#writing notes

not content to just lie or sit. When awake (which is an increasing amount of the time, especially if they sleep well at night like mine does), wants to be doing something. Would make a terrible McGuffin - hard to transport and very loud.

when he crawls he makes a constant stream of delighted grunts, so if you go round the corner and wait for him it sounds like a wild boar is coming.

obsessed with strength and cardio training. He crawls, he does pushups, he sometimes wails for his hands to be hooked onto a bench so he can practice standing (and increasingly he likes to show that he can stand with only one hand steadying him, he will soon be a toddler). If I had the exercise ethic of this baby I'd be Olympian.

the only time he does just sit there is when other kids are playing and he can watch with blankly envious eyes. His dad took him to the zoo and he watched the other kids the whole time ("we have animals at home, papa"). He spends workdays at nursery with lots of other kids of different ages. The older ones treat him basically like a pet cat, only no cat would tolerate the amount of mauling that he seems to actively appreciate. His favourite person in the world is his big sister, who he finds hilarious and emulates whenever possible, for example in the game Ram Mama's Stomach With Your Head While She Lies On The Floor.

Babbles loudly and constantly, totally indifferent to the fact that nobody understands him or that anyone else is trying to have a conversation. Will play with a dexterity toy while shouting at the top of his substantial lungs. This does sound like words, in a Potemkin-village sort of way.

after five months of obediently eating homemade vegetable purees (and formula), he has developed a palate and now only wants to eat pizza, pasta with tomato-based sauce, chips with ketchup, Gruyere cheese (not cheddar), cake, and wild strawberries (do not waste his time with the cultivated versions). He did consider a junior version of a tomato-based curry edible, but not the adult version with chilli and tamarind. Theoretically this makes going out easier as he can eat proper food, however I do sometimes miss the time it was possible to be sure he had eaten some greens instead of throwing a lot of broccoli florets on the floor.

force of destruction. Must be prevented from attacking the wifi router. Pulled apart one of his toys, a wooden one that has probably served several generations already, and happily waved around the bit with a nail sticking out until I took it away and he cried.

starts whining for reasons which are increasingly difficult to determine, because it used to be hunger / nappy change / tired, but now it could be "do not have correct toy" or "want to play Ram Mama's Stomach". As I recall this gets worse until at least age 2-3, when they develop some ability to communicate more sophisticated desires.

loves baths. This might be a my-children thing, but on weekends this summer he often gets three baths a day out in the garden, just because there aren't many other activities you can do with a baby and the days feel very, very long, so letting him splash around for half an hour seems like a good deal.

I look forward to sharing more details soon.

A/N: The setting and inspiration of my story thoughtfully blend elements from Bronze Age Greece (circa 1600-1100 BCE) with those of the Middle Ages (approximately 500-1500 CE), infused with a touch of fantasy to evoke a sense of wonder.

Smart does not mean well writen, but the characters should be dumb in ways that are believable.

Ben from American Horror Story is an exemple of catching this idiot ball. For some reason, this successful psychologist and family man decides to :

-By a mansion for sales, and yet doesn't find it suspicious. Like...Logically, you would think that such a house sold for unusually cheap would make you think that it's either has toxic mold, is not structurally sound or is from a dangerous neighbourhood, or it's in fact a scam and nobody has the intention of selling it. You know, basic logical suspicions. The train of events that lead to this decision makes it even worst, since it's following his wife's miscarriage. You know, because this woman would not benefit at all from neighbourhood and friendship support groups.

-Doesn't get suspicious when his mistress he saw die start talking to him about carriying through with an abortion. Like...Dude, there are two possibilities : ghosts or you are having hallucinations. He also somewhat believes his mistress when she tells him (after he saw her getting burried) that she had an abortion. Like...Hum...Maybe I don't know, call the clinic she planned on going to, and if that fail, just take a few days off, sleep a bit and see if the presence continue ?

-After moving into this mansion, doesn't do any renovations or precautions to avoid people with personality disorders that could lead to violent tendencies have contact with his family. Or frankly, renovations just to check for structural issues, since he got such a nice home for unusually cheap.

-Fails to discipline his daughter and allow her to develop a nicotine addiction at 14.

As a family man, Ben who is also a successful psychologist, Ben doesn't seem able to apply basic common sense to his responsabilities as father and husband.

Now, other works have dumb characters, but they are still likable.

*a few hours later*

Me: I feel over exposed. This is embarrassing. What am I? 10? Ughhh!

*reminds self that it is just a rough draft and to push through it*