#this is so late for the season but i hope you enjoy it lola! thank you so much for being so patient <3

[astaraels]

Simple Gifts

Debbie and Mickey go gift hunting for Ian. It's not as easy as they thought it might be. Set post-s10, in the same continuity as New Traditions and Keeping Warm Against the Cold. For @lovekenney, thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy! (on ao3)

The task at hand had started out simple enough—Mickey needed to get Ian a gift that was appropriate enough to open in front of the kids. Debbie may have been fine keeping her vibrators and dental dams in the room she shared with Franny, but she’d known Mickey long enough by now—and heard more than she cared to about his and Ian’s sex life—to think that it’d be smart to leave him to his own devices. And in fairness, Mickey had come to her, asking for help in his own Mickey-ish way that only a few other people could understand. So after breakfast, Debbie asked Ian if he could watch Franny—she knew he’d never turn down an opportunity for baby-sitting.

“You be good for Uncle Ian, okay, Franny?” Debbie told her daughter. Franny gave her a big hug and nodded.

“Yep! Gonna play outside today!”

Ian grinned at the little girl and scooped her up into his arms, causing her to giggle with glee. “Don’t worry, Debs. Just thought we’d go to the park for a little while, maybe get some stuff to make hot chocolate.”

“Don’t forget-”

“-her mittens and her hat,” Ian finished for her. Debbie might have felt silly, since Ian had always kept an eye on them when she and Carl were younger, but she was Franny’s mom, after all. Frank and Monica never bothered caring if any of them were dressed properly for winter. Doing the opposite of their example seemed like a pretty sound strategy to her.

“She’s got some snacks in the fridge, too. Hot cocoa only if she’s a good girl.” Debbie tapped the end of Franny’s nose.

Ian chuckled and tossed his niece into the air, just a little bit. “Franny’s always a good girl, aren’t you, Fran?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” the little girl cheered. Debbie couldn’t help but smile—her kid really was a good one.

“You coming or not, little miss sunshine?” Mickey asked, shoving his boots on as he thundered down the stairs. Ian’s face lit up at the sight of his husband, pulling him into a quick kiss before Mickey took a full step into the kitchen.

“I’m ready if you are,” Debbie told him, grinning at his lack of grumbling about the very open display of affection. Sometimes it was hard to believe how far they’d come—Debbie still remembered having to storm into Mickey’s old house and practically drag him back to Ian’s side when they were all trying to handle Ian’s bipolar disorder the first time around. He’d been terrified, she knew that now, and sometimes when things got to be too much you just needed someone else to give you that last push to do what had to be done.

Such as now. Not so much because Mickey was scared, not anymore; now it was just him being indecisive. Really indecisive, like nothing seemed to be quite right. And it made sense, at least to Debbie. It was his and Ian’s first Christmas together as a married couple. Of course he’d want to get just the right gift, if what Ian had told her about Mickey’s pre-wedding antics was accurate. Honestly, the mental image of Mickey Milkovich being a bridezilla about his very, very gay wedding was pretty damn funny. She was just sorry that she hadn’t gotten to see any of it.

“Okay,” Debbie said, after they’d gone to what felt like every damn store in the mall. The place was pretty bougie for the South Side, but better than getting some bullshit gift at Goodwill or Costco or something. “Wait—we haven’t been to this one yet.” She grabbed Mickey by his coat sleeve, leaving him no choice but to follow after her. The storefront in question was small and a bit out of the way, almost impossible to spot among all the gaudy Christmas lights that were thrown around everywhere else.

The sign said “Hazel’s Hideaways” in a fancy script, although Mickey barely had a chance to read it before they were inside. The store itself may have been small, but it was crammed full with wood carvings and wood-burned signs; wooden knick knacks of all kinds were displayed on every possible available surface.

“Whoa,” said Debbie as they both looked around. Mickey only nodded in agreement. They stepped around some of the larger pieces on the floor, careful not to fuck up anything that looked particularly expensive. Mickey had some cash left over from his “savings,” at least, so he knew he could afford to get Ian something decent. But some of this shit—like a whole ass deer that came up to Debbie’s shoulder—looked pricey as hell. Not only that, but nothing really stood out to him right away as something Ian might like, but Mickey was not going home empty-handed. Fuck that shit. He would find something for his husband, today, no matter what.

“Hi!” came a cheery voice from somewhere to Mickey’s left, causing him and Debbie both to jump and nearly land on several worryingly expensive-looking items. “Can I help you?”

A very, very short woman about ten years older than Mickey with bubblegum-pink hair sat on a stool behind the checkout counter. She grinned at them both a little too widely, which put Mickey slightly on edge. Thankfully Debbie stepped up to save him; she was way better with people than he was.

“Hi! My brother-in-law is looking for a gift for his husband—my brother,” she explained, like it was no big deal. “But we’ve been all over the place and we can’t seem to find anything that’s just right.”

“Well, I’m sure I’ve got something around there that will be just the thing!” the woman said. She was way too fucking perky, but Mickey nodded his head and clenched his jaw so he wouldn’t say anything too asshole-ish. Normally he’d already be out the door, but this was for Ian. He could put up with almost anything for Ian.

Twenty minutes later Mickey was about ready to hightail it out and call it a loss. They’d been through half of the bubblegum lady’s shit and still nothing seemed right. Even her perky smile had slowly faded—now she just looked all fucking depressed and shit that she didn’t have exactly what Mickey wanted. It wasn’t even really her fault, considering Mickey himself didn’t really know what he wanted, either.

“Hey, Mickey, what about this?” Debbie asked, holding up some weird-looking wooden circle thing. He put down the deer he’d been staring at for the last few minutes and walked over to her, frowning as he tried to figure out what it even was.

“The fuck is it?” he finally asked, giving up.

“That,” said bubblegum lady, “is a family tree wreath. I can customize it with different family members’ names, birthdays, wedding dates…” She gave Mickey a knowing wink and a glance at his wedding ring. He didn’t blush, but yeah, it might have been a near thing.

Debbie clasped her hands together and grinned. “That’s perfect! Ian would love it, seriously.”

“Yeah?” He glanced over at her, and she nodded. Mickey knew how much Ian’s family meant to him. And it also meant that Mickey could have his name right there next to Ian’s, permanently, with their wedding date and everything. And sure, it seemed cheesy and fucking kitschy as hell, but he knew Ian was gonna light up like the goddamn Christmas tree they’d all put up in the living room when he saw the thing.

“All right, little red, you’re the one who knows all five million Gallagher birthdays,” he said. Debbie beamed and gave him a big hug, which only made Mickey roll his eyes, even as he gave her a reluctant pat on the back. These Gallaghers were making him a sensitive bitch. But maybe that was okay once in a while. Not that he’d ever admit to it out loud.

—

Christmas morning dawned cold and bright, the weak sunlight shining right through the tiny opening in Mickey and Ian’s curtains. Mickey could have gone back to sleep, at least for a little while, except for the fact that Franny came barrelling into their room, crowing, “Presents, Uncle Ian! Uncle Mickey!” She jumped up and down, beaming with excitement. “Christmas presents!”

“Your mom up yet?” Mickey asked, barely half-awake. Nothing against the kid, but he’d rather get more sleep, Christmas morning or no. But the little girl was determined, climbing clumsily onto the bed and starting to jump on the mattress.

“She said no presents till everyone’s awake,” Franny told him. “Uncle Ian, wake up!”

Ian grumbled and felt around for the sweater he’d apparently tossed onto the floor in the middle of the night, but still managed to give her a tired smile. “We’ll be up in a minute, okay, Fran?” he told her. “Go get Uncle Carl and Uncle Liam up, how’s that sound?”

Franny giggled, jumping one more time and landing on them both in the biggest hug she could manage. Mickey groaned, the air practically punched out of his lungs, but Ian just laughed at him, the fucker. Then Franny bounced off the bed and scampered out of their room as quickly as she’d run in, calling out for the other Gallagher brothers as she raced down the hall.

Ian said something into his pillow as he rolled over. “What’s that, mumbles?” Mickey asked, shoving Ian onto his back, heart nearly skipping a beat at the sleepy smile his husband gave him.

“Merry Christmas, Mickey,” Ian said, hand going to the back of Mickey’s neck and pulling him into a soft kiss.

“Yeah, yeah, Merry Christmas, Red,” said Mickey, ruffling Ian’s hair to make his bedhead even worse. Not that Ian seemed to mind, though. “Better get up if we want first dibs at coffee.”

Ian shook his head. “It’s Christmas, Mick, you’re supposed to have cocoa, not coffee.” He said it like it should be obvious. Mickey didn’t bother reminding him that his and Ian’s understanding of the holiday were very different—but if his husband said cocoa, then that was what they’d do. Little domestic bitches, indeed.

Mickey had expected Christmas morning with the Gallaghers to be chaotic, and he was absolutely right. Everyone in the house was milling around the kitchen, Debbie handing out mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows in them, the younger kids ducking under arms as the older Gallagher siblings tried not to spill whatever breakfast they’d managed to scrounge up. Sandy had Franny sitting in her lap and was trying to tame the little girl’s ginger flyaways. Debbie leaned over and gave both of them a loud kiss on the cheek, earning her a giggle from Franny and a soft smirk from Sandy. It was the sappiest look Mickey had ever seen on his cousin’s face, which…well. In Mickey’s own experience, it definitely meant something, coming from a Milkovich.

Finally they were all gathered in the living room, unwrapping gifts and tossing the leftover wrapping paper every which way. Organized chaos—well, disorganized, much as Debbie tried to keep it contained, at least to start with—especially where the kids’ presents were involved. Debbie was the kind of mom who clearly spared no expense when it came to her kid, not to mention Tami and Lip on the other side of the room getting pictures of Fred “opening” his gifts. What that really meant was just Lip holding the baby’s hand pulling paper off some box, but even Ian thought it was cute enough that he took pictures on his phone of every one.

“Here,” Mickey said to Ian as they sat on the couch, squished in next to Debbie and Sandy, watching Franny play with her new Easy Bake oven knock-off. It wasn’t plugged in, thank fuck, but that didn’t stop her from going through all the pieces and parts with ridiculous levels of enthusiasm. Debbie had mentioned to Mickey during their shopping expedition that Sandy wanted to get the kid a BB gun—it wasn’t a bad idea, in Mickey’s opinion, although personally he thought they oughta wait until she was at least six—but that Debbie had vetoed it quite adamantly. Maybe some toy guns were a better idea to start with so she could understand gun safety, at least until she was a little older.

Ian was in the middle of fixing the watch he’d gotten Mickey; he insisted on setting it to the same time as his own, so they wouldn’t have to argue about who was late and who was early. “Oh, shit, I hadn’t even seen this,” Ian said, his eyes lighting up. “Your watch is good to go, by the way.” Not that he bothered handing it over to Mickey, though, as Ian was already pulling the paper off of his gift. Mickey felt his stomach twist almost in a knot—it wasn’t stupid, he reminded himself, it was thoughtful—and Ian’s face split into a wide grin, almost looking astonished as he realized what he was holding. He traced the burned-in names of each of his siblings, ending with his own, his fingers lingering on Mickey’s name and their wedding date.

“Holy shit,” Ian said under his breath, his voice sounding exactly like when he’d turned around in their shared prison cell and seen Mickey standing behind him for the first time. “Mick, this is…” But apparently words weren’t enough, because he leaned over and kissed Mickey, both hands coming up to cup his face. “I fuckin’ love you.”

“Fuckin’ love you, too,” Mickey said, and kissed his husband again. “Debbie helped me pick it out, by the way.”

Ian reached over and gave Debbie a hug behind Mickey’s back. “Thanks for giving my husband a hand, Debs.” His sister grinned at him and elbowed Mickey with a conspiratorial smile before Sandy pulled her into her lap. Franny hopped up into Debbie’s lap, too, causing Sandy to laugh and let out an exaggerated groan. Carl was standing nearby, snapping pictures of them all on his phone with a look of glee.

Maybe there was something to this whole Christmas spirit thing after all, Mickey thought, Ian finally putting the watch on Mickey’s wrist himself. Because as they sat on the couch, surrounded by the people they loved, snow falling outside the windows, Mickey felt happier than he could ever fucking remember.

[welcometololaland]

lola!!! first of all I hope you’re well <3 second!!! how do you usually spend your christmas? I was just wondering since it’s obviously the opposite season for you than it is for me so I’m sure your traditions are very different 💖

HELLO BRITT! Thanks for the ask!

It's usually hot here on Christmas Day and I could go on and on and on about the benefits of summer Christmas (I know everyone prefers winter Christmas but hear me out), so here are some:

1. You can have a barbeque and eat outside. This is an Australian tradition - the Christmas day BBQ - usually with oysters, prawns (not 'shrimp' as everyone seems to think we call them), salads and a bunch of other meat including turkey on the Webber (I don't eat meat so not for me, but everyone else seems to love it). And then everyone sits outside on a long table or eats scattered around the deck in the sun and enjoys good weather.

2. You can play lawn games - my family loves finska, although backyard cricket is very popular. Last year my mum bought us a volleyball net (my parents have a huge backyard) and it was hilarious to team up against each other.

3. You can go to the beach - usually when my partner and I get sick of eating we go to the beach for a bit. It's beautiful on a warm Christmas night when the sun sets really late and it's usually pretty quiet.

Other than the above, I typically spend Christmas Eve with my partner's family and then Christmas day with my family (although sometimes we have to drive around to multiple locations which is pretty annoying).

Come in and tell me your traditions!!! Or literally anyone else can also jump in - I've only ever experienced a winter Christmas once and I was by myself so I don't think it really counts hehe.

[bbarican]

life updates: november 09, 2021

work:

my seniors recently complimented me again saying na im a really efficient junior designer and that my main senior is so lucky to have me work with her in all of her projects

yung makati project namin nakakatawa nalang kasi ang daming extra na gustong pagawa nung client namin so syempre madedelay yung turnover pero sila din tong atat mag move it; pls make it make sense po

yung alabang project naman namin, hindi mafinalize ng boss namin yung mga details kasi magboboracay daw muna siya; basta ako ill finalize everything on my end para wala siyang masabi

also! im super duper excited for this one: my ninang asked for my help in designing her condo unit so thats basically going to be my first ever freelance project! wish me luck! im about to prep for our meeting tomorrow too before i go to bed

praying to god na wala kaming ganap masyado sa work para keri kong pumunta ng ust after lunch

last for work: i have officially decided to take the board exam next year meaning i have to email my bosses already regarding my plans on filing for leave from march to july; fingers crossed they allow it!

family:

im so glad my dad is feeling much better; yes, i always am annoyed at him but i really do love him and care about him so much

i am: confused cause my younger brother didnt enjoy bungalow's homer donut as much as i did; IT WAS THE BEST DONUT EVER

my lola is staying over for the night and having her here at home always makes me feel safer than usual

i miss my mom and brother; i cant wait for my mom to come home

syempre di na ko magkukunwari, excited na din ako sa mga pasalubong ng nanay ko yahu

friends:

im so fucking excited to see my bestfriends; we're going back to the beach for tiger's birthday and im just so excited to spend a weekend with them especially since its been so long since we all last hung out

i miss my tumblr bestfriends a lot; sometimes i wish it was 2020 again when all we were doing was staying up late on zoom and literally just playing games and watching movies and talking about everything under the sun and planning random meet ups and actually ending up meeting up with almost everybody

im really excited to review with my bestfriends too and go cafe hopping once review season starts! also syempre matik na din yan, lagi sila matutulog dito sa bahay

personal life:

my puson is hurting a bit and im kind of getting worried na its either 1.) pcos related since i do have pcos or 2.) its something to do with the fact na ang lakas ko nanaman sa juice, soda, and coffee

i have to drink water ONLY i swear to god i do not want to get sick at all, especially in this pandemic

got my first ever 13th month pay today! i really really really need to save kasi i dont want to go into review season with an empty bank account

which means, no coffee or pastry runs whenever im out of the house; i seriously need to discipline myself para din i dont keep gaining more and more weight

i am itching to fix and reorganize and clean my room; cannot wait for the weekend kasi ito talaga gagawin ko

eamon and bec, you have stolen my heart; plus your accents are the cutest thing ever

watching their videos just made me really really want to visit morocco soon cause ive been wanting to go their for so long already

love:

syempre wala

if youve made it this far into my post, thank you so much. i just felt extra chatty this evening and i feel like i had to type everything down cause if i dont, i wont remember them with how busy i am. i hope you guys are doing okay and please know that if you ever feel like just typing everything as well, go for it. just go for it! who cares what other people say? either way, again, i hope you guys have a really lovely tuesday evening and i hope the rest of the week treats us well!

[gra-sonas]

Hello! Can you recommend me some good songs in German and some tv shows? I started to learn it and i think it will help Danke? I am not sure if that's the right way Please stay safe! Also i came for TW and i think i'll stay for RNM

Hallo German-learning nonnie! :D

Mhmm, good songs in German. 🤔 Let me think.

I would definitely recommend listening to songs from “Neue Deutsche Welle” (New German Wave”). That’s not a band btw, it’s a (West) German rock music genre from the late 70s/early 80s. Sooo many great songs, and great lyrics (which is kind of the point for you, right?)

Maybe you’ve even listened to one? “99 Luftballons” (99 Red Balloons) by Nena is probably the internationally most well known NDW song.

If you have Spotify or Deezer, just search for Neue Deutsche Welle, that should provide you with some excellent playlists. I’m sure YT also has NDW playlists.

I’m not overly familiar with the current German music scene tbh. I don’t listen to the radio and don’t pay attention to German charts. 

There are several rock or pop artists and bands singing in German tho. In no particular order and not necessarily music I listen to myself, but at the top of my head I can think of the following artists (mixed genres across the board): Adel Tawil, Wincent Weiss, Annett Louisan, Glasperlenspiel, Silbermond, Herbert Grönemeyer, Die Ärzte, Fettes Brot, Die Fantastischen Vier, Sarah Connor, Mark Forster, Gil Ofarim, Tim Bendzko, Ich + Ich, Die Toten Hosen, Unheilig, and a million others.

Maybe just listen to some of them and see wether you like their music and then let the algorithm suggest you similar artists? Also check the lyrics and see whether that’s what you’ve been looking for and if it can help you to learn German.

Something I think could also be very beneficial: reading books. It doesn’t have to be Goethe (to Germany what Shakespeare is to Great Britain). It can be children’s books, or young adult books, also comics. (FUCK JKTERFROWLING TO HELL AND BACK, but if you liked Harry Potter, the books have been translated into German, pls just don’t buy them and make that transphobic asshole richer, the HP books in German are available as ebooks “for free”). 

Reading a familiar story in a foreign language will be easier than trying to read something completely new. Pretty much any YA book series will also be available in German, same goes for comics, romance novels, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, crime stories and so on. My English VASTLY improved by reading books (and fanfic 😌) in case you like to read, that’s something I‘d definitely suggest you also check out.

As for German TV shows. LOL, I watch so little German TV, kinda difficult for me to come up with recs. One show I highly recommend is DARK tho, it’s 3 seasons, all done and wrapped, and it’s on Netflix. It’s a bit like Stranger Things, only in 3-D (it’s super complex with various timelines, but it’s glorious and so, so good!). 

If you have Netflix, you could also see whether there are any other German shows available. IDK, Netflix differs from country to country/region to region, there are probably differences.

Oh, and I think on YT you can find several queer storylines from recent and older German soaps with English subtitles. We’ve had queer storylines on most soaps since the 90s, and international fans have been really great at curating playlists. Maybe that’s something you might enjoy.

Something that rather pains me to suggest: just watch your favorite TV show or movie in German. 🤦‍♀️ In Germany EVERYTHING (on TV and in movie theaters) is dubbed. Game of Thrones? Available in German. Wonder Woman? Sure, she speaks German fluently. This won’t help you with 1:1 translations (German dubbing tries its best to lip-sync, meaning that the spoken German is in sync with the lip movements of the original speaker, so dialogue translations are not always 100% accurate, certain jokes or word games will also be changed to make them work in German). A bit like reading a book you like in German, watching a familiar film or show in German can give you a better idea of the “flow” of the language. 

Also pronunciation. Shows and movies are usually dubbed in “high German”, so no tricky German accents you’ll struggle to understand. And if possible, download GERMAN subtitles for whatever you watch. You might not understand everything they say, but reading what they say will help you to recognize words much better than watching sth in German with subtitles in your own language and than you’re just busy constantly “translating” instead of paying attention to the German. 

Another genre we have in Germany, and German kids (and adults) LOVE: Hörspiele (audio dramas)! Whether you listened to Benjamin Blümchen (a talking elephant who lives at the local zoo), Bibi Blocksberg (a kid witch) as a kid or Die Drei ??? (The Three Investigators, most successful audio drama series world wide, the series recently celebrated its 40th birthday - the speakers started when they were kids in the late 1970s, they are all over 50yrs old now and still record 4-6 dramas/year and their live tours with more than 10K audience/show are legendary) as a young adult, most kids in Germany grow up listening to audio dramas. 

Even adults continue to listen to them (I’m a HUGE Drei ??? fan myself, I don’t listen to the dramas to fall asleep tho, unlike most other people, but I went to see them live last year and it was The Absolute Best Thing In All Of 2019). There are so many different genres, and stories, there are audio dramas for almost any age group (and thus language skill level), and it’s really cool.

Okay, this got long. Not sure if any of this will be helpful for you, but I hope you’ll find something you’ll enjoy, that will also help you tackling the German language. Good luck and “viel Spaß”!

You stay safe, too, nonnie!

And yay for staying for RNM, chances are you won’t regret it! ❤️

ETA: German movie rec from @manesalex : Lola Rennt (Thanks, Molly!)

[msjr0119]

The American Adventure

Prologue

A/N: I swear choices is taking over my life, I’m dreaming about TRR characters. We watched ‘The Parent Trap’ last night, and my subconscious dreamt of an alternative version including the Cordonian Gang. So I’ve decided to do this. In my usual series Drake is older than the other characters, however because most camps only go up to the age of 17, they are all 16/17.

Prince Liam and his closest friends are sent to a summer camp in America for a month, whilst in Cordonia the nobles are preparing for Prince Leo’s social season unknowingly to him. During their time there, Liam and Drake become besotted with the same girl- Riley Brooks.

Characters all belong to Pixelberry; apart from Lola Hughes, Bethany Hughes, Nate Cooper, Andy Brooks and Jackie Brooks.

Warnings: Please do not read if you are under 18, if you do you are consenting that you are over this age. If any of the follow trigger warnings affect you please don’t continue to read. Swearing, mention of sex, bad habit- smoking.

Word count: 2,400

Tags- as always for prologues I tag my combined tag list and people who I think will be interested. If you don’t want to be included in further chapters please let me know. I won’t be offended. If you want to be added, again let me know.

@pedudley @kacie-0156 @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @bascmve01 @kimmiedoo5 @yukinagato2012 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @drakewalker04 @axwalker @nikkis1983 @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @princess-geek @jared2612 @desireepow-1986 @twinkle-320 @queenjilian @princessleac1 @bebepac @drakewalkerisreal @ravenpuff02

*****

Liam, enjoy this opportunity with your closest friends. I’ve spoken to the camp director- he is aware of your titles and has promised to treat you all no different. Or to disclose this information- Bastien will be staying on site for extra protection with a few other guards. I’ll see you in a months times, my son.

The youngest prince of the small country, Cordonia- couldn’t imagine what to expect from being at a summer camp for a whole month. For him, it was a month of freedom. Away from the palace. Away from the small amount of royal duties that the Prince’s had to do. Having a good excuse to not attend Royal events with his father the King, and his step Mother the Queen.

Drake Walker, Liam’s best friend was more than happy to leave Cordonia. To leave the noble lifestyle behind. He never fit in anyway. Madeleine and Olivia constantly reminded him of this. Three years ago, he lost his father. Jackson Walker was the head of the King’s guard who lost his life in the line of duty. Summer camp, was everything Drake enjoyed in life. Being outdoors. Camping. Besides it was in the country that his mother was born in. America. He was half American, being here- he should feel right at home.

Maxwell Beaumont, the spare heir. The fun brother. The outgoing one. You could take him to Timbuktu and somehow he would be enthusiastic- making the most out of it. He was feeling excited about attending a summer camp, most of the time his older brother Bertrand would be ashamed of him. Criticising him, for even breathing. This was a break that he was looking forward to, without the lectures about being etiquette- especially when it included forks.

Olivia Nevrakis- this girl never held back. You annoy her, she would openly insult you. Drake Walker should know this. Not wanting to attend this break from Cordonia, she had no choice. King Constantine practically gave her no option but to go. As much as Olivia tried to fight against it, it did mean that she got to spend time with her closest friend, Liam. When they was younger, she would follow him around like a lost puppy. Now they were older, she had grown feelings towards him. But she wouldn’t tell him, not yet anyway.

Madeleine Amaranth- the epitome of prim and proper. The true definition of a well raised noble for court life. She was fully aware of the description of a summer camp. However, she knew that she wouldn’t abide by the timetables that they would strictly provide. Madeleine was cunning, she knew how to get her own way, and she was fully intending on using this to her advantage.

****

Breathing in the fresh air, Andy and Jackie Brooks enjoyed this day every year. Yes, they enjoyed the traditional American holidays such as Thanksgiving and The Forth of July- but this was the day that summer camp started. This was where their love story began. The camp had been run by his family for many decades. Jackie came one year, and Andy was immediately attracted to her. Every year since then, he had hoped that she would attend - which she did. They were childhood sweethearts- both losing their virginities to each other. As soon as Jackie was old enough, she moved to New York to be closer to Andy. They were soon married, and raised two daughters; Lindsey and Riley.

“Now I can trust that you all will make everyone feel welcome, encourage them to participate in the activities. After all, I am paying you all a small wage. Enjoy yourselves even though you are all working.” The director of Camp Beaver Brooks said to the teenagers. For the last couple of years he had enlisted his children and their friends for this extra support to keep the camp running.

“Yes, Father. We will go over to the registration hut and help everyone get settled in.” Pulling his youngest daughter into his embrace, he held her tightly- knowing that she wouldn’t let him down. Out of the two sisters, Riley was a hard worker. Always pushing herself further. Always up for a challenge. Never letting anyone get in her way to achieve her ambitions.

“Thank you, Riley. I love you, sweetheart.”

****

Riley, Lola, Beth and Daniel awaited for the campers to arrive. At times they had an influx of people arriving at the same time, then it was quiet. So quiet, that they could hear the tranquility of the lake in the distance.

Witnessing a limo pull up, they all rolled their eyes back in unison. Each one knowing the usual scenario. People that turned up in style were the most obnoxious spoilt brats who refused to partake in activities.

“So it’s not the Coopers. They have a different type of limo. Mayors kids? Rich business mans kids? What are we betting?” Daniel asked the three women.

“They are arseholes. I can bet you all that...” Lola responded. Biting their lips they all attempted to not laugh, knowing that Lola was probably correct. Even if she wasn’t correct, she was still right. She would never acknowledge that she was wrong about anything.

“There’s five of them! I bet their parents are celebrating getting rid of them for a month.... oh, it gets better.. look...They’ve got a personal driver and a personal bodyguard!” Riley took a deep breath, ready to do the introductions to the people who had clearly never been to camp before. Not this one, anyway.

“Fake smiles, guys... we can’t let them ruin it for everybody else. We will bitch about them after.” Lola winked at the group of friends after saying this. They all knew that she was probably already making notes about the strangers. Making assumptions up.

****

“This is so exciting... is anybody else excited? I think I need to pee... maybe too late for that actually... but guess what? NO Bertrand for a month...” Clapping his hands enthusiastically, he was like a big kid in a candy shop.

“Li, please tell me that he’s not sharing with us?” Looking down at Maxwell’s damp trousers, Drake pleaded with Liam to not bunk up with anyone else but him.

“I’m glad he’s not sharing with me. I’m already stuck with ‘I can’t break a nail. I’m too precious.’ Eurghhh, count yourselves lucky gentlemen.”

“I’m stuck with Miss ‘look at me in the wrong way and I’ll slit your throat’...”

“I can’t wait to see you all pretend to not be noble.. this is going to be classic.” Sinking back into the chair, Drake laughed to himself- loudly. Deep down he had hoped that the girls would suffer during this trip. Just due to their horrendous attitude they have had towards him all of his life.

“Well you’ll feel right at home here... in the states where you actually belong.” Olivia smirked at Drake, knowing every time she criticised him about being a commoner it irritated him. Prior to his fathers death, it didn’t affect him - as he had his fathers support. Since Jackson’s death, himself and Savannah were criticised for still being in Cordonia- described as outcasts by the majority of the nobles. There was no reason for them to be there anymore, as their mother shortly abandoned them after tragically losing her husband, they all believed.

“I hear that there’s a lake here, Livvy. It’s apparently ice cold- just like your heart.” Scowling towards Drake, she didn’t think that he would respond with an insult. She hated him. He hated her. The feeling was mutual, and would be for the rest of their lives.

“Call me Livvy one more time, Walker. I dare ya!”

“That’s enough! Can we just enjoy this time. It’s the first time that I’ve been allowed a bit of freedom.. we’re here anyway. Remember, I am not a Prince and you aren’t nobles. We are all just normal people. Normal teenagers.” They all nodded in agreement, knowing how much this meant to Liam. For him to be free.

****

“Hey, welcome to Camp Beaver Brooks. My name is Riley. Myself and my friends will help you all get settled in. If you have any questions, just grab one of us. There are forms to fill out over there. If you all do that, then we will escort you to your dorms.”

“Charmed to make your acquaintance, Riley. My name is, Liam.” Pulling her hand towards his lips he kissed it tenderly. Dickhead, quit with the Prince charming act. Drake whispered in to his ear reminding him that they were no longer in Cordonia. “Erm, these are my closest friends; Drake, Maxwell, Olivia and Madeleine. We are from a different country, and are thrilled to be here.” Stepping backwards, she smiled at them all. Even though she was a bit freaked out by that introduction, she put it to the back of her mind- acting professional. Once they had all signed in, Bastien left them- phoning Andy he explained that they had arrived. Andy gave instructions for Bastien and the other guards to stay in a bungalow close by.

“So girls, Daniel will escort you to the girls dorm. Boys, myself and Lola will escort you to your dorms.” Fucking girls, we are nobles you fucking Yankee. Olivia took a sudden dislike to Riley. As she did with Drake. I hate commoners.

****

Maxwell latched onto Riley as she escorted them on the short walk to the dorms. He was acting as if he had known her own his life, Drake and Liam were both panic stricken that the Lord would accidentally disclose their true identities.

“Here you go, you will be sharing with a close friend of ours- Nate Cooper, when he arrives. He takes a disliking to people easily, but you’ve just got to defend yourself against him.”

“What Riley means, is Nate Cooper is a wanker. Good luck, boys.” Lola decided to abandon her post and sneak out for a crafty cigarette whilst Riley continued settling them in.

“Just ignore her. She accidentally drops the ‘f bomb’ and other swear words a few times. Quite a lot actually...” shrugging her shoulders, the men all laughed. Maxwell eagerly unpacked his suitcase and bagsed the top bunk of one of the bunk beds. Placing his teddy bear that he had since he was born, he would be more than annoyed if this Nate tried to steal his territory that he had marked.

“Ignore him, he’s still a child...” Drake explained, acting like the father figure of the group. As he said this, Riley locked her baby blues on to his dark eyes. Noticing him stare back towards her, she focused her gaze elsewhere. Not wanting him to realise that she was already hypnotised by his presence.

“So what is on the agenda for today, Riley?” Maxwell asked as he leaped off the top bunk, risking breaking a limb.

“Erm, well because it’s arrival day. You have this time to explore camp independently. Then we have dinner between six and seven. After that there’s a ‘welcome meeting’ then we all gather together around the campfire for a couple of hours.”

“Sounds fabulous.” Liam said, softly smiling at her.

“I hope that you all enjoy your time here. There’s a map in the top drawer. Don’t get lost on your first day though...see you all around six.” Waving goodbye, Liam followed her through the door- closing it behind him.

“Riley, I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Do we have any free time? Where we are not following a typical day agenda.”

“Yes, we have one day off each week. That day will change each week. There will be updates on this at reception. Why?”

“Oh, I just thought we could all ‘hang out’ as you Americans say.” Attempting to act like a normal ‘cool’ teenager, he hoped that she wouldn’t be offended by his upfront attitude.

“Sure. See ya.” Unable to erase the smile that was fixed onto his face, he entered the dorm. Grateful for his father suggesting this little adventure for them all.

****

Riley knew exactly where Lola would be, hiding behind the ‘bent tree’ as it was known. It was a common location for everyone to sneak away for a cigarette. Dodging all the tab ends that had been piling up over the years, her friend looked relieved that she had finally showed up.

“About time, I’ve chain smoked a whole packet nearly! What were you doing? Fucking them all?”

“LOLA! One, I highly doubt that you smoked a whole packet in five minutes. Two, I must be superwoman managing to have sex with all of them in that amount of time. Three, get a life!”

“So the tall dark handsome one, the blue eyed boy or the dopey one... which one would you sleep with?”

“Go fuck yourself. Or rather, Daniel. Come on, we need to get back.”

****

“Here you are ladies... this is your home for the next month. Dinner is at six.....”

“There’s room service, right?” Madeleine interrupted, as she scowled at the dirty room. Tracing her finger along the window ledge, she collected too much dust for her liking. Straight away she washed her hands in the cracked sink- then retrieved the hand sanitiser out of her handbag. I’m going to die.

“Erm, no. This isn’t a hotel.” The blonde nearly hyperventilated due to his response. Expecting for some elaboration, expecting for it to be some kind of sick joke- Daniel remained silent, shocked at her reaction. I’m a noble- get me out of here!

“Where’s the bathroom? I need a bath.” Olivia demanded to know as she folded her arms.

“If you turn left as you leave here and walk five minutes, there is a shared restroom. After dinner there will be a short ‘welcome meeting’ before we all gather next to the campfire. I’ll leave you to both get settled in. Enjoy ladies.” Both jaws practically dropped to the floor, before looking at each other with the same expression. Disgust. For the first time in their lives, they actually agreed on something. Why did we agree to come?

Daniel giggled to himself as he left the two snobs as he described them in his mind. Running back to the hut, he couldn’t wait to inform the girls about the newbies responses to being at camp.

This is going to be a long month. They are going to have a big reality check.

[gulegardiner]

hel! I noticed you hadn’t been on lately and was starting to worry! I’m glad you’re feeling a little better :) I don’t think I’ll be watching the new season of skamfr but I’ll be overjoyed to see your amazing gifs on my dash anyway, also you inspired me to watch awae and I loved it and had a great little quarantine cry over the last episode so thank you. We’re all so glad you’re back :))

hey!! thank you it means so much to me 🧡 i don’t even know how i feel anymore because of this quarantine, like i’m in a such weird place lmao anyway at least i’m okay enough to be here and i’m enjoying this season so far and feel connected to lola more than i felt connected to imane or arthur, i don’t know what’s stopping you from watching this season but if you decide to watch it someday i hope you like it!! and i’m so happy to hear that i inspired you to watch awae!! this show is really something special and always makes me feel good in a spiritual way. and got that ending!! i cry every time i watch that final episode 🥺 thank you again and take care 🧡

[itslikethatfrenchthing]

When I Think Back To Lockdown, I Hope I Remember...

  As a coach, I’ve had so many conversations with people about lockdown. I remember one particular conversation I had with a friend and we were just chatting, catching up on our lives and what had been going on. Because I talk all things business so often during the week, it’s refreshing to have a friend chat like this every so often.

We talked about all sorts of different things, TV shows, books we’d been reading, new people we’d found to follow online, anything and everything. We were about to hang up, we’d been on the phone for some time and we got talking about lockdown, as everyone does at the moment. And I said something along the lines of, “The other day, I was journaling during my morning routine and I got kind of nostalgic. Because I thought to myself, when I look back on this time in our lives, what will we actually remember?”

It’s a valid question, don’t you think? I remember when lockdown first started and online, it seemed like all of these people were starting big home projects, learning new things, finding new ways to entertain their kids and so much more. But for me, a huge part of this time in our lives has felt like survival. 

I get that this sounds a little dramatic but this whole thing has been a rollercoaster. Especially as a business owner. While I am very excited to get back to “normal”, to hug my family and to be able to go out for an amazing meal, sometimes I also look back over the last few months with guilt that I somehow haven’t done enough with this time.

THERE ARE A LOT OF OPINIONS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD BE NAVIGATING THIS TIME…

You’ve probably seen it, noticed or even felt it, too. The vast amount of mixed messaging from every corner of the internet (a place we’re all spending more time on to escape living average days over and over again). Some people tell you to grasp this opportunity with both hands, to form new habits, take over the world, and create this brand new life for yourself post-lockdown. On the other side of the spectrum, we’ve got people telling us to take it easy, put ourselves first, and do whatever we need to do to get through it.

Whatever camp you fall into, you should feel ok with wherever you’re at. I’m running a business, helping clients pivot their businesses and planning for a baby (more on that later). Others are just trying to keep their job and keep their kids alive. And if you have nothing more to show for this time than that...let me be the first to say that that IS enough. 

It’s a question that’s been lingering on my mind for quite a while now and so I wanted to dedicate a full blog post to it: when I think back to lockdown, what do I hope I remember?

Never in my life did I imagine owning my dream home before I was 30, and when that became a reality, a dream come true, I never though lockdown would allow me, Tom and our pup Lola, to spend so much quality time here together. It feels as though we’ve really found ourselves here. The openness, the quiet, the cosiness, the simplicity. The fact that we’ve fallen in love with our home even more when we very well could have gotten sick of it by now, is a blessing to how much this place means to us.

WHEN I LOOK BACK ON LOCKDOWN…

I hope that I remember our daily walks, every single day without fail. Whether they required big winter coats with hoods or allowed us to peel off layers and feel the sun on our skin. Every evening when I closed my laptop and came downstairs, we’d be excited for our dinner plans, there’d be a pup so excited to see me, and a plan to head out on a long walk in the woods to catch up on our days. We’d laugh at the way Lola walked sassily along the path and chased birds and squirrels. We’d recount our days, laugh at old memories and just enjoy being together as a family. Those walks hold most of my favourite memories and have become a highlight of lockdown.

I’ll remember how all we talked about was how excited we were to welcome a new addition to our family. How we went from just talking about it to it being a reality in the blink of an eye. The way that Tom would sit by my side and rub my back when I was having a bad day, and how calls with my mum and dad would always light me up. I’ll smile every time I see a Disney film, because that’s what I spent my mornings doing during my first trimester.  I’ll remember being able to hug my Nana for the first time in months when we revealed the news to her and showing my brother, the Uncle-to-be, the picture of our scan over a Zoom call. 

I hope I remember how important it was to keep up those conversations when we were stopped from seeing each other in person. From weekly Zoom calls with my Nana and Aunty when they asked me if I’d ever used Zoom before - it was a needed chat after spending once a week working at their house. From the family group chats that were confusing and hilarious all at the same time, to the texts that just say “How are you getting on?” without implying that you should feel one way or another. In a world where we have access to the internet from the phone in our pocket, it’s important that we figure out ways to check-in and stay in touch, and I’m thankful for the constant reminder to keep up those friendships and make efforts to communicate in a more personalised way.

I want to look back and see a driven business owner, pivoting, dodging, dreaming and losing sleep at night because she cares so deeply about her clients, students, and followers. Lockdown has been an eye opener for my business as a solopreneur to get back into the trenches, to create new offers, to create this business that I’ve built, and to be able to prove that it is possible to sustain and grow during difficult times.

I’ve had some of my lowest moments in business, a few too many crying sessions, and a lot of late nights. But I’ve also created some of the best things I ever have as a business owner and seen my biggest successes to date. I’ve served at the highest level as my best self, and pivoted faster than I ever knew possible. The future is bright because I got my head down and cracked on instead of worrying and overthinking. Those two things are the killer of taking action. I truly believe that.

I pray that I remember the nights snuggled up on our sofa with a mass of pillows, a dog sleeping between us and snacks on the side table, as Tom and I binge watched Gilmore Girls, Avengers films and Sons of Anarchy. We’d sit and watch just being together, with nothing left to say, because we’ve been doing life as a team in motion, day after day without wavering.

WHEREVER YOU’RE AT RIGHT NOW…

Whether you’ve accomplished the projects you’ve been waiting to work on, or you’ve mastered a new skill, or you’re coming out of this lighter (physically or emotionally) and recharged…

Or maybe you’re exhausted, tired, anxious and just proud that you’ve made it to another day.

Wherever you’re at right now, I want you to know that this season has been a huge learning curve for all of us.

It’s been a rollercoaster. It’s been filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows, and whether we like it or not, we will always remember navigating the unknown of lockdown in 2020.

So I challenge you today, while we’re still trying to get back to our new normal, to ask yourself: what do I hope to remember about all of this? In life, we’ve got to take the good with the bad, the ups with the downs, and sometimes calling out the joys and AND the harder times helps you to find and cling to that silver lining that’s always there, even if we don’t see it straight away.

And now for a special announcement…

WE’RE HAVING A BABY!

It feels like such a blessing to be able to write those words. I’ve always known I’d share our pregnancy news on this blog and I am so excited to share it and celebrate with all of you. We are having a baby, due on 1st March 2021 (nice and easy to remember!) 

This will be very out of the blue for a lot of you and that decision was made intentionally. We knew we wanted to start our family in 2020 and while it’s been a really hard secret to keep for the past few months, we’re so pleased we now get to share it with you.

You won’t see too much pregnancy content from me, the best place to stay updated with my journey will be Instagram (you can follow me here). But I just wanted to say to all the women and couples out there who are yearning for a baby that we are eternally grateful that we have been given this blessing in our lives and I have faith and hope that it will happen for you too. 

It’s been a rocky road over the past few months with more aches and tiredness than I ever could have imagined, but I know it will all be worth it for what we get at the end. We are feeling so emotional, happy, excited, thrilled...all the emotions under the sun!

⁣I honestly feel like everything has brought me to this moment and I want to show that it is possible to be a mum and a business owner at the same. Not every day will be perfect, but we can still absolutely boss it. Baby Bray is already so loved and now it’s time to celebrate!

ARE YOU A BUSINESS OWNER WHO’S STRUGGLING TO MAKE CONSISTENT INCOME ON A MONTHLY BASIS?

I’m running a FREE challenge to help you go From Productivity To Profit in just 4 days. Grab your spot here!

ABOUT THE BLOGGER

Hi! I’m Holly Bray

I’m an expert at online marketing, a nerd when it comes to the numbers, and my obsession is teaching others how to know what tasks to focus on so they can create a business that GIVES them life (not one that takes it away).

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[that-bat-blog]

@sleepysupersnuggles​ tagged me in w/ my art blog but I’m tryna keep it strictly art so here we go-

LAST

Drink: 7up free (because the can is much cuter than regular 7up)

Phone call: Probably my mum asking what time I was coming home

Text message (I’m gonna go with general messages because I never get texts): Basically my friend talking to me about how hot my OC Kai is, and me very much agreeing with him

Song: Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande

Time you cried: Friday, I threw up and I always cry when I’m sick

EVER

Dated someone twice: The only person I’ve ever dated is my current boyfriend and we’ve been together since we were fifteen (five years in February)

Kissed someone and regretted it: Not that I can think of??

Been cheated on: I sure hope not

Lost someone special: My Grandma passed away last year but we weren’t very close or anything. I do have friends from high school I wish I could’ve kept contact with more I suppose

Been depressed: yea boi

Gotten drunk and thrown up: Never been drunk so nope

Fave colours: Red. Its just a good colour 

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU

Made new friends: Absolutely! I joined my boyfriends D&D game and everyones become really quick friends with me, its great

Fallen out of love: Nope and I don’t imagine I will any time soon

Laughed until you cried: Who hasn’t??

Found out someone was talking about you: In highschool it wasn’t really behind my back it was more snidey comments and such

Met someone who changed you: I used to hate puns and bad jokes, now I make them too often. Thanks Danny

Found out who your friends are: There was this one particular friend in primary/high school that I recently found some stuff about and I knew she was kinda shitty but had no idea how shitty she actually was

Kissed someone on your Facebook friends list: yes

GENERAL

How many of your Facebook friends do you know irl: All of them, I’ve never friended anyone I haven’t known

Do you have any pets: I have two lovely ladies. An Alaskan Malamute called Koda and a half jack russell, half staff called Lola

Do you want to change your name: I hate that my name has a million spellings but I still like it. The only time I can imagine changing it is if I get married

What did you do for your last birthday: I’m not much of a partygoer so I just stayed in and ordered takeaway

What were you doing at midnight last night:  Listening to music full blast and staring at the ceiling for hours as per usual

What is something you can’t wait for: My top to get delivered, I’ve been eyeing it for a while and finally got around to ordering it

What are you listening to you right now: My boyfriends rendition of the MII menu song

Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: I went to school with about six Toms so I’ve definitely spoken to one of them

Something that gets on your nerves: All my brothers

Most visited website: Tumblr most likely or Youtube I guess

Hair colour: It was half white and black not long ago but now its all black

Long or short hair: I had very short hair over a year ago and now I’m actually trying to see how long I can get it to grow, so both really. Also my boyfriend has very long golden flowing hair and I’m a little jealous

Do you have a crush on someone: Dick Grayson, its been a crush since I was like six and it hasn’t gone away

What do you like about yourself: Body wise, I have a nice torso??? Personality wise, I like to think I’m creative and hopefully approachable?

Want any piercings: I would love piercings but I hate being stabbed so thats a no-no. If I manged to though, I would love more ear piercings, my septum piercing and my nips cos that shit hot

Blood type: I actually have no idea

Nicknames: Kate, Katie, Kit Kat, Chicken Pie, Monkey Pud, BItch etc

Relationship status: If you haven’t gathered I’m very not single

Zodiac: Aquarius, and apparently Aquarius’ are very aloof which is very me

Pronouns: She’s a WoMaN

Fave TV shows: I’m currently on an Avatar: the last airbender rewatch, one of my childhood faves and totally looking forward to season 3 of Young Justice. Not that into live action shows or anything

Tattoos: If it involves needles, thats a nope

Right or left handed: Right handed 

Ever had surgery: Dental sorta shit but thats about it

Piercings: Ears when I was 10ish and I nearly passed out afterwards

Sport: HAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahaha

Vacation: I haven’t got any plans any time soon but I have been to Barcelona, Brisbane and Bulgaria

MORE GENERAL

Eating: Was eating Skips earlier

Drinking: Still in that pretty 7up free

About to watch: Probably some crappy action movie

Waiting for: Me to get the confidence to open commissions and finish some artwork

Want: To move out, I would really like to get a place with my boyfriend and I’m sure my brother who’s going to college and is 6ft odd would appreciate having a bigger bedroom

Get married: Maybe in the not so far future??

Career: I really want to get myself out there and just start making some good art. I love drawing for people because I know it makes them happy so it makes me happy too; they always say do something that you enjoy

WHICH IS BETTER

Hugs or kisses: A mixture of both is always good

Lips or eyes: Eyes, they’re so pretty and no pair is really the same

Shorter or taller: Taller, I want people to sweep me off my feet and make me feel dainty

Older or younger: Older I guess?

Nice arms or stomach: Gimme those beefy arms

Hookup or relationship: Relationship, never really understood the enjoyment behind a hookup

Troublemaker or hesitant: God please hesitant, my anxiety can’t take troublemaker

HAVE YOU EVER

Kissed a stranger: Again like the hookups, never really appealed to me. The idea of just kissing someone you don’t know if gross

Drunk hard liquor: Does a large glass of coke with the tiniest bit of vodka count

Lost glasses: My pair now are the first ones I’ve had and I haven’t lost them just yet

Turned someone down: The guy who introduced me to my boyfriend in high school....yeah

Sex on first date: Only had one first date, we were 15, he was 3 hours late and we went to see Transformers 3 so that should tell you all you need to know

Broken someones heart: Highly doubt it

Had your heart broken: nah

Been arrested: I’ve been in a police van and car but never been arrested

Cried when someone died: I didn’t cry my Grandma died, at her funeral and I still haven’t

Fallen for a friend: Well Danny was a friend before we went out so I guess??

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

Yourself: I wouldn’t trust me with an egg

Miracles: Nope

Love at first sight: Nope, love is hard af

Santa Claus: Not anymore like

Kiss on a first date: I mean if you’re both up for it, sure!

Angels: Atheist so nah

OTHERS

Best friend’s name: Phoebe, we’ve been friends for 8 years now, the first thing she ever said to me was “your cake looks like its on crack” and we’ve been friends ever since

Eye colour: Steely blue, I’m the only one of my dads six kids to get his eye colour, everyone else has their mothers

Fave movie: I don’t really have a favourite, I spend more time watching Youtube videos than anything else really

Fave actors: Never really had a favourite, just generally anyone who is a sweetheart

Thanks for tagging me in Nina!! I’m gonna tag @izzy-cat and @cattwomannn and really anyone else can have a go!!