#great fingerpainting tho

[becomingflynn]

I'm so sorry in advance.

[psshaw]

You have been one of the most unapologetically yourself artists Ive come across and I dont mean that in the cliche way I mean like... your idiosyncrasies seem particularly unstifled. Your art is purely yourself and the mainstream isnt gonna go for it but the audience you do speak to gets to feel like an alien finding someone else from their homeland. AI image gen feels like a beautiful cake with flowery frosting and when you cut into it its actually frosting all the way down and has nothing of substance. I obviously can speak only in metaphors lol so I just wanted to say I appreciate reading your thoughts on AI and tho I feel strongly abt it I have a hard time putting exacting words to what about it is so worrying to me. As an artist it energizes me when I see artists who are wildly unique and expressing themselves without a care to their skill limitations or personal strangenesses (read: mainstream unmarketability). Manga artist ONE and his charming and funky style is a great example. Anyway I love your thoughts and wanted to say thanks and also throw words at you

FUCKIGN DAMN DUDE, ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME CRY? Why is the weather getting misty on my face specifically. Thank you. My most contentious trait is that I keep forgetting to care what people want from me.

It's really interesting following people who are very honest but more mathy than me, because the way they talk about art and AI lately has gotten... increasingly callous. Even bitter. It's partly justified, because artists tend to suck at defending themselves charismatically. ("AI art isn't real art"; the "AI can't do hands" thing was always destined to age badly) But also, I can't stand the sheer selfishness of people who claim to be rational but don't seem know how to investigate what art at its best is for and why they view it the way they do. When I read "AI is great for hobbyists" I'm like. 95% of the time, I'M A HOBBYIST... I would never generate a script, or music... javascript maybe, but I'd feel guilty about it... but the excitement? I think some guys are just looking to suckle on a feeding tube. Cos they were done a disservice by thinking they had to stop visual art after fingerpainting!

I don't think AI NEVER has substance, but the type of person who gets excited about AI doesn't tend to do interesting things with it. And what really bothers me is that I can never tell exactly WHAT they did, versus how much was a coin flip. This is useless for understanding your voice as an artist. I don't care to see more by you.

ONE is a perfect example. His style MAKES that story. The manga and the anime feel so different. That's why I hate when people say that hating AI is discriminating against people who can't draw, cos like... if you can't make something intentional and real without using what's functionally a search engine, why would I believe you're having ideas worth the cliche conceptartdotcom overrendered AI polish at all? Not to be a dick, but like. In terms of rate of return on my attention investment, so far I'd do better by sitting at a craps table.

[headpats-for-charlie]

🍣Regressor!Angela Montenegro Headcanons🌸

♡ regresses 5-8 yrs old; is also a kitty regressor!

♡ sushi is her favorite kitty snack but expensive :< so she usually goes for colorful cereal n sometimes goldfish crackers

♡ likes to color n fingerpaint more than anything!! lil artist forever

♡ can be very pouty n make u feel guilty to get what she wants heehe

♡ Hodgins accepts n supports her regression but doesn't become much of a carer until a while into their relationship (Cam is a pretty great sitter when she needs to be tho)

♡ plays with dolls, stuffies, and makeup (only stuff she's ok messing with, but she LOVES putting it on Tempe)

♡ actually really likes slime! plus anything fluffy bc it's her fav stim texture

♡ prefers tv shows/movies with animals (Bluey, old Disney cartoons, Garfield, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and Barbie movies!!

♡ likes to pick flowers n berries to calm down; shows up to Brennan's place with a basket of berries n makes both of them flower crowns so they can play fairies (Brennan gets into it for Angie's sake lol <3)

♡ enjoys baking as long as she has help :> too little to handle hot pans by herself !!

♡ vocal stims more than usual when regressed (meows/mewls, humming, purring, repeating words)

reblogs appreciated !! <3

[phoebehalliwell]

what is your favorite and least favorite canon ship for each of the girls

hmm okay disclaimer if you're new here i have Highly questionable taste so like.

prue i love andy. i do. they make a great couple they're both compelling characters they have such like a rich interesting history. but um. i cannot stress how much i literally am jack sheridan. like wow he is literally me. and it is that projection that gives prue/jack, already a complex relationship in it's own right, the leg up here. because haha that's me i'm dating prue lol. least favorite would probably be prue/justin?? lol just because it's obviously the weakest i personally hold the belief they knew damn well they were killing off prue so they tried to get rid of him by making him lame as possible there could have been interesting potential there but compared to the like of andy, jack, or bane, there was no spark and really nothing unique to make them memorable

piper honestly probably piper/mark? that was the one relationship designed to be so so perfect that time literally could not touch because he was dead and gone before we could introduce any conflict. like. pleo went on all 8 seasons, which really weakened in imo bc they added unnecessary at best and ooc at worst drama that just kind of bogged it down. beyond that, i always found derek the manticore baby daddy really compelling like they were definitely beauty and the beast ing that situation i would have loved to see some fruit from those flowers but alas they never went anywhere with it. least favorite i mean god like piper/josh from is there a woogy in the house where they fought over a bottle of wine?? honestly could have been something maybe but it's clear he was never built to last. and then piper really had very few other love interests because then it was leo and then it was dan and then it was leo again

phoebe honk honk basic bitch behavior phoebe/coop lmao i love them. it's probably mainly because he's a husk with so little screentime that i can fill him with anything i want and partly because he was literally designed to be like perfect for her so like the compatibility's definitely there but like man. they r just two embodiments of love. like. and they found love w each other?? like. 💞💕💞💕💞💕💞💕hahaaha man like am i right? ik a lot of people think i'm wrong. that's fine bc he was only in like 5 episodes insanely late stage addition & kinda dumb but like. i love them. least favorite i mean again too easy / obvious but phoebe/dex. like. i am dumber than a box of rocks and love a good lame relationship i love phoebe and jason hell i can even get behind phoebe and leslie but like phoebe and dex man. there was nothing there. god. who cared. ugh. i could rant for ages about how much i hate him / them. but whatever.

paige sticking with my basic bitch theme i'm going endgame because while paige/richard have that same prue/jack advantage where i'm like haha he's literally me paige/richard really have none of the charm / tragic romance & comedy of knowing it's a fling swearing you're not gonna fall in love and then accidentally falling head over heels. they do have the compelling bit of nihilist / believer, but their relationship gets tossed in the blender in favor of the dumbest addiction plotline so. paige/henry wins congrats to these two bisexuals in a relationship it's kinda the same phoebe/coop thing where they have set the fingerpaints in front of me and i'm about to make klimt's the kiss like. they are so rich & complex in my brain lol i'm like wow what a compelling narrative. least favorite paige/kyle it was just. i've complained before. but here's the thing tho is it literally could have been everything phoebe/cole never could be had they played their cards right but instead paige kind of ended up acting as kyle's get into the narrative free card / good guy pass instead of letting him be a compelling antihero and paige as the strongly opinionated spitfire we know

[nostalgiaispeace]

2089.

What’s your name?

ashley

Where do you live? kentucky

When’s your birthday? december 24th

What’s your astrological sign? capricorn

Do you actually believe in that stuff? no. it’s fun tho

How old are you? 30

Do you have a high school diploma or the equivalent? yeah

Do you have an undergraduate degree? If so, in what? never finished

What is your favorite…

Quote?

i don’t have one

Color? orange

Song? i dont have one

Band/singer? lana del rey

Book? harry potter

Author? jk rowling

School subject? -

Science (chemistry, biology, physics, etc.)? -

Math (algebra, geometry, calculus, etc.)? -

Language? french

Operating system? apple

Instrument? piano

Letter? I don’t have one

Number? 3

Car? 1967 chevy impala

Pattern (polka spots, stripes, plaid, etc.)? plaid

Word? -

Animal? Kitties!

Country? europe

Drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? coffee

Food? pizza

Restaurant? mexican

Website? tumblr

Sport? gymnastics

Flower? lilies

Ice cream flavor? chocolate chip cookie dough

Television show? supernatural

Shirt? i don’t have one

Shape? star

Eye color? brown

Hair color? blonde

Movie? titanic

Gum flavor? peppermint

Random Stuff About You

Do you have your drivers’ license?

Yes

Have you ever been swimming in an ocean? yeah

What’s the last song you listened to? -

Do you prefer coloring pencils, crayons, or markers? coloring pencils

Can you make any origami figures? If so, what? no

Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal? yeah

Do you get cold easily? no

Have you ever been to a chiropractor? no

Do you have great eyesight, or do you wear glasses or contacts? glasses

Do you know how to play chess? no

Do you know how to play checkers? no

Do you like Sudoku puzzles? no

Do you like word searches? no

Do you like crossword puzzles? yeah

Do you like logic puzzles? no

Can you play any card games? no

Do you play board games? yeah

Do you do jigsaw puzzles? no

Do you listen to the same song on repeat for a long time, even occasionally? i do

Do you take any prescription medications on a regular basis? yes

Would you prefer to be too hot or too cold? neither

Do you like to swim? no

Have you ever been to a farm? yeah

Do you like instrumental music? yeah

Do you drink diet soda? yes

Do you drink soda? yes

Have you ever put Mentos into soda? no

Have you ever combined baking soda and vinegar? yes

Did you ever make Oobleck in science class when you were a kid? no

Do you know any HTML? not anymore

Have you ever read any of Shakespeare’s work? many

Do you write poetry? sometimes

Do you read? yes

Can you throw a frisbee? not well

Do you watch a lot of television? not really

Do you think that you have a good sense of humor? yeah

Are you a mean person? i can be

Do you have any bruises? If so, how did you get them? no

Does the thought of public speaking make you nervous? no

Are you afraid of heights? yeah

So, what ARE you afraid of? fish

Are you listening to music? No

Has anyone ever called you ‘disturbed’? i dont’ think so

Have you ever been kicked out of a place? If so, where? And why? no

Do you take a lot of these surveys? yeah

When was the last time you fingerpainted? idk

When was the last time you sent an e-mail? idk

A text message? today

Called someone on the phone? today

Tripped over something? today im’ sure

Do you like chocolate? yeah

How many pillows are on your bed? 6

Do you have any pets? yeah

Have you ever been on a horse? yeah

Have you ever climbed a tree? yah

Do you like art? yeah

Do you use any sort of social networking site? yeah

What time is it? 8:47pm

Have you ever been in a car accident? yeah

When was the last time you felt embarrassed? today

Did it rain today? yeah

Have you ever had a poison ivy rash? no

When was the last time you felt immensely happy? today

Do you take a multivitamin or any other supplement? yes. prenatals and iron

What household chore do you absolutely hate? all of them

Tell me something random about yourself. i’m pregnant

Can you cook? yeah

Do you like to be silly? yeha

What kinds of things have you wanted to be 'when you grow up’? singer. actress.

Have you ever been on a boat? yeah

Do/did you like school? i liked college

Do you have a camera? on my phone

Have you ever been bitten by a tick? No

Have you ever seen a wild snake? no

Have you ever gone hiking in the woods? yeah

Do you have a lot of friends? no

Do you keep a diary/journal/blog? not really

What color are your eyes? brown

Do you like snow? yeah

Would you prefer to sing or dance in front of other people? sing

Would you prefer to sing or dance when you’re by yourself? both

Can you spell really well? no

Do you mind poor grammar? i do

What’s your favorite texting/IM abbreviation? omg and lol

Do you wear a watch? no

Do you shop at thrift stores? no

What is your dream job? to be a stay at home mom

What is one thing that really freaks you out? fish

Do you like bananas? Yes

Do you eat meat? yes

Do you drink coffee? not since i’ve been pregnant

Do you clean your computer screen often? no. i should tho lol

Have you ever sneezed onto your computer screen? yeah

Let’s talk about numbers.

How many people live with you?

1

How many digits of pi do you have memorized? 3.14159

Can you count using binary numbers? no

How many states have you visited? a lot

How many countries? none

How many browser windows/tabs do you have open? a lot

How many times have you blinked in the past minute? idk

How many seconds are in a minute? 60

Are you afraid of mathematics? no

What’s the square root of 121? 11

Sorry, sorry, the nightmare is over :) How about some more random questions to let you relax?

Have you ever read the webcomic xkcd?

no

Can you play an instrument? no

Can you read sheet music? yes

What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? italian sub

Do you have a bedtime? no

Have you ever gone sledding? no

Have you ever carved a pumpkin? If so, what kind of face did you make? yeah. a normal one

Do you ever make funny faces at yourself in the mirror? yeah

Have you ever played the classic shaving-cream-in-the-hand prank on someone? no

Do you think that’s a mean thing to do? yeah

Do you like cake? yeah

Do you like pie? yes

Do you like popsicles? love

Do you use the television or computer more? Computer

Do you have a favorite chair to sit in? yeah

Are you getting tired of this survey? yeah

Do you like to wear hats? no

Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? Yes

Do your shoes provide lots of arch support? no

Do you like to go to yard sales? no

Have you ever had a yard sale at your house? yeah

Do you like apples? allergic

Do you like peanut butter? yes

Do you like licorice? nooo

Do you like lima beans? ew no

Do you like limes? yeah

What color are your bedroom walls? off white

Guess how many questions you’ve done. I don’t know either, so just guess. no

What’s your favorite color to wear? black

Do you tell secrets when people confide in you? depends

Do you listen to your music with the volume up really high? depends

Do you like to try new foods? no

How many different programs are you currently using? just firefox

How many different operating systems have you used? i’m old so alot

What time is it now? 8:53pm

Are you wearing socks? no

Are you comfortable with yourself? no

Do you lose small things (like your car keys) often? no

Is your mind in the gutter? No

Have you ever broken a bone? no

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert

Do you read the dictionary for fun? no

Tater tots or fries? fries

Do you like to wear flip flops? no

Are you more of an optimist or pessimist? pessimist

Do you like animals? yeah

Do you like little kids? yes

Are you a 'people person’? no

Have you ever seen a rainbow? yeah

How was your day? chill

What do you plan to do tomorrow? work

When was the last time you did laundry? today

Have you ever played Snake? yes

Have you ever played Scrabble? yes

Are there any television commercials that really get on your nerves? all of them

Do you like scary movies? yes

Are you itchy anywhere on your body? yes

What’s the title of the last book you read? a pregnancy book

Do you read more fiction or nonfiction books? a good mix

Are you a member of any clubs or organizations? Nope

What color is your favorite pair of socks? i don’t have any

Do you own a lava lamp? No

Do you have anything else to say? no                            

[nottellingu]

A/N: A teacher!lily / singledad!james au because my school reopened. Well it’s three weeks past so . . .

Read it on ff.net

“Just one more.”

“No Dad, we’ll be late,” Five year old Harry Potter whined. But nonetheless he posed for another photo.

James Potter clicked away on his phone. With his toothy grin and his too-big-Bob-the-Builder-backpack, Harry was the most adorable kid to ever walk the earth.

“Da-ad,” Harry whined again.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop.” James slipped his phone into his pocket and took his son’s hand. Together they began walking to the red school building.”

When they finally found the right classroom, there was a young teacher in a pretty floral dress standing outside the classroom.

“Hello. I’m your new teacher, Ms. Evans.”

Harry half hid himself behind James’ leg. “I’m Harry Potter,” he said shyly.

Ms. Evans knelt down. “Hi Harry, do you like fingerpainting?”

“I haven’t tried it.”

“Would you like to?”

Harry nodded and came out from behind James’ legs.

“Good. I like people who try new things. I think we’ll be great friends. Do you know why?” Ms. Evans leaned in closer to Harry and whispered so softly James had to strain his ears to hear. “We both have green eyes.”

And sure enough, they both did have the same green eyes. It was uncanny, really. James didn’t know where Harry got his eyes from. He had only met Harry’s mother twice in his life – once for a quick screw in the club bathroom and then the day she dumped Harry in his arms – and both those times he hadn’t really paid attention to the colour of her eyes.

Ms. Evans’ eyes were beautiful - the kind you could write poetry about, the kind you could get lost in, the kind that could cure any ailment, the kind that could -

“We do!” Harry exclaimed loudly. Ms. Evans laughed. James shook himself out of his reverie.

“Well then,” she started saying and took Harry’s hand to lead him inside the class. “Let’s go.”

Harry walked a few steps before stopping.

“What’s wrong?” Ms. Evans looked down and frowned slightly at him.

“Can my Dad come too?” He asked timidly. “He’s my bestest friend.”

“Oh, no bud. Remember we discussed this - ” James began but Mrs. Evans cut him off.

“It’s fine, Mr. Potter. Parents are allowed to sit with their children today for an hour. It’s sort of an orientation class.” She turned her head to smile at a new mother-daughter duo. “I’m sorry, I have to greet the others. You can help Harry find his place, his name is stuck on it.” With a parting smile, she left.

James walked over to Harry to help him find his seat. They sat down and James asked Harry how he liked his new class.

“I like Ms. Evans,” Harry said decisively and turned to talk to the red haired boy next to him.

“Me too,” James agreed silently while watching the attractive teacher interact with her students.

James pulled out his phone to text his best friend, Sirius.

James Potter to Sirius Black: ill b 1 hour late orientation class with harry

Sirius Black: i’ll cover 4 u. as usual.

Sirius Black: how’s d lil bugger?

James Potter: he likes his new teacher

Sirius Black: she fit??????

James Potter: the fittest

James Potter: green eyes

Sirius Black: haha u r so fucked

James Potter: i kno

Ms. Evans wished everyone a Good Morning and he put his phone away.

“Welcome to kindergarten! Since it’s your first class I thought we could start with something fun. I’m going to give you all a white paper and some paints. You can use your fingerprints to make a cool picture with your parents. Does that sound fun?”

There were a few mumbled ‘yes’es, some remained silent but most talked amongst themselves.

She distributed the paper and gave each table a set of paints. Harry and James dipped their fingers in the various paints to make a pot of flowers. James’ huge thumbprints became the brown flowerpot and Harry’s tiny fingerprints became the colourful flowers.

“What pretty flowers,” Ms. Evans commented from behind James.

“Thanks Ms. Evans,” Harry beamed and proceeded to press his finger on the paper with a renewed zeal.

“It’s a pot of flowers because we’re the Potters. Get it?” James was awarded with a light tinkling laugh for his joke. His stomach swooped.

“Very clever.” She grinned before moving over to the next desk.

.

When it was time for the parents to leave Ms. Evans made announcement.

“On your child’s desk, I’ve kept a file for the parents. One set of papers are forms for emergency contacts, allergies and other such details. I would appreciate it if that form could be filled and handed over to the office in three days. Another paper has all my contact details. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any trouble.”

James found the blue file she was talking of and immediately flipped to her contact details.

Lily Evans

Phone Number: 7639847906

Email: lilyevans60@gmail.com

If you wish to meet with me in person, you may do so during the lunch break, 12:00 – 1:00.

James saved the number into his phone at once. For Harry’s sake only and not for any other reason.

(Yeah, right.)

.

As the weeks passed, Harry grew steadily fonder of Ms. Evans. It was Ms. Evans this and Ms. Evans that. Not that James minded. Not in the least. In fact, James too grew steadily fond of Ms. Evans with each of Harry’s stories about her, not to mention the small smiles she would give him when he picked up Harry from school.

One afternoon, as James was collecting Harry from school, Ms. Evans stopped him.

“Mr. Potter, I would like to talk to you for a minute.”

“Er-sure.”

“Harry, why don’t you go draw me picture?” Ms. Evans suggested. She pulled out some crayons and a paper and settled Harry in a seat in the corner. She gestured for James to follow him to the teacher’s desk.

“Mr. Potter, I think your son needs glasses.”

“Glasses?”

“Yes, he has a hard time seeing the board. Perhaps this weekend you or your wife could take him to the ophthalmologist on Third Street.”

“I’m not married but will do. Thanks.”

Ms. Evans smiled at him and his brain turned to mush.

“Bye Harry,” Ms. Evans waved to them as they were leaving. “Goodbye Mr. Potter.”

.

James Potter to Lily Evans: i took Harry to d doc  

James Potter: u were right  

James Potter: he needs glasses

James Potter: btw this is james

James Potter: james potter

Lily Evans: if u were tryin to do bond james bond that was a MASSIVE FAILURE

Lily Evans: glad to help :)

James Potter: help show dat i’m a failure?

Lily Evans: NO. help harry.

Lily Evans: tho that was fun 2.

James Potter: i’m offended

.

James Potter to PETE HAS A DATE! The world ends at 8:30 tonight: she txts lyk me

James Potter: and congrats Pete

James Potter: what did u do

James Potter: blackmail her

Sirius Black: haha good one

Peter Pettigrew: i hate u both

Remus Lupin: Who texts like you?

Sirius Black: who else? harry’s teacher. the one he FANCIES

Peter Pettigrew: u r pathetic

Reums Lupin: I second that.

James Potter: she is a nice person with a cute cat

Remus Lupin: How do you know that?

James Potter: . . . . . . . . i found her ig

Sirius Black: fyi I’m facepalming

James Potter: she posts pics of her cat

James Potter: her bf

James Potter:  or her cat and bf

James Potter: her captions r puns and funny jokes

Peter Pettigrew: she has a boyfriend?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Remus Lupin: Again, you are pathetic.

Sirius Black: Say aye if u think Prongs is pathetic and needs a shag

Remus Lupin: aye

Peter Pettigrew: aye

Sirius Black: AYEEEEEE

James Potter: NAYYYYYYYY

James Potter: BF AS IN BEST FRIEND

James Potter: @marmarlovesbonbons

Sirius Black changed group name to James Potter is the new CEO of Stalker™

James Potter changed group name to NO I’M NOT

Remus Lupin: It’s not too late. You can still get help.

James Potter: blocked

James Potter: gtg harry spilled milk

Remus Lupin: Good riddance.

.

On Monday morning James dropped Harry bright and early unlike most days on which they managed to reach in the nick of time. In fact Harry was the third in class; the other two were a boy with blonde hair and a girl with bushy brown hair who James recognized as Hermione Granger and one of Harry’s best friends.

“You’re early,” Ms. Evans said. Then she noticed Harry’s new glasses.  “You got glasses!”

“They’re just like my Dad’s.” Harry said proudly. Harry had chosen the round, wire-rimmed spectacles despite the doctor telling him he looked adorable in the glasses with the green, rectangular frames.

“You look handsome, just like your Dad.”

“Thanks, Ms. Evans,” Harry beamed. “I’m going to show Hermione my new glasses. Bye Dad!” Harry quickly walked up to Hermione, leaving the two adults alone.

“You think I’m handsome?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I think Harry’s cute.”

“No, I don’t think that’s what you said. You said that Harry looks handsome, just like his dad.”

A slight flush coloured her cheeks, making her look very appealing. “I’ve got lessons to plan,” she said in a small voice and turned away from James, purposefully ducking her head.

James laughed.

.

James Potter to The Lads and the Dad: she thinks i’m handsome

Remus Lupin: Not this again.

Sirius Black: poor ms. evans

Sirius Black: I didn’t kno she was blind.

Peter Pettigrew: ahahahaHAHAHAHAHAH

James Potter removed Sirius Black

Remus Lupin added Sirius Black

Sirius Black removed James Potter

Sirius Black changed group name to The Lads

Remus Lupin added James Potter

James Potter changed group name to The Lads and the HANDSOME Dad

Remus Lupin removed James Potter

.

“I want chocolate fudge,” Harry told Sirius.

It was Sirius’ birthday and Harry, James and all his friends were out at the ice cream parlor in a mall. The mall was a shoddy building which had once been the office of a company that went bankrupt. Nobody cared for the mall much but it was home to the best ice cream parlor in the world, namely Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.

Before Harry was born, all the lads would have gone to a pub and gotten completely sloshed. But the last time they did that, Harry was conceived. Now they stuck to ice cream parlors and arcades.

“For me too,” Remus added while Peter nodded in agreement.

“You’re buying your own ice cream. I’m only sponsoring the little twerp,” Sirius said and ruffled Harry’s hair goodnaturedly.

“Harry, what did Ms. Evans teach you yesterday?” Peter asked.

“That we must be kind and help those in need.”

“Don’t you think Uncle Sirius should be kind and help those in need?” Remus pursued.

“Yes.”

“And how can he help us?” asked Peter.

“By buying everyone ice cream.” Harry said. Peter and Remus smirked, James laughed, Sirius grumbled words which made James smack him over the head.

James, Harry and Peter found a table by the window while Sirius and Remus went to order the ice cream. James fiddled with his phone as Peter taught Harry how to make a swan out of the cheap paper napkins on the table. James didn’t pay much attention until Harry shouted, “Ms. Evans!”

James turned to look where Harry was looking. Ms. Evans stood by a nearby table, a shopping bag in one hand and the other hand balanced her vanilla ice cream. She wasn’t wearing the skirts or dresses that James was accustomed to seeing her in but was wearing ratty jeans and a t-shirt that advertised her love for The Beatles. James decided that Lily Evans was the type of person who looked good in anything she wore.

Ms. Evans saw them and smiled in recognition. She walked over to the table where they sat.

“Hello Harry, what are you doing here?”

“It’s Uncle Sirius’ birthday.”

“Well, tell him I say Happy Birthday.”

“Look! He’s over there.” Harry pointed to where Sirius and Remus were making their way back to the table.

They set down the ice cream.  Harry was happy to ignore the grown-ups around him and dug into his ice cream.

“Happy Birthday,” Ms. Evans warmly wished Sirius.

“Thanks,” Sirius replied chirpily. “You must be Ms. Evans.”

“How did you know?”

“Harry talks of you all the time.” Sirius pointedly looked at James as he said the last three words. James ignored him.

“He talks of you too.”

Peter, who had finished making his swan, tuned into the conversation. “Wait, you’re Ms. Evans?”

“Yes, Pete. Please keep up,” Sirius commented.

“The one and only,” she grinned.

“Cheers. You got us free ice cream.”

“Erm, thanks.” Ms. Evans seemed confused. “I think.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a compliment.” Remus said.

“I should hope so. You must be Uncle Remus.”

“I should hope so,” Remus echoed and Lily laughed.

James finally seemed to find his voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Why Mr. Potter, are you one of those people who believe teachers live in school?”

“Uh, no?” James said almost as if he was doubtful.

“I ran out of Ribena,” she shrugged.

Sirius grinned at the mention of his favourite non-alcoholic drink. “I like her.”

Just then a tall, blonde woman joined Ms. Evans and James recognised her at once. “The paper towels in the loo are shi-” she began to say.

“Marlene,” Ms. Evans cut in. Her eyes pointed to Harry who was examining the new lady inquisitively. “This is my student, Harry, his father and various uncles.”

“Oh hello,” she mumbled sheepishly. The others just nodded. “The paper towels in the loo are shitake mushrooms.”

“Shitake mushrooms?” Harry asked curiously.

“Yeah, I hate shitake mushrooms. Bleh.” She screwed up her face to make an exaggerated, funny face.

Harry giggled. “I hate onions. They make your mouth smelly.” He then resumed eating his ice cream and tuned out of the conversation.

“Are you @marmarlovesbonbons?” Sirius asked.

“Yes.” Marlene narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him and even Ms. Evans regarded him questioningly.

It was mark of their friendship that Sirius didn’t even wince when James stomped on his foot; he had been anticipating it.

“I think you came on my suggested once,” Sirius explained.

“Right,” Marlene replied dubiously. She turned to Ms. Evans. “I think we’d better go, Lily.”

“Yeah. Nice meeting you,” Ms. Evans told the boys. “Goodbye Mr. Potter. I’ll see you for the parent-teacher meeting on Monday. Bye Harry!”

There were ‘Byes and ‘Goodbyes’ said in a variety of tones from all around the table. James watched her leave until the last strand of her auburn hair disappeared from sight.

“I like Ms. Evans’ friend,” Harry declared as he finished his cup of ice cream.

“Do you like Ms. Evans?” Sirius had a devious glint in his stormy eyes.

“I love Ms. Evans.”

“Your Dad likes Ms. Evans too.”

“Sirus,” James warned but Sirius ignored him.

“How would you feel if they got married?” Sirius persisted.

“You mean Ms. Evans would be my Mummy? That would be so cool.” Harry was thrilled. “Dad, are you going to marry Ms. Evans?”

“No, Harry. Your Uncle Sirius is just being stupid.”

“Harry! James said a bad word. Take five quid from him.”

“Stupid is not a bad word,” Harry said sagely

“What?” Sirius cried. “Last week I gave you two pounds for saying stupid.”

“Ms. Evans says stupid.”

“Really?”

“She says ‘stupid chalk’, ‘stupid shoes’, ‘stupid pencil’, ‘stupid stapler’ . . .” Harry went on.

Stupid became James’ new favourite word.

.

Come Monday afternoon, James felt jittery. He had never felt this anxious for a parent-teacher meeting, not even when his parents were called to the principal’s office after he flooded the school hallway.

As usual, he was one of the last parents to arrive. Ms. Evans was talking to a mother and father, while two children were playing with legos in the corner of the classroom, one of them being his own son. When James entered, Ms. Evans finished talking to the other parents. She gestured for James to sit in the seats the other couple had occupied moments before.

“Good Afternoon, Mr. Potter.”

On an impulse he said, “James.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You can call me James.”

“All right then,” Ms. Evans smiled and she stuck her hand out, “I’m Lily.”

James shook her hand and it was as soft as he had expected. “Nice to meet you ,Lily.”

“Harry is a good kid. He’s friendly with his classmates though at times he fights with Draco.”

“That kid deserves it,” James said darkly. He had heard all the stories of Draco cutting in line and Draco stealing Neville’s ball.

“Be that as it may,” Lily continued, amused. “Fighting with students is frowned upon. Harry is also very curious about the world but perhaps it would be best to teach him that living animals belong outside and not in his pocket.”

James laughed. And then shuddered. He remembered having to scrape out a dead lizard form Harry’s pockets when he was doing the laundry yesterday.

“Another thing I’d like to discuss is that lately Harry has taken to calling me Mum.”

James cringed.

“I know it must be difficult without a mother but no matter what I say he isn’t stopping.”

“That’s just a joke between him and Sirius.”

“Oh?”

Well. . . what to say? What to say, indeed.

“Sirius might have told Harry that I like you.”

“Oh?” Her expression remained unreadable.

“Yeah.” Now that that was out in the open, James might as well expose all his cards. “In fact, I really like you and would love it if you’d grab some lunch with me.”

James was hyper aware of everything as the seconds dragged on –the way Lily’s lips had parted ever so slightly, the way her eyes had widened fractionally, the way his palms were becoming disgustingly sweaty and how dry his throat was becoming.

“I’m sorry,” Lily finally said apologetically. “There’s a rule that teachers can’t date their students’ parents.” James’ face must have shown disappointment because she quickly amended, “And I’m not just making an excuse. I genuinely like you too.”

James brightened at that admission.

“But I’d like to stick to the rules,” she finished.

James leaned over the table separating them. “But would you be open to a date when Harry’s in grade one?”

Lily smiled coyly, “Maybe.”

“I’m going to take that as a yes.”

She laughed and Harry, who was now the only student in the classroom, came running to know what was so funny.

“Nothing, Harry. Ms. Evans and I just made a deal.” James and Lily shared a secret smile.

“That you’re going to get married?”

Lily sputtered a bit behind the desk but James didn’t take his eyes off her while answering Harry.

“Maybe.”