#eponymous

Great night yesterday in Rome.

The day was not so fantastic (same boring work, you know), but in the evening I enjoyed a show of Eponymous, maybe the best Ghost tribute in Italy.

I waited so long

and now I taste jasmine on my tongue

Heyo!!! You know that feeling when you're blocked on writing something but you don't realize that's what's happening because you had another brilliant idea and LIFE is happening all around you? Turns out I was actually a bit blocked on the Simon's Mums AU, which is partially why I've been going so hard on Holsom Timeloop. Learned this when I went to write some Simon's Mums yesterday so that I'd have something to show y'all.

Being blocked, for me, looks like this: I have an idea of what happens next and I've tried to write it a half dozen times and nothing is working. The resolution usually comes when the thing that happens next is totally different from what I anticipated. In this case, I was thinking the mums needed to meet Mitali. I have Google mapsed the route between Harrow (where the mums and Simon live) and Hounslow SO MANY TIMES, you cannot even comprehend it, given I have written and deleted one sentence for this section over a dozen times.

Anyway, turns out the mums are going to meet Malcolm. 🤷 Whatever, it's working for me. This is like eleven sentences because I just am, I?

Malcolm Grimm may as well be an eponym. He is sour-faced and stoic as I cross the room to meet him and he doesn't stand to greet me. He asked to meet me at his London club, and it's the kind of regressive place that calls women "Mrs. Husband's Name" and will only forgive me my slacks by virtue of the fact that I have my court collar laid overtop of my oxford.

I don't offer my hand this time. Instead I sit down across from him and reach for my water. I take a sip.

"Ms. Stephenson."

"Mr. Grimm."

He makes a face like he's terribly constipated, like he's smelling something he's disgusted by but has to pretend to enjoy. "I was moved," he says, finally. "By what you said."

Tags and also Holsom time loop under the cut.

R.E.M. - The One I Love