#apple hatted: young fran

[wisteriamuses]

"A sweater with your face on it?"

[wisteriamuses]

"You're no fun, it's just illusions. But fiiiiiiiine." He melts the illusion snow into illusion water.

"Crazy kid with wacky illusions, cut it out! I can't stand all this snow!! It's too much!"

[mikamink]

What are your pokemon headcanons for some of the characters teams lol

I've figured out some fitting pokemon for most characters but I like to try to find a neat theme and setup to go with the choices. I don't have all of them set in stone but I'll share the choices I'm the happy with atm.

Some of the descriptions will be a bit long. Characters included are Rasiel, Fran, Belphegor, Chrome, Ryohei, and Bianchi. (With very slight mention of Haru and Kyoko)

Rasiel- I’ll just get him out of the way first. Due to his status and traumatic childhood Rasiel’s preference in pokemon revolves around high class ghost types. Vain status symbols and testaments to his ability to overcome death. His team is comprised of pokemon like Cofagrigus, Chandelure, and (Authentic)Polteageist. His most notable pokemon is Cofagrigus.

Not long after the “incident” that left him terribly injured and ill, employees around the castle noticed the presence of a distressed yamask pacing the outskirts of the castle grounds. Some noted the unsettling resemblance between the young prince and the mask the pokemon carried. At some point during his recovery, the Yamask found it’s way into the castle and rushed straight to Siel. It’s presence didn’t scare the prince, it was oddly comforting and the stray pokemon offered him some small bit of company while he remained isolated.

The consensus between his caretakers was that the Yamask had mistakenly taken the likeness of the prince during the moments he was buried after his brush with death. Rasiel miraculously surviving and Yamask retaining his likeness made the pokemon confused and curiously drawn to him. And it wasn’t just Yamask. Rasiel’s near death experience and the recent flood of negative energy throughout the castle grounds turned it into a beacon for ghost type pokemon. Overtime Rasiel developed a fascination with death and the afterlife and became as drawn to ghost types as they were to him. Not once did he have to go out of his way to catch his own pokemon, all of his partners eagerly sought out their new prince of their own accord.

Rasiel’s main partner Cofagrigus is a very unsettling and dangerous pokemon and most are surprised by how docile it is in his presence. Not only is his connection to Cofagrigus deeply personal, his family is wealthy enough to satiate it’s appetite for gold and his status as future king makes him a perfect match for that particular pokemon based on it’s history. -“There are many depictions of Cofagrigus decorating ancient tombs. They're symbols of the wealth that kings of bygone eras had.”

Fran- Fran has a very notable lack of motivation when it comes to most things, being a trainer included. He doesn’t really have a preference and his team is made up of pokemon he obtained through odd circumstances. Notable pokemon in Frans possession are Espurr, Zorua, Mimikyu, Appletun, and Hatterene.

A tiny apple-less applin became infatuated with Fran’s hat and was determined to make it it’s new home. Though Fran tried many times to shoo the pokemon away or lock it out of his house, it always found its way to him again. Eventually he grew tired of constantly dealing with it and just let it take up residence in his hat. It’s delighted little eyes always poking out of the top. Fran eventually evolved it not long after he acquired a new hat.

Though I don’t have an idea for how he acquired Mimikyu and I do have the hc that Fran is for some unknown reason is the only known person capable of looking under Mimikyu’s disguise without it having any negative affect on him. Not even Belphegor or Mukuro are willing to personally test their luck in that regard.

Hatterene are scary and near impossible for the average person to approach without provoking. However Fran’s monotonous disposition and overall lack of outward emotion made him unintentionally cross paths with one. Though he had no desire to catch or battle it he noticed it had intently started following him. It had never encountered a human that didn’t instantly agitate it and that made it curious.(She also just liked his big silly hat) He didn’t particularly like the idea of having such an aggressive and volatile pokemon in his possession but he also didn’t want it following him through places filled with people that could potentially provoke it, not that he was concerned it might attack other people, he just didn't want it to attack him. So he made a compromise to take it with him while in the safety of a ball, and it surprisingly obliged.

There is ONE perk though. Hatterene HATES Belphegor. He’s loud and hostile and his vibes are terrible. He is everything Hatterenes hate in a human. If Fran tries to use Hatterene in battle while Bel is nearby it will turn it’s focus straight to him. Sometimes Fran does it on purpose because honestly Bel deserves it majority of the time. Her Fairy typing also directly counters Bel’s favored dark type.

Belphegor- Gonna be honest, I’ve tried to put a lot of thought into Bel for this AU but he is incredibly difficult to work with. It’s hard for me to assign him pokemon because I just can’t seem to find any that are good enough to fit his vibes. Or in his case bad enough. The main thing I decided for him was that he would have a focus on dark types and two of his pokemon would be a shiny Absol and the exception to his preference, Gengar. Alolan Persian, Deino, Weavile, and Skuntank are pretty solid contenders but i’m not 100% on all of them yet. Tho I do like the idea of both of the twins having meowth, Bel ending up with alolan persian and Rasiel ending up with Kantonian Persian.

Absol’s are considered bad omens, bringers of disaster and death, and that is exactly what comes to those whose paths are crossed by this crimson visage. It’s presence is a warning that it’s master is near. Bel has had this fearsome partner since he was a child, it’s first appearance before him marking the “death” of his brother. Since then Bel has been a beacon for disaster, anywhere he goes he happily brings death with him, and that is why Absol is never far from his side. Always there to be a warning, or a threat, to those who venture too close or are unfortunate enough to have Bel’s sights set on them.

The exception to his preference in dark types is Gengar. He liked it’s vibe and got it as a direct response to Fran’s Hatterene being a constant pain. Though head-to-head it does come down more to skill than typing since both have disadvantage and weakness against the other. Generally they tend to be pretty even in power.(when you don’t consider the fact that Fran doesn’t really put much effort into battles.)

Chrome- Chrome isn’t one for battle when it comes to pokemon and doesn’t really have a preference. For Chrome her pokemon are therapeutic and a source of comfort in her day to day. Her pokemon are Musharna, Sylveon, Togetic, Shiny Audino, Kirlia, and Gothorita. Pokemon that specialize in soothing the fears and anxiety of their trainers, and bringing them happiness. Her very first partner was a Munna.

It isn’t uncommon for doctors to use pokemon as assistants for a variety of medical treatments. Though they were not exclusive to that ward, munna were often found in the pediatric ward at night. They provided assurance and comfort to recovering children, soothing their dreams and eating away the nightmares. Though there was little hope she would survive, Chrome had one assigned to her bedside. A small comfort during what would likely be her last few nights. Her moments of consciousness were short and scarce, so her dreams were all she had left.

Up until Mukuro’s odd intervention, Munna remained snug by her side. It would sometimes visit her in her dreams, providing some company within her peaceful, yet lonely world. After all what company could she dream of if everyone had abandoned her? When she awakened and had miraculously stabilized due to Mukuro’s aid she just so happened to take the Munna with her on her way out of the hospital.

Ryohei- While not one I tend to think too much on and I dont have a full party thought out for him, I recently decided I like the idea of him having Mega-Lopunny. I know that seems like an odd choice, because it is, everyone thinks it's an odd pokemon for him to have, including himself, but under no circumstances would he ever consider removing it from his team because it was a gift.

When his little sister Kyoko became a trainer the first thing she did was try to find a pokemon she could give to her big brother as a gift, as a way of showing him she was capable of catching pokemon on her own and to thank him for helping her get to that point. At the time Buneary felt like a good fit in her eyes because it was cute and its ears seemed to pack the kinda punch Ryohei liked his pokemon to have.

Ryohei was overjoyed by the gift and didnt question in the slightest why she would give him a normal type when he specialized in fighting types, he was just proud of his sister. His synergy with Lopunny is surprisingly solid as it makes for a good pseudo fighting type, and in it's mega form it not only becomes a proper fighting type it also gains the ability to PUNCH GHOSTS which is cool as hell!

Once Kyoko is a little older she feels kind of embarrassed about her choice given Ryoheis type preference but he insists Lopunny is amazing and gladly shows off it's power to anyone when given the chance, making sure everyone knows it's because of his little sister he has such a powerful partner. This does not help ease her embarrassment. Ryohei eventually returned the favor by gifting her a stufful. Something that suited her that was cute and strong, and also because Haru had one and he knew how much Kyoko loved it.

Bianchi- Instead of going full poison types like I originally planned to, I started liking the idea of her having food themed pokemon that are just kinda wrong. She's the only char I have considered taking some liberties with the canon designs and typing of her pokemon. At the moment I hc her having Alcremie, Vanilluxe, and Tsareena. All "shiny" though people are sure Bianchi's pokemon were not always those sickly off-colors. Their designs would be more warped/melted with tsareena being an exception as she seemed to have a better response to it's trainer-inflicted poison typing. (A G-maxed Alcremie in her possession would be a horrific sight)

Bianchi herself isn't doing this intentionally to her pokemon and also doesn't seem to notice their differences. Her love for her pokemon and the care she provides for them are genuine, they just somehow always end up “wrong”. Their sickly appearances haven't hindered their ability to function in battle and they actually seem to be unusually stronger than their average counterparts.

[ciaossu-imagines]

I love seeing you on my dashboard! Could you do amusement park for KHR? :) Also if you don't mind me asking, do you have a favorite genre to write? Thank you!!

Oh my gosh! I love seeing you pop up in my notifications! Thank you so much for all the likes and reblogs - they make running a blog like this feel super rewarding! As for favourite genres to write, I like writing everything but I’m best at smut and angst (if you haven’t noticed, I’m really good at just, like, hurting/killing all the beautiful characters). I struggle with fluffy, romantic stuff because I always feel it has to be rom-com worthy but I still enjoy writing it - it’s a challenge! But on to the actual request (which I thank you for and hope you enjoy)!

1. Which oc goes to the amusement park/regional fair for the carnival food?

It wasn’t entirely for the food that Lambo went to the amusement park. He found the whole thing exciting and was looking forward to going on the rides…until he saw them in person. Then he got a little scared and decided he wanted a snack before trying them. One snack turned into trying every single type of food there was at the carnival. Rauji joins him sometime during the day - he did actually agree to go to the carnival just for the food. 

2. Which oc is determined to ride all the rollercoasters?

Ken drags any of the other Kokuyo members on every roller-coaster he can. He’s a huge fan of thrill rides (which poor Chikusa hates but is often his unfortunate companion on). Gokudera and Bianchi are both fans of roller-coasters as well, as is Byakuran, who makes Shoichi go on them with him, despite the fact they make poor Irie slightly sick to his stomach.

3. Which oc loses all their money at the ring toss?

Ryohei is not giving up until he wins Kyoko that stuffed rabbit she said she wanted. It doesn’t matter how many times she says it’s fine or how often the other Vongola members tell him the game is probably rigged. It doesn’t matter that he’s broke and borrowing money off the others. He’s winning his sister that damned rabbit. (Eventually the guy running the booth just gives Ryohei the rabbit because Ryohei’s just so bad at it and it’s just getting too hard to watch. Well, that and his screaming and carrying on were scaring away any other customers.)

4. Which oc destroys at carnival games and leaves the park burdened by ten giant prizes?

Yamamoto is really lucky when it comes to those carnival games. Whenever one of the kids really want a prize, they quickly learn to ask Yamamoto to help them get it. He can’t say no to any of the younger members of his family or even to the kids from other families, like Yuni or any of the Arcobaleno (even if he knows they’re not actual babies, they’re just so tiny and young looking that he can’t refuse)!

5. Which oc stays in the gift shops?

Adelheid doesn’t really like amusement parks. She didn’t really want to go but ended up being talked into it. Since she’s not huge on any of the park food and doesn’t do rides, she ends up doing a lot of window shopping in the gift shops.

6. Which oc is has a stake in one of the competitions?

Hibari. If by stake you mean the fact that the park, if located in Namimori, likely pays a small fee to the Disciplinary Committee for ‘protection’.

7. Which oc has a gig as the park mascot?

Gokudera. He likely got fired from his job at the convenience store and needed another gig. A park mascot was annoying but the pay was well and all he really needed to do was circle the park and do a stupid, silly dance every half an hour or so. He figured it was easy money until his friends came to the park and he spent the whole day trying to hide the fact he was working there. Needless to say, he lost that job pretty fast too.

8. Which oc/s come to the fair in costume? What do they wear?

Fran wears his apple hat, if that counts as a costume? Reborn finds some excuse to dress up in one of his weird cosplays during the day - a carnival barker or his favourite potted plant ‘disguise’. The last one doesn’t really fit the situation…he just really likes it.

[queenharumiura]

"Call me Satan." // Young!Fran being dorky...?

Taken from meme: [x] ||Accepting|| @dyingresolve

Oho~ Haru is ready for this. 

Being the studious sort that she was, she sometimes went down random study tangents when she’s research random things and stow them away in her brain for later. 

“Can you change the way your apple hat looks? If you can change it to look like a Devil Gala apple, I’ll call you Satan.” 

If not, you’ll continue to be referred to as ‘Fran-chan’. 

[khrghosted]

Delacroix Twins: Chapter One: Rencontre la Pomme

|| My Little Authors note is I wont be using much French in this because I’m not confident in my French skills so if anything sounds off with my French please correct me, and my apologizes in advance||

Having just got off a plane and now on the way to their Grandma’s place. They had been living in America because of their parents' jobs. But the rest of their family lived in and around France. Though the two children were told that their grandmother lived alone, she was never lonely because she had servants and friends to keep her company. They were mostly excited to visit their grandmother because they usually got spoiled while visiting her to make up for the time that they don’t get to see her.

But there was also a sense of adventure, every year the place seemed different and new. They were determined to explore the place if it was the last thing they did. They knew they wouldn’t get in much trouble for it because it kept them out of most peoples way so the ‘adults could talk’. So with all of that said once they had pulled out to the fancy estate that their grandma lived in they were quick to escape the vehicle.

“Remember your manners you two!” the familiar voice of their Mentor Lex, who was practically scolding them already and they hadn’t even done anything. Though he sighed wondering if his call had only fallen on deaf ears. He saw Anatole spin around lifting his oversized cowboy hat with one hand, their twin looking exasperated beside them as they got dragged along.

“Don’t worry mister Colbert! We’ll behave!” Anatole beamed brightly before once more running full speed towards the front entrance. His twin only let out a huff of annoyance seeming to not care about this conversation at all. Once at the door little fists banged against the door, waiting impatiently for it to open. Once it was open Anatole shouted a greeting to the butler before running past the rather elderly man. While Léonard was the one to utter out a form of goodbye as he was dragged along.

It didn’t take them long to find their Grandmother who they found making their way down the stairs. Anatole was giddishly waiting. Léonard beside him looked less than enthused about the whole situation but was there nonetheless. It was when the lady made it to the bottom of the stairs she finally started speaking.

“First ones to greet me as always, is that right?” a smile formed on her face as she then pulled the two into a hug.

“Of course, Grand-mère!” Though American born and raised the two of them could fluently speak French.

“Grand-mère, you can let us go now” Léonard said as he snatched the cowboy hat off his brother’s head so it wasn’t in his face anymore.

“Oh alright, but you boys aren’t getting any presents till after dinner then” she said with a chuckle as she let them go. The twins let out a sigh of defeat on that one, they knew better than to whine and beg when it came to their grandmother. They had heard all sorts of stories of what she was capable of and they weren’t about to find out if it was true.

“The better behaved the more we get, right?” Léonard inquired, already knowing the answer. Though to be fair when gifts were on the line it was he had to know the best way to get as many as possible. That or the best way to get away with their mischief and still get a satisfactory number of presents. They never get a response from their grandma as their parents finally made it inside followed by their mentor Lex.

They had lost all interest in the casual greeting that they had going on, till their grandmother had mentioned something that peaked their interest.

“The neighbor next door now has a young kid around Anatole and Léonard’s age” It was clear she was giving the twins a hit and a nudge of something they should do later.

“Don’t you think that's a little dangerous?” Their mother was clearly worried about something.

“Not at all, I’ve been over there for tea plenty of times, I think it’d be alright.” was their grandmother's response. The twins exchanged looks with each other. They never really got the opportunity to hang out with other people their age. They really only had each other. So the idea of being able to play games with someone other than Lex, their mentor and teacher, and whatever staff was set to protect them seemed like an opportunity they wouldn’t want to miss.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking Léo?” Anatole whispered to their bored looking twin, with a smile on their face.

“Always.” was their only response. Blunt as always. With that Anatole turned to their parents to proceed to convince them to let them go visit the neighbors. Promising to be on their best behavior, and that they wouldn’t Make a scene about anything. Trying to appeal to every one of their senses so they could go over to meet this kid.

Fortunately enough for them with enough persuasion they were allowed to do so. Though they weren't sent over empty handed. They were entrusted with a basket to give to the neighbor full of an assortment of items meant to act as gifts. After that they raced over to the neighbors house without any more questions. Léo found himself carrying the basic as he watched Anatole unable to run in a straight line as he was too full of energy. Having to hold down his own cowboy hat so it wouldn’t fly off his own head.

“You're going to trip,” Léo said bluntly as he did absolutely nothing to stop Anatole from tripping right after he spoke.

“Why do you always warn me too late?” Anatole inquired as he forced himself to sit up. Checking himself over to make sure he wasn’t as hurt as he felt. He pouted as tears started to flow down this face.

Léo, simply let out a sigh and walked over to Anatole. Holding his hand out to help the other up. Once Anatole was back on their feet they began to continue walking.

“Are your knees alright?” Léo asked simply as it was his turn to drag his twin along. He didn’t seem intent in turning around and stopping the ‘quest’ they started.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine!” Anatole chirped happily walking alongside their twin having no signs of scrapes and bruises. No tears in sight, they seemed to get over the fall rather quickly.

“Good” Léo gave a firm nod, glad that his brother wasn’t hurt in any way. It did take them a bit before they got to the front doors of the neighbors seeing as both estates were rather large. They knocked on the door about four solid times so that it was clear that someone was at the door. They were greeted by a rather sweet lady, seemingly being a maid of the estate.

“Bonjour Mademoiselle!” Anatole was quick to greet the lady back. “Me and my brother are visiting our grandmother, she told us to bring this gift and to come over and introduce ourselves!” he then quickly explained to the lady in front of him, he was so happy to practice his own French skills with others than his own parents. All while Léo just held the basket up to help prove the claim was true.

The Lady smiled at Anatole’s enthusiasm and Invited the two in and to take a seat in the living room while she went to go get the master of the house. The two boys set the gift basket down on the table, before taking a seat on the couch and looking around. The place seems terribly quiet for a house with a 5 year old in it. Technically three if you counted the both of them.

“Just because I can’t see you doesn’t mean I don’t know you're there” Léo said bluntly to seemingly no one. Before a sigh was let out and a boy with light green hair came out of hiding from the hallway.

“Who are you guys? Are you some sort of cowboy and pilot?” They inquired, as if they were one to talk.

“Who’s asking Pomme?” Léo asked, bluntly seeing as the kid was wearing a knitted hat that looked to be an apple atop their head.

“We aren’t supposed to cause a scene” Anatole broke the tension in the room. “I’m Anatole and this is my brother Léonard! Who might you be?” quickly introducing himself and his brother in hopes of getting the stranger to introduce himself.

“Ah, I see you’ve met Fran already” a voice grabbed all three of their attention. It was a rather elderly lady, she had a smile across her face. Fran seemed to be annoyed his name had been given to these strangers. “You must be Mrs. Delacroix grandsons.” She said with a chuckle. “She has told me so much about you two” she said simply before turning to Fran.

“Nice to meet you and Fran!” Anatole was quick to chirp out. “Oh and our Grand-mère had us bring this basket to you!” He stood up from the couch to pick up the basket and hand it to the rather nice elderly lady.

“Thank you very much, Monsieur Cowboy,” she said gently, taking the basket from him. “Fran, why don’t you and your new friends go play outside? Oh, would you guys like to stay for dinner?” She invited them to dinner, even though she had only known them for maybe a minute.

“Oh as much as we would love to we have to head back for dinner. Grand-mère makes a big deal of dinner the first day we arrive” Anatole happily explains simply to the lady. Smile spread across his face “Maybe we could plan to have dinner here another time.” He was quick to offer a solution.

“Oh that would be just lovely, Don’t you agree Fran?” She seemed rather happy at the idea of company. Almost as if she never really got to have any over.

“No.” Fran was blunt and to the point with the answer. He didn’t like the idea of having to spend time with these two strangers more than he had to. Not to mention that one of the pair had not only already gotten on his nerves, something about them just seemed off. Though he couldn’t pin down what it was.

Fran’s Grandmother could only smile and simply shake her head. She turned her attention back to the twins. “Now how about later you boys invite your family over for dinner as well. I'm sure me and your Grand-mère can work something out.” she explained to the pair.

“Sounds good to me!” Anatole turned his attention to his brother “Don’t you agree?” He inquired, he was mostly trying to make sure his brother wasn’t about to get himself in trouble or start something.

“I suppose” Léo stated simply, knowing it was something along the lines of what his brother wanted to hear. Though he much rather not do anything to do with anyone.

“Then its settled.” The elderly lady started with a smile and started to walk away. “You boys have fun now, I have some things I need to attend to.” She explained before slipping away to somewhere else in the house out of their eyes sight.

“Are you guys going to leave now?”Fran asked, really hoping that they would leave, though not that it was clear to tell what he really wanted with how he speaks.

“No” Léo said, much to Anatole's surprise. “Why do you wear an apple hat?” he was quick to inquire.

“Why do you wear goggles on your head? And why is your brother dressed like a cowboy?” Fran simply inquired back, giving Léo the same cold stare back.

“Is there something wrong with me wearing cowboy boots and hats?” Anatole frowns, he really liked these things. He would hate for his new friend to not approve of such things. His oversized hat easily sliding down over his eyes.

“No” Léo and Fran were both oddly quick to reassure Anatole. Even if it wasn’t something they could easily do. Though their simple response was enough to bring a bright smile back to Anatole’s face.

“Why don’t we all play a game together?” Anatole suggested to the others. “What kind of game?” Fran Inquired. “Hide and seek” Léo Informed them both. Not really giving them a choice in the matter. “If we win, you have to be our friend.” He explains to Fran. “And if I win?” Fran asked rather boredly. They didn’t think they could lose in all honesty. “That won’t happen,” Léo said with complete confidence. “Then if I win, you have to do as I say,” Fran said, trying to make a point. “Sounds like a deal then” Anatole buts into the conversation, “Me and Fran will hide, Léo will be the one searching” Anatole quickly decided. “Fine” Fran agrees to this. Léo turns around and starts to count rather slowly. Anatole then took this moment to grab Frans hand and start running. “Do you know any good hiding spots? Are we allowed to go upstairs?” Anatole inquired quickly as he kept glancing around looking for the best hiding spot. Fran let out a huff. “Follow me” He says as he suddenly starts dragging Anatole, instead of the other way around. After a while of navigating the hallways they enter what is an empty guest room. Fran makes his way over to the wardrobe in the room and opens it up. “Get in,” Fran demanded if you can call it that. Anatole gets the idea and climbs into the wardrobe after Fran were after they close the doors to it and sit in the dark. “And now we wait,” Anatole says with a smile. “Ssh” Fran said simply, not wanting any of their chatter to give away their hiding stop. Anatole didn’t complain and simply made himself comfortable for what would be a rather long wait. Because soon minutes turned into hours, and Fran became bored. Though they didn’t want to lose. “He hasn’t given up yet?” Fran asked Anatole, trying to figure out how much longer he would be hiding before he won. “Léo doesn’t give up” Anatole explained simply, that was the truth. Léo didn’t like to give up and would never admit if he needed help or anything of the sort. He was rather stubborn like that. It wasn’t much of a wait longer after they cleared that up that Léo opened the wardrobe doors. “I know you guys are in here” was all he said, which caused Fran to let out a huff. “Fine. i will be your friend.” Fran said reluctantly. Fran might not have agreed to be their friend if he had known what it would lead to in the years to come. But it was too late now, he had become their friend all because he lost at a game. Though to be fair it didn’t seem like a bad idea at the time. Even though Fran didn’t express it, he was glad he had friends. Mostly because he could use the excuse of them being friends to get away with tricks and pranks. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have a message for you two” A staff member said to get their attention. “It is almost time for dinner, and you are to return as soon as possible” She explained simply. Anatole and Léo nodded before turning their attention to Fran. “We’ll see you tomorrow!” Anatole basically shouted. Then the pair made their way out of the room and then back home. That was how they met and became friends with Fran, or as they liked to call Fran, Pomme.

posted: 1/21/2021

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’T HEARD of Duncan Hannah, a New York–based painter and illustrator, though there’s a somewhat famous, mid-’70s photo of him lounging in a rattan chair next to a bathing-suit-clad Debbie Harry. The image comes from an obscure 1976 art film called Unmade Beds, an amateurish, charming New York time capsule directed by Amos Poe (neither Hannah nor Harry could act).

Hannah will now be known as a diarist. As he notes in his new book Twentieth-Century Boy: Notebooks of the Seventies: “This is not a memoir. These are journals, begun in 1970 at the age of seventeen, written as it happened, filled with youthful indiscretions.”

Arriving in New York City from Minnesota, thin and wispy young Duncan is already well read and culturally hip — and not lockstep hip either, but rather a precocious contrarian. In art, he likes comic books, illustrators, and, most of all, David Hockney. To his credit, he tells his knee-jerk-avant art teachers at Bard College that he likes the Pre-Raphaelites. (“They shook their heads…” Well, of course they did. Of course they did.) He paints portraits of his offbeat literary heroes (e.g., Wyndham Lewis, Colin Wilson), which itself is kind of odd, and exhibits them in a group show, “in spite of not fitting in with the show’s agenda.”

Most of this book recounts our young rake meeting almost everyone important in his two worlds of art and music: Hockney, Warhol, Henry Geldzahler, Larry Rivers, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry. A precocious dialectician, he can spar with the best — and worst — of them:

Danny shouts, “Louis, Louis, come join us!” looking at the entrance to the back room. I crane my neck to see who he is talking to. Gulp. Standing there in an alcoholic stupor, looking into my eyes, is the avatar of decadence and perversion, the legendary Lou Reed!

Creepy Reed lopes over to their table and whispers a truly stomach-turning proposition to our young diarist, which I won’t describe here. Appalled, Hannah becomes an ex-fan: “My hero worship is immediately over. Ick. […] He downs the rest of his tequila and leaves me alone in the booth to ponder my missed scatological opportunity.” It’s telling that Hannah, who lets the reader know that he has excised much from these journals, decided to leave this story in. Later on, he spots Reed at Max’s Kansas City, looking “like a skinny chimpanzee.”

Our narrator’s musings reach a peak of quotability whenever he’s witnessing the sorry truth about his heroes:

Fran Lebowitz sits with us and complains about her latest trick. [New York] Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan comes in with a gaudy chick in leopard skin, zippers, and frosted hair. Real skanky. Fran slips off …

Hannah also displays a shrewd ear for good music versus trash:

Bryan Ferry never disappoints […] Hawkwind […] weren’t to my taste. Queen […] I don’t like. […] Television is sounding better and better. Lenny Kaye called them “the golden apple at the top of the tree.”

[D]rove to Edgar Winter’s house on Sands Point, Long Island. This is Fitzgerald country, the fictional East Egg […] Gatsby! Yet inside this mansion was a rock band, dressed in their glitter sneakers and spandex, playing pinball machines and watching crap TV. Oblivious […] Pearls before swine, I thought to myself. We listened to a rough mix of their new album, which sounded lame […] Just loud, boring product for dullard youths. Rock ‘n roll can be incredibly stupid.

At what must have been the greatest New York rock-star party that ever happened, at the Academy of Music in June 1974, he sidles up to both Bryan Ferry, who’s distant and distracted, and David Bowie, who’s friendly, engaging, and witty:

He graced me with a glance, and I asked him if he was collecting material for a new song at this very minute. He sneered his canines at me and said, “Yah, why, do you wanna be in my song?”

I sneered back, “Yah, what about it?” We kept up our grimaces like a couple of thugs, necks outstretched, until he broke out laughing.

Meanwhile, in the art scene, minimalism is in full swing, but Duncan is (appropriately) unmoved. His stubborn conservatism, though, seems possibly to have cost him a more high-profile art career in such a ripe time and place. Hockney himself pays a visit and critiques his work (“Your drawing is a bit heavy-handed in the American fashion”), but progress remains slow, and he resists painting “something conceptual […] [s]omething that had quotes around it.” Regardless, Hannah’s days in New York were clearly tilted more in favor of “the life” (sex, drugs, and parties).

You might assume that our young-and-waify hero proceeded to screw his way willy-nilly through the gender-bending, glammy ’70s, this being the comparatively carefree, pre-AIDS era. But though his wolf-baiting good looks and friendliness are a constant magnet to a parade of lecherous males, he remains, steadfastly, straight as a razor.

The budding sociologist in Hannah (all of 22 here) is sharp-eyed when recalling a party at “the old Factory”:

This is the place where trigger-happy Valerie Solanas shot Andy. Creepy. They used to shoot laser beams from up here across the park into Max’s. I feel the party’s force fields, currents of strength, currents of weakness. “The love that dare not speak its name” just won’t shut up these days. Gayness has lost its underground status in NYC and is busy becoming the dominant sensibility. Lots of affectation. Sad when things turn to parody.

A short detour through London in August 1972 (“We sit at the dark basement bar and eyeball a couple of likely-looking English lasses, in their ‘frock coats and bipperty-bopperty hats’”) contains yet another best-possible-time-and-place music pilgrimage I can’t help but envy:

Robert Wyatt’s new group, Matching Mole, play. I love them. Then it’s Roy Wood’s Wizzard, who look ridiculous but sound great.

At intermission, we drank vodka […] and wound up talking to a forward young girl named Mary. […] Mary said she liked effeminate boys and I nudged her over to the doorway […] and kissed her and felt up her tits.

Bingo, glam-rock-era success! (This episode aside, the book is disappointingly scant on pornographic details, despite the number of conquests it chronicles.) Our thin white duke’s 20th birthday is summarily ruined, however, when his androgynous looks and excessive drinking in a London gay bar lead to what he calls a “near-rape experience,” the one truly frightening episode in the book.

While the party girls and the art-student girls keep on “flying low” for our handsome young buck, the picaresque life is starting to wear him down:

I smell like booze all the time now, but it’s expensive booze for a change. Perpetual hangover. […] I’m living faster than I can write. Not that I actually have something to write about. There’s no time to do it.

Everything turns sour. “The next chapter of this blackout finds me alone…” Hannah realizes he’s an alcoholic. A “real” girlfriend in his life (a rarity) turns out to be nuts:

Terry was hearing voices in her head, and she stabbed me in the chest with a small penknife she keeps in her bag. The little blade bounced off a bone. Ouch! This because the voices were teasing her about my so-called “harem.” “Terry, there is no harem!” But the voices insisted.

There is much tottering down smelly New York alleyways in platform shoes during many a besotted dawn. It’s a pungent, Scorsese’d-out New York that wafts up from these pages: “It’s hard to unravel people’s origins in New York. They act cagey. Suspicious”; neurosis in the air “mistaken for energy […] the new pissiness”; “[p]eople fall apart all the time.” 

As a final flourish, our now jaded dandy is disappointed when he visits grumpy Ned Rorem, who doesn’t come on to him at all but is actually a rather unfriendly old fuck. But Dunc is unfazed. To quote from an old blues song: “His disposition takes him through this world.”

Twentieth-Century Boy is a breezy, demotically precise portrait of Bowie-and-Warhol New York, splayed like a passed-out wino on every page. Hannah, who has no regrets and still looks young, now lives in New York and Connecticut.

¤

Anthony Mostrom is a journalist living in Los Angeles. He was formerly an LA Times columnist and a book reviewer and travel writer for the LA Weekly.

The post The Thin White Dunc: A Jaded Dandy in 1970s New York appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books https://ift.tt/2v4lMbA

[wisteriamuses]

@calciferisms

((Since trimming broke on us lol, decided to move us here lol.))

"I haven't really made one before either. I think we need to make them into orbs and roll them around in the snow until they're big enough. Then we set them together."

[wisteriamuses]

'Breakfast..."

"I already made you breakfast earlier when you decided to wake up an hour ago. You don't need more."

[wisteriamuses]

"There's a fairy somewhere..."

[wisteriamuses]

@calciferisms

"Take your water then dad!"

[wisteriamuses]

"What am I going to do with all this illusion water if I'm in my room?!"

[wisteriamuses]

That sounds like a good idea. If nothing else he might enjoy a lake of water.

"Lakes scare me, I was washed away in a river once. But if it's what Mister Calcifer wants-"

[wisteriamuses]

Chrome gift to Fran, wasn't anything fancy or big it was indeed something more emotional, pulling a small box where inside there was a bracelet, with two trinkets on it. One was a pineapple, and the other was a mirror. The bracelet seems to have Mist flame's inside of it, as if the flames were forged with it. Marry Christmas Fran, I hope you like it. Whenever you need me, I want you to touch the bracelet, and I will come to you.

Fran pauses as he stares at the gift, his face one of its usual blank expressions. He puts the bracelet on carefully and quietly turning his wrist a little to look it over more. Then he tightly hugs Chrome, tenderly burying his face against her.

"I love you, Chrome-nee. Merry Christmas. Would you like to borrow my hat for a day as a gift?"

[wisteriamuses]

He senses Bel-senpai was just somewhere...

[wisteriamuses]

@calciferisms

"Then why do you keep asking for more? You're being bratty."