#wales being extra

[merchymynydd]

Surprising approximately no one, here in Y Canolbarth its a mix of both, with a few variations to spice it up.

Llaeth, Fferins, Caeg bech neu Pice maen, Nawr/Rwan, Ti (chdi = respectful), Cwmpo/Disgyn, Merch/Hogan, Bachgen/Hogyn, Grisiau neu Staer, Hardd neu Tlws, Poeni, Lle Chwech, Nain, Taid, Crio, Ffedog.

#wales being extra #tiktok #cymraeg #welsh language

[luveline]

could I please request a remus x reader that isn’t used to affection and cries at being called a pet name <3

—Remus calls you lovely, so you cry in his back garden. fem

You hold your hands out to the fire pit, relieved when heat kisses your palms and warms your arms to the elbow. Summer nights are supposed to be warm. Not in Wales. 

The decking under you bends and groans as multiple pairs of feet cross it. Someone steps off by your legs and moves further into the garden. Solar lights warm the space and a battery powered lantern lights the patio table where Sirius hosts a championship of Speed. 

A pair of shoes stop by your legs. They step down and a body sits next to you tightly, thigh to thigh, no want for space. “Hey,” Remus says. “Are you cold?” 

“Not really.” 

“Did you bring a jumper?” 

“I’m not cold,” you laugh. “Of course I did, though, it’s upstairs.” 

Staying with Remus and his friends has been fun so far. The idea of spending a few weeks of your summer between your second and last year of University at Remus’ house had felt daunting when they suggested it, but you’ve had nothing but fun so far. It’s nice to have friends. Nicer to have patient and gentle ones.

“You can have my jacket? Wear it over your shoulders like a cape.” 

“No, thank you. Really.” 

Remus takes your arm. Gives it a quick rub with his thumb until his hand moves down to yours. He feels your fingers, his palm soft, before he returns to his personal space. “You don’t feel too cold. I’ll ask James to put another log on in a bit.” 

“All the food is keeping me warm.” 

He grins. Brown eyes, brown hair, lashes of firelight on his cheek. “Are you having a good time?” 

“Of course I am.” 

“Yeah? Will you tell me if you’re not? I know it’s weird staying somewhere else. Even if it’s just that the bathroom makes you miserable or you need extra socks.” 

“It’s like I’m on holiday with all my best friends,” you say lightly. 

“You are on holiday with your best friends. I’m not, ‘cos it’s my house, but this is the definition of a holiday.” 

“Thank you, for inviting me.” 

Remus puts his arm around your shoulder, and he kisses your temple with a gentle smile. “I wanted you here, lovely. We all want you here.” 

His arm falls away. It’s just amicable affection, you know that, but it’s more than anyone’s given you in a long time. You’re surprised he’d want to; you must feel a deep, deep tenderness for someone to call them lovely like it’s their only name, and to kiss their forehead with a smile already in place. 

You pull the inside of your bottom lip between your teeth. It’s precious, to be wanted. To have someone as special as Remus show you what you mean to him plainly. You’ve had a great day filled with nice food and good friends, and now you’re warming your knees by the flickering fire pit in the Welsh countryside, stars emerging above you, the moon a pinky nail by the mountains. 

You tip your face into your hands. 

Remus brings a hand to your back and draws a shape without comment, but his hand flattens, and he feels it loud and clear when you sniffle. “Dove?” he asks softly. 

You raise your head quickly, sniffling again as you wipe hot tears off of the hills of your cheeks. “Sorry.” 

“Did I upset you?” he asks, sitting up straight. “I’m so sorry, what did I say?” 

“No, no, it’s nice. It’s nice, you’re always so nice to me.” 

“You’re upset because I’m nice?” 

“I’m just not used to it, that’s all.” 

“Not used to it,” he says, frowning. His brows set. He’s nearly stony.

“You’re the nicest friend I’ve ever had.” 

“Can I give you a hug?” 

You nod, shivering as he wraps an arm around your shoulders and pulls you into his side, no room left between you. His cheek smushes into the side of your brow, a heat like the fire warming you, the two of you listening to the sound of wood embers popping. 

He makes a sound somewhere in his chest and pulls you closer again. Impossibly, he shifts, and his second arm comes around to turn his side hug into a proper one, as though he’s changed his mind about it just a few seconds in. You turn into him without apprehension. 

“You’re not used to it. Do you like it?” he murmurs. 

You press your face to his jaw and neck. Your arms act of their own accord, tightening behind his back. 

“You should be used to it, someone like you. You should be so used to it that it bounces straight back off you again.” He rubs your shoulder. His fingers work into a tight muscle gently. “You lied about being cold, I can feel it now. Your back is freezing.” 

You raise up off of the decking to hug him harder. He’s all for it. 

“We’ll teach you exactly how to be part of the world’s touchiest friend group,” he promises. “You're already a good hugger.” 

#remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x fem!reader #remus lupin fluff #remus lupin x you #remus lupin x y/n #marauders era #remus x reader #remus x you #marauders #remus lupin drabble #remus lupin blurb #marauders x reader #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin fanfic #remus lupin fanfiction #the marauders

[fatehbaz]

Travel back [...] a few hundred years to before the industrial revolution, and the wildlife of Britain and Ireland looks very different indeed. 

Take orcas: while there are now less than ten left in Britain’s only permanent (and non-breeding) resident population, around 250 years ago the English [...] naturalist John Wallis gave this extraordinary account of a mass stranding of orcas on the north Northumberland coast [...]. If this record is reliable, then more orcas were stranded on this beach south of the Farne Islands on one day in 1734 than are probably ever present in British and Irish waters today. [...]

Other careful naturalists from this period observed orcas around the coasts of Cornwall, Norfolk and Suffolk. I have spent the last five years tracking down more than 10,000 records of wildlife recorded between 1529 and 1772 by naturalists, travellers, historians and antiquarians throughout Britain and Ireland, in order to reevaluate the prevalence and habits of more than 150 species [...].

In the early modern period, wolves, beavers and probably some lynxes still survived in regions of Scotland and Ireland. By this point, wolves in particular seem to have become re-imagined as monsters [...].

Elsewhere in Scotland, the now globally extinct great auk could still be found on islands in the Outer Hebrides. Looking a bit like a penguin but most closely related to the razorbill, the great auk’s vulnerability is highlighted by writer Martin Martin while mapping St Kilda in 1697 [...].

[A]nd pine martens and “Scottish” wildcats were also found in England and Wales. Fishers caught burbot and sturgeon in both rivers and at sea, [...] as well as now-scarce fishes such as the angelshark, halibut and common skate. Threatened molluscs like the freshwater pearl mussel and oyster were also far more widespread. [...]

Predators such as wolves that interfered with human happiness were ruthlessly hunted. Authors such as Robert Sibbald, in his natural history of Scotland (1684), are aware and indeed pleased that several species of wolf have gone extinct:

There must be a divine kindness directed towards our homeland, because most of our animals have a use for human life. We also lack those wild and savage ones of other regions. Wolves were common once upon a time, and even bears are spoken of among the Scottish, but time extinguished the genera and they are extirpated from the island.

The wolf was of no use for food and medicine and did no service for humans, so its extinction could be celebrated as an achievement towards the creation of a more civilised world. Around 30 natural history sources written between the 16th and 18th centuries remark on the absence of the wolf from England, Wales and much of Scotland. [...]

In Pococke’s 1760 Tour of Scotland, he describes being told about a wild species of cat – which seems, incredibly, to be a lynx – still living in the old county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the south-west of Scotland. Much of Pococke’s description of this cat is tied up with its persecution, apparently including an extra cost that the fox-hunter charges for killing lynxes:

They have also a wild cat three times as big as the common cat. [...] It is said they will attack a man who would attempt to take their young one [...]. The country pays about £20 a year to a person who is obliged to come and destroy the foxes when they send to him. [...]

The capercaillie is another example of a species whose decline was correctly recognised by early modern writers. Today, this large turkey-like bird [...] is found only rarely in the north of Scotland, but 250–500 years ago it was recorded in the west of Ireland as well as a swathe of Scotland north of the central belt. [...] Charles Smith, the prolific Dublin-based author who had theorised about the decline of herring on the coast of County Down, also recorded the capercaillie in County Cork in the south of Ireland, but noted: This bird is not found in England and now rarely in Ireland, since our woods have been destroyed. [...] Despite being protected by law in Scotland from 1621 and in Ireland 90 years later, the capercaillie went extinct in both countries in the 18th century [...].

---

Images, captions, and text by: Lee Raye. “Wildlife wonders of Britain and Ireland before the industrial revolution – my research reveals all the biodiversity we’ve lost.” The Conversation. 17 July 2023. [Map by Lee Raye. Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[mikobeautifulheart]

JJK MEN Pretending to be your boyfriend/saving you from creeps. PART 3

INCLUDING: Nanami and Toji

TW: Creeps that touch you. but donn' worry they don't get that far. Also like cursing once.

reblogs welcomedddddd

~Nanami~

You and Nanami worked at the same company in the same department under the same boss. One day you were left at the office finishing up a few more documents.

Nanami stood up from his desk.

"I'm going to get some documents, do you need any?"

"Oh uh, no, thank you though." You said. You knew Nanami was a hard and efficient worker but his nature was serious. However it seemed that you had made some sort of...connection? It was like a friendship but not exactly. It wasn't romantic either but it was close.

You finished one of the documents you had to do before going to the printer to pick up the copy before walking over to your bosses office to leave it on his desk.

"Oh helllloooo" your boss said as soon as you waled through the door.

You thought he was acting strange until you spotted the empty bottle of whiskey on his desk.

"Here are the documents you wanted" you said before placing them on his desk.

"I wouldn't say wanted. Hey how would you like a bonus?" he asked you.

You knew what he was implying, but you wouldn't do that for a few extra dollars or with your boss, you wouldn't even consider having sex for money regardless.

"No thank you- i'll be taking my leave now." you said, turning to walk out the door.

But your boss was one step ahead and moved fast enough to close the door before you could escape.

"Please open the door" you sighed in frustration\

"Now don't be so hasty now you can leave just after you do a little task for me-"

"Don't touch me" you said as he grabbed your wrist pulling you toward his desk.

"NO" you screamed in desperation.

Suddenly the door burst open. There he was, Nanami, there in the door way walking toward you freeing your hand from your drunk boss.

"Don't ever touch my girlfriend again." He said looking at your boss sending him furious death glares.

"Are you okay" he asked you.

You nodded looking up at him in relief.

He walked you out of the office and helped you into his car.

"I'll be right back, I need to get my bag."

Lets just say nobody ever saw your boss again.

♧Toji♧ 

You just quit being a sorcerer to escape from the miserable world of curses and murder. But you couldn't live off doing nothing, so why not take up a few odd jobs in your profession. You hated killing, people and curses so you only took up specific jobs, mainly spying and getting intel for bounty hunters and other organisations. You didn't mind your job but you always carried a small gun with you because your job was still dangerous, just incase you needed to fend for your life.

Tonight one of your long time clients, Toji, requested a meeting to arrange your next job. The meeting was casual at a bar where you two sat at the end of the counter on stools casually talking about the mission and requirements. While you were talking a loud drunk guy was behind you babbling on about your body. It was disgusting but you figured when the meeting was over you'd just leave and it would end there.

Your phone on the counter buzzed and you looked down to see a wealthy clients name. Toji looked to.

"Eh its okay, go answer it" he said while the bar tender put another drink infront of him.

You nodded and walked outside quickly before picking up.

Near the end of your call you heard the bar door open behind you and close.

"Understood, I can get the job done in 2 days. Yes. Yes. I'll get back to you when the job is done."

When you hung up you felt an unwelcomed hand squeeze your butt. You jumped with a squeak before tuning around to see the drunk guy who was talking about you before.

"What do you think your doing?" You said hands on your hips in anger.

"Comon' babyyyyy you should come home with me-" he said clearly drunk but still sober enough to pull out a gun on you.

You put your hands up slightly then slowly moved them down.

"Can we just talk about this, put the gun down and we can figure something out" your left hand slid down your leg to reach for the gun you had.

"Or you could just come with me and nobody gets hurt..." the man said, he pointed the gun upward and sneezed sending one bullet flying through the air. He points the gun back at you before he closes one of his eyes to aim at you.

A gun shot rang through the air and you squeezed your eyes closed bracing for the pain but instead his body hit the ground.

"No need to get your hands dirty doll" Toji said putting his gun down looking at you.

"I think..." you said

"HEY THAT BITCH SHOT HIM" A man yelled outside the bar looking at the man on the ground bleeding out.

"OH YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS" He yelled pointing his finger at you.

"That bitch is my girlfriend and I shot that damn pervert you idiot." Toji said staring at the man.

"And if you touch her, I wont be so forgiving" he said while making a gun sign with his hands and pretending to aim at the mans head.

"Bang." He said mockingly while laughing.

"Come on lemme' drive you home" He said putting his arm around your shoulder walking you to his car.

THANKS FOR READING ♡

AUTHORS NOTE: I'm making the next part with Sukuna and Choso. That's probably all I will write for this series unless you guys have any one else you want me to write it for. have a nice whenever <3

#jjk fluff #nanami kento #kento nanami #jjk nanami #jjk kento #nanami kento fluff #kento nanami fluff #wholesome jjk #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk nanami x reader #jujutsu nanami #nanami x reader #kento #toji fushiguro #jjk toji #toji x reader #toji x you #fushiguro #fushiguro toji #jujutsu kaisen toji

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Probably won't have time to do many more of these for a bit because I'm off to Edinburgh shortly, but let's all have fun with a BIRD poll! And today we're going with the common sparrow (Passer domestics). I'm going with this one because, believe it or not, the hedge sparrow, despite being a related species that's extremely visually similar, has approximately seven billion names in Welsh and I only have ten poll entries. So here we go!

The etymology of some of these is VERY HARD and triggered quite the rabbit hole on my part so I hope you're all grateful

Sbrocsyn: if you chase it allllll the way back, you land on proto-indo-European spḗr, meaning... well. Sparrow. But in some subsequent languages it became starling (e.g. Dutch) and in one case crow (Breton), so I've translated it here as bird. The -syn ending gives it a cute little diminutive vibe

Aderyn y to: Wales used to go in for thatched roofs in a big way, and the sparrows liked to live in them

Aderyn llwyd y to: Someone was feeling descriptive and wordy

Cainc y to: Why?? Is it a branch??? This one is odd. Maybe referring to the roof beams?

Golfan: very hard to translate!!! It looks like the original is the Old Irish 'golbann', but it's impossible to find a confirmed etymology. Using my knowledge of Welsh and my miniscule memory of Irish, bright woman is the best I can do (geal + bean). But it has cognates in the other Celtic languages - gealbhann, gealbhonn, gialloon, golvan.

Strew: another difficult one, but this looks like a loanword from the same place as English straw and strew, referring to the grains of the crops. Which they eat.

Llwytyn: from llwyd, meaning grey, with the diminutive ending. They are mostly grey, 'tis true

Gwelltyn: from gwellt, meaning straw, with the diminutive ending. Another roof reference

***

Very interested to know if the extra notes make this one too easy. We shall find out together! Happy clicking

#who's that pwcamon #wales! #closed for cleaning on mondays #linguistics

[princessconsuela120]

✯ EVERYWHERE ✯

—✯

Summary: Sirius has a new found hatred for the new girl at hogwarts, or in other words…you.

Warnings: cursing, not many, it’s mostly just sirius being annoying😭

Author’s Note: might make this a series, I’m not sure yet…but there will definitely be a part two. If you couldn’t tell, I adore Hogwarts legacy and I thought it would be cute to add that into this fic. If the timeline doesn’t make sense don’t come for me, this is just for fun!!😭 also side note, anything not in italics is narration, the italics are flashbacks which tell the story.

—✯

Sirius Black had been far too lucky as of late. He wasn’t sure when it started, this twist of luck he had acquired, but he was sure the start had something to do with y/n Sallow, and her arrival at Hogwarts. That was two years ago, and somehow all of the troubles he used to feel had slipped from his shoulder with the gentle breeze she brought onto campus. She had transferred from the basic education school she attended in Wales in their 5th year of school, quickly catching everyone’s attention with her talent and wit. Having lived with her Grandfather half her life, and in a girls home the other half, both her and the boys were pleasantly surprised with her arrival late into their Hogwarts education. Since she missed so many years of magic, she was assigned a magic tutor from her class, which of course had to be the top of the class from the previous year; Remus Lupin.

—✯

“Oh come on mate, this is ridiculous!” Sirius grumbled, trailing behind Remus as brunette rolled his eyes, making his way through the school while trying to ignore his raven haired counter part. “You’re gonna miss our entire study hall. James and I were gonna make a poly juice potion and tell Snape he had to retake Care for Magical Creatures. Remember when that Puffskein stuck it’s tongue up his nose?” Sirius chuckled. “He made Madam Pomfrey flush his slug nose twice before trying to drop the class.”

Remus couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory, shaking his head.

“That was good. But hey I mean you guys can do it on your own. McGonagall said this could give me extra credit.”

“Oh posh, what extra credit do you need. You want a one hundred and ten in Transfiguration?”

“Her names y/n Sallow, and Professor Dumbledore even gave her full access to the room of requirements for extra practice. This could be good for me, maybe you could even join. Teach you and extra thing or two from when you’re throwing whizz-bangs in class.”

“Whatever mate. No broad is worth the time away from your friends.”

—✯

It started as a rivalry. Sirius had decided that he hated y/n l/n. Not only did she take Remus away from their prancing time, but she had exclude access to the Room of requirement. Not like she needed it. The second Sirius found out about the new girl in school, he made it his mission to find out any and all secrets she might have. She couldn’t be trusted, of course Sirius knew this, which is why he followed her footsteps closely on the Marauders Map. The first time he had found her in an unauthorized underground location, it took him a few days to build up the confidence to follow her footsteps.

—✯

“Inferio!” Y/n shouted, a blast of bright red light shooting from her wand, as the torch hanging from the ceiling light up in fire. Inferio? Now, sirius May had been aloof during charms as of late, but he sure didn’t remember learning that one.

“Damnit!” She cursed, quickly firing another charm to quickly extinguish the fire that was growing in the far corner. Sirius’ eyes widened as he crept into the room. He was lucky to have slipped in behind her, stealing James’ invisibility cloak so he could do so. She mumbled some sort of code under her breath before making her way down into the hidden room.

“Bloody hell?” Sirius mumbled, quickly covering his mouth as y/n snapped her head around.

“Hello? Who’s there?” She yelled, holding up her wand to brace herself.

“Shit shit shit,” Sirius cursed, trying to hurry towards the exit. Now, it would probably have benefited him to somehow clip the cloak in place, to prevent what was about to happen from happening, but Sirius couldn’t be bothered to do so.

“Sirius?” Y/n called, surprised by the boys presence. Sirius whipped his head around, the bottom half of his body hidden under the cloak, only his head floating around. Y/n chuckled, looking Sirius up and down. His face turned bright red, as he glanced down to see his body was gone. He rolled his eyes.

“It’s not funny.” He grumbled, and she kept laughing.

“It kinda is.”

He scoffed, pulling the cloak fully off. He huffed in annoyance as he picked it up and turned to leave.

“You followed me down here?” She called, making Sirius turn around and glare at her, holding up the marauders map that was rolled up in his hand.

“You were going off grid on the map.”

“So you stalked me?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “A little strange don’t you think?” She asked, causing Sirius to scoff again, stomping his foot on the ground.

“So, what, okay, a hidden underground room isn’t?” he whined.

“Undercroft.” She said shortly, Sirius furrowing his eyebrows as his eyes narrowed in on her.

“What’d you just call me?” He asked, making her let out a frustrated huff, gesturing around the room.

“It’s called, the Undercroft. My great grandfather found it years ago. It’s been in the family since, no one else knows of it.”

“Ha. I do I know.” Sirius teased, making y/n roll her eyes at him.

“Congrats, do you want a medal?” She asked sarcastically, and he huffed agrily.

“What are you even doing here?”

“It’s a good spot to practice my magic. Considering it’s been lost from me most of my life. The code to get in is Sallow-Gaunt.” Sirius was about to say something again, before y/n interrupted him. “And don’t try Alohomora, it won’t work.”

He raised his eyebrows, looking at her with confusion as she turned to keep practicing her spells.

“You’re telling me the code, and exactly how to get in?”

“I didn’t tell you anything.” She teased as she turned to face him, making Sirius even more confused than he had been.

“But you just…”

“And if you tell anyone else, I use that spell you watched me preform 3 times.” She raised an eyebrow at him, as he pointed at the door, confused as to how she was aware of his presence.

“How’d you know I was here that long?”

“There’s a reason why this place doesn’t show up on the map.” She said, ignoring his question. He come up to her, shaking his head as he grew more frustrated.

“But everything’s on the map, it’s a flawless system.” He explained, waving said flawless system angrily in his hands. She shook her head.

“Not the Undercroft.”

—✯

There were 4 times Sirius aproached the clock-the entrance to the Undercroft- and only once did he actually go inside. First and for most, Sirius was almost positive the code y/n gave him was false information; he was a master pranker, he’s given false codes before in his life. The first time was a quick come and go. He came up to the clock, looking around to be sure no one saw him, and waved his wand twice to try and unlock the door. “Alohamora won’t work,” Rang in his head like bells. He had heard her correctly, but he wanted to prove her wrong. Low and behold, it didn’t in fact work, and instead Sirius recieved a few dirty looks for trying to unlock a clock on the wall, and decided to quickly leave with his tail tucked behind his legs.

The second time Sirius visited the clock, he couldn’t seem to remember the code he was told. Sallow he remembered, it was her name so that part was easy. But the second line, a name he’s never heard before. He tried everything, Glum, Geltum, he even said Potter a few times shamelessly in hopes it would eventually work. It didn’t-to no surprise-and for the second time Sirius fled the scene with a scowl on his face.

Now the third time he stayed the longest. He had brought both James and Remus with him, after pestering the boys with talk of the Undercroft, and secret codes. The three boys followed the map all night, but there was still no sign of the secret room Sirius spoke. The other Marauders thought he must had lost his mind; certainly his hatred for this new girl was reaching new heights.

—✯

“Because I tutor the girl Sirius, that’s how I know.” Remus grumbled in response to Sirius’ nagging. He had been os entirely convinced that this new girl must have been bad news. In the past few weeks since he had been tutoring her, Remus Lupin had grown quite fond of y/n Sallow. They had a special kind of connection; both having been split from their families and put in childrens homes. Remus found y/n to be a nice break from the craziness that came with the marauders boys, and quite frankly, Sirius’ hatred for the girl bothered him.

“I’m telling you moony, she’s dangerous. She knows these spells that I’ve never even heard of before, I’m sure it’s dark magic.” He ranted, making James look over confused. He had been zoning out, which he usually did when Sirius went off on a tangent, but dark magic seemed to snap him back in.

“Dark magic? That’s a serious accusation pads are you sure about that one?” James asked, causing Sirius to jump up with anticipation.

“Yes! She spoke some curse and suddenly fire was shooting from her wand!”

“You mean Inferio?” Remus asked, having recognized the fire spell from when he read ahead on charms.

“Yes! Inferio!” Sirius shouted, pointing excitedly at Remus.

“Huh, impressive.” Remus said to himself, earning a nod from James as Sirius looked around shocked.

“Impressive!? It’s dangerous, she’s dangerous.”

“We aren’t even supposed to learn Inferio until 7th year. She’s ahead of the game.” James nudged Remus. “She should be tutoring you Moons.” Both boys laughed as Sirius continued to jump up and down, slapping a hand on both boys shoulders to catch their attention.

“Boys you aren’t listening to me! This room, it’s not even on the map.”

“Our map?” James asked, never having seen a room off grid besides The Room of Requirements.

“Yes, our map of the entire campus of Hogwarts, and more. Nowhere does it show this Undercroft she speaks of.” Sirius rambled, causing Remus to scrunch up his face with confusion.

“Are you sure this was some underground room, I mean…maybe she was in the room of requirements and you mixed up the location.”

“No, I’m telling you.” Sirius shouted, shaking Remus aggressively. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He grabbed both boys' wrists, pulling them to the clock.

“Here. Right here, it was this clock right here.” Sirius shouted, causing James and Remus to share a confused look.

“This old thing? This clock has been here since the 1800s, it doesn’t even work anymore.”

“Exactly, now isn’t that a little strange that they kept a clock in here that doesn’t work?”

“From what I heard it’s a gift from one of the Hogwarts families. A, Versilius Gaunt. According to History of Magic he was a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin.” James explained, examining the clock to find not a single thing out of place.

“Gauntt…that’s it!” Sirius said to himself, remembering the code now to the door.

“Yeah, his portraits hung up in the Slytherin Common Room. Alongside the rest of the family.” James said, shuddering at the thought of the Slytherin common room. Sirius froze, looking at the clock as he grew quieter then before.

“You alright Padss…Sirius?” Remus asked, patting a hand on his shoulder as Sirius nodded.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Why don’t you boys get to transfiguration. I’ll meet you there.” Sirius explained, waving the boys away. They both looked at each other then back to Sirius with concern.

“Minnie’s gonna kill you for being late?” James said, chuckling to himself as Sirius scoffed.

“Yeah, how many times is that now, 8?” Sirius asked, making James shove him.

“Exactly, now she’ll have to kill you nine times. You're a dog Pads, not a cat.” Now Sirius shoved him back, making both boys chuckle.

“Haha very funny. Get to class.”

“We’ll meet you there.” Remus said, smiling as the two walked away.

“See ya.” Sirius called out, before turning back to the clock.

The name repeated in his head. Gaunt gaunt gaunt gaunt. Sallow-Gaunt. He contemplated walking in, spoke the beginning name and then froze. He said Sallow six times before he gave up trying to follow through. He wasn’t sure why, but something inside him was keeping him away. Not enough to stop trying, but enough to keep him out. Maybe because there was a chance that she could be inside, and well, there’s no way in Sirius’ mind that that instance would go down well. So he stood, and stared at the unchanging hands on the clock, and then he left. Professor McGongall informed Sirius he was now up to ten times killed for missing class.

—✯

#sirius black fluff #sirius black imagine #sirius black x reader #sirius black #marauders imagine #marauders #marauders x reader

[sirenjose]

Hunter Norton Backstory Trailer Analysis

As a rule, the sons of miners follow the occupation of their fathers. Once Norton’s father died, and his mother also likely dead by then too, he had no other choice but to become a miner if he wanted to survive. Especially with how poor they likely were, Norton’s father (and mother) likely left almost nothing for their son, forcing him to work hard to support himself from a young age.

Based on Norton’s comment about living like a “rat” for 20 years, as he is 28 in the present, Norton’s father potentially died when he was 8 (his mother potentially died before then), leaving him an orphan.

A Mine Regulation Act in 1872 prevented children under the age of 12 from working underground. Until then, he would likely have been kept to surface work, such as:

Sorting and transporting materials

Loading and unloading transports

Assisting with general maintenance and cleaning

Delivering messages

Etc…

An Educational Act in 1870, which applied to England and Wales, made schooling compulsory for boys between the ages of 5 and 10, while an Act in 1872 applying to Scotland made school compulsory for kids between 5 and 13.

Once he reached the age of 12, the Regulation Act in 1872 would continued to limit his work hours, which prevented boys between 12 and 16 from working more than 54 hours in 1 week or 10 hours in 1 day. It also required them to have 8 to 12 hour breaks between “periods of employment” (defined as starting when they leave the surface and ending when they return to the surface).

Once he was old enough, regular miners were expected to work at least 12 hour shifts (though this varied from mine to mine) on weekdays. And we know from Norton’s deduction 2 that he worked longer than any of his coworkers, while his 3rd letter states, as a habit, he enters the mines at least 30 minutes before the others.

Conditions in the mine were hot, musty, and cramped (as mine owners didn’t want to spend extra to make them bigger), increasing the chance of accidents. We can actually see just how narrow the tunnels usually were in the trailer.

Miners also worked in complete darkness except for lighting they had to buy themselves. In fact, they had to buy much of their own equipment.

Unfortunately, wages for miners were incredibly low back then. Miners were paid by the quality of what they produced rather than by the hour, giving owners plenty of ways to reduce how they could pay their miner (including by lying about the quality or rigging the scales).

The average wage of coal miners in the 1880s was somewhere between 3s (s = shillings) and 5s per day, with around 4s being closer to the normal, and 5 only if you were lucky. 4 shillings was about $1.20. Generally though wages varied greatly in different districts. After spending on equipment, food, and rent, they could be left with maybe no more than 1s.

Going back to the trailer, it says “Blasting Agent – Mercury (II) Fulminate”. This is an explosive compound made from mercury, nitric acid, and ethanol. It was commonly used as a primary explosive in percussion caps and detonators during the 19th century. When struck or subjected to a shock, it would rapidly decompose and produce a violent explosion. Its role was to initiate the ignition or detonation of the main explosive charge, such as dynamite.

This is the stuff that we see him pouring into the dynamite.

Continuing, we see Norton smiling at a coin, but then his wrist is crushed by the other miners, who steal it from him, taunting him to try to take it back.

Norton actually smiling at the coin helps show Norton’s desire to get out of poverty, an idea he emphasizes later when he describes poverty as a “curse”.

But as we see in the Famitsu Article, people didn’t understand why he tried so hard. It “intimidated” them. Then in Norton’s 2nd letter as well as in this trailer, we see that he was ridiculed by his coworkers. They didn’t think it was possible for him to achieve such a goal. This is reflected with how essentially, at that time “Englishmen recognized if he is in a certain social grade, he is likely to remain there. He’ll never reach a higher class, and didn’t rebel”. Each class “cheerfully” accepted “the lot which providence has assigned” to them.

Norton was different though. He says in the trailer “I once thought the same” after it talks about sons of miners became miners themselves.

He may have initially accepted the same thing everyone else did, but things likely changed over time, the longer he was forced to live this sort of life.

There’s also a good chance part of his change was from working with people like Benny. He learns from them to improve himself (and hopefully improve his chance at earning more), but he also sees how these old miners are, which emphasizes in his brain he doesn’t want to end up like them. He doesn’t want to end up in hospice or stuck in poverty his whole life like they did, just waiting for the day they die.

Norton worked hard, harder and longer than everyone else, in the hopes eventually this would be enough to improve his life, to make it even slightly close to what most would consider a comfortable life, even if it meant only the basics. But it wasn’t enough. The mine owners were greedy. The other miners were all in it only for themselves. His wages were miniscule, and his daily and weekly expenses pretty great. Especially with how back in that time period, mine owners had ways where they attempted to keep their employees indebted to them, to force them to keep working for them, as well as improve their own personal profits as much as possible.

Norton was surrounded by these sorts of people forced to live in such a cruel environment, watching the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is reflected in his 2nd letter where he says “This is simply unfair. The poor find it difficult to lead a comfortable life, while all the rich need to do is wave their banknotes around”. He describes all the pain he’s gone through just at the chance to “climb up” out of poverty before describing “how much effort I put into this” as “ridiculous”.

His hard work is exemplified by his 3rd deduction, which describes how he’s done so well his employers always attempt (but fail) to keep him for longer. He works to learn, to improve his skills, and better himself at the chance at earning more and thus potentially work his way out of poverty faster.

We can also see it during the trailer, with him surrounded by all these books and other things.

This quality of his, where he likes to teach himself, to learn, and to improve himself has been implied at other points by Netease, such as by several of his skins or even from part of other collabs, like B.Duck, which described Norton as “full of curiosity” and “likes learning”. It also described him with a “desire to act at MAX” or “highest level of execution”. This means he’s the type of person to put all his effort into whatever he does.

It just wasn’t enough.

We even see the sort of suffering this life has forced him to endure, as in the trailer it shows him coughing due to the damage his lungs have suffered due to his life as a miner.

Hard work wasn’t enough. This is why he eventually turned to the list of 13 mines he learned from Benny, seeking to instead attempt to escape poverty by finding gold.

As explained by @metalIurgy and @Deskdeas, each of the names on this list are European mines or people.

(Also, there seems to be 15 names total on the list, rather than 13)

Von Donnersmarck: House of Donnersmarck, prominent aristocratic family that originated in the region of Silesia. Owned mines.

Georg Wilhelm: Russian military officer and engineer who specialized in mining

Prince Konstantin: prince of Russia, killed in a mining shaft

Ștefan Procopiu: physicist who researched electricity and magnetism

Friedrich Alfred Krupp: German industrialist, developed Krupp steel manufacturer and arms manufacturing company

Saarbergwerke: mining company that operated in the Saarland region of Germany

Romeria: religious pilgrimage (Spain or spanish speaking countries?)

Petro-pavlivska (''Петро-павлівська''): black coal mine located in the Eastern part of Ukraine

Nova Baňa: silver and gold mining site in central Slovakia.

Swansea Copper: Welsh copper mines

Eramet: French multinational mining and metallurgical company

Ivan Polzunov: Russian engineer known for his contributions to steam engine technology

Wowdcole: ?

(Sorry, I can't read the 15th name crossed out in the top left corner of the list)

We know from Norton’s 5th deduction that he tried and failed to find anything at any of the other 12 mines, leaving him with only Golden Cave left.

Back to the trailer, we see him with a map.

The left side looks like it should be a map of Lakeside and the surrounding area, with Golden Cave being the X at the base of the mountains. Count Barriere is the owner of this land, and also the owner of Golden Cave. The right side should be the representation of a map of the mine itself.

Considering how earlier Norton’s coworkers stole Norton’s coin, it’s possible they essentially tried to do the same thing here. Saw him looking at the map, then took it for themselves. Like how Norton’s 8th deduction includes “you need more helpers”, they may have forced him to take them along, and why they explore it on their own without Norton. Especially with the looks on their faces in that scene not showing they had any good intentions.

(A lot of what I’ll say next is said very well by @Yaboku_samaa)

Norton seems to have set all this up in advance, before they came through the mine.

Next we see Norton’s inner conflict. A conflict between morals and vengeance represented by survivor Norton vs Hunter Norton. His Hunter side manages to win out by telling Norton that this is what they deserve, it’s revenge for all the pain and ridicule he’s been put through, all in silence, all without fighting back. He’s forced to keep a façade. To keep his true feelings hidden if he doesn’t want a penalty or reduction in wages. He’s tired of having to live such a hard life of constant suffering and humiliation and hopelessness, and thus why he had hit his limit and the side represented by his Hunter version won out.

(I’m not going to push the idea too much, but it’s possible Norton may have bipolar disorder. That or DID, especially with how he literally talks to himself in his 2nd letter. Especially as both can form in children or young adults who experience long-term physical or emotional distress or abuse. Causes can include childhood trauma (like neglect, abuse, trauma, losing someone like a parent), stressful life events, genetics, etc…)

This decision is shown during the trailer when Norton says “There are ways to make a change”.

Norton’s 2nd letter does an accurate job of summarizing everything:

“Over the last 20 years, I lived like a rat in the gutter. I spent days under the ground in the dark just so I could earn a minimal living. Scars from the blasts crawled all over my face like maggots. The constant scorn and ridicule... I endured it every time just so I'd get a chance to climb up the ladder. It's ridiculous how much effort I put into this—anyway, I've finally managed to crawl out from the rat hole. I no longer have to pick and pull on the disgusting ash. Those who did nothing but laugh at me deserve to stay underground and be stepped on like maggots forever.”

And the trailer visually showing Norton’s inner conflict matches up very well with how quite clearly Norton in his 2nd letter is arguing with himself. The side represented by Hunter Norton is likely the version talking right now, trying to convince him (the side represented by Survivor Norton) to kill the female, “think about how arrogant she is” and all the money he’d get. The fact he is trying to convince himself shows that Norton doesn’t want to do it, and how he isn’t willing to do anything for money. His hatred for his coworkers for their treatment of him for so long was enough for the side represented by Hunter Norton to convince him to trigger the explosion on them, but that motivation doesn’t exist here. Right now, his less moral side is trying to motivative him with money and thinking about others as “arrogant” and essentially mean, as well as the doubt that she could do something to him.

But that may not be enough to convince him next time to actually do it if he’s given a chance. At Golden Cave, that was his last chance to try to find gold. He’d gone through 12 other mines (and 20 years of pain on top of that) with nothing to show for it. Norton may be very stubborn and determined, but even he was growing so very desperate, which is shown well by Norton’s 5th deduction as well as by the trailer itself. So it makes sense that Norton was mentally not in the right place and vulnerable to the sort of temptation we see him going through in the trailer.

Norton is alone. No family. No money. Suffering from lung problems. Has never been shown kindness and forced to grow up in a very cruel environment. The only thing keeping him moving forward and losing all hope is by focusing on his goal of getting out of poverty and achieving some form of a comfortable life with at least the basic necessities. This is shown very well by Norton’s 4th birthday emote “Savings”, where Norton takes out a single gold coin and thinks about simple worn clothes and a loaf of bread, while the description reads “Endure it, Norton. You’re almost there”.

For years he attempted to push on, but little by little, his coworkers, his employers, his environment, it all chipped away at him until he felt he had no other choice. I believe the trailer does a good job of emphasizing how his main motivation wasn’t greed but desperation, hopelessness, and the pain he was subjected to by his coworkers and everyone. It’s life or death, and this mine is his last chance, and his deep misery that pushes him over the edge, so it’s no wonder he doesn’t care about anyone anymore. He’s always been alone, always had to be the one to look out for himself. No one else could be trusted. They would only take advantage of him or even potentially steal what little he had. Yet even still he hesitated to pull the trigger, which I think says a lot about Norton.

Despite the decision being made, he doesn’t run after he sets off the explosion. He accepts what happens. There’s no way he didn’t know what was going to happen, not with how long he’s worked as a miner, and how much he’s learned in his own time. It could be the side represented by his survivor version sees the scar as punishment for his deeds. It could be he knew if he wanted to get his revenge he had to deal with the potential scars.

But he was here not just for revenge, but for the chance at finding gold. Hunter Norton’s character backstory says the accident brought Norton “Golden Luck” or “a gold rush of fortune”, so it sounds like he did find something.

We do know he at least found the meteorite, which is what he made his magnet from, so this could be what is referred to in Hunter Norton’s backstory.

Along with the above, we could connect whatever his “golden luck” was with Memory’s comment during Time of Reunion, where she says “they seemed to be looking for something other than ore”.

This is repeated during AoM with a newspaper clipping about rumors being false of precious metal ore in the mine.

Considering Golden Cave’s rumor is “despite not a single piece of gold was ever found, Count Barriere still got what he wanted with this land”, these statements should be talking about the same thing.

It’s possible Barriere was after the meteorite, especially as the only things we know that came out of that mine after it collapsed were Norton and the chunks of the meteorite he carried.

There are potential parallels from Lily’s essence, which connects to Golden Cave, and her essence story says “The mine is filled with special phosphorescent ores, which brought wealth to their ancestors but also cursed them with phosphorescent illness”. Considering in the famitsu article it says the magnet aka the meteorite may have been affecting his brain, it’s possible the “phosphorescent ores” is meant to parallel the meteorite.

If that is what Barriere is after, maybe there’s a chance he reached out to Norton afterwards, and he could’ve been the one to offer Norton all that money in exchange for killing some female. Especially when we know Count Barriere has a lot of money based on Lily’s backstory, as he even offered her enough to survive for 2 years and even more via making her the owner of the IOU likely belonging to Orpheus for him buying Oletus Manor.

Anyways, we also know from Norton’s 3rd letter that he “dug his way out through a mountain creek a few dozen meters away from the mine” with only “minor burns”. We also know from the Famitsu Article that people didn’t talk to him, they said a bare minimum then kept a “wide berth”, and considering the very visible scar on his face, it is possible this was the reason they avoided him (they were frightened of him. Like we see at the end of the trailer, it is possible people saw him as a “monster”, especially back then when these sorts of things weren’t treated or seen as kindly as today).

#idv #identity v #norton campbell #prospector #Fool's Gold #fools gold #Hunter Norton #idv norton #identity v norton #idv prospector #identity v prospector #idv fool's gold #identity v fool's gold #idv fools gold #identity v fools gold #idv hunter norton #identity v hunter norton #sirenjose analyses and theories

[marleyybluu]

hey! could you write an oscar x reader about the reader smoking with oscar for the first time? maybe the reader says something stupid and he clowns her and they’re just being stupid together. ty🫶🏽

Stoned

Oscar x fem!reader

Wc: 2.2k

Warnings: marijuana use, swearing, a bit of self-insert, driving while high (but don't be this stupid irl), stoner phrases. bit of fluff.

A/N: I loved writing this, it was fun I felt like I got to put myself in a story yk. I based some of the behaviours and everything off of what I've experienced. and I wrote this stoned. had to.

“You got a lighter?" You rolled your eyes at the stupid question. He knew you didn't smoke so why would he ask you for a lighter?

You knocked your head to the side, your hand froze in mid-air with the remote resting in your palm as you paused the action of changing the channel just to stare at your boyfriend until he got the message but he was too busy sprinkling his shredded green bits inside the thin paper. He usually smoked backwoods but he was out so RAW papers would have to do today.

He quickly glanced up after noticing the time it was taking for you to answer. He looked to the side and looked back at you. "What?"

"You know I don't smoke."

He shrugged. "You know I do, so you should start carrying extra lighters." Your jaw dropped at his sassy response, you grabbed the pillow from under you and whacked him in the head with it, he sucked his teeth as a little bit of kush fell out of the paper and onto his rolling tray. "Really?" You poked out your bottom lip and batted your lashes. "Sorry baby, my brother probably has one in his room go look."

Oscar put everything back on the tray and placed the tray on the table, he rose from the couch and disappeared to go find what he was looking for. You looked down at the materials that were spread on his well-decorated tray, you look behind you and back at the table, the mischievous voice in your head telling you to just smell it at least.

You reached over and picked up a bud that he hadn't ground yet, assuming he'd save it for later, and held it to your nose you took a deep inhale and were immediately met with an earthy yet sweet and fruity smell-- almost like a dessert. You looked down at it, examining every piece of the bud, it was a mixture of colours such as green, a light brown and a small hint of yellow right where the stem was.

"What are you doing?" Oscar laughed having stood there long enough to see everything. You flinched placing the gram back where it was. "Nothing, just... inquisitive." You smartly answered. He bent his lips inward to hold his smile, he thought it was a bit cute you were curious. He'd been trying to get you to smoke with him but you continuously declined and he wasn't the type to force you to do something you didn't want.

He sat back down in his spot and resumed back to rolling, but once your interest peaked you couldn't let it go. Your head faced the television but your eyes cast to the side watching Oscar carefully wrap up his kush in this thin and almost fragile brown piece of paper, you liked watching him roll-- the way his big fingers suddenly became small and nimble in order to swaddle his precious baby tightly but then came the use of his tongue, leaving a little bit of paper so it could overlap and close everything. His tongue swiped across, getting it wet but not too much, he would gently fold it over, press down on it and done. It was ready to smoke.

"What's it like being high?" You asked. "Uh, it's like you're floating... sometimes you feel your body swaying even though you aren't actually moving. It could also depend on where you are when you're high." He informed. You bit your lip weighing your options, you'd been wonderous about this for a while but didn't know how to go about it, plus you were nervous you'd make an idiot out of yourself the first time.

Oscar noticed the look on your face and smiled. "You want to try it?"

You nodded your head. He looked out the window noticing orange slowly replacing the blue in the sky. "Aight, come on." He said placing the blunt behind his ear and the lighter in his pocket, he stood up and headed to your kitchen grabbing water bottles for the both of you. "Bring your bag too."

"Why?"

He made his way back over to you, bent down and placed a kiss on your forehead. "Because I want you to have a nice experience with this, we're not smoking here. Imma take you to the beach, but we gotta grab food and snacks first because you will get hungry." You squealed, you were lowkey excited about this. You changed into some shorts and a loose top, you grabbed your backpack and stuffed it with the water bottles a blanket and a little speaker just in case.

The two of you left the house and ventured off to find some food. You went to your usual spot and he picked up your usual orders. The drive to the beach didn't take long. Oscar parked in the lot and you guys left with your things. The place was scarce, which was for the greater good, maybe you wouldn't get too paranoid about other people staring at you.

Oscar led you down a little further away from the steps and a bit closer to the water. You spread a blanket on the sand and plopped everything on top of it. The cool breeze tickled your skin producing goosebumps on every surface. You watched as your boyfriend removed the blunt from its cozy spot and dug the lighter out of his pocket.

"You still sure about this?" He asked sparking a light. You nodded eagerly. He placed the tail end between his lips, he cupped his hand over the lighter so the wind wouldn't blow the spark out. Smoke emerged from the little shelter he created, that same earthy sent has become more pungent now that it was burning.

Oscar took the first pull, you noticed the thick cloud essentially disappear into his mouth— he puffed out his cheeks and blew out a thinner puff of smoke. He handed you the weed, you took it between your thumb and index finger as he had it. "You just have to inhale baby."

You nodded, copying his actions you placed it between your lips, you inhaled as much as your lungs could let you and held your breath. Oscar's eyebrows scrunched together. "Ma, you don't have to hold your breath, just inhale."

It was tickling your throat and not in a good way. You let out a loud and hoarse cough, you sounded like someone who'd been smoking cigarettes for thirty years. Oscar patted your back while you banged your palm against your chest. "Shit!" Cough. "What the fuck!"

"Drink some water." His voice was shaky trying his best to hold down his laugh. You handed back the blunt and reached into the bag for your water. "You wanna try again?" You put your finger up as you chugged the h2o. Once you felt like you were fine you responded with a yes.

Oscar took his time to explain what he meant by inhale, that to just smoke and blow was a waste of weed and you wouldn't get high off of that technique. Once you understood you took another swing at it. Pull, inhale, blow. You did it just like that and a quick flash of pride ran over Oscar's face. "Nice." He nudged, you handed it back to him and he took it between his fingers.

"So, when does it hit?" You asked. He chuckled. "Trust me, you'll know." And until then the both of you kept puffing and passing, enjoying the view of the water, the small waves running up to kiss the sand. You sighed contently, your body completely relaxed and loose. So relaxed you didn't feel the need to use your own strength to hold it up anymore so you decided to lay down on the blanket.

Oscar chuckled. "You good?" You nodded with a smile as wide as the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Your lids felt so heavy... so tired. You struggled to keep them up, you looked over at Oscar who had been holding the last of the blunt in your direction for a while. The both of you are too stoned to mutter a word.

Your hand felt wonky and distorted as you accepted it. As you smoked Oscar dug through the bag for the other water bottle and the speaker. "You want me to play or you?"

"You." You answered way too lazy to even touch your phone though it was right next to you. Your eyes were laser-focused on the sky, you felt like you could see every detail of the clouds. So light and fluffy, colliding with one another and you wish you could touch them. Maybe you could.

Your arm extended to the sky, your hand gripping and releasing constantly you felt like you were touching them— they felt like cotton candy. Your daydream was interrupted by Oscar lightly smacking your hand down. "What are you doing?"

"I'm touching the clouds bitch."

"No, you're not." A brief moment of reality settled in and you were back on the ground, back on earth just watching those misshapen things float by in the orange sky. You looked down at the blunt and back over at Oscar. Both held a gaze until you two busted out laughing. "You are so fried." He chuckled. "Holy shit am I? Wow."

This feeling was different. You didn't feel like you, you felt like a passenger just enjoying the view and vibes while someone else drove. Your sense heightened, you could hear every flap of a bird's wing, every whoosh of the water. You could hear your own heating in your eardrum. "Are you high?" You asked taking one more drag before passing it back. "Finish it." He challenged, you shrugged and placed the butt end back between your lips. 

"I smoke a lot so it's not gonna hit me like it's hitting you. I'll smoke again soon." 

You nodded. You closed your eyes just taking this all in. The last puff of marijuana had left your throat while you smushed the end in the sand. Oscar was already working on his spliff because he didn't feel like smoking another big one. "I like flamingos," You randomly burst out. "They're so pink and pretty." Oscar snorted and shook his head. "I thought your favourite animals were penguins." 

"I love penguins." You giggled like an airhead. Oscar quickly finished his spliff and dusted off whatever was on his pants, he tucked behind his ear before moving closer and laying next to you. "How do you know so much about me?" You pouted feeling sentimental for some reason, and a sudden rush of overpouring love took over. He leaned down gently plopping his lips on yours, you could taste his neediness on your lips-- your tongues passing by, occasionally colliding. Why were you so hot all of a sudden? 

He pulled away and you pathetically whimpered for more. "Because I only study what I love." He wooed. You pinched his chin and rolled your eyes. "Well, I love you too." 

"Good." 

You sat up watching the sky become darker and darker, you looked out to the water and smiled. "I wanna live by the beach." 

Oscar glanced over at you with awe in his eyes. "Long as it's close to the restaurant I don't mind." You blushed at the fact he saw you in his future. The sound of the lighter flickering caught her attention. "Trynna go again?" 

You eagerly nodded. You let him take the first few hits while you bit into your burger tasting flavours you'd never experienced in your life, you hummed in satisfaction as you stuffed your mouth with the salty fries it came with. It tasted better when you were in this state. Oscar offered the last little bit and you gladly took it. 

His eyes matched yours, lids low with glossed-over red eyes. He looked so cute like that, that's why you liked being around him when he was high. "You good?" You asked, he nodded reaching for his own burger now. "I love food." He said. Your eyes disappeared as you smiled. You switched between smoking at eating until the spliff was done, you flicked it onto the sand and returned to the rest of your fries. 

The night sky had come in, it reflected off of the clear water, tides slowly dying down. You two had lay there not saying a word, just enjoying each other's company-- you didn't know if it was the weed dying out but you were suddenly tired, all you wanted to do was sleep. Had a few close calls too until Oscar nudged you. "How did your first time getting high go?" He asked. You kissed his chest and said. "Mmm, we should do this more often."

"Yeah?" He replied with a bit of excitement in his voice. "Yeah. Thanks for letting me try it." Oscar planted a kiss on your head. "Anytime, baby." 

"I'm as high as giraffe titties right now." You slurred. Oscar belly-laughed, all the things you were saying were just cute and hilarious to him. "Maybe we should take you home. Sleep this off." You groaned but agreed, you two packed up everything and Oscar held onto you as you stumbled behind him, your feet completely forgetting their job. He dropped you in the passenger's seat and buckled you in before heading to the driver's side. He rolled down the windows for some cool air, started the car and pulled out of the lot. 

The ride home was silent, other than the low music playing through the speakers. You were zoned out beyond belief as you leaned your head against the car. You had given up the fight, the drug was winning and you were floating off to sleep. Oscar looked over after hearing a few little snores, he laughed shaking his head. He'd never forget the day that his goodie-two-shoes ass girlfriend finally smoked some weed. 

if you liked this fic, feel free to like this fic. Comments and reblogs are appreciated.

peace and love.

tags: @skyesthebomb

#oscar diaz #fem!!reader #spooky #spooky x reader #spooky x fem!!reader #oscar diaz x fem!reader #oscar diaz x reader #spooky fanfic #spooky fanfiction #on my block fanfic #on my block #on my block fanfiction #poc reader

[blinkilite]

I had the amazing privilege of seeing Michael Sheen in Nye a few nights ago at the National Theatre.

The play:

Nye was amazing. Michael was brilliant and in command of the stage the whole time. I am not a big theater-goer. So this was a big deal for me. But seeing him perform on stage was just wonderful. I truly appreciate his skills on a whole new level now. The rest of the cast was brilliant too. They each played multiple roles throughout the timeline of the play. I highly recommend going to see it if you can. He sings! He dances! I cried! I laughed! I’m trying my best to give you a spoiler free review! But I promise you won’t be disappointed. 😊 it’s really really good. 👍 Go! Support Michael and the arts!

My personal experience:

I had a mix of excitement and anxiety all day but it really amped up when I got to the theater. Like omg this is really happening. I took a pic by the poster and it’s obvious I am an excited weirdo. 😆

Now that I was here, the next step was going to the national theatre gift shop. They had a lot of cute things and a really cool display for Nye.

I purchased my program and the cashier was very friendly. She complimented my Good Omens pin and said they usually come out stage door so make sure to go around back after, and enjoy the show. 😊 (internally squeeing) I thanked her and we went and got some food and a cider.

We made our way to the doors and were led to our seats. Then I started getting the omg we’re here this is actually happening mentality. We were pretty close. An omg he will be right there! Soon! 😬

We had 8th row seats 😳 it seemed very close and I was freaking out.

I read some reviews and saw the newly released press photos of the play. So I knew a little what to expect of the show too, but honestly it was sooo good. I don’t want to give away any spoilers because the play is AMAZING. Michael and the rest of the cast did so well. Michael is very active and moved all over the stage. I am so impressed by his abilities as an actor. He fucking sings! And it’s wonderful! And our seats were close enough to see all the micro expressions on his face. 😃 If you have the means to go and see this either in London or later in Wales - GO! You will not regret it.

At the end I took a pic of the actors (though I didn’t get everyone) and I got the very end when Nye can see the impact of his accomplishments.

Now for the fangirling part of my night. I was trying my best not to be a complete dork. I knew from other fans previously posting that he typically comes out at the stage door after the show. So I had an idea what to expect. He came out pretty soon after the show ended. I’m guessing there were maybe 50-60ppl there. He just started talking to people, signing things, taking photos like this is no big deal. And they would leave and it would be the next person’s turn. Everyone was very considerate of each other and Michael’s time. And he was kind and generous and spoke genuinely to each person and made so many people happy that night. just by being himself and taking some extra time before he went home. He really is an angel. ❤️

Eventually it was my turn. Somehow I didn’t mumble or giggle like an idiot. where did I find the ability to speak? - I really have no idea 🤷‍♀️ I told him the show was amazing. He thanked me. And while signing my program I told him we came over from America for my birthday to see him. He wished us luck in the rest of our trip. I got a selfie with him and internally died. He wished me happy birthday (died again). I thanked him and then it was the next person’s turn. I walked about 50ft away and jumped up and down like an idiot. Hopefully he didn’t see.

But holy shit. 😃

I met Michael Sheen!!!! 😃❤️😃

And he was the nicest person ever. 😃😃😃

#michael sheen #nye #national theatre #did this actually happen? #I met Michael Sheen #holy shit #best birthday ever

[hapi-transformers-enthusiast]

"Wayward Soldier"

General and Romantic headcanons for TFP Ultra Magnus.

He has made a lil office in my head and he's paying rent, so I'm indulging him.

WARNINGS: Mentions of death, PTSD, sleep paralysis, and general mental-health related things that may hit very close to home.

General HCs first, then Romantic ones Under the cut!

Ultra Magnus has been through quite a lot, just like the other Autobots. However, unlike the others, he's had very little time to get used to Earth.

His uptight demeanor and formal speech is a front, but he's had to hold it up for so long, that it's become difficult for him to ever truly lower his guard anymore.

After he starts getting used to the team, he does loosen up slightly. He's still very strict and orderly, but he starts learning what the other bots won't appreciate - especially Wheeljack.

Earth as an environment, however, takes much longer for him to acclimate to. The first time he gets caught in a thunderstorm, it sends him into a panic attack from the sudden noise. He... rather dislikes rain, really.

The weather that he does enjoy, to everyone's surprise, is Snow. The cool air and the way it seems to muffle noises around it calms him down, even if he needs to be careful about the temperature.

That being said, please do not send him up to the Arctic. Bulkhead told him about the Scraplet incident, and he really doesn't want there to be a second wave of that.

Ultra Magnus also has a pretty religious sleep schedule, which he only diverges from in the event of an extreme emergency. However, there is one particular hinderance that occasionally robs him of rest: Sleep Paralysis.

Every now and again, Magnus gets extremely intense bouts of sleep paralysis, rendering him unable to move for hours at a time. He has a repeated hallucination of a dead comrade holding him down, whispering just barely too quiet, and every time it destroys him.

He'll usually break out of the condition before the sun rises, but it's never pleasant. He'll be extra uptight and particular about things the next morning, as well as a little bit jumpy.

The way that Magnus tends to calm himself down is actually with creative writing. Contrary to popular belief, he's actually a very adept storyteller, and he enjoys putting his extensive vocabulary to use. However, he never shares these stories, always deleting the files after he finishes them.

Onto the Romantic Headcanons!

This mech is extremely out of touch when it comes to romance. It takes him a long time to even recognize that what he's feeling is love, rather than just particularly deep comradery.

Once he does realize he's in love, he'll withdraw pretty deeply. He has lost so many people that he has cared about, and the very idea of losing the one he loves most shakes him to his spark. That, and he overthinks things quite a bit.

After his significant other lets him know that they love him back, though? He is on Cloud Nine. He has trouble putting it into words, but he smiles a lot more now.

Ultra Magnus' love languages are Acts of Service and Words of Affirmation. He's a chivalrous mech, always willing to help his S/O with even the smallest tasks, and he'll always go just a little bit above the standard.

However, he absolutely needs his S/O to verbalize that they love him. He can be very insecure if it's not something war related, and thus needs reassurance that he's doing things right: That his lover is happy with him.

Touch Starved. He spent way too long alone on that ship flying to Earth, and it shows. Put a hand on his cheek, or (if you can) the small of his back? He'll be putty in your hands.

At first, he doesn't really like cuddling, because he starts to overheat. However, if his S/O helps him through a Sleep Paralysis or Traumatic Episode, he'll start liking it a whole lot more.

Similarly to humans, Cybertronians tend to sleep better when in groups, and Ultra Magnus is no exception. He often wales to find his hand entwined with his partner, or even spooning them lovingly. Don't ever mention these things to Wheeljack, poor Magnus will never hear the end of it.

Alright, that's all I have for now!! Stay tuned, folks, I'll be writing more often soon!

#maccadam #tfp #transformers prime #tfp ultra magnus #ultra magnus #prime ultra magnus #transformers #transformers headcanons #tfp headcanons #tfp x reader #transformers romantic headcanons #my writing #written by hapi transformers enthusiast

[meraki-yao]

RWRB: Prince Henry = Princess Diana

If someone were to compare Henry to an irl royalty, many would immediately say Prince Harry. In that Variety interview with Nick, even the interviewer asked Nick if Henry was a gay version of Harry. And the association is understandable, the clearest similarity being falling for an American, and being the spare.

But hear me out.

I think Henry's counterpart is actually Princess Diana.

I went to visit my high school two weeks ago and had a chat with my best friend (a budding actress studying at NYU Tisch) and the principal (a lovely British gentleman who's willing to spend time talking to students, he greets us at the school gate every morning, and I really like and respect him) and we talked a bit about the British monarchy because we were talking about historical fiction and I mentioned the crown

And my principal (who was still living in the UK and presumably a young adult when the whole Diana thing was happening) mentioned that the monarchy used to be really isolated and closed off (granted except for state events which are still not that accessible, and occasional rebels like the Duke of Windsor and Princess Margaret) But when Diana joined the royal family, she brought a lot more public attention to the monarchy. People started paying more attention to the royal family because of her.

And she used that extra attention to shed light on causes that the crown previously didn't touch on, perhaps most notably AIDS by hugging a patient during a time when people were afraid to even approach them.

Diana didn't fit into the pre-existing, and perhaps cold mould of the monarchy. She wasn't a typical bride for the heir. (No queen consort is truly "weak" but Diana was really stubborn especially regarding how to raise her children) And honestly, while personally I think the whole marriage issue is really unfortunate circumstances and there's no singular villain, the royal family could have been a lot kinder to her.

But despite everything, and perhaps partly because she didn't fit in as well, she managed to change things for the better.

Prince William took after his mother's efforts to shed light on marginalized groups or topics that need to be addressed: he's the first royal to appear in a gay magazine, he's currently doing a couple projects tackling homelessness, he and Princess Kate have a couple of projects regarding mental health and anti-bullying, he founded the earth-shot prize etc. And so much of what he (and his wife) does is following Diana's footsteps. The monarchy, at the very least the Wales is more of a public servant than a mere figurehead now.

Now let's look at Henry.

Henry's the odd one out by being gay, but also by not being the traditional figure of masculinity that his monarchy held by: Henry's a writer, a historian, a hapless romantic. It's harsher in the book (and I've written an essay before on the movie's version of Henry's grandfather being genuinely worried about Henry not being accepted by the public and getting hurt as opposed to the Queen in the book who's just a homophobic bitch for the sake of it), but in both, we see how terrible Philip and the Queen's insults to him was. In both, the monarchy was not accepting of his differences, and in the book, they were straight-up cruel. They very deliberately hurt them. (His situation in the books is more black and white than Diana's situation)

He wanted to work with Pez's foundation on LGBT youth shelters long before he came out. His outing, despite being an invasion of privacy, led to the mass pride protests. By officially announcing Alex as his boyfriend/suitor, and later creating/joining LGBT charities, he's giving support and a platform for the LGBT community.

In the movie it's implied that their monarchy is more closed off and like our world's old monarchy (Henry's children's hospital visits are private endeavours, and he mentioned being stuck "doing mindless ribbon-cutting" while Alex is out there changing the world, which implies his jobs is more the ceremonial stuff)

So just like Diana, Henry was not accepted by the monarchy/royal family but eventually used his position to shed light on those in need, using the monarchy's influence for positive change.

There are a couple more parallels:

In the book, Henry has blonde hair and blue eyes and so does Diana

In the movie, Henry was named "the Prince of England's Heart" just as Diana was called "the Queen of People's Hearts"

And I don't know if this was a deliberate design on Nick's part but

(these are the best gifs I can find that demonstrate what I'm trying to show, a better parallel would be the shot of Henry looking at Alex through his eyelashes when Pez was introducing himself to Nora but I can't find a gif of it)

TL DR: Henry will have the same role/position/significance to his world's monarchy as Diana did with our world's royal family

And honestly, I think Diana would have loved him.

tagging @lfg1986-2 because you mentioned you were looking forward to this one, hope you like it!

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #nicholas galitzine #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry hanover stuart fox #princess diana #diana spencer #rwrb thoughts #rwrb analysis #meraki essay #I think at some point Casey did mention they really like Princess Diana #Also I have genuine respect for Prince William because he does a lot of work on topics I care about also he just seems like a great guy #these are just my thoughts I didn't do research purposefully for this one please don't come at me #this is also part of the reason I don't want movie Henry to abdicate #yeah anyways

[merchymynydd]

Just missing the mist for the vibe

#wales being extra #autumn #calan gaeaf

[invisibleicewands]

Michael Sheen: Prince Andrew, Port Talbot and why I quit Hollywood

When Michael Sheen had an idea for a dystopian TV series based in his home town of Port Talbot, in which riots erupt when the steel works close, he had no idea said works would actually close — a month before the show came to air. “Devastating,” he says, simply, of last month’s decision by Tata Steel to shut the plant’s two blast furnaces and put 2,800 jobs at risk.

“Those furnaces are part of our psyche,” he says. “When the Queen died we talked about how psychologically massive it was for the country because people couldn’t imagine life without her. The steel works are like that for Port Talbot.”

Sheen’s show — The Way — was never meant to be this serious. The BBC1 three-parter is directed by Sheen, was written by James Graham and has the montage king Adam Curtis on board as an executive producer. The plot revolves around a family who, when the steel works are closed by foreign investors, galvanise the town into a revolt that leads to the Welsh border being shut. Polemical, yes, but it has a lightness of touch. “A mix of sitcom and war film,” Sheen says, beaming.

But that was then. Now it has become the most febrile TV show since, well, Mr Bates vs the Post Office. “We wanted to get this out quickly,” Sheen says. With heavy surveillance, police clamping down on protesters and nods to Westminster abandoning parts of the country, the series could be thought of as a tad political. “The concern was if it was too close to an election the BBC would get nervous.”

I meet Sheen in London, where he is ensconced in the National Theatre rehearsing for his forthcoming starring role in Nye, a “fantasia” play based on the life of the NHS founder, Labour’s Aneurin “Nye” Bevan. He is dressed down, with stubble and messy hair, and is a terrific raconteur, with a lot to discuss. As well as The Way and Nye, this year the actor will also transform himself into Prince Andrew for a BBC adaptation of the Emily Maitlis Newsnight interview.

Sheen has played a rum bunch, from David Frost to Tony Blair and Chris Tarrant. And we will get to Bevan and Andrew, but first Wales, where Sheen, 55, was born in 1969 and, after a stint in Los Angeles, returned to a few years ago. He has settled outside Port Talbot with his partner, Anna Lundberg, a 30-year-old actress, and their two children. Sheen’s parents still live in the area, so the move was partly for family, but mostly to be a figurehead. The actor has been investing in local arts, charities and more, putting his money where his mouth is to such an extent that there is a mural of his face up on Forge Road.

“It’s home,” Sheen says, shrugging, when I ask why he abandoned his A-list life for southwest Wales. “I feel a deep connection to it.” The seed was sown in 2011 when he played Jesus in Port Talbot in an epic three-day staging of the Passion, starring many locals who were struggling with job cuts and the rising cost of living in their town. “Once you become aware of difficulties in the area you come from you don’t have to do anything,” he says, with a wry smile. “You can live somewhere else, visit family at Christmas and turn a blind eye to injustice. It doesn’t make you a bad person, but I’d seen something I couldn’t unsee. I had to apply myself, and I might not have the impact I’d like, but the one thing that I can say is that I’m doing stuff. I know I am — I’m paying for it!”

The Way is his latest idea to boost the area. The show, which was shot in Port Talbot last year, employed residents in front of and behind the camera. The extras in a scene in which fictional steel workers discuss possible strike action came from the works themselves. How strange they will feel watching it now. The director shakes his head. “It felt very present and crackling.”

One line in the show feels especially crucial: “The British don’t revolt, they grumble.” How revolutionary does Sheen think Britain is? “It happens in flare-ups,” he reasons. “You could say Brexit was a form of it and there is something in us that is frustrated and wants to vent. But these flare-ups get cracked down, so the idea of properly organised revolution is hard to imagine. Yet the more anger there is, the more fear about the cost of living crisis. Well, something’s got to give.”

I mention the Brecon Beacons. “Ah, yes, Bannau Brycheiniog,” Sheen says with a flourish. Last year he spearheaded the celebration of the renaming of the national park to Welsh, which led some to ponder whether Sheen might go further in the name of Welsh nationalism. Owen Williams, a member of the independence campaigners YesCymru, described him to me as “Nye Bevan via Che Guevara” and added that the actor might one day be head of state in an independent Wales.

Sheen bursts out laughing. “Right!” he booms. “Well, for a long time [the head of state] was either me or Huw Edwards, so I suppose that’s changed.” He laughs again. “Gosh. I don’t know what to say.” Has he, though, become a sort of icon for an independent Wales? “I’ve never actually spoken about independence,” he says. “The only thing I’ve said is that it’s worth a conversation. Talking about independence is a catalyst for other issues that need to be talked about. Shutting that conversation down is of no value at all. People say Wales couldn’t survive economically. Well, why not? And is that good? Is that a good reason to stay in the union?”

On a roll, he talks about how you can’t travel from north to south Wales by train without going into England because the rail network was set up to move stuff out of Wales, not round it. He mentions the collapse of local journalism and funding cuts to National Theatre Wales, and says these are the conversations he wants to have — but where in Wales are they taking place?

So, for Sheen, the discussion is about thinking of Wales as independent in identity, not necessarily as an independent state? “As a living entity,” he says, is how he wants people to think about his country. “It’s much more, for me, about exploring what that cultural identity of now is, rather than it being all about the past,” he says. “We had a great rugby team in the 1970s, but it’s not the 1970s anymore and, yes, male-voice choirs make us cry, but there are few left. Mines aren’t there either. All the things that are part of the cultural identity of Wales are to do with the past and, for me, it’s much more about exploring what is alive about Welsh identity now.”

You could easily forget that Sheen is an actor. He calls himself a “not for profit” thesp, meaning he funds social projects, from addiction to disability sports. “I juggle things more,” he says. “Also I have young kids again and I don’t want to be away much.”

Sheen has an empathetic face, a knack of making the difficult feel personable. And there are two big roles incoming — a relief to fans.

Which leads us to Prince Andrew. “Of course it does.” This year he plays the troubled duke in A Very Royal Scandal — a retelling of the Emily Maitlis fiasco with Ruth Wilson as the interviewer. Does the show go to Pizza Express in Woking? “No,” Sheen says, grinning. Why play the prince? He thinks about this a lot. “Inevitably you bring humanity to a character — that’s certainly what I try to do.” He pauses. “I don’t want people to say, ‘It was Sheen who got everybody behind Andrew again.’ But I also don’t want to do a hatchet job.”

So what is he trying to do? “Well, it is a story about privilege really,” he says. “And how easy it is for privilege to exploit. We’ve found a way of keeping the ambiguity, because, legally, you can’t show stuff that you cannot prove, but whether guilty or not, his privilege is a major factor in whatever exploitation was going on. Beyond the specifics of Andrew and Epstein, no matter who you are, privilege has the potential to exploit someone. For Andrew, it’s: ‘This girl is being brought to me and I don’t really care where she comes from, or how old she is, this is just what happens for people like me.’”

It must have been odd having the prince and Bevan — the worst and best of our ruling classes — in his head at the same time. What, if anything, links the men? “What is power and what can you do with it?” Sheen muses, which seems to speak to his position in Port Talbot too. Nye at the National portrays the Welsh politician on his deathbed, in an NHS hospital, moving through his memories while doped up on meds. Sheen wants the audience to think: “Is there a Bevan in politics now and, if not, why not?”

Which takes us back to The Way. At the start one rioter yells about wanting to “change everything” — he means politically, sociologically. However, assuming that changing everything is not possible, what is the one thing Sheen would change? “Something practical? Not ‘I want world peace’. I would create a people’s chamber as another branch of government — like the Lords, there’d be a House of People, representing their community. Our political system has become restrictive and nonrepresentational, so something to open that up would be good.”

The actor is a thousand miles from his old Hollywood life. “It’d take a lot for me to work in America again — my life is elsewhere.” It is in Port Talbot instead. “The last man on the battlefield” is how one MP describes the steel works in The Way, and Sheen is unsure what happens when that last man goes. “Some people say it’s to do with net zero aims,” he says about the closure. “Others blame Brexit. But, ultimately, the people of Port Talbot have been let down — and there is no easy answer about what comes next.”

#Michael Sheen #Times #Interview #Nye #The Way #A Very Royal Scandal

[autismtana]

so you wanna write a heartbreak high fic, but you're american...

As an Australian who writes fanfic for Glee (which is American), it's interesting seeing kind of the opposite thing happen with Heartbreak High, which is very much an Australian show (even though there's a couple things here and there that I'll get into in this post), and I thought I'd offer my perspective as someone who grew up and went to school in Sydney (and is also very autistic and detail-oriented). I think this might be the first time an Australian teen drama has gone mainstream, but there's a lot of specific cultural things in Australia that tend to get lost in fanfiction.

So, without further ado, here is your guide to how to write about high school in Australia (or if you just want to learn about Australia, here tis).

(Disclaimer: this is mostly based on my experience living in NSW where Heartbreak High is filmed and set, but there might be some subtle differences in other states)

{This is a photo from Maroubra Bay High School, which doesn't exist anymore and is now the location where Heartbreak High is filmed}

Basic things: The school year starts at the end of January and ends in mid-December, and is broken up into 4 10-week terms, with two weeks holiday between each term and 5-6 weeks at Christmas. We're in the Southern Hemisphere, and February is an absolute nightmare weather-wise. In New South Wales (NSW), you're in primary school from years K-6 and high school from years 7-12. People generally refer to the grade they're in as "year #" or sometimes "grade #". If you go to a public school, it's usually with kids from your local area. Primary schools are usually called [Suburb Name] Public School (sometimes there's a "north" or "west" or even a street name instead; high schools are generally [Suburb Name] High School. School starts around 8:30 and ends at around 3. There's recess in the morning (usually around 11am) and lunch in the afternoon (usually around 1-1:30pm). Kids will either bring their own lunch or buy from the canteen, which these days is generally meant to be "healthy". The legal drinking age here is 18; that being said, it is not illegal for parents to let their children drink alcohol at home under their supervision (so if a 16-year-old's dad lets them have a beer at home, they're not going to get charged with supplying alcohol to a minor). Drinking culture in Australia is pretty feral and pretty much every social gathering involves alcohol. The youngest you can be to start school is turning 5 on or before the 31st July and the latest you can start is the year you turn 6; most parents, particularly those that are more well-off and can afford that extra year of preschool/childcare, start their kids the year they turn 6 (even if they turn 6 in January), so most teenagers will turn 18 during year 12 (which generally involves, parties, drinking and pubs). I did not. I turned 18 the day after O-week at uni ended, which is my villain origin story, but in some instances, a kid who is a month away from turning 19 will be in the same year 12 class as a kid who turned 17 four months ago without having repeated any grades.

Language & Slang: Australian slang is so niche that I'm just going to link you to this document, but just be aware that some of this shit is outdated and not used by anyone not named Alf Stewart, so use your better judgement. Thongs are a pair of shoes. Prawns are seafood (not shrimp; no one says "throw shrimp on the barby"). Australians swear a lot. Some of my favourite swears are "get fucked", "fuckwit", "fucknuckle", "shitcunt" and many others. We use "cunt" as a term of endearment and often use "mate" to be as passive aggressive as possible (call your mates "cunt" and cunts "mate"). Nobody fucking says "g'day mate" (and, while we're at it, nobody fucking drinks Fosters).

Uniform: Hartley High is a non-uniform school. This is actually extremely rare in Australia and I think there's only like 1 or 2 mainstream schools in NSW with no uniform. The vast majority of Australian schools have uniforms ranging from the typical stuffy blazer-and-straw-hat combo at the likes of Shore and Scots to a simple polo shirt and footy shorts/trackies in your average rural or regional public school. In the original series from the 90s, it's established that the school did at one point have a uniform that was a plot point in an episode where Nick Poulos (the main character at the time) is elected class captain to the chagrin of conservative teacher and football coach Bill Southgate. Other schools in the area would probably have a uniform; the school where it was filmed is now closed, but I did find a picture that shows what the uniform once looked like (see above).

Geography: Hartley High is located in the South Sydney/Eastern Suburbs area, so feel free to incorporate a little Rabbitohs/Roosters rivalry into your fic for that extra bit of authenticity. We play rugby here, which Australians also call "footy". Australian Rules Football (AFL) is also colloquially called "footy", which can get very confusing. Private schools (like the one where Darren's fuck buddy Jacob goes) tend to favour rugby union. Pretty much everyone (and I mean everyone) has a rugby league team they support. For example, I'm a Rabbitohs supporter, my mum is a Cowboys supporter and my dad is a Broncos supporter. There's also State of Origin, which is NSW vs Queensland (basically you support the state you were born in but some people jump on the Queensland bandwagon whenever they're winning ... fuckwits).

Classes and Timetables: Timetables here operate fortnightly, so it's not overly common to have the same class at the same time every day. Generally there's a rollcall class in the morning for 20 minutes where teachers do things like read notices, hand out notes and check uniforms and phones (I'm pretty sure the NSW education department actually just banned the use of phones in schools), then you'll typically have two classes, then recess, then another two classes, then lunch, then maybe one or two classes followed by home time. Here is a summary of everything kids in New South Wales have to learn in high school: Stage 4 (Years 7-8): English, Maths, Science, HSIE (History/Geography), TAS (e.g. cooking, sewing, metal work, woodwork, digital technology), CAPA (generally just music and art but can also include dance and drama), PDHPE (theory and prac), LOTE (my school offered French and Italian, but there's a massive variety of languages on offer and a lot of schools actually teach the local Aboriginal language). Stage 5 (Years 9-10): English, Maths, Science, HSIE, PDHPE and electives. The number of electives that can be chosen vary from school to school, but some popular examples are PASS, Art, Drama, Music, Food Tech, Metal, Woodwork. Some schools offer things like STEM as an elective and others offer, say, two electives and have all students undertaking some kind of STEM class. What my school did was offer four electives - two for year 9 and 10 and then two for just year 9 because Australian History and Australian Geography would take up those extra two timeslots. I chose Music, Italian, Drama and, for some reason, extension maths. Stage 6 (Year 11-12): this is the lead up to the HSC, and it's where things start to get complicated so ... everyone has to study English (Advanced, Standard, Studies, Extension and EALD) and I think Maths (Advanced, Standard, Extension and a course called Numeracy which is more everyday numeracy in society), then a whole bunch of subject choices that can be found here, and the HSC has no requirements as to the types of subjects you can study (e.g. there's no language requirement, science requirement etc. like in the US; you got that shit out of the way in stages 4 and 5). There are also VET subjects that give you a TAFE qualification when you finish them which is nice (most popular one is Hospitality). Then you get your HSC at the end of year 12.

This was so long that there is going to be a part 2 (apparently there's a lot to know about living in NSW and going to school there and it's longer than 4000 characters), so stay tuned for things like student leadership, sport, extracurricular stuff, uni (this is probably the area that's the most different from the US) and whatever other extraneous things I can think of.

#heartbreak high #fanfic advice #life in australia #basically a guide to how to write about school in australia if you're american

[thealogie]

Q&A anon here, my apologies for the delay in reporting, still a bit overwhelmed. Regarding the play, I still can‘t believe what I witnessed from the front row. Holy butt-wiggle. Standing ovations, tears, the whole shebang. But this is not what the children are here for, so:

The Q&A audience was really civilized and polite, the talk itself extensive with Wales, arts, politics and MS (acting approaches and all) being the main topics. Longest part was an interview by a journalist, and then 4 or 5 audience questions.

MS cannot and will not give a short or simple answer where a long detailed explanation answering 4 more questions would do just as nicely. I loved every second of it. No mentions of other collegues or friends (or whatever that ~pointing vaguely in shennant direction~ is). It went way longer than they planned and I have to say to witness his brain work is sth else really.

He said London and Cardiff audiences weren‘t that different (though Welsh could often relate more esp to the miners’ history) which he considers a good thing bc it speaks for the integrity of the play itself. Due to some technical difference at the WMC there is now a pause that allows for applause and sometimes there is and at others not. That seemed to excite him a bit. Audience is an important part of a production and completes it and together the experience is created.

Also his passion for political issues, ability to articulate and explain and honest interest in the good of the people - I hope he will never quit acting but boy would he be a good politician.

He was terribly sick during the Nye taping (we knew, but like really really sick). Barefoot and pyjamas on stage make for vulnerability.

Overall he was quite serious but effortlessly charming and still funny and very, very Welsh.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for coming back and providing a detailed report. I’m twirling my hair and kicking my feet at the part where there’s an extra pause so he gets an additional round of mid-play applause. It’s like vitamins for him.

[the-empress-7]

I'm going to light our altar lamp and pray for HRH Princess of Wales at 4.30am, auspicious time where we believe all good energies arise from the earth. Also the time where angels and mythical beings leave the earth and go to back to their sky kingdom after blessing the earth. Prayers are extra powerful at this time. Sending all the healing energy and magical vibrations to the beautiful Wales souls who needs it the most right now. They'll be okay darlings, and all of us too. Love and light 🙏🏻

Thank you so much, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you doing this. I will be lighting candles for her as well as often as possible in the coming months