#Guess where Bethan is from

[gollancz]

Poll time!!

[solar-nightengale]

oooh hellooo how about 11 or 23 from 'dialogue prompts for injury' list? ;) any blorbo of your choice.

Ohoooo hellooooooo 😏😏 Ngl you had me really thinking on which to go for cause both were equally as fun choices but eheheh well!!! holding the result out to youuuuuuu

dialogue prompts for ~injury~

11. “I’m going to lift you up, okay? Tell me if it hurts.”

The sound of a thud outside had Pinocchio immediately dropping his tools to the workbench and rushing out. Gods, he should have known letting the kid play on her own out there would be a bad idea. Iskra might be with her but even she can’t stop every problem that could occur. He could trust her to come and get him or Lampwick if necessary and keep the kid out of any trouble, but he knew even her abilities were limited.

So running out and seeing the kid, surrounded by fallen branches and Iskra nuzzling her as she cried, he knew he had come across a moment where one of those limits had shown.

“Hey! What happened?!” he exclaimed as he walked over, Bethan immediately shrinking in on herself, though her sniffled didn’t cease as much as she would have probably liked.

Silently, Iskra nodded up towards the tree, Pinocchio quickly guessing that she might have fallen out while playing. Gods, maybe he should have watched her this time around. Or not let her out of the house.

He breathed in deeply to calm his own nerves down as he crouched next to Bethan, resting a tentative hand on her shoulder as she sniffled. It would do neither of them good if they were both worked up, and with how upset she seemed… yeah he was sure it’d only cause her more distress. He only hoped she wasn’t too hurt.

“Hey, butterfly,” he murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her back “Can you show me where it hurts?”

“Here,” she mumbled as she pointed to her ankle. He looked down at it, reaching out carefully only for the child to pull it away from his reach. He instantly withheld from touching it. It didn’t look too bad at least so he was sure it wasn’t at least broken?

“I’m going to lift you up, okay? Tell me if it hurts.” he stated as he carefully tucked his hands under her arms and lifted her to her feet.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!!” the kid exclaimed, grabbing for Pinocchio’s shoulders before he even had a chance to let her go, Bethan wobbling with only one leg on the floor. Okay, no trying to stand for now! So be it; he hoisted her up into his arms, letting her rest against his hips as she buried her face into his shoulder.

“It won’t go away!” he heard her whine, as Pinocchio stood up, dusting off the twigs and leaves that clung to her.

“I know, bug. We’re gonna fix this okay? You may just need to rest it.”

“It won’t work.” he heard her mutter, Pinocchio withholding a sigh as he walked back inside, Iskra taking her post outside the door.

“Well if that ends up being the case we’ll just find another way to make it better.” he suggested, hearing the kid hum softly. He set her down on the bench and walked to grab a couple of bandages, working carefully to wrap the ankle up in it. It took while bandaging it, and for the child to glance over towards the firepit, for the woodcarver to remember something, giving Bethan a couple of pats on the knee as he walked through the house. On a cast iron sheet lay rows of pastries, a recipe his father once taught him. It was his second time making them and so far, it looked like this time they were far more successful than the last. He reached for one, hissing as he hopped it from hand to hand before tearing it open, satisfied on seeing it entirely baked through. With that he moved back to the bench where Bethan was still sniffling, looking up curiously when he knelt down and passed one half of the jam-filled goodness to her.

“Here, for your bravery you can get the first taste.”

“Brave?” she asked, as she tentatively grabbed for the piece.

Pinocchio smiled. “Yes, my bug. Falling out of trees and getting hurt can be very scary I’m sure.”

“Maybe…”

He watched her expression give way to further despair, the woodcarver setting the other half of the bun in his lap as he wrapped his hand around the younger girl’s making sure she cupped the pastry well. “And there’s no greater healer than good food.” he explained, seeing the toddler’s eyes widen.

“Really?”

“Oh yes. It can make even the hardest of days a little happier.” he added with a grin. Bethan eyed the treat albeit warily at first, before taking a small bit. The child’s eyes widened even more as she gasped, a smile slowly breaking through the drying tears. “See?” he chuckled, as the child rubbed at her face, banishing the last of her upset away. She nodded firmly, grin so wide it made her eyes crinkle. In a matter of moments Pinocchio was fighting to keep his balance when the toddler threw her arms around his neck, laughter escaping him before he had a chance to stop it.

‘They will be fine,’ he assured himself, as he tightly embraced the kid in turn.

[roesolo]

Tales from the TBR: Picture Books about Animals

Tales from the TBR: Picture Books about Animals

It’s another installation of Tales from the TBR, and this time, I’ve got some fun books about animals for your collections! Enjoy. Holey Moley, by Bethan Clarke/Illustrated by Anders Frang, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684645497 Ages 4-8 This hilarious story is full of wordplay, rhymes, and laughs. Gus the Goat meets Mavis the Mole and proceeds to start guessing where Mavis lives,…

[3cheers4evil]

mbav (season 1) hungarian dub notes

‎i know that translational changes are necessary for things to make sense in another language, but i'll take minor tweaks as something worth sharing. this is just for fun !!

the title is translated to our vampire, the babysitter <3

three cheers for evil

erica: “these girls have been telling me to bite them for years" → "these girls have been telling me to suck it for years" like the vulgar expression to suck a dick. ok

ethan straight up refers to his underwear in cheer uniform as thongs. off to a strong start

blood drive

ethan (to sarah): “take two [cookies]” → “you can take mine too” its so cute. however he grumbles instead of saying “come on” when leading her out of the room

b: “to bore them to death?” → “to make them laugh at us [in a ridiculing way]?” honestly makes sense idk why a vampire nurse story would bore anyone to death

guys and dolls

when ethan’s parents go upstairs u can overhear rory talking to debbie dazzle and originally u can’t hear much of what he’s saying just giggling & something about making out. you hear this clear dialogue in hungarian: “so when i eat like a pig, i gag this much while brushing my teeth. so i prefer chewing gum instead. if you want to make out, i can chew one right now” right before they show him saying he knows where the best gum in town is

at the disco beach party for jane when debbie winks, originally there’s no more dialogue, but in hungarian ethan says “this is so cool!” :)))))))))))

double negative

in the og evil!hannah says “how about i say this? you’re a pathetic little weasel!” in the translation she says something non-hungarian??? like it’s not in my language idk wth it means i posted the audio when i tried figuring it out with scripts and numerous google searches but couldn't detect it

instead of evil benny they keep saying bitchy benny dshdfgsdhfwehsdjf

friday night frights

coach ed calls benny a truncate dwarf instead of sugar mcversey

smells like trouble

after ross catches bethan roleplaying as etharah instead of saying they should come along to the hockey game he says the two should go in a pair

b (about the concept of sarah rejecting ethan): “gives u one less thing to worry about” to “gives u one more fear” help

ethan says “i chickened out” (about asking sarah out) in a high-pitched voice like he’s making fun of himself ?????

originally benny says nothing after his grandma leaves and bids them good night but they add him saying “that’s tough” cuz he opens his mouth slightly so they felt the need to add something? lol

die pod

e: “i wonder if my allergies will kill me before the sun stroke does” b: “my money’s on the sun, you burn like a marshmallow” → “my money’s on the sun, you’re burning already” as in to be very embarrassing

b (after telling pod girl his bowling story): “you know, i think you’re really interesting” → “you know, i personally think this was a very exciting story” girl…

b (ethan tells him to shut up with his stupid gardening motto): “that’s all i got” → “i’ll shut the hell up”

doug the vamp hunter

(about erica making fun of evelyn’s blood substitute) sarah: “i guess she’s used to packing nerd lunches” → “i guess she’s used to packing lunches for babies/diaper wearers”

erica: “serious mullet fail” → “seriously sprained/damned taste”

r: “good thing you’re bad at magic” → “good thing you’re a lame witch [very feminine term]” 

the brewed

instead of teethan they called him tetün which is basically louse + ethan… and yea he says it sounds cute coming from sarah 😭

this just made me giggle but since they have to lower original sounds when dubbing something, they sometimes add their own effects. the only added sound i detected was them adding a loud door handle sound when a zombie opens a door with a knob. and the sound is late

revamped

jesse: "my favorite fledgling" → "my dearest little rookie" there's a translation for fledgling throughout the show so idk why he'd say this

[acidgems]

◜     *     :     charlie     rowe     .     cis     male     &     he/him     .     trojan     horse     by     sebastian     paul     .     ━━     the     legend     surrounding     london’s     l’academiae     furorum     would     not     be     complete     without     JASPER     WILDER     .     the     academy's     TWENTY     FOUR     year     old     TECH     SUPPORT     has     been     with     furore     for     two     years     ,     oft     described     as     RAMBUNCTIOUS     ,     JADED     ,     CHAOTIC     ,     CHEEKY     &     has     proved     utterly     indispensable     to     the     company.     in     passing     ,     they’ve     come     to     be     associated     with     THE     SCENT     OF     SIPHON     GASOLINE     DRIPPING     FROM     A     SPLIT     LIPPED     SMILE     &     driving     splinters     out     of     mud-splattered     palms,     fresh     bolognese     sauce     stains     on     fraying     denim     cuffs     ,     icing     bruising     skin     against     the     condensation     on     bus     windows,     chalk     graffiti     imitating     the     once     grandeur     of     banksy     ,     numb     teeth     from     super     sonic     headphone     use     .     whether     this     will     be     their     final     curtain     call     is     anyone's     guess     &     the     company’s     worst     nightmare     .

HELO SEXY CITIZENS! it is i pand (28) emerged from my self imposed exile a fresh n happy new gal 🤪🤪 i’ve not done groups or shite in like years so... teefy grins cowabunga boys let’s do this ! i lov an unnecessary elipsis and exclamation marks is like me family... thts all u rly need to know abt me i’m quite easy going :B

history

back from my salmon :) (if u keep reading thisll all mke sense hoo hoo hee) ok where were we ah yes his Histoire ok cracks knucky knucks. 

grew up in yorkshire then moved to south london *top boy theme song* when their no good papa deserted them bcs he’s also a big fuckup who has no sense of commitment or attachment to his family. so jasper, ignoring all facts that his dad will not return bcs he’s an idiot, “temporarily” helps his single overworked mum out by working as a techie whilst secretly moonlighting as a low level car thief in the grimey underworld of london. gone in sixty seconds ws his fave movie as a kid n will probs be the death of him bt my god... can he do a good nicholas cage impression.

jasper is one half of jasper and scout his eVIL TWIN! just kidding she’s nai’s blessed creation so i cnt rly go off bat here but their family puts the fun in dysFUNctional. luca is the oldest sibling who’s currently in jail for gbh but jasper will go to his grave defending him n the entire situation if u bring it up after a few pints... his big brother is his Mona Lisa of ppl like he’s just bow down n hero worship the badassery bt rly he’s just idolising a selfish scumbag who offers nothing to society n so remains locked away causing a ruckus behind bars. obv jasper does NT see this... a common theme with my Boy is... he sees what he wants... n wears horse blinders for the rest. then bethan is the next in line n she has a bunch of kids with a deadbeat who jasper always threatens to throw off a motorway bt he never does. loves a good word... bt does he back it up? nah, not his style Baby! He’s a violent poet! a romantic maniac! but not a realist dnt come at him with tht shite or he’ll get bored n go steal a car to entertain himself. THEN WE HAVE SCOUT -- a dandelion w legs and arms, all angry spirit and dungarees and they have a love/hate relationship ie jasper loves her bt she hates a lot of wt he does n thinks he’s just a stinky boy w no hope or manners n tbh? Tea.

so thts the siblings his mum is a single mum n they get along great she doesn’t see the shitty side of jasper n there is a mile of it so idk how bt they love making homemade spaghetti bolognese frm his gran’s tattered recipe together n singing in the kitchen and jasper probs does lil jazz numbers for her bcs frankly he adores her n thinks she’s a strong brilliant woman which she is... n he adores all his family actually jasper is a fiercely loyal bloke n will throw fists to reinforce tht... n also to feel like a powerful Alpha male bcs he’s a lil problematical that way :/. 

relationship n romance wise........ bites fist.........here we go. ok so he had a longterm girlfriend. (longterm to jasper is measured in weeks). bt he cheated on her many times n one noteable time ws a threesome including her best friend n her sister. it’s number one on his long list of sins that will lead him to hell. u might ask... my god... why would they do that... well... jasper defies logic my friends. he actually defines tht whole palav as an iconic memory bt scout once heard him gloating abt it n smacked him so hard on the back of the head he felt concussed

so yah jasper has been working as a tech support for a couple years but doesn’t rly take his job seriously he likes the close proximity to all the dancers bcs he’s a whore w an appetite fr debauchery n also perhaps likes his job bcs he has hidden tap dancing talents n hopes to dip his toe in the world of dance perhaps. or does he. tune in next time fr the big reveal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

personality

frankly owning the dance floor viciously squat dancing when requested throat goat kim petras blasts frm the club speakers probs wearing a pair of vintage glasses shaped like glittery stars which he raises up n down to wink at ppl he thinks r impressed.... bt why wouldn’t u be... THE BOY IS TALENTED AND HAS FANTASTIC LEGS !

loving his mum the absolute light of his life (as well as his cynic of a twin scout bt like... he’s considerably less vocal abt tht bcs she’s mostly horrified by him and his selfish playboy lifestyle 98.76% the time). this ofc doesn’t deter frm the fact tht he’s only but a few please and thankyou’s away from pure hooliganism... and should carry a warning sign like a tag around his neck. shaun of the dead mum: He’s a bit... bitey   

on one hand rite.........jasper is a cesspit of toxic masculinity bt tbh he also doesn’t rly care abt all that noise.... depends on his mood u see he’s ever fluctuating. loves a mimosa with silly straws n cocktail umbrellas bt also counts the notches on his bedpost w a sense of pride only known to a rowdy adolescent male. locker room talk? bang on. a real Out with The bOys kinda bloke... but maybe less insufferable who knows u decide

i have to go cook some salmon so thts it tbh... thanks fr reading

[sapphim]

Dialogue dump from the meeting with the wardens (Beth/Carver/Alistair/Stroud) in the Act 2 climax? Sure, why not!

Bethany/Carver: Somehow, I knew it would be you. Hawke: [Bethany!/Carver!] Bethany: Hello, [Sister/Brother]. How fitting we should meet here. Carver: Hello, [Sister/big brother]. Fancy meeting you here.

Hawke: (Are you all right?) Are you injured? Are there more of you? Bethany, rival: We're fine. Everyone's here. Bethany, friendly: This is everyone. Thank you. Carver, rival: I'm fine. We're fine. And no, this is all of us. Carver, friendly: I'm good, but we're not the help you need.

Hawke: (I live here.) Last time I checked, you'd moved on from Kirkwall. Bethany/Carver, rival: We're here on Grey Warden business. Bethany, friendly: I'm a Warden now. We go where we're needed. Carver, friendly: Things change. But... I can't stay.

Hawke: (You're welcome.) A "thank you" might be in order, don't you think? Bethany, rival: I knew you didn't go to so much trouble to save me, just to throw it away now. Bethany, friendly: I must say, it's less painful than the last time you saved my life. Carver, rival: Pardon my manners. You save me so often I sometimes forget. Carver, friendly: Sorry. A bit distracted by all the friends you've made since I left.

Alistair: On the list of things I thought might happen today, a Qunari attack would have been near the bottom. Bethany/Carver: Just near the bottom? Alistair: It's a big list. I like to be prepared. Alistair: Thank you for your help. I don't think we've met. My name is Alistair. (Isabela: Oh, I remember you! Alistair, slept with Isabela: Isabela. Yes, I... remember you, too. Isabela, slept with Alistair: Are you staying? We could catch up. Alistair, not slept with Isabela: Isabela? I guess your ship made it out of Ferelden, then. Isabela, not slept with Alistair: Yes, but not much further.) Alistair: I'd like nothing better than to stay and help, but... unfortunately, the mission we're on can't be delayed.

Stroud: You have our sincere thanks. This attack was... most unexpected. Bethany/Carver: Stroud, we need to move. We've already delayed too long. Stroud: Very true. Stroud: We have not met. I am Stroud of the Grey Wardens. Stroud: I cannot believe the Qunari would dare such an attack. This will lead to war with the Free Marches for certain. Stroud: I fear pressing matters take us elsewhere, but we can spread word to the other free cities. Perhaps they will bring aid.

Hawke: (Pressing matters?) There's something more important than an invasion? Bethany/Carver: We can't talk about it. Alistair: You wouldn't think so, right? I'm afraid there are larger things afoot. Alistair: I can't say more than that. I wish I could, but I swore on my pinky to keep the Warden's secrets. (Hawke: (You don't seem like a Warden.) I thought your order was more... serious. Anders: Really? I thought the Joining was a laugh a minute. Alistair: I get that a lot.) Stroud: There is, but I cannot say more. Stroud: The Qunari are of far greater concern to you, I am certain, but we must return to our mission.

Hawke: (Fight with us.) We could use your help defending the city. Hawke: (Spread the word.) Reinforcements would come in handy if we fail. Alistair: Even if I didn't need to go, Grey Wardens aren't supposed to involve themselves in wars like this. Alistair: We did that in Ferelden, after all. The order was not impressed, let me tell you. Stroud: Even if we wished to, Grey Wardens cannot involve themselves in political struggles. I am sorry.

Hawke: (You're leaving, [Bethany/Carver]?) But you just got here. Bethany/Carver, rival: I've been here for six days. Bethany, friendly: You gave me this life... I'm just doing the best I can to live it. Carver, friendly: Another time, perhaps.

Hawke: ([Bethany/Carver], Mother's gone.) Wait—I need to tell you about Mother. Bethany, rival: I know what happened. I waited and waited for you to tell me yourself. Did you hold a funeral, or was there not enough left? Bethany, friendly: I know. When we got the news, the Wardens helped me hold a wake. I'm... glad you were with her. In her final moments. Carver: I already know what happened. I'm sure you did your best. Alistair: Maybe... this isn't the time for that? Stroud: This is not the time.

Alistair, romanced dead warden: Here, maybe this might help? It belonged to the love of my life... and she doesn't need it anymore. Alistair, romanced warden: Maybe this might help? It belongs to the love of my life... but she seems to find stuff like this everywhere she goes. Alistair, dead warden: Here, maybe this might help? It belonged to an old friend of mine... who doesn't need it anymore. Alistair: Here, maybe this might help? It belongs to an old friend, but I'm willing to bet [s/he'd] like you to have it. Stroud: Take this. It is all we can spare, but perhaps it will be of use.

Bethany: Goodbye, [Sister/Brother]. Take care of yourself. Carver: Goodbye, [Sister/big brother]. Take care of yourself. Alistair: Maker watch over you, my friend. And over us all. Stroud: Maker watch over you, my friend.

[foxsarah]

Scrimblo bimblo for Doctor Who and glup shitto for MBAV. OKAY GO

scrimblo from doctor who is obviously mickey. underrated king who did so much for the doctor but often gets portrayed as "guy who is down bad" in fandom when he literally was rose's boyfriend

glup shitto....i guess ross? the parents arent really explored in mbav outside of samantha alluding to the fact that she also has visions herself that one time. but idk something about the bethan moment where ross walks in and just assumes that benny & ethan are performing hetero romance is so funny 2 me

[ponett]

As I said in my thoughts on The Color of Magic, I’d been told many times that the Discworld series started out rough as Pratchett found his voice over the course of the first few books. Going into the second book, which is a direct continuation of the first, I was braced for more of the same: an enjoyable but very uneven genre parody starring Rincewind the funny wizard and Twoflower the fantasy tourist. An amusing but unambitious bit of pulp fantasy writing, with lots of fun moments that don’t quite come together to form a cohesive whole

So I was very surprised to find that, while we still haven’t quite reached the proper Discworld style I’ve heard so much about, The Light Fantastic was a huge improvement over its predecessor, and a book I had a great time reading

The Light Fantastic is essentially The Color of Magic: Part Two, picking up exactly where the first book left off. Rincewind and Twoflower had fallen off the edge of the world, their fates uncertain. This book begins with reality itself literally being rewritten to place our heroes back on the disc, safe and sound

There’s a reason for this: as established in the first book, Rincewind's head contains the eighth and final spell from a legendary tome known as the Octavo, which is said to have existed since the dawn of the universe. The Octavo had been kept in the wizarding university Rincewind previously attended, you see, and he once read it on a dare, at which point the eighth spell decided to quite literally live in his head rent free

Spells in the Discworld universe are sort of alive and have their own free will, and this one has been both a blessing and a curse for Rincewind. On the one hand, the Spell has been secretly manipulating reality to keep him alive all this time, giving an in-universe explanation for how the shittiest wizard ever has managed to get out of so many near death experiences. On the other hand, this one huge spell has left no room in his brain for any others. He’s tried for years to memorize other, more useful spells, but these lesser spells are “too scared” to stay in the same mind as one from the Octavo. While a little of this was established in the first book, it didn’t really go anywhere, so it’s nice to see it expanded upon here (and to learn what the Spell actually does in the thrilling climax)

The Spell is at the center of something The Light Fantastic has over its predecessor: a plot! Whereas The Color of Magic felt like four short stories stapled together and called a novel, book two has an honest to goodness narrative. The world turtle that carries the Discworld is headed towards an ominous red star, and the wizarding community believes that reading all eight of the Octavo’s spells is the key to their salvation. The fact that one of the spells has lodged itself in Rincewind’s brain is the central source of conflict that ties the events of the book together into a cohesive package

As part of this newfound main plot, book two also features a central antagonist in the form of a rival wizard named Trymon (played by Tim Curry in the TV adaptation). Trymon is a cold, calculating wizard who values organization over the chaos of traditional magic, and who wants to use any means necessary to put himself in a position of power in the wizard community. The book regularly checks in on him and the other wizards back in Ankh-Morpork as Rincewind is off having more misadventures with Twoflower, and he also sends multiple groups of mercenaries out to retrieve Rincewind. While book two still features a lot of standalone setpiece moments along the way, having this threat looming in the background from page one gives everything a sense of urgency and importance that was sorely lacking the first time around

The biggest and most consistent change, however, is the prose. I don’t know what happened in the three years between the first two books, but Pratchett’s writing has gotten so much snappier and funnier. While I almost dozed off a few times reading The Color of Magic in spite of its fun ideas, it feels like nearly every paragraph of the second book has at least one fantastic line, and the dialogue is a treat

Perhaps the best example of this newfound creative confidence is a new main character introduced partway through the book. The Color of Magic featured Hrun, a buff and not extremely bright hero who was quite blatantly modeled after Conan the Barbarian. He was present for about half the story, existed to poke a bit of fun at the archetype, and then got unceremoniously dropped from the story before its final act. This time around, he’s been replaced by a character named Cohen the Barbarian. The name’s a dead giveaway, but yes, this guy’s still a Conan parody. However, instead of just being a straight expy of Conan to poke fun at, Cohen is something more interesting: he’s a version of that archetype who never stopped adventuring, even past his prime, and is now still fighting evil at the ripe old age of 87

Cohen is a lot of fun to read and a much more well-rounded character than Hrun ever was, and it’s not surprising for me to learn that he kept popping up in future books. Of course, for as much as I liked reading about him, Cohen also comes with some baggage that proves I’m still not quite out of the weeds. While Pratchett was definitely starting to move towards more empathetic writing, the Discworld universe is still a pretty cynical place in many respects, and the characters often exist more to be the subjects of mockery

Cohen caught me off guard when he suddenly announced to Rincewind that he had plans to marry Bethan, the fourth member of this makeshift adventuring party, who’s introduced as a sacrificial maiden who the protagonists rescue against her will. (She briefly complains about how a life spent among druids has now been flushed down the drain if they aren’t going to sacrifice her after all, and how she could’ve spent all those years doing anything else.) The problem here is that Cohen is 87, and Bethan is 17

Rincewind does immediately point out that this is extremely weird, of course, and the wiki tells me that the two apparently got divorced off-screen shortly after the events of this book. I know it’s not Pratchett advocating for 70-year age gaps or anything. It’s supposed to be absurd. It’s poking fun at how this Conan-style hero is still only interested in young maidens even in his 80s. And Pratchett thankfully steered clear of the Master Roshi style “pervy old man” trope, instead focusing on how Cohen likes that Bethan knows how to straighten his aging spine and things like that. But still. Before this, a heartwarming little moment where Cohen realized that Twoflower still saw him as this awesome, legendary hero had me thinking that the tone of the series was shifting more rapidly than I expected. But I guess we’re not there yet

Similarly, a bit about how Rincewind and most other wizards had a misogynistic bias against the types of magic women tended to perform and didn’t allow them to study as wizards made me think a little less of him. Again, while the characters are growing, there are still more instances where we’re supposed to laugh at the characters instead of with them. In many respects, they kind of intentionally suck as people

To put it in terms of modern sitcoms: tonally, we’re not at something like The Good Place yet. It’s closer to Always Sunny with wizards. But for now, that’s not such a bad thing for it to be

Some stumbling blocks aside, I found The Light Fantastic to be an extremely enjoyable read, and a clear improvement over its predecessor. While first book was a series of random events that just sort of stopped at an arbitrary point, this one offered a complete adventure that allowed the characters to grow a bit and left me satisfied. I’d list more funny moments that gave me a chuckle, but there are too many to list and this post is already long enough

I was also very intrigued to see Pratchett lay the groundwork for the next two books. As mentioned, the gender divide between witches and wizards was briefly established, and will be explored more in the next book, Equal Rites. (We also met a male relative of Granny Weatherwax at Unseen University, although poor Galder is quickly killed by the Luggage.) And Death has already moved past his shtick of trying to take Rincewind’s life. In a scene at his home, we got a tease of his personal life, and the fact that he has an adopted human daughter was revealed. Big things are on the horizon in this series, and after how good this second book was, I’m now even more pumped to get to these new stories

[blurhawaii]

yuletide 2020

dear yuletide writer,

hello and happy yuletide! i’m pretty sure my letters get longer and longer every year and yet i’m still terrible at putting what i like into words. just know that the prompts are just suggestions--if you’ve got something else in mind, go for it. and sorry this is so disjointed.

likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers, power imbalances.

vulnerability in men, uncertain intimacy.

UST, slow burn, first times.

magical realism/cosmic horror. weird hints of it in an otherwise normal universe.

redemption arcs.

found family.

big loyalty kink. love it when trust is earned and kept.

praise kink.

open and honest communication between partners.

polyamory. it’s the journey of them getting together and making it work that interests me the most. or how a couple goes about bringing in a third person.

stories set in canon. or a divergence of canon. fix-it fics.

dark/bleak fics. don’t be afraid to drag characters through the mud. happy endings are welcome but i like the struggle.

i’m fine with anything from gen to porn but would be happiest with something in the middle.

canon typical violence is fine and to be expected from some of my choices.

characters and their relationships are more important than plot for me.

dislikes:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. high school, coffee shop AUs.

established relationships

crossovers

genderbending

feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely fluff

A/B/O fics

PWP

mpreg 

first person fics (i have no problem with second person fics tho if you think that could work.)

The Departed (2006) *Billy Costigan                    *Sean Dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this as i'm just thirsty for anything.

most of my love is for dignam and his tough love attitude towards his job and the undercovers he's responsible for. i am endlessly endeared by his wild card quality, expletive fueled speech and hair trigger temperament. the father/son relationship with queenan that’s contrasted against billy’s father/son relationship with queenan. his complete disregard for everyone else in that office, especially sullivan. and how despite all of that, it's obvious that he cares. i don't think you could do a job like that and not care, and it’s those few and rare moments where we see him soften around billy --we need you, pal-- that's what i would like to see more of. that juxtaposition of good cop/bad cop coming from the same guy. shipping fic is preferred but whatever you are comfortable with is fine. due to the nature of the film i am perfectly comfortable with violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation vs the fact that they need each other to get through this is what i am all about.

things that really get me with these two: codependency, power imbalances, the enemies to lovers trope, vulnerability, the whole constructing intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men thing they have going on, as seen in the gif above.

fics where billy survives are my usual go-to. i'd love something that explores the angst of billy's ‘where the hell were you when i needed you’ reaction towards dignam following queenan’s death all the way up to the ending, and beyond that assuming billy lives.

i’ve spent far too much time thinking about the line --why don’t we just meet up, sweetheart, let me buy you an ice cream. the jokey seriousness of it just kills me. if you can somehow write that happening in a believable, in character fic you would earn my eternal respect. whether that’s a clandestine meeting during billy’s undercover period or some kind of post-film scenario where dignam makes good on his promises, i have no idea.

daemon au - very curious how this would impact going undercover. daemons expressing feelings that the characters otherwise can’t. the intimacy of touching/comforting each other’s daemons.

soulmate au - either having their names on each other or their first words. this is admittedly a longshot but interests me for the same reason the daemon au does, because i’d love to see how this would work in a universe where you’re undercover.

time loop/groundhog day fic where things go better. or worse, i guess.

Godless (TV 2017)

*Roy Goode              *Bill McNue               *Alice Fletcher

i’m a massive fan of westerns. the harsh way of life, the violence, the isolation, drawn out revenge plots, the murkiness of good vs evil or sheriff vs anti-hero, the importance of honour and heroism and how that differs for men and women, especially in this universe and its town full of widows. having said all that, i’m still very much a sucker for cool cowboys in a shallow female way.

my favourite thing to do is turn every love triangle into an ot3. so i’d love a fic post canon where roy comes back once he realises his found family is just as important as his real family. i imagine bill would try to do the gentlemanly thing of bowing out and letting roy and alice be together but i’d love for alice to have the agency of choice, getting to have her cake and eating it too by choosing both roy and bill. however you jigsaw them together my main thing here is that i don’t want bill to get left out.

i feel the roy/bill aspect in particular could be explored a lot more. i love the earned mutual respect and how easily they move around each other during the gunfight at the end. (bill’s deteriorating eyesight side plot fascinates me, how it goes with his loss of purpose and comes back when teaming up with roy to defend the town.) the usual ideas of western masculinity get all twisted around when roy and bill are in the presence of alice and they both seem kind of subby towards her, which yes please. the way alice kisses the scar she gave roy and the fact that he simply lets her is *chef kiss*

i’m actually very okay with letting them be soft with each other after all of their tragedy.

honest communication between partners could work wonders here.

Locke (2013)

*Ivan Locke                            *Donal

i honestly think this film is an underappreciated masterpiece. a hour and a half long car ride that's totally compelling, and it's all down to tom hardy and his welsh accent that's not even welsh. of all the relationships broken down, strengthened, or tentatively started, it's the one between ivan and donal that interests me the most. you're given just enough background to know there is a history between these two. whether donal is his right hand man on the project or is just an assistant that effectively gets promoted because he's the only one still there willing to take ivan's call. either way, there's trust there, on top of the shared knowledge of donal's capacity to get drunk on the job --this has clearly been a problem before-- but ivan still trusts him enough to get his baby of a building built when he can't be there personally, and that fascinates me.

the film ends very much in a lurch and i can't bring myself to see the ending in a positive light. a baby with a woman he doesn't particular like is not a recipe for a fresh start and i honestly can't see ivan not following up on the progress of his building.

i have this image of ivan sleeping on donal's couch because his wife won't take him back, bethan realises she just wants the baby and not him, he's lost his job and he has nowhere else to go and so he's just backseat driving this buildings construction through donal’s position. you've got this man who's lost everything and an alcoholic just wallowing together, maybe clinging to the idea that with this buildings success, they can fix themselves.

i also ship it and if you manage to take it in that direction i would be totally into that too. i guess i'm just looking for something post film with these two.

i don't know anything about concrete farming tho so feel free to fudge that as much as you need to.

The Boys (TV 2019)

*Billy Butcher                          *Homelander

what i like about this show is that it’s dark, it’s violent and the relationships between the characters are about as fucked up and convoluted as you can get. i am specifically interested in the relationship between billy and homelander and how the power is constantly shifting. i’d love something that just takes into account every horrible reason why they want to kill each but also all the reasons why they haven’t. ship fic is more than welcome.

details that interest me the most:

all the bizarre family dynamics - their shared bad relationships with their fathers. loved the scene where billy learns about homelander’s childhood and how that tiny humanising moment might affect his view of the man. especially in season 2 where we see them both interacting with ryan. love the inverse of homelander trying to be a good dad and billy wanting absolutely nothing to do with the kid. i wish we could have seen more of the dynamic immediately following the cliffhanger at the end of season 1. what happened between that moment and billy waking up somewhere else. maybe some kind of bizarre hostage situation family in this small suburban home.

i am fascinated by the idea of having the buffer of both becca and ryan between them. not being able to kill each other at the end of season 1 because of the deal becca made, and then again at the end of season 2 with homelander not wanting to be seen as a villain in front of ryan. maybe billy doesn’t ship ryan off at the end of season 2. maybe he thinks he can keep him safest by raising him himself and you get this weird co-dadding situation where the kid is the only thing keeping them from killing each other.

the public cleaning of the slate post-season 2 with billy not being a wanted man any more and homelander having to appear as a united front with the seven. would love something with billy pushing things in public because homelander can’t do anything about it.

homelander’s desperation to be loved. the potential of obsessive one sided relationships.

thank you writer and best of luck.

[torunarigha]

RULES: Answer the questions, and tag the people you want to know better!

I was tagged by @gwions-edwards​ and @lidah-itsme​ (thank you both <3)

1. NAME: Mia (well its not my irl name but call me that on here!)

2. NICKNAME(s): too many

3. ZODIAC: leo

4. HEIGHT: 5′ 5″ or 165 cm

5. LANGUAGES: english, german, and sadly thats about it for now (my norsk is too rusty for me to say i can speak it)

6. NATIONALITY: american canadian (more like colonizer lol ive been thinking a lot about that lately...the history its fucked)

7. FAVOURITE SEASON: i normally would say fall but i’m really enjoying spring right now!

8. FAVOURITE FLOWER: dandelions! but that could change at any second

9. FAVOURITE ANIMAL: cat

10. FAVOURITE SCENT: right now fresh outside air before it rains...

11. FAVOURITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER: milo from ‘the phantom tollbooth’

12. COFFEE TEA OR HOT CHOCOLATE: tea <3

13. AVERAGE SLEEP: 7-8 hours (same bethan!)

14. FAVOURITE COLOR: green

15. DOGS OR CATS: cats (i mean i did say they were my fave animal so...)

16. NUMBER OF BLANKETS: one thick one and two light ones that i kick off (one i got in donegal when i was there!)

17. DREAM TRIP: cerrado and atlantic forest in brazil !!! and iceland too. ohhh and a cross country usa road trip. the last one is probably the most realistic and hopefully something i can do soon!!!!!

18. BLOG ESTABLISHED: this one? late 2018

19. RANDOM FACT: i have been getting really into cooking recently. anybody have any good recipies?

20. GENDER: female

21. SEXUALITY: bisexual

22. HARRY POTTER MORAL COMPASS: Gryffindor !! (i guess moral compass means house?)

23. WHERE ARE YOU FROM: i hate when people ask this question ... idk! born in Canada, grew up in USA and Germany...all i can say is im not from Germany lmao

24. WHY DID YOU START THIS BLOG: after i deleted my old football blog, i missed the football fandom too much (??? i know right? y’all try living with no football fans in your life...you need this place) 

25. MOST RECENT ALBUM PLAYED: Alela & Alina by Alela Diane and Alina Hardin (pretty harmonies and haunting folk songs! i highly recommend!)

I tag anyone who is bored and has not done this yet

also serious about the good recipe question....

[twotravelback]

Day 9 - continued

Bethan:

Well, where do we start... Naromoru I guess. We set off from grandads at 7:30am, with Brenda coming to pick us up to take us to the main road to meet our taxi man, James, who was going to take us down to Nairobi to catch the train to Mombasa, where we then got another two hour taxi with Dickson to Diani. We didn’t stop until 9:30pm.

It took about three hours to get down to Nairobi in the morning, even with a quick pit stop on the way, so we were quite chuffed with that. Coming down through the country was nice to see because it was early morning when we travelled up, so we could see a lot more going back. The mountains and jungle are pretty epic. On the way down, we passed the Del Monte pineapple fields, which were just a huge expanse of trees and plants.

I get nervous on the roads around here, so I thought it best to try put my head down for an hour and just wait it out. By the time I’d woken up, we’d just about reached Nairobi and the brand new six-lane motorway. Even though the road is good, people still drive anywhich way they want - under/overtaking, slow in the fast lane, fast in the slow lane, people crossing the road, cows, sheep, donkey carts etc.

We got the the station early, so had a few hours to kill while we waited (see photo for info).

To say security was tight would be an understatement. There was...

- body scan

- sniffer dogs on luggage

- luggage xray

- passport/ticket security

- 2nd luggage xray

- 2nd body scan

So we felt pretty safe on the train...

We were traveling 1st class (only about £50 return each) so also had our own lounge to wait in, sort of like a departure lounge when you fly somewhere. Mam and I were sat on either side of an aisle, so we made friends with the people we were sat next to. I was next to a man from Mumbai who was a logistics surveyor for tea plantations, and Mam sat next to a man who was a food scientist who was researching why children in the Kwale district were not developing as well as children in other districts.

The train itself took about five hours, and passed through a few national parks where we managed to see some animals we’d not seen before - Masai giraffe and wildebeest, between the usual cows and sheep. We also saw another shed load of elephants, which the man from Mumbai was thrilled to see, because he didn’t think he’d get to see any as he was only travelling for work.

We didn’t even get their names, but when we arrived in Mombasa about 7:20pm, we said our good byes and started looking for our taxi man.

Dickson was a very nice young man, lots of stories to tell and was also a keen rugby player, which gave him bonus points in my book! However, he drove like a spaniel on speed and it took us nearly 30 minutes to sum up to courage to ask him to slow down. He was very sorry for scaring us, but in the end did a great job of getting us here safely, albeit a bit of high blood pressure.

We managed to check in about 9:30pm and headed straight to the room to dump our stuff, then to the all inclusive baaaaar! As you could probably guess, we slept like logs. Mam will tell you about today later on.

[sims3morgans]

Siblings Interview Tag

I was tagged by @dreamsongsims​ Thank you! It was fun to write dialogue for Olwyn and Bethan, I’ve not done that before because of the style of my blog. I got a little bit carried away, hope you enjoy!

Tagging: @simcatcher​

Interview under the cut...

The following is part of the transcript of an interview with the Morgan Sisters, following the publication of Olwyn Morgan’s second book. Under her pseudonym Octavia Morrigan, Olwyn has had incredible success but has until refused all calls for media interviews. She agreed to this one for International Sisters Day so long as her sister Bethan could join us.

1. Which one of you is the older sibling?

Bethan: That would be Olwyn.

Interviewer: Do you remember a time before Bethan came along Olwyn?

Olwyn: I do, but only just. My earliest memory is watching my parents renew their vows when I was a toddler. After that I hadn’t long aged up into a child when Bethan was born – so I haven’t got many memories without her.”

2. What do you like about your sibling?

Interviewer: Bethan, would you like to start?

Bethan: Sure. Okay so the first thing you need to know about Olwyn is she’s kind. And patient. I’ve seen that my whole life, she’s been the perfect big sister, balancing me out – I’m a little more abrupt I guess.  But as I’ve got older I’ve seen she’s got a wicked streak too. She kept her success as an author a secret but played with us by buying expensive presents… I knew my prom dress was hella expensive but I couldn’t prove it! Oh yeah, so she’s generous too.

Interviewer: And you Olwyn?

Olwyn: Bethan is patient in her own way too. When we were children she tried  hard to help me out of my shell, I was so shy you see. What I really admire in her though is the way she feels things so deeply. I can remove myself form my feelings a bit, but Bethan really feels whatever she’s feeling. Love, hate, loyalty… it’s wonderful.

3. What annoys you about your sibling?

//Bethan glances at Olwyn, she’s grinning.//

Bethan: Olwyn?

Olwyn: Bethan can be a bit… well sometimes she….

Bethan: I’m a bit much!

Olwyn, smiling: Exactly. When a family friend was living with us, back when we lived in Bridgeport.

Bethan: That ****.

Olwyn: Bethan! You see? Well sometimes she feels things so deeply she actually makes the situation worse. A***** (name redacted) was being unpleasant to me personally, but the three of us shared a room. The smart thing to do was to swallow our feelings so we could rub along in those small quarters – Bethan took against him and created an atmosphere.

//Bethan rolls her eyes and leans back in her chair.//

Bethan: A***** (name redacted) was a ****. Whatever. You know what annoys me about you Olwyn? You’re too easy going. You forgive people, and let them walk all over you. If I ever see A***** again, he won’t know what’s hit him.

4. Describe your sibling(s) with three adjectives.

Bethan: Olwyn is serene, kind, and unaccountably humble.

//Olwyn appears touched, her hand on her chest.//

Olwyn: Thank you. I would say that Bethan is earnest, adaptable and loyal.

5. What is your sibling’s/siblings’ biggest talent(s)?

Bethan: Oh that’s easy, she’s an amazing author! I loved her work even before I knew she was the one writing it.

Olwyn: Thank you Bethan, it was quite tough listening to you speculate about the plot for the sequel, you had it all so wrong! But anyway.  Bethan’s biggest talent is her ability to see the diamond in the rough. She does it at work, finding scrap to turn into art, but also in people. She’s see’s inside people instinctively, and often brings out the best in them just by being herself.

//Bethan’s mouth drops open.//

Bethan: I… Olwyn. I… that’s beautiful.

//Olwyn shrugs.//

Olwyn: It’s what you do.

6. What is your sibling(s) really bad at?

Olwyn: Bethan can’t always see very far ahead. She lives in the moment you know? She can be so fixated on doing what she’s doing the consequences escape her.

Bethan: Oh so you’re bringing up the swimming thing again…

Olwyn: I…

Bethan: Okay, I swam too far out into Bridgeport River. I was having fun!

Olwyn: Bethan it’s all water under the bridge.

//Bethan pauses, then grins.//

Bethan: That was terrible. Right, okay so Olwyn is really bad at gardening. Mum and Dad, their whole livelihood is gardening and Olwyn’s been trying to help them since she was a kid but they’ve never had the heart to tell her how bad she is at it!

Olwyn: They all look the same! How you can tell a shoot from a weed…

7. Do you have nicknames for each other?

Bethan: No not really. We don’t do that in our family I guess. Olwyn would you..?

Olwyn: Yes I agree. Both our names are quite short so we’ve not needed to shorten them further, and silly nicknames… no – it’s not for us.

8. What’s one thing you can do that your sibling(s) can’t?

Olwyn: Bethan’s not really at home in the kitchen. I can cook quite well, I do a nice ratatouille. Which is just as well we eat a lot of vegetables. We were quite poor for a long time you see, sometimes we only had the vegetables we’d grown ourselves to eat, for weeks at a time. You learn to make the most of what you have.

Bethan: I paint – I don’t know if Olwyn’s ever picked up a paintbrush! I did a few for her side of the bedroom because she was going to be satisfied with bare walls.

9. Did you get along when you were younger?

Bethan: We did. We’re fairly different Sims, but we got along very well.

Olwyn: We had to I think. Our bedroom in Bridgeport was so small… any arguments could have got nasty. Maybe being so different was our saving grace, less conflict?

10. What is your funniest childhood memory of your sibling?

Olwyn: Bethan was a treasure trove of funny moments, I think she put it on a bit to lighten tension. When we were both children, she had this signature pratfall off the climbing frame at school – cracked me up every time!

Bethan: Looking back, there’s loads of moments where Olwyn was being really funny but in her understated way you know? I think for me it’s when we were both teens and we had this really nasty teacher for music class. Neither of us are musical, so she was pretty mean to us. Olwyn would insist in smiling sweetly and saying “See you next Tuesday” to her after every lesson. Cracked us all up, because we weren’t sure whether the good girl Olwyn knew what she was saying! Mrs Bridey wasn’t sure either – her eyes would bug out!

Olwyn: Oh I definitely knew what I was saying.

11. Are you closer now or when you were younger?

Bethan: Physically obviously we were closer when we were younger. Not living together does limit things! I miss Olwyn’s cooking, and chatting over breakfast… but we’re still close.

Olwyn: I think we have that kind of relationship where you might not see each other for a couple of weeks, but when you do it’s like you’ve never been apart. We’re not brittle, we’re sisters and friends and no amount of time apart could change that. We’re young adults now, and making our own lives, and we’re confident enough in our relationship to give each other the space to do that.

Bethan: Ugh, Olwyn you always say things so nice!”

Olwyn: I am a wordsmith Bethan!

12. Did you compete with each other?

Bethan: Nope.

Olwyn: No, not really. We built each other up.

13. Which one of you is more likely to turn out like your mum or dad?

Olwyn: Well neither of us is particularly interested in vegetables…

Bethan: Olwyn! She means like, emotionally and stuff.”

Olwyn: Oh of course. Well we’ve both inherited a strong sense of family being important from them. Of sticking together, and helping each other out. Financially, emotionally, we’re a team.

Bethan: Right. Olwyn’s got it in one – family is more important than anything. Than money, than fame… it’s everything.

14. Which one is most likely to have a big family?

Both at the same time: “Bethan.” “Olwyn.”

//The sisters look at each other, both surprised by the others answer.//

Interviewer: Hmm, moving on…

15. What is one thing about your sibling(s) that has changed as you’ve gotten older?

Olwyn: Bethan where’s her hair down sometimes now. It’s been in a ponytail since she was old enough to reach behind her head to tie it up! But I guess she’s also more secure in herself. You seemed to want to prove yourself when we were younger Bethan, you still have drive and ambition but the edge to it has softened.

//Bethan nods.//

Bethan: I guess I can see that. I was desperate to help the family with our finances, then I was desperate to make a connection with a boy – any boy! I think the urgency wore off both those things, and I was much happier for it.

And you Olwyn, I think you’ve found your niche. In Bridgeport you never really fit in anywhere, but here in Appaloosa Plains you’ve found friends and  - oh I dunno. You just really seem to belong here.”

16. Who’s better at math?

Olwyn: Bethan.

Bethan: Yep, definitely me.

17. Who is more pessimistic and who is more optimistic?

Bethan: We’re both optimists, but it comes out differently I think. Olwyn finds the silver lining in any situation, so is happy to sit in it even if it’s actually not that great. I look at a situation and look for ways to make things better, or move things along at least.

18. Is there anything you don’t like doing together?

Olwyn: I don’t think we’ve ever gone drinking together, I’m not sure if it’s because Bethan and I don’t want to or just haven’t…

Bethan: Hey that’s right! And a lot of our friends overlap. Weird.

19. Which one of you do you think will get married first?

Olwyn: Bethan, things are looking pretty serious with her and Calvin..?

Bethan: I’m not sure we’re there yet!

Olwyn: Bethan, you have matching tattoos.

Bethan: Yes but… well he hasn’t asked. And I don’t plan to. Getting married is just so – I mean I love him but… It’s so public! You’ll probably get swept off your feet and marry someone within a season while Calvin and I are still figuring things out.

20. Lastly, how often do you argue?

Olwyn: Not often.

Bethan: Only about the big things, we don’t stress the small stuff. We get that from our dad, he’s pretty easy going.

Olwyn: Whereas mum...

Both laugh

[fourgoforth]

Day 12

Bethan

She’s back baby!

After what was essentially a 3h Kenyan version of Bali-belly yesterday morning, a long sleep and not doing a lot, I’m back up and running (figuratively) today.

Here’s a round up of what everyone did.

Mam got up early and decided to walk into Watamu town to find a cashpoint. The guys on the front desk at the hotel were more than willing to act as an ATM, but wanted 10%, so we politely asked how far the nearest bank was instead.

Took less than an hour and it was only a mile or so down the road, but even by 8am it was getting hot hot hot, so flagged down a nice tuktuk man called George who brought her back safely. He knew where the hotel was because he said he used to work here before covid hit and lots of people got laid off.

Mam and I went for breakfast early, and I saw a tiny little lizard on the way! Pics below and my size 9 flip-flops for scale.

After breakfast, it was the usual routine of back to the room, put our swimming cossies on, and slather ourselves in suncream.

They have a little boutique/souvenir shop on site, so went to grab a few bits this morning before heading over to another laborious day of lying by the pool doing absolutely nothing. Life is tough.

We’re back up at the room now, showered and sunburnt, and mum recons the most exciting thing we’ve done today is swap beds. I had the double for a few nights and it’s “mother’s turn now”.

Carys and Foy were up a bit later and missed breakfast (see day 11.5 for details) but thankfully, tea and coffee is served all day.

They decided to have a day on the loungers on the beach, full of gorgeous white sands and sky blue seas!

Warys bumped her head on one of the wooden umbrellas and fashioned herself an “ice hat”, which was basically ice cubes in tissue, held in place with her peak cap. That’s one way to keep cool I guess…

They’ve gone off for a date night (OooOoo) to a local Italian place not far down the road, with the help of tuktuk George again. Foy donned his new shirt and Carys put a face on. Awwh.

Mam and I are staying in and going to try and get the pizzas in the hotel. The place doesn’t look open but we’ve been told you can still order from there. Results to follow.

If anyone is also wondering about my date, it went fine thanks. Just went to a few local pubs/bars and was back by midnight-ish. Have decided to call it off though - Charles was sweet but kept mentioning how much he wanted to get married. Dim diolch.

Edit: we found the pizza!

[morganweir]

the guy in your corner

available on ao3 

trans!ethan vibes \\ bethan

He shouldn't want this as bad as he does - it's problematic and weird, and not something he should fixate on even half as much as he finds himself always wanting to. It's just. He's liked boys his entire life, even before he knew that he was a boy, and it feels so dumb that he doesn't wanna date someone 'like him' as if all trans boys have the same experience, it's just - he wants to date a cis boy. He wants the feeling of a cis boy looking at him and thinking I want you, Ethan Morgan. He wants a cis boy to look at him and see a guy worth dating, a guy worth... being attracted to, he guesses. He just wants to date a cis boy. It makes him feel gross sometimes, but he doesn't know how to bring it up to anyone. He probably shouldn't. So, he brings it up to Benny.

"Can I admit something?" he asks, out of the blue one day, when they're in the middle of a campaign. Benny immediately pauses the game, setting his controller down on Ethan's bedside table without hesitation, and he has that curious little look on his face that never fails to make Ethan smile no matter how many times it's gotten him in trouble. A hundred thousand microexpressions on Benny's face have gotten him in trouble after all - he can't not smile at all of them.

"What's up, dude?" Benny prompts, setting his elbows forward on his knees, where his legs are crossed. He's the picture of the interested best friend, excited for information and completely non-judgmental. He's such an egg, and it makes Ethan feel softer on the inside, easier to admit the things he feels ashamed of. He hates feeling ashamed, but he imagines most people do; that's not anything that makes him special. He's a fucking seer - it's not being unsure of himself that makes him different from most boys his age.

"I have this - oof - this problematic thing going on. You might not get it completely, but I kinda need to vent it? Okay, so, it's a trans thing, and I just - I really want to date a cis boy, and I feel like it's... completely out of reach, you know? I'm going through this thing where I want to date a cis boy and I really don't like myself for it, and that makes me think that no cis boy is gonna like me either, and I know that's some cylindrical thinking, but I also, you know, can't stop my brain from doing that. Does that make any sense? I just want a cis boy to think I'm... attractive, I guess," Ethan explains, and by the end, his eyes are glued to the floor. He doesn't look up until Benny's hand is on his shoulder, palm flat and taking up most of the space there.

"First of all, that's not problematic, that's called a preference and it's totally fucking valid," Benny begins with a grin, and Ethan feels something inside of himself relax, "And as a cis boy, I can confirm that at least one cis boy is attracted to you so, hey, you haven't won the teenage boy lottery, but I can confirm you have at least one young queer guy in your corner." Ethan can feel exactly when he stops breathing.

"You - you're what?" Ethan exclaims, choking on his own spit and having to quickly cover for himself. He feels like a mixture of the white guy blinking meme and the confused math lady all construed into some Frankensteinian meme. Benny doesn’t even look embarrassed, just sparing a grin for his best friend as he shrugs his shoulders.

“I’m attracted to you. Have been since we were fourteen,” Benny says like it’s not a big fucking deal, like that’s not two years now, like that was pertinent information to give his best fucking friend. Ethan punches Benny’s shoulder, a little too hard to be playful and a lot too soft to be serious.

“You could have told somebody! I’m out here having feelings and being embarrassed and you’re attracted to me? I didn’t even think you were attracted to boys! Let alone me!” Ethan says, punching him again. Benny looks over with his hopeful eyes and Ethan melts a little just looking at him, enamoured all over again.

“You didn’t tell me either, E,” Benny replies, knocking his knuckles against Ethan’s shoulder before slipping his hand all the way down Ethan’s arm to grab his hand. Ethan feels his own face go warm and watches as his best friend turns red, pretty and delightful. “And I’m not really attracted to boys. Or girls. Or, like, anybody but you, actually. Flirting with people is fun, but you’re really the only one I want to… redacted,” he explains, and Ethan can’t stifle his laughter.

“Redacted?” he teases, squeezing Benny’s hand a little to show he doesn’t mean anything by it. Benny sighs dramatically and slumps to lean against Ethan, putting his forehead on Ethan’s collarbone - yep, Ethan is definitely red all over again.

“I tell you that I’m either demisexual or gray-ace and all you do is make fun of me. I haven’t even asked you out yet and you’re the worst boyfriend of all time,” Benny whines, and Ethan sighs fondly. He cups Benny’s face and lifts the other boy’s head until he looks Ethan in the eye, and Benny looks so fucking soft.

“Boyfriend?” Ethan asks, a note of teasing still in his voice, but he mostly means it as a real question. Benny grins, leaning forward to press a kiss to Ethan’s still-red cheek, and then to his nose, and then the other cheek.

“Yeah, I want you to be my boyfriend. And, it’s a little over confident, but I want you to be my boyfriend for a long time, then my fiance, and then Mr. Ethan Weir. You on board with that?” Benny says, quiet and close and almost like it’s a secret. Ethan runs his thumbs along Benny’s jaw, and he can’t think of a single reason to say no.

“Make it Weir-Morgan and I think we’re in the clear,” he says, and then he kisses Benny for real.

[ikarosapollo]

tagged by @zuukko ah thank you bethan!!

Rules: answer these 85 statements & tag 20 people

the last:

1. drink: soda

2. phone call: my mom

3. text message: my partners mom

4. song: what’s it gonna be - shura

5. time you cried: the night from thursday to friday last week? i think

have you ever:

6. dated someone twice: yea

7. kissed someone and regretted it: nope

8. been cheated on: not that i know of 

9. lost someone special: yeah

10. been depressed: i mean,,im pretty sure i am but ive never been diagnosed so

11. gotten drunk and thrown up: nope

favorite colors:

12. blue

13. purple

14. black

15: thats like,,it tbh asdghf

16:

i guess??

in the last year have you:

17. laughed until you cried: oh yeah for sure

18. found out someone was talking about you: yeaa

19. met someone who changed you: yep

20. found out who your friends are: i mean, kinda? idk

21. kissed someone on your facebook list: yeah

22. made friends: yep!! this past year ive made some really good friends and i love them all

23. fallen out of love: nope

general:

25. what did you do for your last birthday: uhh i have shit memory, i think i watdhed horror movies with my friends and played until dawn? im pretty sure that was last year..

26. how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: all of them

27. do you have any pets: kinda, i mean its technically my partners cat but i love him

28. what time did you wake up: like,,6 am? i stayed in bed for a while tho

29. what were you doing at midnight last night: i think i might have fallen asleep already idk tho

30. name something you can’t wait for: going to london at the end of october for comic con!!! c:

31: what are you listening to right now: ring of keys from fun home

32: have you ever talked to a person named tom: no i dont think so

33: something that’s getting on your nerves: bethan wrote swedish and honestly?? mood??? actually speaking in general cause i always mess words up,, also like,,people,,,in general,,tbh

34. do you want to change your name: my birthname yeah cause i havent changed it yet

35. hair color: brown

36. long or short hair: short

37. piercings: i have an industrial and a few on my ear lobes, but that it,,for now

38. tattoos: i dont have any yet but i’m planning on getting at least one or two

39. blood type: i have no idea

40. nicknames: matt, matty, matti, tory called me atthole once and theresa called me matt thigh ass if those count asghjdf

41. relationship status: taken

42. zodiac: libra

43. pronouns: he/him

44. most visited website: tumblr, youtube is probably a close second

45. right or left handed: right

46. surgeries: a few, cause i was sick and also once i ha to reattach two of my toes when i was little lmao

47. sports: sports? idk her

48. favorite tv show: uh, criminal minds and elementary maybe? rn at least

49. vacations: i used to go to the mountains every spring but my grandparents sold their cabin so that’s not happening anymore, otherwise? ive been like,,no where

50. sneakers: i have like, one pair, and then a million pairs of converse

more general:

52. eating: i just had breakfast 

53. fave drink: orange juice i think

54. what you’re up to: looking over applications for the safeshironet and also im having anxiety about a meeting i have later

55. waiting for: top surgery,,going on t maybe,,also comic con!!

56. want: to be able to actually do something with my life at some point

57. get married: i’m not sure, maybe

58. career: ive always wanted to be an author but idk, id love to work with books tho so, librarian or working in a book store would be nice

which is better:

60. hugs or kisses: both

61. lips or eyes: eyes

62. shorter or taller: shorter

63. older or younger: neither tbh

64. nice arms or stomach: uhh arms? i guess

65. hook up or relationship: relationship

66. troublemaker or hesitant: like,,,what i like in a person or me? cause im hesitant af but idk man

have you ever:

67. kissed a stranger: no

68. drank hard liquor: yeaa

69. lost glasses/contacts: nope

70. turned someone down: yeah

71. sex on the first date: nope

72. broken someone’s heart: im pretty sure yea,,,

73. had your heart broken: ye when i was like 12 ajsdghf but also recently but not romantically

74. been arrested: nope

75. cried when someone died: yeah

76. fallen for a friend: yep yep

do you believe in:

77. yourself: moslty? nope

78. miracles: idk tbh, probably not

79. love at first sight: not really

80. santa claus: nope

81. kiss on the first date: i mean, yeah if thats what you wanna do?

82. angels: maybe? idk tbh

other:

83. current best friend’s name(s): elin, linnea, noah, theresa, lois also aleesha probably, idk those are the friends that are the most important to me rn, but i love all my friends :// they’re all the best :((

84. eye color: brown

85. favorite movie: the man from uncle

im tagging: @dianaofthemiscyra @transkeiths @ejharts @marshmallow-galaxy @macnkeith @connerkcnt @timotydrake @sharkiestshark @blackstarfires and @strawberrysombra 

this is really long and you guys dont have to do this if you dont want to <3

[switchorionchang]

Orion and Nick || Scene Week

Orion and @submissivelynick

Scene: Pet play

Date: 10/10/17

Nick was feeling a little more himself today after having done his first scene the evening before, but he was still pretty down on himself. He wanted to focus on the present, though, and be a good boy for Orion. Between their bingo scene and the awkward fair date with his sister that he'd tagged along for, they didn't have the closest relationship, but Nick was hopeful that this scene would go well for them both. He knelt down in front of Orion's door and knocked twice before settling back to wait.

Orion realized he hadn't done anything you could describe as a proper bdsm scene since the first. He was feeling rusty, to be sure, but still willing. He had a fondness for Nick, since before he had become "Bethan's brother" in his mind. And now that that was a melancholy thought, he had to attribute something else to him, and he hoped this would help. Opening the door, wearing his pants from earlier but just a zip up hoodie vest, he stepped back. "Hello, Nick, why don't you crawl on in inside?"

Nick smiled up at Orion, though the expression faltered a bit when he noticed that he'd changed from his outfit earlier. "You changed, Sir," he commented dumbly before shaking his head a little to clear it. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Sir." He blushed a little as he started to make his way into the Switch's suite, staying on his hands and knees until he was well inside, at which point he sat back on his heels and looked up at Orion, his face still a bit red.

Orion shook his head and looked down at himself and back at Nick, chuckling. "Yes? Sweet of you to notice. That jacket was kind of tight in the arms, which is fine if you're fairly idle, but not as much when you might want to be moving your arms around. Plus... might get deodorant stains or something." He closed the door behind Nick and then circled around him with interest. "Now... you like pet play, I believe? Remind me what kind of animal you like to be. And how far have you gone with it? As in- did you only communicate in barks, or were you allowed words?"

Nick nodded. "Of course, Sir, that makes sense," he said. "I like all of your outfits, but if we're gonna do a scene, you're probably right." He swallowed a little and watched as Orion moved about him, his heart rate starting to pick up a little. "I do like pet play, Sir, yeah. I've done puppy play and kitten play before, and I'm open to other animals, but being a pup is my favorite. I've done... a lot with it, Sir. Just communicating in barks, yeah, and pretty much everything. The only thing I haven't really done with it is bathroom-type play."

Orion smiled at Nick, stopping in front of him as he spoke. "Kitten play too, huh? That seems cute." He nodded, reaching down to tousled and play with Nick's hair. 'For some reason, we seem to have the two gendered. Girls for kittens, boys for puppies, etc. Though I admit, I can see you as a pup. Pretty much everything... can you elaborate on that any further? Or would you like to play and we can just... go from there?"

Nick gave an affirmative hum at the question. "The kitten play was just once, Sir, for the last scene week actually. But like I said, I'm open to whatever you'd like best. I don't know if gender really plays that much into it, but I guess I can see that, too. If you have any specific questions, I can get into what I've done, Sir, but chances are I've at least tried whatever you're thinking of, and I'm open to anything related to pet play, even the things I haven't tried yet. I'm definitely open to just starting and seeing where it takes us."

Orion shook his head, licking his lips. "I just mean that... most people seem to associate it that way. That some might not think of you being anything but a puppy when they first hear you like it." Tilting his head in thought when Nick said that the chances were he'd tried it, he rubbed his own jaw. "I've actually never done anything with pet play outside of class, so I guess you'll be the more experienced of the two of us. I suppose we should just start with puppy play, maybe transition to another animal if we feel like it another time."

Nick 's mouth opened in a little o, and he nodded. "That makes sense, Sir," he said with a little nod. "And I don't mind being more experienced. Everyone has to start somewhere, y'know?" He smiled, glad that Orion was willing to try this with him. "How would you like to start?"

Orion nodded and smiled at Nick when he said that someone had to start somewhere, he licked his lips in thought. "Okay, well, firstly, you will only be communicating like a puppy, only breaking when I tell you to or to use the stoplight system. Do you have any questions before I go and get some gear to help us both get into the mindset?"

Nick nodded at the instructions. "Understood, Sir," he said, and he could feel his body already starting to fill with excited energy for the upcoming scene. "The only question I have is about the communication, Sir... Do you want to do a one bark no, two barks yes sort of thing, or just barks only, with no meaning attached?"

Orion hesitated at the question, going over things in his head before shaking his head. "No... I'm sure you'll be able to express your sentiment in your face and the way you sound. If we're struggling with it later on, then we can adjust to that, but for now... just be a carefree little pup, yes?" He played with Nick's hair again before going into the other room to get a collar, a leash, and a soft stress ball he figured could be useful for 'fetch.' Once he had the items in hand, he came back into the living room and scooted his coffee table off toward a wall and approached the submissive with a collar. "Good boys hold still to get their collars on."

Nick gave Orion a big smile as he was petted, followed by a little, "Arf!" He waited patiently while Orion left the room and watched in curiosity when he returned and started moving furniture rather than bringing the gear directly over to him. The reason for moving the table clicked into place a moment later, though, and he barked again, just for fun. When Orion came over to him, he sat up a little bit straighter and held his head high to give him access to his neck for the collar.

Orion smiled at Nick's enthusiasm for the play, since an enthusiastic pet made for a very relaxed turn as the owner of said pet. "Who's a good boy." He said in a playful voice, leaning down and in to secure the collar around his neck and check the snugness of it. Satisfied, he released the collar and tousled Nick's hair again. "Sweet, sweet boy. Do you want to play some fetch?" He asked as he stepped back over to the couch to sit down and pick up the stress ball.

Nick barked again after Orion had fitted the collar around his neck. It had been a while since he'd worn one of these, and it felt good to have it back on again. He was a little surprised he was staying dressed for this, but he didn't mind that at all. He barked another time at the mention of playing fetch, 'standing up' on his knees and holding his hands in front of his chest while he waited eagerly for Orion to throw the ball for him.

Orion had sat down when he realized something that made him want to hit his own forehead. Clothes! Shaking his head at himself, he leaned back. "Hold on... something missing." He set the ball back down and held up his hand as he stood. "Stay. Good puppy." Quickly moving to the other room, he grabbed up some knee pads and wrist/palm bracers, bringing them back with him. "Let's get the puppy all nice and cozy.... Let's take off everything but the underwear, hmm?" He nodded, smiling brightly at Nick to cover his own embarrassment.

Nick frowned as he sat back down on his heels, not really sure what was going on. He relaxed when he saw Orion return with the extra gear, and he started to move his hands up to let them get put on, but he was moving too quickly. At the mention of taking his clothes off, he barked happily and started to sway his ass back and forth as if he were wagging an invisible tail. He brought his hands to his shirt and pushed at the hem with his palms, trying to indicate that he wasn't quite sure how to undress himself like this and wanted Orion's help.

Orion pursed his lips so he wouldn't smile too much as Nick tried to undress as a puppy, thinking about telling him he could do it normally, but he didn't want to yank him in and out of the mindset, so he got down on the floor with him and helped pull off the shirt and tossed it onto his couch. "Lay down, pup!" He made a gesture toward the floor, his hand flattening horizontally, then quickly undid his pants and slipped his fingers in the waist band to pull them down. He realized that his fingers must have grabbed his underwear too when he started to see more flesh than he expected, but decided he didn't care enough about their being on to bother stopping now as he was moving them down. Stripping Nick naked, he reached down to rub the sub's stomach, cooing, "Such a good boy. Give me your paw." He fitted the bracers on each wrist, with a loop for the thumb to go through so the palm had some padding as well, then got the knee pads on him as well while he lay on Orion's carpet. "So good... you can get back up now."

Nick let Orion undress him, helping out as much as he could without actually using his hands or anything. It was a little strange to him how much he liked this, having someone else actually take his clothes off, and he gave a little bark when he felt the cool air against his cock. He did just as he was told to have the padding secured on his wrists and knees, and he climbed back up onto his hands and knees when he was allowed to. "Arf! Arf!" he barked, nudging his head into Orion's thigh. He looked around to see if he could see where he'd placed the stress ball, and he noticed it on the coffee table. Without waiting for permission, he crawled over and picked the ball up in his mouth so that he could bring it back over and present it to Orion.

Orion straightened up once Nick was back up on all fours, smiling at the nudge against his thigh. He watched where Nick trotted off to and decided to sit back down on the couch, chuckling as he brought the ball over. "Oohh, I see the sweet pup does want to play fetch, hmm?" He took it from between Nick's teeth and tossed it up in the air and caught it again before holding it out and shaking it. "Ready? Ready? Fetch!" He lowered the ball and rolled it across the floor, knowing bouncing could make it erratically go anywhere at hit anything, so he'd rather keep it somewhat simple for him.

Nick followed the path of the ball with his head as Orion tossed it up in the air and then shook it in front of him. He gave a little bark at the repeated question and continued watching the ball was it was rolled across the floor. Before it stopped, he hurried off after it, capturing it between his wrists so that he could easily pick it up in his mouth and bring it back to Orion once more. He swayed his ass on his path back and didn't stop moving it once he was back in front of Orion, proudly holding the ball up to him in his mouth.

Orion grinned lazily as he watched Nick's very realistic interpretation of a dog catching the ball, stopping it with his front legs. His eyes lingered briefly on Nick's swaying ass before focusing on what was important at hand. "What an enthusiastic pup you are." He reached down to rub his fingers through Nick's hair against his scalp, then quickly snatched the ball up and rolled it off again, chuckling as he leaned back against the couch.

Nick pressed his head into Orion's head, enjoying the all-too-fleeting petting that he was getting. Watching the ball get sent away again, he followed it across the room before picking it up the same way as before and bringing him back to the other. This time, he dropped it down at his feet and nudged his knee with his head, trying to get some more pets.

Orion watching Nick come back but drop the ball, he leaned forward again, realizing what Nick might be looking for more than him tossing the ball again. One hand went through his hair and the other stroke down Nick's back, acting as though he was a dog in that he didn't rub down and then up, but down and then started back up at the top again. "Sweeet babe... can I have a kiss?" He made kissy noises before offering his jaw/cheek.

Nick panted softly when Orion started to pet him, giving him exactly what he wanted. He barked once at the question, then pushed himself up onto his knees and used his arms for leverage on Orion's lap so that he could get up to his face. He didn't want to just lick him like a dog would, so he went for a wet, sloppy kiss instead, right along his jawline.

Orion was surprised that Nick didn't lick him because it's what a dog would have done. Still, he smiled and drew his head back, lightly scratching Nick behind the ears. He ended up moving down and lightly wrestling with his pup, getting him on his back so he could give him more belly rubs and playfully growled back at him, as one might do with their own dog. "You can't win! Submittt!"

Nick leaned into Orion's touch again and let out a little oof as he landed on the floor with Orion above him. He couldn't help but laugh a little, though after a second, he did his best to stop the sound from coming out and instead gave a few "Arf!"s in a row. The belly rubs felt good, and eventually, he lifted his paws up next to his face in surrender.

Orion tsked at Nick for laughing, but couldn't help but smile at the sound. After playing with him and getting Nick to surrender to him, he got off of him, now wanting to Nick to get any rug burn from squirming on the floor too much. "Come on, pups.. why don't you get on the couch with me and lay your head on my lap? I'll put on something to watch and you can get all the pets you want." He brushed his knuckles lightly against Nick's cheek before getting himself on the couch, adjusting his pants to get comfortable.

Nick barked loudly in excitement for getting petted again. He pulled himself up onto the couch, struggling a little to keep his movements more pup-like than human-like, but he managed. He rolled onto his side so that he could see the TV, and he rested his head in Orion's lap. He was half-hard right now, but he didn't particularly care; instead, he was just happy to be lying there with someone he trusted who was making sure he didn't have to worry about anything at the moment.

Orion cooed another "Good boy" as Nick got comfortable. "I do love puppy cuddles." Petting Nick's hair and down his side and arm, he flicked through Netflix until he found something light and fun to watch, for both of them to enjoy together while also getting to soak up the pet play. Yes, Orion decided, he would have to do this again.

Nick smiled to himself at the praise. "Arf! Arf!" he barked, trying to say me too. Having Orion's hand on him to pet him was nice, and he enjoyed being able to relax while still in pup mode. Hopefully, he thought as he settled down to watch what Orion had picked for them, he'd get submit for the Switch again sometime.