his knee with her free hand “Thank you” she rested her head on his chest and she both looked down at her son

“We’re like a real little family now” he said, moving his hand onto Oli’s torso “My little Styles Clan”

“Yeah” Poppy let out a small laugh “It’s a Sign of the Times H” she smiled down at her sweet little Oli, engraving this moment into her memories, as the happiest she’d ever felt.