#Guess where Bethan is from

[gollancz]

Poll time!!

[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

[lycanthropebard]

Oh, OP, this was one of my favourite things to daydream about lol. I shall be the opposite of brief and I thank you for the opportunity to gush. 💖

Wardens:

Aelzalia Tabris - eventually, into her relationship with Zevran, she adopts several blight orphans in Ferelden but I don't imagine they have any biological children. But as Zevran will tell you, they love trying. I've played around with the idea of how cute their babies would be but I feel like this is more loyal to their story. (Also, Sigrun is there. Sort of a polycule I guess?) I imagine any kids they adopt would grow up to be very active citizens, charitable people, etc.

Tahlihal Surana - As far as I had decided for him, he's Kierran's dad! They're a pretty nice, blood-magic friendly family, though Tahl's views are (at least when I conceptualized him) "elf extremism" so I don't know how that would fare with Veilguard's canon, but eh, let's pretend we're going by Origins-only canon and leaving that open-ended.

Gwendolen Amell - Yes, yes, yes! She's my beloved baby girl and she gets a fantastic happy ending after a lot of painful, terrible bullshit. I fleshed out her canon before DAI even came out, so the way her story goes is that she has three children - two sons named Niall (named after the mage who helped her in the fade) and Konall, and a daughter Amellen (named after her maiden name/family she lost). Her LI in my canon was supposed to be Cullen (this is DA2 canon, before a lot of the retcons and... other developments surrounding that character) and it was supposed to be a really satisfying culmination to years of mutual pining and misunderstanding and individual growth. But I could totally see that happening with a different character; either way - that's her happy ending, three kids, loving partner, and a cuddly dog. Definitely a dog. She had a big family when she was a child but she actually lost every single one of them over time, and I love the idea of her being able to heal that by creating her own loving family in a safer environment, where they won't be persecuted for being mages.

Avalon Cousland - She romances Leliana but honestly, Ava's very pragmatic and would absolutely have a child for influential reasons but not for romantic ones. At the time I made her, I was picturing her going after Bann Teagan (if unromanced) to secure more influence for herself since she's honestly not interested in the Wardens. Though this could easily happen with any noble with good enough connections, and I love the idea of the tension she would have with Nathaniel Howe, but no proper relationship/family from that, unfortunately. I'm not even sure if the relationship with Leliana would last by the time of the Conclave, I'd have to replay the game to decide how power-hungry Avalon would really be.

Zhivka Brosca - Nope, too traumatized by her mother's abuse, too much trouble letting someone in. Unfortunately, things end on a bitter note with Alistair that just sours things even more. She tries to be there for her sister and nephew though, as much as she can between Warden business and all that. Motherhood, as a concept, is very dark territory for her.

Hawkes:

Guinevere Hawke - I have several versions of canon with her since she's my favourite Hawke lol, but she definitely wants to have kids. My main canon with her is with Anders, and that results in a lot of tears for everyone. (I shan't go into details because you seem to want the cute stuff.) I also have an AU where they do have kids, despite the odds, and it's wonderful. They're both extremely happy. They definitely have at least one daughter, maybe one more son and daughter after that. I imagine they would be named after Guin's family - names like Leander (for Leandra), Mallory (for Malcolm), and Bethan (for Bethany), all derivitives instead of letter for letter namesakes.

However, in one of my other version of canon she gets with Sebastian and they do have kids, though she's still not as happy as she would have been just... elsewhere. Normal. Away from nobles and expectations and appearances. Probably would have adored a life with the man all the more if it was in the countryside, not Starkhaven. (So, if it was exactly what she always wanted with Anders instead of a life on the run as a criminal.) Definitely seeing that version of events with a minimum of three kids, though I haven't thought of names. It's likelier they would have Vael-related names though, or a mixture of both.

Ruze Hawke - she's very neutral on it, though she's a sensual, embodied person, so she would find the experience fascinating and deeply meaningful in her own way. I never really thought of her having kids before but in the version of events with Fenris I feel like it wouldn't happen, biologically. I'm not sure why, I just don't see it. But in the version where she's with Merrill, I imagine Merrill would be absolutely down for it. (Biological or adopted, whichever.)

Inquisitors:

Lorelei Lavellan - YES, huge big yes. She and the Iron Bull have a son called Quartz. (Lorelei's twin brother is a geologist, and Quartz is one of his favourite minerals.) The boy is like a smaller, leaner version of Bull, and he's incredibly tall compared to Lorelei. Very Vassoth-esque, horns and all. Probably a huge science nerd.

Gawain Trevelyan - No, Gawain and Dorian prefer to be uncles to Gawain's many nieces and nephews instead. The process of having a biological child would be a bit too complicated, and Dorian has his own anxieties around parenthood and his own experiences with his family and the expectations of heritage, etc.

Tell me about your Dragon Age OC babies. Like does ur Warden/Hawke/Quizzy have kids with their partner? I need to know!!!

[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,…

[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

[rachel-writes101]

Konnect: Gloves

It was a cold day but Taylor Springer didn’t care. She had never minded the cold. She was used to it given how temperamental the heating in her flat was. And the day had been too good to let a cold snap worry her.

She was walking through a charming residential neighbourhood with her oldest friend, Bethan Pettit. The two were heavily laden with shopping bags, most full of Christmas presents but one was crammed with snacks for their festive film marathon at Bethan’s house that night. They had been planning the event for several weeks and the day had been perfect, just cold enough to put them in a festive mood, enough icy patches that they could chuckle when the other slid slightly. But neither were too bad for it to be unpleasant. They would have a cosy night taking over the Pettit lounge before retreating up to Bethan’s room for a sleepover.

It was only because they had almost reached Bethan’s house that Taylor was wearing her gloves and scarf. She didn’t feel like she needed them but she knew Bethan’s father was always greatly concerned for the health of her and all of Bethan’s friends. And Taylor was the one he worried about the most as he always thought she looked concerningly pale.

Bethan had just finished gossiping about the sixth former who worked behind the counter of the video game store they had visited on the edge of town when there was a wailing of sirens in the distance.

Taylor frowned and tried to give Bethan all the signals she was still listening as her powers searched the police systems for some information on what was going on.

Her heart stopped for a moment.

“You okay?” Bethan asked, immediately recognising the panic on her friend’s face.

A car had failed to stop for police. The car was stolen. The suspect was believed to be carrying a knife.

“Didn’t forget something, did you?”

Taylor had hoped she might have a night off crime-fighting. She had looked at the crime statistics. She knew crime increased around Christmas and had been willing to accept that she would have to work as Konnect more over the holiday season. Still, she had hoped she might be able to spend some time with her mother and friends before the crime rate picked up too dramatically.

“No. I’m… I’m fine,” Taylor said.

She would leave the police to handle it. It seemed they had it in hand after all and she couldn’t step in every time someone broke the law.

She offered Bethan a winning smile in the hope it would placate her friend. Bethan grinned back before stopping abruptly. Taylor’s own smile instantly died away as she watched her friend. Bethan wrestled with her coat and bags for a moment and grumbled beneath her breath. Sensing what her friend was trying to do, Taylor held out her hand.

“Pass them here,” Taylor said, gesturing to the number of bags Bethan held.

Bethan looked hesitant for a moment and Taylor guessed Bethan had managed to covertly buy Taylor’s present when they had been out. Still, she had no intention of looking. She had already accidentally found out what her mother had brought her by reading the email using her powers.

Eventually, Bethan decided to accept the help. She dropped her bags into Taylor’s hand, a little disappointed her friend had no trouble with the weight of them. Then she began to fumble with her zip.

“I should have worn gloves,” Bethan said.

“You want to take mine?” Taylor asked.

Bethan knew about Taylor rarely feeling the cold but also had come to suspect her friend didn’t enjoy the feeling of wearing gloves. She shook her head good-naturedly and turned her attention back to getting her coat on. As Bethan’s cold fingers struggled with the small pieces of metal, Taylor found herself unable to resist the urge to check on the car chase. She could hear the sirens had gotten closer but was still shocked when she realised that the car was just one street away. Her stomach dropped as she heard the screech of overworked breaks. Then a car careened around the corner.

Taylor watched as determination melted into panic as the driver of the speeding car wrestled with the steering wheel. The tyres skidded wildly on the icy road. A terrible realisation fell upon Taylor like a pile of bricks: the car was going to crash. She scanned the road as quickly as possible, looking for anyone who might be in danger. It was just her and Bethan alone on the residential street. Relieved she turned back to see where the car was going to end up.

It was heading straight towards her and Bethan.

Instinct took over. Taylor tackled her friend to the floor. They skidded and slid and rolled over each over until slamming against a wooden fence. Taylor heard Bethan shout a protest before it was drowned out by the sound of the car slamming into the wall they had just been standing next to. Taylor prepared to leap off her friend, wanting to be free to make a move the moment it was needed. She had landed on top of Bethan, her friend dazed and confused by the sudden events. Taylor twisted about to check on the driver of the car only for the sound of metal crumpling and glass shattering to fill the air once more. Taylor snapped around to stare, realising the pursuing police car had hit the same patch of ice and spun into a lamppost. The lamppost was dented, the car’s front bonnet crumpled, the police officer lying dazed with his head against a deflated airbag.

Taylor immediately drew all power from the lamppost, wanting to ensure the situation didn’t get any worse. Bethan was beginning to recover, her attention drawn to the police car with its siren fizzling out.

Taylor looked back at the first car, wondering if the driver from that vehicle was also dazed. She was amazed to see him wrestle open his door and take an awkward step towards them. There was a gash on the side of his face but he didn’t seem to notice it. He didn’t seem to notice anything but the police officer dazed in his car. Taylor watched as he jammed a hand into his back pocket and swallowed hard. She wasn’t surprised when she saw the hand return with a gun. Still, she knew she would have to make her move fast.

She spared a glance towards Bethan and saw her friend was still staring in horror at the police car. She probably hadn’t truly registered the first car’s collision with the wall. Taylor decided to use it.

She raised her hand, firing an arc of electricity from her fingertips. It slammed into the man’s chest, knocking him down. The gun went flying from his hand, skidding across the icy road until it stopped out of reach.

“He’s got a gun!” Taylor shouted, peeling herself away from Bethan.

She heard a panic cry being drawn from her friend as she raced towards the man. Knowing the gun was out of his reach, Taylor knew she could pin him safely. She quickly rolled him onto his back, forcing his arms behind him and holding them there as she shouted for Bethan to call the police.

 Once the police and ambulance crews arrived, Taylor and Bethan were mostly abandoned to the side of the road. Taylor was used to dealing with police from her adventures as Konnect so she managed to race through the questions they had for her. They offered to call her mother but Taylor suggested she make the call herself from Bethan’s house as her mother would be working and she didn’t want to worry her. Taylor took a seat on the curb, watching as the officers did what they could to clear up the scene. A crowd had gathered to watch, a few journalists trying to catch her attention so they could ask her questions. Taylor stared decisively down at her feet and then at her hands, doing all she could to ensure she didn’t catch anyone’s eyes. Then she noticed snatches of her pale skin through her gloves. She turned her right hand over and stared at the five holes, each hole matching up with a fingertip. They had been burnt through by the blast of electricity – she could see the singeing around the edges. Grimacing, Taylor peeled off the gloves and stuffed them into the shopping bag that rested beside her. She had no way of explaining that sort of damage.

“I think they’re willing to let us go now,” a voice from above her said.

Taylor jumped and looked up to see Bethan standing over her. She had her shopping bags in her hand and a smile on her face. Taylor knew her friend well enough to know she was still shaken but that it was something time and a little distraction could fix. She grinned at Bethan and stood.

“Where are your gloves?” Bethan asked, frowning.

Taylor glanced down at her hands and hopelessly fished for an excuse. Bethan gave her a knowing smile that told Taylor she was being petty for removing her gloves in such bad weather.

“Must have lost them in the chaos, right?” Bethan said.

She linked arms with her friend and they turned towards the barrier of police tape to finish their walk home.

[agapaic]

tag games

i was tagged in a couple of things by @nightfayre​ and @plumb19​ so i’m combining both answers here! thank you, both! lots of love and well-wishing. ✨🙏🌺

1. What do you prefer to be called name-wise?

beth or bethan

2. When is your birthday?

23rd october 1995

3. Where do you live?

south-east wales, united kingdom

4. Three things you are doing right now?

watching a vegan ‘what i eat in a week’ on youtube, starting on a new commission @plumb19​, and various other writing things (plotting for the anthology, scribbling about an original story, reading normal people by sally rooney, thinking about this month’s patreon update)

5. Four fandoms that have piqued your interest right now?

19 days - that’s pretty much it. i might check out some ‘outlander’ and/or ‘normal people’ fanfic since i’ve been watching/reading both, but i haven’t pursued anything else. 

6. How has this pandemic been treating you?

surprisingly very well. my biggest resentment is that my family can’t all spend time together, my local bulk store isn’t open, and i’m having very little job success. BUT - i’m well, spending lots of time outside, and have so much time to write and be with my mum and sister. 

7. A song you can’t stop listening to right now?

i’m in love without you by finneas, lonely star by oh wonder, and wake up by chelsea cutler.

8. Recommend a movie

knives out!

9. How old are you?

24

10. School, university, occupation or other?

other, currently... :(

11. Do you prefer heat or cold?

both! (i love the heat after a long winter, and the cold after a long summer. i handle cold physically better than the heat, particularly for sleeping.)

12. Name one fact about you that others might find unusual

i have inherited my dad’s overly large feet, and cannot buy ‘regular’ shoes for women.

13. Are you shy?

not really - but i am an introvert in social situations, and will typically be very quiet (out of choice/impulse, not because i fear being social). 

14. Do you have preferred pronouns?

she/her

15. Biggest pet peeves?

only talking about yourself/not acknowledging things people have said, not cleaning up after yourself, people who don’t wash their hands.

16. What is your favourite “-dere”?

(like faye, i also only really know tsundere!)

17. Rate your life 1-10. 1 being crappy, 10 being amazing.

8 or 9.

18. What is your main blog?

this is basically it!

19. List your side blogs and what they are used for.

@three-ay-em​ some more personal posts, aesthetic pics. i guess it’s basically  my old powerandpathos blog that got pulled down by tumblr dot com.

20. One thing you think people should know about you before they become your friend?

i need regular acknowledgment that we are, indeed, friends, and i haven’t just fabricated a one-sided relationship in my head :)

21. Are you staying home from work/school?

i’m out of work at the moment, so... yes?

22. If you are staying home who is there with you?

my mum, sister, and dog.

23. What movie have you watched recently?

knives out is the most recent, i think?

24. What shows are you watching?

i just watched the season finale of outlander (season 5) on monday night, and also binge-watched normal people, which i’m now reading. i don’t really watch a lot of tv, so these are two exceptions.

25. Music are you listening to?

the usual indie/alternative/edm kind of stuff. chelsea cutler is pretty much always involved there.

26. Are you a homebody?

i think so?

27. An event you were looking forward to that got cancelled?

i had a 10k race planned for last sunday - it’s been postponed to an indefinite date sometime by may 2021. i ran a half-marathon distance for the first time on sunday to honour it!

28. What are you doing for self care?

running and cycling regularly, having a regular bedtime/wake-up time, baking lots and cooking from scratch (mostly sourdough and banana bread muffins; i also made some homemade granola and chia + rhubarb jam this week), drinking iced coffee, taking my multivitamins and watching my protein intake, gardening, reading before bed, taking my dog out for walks, etc. and writing, ofc. 

[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....

[rpgadverts]

megan fox/open ~ boss having affair with personal assistant ~ 30’s-40’s

The first person in the request is Velvet’s boss, we’re gonna call her Mila. So this woman is a professional millionaire matchmaker. She works with people from around the world but is obviously based in LA. Velvet is her personal assistant and has been so for about a year now. I imagine the beginning of their relationship was kind of devil wears prada-ish. Mila really put Velvet through the ringer and was kind of a terrible person. I guess you can call it a test to see if Velvet was really worth keeping around. Now, their relationship is much more friendly…maybe a little too friendly.

Mila is a very married woman who is now having an affair with her personal assistant. For Velvet, it would be hard to describe how it all happened or why. What she does know is that it feels good. Perhaps for Mila, their taboo relationship is a bit of excitement. A break from her marriage to her husband. For Velvet it’s a chance to feel like somebody wants to be with her. For Velvet it’s emotional, physical sure but completely emotional.

isabella peschardt ~ bandmate ~ future love interest 

I would like this girl to be the one that catches Velvet when she falls. We’ll call her Isabella for the moment. They would already be very close friends. Ideally they would be band mates.

So Isabella probably would have been one, if not the only, people that knew about the affair that Velvet was having with her boss. I’m kind of grappling with two different ideas here. 1) Maybe they have a history of hooking up a kind of friends with benefits situation. Where Isabella ends up with feelings for Velvet but is unable to tell her because Velvet ends up in a relationship with her boss or for any number of reasons tbh. With Velvet heartbroken she’s driven right into Isabella’s arms. 2) I was thinking that maybe they have an on again/off again relationship. After everything goes down with the boss, it really opens Velvet’s eyes up to what’s important in her life. She comes to term with the fact that Isabella is who she needs. She’s the person that has always been there for Velvet and that really comes into perspective for her. Again this leads Velvet right into Isabella’s arms.

tyler posey/open ~ older brother ~ rebuilding relationship

So a little bit of background on their family. The Riveras are originally from Cuba. Their father and younger brothers still live there. Though I am thinking that I may be making an ad for them later to come to the states to join their older siblings. But anyway their mother passed when they were all very young and their father is a pretty famous musician (but only famous in Cuba) so he wasn’t able to be around for them as much as he probably should have been. Growing up their were pretty much raised by nannies until they were old enough to take care of themselves. He would have moved to California probably to attend college and she moved with him while she was still in high school.

They would have probably shared an apartment until she was maybe nineteen or twenty. Tbh I think that since she moved out they haven't really been that close. They tend to think of themselves as too busy to send a quick text or even call each other once a week. I imagine that he’s either a business owner of some kind or at least had a fairly high stress job. While Velvet has kind of a stressful job but is also working on trying to generate a music career. But basically for this ad I would really like for Velvet’s soon to be kind of heart break to be a reason for her to really reach out to her brother and confide in him and seek his comfort. Because it’s not that they don’t love each other, of course they do, it’s more like time has gotten away from them. I really want her heart break to really be a big factor in them essentially rebuilding their relationship and their bond. Maybe there is something going on in his own life that he would also need the support of his sister for? That’s really up to you.

dacre montgomery/open ~ mafia kingpin ~ former partner

this is an ad for bethan's ex betrothed, almost baby daddy, james huxley. i've named him temporarily for plotting purposes, but you're mooore than welcome to re-name him, just as well as you are to select a fc!

alright so, principally, the only things non-negotiable about james are his roots and his history with bethan. the huxley family is mafia royalty in britain— and james here, is heir to his father's syndicate enterprise. bethan met james whilst studying abroad and like him, hails from a mob family— the two immediately hit it off, and thus, a powerhouse union began.

business wise, they were an incredibly smart match. the joining of family forces, establishing a stronghold in the british market, strengthening of mafia ties.. you name it. bethan's father, and james's father, were elated by the prospect. only a year after their initial meeting, these two little lovedumplings were engaged.

sickly sweet, right? wrong. bethan fell pregnant, unexpectedly, shortly thereafter. a few months into her pregnancy (and just as soon as they'd started to cope with the news) a miscarriage took place. bethan was in all sorts of chaos emotionally, and i'm sure like her, james grieved exponentially. long story short, their relationship was sent on a downwards spiral, resulting in the dissolution of their engagement. bethan returned to the united states and for the better part of two years, they've not seen one another.

[dailyjcink]

megan fox/open ~ boss having affair with personal assistant ~ 30’s-40’s

The first person in the request is Velvet’s boss, we’re gonna call her Mila. So this woman is a professional millionaire matchmaker. She works with people from around the world but is obviously based in LA. Velvet is her personal assistant and has been so for about a year now. I imagine the beginning of their relationship was kind of devil wears prada-ish. Mila really put Velvet through the ringer and was kind of a terrible person. I guess you can call it a test to see if Velvet was really worth keeping around. Now, their relationship is much more friendly…maybe a little too friendly.

Mila is a very married woman who is now having an affair with her personal assistant. For Velvet, it would be hard to describe how it all happened or why. What she does know is that it feels good. Perhaps for Mila, their taboo relationship is a bit of excitement. A break from her marriage to her husband. For Velvet it’s a chance to feel like somebody wants to be with her. For Velvet it’s emotional, physical sure but completely emotional.

isabella peschardt ~ bandmate ~ future love interest 

I would like this girl to be the one that catches Velvet when she falls. We’ll call her Isabella for the moment. They would already be very close friends. Ideally they would be band mates.

So Isabella probably would have been one, if not the only, people that knew about the affair that Velvet was having with her boss. I’m kind of grappling with two different ideas here. 1) Maybe they have a history of hooking up a kind of friends with benefits situation. Where Isabella ends up with feelings for Velvet but is unable to tell her because Velvet ends up in a relationship with her boss or for any number of reasons tbh. With Velvet heartbroken she’s driven right into Isabella’s arms. 2) I was thinking that maybe they have an on again/off again relationship. After everything goes down with the boss, it really opens Velvet’s eyes up to what’s important in her life. She comes to term with the fact that Isabella is who she needs. She’s the person that has always been there for Velvet and that really comes into perspective for her. Again this leads Velvet right into Isabella’s arms.

tyler posey/open ~ older brother ~ rebuilding relationship

So a little bit of background on their family. The Riveras are originally from Cuba. Their father and younger brothers still live there. Though I am thinking that I may be making an ad for them later to come to the states to join their older siblings. But anyway their mother passed when they were all very young and their father is a pretty famous musician (but only famous in Cuba) so he wasn’t able to be around for them as much as he probably should have been. Growing up their were pretty much raised by nannies until they were old enough to take care of themselves. He would have moved to California probably to attend college and she moved with him while she was still in high school.

They would have probably shared an apartment until she was maybe nineteen or twenty. Tbh I think that since she moved out they haven't really been that close. They tend to think of themselves as too busy to send a quick text or even call each other once a week. I imagine that he’s either a business owner of some kind or at least had a fairly high stress job. While Velvet has kind of a stressful job but is also working on trying to generate a music career. But basically for this ad I would really like for Velvet’s soon to be kind of heart break to be a reason for her to really reach out to her brother and confide in him and seek his comfort. Because it’s not that they don’t love each other, of course they do, it’s more like time has gotten away from them. I really want her heart break to really be a big factor in them essentially rebuilding their relationship and their bond. Maybe there is something going on in his own life that he would also need the support of his sister for? That’s really up to you.

dacre montgomery/open ~ mafia kingpin ~ former partner

this is an ad for bethan's ex betrothed, almost baby daddy, james huxley. i've named him temporarily for plotting purposes, but you're mooore than welcome to re-name him, just as well as you are to select a fc!

alright so, principally, the only things non-negotiable about james are his roots and his history with bethan. the huxley family is mafia royalty in britain— and james here, is heir to his father's syndicate enterprise. bethan met james whilst studying abroad and like him, hails from a mob family— the two immediately hit it off, and thus, a powerhouse union began.

business wise, they were an incredibly smart match. the joining of family forces, establishing a stronghold in the british market, strengthening of mafia ties.. you name it. bethan's father, and james's father, were elated by the prospect. only a year after their initial meeting, these two little lovedumplings were engaged.

sickly sweet, right? wrong. bethan fell pregnant, unexpectedly, shortly thereafter. a few months into her pregnancy (and just as soon as they'd started to cope with the news) a miscarriage took place. bethan was in all sorts of chaos emotionally, and i'm sure like her, james grieved exponentially. long story short, their relationship was sent on a downwards spiral, resulting in the dissolution of their engagement. bethan returned to the united states and for the better part of two years, they've not seen one another.

[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